New Beginnings

The sweet month of February is finally here! Yippee!

Can you tell I favor this month? LOL 

Yes, it has to do with chocolate, strawberries dipped in it, and boxes filled with the delicious morsels. But it’s also my oldest daughter’s 21 birthday. She’s my Valentine Baby, and I must say the sweetest gift I’ve ever gotten on Valentine’s Day!

This February is turning out to be a month of new starts for me, too! I’ve just signed a contract with Entangled Publishing for my newest manuscript! Yeah! And I get to work with an amazing editor, who I know will get my creative juices flowing!

So excited to see where this new path takes me. It’s a lot different from the self-publishing. And I’m still learning the ropes. But I hope this course will free me up to write more as someone else deals with the formatting, covers, blurbs and other tedious parts of the publishing process.

Not that I don’t plan to self-publish when I get the chance or have a story that won't fit their line. I love the control too much to just let it go. LOL Control issues! Big time!

So my new journey begins. And I'll keep you posted on the details as they pop up. As of now, I've already turned in my first round of revisions on the manuscript, so now I can sit back, eat chocolate, drink tequila, and wait. Right?

No! Ha! Ha!  I’m only kidding! 

Time to turn to the next project.

Going to get back into routine, meet up with special writing friends each week and crank out those new words. Accountability is a must for me. Otherwise the procrastination wins out.

So happy Birthday to my sweet first baby girl!

And Happy Writing/Creating to All! :)

Life's Journey Awaits

So the New Year has come and gone, and January 2016 is already winding down. I’m shocked. How am I supposed to enjoy these moments with my kids while they’re home if time keeps zipping along at warp speed?

I think someone is trying to tell me something. Something very important.

Cherish the moment. Every single one of them. The good. The bad. The quick. The slow. Quit saying “if I can just make it till….” Because doing so only speeds up the very thing I’m trying to slow down. Time.

My new Work shirt! LOL

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I look at them as new year challenges instead. My first one is going to be a commitment to live in the moment. All of them. Regardless of what’s going on at the time. Regardless of what I might be dreading to do, or have happen or how hard it might be.

You see, both my sweet girls have already left for college a few years ago. I still can’t wrap my brain around it. And my son is a junior in high school this year. I’ve got one more year before the dreaded empty nesting starts. LOL

Yes, I’m dreading it with a passion. But I’m not going to let it steal my joy or all the precious moments and chances to make memories before it gets here. Nope, not gonna do it.

Bring on the tennis tournaments, the trips to and from the two different colleges my daughters attend for visits, the birthdays, the graduations, marriages… gulp. I’ll stop there. No need to get too far ahead of myself, right?

In the meantime, I’m happy to report I’ve been writing up a storm. Editing along the way, too. I didn’t make the goal I’d set for myself last year as far as writing went. Sometimes those goals are just not meant to be. Wishful thinking on my part. But I did finish a new book. Yeah! And I hope to have some very exciting news to share really soon.

2016 is going to be a Terrific Adventure and one wild crazy ride for sure!

Even if it drives me to drink! Ha! Good thing I found out tequila can help you lose weight. No really! I read an article! LOL

A win, win situation as far as I'm concerned!

Bring on the Margaritas!! Let's celebrate!!

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!