COME TO OUR FANDANGO THIS EVENING!

Don't you love a party where people are giving away things like books and gift cards? Yeah, me, too. You're invited to one of those. Here's the information you'll need:

USA Today bestselling author Callie Hutton and I are sharing a Facebook Party to celebrate our new releases. Her release is ANYPLACE BUT HERE, book five of her Oklahoma Lovers. Mine is O'NEILL'S TEXAS BRIDE, book two of McClintocks. 

Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm in Eastern Daylight Time. We'll leave the contests open a few extra hours so those in other time zones and countries  have a chance to enter.

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/670213289791026/

We’ll have actual books and gift cards to give to those who attend. 

We'll be serving virtual refreshments. I'll have TexMex with nachos, salsa, queso, and a margarita or two. You can drink all of the virtual margaritas you want and never have a headache. ☺

Among numerous other authors dropping by, these are hosting a slot:

Merry Farmer 7:00

Jacquie Rogers 7:30

Caroline Clemmons 8:00 -- but I'll be around the whole time.

Christine Warner 8:30

Cynthia Woolf 9:00

Kirsten Osbourne 9:30

Callie Hutton 10:00

Y’all please plan to drop by. Kick off your boots and stay a while. 

HAPPILY EVER AFTER FOR ME!

This is an uh-oh day. Since I slipped up and didn't have a blog ready, I've revised one from this time last year. Sorry, but I'll try to do a better job in the future.

Why do I write novels? Mostly because I can’t stop.☺  There have been a few times when I became discouraged with my career path and decided to quit writing. I couldn’t. It appears I HAVE to write, And I love reading books that end with happily-ever-after for the main characters.

Seriously, I believe romance offers hope to readers who face what seems like insurmountable problems in their own lives. Reading about characters who overcome challenges and achieve happily-ever-after offers readers the dream that they too can achieve their dreams. In fact, I say romance authors sell hope. Since I’m an eclectic reader, I’m an eclectic writer. I write paranormal, contemporary and historical romance. I've also written a couple of mysteries, one of which is a cozy mystery.

My cozy mystery, which also
has a happy ending

I write the kinds of stories I enjoy reading. As a theme, I want readers to find hope in my novels. Another theme is family in various forms, but always that family support one another--even if family is bonded friends or members of a town rather than blood relatives. Finally, I think a second chance/redemption is a continual theme. Don’t we all wish we had a second chance to right past wrong decisions?

The most redeemed hero,
a former con man

I want readers to sigh with pleasure at the outcome of the characters at the same time they’re sorry the book is ended. Also, I want readers to feel hopeful after one of my books. Let’s face it, I’m not Ken Follett and I don’t write books like PILLARS OF THE EARTH. I love Follett’s books, but that’s not at all what I want to write. Romances and cozy mysteries are what a lot of people call mind candy...novels intended to entertain and provide escape from worldly cares. Yep, that's for me. Otherwise, why not watch the evening news?

One of my big passions is genealogy and family history. I’ve always loved history, and learning about family brings history alive for me. My brother and I have compiled a book on my father’s family and hope to have it published next month. My dad is no longer living, but he had asked me to do this book, so my brother and I are trying to honor the request. I also love the old family photos and collected those for the book and for my own family. Both of my daughters are interested, so I’ve made copies for each of them and we’re placing them in acid free albums.

Thomas Linzy Clemmons
1810-1864

Another passion is browsing antique malls. My younger daughter and I used to have booths in a couple of antique malls, but the time required to maintain a good selection is too much for us. We loved it, though. If either of us won the lottery, that’s probably what my younger daughter would do with her life. In the meantime, my daughter has opened a booth in a mall where her friend has several booths. Maybe I should remember to buy a lottery ticket.

A favorite book that I
reread about once a year

My husband and I like to watch movies (thanks, Netflix!). Most of my free goof-off time is spent reading. My husband’s an avid reader, so some evenings we read instead of watching TV or a movie.

One of the movies we've seen so often
we know all the dialogue

I appreciate so much the readers who have told me they like my books and my writing! Positive feedback fuels my progress on the next book. I appreciate my family for their support and assistance. My husband maintains my website. Both daughters help in various ways. Every day I get to do what I love. Consider me a lucky woman living her own happily-ever-after!

Thanks for stopping by! 

RUNNER'S HIGH? MAKE THAT WRITER'S HIGH!

We’ve all heard about a “runner’s high” and how it takes the runner into a “zone” where he’s oblivious to all else.  You may not have known that there is also a “writer’s high.”  The writer is in his or her “zone” which translates to the world being created and characters peopling that world.

In this magical place, the writer becomes so immersed in the story that all else fades away. Time. Sounds. Smells. Presumably if the house were on fire, I’d know, but you get the idea.

When my writing is going well and the story is moving forward, I lose track of how long I’ve been sitting in my chair. I become my main characters and my mind follows them as the cursor moves across the monitor. This is on a good writing day—or night.

Last night I quit for the day feeling as if it were nine or ten. It was two this morning. Oops. (Writers are often night people who stay up late into the night when the world is quiet and there are no distractions.)

On the other hand, a bad day is like pulling my own wisdom teeth with a pair of pliers. Nothing works. The phone rings, there’s email to read, texts, pets, social media, all sorts of distractions. Please understand that I love hearing from family and friends. I’d seriously hate to lose touch with them. I enjoy Facebook, email, texts, phone calls and visits.  

However, each interruption takes me out of the story and I lose traction. I feel as if I’m spinning my wheels and going nowhere. I want to shoot my characters and move on to another book. Nope, not allowed.

Recently, I read an excellent article by romantic suspense author Allison Brennan about those days and how to get through them. The article is titled, “Writers Write.” Yes, we do. She suggested that self-doubt is rooted in fear. 

Well, yeah. I'm always afraid.

What if I can’t make this book interesting? 

What if readers are disappointed? 

What if, what if, what if...  

I’m reminded of a quote by Agatha Christie about such a day. “. . . . I had no joy in writing, no élan.  I had worked out the plot--a conventional plot, partly adapted from one of my other short stories.  I knew, as one might say, where I was going, but I could not see the scene in my mind's eye, and the people would not come alive . . . . That was the moment when I changed from an amateur to a professional.  I assumed the burden of a profession, which is to write even when you don't want to, don't much like what you are writing, and aren't writing particularly well.”

That explains how I felt about my current work in progress a couple of weeks ago. I’m already far past the time I had planned to publish WINTER BRIDE and am still working on this book. I liked the beginning, knew where I was heading for a good ending, but the middle was murky. Very murky.

But I also recalled Nora Roberts’ quote that “I can fix bad writing. I can’t fix a blank page.” So, I persevered.

Then, magically, the last few days I have been back in my zone, living in my characters’ world and enjoying being there. I’m on a definite high. Endorphins are pumping.

Life is good again!    

GREAT BOOKS COMING RIGHT UP!

You’ve heard it takes a village to raise a child. A village is not required for writing a book. For me, that is best done alone in my writing cave. I love the long, long hours I spend there creating books. But organizing the ideas is easier with help. 

While some authors plot their books in solitude, for me having a few trustworthy friends help me brainstorm is like winning the lottery. Also, it saves me from arguing with myself and from drafting Hero and our Darling Daughters to help. 

You know the look, don’t you, when the eyes of people to whom you’re talking glaze over? Yes, I’ve seen that look. I don't understand it. Plotting is fascinating stuff to me. ☺

Plotting make non-writers yawn

Not that my family doesn’t help me, they do in many ways. A question here or there elicits satisfactory responses. But brainstorming an entire book, not so much.

For that, I have three friends who plot the same way I do. We reinforce one another’s creative streak and plot books. Yes, great books are coming your way this year. You can trust me on this. Geri Foster, Sylvia McDaniel, Kathy Shaw, and I each came away with wonderful books plotted from our recent plotting retreat. We laughed until we had tears, might have consumed a few adult beverages, and worked like our lives depended on the outcome. Truthfully, they do. At least, our writing lives do.

Where would writers be without books to tempt their readers? Each of us at the plotting retreat writes a little differently and in various genres, although Sylvia and I both write western historical and the occasional contemporary. But here’s the thing—trust is necessary with plotting in this way. I trust these three women.

Why is this so important? Suppose, for instance, I write a book in three months, but a co-plotter writes in one. She could take my idea, write the book and have it online before I could and readers would think I copied her. Or, suppose I have a great idea for a new series that I want to keep secret until I release the first three books? She could talk about my plot to someone else who could take my idea. Now you see how important trust is in a situation like this, don’t you?  

Here’s what I predict for the coming year from me. First, I am releasing WINTER BRIDE, the next Stone Mountain Texas book later this month (or early February). I’ll also be writing one more Kincaid book and two McClintock books this year. Plus, I’m working on a new series. I’m so excited about the projects I have lined up for 2015! I can hardly wait to share these books with you.

Stay tuned to this blog and my newsletter to keep informed. If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, the form is at the top of the blog sidebar. By the way, I only send a newsletter if I have news.

Thanks for stopping by!

A YEAR OF POSSIBILITIES!

Happy New Year! I hope you are ready for a wonderful new year filled with possibilities.

What’s on your agenda for January? Do you have goals for the month—or the year? I am blessed to be looking forward to an exciting month and belief in the coming year.

This week I’m finishing up a family book on my father’s family and lateral lines for which my brother and I have been gathering information and photos for longer than I will admit. We have hundreds of photos to go along with seemingly endless details about the family. Many of the photos are borrowed, so my relatives will be thrilled to have them returned. I will too. I hate being responsible for borrowed items of any kind. I’ll also be relieved to have this non-fiction (maybe with a few family tales) work completed and published so I can move forward to fiction.

What timing! Next week, my three plotting co-conspirators and I are going on a three-day, two-night plotting escape, hopefully to get three books plotted for each of us. We don’t plan to leave the house we’ve rented for the entire time so we can work long days. Yes, we really do work, although there’s an abundance of laughter along with our productivity. Perhaps the laughter even heightens our productivity. Who knows? At any rate, we can work long hours in our sweats or jammies if we wish with no one to disturb our concentration.

We'll bring plotting boards and sticky notes and laptops and ideas. Now please don’t think—as someone did—that we write one another’s books. Nope, we just throw out ideas and keep each other on course as each person plots her book. Brainstorming, where four heads truly are better than one. It’s a system we learned first from Robin Perini and Laura Baker in their “Story Magic” workshop. Now we have fine-tuned the process to fit our styles and needs.

Late in the month, with any luck I’ll be releasing WINTER BRIDE, the next in my Stone Mountain Texas series. Sheriff Butch Parrish is the hero of this book, and I love the guy. Of course, all my heroes’ good points remind me of my Hero.

Don’t forget I’m giving a gift card at the end of each month to one person who left a comment on this blog during the month. Each time you comment is another entry. Good luck!

  

Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

HOW NANCY DREW CAUSED TROUBLE

Until I was in the fourth grade, I’d never had access to a library. That year, I attended school Morton, Texas. To my delight, the city or county bookmobile came to the school and our class was able to check out books on alternate weeks. That was when I was introduced to Nancy Drew.

For several years, I read every Nancy Drew novel I could find. After my family moved to Lubbock, Texas, my best friend Karen and I spent hours pretending we were girl detectives and were certain we would go on to open our own detective agency once we graduated from school.

I’m certain that we drove our parents crazy by seeing crimes where there were none. We were suspicious of everyone except our own families. You’ve heard the story of the boy who cried wolf, right?

One day when Karen’s parents were gone somewhere for the day, we were babysitting her bratty sister. We had strict instructions to stay inside her house. We were listening to the television or radio, I don’t remember which, when we heard the news flash that there had been a robbery only a few blocks from her house and the robber may have been shot by the store owner.

Being overly dramatic teens (barely) we locked the doors and peered out windows. That soon grew boring until we heard a huge bang against the wall separating her living room and the garage. Now comes the scary part.

Karen and I crept out the front door to see what made the noise, but we could see nothing—except a few drops of blood on the garage floor. The cleaning lady for Karen’s next door neighbor asked us what we were doing making so much noise when her parents were gone. She told us to go back in the house where we were supposed to be.

We couldn’t decide, though. We wanted to climb the ladder attached to the side of the garage and look in the attic, but neither of us wanted to be the one to do so. After dithering for five or ten minutes, we pulled down the heavy garage door and went back inside. Of course, we didn’t consider the typical door from the garage to the outside.

We cowered inside, hoping Karen’s parents would return soon. The minute her parents walked in the door, we barraged them with our story. Needless to say, her parents paid us no attention. Finally, we convinced her dad to just check out the garage so we’d hush.

When he looked, the blood was dried but added to our claim. He climbed the ladder to the attic, he found a fresh half-eaten loaf of bread and an empty bottle of Coca-Cola.

That scared us and, probably, her parents. I know her mom came to talk to my mom. I’ve often wondered what would have happened had we chosen to look in the attic. Nothing good, I’m sure.

Our life as girl detectives was over. I abandoned Nancy Drew and moved on to Louisa Mae Alcott.

CELEBRATE WITH ME AT THE FIESTA!

Ay-yi-yi! Welcome to the Fiesta! Help yourself to a virtual frosty margarita, chips, and salsa. If you choose, you can dance to our cheerful Mariachilis. I believe they take requests.

Today is my 700^th post on A Writer’s Life. To celebrate, I’m giving away 
(1) a $25 gift card to Amazon (or the winner’s choice) and 
(2) a second prize to another entrant of a signed print copy of GABE KINCAID, book 4 of the Kincaid series.

To enter, dance down to the Rafflecopter. You know the drill there.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chips and salsa

Pass the chips, will you? 

You know I love to set books in Texas. Whether it's the Old West of the late 1800's or the New West of today, I simply love featuring my home state as a setting. 

Wait, we can't have chips without guacamole, can we?

Guacamole - yum

Help yourself to a frozen margarita. Careful of the salt - I've heard the salt on margarita's rim can cause a headache. Yep, the more margaritas you drink, the more likely that salt will give you a headache. :-D

Frozen margarita with
salt on the rim

And I’ll take this time to list each of my books in case you want to purchase any (hint, hint). My books are available in print at Amazon, CreateSpace, and Barnes and Noble. They're available as ebooks from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Apple, and many are on GooglePlay. 

Beware of Cactus Pete or he'll waylay you.
Wait, I believe Pete has lost his six shooter. 
 That's what happens without a waist, I suppose.

Kincaids western historical series:

THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE

THE MOST UNSUITABLE HUSBAND

THE MOST UNSUITABLE COURTSHIP

GABE KINCAID

Men of Stone Mountain western historical series:

BRAZOS BRIDE

HIGH STAKES BRIDE

BLUEBONNET BRIDE

TABITHA’S JOURNEY  (a novella)

McClintock’s western historical series:

THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE

(More are coming, honest)

Texas Home contemporary series:

HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME

FINDING MY TEXAS HOME (due July)

Shake your maracas and party with me! 
This is a Fiesta! A Texas Fandango!

Western historical novellas:

SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME

HAPPY IS THE BRIDE

LONG WAY HOME (only title
                     NOT set in Texas)

Time Travel

OUT OF THE BLUE (past to today)

Contemporary:

BE MY GUEST

SNOWFIRES

ALMOST HOME, mystery

DIGGING FOR DEATH, cozy mystery

Boxed sets:

MEN OF STONE MOUNTAIN  - 3 novels

HEARTS AND FLOWERS - 3 novellas

9 WAYS TO FALL IN LOVE – 9 novels relaunching June 15th with new cover!

10 TIMELESS HEROES – 10 novels

RAWHIDE ‘N ROSES –  15 short, short stories

And more are coming. 

July will be FINDING MY TEXAS HOME, a contemporary. 

In September, a big surprise is coming your way to tempt you readers. Can't say more now, he he. 

If you sign up for my newsletter, you'll know all the secrets before the general reading public. And you'll be included in special contests and giveaways.

Thanks for stopping by to help with my big day!  

A FUN CHAIN BLOG FROM JACQUIE ROGERS TO ME AND ON

Today’s post is part of a chain blog. No, nothing like a chain letter. Jacquie Rogers tagged me and today is my turn. She is the author of one of my favorite ever series, the Hearts of Owhee series--or as I call them, the Much Ado series. The first is MUCH ADO ABOUT MARSHALS. Jacquie lives in Seattle now, but she grew up in Owyhee County, Idaho, and that’s where she sets her wonderful, funny, western historical romances. She comes from a long line of no-holds-barred storytellers. Even better,she’s a writer, and writers do tend to get carried away. Her parents actually owned a dairy farm in Owyhee County, Idaho, near Homedale and she grew up milking cows, breaking ice on the calves' water troughs and checking the bottoms of my shoes before entering the house. She says she doesn’t miss the frigid Idaho winters, but she does recall those soulful calf eyes with fondness. Nowadays, the only soulful eyes she sees are those of her husband when he pokes his head in her office for the tenth time and asks me when she’s going to fix dinner.

Those early farm days gave her a solid grounding in Real Life and provided endless fodder for her stories. Back then, she was a member of the Homedale Rod & Gun Club, Stateline Grange, and Sage Creek 4-H. She showed livestock, was the county fair queen, and garnered the title of girl's champion in the small bore rifle competition. (Now there's a scary combination!) She rode her horses to hell and back, with special emphasis on riding into the sunset while harmonica music played in the background.

For her complete bio, filled with her special brand of humor, go to http://www.jacquierogers.com/bio.html 

Oh, but wait until you’ve read this post and commented on it, please!

Jacquie said I have to answer the questions below, so here goes:

What am I working on?

My current work is GABE KINCAID, book four in the Kincaid series. Gabe is a second or third cousin of the other main characters of the series. His grandfather and Judge Kincaid are brothers and Gabe came from Austin to Kincaid Falls to work in the Judge’s law office. But even in the Southwest, we hold to the Southern tradition of treating distant cousins almost like siblings, so Gabe is close to the Kincaid Springs branch of the Kincaid family.  The heroine is Kathryn “Katie” Elizabeth Worthington, posing as a circus fortune teller to escape the influential men who killed her grandfather back in Savannah and want to make sure she doesn’t live to tell what she saw. In the meantime, she’s up to her ears in new trouble and must rely on Gabe and the Kincaids to help her.  

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Wow, this is a hard question. Each author, in my opinion, has a distinct voice and style that creates a particular difference from other writers. When I follow authors, it’s because of that voice. Other than that, all of my historical romance novels include murder and/or mayhem. They’re romances with mystery. The only exception is the novella HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, which is a wedding comedy of errors, written because my editor at the time wanted an historic wedding resembling “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” I don’t like that show, but I do like HAPPY IS THE BRIDE.

Why do I write what I write?

I write the type books I enjoy reading. Well, I enjoy other type such as Regency and World War II settings, but I haven’t written one of those—yet. I believe my love of western history began because my dad used to tell stories of his family after they came from Georgia to Texas in 1876. I loved those stories and never tired of hearing them. When you place your ancestors in historical settings, the history comes alive. That’s what happened for me. I absorbed a lot of Texas history for the last quarter of the 19^th century. That led me to research more and more. Now I feel comfortable writing about that era, but I’m still learning new things about that time. My first historical romance was THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE.

How does my writing process work?

First, I see an inciting incident in my head as if I were watching a movie. A lot of writers have this experience, by the way, so don’t call the men in white coats yet. The part I see shows the main characters, but it’s not always the first of the book. Sometimes, it gets moved as far as chapter three, but it’s always near the front. I use names from the time period in which the story is set, sometimes ancestral names so I can be certain they were around at the time. For instance, Cenora Rose from THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE and Parmelia Bailey from LONG WAY HOME are family names. Writing a book takes me about three or months—unless life interferes. For my last two books, life played havoc with my schedule. I do plot my works, but also allow myself to deviate from my plot if my muse takes over and wants to include something new. The plot is like a roadmap, and I can take side trips but come back to the main highway. I write full time, from six to twelve hours a day. Unfortunately, that time includes marketing, which steals a lot of writing time. But I want readers to buy my books, so the marketing is necessary. I would write even if no one bought my books, but I’d much rather readers read my books and enjoy them. And leave reviews on Amazon. Reviews are important to an author.

Jacquie instructed me to find three authors to follow me with posts next week.

     

      Mary Alice Adair writes historical romance with Cherokee and English characters, PASSION'S VISION is the first of her Passion series. Mary used to be one of my critique partners, but she and her husband moved from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to the Cherokee area of Eastern Oklahoma. She has researched the Cherokee in colonial times and has become an authority on their lifestyle. For her research, she used a book written by her husband’s ancestor, James Adair, which is the definitive work of the time. Her blog is at http://www.authormaryadair.blogspot.com/

         Carra Copelin writes contemporary romance with suspense elements. She and her husband live in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. She is writing the Code series, the first of which is CODE OF HONOR. Carra is one of my critique partners who keeps me on the writing path. She also researches her books with care for detail. She’s President of the Yellow Rose Chapter of Romance Writers of America. Find her at http://carracopelin.com/blog.html

           Anna Jeffrey writes contemporary romance and steamy women’s fiction. Anna also is half the team of the Dixie Cash books. Yes, she is fun to talk to, much like the Dixie Cash books are to read. But her Anna Jeffrey books are great reads. Her latest is THE TYCOON, the steamy first of her Sons of Texas series. Her West Texas series and Idaho series are not to be missed. Find her at http://annajeffreyauthor.wordpress.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

THE CLEAN SLATE

Happy New Year!

This is a great day! Each of us has a clean slate. Last year’s problems are wiped away. This is our year to shine!

Don’t you love a do-over?

Like most people, I set goals for the year. For me, a large portion of my goal setting involves books I plan to write and one on which I’m working, GABE, will be finished soon. I plan a couple of contemporary romances as well as another historical romance. Something for everyone, right?

There are several projects Hero and I have for our home, one of which is fairly major in our opinion—new flooring in the family room and hallway. Although we dread the mess, we look forward to nice floors in that room. We're thinking sustainable bamboo stained to look like oak. What do you think? Our anniversary is this month, so new floors will be our anniversary present to us. Currently, we have off-white carpet that is stained. We have had white carpet in our living/dining rooms in several of our homes in which we’ve lived over the years, but not in a high traffic family room. Doesn’t work for us. I guess we are messy people. I’d like to blame our pets, but I admit it’s the humans who make most wear. We love our huge trees surrounding our home, but leaves and leaf mold make a terrible mess when tracked inside.

Writer at work.

Personal goals? You guessed it—lose weight. Get more fit. About time! Writers tend to sit and, well, write. And spread out. And out. And while I'm not a bear, I do resemble the cartoon above. I'm fluffy. ☺ Personally, I have always hated exercise and I am so not an outdoor person. I love sitting in my little pink writing cave for hours and hours—and I do so. In 2014, I must force myself out to exercise. And I must eat smaller portions of healthy food. Goodness, sounds dreary, doesn’t it? The results will be worth it, at least I hope so.

And what an exciting year 2014 promises to be writing wise! Yesterday, my second audiobook, HIGH STAKES BRIDE, became available at www.audible.com and will soon be available at Amazon and iTunes. In the meantime, BRAZOS BRIDE is available at all three sites. Add those to my list of print and ebooks, and I am grateful to have so many titles available to readers in several venues.

Like the majority of people in the United States, I want to save more money. With rising costs and a fixed income, that's not an easy goal to accomplish. I am happy to say we have no credit card debt, but keeping up with the rising prices of everyday items is hard. You know exactly what I mean, I'm sure, unless you are exceedingly wealthy. 

Mmmwhaaaa to readers!

I’m grateful to YOU readers who buy my books. I love writing and would undoubtedly write even if no one but me read the books. How much more fulfilling to have you read them and continue to buy new titles! I love you readers. I humbly and sincerely thank you.

What are your goals for 2014?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I suspect each of you do also. No matter how perilous life seems at times, we are much better off than many others. Our daughters will be joining us to celebrate a traditional dinner with turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, spinach souffle, asparagus casserole, and pecan pie with ice cream for dessert. Oh, dear, I think I gained weight just writing the menu. Hero is preparing dinner, except for the pie which Darling Daughter 2 is bringing. I'm bringing my appetite. ☺ DD2 is gluten free and vegetarian, and DD1 has allergies. Both are allergic to sweet potatoes in case you wondered why they aren't on the menu. I'm allergic to pumpkin. For years I cooked with those things in mind but now I've turned the kitchen over to Hero. He takes all that into consideration when he plans the meal. Impossible to have every dish suit every person, but he does an amazing job. The gravy and dressing are made with vegetable stock, so our vegetarian can eat it.

Are you one of those brave souls entering the Black Friday crush? Darling Daughter 2 and I will be plotting our shopping strategy. We will venture out and bravely wend our way through throngs to get the gift for which Hero had dropped hints. Hints? They would have broken my foot if they had landed there. ☺

We won't forget to give thanks for all the blessings that have come our way this year.

Thanks to those of you who have read my books, told friends about them, and have left reviews. You are the best! 

I am so lucky to be doing what I love day after day. 

Me doing what I love

In the meantime, here are my literary accomplishments this year:

(hint, hint) Books make lovely gifts and can save all that weaving through crowds.

Just order online from Amazon for print and ebook and from Smashwords and others for ebooks. The print book will arrive in your mail box and you don't have to spend gasoline, time, and energy. You'll please the recipient while you save yourself all that bother.

BLUEBONNET BRIDE has proven one of my most popular books and stayed in Amazon's top 100 western romances for many weeks. It's the third in my Men of Stone Mountain series. My friend Nelda Liles generously gave me the bluebonnet photo from shots she took at the Ennis Bluebonnet Trail. The woman's photos is from iStock and Hero combined the two.

TABITHA'S JOURNEY is a novella I enjoyed writing and received excellent reviews. It's the first novella I've written in a few years, and is a spin off of the Men of Stone Mountain series. Many readers enjoy a shorter read. Do you think the girl on the cover looks as if she's a proper Boston beauty who traveled west? She's a mail-order bride. I've always wanted to write a mail-order bride story, and this one has a twist.

Frankly, I like writing longer books so I can include more devious machinations. I like lots of mayhem and murder in my books, don't you? Oh yes, and always a happy ending.

For the first time I bundled three books into a boxed set at a reduced cost to the reader in the MEN OF STONE MOUNTAIN set. This set contains two award winning books, BRAZOS BRIDE and HIGH STAKES BRIDE..

THE MOST UNSUITABLE COURTSHIP received excellent reviews and I'm still promoting it. If you haven't read this third book in the Kincaid series, please do so now. The hero of this story is Storm Kincaid, younger half brother of the sisters in the first two books. The heroine is a bit different, as she is from Bavaria and has just learned English. This cover is by Kim Killion.

At www.audible.com, BRAZOS BRIDE, narrated by Valerie Gilbert, is available. It's also available from Amazon. I love the way Valerie has brought the story to life. This is the first time I've had an audio book. I'll be telling you more about that with an audio sample next week. As I mentioned above, this is an award winning book.

Eight friends and I also bundled a boxed set of our books titled NINE WAYS TO FALL IN LOVE. We had so much fun with a month long launch party and met some wonderful readers.

Thanksgiving turkey in Stetson courtesy of Lyn Horner

On a personal note, I'm thankful we moved into a snug little home near many of my friends and near stores and restaurants and everything we need. I love our house and location. Now, if I could just get everything unpacked and in its place, I'll be even more thankful.

Our current home is an hour closer to Darling Daughter 1 and thirty minutes closer to Darling Daughter 2, so we see both of them more often. Another reason to be thankful!

I hope recalling your year brings smiles to your face and happiness to your heart. I wish you a bountiful year to come.

Thanks for stopping by!

HOW TO GET GOOD REVIEWS ON AMAZON

How To Get Good Reviews From Amazon

By

Theo Rogers

BLURB:  

How To Get Good Reviews On Amazon is a simple, no-nonsense guide that teaches exactly what it says it does. Based on both psychological science and thousands of hours of conversation with some of Amazon’s top reviewers, it takes you behind the scenes into the reviewing subculture that has grown up on Amazon’s website. It gives you a deep, insider’s knowledge of how the top reviewers think and operate. It not only shows you what to do: it takes you inside the reviewers’ heads so that you can see for yourself both how these techniques work and why they’re so effective.

Lessons include:

·       A simple, four-part formula for writing emails that get your work reviewed.

·       Three things never to say when communicating with reviewers!

·       How to pick reviewers who are more likely to give you a good review.

·       How to reduce the chance that a reviewer you contact will post a bad review – even if it turns out they don’t like your work!

·       How people get caught out when receiving reviews from friends and family.

This book teaches an honest, straightforward approach that works. It works because it’s not based gimmicks or tricks but on a real understanding of how Amazon reviewers operate: most of all on what they expect from authors and other sellers. If you want to know how to talk to Amazon reviewers in a way that will make them respect you as a professional and see you as the kind of seller they actually want to help, this is the book for you. 

Excerpt

One of the most fundamental ideas in this booklet is that there’s a definite reviewing subculture that has grown up on Amazon’s website. Like any culture, it has its own particular values and mores: its own ideas about what’s right and what’s wrong. When we come to the issue of shill reviews, we collide headlong with the values of the reviewing culture. As you might expect, most reviewers see shills – and the sellers who use them – as very, very wrong.

Because this section is all about values, I think it’s important to stress that I’m writing here as your guide to Amazon’s reviewing subculture. I’m not writing as a missionary on its behalf.

Simply put, I believe that your journey through the Amazon Jungle will be smoother, easier, and more successful if along the way you’re respectful of the values of the natives who dwell there. For that reason, I’m going to lay out for you some of the more commonly held tenants: the basic beliefs that most of the natives would hold to. It’s not for me to tell you whether you should embrace these values to the core of your being and make them your own. I’m just telling you that as a matter of pure pragmatism, you are going to make trouble for yourself if you ignore them.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Theo Rogers combines years of coalface experience on Amazon's website with formal training and qualifications in a range of business and social science disciplines. He's spent literally thousands of hours talking with Amazon reviewers, getting inside their heads, and learning what makes them tick. He's spent almost as many hours observing the carnage that so often takes place on Amazon's forums. In the process he's developed a deep insider's knowledge of the reviewing subculture that's grown up on Amazon's website.

He's also seen a lot of authors and other would-be sellers make the same mistakes in their dealings with that subculture - over and over again.

As a result of his experiences, Theo has come to believe that yes, there is a simple formula that works: a way of dealing with reviewers that's honest, powerful, and extremely effective at winning reviewers over, getting them on your side, and making them actually want to help you.

https://www.facebook.com/TheTheoRogers

 Thanks for stopping by!

THE BENEFITS OF TAI CHI

One of the few bad things about writing books is that authors sit staring at our computers most of the time. I spend eight to ten hours a day at my lovely computer station in my nice pink cave. I love it my time there. If I’m not writing, I’m promoting on social media. Worse, I’m one of those who hate, loathe, and despise exercise. Other than walking on my treadmill while I watch a segment of HGTV, one thing I’ve found that I do like is Tai Chi. Even a klutz like me can do the slow, controlled movements of Tai Chi. Don't confuse this with defensive martial arts or even gentled down yoga. Tai Chi is an ancient exercise practiced in China. One of our beneficial imports. ☺ So, I have agreed to let a more knowledgeable person post about this ancient form of centering the body and mind. Here’s my guest, nurse Pam Johnson:

The Body Benefits Of Tai Chi

By Pam Johnson

Young man practicing Tai Chi
Photo from iStock

Tai chi is a great way to achieve total mind and body balance. Unlike strenuous exercise routines, tai chi is a gentle way to relieve stress while getting your body in shape. Often referred to as "meditation in motion", tai chi uses slow motion, slow impact exercises to get your body into optimum shape. Just like with meditation, tai chi also uses breathing techniques that help to balance the mind while balancing the body. If you are curious about the benefits tai chi can have on your body, here are some of them.

- Strengthen Muscles. Tai chi is a great way to strengthen your muscles. When you incorporate a tai chi exercise routine in your day to day life, you will begin to build muscles and therefore increase your body strength.

- Body Balance. As you age, your body begins to lose its coordination and balance. Tai chi helps to build this balance, which can be especially important to older individuals. When your body has better balance, you will be better equipped to protect it from injuries that can occur from a painful fall because you won't be as apt to fall.

Tai Chi can be practiced almost anywhere
at almost any age
Photo from iStock

- Flexibility. Body flexibility is important in so many ways, and tai chi can help you acquire both upper and lower body flexibility. When you are flexible, you will suffer less injuries due to strained and torn muscles. Flexibility is very important to the overall health of your body.

- Mental Balance. When we think about the health of our bodies, we often fail to recognize the fact that mental health is just as important as physical health. Since tai chi involves meditation, this form of exercise can help to strengthen and calm the mind which can lead to an overall higher level of mental health.

- Improves Health Conditions. Tai chi is great for fighting off numerous health problems and diseases. When you practice tai chi on a daily basis, you can help your body fight off illnesses like heart disease, arthritis, breast cancer, Parkinson's disease, stroke, hypertension, and certain health conditions that affect the bones. If you want to improve the health of your body so to help avoid these medical problems, you may want to consider incorporating tai chi into your daily exercise routine.

- Stress. If you find that you are overwhelmed by stress, practicing tai chi may actually help to cut down or all together eliminate stress from your life. Because it involves meditation and balancing of the mind, tai chi is great at fighting off the negative side effects associated with stress.

As you can see, tai chi has numerous health benefits for both your mental and physical health. Unlike certain exercise techniques that are not good for all people, tai chi is a form of exercise that can be beneficial for almost anyone. Just like with any exercise techniques, it is best to speak with your doctor before incorporating tai chi into your daily exercise routine. If you want to eliminate stress, improve health conditions, improve body and mental balance, strengthen muscles, and improve flexibility, you may want to consider giving tai chi a chance. You will most certainly be happy that you did.

Author Pam Johnson has been a nurse for several years. She facilitates tai chi classes for those whom would benefit from them. She received her nursing degree from one of the Best Master's in Nursing Degree Programs in the country.

Thanks, Pam. 

And while you're considering where to sign up for Tai Chi, why not read my latest book? You can find BLUEBONNET BRIDE here:

Smashwords:https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/287177?ref=CarolineClemmons

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bluebonnet-Bride-Stone-Mountain-ebook/dp/B00BHOC7L8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1361910141&sr=1-1&keywords=caroline+clemmons

Thanks for stopping by!