UPDATE: The winner is…Flchen!
*~*~*

I bought this little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. “Story Cubes” is a brainstorming game. You roll the dice and whatever pictures appear, face-up, are the ones you use to riff off a story. You can try to include all the cubes in your “story” or choose a few.

To make this fun, I’ll offer a prize—a $5 Amazon gift card—good for purchasing one or two stories…
Have fun with this! Don’t overthink! Here’s the roll…

UPDATE: The winner is…Kerry Jo Pruett!
*~*~*

I know, I know. Lately, I’m seem to be obsessed with food. My fun holiday list isn’t helping at all. Today is Sticky Bun Day! So, in honor of the occasion, I quickly listed ten breakfast pastries I could think of off the top of my head.

Exercise that gray matter and enjoy the puzzle! Then, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, add to the list OR tell me your favorites! For me, it’s kolaches and danishes!

UPDATE: The winner is…Shirley Long!
*~*~*

A few days ago, I asked readers to “show me what they made.” I asked for pictures of their art. I chose the winners of that challenge using a random number generator because I’m not going to judge anyone’s art. The two winners of the challenge are listed on the previous blog, but for a chance to win something today (whether you participated in the challenge or not), I’ll give a $5 Amazon gift card to someone who comments here!

Anna Taylor Sweringen

Not only is she an author, Anna makes lovely, seasonal wreaths for her door! If you’d like to see more of her work, check out this blog she did with pictures of some of her artwork: Wreaths

Beckie Lowe

Look at how gorgeous these are! I’m so jealous. My daughter loves gnomes, she’ll flip out seeing Beckie’s!

Bridget

Too cute!

Cindy Bartolotta

Check out the wiremen! Very clever!

Eileen McCall

I’ve always wanted to make a quilt! But it takes patience (which I lack!). So pretty!

Ellen Wulf

Now, I knew Ellen made lovely stained glass art, but I had no idea she was so multi-talented!

Fedora Chen

I was hoping someone would show off their cooking skills! Fedora made a very scrumptious-looking cake. What do you think it is? Looks like there’s chunks of apple, so maybe an applesauce cake?

Plus, she’s showing off her knitting skills! Look at the lovely patterns!

Jennifer Beyer

This is adorable!

Today’s post may seem an odd one, but for me, it isn’t. See, recently, Mardi Gras was celebrated, which is a major event in Louisiana. And since 2020—when the entire world broke—it hasn’t been the same. Sure, it’s on its way to recovery, but it’s taking a while to get there. I should say, though, that this isn’t something that many people who have been around and are familiar with carnival are overly concerned with because, as mentioned, Mardi Gras is a big deal. It has tons of moving parts. Restructuring events this large is complicated. For those who think I’m minimizing the disruption, reflect on what happened in the years following Hurricane Katrina. It wasn’t that much different than what is presently occurring.

I began by saying Mardi Gras is a popular celebration in Louisiana. This is true. However, it is an event celebrated across the globe. New Orleans is likely the place where it is the most famously celebrated or is given the most attention. But NOLA wasn’t where Mardi Gras was created or even first celebrated. It’s just that when NOLA does something it does it big. Like, there is nothing really “over-the-top” about the place. Nevertheless, this post isn’t about Mardi Gras. Carnival was just the reason this topic registered with me.

This year, several parades were canceled—not due to weather but due to continued money issues that a lot can be attributed to the start of the icky Rona situation. In 2020, Fat Tuesday was on February 25, barely beating the U.S. shutdown/shelter-at-home. In 2021, it’s fair to say, that the Mardi Gras public celebration in NOLA was all but canceled. In 2022, it returned, but many parades/krewes didn’t return due to financial issues and parade route conflicts. This has continued to be the case as people get back on their feet.

So, as some friends and I were discussing the “good ol’ days” of carnival, we began to realize that there are plenty of things that we’ve taken for granted about Mardi Gras. Taking something for granted means failing to appreciate the value of something due to overfamiliarity. It also means failing to make assumptions without asking questions. Well, while we were having this profound discussion (and yes, distilled spirits were involved), the song House of the Rising Sun (or as I’ll refer to it from henceforth, HOTRS) began playing. And for the first time, I took note of the lyrics—perhaps because the first line begins: “There is a house in New Orleans.” As many times as I’ve heard this song, I never once questioned anything about it. I looked at my companions and asked where this place was located. No one knew, and that sent me spiraling down a wormhole of intoxication and loose association. Not only was I curious about the where, but I also wanted to know the what and why. So, I did some digging, and the results were intriguing…at least, to me.

Before I began dumpster diving into the where, what, and why, I was smacked with who. This became significant later when trying to answer what.

Like Mardi Gras being closely associated with NOLA despite it not originating from there, HOTRS is mostly associated with being performed by the British rock band, The Animals. Their version was released in 1964. However, HOTRS is a folk song that is believed to have been written in the early twentieth century and has been performed/recorded by a host of other artists. This list includes (in alphabetical but not recording order) the following: The Animals, Clarence “Tom” Ashley, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Five Finger Death Punch, Gwen Foster, Frigid Pink, Geordie, Andy Griffith, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Halliday, Lead Belly, Los Speakers, Miriam Makeba, Johnny Miller, Sinead O’Connor, Odette, Dolly Parton, Pete Seeger, Nina Simone, Thin Lizzy, Dave Von Ronk (Mayor of McDougall Street), and Glen Yarborough. This list may not be exhaustive.

Reportedly, The Animal’s version of the song was based on Bob Dylan’s version, and Dylan based his version on Dave Van Ronk’s version. However, Ronk wasn’t the original artist. The original artist is alleged to have been a woman, and the original lyrics reportedly are “poor girl” and not “poor boy.” It is believed the lyrics were changed when the gender of the singer switched from male to female. This is significant because the switch in gender perception changes the interpretation of the song. I’ll swing back around to this later.

Where?

Most of the information that I’ve read says that the HOTRS is based on a real location in NOLA. To be fair, I did find a couple of sources that said it was fictitious and a few others that concluded it was real but located in other places than NOLA. As to what type of establishment it was, three common answers kept recurring: Read the rest of this entry »

Last week…

• I worked on two editing projects for two other authors. I’m getting close to The End!
• I published and promoted the release of Malcolm!

This next week will be insane for work and play!

• I must write the opening chapters of my next book, What Happens in Bozeman…  
• I need to complete two editing jobs! Then begin two more.
• I’d like to read another five to ten stories for my next anthology, Secret Identities.
• I begin the #The100DayProject, where I’ll be producing one piece of art a day.

Just shoot me now.

Open Contests

1. Flashback: Bad Moon Rising (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Coming Next Tuesday — Pre-order Malcolm Now! (Contest & Excerpt) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Getting ready for Valentine’s Day! — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. MALCOLM releases tonight, but let’s not forget those who came before him… (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
5. Gabbi Grey: The Tropiest of Tropes (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Show me what you made… (Contest) — TWO PRIZES! Win something made by me/Win a FREE book!
7. Cameron Allie: What’s happening in my world… (2 FREE Reads + Excerpt!) — EVERYONE! Two FREE reads!
8. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: What I want for dinner tonight! — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Margaret!
*~*~*

I skipped breakfast, and now my tummy is taking over my brain. So, here’s today’s puzzle!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle then tell me what you want for dinner tonight! 

Release Date Delayed

I have sad news.

I had really wanted to show up today blaring trumpets and screaming “I have a new release! I have a new release!”, but unfortunately, I can’t.

My PNR wolf shifter book that was scheduled to release today, had to be postponed. So instead, I’m here to take a brief break before I go back to frantically trying to finish it so the proofer can get through it before it’s due to Amazon in less than a month.

If you think fated mates wolf shifters are for you, you can pick up the first one in the series, Drew (for free) here, and you can preorder Callum, which will be out next month (if all goes well) here.

Bookstagram Reviewer’s Choice Award: Romance Edition

I come with some news though. I’m starting up a Bookstagram Reviewer’s Choice Award.

What is that?

Well, right now I’m recruiting active bookstagrammers who love to read and review romance books! In March, I’ll be opening up the entry form for romance authors to enter their book (so long as it’s published between May 2023-April 2024).

This is an excellent opportunity for both Bookstagrammers and romance authors to connect with each other and to reach new romance readers.

There will be prizes for the top scoring entries in each category.

Judges will be receiving the books they judge for free.

Follow me on Instagram and follow the contest at our new Instagram account.

If you’d like more information, you can read about it here.

And if you’re a Bookstagrammer and you think you’d like to be a judge, you can sign up here.

How about a quick, unedited excerpt from Callum?

A few more hours and she could supervise the cleanup. Tonight, she’d sneak away to the tree fort for some quiet reading time, and if she was lucky, she’d miss seeing her father tonight.

As she thought through her plans, she straightened a tray on the table, and that’s when it hit her.

Or—more correctly—hit her nostrils.

The spicy, sweet scent from the other night, the one she’d thought was a cologne.

It was stronger now and immediately she realized what it was. Her mate.

For a second, she closed her eyes and just breathed in the intoxicating scent.

The noise of the crowd faded to a dull buzz. Across from her, someone shifted, and she just knew.

Looking up, there he was, the blond man, Elliot’s cousin, staring at her.

Her mouth watered as his scent flooded her senses. He was beautiful. His blond hair was darker at the roots and lighter at the tips, styled with a forelock that twisted and dipped across his forehead. A slight beard scruff covered the dimple in his chin.

He was stunning, and…related to Elliot.

Her father would never approve. Fated mate or not.

If he knew.

Her mate swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the motion. “It’s you.”

Quickly, she glanced around before hushing him. “Don’t talk to me. Not here.”

With that, she turned on her heel and fled, her mind whirling with each step.

New plan.

Seduce her mate and convince him to imprint on her before her father found out.

Belated Valentine’s Day Gift!

Happy Valentine’s Day (Yeah, I know, it’s a couple days late)!
Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free copy of Arrested Valentine!

What do you do when you find out your ex-boyfriend was cheating? You spend Valentine’s with your bestie and a bottle of Vodka. Maybe she suggests you slash the cheater’s tires. Maybe you get arrested by the sexiest cop you’ve ever seen.

A day dedicated to love. How bad could it be?