WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR 2017?

What did you do for New Year’s Day? Our family had a quiet celebration—of course eating black-eyed peas for good luck as is customary in the South and Southwest.

What’s on your schedule for this week and for 2017? Do you make New Year’s Resolutions or set goals? I set goals. This year I have a number of books I’m eager to write and publish.

Last year, I published eleven books, which meant I failed my goal to get in twelve. 

With all the family drama such as our daughter’s prolonged recovery from four surgeries in the past year, though, eleven books during the year were good for me. On top of that, we had other illness, a car wreck, yada yada the same things as everyone else. My new goal is to publish ten romances in 2017. We’ll see if I make this goal. I'm excited about those I've chosen.

Another goal is the same as always—to lose weight, especially the pounds I added between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Whew! I can’t resist yummy food and there was plenty of it in our house. Hero does the cooking, and he indulges me with my favorites. However, I easily resist exercise, which I hate with a passion and always have. This year, I have to find a happy compromise.

In case you missed the news, my last release of 2016 was MURDOCH’S BRIDE. This book is set in February of 1887. 

Here’s the synopsis:

Stranded in the snow…

Charity Kelso is accompanying her fussy Aunt Edwina from New York to Oregon when their train is wrecked and the passenger cars burn. Sweetwater Springs, Montana doesn’t have a hotel, so passengers are parceled out to townsfolk’s homes. No one wants anything to do with complaining Aunt Edwina. That also leaves Charity and their newly widowed friend Amelia nowhere to stay until the tracks are repaired. A new blizzard is headed their way, so what are they to do?

Logan Murdoch and his brother come to Sweetwater Springs to restock before the next storm arrives. Against Logan’s better judgment, the sheriff convinces him to take three stranded women to Murdoch Ranch. Other than their housekeeper-cook, no woman has set foot in the Murdoch home in the twenty years since Logan’s mother abandoned them. He doesn’t expect his father to welcome these unwanted female visitors.

Both Charity and Logan are surprised at the events that unfold. How could this have happened?

Amazon Buy Link: http://a.co/7flAy94

Thanks to each of you who bought any of my books and who took the time to leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. I look forward to your friendship continuing in 2017.

For now and in the coming year, I wish you abundant good health, prosperity, and peace.

Blessings,

Caroline

STARTING NEW PROJECTS AND SETTING GOALS

As soon as I complete one book, I begin work on a new one. In this case, I have just started work on two projects. Yes, that’s right, two. Normally, I work on one project at a time, but this circumstance is an exception to my rule.

The first book on which I’m working is one of four about the four Fraser brothers whose mother surprises them with brides. The brothers and their widowed mother have a ranch in Colorado. The books are called Surprise Brides with the name of the brother. 

The brother I drew is named Jamie Fraser, Jr., the eldest of the four and a widower with two rowdy children. The other brothers’ stories will be written by Cynthia Woolf—Gideon, Callie Hutton—Caleb , and Sylvia McDaniel—Ethan. Getting these stories planned has been fun but quite complicated. We have to insure that none of the books contradicts the others. The four books will be released simultaneously on October 1^st.

The second project is a brand new series I’ll be releasing starting later this summer. The series title is The Bride Brigade and is seven books long. Each book carries the name of the heroine. The first bride is JOSEPHINE. The covers were designed by the talented Skhye Moncrief. 

The Bride Brigade comes about when Lydia Harrison and her best friend, Sophie Gaston, are discussing the lack of marriage-age women in the town of Tarnation, Texas. The young men are leaving for larger cities where they have a chance to find a wife and have a family. Lydia is a wealthy young widow. As fond as she is of Sophie, she longs for women her age and to see children in Tarnation.

Lydia comes up with a plan. She’ll go back to Richmond, Virginia where she grew up and recruit several suitable young women to come back to Tarnation with her. She convinces her friend Sophie to go with her and help chaperone the young ladies.

Since Lydia has a large home, the young women will be her guests until they wed. She intends to bring back four women, but her soft heart compels her to accept an additional three. And that makes up the seven books in the Bride Brigade.

That’s what I’m doing for the next few months. 

What are your goals? Anything fun planned?

  

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?

FUN WITH NEW YEAR'S GOALS



Sara Ann

 Our guest writer today is Sara Ann, who is wise far beyond her years, and who also has a fun sense of humor. Sara Ann is the creator of the Pork on A Fork blog at http://porkonafork.blogspot.com/ Although slightly intimidated by the thought of being one of the youngest observational humor bloggers at only 17, she takes pride in her sense of humor. Sara currently lives in Connecticut, where she enjoys dancing, writing, photography, and music.

GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Caroline's cat
Sebastian

I need to do some major self-improvement this year, not because I’m a bad person, but because I’m completely lazy, unmotivated, and obsessed with my cats awesome. So I’m starting a list of things I need to change this year, including successfully going at least one day without getting distracted by trending topics on the Yahoo! Home page, which is debatable. I’ll try though, because anything that will help me stop being such a strange lunatic with severe ADD and an obsession with unicorns is something worth trying.

Here’s what I have so far: 

1. Get a Life


Very broad topic, I know. This goal for me, in other words, means “stop watching reruns of George Lopez until four o’clock in the morning; quit spending hours watching cats play keyboards and ride turtles on Youtube, and make friends.” I’m not really sure how to go about doing this, but I’m thinking Google will solve all of my problems.

2. Stop Getting Taller


I’m taller than half of the guys I go to school with, and the vast majority of my friends. I buy new pants and they turn into capris six months later. I’m not sure how to stop myself from growing, but I’m thinking of asking God very nicely if I can stay 5’9’’ and then help some elderly women cross the street, and give bowls of tomato soup to homeless people, so maybe God will do me a favor and make me stop getting taller. Maybe then, people will stop calling me “giraffe” and “Yeti” and “tall girl who’s obsessed with dinosaurs.”

3. Graduate


Okay, so this isn’t such a huge goal, since I’m halfway through my Senior year of high school and have no grades lower than a B-. However, the temptation of Google compels me, and I have to constantly make the decision to do French homework rather than waste my time Googling Keyboard Cat and ducks and potatoes. A good part of this goal would probably be to do my Math homework at home, rather than in the middle of class five minutes before I hand it in.


4. Get Better At Making New Year’s Resolutions


I realize that as far as New Year’s Resolutions go, mine suck. I’m not very good at this. I also realize that “Stop Getting Taller” is a horrible goal for the New Year. I could probably come up with some better goals, like “be a better person,” but there’re just so many things that could fit into that category. It’s a lot of thinking for me.

Sara, Thanks for sharing your unique take on life and the New Year.