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I had planned on
posting the first of the month but as you can see, it didn’t work out.
I am working my
way out of my Covid mental state. For two years I didn’t do much of anything, I’m
sure my brain turned to mush. I stayed home except for grocery shopping and
medical appointments. I didn’t think of anything, plan anything, or do
anything. That included my writing. In the last two months I’ve planned,
traveled, had Christmas dinner with a small group of vaccinated friends, even
gone to a small local entertainment band, with a mask. And I haven’t caught
anything. Am I back to normal? No.
But I’m back to
playing the flute and now I’m trying to improve my techniques. I’m motivated. I’m
also back working in the glass fusion studio and working as a supervisor twice a
week. I’m being forced to get up at reasonable hours so I can volunteer or
attend class. All this is bringing me
back to a more normal life. I’ve come up with ideas in glass fusion and I’m
working on patterns and projects. Motivation is finally back, at least in some
ways. Occasionally I’ve even thought about writing but that’s as far as it’s
gone so far.
So, I’m still
being very careful. I do not want to get sick – period. But I’m gradually
knocking doing the walls I built to prevent myself from getting the virus. I’m
not totally back to normal, at least the normal I lived two years ago, but I am
motivated and interested in life again.
This month we
have Martin Luther King Day, and...
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It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I’ve been busy and keep putting it off.
I have closed my website, hopefully temporarily.
I find my muse never came back from her vacation.
Covid played with my motivation and like many others became a turnip.
I sat in front of the screen and tried to write but
nothing came. Then I got frustrated and stressed so I decided to give myself a
break. And I am taking a hiatus from writing. We’ll see how that works. So far,
I’ve been very busy. The US finally opened the border so we could cross. Right
now we’re enjoying the sun and warmer weather while back home they’re setting
records for cold weather with snow. I’m starting back to ply my flute. I’m a
beginner again. And I’m getting back into glass fusion. After not doing
anything for so long and no motivation, even getting back to working with glass
is a challenge. It’s so much easier to just stay in and do nothing. But I’m
overcoming.
I’ve even thought about writing once or twice but I’m
not there yet.
My adorable rescue dog has developed anemia. I worked
on his diet to overcome it but now he’s having some digestive upsets because I
changed his diet. Covid doesn’t appear to be going away. We’re having to
adjust and learn to live with it – and masks. I’m still very concerned about
where I go and what I do outside the home and a small group of friends.
I hope you’re all doing well, staying healthy, and
coping with our changing world.
I have left my blog open and...
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USA Today Bestseller Author Eileen Troemel writes action packed and
emotionally powerful fantasy, scifi, romance. She’s versatile and writes in
many genres. She’ll try almost any genre if it means she can tell a good
story. In addition to her writing, she loves to read, crochet, and
research genealogy. Her best days are spent with her family of three
adult daughters and her husband or writing.
Author Interview
Beverley: Which genre or genres do you
write or prefer to write? And why?
Eileen: I write in many genres. So far, I’ve published the majority of
stories in scifi romance and fantasy romance.
However, I have stories in paranormal, shifter, and a variety of others. I’ll have a contemporary romance and
alternate history. I like trying
different genres because it challenges me to shape my story differently.
Beverley: Who
influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer?
Eileen: In my late 30s, I was really an unhappy
person. Once I had kids I stopped writing and decided I wanted to pick it up
again. When I did, I found myself
again. I started with poetry and then
toyed with writing romance. My daughters
really encouraged me. My oldest spent a
lot of time talking plots with me when I worked on my first romance. My middle daughter gave me the smack on the
head (not literally) about shifting to self published. My youngest daughter was encouraging about
continuing to write.
Beverley: What gets your
creative juices flowing?
Eileen: Anything…
everything… One of my poems was inspired because my garage light went out one
morning as I was walking to my car. My
brain came up...
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November 11th is Remembrance Day in Canada.
It’s a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the
First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of
duty. It is also known as Poppy Day due to the tradition of wearing a poppy which
is sold at multiple locations by veterans. It is also celebrated by parades,
laying of wreaths, and a moment of silence to remember those who have died. John
McCrae wrote this well-known poem.In Flanders FieldsIn Flanders fields, the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lie,In Flanders fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.In the US
November 11th is known as
Veterans Day or Armistice Day. It is a federal holiday observed annually on
November 11th It
honoring the military veterans, who are people who have served in the United
States Armed Forces. It is celebrated by the laying of wreaths and two minutes of
silence is held at 11 am.
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Augustina Van Hoven was born in
The Netherlands and currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband
and pets. She is an avid reader of
romance, science fiction and fantasy.
When she’s not writing she likes to work in her garden or in the winter
months crochet and knit on her knitting machines.Character
Interview
Beverley: What’s
your name?
Annabelle: My
name is Annabelle
O’Sullivan but people call me Anna.
Beverley:
Where did you grow up?
Annabelle: I grew up in New York.
Beverley:
During what time period does your
story take place?
Annabelle: It begins in my time which is 1925, but somehow I end up in 2019.
Beverley:
What’s your story/back story?
Annabelle: I’ve been employed as a governess for the Thomas Mason and have taken
care of his only daughter, Mary, for the last five years. I was very happy
there. Now, I’m in a strange place and time.
Beverley:
Why would someone come up with a
story about you?
Annabelle: Someone would tell my story because I traveled through time.Beverley: What’s
your goal in this story?
Annabelle: At first, I only wanted to get back home. But after I got to know Olivia
and Daniel, I wanted to stay with them.Beverley: What
conflicts are you facing?
Annabelle: I have to learn how to survive in this strange time.
Beverley:
Do you have a plan for resolving
them?
Annabelle: I don’t know how I got here and have no idea how to get home.Beverley: Is there
anything else you’d like us to know about you?
Annabelle: I’m a good cook and I love children.
Blurb for The
Christmas Kiss
What happens under the mistletoe…
When a sledding accident catapults
governess Annabelle O’Sullivan ninety-four years...
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I’m stealing an information letter from Amy Atwell,
but I don’t think she’ll mind my sharing with writers, authors, and interested
readers. It’s general information she searches out and shares.
Phishing / Spam Emails
I received an email regarding a Moderna Vaccine
Survey. It was addressed to an email address I don’t actually have, but
copied to one of my Gmail addresses. There were at least 3 different
Unsubscribe buttons. I didn’t click anything (don’t even click the
unsubscribe buttons on these things!). I just marked it as Junk/Spam and
deleted from my computer.
Amazon’s Transparency Codes on print bar codes:
https://rogerpacker.com/amazon-adding-transparency-codes-to-kdp-book-covers-to-boost-engagement
And, in keeping with Amazon wanting to add a QR
code and track physical books (and people who scan them), if you don’t want KDP
to generate your bar code (and include their own transparency code), you can
now generate a bar code to give to your cover artist and have them incorporate
it into your cover art. On KDP, there’s a box to click to let them know
that you’re including a bar code in your cover art so they don’t generate their
own.
Free ISBN Bar Code Generator, courtesy of
Kindlepreneur:
https://kindlepreneur.com/isbn-bar-code-generator/
Apple Holiday Delivery Times
As they always do, Apple is reminding you to upload
books well in advance during the holidays. Apple still tends to close
down for the Christmas holidays, so remember that their could be a few days
where processing is slow or the iTunes Connect dashboard goes offline.
Basically, starting in early November, work toward
uploading your eBooks or pre-programming price changes 2 weeks in advance.
If you plan to release a book during the first week of...
