November...OOPS NO, It's DECEMBER!

 Hey Everyone!

I know, I know...I missed posting in November. Sorry about that. I suppose I never did figure out what I wanted to post and then the month was over.

My Thanksgiving was quiet, but nice. Normally we'd go to my sister's house. This year we were at home, which was fun (and I mean that, I'm not being sarcastic).

December has been an interesting realm of trying to remember the things that need to get done. I'm writing this a few days before I'll be posting this entry, so at the moment, I still have to finish writing up Christmas cards--I've got about half of them done, the good news is I don't send out a ton, but they still have to get done (I don't think they all have stamps, either--I gotta get more of those, too!) Shopping for the Offspring is mostly done. Youngest needs some clothes because youngest outgrew some stuff. I need some items, myself; however, I'm so picky that the likelihood of me getting anything new is slim. LOL (A friend did get me a new top that I really do like). 

I'm waiting on some responses regarding Sugar & Frost. I still love the story. I've been editing Shifter Secrets (slowly) and writing.

I've also been reading. While I've been reading a variety of things, throughout the year, I've often gone back to Shonna Slayton's Beauty's Rose. It's one of my "comfort" reads. I love that story so much. I've lost count how many times I've read it.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great rest of your Advent Season and a very Merry Christmas! Have a blessed New Year! The next post I plan to put up will be in 2026. 

Have A Marvelously Merry Monday!

November, The "Middle Child Syndrome" of The "Ber" Months...

 Happy November!

The months need to quit changing just when I get used to one! 

I meant to post this post earlier in the month, but I forgot! 😬

Let's see...

I continue to query Sugar & Frost. Responses often take a while. I love this story so much that I'm hopeful it will do better in the query trenches than my other manuscripts, but only time will tell. I did make an "Agent's Guide" (which has been something that I saw pop up on X/Twitter and decided it might be fun to have one for S&F). The words on it might be a little hard to see in this condensed version of it, but maybe if you click on the graphic it'll be easier to read.

I've got some other graphics I've made for Sugar & Frost, too. Some I've used, some I've done just for fun.

November is an interesting flurry of election, Thanksgiving, and Christmas things all happening at once. I'm not sure what our Thanksgiving plans are, yet. In terms of Christmas, my husband has the week of Christmas off, which I'm delighted about because he also has some days after Christmas Day off, which is good because sometimes we have out-of-town family come in after Christmas Day and this means we have some flexibility in our schedule.

It's kind of funny because in a lot of ways November is, in fact, in the middle of the "ber" months and in some ways gets a tiny bit overlooked with the packing up Halloween decorations and exchanging them for Wintry and/or Christmas ones. But, as I told my eldest, it's November, I can sing Christmas carols if I so choose. (At which point, eldest declared that I was wrong and my husband backed me up. I knew I loved Husband!)

Whatever your plans for the last couple of months of 2024 are, may you have a blessed rest of November.

Have a Marvelously Merry Monday!

November Came And Is Going...

 Happy November Everyone!

I still feel like the year has been going by quickly. I blinked and it's the end of November. Maybe I need to stop blinking?

This month has been busy! Between family and personal stuff and working on some manuscripts, I'm not sure where to begin. Averie Cat got his yearly shot, nails clipped, and flea treatment all at his exam (but he's forgiven me for the indignity of going to the vet and being in his carrier). 

I don't have much that I feel like sharing from this month, not that it was so bad, but I'm pretty private about my personal life.

For those who are finishing up NaNoWriMo* 2023, I hope you've had great success with it! I don't do NaNo but I do like to cheer on those who do, which I've done this year on X(Twitter). I keep thinking I'll write a really good blog post. Maybe in December...hopefully I'll have a lot of great things to report on for that month! That would be awesome. :-)

I hope all my fellow USA citizens had a Happy Thanksgiving! (Fun was had at my sister and brother-in-law's house with my parents).

Have a great rest of November and a Marvelously Merry Monday!

*NaNoWriMo is short for: National Novel Writing Month, which refers to writers trying to get 50,000 words in during the month of November. Those who officially participate sometimes get a certificate or something like that for reaching 50k words. Others use it to accomplish personal writing goals (or polishing up a novel). Authors are encouraged NOT to query their NaNoWriMo books until they've fully edited and polished up the manuscript, which is true of any manuscript. There's also Camp Nano (which takes place in the Spring and Summer, which a little different from NaNoWriMo).

Thanksgiving Week & More...

 Hi Everyone!

Wishing y'all a very happy Thanksgiving week! As I type this the day before I'm going to post it, my nails are currently finishing drying from me painting them red, green, and gold. Yes, I know, Advent hasn't even started, but I felt like doing it. The colors make me happy!

I'm not entirely sure what my Thanksgiving plans are. My sister and I talked about getting together for a bit, so we'll probably do that. I'm actually allergic to turkey (it makes me throw up... *insert sad face here*) so I either do ham or something like that.

My parents have moved. It's a good move for them. They lived in their previous home for 36-37 years. Me and my siblings have been encouraging them with the move--like I said, it's a good one for them. I don't want to go into detail, but it's been an emotional journey--one that I haven't talked about much publicly and don't intend to because it's something I view as very private. Just know that all of this is part of the reason I've been kinda quiet on here.

In other news, in the early part of November my family had a stomach bug. For the record, I don't recommend them. I'm not sure where youngest picked this thing up, but it wasn't fun. Youngest had issues for about 2 weeks (because youngest didn't ONLY have the stomach bug, there was also constipation involved!) and then later I got it (not the constipation, though. Only youngest had that), and the next day eldest and husband were down with it. The weekend was an adventure with Husband and I tag teaming taking care of Averie Cat and whatever was of immediate concern. Luckily, we recovered pretty quickly and I'm happy to report we seem to be doing okay, now.

We're praying for a quiet and easy December and being able to just enjoy Christmas. Christmas is probably my favorite holiday (although, I should probably choose Easter given my faith background--which, if you've been following me for long know that I'm a Catholic. Don't get me wrong, I love Easter, too. There's just some things about Christmas that mean a lot to me).

I've got several WIPs (Works In Progress) that hopefully I'll be able to do more with, soon. I've had some catching up on housework to do and some other things happening, but I have done some writing, so that's a good thing.

The Author Encounter is gearing up for next year and I think what's getting planned will be interesting! My business partner is an ambitious planner--and I've got mad respect for her skills!

I recently read Kasie West's Fame, Fate, And The First Kiss. I think Dancing Graves (the movie in the book) should be a real story. It sounded like fun. I've read several of Kasie West's books and I think this is probably my favorite so far. :-)

I'm intrigued with Kiera Cass's upcoming release, A Thousand Heartbeats it releases on November 29, 2022, so it'll be available soon. I'm thinking I'm going to have to read it!

What novels have you been reading lately (or if you don't read novels, what non-fiction)?

I wish all of you a very happy and wonderful Thanksgiving this Thursday! I don't know what anyone's faith background is...coming from mine, I like to say "May God bless you." Take care and be safe.

Have A Merry Marvelous Monday!

Welcome To November...

 Happy Friday & Happy November!

We're clocking in the first week of November if you can believe it! 2021 kinda started slow for me when we had "Snowmeggeddon" in February. Now, it feels like it's going by fast!

My editor has sent some of the chapters for my manuscript, and I'm just waiting on the rest. My query letter is written, I figured out a tag line (which I will probably look over again) and I'm working on any polishing that's needed on my synopsis.

I've got some other manuscripts in various stages of having started but not finished with the first full draft. I've also got other ideas that play in my head from time to time, so we'll see what happens with all of those.

The Author Encounter's Indie Author Day is happening next week (Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12 & 13). Click here for more information on the lineup and tickets. (They're free!)

I've started Christmas shopping (I always like to start early so I'm not completely scrambling in December). The tree won't go up until after Thanksgiving, but a parody of "12 Days Of Christmas" was sung by yours truly much to Eldest's chagrin ("It's NOT Christmas!" was yelled at me).

Thursday saw some more Fall weather for my part of Texas as the temperature was in the 50s. The house was a bit chilly, but not ready to start the heater, yet!

My arm continues to heal with help from physical therapy, a heating pad, and a cold pack/Biofreeze. It looks like I might be able to start driving again next week.

I'm enjoying seeing some red and orange leaves on the tree in my backyard. I like Fall colors. Halloween was a bit of a quiet affair for me, with most of my family going to a Halloween parade while I nursed the tail-end of a headache. I needed the quiet--not just because of the headache, but in general. It was nice. 

I don't do NaNoWriMo, but I do cheer others on. So, if you're doing NaNo, I wish you the best with getting in the daily word count! I hope the experience is great! :-)

Here's wishing all of you an awesome Fall and November--I don't know if I'll get around to writing another blog post before December, so if I don't, I hope your November is wonderful!

Have A Fabulously Fantastic Friday!

Whoo-Hoo, It's November...

Happy Monday All,

It's November! Texas weather isn't sure if it's supposed to be warm or cold (I say cold, but snow only on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day). We made it through Halloween (not exactly my favorite holiday, although my eldest likes parts of it). As a Catholic, I went to All Saints' Day Holy Mass on Friday (All Saints' Day is November 1st). People have been breaking out all their favorite Fall decorations, food, etc. Folks in the USA are looking towards Thanksgiving to get together with friends and/or family. A sense of anticipation hangs in the air as we get closer to December and the Christmas/Hanukkah season. And, it's my favorite time of the year--Fall/Winter.

For writers, November is the time for National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. I'm not participating, although on my author Facebook page, I am proposing another challenge for writers who aren't doing NaNoWriMo, if you're wanting to check that out.

This year, for Thanksgiving, the Fam. and I are likely headed for my parents' house. I don't know who else will be there (or we'll be at my sister's house, depending on what my mom says). Christmas will be at my parents' house. And after Christmas I think some other family will be in town. I look forward to my Dad's baking. He's an amazing baker and cook. My mother is, too, but my Dad is more into it. I like to bake, so hopefully I'll get around to doing some of that this year.

I need to finish reading Avery Flynn's Awk-Weird. I love her work. So much fun and light-hearted. I've got a stack of new books (and some older ones) to get to, as well. I finally got my hands on Shanna Swendson's newest Enchanted Inc. book, Enchanted Ever After, and I'm really looking forward to reading it. Non-romance books, I've been reading one by Fr. Donald Calloway, which I have enjoyed another one of his books and his videos. He's an inspiration to me. What's on your TBR (To Be Read) list this Fall/Winter?

It looks like I'll likely make an appearance at BrazCon 2020 (I believe that's on February 15th). I'm hoping to make RWA Nationals 2020 (in San Francisco) but my plans aren't firm on that. My narrator plans to be there, so I'm really trying to get out there so I can introduce him around!

Books 5 and 6 in the series still need to be finished. I know, I'm being incredibly slow. This year has been--well, interesting. I can't go into detail, just know it's in my heart that I want to get back to writing and I'm hoping all the stuff that's gotten in the way goes away. I still have to finish polishing (I've got a good amount of the edits done, just got to do these last details) on my Jeannie Averie novel.

Other than that, we're fighting allergies, sore muscles, and whatever else gets in the way of a perfect day. Life happens and often good and bad exist together on the same day/week/month/year, so just gotta power through the bad and hang onto the good!

Hope all is well on your end, dear reader, and I wish the best of Fall and Winter!

Have A Meritoriously Marvelous Monday!

My Guilt Means You Get Gifts

Happy Monday All,

Well, it's Thanksgiving Week, if you can believe it! Where did November go?

I know some of you all aren't on Twitter, but like I said, you can check out my Twitter feed in the margin of this blog. The Twitter feed will show you the posts (or "tweets") I put up on Twitter. So if you've been following the feed (by coming here and reading it). You know a little of what's going on.

I've been feeling guilty about not updating this blog. But, I truly do have good reasons. I've been working on some other stories and querying agents for SURREAL. Plus, I'm a wife and mother, so I have had things going on with that.

However, I DO plan to make it up to you, my readers/blog followers. In December I'm planning a humugus in-print book giveaway! There's more than one day, because there's more than one author particpating in providing the prize. I haven't set the dates, but I'm lining up the authors/books and nailing down details. There's at least 4 authors involved, and I've sent out emails to others to ask if they'll be a part of this.

In short...it's gonna be BIG.

Now I don't have the exact dates...except it will all happen BEFORE Christmas.

So...don't be strangers! Don't give up on me coming back on here to update because this gigantic giveaway is coming up.

If I don't talk to you all before Thanksgiving, I hope everyone has a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving Day--even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope that day is great for you anyway.

So, what food are you looking forward to most this Thanksgiving?

Have A Marvelous Monday!

Welcome November!

Happy November Everybody!

The skies are clear, the sun is shining, it was freezing in our house because we didn't put on the heat last night, although it's supposed to be in the 70's today, but cooler weather, yay!

Hope those who are supposed to remembered to set back their clocks (remember: "spring forward, fall back!") We did, when we got up this morning.

Today is All Saints' Day for Catholics (remembering women and men who exemplified following Christ's words and having a close relationship with the Lord). We went to Mass last night for the vigil.

Today is also when celebrating my dad's birthday since we couldn't on his actual day. So spending time at him and my mom's house today.

As to writing, not sure how much I'm going to get done due to all the other things I have to do today (still gotta decorate the cake--Dad had me make a carrot cake, thank you, Joanne Fluke for the wonderful Carrot Cake recipe in Carrot Cake Murder--not a hard recipe to follow and very, very good--just takes time to grate the carrots if you don't have an electric grater. I use 6 big carrots and found it gives just the right amount--slightly over, but I've never had any complaints about extra carrot--that's how my husband likes carrot cake with plenty of carrot in it).

Anyway, hope you all enjoy your first day of November. Got big plans for today?

Also, please, if you're a praying type, pray for my uncle. He had a scan done and there's cancer activity in his brain. Not sure what else is going to be done at this point, but it's rough because he just went into remission earlier this year for about 2-3 other places he had cancer and he had hernia surgery. So please, whether you pray or you just hope things get better for people, please remember my uncle. Thank you so much!

Have A Scrumptiously Sweet Sunday!