Heather McCoubrey's Blog, page 4

My Favorite Movies - "A" is for Annie

When you ask my children what my favorite movie is, they will most likely say Annie. This movie has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. I remember sitting in front of the television watching this movie every time it came on. I was instantly transported to 1930's New York, an orphan myself, singing my heart out and adopting a dumb dog named Sandy. I loved the Cinderella feel to the movie, the songs, Annie's big heart and the melting of Daddy Warbuck's heart. This is such a wholesome family movie and it holds a special place in my heart. That said, my kids do not like it. I've tried numerous times to get them to watch and they aren't interested. *sigh* My oldest daughter did enjoy the new Annie with Jamie Foxx, and while it was an enjoyable movie, I didn't think it held the same appeal, the same timelessness, the same lessons.

I think the thing I loved most about Annie was being transported back to a time that I never lived through. I've heard about it, my grandparents lived it, but I've never experienced it. Yes, I know you can't really experience an era through a movie, but I feel as if you can appreciate what people went through. How hard their lives were and how fantastic it was that a mega-rich man could melt for a little orphan girl.

And perhaps the most important lesson, a lesson I hope to instill in my children (despite the fact I cannot get them to watch the movie) is the love Annie has for her fellow orphans (everyone, really) - despite how terrible her existence is at times, despite the state of the world, and despite all the negativity surrounding her. She's always optimistic, always looking for the best in people, and never sacrifices her beliefs to take the easy road. I love that about her and about the movie.

Article Type: A to Z ChallengeImage: 

Natalie's Getting Married by Rosa Temple

Career minded, Natalie Spencer, had never been in love. She could never understand what all the fuss was about. But when she met Jackson Humphries during Fresher’s Week at University, that all changed. Utterly infatuated, Natalie quickly discovers the meaning of love and, before she knows it, she's heading up the aisle – for the first time, that is.

This is a tale about four wedding dresses, a runaway groom and a girl who got so carried away, she couldn’t see true love staring her right in the face.

I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't been reviewing many books lately. Mostly it's because I have a 14-month-old running my life right now and she's not interested when I tell her that I have work to do. Needless to say, my inbox is slightly full of book review requests and some of them have expired waiting for me to answer them. Luckily, there were a few in my inbox that hadn't expired and this request was just what I needed to get back into my groove.

Natalie's Getting Married was a fun book to read. It was easy to fit it in throughout my days and evenings, while still being on-call to the Baby Dictator. The story was engaging and I was flipping pages eagerly to find out what happened next. I found the story easy to follow and I really enjoyed how it was broken up into sections. So often you find books that drag the story on and on, but Rosa didn't do that here. She kept each section separate and I think that really helped the story flow well.

I loved Natalie's flaws, I loved how obtuse she was - how everyone could see what she couldn't. I felt for her each step of the way and by the end of the book, all I wanted was for her to get her happily ever after.

Bella, Natalie's best friend, cracked me up. She was the perfect side-kick and I truly hope she gets her own book!

And Gabriel...he's definitely swoon-worthy. Some of the things he said to Natalie made my heart flutter and I wanted to yell at her to open her eyes and see what was standing there right in front of her. From the very beginning, Gabriel was perfect.

I am in awe of Rosa's ability to have such a large cast of characters...and not only keep each of them front and center in the story, but also make them each unique and well-developed. I never once had to flip back to find out who was whom. It was refreshing and enjoyable to get to know each character and root for them all.

You can find Natalie's Getting Married on Amazon: UK or US

Rosa Temple began writing romantic comedies and chick lit because of her passion for what she calls the 'early chick lit films', like: Sabrina, Barefoot In the Park and Breakfast at Tiffany's. She honed her skills as a ghost writer, gaining experience writing romantic novellas, both sweet and on the slightly steamy side. In her notebooks, she constantly jotted down story ideas of her own and she eventually completed her first novella Sleeping With Your Best Friend and now, the full length novel, Natalie's Getting Married.

Rosa Temple is a Londoner and is married with two sons. She is a reluctant keep fit fanatic and doer of housework and insists that writing keeps her away from such strenuous tasks. She spends her days creating characters and story lines while drinking herbal tea and eating chocolate biscuits.

To find out more about Rosa and to catch up on all her musings please join her on Rosa Temple Writes. She can be found on Facebook, Twitter & Goodreads.

You can download an excerpt of Natalie's Getting Married here.

Rosa is celebrating the release of Natalie's Getting Married by doing a giveaway! Enter for your chance to win a paperback or one of five eBooks! Just head on over to Rosa Temple Writes to enter!

Congratulations on your first book release, Rosa! I'm looking forward to reading much more of your work!

Thank you for reading my review and for supporting Indie authors!

xoxo

~Heather

Article Type: Indie Book ReviewsImage: 

EMILY'S CHOICE - Published!

After 23 years of writing and editing, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat...Emily's Choice has been published! I can barely put into words what this means to me.

This book was the very first novel I wrote way back in high school. I honestly thought this story would never see the light of day! We all know how life can interfere and this story has been collecting a lot of dust on the shelf for a long time. Every so often, I would take it down, dust it off and work on it. But never with any real motivation to polish it up nice and pretty and get it out there. Until June 2014. That's when I found out I was pregnant and there was no way I was going to be able to do much of anything over the next year. So why not work on a project that was already written, and rewritten a dozen times, and get it ready for publication?

I hope you all enjoy Emily & Jason's story. Below, please enjoy the first chapter!

Here is the link to buy it on Amazon: Emily's Choice. Once you're done reading, I would be ever so grateful if you would leave a review on Amazon!

Happy Reading!

xoxo ~Heather

Chapter One

May 2008

Emily Camancho was scared, no doubt about it. She took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart as she wiped her slick palms on her dusty jeans. Sitting in the driver’s seat of her beat-up rusty red pickup truck, she rolled down the window to let a breeze blow through.

She was late. Three weeks late to be exact.

Yesterday, she’d finally worked up the courage to take one of those pesky tests she’d bought last week at the pharmacy. It had been hiding under the bathroom sink since she’d brought it home. Once Jason had left for class, she reached her shaking hands into the cabinet and tore open the box. She sat down on the toilet with the test stick and placed it in the stream for five seconds and then replaced the cap on the end of it. She carefully set it down on the floor and went out to wash her hands.

When she checked the stick after washing her hands, well, there had been no mistaking the results. Two dark blue lines. Positive. She’d let out a shuddering breath and collapsed against the door. What the hell was she going to do?

Catching a glimpse of herself in the truck mirror, she grimaced. Searching through her purse, she blew out a sigh when all she could find was a ponytail holder. Shrugging, she dropped her purse back on the bench seat and pulled her long, auburn hair up into a messy ponytail. It would have to do, and she was out of time anyway. Jumping from the truck, she grabbed her purse and walked slowly into the Urgent Care facility. She’d come all the way across town to lessen the chances she would bump into anyone she knew from school. For a split second, she had thought about going home to see old Doc Martin but quickly nixed that idea. It would have spread like wildfire through the town, her parents finding out the results before she did. There was no such thing as doctor-patient confidentiality in Mosquero. Hell, there wasn’t any confidentiality at all.

She’d told Jason that she wasn’t feeling well and was planning a visit to the doctor to see what was wrong. He’d offered to go with her, but she turned her baby blues on him and told him she would be all right. It didn’t make sense for them both to miss classes today.

Emily walked into the facility and wrote her name down on the sign-in sheet. She picked up a gossip magazine to browse through while she waited but let it sit on her lap while her mind skidded all over the place. Was she really pregnant? They’d been careful every time. They both were fanatical about condom use, but she supposed one could have broken. How would she tell Jason? How would she tell her parents? What would everyone say?

They were in their last year of college, she at Santa Fe Community College for Interior Design and Jason at New Mexico State University for Animal Science and Rangeland Resources. Jason was planning to return home to Mosquero after graduation to help his father with the ranch. Emily had planned to stay in Santa Fe to work with the design company she’d been interning with while at school. It was going to be a hard adjustment for them, seeing as they’d never spent any real amount of time apart, ever. But if she was indeed pregnant, how would she balance a baby, a new city, a long-distance relationship, and a new job? Santa Fe was only two and a half hours from home but that was a long way to commute every day if she had to live at home.

Everyone would be shocked and appalled at first; she knew and accepted that. She hoped that part was quick though. She wouldn’t have an abortion, and she wasn’t giving the child up for adoption. Emily knew enough about herself to know that once the baby was born, she wouldn’t want to let it go. Everything would be okay, and everything would work out the way it was supposed to. Emily was sure of that. She had an amazing family; they were incredibly supportive and she knew they’d help her reach her dreams regardless. Once the baby did arrive, they’d all be happier than a rooster at dawn.

By the time the nurse called her back, she’d almost gotten herself talked into a positive outlook. She calmly followed the nurse back and answered all the embarrassing questions. The nurse took a blood sample and told Emily it would be about twenty minutes for the results. Instead of waiting in the cold, sterile room, Emily opted to go outside instead. She walked around to the back of the building and was pleased to see a picnic table, a garden, and a nature path. She walked along the path, keeping an eye on the time as the nurse had cautioned her to be back on time as they had a lot of patients to see. Emily let her mind wander as she enjoyed the sights and smells of nature.

She had no idea what she’d do with a baby. Her life plan didn’t include children, at least not for another several years. She and Jason had been an item for as long as Emily could remember, and their parents had always joked they’d been betrothed at birth. She and Jason had begun as playmates and friends, moved on to being a couple, and now they were lovers and practically engaged. She imagined their parents would want them to wait until after they’d settled into their jobs, but she and Jason had already talked of going to Las Vegas at Christmas to get married. She could picture all the lights, the people, and the excitement. The sounds of the slot machines, the range of emotions from the players at the tables. And their wedding ceremony. She’d always dreamed of a big, elaborate wedding, but the closer they got to Vegas, the more excited she was about just eloping and leaving the stress, cost, and craziness behind. Emily was confident she and Jason could take this next step together and come out with a stronger relationship, even if it was several years earlier than they had planned, at least in the baby department.

Checking her watch, she turned around and hurried back to the examination room. When she stepped into the room, she noticed the nurse had laid out a gown, so Emily stripped down and put it on. The doctor knocked on the door just as Emily was climbing onto the table.

“Come in,” Emily said shyly.

“Hello, Emily. I’m Dr. Williams,” she said kindly as she shook Emily’s hand.

“Hello.”

“All right, I’m sure you’re on the edge of that table wondering what the results are.” Dr. Williams paused as Emily nodded her head and twisted her fingers. “The test was positive. You are pregnant, Emily.”

The breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding came rushing out along with a strangled, “I am?”

Dr. Williams nodded, pressing the button to recline the table flat and motioning for Emily to lie down. “I’m going to order an ultrasound for you so we can pinpoint exactly how far along you are. Let me just check your tummy, and then we can talk prenatal care.”

Twenty minutes later, Emily walked out to her truck in a daze. She couldn’t remember one thing the doctor had told her, and if there’d been a test, she would have failed. The drive back to the apartment was a blur, and Emily was shocked when she pulled into the parking lot with no memory of the drive home. Running a hand over her face, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She climbed out of the truck and shuffled to the apartment. Exhausted from stress and the pregnancy, Emily collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.

“Emily? Babe?”

She reached out her hand and pulled Jason down onto the bed with her. She peeked a quick glimpse of him, sighing with pleasure. She was so lucky. At six feet tall, Jason was head and shoulders above most of the guys in school. His dark blond hair was ruffled, and she could picture him running his hands through it in frustration during classes this morning. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown that twinkled when he laughed and only looked at her with love. Working on the ranch his whole life had given him a lean and toned body. Many underestimated his strength, especially on the football field.

“How are you feeling? What did the doctor say?”

Emily’s eyes snapped open and she bolted upright as the morning’s stress and results came rushing back to her. She inhaled sharply, ready to tell him, but she couldn’t find the words.

When he sat up with her, she turned and buried her face in his chest, taking several deep breaths to calm down. She couldn’t fathom why she was panicking. Jason loved her and she loved him.

She tried her best to smile but failed miserably when tears gathered in her eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong, babe? Are you okay?”

Shaking her head no, she hid her face against his shirt as the tears fell down her cheeks, hugging him hard.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

Sighing, Emily buried her face in his neck and nodded. “I will, I promise. I need you to hold me a little longer.”

“Babe, you know I’ll hold you forever, but you’re scaring me. You never cry, what’s going on?” He slipped a finger under her chin and raised her face so he could look into her eyes. He wiped her tears with his thumb and offered her a comforting smile.

“I don’t know how to start. I thought it would be easy, but now that you’re here, I’m scared.” She turned her face into his neck and took a deep breath. He always smelled so good, like the outdoors mixed with sunshine.

“It can’t be that bad, babe,” he soothed. “Spit it out, we’ll figure it out.”

“I’m pregnant,” Emily blurted quietly.

She felt Jason stiffen and thought for a moment he was going to push her away and flee. Instead, he tightened his hold on her. “Are you sure?” he asked quietly.

Emily nodded. “They took a blood test, and I have to call tomorrow for the results of the ultrasound. She thinks I’m about six to eight weeks along.”

Tears began to flow in earnest down her face. Frustrated with them, she swiped her hand across her face. “What are we going to do, Jason?”

Smiling, he hugged her close. “Sounds like we’re going to have a baby!”

Shocked at his easy acceptance, she pulled out of his arms and searched his face. She saw a broad smile gracing his lips, a sparkle in his eyes. Breathing a sigh of relief, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.

“You’re surprised at my reaction.”

“Honestly, I really wasn’t sure what to expect.”

“It’s scary, a little exciting. But it’s happened, and we can’t undo it. We’re almost done with school. Instead of getting married at Christmas, we’ll just get married this summer after we graduate. We can still elope if you want.”

“What are we going to tell our parents?”

Jason shrugged.

“We’ve got to tell them something!”

“Babe, we don’t have to tell them anything right away. Let’s get used to the idea first.”

“What do you mean?”

Sighing, Jason leaned back against the pillows, taking Emily with him. Sprawled against his chest, Emily felt her heart rate pick up. Jason rolled with her and gently pushed her back against the bed. Lowering his head, he brushed a kiss against her lips. “I mean . . .” he drawled. “Let’s enjoy the news, and the secret, and we’ll tell them when it’s right.”

She put a hand against his shoulder to stop his descent. She needed a clear head, and once he started kissing her, she’d fog up and forget everything. “Jason,” she pleaded.

Sighing, he lifted his head. He ran a hand up her torso and brushed a thumb over her nipple. When it hardened under his knowing hands, he grinned. “Babe, it’s not a big deal. Our parents are going to freak out and wonder what we were thinking, but it’s our life, Em. Don’t stress. We’ve got each other and that’s all we need,” he said against her lips.

Emily moaned when his tongue slipped through her lips. The hand that was holding him off slid up his neck and tangled in his hair.

Jason was right; all they needed was each other. They could get through anything so long as they had each other.

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Emily's Choice - Cover Reveal

I know it's been a while since I've stopped in here at my blog, and one of my resolutions this year is to write more. So to start the New Year off, I have some exciting news!

I've just put my third novel up on Amazon Kindle for pre-order: Emily's Choice. My release date is set for March 8, 2016!!

Are you ready for some more exciting news? Today is the Cover Reveal!

Here's a short blurb about Emily's Choice:

The night before her wedding, Emily Camancho walks in on her fiancé with her hated cousin. Her mistake: ignoring all the rumors over the years, when the truth had been staring her in the face the whole time. Pregnant, devastated and determined not to make that mistake, or any mistake again, she flees across the country to Boston with her stepsister.

Eighteen months later, Emily's stepmother is in a terrible car accident and isn't expected to live through the week. She rushes home, daughter in tow, to New Mexico to say goodbye. Her father and stepsister are too far lost in their grief to manage the funeral arrangements, so it falls on Emily's shoulders. That, along with keeping Sadie oblivious to the worst of it, leaves little time to remember why she left to begin with.

Until Jason shows up and reminds her. He's well aware of the mistake he made and now that there isn't a country dividing them, he's wasting no time in rectifying that mistake. She's home and he's going to make sure she knows that she's always been the one for him. Finally the truth will come out, the rumors will be put to rest and when Emily's life is on the line, the only man she’s ever loved will put his own life on the line, proving once and for all how much he loves her.

xoxo

~Heather

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Sex, Snow & Mistletoe by Laura Barnard

Melinda is already having a crappy Christmas. Forced to attend some snotty bitch's wedding is not the way to start out the holidays. But when a car crash pushes her into the path of a handsome stranger she's glad to follow his snowy, sexy and seductive path. But is he too good to be true? And will she make it to the wedding before her best friend loses her mind with worry?

Have you ever sat down, read something all in one sitting and been like That was just what I needed? Well, that's what this cute novella did for me.

I just finished two other books that I'll be reviewing shortly and it was such a pleasure to sit down and read Sex, Snow & Mistletoe. It begins with Melinda driving to a wedding of someone she barely knows. She's complaining about the snow storm swirling outside, embarrassed to be attending this wedding of someone she barely knows, and dodging her best friend's phone call when she's distracted just enough by the flashing lights of the car behind her. She crashes into a tree and is rescued by handsome, hunky and sexy Aiden. As he's going to the same wedding, he offers to drive her and she gladly accepts. Only in a turn of luck, (whether bad or good - you decide!), his car breaks down and with the snowstorm out of control, they spend a hot and steamy night in his car before setting off on foot in the morning.

I really enjoyed this novella. It had just the right amount steam, intrigue and comedy to keep me reading. I read the whole thing in one sitting! One challenge I've always had with writing my own novellas is how to create characters with depth and meaning in a very short time - Laura does this perfectly. Each of her characters were well-developed and real. She brings the story and the characters alive for the reader. I felt like I was watching everything happening right in front of me!

This was my first Laura Barnard book and I have to say, I'd love to read everything she's already written.

Laura Barnard is an author from Hertfordshire, UK. She's the chick-lit author of The Debt & the Doormat, The Baby & the Bride, Tequila & Tea Bags and Dopey Women. In her spare time she enjoys drinking her body weight in tea, indulging in cupcakes the size of her face, drooling over hunks like Jamie Dornan, Ryan Gosling and Leo Dicaprio...oh and her husband of course :-) She likes wearing yoga clothes and reading fitness magazines while she sits on the sofa and eats chocolate. She's a real fan of the power nap and of course, READING! She writes not to get rich or famous, but because she LOVES writing. Even if one person tells her they enjoyed her book, it makes the midnight typing worth it!

You can find Laura on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and on her website.

You can find Sex, Snow & Mistletoe on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Happy Release Day, Laura!

Thank you for reading my review and for supporting Indie authors!

xoxo

~Heather

Article Type: Indie Book ReviewsImage: 

Writing Emotions

I was reading through some old blog posts and I came across the one I wrote when I finished To Love Twice. In it I described the emotions I was feeling, calling them a "kaleidescope" of emotions. It struck me because I do not recall having those same emotions when I finished writing Back to December. In fact, all I felt was relief and a giddy sense of "Thank God it's not my problem anymore" as I hit send and sent it off to my beta readers. All this gets me wondering about the emotions we go through as writers. Not just in writing our masterpieces, but also the surrounding emotions as we go through all the phases of creation. 

There's the excitement when a new idea comes to us, and the urge to spend all of our waking (and sometimes non-waking) moments with the idea. Then there's flagging enthusiasm when you write yourself into a corner, or your characters stop communicating with you. Which then leads to avoidance until you can move on to happiness when you've figured out how to get around the issues. And for most, a bittersweet moment when the story is finished and you get to type "The End."

Of course, there's a whole slew of emotions that engulf us as we write - the emotions of our characters and what they are going through as we write their story. Fear, sadness, elation, joy, ecstasy, anger, hate, love...the list is endless, as is our capacity to feel them. Even our own emotions as we write - all writing contains a piece of the writer's heart.

As I get to the end of Emily's Choice and a step closer to sending it off to my beta readers, I have to say all I'm feeling now is impatience. I have three ideas sitting on the back burner that I want to get to. With NaNoWriMo 30 days away, my mind is focusing more on what project I want to work on than finishing the one I'm currently up to my eyeballs in. I'm so invested in this story though, that I want to make sure it's done correctly, before I send it off. I've given myself a deadline, which is helping me to focus and get it done. I want to send it off to beta readers on Halloween so I can start November with a clear desk and a blank Scrivener page.

I wonder if it will always be like this? I hope not. I feel as though the best writing gets done when you are happy and engrossed in the story you're telling, not when you're impatient and ready to move on. I feel like things get missed, loose ends are tied up and the two-year old who's a part of your story suddenly starts speaking like a ten-year old.

French Fry by Glynis Astie

Sydney Durand had finally achieved the perfect life she had always wanted. After a whirlwind romance with a charming Frenchman, she endured the three weddings it required to satisfy the members of the newly formed Bennett-Durand clan. All she had left to do was stroll into the sunset with Louis to enjoy their long-awaited happily ever after.

But everything changed when the stick turned blue. Suddenly, Sydney finds herself facing the daunting task of becoming a mother before she has even returned home from her honeymoon. Keeping a tenacious hold on her hard-won happiness, Sydney is determined not to give up without a fight – no matter what or who is thrown in her path…and that includes an overbearing mother-in-law, a know-it-all father and her own anxiety about having a baby.

Will she finally be able to tame her neuroses for the sake of her unborn child? Or will her hormone-induced panic cause a meltdown of epic proportions? One thing is clear: Sydney and Louis’ nerves are going to fry…

Today, I'm extremely excited to showcase one of my new favorite authors on her release day for French Fry! This is the third book in the French Twistt series and what a fabulous ending to the series! I was incredibly lucky to snag an eARC copy of this book and let me tell you, you won't be disappointed when you read it. In my opinion, it is the perfect ending to the series!

Sydney is back, in full-on Sydney style, only this time she's pregnant...and what ensues is a fun and addicting read. Having just had my third baby (after a six-year gap!), I was able to fully sympathize with her symptoms and laugh at her attempts to keep her crazy at bay.

Those of you who've read the first two books in the series will understand when I say that Sydney is facing an uphill battle in keeping that crazy at bay. Between her work as an HR professional where she deals with insane coworkers (pet insurance?!), her BFF's upcoming nuptials (can you say Bridezilla?), her parent's marriage possibly going up in smoke (her father's desperate phone calls), and Louis' plans for buying a house (what if he loses his job, again?!) - you can understand how hard it was for her. But in typical Sydney style, and with some help from her sister Kate, she handled it with humorous results.

Loosely based on the author's life, this series is well worth reading. It will stick with you long after you've turned the final page and leave you waiting with bated breath for what Glynis has in store for you next!

You can find Glynis on her website, on Facebook, on Twitter and on Goodreads.

You can find the book on Amazon: French Fry.

She's also doing a giveaway this week! Here are the details and don't forget to enter! Giveaway begins on 5/13/15 at 12:01 AM and ends on 5/20/15 at 11:59 PM. Three prizes will be awarded:

1. $25 amazon gift card & ebook set of the French Twist series

2. 2 e-book sets of the French Twist series.

The giveaway is open for US Only.

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Congratulations Glynis!!

Thank you for reading my review and for supporting Indie authors!

xoxo

~Heather

Article Type: Indie Book ReviewsImage: 

Best Laid Plans

I'm sure you've had this happen to you before: you wake up on Monday morning with a long list of items to accomplish and by the end of the day, not one of those items has seen the light of day, let alone been accomplished. For the past three months, that has been my life.

It all started with pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel and ended with a newborn baby. Little V was born on January 10th. 6 pounds 2 ounces and 18.25 inches long. She's wonderful and we love her to pieces...but life with a newborn is anything but easy (as most of you know!).

The problem is that I had forgotten what life with a newborn was like. I'd forgotten the sheer magnitude of the exhaustion I'd feel, the stress of not having a moment to even use the restroom - let alone getting a load of laundry done or the sinkful of dishes, the hormonal ups and downs and the tug-of-war of emotions as I try to balance the needs of a newborn with the needs of the rest of the family.

B and M have done amazing - they've welcomed V into the fold like she's always been a part of the family. They want to hold her, feed her, play with her and lately that's been heavenly as I try to get our life back to some semblance of normal. The ten minutes it takes to do that sinkful of dishes, B can walk circles around the kitchen while holding V. The twenty minutes it takes to do a load of laundry (folding, switching and starting a new load), M can feed her a bottle. Little by little we're figuring it out.

And while the housework and other family-related chores are finally getting their due, my writing has taken the back-burner. Emily's Choice hasn't seen the light of day since sometime in December. I wrote two blog posts in January, but none in February (so much for that New Year's resolution!). And as more and more time passes, the pressure I feel to write, increases. I've been dreaming of my stories at night, writing blog posts in my head while I feed the baby (but don't have time to actually write once she's finished eating), worry that I won't ever finish another book...and a new stress is taking the place of the household-related stress of before.

So here I sit, at 4:30 in the morning, writing this blog post. I should be asleep. I've been up since 3:00am. I had to pump and then Little V woke up to eat. She's back to sleep and the house is quiet. A perfect time to write a quick blog post - something I've been wanting to do for weeks. I'd really like to go down to my office and pull out Emily's Choice, but that would take too much time to prepare...and I really need sleep.

I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel and what I should be doing is basking in the newborn glow, which for the most part I do. She's our last and I cherish every day with her. My writing will be there when it's time to pick it up again and in the meantime - blog posts and short stories will most likely be my creative outlet. And until I have a new book for you, I hope you'll enjoy my posts and stories.

Until next time! xoxo

~Heather

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My Top Five Books of 2014

I read 43 books in 2014 - and they were a very eclectic group of books. I can say there was only one in the group of 43 that I disliked immensely and I probably won't pick up another book by that author ever. The other 42 kept me entertained and I'm glad I decided to read them. Some of them I read in hours, some took a little longer, but overall I can say I enjoyed 42 of the 43 books I read this year. It was very hard to pinpoint my top five, but here they are - in no particular order.

Top Five Books of 2014

Removed and Released by S.J. Pajonas: Duty knows no family. Love has no price. Secrets can cost you everything.

REMOVED and RELEASED are the first two books in a captivating post-apocalyptic series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.

OK, so right away, I know I'm cheating by listing two books here - but I honestly can't choose between them and as they're part of a series, I feel like I can get away with it. I was so engrossed in these books, I read them one right after the other. I wished they'd all been done at the time so I could have continued with the story. It was so compelling, that when I finished Book 2 - I was literally in a Book Funk for days. I just found out, as I was coding the links for the books and author page, that the third book, REUNITED, has been released...it went straight onto my TBR list and once I'm finished with the two books I'm currently reading, I will be cracking this one wide open...I may even re-read REMOVED & RELEASED before REUNITED just to refresh my memory! Have you ever done that with a good series?

Let's Be Frank by Brea Brown: Nate Bingham’s successful career as a pediatric nurse provides plenty of personal satisfaction (and an endless supply of lollipops), but at the end of every day, he comes home to an empty house. He claims he wants domestic bliss—a wife, some adorable booger-munchers, and a pooch—but so far, a picket-fence existence has eluded him. Is finding The One really that difficult, or is Nate sabotaging his own chance at happiness?

When his obnoxiously perfect older brother, Nick, announces his engagement to the only woman Nate ever came close to marrying, Nate decides he’s ready to do just about anything to secure his own happily-ever-after… even if that means sliding on some skinny jeans and a pair of fake specs and tricking the chick lit reading public into believing he’s their latest overnight success. It thrills his new high-maintenance girlfriend, the real writer of the books, but her interests soon become Nate’s smallest motivator in the venture. And that’s a major complication that doesn’t fit into Nate’s tidy five-year plan.

This was the first book I read by Ms. Brown and reading this story has made me add all her other works to my TBR pile. This book had it all for me, some romance, humor, drama. I bought the book as soon as it was available and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it. Yes, it was That Good! If you've never read anything by Ms. Brown, I would highly recommend reading this book and then picking up all the rest of her stuff. You won't be disappointed!

The Golden Dice by Elisabeth Storrs: In The Golden Dice, sequel to The Wedding Shroud, three women follow very different paths to survive a ten year siege between Rome and the Etruscan city of Veii:

Caecilia forsakes Rome to return to her Etruscan husband, Vel Mastarna, exposing herself to the enmity of his people and the hatred of the Romans who consider her a traitoress…

Semni, a reckless Etruscan girl, becomes a servant in the House of Mastarna, embroiling herself in schemes that threaten Caecilia's children and her own chance for romance…

Pinna, a tomb whore, uses coercion to escape her grim life and gain the attention of Camillus, Rome's greatest general, choosing between her love for him and her loyalty to another…

Where do I even start with this book? This is the second book in the series and it was just as good as the first. I spent a couple nights reading into the wee hours of the morning. I'm a huge fan of history and books like this just scratch so many itches for me. I fell in love with these characters almost immediately in the first book and Ms. Storrs does an excellent job of continuing not only the story, but the love you feel for the characters into the second book. I liked meeting the new characters and figuring out how they all intertwine and relate to each other...and I can't wait for Book 3 to be released. I did just pick up her published short story that goes with this series and I'm looking forward to reading it soon. If you like history, if you like forbidden romance, if you like Latin history - or if you're just looking for something different - this is the series for you!

I'm Still Here by Kathryn R. Biel: It started out as an ordinary day for Esther Comely-Cox, if you consider simultaneously totaling your car, smashing a Ho Ho in your face and meeting a handsome doctor ordinary.
Estranged from her family over her sister's mental illness and death, Esther can't help but feel alone. And when Esther hears the voice of her twin sister who committed suicide seven years ago, she begins to question her own sanity, leading her to wonder if anything is what it seems. Searching for answers, Esther must confront her past while looking towards a new future—one in which she is finally accepted.
Through humor and heartbreak, Esther learns that blood does not mean family, that absence does not make the heart grow fonder and that silence can speak volumes.

This book. Oh my goodness. I read an early version of this book, before it was published and I fell in love with it then. Reading it again, with the changes Ms. Biel made, made me love it even more. Esther is a girl after my own heart and I love her story. Ms. Biel does an incredible job developing all the characters, holding back vital information until the absolute last moment, keeping you in suspense and telling the right story for Esther. This book had me laughing and crying and it's definitely one of my favorite books of all time, not just 2014.

Divergent by Veronica Roth: One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.

I avoided reading this series for a long time. I'm not taken in by hype and I figured with all the hype it had gotten, it was just another one of those series that wasn't really worth my time. Then I saw the preview for the movie and I was hooked. One, because Theo James was starring in the movie and two, because it looked really interesting - almost Hunger Games like. So I decided to read the series before I watched the movie and I'm glad I did. The first book was by far my favorite of the three and kept me reading - again - until the wee hours of the morning.

Honorable Mentions: Because I love to read and I really had a hard time narrowing the 43 books down to five, I have to include my second top 5 reads of 2014...the Honorable Mentions. These books were among my favorite reads, and I feel my list really isn't complete without them. Maybe I should have made this my Top 10 books of 2014?!?!

Finding Lucas by Samantha Stroh Bailey: Can you ever really go back to the past?

After five long years of living with Derek, her former bad-boy-turned-metrosexual boyfriend, Jamie Ross finally reaches her breaking point. She's had enough of his sneering disdain for her second hand wardrobe, unusual family and low-paying job as the associate producer of Chicago's sleaziest daytime talk show. When her new boss plans a segment on reuniting lost loves, Jamie remembers Lucas, her first love and the boy she'd lost ten years earlier. Spurred on by her gang of quirky friends, Jamie goes on a hilarious, disastrous and life changing hunt to track Lucas down. But are some loves best left behind?

So good. This book had me from the first sentence and I had a hard time putting it down. There was humor, love, romance, face-palm moments and overall - just a really fabulous read. This author has been added to my follow list and I can't wait until she releases her next book!

Face Time by S.J. Pajonas: After the best first date ever, Lee thought Laura was funny, intelligent, and impulsive; a whirlwind of bright laughter and happiness. Laura loved Lee's sweet smile and the way he expertly filled in every awkward pause. He held her hand and then pulled her in for the most perfect kiss she’s had in years. What could possibly be wrong? Just the 7000 miles that separates them the next day.

Even though Lee has gone home to Seoul, Laura can't stop thinking about him. What starts as an innocent text thanking him for their dinner date becomes something much more: someone either of them can't live without. But Laura's got a live-in mother going through a midlife crisis, and Lee's stressful traveling schedule means they'll be apart for some time. Life, family, and a complicated past also get in the way, and they're both going to need actual face time to figure it out.

This is another book that I had the privilege of beta reading and another one I loved more after the changes. This book's unique voice kept the story interesting and allowed me, the reader, to get the most out of the story. You learn a lot about Laura and Lee because they each have their own turn to speak. I think, in this day and age, stories like this are relevant and can show the reader that distance doesn't have to be the end of relationships - not when you really care and put forth the effort to make it work. A great read and I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Miss Adventure by Geralyn Corcillo: When a freak fast-food accident almost kills dayreaming city girl Lisa Flyte, she decides it's time to get a backbone and really start living out loud. But how is a shrinking violet like Lisa supposed to get tough all of a sudden after a lifetime of watching from the couch? Jack Hawkins, that's how. When Lisa finds out that the outdoor extremist needs a clueless urbanite to test his top-secret line of idiot-proof adventure gear, she gets the most outlandish idea of her life: she will be his undercover test dummy if he helps her become brave on their adventures in the wild.

They strike a deal. Lisa survives the treks, jumps, and dives (barely!) But can she use her bumbling...uh, blossoming outdoor moxie to become the alpha hero of her everyday life? Will she find the grit to pursue a career she really wants or the nerve to stand up to her bullying family? And will she get gutsy enough to go after Jack? He's a man who's not afraid of anything...except maybe falling for Lisa.

I read this book when it was originally titled SHE LIKES IT ROUGH, but I love the new title for it. I think it really captures the heart of the book and the main character, Lisa, much better. This book is hilarious - from the first page to the last - it will have you in stitches. The adventures that Lisa and Jack get into are so real, so probable and you can put yourself into their places so easily and if you're anything like me - you laugh just thinking about being in their place at the moment. It's worth the time, worth the read and trust me, you'll be glad you read it!

Thirty-Three Going on Girlfriend? by Becky Monson: Julia Dorning thought she would die a lonely spinster. That was until nine months ago, when her world was turned upside down. Now she’s got a dream career as a bakery owner, and a relationship with handsome Jared Moody—a life she never thought possible.

Just as she’s starting to feel comfortable in her new life, Julia is invited to battle it out on national television making cupcakes. An amazing opportunity, if she can muster up the confidence to do it, that is. Then, out of the blue, Jared goes and throws a rather large wrench in their relationship causing Julia to have to make some big decisions. With her two trusted confidants off in wedding la la land, Julia is on her own to figure everything out.

Left to her own devices, will Julia be able to work things out for herself? Or will she make a disaster of it all?

I read the first book of this series and couldn't wait until the second book came out. When it was released, I snatched it up and read it too fast. The characters are endearing, the obstacles are fun to read through and truly have you cheering them on. I hope there is a third book in the series - I'd love to see Julie and Jared get their final happy ever after!

How Do You Know? by Meredith Schorr: What if you were approaching the end of your thirties and all of the life milestones you took for granted in your youth suddenly seemed out of reach?

On the eve of her thirty-ninth birthday, Maggie Piper doesn't look, act, or feel much different than she did at twenty-nine, but with her fortieth birthday speeding toward her like a freight train, she wonders if she should. The fear of a slowing metabolism, wrinkling of her skin, and the ticking of her biological clock leaves Maggie torn between a desire to settle down like most of her similarly aged peers and concern that all is not perfect in her existing relationship. When a spontaneous request for a temporary "break" from her live-in boyfriend results in a "break-up," Maggie finds herself single once again and only twelve months from the big 4.0. In the profound yet bumpy year that follows, Maggie will learn, sometimes painfully, that life doesn't always happen on a schedule, there are no deadlines in love, and age really is just a number.

This was a Meredith Schorr year for me - I read all FOUR of her books and enjoyed every single one of them. This book, HOW DO YOU KNOW?, is her fourth and latest book. I immediately bought it and began reading it. I'm married, with children, yet this book still spoke to me. Maybe because I married and had children later than my younger siblings, I could understand a lot of what Maggie was going through. Not to mention the fact that I'm closing in, faster than I'd like, on the big 4-0 myself. This was a great book and, in my opinion, the best of her books to date!

**And there you have it -- my top picks of 2014. I hope you enjoyed my list and I hope you'll take some time to read some of these gems...if you haven't already!

xoxo

~Heather

...Hello 2015!

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2015! My wish for all of you is that 2015 is YOUR year and that it delivers everything your heart desires!!

2014 was a Roller Coaster of a year and 2015 promises to be much the same. A new baby will be making her appearance sometime this month and I have at least one (but I hope two!) books to publish this year.

As I did last year, I'm posting here on my blog - in black and white - my goals and resolutions for the year 2015, with the hopes that it will help me stay accountable and reach for the stars I see in my eyes. So without further ado, in no particular order, here are my goals and resolutions for this brand new year!

2015 Goals/Resolutions

1. Blog More Often: If you're an avid reader of my blog, I'm sure you've been disappointed on more than one occasion when I've fallen off the wagon and left my blog to wither in the dust. My number one problem is that I have no idea what to say on a regular basis. Do you really want to hear about how the kidtivities have interfered with my writing time? Or how pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel and sciatica issues are making it hard for me to write for longer than ten or fifteen minutes at a time? Maybe you do, maybe you don't - but either way, when I sit down to blog I draw a blank. Other than the major events (NaNo, end of the year, beginning of the year, cover reveals and book reviews), I have no idea what to write. My goal for the year is to blog more often, but now I feel like that is too vague for a goal...so my goal is to write at least two blog posts a month.

2. Finish/Publish Emily's Choice: Many of you know that I originally wrote Emily's Choice twenty years ago during my senior year of high school. And it's been sitting on a shelf, collecting dust and drafts, ever since. I believe I'm up to Draft 9, counting the new draft I wrote during NaNoWriMo back in November. My goal last year was to finish it and publish it by Halloween...obviously that didn't happen. So, with only a couple chapters left to write, I hope to have it published in the spring.

3. Post Overdue Indie Reviews: I started last year off with a bang when it came to Indie Reviews, but somewhere around summer I completely slacked off. I read the books, but neglected to do the reviews on my blog. At the top of my to-do list this year is to write up and post those overdue reviews and be better this year about writing up the reviews as soon as I'm finished reading the books.

4. Write a Book a Season: Now this is a lofty goal, and one that I probably won't accomplish, but it's worth putting down. As I figured out during NaNoWriMo, if a person writes 2500 words a day for a month, they come out of that month with a 75,000 word novel! As I have several ideas stewing away in my mind (and some of them half written already), this could be something "easily" done with some motivation and self-discipline. However, I must caveat this with, I have a new baby arriving soon, so having the time, energy, fortitude, etc to actually pull this off might be a little more than I can handle this year.

5. Continue Growing My Online Relationships: This is a no-brainer. Over the past two years I've met some amazingly talented authors, bloggers and editors. I'm pretty shy and it's extremely difficult for me to break into conversations and cliques - but it's something I must learn to do, and must do, to keep these relationships strong.

6. Finish The Heart Between Short Stories: These are the short stories I started to grow Mary from the little girl to the woman you'll meet in Dreaming of Love. I believe I only have two or three stories out there and there is much to be written before she's ready to dream of anything!

7. Write/Publish Dreaming of Love: The sequel to To Love Twice has been brewing in my mind for over a year, but I didn't want to start on it before all my other projects were finished, or the short stories to grow her up.

8. Find an Artist or Program to Illustrate Children's Books: I have a set of children's books that I've written intermittently over the years and I've been trying to find either an illustrator or an illustrator program to help me finish these books. I'd love to see them published this year (as would my littles!) so this item is pretty high on my list to accomplish.

9. Continue to Create a Writing/Family/Life Balance: This is something I struggle with. When I'm in the writing groove, I don't want to be pulled out for anything. But I also don't want to miss anything important when it comes to my family. You see my dilemma? As a stay-at-home Mom, my main "job" is to take care of the house and kids and hubby - which sometimes doesn't leave a lot of time for writing, unless I burn the midnight oil and stay up late...but then that turns into a double-edged sword when I'm tired and cranky the next day due to little sleep. During November and the NaNoWriMo event, I have pretty good luck with scheduling in my writing time and sticking to it. But when it's outside of that month, that schedule is hard to follow. Especially when I add social media, networking, marketing, etc. to the long list of things that need to be done during the day - along with the writing. This is another top priority for me this year!

10. Create a New Organization System: I'm typically a very organized person, but when it comes to my writing and the things that need to be done for it, it's complete chaos. I need to find a new system (or create one) to help me keep track of everything from scheduling signings to organizing a virtual book tour for Emily's Choice to keeping track of sales to everything else on my list. My written list isn't working and especially with a new baby coming, something drastic has to happen!

Whew! There they are...10 resolutions and goals that I hope, on January 1, 2016, I can honestly say I succeeded in accomplishing. What are your resolutions and/or goals? Please share them with me in the comments!

Happiest of New Years to you all!

xoxo

~Heather