This year, the Devlin family decided to destress a bit. Christmas has always been: get up early with the kids, then rush to prep the Christmas meal. This year, my mom and my daughter decided that neither of them really wanted to cook. (Don’t look at me. I’m never in the equation when it comes to the big meals. I can manage a decent breakfast, but turkey or ham? All the fixin’s? Not in my wheelhouse, and not if you want to enjoy it. 🙂 )
So, we decided to go out, en masse, for a meal at a local restaurant on Christmas Eve. Afterward, we had the adults’ gift-giving (because Christmas morning is all about the kids), and then home for early bed. So, here I am at 8 PM, finally remembering to post. And it’s perfectly quiet. Peaceful. I think this became a new family tradition.
Posted in General, Real Life|5 People Said|Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Rebecca Merz - Betty Sue Payton - Delilah Devlin - ButtonsMom2003 -
It’s funny how when you’re a kid, you think you’ll always have the same holiday traditions. We had a few unusual ones in my family when I was growing up. Every Christmas Eve, my father would bundle up in his parka, shovel off the back deck if necessary, and barbecue steaks. Now this was long before gas grills. It was all charcoal and lighter fluid. This was the 1970s, so barbecuing in winter was very rare. We’d eat early because all my parents’ friends would come to our house later that night. It was always a lot of fun.
Then there were the parties my parents threw every holiday season. My mom would be cooking and baking for days. The dining room table would be weighed down with food. There would be turkey, a roast of beef, baked ham, potato salad, fruit salad, Jell-O salads (it was the 70s), fresh rolls and butter. Guests would serve themselves and find a place to eat in the living room or family room. Looking back, it’s a wonder so many people fit into such a small space, but there always seemed to be room. There was always a Christmas fruitcake and cookies, mini chips and flings (not sure they still make those), open boxes of chocolates. My mom is an amazing baker and whipped up all kinds of yummy holiday cookies and treats. My father would tend bar, mixing all kinds of drinks. He’d also make up a huge bowl of punch that was always festive.
The Christmas tree always sat in front of our living room window. It was always my job to test the Christmas lights. In those days it was all chunky colored light bulbs and metallic reflectors in various shapes and colors. The tree was artificial, and in retrospect, it wasn’t all that big. But it always seemed so large and magical when it was lit and the presents were piled under it, just waiting to be opened.
Those days are long gone. My father passed away in 1982 when I was only eighteen, so I cherish those memories. But my mom is still here. She just turned eighty and is still going strong. She continues to bake fruitcake for family and friends every year, and we all love it.
New traditions have come and gone during different stages of my life. I think I cherish them more now because I’m very aware that times come and go. Situations change, as do relationships. But through it all, some things remain. I’ll spend time with my sister and her partner and my mother and stepfather, and on Christmas Eve you’ll find me at my brother and sister-in-law’s home. He’s the one who now fires up the grill to barbecue steaks and other goodies for us to eat.
Yes, traditions come and go, but the important thing is spending time with those you care about, whether that’s family or friends.
Have a wonderful holiday season, and I hope 2019 is the best year of your life.
Drakon’s Tear
Blood of the Drakon, Book 6
Dying isn’t an option. I’ve survived a kidnapping, and now I’m on the run from the Knights of the Dragon who want my gift. There’s nothing a dragon loves more than treasure. I’m Abigail Owens, and I can sense gemstones. When I find myself drawn to a beautiful stone bracelet at a tiny shop in Moscow, I can’t help but have it — even though I can sense it’s power. But I didn’t realize with this one decision I’ve just put myself in the middle of a war between the Knights and a Drakon.
I guess I’m just lucky like that.
The only person I trust even a little is Vasili Zima, which is weird since I’m not sure if he wants to kill me or protect me. I’m drawn to him in a way I hadn’t thought possible, and he feels the same way, or he wouldn’t be risking his life to help me. He’s wanted by the bad guys just as much as I am, and staying with me, well, there’s a hundred percent chance I’m about to get us both killed. But I will not be going down without a fight.
N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
Flotsam & Jetsam: the Amelia Island Affair is a cozy mystery romance set on a barrier island in north-east Florida. Released December 17, 2018 by Wild Rose Press, it arose out of a visit to the island.
I first visited Amelia Island to attend the Amelia Island Book Festival, and was struck by the crazy quilt of events it had witnessed. Known as the Isle of Eight Flags, it had seen wave after wave of conquering armies, some big—like the Spanish, and some tiny—like the Patriots of Amelia Island, who mustered nine gunboats and maybe a hundred men. Timucuan Indians, French, Spanish, pirates, Scots mercenaries, Confederate and Union soldiers—all occupied the tiny island at one point or another. It also has a sizable Geechee (Gullah) community. Faced with a setting like that, who wouldn’t want to craft a nice little murder mystery?
The main town, Fernandina Beach, contains several historical buildings, a marina, and Fort Clinch. Built in 1847 by the US, the fort sits on the northern corner of the island, protecting the entrance to the Amelia River. South of it is Egan’s Creek, a marshy area. In Flotsam & Jetsam, four bodies are discovered, ranging from north of the fort all the way to Egan’s Marsh. While Ellie and Simon investigate the deaths, they have to draw on much of Amelia Island’s colorful history. I hope readers find it as fascinating as I do.
Flotsam and Jetsam: The Amelia Island Affair
Who’s littering the park with corpses?
State Park Rangers Simon Ribault and Ellie Ironstone are used to dealing with messy campers and ravaging raccoons, but when three bodies wash up on the beach, they mobilize all their powers of deduction. Who are they and how did they get to the shore of Amelia Island? Are they connected to the secretive League of the Green Cross? Or linked to a mysterious Jamaican drug ring?
Ellie, new to Amelia Island, must penetrate a close-knit community if she wants to find answers to the mystery, all while deciding between two rivals for her affection: Thad, the handsome local idol, and Simon, the clever, quirky bookworm.
Simon, for his part, will have to call on his not-so-well-honed romantic prowess to lure Ellie away from Thad and at the same time use his wide-ranging research skills to solve the case.
Excerpt: First Kiss
“Simon…”
The magic word. He walked the finger up her arm, circled her neck, and brought her lips to his. The kiss lingered, but not enough to satisfy him. He had adored this little creature for so long—since she arrived at the fort in fact, in a crisp new uniform, her campaign hat still unfaded, her expression a mix of terror and determination. He had fallen like a shooting star and could still feel the burn marks. But he had never in his wildest dreams thought she might feel the same way. He sat back, letting his hand fall.
She pulled him toward her and kissed him again. As the kiss wound down, they heard a tapping on the window. Georgia stood on the sidewalk grinning. “There’s a hotel around the corner, you know.”
Simon swiveled to look at Ellie and found himself the butt of a furious, hissing face. “You.”
“Me? What are you talking about?”
“Two-faced, two-timing, two-dollar bill. Or should I say multiple timing. How many other women do you have hidden in island nooks and crannies—this island which you know so well?”
“Huh?” This isn’t going as swimmingly as I thought. “I…uh.”
“Take me home. Now.”
“Ellie…”
“Now.”
When they rolled up in front of Ellie’s house, a cheery yellow bungalow on Fletcher Avenue with a wide porch and hanging geraniums, a silver sports car sat at the curb. Oh great, the mighty Thad.
Simon’s nemesis disentangled himself from the wheel. Slowly, as if for maximum effect, he unfurled his powerful body, planting his size fourteen shoes solidly on the ground. A beefy hand languidly brushed the sandy hair from his forehead. Strapping shoulders squared, he loped over.
Although M. S. Spencer has lived or traveled in five of the seven continents,the last thirty years were spent mostly in Washington, D.C. as a librarian, Congressional staff assistant, speechwriter, editor, birdwatcher, policy wonk, non-profit director, and parent. After many years in academia, she worked for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Department of the Interior, in several library systems, both public and academic, and at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. She has two grown children and a perfect granddaughter. Ms. Spencer has published twelve mystery/romantic suspense novels, and currently divides her time between Florida and Maine.
Book signings have long been a promotional staple of an author’s life. Before the digital age, lucky authors traveled across the country or internationally to greet piles of books and enthusiastic lines of readers eager to meet their favorite writers and acquire an autograph.
I published my first book in those days and the subsequent book signings did not meet expectations. The publisher did not arrange the events; I did. The publisher did not cover any costs for travel or other expenses. Bookstores—not the publisher—notified local news media. I did manage to sell some copies, but mostly I sat at tables filled with books and perfected the art of being invisible as bookstore patrons pretended not to see me.
Decades later, the experience hasn’t changed all that much, except for the venue. For one thing, my hometown no longer has a “regular” bookstore (although we have a couple of used books bookstores).
In 2017, I dipped my toe into convention waters, first with a mid-size, 3-day event called CONglomeration held in Louisville, Kentucky. Attendance there hovered around 500 people, most of whom attended to participate in the gaming tournament. I had no idea what to expect, so that event served as my baseline. I sold five books, not nearly enough to cover my hotel, meal, and travel expenses. However, it served as a valuable learning experience. I attended GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana which commands attendance exceeding 50,000 people and spoke to several of the authors selling their books. They reported decent sales, although stated the costs for participating as vendors at such a large convention were, in a word, prohibitive. Another excursion to Louisville for a book signing/selling event proved nothing but a waste of time and money.
This year, I decided to stay local to minimize those outgoing expenses. I participated in author events in Columbus, Springfield, and Dayton, Ohio. The Columbus event captured a small number of attendees. The Dayton event had over 100 authors and probably fewer than two dozen attendees. The two Springfield events varied widely, despite having comparable numbers of participating authors. One event was held in August, the other two weeks before Christmas.
The mad rush of Christmas shopping did not impact attendance; the lack of any holiday shopping did not affect attendance at the August event. What I learned is that timing doesn’t seem to matter, but location does. The one factor that apparently determines the success of an author event is that it be held where people already gather.
In short, if you want your author event to succeed, then it must be held where the people are.
Hen House Publishing hopes to repeat the success of the Springfield Book Fair on February 10. Again, the Winter Book Fair will be held at the same popular gathering place: Mother Stewart’s Brewing Company. The goal is to take advantage of the brewery’s popularity as well as to bring in additional customers for the brewery. Wish us luck.
Bear of the Midnight Sun
After a thousand years, immortal polar bear shifter Sindre finally finds his mate—on a talk show. In the city where anything goes, an impromptu wedding is just a taste of what’s to come. Startled into going through the ceremony, Miranda can’t stop the big, virile man from staking his claim on her and releasing her bear. Sindre can’t believe his good luck and will do anything to keep his mate at his side, up to and including taking marital advice from Atlas Leonidus. An independent woman with a successful career, Miranda melts at his touch and shuns his control, except she can’t control her bear.
Holly Bargo is a pseudonym, but really did exist as a temperamental Appaloosa mare. The author still has horses—anybody looking for a wonderful pony? She lives on a hobby farm in southwest Ohio with her husband and menagerie of 4-legged critters. She and her husband have two sons, one graduating from university in 2019 and the other serving in the military. Holly writes primarily romance and fantasy, often blending the two. She has published over 20 books since 2014. She explains her prolific output by saying that if she doesn’t write, her mind will explode.
Arresting Mason is a redemption story about a flawed man struggling to right his wrongs and finding love in the most unexpected of ways. I think the character of Mason Harding appeals to readers because mistakes are a fact of life. No one is perfect, and it shows true strength when a person overcomes the adversity and strives for a better tomorrow.
I came up with the main plot—a feisty divorcée starting a HAWT relationship with a tattooed ex-con—in a little place called dreamland. I’m always the leading lady in my dreams, and I fell head-over-heels in love with a mysterious former gang member. After I awoke from that seriously mouthwatering dream, I couldn’t stop thinking about Mason, his past, and his current problems. His seductive voice kept whispering to me, urging me to write about him, so I wrote out a rough plotline and quickly finished the manuscript I was already working on. I’ve changed quite a bit in the story from what happened in the dream, but the main premise has remained the same.
I originally wrote this book for a bad boy anthology call, but I had exceeded the maximum word count and still wanted to add more scenes by the time I finished the first draft. So I forgot all about the submission call and kept revising this story until I was finally happy with it. At long last, the manuscript clocked in at eighty thousand words and sparked ideas for more books. It’s now book one in the Arresting Onyx series, a five-book series about five sexy men—brothers in blood and in life—and the stubborn women they can’t live without.
Arresting Mason
Once you’re in a prison gang, you’re in it for life. That’s what Mason Harding thought until the boss accepted his resignation. After the State releases him on parole, a sexy divorcée behind the wheel of a car almost ends his life quicker than a shank. His chance encounter with Mia Eddison results in a night of passion, but her brother—his parole officer—catches them together and doesn’t approve.
Mia falls hard for the cocky ex-con, but not because of his chiseled body. She vows to break through his walls and discover his secrets, but never expects those secrets to threaten her life.
When members of an organized crime ring kidnap Mia to force Mason’s return to the gang, he goes up against an old friend to save the woman he loves. Will his sacrifice be enough or will everything fall apart in a blaze of gunfire?
Excerpt
They reached her store and he stared at her car parked by the curb. “Harper doesn’t know where you live or anything about you. That means you’re safe for now, but he’ll probably search this area to find us. Stay cautious, okay? Drive your car from now on. Don’t walk anywhere.”
“Why are you avoiding my questions? You can tell me anything.”
“Not this. If you trust me, don’t ask those kinds of questions.” He tightened his fingers around her forearm as she tried to jerk free from his grip. “Listen to me, damn it. You mean a lot to me, but I can’t tell you this. At least not right now. That’s nothing against you. It’s all on me. I just need time to take care of this problem. Okay? I’m fucking stressed, in a shitload of pain, and I don’t need you to hound my ass.” He dropped his hand from her arm and scowled as though he just noticed the dirt and blood on his knuckles. “I’d like to go upstairs to clean up before you take me home. I don’t want Alan to know what happened.”
Mia dug through her purse with shaky hands, so angry she didn’t trust herself to speak.
He took the keys from her before the little pieces of metal slipped between her fingers, and he hugged her despite the grime on his skin and clothes.
Tears clogged her throat. Her mind screamed at her to push away from him, but the strength in his arms enveloped her and stole her will. His heartbeat soothed hers, and she no longer cared about his lies or if filth caked him.
At least not at the moment.
“I never meant for this to happen, Mia. I will fix this.”
“I know, but at what cost?” She pried her face from his chest to stare up at him. “You’re nothing if not determined, but I’m scared and confused. You have answers to my questions, but I won’t hound you for them as you so eloquently stated. I just thought we got past this. I thought you knew I would never insult or condemn you for whatever it is you did.”
“And I thought you knew not to push me too fucking hard.” His deep voice sent shivers of unease down her spine. “I have to keep certain parts of my past to myself.”
“Whatever.” Mia finally pushed against his chest for freedom and stomped to the stairwell door.
Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
This message is for any authors or aspiring authors who might be interested in some intensive help developing their next stories.
Don’t let that word “intensive” scare you away; I’ve led newbies, as well as multi-published authors, through our plotting process numerous times. Everyone comes away with new knowledge and insight, or at the very least, some terrific brainstorming support!
While lessons and exercises will be posted throughout the month of January, this is truly a self-paced class. We all have busy lives, and the workshop is designed to accommodate any schedule. Enjoy the pitch below!
ROSE’S ONLINE PLOTTING BOOTCAMP
Dates: January 14 – February 9, 2019 Last date to register: January 14, 2019 Cost: $50.00—cheap, considering everything you get! Your DI (Drill Instructor): Delilah Devlin
Offered through: www.rosescoloredglasses.com
What you can expect: LOGLINE (Lunges) PREMISE (Pushups) CHARACTER (Strengthening exercises) CONFLICT! CONFLICT! CONFLICT! Breaking through the STORY STRUCTURE stronghold Battling the PLOT LINES
We do more in one month than some people do all year! Get tough! Get motivated! Get plotting!
Join your Drill Instructor, Delilah Devlin, to learn a methodical approach to harness your creativity in order to produce an in-depth plot for your next novel.
Sound scary? It is!!!! Especially when you’re staring at an empty page without a compass and a map to guide you through the novelistic jungle. Your DI will lead you through four weeks of tactics, exercises, and training that will help strengthen your abilities. Delilah will accomplish this with weekly lessons, bi-weekly chats, and daily online communication. Join her for bivouac in January!
Join this elite force now!
For those who don’t know, my sister and I co-founded the website for writers called Rose’s Colored Glasses in 2004. From that site, we run a critique group and provide workshops—some free and some for pay. In January, I will be leading a month-long plotting bootcamp. It’s a great time to join—something you can do for yourself to kick off the New Year with a bang! Join me if you can! ~DD
How’s our workshop different from every other one out there? I’ll provide feedback and brainstorming every step of the way!
This is my 14th Stepbrothers Stepping Out story! All of them are short stories. They’re all decadently delicious! Hope you love the latest entry. Here’s what it’s all about:
A woman tempts a Russian strongman to save her stepbrother’s company…
It’s only $0.99 and it’s FREE to Kindle Unlimited subscribers! It’s an erotic romance, so you know a lot of naughtiness ensues… Get your copy here!
Although M. S. Spencer has lived or traveled in five of the seven continents,the last thirty years were spent mostly in Washington, D.C. as a librarian, Congressional staff assistant, speechwriter, editor, birdwatcher, policy wonk, non-profit director, and parent. After many years in academia, she worked for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Department of the Interior, in several library systems, both public and academic, and at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. She has two grown children and a perfect granddaughter. Ms. Spencer has published twelve mystery/romantic suspense novels, and currently divides her time between Florida and Maine.
They reached her store and he stared at her car parked by the curb. “Harper doesn’t know where you live or anything about you. That means you’re safe for now, but he’ll probably search this area to find us. Stay cautious, okay? Drive your car from now on. Don’t walk anywhere.”
Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
