Do I write 24/7? No way. #crafting #writinglife #hobbies

Would it surprise you to know, I don't write all day, every day. I'm a 9:30 to 4:30 writer. I have tons of stuff to do around my house and have to squeeze it in-today is fix the washer day; tomorrow is a new plumber coming to fix the dripping pipes under my master sink; somewhere in there is the a/c man to figure out why there is weird programming on my Nest thermostat.

I have other things to do too, like reading!! And I'm embroidering on a needlepoint pillow and a 12 days of Christmas lap blanket. I adore watching a good movie and stitching. I like stitching so much, I'd stitch in church if I could.

So I thought I'd share what I completed last year:

DASHING ALL THE WAY: A Christmas Anthology

#excerpt #giveaway

Good morning all! I hope you are all well into the swing of the holiday season (Hanukkah begins today!) and full of good cheer. To do my part for comfort and joy, I’ve got a short excerpt from my Christmas novella, “Up On the Rooftops, in DASHING ALL THE WAY: A Christmas Anthology with authors Celeste Bradley, Eva Devon, Heather Snow and myself!

Now, my novella, “Up On the Rooftops” is set in London, 1811, features a very Scottish heroine the likes of which I’ve never before written—a widow!

Michelle Miles: New Release!

I’m going to use this space for my shameless self-promotion.

On Friday, December 1, the second book in my Age of Wizards series released. ON THE HUNT FOR THE WIZARD KING is out for public consumption. I’m so insanely excited about this book. It took me nearly a year to write because these books are long and complex. But I’m happy with the way it turned out and I think readers will enjoy Sunnie and Caleb’s story.

Guest Princess Mary Morgan! #PlottingPrincesses #ParanormalRomance #TimeTravel #amwriting

Welcome to our guest Princess of the day, Mary Morgan!

Award-winning Scottish paranormal romance author, Mary Morgan resides in Northern California, with her own knight in shining armor. However, during her travels to Scotland, England, and Ireland, she left a part of her soul in one of these countries and vows to return. If you enjoy history, tortured heroes, and a wee bit of magic, then time-travel within the pages of her books.

Speed Round:

Favorite movie: Braveheart
Favorite book: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Last book read: The Widow Clicquot by Tilar J. Mazzeo
Favorite color: Green

The Holiday Dupe #Christmas #presents #holidayboxedset

Recently, I conversed with someone who shared his hilarious Christmas remembrance. Every December, presents were piled around his family’s tree in the living room, but no one dared to enter unless there was company or on Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the kids opened one present. Afterwards, off to bed because Santa was coming. On Christmas morning, they opened the rest.

One year, he realized the packages under the tree hadn’t changed from the night before. Nothing new had been added. Nothing from Santa. And then he had this realization: his parents had lied. He’d been duped.

Off he went to confront his mother who danced around the subject and finally explained how all things Santa worked.

When I was younger, my family went to Grandmother’s for Christmas Eve celebration with my mom’s family. It was a joyous event with good food and a gift from Grandmother.

After my family returned home and we were sent to bed with the admonition “better go to sleep so Santa can come,” my sister and I decided to watch for Santa. The hallway to the bedrooms had a small jog to our room where we hid. Lo and behold, we saw Mom and Dad emerging from the bathroom which opened to the hallway. They were carrying dolls and plastic musical instruments. After a while, no more parents. So we watched longer for Santa. Finally, sleep took over and we plopped in bed.

Imagine our surprise the next morning when we went to the tree and saw the gifts Mom and Dad had carried, but nothing different. That was when we figured out they were Santa.

We’d been duped – in a not-so bad way. LOL

At what age did you discover all things Santa?

So what is new? Why Season of Magic, a holiday boxed set, is now FREE at Amazon and other e-retailers. My romantic comedy story is Holiday Disaster (Christmas + Bad Plumbing = Holiday Disaster). Here’s a bit about our stories:

Noel Noel Noel by Merry Holly ~ Dumped and lonely, is it possible to find love at the local mall? Noelle thinks not, but a chance encounter with Chase Clayborne while Christmas shopping has her rethinking her rigid set of rules.

A Cinderella Christmas by Cara Marsi ~ Jessica Gallo no longer believed in fairy tales or happy endings. And she certainly didn’t believe she’d find her Prince Charming at Saks Fifth Avenue. Her Fairy Godmother thought differently.

Matchmaker Matchmaker by Bobbi Lerman ~ With Chanukah around the corner, is there enough magic left for a matchmaker to bring Molly's cynical heart back to life?

Yuletide Bride by Gerri Brousseau ~ The Dowager Duchess’s decree that her grandson must marry before Twelfth Night or relinquish his title and fortune sends him into a tail spin. Without any prospects and with only two weeks until Christmas will Stuart Nelson find himself destitute or will he find The Yuletide Bride?

Holiday Disaster by Vicki Batman: The week before Christmas and all is in disarray when a librarian experiences horrible plumbing issues and a Mr. Maintenance Man who isn’t nearly as jolly as Santa Claus.

 

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Michelle Miles: RHS Marching Band State Bound!

Excuse me while I have a Mom Brag Moment.

Most of you know my son is in band. He plays bass trombone. For the band kids, their summer is over at the end of July when they start practice for the upcoming marching season. These practices are intense, let me tell you.

Before school starts at the end of August, they are out there from 8-11 am and then 1-4 pm and every other day 6-9 pm. DAILY. Then school and football starts. By the end of September, there are competitions every weekend with practice after school almost every day.

These kids work so hard. They are so incredibly talented, too.

On October 28, they had Area UIL Marching Competition. It was cold that day and windy but the husband and I were there watching and freezing. They did great in prelims and made finals. So back we went that evening. We sat through all 7 bands that night and FROZE OUR BUTTS OFF.

But it was worth it. Richland High School was not only named Grand Champions, but advanced to UIL State Marching! The last time the band advanced was back in 2012, so this is a pretty big deal. Birdville HS also advanced. We’re hoping to see both school in the finals.

Their marching show is awesome. I love watching them perform. The band directors are incredible and its obvious they love their jobs (and the kids!). It’s proof that all that hard work has paid off and they have achieved something only 35 other bands in their division have achieved.

They perform Wednesday, November 8 at 3:45 pm in San Antonio. I’ll be cheering and watching via the live stream. A lot of hours of practice and rehearsal have gone into this show and I just know they’re going to kill it. Go Rebels! 

The last days of summer. The first day of fall. #autumn #monarchmigration #Halloween

Summer drags on forever in the state where I live. Oh, occasionally, we get a cooler breeze and then pop back to the nineties, then a cool front, and finally, we settle into fall. Used to be in October, we would have lots and lots of rain, especially during the State Fair. Trying to find a decent day to go was a challenge, but that has changed.

And like all things, will undoubtedly change again.

What is fun for us in October is to watch for the migration of the monarchs. Outside my kitchen window is a huge lantana. It's the plant that has tiny pink and yellow flowers in a bouquet. It will even grown after a car runs over it. Mine is about six feet tall and twelve feet wide. A friend from my old neighborhood gave it to me right after we moved to this house. She dug and dug and finally, it came up with a raggedy root. She didn't know if it would live and if not, she had another to pass on.

I stuck my piece in a hole, tossed water on it and let 'er rip. The plant took off. And has continued to do so. I've moved babies to other spots. 

Most years, bees and butterflies visit it. This year, we had a lot of monarchs. My son had just commented on how large it was and maybe I should cut it back. Then the visits began. Truly a joy! And other varieties of butterflies came too.

And as if on cue, another front passed through, bringing a burst of rain. The butterflies moved on. And fall came.

Do butterflies migrate through your neighborhood?

Do you pull out a book when you hear the pitter patter of drops on the leaves? Try these--Temporarily Employed and

Temporarily Insane, the Hattie Cooks mystery series.  

Find all the fun at: Amazon