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Sunday Snippet: The Here’s a Fun Story Edition
This is an incident that happened several years before my beloved friend Dee passed away, and I’m sharing it with you because I’ve been thinking of her so much lately. Dee would have a lot to say about what’s happening in our country right now and we’d be commiserating for sure. I remember Dee liked nothing better than a good embarrassment story particularly if it wasn’t hers, and this silly story was hands-down her favorite about me. She loved telling it to anyone we met up with and would laugh her butt off when she recounted my humiliation. So because I need to laugh right now and if she were…
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Sunday Snippet: The Am I Losing It? Edition
Talked my lake friend Mo the other day. We covered everything–health, weather, writing, reading, her lake news, my city news… After we hung up, I thought of something I’d meant to tell her, but the oven timer was dinging, supper was ready and I figured I’d tell her next time I talked to her. I’ve talked to her, but I still can’t remember what it was I wanted to tell her… and that seems to be a theme in our lives. I took a silly online test for dementia yesterday–the results of which were, “You have the memory of an elephant.” The test had no idea how frequently I say,…
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Sunday Snippet: The Imposter’s Ah-Ha Moment Edition
Have you ever heard of impostor syndrome? Basically, it’s “the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.” I suffer from this, and I think a lot authors do. We are all pretty much people who are writing, not for the kudos for finishing a book, but because we have these characters in our heads begging to have their stories told. It has never occurred to me not to write, but I struggled with the idea of trying to get what I write published. Would it be good enough? Would people want to read it?…
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Sunday Snippet: The Happy Easter Edition
Remember Easter when you were a kid? Man, I do. It was an event at our house every spring. The night before Easter, we colored hardboiled eggs with the Paas Easter egg dye kits. Remember those? After we kids went to bed, Mom, who was probably already exhausted from working at the grocery store all day and studying whatever courses she was taking for her nursing degree, hid them around the house. Then, she’d iron everyone’s Easter clothes–usually made by our Aunt Alice, who was a stellar seamstress–so we’d look spiffy the next morning. I loved my dress and hat and little umbrella purse the Easter I was seven. I…
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Sunday Snippet: The March Memos Edition
March has been an incredibly busy month so far–finishing a book, starting a new one, editing gigs to do, promotion to get lined up, plus housework and laundry and keeping fit. Thus, I do have a few things I need to get off my chest–the first one is a yay, though! Dear Gal’s Guide Library, Congratulations on your 2024 anthology–Nourish. It releases April 13 and I can’t wait to get my copy! And huge congratulations to bestie, Liz Flaherty, whose essay “The Rickrack Chronicles” won a second place medal in the anthology! Nobody does it better, my friend, and I’m so proud of you! Beaming, Nan Dear Spring, Are you…
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Sunday Snippet: The I’m Ready for Spring Edition
Spring seems to be springing already and you know, we really haven’t had much of a winter here. Oh, we’ve had few days of snow, but no real accumulation, and a few days of serious cold, but no long stretches of temperatures below freezing. That’s unusual but certainly not unheard of here in the middle of the United States. I remember lots of mild winters. These are crocuses discovered on one of my walks in the hood, aren’t they sweet? My tulips that neighbor Mary gifted me last fall are starting to peek up–they’re going to be yellow, she says, and I can’t wait to see them bloom! But I…
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Author Spotlight: Dani Collins Has a New Release!
Congratulations to Kathleen Shaputis! You are Dani’s giveaway winner! Thanks to everyone who stopped by, we love talking to our readers. Y’all know how much I love spotlighting my fellow Tule Publishing authors, right? Well, today, Dani Collins is with me and I couldn’t be more pleased to introduce you to her. She’s here with a brand new series and a fun giveaway. Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with laughter and heat thrown in, just like real life. While she is best known for writing contemporary romance for Harlequin Presents and Tule Publishing, she also writes historical and erotic…
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Sunday Snippet: The I’m Pushing Edition
Yup, I am. Working on first draft of book 3 in the Walkers of River’s Edge series, Made for Mistletoe, (deadline is in three weeks), and I’m nearly at The End. I’m hoping Cam and Harper’s story will touch hearts and bring special holiday joy for lovers of all things River’s Edge. I’m also working on promo for book 1 in the Walkers of River’s Edge series, Make You Mine, which releases April 16. All this in addition to my day job, copy editing. I’m really falling in love with Cam Walker–he’s just a big cinnamon roll (as are so many of my heroes). But Cam’s heart is so big…
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Sunday Snippet: The Writing from Other People’s Experiences Edition
I’m writing book 3 in the Walkers of River’s Edge series–it’s Cam Walker’s story. He’s fallen in love with the new girl in town–a lovely young artist who also happens to be a widow. As a fiction writer, sometimes, my own life directs my storytelling, but honestly, most all of what I write comes from other people’s experiences, from absorbing narrative through films, books, music, and TV, and from listening. Okay, maybe eavesdropping in restaurants and airports and in groups of people, and from conversations I’ve been a part of and some that I’ve only been an observer in. That’s all part of the discovery process–what happens before you start…
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Sunday Snippet: The December Memos Edition
A long time ago, I did a monthly thing called Memos–it was fun and I’m not sure why I stopped, but this week, I figured I’d revive it, so here goes… Dear Readers Who Stopped by My Book Signings This Month, Sure loved seeing you and I do so appreciate you coming out to buy books and visit with me! Thanks for buying my books as holiday gifts–what fun I had packaging them up for you! Happy to be Signing Books, Nan ****** Dear Weather, It’s about two weeks ’til Christmas–time for some snow. Not a lot, mind you, just enough that it feels more like the holidays. Wouldn’t Mind…