#WeWriWa ~ Wedding Wrecker: Making It Official

 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thanks to everyone who stopped by last week. I really appreciate your support.

I'm snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. This follows immediately after last week's snippet (from the beginning of Chapter 1.)

Snippet:

“Ladies, we need to leave.” Maria pointed to her wristwatch, as she’d done for the past three minutes when she wasn’t tweaking my veil, gown, or train.

Yes, my dress had a train. Since Ellen owned one of the finest dress shops in Grand Rapids, she had found the perfect gown. Never mind I told her no train. I would step on it and ruin everything. But when I saw the strapless heart-shaped bodice and sleek form-fitting satin gown, I knew she was right. Of course, that was before I saw the train.

“No need to worry,” she’d said then showed me how to loop the train, so it stayed out of the way. 

And a little more

Especially while dancing. I so looked forward to dancing with Nick. After all, I couldn’t waste those dance lessons. At my bachelorette party last night, the girls took me to a dance studio. The instructor—holy moley, what a hunk—taught me how to salsa and tango. I couldn’t wait to show off to my husband.

To everyone else, he was my soon-to-be new husband. Unbeknownst to everyone except Dottie and Maria, Nick and I had “married in a fever” on Christmas Eve. We were crazy. Crazy in love. We hadn’t waited for the folks to return from their once-in-lifetime Australian cruise. Something I deeply regretted. Afterward.

Now, we were making it official, with all our friends and family to witness.

“You are perfect.” Ellen gave me a hug that didn’t disturb my hair or veil.

“Ditto,” Dottie added as she pressed her cheek to mine.

“You guys are the best.” My eyes burned, and I wanted to bawl.

“Don’t you dare cry,” Dottie ordered while pressing my grandmother’s lacy handkerchief into my hand.

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week.

My Favorites: Quote

 

credit: Goodreads

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut.” ~ Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

On Monday, I wrote that I was resurrecting my blog. If you’re a follower, you’ve already seen that. I’m going to dedicate Fridays to my favorites—books, movies, quotes, food, whatever.

Today, I’m sharing a favorite quote. My son and son-in-law are huge fans of Stephen King. I don’t do horror or anything scary, but I admire Mr. King’s career. His book On Writing is excellent. Of all the advice he shares, the above quote is right on target.

I’ve heard people say “I don’t have time to read.” When those people are writers, I wonder how can you not read? Reading is filling the creative well. When we read in the genre we write, we learn the expectations readers have. We learn the language.

Just as writers say they can’t not write, I say I can’t not read. Every year, Goodreads offers a reading challenge. You indicate how many books you’ll read for the year and GR keeps track. I first signed up for the challenge because I wondered how many books I read each year. In the past two years, I’ve read over 100 books each year. To Goodreads it doesn’t matter if the book is 400 pages or 28. Either way it counts as 1 book.

I can’t say I’m surprised that I read so many. The past two years have been difficult, and reading helped me escape. I immerse myself in a story and forget (for a little while) the challenge Life throws my way. I read mostly fiction. My local book group makes sure I stretch my reading interest, so I’ve read poetry, historical true stories, biographies, as well as literature. Lately, I’ve been reading thrillers. You know, those edge-of-your-seat, stay-up-all-night-reading stories. I love a good cozy mystery and give me a science fiction romance to carry me out to the stars.

One of the reasons I read so many books over the past two years is that I haven’t been writing. My creative energies pretty much disappeared. I’m back now, trying to write each day. You could say I follow half of Stephen King’s advice. Now, I need to follow the rest.

#IWSG: Regrets

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!

The awesome co-hosts for the January 5 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Olga Godim, Sandra Cox, Sarah Foster, and Chemist Ken!

Happy New Year!

How is your new year starting? Hubs & I stayed up to watch the ball drop in NYC then promptly went to bed. We're not as young as we used to be when we went out with friends or had friends come to our house. This year, we even stayed up later than my younger sisters. 😀

My first goal for 2022 is a larger presence online, especially with my woefully neglected blog. Sure, every month I posted with this wonderful group, and I fulfilled my commitment to post monthly on the Paranormal Romantics blog. But, here on my own blog, I haven't done much.

That's changing. I rejoined the Weekend Writing Warriors on January 1st. Two days ago, I resurrected my "Monday Morning Musing." Plus, I'm going to be more active recruiting guests--as evidenced yesterday by my friend (and fellow IWSG'er) J.Q. Rose as she celebrates a book birthday. So, here's an open invitation to you all. I love guests. Normally, Thursdays will be my guest day. Contact me if you'd like to visit by emailing me at dmburton72@gmail.com. Remind me that you're an IWSG'er.

Now for this month's optional question. BTW, I love these questions.

What's the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

I regret not starting sooner. I've been seriously writing for publication since 1993. My kids were about to head off for college. Time for me, instead of my life revolving around their activities and my volunteering, especially with Girl Scouts. I don't regret that time, but I wish I'd started writing sooner. Unless I turn back time, LOL, I can't overcome that. 

Also, I regret not finding this group sooner. When I joined in September, 2013, I was number 300-something. My point being 300+ people knew about this group before I did. Many have dropped out since then (I'm number 30 now), but I'm glad I stuck around. You all have encouraged me, sympathized and supported me through life's challenges.

Good luck as we all work our way through another year. This one has to be better than 2020 or 2021. And if it isn't, we carry on.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

Happy Writing!

Birthday Celebration with J.Q. Rose #99centSale #review

 

Join me in celebrating the 1st birthday of my friend J.Q. Rose's memoir. Arranging A Dream. Hard to believe it's been a year since I read the book. At the time, I was very interested in Janet's life before she became a published author. Here's my review from Amazon:

Such an enjoyable read.

The story read so easily. It was like Janet and I were sitting at the kitchen table over cups of tea as she told the story of leaving everything behind for a dream. Her story-telling skills came through as I read spellbound by Janet and Ted's adventure. Their move to the small town in northern Michigan could have been a disaster. How fortunate that they were warmly greeted by fellow business people, neighbors, and church members. But it wasn't all rosy. They had difficulties that threatened their dream. The reader gets a good glimpse into motherhood, too, as Janet balanced working in the floral shop and being a "good" mother. She's honest about her feelings of accomplishments and guilt. If you enjoy reading an entertaining story of pursuing one's dream, you can't go wrong with Arranging A Dream.

BACK OF THE BOOK Arranging a Dream: A Memoir

In 1975, budding entrepreneurs Ted and Janet purchase a floral shop and greenhouses where they plan to grow their dream. Leaving friends and family behind in Illinois and losing the security of two paychecks, they transplant themselves, their one-year-old daughter, and all their belongings to Fremont, Michigan, where they know no one. 

Will the retiring business owners nurture Ted and Janet as they struggle to develop a blooming business, or will they desert the inexperienced young couple to wither and die in their new environment?

Most of all, can Ted and Janet grow together as they cultivate a loving marriage, juggle parenting with work, and root a thriving business?

Follow this couple’s inspiring story, filled with the joy and triumphs and the obstacles and failures experienced as they travel along the turbulent path of turning dreams into reality.

Amazon Buy Link: 99 cents    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NDZNYQJ

About J.Q. Rose

 Whether the story is fiction or non-fiction, J.Q. Rose is “focused on story.”  She offers readers chills, giggles and quirky characters woven within the pages of her mystery novels. Her published mysteries are Deadly Undertaking, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard and Dangerous Sanctuary released by Books We Love Publishing. Using her experience as a journalist, she provides entertainment and information with articles featured in books, magazines, newspapers, and online magazines. 

J.Q. combined her work in freelancing articles and her storytelling skills to pen her memoir, Arranging a Dream: A Memoir, the story of the ups and downs she and her husband experienced in their first year of establishing a floral business.

 Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. She and her husband spend winters in Florida and summers up north with their two daughters, two sons-in-law,  four grandsons, one granddaughter, two grand dogs, four grand cats, and one great-grand bearded dragon.

 

J.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/

Facebook http://facebook.com/jqroseauthor

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/jqrose

A New Year and a New Start

 image credit: poetryclubs.com

Monday Morning Musing

I love this graphic. Leaving 2021 behind and leaping into 2022. That appeals to me as I leave all the worries of the past year and look forward to a better one.

For the past two years, I've neglected my blog. I showed up once a month for Insecure Writers Support Group day (1st Wednesday of the month) and hosted authors with new books. Anything else was too much effort as we dealt with the covid pandemic and my husband's illness. As a full-time caregiver, my energies were challenged. I'm sure anyone who has been a caregiver knows what I'm talking about. But now that Hubs is better, I can focus on my writing.

I started the new year by rejoining Weekend Writing Warrior blog hop, where writers post snippets of their work. I shared the beginning of my latest Alex O'Hara PI mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. It begins with Alex and Nick's wedding. Such a happy and exciting time. From the title, you know something awful is going to happen. If you're interested, go to the previous post and read the snippet.

On New Year's Day, or thereabouts, it's tradition to set goals, make resolutions, or plan what to do for the year. Since I have two works-in-progress (full length novels) and a couple of novellas in the works, I plan to finish at least two this year. That means buckling down, BIC-HOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard).

It also means being more active here. Today, I resurrected Monday Morning Musing. Tomorrow, I'm celebrating a friend's book birthday. I hope you'll come back and see what it is.

Starting out with plans is great. Following through is tough. I'll let you know how I'm doing next Monday. See you then.

 

#WeWriWa: The Wedding Wrecker

 

Happy New Year!

As you can see, I'm back. Returning to this blog hop is the first of my goals for 2022. I'm happy to put 2021 in the past and move forward. After many hospital and rehab visits, my husband is physically and mentally much improved. What the docs originally diagnosed as dementia turned out to be too much calcium, which causes confusion and weakness (repeated falling). Thanks to good meds, he's back to his old self. So happy to have my husband back. 

I'm starting the new year with a new (for you) book. It's the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. I'm determined to finish and release this book in the spring. Hold me to that, okay? 😀 

Excerpt:

“There.” Nick’s mom, Maria, gave my veil one more twitch. “You look lovely.”

I looked in the full-length mirror attached to the back of my bedroom door. Who was that woman? No, not just a woman, a princess. I blinked and, sure enough, the image blinked, too. Now, I’m never one to brag, but damn I did look lovely.

“No more messing with the veil, please.” Dottie clutched her hands into fists. For a moment, I thought she was going to slap Maria’s hands. 

For a little more:

Between Dottie and Ellen, my two besties, my hair looked like a picture in a hair style magazine, brushed until it shined then caught up in cascading auburn curls. Yes, auburn. Anything that looked as good as this couldn’t be called plain, old red. Dottie had done wonders with a curling iron. Ellen had used a light hand with cosmetics. Somehow, she made my eyes bluer, my lashes longer and fuller, and my fair skin glow. She even toned down my sunburn from yesterday out on the lake in Nick's sailboat. Those two worked some kind of magic on me.

Dottie stood back. “You are beautiful.” Were those tears in her eyes?

Ellen grinned. “Nick won’t know what hit him when you walk down the aisle.” 

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week and a great beginning to 2022!

#IWSG: Writing--Stress or Delight?

 

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!

The awesome co-hosts for the December 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Louise – Fundy Blue, Natalie Aguirre, and Jacqui Murray! Oh, yeah. And me.

Each month, our admins throw out a question for us. We don't have to use it, but I love being given a topic. After all these years, I'm running out of ideas. 😊 

December 1 question - In your writing, what stresses you the most? What delights you?

I've had enough stresses both in my writing and in my family life. I'd rather talk about what delights me. It's the feeling when the ideas are flowing and "thrusters on full" (Star Trek). The words are rolling off my fingertips. I'm in the zone and loving it. That doesn't happen often, but when it does...wow! I'm on a roller coaster ride.

Did you ever see the movie Romancing the Stone? At the beginning, Joan Wilder (author) is finishing a manuscript and bawling her eyes out. I think she says something like "damn, that's good." I had that moment once. It was when a mother recognized her lost son. Tears started leaking then flowing. Yeah, that good. Notice, I said it happened once. But, wow, what a delight.

I hope you have many delightful moments in your writing. 

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

I hope to get around to visiting many of you over the next month. Happy Writing!

Also, Happy Holidays, however you celebrate.