Have a wonderful holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

Image courtesy of [lekkyjustdoit] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

GIRL OF MINE IS FREE FOR THREE DAYS!!

Grab your copy HERE.

Available on Amazon Kindle.

Merry Christmas!

MONDAY MUSINGS

Hi Everyone,

I hope you're having a wonderful holiday season. I am finally home. My daughter labeled the last few weeks, "Mom's Great Adventure." That pretty much sums it up.

I spent almost two weeks in Oregon visiting my father and helping my mother take care of him. If you didn't read my prior post, he was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The longest most people live is five years. More than likely, six months to two years. We simply don't know. But, I know one thing for sure. Seeing him in this condition was disturbing. I don't like seeing anyone, much less someone I love, in pain. In spite of this, I had a wonderful visit with family as we surrounded my father with love.

Four generations: My father, me, my daughter, and grandson.

Me and my sister with my father. 

On Sundays, he wears his white shirt and tie with his pajama pants, even though he lays in bed all day.

Me and my two sisters with my father.

We celebrated an early Thanksgiving together. My father was able to come to the table for about five minutes and was able to eat a little too.

All of us visiting with Dad.

We had to quickly snap pictures when he was up and awake, which was a rare occasion. Of all of the cancers you can get, pancreatic cancer is one of the most painful. It's a horrible thought and I won't go into the details. Suffice it to say, my father is enduring it without complaint. I would be curled in a ball crying my eyes out. Seriously.

I'm so glad I was able to be there and see him.

We (my daughter and grandson went with me to Oregon) flew into Dallas and were eagerly greeted by our hubbies. We stayed with my daughter and her family in Dallas for the Thanksgiving weekend.

After that, we had three days at home before we had to turn around and leave again for my son's graduation from college!

December in Austin, Texas is fantastic!

Saying goodbye is sooooo hard.

So, that's been my life for the past few weeks. Now I'm home and getting ready for Christmas and just trying to catch up on everything.

I usually close down my blog for the holidays, since everyone is so busy.

That being said, I will resume Wordless Wednesday in January.

Merry Christmas!

Hold your family close and enjoy every minute of time you have together.

Thankful for Cash Giveaway

Thankful for Cash $250 Giveaway - November 15th to December 15th

We’re giving away $250 in Paypal Cash! Or alternately you can choose a $250 Amazon.com eGift Code!

Need a little extra cash for the holidays? (Who doesn't?)

Enter to win!

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Giveaway Details $250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon.com eGift Card Ends 12/15/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or who can redeem an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   

Thanks to these awesome bloggers & authors for sponsoring this giveaway!!

Sponsor List I Am A Reader Author Niki Danforth Krysten Lindsay Hager author Heather Boyd Glistering Bs Blog Heather Gray, Author Meg Mims - Mystery Kimber Leigh Wheaton Cynthia Luhrs Author MHDeanCollectibles Book Blog Melissa A. Hanson, Author Free Bookster Author M.A. George Jess @ Gone with the Words Unshelfish Raven Haired Girl Author Laurie Treacy Here We Go Again...Ready? Aubrey Wynne: Romantasy Through the Ages Addicted Readers Readsalot Megan Tayte (YA author) Barefoot by the Sea BookroomReviews DS Venetta ~ Author middle grade fiction Spiced Latte Reads Simple Wyrdings Sher A Hart: Written Art Literary Winner Taylor Dean Books Crystal's Chaotic Confessions Author Ashley Farley Rae Lori LeahSay's Views Thalia Filbert, author of Beat Slay Love Lori's Reading Corner Book Nerd Addict MAD Hoydenish Pintip Dunn Jennifer Bardsley Pat Esden, paranormal romance author Amy McNulty   

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Congratulations to last week's WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 

winner: Natalie!

I liked her answer entitled:

Image courtesy of [atibodyphoto] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 OUR LOVE IS TOO HOT TO TOUCH

To view, go here.

I'm going to be unexpectedly out of town for the next three weeks or so. 

To see why, go HERE.

I've decided to close down my blog during this sensitive time. I won't have time to keep up as my attention will be on other things. Although, I'll try to write an occasional post and keep you updated.

No worries, I'll be back.

Thank you to each of you for your participation in Wordless Wednesday.

See you again soon!

Monday Musings--The Unexpected

I received one of those phone calls a few weeks ago. You know, the one you never want to receive.

My Mom said my father has been ill. He hasn't been getting out of bed. He's in a lot of pain. He's losing a lot of weight. The doctors have been running a bunch of tests on him.

My mom felt it was time to let me know what was going on. It was unexpected news. And I sobbed as she spoke.

We just visited my parents in July. My dad had lost a lot of weight even then. But that weight loss was deliberate. He'd been diagnosed with diabetes and he needed to change his diet.

His hobby is working in his yard and he's created a virtual paradise. He's always active and outside working on some project on his seven acres.

It isn't like him to lie in bed all day. Not at all.

Then I received an email message. You know, the one you never want to receive. It was sent from my Dad's phone. He'd just come from the doctor's office.

They found something.

A mass on his pancreas.

When you hear news like this, your thoughts go to dark places and you assume the worst.

Could it be cancer? The possibility is there.

Next, I spoke to my Mom on the phone. She said Dad had had a bad night. He was in a lot of pain and couldn't sleep.

I hate that my Dad is in pain.

The Dad that comforted me whenever I was hurting. I remember when I was in labor with my first daughter. I was in the throes of strong contractions and my Dad stepped in to see me for a minute. When he saw me in so much pain, he cried. Tears running down his cheeks.

And now my tears run down my cheeks for him.

There's nothing like the thought of losing your parents to make you realize your own mortality. Almost everyone experiences losing their parents at some time in their life. I hear about it all the time and I feel for that person. But I somehow never thought it would happen to me.

I don't want it to happen to me. I want my parents to live forever. I selfishly want them to always be there for me.

I remember one teenager-day when my heart was broken by a boy. My Dad heard me crying as I lay on my bed. He entered my room and sat by my bed and spoke quietly and softly to me. He said, "The Lord wants us to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit. How you feel right now, that's a broken heart and a contrite spirit." I'll never forget that lesson.

The circle of life is real. My Dad that once comforted me will now need my comfort.

And so I waited. I waited for the phone call. Waited for the news. Waited for the test results that could change my life. And especially his.

My Dad has always been larger than life. Like the Halloween night he stood outside of our house wearing a raincoat and holding a ship's wheel, talking in a pirate voice to all the trick or treaters. OR the way he used to tell us Brer Rabbit stories, sounding just like Uncle Ramos. OR the time he carved an ice elephant out of snow on our front lawn, an ice elephant that my children were actually able to sit on. OR the time he created all the scenery for a Children's Christmas program I was in charge of--amazing scenery. Knock your socks off scenery.

There's more. So much more. So many memories.

And hopefully many, many more.

On Friday night the news finally arrived. The mass on his pancreas is malignant.

Cancer. Pancreatic cancer.

The next step is surgery to remove the tumor.

I live in Texas, one of my sisters lives in Arizona. My parents live in Oregon. So, we are both catching a plane and heading to Oregon to be with my father. I'll be there for almost two weeks. I'll be back just in time to travel south to my son's college graduation. It's going to be a crazy couple of weeks.

That being said, I probably won't be blogging for awhile. I'll be back, but for the time being, life is happening in a big way and I am needed elsewhere for a bit.

Until then . . .

UPDATE: The tumor is too large to remove. They will try chemo and try to shrink the tumor. This is successful only 1/3 of the time. The doctor said if everything goes as planned, he could have up to five years. If he doesn't respond to chemo, we're looking at 6-18 months. Maybe two years. A lot of ifs are involved. We don't know how this will play out, so we are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. First order of business is to do a nerve block and get him out of pain. That way he can be comfortable for his remaining time. 

Thanks for all of your well wishes.

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Friday Favorites include my favorite images on reading or writing!

(taken from Facebook)

 Enjoy!

  

TRUTH!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH WINNER

Congratulations to last week's WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 

winner: Rita!

I liked her answer entitled:

Image courtesy of [kittijaroon] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

DON'T LET OUR LOVE DIE

To view, go here.

Wordless Wednesday is actually filled with words--the words, thoughts, and feelings that pictures or images evoke within each of us without uttering a single word!

Image courtesy of [atibodyphoto] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What WORD/WORDS does this picture evoke within you?

Or, in other words, "TITLE THIS IMAGE."

I'll start: "HOT BLOODED"

My favorite answer wins a $5.00 dollar Amazon gift card.

Don't forget to leave your email or I will be unable to name you as winner!

You may leave multiple answers to increase your chances of winning.

Contest is closed by Thursday at midnight and the winner will be contacted. Winner will be announced the following Wordless Wednesday.

Open only to those who can legally enter. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be emailed. If email is incorrect, a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is sponsored by Taylor Dean Books. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Friday Favorites include my favorite images on reading or writing!

(taken from Facebook)

 Enjoy!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH WINNER

Congratulations to last week's WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 

winner: Mary!

I liked her answer entitled:

Image courtesy of [hin255] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

OUR LOVE IS 'TAYLOR' MADE

How could I resist that answer?!

To view, go here.

Wordless Wednesday is actually filled with words--the words, thoughts, and feelings that pictures or images evoke within each of us without uttering a single word!

Image courtesy of [kittijaroon] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What WORD/WORDS does this picture evoke within you?

Or, in other words, "TITLE THIS IMAGE."

I'll start: "MY LOVE FOR YOU IS GROWING"

My favorite answer wins a $5.00 dollar Amazon gift card.

Don't forget to leave your email or I will be unable to name you as winner!

You may leave multiple answers to increase your chances of winning.

Contest is closed by Thursday at midnight and the winner will be contacted. Winner will be announced the following Wordless Wednesday.

Open only to those who can legally enter. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be emailed. If email is incorrect, a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is sponsored by Taylor Dean Books. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

MONDAY MUSINGS

CHASING FIREFLIES  is now off to my beta readers. I have eleven wonderful beta readers this time around and I look forward to their comments as they help me  polish my newest book.

Meanwhile, I've started my next book.

At this time, it is entitled STONE SILENCE.

When I have an idea for a book, I always wonder if it will really come to fruition or if I'll end up tossing it in the trash. So far, I've never had an idea that doesn't go where I think it's going.

Hopefully the same will be true of this idea.

I'll keep you posted on my progress!

I love when the creative juices start flowing and my fingers are itching to type the words in my head.

I've also been busy this week simply having fun with my adorable grandson!

He makes life wonderful. Being a grandma is the best!

Guess I better let my hubby know there's a new man in my life.

And I'm in love!

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Friday Favorites include my favorite images on reading or writing!

(taken from Facebook)

 Enjoy!

(This explains my massive TBR list!)

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH WINNER

Congratulations to last week's WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 

winner: Sherry!

I liked her answer entitled:

Image courtesy of [Witthaya Phonsawat] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

HOLD ME TIGHT

To view, go here.

Wordless Wednesday is actually filled with words--the words, thoughts, and feelings that pictures or images evoke within each of us without uttering a single word!

Image courtesy of [hin255] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What WORD/WORDS does this picture evoke within you?

Or, in other words, "TITLE THIS IMAGE."

I'll start: "IS YOUR HEART IN NEED OF REPAIR?"

My favorite answer wins a $5.00 dollar Amazon gift card.

Don't forget to leave your email or I will be unable to name you as winner!

You may leave multiple answers to increase your chances of winning.

Contest is closed by Thursday at midnight and the winner will be contacted. Winner will be announced the following Wordless Wednesday.

Open only to those who can legally enter. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be emailed. If email is incorrect, a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is sponsored by Taylor Dean Books. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Friday Favorites include my favorite images on reading or writing!

(taken from Facebook)

 Enjoy!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH WINNER

Congratulations to last week's WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 

winner: BN!

I liked her answer entitled:

Image courtesy of [renjith krishnan] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net  

LOVE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEART

To view, go here.

Wordless Wednesday is actually filled with words--the words, thoughts, and feelings that pictures or images evoke within each of us without uttering a single word!

  

Image courtesy of [Witthaya Phonsawat] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What WORD/WORDS does this picture evoke within you?

Or, in other words, "TITLE THIS IMAGE."

I'll start: "CONSTRICTING LOVE"

My favorite answer wins a $5.00 dollar Amazon gift card.

Don't forget to leave your email or I will be unable to name you as winner!

You may leave multiple answers to increase your chances of winning.

Contest is closed by Thursday at midnight and the winner will be contacted. Winner will be announced the following Wordless Wednesday.

Open only to those who can legally enter. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be emailed. If email is incorrect, a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is sponsored by Taylor Dean Books. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

MONDAY MUSINGS

You know what's good for my soul?

Reading and concentrating on GOOD reviews.

Bad reviews make me feel HORRIBLE. They get into my mind and wreak havoc with my confidence--if I let them.

One writer recently told me that, for her mental health, she doesn't go to Goodreads anymore.

I understand that feeling.

So, whenever I need a pick-me-up, I read my five-star reviews.

Getting a big head in this business is impossible. Bad reviews will knock you down.

The important thing, however, is that you pick yourself up!

I just completed a four day FREE book promotion for Lancaster House. Afterwards, there's always a rash of new reviews popping up.

The below review comes from a lady in Australia. She even wrote me an email to let me know how much she loved both Lancaster House and The Middle Aisle.

It's the positive reviews that keep me moving forward.

A special thank you to all my readers who send me special messages and write amazing reviews of my books.

You have no idea how much I appreciate you!

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible story! 11 October 2015

As a mental health professional myself, and as a romance reader addict, i was immediately intrigued by this story. Although i had never heard of this author, i gave the book a go. And boy am i glad i did!!!

It's been a while since i have read a perfectly executed self published book, where the characters come to life, where the lack of physical intimacy doesn't make me feel like i'm reading a book for 12 year olds or a heavily religious book, and where i cant predict what will happen next.

This book was all this. I loved the transitions between the present and the past, and i loved the psych background. The sequel..... for one i can't stand sequels...they're most often about dragging the same story a bit longer or the first book ends on an excruciating cliffhanger. This was neither.

Book 1 ends well, and book 2 just creates a new story. The epilogue of book 2 is breathtaking.

I won't say anymore. Give this book a go. I swear you won't regret it!!