Aunt Mommy/Aunt Grandma #MFRW Authors #31

"The Good Ole Days" (before I was pubbed):

The year was 2000.  My youngest child was off to 1st grade, since Kindergarten was half day 'back then' and since I had a tendency to lose track of time while on the computer, I did other chores while keeping an eye on the clock.

So when she was off to school all day, I would happily get them off to school, watch the news until 9am, them turn on the radio, check my email, then get down to writing until both kids arrived home at 3:30.  Or I'd stop at 2:30 and go pick them up.  Homework and dinner would follow.

Today:

Fast-forward seventeen years:  I have 21 books published, plus five that need re-pubbed; three children (a caboose arrived in 2004), and three grandchildren (only 1 biological).  My two adult children are working and one is even going back to college later this month; my oldest granddaughter decided this summer to live with us and go to school down here; my baby is in 7th grade, and the youngest granddaughter enters full-day kindergarten.

In other words....I get my LIFE back!

But no more all day writing stints.  Oh no.  Now I have to check in with social media; manage 3 email accounts; check in with chat loops (I really only keep up with 2 instead of 17); manage 2 blogs; and do my daily FlyLady housecleaning. 

All before lunch.

Depending on Grumpy Claus's plans, I'll either run errands with him (which sometimes includes lunch!) or stay home and either attempt to write, or dive into 'decluttering' mode and work on either of the two houses we're cleaning out, or sort through the storage unit.  As previously mentioned, I'm also waiting on him to install some electrical outlets downstairs so I can set up my stereo and home office.

After dinner, I freely admit I'm a TV addict.  I have many shows that I love to watch, and depending on what days, sometimes mine end up on the DVR.  If I get too behind, then some of my daylight hours are spent watching them, or even late at night.  On the weekends, I enjoy getting up early to do this also.  I'm also binge-watching Criminal Minds on NetFlix, so at least 2 hours a day is wasted  spent lying on my bed....

So while I would love to lead you to believe I write from 9am-3 again, it's just not possible.

Maybe when all my kids are grown and that 'empty nest' is finally here??????

Come back in 2030.  I'll let you know.

Want to know other authors' schedules?  Find out here.

Again, this weekend I'm promoting my books (and a brand-new author's 1st book!) at our local Watermelon Festival tonight and tomorrow.  I'll check in either Sunday or Monday!

So Many Choices! #MFRW Authors #30

 Paperback, E-book, or Audio?
Can I just say 'yes'?

Paperback:
I  grew up with print books.  I was also the kid who lugged them everywhere, so if I got a spare moment, I could read.

Storing them is another matter.  By now you've figured out that I married 'Grumpy Claus'....the man may resemble Santa, but he's actually his grouchy younger brother.  The only time I've had my entire print library on shelves was from 1997-2006.  He griped because I even had shelves under his train table.  I thought it was okay, because he only used the top part!  Uh-oh....it was still invading 'his' space.

I've become more selective of the ones I hold onto; if I didn't like one, it gets donated.  I'm currently turning the basement into my home office, and dream of the day all my favorites are back on shelves, not shoved in boxes in my storage unit.  Our previous house had no room for my babies.

I do like to buy print copies of the wonderful authors I've met over the years, so I'm not entirely converted to the next category, lol!

E-book:
My Kindle would have been perfect for me as a teen!  Mom used to complain about the tote bag full of reading material when we went on vacations.  Not only by car, but we would also spend 3 weeks in Florida every summer.  What can I say?  I like to read by the pool or at the beach when I'm not in the water.  There's also the plane ride....the trip from the airport....rainy days....during the car ride to Disney or to visit my uncle....you get the picture.  Then I could have carried my entire library with me in the palm of my hand....and she wouldn't have had to shell out $3-5 every other day (I'm exaggerating!) for fresh reading material when I ran out.

When Grumpy Claus was working, I bought about 12 books a month.  Since he retired, I'm lucky if I get to buy one every month.  My wish list on Amazon is over 20 pages.  At last count on Goodreads, it stood at 250 books and more added each month.  Yeah, I need to win a lottery......

Audio:
I will admit, I've only listened to two audio books.  The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe held us spellbound back in the early 2000s, and I think we flipped the disc over maybe 10 times before we resumed listening to music.

Dad was listening to The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis, and I found my attention wandering when I rode with him. So maybe it was the subject matter?

I've not tried to listen to any of my friends' audio books, but maybe if my eyesight gets worse, then I'll have to resort to getting an Audible account.

What's your opinion?  What is your choice?
Find out more here.

Again, I'm out of town this weekend.  I'll be volunteering my time at the Indies In Indy conference, so if you're near Carmel, In and want to stop by, I'll be at the Silent Auction table:)  I'll probably catch up with everyone else's post on Sunday or Monday!

Picnics and Sparklers and Roman Candles, Oh My! #MFRW Authors #29

Christmas used to be my favorite holiday.  Why?  Because it fell right after my birthday, then New Year's was a week later.  Three weeks of cake, presents, food, and parties.  Who wouldn't love that?

But then I married and had kids.

Since I married a man who didn't have my parents' income, the month of December soon became a headache.  We simply couldn't afford to spend a great deal on presents for our family, let alone my extended family!  He had grown up with only buying for his parents, a sister, and her two kids.  I had to buy for 3 grandmothers, one grandfather, two aunts, a cousin and her two children, my parents, and my sister.  Thankfully, my dad's side of the family decided to draw names, so I only had to buy for whomever name I drew.  Then later, we decided to only buy for the kids.  But this still seemed 'too much' for my grumpy spouse.

As my kids grew older, the toys got more expensive, and soon we were adding school parties and teacher gifts to the budget.  As a result, no matter how much I bought in advance, December always snuck up on me, and I soon began wishing we could simply skip it altogether.

That's why now the 4th of July is my favorite holiday.  We don't have to go anywhere; we can buy hot dogs and Johnsonville Brats and cook on the grill.  Watch the parade at 6pm, then find 'our spot' to watch the fireworks.  Eat ice cream.

No stress!

So what about you?  What's YOUR favorite holiday?

Want to know what others think?  Click here. 

Heart-felt apologies.....last week, I had to take a bus to Chicago with my mom, in order to help her catch her (very early!) morning flight out of O'Hare on Sat.  She's spent the last week with my sister in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.  Today, I'm taking the bus back to O'Hare, to help her get to the motel so we can return to Lafayette tomorrow.  I also have a class reunion tomorrow night, so I probably won't get around to commenting until Sunday or Monday again.

Need Advice? Read My Books....or Not.... #MFRW Authors #28

Sometimes when you write by the seat of your pants, weird things happen.  For instance, when I wrote Teacher's Pet, I was dealing with two characters who'd found each other, and a jealous woman who used to date Kevin.  How to extend this story into full-length?  Melanie decided to slap Kevin with a sexual harassment suit.

*needle scratch*

Wait, what?  I'd never dealt with anything like that before.  I had to stop and research it.  Best of all, how was Tammy going to deal with it?  Would she stand by her man or would she see it for what it was, a scorned woman doing everything in her power to destroy a good teacher?

This could have gone very differently, but I chose to show how common sense and loyalty can bring people together in a crisis, not tear them apart.

I used a life lesson in Appetite For Desire, ripped from my own experience as a server at a country club.  One of my favorite kids was a shy, introverted young lady, and not popular with her peers.  However, a mild show of favoritism managed to turn the other girls' attitudes into a more favorable opinion, plus gave her a confidence boost.  I often wonder if that act made any difference in her life as she entered her junior high years.

In my sci-fi series, I tackled the issue of homelessness, rebellious siblings, and mistaken identity.

If you really want some Life Lessons, my alter ego deals with everything from alcoholism to eating disorders to emotional abuse, as well as relationship dynamics such as age difference, long-distance relationships, and even IR.  You can find everything on her page of our collective website here.

Do you like reading romance with a subtle life lesson in it?

Do others work them into their stories?  Find out here.

Rocky Mountain High #MFRW Authors #27

The most beautiful place I've been....recently (is 2013 considered recent, ha ha?)

Estes Park, Co

Here is the view from Chipmunk Mountain.  You can see Lake Estes in the center.

Estes Park to the left....

Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, Alluvial Fan.  Family pic.  (Yes, I married Santa Claus, lol!  Or one of the members of ZZ Top....)

Be honest.  Is there anything more majestic than a herd of elk on top of Trail Ridge Road?

I'm also a beach gal, but since none of my Florida pics are on digital, you'll just have to use your imagination.

Sandy white beach, blue water, the sound of a gentle breeze, the smell of salt water, sand, and sea life.  Ironic, since I can't stand seafood, unless it's crab or lobster.

How about you?  What's the most beautiful place on earth you've visited?  I've never left North America, so enlighten me.  I'll add it to my bucket list.

Want to see more beautiful places?  Click here.  See you next week! 

Just Creative or Am I Schitzophrenic? #MFRW Authors #26

I've had a love of stories since I can remember.  I loved being read to, and was thrilled when I learned to read myself.  But somewhere about the 2nd or 3rd grade, something interesting happened:  I'd read a book or watch a movie, and would continue the story line with my Barbies or want to act it out.

Which, you might think is brilliant.  BUT....I didn't know how to communicate the ideas in my head, and would get mad at whoever was playing with me for going 'off script', which was weird, since there was NO SCRIPT!  (For more on this, go here)

When the concept of Creative Writing was introduced to me in the 5th grade, I was THRILLED!  Finally, all those story lines and characters in my head could be written down on paper!!

From the 5th grade through HS, I wrote fairy tales, essays, my own ending to Star Wars, poetry....anything that popped into my head during English class assignments, or even if they popped into my head after school.  Then I hit college.

In Jr high and in HS, I'd devoured the teen romance books, and even branched into Harlequin and the few romance books and adult fiction that my mom let me read.  But there was no dedicated series for college, unless you count the 50's series by Anne Emery and even a few by Rosamund Du Jardin which, by the 80's, was a bit outdated.  My prom dresses had puffy sleeves and looked like ball gowns, not layers of tulle!  Sleeveless?  Shudder...I didn't have enough 'on top' to hold it up!  But I digress.....

After going on a blind date, I decided to write the book I wanted to read.....and my alter ego's Arbor University series was born.  I was 'born' Feb 20, 2008, when more adult situations were being written by our collective brain, and the 12 year olds where reading AU didn't need exposed to more adult situations.

So back to Why I Write....I just gave you the long answer.  The short answer is, my head would explode if I didn't get these characters out of my head!  Yeah, if an outsider eavesdropped on a group of writers talking about their characters, he/she would wonder why these people aren't on medication or in a padded cell.

Truth is, the stories we write keep us out of that padded cell!

If you want to see why other authors do the things they do, click here:)

My Dusty Bookshelves #MFRW Authors #25

What are my favorite books to read?
Since I'm involved in VBS (Vacation Bible School-does that shock you?  LMAO!), this post will have to be short, since I stupidly volunteered to create the 1st newsletter!  I've been photographer, Snack Lady, and Keeper of Wayward whistles/name tags/Golden Ticket7s.   And in some instances, that pest who's always got her camera trained to capture every spontaneous moment....

So, in no particular order, the books which, no matter how often I read them, never get old.

1)  James Michenor's Hawaii
2)  Little Women
3)  Dana Fuller Ross's Wagons West series (though Colorado and California have similar plots)
4)  Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts
5)  Born Trilogy by NR
6)  Access Denied by Jacqueline Roth
7)  Brotherly Bonds by Brynn Paulin
8)  Woman of Substance series
9)  Winds of War/War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk
10) The Dutchess by Jude Deveraux
11) Separate Beds by Lavyrle Spencer
12) Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4)

What are yours?  What about others?  Go here