Bunnies and Plot Trails - By Kathy Ivan

I'm sorry.  Today's my day to blog and I totally spaced on the date.  So, since I didn't have anything ready, I've pulled an older blog post that I did for another blog and I'm going to post it here today.  It still applies to the way I think, so I hope you'll get something out of  it.

BUNNIES, BUNNIES EVERYWHERE . . .

When I set out to write this blog, I stood at my back patio doors looking outside at my yard.  Within moments I noticed movement under the bushes along the fence line.  In our neighborhood, even though I live in a large city, we still tend to get several different "critters".  Some I don't mind seeing in the yard, some I mind quite a bit.  This morning, though, was one of the happier sightings.  Coming out of the bushes was a cute little brown and white bunny.  There have been several wild rabbits spotted on our street, so the sight of this one wasn't a big surprise.  Seeing a second bunny come hopping out behind the first, though, that was a bit more unusual.  So standing there with my first cup of coffee in hand, I eased the curtain aside and watched. 

Phyllis Middleton: Creative Multi-Tasking

There are several Plotting Princesses who love doing crafts and I am one of them. I don’t do them all the time, but when I get started on a new project, I keep going to for a while until I've made family and friends new little trinkets or something to wear. 

 For years, I've made jewelry.

 I so enjoy seed bead weaving.

 Lately, I've discovered Loom Knitting. Me! Knitting on a loom! I’ve always been able to crochet and make pretty things, but I packed those needles and yarn away for more than twenty years.  Then the new scarf craze hit and I crocheted a number of ruffle scarves. Those were my Christmas gifts for family and friends.  But let’s get real…there are only so many scarves I can do. 

Vicki Batman ~ Plotting Princesses' royal news

 

Royal News Forthcoming!

 

 

 

 

 

For the latest and greatest decrees from the PP gals, here's our February newsletter

(info about the Cupid Comes Calling Blogtacular, too):

 

 

 

http://ymlp.com/zSGLOg

What do Readers Want?

Weekend before last I spent in San Francisco with some of the biggest names in romance talking about how to increase our presence on Amazon and reach more readers. This conference was small, personal and so unique. It’s not often you can ask Belle Andre or Tina Folsom or Sara Fawkes about their success.  Not to forget Nina Lane, Delilah Fawkes, Courtney Milan, Cynthia Woolf and several other Best-selling authors that attended.

We spent the weekend discussing metadata, keywords, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Street Teams and all the other details that help sell our books. As we sat there, I couldn’t help but wonder if we shouldn’t be asking questions of our readers.

So I would like you to take the following unscientific, totally random for my own purposes survey. It’s only five questions, with a bonus round and someone (randomly drawn number), who answers will receive a free book just because they participated. The results will be tallied and shared with other authors.

Something to Entertain You

Today is my day to blog here at the PP and I've been trying to come up with a topic. First I was going to tell you about my weekend, but it was really boring.

And then I was going to tell you about the checker we had at the grocery store this weekend who was UBER annoying and shouted out things about the items we bought. (We were not amused.)

Since I've had neck and shoulder pain for the last few days, I'm not feeling so very creative. So...

I finally settled on a topic. Today, I shall introduce to you My Drunk Kitchen. It's wildly inappropriate and hilarious and I literally laugh out loud.

What to learn how to make pancakes? She'll show you how!



 

CUPID COMES CALLING! AND THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER IS...

EVERYONE WHO POSTED A COMMENT EVERY DAY OF OUR CUPID COMES CALLING BLOGTACULAR HAD THEIR NAME PUT INTO A BOWL AND MY MY DAUGHTER DREW OUT THE PIECE OF FOLDED PAPER WITH THE NAME KARLA EAKINS!! CONGRATULATIONS, KARLA!!! PLEASE CONTACT ME AT JULIETBURNS@GMAIL.COM WITH YOUR SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS SO WE CAN MAIL YOU THE $200 VISA GIFT CARD!
THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED AND LEFT COMMENTS. This blogtacular was so much fun! I enjoyed reading all the wonderful stories of how people met their true loves, and I loved hearing from readers about their experiences too!

Cupid Comes Calling: Favorite Romantic Era

Happy Valentine’s Day! Welcome to the final day of the Plotting Princess Valentine’s Day blog. I hope you’ve had fun reading all the romantic tales and commenting to get your name in the drawing for that $200 Visa gift card!
 

WWII is a wonderfully romantic era for me, perhaps because as it ended my parents met and fell in love.

It all started in a small town south of Dallas, when the Yates family rented a house down the road from the Hunts, my mom’s family. Often, they would drop by the Hunt farm and visit. I don’t know for sure, but my theory is that those visits became more frequent once they got a taste of my grandmother’s homemade biscuits, pies and cakes. Anyway, at the beginning of the war, my mom, Syble Hunt, was still in school and the youngest Yates son, Bobby, developed a boyhood crush on her. Bobby would save her a seat on the school bus each day. He kept telling Syble that she should meet Duane, his oldest brother who was a tail gunner on a B-17. Bobby was a sweet kid, but she didn’t pay much attention.