2016 GOALS

Here we are at the So turning of another year. So insane that this year flew by. Oh wait, let's share a last Wednesday Male Hotness of 2015

Yeah, I know he's one big reason to celebrate. Huh?

Anyway, goals . . . must have goals for the coming year. So here they are:

1. Finish at least 3 books!! Which is huge since I didn't finish any this year.

2. Write everyday, no matter what, for at least an hour.

3.Blog every Wednesday! I almost made that goal this year. Yay me.

4. Do all the picture & song short fiction pieces, I started out great, but then petered out.

5. Try to exercise, at least, twice a week.

6. Make sure to post Wednesday Male Hotness!! Woo hooo

And there they are. My goals for this year. I'll use the blog to report back on how I'm doing. I mean, if I'm blogging every week, then I should be telling you all how I'm doing. :-)

Now run and check out what the other bloggers goals are for this coming year.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Jessica D
Paige
Kayleigh

See you all next!! -- Gwen

HOLIDAY HELLO!!

Well here we are, only 2 days until Christmas. Hopefully, you have your shopping finished and all the presents wrapped and under the tree. I do and boy does it feel good. Another awesome event from this season is Maeve (the kitten) has totally ignored the tree. There's been no attempts to climb it, jump in it, or eat it. I am one thankful kitten mama. 

Anyway, no matter how you celebrate, or if you don't, I wish you nothing but joy this month. I can't believe 2015 is almost over. Truthfully, I'll be glad to see it go. It hasn't been the best year for me. I look forward to the promise of the new year. I always think of it as starting fresh, clean slate and all that. I need it. 

Before this year comes to a close though our two best friends are coming to spend the holidays with us. They've been coming ever since we lost our Mom in 2010. The holiday isn't the same without them. We're actually planning our own fancy tea for Christmas Eve. Sis and I have already started cooking and baking. It's gonna be good. 

And I'm sure you're confused, right? I'm pagan and yet I celebrate Christmas. Not technically. I celebrate Yule, but no one I know does. So I just kind of move my Yule celebration a few days later and BAM it's all good. 

Oh, to celebrate this incredible holiday Sis has been composing a fabulous poem. She isn't finished yet, but I can post what she's written so far. I'll nudge her along and make her finish then post the rest later. So here it is:

T'was the week of Christmas and all through the house

All the kittehs were stirring, playing with a fake mouse.

The stockings were hung over the fireplace with care,

In the hopes that Command Hooks would keep them right there.

Abby was mad, demanding to be fed,

And threatening to walk on my poor little head;

And Gwen and Jude in their lounge pants, looking like crap,

Had just settled down for their afternoon nap.

When out in the kitchen, there arose such a clatter,

We sprang out of blankets to see to the matter.

Again from the kitchen, there was a great crash,

And Maeve and Olivia from the room did dash.

I told you she wasn't done, but so far I am enjoying it. I hope you do too. So have a great week! And now check out some of the other bloggers holiday greetings.

Bronwyn
Jessica

See you next week!! Gwen

FAV THINGS: SMELLS/SCENTS

OMG! Can you believe it's December. . . already? The year has flown by and here we are in the midst of another holiday season. I love this favorite things idea since certain scents always remind me of events or people. Scientists or maybe it's therapists, I believe, say that scents can trigger memories.Whoever it is, they're right. Oh wait!I almost forgot Wednesday Male Hotness

So . . . scents . . . speaking of, I bet he smells really good.

Anyway, this time of year always smells the best to me. Yummy baked goods, roast turkey, glazed ham, fresh pine, pumpkin everything. So, here are some of my favorite scents, in no particular order.

1. Coffee - the scent of fresh brewed coffee takes me back to when I was a kid. My mom would put the percolator on and the scent of rich, brewed coffee would permeate the house. 

2. Books - as a kid, the first thing I'd do when I got a new book, was open it up and inhale. I know it's crazy, unless you do it too but there's nothing like the smell of a book. It's almost as if you can smell the coming adventure. Today, I still take a sniff and, if you've never done it, you should.

3. Fall

My favorite time of the year. It's not just the beautiful colors, but the scents. The crispness in the air, the rich bite of turning leaves, and the wood smoke on the breeze.

4. Lavender

I have 2 plants in my garden and the essential oil by my bedside. It's both earthy and floral at the same time, which I love. The scent is relaxing and so soothing. Sometimes I put a few drops in the tub and take a very long bath.

5. Yankee Candle scents - currently, I have about 6 different candles on my dresser. Apple pumpkin, Apple cider, North Pole, Hazelnut coffee . . . I love them all. Most of them are what I would consider Fall/Holiday scents so, even in the summer, I can pretend it's my favorite time of the year. 

Now, go over and check out what the other ladies love.

Bronwyn

Jessica

Paige

See you all next week!-- Gwen

I'M THANKFUL FOR . . .

I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving. The year has whipped by and I can't say I have much to show for it. No new books, though I'm still working. A battle with depression that, I think, I'm winning. Still, I have so much to be thankful for. It helps to remind myself of this. 

The youngest girl in the pic is one of the biggest thankfuls I have in my life. My sister is my best friend, confidant, partner in crime, travel buddy, secret keeper, crafting companion, and someone I can't imagine being without. I can tell you when the above pic was taken I wasn't feeling any of it. LOL!

My next thankful is my sweet little kitten, Maeve. She's so soft and so cuddly and makes even crappy days better.

I'm so thankful for my fabulous friends!!! No matter if you live near or far, if I see you often or hardly at all, you are so much in my heart and thoughts. 

Wine!!!! I don't think I need to say more. Do I???

Coffee and/or tea!! I think these 2 beverages have probably saved lives on some days. 

Seriously, I'm truly thankful for the readers who buy my books. Without you I'd be writing in a vacuum and that's no fun. I'm thankful for the ability to write. And I'm really thankful for other writers who produce such amazing reads.

I'm thankful for music, which I love so much (other than country, I don't like country music). And art and drama and dance, none of which I can do, but I enjoy experiencing. 

I'm also thankful for the ability to be thankful. To understand where and how my life is blessed and to appreciate those blessings. 

Now, run and check out what some of my amazing friends are thankful for.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Kellie
Jessica D
Paige
Kayleigh

If you celebrate, have an awesome Thanksgiving and, if not, just have an amazing week. See you next Wednesday!! -- Gwen

MISTAKES FROM MY FIRST MANUSCRIPT & HOW I'VE GROWN AS AN AUTHOR

I love the topic of this post, since I could probably list the mistakes from every book I've ever written. Thankfully, I don't make the same mistakes, but new fabulous ones each time. Oh wait, need to share Wednesday Male Hotness

Aaaaaand you're welcome. 

Okay, focus people, I'm down here. Anyway, mistakes. My first pubbed book was called Quest for Fire and I really loved the story. And, when looking back, parts of it are really good. But a book can't stand on parts alone. So here's the mistakes I made:

First, the book was written as a entertainment piece for me and a friend while we were slogging through our teaching Master's program. It was never intended to be a book for mass consumption. So there's a number of inside jokes and story plots that just don't make sense. I was such a newbie author I never considered any of this. Now I write with the express purpose of putting the story out there. Also, I read and reread what I've written over and over again to make sure the story holds up. I also have fabulous editors I trust, which helps immensely. I listen to them and take the advice they give.

Next, one of the character's wasn't very likable unless you understood the inside jokes. Huge problem. What made it worse was the fact of how I chose to craft the story. Some of her actions and decisions just didn't make sense. I chalk that up to the fact that the book wasn't meant to be read by anyone, plus school was stressful. The stress and anger came out in Abby's actions. Yeah, I've learned not to use my character's as a release valve.

I think I'm more confident in my writing and my voice. I also know where I make mistakes and where I need to improve. I have a document where I keep all the repetitious words and phrases I use. When I think the MS is ready to go to the editor, I pull it out and go through the book one more time. Often I catch myself on the first draft now so I can avoid, but never entirely. 

Thankfully, I have the rights to the book back so I plan on fixing, updating and releasing it sometime in the future. I still love the story and the characters and I know the book will be better for all the changes I plan on making. 

Now run over and check out what the other Bloggers have to say on the topic.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Jessica D
Kayleigh

See y'all next week! -- Gwen

FAVE THINGS: PEOPLE ON THE INTERWEBZ

Our fab topic this week is all about our fave people on social media. Yeah, anyplace that will net me Wednesday Male Hotness I am all for.

For the most part, I don't follow a huge bunch of people on social media. I figure the more I goof off, the more time is sucked away from writing, but I do have a few people that I love to catch up on. These are in no particular order, so here we go.

1. The Try Guys from Buzzfeed - if you've never viewed their videos you are so missing out. The four men are hilarious and will try just about anything from sexy Halloween costumes to pregnancy to survival. I usually find myself laughing out loud as I sit in my room. 




2. Matthew Santoro - he has his own YouTube channel and does "educational" videos that usually end up making me laugh. His content is varied and can cover anything from the strangest deep sea creatures to the 10 most deadly plants on Earth.  Whatever the subject there's usually 10 and he counts the down.

3. The Inked Boys - I follow them on Facebook and on their site. The pic above will give you an indication of why they're in my fb feed. LOL! Yep, hot mens pics. Need I say more??

4. Facebook Peeps - I love keeping up with all my friends on facebook. Most of them live far away from me so social media is the only place I can keep in contact. You will find the links to most my peeps at the bottom of this page since they're also part of the Random Bloggers. These are the same people I follow on Twitter too.  

5. Jenny Trout - I love this woman. First, she's amazing and so funny, plus I really enjoy how she puts words together. If you've neither read her blog or her books you are missing out. I suggest you heard on over and check her out.

Yep, that's about it. I don't have a ton of places or spaces that I go to other than YouTube. I watch music videos there or look up DIY projects. I have an Instagram account, but don't do tons with it. I know I should, but yeah . . . I don't. Maybe the other bloggers have better stuff, I bet they do. They're way cool.

Jessica

Bronwyn

Jessica D
Paige
Kayleigh

See you all next week!! -- Gwen 

WHO WOULD I WANT TO HAUNT ME, WHO WOULD I WANT TO SKIP ME

Happy Almost Halloween!! I love this time of year. The leaves are turning, the air is getting crisp, and pumpkin everything is in the air. The house is all decorated (and has been since the end of September) and scary stuff is all around. 

Other than this guy, he's not scary at all!

I'm not much on scary stuff. I don't like "horror" movies, since I think they're really dumb. For a while, I went to a ton of scary movies that were more psychological thrillers than Friday the 13th stuff. The only one that scared me was Stir of Echoes with Kevin Bacon. That was freaky. 

I love movies like Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters, Practical Magic . . . stuff like that. If it's fun and magical then I'm all for it. 

Which leads me to our random Wednesday question about who I'd want to haunt me or skip me. Ummm, everyone. I don't want anyone to haunt me. Believe me, I've been through enough shit without being haunted by a ghost.

Now saying that, I will share with you that probably a month after my mom died she came to me. Was I scared? Hell yes, but I was also thrilled. I had been so devastated by her passing that her visit eased that. She knelt by my bed and told me she was fine, happy, everything was good. I could tell since she looked awesome-- younger, fit, and smiling--things she hadn't been at the end. 

Do I miss her like crazy? Hell yes, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her. On the flip side though, I know she isn't sick anymore or in pain so that, to me, is worth everything.

Now, moving away from the serious, I will tell you I wrote a short story ages ago called I Only Have Eyes For You and it was about a woman who moves into a house that turns out to be haunted by a majorly sexy ghost who totally sexes her up. Now, that is something I could be down with. LOL!!! Eventually, I want to expand it into a book, but like everything else it will wait til I finish the damn book I'm struggling with.

So, with that I am off . . . literally and figuratively. Now run over and check out what the other bloggers have to say.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Jessica D


See you all next week!! -- Gwen

5 WORDS OR LESS: MY STYLE, MY LOOKS, MY PERSONALITY

Hallo!! Welcome to the randomness that is Wednesday. Before we begin let me introduce you to the WMH for today.

So, it's another 5 words or less, which I obviously do horrible with. And today's topic is especially hard since it's focused on me. Normally, I would make jokes about all the things listed above. This time, though, I won't, since I've been fighting with depression. I need to remind myself I'm awesome and own it.

My Style: Comfortable, No fuss, Sparkly, Eclectic

The new hairband I can't wait to wear

My Looks: Smiling, Tall, Pretty, Brown eyes

Me and my sweet boy, Max

My Personality: Friendly, Funny, Thoughtful, Quirky, Loving

Me and Sis (who's showing off her necklace)

Now head over to see what the other Wednesday bloggers have to say.

Jessica

Bronwyn

Kris

Jessica D

Paige

See you all next week!! -- Gwen

GUILTY PLEASURES AND INDULGENCES

Hello!! Before we even get started let's show off Wednesday Male Hotness.

Yep, this whole post is about guilty pleasures and indulgences and I will admit WMH is one of mine. I don't go searching for pics of hot men to save on my laptop, but if I happen to find one then yeah I will capture him. :-) 

Okay, so I'm going to just make a list, in no particular order, of what I consider my guilty pleasures and indulgences.

1. Top Gear on BBC - I love Richard Hammond, James May, & Jeremy Clarkson. They totally crack me up. In fact, they can make me laugh even if the day is going to total shit. Thankfully, they are doing a new show together on Amazon so I will certainly watch.

2. Big Red - yes, I love the sweet red soda. I don't allow myself to have it often, due to the caffeine, but if I'm out and I see one I will often grab it up.

3. Books - I love to read! Books to me are a necessity, but others may consider them an indulgence. I know that reading when I should be writing is something that I constantly fight against.

4. Mint M&Ms and Health Bars - I love chocolate. And these two are my very favorite affordable candies. I'm so glad the Mint M&Ms are around all the time now, since they only used to be offered at the holidays. Now I can indulge all year round. 

5. Godiva - when I'm looking for expensive chocolate this is where I head.

6. Napping - I love to curl up and take a nap, especially on a rainy afternoon. This usually only happens on Sundays, but a girl can still dream.

I'm sure there's more, but it's late and that's all I can think of right now. It feels like I'm trying to develop a cold, which is not welcome. So I am going off to bed and you are going to run and check out what the other bloggers will say to this topic.

Bronwyn
Jessica D

See you all next week!! -- Gwen

FAVORITE THINGS: HOLIDAY

Hello! This week the randomness is all about our favorite holiday. Oh, wait, before I do that let me share Wednesday Male Hotness with you.

*sigh* Yep, WMH always make the day better, right?

Anyway, holiday . . . I love Halloween. I actually already have decorations up. I even made 2 new ones this year and, I think, they came out really well. What do you think?

We also purchased 2 new decorations from an awesome site called Victorian Trading.

I have loved Halloween since I was a kid. As a child, it signaled the beginning of the holiday season to me. Oh and candy, can't forget that. I loved picking my costume out each year and going around the neighborhood. We lived in a fairly good sized neighborhood, but it seemed as if we knew everyone. I remember getting home-made goodies in my bag that was far superior to the crappy bag candy peddled in the stores. A number of the houses would have parties going so I would go in with my Mom and visit and eat cookies and drink punch.

We'd be out forever visiting the neighborhood and showing off our costumes and collecting huge piles of candy, cookies, brownies . . . I think I even had a caramel apple one year. 

Cousin, Sis & me 

The pic above is me in my very favorite costume Bella La Ghostly from the Groovie Goolies. Sis is in her fav costume too. 

Once we got too old to go out we stayed home, dressed up and handed candy out.  If you're interested you can check out the post I wrote on my favorite Halloween memory. 

Now, we don't hand out candy since our neighborhood doesn't have a lot of kids in it, but I still decorate like crazy and I love this time of year. Of course, I'm Pagan so that adds something too. Halloween or Samhain is the beginning of my year and an incredibly powerful night where anything is possible.

Now go and check out what holidays the other ladies love best.

Bronwyn

Kris

Kellie

Jessica D

See you all next week -- Gwen

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: SUMMER

As if! So this week is all about summer . . . in pics. I can't say this one was the best. I've fought depression most of the summer and, most of the time, haven't felt as though I've been winning. I have gone a few places and done some things, which is probably a good thing. One huge positive is I got a kitten and Maeve has so made a difference. So, here is my summer in pics.

First day I brought Maeve home

Yeah, I know not very exciting. Now run and check out the other girls because I'm sure they had way more exciting summers than I did.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Kellie
Jessica D
Paige

See you all next week!! -- Gwen

A/Z LIST: RECIPES (I LOVE OR WANT TO TRY)

Hey All! I know, I've been missing for soooo long and I'm sorry. I could fib and say aliens kidnapped me (if it were the Sandaki, I'd never have come home), but alas it was something more mundane. I am still struggling to finish a book and dealing with depression. *sigh* So sucks.

Anyway, let me throw some Wednesday hotness at you.

Yep, gotta love those cowboys.

So, this is all about recipes and I will admit that I do not like to cook. I CAN cook, I just don't enjoy it. My Sis on the other hand not only loves it, but is amazing at it. So I eat what she makes. Yay me!!

But I can share some recipes she's made or ones she's planning on making. Pinterest is our friend for this. And there is not 26 recipes here, sorry. But here goes:

This is one I want us to try since it sounds soooo good. It's called Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup and it looks so yummy.

We've tried Creamy Chicken and Rice Bake and it was so good.

Pizza Casserole was another goodie, but we skipped the whole crockpot deal since it was unnecessary. I mean after you precook half the stuff, why dirty up the crockpot??

I think we also tried Chicken Breasts Lombardy since all the ingredients sound so familiar. It was really good.

Easy Lemon Chicken Potato Casserole was another really good one, but next time we'd use way less lemon since the flavor kind of overwhelmed. We also used yellow potatoes and they were the bomb.

Chicken Biscuit Bake was another one I loved. It was very much a comfort food and something I hope we repeat. 

We have an entire board of drinks on Pinterest. Hey, don't judge. A lot of them do contain alcohol, but there are some that just sound good. Here are ones I hope we try . . . soon.

Kahlua Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate sounds so so good and once it's gets chilly it'll be perfect in the evening. Or whenever.

I love eggnog and this White Russian recipe starts with that. Can't wait to try it once the Nog is out on the shelves.

We found a recipe for Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread and I so want to try it. 

Peach Pie Scones with Vanilla Glaze was a recipe we tried and daggone it was good. I so recommend you try it too.

Okay, that is enough for me. I gotta get back to the never-ending book. Now run over and check out what recipes the other girls have for you.

Bronwyn
Jessica D
Paige
Kayleigh
Kellie

See you all next week! -- Gwen

5 WORDS OR LESS - THE OTHER WEDNESDAY BLOGGERS

I'm pushing myself to finish the book I'm working on, but couldn't miss this blog. The ladies I blog with are an amazing lot and I want them to know that. :-) So here are the words I'd use to describe each of them.

Bronwyn - Talented, Funny, Crafty, Lovely, Loving

Jessica - Camping Companion, Talented, Giving, Hilarious

Kris - Wonder Woman, Artistic, Beautiful, Talented

Kellie - Huge Heart, Crafty, Talented, Sweet

Jessica D - Quirky, Talented, Funny, New Mom

Paige - Talented, Hardworker, Veteran, Procrastination-Companion

Kayleigh - Reader, Talented, Music lover, Ireland

I'm sure you can tell there was a kind of theme going on. LOL Every single one of these ladies is incredible talented. I'm so lucky to be among them.

Now head over and check them out. Not many of us this week since a bunch are on deadline. Hopefully, we'll all be back together soon.

Bronwyn

Kellie


See you all next week! -- Gwen

YOU MIGHT BE A . . . .

This week in the randomness of Wednesday our blog posts are, as Bronwyn put it, a play off of Jeff Foxworthy's trope of You Might Be a Redneck. If you've never heard him do this . . . where have you been?? Under a rock?? For those of you who've never heard him do this here's a brief sample:




Now that you have the idea . . .

You Might Be a Southerner If . . .

You bless everyone's heart (but really mean it as an insult). As in, "She's dumb as a bag of hammers, bless her heart."

You order sweet tea anywhere and everywhere, knowing they are going to bring it without argument.

Saying "Oh hell no" is a sign for everyone around you to duck and run for cover because you are about to throw down.

As a child, you ran around after dark and chased lightning bugs.

You cook with cream of mushroom soup because it can make anything and everything taste so much better.

You can properly use y'all in a sentence.

You greet people with the all purpose "Hey!"

You refer to any carbonated beverage as coke . . . even if it's Pepsi.

You know what grits are and, most probably, like them.

The first time you wear white shoes is on Easter and never, ever before. And, as a kid, got a new dress, shiny shoes, hat and gloves to attend Easter Sunday service.

Now run over and see what the other ladies have come up with.

Bronwyn

Kris

Kellie

See y'all next week!! -- Gwen

WRITING "RULES" I LIVE BY, WRITING "RULES" I BREAK

Rules, yeah, I'm not much on rules. Other than I have to put a hot guy in my post on Wednesdays, I never stray from that one.

As for writing rules, I don't follow many of the supposed hard and fast ones that every writer should swear by. I tried, believe me, but a lot of them don't work for me.

For instance, I do not make a plot outline. I think this goes all the way back to when I first started writing papers in school. I couldn't write an outline for those either. I didn't get why I shouldn't just jump in and write. I'm the type that, once I do all the research, it's already kind of lined up in my head. So I would write the paper, then turn around and write the outline so I could turn it in. 

Same thing with books. I jot down character names and some vague information, but for the most part I just leap in and write. The book plays in my head like a movie so I just write what I see. This also gives me the "freedom" to add and subtract as I go. See, I have this quirk that says if I have an outline well I have to stick with it. No matter what. So I just decided to do without.

One rule I live by is that I keep writing. I DO NOT go back and fix what I've written. As La Nora says, "You can't fix what isn't there." I used to write and rewrite a first chapter over and over. Yeah, great, so I had a really awesome couple of pages, but nothing more. I made myself stop doing that. Now I just write and keep writing until it's done. 

Another rule I follow, or, for me it's a rule, is when I finally edit, I read the book aloud as I go. This helps me hear the mistakes. 

I do not write at the same time every day. I can't since I'm now back out working. I do try and write every day. I have found that if I take a journal to work with me I write on my lunch and break. It's been ages since I've hand-written, but it's working for me.

I can't think of any other rules that I live by. I try to be kind to myself if the writing doesn't go well. That's been a struggle, because I used to beat myself up if I didn't get something done. Now, I just roll with it. The past is past and there's nothing I can do about it. All I can worry about is the future. 

Now, run and check out the rules the other ladies live by.

Bronwyn
Kellie
Jessica D

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - ON MY BOOK SHELF

Hello! Today is, of course supposed to be wordless, but in the immortal words of Cher from Clueless -- AS IF! There will always be words, oh and hot, lovely men

 So, our topic today is all about the bookshelf we supposedly have. I would laugh, but sadly I do not have a shelf of books. I do have this (top of a chest of drawers), but no official book shelf.

The only shelves I have in my bedroom are filled with dolls, and things. Now, I do have a Nook and have tons of books on that. My newest purchases are:

The physical books I've started and are currently sitting on my bedside table (another book storage spot) are:

I could certainly keep going because I have tons of books. I even have 4 stacks sitting in my closet.And, of course, even though I have a billion books, I keep buying more, because, a girl can never have enough books. 

So, now I've revealed just a tiny bit of what I own, head over and see what's sitting on the other ladies' shelves. Oh, and if you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments below. Obviously, I don't have enough to read right now.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Jessica D
Kayleigh

See you all next week! -- Gwen