Candee Fick's Blog, page 5

Seasons of Reading For All Sorts of Reasons

As Princess liked to remind me all last week, it’s fall. Which means that somehow in the middle of our crazy summer in limbo trying to sell our house followed by almost a month of medical stuff…the seasonal change snuck up on me. Now, don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed our summer including time on a beach in California. But there’s just something about fall that makes me eager to crunch through a pile

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Caregiving, Caretaking, and Serving Until it Hurts

On Friday, I received a pointedly-timely reminder at of all places…the dentist’s office. It all started when I slid into the chair for my semi-annual cleaning and the dental hygienist pulled out a blood pressure cuff. “We’re doing something new around here to make sure everything’s okay.” As if anyone about to have their teeth deep cleaned and dental hygiene habits cross-examined would have a normal blood pressure reading. Ha! But as she strapped the

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The Marathon Detour While Covered With Prayer

Once upon a time, I had a two-week block of relatively free time on my calendar and decided it was the perfect time to start writing a new story. (Of course, part of my twisted imagination thought that starting a new project was the ideal trigger for Mr. Murphy to step in and get our house finally sold.) So I spent a couple days fitting my plot ideas into a rough outline, did some basic

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Character Research…Just Another Name for Eavesdropping and People-Watching

A month ago, I was in California for my nephew’s wedding. After several days around the Bay Area and time at a gorgeous vineyard in Sunol, we headed south to the Los Angeles area for time with even more extended family, beaches, and theme parks. After all, when you’re in the “neighborhood,” you might as well make the most of the opportunity. However, while slathered in SPF 50 sunscreen to avoid the lobster look I

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Living in Limbo Stinks

As I write this, I’m still in my old, clean, but fairly-empty house. Still have a For Sale sign in the yard. Still vacating on short notice for showings. Still trying to balance a healthy family-of-five life with only four chairs around the dining room table and a missing couch. (Imagine a show home with lots of open space but no one actually lives like that!) Still waiting for the call from our Realtor that

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Transitions, Moving, and a Summer Break

When I started blogging in 2009, I wrote a lot about Life’s journey and the fact it was often filled with mountains, valleys, detours, foggy conditions, construction delays, and sometimes stretches of clear road. Whether it was living with a chronic illness, caring for a loved one with special needs, or pursuing a dream, I shared about my journey in order to inspire and encourage you on your journey. Well, our family’s journey is being

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Taking Time to Catch My Breath

The past month…make that months…have been crazy busy and cram-packed with all sorts of good stuff. January brought the launch of the first book in my new castle series (Stepping Into the Light) along with a writer’s retreat with friends and the unexpected encounter with an elk! February ushered in my husband’s new job and the overwhelming number of details to make that transition possible including his retirement paperwork and switching medical insurance companies. And

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Sing a New Song – What Readers Have to Say

Every time a book launches, I find myself holding my breath and waiting for those first reviews to start trickling in. After all, I love my characters and can’t wait to share them with the world…but what if this latest book baby is the “ugly” one and only the strangers on the internet are brave enough to say it? Knowing that Gloria Houghton was already an unpopular character in the Wardrobe series, I was especially

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Sing a New Song – Variations on a Theme

Yes, I chose a musical reference for the title of this post because, well, Sing a New Song is all about music and singing. In the fictional heart of Branson Missouri’s main strip, the main character sings a wide variety of musical styles. But Gloria’s story is just one note in the harmonic series. Just one of the variations on a theme. In writing the first book of the series, Dance Over Me, I drew

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Sing a New Song – Meet Nick Sherwood

Ever had one of those Mondays where nothing goes right? That’s today. First, there was a broken shower head in Room 208, followed by a leaking washing machine in the hotel laundry room. Then the stage manager called that our resident magician wanted one of the spotlights shifted before the morning show began. Not like I can’t handle the adjustments in the catwalk, but one thing led to another and suddenly I’m covered in grease

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