DOABLE RESOLUTIONS.....

I can’t believe it. Seems like only yesterday I posted a similar heading, yet it was a year ago. I hope 2015 was a good year for you. As for me, I’ve had better. But on the other hand, I’ve had worse. All in all, I have a lot to be grateful for.

So do you make resolutions? And do you stick to them?

I don’t make resolutions so much as I make plans. And I’ve already got 2016 pretty much planned. Of course you know that old saying : Life is what happens while you’re making other plans. (That quote really did not originate with John Lennon. It originated with a guy named Allen Saunders.)

 

Number One on my list is to finish the Dixie Cash book I’ve got underway, YOU CAN HAVE MY HEART, BUT DON’T TOUCH MY DOG. It’s full of the usual madness and mayhem only Debbie Sue and Edwina and their friends can generate. I had planned on releasing it before the end of 2015; however, my day job took over my life for about six weeks and I didn’t get it done. If I’ve made a resolution at all, I have resolved to not let that happen again. 

Now I’m shooting for a release date in February or March.  This was quite an undertaking for me. My sister threw in the towel at around 50 or 60 pages, so I’ve written it on my own. People who have read it tell me it’s funny, but I’m nervous. I’m the first to acknowledge that she’s the funny one. 

Second on my list is to finish THE HORSEMAN, Book #3 in the Sons of Texas trilogy. It isn’t acomedy. This will be Troy Rattigan’s story, plus it will tie up all of the loose ends and reveal the villain who’s got it in for the whole Lockhart family.
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Along with these two projects, I’m going to attempt to narrate my own audio book. I know. Don’t laugh.  …..  I’ve already bought the equipment I need and am ready to roll. I don’t know how my Texas twang will sound trying to narrate an audio book. A person should have good elocution and be a half-assed actress for it to work. In fact, most of the audio book narrators *are* actresses or actors. My advantage, if I have one, is that I know how I mean for the dialogue I wrote to sound. We’ll see how it goes. Believe me, the money I’ve invested in the equipment is a drop in the bucket compared to paying for a professional narrator. They are very expensive.

Another project on the drawing board is to write Book #2 of Miranda’s Chronicles, a sequel to DESIRED,  the  40,000-word steamy  novella I released in 2015. Book #2 will not be a novella. Writing a novella is harder than it looks. I will never do it again. My home is in 100,000-word tomes. The title will be CLAIMED and I’ve already bought the image for the cover. That way, with money invested, I’ll be motivated to get it done.

I’m also still trying to get my copyright back from my former New York publisher on MAN OF THE WEST, a book I wrote under the pseudonym, Sadie Callahan. I so want to re-write that book and re-release it as an Anna Jeffrey book. It’s Book #2 of The Strayhorns series and a sequel to LONE STAR WOMAN. It's also a loose end I would like to get tied up. I had originally planned to write Book #3 in this series and that story is still sort of floating around in my head. I might go ahead and work on it whether I get my copyright back or not.

So those are my plans for 2016. I think my day job is definitely going to have to take a backseat. Still, don’t bet any money that I’ll get all of this done.

How about your resolutions? Are they doable?

He may not do dishes, but he's learning to cook by Paty Jager

My hubby of 37 years has never been a house husband. He's all about the outdoors. As a farmer/rancher, he doesn't feel housework is something he should do when he comes in from working outside. And over the years, I haven't pushed it because I felt that was my job- to keep him fed and clothed.

This past weekend, I caught the bug that's going around. I slept for nearly two days straight and when I did wake up didn't even want to stand up. Hubby made me tea, brought me crackers, and kept me company. He even watched hour after hour of Hallmark movies even though I was sleeping mostly. I guess he figured I needed company.

The first day, he had cereal for breakfast, scrounged together a banana and sandwich for lunch and I'm not sure what he heated up in the microwave for dinner. I didn't get out of the recliner to find out. ;)

The second day, he made oatmeal and toast for breakfast.  Lunch he made a sandwich and even cooked an egg. Guess he was getting tired of cold food. ;) For dinner He made a grilled cheese sandwich. If I hadn't been feeling so under the weather I would have giggled. This is a man who swore off cooking when he tried to cook for the kids when I was gone and they refused to eat. I'm proud that he is learning to cook. Before we moved out to the boonies, if I wasn't home to make him a meal, he'd go to the neighborhood restaurant or his mom's. But now that we live far from anywhere, he's having to learn new skills, which is good for him.

I've always envied my sisters-in-law, because my brothers both cook. A lot. At our house I'm the cook- Always. I even to do the barbecuing, hubby doesn't even to that.

Does your significant other cook or is it all up to you?


Now that I'm feeling semi-normal, I need to the dishes!

New Release: JEWEL OF SOLANA Romantic suspense

My third novel releases this month, Jewel of Solana (Jan 22, 2016), and it’s still an incredible and nerve wracking

Click here to preorder

experience. Just as much as my first release.

This novel took me forever to finish. Having a baby in the middle of the first draft tends to put a major dent in the writing time (although it’s a fantastic excuse!) But for a sequel in a trilogy, I had hoped to have it released sooner.

Nevertheless, I’m so excited to share these characters with the world. To see if people love them as much as I do. That’s the quasi-terrifying part. As much time as I’ve spent with these characters in my head, listening to their stories and struggling to put them on paper, of course I want the world to love them as much as I do. Particularly the hero. He’s on the Autism Spectrum (Asperger's), and his quirks, mindset and analytical thinking processes are very personal to me. Raising a child on the spectrum myself, it’s important that people see these truly special individuals for their gifts, their sweetness, and their incredible desire to be liked. Accepted. Just like the rest of us.

If you’re interested in reading a romantic suspense, set in a tropical and exotic location to get you out of the dreary, winter doldrums, please pick up Jewel of Solana. The second in the Royals of Solana trilogy. You don’t have to have read the first one, Prince of Solana, to understand the story. In fact, if you enjoy Jewel of Solana, you’ll love the first one just as much. (Secret tip: it will be on sale starting Jan 15^th for only 99 pennies!)

Jewel of Solana (2^nd in the Royals of Solana trilogy from Wild Rose Press)

Romantic Suspense, Full length novel by Susan Sheehey

Release Jan 22^nd, 2016

Preorder now (purchase links below)

Princess Alanna Peralta escapes a brutal attack on her island home after a vicious cartel assassinates her family. To save the royal bloodline and family legacy--the priceless necklace Luna de Azul--she conceals her identity and boards a mega-yacht...Into the arms of a brazenly handsome engineer, who might be her guardian angel--or the devil in disguise.
Gabrial Flynn can't look anyone in the eye. Until an obsidian-haired beauty begs for help. Committed to a solitary life at sea, he's shocked to be captivated by the woman's exotic, espresso eyes, and further amazed when she seems intrigued by his eccentricities.
With danger at every turn, Alanna and Flynn discover the limitless reach of the cartel's power. Flynn must decide how much he trusts her not to betray him. As danger closes in, Alanna is torn between sacrificies--her life, family legacy, and country...or her heart.
 

Amazon Kindle click here

Wild Rose Press ebook click here

Wild Rose Press paperback click here

Kobo click here

B&N Nook click here

Susan Sheehey writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and women's fiction. Follow Susan at www.SusanSheehey.com, on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads and Amazon.

A REVIEW OF PATY JAGER'S TARNISHED REMAINS

by Mary A. Adair

I just finished TARNISHED REMAINS, second book in Pat Jager’s Shandra Higheagle Mysteries. A Big 5 Stars!

This story is a murder mystery set in Idaho on Shandra Higheagle’s farm. Shandra grew up with little memory of her father who died in an accident when she was a small child. Thanks to her grandmother she grew up understanding her Native American heritage. This is a part of the story I really liked, after her grandmother’s death, her grandmother still visited Shandra in her dreams. Shandra accepted that she dreamed of her grandmother and the visits seem to help her through the rough patches in her life, which includes solving murder mysteries, but she still feels the visits are actually her mind‘s own way of working through the issues.

Well, it seems Shandra has a knack for finding dead bodies. In Tarnished Remains Shandra unearths a body while digging on her own property to retrieve the clay needed to fashion her pottery. Can you imagine just digging away in your garden and unearthing an old boot with the foot still in it?! 

Detective Ryan Greer is the first person to come to her mind as the person to call. If you haven’t read book one in the series, she and the detective worked together before. Shandra was his main suspect in book one. This is mentioned in book two and flows with the story. TARNISHED REMAINS is a complete story and stands on its own. So don’t worry if you haven’t read book one, it is not necessary to understand the second book.

TARNISHED REMAINS kept me on my toes. Just when I thought I knew who the murderer was, I changed my mind. I just loved the small town atmosphere and all the quirky people living there. I reminded me of the small town I grew up near and went to school in. I swear, everyone in this book looked at least a little guilty at some part of the story. It had me guessing till the very end. When the true culprit was revealed it made perfect sense.

I give TARNISHED REMAINS 5 stars. It is a small town murder mystery with a hint of budding true love. There is also the dream-visiting grandmother. I always love a touch of super natural.  I also love a big, loveable, and scared-of-his-own-shadow-dog.  I have one of those and I love her, love her, love her! What else could you ask for? I loved it.

It is a stand alone story so you don’t have to read them in sequence, but if you haven’t read book one it would be great fun to read it first.

http://www.amazon.com/Tarnished-Remains-Shandra-Higheagle-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00T83F3XE/ref

Buttons

What can I say about 2016 so far? Oy!  

Since July 2015 everything in my life has doubled…. Including the stress. I’m drowning and I don’t know how to get out other than make something very bad happen to the folks in my WIP. Lol… 

I kid.. I kid. 

I am finally back at work after 2 weeks of staying home with 6 kids. If I had a nickel for every “Stop” “No” or “Get off” … I might not be 1/3 of the way as stressed.

                                

Oh! Some good news during the break… I am all but done with my NaNo (yeah, I’m not giving up)… just doing the look-see and make sure it flows before I stamp it with “The End”.

I was also asked to gather some ideas and proposals to continue my career with this particular company. I kid you not… My heart raced, sweat crossed by brow… my hands even shook. I thought I might actually get sick… BUT I hit the send button. Now it's the waiting game. 

Does anyone have any resolutions? I said I wouldn’t make any. It’s always in the back of my mind to eat better and exercise more. But this year, I’d like to learn more. I want to learn how to do one of those sticky-note boards to help organize my books. Hopefully by the summer I’ll post pictures of my own.

Alright... time to make the doughnuts. Y'all don't let these folks push your buttons! Enjoy January. 

Carolyn

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TBUJYDE?keywords=carolyn%20hector&qid=1452050789&ref_=sr_1_4&sr=8-4

http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Mistletoe-Kimani-Romance-ebook/dp/B00UFM3XES/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1452051021&sr=1-3

And available for pre-order (a button worth pressing!)

http://www.amazon.com/Bachelor-Beauty-Queen-Once-Tiara-ebook/dp/B0105SY4LM/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1452051161&sr=1-2

Are you on Facebook? I am! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010563251297

#NewRelease MERCY: BRIDE OF IDAHO by @JacquieRogers #mailorderbride

Website | Pickle Barrel Gazette | Amazon

With Mercy and Patience...
by Jacquie Rogers

2016 is here and let me tell you, 2015 went out with a bang.  Mercy: Bride of Idaho debuted #1 on the Amazon Hot New Releases for Victorian Romance.  Awesome!

Mercy: Bride of Idaho

This book was an interesting journey for me.  In fact, I actually was on a journey--a book tour starting in Deadwood, South Dakota, and ending in Owyhee County, Idaho.  The phone rang (actually played the William Tell Overature) and it was Caroline Clemmons.  She told me Kirsten Osbourne had cooked up this crazy plan to have mail-order brides from all the states in the Union in 1890, a book to be released each day in order of admission.  

Patience:
Bride of Washington

Seemed like an ambitious undertaking to me.  My publishing schedule was full but this seemed like a fun opportunity and after all, I do enjoy mail-order bride stories.  Caroline and I had already written a duet, Mail Order Tangle (she wrote the first book, Mail Order Promise and I wrote the second, Mail Order Ruckus).  After a bit of discussion, we decided our brides would be sisters again, although this time Caroline's was the older one.  She wrote Patience: Bride of Washington, which has been burning up the charts, too.  It's an awesome book, so be sure to get it if you haven't already.

As she suggested, I linked my book to  my Hearts of Owyhee series.  The heroine (Jake O'Keefe) in the fourth book, Much Ado About Mavericks, is a strong player in Mercy: Bride of Idaho, and the book is set in Henderson Flats on a fictional ranch, the Circle ID.  This ranch would've been about six miles from Jake's ranch, and three miles from the farm where I grew up, so I know the area--the smell, the feel, the people, the climate, very well.

Another advantage is that Mercy's personality (and hair) is based on my daughter.  She's an eternal optimist and can find sunshine in the darkest of times.  I actually toned down the fictional Mercy a bit because I didn't think readers would find the real deal plausible.  I have to say, it was a joy to see this character bloom on the page.

But I didn't know much about 1890 in general.  The latest of my books is set in 1885, so I had quite a bit of research to do.  Here are a few tidbits;

Mercy and Patience are from Lawrence, Massachusetts.  Believe me, relocating to Owyhee County would've been a culture shock for Mercy.  But she'd have gotten off the train at Nampa, Idaho, and the depot was brand new.

Train Depot in Nampa, Idaho

Mercy and Patience think they'll be able to visit back and forth since Washington abuts Idaho.  So once they get to Idaho, the vastness of the land is a bit overwhelming.  The entire state of Massachusetts is only 10,555 square miles.  Owyhee County alone is nearly that size.

And here's a little about the book:

MERCY, BRIDE OF IDAHO 

American Mail-Order Brides #43 

One woman bent on saving her family. One rancher determined to save his own heart. Is her love enough to save them all? 

Mercy Eaton has come to Idaho to marry the man of her father’s choosing in order to help her family make ends meet back home. She just knows it’ll all work out. That's what she's told her sister and her traveling companions all the way from Massachusetts to Owyhee County, Idaho. Then she meets her groom. He's seventy years old. She nearly faints. 

Quill Roderick has no intention of marrying. Ever. As far as he’s seen, women leave—first his mother, then his great-aunt, then his first flame. Quill sees no reason to open his heart again, especially to some mail-order bride his crazy old uncle brought for him. But Mercy tempts him like no other with her unruly long red hair, sunshine smile, and the most alluring eyes he's ever seen. Can he keep his heart barricaded from this dangerous fireball, or are her kisses the master key needed to unlock his heart to a whole new world... Love. 

The book is available to read for free if you're subscribed to Kindle Unlimited!

Hearts of Owyhee series

Hearts of Owyhee

Much Ado About Madams

Much Ado About Marshals

Much Ado About Miners

Much Ado About Mavericks

Much Ado About Mustangs

Amazon Author Page

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2016, HERE I COME!

By Caroline Clemmons

Welcome 2016. I hope this New Year brings new opportunities, health, prosperity, and happiness for you and yours.

How has your year started? Are you happy to launch into the adventure of the coming year, or sorry to see the old year pass away?  I look forward to the New Year. In addition to writing, we have plans to do a little remodeling on our home, and our daughter with the severely broken leg is healing. She’s eager to go home, but is stuck at our house for now.

Next week, Geri Foster, Sylvia McDaniel, Kathy Shaw, and I will go to a house on a local lake for a writing retreat. There’s an amazing fireplace so we’re hoping for cold weather. We’ll plot new books, spend time writing, and—probably most of all—laugh and recharge. (Adult beverages and chocolate will be involved.) In spite of our silliness, we so look forward to these sessions and accomplish an amazing amount of work. Talking over plots and marketing with like-minded authors is wonderful for exchanging ideas and invigorating our dedication to rear-in-chair-fingers-on-keyboard.

Kathy Shaw holds the plotting board in
front of the fireplace at our 2015 plotting retreat

One venture in which I’m involved now is a project called the Glass Slipper Sisterhood. Fifteen authors (including moi) have joined to cross-promote our contemporary Cinderella-type stories. You can get the CINDERELLA TREASURE TROVE containing excerpts from these fifteen books, recipes, games, and party ideas for FREE! 

Each of the fifteen is a different take on the Cinderella theme and authors and includes:

Cinderella’s Enchanted Night by Amber Daulton – Annalise wanted just one night with Elijah, but will an antique locket and a bit of Cinderella magic fulfill her every dream?

Cinderella had it Easy by Jennifer Conner – Cami only has 24 hours in her Cinderella body. Will she keep hiding or can she learn how to live life?

Cinderella Series – The Collection by Kae Elle Wheeler – Said the fairy godmother, ”True sisters will always find their way, no matter.”

Cinder the Fae by Rebecca R Garniere – When Prince Rome’s father initiates a contest to win him a wife, Cinder finds herself having to fight sixty other females for his heart while trying to keep the evil vying for the crown from destroying them all.

Fairy Tale Flirts by Lisa Scott – She’s an unappreciated housekeeper with an eye for designer goodies. Can Cindi get her dream shoes and her dream guy? A sweet, funny modern take on Cinderella.

Fooling Around with Cinderella by Stacy Juba – What happens when the glass slippers pinch Cinderella’s toes? When Jaine Andersen proposes a new marketing role to the local amusement park, general manager Dylan Callahan charms her into filling Cinderella’s glass slippers for the summer.

Home Sweet Texas Home by Caroline Clemmons – This modern Cinderella encounters problems even a fairy godmother couldn’t imagine.

Nobody’s Cinderella by Joan Reeves – A lie and a wish on a Christmas star…uh oh! This Cinderella should have been careful what she wished for!

Pumpkin: A Cindermama Story by Ines Johnson – Having given up on fairytales after falling for her toad of an ex, Pumpkin is afraid to take a chance on town royalty Manny who believes she may be his soulmate.

Savage Cinderella by P J Sharon – Kidnapped and left for dead, Brinn Hathaway survives for years in the wild, only to be drawn out of hiding by a young nature photographer who steals her heart. Now, Brinn must decide if coming out of hiding is worth the hope—and the danger—that may await her.

Second Chance Cinderella by Sharon Kleve – Raven St. James only has 24 hours in her Cinderella body. What will she do with it? Will she become the confident, strong, flirty girl she wants to be? Will she get the guy she has always wanted?

Spellbound Cinderella by Angela Ford – If you had your dream body for only 24 hours… What would you do? One magical pendant gives Tess one wish to use before the clock strikes twelve.

The Cinderella Princess by Melissa McClone – A scandal-ridden prince must marry a royal if he doesn’t want to be disowned, but he falls for the American sent to find him a princess bride.

The Thin Person Inside by Rochelle Weber – Kristen Jensen never expected to fall in love when she finally decided to address her morbid obesity by seeking addictions treatment—let alone with a rock star.

Wishful Thinking by Lynette Sofras – A struggling single mother and a pop-icon turned Hollywood star meet in unusual circumstances. Fate drew them together, but the intrigue and trappings of stardom threaten to unravel love’s ties.

Some are sweet, some are hot. You choose. Better yet, choose to purchase all fifteen books! Find out about them when you get your FREE download of the CINDERELLA TREASURE TROVE at Amazon, http://amzn.com/B019E764YA and other online vendoes.

My book in this project is HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME. This is not a new book, but one I enjoyed writing. The setting is West Texas near where I grew up, so writing it raised a lot of memories for me.The heroine, Courtney, has a rags-to-riches experience that turns out much different than she expected. Even a fairy godmother couldn't have untangled Courtney's situation--she has to save herself. Her handsome neighbor Derek plays a major role in her story. Buy it at Amazon for $2.99. 

My plans for 2016 include western historical AMANDA'S RANCHER releasing on February 9, as well as stretching my fingers into multiple genres. I'll stick with the western historicals I love for DANIEL'S DETERMINED BRIDE, McClintocks book four, and for more of the Bride Brigade series. 

If you’re a member of my mailing list, I’ll keep you posted with new releases. If you’re not a member yet, you can join by clicking here and receive a FREE copy of the western historical novella, HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, for your effort.

In the coming year, I have plans for numerous contemporary and western historical romances containing humor, mystery, time travel, and always a happy ending. Does anyone know how I can get 36-hour days?