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Day 16: Gratitude with Liz
A Sum of Its Parts Hello! It’s Liz, hijacking Nan’s blog for today. It’s a glorious day in Michigan. The condo we’re in is walking distance from…everything. We’ve had great food, great ice cream, and a glass or two of wine, so it was good we walked. Although I don’t have the heart link with Michigan that Nan has, I do love it here. The World Wranglers have been trash talking the past few days about the Dog Days Kristi’s suffering in Ohio (I’m not sure she likes us anymore 😊), but we’re in mellow weather here and it is good not only for the disposition but for the soul…
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Day 15: Gratitude and We’re on Retreat!
It’s been a great day! Liz and I set off this morning in the rain, which, while dampening our hair did not dampen our spirits! Although the rain made Liz’s hair get big and mine to droop, like the ears of a basset hound. However, that’s why God made hair clips, right? We meandered up to Grand Haven. Took our time traveling through the the corn fields of Indiana and enjoyed a tour of the campus at Notre Dame in South Bend, which has changed a lot since the last time we were through. We took the back roads into Benton Harbor and realized that, even though lunch sounded good,…
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Days 12 & 13: Gratitude and Yes, I’m behind
Do you remember me saying that I was determined to be grateful each day, even if the most I could say was that I was grateful the day was over? That’s where I was yesterday and instead of posting it, I let it slide. I’m glad I did because today is better and later last night, it was lovely because I got to put Grandboy to bed, read Dogman with him, and sing and cuddle until Mommy came home to tag-team with me. There is such joy in being with that kid–and don’t get me wrong, he can be a royal PIA and sometimes stubborn and sometimes a real pill.…
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Wednesday Quick Check-in
We’re in the throes of house-selling stuff, so today, it’s a quickie! But I want to let you know about some fun stuff going on with some of my author buds. First of all, my friend Liz Kelly’s new Heroes of Henderson novel came out April 1 and Mr. Wright Now is just as fab as all the other hunky heroes from this fun, fun series. Don’t miss this one. And if you want to just start at the beginning of the series, head to Liz’s website to check out the rest of the Heroes of Henderson. While you’re there, sign up for her newsletter to stay up-to-date with all…
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Cover Wars!
Happy Wednesday, everyone! The cover for A Small Town Christmas is currently in a cover war over Author Shout. We’re firmly in third place, but here’s the great news, you can vote every 24 hours! So I’d love it if you clicked over and voted for my gorgeous cover all week long! Merci, mes amies. We lost our dear lake buddy, Rich, on Tuesday and we are heartbroken and bereft. He was a kind, generous, and charming man, who always had a smile. Cancer is so evil, and it has taken so many people from my life in the last few years. I know that, years ago, Rich would have…
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Revisions
I’m in revisions on Sean and Megan’s story. This is pretty much me for the next couple of weeks. My editor liked the story, had lots of good things to say about it, and really, the revisions aren’t arduous, but they are my same old issues–too much backstory and a heroine who needs to be fleshed out. Liz and I talked about the heroine thing when we were on retreat last week. Here’s the thing. I know my heroines–I know Megan and I think mostly, I’ve presented her well, but the guys in the Four Irish Brothers Winery series have taken center stage in each book because the books are…
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Writing Retreat Day 2
We are in our second day of writing retreat and we think we deserve great thumps of “good job, girls” on our backs. Because we have written, yes, and also because between the two of us, we’ve only bought one pound of fudge and two bottles of wine. No clothes. No sweatshirts proclaiming our whereabouts. We’ve eaten well—we always eat well—talked about everything from character development to eye shadow colors (neutrals work—who knew?), and slept well on the beds in the boutique hotel where we ended up staying. I am homesick, of course. It happens every time. Nan rolls her eyes when I admit it, but then she calls Jim,…
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Writing Retreat Day 1
It’s a little before 8 p.m. and Lizzie and I are already settled in our cozy room and we’ve both written a good bit since we checked in around 3 p.m. It’s been a nutty day. Right off, it is cold! Like winter serious cold! Our reservations were at a state park inn and we couldn’t check in until 4 pm, so we had lunch at this fabulous restaurant here in Nashville, IN — just fantastic food! An amazing cream of chicken soup with spinach and artichokes. Man was that ever tasty! The restaurant is part of an inn here in the heart of town–The Artists Colony Inn. It’s very…
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Retreat!
It’s Sunday morning and I’m still covered up with work, but I can see the light at the top of the heap finally. I’ve been focusing on editing gigs and packing up the house, so I haven’t written a word on Aidan’s book yet. However, I’m in full discovery mode and have even written a synopsis for the story, so I’m already ahead of the game on the book. Now it’s just down to writing, which will begin tomorrow when Liz and I get to our retreat. So, here are my new characters–hold a good thought for the story, which will be a Christmas book and even includes a young…
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Holiday Romance with Liz Flaherty
Know what’s great? Having a BFF who is also a romance writer because it means I get first peek at all her books, plus I have someone to process stories with. Someone who really gets it when I’m stuck and thinking I’m the worst writer ever. It’s good to be that person for her, too! Today, I’m celebrating the release of that person’s newest novel. Liz Flaherty’s The Dark Horse: A Christmas Carousel Story is part of the 12 Days of Heartwarming Christmas series of holiday novels and it is a wonderful, touching story. Liz graciously agreed to share an excerpt: This isn’t a scene between the hero, Row, and the…