Garnets - My Birthstone Book Stack Challenge & More on January's Gem! #birthstone #bookstack #bookchallenge #garnets #january #birthday

I love doing different 📚 book challenges on Instagram, and I recently posted this pic of my version of the 💎 birthstone stack challenge!  My birthday is January 13th, which is a whole 'nother post on why I consider the number 13 lucky!  So my birthstone is the gorgeous garnet, and I have loved it since I was little.  Although garnets come in many hues, most people associate the garnet with a brilliant deep red...which happens to be my favorite color! (I mean, look at my blog design, lol).  The name "garnet" comes from a word for pomegranate, the dark red fruit known as "granatus" in Latin.  Garnets are thought to offer protection and healing properties, which I definitely appreciate!  With its 🔥 fiery brilliance, garnets represent passion, creativity, and strength...pretty appropriate symbols for this romance author 💖 and fitness instructor 💪!  Over the years, I have received many pieces of garnet jewelry, which is very special to me...I included most in my photo.  And another wonderful and personal tie for me...it's also my younger son's birthstone.

The books in my stack are:

🔮 Wizard and Glass by Stephen King...one of my favorite novels in the epic fantasy The Dark Tower series

☗ The Dark Tower by Stephen King...the final 7th book in The Dark Tower series

🏰 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets...second in a series that is special to me because I read it aloud to my sons

🦢 Swan Song by Robert McCammon...a fantastic post-apocalytic thriller with supernatural elements (if you enjoyed King's The Stand, don't miss this one!)

❓ Do you like your birthstone or own anything with it?

Love #Paranormal? 46 #Free #Books in the #Supernatural Book Fair! #amreading #angels #vampires #shifters

Art of the Arcane has organized an all-genre book fair with two common threads...first, all titles have a supernatural element, and second, they are all FREE with author newsletter sign-up!  Vampires, Shifters, and the Supernatural runs from July 6th to July 20th, and 46 books are up for grabs!  I'm thrilled one of my titles, Divine Fall, is included in the fair...this award-winning paranormal romance involves angels...or rather, the Nephilim, which are the forbidden race of half-humans, half-angels mentioned in the Bible.  

Revenge, Romance, and a Rogue Fallen Angel collide in DIVINE FALL

Visit the Vampires, Shifters, and Supernatural Fair HERE and fill up your e-reader for free!  

A #Supernatural Binge - How was I not watching this?

Admittedly, I don't watch all that much TV, because I often just don't have the time (or patience) to get into a new show.  Reading is my #1 favorite pastime, and then I have to find time to write, then there are the other part-time jobs and of course family members and pets who want attention.  But I do have some favorite shows that I always make time for (or at least time to DVR episodes for later), and they usually involve the things I like best: some romance, hot heroes, some paranormal elements or magic, and plenty of conflict and tension.  I've blogged about several that fit the bill:  Outlander, Vikings, Game of Thrones, The Vampire Diaries, Reign, etc.  In addition, I'm a big fan of spooky movies.

So when a friend recently found out I didn't watch Supernatural, she couldn't believe it.  She had just recently begun watching it, and she suggested I do the same, but I resisted at first.  Too busy to try another show, I decided.  But she convinced me (and made me laugh) by telling me that it was like a "show designed specifically for me".  She went on to say that if a group of writers got together and said, "Okay, how can make the perfect show for this woman who loves hot guys, ghosts, Nephilim, demons, and other paranormal mysteries?", the result would be something like this show.  How could I resist that pitch?

Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester

Well, she was right.  I love it.  I'm only on the first season, but Dean Winchester already has my heart.  (I also enjoyed the actor, Jensen Ackles, on Days of Our Lives, but Dean is a much better character than Eric, even if he was a Brady!)  Don't get me wrong, Sam's cute as well...but I'm definitely Team Dean.  Aside from just looks, I absolutely love the actor's facial expressions and the character's personality.

So far the early part of the show has been heavy on ghosts and spirits, which is absolutely my thing, and I'm enjoying the chemistry between the brothers as they begin to work together to find their father.  There's some strong motivation for what they're doing (which is important to me as a writer), since their mother and then Jessica were killed by an evil entity.  In addition, they want to find their father and battle any evil they encounter along the way (take up the family business of "hunting").

Two hot hunters!  Dean and Sam Winchester

I especially enjoyed the "Dead in the Water" episode, as the entire premise followed a theme I often use in my novels: a desperate spirit, unable to rest, seeking...something.  I won't say what here, to avoid spoilers.  But the ghost has motivation as well, as opposed to just haunting/killing for no reason beyond a creepy plot device.

In a few other funny coincidences, the hero of my current manuscript is named Dean.  And I also remembered another tie I have to the show when I began watching...when writing Divine Fall, my Young Adult paranormal romance, I had to come up with some rules about angels and Nephilim (half-angels, half-humans), and my "research" led me to a post about an episode of Supernatural. That post led me to seek more information on an ancient perfume used by Egyptians that supposedly could kill an angel, and eventually the substance, qeres, became part of my plot.  So I look forward to a future episode where Dean and Sam tackle some bad angels (I think it's S4), and to 11 more seasons of my new favorite show!

How Many Events Can I Fit Into One Month? #amwriting

Answer: A LOT!  October is over, and I am exhausted...but in a good way.  The month of Halloween is really big for me, since all three of my novels have a paranormal element.  Two are spooky ghost stories mixed with romance, and my young adult novel has supernatural secrets entwined with forbidden love.  Not only did I brainstorm some promotions of my own, but I also received some amazing requests that I certainly would never refuse.  All this combined to make a very busy month!

With the wonderful host
of Off the Shelf

First off, I was invited to be interviewed on the television program Off the Shelf, which airs on community access channels throughout Massachusetts.  Although I had to take off work and drive two hours, I of course jumped at the chance.  This was my third time on television, and while it's stressful having a conversation in front of the camera, it really does get easier every time.  We filmed this show on October 3rd, but it won't air for a few more weeks.

Lunch was delicious!

On Oct. 7th, I was the guest speaker at a member luncheon at The Hyannis Yacht Club.  I planned out a 25-minute presentation, which of course I had to memorize.  I spent time every night practicing, and it went really well.  I was thrilled that some of the guests read my books in advance after they signed up to attend.

The it was on to SpookLit night, a special "spooky literature" event organized by another local author.  Seven Cape Cod authors of both nonfiction and fiction books dealing with supernatural elements participated in readings.  We were each allowed 11 minutes to speak a little bit about our book and read from a scary passage.  I put together a new, brief presentation and read from GULL HARBOR, since this ghost story/romance is set on the Cape.  We had a huge crowd and almost everyone dressed up in costume, so it was a lot of fun.

Two days later I was at the historic Hyannis Library on Main Street, giving a presentation on writing romance and changes in the publishing industry.  One couple who had attended SpookLit came to hear a little bit more about my books, which truly made my night.  Everyone there had really great questions, and it was a lively discussion.

Banner for our Facebook Event

Online, I organized a Romance & Ghosts giveaway with the help of fellow authors Kelly Moran, Joya Fields, and Denise Moncrief.  We each donated copies of romances we've written that also involve ghost stories.  This Facebook event went on for two weeks, with a final drawing on Halloween.  In addition, I participated in the Snarkology Halloween Blog Hop, and completed an author interview for a college student majoring in Creative Writing.  I ran a 99 cent sale on my new YA DIVINE FALL as well as a Goodreads giveaway for a signed print copy.

Finally, I published extra blog posts on paranormal topics (as opposed to my usual four posts per month), including one on the premier of the scary movie Annabelle, one on the Origin of Superstitions, one on the creepy show Ghost Within My Child, and one for the Halloween Blog Hop on Graveyards.


Whew!  It was a lot of stress and preparation, but reading and writing are my passions, and I love to let readers know about my books.  Of course, my head was spinning toward the end of the month (not like the Exorcist girl, don't worry), when I realized on the day before Halloween I didn't even have a pumpkin, much less supplies and costumes for everyone!  Something had to give, right?  I ran out and found pumpkins at bargain basement prices (one advantage of waiting till the last minute), and my younger son reminded me we had a costume from last year that had arrived after Halloween (I must have been busy last October too, lol)--so he'll wear that.  I even found the box I'd packed it away in!

My older son informed me he'd like to have his birthday (16 - gulp!) sleepover on Halloween as well, so that took some scrambling to organize.  All in all, while October is one of my favorite months, I'm ready to welcome November!