No it isn’t a lonely western town between Devil’s Head and Snake Canyon! It’s my word of 2020. The one that is going to take me to new levels in my career and my personal life.
2019’s word was FOCUS and I did just that for the entire year. I wrote 4 books, blogged 5-6 times a week, and sold more books than I had for any previous year. Can I support myself yet, financially? No. But it’s coming and it’s certainly a closer concept than it was in 2018.
This year I’m taking that focus that I honed so well in my writing career and adding to my personal life and mixing in a huge does of PERSISTENCE.
persistence | pərˈsistəns | noun
firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition;• the continued or prolonged existence of something: the persistence of huge environmental problems.
I LOVE this definition. OBSTINATE continuance in a course of action IN SPITE OF difficulty or opposition. That definition could have been hand written by the gods of words for me! Hee Hee.
In case you missed it earlier in the week, these are my goals for 2020:
Write a minimum of 1000 words before I start my actual day – what this means is that while I’m still in jammies, I write. Once 1000 words is achieved I get to get dressed, and do the adulting things I need to – like gym, laundry, etc. When they are done, I can write more.
Finish 3-4 complete manuscripts in 2020; self-pub one of them. A lofty goal.
Gym 6-7 times per week. No excuses. I’ve got a wedding I need to be camera ready for in May 2020.
Eat better, and by better I mean, cut out the crap!! All of it.
Double my book sales this year through organic exposure. More about this in 2020 blogs!
It’s going to take a great deal of PERSISTENCE to do those things, so, once again, I think this is the perfect word for me to live my life by in 2020!
Seems appropriate that I title this one a look ahead when the last blog was about looking back.
I’m nothing if not consistent, peeps. Hee hee
I’ve got some career goals for 2020 that I want to accomplish, in addition to some personal ones that need doing, as well.
1.Write a minimum of 1000 words before I start my actual day – what this means is that while I’m still in jammies, I write. Once 1000 words is achieved I get to get dressed, and do the adulting things I need to – like gym, laundry, etc. When they are done, I can write more.
Finish 3-4 complete manuscripts in 2020; self-pub one of them. A lofty goal.
Gym 6-7 times per week. No excuses. I’ve got a wedding I need to be camera ready for in May 2020.
Eat better, and by better I mean, cut out the crap!! All of it.
Double my book sales this year through organic exposure. More about this in 2020 blogs!
These seem more doable than last year’s goals, only 2 of which ( out of 7 ) I managed to keep. That’s a horrible track record and i hope this year is sosos much better for me.
Some of the amazing things coming for me in 2020 include:
My daughter’s wedding in May
My 60th birthday (also in May!)
I have just signed on to write another monthly blog for a blogging group called ROMANCING THE GENRES. That makes 2 blogs, in addition to my own, that I can get exposure to the masses. Not too shabby, eh?? Heehee
My 33rd wedding anniversary.
I’m sure more wonderful stuff will come down the pike for me, especially if I stay positive, focused, and keep my eyes forward and not dwell on the negatives.
I think that’s a good start, don’t you. We’ll see how far they get, which ones drop off by the wayside, and which ones become habits-for-life.
As I’ve gotten older, I find myself in a reflective mood this time of year. The current year is drawing to a close, the New Year is just over the horizon. Since I’m such a lesson-oriented person with a tad of goal-making obsession thrown in, I wanted to look back on this year at the highs – and lows – and see what I can learn to guide me into 2020 with a brighter, enthusiastic mindset. At the end of 2018 I made some goals for myself for 2019. Of the 7 things I listed, I only stuck to 2. More about that on tomorrow’s blog.
For now, since being positive is such a good thing, let’s start with the good things that happened this year.
I had 3 books published through 2 publishing houses and I released my very first indie pubbed book into the world ( the story of how this came about is detailed on tomorrow’s blog, so check back.)
I celebrated my 59th birthday and my 32nd wedding anniversary. No small feat, either of them.
I never wrote them all out together until now, but I won ALL of the following awards this year:
2019 International Digital Awards – Winner CONTEMPORARY NOVEL – CHRISTMAS & CANNOLIS (this is the second year in a row I’ve won this division, so YAY!)
2019 Maine Romance Writers Strut your Stuff Grand Prize Winner DEARLY BELOVED
I finaled in a bunch more contests, but the wins have a tad more cache ( hee hee)
I sold more books than ever before this year, so I hope that means I gained some new, loyal readers. That’s the goal, anyway!
I joined a fabulous Blogging Group called the ROMANCE GEMS where I get to blog to the masses once a month ( more if I want a special day!) The support and love in this group is astounding.
And of course, there were things that weren’t so great that happened and need to be listed.
I was dropped by one of my publishing houses after book 1 of a 3 book series was published due to low sales. I never realized they wanted me to sell 1,000,000 books right out of the gate. And yes, if that sounds bitter….I am.
I received some not very flattering reviews for a few of my books ( and yes, they were outnumbered in droves by the positive ones, but the negative ones are the ones you ALWAYS remember)
I tore the rotator cuffs in both arms, the bicep tendon in my right and had to have surgery to fix the right arm so I could function like a human being again. ( Left arm is next year)
I continue to see my parents deteriorate with age and that truly saddens my soul.
Several of my friends lost their parents this year making # 4 a reality for me to come.
The world around us is very dark and scary right now and I truly am sick and tired of seeing another high school or mass shooting, or another home-terrorist attack every time I look at the news. I am trying to be hopeful for the future, but it’s hard.
I am happy and hopeful, though to see that there were more good things listed above than bad things.
So, I look forward to starting 2020 renewed, recharged, and delighted with the potential happiness the year will bring.
Nell Newbery has trust issues. It’s hard to trust when you’re the daughter of a fallen financial scion who bilked people out of billions. Nell’s done everything in her power to keep away from men who see her as their ticket to fortune and fame. All she wants to do is run her ultra-successful business, HELPFUL HUNKS, in peace.
But it wouldn’t hurt to find a guy who doesn’t know a thing about her father’s felonious past; one she can give her heart to and trust it won’t come back to her battered, bruised, and broken.
Is Charlie Churchill that guy? On the surface he seems perfect, all polished manners and quiet mirth. Nell’s convinced he knows nothing about her, other than she likes superhero movies and views junk food as a food group.
Can she trust him to be what he appears to be? Or is he just pretending?
For Nell, trust is everything in life…and in love.
This year I read 117 books for 2019 Goodreads Challenge. In reality, I read a whole bunch more because a large number of them were print books and the goodreads ones were really only e-books I read on my Kindle.
The number is probably closer to 200 for the year.
It’s no wonder I love to write since I love to read so much. Goes hand in hand, eh?
Here’s the top of the list of my favorite read books in 2019. Some were print, some e-books, but they were all fabulous and I highly recommend them and their authors.
In my review I stated that this might just be Lauren’s best book to date ( and that’s saying something because they’ve all been 5 star reads for me) and I wasn’t wrong. This first chapter of the CENTAL PARK PACK series is a great intro to the gals and their potential love interests.
For some strange reason I never reviewed or rated this book and if I had I would have given it 5++++ stars. The story is so lyrically told I felt as if Delia Owens was sitting in my living room speaking it aloud to me.
Book 2 in the CENTRAL PARK PACK series is a deep dive into widow angst that is funny, sexy, and just up my alley when it comes to RomComs. Lauren hit all the right spots with this book and I am eagerly awaiting book 3 which is releasing in 2020.
This 4th installment in the Ones Who Got Away series was my favorite for so many reasons. Read my review to learn why. And then start with the first book and read them in order. You’ll be glad you did.
Rock star romances are a popular trope and most are just okay. But Katie’s take on Quinn MacDonald and the tragedy that occurs just as his career is taking off compelled me to give this book the 5 stars it deserved. Filled with sorrow and jumping with heat, this story is short but it packs a powerful punch.
You usually read Marriage of Convenience tropes in historical novels. Well, Kari took the well-loved trope and modernized it to perfection. I went through almost an entire package of Kleenex’s while I was reading Tessa and Eric’s love story and I bet you will, too.
I can’t wait for 2020 and a whole new year of books to read by my favorite authors. And who knows: maybe I’ll find some new favs!
Christmas may be over but I’m still in the mood for a good Holiday Romantic Comedy to watch. Come join me today on the Romance Gems to discover what my favs are: ROMANCE GEMS
And don’t forget to leave a comments and enter our rafflecopter for a chance at a prize in our monthly drawing.
So this post has been a long time coming, so buckle up buttercup ‘cuz I got something to say.
People who know me know I like to quote famous women when the situation calls for it. One of my favorite sayings is attributed to Alice Roosevelt Longworth and was reportedly stitched on a pillow she had in her receiving room. I pull this little ditty out at times when people start to make disparaging comments about other people and I don’t want what they are saying to be overhead. It goes, “If you don’t have anything nice to say about anyone, come sit by me!”
Now one variant on this I’ve seen is this one:
Which, truthfully, is what most people think when they hear the first iteration.
But I have a different slant on this because I have saved people from making fools of themselves on more than one public occasion by interjecting this into a conversation that, if overheard, would cause the person speaking some embarrassment at the very least.
Because I say this – often – it got me thinking about the state of the world we live in these days, where strangers have been given carte blanche for saying anything and everything about you on social media without any real consequences. Social Media and especially in my opinion Twitter, is the new bully. Not the entity itself, but it does give bullies the pulpit ( the very real definition of a BULLY PULPIT!) and a platform in which to advance their hateful ways.
We all know that the saying sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me is a blatant lie. Don’t believe that? Get your head out of the sand and check the high school stats for teen suicides from relentless verbal and social media bullying.
I have a dear and lovely writing friend who never comments on social media about her political views or beliefs. One day, she broke that rule and within seconds began to suffer a backlash from tweeters calling her stupid, an epithet I will not repeat nor spell here, and various other nasty things. She could have done the knee-jerk thing that 99.99% of people do nowadays and responded to the negativity with negativity of her own.
She did not.
Instead, she took the high road and for every nastygramTweet she received, she responded with a meme featuring Mr. Rogers, the king of kindness. Brilliant. Why was it brilliant, you ask? Well, when she responded to the hashtag feed, every negative statement made to her was flooded with a kindness themed one. Pretty soon it was those Mr. Rogers kindness memes that were trending and not the hateful hashtagspeak.
Now, bear with me here for a moment. D0 you remember that 1970’s commercial for Fabergre Organics shampoo? The one that said,” If you tell a friend, and she tells a friend and so one and so on?”
Well, that was a very effective marketing campaign for its time. My idea to combat the negativity spreading like venereal disease along the planet and born of that effective marketing campaign, is this: when you hear something negative be it on twitter, facebook, any where there is a platform for bullying and hatespeak, combat the negativity with something positive and then retweet/share/link it to all your followers. People will respond to that positive message by retweeting/sharing/linking it all their followers, and so on and so on.
Think it won’t work? Let me give you a come to Jesus moment, peeps.
Every day I tweet/fb/ instagram a morning motivation. It is always a positive affirmation. And every single solitary morning and all throughout the day, I see it pass by my twitter and FB feed with retweets and shares. Most of that traffic is from people I don’t know from Adam. SO if you don’t think you have the power in your hands and at your keyboard to combat the negative with a positive, again I will say to you: get your head of out of the sand.
I could have said get it out of a different place – like a body part – but…trying to be good here, peeps.
Does this sound a little Pollyana to anyone? Too saccharine? Too old school? If it does, okay, ‘cuz sometimes you gotta go old school to combat the present day bulls**t.
So, darling peeps, my rant is over. The lesson learned today: Don’t give into the negative. Shine your light in the direction of positivity any way you can. It does work. Light will ALWAYS drive away the darkness.
is it a bad thing that I put my own Holiday books up on this list?
Naaaaah.
Today, I’ve got my second San Valentino Christmas book, CHRISTMAS & CANNOLIS for you.
WINNER OF THE 2019 OKRWA INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL AWARDS for BEST CONTEMPORARY NOVEL!WINNER OF THE 2019 NERFA AWARD FOR CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Can a second chance at love heal a broken heart?
With Christmas season in full swing, baker Regina San Valentino is up to her elbows in cake batter and cookie dough. Between running her own business, filling her bursting holiday order book, and managing her crazy Italian family, she’s got no time to relax, no room for more custom cake orders, and no desire to find love. A failed marriage and a personal tragedy have convinced her she’s better off alone. Then a handsome stranger enters her bakery begging for help. Regina can’t find it in her heart to refuse him. Connor Gilhooly is in a bind. He needs a specialty cake for an upcoming fundraiser and puts himself–and his company’s reputation–in Regina’s capable hands. What he doesn’t plan on is falling for a woman with heartbreak in her eyes or dealing with a wise-guy father and a disapproving family.
Can Regina lay her past to rest and trust the man who’s awoken her heart? Readers who enjoy the following kinds of stories will love CHRISTMAS & CANNOLIS: big families, Holiday romance, RomCom, surviving loss, moving on, foodies, bakers, Christmas
The WIld Rose Press certainly loves the HOLIDAYS!!! Today, it’s WRP sistah Barbara Burke’s turn with THE KEY TO HIS HEART
Since he was a small child Andre has been treated like a monster because of his mechanical parts – scorned and reviled by children and adults alike. He’s learned to hide himself away from people. Arabella, an airship engineer in training, doesn’t believe he’s a monster at all. But can she convince him of that? When she’s forced to join him on his airship, The Rose, on a flight through the winter skies it’s an opportunity to teach him that love is for everyone and humanity is more than just flesh and blood.
One more Wild Rose Press sistah! Rachael Richey has PRACTICING FOR CHRISTMAS on day 23 of the blog event.
A remote coastal cottage; a group of old friends; the Christmas holidays. It’s just the break Olivia needs to help her relax and forget her worries. What could be more perfect? But that was before she found a handsome unconscious stranger on the beach. Add in a case of mistaken identity, a lot of kissing practice, and an inquisitive best friend, and things begin to get more than a little complicated.
The large bump on Adam’s head hurts, but he refuses to go to the hospital—or back home—and eventually accepts Olivia’s offer of hospitality. When her friends arrive the following morning, a chance remark catapults them both into a bizarre and amusing situation that promises to make it a Christmas to remember.
Peggy Jaeger, Author 