UPDATE: The winner is…Ellen!
*~*~*

This morning, in the rush to get kids ready for school, the 15-year-old came to me in a panic because today is picture day and she needed a shirt ironed. It hit me (yeah, sometimes, I’m kind of slow) that I’m the only person in the house who knows how to iron clothes.

It gets worse. My daughter doesn’t buy clothing that has to be ironed. If she sees something she likes, a shirt, for example, she won’t buy it if she thinks she can’t wash and dry and then immediately hang it to avoid ironing it.

I remember being ten and being given a huge garbage bag filled with clothing, sheets (even T-shirts) that had been sprayed with water and rolled into tight balls, which I would take out one at a time and iron. I hated ironing, but the skill came in handy when I was in the Army, because at the time, you had to iron your fatigues or pay to have them laundered for you.

Today, there’s not a person in our 6-person household, other than me, who knows that to create steam you have to add water to the hole on the top of the iron. I feel like a failure as a mother and grandmother. It’s a survival skill just like learning to cook, which thankfully, the kids have learned to do.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me whether you have an ironing board and iron that you use. Or is there another “lost art” that today’s generation has forgotten?

Open Contests

1. Happy World Storytelling Day! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. What makes you happy? (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win a FREE book!
3. A Reminder for Your Weekend Enjoyment! (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Animals in a Boat — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: Josephine Silone Yates – Another Undaunted Pioneer (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Word Search: Colors of Paint (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. Easter Stories (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
8. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: What I’m bingeing now… — Win an Amazon gift card!
9. Happy Easter & March Into April (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Jackie Wisherd!
*~*~*

Before I get started with the end of month rundown,
Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

March

Work-related:

1. I completed work on What Happens in Bozeman (Book #3 of We Are Dead Horse, MT) and published it!
2. I began work on Tyson’s Mission, my next Brotherhood Protectors book!
3. I continued to read short stories for inclusion in my upcoming Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology.
4. I completed 3 editing projects for other authors in March.

Health-related:

1. I haven’t done well taking care of myself this month. I ate too many salty, fatty foods and didn’t monitor my blood pressure!
2. My sleep suffered this month, likely because of diet and lack of exercise.
3. The only good thing I did was drinking one cup of Turmeric tea a day.

Happiness-related: 

1. I continued working on the #the100dayproject art challenge.
2. Here are some examples of art projects I completed in March.

April

 

1. To complete writing Tyson’s Mission, my next Brotherhood Protectors, book, which releases on April 23rd!
2. To complete 4 editing projects in March!
3. To finish reading and selecting stories from among the submissions for the upcoming collection—Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology!

For health related, I plan:

1. To start back on my Weight Watchers diet, because it’s time to get serious! I HAVE to get back in the saddle!
2. To reduce salt and processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas) and my liver (apple cider vinegar, flax seeds, sunflower seeds).
3. To begin daily workouts using my recumbent bike and some chair yoga exercises.
4. To take my BP every day and log it!

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To continue #the100daychallenge where I’ll be painting something every single day!
2. To spend time with extended family during the ECLIPSE!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier, or tell me what you plan to read in April…

Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Jean White!
*~*~*

I’m late posting today because I’m not managing my time well.

I’ve been…distracted. After finishing up work on What Happens in Bozeman, my brain decided it wanted a rest from creating. I’m fighting it. I’ve already started the next story, and I will keep to schedule, but I’ve been dragging my feet.

What I really, really, really want to do is spend a week bingeing some fun Sci-Fi. I’m a Star Trek girl. However, while I’m waiting for new episodes of Discovery, Lower Decks, and Strange New Worlds to drop, I’ve been searching for another fix. I began Seaquest—which, by the way, is dreadful—and only have two episodes left to suffer through. Why did I continue watching when it’s so bad? Because I started it, and I hate not finishing what I start, whether it makes sense or not. A personality flaw, I know.

Last night, I googled “shows to watch if you love Star Trek, and Andromeda popped up in the list of many, many shows I’ve already streamed. Yes, Kevin Sorbo is the main character, but I will overlook that annoyance because it’s a Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek‘s creator!) project—and there are five seasons to gorge on! I was in bed when I reviewed the list. Then I googled “how to stream” and discovered it was FREE on Amazon Prime, so I clicked the link and watched on my phone (which I NEVER do). I didn’t go to sleep until I’d watched the first three episodes, which kept me up into the wee hours of the morning. It’s decent. It certainly caught my attention, and it’s different enough from Star Trek, and yet alike, that I’m definitely not bored.

But it does mean I’m dragging ass today when I have a mile-long list of things to accomplish today. So, onto my first priority—this blog. 🙂

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me whether you’ve watched Andromeda. Or tell me another Sci-Fi show (not Star Trek, not Farscape, not Firefly/Serenity, not Seaquest, not Star Wars) that I ought to check out after I binge my through Andromeda. Have a great Saturday and enjoy the puzzle!

The calendar says it’s springtime, but winter hasn’t given up its icy grip in my neck of the woods. There is still snow piled around and a distinct chill in the air. I both envy and enjoy seeing pictures from my online friends featuring the flowers and trees that are starting to bloom where they are. We have weeks, if not a couple of months, before we get to that point. It’s not uncommon to have snow in May.

Spring is a time of optimism and renewal. I tend to hibernate during winter, but with the lengthening days I have more energy and feel more hopeful. Easter is also early this year, which adds to growing sense of springtime. There may not be daffodils outside, but I’ll buy a bouquet of flowers to brighten up the place.

I love the first day it’s finally warm enough to throw open the window and air out the place after months of being closed up tight. Time to chase out the dust bunnies and get to spring cleaning. Spring tends to be cold, foggy, and rainy, but it makes the sunny days all the more special. I look forward to the day when I don’t need multiple layers and about eight pounds of outerwear just to step outside the door. Nothing I enjoy more than taking a walk on a sunny day and feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin.

What are you looking forward to this spring?

If the weather isn’t nice where you are, maybe you can curl up and enjoy a good book. If you haven’t checked out my Lone Wolf Legacy series, the first two books in the trilogy are available.

Protecting the Gray Wolf
Lone Wolf Legacy, Book 2

I’m used to other wolves coming for me. They want their chance to try and take out the infamous Gray Wolf. And every single one of them fails—because lone wolves aren’t like the others…we’re stronger. Harder. Meaner. Immortal.

But it also means I’m alone. No pack. No alpha. Just the three of us—white, gray, and black. Two too many, if you ask me.

But with power-hungry mages gunning for us, I don’t have the luxury of reflection. They’re in New York City, and I Will. Hunt. Them. Down.

Which is when I see her, and every cell in my body is on alert, filled with the kind of primal longing I never knew I was capable of. Luna West may be human, but there’s some kind of thread connecting us. Call it destiny, fate…or voracious animal hunger.

I know she’s bait. She’s meant to tempt me, to make me weak. But even if I could resist her, I’m not sure I want to.

Because I’ve never denied my wolf anything…especially the chance to raise some serious hell.

And I’m not about to start now.

(Author Note: This book is told in third person, even though the blurb is in first person.)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSXC8HTG/
Entangled Publishing: https://www.entangledpublishing.com/books/protecting-the-gray-wolf
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/protecting-the-gray-wolf-n-j-walters/1144686015
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/protecting-the-gray-wolf

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 her 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

UPDATE: The winner is…Pamela!
*~*~*

Yes, I know. Easter is on Sunday. However, Sunday’s post will be respectful…

So, I wanted to tell a story about something that happened one Easter morning to the Devlin family. Several years ago, when the kids were smaller and my daughter’s family lived across the road, I rushed over in the early morning to help set out the baskets. All went well. The kids woke up and were thrilled with their gifts and candy. Then they headed outside to play while the adults enjoyed coffee. A few minutes later, the youngest child ran back inside, sobbing.

“The Easter Bunny died. He’s dead!”

We all rushed out to see what she was talking about. The long driveway leading to their house was gravel and dirt (we live in the country!). So, when it rained, whereever the gravel wasn’t thick, small mudholes would form. The boy-child was standing beside one of the small muddy potholes with a stick, dragging something from a mudhole. It was a dead rabbit—a large dead rabbit—so covered in mud it looked like a giant chocolate-covered bunny. Yes, of all the days for it to happen, a bunny had croaked and fallen into a pothole on Easter morning!

We had to assure them all it wasn’t the real Easter Bunny and that the “real” one would be back next year.

That’s my Easter story. It’s famous in our family. My daughter and son have another from their childhood, but that’s for another time…

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me an Easter story or tell me what your family’s practice is/was, if you celebrate Easter.

I’m so excited to share with you the cover reveal for my new adult hockey romance, Falling for a Star in the City. It’s the second book in the Stars in the City series, which are interconnected standalone books. This book features Paige Kramar, who was the best friend in Stars in the City. I think you’ll love this grumpy/sunshine sports romance.

Check out the blurb…

Paige thought she had it all: a job on the soap opera Charmed Lives and a boyfriend who was trying to get discovered as a pop star. However, then her part on the show is reduced to reoccurring status and her family pushes her to leave her acting dreams behind to major in journalism—what they call a “real job.” Then her relationship with her wannabe rock star boyfriend, Walker, ends only for her to find out he signed a recording contract right after their breakup. To add insult to injury, she reads online that his new album is about their relationship.

She gets an internship in the sports department at the TV station where she meets a college hockey player named Viktor who has trust issues from a past relationship. Now with Walker’s rock star dreams taking off, it leaves her questioning her own play-it-safe tendencies, her acting career aspirations, and her relationships. Everyone else seems to have it together but her.

Through her internship, she keeps running into Viktor. Paige and Viktor begin to confide in each other, which soon leaves them falling for each other, but Paige worries their worlds are too different for them to work as a couple. Plus, there’s the issue of Walker trying to back together with her, but has fame changed him?

Meanwhile, Paige has a minor accident which leaves her questioning if she ever really wanted a flashy lifestyle or if it was what she felt she was supposed to want. Now she must figure out what she really needs to be happy and fulfilled in life. Can Paige find both her purpose & true love?

You can pre-order the book here:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Star-City-Hockey-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CVXHF8DL
Amazon Can:  https://www.amazon.ca/Falling-Star-City-Hockey-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CVXHF8DL
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Falling-Star-City-Hockey-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CVXHF8DL
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208865198-falling-for-a-star-in-the-city

About the Author

Krysten Lindsay Hager is a bestselling author of YA and contemporary romance. She writes romance because she loves bringing people swoony moments and hope-filled happily ever afters. She writes about falling in love, fame, fitting in, frenemies, first loves, and finding your way in the world. She loves reading, watching movies, and lipstick.

Website: https://www.krystenlindsay.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystenlindsay/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/

UPDATE: The winner is…Kerry Jo!
*~*~*

Sometimes, I struggle for themes for puzzles. Today, I didn’t have to look far for an idea. I have three bottles of ink sitting on my desktop with the most interesting color names: Chicken Coop (which is a rusty color), Robin’s Egg (the teal blue), and Parrotfish Twinkle (the green). I experimented with those three inks last night to produce the bookmark above.

I had those ridiculously named colors then opened a palette I put together myself with some of my favorite Daniel Smith watercolors (all D.S., except for the ochre and the pale green) to come up with the rest of the colors for the puzzle. They’re ones I’ve been using the most often lately.

So, for the contest… For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me what fancy-named colors you love. (Okay, so I don’t care if it’s a fancy name or not.)