AWAY TO ME on PREORDER - And an Update!

I finally have a Release Day for Away to Me – September 20, 2019 – THIS FRIDAY!

You can preorder it at eXtasy Books website – it will land on your bookshelf the moment the book goes live. If you don’t know how to set things up for you to download from their site, check out their EREADER INSTRUCTIONS page. Once you have things set up, all you have to do is click on “DOWNLOAD” and tell the site where to send it. Easy, right?

I’m so excited about Away to Me being released. It’s a great story that covers a lot of issues, and has a touch of humor in it. Raising a teenager isn’t easy, and we all know how life tends to throw you out of whack sometimes. Toss in old feelings resurfacing with your troubled past, and it’s sure to be one heck of a wild ride.

Away to Me is about family, overcoming one’s troubled past, and finding that one special person to love forever.

Away to Me

Tagline: Sometimes you have to go back to move forward.

What would you do if you found out your late spouse wasn’t the biological parent of your stepchild as they had led you to believe? Would you let it go, in hopes the child wouldn’t go looking for their birth family, or would you help them in their search?

This is the dilemma Neil Falcon faces when he first discovers his late wife, Rita, wasn’t the biological mother of his teenage stepdaughter, Rikki.

His decision to look for her roots puts them on a path that leads them to a part of Neil’s past, one he thought was locked away forever.

Kelsey Wagner is shocked to see the man she once adored appear on her doorstep with claims that Rikki may be her biological child. After finding out her daughter wants her to be a part of her life, she agrees.

Amidst the confusion of raising a teenage daughter, the old feelings resurface. They know their daughter wants them to become a family, but can they make it work?

* * * *

EXCERPT Available On eXtasy Books Website

(You must have an account to see it)

Coming September 20, 2019

* * * *

UPDATE: COMPUTER WOES

Things have been so out of whack here, I’m about three weeks behind in promos, revisions, and everything else!

First of all, the power supply unit on my Windows 8 system fried itself on August 31, 2019. I was posting something in Romance Divas when we heard a loud POP, and my computer turned off. We tried everything we could, but we could not get it started again. It was really hot, especially around the power unit. I said it sounded like the power supply. The diagnosis was seconded by our local computer tech and a good friend of mine who is also a computer tech.

It was fully confirmed when Hubby took apart the PSU. Sure enough, it’s all fried and melted inside. WARNING: If the sight of fried electronics makes you weep, look away now! You can clearly see the melted diode and other areas that are fried:

It’s toast. Hubby and discussed things and after seeing the price for a PSU designed for a slimline/smaller tower computer (NEVER AGAIN!), we decided to get a refurbished system. It wasn’t that much more, and I’d get a computer I liked – something expandable, none of this “low profile” stuff. It’s an HP that was rebuilt with Windows 10, and had a larger hard drive added to it, plus extra RAM. It’s so PRETTY! I managed to install my old system’s hard drive into it, so I have all of my documents, photos and music. I didn’t lose a damn thing and I’m able to go back to work on Play with Me (Book 2). It’s HUGE, big enough for three hard drives (I have 2 in it now, I’ll be adding a third eventually) and I can soup it up with more RAM and another DVD drive if I want. I love it! Hubby is happy to have the laptop back. I had confiscated it while I didn’t have a system of my own. I still had to work – I’m a master host for Silver Dagger Book Tours, and I was doing promo work for Away to Me – so he was without a computer for almost 2 weeks. Poor bugger. LOL

UPDATE: HURRICANE DORIAN and ITS AFTERMATH

Hurricane Dorian hitting the Bahamas made international news. They were completely devastated by the storm, which was one of the slowest moving things I’ve ever seen.

My province also made international headlines when Dorian, at that point only a Category 2 hurricane, came up the coast and walloped us. It started Saturday morning, and was done by that evening in my end of Nova Scotia. By the time it hit Prince Edward Island, it was still a Cat. 1, and did a bit of damage.

Nova Scotia was flattened. Trees were down everywhere, which knocked down power lines, and damaged buildings, etc. Most of the province was dark for at least a few hours. Some got their power back almost right away. Some were a day or two later. Others were several days, and there are still a few spots without power in the more remote areas of the province. Schools were canceled on Monday and Tuesday.

We were in the group that lost power for over five days. It went out about 11 a.m. our time on Saturday morning, and didn’t reappear until 8 p.m. Thursday night. By then, I was fed up, exhausted, and feeling rather icky from no cooling fan during the night. If it hadn’t been for my mother in law, and Hubby’s uncle in Mahone Bay, we wouldn’t have had clean clothing or showers that week. I was keeping in touch with everyone at eX and other spots via my phone – I was burning data when we had service, and we didn't have much for a couple of days – and hoping the power would come on ASAP. I was falling behind on promos, and everything else associated with releasing a book with eXtasy Books. The new system arrived the day after the lights returned. Perfectly timed!

I am slowly getting back on track. I have two or three new promo posters ready for when Away to Me goes live on Friday. I have all of my documents on the new system’s main drive (500 GB, love it!), so I’m attacking Play with Me shortly. I have the full round of edits from where I left off in August. Thank heavens! (Thank you Shanti and Angie for your help with configuring the old drive!) I’m also in the process of scheduling more Tour Stops from Silver Dagger Book Tours, and prepping things for more eX/DD authors to appear on the blog.

It’s been a long, crazy three weeks for me. I’ll be so glad to see Away to Me go live, and really get back into the swing of things with this new baby. Is September over yet? *THUD*

I leave y’all with a song that holds a lot of meaning for me. 9 years ago today, Hubby’s grandmother Noreen, aka NANNY, passed away, three days before her 79^th birthday. We still miss her, a lot.

I dedicate this song to Nanny, and to my best pal, Heather. Have a great week everyone!

An Update with Upcoming Events!

Happy Saturday everyone!

It's been a while since I updated all of you on what's going on in my end of the writing world... Things have been a bit insane here, between real life, helping other authors with promoting their work, and working on my own projects.

Book 2 of my series is on hiatus because I'm deep into revising my novella, "Something About Alexis", and getting it ready for publication. Thanks to a dear friend of mine who also writes for eXtasy Books, I'm getting it cleaned up properly, and proofed perfectly. It's slow going because I have to do a lot of revisions, but it's going to be worth it in the end. I hope to have that done and sent back to her sometime soon, so I can get back to actual writing. I want to finish my first ever series ASAP, and I'm anxious to reveal its title and first book to all of you!

As you've seen, I've started hosting more and more authors on here. I plan to be doing more in the future, so keep an eye out for that. I love helping other authors promote their work, more than I like promoting my own stuff. 

Maggie Blackbird's second book, REDEEMED, will be available for preorder sometime soon... Keep your eyes open for that, it's going to be an amazing read!

STRICKEN

STRICKEN will be 2 years old on March 17... Hard to believe! I am in the process of setting up a celebration for it, but I want the details ironed out before I post anything publicly. Keep watching here, my Facebook Page, Twitter and other spots for forthcoming details! It's going to be a lot of fun!

I hope everyone has an amazing weekend. We're getting upwards of 2 feet of snow between today and Monday, so things will finally look like a winter wonderland here - gag me!

I leave you with "Slither" by Velvet Revolver... Enjoy!

Moving Along

Good afternoon everyone. I hope all of you are doing wonderfully. 

YES, the rumor is TRUE.

I am in the middle of writing a series!! *Happy dance!*

The MSIP is Book 2 of it, and I've started the preliminary work for Book 3. What the name is, what's the first book in it, and everything else is between myself, my fellow eXtasy Books and Devine Destinies authors, and a few select friends (authors and trusted friends). I have a name for the series too, but like the name of the MSIP, that is Top Secret until I decide to let the Maine Coon out of the bag (figuratively speaking). 

I worked on Book 2/MSIP last Thursday in between things... I didn't get a lot actually written, but I added just enough to be able to splice in a bunch of scenes I had written back in January. It's a huge revelation for the mains, and it wasn't an easy part to write. 

Book 2 went from just over 6K to over 11k with one copy/paste. I may remove the final scene of what I added, because it isn't working at this point in time. I may take it out and put it back in later on in the story. It feels passive at this point, and may not even go back in.

Detailed updates regarding the series and "Something About Alexis" are in my Facebook group, "Romancing the Maritimes". You HAVE to be a member to get the updates about this and the inside scoop on what's going on with my first series and everything else related to my writing, including an occasional excerpt! My beloved fans should get preferential treatment, after all! ;)

Things are going great with the healthy lifestyle. I haven't been up to going to the track - migraines and neuralgia flare ups - but I'm still walking, up and down the stairs here, and if I run errands, I do a few laps around the store to make up for not going to the LCLC. I haven't had any junk food in over 6 weeks, and I'm feeling great! My jeans and rings are really starting to get loose now. Woo-hoo!!!

That's all for now. I'll update as things progress. Have a great week everyone!

I leave you with my favorite Warrant song, "Heaven". Jani Lane had such a beautiful voice... Gone too soon.

Cooking!

Yes, I have been cooking lately, healthier things for myself. I really went off course with eating right over the holidays, so I decided to stick to a very strict regime of eating right and no junk food, not even in moderation. Whole grains, no more than 50 carbs per meal, 10 carbs in a snack, lots of liquids - coffee does count as a liquid, right? - and no added sugar, sugar alcohols or anything that may up the glucose or the A1C glucose. Very little processed foods, they have a lot of added sugars, salt, and other things that will mess with a person's system. Whole foods are best. I work from home, so I can take the extra time to prepare healthy meals, and if I can purchase locally grown and raised foods, I will. 

I'm 12 days in to it, and I'm feeling a lot better. My mind is much clearer, and although I would love a bowl of my favorite cheese chips once in a while, I can't do it. It's either all or nothing. I admit I will treat myself to a diabetic friendly dessert once in a while - I have a few amazing recipes thanks to various diabetes sites and friends who do low carb! - or even a mug of sugar free hot chocolate (cocoa, milk, sweetener and real cream), but nothing that will make my glucose or weight go skyward. 

THANK YOU to my husband... Although he is still purchasing junk food for himself, he is buying stuff I do NOT like, which means I will not want any. Brilliant on his part. I didn't even ask him to do it. He's a wonderful man, I'm so lucky to be his wife...

It's been so cold the last few days, so I'm not walking outside at the moment. The cold and the wind make my trigeminal neuralgia go bonkers, which means I'm in constant agony while outside. I've been using the stairs in our house as an exercise machine. Walking up and down them a few times in a row burns a few calories, and helps my body's endurance. They're there, they are free to use, and I can do it at any time of day or night. Why not? Plus, I haven't felt like going to the track, which I should be doing too... So the stairs is a good compromise.

Writing wise, there's been a few changes...

Work on "Something About Alexis" is done until further notice. For the time being, I will not be posting public updates. For updates on it, you must join ROMANCING THE MARITIMES. 

Work on the unnamed MSIP continues. I've hit a few snags, but I'm hoping to get this latest one untangled soon. I have an idea of where to go with it, thanks to my longtime pal and fellow eXtasy Author, Maggie Blackbird, so with a little luck, I'll be zipping along in that one in no time. 

That's all for now... I leave you with "Right Through You" by Alanis Morissette.  

"You scan the credits for your name, and wonder why it's not there..."

Have a great day everyone!

Happy 2019!

Happy New Year everyone!

2018 saw a lot of changes in my life, and except for the last three months of it, it was a rough year.

Marnie says "2018 can kiss my fluffy grey pantaloons, Mama!", which sums up how I felt about most of the year.

We all know the horrible things that happened last year in my end of the world, so I'm not going to rehash it. I am still crying over Amber's passing, a lot. She left a huge hole behind, one that Marnie is helping to heal.

2019 is starting off with a bang... A huge one! I am still working on the four projects I've mentioned in other blogs - an unnamed MSIP, a short story, revising a finished draft, and getting "Something About Alexis" ready for submission - and they are priority unless something comes up. Lewen has joined the team of beta readers, which is greatly appreciated. 

I have gotten the first round of critiques for "Something About Alexis" from Sara, and it's not as bad as I thought it would be. A few typos here and there, and a small plot hole that can easily be fixed. I gave everyone the deadline of January 30th to get back to me, so I have a couple of weeks to wait on that one. 

Last night, I did something spontaneous... I started a Facebook Group attached to my author page!

It's called "Romancing the Maritimes", and although it's brand new, I'm starting to get a few people interested in it. Certain things like early excerpts from works in progress, the first sneak peeks at upcoming releases and a few draws will be EXCLUSIVE to members.

You can find Romancing the Maritmes HERE... Thank you for joining everyone! ♥
My goals for 2019 include:

WRITING:

1. Submit "Something About Alexis", and if I'm lucky, see it published.
2. Finish the unnamed MSIP.
3. Finish the short story.
4. Start a new story.

PERSONAL:

1. Get back to the track on a regular basis, and go swimming once in a while at the Lifestyle Centre.
2. Lower my A1C hemoglobin glucose.
3. Remind myself that it is okay to reject toxic people, no matter who is demanding I talk to them.
4. Avoid drama at all costs - it makes my neuralgia flare up, and knocks me off the writing mojo.
5. Stay positive!

Thanks again for sticking with me everyone... Have a fantastic 2019!

What Holiday Break?

Schools are done for the holidays in my district, but that doesn't mean all of us are on vacation.

For authors like myself, we never really take a "vacation". We're always promoting, networking, writing, editing, thinking about writing, or revising even when we're doing our regular every day routine - housework for example. I get a lot of ideas for scenes or stories while I'm scrubbing the toilet, doing the dishes, or even tossing a load of clothing into the washer.

The last two months have been crazy for me, ever since Maggie [Blackbird] yanked me out of my shell and encouraged me to talk to more authors at eXtasy Books. It's been such a fun whirlwind of talking, networking, exchanging ideas, and promoting each other that I haven't had much time to think! 

I am adoring every single second of it, and I would not change a bit of it for all of the money in the world. I've met some amazing, talented people who have become dear friends in such a short time!

This entire year has been a roller coaster. I went from being extremely depressed and spaced out due to medications, to upbeat and alert. 

I am back to being MYSELF, and it feels great!

What's been going on in my writing world, other than having guests post on my blog?

I've been busy. I'm still writing the yet unnamed MSIP and the sports short story, as well as revising one I wrote a few years ago. (NO, not the ABOMINATION, that is so awful that it will NEVER see the light of day - it's so bad I don't even have it on my hard drive!) 

The big news is I sent a story to be critiqued for the first time since STRICKEN - over 2 years. "Something About Alexis" was read over, edited and revised (the stuff I could see), and it went to six special people yesterday afternoon for their enjoyment.  

Yes, I am nervous. Stricken has amazing reviews, but not all of my work was liked. The Abomination for example... It was touted as me "trying to write like someone else", and it didn't work - at all. 

This is why I insist on having someone else read my work, whether it's a voracious reader like myself, or another author who knows what to look for as well as industry standards. I tend to miss something or go on a zillion tangents if I am not kept in line. 

A huge thank you to my betas for "Something About Alexis" - Gordon, Amy, Erin, Erica, Heather, and Sara. It's really appreciated, I hope you like it!

I wish all of you a happy whatever your reason for the season, and may all of you have a lovely holiday season! 

I will be back at least one more time between now and 2019, I have another guest blogger appearing on FRIDAY December 28th! 

I leave all of you with something different. "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" heavy metal style, care of TWISTED SISTER.