Bringing an end to 2014

So, I’ve kind of put off this blog. I don’t want to waste the last few days of the year by already putting it into the books, but I think it’s time. 

The beginning of the year found me presenting workshops for local writing groups. The subject? Writing the Love Scene. Which is truly funny since I’m not a steamy writer. But I think new writers to the romance genre need to know we don’t all have to be Silvia Day level of steam.  I ran across a website for an author recently that had taken her book and written it two ways – Clean and Spicy. Reader’s choice.

Clever, don’t you think?

I wrote a ton of guest blogs and joined a couple of mystery blogging sites.  I’ve slowed down on these for 2015 which should give me a little more time for fiction words.

I released five books. My first shot at self publishing – Shawnee Holiday – a novella set in my Bull Rider world; The Bull Rider’s Keeper – Jesse’s story (which I just submitted for the Rita – wish me luck) and the first three Tourist Trap Mysteries – Guidebook to Murder; Mission to Murder; and If the Shoe Kills.

I did some traveling this year – July found me in San Antonio, Texas for Romance Writers of America’s national convention.  And in October, I attended Magna Cum Murder in Indianapolis, my first ever mystery convention. 

2014 was a time for more firsts – I read at a coffee shop part of Guidebook to support my local RWA chapter.  Return of the Fae was a finalist in the RONE awards and up for a Reader’s Crown award. And I had my first book signing (outside of a writer event) at Main Street Books in St. Charles. 

Our personal life took some major hits in 2014 as well as had some nice highs. We lost The Cowboy’s dad in October to cancer and my mom had surgery a week earlier to remove a tumor. I now have a bright and shiny new hip that looks like a comma if you see it on x-ray. We spent a lot of time camping and riding our ATV’s we bought for our anniversary gift (six years is Motor Sports Toys, right?) and at the end of the year, we bought a little vacation spot on a lake in central Missouri. 

We also spent two weeks vacation in Idaho and driving back and forth. On the way back, we saw Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore.  The dogs (Homer and Demon) came with us and learned how to roll the window down in the truck’s back seat all by their selves. And another trick. They learned to lock us out of the truck when we closed the doors. We learned to keep the child lock on the back on and carry an extra key if we got out of the truck without taking them. 

I wrote three books, got an extension on my tourist trap contract (for three more books – yay!) and hit the NYT and USA Today best seller lists with Guidebook to Murder and USA Today with Mission to Murder.

And I met a lot of amazing readers and members of the writing community who have truly touched my life with their kindness and willingness to share their own stories and experiences with me.

So, yeah, 2014 was a good year. Life happened, good and bad, and we’re still here to celebrate the upcoming new year.