For the past year, my daughter’s been systematically “downsizing.” What does that mean to her? She’s been “decluttering” rooms and tossing or giving away things she doesn’t actually use. She’s gone on a closet-cleaning craze where she places everything on hangers—backwards—and if she hasn’t turned the hanger, meaning she’s taken out the garment and worn it, at the end of the year, it goes.

She’s now turned her attention to my living space.

She supervised a closet review, where every single piece of clothing was dumped onto my bed and reviewed. “Does it fit? No?” Gone. “When was the last time you wore it?” If I can’t tell her it was in recent years, it’s gone. Yes, it is nice to have room to slide my hangars, but gah!

Now, she wants to trim my bookcases, because—shame, shame—not all my books fit into my three tall bookcases. I’ve tried to make room, double and triple stacking, but, to her, that’s not good enough. I can trim some of the books I read for entertainment. Very few are those I’d want to read again. However, that’s not enough.

She’s running up against my stubborn hold on my research books. After all, I need all those occult and mythology books. Who doesn’t have rows of them? Or at least, what writer who loves to delve into mystical topics doesn’t collect research materials? The problem is, my occult and mythology collection is larger than my local library’s and the two colleges’ libraries in town.

I have many, many spell books. Translations of writings from Egyptian sarcophagi and The Land of the Dead, and Sumerian, Norse, Eastern European, etc., “monster” books that I love to thumb through when I’m wishing I could write more stories like my “mummy book”,  Crescent Moon, or my Vikings in Space story, Ravished by a Viking. The problem is, as my dd  and my sister point out all the time, that those stories don’t sell as well as SEALs and bounty hunters!

If you could see me now, I’m frowning and my shoulders are drooping. I love to write my action heroes, but just like I need a varied diet to keep my body healthy, I need to vary what I write—for my own enjoyment and mental health.

I have a SEAL book to finish for Entangled tomorrow. Then I have a SEAL/bounty hunter book to write by the end of the month, and a bounty hunter book due by mid-September. My schedule is crazy-full. I have another Beaux Reve Coven story I’d love to start, but I keep pushing it off due to hard deadlines. And what I really want is to start something new and exciting. Something that pulls from those Sumerian and Egyptian tales, but I have to be smart. Have to make money. You know, to pay my bills…  🙁

So, here I am, having just finished editing another wonderful author’s story, and I’m opening the file for “Spider”—a SEAL story that has plenty of action, in and out of bed. By the end of the day, I have no doubt I’ll be dreaming about what happens next, and forget about my momentary melancholy. I have the best job in the world. I live in my head, most days. I live many lives, many adventures, and I learn something new with every book I write. This time, I’m researching modern booby-traps, like “alarm mines”. Not as exciting as reading about those pesky ice dragons, but—maybe—I’ll pencil in some time in my future schedule for something fun.

So, a question for you…

Do you pretty much exclusively read contemporary romance? Or do you love a paranormal tale, too? If so, what would you love to read?

This is a busy, busy time for this author.

I have the usual family duties stepping into high gear—kids getting ready for school, which means tons of babysitting while my dd buys school supplies and clothes and runs the boy to football practice.

My dd and I have made a new friend in the nearby subdivision who’s into arts and crafts like we are, so we’re gearing up to produce stuff! Yes, I’ll be making more jewelry! I’m prepping to reopen my Etsy store and get ready for a Fall chock full of art fairs. So, my first priority is to organize my art room, which fell into complete disarray this past year. Good God, it’s a huge task.

My editing biz is in high gear. I have more clients now than I really want, but I think that’s a good thing. I’m busy, busy.

I have a very tight schedule for new releases. Books on pre-order that aren’t yet written! Gah! And more with luscious covers I can’t wait to share! How about the titles, huh? Any strike your fancy? Short stories: Stepbrothers Stepping Out — With His Client, Taking Dicktation. Books: S*x on the Beach ( a SEAL story!), Montana Bounty Hunters: Hook, Montana Bounty Hunters: Wolf, Montana Bounty Hunters: Animal…

As for the writing? I still have a few books left from the closings of Kindle Worlds, Ellora’s Cave, and Samhain to revise and get out the door. Which leads me to this…

Lion in the Shadows

When a teen dies inside an unexplored cave, it’s Lani Kimmel’s job to bring him out. This is not a pleasant job, but one she’s handled many times as a member of the local fire department and an expert in cave rescues. The trek into the cave awakens a creature that will push this no-nonsense woman’s boundaries of belief and test her newly emerging love for one man.

Rafe Chavez, the new sheriff in this small Texas town, has already staked a claim on Lani. He’s a man with a goal in his sights, and he’s not letting anything get in his way—until he dreams about an Indian brave who died in that unexplored cave, savaged by a mountain lion. When his dreams cross into reality, Rafe realizes he may be possessed by the Indian’s spirit—but the spirit isn’t alone, and it wants Lani.

Just when Lani’s resistance to his erotic persuasion crumbles, Rafe must push her away to protect her from another creature that has also cast its gaze upon her…

Pre-order your copy here!

LIS is a strange little story—highly erotic, mixed with touches of action and horror, and it’s got a foursome, kinda. I almost go there…

You’ll have to read it to see what I’m talking about. 🙂

UPDATE: The winner is…Maggie Toussaint!
*~*~*

My sincere thanks to Delilah for allowing me to return to her wonderful blog and share an update of Diana Cosby’s Romance Readers Build A Habitat For Humanity Home.

I contacted the Habitat For Humanity office in Grayson County, Texas, where I’ve had the honor of helping with several builds and spoke with Laurie Mealy, Executive Director. She embraced the project and was thrilled at the thought of pairing romance readers, who love stories where heroes and heroines overcome challenges to make their dreams come true, with making the dream of home ownership for a deserving family a reality.

Goal: Fund an entire home – $55,000.

I kicked off the challenge by donating $200. As I write this, we’ve raised $15,124, which includes donations from several countries. Romance readers are amazing, and I have complete faith that as the stories they love, they will continue to join together to raise the amount necessary to give a deserving family a home.

How it works:
As readers send donations to Habitat for Humanity of Grayson County for the ‘Diana Cosby’s Readers Build A Habitat For Humanity House of Love,’ the total contributions are updated below the house graphic on the upper right side of the homepage. Donations can be sent via PayPal by ‘clicking’ on the house, which takes you to the donation page, or by mailing a check or money order to:

Habitat for Humanity of Grayson County
901 N. Grand Avenue
P.O. Box 2725
Sherman, TX 75091

*Please note on your donation: ‘For the Romance Readers Build A HFH House.’

Again, my sincere thanks to Delilah for allowing me to return to her blog, and another huge thanks to everyone for helping make an incredible difference in a deserving family’s life. For when they walk into a Habitat For Humanity house, it’s more than mortar and wood, but a place where they can call home.

***ONE winner will be drawn from everyone who posts on Delilah’s blog between 29 September 2018 – August 4th 2018. The winner will receive one of my mugs and a tote.

Diana Cosby, International Best-Selling Author
https://www.dianacosby.com/
The Oath Trilogy
MacGruder Brother Series
Forbidden Series: Forbidden Legacy/Forbidden Knight/Forbidden Vow/Forbidden Alliance TBA/Forbidden Realm TBA

About the Author

A retired Navy Chief, Diana Cosby is an international bestselling author of Scottish medieval romantic suspense. Books in her award-winning MacGruder Brothers series have been translated in five languages. Diana has spoken at the Library of Congress, Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC, and appeared in Woman’s Day, on USA Today’s romance blog, “Happy Ever After,” MSN.com, Atlantic County Women Magazine, and Texoma Living Magazine.

After her career in the Navy, Diana dove into her passion – writing romance novels. With 34 moves behind her, she was anxious to create characters who reflected the amazing cultures and people she’s met throughout the world. After the release of the bestselling MacGruder Brothers series, The Oath Trilogy, and the first three books of The Forbidden Series, she’s now working on book #4, Forbidden Alliance, of the five book series.

Diana looks forward to the years of writing ahead and meeting the amazing people who will share this journey.

My daughter and her family left this morning on a family vacation to the beach. How I wish I could have gone, but someone has to watch their six dogs, six cats, and two guinea pigs… Yeah, that would be me. 🙂

I plan to use the quiet time for a mini-one-person writer’s retreat.

Although, today, I’m doing absolutely no writing.

I began the day uploading another of my Uncharted SEALs stories onto sites other than just Kindle. I have twelve stories in total in that series. I uploaded book #8 to iTunes, Nook, and Kobo. So, if you’ve been waiting for me to use other platforms, I’m working on it!

I just pre-wrote posts for the Romance Readers Recommends Author Takeover party that begins at 3 PM Central Time. I’ll be the first author there, and I’ll be giving away free stories and gift cards, so if you’d like to hang out for an hour—set your timers!

Until the party starts, I’m turning my attention to uploading this one…

I’ll be setting this up for pre-order. It should be live tomorrow. I’ll be sure to post a link when it is. If you like an eerie, shapeshifting tale, this one might be right up your alley.

After the party, I have to go back to working on edits for a very, very sexy paranormal tale I didn’t write. So, plenty to do.

Maybe tomorrow, I’ll write NEW WORDS.

So, what are you doing today? Anyone planning on joining me at the party?

“There should be a burnished tablet let into the ground on the spot where some courageous man first ate stilton cheese, and survived.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

I read that quote and had to laugh. I can soooo relate to it in a couple of different ways.

First, this idea of someone taking a leap of faith with regards to food… I think it was my dd who once asked me, “Who do you think the first person was, who saw a chicken lay an egg and said, ‘I’m going to eat that!'”

And then there is my love of cheese that she finds inexplicable. The smellier, the greater my joy. I have no idea why. You’d think the smell would be off-putting, but for me, the moment I smell a really stinky cheese, I drool. Cheese is my favorite kind of food. Even more so than chocolate. Does that make me weird? My red-headed hellion certainly thinks so…

But this isn’t really a blog about my love of cheese. That quote’s not really about cheese. It’s about the spirit of adventure that lurks inside us. Some of us have more of it than others, but it’s that spirit that makes us try the cheese in the first place.

So, tell me something about cheese, or about some experience you tried out of that spirit of adventure!

And yes, I BOUGHT a picture of cheese. 🙂

Since my sister arrived Friday afternoon, I’ve written 6,738 words, plus I’m close to finishing revisions on Gargoyle’s Embrace, which comes out next Tuesday! Yes, we’re having our own mini-writer’s retreat. While we keep our heads down, focusing on writing, we hope to blow through stories all week.

Every once in a while, I need this. Having someone else around really helps with focus. It fosters competition. Who’s going to write the most words today? It’s a kick in the ass.

While I’m a writing machine (cough, cough), I do run out of steam and enthusiasm. I’ve been writing for over seventeen years. Sometimes, I do approach burn-out. Occasionally, I do take breaks. Mind vacations. Usually not out of choice, because this is a job and I do have to produce, but sometimes, my imagination holds me hostage.

Not so, lately. Bounty hunters have been a blessing. I’ve found my bliss again. And as soon as I figure out a paranormal world that thrills me just as much, I’m ready to head down that rabbit hole again. I feel that itch coming. (And I know that didn’t sound very attractive, but that’s what that niggling desire is like!)

Hope you don’t mind my sharing these personal little tidbits of things that go through my mind…

I’ve had such a crazy week!

I rushed last week to wrap up Cochise and get it ready for publication. It released yesterday! That was exciting, and of course, I’ve been trying like mad to get the word out! (Here I am doing it again! LOL) Now, I’m working on a couple of editing projects. Oy!

And, my birthday is tomorrow. However, since we have relatives descending tomorrow for a visit, my family decided that the party was going to happen today. My dd’s been the party organizer, so I’m sure she’s planning lots of black things—cakes, etc., to tease me.

This morning, my mom said her party gift for me is something that’s likely to piss me off (I’m suspecting a Trump card or a MAGA hat), but she wanted me to have something special for my 60th—eek! I still can’t believe I’m that old! It must be true what they say about only the good dying young. 🙂 Anyway, she gave my late grandmother’s diamond ring. I almost cried when she handed it to me. Grandma died last February, and we all still miss her very much.

We’ll have the party early afternoon; mom’s catering in a catfish feast; then all the kids and I are hitting the pool!

Anyway, I’m dressed up and ready. Thought you’d like to see what 60 looks like! I took about ten pics before I got ONE that didn’t make me want to vomit.

Ugh. I hate taking my pictures. My sleepy eye, crooked nose, BCGs (military acronym for Birth Control Glasses—which I wear for comfort rather than fashion!), my too-blonde-almost invisible eyebrows… I don’t mind the little bit of silver in my hair or the wrinkles. And it’s shadows, not a saggy neck. My neck’s just fine, thank you very much. But there you have it. Me. Hitting the big 6-0! Tomorrow, I’ll hit the benchmark, but it will be back to work!