Time Marches On...

 Hi Everyone!

As March winds down (it's already March 30th??!!), and we've started Holy Week, I realize I haven't posted a monthly post for March, so here we go:

Real Life: After about 3 weeks of dealing with the flu (first eldest got it, then youngest, then me. Husband escaped it--I have a couple of theories why, but nothing that I know for a fact is the reason). Youngest seems to keep eating something that makes him have issues--luckily, I pretty much can nail down what those things are, so we can avoid them in the future. Eldest and I are okay. I've got my last dose of Tamiflu to have with dinner tonight.

Writing Life:  Still got some stuff out for Sugar & Frost. I've gotten back to working on edits on Shifter Secrets, and progress has been made on it--I'm hoping to finish implementing the edits I'm putting in based off of my critique partner's notes (I've already put in what I want to do in the files that I had sent my CP, I just have to put them in my master copy).

As for Holy Week itself, I haven't fully figured out what I'm going to do--other than on Friday I plan to put aside all writer related things and social media in honor of it being Good Friday.

April marks a much of birthdays in my family, so there is that coming up.

I hope you've had a great March and that you have a peaceful/prayerful Holy Week and a lovely, blessed Easter! God bless.

Have A marvelously merry Monday!

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!

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!

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!

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).

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!

A New Year...

 Happy January (about 30 days late)!

Happy New Year! Can you believe it's a brand-new year, and 2023? So much happened last year. Some good, some hard, some not-so-good. I often get a mixed bag; although, some of it I hope never happens again. Good and bad often happen every year, though.

January has been busy. Family stuff, mostly. Nothing bad, just as I said, busy. My eldest is getting older and had an overnight trip. I was a worried Mama, but Eldest was fine, of course. Eldest had fun at this camp for 2 nights. It was weird having Eldest gone for longer than a night, but I reminded myself that one day Eldest would become an adult and be out there in the world doing whatever Eldest decides to do with life. Kinda a spooky thought, all things considered, but parents do have to help their offspring grow up.

I'm querying one of my manuscripts and have about 4-5 WIPs in various stages of being written. There are about 2-3 main ones that I'm focusing most of my attention on at the moment. One of them is involving learning disabilities--which I don't normally include in my work. You see, I live with learning disabilities. Both within myself, Eldest, and another one of my offspring, who is autistic. I write/read to escape reality not to relive it, but this one WIP (Work In Progress) has some learning disabilities in it, which actually seem to fit in that WIP. We'll see what happens. The others have various other things in them--I don't like to talk much about my writing until it's definitely going to be released. So, unfortunately, you darling reader, will have to wait. But, try not to be too disappointed. I'm still involving fantasy and paranormal aspects in my work.

This weekend I finally posted a new post (on Saturday, January 28, 2023) on my Author Facebook Page (yeah, I don't always update that, I'm mostly on Twitter). Working on several other things, including some stuff for The Author Encounter.

Other than that...doing real life stuff and trying to figure out how it's already the end of January when it was just New Year's Day not that long ago, but tomorrow really is the last day of January, so there you have it. In any case, hope 2023 treats well. Take care, and as I like to say, God bless!

Have A Merrily Marvelous Monday!

Enjoy the rest of January 2023. :-)

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!

May Has Arrived...

 Happy Monday and Happy May!

April was full of many things...including going up to Springdale, Arkansas to lay my father-in-law to rest. I didn't know him very well, but being up there with my husband and kids, I got to learn a little more about him. I knew he'd loved his wife to the very end of her life, but what I didn't know was how much. Several pictures had the caption "My beautiful wife..." and then a description of the picture. In the living room and his room, the walls were full of pictures of her and of their wedding. He had several of them framed. In all of them he looked happy (she looked happy, too, just in case y'all wondered). So I got to see more of his devotion to her. My mother-in-law died some years ago from Alzheimer's. By the time I met my husband and we were getting married, she was already pretty far along (although we did talk a tiny bit about her rose garden--which the flowers in their yard were lovely). They're now buried together in a cemetery in Springdale, Arkansas, according to my father-in-law's last wishes. My husband was AMAZING. He did the majority of all the cleaning in the house, and moved a ton of furniture. Some he gave away, some he sold. The house is just about sold (people up there move fast!) I barely saw him because he was so busy. But we did manage to get over to Eureka Springs and to Two Dumb Dames. I've been to Two Dumb Dames twice and ordered from there about 3 times. The fudge is the best fudge ever (in my and my husband's opinions). And yes, they do ship. I had some delivered to my parents' house last year, as well as to one of my best friend's. Everybody I've had try it has been totally amazed by how good it is. The company was started in 1979, and now the daughters/sons run it (so it's still in the family). It's a funky little shop with chocolates, fudge, truffles, candy, and t-shirts. I love it.

My anniversary is this month, which is something I'm happy about. Another year with my Real Life Hero, another year full of good and bad, ups and downs. Living out our marriage vows, being each other's best friends, being parents, family, friends to others. It's not always easy, but it isn't something I'd trade in. He's a man who truly gets me and I consider that a gift from God. So I'm grateful for him.

Mother's Day is right around the corner, and I want to wish every mother out there a very Happy Mother's Day! I love my children even when it's tough (and sometimes especially when it's tough). Nobody is perfect, but they are incredibly special to me.

As to writing, I'm continuing on. I've been querying a manuscript, and I've got several other ideas. I've no idea what will happen or where everything will lead. God has always been in charge of things in my life, and so I entrust this to Him, while trying to do what I can. I'm hoping more of my books will be available on audiobooks--my narrator and I are often in touch (he's worked on some things for The Author Encounter with me and my business partner, Nan), so we'll see.

I've made some new author friends this year, and I'm grateful for them being in my life as well, and for you, my darling readers!

I wish each and every one of you a marvelous May! I hope it's a good month for you all.

Have A Magically Merry Monday!

In Comes March...

 Happy Monday Everyone!

It's MARCH! Can you believe February is already over?

I meant to make this blog post earlier than now, but I was busy with editing, and life, so I had to put the post on hold. Editing is currently done, so I've got some time to post.

So let's see...

Lent has begun, which was punctuated for me by Ash Wednesday. I like to go to church to receive ashes. It was nice. I had my offspring with me--which meant a bit of adventure, but we managed okay.

The Author Encounter is gearing up for its 2nd Annual Authors March Forward events. A little smaller than last year, but still exciting. Watch TAE website and social media for more information. (I'm looking forward to it, as I do all our events because they're informative and fun).

I'm not excited about the clocks moving forward on Sunday, March 13th. Losing an hour of sleep, not fun. I'm sure I'll adjust, though.

Hopefully I'll have some exciting news in April regarding something that has nothing to do with what I was editing or anything I'm querying. For now, I'll just leave this vague statement here and let you, darling readers wonder. (Sorry, sometimes it's fun to keep y'all in anticipation).

February was a rough month because a family member had some health things pop up--thanking the Lord that the family member is okay. I was stressed for a few days and then came my deceased friend's death anniversary (she passed on 9 years ago). I'm hoping March will be better. There is likely to be some nerves about these projects (I hope things go well and all that) Regardless of nerves, I'm looking forward to it all.

There are a lot of things going on in the world right now, and I'm praying about them. I don't want to discuss these things on my blog, but they are in my prayers.

Take care, darling readers. I wish you a good March. Happy St. Patrick's Day, too!

Have A Marvelously Merry Monday!

Where I've Been...

 Hi Everyone!

I've been out of commission/not blogging because I was busy with family and then I had a bit of an accident.

In August, I had a slip and fall in one of the rooms in my house. I ended up with a non-displaced fracture in my left shoulder. The important thing is I'm fine. I'm getting better, but I've been in a sling and I've been seeing orthopedic people who are helping me. Right now I only have use of one hand. In fact, I wrote this whole blog post by dictating an email to myself and copying and pasting it onto my blog.

So most of my writing and editing has been put on hold for the moment except for some edits that I can do on my own or with help from my husband.

I have been able to participate in different things that The Author Encounter is doing, including in September we had Traditional Publishing Day, which was lots of fun. There was a workshop on query letters, we had a couple of indie bookstores do a panel talking about what they sell and how to get your books into their shops, and we had a Traditionally Published Author Panel. I did a workshop on resources for authors. 

I'm looking forward to Indie Author Day on November 12th and 13th. We might do a Behind The Page for October, but we'll see.

But other than not being able to use my left arm and type with my left hand at the moment, I'm okay. I just keep busy with what I can do while my arm heals.

I hope your fall is going well and happy October!

Have a Marvelously Merry Monday!

End Of An Era, Writing Updates, K-Dramas, And...

Happy Monday Everyone,

The newest news for me is that after 10 years, 2 months, I left Romance Writers of America. It wasn't an easy decision and I didn't make it lightly at all. I won't get into the reasons or any of the recent events. I made a decision I thought was the right one for me. I plan to keep the good relationships/friendships I made while a member of the organization and continue to learn and grow the best I can with the many other resources available to me. I'm grateful to the organization for the experiences that I treasure and for the connections I did make because of being a part of it. I plan to continue writing Romance, just not being a member of RWA.

I'm working on several projects--some are books, and some are book-related but not writing or critiquing. I like keeping busy and I like the different ideas and things coming my way.

Under my Jeannie Averie pseudonym, I've been querying agents and participating in Twitter Pitch parties. I'm not ready to reveal anything about those experiences at this time, but rest assured there has been some positivity from those things.

I'm working on Book 5 in the Immortal Dreams series, and contemplating maybe ending the series in Book 5 instead of having a Book 6. I haven't decided, but I have made some progress--of which, I'm hoping to keep moving forward on it.

As Bethany Averie, I'm working on a new manuscript that's not connected to the Immortal Dreams series, but that's all I can say about it right now.

Other than that, I continue being a wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, and relative. I've finished reading a few novels--and discovered I really like Helen Hoang's The Bride Test.

I've been watching a bunch of K-Dramas on Netflix, as well as various movies and shows, including P.S. I Still Love You, as well as the new reality series, Love Is Blind. So far, my favorite K-Drama is Cinderella And The Four Knights (All. The. Feels! ALL THE FEELS! Plus the music is so good!) Author Kerrelyn Sparks is also a K-Drama fan, so we compare notes. We both like My Holo Love.

What's new on your end, darling readers?

Have A Marvelously Melodious Monday!

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!

Welcome To 2020...

Happy Monday & 2020 To Everyone!

When I was in high school, I couldn't even fathom 2000, much less 2020. It didn't matter how close or far any of those years were, I just found it astounding.

It's another year to grow, learn, and experience life. Speaking from my experience, every year has good and bad. Some years you enjoy the good more, and other years, you've got to push through more of the bad. In any case, I like to experience each year whether it is mostly good or not.

This year, I want to finish books 5 and 6 in the Immortal Dreams series. I'm pretty much ready to wrap up the Immortals, at least, for now. I've got some other ideas flashing here and there, so it would be good to see where else my imagination takes me. Now, that doesn't mean I'm not going to pay attention to those last 2 books and try to do the series justice--I am, and I will. The series is important to me, and I want to do it justice. Just hang on a bit while I work out what that means for those books.

Under my Jeannie Averie name, I'm looking at books for older teens and adults. I still plan on keeping my goofy sense of humor, of course (and romance), but Jeannie Averie books will feature older characters.

So, while you're waiting on all that, a YA novel I recently read (and loved) is S. Jae-Jones' Wintersong. It was poignant and beautiful. (Also, fans of the movie, Labyrinth, will appreciate certain things that allude to the movie!)

Anyway, I wish you all a fantastic new year and the best 2020 has to offer!

Have A Marvelously Magical Monday!

It's Looking Like Christmas...

Happy Monday!

Can you believe that next week is Christmas? I thought it would take longer to get here. I finished my Christmas shopping last week. Have you finished?

The Averie Household has been slow about getting the tree up this year. The evening of December 13th, my Real Life Hero brought the box in. Slower than what we usually do, but things have been a bit crazy the last couple of weeks.

Despite being slow about the tree, we've been anticipating Christmas. The Offspring are excited and we've been to one Christmas party and Real Life Hero has one coming up at his work. In the car we've been playing Christmas music, which has been fun.

Working on some more projects under my Jeannie Averie pseudonym, but I'm thinking up things for the last two books in the Immortal Dreams series.

Averie Cat had his yearly check up and he's in good health. Got his shot he needed and we're now all set. He didn't enjoy the whole thing, but at least he's healthy.

Some family on my side are coming in after Christmas, so my parents are having Christmas dinner a couple of days after Christmas, so we'll be celebrating with my family on the 27th. For us, we'll have our Christmas Mass--likely on Christmas Eve, and then do our family presents on Christmas Day, and the presents from my parents on the 27th when we go over there.

I love this time of year. I'm praying for cooler weather. I'm not a fan of ice and snow, but I do like bundling up and snuggly blankets. It gets so hot most of the year down here, that it's nice to have some cooler weather when it happens. I haven't even broken out the tea and hot cocoa, yet!

On the reading front, I've got a whole pile of books to read, but I always add new ones. I'm trying to decide what I want to read next. I might read Jennifer L. Armentrout or C.C. Hunter. Then again, I've also got a Sophie Jordan and Cheyanne Young waiting on me, too. Not to mention my library book. What are you reading these days?

Anyway, I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2020. See you in January!

Have A Mightily Merry Monday!

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!

February Update...

Happy Monday Everybody!

2019 has been rather busy for me so far. I've been working on finishing up a novel that I'm hoping will be done writing by early March and then I'll go through and do my personal edits, send it off to my assistant who has been clamoring to read this one (I send her snippets and she's chomping at the bit for the rest). I'm working with a consultant to brush up on some things that I needed help with and gearing up for BrazCon, which is this weekend.

BrazCon will be in Manvel, Texas this year. I've never been there, but it's not extremely far off, so my assistant is picking me up bright and early and off we'll go. I've got some fun swag ready and I'll have a door prize that I'll turn into to the people running that side of things. I'll also be selling LIMITED number of paperback copies of ALL my published books (yep, even All's Fair In Love & Lion is coming along this time). I'm also going to be on a panel around 11:30 a.m. (I think that's the time) about writing. I don't know what the questions are, yet, so this should be interesting.

Because of several things going on--getting a new phone, a family wedding, and such, I won't be at RWA Nationals in New York City in July. I'm looking at going next year, which will be in San Francisco. So stay tuned for more info on that later in the year.

I'm also planning a sequel to the WIP (Work In Progress) I've been writing lately, and I have 2 more books to write in the Immortal Dreams series, which have been started and have titles, I just have to finish writing and editing them.

Allergies have been driving the whole Averie Household crazy. Youngest is on meds, and I've been popping throat lozenges, but I think we're doing better.

This Fall is a milestone birthday for me, but I won't say which milestone. I need to keep a little mystery about myself going. *Laughs*

I've also been checking out some Book Tubers on YouTube. It's like reviews except on YouTube. They seem like a lot of fun and really are into reading and talking about books, which is right up my alley! I've been enjoying Hailey In Bookland.

Author Avery Flynn's Tomboy just came out, which is book 3 in her new series. I've read the other two and enjoyed them, so I had to pick up my e-book copy of this one, too! (It's also available in paperback, I believe).

I need to finish up Alyssa Cole's A Princess In Theory, which has been fun (I love fairy-tale-ish stuff!) and then I have a whole stack of other books in my TBR section of my bookshelf to get to reading. Including, but not limited to, C.C. Hunter's upcoming release--I have an arc copy of Another Life!

Movies:  I missed Bohemian Rhapsody in the theaters, so I'm hoping to stream that soon. I also want to see The Nutcracker And The Four Realms (I've seen mixed reviews of that, but we'll see, I might just love it). There are a ton of movies coming that I'm looking forward to, including the new Avengers movie.

What movies are you looking forward to releasing? What books are you reading/looking forward to? Comment in the comment section to let me know what's on your list of looking forward to/reading!

Have A Momentously Merry Monday!

Excitement Building...

Happy Monday All,

Like I've said before, my posting on here is inconsistent. Blog topics are hard to come up with and my life is full of being mom, wife, and writer. But enough of excuses!

I'm gearing up for RWA Nationals 2018. I think I've been gearing up for it since Nationals ended last year. I can't help it. I had such a blast in Florida, I'm looking forward to what Colorado will bring.

I'm also excited to see some friends I haven't seen in a long time. Particularly one who was a year behind me in high school. We hung out in the same social group and had one class together my Junior year. She's a sweetheart and I've missed her. We're going to get manicures and hang out. I think it's going to be a ton of fun!

Nationals is a great way for authors (particularly Romance authors) to get together, find out what's new in the publishing world, and network. Publishers, agents, and other industry professionals come from all over as well. It's a HUGE event (I've heard numbers upwards of 2,000 people in attendance). 

Also, I've never been to Colorado. I've been a lot of places in the mainland of USA, but not there. So that will be interesting, too.

Unfortunately all this doesn't happen until July, so I've got to wait a little longer. But, it's nice to have something to look forward to doing. It's fun to feel the anticipation building as we get closer and closer. I can hardly wait!

What do you have to look forward to doing?

Have A Marvelously Magical Monday!