Chris Keniston's Blog, page 8

Hello from Galveston!

It's that time of year for the Kenistons.  For the last three years we have rented a beach house and spent a long weekend in Galveston.  My goal is to create undistracted family time and more importantly, memories that my grands can look back on long after I'm gone. 

I still remember being a little girl and scrambling to keep up with my fast walking grandmother when she took me to NYC to see children's theater in Greenwhich Village. Probably why I still love broadway shows. I remember every christmas going to see the rockets at radio city music hall when it only cost the price of a movie ticket. I remember slathering cream on our hands after doing the dishes.  I very much want my grandkids to still have memories of me when they are grandparents. So here we come, every year. 

While my grandson enjoys the water and the sand and especially the birds, my granddaughter seems to have inherited a fish gene from someone. She's not quite two and would get knocked over and face plant in the water and get up giggling.  The kid is definitely part fish!  I may blame it on my friend author Olivia Sands - if you let her she'd stay in the water 24/7! ​ Now the fun part - something new for us - the house next door was rented out for a wedding! How appropriate is that for a romance author! We got to enjoy the view of the ceremony from our balcony and then later when they were playing music I danced with my son on the beach. That was seriously fun - Hubby was inside so didn't get to dance with him, but I probably should have run in and grabbed him, after all, don't get many chances to go dancing anymore! 

Here are a couple of shots of the ceremony, the house lit up for the nighttime DJ, and a shot of my son (the tiny speck in the distance lol) sitting by the water today, soaking up the sun!  As for writing - I got Just One Surprise off to the editor - a week late but there - y'all will get to read it by the end of the month. Not sure we're going to be able to release it early on my website this time - but will keep y'all posted if I can. 

​Now it's time for me to take a walk on the beach with my son - will pop back next Monday. Enjoy your week and your family and friends! Time is so precious! 

and we have.... Hot Water!

Some days life is too good to be true.  As I mentioned last week I was waiting on a new plumber to see about fixing the water heater drip. Well, he showed up and informed me that the drain valve wasn't the only thing leaking, so was the inner tank and it would have to be replaced. then he surprised me with - from the manufacturing date, it might still be under warranty. The tank was five years old. I knew it shouldn't have failed at this stage of life, but didn't think the limited warranty still kicked in - well the six year limited warranty apparently fully covers inner tank failure. We drained it fully, took it to home depot where I'd originally bought it, and they swapped it out - without any cost to me!  What a blessing for me. My regular guy installed it and I walked away with a new water heater with a new warranty for another six years and a final expense of under $200 - how fun was that!  And we are once again spoiled with hot running water! 

Paxton came out last week and I'm still struggling along with Just One Surprise - Did you get your copy of Paxton? Have you read it? Did you like it? I really had fun with his story. The Farradays and their town are such likeable people. 

I also have a houseguest this week - my maid of honor from cough cough years ago is visiting for a long weekend. Next we drive to visit my daughter and then I put her on a plane back home.  My son's golden has been visiting and he's taken a liking to her! 
The last personal bright spot is that despite dining out every night with my visiting friend (you do know I'm allergic to the kitchen right?) I have still somehow managed to lose the two pounds I gained last wee. Those are the same two pesky pounds that I keep gaining and losing - if I could just lose a few more and stay there! LOL. 

All right - I'm done for the day, my friend has a long list of things she wants to do and I've learned society frowns if I do them in my bathrobe! LOL 

​take care. 

Spoiled by hot running water

Well - this is the second time I've written this today - apparently this new computer likes to jump around and do things I don't want it to do. Earlier today, the keyboard went nuts - wouldn't work - after the mouse had it bouncing around and I finally had to reboot to be able to write! Now it waited till I'd written most of it before just disappearing - sigh - so here it is again! 

I also spent all morning waiting for the plumber - not for the first time in the last few days. I know there are many places in the world that do not have running water, never mind hot running water. Well, last week we had no hot water - yikes! Called my go-to affordable plumber. He said he'd pop by later - nope. Did show up the next day and told me that my six year old tank had a valve leak. Great. Except he didn't have the part so he'd have to come back the next day. Again, Nope. Nor the next, nor the next, but promised today, until he said nope can't get to me all week. Sigh. Guess it wasn't a big enough job for him. So now I'm waiting on a new plumber tomorrow who will definitely not be affordable, but at least we'll have hot water. I am definitely spoiled! 

At least I get to wait for the plumber in my nice new recliners. My older ones were very very old, very very comfy, and very very large.  Since I work all day, and often long nights, in the recliner for my back and circulation, I really needed something a bit slimmer so that I can have more side tables for all the things that I accumulate while working. I admit they're not as comfy as my old ones, but way more practical! 

While I'm waiting, I discovered it must be squirrel nesting season. Many times in the past when we forget to put away the porch cushions, the squirrels eat a hole in them and steal the stuffing. Which is why we still haven't put the cushions out yet. I usually do it for May when it's nice and hot.  So, looking out the window, what do I see? Mr or Mrs squirrel tearing at a drying towel! I couldn't get a better shot because the squirrel noticed me and ran away. Smart Squirrel - I was not happy with him/her. ​ Are you ready for the return of the Farradays tomorrow? I think you'll like Paxton's story.  Please make sure to tell all your friends about it - and I hope you enjoy! 

For now -- it's back to work. Just One Surprise is giving me fits and it's due at the editor's soon- yikes! 

​Have a good week! 

Happy Tax Day!

I'm always happy when I finish my tax return early - even if only by a few days. I remember so many stressful days before the invention of tax software. I'd be struggling with adding machines and calculations and remembering to carryover numbers from one form to another and when I finally would get the return finished some time after dark, the long line of cars circling the block around the post office.  Of course there were several workers standing outside with large bins in the driveway to make the line move faster.  Those are day I certainly do not miss! 

Now I open my software - one connects with the other - and voila - Tax returns done!  Are you one of those who files super early? I always say I'd like to, but it never happens- sigh.  My next stop is to the post office to send this sucker registered mail - I even take photos of the envelope and the receipts - learned that lesson the hard way.  And yes - we could file electronically but some habits are hard to break - I just feel better having paper receipts in my hand LOL. 

I'm so old school, I just had a ridiculous argument with my electrician. The man is always trying to bring me into the modern world. I have two switches on my wall - one controls the light fixture on the fan, the other the actual fan part.  I like having two switches. The one on top controls the fan and the one underneath controls the light. I know what to hit and voila, I am no longer in the dark - or hot lol.  He keeps trying to give me those fancy switches that control all sorts of things, including dimming and probably my blood pressure lol. I don't want fancy - I want one for the light and one for the fan - that's it - no confusion, no hitting multiple buttons till I find the right one - One switch - one option - one happy woman :) 

I'm also the woman on the phone who refuses to push buttons or tell the artificial voice what my problem is. I simply push zero until I have no choice but to repeat Agent or human and then finally l I get a real human being who hopefully speaks English and understands my NY/TX accent. 

I'm also in the process of working on Just One Surprise and planning my trip to South Dakota. I will be doing the Wild Deadwood Reads conference this year June 12-15 with a booksigning on the 15th - but my travel buddy and I will be heading out a little early and staying on a few days longer to see that neck of the country. I've not been to South Dakota (did see a corner of Wyoming) nor Utah so I'm hoping to do Utah, loop through Idaho, pop into Yellowstone then down into Mount Rushmore territory.  After that a quick circle up to Montana because -well- I've never been to Montana.

This week is going to be write a book and catch up on the little things in life that keep getting away from me - and try not to go down the internet rabbit hole looking for new bedroom curtains! LOL. 

What are your plans for the week? Or for that matter this summer? Have any projects on the drawing board? 

OOH - update - Anyone who doesn't want to wait for Paxton to his the ebook shelves on April 23rd - you can buy it TODAY direct from my website! ​Paxton (chriskeniston.com)

Were you near the Eclipse?

We were pretty close to totality path  - of course we had a lot of scattered clouds - and being busy working on Just One Surprise, I didn't make any plans - but it was very interesting to see. 

For starters as the totality moment arrived - even though we had partly cloudy skies - it was seriously obvious when the sun was blotted out. Looking at the change, I turned off all the lights in the house and WOW - it was dark out - 

Here's the during and after on ones side of my backyard  And here's the other side of the yard - again - during and after - It doesn't show it much here in these photos - but trust me when I say - standing outside it was like watching the end of sunset!  And of course - the actual eclipse - now I freely admit, I did not buy the special glasses, and even if i had, the odds of capturing a cool picture on my cheap phone was not very likely - but I did glance at the live televised  news broadcast at just the right moment to capture this shot of the total Eclipse over North Texas!  Apparently, we dropped five degrees in temperature too!  Is that not the coolest thing ever? 

I have to admit - it's almost worth organizing a trip to Spain in a few years to see it again!  Bet it would be fun some place medieval like Segovia or Toledo. Reminded me a lot of the old movie with Bing Crosby and I think Danny Kaye-  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.  He used a total solar eclipse to woo the people - so to speak LOL. 

Anyhow, I'm back to work - writing away at Just One Surprise.  Paxton has been sent to the review team.   I sure hope you are enjoying so many releases in one year! 

Just for the heck of it - how about a sneak peek at Paxton? 

 
     “And… cut.”
     Now that the cameras weren’t running, Paxton Farraday leaned left then right, stretching out his back. Even though he’d argued there was no need to film replacing the hotel bathroom when that episode was already over and in the can, what the production company wanted, the production company got. Still, it was bad enough he was feeling his last birthday, there was no reason to record his aching back on camera for the world to see.
     “I hate bathtub installs.” Quinn, Paxton’s next older brother—not including the five minutes Owen had on him—rolled his shoulders. Apparently he wasn’t the only one with age troubles. “Single tub isn’t so bad but these blasted all-in-one units have a mind of their own.”
     “Yeah, remind me never to complain about hauling bags of mulch or root ball trees again. Lugging and installing bathtubs is modern day torture.” He cracked his back. “It’s downright painful.”
     “Agreed.” Quinn nodded. “Next time the younger guys can haul these things around.”
     The camera crew pulled back. Someone shouted lunch break and standing in the doorway, sporting a floppy hat, and big sunglass—the only carryover from her fashionable days in Los Angeles—Valerie, Morgan’s wife and the show’s producer, rushed up to them. “Excellent shoot, guys. Executive feedback on the last few episodes has been great and the internet buzz with the fan base is, well, buzzing. Now, we need to talk about that off-camera build.”
      Paxton exchanged a glance with Quinn. “Off-camera build?”
     Her gaze narrowing, his brother Morgan’s wife dropped her hands on her hips. “Don’t you two read any of my memos?”
     “Of course we do.” Frowning, Quinn spoke up before Paxton could admit he might skim a few.
      Even though Valerie was smiling, her frustration with her brothers-in-law was apparent. “The show was approached to sponsor a new home build for a needy family. Since the ratings were so high for the homestead fixer upper, the execs thought a similar project for charity would be fabulous publicity. They were on it like white on rice.”
     Now that he thought about it, Paxton remembered noticing the name of a well-known charity in one of her never ending memos, but had skimmed more than usual. “Must have missed the details on that one, but of course you know we’re game to help. Within reason.”
      Quinn nodded. “Agreed. But off camera? How is that going to boost ratings for the show?”
      “There might be a camera crew once in a while for social media reels. Now that we’ve just about finished this season, once we film the wrap-up episode, you guys will have plenty of time on your hands for the project.”
     Plenty of time? Paxton didn’t mind helping out anyone going through a rough patch, but the construction company had projects lined up for the season break from here to Oklahoma and back. “We’d better find Owen, but can we discuss this somewhere other than this cramped bathroom?”
     Valerie looked around and chuckled. “Good point. Let’s go outside.”
     Paxton followed her with Quinn on his heels. They settled at a picnic table by Molly’s food truck.
     Setting her insulated mug on the table, Valerie looked from one brother to the other. “The build is a standard three bed, two bath, two car garage. Single story. About thirteen hundred square feet. Easy peasy.”
     Paxton almost laughed. The way his sister-in-law described the task at hand, she made building a house sound like playing with Legos.
     He glanced at Quinn. “Did you know about this?”
     Quinn frowned. “Can’t say that I did.”
     Valerie shook her head. “The franchise has bought a lot near downtown.”
     “Where?” Paxton asked.
     “I forget the street. The one where a house caught fire and burned to the ground. The house was a health and safety hazard. The city razed the actual house, left the foundation, and the charity bought it for a song. Owen promised to fit it in, so it’s a go. The network loves the idea of charity work, and with the popularity of Construction Cousins, Tuckers Bluff is now on the map.”
     “Great. Next, we’ll have folks from out of state rushing here and pricing the locals out of the market.” Quinn blew out a sigh at his own words. “Present company excepted.”
     “Understood.” She shook her head. “I really thought Owen would have filled everyone in on the details. Anyhow, the reason I grabbed you two is that Owen said you guys would be point on this.”
     “Us?”
She nodded. “That’s what he said. Rules are the same for this as with all other of the charity projects. The family will be hands on as much as time permits. They have to do their sweat equity.”
     “Do they have to have any skills?” Paxton wasn’t keen on having someone on a job site without experience working with power tools. That’s how people wound up in the ER.
      “No clue, but most folks about to receive the gift of affordable housing are eager to learn.”
      “Marvy,” Quinn grumbled under his breath.
Paxton resisted the urge to agree. The network executives were the bane of his and his brother’s existence. “I’m heading into town.”
      “Now?” Quinn’s eyes widened.
      “Owen is helping Jamison out at O’Faredeigh’s. I think a little chat might be in order.”
      “Works for me.” Quinn nodded.
     His brother had to have lost his mind to have squeezed building an entire home from the ground up into their busy off season schedule. Though he did love the idea of a worthy cause, he didn’t see how this was going to work. “What was my beloved twin thinking?” 

So,  what do you think? Are you ready for Paxton to be live in two weeks? Next week it will probably be available early on my website - maybe sooner! 

Okay- I'm going back to work! 

Where you near the Eclipse?

We were pretty close to totality path  - of course we had a lot of scattered clouds - and being busy working on Just One Surprise, I didn't make any plans - but it was very interesting to see. 

For starters as the totality moment arrived - even though we had partly cloudy skies - it was seriously obvious when the sun was blotted out. Looking at the change, I turned off all the lights in the house and WOW - it was dark out - 

Here's the during and after on ones side of my backyard  And here's the other side of the yard - again - during and after - It doesn't show it much here in these photos - but trust me when I say - standing outside it was like watching the end of sunset!  And of course - the actual eclipse - now I freely admit, I did not buy the special glasses, and even if i had, the odds of capturing a cool picture on my cheap phone was not very likely - but I did glance at the live televised  news broadcast at just the right moment to capture this shot of the total Eclipse over North Texas!  Apparently, we dropped five degrees in temperature too!  Is that not the coolest thing ever? 

I have to admit - it's almost worth organizing a trip to Spain in a few years to see it again!  Bet it would be fun some place medieval like Segovia or Toledo. Reminded me a lot of the old movie with Bing Crosby and I think Danny Kaye-  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.  He used a total solar eclipse to woo the people - so to speak LOL. 

Anyhow, I'm back to work - writing away at Just One Surprise.  Paxton has been sent to the review team.   I sure hope you are enjoying so many releases in one year! 

Just for the heck of it - how about a sneak peek at Paxton? 

 
     “And… cut.”
     Now that the cameras weren’t running, Paxton Farraday leaned left then right, stretching out his back. Even though he’d argued there was no need to film replacing the hotel bathroom when that episode was already over and in the can, what the production company wanted, the production company got. Still, it was bad enough he was feeling his last birthday, there was no reason to record his aching back on camera for the world to see.
     “I hate bathtub installs.” Quinn, Paxton’s next older brother—not including the five minutes Owen had on him—rolled his shoulders. Apparently he wasn’t the only one with age troubles. “Single tub isn’t so bad but these blasted all-in-one units have a mind of their own.”
     “Yeah, remind me never to complain about hauling bags of mulch or root ball trees again. Lugging and installing bathtubs is modern day torture.” He cracked his back. “It’s downright painful.”
     “Agreed.” Quinn nodded. “Next time the younger guys can haul these things around.”
     The camera crew pulled back. Someone shouted lunch break and standing in the doorway, sporting a floppy hat, and big sunglass—the only carryover from her fashionable days in Los Angeles—Valerie, Morgan’s wife and the show’s producer, rushed up to them. “Excellent shoot, guys. Executive feedback on the last few episodes has been great and the internet buzz with the fan base is, well, buzzing. Now, we need to talk about that off-camera build.”
      Paxton exchanged a glance with Quinn. “Off-camera build?”
     Her gaze narrowing, his brother Morgan’s wife dropped her hands on her hips. “Don’t you two read any of my memos?”
     “Of course we do.” Frowning, Quinn spoke up before Paxton could admit he might skim a few.
      Even though Valerie was smiling, her frustration with her brothers-in-law was apparent. “The show was approached to sponsor a new home build for a needy family. Since the ratings were so high for the homestead fixer upper, the execs thought a similar project for charity would be fabulous publicity. They were on it like white on rice.”
     Now that he thought about it, Paxton remembered noticing the name of a well-known charity in one of her never ending memos, but had skimmed more than usual. “Must have missed the details on that one, but of course you know we’re game to help. Within reason.”
      Quinn nodded. “Agreed. But off camera? How is that going to boost ratings for the show?”
      “There might be a camera crew once in a while for social media reels. Now that we’ve just about finished this season, once we film the wrap-up episode, you guys will have plenty of time on your hands for the project.”
     Plenty of time? Paxton didn’t mind helping out anyone going through a rough patch, but the construction company had projects lined up for the season break from here to Oklahoma and back. “We’d better find Owen, but can we discuss this somewhere other than this cramped bathroom?”
     Valerie looked around and chuckled. “Good point. Let’s go outside.”
     Paxton followed her with Quinn on his heels. They settled at a picnic table by Molly’s food truck.
     Setting her insulated mug on the table, Valerie looked from one brother to the other. “The build is a standard three bed, two bath, two car garage. Single story. About thirteen hundred square feet. Easy peasy.”
     Paxton almost laughed. The way his sister-in-law described the task at hand, she made building a house sound like playing with Legos.
     He glanced at Quinn. “Did you know about this?”
     Quinn frowned. “Can’t say that I did.”
     Valerie shook her head. “The franchise has bought a lot near downtown.”
     “Where?” Paxton asked.
     “I forget the street. The one where a house caught fire and burned to the ground. The house was a health and safety hazard. The city razed the actual house, left the foundation, and the charity bought it for a song. Owen promised to fit it in, so it’s a go. The network loves the idea of charity work, and with the popularity of Construction Cousins, Tuckers Bluff is now on the map.”
     “Great. Next, we’ll have folks from out of state rushing here and pricing the locals out of the market.” Quinn blew out a sigh at his own words. “Present company excepted.”
     “Understood.” She shook her head. “I really thought Owen would have filled everyone in on the details. Anyhow, the reason I grabbed you two is that Owen said you guys would be point on this.”
     “Us?”
She nodded. “That’s what he said. Rules are the same for this as with all other of the charity projects. The family will be hands on as much as time permits. They have to do their sweat equity.”
     “Do they have to have any skills?” Paxton wasn’t keen on having someone on a job site without experience working with power tools. That’s how people wound up in the ER.
      “No clue, but most folks about to receive the gift of affordable housing are eager to learn.”
      “Marvy,” Quinn grumbled under his breath.
Paxton resisted the urge to agree. The network executives were the bane of his and his brother’s existence. “I’m heading into town.”
      “Now?” Quinn’s eyes widened.
      “Owen is helping Jamison out at O’Faredeigh’s. I think a little chat might be in order.”
      “Works for me.” Quinn nodded.
     His brother had to have lost his mind to have squeezed building an entire home from the ground up into their busy off season schedule. Though he did love the idea of a worthy cause, he didn’t see how this was going to work. “What was my beloved twin thinking?” 

So,  what do you think? Are you ready for Paxton to be live in two weeks? Next week it will probably be available early on my website - maybe sooner! 

Okay- I'm going back to work! 

Another week gone by

So much going on here - today is the last work day on the project house. It will involve a little mopping and dusting and tossing out more trash (the trash seems to procreate faster than rabbits) - then tomorrow is professional photograph day and then I get to go home! So excited to be working again from my beloved recliner! 

But the best news for the week -- Paxton is at the editor's on time! Some of you may have noticed there's a pause in the Baron books.  April will have a new Farraday and I think y'all are going to love getting caught up on so many of the family members who make at least brief appearances in this sort of second chance novel.  Does it even count as second chance if you were best buddies as little kids?? Though it's definitely a single mom book - that part I'm sure of LOL.  When I get the revisions back from the editor, hopefully by next week's blog, I can post a little snippet for y'all! 

Now, if Paxton is at the editor, that means today is the day I start Just One Surprise. This one is already proving a little tricky to plot, but we'll see what happens! I freely admit the hardest part of writing back to back books is trying not to do the same thing twice. So often when brainstorming, friends will toss out great ideas, but I have to shake my head and say - nope did that in bla bla book. Always a challenge finding a new spin for a new book.  I'm hoping that y'all like what we did with Paxton. 

the one thing I'm going to really miss about staying with my friend is her cat. Miss Tiger is just too sweet, and when her mom goes to bed at night or goes out and I'm the only one in the living room, she comes to keep me company. She's such a little thing for a full grown cat. But so sweet. 
Though she pretends to supervise my work, as you can see, Miss Tiger does tend to snooze on the job with some frequency! LOL.  But you can see what a sweet little thing she is. 

and that's it for my reports for the day - off to do work - let me know what you think of Miss Tiger. Oh, and did you get to read Just One Rodeo that came out last week? Did you like it? Inquiring minds want to know LOL !

Does it Feel like Spring yet?

I can't make up my mind. Some days I go out and it's sunny and pleasant and I think, Spring is on its way. Then I go out and I run right back in and grab a sweater. Then of course there's rain and sun and wind and I'm left scratching my head. The last two days I opted for long pants instead of capris or dresses - just saying :) 

So many fun little tidbits to share - first - I forgot to mention last week, when my friend I went to Galveston for lunch, we took a few minutes to take a walk along the beach and stumbled across this - I wondered what it was but had no intention of touching it - though I was tempted!  Anyone know what the heck it is?  Then the next fun project - of which I had very little to do except for the last few sheets where I held it away from the wall while my daughter splattered wallpaper paste on - was the aquarium wallpaper in my grandson's room. Sadly I was not able to stay long enough to see his reaction, but as a kid who loves Finding Nemo, I know he just loved it!  And I'm so proud of my daughter for doing such a lovely job!  When I was young I did all the do it yourself projects around the house - it was how i saved money to stay home with my kiddos. I think she out did me!  Are you a do it yourselfer?  My next tidbit is the discovery of a vacuum mop - though I keep calling it an electric mop. I loved using it - wet clean water down and dirty water sucked up - borrowed it from my daughter and so glad I did. Sure beats swinging a mop and then wringing it out! 

I also came across two little wall hangings that made me laugh. Especially the latter one which pretty much describes me last week when my computer imploded! 
So who feels like me with the last one? LOL. 

And of course for those of you looking for updates to my writing - I am finishing up Paxton this week (sooner if possible) and shipping it off the my editor for y'all to read next month.  On a personal note, we hired a personal trainer for my mother to come two days a week. We're told she really needs three days to rebuild her strength, but two is all we can handle since Medicare doesn't believe in that for Alzheimer's patients. We're doing all we can to keep mom strong and independent physically as her mind slips. So please tell all your friends and enemies about my books! LOL - if we're going to keep this up with Mom, I need to sell A LOT of books, so feel free to tell your enemies too! LOL. 

that's it for today - 

​take care and thanks for sticking with me! 

Pleasant Surprise

This week I had to take a day trip to Galveston.  Now those of you who read the Billionaire Barons of Texas series know that the first book took place in Galveston.  After a family vacation there combined with visiting my friend author Debra Clopton north of Houston gave me the idea for setting this mogle family in the Houston area. 

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the owner of a chain of restaurants in Galveston who also owns a chain of hotels (just like the Barons) and some sports teams and a slew of other enterprises, also has a 160foot twelve bedroom yacht and he parks it from January to March by one of his restaurants. 
Oh how I wished I had a copy of my book to have offered it in exchange for a tour of the yacht.  Do you see how tiny the person on the far left of the dock is compared to this sucker.  When I thought up the Barons I didn't realize there was a Galveston based family like mine LOL - they do say truth is stranger than fiction! 

And of course, what is an afternoon in Galveston without good food!  I had a delicious pina colada,(my friend had a lemon drop martini) I haven't had one of those in years! I was a tad disappointed with the lobster bites. The crust was too thick and tasteless and the drizzle was too spicy. Who puts spice on a sweet lobster? So my friend and I just picked the lobster out of the batter and enjoyed it that way! LOL.  Now I forgot to take a photo of my dinner - sea bass. It was awfully yummy and we were too full to tackle dessert. Didn't hurt that the luncheon suprise was how good the garlic bread was.   And just in case y'all thought I was goofing ott - Laptop travels with me everywhere I go - and writing is a constant thing!  It's the only way to get this new series out as fast as I have been. Write, write, write. Anywhere I can.  So - I'm off to work - hope you've had a great week and are ready for Just One Rodeo releasing next week - and if you're anxious - Just One Rodeo should be available tomorrow - One Week Early - and at the standard discount - from my website! 

​Everyone take care! 

Hubbies, Wharehouse shopping, and Kitty Cats...

I hope everyone has had a great week.  Mine has been hectic as all get out. 

I am pleased to announce that I got Just One Rodeo back from the editors - apparently for a city girl, I didn't botch the story too much lol.  Though it was really hard editing one book while writing another - yes I'm working on Paxton for an April release. (I hope!)  I also have made a new friend who seems to like being my writing companion.  I'm staying with a friend and she has three little kitty cats - well. Two are anything but little, but miss Tiger is too sweet for words. 
She just purrs her little heart out - often I have to move my laptop until she's comfy, but I like animals and enjoy the company! 

Which takes me to box stores - so tell me - Does anyone else ignore the rules of do not go to grocery shopping when you're hungry?  Apparently, I have yet in all these years learned to properly implement the concept. Shopping at Costco, went in for one thing - which I no longer remember what it was LOL - and came out with a cart full of all sorts of new to me snacks! 
The pile just kept growing - so many fun snacks. I love anything that combines chocolate and nuts and coconut, and am sucked in by high protein, keto, and supposedly healthy for you LOL.  Now, the last photo, that was not me.  As some of you remember I had a bought of dropping blood pressure and would snack on potatoe chips - a lot - to get my bp back up. Hubby came home from the grocery store and bought all my favorite kinds of chips.  Too sweet for words. Needless to say between the chips and the holidays I'm up a few - or more - pounds but I suppose life is too short to fuss about it. 

When I finish up my project here in South Texas, I'll go home and focus on dropping those few plus pounds and more - again.  I really wish I could just go some place where someone else does all the right healthy cooking, shoves me out the front door to walk (though I am getting in 5-8k steps a day circling the kitchen every so often lol), and not let me come home until the 20 pounds are gone! 

Which means, it's time to circle the kitchen, make more morning tea, and then get back to working on Paxton.  I hope y'all are ready!