I've been on a reading frenzy the last few months and have fallen in love with some new-to-me authors. If you like historical fiction, you might like to check out books by Amanda Skenandore, (The Second Life of Mirelle West is my favorite so far), Shana Abe, (The Second Mrs. Astor is my favorite!), and Kathryn Hughes. I'm currently reading The Memory Box, and it's sooo good, although it's not completely historical fiction.

Shana Abe writes outside of historical fiction, too, so you might enjoy some of her other novels if you're not into historical.

I've read all of Amanda Skenandore's available books and am impatiently waiting for her next release which doesn't happen until May 21st! 

Kathyrn Hughes has several other books that will go on my to be read list once I finish the ones that are already on there. 

I'm addicted to historical fiction at present. Here are some of the titles on my to be read list:

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin
The Bootlegger's Daughter: A Novel by Nadine Nettmann
The Paris Orphans by Suzanne Kelman
Winds of Change: Desire Minter. by Dionne Haynes
Foxden Acres by Madalyn Morgan
After Dunkirk by Lee Jackson

Maybe you'll find a book you want to read on this list. If you do, let me know your thoughts! I'm obsessed right now! 

I was first published in 2002. Twenty-two years ago. I still remember the day my agent called and told me I was going to be published. It was surreal. And it was a scam. I didn't know it at the time, but the publisher who'd accepted my book was an author mill. It churned out books left and right, setting them at such astronomically high prices, the odds of getting a friend to buy a book was slim. 

To be frank, the book wasn't that good. Oh, I thought it was at the time, but, honestly, reading back over it now makes me cringe. I knew little to nothing about plot and character arcs. But I was going to be published so I was over the moon. It didn't take long for reality to sink in, and as the weeks and months passed, and I discovered more about this publisher, I was disheartened and embarrassed. That was my first chance to get published, and I'd allowed myself to be conned because I was so caught up in the idea of being published that I didn't take the time to do any research or ask any questions. That was a hard lesson learned, but it wasn't the only one I learned from my first foray into publishing. 

Lesson #2 was not everyone in this industry is out for your best interests. It was a kick in the teeth to learn that my agent wasn't who she'd presented herself to be. It wasn't long after the publication of my first book that she and I went our separate ways, but only after I found out that she did next to nothing to help my career. That's why we need to be our own best advocates.

Lesson #3 was it's better to not be published than to be ashamed of your publisher. There are so many writers who want to be published today. I understand the feeling completely. That sense of "I need to be published" can make even the slightest nibble by a publisher attractive. Recently, a friend of mine told me she'd been contacted by a publisher who was interested in her book. That sent up a red flag because good publishers don't have to look for authors; the authors come to them. 

And Lesson #4 was that you'll never have a second first chance, but that doesn't mean your first chance has to define you. Since 2002, I've published over fifty novels and novellas and thousands of articles, essays, and short stories combined. I've taught classes to aspiring writers, have spoken at conferences and to groups, and have had some amazing opportunities I wouldn't have had if I hadn't gotten my start in publishing. Would my path have been easier if I'd been published by a better publisher? Most likely. But, as we've all heard before, it's not where you start but where you end up that matters. 

So whether you wish you'd never been published by a certain publisher or wish that you hadn't self-published your first book, you can choose to move forward, put that part of your past behind you, and give yourself a second chance that will be immeasurably better than your first. 

Most everyone has heard this song by Tim McGraw. It's a powerful ballad that is about living in the face of death, and McGraw recently dedicated it to Toby Keith, a country music artist who passed away in early February, at a concert. McGraw cried while singing the song, and the audience cried with him not just because of the loss of Keith but because of the power of the truth in the words. 

We spend so much of our lives in day-to-day minutiae. Going to work. Cooking dinner. Cleaning the house. Watching television. Preparing for the next day's work. And then the cycle starts all over again the next day. Oftentimes, the weekends are our time to relax and veg out in front of the television, go grocery shopping, play catch with the kids in the backyard, have a drink with our friends, and maybe take in a movie. While the time is meant to be relaxing, it's still just the minutiae of our days.

Where is the excitement? What do we look forward to? Do we have those moments of sheer joy, the ones that make us elated that we're alive? Do we go out of our way to make memories instead of just scrolling through our phones in our downtime? Do we grab each moment as though it's precious, and do we realize just how precious they really are? 

Not all of life can be about grabbing the brass ring. We can't stop what we're doing to go skydiving or parasailing. But what we can do is create moments that are about grabbing life. Maybe it's a watching a sunset or watching a baby calf be born. It could be taking a horseback ride or a walk in the woods. It could be hunting for shells on the beach, sitting around a bonfire telling stories, or going on a hayride. Maybe it's riding in the back of a pickup truck down an old country road or going to the ballet. 

There are so many opportunities to enjoy life. Not all of them involve a lot of money, but they do involve doing more than just sitting on our sofas while letting our phones entertain us. What little changes could we do to make memories each day? What can we do to appreciate this life while we have it? We need to embrace the here and now and make time to be a part of life instead of watching it pass us by. 

​Everywhere you look, people are struggling. Whether it’s because of money, health, relationships, or many other reasons, people are having a difficult time in life. Maybe you’re one of those people, and it’s hard to get up in the morning and tell yourself “I’m going to be okay.” That’s why this post is here.

You’re going to be okay. No, it doesn’t seem like it now, but the human spirit is strong, and you can endure. I can say this because I have experience living through difficulties. It took a while, but I’m okay.

Many years ago, I was homeless, working two jobs but not making enough money for rent, and without a car. I walked or took a bicycle to work several miles. And there were days when I was glad I worked at a fast-food restaurant because I could at least eat that day.
I was in bad relationships, and looking back now, I’m glad they didn’t work out. I would have been miserable in any one of them.

And since 2003, I’ve suffered from ongoing health problems that, at times, have nearly broken me. But they didn’t and won’t because of my spirit, which is the same spirit you have inside you. The strength that keeps me going comes from my relationship with God, but there is strength in all of us, regardless of our beliefs. It’s our innate will to survive.

​I don’t know what you’re going through right now, but I do know you’re stronger than you believe. You’re on this planet for a purpose. You’re wanted and needed. You’re loved. Whatever you might think about yourself, you are important. And you’re going to be okay.

I'm working on a novella that I'll be posting to Wattpad as a freebie. It's the start to a brand new series, and I'm almost done with it. And the cover is here now! Take a look!

I hope this new year is the best for you, your family, and your friends. I wish you lots of warmth, love, happiness, reading, caring, sharing, and books! And I hope 2024 is the absolute best year it could possibly be for you! 

For all of us, I hope this new year brings us together more, that there will be less hate and more love and less arguing and more laughing. We are all in this together whether we want to believe that or not. And we all need one another, even if it's just for a smile. So Happy New Year!

I don't usually watch commercials if I don't have to, but this one, I watch several times every Christmas season. It's just so heartwarming and sweet. It makes me smile every time. 

I'll admit I've even watched it a few times when it wasn't the Christmas season simply because it's uplifting. See if you like it as much as I do!

I was reading an article recently about ways to make additional income on the side, and one of the ways listed as start a blog. I previously wrote about freelance writing being considered a side hustle as well, and I think it's a bit disingenous to tell people that starting a blog is a good side hustle. It can take a long time to build up readers and start earning money from blogging. So for those people who need extra money now, blogging isn't going to help. 

If someone is looking to invest time and energy for something that will pay off in the long run then, by all means, a blog can be considered a way to do that. But many of these articles I've read that including blogging aren't taking into consideration that many of the people looking for side jobs need that extra paycheck sooner rather than later. And blogging is a long-term committment. One post a month isn't going to work if you're trying to build an audience.

I have readers that faithfully come to this blog even though I only update once or twice a month. That's because they know my schedule, but that's taken years. Ask any writer, and they'll tell you that when they first started writing their blogs, all they heard were crickets. 

So if you're one of those people who needs to make money on the side, there are plenty of ways to do it that will get you the money a lot faster than trying to build an audience with a blog. Not trying to be a negative Nancy here, just realistic. Blogging is great; it really is. I love to jot a post when I have the time, but I also know that it does take time and dedication, and if someone is already working hard to make ends meet, they may not have the energy or inclination to share their thoughts or energy with the world. 

But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe some successful bloggers do consider it a side hustle that has worked for them. I know there are plenty of bloggers who started off part-time and are now working their blog full-time. In that aspect, you have to start somewhere. Just don't expect to rocket out of the gate with 1,000 readers and advertisers begging to work with you. Realism is the key!

Every now and then, it's good to freshen things up, and that's what I'm starting to do with some of my older books. Last Showing, which released in 2016, is getting a new cover. It's in line to be uploaded now! What do you think?