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December 15, 2016

This year went fast! #NewYearsDay #Christmas #MFRWorg #feelblessed


It's my last 2016 Plotting Princess' post. I'm sorta at a loss what to write here. I've had one heck of a year, mostly because Handsome had a surgery at the end of August, and in 2017, will have another. That seems to bleed into my creative life.
Otherwise, I've been blessed.
So let me bore you with my year in review:

December 6, 2016

Michelle Miles: 150 Free Romances + $1000 in Prizes


Hey everyone!

To celebrate the holiday season, I've teamed up with more than 150 fantastic romance authors to give away a huge collection of novels, PLUS over $1,000 in prizes.

You can download TEMPTING EDEN for free, plus books from authors like Marie Force and Tawny Weber.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here: http://bit.ly/christmas-rom

Good luck!

November 29, 2016

Tales from the Crate - Puppy Playtime by Karilyn Bentley #puppy #crazydog

Our cute puppy!
My puppy is growing! Which means, we now have a nickname for him, two actually. I call him Sir Poops A lot (for obvious reasons) and The Hubster calls him Little Monster (again, for obvious reasons). He's really cute, as you can see from his picture (and he's also pretty hard to keep still, as you might be able to tell from said picture). This time around the puppy playground, we have some help from our resident nanny, aka The Kraken.

November 17, 2016

Michelle Miles: It's the Movies, Not Your House

It's become a rare occurrence when the husband and I go to the movies. I take full responsibility for that because I detest the general public.

But we needed some fun this past weekend, so I requested a movie date. We saw Arrival with Amy Adams and Jeremey Renner. Really good flick. I recommend it!
Anyway, we purchased the tickets online and then picked them up at the kiosk at the theater. Things are getting so impersonal these days, you don't even have to talk to anyone to buy tickets. It's kind of sad, actually.

November 8, 2016

We All Need a Smile Today

Today our nation makes a decision on who will be our next President. After this very long, very nasty campaign, I thought that we all needed a laugh. Who knows how the next twenty-four hours will go, so let’s start our day off with a smile and some laughter. 

Here are 10 Dumb Blonde Jokes and I am blonde, so it’s okay for us to smile and laugh at these. After all, I should have been a rocket scientist. All of these jokes were taken from an article by Melanie Berliet on the Thoughtcatalog website. If you share them, please give her credit. 

November 1, 2016

.@VickiBatman - Seven weeks plus a few days #holidays #newbook #MFRWorg #anthology


Seven weeks plus a few days...

What does this mean? Seven weeks plus a few days until Christmas. Kinda scary. Did you get a panic rush about needing to do this and that?

I'm not so worried about Christmas. I'm worried about Thanksgiving.
For the first time, I am hostessing 25 (plus Handsome and myself) at my house.

October 20, 2016

My Great Hunter or Why Aren't the Squirrels Scurrying? #MFRWorg #Rssos #pets #dogs


My Great Hunter


I had no idea when Handsome adopted Champ and Jones, our malti-poos, that Jones would turn out to be such a huge hunter.


We’ve had the poos now for five years. And during this span, Jones has brought us squirrels. Yep, those fast critters are not fast enough for him. Jones loves to do run-run-run, a kind of lap thing, in the back yard. He is so fast when doing them, he even tilts aside.


October 13, 2016

Elizabeth Essex's Scandal's Daughters: Release celebration & GIVEAWAY!

Greetings and salutations, people of Princesslandia! 
I have a small treat for you this morning—an excerpt from my newly released novella in the anthology Scandal’s Daughters, which released last Thursday, Oct. 6th.


Scandal’s Daughters is a compilation of five stories that all start with a scandal: Christi Caldwell’s “Only for Her Honor,” Eva Devon’s “Sleepless in a Scandal,” Anthea Lawson’s “A Lady’s Choice,” Erica Ridley’s “Lord of Chance,” and my own contribution, “A Fine Madness.”


“If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village,
she must seek them abroad.” Jane Austen 

October 4, 2016

Michelle Miles: Another Knight Releases + Giveaway!

Another release! I'm so excited to have the fourth book in the Realm of Honor series up and available for sale. It's been a long, hard road to get these books back from the publisher.

This is one of my favorites. But then, I love all the books in that series! I enjoyed writing these books from the first one to the last one. When I was in the middle of writing then, it was one of my happiest writing times. I had a difficult day job, so when I sat down to write it was an escape to the Otherworld. I was lost in the story from the moment I start writing until I called it quits for the night. There is still something magical and dreamy about the books for me as I read through them again. I hope you find that same feeling when you read the book(s).

Here's the Blurb:

September 29, 2016

Tales from the Crate - The Kraken gets a puppy! by Karilyn Bentley #crazydog #puppies #amwriting

I'm happy to announce the arrival of the newest addition to our family: The New Puppy!

Our new puppy!

Isn't he adorable? We thought The Kraken needed a playmate since we moved and she no longer goes to doggie daycare or agility. And what did she think of our gift to her?

She was rather ambivalent the first day. She did not appreciate us touching the puppy or the puppy trying to touch her. Nope, not at all. 

But the second day she decided to play nice. More like play fight. Then all was right with the world as long as Puppy avoided touching her when she wanted to sleep. 

Now they play A LOT!

September 20, 2016

Release Day for VEXED: The Haunting of Castle Keyvnor: "Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea" by Elizabeth Essex

Greetings and salutations to the Princesses! 

I hope you'll join me in celebrating the release day of VEXED: A Haunting of Castle Keyvnor, A Regency Romance Collection of twelve inter-related stories. My contribution to this brilliantly collaborative effort is the novella “Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea.

The collection consists of four volumes: VEXED, BEDEVILED, MYSTIFIED & SPELLBOUND, and each volume contains three meaty novellas all unified by a central theme: the protagonists have all gathered at Castle Keyvnor in the Cornish town of Bocka Morrow to hear the reading of the late Earl of Banfield’s will.

Now with twelve different authors, you can be assured that there are twelve unique voices telling the stories, but we worked hard to keep our plots interrelated, so that different characters interact with each other and exist in the same physical place—the haunted Castle Keyvnor.

My story doesn’t dwell on ghosts and haunting, but deals with the powerful magic of love, and its consequences. At the start of “Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea” my heroine, Nessa Teague has never believed in the power of magic. She’s never taken part in the charming but ancient local festivals. Until Captain Lord Harry Beck comes back to Bocka Morrow after years away in the Royal Navy, and she realizes that there is nothing she won’t do to have him for her own true love. Nothing. Not even magic.

September 13, 2016

Michelle Miles: Who's ready for fall?


I don't know about you but Labor Day, for me, is the official end of summer. The kids are back in school, high school football is in full swing, the hockey season is on the horizon and cooler temps are on their way. All the stores have fall décor out and I LOVE IT. It's by far my favorite time of year.

It's also the time of year I lament I live in North Texas and it's still hot until like September 30. It's rare we get cooler temps around here until at least October. Or rain. Or the fall colors that I love so much in nature.

September 9, 2016

BSP: It's Launch Day!!! for Temporarily Insane #MFRWorg #Rssos #TWRP #RB4U

It’s Happy Launch Day!

I'm blushing and bursting with pride to announce my second book in my romantic comedy mystery series, Temporarily Insane, is now available.

September 6, 2016

Guest Princess: Nancy Haddock #CozyMystery #Crafting #PlottingPrincesses

We are thrilled to have Nancy Haddock as a guest Princess today on the blog!  


Nancy Haddock is the national bestselling author of the Silver Six Crafting Mysteries. Basket Case debuted in 2015. Book two in the series, Paint the Town Dead, is a Sept. 2016 release. Nancy draws on southern culture, and the plain quirkiness of places and people for her books.

 

Speed round: 

Favorite movie: What's Up, Doc?
Favorite book: Just one?  Okay, Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft, author Thor Heyerdahl
Last book read: Murder in the Secret Garden by Ellery Adams

September 1, 2016

Release Day: In the Tower of the Wizard King by Michelle Miles


IT'S RELEASE DAY!
I'm so excited to get this book out and in the hands of readers. It's available in print or eBook and coming soon to audio. Below is the blurb, an excerpt and buy links!

In the Age of Wizards, Time is a commodity more valuable than gold.

When Aoife (EE-fa) stumbles upon an antique trunk in the attic, it calls to her with an ancient magic. Inside she finds a stairway leading into darkness and cannot resist stepping onto that first stair. It leads her to dark truths her mother never wanted her to uncover and love so powerful she walks through time to save it.

Her magic is dormant.

August 25, 2016

Emotions or What's Love Got To Do With It?

I love reality television and watch it because I enjoy seeing how normal people interact in front of a camera. Some people think it’s scripted - I don’t. But I do believe that all reality TV producers want people on there show that will create drama. I’m amazed at what people reveal about themselves in front of a camera. Just like in fictionyou can’t make this stuff up.

 An example - on Bachelor in Paradise - we have Ashley the cryer. (She promised that this season she would limit her crying to three times. She cried that much in the first hour over a man she loves, but he just wants to be friends. Move on Ashley!) We had Chad, who I can say went home the first night for reasons that are better left unsaid. On Couples Therapy… I see divorce in most of the couple's future. On Millionaire Matchmaker they had a man who had over three hundred plastic surgeries trying to make himself attractive. Scary!

So last week we were watching Millionaire Matchmaker. She had a woman on who didn’t show emotion. She had her own company and thought if she showed her emotions, then she appeared weak. Instead, she appeared cold. She refused to be vulnerable with anyone. 

Which got me to thinking. Why as women are we perceived to be weak when we show our emotions? Being vulnerable is not a sign of weakness. We’re human.

August 16, 2016

What did I learn from a show about spies? @sloanebcollins #amwriting #amreading #plottingprincesses

What lesson did I learn from a spy show?

My husband & I started watching a 6 part spy series the other day, "The Night Manager" on AMC. It's good, and we like it, but we were about 40 minutes in to the first episode when something happened, and he said "Finally. Now the story is moving along."

I need to post that on my laptop so I always remember to keep the action going in the books I write. 


I don't have a lot of time to read, so it's usually on the train to/from work, or a few minutes on my lunch break. There are some books I've read lately that it's ok to read snatches here and there. I can pick it back up and continue on. A short book may take several days to finish. Last week I read "Falling Into Bed with a Duke" by Lorraine Heath. I read 387 pages in less than 2 days. It was so awesome and compelling I had a hard time putting it down, so I read every minute I could (and almost missed my stop twice!). 

That's how I want to write. To keep the action up so readers don't want to set my book down, they want to see how it turns out. And to fall in love with my characters. (Yes, I fell hard for Lorraine's duke...and the woman he wanted to be with desperately!)

Back to that mini-series we started watching.

August 2, 2016

Michelle Miles: I Need a Netflix Intervention

Now that Once Upon A Time, Person of Interest, Game of Thrones and Outlander are all over for the season (or in the case of POI forever...*cry*), I find myself binge watching Netflix like I binge eat Blue Bell chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

I've been on a quest to watch every Star Trek: The Next Generation episode since I missed the last three seasons back when the show was on (it premiered in 1987 if that gives you a frame of reference). Husband was out of town for the weekend which meant there was a lot of STTNG playing on the TV. I spent my Friday night eating tacos, watch Star Trek and playing MajorMUD (a text based game similar to D&D and another post for another day) with my brother and sister-in-law firmly cementing my evening in the 1990s. Good times. Only I didn't have a great glass of cabernet in the 90s.

I made it through season 6 and started the last season on Sunday. I find myself both excited and a little sad that the show will be ending soon only because that means I will have finally seen all 176 episodes. I find the episodes that deal with Data and/or the Borg to be some of my favorite. Season 6 has been amazing. Of course yes I know I can always watch them again but there's something magical about seeing the episodes for the first time and not knowing how it's going to end.

July 28, 2016

Craftmaster - Finding old stuff in the parent's home #SOS #RB4U #MFRWorg #amcrafting


While cleaning out my parents’ garage with family, a brother in law unearthed a picture wrapped in white paper, rectanglular in shape. Passed to me to determine if giveaway or have siblings look at, I folded back the paper and squealed. My sisters came running. We found the crushed rock and gravel picture my mom had made.

This picture hung above the china cabinet in the dining room for many, many years. Then Mom replaced it with a homey scene. I guess I didn’t notice it was gone for a long while and when I did, thought she’d donated it (along with the horse head lamps).

Here’s what we found: 


July 26, 2016

Cowboys Are Better Than Navy SEALS

Last month at the Lori Foster Readers and Authors Get Together, Sharon Hamilton and I wrangled over whether or not Cowboys or SEALS are better. Even a very cute young man took my side and told Sharon that Cowboys were better than SEALS. Then two weeks later I see Sharon had written a blog at Happy Ever After Blog listing the top 10 reasons why a Navy SEAL is better than a cowboy. 

She’s thrown down the gauntlet and the game is onso just for fun, here are my 10 reasons why a Cowboy is better than a Navy SEAL:

10) Cowboys smell of leather and horse and a manly scent that makes you go awwwwSeals they’re all wet.

July 21, 2016

Saving Sarah Release - by Kathy Ivan

NEW RELEASE!

I wanted to share with the Plotting Princess readers that I have a new release that just went live. I was asked by Susan Stoker to participate in her Special Forces: Operation Alpha Kindle World launch. When somebody as hugely popular as Susan personally asked me to write a romantic suspense with paranormal elements -- well, I wasn't about to say no.  J
 
Saving Sarah is the result and I absolutely love this book. It has a curvy, spunky heroine and a sexy ex-SEAL hero!



Here's the blurb:

July 19, 2016

@sloanebcollins RWA is like Christmas in July #PlottingPrincesses #rwa16 #MFRWorg #ChristmasinJuly #amwriting

We’ve all heard of Christmas in July.  Several channels are running holiday movies, some shows have craft and cooking segments showing you how to make holiday foods and gifts.  For me, it really is Christmas in July, my favorite time of the year for another reason: the annual Romance Writers of America conference.

I’ve just returned from this year’s conference in San Diego, and I got so many presents!  Here’s my top 10 list of “gifts”:

July 14, 2016

Tales from the Crate - Moving Adventures with #Crazydog by Karilyn Bentley

Hello wonderful Readers! It's been awhile since I've posted on here and longer since I've written about The Kraken, aka Crazydog. Here's why: we moved to a different state. Yep, we no longer live in Texas, we are now official residents of cool, colorful Colorado.
mountains seen on hike
And how's The Kraken liking her new digs? Well.... now that is the real adventure.

July 7, 2016

#Movie Ponderings - You #Tarzan, Me Wish I was #Jane

Fourth of July weekend was the first time I've 'officially' taken off in a year. And you know what? I had a hard time not writing. Not that, at the moment, I have anything huge hanging over my head. But, after going and going every single spare minute, I found my mind didn't want to turn off.

My last Harlequin Western is in and I'm waiting on my edits. I hit send on my latest MS, The Wolf's Son, and was waiting on confirmation that my editor received it... And man, it was super hard to say bon voyage to that cast of characters. Nothing like writing tension-fraught yummy werewolves to make you excited about your writing for the day :) Nevertheless, I went from always writing to a full-on stop.

And my brain wasn't cooperating.

What could I do? Why find some good stories to savor to recharge my noggin, of course.

July 5, 2016

Michelle Miles: The Great Sir Dexter the House Cat

Meet Sir Dexter.

He's a Domestic Short Hair. I got him in 2011 from a rescue place.

Let me back up a little. On July 4th weekend in 2011 I discovered my cat, Sampson, had cancer. I was devastated because I had to put him down. I must have been real pathetic because the husband told me I could get another cat even though he is highly allergic.

So one day we were in PetSmart and there was a cat adoption going on and there was Dexter. Casually laying in the cage looking around, all calm. The description for Dexter was this:

Dexter was the friendly cat everyone knew but belonged to nobody in particular. He just strolled into town one day and made himself at home on the neighborhood lawns. Petted by all and fed on many a porch, the neighbors decided Dexter needed a chance to have a family of his own.

Dexter likes to lounge in sunny windows must of the day. He's happy to have some chin scratching and always ready for a snack. This is one laid back cat!

It's right on. I've managed to keep this description of him in a folder devoted solely to the cat-cat. I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm sentimental?

June 28, 2016

A New Love(s) @sloanebcollins #PlottingPrincesses #amwriting #Yellowstone #GrandTetons #MFRWorg

Last month, I fell in love.

With bears and moose, mountain bluebirds and coyotes, owls and bison.
To clarify, I fell in love with Yellowstone National Park and Grand Tetons National Park. While it was my husband’s third trip there, it was my first.

The above-mentioned wildlife were just a few of what we saw on our adventures in Wyoming. It ranks now as one of my top favorite vacations of all time (and I think I’ve mentioned a time or twelve how much I love Maine, right?). I’d move to Wyoming or Montana in a heartbeat.

It was a vacation that fed my soul. I got to be creative with photography, relax and look at beautiful countryside, and get inspiration for the Cowboy series I’m writing, which is set in Montana. (YES! We saw a real live cowboy rounding up cattle!)

I grew up surrounded by the Franklin mountains in El Paso, and have taken other vacations in and around mountains. The Grand Tetons are now my favorite of all. And I came up with an idea for a series set in that area! I think it has a bit of a unique twist. But I can’t say anything yet…


June 23, 2016

75 Years & Counting: My love for M&Ms #MFRWorg #chocolatecandy #RssosSisters #romantic comedy


Seventy-five years and Counting


Each Sunday after lunch, my family and I visited my grandparents. Our first stop was to my dad’s parent’s house, an old prairie-styled home on a street lined with others similar to it. While my parents chatted with my grandparents, my sisters and I climbed the trees in the parkway, jumped off the front porch railing, and sang songs. As we departed, my grandmother gave each of us a quarter and a package of M&Ms, sometimes plain, sometimes peanut.

And thus began my love for the coated chocolate candies with peanuts inside.

June 14, 2016

Guest Princesses: Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi - The Setting Thesaurus Books Are Here! #PlottingPrincesses #RocktheVault #WritersHelpingWriters #SettingThesaurus #MFRWorg

The Setting Thesaurus DuoIt is a writer's job to draw readers into the fictional story so completely that they forget the real world. Our goal is to render them powerless, so despite the late hour, mountain of laundry, or workday ahead, they cannot give up the journey unfolding within the paper-crisp pages before them.

Strong, compelling writing comes down to the right words, in the right order. Sounds easy, but as all writers know, it is anything BUT. So how do we create this storytelling magic? How can we weave description in such a way that the fictional landscape becomes authentic and real—a mirror of the reader's world in all the ways that count most?

 Well, there's some good news on that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the sights, smells, tastes, textures, and sounds a character might experience within 225 different contemporary settings. And this is only the start of what these books offer writers.

 In fact, swing by and check out this hidden entry from the Urban Setting Thesaurus: Police Car.
 
And there's one more thing you might want to know more about....

Rock_The_Vault_WHW1Becca and Angela, authors of The Emotion Thesaurus, are celebrating their double release with a fun event going on from June 13-20th called ROCK THE VAULT.

At the heart of Writers Helping Writers is a tremendous vault, and these two ladies have been hoarding prizes of epic writerly proportions.

A safe full of prizes, ripe for the taking...if the writing community can work together to unlock it, of course.

Ready to do your part? Stop by Writers Helping Writers to find out more!  

June 13, 2016

Pondering #Writing, #Birthdays, and #Thor

The last year has seen some incredible highs and devastating lows. On the up side, I think I'm stronger because of it. I know I'm abundantly blessed. I have a day job, a dream job, four awesome kids, and a tribe of amazing friends to keep me going. The days of, 'I'm bored' are long gone - which is a good thing. I like to feel accomplished. Even if I'm sometimes scrambling to get even part of what needs to be done. (How my two teenage sons, barely a week into summer vacation, proclaim boredom has already found them, I'll never know. Too bad they don't see doing laundry as a solid means of boredom prevention.)




I'm 42 years old today. 42. Not so old. Not so young. I'm thinking it's just right. I like me, so that's comforting. I mean, are there things I'd change - sure. I'd find my waist, for one thing. I'd worry less and laugh more. I'd churn out more pages in less time. I would have no idea what procrastination means (yes, this post should have been up at 5am). I'd be better friend/wife/mother/writer.




So I thought I'd share a Five Things I want to do or be better about before I'm 43 here:

June 7, 2016

Michelle Miles: It's Summertime!

You know how I know it’s officially Summer? It’s finally stopped raining (at least here in North Texas), school is out, Memorial Day is over, another birthday has come and gone and it’s June.

This weekend the husband and I were doing our weekend chores and I stopped to think how much it’s starting to feel like summer. With the early morning sun leaving slashes of light on the floor to the sounds of summer—baseball on the TV, lawn mowers, weed eaters, leaf blowers, the hum of the AC—it’s hard to believe we’re already in the sixth month of the year. Where does the time go? Does it speed up when I’m not looking? Or am I just so busy that I don’t realize the days are flying off the calendar?

At any rate, I can’t believe it’s summer. The rest of the year always seems to go so fast once we get into June and before we know it the holidays will be here. But right now I’m thinking about vacation and RWA Nationals and getting through the hottest months of the year (July and August) and writing. Lots of things are happening in my world—things I can’t talk about yet—but I’m going to be one busy girl this summer.

Plus I’m looking forward to re-releasing my Realm of Honor series on July 25 starting with the first three books.

May 26, 2016

Aliens and Witches, Oh My!

With over thirty books under my belt, I struggle to find plots that are new and different. There are only twenty plots in the world and I’ve probably written every one of them. As an author you have to start looking outside the box for ways to keep the writing fresh and interesting to not only your readers, but yourself. 

A close friend of mine, who writes science fiction and is very successful, was asked by Amazon to invite other authors to write in her world. I don’t have a science fiction following, but she asked me if I would be interested and I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve always wanted to write about funny witches and then I threw in an alien. Yes, this western historical/contemporary author was stepping out of her well worn box and writing about stuff she has very little knowledge of. Spacethat final frontier. 

What came out is a book that I absolutely love. I agreed to write this short novella in January and then in February, my life sort of fell apart. My loving, funny, 84 year old father became ill and I spent a lot of time with him and my mother until he eventually passed away. 

This book, which is supposed to be humorous was written in the hospital, while I sat with my father. If it had been typed on paper, there would have been places stained by tear drops. In the end, it’s become one of my favorite stories simply because I know the emotional place I was at while writing this story. And yes, it did come out funny - not sad. But the story also reflects the importance of family, no matter what planet you’re from.

May 24, 2016

RELEASE DAY FOR SUMMER HEAT - by Kathy Ivan


16 All New SCORCHING HOT Romances from NY Times, USA Today, and International Bestselling Authors!!!

Don't Wait! Order NOW from:

Amazon ~ B&N ~ iTunes ~ Kobo ~ Amazon UK ~ Google

Guaranteed to make your blood run hot. Passion, steamy nights, excitement, and suspense. Something to suit every reader's taste. Grab a cool drink (you'll need it!), find a hammock, and curl up for an unforgettable escape. 

May 19, 2016

Everyone Knows an Ant Can't... Using the Senses when Writing #MFRWorg #Thursdayblog #amwriting




Lift a rubber tree plant! From the old song “High Hopes” (Frank singing You Tube) 

But we’re not here today to talk about an ant being strong. Have you ever just sat and watched an ant scurry about? Or watch a leaf by the toe of your shoe in great detail? And then note the colors, the smells -- truly becoming immersed in the object?

Or sitting in a coffee shop and seeing a hunky cyclist at a table tying his shoe laces bunny ear style. You make note of his pro-looking outfit. The sweat dripping from his forehead. His scruffy beard. (Oh my, I’m finding my imaginary guy desirable!)

Writing details is important because it relays senses to the readers and invests them emotionally.

The five senses are: Tasting, Hearing, Smelling, Feeling, Seeing. From “The Five Senses” by Dr.William K. Pediaopolis (Senses),  we have this definition: "A system that consists of a group of sensory cell types that responds to a specific physical phenomenon, and that corresponds to a particular group of regions within the brain where the signals are received and interpreted."

The five senses have to be incorporated into our writing. Otherwise, our work is boring, even lifeless, unresponsive. Who would want to read that?

May 17, 2016

@sloanebcollins Writer's Block is an Evil Thing #amwriting #PlottingPrincesses #MFRWorg #writinglife #SullivansofMontana

I’ve been really stuck lately on my current work in progress.  Like STUCK, stuck.  I hit over the halfway mark, and I didn’t know what needed to happen next.  So I worked on editing the first half.  Searched Pinterest for more inspiration.  Tried writing just whatever, scenes that weren’t interesting.  Tried plotting an outline.   I even created book covers for all five in the series, hoping it would get me going (it did give me plots for books three and four!).  Worked on character development worksheets.

Etc., etc., etc. (said with Yul Brynner’s accent in “The King & I”.)

I had taken a brief hiatus from my French book sequel, and the prequel, because I had a dream about five cowboy ranching brothers, and they were clamoring for me to start writing their stories.  I’d hoped to enter it in a contest last year, but didn’t finish in time.  So with my Sullivans of Montana cowboy story, I wrote and wrote until I reached the point where the hero and heroine finally get together (you know what I mean). 

Then I got stuck.  In lava.  Which hardened until I couldn't write.

May 5, 2016

Ups and Downs of the Writer-ly Road by Sasha Summers @sashawrites #10thbook #milestone book

I love writing.


Nothing like seeing your ideas, the people in your head, in print. Yep, it's terrifying. Slightly nauseating.


And completely Awesome.


I'm blessed to be able to do something I enjoy. My 10th full length novel came out last month - a small accomplishment for some. Huge for others. I'm pretty proud.



But that doesn't mean it's all good stuff.

May 3, 2016

Michelle Miles: Reboots and Sequels

A weekend not so long ago, I visited my local library. I realized for the first time they had movies and music available for check-out. I was in heaven! Who KNEW? And why didn’t *I* know? And what’s really awesome is – it’s FREE! So the kid and I perused their selections we each found something to check-out.

One of them was Ghostbusters (1984). He asked if he could get it and I, of course, said SURE! I forgot how silly that movie is. It still makes me giggle. And there are tons of quotable lines throughout. Such as:

April 28, 2016

@lsfabre A Trip Back in (#British) Time: #Oxford, #Egland #MFRWorg

In recent years, thanks to my husband’s job, I had several opportunities to visit England. While he attended meetings and slaved away on projects, I wandered about, sightseeing and eating. The first stop on one trip was Oxford, a great way to step back in time as well as indulge my huge fan-crush for all things Harry Potter.

Oxford began as a river crossing for oxen, and later, a military encampment. In 1066, Oxford Castle was built and included a monastic community with a chapel and living quarters. While the exact date for the founding of the educational institution is unknown, evidence indicates the religious order included teaching as early as 1096. Attendance exploded in 1167 when King Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. 

Currently, the University is composed of 38 different colleges, of which 35 offer undergraduate studies. While almost all colleges provide the same courses of study, they were founded at different times and tend to attract different types of students, and as such, have different “flavors.” One of the most notable is Christ Church, founded in 1524 by Cardinal Woolsey and re-founded and renamed by King Henry VIII after Woolsey’s fall from power.

April 20, 2016

I’ve Been Called to Serve #juryduty #RssosSisters #MFRWorg




The MOST DREADED letter EVER came in the mail last week—you know what I mean—Jury Duty.

Since I’ve turned eighteen, I’ve received a yearly summons to do my civic duty and serve on a jury. I didn’t serve for five of those years while attending college. But once I graduated, I served yearly until I married and had kids. With little ones at home, I found taking time was harder to do. Then the kiddoes hit high school and since, I’ve only been called a few times. *Crossing fingers* that will continue to be the case.

Honestly, I don’t mind serving. I find it interesting even if sitting around all day and nothing happens. I take a book and needlepoint. I make friends around me and if called to a panel, make friends there.

April 19, 2016

These are a few of my favorite things @sloanebcollins #PlottingPrincesses #Kittylove #Maine


In this everyday hectic, fast-paced, not-so-nice world, I  need to remind myself to stop and smell the roses.  Not always literally, although I did do it on the way out of work one late night last week.  But find something that gives me happiness and pleasure.  

For instance, every night when I am on the way home from work, I can’t wait to get to the house and open the door to find all four kitties waiting for me.  Of course, I recognize they want their dinner, but I like to think they want to see me, too. J

There’s nothing like kitty snuggles, no matter what time of day it is.  This past Sunday it rained all day long.  I’d planned to spend the day writing, and had just gotten things ready to go, sat down in my recliner, and Moms jumped up on my lap.  She pretty much stayed there all day, snuggled into the blanket.  So I decided to spend quality time with her since we don’t always get it.  Oliver even spent some time on my lap, laying next to his Mummy. 

Something else that just makes my day is when my husband texts me out of the blue.  He’s not a texter by nature, so when he does, I treasure them.  He’ll usually send pictures of the cats, but it still means the world to me.

April 5, 2016

Michelle Miles: Finding Inspiration in the Weirdest Places (With Parenthetical Thoughts)

This past weekend was a “stay at home and work around the house” weekend. The husband was in the yard most of Saturday and Sunday and I cleaned up around the house, did laundry, hung a ceiling fan (instead of baking a cake – I was super proud of NOT baking a cake even though I was dying for cake). While the Man was in and out and I was puttering around the house and also browsing Amazon Prime, I ran across this show called Just Add Magic.

Now, I will tell you I am definitely NOT the demographic target for this show. Nor do I have a pre-teen girl in the house. But the premise sounded cute and I ended up watching the first episode on my laptop.

Guess what? I got hooked.

Silly, right?

March 29, 2016

Under the Princess Crown: Zoe Forward & her new book Playing the Witch's Game #ParanormalRomance #newbook #MFRWorg

Zoe Forward is a hopeless romantic who can’t decide between paranormal and contemporary romance. So, she writes both. When she’s not typing at her laptop, she’s a small animal veterinarian caring for a wide range of furry creatures.


Speed Round:
Favorite movie: Toss up between: 12 Angry Men and Pirates of the Caribbean
Favorite book: I need a genre, please! I love so many.
Last book read: Adult book - Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti;  Kids book- Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick
Favorite color: green
Stilettos or flipflops: flipflops
Coffee or tea: coffee
Ebook or paperback: ebook
Pencil or pen: pen
Favorite song: Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede
Streak or not: not
Favorite dessert: anything chocolate
Champagne or gin: champagne
Paranormal or Historical: Paranormal
Ginger or Mary Ann: Mary Ann
Favorite TV show: Top Chef
Hot or cold: hot
POV: third person
I'd die if I don't have: my family