August 10, 2022
Do you ever have so much to do that you feel like you're turning in circles and getting nothing done?
That's how I feel this week. I've missed my daily word goals numerous days in a row which is never a good precedent for the rest of my to-do list. The focus just isn't happening right now and I don't know why or what to do about it. So, what did I do yesterday to combat my lack of motivation? I dropped everything to go to the kid's museum with my daughter and grand girls - ha! My spontaneous play date hasn't uncorked the creative juices yet but it was great fun to walk amongst littles for a few hours.
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While pulling books together for last week's Clean My Shelves contest, I thought I might introduce you briefly to the shelves around the house which I'm forever culling of books. Each one has its own personality or theme, but I usually just refer to them by their location like "computer room shelf", "front room shelf", and "the shelf in Jack's old room." Original, right?
So, without further ado, meet "COMPUTER ROOM SHELF", the biggest by far in the house. At 7 ft. tall and 5 ft. wide, this shelf will probably stay put if we ever move.
When I was writing for the middle grades, I obsessively bought kid fiction. It helped that my kids were in school at the time so they brought home those Scholastic book fliers which I quickly swiped from their book bags. My favorite middle grade book of all time is on this shelf: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. I've probably read it a dozen times (once for myself, then in fifth-grade classrooms when I subbed).
The oldest book is my great-grandmother's 1887 Swedish bible (below). I had it rebound with a new cover years ago which had gone missing. Wouldn't you know that the original back cover reappeared a few months after the bible got back from the bindery? It has amazing colored illustrations inside which are protected by sheets of tissue paper original to the book. When my grandmother gave it to me, I found a pressed fern leaf within the pages.
The shelf also holds my bookmark collection (in the clay vase next to my ear). I have hundreds, mostly collected from the book conferences I attend.
In the next newsletter: "Front Room Shelf". I really need to come up with more interesting names, don't you think?
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We're on to Week 11 of Britney M. Mills' Romance Summer Read-A-Thon! Have you joined in yet? This week's prize is the coolest t-shirt below (that I'm coveting hard). Enter the contest here.
There are only a few more weeks left. Every book you read now will count toward the grand prize at the end of August! I have three books in this: Love, Lies and Lavender (office romance); Love Like Water; and the Blueberry Point Romance Collection (both in small-town romance). Visit Britney's website and look for Summer Read-A-Thon in the drop-down menu at the top of her home page to see the full list of books & tropes, and read, read, read!
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This Clean and Christian Kindle Unlimited promotion is days away from ending.
I've read a few of these titles (by Brittney Joy and Britney M. Mills); my own don't count! I hope you find something you like!
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What am I reading now? I about to finish up The Nature Principle and then I'll dive into Gigi Blume's The Hate Zone, a romcom with the cutest cover. What are you reading? Reply to this e-mail and let me know the title!
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SWEET & SWOONY TITLES
(available on all retailers - click the cover to choose)
Life gave her lemons, so Trudy chucked them back.
I always want to reread the last chapters of Bridget’s books. They are so satisfying!!!! - Amazon review
Enjoy this hilarious military romcom based around the wedding of the century from the dynamic writing duo of USA Today Bestselling Author Lucy McConnell and Ellie Thornton.
"Clean and wholesome with a major serving of belly laughs on the side!" -Amazon review
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Where to Find Me and My Books
Facebook Page * Instagram * Goodreads * Readers Group
(Clicking on the graphic below takes you to my Amazon author page)
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