Happy New Year!!!

 May the new year bring you all joy, prosperity, and good health!  

May you have endless reasons to smile.

The Day Before Christmas

Not a creature is stirring (except to change who gets to snooze under the tree) this day before Christmas. Arya and Cuillean want to remind you that the smallest things are often the greatest gifts. 

May you and yours find peace and joy this holiday season.

DIY Holiday Cheer!

 

Baking, decorating, wrapping...crafting decorations. Whatever you're up to this week I hope you enjoy! I finished turning this solid-core door into a Christmas tree. 

If you have an old door sitting around, collecting dust, give this a go!

• Cut the door diagonally in half
• Paint it! I went with a bright Christmas tree green
• Flip one side so it takes a tree shape and reattach the hinges
• Set upright and enjoy!

I’m excited about the stack of books waiting for me. Coffee and reading, that’s my Christmas morning plan. After the kiddos wake us up for presents that is. But after dealing with puke this week, I’ll gladly wake up early if it means they’re feeling good.

I hope you and yours stay healthy and joyous! 

Merry Christmas! 

Happy Holidays!

A Midwinter Holiday Gift - FIRE OF THE FROST Is Out Now!

 Today is release day for FIRE OF THE FROST! 

    

A midwinter holiday fantasy romance anthology…

A Wynter Fyre by Darynda Jones

In a world where vampyres have been hunted to near extinction, the daughter of a demon is sent to save their race. Wynter ends the Blood Wars, but a single drop of vampyre blood accidentally crosses her lips. As punishment, she’s encased in stone for a hundred years. When she awakens, she vows revenge. Even if it means her demise. Her quest leads her to the vampyre prince who supposedly started the wars. He comes to her aid after she’s attacked, and Gareth’s deadly prowess may be exactly what Wynter needs to defeat the woman who created her. Or exactly what she needs to thaw her frozen heart.

Of Fate and Fire by Amanda Bouchet

The Kingmaker Chronicles meets modern-day New York City! Piers, an exiled warrior from Thalyria, finds himself in the Big Apple just before the holidays. The world and everything in it might be utterly foreign to him, but that won't stop Piers from helping to complete a vital mission for Athena and protect Sophie, a French teacher from Connecticut who's suddenly knee-deep in inexplicable phenomena, danger, and henchmen after an Olympian treasure that should never have ended up in her hands—or remained on Earth after the Greek gods abandoned it.

The King of Hel by Grace Draven

Castil il Veras, daughter of lesser boyars, attends the gatherings that celebrate her best friend's upcoming marriage to the cursed king of a sorcerous kingdom. She soon learns that even marked by the magic of the Wastelands, Doranis of Helenrisia is everything she's ever desired in a mate—and absolutely forbidden to her. Bound by duty to crown and country, Doranis has traveled to the Caskadan empire to marry a woman who loathes the sight of him. During the prenuptial celebrations, he meets a scribe who finds him fascinating instead of repellent, but Castil is beyond his reach. Fate, however, would have it otherwise, and a beseeching letter from a dying queen will bring them together again in a land gripped by endless winter and old magic.

Familiar Winter Magic by Jeffe Kennedy

It’s holiday time at Convocation Academy, but best friends Han and Iliana are finding it hard to celebrate. As a familiar, Iliana is facing her assignment to a life of servitude to a wizard, very soon. And Han… despite being tested by the oracle daily, he is still uncategorized. As Iliana and Han face being separated forever, they at last find the courage—or desperation—to break the rules and acknowledge their deeper feelings for each other. But it will take more than true love to save them from the laws of the Convocation…

    

Happy Yule!

A happy Yule and 

joyous winter solstice to you and yours!

As part of the 12 days of celebration, I'm sharing one of my favorite Yule pictures by artist Iren Horrors:

Support the artist on:

Society6 (shop) | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Happy Holidays!

 May your holidays be filled with joy and may the new year bring you endless reasons to be grateful.

My Three Favorite Backyard Visitors

In the My Favorite list, I'm coming in with my three favorite backyard visitors. 

 

1. Colorful insect life. Mom and I wanted to plant flowers that would support pollinators. We've succeeded. The bees love our yard. As a bonus, we've seen a startling array of fluttery, colorful butterflies and moths. The runner up for this stunning blue butterfly is the hummingbird moth. They visit to feed on my salvias  in the early morning, but there's no hope of getting a photo of them.

2. The bird life. The sand hill cranes wander through all the time hunting for frogs, snakes, and other tidbits to eat. We also see ibis, pelicans, great blue herons, little blue herons, little green herons, cormorants, anhingas, and all kinds of ducks. It's a never ending parade.

3. Then there's this doofus and all of her brothers and sisters. That's the bbq grill she's stuffed herself underneath for a snooze. They are definitely my favorite wildlife.

Favorite Things ~ 2021 Edition!

 This week is an absolutely wonderful topic: Favorite Things! 

So far my favorites list has grown. Charissa had some excellent choices and reminded me it's writing glove season, KAK left me craving ice cream, and Jeffe made me realize it could be fun to write a short for an anthology! 

Without further ado, I give you three things I’m loving right now:

BlueNose Coffee has the best hot drinks around. If you're ever in Minnesota, best make a swing through the southeast metro. My newest addiction is their eggnog chai latte—pure heaven! And it tastes even better while hiking in the snow.
 

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is one of the top places I order my seeds through. I’ve always had excellent germination rates and receiving their annual seed catalogue is akin to the Sears toy catalogue arriving in the mail as a child! If you enjoy growing things you won’t be disappointed in their variety, or their beautiful seed packets!

Last but not least, a book. Pie Academy by Ken Haedrich is my go-to pastry book. There are pies in there I’d never heard of—but you can be sure I’m going to try them all out. If you’re a pie baker, or maybe you’re interested in giving it a go, Haedrich’s recipes are simple enough and the images drool-inducing enough to make it all worth the effort. 

There are a few of my faves…what are some of yours? What has you hooked right now?