Anna Sugg's Blog, page 10

LAUNCH DAY

TODAY'S THE DAY
THANK YOU FOR CELEBRATING WITH ME 
THE SANTA SERIES BOX SET
$ .99
AMAZONSMASHWORD


Santa’s Pretty Lady : How could she possibly fall in love with a homeless Santa Santa’s Secret Gift: A gift from a secret Santa gives her hope and a chance to take her daughter and run
Mainland Santa: All men have only two things on their mind: sex and secrets

SANTA'S GIVING AWAY GIFTS:
  
$5.00 Amazon Gift Card

Mug with book cover pictures 



Custom made Christmas Earrings by Sherry Gail’s Jewelry 

Free ebook copy of Bake Love Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing 

**Mailing only available in US and Canada.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO WIN SOMETHING?JUST LEAVE A COMMENT AND IF YOU EMAIL ME TO JOIN MY NEWSLETTER, I’LL PUT YOUR NAME BACK IN FOR A CHANCE TO WIN ANOTHER ITEM

SANTA'S PARTY

HEY, November’s here and starting off with a bang!  Thank you for stopping by and joining me in celebrating:  THE SANTA SERIES
The official launch party starts tomorrow, November 2, but I'm too excited to wait and will look forward to your visit. 

Grab some chocolate and a glass of bubbles and join me in a toast to celebrate my first box set of three Christmas books. 



The Santa Series:   Enjoy reading a Christmas holiday boxed set filled with fun, emotional, holiday love stories with happily-ever-after endings. Three novels, Santa’s Pretty Lady, Santa’s Secret Gift, and Mainland Santa are filled with emotional, sensual, suspenseful, nail-biting drama, all with a Santa hero. You’ll meet loveable, courageous, even insufferable dangerous characters that flow from one book to the next as they meet life’s unexpected challenges. The Santa Series will keep you in the spirits of the holiday season.   Santa’s Pretty Lady : How could she possibly fall in love with a homeless Santa Santa’s Secret Gift: A gift from a secret Santa gives her hope and a chance to take her daughter and run. Mainland Santa: All men have only two things on their mind: sex and secrets
NEW RELEASE:  BOX SET THE SANTA SERIES $.99 BUY LINK: Amazon
 SANTA'S GIFTS:
Mug$5.00 Amazon Gift CardMug with book cover picturesCustom made Christmas Earrings by Sherry Gail’s JewelryFree ebook copy of Bake Love Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing**Mailing only available in US and Canada. ebook Sherry's Earrings

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO WIN SOMETHING?
JUST LEAVE A COMMENT ON MY BLOG AND IF YOU EMAIL ME TO JOIN MY NEWSLETTER, I’LL PUT YOUR NAME BACK IN FOR A CHANCE TO WIN ANOTHER ITEM.

THANK  YOU FOR CELEBRATING THE SANTA SERIES BOX SET
Judy

Announcements

October 31, 2014
Happy Halloween, enjoy, eat lots of chili, candy and stay safe.
The next few days are exciting releases. I have two box sets being released: 
 THE SANTA BOX SET, November 2DANGEROUS INTENT BOX SET, November 3.
Now’s your chance to hurry over to Amazon and get The Santa Series for $.99 and join me here on my blog at http://judyswriting.blogspot.comfor celebrating my first box set. Stop by on Sunday November 2 and enter to win lots of prizes. 

Dangerous Intent Launch Party Monday, November 3 at 7:00pm in EST https://www.facebook.com/DangerousIntent
Come Join

Working Title

At the beginning of this month I decided to have a contest for my third Yellow Creek novel, since I was having a hard time coming up with a title. And, giving away an ebook, Ghost Thunder, the second Yellow Creek novel. I had several recommendations and they all were good.
I went RVing with Brett, my husband, to enjoy the wonders of the autumn colors. While sitting outdoors by a fishing pond and the relaxing sounds of a creek nearby, we discussed my book and all the titles. I had make a list of promising titles suggested.After a long discussion on titles and how they related to the story-line, I decided on Spirit Catcher. So Spirit Catcher it is.
As it turned out Kim on my blog suggested using some part of the words Dream Catcher, then Brett suggested Spirit Catcher. Kim will receive an ebook of Ghost Thunder. Congratulations Kim. Thank you everyone that participated in giving your suggestions, they all helped.  I’m excited about the title.
Also stay turn for my Christmas Box Set release date is November 7, just in time for the holidays. I'll keep you posted.









Don't forget, Secret Past and Ghost Thunder are on for $.99 until Oct 25:  http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Yellow-C...

Conference Time

October 13, 2014

Last weekend, I attended the IndiReConLive Conference. It was their first conference and I'm sure there'll be more to come. Many authors and readers came from all around, even New York. I thoroughly enjoyed the workshops filled with information for the beginning writer to the advanced. I was so excited to learn much from the speaker, Penny Sansevieri from Author Marketing Experts, Inc. She was full of useful information for all authors, and I'm excited to put it to use. Eva Pohler spoke on soliciting reviews and managing street teams, and Cindy Hogan talked about swags, audio and boxed sets. I could go on, but I have to say, it was a worthwhile conference to attend, and look forward to next year.

Projects:


Secret Past and Ghost Thunder are on for $.99 for only two more weeks.


Bake Love Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing is on Amazon for $.99
Print copy available too. By the our book hit #2 on the Amazon list!!!!

Autumn Time

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Autumn, or you might call it Fall, started in September. Those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, well, you have to wait until March. To me autumn is really in October when the leaves are changing, and the rich colors of the deep warm and muted oranges and browns are shimmering over our mountains and valleys.








When I think of October I think of pumpkins.




And not Halloween.  





I just like pumpkins. Maybe, because I like the color orange, which reminds me of autumn. I like their color, the texture, the numerous sizes, and the splendor they add to our autumn décor. 
BUT, I don’t like to eat pumpkins, or any baked goodies with pumpkin. My family thinks I’m crazy, and I used to bake a pumpkin pie for the holidays. I should underline used to. Anyway, I thought I’d share pumpkin info with you.I looked in the Farmer’s Almanacand found in the monthly digital magazine some information that might interest you. Did you know there are all kinds of pumpkins? Of course, we all know about the Jack Be Little pumpkin which is a miniature and can be baked for a treat – so they tell me.There’s the Sugar Treat pumpkin used for cooking and baking, as well as the New England Sugar Pie pumpkin.Then, you have the Livingston’s Pie Squash, Baby Pam, and the Autumn Gold and the large Magic Lantern which are good for carving. The cross between the Sugar Pieand the Jack O’Lantern, gives you the Spookie pumpkin. Don’t forget the giant pumpkins, Big Max and Big Moon. There’s more, but I’ll stop here.  Want more, go to http://www.almanac.com/
The Farmer’s Almanac even shared a pumpkin pie recipe – The Creamy Pumpkin Pie, found in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Everyday Baking on this site: http://www.almanac.com/recipe/creamy-pumpkin-pie
I’ll let you bake you own pie crust, or do like me, buy frozen ones. Here’s the important part…the filling…6 ounces cream cheese, softened3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 tablespoon all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1/4 teaspoon nutmeg1 cup mashed or canned pumpkin½ cup light creamPreheat oven 350FCream Cheese and ¾ cup of sugar until smoothAdd eggs, yolk, vanillaSmall bowl mix flour, cinnamon, ginger, loves, and nutmeg and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add to cream cheese mixture.Add pumpkin and light cream. Pour the filling into the crust.Place on center over rack. Bake for 50 minutes. Cool completely and refrigerate for 4 hours
Enjoy the Pumpkin Season.
Now, here's what's going on with my writing. I’m still trying to figure out a title for my third Yellow Creek book. Please help. Go to my website and http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/Contests.html and see how you can win a free ebook of the second Yellow Creek novel, Ghost Thunder. If you already have the ebook, I’ll be happy to send you an autographed print copy.

On October 10-11, I’ll be attending the Indie Conference, and on Friday night, October 10, there is a ‘Free Book Lovers Event’ open to the public. A room full of authors will be there for you to meet and talk to. Please come join us and get to know some of your favorite authors. 

Being held at the Salt Lake Community College, Miller Campus, 9750 South 300 West, Sandy, Utah.



Hope to see you there. Judy

September Titles

September, last days of balmy summer nights blowing in cooler temps, trees changing colors, gardens producing their last harvest, and pumpkins popping out over the fields. One day the lingering hot breeze sweeps over your skin, then the next the cool smell of autumn fills the air to remind you of another season approaching.

This month, I'll be participating in a Fall Blog Hop, stop by and grab a chance to win some great prizes and enter for the Grand Prize, $75 Amazon Gift Card. Click the  Fall Into Romance Blog Hop: September 19-22 on the left. I’ll be giving away an ebook of your choice from one of my Silver Sage Creek novels, just go to CONTACT and email me and I'll be sure to put your name in the drawing. 
Now, let's talk about book titles. I need a little help.
As a writer, how do you decide on your book titles? As a reader, do titles interest you?
I think I mentioned in one of my back articles that Gone with the Wind wasn’t its first title. Margaret Mitchell’s novel is one of my favorites – yes, I’ve read it several times, and loooove the movie. Her first titled was Tomorrow is Another Day, which is the last line of the book. She also considered, Bugles Sang True, Tote the Weary Load, and Not in our Stars – so glad she went with Gone with the Wind. I think Scarlett O’Hara’s love for Tara made her afraid that it had been swept away with wind as did much of Georgia and its way of living. Okay, back to titles.
Yellow Creek Novel 2I usually write down a list of titles for my manuscript. I think about the main point and how the title can relate to the book. I circle the ones I like the best, then ask my friends and family what they think. I want to keep the title simple, with few words, like my Silver Sage Creek novels, Better She Die, Better She Live, Better She Love. My Yellow Creek novels are only two word titles. Short and simple makes it easier for readers to remember, anyway, it does for me.
This all brings me to my third Yellow Creek novel. So, for the month, I'm asking for your help in deciding on a title. I’ll make a list of titles suggested, and if yours is chosen, I’ll send you a free ebook, Ghost Thunder. 
Here's a blurb for the third, untitled Yellow Creek novel:
From the moment Charlotte Jane Matheson hangs an ancient Dream Catcher on the wall above her bed, she has weird dreams. Determined to find out the meaning of her dreams, she goes to the small community of Yellow Creek, Tennessee. There she meets an old Cherokee Indian, a dog that suddenly appears out of the dark woods, and a good-looking farmer-wannabe. And then, her dreams stop, but unexplainable visions draw her into the past through a circle of light.
Will the old Indian, living deep in the woods, help her understand her visions and the reason she suddenly finds herself living the life of a young Cherokee squaw? Is this another vision, or is it real? Even the shocking vision of her mother, who's been missing for years, has to mean something when she leads her to a cave beyond the Cherokee burial grounds. 
And, why is it always the good-looking farmer-wannabe that finds her when she wakes from her visions? What does he want from her? What does it all mean?
If you have any title suggestions, email me at http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/Contact.html 

If you visit the BTS Book Reviews Magazine (free readers magazine), you’ll find two of my books reviewed: Better She Live and Secret Past. http://issuu.com/btsemag/docs/sept-oct-2014/160?e=5491198/9147732   Look on page 35, 48, 53 – the magazine is free, book reviews on all genres.



On September 13, I’ll be at Nonna’s Pizzeria, Magna, Utah for a book signing with several other authors. If you’re anywhere close, stop by, visit with us and try Nonna’s pizzas. 





Don't forget to email me your suggestions for my third Yellow Creek novel. Even it you don't have any suggestions, I'd love to hear from you. Judy

History of Deadwood, SD

First, if you find the history of trains fascinating and you haven’t had a chance to read my article on Railroads Building the West, I invite you to visit Anna Markland’s site http://www.annamarkland.com/railroads-building-the-west-by-judy-baker/.
Last week, hubby and I went on a motorcycle trip to South Dakota. I’d like to share some history of a town that we explored. The Black Hills of Dakota is a fascinating place to visit and so much of our western history can be relived there. We rode into an old western town that I couldn't resist writing about, Deadwood. 
 
The U.S. Government signed a treaty, giving the Black Hills ownership to the Lakota Sioux nation in 1868, ultimately leading to the US Cavalry killing 146 men, women and children near Wounded Knee Creek, which brought the Indian wars to an end. In 1874 gold was discovered in the Black Hills opening the door to miners rushing across a gulch filled with gold, hence, Deadwood was born. Overnight, the town boomed into a lawless, gold seekers’ utopia, attracting gamblers, outlaws, and gunslingers.  Deadwood, SD 1874
One famous gunslinger was Wild Bill Hickok, looking for his fortune like everyone that rode into Deadwood. Along with him came Calamity Jane, a beer guzzling, foul-mouthed woman, spitting tobacco and wearing men’s clothing. Rumor was, she claimed to be in love with Wild Bill. Anyway, that’s another story in its own.
High above the Black Hills of Deadwood is Mount Moriah Cemetery, well worth a visit. Both Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried there, as well as other legends that left their legacies in the tiny Black Hills town of Deadwood. One person being, Jack McCall, the infamous murderer in Deadwood. As the story goes, McCall was drinking in the Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon where Hickok was playing cards. Without hesitating, he walked up and shot Wild Bill Hickok in the back of the head, shouting, “Damn you! Take that!” 
There’s a reenactment of the killing of Hickok and the capture of McCall during the summer evenings in Deadwood. 
   Buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery high above Deadwood.
Calamity Jane's grave


 Deadwood barely survived three fires that nearly turned it into an Old West Ghost Town. When gambling was legalized in 1989, Deadwood was once again reborn.

During the old western days, Deadwood was famous for its gold-filled creeks and gambling halls, including its hospitality. Prospecting and prostitution went hand and hand. Arriving in Deadwood via a wagon train was the infamous Madams Mustache and Dirty Em. The entire town folks lined the streets, clapping when the wagons rolled through. Brothels occupied the town of Deadwood until 1980. Federal authorizes shut down the remaining brothels, but not without a protest from the local supporters by a Main Street parade like the one the old timers gave Madam Mustache and Dirty Em.
There was a series on HBO called “Deadwood” that ran for three seasons. This show portrayed life during the harsh, early days of Deadwood.
Have you been to Deadwood? Or, the Black Hills of Dakota? What did you think about the HBO series “Deadwood”? I'd love to hear from you,
Judy

Being Highly Productive

Do you want to be a highly productive person? I do. The picture to the left is my office, I can't seem to clean it up until I finish my WIP. Oh well, I'm halfway through book three of the Yellow Creek novels. 
To celebrate the hot summer months, my Yellow Creek novels, Secret Past and Ghost Thunder are .99 cents for a limited time on Amazon. 
The other day, I read Eric Barker’s blog on 6 Subtle Thing Highly Productive People Do Every Day. Eric’s blog, Barking Up The Wrong Tree provides “science based insights on how to be awesome at life” and he’s been in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired Magazine and Time Magazine. 

Check him out at http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/most-productive-people/
Eric’s blog refers to Tim Ferriss, an international bestseller author, The 4-Hour Workweek. I’m listing the six things he writes about productive people doing who are successful. There’s so much more to Eric's blog, so I’ll let you go there and read for yourself. 
Okay, my thoughts on the 6 subtle things that highly productive people do – every day. 
1      Manage your mood.I agree. I spend the first hour of my morning in prayer and meditation. I find that calms me and I’m able to focus on what I need to accomplish for the day. Life’s not perfect, we all have bad moods causing reactions that unravel the entire day from the beginning. This is when I feel overwhelmed and not in control. Tim explains more about how happiness increases productivity, making you more successful.
2.      Don’t check emails in the morningOops! I’m bad. After I head to my office, the first thing I do is read my emails. Before I know it, I’ve been too long on emails. I’ll try something new and read my emails later in the day. Tim said, frequently checking emails can cause reactions, and before we know it we’ve spent too long giving our hours to others, forgetting our priorities.
3.      Before you try to do it faster ask whether it should be done at allI'll quote Tim Ferriss here, “Doing something well does not make it important.” I took a second look at my To Do List and realized I had listed a couple of things that I really didn’t need to do on this particular day. We’ve all heard that planning smarter is the key to time-management. I just need to plan smarter.
4.      Focus is nothing more than eliminating distractionsIt’s hard to focus when you have so many interruptions. I have good days and bad days. I found that if I shut myself up in my office with a time limit to accomplish what needs to get done, I focus better than when I leave my door open.
5.      Have a personal systemI have a routine that works for me, but wouldn’t work for someone else. It took me a while to figure it out. My routine now is different from my routine when I had a day job. Now that I’m retired, I planned out a routine that fits me, and so far it’s working, except for days that I have family visiting from out of town, putting everything on hold for a week…life happens. I’m getting better about being flexible and accepting the unexpected.
6.      Define your goals the night before I do my goal list the morning of – works better for me. As some of you know, I even write My Yearly Goals on a sheet of paper and hid it away until the end of the year. It’s been proven that you more than likely will accomplish your goals if you write them down. It amazes me to see what I’ve completed from my list at the end of the year. It works for daily goals too.  
Don’t forget to visit Barking Up The Wrong Tree to read Eric Barker’s blog on living an awesome life, and what Tim Farriss has to say on the 6 subtle things that highly productive people do every day. 
Thanks for stopping by and please leave your comments.
Judy

Spring Fling

If you haven’t read Ghost Thunder, second book of the my contemporary Yellow Creek series, available under my aka Anna Sugg, then here a chance to meet Becca Tripp in Ghost Thunder. She is participating in a Spring Fling Hop this week and has agreed to an interview, so come and see what she has to say. 

It’s the beginning of spring in Ghost Thunder when we meet Becca Tripp, pregnant with her first child and without a husband.    Hello Becca, welcome to my blog. We have a few questions to ask you about your life in Yellow Creek, Tennessee. I know you wanted to have this interview while out riding your horses, but since you’re pregnant, we’ll just lean against the fence and watch your Tennessee Walking horse kicking her heels up and enjoying the sunny afternoon.

Judy:  What do you do for a living?  Becca:  I’m a school teacher. Yellow Creek is a small farming community without a school, so I have to drive twenty miles every day to the school in Dickson. I don’t mine. I even enjoy the drive since I pick up my nephew, who lives down the road from me. We always have such interesting topics to talk about. He’s twelve years old and is so much like my brother, Ketch.
Judy:  Is your pregnancy a good thing, or am I being too personal? Becca:  Yes, it’s good. I’m so excited, but it’s hard since my baby won’t have a father…something I would rather not discuss right now.
Judy: Do you live alone in Yellow Creek?  Becca: Yes, well, no. I have my dog, Maxine, and my Tennessee Walking horses, Josie and Silver Dapple. Also my brother, nephew and sister-in-law live down the road.
Judy: I only see one horse out in the field. Which one is he?Becca: She. Josie is a filly. I board Silver Dapple at my brother’s farm. She’s a Tennessee Walking horse that I rescued from an abusive owner and requires medication.
Judy: Will we meet you in book one, Secret Past?  Becca: Yes. My brother, Ketch and his son lives with me, but their life changes when Sarah moves to Yellow Creek. If you haven’t met Sarah yet, please stop by Yellow Creek in book one, she’d love to tell you about her grandmother’s secret past.
Judy: What does the title Ghost Thunder mean?  Becca: Oh my…have you not been in Tennessee when the rain pours. Its buckets. It seems that every time there’s a thunderstorm, I’m confronted with ghost horse. He’s leading me into something dangerous, and I’m scared for my unborn child.
Judy:  Can you elaborate? Becca:  No, I can’t. Someone might hear.
Judy: Do you have a love interest? Who is he? Becca: His name is Thomas and he has a daughter named Ellie. Ellie is a sweetheart, but she’s worried about her father and I can tell she is keeping something from me. I know Thomas has a secret and I’m not sure if he’s truly honest with me, so I’m being cautious. I have to protect my baby.
Judy: Do you have a favorite spring drink you can share with us? Becca: I have to confess it’s Southern Sweet Tea with lemon, of course. I love sitting on my brother’s porch, swinging and drinking sweet tea with my sister-in-law, Sarah. Here’s my recipe: Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a 64 ounce, heat proof glass pitcher. Pour in 2 cups of boiling water, add 6 tea bags and cover and steep for 15 minutes. Remove the tea bags, stir in ¾ cups white sugar (I like my tea sweeter, so I add 1 cup sugar), then, pour in 6 cups of cool water, refrigerate. Pour the sweet tea over a glass of ice, squirt in some lemon, and enjoy.  
Judy: Do you have a favorite scene that you can share? Becca:  I do. This short excerpt comes from Ghost Thunder:
A horse neighed.  Her hurried glance swung out into the field beyond the fence line. She frowned and squinted into the heavy downpour, stopped near the fence, and searched the saturated field. Josie wouldn’t have left the barn. She didn’t like thunder. There it was again. A horse neighed as if saying, “Over here, where are you?” She was sure of it.In the seconds the bright blue blaze lit up the sky her breath hitched at the sight before her. Through the pouring rain, a horse ran at full gallop. Another sheet lightning covered the sky above to reveal the large muscular body of a beautiful horse moving at a high-speed. His long stride stretched reaching out toward her. Becca wiped the raindrops from her eyelashes and stared. The flash above shimmered on his black coat and the white marking on his face bobbed with each galloping movement. And then, he stumbled, caught himself, stumbled again, but managed to continue in her direction. Becca climbed upon the bottom fence rail. He was hurt. The animal lurched forward and went down. He didn’t move. How did an injured horse get inside her field and where did he come from? Without any thought of how pregnant she was, she climbed up and over the fence and on a fast run headed toward the horse through the soggy wet field. A gust of wind blew the hood from her head soaking her hair. She stopped. Where did he go? Her wet hand held out the flashlight and searched the ground. Once again a sheet of lightning turned the sky from night to day. Nothing. Standing beneath the thunderclouds, she dropped to her knees and gazed beyond the field in the dark. Distant thunder roared beyond the rolling hills, moving on with the heavy rains and wind. The storm had settled down to a steady drizzle, though it had already drenched her entire body. Raising her hand, she wiped her face and eyelashes to scan the field again. Did she imagine the incident? It was too surreal, and yet, she was almost positive he’d been real. Why in this world did she have a vision of such a beautiful animal galloping toward her like his life depended upon reaching her? What did it mean?
Thank you Becca for joining us today and your participation in the Spring Fling Hop. I know everyone will want to leave a comment so their name can be entered into a drawing for one of your mugs. Becca will have me draw a name on April 25 and contact the winner. 


Now, you have a chance to win more prizes… I’m participating in a Spring Fling Blog hop April 21 – 24 with over fifty authors and bloggers joining together to bring you some amazing posts, great giveaways and lots of fun! Don't forget to enter the rafflecopter to win a Kindle tablet, gift cards, paperbacks and swag and be sure to check out the other blogs taking part. http://www.lovelustandlipstickstains....  (I’m #46: Country Girl at Heart)
Thank you for participating in this Spring Fling Hop and if you’d like to read Becca Tripp’s story, Click Here.

Happy Hopping.  Judy