Reading Update on Thursday!

I’m home. It took some doing. We were supposed to arrive home on Sunday evening, but ended up missing our connection in Atlanta (due to a late start in San Diego because of mechanical issues) and had to spend the night, so we didn’t get home until 11am on Monday. Really put a kink in my plans, but I managed to get everything wrapped and ready for Christmas and we had a great time. I hope your Christmas was great, too!

Since Wednesday was Christmas and I forgot to post on Tuesday night (because I was busy with family), you get my update today. I didn’t want to put it off too much longer, because it’s kind of lengthy. Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #54

Dates read: December 17-18
Title: Cat Scratch Fever
Year of publication: 2016
Author: LC Alleyne
Genre: Paranormal romantic suspense
Series:  N/A
# of Pages: 94
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads:. Inspector Rafael Montigue’s ordered life turns chaotic when he detects the unexpected scent of a potential human mate amongst the political delegates he’s guarding. When terrorists attack, the only thing on Rafe’s mind is getting the woman to safety—and screw police protocol.
    Kristin Wallin has information that will bring down Brazilian Minister Teixeira’s drug ring. Working undercover as an executive assistant to the minister, the surprise attack finds Kristin trying to stay alive until a security agent with amazing green eyes drags her to safety. His version of safe is his cabin in the Norwegian forest, and Kristin isn’t complaining.
    Espionage and passion make a potent, dangerous mix. With the terrorists closing in, Rafe throws caution aside and exposes his panther shifter identity to Kristin, afraid that his chance at forever will run away. But Kristin surprises him with a few secrets of her own that make him look like an innocent kitty cat.
My thoughts: I’m trying out new-to-me authors and I’m sure I bought this because it is short (or maybe it was free, I don’t remember). However, this kind of story would have been sooooo much better as a longer novel. Sexual tension was lacking and all the events happened way too quickly for my taste. But it was an enjoyable story and kept my attention (even though I clamored for more). If you enjoy shorter stories like this, then give it a try. Yes, it has a sexy scene in it, too. Will I try this author again? I checked out her other books. All her stories are short like this, so … no. I like to be more involved in romance books and short ones just don’t do it for me.

I know, I should talk about short romantic stories, huh? I have a few out there. But I wrote them for other people, not me! Does that make sense?

Book #55

Dates read: December 19-20
Title: Angel Bait
Year of publication: 2013
Author: Tricia Skinner
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series:  Angel Assassin #1
# of Pages: 208
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads:. He’s not that kind of angel. Jarrid is a “Bound One”: half angel, half human, trained from childhood to enforce Heaven’s laws on earth. An assassin with no remorse. And no choice. When he discovers an ancient ritual called Ascension, which might give him a shot at freedom, he can’t resist his lifelong dream. He only needs to find one last Renegade angel and take him down…using a certain woman to flush the angel out of hiding.
    She’s not what he’s expecting. News reporter Ionie Gifford has no clue an outlaw angel wants her dead, much less why, but she does know one thing: the enigmatic Jarrid, with his penetrating silver eyes and his worship-worthy body, is her ticket to the city’s supernatural underworld, where she might finally be able to locate her mother’s killer. For that kind of information, she’s willing to risk everything...

    They can’t be together – but can’t keep apart… Blindsided by Ionie’s beauty and tenacity, Jarrid finds the millennia-old glacier around his heart melting. But when he’s faced with a choice, will he sacrifice Ionie for freedom from his brutal servitude—or agree to be bound for eternity to protect the life of the woman he’s falling in love with?
My thoughts: Another new-to-me author and I struck gold! This story was great. Love the romance, the tension, and the suspense! I will definitely be checking out the other books in this series.

Book #56

Dates read: December 21
Title: Hunger Revealed
Year of publication: 2012
Author: Dee Carney
Genre: Paranormal
Series:  Vampire Hunger #1.5
# of Pages: 92
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Free
Blurb from Goodreads:. ~A between the books short~ It’s no wonder Corin Gerulatis is cautious about his wife’s safety… One year ago, she became a vampire. One year ago, she’d been tortured by someone who thought she was a new breed of vampire. Fortunately for them both, one year ago, Jasmine met and fell in love with Corin, a vampire executioner. Jasmine is overwhelmingly stifled by her husband’s overprotective nature. But she’s sure the danger has passed and they can now enjoy a simple life together. When a routine shopping trip ends with Jasmine’s abduction however, they face not only trying to get her out, but also putting an end to the demons haunting Corin. They’ll get back to that simple life…if they survive.
My thoughts: When you have books on your reader and are looking for something to read, it would be nice if the blurb was included in the book. Or even the series #. I wouldn’t have bothered reading this little … nothing. Because that’s what it is without having read Book 1. It’s nothing important to me. Meant nothing. And I’m not so sure I care to read Book 1 now, since I basically KNOW what going to happen. Not so sure this freebie was meant for someone who hasn’t read the series. But this “book” has been on my reader for a long time, so I thought I would finally read it. Oh well, it passed the time and it’s no longer on my list to read. But a warning: don’t read this if you haven’t read Book 1 yet.

Book #57

Dates read: December 21-22
Title: Taken
Year of publication: 2019
Author: Rebecca Zanetti
Genre: Romantic suspense
Series:  Deep Ops #1.5
# of Pages: 106
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads:. Hunter Holt might be the most stubborn ex-soldier ever born, but when he’s called on to help find a lost foster kid, he jumps into action. Even if it means working with the woman who broke his heart five years ago—the woman who still haunts his dreams . . .
    Faye Smith has spent five long years trying to get her life back on track. She knows she should’ve turned toward Hunter and not away from him. But they both had too many demons to destroy. Maybe now they’ll get another chance—and save someone else’s life too . . .
    But first they’ll have to stop arguing long enough to trust the Deep Ops team. Hunter was a lost boy himself once. In fact, he ran away from the exact same man, their monster of a father. Now he and Faye will have to unite to find the brother he never knew—and maybe each other... My thoughts: This was a good read, and you don’t have to have read the first book to enjoy this one. I did like how there were some Easter Egg characters in this from her other paranormal series, though (and this series is not paranormal in any way shape or form). That was fun. I really like this series and look forward to reading the next book in line.

I really enjoyed the time I had on this cruise to read. And I’m so glad I enjoyed reading again (even those books that weren’t all that great). I almost thought maybe something was wrong with me. I gotta remember to always put some reading time into my day. Life can’t always be writing and social media. Oh, and watching TV (I’m currently watching Season 4 of The X Files).

So … How was your Christmas? I was so happy to spend the entire day with my family. My daughter, son, and daughter-in-law were able to spend the whole day. We watched Die Hard and Die Hard 2. If I wasn’t busy cooking dinner, I might have suggested playing a game, but cooking doesn’t always put me in a great mood. Thankfully, it was mostly prepared (I just had to reheat everything), and there were instructions that worked, too! Shocker! And now we have tons of leftovers, so we’ll be eating in for the next few days, I’m sure.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and WiFi Frustration

I paid for an internet plan on this cruise because I had some work I had to do (expected to get my edits back on Finding the Perfect Mate, which I did), plus, I guess you could say I’m a public figure now (haha), so I figured I would just charge it as a business expense. Sometimes I think I should have saved my money. Just trying to get an internet connection on my laptop has been a challenge. My phone hasn’t been that bad, but I can’t do everything on my phone (not that I’d want to).

Nighttime is the worst, when everyone is up and using the ship’s wifi (or so it seems). In the past I’ve been able to get online in the morning. But on Tuesday morning, I couldn’t get anything to open. So if you’re reading this on Wednesday morning (when I normally post), consider it a miracle!!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #52

Dates read: December 11-13
Title: Every Last Breath
Year of publication: 2019
Author: Juno Rushdan
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series:  Final Hour #1
# of Pages: 309
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads:. Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes...even if it destroys her.
    When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews' life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.
My thoughts: This was a suspenseful book. Not so sure I cared for the ending (sort of cliffhanger-ish), but it’s not bad enough for me not to read the next book in this series.  

Book #53

Dates read: December 14-17
Title: The Haunting of Hill House
Year of publication: 1959 (introduction 2006)
Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: Horror
Series:  N/A
# of Pages: 155
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads:. It’s the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting,” Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.
My thoughts: I’m trying to read more ghost story books and had never read this one before. It was interesting, that’s for sure. The ending left me a little unsettled, but I guess that’s what horror stories are supposed to do. The edition I read has a 24-page introduction by another author that I smartly ignored before reading the book. Lots of spoilers! Including how it ended!! What kind of introduction is that? It really should have been placed at the end of the book. So fair warning, if you happen to want to read this book for the first time and it has an introduction—don’t read it first!

FYI: the cruise so far has been great. Well, I should say, visiting Hawaii has been great. The ocean on the trip getting there was kind of rough (and it’s not feeling all that much better going back). Good thing I don’t get sea sick. Although, after awhile, I suppose most people get used to the rocking. Sure makes going to sleep easy for me, though. All I want to do is nap!!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update

I’m currently on a cruise to Hawaii and my days (and time--I'm on Hawaiian time) are all screwed up. Ah, but what does it matter when I post, right?

I reached my (adjusted) reading goal! Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #50

Dates read: November 27-December 9
Title: The Burned Spy
Year of publication: 2018
Author: K.A. Krantz
Genre: Fantasy
Series:  The Immortal Spy Book 1
# of Pages: 275
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads:. Gods. Always ready to screw you.
    When Bix the Gatekeeper is summoned from exile a hundred and seventy years early by the goddess of the Norse Under World, the former Dark Ops agent knows there’s a catch. On the surface, the terms of the deal are simple. Someone attacked the pantheon’s ambassador to the Mid Worlds and left the ambassador in a coma. In exchange for early parole, Bix must identify the perpetrator and drag their soul to Hel.
    It’d be a sweet contract, if not for the details. The ambassador is Bix’s ex-girlfriend, the lead suspect is the key witness from Bix’s trial, and the organization leading the official investigation is the same intelligence guild that disavowed Bix when a covert op went pear-shaped. Undeterred, Bix returns to her old stomping grounds where clues in the smoldering woods of Centralia, Pennsylvania, lead to the waterfront of Washington, DC, and Worlds beyond.
    Once valued for her skills creating passageways as small as a capillary or as large as a continent, Bix’s success now depends on the relationships she was forced to abandon. As she squares off against friends who betrayed her and enemies keen to destroy her, Bix follows a trail of secrets, torture, and treason that leads to the very superpowers who banished her. With her freedom on the line and revenge within reach, this highly-trained operative will take on Fates, dragons, angels, and gods to get exactly what she wants.
    Hel hath no fury like a burned spy.
My thoughts: I’m not a big fantasy reader, but I know the author and I was really curious to read what she wrote. Scared, too. My curiosity doesn’t always bode well for me (or the author) when I read outside my favorite genre. In this case, I’m glad I caved. This was enjoyable. And yes, I will definitely read the next in the series. I liked Bix.

Book #51

Dates read: December 10-11
Title: Debriefing the Dead
Year of publication: 2018
Author: Kerry Blaisdell
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series:  The Dead Series Book 1
# of Pages: 250
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads:. The only thing Hyacinth wants is her life back. Literally. She and her sister were murdered by Demons, leaving her young nephew, Geordi, to his father’s family in the brutal Sicilian Mob. Then Archangel Michael offers her a deal: recapture a powerful rock the Demons stole, and she can live long enough to find Geordi a safe home. Refuse, and she’ll continue up (or down) to the Afterlife.
    So, slightly more alive than dead, she heads for Turkey and the Demons, taking Geordi, her mysterious neighbor Jason, and a sexy dead guy only she can see with her. But the hardest part won’t be battling Demons, meeting Satan, or dodging Middle Eastern customs—it will be later, when Geordi is settled, and Michael rips her away again. How can she abandon her nephew? Or can she outwit the Angel of Death himself, and stay with Geordi forever?

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. Hooked me at the beginning and didn’t let go. And it’s in first person, which I’m surprised I bought this (which I can’t remember why, but so glad I had), seeing as I thought this was a romance (don’t ask me why, because I don’t know—certainly isn’t by the blurb) and I usually don’t like romances in first person. However, it’s not a romance (although there are some romantic elements), but full of mystery and suspense (which I love). And it’s a series, so there are some things left un-resolved, but the main storyline is contained in this book, so all is good. I will most definitely get the next one.  

The weather’s been kind of chilly during the first few days of our cruise, but I expect it to warm up tomorrow. On Friday we will reach Honolulu and the first of four Hawaiian stops before we return to San Diego. Oh yeah, there’s a stop in Ensenada, Mexico (gotta have that foreign port), but I doubt we do anything there.

At least I’m getting some reading done. And they’ve been really good books! I’m getting some writing done, too, so I’m not a total slacker. I’ll be glad when I can sit outside and write, though, but it’s just been too chilly (and occasionally rainy) to sit out there long. Soon, though. Soon!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Instagram Class (Online)

The last time my local RWA chapter held an online class, I didn’t mention it here and regretted that later. So, this time I’m listing all the classes as they occur (free advertising for my chapter!). You don’t have to be a member of my RWA Chapter or even RWA to register, either. Our January class looks to be super good, too (I already signed up).

Intro to Instagram by Alana Albertson, January 1-31, 2020

Four-week course with TWENTY classes! In this course, we will focus on how authors can use Instagram to grow their fan bases and sell more books.

• Week 1: How to set up your Instagram to attract your ideal reader.
• Week 2: How to gain followers and turn them into fans.
• Week 3: Instagram Stories and IGTV
• Week 4: Working with bookstagrammers and Instagram Ads.

There will be 20 lessons with instructor feedback and worksheets.

Alana Albertson is a Latina bestselling romance author (#3 in entire Amazon store) with over half a million views on her Se7en Deadly SEALs serial on Radish. She's the former President of Romance Writers of America's Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, and Chick Lit chapters. Alana Albertson holds a Masters of Education from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University. A recovering professional ballroom dancer, she lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two young sons, and six rescue dogs. When she's not spending her time saving dogs from high kill shelters through Pugs N Roses™, the rescue she founded, she can be found watching episodes of Cobra Kai, Vida, Younger or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. Visit her website at authoralanaalbertson.com

Cost: $25 COFW, $30 RWA, $35 non-RWA

REGISTER AT: http://cofwevents.org/classes/january  



This is an online course and classes will be sent via groups.io e-mails. After you register and as we get closer to the start date of the class you will be sent an invite to the group.

So … Do you use Instagram? I have an account, but always forget to post my pictures there. Not that I take that many pictures to begin with. Seems like whenever I see something that would make a great picture, my phone is being used for something else or the opportunity went by too fast. My life story. J

Happy Friday!

Stacy

Reading Update and You Can Pre-Order Finding the Perfect Mate!

I really got brave this week. I listed Finding the Perfect Mate with a release date of April 1, 2020. The book is currently being edited, so I don’t think I’ll have any problem meeting that date. But I’ve never put a book out that early before. Gives me lots of time to advertise, I suppose. We’ll see how it goes.

And what’s a pre-order without the pre-order buy links?

Amazon          Barnes and Noble

Apple              Kobo

Goodreads

I haven’t set it up on Google Play yet because it appears they don’t allow pre-orders without uploading the book. I’m not ready to upload anything yet (heard too many horror stories of the wrong file being sent to customers), so it will be awhile before I set it up there. And the pre-order price is $2.99. After release day it will go up to $4.99. So better to pre-order than wait!

I added the Goodreads link in case you’d like to add it to your reading list. You do, don’t you? J

Last week, Author Voices asked if they could interview me. Me. Yeah, I was skeptical at first, but it appears they’re legit. On Monday, my interview went live. You can check it out HERE.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #49

Dates read: November 14-26
Title: Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend
Year of publication: 2018
Author: AE Jones
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series:  The Realm Book 2
# of Pages: 231
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book:. Aleksei Chesnokov is one busy demon. Between leading the immigration team to bring realm demons to earth and preparing to one day succeed his father as clan leader, his priorities and current project plans do not include finding a mate.
    When his clan is attacked by the very demons he’s trying to help, Aleksei must enlist the help of Naya, the leader of the realm guard. A strong, determined, frustrating female, she challenges his decisions and acts before she thinks.
    As they work together to stop an impending war, Aleksei is drawn to Naya and the world she protects. When she’s taken hostage, Aleksei will move earth and the realm to save her. Because with all his agendas, checklists, and timelines, the one thing Aleksei never planned to do was fall in love.
My thoughts: The first half of this book kind of repeated the story from the previous one, just in different points of view. And frankly, I didn’t like it. But once it got past the first book’s story, I became interested again. I hope the third doesn’t overlap as much, but seeing as that brother wasn’t in it all that much, I’m guessing it’ll be a completely different story. At least I hope so.

I had to erase a LOT of words from my current project yesterday. But I think I got it all straight now. At least I hope so. If I think positively, that should help. Right? If you celebrate, have a Happy Thanksgiving and try not to eat too much!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and Starting Over

It’s never a good feeling to start over. At least, not for me.

I realized I messed up something in Ghostly Protector when the ending was happening too soon and I hadn’t even really gotten started on the romance! Luckily my friends gave me some suggestions, but it still comes down to starting over. It’s not like I haven’t done that before. In fact, that’s what I did with the last ghost book, Ghostly Interlude.

Oh hell. Am I doomed to do that with all the books in this series? Gosh, I hope not!! Not fun. Not fun at all!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #48

Dates read: October 30-November 12
Title: Demons Will Be Demons
Year of publication: 2018
Author: AE Jones
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series:  The Realm Book 1
# of Pages: 223
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: When hotel inspector, Tallulah Thompson, is called in along with her pug, Franny, to investigate renovation delays, she meets an extremely annoyed and dapper turn-of-the-century innkeeper. The only problem is he’s in limbo, neither dead nor alive, and Tallulah and the pug are the first to see him in a hundred years. Cursed by a medicine woman, “Love ‘em and Leave ‘em Lucius” Stewart is stuck between worlds until he finds his true love and gives her his heart. When he first sees Tallulah, he doesn’t know what he’s feeling. Yet, her stunning beauty, and feisty attitude pull him in. With the fate of Hotel LaBelle on the line, Tallulah with the help of a powerful medicine woman turns Lucius back into a flesh and blood man. She and Lucius team up to save the hotel, but Tallulah can't help but wonder if he will ever let go of his past love and learn to love again. Misha Sokolov is one frustrated demon. While his professional life with the Bureau of Supernatural Relations is rewarding, his personal life is woefully lacking. His teammates Kyle and Jean Luc have found their mates (with his help, he might add). Was it too much to ask for his happy ever after?
    When Misha finally meets an amazing demon female who could be THE ONE, Fate conspires against him. With the escalating tensions between the earth and realm demons, and his newest case involving supernatural seven-year-old twins, he’s too busy for romance.
    Callie, a human female, can’t seem to convince her half-demon sons that using their powers in front of humans is a bad thing. The more time Misha spends with her, the more he realizes she’s keeping secrets. When these secrets jeopardize both her and her sons, Misha will stop at nothing to keep them safe.. Because instead of conspiring against him, Fate may have put a spunky, green-eyed woman and her incorrigible sons in his path for a reason.
My thoughts: This was cute and I enjoyed reading it. It’s a spinoff of another one of her series, but I wasn’t confused or anything, so a nice way to become introduced to this author. Although I purchased this series from the author when I met her a couple of months ago, I’m really glad I liked her writing and will have no problems reading the other two next.

So … when you discover you’ve messed up, are you gung ho in fixing it or do you get depressed looking at all the work laying ahead? I wish I was gung ho, but I will fix my story. After I’ve had time to sulk about it. The snow on the ground ain’t helping my mood any, either.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Biting the Curse Is a Finalist!!

First off, Happy Veterans Day. If you served, thank you for your service. And if you’re like me, take advantage of a free meal somewhere. There are lots of restaurants treating veterans today. I plan on visiting a couple. Why not, right?

Last week I got some WONDERFUL news! My book, Biting the Curse, was a finalist in the Oklahoma Romance Writers International Digital Awards contest. I got a badge! Ain’t that cool?

A great review AND a finalist. I’m feeling really good about this book. Don’t know if I’ll enter it in as many contests as I did Ghostly Interlude, but I will definitely enter it in the Ritas (Romance Writers of America’s contest). Not that these contest actually help sell books. At least, not that I’ve been told. I guess I just feel the need to be recognized since I suck at advertising!


I’m hoping now that I’ve sent my next release, Finding the Perfect Mate, off to my beta reader I’ll be able to write more on the next ghost book. Of course, I think I screwed up somewhere. Good thing I meet with my plotting group tonight. I really need the help!!

I plan on revealing the cover to Finding the Perfect Mate in my next newsletter. Also plan on giving away some neat Buffy and Supernatural cards I picked up at Dragon Con last year. If that interests you, then sign up for my newsletter. The link is on the sidebar of this blog and at my website http://stacymckitrick.com.

So … Do you think awards help books? How about movies? I have to admit, I never planned on watching Rocky until it won the Oscar for Best Picture. And then it turned out I loved the movie. Go figure!

Happy Monday! And Happy Veterans Day!

Stacy

Vacation Pictures, Part II

Oh my! Yesterday was quite a Halloween. We went from 50s and rain to 30s and flurries. And the wind was brutal! I’m surprised we had as many trick-or-treaters that we did. Still way more than we ever got at our last residence on a good weather night!

I was still hoping for more, though (and would have gotten them if the weather cooperated), so yeah, I have lots of candy leftover.

But was October one crazy month or what? Started out breaking records in the 90s and ended on flurries. And I thought March was bad!

Good time to post pictures of Florida, right? To think the warm weather wasn’t all that long ago.

Can you see that little creature on the walkway? That's a gecko. There were bunches of them around the hotel we were staying at in Key West. Maybe he was waiting for the shuttle. :)

On this visit to Key West, we toured Ernest Hemmingway's house. His house was the first one to have a built-in pool. Not by his choice, though. That would be his ex-wife's.

Hemmingway's favorite bar was Sloppy Joe's (not the one that's there now). When it closed down, he decided to take one of the urinals and use it here as a fountain.

This is where Hemmingway did a lot of his writing. I could easily write in there, too. It was a very nice space.

One of the many six-toed cats roaming on the premises. They allow each female one litter before having them fixed. You can tell they are all well taken care of.

Chickens and roosters like to roam Key West, too. This one managed to sneak into the restaurant. The wait staff ran after it, squirting it with water to get it to leave!

I finally had a chance to wear my swimsuit (no, I don't have a picture of me in it) and make it to the beach. The water was so warm! We only spent about an hour out there (didn't want to get sunburned, and didn't!), but it was a wonderful hour.

One of the few houses I saw decorated for Halloween. They went a little crazy, didn't they?

After our stay in Key West, we headed up to Sarasota/Bradenton to watch Daughter play Footy in the the US Australian Football League Nationals. Her team won their last game and came in fifth place. In case you're wondering about the scoring, her team had 4 goals (6 points each) + 6 behinds (1 point each) = 30 points. The other team only had 3 behinds.

We've been to Sarasota before but had never visited the beach. We were told we needed to see the Siesta Key Beach. That it is considered the #1 beach in the U.S. So we made it out there just after sunset. Wow, were we impressed! The beach is HUGE!

And the sand! It was the softest sand I'd ever felt. Powder soft!

I would have liked to have seen the sun set, but this was pretty, too!

Oh, and while the sun set, the moon was rising. It was an absolutely lovely night. I hope Nationals are held there again. I'll make a point of going back to this beach during the day! In my swimsuit, even!


So … Can you believe it’s November already? I miss summer.

Happy Friday!

Stacy

Reading Update and Happy Halloween!

Tomorrow is Halloween. Kids are trick-or-treating in the neighborhood here, then. The weather looks to be a bit wet. It was wet last year, too. Hopefully it won’t keep too many kids away. I’ve got a lot of candy to hand out!!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #47

Dates read: October 11-29
Title: Sorcerer’s Spin
Year of publication: 2016
Author: Anise Rae
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series:  Mayflower Mages #3
# of Pages: 329
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads: When hotel inspector, Tallulah Thompson, is called in along with her pug, Franny, to investigate renovation delays, she meets an extremely annoyed and dapper turn-of-the-century innkeeper. The only problem is he’s in limbo, neither dead nor alive, and Tallulah and the pug are the first to see him in a hundred years. Cursed by a medicine woman, “Love ‘em and Leave ‘em Lucius” Stewart is stuck between worlds until he finds his true love and gives her his heart. When he first sees Tallulah, he doesn’t know what he’s feeling. Yet, her stunning beauty, and feisty attitude pull him in. With the fate of Hotel LaBelle on the line, Tallulah with the help of a powerful medicine woman turns Lucius back into a flesh and blood man. She and Lucius team up to save the hotel, but Tallulah can't help but wonder if he will ever let go of his past love and learn to love again. The spectacles perched on sorceress Mara Rand’s nose declare her imperfect.
    Mage society prizes perfection.
    Though Mara bucks that expectation, it’s the mission of her company, Blue Light Mills, to help other mages who want to hide their deficiencies. She spins threads and weaves clothes embedded with spells that conceal their weaknesses. Her most powerful creation, a dress spun with the silk of the fairy spider, lands her in the dungeon, accused of harboring the ancient fairy spinning wheel prophesied to unravel the Republic. When a search of her factory proves fruitless, she’s tasked with a new mission: find the spinning wheel or die.
    As she travels on her quest, she is guarded by Gregor Whitman, an ex-army captain with powers and secrets of his own…ones that could shatter the tentative trust they build between them and send Mara to the gallows of a fairy’s prophecy.
My thoughts: Don’t let my lengthy read-time fool you. I enjoyed this book; I just lacked time to read it! I was going to add Book 4 to my B&N wish list, but sadly, it’s only on Kindle Unlimited (and I don’t do Kindles). I guess I should consider myself lucky I bought this when I did, because this book is no longer available on Nook, either. But if you’re a Kindle person and you like witches and fantasy, this is a very enjoyable book (series, too!). Full of action and adventure and romance. Can’t forget the romance!

So … Does your neighborhood celebrate Halloween on Halloween? Do you stay home and hand out candy? I’m just glad Hubby is home to help again this year. Last year we sat in the garage. I’m guessing we’ll be doing that again this year.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Vacation Pictures, Part I

Lookee there! I finally downloaded the pictures from my phone to my laptop (or would that be uploaded? I always get those mixed up).

And I realize I have so many pictures, I'm breaking them up in hopefully two parts. Today's pictures are from our cruise to Grand Turk and Bermuda.

So here we go!

 Hubby at Grand Turk. The water is really pretty!

Grand Turk isn't all lovely, though. A lot of it looks like this.

Even their lighthouse looks all rusted!

One thing you can find a lot of on Grand Turk: Donkeys. They aren't exactly friendly, either.

When we arrived at Bermuda, we were met with a beautiful rainbow! We ended up docking behind that ship.

See? I made it to Bermuda!

Some wall paintings. I really loved the color all over the island.

I was hoping to see one of those pink sand beaches. Apparently you only see the pink sand if you go into the water. I wasn't dressed to go wading, so I just took a picture of where you can find the pink sand (I did buy a small bottle of it, though).

Bermuda is kind of long and skinny, almost shaped like a comma. You can see our ship across the water.

The area where the boat was docked is an old fort. The buildings are really neat.

We had some issues with the cold water in our room (we didn't have any). Customer service gifted us with a bottle of wine. I did drink some. I still haven't found a wine I like.

On the Carnival Magic, they have this BBQ joint outside. It had some really good pulled pork! If you ever go on a Carnival ship and see one of these, you must try them. We had lunch there a couple of times. Good food!!

Since we're Platinum members (meaning we have more than 75 days (I think) of cruising), they put on a party for us and Diamond members (200 cruise days, I think). Free booze! Hubby discovered he likes Sex on the Beach (the orangey drink). I enjoyed the blue margarita.

If I haven't finished reading the book I'm currently reading, I'll post Part II on Wednesday. Otherwise, I'll try and remember to do it Friday.

We've been waiting for the Alaskan cruises to show up for 2021 (because our friends want to go there then) and Hubby's dream cruise (well, one of them), also popped up for 2021. It's a journey cruise from Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale, via the Panama Canal (it also stops in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Columbia), 17 days in September-October 2021. It really depends on when our friends want to go to Alaska. I'm steering them toward late May 2021 (it's cheaper, but yeah, a little colder) so we have a break between cruises.

But right now I'm concentrating on our next cruise in December to Hawaii!! 14 days! I'm really looking forward to that one. We sail out of San Diego, so we're arriving a few days early to go up to Santa Barbara to visit my mother. A must whenever I'm in the state.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Stacy

Facebooking and Breast Cancer Awareness

Back in 2010, when I was just starting out with this writing gig, I knew about Facebook and Twitter. And I knew I didn’t want anything to do with them.

Ahhh, but then I wanted to be published. I was querying my book. I was told (by writer friends and published authors) I should be on one of those social media sites for any hope of being noticed. So I chose Facebook (I do have a Twitter account, just so no one else would grab my name in case I became a big-time author, but I don’t monitor it).

I don’t know if Facebook is working out so well for me book-wise, but that’s not the purpose of this post.

For the most part I enjoy Facebook, even though it can be a huge time suck. But there are some things that go on there that I just don’t get. Like what happened to me the other day.

A friend posted a status. Sure, she did it in a strange, vague kind of way, but I’m not exactly close friends with this person (although we have met), so I have no idea what her life is actually like. So I made a flippy comment (because she’s always humorous so felt no fear there).

Well, it seems I’ve been had. Because I commented, now I was supposed to post some stupid vague status and do the same to people who comment on that post. And get this…

It’s all for breast cancer awareness.

How the hell is punishing your friends for commenting on a post that has to do with nothing doing any good for breast cancer awareness??

And yes, I feel as though I was punished for commenting.

You want breast cancer awareness? Post about getting a mammogram.

Needless to say, I did not continue this “game.” You see, I actually want people to CONTINUE commenting on my posts. Not drive them away!

By the way, I did get my mammogram on Monday (along with my flu shot). Everything is still a-okay!! No more six-month follow ups. I’m back to annual mammograms!

Life is good.

No reading update today because I haven’t finished anything since last Wednesday. And no pictures of my vacation because I haven’t uploaded the photos to my laptop yet. Looks like I’m a real slacker, huh? But I’m not. I’m busy with my treasurer duties (of my local RWA chapter). I got sick and tired of paying QuickBooks, so I bought a new laptop for the chapter (yes, I was reimbursed) for pretty much what it would have cost for another year of the online version. The chapter owned a desktop version of QuickBooks (2010) and after much hair pulling and my son’s help, finally got it to work. So I’m now setting it up and entering data from the beginning of this year to make sure I’m doing it correctly. It’s kind of a time-suck because there is more work involved. But it’ll be sooooo much cheaper. And I’ll have written instructions for the next treasurer (because I can only be treasurer for two years in a row before they make me take a break). I don’t mind doing it because it isn’t all that hard and it’s kind of fun work (the accountant in me enjoys it anyways).

So … Did you get your flu shot? If not and you’re able, do it. Not for yourself, but for the people you love. You wouldn’t want to get them sick, now would you?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and Arrrgh!

Why can’t life just go back to normal after you get home from vacation? I was so looking forward to just writing yesterday (after returning home at midnight on Monday), but can I? Of course not. Too much other crap—life, basically—to do. Bags to unpack. Laundry to wash. Errands to run. And all I wanted to do was write because I hadn’t been able to for the last few days.

Arrrgh!

I’m hoping today will go a little slower. Wish me luck.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #46

Dates read: October 5-10
Title: The Haunting of Hotel LaBelle
Year of publication: 2016
Author: Sharon Buchbinder
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series:  Hotel LaBelle #1
# of Pages: 147
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads: When hotel inspector, Tallulah Thompson, is called in along with her pug, Franny, to investigate renovation delays, she meets an extremely annoyed and dapper turn-of-the-century innkeeper. The only problem is he’s in limbo, neither dead nor alive, and Tallulah and the pug are the first to see him in a hundred years. Cursed by a medicine woman, “Love ‘em and Leave ‘em Lucius” Stewart is stuck between worlds until he finds his true love and gives her his heart. When he first sees Tallulah, he doesn’t know what he’s feeling. Yet, her stunning beauty, and feisty attitude pull him in. With the fate of Hotel LaBelle on the line, Tallulah with the help of a powerful medicine woman turns Lucius back into a flesh and blood man. She and Lucius team up to save the hotel, but Tallulah can't help but wonder if he will ever let go of his past love and learn to love again. When hotel inspector, Tallulah Thompson, is called in along with her pug, Franny, to investigate renovation delays, she meets an extremely annoyed and dapper turn-of-the-century innkeeper. The only problem is he’s in limbo, neither dead nor alive, and Tallulah and the pug are the first to see him in a hundred years. Cursed by a medicine woman, “Love ‘em and Leave ‘em Lucius” Stewart is stuck between worlds until he finds his true love and gives her his heart. When he first sees Tallulah, he doesn’t know what he’s feeling. Yet, her stunning beauty, and feisty attitude pull him in. With the fate of Hotel LaBelle on the line, Tallulah with the help of a powerful medicine woman turns Lucius back into a flesh and blood man. She and Lucius team up to save the hotel, but Tallulah can't help but wonder if he will ever let go of his past love and learn to love again. Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.Deeddd
My thoughts: Pretty interesting book (even if it was short). And it actually has ghosts! Well, sort of. I’ll have to check out the rest of the series.

I did have high expectations that I would get lots of reading and writing done during my vacation. But the rooms we stayed in made working on my laptop uncomfortable and then football was on, so no reading when we were in our room. I did manage to get some crocheting done, so all was not wasted. But I really missed writing. And in a way, I’m kind of glad. Tells me that it’s still what I want to do. What I love to do. And that’s not such a bad thing to learn, is it?

So … How does life treat you after a vacation? Does it rebel at you, too? It’s almost like it’s punishing you for going away, isn’t it?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and Vacation Brain?

FYI: I’m currently on vacation, but just got off a cruise, so this might be a little lengthy.

Even with a checklist, we still screw up. Every trip we take we go over our permanent checklist to make sure we don’t forget anything. Apparently I need to add something to that list, although, technically, it’s a no-brainer.

Hubby placed the clothes he wanted packed on the bed (I’m the one who actually packs the suitcase). I asked if he was done and I could pack. He said he was. Did I question his choices? I did not. I also did not go through his choices.

We stopped for the night in Daytona Beach on our drive down to Ft. Lauderdale. In the morning, I was pulling out what he was going to wear on our first day of the cruise. There were no T-shirts in the suitcase (only the polo shirts he planned on wearing in the dining room). He’d forgotten to pull some out to pack (and stupid me really thought they were mixed in with the polo shirts).

Okay. No problem. There was a Walmart nearby and we got a few there. The rest we figure he would buy in Grand Turk, Bermuda, and maybe the ship. I stuck the bag in the trunk, next to the suitcases. I would have put them in the suitcase then, but it was raining.

I had planned on putting the shirts in the suitcase after we parked the car, thinking we had to carry the bags to be checked in. Nope. We got to drop them off before we parked. Never even thought about the shirts then, but then I was in the car and Hubby took care of getting the suitcases out (yeah, I can blame him).

We parked the car. Everything we didn’t take on the ship (such as my bag containing the blanket I’m crocheting) we put in the trunk (to get it out of sight). Did I pull out the bag with his shirts? Of course not! I didn’t even SEE the bag (it was dark grey and the interior of the trunk is black, plus we were in a garage, so the light wasn’t that great).

I did remember to take some stuff OUT of my backpack and put it in the trunk, so my brain wasn’t completely on vacation.

I didn’t even realize I left the shirts behind until we were on the ship. By then it was too late.

And then I got this sinking feeling that I left something else behind, too. That something being my Nook. I was reading it in the car and couldn’t remember if I put it back in my purse.

I checked my purse. Nope, not there. It was where I was afraid it was in: the bag with the blanket I’m crocheting. So here I was, planning on getting caught up in my reading, and I leave my Nook behind. Arrrgh!! I was able to use my phone to read, but man, I really hate reading for any length of time on that thing. Can’t imagine it’s all that good on my eyes, either.

Hubby said that we’re going to need to create a checklist for when we leave the car. He might be right. And then I’m going to add T-Shirts to our permanent list at home.

Here’s what I read since I last posted:

Book #43

Dates read: September 10-26
Title: Licensed to Thrill
Year of publication: 2019
Author: Gemma Brocato
Genre: Paranormal mystery
Series:  Jayne Bond #1
# of Pages: 295
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: Allow me to introduce myself: Bond. Jayne Bond. Master spy, loose cannon. Oh, and undead.
    As an operative for the secretive Vampire Intelligence Service saving the world is my job. And because I am secretly clinging to my soul, I’ve been known to go rogue to save random humans. When the leaders of the VIS learn of a conspiracy to take over the world, they saddle me with a bumbling rookie agent to track down the mastermind behind the plot.
    While investigating a deadly chemical spill I learn that all mortals are targets in the battle between good versus evil and my arch-nemesis is more determined than ever to see me dead. Matters go from bad to worse when I discover my trainee isn’t as inexperienced as I’ve been led to believe.
    If I disobey direct orders on this assignment, my secret will be out. But I’ll gladly break the rules to save my life, and those of all humans.Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.Deeddd
My thoughts: I enjoyed it well enough. The first person telling of this story bugged me, though. Probably because I’m not really sure how I feel about Jayne. It would have helped me tremendously if I could have been in someone else’s head to see her in action. Or to find out why they liked her. But that’s my main issue with first person stories and always has been (even though there are some series I love that are written that way).

Book #44

Dates read: September 27-October 3
Title: Shadows of Ghosts
Year of publication: 2017
Author: L.A. McGinnis
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series:  The Shadows Series
# of Pages: 216
Paper or plastic: Nook, but read on my iPhone (ugh)
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Goodreads: Driving to South Carolina to claim an inheritance from a total stranger didn’t figure into Logan Dean’s long term plans. But she'd be a fool to pass up an opportunity, and her mother didn’t raise any fools. Now she's fighting to stay alive in the middle of a vampire war. Thankfully, she’s discovered an ally in mysterious Ian Grant. As her feelings for Ian grow, Logan realizes if she wants the love she deserves, she'll have to fight the demons of her past.
    For over a hundred years, cynical Ian Grant swore to never love another woman. But from the first time he saw Logan, he knew an ancient part of his history had come back to haunt him, and the one thing he doesn't want becomes the one thing he has to have.
    Two irreconcilable lives, five hundred years of history, and all they have to do to live happily ever after is defeat the evil that threatens to tear them apart.Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.Deeddd
My thoughts: I’m not a happy reader. Besides the fact I thought it was a book about ghosts (it’s about vampires, which is fine, I like vampires too—duh!, but that’s the problem with e-books, the blurb/description isn’t always included with the book like it is with a paperback), the story fell flat for me and it read like it hadn’t been edited. I would have enjoyed experiencing a lot of the scenes that were skimmed over or included as back story. I also didn’t like that I wasn’t in Ian’s head until page 90, and then one other time around page 160. Other than that, it was all Logan’s point of view (done in third person, which I prefer, but I did have problems with her name since I associate it as a boy’s name). So much potential and way too much telling; I did not become invested in anyone’s lives, thus I really didn’t care what happened to them. Harsh? Maybe. I’m just tired of picking poor books to read, especially when I have such hopes.

Book #45

Dates read: October 4-5
Title: Whistleblower
Year of publication: 1992
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Genre: Romantic suspense
Series:  N/A
# of Pages: 196
Paper or plastic: Nook, but read on my iPhone (ugh)
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from book: When Victor Holland came flying out of the night, he ran straight into the path of Catherine Weaver’s car. Having uncovered a terrifying secret that leads all the way to Washington, Victor is running for his life—and from the men who will go to any lengths to silence him.
    Though Victor’s story sounds like the ravings of a mad-man, the haunted look in his eyes—and the bullet hole in his shoulder—tell Cathy a different story. As each hour brings pursuers ever closer, she has to wonder, is she giving her trust to a man in danger or trusting her life to a dangerous man?Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.Deeddd
My thoughts: Now I’m a happy reader. Breezed through this one. Just didn’t want to put it down. It’s an older book re-released (written in 1992) and I wondered at first if it had been updated for the times, but once I got into the story, realized the events couldn’t have happened now. Social media and cell phones would have made it impossible.

Since I’m still on vacation and this is already super-long, I’ll save the pictures from our trip for when I get back home.

Happy Reading!

Stacy