Inspiration Everywhere
/
Listening to Bobby Bones this morning, I heard Marc Scibilia--singer/songwriter--talk about how he woke up one morning at the age of 18, looked at his Xbox, and said, "If I keep playing video games, I'll never get good at playing guitar." He shoved that player under his bed and hasn't looked back since. He doesn't own a television, and rented one to see the commercial his voice stars in during the Super Bowl. He has an album coming out in 2015. Did I mention he's not even 30?
Um...hello.
How much work could you get done if you had the stuff this guy is made of?
...that is all.
Um...hello.
How much work could you get done if you had the stuff this guy is made of?
...that is all.
Friday Night
/Since growing up a bit, Friday nights have become boring. With six kids, I don't go out much on this last night of the week, eve of the weekend. If anything, I'll go out on Saturday or Sunday night [the early bird special, ya know].
So, when I get to business and want to work on a Friday night, I find myself...stuck. No one is around. Apparently, there is a life outside of home and these virtual walls on a Friday night. I'm just not there!! hahaha. :D Forget writing sprints and challenges. Forget plotting fun or just plain old gossip.
It's a ghost town in here...
...I think maybe I'll use that as inspiration!
And get to work.
With love, all, enjoy your weekend.
Beth
Just the thought of it
/
I closed my WIP last night with an idea of where to go next. I woke up this morning and went about my business, getting the littles to school, hurrying to the dentist for a 7:30am appointment for one of the olders, which was actually at 7am. So I rescheduled, hurried them to school, then came home to get the littlest to school so i could work.
When I finally sat down, I opened the document and went back a few pages to get reacquainted with where I was in the story. An hour later, Jack was fussy and lunch at the cafeteria was started...so we took a break--diaper change then lunch. Finally I sat again with the WIP and....
For the love of Pete, I couldn't remember what I was going to do next!!!
Didn't write it down. Couldn't remember the great idea.
Picked up the littlest and drove home. But the light shined down on me as I drove, and it all came rushing back. Now I'm home, getting ready for the weekend, and very excited about the next scene...
Mayhem.
Madness.
...a little magic.
and questions on Maxim.
[you better believe I worked for that last one!! lmao]
It's going to be a great, long weekend with nothing on the schedule but Saturday afternoon basketball practice for the Oldest. Plus, warm weather, open doors, garage time... going to be awesome.
Have a great one.
With Love,
Beth
When I finally sat down, I opened the document and went back a few pages to get reacquainted with where I was in the story. An hour later, Jack was fussy and lunch at the cafeteria was started...so we took a break--diaper change then lunch. Finally I sat again with the WIP and....
For the love of Pete, I couldn't remember what I was going to do next!!!
Didn't write it down. Couldn't remember the great idea.
Picked up the littlest and drove home. But the light shined down on me as I drove, and it all came rushing back. Now I'm home, getting ready for the weekend, and very excited about the next scene...
 |
| Copyrighted work, borrowed from FOW. |
Mayhem.
Madness.
...a little magic.
and questions on Maxim.
[you better believe I worked for that last one!! lmao]
It's going to be a great, long weekend with nothing on the schedule but Saturday afternoon basketball practice for the Oldest. Plus, warm weather, open doors, garage time... going to be awesome.
Have a great one.
With Love,
Beth
Happy New Year!!
/
New Year.
Perhaps a better year...or maybe not better but different.
I had one focus last year--grow baby, have baby...do little things on the side. Like publish the first of my Lawrence family books.
This year is definitely going to be different.
1. Focus on the writing--time to push myself to write more.
2. Determine to exercise--the summer before I got pregnant, I ran alot. Time to start that up again. twenty-five pounds this year will put me at 130. A sweet spot. A whole year. Looking forward to working, without worrying. I'm always anxious to get it done quickly, but this year I'm not going to think about that end number. Just running whenever I can...we'll talk again in December. I seriously am not going to pick apart my motivations, emotions, etc. I will lose some. I might gain some. I might lose again. That's life.
3. Strive to love--the kids, the man, the writing, the friends, the housework, the taxi-driving... It's okay to do stuff, but it's worthless without love.
That's it.
PS maybe i'll try to blog more this year. :D LOL
New Year--Blog Hop
/
It's the Last and First round of Just Romance Me Blog Hops! I love how that works... a nice circle in time. The blog keeps going, don't forget to click the link to visit the next blog in line. Life surely doesn't end on 12/31 nor does it really start on 1/1. We just get to keep going...
I'm ending my year thinking, where am I going?
After doing the same thing for the last two years, part of me wants to start the new year differently...
New Genre?
New Publisher?
New schedule?
Maybe an agent?
I've thought I wasn't very goal oriented, but maybe it's not that exactly, maybe it's just that I need new goals. Instead of the usual write three books, sub to this company, sub to that company, write a novella, and do two crits a week--all fine and good--I want my end of year to reflect what I'm doing during the year. 2014 didn't really do that for me.
So, on to 2015...
Tomorrow I'm doing a drawing for all my Newletter subscribers. One copy of Letters From Home, my Christmas story, and a ten dollar Amazon Gift card. So find that little subscription form in the sidebar and sign up. :D <3 It's going to be a great year. Why not start it with a great book?
Letters From Home
An Army doctor, Lena Rodriguez has always been too busy with school or the Army for romance. But the letters she received during deployment have captured her heart. Back home for the holidays, she awaits Christmas morning to meet the man who has turned her life upside down.
When Zack Benson watched his best friend's sister Lena leave for Afghanistan, he knew he had to tell her he loved her. So he sent her anonymous love letters. Now that she’s home, he realizes he's made a tactical error. Lena has fallen for the man in those letters but still thinks of him as a brother. He has to convince her otherwise because if he succeeds, he’ll get the best Christmas present ever. But if he fails, he could lose her for good.
Excerpt:
Now the weekend was upon them. Another tradition checked off. Another day closer to Christmas. She’d always loved the winter carnival, so it had been easy to agree when he’d suggested it. He’d made it clear this was a date. There was no way in heaven or hell she could pretend he didn’t mean a real one this time. Two people, holding hands, eating cotton candy…riding the Ferris Wheel.
“I’m so embarrassed, though.” Lena pulled her jacket closer to her body as the night air took another dive toward freezing.
“Why?” Zack took her hand and pulled her toward the line for the Ferris Wheel.
“My mother is match-making.” She’d been horrified speechless at the realization. “I feel like I should apologize.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Of course not. You’re the one who kissed me.”
He shrugged. “Not going to apologize for that, either. Besides, you kissed me back.”
He made her heart pound and her head forget all about the letters. And she wanted to kiss him again, too. Now that she’d had a chance to get used to the idea, she wanted to do a lot more than kiss him. But she’d known him for so long. He was like a brother. A really good-looking, muscley—she shook her head to banish the thought and cleared her throat. Not going to go there.
“I have three years left of my commitment, Zack.” Lena got in line behind another couple then turned to him. “How the heck am I supposed to start a relationship now?”
He lifted a brow. “Are you serious? Isn’t that what you plan on doing with letter guy?”
Heat rose on her cheeks. “Oh, well. That’s different.”
“Why?”
“Because we already have a relationship going.”
“No you don’t.”
“Yes, we do!”
“No.”
She opened her mouth to answer, but just as quickly he grabbed her, circled her neck with his arm, and covered her mouth with his hand. She couldn’t help grinning. All the combatives training she’d done over the years weren’t going to help her against Zack, who’d had the same training, was twice her size, and at least eight inches taller.
Instead of fighting, she put an arm around his waist and tucked her hand into his pocket. She really liked the feel of him at her side. He slowly lowered his hand from her mouth, but his arm stayed at her shoulder. She leaned her head against his chest and soaked in the joyful atmosphere as the crowds slowly dwindled and the night grew dark. Yeah, she could get used to this.
I'm ending my year thinking, where am I going?
After doing the same thing for the last two years, part of me wants to start the new year differently...
New Genre?
New Publisher?
New schedule?
Maybe an agent?
I've thought I wasn't very goal oriented, but maybe it's not that exactly, maybe it's just that I need new goals. Instead of the usual write three books, sub to this company, sub to that company, write a novella, and do two crits a week--all fine and good--I want my end of year to reflect what I'm doing during the year. 2014 didn't really do that for me.
So, on to 2015...
Tomorrow I'm doing a drawing for all my Newletter subscribers. One copy of Letters From Home, my Christmas story, and a ten dollar Amazon Gift card. So find that little subscription form in the sidebar and sign up. :D <3 It's going to be a great year. Why not start it with a great book?
An Army doctor, Lena Rodriguez has always been too busy with school or the Army for romance. But the letters she received during deployment have captured her heart. Back home for the holidays, she awaits Christmas morning to meet the man who has turned her life upside down.
When Zack Benson watched his best friend's sister Lena leave for Afghanistan, he knew he had to tell her he loved her. So he sent her anonymous love letters. Now that she’s home, he realizes he's made a tactical error. Lena has fallen for the man in those letters but still thinks of him as a brother. He has to convince her otherwise because if he succeeds, he’ll get the best Christmas present ever. But if he fails, he could lose her for good.
Excerpt:
Now the weekend was upon them. Another tradition checked off. Another day closer to Christmas. She’d always loved the winter carnival, so it had been easy to agree when he’d suggested it. He’d made it clear this was a date. There was no way in heaven or hell she could pretend he didn’t mean a real one this time. Two people, holding hands, eating cotton candy…riding the Ferris Wheel.
“I’m so embarrassed, though.” Lena pulled her jacket closer to her body as the night air took another dive toward freezing.
“Why?” Zack took her hand and pulled her toward the line for the Ferris Wheel.
“My mother is match-making.” She’d been horrified speechless at the realization. “I feel like I should apologize.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Of course not. You’re the one who kissed me.”
He shrugged. “Not going to apologize for that, either. Besides, you kissed me back.”
He made her heart pound and her head forget all about the letters. And she wanted to kiss him again, too. Now that she’d had a chance to get used to the idea, she wanted to do a lot more than kiss him. But she’d known him for so long. He was like a brother. A really good-looking, muscley—she shook her head to banish the thought and cleared her throat. Not going to go there.
“I have three years left of my commitment, Zack.” Lena got in line behind another couple then turned to him. “How the heck am I supposed to start a relationship now?”
He lifted a brow. “Are you serious? Isn’t that what you plan on doing with letter guy?”
Heat rose on her cheeks. “Oh, well. That’s different.”
“Why?”
“Because we already have a relationship going.”
“No you don’t.”
“Yes, we do!”
“No.”
She opened her mouth to answer, but just as quickly he grabbed her, circled her neck with his arm, and covered her mouth with his hand. She couldn’t help grinning. All the combatives training she’d done over the years weren’t going to help her against Zack, who’d had the same training, was twice her size, and at least eight inches taller.
Instead of fighting, she put an arm around his waist and tucked her hand into his pocket. She really liked the feel of him at her side. He slowly lowered his hand from her mouth, but his arm stayed at her shoulder. She leaned her head against his chest and soaked in the joyful atmosphere as the crowds slowly dwindled and the night grew dark. Yeah, she could get used to this.
Making Ice Cream
/
Doesn't matter than we're having the coldest week of winter so far. When you get an ice cream maker for Christmas, you make ice cream! And for my Lactose Free kid, that means, finally, ice cream that isn't plain vanilla or butter pecan. I mean, really. Could we get some variety in the lactose free version???
My husband made a gorgeous frame for our family portrait...
And, I'm so happy with this pair of gloves my Aunt bought for me...just so I could write in my office and not freeze my fingers off. :D :D :D
Now tell me what you recieved this year. I want to hear all the fun details. :D
With Love,
Beth
My husband made a gorgeous frame for our family portrait...
And, I'm so happy with this pair of gloves my Aunt bought for me...just so I could write in my office and not freeze my fingers off. :D :D :D
Now tell me what you recieved this year. I want to hear all the fun details. :D
With Love,
Beth
Christmas Food
/
Well, I did it... made the cookies I saw HERE. Curiously, I saw it first on a webpage called TheGunnySack, but in a matter of a day, that site is down. Perhaps too many visitors? Once a link goes viral, there's no telling what can happen! Anyhoo....
So, I made the Hot Chocolate Cookie Cup....and it's as cute as suggested on the Pillsbury webpage. A few things I had to adjust. Being in high altitude, I added a quarter cup of flour to the Pillsbury sugar cookie dough... the recipe calls for a tablespoon of dough in each mini muffin cup, but that was waaaay too much. You can see how the dough was over the edges, by a long shot, making the cookie as a whole stick to the pan.(also, I didn't actually measure my flour in the first try, which lead to some gummy, uncooked cookies b/c of the altitude problem)
Second try! Added the quarter cup of flour and used half a tablespoon of dough per muffin whole. A few of the cups were a little short, too short to use, but over all the outcome was a success. So I began the MOST. TEDIOUS. part of the entire process. The pretzels. Suggest, use LOTS of white chocolate and after melting the chocolate, wait a minute or so until it cools a bit...still soft, but not liquid. Oh, and be ready to use lots more pretzels than anticipated. Breaking pretzels is harder than it looks!! I only got one good handle per pretzel. In the end, I used the extra white chocolate to make a pretzel/white chocolate brittle. (YUM)
Then the ganache... my only suggestion here is that you could half the amounts they tell you to use. Because I ended up with double the number of cookies, I doubled the ganache...and now have about a cup and a half of chocolate ganache that I might have to eat... ;) By the way, ganache--so easy to make!
Last but not least, I don't know where Pillsbury got their teeny, tiny marshmellows, but I couldn't find anything like it so I used the little cake decorating pearls instead. Ended up being pretty perfect, if you ask me. :)
So, I made the Hot Chocolate Cookie Cup....and it's as cute as suggested on the Pillsbury webpage. A few things I had to adjust. Being in high altitude, I added a quarter cup of flour to the Pillsbury sugar cookie dough... the recipe calls for a tablespoon of dough in each mini muffin cup, but that was waaaay too much. You can see how the dough was over the edges, by a long shot, making the cookie as a whole stick to the pan.(also, I didn't actually measure my flour in the first try, which lead to some gummy, uncooked cookies b/c of the altitude problem)
Then the ganache... my only suggestion here is that you could half the amounts they tell you to use. Because I ended up with double the number of cookies, I doubled the ganache...and now have about a cup and a half of chocolate ganache that I might have to eat... ;) By the way, ganache--so easy to make!
Last but not least, I don't know where Pillsbury got their teeny, tiny marshmellows, but I couldn't find anything like it so I used the little cake decorating pearls instead. Ended up being pretty perfect, if you ask me. :)
Social Media
/
Another social media network popped up on the radar this week. The news came through my writing groups, my publisher... and it seems to have exploded in my writing circles.
But I have to ask myself, "Do I need another social media outlet?"
And, as it stands, who am I reaching out to? My fellow authors, for the most part.
Did I sign up? Do I have a page? Yes.
But I'm on the fence about actively pursuing it. I'll take it if it means exposure and getting my books out to a new audience. For now, it's not that.
Speaking of social media...
Has anyone seen the movie, You've Got Mail? Do you remember that first scene with Meg Ryan's character and Greg Kinnear when they are talking about technology and how it was the end of western civilation as we know it. And Greg's character kept bringing back typewriters to the apartment. I have to admit, he was right. That was the beginning...
Now it's not just, "You've got mail," it's sooo much more! :D
But where does it end? Have our online relationships lessened the value of our real life relationships? Or have they merely expanded what would otherwise be a small circle of friends?
Tasty Book Blast -- Unwanted Vows
/
Dec 4th
Written Love (R)
Straight Shootin' Book Reviews (R)
Laura Lu's Book Reviews (R)
Christine's Words
I am a Book Addict...and Proud of it (R)
Underneath the Covers
Bitten by Love Reviews
What's Beyond Forks? (R)
Book Reviews and More by Kathy
Erotic Romance Reviews
Karen's Killer Book Bench
Book Liaison
Reading Bliss
Written Love (R)
Straight Shootin' Book Reviews (R)
Laura Lu's Book Reviews (R)
Christine's Words
I am a Book Addict...and Proud of it (R)
Underneath the Covers
Bitten by Love Reviews
What's Beyond Forks? (R)
Book Reviews and More by Kathy
Erotic Romance Reviews
Karen's Killer Book Bench
Book Liaison
Reading Bliss
And then there was Jack
/
August 18 was three days after the birth of my son. Sooo, long time ago. :P
And now it's December 2, 2014 and I am sitting here contemplating all the things I need to do before the year ends. Finish revision on my story, A Perfect Confidence. Finish revisions on my story, Unnecessary Vows. Christmas shop. Clean house [again, not the fun kind]. Fix two very important appliances... the oven and the ice machine.
Thank God for this crazy year.
It's a long story--this past year--and maybe some day I'll tell it to you. But for now, that old saying about rejoicing always comes to mind. Because there's been good, and there's been bad.
2015 will be welcomed in tentatively....but with much hope.
...and also a ton more writing. Must keep it up.
I do hope you all have a wonderful Advent season followed by a joyous Christmas season.
With love,
Beth
And now it's December 2, 2014 and I am sitting here contemplating all the things I need to do before the year ends. Finish revision on my story, A Perfect Confidence. Finish revisions on my story, Unnecessary Vows. Christmas shop. Clean house [again, not the fun kind]. Fix two very important appliances... the oven and the ice machine.
Thank God for this crazy year.
It's a long story--this past year--and maybe some day I'll tell it to you. But for now, that old saying about rejoicing always comes to mind. Because there's been good, and there's been bad.
2015 will be welcomed in tentatively....but with much hope.
...and also a ton more writing. Must keep it up.
I do hope you all have a wonderful Advent season followed by a joyous Christmas season.
With love,
Beth
My Babies -- COVER REVEAL!
/
Life is full of surprises!! And this past weekend was no exception for this writer...
First, I recieved my edits back, approved! I need to do a run-through with the copy editor and check for all those pesky little mistakes, but the most exciting part [for this visual person] is that they sent the cover of Unwanted Vows. *squeeeee*
*big smiley face*
On top of that... I was officially diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. Bed rest. Hard, inconvenient, but feasible, especially since I was going to have all this "free" time on my hands. Well, that lasted about 3 days. My editor finished reviewing my manuscript, and I delivered Jack Edwin Walter.
First, I recieved my edits back, approved! I need to do a run-through with the copy editor and check for all those pesky little mistakes, but the most exciting part [for this visual person] is that they sent the cover of Unwanted Vows. *squeeeee*
*big smiley face*
On top of that... I was officially diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. Bed rest. Hard, inconvenient, but feasible, especially since I was going to have all this "free" time on my hands. Well, that lasted about 3 days. My editor finished reviewing my manuscript, and I delivered Jack Edwin Walter.
A GREAT WEEK!!
My little baby needs some hospital time, but he is doing so well... he's strong. And sweet. And handsome. And gorgeous. He'll be bulked up in no time! Then he'll be home....
Stay tuned for actual release day news. :D :D
....on the book. haha. <3
Lost in Translation
/
Books to Movies...
It's a huge deal to cross that line. I mean, authors dream of having their stories published. And maybe going from published to the screen isn't a goal, it's still a boon. I mean...hello! Who wouldn't want that?
Yet at the same time, there is some thing lost that makes me think... "no. I wouldn't want that for my stories."
You know I love a good Nora Roberts book, but somehow...the movies just don't accurately translate. I watched Northern Lights recently. I couldn't help but feel we were missing out ALOT on the characterization. The plot points were well done. And you can't beat Eddie Cibrian. I mean, really. I loved when he joined CSI: Miami. They could have kept him around, no problem. But the romance was rushed and there was a serious lack of time... as if everything in the story had lasted a week, when really, I do believe the story is supposed to span a good season or two.
Anyhoo... that's my thought for the day. Books are better. :D
Sizzling Summer Nights -- Blog Hop
/
I don't often get too explicit on my blog. It's more of a family place...and I have many followers who like the subtlety of romance behind closed doors. But let's face it. I write mainstream romance. There is love in my books. I like to read a good romance with all the extras. I like the pull of the emotions that we experience with the person we love. I like bringing those emotions to their most basic level--the heart, the physical, the need--when we're happy, content, angry, or just plain apathetic. The connection we have with another person takes us beyond those emotions to something more. It breaks down the anger, revives the apathetic, turns the content down new roads, and takes happy to tears [if you're a big, fat cry baby, I mean. ;)].
JUSTROMANCE.ME is offering another fun bloghop, with great prizes, including a Kindle Fire of some kind. ;) And books, lots of books and swag, by the authors who are hosting it.
...I mean it. Stop reading!
JUSTROMANCE.ME is offering another fun bloghop, with great prizes, including a Kindle Fire of some kind. ;) And books, lots of books and swag, by the authors who are hosting it.
Enjoy the excerpt. It's from Unwanted Vows, the first book in my Lawrence Family series, coming out later this year. [I just finished revisions on it. It's just going to be awesome...very excited to share this story and all the Lawrence stories with you!]
...and this is where you stop reading if you don't like a more explicit scene...
...I mean it. Stop reading!
Samantha came over and kissed his shoulder. His eyes slid closed as her scent surrounded him. Fingers, of their own accord, traced lines over her bare skin, and he pulled her close. “We have a few minutes, right?”
She grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck, and the towel slid off.
He moaned as her naked body pressed to his, and he let his hands grip the sweet cheeks of her rear. “Sam,” he whispered as his lips found the pulse in her neck.
Her head fell back, exposing her to him, and he trailed kisses along every square inch of that soft skin. His heart filled. He had her, for good now.
He wanted to take her home, wanted her in that less-than-luxury lodge, and could imagine her in his home, her home. Right where she’d wanted to be in the first place. Only now it would be better.
“Morgan.” With frantic movements, she reached for his waist, undid his belt and fly, and released him. Her hands were on him in an instant, and he dragged her up into his arms and carried her to their bedroom. She sucked his bottom lip into her warm, wet mouth, and God, he couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted to celebrate life, celebrate their win today.
This was his unspoken promise, his undying desire—for her, for everything.
He stripped bare, the shirt coming off, the pants dropping to floor, and he nudged her up against the pillows. “Sam,” he spoke, placing his hands against her knees and opening her. “Oh.”
He had not a single thought after that, just raging need transformed into action. The sight of her hot center undid him. He took it, giving himself to her from straining, swollen tip to aching flesh at his base.
She was ready for him, too. Slick with desire, the sound of her climax coming so soon with soft whimpers and the slap of their skin.
“Sam,” he groaned her name as he thrust into her again and again.
“Oh crap,” she said.
And then he heard it. The sound of Olivia’s waking cry.
“Don’t you dare,” Sam demanded, when he paused. She reached for him and grabbed his hips. “You finish this…or I will.”
He laid his hand flat against her belly. The racing need to finish had eased, so he pressed his length into her, lifted her hips to change the angle, and drove further. Then, using the heel of his hand, he rubbed that small bit of flesh between them.
And she flew like he knew she would, high as a kite, sweet as rain…
He leaned over to softly kiss her lips. “I love you, babe.”
Then he left her, tucked himself back into his clothes, and went for Olivia.
