Archive for the 'romance fiction' Category

Where I’ve been…

So I’ve had several questions about where I’ve been and why I’ve been so quiet the last few months. Don’t worry…everything is fine! Just a lot going on.

Almost two years ago, when I saw the surge in authors self-publishing and became intrigued with the possibilities myself, I realized there was going to be a huge need for editing and publishing services to help these books compete with the “big six” traditionally published works. I’d been working with developing authors for years, teaching classes, giving workshops, judging contests, etc. I had a solid graduate-level education, and I had the benefit of working with some wonderful editors at great New York publishing houses. So I enrolled in the Specialized Certificate in Copyediting program at the University of California, San Diego. I graduated at the end of August. The last few weeks were challenging. The final exam (a long non-fiction piece to copyedit) took many hours. Throw in a national writers’ conference at which I was a guest speaker, a hurricane deployment, and the need to tune up my search and rescue dog for FEMA recertification, and it was nearly a recipe for disaster. But I am happy to say I aced the exam and received my degree a few weeks later (and my dog has passed the first of his two recertification tests).

Wow, was I happy and relieved! I thought it was time to breathe easy.

Um…NOT!

I had done a few editing jobs and built a sketchy website. Word got out, and business picked up speed. In fact, it became a freight train. I am so grateful that so many authors have entrusted me with their creative children. I am doing my best to do every one of them justice. I am now booked out several months into the future and still receiving requests. Wow. Thank you.

For anyone who is interested, here is my sketchy website for the copyediting business. And I will be speaking on editing and self-editing at the Dallas Area Romance Authors meeting on Saturday, October 27. Click the linkie for more info on that.

So I’m busier than ever copyediting, writing, working search and rescue dogs, and taking care of all the critters at home. But lovin’ life!

Remember:

Monday morning, and time to kick off the Summer Splash Blog Hop!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the picture to start hopping. Win e-readers, gift cards, e-books!

Three people who comment here will win an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of the upcoming fantasy romance novella “Mother Nature & Father Time.”

Dogs Days of Summer on the Farm

We’ve definitely hit the dog days of summer here on the farm, with temperatures over 100 degrees every day. And to celebrate, there’s a new dog in residence. Meet Amber, my new foster! Sorry about the bad red phone pic. Don’t know why it does that when I take pics inside.

 Amber is a five-month-old yellow lab pup. She was about to be euthanized at a local shelter because she had a minor URI (upper respiratory infection). Nothing serious at all…and yet it almost cost her life. Luckily for her, the great team at Humane Society of Flower Mound wouldn’t let that happen! Her rescue was truly a team effort as I couldn’t make it down to Fort Worth that day, and her time was up. But a call for volunteers was put out, and we quickly had people ready to pick her up in Ft. Worth, take her straight to the vet in Flower Mound (an hour away). Wait for to have her little cough checked out by the vet and get a few antibiotics onboard, meet with the (also voluteered to come in) HSFM team to get her all checked in and entered into our database, microchipped, vaccinated, treated for fleas, etc., then drive her to Denton (30 minutes away) where I picked her up. She is doing great, and I’m sure she’ll be available for adoption soon (just as soon as we clear up that little cough). She is very sweet, a little timid but coming out of her shell quickly. She loves other dogs, is unphased by cats. She’s going to make someone a great pet!

With the dog situation all taken care of, I had time to take a little ride on the yella horse this morning before it got too hot. He is doing terrific, becoming a really solid riding horse. Afterward I gave him a bath and fitted him with his new UV protective mask. Paladin has two blue eyes, one of them with no dark pigment around it at all, which makes him susceptible to horrible sunburn in the summer, and even cancer in the long run if not protected. This one is called a bug eye mask. The portion of the eyes is semi-formed to puff out so it won’t irritate his eyes.

 Of course as soon as I turned him outside, he rolled, undoing the bath work and mashing in the supposed molded bug eyes.

I’m now taking bets how long it will be before he rips the whole thing off and stomps it in the dirt!

On tap for the rest of the day, writing, writing, writing, and a little reading. I’m copyediting for a woman out east who has written a wonderful memoir. Guess I haven’t mentioned that last year I enrolled in the Copyediting Certificate Program at University of California – San Diego. It’s an 18-month course, and I’m in my last semester. I graduate in August! I’ve already started taking on some freelance editing clients. Look for the debut of my new website spelling it all out in the next few weeks.

Have a great day, all.

Life with dogs…and cats, horses, donkeys, and chickens!

The best thing about living on a farm is that it’s never boring. There’s always something to to–usually a long list of things.

The night before last, my search and rescue dog, Boogie, had an allergic reaction to something (I think). In the middle of the night he started scratching and biting at himself frantically. All. Night. Long. Neither of us got any sleep. In the morning, I checked him over with a flea comb, but found none. Gave him a bath just in case, but he’s on Advantage II and has never had a problem with fleas. I haven’t changed his food and to the best of my knowledge he hasn’t gotten into anything. I have no idea what caused it, but it got so bad that he chewed a small bald spot on his tail and both of his ears swelled and got hematomas. I checked his ears–no infection, no mites. Cleaned them just in case. Finally I went out and got some Benadryl for him. Within an hour he was no longer scratching. Now he’s in bed sleeping off the drugs.

As I went to feed my German shepherd dog last night, I realized I had run out of the special enzymes that must be put on her food (she has a serious condition called EPI, long story). Never fear…I keep a stash in a little baggie in the kitchen just for emergencies. I reordered the enzymes for her. That stash should last until the new package arrived. So if you’re ever in my house and find a baggie of white powder in my kitchen cabinet…it’s not what you think it is.

Down in the barn, one of my hens has gone broody. That means she’s actually sitting on a clutch of eggs to make them hatch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I ignored her for a few days. That was a bad idea. Because when I finally picked her up, I found 16 eggs under her! Hmmm. I’d thought a baby chick or two would be cute. 16? Not so much. Oh well, out here in the boonies there’s always people that’ll take chicks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ll notice I’ve taken a pen and marked the ones she’s sitting on. Now I have to lift her up twice every day and make sure she hasn’t stolen any more! You’ll also notice that most of those eggs are not hers…as evidence by the different sizes and colors.

Meanwhile out in the pasture, my miniature donkey, Mo, has gotten fat as a full tick on all this spring grass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve cut him off from the feed to keep him from exploding. Unfortunately, he shares the pasture with two mares. He has now perfected the technique of walking under their feeders, hunching his back, and knocking the feeders off the fence. He then runs off the paint mare and eats all her food. He might only be 28″ tall, but there’s a reason I call him “Mighty Mo.”

Ah, life with animals…

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Healthy Eating Idea #3

It’s no secret that I’ve packed on a few pounds these last few years, a victim of middle age and the butt-in-chair lifestyle of a writer. Thankfully, I’ve recently been shedding them back off with some careful eating. I’ve dropped 22 lbs. and I’m still rolling strong!

One of my strategies for losing weight is to take every opportunity to trim a few extra calories off of my favorite meals (instead of giving up those favorites). I like tacos. I mean, who doesn’t? But those corn taco shells add a lot of extra calories for not much nutritional value. So as I was thinking up way to have tacos without breaking the weight bank and a way to use up some romaine lettuce in the fridge without having to eat another salad, a light bulb popped on (in my mind, not the fridge. That one was already on as I stood there contemplating while all the cold air escaped).

Taco boats. Yep, I was going to make taco boats.

I’m still a vegetarian, so I opted for a portabello mushroom sauteed in taco seasoning filling, and kept the toppings light–some salsa, a slice of avocado, a few black olives, a small crumble of queso fresco; however, this idea will work fine with whatever you like to use as a main taco filling. But I saved over 100 calories by forgoing the corn taco shell in favor of a romaine lettuce boat. I was going to put lettuce on the taco anyway, so why not use it as the containment vessel?

Here’s what I did: I sliced a stem of romaine lettuce in half lengthwise. Then by hand I peeled out the innermost leaves (putting them back in the bag for use in a salad another time). The remaining lettuce was a perfect little boat. I put my portabello filling in, layered on my toppings, and it was done! 

It turned out so great that I devoured it. I did some quick calorie calculations and determined that with my vegetarian filling (I’ve since also done this with a taco-seasoned black bean mix and a Spanish rice mix) I could have TWO taco boats for less calories than I would ingest with just one taco in a shell.

So give it a try. It’s a perfect summer dish: cool, crisp and pretty.

How do you go about trimming a few extra calories from your diet to achieve your weight goals? Or to maintain your weight for those lucky enough to be in a healthy range?

And hey, don’t forget my psychological suspense/thriller/horror short story (plus a bonus inspirational short story) is now available on Amazon for just 99 cents. Jump to the book page by clicking on the cover below.

Meet Uber-cool author Marsha A. Moore!

Hey ya’ll, I’ve got a treat for you today: I’d like to turn you on to a cool author I’ve discovered, Marsha A. Moore. Marsha writes awesome books that include…wait for it…DRAGONS!

I love dragons as much as I love gargoyles, unicorns, and all things mystical and magical. So without further ado here is Marsha and her dragon world. Buy her book for your Kindle for just 99 cents by clicking on the cover!

 

Dragons of the Enchanted Bookstore Legends by Marsha A. Moore

Since I have a dragon on the cover of Seeking a Scribe, you’d expect those magical creatures to play a major role. Dragon lovers will not be disappointed. I love dragons and have included many types, ages, and sizes. I’d like to share a brief description of the most common ones in this first legend.

Like all fantasies, the battle between good and evil is a key theme. The dragons in my fantasy world of Dragonspeir are either members of the good Alliance, governed by the golden Imperial Dragon and his High Council, or the Dark Realm, led by the Black Dragon.

Alliance Dragons:

Gold dragons are born leaders, being lawful, just and good. Their intelligence exceeds the other types, and their wisdom is sought after. Being good-natured, they help those who are kind and fair. The Imperial Leader helps train and guide my heroine, Lyra, along her quest. Golds are the most powerful and largest in size. The breath weapon of gold dragons is a cone of fire. Although they are cautious about entering a fight and dislike killing, once engaged, they will pour their entire being into the battle.

Physically, gold dragons are spectacular. Two prominent horns point backwards along their heads. The most obvious feature is probably the tentacle whiskers that sprout from the bottom of the gold dragon’s jaw, giving the appearance of a sort of beard in both males and females.

Like his father before him, the present Imperial Dragon will serve the Alliance until either he dies or steps down.  Similar to most golds, he keeps his Alliance headquarters in a grand network of caves set in the rock plateau. His overlooks the Steppe of Ora, the wide plain which divides good and evil in Dragonspeir. His lair includes an elaborate gathering hall, a vast library, guest quarters, and his own personal chambers with cases of magical instruments and a glass-walled observatory to consult the stars. As one of the four Alliance Guardians, his area of expertise is magic powered by the air element, including mystical astronomy studies of the skies.

Blue dragons are the sentries to the Imperial Dragon. They love spending hours soaring and are excellent trackers. Squadrons of them patrol the Alliance. They are lawful and obedient, with strong moral character.

They are a brilliant cobalt blue, bearing a single horn. Their eyes are smooth and glossy, without pupils, which makes for an hypnotic appearance.

Although slightly smaller than golds, they are quicker to strike in battles with their lightning bolt breath.

Bronze dragons are duty-bound and honorable to a fault. Physically, the bronze dragon is quite fierce in appearance, despite its good nature. While most of its body is a reflective copper color, the wings are often tipped with green.

There are two breath weapons these dragons employ. They either use a bolt of lightning or a repulsion gas, which is so putrid that it forces everything away. Always in line with the Alliance, the bronze dragon is a deadly combatant, roasting enemies with bursts of lightning or ripping them open with its clawed forelegs.

Good thing for Lyra, the bronze dragon named Yasqu, who she raised from a hatchling, hasn’t learned about repulsion gas yet!

Dark Realm Dragons:

Black dragons, like the leader of the Dark Realm, always seek to lair in deep dark caves. Although small, they are vile, evil-tempered, and abusive. Their hearts are as dark as their slimy scales. They are obsessed with death and take comfort in the sickening-sweet aroma of drowned, rotting carcasses. The Black Dragon leader prefers his drake servants leave the prey they bring him in pools within his personal cave. The victims float for days or weeks before he eats them.

The dark leader, like all black dragons, is grim and skeletal. His eyes lie deep in their sockets between two great horns that curve forward and down. The flesh of his face is partially deteriorated or burnt from his acidic drool.  His method of attack is spitting caustic acid. My heroine and hero, Lyra and Cullen, learn too well what that feels like!

As allies to the Black Dragon, green dragons live alone in dense forests. Although short dragons, they have nasty, belligerent tempers. They delight in torturing their captives. The head of a green is covered in hornlets. They reek of chlorine since their chosen breath weapon is hurling clouds of toxic chlorine gas.

Numerous types of drakes are the soldiers and scouts of the Dark Realm. Fire and magma drakes attack with burning flames, while the evil ice drakes freeze victims with contact.

This was only a quick summary of many of the evil and good dragons in my Enchanted Bookstore Legends. There are others I enjoy just as much, like the little three-foot long pseudodragon, Noba, who is the wizard’s familiar to Cullen Drake, the Imperial Sorcerer of the Alliance. Read more about Noba and all the dragons in Seeking a Scribe: Enchanted Bookstore Legend One.

All about Marsha 

Marsha A. Moore is a writer of fantasy romance. The magic of art and nature spark life into her writing. Her creativity also spills into watercolor painting and drawing. After a move from Toledo to Tampa in 2008, she’s happily transforming into a Floridian, in love with the outdoors. Crazy about cycling, she usually passes the 1,000 mile mark yearly. She is learning kayaking and already addicted. She’s been a yoga enthusiast for over a decade and that spiritual quest helps her explore the mystical side of fantasy. She never has enough days spent at the beach, usually scribbling away at new stories with toes wiggling in the sand. Every day at the beach is magical!

Authors in Bloom!

Spring came to north Texas in a violent way last Tuesday with over a dozen tornadoes touching down within 50-60 miles of me! Luckily me and mine are safe and well. Many families were not so lucky, though we were very fortunate that no human lives were lost in those terrifying few hours. But as with every storm, the skies eventually cleared. The sun shone down on the wreckage. The bent flowers lifted their stems…and bloomed. Our state flower, the blue bonnet, is turning the fields blue and spirits are rising along with the tender petals.

In honor of the rebirth spring brings each year, accompanied this time by recovery in Texas, a bunch of authors are having a blog hop! That means lots of prizes and giveaways!

For the complete rules and instructions, read this.

For my part, I’ll be giving away 2 copies of my upcoming novella Mother Nature & Father Time: A love (and hate) story.

And if you’ve read the instructions already, you’ll understand why I’m posting this next sentence…

“However, it’s not long before the inevitable comparisons arise.”

This blog hop will run April 9-18, so you’ve got plenty of time to enter and win. The participating authors are listed below.

1. Dianne Venetta 2. YA Author PJ Sharon
3. Vickie Taylor 4. Alexa Grace
5. Marilyn Brant 6. Celebrating Spring
7. Diana Layne Blog 8. *lizzie starr
9. Darcy Flynn 10. Off Kilter
11. Marci Baun 12. Sarah Gilman
13. Renee Pace 14. A Cozy Reader’s Corner
15. Children’s Author Maria Dismondy 16. Indie Author How-To
17. Deb Sanders 18. Fresh Start Stories with Beverly Nault
19. Aris Whittier 20. Darcyholic Diversions
21. Chick Lit (Bridget Jones’s Diary meets The Office) 22. Beate Boeker
23. Jessica Chambers: Straight From The Heart 24. Gotta Have YA
25. Karl Fields 26. Sally Clements
27. Dina Silver 28. Sybil Nelson
29. Priscilla the Great 30. Nina Benneton
31. Caron Rider, YA Author of Silver Knight 32. Tara Woolpy
33. J.M. Kelley 34. Susan Mallery Cooks
35. J.L. Campbell 36. Amy Saunders
37. Kaira Rouda 38. Michael Scott Miller
39. Samantha March 40. Marika Christian
41. Elena Aitken 42. Nearly Brilliant
43. WHO GOT LIZ GARDNER 44. Amy Lignor – Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles
45. Jolene Perry – Night Sky 46. ShaynaGier.com
47. DeeSWhite-Author, Inspirational Speaker, Vocalist 48. Tracy Marchini – Hot Ticket
49. STAY TUNED – Lauren Clark 50. TwoCanDo Books  Mary Laudien’s Website- Follow the Blog!
51. Maria Geraci 52. Pandora Poikilos – Peace from Pieces
53. Christina Wible 54. ALMOST HUMAN – venomous vampire series
55. Walking with Justice 56. Author Darien Gee and the Friendship Bread Kitchen
57. K.E. Saxon 58. Cynthia Vespia Author of Thrills and Chills
59. Louisa Mack – Cooking Up Trouble 60. Cheryl – Books, Products and More!
61. Sloane Wolf – Margay Leah Justice 62. Daddy, Come & Get Me
63. Author Mia King (Good Things, Sweet Life, Table Manners) 64. Welcome to the Woods
65. More Than Words-S.Carol Crovo 66. But What Are They Eating?
67. Sheila Seabrook – Tripping My Way Through Life 68. Alicia and Roy Street
69. Indie Pub Promos 70. RS Author Stacey Joy Netzel
71. Doing Italians, Oops!, Italy

It’s a Backwards Birthday for Carrie Ann Ryan!

Yes, this week is fab author Carrie Ann Ryan’s backward birthday. What’s a backward birthday? I’m glad you asked!

A backward birthday is when instead of you giving presents to the birthday girl, she–and a bunch of her also-fab author friends–give presents to you, the reader! All you have to do is comment on this blog and/or any of the blogs on the list below before 11:59 pm, April 6, to be entered to win the gifts offered on each site or one of the grand prizes, a new Kindle Touch or a $60 Amazon giftcard. The more blogs you visit and comment on, the more chances you have to win!

So put on a silly hat,  have some cake,  and start hopping…blog hopping, that is. Don’t forget to leave your email address in your comment so that we can contact you if you win.

Oh, and don’t forget to wish Carrie a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Healthy Eating Tip #2 – Power Breakfast

I’ve never been much of a breakfast eater. I’ve tried on and off to correct that, as I  know eating breakfast is important. But the thought of sugary, bad carb laden pancakes or waffles to start off my day turns my stomach (and would likely pack on the pounds). I don’t eat meat, so bacon and sausage are out. I can tolerate one of the those fiber and protein breakfast bars sometimes, but really, they get boring after a while. Besides that, they’re processed, and I also am trying to reduce or eliminate preservatives and artifical flavorings and crud like that from my diet.

Recently I stumbled on a healthy breakfast that I adore. It meets all of my criteria:

  • portion controlled
  • good balance of protein, good carbs, and fat
  • inexpensive
  • easy to make
  • packed in vitamins and minerals

Recently I posted a recipe for making mini-lasagna servings. They’re made in ramekins–little oven safe dishes. I got a lot of good feedback on that recipe. At least one person I know went out and bought a set of ramekins so she could make it. Well…one added advantage of today’s power breakfast recipe is that we all get even more use out of those ramekins!

So here it is…my power breakfast special!

Ingredients: 

  • 1/2 cup frozen vegetables, any kind (I like to mix broccoli and spinach)
  • 1-2 organic, free range eggs
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • dash of salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, or whatever seasonings you like!
  • 1 tablespoon cheese

Instructions:

1) Preheat broiler to low setting.

1) Defrost the vegetables in a small microwave-safe bowl (about 1 minute on high). Dump on paper towel and tamp to remove excess moisture. Put vegetable mixure in ramekin (I use my medium ramekins, which are 7 oz.).

2) In a separate  bowl, crack open the two eggs, add the teaspoon (or less) of water, and whatever spices you like in eggs (try some red pepper flakes if you like spicy food). Whisk until egg yolks and whites are blended. Pour into ramekin over vegetable mixture.

3) Microwave on high until egg is cooked and set (about 90 seconds).

4) Remove from microwave. Sprinkle cheese on top (I like to use Mexican Queso Fresco, but any good melting/browning cheese will work). Put ramekin on baking sheet and set under broiler until cheese melts and gets crispy brown around the edges. This only takes a minute or two, so watch it carefully. Enjoy!

If you’d prefer, you can sure just do all the cooking and cheese melting in the microwave, but it’s worth the extra effort to put it under the broiler to get those crispy brown edges and bubbles on the cheese.

I love this savory breakfast. Even in only a 7 oz. ramekin it’s very filling. It has a nice balance of protein, good carbs, and fat. It’s automatically portion controlled. It’s also cheap and easy to make, so it’s healthy on your budget and your schedule as well!

FYI…I always, always keep bags of different types of frozen vegetables in the freezer. Fresh is great, and feel free to substitute if you have them, but frozen vegetables offer about the same nutritional value for much less money, and they don’t have all the added sodium of canned vegetables. they’re great for quick meals like this one. But that’s a Healthy Eating Tip post for another day.

At RG2E, it’s all about the readers!

This post wouldn’t be complete without background music. Click here for a short clip of the theme song.

That’s right…there’s a new sheriff in town when it comes to sites for readers. It’s a big, confusing world out there when it comes to books. So many titles to choose from, so little time to read!

So what’s the shortest path to the best books on the web?

That’s right: The Readers’ Guide to E-publishing. This site lists some of the best e-books on the market in all genres.

What could be better? Why, if they gave away some of those books free, of course!  And they do, of course!  Free books daily.

What could be even better than free books daily? Free e-readers! And they do that do.

Check it out and make it a destination stop for book shopping.

You might even find some of my books there starting later this month.  ;-)


Available Now!

Psychological Suspense short story with a bonus inspirational short story included

Coming Soon from Vickie Taylor

Fantasy Romance Novella

Paranormal Romance Novella

What am I reading today?

GOOD OLE BOYS - Denise Barker - Just started, but I'm intrigued so far!

Last five books read:

TEXAS GOTHIC - Rosemary Clement-Moore - Awesome! Great fun and spooktastic at the same time!

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN - Ransom Riggs - Really creative idea. Enjoyed it very much!

BOOTSCOOTIN' BLAHNIKS - D.D. Scott - Very enjoyable, fun book!

THE GOOD DAUGHTER - Diana Layne - Awesome! Get it now!

GOT YOUR NUMBER - Stephanie Bond - Fun little mystery!

What’s on my TBR List?

GOOD OLE BOYS - Denise Barker

Reader’s Guide to E-publishing

Find your next e-book here!

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