Thursday, November 14, 2019

GRATITUDE AND LIFE LESSONS, OH MY!


November is a month in which we think about those things for which we’re grateful. Of course we do that all year, but drawing near to the Thanksgiving holiday reminds us to count our blessings. Regardless of income, we have many.

I saw a cartoon of a funeral with only two in attendance. One of them—appears to be the wife—said, “I don’t know what happened. He had so many friends on Facebook.”  In spite of that, I’m especially grateful for all the friends I’ve made online. Most of them I’ve never met and some I’ve seen only at one conference. I still count them as friends.

Being able to write my stories is another reason I’m grateful. Here I sit in my pajamas and robe, taking casual workday to the extreme. My commute is a few steps from our bedroom. After many years in an office, this is wonderful.

Recently two of my stories have been published. MELODY, Angel Creek Christmas Brides book 7, was released on November 8. CHRISTMAS WISHES: WISHES DO COME TRUE, a box set with 15 stories placed in Hopeful, Colorado, over a period of almost 150 years. My story, WINTER WISH, takes place in 1880.



MELODY, Angel Creek Christmas Brides book 7, is set just after the Civil War when most of Charleston, South Carolina was in ruins and no marriageable young men were to be found. The year before—the fall after the war—five women answered an advertisement for mail-order brides to a small Montana town. That turned out well and many of the remaining bachelors prevailed upon the brides to recruit more Southern Belles to come to Angel Creek. Six more agree to travel there by train to St. Louis, then by riverboat up the Missouri River, then by stage to Angel Creek.

These young women knew each other from school before the war and have remained friends. Melody Fraser is twenty-two and fears remaining a spinster. In addition, she has threats against her fueled by vicious rumors. She is happy to escape Charleston’s destruction and peril for a chance at life in a place untouched by the war. The problem is, she might have stretched the truth a tiny bit.

Nicholas Walker is the new doctor in Angel Creek. He has big, big plans for his clinic and practice as the town grows. He is very efficient and expects to combine a skilled nurse with a wife.  When he learns Melody has only nursed an elderly grandmother, he feels cheated.

They’re in for adventure and excitement. But, will Nick realize that while Melody is not what he wanted, she is exactly what he needed?

The universal Amazon link is http://mybook.to/Melody



On Wednesday, November 13, a 15-author box set of all new stories released for the amazing price of 99 cents! This limited-time box set titled Christmas Wishes: Wishes Do Come True is a mixture of historical and contemporary stories set in the small town of Hopeful, Colorado. There are three heat levels: from 1 chili pepper for sweet to 3 chili peppers for sensual. The table of contents gives the heat level of each story. So, there are several to please every reader! Order yours now at http://getbook.at/Hopeful

Legend says the wishing well in the center of Hopeful makes wishes come true if the wish is made under a full moon. What could making a wish hurt?

Be careful what you wish for!

My story is the first one, Winter Wish. Serena Winters longs for a man who makes her feel loved. She yearns for her own home and children. Until a couple of months ago she had nursed her mother, who had consumption. She lives with her aunt and uncle above their mercantile store. In spite of what her aunt says about wishes being foolish, Serena wishes for a special man.

Brent Adams slips into town hoping no one saw him deliver the load he’d packed in on his mule. He has to wait in Hopeful until he receives funds from the bank. When he meets Serena, he longs to take her with him when he leaves town. But, what will she think when she learns his secrets?

There you have a few of the reasons I’m grateful today. For what are you most grateful? I’ll give an e-book to one person who comments today-either one of the above or one from my backlist, winner's choice.

Our theme this month is Life Lessons. Comment below to share your life lesson with others. The lesson I’m trying to learn is efficiency. Some days I’m so caught up in the book I’m writing that I bumble around like an episode of“I Love Lucy. Don’t forget to inter our Rafflecopter drawing to win an Amazon gift card.




12 comments:

  1. I love being retired now from teaching and having my own schedule for writing. I'm my own boss. Though at times, I need to get on my own back about getting things done!!

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    1. I love being a full-time writer. I'm bad about letting everything but the writing slide. Fortunately, my husband does the cooking and his own laundry.

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  2. I'm my own boss, too, and it's awful how much I let me get away with. I enjoyed your post!

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  3. I love being able to work around the other things in my life. But some days it’s so fun to write that I barely step out of my office!

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  4. I'm so grateful that even though I work full time, I still find time to carve out time to write. I couldn't do it without my older kids playing with the little one so she isn't all over me while I write.

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    1. Laura, I admire you for being able to write with a job and children. You really have three jobs there. I wrote when I worked, but didn't accomplish much. I was happy when my husband told me I might as well quit work. I didn't hesitate!

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  5. I like to hear all the ways people squeeze writing into their day. Caroline, you are a dynamo at putting words to the page. Best of luck with promotion of your new releases.

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  6. Isn't it wonderful the way we never lose enthusiasm for what we do! Your latest stories sound great.

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  7. I echo what Judy Ann said. You're awesome in publishing so often. Can't wait to read these new Christmas stories.

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  8. I am very grateful to have my children living near me.

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