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!

Gregori Celebrates My Birthday

Happy Tuesday All, ****CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED**** In honor of my birthday (that was on Oct. 15th) I am doing TWO give aways! The FIRST one is TODAY! Today's give away is a copy of Kerrelyn Sparks' Sexiest Vampire Alive . Kerrelyn, being the awesome person that she is, has agreed to give a signed copy of the novel to ONE lucky commenter on my blog. Here's how it's going to work and please read all instructions CAREFULLY. ONE entry PER person : If you choose to email in your entry: Email to this email ONLY . Your email should state who your favorite vampire is. And no, it does NOT have to be one of Kerrelyn Sparks' characters, but that would be really cool if you DID mention one of hers. If you choose to enter by commenting on my blog: Leave your FIRST name, email address, and what vampire is your favorite. It can be ANY vampire--but like I said, it would be really cool if you mention a Kerrelyn Sparks' vampire. You don't know Kerrelyn Spa...

Spotlight On Author: Kerrelyn Sparks

Happy Friday Everybody, THE CONTEST PORTION OF THIS AUTHOR INTERVIEW IS NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSED. Finally! I get to post the interview with Kerrelyn Sparks . I was planning to last Friday, but unfortunately my computer had issues. I have been enjoying Kerrelyn's books for awhile now, but I had the pleasure of meeting her recently at one of her book signings. She is incredibly nice, funny, encouraging and a delight to be around. You, my dear readers, have a special treat today. Not only do you get this awesome interview to read, but if you leave a comment in the comment section (with your first name and email address--I won't be able to contact you if you're the winner if you don't leave your email address) I'll put your name and email address in my contest box for Friday night's drawing for a chance to win Kerrelyn Sparks' Be Still My Vampire Heart . Below (after the interview) you'll see the rules of how to enter, please read them carefully. So...

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...

Search This Blog