Merry Christmas!

I can't believe how quickly the year has flown by. So many wonderful memories in 2015, along with hurdles and heartbreaks that test your sanity. But when it's all said and done, I find peace in knowing that God is still in control. His plan trumps ALL others.

So look for the positives every day!

 Enjoy the sunrises! 

And sunsets!

Make memories with family and friends and enjoy every second God has given.

And remember.

God is good! All the time!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!

Alone Time is Magical

Such a peaceful weekend.

Girls didn't come home from college this weekend since they will be home for Thanksgiving. (Miss them terribly!) And hubby and son took off on a hunting trip for the weekend. So that means I got some much needed and treasured "me" time. Magical Me Time!

Unlike most of my family, extroverts on steroids, I enjoy my alone time. Don't get me wrong. I love my family with all my heart and all the chaos we have created together. But for this introvert there is nothing like these rare moments when I have no one to answer to but myself. Well, there is still the dog and cat. But that's a different story. Another blog post maybe. LOL

During this time, I've finished reading several books I had started over the summer, revamped my newsletter, found a cool Progress Counter called NaNoWriMo Word Meter and added it to my blog, and got the Christmas tree all ready to put up after Thanksgiving. Even managed to get a few words down for NaNo. Whew...

Now I'm sitting back under a warm blanket with the puppy and enjoying the Hallmark channel and all those wonderful sappy Christmas stories I never get to watch when hubby or kids are home. I can sniffle and laugh and go awe... and no one will make fun of me. Priceless!

Gosh, I love this time of year. :) Cooler weather, spending time with family & friends, making new memories, eating good food and sharing lots of love and laughter. So much to be thankful for.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving filled with many wonderful blessings! May you Enjoy and Cherish every single moment!

Pray for Peace

My heart breaks for those who were hurt or lost loved ones in these cowardly attacks. 
I pray for all touched by these senseless acts of violence. For France, their government, for their police, fireman, and paramedics  And for all those brave men and women who deal with these situations on a day to day basis in our military and others around the world.

May this tragedy bring us all closer together, strengthening our bond so that evil cannot win!

AMEN!

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Time is All I Need

If only I could figure out how to manage my time better, I'd be on my way to a less stressful life.

Now I know adding NaNoWriMo is a decision I didn't have to include in this maddening month of mayhem. But it's actually helping me keep my stress level down.

I know, right? C R A Z Y!!

Procrastination is my worst enemy. Well, that and my non- existent organization skills and urge to check on what's new and exciting on the internet. ugh... Word of advice. Stay off Pinterest! Whatever you do!! Don't pull it up. Don't scan down the list of pretty and interesting pictures. Don't click on anything. Just don't go there! LOL

Despite it all, here are my accomplishments so far this month.

* Edits almost done on next book. Getting ready to send it off and see what happens. :)
* Cute humorous Nano story I'm working on with my daughter coming along nicely. 4K words so far. Progress is slow, but lots of brain storming going on while I'm completing other daily tasks.
* Working on finishing next thriller as well. (I know. I'm walking a fine line! But after taking Margie Lawson's workshop at a conference in October, I'm energized!)
* Started my Christmas shopping already!
* Getting ready for Thanksgiving. Might be having my family here this year. Yikes!

Looks like I'm getting quite a bit done now that I've written it down. Yeah! I think I'll celebrate! Not even going to try listing, or thinking about, the things needing attention in between all of this fun stuff. They will get done. They always do. LOL

Yes, I know! It's an addiction!! LOL

Come join me! :)

Linger Series by Edward Fallon

Looking for a great new Thriller author to add to your summer reading stash?

Well, here's a great new series I've received ARC's for: Linger by Edward Fallon. 

Edge of your seat suspense. Great characters. A story line that will have you cringing and begging for more. And guess what? You're in luck. All five novels will be released on July 1, 2015. You can pre-order them now on Amazon.com here! So you don't have to wait even a second to read the next one in the series when you finish the first. And it's a good thing too. The minute I finished the first book, I knew I was in trouble.

Sorry, hubby. Supper will have to wait. Laundry? Oh, shoot. Let me just finish this next chapter. What? It's bedtime already? Where the heck did the day go? LOL

This is one of those series that will stick with you long after you reach the last page.

Five Stars All the Way!! :)

First Book in the Series:

Linger: Dying is a Wild Night (A Linger Thriller) Kindle Edition

by Edward Fallon  (Author), Robert Gregory Browne (Editor)

The Blurb:

THEY SEE WHAT NO ONE ELSE SEES

 

Every crime scene has a smell. A look. A trail of DNA.

 

It also has a feel. An emotional residue that lingers... floating unseen, like bacteria in the air, just waiting to be absorbed. To be experienced.To be interpreted.

 

And only the man and the boy know this.

 

Veteran major crimes detective, Kate Messenger, has a problem on her hands: six bodies--father, mother, three children and the family dog--all slaughtered in their own home, with not a single clue or a shred of DNA that points to the butcher who killed them.

 

But late one night, as she's visiting what the newspapers have dubbed the House of Pain, Kate finds a couple of intruders at her crime scene: a man and a young blind boy who have no real explanation for their presence there.

 

In the hours that follow, Kate will discover that this is no ordinary boy--not by a long shot--and his ability to "read" the lingering residue left by the killer and his victims will not only open some old and very tender wounds, but may also help her find a killer who has been watching her every move...

        Amazon Link

Friday Morning Inspiration

Yosemite National Park 2013

Let go of things/people stressing you out, causing you grief—bigger and better is just over the horizon.

Forget striving for perfection.

Show your vulnerability and connect with those around you on a deeper level.

Don’t be afraid, be strong! (My Favorite!)

Even if it seems impossible, reach for your dreams—nothing makes you feel more alive!!

Hope everyone has a Wonderful Weekend!

How DYI Can Help You Get Back on Track

I've always loved the do it yourself concept. Yes, you can probably go out and buy that special piece you're looking for, but there is nothing like creating something with your own hands. For me, going to craft shows started years ago when I was still quite young and thought I could do anything. Fast forward a few years and I'm sad to say that awesome outlook on life has changed quite a bit. Stupid fear and doubt. LOL

One of my favorite shows lately is a show on HGTV called Fixer Upper. It's been on for a few seasons I think, but I only recently found it a few months ago. I absolutely love how this couple transforms a house. Wow! Makes me want to go out and buy an old fixer upper and try my hand at it. Thank goodness hubby has some self control!

As I sit here thinking about it, this idea kind of goes along with my writing as well. You know the saying,"You can't fix what you don't have." Well, this show is proof! A few of these houses I've seen on the show were lost causes in my opinion. That is, until the Gaines step in and completely blow my mind.

So awesome! And it got me to thinking about my current WIP. So many times I get stuck on a scene because I can't come up with something I feel is good enough. When the truth is, I should just write through the crap to discover the gems hiding in the middle of it all. I really like the idea. Sure beats staring at a blank page, right? :) A do it yourself quick fix of sorts until you're ready to start the edits and go back to really make that manuscript shine.

As I procrastinated today, I came across this video by Joanna Gaines. Thought I'd share because I found it so inspiring. Following our dreams is such an important part of life. It's what makes us grow, keeps us happy and helps us find our purpose. We must not let fear and doubt get in the way of what we are meant to do.

Enjoy!
Off to write through the crap! LOL

Characters

Today I thought I'd talk about characters. Mainly because the ones in my current work in progress are refusing to play nice. I know what they should be doing, but getting them to do it is an entirely different story.

Take Keith for example. Fine young man. Comes from a good family. A wealthy family with ties to a Senator. His problem? He's an only child. And growing up he was constantly bored with his life. Probably not much different than most teenagers now days. I have three teenagers, so I've got a pretty good inside look at what goes on in those over stimulated minds of theirs.

But Keith. Oh, Keith. He didn't have the supervision he needed growing up during those difficult years. And when he got into trouble there was always someone there to bail him out. He has a juvie record. But it's sealed up tight.

Now that's not too bad. People make mistakes. Especially young people. But Keith has a secret. One he's hidden pretty darn well. Even from me! LOL

See, he has a crush on my heroine. An innocent crush. Or so I thought.  She used to babysit him when he was in middle school. Over the years, they grew to be good friends since he's only about five years younger.

Imagine my surprise when my hero gets knocked over the head with a baseball bat and I discover the culprit is none other than my sweet, misunderstood and sometimes mischievous Keith. What? That's not how this story played out in my head. Not even close.

But as I write further and get to know Keith better, I can't believe I didn't see it all along. It's there in chapter one. I've been setting this little freak show up since the beginning and had no idea. Talk about crazy! LOL

Can't wait to see what Keith has in store for these poor characters. Blindsided is an understatement.



***Found a great blog about character building. Here's a link if you interested. :) Great read!
                    Kill Zone - Top 10 Things you need to know about characters.

Not Playing Fair - Survival of the Fittest

Rain smacked the window. The huge droplets sounded like bullets as they hit. Menacing, foreboding, the feeling of doom unshakable as wind howled within the branches of the trees.

A knock at the back door.

A bump in the night.

The darkness promised to swallow everything whole as an eerie noise scrapped against the window-seal, sending cold vibrations through the thick, humid air.


And then.....

Danged if I know what happens next. LOL

I've been at odds with the muse for several months now. I want to write one genre, the muse has other ideas. Ideas that in no way, shape, form or fashion will mesh. So what to do?

One might think pushing through and showing the muse who's boss is the answer. Well, I've tried that.

Me - 0  Muse 155 and counting.

Yep, I'm batting zero. Muse is like, so you won't write what I tell you to, then you won't write at all.  Moowhaaahaaa....

Complete and udder shut down. Ugh...... So not fair!

On a brighter note, I had lunch with a good friend today who told me to let the muse go. Let the words flow. Write it down. What will it hurt? No one has to see it but you.

How do some people become so wise? ;)

I know what I need to do. Heck. Honestly, I've known for some time. But hearing someone else say it? Someone I respect not only as a writer, but also as a person. Someone who has helped me grow in my writing more than they will ever know. Priceless! Thank you, my dear friend!

So I'm buckling down, bracing for the ride, or impact. I'm not sure what's in store, but I'm going to be brave. And maybe, just maybe I'll share snip-its here from time to time. I'm cringing at the mere thought, while the muse is grinning like the blasted Cheshire cat!

I'm both excited and leery. But also a bit eager about the possibilities of discovering an avenue of my writing I've not been open to in the past. Who knows, maybe this will pacify the muse so I can get back to writing those simple, feel good stories I keep trying to write.

This should be fun!
Writing should always be fun!