Choosing the right gift requires intimate knowledge and understanding of the receiver. It’s about paying attention and really listening, not just about what they want but hearing the things they will not ask for. Continue reading The Christmas Gift I Didn’t Want!
Just like a Hallmark movie, Aurora’s smalltown Christmas celebration was anything but small. Continue reading Christmas in Aurora, Just Like a Hallmark Movie
Time to load up your eReaders! Smashwords End of Year Sale. Continue reading Smashwords End of Year Sale!
This is a very simple and delicious recipe my sister-in-law taught me with a little variation. First I put 1/3 stick of salted butter in a pan and melted it and dumped in my pint bag of pecans adding in a little more salt. I stirred the nuts until they were completely coated and then put them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. I … Continue reading A Simple Recipe
The Hunt family in my new series, Flintlock and Steel, and the Harrell family in the Harrell Family Chronicles both raised a lot of children. I raised six boys. Continue reading The Frugal Homemaker & the Writer
A variety of romance genres with a small-town feel. Continue reading Book Buddies
Music Touches the Soul Continue reading That’s Where the Music Takes Me
They were just four guys from a small town dreaming of making it big. None of them expected to win the first season of Winning Nashville, a battle of the bands, behind the scenes reality show. Grey expected to be a history professor with the hope of joining an archaeological research team. He named the band after his love of pirate legends and lore. Chase … Continue reading Flintlock and Steel
In fiction, he is often depicted as a “lovable scoundrel” who enjoys a life of pleasure and indulgence, but may not be intentionally malicious or harmful. He skirts the line of respectability never quite crossing over into disreputable. Continue reading Rakes, Rogues and Ne’er-Do-Wells!
I can’t seem to write a romance novel without killing someone off or blowing something up. This time I’m afraid I’ve really done it. Y’all, please don’t tell my husband I blew up a vintage car. Continue reading Shh, Don’t Tell My Husband I Blew Up the Car!
Thank you to all of you who participated. Your ideas helped me come up with the new title. Continue reading Congratulations to the Amazon Gift Card Winner!
I have decided on a title. Thank you to everyone who weighed in on the topic. One of my customers got me to thinking and after doing a Google search, I have decided on…. Rockstar on the Run It fits my story in several ways: Cy runs away from home to be a rockstar and back home when things get tough. There is also a … Continue reading Still Doing the Giveaway!
Help me choose a title and a cover and add your name to my giveaway. Continue reading Help Me Name My Book
Music and the price of fame are two of the themes in my new rockstar romance. What is your favorite genre of music? Continue reading Rockstar Romance
Happy June! Continue reading June Newsletter
They say never judge a book by its cover but in this day and age, we often have just a one-inch rectangle in which to find a book or sell one. We look for covers that are attractive, that gain our attention. We also look for titles that are inviting. Continue reading Names, Titles and Covers
I’ve had to restart and start again to make things work. I think we all find ourselves doing this at different times in our lives. Continue reading Start and Restart and Start Again
We are probably tilting at windmills but I don’t feel we can stop trying until the deed is done. The Beaufort County School Board is determined to close our local elementary school but we were not giving up with a fight. Unfortunately, we were unaware that we should have started this battle months ago. I’m asking all the parents, grandparents and guardians of students of … Continue reading I sent emails to our local school board…
He looked around for his mom and Loretta, but he knew they weren’t coming. Rhett said they had something to do. Cy gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. We won the fucking competition and the two people who meant the most to him in this world couldn’t be bothered to come for the final show. He wanted to smash something. Continue reading Catch a Falling Rock Star
Books allow us to explore other places, other cultures, what it’s like to be of a different ethnicity, gender or religion. They allow us to empathize. Continue reading Having a Voice
I can whisper the word sex and get more attention than if I shouted fire. Sex is a buzz word that gets our brains going in different directions from political, moral and social, sex has an often-polarizing effect on people. Continue reading Sex & the Media
I am writing this post because I have a granddaughter staying with me to finish out the school year and she is devastated about losing her school. I, my husband and our six sons attended S W Snowden elementary school. Snowden has some wonderful teachers and faculty. They still has a lot to offer and I believe if the Board of Education wanted to they … Continue reading Concerned Grandma and former student of S W Snowden
I feel like an old lady. How does an old lady feel? I need suspenders on my underwear to keep my a$$ from dragging. I know I’m older, but one little, eight year-old girl should not have the power to zap my batteries. Oh it’s not just taking care of our granddaughter that’s making me feel like Rip Van Winkle in need of a nap. … Continue reading Exhaustion and Rest
When I looked up the meaning of the word I found two definitions for tone as a noun and two more for tone as a verb. Pitch, quality and strength of musical sound. The general attitude of a place, piece of writing, or situation. To give strength or firmness to the body. To alter the color finish of a monochrome photo. As a writer, the … Continue reading What is Tone?
One of my fondest memories as a child was visiting my aunt and uncle. They had a bookshelf of children’s books my cousin had outgrown that I was allowed to explore. I remember one about a pretty kitten with a ball of yarn, the familiar The Little Engine, and The Hardy Boys series. Learning to read was one of the greatest gifts of education because … Continue reading Unlocking the Joy of Reading
Let’s face it, sometimes, okay, a lot of times, life is hard. That lie we were told as children, you know the one…”You can do whatever you want when you’re an adult.” Yeah, right. You can do whatever you want as long as it’s go to work, do the laundry and pay the bills. I want to go back to being a kid when all … Continue reading Creating Your Joy
We’ve just finished with Valentines and spring, also known as wedding season, is right around the corner. As a romance writer I wonder what other people consider romantic. I don’t believe romance is one size fits all. Some couples thrive by sharing their love of movies or antique shopping, others need the exhilaration of zip-lining and skydiving, but whether you share the love of cooking … Continue reading What is Romance?
Writing Advice… If you talk to any creative person, they have advice on how to create. Whether it is writing, painting or sewing we all know what works for us, but that doesn’t mean it works best for everyone. It might be easier to sew a blouse using a pattern, but it might be more fun to simply cut and sew until you get something … Continue reading How to Start
Check out my first newsletter of 2025. http://eepurl.com/i82rCQ Continue reading Have you joined my newsletter?
What gets you motivated, excited, ready to crank out work or start a new project? For most of us the motivation to get up every morning and go to work is the desire to pay our bills. For those of us who have a second job, or a creative passion, that work might not always result in financial gain. As a writer, I know it … Continue reading Motivation
Here in eastern North Carolina, we recently experienced a winter storm resulting in several inches of snow. For many parts of the world snow isn’t a big deal during the winter months. It’s as normal as the wind blowing or the sun shining, but here on the coast of North Carolina, in a very unusual. We get snow maybe once every three to five years, … Continue reading Weather as Setting and Story
What Is Your Story? Or should I ask, what genre is your story? Today I’m sitting in an airport waiting for my flight. Anyone who travels often will tell you much of traveling involves waiting. Much of life involves waiting but it is what we do and who we meet while we are waiting that makes our story more interesting. Life is an adventure. Somedays … Continue reading What is Your Story?
Often anticipation and dread go hand in hand. That thing we most anticipate is also something we fear and dread. Will the wedding of our dreams go off without a hitch? Will our first big promotion prove we weren’t ready for a leadership role? Will this first date lead to something more? As a writer and a reader, I have found that many story topics … Continue reading Anticipation and Dread
My granddaughter took my phone Christmas Eve and went around taking pictures. She took pictures from different angles, some from above the person and others from below, and some photos only had a small portion of the person. As I was looking through the pictures, I began to think about how we see people and how as writers we develop and share our characters. Some … Continue reading Perspective
I love chai tea and honey but I also enjoy a chai tea latte. If done right, a chai tea latte tastes like Christmas in a glass! Bring water to a boil, steep chai tea bag and add honey to taste. For added kick, add one ounce spiced rum, one ounce bourbon cream liquor, 1/2 ounce ginger liquor and teaspoon of extra chai spice. You … Continue reading Chia Tea Latte with a Kick
Winter Bourbon Smash (Half Gallon Pitcher) Small jar (8-ounces) of preserves or jam my favorite is blackberry or cranberry orange. (Recipe for Quick Cranberry Orange Jam: 1 can orange juice concentrate, 1 can cranberry sauce and ½ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons water and 1 small box orange gelatin. Dissolve sugar in water, add orange juice and cranberry sauce stirring until mixed well, add in gelatin … Continue reading What is Your Holiday Spirit?
Another Crazy Recipe I made up using whatever I had on hand. While raising six hungry boys I learned to make up recipes by what I had in the refrigerator and pantry instead of going out to buy more groceries. Money was tight, I only worked part time and as you can imagine six boys and two adults and assorted others who showed up randomly … Continue reading Another Crazy Recipe
Tone: the mood of a story. The tone can often be pre-set by the genre of the story. A gothic tale will often start with a dark and stormy night, but other stories might start off with just a normal day before everything changes. But just because a story begins with one tone, doesn’t mean the mood doesn’t change. It can change several times within … Continue reading Tone, Mood, Genre
I have only had butternut squash once before and when a friend sent me one I had no idea how to use it. I called my oldest son and asked him what to do. He suggested roasting it with olive oil, oregano and garlic topped with Parmesan cheese. Well, I roasted the squash but decided I needed something more for my husband. I fried some … Continue reading When Someone Gives You a Butternut Squash
As a romance writer, intimacy plays a huge role in the stories I write, and not just sexual intimacy. Being intimate with another person is about being familiar with them, knowing their likes and dislikes, understanding their quirks, and being not just physically close but having a closeness that transcends other boundaries. In my research, Psych Central said there were four types of intimacy. I … Continue reading Intimacy in Fiction
It is almost Labor Day, many are celebrating this weekend as a last hoorah of summer. I believe it is also a time to celebrate hard work, dedication and commitment. Last Sunday I had the privilege of seeing two of my heroes honored, my husband and my granddaughter, Phalha. My husband, David didn’t want his recognition to take away from Phalha’s triumph. We are so … Continue reading Honoring My Heroes
Donna Steele celebrates 50 books published Donna Steele’s fiftieth published book releases September 3rd. Donna and I met as members of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. Donna is a real dynamo as you can probably guess with 50 books and countless short stories to her name. When she was told girls can’t write science fiction, she made it her mission to prove the nay-sayers … Continue reading Celebrating 50 Books!
Arsenic was the most popular poison for Victorian poisoners because it was readily available. It was used in dye especially the vibrant greens that were popular for wallpaper and rugs during this time. It was also used for killing rodents, one only had to go to the local apothecary or grocer for a bit of arsenic. It was tasteless and odorless. Continue reading Poison Research
Join me Thursday evening for a virtual author event. Continue reading Online Book Launch Thursday, June 13th, 7:30 pm
Dedication:
This book is dedicated to the girls who grew up playing in the dirt and dreamed of adventures, who rode motorcycles and horses, and struggled to define the word lady.
Continue reading Thank you, Sandra Cox
Comparing My Applegate Mystery Series to some of my favorite books/series. When people ask me how my book fits into the cozy mystery or historical mystery genre, I find myself struggling to explain what is unique or different about my book and how it compares to other books set during this time period. At the encouragement of my publisher, Rose Cushing of Cushing Publishing, I’ve … Continue reading Where Does My Applegate Series Fit in the Cozy Mystery Genre?
I don’t know why I thought May was going to be an easier month when we have five family birthdays the first week of the month. Continue reading Busy, Busy Month of May
During the 1800s when America was young and we were spreading out across the land from one ocean to another, talented people figured out that they could take their shows to the people. Musicians and performers from the east made fortunes out west bringing a taste of home to the farmers, settlers, soldiers and miners who were hungry for a little culture and entertainment. Continue reading The History of Traveling Shows
Our first anthology was for breast cancer research, it seems only fitting that our reunion anthology also be published for charity. Continue reading Reading for a Cure!
As a fanfiction writer in my early writing days, I loved the super supportive and fun fandom., I missed the camaraderie of my fanfiction group. I’d stayed in touch with a few friends from fanfiction (and some are in the cafe), but I was looking for that group dynamic again. Continue reading Creekside Cafe Chat with Suki McMinn
The holidays aren’t perfect, at least they’ve been at our house, adding the reality of the holidays gives the reader another layer… Continue reading Why Do We Love Holiday Stories?
What do you do when you’re given a couple of small lobster tails? Yeah, I didn’t know what to do with them either then I remembered my son made shrimp alfredo and I thought why not lobster alfredo? So, I made spaghetti and set it aside, then I steamed my tails and cracked the shells. After plucking out the succulent meat, I chopped it up … Continue reading Lobster Alfredo
With God and good friends I can handle anything. Continue reading The Dreaded “C” Word
What do the holidays mean to you?
Are you a traditionalist or do you create your own celebration? Continue reading Happy Holidays
They say not to judge a book by its cover but I need you to do just that. If you liked the cover of my book, How to Murder a Duke: An Applegate Mystery (An Applegate Series Book 2), please vote for it for the Cover of the Month contest on AllAuthor.com! I’m getting closer to clinch the “Cover of the Month” contest on AllAuthor! I’d … Continue reading Please, Help Me Make It to the Final Round?
Why do some stories linger with us long after we’ve read them or watched them? Continue reading Emotionally Involved
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Reviewing young adult, new adult, and romance since 2013.
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