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Progress on next Cowboy story

Yes, the contest is still going on. I still have some things to talk about and books to tempt you into trying. And when this contest winds down, there will be another one right behind it, because I have another book coming July 14th! Can I hold your interest that long? For sure there will be more excerpts. But today, I want to share a review that warmed this little writer’s heart.

5 Cherries from Whipped Cream Reviews
“…Ploys, palace intrigues, backstabbing and betrayal, shifting allegiances and true friendship, and above all, abiding love, are what make Delilah Devlin’s dark romances so irresistible.

We will be forever drawn back to her fantasies and her powerful characters. They step out in front of you, and you never forget them. Her worlds rise up around you and when you look up from her book, you are surprised to see familiar surroundings. Weeks after turning the last page, the characters will come knocking at the door of your imagination and whispering more secrets in your ear.”

And just so you know…
July’s moon is the Mead Moon. And just by it’s name, you know it’s time to part-ay! It’s the time to enjoy first harvests of all those seeds you’ve planted.

Enjoy your day! I’m hitting the pool! 😉

I had an interesting day yesterday. Spent it in an emergency room rather than with my friends talking Donald Maas. The red-headed hellion is fine, but has a very nice goose egg on her head to go along with the pretty bruises up and down her back.

I did finally start working on my TBR pile. I’m doing my best to conquer Katharine Briggs’s The Fairies in Tradition and Lore. It reads like a textbook but is filled with a huge world of fairy stories. I’m hoping to find that spark of an idea…

And while surfing the other day, looking for some online Tarot instruction since I bought this pack of cards and the book that accompanies it sucks, I found a site that does FREE one-card readings. I submitted my question. Here’s the lovely response I got from “Moonbug”, my spirit guide:

Thank you so much for visiting me at the Free Tarot Network! I am happy to provide you a free one-card reading about your question: ‘Will I get another New York publishing contract before the year is out?’

Peace & blessings,
Moonbug

So you heard it from “Spirit”. Good news should come in the Fall. And I signed up to join the network so that I can do one-card readings under a mentor. Should I tell him I’m a newbie? Maybe we could have fun with readings on my blog or during our monthly chat!

And according to The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft, the June moon brings love, marriage (now, we know why women want those June weddings!), and success. So see there? I have double the good news today!

This is a snippet from my annual plan. May looks a bit ambitious, but I have lots of catching up to do after slacking up through April. With publishers pulling in their belts, contracts are going to be more competitive than ever. So, I can’t get lazy now!

I have plans. Big plans and little plans. I have to nurture my bread and butter projects (ebooks). I want to rope in my big dreams and step out on the right foot, working through my process, which I’ve let slip away from me. Somehow, I thought I didn’t need it anymore. That maybe it had become intuitive. I can’t rely on instinct now. I have to go through all the motions. I know what I want to achieve this year, and I can’t let ego, laziness, whatever it is holding me back, get in the way!

And it’s perfect moon phase timing. May’s the time to watch those “seeds” you planted last month grow while you protect them from the bunnies that might come munching on your dreams.

And now, suddenly, I’m hearing Anyanka break out in song. If you aren’t a Buffy fan, that one will go right over your head!

Progress on Stone’s Embrace

Okay, think about it. Winter’s over. You’ve prepared your planting beds in March—April’s time to plant those seeds and nurture their growth.

Let me make that analogy personal. I’ve planned new projects, plotted out the chapters, and now it’s time to write the proposals I will send out by month’s end. It’s a fertile time, both physically and mentally. Make the most of it!

There is the little problem of a book that was due like yesterday! I have some wiggle room—until next Monday, but I really wanted to get it in on time. I feel like I’m eating into one of my “fertile” weeks finishing it off. Think positive thoughts for me. I also have to add pages to another project for an editor who wanted a little bit more to make a decision. Wish I could jump on it, but again, that fertile time, new seeds and all, isn’t happening until I finish that too. Maybe April’s gonna be a bust for me.

March’s moon is the “chaste” moon, and a time of hope and rebirth. It’s the month to embark on new adventures and experiences. We’re already eight days into the month, and I’m all for some renewal of energy. The weather’s beginning to warm; the trees and some of the flowering bushes are budding.

I’m trying to pay attention to the “solar” clock and getting out of bed earlier. I have this theory that if I adopt the rhythm of the day, my body might stop feeling fatigued. We’ll see. Can’t seem to prevent those middle of the night flashes of inspiration that send me straight to my computer. Then again, why the hell am I worried about a little tiredness? I have another book to get out the door!

Progress on current Western proposal

February’s moon is known as the Storm moon and sometimes the Death moon. Which makes sense. February is cold and harsh, and the days are short.

To the Wiccan, its a time for cleaning out the clutter in your house and preparing herb beds for new seeds. It’s also a good time to dump any emotional baggage you might be dragging around.

Spells are cast to help you get past the challenges a bleak February might offer. Seems appropriate for me at the moment—in between contracts—to think about casting a spell or two to help my dreams and new projects along. 😉

I did warn you I’d be sharing things I’m learning as I research the new book I’ll be starting as soon as I wrap up the fourth Dark Realm story. Did you know that every month has its own moon phase with its own name?

January’s moon is the Wolf Moon. It’s also called the Winter Moon, but the Wolf Moon is more appealing to us, right? This moon is a time of endings (winter represents death) and of beginnings (because we start laying our plans for Spring).

This month the full moon runs 9 – 12 January. If I were Wiccan (not saying I am, but I am curious), I’d want to know that so that I could “draw down the moon” and pull the power of the moon into me, becoming The Goddess Incarnate. I’d need that power to infuse any spells I cast.

Be thinking of me when the full moon starts. I might be standing outside under the light of the full moon with my arms raised—but I promise you I won’t be “sky clad.”

In the meantime, you can catch me tomorrow, January 3rd, at the Aphrodisia Authors blog. Just click on the banner below!