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It’s Done!!
Okay, so I promised that I’d do a post of the reno work when it was done, so here we go. Most of the pics are pretty self-explanatory, but to recap: We had our dining room stripped and painted, the living room and hall/foyer/stairwell painted, and the kitchen stripped and painted. The cabinets were reworked by removing some and adding others to make the space more open and user friendly. The biggest thing was taking out the bulkhead cabinets over the peninsula, which completely opened up the space. We had new countertops installed as well as a new stove and microwave. We had all new hardwood flooring put in the…
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Release the Pigs!
I’m not a collector. Seriously. I don’t collect anything at all. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot of stuff, I do. Way more stuff that I need, definitely way more stuff than I use. But I don’t have any collections. I’m rather an anomaly because of it–most people collect something. My dad collected coins. My sister, PJ collects purple glassware and some kind of pink pottery and angels and milk glass. Sister Kate used to collect baskets, but I’m not sure she still does. Husband collects tools, but not because he’s a collector, rather because he uses a lot of different tools. A pal at the lake collects…
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Welcome, Author Martha Reynolds
A big welcome to author Martha Reynolds, whom I discovered on the Amazon Free Bestseller List a few months ago. Her book CHOCOLATE FOR BREAKFAST just delighted me and I wrote to tell her how much I enjoyed it. I’m so thrilled she’s written a sequel and very pleased and excited to have her here today. Martha ended an accomplished career as a fraud investigator and began writing full time in 2011. Her debut novel, CHOCOLATE FOR BREAKFAST, was selected as the 2012 Book of the Year in Women’s Fiction by the readers of Turning the Pages Books. CHOCOLATE FONDUE is the sequel to CHOCOLATE FOR BREAKFAST, and both books…
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Renovation Is Progressing…
…and we are so thrilled with how quickly things are moving along! The painting is done in the living room, hallways, foyer and stairwell. Breakfast nook has the base and paint for the Venetian glaze. The dining room walls are painted and the painters are working on the trim. The kitchen cabinets are all in and primed for paint and the new countertops are set. The hardwood floor is being laid as I type…all in all, we’re looking great! Well, actually, we’re a dusty mess, but the timing looks great. We should be close to done by the end of the week and completely finished by early next week. I’m…
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Welcome Author Robena Grant
Today, I’m Interviewing Romantic Suspense Author, Robena Grant, whose new 3-book Desert Heat Series begins releasing this month with the first book, Unlock the Truth. Robena writes contemporary romance about ordinary women who are thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Travel and discovering new places brings her great pleasure, and she often includes these discoveries in her stories. She is Australian by birth, lives in Southern California, and has two grown children. Robena may be contacted at: www.robenagrant.com where she blogs weekly, or follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. So, Roben, tell me: When did you first begin writing romance? I started writing in 2000. I thought that I was writing…
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Weekend Writing Warriors 8-Sentence Sunday #13
It’s that time again! This week’s snippet comes from one of my two new books (both are due out this summer). ONCE MORE FROM THE TOP is Carrie and Liam’s story, two people who had a very brief, but passionate love affair and then are separated for 16 years. In this snippet, Liam is wandering around Carrie’s Uncle Noah’s marina. In the bait shop, on a public bulletin board, he discovers a photo of a boy who looks almost exactly like his own nephew and it gives him pause…and then… Didn’t they say everyone has a twin somewhere? Jamie would probably get a kick out of knowing that his was…
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Welcome Author Linda Morris!
Today, I’m so excited to welcome guest blogger, Linda Morris, who is a multipublished writer of contemporary and historical romance. She writes stories with heart and heat. Her latest book, By Hook or By Crook, released last month from the Wild Rose Press. When she’s not writing, working, or mommying, she’s doing yoga, reading, working in her flower garden, or baking delicious things she probably shouldn’t eat. She believes that there are two kinds of people: pie people and cake people, and she is definitely one of the former. Her years of Cubs fandom prove she has a soft spot for a lost cause. A beat-up old copy of Kathleen…
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Renovations Are Fun!
We’ve started the reno work on our downstairs and wowza! This is the first time anyone else has ever done work on our house (outside of people laying floors or carpet), so a whole new experience for Husband and me. Honestly, I’ve never even had to call a repairman for anything—Husband is a genius and if anything breaks, he fixes it. So, other workman in our house pulling up carpet, tearing out cabinets, and doing demo work is disconcerting. However, we’re maintaining our zen, something we agreed to do before we ever started. It also helps to have a great contractor and we do! Tim Edens is a wonder! He’s…
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Weekend Writing Warriors 8-Sentence Sunday #12
I’m busy, busy doing revisions and edits on the two new books that are coming this summer to an e-reader near you, so here’s another snippet from my published novel, Rule Number One. It’s still the same night and Katy discovered that Jack was pretending to be her hired escort. She was plenty pissed and stormed out of the event and took a cab home. Jack’s too attracted to let it go, so he goes to her house, rings the bell, and starts over, introducing himself and telling her that he’d only stopped by to see if she could come talk to him about staging his mother’s house. It’s been…
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Weekend Writing Warriors 8-Sentence Sunday #11
Last week, I gave you a snippet of my novel, Rule Number One, which was published last year. Here’s another quick eight for you from that book. Hope it intrigues you enough to go here and buy it, or here if your e-reader of choice is a Nook. FYI, Rule Number One is also available in print from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble for those of you who still read by turning pages. Setting up the scene, we’re still in the very beginning of the book, where Jack has shown up at Katy’s and she’s mistaken him for her hired escort…he hasn’t actually figured it out yet… “We’re dating?”…