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Authors On the Road Day 1
We arrived! We drove…and drove…and drove, but we got here safely and are loving our place! I knew that sister PJ vacationed with aplomb, but who knew Lizzie and I would enjoy such luxury? First though, the trip. I asked Gigi (my GPS) to avoid toll roads and interstates, and boy, did she! Part of our trip was on long country roads, past cornfields and farms and pastures with cows and horses. Delightful scenery! Interestingly, the route she took us on had so few towns, large or small, that we were starting to wonder whether Illinois actually had any small towns. We finally found a place for food and enjoyed…
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Sunday Snippet: The Authors on the Road, Fall Edition
Despite last week saying I never know what day of the week it is, I actually do know it’s Sunday today, mainly because I’m writing the Sunday Snippet. But also because Liz and I are headed out for our fall writing retreat this morning. We’re headed to Galena, Illinois. Do you guys know that town? We’ve never been there before, which is part of the fun of going, and we have sister PJ and BIL to thank for the accommodations. They’re letting us use their condo. It looks pretty luxurious and has an indoor pool! (That’s the magic word for me, and graciously, Liz goes along with me, even though…
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Sunday Snippet: The What Day Is It Again? Edition
Remember when Tuesday meant you had a good start on the week, it was a pool day, and you knew Husband would be at work and the kid would be at school? When the weekend was well and truly over and you were into your week? All was right in your world. I have a confession—Husband’s been retired over ten years and I rarely know what day it is. Seriously, I don’t. Most of the time I couldn’t tell you whether it was Sunday or Thursday. It’s even worse at the lake because every day at the lake feels like Saturday. Weird phenomenon, but it’s true. The only way I…
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Author Spotlight: Meet Debut Thriller Author John David
We have a winner! Sandy Pride, you are John’s giveaway winner! John will be in touch. Thanks to everyone who stopped by–we love talking to our readers. I love a good thriller, so it’s particularly special to me today to welcome debut thriller writer and fellow Tule Publishing author, John David to the Spotlight today. We had a fascinating chat, and he’s got a giveaway for you! John David is a long-time public relations and crisis communications consultant, author of a non-fiction business book, and a corporate ghostwriter. His debut novel, The Bystander (The Lemaster Files Book 1), was longlisted for the BPA First Novel Award. When not working or…
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Author Spotlight: Shelly Jones Is Back for More Fun & Games!
We have a winner! Congratulations to Donna E Hammer Durnell! You are Shelly’s giveaway recipient. Shelly will be in touch with you. Thanks to everyone who stopped by–we love talking to our readers! Shelly Jones is a professor by trade and a nerd by design. Woefully introverted, their pockets are full of post-it notes and their head is full of (unsaid) witty come-backs and un-won arguments from years past. When they aren’t grading papers or writing new cozy mysteries, Shelly can often be found hiking in the woods or playing a board game while their cats look on. Website | Instagram | Bluesky | Goodreads ~*~*~*~ Thanks for having me on…
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Sunday Snippet: The Autumn at the Lake Edition
Autumn is my favorite time of the year, even though I’m often restless and sad in the fall. It’s an ending in so many ways, and yet there is that feeling of joyful beginning that comes with Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season, even when the world is suddenly a scarier and more uncertain place. Fall is sweatshirts and jeans and corduroy jackets and yoga pants and maybe even scarves now and then, but not yet heavy winter coats and gloves and hats. It’s walks in the neighborhood that leave you feeling smugly exercised, but not particularly sweaty. It’s trips to the orchard for apples and cider and…
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Sunday Snippet: The Reflections on Aging Edition
I turned 72 on Friday. 72. It is a number I never expected to see because when my mom died suddenly of a massive heart attack at the tender age of 60, I became convinced that I would follow in her footsteps. After all, I’m a lot like my mom in other ways. When I passed 60 … and continued on for another almost ten years, I was always kind of surprised that the next birthday happened. Surprised and oh, so very grateful. In December of 2022 when I was diagnosed with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) at the age of 69, I was pretty sure that I…
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Author Spotlight: And … It’s Me!
We have a winner! Jonna Niles your name was randomly selected to receive my Montana goodies box! I’ll be in touch to get your mailing address. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to celebrate with me! I’ll be all over the place in the next few weeks, so keep your eyes open–there will be other goody boxes to be had! Hello, mes amis. Today I’m in the Author Spotlight with my new and very first cowboy romance, Forever Cowboy! I’m so excited to share this book with you because it was a big step outside of my comfortable River’s Edge box and into a brand new setting in Marietta, Montana.…
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Sunday Snippet: The Imprinting Edition (A Peek into the Writerly Mind)
So many authors I know often talk about how much they love to write and how it seems as though every situation–good or bad–gets filtered through their inner writer. That’s so true. I’m wondering right now if it is a bad thing that even when I am in the midst of chaos and crisis, sickness and grief the writer is still creating–inventing scenes, conversations, and scenarios. I’ve thought it about it a lot as we’ve been in such crisis in our country, and I’ve been trying to decide if it’s something to feel guilty about or not. I think it’s not. It’s never a bad thing when our gift kicks…
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Author Spotlight: Sinclair Jayne Brings the Next Montana’s Rodeo Cowboy!
We have a winner! Joannie Sico–you are Sinclair’s winner! She will be in touch. Thanks to everyone who stopped by. We love talking to our readers! One of the best gifts I ever got was when I was assigned to Sinclair (Sawhney) Jayne as my editor for my series. She’s brilliant and knows me and my stories almost as well as I know them myself. I can’t imagine taking this new journey into cowboy romance without her! It’s a honor to welcome her to the Spotlight today with her new novel, Rogue Cowboy, the third installment of Tule’s new series, Montana’s Rodeo Cowboys, which releases today! YAY! Sinclair is a…