WIP Update

The Talisman

Book One

Chapter 1

Part b

Present Day

…continued…

Yedi listened, his ears turned, indicating his full attention. "I always kept my promises to Grammy, even if she seemed a bit loony at times. I know she's dead, but today's my birthday and I promised her that if on my thirtieth birthday I wasn't married or an attorney, I'd do it. So that's it. No more discussion." She let the reins sag, and took the chain in her left hand, the talisman dancing in the bright sunlight.

"Clockwise forward, counter clockwise back, I just wish--" She flicked the inner scrolls with her fingernail sending it spinning. A gust of wind at her back caught her cowboy hat and sent it flying over Yedi's head. Yedi spooked, crow-hopped and spun. Trish grabbed at the reins and brought him up short.

"Easy, easy boy. It was just my hat. Look, there it is." Her hat balanced on its brim near the edge of the gulley, poised to continue its runaway flight.

Frustrated with yet another thing going amiss in her life, her favorite curse formed on her lips. She bit it back and dismounted, leading Yedi toward her hat. As she reached for it, another gust of wind carried it out and over the gulley. She watched as the hat flirted with the air currents before dropping to settle below her. Things didn't seem all that different. Maybe the talisman and its magical ability to transport her through time and space was all a fantastical and continual fantasy of Grammy's. Trish turned to remount.

"Well, I'm not walking down in there alone. You're coming with me. We'll have to find a way down, and I don't want to go to the bottom--"

Trish stopped. Her stomach bucked. Paralyzed, her hand rested on the saddle horn, her foot in the stirrup, her weight balanced across Yedi's back. The view from his back had changed. Open and groomed fields of crops no longer graced the valley floor as they had moments ago. Stands of trees filled most of the valley, dotted with the occasional brown of small buildings. There were no tractors, no cars or pick-ups traversing country roads. In fact, there weren't any roads.

Had Grammy been sane all along? Trish settled in the saddle and stared at the scene before her, her hat momentarily forgotten. Her mind raced through Grammy's stories. Stories of time travel, romance, and adventure. Wonderful stories of times long forgotten or romanticized by paperback novels and old movies. Stories of unbelievable characters in futuristic setting that put the biggest blockbusters to shame. But all of Grammy's stories had two things in common… Grammy and romance.

Trish grasped the chain about her neck, lifting it into the sunlight. The talisman remained as beautiful, but somehow not quite as alive. The reflected sunlight didn't dance, it merely reflected off the metallic surfaces. The crystal no longer glowed. What had Grammy said?

"My adventures were not always glamorous but they were always very real. Sometimes full of romance, other times deception and danger. I wasn't ever afraid at those dangerous times. I knew the talisman worked in a seven-day cycle. I just had to survive for seven days until the cycle began again. Of course there were times I didn't use the talisman, letting it lay dormant for sixty-three days and once even a year. But that year cost me. You must not abuse the talisman. If you do, it will have its revenge. And that, my dear is why I must have your promise…"

...to be continued.

WIP Update

Some time ago, a friend read an working excerpt from this manuscript. It was rough and it was rough. I feared that the scene would offend. The friend is prodding me to get this done as quickly as possible and not quick enough for her satisfaction. Of course it takes time to write and untangle the ins nd outs of time-travel, especially when it is my hope to have a trilogy.

The casual reader my not be interested and be forewarned...this is a work in progress. Why share it? I've been asked to. And I firmly believe that comments from readers, like each of you, will help me catch and iron out the wrinkles. This isn't a task for the faint of heart.

The Talisman

Book One

Chapter 1

Present Day

"That's it then." Trish patted Yedi, her prized Arabian stallion, on the neck. She sat erect and yet relaxed.

The sun inched higher above the eastern mountains. May was always a beautiful month, one she looked forward to for more than the new greenery. It was the month of her birthday--May seventeenth, and the date she used to mark visits from Grammy, and her stories. Stories of travel and wild adventures, stories Grammy had promised, "criss-cross my heart and hope never to die," were true.

The valley lay below Trish. Tractors crawled like ants in the fields. A vehicle sped down a country road spewing a trail of dust in the early morning light. Despite the tranquility around her, Trish's heart still weighed heavy at her latest failure.

That's the third time I tried to pass the bar. I guess I'll never prosecute a case in a court of law. It's a pity, really. All I've ever wanted to do was be a successful attorney. I sat right here on my twentieth birthday and vowed I'd get there. Now it's ten years later, I'm still not there. She sighed feeling her shoulders sag. Maybe Grammy was right about what I should be.

Trish withdrew her grandmother's gaudy yet delicately beautiful trinket from under her shirt. It dangled on the long chain Trish wore around her neck. Sunlight shimmered on the intricate scrollwork delicately woven around the inner crystal. The design of the outer casing allowed the inner scrolls to turn one way while the outer scrolls turned the other. She fondled the talisman lovingly, keeping it from spinning.

Yedi shifted his feet. Trish clasped her hand tightly about the talisman and leaned forward slightly. Yedi responded to her cue moving forward at a gentle walk. Trish reined him in near the stand of cottonwoods at the edge of the gulley. Again she fondled the trinket.

"I promised, you know."

...to be continued.

Happy Valentine's Day

I once met a man who couldn't believe I would lower myself (in his misinformed opinion) to writing romance. I don't recall now how I responded; but why not write romance? What other very personal and at times private human expresion of feeling is given such world wide recognition as love? Love and romance are given not one, but at least three days eachyear to celebrate. Valentine's Day - we all recognize it as a day to show that special someone how we feel about them. Then there are Mother's Day and Father's Day. Think about it for a moment, most enjoying these special days do so from a stem from romance somewhere...boy meets girl, they fall in love and well, you know the rest even if it happened behind closed doors.


So, Cheers to Valentine's Day! and enjoy a pound of cyber chocolate on me (calories not included.)

Grace Awards Judges

Grace Awards is sharing biographies of this years judges. http://ow.ly/hGvZG An impressive group.
(Oh yeah, I've been asked to be a judge this year.)

Closed for a Birthday...

It's not my birthday, it's my sons and I have a cake to make.

Unfortunately, it won't be this classy (yes, it is a real cake.)

Or anywhere this detailed.

But hey, my older children can count the cakes on one of their hands that I've made in the past!

So, put the writing desk aside and heat the oven -- I'm off to the kitchen!

Happy Birthday Sean!

Cliffhanger or will I hang? That is the question.

WIP Update.


Currently, I am scrambling to mesh many comments into my rough draft that I thought was closer to sharing than it is. A very savvy beta reader asked me why a particular scene was so important. Could it be condensed without the whole suffering or possibly a second book?

I think I like the second alternative. But it would leave me with a few dilemmas.



First, and I believe most important, would readers forgive the major Cliffhanger? As in the suspense of the book not solved but carried to Book 2.

Second, more work will be required to do what authors call "fluff" the novel. This requires adding more without sending the reader into a l" hunt to kill author" mode.

Third, since this is a time-travel romance, if the cliffhanger is none other than along the lines of: Will hero/heroine return for the other? Will their love survive the absence? Will the reader be open to such?



Decisions, decisions…help me make the decision. Will you read a cliffhanger if you know it will leave you hanging? Under what conditions would you consider doing so?



And yes, I can wrap it all up, but I don't think you or I would be as content in the long run. After all-- good things are worth waiting for.

New Webpage

This exciting news for me and fellow authors at Desert Breeze Publishing. DBP has just launched their new, sparkling clean website!
Browse for novels at your leisure and of course, you can find my debut novel, Dark Days of Romance.
http://desertbreezepublishing.com/ You can find me when you search by Author or if you want an excuse to click and manuveuer the site, you can find Dark Days of Promise by clicking on Christian and Inspirational Romance, from there find the Christian and Inspirational Suspense. Still not there, click on Wrong Place Wrong Time.
Wala! There it is! Okay, there is an easier way. You can simply click on the cover art to the right.
For now, and we are hoping this is very temporary, you can only purchase an ePub copy on the site, but there are awesome directions of how to use this type of format for your eReader on the site under "Why ePUB?"
Of course you can still find Dark Days of Promise at Barnes and Noble for your Nook.
You can also purchase your copy of Dark Days of Promise at Amazon for your Kindle.

P.P.S.

Good News!
Somebody loves me and I know who. My thanks go to the master author and Father of us all.
While polishing my WIP today, okay, it isn't really polishing yet, more of tightening and fixing, I came across the perfect place to make the fixes that I spoke of in my previous post. (The P. S. and P.P.S.) It was an easy fix that required only a good paragraph rather than the major rewrite I thought it would require!
Woo-Whoo!!!!
So for the Beta Readers benefit...Merged and fixed through chapter 9. For those not my beta readers...lots of comments and things to fix but it is going well.

Mini Vacations - with a bit of tongue-in-cheek

Books are wonderful mini vacations. Books have taken me so many places including on a tour of Europe, to a Caribbean Island, to the hot bitterness of a gunfight, across the passages of time and back again, and into fantasy worlds. Sometimes I'm right there solving crimes in way too many cities and out of the way places to list here. I've fallen in love vicariously and even had an affair in more than one romantic get-a-way. Books have had my blood racing and stopped cold. Novels have opened my mind to imagine things I'd never dreamed of.


Be it the classics or the latest find at the cyber bookshelf, reading is a glorious pastime. Think of it. What else can you do when you are confined to your sickbed and get an equally wonderful experience when lying in the sun, possibly by the pool or even on vacation?

Books, both non-fiction and fiction have the ability to take you to a place you have never been. I personally prefer fiction, romance of course since that is what I endeavor to write. But romance has almost as many genres as the publishing world has publishers and sub-genres? Too many to count, especially when one "pigeon toes" a book into a very specific category as an author is expected to do.

I remember when I started writing, it was easy to say "I'm a romance writer/author." Of course there were the "nay" sayers. My favorite, from a gentleman that clearly experiences little romance in his life. "What do you want to do that for? You write one book and there is nothing left to write." Oh really? Have you, kind sir, bothered to count how many new romance novels are released every week? Oh, and a good percentage of those are by previously published authors. Time to cease my ranting…

Books. Writing. Glorious pastimes indeed. And I might include this note, even when the reading is required. Teachers, especially the boring ones that have stopped reading anything new, will often hand the unsuspecting student a reading list that may or may not be filled with books the student would never, in their conscious mind read! Who can blame them (the teachers that is) one can only read so many books (i.e. words) a year, whether they are well written or not --- and most high school papers, I am told by English Teachers, fall into the latter category. And lest you feel I am ranting on the poor unsuspecting high school student that is clearly doing the best with what they have been taught, College Professors have mentioned the poor quality of some papers as well.

But.

Note: I am a high school graduate, but do not hold a college degree in English. That said, I am a published author, professional reviewer, have served as Vice President of my writing chapter and, yeah, a mom that is occasionally called on to proof the young student's papers.

Back to the books.

I am one of those students of life that has happily discovered the best way for her to learn -- by reading anothers work. This is not an exercise in plagiarizing, quite the contrary. It is my experience that I cannot write while I am reading. Okay, that needs clarification. If I am reading a book wherein I am learning a whole lot, as in the one that my boss assigns me to review, I seem unable come up with my own material that is unique until I have slept it off, in a manner of speaking. That said, if the book is not in the genre that I am currently working on, it is quite easy to write while fresh in the morning and read that evening to meet a dead line.

Okay, so you still think I'm on a tangent. Maybe I am, but that is the joy of owning a blog. I can write what I want (within reason). And you can choose whether you read or not. 

So cheers! With a glass of your favorite beverage. Grab your favorite snacks and get to reading! Enjoy the mini vacation one has poured their heart and soul into to share with you, the reader.

P.S. I review for InD'Tales Magazine under a pseudonym.

P.P.S. My current WIP, the first in my Time-travel series must undergo a major rethink/rewrite phase due to my most recent assigned reading. I want to know where the unwritten bible to writing time-travel is. Someone is hiding it from me. Grrrr

Ten Things Writers Say, and What They Really Mean

I read this on Patty Froese blog and laughed so hard I have to share.
My thoughts are in italics.

A book is a labor of love.

Nineteen hours in drug-free hard labor with my daughter was easier, actually.
For me it was the hours of labor while my hubby and the nurse watch some golf!

Being a professional writer is an interesting and rewarding career.
(Check for the crossed fingers on this sztatement.)
Be anything but a professional writer. Don't make me beg you.
Yeah, I'll just die if I have to compete against someone I know.

I'm always thinking about my story, even when I'm shopping at the market.
I'm always thinking about . . . hey, are those chocolate-frosted donuts on sale?
And like hey, can I use that comment in that scene...becareful what you say out there!

I'm so glad you enjoyed the book.
I'm so glad your e-mail was a nice one because I just ran out of Valium. and chocolate...

Maybe Publishing is tough, but I love the competition.
Maybe Wal-Mart is hiring.
Don't you dare write anything worth reading...

My editor is thoughtful with responses and is making me a better writer.
My editor hasn't answered my e-mail and is making me crazy.
Where is she when I need her the most?   One hour to deadline. Dang was the Eastern Time or Pacific?

So you want to write a book? That's great.
Please don't ask me to help you write your book.
Plesze don't have the guts to finish it!

Sure, I can wait another six weeks for payment to be approved.
Sure, I can pawn my wedding rings again. Do you have any recipes for making something edible out of ketchup and beans?
You're lucky I pawned my pistol last week.

Writing a synopsis isn't so bad. You just have to think about it.
Writing a synopsis makes me break out in hives but I'm too poor to hire someone to do it for me.
Telling every other author how to write their synopsis isn't bad, but mine is impossible.

You will absolutely love holding your first book in your hands.
You will scream like an air raid siren, shake like you're standing naked in a blizzard and then cry like a teething baby while clutching your first book in your hands. P.S., don't let them videotape it.
Yeah, you'll do the exact same thing when you download it off of Amazon on the ornery little Kindle. I'll show you Kindle Fire!

Today's Workload

It was mentioned a week or so ago on Twitter how I outsmarted the clutter on my desk by temporarily moving my work space. Today's workload is invigorating as it is something new. You know the old saying, "A change is a rest." Okay, today's change has my condensed workspace on my lap (how's that for consolidating?)
In truth, my feet are up and the arms of my loveseat are the extensions of my workspace.
Least you wonder what I'm up to today -- It is top secret!

Review of Dark Days of Promise by Stephenia H. McGee

Author Shaunna Gonzales dives into some very deep and often neglected topics in her contemporary military family novel, Dark Days of Promise. Having come from a military family myself, and seeing the effects of PTSD, I felt the author handled the issues with both respect and realism.


When Vicki finds out her ex-husband has been killed in action in the Middle East, she struggles with raising three children, especially two boys, on her own. Without even the occasional visits of a father, she fears they will not know how to become men. She never expects her best friend's son to have served with her ex-husband, and certainly never expected to be drawn to such a dangerous man. Her children adore him, but Vicki knows he has a dark side. Kelly can be fun and caring, but he also has killer instincts he can't always control.

I enjoyed this story for its depth and genuine feel. The romance is warm, with a few stirrings of heat, but the relationship progresses nicely. Despite a few slow sections, I give it four stars for being a great read and an excellent story of the honor and sacrifice of our military.

GRACE FILLED BOOK BLITZ - Day Twelve

GRACE FILLED 12-DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BOOK BLITZ


Dark Days of Promise Excerpt

"Look at me, Vicki."

I avoided his eyes.

"Damn it, Vicki, look at me!" His voice begged for my full attention. When I didn't look at him, he stood, placing me in the chair. He squatted down in front of me on his good leg. I met his gaze for the first time since he'd started talking. His eyes pierced me, imploring me to understand what he found impossible to explain. He began again.

"I can't do this by myself. I know I don't deserve it, but I'm asking you to help me. I'm asking you to consider being my anchor in the sanity of civilian life. Marshall asked me to take care of his family should anything happen to him. I believe he meant you, as well as the kids. I don't know how to do that without being a soldier. Soldiering is all I know. Do you realize I walk the perimeter of both our houses every night?"

I gasped in surprise.

"Sometimes twice if I'm not sure everything's right. I even carry a weapon when I feel you might be in danger. The boys have made a lot of tracks in the snow, which is why you haven't noticed. It's okay; I'm not a 'Peeping Tom.' I don't peer in your windows or invade your privacy. You should close the blinds though. You're beautiful, even in your old pajamas."

"You can't see in my windows, can you?" I choked.

"Not if I'm not looking," he hedged.

"I can't believe--"

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-of-Promise-ebook/dp/B009EHRB7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356558654&sr=1-1&keywords=Shaunna+gonzales

Do Authors Write about RealLife?

Awesome phone call... A highschool friend called today telling me they were in the midst of reading Dark Days of Promise on their lunch break at work and had to call! "I feel like I've gone back in time! I remember this phrase being our motto...Oh and such and such character has to be so-and-so from school! I could see him as vivid as if it were yesterday!"

Wonderful...I'm so glad you found those snippets of time captured on the page!

Thank you, Gumboot!

GRACE FILLED BOOK BLITZ - Day Ten

GRACE FILLED 12-DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BOOK BLITZ


Dark Days of Promise Excerpt


The walk down the drive should've relaxed me. Instead my mind compared the men in my life. Farley...Kelly...Farley...Kelly.

I reached home and tried filling my mind with other things but my subconscious envisioned the photo from Marshall's effects. The photo brought a wry smile to my lips.

Farley seemed so different from Kelly and Marshall. He reminded me of the smooth con man, his gentle nature well practiced, if not always sincere. Maybe he is a con man. Or is he what I need?

I considered the two men smiling from the hot desert sands at me. Farley would never survive under such conditions. Both Kelly and Marshall carried weapons, yet I couldn't imagine Marshall being dangerous while Kelly proved himself very dangerous. Both wore their army fatigues, complete with berets.

I reflected on Janine's evaluation: a woman would find life without a companion, in particular one as young as my thirty-four years, rather difficult. A woman, just like a man, had needs, not just physical needs, but those of companionship and emotional support. It seemed unwise for me to remain alone. Which man, if either, would prove the better choice?

The doorbell rang, bringing my evaluation to an inconclusive end. Farley, by just showing up, took center stage.

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-of-Promise-ebook/dp/B009EHRB7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356558654&sr=1-1&keywords=Shaunna+gonzales

GRACED FILLED BOOK BLITZ - Day Eight

Dark Days of Promise Excerpt

My mind grasped at an idea. Maybe I didn't need to tell them. "Janine, do you think they need to know?"

"Wouldn't you want to know if your father was killed?"

"They're so young," I argued.

"Young, yes. Entitled to the truth? Yes, I believe they are that too."

I clung to her, begging her with my hazel impersonation of puppy dog eyes. "Would you tell them?"

"Yes." She caressed my hand, the soft fragrance of her hand soap wafted to me.

I smiled, believing I wouldn't have to bear the burden alone.

"If they were my children I would definitely tell them. They are your children. You know them better than I do and although I love them, I can't guess how each of them will react to the news."

She dashed my hopes with her firm and loving words. "I don't know how. I can't do this alone."

"You won't have to. I'll be here." She patted my knee. "Your Heavenly Father is always close by. Maybe you should ask Him for help."

"You think God will come break the news to them?"

"You know He doesn't work that way. Have a little faith, my dear. Marshall would want you to do this."

I fell silent, remembering...   http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-of-Promise-ebook/dp/B009EHRB7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356558654&sr=1-1&keywords=Shaunna+gonzales

GRACE FILLED BOOK BLITZ - Day Seven

GRACE FILLED 12-DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BOOK BLITZ

Dark Days of Promise Excerpt

"Janine, you know you're never intruding." I lowered my voice so no one but Kelly would hear the distinct teasing quality in my voice. "Now Kelly on the other hand..." My unfinished sentence caught his attention. His expression reflected an acceptance of my teasing jab. What am I doing? I closed my eyes allowing brief seconds to pass while I considered my actions.


Kelly moved toward the kitchen while I watched Phillip load the DVD.

"Grandma, why are you so 'winkled'? Did you stay in the bath too long?" Krista asked, while I walked to my kitchen. I cringed at Krista's question and took a step closer to the tender exchange, turning my head to watch. The movie played several previews only the boys watched.

"No sweetie, these 'winkles' aren't from staying in the water too long. They're character lines." Janine's tone reflected the smile I felt sure graced her features.

Kelly joined me, peering over my shoulder at the pair as Krista touched Janine's face. I got the distinct impression Krista thought Janine's face might crumble if she touched it with too much pressure.

"Mommy doesn't have any 'winkles.' Do they hurt?"

"No, sweetie," Janine laughed. "They don't hurt, but the white hairs Kelly has given me over the years...they hurt."

Kelly stepped closer to his mother as if to intervene, positioning me against the back of the couch.

My emotions clashed, remembering how I'd taken flight from this very spot at his hands.

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-of-Promise-ebook/dp/B009EHRB7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356558654&sr=1-1&keywords=Shaunna+gonzales

GRACE FILLED BOOK BLITZ - Day Five

GRACE FILLED 12-DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BOOK BLITZ


Dark Days of Promise Excerpt

Snow from Kelly's walk down the long drive left an adequate amount of moisture on his shoes. I turned around to watch him stomp his feet across the carpet before squeaking his new athletic shoes on the linoleum, the poinsettia still in his hands.


Amused, I smiled at his efforts. "If you were one of my boys I'd tell you to learn how to walk like a gentleman, without all the noise. Knowing how quiet you are when you want to be, I shan't say a word."

"You already said a few words," Kelly teased.

"True. How about continuing a conversation instead of your 'stomp, shuffle-squeak'?"

"I've never been good at conversations with females, soldiers or not, at least not the sociable kind." The house grew silent for several minutes. I considered his comment against his complete revelations the preceding week. I waited for him to make an effort at more conversation.

"Do you carry a rag with you whenever you're at home?" he ventured after several minutes of silence.

"Now that wasn't so bad. You even managed to tease me at the same time. No, I don't carry my dust cloth all the time, just when I'm moving the dust around in the house." I waved the yet unused dust cloth several inches away from his nose while quoting Shakespeare. "Out spot, out!"

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-of-Promise-ebook/dp/B009EHRB7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356558654&sr=1-1&keywords=Shaunna+gonzales

GRACE FILLED - DAY Three

GRACE FILLED 12-DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BOOK BLITZ


Dark Days of Promise Excerpt

It took several minutes for me to realize I wasn't prepared for a winter emergency. I'd brought nothing, not even my wallet, but I had remembered to tuck my driver's license in my back pocket. Evaluating my options and taking into account the lack of any wind, which would cause hypothermia to set in, I had two choices. I could stay put and take the chance of freezing to death...not an exciting proposition. My second choice to get out of the car, make it to the road, and start walking seemed somewhat better. Both would be cold and uncomfortable. I have never been one to wait on fate, so I chose the latter option. I smirked...no, dummy (my less-than-favorite name for myself.) You're more apt to open the door to danger, inviting it into the warm comfort of your home on the darkest of nights.

Well, I never claimed to be brilliant!
...

GRACE FILLED 12-DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BOOK BLITZ

December 26th

Dark Days of Promise Excerpt

The last thread of thought spurned me to action. My muscles trembled as I placed my hands on the couch, pushing myself to a sitting position. I half expected him to attack me again.


When he didn't touch me, I scooted into my corner of the couch.

"You were out for a couple minutes. I'm..." He swallowed, feigned a cough, and forced a hint of a smile before piercing me with his gaze. "You're sure you're okay?"

I gave a quick nod, no more.

"If you're sure."

I wasn't sure of anything except this wasn't a dream, and I was alive.

He stood and walked toward the front door with his slight limp. There he stopped, "I shouldn't have come here...I don't know why I did that. I'm sorry...I'll let myself out."

The door closed without a sound on his retreating form, shutting out the cold. Shutting out the danger. Shutting me inside the imagined safety of my home. A shiver traced its way up my back, confirming each nerve remained intact. My fingers braved the vast expanse from the couch to my throat. Shaking, they retreated to my lap. I slumped into the empty warmth of the couch as hot tears of relief stung my checks.

Time Out for Writers

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- Pitch your manuscript to national editors and publishers.

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– Beginning of Book (BOB) Contest: First 500 words of your manuscript.

AZ Educator Licensing

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for AZ Educator Licensing! Receive up to 17 Professional Development hours that can be applied toward the

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Talking about a new seasonal read today.

Today I'm chatting with an author that has become one of my idols in the short time I've had the pleasure of working with her, donna Hatch. I was recently invited to read A Timeless Winter Anthology, Winter Collection. Do I need to say that seeing Donna's name on the book is why I said "YES!" So Donna, tell us about what you contributed to this book.


My story is called A Winter's Knight. It's basically a gothic romance. It's about a young lady whose fascination with a murdering earl and his dark castle lands her in the heart of an ancient and terrible secret. It will take more than a Christmas kiss to break the curse.

Just let me say that this was my favorite of the six stories. So my first question when invited to read this was: What is an Anthology?

An anthology is a collection of short stories. In the case of the anthology I'm involved in, it's a total of 6 stories by 6 different authors.

And six very different writing styles. I seem to recall a review that said something about a bit of something for every reader. (Me rummaging through InD Tales E-magazine for the review. Found it!) I'm going to quote here. "Each short takes the reader on a mini Christmas vacation to the past, its mystical beauty and imaginative romance. Whether it is a mystery, court or rough life of survival in the snowy cold that the reader craves served up with their romance…" Oh yes and the book got 4 ½ stars from Erin Murdock Good job ! I haven't seen her give out a lot of stars. How did this project come about and why did you decide to be involved?

I was invited to be a contributing author by Sarah M. Eden. The authors who decided to create this anthology were looking for sweet historical authors to join them, and some of them had read my books. Since they are all bigger name authors than I am, I was honored to be invited.

I know several of these ladies are involved in ANWA and that ANWA is having a Conference in February. It would be great to attend and somehow get to meet a few of you! (For more information, click on Writer's conference 2013  to the left.
So if you are one of my idols then I read stories written by the ladies you look up to. Cool! Tell me what you are working on now.

I am working on book three of my "Rogue Hearts series" which will be Christian's story. I hope to have it finished and submitted to my editor by the end of January. The working title is A Perfect Secret.

Is your writing Regency Romance or is it Victorian? Because I know I didn't think I liked these kinds of books until I read yours!

My books take place during the Regency era, a small time period between 1811 and 1820 when King George II was officially declared mad and Prince George III was named Regent. The Victorian Era begins in the 1830s when Queen Victoria ascended the throne.

On the side...I would like to let you know that I was honored to have you refer to my writing you critiqued on a recent on-line workshop. It made me think that maybe I'll take it out of the back files and see what I can do with it.

Did you hear that? That's funny. I didn't realize you were there. I hope you found it encouraging and not discouraging. Your changes really were wonderful and I hope you do finish the story--it has so much promise.

Thank you, that means a lot coming from you. You were so generous at the workshop, even when openly critiquing Treasure (the abbreviated working title) and using it as a teaching tool. I just sat there listening and silently beaming "She liked it enough that she still remembers it!" Definitely encouraging or I wouldn't have mentioned it! I find that story sneaking into my thoughts as I unwind just before sleep finds me. I think I've mentally fixed the things you suggested. But with my Talisman series, Book 1 on the open files each working day, I will have to let it sit on the sidelines until I have more energy to poor into it.

 Donna, thank you so much for making this fans day and taking the time to chat.

A Timeless Winter Anthology, Winter Collection is available on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble, and many other digital bookstores.

Sharing good book buys and freebies for Christmas!

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook to catch updates on my series as well my continued sharing of gifts and freebies as I am made aware of them.

I may not be the biggest source for freebies, but I'm happy to share those I come across or that are shared with me. Check here for a few things you may have missed.

Today I have tweeted and FB about 2 free books and a contest to win a $100 Amazon gift certificate!

Who Knew? continued...

(subcaption) Christmas Traditions

I have survived and no longer look like teary eyed monster at Halloween. I didn't even know they made eye drops with an antibiotic in it. Who knew? The ophthalmologist of course! The good news is that I don't look half bad if…wait for it…wait for it…

... I don't ever wear eye makeup again…

Okay doc, (I'm snarling at this point) what woman in her right mind willingly forgoes makeup? If you think I will willingly walk this line… check out my photo folks. The blonde isn't from a bottle which means that without makeup I'm totally prepared for Halloween!

Scary!!!!!!

So, the second Saturday in December and the same son that I mention in my last entry is into building Christmas traditions. I stopped and asked myself why…

…Because I never had the energy and we never stayed in one place long enough to do that for him and his younger siblings… for example: This year we will be lucky to find a place to put a tree in our archaically teeny tiny apartment. Thus the cabin fever of rearrange furniture the day after Thanksgiving.

Back to the tradition the son wants to build last Saturday. Every year since he got married, he and his wife have invited us to go with them to cut a tree and do holiday shopping. This is a toughy for me because I have had a rather large fake tree. So why go get another tree? And I try to do my shopping earlier in the year or at least earlier in the season. But the younger children have joined them, as has their dad a time or two. I stay home and wrap presents I've tucked away and bake. This year the outing hit a few snags.

Snag #1: I am house bound right? I have done absolutely no shopping I have no energy, again. This isn't a surprise. A bummer, but no surprise.

Snag #2: Dad has a wicked cold brewing and since he works outside, whether it rains or shines, he opted to stay home.

Snag #3: Teenage daughter has a life of her own filled with her friends and many activities, not the least of which is dinner and a hockey game on nearly every Saturday during hockey season.
Snag #4: Youngest has put off his opportunities to earn money for Christmas shopping.

(We insist that we not just give him money to go spend on us…for some reason that doesn't feel right. I'd much prefer to buy what I want or need rather than the pounds of Christmas candy that he seems to put under the tree every year in order that we may share with him…)

Question: Is it really safe to unleash an active pre-teen on an unsuspecting couple that have no intentions of having their own child in the near future? Hmm…I wonder if their decision has anything to do with the same participants and a camping fiasco last summer?

(Another story , another time, and another author as I was not there…obviously…)

Hmm…would this tale be better served by one actually present? Maybe. But this time the answer to "Who Knew?" is ME…

…This is why the only Christmas tradition that has survived our marriage is… No Traditions…

Actually the children went and had an enjoyable time. the report on the shopping is that they didn't find anything worth buying for Mom and Dad. And the cut tree is reclining against the wall in the son's garage. They've been too busy with holiday parties to even put it inside. ...Ah to be young again...

Happy Holidays!

Who Knew? continued...

Thanksgiving is behind us and with it the scraps of turkey. I managed to roast a small bird minus the stuffing and the yummy extras, but those who were here, mainly my hubby, the two younger children and I were thankful for what we had. Of course those who needed to fly or drive four hours decided not to come, leaving the one married son to knash his teeth while eating not one but two decadent Thanksgiving spreads with his lovely wife and her family.


Knowing Christmas will possibly be filled with more similar disappointments, our daughter has earned our good wishes to go on a cruise to the Bahamas with friends. "Felic Navida" (or however you spell it) my young beauty. She will no doubt make sure to be home for her birthday after the first of the new year. (Hey, at least she won't expect double presents or receive the dreaded card on a gift that reads, "Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday.")The cruise is her Christmas.

That leaves one child at home while I have to be away the whole week before Christmas for the first round of this procedure. No matter how I paint the picture, the child is convinced that this will be the worst Christmas of his young life... We will have a tree…even if it is small and be home for Christmas.

Okay, so I've been behaving myself and staying inside. I've not attended church for long enough that I can't manage to carry a tune. Now this is depressing as I have performed in more Christmas concerts and sung more solos than I have remembered to count. There is a bright side to this…my young son finds it rather entertaining to hear me croak over the vocal linguistics required to sing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. Me, well, I'm still biting back the tears of humiliation and stunned abhorrence at the noise.

Did someone know it would come to this? Why in the heck didn't you warn me? Oh yeah, ignorance is bliss... Only if you are the one knowing the punch line before it is delivered!

So staying indoors out of the rain and cold has its good points…don't ask me what they are. I (we) have rearranged the furniture around the living room until it is almost like it was when we moved in…

The writing is coming along and I am currently combining and considering the first installment of The Talisman Series. (Yes Teresa, the scene with his knife at her throat is staying…)

Back to my behaving at home…

…Plumbing problems… Oh yeah, the plumber arrived in spite of the warning to protect my immune system at all costs. Two days later…I have conjunctivitis! For those of you who don't know what this is… go back to school and think PINK EYE. For the ladies…I had to throw all my eye make-up away.

Oh yeah, good thing my son works for a group of ophthalmologists because I definitely can't go out now! Yea! I'm contagious! He has brought me what I need and I should be back on the "healthy road" in a couple of days.

The question is…Do I tell the specialist? And will my version of the "healthy road" cut the mustard?

I'll let you know…if I survive…

Thoughts from the Heart: Writings from the Gulf Coast of Alabama

Book by Valerie J. Steimle

Back of the book blurb:
The Gulf Coast of Alabama has had its share of trials and triumphs. As a Gulf Coast Newspaper Columnist, Valerie J. Steimle has seen it all: hurricanes, the BP oil spill, Supper on the Beach, festivals, concerts and beach life. Living on Alabama’s gulf coast has been an interesting life journey. “Thoughts from the Heart” was a column especially written for the gulf coast of Alabama with inspirational stories, small town politics and federal government antics. Read one hundred of the best of “Thoughts from the Heart,” an insightful collection of honest, humorous and heart-felt writing.


Why Thoughts from the Heart Makes the Perfect Christmas Gift?

Thoughts from the Heart was written to inspire and uplift. Originally written as articles for an opinion page in a local paper, these writings discuss the importance of family, supporting local communities, the antics of federal government, the importance of holidays and more. In a time of uncertainty for the future, we need encouraging words to rally us together as a positive force. Thoughts from the Heart will awaken such emotion and inspire readers to never surrender to the outside forces trying to destroy our nation and families.


Can be purchased through Amazon.com

You can follow Valerie on her website http://www.strengthenyourhome.com
or visit her views on strengthening the American Family
on her blog: http://valeriesteimle.blogspot.com/

Who Knew?

The reality check is that the specialist knew and warned me. What was it that she said?

"I'm going to prescribe this to you, but you will have to remain at home, safe from everything that can compromise your immune system."

This is not something that I wanted to hear, but the pain was severe enough that I smiled politely with an "Okay, doctor. Whatever you say."

"Take as directed and call me in the morning." Actually she said call me "next week."

So, like a good girl which I was trying to be with Christmas right around the corner (I can always use a few extra points in the homestretch,) I did as instructed and called her the following week. I don't get to talk to her, instead I talk with the assistant. The conversation is a rerun of the conversation with the specialist until…

"I'm very impressed with your commitment," he said.

"Why?" I asked innocently.

He gives me the spiel that I must have tuned out the first time around. "…And that means you will not only have to forego any holiday shopping, but pretty much the whole holiday."

My brain stutters…I can hear the DJ drag the needle across the phonograph record…okay, no big Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends.

"For how long?" I feel my whole body shaking with dread. I really don't want to hear an answer to my question.

"At least until the procedures are completed…Your last appointment is mid January, right?"

I pull my chair closer to the couch. I need to lay down. In all honesty I had planned to cancel the January appointments due to a shortage of funds.

"Uhh…" I'm laying down now. My jaw is almost to the floor. I slap it back where it belongs. "My family isn't going to like this."

"Just remember," his soothing tone did nothing to put me at ease. "Next year you will feel all the better. Your family will thank you for taking care of this now."

Yeah, well he doesn't have my family to explain this to. This will mean a rather lean Christmas with Dad (my hubby) doing the shopping. He isn't a good shopper and I know there will be more than one gift card under the tree. Oh yeah, what tree? I won't be able to go with the family to cut a tree and my hubby, the wonderfully considerate man that he is, won't go without me.



…to be continued…when the vision clears…