Regrouping by Paty Jager

Those of you who follow this blog and the writers know I have had an adventurous 2019! I feel so blessed I was able to take the trip to Iceland and that my hubby finally agreed (after 40 years) to go to Hawaii with me.

Pihea trail, Kauai

Both trips have or will be turned into books. I'm working on the next Shandra Higheagle Mystery book that is set in Kauai. A Gabriel Hawke novel will be set in Iceland. It was fun to go to these places and not only see different lifestyles but to also see things with an eye for how I could set a book there. 

With these and other travels that kept me away from my computer, I ended the summer feeling way behind in the projects I had planned to write this year. 

Gullfoss waterfall in Iceland

However, a week ago, I finished book 4 in the Gabriel Hawke series, and I'm back on schedule writing the next Shandra. The next Hawke book is in my mind "stewing and brewing" and I have started digging for the information I'll need to write it. 

While I feared being behind due to my gallivanting, I have found the trips have not only refreshed me, making my writing fun again, it has also helped me regroup and discover my priorities and how I want to continue on my writing journey.  

I've always thought that large blocks of time away from writing would pull me out of the stories and writing all together. After my two trips, one before I started a book and another in the middle of the book, I discovered, being away from the computer and writing 3-4,000 words a day, was good. I came back with a vengeance in my writing and a better grasp of what I want to write and how I want readers to see my books. 

The words didn't stagnate, they blossomed. So while I do agree that you shouldn't let too long of space go between writing, I think, because my trips were inspirational and mind healing, that they were needed to improve my writing. 

Hopefully, my readers will agree after they read the latest books. ;) 

In case anyone was wondering, the next Shandra Higheagle book is titled Abstract Casualty, and is set around an art show that is held every year on Kauai. 

I'm still working on the title of the Gabriel Hawke book set in Iceland. All I know at this point is Fox will be in the title. 

I just realized my post on here next month will be after my Facebook Clue Party!

Mark December 7th on your calendars! It's my annual December Facebook Party and it will be a real Whodunnit! The party will run from 10am to 10pm PST. Myself and 12 western romance authors and 11 mystery/suspense authors will be entertaining you every half hour. If you join the party, you can collect the clue each author gives you and at the end of the party, using a link that will be given to you, you put in the person, place, and thing that wasn't mentioned from the list below, and you will be in the running for one of 2 Kindle Fire Ereaders I'm giving away. The other authors will be giving away things the full twelve hours as well.

Here's the link to join the party: https://www.facebook.com/events/426351174658554/

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 43 novels, 8 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

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Six Ways To Do Nothing On Your Vacation (Reasons 4-6)

Last month I listed 3 ways to do nothing on your vacation.

These were:

Spend an afternoon enjoying the hotel’s pool.

Hang out at the local café and meet other people.

Turn off your social media. 

This month, I’m adding 3 more ways.

The Fourth Way: Do you have a list of 20 things you want to see and do? Narrow it down to the top 5. You’ll be much more apt to really take in your beautiful vacation surroundings.

The Fifth Way:  Do you really need to climb every mountain? Instead, grab a beach chair and enjoy the view-whether it be the beaches or the mountains, or somewhere in between.

The Sixth Way: Enjoy a quiet dinner on your hotel’s terrace, rather than waiting in line at the trendy new restaurant you read about online.

Final thoughts: You may think that "downtime: is wasting time. In fact, these will be the vacations experiences that you will remember the most. And, you can always revisit your favorite spot again in the future, so don't be the person who needs: "A vacation from your vacation."

Don’t forget to enjoy a quiet afternoon reading!

 

Pick up a copy of Maeve, my sweet romance novella, for one last beach read. 

He’s all business. She loves to laugh. When business conflicts with pleasure, what could possibly go wrong?
Maeve Doherty needed a hard-earned break from Ireland’s rainy weather, as well as caring for her younger brother. When the offer from Perfect Match to enjoy a week on an island of her choice arrived, she hesitated.
But not for long.

She’d always wanted to visit Corsica. Besides, who passed up free?
All right, so she'd spend the week with a match. On her dating profile, she’d added that she was a workaholic. Hopefully, so was he.

Edward Newell had one thing on his mind when he reached Corsica, and it didn't involve meeting a perfect match. Dating? Love? Romance? Not for him.
He was determined to find the picture-perfect location for his thriving hotel chain.
When unexpected attraction burns for the beautiful Maeve, and business conflicts with pleasure, what could possibly go wrong?

Maeve is available in ebook, paperback and audiobook. FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband. They share their home with an adorable shih tzu, who constantly needs grooming, and live in an old house forever needing renovations.

Follow Josie on Bookbub and “like” her Author Facebook page.

If you enjoy reading, free books and ARC’s, join my VIP Facebook group today!

Six Ways To Do Nothing On Your Vacation (Reasons 1-3)

Hurray! You’re finally taking a vacation! If you’re like me, you’ll become the Energizer Bunny and want to see and do everything.

However, if you give yourself permission to take it slow, you’ll end up enjoying your vacation a lot more.

But how?

Today, I'm sharing 3 ways to do nothing on your vacation, and will continue with this series and three more ways next month.

First: Spend the afternoon enjoying the hotel’s pool. Your kids will be thrilled, and it's a perfect excuse to slow down.

Second:  Hang out at the local café and meet the locals. What could be more interesting than spending time with the locals and really learning about the area?

Third: Turn off your social media. Yes, it’s fun, but people are only putting up photos and experiences that are a fragment of what they are actually doing. Shut your mobile devices and soak in your vacation experiences in real time.

You won’t miss out on anything, I promise! It’s more enjoyable to explore local landmarks at your leisure then trying to tour every museum in the city, or famous landmark in the surrounding area.

Do you plan "down" time on your vacation? Please share your comments below.

And be sure to come back next month for 3 more good ways to do nothing on your vacation.

Don’t forget to bring a favorite book on vacation. It’s July, so to celebrate my Christmas in July promotion, grab a copy of my brand new Christian contemporary release: A Christmas ToCherish.

 

 

There’s nothing a Christmas kiss won’t cure. Except perhaps a shattered heart…

When Emmanuelle Sumter steps off the train in Cherish, South Carolina—a town simply glowing with the promise of Christmas—she finds herself praying God will help her find the broken pieces of her life. Shattered, like her beloved harp. Her dreams. And her trust in men.

Her friend Dorothy told her Cherish is a safe haven. But she never expected Dorothy’s brother, Deputy Nicholas Thompson, would relight the one thing she thought she’d lost forever. A spark of hope.

Not long ago, while Nicholas’ sister was in rehab, Emmanuelle’s voice and smile on his Skype screen held him together. After that, she seemed to disappear, an absence he felt keenly when his ex-fiancée left his faith in God dented but not broken.

Now she’s in Cherish, even more stunning in person. Yet she’s holding tight to a private pain she refuses to reveal. Nicholas resolves to be patient, vowing that he’ll never let anyone hurt her again. Even when her past rears its ugly head to destroy what’s left of her heart.

Note: Contains references to verbal and physical abuse.

From USA Today bestselling author Josie Riviera comes a new contemporary Christian Romance series set in the small town of Cherish, South Carolina. These sweet and wholesome stories, where God is at the center, brim with love and laughter.

Are his arms a safe haven sent from God…or a Christmas promise waiting to be broken?

A Christmas To Cherish is available in ebook, paperback and audiobook. Free on Kindle Unlimited!

Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband. They share their home with an adorable shih tzu, who constantly needs grooming, and live in an old house forever needing renovations.

Follow Josie on Bookbub and “like” her Author Facebook page.

If you enjoy reading, free books and ARC’s, join my VIP Facebook group today!