The rib continues to heal. Bob is home so my mornings are usually cut into. With him getting up at 4 a.m. every day on the boat, he needs a few days to get used to sleeping in again. My couple of hours work are in the morning before he gets up - when he does't get up until 8 a.m. LOL
As I continue to heal, I will be getting back on track. Thank you for your patience.
Today, we're shining the Author Spotlight on USA Today Bestselling author, Sasha Summers.
Let's find out a bit about this talented author:
USA Today Bestselling Author Sasha
Summers writes stories that celebrate the ups and downs, loves and losses,
ordinary and extraordinary occurrences of life. Sasha pens fiction in multiple
genres and hopes each and every book will draw readers in and set them on an
emotional and rewarding journey. When not writing, she’s reading or spending
time with her family somewhere in the Texas Hill Country. With a puppy on her
lap and her favorite Thor mug full of coffee, Sasha is currently working on her
next novel.
She adores hearing from fans and
invites you to visit her online.
Former soldier John Mitchell has
come home after being discharged and asks his best friend, Natalie, to help him
decompress. They’re both in for a shock when a precious baby girl is dropped on
Natalie’s doorstep—and John is the father! Now John needs Natalie’s help more
than ever. But Natalie has been in love with John forever. How can she help him
find his way to being a family man if she’s not part of that family?
REVIEW:
While the plot seemed to come in a bit late for my personal taste, I did love the fact we knew from the beginning John and Natalie have a deep - rooted friendship. In my opinion, long-standing friendship is the best foundation for a solid relationship.
Solely for the slow to grab me, I'm giving this book:
.8
THE RANCHER'S BABY SURPRISE is Book 3 in the TEXAS COWBOYS & K-9 series:
I do apologize for not getting a Top 3 posted yesterday. I have 2 goals for this week.. Continuing to heal from the fall and work through the HB90 course I should have been on last week. Doing the course this week will still put me on track for setting up Q2, which begins April 1.
I'm also struggling with arthritis in my right wrist so I'm limiting my blogging time.
I'm stepping outside the box a bit this week to share an unconventional women's fiction as opposed to the normal romance. Let's start with the author - Denise Hildreth Jones:
Here's a bit about Denise:
Denise Hildreth Jones is an author and Bible Study teacher. Her books
have been hailed as "smart and witty" by The Library Journal and
featured twice in Southern Living. She lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with her
husband, five bonus children, and her dog where she leads Reclaiming Hearts
Ministries. Visit her at www.reclaiminghearts.org
If you've been with me for the past six months, at least then you know about the SpectrumArtCreations book club that was formed by friends of mine back in December to read An Ozarks Christmas. They are an art supply company I've become friends with. One of the book club members, (and part of Team Azar) suggested THE WILL OF WISTERIAto kick off 2022.
Four headstrong siblings must satisfy their father's dying demands--or risk losing his fortune. Let the clash of wills begin.
Charleston blue blood Clayton Wilcott "got religion" late in life; so late, it turns out his kids never took to it. So he's left a provisional will delivered in a highly unorthodox way.
Now they're going to have to honor Daddy's commandments from beyond the grave--for a full year--or be cut off from their substantial inheritances.The scent of wisteria lingers in the air as the four spoiled Wilcotts battle for their birthright. Told in Denise Hildreth's trademark blend of humor and heart, this Southern tale is about learning to love, learning to live, and learning to bend.
This is not my normal read. The Will of Wisteria came out in October of 2007 but is just as enjoyable to read today as I'm sure it was upon release fifteen years again. This book is destined to become a classic and just as soon as I remember where I laid my copy, The Will of Wisteria is going on my keeper shelf!
As a writer, I can appreciate how Ms Jones wrote in no less than FIVE points of view and carried each off with a standard most of us can only hope to achieve when writing two. Each character had their flaws as well as strengths... strengths that showed over time as part of the evolving process they each had to go through in able to achieve the ultimate prize. (sorry, no spoiler alerts here!)
I'm giving THE WILL OF WISTERIA ...
You can learn more about Denise Hildreth Jones by clicking on the following links:
The rib issue has gone from painful to very sore. Improvement. Thankfully, sitting at the computer for short periods of time is an option so I'm able to keep working.
This week, I'm shining the spotlight on USA Today's Best Selling Author, Tara Taylor Quinn.
Tara is one of those romance authors we've enjoyed reading for many years (though you wouldn't know to look at the photo). She is as sweet and lovely today as she was years ago when I met her in DC at an RWA conference. Let's check out her bio, then I have a little extra tidbit for you:
BIO
I've been at this writing gig for
a long time. 97 published books can
attest to that. I've been told that my
books are deeply emotional and psychologically compelling looks at life. To me, they're just the way I co-exist with
the voices in my head. I've appeared
often on local and national TV including CBS Sunday Morning, and frequently
fill guest speaker slots. I enjoy
getting out and traveling, and I'm also very happy sitting alone for days at my
computer living all kinds of different lives. I was honored to win the Reader's Choice Award
and to final multiple times for the RWA RITA award.
I live life from my heart. I'm a wife, a mother, a survivor, an in-line
skater, and a supporter of The National Domestic Violence Hotline. I am also a secret dog whisperer.
Here's that promised tid bit:
Tara was doing 'audio' books before most people even knew what they were. During the author signing at RWA that year, she handed out 3" discs (not the square floppies, but actual CDs) with a Christmas novella. I still have mine. (The rib issue prevented me from finding my author binder and bringing it out to share in this blog post)
Can an orphaned little girl create
the family she needs in USA TODAY bestselling author Tara Taylor Quinn's first
book in the new Sierra's Web series?
Is he ready…
to be a father to this little
girl?
Learning he’s guardian to his orphaned
niece sends child-averse architect Michael O’Connell’s life into a tailspin.
He’s floored by the responsibility, so when child life specialist Mariah
Anderson agrees to pitch in at home, Michael thinks she’s heaven-sent. Michael
is shocked at the depth of his own connection to Mariah, and when she moves in,
he opens his heart to her in ways he never could have imagined. But can an
instant family turn into a forever one?
I loved this story. When you mix a hero who is sure he doesn't deserve a family, a heroine whose profession is helping others through crisis while keeping her own buried and a little girl you can't help but want to gather in your arms and assure her everything will be okay, you have all the ingredients for a story you can't put down until you're sure everyone gets their happy ever after.
I'm giving HIS LOST & FOUND FAMILY...
His Lost & Found Family released December 28, 2021 and is Book 1 in the Sierra's Web Series.
I've decided to go back to the Goal Setting posts for Monday with a bit of positivity woven in. Please bear with me on this transition.
Here we are - the first quarter of the year almost gone and I'm just now setting goals for the year.
One of the first things I did was sign up for Sarra Cannon's HB90 Bootcamp course. I've followed the idea through her videos for the past three or four years but decided now was the time to actually take the course. I've followed Sarra for years. Life has thrown her lots of curves in the past year yet she is still smiling, still positive and still motivating others.
Her HB90 course has you setting and managing three main goals to through in a 90 day period. We've just started this round but she offers the course four times a year. Follow her (under HeartBreathings) on YouTube, FB and IG to get a heads up when the next round will begin... usually the last two weeks of a quarter so the next round should begin about mid-June. She uses the Kanban board method. I'll drop one of her videos at the bottom of this post. I love working with the Kanban board and have used her system very loosely the past couple of years. With having lost nearly the first three months of this year, I decided 'loosely' wasn't going to work if I want at least two more books published by the end of the year. You will also find her HB90 planner in her ETSY SHOP.
We had our kick off call yesterday. For the next seven days, we'll be given assignments to help set us up for success. There's a lot of prep work. We don't even get to the KanBan board until Day 6 or 7.
I'm already off to a slow start, having slept through the first twenty-five minutes while on pain meds. I am not a skier and usally pretty steady on my feet but...
We had about 2.5" of snow last Thursday. Most of it was gone by Saturday morning but I took the least steep part of the yard to go out to my truck. I needed a grocery trip. I made it to the truck once to start the vehicle warming up, came back into the house for my purse/ phone - then promptly fell on my backside going back to the truck. Mind you, there wasn't 1/4" of snow left anywhere I was walking and the temperature was above freezing. I was fine til I went to roll over so I could get up... and heard the #4 rib pop on the right side. So all the things I planned to do, like have my HB90 workbook/ planner ready to go for the conference call on Sunday didn't get done. I'm comfortable sitting/ reclining but getting up to move is like doing crunches, compacting the rib into the one below. So not comfortable or condusive to accomplishing anything. Of course, Bob is on the boat so I'm managing on my own.
My Top 3 for this week are simple
1 - Remember to take it easy so this rib can heal
2 - Work on An Ozarks Homecoming EVERYDAY
3 - Remember to take it easy
I'm not going to push myself. I need this rib to heal before I have to start working in the yard/ garden. That said, I think getting older is going to make healing a slower progress than I would like. It is what it is.
Here's one of Sarra's many videos using her HB90 method and her Kanban board:
What's on your agenda for this week? Are you writing? Share in the comments below what is going to be your biggest hurdle this week in achieving your goals!
I'm not sure about anyone else but I've really had a challenge finding center. This is my first full week back to work since before the holidays. Seriously? The first quarter of the year is almost history and here I am just finding my way back - which ties in beautifully to this week's Author Spotlight & Review.
Back in January I picked up three books with promise so I'd be ready to roll with the Tuesday posts. I just couldn't do it. The first one I'd intended was a New Years kind of story but the author never replied to any of my contacts, so I sat the book aside. (Incidently, that is going to be a topic for a new Author series I'll be sharing soon so stay tuned!)
First, let's meet the author:
Jill Weatherholt works for the City of Charlotte during the day. In the evenings and on weekends, she crafts heartwarming, contemporary romances about love, faith and foregiveness for Harlequin Love Inspired. She shares her life with her real-life hero and number one supporter. She believes in enjoying every moment because God has everything under control.
As I mentioned early, this book fits perfectly with where I am right now - finding my way back. That's what Luke Beckett does in this story.
The book, SEARCHING FOR HOME by Jill Weatherholt was a delightful read. If you're familiar with my channel at all, then you know that any books that include children, animals or both rank at the top of my list. Throw in a rodeo cowboy hero and a heroine who's heart is planted in family and you have the perfect read. You'll find all of those in SEARCHING for HOME.
Meg Brennan has spent her life feeling as if Luke Beckett deserted her when he left home and joined the rodeo circuit right after high school. You'll learn that the rodeo is a thorn in her side anyway. When her sister & brother-in-law left her in the care of triplets, a cute country inn and a mound of debt, Meg knew how these children felt and was determined to bury her own heartache and bring love and hope to her nieces and nephew. Aside from the bills she was struggling to meet, she was doing an okay job of breathing from day to day... until Luke knocked on the door of the inn looking for a place to stay. Feelings she thought dormant increase her discomfort when he is referred to her clinic for physical therapy following a rodeo injury.
We know how this ends. Of course it's a Happy Every After story... but it's how these two get there, and the triplets shenanigans that make the journey... and the read... that much more enjoyable.
SEARCH FOR HOME released December 28, 2021. You can order PRINTor eBOOKon Amazon.
