Happy Holidays

The picture above is of my niece, Snow White. It was taken in December of 2008 for their Christmas cards. Tonight when I reminisced over some pictures, I came across this one and thought I would share it with you. She's grown so much since then...hasn't she?

Tomorrow we're off to Little Rock to spend a few days with my family. I can't wait to see my niece and spend some quality time with her. She makes Christmas fun.

 I hope everyone has a very Happy Christmas and Holiday season. I'll see you before the New Year.

Daisie

Two years ago my dog, Daisie, passed away. I've been told that time heals all wounds, but in this case, I'm not so sure. I've experienced a lot of loss in my lifetime, but losing her, was one of the worst. She was my companion, my best friend and my four-legged child for many years and when she died, it definitely left a big hole in my heart. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss her and wish that she was still with us. I don't think that will change. Ever.

Anyway, today will be my day that I'll actually allow myself to be a little weepy, so I'll not be around much. I'll be hugging up to my husband and our other little four legged children and cherishing every moment we all have together, but there will always be someone that's missing.

We love and miss you, Daisie. Forever.



His Christmas Wish

His Christmas Wish is now out on audio at Silver Publishing's website!

You can check it out here:

https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/audio-books-c-84/his-christmas-wish-audio-p-422

Also, the amazing cover artist, Reese Dante is currently working on my upcoming release, No Greater Love, cover and I'm super excited about it! As soon as I get it I'll share it with you:)

Have a Happy Monday:)

Dippin' Dots and the Madness of Christmas

Tomorrow starts the Christmas madness for my husband and I. We're going to incredibly small town of Keo, Arkansas (this will be a first for me) to celebrate Christmas with my husband's side of the family and next weekend we'll be with my side of the family. I have to confess, that family gatherings stress me out a little. When I'm with a group of people, even family, I have a tendency to become quiet and introverted. I've always been more of an observer than anything else, so most of the time I can be found sitting in the corner somewhere, watching others. It's really kind of funny because my husband is very extroverted and is often the life of the party. I do wish I had that particular trait to my personality, but unfortunately I don't. Still...it is fun watching him have fun.

My niece, Snow White, went to see Santa this week and I thought I would share her picture that was taken with him. It's unbelievable how much she's grown this year! As you can tell, she's going through the 'fake' smile phase, so some of her pictures here lately have really cracked me up! When Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas she told him she wanted "Dippin' Dots" ...isn't that funny? Only my niece would ask for ice cream for Christmas. LOL!!!



Have a great weekend:)

Got Mistletoe?

Happy Saturday, Friends:)

This has been a semi-productive week. I'm starting to feel better and finally able to do a few things. On the plus side, I've done some reading this week and that's always enjoyable. :)

In the past couple of weeks, I've had several very nice people write me to tell me that they've just read my first Christmas story, Got Mistletoe?, and how much they've fallen in love with the characters Ryan and Blake. This will be the third Christmas that Got Mistletoe? has been released and it really warms my heart that readers still love that story enough to take the time to write me and tell me that.

One of the questions that I've been asked about it is if there will be another story continuing Ryan and Blake's story. To be honest, when I finished the it several years ago I had intentions of writing more about this couple, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I've decided as soon as I finish edits on my January release, No Greater Love, and completing on my current WIP, I will start the sequel to it. I'm actually pretty excited about revisiting these characters and seeing where they take me this time.

Here are a few facts about Got Mistletoe?:

I started writing Got Mistletoe on September 11, 2009 and submitted it September 15, 2009.  To this day, it's the fastest book I've wrote, next to The Sweet One, which I also started and finished in five days.

I received the acceptance letter and contract from Dreamspinner Press on September 18, 2009.

To this day, one of my favorite characters that I've created is Ryan Jolly.  His sweet disposition and zest for life was something I thought was different about some of the heroes that are portrayed today.  At the time, I had an Internet friend that was always upbeat and happy and he made everyone that was around him feel happy too.  Although I have never met him, I've pictured him being the type of person that was not only cute and adorable on the outside, but on the inside as well. So it's because of him that Ryan was born and Got Mistletoe? was written.  To this day, I still believe that Ryan’s sweetness and zest for life made him very suitable for a Christmas story.

When I started Got Mistletoe? I was constantly in contact with my mother and sister. I don't know how many times I practically blew up the phone lines calling them to see what their thoughts were about what I had just finished writing. If it wasn't for them, I don't think I would have had the courage to finish and submit it. So in many ways, I owe my writing career to both of them and I will always be extremely grateful that I had their support and encouragement during the entire process.

I want to thank all of my readers and wish them a very happy weekend and week ahead.

For those who might not have read it...here is the blurb and excerpt of Got Mistletoe?:

Blurb:

Blake Roberts just wants to buy some wrapping paper and go home. That changes when he's surprised by a super center employee keeping the Christmas spirit alive by singing and doing some impromptu dance moves. Ryan Jolly is bouncy and a little flamboyant... and Blake is immediately smitten with him. Despite being total opposites, Blake's heart is captured by Ryan’s bubbly personality and sweet smile, and when attraction flares between them, Blake starts to hope his new Christmas wish--to spend more than the holiday with Ryan--might come true.

Excerpt:

“OHHH… the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is sooooo delightful, and since we’ve no place to go… let it snow, let it snow, let it snooooow….” Ryan sang as he grabbed the last of the small boxes of twinkling lights and started stacking them neatly on the shelf.

“Ryan! Spare me, please!”

Ryan laughed as he slowly spun around to face his best friend, carrying yet another huge box of lights to be stocked on the already overcrowded shelves.

 Angela was always a sight for sore eyes, even if she was being grouchy. Her long brown hair was put up haphazardly with a sparkling red clip. Her sweet, round face always had a rosy flush to her cheeks, and her dark eyes glittered with mischief.

Ryan took the box from her arms, set it down, and grinned at her as she put her hands on her ample hips. “Angel babe, you know you love my singing,” he said as he puckered his lips and made kissing noises at her. She laughed and shook her finger at him.

"Honey, just because you like Dean Martin doesn’t mean you can sing like him! Besides, I’ve never seen Dean Martin wear reindeer antlers while he crooned “Let it Snow” on any of his Christmas specials he used to have every year.” Angela reached up and flicked one of the antlers on top of his head, causing the bells to start jingling.

“And, he’s the lesser man for it,” Ryan teased as he wrapped Angela up in his arms and dipped her backwards, causing her to laugh, just like he intended for her to do.

 He heard someone behind him clear their throat.

“Excuse me, I hate to interrupt the newest solid gold dance moves, but could you tell me where the wrapping paper is?”

The smooth and slightly tense masculine voice washed over Ryan from behind. Angela immediately disassembled herself from Ryan’s arms and stood there looking over Ryan’s shoulder with a slightly embarrassed smile on her sweet face.

Ryan slowly turned around, and had to stop himself from gasping with pleasure.

Standing a couple of feet from him was the most beautiful man Ryan had ever seen. At five foot seven inches, Ryan was used to men towering over him, but not like this man. Tall, dark and handsome definitely fit the bill for describing the stunningly beautiful man before him. Beneath a wealth of gorgeous black hair shone the bluest eyes Ryan had ever laid eyes on. They seemed to twinkle from within. His smooth olive skin, tousled hair and five o’clock shadow gave him that sexy, just-got-out-of-bed look that Ryan always found so adorable. He was dressed casually in a worn brown leather bomber jacket, red T-shirt and jeans that were so old and tight, they hugged his muscular thighs and encased a prominent bulge at his crotch that made Ryan want to fall to his knees and worship the ground he walked on. He was gorgeous, and Ryan knew he was totally and utterly in love.

The man’s full lips formed a half-smile and he cocked his head to the side as he looked expectantly at Ryan, as if waiting for something.

Ryan felt himself cringe as he felt the unwanted heat of a flush come over his face and body. Damn! Being a natural redhead definitely had its drawbacks. Ryan knew his face was probably as red as Rudolph’s red nose, which caused him to blush even more.

The man’s crooked smile turned into a full one, causing his blue eyes to light up and small wrinkles to appear beside each, proving that this gorgeous hunk of a man smiled often. Between his brilliant white smile and ocean blue eyes, Ryan found himself immediately captivated with him.

“Can we help you?” Angela asked, apparently not having any trouble finding her own voice.

 The man looked slowly from Ryan to Angela, and his smile dimmed a little.

“Could you point me in the right direction of the wrapping paper?”

God, even the man’s voice was amazing, deep and smooth, with a slight Southern accent. Ryan would bet his measly year’s worth of salary that the sexy man standing before him could sing “Let it Snow” and women as well as men would be throwing themselves at his feet to hear more.

“Um, well, I’m not exactly sure where it’s located at, but my associate Ryan would be more than happy to show you where you need to go,” Angela said sweetly as she indiscreetly shoved Ryan in the right direction, bringing him out of his trance.

Feeling totally off balance, Ryan felt himself flush even more as he stumbled toward the man. God, even his feet weren’t working right!

The man reached out and grabbed Ryan lightly by the arms, keeping him from stumbling further into the man himself. Through the warmth of the handsome stranger’s hands, Ryan felt a tingling sensation from the top of his red hair to the tips of his toes. “Are you all right?” that deliciously deep voice asked softly, causing Ryan look up into those concerned blue eyes. Ryan could feel the warmth of the man’s hands through his long sleeved T-shirt as he started rubbing his hands up and down Ryan’s arms, as if to soothe any pain away.

He’s talking to you! Say something, idiot!

Ryan cleared his throat and attempted to smile at the man.

The man smiled back and slowly let go of Ryan’s arms as he took one small step back as if to put some space in between them.

“Ooops! Sorry about that! I must’ve had too much eggnog during break,” Ryan joked, as he shrugged his shoulders and smoothed down his “Got Mistletoe?” T-shirt.

The man laughed.

Oh my God, he’s got a gorgeous laugh too!

“That eggnog will get you every time!” the man said, almost reaching out to touch Ryan’s shoulder but stopping himself midway.

At the sound of the stranger’s joyful laughter, Ryan felt happiness flow through him and a genuine smile come across his face.

How can it already be December 6th?

I'm ready to get into the Christmas mood. It doesn't help that I've been sick on and off for over a month, but today I'm actually feeling better so I hope I'm finally about to get over this cold/flu that has held onto me forever.

For over the past week, my husband has also been under the weather so it's really been pathetic at the Anderson household. We just look at each other, cough and hope that the other person will get up off of the couch and fix the other one something to drink or eat. LOL!!!!!

This weekend we plan on doing some decorating and wrap the gifts we've bought. A lot of our friends already have their tree trimmed and house decorated, so we're already two steps behind everyone else. It seems like everyone starts decorating earlier every year, which is normally fine with me because I love the twinkling lights and the spirit of Christmas. It's just taking me a little longer than normal to get there.

Happy Friday and my interesting Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a festive holiday last week. I had a blast spending time with my grandmother, but I admit that although I did have some nice moments spending time with my family in Little Rock, I was definitely ready to come home.

One bad thing was my mother was sick on Thanksgiving. Instead of postponing it, she decided to do the big dinner anyway. I begged her to put it off because of two reasons.
One: When you're extremely sick the last thing you want to do is cook a huge meal.
Two: I didn't want everyone else to get it.

Thanksgiving dinner was really good, but as soon as my husband and I finished our meal we immediately went outside to start putting lights on my mother's house. Over the years my sweet and very agile husband has graciously put lights on my mother's large two story house. Because her house has many peaks and because the roof is not level, he can't just get on top of the house and put lights on that way, instead he has to do however much he reaches every time he goes up and down the ladder. This way unfortunately takes time. A LOT of time. So, he and I spent the rest of the day and into the evening putting lights on her house. On the plus side, it looked really good when we were finished with it and my mother loved it, so it was worth the time and effort we had to put with it.

Another thing that happened was I totally came out about my writing to my extended family. My mother, grandmother, stepfather, sister, brother in law and a few cousins already knew about my writing. Almost all of them own my books and are very supportive of me. Well, my stepsister and her husband and kids didn't know about it. My mother and I were talking about it when they walked up and overheard some of our conversation. I told them about my books and that I write AND read gay romances and my step sister's husband about had a fit. Basically, he told me that I was going to hell in a hand basket and that it's bad enough that I write romances (he actually called it porn) but now that he knows that I write GAY romances I'm doomed to fry in hell for all eternity. He was so upset he left the dinner early. Well, I was glad to see him go, but sad that he's homophobic religious zealot that doesn't have a clue about how beautiful love truly is. How sad it must be to have such hatred and...well fear in his heart. I hope that one day he'll wake up and realize that love is love irregardless of race or gender. At least that's how my God intended it to be.
Of course we did the black Friday thing. We fought the crowd, bought a Wii cheap and finished our Christmas shopping and then went back to mother's house and crashed.

I woke up Sunday with a sore throat. Since then I've been sick. This is the third time in a month that I've had some sort of head cold/flu. Because I've gone through five...that's right...FIVE boxes of Kleenex this past month, I'm thinking of buying some stock with them...LOL.

On a positive note: I've completed my first round of edits for my upcoming release, No Greater Love. I'm super excited about this book and I'm working with a new editor whom I really like. I haven't heard from the cover editor yet, and I'm anxious to see what the cover will be.

I'm also excited and looking forward to reading some Christmas stories from some of my favorite authors this year!! I hope I'll be up to putting up the tree this weekend...if not it looks like it'll be another week. I don't know about y'all, but I'm ready for some Christmas cheer!!

I'll hopefully be posting some pictures from last week on here in a few days, in the meantime I thought I would post some eye candy and my baby girl.

Have a very happy weekend:)

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey y'all:)

For the past two days I've had a really great time with my grandmother. We've talked, watched the movie 'Water for Elephants' and have had an all around fun time together. I spent most of the day today cooking and getting ready for our trip to my mother's house tomorrow. 
Since I'll be away for a day or two, I thought I would wish everyone who celebrates it a Happy Thanksgiving.
I promise to take many pictures and post them soon.
Have a Safe Holiday and Happy Week Ahead.

Preparing for the busy week ahead...

Friends,

I was an exciting weekend on my blog. Amber Kell graciously allowed me to post a part of her ongoing story on Friday and my little blog lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July. I want to thank Amber Kell and her amazing fans for stopping by...it was a blast!

Today, I've been cleaning, doing laundry and preparing for my grandmother to spend a few days with us. I'm picking her up tomorrow and we'll stay here until Thanksgiving morning. We are driving to my mother's house for Thanksgiving supper and will be spending a few days there. As much as love spending time with my family, it's always stressful to me too. Plus, my loving husband always puts lights on my mother's massive house the day after the holiday and between the house lights and the lights and lawn ornaments in her yard, it's an all day affair. But, since my sister will be working on Thanksgiving this year, hubby and I plan on at least putting the lights on the house after we eat. This way it won't be such a long day on Friday.

Gosh, just thinking about it wears me out!

My sister sent me this picture of my niece and I had to share it. I swear I could stare at that smile all day and be happy doing it. Isn't she growing up fast? She's starting to lose that babyish look and more like a little girl. I have mixed feelings about this....

I plan on blogging before Thanksgiving, but if for some reason I can't, I would like to wish those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving a very happy one AND may all of you have a great week ahead.

*hugs*

Amber Kell's November Birthday Extravaganza!!

Happy Friday everyone!

Today, I have the honor of posting the 18th installment of Amber Kell's captivating free story, Accidental Alpha, on my blog as part of her fun filled month long birthday extravaganza!  It is truly an honor to be part of her birthday celebration and I want to thank Amber and welcome all of her amazing fans to my blog.

So, without further ado...here is Amber's 18th installment of Accidental Alpha!!

Accidental Alpha #18

Fenris watched Stanley’s parents battle for a while though he had no doubt Millie would get the upper hand. He almost felt sorry for the guy if the Overseer weren’t such an ass and trying to arrange Stanley’s life in a way that didn’t oppose Fenris’ claim.

“Are they always like this?” he whispered in Stanley’s ear. The slight shudder his mate gave over Fenris’ breath against his lobe made Fenris smile. The beautiful man was putty in his hands. Stanley might be a natural Alpha, but Fenris knew it would be his job to make sure things ran smoothly for his mate.

“Yeah,” Stanley whispered back.

Done bickering Millie turned back to Fenris. “I’m sorry my husband was so rude. You can’t help what family you were born into. Are you estranged from you family?” Her sympathetic expression almost made him lie.

“Um, no we’re actually pretty close,” he said with a rueful smile. “We get together once a week for dinner.”

The Overseer stayed silent during the gentle interrogation. Fenris almost wished the Stanley’s father would jump in and say something to draw attention away from Fenris.

“Tell me about them. Are both your parents still alive?”

“Yes, his father runs a import business and his mother sells drugs,” the Overseer drawled.

Sure now he talks.

“My mother is a pharmacist, not exactly a cocaine peddler.”

Millie gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry about my husband. He hates it when his plans don’t work. And your father’s import business what does he import?”

Fenris leaned back in his chair. “Mostly stolen goods. My cousins help him.”

Stanley stared at him with an appalled expression on his face. “Your father is a thief?”

He bit back a smile. He really was starting to enjoy himself. “Don’t you want me for a mate any more dear?” He dramatically batted his eyes at Stanley.

“I guess that depends on whether you help him or not,” Stanley’s eyes narrowed. For an adopted child he’d definitely picked up some of his father’s mannerisms.

Fenris bit his lip. His family secrets weren’t his to share. He’d have to check with his father firt. “Why don’t you wait for judgment until after you meet them?”

“Why don’t we have them over for dinner? I love to meet new people,” Millie gushed.

“You like to interrogate new people,” the Overseer muttered, loud enough for Stanley and Fenris to hear but quiet enough to be safe from human ears.

“I’m sorry sir, I didn’t catch that,” Fenris said politely. He’d vow to Stanley later that the devil made him do it.

“I said that was a great idea,” the Overseer said with a snarl.

If looks could kill Fenris would’ve died about ten minutes ago. He gave his father-in-law a cheery smile before turning to Millie. “I’m sure my parents would love to have dinner but I should warn you I have two sets of parents. Mine are divorced.”

“Oh,” Millie gave him a shocked look. “I thought wolves mated for life?”

Amber Kell is Coming!

Hi Y'all:)

GREAT NEWS!  My fellow Silver Publishing author, Amber Kell, is celebrating her birthday all through the month of November. As part of the celebration, she is sharing some of her ongoing free story with her fellow co-authors and their followers.

A part of Amber's ongoing story will be posted here on Friday the 18th! I don't know about y'all but I can't wait!

 Have a great day:)

Daylight Saving Time and a few updates

Tomorrow starts Daylight Saving Time so don't forget to set your clocks back an hour.

Since my last post, things have continued to be quiet. Ivan asked me when my next release is (Thanks for asking Ivan :) )  and since I never know when I can comment or not on Blogger, I  thought I would let all of y'all know that I don't have a release until January.  It's called No Greater Love and it's the first of three books in the Sons of Aphrodite series.

I also have a release in March. It's called Kissed By Death. It's a darker tone than what I usually write, so I'm nervous about how it's going to be received.

I don't remember if I told y'all that I'm doing NaNoWritMo this year. So far, I'm on schedule with my current WIP and I hope this continues. We'll have to see...

Have a great weekend:)

Snow White was an awesome Dorothy!!

Here's my amazing niece on Halloween. Many of you know that she is the apple of my eye. Every year she just gets smarter and sweeter and she's so darn beautiful (At least to us) she lights up a room as soon as she enters it. I'm so proud of her, and I'm thankful many of you often write me and ask me about her. So, I had to share some pictures of our Halloween with you.

As you can see, my niece made a stunning Dorothy. She really hammed it up all night long. Since my sister lives in this huge suburban neighborhood, there were hundreds of children trick or treating Monday night and even though there were many adorable looking children, I definitely believe that our little Snow White held her own. She really looked like a believable Dorothy and so many people were charmed by her. As she went door to door to get her candy, and after she said trick or treat, she would sing the first few sentences of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. This was so cute because her childlike four year old voice was so sweet, everyone loved her. We definitely made some beautiful memories Monday night and this past Halloween will always be counted as one of my favorites.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween:)

Isn't the picture of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers kissing creepy in a fascinating way? When I found it on the net for some reason I had to post it. The movie Halloween is something we make sure and watch every year. Is there a horror movie that you must watch on Halloween?

I'm still under the weather, but I'll be celebrating Halloween with Snow White today.I'm headed her direction and tonight I'll go with her as she goes Trick or Treating. In the past she's gone as a Disney princess, but this year she's going as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I can't wait to see her all dolled up! I still feel under the weather, but I can't resist going to see her. I'll post of pictures of her in her costume next week:)

I'm returning home Tuesday. For some insane reason I decided to join the craziness of NaNoWriMo this year. We'll have to see how it goes. If anyone would like to buddy me my link is:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/andi-anderson

Have a great holiday! Eat lots of Candy:)

Tissues, tissues and more tissues...

I've been extremely unproductive this week. I'm still feeling terrible so I've been living on the couch, surrounded by tissues, medicine and cough drop wrappings. I've watched more television this week than I have in months and I've barely been online longer than to check my email and check out a few sites. I'm keeping this one short because the couch is calling my name, I just wanted to briefly check in and see how everyone is doing. Hopefully, I'll be on the mend soon, but either way I'll be lurking around is anyone needs me.

I hope your week is going great.

Head colds and sweet cheeks

I'm still feeling under the weather. I've got a full blown cold and it's drained any energy or motivation to do a lot. So my current WIP has suffered these past few days. Eye Candy always makes me feel better so hence those sexy cheeks pictured above! LOL
On a positive note, I received a copy of my first audio book. I'm supposed to listen to it and tell them if I hear anything wrong with it. It should be an interesting process to hear my book, His Christmas Wish, being read to me...I'll let y'all know how it goes!

Pumpkins and Craft Shows

I had a really fun weekend. My mother, sister and niece came down Friday night and spent the weekend with us. We had a good time catching up and doing those things that we all do when we are reunited with our loved ones after spending some weeks apart.

My husband has started a new tradition with my niece. Up until last Friday, she had never helped carve a pumpkin before. Friday night, she and her favorite Uncle went and picked out two pumpkins came home and carved them. Uncle Boo (this is what she calls my husband) found a stencil of the princess, Snow White, and together they gutted, traced and then HE carved the pumpkin. It turned out really great and she was tickled about it and obviously had a wonderful time.

On Saturday, we got up early and went to the War Eagle craft show. We ate too much junk food, bought some Christmas gifts and all and all had a fun time. I hated to see them go Sunday, but in a way it was good because I have the beginnings of a head cold and started to feel rather yucky.

So now I'm nursing a sore throat, sniffles and a cough. Because of this, I can't seem to concentrate on anything, much less writing. I plan on taking lots of NyQuil and sleeping this off. I hope everyone had a great week. I'll post pictures of Snow White and her Uncle Boo later this week. In the meantime, Uncle Boo carved Pinhead and I thought I would share this masterpiece. It took him over two hours to carve it. I think it looks just like Pinhead. What do you think?

Have a great week:)

Eye Candy does a body good

Bleck! For the past couple of days, I've been feeling a little under the weather. I thought sharing a little eye candy might make me feel better.

Have a Spooktacular Week!

My husband and I had a really good weekend. Yesterday we celebrated our anniversary early and went out to eat and went to see the movie, Abduction, which ended up being a better movie than we both thought it would be. Today, we've done nothing but laze around the house all day.
One of the many things I love about my husband is that he's creative. He's pretty artistic, so every year he likes to carve several pumpkins throughout the month of October. As you can see, he just finished Michael Myers.
I think he did a pretty darn good job of it.

I hope everyone has a great Sunday and week ahead:)

Happy Weekend!

It's been a slow week for me. I've done quite a lot of writing and that's been a very good thing. It's really been a quiet week and that's been a good change.
I do have a couple of things going on next week...

First, my husband and I are celebrating our 9 year anniversary on the 12th. When I look back, I can't believe we've been together that long. He's really the best thing that ever happened to me. I've been a very lucky woman to have such a phenomenal man. I'm looking forward to at least 50 or so more.

Second, I'm thrilled that my niece and mother are coming up next weekend for a visit. There's a huge craft fair we're all going to next Saturday and it should be a lot of fun! Since this will be Snow White's first craft fair, it'll be interesting to see how she does.  Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to share too!

Y'all have a great weekend and happy week ahead.

*hugs*

Lucky

Last week my mother called to tell me that she and my stepfather were going to raise a two week old squirrel. You can imagine my surprise when I heard this. Yes, it's true both my mom and step dad are crazy about the wildlife that lives around their house. The animals are so used to being fed by them that it's not unusual for squirrels in particular to venture up onto their porch and take and eat peanuts from their hands.

My stepfather found this baby squirrel on the ground, abandoned last week. Apparently, the momma squirrel either kicked the baby out of it's nest or my mother said (hopes) that high winds somehow blew it out of it's nest onto the ground. When my stepfather spotted it, he immediately wrapped it up in a warm towel and took it to the local vet. The vet told him it looked to be around two weeks old and gave him instructions on what to do to feed and take care of it until it was at least 12 weeks old. The vet admitted that he didn't know a lot about squirrels, and he couldn't tell my stepfather if it suffered from any internal injuries or anything like that. He suggested that my mother and stepfather take care of it and then recommended for the squirrel to be released when it was old enough to take care of itself, because apparently squirrels DO NOT make good pets.

So, he brought the baby squirrel home, went to the local pet store and bought a lot of supplies and they started taking care of the newest family member of their household. Since my sister was working, my mother was also watching my niece, Snow White, and when four year old took one look at the baby squirrel she decided right then that she would be the official adoptive mother of the sweet little thing. She of course wanted to call it 'princess' but after a close examination, they decided since it was a boy they should call it Lucky instead.

For two days, my mother and niece did everything they were told to do to take care of the baby squirrel. Lucky was fed, taken care of and loved. My niece even cried when she had to go home. But, since she knew Lucky would still be there when she returned in a few days, she eventually went on home without much fuss.

I knew something was wrong when I got the first text message from my mother at midnight on Friday:

Little Lucky isn't going to make it....I think he is dieing. He's not eating and breathing with
a gasp. I hate it but I did everything I could for him. If he lives the next hour I'll be surprised.

Then fifteen minutes later she texts:

Poor little Lucky did die. I really hate it. He really didn't have much of a chance. He was a
sweet little squirrel. I wish I could have saved him.

I immediately called her and when she answered, she was crying. She kept blaming herself and was worried how Snow White was going to take it. Now, I don't know about y'all, but when my mother cries, I cry. I don't know why, but it's something that I've always done. So we both cried and I reassured her that they did everything they could for Lucky. In all honesty, Lucky probably had more love in the last 48 hours of his little life than he ever had.

Unfortunately, this was going to be one of those life lessons for my niece. The next day she was told about Lucky's passing and was devastated from the news. When my stepfather heard this, he wrapped Lucky in a hand towel, put him in a shoe box and buried him in the backyard. He then made a small cross and painted the word "Lucky" on it and put it on the grave. I thought this was very sweet. He wanted there to be a place where Snow White could put flowers and visit it should she want too.

Since then, my mother and I have talked several times and just by talking to her I realize that for a couple of days, Lucky brought joy and happiness to my mother, stepfather and a to my niece. It reminds me and my family that life is precious and that every minute of it should be cherished. In the end, I think it was fate that brought Lucky into my family's life and wherever he is, I hope he's happy, carefree and has more peanuts to eat than he can handle.

Have a great weekend!!

Hey y'all:)

I hope everyone has had a great week. Mine has been pretty good. I've been working on my current work in progress, Angel's Redemption, and so far everything has still been going pretty smoothly. I don't think I'll be finished with it by the end of the week though. Both of my main characters are being quite talkative, so I believe this book will be my longest to date. I have a feeling it's going to be around 40,000 words when completed.

I've been feeling bad all week. I've had some complications with my hysterectomy a couple of years ago and I've experienced some pain this week. So for the past two days I've been laid up on the couch when I've wanted to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather we've been experiencing here. Tonight, I'm still in some pain so it looks like I'll be going to bed shortly and hopefully sleep this pain off, and I hope I'll feel better tomorrow.

Until my next post, I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoy the eye candy. Aren't they sexy?

Happy Friday

Hello friends:)

Well, not much has happened this week. I've been working hard on my latest book, Angel's Redemption and I hope to have it finished by next weekend. Happily, the hundred plus degree weather seems to have passed us by here in the sticks. It's starting to cool off and even the nights are nice and chilly. Admittedly, I'm thrilled to say goodbye to summer. Honestly, summer is my least favorite season. Between the heat and humidity, I turn into a wilting flower when I'm outside so I have a tendency to hide in my dark, cool house until September. 

One crappy thing that's happened is my husband's job has cut out overtime. This is something they usually do every year around the holiday season, so we have to watch out nickels and dimes until the end of the year. Thankfully, I thought ahead this year and I've already bought Christmas gifts this year, so that won't be an added expense we'll have to budget for. Speaking of Christmas, my mother informed me a couple of days ago that Christmas will be celebrated at our house this year. Just thinking about cooking and getting everything in ship-shape makes me want to break out in hives. Thank god I'll have a few months to prepare for it!

I've been flirting with the idea of writing a paranormal/shapeshifter book. It seems to be the trend right now and I've had an idea floating around in my mind for a couple of weeks now. So I'm not sure if I'll jump on the werewolf bandwagon or not. I know I enjoy reading these types of books, but I'm not sure if I want to write one or not. What do y'all think? Do y'all enjoy shapeshifter books a lot or do you think these types of books are just a trend right now?

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend. We plan on hanging out at home, hubby might be going fishing and I hope to get a lot of writing done.  Heck, I might even leave the dark cave of my living room and sit on the back porch and enjoy the nice weather for a while.

Happy Labor Day!

Friends,

It's been a good weekend for me. We watched a few rentals and I did some writing. I've been working hard on my next Men of Charlestown book, Angel's Redemption, and my goal is to finish it within the next two weeks. Luckily, my muses have been both very talkative and cooperative so far. Let's hope that continues!

I also took some time to read Shawn Lane's latest book, Can't be His. I've never tried to hide that Shawn is one of my favorite authors. She's such a versatile writer she keeps me, as a reader, always guessing what kind of book she's written this time. She writes great angsty stories, but I also believe she writes wonderful sweet stories too. Since I needed a sexy, romantic story last night, Can't be His was a perfect read for me. I loved it and I hope y'all all check it out at Amber Quill Press.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day. I plan on cooking out, watching some television and doing a lot of writing! 

Happy Early Holiday Weekend:)

Friends,

Well, as all of you probably guessed, we made it back from Las Vegas safely. We left Friday morning and drove 23 hours straight through. Even though it was very tiring, it was worth seeing all of the beautiful desert and other things we don't normally get to see in Arkansas. As beautiful as the desert is, I don't think I could ever live there. The dry heat does something to my throat and I'd miss the lush trees and greenery of where I live.

Las Vegas was a lot of fun, but it'll probably be a while before we go back that direction. We had a horrible time finding a decent place to eat off the strip. Everything was overpriced and I wasn't happy about the huge amount of children there. (Thanks for the information about Vegas on my last post Shawn) We spent a lot of time sightseeing, so by the time our vacation had come to an end, we really were ready to come home. There is really nothing like sleeping in your own bed!

I started working on a Christmas themed story, but since my heroes are being too talkative for a short story, it looks like there will be no Christmas story from me this year. Instead, I'm writing on Angel's Redemption, that is going to be my next book in my Men of Charlestown series. It's a story about Jackson, who y'all met in Daniel's Dream, and Riley his new but mysterious and younger neighbor. So far I'm about seven thousand words into it and I think it should be between 30,000 and 40,000 words when it's complete. My goal is to have it completed by the end of September.

The other thing that happened on vacation was I turned another year older. It was a quiet birthday and I have to admit that I'm glad it was. After I turned 40 a couple of years ago, birthdays aren't as fun as they used to be! LOL!

I just signed my Cover Art contract for Kissed By Death. I can't wait for this book to be published! It's going to be the first of three books in my Kissed by an Immortal series and I'm anxious to see how everyone will like it. It has a darker feel to it than my other books, but it also has a very romantic side to it too. I still don't have an assigned date for when it's to be published, just sometime in 2012. As soon as I find out, I'll let y'all know!

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend! Since my husband is working overtime, I'll have plenty of time to write and watch a few movies on television. Have a great weekend and week ahead:)

Vegas, Criss Angel and Book News

Friends,

How is everyone doing? My honey and I have had a great holiday in Sin City. We left last Thursday morning around 1:30 AM and arrived in Vegas 23 hours later. We drove straight through with the exception of stopping to eat, gas and bathroom breaks. Both my husband and I were exhausted and extremely happy to arrive here and to FINALLY get out of the small car we own for more than a few minutes.

It's been so freaking hot here. Every day the temperature is over 100 degrees, which has been as hot as Arkansas weather, but the difference is the type of heat Vegas has versus Arkansas weather. For one thing, Vegas has a dry heat. Even though it's barely tolerable, it's still better than the intense humidity we have at home. Even though the heat isn't quite as bad, we decided to see Vegas mainly at night. So far, it's been a good decision for us because it's not as crowded and we can walk around the strip without the sun beating down on us the entire time.

One of the surprising things about Vegas has been the amount of children that are here. My husband and I were both shocked that people bring their kids here. Maybe this is an old fashioned way of thinking, but Vegas is so sexualized that I'd be afraid to take any minor here. This of course is my opinion. Please remember that I live three miles off a dirt road so seeing huge billboards with mostly naked women and other suggestive things practically does not exist where I live. I can't imagine my four year old niece being here, but that's just me. I'm not judging those parents that bring their children here at all. To each his own, and I'm sure if I lived somewhere other than a small town I'd think differently too.

One of the great things about Vegas has been the variety of people we've seen. I love seeing same sex couples walk the streets holding hands and even kissing. This is something I hope will hurry up and change where I live.

Since we are here on budget we've been doing more sightseeing than anything. We did go see Criss Angel's show. My husband is a huge Mindfreak fan, (I'm not) we decided that seeing him would be the big splurge we'd spend on ourselves. Well, one thing that I noticed about Criss was how small he is. On television he appears larger than life, so it surprised me to see what a small man that he looks to be in person. We sat two rows from the front of the stage and I have to admit that Criss really put on a great show. He's also better looking in person and he really enchanted the audience with his magic and bubbly personality. If you're ever in Vegas and like magic, I do recommend seeing him. Plus, he really inspired the writer in me and gave me a great idea for a story...

Speaking of books, Silver accepted my Kissed By Death Manuscript! YAY! I just signed the contract and it'll be published some time in 2012.

We'll be in Vegas until Friday morning. We'll be leaving here around six am and driving straight through home. If I don't post anything again until after I return home, I hope everyone has a great week.

Sin city here we come...

Friends,

It's been a hectic week for me. I've been writing like crazy to get my Christmas story completed. I'm still stalking my email in hopes that I'll hear something about my Kissed by Death submission, and so far I've heard nothing. UGH!

I'm also getting ready to go on vacation. We'll be leaving for Vegas in a couple of days and will be gone for over a week. Both of us are ready to get away from everything for a while. It'll be nice getting away from it all...even if it's for a few days.

I plan on posting some pictures of our trip next week and I'll also let y'all know when I find out if Silver liked Kissed by Death or not. The waiting really is the hardest part.

In the meantime, I thought a little eye candy might just start off the week with a bang:) The man makes tighty whitey's look good!

Have a great week:)

Sometimes we need something pretty to look at...

Hey Y'all:)

While I've been working hard on my current WIP, I'm still waiting to see if they liked Kissed by Death or not. I'll be checking my email constantly until I hear something. I hope I don't drive myself crazy in the meantime. LOL!

I also need to let y'all know that blogger is not allowing me to comment on my blog or other people's blogs. I've been to the 'help' department and apparently it's been happening to more people than myself. I'm trying to figure out what's going on, so in the meantime, please know that I'm reading all of my friends blogs and the comments you make on mine. Thank you for your comments. I really appreciate them.

I came across this picture and knew immediately that we all needed some delicious eye candy to gaze upon today. I hope you enjoy him...I sure have!

Have a great day!

My Reason to Smile

Hey Y'all:)

It's been a busy couple of weeks for me. I submitted a story to Silver Publishing called Kissed by Death. Now I'm obsessively watching my email like a crazed fan at a Adam Lambert concert. The waiting is always the hardest part. I'm nervous about this book because it's darker than my normal stuff. Also, it's a paranormal...but it's not a typical one. If it gets contracted I'll tell y'all more about it then. Until I find out one way or the other, please wish me luck!

My grandmother's birthday was a couple of days ago. We brought here out to our house and had a big birthday shindig out here. She had a blast and of course my niece Snow White was in rare form as usual! I managed to snag a picture of her and my two year old sheltie Lily. Both of them never fail to bring a smile to my face and I want to share one of my reasons to smile with you:)

We had a great time but now that every one's gone it's time to work on my current WIP and get it submitted hopefully by the end of the week.

I hope all of my friends here will stay out of this heat and have a great week ahead!

If you believe homophobia is wrong...

IF YOU BELIEVE THAT HOMOPHOBIA IS WRONG... REPOST THIS

((This is not something I wrote, but it touched me deeply so I'm reposting it))

I am the boy who never finished high school, because I got called a fag everyday

I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.

I am the prostitute working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.

I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.

We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time.

I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.

I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they could adopt me.

I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear.

We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men.

I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me.

I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.

I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men.

I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.

I am the woman who died when the EMTs stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual.

I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didnt have to always deal with society hating me.

I am the man who stopped attending church, not because I don't believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind.

I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love.

I am the person ashamed to tell my own friends im a lesbian, because they constantly make fun of them.

I am the boy tied to a fence, beaten to a bloody pulp and left to die because two straight men wanted to "teach me a lesson"

I am girl who had to break up with my lover because my parents found out it was another girl.


---IF YOU BELIEVE THAT HOMOPHOBIA IS WRONG... REPOST THIS

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!

Prayers for my Sister

My sister is sick again. She was recently promoted to another floor at the hospital she works at. In this area, she works with many kids who are extremely sick and contagious. When they promoted her, they told her she would constantly be sick until she built up immunities to these things and everyone who works on this floor stays sick on and off for at least a year.
Well, she's very sick again. If all of my friends here would keep her in our thoughts and prayers I would really appreciate it.
I hope everyone has a great weekend:)

The Birthday Girl

We just arrived home from Little Rock a few hours ago. We had a great time with my niece. Her party was a huge success and she had the time of her life! It was held a place called Party Central. It's one of those places where there are tons of blow up slides and places where kids can jump around in without getting hurt. She had a blast and the kids that were at her party did too. One of the funniest moments was when after everyone sang Happy Birthday to her and she blew out the candles, Snow White stood up and said, "Thank you for coming to my party everyone" and then she curtsied like a princess. The 'Princess in training' at Disney World must have paid off because she did this totally on her own. She really is a sweet little Princess!
The picture above is of her before her big party.





The second and third picture was taken yesterday at my mother's house. We gave her a small family pool party, and she had a blast. This is the first year she's really expressed any interest or had fun at my mother's pool. Before we know it, she'll be swimming like a fish! I love how excited she was as she blew out the four candles on the cake. I wish she always has this kind of enthusiasm and excitement about all of her birthdays and special occasions for the rest of her life.


I'm glad we're home. After I get some much needed sleep, tomorrow I've got tons of writing to catch up on. I'm excited about Daniel's Dream being released, and happy that it's number 6 on Silver's best selling list right now. YAY!




Have a great week, y'all!

Guess who's turning four next week...

Hey Y'all:)

Well it's been a good week. I finished my edits for Daniel's Dream and should be receiving my ARC copies for it sometime this week. Daniel's Dream was really a fun book to write. I really enjoyed revisiting the characters from His Christmas Wish and I'm looking forward to one day writing Daniel's own book.

I spent some time this week with my niece and sister. Snow White's 4th birthday is on the 15th of this month so we've been looking for things for her party. Her theme is rainbows, hearts and flowers so everyone who comes has to bring her a flower of some kind (they can even be flowers from a field) so she can put them in a special vase for her party. She's excited about it and I plan on posting some pictures of it next week so y'all can see how much she's grown since Christmas.(Pictured above)

We've been doing some home improvement projects at home too. We've put a very nice cover on our back porch and now we're looking for some nice lawn chairs to relax comfortably out there while we enjoy out backyard. But, after seeing some of the outrageous prices for lawn furniture, we're obviously still on the hunt for it. I couldn't believe that outdoor furniture is as expensive as some indoor furniture! How in the heck did that happen? I remember the days when you could find a very nice chairs for fifty bucks or so. Now they want a hundred or more! UGH! Maybe we should hit some thrift shops or something... :)





As soon as I receive my ARC copies of Daniel's Dream I'll hold a contest for a freebie. I hope everyone has a great weekend:)