2024 was a crazy year. For the past year and a half I have been busy writing my series Monsters and Muses. I don't remember when the first book, Demons and Sunshine was born, but there it was one day, words eagerly sliding across the page. It was intended just for my pleasure - I've written since I was child - short stories, poetry, but nothing nowhere near a novel. 

Finally I decided to publish Demons and Sunshine. Thus, began the most stressful but rewarding time of my life. I learned a lot, unfortunately after I'd published the first novel. I need to redo it, but right now I'm heavily involved in the editing of the second book; Fortune Teller's Promise: Colt and Ellie's story. Totally different than Cody and Paisley's but still paying homage to country music, strong troubled men, and women determined to save them. Though Colt's trouble may be a little different - he loves women, maybe a little too much as his four wives will testify.

Here are a couple of paragraphs just to excite you: 

“That hat can’t hide your handsome face, Cowboy.”

The young woman slipped onto the stool beside him, and he looked at her. Thick short straight white-blonde hair with the ends dyed bright blue hit the middle of her fragile swan-like neck. She had an enchanting elfin face with big gorgeous deep green eyes framed with thick darker lashes. Her face was artificially decorated with three hoops in a golden eyebrow, a nose ring, and a diamond to one side of her full pink pouty mouth. 

“Just who do you think I am little Pixie?”

She leaned closer and he noticed the tight jeans and black lacy bra visible beneath the racer back blue tank top, leaving her shapely arms and shoulders bare. Colt was six feet, and she was tiny, probably not much over five feet. A slim compact little body with curves right where he liked them and a voice straight out of the south. However, she was far too young for him.

“Colt Franklin is who I’m looking at.”

Beneath the black cowboy hat, he winked making her smile as she confidently flirted, “But I won’t tell anyone if you won’t. Why are you sitting here all alone, honey?”

Ellie Stearns was almost twenty, though she was lucky to have a very convincing driver’s license stating she was twenty-one, and she had been fixated on Colt Franklin since she was twelve years old.  At first, she did not believe her eyes when she walked into Davey’s and saw him sitting there, alone. Gary frowned at her but gave her a drink while she quietly studied the musician. Lord, he was a handsome man and sexier than anyone in Hollywood. Yeah, like the song, she wanted her some of that so despite her heart beating like a drum in her chest, it only took ten minutes to get enough courage to take the seat beside him. As Winnie the Pooh said, sometimes you have to leave your corner of the forest instead of waiting for something to happen.

January Goals: 

• Complete the editing of Fortune Teller's Promise (do you like that title? I'm just not sure)
• Work with my Media Team to upgrade all my media sites and develop a logo (Megan, I promise to have an idea by the end of January)
• Do a giveaway 
• Don't let the cold weather get me down - I hate snow!

Ten of my favorite books      
 (in no particular order)
1. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
2. Brothers Karamazov – Dostoevsky 
3. Mists of Avalon – Marion Zimmer Bradley 
4. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte 
5. Wide Sargasso Sea – Jean Rhys (retelling of Jane Eyre from a different point of view)
6. Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (first book I ever checked out of the library)
7. The Pilgrimage  - Paulo Coelho  (I have his complete collection)
8. Complete Works of Truman Capote
9. Ahab’s Wife; or The Stargazer – Sena Jeter Naslund
10. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad