It’s just me, wishing you the best for the new year!
May you be healthy and prosper and find those happy moments, large and small, that make life so worthwhile!

UPDATE: The winner is…Brenda Rumsey!
*~*~*

I love celebrating a new year in big and small ways. Of course, there has to be a party, even if I can’t manage to stay up to watch the ball drop. We have food and sparking grape juice/wine/champagne. I prepare my new year’s work plan in the days leading up to the big day. I’m always optimistic about my plans. I may not accomplish everything I list, but I do fare better if I have a vision for the year. I know some of you treat the passing of the year as just another day. I get that. It really is. But I like celebrating…well, everything. Any excuse for a happy event. New Years? I’m there. The beginning of another season of Walking Dead? I’m there. The summer solstice? I’m there! Yeah. It’s why I list so many obscure holidays on this blog. 🙂

So, what do you have to do to win a $5 Amazon gift card? Easy. Tell me whether you’re planning to do anything to celebrate the passing of another year? Are you making up a resolutions list? Retiring your 2022 calendar? Big or small. List it in the comments and you’re entered to win! Enjoy the puzzle!

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

Hello, everyone! I want to start by thanking Delilah for letting me come play here with you all again. I always have a good time when I visit.

So, about that title…my countdown to the new year isn’t in hours or minutes yet, but I am counting down the days. I love looking forward to a new year, don’t you? It’s always so full of possibility and opportunity, and all kinds of good things we can’t even imagine yet. It’s almost like getting ready to start reading a new book by a favorite author or seeing a movie you’ve anticipated for months.

I don’t make ‘resolutions’ for the year. I quit that a long time ago, but I do work out goals for myself every year, personal things I want to get done, and writing goals (still working on the new goals as I write this). ‘Resolutions’ seem so…inflexible, I guess, like passing a new law or something. Too daunting that way.

If I call them goals instead, they become something I want to do, not have to do, and I can break each one down, and figure out the steps and time needed to accomplish them. For example, most authors have a general idea of how long it will take them to write a book, so they can break that time frame down—if it usually takes someone three months to write a 90,000-word story, they can figure out how many words they need to write each week, each day to make their three-month goal on time, and if there is an off-day, they can adjust to make up for the words they didn’t get done that day. That sort of goal-setting feels to me more achievable than simply writing a list of resolutions for the year—ie, for the next year, I have to lose X pounds, organize my life, look for a new career, etc.

Besides getting my goals finalized this week, we have a family dinner to start the new year, so while the basics of the meal are always the same, I do need to figure out dessert. Something else I will do to wave the old year goodbye is write down a few wishes for the new year, and then near midnight on New Year’s Eve, I’ll burn that list and send the wishes to the universe. If our weather forecast for this weekend is right, I may have to improvise to avoid the rain, but I have time to figure that out.

I would love to hear how you bring in the new year…do you set goals or make resolutions? What other traditions do you enjoy? Everyone who comments between now and the start of the new year will be entered into a drawing for an eBook copy of one of my three books, winner’s choice.

Happy New Year to you all, and may all your New Year wishes come true!

About Elizabeth

Lifelong book addict Elizabeth Andrews fell in love with romance novels at an early age and now writes her own, full of sexy heroes and strong heroines. Her stories range from paranormal to contemporary, to who knows what her imagination might come up with along the way, but happy endings are a guarantee!

She is a married mother of two who’s got a room overflowing with her book collection and a garden full of herbs and veggies that needs occasional attention between writing and reading binges.

You can find out more at ElizabethAndrewsWrites.com

Christmas was LOVELY! I adored watching the kids open their gifts! I got lots of my favorite things from my family. They know me so well. Among my treasures, a couple of coffee mugs that’ll make me smile over my morning cups of coffee, a Zombie She-Hulk figurine for my curio shelf, lots of fuzzy socks, candles, and PAINTS! I still have to put everything away…but everything in its own time. We spent a lazy Christmas day, foraging through our Christmas meal, watching Spirited on TV (not as good as we’d hoped, but Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer were adorable together). We still have a week to enjoy the kids being at home. They’re hitting the sales today, while I get some peace and quiet. Maybe I’ll attack my newly acquired riches and put them away. Or maybe not. I do have edits to work on and a story to begin to plan… We’ll see how ambitious I am AFTER coffee. I really should attack Loki’s fish tank today.

Anyways, I’d love to hear how your Christmas went! Drop a comment. I do read every one of them. And remember to get your FREE READ before the offer ends!

A quick note authors: My copy of The Novel Workbook for Messy Writers by Gabrielle Prendergast arrived! Lots of worksheets, which I love! I wanted the hard copy to work on my next project, but authors, it’s FREE right now on Kindle Unlimited! Get your copy!

Last Day of Giveaway! **CLOSED**

If there’s a short story from my Short Story page that you’d like to read, just email me the title, and I’ll send you a download. My gift to you. Send those emails to me at delilah@delilahdevlin.com now! This offer ends tomorrow!

When I was a kid, I’d count down the school days until the final bell rang to signal the holidays. I bet you did, too.

Now it can all be a bit overwhelming as you buy and wrap the presents, decorate the house, bake the cookies, do the grocery shopping, cook the big meals, plan and host the parties… It’s enough to make you exhausted before you even start.

As women, we put way too much pressure on ourselves to create the perfect holiday for our families. It’s overwhelming. What it comes down to is letting go of some of the control and not worrying if everything isn’t perfect.

Some of my best holiday memories involve being in the kitchen with my mother baking cookies and cakes. She’d let me stir and add ingredients and, of course, lick the bowl and taste test whatever we made. As a result, I have wonderful memories, plus I can now make all those things for my family and friends.

She also involved us in the making of Christmas dinner. Younger kids can mash potatoes and stir the gravy. Older ones can help with the prep. They can also set the table and do the dishes. It gives them an idea of how much work goes into creating a holiday dinner. And do as much ahead of time as you can. I make my cranberry sauce a few days before Christmas. It sits fine in the refrigerator. Remember, you don’t need to have every dish your mother ever made gracing the holiday table. Pick the family favorites and enjoy them. There is always so much food and treats around the holidays, they won’t miss one or two items.

Draft your kids into duty and have them dust and vacuum. Hey, my sister and I had to do it and it didn’t hurt us a bit. Give your spouse or significant other a list and send them to the grocery store. Make the list as detailed as possible, but don’t be upset if you don’t get a particular brand of mayo or cheese. Someone else shopped. Be grateful and move on.

Cut down on your Christmas list. For office gifts, avoid the hassle and buy gift cards in bulk. They’re the right size and everyone likes them. Pick a local coffee shop. Everyone drinks coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice, milk… You get my point. I buy them in $5 and $10 denominations. And, hey, if you don’t give them all away, you can treat yourself to a nice hour out in January.

Above all else, remember what the season is all about. It’s not about presents or the turkey. It’s about family and friends and hope. It’s about counting your blessings and being thankful for everything you have in your life.

So put the merry back in the holiday this year for you and your family.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

Ancient Desire
Forgotten Brotherhood Book 5

Nothing was supposed to wake half dragon, half human Lucius from his Deep Sleep. Nothing. And yet something, or rather someone has. The unexpectedly attractive human not only touched him. She kissed him. Now Lucius is awake, and more powerful than he has ever been in his 4,000 years of existence. And once he finds out who led her to his cave, he’ll deal with his 300 years of hunger…

College professor Raine Carson spent her life obsessed with myths and legends. And now she’s woken one up. Only, Lucius is nothing like anything she’s ever seen or read about in her history books. Because this man is part sexy badass and part terrifying…monster. Yet she wants him with a hunger like nothing she’s ever felt before.

Lucius used to be part of the Forgotten Brotherhood—a ruthless group of paranormal assassins. Now he’s unsure if his former Brothers are their allies…or enemies. All he knows is that someone is hunting him, and Raine is just as tangled up in this mess as he is. And he’ll protect her—even if it means unleashing his Dragon and all of its power.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7G3QHRK/
Entangled Publishing: https://entangledpublishing.com/books/ancient-desire
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ancient-desire-n-j-walters/1141872172
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ancient-desire
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/ancient-desire/id6443213388

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, 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.

Visit me at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: https://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

I can’t believe I almost forgot to post today. I set a goal at the beginning of the year that I’d have a new blog every day, whether written by me or a guest author. I nearly spoiled my perfect record! I know, it’s a crazy goal. Why do it? Blogs are dead, right? I don’t believe that. Not really. We’ve seen how fragile our social media platforms can be. This blog is the only thing I can control. Plus, it does give me an outlet. I can share what I’m working on here, bore you to tears with tidbits about my life, and play games with friends.

Or, I can do like I am today and share something I made.

I woke at 4 AM this morning to finish up a set of edits before I headed out to sit at the art center today. I like acting as docent. We rarely get visitors, so it’s my excuse to paint. No computer, just me, a palette of watercolor paint, some pens, and my imagination. I laid down paint on several things, but this is the only item I finished. It’s a watercolor and pen postcard. The colors make me happy.