A Year of Big Events and New Novels!

So, 2013 comes to a close. What a year it’s been for me. It started off with a bang – I became a published author!

Last January, I published my first novel, Unexpected Legacy. How fun, after months of writing, editing, agonizing over cover options and formatting the thing, to finally hold the finished product in my hands!

The novel didn’t skyrocket to the top of the NY Times Bestseller list, but it made it through a few rounds of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition. It got some great reviews, and got some positive feedback from both adults and teens, broadening its audience base. All good things.

In March, I published book number two, a clean contemporary romance titled Meetings of Chance.

Then a couple of big events happened that had nothing to do with writing. My husband and I celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary (why, yes, I was a child bride!), and we got to see our daughter graduate with honors from Cornell University. That was a very proud mama moment!

I watched a lot of tennis, and saw my son win second place in the state doubles championship. More parental pride.

Then I switched gears a bit, and launched a new novel in a new genre. The Storm Within was my third novel published in 2013. It’s women’s fiction, which meant I had to reach out and connect with a different kind of reader.

Which brings me to Marketing – the biggest challenge of 2013, and I expect that will continue into the new year. I’ve met a lot of other authors and readers along the way, and that has been much fun. I’ve gained friends and fans and followers, and learned a lot.

So what’s on the agenda for 2014? More of the same! More marketing, of course, and more writing. Hoping to publish at least two new books, the second in the Women of Whitfield series, and at least one contemporary romance.

My son will graduate from high school and start college. My daughter will launch her career and perhaps a PhD program. I’ve no doubt it will be another busy year.

As I ponder 2014, I’m thinking about all the unfinished manuscripts I have, and the stories I want to write.

I’ve said before that writing is making me a hermit, and it’s true. Sure, I see friends, go to lunch, etc. But, as others are planning their New Year’s Eve parties, dinners and festivities, I’m wondering if I can ring in the new year by finishing a book. :-)

When gift-giving is like math . . .

I’ve finally started wrapping the Christmas presents. It’s something I enjoy, but the math part is kind of stressful this year. Math, you say? Yep. I have two children. And I want to be fair. That means, they need to have approximately the same number of gifts, and the gifts need to equal roughly the same amount of money. So I spread everything out, and I’m adding, I’m combining. If I put this with that, then it’s only one present to unwrap. When the kids open their gifts on Christmas morning, I don’t want one to be opening a whole stack of bags and boxes while the other is done in seconds.

One kid wants cash. How many bills, in what denominations and number of boxes will it take to equal the gifts for the other kid? I don’t know . . . it sounds too much like a college algebra problem to me. I’m a writer. I don’t do numbers. I do words!

But I also do gifts. I really like to give presents, and to watch people open them. On Christmas, I don’t want to rip through all the presents in one big, chaotic frenzy. I want to savor the unwrapping. I like to delight the recipient. I want to see their face, and know that I’ve chosen well. At parties with a round-robin gift exchange, I’m always disappointed if my gift isn’t one that’s coveted, and “stolen” by others.

I think I did a pretty good job this year! So if I’m a little off on my math, hopefully everyone will be too busy enjoying their awesome gifts to notice!

It's Cookie Time

I’m not a cook, but I do like cookies. Often people mistake me for a cook because I also like to make cookies. The sad fact is, it’s the one and only culinary talent I possess.

At holidays, especially Christmas, I make anywhere from eight to twelve dozen sugar cookies – the kind you chill, then roll out and cut and bake, then frost and decorate. It’s kind of a long process, three days, minimum, with many frosting sessions.

The baked cookies can be frozen, but once they’ve been frosted, freezing isn’t an option. That means I have to carefully schedule when I frost the cookies for each person or event I’m taking them to. I actually write this down, which is probably one of the reasons people can’t believe that when it comes to writing I’m a “pantser” rather than a “plotter.” (meaning I don’t outline and sketch out the entire story before writing it)

Baking holiday cookies is actually a little creative outlet for me, too. Each one (well, some, anyway) is a tiny piece of edible art. I’ve been told they’re too pretty to eat. But then, I haven’t seen too many people having trouble eating them!

Happy holidays, everyone! Wishing you fun times with family and friends, good books –and, of course, cookies!

Jingle Bell Virtual Book Fair

Hello dear readers!
Thanks for stopping by! Today, and for the next three days, I invite you to visit a Facebook event. It's the Jingle Bell Book Fair. Dozens of authors have joined together to present excerpts of their books, discount offers, and giveaways. This is a great way to sample new authors and material. You just might find a new favorite, or two! Hope to see you there!
Here's the link to the event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/663323370357638/663973250292650/?notif_t=event_mall_comment

You can also go directly to the excerpts for my novels by visiting my website at www.threewritersofromance.com.

Happy reading!

A Little Christmas Excerpt

Christmas is in the air! So far, I've attended a holiday concert, bought all the ingredients for starting on sugar cookies, bought gifts, and got the tree! In honor of the season, thought I'd share a short Christmas excerpt from my sweet contemporary romance, Meetings of Chance. Merry, merry!

When Julie opened the oven door, Megan caught a sharp whiff of cinnamon. “Mmm, that smells wonderful,” Megan said. “What’s in there?”
Tom turned back to them. “Mom’s famous pumpkin pie. A Christmas tradition.”

Hands on his hips, he looked around. “So, Mom, speaking of traditions, where’s the mistletoe?” Tom demanded. “The one year I could use some mistletoe and you don’t have any?”
“Sorry. Guess I forgot that little detail.”
Tom’s dad turned from the television. “Kiss her anyway, son. It’s all right.”
“If you insist.”

Before Megan could object, Tom took her hand, pulled her off the bar stool, and twirled her around. Dipping her backward as if they were dancing, he planted a firm kiss on her lips. Then he grabbed his mother, and swung her around, too.
“My two favorite ladies . . .”
Julie laughed, patting down her hair. “My goodness. What’s gotten into you?”
He grinned at her, and spun Megan again, whispering in her ear, “I’m in love.”

Bookstore Shopping is Fun Shopping!

Well, darn. I couldn’t get all of my Christmas shopping done at bookstores. But it was close! Had to break down and buy a couple today at your basic shops like Macy’s and Eddie Bauer. Unfortunately, that required a trek to the Mall. Happily, though, while I was there, I also bought two gifts from Barnes & Noble. 

So I have now purchased multiple items from three local bookstores, and I got really good stuff. I love these bookstores that carry cool office supplies, cute kids’ crafts and games, note cards, picture frames, calendars, stocking stuffers, puzzles, etc. It’s amazing how many gifts you can knock out in one awesome bookstore! 

If you haven’t finished your shopping (and, really, who has?), don’t forget that books make great gifts, but most bookstores these days offer a whole lot more as well! Shop local, and let’s keep our wonderful bookstores in business! And just think, while you're there, you get to browse shelf after shelf of books! What's not to like about that?!