I want to start by thanking Delilah for letting come play here again with all of you.  It’s always a lot of fun to do.

When I started thinking about this blog post, it was still early December, but I’d already been working on my writing goals for next year.  Which got me to thinking about all of the things still to do before next year.  So I made a short list…

5. Take a look back at the old year.

It’s hard to make new goals without knowing how we did on the old goals, right?  So what did you get accomplished?  I didn’t get as much accomplished as I wanted, but I put a fair dent in my list.  I did have some unexpected trips come up in the spring, to visit a very sick family member, and then again a month or so later for a funeral.  Did anything pop up to derail your plans during the past year?  I do wish I’d been a little harder on myself with regards to time spent doing other things instead of working on some of my goals.  I’d be much happier with my results (and myself!) if I’d checked a few more things off the list.  How about your plans vs. results?  Are you happy with your outcome, or a little disappointed like I am?

4. Look at where you are, right now.

I’m not talking about physical location, but an honest assessment of the things and people who require your attention in addition to any goals you might be thinking about.  I’ve got a great day-job this year, much better than where I started last year, but I know that there are a couple of weeks every single month where my schedule there is nuts and requires overtime.  Then there are the family and household obligations (and, really, things I want to do for both).  And I’ve taken a good look at where those things figured into my goals and achievements (or lack thereof) for the past year, so I can realistically decide how all of these will figure into the new year’s goals.

3. Make a plan.

Sounds simple, right?  But for myself, I want a realistic plan with achievable goals, while still stretching outside my comfort zone–though without aiming impossibly high; there is no sense in setting goals that have no chance of being reached, and doing that just makes you (me, anyway) feel bad.

I don’t make resolutions, just set goals.  I took Delilah’s Write 50 Books class again this year (even though work got a bit in my way), so I could work on those ahead of time.  And I try to break my goals down into manageable pieces.  For me, saying I want to write five new books this year and lose weight doesn’t work.  I need to break my goals down further:  monthly and weekly–how many pages or chapters, how many pounds.  Doing that makes it easier for me to look at the overall list and decide if I have a chance or if I’m setting myself up to fail.

I have to be specific, and maybe that will work for some of you, too.  Saying I want to lose weight is great, but I need to decide how much, by when, and how I’m going to do it.

Be reasonable.

2. Prepare.

Again, kind of a simple step, in theory.  But what can you do now to make a good start on those goals in the new year?  If the goal is learning a new skill, know now what kind of study and practice that will require so you’ll actually be ready.  If it’s diet and weight loss, start now clearing out the stuff you can’t have once you begin that new plan.  Decide on the fitness program you’ll be starting–join the gym now so you can kick off the new year with a workout or personal trainer.  How many new books to read in the new year vs. how much free time?

For my writing goals, I’m doing background work now on the two main characters for the first book on my list for the year.  If I know them a little bit before I start, starting will go easier.  I hope!

1. Celebrate!

Once you’ve done your countdown and all of your prep work, so take a little time now to relax and celebrate the old year, and then to welcome the new year in a few days.

To make that celebrating a little more fun, I’m going to give away an e-book of Hunting Medusa to one commenter (via RandomResult):  how did you do on achieving your goals for 2015?

Thanks again to Delilah for having me, and happy New Year to all!

Hunting Medusa:  https://tinyurl.com/k7ap35z

When Kallan Tassos tracks down the current Medusa, he expects to find a monster. Instead he finds a wary, beautiful woman, shielded by a complicated web of spells that foils his plans for a quick kill and retrieval of her protective amulet.

Andrea Rosakis expects the handsome Harvester to go for the kill. Instead, his attempt to take the amulet imprinted on her skin without harming her takes her completely by surprise. And ends with the two of them in a magical bind—together. But Kallan isn’t the only Harvester on Andi’s trail…

Excerpt:

Andi kept up her steady pace as they trekked farther into the forest. The sounds of the birds and chattering squirrels kept them company, as they had for the past two hours. He didn’t try to carry on a conversation with her while they walked. He was clearly accustomed to physical activity.

Which meant she’d have a harder time than she’d anticipated in ditching him.

Not that she’d imagined it would be easy.

Nothing could possibly be easy about this. Her luck clearly didn’t run in that direction.

She paused to take a sip of water from the bottle she’d tucked into the side of her backpack, and he stopped beside her. Warmth spread up her spine, and she frowned into the bottle she held. Stop it. He was not potential mate material, no matter how happy her hormones were when he was near.

“All right?” He took a quick drink from his own water, his arm brushing hers as he did so.

She shifted her weight onto her other foot, away from him. “Fine.”

He met her gaze.

Her pulse skipped.

“I know you don’t want to trust me, but you can. On this, you can.”

Read the rest of this entry »

The winner of the free gift certificate is…Donamuree!

* * * * *

It’s that time of year!

And yes, from my polling earlier this month, I know many of you never make a list of resolutions because you feel as though you’re setting yourselves up for failure, but how about those “soft promises” to yourself?

I’m a list girl. Always have been, and the older I get, I lean on them harder. If it’s not on my list, it’s not on my radar sort of thing. But my lists are usually compiled of very finite goals and almost always aimed at writing projects. So—work-related! Not at all a “soft promise”. So far as those go…

I don’t usually set weight goals because, like many of you, I always let myself down. But when I had a health scare a couple of weeks ago (I’ll say it out loud—I had a mild stroke!), I did some soul-searching and decided: Now, is the time. No waiting for the first. The day after I spent an afternoon in the ER, I ordered a box of Nutrisystem. It was a very mild stroke, transitory. No lasting effects, thank goodness! But I think it was a wake up call. I’m seven pounds down, and while I have no desire to be reed-thin, I do want to feel better, so that’s my goal. Feel better in 2016!

Then there’s the whole smoking thing. Yes, I love nicotine. It’s my drug of choice, or one of them. The other’s caffeine, and there’s no way I can give that up—I’d be comatose at the keyboard. But there’s the whole living thing. All I have to do is think about what it felt like to realize I was slurring my words and feeling muzzy to know something’s got to give, so smoking’s going to give. Already, I’ve cut my daily habit by half.

Then there’s the art thing. Writing is my creative passion, but the past couple of years, it’s felt more like a job. I show up every day at the keyboard and pound out words. I’ve been feeling a little empty, like the creative spark needed a new outlet. I’ve been making jewelry, but it doesn’t always feed my need for color and freedom because wrapping, linking, beading doesn’t feel explosively creative. When I took a zentangle workshop last summer, I felt that burst of creative pleasure. I’ve been experimenting with watercolor and mixed media art, and so, come January, I’m going to keep an art journal  for the year and make little dates with myself to fill it up while I practice different approaches to my art education.

Lastly, I want to learn to be a saver. I’m luckier than most in that I won’t have to depend on Social Security when I’m in my dotage. I have a couple of retirements that will kick in when I hit 60, but I’d love to feel more in control, and to take some lavish trips. So, with Iceland and Bora Bora in mind, I’m taking the 52-week savings challenge. It’s small beans, but I hope it will help me learn a little discipline. No, I don’t need another paint brush or the latest tablet. Not that I am any good at denying myself little treasures, but one thing I learned about myself this past year is that I get EXTREME pleasure from treasure hunting at flea markets and yard sales. Those pretty buttons, odd beads, and small machinery finds help feed my art habit. So, maybe I don’t need a new Michael Kors bag, but I can get my shopping on looking for just the right piece of bric-a-brac for the mixed media piece I’m working on. For instance, this didn’t cost a thing—my daughter had a fanfold of picture matting swatches—just the right size for tearing apart and making a bunch of painted bookmarks. I scarfed those up. TREASURE! Be expecting to see pictures of some of those in the coming months. 🙂

So, that’s my soft list of resolutions. Not a huge list, and I won’t attack them with any “all or nothing” ambition. Plus, I didn’t wait until the 1st to begin.

So, how about it? Do you have a “soft” resolution?
Something you’d love to do for yourself this coming year?

If you comment, you’ll be entered to win a small Amazon.com gift card.  ~DD

Even above eeking out a living, this writer loves being read. And I truly do appreciate loyalty. Those notes you send me telling me you love my stories bolster me up when I have those little crises of confidence. I save them for days when I feel like a hack. This has been a really good week. Not monetarily, because hey, my two new releases are only $0.99 on Amazon, but because they are doing well among the 13 million books listed in the Amazon store.

[Click on the covers to learn more!]

This blows me away! Who’d have thought a little 5,000-word story would do so well? Thank you for the purchase! I’m known for cowboys, but not so much for LGBT fiction, so this was a very nice Christmas present.

This warms the cockles of me heart, whatever that phrase means! There are a ton of paranormal-shapeshifter stories out there, and this doesn’t have a series propping it up, but you are reading it! Thank you! I have it priced at $0.99 until Sunday night, and then I’ll push it up to where it belongs, $2.99. So, if you don’t yet have your copy, go buy it now!

As a way to show you how much I appreciate your loyalty, I’ve lowered the price of Silent is the Knight to FREE! If you don’t have your copy, go get it now! It will only be free until Monday! And look where it’s sitting?!

Thank you! Thank you! Happy Holidays! ~DD

*~*~*~*~*~*

P.S. For authors only!

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for yourself, here’s the one! Get your New York kicked off right!

ROSE’S ONLINE PLOTTING BOOTCAMP
January 2016
Back by popular demand!
Dates: January 4 through 29
Last date to register: January 4
Cost: $50
Offered through
www.rosescoloredglasses.com

Read the rest of this entry »

So…I write a lot but I also work a lot. I also happen to be a kink girl, as in real life kink. 50 Shades has NOTHING on some of the things I get to experience. A while ago I got this idea for a book I didn’t have time to write, so of course I decided to write it. *GRINS* But I’m doing it a bit different this time. All together it’s going to be somewhere between 90K and 100K which really means 115K since I always add more sex. You’re welcome!

But something I run into is there is never enough time in the day. Ever. Especially if you have to sleep. And reading a huge book like this one is going to be is super hard for me to find time for. As in…non-existent. I decided for all the busy people out there like me I’d split this book into 9 stories to show the kink relationship blossom between a couple who already love each other deeply. Each story is incredibly dirty and you can read one and then walk away….to find a buddy…to take care of business!!YEA for smutty goodness!!

Series Blurb:
The Fantasies A-Z Series is a serial release all featuring Aslan and Zeke. A married couple looking for more and finding it in the arms of each other. There will be nine stories total, with one being released every couple months. Short kinky stories meant to tantalize and excite you. May you fall in love with love and everything that word means to your fantasies…

Aslan’s Stranger – Book One is out now!!! And you know what that means…..A CONTEST!!! Comment below on one of your fantasies. Something you’d LOVE to get to do but haven’t had the chance yet. OR a fantasy you’ve gotten to fulfill that rocked your world.

I’ll pick my favorite to receive a brand SPANKING new e-book copy of Aslan’s Stranger!! And please leave your email in your comment with some spaces in it. I’ve had a rash of winners that I haven’t been able to get in touch with and nothing is worse than trying to give stuff away and can’t. Here’s a taste of Aslan’s Stranger while you think about the fantasy you’re going to tell me about. And you never know…maybe it will show up later in the series….*GRINS*

Kinky sex with a stranger. One of Aslan’s deepest fantasies. To fulfill it, only one man will do. Her husband.

Wanting more, needing it, craving a kinky edge to sex is exactly what Aslan lives with every day. Days and months and years of unfulfilled fantasies filtered down to one life-altering decision.

Approach the sexy man sitting at the bar or walk away? Keep trying to fit into the mold she’s been told to conform to or find herself lost somewhere in the gray? Close the seemingly insurmountable distance between wishes and reality or let her dreams go? Once and for all.

Everything she’s ever hungered for sits within her reach if the one man she trusts to take her there will finally let his monster free.

Her Stranger. Her fantasy. Her husband.

To find her forever she must give it all to him. Her fears, her power and her consent. One night is all she’s asking for but what she gets in return will change their lives…forever.

Buy  at Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | KOBO | ARe Cafe | IBooks

Hope you love it!!!

Mwah!!

Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey

Need something to wet your whistle while you wait to see if you won goodies??

May I suggest a delicious bite out of the Members Only series…….. 😛

The books in the Members Only Series can be found here…
Together In Cyn
Haleigh’s Ink
A Very Ménage Christmas
Duke’s Valentine
Orgasm University
Accidental Voyeur
Roman’s To-Do List
Jenna’s Consent
Laila’s Lies

Other Novels By Jennifer Kacey
Buried Permission
Beneath the Pages
Nico’s Curse
Elite Metal – Book one in the Elite Warriors Series
Elite Ghosts – Book two in the Elite Warriors Series
Final Surrender – The Surrender Series
Violet’s Shadow – The Shadow Mates Series
Aslan’s Stranger – Fantasies A-Z Series

Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Website – https://www.jenniferkacey.com/
Newsletter – https://jenniferkacey.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f09bd32b8c279cebcc930950e&id=2a45c210e8
Blog – The Decadent Divas – https://www.thedecadentdivas.blogspot.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.kacey.7
Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/jenniferkaceyauthor
Twitter – https://twitter.com/JenniferKacey
Amazon Page – https://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Kacey/e/B00GXHUB30/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d9_al1?_encoding=UTF8&refinementId=618073011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0G8ZPDQJVKJPKXNBRY10&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6941549.Jennifer_Kacey
Pinterest – https://pinterest.com/jenniferkacey/

Happy holidays!

I love this time of year because of all the festivities, the food, and especially the chance to revive traditions. For us, that includes listening to Christmas carols, watching holiday movies, and bringing out boxes and boxes of decorations.

One of the first boxes we open each year is the one with our Christmas mugs. We have a tradition of using them near Thanksgiving to start the season off right. They provide just a little reminder each morning – and during the rest of the day – that good times are on the way. They also make us think of all the other traditions we love.

For us, and probably for many people, the biggest decorating tradition is, of course, trimming the tree. We used to do that the day after Thanksgiving as we didn’t have much free time from then on. Now I work from home, we can usually wait until closer to the holiday.  But no matter when we do it, it’s the same special event every year.

My husband does the lights, I do the tinsel, and between those two chores, we put up the ornaments – while we keep our Christmas mugs of hot chocolate handy!

I don’t know about you, but we have certain ornaments that have to go in certain places, like the First Christmas Together ornament my mom and dad gave us when we were married. The photo-frame ornament that has a family picture on the front of it. The little beaded angel, about an inch tall, that I once bought at a Christmas craft sale.

Each ornament is special it its own way and evokes so many memories – which is what tradition is all about, isn’t it?

Have you got a family tradition or decoration you look forward to every year?

In a couple of my books, the hero and heroine get wrapped up in Christmas festivities whether they want to or not – and unfortunately for them, they don’t.

In my brand-new release, The Lawman’s Christmas Proposal, Andi and Mitch have agreed to a fake engagement for the holidays to escape her scheming, matchmaking grandpa. But in this scene where they’re decorating the family tree at the Hitching Post Hotel, the closeness becomes too much for her:
Andi didn’t know how she was going to make it through another minute of being around Mitch. She had had as much as she could take of seeing his smile, of hearing his laugh. He had done a lot of both during lunch in the dining room, then even more since they had spent the afternoon in the sitting room decorating the tree.

“Cole,” he said now, “you call yourself a wrangler? I could’ve done a better job of roping and tying that garland to the tree, and I haven’t worked this ranch in years.”

He sat on the couch with Missy on his knee and the boys and Rachel close by on the floor near his feet. All afternoon, he had talked with them and teased them and treated them as if they were his own kids.

She’d had enough of keeping up pretenses in front of her family. But he continued playing his role. He had brought her into conversations, too, when she would rather have been quiet. He had taken every chance available to put his arm around her. He had smiled at her like a man in love.

It all made her heart hurt.

In my earlier Christmas book, Court Me, Cowboy, it’s the hero who has a lot at stake in the tree-decorating scene. His ex-wife recently showed up on his doorstep to tell him they have a baby on the way. And he’s trying to get through the holidays without upsetting her so she’ll l allow him future contact with his child…

He frowned, a heartbeat away from backing out on this crazy idea. Pride pushed him forward. He took a long deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, what I’m asking for is a truce. Why don’t we just start over again, like you said the other night.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re serious?”

“Darn right, I’m serious.”

Judging by the way her fingers twisted themselves together, she didn’t entirely believe him.

“Come on,” he urged, waving toward the corner of the room. “We’ve got a tree over there needs decorating, so why don’t we just start with that, see how it goes?”

“Well. . .I guess we could try it.”

A mite begrudging, but he’d take what he could get.

“Good.” He headed to the tree before she could change her mind. “I’ll get going on the lights.”

She moved to sit cross-legged on the floor and began threading silver hangers onto ornaments. She focused on her work, not looking at him, but her mouth had curved upward at the corners in the sexy smile guaranteed to get him hot. His fist tightened, driving a star-shaped light into his palm. He barely noticed.

She was so damn beautiful.

And he’d promised not to touch her.

*~*~*

I hope you’ve enjoyed the clips.

To celebrate the holiday, I’m giving away an autographed print copy of one of my available backlist titles (US mailing addresses only, please). To get your name in the hat:  share a special holiday tradition with us.

Leave your comment by Friday, and a winner’s name will be posted in the comments over the weekend.

Again, happy holidays to everyone!

*~*~*

About the Author:

Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom.

Barbara’s new series, The Hitching Post Hotel, features a matchmaking grandpa determined to see his three granddaughters wed. The series began with The Cowboy’s Little Surprise and A Rancher of Her Own, and The Lawman’s Christmas Proposal debuts today. Additional books in the series will be coming up next year.

Find Barbara online:

Website  https://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Newsletter  https://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter
Twitter  https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille

The Lawman’s Christmas Proposal:
Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Books-A-Million
Harlequin  IndieBound  Kobo

Court Me, Cowboy:
Amazon  https://www.amzn.com/B00EM36HD0
Barnes & Noble  https://bit.ly/BarnesandNoble-CourtMeCowboy
Harlequin  https://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=28380

Update: The winner of the free download is…Kristin Arpin!

* * * * *

I wrapped up Bad Moon Rising yesterday, and it’s in my editor’s hands. This time next week, it will be available at Amazon! This story was one I wrote and offered free, by the chapter, until life caught up with me and I had to scurry to keep up. For those of you who read through chapter five, I will send you chapters six and seven for free. Otherwise, it will be just $0.99 for exactly one week before I jump it up to $2.99 where it belongs—just so you have a chance to read the rest if you’d like to read the final, edited version!

Today, I have bits to catch up on, two stories to put down some notes on, because I have to begin writing them right away.

And did I mention I’m in the midst of teaching the Rose’s Write 50 Books a Year class? It’s a freebie and lasts all this week. If you need help planning, or just need a kick in the butt to get ‘er done, come join us. It’s not too late!

So, for the question…

For my next SEAL book, do you have any celebrity
recommendations for a light-haired hottie?
Answer for a chance to win one of these recent releases. 

Cinephile:  a devotee of motion pictures ~ Merriam Webster

I’ll make an admission that most writers won’t. I don’t read very much for pleasure. Between my own writing and editing jobs, I don’t want to spend more time looking at the written word for pleasure. But I consider movies a legitimate alternative to reading.

They really do help me fill my writer’s well. Last night’s movie night with my daughter is a case in point. We watched the movie Mud—not because we wanted so much to see a gritty depiction of life on the Arkansas river. We watched because it was filmed in Arkansas and a friend of ours sold a pickup truck to the film crew that was used by one of the film’s characters. 🙂

The acting was very, very good. Especially that of Matthew McConaughey, who played a man hiding on a tiny sandbar of an island in the middle of a river while he waited for his girlfriend (Reese Witherspoon) to join him on the run. He was wanted for murder. And even though he stole every scene he appeared in, he wasn’t the protagonist, the main character, of the story. This was a boy’s coming of age story, and the boy who was at the center of the story shared many parallels with MC’s character. Both characters had strong arcs, both had problems to work through and events to overcome before the end of the movie, and that’s what makes for good fiction.

I’ll admit this kind of realism isn’t my usual cup of tea, but I recently watched another truly amazing movie—also about “real” folk from my region of the country. In Winter’s Bone, Jennifer Lawrence plays an Ozark Mountain girl who hunts for her drug-dealing dad to make sure he shows up for his trial in order to save her home. I never appreciated her as an actress before this film. But she was so real, so dead-on in her performance as the girl who had so many hurdles to overcome in her quest, I now count myself as a fan.

The point is, I watched those movies, but used the same eye I would have reading a book to dissect the story/craft elements. I studied the director’s transitions from one scene to the next. In Mud, I noted the symbolism of Mud’s lucky shirt—that he wore it until it was rags, that he discarded it when he gave up on himself, and that he tore it into strips to save the boy’s life. I paid attention to their dialogue, their voices. There can be poetry in “real” dialogue. And I find that when I need to “hear” a Cajun voice in my ear, I reach for movies like The Big Easy and Little Chenier. When I want gritty and real for a K&R rescue for a book, and a hero who has issues but needs to reawaken his heart, I reach for Proof of Life. Not to imitate, but to climb into that world and pull the rich, visual and aural details around me.

And if I need to wind down and want straight entertainment, which is mostly why I watch movies, I want the latest Star Trek or Fast and Furious. I love the cheap thrills like anyone else. And those are mostly what fill my DVD rack.

Have any movies inspired you lately?
Answer for a chance to win one of these recent releases.