IWSG - December 2017

Click here to find out more and to see a list of other IWSG blogs.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

I did not win NaNo this year, but I'm not fussed about it. I got 31,000 words on the book I was working on (which is supposed to be a novella anyway) and got a start on another book scheduled to come out in March, plus the start of a Christmas short story.

How about you? 

Did you do NaNo? 

Did you win? 

Do you care? :D

I'm not feeling particularly angsty right now, just enjoying this time of year and all the "this is the last time I'll have to do this" things for my day job. The countdown is under four months now.

I'll be off the rest of the year, 

so I hope you have a joyous holiday season!

Monday Meandering - December 19th

First ...

We have stonework! This is on the in-law's side. 

And I found out today that I WILL be able to get my car into the garage. Because of a city requirement that the twinhome look like a single residence, our garage faces to the side and will make getting into the garage a little awkward. But it will work.

Second ...

Click here to buy book.

There are many different celebrations this time of year. Regardless of what you celebrate, I wish you joy in your friends and family.

Have a joyous holiday season

See you next year!

Monday Meanderings - December 12th

First Meandering ...

I'm continuing with edits on Swing Vote. This time of year is so busy with other things, I'm a little surprised I even have time to get anything done.

Here's an excerpt:

She turned her attention to the guys. Marc had pulled back a little and let Ike go ahead with the boys as they crossed the dirt road. Like the others, Marc had removed his shoes and shirt.

Pausing to enjoy the view, she wondered if he had developed his upper body so much for vanity or if it came as a result of his leg injury. Probably the latter. Nothing in his manners so far made him seem vain. She smiled a little to herself. He was kind of hot.

He hesitated on the edge of the irrigation ditch. The section the boys liked to play in ran pretty deep and widened to make a nice swimming hole. Ike called to Marc to jump in, but he continued to stare at the water. Was he scared of water? Or … maybe the height of the ditch created a problem for his bad leg. If he got in, he might have trouble getting out again. Marc North might not be vain, but he was proud.


Second Meandering ...

The house is moving along. It's actually starting to look like one inside now.

My exercise room in the basement.

The kitchen/dining room (part of a great room with the living room)

View of the living room whiling in the kitchen area

My office

Hubby & son putting on a door in the basement family room.

Third Meandering ...

I've been focusing on losing weight this year. This isn't the first time I've attempted it. I'm working very hard to make sure it's my last. Since April 20th I've lost 69 lbs--without surgery. I haven't weighed this little since I was in high school. It's kind of  nice. I think I'm about 7 pounds from my goal weight.

Here's a good before & after photo, though I've lost nearly six pounds since this picture was taken. I'm glaring at the sun (never good for wrinkles), did nothing with my hair (why bother in Hawaii since it frizzes anyway), and am wearing no makeup (we hurried over to a school program for a granddaughter).

I eat six times a day. I have not been starving.

What's good?

• Shopping for clothes (haven't enjoyed that in a long time)
• Getting a new wardrobe
• Finding my waist again

What's not good?

• Finding all my wrinkles (fat hides them better)
• Paying for a new wardrobe
• People telling me I look anorexic

Do you have your shopping done?

Are you ready for the holidays? I feel like they've sneaked up on me this year.

Ironic Gifts

Where I'm at.

Where I wish I were.

I'm still deep in the editing trenches, and then I have an anthology submission to complete. I'll remain on hiatus through the end of January.

However, I wanted to share an experience I had the Christmas I was sixteen. We'd lost my mom eighteen months earlier, and my dad's mother had come to live with us to help care for me and my little sister who was eight years younger than me.

That year was my first exposure to something I call ironic gifts. 

• My grandmother gave me a five-pound box of candy. 
• My father gave me a set of bath scales.

So, at the end of this gift-giving season, what is the most ironic gift combination you've ever received or seen. Or maybe even given?

And Happy New Year!

Spotlight: Goodnight Kiss

When Chase sees Clare during her brief Christmas visit to their hometown, he knows it's his chance to make things right between them. Considering he all but ignored her while on his mission, it's a tough task. 
After having her heart broken by him before, Clare is wary of a holiday romance. But a long-awaited goodnight kiss might change her mind.

Goodreads * Amazon

Check out Kaylee Baldwin's blog, featuring GOODNIGHT KISS this week:

And prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Another shot at Shipwrecks Beach. It was so fun to watch this guy patiently waiting for the wave to come behind him so he could ride it in.

Fifty States of Pray

A special post today as I participate in Mark Koopmans' 50 States of Pray. 

Click here for details.

Christmas is a religious time for me, but this isn't going to be a religious post. 

It's a post about my reflections on the past year or the one coming. The year 2013 was a crazy busy one for me. Some of it I was in control of and some of it I was not. Upon reflection, I think I could have done better with my time prioritization.

As hard as I'm working on this writing thing, it's easy for the deadlines (and writing and editing and marketing) to consume my life. It's easy for those pressures to make me lose sight of what's important:

The people I love.

So my hope for 2014 is that I will do better with the juggling of my few precious discretionary hours each day.

Merry Christmas
(or whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year)

And a happy birthday tomorrow to my mother who was a Christmas baby. 
She died when I was fourteen--
another reminder of why I need to make the time with my loved ones count.

Yesterday at Shipwrecks Beach.

Christmas Greetings from a Fairy to a Child

by Lewis Carroll

Lady, dear, if Fairies may

For a moment lay aside

Cunning tricks and elfish play,

‘Tis at happy Christmas-tide.

We have heard the children say —

Gentle children, whom we love —

Long ago on Christmas Day,

Came a message from above.

Still, as Christmas-tide comes round,

They remember it again—

Echo still the joyful sound,

“Peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Yet the hearts must childlike be

Where such heavenly guests abide;

Unto children, in their glee,

All the year is Christmas-tide!

Thus, forgetting tricks and play

For the moment Lady dear,

We wish you, if we may

Merry Christmas, glad New Year!

This is my last post of the year.
I wish you all Happy,
whether it's for
Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, 
or you're just glad to be alive.

Under the Mistletoe

 Under the Mistletoe

I did not know she’d take it so,

Or else I’d never dared;

Although the bliss

was worth the blow,

I did not know she’d take it so.

She stood beneath the mistletoe

So long I thought she cared;

I did not know she’d take it so,

Or else I’d never dared.

Countee Cullen

Operation: Help the Elf!

I'm Pete the Elf

You may have noticed this little guy in the column to the left. The wonderful gals over at The Bookshelf Muse (and who are authors of the wonderfully helpful Emotion Thesaurus) are at it again.

When they released ET, they did a Random Act of Kindness event that was so fun to take part in. I'm a firm believer that our perception controls our reality, so I'm all about looking for what's right in the world.

Well, Angela and Becca are doing something along that happy vein--with a fun holiday twist. Poor Pete the Elf messed up, and he needs our help to put things right.

Please head over to The Bookshelf Muse and check out the details. 

Consider signing up to help Pete. I think you'll find you want to.

Let's shout this to the world . . . and save Christmas!

A to Z - Boys and Birthdays

I was widowed young--twenty six. I had two children: a son a month shy of four and a daughter of seventeen months.

Unfortunately, my birthday that year fell on the two-month anniversary of our loss. For a number of reasons, neither my family nor my late husband's made contact with me that day--the cards came late.

It was a Saturday, and I felt sorry for myself early on, though later in the day I finally broke down and baked myself a birthday cake.

Well, my little boy (now all grown up and a father himself--and an artist--you'll need to scroll down) wondered what the cake was for. I explained it was my birthday.

He understood birthday cakes because he'd just celebrated his own special day the month before. The little guy looked around, wanting to know where my presents were. I asked him who was going to give me a present. He gave me a sheepish shrug. I told him not to worry about it, and the three of us had our own little cake party.

I didn't give it any further thought.

Until Christmas approached. My little guy told me he needed someone to take him Christmas shopping. Clueless, I asked him why. He said that since I hadn't gotten anything for my birthday he wanted to make sure I got something for Christmas.

*sniff*

I love little boys.

What about you? Do you have any special memories of a child in your life?

The Winner is . . .

The winner of the book King's Envoy

by Cas Peace is Diana!

Fine--You Win, Kings, and Hallelujah

 Don't forget you can sign up painlessly to participate in the Give Books Blog Hop and get a book for Christmas (or other applicable gift-giving celebration this time of year). The Hop runs through December 15th, but I'll be cutting it off at noon that day so I have time to contact the winner. I'm supposed to get the book in the mail on the 16th. Click here for details and check out the others books you could win by visiting the following blogs.


Give Books for Christmas Giveaway Hop

1.	Inksplasher (US)	7.	Maria Hoagland (US)	13.	Jennifer K. Clark (US)
2.	Jennifer Hurst (INT)	8.	The Last Word (US)	14.	Publish Novels or Bust (US)
3.	FALL (INT)	9.	Tristi Pinkston	15.	Heidi Murphy (US)
4.	Geek Girl (INT)	10.	LDS Publisher (INT)	16.	Nichole Giles
5.	Heart on a Chain (INT)	11.	Carolyn Frank (INT)
6.	Immortal Mine (INT)	12.	K.C. Grant Writer's Corner (US)

Since many of us are recovering from NaNo, and now we're in the throes of one of the busiest times of the year, here's a little something to lighten your mood. These kids just make me smile.



Have you got your shopping done?

Give Books Giveaway Hop

I'm participating in the Give Books Giveaway Hop hosted by Karlene over at InkSplasher. It runs from December 1-15th. Because of extra shipping costs, I'm going to have to limit possible winners to the continental United States.

The book ARC you have a chance to win is King's Envoy by Cas Peace (it's the first book in the Artesans of Albia trilogy). Here's what the back of the book says: 

Taran Elijah's quest for knowledge uncovers a plot that threatens the world. In Albia, the fourth realm, the precious Artesan gift is dying. Although born to the craft, Taran is struggling to achieve his potential. Against his friends' advice, he embarks on a foolhardy plan to acquire the teaching he craves. Alone, he crosses into Andaryon, the fifth realm, but instead of finding a mentor, he stumbles upon a treacherous plot. In the wake of Taran's actions, Albia suffers a series of vicious raids. Major Sullyan of the High King's forces is sent to oppose them. But a dark and treacherous force is moving through the realms and both Taran and Sullyan will feel its power. Their craft, the lives of their friends, the very existence of their realm are under threat unless they expose and oppose the evil.

And if you'd like to read an excerpt you can check it out here.

 So, what do you have to do to enter?

1. Be a follower of my blog.
2. Comment below that you're interested in winning the book.
3. Include your email address in the body of your comment. It ends on the 15th, and I'm supposed to get the book in the mail to the winner on December 16th, so I'll need to be able to contact you ASAP to get your mailing address.

It must be Christmas or something

						Give Books for Christmas Giveaway Hop 1.  Inksplasher (US)   7.  Maria Hoagland (US)   13.  K.C. Grant Writer's Corner (US)   2.  Jennifer Hurst (INT)   8.  The Last Word (US)   14.  Jennifer K. Clark (US)   3.  FALL (INT)   9.  Weaving a Tale or Two (US)   15.  Publish Novels or Bust (US)   4.  Geek Girl (INT)   10.  Tristi Pinkston   16.  Heidi Murphy (US)   5.  Heart on a Chain (INT)   11.  LDS Publisher (INT)   6.  Immortal Mine (INT)   12.  Carolyn Frank (INT)

Asundry Items

Week 3: #PoetrySummer

(This is from Dan Well's Summer Poetry Challenge.)

For this week I've selected a fun Christmas poem by Countee Cullen. When we used to do The Twelve Days of Christmas (ding dong ditching with our kids), we'd include this poem and give the families some mistletoe.

Under the Mistletoe

~~Countee Cullen

I did not know she’d take it so,

Or else I’d never dared;

Although the bliss

was worth the blow,

I did not know she’d take it so.

She stood beneath the mistletoe

So long I thought she cared;

I did not know she’d take it so,

Or else I’d never dared.

WIP Progress Report.

Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

My goal this weekend was to get through Part 2 of WIP #1 to which I'm making a plot line change. Making the change (which has the MC doing something very different than in the original plot) was tough. But I really need to get the entire ms ready to submit to my critique group on July 1st. Ugh.

But, I did it! The fewest changes need to be made in Part 3, so I should have time to do a read through before the end of this month. Phew!

Awards

On another note, I'd like to thank two blogging pals for kindly giving awards. I thank them both.

This is from Tara Tyler. Click here to check out her blog.

This is from Laura Josephson. Click here to check out her blog.