Anything and Everything.

I checked. It's been 6 weeks or so since my last post. What have I been up to? For starters, I've finished the last book in Aurora's story. Two beta readers got a copy yesterday, and I'm waiting a couple of weeks before I hear back from them. Then I will know where things lag and sag, or where something more is needed. If I'm being optimistic, I'd like to see a September/October release, but for sure before the end of the year. While I wait to hear back from my betas, I'm shopping! Checking out cover ideas, but something in line with Duly Noted and That Summer . Should book 3 be darker or lighter? So much fun to decide. And I'm about to make some changes - some major, some minor - to the first two books I released. Run Away Charlotte & Ask Me Again are going through the process of something new and fun. Stay tuned. Other than that, not much professionally has been going on. My author friends have released some amazing books, some are...

Had to try this out. I suck at making bath bombs, but these are for the shower. Perfect for colds, and a nice, hot, steamy shower. I wish I could give credit to the owner but I found my chickenscratched note under a pile of books. 😖 Gather together: Vapour rub hot water baking soda cornstarch essential oils mixing bowl mini muffin pan Scoop out 3 tsps vapour rub and add to 1/2 cup hot water.  Mix these together. I found it took a vigorous beating to get them to mix well. Add in 1 cup of baking soda . Blend together. Add in 1/2 cup of cornstarch . Mix well. Will become thick. Add 2 drops of essential oil . Continue to mix. Pour into mini muffin pans and let harden overnight. Now when I made mine, some weird chemistry went on. The mixture actually softened and I could pour it out of the mixing cup into the tins. To me, it resembled slime. But it's been a couple of hours and it's hardening nicely, so maybe it's supposed to do that? One day later, we p...

This is a list of the books I read in 2017. Thirty one recorded reads - because as I look at my list, I'm sure there are some missing. ;) Anyways, here's my list and my ratings. My rating system 😊😊😊😊😊 - Awesome story, couldn't put it down 😊😊😊😊 - Great story 😊😊😊 - Good story 😐😐 - Meh, was easy to put down 😒 - Did not enjoy 😡 - DNF Shit My Dad Says - by Justin Halpern 😊😊😊 Easy read, made me laugh out loud a few times. Based off his tweets.  The Right Equation - by Tracy Krimmer 😊😊😊😊 Nice easy novella, got me wondering about high school reunions If the Shoe Fits - by Laurie LeClair 😈 Could not finish this. Couldn't get into this Cinderella type retelling.  The Ghosts of Sundown - by D.C. Hooke 😊😊😊😊😊 Great book - kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning. Local Edmonton author - needs to get his butt in gear and write another. ;) The Maid of the South Pole - by Demelza Carleton 😊😊😊😊 Nice romance read. Main ch...

This morning I was awoken to some sad news - my beloved Grandma has passed away. It wasn't a shock, we'd been expecting it for quite some time. But it still hurts. You see, we just lost my Grandpa on March 14th. He died after a courageous battle with cancer. Right up until his last night on Earth, he was still Grandpa, still witty and trying to smile. I'm forever glad I saw him on that last night. Grandma was different. In the weeks following his death, her dementia worsened, and she was hospitalized. Slowly, the disease ate away at her brain, changing her in unnatural ways. Her memory suffered, and the things she used to love doing, disappeared. She stopped knowing who my kids were, and I could tell she struggled to remember me. But that was okay. Then the unthinkable happened. November 20th she had a stroke. I was urged to say goodbye not long after that. The stroke had done enough damage that it completely changed her. She looked like Grandma on the outside, but was...

anx·i·e·ty aNGˈzīədē/ noun a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. "he felt a surge of anxiety" synonyms: worry ,  concern ,  apprehension , apprehensiveness,  uneasiness ,  unease , fearfulness,  fear ,  disquiet ,  disquietude ,  inquietude ,  perturbation ,  agitation ,  angst ,  misgiving ,  nervousness , nerves,  tension , tenseness;  More desire to do something, typically accompanied by unease. "the housekeeper's eager anxiety to please" synonyms: eagerness ,  keenness ,  desire "an anxiety to please" PSYCHIATRY a nervous disorder characterized by a state of excessive uneasiness and apprehension, typically with compulsive behavior or panic attacks. Yes, that's what anxiety is.  But what does it feel lik...

I have read many books this year. Some were so amazing I could make a blog post on each one, and some were so awful, I could also do the same. However, for the sake of sanity, I'll keep it narrowed down to one post. I had decided to break up the list into indie and non-indie, but changed my mind. To me, I don't care who  published the book, as long as it was engaging and kept me flipping the pages. The main character didn't have to be relatable as I've read so many books where the character is nothing like me. So what. If the writing is good, then I will keep reading. As long as the character grows, it's all good. :) One of the criteria for making my list, is whether or not I tell others about it. It could be random, or a face to face conversation where I tell someone they MUST read this book. Based on my loose requirements, because I read for pure pleasure and escape, these are my top five. Only the number one is my ultimate favourite. The other four round out ...

As I sit here and write, it's been a busy weekend. Usually I get my blog ready to go sometime on Saturday so I can easily do a quick read through and publish on Sunday. Yeah, not this weekend. ;) Too busy - too close to Christmas - too many other things to do. Life, right? But there are a few things I am thankful for. A back and forth email with my critique partner, where the focus hasn't been all Lucas & Aurora  but rather a real in depth of getting to know you. I think if we were to ever meet, we'd have so much to talk about, time would slip away quickly. I'm sure she'd agree. :)  Outdoor recess . Seems like such a trivial thing, but with the temperatures being so ridiculously cold, the kids have been cooped up inside. Bless the teachers, though, as there are only so many times you can play Simon Says, or put on a dance video to get them moving. They may have only gone out once when the temperature rose to -17C, but it was something. Hopefully the upc...