Writer's moments
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Sunday Snippet: The Another THE END & a Cover Reveal Edition
What a wonderful feeling to be able to type “The End” at the finish line of a long arduous writing experience. I have another novel done—really, truly done! And my critique partners are on-board, one even said, “I love this story!” That is high praise indeed from a person whose writing I’ve admired for years. Help Wanted, Cowboy is out to betas right now, and I’ve been going through it in preparation for sending it to my editor next week. Since I got to THE END, how about I do a cover reveal for this book? The amazing Lee Hyat has given me another wonderful cover for Help Wanted Cowboy,…
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Sunday Snippet: The Red Boots and Style Edition
I’ve been working on becoming more confident and seeing myself in a new way. Clothes are part of this very slow transformation–wearing them, buying them, choosing them… knowing what best suits me. In the daybook Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach talks about finding clothes that fit your lifestyle. That assumes I have a lifestyle, which I’m not entirely sure I really do. I’m a writer and editor. I pretty much live in comfort clothes–yoga pants, T-shirts with a sweater tugged over the top of them or a sweatshirt if it’s really cold outside. Slippers or socks and I’m good to go for the day. There are even days, I confess,…
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Author Spotlight: Welcome Back Mystery Writer J.C. Kenney!
We have a winner! HiDee Silverwood Ekstrom, you are J.C.’s giveaway winner! Thanks to everyone for stopping by! Nothing makes this author happier than welcoming great writers who also happen to be good friends to the spotlight. Today it’s my real pleasure to welcome mystery writer and fellow Tule author J.C. Kenney to join me here on the blog! (Confession? I’m in love with Elmo Simpson!) J.C. Kenney is the Agatha award winning and bestselling author of The Allie Cobb Mysteries, The Darcy Gaughan Mysteries, and The Elmo Simpson Mysteries. He’s also the co-host of The Bookish Hour and Bookish Moment webcasts. When he’s not writing, you can find him…
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Sunday Snippet: The Five Fun Facts Edition
William Harris and Julie Syers, you are my e-book winners! My publisher will be sending you both e-books of The Cowboy’s Comeback. Thanks so much for coming by! Okay, right off, I confess I’m truly down-to-my socks tired. Between book release promotion and heading to THE END on Book 3 in the Juniper Falls Ranch series, and working on editing gigs, my brain is basically mush today. Sometimes, that happens on Sundays–whatever intellect I have left goes into hiding and even remembering how to use my new coffeemaker is a reason to stop and pause. (I remembered and I now have coffee–yay!) When that brain drain happens on a Sunday…
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Author Spotlight: Welcome Dakota Harrison–She’s stepping into the World of Cozy Fantasy
I’m so delighted to welcome author Dakota Harrison back to the Spotlight. She’s been here before with her contemporary romances with our favorite publisher, Tule Publishing. Today, she brings something new to the spotlight–cozy fantasy. I had to look that one up, and wow, is the concept ever intriguing. Google told me that “Cozy fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy focused on comforting, low-stakes stories set in magical worlds, emphasizing warmth, community, relationships, and everyday life over epic battles or high-stakes conflicts. It offers a relaxing escape with feel-good vibes, gentle pacing, and charming, often domestic, details like tea, food, and found families, making it a popular genre for readers…
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Sunday Snippet: The January 2026 Musings Edition
How it’s already January 18? Wasn’t it just Thanksgiving? Heck, wasn’t it just summer, for heaven’s sake? Time is going by too quickly. Basically, we’re hunkered down here because the weather is so bitter, flu and Covid are rampant, and I’m doing a round of a topical chemo cream on some pre-cancerous spots on my face, which makes me look kinda gross. I feel safe in my little brick house in the Nest, but the days are are dark–not just because of the season but also because of what is happening in our nation and in the world. We watch events in Minnesota with horror, praying for the folks there,…
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Sunday Snippet: The Audio Books & Memories Edition
I’ve just started listening to audiobooks recently—frankly, since my own book, Forever Cowboy, was released on audio. (Little plug there. Yeah, I’m shameless.) Anyway, I never thought I could listen to an audiobook in the car and keep my focus on driving. Surprisingly, I’m finding that I can, indeed, listen to an audiobook and drive. I started with Claire Cook’s Must Love Dogs because I’ve read the book, enjoyed the film they made from it, and I know the story. I thought maybe if I knew a story it would be less likely to distract me while I was driving. Last month, I listened as I drove up to a…
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Author Spotlight: Kris Bock Kicks Off Our 2026 Spotlights with Her New Cozy!
What a treat to have fellow Tule author Kris Bock as my first guest in the Author Spotlight for 2026. Kris is an amazing mystery writer and keeps me totally intrigued with every book. Her romances are also great fun! Kris Bock writes mystery, suspense, and romance, often with smart, snarky heroines finding adventure (sometimes against their will) in the Southwest. She lives in New Mexico where she enjoys hiking with her husband and playing with their ferrets. Quick Fun Fact: Kris also writes The Felony Melanie series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. If you haven’t discovered…
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Sunday (Whoops, Thursday) Snippet: The Happy New Year Edition
Today is the first day of 2026, and frankly, I’m skipping resolutions and a word for the year and planning all the ways I’m going to succeed and be amazing this year. My plan for 2026 is to simply survive another year of this regime. Well, okay, not simply survive, I also intend to do what I can do to resist and get educated on how I can best fight for our Constitution and the rule of law. That might mean donating to causes, marching in protests, and voting in important elections, but it won’t mean posting and reposting that resistance on Facebook. On Facebook, I’m preaching to the choir.…
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Sunday Snippet: The December Mourning to Joy Edition
Yesterday was the 11-year anniversary of my sister, Kate’s, death. On December 19, 2014, cancer stole Kate from me. It’s always a hard day, but this year felt harder … weepier than usual. Not sure why. Maybe because the state of the world has left my emotions raw and simmering close to the edge since last Christmas. I’m exhausted with worry and fear and cringing at whatever’s next. But Kate’s was a quiet, peaceful passing. She had dealt with health issues for some time, but by the time we discovered what was happening, the cancer had spread and her body had no more fight in it. Three months after the…