December, Celebrations, & Where Has The Year Gone?...

Happy December,

Well, it's already almost the last day of December...and the whole month totally snuck up on me and slipped by me without me realizing what was going on until Christmas Weekend! I kept thinking "Oh, I've got time to do..." and whatever. HA! Next time, I'm going to REALLY look at my calendar and go "Wait, NO, I DON'T have all this time!"

Exhibit A: I need to finish putting together (and mail) Christmas cards. Yep. I'm late, I know, but hopefully I'll get them out during the 12 days of Christmas (before the celebration of Jesus' Baptism, which is celebrated the Sunday after Epiphany. Catholics don't do celebrations halfway! Case in point: Easter has many, many days in the Easter Season).

Exhibit B: I was wrapping presents on Christmas Eve. I'm usually done days before then.

So all of you out there who were behind this year...I get it! Things happen. Life can be nuts.

This whole year felt fast, though. I know I kept saying it pretty much every single month. I've sat there going "Wait, it can't already be___" and lo, and behold, it would be.

Writing updates? Well, still working on some revisions on a manuscript--hope to be done very soon. It would be nice if I could be done before the end of January...here's hoping! I have several other manuscripts in various stages of not done writing the actual story. There is one that my long-time critique partner loves that I still need to finish writing (ironically, it's Winter/Christmassy-themed!)

My family is doing all right. There's always bumps in the road, but there are also some wonderful moments--I'm working on focusing on the positive. It's easy to get bogged down in the negative and I'm incredibly sympathetic to those who do. But I'm one of those people who just can't stand to stay there. I've got a great support system and I keep learning new things and working on it. My faith has played a HUGE role in all of that.

Christmas Day was very quiet (which is okay) but nice. Christmas Eve we went to Mass (it's fun to see everyone all dressed up and smiles). The Church looked beautiful--Nativity scene, flowers, incense--the works! We sang one of my favorite Christmas hymns--"Joy To The World". I'm hoping during the Christmas Season we'll also do "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (I really like this one, I can't explain why, I just do). I'm also very fond of "The Holly And The Ivy" (my dad likes to whistle that one, and I have fond memories of one of my sisters singing it around the house when I was growing up) and "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" (the song is lovely, the poem has some sad verses, but ends in hopefulness).We have some other things planned, which I think will be fun.

I'm hopeful about some things for 2024. I won't know if they'll actually happen until they do (or don't happen--whatever happens). So, I have to keep working, praying, and hoping.

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, a Blessed New Year in 2024, and hope.

Have A Tremendously Terrific Tuesday!

It's Worth A Fortune

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Does anyone remember the song If I Had A Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies ? I can't remember when or how I was first introduced to this song, but it's a fun song. So, how about if you had a million dollars? What would you do with it? Of course there's the responsible things to do with a million dollars--pay off debts, and such like that. Then there's the question of whether or not you give to charities, and how much. But, suppose you answered all those questions and you still had quite a lot left; what would you do with it? Maybe I'd go to Disney World. I've wanted to go, and I've never been able to. Or, perhaps I'd go to Germany and England, and Belgium (three of the countries my ancestors are from). Travel around seeing family and friends I don't see often. There's all kinds of possibilities. So, what about you? What would you do with a million dollars? Have A Tremendous Tuesday!

Spotlight On Author: Loretta Wheeler

Happy Tuesday Everyone, There's a gem of an author I've had the privilege of coming across...I'm talking about my friend, Loretta Wheeler. She's a sweetheart and very talented author. I enjoyed her YA Paranormal novella, The Pan Man immensely. And, she also writes Romance. So without further ado, come into my parlor and meet Loretta Wheeler: Me: In your YA novelette, The Pan Man , you mention Pan's looking for his long lost soul mate. What made you choose Pan out of all the Greek/Roman gods and goddesses? Loretta: I chose the Greek god Pan, because of the connection with the music. I found later on in the story, (my stories take over and write themselves usually) it applied even more than I realized because of the band's name. I won't mention the name of the band in here, because it's part of the surprise ending. Me: You're mostly known for your Romance stories. How would you describe your writing style? Hot, suspenseful, sensual, sw...

Myths About Writers

Afternoon Folks, I thought we'd do a post to dispel some of the myths people seem to have about writers. I'll put the ones that first come to mind then y'all can chime in. Myth: Writing is a great way to make a lot of money. I'm not sure exactly how this one matriculated. Probably in the wake of some of the big best sellers (i.e. Stephen King, Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, JK Rowling, and the like) but most of the time writers put in more money for their writing than they do get out of it. Generally a writer doesn't make a ton of money unless somehow his/her book is a blockbuster hit and blasts through what the author owes in the advance (which is paid back to publishers through royalties). Most writers I've met and talked to are not millionaires. I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm saying it's not one of those things that's automatic. Myth: Writing Is Easy Anybody Can Do It. Okay, granted this isn't entirely a myth, but it's not ent...

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