Exiting the Decade: 2019 Year-End Summary

As not only 2019 comes to a close but so does a decade, it causes one to reflect. Wow, a decade! With the holidays settling, and an overabundance of food consumed, it’s time to share my year in pictures. It’s always hard to choose as I take an excessive number of photos and I’m a nature buff — it’s my muse after all. This year my phone and camera are clogged with photos of mountains & lakes (and anything nature), excursions, coffee shops/bookshelves, flowers and gardens, my cat, books, my children, and garden harvests.

Here is my 2019 summary, month by month in photos:

TOP TEN of 2019:

I broke it down to 5 author-related achievements and 5 personal favorites of the year. Though every year has its hiccups and rocky moments (and 2019 was no exception), I decided to highlight my favorites of the year.

What’s up for 2020?

I have a growing to-do list for work…logistical things I won’t bore you with. What else do I have to look forward to? The final book in the “hundred” series will release in Spring/Summer 2020! Will Rise from Ashes will also be out as an audio book by mid-year.

I’ve also been working on a contemporary romance. I’ll be speaking at a Worcester Author Book Fair in April and at the Maine RWA chapter in October. You can also find me visiting local bookshops and cafes.

That’s it from here as I wrap up an exciting 2019 and end to a decade. How was your year and decade? What is in store for you in 2020?

November's Reading Round Up

I sit here wondering what to write for my November blog post. A plethora of gratitude and “ten year” then and now posts abound on the ‘net…yup, we are wrapping up a decade! Yikes! Thanks for the reminder of how time flies! That just hit me last week when I saw all these 2009/2019 comparison photos.

I decided to share what I’m reading this month. People ask writers what they write, but also what they read (and gosh, WHEN do we read? That’s another topic). Something I am grateful for this year has been the reciprocated support of other authors. Boosts, cheer-leading, reading, reviewing, likes, retweets, emails, and big heartfelt hugs proliferate in the circle of author love. Two years ago, I knew a handful of authors and writers. Enter the publication of my first book in 2017 and I jumped deep into the pool of author support. What a pool it is, too. So much love.

The perfect gift for an author: a review!

That said, I read. You can’t take the reader out of a writer. I do admittedly read with a different eye now. I’m more critical, harder to please. Once you learn the ways of the craft (and honestly, you are always learning…), it’s hard to undo the inner critic. Reviews are gold to budding authors so when I read, I review. It really only takes two minutes, two sentences to support an author. How do I read? E-book, print, and audio. I love all three channels of consuming books. What do I read? All genres. Romance is my go-to, but I love suspense, mystery, women’s fiction, YA, and just about anything.

What am I reading? The answer always is: several books.

First up, audio books.

What’s in my Audible account? I must preface that I usually read/listen to my audio books from the library in CD format because I used to commute to work and reading in the car was perfect. But enter a few audio codes and great Audible deals, and this new little app has blown me away. Portable! Easy! I am currently halfway through Christine Grabowski’s MG/YA fantasy, Dickensen Academy and just began Julie Howard’s Crime and Paradise (darker/suspense/women’s fiction). I am LOVING the narration in both and the talent of these two authors. Voice artists are amazing people.

On to paperback.

I always have a few sitting around for me to on the couch, in the car for school pick up line, or when I rode the commuter rail into Boston for an author event at the state house. I heard about Barbara' O’Neal’s book in the Women’s Fiction Writing Association community on Facebook. I’m not a big fan of present tense, but I find more and more talented authors sucking me in. Ms. O’Neal is no exception. Her talent and wordsmith-ing is enviable! I read a sentence and sigh at the beauty. What a story!

I’m also reading Sharon Healy-Yang’s mystery, Bait and Switch. I love the amount of research that must have gone into this 1940’s whodunit. I met Sharon at a local author’s event and we swapped books. What a find!

Lastly, but never least, e-books.

I’m wrapping up reading with an advanced reader copy of Ciara’s Homecoming Christmas in the Deerbourne Inn series. I’ve just finished reading the last few books, too and a couple more romances, bringing up my total to over a dozen in this new Wild Rose Press series. If you are looking for a shorter novella (my new fascination), this is a good series to dip into.

I’d love to hear from you. What’s in your reading queue this month?

Back to this then and now thing…I don’t share family photos too often on here (if I do, it’s usually under my Magazine Rack section detailing our travel adventures). Here is my 2009 vs. 2019 - ten years, the then and now. My, how we’ve grown. My, how time has flown by in a blink.

SPEAKING OF READING…

A final teaser for those of you who follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or in my newsletter. I have a few FREE deals and exciting reading adventures coming up in December. Stay tuned. Subscribe to my quarterly newsletter and you’ll be the first to hear about and score some freebies.

Autumn Wrap Up in New England

I’m taking the easier way out for this month’s blog post, as this writer has deadlines and tired/strained eyes from too much screen time and/or bingeing on a show with subtitles. So…I’m doing a visual wrap up of my fall so far! We are now past mid-October, meaning our peak fall foliage is winding down. But, wow, what a gorgeous fall we’ve had so far!

My Fall Favorites this year:

1. Raspberry bushes bursting with abundance — so happy! Looking forward to making jam this winter.

2. Fall Foliage near and far — my stomping ground of central Massachusetts.

3. A visit to Mystic, CT with my bestie.

4. Apples galore! My macoun apples, with some TLC (I am a helicopter gardener), provided!

5. A second weekend away in our new favorite place in Vermont: Mad River Valley of the Green Mountains

6. Our new kitty is feeling quite at home.

7. Kayaks and hikes.

8. Book fairs, signings, and other author events.

9. Writing a few more new books (stay tuned!).

10. New audio book releases this fall/winter.

11. Family Love.

12. Amazing sunsets.

Sweet Words to My Ears: Why I Love Audio Books

A few years ago a friend suggested I listen to audio books. Like many, I was skeptical. Really? Listen to a book? Seeing as my life was in the throes of wrangling busy young children (and it still is…), I gave it a try. I had started and stopped reading The Fiery Cross (Diana Gabaldon’s 5th book in the Outlander series) countless times. Her books are long tomes and at the rate I was going, I would never finish the series…I did a lot of driving in my car, so why not?

Game changer!

Davina Porter’s narrating blew me away. I listened in the car on drives to work, on long stretches to stores, and during errands around town. Granted, once my youngest picked up on his name in the dialogue (one of the book characters has his name), I decided, okay, no listening with kiddos in the car! At least not those books (btw, Harry Potter as audio book is fabulous!). I flew through the rest of the Outlander series, then devoured a few of the novellas (so good, btw!). I now read across genres on audio.

Now audio books are my go-to.

As a writer, I do prefer holding a book in my hand. However, audio books save me time, whisk me off to a distant place, and help me actually get reading done. Authors spend so much time reading and writing their own words that the hobby of reading goes to the back-burner. Not with audio books! My least preferred method is e-book reading, but I do plenty of that, usually to read and review other authors’ books. So I dabble in all: print, audio, and e-book.

So if I’ve not yet won you over, how about a list of reasons to listen to audio books?

1. Multi-tasking! Driving, housework, whatever. Great to listen while doing other things. Fills those long commute times.

2. The art of narration. Most producers are voice artists trained to do this for a living. Some are mind-blowing.

3. Libraries carry them. Audible and iTunes are not the only places to dig up these lovelies. My first go-to for a book club I attend: check the library (thank goodness for inter-library loan!). I never feel bad about reading a library book. I support the author (it was a purchase to the library), write reviews, keep the library in business, and recommend the books. Future post idea: why I love libraries!

4. It can be (but not always) quicker than reading. I am a slower reader. Average novella length is 4-5 hours of listening. A typical 350-page book: ten hours. Granted, Outlander is way longer than that. Like 20 hours? Even so, bleary-eyed at night makes for slower chunks of reading for me at least. Before you ask, yes, non-fiction books are in audio book formats, too! The audio book industry is booming.

5. Gives your eyes a break! As an author, my eyes need breaks!

6. It can be BETTER than the print book. My historical novels can be a tough read for those not used to reading historical. I’ve had more than one person say they loved the audio-book…easier to understand and keep going. We run busy lives and are tired, and sometimes reading works our brains.

7. You learn interesting pronunciations and accents. I did mention the narrators/producers/voice actors are artists, right? Admission: I do thorough research for all my books. Dot the i’s, cross the t’s, then do it all again. However, I did NOT know that Caoimhe, an Irish/Gaelic name (a character in A Hundred Breaths), is pronounced “Kee-va.” My narrator for the book series is amazing and did her homework. I also provided her pronunciations of Gaelic words (thanks to my editor’s Gaelic-speaking mother), and she relied on a Norwegian friend for the Norse words for the current book she is producing, A Hundred Breaths. I just finished reading a book that had a host of accents: British, American, and Scandinavian. It was great.

8. More accessible. For those with reading challenges, audio books have opened doors!

Have I listened to a bad audio book? You bet. Like print books, reading (listening) is subjective. Quite often if I’m not digging a book in print for whatever reason, I give the audio book a go.

How do you get your hands on my books?

GOOD NEWS! I have few free Audible codes to give away for A Hundred Kisses.

Even better…this fall, the other 3 books will be released on Audible/iTunes…and I will have free codes!

If you are interested in listening for free, in return for an honest review (on e.g. Amazon, Audible, and Goodreads), please drop me a comment below or email me. If you’ve not yet done so, feel free to join my newsletter I distribute quarterly (so as to not flood your inbox) which has deleted scenes, interviews with other authors, giveaways, and sale information and bunch of other fun tidbits.

Happy reading…or should I say listening?

Do you listen to audio books? If so, tell me your favorite reasons why!

Beautiful Transitions

A month goes by quickly and lo and behold, it’s time to write another post! As we sit on the precipice of summer tumbling into autumn, I find myself once again pondering the transitional time that is September. [Yes, I know it is still technically August] I naturally rely on my flower gardens to gift me with metaphors and symbolism. My two large hydrangea bushes are no exception. In fact, they are the perfect symbol of transition.

Spring to Autumn…my hydrangeas change color from white to pale pink to rusty blush. The blooms also grow on “dead wood,” meaning I don’t prune these gigantic bushes back in the autumn.

Some changes are cataclysmic: abrupt and furious.

Some are a metamorphic: striking changes after hardship.

Some are subtle and a slow trickle: calm, and not always readily visible to the passerby.

But all changes are certain. They happen. Abrupt, striking, after hurdles, and subtle.

Autumn tends to be my season of change. Yes, it’s still August. And the heatwave is wrapping up here in New England. I love September for its weather. Cool, calm, sunny, an extended summer. For the transitions, not so much. School, jobs, life…all tend to congregate in September. Lazy days of summer (though some summers are just as busy!) give way to hectic new schedules. Shorter days. Crisper nights.

Back to my flowers…(because I do obsess a wee).

Spring comes with anticipation, as shoots and buds of early bloomers erupt from the softening winter ground. Summer bursts with a daily rainbow of peak-bloomers, including my day lilies. With late summer and early autumn, the languid days draw to an end and the rusty golds and oranges emerge in the gardens, as the spring and summer flowers wilt, dry, and brown. Then, I sadly say goodbye to all my leafy friends in November as I prune most (but not all) of the perennials. Many need a good shearing for new growth come spring. Hydrangeas grow on dead wood. Lilies if left to decompose, self-fertilize (but admittedly, I do cut them back a bit, too).

My gardens are a subtle and slow change preparing for the sometimes cataclysmic autumn rush.

My September is:

• The end of my flower gardens (boo!) but the gift of knowing New England autumn foliage is coming

• The resuming of a regular writing schedule and more writing productivity, with less daily distractions for a work-at-home-mom

• New writing projects while waiting on others

• Kids back in school: homework, activities, the “grind”

• Cooler temperatures, shorter days

• Quieter moments, more time alone

• A return to visiting with writer’s group/colleagues

• Earlier rising

• New exercise routine

• And a few other professional/life changes that come with the territory

How is your end of summer and early fall transitioning? Have you been awaiting news (I feel like I am always awaiting news on something)? Are you jumping in head first to professional, academic, or personal changes? Are you blooming after a long stint of hardship? Are you closing one season and moving to a next?

Heedless, we’re told to embrace the changes. Sometimes easier said than done. But as my hydrangeas remind me, the changes can be beautiful.

And yes, I can load this post with a zillion flower garden photos, but if you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, you’ve likely seen them all already!

Happy end of summer, everyone! What’s in store for your September?