Monday, January 18, 2016

MONDAY MUSINGS

This recent post meant so much to me.
Check out the actual post on


Books that help you get through the rough and ugly parts of life – I’m with You by Taylor Dean

Today I found out the teacher of my youngest lost her baby. She was quite early on in her pregnancy, and unfortunately miscarried. Eight and a half years ago I lost a baby, and it changed me. At first I was on autopilot trying to keep myself together. I never imagined I could feel such grief and loss, and it took me a whole while to feel like I was me again.

I remember I was not so far along, so not many friends knew I was pregnant. When eventually I started telling people (I was literally balling all the time), I got many reactions. I had many sympathetic people asking me how I was holding up, lots of hugs and a few visits, and then someone telling me maybe it was God’s way of telling me I had enough with 2 healthy children, and I was not meant to be a mother of more children. That stung! I was constantly struggling to accept this loss, and move on. I kept seeing all the women around me get pregnant, and there I was left without a baby.

What finally helped me gain perspective, was talking to women who had gone through similar experiences. They knew what I was facing, and they knew the emotions I was facing. It helped me immensely, and I slowly found myself moving forward and finding happiness again. I was one of the lucky ones to be blessed with a successful pregnancy 11 months after my miscarriage. We named our precious son Seth, to always remember the miracle he is, and the loss he helped us move beyond.

                                            

After hearing the news of my daughter’s teacher today, I couldn’t shake this feeling of compassion for her, and all the women in the world that face this loss. Each story is unique, but the loss we have shared ties us together, and helps us understand each other in a way no one who hasn’t faced this particular trial can.

When going through the rough and ugly in life, there are certain lifelines that pull us through it all. For me a book can be just that lifeline. When I read I’m with You, it hit home really hard. Chloe’s story is different to mine, but her emotions, inner turmoil, devastation, were all identical to mine. This book helped me put the last of my struggles with this trial aside, and find the peace I so desperately needed, craved. If you have ever suffered any kind of loss, pain, desperation, this is the book you need to read.

                                                                

Can three little words irrevocably change your life?

When the doctors inform Chloe Brennan that her pregnancy is “incompatible with life,” her subsequent choices will change her path forever.

She becomes one of the quiet, unsung heroes of this world, incredibly strong, yet somehow wrongly looked upon as damaged.

Three people will pierce Chloe’s existence: her husband, a stranger, and a precious baby.

One will say goodbye, one will say hello, and one will say both at the same time.

I’m With You is a novel about selfless love and the sacredness of life.

Please note: While this book is a romance novel, it also deals with the sensitive issue of baby loss grief.
The emotions are real, and sometimes dark.
If you are sensitive to this issue, this may not be the book for you.




Review

I have read all of Taylor’s books, and each book is amazingly great in it’s own way! My favorite has always been For Nick, but after reading this one, I may have to review my opinion.

I’m with you follows the story of Chloe who at the beginning of the story is being left by her husband Mark. Not long after he leaves a stranger comes pounding on the door. He turns out to be the husband of the woman Mark ran of with. This man, Jack, soon becomes friends with Chloe.
I don’t want to give away to much of the storyline, but let me tell you it is such a great read! The heartache Chloe goes through is so touching. I have gone through a similar loss, and I could relate to the way Chloe felt, the feelings she describes, Taylor hits it spot on! It is a difficult subject, but it is brought with such care, compassion and feeling, any reader reading this will be moved. After reading the book (I finished it in 1 day straight) I had to take time to process all of what I read and the feelings it evoked in me, as it hit so close to home.

This book is a real emotional rollercoaster, with really high highs, and very low lows. It is a book that will leave an impression on you for quite some time after you finish reading it. Taylor has such great talent, and her work just amazes me time and again. This story was based on a personal experience of her daughter who lost a child due to this syndrome. I cannot imagine the strength it must have taken to pen down this story and bring it to us as readers. As always, Taylor takes a hard situation and brings it to us in a way we as readers can relate, leaving us forever changed in the process. I look forward to more!


Thanks for sharing your thoughts on I'm With You, Mylissa. It means so very much to me.

******

Another exciting thing that happened this week is an author friend included two of my books in her top faves for 2015. How cool is that?!
Check out the post here: Joy in the Moments.
Thanks, Charissa!!

  1. The Evolution of Thomas Hall by Kieth Merrill
  2. These is My Words & Sarah’s Quilt by Nancy Turner
  3. Horstberg Saga by Elizabeth D. Michaels
  4. Met and read all of new author-Jennifer Peel’s books…House Divided, Professional Boundaries, The Girl in Seat 24B, Other Side of the Wall, Trouble in Loveland, Jessie Belle,
  5. The Husband Maker series Karey White
  6. An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Series by Chanda Hahn
  7. Maze Runner by James Dashner
  8. Rules in Rome A.L.Sowards
  9. Song of David by Amy Harmon
  10. Girl of Mine by Taylor Dean & her new one due out this summer—Chasing Fireflies (I beta-read this, so it’s not in my count, but it’s seriously A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! I can’t wait for you to read it. Probably one of my favorites she’s written so far.
**********

In closing, I'd like to give a little shout out to a legend.


This past week brought the news of pop icon David Bowie's death.
We have always called Labyrinth our family movie and considered ourselves David Bowie fans.
I know, we're such nerds. But we were so excited to get these t-shirts!

You're forever in our hearts, Goblin King.


            

Friday, January 15, 2016

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Friday Favorites include my favorite images on reading or writing!
(taken from Facebook)
 Enjoy!

Hmmmmm . . . I'm in!!!
That's a great list to work from.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH WINNER

Congratulations to the last WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 
winner: Quilt Lady!

I liked her answer entitled:

Image courtesy of [Iamnee] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

DON'T WALK AWAY FROM LOVE

This answer made me think of the below song. Get ready for a classic from the fabulous movie, Xanadu.



 
Great song, right?

To view the last WW, go here.

And now let's get started with this week's WW!

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 [Mister GC] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What WORD/WORDS does this picture evoke within you?

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

I'll start: "Finding love online"


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, January 11, 2016

MONDAY MUSINGS


CHASING FIREFLIES is off to the editor.


So, how did I spend my time this week?

Starting my next book, of course.

There's a reason why I'm not a cover designer.
It's not my talent.
The example I'm about to show you is NOT the new cover.
This was me just goofing around because I needed a little inspiration as I wrote.


There's something about the look on the man's face, the furrowed eyebrows, the serious expression. It speaks to the new character I'm writing. He's serious, he's quiet, and he's been through some hard times in his life.

I love this stage of writing. It's the creating stage and I love creating new characters.

Moving on.

My father posted the following on Facebook this week:


Update on Cancer:

My symptoms started with minor pain/irritation in the stomach area. It gradually got worse until after 3 months and a few visits to the doc, I couldn't do anything but lie down on one side or the other. Meanwhile I started getting severe back pain.

Abdominal+ back pain are the combined indicators for pancreatic cancer. I'm not sure about pancreatitis/without cancer. The doc (internist) missed these early signs and assured me that I do not have "anything bad, like cancer".

Later, the 2nd gastroenterologist I saw caught it with a CT-scan.

I'm in the middle of chemo-therapy now (toxic, alkaline chemicals taken intravenously to kill cells and shrink the tumor), and it seems to be helping. After chemo, they will scan and evaluate for surgery to remove the tumor and the affected part of the pancreas and the spleen.

I lost my appetite and lost a lot of weight, including fat and muscle. My appetite seems to be coming back - because of the chemo and shrinking tumor??

I also have spots on the lungs that they are watching.

My pain has been totally controlled by morphine tablets. I stay pretty comfortable, sleep a lot, and enjoy all the blessings in my life - which far, far outweigh any cancer or anything else bad.


His post gives me a glimmer of hope.
Perhaps he will beat this cancer!
I truly hope so!

My father is a retired fire chief.
He spent his life fighting to save lives.
Now he's fighting for his own life.
I love these pics my bro-in-law took of him.




That's it for now.

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Friday, January 8, 2016

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Friday Favorites include my favorite images on reading or writing!
(taken from Facebook)
 Enjoy!

When pursuing a career in publishing, the most important thing you can do is NEVER GIVE UP!!!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY IS BACK!!!!

Congratulations to the last 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.

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 [Iamnee] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What WORD/WORDS does this picture evoke within you?

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

I'll start: "Me and my shadow"


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, January 4, 2016

MONDAY MUSINGS

I'M BACK!


Image courtesy of [ponsulak] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


Before I go any further, let's just get this out of the way right
now . . . WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WILL BE BACK THIS WEEK!

Image courtesy of [Stuart Miles] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As for me, I've been back for awhile now, but I'm finally returning to blogging.
The holidays stole all of my time this year. That, combined with everything else going on with my father, made blogging take the back burner.

In between everything else, I also finished all of my beta reader edits for CHASING FIREFLIES.
It will be off to my editor this week.


Image courtesy of [Prakairoj] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net



Christmas and the holiday season turned out to be utterly relaxing and just what I needed. (Once everything was done, that is!)

My Christmas present this year:

A NEW KITCHEN!!

Now, that probably doesn't sound relaxing, but I was so excited for the transformation, I loved every minute of it.

Here's the before and after pictures.

In 1994, I thought rose countertops and rose walls were a good idea.


Oh yeah, and a flowery wall paper border.


The first thing I did was PAINT!
And cover the border. Not happy with that as of yet, but having the border taken down and the surface re-textured and painted will come next. (Long story!)
For now, white peel and stick tiles are the new border.
It'll have to do for awhile. That part of the project didn't turn out as planned.



Next, came THE DEMO.
And it was oh, so satisfying!



Then came the granite countertops.
Even when it wasn't finished, I was in LOVE!



Next,  the backsplash was installed. It's a white
subway tile with a gray grout.




The final product!




Quite the transformation, huh?

Merry Christmas to me!!!

Moving on . . .

Special thanks to each of you for your kind thoughts and concern for my father. He is currently doing chemo and we are praying for the best. He says he feels a little better and his appetite has returned to an extent. Nausea medicines used during chemo are amazing. His pain is now under control with morphine and when I last spoke with him on the phone, he sounded a little more like himself.
And so . . . we wait . . . and hope for a miracle.

Below is a pic of my Mom and Dad that I LOVE!



Tell me about your holiday season!
Hope it was WONDERFUL!








Saturday, January 2, 2016

FIRST BOOK IN THE POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER SERIES . . .

It's here!

The first full-length novel in the Power of the Matchmaker series is available. 




Celia is in desperate need of a change--a change of scenery, a change of pace, and a complete redo of all relationships. Not knowing what else to do, she opens a map, closes her eyes, and lets fate decide her future. Then she packs her meager belongings and buys a one-way ticket to a little town on the fringes of Oregon's Deschutes National Forest called Sisters. She's wanted a family for years. Will she find one in Sisters? 

What Celia doesn't plan to find is a strange Chinese woman whose meddling ways keep throwing her in the path of a handsome, but reserved, forest ranger. But no matter how kind or dependable Silas seems to be, there are some things in Celia's past that neither of them can escape, and this time, the damage might be too much to mend.

What people are saying:

"Once I picked up Broken Things To Mend, I was gone. From the first to the last page this one was a page-turner for me."
- Maureen

"I think this is White's best work yet. I couldn't put it down. Loved it!"
- Anne

Get your copy here. 

And the prequel novella is now on sale for 99 cents! Read about the Matchmaker's story! Grab your copy here.



Friday, December 18, 2015

Monday, December 14, 2015

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.







Sunday, November 15, 2015

Thankful for Cash Giveaway

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!



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   

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

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!