Love at the Woolly Bookworm Shop Available 11/14/2022

Wahoo! The book is done!!

It is available for pre-order today. Or, you can wait until tomorrow. I created both an e-book and paperback on Amazon.

The new book is a contemporary romance about Peg Alexander. An older divorced lady, she built a cozy life for herself on her family’s farm in rural North Carolina. She was thoroughly content. Then, John Sweeney returned to town and completely upended her life.

The story is built on questions. Does love have an expiration date? Do we only get an opportunity for love when we are in the first blush of our youth? Or, can we hope for a second chance later in life? Can we still feel that flutter in our hearts and shaking in our knees (not related to medical conditions) even when Society tells us we are ‘past our prime’?

Happy reading!

Coming Soon!

With all the books I have written, there comes a time when I get absolutely sick of looking at them and am ready to publish. We are almost there right now!

Over the weekend, I finished up some formatting work for the ebook and paperback versions of my next book. I want to take one last look before publication.

I also want to revamp this website. Since I have expanded the universe beyond the Though the Mist series, it needs a refresh.

Hang in there just a little longer. I hope to announce something really soon! As always, thank you to everyone who is on this journey with me.

The Un-Fun Stuff

Yes, I have been rather quiet on this site for the last little bit. I am working on the un-fun stuff of a new book - designing the cover, formatting the book, et cetera.

It is even more difficult this time. I am trying hard to have a formal plan for the book launch. With previous books, I was usually so tired after work that I didn’t want to devote a lot of time to a book launch. Both the book and the marketing efforts (or lack thereof) suffered. Now that I have the time to “do it right,” I want to make everything much better.

So, hang in there just a little longer. The new book is coming soon. Once it has been released into the wild, I have loads of ideas for several books to follow. I already have plans for at least two more books in the Through the Mist series, a potential spin-off from that series, and another book that imagines the story of an ancestor of mine from the Civil War. Like it or not, you cannot get rid of me!

P.S.

As part of my launch, I plan to redesign the website. Up until now, it focused on the Through the Mist series. Now that I have a book that is not part of that series, it makes sense that I change the site. Have any suggestions? Be sure to leave a comment if you do. Thanks!

What's Shakin', Bacon?

Yes, I have been a bit quiet. Things have been happening so let’s chat.

On the book front. I finished the final draft of the latest book. As I have mentioned numerous times, this book is a huge departure from the usual Scottish time travel books. It is a romance novel based in the South, not Scotland. The story is told from the point of view (POV) of Peg Alexander, a 50-something woman who gave up on love a long time ago.

Last week, I gave the book to the beta readers. After they have a go at it, I will make any needed tweaks. Then, it will be ready for publication.

In the meantime, I am working on the business side of things. I want to create a cover that attracts attention. I also want to investigate some ways to give the novel exposure. I am thrilled that y’all take the time to read my books. I want more people to read them too so what can I do to make that happen?

On the home front. If you have been reading the blog and Facebook posts, you’ll know that I adopted a second dog. He is super sweet. It has been a lot of fun getting to know him and watching him become a part of our household. G likes him - or maybe tolerates him, not entirely sure. This coming Tuesday, he will have been here for a month, a surprising thing. It sometimes feels as if he has been here longer.

Also, I continue to adapt to this new life as a full-time writer. It is a challenge, especially in these times. I am trying to focus more on my goal of getting this book out into the world and making it a success rather than the skyrocketing costs of just about everything.

Thank you for continuing to go on this journey with me. I’ll have more updates soon when the next book will be published.

P.S.

No, I haven’t given up on the Through the Mist series. The next sequel is still sitting on the sidelines. Writing this latest book was meant to help me with the sequel. It has. I believe I have figured out a way to end the book. As soon as I get the new book off the ground, I’ll return to the Through the Mist sequel.

You Get What You Need

Lately, I have been humming the Rolling Stones classic, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” In the chorus, they say “…but if you try sometime you’ll find, you get what you need.” I feel that way about my recent adoption of a second dog.

For years, I searched for a dog who would be compatible with G. I thought a female terrier, about a year old, would be perfect.

What kind of dog did I ultimately adopt? A three-year old male Shih-Tzu who is great with her. He doesn’t mind yielding to a strong alpha female (G, of course). He patiently waits for her whenever she needs to stop during walkies. He is happy to play with toys on his own if she refuses to play with him but never stops bringing her a toy, just in case she changes her mind. His attitude and energy works perfectly with her. A terrier never worked because that’s what I wanted, not what G needed.

There is a lesson here. We have pre-conceived notions about everything. We think we know what we want or need. Sometimes, the thing we want is not the thing we need. We should open our minds to new ideas, new opportunities. What looks like something that wouldn’t be right (in my case, a male Shih-Tzu) may be exactly what we needed all along.

Changes

I have another dog.

For years, I have searched for the right match with G. She is dog selective. That’s a nice way of saying “she hates most dogs.”

Lately, she has been slowing down A LOT. It is really bad. Adding a second dog can sometimes enliven an old dog. It can also make them even more miserable, so the decision must be made with great care. After all these years, I had basically given up. G simply did not like the dogs I put before her as potential adoption candidates.

Then, my sister found a listing for a dog who someone wanted to rehome. Since G loves my neighbor’s Shih Tzu-mix, I thought I would give it a try. So far, it is a good fit. Even though I didn’t necessarily want a male dog and certainly not a Shih-Tzu, he has turned out to be a great fit for our household. If G needs to rest on walkies, he relaxes. He walks at her pace. He lets her be the alpha dog. He plays with toys on his own after she rejected his attempts at play. He is just a good, all-around dog.

G is declining quickly. I see it now that I have a younger dog bouncing beside her. I am not sure how much longer we will have together, but I intend to give her a top quality life for as long as we do have. (Enough thinking about that - eyes have liquid spouting from them - WTH?)

Change happens. I don’t want G to get old, and I never thought a little Shih-Tzu boy would come into our lives. Of course, I also didn’t think that my former marriage would end in divorce, that I would one day build a house on my own, or that I would have the courage to quit a job I truly hated. When change inevitably happens, try to embrace it. Yes, it is scary. Deep breath - it will be okay.

P.S. Yes, I am saying that every time I look at G.