Launch Party with Lots of Prizes by @JoanReeves

Love, Christmas 2: Holiday Movies You Love

Today's post is short and sweet because I just got home from an extended trip to visit family.

This trip was to welcome my sister-in-law home after a month in the hospital, preceded by emergency surgery.

Even though it is going to be a long road to recovery--and there will be another surgery in the spring--I'm pleased to report she's doing well and is in good spirits. My brother is trying to catch up on his sleep.

A lot happened while I was gone which means I'm woefully behind on just about everything. Is your life like that? Go away for a week or two and spend the next month trying to catch up?

I'm proud to have one of my romances in Love, Christmas 2 which published today. This collection is only 99cents for 26 ebooks -- all new, never-before-published romances.

Watch the Video

Enjoy the video for this sequel to our immensely popular Love, Christmas 1, published in 2016. Please share it with your friends.



My book in this collection is Brianna's Season for Miracles.

Like all of the books in Love, Christmas 2, my story is a homage to a Christmas movie I particularly like.

I make it a point to watch A Season for Miracles starring Carla Gugino every Christmas. It's on my must-see list along with It's a Wonderful Life and The Ultimate Gift.

My daughter and I watch these movies together and cry together--always at the same scenes,

Here's a short blurb for Brianna's Season for Miracles

Brianna hides behind a seductive persona and avoids men like Daniel, afraid her secret might get discovered and fearful that she might end up wanting forever out of a relationship. But that doesn't stop her from falling in love with him.

Daniel already knows the secret she hides. He has a secret too. What will happen when Brianna discovers Daniel's secret?

Come join the fun!

Come to Our Facebook Party

On Tuesday, Oct. 16, and Wednesday, Oct. 17, we're celebrating with a Facebook Party.

Come and join the fun. We're giving away some really nice prizes--gift cards, jewelry, writing journals, books, and a lot more.

I'll be hosting the party from 2:20 (central time) until 2:40. So polish up your tiara and come join the fun.

FOLLOW or VISIT JOAN ONLINE

Joan Reeves lives her Happily Ever After with her Hero, her husband, in a book-cluttered home in Texas.

Visit Joan online at any of these locations: Amazon Author Page * BookBub Author Page * Facebook Fan Page * Twitter * YouTube * Joan's Website.

Be the first to know about Giveaways, Bargains, and New Books, sign up for Joan's Mailing List.

PROCRASTINATION 101

By Bea Tifton

Hello, my name is Bea Tifton, and I am a procrastinator. But we’ll get to that later.

Procrastination is a big problem with some people. They put off things that are absolutely necessary for life or adulting in general. Why? I read several articles on the Internet, so now I’m a certified expert. Just kidding. But they basically said the same things.

Woman Daydreaming
Photo by Nathan Dumlao for Unsplach

1.      Feeling overwhelmed. Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you didn’t know where to start? I just try to think of that saying, and the article even cites it, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” (I’m a vegetarian. No elephants were harmed in the writing of this blog post.) Break things into smaller tasks and give deadlines for each.

2.      Bad timing. Boy, is this a big one for me. I have two autoimmune diseases and a heart problem, so there are times when just getting the trash and the recycling out that week are major accomplishments. (No, really. I text my mother and my best friend to brag about it.) I’ve learned to do what I can at my peak times, late afternoon to evening, and to work more on my good days. It takes planning, but I give myself permission to take care of my health and my body on my bad days, too.  The experts suggest you choose your best times and do the task then.

Working In The Afternoon
Photo by rawpixel for Unsplash

3.      Hating the task. Yes, even though I love cleaning out the litter boxes and mopping up the occasional accident from the “I’m not going out there to poop today. Have you seen how hard it’s raining?” syndrome, I must admit I would love to put it off. One solution is to reward yourself when you’ve finished your onerous to do list.

4.       Lacking focus. This one would be so easy for me. I’ve had to retire from education much earlier than planned, and it would be so easy to fall into the trap of wandering around, watching Brit Box and reading all day. That’s what some people think I do, I‘m sure. But there’s that one little snafu. Trying to keep the lights on and the fridge full takes income.  I’ve read that setting goals is the key. I have to do so myself. I even put them on my calendar as little reminders so the notifications pop up, keeping me accountable.

5.      Being afraid of failure. This one is the reason I always heard for procrastination. I am a type A personality and a perfectionist, despite the modifications I’ve had to make to my lifestyle. If I don’t turn it in, it’s not going to be rejected. That’s when I have to employ the, “What’s the worst that could happen” scenario. As a writer, I can come up with some very entertaining ones, but then I get down to a more mundane reality and realize that it’s not that big a deal, but that not turning something in or completing something around the house would make me feel far worse.

Does knowing why I’m doing something make it all better? Why, of course it does. In a perfect world. No, of course not, but it does make my overly analytical mind think, “Okay, this is why I’m doing this. Now STOP IT!” I can give myself that mental kick. 

What about you? Do you ever procrastinate? What helps you?

Sources Cited:

Frankton, James. “The 4 Main Causes of Procrastination Revealed.” Motivation Grid, June 29,     2014.

White, Doug and Polly. “4 Reasons people Procrastinate and a Cure of Each One.”           Entrepreneur,             May 16, 2017.

Memory...I Wish I Had One by Paty Jager

My rusty wheelbarrow flowers.

I had a great idea for this blog while I was semi-listening to my husband talk on the phone to a parts store. But now that I'm sitting in front of my keyboard the whole thing completely flew out of my brain.

That is the hardest part about being a writer. You get brilliant ideas in the worst places. I learned after several times driving tractor and having great ideas come to me; I needed to carry a notepad and pen with me when I did any tractor work. Otherwise, when I'd try later to write it down the whole thing would be fuzzy or lost completely.

The other day, I made sure I had my phone with me while I painted the side of the house and the dog house. When I do mindless jobs, my brain opens up and ideas hit. Sure enough. I had two ideas for mystery books come to me. I pulled out my phone, hit the notes app, and the mic and recited my thoughts then and there. That is the best way to use technology in my opinion. Being able to just recite a thought and it is there for you to capture later. My phone may be a pain otherwise, but for making sure I get my ideas down, it's awesome!

While I was driving to town- I have a 40 minute drive to town- I came up with two better plots for the next two Silver Dollar Saloon books and discovered a better plot for the second book in my new mystery series. But it was all hands free other than turning on a recording device, which requires one swipe of my thumb on the side and to hit one button on the front of the device as it sits on the console between the front seats. When I am driving by myself, I always take my recording device and clip my lapel mic to my collar before heading out. That way I can capture any thoughts or scenes that come to me as I'm driving.

With as bad a memory as I have, I've had to come up with ways to not lose ideas. When my children were small and even now they talk about things we did and I can't remember them. Over the years I've told them that part of my memory was fried when I was a child. Which could be true. At age four, I had mumps that went into encephalitis. All I remember of the whole thing was my dad carrying me into the doctor's office and then my grandmother spoon feeding me vanilla milk shakes. To this day, I don't care for vanilla milkshakes. But because I have trouble remembering much of my childhood and even adult events and happenings and tend to live more in the moment than on memories, I think some of my memory storage was affected. Anyway, a whole different story.

Back to remembering. I have readers who remember my books better than I do, which is kind of frightening since I made the characters and settings up and they should be something that is ingrained in my brain, I'd think.

One thing I do remember are the kind words readers say about my books and how I am able to give them a few hours to get away from their worlds and enter mine.

How is your memory? Do you remember a lot about your childhood and raising your kids or are your memories vague for a lot of that time?

Here is my new release.
Dangerous Dance

Book eleven in the Shandra Higheagle Mystery Series

Jealousy… Drugs… Murder…

At the reservation to make final arrangements for her upcoming wedding, potter Shandra Higheagle gets caught up in the murder of a young woman about to turn her life around. 

Having no jurisdiction on the reservation, Detective Ryan Greer pulls in favors from friends in the FBI to make sure there is no delay in their wedding. 

However, the death occurs in a sacred place and could place the nuptials on hold. Following the clues may not only stop the wedding... But separate Shandra and Ryan for life. 

Universal Buy Link: https://www.books2read.com/u/mKKB7d

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 34 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. Her Shandra Higheagle mystery series has been a runner-up in the RONE Award Mystery category, and a finalist in the Daphne du Maurier. This is what Mysteries Etc says about her Shandra Higheagle mystery series: “Mystery, romance, small town, and Native American heritage combine to make a compelling read.”


blog / website /  Facebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest   / Bookbub

Autumn Getaways in the Midwest! #Halloween #Ghosts & More

Hello Friends, Fans and Followers of Smart Girls Read Romance. We're thrilled you stopped by in the 'spooky' month of October.

Autumn is a great time to plan a fall get-a-way. You won't find lovelier places to visit than the Midwest. Before trees shed their leaves in preparation for winter, they often put on a brilliant display of color...deep burgundy, buttercup yellow and sunburst orange.

Here's hoping you take time to schedule a short vacation this fall and enjoy the same beauty depicted in this image from the state of Wisconsin.

Many small towns hold fall festivals and Halloween galas meant to attract not only local residents but adventure-seeking tourists. I can't list all the links of special getaways in the Midwest, but below I covered some spectacular events in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota (Click on the links for more information). Better yet, Google "Autumn Getaways (insert your State name here)".

Happy Fall, Happy Halloween and sincere thanks for visiting Smart Girls Read Romance! 

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Blue Harbor Beer Festival, Sheboygan, WI

Jester Park Equestrain Center, Iowa

Scenic City Empress Boat Club, Iowa

Fall Family Camps, Ely, MN

Itasca State Park, Park Rapids, MN

Of course I want to tell you about my latest SPOOKY release on October 1^st.

Like many of my books, COMES A SPECTER, Book 2, Ghostland Series, has a sinister ghost. One reviewer said the specter scared the bejeebers out of her, (She still gave it 5 stars.)

"I can't recall the last time I read such a fascinating ghost story, especially one that is steeped in ancient traditions of Native Americans, particularly the Blackfoot tribe. It's rare I come across a paranormal story that is rich with tradition and that those traditions are called upon to expel the evil wrecking havoc in an otherwise normal world."

About Comes A Specter:

Western Historical/Paranormal

Six months ago, Anya Fleming's ten- year-old son, Willie-boy, found his father hanging in the barn. Traumatized over his father's suicide, the boy hasn't spoken a word since. Now, Willie-boy has come down with a grave, unknown illness and there's only one man who can save him, Sutter Sky, a learned Blackfoot shaman known as Yellow Smoke—a shaman who was once deeply in love with Anya.

But Fate had other plans for Anya and Sutter—she was forced to marry Lewis Fleming, a cruel man who berated her night and day, and brokenhearted Sutter immersed himself in the mystical customs and beliefs of his People and became a healer.

As if Anya didn't have enough to deal with after her husband's death and son's illness, an evil, sinister ghost is terrorizing their ranch. Anya is convinced the spirit is Lewis, who apparently isn't done making her life miserable.

When she turns to Yellow Smoke for help, will he put side his bitterness and save Willie-boy? And can the renowned shaman dispel the powerful ghost from their lives and send him back to Hades?

AMAZON

First Signing - Lessons Learned

**I've made some edits to this post - writing it on my iPhone was very difficult since I have a lot of sight issues... please forgive the original typos**

Sitting in a hotel, about to fall asleep, because tomorrow I fly home to Hawaii. Yesterday, I had my first book signing. Leading up to it that morning, my stomach was in knots and laughter was easy, but it came from a nervous place in my chest.
I was so pleased to be sitting near some amazing authors who had done signings before. They helped me with a lot of little things that I had never known or thought about!
That’s one thing about being an author. I’ve met some of the most amazing and giving people.

And I loved the conversations with them as much as I enjoyed meeting readers. Both sides of a very inspiring and delightful coin.

Living in Hawaii, it takes quite a bit of effort to get to these events, but I have to say it was worth everything it took to get there!
Keynote Speeches from authors as inspiring as they are talented... from Marina Adair’s inspiring story of love to Denise Grover Scott’s tremendous story that rang true in my head and chest and helped me see that my own struggle is shared by others.
Romance books inspire countless people and those same stories inspire the authors who write them.

When I get home, I will add more to my blog, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m going home with a brand new focus and inspiration.

Accountability by Carolyn Hector

Accountability 

by

Carolyn Hector 

I love to start with the accountability I try to hold my boys to. If you do something wrong, own up to it. The punishment for lying is a lot worse than just confessing to the misdeed. Case in point, the same 14-year old with the guinea pig incident.... witnessed something at school. The incident could have cost a worker his job. Z turned in an incident report taking up the side of his friend. The principal called us in to have a talk with him with us there. Turns out, what he saw and said in front of the principal was something completely different on the paper he wrote. The worker is fine...BUT when we asked Z why he said something different in the paper.. he said he didn't write it, his friend did and he only signed his name to it without reading what it said.

*Le Sigh* Perhaps it is time for new friends who uphold you rather than bring you down, eh?

Speaking of friends and accountability....

Right about now I’m sitting in a house on a lake with my fellow writing gal pals.

Of course I’d nevvvver tell the secrets of the Lake House…. Not really. But I will say.. these writing sprints are keeping me in check. I was winning at one point but Jillian Chantal beat me the last go-round. 

So this blog is going to be uber short because we have another sprint coming up. Hi-jinx are sure to follow. 

I guess what I want to say is,... always surround yourself with greatness.... I keep trying. Hopefully it will rub off on me and I'll be great too. 

XOXO

Her Mistletoe Bachelor

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Writers, Movers, Travelers #WFcon2018 @JacquieRogers #familylife

Writers, Movers, Travelers 
by Jacquie Rogers

September went by without a blog post from me.  Sorry about that--I didn't even give my computer a glance because we were smack dab in the middle of a 500-mile move.  The packers came in like a swarm of bees and packed nearly everything (except three books of the encyclopedia set, and numerous other stray items), including our duffles that we'd packed for the week without our stuff.  That meant Mr R had no underwear!  Luckily, he had some in the washer that he rescued.  As terrible as the packers were, we had a top of the line mover.  Gary Nelson of Merchants in Hamilton, Montana, and his friend and fellow driver Tom were top-notch.  Kudos too to the Boise crew who unloaded.

Left: Honey tried to hitch a ride with Zack, one of the guys who unloaded the moving van.
Right: The unloading crew in their best Charlie's Angels pose.

Left: Honey seemed to take a liking to Zack!
Center: And Tom, who drove the second truck.  I think he folded at least 500 moving pads!
Right: Gary, who saved the day.  The packers were horrid but Gary, the lead driver, was extra helpful.  I'd recommend his company to anyone.

We're in a mess now.  I'm not even going to show you how much.  Maybe next month.  Right now, we're still discovering broken and mangled things because of the "packing."  Actually, they just shoved things in boxes with no regard to anything other than getting out of there in a third of the time that was allotted to them.  That would be Bekins in case you're wondering.

So then we took off for an event that we'd planned to attend for a year.  In fact, I was program director.  That would be the Western Fictioneers convention in Oklahoma City.  Yes, it's a ways from Idaho!  One of my best pals Diane Garland came from Seattle, and sister-of-my-heart Caroline Clemmons drove up from Texas.  The whole convention was organized by author/singer/songwriter Vonn McKee.  Here are a few photos:

Left: Johnny Gun, Honey Beaulieu, and Big Jim Williams
Center: The lot of us waiting for James Reasoner and Bob Vardemon to speak.
Right: Mustache night.  Caroline Clemmons on the left, Diane Garland on the right.

I have to put up with a lot from Diane Garland!

Left: Diane Garland and me. 
Center: Waiting for my yoga teacher. 
Right: Director Diane setting Honey up for a photoshoot.

After the marvelous Western Fictioneers convention, Mr R and I headed to Missouri to visit my cousins Jim and wife Cheri, Cheri's folks Jim and Mary, and my cousin Anna.  We originally had planned a big doin's but people couldn't make it so it was just us, and it turned out that we had a super good time.

Left: Banjo Jim and his wife marry (seated).  Jim made that banjo and it's a work of art.
Right: Honey Beaulieu enforcing the Cowgirls Only parking zone.

Honey Beaulieu with the Branson Belle Showboat cast.  Very talented performers!

Mr R, me, Anna, Cheri, Jim

Then we headed to Kansas City to visit with some longtime online friends.  I was so excited to meet Claudia Stephans for the first time!  We met with Brenda Randolf a few years ago but Claudia had been under the weather at the time.

Claudia Stephans, me, and Brenda Randolf in our best Andrews Sisters pose.

On the way back, we stayed at a hotel in Rawlins, Wyoming, and our waitress turned out to be an avid reader!  She was happy to meet Honey Beaulieu, and Honey helped her serve drinks for a while.

Left: Our server and sister booklover.  Right: Honey with a poster for a movie that she claims she should've had the leading role.

Writing?  No, I'm surrounded by piles and piles and piles of boxes and stuff I have no idea where to put or why we have it.  That's in between going to the store and buying stuff we need but already have and can't find.  Moving is so much fun.  I don't recommend going on a three-week trip four days after an out-of-state move, especially if that move requires two moving vans and a rental truck.

But I'm thinking.  The next story will be the third installment of The Muleskinners series.  The first two are out of print and I don't want to reissue until the third one is written.  After that, it's Honey Beaulieu #4: Crack Shot in Whiskey Gap.

My latest release is  a story titled A Family for Polly, and it's connected to A Family for Merry by Caroline Clemmons (read hers first, then mine) in a boxed set Under a Mulberry Moon.  So far, the reviews have been good.  Get your copy while it's only 99¢!

Before that book, I released the sixth book in the Hearts of Owyhee series, Much Ado About Mail-Order Brides.

ravenmyst33, Amazon Reviewer: "Jacquie Rogers has done it yet again! There isn't a book in this series that isn't full of fire, fun and love. The McKinnon family rocks from the parents all the way to the youngest son. But Bram? HAS to be my favorite. LOVE that cowboy!! Thank you, Jacquie for letting me fall in love in this world of mail-order brides, grooms, and in a wonderful setting. Hope that there are still a few stories left to tell in this series. I'll read every last one of them!"

Happy Halloween, and Happy Reading!

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