…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 going to cut my Facebook and Twitter time down to once a day. I know that means I’ll miss some things and if I miss something important from you, I’m very sorry. But I am way too distracted by social media and the best thing I can do for myself as I work is to simply stay away.

I’ll be checking in here frequently each week–not sure how many days, but I’m hoping it can be my place to process stories and life in general. I hope you’ll all stop by and join me. I’ll be rethinking the social media hiatus the first of April, and who knows? I may not be able to stick to it. We’ll see, won’t we?

In the meantime, my gratitude for this first day of a new year and a new decade overflows. A few of the multitude of things I’m so thankful for in my life are my family, Husband and Son and Grandboy and DIL and sister…and all the folks who are in my family; my friends–in particular Liz, Moe, Connie, Di, Har and my other lake pals, my church friends, and friends old and new that I’ve found on Facebook; our new house; my writing and my publisher, who always supports me; my health–although I’m getting older, I’m still strong and pretty much healthy and when I’m not, I’m very grateful for my doctor.

My wish for all of you is a peaceful 2020, full of joy and hard work if you’re looking for it and the fulfillment of your dreams. Remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful in all things, and love well.
~Nan~

This is the start of a brand new week and although I haven’t done my gratitude days for a while, I have a really good reason for my absence, which will be revealed here one week from today. In the meantime, let’s talk about…whatever.

Right off, what the heck happened to fall? I mean, the leaves started changing, we had a few brisk days and suddenly, oh my gosh! It’s winter–like below freezing temps and snow! Now, I’ll grant you, the snow didn’t stick, but the temperatures in the 20s and teens sure did! Leaves are falling off the trees like crazy up here at the lake and poor old Husband nearly froze his bum off taking the boat around to the launch to pull it for the winter. However, it is now safe in storage and we are heading in the direction of getting the cottage ready for winter as well.

I’ve been crazy busy getting ready for the release of Christmas with You–book 3 in the Four Irish Brothers Winery series. That happens November 21 and then the Book Blast with Goddess Fish Promotions happens December 2 through 6. There’ll be fun prizes and giveaways during that week, so stay tuned and watch for announcements on Facebook and Twitter.
I gotta tell you, I love this story. Aidan is such a great character and Holly grew stronger and became quite a good woman by the end of the story. It’s fun to watch your characters develop as you write their story. Character arcs are probably the best part of creating a story, although setting runs a close second. Well, and secondary characters are a blast, too. I guess I love everything about writing.

Speaking of writing, I’ve got something new brewing in my head that I’m hoping will turn into a proposal for my publisher. It’s something different than I’ve ever written before, but I think I can pull it off. I have a friend who writes this genre (nope, it’s a secret until I see if my publisher is interested), so I’m going to contact him and process the idea with him and get his opinion. We’ll see…

So for now, that’s the news that’s fit to print. Be sure to check back here next week for big news! Can’t wait to share it with y’all! Until then, gratitude for this week is my family, my friends, time to write, changes coming together for the good, and always, my readers, who keep me focused on what’s next.
Remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well. ~Nan~

It’s my publisher’s 6th birthday! Tule Publishing has officially released 600 books and been in business for six years! Here’s to many more years of publishing wonderful stories by lots of great authors (me, too!) and to me having a long career with Tule!

Well, no new houses to see, although our portal keeps getting new ones posted. Just not our house. We looked at two that were not our house, so I’ve decided to try to adopt a zen attitude–if it’s the right house, we will know it when we see it. I just can’t spend too much more time with a house-hunting knot in my stomach.

Edits on book 3 arrived and after a long talk with my editor, I stopped crying and started working on ways to develop Holly. She needs developing. So that is my mission for the next couple of weeks. Hold a good thought, okay?

Gratitude for today:
Oatmeal for breakfast
Lovely 3/4 moon tonight
Finished Kristin Higgins’s new book Life and Other Inconveniences–excellent read!
Saw a whole yard full of gladiolas today–they were exquisite!
Iced tea

I’m deep into book promo for Meant to Be, Sean and Megan’s book in the Four Irish Brothers Winery series that I’m writing for Tule Publishing. It releases on July 18, but is currently available for pre-order. I confess I’m not a good self-promoter. (However, I can stick a convenient link into a blog post with little trouble.) Most of the writers I know aren’t good at it. Promotion means coming out of our little writing caves and interacting with the reading public. I wish I could describe how intimidating that is.

Although when I’m with my tribe, I’m pretty outgoing, I don’t do well with crowds of strangers, whether physical or virtual. I’m getting better as I get more experience at promo, but all in all, I’d rather write. Fortunately, for me, I have a great publisher, who really promotes my work and encourages me to do the same.

So, I’m hip-deep in it–creating graphics, contacting book bloggers, coming up with giveaway ideas, paying promoters, and just generally marketing the heck out of my newest story. Here’s hoping it all pays off big for the Four Irish Brothers Winery series. Hold a good thought, won’t you? And hey, if you haven’t pre-ordered MEANT TO BE yet, slip on over to your favorite eBook retailer and click. Sure would appreciate it!

Until next week, mes amies. remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.
~Nan~

Well, we’re about 24 hours from closing and soon our home will belong to our buyer. We’ve worked hard to infuse as much love and joy into that house as we can, and if it’s true that homes have feelings, he should be all warm and fuzzy by tomorrow evening.

As for us, we are warm and fuzzy thanks to Son and DIL and Grandboy, who have welcomed us into their home and created a lovely temporary resting place as we look for a new house. Son made me a little office space, there is a wet bar that is our “kitchen,” and the bedroom and private bath are cozy and comfortable. We’re settling in, but we don’t want to get too comfortable. We’d like to try to find a house before summer is over.

Last night, Grandboy and I had a lovely time singing made-up rhyming monster songs when I tucked him in and we cuddled for a few minutes. He’s such a sweet soul, much like his mom and dad. All in all, we’re exhausted, but okay. I think we’re going to take a short break and try to regroup, then begin the house hunt. A few days at the lake will help immensely, I’m sure, plus a couple of writer buds are coming by next week for a writing day, so that will be fun, too.

Our routine will be back in force as Sunday we serve communion at church and I’m back to work with editing gigs and writing on novel 3 for the Four Irish Brothers Winery series for Tule Publishing and get ready for promotion for book 2, which releases July 18. A cover reveal and pre-order should be coming up soon! All in all, we survived the house selling and moving to storage… the next steps are pure adventure.

Gratitude for today: Son, DIL, and Grandboy–how generous and gracious they are! Good friends in our mover and realtor, who’ve had our backs through all this and continue to be there for us. Gracious clients who’ve stood by as I’ve had to stop work briefly during the actual move. All the folks who’ve helped or offered to, specifically Moe, who packed like a trooper and Terri, who cleaned with us yesterday. Merci, mes amies!! And all praise and glory to God, who has kept his hand of protection around us and listened to my weepy prayers and imprecations. God is good.

Remember that the Authors with Heart 2019 giveaway is happening right now! Stop by and enter to win one of eight great tote bags filled with lots of fun goodies! Click the link above to enter!

Until next week, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan~

I’m actually getting this up on the right day, aren’t you proud of me? Well, don’t be because I should be writing on book 3 for the Four Irish Brothers Winery series or working on editing gigs. However, yesterday was somewhat of a victory, so I’m celebrating by keeping to my planned schedule.

We got the garage and attic decluttered! YAY! Sent a truckload of stuff with the Fire Dawgs–a great group of guys who take care of junk for people who’ve lived in a house for 35 years and collected…well, a lot of stuff they no longer need. Our attic is empty for the first time in 35 years and the garage is officially ready to pack for the movers. The Fire Dawgs were amazing–quick, kind, efficient, and understanding. We really appreciated their hard work on our behalf.
As we watched them drive away, Husband said, “We never could have done that ourselves.” That may not sound huge, but for him to confess that something was beyond him is more than huge. It’s acceptance of help and he’s getting better at that throughout this process. I’m really proud of the way he’s been able to release some of the hard work to others. If you’re married to or know an engineer, you’ll understand how difficult that is for him.

We’ve had such great help as we’ve made this journey–Our realtor, Lynn, from ReMax Ability has been our salvation, and our mover, Fred, from Guardian Relocation is the best. Both of them have shown such consideration and care for re-homing these two old empty-nesters. We can’t imagine having done any of this without them. It’s wonderful to have thoughtful, caring people on your team–hugs and assurances of “We’ve got your back,” have helped us more than they can imagine. I’m still a wreck and probably will be until the closing is done, but each step we finish means, as my pal Liz Flaherty keeps telling me, another big sigh of relief. And Lynn keeps telling us the fun part (finding a new home) is coming. I’m truly ready for the fun part!

So gratitude for this week, all the good folks helping us along this very new and different path; support from dear friends and family; my faith, which keeps me tethered even when I feel adrift; Tule Publishing and their support for my writing; and lilacs–my lilacs are blooming and they are lovely and sweet.

Until next week, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan~

I didn’t think it was possible for life to get busier, but it has as we draw nearer to closing on the house and moving. So much to do and so many things to think about! However, all that stuff doesn’t mean I’m excused from my copy-editing gigs or writing. I have deadlines on both, so I’m still deep into Aidan and Holly’s story and the work that I’m contracted to do for my clients. Yesterday, though, I did some work in the yard and it was lovely to be completely mindless for just a couple of hours.

Be sure to grab my pal, Liz Flaherty’s holiday novella, The Dark Horse at a special price today–just 99 cents! It’s part of a fun boxed set and is there really a wrong time to read a holiday romance? (Bonus: It’s also in Kindle Unlimited!)

Gratitude for today: Husband, who is my rock always; Son and DIL, who’ve been so gracious and generous as we’re making this transition; our realtor, whose knowledge and kindness is holding us up; the green in our yard reminding me of what a beautiful place we’re sharing with our buyer; a chance to work in said yard yesterday and give it a little extra love for the new owner.

Until next week, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan~

I’m writing this on Fat Tuesday–we’ve been running moving-type errands today, getting ready for the movers to come tomorrow to pick up what Fred, our mover, (he rocks!) calls “the declutter load.” We’ve emptied closets, packed box after box, bin after bin, taken down photographs, and packed away tchotchkes and beloved knickknacks in an attempt to depersonalize our home in preparation for staging it and putting it up for sale.

It’s been…freeing in many ways but also bittersweet, and I’ve discovered that there is no way to neutralize this house. It’s been too lived in, too loved in. Our rooms are cozy and warm and inviting, so I’m counting on that vibe to sell this place. The yard is huge and the trees provide shade for us and sanctuary for the critters who’ve made their homes in our woods–deer, groundhogs, raccoons, foxes, and birds.

We heard our owl the other night, and we wondered together whether we’d hear owls in our new home, wherever that may be. We’re hoping for some good-sized trees in a much smaller yard along with a smaller house all on one level. I’ll miss my little garret at the back of the upstairs, but a new sunny office will be lovely, too.
Husband will miss mowing on his lawn tractor, but a smaller yard means less upkeep, less work. and maybe a chance for a couple of tomato and pepper plants. We couldn’t keep a garden here because the critters think we planted it for their feasting pleasure. Over the years, we tried everything to discourage them, including an electric fence, but when a squirrel bit the wire and electrocuted himself a few years back, we gave it up and decided to buy our fresh veggies at the farmer’s market or get them from dear brother-in-law, who has a bodacious garden in his backyard.

So, we’re getting there and some of the huge tasks that seemed insurmountable just two months ago are done–new shutters are hung, the old boat is on its way to boat heaven, the brush out front is cut, and the purging is nearly complete. We don’t know yet where we’ll end up, but there’s more pleasure now in the idea of moving and that’s a good thing.

As always, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan~

When people ask me what I do, my answer sometimes depends on how and why they ask the question. If it’s a random, we-just-met-at-an-event kind of query, I choose my answer based on how involved I want to get in the conversation. I know how bitchy that sounds, but sometimes, you just don’t want to have a long conversation with someone you know for certain is going to immediately chortle when you tell them you’re a romance writer. So those folks get “I’m a freelance copy editor.” Then the conversation can steer toward “Oh, I bet that’s interesting,” rather than a smirking “Really? Like 50 Shades? Heh, heh.” Yeesh…

Sometimes they ask, “What do you do for a living?” That’s easy, I’m a freelance copy editor for a living. I don’t earn enough from book sales to consider it a living, although I’m closer now than I was a few years ago. I can’t give up the editing gigs just yet, and even if I could, I’m not sure I’d would. I love editing almost as much as I love writing.

Then there’s the dilemma of telling someone I’m a writer versus telling them I’m an author. I’ve always differentiated writer from author–my delineation being whether or not I was published. A writer writes. An author writes and sells books, but she also markets and promotes and suffers mightily over rankings on Amazon and making lists such as the USA Today or NY Times bestseller list. So, based on that criteria, either one works for me at this point. However, before I started this article, I looked up both words and guess what! Webster doesn’t differentiate between a writer and an author.

A writer is “one who writes.” An author is “one who originates or creates; a writer of a literary work, such as a book.” So am I the only writer who didn’t consider herself an author until her first book was published? And what was it about being indie published that made me doubt my own authority as an author? (See what I did there? A little word play, tee hee.) Why did I not truly feel like an author until I had a 4-book deal with a traditional publisher? If all I ever wrote were articles on this blog, would I be any less an author than the writers who write and sell millions of books? That’s my question for the universe today–how do you define yourself–writer or author? Does it even matter?

As always, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan~

I’m learning to make promo pieces and man, am I having fun! I’m doing it with Canva, an online program that lets me create graphics for free. I’ve been experimenting since right before A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS released and used some of my handiwork to promote the book. Here’s my favorite one. The top is a graphic that the amazing Lee Hyat did for me, but I added the bottom part. When I get a little better at this, I’ll go find some  more great winery photos, either in my own collection or I’ll buy some and see what I can do.

Here’s one I created to show what great reviews the book is getting. I realize I’m using the same concept for all of them right now, but I’m constrained by not having the full program and maybe a little intimidated about trying anything fancier. I like the simple lines in these. However, This program is so much fun, I’m seriously considering signing up for the full version. I think I could get really creative just in time for Sean’s book… Oh, have I mentioned that Sean’s story is coming up next. It is… more on that next time.

Anyway, that’s been my late-night fun after long, long days of editing.

As always, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan