January Observances: Hot Tea Month

Photo from Willie Cloete

Every day of the year seems to be dedicated to something extra, and while it's fun to celebrate Hamburger Day or Whipped Cream Day, I've decided to focus on months instead of days.

January has several observances, however, I picked just four I like and I'll be sharing them with you every Monday this month.

Today, I'm going to share Hot Tea Month with you!

As a born and raised Southerner, it took me a while to become a fan of hot tea. My experimentation with numerous tea blends and sweeteners, bags or loose leaf, and even different kettles led me to some delicious, healthy, and warming teas that I drink regularly during the cold winter months.

Some of my favorite blends include apples and citrus fruits. I have one I like for daily use to get me started in the mornings called Sweet Tangerine Positive Energy from Yogi Teas. This is my "start the day" tea that I sip while waking up at 5:30am every weekday.

I also enjoy their Kava Stress Relief for nighttime use. Since I have such a difficult time settling down in the evening (don't we all have a million things left to do at bedtime?) it helps me relax and sleep better. Mr. Silvers uses it to fall asleep in the mornings because he works nights and it's hard for him to sleep in the daytime.

I like having blends that are meant for particular reasons, such as the ones I pick for cold & flu season, mental clarity, and relaxation. I also enjoy scrolling through the pages of Adagio Teas for coconut, candy apple, peach, and cherry flavors. They always have good sized "sample" packets. I can go for months at a time with sample packets.

You may see my characters sipping a cup of tea in the stories I write from time to time. If you notice this, you'll know I was most likely writing that scene on a cold winter day with my own steamy cup sitting to the right of my laptop fueling me forward throughout the day.

Do you have a tea you love? Share it with me! I'm always looking for a new flavor to try.

Happy Tea Month!

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

NaNoWriMo Time (i.e. Why you won't see me in November!)

NaNoWriMo

Welcome to NaNoWriMo Eve! We are hours away from one of the biggest writing competitions/challenges in the world (at least in my opinion).

I started taking part in National Novel Writing Month back in 2011. Four of my novels were NaNo novels! However, this will be my first year attempting the competition while also working a public job. EEK! I'm a little concerned, to say the least.

For those of you who may not know about NaNoWriMo let me share a little info. In this competition writers are challenged to write 50,000 words in only 30 days. That's writing an entire novel between November 1st and November 30th. Now, if you break it down, you're looking at 1,667 words per day... EVERY DAY.  And they will NOT be good words. LOL! You can't edit, research, rewrite, or in any way improve your story. It's all about getting words on paper (i.e. computer screen). November will be a month of simply pulling your hair out while attempting to remember words... any words... all the words!

Sooooo, if you start to wonder where I'm off to in November just remember that I'm probably chugging coffee, Diet Mountain Dew, and anything sugar-filled in order to scratch out some sort of decent wordcount after my day job, on a daily basis.

Feel free to send me any and all of the Starbucks White Chocolate Mochas! Hot or cold, I don't care. :D

Wish me luck, and I hope you all have a wonderful month. See you in December!!