By November 2016, I decided the words National Novel Writing Month were a jinx. First the end of June, right before Camp NaNo began, my main laptop went poof. Since it had done the same thing once before and my nephew solved the problem by restoring it to an earlier date, I thought I’d go with a pro. I called the man that had replaced the keyboard earlier in the year.

I pulled out my smaller one and began working on it.

All prepped ready to write, I began on Saturday July 2, 2016 to write my Camp NaNo novel using my smaller laptop. The central air conditioning unit froze and the house was not cooling down. I thought maybe I should replace the filter. I closed the lid to the laptop, raced out the door planning to go to Wal-Mart and buy one. I spoke to my neighbor, and he gave me one of his. Thank you, I didn’t have to buy one. I struggled and wrestled until I got the filter in place.

With a sigh of relief, I sat back down ready to write. When I opened the laptop, it says in big bold letters, UPDATING BIOS PLEASE WAIT. I waited, and I waited—nothing changed. I sent a text message to the nephew—SOS HELP—and told him what it was doing. I packed it into the carrying case and ran over to his place. He tried to get it working, but nothing worked. I talked to the Best Buy Geek people, and they printed pages to help. Took the pages to the nephew, it still didn’t work.

I picked up the first laptop after July 4^th and figured I would put the little one in the shop this coming February when I have extra money. I was so happy to have the computer back. Trying to match the writing back into the started pages was a nightmare, but I managed.

Everything worked fine. I put aside the writing for October for another writing challenge. I started a new story, which I had worked out ahead of time. Near the end of October, I began to think about the book I wanted to write for NaNo this year. I needed to do some research along with creating character information. Then four days before NaNo begins, the computer restarts itself saying it encountered an error. Okay, fine. I went back to work. It did it again. And then several more times. I worked with it until Saturday. I put some words on the page, packed it into its case and headed to see the nephew again. He managed to convince it to work. The laptop lasted until Tuesday night when up pops the same message. Okay, whatever is what I was feeling at this point. But when it restarted it had a different message with two options. First option-restart, second option-advanced options. I clicked restart over and over. It came back to the same page. Sigh. Took it to the nephew again.

Dug out the Kindle, but couldn’t remember how to get the Office program on it to work. I went with my Galaxy tablet and downloaded Microsoft Office 365 to it, which apparently, Kindle doesn’t play with.  I tried to pair the Bluetooth keyboard I had for the Kindle with it. They refused to speak to each other. I resorted to using the onscreen keyboard then, fine. Slow, but I was still writing. I decided there had to be a better method. I looked online and discovered there are other Bluetooth keyboards out there. I asked the nephew, who works at Wal-Mart, whether they carried any in the store. He replied, “Yeah, a funky one.” I checked online some more and still didn’t see anything I could afford at that point. I went to the store and looked at the keyboard. It wasn’t bad, I liked it. I bought it and ordered a Bluetooth mouse online.

So, for NaNo 2016, I still managed to write 50,153 words using all the above tricks. On December 1st, I bought a new computer. If you want to see my set up for November go to my Facebook page.

Here’s the link for the personal page: https://www.facebook.com/KHAKIakaKathy.crouch

And the author page:

https://www.facebook.com/C-K-Crouch-202720726500456/?fref=ts

My website is more of a sort of blog. I like hosting book reviews on the blog. https://ckcrouch.com/

C.K. Crouch

People react to a crisis in differing ways. Some freeze up. Others take action immediately. Still others wade out of the deep water and stand on the shore to glimpse the big picture—assuming they’re not bleeding to death.

In my most recent story, Caryn runs away to a remote safe place to lick her wounds. And figure out what to do next. Have you ever done that?

It’s a natural response. There’s no shame in tucking yourself into a secure or neutral zone, physically or mentally. There’s nothing stupid about hiding out until you make a plan to get what you need.

Revenge? Time to heal? Time to let go of what your past has been and start a new page?

The problem for many of us is the fear of the unknown. If we let go of what we know, this thing that hurts us and makes us hide, what if the unknown thing is worse? What if it hurts too much to let go? After all, our hopes and dreams have been invested in what we’ve known.

The problem is that if we don’t let go, we’ll never know what might have been. That’s the point Caryn reaches in the story—does she dare take the leap? Read Christmas Hideaway to find out.

Giveaway: Here’s a coupon code for Christmas Hideaway that’s good until Dec 18^th—four days from now—MR35W. Take this code to Smashwords and nab your copy of this holiday novelette. And may all your days be merry and bright!

With His SEAL Team An Amazon #1 bestselling short story! When Sara’s stepbrother surprises her with an early return from a mission, he brings two of his Navy SEAL teammates along… Purchase at Amazon! ~~~~~~~

With His SEAL Team, Part 2 Sharing my life with three virile Navy SEALs would be exhausting for most girls. But I’m not most girls. They’re high-drive, high T guys, competitive as hell, and I’m the one who reaps the rewards when they’re ready to blow off a little steam. I’m Sara. I belong to Hunter. Our relationship is a little complicated… Purchase at Amazon! ~~~~~~~

Contest

For a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card, answer me this…

What sort of adventure would you like Sara, Hunter, and the gang have next? Would you like to see them treat her to a night at a BDSM dungeon? Take her on sexy vacation? Have her meet the moms? 🙂 You tell me!

That’s right, the crazy cat lady has struck again. For any of you who frequent Delilah’s blog, you might remember me as the writer who broke my ankle tripping over my cat right before my story, Sanctuary, released in the Crazy Cat Ladies anthology. Well, I’m here to report that my ankle has healed remarkably well, and to look on the bright side, the injury gave me tons of writing time.

During my recovery, I had to accept certain facts: 1) I am not an island – I both need and must accept help (graciously when possible 😛 ), 2) mom’s really do have a magic healing touch, 3) Gilmore Girls is just as good, if not better, the third time around, and 4) my cat needed a playmate.

So, enter my new fluff-ball, Morris. Well, okay, technically not my new fluff-ball. He’s actually my cat Posie’s new fluff-ball. How many times can I say fluff-ball in one paragraph? #gifted

Does the fact that I got a cat for my cat make me extra crazy?

Who knows, but isn’t he cute? Posie thinks so, too.

This little guy has been keeping me company through revisions on Sanctuary Part Two, and I have to admit, there’s nothing quite like kitten cuddles. He’s not nearly as well behaved as Loki, the lion in the story, but he’s more portable and less likely to maul the livestock.

So, with a little help from Posie and Morris – head-butts, purrs, and some sandpaper baths – I’m officially finished with Sanctuary Part Two, and it’s ready to be released into the wild.

If you’re into a rough-and-tumble man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to show his woman how special she is, a heroine with quirks galore and a serious drive to succeed, and enough steam to keep you frosted in all Christmas break, this might be the holiday read for you. Just be sure you check out the first part of the story in the Crazy Cat Ladies anthology!

Come say hi anytime:

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/SukiesNewsletter
Facebook: @SukieChapinAuthor
Twitter: @SukieChapin
www.sukiechapin.com
Email me!! sukie@sukiechapin.com

To preorder Sanctuary Part Two:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/SanctuaryTwo
iBooks, Nook, Kobo: https://www.books2read.com/u/bMGXVA

For Sanctuary Part One in Crazy Cat Ladies anthology:
Amazon US – https://bit.ly/CCLAmzUS
Amazon AU – https://bit.ly/CCLAmzAU
Amazon CA – https://bit.ly/CCLAmzCA
Amazon UK – https://bit.ly/CCLAmzUK
iBooks – https://bit.ly/CCLiBooks
Nook – https://bit.ly/CCLNook
Kobo – https://bit.ly/CCLKobo
Goodreads – https://bit.ly/CCLGoodreads

Today, I saw four, FOUR messages from Facebook buddies wondering if anyone cared about them. This stuns me because I can guarantee you, if you’re my reader, I care about you. And I believe many writers feel this way.

One of the many wonderful things about Romanceland, about the reading community, is writers and readers have a relationship. Writing is communication. Communication requires more than one person. Both people are important, are valued.

If you’re a reader, you have a connection with your favorite writers. A specific writer’s story speaks to you because you share some of the same soul. You understand the writer, perhaps better than anyone else, and she/he understands you.

If you’re a writer, you have a similar connection with your readers. You might not know everything about that reader. You might not know her or his name. But she/he ‘gets’ you. She/he realizes where you’re coming from. Since many of us are rather unusual (I’m certainly not normal – grins), that’s a very special thing.

Yes, I write for myself. But I only publish stories I think readers might like. Often I’m thinking of specific readers, readers who have contacted me in some way. I think to myself, ‘Jill or Elizabeth or Janet might like this story. I’ll publish this one.’ I usually don’t tell them I’m publishing the story for them because that puts quite a bit of pressure on these readers to like it but I AM thinking this.

I know, from the conversations I’ve been having with many of my writing buddies, that I’m not alone in this. They’re thinking of their readers also. This time of year, especially, we, writers, brainstorm, thinking of ideas to show our readers how important they are to us, to thank them.

Some writers host contests (this is why so many writers have contests in December). Some writers share bonus scenes in their newsletters. Some writers send holiday cards. I write and publish a short story set in my most popular series of that year.

This year, the story is Jumping Barrel, a FREE cyborg short story (if this story isn’t free at your favorite bookseller, please contact me). It is sweeter and shorter than the regular stories in the series because December is often busy for readers. This story isn’t a marketing ploy. I already have the first story in the series (Releasing Rage) available for free. It is a thank you, pure and simple, because I love and appreciate my readers.

You’re part of the reading community. You’re not alone. And yes, people care about you. Never doubt that.

Jumping Barrel

He requires an Expert. She needs a hero.

Barrel requires an Expert for the Tau Cetian orphans. He’s looking for a female who is willing to commit to a lifespan-long role, who is comfortable with moving off planet, and who, preferably, has the ability to speak the offsprings’ first language.

Nola wants the role Barrel is offering so badly she bends a few truths. Yes, she was born off planet but she has lived almost all of her lifespan in sheltered Academies. Yes, she has learned Tau Cetian but she has never spoken with a local. Yes, she plans to follow the rules but his deep, sexy voice tempts her to rebel.

When a fact-morphing human academic meets her battle-worn cyborg warrior, deceptions are revealed, passions flare, and circuits sizzle. Wrong seems right. Lies turn into truth. The candidate least qualified for the role becomes the one candidate Barrel can’t let go.

Jumping Barrel is a short companion story in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is meant to be read after Releasing Rage, Breathing Vapor and Crash And Burn.

It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Read it now for FREE

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBB6XQ3
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01NBB6XQ3
Apple/iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/jumping-barrel/id1178813929
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-jumpingbarrel-2177045-168.html
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jumping-barrel-cynthia-sax/1125190786
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/jumping-barrel

About Cynthia Sax

USA Today bestselling author Cynthia Sax writes SciFi, contemporary and paranormal erotic romances. Her stories have been featured in Star Magazine, Real Time With Bill Maher, and numerous best of erotic romance top ten lists.

Sign up for her dirty-joke-filled release day newsletter and visit her on the web at www.CynthiaSax.com

Website:  CynthiaSax.com
Newsletter:   https://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Facebook:  facebook.com/cynthia.sax
Twitter:  @CynthiaSax
Blog:  TasteOfCyn.com

Y’all may not know it, but my sister is a cover artist. She creates most of mine! We’ve been debating about the cover for the next Boys Behaving Badly anthology we’re working on and we could use a little help. Here are the three options she’s been working on. Which do you prefer? Feel free to leave comments, if you like, describing what you like or whether you think we should start all over again.

Thanks for your help!! And be looking for this book in early 2017!

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Did you know that my sister and I co-authored 5 books before we branched out on our own? We love romantic comedy and hope you will love it too. In January, SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT will release for the first time! It’s the second book in the TEXAS BILLIONAIRES CLUB. If you liked THE UGLY TRUTH with Gerard Butler and Kathrine Heigl, you’ll like this story. It’s up for preorder on Amazon, so don’t wait. Get it now. It’ll be fun! And we have 3 more books in the series!

https://bit.ly/STTAAMZ

What happens when Martha Stewart teams up with the Oscar Madison of radio talk shows?  Sparks fly, romance blooms and their audience goes wild!

Diane Denton is a cool, sophisticated home and garden talk show host on K-YAK 102.5 radio station.  All she thinks she wants is to talk about is fertilizer and place settings, while fending off her well-meaning country club parents’ attempts to push her into marriage with the “right man.”

To Diane, fellow talk show host, Rip O’Rourke, is nothing more than a rebellious, overgrown teenager, flaunting his baseball-capped, Hawaiian-shirted, ex-football player physique to “score” with anything with breasts.  Proof of his perversity is the crude, but popular, hour of programming he hosts that discusses such manly topics as wet T-shirt contests and sports statistics.  Diane wouldn’t spit on Rip if he were on fire, while Rip, on the other hand, wants to do more than spend time with Diane.  She is a challenge to mankind as a whole, and his goal in life is to see Diane’s crisp shirts and tailored slacks properly rumpled, just once.

Rip gets his opportunity when the radio station is sold to a large corporation, and the station manager is challenged to come up with a prime-time show that will set the city on its ear.  From one of Rip and Diane’s public arguments springs the idea of a show about the differences between men and women, giving their audience, “Something to Talk About.”

ELLE JAMES aka Myla Jackson
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author
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MONTANA D-FORCE | SEAL’S DECEPTION | SEAL’S DELIVERANCE
DEADLY OBSESSION | NAVY SEAL TO DIE FOR | NAVY SEAL SIX PACK
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