J.J. Devine's Blog, page 53

Bed of Roses tour stop!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Romance Writers Weekly presents...

Welcome back to Romance Writers Weekly!!! This week Victoria Barbour http://victoriabarbour.com/blog wants to meet the cast of our most recent WIPs. This was a toss-up for me because currently I’ve got a short story and a novella in the works. However, since I officially completed the short story first draft last week I guess we’ll stick with my novella, Prisoner of the Night.

The cast is rather small at the moment, and in all honesty, I really enjoyed the small troupe of my short story, Come Home With Me, so I am shooting for the same in POTN.

I will introduce you to Tara first, she’s Fallon’s best friend and fellow Fire Witch. They’ve grown up together side by side in the Fire Clan. She has a small part and is currently only seen at the beginning of the storyline. Of course like all best friends she knows her bff as well if not better than Fallon herself pushing her dear friend into the arms of her handsome hero.

She may be persuading her friend to follow her carnal desires, but is rendered speechless the moment the eye-catching vampire steals away with her comrade.


Next I will introduce you to Fallon. You’ve met her before in a flash fiction we here at Romance Writer’s Weekly did last year. Chocolate cake is her favorite dessert J

Fallon is a Fire Witch, however, ever since her hero stepped into her meditation her powers seem to be on the fritz. She can’t even do a simple pumpkin totem spell. She’s a bit feisty, loves a good challenge, and can’t stand when someone gets the better of her. She is a sword toting warrior and she would never back down from a fight.

She may have some rough edges, but her biggest weakness is her sensuous desires raging out of control since this delicious vampire entered her realms.


Dante Blaque is the hero vampire in this story. Kidnapping has never been on his list of agendas, but he’s been alone for more than… well, you’ll just have to read the story to find out how old this vamp is J His life and his castle are in shambles. He despises being a ‘damn bloodsucker’ and he loathes even more his vampire heart won’t allow him to deny its feelings for the exquisite Fallon. She’s everything he would have looked for in a mortal woman had he still been an average human male. Just as a warrior though, vampires live by a code, stay out of the sunlight, drink blood, and if you happen to fall in love it is for eternity.


Well, that’s it for me today. Let’s hop on over and see what the talented Raine Balkera has in store for us…

http://rainebalkera.blogspot.com/

The Mystery of how to be a writer...

Good morning, everyone!!!

This weekend was all about spiritual awareness and the week that follows will be about pushing the mark forward in the world around me, in all facets that make up J.J. Devine.

I’ve been pushing the mark with my writing lately, working toward grasping back the writer I once was. Damn if she isn’t a complex woman and definitely hard to get connected with sometimes.

However, as I often advise people who ask, “How do you get started in writing?”

Well, you just sit down and write. That’s the big mystery, that’s the answer to a writer’s universe, and always will be.

Does that mean we will always be that ‘writer’ that person who will spend their days creating? Oh my no! There are times like the period I have just gone through that zaps us of our writing process of our confidence in being an author. So what is the cure? Sit down and write.

So each day I’ve been working toward going back to that, set a writing goal, work toward meeting that goal, and if for whatever reason I don’t meet that goal, tell myself it is okay, you can begin again tomorrow.

The object is not to get discouraged if you’ve only written one word or a thousand. The idea is you’ve put on your author’s cap, sat down, and worked toward the writing goal. Don’t allow yourself to make a habit of only writing one word for the day, but don’t rip yourself apart for also having a slow writing day.

Treat writing as your job not your hobby. If you already have a full time job in the outside world, treat your writing as your part time job until it can one day be your full time. If you have a husband and kids, it’s still good. I started writing when I had a one year old, two older children, and a trucker husband, and a part time outside the house job. Just set writing goals that are realistic and don’t let yourself get down and out because you missed a day to spend the time caring for a sick little one, or a family gathering.

The object is to write and enjoy the process.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

Live your life...

Good morning, everyone!!!

This Easter weekend for me has been a time of enlightenment. A dear friend and I went to a place I’ve wanted to go for quite some time on Saturday morning, Camp Chesterfield. I am so glad I finally went. This place is so full of spiritual energy, guidance, and just an amazing experience all the way around that she and I have decided to plan another trip down in a few weeks.

I went there with an open mind and heart. I walked away from there with a mind and heart full of what can and will be.

Even though the temps were just in the mid-40s she and I took a leisurely walk about the grounds. I was able to absorb the wonderful energy into my soul and felt almost like a child at Christmas J

I have recently come from a dark dismal place in life. However, even though I knew this place was murky at best, I also knew in my mind and soul this was also a healing place for me. An inner growth if you will. Somehow deep inside I knew this was the place I needed to be at that moment to gain profound knowledge that has eluded me in the past.

The lessons that have come from this period have been invaluable to say the very least. It is as for the first time my eyes have been opened and I can clearly see my path from here.

I am here to say, there is nothing more empowering than knowing where you are going and how you are getting there. Understanding road blocks and grasping how to deal with them. Learning “No” is not just a word that could mean maybe, but an actual word that allows us to move forward and grab our life.

We learn to stand on our own two feet not by others doing it for us, but by learning to stand on our own. By taking responsibility of not only our life, but how we allow someone else to affect our life, we open ourselves to a freedom as never before known.

I recently have given myself permission to have this freedom. Something that is very difficult for someone who strives to be there for so many. I’m often told by my friends, “When is your time?” “You need to make time for you.”

These are the people I chose to devote most of my energy too, for the very reason, these are the people who not only recognize what I want out of life for myself, but also know how important what I want out of life truly is to my well-being.

For the longest time, I’ve known what I needed to do, yet, I refused to give myself permission to advance. Always finding an excuse to stall progress. Most of this would be out of fear for taking the next step. I would ask myself, “Am I really ready for this?” “Will the cost of what I want be too high of a price for me to pay?”

Then I realized, ‘cost’ doesn’t have to mean sacrifice. It is a clearing away process that must happen to move fully into oneself. It is not a bad thing, but an aspect of life that will happen one way or another.

People in your life will take as much as they can get from you. Eventually this will wear you down and you will wake up one morning and say, where is my life going? What happened to my dreams, while I’m helping someone else fulfill theirs?

The truth of the matter is, the dreams of others are their dreams, not our own. To be true to ourselves we can share in someone else’s joys and happiness over their dreams, but we must not lose sight of our own. We must work toward our dreams, our goals, and our own fulfillment each day.

When you take a trip, do you live out of someone else’s suitcase? No, you live out of your own. So don’t live life out of someone else’s baggage. We all have plenty of our own luggage to carry around with us, to live with, to deal with, to make peace with. We can’t do this if we’re living out of someone else’s suitcase.

So my wish for you this Easter day is very simple. I wish for you clarity of life, happiness within your realms, and a comfort to live your life for your dreams.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

It's been a very long time...

Good morning, everyone!!!

It has been the most amazing week. I don’t know if it’s been the sunshine and warmer temps, the fact that I’m writing consistently every day, or just that I’ve readopted the mind frame I once had where my life is concerned, whatever it is, I’m grateful for it.

I have not been in this good of a mood in a very long time. I’ve allowed myself to get bogged down with their weight of my world and forgot to focus on my hopes and dreams. However, what I’ve learned from this time in the dark recesses of my mind has been more valuable than any of the past life’s lessons I’ve learned before it.

I’ve been reading a book entitled, Writing Alone Together, along with focusing on some very in depth inner spiritual aspects of my life. This combined with focusing on a writing project every day has really got my energy levels running on high. So much so I finished my anthology story right on schedule and have been on cloud nine ever since.

I was given a glimpse of the writer I used to be. The woman who would bound out of bed in the mornings and instead of hitting social media, I’d grab a few moments of manuscript time. Then set it aside to live in the moment until things quieted down once again for me to focus on my WIP once again.

It’s been a very long time since this perspective has been a part of my daily life. Yet, suddenly everything was very clear and focused. I have enjoyed my days much better with this new enlightenment and have actually for the first time in quite a while been satisfied with my days.

My dearest Lady has truly helped me reformat my life. She’s brought into my life the tools to help guide me into a centered and well-balanced day. They’ve come from some of the oddest places as well. Like videos, books, people, and within my writing.

I feel very blessed and plan to hold onto this insight and energy as long as the Lady will allow. She keeps me in learning mode a great deal, but I truly hope she allows me a very long time to reside in this focused and productive manner.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

TGIF

Good morning, everyone!!!

TGIF!!!

I’m not sure about you but I love Fridays. This means two days of spending my day however I see fit and usually after a long week I am ready.

With this weekend being Easter and hubby being so far away I’ve made the call to postpone our Easter dinner until he arrives home. So this will give me a weekend with nothing to rush off for because everyone will be busy doing their own thing J This I like very much.

This Saturday is a full moon. It has been a good while since I have celebrated a full moon, so I believe I will make plans to celebrate this one. No, I won’t be dancing naked under the full moon, call me a pansy if you wish but I am not bold enough to do such in the cold (now if it were a bit warmer… okay, so probably not then either, LOL).

I’ve been needing and wanting to work on a few chants and also work on a new anklet, so I’m thinking this full moon will be the time to do such things. Recharge my spiritual energy and awaken my soul a bit. I’m also pretty sure a card reading is in order to top the day off a bit.

See what Fridays do to me? Make me hopeful for not only an energizing weekend, but also gives me hope for the weekend ahead. The only problem is they are always just a day or two too short J

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

 

 

How do you stay on track???

Good morning, everyone!!!

There is so much I want to accomplish this year in my writing world. I’ve been working toward grasping that writer I once was. She’s in here, but she keeps playing hide and seek with me.

So I’ve been working on keeping to a writing schedule now that I have this pup pretty well house trained and used to my daily schedule. The only problem is now I get so lost in what I’m writing that Bear pretty much has to knock me out of my chair to gain my attention. Which he has no problem doing if a whine doesn’t make me look up J

This anthology has really helped get me in order by way of making me sit down with a deadline and work. I believe from here on out I must give myself deadlines on when I want a certain project finished.

The color coded datebook helps in this area a great deal along with the dry erase calendars I have around the house.

How do you keep yourself on track???

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

 

 

Spring in Indiana, really???

Good morning, everyone!!!

Spring in Indiana is sort of like a game of chance. One never knows exactly what sort of weather you are going to find around here. One day it could be 70 degrees and sunshine, the next 18 degrees and snow.

One Spring Break the youngest son and I along with my niece and nephew made a front yard bird habitat in the 80 degree temps and sunshine all week. Last year on Spring Break the grandchildren and I built a snowman in that very space where their uncle and I once worked.

Last week was our school system’s Spring Break. Mother Nature was an emotional mess for sure. Monday their first official day off we spent going to Ft. Wayne in a white out. Yeah, snow flying every which way, you couldn’t see the car in front of you unless it was right there. A few days before the sun was shining and it was beautiful outside.

Then people wonder why someone who relates to the seasons can get on an emotional up and down, LOL.

Frankly, I suspect it is not only those who embrace the seasons and changes in weather that follow this emotional rollercoaster, but also those who don’t realize they are doing it. I’ve witnessed it on a front row seat sort of spectator with numerous others as well.

Sometimes it is hard to take on a ‘just stay out of it’ stance and more often than not I find I open my mouth when I should just keep it shut. It’s that filter ordeal I’m telling you.

One of the things I’ve been consciously working on is ‘thought before speak’ sometimes it works out, other times not so good. But the main thing is I am learning to recognize when I need to ‘just stay out of it’ a lot sooner than I used to.

Venting, this is another area of life I’m working toward. I have been doing WAY TOO MUCH of this lately. Something I am hardly comfortable with for sure, but for some reason it has become a comfort zone, errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Oh well, I will get a grasp on this aspect of life, hopefully sooner than later J

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

 

 

Romance Writers Weekly presents...

 

Welcome back to Romance Writers Weekly!!! This week is going to be a doozy, Veronica Forand http://veronicaforand.com/ would like for us to give you a Flash Fiction. This time we only get 100 words and three of them are to be… are you ready for it??? Spring, coffee, and… wait for it… Lizard J Ready, set, go!

As I grabbed my cup of coffee, with its three spoons of sugar and enough Italian Sweet Cream to change the color from black to a lovely caramel color, Church, our big gray cat twisted between my feet. I knew he was ready to head to the screen room it was after all our morning routine.

I tossed open the door, letting Church lead the way. The powerful scent of gardenias swept over me, reminding me Spring was here. As he explored the nooks and grannies of our quiet space, I found my usual chair at the patio table. Just as I was about to set down my cup, Church flung himself across the table. I jumped from chair, coffee splashing everywhere… Damn lizard!




That’s it for me… Now let’s go check out what Tracey Gee has in store for us… http://www.lovextra.com/2015/03/flash-fiction-romance-writers-weekly-a-lizard-is-involved/



http:/www.veronicaforand.comhttp:/www.veron...

A Monday sweet treat....

Good morning, everyone!!!

Lately, I’ve been on this insane kick of experimentation with my waffle iron… Get your mind out of the gutter I’m talking actual cooking here.

One day a few months back I happened to see a news article on things to make using your waffle iron. Yeah, who knew you could make so many things with something you thought could only be used for making breakfast food.

I’ve made hash browns, omelets, quesadillas, even biscuits. The latest thing I have whipped up was fruit turnovers. Oh my my my my!!! Such a wonderful sweet treat for sure.

The thing I like best about this idea is that these are quick and easy but delicious meals or treats. Something as a grandma I can whip up in a flash for the grandkids or even grandpa ;)

So I thought today I would share the waffle turnover treats with you just to shake up the week a bit. Don’t get used to it, these days I don’t cook as often as I used to ;)

First you will need your waffle iron. Mine is a two waffle waffle-maker which works perfect for my household. Then grab a can of crescent rolls, some fruit pie filling of your choice, we did apple, blueberry, and cherry. Also for a little extra sugar boost, grab yourself a can of the decorating icing, we used the white, but I can see where chocolate would be yummy here J

Now you’re ready to begin…

Heat up your waffle iron to cooking temp. Grab enough crescent rolls to put one on each of your waffle areas, like I said before mine has two, so I put one on each area. Now close the lid and cook until your waffle maker tells you time’s up. Mine has an indicator light.

The moment you remove your crescent roll waffle from the iron, fold it in half before placing more raw crescent rolls on the iron. Then spoon pie filling in the center of your crescent roll waffle and splash a bit of icing across the top.

Poof!!! You have a waffle turnover as a sweet fast treat for you or your family.  

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!