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The Famous Sister
I love that I’m currently ranked #33 among all of Amazon’s Best-Selling Contemporary Romance Authors–what a wonderful feeling that is! My sister, PJ, teasingly refers to me as “my famous sister,” which I find delightful and hilarious because although I treasure her pride in my writing, I’m hardly famous. I’m simply a midlist romance author, although I do have a small cadre of loyal readers to whom I owe any success I can lay claim to. My publisher, Tule Publishing, has added to that group and I’m ever always grateful to the team there who work so hard on my behalf. But I have to tell you honestly, as I…
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Hunkering Down…Really?
Right off, this is not news for me–I’m a freelance editor. Lock-down has basically been my life since 1996. I work from home, I write at home, I’m pretty much at home about 70% of the time. However, the whole idea that I have to stay at home is new to me and frankly, it’s kinda bugging me. I keep thinking of reasons I need to get in the car and go somewhere. If this self-quarantine thing wasn’t happening, I’d be merrily working away, needing nothing. Go figure. Here’s the thing, though; this isn’t really terrifying me. We needed a reset in this country, maybe this is the start of…
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So Close…
I’m soclose to writing THE END on Book 4 of the Four Irish Brothers Winery series–Brendan’s story. Very soon, I’ll have a title and cover reveal for you. This series has been a ton of fun to write and I’m delighted my publisher and readers are loving the Flaherty brothers and the town of River’s Edge. In fact, my publisher has invited me to write another series that happens in River’s Edge, Indiana. So stay tuned! All your favorite characters–Mac from the Riverside Diner, Noah from the hardware store, Dot and Mary from the quilt store, Janet from the yarn shop, and many others old friends, as well as the…
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We’re Back in Christmas Town for Valentine’s Day!
I am delighted to turn the blog over to Liz Flaherty, one of eight Harlequin Heartwarming authors who are bringing us a box set of new stories with a Valentine’s Day theme! Christmas Town, Maine is one of my very favorite settings and these stories are full of romantic fun! Tell us all about the new anthology, Liz… It’s a magical place, is Christmas Town, Maine, and the writers of its stories can’t wait to go back each year. They start planning the next roster of stories as soon as the current one is finished. They exchange names of characters and businesses and keep a bible of what’s been done…
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The Empty Bed Review
I was fortunate enough to receive a ARC of The Empty Bed, Nina Sadowsky’s latest installment of the Burial Society series, and wow, what a thrill ride! I both loved, and I confess, was sometimes confused by, the various POVs and settings, but that didn’t keep me from reading well into the night with a driving need to know what happened next, and isn’t that what a thriller is all about? Sadowsky’s artful prose takes you on an intriguing adventure with operatives from the witness protection program/detective agency she created previously in The Burial Society as three different stories intertwine in three different parts of the world. Another exciting read…
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Hibernation…
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Simple Goals
I’m over at Word Wranglers today with my first post of the new year. Stop by and let’s talk about goals for 2020. Do you have any?
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Happy New Year…
…and may 2020 bring all of you joy and peace and happiness. I know so many folks are doing a word for the year or making resolutions. I’m not. I’m simply going to make an effort to move forward and enjoy the journey. I am making some commitments. Not resolutions or huge lifestyle changes, but rather commitments to myself. One to take better care of me in all ways, but mostly by being more mindful each day. A commitment to finishing a book and getting a new series started. That means I need to step away from social media for a bit. I’m not going full-on hiatus, but I am…
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An Impostor’s Ah-Ha Moment
Have you ever heard of impostor syndrome? Basically, it’s “the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.” I suffer from this and I think most authors do. We are all pretty much people who are writing, not for the kudos for finishing a book, but because we have these characters in our heads begging to have their stories told. It has never occurred to me not to write, but I struggled with the idea of trying to get what I wrote published. Would it be good enough? Would people want to read it? Is…
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Book Blast Tour
I tell you, mes amies, this book release has been quite a ride! In addition to releasing CHRISTMAS WITH YOU, book 3 in the Four Irish Brothers Winery series, my amazing publisher arranged a BookBub promotion of the first book in the series, A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS. The promotion was spectacular and resulted in putting that book in the #1 spot on the Amazon Kindle Free Books list for a few days. I was astounded and delighted at the read-through rate for book 2, MEANT TO BE and the newly released Christmas with You. Folks grabbed the free book and then immediately went back to download the other two in…