Inspiration

I find this to be so true and strangely inspiring. 

Wordless Wednesday: Bookaholic

Teaser Tuesdays: Cold Light of Day by Toni Anderson

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at Books and a Beat. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from Nook page 12 of Toni Anderson's Cold Light of Day:

She couldn't hold his gaze, but she could hardly confess the truth just because he had pretty eyes and looked good in uniform. Some secret agent she'd make. 

Author business cards

Yes, author business cards are a thing. I had no idea of this until I went to the California Dreamin' Writers Conference last year. I felt a little silly when someone asked me for a business card and I didn't have one. Then I forgave myself because you don't know something until you learn it and that was my learning experience.

So, with the Romance Writers of America national conference coming up I figured I'd better have business cards this time. I had a heck of a time deciding on which cards to order. There was an abundance of choice but I had a difficult time finding a design that was exactly what I wanted - which was and is, clean, simple and pretty. It doesn't seem like that should have been hard but oh it was. The RWA conference is in sixteen days and I knew I was running out of time to order the cards if I wanted them to arrive in time. So last night, I sat down with my laptop, the website open to order the cards and enlisted my husband's help. I'm so glad I did because he pointed out a couple of good things about the cards I was finally interested in. With his help and tips in mind I narrowed it down to two choices. This afternoon I made up my mind and ordered the business cards. They are set to arrive by July 6th. I can't wait to get them. Even more, I can't wait to have the opportunity to hand them out the conference.

Quote of the day

"Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut, that held its ground."

In other words, never give up. This is my interpretation for today anyway.

Vivid Imagination

"Always have a vivid imagination, for you never know when you might need it."

J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter on Audio

My kids and I are currently listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. We all love the books and the movies but there is something new and quite special about listening to the audio books. Jim Dale is the narrator and he is brilliant! I know a lot of people know this already but we really are enjoying him and his reading of the books so much! The way he does a different voice for each character is quite remarkable. If you like the Harry Potter books or movies but haven't ever heard the audio books I highly recommend them.

RWA National Conference

In three weeks I will be at the Romance Writers of America National Conference. It is being held in San Diego which is fortunate for me because I can drive there rather than needing to fly so that saves some money. It's my first time going to this writers conference and I am a little nervous. I'm mostly excited, though. I've known about this conference for years but I finally feel like I'm at a place in my writing life where I can go. Of course, going to California Dreamin' conference last year helped me to realize this, as well.

The RWA National conference is four days. There area lot of workshops - about both the craft and business of being a romance writer. There are keynote speakers and an awards ceremony to announce the RITA winners for this year. I can't wait to go to the conference. I hope I learn a lot and make some excellent contacts and possibly even some new writer friends. I'm sure I will have plenty to share once the conference is done.

Wordless Wednesday: Moon

Teaser Tuesdays: Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at Books and a Beat. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from Nook page 39 of Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts:

"Here, where Sasha said to come. Where Sawyer brought us. Where here" - she laid a hand on her heart - "I know we are meant to be."

First day of summer

Happy summer! I spent a nice chunk of my day reading this poolside. It was wonderful and the book is really good so far! 

Beach weather

It is 104 degrees here today. It is definitely time to head for the beach or the pool. Either way it is beach weather and with the official start of summer being tomorrow I know I know I'll be spending some time in the surf and sand with my family. In my opinion there's no better place to be on a hot summer day - with family, an iced coffee and a good book. 

Speaking of good books - tomorrow I'll finally be starting the new one by Nora Roberts - Bay of Sighs. I'm so excited to get into this one. It is the second book in her The Guardians Trilogy. It has been out for almost a week and I've had it sitting on my desk the whole time while I've been reading another book. I keep sighing over the gorgeous cover. Tomorrow I'll finally start reading it - perhaps at the beach with my kids and the iced coffee.

Truth

I need to write my books and read others then I'm just fine. I love this so much!

Roses

Beautiful roses from my husband for our anniversary. 

Latest Crochet square

This is called the Pinwheel square. It is the latest one I crocheted for what is going to be an enormous blanket to fit a king sized bed. 

Wordless Wednesday: Something True

Teaser Tuesday: The Collector by Nora Roberts

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at Books and a Beat. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from Nook page 263 of The Collector by Nora Roberts:

"We have something." He kept her face in his hands. "Something I think we'd have whenever, however we met. It needs attention."

Musing Mondays: My next read

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What book have you wanted to read for a long time, but still haven’t?

Tomorrow the new Nora Roberts book comes out and I can't wait to read it. It is called Bay of Sighs and it is the second book in The Guardians Trilogy. Here is the description for it from Good Reads:

The new Guardians Trilogy novel from the #1 New York Timesbestselling author of Stars of Fortune. 

To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…
 
Mermaid Annika is from the sea, and it is there she must return after her quest to find the stars. New to this world, her purity and beauty are nothing less than breathtaking, along with her graceful athleticism, as her five new friends discovered when they retrieved the fire star. 
 
Now, through space and time, traveler Sawyer King has brought the guardians to the island of Capri, where the water star is hidden. And as he watches Annika in her element, he finds himself drawn to her joyful spirit. But Sawyer knows that if he allows her into his heart, no compass could ever guide him back to solid ground...
 
And in the darkness, their enemy broods. She lost one star to the guardians, but there is still time for blood to be spilled—the mermaid’s in the water and the traveler’s on the land. For she has forged a dangerous new weapon. Something deadly and unpredictable. Something human

Here goes nothing

The other day I put something in motion that I have been thinking about for quite some time. It fits in with my writing and publishing goals but I can't really elaborate on it yet. Still, I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I had to do it, though. I had to take the chance and take the step forward. It's the first in a series of steps that need to be taken but often the first step is the hardest. I'll share more when I can but this quote resonates with me right now:

Lyrics for Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw

Humble and Kind  by Tim McGraw

You know there's a light that glows by the front door
Don't forget the key's under the mat
Childhood stars shine, always stay humble and kind
Go to church 'cause your momma says to
Visit grandpa every chance that you can
It won't be wasted time
Always stay humble and kind

Hold the door, say please, say thank you
Don't steal, don't cheat, and don't lie
I know you got mountains to climb but
Always stay humble and kind
When the dreams you're dreamin' come to you
When the work you put in is realized
Let yourself feel the pride but
Always stay humble and kind

Don't expect a free ride from no one
Don't hold a grudge or a chip and here's why
Bitterness keeps you from flyin'
Always stay humble and kind
Know the difference between sleeping with someone
And sleeping with someone you love
"I love you" ain't no pick up line so
Always stay humble and kind

Hold the door, say please, say thank you
Don't steal, don't cheat, and don't lie
I know you got mountains to climb but
Always stay humble and kind
When those dreams you're dreamin' come to you
When the work you put in is realized
Let yourself feel the pride but
Always stay humble and kind

When it's hot, eat a root beer popsicle
Shut off the AC and roll the windows down
Let that summer sun shine
Always stay humble and kind
Don't take for granted the love this life gives you
When you get where you're goin
Don't forget turn back around
And help the next one in line
Always stay humble and kind

I LOVE this song SO MUCH! I agree with the entire message of the song. In a world that is so fast and often times chaotic I think it is more important than ever to remember to be kind. I think being humble is a good thing, too. 

The Cure - Friday I'm in Love

My husband and I had the pleasure of seeing The Cure a couple of weeks ago. It was an amazing show! I wanted to upload my video of this song but couldn't get it to work. Oh well - enjoy the song all the same!

Friendship

I recently had a conversation with a group of women about friends and how crucial true friendship is in our lives. I truly believe it is an important element of a happy life. I am so grateful to have a handful of really special and amazing women in my life to call girlfriends. I hope for the same for my daughters. 

Wordless Wednesday: Tomorrowland

Teaser Tuesdays: The Collector by Nora Roberts

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at Books and a Beat. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from Nook page 20 of The Collector by Nora Roberts:

"Eloise and Nanny are fictional."

"Fictional people are people, too; otherwise, why would we care what happens to them?"

Musing Mondays: Favorite childhood book

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What is your most favorite book from your childhood?

There are three books that automatically come to mind for me when I recall my childhood. They are: Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. To this day I love all three of these books and they all hold a special place in my heart. Black Beauty and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer are books that my Grandma helped me to learn to read with. I fell in love with books at the same time I was falling in love with Black Beauty. A Wrinkle in Time is my most favorite from childhood, though. This book opened so many doors in my imagination. It is also the book that helped me to realize I could be a writer, too. 

Reach for Strength

Tranquility

Scrabble

Some summertime fun we had recently - playing Scrabble. It had been ages since I had played this game. I'd forgotten how much fun it is until I played it with my daughter the other day. We really had a blast together and I so appreciate the time spent with her!

Courage

This is a quote I posted for an Instagram challenge I take part in. I LOVE this quote - mainly because it is so true! It is also very sitting for me this week because I have been feeling a little uncertain about some of my writing and publishing choices. I suppose this is par for the course, though. Writing and publishing are important to me. Like anything that is important in our lives - I want to be great at them! I want to be successful and happy on this path that I have chosen. There is so much about it that is out of my hands, though. That is true of life, as well. So, it's time to take a deep breath and continue to be courageous! 

Hi June

Hello June! I cannot believe how incredibly fast May went by! We were so busy here and had so much going on - both within our family and with the school year ending - that the month literally whizzed by. That's all right though because it was a wonderful month over all.

We are hopeful that June will be wonderful, as well. I'd be happy if it didn't go by quite as fast as May, though. My kids are officially on summer vacation and I'd like it to go at a peaceful pace. We will be spending our days at the park, in the pool, at the beach and quite possibly doing quite a bit of bowling. We went bowling for one of my daughters birthdays and it was so much fun! It was the best time I have ever had bowling. It turns out that the bowling alley where we went is having a fantastic deal on bowling throughout the summer. We pay one price for each of us and we can then play up to three games every day. So yeah, I think we'll be doing a lot of bowling.