Hello and Thanks for Holding On...

Well, after being offline for most of the past four months, I have returned. I know all of you were so miserable without my witty observations on life, the universe and everything else, but rest assured I am back and ready to resume my duties as a voice. What have I been doing? Working, writing, and trying to stay dry! This has become the year of living wet in the South. It has rained more days this summer than in recorded history!

Here is a list of the highlights of my sabbatical:
1 - Finished and submitted the first of a five book series in YA. Not usually a field I write in, but my darling daughter is a teenager and I wanted something for her and her friends.
2 - Went back to work on a full time basis at our special events family business. That alone seriously curtailed my blogging, and I apologize deeply for deserting my friends and followers.
3 - Began Book Three of the Guardian Stories - working title: "The Purity of Fire"

When I look at this in print, it doesn't look like much, but trust me - it's been a three ring circus around my life. It seems the more I long for a vacation the more things come up. But in the long run I know it is a good thing. I tend to write better when I feel stressed. For example - I started "Fire" five days ago and I already have over 35K words. As my target for Book Three is 100K, I'm really moving along.

One thing I have implemented is taking at least one full weekend day and going off the grid. I don't go on Facebook, I don't Tweet, I don't even check email. Instead I spend the day interacting with the family, playing with the horses, detoxing from the week. It is amazing how much that one day relieves my stress level. As a side benefit, things with the helpful hubby are getting better since I'm not spending every free moment I have with my nose in the laptop.

Another accomplishment of this recent mental clarity is we have completed the final edits for my next release - "January Frost".


"January Frost" - Evelyn Graham-Frost had it all: a career she loved, a beautiful daughter, amazing business partners, and no personal entanglement. After running away from love at eighteen, she put that portion of her life on hold, preferring to bottle up her pain at the tragic parting from her first love, Sir David Tattinger III, Lord of Grey Cliffs. But a career ending injury has suddenly brought the past into collision with the future.

Returning to Grey Cliffs means returning to the home of her childhood, the place where her parents were tragically killed in a traffic accident. It also means coming to terms with Trey and the dark secret that drove her away. Ten years is a long time to repress emotions, and now in order for her body to heal, Evelyn needs to face what happened that night. The night Trey couldn't protect her.

In the rush to escape her past, Evelyn ran headfirst into the future. But to live in the present, she will have to return to the one place all paths seems to head - back to Grey Cliffs. But whether that includes Trey's arms is an entirely different matter!

I don't have the cover art as of yet, but I will share as soon as I get it back. Anyone out there who does book reviews who would like a review copy, please let me know so I can get the ARCs out there.

Well, that's enough for tonight. Stay tuned for my next rant - Windows 8, Office 2013 and incompatible systems and how they can slow your progress to a crawl.  Thanks for hanging in - I promise I won't flake out again!

It Is Elementary...

..That I do not like to have my picture taken. For this reason I have always been the person working the camera, so I won't be caught by surprise. Also my weights yo-yos and illness didn't always lend to great pictures plus I have had silver hair since my son was born 24 years ago. It was hard to be grey when all my friends were still blond. So for years I colored my hair to just about every shade of blond and light brunette that Loriel every made.

Alas, soon the hair color no longer worked, not even when done professionally and I decided to bite the bullet and be the first of my 'crowd' to let it go natural. Of course, my helpful Hubby promised to straighten up his own mess, starting that if I looked my age he would act his. Well the hair is silver but some days, HH is more trouble than my son who is 23 and Hyper Active!.

However a new picture was needed as an author's photo for the new book, CATALYST: Guardian Rising so with much apprehension I contacted a few photographers whose numbers I obtained from our local barter collective. One called me right back, Gina C Photography. It took a week from session to final edit and she was a delight to work with.

So the end result if on its way to the publisher and can also be found on my facebook page. Personally for a 49 year old who works outside most of the year I think I look awesome. And for the first time in a while, I kinda feel awesome too.

I'm Confused, but That's Normal

Tuesday we received 4 inches of snow. By Sunday it is supposed to be almost 70 degrees. What the frack?! I know the weather in Georgia is unpredictable but enough is enough. The hubby thinks this might have been the last round of snow, and I certainly hope so. Snow makes my real job a little more difficult for sure.

I sent out a few more queries on the book. How can someone have your query letter for less than three minutes and decide it isn't what they want? Even I can't make a decision that fast. If they aren't willing to take a jump with me, an unknown, then tell me that. Don't just hit the pre-typed turn down without even opening the attachment. Blind rejection really steams me, in case you hadn't noticed.

Oh well, going to spend some time with the horses over the next four days, that should help my blood pressure. Unconditional love and acceptance make me smile. Perhaps something wonderful will come in over the weekend. Still have at least three outstanding queries I have not heard back from. Maybe one of them will request the full book to read. Once they read it I know they will be willing to take a chance on this middle age mom from Atlanta. If the situations were reversed I'm sure I would read what they wrote. Oh yeah - most of them have written NOTHING. They just like to crush other people's dreams.

I'm not bitter at all, can't you tell?