Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Oh, how I love this Holiday season.

Waiting Patiently! LOL

No really. I do. :)

The cooler weather. The beautiful decorations. The love and sharing.

I think I finally wrapped my last gift today.  I'm a bit shocked and more than a little relieved. Everything seems to be falling into place. No flickering lights outside the house just yet, but that's not half bad considering at one point I was in a panic trying to figure out how on earth I would get everything done.

Divide. Prioritize. Conquer. That's been the key for me. And then pick your battles.

I won't lie. I miss seeing the house all lit up at night when we come home, but in the big scheme of things it hasn't ruined Christmas for me or my kids.  And just because the Christmas cards didn't all go out at once, it doesn't mean I failed at wishing others a Merry Christmas. Shoot. Some of my friends and family may even be getting two doses of Christmas cheer from the Ohnoutka's since I misplaced my dang list. Again. LOL Someone will probably find it wrapped in one of the gifts. I won't live that one down anytime soon. But it won't be the strangest thing I've ever unwrapped. I found a set of car keys one year. LOL The look on my sister-in-law's face was priceless!

All of this chaos and coming to grips with it helped me really focus on the true meaning of the season. The most precious gift of all didn't come wrapped in fancy paper or ribbons, and had no price tag.  Jesus was and is God's gift to us and proof that love really does conquer all.

So close your eyes. Take a long deep breath. Make a plan of your own to divide and conquer. Then go out and spread some love.

And if you're looking for some great last minute gifts, be sure to check out the sidebar for some really great books. There's something for everyone on your list. :)

Wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with love, laughter and many blessings!

I leave you with my favorite Christmas tune. Just in case you needed a little boost.

Susan Muller - The Secrets on Forest Bend

Another day. . . another dead body.

When Detective Adam Campbell learns that a WWII gun is connected to several murders he’s investigating, he hopes that tracking down the killer will be as easy as tracing the gun’s history. When he meets Jillian Whitmeyer, the last known owner of the weapon, the case becomes anything but simple.

Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

Adam soon learns that people who get close to Jillian have a bad habit of turning up dead. Jillian claims that the spirit of her sister, accidentally killed with that same gun, is responsible for the deaths. She warns Adam that he is likely to become the next victim. Adam’s been a lousy judge of women in the past, and this one’s obviously a nut case. Or is she? How does a just-the-facts detective deal with a ghostly serial killer and the sexy-as-hell sister she won’t set free?

Get your copy here! 

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Forest-Bend-ebook/dp/B006JP48NU

You Could WIN! Check out the Christmas Kindle Fire Event

It's TIME!

Here's your chance to win!! A New Kindle Fire (a $199 Amazon gift card for the purchase) and tons of great books to boot! What are you waiting for? It's easy. :)

It might take a second to load the form, but it's worth it!

For more information: http://takingtimeformommy.com/2011/11/christmaas-kindle-fire-event-christmaskindle/

Dare to Dream and Make it Happen!!

Good Morning!

As I was running around getting the kids ready for school, I was trying to figure out how to manage my time better as I listened to the radio. Boy did this song hit home! With every dream, there is a price. That price is what you are willing to give, be it time, sweat or tears, to achieve it.  "Dare to Dream" and then get out there and make it happen!!

Excerpt from Lyrics of the song: "How Bad Do You Want It" - Tim McGraw


People always ask me
"Son what does it take
To reach out and touch your dreams?"

To them I always say

Are you hungry?
Are you thirsty?
Is it a fire that burns you up inside?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming
With that one thing on your mind?


How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line


I get to make my living
Doing what I love
Every night I give my heart and soul
Sometimes that ain't enough
But brother, if you're like me
Looking down that road


Be careful of that wild wind, son
Sometimes it don't let go
Can you feel it?Can you taste it?
Can you hear it knocking at your door?


How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming
With that one thing on your mind?


How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line


There's always a price you pay no matter what you do
If you're gonna climb that mountain to the top
It always comes down to


How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming
With that one thing on your mind?


How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line



For me, the price is going to be getting up earlier or going to bed later and kicking procrastination in the pants whenever it shows its ugly head. Whatever it takes to get those words down on the paper, I must do. Can you say more caffeine! LOL  Just thought I'd share. :) Off to write now!

Target of Betrayal - Live

Finally after months and months of edits and more edits, Target of Betrayal is alive, a mean available as an e-book. LOL Still waiting on the print version, but it shouldn't be much longer.

I'm excited, exhausted and relieved. So hubby ask me today, now that it is finished, what I plan to do with all my free time. Imagine his surprise when I smiled and told him "Now I can focus fully on my new NaNo story." I was almost jumping up and down. He's like, you're writing another one? Yep. It's official. He thinks I'm crazy. :)

Even with all the extra hassles of getting Target up and running, the NaNo story is coming along quite nicely so far. But then, for me, the first few days are always the easiest. Those last ones are down right brutal!

Thanks for all the support and encouragement through these trying months! I appreciate you all so much!

Amazon  

Barnes & Noble  

Good luck to all my fellow NaNo'ers!!! Write, Write, Write!

Border Heat by Teri Thackston

Don't miss this one!

Great Suspense!



Murderous drug runners, a wildfire in the Texas desert and the President's runaway daughter…Game Warden Shannon Walker didn't sign up for any of this. Add a sexy Secret Service Agent, unexpected betrayal and an escape into the desert, and the border becomes hotter than Shannon can handle.

Rescue Me, Somebody Please!

Just kidding. Although, I must say, I've felt this way several times lately.

October has come, and as I sit here staring at my computer, procrastinating as usual, I'm realizing the month's almost gone! Time flys when you're having fun and when your not, well, I think it flys faster. LOL We started out with football games, tennis matches and Homecoming. Now we're winding down. The fundraiser for tennis was a huge success and the team is off today for a trip to Regionals, (Yay Go, Team!)

But, even with all life's distractions and the wonderful memories we've made along the way, I'm happy to report that I managed to stay on track. "Target of Betrayal" is due out the first of November. Yes, I'm doing a happy dance. This is the first story I ever wrote, finished back in 2007. The first draft was a whopping 104,000 words. Yikes! Needless to say, it has gone through one heck of a major overhaul. :)

Now it's time to get ready for NaNoWriMo! This is National Novel Writing Month for those of you trying to make sense out of the abbreviation. The goal? Write 50,000 words in 30 days. It's alot of hard work, but so rewarding. My first attempt was back in 2007. I'd finished one manuscript and was worried I might not be able to do it again. NaNo helped me set goals, priorities and realize writing was definitely something I wanted to do. If you ask my hubby, I've become a bit obsessed over the years. LOL

He just doesn't understand my new battle cry.

 "I get to write something new! Yippee!"

After all this editing, I'm about to burst with all the great possibilities. All I have to do is pick one idea floating around in my head, focus and then smoke up those computer keys. :) One of my goals this year is to challenge myself to write a simple romance. Those of you who know me are shaking your head. I can see you! And hear you! "What no guns? No herione being chased by the bad guys, her time running out?" Did you see the word CHALLENGE above. LOL And I never said there wouldn't be guns! 

Let's Get This Party Started!

Here's a link in case I've enticed you to check it out. :) 

 National Novel Writing Month 

  

Wacky Wednesday Links

My final run through is done and off to the editor on the next book, Target of Betrayal. Whew...I didn't think I'd ever get to the end on this one. It's a great feeling.:) I'm now working on the final edits for the cover and having way too much fun. LOL I promise to share soon!

Until then here are a few of the links I've come across this past week.

Amazon Algorithm Exposed - Very interesting

http://ebooksuccess4free.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/amazon-sales-rank-secret-algorithm-exposed/

Another great resource for saving your sanity during the formatting process. :)
http://www.cjs-easy-as-pie.com/

Kristen Lamb's Blog -
Three Keys to a Successful Author Platform - All This and a Bag of Chips (Love her Blog titles!)

The Writer's Guide to E-Publishing -
What's So Special About Indie by Scott Nicholson - Worth a read. :)

And don't forget about the Northwest Houston Lone Star Writer's Conference coming this October 15, 2011!
It's not too late to register!!!     Northwest Houston RWA

TxDOT vs. Christie Craig

Have you heard about this?! It's just unbelievable! Christie Craig is an amazing writer and this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

I was born in Texas. I've lived here my entire life. And this just really makes my blood boil. Texas is so much better than this. Going after an author because of the title of her book? Really? "Don't Mess With Texas" has taken on an entirely new meaning for me. And it's not a good thing!

Please check out this site for more info and spread the word.

http://wildwickedwacky.blogspot.com/2011/10/txdot-v-christie-craig-write-in.html

Writer or not, this affects us all. There are tax dollars paying for a frivolous law suit. TxDot putting this much effort and money into this over a book title really scares the heck out of me. What else will they do?

I'm off to steam a bit more! And see who else I can contact.  Oh, wait! Rick Perry is running for President! I'm going to see what he thinks about this little lawsuit.  Want to join me? :)


Snail Mail: The Honorable Rick Perry, PO Box 12428, Austin, TX 78711-2428


Website: http://governor.state.tx.us/contact/

Phone No: (512) 463-2000

Twitter: @GovernorPerry (mention @TxDOT and @Christie_Craig)


Please say you will!