May Possibilities & Writing..

 Happy Wednesday!

Yes, I changed the title graphic banner on here. It's to match what I have on my social media pages. Please bear with me as I try to adjust the settings/layout. I'm not the most knowledgeable about these things, but I have someone I can ask to help me.

Currently I'm querying Shifter Secrets, my YA Fantasy Romance featuring wolf-shifters. I haven't written a story featuring any kind of shifters in a long time, but that's okay. My long-time critique partner (who has read just about every manuscript I've written in the last 16 years) and my long-time beta reader (who has been with me about as long and read almost all my manuscripts written in the last 16 years) said Shifter Secrets is some of my best work. It's got more personal aspects for me, but I won't tell what...I'll let the reader guess! It's a bit more on the serious side that Sugar & Frost, but it still has some humor in it (gotta love the male main character, Vest Plenilune's, cousin, Xavier--he's hilarious in my opinion and the female main character, Mauri Kipp, is sweet, but has a secret she's dealing with that isn't an easy thing).

Sugar & Frost is currently on hold. This does not mean it is permanently shelved--I have every intention of getting it out to readers somehow, I just haven't decided what path to take to make that happen. I know what I want to do, but I may have to adjust my wants to something I can do at this time. I still love the story (it's my long-time beta reader's favorite--even thought beta reader said Shifter Secrets is some of my best work) and it's one of my favorite things I've written. I love the story, the characters, the magical/cozy aspects, including some humor. It features fairies, elves as tall as humans (male main character Chase Frost), magic, a feud, a delusional would-be rival to the female main character, Kallie Sugar, it's all so fun. Not to mention Kallie's family lives above the family owned-and-operated bakery. If you like cinnamon rolls, cookies, pies, etc...and a fun coffee shop that's right across the street from the bakery, you'll have fun with this.

I like to think my work would sit comfortably (with more magical elements than the following examples) beside Kasie West's P.S. I Like You, Maybe This Time, and Places We've Never Been or perhaps near Jenny Han's To All The Boys I Loved Before, but on the more sweet end of romance (and again, with magical type elements). Lots of yearning (go read Becky Dean's Love Unmasked for context....or with Eliza Prokopovits' Regency Magic Faerie Tales series (that does have magical elements)--although, mine are set in current time period rather than the past)...or something fun like Eva Austin's My Favorite Color Is series.

Fairytales (or Faerie Tales, whichever spelling you prefer) definitely influence my writing. I've loved many of them (which explains me gravitating towards Eliza Prokopovits' series and Shonna Slayton's Beauty's Rose, etc.)

In any case, that's some of what I've been doing this month--as well as writing another manuscript and working on research for yet another manuscript that will have a historical aspect to it (brush off those Buddy Holly, Paul Anka, etc albums!) My unfinished manuscript file folder seems to grow. LOL

I hope you all have been having a wonderful May. Can you believe it's already the last week of this month? The year seems to fly by (at least, for me, it does!)

God bless! Have a wonderfully whimsical Wednesday and a joyful June!

October Autumn Has Come...

 Hi Everyone!

Hope you all have had a wonderful October! Halloween (All Hallow's Eve) is almost here, and I've seen plenty of autumn and Halloween decorations. (I'm not a fan of spooky stuff, but there are some traditions that I think can be fun for families).

Querying update:  I continue to query Sugar & Frost. Right now, nothing new to report on.

Editing update:  I'm still editing Shifter Secrets, but I've been making some progress. It's a wolf-shifter YA Fantasy. The romance is more on the sweet side. I do trend more sweet than spicy with pretty much all my work especially the manuscripts I'm working on, now.

Real Life: Real Life continues to have its own ups and downs and moments of busyness, which I'm sure the same for most people. My birthday came and it was nice. I got some lovely greetings and gifts. My siblings went in on a very nice gift card to Two Dumb Dames (the best fudge ever in my opinion--the shop has been family owned and operated since 1979, by the same family/families. It's located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and yes, they do ship--at least in the US--I don't know about outside the US). I love this place and even though I have tried many types of fudge and this is the best (sorry to my Michigan relatives, it's even better than Mackinac Island's fudge--which I also have had). However, the most awesome Christmassy store to visit is in, fact, located in Michigan. Bronner's is one of my "happy places". I've been there oh, I don't know, at least 3 or more times. It's located in Frankenmuth, MI, and worth a visit if you get a chance!

The weather has gotten a bit cooler in my part of Texas, which is something I appreciate (some days we've had a lovely breeze). I like this type of weather--not burning up hot, but not so cold. So, it's been nice.

Hope you all have been having a wonderful October!

Have a Thrillingly Terrific Thursday!

Super Quick September Update...

 Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Wow, September is OVER tomorrow; today being September 30, 2025--the last day of the month.

Writer's Life News:  Still querying Sugar & Frost. Hopeful about a couple of things. We'll see. Editing Shifter Secrets, my YA Fantasy with wolf-shifters in it.  It's going slowly, but I've made some progress.

Life outside of the writing world: Busy on some days, not as much, others. So pretty typical. My youngest was sick over one of the weekends, but luckily the worst of it only lasted 24 hrs, and the next couple of days were recovery, so by Monday (after getting sick on a Friday) youngest seemed much better, which we were all very happy about.

I'm going to make this super short because I want to get this in before tomorrow (October 1). So I'll see you in October!

Have A Terrific Tuesday Night!

Time For July Update...

 Happy Tuesday All,

Once again, I'm posting the monthly post near the end of the month. But oh well. I was pretty busy during part of the beginning of the month, so I thought I'd wait until after so that I could mention some of it here.

I got to hang out with 2 out of 3 of my Girls' Night Out Ladies. These ladies are my besties and I've known them a long time. We had a nice dinner out and then hung out at a coffee/sweet shop until they closed. The last time we'd all been together was in 2019. I'd seen them on and off, but not all of us together. So, that was a wonderful thing to have happen this month.

#UnhingedPit--a pitching event held on X and BlueSky happened. Authors pitch their manuscripts but in unconventional ways. The two ladies who run the event decided to make me their ambassador (it's sort of a funny story--they liked my enthusiasm when it was first developed in 2024, and after a while we got to talking and that was that). It was so much fun! Well, I usually have fun anyway. I enjoy being a part of the team and participating. The pitches were super creative--which is one of the best parts of the event is seeing all the ideas/ways people come up with to pitch their manuscripts.

I finished another manuscript, but I still have to edit it. I've been working on one of my unfinished manuscripts at the moment. I have other unfinished manuscripts, of course, but I can't work on all of them all at the same time, so I pick and choose which one to focus on at any given time.

I know I'm not giving a lot of details. There are some things going on, but I don't know what will pan out (if anything) so if there is something to report, I'll mention it. For now, I hope you all have had a great July. 

Can you believe that it's almost August already? It seems like the year has flown by!

God bless you.😊

Have A Totally Terrific Tuesday!

June Passing By...

 Happy Monday!

It's the last day of June and I can't believe July starts tomorrow. This month felt a bit like a whirlwind, but there were several lovely moments.

June 10th marked 59 years that my parents had been married. I didn't get to see them on that day, but I did wish them a happy anniversary. They've been such a special example and inspiration for me. (One of my best friends got married on their anniversary and when I found out I said, "You know, that's my parents' anniversary?" My friend responded: "I KNEW it was a good day to get married!").

Two of my out-of-town siblings came in for a few days on Father's Day weekend and I got to see them, as well as my sibling that lives near my parents. We had a nice weekend celebrating Father's Day. Saturday early evening we were at a Mexican restaurant and then Sunday evening had barbecue at my in-town sibling's house. It was very nice. My father is not only a father, but a grandfather, and a great-grandfather, so he's got lots of experience in the fatherhood area. It's an honor and a privilege to be one of his daughters (he has several daughters).

I've still got a few queries out on Sugar & Frost.

I'm working on several other manuscripts--one in particular that I'm almost done writing. The editing will be a process (it always is, though).

I've been enjoying Season 5 of The Chosen--I've been a fan since the early days, and I'm pleased with how well it's taken off (not that I'm super surprised, it's an incredibly well-done show--although, I will say, if you're looking for totally following word-for-word of the Bible, you're going to find out that it doesn't and that they always say to go back and read the Bible--but it's true to the main things that happened regardless of order or anything like that). It's been lovely to see Jesus portrayed as not just with his divinity, but with the whole range of humanity. It's fun to think of Him laughing and cracking jokes with the apostles and having a tender relationship with His mother.

Anyway, tomorrow starts July! Already half way through the summer (well, for Texas we'll probably have really hot weather for a bit longer than some people--and some winters it doesn't get very cold at all!) God bless to you all, and have a great rest of June.

Hope you all have a marvelously merry Monday!

March marches In...

 Happy Friday and Happy March!

Been busy working on a manuscript of mine and playing with some new ideas for new stories and ideas for existing unfinished manuscripts. No new updates on the querying front to report back on, yet, but hopefully some good news will come!

We've now entered the season of Lent. As a Catholic, this season is a time for repentance, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and reflection. I look at it as a time for not just repenting of sin--but really working on one's relationship with Jesus in a more intense and focused--the word 'intentional' comes to mind--way to make it a part of you rather than just something you do for Lent. Every Christian has their own approach Lent, and since I'm no Theologian, I won't go into much detail here. I do wish everyone a fruitful and prayerful Lent.

Not long ago, I got a new laptop computer. My other one is still working but I was having some issues. So I talked to a friend of mine that knows a lot about computers and he recommended I get a new one. I'm still getting accustomed to the new computer's quirks and idiosyncrasies, but it's not too bad so far. I'm also getting used to the whole Microsoft Word updates (on my old computer I had a different Microsoft set-up and I didn't have access to all of Word's features) so learning where everything is (it's not really difficult, it just looks a little different to me and so I'm figuring it out--but I've got most of the basics! I'm a little scared to open Excel given the adjusting I've had to do! LOL).

I recently (either in February or this month) read Gail Carson Levine's Ogre Enchanted --a Midgrade(MG) Fantasy (which has been out for many years, but I can't recall if I ever knew it and to my knowledge, I've never read it). I'd enjoyed many of her other books, and I had never read that one, so I checked out the digital audio version. It's pretty good. I can't decide if it's a prequel or a sequel to the events of Ella Enchanted, but it features everyone's favorite (or non-favorite) bumbling fairy, Lucinda. And while it's a fun story, Ella Enchanted is still the one I like best. Let me know in the comments what you're reading--be sure to include the genre!

St. Patrick's Day is this month...so don't forget to wear green. It's also someone in my family's birthday. :-)

Anyway, I wish you a wonderful March. And if you observe the Lenten season, may it be fruitful and hopeful. God bless you.

Have a fantastically fabulously fun Friday!

It's January And A New Year--2025...

 Happy Monday, January, and New Year!

Whew. 2025 has already been eventful!

In my family, that meant husband and eldest with sinus infections during the second week of the month (which actually was the first full week of January). Me and youngest had sinus infections in December. And then the news of the fires in California, which is so sad. I've been praying for all in the path and dealing with the fires, etc. Hopefully firefighters are able to contain/put them out soon.

The first few days of 2025 weren't too bad, but then things got a little crazy. I'm hoping the rest of the month is calmer, healthier, and happier.

Writer's Life Updates: I still have some queries out on Sugar & Frost that are awaiting answers. In the interim, I'm working on some other stories (every author has files with unfinished manuscripts and I'm definitely no different in that respect!)

Christmas and New Year's: My Christmas was fairly quiet since I was getting over a sinus infection (and so was youngest). We went to Mass (Catholic Church Service) on Christmas Eve, and enjoyed a low-key Christmas Day.

On December 31st, after Mass, we went to my sister's house for a little New Year's Eve get-together with one of my brothers, his family, and our parents. It was fun. We had pizza and hung out. My husband had to work the next day, so we left between 8 and 9 pm (also to beat the midnight merry-makers) and got home between 9 and 10pm--tired, but happy.

January 2nd, we had a traditional Christmas dinner (my brother and his family had gone to my sister-in-law's mother's house just after Christmas for a bit before coming into town). It was fun with 3 dogs, several humans, and plenty of laughter.

I hope your Christmas and New Year's has been a good one and I wish you many blessings for the new year.

Have A Marvelous Monday!

The Last And Most Festive of the "Ber" Months...

Happy December!

We're nearly halfway through December and I just realized I hadn't put up a blog post for this month. OOPS! But, to be fair, I've had plenty going on.

Personally: We are still minus a Christmas tree. No, we haven't gotten it up, yet. But I'm hoping this weekend it will happen! We don't usually take this long, but we've had some things going on. One of those things was that we had to replace our washing machine. Our previous one decided that it had enough of our household and no, thank you it would not work properly any longer. Poor thing limped along until it wouldn't drain out the water in the clothes (I had to squeeze them the best I could and pop them in the dryer for longer). But that's at an end since we now have a brand new washer, which we've had for about a week and it's doing okay so far.

Not long ago, Averie Cat (that's his social media nickname) had some health issues that made me quite concerned about him. Fortunately, he seems to have gotten past them and the vet was wonderful. Averie Cat is 7 years old, and therefore, I expect to see more health stuff than I did when he was younger. The vet switched him to a prescription diet and he actually seems to like the food pretty well, which is a blessing.

Professionally:  I continue to query Sugar & Frost. I love, love, love this story and I do so hope it gets out to you, darling readers, one day. I really do. I had so much fun writing it and I also enjoyed editing it.

Christmas/Holiday: My shopping is not done. Nor have I sent out ANY Christmas cards, but I'm hoping to remedy that in the next few days to the next week. I had thought I'd write a Christmas letter this year, but I'm not sure that will happen.

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays (I know there are several this month) and Happy New Year. 

I hope December is a lovely month for you.

Have a Fantastically Festive Friday!

Ready For "Ber" Months; Here's September...

Happy Friday Everyone!

September has arrived! For some reason August seemed a little slower than other months, but then I thought how about how school days started back up and I was like "Wait...didn't we just enter summertime?"

Let me think....August was busy. Some things that have been important to my family over the years have closed. Whether price, attendance, or whatever, they closed. One of those has been resolved, while we work on others.

As for writing...yes, progress is being made. I've been editing Sugar & Frost and I still love it. I've been editing for a while, now, but polishing my manuscripts the best I can before querying is important. I really hope readers will like it / love it, too. It's such a fun story!

I've also made progress on other things I need for querying. Major work on my blurb is done, thanks to the help of my long-time critique partner. When I sent it to her, and she sent me back her suggestions, ideas started coming. I think it's much better now. Yet another reason for polishing and editing! The synopsis has been drafted and I'm working on that as well. So, things are coming together. :-)

As for the month of September itself...I'm all right with some cooler weather, but I will / have already offered up at least one prayer for us not to have ice or snow. In 2021, we had what I dubbed "Snowmeggedon". While I do like the remodel on our kitchen, I'm not in any hurry to remodel anything else or have any other problems. We've had quite a few things we need to fix this year already, so a break would be nice. I wouldn't turn down 55-65 degree weather, though. That sounds nice. For those of you who do get snow regularly in the winter, maybe one day my story will be available to you during those wintry months and you can wrap up in a warm, soft blanket, with your favorite hot beverage, a fire in the fireplace and enjoy my story. That would be a wonderful thing as far as I'm concerned. :-)

In any case, wherever you are and whatever the weather, I wish you a lovely September!

Have A Fabulously Fun Friday!

March, Titles, Etc...

Happy Thursday Everybody,

It's March! 

February seemed a little long to me (and not because of Leap Day) so on March 1st I was like "Oh wait...it's is March. I need to flip my wall calendar."

So, what's going on? Let's see...I continue on the query road (nothing I'm ready to report, yet). As for writing, I decided to take one of my WIPs (Works In Progress) and write it with a completely different plot. And then, I got another idea and had to work on that!

I try to focus on one WIP at a time because it helps me move forward, but sometimes you gotta get that other idea going before you can finish the previous manuscript. Sometimes the new manuscript becomes the one you finish first. 

When I started with this blog post I was at a loss as to what I should say--not that I didn't have things going on, it's just that when I'm querying a manuscript, I don't say much about the process publicly. The same is true for when I'm writing a manuscript. I don't say a lot about it until it's further along and/or finished (in which case I only say a tiny bit until it's either got a contract, or about to be published, or is published).

The beginning of the month I just didn't feel inspired regarding a blog post. It wasn't until recently (i.e. today, March 14, 2024) that the idea popped into my head (sometimes you gotta let things sit and simmer).

On one of my WIPs I'm having a hard time coming up with a title. Titles aren't exactly my strongest talent, but I'm not completely unable to think of something (I came up with the title of the manuscript I'm querying--and some of my other WIPs have titles). This one, for some reason, is proving difficult. I'm somewhat still developing the story on one end (although a problem I'd had, I think I've got a solution for, now). So, I thought I'd talk about how I, as a writer, come up with titles.

Titles, in general, have been an up-and-down type journey for me. With my first published work, I had a title I used when querying, but when I signed the publisher's contract and we began the process of polishing and working on it, I was asked to come up with a new title. This situation is not unique to me. A lot of times titles get changed before publication. But I blanked out. So, I turned to my long-time critique partner, Tess St. John, and we brainstormed. Eventually an idea came forward, and my publisher accepted the new title.

So, how does a writer go about figuring out a title?

I can't speak for all writers, just for me. My process is generally: "Okay, what is this story about?" and then I go from there. If I'm still working out the plot I may focus in on an aspect of the story, or a particular character trait or something I've yet to put into the story, but I know is coming. If I'm really blanked, I talk to someone. After that, it goes into my manuscript file at the top of the manuscript on the title page and as well as part of the header of each page (as well as my name, and page number). 

Some authors don't come up with a title until the story is written. I like to have one while I'm working on the story so that I'm not sitting there with a file that says "Story about--" or "Inspired by--" because that's a long file name, generally; plus, it helps the story feel more "real" to me. Like it's coming together.

One of my WIPs, I came up with the title almost as soon as I came up with the plot. I love it when it works out that way because then I can just focus on writing and editing. However they come, titles are important. Not only do they give you something to call your manuscript, but oftentimes they give a clue to the reader what the story is about, or even the genre.

What are some of your favorite titles (whether you liked the story or not, if it was clever, funny, or interesting)?

Before I forget...

Easter is coming at the end of this month, so I wish everyone a very Blessed and Happy Easter!

Have A Thrillingly Terrific Thursday. :-)

A Leap Into February...

 Happy February!

Okay, for the first time in a while I can say that a month didn't zip past me at lightning speed. I don't know if that's good or bad. Just that January didn't seem to go by quite as fast as most of last year seemed.

Perhaps the lack of "zipping by" has to do with the fact that my eldest had a bacterial infection near the end of December and then 2 weeks later had Covid and a week later I had a bacterial infection (different one from eldest). So for awhile there, it was a bit crazy at my house. Luckily the rest of January was pretty healthy.

This February has a couple of particularly interesting things about it...for one, there are 29 days this year for this month (most of the time it's 28) so Happy Leap Year!

Query news...not really anything I'm ready to report on, so I'll let you know when there is.

Writing news:  I have several unfinished manuscripts and after some revision work that I did for like 2-3 months, I'm back to them and reacquainting myself with these stories. They need to be written and edited.

In my non-writer life (my personal life) I've got some family birthdays and at least one anniversary this month. So that's fun. :-)  Another interesting thing about this February is that Ash Wednesday is on St. Valentine's Day (February 14), so that's a bit different than previous years. We'll attend an Ash Wednesday service and observe the Catholic Traditions of fasting and no meat on that day.

Some people I know have amazing trips planned (for their personal privacy I won't mention details) and I can't wait to hear about their trips.

As for me, most of my trips consist of either within my state or within the USA. The only other country (that I recall) I've been to that wasn't my own, was Canada (and I can't remember how many times I've been, but it's been a long time since the last time I was there). I've been to St. Croix, but that's in the US Virgin Islands, so I'm not sure it counts as going to another country (but it was a fun trip!) I do have ideas of places I'd want to go outside the USA, but haven't really gotten to doing that. Maybe someday.

Fun Fact about my trip to St. Croix:  It was for my honeymoon and the way I came to choosing it was that author Lurlene McDaniel had mentioned it in her novel, For Better, For Worse, Forever. The descriptions of St. Croix in this novel made me want to go there. So I made a decision (either this was Middle School or beginning of High School) that when I got married that's where I'd go on my honeymoon. When I told my husband where I wanted to go, he said that he was all for going to the Caribbean, and we enjoyed our time there (particularly a restaurant that apparently isn't there anymore, but it was a really lovely outdoor one).

For those of you unfamiliar with Lurlene McDaniel's books, she's a retired YA author (according to a Google Search she retired in 2019) who wrote about teens in tough situations. I've loved many of her because she wrote them so well. For Better, For Worse, Forever is the sequel in a 2-book set that starts with Till Death Do Us Part.

Have you ever decided to go somewhere based on a book you read? Did you enjoy it?

I hope you all had a good January and that February treats you well.

Have a tremendously terrific Tuesday!

October Is Almost Over...

 Happy End-Of-October!

I'm a bit late posting for the month, but at least I'm getting it in before it ends!

We've had some days of mild temperatures with beautiful sunshine, and a bit of a breeze. A lovely change from 90-100 degree Fahrenheit that we had in August and September. We did get some rain, which is good.

I've done a bit of writing this month--not a ton, but at least it's making progress and I think the manuscript I've been mostly working on will be fun story when it's written. (There are already fun aspects to it, as far as I'm concerned!)

September feels a bit of a blur of sorting through emotions on some things I've had to deal with and family responsibilities. But October has been better. Sometimes things happen and you just have to keep holding onto hope (my faith as a Catholic Christian helps me tremendously with that).

I celebrated my birthday, my dad's, and sent birthday wishes to other family members whose birthdays fall in October. My husband and I went out to dinner the weekend of my birthday--something we hadn't done in awhile and I really enjoyed it. I think we need to have dinner or date out more often!

It's hard for me to believe that November is almost here, but there we are! My thoughts are starting to turn towards family moments, smiles, laughter, and the warmth of the Holidays. I always look forward to seeing the Church all decorated for Christmas. The flowers are always so beautiful and love Christmas hymns (I love Christmas music in general, too) I don't love snow--you northerner regions can keep it as far as I'm concerned--but I do like 50-60 degree weather, and hot cocoa or hot cinnamon apple flavored tea. I'm also a big fan of baked goods (especially my dad's).

I'm not sure what the rest of 2023 will bring, but I wish you a wonderful end of October, a safe and Happy Halloween (which I also call All Hallow's Eve) and a Merry Monday!

February, The Month of Many Things...

 Happy Friday!

We're nearing the end of February, if you can believe it! Sometimes I think this year is going by fast.

February is a mixed bag of emotions for me. Early February marks my eldest's birthday, which is a good thing. One of my siblings has a wedding anniversary. Another good thing. Two family members (a sibling and a cousin) have birthdays. (I think other relatives have birthdays this month, too, but I can't remember). Some friends have birthdays. More good things. Unfortunately, my friend, Sarah's death anniversary is also in February.

So, while I like Valentine's Day okay, and I'm totally on board with celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, always in the back of my head is February 20th. That's the day Sarah died. This year marked 10 years, which felt big. I couldn't figure out why it felt big, but one of my counselors said "It IS a big one." Leading up to February 20, 2023, I did have several bouts of tears. But none on the actual day. It was as if I had done all of that and now I was ready to just get passed it. It felt like I was holding my breath. The thing is, if she's in Heaven, no matter how much I might miss her, I don't begrudge her that. Her being gone does mean that certain things are sometimes hard (even with hoping for Heaven--missing her/struggling with certain things are the human side of me). There are songs I don't like to listen to much. Yet, despite sadness, there is joy because I remember all the times we sat and laughed together. I remember her encouraging my writing and supporting my dreams of having a career as an author. How much she believed in me. So, regardless of tears shed, there is joy. And that's what I try to hang onto. So, don't worry about me or pity me, rejoice that I had those moments.

Putting aside the sadder part of this post (sorry to bring anyone down, that is NOT my intention!) I do have some fun stuff to report. I got some positive response on one of my queries--I can't say much unless they offer me rep & I sign with them, but it's still nice to get positive response(s). I've been re-reading one of my WIPs (Works In Progress) to do some more writing on it. I've got several other WIPs in various stages of being written, so lots of ideas. All of those are really fun things to report on. I won't say a lot about what I'm writing (I like to kinda keep it close with only a few people knowing what it is), but as always, there are magical things, some kind of adventure (I always think even the less "journey" type stories I write have something adventurous in them), romance, the stuff you've come to know in my work.

The Author Encounter had a bit of a slow start to the year, but there are several things being planned. Authors March Forward happens next month! There is also work going on to update the site. If you want the replay to previous events, check out The Author Encounter's Facebook page and The Author Encounter's YouTube Page.

I'm working on reading a non-fiction book that was recommended on a podcast I sometimes listen to (I don't listen to a lot of podcasts, because I do better with visuals or reading) but this podcast has been fun for me. I also watch a literary agency's YouTube Videos which has been very informative (some information I already know--I've been in the business since around 2009 for perspective). Listening to these things, picking up information, and growing as an author are good things for writers to do. I'm not saying you're always going to learn something jaw-dropping, but you might pick up a tip or a trick that you hadn't thought of before. So, reading books/articles/etc and listening to podcasts or YouTube videos of literary agencies or other authors or editors can be helpful.

My husband and I didn't do anything special for Valentine's Day, which is okay. :-) We're pretty lowkey about Valentine's Day anyway. We'll likely do more for our anniversary.

Recently on Twitter, I saw a literary agent Tweet that the authors who query them will check up on the author's social media. I know many agents do this to get a "feel" for an author, but it makes me a little nervous. My website isn't renovated (I know it's been something that's been needing to happen, just getting everything lined up hasn't been easy for me. I promise, it's in my head, it's just taking longer than I originally thought). I'm trying to post at least once a month on here. I do try to post a couple of times a week on my Instagram and Facebook. I'm mainly on Twitter. For me, Twitter is just easy. It's short, and I can quickly scroll through my feed. A lot of people don't like Twitter for various reasons (NOT going to get into any of that on here, so please don't get into any of that in the comments). It's also sometimes hard for me to come up with posts, so Twitter is good because if I can't think of something, I can respond to someone. Instagram is tough because I don't always have a picture or video I want to post. Don't even ask about YouTube (I don't have an account on TikTok). I don't have a good set up for videos at this time, so I haven't done anything beyond post All's Fair In Love & Lion's book trailer years ago (that book is now not available anymore from me or my previous publisher). So, for anyone who has wondered about my social media, that's where I'm at. I update my Author Page on Facebook from time to time (I try at least once or twice a month--on occasion it's more than that), but I'm really active on Twitter, so if you're looking for regular posts, that's where to find me.

For those who observe the Lenten Season, I wish you one full of blessings. (Lent started on February 22, 2023).

How has your February been? Do you have big plans for the weekend, next week, or in March? I hope things have been good/great/or, as I often like to say, FRABJOUS (one of my favorite words--it's from Lewis Carrol's "Jabberwocky" poem), on your end!

Have A Fabulously Frabjous Friday!

December Is Here & So Is FALL...

 Happy Wednesday All,

Surprise! I'm actually posting BEFORE the end of the month! Imagine that. 😊

I think my part of Texas is confused about what season it is. We were having some cooler temperatures and then all of a sudden it decided to go up again. Now, that's relatively normal in a sense for us, but what is curious is that the tree in my backyard decided it wasn't winter, but FALL! All these colored leaves are covering my backyard. I looked around and thought "Guess the plants and trees are confused as to what season it is. Can't blame them since the weather is, too!"

December is quieter so far than September through November were and I am NOT complaining about that. In September, my father suffered a bad fall and consequently there was a whole lot of stress. October saw my folks move out of their home of over 30 years into Assisted Living. When November came along, me and my family had a stomach bug. The very beginnings of December was the tail-end of my parents' estate sale (auction). So, I'm fine with some quiet.

This is not to say my brain is quiet--that's a rare thing even during the best of circumstances. Querying is still going on with my never-been-published manuscript (mss) and I'm making some new friends with people in the writing/publishing industry which has been fun. I really enjoy how encouraging other writers can be and I try to do the same.

I've done a tiny bit of writing, but not as much as I probably should do--but I've also been trying to get my house in better order and get ready for Christmas in the Averie Household, so yeah, writing hasn't been at the forefront. But that's not to say I haven't been thinking about it and working out ideas! I most definitely have been doing that. My imagination doesn't stay still for long.

On The Author Encounter front, my business partner, Nan, and I are prepping for January and the new year. We're hoping to do more than we did this year (both of us have had a crazy, crazy 2022). Watch the website or Twitter for news. We do have some videos posted on the Facebook page and on YouTube.

Until the next time I post, I wish y'all a very happy Advent, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and happy holidays. If by chance I don't post before January 2023, Happy New Year!

Have A Whimsically Wonderful Wednesday!

It's ALREADY August?

 Happy August Everyone!

Wow...July went by faster than I expected. Between illness in the family (and again near the end of July and beginning of August), everything feels almost like a blur.

I continue writing and querying between all the other real life stuff that has claimed my attention. Life doesn't slow down and neither do the demands of motherhood. I'm ready for all of this to settle down. I turn to my Catholic Christian faith a lot, which has been a source of comfort and help.

I've got several WIPs (Works In Progress). I'm hoping to continue with Greek gods and goddesses--but one I'm working on is NOT part of my Immortal Dreams series. I also have some other things in play--fairies/Fae, maybe mermaids? With me, you just never know!

The Author Encounter is taking this a bit slower this year--my business partner, Nan Jenkins, is working on her MBA, so we've pulled back on some of the events for this year, but looking to do some of our usual ones in the Fall.

Speaking of Fall, it's time to gear up for a new school year. Would somebody tell Texas weather that it's time to cool off?? Maybe send some rain?

This month's post is short, I know, and I apologize for that, but with all the craziness in my house, this is the best I can do at the moment! Hopefully things will calm down.

Have A Fabulously Fun Friday and a Amazing August!

April Has Arrived...

 Happy Friday!

It's April, if you can believe...or even if you can't believe it. Sometimes to me it seems like the year goes slowly and other times it seems fast.

Real life has been taking up some of my attention lately, so I forgot to get a post ready ahead of time. Now we're approaching Easter (well, at least it's a little over a week away, but still it's almost here).

I've got a story out on query with agents and we'll see how that goes. I participated in the recent Mood Pitch on Twitter and that was an interesting experience. As part of the pitches, participants could share Mood Boards (for those who don't know what a Mood Board is, they're images/words that express either the mood or something about a story--or whatever the person who creates the Mood Board wants to express). It was kind of cool to see pictures with pitches.

The Author Encounter keeps moving along. We're having a quieter year due to real life (not bad, just busy). But we're working on some ideas.

There are some personal things going on in my life that I don't want to post here, but I'm pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to follow me there. If something newsworthy happens, I'll share it here, too. :-)

I wish you and yours a wonderful April and a very Happy Easter!

Have A Fantastically Fabulous Friday!

2022, A New Year...

 Happy January and Happy New Year 2022 one and all!

There have been many times that I've said this, and I expect many times to say it again: my observation is that every year brings both good and bad. Some years there's more good, some more bad, some in the middle. I don't know what 2022 will be, but I continue to look for blessings.

One of the blessings of 2021, was in spite of Snowmeggeddon (or, rather, because of it) back in February, I got a new kitchen. Now, a storm with broken pipes is not the way I'd PREFER to have gotten this kitchen, but I love it. So, even though the storm sucked and being out of my house for 4 1/2 months wasn't always easy, I got this brand new kitchen that is so much more me and my family than what we moved into when we first got the house.

In August, I got a non-displaced fracture in my shoulder. Yeah, I hadn't known silly detergent had spilled and I wasn't looking to perfect my detergent-skating abilities (or, in this case, inability) but despite it, it meant I got to see my husband's job in action. The ortho doctors allowed him to work with me on my PT, and I've had the chance to experience his expertise and gentleness. He also paid me a compliment, saying "Thank you for not fighting me. Some of my patients do." I had reasoned in my mind the way I do a lot of things that it made no sense for me to fight him since the way to get better was to allow him to do what the doctors told him to do. Yes, it's been a painful process (I won't lie) but I'm improving and learning. Plus, I spend extra time with my husband.

My point in sharing these things is that so many people take the bad and just focus on the bad and never look for any good. Yes, there has been a lot of suffering and that sucks bananas and I'm definitely NOT trying to downplay any of that. I lost people close to me. I mourned. I looked at the junk in the world and cried. But I also turned to my faith and found solace. I learned about joy. I learned that it's okay for joy and sorrow to exist simultaneously. Sometimes they do. I learned a deeper appreciation for the blessings and good in the world (especially good people).

I've had the chance to work with an extremely talented freelance editor (named Deb Ewing) who has helped my manuscript get polished and better than it was before. I've added stuff I hadn't thought to add, which will enhance the reading experience for my audience. Through The Author Encounter, I've met some really nice agents and other people who have answered some questions I've had regarding the industry.

Sure, I've still got learning disabilities--those will never go away, but that's okay. I've lived with them this long, I can continue living with them and learning in spite of them (and sometimes because of them).

Yes, Covid-19 still exists and that's not cool, but my family continues to do Sunday Family Zoom sessions and I've gotten to talk to my family more than I ever had done in a year (or even 2 years) so for me, that's a blessing in a yucky situation. We've continued this practice of having Family Zoom sessions every Sunday afternoon (so far only missing one or two Sundays). It's been wonderful!

My wish for all of you this year and every year is to find that place of solace and to recognize the blessings that exist. Even when it's hard, or seems impossible, this is my wish for you. Find those who can make you believe in hope and cherish them. Even if they pass on, you can have the comfort of having known them and what you learned from them.

God bless and Happy New Year 2022 to you and yours.

Have A Wonderfully Whimsical Wednesday!

Wooo-hoo, Updates!

 Happy Thursday Darling Readers!

It's been a while since I last updated and there are plenty of things to mention. I'm still trying to figure out the new template I'm using on this blog. The template came with some options I don't even use, so ignore them (I'm talking about the link options that don't go anywhere). My website is still being worked on and figured out--lots of things have gotten in the way of getting that completely up and running, but it is on my mind. 

I've been writing! Yes, yes, I have! For months now I've been working on a new story (no connection to my Immortal Dreams series or the out-of-print, All's Fair In Love & Lion). I can't tell you where I am with the story because I keep pretty mum about the process until I have specific news. But I am writing and I am editing and I am working on query stuff.

The Author Encounter has been taking quite a bit of my time (but yes, I have been working on all the stuff I mentioned above). But, things are progressing there. Some people have asked about what the company does. So, here's the break-down as best as I can give it:  it's a company that does promotion and engagement. What does that mean? Well, if you're a reader it means attending uniquely themed events (no two events are exactly the same--even if it's an interview series like the one I'm starting on November 13th called Behind The Page: Industry Interviews with Bethany Averie) and we're working on membership perks and things like that for readers/unpublished authors/reviewers. For authors, it's like having a promotion company, but with a twist: we're built upon engagement and interest in our different events, so authors get info on upcoming events and get to say if they want to be featured or make suggestions for events. (I'm sure I've missed a detail somewhere. My business partner is better at explaining it than I am!) We also have what's called a "Supporter" option. That's for businesses like editors, publishers, agents, etc. who have a business they want to promote to our members that are specific to writing and publishing. We're pretty niched on what genres we'll accept and promote (because we know what we're good at and what we're not) but we're hoping to grow and offer more in the future.

The Author Encounter is hosting Indie Author Day on Saturday, November 7, 2020. Registration is free and required. https://theauthorencounter/indie-author-day/ is the link to check it out. The workshop I did with my narrator was recorded and will be available on that day to watch.

Both Divine Love and Astral Love are now out-of-print. I won't go into the details, but the contract with my publisher wasn't renewed. However, I'm working on re-issuing Divine Love and will be working to re-issue Astral Love, as well. Divine Love is still available in audiobook format, though through Audible, Amazon, and I believe, iTunes, and I highly, highly, highly recommend getting it even if you've already read the E-book (or paperback) because my narrator, Chris J. Hudson, is AH-MAZE-ING! I do hope one day to have all the Immortal Dreams books out in audiobook format, but right now that's not possible for a variety of reasons. But, don't lose heart, I keep working on trying to figure it out with Chris and he said it's not an unlikely thing, it just isn't possible for us to do right now.

Other than that, it's normal life in the Averie Household. Offspring things to do, and I also continue to be wife to my husband. It's wonderful to have Averie Cat as my furry companion/furry shadow. I'm grateful to God for all of them and for my family and friends. And of course, you dear readers. I do my writing and re-issuing the series FOR YOU! You keep me writing and doing this, so thank you so much. Your support means the absolute world to me.

Have A Thrillingly Terrific Thursday!

Getting Past It All...

Happy Monday One and All!

Yikes! It's been a month since I wrote on this blog. I'm sorry! If it's any consolation, I did update the Jeannie Averie blog.

This post is one that I started thinking about last week. I did some talking about this on Twitter (under both names) but I haven't actually written it all out in a more cohesive format.

First and foremost: this is not a pity party. I hate throwing myself pity parties. Please, don't pity me. Don't feel sorry for me. My life has had ups and downs like everyone else's and I'm not looking for special treatment. In fact, I hate being patronized, too. The only special treatment I ever got out of this was having a laptop to take notes in high school and untimed standardized testing days. For the rest, I've worked hard. Oftentimes, swallowing my nerves and asking for help. Sometimes facing less-than-understanding teachers, but never felt entitled to anything except for the help I needed...and even then, it was sometimes hard for me to accept because I didn't want to be different. (Now I like being different and unique!)

I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s. Yes, I know, I'm basically revealing my age, which I don't usually do--not from embarrassment, or being sensitive about my age, but because it just isn't important to my writing. But, it is important to my story, because I grew up in a time where learning disabilities weren't really as understood as they are today or have quite as many options and resources.

I'm one of eight children. Number 7 to be exact. I have 2 brothers and 5 sisters. We're pretty close-knit and very close to our folks. My dad was a Chemical Engineer, but you can banish the idea we were super rich or affluent because we weren't. That money had to cover the roof over our head, food, clothing, schooling, etc. With 8 kids, it adds up. (I wore hand-me-downs along with some newer stuff, too). But, I have no regrets with how I was brought up. From a young age, I was taught the value of hard work, honesty, faith, courtesy/manners, and taking responsibility for my own actions. We weren't perfect, but it was nice.

We weren't aware I had learning disabilities until I hit Elementry school. And even then, it wasn't until I was in the 4th grade that anyone took my low test scores and other stuff into serious consideration. My teachers before that meant well and made excuses that "some kids test low" and that my mother couldn't expect me to be a straight-A student like the sister closest in age to me (not that she ever did, she didn't...she just wanted to help me). So after 4th grade, I got taken out of the school, and Mom homeschooled me. It wasn't long before she noticed I had very clear differences in how my siblings learned. When teaching me the monetary value of things, I didn't make the connection between ten pennies being the same as one dime. So, in the sixth grade, she found out about a learning clinic and got me tested.

The tests revealed that I shouldn't even be able to use the bathroom on my own--which, was nonsense since I'd been going to the bathroom on my own rather successfully for YEARS (and I'm happy to report that I still can use the bathroom on my own). But, tests don't measure abilities, just a certain set of criteria. So, I went for remediation. I worked with the whole office on different things--visualization, focus, puzzles, memorization, and the like.

Part of my diagnosis fell under umbrella categories like dyslexia and such. The way I describe it is that everybody has bridges in the brains--bridges that connect one idea to another. Some of my bridges were broken, and in some cases, none existed. Through the program they used to help me, I made tremendous improvement.

They had me learn how to touch-type, and I started writing more. Mom says my handwriting improved, and even my math and spelling improved. Stories poured out of me, lyrics, and poetry, too.

In high school, I opted to go to a school 2 of my sisters had graduated from, and one of my other sisters was a senior. I don't regret it. Yes, I faced some bullying like I had in elementary school. Yes, sometimes it was hard. But, I don't regret it.

I met some great teachers, whom I'm still friends with over 20/30 years later. Some of my best friends are those I met in high school (and one who I became friends within the 4th grade).

Senior year, I decided I'd challenge myself. I'd go for the Silver Honor Roll for the entire year. I'd gotten it for different quarters, but never all year. The Silver Honor Roll required the student to maintain an A and B average for the entire semester, which meant for both semesters I had to maintain the average. Sometimes I was worried I wouldn't make it, but through tutoring, working my butt off at times, and dealing with being a procrastinator, I managed to maintain the Silver all year. It was one of my proudest academic moments.

Unlike my sister, I never qualified for the National Honor Society, and I only took one advanced class my entire academic career, but I got that Honor Roll and I graduated.

I ended up going to a business school for their 8-month Information Processing (clerical/secretarial work) and graduated from there with decent (I think A's and B's) grades.

The corporate world presented different challenges. I tried NOT to reveal my learning disabilities because I didn't want special treatment. I wanted to earn jobs and to prove my capabilities without any particular treatment. Unfortunately, that didn't really work out and I ended up having to reveal them pretty much in every job I had. It was frustrating because if I revealed them I risked being treated in a way I didn't want to, and if I didn't, I got in trouble.

Eventually, in my early twenties, I got married to a man who didn't care if I had learning disabilities or not (in fact, he's been really nice about them and encourages me to overcome my obstacles). I started getting serious about writing, and in 2013 my first novel was published. I've published 4 more since, and working on more, and now I'm working on getting my first adult (Jeannie Averie pen-name) out there.

The point is, aside from some extra tutoring, and my deceased friend spending a ton of time on the phone with me Senior year explaining the teacher's lecture from our Shakespeare class (my one and only advanced class!) And the patience of some excellent teachers, friends, and colleagues, I got where I am. I never asked them to just hand me anything. I wanted to earn it. I wanted to prove I could do it. (In a group situation in high school, kids would try to just give me the answer, instead of teaching me the process, which I wouldn't accept. I'd either learn it and come up with the answer, or I'd tell the teacher or my parents that I needed help). 

That's the way I am, now, too. I don't want things handed to me, I want to earn them. I know how to work hard, so I'll put in the time. I might not always get it right, but I will try, learn, and grow from experiences.

If you have learning disabilities (I hate the term "learning differences" because EVERYONE has their own way of learning, so it's all different; but, what I have are actual disabilities in my learning) I hope my story can encourage you. Even if it's hard, you can accomplish things. You have to set realistic goals, but don't be afraid to challenge yourself. More than once, it's paid off for me.

Have A Marvelously Merry Monday!

Should I Tell Them...?

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Life has been busy lately. I've been writing more regularly, which is awesome. Nothing is ready for you, yet, darling readers,  but don't despair. If I'm writing it means that work is one step closer to being in your hands.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how readers perceive their relationship with writers. The gap is less wide nowadays thanks to social media and the like; however, I still sometimes run across readers who are surprised that writers would want to hear from them.

Let me put it to you like this: a while back I heard about a high school classroom that needed books, so I sent copies of some of my Immortal Dreams books (I don't know if it was all of them or the first three). The teacher sent me a card thanking me and telling me her students had already picked them up. I didn't need the teacher to send me a thank you, I was happy to send the books. But that card made my day. It's taped to my dresser mirror and I can see it every single day. It reminds me that my stories are fun and appealing. That I can tell a good tale.

There are other moments similar to that where a reader made my day simply because they told me they enjoyed my work. My day seemed brighter and I couldn't help smiling one of my biggest smiles. It makes me so happy that people are having fun and enjoying what I do. And I love hearing about it, too.

Gary Chapman has a book called The Five Love Languages.  After reading the book I figured out I was "Words of Affirmation". But I'm not the only one. Other authors really enjoy hearing from their readers. It means a lot when we've touched your heart somehow. Or made you fly away on some fantastic adventure. Somehow we made your afternoon, your day, whatever--maybe even touched your life--means a lot. It's a big part of why I, and so many other authors, do what we do.

So go ahead. Send that email to your favorite author telling them how much you enjoy reading their novels. Let them know you had fun. Ask them about characters or when their next book is coming out. They'll be glad to hear from you.

And who knows...they might even write you back. I can't guarantee it, but it could happen. Either way, our readers are important to us. You all are the reason we can do this. We've got stories to share, but we need you to be able to share them.

So, on behalf myself, and other authors...thank you, thank you, thank you so much!

Have A Thrillingly Terrific Thursday!