D. Thrush's Blog, page 6

Christmas series on sale now!

Finally! Once (sometimes twice) a year, "The Daughter Claus" goes on SALE. Starting today, all four books in the series are on sale thru Monday! This series is about Santina (Tina) and the dysfunctional Claus family – grumpy Santa, doting Clara (Mrs. Claus), and Tina’s clueless rock star brother, Nicholas Jr. Tina is forced to leave college temporarily to run the North Pole. Once there she has to deal with bickering reindeer, an irresistible ex who broke her heart, a best friend with a crush on an elf, and her father’s resistance to everything she does. It’s not easy being Santa’s daughter!

"I even walked to the mailbox with my iPad in hand because I couldn't put it down." Amy

Grab all four books while they’re on sale!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

How to Train Your Dragon

My granddaughter, Gwendolyn, who is 7, is obsessed with the "How to Train Your Dragon" movies and series based on books by Cressida Cowell. These are a bit violent (not for younger kids), but full of adventure and humor. Gwen must like the dragon-riding concept, and they do have great messages of acceptance (the main character lost a leg), working together to solve problems, and girls being just as smart and brave as boys. Okay, so I like animated movies. They’re so well done these days. So, we watched all three movies, and I have to say, I was blown away by the ending of the trilogy. I thought it was the perfect ending, and it really tugged at my heartstrings. I just have to say… Wow!

The end of Alzheimer's?

I just finished reading "The End of Alzheimer's" by Dr. Dale Bredesen. My mother recently passed after declining for years from this disease. Like any disease, there are reasons why your body (and brain) become unhealthy. My mother did everything "right." She ate healthfully, avoided sugar, and exercised her mind and body. So what went wrong? I think this book provides some answers. What causes cognitive decline? Inflammation, nutritional deficiency, toxicity. How can we tell what might be affecting us? Lab tests. And most importantly, what can we do about it? Lots. This book is controversial and claims that people have reversed cognitive decline. Doctors don't typically talk much about nutrition or prevention and are suspicious of "new" information. But this book contains information that makes sense, and it certainly doesn't hurt to improve your health.

In honor of my mother

My mother passed away at the end of April. She had Alzheimer's so it was a blessing as she no longer knew who we were anymore and was confined to a wheelchair.

Years ago she insisted that I write a book based on her idea. That book became "The Daughter Claus." In honor of my mother, this (eBook) is FREE on Amazon on Mother's Day and the day after.

Sadly, she never got to fully enjoy the book as she descended into dementia before I finished it, but she was delighted every time I told her about it.

Read it any time of year or save it for the holidays. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks, Mom, for the wonderful gift of this fun story!

Writer's block

I answered a question about writer’s block in the interview I did on VK Tritschler’s blog in April, and it’s a real thing for me. I’ve been attempting to write another book for months. My last published book was in Dec. 2017. I originally wanted to publish at least one book a year.

To be successful as an indie author, you’re supposed to stick to one genre and do multiple series, but I don’t do that often straying into other genres, so success is harder for me. Of course, I have to do things the hard way!

I guess some writers can churn out quality work, but it takes a great deal of persistence for me to finish a book. It really is magical when it flows, and it often does, but I usually get stuck at some point in every book I write. So, here I go again, attempting to relate the journey of a new protagonist, which is so difficult yet satisfying.

Freebie

A love triangle threatens the friendship of three hippies as they come of age in the psychedelic ‘70s. Will jealousy, lies, and betrayal divide them?

"Whims & Vices" is free thru Thurs 4/12! It's currently #11 in Romance Literary Fiction. The sequel is only .99.

Happy Reading!

Inside jokes in books

There was a recent thread here on GR about putting inside jokes in your books. That's one of the fun things about being a writer!

In one of my Santina series books, Tina was reading my book "Fairy Tale Karma" on a plane. I don't know how many readers caught that but I amused myself with it. I also used the same character (a journalist) in both those books crossing her over for a bit of fun.

Do you have any to share?

Snowed in

Thankfully we stocked up on food because the snow keeps falling here in the Pacific Northwest corner of the U.S. I know compared to the East, this is nothing. But snow like this hasn't happened here for years and we have a steep hill to attempt before getting to the main road. So we're not going anywhere for awhile, though it should melt soon and then... flooding! This is soup and reading and hot chocolate weather. Be safe, everyone!

Goals?

First, for those who are interested, my visionary fiction novel, "Guardian of the Light" is on sale for .99c thru Sat. Feb. 9.

Now for my goals as a writer this year:
Gain more exposure for my books, who deserve to be read! Poor neglected little things! And... publish another book! Uh, oh! That sounds like a lot of work. Guess I'd better get to it...

2019 Reading Challenge

A new year! A new reading challenge! Since I read 52 books last year (finishing the 52nd one on New Year's Eve), I decided to attempt to read 50 in 2019. I'm not off to a good start as my first book is over 500 pages and I've only read about 30 so far. I already have 13 more books enticing me on my Kindle and over 100 on my Wishlist on Amazon as I wait for them to go on sale. So many books, so little time! What's your reading challenge?