Friday, November 9, 2018
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Autumn Colors
Autumn is my favorite palette. There's something warm and cozy and homey about the reds and oranges and golds of autumn. Did you know that the colors are always there in the leaves, but we can't see them because the green chlorophyll covers them up? Then in the autumn they lose their chlorophyll and fall from the tree in a blaze of glory.One of the things I love about spending time in Arizona is that autumn last much longer than in Anchorage. Many years, the birches are already turning gold and shedding their leaves by August. But in Arizona high country, the show is just beginning.
I'm still getting fresh tomatoes and zucchini from the garden, but it's slowing down. The pumpkins are turning orange. We have some oversized squash that got away from us. I want to put them on the porch, but hubby says they'd just be an invitation to the javelina, and I don't want to attract them to my pot of mums. So they're on the counter, making a statement. Specifically "See what happens when you let zucchini go wild?"
In the middle of celebrating fall, I'm also anticipating the holidays, partly because I have a new book coming out. It's one of the Heartwarming Christmas Town stories, called A Gift Horse. Release date is Oct. 9th, and there will be some fun activities and prizes coming up so check out the invitations below and plan to join us on Facebook, There's also a new giveaway on the Giveaways tab on this blog starting on the 8th.
Good luck!
Friday, September 21, 2018
My newest cover is here!
An Alaskan Proposal comes out on January 1st, 2019 and is available for preorder. It's about a fashionista who suddenly finds herself in desparate need of outdoor skills. She turns for help to a survival instructor who is less than impressed with city girls in general and Sabrina in particular. But his attitude evolves.
Two dogs play a big role in the story. Talkeetna, Leith's german shepherd, falls madly in love with a little terrier that Sabrina rescues. If you look closely, you can see them there, silhouletted against the tent. I've always wanted a dog on a book cover, and now I have two. Thanks, Harlequin Art Department.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Kinetic Wind Sculptures
I'm getting excited about my upcoming book, A Gift Horse, part of the 12 Days of Heartwarming Christmas series by twelve different Heartwarming authors.
In this story, Luke Mueller had been a designer of kinetic wind scupltures that generate electricity, and had started a company along with his fiance and his best friend. Only when all was said and done, the best friend and fiance ended up married to each other and in charge of the company, and Luke was out. That's when he moved to Christmas Town and started a whole new life.
I'm fascinated withe the concept of wind sculptures, they way they're everchanging, according to how the wind blows. I'd love to have a sculpture like this at my house.
Would you?
A Gift Horse comes out October 9th, and we'll be celebrating the release with a Facebook Party with lots of giveaways. If you love Christmas, you'll want to become part of the Christmas Town Group on Facebook.
You can preorder from these online store:
Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo iBooks Google
In this story, Luke Mueller had been a designer of kinetic wind scupltures that generate electricity, and had started a company along with his fiance and his best friend. Only when all was said and done, the best friend and fiance ended up married to each other and in charge of the company, and Luke was out. That's when he moved to Christmas Town and started a whole new life.
I'm fascinated withe the concept of wind sculptures, they way they're everchanging, according to how the wind blows. I'd love to have a sculpture like this at my house.
Would you?
*****
A Gift Horse comes out October 9th, and we'll be celebrating the release with a Facebook Party with lots of giveaways. If you love Christmas, you'll want to become part of the Christmas Town Group on Facebook. You can preorder from these online store:
Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo iBooks Google
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Happy National Booklover's Day!
Today, August 9th, is National Booklover's Day, so I decided to take a photo of my bookshelf. Right. Like I have one bookshelf. I decided to show you my pretty shelf, the one with some of my favorite hardbacks.
But that's not really representative. My bookshelves are not neat and tidy and arranged in decending order of size. Here's one of the three main bookshelves in the downstairs hall. Once upon a time, the mysteries were in alphabetical order by author, but then I ran out of room and had to stack others in front and, well, you know.
But that's not really representative. My bookshelves are not neat and tidy and arranged in decending order of size. Here's one of the three main bookshelves in the downstairs hall. Once upon a time, the mysteries were in alphabetical order by author, but then I ran out of room and had to stack others in front and, well, you know.
Plus, there's the bedside bookshelf, which is just a random mess.
And the cookbook shelves.
And random piles of books, like these I brought home from the RWA Conference.
Plus the one thousand four hundred and seven books in my kindle library.
Not to mention the garden books in the sunroom and the writing guides, and the how-to books in the basement, and some hand-me-down books in boxes, oh, and the travel guides, and photo albums, and the books under the bed, and my husband's books...
Hmm, maybe I'd better stop there before someone reports me. But you know what they say:
I just hope they're right. Anyway,
Happy National Booklover's Day to you!
And if you missed it, don't despair. Everyday is booklover's day as far as I'm concerned.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Wood Spirits
Alaskan Hideaway, the third book in the Northern Lights series, had a working title of "Against the Grain" which refers to the hero's hobby of woodcarving. When I was writing the book, I did some research on carving and became fascinated with the faces carved into branches called wood spirits. You can find pictures of wood spirits in the Alaskan Hideaway Pinterest board.
***
When Mac Macleod was ten, his grandfather gave him a pocket knife and taught him to whittle.Mac was a writer by profession, but whenever he needed to work through something, like figuring out how to fix a plot hole or make a difficult parenting decision, he would pull out his grandpa's knife and whittle. He always considered his carving the woodworking version of doodling, but Ursula (our heroine) believes the wood spirits he carves are art.
Now Mac is grieving his daughter's death, and he finds the wood spirits he carves are a way of working through his emotions. Often, the pain he feels finds its way into the wood spirit's face. But as he heals, the wood spirits he creates reflect that too. And, just as his grandfather taught him, he teaches Ursula's goddaughter, Rory, to whittle.
Do you have a hobby like Mac's that helps you relax and think?
*****
…but is it what he really wants?
Relocating to Alaska after a family tragedy seemed an ideal way for author R.D. “Mac” Macleod to grieve in peace. But solitude feels overrated when Mac’s around B&B owner Ursula Anderson and her orphaned goddaughter, Rory, who’s already bonding with his dog. Worse, he’s imagining a future with Ursula and Rory. Is it time to finally forgive himself?
Amazon iBooks Barnes & Noble Google Kobo Harlequin
Monday, July 9, 2018
Alaskan Hideaway Book Tour
Reviews, excerpts, and two great prizes. Don't miss out!
Tour Schedule
July 9th:
July 10th:
July 11th:
July 12th:
July 13th:
July 14th:
A big thank you to all the book bloggers who work so hard to share their love of reading!
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