Good morning, everyone!
This is the last motivational post with a NanoWriMo undercurrent. National Novel Month ends tomorrow! How've you done? I'd love to hear how your month went.
As we approach the new year; a time when everyone sets new goals, here is something to keep in mind:
Good morning, everyone!
I hope everyone had a pleasant day yesterday. Plenty of good food and family... and a memory or two. That's what today's Friday Photo is all about...
Good morning, everyone!
Good morning, everyone!
NOTE: I really wanted to inclulde this post but yesterday was Writer's Nest so I'm posting this one today. Have fun!
I think most every household in America (and around the world) has owned a monopoly board game at one time or another so seems fitting the game should have its own day.
Write a memory of playing Monopoly or include the game in your current story.
With just the two of us, Bob and I have found we prefer a card game version called DEAL. Santa brought us a deck a couple of years ago. When Bob is home, the deck/ card holder never leave the dining room table. We are on our second deck. This particular deck is hard to find. The newer one is harder to read. The deck we have is shown in the video below.
All my bestGood morning!
I look forward to our Writer's Nest posts. I love peeking inside other author's spaces to see where they create their stories.
Today, we're looking inside the nest of Arkansas author, Ruth Mitchell. You met her earlier in the week. Now, let's find out more about where she writes.
Welcome, Ruth!
Describe your writing nest?
I
write on a small antique library desk using a surface laptop and sit in a
comfortable, but inexpensive swivel office chair with arm rests. My desk looks
out a window into the woods where I often see deer grazing in the yard. There
is a walking/bike trail just beyond and sometimes I am surprised by hikers or mountain bike riders whipping down the slope.
What is it about this space that inspires you?
The natural light of the window, the surprise visitors in my yard.
Has finding your space been an evolving journey? How so?
No, we moved to this house 3 years ago and I knew
instantly this would be my office.
Anything you would change?
I
wouldn’t let my husband have a desk in here too, but he is rarely at his
computer anymore.
Other books by Ruth include her first fiction - White Oak as well as her non-fiction about co-dependency... Living Happy, Joyous and Free.
You may purchase your copy on B & N and Amazon
You will find Ruth on social media via the following links:
FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM GOODREADS
Good morning, everyone!
Our Writer's Nest guest, Ruth Mitchell offers this writing tip:
Get comfortable. For me natural
light is essential with a view. My last office looked out over the mountains;
the one before, over a beautiful lake where eagles often fished from a tall
pine outside my window.
You'll find Ruth through the following links:
FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM GOODREADS
Good morning, readers!
First off, I have no clue what happened to last Thursday's Writer's Tip. I scheduled all of them for November. We'll see what happens this week.
Today, I'm shining the spotlight on our Writer's Nest author, Ruth Mitchell. I met Ruth at the Ozark Creative Writer's conference last month. She is soft-spoken, pleasant and passionate about her subjects.
Ruth Mitchell has led an exciting
and adventurous life through her careers as a novelist, freelance writer,
travel writer, publisher, editor, columnist, entrepreneur, and jewelry
designer. Her non-fiction articles have appeared in Art & Antiques, The San
Francisco Bay Guardian, American History, Fodor's USA Travel Guide and Fodor's
Great American Vacations, Watercolor, American Style, Niche, Wedding Dresses,
and Sailing magazines. Ruth also wrote Arkansas Heritage, a state adopted
Arkansas history textbook for elementary aged children.
Imagine
a world where ghosts can be seen (but not heard) on computer screens via
artificial intelligence and the collaboration of ‘seeing’ dogs. Follow the
story of Laura Haskell, a fantasy writer, and her beautiful white German
Shepherd, Cloud.
Laura is a successful author who needs to get
sober. She lives in a haunted hotel in San Francisco with Cloud, who can see
the ghosts. When Sean Wilson appears in her life, everything changes.
Ghosts have puzzled the living for as long as
humans have walked the earth. Beyond takes the reader on a journey which
reconciles the questions of their plausibility. Sean and his crew revolutionize
how ghostly apparitions are perceived through the use of Artificial Intelligence.
This leads to discovering who Laura's mysterious grandfather was and sparks an
unlikely romance between Laura and Sean, but will they stay together?
As Laura sobers up her life changes for the
better. She finishes the book she has been struggling with, captures Sean's
heart, and has a faceoff with an Etheric Revenant. Once the family ghosts have
been identified, the ratings for Sean's reality ghost show skyrocket and Cloud
becomes famous, creating a new set of challenges.
Readers are in for a rollercoaster ride as they
suspend their belief and get to know Cloud and his unique perspective as well
as the ghost of Laura's eccentric grandmother who once was a celebrated Madam,
serving the elite gentlemen of San Francisco. If you are one who enjoys a fast paced,
exhilarating read with mind-expanding ideas presented in a skillfully written
and entertaining fashion, then this book is for you.
For me, personally, this book was not my style. While the scientific approach is interesting, I found the overall structure of the story difficult to follow. The head-hopping (switching from one point of view to another) within the same scene is a major flaw, especially when one of those persepctives is Cloud's. While Cloud's perspective is a fun, quirky aspect, he still has to be treated as any other character.
Ruth does portray the struggle with alcohol additiction well, and the growth of Laura's character with the help of ghost hunter, Sean. (she had me at the Scottish brogue and green eyes) I wanted to see more of Laura, from her head and less from Cloud's.
I was also confused at first by the hotel being in San Francisco rather than The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs AR she appeared to be portraying. As someone who knows the area, my head was in the original Crescent while Ruth was trying to convince me we were in San Francisco.
Without giving too much away, I flipped through pages of what appeared to come directly from Wikipedia in complete context. While this may have worked for Ruth's non-fiction books, the same rules do not apply to fiction. Alexis is not a character nor did I want to read encyclpedia description. Instead, I would like to have been inside Laura's head, getting her take on what she was hearing Alexis tell us.
Ruth can tell a good story and she constructs beautiful, realistic characters.
Fiction and non-Fiction rules have very different profiles. I encourage Ruth to find a good critique group who knows fiction writing.
I'm giving BEYOND....
. 7
Other books by Ruth include her first fiction - White Oak as well as her non-fiction about co-dependency... Living Happy, Joyous and Free.
You will find Ruth on social media via the following links:
FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM GOODREADS
Good morning, everyone!
Welcome to a new week. I feel this quote is especially important this week.
Good morning, everyone!
Good morning, everyone!
Like a lot of people, I'm getting into the Holiday spirit. The new Hallmark movies are out as well as reruns of classics - a point I'll come back to in just a moment.
Today, I'm shining the spotlight on author, Jenny Hale. What I didn't realize until this morning is that I've enjoyed Jenny's work for several years - via the Hallmark Channel. You can see her media credits HERE.
If you've seen Coming Home For Christmas or Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses on the Hallmark Channel then you've enjoyed Jenny's craftsmanship. I would not be surprised to see A Lighthouse Christmas join the list in the next year or two.
Here's a little bit about author, Jenny Hale:
BIO:
Jenny Hale
is a USA Today, Amazon, and international bestselling author of romantic
contemporary fiction. Her books have sold worldwide, have been translated into
multiple languages, and adapted for television. Her novels Coming Home for
Christmas and Movie Guide Epiphany Award winner Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe
Kisses are Hallmark Channel original movies.
She was included in Oprah Magazine’s “19 Dreamy Summer Romances to Whisk You Away” and Southern Living’s “30 Christmas Novels to Start Reading Now.” Her stories are chock-full of feel-good romance and overflowing with warm settings, great friends, and family.
Jenny is at work on her next novel, delighted to be bringing even more heartwarming stories to her readers. When she isn’t writing, or heading up her romantic fiction imprint Harpeth Road, she can be found running around her hometown of Nashville with her husband, two boys, and their labradoodle, taking pictures—her favorite pastime.
BLURB:
This Christmas,
Mia Broadhurst must return to her family and the snow-covered seaside village
of Winsted Cape. It’s the magical place where Grandma Ruth ran the historic
lighthouse on the edge of the coast, the place where Mia’s fondest childhood
memories lie.
Forced to sell it after her grandmother passes away, Mia can’t bear to part with the house she holds most dear. The lighthouse has been in their family for generations—but with her life back in New York, and her mother and sister unable to afford the upkeep, she has no choice but to sell.
With the glittering snow falling in record amounts this holiday, Mia works with real estate agent Will Thacker to restore the old lighthouse and prepare it for sale. And as they stage the home with twinkling Christmas trees and fresh greenery, she tries not to get lost in his deep blue eyes that are as stormy as the Atlantic Ocean. After all, she’s only back for Christmas…
As the fire crackles, Mia packs up Grandma Ruth’s personal belongings. But waiting for her is a black-and-white photograph with a faded inscription on the back—the key to a secret hidden for decades. And that’s not the only thing she finds.
When everything goes wrong, Mia starts to wonder if her grandmother is trying to tell her something. Could the truth save the lighthouse this Christmas and show Mia where her heart truly belongs?
While I've enjoyed the movies Jenny's books have inspired, this is the first one of her books, I've read. I could not stop swiping the screen until I had give up and call it a night. (Regardless of what time I go to bed, I'm up by 5 a.m.) If I'm to accomplish completing my own book this month I needed sleep.
At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like the writing style and found a name confusion that may or may not be straightened out by the end of the book. If that is the case, I'm surprised the characters didn't at least hint at the similarity. I'll leave you to read the book to see how that comes out.
I loved Felix's character. This little boy will steal your heart. Everyone is different in their own way, but those differences can also be their strengths. Christmas is about coming home... or in Felix's case, staying in the place that brought him comfort when he often felt like an outsider.
Overall, I loved the book and hope it's contracted with Hallmark because I'm ready to curl up with a cup of mulled cider and nutter butter cookies to see the characters represented on the screen.
I'm giving A LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTMAS:
You can catch up with Jenny Hale via the following links:
WEBSITE BLOG FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER
GOODREADS BOOKBUB AUDIO YOUTUBE PINTEREST
Good morning, everyone!
I'm back today with another book from a dear friend, Jodi Thomas.
I want to be her when I grow up. LOL
Dinner on Primrose Hill is next in the Honey Creek series.
To read more about Jodi Thomas, you can check out one of my Author Spotlight on her HERE.
Benjamin Monroe is pretty sure how his life will play out. He’ll continue teaching chemistry in his small college, and spend his free time biking through the valley. Eventually, he’ll retire to putter around in his garden and greenhouse.
His colleague, Virginia Clark, is not one for routines. She’s chatty, spontaneous, and bubbly, and before Benjamin realizes what happened, she’s talked him into collaborating on a research project—studying the mating habits of college students. Virginia knows her desire to work with Benjamin is motivated by more than the potential prize money . . . and hopes he might not be quite as indifferent as he seems to be.
Ketch Kincaid, one of Benjamin’s star students, returned to college after serving in the army. He needs something to get his mind off his recent breakup and collecting research data might do it. And there’s another distraction on the horizon—a woman who looks like she, too, knows about heartache. Soon enough, their project, “The Chemistry of Mating,” is gaining notoriety. Friends, neighbors . . . the whole town has become involved. But no matter what the data determines, one conclusion seems inescapable: love follows its own rules . . .
Every time Jodi Thomas takes us back to Honey Creek, I miss the Texas Hill Country just a little bit more.
Jodi is always on point with her characters - keeping them true to who they are and their surroundings. Her books are well-written, cleanly edited and her covers are frame-worthy. Debbi Macomber says Dinner on Primrose Hill is "compelling and beautifully written". I couldn't have said it better.
I'm giving Dinner on Primrose Hill:
~Angela
Good morning, everyone!
With a lot of us participating in NanoWriMo, I though this tip timely.
I talked about writing sprints in my video HERE.
Today's writer's tip comes from YouTuber Garrett Robinson on 6 Tips for Better Writing Sprints.
Good morning, everyone!
I have officially completed my Nano Prep and uploaded weekly videos about the prep with some tips that I hope, if you've not started already, will help get you on your path to a successful National Novel Writing Month.
Here's the link to my YouTube Channel
