Some people prefer to listen rather than read, and this makes sense in this busy world. I like to read when I’m home, but if I have a long drive, I’ll put in an audio book to help pass the time.
Did you know two of my Esperance books are on Audible? That’s right! Jarerth, First Lord and Viviane, First Lady are both available as audio books!
Not ready for anything that long?
I also do podcasts of my blog here over at Anchor! So if you want to catch the news from this writer’s life, but don’t have the time to sit and read, catch the podcast!
Yes, it’s that time again. Memorial Day. In the United States, it is a federal holiday set aside to honor military personnel who died in the performance of their military duties.
I know it isn’t, but it always seems like Memorial Day signals the beginning of summer. Maybe it’s because we always got out of school about then and our summer began.
Those of us in the marching band played in the town parade, whether school was finished for the year or not. We started at the school, marched through the town square, and then turned right to go to the cemetary. The eerie sound of the echo performance of Taps always brought tears to my eyes.
But let me tell you, those forest green wool uniforms were hot in the Ohio sun, whether marching or standing at parade rest. Complete with hats and gloves, we always hoped for a cloudy day.
Are you doing anything for Memorial Day this year? For many, it is a time for family get-togethers, barbecues, fireworks… Of course, around here, it seems any type of holiday is a time for fireworks.
I don’t have any family plans for the holiday, but I am planning something special for my readers.
That’s right! Just click the link above to go to my author profile. All of my books, listed by series, will be there for you to peruse.
Beginning tonight, all my books will be available for $0.99 each. And the sale will go through Monday night. So if there any you need to complete a series, now’s the time to stock up!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and holiday. Stay safe out there!
It makes a lot of difference to authors like me, who sell on Amazon. It is difficult to get noticed out there and reviews help. How often have you seen a product or book listed on Amazon and decided not to look at it because it had few or no reviews?
There is also the promotion factor. Unless an author has a certain number of reviews for their book, Amazon does very little to promote it. It won’t show up in suggestions for readers or in any promotional events. You’re on your own without reviews.
If you don’t review, why not? It takes only a few minutes to say whether or not you liked the book or what you liked about it. It may take less time than getting through the drive through during lunch hour and it costs you nothing.
But it will help out that new author whose book you tried the other day. The one you couldn’t put down.
After the last bit of chill, Mother Nature has chosen to go straight into summer. We’re supposed to have temperatures up in the 90’s this weekends, with night time lows warmer than our daytime highs were just over a week ago.
But the tomatoes are looking good and enjoying the sunshine, even if I’m uncomfortable with all the temperature shifts. All in all, a good time to stay indoors and get with the writing!
What have you been working on lately?
I’ve finished the first draft and read through of Lady Calloway and gone back to Scotch and Soulmates and Old Flame to make the corrections I made on the Kindle.
I don’t know about you, but I cannot read a manuscript properly on my computer monitor. But what I’ve found works a lot better is to save it out as a mobi file –I use Calibre to help with that–and upload it to my Kindle Fire. That way it’s more like reading a book without going through reams of paper and cartons of toner.
I haven’t figured out a way to make the changes to it on the Kindle, so I highlight the sections where I’ve found problems or bits I want to rewrite. Once I’ve finished the read through, I take the Kindle to my desk, open the book and the manuscript on the computer, and work my way through.
Yes, it is a little cumbersome, but whatever works. Right?
With the three of those moved out of the way for a bit, I’ve revisited the unfinished WIP for the Esperance series. The next one to publish will be Too Many Talents, Book 4, followed by Ben of Blackstone’s Forge, Book 5. The one I’ve pulled back out of the “to be finished” folder is Gregor Thayne–Heir of Rowan.
Way back in Viviane, First Lady, we meet Gregor’s father, Lord Kinsey of Clan Rowan. His was the deciding vote in the trial in Clan Belfort. In this book we meet his son and heir, who is a bit of a rogue. Earlier in life, Gregor decided he’d had enough and refused to be the clan heir. Taking off for the far side of the clan, he took his mother’s surname and became a city guard.
Eventually, he and his father came to an agreement and he returned to his duties as heir. But he retained the last name Thayne as a final show of rebellion.
But he was not a happy man when his father announced the marriage arrangement he’d made with another first Lord, pledging him to a woman he’d never met.
How will this all turn out? Your guess is as good as mine at this point. My characters tend to have minds of their own and go off on tangents I’d never imagined.
Watch for Too Many Talents later this year. And who knows? There may be something else from Sultonna Nadine as well.
Haven’t read the Esperance Series? You can find in on Amazon or at Smashwords!
I love fresh spices and the flavors seem a little brighter if you grind them right before using them. I love to do this with coriander, cumin, cardamom and peppercorns.
And most of the time this works out well.
Except with peppercorns.
For some reason I tend to forget that the grinder produces a fine, powdery dust which billows out of the grinder if you open it too soon. You need to give it a few seconds to settle. Otherwise…
Yes. You get a nose full of pepper dust and think you’re going to die from sneezing. And coughing. And grab a fresh box of tissues, because you’re gonna have a runny nose for an hour.
But the pepper is ground, I’ve nearly recovered, and the steaks are ready for the grill Now as soon as the grill is ready, it can all go out to the grill master–my guy who is home for the weekend–and I can ready everything else for dinner while he works his magic.
Got any weekend plans?
I’ll take some time this weekend and do some more editing on Lady Calloway. I must cut it down by at least 15,000 words. (sigh) I really kind of envy those people who need to bulk up their word count. Me and short stories? Doesn’t happen, unless you consider short around 75,000 words.
Yeah. Really.
If you’re looking for something to read, go check out my books on Smashwords or Amazon. I may go over to Smashwords later and see about some sales for the weekend…
Happy Mothers Day tag close up among a bouquet of flowers over a white wood background
I know. Mother’s Day isn’t until Sunday. However, I normally write on Friday before the weekend gets too hectic.
What are your plans for Mother’s Day?
When I was growing up, we normally had a bunch of friends over–families from church with all the mothers, fathers, and kids. My dad would do a big chicken BBQ and each family brought a side or dessert. Mom and I usually made a big batch of potato salad.
Come on. We ALWAYS made a big batch of potato salad. What’s the point of potato salad unless there is some left over to sneak out of the fridge later? And the few times we tried, we still wound up with the big yellow bowl full, plus about two servings which wouldn’t fit…
It was a beautiful time up around the Great Lakes. While winter has finally paased, and the weather has warmed, the summer swelter hasn’t yet arrived, Hay fields are growing toward mowing season, spring flowers are popping up everywhere. It is truly a beautiful place. And the spring flowers didn’t bother my mother as much when we picked bouquets. The golden rod and wild flowers in the fall about did her in, so they had to sit outside on the cistern lid, in front of the kitchen window.
How do you celebrate Mother’s Day?
And perhaps your mother likes to read…
I’m getting into a book our daughter bought for me–the complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales. I know. I’m weird.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend and a Happy Mother’s Day!
It’s the first day of May today. I believe spring may be here to stay this time, even though it did get down into the high 40’s last night. I think they’re predicting a high today of around 85.
So what’s happening in your world today? I’m thinking about taking my walk early to avoid the heat this afternoon. I’ve never gotten along well with heat, so I try to do all my outside work early in the morning before the sun gets too high in the sky.
I’ve nearly wrapped up Lady Calloway. Yes, I know, but life has a way of getting complicated. And after this one is wrapped, I really need to get finished with a half-finished book in the Esperance series. This one will come after Ben of Blackstone’s Forge, which will be Book 5 in the series and is in a second round of edits.
Gregor is the heir of Clan Rowan. In his younger days, angry with his father, he left the family home and went to the other side of the clan to join the guard. To further distance himself, he took his mother’s maiden name. When he and his father finally reconciled, he agreed to come back and take up his place once again, but chose to keep his mother’s family name. Gregor Thayne–Heir of Rowan brings in a new cast of characters to join those already in the series.
And Ben of Blackstone’s Forge? This is another story inset into the story, a vignette of Ben Blackstone, son of the local blacksmith. Now a journeyman smith, working on becoming a master, Ben inherited his father’s Talent with iron. Though his father keeps hinting it’s time for him to marry, the one girl he’d always thought would be his seems out of reach. Tired of waiting for him to come around, his father arranges a marriage for him. Can he and his new wife find a happily ever after?
Watch for Too Many Talents later this year. And wish me luck on wrapping Lady Calloway and finishing Gregor Thayne.
You won’t need a passport or airline tickets. No need for a Covid test. All you need is a comfy chair, something delightful to drink, and maybe a fireplace.
And of course, a book. Or an e-book. Either way, it won’t cost much. But such a world you’ll find.
Discovered by the seekers when Earth began to expand into the universe, the colony was just getting on its feet when tragedy struck. They were cut off from their home world without warning while facing a pandemic which was wiping out the population.
After weathering this time of trouble, the survivors fell into a world of chaos and confusion. It became a world of every man for himself and damn the consequences.
Out of this tribulation, people with special abilities emerged. Descendants of the seekers who had come with them, they developed strong psychic abilities. Eventually they were able to enforce the rule of law back onto the population and divided the lands into clans. Each clan was ruled by one of these psychically talented First Lords.
Our first story begins several hundred years after this time of confusion, in Clan Brannach, which is ruled by First Lord Jareth. A widowed ruler with no heir, he has no heart for finding another wife, until he meets Viviane from a neighboring clan.
But will he win her heart before the two of them start a clan war?
The story continues in Book 2, where we learn more about Talents and the problems they can cause.
Book 3 is inset into the main story line, following the tale of another girl from the neighboring clan, of her struggles, and of finding the possibility of love. With a little more psychic magic involved, there are some surprises along the way.
So, beginning with Jareth, First Lord, continuing with Viviane, First Lady, and moving on to Morgan–The Pixie and the Green Man, the wonders of this world unfold. Next up will be Too Many Talents, continuing Viviane’s story and bringing in Connell, of Clan Belfort, the new heir to the clan.
All these books are available on Amazon, Smashwords, and most major booksellers.
So take a break. Take a vacation. Come with me to a simpler, more magical time and place.
Here it is Friday again, and here I am back at my desk, getting ready to do some writing.
But what do I have on the table once Lady Calloway is out of the way?
Several things come to mind… The first one is the first book I ever wrote, which I call Mistaken Identity, which will be from Sultonna Nadine. It is no where near to being ready to publish, and my editor is going to have a job. As it was the first, there is a lot to weed out, but once it’s ready, it will be a great story.
This is another book which came to me in a dream and wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote it down. And as I wrote each bit down, another bit would show up. Putting the pieces together was the trick, since the bits weren’t necessarily in order.
Where does this piece belong?
How did we get here in the first place.
And where do we go from here?
In this story we have a young woman, who is a martial artist as well as a piano instructor who is mistaken for someone she’s not. Taken to a world hostile to her own, she finds she will be forced to stay and put to work as a servant wherever the state chooses.
But what they decide will risk her life, as well as the lives of others, in a bid to save both their worlds.
The next one that comes to mind is Whiskey Jug Genie, a book from Sultonna Nadine. It will be ready much faster and is more about magic than romance, though there is a bit of romance mixed in. Set in London, this features a young apothecary owner who finds an old whiskey jug while touring the American Southeast. Imagine his surprise when he opens it up and a red-neck genie appears.
That’s when the trouble begins. It seems anyone with sufficient magical ability can sense his presence, and someone is determined to steal the jug and the genie.
From Esperance, after Too Many Talents, we will have Ben of Blackstone’s Forge. The girl Ben has always thought would be his suddenly turns an icily cold shoulder to him when he comes back from completely his training for Journeyman and nobody can tell him why. But his father wants to see him married, and her father needs for her to marry so her sisters can make plans for their futures. So the two men arrange a marriage for the two of them, turning their world upside down.
And from Gambler’s Folly, we’ll be meeting the characters in Old Flame. They first met thirty years ago at university and haven’t spoken since graduation. Her world is in the East, near the Cherokee National Forest. He’s from Texas, but has based his business out of Northern California. Meeting just before they both catch the shuttle for Gambler’s Folly, a spark which had been missing between them at uni begins to blossom. And it turns out they share a common enemy.
So, that’s what’s happening in this writer’s life. If you have any questions about what I’m working on or something I’ve written, drop me a line in the comments.
