• Wednesday Check-in

    This will be a quick check-in because today my list is longer than usual. We’re finishing up the house in preparation for our realtor to take photos, so cleaning, then cleaning, than after than some cleaning. We’re both a little bit in overwhelm, but the house is looking good. I’m writing, but it’s going slow because the rest of my life is getting in the way. I’m hoping I can get a lot of words in this weekend. I guess we’ll see. Also working on editing gigs, so my plate overflows. How about a little Grandboy to make your life just a little brighter? Always works for me! Gratitude for…

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  • Deb Salonen Has A Free Book!

    I’m so pleased and excited to welcome writer pal and fellow Tule author Debra Salonen back to the blog. As a former award-winning newspaper journalist, Debra is a nationally bestselling author with 26 published novels for Harlequin’s Superromance and American lines and one single title release for Harlequin Signature. Several of her titles were nominated for “Best Superromance,” including UNTIL HE MET RACHEL, which took home that honor in 2010. Debra was named Romantic Times Reviewer’s Career Achievement “Series Storyteller of the Year” in 2006. She lives in the foothills near Yosemite National Park in California with her husband and two dogs. Luckily, her two children and three grandchildren live close…

  • The Grand Finale!

    Today is the grand finale of my PRISM Book Blog Tour. I hope you had as much fun as I did visiting all the different book blogs and reviewers. It’s been an exciting week for me and I have to confess I’m very proud of A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS and extremely blessed to have the fabulous support of my publisher, Tule Publishing and all my friends and family. So thank you, everyone, for helping make this book lunch the best ever! It’s not quite over–if you missed any of the blogs or reviews, you can find links to all of them here. Remember, the giveaway is open until Wednesday, November…

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  • It’s a Party!

    My publisher, Tule Publishing, is having a Holiday Release Party over at the Tule Book Club Facebook group on Oct. 16th 4-7 p.m. PST to celebrate the new Christmas romances we have releasing in the next few weeks. It’s going to be a load of fun and we all have great giveaways planned. If you aren’t a member of the Tule Book Club on Facebook yet, come on by and join in the fun! We’ll have a great time and it’s the place to meet all your favorite Tule authors, including yours truly!  Come on by next Tuesday, 4-7 Pacific Time, which is 7-10 Eastern Time. Hope to see you…

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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…

  • Welcome Lynne Marshall!

    I’m excited to be hosting romance author and pal, Lynne Marshall today and celebrating the release of her newest book from Tule Publishing, Sweet Home Montana. Check out a fun excerpt from the book below and keep reading for a chance to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway where 2 winners will receive ebooks of Her Baby, His Love and Their Christmas Miracle. The giveaway is open internationally and ends October 17. Lynne used to worry she had a serious problem with daydreaming, then she discovered she was supposed to write the stories in her head. A late bloomer, Lynne came to fiction writing after her children were nearly grown. Now she battles the empty nest by writing stories…

  • Travel Talk with Audrey Wick

    I’m so excited to welcome fellow Tule author Audrey Wick to the blog today. Audrey is a full-time English professor at Blinn College in Texas. There, she is a writing teacher who writes. Her latest women’s fiction novel is Coming Home from Tule Publishing. She believes the secret to happiness includes lifelong learning and good stories. But travel and coffee help. She has journeyed to over twenty countries—and sipped coffee in every one. Readers can connect with her at audreywick.com, and she’s also on Twitter and Instagram @WickWrites. Take it away, Audrey… Travel is a passion of mine, which is probably why I’m drawn to setting as a writer. It’s my favorite…

  • A Book Tour! Come Join in the Fun!

    I am so delighted to be doing a book tour with Prism Book Tours for my newest novel, A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS, releasing October 29. If you’re a blogger and would like to participate in the tour, please click this link to sign up. Prism Book Tour A Small Town Christmas The tour happens October 29-November 3, with a grand finale on Saturday, November 3! It’s going to be a load of fun with some excerpts from the new book, some writerly talk, lots of wine-themed stuff, and even some giveaways! Come celebrate A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS, the first book in my new Four Irish Brothers Winery series from Tule Publishing,…

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  • How Do You Text?

    This article from the Wall Street Journal made me smile because Samantha Hayes, the heroine in my new book coming October 29 from Tule Publishing has a “thing” about texting and how people do it. In A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS, the fact that Conor Flaherty, the hero, just uses texting for the utility of easy communication–no emojis, correct spelling and punctuation–is simply one more reason for her to fall in love with him! My writing BFF, Liz Flaherty and I tease each other a lot about our excessive use of exclamation marks when we “chat” on Google each morning–we both do it. But I think we’re only trying to get a…

  • Inspiration

    So often I am asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” It doesn’t seem like a hard question, but the answer can be complicated. Every story setting or plot comes from a different place, but most often it’s simply that the people in my head start talking and I have to create a story for them so they’ll shut up and leave me and my dreams alone. The inspiration for the new series I’m writing for Tule Publishing was this guy. Karl Wente of Wente Vineyards in California and I’ve never met him personally, but I’ve been to his winery and tasted his delicious wines and this particular picture set…