The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

I used to really hate that song when I was little.  Maybe it's because on days that I wanted to feel glum and depressed my dad and Grandma Graves always thought that it was time to break into song.  Oddly enough, it never worked to cheer me up.  But somewhere in my recent years it has actually changed.  I'm not really sure that a pessimist can turn into an optimist but maybe they can at least feel like one sometimes.  Let's just say that life moves on or some other little catch phrase of your choosing.

My new disappointment is a temporary set back with my book.  Before it can be formatted properly there are a few little changes that need to take place and right now I am not able to complete them.  Getting my wisdom teeth pulled ended up being more of a worst case scenario than I had expected and it has greatly set me back.  The swelling and bruising still hasn't finished and I've now learned that I have severe reactions to codine.  Pushing my book back even a week, maybe more, is very difficult for me but it looks like it is also unavoidable.  I've been looking forward to this for so long.  But the truth (grumble grumble grumble) is that the sun will come out tomorrow and some time very soon my book will be released and my jaw will stop hurting.

Unless the world gets destroyed before then.  Did I mention that I'm a pessimist?

An Introduction to Mrs. Brentley

Not every young Victorian girl had the means of going to London or Bath for a season to look for husbands. Luckily there were wealthy friends and family members who offered to sponsor marriageable girls in town while they served as a sort of champion to various events.

This unique form of generosity is what spawned the wonderful character of Mrs. Brentley. I took the custom a bit further than I have found evidence of by making her an official husband hunter. Every year she sponsors one young lady in London while trying to catch the year's most eligible bachelor for her new charge. I loved the idea of someone who had gained so much through her own marriage that she was then trying to help others do the same. Of course Mrs. Brentley didn't expect the kind of problems that the Wellings twins are about to give her.

You can read more about Mrs. Brentley and her charges in my first novel, A Taste of Honey, coming out March 29th.

Movie Review-Tangled

Tangled

Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi

This movie was fantastic.  I could tell you about the fantastic mother guilt of Gothel or talk about how much I loved the voice cast.  I could explain why my husband laughed so hard when they went to the Snuggly Duckling tavern.  Or I could just tell you that if you haven't seen this movie then you are missing out.  I am a huge fan of the original Grimms fairytale and I was a little worried to see what Disney would do to Rapunzel (which is my favorite of the Grimms' tales).  They took the story and owned it in their own way while still giving a huge nod to the original version.  But I might be a bit biased because of how much the horse reminded me of my dog.  All around I give this movie two huge thumbs up!

5/5

Reluctantly...Pushed Back

When I released the book cover for Reluctantly in Love I thought that I was done with the book. I had edited it numerous times and was quite pleased with how it had turned out. What I didn't anticipate was the number of people who would come rushing forth offering to help me. It is true that help is always at hand, you just have to ask for it. Right now my wonderful worker bees are helping me with ideas on how to strengthen my novel and turn it's somewhat flabbier parts into a tightly honed new product. I am excited to see what comes out of this experiment.

So why aren't they working on A Taste of Honey as well? There comes a point at which editing can become destructive and that wonderful shine that it first had gets lost in the many revisions. A Taste of Honey is a wonderfully fun book that my body, mind and spirit has decided is done. I feel great about getting it into the hands of my friends and family members as well as some adventure seeking strangers.

As for Reluctantly in Love, it is holding up wonderfully under this newest round of scrubbing. It's shiny new edition will be ready to release sometime in June of this year. Until then I hope that you will stick with me as I better learn the strange ins and outs of becoming a self-published author. For my fans I think that A Taste of Honey will be a great chance for you to try out my writing style.

Coming on March 29-A Taste of Honey

Coming March 29th!

I am thrilled to announce the official release date of my first historical romance release entitled A Taste of Honey. This is my first full novel and it has morphed through the various stages of editing and re-editing. What has stayed the same is how much I love coming back to these characters. In a very short amount of time I will be able to share my novel with a wider audience than I ever have before. It is both nerve wracking and also very exciting. In anticipation of the looming release date I have many fun posts planned but first it is time to introduce you to the real stars of today; Katherine Wellings and Garrett Brentley!

The temptation of a forbidden love...

Katherine Wellings has been ordered to return home with a titled husband or risk being disowned by her family. After an impetuous kiss with her sponsor's son reveals temptation and passion she attempts to forget the incident and continue her search.

Garrett Brentley is not willing to let Katherine slip through his arms so easily. He is unrelenting in his pursuit and not above using tricks to get what he wants. Catching her alone Garrett begins a seduction that leaves her defenseless.

Katherine is slowly and unwillingly falling in love. Now she must decide whose heart she will break, her mother's or her own.

If you would like to read a small excerpt one can be found here.

Notes-So what happened to Reluctantly in Love? Check back on Saturday for the update.

Hello Again

Is it creepy or cute?  Can't decide.

I'm back.  Well kinda.  I knew that if I didn't do a new post soon I'd be hearing about it from my husband.  I have been getting better at managing the pain in my teeth and am counting down the days until my wisdom teeth are gone and I can start healing and recouping.

I don't know that there is ever a great time in your life for everything to grind to a halt but I can tell you that I wouldn't have picked this past month if I'd had a choice.  There are so many wonderful things that I was on the edge of enjoying.  I was about to put out my first self published e-book.  There are edits to be done, books to read, and I was trying to dive into online writers communities.  I was also excited to get into the spring spirit by going through everything and throwing away the shocking amount of clutter that we have amassed in the last year.  The pets all need to see the business end of the trimmer, brushes and combs.  Then there is all of the outdoor exercise that we promised ourselves we'd do once it got nice out.

Instead I've spent the last month trying to hone my skills at taking various doses of ibuprofen and finding out what ways I can sleep, eat, and even sit that don't cause as much pain.  It hasn't been all been horrible but it has been unproductive and frustrating.  I've been to the dentist's office 6 times in the last month as they've tried to figure out what was wrong.  Part of the problem was a filling that was too large and a tiny cavity on the same tooth that didn't show up in the x-rays but got aggravated by the other work done on the tooth.  Next Wednesday I go in to have my wisdom teeth removed and I am crossing my fingers that everything goes well.

In the mean time I plan to move on with my life.  I've got tons of movies to review that I've watched this last month.  I was even able to read a few books between headaches.

The most important thing to me right now is that I push forward with my first attempt at self publishing.  Except for a few final touches the book is ready but you'll find out more about it if you check back on Thursday.

Until then take care!

A New Month

I love writing down the date when there is a new month.  There is something so wonderful about the fresh feeling I get when putting down the number 1 preceded by any month of the year.  I think that just knowing that it was March 1st made me instantly feel better yesterday.  The constant ache of my jaw and teeth along with the ever looming threat of a new headache seemed to vanish for awhile when I realized yesterday that it was a brand new month.  Even the horrible winter weather outside couldn't keep me in the dumps.  It was a great day where I was even able to accomplish some reading without feeling like my brain was getting crushed between two vice grips.  The pain is already back today but at least I have yesterday to remember fondly.

I hope that everyone was able to enjoy the new month and the approaching promise of spring.  It used to be that I waited for the first nice warm day outside before I called winter finished.  Unfortunately when there is still two feet of snow and ice in your back yard a little bit of sun just doesn't quite cut it.  This year my bench mark is the first daffodil that pops up.  Even if it then gets covered in snow and ice the next day at least I will know that the weather is trying to behave.

What's your first official sign of spring?  Does anyone feel that they've passed that benchmark? Who else is ready to strangle that little groundhog for promising an early spring?