A New Book Release for December - The Christmas Journal

Hello everyone. Sorry about the late post. I have been busy this month with shopping, decorating and editing my new Christmas book release, The Christmas Journal. The Christmas Journal is an inspirational novella, available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble for 99 cents.

Ashley Moore's life forever changed the day her mother
died, and she was sent to live with relatives. Now, ten
years later, Ashley returns home, hoping to connect with her estranged father.  When she learns he's decided to reopen the family's Christmas lodge for the upcoming holiday season, Ashley volunteers to help. While cleaning, she discovers her mother's journal detailing the last month of her life. Will
the book hold the answer as to why her dad sent her
away? Who is the mysterious Adam her mother keeps
mentioning in the diary? Can the words of her mother
reconcile father and daughter in time for Christmas?

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY?

          With Halloween over and Thanksgiving within a few weeks, I thought about the fact that  Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all arrive within a month of each other. It's as if you get the decorations for one holiday up, and it is time to remove them for another.
          So I wondered of the three holidays, which one do you like best? Do you decorate for each holiday or just one or two?
          I decorate in September for fall, which I include as Thanksgiving. Then I turn the house into a  showcase for Christmas.  Since my son is older, I have packed up the Winnie The Pooh and Tigger pumpkin lights, along with other Halloween favorites for good.
          I suppose my favorite holiday is Christmas, but I have to admit I love the colors associated with Thanksgiving and its usually stress free day for me and my family. So I guess I favor both holidays, being thankful and celebrating the Lord's birthday what could be better.

Does Anyone Still Go Trick or Treating?

As I was out shopping the other day, I noticed the appearance of costumes, pumpkins, and fall decor. The all important halloween candy placed proudly in front, staring at me, actually tempting me to place it in the shopping cart. Costumes were hung nearby with pumpkin totes ready to assume their duty and hold the all the gatherings for the night. But, I have noticed a huge decline in the number of kids that actually go door to door, a.k.a. trick or treating. Last year, I had not one little goblin, star trooper, or little pumpkin show up. Of course, I realize the danger now facing kids going from house to house. The possibility of someone harming your child is very real and that is sad. The fun I had growing up can never be replicated. The excitement of spending a couple of hours walking the adjoining neighborhood for candy is no more. The task of making sure you were back in time to watch It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is not important to kids now. If I missed it, I knew it would be an entire year again before I could see it again. With DVDs and DVR, kids have at their fingertips anytime, shows we cried if we missed. I have to admit I still watch Charlie Brown every time it is televised. The holidays are just not the same without it.

September Has Two Holidays

Beside the all important holiday of Labor Day, the month of September has another holiday that will surprise you. Yes, September 14th is Hug Your Hound Day. I was asked by the very talented and bestselling author, Jayna Morrow, to give my interpretation of this holiday. Truthfully, I had no idea the holiday even existed, but I should have. Dogs have become more than just animals we walk or pet when we go out the door. They have become members of our families, children to some people, even accessories to some celebrities. The holiday has become more popular, even getting it's own Facebook page. Hug your hound day is about loving and getting involved in your dog's surroundings, for example volunteering at the local dog park. Speaking for myself, it means to show love to your dog, a special treat, a nice walk, and most importantly hugging man's best friend. If you think about it, dogs aren't much different than their owners. We all need a hug every once in a while.


Jayna Morrow is the author of the Sweet Home Series: Garrett, Gabriel and Holden. All available from Amazon and Barnes and Nobel.

July - Summer is Here

Well, it has been an extremely stressful and busy couple of months-hence my not posting the last few months. My niece, who is like my child, had major surgery and still is in the recovery phase. My sister-in-law has been diagnosed with MS and another sister-in-law has had a cancer scare. My mother broke her foot and yes I want to leave town! But now July is here and it is like I inhaled a deep breath of sunshine. School will be over for at least another six weeks. Vacation is near, I can hear the sandy beaches calling my name.

On a positive note, I did finish my book, The Christmas Diary, and I am now in the process of reviewing it before I send it to the publisher.

As for the update on weight loss, I have not even stepped on the scale. I am a stress eater and I have eaten my weight in stress the past couple of months. But I am determined to take this set back, regroup and continue on this journey. Wish me luck.

Also, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful 4th of July holiday! I am so thankful for this country.  May everyone have a safe and blessed day.

Update For The Last Month - Weight Loss, Organizing and Writing.

Well February hit with a bang, a combination of snow/ice kept this Southern family unable to drive anywhere on several different occasions during the month. The dreariness of the months of January and February are not the most motivational scenes to get me up and exercising. But, I did get one workout a week in for the past four weeks. Also, I managed to clean out and organize my coffee table and end tables. I managed also to work on my novella, The Christmas Diary, for a few weekends during the month.

Now for the worst part, my weight update. I have lost (drumroll please) 5 lbs. Yes, a whopping five pound weight loss. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful. I know it takes time, and truthfully, I really didn't start the diet part till the second week of February. The weight loss did encourage me to kept going, so that I will.  So that is my update for now. I hope by the end of March I will be able to report more progress in this slow evolution of losing weight.

                        PRISM BOOK GROUP WRITER'S 2014 GOALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS.


To celebrate Jacqueline D. Hopper's 100,000 blog views, Prism Book Group is having a blog hop.

My writing goal is trying to get into the habit of writing for a couple of hours a day at least three times a week.  Currently, I am writing another short story entitled, The Christmas Diary, which I hope will be published by the next holiday season.



Here's the code for the Rafflecopter. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Prizes include: Book Lovers Gift Pack from Prism Book Group! Includes a print copy of Sarah: Mission of Love by Gay N. Lewis, a print copy of The Last Detail by Lisa J Lickel, and three Prism eBook downloads of choice!

MY JOURNEY AND GOALS FOR 2014

I have never been one to have New Year Resolutions, but this year I have decided to make three important resolutions for myself.

After years of "going to lose weight," I have decided to finally dedicate myself to the goal of losing weight. I have read that it takes three weeks of doing something before it becomes a habit. So I will do my best over the next three weeks to exercise and watch what I eat. With that said, goal number one, lose weight. I plan to post monthly progress updates.

My next goal is to hopefully have another novella published that I am currently working on for the next Christmas season.  And as an added bonus, I plan to make time to have some book signings also during the holidays.

The next and finally goal is to organize every drawer and closet that I have in my house.

So if you are in for a weight loss journey and organizational skills put to the test, be sure to check back monthly for my progress updates.