Discoveries, and...

 Happy Thursday!

I didn't know I'd do another blog post for July. I wasn't sure I had anything to say, but you know, things happen and suddenly I've got some fun stuff for a blog post!

Okay, since I list it first, let me talk discoveries:  I have discovered the existence of UK Actress, singer, author, vlogger, Carrie Hope Fletcher. So, this was completely by accident. She's got a new book release dropping in August (I don't know when it's supposed to be available in the States) that looks interesting. Rather prolific given in a short period of time she has published around 5 books (maybe 6?) and has a new one coming out. Anyway, she has an amazing voice, which gives me chills--hence the reason I wanted to tell you, darling readers, about her voice. I haven't read her work, since I only just learned of her existence, but her upcoming release sounds interesting.

In terms of writing, I continue to edit my current WIP (Work In Progress).

In any case, I'm staying busy and on the mend from a sinus infection--yes, I've been on antibiotics and I'm doing much better.

Have A Thrillingly Tantizling Thursday!

The Author Encounter Scavenger Hunt INFO!

 The Author Encounter is doing a Blog Hop / Scavenger Hunt! The information is all available right here:

 Military appreciation month officially recognized by Congress in May 1999, incorporates many holidays celebrating our women and men in the Armed Forces. Join us for a literary approach to celebrating the soldiers and families that proudly serve and protect our country.

Crafting military fiction whether it’s romance, fantasy, mystery, or any other genre mix isn’t easy. Each story has unique challenges. However, creating believable, relatable characters, scenes and plot lines is a goal all authors aspire to no matter how they write. That is why so many authors use tropes to get their creative juices flowing in familiar ways to encourage their readers to fall in love with their stories. What is a trope? Or more specifically what is a military trope? A military trope is a commonplace, recognizable plot element, theme, or visual cue that conveys something about the military.

Tropes can help make an alien situation or fictional scene feel familiar especially for those of us with no military experiences. So, using tropes in the right way can make your reader love your story that much more. Many readers across genres love military elements added to story lines. A great place to find ideas for military tropes is from other authors. Get inspired by other authors' use of tropes readers love, such as the veteran finding new adventures, the special forces soldier, the unknowing hero, or teaching kids about the American Flag. Whether you use tropes in a Tom Clancy style or old school like our favorite WWII vets: this blog hop will be an advantage. Click the links and match the authors to the tropes to win!

 

 

Deb Ewing	https://www.debnation.com/2020/11/the-bronze-star-posthumous-award-to.html
Doc Sheldon	https://docsheldon.com/
Stacy Juba	https://stacyjuba.com/blog/book/teddy-bear-town-childrens-bundle/
D.C. Gomez	https://www.amazon.com/D-C-Gomez/e/B078T2RBN8?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1621826453&sr=8-1
Christina Francine	https://www.christinafrancine.org/
Bethany Averie	https://writebybethany.blogspot.com/2021/05/remembering-grandpa.html

It's May Already...

 Happy Wednesday All,

I can't believe it's already May! April got away from me and I didn't get to post any other blog posts besides the initial April one. Yikes, I'm sorry!

Life continues to be crazy on my end. Our house is much closer to being ready (we have a great contractor!) and we have hopes of being back in our home not next week, but the week after. We'll see. Our contractor is industrious and efficient. He keeps us in the loop and gets things moving. We've been grateful to have someone reliable after the water remission people weren't the most communicative (which is a big reason why it's taking us so long to get back into our house).

This weekend is my and my husband's anniversary (I don't give out details on how long we've been married--my husband likes a lot of privacy, so other than a few pictures on here and Facebook, you won't hear a whole lot about him). We've been together for over 10 years, though, and I feel a sense of accomplishment saying that. So, while I'm not as young as I once was (or as thin!) and growing older brings about female stuff that sucks bananas, I'm grateful he's stuck by my side and still thinks I'm sexy, desirable, shares my faith and most of my beliefs/views, and thinks I'm funny, too. A girl can't ask for a lot more than that in my experience.  I thank God for him. (Of course, I also love him--that's a given!)

Editing my new manuscript (that's all written, just being edited so I can query) is sl-o-o-o-w going given my current living circumstances and life. But, I'm working on it and a Supporter Member of The Author Encounter (one of the Freelance Editors) wants to work on it with me (she offered!) so we put together a deal and will start making a schedule soon, I believe.

The Author Encounter has a special blog hop/scavenger hunt even this month, so be sure to get over to the website to check that out. June will bring back Behind The Page. A new Ex Libris will go out July 1st, so members of The Author Encounter should watch for that--and if you aren't a member, you should join! There are 3 different types of membership (Author membership is ONLY for published authors--and there are some genres that The Author Encounter doesn't work with quite yet due to being only a year old and needing to have departments for those). But we're growing and developing and there are some exciting things coming down the line.

I'm supposed to be reviewing Katie McGarry's upcoming release soon--I've had some trouble with getting to sit down and read it (health issues) so hopefully, I'll get it done, soon. My allergies have been AWFUL this season (not Covid-19, definitely allergies--I can pinpoint exactly when they began flaring and why and what things set them off again). It seems like an interesting switch from her normal work, so we'll see how that all goes. I've been a fan ever since she entered the Northwest Houston RWA Lone Star Contest all those years ago (I was YA Category chair at the time). I've read almost all her work (there are about 2-3 books I haven't gotten to, yet). I've also had the pleasure of talking with her on the phone and meeting her in person (back in 2013, so pre-Covid). She's super sweet and extremely talented in the writing and publishing world.

Other than that, I keep on being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, niece, etc. I hope all of you are doing well.

Have A Wonderfully Whimsical Wednesday!

Happy New Year 2021 And More...

 Happy New Year Everybody!

I hope you're having a wonderful 2021 thus far and that it's full of blessings, health, and happy moments to make it a special year.

On New Year's Eve at 2:26 a.m. Central Time, I finished the WIP (Work In Progress) I'd been working on most of the year. I had wanted to finish it a month or so BEFORE December 31st, but life happens. So now it's written! The next step is to edit and then I'll query it out to agents.

The Author Encounter has many events planned for 2021 and starting off great with D.C. Gomez's "New Year, New Mindset". While this workshop is mostly professional development for authors, you do not have to be an author to attend it. We're going to get into the harder parts of being an author: Imposter Syndrome, Rejection, Professional Jealousy, and More. It'll be about working through these feelings to a positive end. I've been impressed with what I've learned about D.C. in the time I've gotten to know her and I think she'll make this a great event. Registration is now available to the public if you click here you'll be taken straight to the workshop part of the site. You don't have to be a member to attend, but we do recommend becoming one because members automatically get the quarterly newsletter (which talks about the events for the next 3 months), advanced registration to events (including very popular ones), discounts on paid events, and more. We have 3 types of membership which are: Author (you have to be published with valid ISBN numbers to gain this membership), Reader/Fan (readers, reviewers, fans of books/publishing that are NOT agents, editors, booksellers, etc.), and Supporters/Vendors (booksellers, librarians, agents, editors, publishers, screenwriters, songwriters, voice actors, etc.). The Membership fee is good for an entire YEAR. You can find out more at The Author Encounter website.

So, what's on my list for 2021 at this point?

1. To edit my WIP
2. Edit Divine Love (2nd edition) to get it ready to be reissued
3. Finish 2 WIPs that I have in my unfinished work
4. Who knows what else...we'll see what happens!

May you have a wonderful 2021. And because I'm Catholic, I'll say God bless you (you're free to take that as a compliment/gift or ignore it).

Have A Fabulously Fantastic Friday!

Checking In Amid All The Dust...

Happy Wednesday Everyone,

Renovations to the blog and my website are still in line to be done but have been put on hold for a short bit because the consultant and I have joined forces to start a company geared toward authors and readers.

The Author Encounter's mission statement is "Bringing authors and fans together" and that's just what we're working toward. We have an event scheduled for Saturday, August 1, 2020 called Books & Beauty. I'll be there with my amazingly talented audiobook narrator, Chris Hudson. Headlining the event is author Kerrelyn Sparks who not only did an amazing job with Paranormal Romance with her Love At Stake series, but she's got her Embraced beings in her Fantasy Romance series and a brand new one that will be showcased at Books & Beauty called How To Love Your Elf. It's going to be for people ages 21 and up because it's at a Wine bar. All the information is on The Author Encounter's website.

Other than working on The Author Encounter, I've been mom and catching up on some binge-watching. I caught ABC's The Baker And The Beauty and fell in love with that show. I also enjoyed what appears to be the final season of Alexa & Katie on Netflix. 

I'm behind on my reading. I'm working on finishing a non-fiction book by Kevin Wells and I've got a huge list of fiction to get to, but I'm sure I will, even if I'm a bit slow at it--I'm in the midst of reading a Christmas anthology by Nana Malone and Sheryl Lister.

There are a few projects I'm working on. Hopefully, they pan out into full-length novels. In any case, I've got ideas--just got to see if I can make the execution of these ideas happen!

I know this quarantine and everything has been hard on so many people. I really hope you, dear readers, are doing well and I wish you the absolute best as always.

Take care, and try not to mind the dust around here while things are getting settled on the blog and renovations on the website!

Have A Wonderfully Whimsical Wednesday!

Sinuses, Updates, & Events...

Happy Tuesday All,

The Averie Household is dealing with allergies and sinus infections. The good news:  so far the allergies are staying allergies

and relatively not too bad. Antibiotics have been gotten for sinus infection (managed to get in with doc's office on a MONDAY morning!) And offspring who has the sinus infection isn't doing too

badly.  The bad news: That we even have to deal with this when offspring suffered bad congestion for over a month not THAT long ago. Luckily, mostly cheerful and no fever. So count the blessings, right?

I'm waiting on first round edits from publisher on Immortal Dreams

Book Three: Immortal Love. We're shooting for an April 8, 2015 release date and hoping to have it ready for pre-order some time before that. April and May are most likely "hiatus" months for me (depending on how things are during those months either cut it short or lengthen it in regards to whatever the needs are at the time) from writing for various reasons, so I'll be doing as much PR ahead of time and possibly invoking some help from those around me. I'm beginning to plan ahead on this one. I'm not giving up writing, it's just with what's coming up, I know that I need to plan ahead and keep the pressure as easy as possible so I can deal with what's going on during that time. Nothing bad, but it has the potential of keeping me from writing for a time. But I do not plan to LEAVE the writing world. I'm just giving myself permission to take care of things that will need a lot of my attention during those months and possibly a little longer.

Events:  Two are coming up. First one is on February 14, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Central Time. If you're in the Houston, Texas area and want to come hear me do a reading of a passage from one of my novels, check out Writespace's "A Night Of Love and Letters" for details.

The second event is on February 26, 2015 at 7pm Central/8pm Eastern until 8pm Central / 9pm Eastern on Facebook. I'll be on the Two Chicks And A Dude Reviews Facebook page talking about my novels and probably doing at least one (if not more) giveaway. To find out more, go to the event page I made on Facebook.

Other than that, I'm doing a lot of reading and trying to get back to writing on some of my other projects.

What's going on in your world?

Have A Terrifically Toe-Tapping Tuesday!

Upcoming Event, News, & More...

Happy Monday All,

Mark your calendars those of you who will be in Houston on Saturday June 21, 2014, because I will be joining fellow author, Dana Wright, and some others for an event at a Barnes & Noble. You can read about the details here. I plan to bring All's Fair In Love & Lion bookmarks, so if you want a signed bookmark, and to meet me and some other authors--ask questions and such, come on out. (I don't know about Immortal Dreams Trilogy bookmarks, that's something I'm working on some details, so I can't be sure if I will or not).

Saturday I went to my chapter's monthly meeting. Author Will

Graham talked about Jack the Ripper. He really did a great job. For anyone who doesn't know, Will is a very talented author, and I've been lucky enough to be able to chat with him about writing, publishing, and different things like that. He's been supportive of my career over the years. I'm very grateful for it.

My critique partner, Tess St. John has been busily working on another novel. I don't know exactly when it'll be released, but I know she's been hard at work. Stay tuned to her website and blog for further information (I don't think any is posted just yet, but I imagine it will be once the new novel is released or closer to the release date).

Author Marie Hall is offering volume 1 of her Kingdom Chronicles (books 1-3) for free on Nook, Smashwords, and  Kobo. I know she plans to have it available for free on Amazon Kindle. I've mentioned how much I love her work, and here's a chance for you to get three novels for free. That's Her Mad Hatter, Gerard's Beauty, and Red And Her Wolf all for free.

I hope all of you had a great weekend! I enjoyed mine.

Have A Merrily Magical Monday!

Come On Fall/Winter Months & Weather!

Happy Tuesday Everyone,

Fun little tidbit just because...

One of my sisters got me into this:  If you like to have cream in your coffee, substitute with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. YUM. (I generally have creamer, but if I'm having decaf after dinner I sometimes go ahead and have a scoop of vanilla ice cream).

Anyway...

Are you as excited about the Fall and Winter months as I am? I know, I know...I keep talking about it. I can't help it. It's been such a hot summer that I can't wait to pull out my sweaters and pants. My cloak (or cape, whatever you choose to call it) is waiting in our hall closet for the weather to get cold. My sweaters and long-sleeved shirts are sitting in the back of my closet just waiting for me.

Plus there are so many releases happening in the Fall! C.C. Hunter's Awake At Dawn, Rick Riordan's The Son Of Neptune, Kerrelyn Sparks' Sexiest Vampire Alive...(and I'm sure several other releases that I'm gonna kick myself later for not remembering to mention!)

And of course there's the events...

Christie Craig has her wine event that I talked about last week. Then of course there's the Lone Star Conference/my birthday and the holidays, as well.

Exciting things are on the horizon and I don't want you all to miss them!

How do you "jump start" yourself for the day? Do you drink coffee/tea?

Have A Tip-Top Tuesday!

Not To Be Missed: Lone Star Conference--Keynote Speaker Alexandra Sokoloff

Happy Monday All,

So...did y'all notice the new addition on the top of the margin on the right hand side?

Yes...it's that time again...registration time for the Lone Star Conference!

The Northwest Houston Romance Writers of America is inviting writings near and far to come join us for fun, pitching appointments, a keynote speaker (Alexandra Sokoloff), and a great group of writers who are waiting to welcome you to the Lone Star State. Whether you write Romance or something else, I urge you to think about coming down. I attended the last 2 Lone Star Conferences and it was and awesome experience both times.

I plan (God willing) to be at the conference for a third year. To me, it's a great way to celebrate my birthday!  (Yep, you read that right. The Lone Star Conference falls on my birthday this year...October 15th).

Anyway...I hope writers all over will come and visit the Lone Star State and hang out with us NWHRWA members. We'd love to have you.

What events are you looking forward to?

Have A Magnificent Monday!

Author Sightings Alert!

Happy Friday Everyone,

This won't be my regular type of post, but these things sound like so much fun and well, when author Christie Craig asked me to let you all know about these events, I couldn't say no. After all, I'm a big fan of hers and I'm looking forward to reading the new release, Don't Mess With Texas.

 

Are you going to be in Houston, Texas on August 27, 2011 or November 12, 2011? If so, you will want to put these two events in your plans. If you live in Houston, add these to your calender:

Saturday, August 27, 2011 Christie Craig book Signing at Katy Budget Books at 2450 Fry Road, Houston, Texas 77084. The book signing will start at 1:30 p.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. (Central Time).

Saturday, November 12, 2011 Christie Craig will be teaming up with Romantic Mystery author, Diane Kelly (Diane will be signing her new release: Death, Taxes, And A French Manicure--release date November 2011--this book looks like a lot of fun, by the way) for a book signing at Wine Styles The Vintage 10300 Louetta Road Suite 150, Houston, Texas 77070. This event will start at 4:00 p.m. and end at 7:00 p.m. (Central Time).

Also...Don't forget:  You can pre-order Christie Craig's upcoming novel, Don't Mess With Texas. Available from Amazon and  Barnes & Noble. (Release date:  August, 2011).

You can also pre-order Christie Craig's alter ego, C.C. Hunter's upcoming novel, Awake At Dawn from Amazon  and  Barnes & Noble (release date:  October, 2011).

Have A Fantastic Friday!