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Sunday Snippet: The New Year Edition
It’s 2022. I’m celebrating, but very quietly. It’s almost as if I’m tiptoeing into the new year, holding my breath, not touching anything, and looking around for whatever is going to fall on our collective heads next. I hate that this is what I’ve become–a person who approaches everything with such caution, even a new year. But if the last two years have taught me anything at it, it’s to pay attention, to be careful, to know what’s happening in the world around me. There is a lot happening this year for me–I have three new books releasing in 2022 and I have two book signings that I hope can…
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Sunday Snippet: The River’s Edge Map Edition
I was so thrilled to get the darling map of River’s Edge, Indiana, my little fictional town on the Ohio River, that local artist Alyssa Overton created for me. This is the official unveiling, although you will find it in every e-book that takes place in River’s Edge from now on, as well in print editions of my River’s Edge stories starting with Falling for the Doctor, which releases in June 2022. So now, here you go. Thinking about breakfast at Mac’s Riverside Diner? Maybe a trip out to taste some wine at Four Irish Brothers Winery & Vineyard? How about a twilight walk along the River Walk or perhaps…
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Sunday Snippet: The Holiday Romance Edition
You know, I try not to do too many posts that are purely self-promo, although I grant you that I do say a lot about writing and my books here. Disclaimer in place, today’s post, by necessity, is short and sweet. Love holiday romance? Me, too. Here are a few that I love. Feel free to add to this list in the comments. I’d love your suggestions. A Christmas Town Homecoming: The latest offering from the Christmas Town authors who include my writing bestie, Liz Flaherty. Her story, Remember When, is just one of ten charming coming home stories in this anthology. Lighting Up Christmas: Sinclair Jayne’s latest…
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Sunday Snippet: Post-Thanksgiving Thoughts
This holiday weekend has flown by, hasn’t it? I’m a little stunned at how quickly it’s all happened. But, it’s another Thanksgiving in the hopper and we’re thinking about Christmas. We don’t generally decorate right after Thanksgiving because we do like to keep our decorations up through the New Year and they start to feel stale if we get them up too early. So even though today is the first Sunday in Advent, we won’t be putting up our tree until next week or even the following week. I’m about a third of the way into the first book in the Weaver Sisters series, which will begin releasing in 2023.…
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Sunday Snippet: The Anniversary Edition
It’s the four-year anniversary of signing my first book contract with Tule Publishing. What a fun ride it has been since then! I’m writing book #8 for them with two more after this one and hopefully another 4-book series for another family in River’s Edge. Whew! I love this little town and all the people in it. The characters feel like family to me and I truly hope they do to my readers as well. Speaking of River’s Edge—we were, right? It’s been a while since I’ve given y’all an actual snippet so today here you go. A little tiny snippet involving the town from The Valentine Wager. Setup, briefly,…
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Sunday Snippet: The Time to Start a New Book Edition
And so it is. I didn’t take the break I intended to take before I dove into the new novel and I think maybe I should have. Between editing gigs and life stuff, I could’ve used a few days of doing absolutely nothing. Reading, watching mindless television, long walks around the ‘hood, some fall yard cleanup–that kind of nothing. Instead, I panicked about deadlines and began Jasmine Weaver’s story, which has been rattling around in my head since before I wrote Becker’s story. Chapter 1 of Jazz’s story is with my critique partner now and I’ve brainstormed endlessly with Liz and my friend Kelly and Husband… but she’s still in…
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Sunday Snippet: The It’s a Snippet Edition
I’m sort of on a writing break–not really because I’m starting the first book in the Weaver Sisters series, but I’m not pushing. Mostly, I’m doing other stuff. I fall cleaned my house, went to a gala fund raiser for Nickel Plate Arts (my first foray into the world in almost two years), I watched a couple movies, I’m reading like crazy, I took walks, I had lunch with my sister for our birthdays… you know, real people stuff. I’ve also been working on promotion for The Valentine Wager, writing to reviewers, etc. and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Jasmine’s book–the first Weaver sister to get her…
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Sunday Snippet: The Whew, I Did It Edition
Wow. It’s been quite a week. Mostly because I finally wrote THE END on Book 3 in the Lange Brothers series. Becker’s book, The Fireman’s Christmas Wish, is in the hands of my fabulous editor, Sinclair Sawney, and I confess that I’m really nervous about this one. There’s a lot of me in grumpy Becker Lange and a lot of what I wish I could be in sweet and charming Harley Cole. Before this book, I’d never thought about how much of myself goes into my books, even though friends who know me and read my novels often say, “Oh, that line or that situation or that moment of humor…
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Sunday Snippet: The Sorry, I’m Busy Writing, So Here’s a Real Snippet Edition
Yeah, I am writing–lots! I’m facing a deadline that is way too close for comfort and I’ve turned into a writing hermit again. I’m sorry to my friends and family who keep wondering what’s become of me. I’m in front of my computer, writing Becker and Harley’s story, which seems to be coming along well as long as I don’t overthink and just let them have their way. There’s Christmas, a cute kitten, a guy who’s learning to love again, and a woman who hopes to be the one to bring him back into the light. Here’s a snippet from my current WIP: Her heart expanded to about twice its…
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Sunday Snippet: The Discovery Edition
Several years ago, I attended an Indiana RWA event—Bob Mayer’s Write it Forward workshop. It was inspiring and Bob’s book, The Novel Writer’s Toolkit is one of my go-to references. He has lots of valuable things to say about writing and the process of writing. Another mentor is Lani Diane Rich, whose Chipperish Media’s How Story Works podcasts are an invaluable source of inspiration and education for any writer. From Lani, I learned about discovery—what begins my process when I write. All books begin with an idea, as Mayer says. That’s “the heart of your story.” For me, it’s mostly characters in my head banging around, begging for their stories…