Julie Regency Romance

Christmas is complicated. I keep seeing things about simplifying Christmas while the next thing on my feed is about something new I can do to add to my Christmas traditions. I think we are a bit like hamsters in a wheel. So I was considering Christmas Regency style. At first thought, I had some romantic notion that  Christmas in the Regency era would have been much more simple but as I pondered that premise a bit longer it soon became obvious that Christmas could not have been very simple because they had to make pretty much everything from scratch! Sure, they had servants to do most of the manual labor - but that made Christmas anything but simple for them! Actually cutting down your tree without anything electrical to either cut it or transport it, gathering garlands and holly from the woods, arranging a lot more candles and having to hand light every stinking one! Phew, makes me tired just thinking about it. And then there was all the extra cooking, extra in quantity and extra...

Have you ever thought you could have done life in a completely different way? Not because you are dissatisfied with the life you have but because there are so many options and not enough time? I just know that I could have been an excellent translator and imagine I could have gone pretty far in that field. I also think that I would have rocked it as a teacher. I recently served on a jury and enjoyed watching the judicial process and felt that I could have made a career as a lawyer. But I would need clones of myself as I LOVE the life that I live and wouldn't trade it for the world. This is why my belief in a life that is eternal is so comforting. I will have eons to try out stuff there just wasn't time for on earth. Speaking of different, we just moved and I have had the opportunity to create a new home. Red was my color of choice in my last home and this time it's turquoise - to my husband's surprise. It is so satisfying to create. That is why I love to write I suppos...

My book has an official cover! It is beyond thrilling. The artist at Cedar Fort Publishing and Media is so talented and I loved her first draft. My book will be published in June 2018. Keep visiting my blog for updates on my book and where you will be able to purchase it. I am thinking of posting some video chats too. Ooh, and there will be giveaways.

When I first started writing I wrote with a basic outline in my head and the words just poured out and the story took shape ( and sometimes took me by surprise ). Then I took a class that promoted a more disciplined approach. They suggested 3x5 cards to plan each chapter and then each scene. I am a pretty organized person and this seemed like it was tailor made for me but as I tried to implement it, the system just didn't work for me. I am very new to writing fiction and my degree is not in creative writing so I sometimes feel insecure and feel that I must adapt my writing technique to approved methods. The 3x5 fiasco taught me that you have to find what works best for you.

Today was an amazing day. I met with Vikki, my marketing manager. She taught me so much and I am excited to start broadening my digital footprint as I build my brand. So, you can teach an old dog new tricks!

I began this journey in 2014. I know from reading about other authors that there is a tendency to feel like a fraud unless you are a successful author. Over and over again I would tell myself that J.K. Rowling was a writer before her first Harry Potter story became a hit ( not that I am comparing myself to her in any way) and that Jane Austen too was a skilled writer long before she was validated by a publisher and the public. In May of this year I attended my second LDStorymakers Conference (now called Storymakers). Jennifer A. Nielsen author of The False Prince was one of the keynote speakers and her talk kind of changed my life. She likened writing to climbing Mount Everest and told us to decide what our definition of 'success' in our writing was. Was it to make it to base camp or was it higher? She said that once you reach your goal, let's say it was base camp, you can look around and see other levels to climb. Then you can decide on your next goal or mountain pea...

I am thrilled to announce that I have signed a contract with Cedar Fort Publishing and Media. I will keep my blog updated on the progress of the manuscript.