Author: admin

1.  What sort of conditions are most conducive to your productivity?

At the age of 47 I went to hell in my mind when first diagnosed with cancer, and thought of nothing but dying for at least a year.  However, 11 years later I am still here and in a much better frame of mind.  I’ve learned over the years that just because you’re diagnosed with cancer, it doesn’t always mean that your life is about to end.  Instead it sometimes means that you live with a chronic illness, but then again, lots of other people suffering from different conditions do this every day as well.

That one’s easy as well.  It’s got to be poor old Frances Andrews, my main character in The Porn Detective.  I made her go through hell; much more than I suffered myself, and I’m glad she came out of the experience as well as she did!





Thanks for answering my questions, Stevie! There are one or two of them I didn’t want to answer myself. To find out who Traci Carlisle Wooden interviewed, check out her blog HERE

Don’t forget to check out her books while you’re there.

My Beauty For Your Ashes is the first book, of a Christian-fiction series, that leads you through the lives of four people striving towards different marks with unexpected connections.
Though they hail from backgrounds that are worlds apart, it only takes one fateful accident to rearrange their priorities and set them on roads that intersect, forcing them to acknowledge the relationships they can’t do without.
Elder Paige Morganson has worked hard to overcome the anger, hate, and abuse of her past; Mason Jenson is a self-made man who has been able to create his own fortune and build a home life with his wife and child void of God’s help…so he thinks,; Elder Brandon Tatum’s, new in town, has prided himself on not making a move until he’s heard God; Victoria Branchett has ruthlessly survived the death of her only daughter by fierce determination, but is the strength she has relied on enough to see her through a failing marriage and an ailing grandchild?
This novel merges colorful characters facing one untimely circumstance after another, and mixes in a serious spin on how one views God, both inside and outside of His will. Of course, this is just the beginning. More people emerge from behind the scenes; some to help and others, to hurt. With everything happening simultaneously, one would almost question if God is able to truly fix and heal everything, and the readers will see just how far each person’s faith (or lack thereof) will carry them. As they sift through the debris of past dreams and hopes left by the wayside, they are offered a lifeline and given an opportunity to receive God’s Beauty for their ashes

Feb. 1, 2016 – Seven questions.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress Short Code:
[inlinkz_linkup id=586371 mode=1]
Code for Hosting:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

This week we’re talking about the backstory of our books. Since I have two different series, I decided to write about the most obvious one (in my mind). The Oak Grove Mysteries.

I’ve told bits and pieces of this story before, but my book, The Marquesa’s Necklace, didn’t start off as a mystery. It was supposed to be a romance—a romance with a touch of the paranormal. The Marquesa’s Necklace wasn’t even the original title. The working title of the book was The Ghost Who Loved Me. And yes, for those of you who’ve read the book, Eli was supposed to be a ghost.

But although I always have a basic plot in mind when I start writing a book, I allow myself to listen to my characters. And Harmony, the main character of the book, was absolutely certain that Eli wasn’t a figment of her rather vivid imagination nor an other-worldly apparition.  I tried to convince her otherwise, and her friends tried telling her she was wrong, but she wasn’t listening. So I gave in and made Eli real. Which worked out nicely for the book, and for Harmony.

Once I realized that Eli wasn’t a real ghost, I considered making him a spy. That way I could keep the title. That didn’t work out wither. Eli convinced me he wasn’t a James Bond wanna-be, he was just a very skilled computer programmer with white-hat hacking skills. He didn’t want to have to run all over the world, his long-distance relationship with Harmony is tough enough as it is.

Not only did Eli fall in love with Harmony, so did I. I hadn’t planned to make the original book a series, but I knew before I got done writing the first book there would be another. Harmony was fun to write, and fun to spend time with.

So the second book, Her Ladyship’s Ring, happened. And unexpectedly, Jake happened too. He was supposed to be just a small piece of backstory. The guy who broke Harmony’s heart and almost ruined her life. But no, he tried to take over the whole book. Thankfully, Harmony is one strong lady and she put him in his place. It was her book and her story, and  if he didn’t like it, too bad.

But Harmony isn’t done with me yet. I’m writing a third book of her adventures. It’s tentatively called “The Baron’s Cufflinks.” I’m finding this book a little harder to write. Not because Harmony has stopped talking to me, but because other writing projects keep getting in the way. But I will finish it, I promise you. Harmony won’t let me rest if I don’t. And who knows, there may be a fourth book as well. I haven’t run out of jewelry to use in the title.

Oh, and the original title? The Ghost Who Loved Me? I haven’t given up on that title yet. There may still be a book by that name. But Harmony won’t be in it. At least, I don’t think she will be.

To buy the books of The Oak Grove Mysteries (if you haven’t already) check out the My Books page here on my blog. You’ll find my Free Wolves books there too, including my newest release, Wolves’ Knight.

To find out the backstory of author Nicole Sorrell’s  book, catch her post at Nicole Sorrell  She’s highlighting her book The Art of Going Home.

Maddie dreads going home to face the memories of her dead sister. But she must go back to the tiny town after a decade to attend a funeral. As it turns out, the haunting reminders of her twin are the least of her worries. . .

     Not given any details of her sister’s murder at the age of ten, Maddie is persuaded to track down the killer. Following one ominous clue after another, she learns the surrogate family she thought honestly loved her has been hiding the truth of her childhood for eighteen years. As suppressed memories of her past come crashing forward, Maddie begins to doubt everything she once believed. And everybody she thought she could trust.

     Including Zac, her high school crush. Though she can’t seem to find the strength to resist their mutual attraction, Maddie isn’t sure she’ll ever be able to forgive his betrayal. As she struggles to come to grips with her family’s past and absolve those who deceived her, can she survive the horrifying discovery of who killed her sister?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress Short Code:
[inlinkz_linkup id=599687 mode=1]
Code for Hosting:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

I was raised a good Catholic girl in a good Catholic family. My friends were all from good Catholic families. I went to a good Catholic school. Swearing wasn’t a thing. I think I was twelve or thirteen the first time I heard my father swear. And that was some fool ran a stop sign and almost collided with us. By us I mean my father who was driving, my mother, and I’m not sure how many of us kids in a station wagon. Dad managed to avoid the accident, but he did let one bad word slip out. I think it was “damn”— if I remember correctly. And my mother, very quietly, shushed him.

By the time I was in eighth grade, I was reading books well above my grade level. And yes, I’d come across an occasional swear word or two. I was sure my parents would be horrified, so I didn’t tell them. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

Then I got to college. And I didn’t go to a Catholic college. But people were, for the most part, still very polite. There wasn’t a whole lot of swearing going on, but someone would drop am occasional damn or shit. (I warned you!) It didn’t bother me.

Then I switched colleges and started mingling with a much different group of people. The school was out west, and the students came from a diverse background, including ranchers and cowboys and oil field workers and even from families of migrant farm workers. Suddenly, swearing seemed to be a part of everyday language. While I found it surprising, it didn’t shock me. So when I met my now-husband, his frequent use “improper” words only took a little getting use to. And my “vocabulary” expanded.

Eventually, as a mature woman, I started working in a field that was dominated by young males. Their “working” language defied anyone’s definition of traditional proper English. I chose to take it as a compliment that they felt safe enough in my presence to not worry about offending me. I was one of the boys.

Somewhere along the way, I figured it out. Swear words are just another combination of the 26 letters we use for everything else, and they only have the power we give them. What we in the Unites States consider a “bad” word, may not hold that same meaning or that same power in another country.

So when I’m writing my books, I listen to my characters and the situations they are in to determine if the use of swear words is appropriate. The chances of me writing a Catholic priest using swear words are slim to none. But my lone-wolf shifter who has been on the run, living on the street, moving from town to town, has been known to drop a few words my mother wouldn’t find respectable. And even my ex-librarian, while she may watch herself while in polite company, isn’t totally adverse to letting a damn or a shit slip from her mouth once in a while. She certainly gets herself into predicaments that warrant a few harsher words than that.

On the other hand, I believe the use of rough language can be overused. I recently wrote a scene where one of the characters used an excessive amount of foul language. I was cringing as i wrote it, but I didn’t see a way out of it. The character uses profanity as a way of making herself appear tougher and less vulnerable. So while it was true to the character, it wasn’t true to me and my normal writing style. In the end, I chose to write the character as she wanted to be presented. I just made that scene as short as possible as a compromise.

To find out what Nicole Sorrell has to say about swearing, visit her blog Nicole Sorrell.  Nicole is the author of “The Art of Going Home.” And feel free to share your thoughts about wearing in the comments. (just keep them moderately clean, okay?)

Maddie dreads going home to face the memories of her dead sister. But she must return to the tiny town after a decade to attend a funeral. As it turns out, the haunting reminders of her twin are the least of her worries…

Not given any details of her sister’s murder at the age of ten, Maddie is persuaded to track down the killer. Following one ominous clue after another, she learns the surrogate family she thought honestly loved her has been hiding the truth of her childhood for eighteen years. As suppressed memories of her past come crashing forward, Maddie begins to doubt everything she once believed. And everybody she thought she could trust.

Including Zac, her high school crush. Though she can’t seem to find the strength to resist their mutual attraction, Maddie isn’t sure she’ll ever be able to forgive his betrayal. As she struggles to come to grips with her family’s past and absolve those who deceived her, will she survive the horrifying discovery of who killed her sister?

With poignancy and clarity, author Nicole Sorrell spins a tale of a young woman’s personal journey as she faces her vulnerabilities and tries to accept the love of a man who may hold the key to her happiness. The story is a testament to the real meaning of family and the enduring strength of a sister’s bond.

Please note: contains mature content.

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ‪#‎OpenBook‬ when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress Short Code:
[inlinkz_linkup id=586360 mode=1]
Code for Hosting:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

ZOMBIES!

Welcome to another Monday edition of the Open Book Blog Hop. This week we’re talking about Zombies. They’re everywhere. On TV, in book and movies, and maybe even wandering your city streets in a Zombie Festival. Frankly, I’m over them.

The first zombie movie, The White Zombie, was made in 1032! It told the story of a young woman being turned into a zombie by a voodoo master.

Today’s modern zombies were developed in the 1960’s. And while I can the understand the concept of the undead controlled by drugs and puppet master, I can’t wrap my intellectual mind around the dead-but-not dead.

I mean, if zombies move so slow, why can’t humans just run away? And if they can’t think, how hard should it be to outwit them? And how do they exist without eating and drinking? After all, they do have human bodies, and in order to keep functions going—like walking around—muscles have to get energy somewhere!

And without blood, how does the body keep functioning? In the current popular show, you see zombies with no legs or no arms, still “not-alive.” My logical mind can’t comprehend how that can happen. After all, they would have bled out at some point and died-died.

And if they are mindless, why the heck don’t they attack each other? How can they possibly think well enough to recognize a fellow zombie from a human? Talk about an easy meat source and I’ve yet to hear of a zombie eating another zombie. Or would the universe as we know it implode upon itself if a zombie attacked another zombie?

So while I can see the fun in pretending to be a zombie or a zombie killer, I ‘m not a big fan of zombie movies or books. I’ve watched snippets of the current popular show, and found myself picking away at the plot and characters.

But love ’em or hate ’em, zombies are hot. Feel free to tell us what you think about zombies  in the comments.

To find out what P.J. Fiala thinks about zombies, visit her blog. HERE.  And don’t forget to check out her newest release, Danny’s War. It’s on my wish list, and is available on Amazon and at other ebook retailers.  Danny’s War

An artist, a veteran, and a motorcycle….nothing could be better.

Returning home from war a changed man is difficult for Danny Schaefer. Losing his leg and then his girlfriend made him feel like he’d never be whole again. Then he meets Tammy Davis, a vivacious beauty burdened with a secret betrayal that has left her shaken and wary. Tammy mends her wounds by painting; Danny is searching for his own way.

When they meet the sparks fly, but both desire to take it slow. Tammy’s job is uncertain, her new boss wants more than her superior work product and she finds herself torn between love and duty. As Danny discovers a way to heal, he finds himself in the fight of his life – a fight for Tammy’s heart.

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress Short Code:
[inlinkz_linkup id=586358 mode=1]
Code for Hosting:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

InLinkz | view linkup

In case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve moved! Instead of doing our hop on Wednesdays, we’re posting on Mondays. So if you made it here, welcome, and I hope you’ll remember to come back next Monday as well!

This week we’re talking about reality TV. Love it or hate it, it’s everywhere, in some shape or form.

I’ll admit it, I didn’t understand why MTV stopped playing music and start airing The Real World. Frankly, I didn’t care about a bunch of twenty-somethings and their shenanigans. When I turned to MTV, I wanted music.And if I couldn’t get it there, I’d get it somewhere else.

According to Wikipedia, shows like “The American Sportsman”  and “Candid Camera” count as reality TV. And I suppose that by strict definition, they were, but that’s not what most people think of. Geesh, according to that definition, COPS is a reality TV show.

Like most people, we think of shows like “Survivor” and “Big Brother” and even “American Idol” as reality TV. Shows where people are pitted against each other in hopes of winning a big prize.  I watched Survivor in its early seasons. I watched American Idol too, although I never voted.

But it didn’t take me long to figure out how we, the audience, were being manipulated, along with the contestants. Who was the good guy and who was the villain could easily be pre-determined by the producers. All they had to do was be selective in what clips they aired. And once I figured that out, I lost interest. Once I knew that, I knew it wasn’t really real..

And if you’ve followed this blog for very long, you know I don’t watch TV anymore. I might stop and listen to a song or two on Idol if my DH is watching, but I can’t name any of the winners for the past few years. And I watch on occasional number on “Dancing with the Stars,” but I’ve never sat through a complete show. So whatever demographics those shows are aimed at, I’m not it. I have better things to do with my time.

What would it take to bring me back and become a fan of reality TV again? I have no idea. If i could come up with a concept that hadn’t already been overdone, I’d get rich selling it to a network.

Let us know your thought on Reality TV in the comments. And to find out what Lela Markham thinks. head on over to her blog.Lela Markham  Lela is the author of Life as We Knew It and other books. 

                                                                                    Chaos changes everything!

Shane Delaney, a burned-out mercenary with a troubled past, returns home to small-town Kansas to heal his scars and quiet his demons, not planning to stay long enough for the townsfolk to reject who he has become.
He never expected the town to need his deadlier skills.

When a terrorist attack on distant cities abruptly transforms life as they knew it, the people of Emmaus must forge their own disaster plan to survive.

What would you do if the world as you know it ended today?

The people of Emmaus will find out.

Jan. 4 – Jan. 10, 2016 Reality TV – Love it or hate it and why?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
NEW: WordPress Short Code:
[inlinkz_linkup id=586352 mode=1]
Code for Hosting:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

This week on the blog hop, we’re discussing  how we celebrate the arrival of the New Year.

It’s been a long time since I’ve gone out on New Year’s Eve. Frankly, I prefer to stay home and not risk my safety by sharing the roads with people who’ve had too much to drink. I’m happy enough sitting at home with my hubby and watching the ball drop on TV or looking out the windows of our house at the fireworks being set off in the neighborhood. I may or may not stay up until midnight local time, depending upon how I feel at the moment.

Of course, I enjoy New Year’s Day because I don’t have to work. Well, I don’t have to get in the car and go to work anyway! I normally spend the day starting the task of putting away the Christmas decorations and returning the house to some resemblance of normal.

There is one thing I do almost every year—make home made ham and bean soup. We usually have ham for Christmas, and it’s a great way to use the leftovers! It’s a recipe I got from my mother, who got it from her mother. I have no idea how far back it goes, but I’m going to share it with you.

You can use either boneless or bone-in ham for this, but I prefer using bone-in ham. I think it deepens the flavor.

You’ll need
     Leftover ham
     Navy beans
     Celery (about 3 stalks for a large pot of soup)
     Carrots (again, the amount you use depends upon how large of a pot of soup you are making. I use enough to give a good amount of “color” to the soup
     Bay leaves—3 or 4. depending upon their size

Cook the peas according to package directions. I use the quick start method, which involves bringing the beans to a full boil before turning down the heat. This allows you to decrease the over-all cooking time, as well as do away with pre-soaking the beans.

Allow the beans to cook for an hour at a medium heat. While they are cooking, remove your leftover ham from the bone and cut it into bite size hunks. I use a about two or three cups in a good-sized pot. If you have extra ham, freeze or refrigerate it. After the beans have cooked for an hour, add the cut-up ham and the ham bone to the pot. You should have enough water in the pot that the ham bone is mostly covered. If not, add more. You don’t want to cook the pot dry.

Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium low, Allow the mixture to continue cooking for at least an hour. Check your heat level and water level occasionally. You want to keep the soup cooking but not at a high boil, Add water as needed (but you shouldn’t need to if the lid fits well.)

About an hour before you plan to serve the soup, chop the celery and carrots and add to the soup. Also add your bay leaves.

You’ll notice I didn’t add any seasonings other than the bay leaves to the mixture. The ham has enough salt to season the soup, so you don’t need it. (And any other seasoning you used on the ham originally will add additional flavor to the soup.)

Total cook time- 4 hours.

Before serving, remove the ham bone and bay leaves. Serve with warm bread, and you have a feast!

I have made one change to the recipe. I can occasionally find “cranberry beans.” They have purple streaks, unlike the navy beans that are white. (No, not pinto beans.) I think they add a little extra “oomph” to the soup.

Tell us what you do for the holiday in the comments below, if you want to!

To find out what Lela Markham does for the holiday, head on over to her blog. HERE.  You can find her books on Amazon. Here’s the book  description for The Willow Branch.

A healer must mend a fractured kingdom and bring two enemy races together before a greater enemy destroys them both.

Fate took Prince Maryn by surprise, leaving Celdrya to tear itself apart. A century later an army amasses against the warring remains of the kingdom as prophesy sends a half-elven healer on a journey to find the nameless True King. Padraig lacks the power to put the True King on the throne, yet compelled by forces greater than himself, Padraig contends with dark mages, Celtic goddesses, human factions and the ancient animosities of two peoples while seeking a myth. With all that distraction, a man might meet the True King and not recognize him

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
NEW: WordPress Short Code:
[inlinkz_linkup id=586351 mode=1]
Code for Hosting:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

For those of you looking for my normal Wednesday blog hop entry, sorry, I gave myself the gift of the week off. Stay tuned, I’ll be back next week. In the meantime, may the holidays you celebrate be happy.

Welcome to another week of the Open Book Blog Hop. I hope you’re staying warm, or dry, or comfortable depending upon what part of the world you’re in. Here in the American West, it’s windy and snowing and I’m drinking a cup of hot chocolate as I type this. I’m not complaining—the snow helps me get in the Christmas mood.

When it comes to Christmas songs, I’m a total traditionalist. There’s something special about several hundred otherwise bad voices joining together in a large old church and singing the songs of the season. Even though I’m far away now, the music resounds in my heart.

Silent Night is probably the first Christmas song I remember singing. Sure, i couldn’t hit the high notes, but that didn’t matter. Neither could any of my sisters. As I got older, My voice got better, and the song was no longer a challenge. Now that I’ve gotten really old, my voice has lost it’s flexibility, and the song is again a challenge.

I was part of my high school chorus, and we always did special Christmas presentations. One of the hardest songs we sang was Oh, Holy Night. Our director had a hard time finding a male voice to handle the high notes. But here’s a version of the song that I think is the perfect rendition.

Another favorite of mine is Joy to the World. Such a simple sentiment, but so powerful. I know not everyone is happy at Christmastime, but I’d like everyone to find one little piece of joy on the heart. And the song just expresses joy in its melody, even without the words.

But I also like non-religious songs. Who can resist singing along with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Jingle Bells?

But I think one of my favorite songs is one that’s almost impossible to sing by yourself.  Carol of the Bells can’t be done right by a solo voice.

Tell us about your favorite Christmas song in the comments.  And to find out what songs Kelly Williams likes, visit her blog HERE. You can find her books on Amazon on her author page K. Williams

Blue Honor :Blue Honor tracks four tightly twining families during the American Civil War. Each member is asked to sacrifice more than their share to see friends and loved ones through the terrible times. The only certainty they have is that nothing will be the same.

Emily Conrad is the bookish daughter of a wealthy dairy family from Vermont. Her indulgent father has educated her and bred ideas that aren’t acceptable to her more urbane mother, who thinks Emily needs to settle down with her longtime friend and town philanderer Evan Howell. The outbreak of war frees Emily from these expectations for a time, but a stranger soon arrives after the guns begin to blaze, threatening her plans more than societal conventions ever could.

Devoted to the young woman who healed her wounds, Henrietta has become part of the Conrad family, hoping that she may one day see her husband and son again. As a runaway slave, she’s been lucky enough to find this slice of peace in Vermont, but the return of Evan Howell and the man he brings with him portends great change that might see her locked back in irons, if not executed for what she’s done.

Evan isn’t as bad as his reputation has made him out to be. He knows his chum Emily will make the best doctor Vermont has ever seen, and he knows he’s not the man to marry her. With a little manipulation, he convinces his commanding officer, Lieutenant Joseph Maynard, to take leave with him and see the beauty of the north. He just doesn’t let on it’s not hillsides and streams he’s setting the man up for.

Joseph has both power and privilege as the son of a Baltimore lawyer, but neither can guarantee him the things he wants in life. His commission in the army is likely to lead to death, a sacrifice he was willing to make to end slavery in the States—that was until he saw Emily Conrad. Torn between duty and desire, Joseph struggles to stay standing for that which he once held strong convictions. War weary, they all march on to duty…

And if you want to join our blog hop, here’s the link and the rules

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress Short Code:
[inlinkz_linkup id=586344 mode=1]
Code for Hosting:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code