WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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 [nixxphotography] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What WORD/WORDS does this picture evoke within you?

I'll start: Teeming Love

To join Wordless Wednesday, go here.

BEHIND THE STORY OF I HAVE PEOPLE #7

Two Kinds of LOVE 

Love can be described and felt in many different ways. In I Have People, my main character, Holly, learns the difference between conditional love and unconditional love.

Image courtesy of [digitalart] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When we love someone else unconditionally, we put their needs, wants, and desires above our own. It is an expression of complete unselfishness.

The opposite kind of love is ugly and cruel, based solely upon what one person can get out of the relationship, with no thought to the other. It is not love. It is an illusion of love.

Someone may say they love another person, they may even announce it effusively and often. But if they turn around and yell at that person or strike that person when they say or do something that displeases them, it is not love. The perpetrator may apologize profusely and declare their love rather demonstratively after the fact.

Don’t buy it.

That isn’t love. It’s control.

Remember the old adage, ‘actions speak louder than words.’

This is the lesson Holly learns in I Have People.

Here’s a quick excerpt:

Holly spent the next few days deep in thought. She’d been waiting for things to return to normal, for Cal to be happy again. But realization had dawned that this was Cal’s true nature and nothing was going to change. What should she do? Cal was a loose cannon. Totally unpredictable. He was so wonderful one minute, but he could turn on you the next. And if he turns on you, look out. It won’t be good.

On the other hand, he’d never hit her. So he had a temper, so he threw things once in a while, so he yelled . . . so what? He was all bark. Rationalizing helped to console her. But then she thought about the time he’d pushed her against the wall, his hands gripping the collar of her shirt. And what about the time he’d pulled her through the store by her hair?

But he loved her. He always apologized. He always felt bad afterwards.

So what? Bad behavior is bad behavior. In the end, it didn’t matter how much a perpetrator loved their victim. They still hurt them. Right?

Right!

I Have People delves into these two extreme types of love and explores the sometimes dark differences.

THE WEEKEND

GRAM AND GRAHAM

Yep, that's about it!!!

How was your weekend?

JOSHUA'S FOLLY IS FREE FOR THREE DAYS!

JOSHUA'S FOLLY will be free on Amazon Kindle for the next three days, June 15-17!

Get your copy today!!

Can you fall in love with a picture?

After Marisa survives a traumatic experience in her youth, she finds comfort in the form of a photograph of Joshua, her foster mother’s nephew. She falls in love with him, creating and refining an image of the man of her dreams. When Marisa has the opportunity to visit Joshua’s cattle ranch outside of Amarillo, Texas, she meets Joshua in person for the first time. She quickly realizes he is someone she could really fall in love with, not just a silly childhood crush.

Life is seemingly perfect for Josh and Marisa, with endless possibilities before them. That is, until Josh’s reservations take a toll on their relationship and their summertime romance ends rather unexpectedly.

Will Marisa be able to forgive Josh for his folly? 

BEHIND THE STORY OF I HAVE PEOPLE #6

Two kinds of MEN 

I Have People tells the story of a good man and a not-so-good man.

I wanted to portray a STARK difference between the two men.

The good man is kind, gentle, polite, compassionate, soft-spoken, and loyal. Above all, he is a gentleman.

Here’s where things get complicated. The not-so-good man has many of the same qualities. He is also funny, social, charming, friendly, and out-going. People are drawn to him because of his magnetic personality. This is why I use the term ‘not-so-good’ instead of ‘bad.’ The not-so-good man is not ALL bad. Else, why would a woman marry him in the first place?

Everyone has faults. Everyone. Most of us willingly accept this fact. No one is perfect and we’re willing to accept the good along with the bad because we love that person.

But what if the man you love and adore has a fault that is unacceptable? And I’m not talking about loud snoring or leaving the toilet seat up.

In I Have People, the not-so-good man has a temper, a dark, angry rage deep inside of him that causes him to fly off the handle and quite literally explode. Because of this, he is terrifying. You never know what will set him off. One minute, he’s amazing, the next minute, he’s a maniac, someone you hardly know—or even want to know. 

Image courtesy of [smarnad] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It is this kind of behavior that breaks hearts, kills love, and destroys relationships. It is unacceptable. IT IS NOT OKAY.

When a woman faces an abusive situation, we all ask ourselves the million dollar question, why does she stay with him? Why doesn’t she leave him?

It's complicated and I can't speak for all women. But I believe one reason is because love is involved. When the person who is supposed to love and adore you suddenly turns on you, it's devastating. Especially when this is the person you have laughed with, loved with, and lived with.

Other reasons include: fear, embarrassment, believing the abuser will change, believing it is your fault that the abuser behaves the way he does, having nowhere else to go, or having no one to turn to for help.

In I Have People I tried to capture the emotion and the angst behind this devastating behavior. Whether it’s verbal abuse, physical abuse, or mental abuse, IT IS NOT OKAY.

If the reader takes away anything after reading I Have People, I hope it will be this.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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 [africa] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What WORD/WORDS does this picture evoke within you?

I'll start: Daily Requirements

To join Wordless Wednesday, go here.

BEHIND THE STORY OF I HAVE PEOPLE #5

Amnesia 

I Have People deals with amnesia, which I personally find an intriguing subject. Besides the fact that memory loss makes a story interesting, there are a couple of reasons why I chose to write about amnesia: 

Image courtesy of [digitalart] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. WORRY

Yes, worry! Let me explain. I have an active imagination. No surprise there! Seriously, I live in a dream world all the time. Why does that cause me to worry? Imagine this: What if I had an accident wherein the results were amnesia? Would I wake up believing that Alex from Sierra (one of my other books) was really my husband? (I mean, he is my favorite hero and I’m totally in love with him.) My hubby would be horribly hurt. Or maybe he would laugh at me since he’s read all of my books and knows exactly who Alex is! I’m not sure! But, you get the idea. My mind is so filled with imaginary characters; who knows what my subconscious would conjure up as the truth! I am completely intrigued by this thought and this is what sent me on my way towards writing I Have People.

2. A CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE

I, personally, have never experienced memory loss, thank goodness. (If I have, I certainly don’t remember it.) However, I vividly remember my favorite high school English teacher sadly telling us that his wife had been in a bicycle accident. Due to head trauma, the results were amnesia. I've never forgotten the incident. His story left a huge impact on me. After all, amnesia seemed like something that only happened in the movies! He updated us often on his wife's progress and I was fascinated by the story. This experience has always been in the back of my mind--and greatly influenced the writing of I Have People. That's the way writing works for me. All of my past experiences work their way into my writing. I am continually surprised by this and often think, "Wow, who knew I'd someday use that story in my writing!"

THE WEEKEND

Amazing weekend for several reasons!!!

I put Lancaster House up for sale for .99 cents and I sold 528 copies in one day!! Wow! 

Can I say that one more time? WOW!!!

Lancaster House will continue to be available for .99 cents till June 14th!!!

At the time that I'm writing this post, Lancaster House is ranked at the following on Amazon:
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229 Paid in Kindle Store 
• #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Paranormal > Ghosts
• #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Ghosts
• #1 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Ghosts
• 
  
This has never happened with any of my books thus far, so I'm freaking out!!! (in a good way!)

And . . . as if life couldn't get any better than that, I have a new grandson! 

Introducing Graham Ethan Isaacs

I spent the weekend holding this cute little guy in my arms! Life is good!

Hope your weekend was wonderful!

LANCASTER HOUSE IS ON SALE

LANCASTER HOUSE ebook is on sale from June 9-14 for .99 cents on Amazon and Smashwords!

A PARANORMAL ROMANCE

Are you ever really alone?

Zoe Grayson needs a change. So, she moves to another state, purchases an old, dilapidated 1920s Victorian Mansion, and sets out to restore it to its former glory. As she begins the restoration, she finds herself falling in love with the old house . . . not to mention its illustrious builder, Mr. Lancaster. Zoe becomes obsessed with the house as she discovers its secrets; hidden rooms, secret passageways . . . and a mysterious man who seems to think the house is his. Who is he? More importantly, how does he live in her home unseen and unheard?

The unexpected answers leave her reeling—and questioning everything she’s ever known. To her dismay, Zoe’s actions land her in the local psychiatric hospital, scheming for ways to return to Lancaster House . . . and the love of her life.

To read five star reviews, go here!

JOSHUA'S FOLLY RELEASE

JOSHUA'S FOLLY  is now available in paperback and Kindle!! It is signed up for Amazon Prime (Kindle Lending Library) and will be exclusive to Kindle for 90 days. 

Can you fall in love with a picture?

After Marisa survives a traumatic experience in her youth, she finds comfort in the form of a photograph of Joshua, her foster mother’s nephew. She falls in love with him, creating and refining an image of the man of her dreams. When Marisa has the opportunity to visit Joshua’s cattle ranch outside of Amarillo, Texas, she meets Joshua in person for the first time. She quickly realizes he is someone she could really fall in love with, not just a silly childhood crush.

Life is seemingly perfect for Josh and Marisa, with endless possibilities before them. That is, until Josh’s reservations take a toll on their relationship and their summertime romance ends rather unexpectedly.

Will Marisa be able to forgive Josh for his folly? 


Book Reviewers: I'll be happy to send this book out to you for review! However, I'm currently out of commission for the next two weeks due to this cute little guy (my new grandson) entering the world!

Graham Ethan Isaacs

I'll send out review copies when I return home!

THE SUNSHINE AWARD

The Sunshine Award is presented to “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.” 

 Thank you so much to Sherry of Fundinmental for nominating me for this award! I am honored! If she wasn't nominating me, I'd nominate her! She constantly spreads sunshine on my blog with all of her wonderful comments!

Here’s how it works (and feel free to adjust as necessary):

1. Announce your win and link back to the person who nominated you.

2. Display the award logo on your blog.

3. Answer the list of questions. (You have two choices here: Kimberly’s questions or Honoré’s. Or feel free to mix and match.)

4. Nominate ten bloggers for the award and link to them.

5. Let the bloggers know you’ve nominated them.

Kimberly’s Questions:

What inspired you to start blogging?

How did you come up with the name of your blog?

What is your favorite blog that you like to read?

What is your dream job?

Is your glass half full or half empty?

If you could go anywhere on a week’s vacation, where would you go?

What food can you absolutely not eat?

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

How much time do you spend blogging? In other words, are you one of those lucky people who can dash off a blog post in no time, or do you take forever on one post to get it just right?

Do you watch TV? If so, what are some of your favorite shows?

Honoré’s Questions:

Favorite color:

Favorite animal:

Favorite number:

Favorite non-alcoholic drink:

Facebook or Twitter

Your passion:

Giving or getting presents

Favorite day:

Favorite flowers: 

I choose . . . Kimberly’s questions!

What inspired you to start blogging?

I started blogging initially as a way to advertise and promote my books. At first I looked upon it as one more thing I had to do. I quickly developed a love for it and feel that I’ve made many new online friends—and frankly, that’s the best part!

How did you come up with the name of your blog?

Taylor Dean Books—not very creative I’m afraid, so it wasn’t hard! However, when we were trying to get the domain name, Taylor Dean Books wasn’t available at first! Go figure! We toyed with many different names: Taylor Dean Novels, Taylor Dean Romance, etc, etc. I had my heart set on Taylor Dean Books. It was easy and forthright. No guessing as to what the website would contain. Somehow my daughter was able to finagle it and I got the domain name I wanted!

What is your favorite blog that you like to read?

My daughter’s blog, of course. She posts pictures of my grandson!

What is your dream job?

Stay at home Mom was always my dream job—and that’s exactly what I did. Make no mistake, it is a job! But now that I have an empty nest, I’m living the ideal dream job as an author.

Is your glass half full or half empty?


Half full! I love my life and my family. They are everything to me. When I get a bad review, I remind myself: my life is happy whether my books are successful or not. My happiness does not hinge upon my success as an author. However, I will say this. Success is relative. I’ve already surpassed the success I thought I would achieve in the publishing world. Everything else is just a bonus. It’s all in your perspective.

If you could go anywhere on a week’s vacation, where would you go?

Lake Tahoe in California. I don’t like to travel because I get very motion sick, so we’d drive. I don't fly--it's a miserable experience--and the only thing that would get me on a plane is an emergency!

What food can you absolutely not eat?

Anything that comes from the ocean. Yuck. Hate it.

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

Milk chocolate.

How much time do you spend blogging? In other words, are you one of those lucky people who can dash off a blog post in no time, or do you take forever on one post to get it just right?

I spend far too long on my blog posts when I should be working on my writing. I don’t take forever, but I don’t dash them off either. I consider my blog to be my connection with the outside world. Otherwise, I’m just someone sitting at their computer writing novels that no one will ever know about!

Do you watch TV? If so, what are some of your favorite shows?

My TV nightlife consists of the following shows: The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Once Upon a Time, and Celebrity Apprentice. And we just finished watching ALL of the episodes of White Collar on Netflix. I love the humor in the show. Love me some Matt Bomer too. He could play the leading man in any and all of my books! (I'm not into 50 Shades, so I'm not thrilled that he's up for playing Christian Gray.)

Now on to the important stuff!

Which blogs do I nominate for the SUNSHINE AWARD?

(sorry, I can't choose ten!)

Ladies: if you'd rather not participate, I totally understand . . . just know that I nominated you because you are wonderful!

Christy at Christy's Cozy Corner

Melanie at Mel's Shelves

Jules at Good Ghost

Laura at Colorimetry

Charissa at Joy in the Moments

Shelly at House of a La Mode

Brandy at Book Worm Brandy

Why? Because, not only do they spread sunshine, but they are all good, kind ladies who make my world a better place!

Thank you!

BEHIND THE STORY OF I HAVE PEOPLE #4

The inspiration behind I Have People 

“For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” 

Ralph Waldo Emerson 

My inspiration for I Have People came from a strong dislike for people who can’t control their temper. Now before you start feeling guilty for hollering at your kids this morning when they were late for school, I’m not talking about the normal irritation and anger issues many of us deal with on a daily basis. 

Image courtesy of [farconville] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We all feel anger and irritation at one time or another. Maybe even several times a day. Sometimes we holler at our children, sometimes we feel frustrated with our hubbies and give them the stink eye, or worse, the dreaded silent treatment. (Hubbies: When your wife says, “I’m fine,” she’s not.) Most of us will go into another room, count to ten, take a deep breath, and then go apologize. Whatever methods we use, the point is not that we get angry, it’s that we know how to control anger.

I Have People deals with ‘out-of-control’ anger. I Have People deals with rage, the kind of fury that turns people into someone we don’t know—or want to know. It is this kind of ‘out-of-control’ anger that often turns verbally or physically abusive towards the very people the perpetrator loves most in this world.

It is this kind of unacceptable behavior that prompted me to write I Have People.

I wanted to announce to the world that this behavior—verbal or physical abuse—IS NOT OKAY! EVER!

And that’s all I really wanted to say.

It just took a 100,000 word novel to say it.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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 [digitalart] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


What WORD/WORDS does this picture evoke within you?

I'll start: Reminds me of a quote:
Life is not measured by how many breaths you take, but by how many moments take your breath away.

To join Wordless Wednesday, go here.

BEHIND THE STORY OF I HAVE PEOPLE #3

The Cover of I Have People

I make a habit of sharing my old and new covers with readers. It's always interesting to hear their feedback. Just like a first draft manuscript needs tons of work, a first draft book cover needs help too.

Book covers are such an important decision. Everyone will judge your book by its cover—as a matter of fact, it will also determine whether or not someone will buy your book or not. If buyers don’t care for your cover, it doesn’t matter how amazing the book is on the inside. No one will ever know because they won’t have read it!

I Have People has a very happy cover. In spite of the very happy cover, the book inside deals with the very sensitive issue of domestic abuse. When I first posted I Have People on Goodreads, someone posted the following message:

I thought the title was I Hate People and loved the juxtaposition of such a saucy title with a color happy cover, but alas, alas, I was mistaken.

Too funny. However, I am a ‘happily ever after’ writer, therefore the happy cover matches the happy ending! I promise!

Back when I was first getting ready to publish, my daughter felt that I should create new book covers--not just for I Have People, but for all of my books. She was right and I’m glad I listened to her. Some of my covers changed drastically with this decision. However, the cover for I Have People kept its original theme. While the covers are very different from each other, I believe the underlying message conveyed to readers remained the same.

Here they are, my old and new covers: 

(I Have People was never published with the old cover.) 

Old Cover

New Cover

What do you think? Do you like my new cover for I Have People?

THE WEEKEND

My daughter is due to have a baby on June 8! Hence, we are anxiously awaiting 'the phone call,' telling us that she is in labor. As soon as we get 'the phone call,' we plan to be out the door within 24 hours, on our way to Idaho to meet our third grandson!

Sadly, 'the phone call' didn't come this weekend.

BTW, this is my daughter who does my book covers, my bookmarks, my business cards, designed my website, took my author photo, etc. etc. Without her, I'd be lost. She even taught me how to blog. Yep, she's pretty amazing. I love feeling like we are a mother-daughter team. I wouldn't be published without her!

So, besides packing and making sure everything is in order for our upcoming trip, we dabbled around the house, doing this and that, when really we're itching to be on the road!

We did a little yard work. We added a pathway and a bench to our backyard. 

What a difference it made to an area where the grass had died!

I added the final touches to the book trailer for Joshua's Folly. For those of you who didn't see it, here it is!

(A special thank you to all of you who gave me your opinion concerning the trailer! Much appreciated!)

To view the trailer on Youtube, click here.

Joshua's Folly will be published very soon! 

(Just waiting on the ebook from the ebook formatter!)

The setting for Joshua's Folly is right here in my home town in Texas!

As we drove around town this weekend, I saw a truck, with a man inside wearing a cowboy hat. I said to my hubby, 'Do you think it's Joshua?' I'm not sure, but I think he may have rolled his eyes at me.

At any rate, I posted the following on my Facebook page, because it's so very true!

How was your weekend?