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!

I can’t explain why I was so excited. Megan’s life is far-removed from mine. Her prince is cute and appears to be very kind. They both seem to be very good people. I’m not envious of the life they will lead—the travel, the castles, the clothes, the jewels. Not much, anyway. I’m a hermit by nature; I can’t imagine living in a fishbowl.

However, I was up at 4:30 in the morning, and then over at me dd’s at 5:00, to roust everyone from bed to watch the wedding. We wore pink, “jeweled” tiaras and had “tea and crumpets” while we watched. We named every celeb and aristocrat we could spot. Enjoyed critiquing the fashion and the silly hats. Critiqued the wedding dress and the bride’s hair—I was very pleased with Meg’s dress; my daughter thought Kate’s had been nicer. The carriage ride was gorgeous! Later, we both took naps!

The picture? Snapchat was NEEDED. We rolled out of bed in our pajamas with our messy hair. The fluffy ears aren’t real, but the tiaras are! The extra bit of sparkle above my head must have been because I was what the party was all about. My daughter would have preferred sleeping in, but since she was going to be up for ME anyway,  she made the event a party. What can I say, she loves me. 🙂

Did you watch? What was your favorite part? 

I’m a wee bit embarrassed to admit, because I’m not a silly-frilly girl, but I’m gaga over the upcoming royal nuptials.

I’ve always thought Harry was cute and funny, and I remember that sad little boy who followed his mama’s coffin down the streets. I want him happy.

Then there’s Megan… She’s American and so poised and friendly—and can I say that I’m beyond thrilled she’s biracial? It says so much about Harry that he’s going for her, against all tradition. I can’t help but hope they are fabulous together as a couple.

So, my dd has been very patient with me as I wiggle and squirm all the way to next Saturday when the big event happens. In fact, she’s throwing a “high tea” party—with “tea and crumpets” and pink kiddy tiaras for the whole family—starting at 5:00 in the morning, because we’ll all be up and planted in front of the TV to watch the spectacle!

How about you? Are you excited? Are you planning to watch? Are you crazy like us and throwing a party? What element are you most excited to see? The kiss? THE DRESS? Their happy faces?