Days to celebrate this week

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Linda Andrews

There are days I need to celebrate something, anything, so why not check to see what national day of the week to get ideas.

In case you missed it, here are some of my favorite days from this week:

The 22nd-National Blonde Brownie day. Mmmm, brownies.

23rd-National Pie day. I think this should be a monthly celebration because it’s pie.

24th-Beer can appreciation day. I’ll have to tell the hubbinator to appreciate the container while enjoying the contents.

25th-National Opposite day. Anyone else visualizing a SpongeBob Squarepants episode? It can’t be just me.

26th-Peanut Brittle Day. I’ve never made peanut brittle but I love to eat it. Maybe next  year, I’ll try making some. Okay, lots of peanut brittle.

27th-National Big Wig day. So, not what I thought but here’s the link so you can read more about it. http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-big-wig-day-last-friday-in-january/

28th-National seed swap day. Given that I’m getting ready to start my garden this is perfect timing.

Until next time.

Posted in Life Observations, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Free Writing Workshops February 5th

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Linda Andrews

Free workshops in downtown Glendale during the Chocolate Affaire.

Saturday 10AM—
Workshp: All the Feels: Teen Romance 101

TWILIGHT. ELEANOR AND PARK. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. Young adult romance has come a long way since SWEET VALLEY HIGH. Today’s teens crave swoony heroes, complicated heroines, strong plot lines, and a fresh story, along with their happily ever after. Come learn from local YA authors Ginger Scott (THE HARD COUNT), Abigail Johnson (IF I FIX YOU), and Sara Fujimura (TANABATA WISH) how to create stories for teens (and the young at heart) to give them “all the feels.”
Bio:

ABIGAIL JOHNSON was born in Pennsylvania. When she was twelve, her family traded in snowstorms for year-round summer and moved to Arizona. Abigail chronicled the entire cross-country road trip in a purple spiral-bound notebook what she still has, and has been writing ever since. She became tetraplegic after breaking her neck in a car accident when she was seventeen, but hasn’t let that stop her from bodysurfing in Mexico, writing and directing a high-school production of CINDERELLA, and publishing her first novel, IF I FIX YOU. Visit Abigail online at: abigailjohnsonbooks.com.

 

GINGER SCOTT is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including WAITING ON THE SIDELINES, GOING LONG, THIS IS FALLING, WILD RECKLESS and THE HARD COUNT. A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. Ginger has been writing and editing

for newspapers, magazines and blogs for pretty much ever. When she’s not writing, the odds are high that she’s somewhere near a

baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona

Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork ’em, Devils). For more on Ginger and her work, visit her website at: http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

 

SARA FUJIMURA is the American half of her Japanese-American family and spends a month each summer at her in-laws’ house in rural Japan with her teen-aged children. So it will be no surprise that she’s written about Japanese culture and bicultural kids for such magazines as APPLESEEDS, LEARNING THROUGH HISTORY, RAISING ARIZONA KIDS, and MOTHERING, as well as, writing travel-related articles for the book TO JAPAN WITH LOVE. Sara has been a creative writing teacher for over a decade, doing presentations for SCBWI, Girl Scouts, Desert Rose Chapter RWA, ONEBOOKAZ, Phoenix Comicon, and at several anime/manga/Japanese culture conventions. She’s also the organizer of Rock the Drop-Phoenix, a guerrilla literacy event to support YALSA’s Teen Read Week.  www.sarafujimura.com
11AM—Vijaya Schartz
Workshop: THE FUN THING ABOUT PLOTTING:

Every writer plots, even if they write by the seat of the pants. Whether in your mind or in a written outline, plotting is an integral part of fiction writing. The best stories are carefully designed for maximum impact, foreshadowed, with incredible twists that make you say, “of course… it makes perfect sense. Why didn’t I see it coming?” A well thought out novel will fascinate and delight the

reader, who will cherish it, re-read it, and crave for more of your stories. Come learn a few plotting techniques that will keep your stories fresh, original, and irresistibly compelling.
Bio: Born in France, award-winning author Vijaya Schartz never conformed to anything

and could never refuse a challenge. She likes action and exotic settings, in life and on the page. She traveled the world and claims to also travel through time, as she writes without boundaries about the future and the far away past. Her love of cats transpires in many of her books… and she has over twenty-seven titles published. Her stories collected numerous five star reviews and a few literary awards. Find her and her books at

http://www.vijayaschartz.com
Noon K. T. Roberts
Workshop: How the Whodunit is Done

From research to putting the words on the page, this workshop will teach you some tricks of the trade.
BIO: K. T. Roberts writes romantic suspense with sass and brass, and she is the alter ego of Carolyn Hughey, an author of humorous contemporary romance. In 2012, Carolyn decided to write in the genre she loves to read and see on the silver screen. What developed from that is the Kensington-Gerard Detective Series, using the pen name. Blind Retribution is her first romantic suspense for Montlake Romance.

 

Originally a Jersey girl, she lives with her real-life hero, Bob, in Arizona; they have four children. And as a former chef, on those rare occasions when she’s not writing, she loves to whip up some gastronomic treats for family and friends. For more information about K. T.’s books, visit her website at www.ktrobertsmysteries.com.
1PM-Butterscotch Martini Girls
Workshop: Making Stuff Up With The BMGs

Join the Butterscotch Martini Girls for fun and hands-on world building as they share their quick and dirty (some dirtier than others) tips & tricks to plotting that will keep your readers riveted to their seats, as they order more butterscotch martinis and turn pages late into the night to find out what happens next.
Bio: What do logos, blabs, and boxed sets all have in common?” It is…The Butterscotch Martini Girls!!! BMGs is a group of writers to came together for support, fun, promotion and, of course, Butterscoth Martinis.
2PM—Cheyenne McCray, Calista Fox, Cassie Ryan, Erin Quinn
Workshop: Got Romance?

Chocolate—check. Champagne—check. Now for a little romance! Join New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors as they discuss their inspiration for crafting romances that leave readers sighing—or reaching for a fan! The romance genre is as diverse as the characters that fill the pages. Hear from four authors who bend the genre in different ways and are experts in setting a romantic stage!
BIO:

Cheyenne McCray is an award winning, New York Times and USA Today Best Selling author who enjoys creating stories of love, suspense, and redemption. She loves building worlds her readers can get lost in. If you would like to find out what Cheyenne is up to these days, cruise her website, follow her on Facebook and Twitter, and even drop her a line or two. CheyenneMcCray.com

“Combines pulse-pounding danger and passionate love…tantalizing.” – Publishers Weekly on the BURNED DEEP trilogy

Calista is a former PR professional, now writing fast-paced, steamy books to set your pulse racing! Her publishing houses include St. Martin’s Press, Grand Central Publishing and Harlequin. She is an Amazon bestseller and has won many Reviewer’s and Reader’s Choice Awards, as well as Best Book Awards. Calista is a college graduate and teaches online writing classes. She is also a Past President/Advisor of the Phoenix chapter of the Romance Writers of America national organization. www.calistafox.com , http://www.facebook.com/calistafox and www.twitter.com/calistafoxbooks

Cassie Ryan (a.k.a. Tina Gerow) started her published writing career writing steamy paranormal romance under another pen name. However, when one of her critique partners, Brit Blaise, suggested she try her hand at erotic romance, she gave it a shot! After all, she’s not a girl to turn down a challenge of any type. So, she pulled out all the stops and wrote the first several chapters of what would become CEREMONY OF SEDUCTION.

After hearing Audrey LaFehr from Kensington speak on a new erotic romance line shed started called Aphrodisia, at RWA Nationals, Cassie sent in her partial and went back to writing. So, when Audrey fished her partial out of the slush pile and offered her a three-book deal, Cassie Ryan was officially born.

Cassie lives in Phoenix, Arizona and besides being a write-a-holic, is a frequent speaker on several writing and motivational topics.

ew York Times bestselling author Erin Quinn writes dark paranormal romance for the thinking reader. Her books have been called “riveting,” “brilliantly plotted” and “beautifully written” and have won, placed or showed in the RWA RITA Award, Booksellers Best, WILLA Award for Historical fiction, the Orange Rose, Readers Crown, Golden Quill, Best Books, and Award of Excellence. Go to www.erinquinnbooks.com for more information or follow Erin on Facebook or Twitter
3PM-Pamela Tracy
Workshop: Wannabe/Gonnabe, Ten Things Every Writer Should Do at the Beginning of his/her Career

This workshop deals with tools, techniques, and tenacity.
BIo:

Pamela Tracy is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty works.  First published in 1999, she’s written contemporary, historical and suspense – all in the romance genre.  She’s been a Rita finalist and has won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the year award.   She is currently president of Christian Writers of the West.
4PM— Mona Hodgson
Workshop: RESEARCHING HISTORY FOR THE STORY

Historical research involves so much more than digging into a setting or

time period for historical accuracy. Learn how to research the history of

your chosen setting and time period for characterization, plotting, and so

much more.
Bio:

MONA HODGSON is the author of 40 books, historical novels and novellas for

adults and children’s books, including her popular Sinclair Sisters of

Cripple Creek Series, The Quilted Heart novellas, and Prairie Song. Keeper

of My Heart, is a novella in The Convenient Brides Collection. Look for

Something Blue in The Heirloom Brides Collection. Her children’s books

include bestseller, Bedtime in the Southwest and Real Girls of the Bible: A

31-Day Devotional.
5 PM—Charlene Kingston
Workshop: Social Media

Confused by the social media options? Not getting the results you want? Let me cut through the noise to give you the straight story on social media, what it can and cannot do, and how to use it for your business.

I help you find the tools that showcase your business strengths to your target audience. I help you find the conversation topics that turn casual visitors into clients and fans.
Bio:

Charlene Kingston is an information strategist, writer, and speaker with 25 years of experience providing information products to solve practical business problems.

Through Crow Information Design, she provides information solutions for businesses and freelance professionals through websites, blogs, ebooks, social media tools, training programs, software user assistance, technical writing, and feature writing services.
Posted in Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Sickness is Spreading

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Linda Andrews

We all know the common cold is highly contagious. A penguin sneezes in the Antarctica and I get a cold here in Arizona. That’s how these things work.

The hubbinator had it last week. 

Now the youngest had it and slept most of the weekend away.

But what really irritates me is that my truck got sick. Seriously. The service engine soon light came on and everything. After petting the dashboard to encourage it to make it to the repair shot again, I had to promise it premium fuel to get it to go another 4 miles to another repair shop that my friend recommended.

For once I recieved awesome service and communication about my vehicle. 

Last Saturday, we made 300 dollars of the repairs needed with the other 500 able to be put on hold as it won’t damage the engine. The service light will be my friend until the government gives me back the money I overpaid.

Hopefully, my youngest will be better by the time she wakes up this afternoon and my son won’t get sick at all.

Until next time. 

Posted in Life Observations | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What a Mess

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Linda Andrews

There’s a meme on Facebook about Thanksgiving dinner. I’m sure most of you have seen it. It sums up the holidays pretty much like this: hours to prepare, minutes to eat, and days to clean up afterward.

It’s funny because it’s true.

Which is why I’ve saved the more ambitious of the recipes I want to try for the weekend. This last one I decided to make 2 recipes on the same day.

The first was the cauliflower soup recipe with artichokes and cheese. Simple. Direct. I mean it’s soup, what could go wrong? So I made it. Except I was hungry, which meant time operates by different rules and that five minutes is really half an hour. The soup was delicious. But I also learned something.

A watched pot does boil. It just takes Forever!

The second recipe was braised oxtails. Except the grocery store didn’t have any oxtails but they could order them for next week. But I didn’t want to wait, so I substituted beef ribs. Of course, there was the whole sauce thing to make before I got to braising anything, so I started after eating a delightful bowl of soup (which was around 1 PM). The sauce was complicated and involved boiling off the cup of wine I’d used to deglaze the pan at least twice, making a flour/butter paste and straining the vegetables before using the sauce.

Then there was the vegetables and browning of the ribs before getting them on to simmer for an hour plus. 

This too was delicious and I have some left over for later (and another batch of sauce for another recipe). My daughter is using the broth to cook her Ramen noodles.

But my kitchen was a mess when I was done. In total, the dinner took about 5 hours to cook (the last hour, I watched netflix while the ribs simmered). But it took another 4 hours to clean up. It was the 4 cutting boards, the 5 knives, four stock pots, and countless measuring cups, spoons, and bowls to hold everything. I finally hand-washed the last load of pans at a little after eight, but I’d been washing between simmering/stirring/and reducing.

Now, I’m not sure whether to look forward to or fear the next recipe:D. Ah, but the food. The food made it worth while.

Until next time.

Posted in cooking, Life Observations | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Dark Days Ahead

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Linda Andrews

It’s that time of year. You know, when the Christmas lights are removed from houses and the decorations are stowed away. Everything is dark and bare.

For those who live in snow country, the landscape will be blanketed white, then gray. Trees will have lost their leaves with only the evergreens offering any hope of color.

After the bright lights and decorations starting with Fall and ending with the Epiphany (aka the Twelfth Day of Christmas), it seems that everything is darker. Even my headlamp doesn’t seem as bright.

And yet, we’ve passed the winter solstice so the sun is rising earlier.

Just not early enough to chase away the gloom.

It might be time to start buying Valentine’s Day lights to decorate the house and make a stand against the winter blahs.

Or I could just stay inside and watch Netflix:)

Until next time.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Guest Blog: Darcy’s Hope Beauty from Ashes

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Linda Andrews

I’ve been lucky to meet Ginger Monette through a shared love of romance and the First World War. Her new book features the familiar characters of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett against the turbulence of the Great War.

4-headshot

Ginger lives with her family in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she enjoys dancing on the treadmill, watching period dramas, public speaking, and reading—a full-length novel every Sunday afternoon.

Her WW1 flash fiction piece, Flanders Field of Grey, won Charlotte Mecklenburg Library grand prize.

 

 

 

 

5-darcys-hope-front-coverExcerpt from

Darcy’s Hope ~ Beauty from Ashes

by Ginger Monette

Elizabeth Bennet raised her chin and gazed over the distant meadow. The morning sun shimmering off the water in the canal below and the quaint windmill on the adjacent rise beckoned her. She’d never ventured down the face of the bluff to the canal, but she had plenty of time today, and the May weather was glorious.

Inching her way down, she steadied herself on rocks and branches protruding here and there, nearly losing her balance on the loose embankment. Finally reaching the bottom, she started towards the waterway. Rounding a knoll, she squinted into the sun at a tall silhouette of a Tommy peering down the canal through field glasses. Whatever he saw must have been intriguing, as he surveyed the horizon for quite some time. Nearing him, she opened her mouth to call out a greeting when a stick snapped under her foot. In one deft motion, the soldier whirled around and levelled his revolver at her.

“Don’t shoot!” Elizabeth cried, pleading her hands in surrender. It was Captain Darcy.

“What are you doing here?” he barked, lowering the firearm and glaring at her with flashing eyes of steel.

Her heart pounding, she bit back, “Perhaps I could ask the same of you.”

“That is not the point.” He reached out and grabbed her arm above the elbow, nearly shaking it in rage. “A lady has no business out here alone. There are men roaming about who have no thought for their future and would be only too happy to ravage an attractive woman such as yourself.”

She jerked her arm away. “I appreciate your concern, but I am quite capable of looking after myself. But it’s nice to know you now consider me attractive as there was a time I wasn’t handsome enough to tempt you.”

 

9-8-dhbfa-blog-graphic

Blurb

Darcy’s Hope ~ Beauty from Ashes, 

A WW1 Pride & Prejudice Variation

____________________________________________________________

Escape to the era of Downton Abbey and experience all the drama of World War 1 alongside literature’s iconic Elizabeth Bennet & Fitzwilliam Darcy. You’ll watch their tender love unfold as they learn to work together and reconcile their differences amidst the carnage of war.

____________________________________________________________

1916. World War 1 has turned French chateaux into bloody field hospitals, British gentlemen into lice-infested soldiers, and left Elizabeth Bennet’s life in tatters.

Her father is dead and her home destroyed. Never again will Elizabeth depend on a man to secure her future!

But when an opportunity arises to advance her dreams of becoming a doctor, she is elated–until HE arrives….

Heartbroken. Devastated. Captain Fitzwilliam Darcy is left rejected by the woman he loved and reeling from the slaughter of his men on the battlefield. “Enough!” Darcy vows. “No more sentimental attachments!”

But arriving at a field hospital to pursue a covert investigation, Darcy discovers his beloved Elizabeth training with a dashing American doctor and embroiled in an espionage conspiracy.

With only a few months to expose the plot, Darcy is forced to grapple with his feelings for Elizabeth while uncovering the truth. Is she indeed innocent? Darcy can only hope….

•Cameo appearance by John Thornton of North & South

•Rated PG-13 for mild language & war scenes. Romance is clean.

•Note: Darcy’s Hope has a happy ending but will continue in Darcy’s Hope at Donwell Abbey, coming in January 2017. In the sequel, readers will experience the full resolution of the mystery, and our beloved couple’s love will face a new, tragic test.

Posted in Books, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Go Big or Go Small

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Linda Andrews

Although the holidays are over, the memories will stay with us for a long time to come. The best part of the holidays are the decorations. Very few of us decorate the same way although we may all use the same symbols.

Here is my house. For some reason, I love small things. Miniature worlds of Christmas magic and imagination.

img_0640img_0642img_0644

 

My sister turns her entire house into a winter wonderland, creating an awesome display.wp_20161225_11_50_49_prowp_20161224_18_26_50_pro

And this is one my sister sent, because who wouldn’t want their own abominable snowman?

img_20161219_081952_483

 

Posted in Life Observations | Tagged | Leave a comment

There’s a Day for That

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Linda Andrews

When I’m bored, I tend to think of things that get me into trouble. Usually I can write a few blogs but then I run out of ideas so I started dinking around on the internet.

And stumbled upon the National Days calendar.

It should come as no surprise that January 1st is National Hangover day.

the 2nd is National Personal Trainer Day to lose those 10 pounds gained over the holidays.

the 3rd is National Fruitcake toss day ( I guess this is to stop senseless fruitcake re-gifting in the 2017 holiday season).

the 4th is National Trivia Day. Trivia of the day: The NASA rover Spirit lands on Mars.

the 5th is National whipped Cream day. Anyone else hear about a possible shortage over the holidays?

the 6th is National Cuddle up day. I don’t think I want to honor this day at work:/

the 7th is National Bobblehead day. Guess what? There’s a museum dedicated to bobbleheads at http://www.bobbleheadhall.com

Until next time

Posted in Life Observations | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Recipe for Delicousness

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Linda Andrews

Despite the hubbinator’s desire to purchase me something other than books for Christmas (I do not understand this way of thinking, but as he still has a belly button, I am almost positive he has not been replaced by an alien clone), I received two awesome cookbooks.

The first one was something that came across in a Bookbub ad.

 My daughter purchased this for me and I have to say from skimming the recipes inside, it looks awesome. I’ve already tried the pumpkin spice pancakes. Yum.

The second book is the City Tavern cookbook. We got hooked on the TV show on PBS and had to purchase the book.

Aside from the nerdy fact that it adds history to the recipes, it has some yummy delights inside. I’ve already made 2 dishes from this cookbook. And from it I discovered I don’t like curry but I love barley and even the fish I can tolerate in small doses like Salmon, I hate when served as an entree. To be fair, fish don’t like me either and after a couple bites stopped eating it lest it be returned to sender. All the mutants, er, I mean other family members in the house loved the Salmon. Sooooo… it’s just me.

I plan to make at least one thing from both books every week in 2017 as part of my culinary adventures. Do you have a favorite cookbook?

 

Until next time.

Posted in Hobbies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Happy New Year

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Linda Andrews

I know this is a time of resolutions and goal setting for many. I am not among that number. I don’t see how I can bust my butt to keep promises to others, but not to myself. So starting last month, I decided that needed to change. I have to start honoring myself and the things I wish to accomplish before I can set any goals.

Alas, one of those things that is under going changes is the way that I write.

I was stressing myself out, trying to figure out a way to write a book every 6 weeks, then publish, market it, etc. Sadly, all I was doing was failing. So I’m cutting myself some slack while finding my equilibrium point.

I want to enjoy writing again. Which is why I’ll be returning to fairy tales for inspiration on my romances, and starting 1 to 4 new series on the apocalyptic/scifi end.

But I also plan to go on a few culinary adventures with recipes from the cookbooks I received a Christmas, trying a new way to quilt, pick up doodling again, tending to my garden, reading, and basically finding joy in little things I used to do but that have fallen by the wayside in pursuit of publication.

In essence, the next 364 days will be about rediscovering me and rekindling my passion for life again.

I think it’s about time.

Until next time.

Posted in Life Observations | Tagged , , | Leave a comment