Long Time No Post…

Hey everyone, how are ya? Or should I say, the two or three people who might still follow this blog? It’s been a long time since I’ve shared anything here.

So, first things first. I have fourteen novels published (ten exclusively to Kindle Vella). I’m currently writing and publishing two more to Vella. I am hoping to be done with them over the next couple of months.

After they are finished, I hope to start book three of the Traitors War series. Destiny, book one, is available on Amazon as a paperback and e-book (it, along with all three of the Flying Ponies books, are in Kindle Unlimited). Deceit, book two, is available on Vella.

In 2023, my husband and I are hoping to start publishing my Vella novels to paperback and e-book. The first book we will do this with will be Deceit. I also hope to start offering book merchandise that goes along with my novels.

That’s the current plan, so we shall see how it goes. I hope you have a wonderful New Year’s, and hopefully I will be posting a lot more here.

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Are You in the Know?

Hey everyone, how is your holiday season going so far?

Have you started the Riven City series yet? No? What better time then during the holidays?

And if you have, are you all caught up? Big things are going down in the city!

Did you know you can leave reviews for Vella books on Amazon? And give each episode a thumbs up? If you’re reading and enjoying my stories, I would appreciate reviews, follows and likes. That shows Amazon that readers are seeing and enjoying my work, and helps me make money.

And while I would write even without getting paid, the money is nice.

Charlie Dragon and Goals

Good morning. How is everyone today? I’m taking a vacation day and working on I Need a Hero, book two in the Riven City series I’m publishing on Kindle Vella.

My goal for September is to finish up I Need a Hero so that in October (my favorite month) I can write and publish Drop Them Bones, the first holiday special in the series. It revolves around a recently renovated hotel, a masquerade ball, some supernatural happenings, and a firefighter and his girlfriend trying to survive the night.

I’m still loving Vella. I can share so many more stories with you all there. I am planning to publish Deceit, book two in the Traitors War series, in either October or November, too, alongside my Riven City books.

I also got a new writing friend, Charlie Dragon. He came from Menards, and though a bit pretentious, I’m enjoying him. He does like to offer suggestions for my book, which isn’t always appreciated, and he asks a lot of questions, some of which I don’t know the answers, because I don’t outline or plot out my books. At least, not in any great detail.

Have a wonderful day, friends. And if you want to read Drop Them Bones in October, I would suggest reading the first two books in the series, Got a Bad Case and I Need a Hero, first.

Meet Charlie Dragon, my new writing companion and mascot.

All the Holiday Cheer and Catching Up, Too

Hey everyone, long time no talk, yeah? Yeah. I haven’t kept this website as updated as I’d originally planned when I started it. I’ll get right to the point: life has been rough this year. I fell and broke/dislocated my right ankle way back in February, which was not fun. Lots of rods and pins had to be installed. We’ve dealt with other medical issues all year, and as of now, my maternal grandmother’s health is failing badly, and we expect this to be our last Christmas with her.

On a brighter note, I have sent Spin, the final Flying Ponies novel, to my editor and am waiting to hear back from her. It was a difficult book for me, much more difficult than either Lift or Tilt were, but maybe the last book in a trilogy is supposed to be. There’s a lot to wrap up, a lot of expectations riding on those final words. But I think it’s good. I think it’s fitting. I guess in March or April, when Spin gets released, we’ll see if the readers think so, too.

We saw Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker yesterday, and for me, it was everything it needed to be. Talk about wrapping up a series! Wow. And we know there’s more to come from Disney. My family just subscribed to Disney+ on Saturday, so we haven’t started The Mandalorian yet, but I’ve heard good things about it. My favorite fandom will always be Star Wars; my husband is a huge comic book fan, and I’m quite fond of a number of heroes, especially in the DC universe, but for me, the saga that George Lucas started back in 1977 will always be my fandom home. Rise of Skywalker was emotional for me, and I know it will be for a lot of people, just as it should be. It’s the ending of an era, and with Disney helming the franchise now, it opens the way for a new one.

I have the first novel in my next series all done, except for the crucial editing. It’s titled Clandestine, and it’s the first in the upcoming Traitors’ War series. It is set in the fictional world of Imperium, and the first book plays out on the fictional continent of Pentallia, a place where magic, called Illumination, has been outlawed. Different characters will tell the story through the series, including (but not limited to) a princess, a prince, a Shadowliege (assassin), a Knightagent (think a sword-and-gun wielding CIA agent), and an emissary searching for her place in the world. My plan is to release Clandestine in October of 2020, but we’ll see if that is feasible. The first chapter of it will be included in the back of Spin.

My goal for 2020 with this website is to update it once a week, and to talk about not only life in general, but the writing and author life. I hope to keep telling interesting stories.

Merry Christmas, everyone, or if you prefer, happy holidays. May the season bring warmth to you and yours, and may you make wonderful memories with friends and loved ones. My husband and I always wrap presents today, on December 23rd, and watch a movie while we do it. And tomorrow night, on Christmas Eve, after the service at our church, we hang the stockings and put out the presents, and then relax with a bit of Jack or maybe some rum, mixed in with Coke or eggnog. I like our traditions, and I know you all have yours, too. I hope they include Jesus, but if they don’t, know He is always willing to meet you.

Have a wonderful day, ladies and gents.

A New Year Cometh

Here we are, on the cusp of a new year. We all have things we didn’t get done in 2018, things we never even got around to doing. Will those go on your 2019 resolutions list? Or did they turn out to be not as important as you thought?

I’ve found that making resolutions rarely works for me. It might for a day or three, or maybe even a week, if it’s something I’m serious about. So I make goals, instead. It might be in the same spirit as resolutions, but it sounds better, at least to me

New author goals include: publishing and selling Tilt; writing Spin, the final volume in The Flying Ponies trilogy; selling more copies of Lift; researching and starting a new novel (more on that later); and learning as much as I can about writing.

I’d also like to ride my pony, BJ, more and take my Jeep Cherokee to the sand dunes more often and go trail riding. And, of course, spend as much time with my family as I can.

Whatever your resolutions are, I wish you well with them. I wish a blessed New Year on you as well. May 2019 be amazing!

Back To It

The holidays have come and are just about gone. Today is January first. We took down the Christmas decorations. Tomorrow, I go back to work. The kids and my hubby return to school the day after. Schedules resume, and life goes as if the holidays hadn’t happened. 

But this is the beginning of a new year, and with it, there will be new adventures for us all. My first novel debuts in April. That is an exciting adventure that I can’t wait to go on. There will be new stories to write. When spring comes, there will be trail rides to take. The Silver Lake ORV park will open, and we’ll take our Jeeps out there. Speaking of Bernadette, my ’99 Cherokee, she’s getting a lift to help her negotiate the dunes and trails better.

What you looking forward to in the new year? A new project? A new family member or job? Whatever it is, I wish you all the best!

The Haunting Hour

Happy Halloween! How has your day been? If you’re here in West Michigan, you’re probably stalking your weather apps to see how bad it will be while trick or treating tonight. Me? My two kids are too old for that now, so we’ll be home, watching the Flash on the CW and waiting to pass out candy.

While I know Halloween has fallen from favor with some groups, I have always enjoyed it. I work in a library, and this morning I was honestly hoping for a little haunted house action. Sigh. I got nothing, save the normal creepy sounds eminating from our roof. But it’s still a fun day.

So here’s wishing you a happy haunted night, full of candy and maybe a little mayhem.