Spa Day

After the busyness of the past week, we could all use a little spa action, right? =). But seriously, it's mid-day and I've finally gotten dressed and started the day. Considering I was up at 4:30 am seeing College Boy off on his cross-country trek to URBANA 12 in St. Louis, I'm offering myself a little grace (and a second cup o' joe). Happy to spread some grace your way too!

Hope you all had a merry Christmas and are looking forward to a rockin' New Year. If you received a Kindle or Nook from Santa, you can pick up The Spa at Winter Beach (A Seaside Novella) for only 99cents (or you can read it on your iPad, iPhone or computer via the Kindle app.) It's short and sweet and perfect for cozy reading by the fire. Please spread the word because I'm not sure how long the price will stay that low.

As for me, I'm taking it slow today, easing my way back into working. Already called a friend, prayed for another, and I think I might watch an episode of Downton Abbey. Appreciating life, as it's just so precious ...

O Christmas Tree ...

Took this photo last weekend just after sunset in Newport Beach where I'd had an early dinner with the "Orange County Girls," as my fam calls them. The "girls" and I've been friends since we were on the opening team of a hotel across the street from Disneyland when we were college students. LONG time ago ... haha ...

Every year we try to get together to swap ornaments, stories, and memories. Mmm ...This year, we actually met up twice. Sweet times. Wild times. They haven't changed, I haven't either, and yet we have.

Then again, after taking this picture and a slew of others, we all ran down to the water in our heels, laughing and screaming like teens. Maybe some things really don't change all that much after all :)

Here's to a beachy Christmas, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Wednesday Hoppin'

 Happy Wednesday, Sea Lovers! As I mentioned last week during my own blog hop "interview," I've tagged four others to answer questions about their books and/or WIP (works-in-progress). Here are their links so you can peruse their sites:

Becky Harling 

Sherry Kyle

Susan G. Mathis 

Kay Strom 

And if you're not on my occasional e-newsletter mailing list, why not?? Ha. Kidding. But seriously, you can read my latest news here.

Have a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Merry and Bright

Been trying to find out if I'm on the naughty or nice list, but Santa won't budge. So I guess I'll have to wait and see ... just hoping no coal finds its way to my stocking (unless it has a name like Coach or Dolce Gabbana etched across it, haha).

Not very wintery out here in California. Low 60s and hazy sun, but that's about it. Still, it's not about the weather or dear ol' Saint Nick anyway, is it? With all the busyness, I'm working to keep my mind and heart focused on the One whose birth we celebrate at this time, year after year.

After posting this, we'll be heading to church to worship and pray. He doesn't need us to be there, but oh how we need Him ~ know what I mean?

How do you keep your eyes focused on that faraway star?

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

As I mentioned earlier, The Spa at Winter Beach is now available as an e-novella. Great timing, then, that author and friend, Carrie Padgett, nominated me to participate in this week's blog tour. Seriously, I didn't plan this!

This tour is sort of like a chain letter for readers who love to know the hows and whys behind a particular book. Carrie, whose blog is called Chocolate, No Nuts, answered ten questions about her work in progress last week ~ and today it's my turn on the hot seat. I hope you'll stick around and learn a bit about my new beach read! At the end, I'll nominated four other writers who will post their own answers to these questions next Wednesday, December 12th.

So here we go ...

 What is the working title of your book?
The Spa at Winter Beach

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I originally brainstormed with three other authors to write a four-in-one book set in a spa at Christmastime (Sherry Kyle, Karen O'Connor, Michelle Ule and moi). We put together a proposal for our agent, but ultimately, the publisher we submitted it to was sold. After a time I decided I wanted to finish Juliana Moss's story, and make it a wintertime story instead.
 
What genre does your book fall under? Contemporary Romance (by the sea :)
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Emma Stone, and someone like Hugh Dancy (except with an American accent and a few more muscles).
 
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Juliana Moss, a jilted home stager, hopes that spending a week at The Spa at Winter Beach will cure her broken heart. Will a chance meeting with a mysterious stranger offer healing ... or reopen old wounds? (Okay, that was two.)

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? My first five novels were represented by an agency, but this is my first self-pubbed story.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 

I started this story a couple of years ago then picked it up again fairly recently, so it's hard to say. It's not a full-length novel, so probably about 6 weeks.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I've seen reviews of my other books that say my writing is similar to Kristin Billerbeck and Melody Carlson's. I'm honored!
 
Who or What inspired you to write this book? I'm inspired by the shore, and in this particular story, by the coast in winter. But I also had this quirky idea about a home stager who breaks a BIG rule in the business ~ and then has to "run away" because of it. And what better place to run away to than a spa at the beach?
 
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? This is the perfect read to curl up with by a fire on a wintry night. Although light and romantic, it also stokes the flames a bit about what we sometimes think we know. It's available on Kindle and Nook.

Thanks for reading! Next Wednesday, please visit the following fantastic writers and friends to read about their new books or works in progress (both fiction and non-fiction) Feel free to pop over now because I'll remind you again next week :):

Becky Harling 

Sherry Kyle

Susan G. Mathis 

Kay Strom 

Sneak Peek Sunday

Update 12/3/12, 8:45 pm:  The Spa at Winter Beach is now available on Kindle and Nook

Ta-da: The cover of my upcoming e-novella, The Spa at Winter Beach. You like? Makes me want to close up the office and head to the beach ~ even in the rain.


I'll be talking about the origins of this story in the days to come, but in the meantime, I promised to show the cover here and on my Facebook page first. The novella itself will be released on Amazon and Nook in the next 24-48 hours.

Have a beachy Sunday, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Blog Hoppin'

Next Wednesday, I'll be participating in a Blog Hop Tour and answering questions on this blog about my new, soon-to-be-released ebook The Spa at Winter Beach. My friend, Carrie Padgett, invited to this little soiree, so I hope you'll hop on over to her blog today, and learn a few things about Carrie and her latest book. Here's the link: Chocolate, No Nuts.

Happy reading and have a beachy rest of the week, my friends ... wherever you are!

Happy Sunday, Friends!

Truffles and you ...

Truffles by the Sea is free on Kindle for today only.

Happy small business Saturday, my beachy friends, wherever you are ...

Seeing Stars ...

Last Friday I had the privilege of attending/working at an event to honor pastors, hosted by our local radio station, KDAR. Here's a shot of me with author and speaker, Greg Smalley. Note to self: Must call my hairstylist, Terri, stat!!! But seriously, Greg is hysterical and poignant, and that's a gift! If you ever get the chance to hear him speak--go.

Mickey Rooney ~ yes, you read THAT right ~ Mickey Rooney was in the house! Let me tell you, there's nothing like seeing an icon like Mickey stand and raise his hands to God as the band led us all in worship. Powerful stuff, peeps! (Just to clarify, in this photo, Mickey is waving at the crowd, not participating in worship, which happened earlier :-)
 

I also had the opportunity to pour tea for the lovely Margaret O'Brien, probably best known for Meet Me In St. Louis (but my dad, a film buff, will probably correct me about that!).

Today I was back to the drudgery of working in front of a computer screen. Not a celebrity in sight ... ah, well. No complaining here :)

Gracias ...

Happy Saturday! Rain's coming down, but it's all good (washes the heron poop off the house!). I'm so excited because my designer is working on the cover of my ebook, due to release in just a few weeks. LOVE the photo he's working from, and can't wait to show it off.  I'll reveal it here first =)

Lots of stuff to be thankful for - and in case I forget, my Facebook pages have been overflowing with gratitude posts lately. Yours too?

Here are a few of the things I'm thankful for: Family, friends, a light Saturday rain, the beach :) ... and most importantly God's unending love now and through eternity. Have a blessed and beachy Thanksgiving week, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Island Views ...

Happy Wednesday. It's officially the hardest day of my week, every week, but especially today. Not that I have much to complain about. Life is good, but it just isn't exactly what I want it to be sometimes. Funny thing is, my son recently changed his Facebook profile page to green grass because of the "grass is always greener" cliche. So ... I'm taking that to heart!

One thing that never seems to change (except in a good way) is my view of the sea here on the central coast.. Ahhh ... this morning the sky was pink and the waves were flat. Very [insert Christian zen-like word here].

So here's to Thursday. May it usher in Friday like blue water lapping onto sand :-)

Breaking news ...

... Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have broken up. (Apparently it's a slow news day :) 

Bad news is it may be too late for Teen Girl who recently took down her more-than-life-size poster of JB. His loss ...

Good news is we may be visiting England next year, home to four of the boys from One Direction. She's already seen them in concert (and yes, she already has tickets for next August's concert in LA ...)

Must find a way to write off a trip like that ... wondering if I should set a book on that end of the pond. Hmm...

It's Wednesday ...

Watching X Factor and The Voice (alternately) with Teen Girl, writing a super fun novella on my laptop, and munching dark chocolate-covered almonds. Life is GOOD!

Watcha doin'?

Pinky swear ...

Teen Girl and I just returned from a whirlwind weekend in Philadelphia to visit College Girl who moved across the country more than a month ago. I snapped this shot of them surreptitiously as they walked along, pinky in pinky, like they do at home. My heart swells with happiness just thinking about how close they are, and at how hard I laughed this weekend over ... well, I really can't say. It was girl stuff! =)

The more I visit the City of Brotherly Love, the more I'm smitten. On this trip, we shopped in the boutiques of Old City, strolled through Penn's historic campus, ate decadent desserts in University City ~ the pumpkin cheesecake rocked ~ and watched street dancers bounce on wiry arms in Rittenhouse Square. Such good memories, all.

Today I'm back and doing a final read-through of an editing assignment, then it's on to some writing that's been awaiting my attention. Here's to love, new journeys, and beachy days, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Thinking of pie ...

So Teen Girl and I wandered into Pier 1 today and bought some candles that smell like spice cake. And that reminded me that we hadn't stopped at the local pumpkin patch in, oh, about eight years ~ not since she was in kindiegarten and I was one of the carpool moms. It's crazy that just because the kids grow up and move out (two in college now ... sniff sniff) we halt traditions, such as wading through hay and dirt to find the perfect pumpkin to grace our doorstep.

And so while out shopping for clothes that we never did find, we took the scenic route home along corn-dusted farms and leafy fields that stretch nearly to the sea. I love these roads, just a long stone's throw from our beachy neighborhood. By the number of cars entering the makeshift, dirt parking lots, so do our neighbors and visitors.

The big guy in the seat belt looked pretty lonesome out there in the patch surrounded by fashionable plus-sized gourds, their round bellies protruding like giant swim rings ~ and we were both smitten. He has personality, we said. The guy at the wooden check-out shack called him, "lanky." What started out as a hunt through a vast pumpkin patch turned out to be a quick trip when we spotted this big guy and brought him home.

Here's to new seasons that resurrect old traditions. Have a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Too good not to post

Hubby took this pic while we sat on a dune and watched the sunset. SO nice after spending the afternoon down south in sweltering heat for our daughter's soccer game.

Happy Sunday, friends! Here's to a beachy week ahead ~ wherever you are =)

It tastes better than it looks ...

I tried hard to think of a good post to go with this one, but really, I've got nuthin'. We've been back from Philly for more than a week and I'm still missing College Girl. Weird that she's not here in Cali, cracking me up like usual. Changes the dynamics of the house when one of the kids leaves. Incidentally, College Boy is home more these days. He's a junior with classes two days a week, so he comes home the rest of the time. I mean, why wouldn't he stay where the fridge is (fairly) stocked and he can sleep in his own stinky bed?

Our youngest is adjusting as best she can. She's a high school freshman who's usually joined at the hip with her sister. But that's rather hard to keep up when you live on opposite coasts. Every night we pray for her sister--and thank the Good Lord for inventing texting :)

Getting back to the Philly cheesesteak in the photo, you know, I didn't actually order one of these while there (sorry the photo's upside down; Blogger hates me), but Teen Girl tried a couple of them--for comparison sake, of course. I took a couple of bites but they're really not my thing. But as my husband said, "When in Rome ..." So, yes, he had a Philly cheesesteak AND a yuengling, because it's a law or something =).

Happy weekend, friends! Here's to family and dining like the locals ...

We returned from Philly the other night after dropping off our oldest daughter at college. Miss her bunches already, but somehow this beach chick gave birth to a city girl and I know she's happy. So that helps. Moving her in was a lot different from the time we moved our son onto a serene, enclosed campus. As I mentioned, she's in the city ... with traffic ... and zero convenient parking ... and on this particular day--rain, lightning, and 45-mile an hour winds. Welcome to the east coast, right???

Anyway, hubs and I did some last minute shopping at the Bed, Bath, and Beyond that had set up on campus--brilliant marketing plan!--and found this box of duct tape, which incidentally College Girl needed to patch a hole in her dorm room wall (I know, right?). I love this photo because there's not a drab grey in the bunch. Life's too short for plain vanilla, so kudos to BBB for thinking like a college student.

Hmm ... maybe we'd all be better off to think outside the box. Have a beachy weekend my friends, wherever you are =)

Falling for it

As I mentioned to a friend on Facebook, around here we've continued to have summer weather--except for yesterday when the air turned cool and it drizzled much of the afternoon. It was as if the weather knew the pumpkins were coming and that it should act accordingly.

Hate to admit this, but I've got my own Starbucks gold card. Yes, my name is imprinted on it and everything. Addiction at its height, I'd say. But the good thing is I've earned enough stars for a free drink, so woo hoo for that.

Today I'm wearing long sleeves (thin ones :) and heading into Sbucks for my free pumpkin latte (non-fat, of course!). Sometimes it's the little things that act like a dollop of whip cream on a long day.

Hello, fall!