Reggi Allder Author Blog, books, movies, recipes and more: July 2025

Take books with you on vacation.

The Sierra Creek Series Book one buy link: Her Country Heart

There are many who can't wait for summer to go on vacation, me included. Being in the Northern Hemisphere, July is one of the the most popular months to take a vacation. The weather is great and the beaches are beckoning. Of course, a cool mountain lake would do as well. What is your preference?

Lots of people go to amusement parks and that's great. But for our family, we like the idea of few less people around and a chance to enjoy the out of doors. As I'm a camera buff, I enjoy taking photos of nature, whether it is flora or fauna. Deer and rabbits are favorites, but the ones I'm fondest of are birds. I have a few of the bald eagle, song birds, and black birds. I want a chance to catch the Great Horned Owl with my lens. I saw a beautiful one. He sat on a post and stared at me. But by the time I got my camera, he was just flying away. Still, what an amazing wingspan. Below is a great horned owl. A beautiful photo, but not one of mine.

Great Horned Owl

One of the kids got a photo of a brown bear fishing for salmon in a wild stream. I'm not showing it because it was from a distance. Of course when the bear looked in our direction, we backed away and left the area. Better safe than sorry. :)

When I go on vacation, I will have books and a camera with me.

Do you have a favorite hobby or vacation spot? Please leave a comment below.

I hope you will take an eBook or paperback with you wherever you go, even if you decide to stay home for a stay-cation. :)

Excerpt: Our Country Heart Sierra Creek Series Book 3: Buy Link

“At loose ends.” The saying had no meaning until today. Vanna Danelavich surveyed the California town of Sierra Creek spreading out in a vista before her. In the small village, brick and stucco houses dotted the landscape and surrounded the main street shopping area, where no big box stores were allowed.

From the knoll where she stood, the morning sun glistened on the bell tower of the church where her best friend was married a week ago.

This time yesterday, she was working a temp job at the preschool. The teacher returned today, after being on maternity leave. Now Vanna confronted an uncertain future with few prospects in the rural community, where jobs were scarce, and opportunities limited. Still, it was her hometown.

Tired of being anonymous in Los Angeles, she’d thought of Sierra Creek, population five thousand, and longed for close friends, clean air and little traffic. In LA, with a population of over ten million, finding a friend to say good morning to was often impossible as people lived in a huge geographical area and met only by appointment.

Heat, smog, and gridlock were the only things LA residents could rely on. She might have tolerated those but for a disastrous relationship that left her shaken. Then her mother had a health scare and needed her. It seemed the right time to leave Los Angeles. So, at twenty-seven, she gave up her unrealistic dream of being an actress in Hollywood and came home.

She returned to the place of her birth and a better quality of life should have fallen into place. Too bad reality is never as perfect as a person’s desire. Vanna laughed without humor. She was home now. She’d better make the best of things in Sierra Creek because living in Los Angeles was over.

Could witnessing her best friend’s marriage, and seeing Amy so happy, after years of struggle, be the catalyst for her musing? Vanna had reveled in the joy Amy Long found with Wyatt Cameron, but she couldn’t escape the realization of her own empty personal life.

With a groan, she turned toward Main Street and Sophie’s Ice Cream Parlor. Today, it was her turn to open her mother’s shop. Just then, a sleek black sports car drove down the street. The car parked near the courthouse and a handsome, well-built, brown-haired, man left the vehicle and jogged up the steps to the entrance and disappeared inside.

Not many strangers in this community. Who could he be?