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!

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!

Saying Goodbye To October...

 Happy Monday All,

Also, Happy All Hallow's Eve aka Halloween! I meant to write an October post earlier this month, but there were things going on in my real life that made it so I just didn't get to it.

I'm doing okay--just a lot going on in my real life. But doesn't everybody usually?

October also means my birthday, which I celebrated by going over to my parents' house. Dad had a fall in September, so it was nice to see him making so much progress and doing so much better. I told them that since they had such an integral part of me coming into existence that it seemed appropriate that I'd come over for a visit. We had a lot of fun. It was simple, small, and just right for me. My parents gave me a beautiful card that touched my heart (I got teary!) and I got some other cards and gifts from my siblings. My husband got me Chinese food for dinner a couple of days before since I was going to be at my folks' house on my actual birthday. I can't complain. It was a good birthday. :-)

I've been doing some writing on and off. Aside from the novel I'm querying to agents, I've got a couple of other things in the works. I don't know what will happen with any of them, but one of them has been a good creative outlet for me, so that's good thing as far as I'm concerned. I can't talk much about them because I'm still in the process of writing them and I don't like to talk about things until they're on their way to being released.

The Author Encounter has Indie Author Day coming up THIS weekend! You can find out more on the website. (If you have questions, send an email to theauthorencounter (at) gmail (dot) com). We livestreamed Traditionally Published Day onto The Author Encounter's Facebook page. You can find the replay to that here. It was a blast! We had Pixel + Ink editor, Alison Weiss as guest for Behind The Page, and featured Ann Rose (agent with Prospect Agency) and Mid-Grade author, Tom Phillips. And yes, I did honestly think it was awesome that Alison likes hot apple cider.

To follow up on the event, I'll answer the question about what's my favorite fall treat? I don't know. I do like hot apple cider or cinnamon apple tea. For me, the perfect Fall day is one that's a bit chilly (for me that would mean somewhere in the lower 60s/50s) sitting inside with a hot drink, a cozy blanket, a good book or movie--or with family or friends. Averie Cat likes to hang out in my lap, so that could also be my version of a perfect Fall day.

During Traditionally Published Day, Tom Phillips mentioned The Frabjous Bunch (pronounced FRAB-JUSS). The Frabjous Bunch is a writer's group that Tom, myself, and author Brittany Tucker put together. The two of them are so supportive. Tom had a Mid-Grade debut in June of this year and Brittany's got a YA debut coming out in January 2023. I believe authors need supportive and encouraging people in their corner, so finding a group you feel comfortable in and can learn from the other members of the group is very important. I know that Tom and Brittany are there for me, just as I'm there for them. And yes, the word "frabjous" is a word you can find in the dictionary. Originally coined by Lewis Carroll (found in his poem "Jabberwocky") it means "fabulous, magnificent" (and in some definitions, better than fabulous). It's one of my favorite words. And I know most of the "Jabberwocky" poem by heart. My family used to quote lines from it. You can find the poem here. Speaking of which, those who watched ABC's Once Upon A Time: Wonderland will recognize "Jabberwock". In the poem, it's a terrible, strange looking monster, but in the show it's this woman who has the power to mess with your mind. Either way, I don't want to encounter the Jabberwock. (Also, I believe you can still watch the show on Amazon Prime--I loved how they reimagined it--and yes they did a little bit of tying in with the main Once Upon A Time show).

I hope to be better about posting a post for November, but I never know what each month will bring, so we'll see what happens. Life sometimes gets adventurous and/or busy, so some months I'm just very busy!

Anyway, I wish y'all a great end of October and hope your November is wonderful! God bless to you and yours.

Have A Marvelously Merry Monday!

September Ends...

 Happy Friday One & All,

Today is the last day of September. In some ways this month has felt long to me, in others I'm trying to compute the idea that tomorrow is October 1st. 

I do plan on keeping my blog to about 1 post a month, which at this point is what I can handle. My real life has had some big ups and downs lately, and it takes a lot of energy to go through it all. Rest assured, the writing world is still very important to me and I'm not inactive in it, I just can't post on my blog more than about once a month at the moment.

So, where can you find me in between posts? Well, normally I'd say Facebook, but I've had a lot of trouble with it, lately. It seems my phone and computer don't like the updates so it's slower than a 2-legged turtle in molasses on my computer and refuses to operate at all on my phone (other than Messenger, which I reserve for those on my friends' list, sorry, I don't do much of communicating with folks I don't know well). However, if you're a fan of my work and you want to send me a note, I'm ALWAYS up for reader emails! I love to hear from my readers, so feel free to reach out there at bethany (dot) averie (at) gmail (dot) com. No spam or solicitations, please. (Those WILL be deleted. Rude emails will also be deleted without a response).

Most often, you can find me on Twitter. (I'm rarely on Instagram, sorry. I have one and I get on it a few times a week, but not often--Twitter I'm on pretty much every day).

Anyway, I'll post more when I do my October blog post. For now, how a Fabulously Fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend!

It's Time For September...

Happy Thursday and September!

Somehow it feels like the months are going by faster. I'm not sure why I feel that way--maybe I've just been super occupied while things were happening.

In my personal life there has been plenty going on--from being a mom, to a wife, to my family-of-origin stuff, there has been several things happening. Some good things, some hard, some okay--basically life.

As far as my writing life is concerned, I've formed a private writer's group with 2 other authors. They're super encouraging and it's fun to be a part of a writer's group again. I hadn't decided what I wanted to do as far as joining one, so this is perfect for me at this time. I've been doing some writing (I've got like what is it, 3 WIPs--Works In Progress--right now? I don't work on all of them at the same time--I just go with whatever one I'm in the mood for or have ideas I want to add. Normally I don't work this way, but right now it's working for me). I'm still querying a finished manuscript of mine. We'll see what happens there. And I've got some projects I'm not ready to talk about, yet, in the works, too.

The Author Encounter is having a slower year because of stuff both in my life and in Nan's. We're okay, just things that we had let our members know about. Keep an eye on the website for announcements/info.

I've also been doing some reading. I haven't done a TON of reading and I skip around a lot from re-reading books I loved, to reading newer books. I'm not sure how many books I read in August...maybe 3? How about you? How many books did you read in August and are there any you're excited about?

Enjoy your September and to those who are back in school, I wish you a wonderful school year!

Have A Totally Terrific Thursday! 

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!

A Little Late With July...

 Happy Friday Everyone!

I'm a little late getting the July post up, but perhaps you can forgive me since I was sick the first week of July. I'm much better, now. I don't recommend being sick, it's really a 1-star or no-star review from me, but it did give me a lot of time to pray, and working on my faith is never a wasted opportunity (when I take the opportunity) so there's that. I couldn't really even read much while I was sick because the screen made me dizzy and I didn't even bother trying with printed books, either. Mostly I either watched videos/movies, or slept. The sleeping was probably a good idea. Now, I've got a plan to work on getting myself stronger and keeping up with my vitamins. Thankfully, I've got a great doctor, so I had good help.

Getting well meant I was able to get back to writing again, which has been nice. I don't know what will come of the novel I'm working on. Per usual, I'm going to keep details under wraps (aside from a very few people who know what I'm working on). It's just easier to work on a manuscript without anyone's expectations except my own (and God's, of course, but that's a given for me). It's funny to be working on something and suddenly see how late the time is and scramble to get ready for bed. I haven't done that in a while, so it's bringing back some memories. Good memories, though.

I'm still querying. I prefer not to go into detail there since it's an extremely personal process for me. It's also a long process and I don't know what the outcome will be.

Other than that, still working with The Author Encounter, still being wife and mom, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend--all the usual stuff. I'm hoping Texas gets some rain SOON (not flooding or damages, but enough rain that the temperatures are cooler and the grass, crops, plants, trees, etc. are okay--it would be nice for my husband if he didn't have to water very often). We're spending as much time inside as possible. It's just too hot to be out-of-doors for long.

Wishing heat relief if it's hot where you are and a great rest of your July!

Have A Fabulously Fun Friday!