UPDATE: The winner is…Michelle Willms!
*~*~*

December

Work-related:

1. I didn’t write in December, but that was the plan until after my chemotherapy sessions ended.
2. I completed 2 editing projects for other authors in December.
3. I did post daily Advent Calendar giveaways for readers from the 1st to the 24th of December. And all the gifts have been mailed! Hope you enjoyed the posts!
4. After getting that hopeful news on Monday, I redid my work plan for the New Year. There will be books!

Health-related:

1. I underwent two rounds of chemo, the last being on the 30th of December where I got some hopeful news from my oncologist about my progress, which I already posted about here, yesterday! It gave me a huge, happy boost, which I so needed. What a way to begin the New Year.
2. Last night, I restarted my Weight Watcher’s subscription and downloaded a chair yoga regimen I’ll begin in January to further improve my health in the new year. Once I’m past the nausea, muscle and joint aches, and fatigue from my latest treatment, I’ll begin working out to lose some more weight and regain some muscle tone.

Happiness-related: 

1. My family has been astonishingly good to me over the months of my treatment, cleaning up after me, fetching things when I was too tired to fetch them for myself, etc., and they made the holiday so joyful. I’m lucky to have them. We watched Christmas movies, played games, and ate some wonderful food.
2. I painted only once this month. Here are the two small things I managed to paint:

January

 

For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete Ignition before the end of the month and publish it. I haven’t been able to persuade Amazon to give me back my pre-order ability, despite the fact I sent them proof I had good reasons for cancelling Ignition in the first place last year. I’m not giving up on that, but when I’m done writing the book, I’ll let you know when it’s ready for purchase.
2. To conduct a poll to see what themes might interest readers for a new Boys Behaving Badly Anthology this year! I’ll post the poll tomorrow to get your votes! After that, I’ll make my decision about the theme and post a Call for Submissions for authors. I can’t wait to get started!
3. To plot stories for the new year for my current series, Montana Bounty Hunters: Yellowstone, MT and We are Dead Horse.
4. To complete 2, maybe 3 editing projects in January. I have them on the books but haven’t received them from the authors yet, so we’ll see. But I’m ready to start!
5. To look at books I already have out that I might bundle together or publish in print.
6. To begin work on the next We Are Dead Horse book, Built Like Mack. The plan is to release it in March.

For health-related, I plan:

1. To undergo more scans to ascertain how far the cancer has been beat back, and to see a cancer surgeon in Little Rock to see if I am a candidate for removal of my girlie parts. Crossing fingers here!
2. To begin again watching what I eat to drop a few more pounds. I’ve rejoined WW.
3. To add physical activities to my daily routine so that I can regain some muscle tone. It may take until the middle of the month after I’ve recovered from this last chemo treatment, but I intend to take the stairs as often as I can manage and begin some daily chair yoga exercises.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To better organize my office so I can start off with a clean slate for the new year!
2. To clean up my art room, which has become a disaster! I’ve been tossing supplies on table tops and need to actually store them properly, so I have more workspace. I have plans to do an online oil pastels class and perhaps make some more collage fodder. I think the #100daychallenge starts toward the end of the month, and I will be there, painting every day when it begins!
3. To spend time with the family—more movies, meals, and flea market adventures!

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 January…

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

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

April

Work-related:

1. I completed work on Tyson’s Mission, my next Brotherhood Protectors book & it was published! (Thank you to everyone who bought the book!)
2. I completed reading short stories for inclusion in my upcoming Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology. Plus, I made the selections. We have a roster!
3. I completed 5 editing projects for other authors in April.
4. I found art and set up the pre-order for my upcoming book, Cyrus.

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. I injured my knee and spent much of the month with either a brace on my knee or leaning on a cane. Thankfully, the past couple of days, it’s been so much better.
3. The only good thing I did was drinking one cup of Turmeric tea a day and upping my water intake.

Happiness-related: 

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

May

 

1. To write most of Cyrus, the first of my new MBH in Yellowstone series, and which will release in June.
2. To complete 4 editing projects in April!
3. To edit the stories in the upcoming collection—Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology! I’ll also find cover art for the book and begin work on the Collections website with the book’s information.
4. To revise and prepare for publication the books in my erotic romance series, Delta Heat. I’ll republish three of the stories in May.

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 now that my knee is cooperating.
4. To take my BP every day and log it!
5. I’ll get the pool ready and hopefully begin swimming before the end of the month!

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To continue #the100daychallenge where I’ll be painting something every single day!
2. To spend time with the family—movies and pool—once school lets out!

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 May…

Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 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…Jennifer Beyer!
*~*~*

Thank you to EVERYONE who already picked up their copy of What Happens in Bozeman! I appreciate your support and hope you had a great time reading it! Here are some snippets of reviews from a couple of readers who loved this visit to Dead Horse, Montana. (Thank you, Elinda and Pam!)

What follows is a series of events that will have you laughing out loud. ~ Elinda M
Loved the town of Dead Horse. Its residents and Sara and her classmates were adorable! ~ Pam B

Yeah, I know…kids in a romance? Shouldn’t that be self-exclusionary? Hey, it did not get in the way of sexiness in the story. Promise.

What you may not know is that a lot of what inspired the character of Sara and her classmates’ antics comes from the three girls who share my home. The oldest cringes when I tell the story of her trying to have a conversation with a caterpillar with her ear held as close to its head as possible. She’d seen The Bee Movie and couldn’t understand why the caterpillar was ignoring her. Of course, her grandma told her it was because their mouths are so small that the sounds they make can’t be heard by ordinary humans. So, the kittens and the princess bed thing had its true origins… You’ll have to read the story to understand what I’m talking about.

So, if you haven’t read the story yet and are looking for something fun to read this weekend, I think my book will fit the bill nicely!

What Happens in Bozeman

Get your copy here!

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me a fun story about something a child you know said or did.

My new We Are Dead Horse, MT, story is here! And it was a blast to write! I hope you all love it.

There’s a new schoolteacher in town, a handsome rancher, cattle rustling, more Nah-Nah Sisterhood dating advice, sexy times, surprises, a bit of danger, some kids with odd ideas about where babies come from… You’ll have to read it to see what happens.

If you get a chance to read the story, please consider telling someone else about it (or post a review!). Readers trust other readers for recommendations—as they should!

Anyway, without further ado…

What Happens in Bozeman

What happens in Bozeman stays in Bozeman…unless it’s a cowboy!

Stranded in Bozeman, Montana, for the night while snowplows clear a mountain pass, Kelly Willis decides to throw caution to the wind. After being jilted by her college sweetheart, she’s determined to have one no-holds-barred night, her way of seeking revenge against a lifetime of conformity, before she settles down in a new town to live a very circumspect life as an elementary schoolteacher. She chooses another stranded motorist, propositioning him with the offer of a no-strings, no-names night of pleasure.

No one is more shocked than rancher Ryan Mobley when he appears at his daughter’s parent-teacher meeting to discover the angel he’d made love to is his daughter’s new teacher. Now that she’s here, he’s going to do everything he can to convince her they have a real connection, something they can build a lifetime on.

While she wrangles the class bully and he tries to figure out who’s rustling his cattle, the two of them grow closer with the help of a classroom full of mini matchmakers.

Get your copy here!
Also available in print!
FREE in KU!

UPDATE: The winner is…Deb Brown!
*~*~*

First, a reminder of what’s coming your way next Tuesday!
Have you ordered your copy?

What happens in Bozeman stays in Bozeman…unless it’s a cowboy!

Stranded in Bozeman, Montana, for the night while snowplows clear a mountain pass, Kelly Willis decides to throw caution to the wind. After being jilted by her college sweetheart, she’s determined to have one no-holds-barred night, her way of seeking revenge against a lifetime of conformity, before she settles down in a new town to live a very circumspect life as an elementary school teacher. She chooses another stranded motorist, propositioning him with the offer of a no-strings, no-names night of pleasure.

No one is more shocked than rancher Ryan Mobley when he appears at his daughter’s parent-teacher meeting to discover the angel he’d made love to is his daughter’s new teacher. Now that she’s here, he’s going to do everything he can to convince her they have a real connection, something they can build a lifetime on.

While she wrangles the class bully and he tries to figure out who’s rustling his cattle, the two of them grow closer with the help of a classroom full of mini matchmakers.

Pre-order your copy here!

Saturday Puzzle-Contest

 For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me what this scenery does to you. That’s all. Happy Saturday!

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer Beyer!
*~*~*

Okay, so maybe I’m just sharing some eye candy today, but this looks pretty hot, right?

I found art for a little story I’m refurbishing that I don’t think more than a handful of people have ever read. My sister worked her cover magic to make it pretty. I’ll publish the story before the end of the month, maybe next week if I can manage to sit my butt in the chair long enough to do the work. It’s a time-travel tale. My hero and heroine head to ancient Scythia, which is thought to be the place where the legend of the Amazons originated. It’s fun. Short. A novelette—so longer than a short story, but shorter than what I normally write. Be looking for it if you want a fun, sexy, shorter read.

And just to remind you, I have two other stories in the works, too. Three actually, but until my sister loads the pre-order (it’s a Brotherhood Protectors story), I’m not going to talk about it, but I’ll have another lovely cover to share soon.

Here are the two coming your way in the next couple of months. Click on the covers if you want to put them on pre-order.

The kids are on their fourth day of “snow days” so they’ll be underfoot today. I rose early, not only to make sure the trash made it to the roadside, but to get a little work in before chaos resumes. We dodged the bullet with the kitchen pipes freezing. When we had a brief thaw, no water gushed from the walls. Thank God. The frozen pool is still a possible disaster that we have to wait to see if there’s damage. Next week, we’ll have a long enough thaw the ice floe on the top of the pool should melt entirely, then we can turn on the pump and see if disaster awaits.

I hope everyone here in the northern hemisphere is staying warm and toasty. We’ve lucked out with only a short three-hour power outage so far. I’m okay with wearing socks, a sweater, and thermal underwear for the drafts. Not a pretty picture, I assure you. 🙂

If you’re in the mood to chat, tell me 1) do you like the new cover? 2) And what does your weekend look like? I’m planning to stay hunkered down and maybe watch a movie with the family. 3) Any suggestions? Answer for a chance to win a FREE download of one of my books!