Wishing You a Merry Christmas!
Wishing You a Merry Christmas!
When this post goes live, it’ll be Christmas Eve in North America. I wanted to take the time to thank the guest bloggers, readers, and commenters for taking the time to participate at my web site.
I’m not much for newsletters. I’m a blogger at heart. I’ve had a personal blog since 2004 (it’s pretty lonely there right now because I haven’t had time to keep that blog updated in months). So I said to myself when I landed a contract for my first book, “I’m going to use my web site to promote other authors and provide treats for readers of romance–and yap about reading, writing, romance, and rock ‘n’ roll–instead of having the usual newsletter.”
Because you’re so special…
The first thing I did was sign up to be a host blog for Gay Book Promotions, Xpresso Book Tours, and Silver Dagger Book Tours. I also host fellow eXasty Books and Devine Destinies authors. And since I belong to a couple of great Facebook Groups, I also guest host other romance authors. If you, a reader, are interested in being interviewed, don’t be shy and drop me a line. If not for readers, who would romance authors writer for? So I’d be very interested in taking a peek into a reader’s life.
Come the New Year, I really really hope to do one book review a month. I wish I could do more, but time doesn’t allow me that luxury. I’m on a tight schedule now–editing one book and a WIP waiting for a first draft finish.
My plan is to have Redeemed to eXasty Books by mid-January, and while waiting on edits, finish drafting Sanctified.
I’m working on guest sign-up sheet to make contacting me easier if you’re interested in guest blogging, being interviewed, or wish to promote something romance related.
Thank you for your support. My web site is getting a lot of traffic and new followers–all because of you.
Note: In lieu of the Holiday Season, there will be no blog posts on December 25th (Christmas Day) and December 26th (Boxing Day).
The Writer’s Tag was created by Lorraine Ambers and Ari Meghlen as a fun way to connect with other writers, and help us get to know each other better.
I have been tagged by my friend and fellow eXtasy Books author V.J. Allison. Check out her blog at Word Processor, Romance, Cats, Kids, and Creed.
Tag! You’re it!
As I mentioned before, I schedule posts way ahead of time. Today, it’s the 18th and this post will go live on the 28th. By then, I’ll have received my critique back for Redeemed. Then I’ll begin working on edits come December 1st.
For November, please see my previous WIP Wednesday, because I’m participating in NaNoWriMo to get a jump start on Jude and Raven’s story, Book Three in the Matawapit Family Trilogy. I hit the 30k mark. Woot. Stick around, because I’ll be posting snippets from their novel Sanctified.
WIP Wednesday
The Matawapit Family Trilogy: In the wilds of Northwestern Ontario, the secular world challenges the adult children of a perfect Catholic family headed by a full-blooded, domineering church deacon, when a vengeful former lover, an ex-fiancé out on parole, and a seductive family enemy, all dedicated to their Ojibway culture, test the faiths of Emery, Bridget, and Jude.
Here is teaser #4 from Redeemed.
I won. Yes, as of November 25th, I completed a total of 50,851 words. In my previous NaNo update, I mentioned I was shooting for 60k by the end of the month. If I write 2k a day, which I have been since November 15th, I’ll meet this goal.
I’m on chapter eighteen for Sanctified, Book Three of the Matawapit Family Trilogy, starring big brother Jude and family enemy Raven Kabatay. These two are a blast to write. I’m enjoying Raven’s hidden insecurities she masks behind her bold, sassy, sexy ways. And I love Jude’s confusion and loss now that he’s no longer ruling his life with his usual take-charge nature.
Words…Words…Words…
Fore!
Just a quick update about Fantasy Friday–when I post my picks every Friday for golf fantasy offered by the PGA Tour, European PGA Tour, and the Golf Channel. All three games are done until the new year.
Picks for the PGA Tour usually re-open the second week in January. The same for the Golf Channel. As for the European Tour, they usually don’t allow picks to resume until they begin the Desert Swing in Abu Dahbi, which isn’t played until February, usually. My fingers are crossed that I can starting picking the second week of January.
Golf will continue for the European Tour, though. There is the Australian PGA Championship from November 29th to December 2nd. The AfraAsia Open from November 29th to December 2nd. The South African Open from December 6th to the 9th. And my personal fave the Alfred Dunhill Championship from December 13th to the 16th. This one is held at Leopard Creek County Club in Malelane, South Africa.
After that, golf is done for the year and won’t resume until the second week in January. It’s good thing I recorded and saved Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries to view over the Christmas season.
Fore!
Yes, it’s been a long time since I last posted a Fantasy Friday. Fridays at my blog have been busy, but I’m still glued to the TV, watching the Race to Dubai. That’s what’s airing this weekend. Woot! On Sunday evening, I’ll find out who’s the winner of the DP World Tour Championship and the winner of the Race to Dubai for the European Tour.
Naturally, the tournament takes place in…Dubai. Duh. LOL. The sixty golfers who made it this far are teeing it up at the Earth course (designed by Greg Norman!) at the Jumeirah Golf Estates
BTW, when hubby was watching Midsomer Murders the other evening, the mystery took place at a golf course. I love when that happens haha.
As for the PGA Tour, they’re in Sea Island, Georgia at the Sea Island Golf Club, battling to win the RSM Classic.
Enough babbling. Here are my picks:
Today, I’m blogging at Romance University so there’ll be no Throwback Thursday. Stop on by RU and join the conversation as we talk promotion for new authors.
Promo!
In my last WIP Wednesday post, I mentioned I was completing round three of edits. Since I schedule my posts, I’ll be done round four by the time this goes live. Once my edits are done, it’s off for a critique. When the crit is done, I’ll do one more pass before sending the manuscript to my publisher, eXtasy Books.
WIP Wednesday
The Matawapit Family Trilogy: In the wilds of Northwestern Ontario, the secular world challenges the adult children of a perfect Catholic family headed by a full-blooded, domineering church deacon, when a vengeful former lover, an ex-fiancé out on parole, and a seductive family enemy, all dedicated to their Ojibway culture, test the faiths of Emery, Bridget, and Jude.
Here is teaser #3 from Redeemed:
Stricken by V.J. Allison
Today, I’m doing something different. I’ve given the reigns of my blog to fellow eXasty Books author V.J. Allison so she can interview her leading man from her latest release Stricken, a steamy contemporary romance set in Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Good day everyone. I’m V.J. Allison, and today, I’m interviewing Ewan Campbell. He’s the hero of Stricken, my debut novel, which is set in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He’s also a member of the Campbell Oil family, and was heir to that empire until he decided a career in real estate on the east coast was more to his liking.
Remembrance Day
Yes, I’m participating. So I thought I’d give a quick update of my writing goals and progress until the end of the year. As you know, Blessed was released on July 06, 2018, the first book in the Matawapit Family Trilogy.
At the end of October, I finished the fourth draft for Redeemed, Book Two, and sent off the manuscript for a critique. While being critted, I chose to participate in NaNoWriMo. On November 1st, I started drafting Book Three, Sanctified.
Words…Words…Words…
Yes, there is no Throwback Thursday today, because Darryl Keejik, one of my heroes from Blessed, is being interviewed at I Love Romance Blog. And I am, too. Stop on by and read what Darryl and I have to say!
It’s been ages since I’ve done a book review. So I’m happy to say here is my latest review of Guarded Wish by Addison Carmichael. I did my best to keep this spoiler free, because I’m also posting the review at Goodreads.
Today’s Throwback Thursday is an Author Alert of one of my fave writers: the late great Richard Wagamese.
Heads Up!
If you enjoy First Nations literary and non-fiction, I highly recommend the works by Richard Wagamese. My dad introduced me to this author a couple of years ago when he gave me Richard’s For Joshua: A Native Father Teaches his Son for Christmas–a novel about what occurred to Richard as a result of the “sixties scoop.”
The memoir takes the reader through Richard’s life, from being placed in care at the age of three through the Child Welfare System to his escape from his adoptive family at the age of sixteen. His journey of finding where he belongs takes the reader all over Canada as Richard attempts to come to terms with his life and what happened to him. As he recounts his life, he provides lessons he hopes his son will use.
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The Commitment Collection by Karen Botha
Today, I have author Karen Botha guesting at my blog. She’s here to talk about The Commitment Collection, her latest book series featuring super-hawt race car drivers. And of course she’ll be talking about super-hawt race car drivers. What can I say? I love that she’s a super-fan of this sport in the same way that I’m a super-fan of golf. Okay, I’ll shut up and hand the mic over to Karen.
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Race car drivers have to work out. If they don’t then they can’t handle the gruelling couple of hours it takes to throw a car around a million bends at two hundred kilometers per hour. In the Commitment series, I talk a lot about how lean they are because not only are they walls of muscle, but they also have to watch their weight to be as light as possible so they add the minimal load possible to the car. Kimi Räikkönen was even told he had to cut his weight before the start of the 2018 Formula 1 world championship to assist the handling of the car.
Fore!
The Race to Dubai continues on the European Tour. A big congratulations to England’s Eddie Pepperell, winner of last week’s British Masters. This week, the tour heads for Sotogrande, Spain for the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation at the Real Club Valderrama.
The PGA Tour is still in Asia, this time teeing it up at the Nine Bridges Golf Club on Jeju Island in South Korea where the pros will battle it out for the CJ Cup. A big congratulations to last week’s winner at the CIMB Classic, Australia’s Marc Leishman.
Here are my picks for this week.
For Throwback Thursday, here is a post about golfers who’d make awesome romance heroes.
Who’s on the Cover?
I can’t think of one reader who doesn’t enjoy a nice cover on a romance novel. Covers are important to readers and writers. If you see an awful cover, it makes you go “hmmm.” See a good cover and you want to find out more. And what author doesn’t dream up the perfect model to sell her/his story?
Being such a golf fanatic, I thought I’d do something fun today by casting professional golfers as models for romance novels, starting from YA (Young Adult) to MA (Mature Adult) and all genres in-between. Okay, I covered some genres, because if I went with every single one out there, I’d spend my day trying to finish this post LOL. So my apologies in advance if I skipped your favourite.
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I’m in full-on edit mode for Redeemed. Yes, I’ve re-written those last five chapters I yapped about in my previous WIP Wednesday post. I am now on round three of edits. I expect completion at the end of October. Then it’s off for a critique. Once I receive the critique, it’s on to round four. And while being critted, I will begin fast-drafting the third book in the series, Sanctified, during NaNoWriMo.
For those new to my blog, I am starting to post excerpts for Book Two in the Matawapit Trilogy published by eXtasy Books. Each novel is a stand-alone or can be read as a series.
WIP Wednesday
The Matawapit Family Trilogy: In the wilds of Northwestern Ontario, the secular world challenges the adult children of a perfect Catholic family headed by a full-blooded, domineering church deacon, when a vengeful former lover, an ex-fiancé out on parole, and a seductive family enemy, all dedicated to their Ojibway culture, test the faiths of Emery, Bridget, and Jude.
Here is teaser #2 from Redeemed:
Fore!
And I’m back with another edition of Fantasy Friday. My apologies for not posting my picks last week, but I had a special guest blogger who shared how to market your brand new novel. If you wish to read the fabulous post by Digital Book Girl, go on ahead. It’s full of handy information.
Back to golf. Last week, the first tournament for the PGA Tour’s 2018/19 season commenced in Napa, California at the Silverado Resort & Spa. A big congratulations to Kevin Tway for his tournament win at the Safeway Open.
For the next two weeks, the PGA Tour is in Asia. The first stop is the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur in Bukit Kiara, Malaysia. Yes, while we’ve kissed summer goodbye in the northern hemisphere, the pro golfers are enjoying the wonderful hot and sunny weather below the equator.
As for the European Tour, now that they’ve completed the Alfred Dunhill Links with winner Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark (one of my picks for last week’s fantasy game) claiming the trophy, the Tour will continue the Race to Dubai in Surrey, England at Walton Heath Golf Club’s Old Course for the British Masters.
Maggie Blackbird 