Authentic Romantic Historical Fiction

Category: Events (Page 1 of 3)

Did you have a good Thanksgiving?

Phone App:

I think I’ve tried using this app before, but they’ve made a few changes, so I don’t know if I’ll be successful or not in writing this post on my phone.

Thanksgiving:

I did have a good one, although I was separated from my family due to COVID Caution (that’s a thing, right?).

My Thanksgiving Dinner on plateI hope a photo of my dinner appeared above. If not, I’ll have to get on my computer and put it in. (It’s on the left. As close as I can squeeze it in, you know.) I roasted a large baking hen, had mashed potatoes with butter (I didn’t want to make gravy), stuffing, peas, black olives, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie with whipping cream on top. (Sorry, I didn’t take a pic of the pie) I initially had more things on my menu list, but I decided to go simple, preparing only the essentials. It was very yummy!

I’ve been posting #GiveThanks messages on social media. Initially, my global faith leader (President Russell M. Nelson) asked members of my church to express our gratitude on social media during the week from November 20 to November 26, which was Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.  I think I missed a day, maybe two, but I’m going to continue making expressions of gratitude, because, for one, it made my feed so much more cheerful when other people did so, and secondly, it made me happy to say what made me grateful.

Technology:

Technology has been kicking me around the block lately. I’ve had internet problems, email problems, and phone problems. Is it just 2020 manifesting itself? I’ll be so glad to see this year in the dust!

Holiday Decorations:

Comic reindeer head below "Noel" bannerI haven’t done much decoration for Christmas yet, but I did put up some door decor. It looks like I’ll have to add that picture, too. I’ll “publish” this now, so I can edit it.

Sometimes I wish I had the gift of decorating, but sadly,  I don’t. A wreath or door hanger on the outside door is about as much as I can manage, although I do have an unused Christmas Tree sitting in a box in a closet, and other miscellaneous decorations and lights. I actually strung lights on my roadside deck rails one year (that was  before I had health problems).

I think when God was handing out the gift of decorating, I was off in a corner writing a story. Or singing a song. Or playing a guitar or piano. I did get in line in time to receive those gifts. Both music and writing have enhanced my life, and I hope that by sharing them, I have made others happy.

Oddly enough, my elder daughter got the gift! She is a marvel at crafting clever decorations.She has many other wonderful gifts.

Culinary Arts:

She’s also a good cook. I quit doing that when my kids all moved out after my husband’s death. I usually only heat things up. But I put the chicken in the oven and actually baked it.

Corned beef and red cabbage on a plateAnd, of all things, I made a batch of corned beef and cabbage, red cabbage, the other day. The cabbage had been sitting on the counter for a while, and I didn’t want it to get so bad that I had to chuck it. I hadn’t let it get bad, though, and it made a tasty dish.

Of course I have leftovers. One person cannot eat in one go the results from preparing a dish composed of a head of cabbage and a tin of corned beef, right?

I also have leftover chicken. That was one BIG bird! I’ve already consumed the extra stuffing, mashed potatoes, olives, peas, and cranberry sauce. The pie has disappeared, as well. But the chicken was eight pounds and some. Next year I will go back to fixing a Cornish game hen.

Final Thoughts:

I #GiveThanks for all the blessing of a benevolent God upon my head. I #GiveThanks for a loving family. I #GiveThanks for a multitude of friends who love me and pray for improved health for me. I still don’t know what, if any, treatment I have in store for the three major maladies that were discovered at mid year. This is a busy time of year in the medical community, due in part to the plague that has beset the world, so I’ll just hunker down and wait. I’ve had a lot of practice in waiting this past six months. Five months. It’s just five months, although it feels more like fifty. In the meantime, I have more stories to write.

May you have peace and joy throughout this month, and prosperity and freedom in the coming year.

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Come see me on Saturday

I want to remind you that this Saturday from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m., I’ll be selling my signed books at the Mesa Book Festival. My booth will be in the block of South Macdonald Street directly off Main Street.

I’ll have all the following available at special, low festival prices!

  • Gone for a Soldier
  • The Man from Shenandoah
  • Spinster’s Folly (original cover)
  • Ride to Raton
  • Trail of Storms
  • The Zion Trail
  • Western Stories (very limited supply)
  • From Julia’s Kitchen: Owen Family Cookery (limited supply)
  • The Checklist: Indie Publishing My Way (nonfiction publishing guide)

I will see you on Saturday in beautiful downtown Mesa!Share This:
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Mesa Book Festival

The first Mesa Book Festival is coming up fast. This family-friendly event is free to attend.

I have a booth that I’m sharing with fellow Payson author, Connie Cockrell. Come find us on Saturday, December 9, from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. on South Macdonald Street.

All of my print novels and nonfiction books will be for sale at Festival prices. Come buy autographed books for your collection or for gifts.

Books Make Great Holiday Gifts!

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Business of Writing Workshop

During the last half of October, I took an epic road trip to attend an 8-day workshop in Lincoln City, Oregon, hosted by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, two writers I count as mentors in the business of writing. I’ve learned so much over the past four or so years by reading their blogs regularly, but an opportunity came up to attend this workshop on the Oregon Coast and meet them in person, and I had to jump on it.

The venue for the workshop was the Inn at Spanish Head, a ten-story resort hotel on the beach built into a cliff. On the landward side, the reception area is on the ninth floor. The conference room is on the fourth floor. I wasn’t the only one who became confused about whether one went up or down when entering the elevator.

The overall theme of the workshop was Time, since it’s in such short supply for writers, whether indie, hybrid, or traditional. From 7 pm on October 21 to 9:30 pm on October 28, in three sessions a day plus late-night networking, I, and about forty-nine other professional writers, madly took notes on such topics as productivity, tracking output, deadlines, writing process for both linear and non-linear writers, health, separating the businesses of writing and publishing, making short- and long-term business decisions, structures of corporations, estate planning for authors, copyright, trusts, triage as a business plan, branding, virtual assistants, and the true meaning of hybrid.

Workshop attendees

Faces erased at the request of attendees.

Please note that we covered that extensive list of topics by the end of Monday’s sessions. There were a ton more each day, and I’m still working my way through the incredible amount of knowledge and information. I expect it will be a year-long endeavor.

One thing that was impressed upon us is that we must not make any business decisions and change up our plans for at least the two weeks minimum that it will take for our brains to heal from exploding with the input of all the new facts. Another was that “should do’s” and “supposed to do’s” are deadly, evil beyond imagination. We must choose to do only what works for our style and methods of writing and publishing.

Since I traveled for several days before arriving home, my brain still hasn’t adjusted to all the new knowledge. I have my work cut out for me as the holidays approach. I must not be pressured, though, by my inner panic to DO SOMETHING NOW! I have to study and decide what will work for me.Share This:
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