It's nice to see you, 2019!

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope the holidays were extra special for all of you and that 2019 has started off with a bang. My holidays began with my Army daughter making it home on the 21st. Her flights were delayed a little, making her an hour later than scheduled getting into the Chattanooga airport. Thankfully, she made it in ahead of some nasty weather we were expected to get that evening. We made it home safe and sound before the storm hit that night.

Not only did I have my daughter home for Christmas, but also her 22nd birthday, and New Year's! She had to leave on the 2nd. It was nice having her home, even if just for that short amount of time. She hadn't been home since May! The next time I expect to see her is next Christmas. :(

My other girls enjoyed seeing their big sister while she was here. There was a lot of giggling, squealing, wrestling, picking, and cuddles. They had a good time.

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to get back to business. This year I have several projects in the works, most important is the long awaited release of book 7 in the Liz Baker series. Yay! I have a long to-do list for 2019 that includes short stories, BOGO deals, a possible box set deal, and possibly some videos from lil ole me. With all this upcoming goodness, if you aren't subscribed to my newsletter no is definitely the time. You won't want to miss out on all the fun stuff coming your way. Subscribe Today.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2019 brings you all the health, happiness, and prosperity you can stand. :D

Showing Your Favorite Author(s) Some Love

It's that time of year again... Time to shop 'til you drop! LOL. Well, you know what I mean. There will be lots of gift-giving over the next few weeks and some of the big gifts will be new tablets, iPads, Kindles, Nooks, and many more electronics that can be used to read books. Soon those eReaders will need to be filled with many, many new reads, so why not show your favorite authors some love this holiday season?

It's really easy to give your favorite author a little holiday joy. A simple review is a big one. Reviews help us gain new readers. They help us sell more books, pull in potential fans, and even give us a better standing in the book selling marketplaces. There are even deals and discounts newsletters that require a certain amount of reviews before we can list our books with them.

So please, during this holiday season, take a moment to leave a few words on a book you enjoyed. It can be as simple or as detailed as you like. Even a short, "I liked it," is enough to make a beloved author happy.

Happy Holidays!

Halloween Giveaway 2012

It's that time of the year, again. Time for my annual Halloween Giveaway and my favorite time of the year! This year it's going to be a little different than in previous years, so be sure to read the following closely.

This year the giveaway will run from October 15th through October 31st. Each person will be able to collect multiple entries simply by completing a small list of "tasks". However, the main aspect of the giveaway will be the number of new fans we can bring over to the Facebook page. The more fans brought over, the more goodies at the end of the giveaway.

Starting on day 1, each day we can bring over at least 10 new fans to the Facebook page one more item will be added to the giveaway box. I'm starting the giveaway with the first three books of the Liz Baker series, in paperback form, autographed. On day 2 (after 10 more new fans) I'll add an Ambrosiacs coffee mug. On day 3, I'll add an Amazon gift certificate. Day 4, a bottle of nail polish. Day 5, candies. And on and on until Halloween!

And if we get 10 new fans for every single day of the giveaway, I'll add one more bonus goodie...bringing the grand total a whopping 20 items in the box!

The amount of goodies in the giveaway box on Halloween will be completely up to how many people participate in bringing new and potential Ambrosiacs over to the Facebook page. There could be 3 books or 20 items at the end. Let's see what you guys and gals can do! I hope I'm giving away 20 items instead of just 3.  ;) I'll keep a list of current goodies below.

Winner will be announced on November 2, 2012.

To enter, start completing tasks through the Rafflecopter below!

Good luck!

Current Items in Giveaway Box:
3 Liz Baker books
$10 Amazon gift card




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holidays, 2012, Learner's Permits

I survived.

"What did you survive?" you may ask.

Well, I survived the holidays, my oldest daughter's 15th birthday, New Year's, illnesses, and even the teenager getting her learner's permit! Eek!

The holidays were a rush of my teen in my cousin's wedding, my mother's birthday, FIL in the hospital, hosting Christmas Eve, hosting Christmas Day, hosting the teen's 15th birthday, celebrating New Year's Eve, kids being home from school for two solid weeks, and then dealing with colds, ear infections, sinus infections, and being sick myself. Lastly, I took the teen on January 3rd, 2012 and she successfully passed the test to gain her learner's permit to drive.

So yes, I say... I survived!! Woohoo! I can't believe it's all finally over. Well, almost over. A week from today is my youngest daughter's 7th birthday. After that it's smooth sailing until April.

Yeah, yeah, smooth sailing... Bwahaha! I girl can be delusional at times, can't she?

I have a busy 2012 planned, but then again, aren't all my years busy? ;) I'll be attending the Book 'Em NC conference in a short 47 days from today. I have three stories to write and put out in 2012. Lots of home projects, including the addition of goats to our family in the spring. And all the normal work, family, friends stuff that I enjoy throughout the year. :)

Celebrating the new year is more than just saying "Hooray" when the clock strikes midnight. It's a celebration of surviving another year with my sanity intact (at least the majority of it anyway) and being able to enjoy the fresh start that each January 1st allows us.

Happy New Year to all of you! I wish you a happy and prosperous 2012!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As you read this, I'm on my way out of town for a day trip with Tim and our girls. We had the family Thanksgiving get-together last Saturday, freeing us up to do what ever we wanted today. With Tim off work and the girls out of school this week, what better time to take a trip?

Today we will spend the day in Pigeon Forge, TN. I have reservations for a late lunch and a show at Dixie Stampede at 1pm. When Tim & I saw the Christmas show there last year we knew we had to bring the kids back for it. And the best part: It's a Thanksgiving meal I don't have to cook or clean up after! Woohoo!

After our meal and show, we'll go spend some time shopping and visiting Gatlinburg before heading back home in the evening.

This is family togetherness at its best!

I hope you're having a beautiful day with the ones you love!

Happy Thanksgiving,

School's out for summer!

Happy Memorial Day ladies and gents. How is your day going? Mine has been pretty uneventful...just the way I like it. The kids even worked through their new summer chore charts without a hitch. I highly doubt their gusto for the new chores will last the entire summer though.

So school has been out for four days now and I'll be damned if my eyes haven't popped open every single morning at 6 am. Of course if school was still in 6am would be considered running late at my house. But still, how fair is that? Sheesh! I hope my internal clock starts running a little later over the next few days. Now, that's not saying that I'm actually getting out of bed at 6 am. No way in hell! Nope, I just roll over and go back to sleep for another two hours. Then again, after I've had a few days of laziness I may just take advantage of the 6am wake up call and get some writing work done before the kids wake up for the day. We'll see.

Though it's not technically summer yet, it certainly feels like it here in Georgia. We've had highs in the 90s already. We even filled the kiddie pool for the little girls yesterday. It's going to be a hot one when summer actually arrives. In my opinion it's better to have a hot summer than a bitterly cold and wet winter.

On the work front, it looks like I'll soon be an "Internationally Published Author". I've agreed to the contract from the Turkish publishing house ARVO and my books will be released in Turkey, starting with A Midnight Infatuation (Alex & Fiona, book 1) in July. All other books will follow in the months after, all the way to February 2012. I'm looking forward to this new endeavor and hope they are a great success with the Turkish readers. More to come as I have updates to share.

Before I go, be sure to pop over to the Facebook page and check out a special Manly Monday in honor of Memorial Day. It's definitely worth the click.

Online Christmas Party!

Who wants to party with me?  Technically, there aren't many of you who could physically party with me, but we can certainly party together online! 

On Thursday December 17, 2009, from 8pm - 10pm EST, I'll be hosting my very first online Christmas party.  Come, eat (your own food), and be merry with me!  Settle down in your comfy computer chair, have a glass of wine, and snack on some cheese and crackers while we chat, joke around, and just have a good time.  We might even sing some Christmas carols!!

At the end of the night, I'll give a Christmas gift to one lucky guest.  I'll post all the details close to time (where the chat is, log-in info, etc.).

Speaking of Christmas gifts, don't forget about my December-Twitter GiveAway that's going right now.  All the contest details are here, so pop by and tell me what your Christmas gift wish is for this year.  :-)

All righty!  Today's Monday, the start of a brand new week, and I get to go back to my writing work.  I'm very excited to pull out my manuscript of Time For Death, go over it once again and get it all ready to send out into the world.  I'm planning to have it sent off to several people by the end of the week.  Then it'll be time to jump back into Time for Battle to get it finished up.  I'm sure Liz'll be happy that I'm back to giving her the time of day.  LOL.

Speaking of Liz, one of my lovely beta readers informed me last week that she was going through "Liz withdrawls".  LOL!  Looks like I better hurry up with book 2 before she starts having seizures from the withdrawls.  ;-)

I'm of now.  I hope you all have a fantastic Monday.  I'm going to work until I have to pick the oldest up for her orthodontics appointment this afternoon.

*Smooches*

Wanna Know Wednesday #43

Happy Hump Day everyone!  It's a wet, rainy, dreary day here this morning.  That didn't keep us from going out in it though.  LOL.  We had to get some groceries and run by the bank.  When I told the 4 yr old to get dressed she asked, "Do you know that it's raining out there?"  LOL!  She's such a ham.

We made it back though... maybe a littler wetter, but definitely safe and sound.  :-)

According to the Weather Channel, we'll have rain all day, clouds over the next four days, and a possibility of snow showers on Saturday.  That's pretty early for snow showers here in north Georgia.  Usually it's not until after the new year.  We'll see if it happens though.  Don't want to get the kids excited until we see fat flakes falling from the sky.

So, it's the time of the year that every time a parent takes their small children shopping (even just for groceries) we hear the phrases that won't stop until we leave the store...  "Can I have this?  Will you buy me this?  I want this!"

Holiday displays run amuck these days.  Kids have voices that live in a constant state of whining, begging, pleading for something, anything that's within the grasp of their small hands.

Yep, my 4 year old has joined the ranks of these holiday begging soldiers.  I've heard so many Oooohs and Ahhhhs and I want and I need and Buy me this and of course....  Pleeeeeease!  It's enough to make a parent pull their hair out.

In the holiday spirit of giving, today's Wanna Know Wedneday will be......

10 Gifts Under My Tree

1. 1600 Xbox Live Points
2. MP3 Player
3. Books
4. Journals
5. Strawberry Shortcake games
6. Twilight Jewelry box
7. Twilight Poster
8. Star Trek dvd
9. A Tupperware set
10. A photo calendar

There are more, and there are more to get.  These are just the first ten that came to mind.  All three children got books and I need to get them each a new pajama set.  We have a Christmas Eve tradition that they get to open one gift and it's always new pjs.  It's fun and they like to see what I've picked out for them.

Santa still has to make a trip to Toys R Us this weekend, too.  Then I'll be all satisfied with everything being ready for Christmas.  Of course, five days after Christmas is our oldest daughter's 13th birthday and two weeks later is our youngest daughter's 5th birthday.  I'll have to figure something out for their birthday gifts too.
This is a busy time of year, but I so love it.  The lights, the happiness, the fun and games, the parties, the time spent as a family... I love it all.  :-)

I'm off to do laundry now.  My monthly newsletter went out this morning, so I hope everyone on the list enjoyed it.  Thank you all for reading.  *Smooches*

Have a great Wednesday.

Nine days and counting....

The big girls only have nine days of school left before being let out for Christmas and New Year's. ACK! I'm not sure if I should be excited for Christmas, for the fact that the holidays are almost over, or if I should be terrified of the fact that all of the kids will be home for weeks. LOL!

I love the holiday season. Or maybe it's that I love the thought of the holiday season. However, this time of the year is so busy, so stressful, so, so... just SO! I definitely have more headaches during this time of the year, but I enjoy seeing the girls excited and happy. I like watching the lights twinkle on the Christmas tree late at night when there are no other lights on in the house. I like the smell of all the holiday goodies that we don't normally make any other time of the year.

With that said, come January 1st, I'm always soooooo happy that it's all over!

Between now and the end of January I have Christmas Eve Day (2 different family gatherings), Christmas Eve night with the kids, Christmas Day lunch (which I'll be preparing), my oldest daughter's 12th birthday on the 30th, New Year's, my birthday, and my youngest daughter's 4th birthday. December 18th is my mom's birthday, as well as the older girls' last day of school until next month.

Next month will also include the girls' 6 month dental checkup, yearly checkup at the pediatrician, and my oldest will be getting the braces we postponed from October.

Is it time for summer vacation yet??? LOL!

I just want to lock myself away in a room with nothing and no one except me and my laptop. Just for a day or two. Please? Can't I? Ah, come on! It's not fair! *Stomps foot childishly*

Well, alright then. I'll just go back to work, pop two more Excedrin Migraine pills, and get ready to go pick the girls up at school as my youngest throws a fit because she wants to watch Dora a little longer. Joy, joy!

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Happy 4th of July!!

Happy 4th of July to all of the USA readers. I hope that everyone is enjoying a nice day off with family and friends. Any big plans today? Fireworks? Cook-outs? Parties?

We got up early and took the girls out for breakfast. It feels like a Saturday. LOL! Then, we stopped by Walmart to pick up some laundry detergent because I forgot to do it yesterday. Then, we filled up the van's gas tank in preparation for our 6 hour drive tomorrow. YAY!

After all of that, we came home and had a swim. Now we're all inside just lazing around.

The hubby will be grilling out burgers & hotdogs in a couple of hours and we'll enjoy some nice alcoholic beverages right along with the food. LOL!

I have a few more things to do before we leave in the morning. I have one more load of laundry, after everyone takes their showers, and one more load of dishes, after dinner. Then, we'll be set. :-)

Have a good day! I hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend and spend some time with the loved ones in your life. :-)