Lacey Dancer's Blog, page 15

Baking Day For Gift Giving

It has been a long tradition in my home to bake gifts for my friends and family instead of going shopping. The task is time consuming but fun for me. Everyone I know has different things they like and it is always interesting planning my menu of goodies so that each person on my list gets his or her favorites plus a couple of new treats to try. This year I am teaming up with a friend to do the baking.

I started this morning at 5:30am and she joined in about 6:30. The table isn’t loaded in the picture below but we aren’t done yet. Once the baking is complete, we will be bagging the goodies then wrapping and tagging. Tomorrow is delivery day.

Debut of Chase The Fire Cover

Moving out of the traditional publishing industry and into Indie publishing has been harrowing, exciting, frustrating and demanding. Just getting great covers and wonderful interiors for the hard copy books has been a challenge. Finally, I think I may have found the perfect combo for me. I have a local company and a wonderful graphic artist, Gilberto Castro. I take my ideas to him and he makes them come alive.  Chase The Fire is the first cover we have done together and it won’t be the last. He is just finishing the interior as I write this so some time this week I will be uploading to the printer.  With luck, Chase The Fire will be ready before the end of the year.

Only a Few More Days Until Christmas

All of the decorations are done. I am including a picture of the tree this year. Daughter is coming to visit for the holidays so that will be a lot of fun. All that is left is cooking. Since I have bunches of recipes the problem what to cook. Definitely know baked and potato salad are on the menu and dip for snacking. After that, I am throwing up my hands and talking my daughter into baking. Filling the freezer with goodies sounds like the perfect Christmas present to me.

Also, Chase the Fire is in the works for publishing. Not sure if it will be finished in time for Christmas but it will be close. The response to Care Giving: Real Life Answers in audio form has been great. Very excited about reaching this market. It took being an Indie writer to do it. Chase the Fire will be going audio too. Annette did such a great job with Care Giving that I couldn’t even think of looking for another narrator.

The post Only a Few More Days Until Christmas appeared first on Lacey Dancer.

Fantastic Friday

So many things going on today. Finishing the last rewrite of Chase the Fire. Cover is done and ready for the upload. Decorations for Christmas are up inside and outdoors.

New review for Care Giving: Real Life Answers 5 STARS

Thanks Nancy S.

I just finished reading Care Giving: Real Life Answers by Sydney Ann Clary. My dad will be 94 in December and there is a possibility he may come to live with me or one of my relatives—now under discussion.

I was really glad that Sydney filled the book with bold emphasis and headers that were very helpful to the reader. Also, I was amazed at the inclusive subject matter that I found so helpful in giving me ideas, such as the need to have a walk-in shower stall and copies of important papers to be ready for emergencies and easing the workload of searching for something under stress. Also, my Dad has always been a very stubborn person and the many ideas about discussing issues before they come up is the only way to survive some of the roadblocks that can be anticipated. This is an easy read for anyone interested in care giving. I like the book a lot.

The post Fantastic Friday appeared first on Lacey Dancer.

Happy Thanksgiving

I wish everyone who is traveling today a safe and speedy journey. This is a wonderful time of year, a day set aside for being thankful and enjoying the company of family and friends. Of course, having the table groaning under the weight of the feast most of us are even now cooking just adds to the memories. Some of us, are eating out. I’m done that too as long as I can order an extra meal so I will have leftovers. I don’t know about the rest of you  but leftovers are almost as good as the meal itself. Since my group of friends is spread out, enjoying the day with family, I’ll probably be having drop ins so there are going to be treats in the frig for those moments too. I might even get a little work done on Chase the Fire while I stick my feet up after dinner.

Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Rewrites and Changes

This morning is all about writing the back cover copy for Chase the Fire. Need it for blocking the graphics of the cover. Also working on rewrites of the book. Last night was fun when I ended up back at chapter one which I had already done. Suddenly, about twenty pages got tossed and a whole new beginning presented itself.

Love it even if it means a lot of work not only to write the new line but to weave it seamlessly into the story.

Sharing a picture for today. I couldn’t resist. This is not me as I am definitely awake and glued to the computer.

End of a Great Week

This week has been a great one. The audio version of Care Giving: Real Life Answers has only been out for a few weeks and there are sales!!!! This kind of book has a certain narrow market compared to fiction so the news is even better.

Also, I have found a book cover designer locally. Great people and wonderful design skills. Should have a cover proof for Chase the Fire as early as Wednesday. Fingers crossed. Want to get this one done by mid December. It is going to be close.

SPOTLIGHT ON NEW RELEASE: GRUDGING BY MICHELLE HAUCK

 

Title: GRUDGING

Author: Michelle Hauck

Pub. Date : November 17, 2015

Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse

Format: eBook

Find it: Amazon| Barnes & amp: Noble | iBooks |Goodreads

 

A world of chivalry and witchcraft…and the invaders who would destroy everything.

The North has invaded, bringing a cruel religion and  no mercy. The ciudades-estados who have stood in their way have been razed to nothing, and now the horde is before the gates of Colina Hermosa…demanding blood.

On a mission of desperation, a small group escapes the besieged city in search of the one thing that might stem the tide of Northerners: the witches of the southern swamps.

The Women of the Song.

But when tragedy strikes their negotiations, all that is left is a single untried knight and a witch who has never given voice to her power. And time is running out.

A lyrical tale of honor and magic. Grudging is the opening salvo in the Book of Saints Trilogy.

EXCERPT:

Shortly after the combat, Ramiro made his excuses to the men at the wall and left, returning to the citadel and taking the stairs to the roof. Some alcalde’s wife from the past had turned this spot into an outdoor garden and dining room, making it a favorite retreat for many. A peaceful place when he felt anything but.

Other people’s blood spotted his white shirt. Had things gone differently, it could easily have been his own. He needed a bath and a rest, but his mind hummed from the conflict, leaving him unable to stop pacing. Cold chills claimed his limbs. His stomach was sourer than when alcohol had filled it. With no clear single-combat victory, he hadn’t earned his beard. The night reeked of disappointment.

How long? How long could they keep the Northerners out?

Stars spotted the night sky here, where the citadel met the top of the world. Or so it had always seemed him as a child. Life was no longer so certain now that he was older.

He drew in the cool scent of creeping jasmine, carefully tended and watered by hand in pots across the rooftop. Colina Hermosa spread before him, a humbling sight. The city stretched away from the citadel on all sides, a jewel shining with lights. It spread down the hill, becoming wider and grander as it sprawled, with imposing avenues and white-clad stucco buildings whose thick walls and small windows kept out the noonday heat. There was squalor and dirt as well, fits of temper, rudeness, and often impatience. But the darkness hid all that, washing the city of its faults and giving it a fresh life until it tumbled like the sea against the immovable stone walls that now held out the Northerners.

His heart swelled with love. Something worth defending. Home.

Outside the high, white walls, well beyond arrow shot, was a sight not so welcoming. There, jammed between the city and a deep, old quarry used to build the city walls, campfires burned. a red swarm of rage and death, brimstone and smoke, offering a grim contrast with the peaceful firmament. Not by hundreds did they burn, but by the thousands, mirroring the stars in the sky. How many peasants’ houses did they demolish to feed so much hungry fire? They must be down to burning the cacti. How they kept it up night after night, he couldn’t begin to comprehend. Salvador had talked on about supply trains and quartermasters, but Ramiro had let his imagination dwell on his first ride instead. An indulgence he regretted now.

If only each fire meant a single enemy, but that was wishful thinking. Each fire contained tens of men. Tens and thousands. And behind them, the siege machines waited their turn. A lethal combination for Colina Hermosa.

He touched the spot above his spleen, and whispered. “Santiago, don’t let me give in to despair.”

 

About Michelle:

Michelle Hauck lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. The papillons help balance out the teenage drama. Besides working with special needs children by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A book worm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for any excuse to reward herself. Bio finished? Time for a sweet snack.

She is co-host of the yearly contests Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query Street and Sun versus Snow.

Her epic fantasy, Kindar’s Cure, is published by Divertir Publishing. Her short story, Frost and Fog, is published by The Elephant’s Bookshelf Press in their anthology, Summer’s Double Edge. She is repped by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary.

Website | Twitter | Facebook page | Tumbir | Goodreads

 

 

I Don’t Usually Read Romance….

I don’t usually read romance books, but a friend recommended this one to me and I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did! The characters had me from the first page and I devoured the entire book in one day. There were a few unexpected twists and turn that kept me guessing but I just knew there had to be a happy ending and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m already anxious for more from this writer and I hope I meet these characters again!! This book is awesome!!

I Don’t Usually Read Romance But…

Amazon 5 star review for Choices by Lacey Dancer 

I don’t usually read romance books, but a friend recommended this one to me and I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did! The characters had me from the first page and I devoured the entire book in one day. There were a few unexpected twists and turn that kept me guessing but I just knew there had to be a happy ending and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m already anxious for more from this writer and I hope I meet these characters again!! This book is awesome!!