Finding Home for Christmas

I’m going to be spending Christmas away from my husband for the first time in twenty-four years this year. My mother is ill, so my son and I will be visiting and helping her over the holidays. Work and home responsibilities (animals…did I mention animals?) mean my husband will have to stay on our farm. Plus, I know he will want to see the new grandson and his very first Christmas. I’ll miss that, but I’m making a trade-off.

We have never been one of those families that fill a quarter of the room with presents, and as my husband reminded me, we can celebrate Christmas anytime we choose. Still, we become attached to that idea of being home for this particular holiday.

Thinking about that reminded me of the one other Christmas where I really felt I wasn’t home.

Sixteen years old, I was living with a family in Switzerland, thousands of miles from everything that was familiar to me. Their traditions weren’t my traditions. To top it all off, I had just recently had my cast removed after tearing ligaments in my ankle. I had had to undergo surgery within a week of arriving in my new temporary country. Homesickness had also arrived in a big way.

There are things I remember, like how fascinated and somewhat frightened I was by the fact my Swiss family actually burned candles on their tree. Nevertheless, it was beautiful. They also opened presents on Christmas Eve. While it was pretty cool to be able to open gifts early, it was a bit of a letdown Christmas morning. Santa was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there’d been St. Nicholas, but he’d come and gone weeks earlier on December 6^th.

All in all, it was a culture shock, and—Swiss or American—we were supposed to be celebrating the same holiday. The real comfort was in going to church. Despite the fact that it was darn cold inside that big sanctuary, the tunes were the same ones I had grown up with.

I remind myself of that now. Christmas will be different this year, but there is always something to be pulled out of it that can help give us a feeling of home, even when we are far away from the ones we love the most.

What's with book trailers?

Check out this short book trailer for my upcoming release of Special Delivery...
Special Delivery

I decided to play around a little bit with Animoto. I'm still not completely sold on the idea of book trailers, although I have heard from some authors who absolutely adore them.

This is a shorty...just 30 seconds long, and you know, that's okay with me. As a former TV news producer, :30 is a lot of time. The average television commercial is just :30. I have seen book trailers come in around 2:00 to 2:30 minutes long. Way tooooo long.

So I may play around with this, but I have to say, I'd like to see some hard data that these things increase visibility and sales because to do one right, it would require a lot more investment of time and money than it might well be worth.

Life's Little Blessings

As I sit here at the computer this Christmas Eve, unable to really concentrate on serious writing, bored with reading, and unwilling to do anymore work around the house, I have spent some time thinking back on 2014, only a week away from coming to an end.

It has been a year filled with change for our family.

My husband lost his job in February. While it has forced us to live on my income as a teacher and the royalties I make as a writer (not yet where I wish them to be!), I considered it to be a blessing. For the past six years, he had worked at a job far enough from our home that he had to live there during the week and was only home for weekends. Maintaining a family life long distance is never easy. It also brings with it enough increased expenses in maintaining a second household (even though his lodgings were rent-free) that I often questioned whether we were really better off.

Adjusting our lifestyle to such a cut in income has had its ups and downs, sometimes like the most insane roller coaster ride you can ever imagine. Yet each time that I have grown concerned that we couldn’t possibly make it through a month, somehow we did. Royalty checks, big and small, arrived just in the nick of time, or my husband picked up some freelance work that helped to tide us over. A litter of puppies brought in additional income.

We planted a garden, then added a watermelon and cantaloupe patch in a different location on our mini-farm. Plentiful rain and moderate temperatures provided us with an abundance of fresh vegetables and incredibly flavorful melons. A neighbor killed and butchered one of his steers and brought us a box of beef. Just before Thanksgiving, my husband expressed the wish that he could add a deer ham to our smoker, and less than an hour later we were hauling an eight point buck home in the back of our truck.

In May, I earned my masters in education. Thanks to a gift from two very good friends, we had gas money so we could attend commencement in Virginia Beach. The pomp and ceremony had a wonderful bonus effect: my son, who was not at all excited about his own upcoming high school graduation ceremony, suddenly looked forward to the event. The smile on his face after that ceremony will live in my memory forever. School was not the easy academic ride for him that it had been for me and his father.

With the change in his employment, my husband decided to take a hard look at what he wanted to do. He had already completed a course in fixing small engines, which—to my thinking—paid for itself when he was able to fix our riding lawnmower himself.  He is now back in school and has completed his first semester of a very fine gunsmithing program.

My career as a writer has continued to grow and expand this year. I had a book release under a different pen name in July, which has done very well. My next release as Laura Browning, Special Delivery, will come out May 12, 2015, and is already available for pre-order.

Just this week, my husband finally secured a part-time job that he can fit around his schedule as a student and as the coach of a high school fencing team. My son has matured during this year, now holding down two part-time jobs as he continues to explore what he would like to do for a career.

In all, though this year has been filled with tremendous change, it has also been filled with such timely blessings, I can’t help but believe in the divine hand of providence at work. Through the many adventures and misadventures during my life, I have always felt I must have a very special guardian angel. Now I am sure of it.

I don’t wear my faith on my sleeve. Maybe that’s a function of being a Lutheran, maybe it’s just my personality. However, I have spent many moments this year thanking God for his assistance in so many little ways. So this holiday season, when we think about the miracle of faith embodied in the birth of God’s son, remember that miracles occur every day in many little ways. It might be the garden blessed with good weather or a timely gift from a friend. It might even be that longer than usual wait in a checkout line that put you two cars behind the impaired driver instead of right next to him when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed.

As Walt Whitman says, “Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”

So as 2014 winds down and 2015 begins, remember to look for the best in every situation. Find those little blessings that can brighten your day and help you brighten the day of someone else. 

Love Will Bring You Home

Welcome to Mountain Meadow, Virginia -- home of some hot guys, some nosy church ladies, and the newest residents, Holly Morgan and her little brother. Oh yeah, and Holly's soon-to-be-born baby.

Special Delivery kicks off my new series: Mountain Meadow Homecomings with Kensington's Lyrical Press imprint.

I can't wait for you to meet Holly and the hunky cop who helps her out, Jake Allred.

Special Delivery will release May 12, 2015. It's available for pre-order now from Amazon, Kobo, and Nook. I hope you will love all the folks of Mountain Meadow as much as I do!

Do You Need Money for Happiness?

When I was a kid, there were plenty of times that I thought,"Everything would be great if only we were rich." It was usually those moments when I wanted something I couldn't have, or I would have to save my money to get what I did want. As an adult, I can appreciate those lessons my parents taught me about learning to work hard for what I want in life. So thanks, Mom and Dad for making me save for six years to get that pony.

Over the years, I have met enough people with money to realize that having wealth isn't a free ticket to a life of infinite happiness. Just look at the news that hits the Internet every day, and anyone can see that. Sure, that person pulling in millions might not be wondering if there will be enough money to put gas in the car until the next paycheck, or if they have enough food in the freezer to cover what they can't buy fresh in groceries, but there are some problems that transcend a family's net worth.

The four books (so far) in the Barlow Barretts' series touch on some of those issues. Anna, in Bittersweet, struggled with the issue of never feeling as though she fit in. Seth, in Balancing Act, struggles with living up to his role as the eldest son--when  his heart's in a different place. In Remember Me, Brandon discovers how life in the limelight can turn ugly, and in this latest book, Stacey faces some of the biggest challenges of all. She's done her best to be the perfect Barlow-Barrett, but it's not enough. Even worse, she faces domestic violence in a marriage that's unraveling.

Broken Heart was a tough book to write, but as I started exploring exactly what kind of story Stacey might have to tell, it occurred to me that the way she'd led her life was simply too good to be true. Nobody had a life as perfect as hers seemed to be, unless they were a Barbie and Ken doll in one of my childhood games.Since I pretty much write by the seat of my pants, it surprised me what issues began to emerge in Stacey's life.

I have to thank my editor, Dianne, for making me go back and rewrite Jace, Stacey's husband. He's not a likable character, and there are people who will feel he doesn't get all that he deserves, but he has a story not unlike Stacey's. Like her, Jace's life has been all about keeping up appearances. It's his reaction when he can no longer do that that becomes the problem.

You know, I'd like everyone to have a chance to get in on this series from the beginning, so this week I'm offering readers a chance to get a copy of Bittersweet, book 1 in the series. All you have to do is leave a comment on whether you think having money makes life hard or easier. I'll draw a winner and announce it next Sunday when I'll do the same with book two, and so on. Pass the word.

A Fresh Look at the Bard

In my "real" life, when I'm not writing, I teach high school English. That includes trying to help students unravel reading Shakespeare. I think I do a pretty decent job at helping them understand it. After going to see A Midsummer Night's Dream, I now see how much richer that experience could be if my students could actually see a play staged.

While I was at the Romance Writers of America Conference in Atlanta last week, I joined some friends at the Shakespeare Tavern just down the street from the conference hotel. What a great experience! We laughed our butts off. Anyone who knows me, also knows I have never been a fan of Shakespeare's comedies. I now understand that's because all I was doing was reading them.

While I thought everyone did a great job, I have to give kudos to the actors who played Bottom and Puck. When I've read this play in the past, I simply found these characters annoying, but seeing how the actors interpreted them on stage was fantastic.

If you're heading to Atlanta, the Shakespeare Tavern is definitely worth a visit! Oh yeah... the food's good too.

The Guardian Michel: On Sale Now

Description: Lilly Evans has a past she's buried from everyone, including herself. From the moment she meets the mysterious Michel de Valois, memories she'd just as soon forget push their way from dream to reality. When she realizes he is a vampire, the horror of her past could pull them apart forever.

Michel recognizes Lilly as soon as he sees her. What he doesn't know is if she can accept the past they share and the vampire he has become. To regain her love and save her very life, he'll have to call on his brothers, The Guardians, for help. In the end, the choice is between Lilly's life and her love. .


Excerpt: Lilly picked up the big zoom lens, loving the weight and feel of it in her hands. There was power there, power to freeze time. Scanning the horizon, she zoomed in on a few gulls, winging, diving and standing still in the wind. She followed one to the surface of the water only to see it abruptly cut its dive short, and with a startled cry, wing up and away.
Something moved in the water several hundred feet offshore. Lilly zoomed in closer and could make out the indistinct form of arms and a head. A swimmer on a day like today? Was the person crazy? Or was someone truly in trouble? Lilly clicked. The swimmer drew closer, but on a path that would intersect the shore north of where she stood. So, not someone in trouble, simply someone who must have a death wish to be swimming with a storm headed in.
As she continued to click, she felt again the sensation of being watched. It was the same tingle she had felt first in Charlevoix and then again as she snapped pictures out in the woods that first day. The urge was overpowering; Lilly wanted to drop the camera and look around. She was being paranoid. She fought the feeling down, unwilling to lose her opportunity, her camera lens glued to the swimmer. As the light changed, she adjusted, and almost before it seemed possible, he rose from the pounding waves as if he were doing no more than emerging from a swimming pool. In surf that would make most adults stagger out of the water, he moved as gracefully as if he walked on dry land.
He shook sleek dark hair like a seal sloughing off water before he pushed it back from his forehead. His body rippled with muscles as if it had been sculpted. Lilly’s hands shook. A sense of familiarity overwhelmed her until she thought: Michelangelo’s David had come to life. Long-limbed and muscular, not an ounce of fat on him, nor a stitch of clothing for that matter, he moved with a grace that was catlike. She continued to click as if hypnotized, hands shaking and breath coming in gasps, and then as she concentrated on framing what she saw in the viewfinder, he turned and looked at her. His expression was unsmiling, not annoyed but searching, and Lilly had the odd feeling that he wasn’t just looking in her direction, he was looking at her.
Her breath stopped. She felt a shock again, almost like recognition, but that couldn’t be. She had never seen this man before in her life. She would have remembered. Oh, yes, she would have remembered this man.

Available now on Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords

Laura's Looking for Horse Feed, so I'm Here

Hi, Laura is out feeding her horses and trying to find something to keep the flies off of them this summer, so she asked me to handle her blog post for her today.
First, let me introduce myself. I’m Wynter O’Reilly. Well, it’s Wynter Anderson now. I still haven’t really gotten used to the fact that I’m now Mrs. Nelson Anderson. What a hoot! It’s a real story of girl from the wrong side of the tracks finding the perfect guy, who just happens to be the CEO of one of the biggest computer electronics firms in the country. And it started off with me shoveling sh…oops, make that manure…in Nelson’s show jumping stable. It took us a while to find our happy ending, but we did—really thanks to Laura.
Let me tell you how we met.
Laura has fox hunted for years, so I met her while I was still working for the Southards in Virginia. She had to give it up for a while, but she’s still hoping to go back to it. Anyway, it’s the horse connection. Even though she’s not really into show jumping herself, she does enjoy watching it—and any horse sport for that matter because she’s been riding since she was six years old. It was seeing all those various characters around different horse venues, plus traveling to events—hers and her stepson’s—that eventually gave her the idea, well, for me.
Nelson and I sure are glad about that, although, it certainly would have been nice if she’d made it a little easier on both of us to get together. I mean, couldn’t she have given me rich parents and a big house? But, I guess not. Then I wouldn’t have Mama, and we probably wouldn’t have met Wythe who’s been like a big brother/surrogate dad to me. Plus, if I hadn’t had it so tough, I’m not sure I would have been so determined to get an education. After all, it was trying to get into Duke that led me to Nelson’s doorstep.
He was a totally different man then. Some people would tell you he was broken. Losing a wife and child the way he did, well it would destroy a lot of people. Not Nelson. In his own way, he’s just as determined as me. Good thing. If he wasn’t, I’m not sure I’d be here now to write this. You can find out more about what happened to us and how we got together July 4th. That’s when Laura’s book Winning Heart comes out from Lyrical Press.
In the meantime, I’ve been telling Laura she needs to take this summer to get back in the saddle again while she’s taking a break from teaching English. Her mares are getting fat and lazy…hint, hint.
LOL…great talking to you all today…you really should get Laura to let more of us show up in her blog. There’s a bunch of our friends—Chris and Anna, Seth and Tessa—anyway, a whole bunch of us that would love to talk to you.

6/6: Aimee Laine : http://www.aimeelaine.com/blog
6/8: Lyla Dune : http://lyladune.com/blog.html
6/10: Carol Strickland : http://carolastrickland.blogspot.com/
6/12: Amy Corwin : http://amycorwin.blogspot.com/
6/14: Lilly Gayle : http://www.lillygayleromance.blogspot.com/
6/16: Rebekkah Niles : http://juturnafaerthing.blogspot.com/
6/18: Laura Browning : http://www.laurabrowningbooks.blogspot.com/
6/20: Andris Bear : http://andrisbear.wordpress.com/
6/22: Marcia Colette : http://marciacolette.wordpress.com/
6/24: Nancy Badger : http://www.nancylennea-inlove.blogspot.com
6/26: Sarah Mäkelä : http://blog.sarahmakela.com
6/28: Jennifer Harrington : http://www.romanceadventures.blogspot.com/
6/30: Scott Berger : http://romanticadventurestories.wordpress.com/

Here's the opening scene from my latest book on sale from The Wild Rose Press Wilder Catalog: "He's feeding her!" the maid whispered as she popped back into the kitchen with the salad plates and paused next to where Keeley was finishing dessert. "And she's already giving him the look."
“Too bad I didn’t prepare peas, so he could retrieve them from her cleavage.” Keeley scowled and turned back to spread a glaze of sweet, dark chocolate over the gateau. It hadn’t turned out quite as she’d hoped, but it would have to do. She didn’t have time to prepare another dessert. Besides, by the time lover boy got to the last course, he’d be more interested in screwing his dinner partner than tasting Keeley’s cake. With the glaze done, she peeked through a crack in the hall door to see her employer leaning attentively toward a busty blonde. The bimbo giggled as he fed her a piece of meat. It was more than obvious from the heated looks she gave him it was an entirely different piece of meat sparking her interest.
Keeley frowned. That was no way to appreciate the veal she’d prepared. She huffed. Another excellent meal would go to waste while half the staff watched him work his magic on his latest date. Women seemed to fall over him like he held them in
some sort of thrall. For his part, he usually looked like he could care less. The least he could do was eat the meal off his date’s naked stomach, maybe lick
the gateau off her…
Jeez! Keeley ignored the tingle in her breasts and between her legs watching Ciaran Clifton usually caused. Why the hell did he have to be so good-looking? Why the hell did she work for him? Granddad. That was why. The job gave her enough money and freedom she could care for him at home. That was what mattered. He’d lived within
sight of Long Island Sound his entire life. She couldn’t ask him to change that. He was having a tough time with the chemotherapy this go round.
Keeley stalked back to the kitchen. All she wanted to do was get home. Granddad needed her. For once she wished Clifton would hurry with his dinner and his seduction so she could leave. She was tired of the long dinner table conversations that seemed to her at least like he was busy getting information instead of sex. It disturbed her enough thinking about him that way; she certainly didn’t need the evening to drag on for hours.
She cleaned the kitchen, her movements automatic and efficient. While the dishwasher was quietly humming, she started a pot of coffee. On a tray she put sugar, cream, spoons, napkins and cups.
“They’re ready for dessert.” The maid updated her. It was like play by play at a soccer game. He’s already got one hand all the way up her thigh and the other’s slipping the strap of her dress off her shoulder. He scores!