Lenora Worth's Blog, page 3

30 years of happily ever after

Lenora Worth

Hello, people of the world!

This March, I’ll be celebrating thirty-years as a published writer. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long and that I’ve written over one-hundred books and novellas. I’ve also made the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and New York Times Bestsellers Lists. So I plan to celebrate this milestone in a big way. I sold my first book in March of 1993. I was sick in bed with the flu and thought I’d died. But it was the real deal. Since then I’ve written for eight publishers and done some Indie work, too. I love my job and this career has given me a nice income and so many wonderful memories. I’ve met writing friends for a lifetime, famous people, and upcoming writers, and I’ve traveled all over the United States. It’s been fun, challenging, demanding, rewarding, and the best job in the the world. I want to celebrate huge!

Huge!!! And I want all of you to be a part of it. All you have to do is leave a comment here on my blog. I don’t blog very often, but this month I plan to post something here every day. And I plan to give away a lot of books! At least 3o books! My goal is one book per day through March. On March 31st, I’ll pick a grand winner for a basket of goodies and books. How do you enter? Just sign up to follow my blog. As I said, I don’t blog here a lot but I hope to do a bit more this year and especially this month. And if you follow my blog, that will give you bonus points.

So let’s get started with my upcoming book, which will be out on April 23 and can be bought on all online outlets and also in stores. (It’s available for pre-order now !) Leave a comment or a question. And visit my website for a list of all my books. Let’s party.

https://www.lenoraworth.com

It’s been a while…..

I’m not very good at this, am I? That’s why I decided to blog again. At my own pace, and when I really have something to say. Today’s writers are told to build their platforms. Honey, the only platform I know is the shoe kind. We’re also told to be active on social media. That’s a loaded request! Have you been on social media lately??? Telling an introvert who only wants to sit in her office and write away (or stare out the window), is like telling a sloth to run the NY marathon! Might take a while, darling. So if you don’t hear from me for a while, I’m sitting in my office staring out the window, or going for my weekly one hour beach walk, or typing away at our fixer-upper lake house to the sound of chainsaws and hammers. (I do my best suspense writing there, since murder is always on my mind when I hear drills and hammers.) Just kidding. My husband is a saint, really!

https://depositphotos.com/portfolio-12982378.html

But we do what we can, where we can, when we can. I like socializing online. It’s the perfect distraction when you just need about 20,000 more words and you can’t even think up one word.

So you go down the rabbit hole. Say you’re researching a location. Before you know it you’re watching baby goats at play, or you’re laughing at a cute kitten jumping in the air. Or you’ve ordered new shoes and a nice purse, because you stumbled onto a site that is the perfect vacation resort, so you plan to go there–one day. But you never did finish that research on the small town where your story needs to be set.

HUDSON, OH – JUNE 14, 2014: Quaint shops and businesses dating back more than a century line Hudson’s Main Street looking north.

But we tend to get the work done, somehow. I always think I’ll miss the deadline and I’ll be short on words. I’ve never missed a deadline and I always run over the word count. And since I’m celebrating my 80th book with Harlequin and Love Inspired, I guess I’m doing okay. Only I want to go back and edit and rewrite most of those books! (We writers are so very neurotic, too.)

We also love to celebrate milestones, and each other. The writing community is a loyal, support community. My author friends have helped me through the rough times and partied with me through the happy times. So I like to brag on them, too. But see for yourself. Here are some of my favorites:

And here are a few of mine. Most of my scheduled books this year are in the fall:

So you’re all caught up on my “glamorous” life. I work in yoga pants and long t-shirts, I have chocolate crumbs all over my laptop. I have candy wrappers in my trash can. I stare out the window, at the hibiscus blooms and the palm trees. I like beautiful, positive things. I love books, and reading, and always learning. I appreciate my readers and I love my writing friends. Okay, that’s about enough words for today. Please read books. Please enjoy books. And pass them on because a book can be the gift that keeps on giving. And all writers need that!

Christmas in July!!!

Is it hot out there? Well, get cozy because we’re about to have some cool fun! And you can win books and a big prize!

Happy Christmas in July! Welcome to the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway, which runs July 15-22, 2022 (contest closes at 8 p.m. Eastern on 7/22). At the bottom of each author’s blog post, you will find the name of a Christmas song. Write them all down and provide the provide all song titles (26 in total) on this Google form. Click here for a list of all participating authors and their links!

Note: You must grab all the song titles from every author in the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway to be eligible to win the grand prize of a $520 Amazon gift card, plus a copy of each participating author’s book OR first place prize of a copy of each participating author’s book. At the end of this blog post is a link to the next blog, and so on, to the final blog post (26 authors in all!)

Here is the book I’m giving away!

I had such a great time telling Kara and Richard’s story and I hope you’ll enjoy it!

A winter wonderland provides the perfect holiday setting. But only if they can find a way to unwrap their hearts.

When event planner Kara Benton walks into her latest client’s home and is mistaken for the new nanny, she impulsively says yes. Determined to elevate her career, Kara thinks saving a high profile holiday party just weeks before Christmas is the perfect solution. After she makes a deal with tech whiz Richard Westfield to do both jobs, she’s soon saddled with two adorable kids, one excited dog, and a huge dilemma: can she pull this off without falling for the grieving father who isn’t willing to take another emotional hit to his heart?

Now here’s what you need to know before you move on to the next author who is linked below:

My song is Jingle Bells!!!!

Save the holiday song titles from each of the 26 blog stops, and when you reach the final blog, enter all the song titles on this form for a chance to win the grand prize of a $520 Amazon gift card and a copy of each participating author’s featured book OR first prize of a copy of each participating author’s featured book.

Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Nancy Naigle and her Christmas book  is Christmas Angels. You can find it at this link.

https://www.nancynaigle.com/2022christmasinjulybloghop

Remember, the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway ends July 22 at 8 PM EST!

Here are some of my upcoming releases:

Here are the other authors and their books! I want all of them!

Where Have I Been?

I get that a lot? What have you been up to? Well, I work most of the time and I play some of the time. I also pray a lot. But sometimes I combine all the things!

Recently, I put together a Gulf Coast Christian Writers Retreat and had fourteen women join me at the beach between Ft. Walton and Destin, Florida. We spent time doing the things I love most–Eat, Pray, Work, Play!

There is a bird in this picture.

We rented three huge condos to hold twelve people (four in each) and we had three more attendees in their own condos who joined us for our writing discussions and devotional time. We tried to eat dinner together as much as possible, too. We had a morning discussion session each day and a devotional and another discussion every night after dinner. That gave us from eleven in the morning until about four in the afternoon to write or plot or play. Most of us did a little of all those, and we even managed to walk the beach several times and check out the lazy river and other pools at the complex. I wanted this to be a working retreat and it was, but I also wanted these women to take time for some fun and fellowship because sometimes you learn more from talking to other writers in an informal environment than you do getting all dressed up and stressed trying to hit all the workshops at a big conference. Both are great, of course. But since I’ve moved to Florida, I like the more laid-back retreat style of being a published author. It was a great week and I made new writer friends. We already want to do it again next year, and we have a waiting list! I want to showcase the names of these women and encourage you to find their books or check them out on social media. Most of them are on FB, Twitter, and Instagram. We all write, so there is a large variety here for readers. Our books are available online and in bookstores.

Laurel BlountMissy TippensMarilyn TurkAllie Pleiter Tracey LyonsTracy FredrychowskiTanya AglerJenelle HovdeJanet FergusonIzzy JamesVirginia VaughnHeidi MainBetsy IlerLindi Petersonand me–Lenora Worth

My friend enjoying a latte!

More fun photos of work and play time! I don’t have everyone here, but we had a great time and got some work done! Next blog, I’ll highlight several other great writers who have books coming out!

What is it about salad?

I love a good salad. Salads are bold and beautiful and colorful and healthy. But drat, they are so hard to eat. Don’t ever eat a salad at a lunch meeting–Oh, wait, that’s me talking to me. Whenever I’ve combined salad with talking, something always goes terribly wrong. I either almost choke to death from swallowing stems and leaves, or I look like an orangutan with leaves and stems hanging haphazardly out of my mouth. Then I go from orangutan to a little kid trying to eat spaghetti, one long stem or twig twirling its way into my mouth. Salads demand a lot of attention–chewing, swallowing, smiling, not smiling, trying not to choke, trying to talk around the greens and peppers, and especially getting popped into your mouth just as your lunch mate asks you a very important question.

I have to be honest. Sometimes I just order soup because I just don’t feel like chewing on grass. Then there’s the crackers. They crumble and leave little crumbs on your lips, because hey, crackers love to cling to salad dressing and take a ride. Which can again led to choking, which brings tears to the eyes and sometimes causes sneezing. And then the salad in your mouth can go spewing out of your mouth and all over your clothes and possibly, your lunch mate’s clothes, too.

I’ve even looked it up. I have a copy of Etiquette by Peggy Post. I received it when I was on the Board of Directors for a local Dress for Success organization. We handed out copies to our clients to help them with such problems. (Or maybe the other board members pooled their money to buy me one. Only me, and after having salad lunches with me.)

Flying vegetable greek salad

from page 259: Emily Post’s Etiquette, with a few paraphrases from Lenora Worth’s observations)

Cut large pieces of lettuce with a fork, or a fork and knife (If the darn salad is springy and difficult to cut, or eat, or chew, or you can just sit there pretending to eat your salad–my words not Ms. Post’s) Cute only one bite at a time. (Now that makes perfect sense.) Never “attack” your salad bowl or plate and cut the whole plateful. (Unless you want to kill the salad and your do so with glee, whacking it with such knife-sharp intensity that the whole table is now staring at you.) Then you have to eat and cut cheese to match your one bite of cut salad and you can’t grab a glob of crackers and put them on your plate and you need the right fork for the right plate. And let’s talk about salad dressing. You should pour a little bit on only the salad you plan to eat. (The one you just attacked and mutilated.) Once you’ve managed to eat the top part that you had to cut and eat one bite at a time (which explains why I fail–I stuff a lot in there at times) you’re home free with the dressing and the rest of the salad. And you’re pretty much exhausted and dreaming of cheeseburgers.

Today, while eating a pretty, colorful, healthy salad, I sent two grapes flying over my desk, dropped five tiny crackers into the salad by accident, and got strangled on vinegar and oil dressing at least twice, and messed up yet another favorite t-shirt. So my advice to you–Eat salad as if no one is watching. It’s just the best way to stay healthy, right?

Bon Appetit!!!

By the way, I have a book out this month. It’s about a garden!! Mostly flowers, but the goats think flowers are a great salad and they kind of eat plants much like I eat salad:

Time is on my side….right?

Hello! What a week it has been. First, the Superbowl with all it’s glory and hype. A great game with an epic ending. Since neither my Falcons or Saints were there, I really didn’t have a dog in this hunt. But I liked the Bengals for their perseverance, and I appreciated the Rams for their big hearts. So a win/win game for me.

But the ending was epic Hollywood, so as a writer I can appreciate that plot twist.

Then came Valentine’s Day–some love it or some hate it. I say “Give your heart to the world” and be done with it. And eat chocolate, of course. I knew roses this year were out for me. Have you seen the cost of a boutique of flowers lately??? I love yellow roses and they are very hard to find, but I don’t expect flowers. I will take a bigger box of chocolate, thank you. None of this has anything to do with the question above. I digress.

Let’s talk about time–our time, our daily time, our life time. Do we use it wisely. I mentioned time recently on an online loop, because we all stand in front of the microwave and watch the seconds tick by, right? But after my husband bought me a fitness watch and I’m now on my second one–a “smart” watch, I learned to use those seconds by walking in place. Then I learned to use five minutes folding clothes and walking in place, and so on and so on. Because sometimes a minute can seem short, like when you just missed the mailman. And sometimes a minute goes by like a sloth trying to get up a tree, when you’re trying to do a plank (and you realize your body might not want to be a plank right now.) That is one long, gut-wrenching minute. But the best thing about not wasting time, is using that time to pray. Prayer time if the best of time. A minute at the microwave, or five minutes waiting in the post office line–prayer time, stepping up time, good time.

Use it wisely…. because time is short at times.

Think about that minute. We have the blink of an eye, a New York minute (my favorite) a flash in the pan, a split second–don’t even want to figure that one out), how time flies, in a snap (I’ve snapped a lot in yes, my snaps usually happen in a New York minute), at the flip of a switch, and the now-infamousness “and just like that”, minutes. That’s a lot of minutes, so that got me to thinking–Is time is on my side?

People ask me about time-management? After I stop laughing, I have to be honest. I am the worst time-manager in the world. I can get distracted faster than butterfly kissing a flower. I can flitter and flutter with the best of them, from one thing to another until I finally sit down and get to writing. Once I’m in the zone, I’m good, I’m focused, I’m in deep WIC (Writer in Chair) mode. Unless I see a speck on the window that needs cleaning (rarely do I actually clean it, but I make a mental note.) Or a real butterfly outside my window, or the neighbors doing neighbor stuff across the street, or a new catalogue–yes! I’ve been down more rabbit holes than Alice ever wants to see. And all in a New York minute! But somehow, I get it done. Mostly.

Then I remember that saying–Do not squander time…for it is the stuff of life. I looked it up and Benjamin Franklin gets full credit. He never squandered time, even when he was flying a kite. But there is more to this old saying:

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.–Benjamin Franklin

Good ol’ Ben–he put time to good use in a lightening swift way. And actually he kind of started it all along with a few other creators (God comes to mind) and now that’s why I wear a smart watch and do steps in place when I’m standing in front of the microwave! Because I dost love life. Every minute of it. Mostly. Is time on our side? Time will tell, won’t it?

Dost thou love life? Then don not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of–Benjamin Franklin

This Christmas ….

Another year, another time of doubt and turmoil. But this is our happy place. This is the place where we dream dreams and hear birds chirping. None of that whining and moaning and complaining that seems to fill the airwaves and make us all sad. I think we’ve all been spoiled and we might need a time out in the naughty box. Santa knows, doesn’t he? We want it all and we want it now. But the last two years have shown we can’t always get what we want…but we just might get what we need. Yes, I still like the Rolling Stones.

Sometimes all I need is a room with a view and a few hours of quiet so I can write the stories in my head. Other times, I need a long walk on the beach and a “come-to-Jesus-moment” where I tell myself to snap out of it and get back on track. As you may have noticed, I don’t blog a lot here. I used to blog every week on a group blog, and every other week on another blog. My life is not that exciting so when I set this one up, I told myself I’d only write here when I got inspired–somethig a writer usually can’t do. Wait for inspiration. But I’m not looking for sponsors, I’m not trying to grow my audience, or find my tribe. I don’t have the energy to gather a street team and tell them to go forth and make people buy my books. I do all that stuff on other social media platforms.

This is more of a place to write a long letter to a friend, or a short note to all of you. I will sometimes show off my books here, because, I have bills to pay. Especially shoe store bills and bookstore bills. But mainly, I want this to be a place where we can talk in quiet–without all the swiftness of FB, Twitter, or Instagram. This place is as slow and steady as a soft-moving creek, with trees lifting their heads to the wind and a fish jumping here or there. Maybe a heron will land and join us and show us how to walk to the shoreline.

This is why I started a blog, without a clue on how to maintain or create a blog. So as Adele would say, “take it easy on me.” I might not have magic content that drives those algorithms, but I do have words that can help someone smile or feel better. And after these last couple of years, we all need a quiet place to lay our heads, right?

So that’s it. I thank you all for buying my books. I’ve always been able to write things down better than vocalizing them in someone’s face. Books are my work and my escape. I still pinch myself at times because I can’t believe I get to make up stories for a living.

As the New Year arrives, think about your quiet places and share them with me here if you’d like. It’s always good to see the calm after the storm, to get through the dawn after the dark, to watch the sunset knowing it will rise again tomorrow, to hold out hope when you think there is no hope.

If you’re lonely, visit me here. I’ll listen. I promise. Here we eat, play, write and pray. Because reading a good book while sipping a nice beverage can create a wide space in a quiet place. That’s the beauty of words. They surround us and protect us and teach us, even in uncertains times. Bless all of you!!

People often ask–what have you been doing?

It’s been a while …. but I have some very good excuses–deadlines!! It seems I booked too many books this year and I have about two hours between each book and each deadline, so I sit in my room with a view and write all day long. Sometimes at night, too! I have proof for you. The following shows how many books I’ve had released this year. Full disclosure–some of them were reissues and I didn’t do much on those except make these graphics. Please talk to me and tell me Im not the only one spinning plates all the time.

I’m writing, I’m proofing, I’m tweaking, I’m marketing, I’m promoting, I’m annoyingly all over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I’m here, doing my thing in my absent-minded way while the world just keeps on turning. But I did want to stop (during the two hours I have right now) and tell you, my dear readers, that I so appreciate all of you. All the prayers, the letters, the cards, the gifts, the posts, the follows, and all the love. I love you back–Always! I hope you have the best of holidays and that the magic and holiness of this season will heal any hurts, repair any broken things, and fill your hearts with joy. Read books, eat cookies, and know that I am thinking of you and thanking you.

Merry Christmas and Peaceful Holidays!

September! It’s Fall, Y’all!

Most of my new releases are coming out this fall through Christmas. So pre-order now and get the hot chocolate or the lattes ready. Bring on the pumpkin spice and everything nice. Because I have a variety of books for you to read. But wait! There’s more!

I’m also in a novella collection featuring several wonderful suspense authors. How they let me in, I’ll never know. But we’ve had fun writing our stories and enjoying chatting with fans on our Facebook page: Dangerous Pursuits Celebration | Facebook

You can join us there! We’re having an all day party on October 12th. Release Day. There will be prizes and virtual chocolate! And a grand prize gift card to one happy poster. Here are three of the individual covers and authors in the collection (which is available now for 99 cents on most online bookstores! That price will go up after the launch date.)

So there you have it. This is only a few of the amazing authors I get to hang out with! My book shelves and e-reader are going to be so full, I might forget to cook the turkey or put up the Christmas Tree! I’ll show more of our gorgeous covered designed by the talented Cynthia Hickey in my next post. (She also has a story in the collection.)

I know this year has been tough so far–fires, storms, that nasty virus, and so many sad events. But we know who is in charge–the Big Guy up there. These authors and I write stories of faith and hope. I pray our stories will show you that faith and hope while we navigate these difficult times.

Remember to read, write, play, pray!

July Already??? And the Retreat Report!

Where did the time go????

July is just around the corner and it seems I’m still stuck in March! But I have several good excuses. I’ve been writing on several projects and trying to keep up with which character goes where keeps me hopping. People ask me how I do that? Work on two books at once? I use my right hand to type one and the left hand for the other. No, that’s not true.

I think of it in the same way I used to do several different marketing projects at once when I worked in marketing and public relations many years ago. I was always spinning plates.

It’s the same with books–so many ideas, so many books I want to write. If I have to write two simultaneously, I can do that. I just call it visiting a few friends each day, moving from one neighborhood to another. That works for the most part. My only other excuse is life–it tends to get in the way of my fun writing time. People want to talk to me, or someone wants food and clean clothes. Or maybe a cake baked every now and then. But I have had a bit of fun!!!

I went on a writing retreat with three friends, two who write for Love Inspired, and one who writes for several different publishers. We named ourselves the Flamingos after Laurel Blount posted a meme about a duck standing amongst Flamingos. We like to stand out in the crowd. But I told Laurel, she is not a duck. She’s the real deal. She is a great writer. So she can stand tall like a flamingo!

This flamingo ran away to the beach!

We met at a lovely condo near Destin Florida. We were on the Choctawhatchee Bay side of the complex, but we had a sky bridge to the Gulf, too. Here are my friends and me: (The Gulf breeze fluffed our hair a bit.)

Missy Tippens, Marilyn Turk, Laurel Blount, and me! We had beach hair but we don’t care!

This was our view:

Sunrise!!!

We did not have a highly structured schedule, but we did work a lot. We had deadlines and new ideas, so we worked in silent most of the time. We stopped for lunch and brainstormed or talked about the business of writing, too. We also discussed our lives and how we deal with friends, family, the world at large and anything that can happen on any given day. We took time to go down to the beach, or course. We made a pact that what is discussed as a Flamingo stays with the Flamingos—or you will be a duck!

We’d all been vaccinated, but we were also very careful in the condo and when we went out to dinner. We had plenty of open air restaurants to chose from and we used hand sanitizer constantly.

Missy took this picture of Laurel, me, and Marilyn near a restaurant on the Gulf. The weather was so nice.Our last night there, we ate at a fun place with a great view of the sunset near a bridge. A nice new friend took this picture for us!

This is one part of the writing life–having so many good friends all over the country and the world. We were tired when we got home, but also refreshed and centered on our goals. Writers love the beach, even if we stay in and work. The water nearby gives us energy and peace to find the right words for our readers, and we do appreciate our readers. If you’d like to see some of our work, here our our links:

http://www.missytippens.com

http://www.laurelblountbooks.com

http://www.marilynturk.com

http://www.lenoraworth.com