Lynn Cahoon's Blog

Writing Letters to Santa

When did you stop writing Christmas letters to Santa? Eight? Twelve? Fifteen? Or do you still write the Jolly Old Elf a letter every year? I'm writing him a letter this year. Not because I need a new toy or a new kitchen appliance, but instead, I need to put my wants and dreams out into the universe. And there's no one better with dreams than St. Nick. Dear Santa, This year I'm hoping that a sustainable author career will be in my stocking hung in the living room as we don't have a fireplace in this house. I'd wish a long and happy life for our new fur babies we welcomed into our home (and our hearts) this year. I wish for a softer, gentler world for 2020. One where the news isn't filled with anger and violence and pain. And, if you could, having a book (or series) optioned for a movie would be amazing. LynnHere's my letter. What's in yours?

Getting ready for Christmas

We have the tree and Santa collection up. The Christmas cards are bought and some ready for the post office. I bought reindeer toys for the pups.And, that's about it. I still have gifts to purchase. And mail. I still have to plan out Christmas dinner. No goose at our house. And I have a list of cookies I want to try out for the season.And there's two weeks left. What about you? Are you ready? What's your favorite part of the season?

Release day for Have a Deadly New Year

December 3rd - Tuesday is release day for this Farm to Fork Novella. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you all think. Chef Angie Turner of The County Seat—Idaho’s finest farm-to-table restaurant—is preparing a private dinner in the mountains during ski season, but the trip’s about to go downhill . . . It’s a rockin’ New Year for Angie and her crew as they cater a bash for a famous band—and as a bonus, they’ll get to stay at the singer’s Sun Valley house for a whole week once the party’s over. But there are hints of discord, and the event hits a sour note when one of the musicians is found with a drumstick in his chest. Is this a case of creative differences turned lethal or is there another motive at play? Angie’s jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire as she and her fellow foodies try to solve the case before the killer comes out for an encore . . .Order here- or go to my website for other retailers.

California, Woman's World, and being grateful

Happy Sunday peeps - I'm back from my author trip to southern California. I drove on the 405 and survived. :) I walked on the beach -several times - which soothed my soul. And I spent time learning about marketing and thinking about my career as an author. I also got to meet up with my agent who chatted with me about possible future pathways. The status of the current career plans is always on our agenda. I love that she lets me dream about doing bigger projects and at the same time keeping my feet on the ground for what I've got already in the pipeline. No one knows what the future will hold but I'm grateful for the book people in my life that give me support and help me plan my pathway. Like the Woman's World Book Club...What are you grateful for today?

Release day - Memories and Murder

It's finally here - book 10 of the Tourist Trap mysteries. I'm so excited to get this book in your hands. It’s October in South Cove, California, and the locals in the quaint resort seem to be happily pairing off in the lull before the holidays. Everyone, that is, except for Jill Gardner’s elderly aunt, who just dumped her besotted fiancé—and she won’t say why. When Jill hosts a talk at Coffee, Books, and More on the topic of elder abuse, all that’s really on her mind is lunch. But the topic hits close to home when she discovers Aunt Jackie has been getting mysterious calls. Jill’s certain the caller is a con artist, of course, but her feisty aunt claims to understand this, though she’s still shaken—and Harrold’s still heartbroken. Who’s behind the scam and why was her aunt targeted? When a volunteer from the Senior Project is found murdered, Jill’s detective boyfriend is on the case—and it soon becomes clear no one is safe when a caller from beyond becomes a killer in their midst. Get your copy (digital, print, audio) today and return to South Cove with the crew.

Tips to write more today and after NANO

Not sure I'm doing NANO this year but I found this blog and I'm repurposing it today. :) Novel Writing month is an annual event for writers around the world. The project has it's own website and community groups all over. I'm pretty sure there are t-shirts. Goal - write 50000 words in one month. November. I’ve started NANO several times and for some reason, the thought of 50000 scares the pants off me. But I’m not giving up. My best word count was 35000 which for someone who works full time, wasn’t a bad showing. But hope springs eternal (cliché alert). So here’s my top ten ways to get more words down on the page –#10 – Write consistently. I don’t care if it’s every day or every Friday. (For NANO November – that means every day.)#9 – Realize, if you’re going to meet your dream, you’re going to be sacrificing something else. Adding something new into your schedule is hard. Get over it.#8 – Treat your writing time like a job. Would you be successful at your job if you showed up when the muse hit you? #7 – Set writing appointments. Mine is 5:30 in the morning and write for 30 minutes before I get ready to go to work. (If I miss too many appointments, I have to work out during that time.)#6 – Get an accountability partner. Pick someone who won’t let you get away with not reporting or whining. #5 - Speaking of whining… “Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, their yours.” Richard Bach. #4 – Look for delegation opportunities. Or get the kids busy…#3 – Turn off the internet. Yes, that means Facebook too.#2 – Sprint. I really love sprinting. And it sounds like exercise. “Sorry, can’t do dishes, I’m sprinting.”#1 – Reward your muse. When you reach your goal - dance. No seriously, get up and dance. I don’t care where you are. Or how bad a dancer you think you are. Your muse will enjoy it.Now I have to get back to writing and catch up on those missing words. Are you Nano’ing?

Release week - A Very Mummy Holiday

Non-traditional holidays - it's kind of my thing. I've spent several Thanksgivings on the road or with friends rather than family. Of course, my mom and my MIL wasn't too happy about our decisions, but we made it up the next year. A Very Mummy Holiday is Jill's turn at a non-traditional Thanksgiving. Of course, dinner is all about family and friends with Aunt Jackie and Harrold showing up (set prior to Killer Party) and a bunch of the South Cove crew. And it mirrors my Thanksgiving in the sand in Oklahoma a few years ago. We didn't have an amazing cabin like the South Cove crew did, but we figured it out. And the emotions and thankfulness of the day was just the same. Pick up A Very Mummy Holiday at any fine e-book retailer. And get ready for Memories and Murder - Book 10 of the Tourist Trap series. You've got some surprises coming. Lynn

New York state of mind...

As a teenager, I talked my mom into sending me on a history tour. NYC, DC, Colonial Williamsburg, and Philadelphia were all on the list of stops. I fell in love with NYC, thought I fell in love with a boy from Driggs, Idaho, and had my heart broke for the first time before I arrived back home from the trip. I never saw Derek again, but I've been back to NYC several times now. This last week, I tripped down memory lane a few times. I visited St. Patrick's cathedral again. I ate lunch in 30 Rockefeller Place and watched the skaters. And I finally visited the Central Park zoo and met the sea lions. Walking by the library, I thought the use of landmarks in story. Like the library and Ghostbusters. With the reality of the traffic, I'm not sure the team could have gotten where they needed to be before the ghosts took over Manhattan. I thought I'd want to live in the city once upon a time, but I realize I'm more settled in a smaller town. Where I can take the dogs out for a walk on the levee and only meet up with five other walkers/bikers. Living in NYC was a dream that would have turned into a nightmare for me. But it's lovely to visit.

Home Sunday

I do a home Sunday post on my FB author page weekly. Mostly talking about how I spend my time on my few free weekends. Talking about food I want to cook. Talking about the pups. Talking about home. Having a home of my own is important to me. I have some issues around safety that like all good solid issues, came from incidents in my childhood. Not blaming here, but I like a good solid house with doors I can lock. Home is also a place where I can keep my stuff. I have a lot of it. For a lot of years, the stuff was my comfort. My good memories. Then I realized I had too much of the stuff. So now I'm going through it and releasing it from my life. This weekend's project was my closet. I needed to get my boots off the floor where the pups could find it and make my decision to get rid of something easier by chewing it up. I packed up some cups from the kitchen. Then I headed upstairs to the closet. I got rid of several shirts/pants but my husband is even better at this. He culled out half his closet. Without worrying about what he paid for an item. I'm not there yet. Are you a little bit of a hoarder, like me? Or do you see things as just things? Inquiring minds....

New release - Jewel of the Bayou - Lynn Collins

What’s love got to do with it?Uhmm, everything?As a genre, romance fiction gets a bad rap. From being called bodice rippers to porn, ask anyone on the street about reading romance, and you’ll get an opinion. Probably not one we’d mention in polite conversation.So, why do I write romance under the Collins pen name? Because I love the love. Literally. I love putting my characters through hell and letting them find out that if they would just get out of their own way, love might find them. The Shawnee Rodeo series starts with a girl’s weekend for two best friends. You know, the kind of friend who has so much dirt on you, you have to keep her close, no matter what. Lizzie feels a bit left behind living a single mom life in the small town where they grew up. Barb, on the other hand, is questioning her career focused life, especially with her mom’s health declining. Both women need some balance. When Lizzie gets her happy ever after (The Bull Rider’s Brother), Barb’s melancholy about the meaning of life continues. And that’s where we find her in The Bull Rider’s Manager. Two friends, two different life paths, and yet both intersecting with one true passion, finding that special someone to share their lives with. For Lizzie, her true love has always been there. Barb on the other hand, is forced into a situation because she wants to help. And the more she plays at her role, the more she wants the act to become reality.Barb and Lizzie’s struggle mirrors my own juggling of what it means to be a woman in today’s world. As a kid, I either wanted to work in NY fashion or get married and have 12 kids. When Laura came on a recent season of Project Runway, pregnant with number eight (or nine, I forget) I realize other women fight the same confliction. I felt a kinship with her, one that more modern career women may not understand. Yet.Now the Shawnee Valley series is four books long. And yesterday, I released #4 in The Council series. Jewel of the Bayou is a caper with two people who don't have much in common. Except maybe their dislike of each other. Who are we going to be when we grow up? That’s one question we all struggle with. But the bigger one, and the one I believe is truer is this. What’s love got to do with it?And the answer is everything.So Romance Readers, what have you done for love?