Saved by the Pez

My family has a travel curse. So, when we started out on a two-week vacation touring the New England states, we vowed to remain flexible. It was hard when our flight was late leaving our destination, then, at the layover takeoff, there was a delay while a family discussed their very personal issues very loudly to the dismay of everyone on board. When that was finally resolved, we took off (late), and landed in Baltimore about midnight.

But the travel curse was not done with us yet. Nope.

There was a lack of cars at the car rental agency. It would be a wait, but we would get a car (minivan was what we rented), but we were warned it might not be the vehicle we’d requested. We waited nearly an hour, but finally a vehicle arrived in front of us. A small sedan. It was way too small for my family and the camping equipment we planned on taking with us, so we passed it to the next family and waited some more. Our travel curse must have been either asleep or distracted, for we did get a car. Not the minivan, but something better. A brand-new huge Ford Expedition. Wahoo.

We arrived at my brother-in-laws around 2 am, with the intention of waking up at 6 am so that we could get an early start. We made it out by 10 am. The delay impacted our touring of the day. We wouldn’t make it to Mystic, CT. Damn. We did get a great view of the NY skyline from the George Washington Bridge as we sat in traffic, but no one wanted to go straight to our hotel without seeing something.

Well, my brother-in-law is a genius with Google. We got a message from him in the lead car  of our touring caravan that a short way up the road was a Pez factory/visitor station. Did we want to go? Of course we did. I wasn’t expecting a lot….just a quick tour of how they made candy. Well, I was in for a surprise. The visitor center was entertaining. We participated in the treasure hunt, which took us on a tour of Pez dispensers from beginning to end. So many Pez dispensers! The kids (and I’ll admit the adults, too) had a blast.

Yeah, it wasn’t Mystic, but it was great fun. The day was saved….saved by the Pez.

The Day the Nook Died

Before being an author, I’m a reader. I love books in all shapes, sizes, and platforms. When e-books evolved, I grabbed a Nook and a Kindle. I have to say I prefer the Nook. It gave just the right illusion of a book so that I had no trouble transitioning from paper to e-ink.

The Kindle isn’t such a smooth reader. I have trouble flipping pages (probably operator error, but still, it interferes with my enjoyment). I have also been reading books on my phone — which I enjoy more than the Kindle, but talk about a battery drain! Yikes.

Well, imagine my dismay when I picked up my Nook today and found it frozen.It had been acting odd the last couple of days, but I had ignored the symptoms. Figured I was just tired and not hitting the screen hard enough to get it to response. It wasn’t until I rebooted the device, several times, to no avail, that I realized my precious Nook was dead.  It’s years old, probably one of the first editions of a Nook, still I’ll miss it like an old friend…

What’s Next?

Back to the past. I’m currently working on a historical romance set in the 1860s. I have a damaged hero, a veteran (of sorts) of the civil war and a spunky young heroine running away from an arranged marriage.

When I write, I find that I tend to go all out. So my poor family endures having conversations with a wife and mom who isn’t quite living in 2016. There’s lots of chicken tenders/fish sticks for dinner, dust bunnies under the beds, and housewifely neglect (I often joke that I’m not a house-WIFE because the house would have divorced me long ago). Thank goodness my family is supportive and my husband LIKES fish sticks or I’d be doomed.

So, I apologize if my posting is a bit spotty while I get the story out of my head and onto my hard drive.

Murphy’s Law

My current release is Murphy’s Law. This is a sweet romance with an incredibly brave, scarred Afghanistan veteran willing to risk her life and her heart for the people she loves. This story combines a little bit of my beloved dad, who was stationed at Chandler in Arizona and loved all the old stories of the Dutchman’s mine, and my admiration for the men and women of our Armed Forces who put their lives on the line for the freedom of the American people.

murphy's Law copyRae Morgan traded a secure life in Stallion Springs, a small Arizona town, for a life of exotic adventure in the military. When a bombing in Afghanistan left her with devastating scars, she returned home to help run the family business. When her estranged father is murdered, she’s shocked to discover that ‘the one who got away’ is now the man investigating the crime.

Growing up, Murphy Hawke had one goal—to escape Stallion Springs and the racial bias against his mixed Apache/Caucasian heritage. A murder in the shadow of the Superstition Mountains returns DOI Special Agent Murphy Hawke to his hometown and the ‘girl’ he left behind. Only now, Rae’s all grown up, sexy, smart, and irresistible. He’d like nothing better than to rekindle the passion they’d once shared.

Unfortunately, she’s his chief suspect.

What was that masked virus?

The whole family has been felled by fever, congestion, nausea, and just downright feeling crappiness. Hubby remarked to me yesterday, “Is this the flu?” Could be. I haven’t had the real “flu” in years. Yep, a tummy virus here or there, and lots of colds (the price you pay when having or working with kids). So it just might be…

Hoping to feel human again soon.

Success!

Over 2000 copies of His Blizzard Bride was downloaded from Amazon during it’s giveaway! So thrilled. Thanks to everyone who promoted and recommended and shared.

Hearts and flowers to you all.

His Blizzard Bride Trivia

Did you know?
The opening scene of His Blizzard Bride was inspired by a true story. My grandfather used to raise chickens and when my mom and her siblings were children, they had an outhouse….and a rooster. Mom tells a delightful story about racing that mean old rooster to the outhouse on a daily basis.