February Valentines and Project Updates

January has come and gone, which means I'm another year older. I shared my 45th birthday with the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States. I won't talk politics, but I'm with you when I say he's not my President. Still, I'm willing to wait and watch and pray, and hope maybe he might become what we all expect a good president to be.

My family took me out for dinner, and then my husband accompanied me to a Sock Social at a local bar. The event was to collect socks for the homeless. Considering a good friend used to be, I thought it a worthwhile cause. When I asked him his opinion, he scoffed at first, mainly because it was over 20 years ago, but when he thought about it, he agreed it was an excellent idea. Clean socks and underwear are the least donated item and the most coveted. Overall, the event collected over a dozen large kitchen-sized garbage bags full of socks.

It's high season for Girl Scout Cookies.

A friend wrote:

Word is you are a big cookie pusher on the East Coast 

in a criminal enterprise know as: The Girl Scouts. 

Headlines will read: Outraged Soccer Mom Leading Double Life 

How many lives have you destroyed with your Girl Scout Cookies?! 

The rehabs are swelling.

Yup, pretty much sums up the next six weeks of my life. But it's fun too. The girls are excited, and we have plans to use the raised money for an overnight trip (our first!)

And, of course, I've always got a project or three going on. I'm writing and beta reading. My cohort in crime, Francu Godgluck has finally kicked his butt into gear and is working on Of God and Monsters, book III. We'll be co-writing book IV at some point (probably 2018) about Richard and James (from Colt and Beo's story).

KC Faelan and I are cleaning up Metamorphic Heart for official publication and printing. Looking for that to be available in August.

Working with new author (to writing, but not to manga) Natsuya Useugi on a high fantasy, transgender novel. Getting to pass on all the information I've learned over the last three years.

On the personal front - two current projects. The first is another "short" standalone in the Southern Jersey Shores series. The two main characters will be new, but I've set in at T.J.'s bar, so readers of the series will recognize the side characters. Current due date for anthology submission is June 30th, but it'll be available on its own probably sometime in late summer, early fall.

Project two is the doozy. I'm co-authoring a dark prison romance with Richard Montgomery, an amazing poet who's spent too many years inside. I'm learning a whole new culture, a whole new language and finding it fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time. Expect truthful accounts of what prison is really like, they'll be no holding back on the honesty. We're already expecting this to be a full length novel, which I suspect will exceed anything I've written/co-written before. I won't even give a possible expectation date as the scenes are trickling in with the ideas before we plot it all out and mesh it all together. With luck, end of 2017, but I'm not holding my breath. Lol.

Meanwhile, the goal list continues...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day. Now go give someone a kiss.

  

Dear 2017: Goals to Go

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Holiday Season. Me? I'm still going. Hanukkah started on Christmas Eve, then we traveled to long-time family friends on Christmas Day. (Tradition!) We then drove to Rhode Island to celebrate Christmas with my husband's family on the 30th, followed by New Year's with his best friend. I'll finally celebrate Hanukkah on the 7th of January with my side of the family.

Could I have done without three weeks worth of celebration? Probably, but it's been sort of nice extending the season, and I seriously did not have to rush to buy presents. Speaking of presents, I like and dislike the idea. Our society has definitely gotten too caught up in the commercialism and in a bid to cut back, I limited my spending where I could. When lists were wanted, I choose not to list gift cards, but actually items that can be used or worn or cherished, such as games, touchscreen gloves and beloved movies.

But, now the new year is upon us/me, and as I look back over 2016, I couldn't have been more happier. So many goals were accomplished: Spin Play and Hammer's Thief were completed and published. We spent an amazing week in June in Disney World and topped the summer with the son, Erik's Bar Mitzvah. I spent a lot more time with my kids, playing Pokemon Go, or just going for walks. Hint to Moms - make them take a walk with you without electronics. They can't stand the silence and will talk and talk and talk. LOL.

My goals are not as definitive for 2017 as they were with 2016, but I've got a few:

• Complete and publish 2 book projects
• Lose a few pounds (okay, okay, 10, but I'd be happy with 5 and keeping it off)
• Bike more and ride in at least two 30 mile charity rides
• Get my Passport
• Attend at least one LGBT book convention

All worthy goals that are doable or that I can achieve success in moving towards. Oh! and maybe post here more often.  Wouldn't that be nice?

New Holiday Release - Hammer's Thief

Way back in January of this year, I committed to writing and publishing a sequel to Lion's Hero, an urban fantasy set in Atlantic City. I'm proud to officially announce the release of book two in the Chosen Angels Series: 

Hammer's Thief

Eight nights to fall in love.

Running away from his foster home at eighteen, Locke struggles to survive the brutal winter streets in Atlantic City. Trust is a fickle thing, and Locke hasn't had much of it. He's worked hard for everything he has. When a helpful security guard takes him in during a Code Blue, Locke discovers that some things are more than they seem. His fantasy becomes reality, but sometimes reality is too good to be true.

Graced by God, Judah Maccabee has dwelt in Yahweh's kingdom for nigh on two thousand years, rising through His ranks to become a leader among the warrior angels. A blessing bestowed, Yahweh has found the one for him. Now Judah has only the eight nights of Chanukah to fall in love with the one who will complete him. The only catch - his other half must love him in return if he is to stay earthbound. But expecting Locke to fall just as hard and fast as he does rebounds in a devastating way.

When egos rule and demons lurk, can these two men pull together, trust in family and faith, and earn love? And can they do it in a single week?

Buy Links:

Amazon
Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

All Romance Books (ARE)

Beaten Track Publishing

Independence Day 2016 - NaNoWriMo Camp

Happy Fourth of July to my American followers

Happy Summer season

(or Winter as the case may be)

Whatever you're celebrating, I hope this missive finds you well.

My three children have been out of school for about three weeks. It's never a dull moment. I'm busier now than when they are in school. Gotta keep them moving...

First, we spent a full week in Walt Disney World, Florida. We arrived just two day after the Orlando Pulse shooting. I have to say, I was a little surprised and disappointed to not see more rainbows. One baker had a small sign in her window, but otherwise if you never looked at the newspaper, you had no idea what was going on. 'Course, I made sure to wear a bit of bling everyday. I found a rainbow Mickey to add to my pin lanyard and wore the rainbow bracelets my daughter made me.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Gary, Gavin (15), Me

Emma (10) and Erik (12)

We came back to work and play. Camps are starting soon...STEM, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Pennsic (sca.org). On top of all that, I've got to finish the arrangements for my son, Erik's, Bar Mitzvah.

And I came back to write. Hammer's Thief, the sequel to Lion's Hero, is 75% complete. July's goal is simply: finish the first draft, edit and get it out to my beta readers. Progress has been steady in just a few days, already added on over two thousand words. I gave myself a goal of 25k, and thinking that'll do me nicely.

I better get back to it...