Cinnamon in my coffee…

Good Friday morning! Yes, I said Friday… Although I’ll work through the weekend trying to finish the tax returns on my desk, I still have a writing deadline looming. But, to keep things exciting, I added cinnamon to my coffee this morning. It’s good, you should try it.

But, now on to my post and the cinnamon is part of it. Adding the cinnamon just gave me a different taste and that’s what I’ve been doing lately. I was given the pleasure of becoming a guest blogger on the site Reading As My Therapy and I’ll be a regular on Melissa’s site. It’s an exciting new place to give authors a voice and place to showcase their work. It’s also available on Facebook, so come by and follow here on WordPress to keep up, but don’t forget to go to Facebook too for a follow.

Here’s the link to my first post: https://melissacl.wordpress.com/2016/04/08/a-light-upon-my-heart/

Things are getting exciting with my writing career and I can’t help but smile at the response to my work. I’ve met so many wonderful people that added cinnamon to my life, in other words, all of you make my life special, just as the added spice to my morning coffee. I thank you from the bottom of my heart…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Dust Bunnies of the brain…

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It’s Monday folks! Does your brain feel like this dust filled pan? Mine does. I actually timed my writing this morning so that I did my allotted work before I attacked social media. But wouldn’t it be nice if we could pull out a pan from our brain and clear the dust and cobwebs?

I have several exciting announcements coming up in the next couple of days and weeks. Along with some preorders going up and then a series announcement that has me excited, I’ll be doing a cover reveal for a couple of upcoming books.

If anyone is interested in helping me make these announcements, especially the cover reveals, just let me know. I want to get the word out, far and wide. I’m just bowled over with excitement about the new covers for the works in progress. When you see them, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

So, how’s your Monday so far? Here’s to hoping it’s great…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/23408922@N07/23807288069″>Project 366 #4: 040116 Harder To Breathe</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>(license)</a>

Coffee, I need more coffee…

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It’s too early to be Monday! I know, it’s a holiday and my son is out of school, so why am I up this early. Well, my internal clock refuses to sleep past seven. So, I’m up and writing already. Of course I do have to go to the office in a couple of hours. It’s tax season, so I have to work.

I’m already on my second cup of coffee. The first cup was just a primer of sorts. It’s dreary and cold outside. So my body is in denial about being awake, which makes it hard to get going.

To make things more interesting, as I opened my calendar of release dates, need to be at the editor dates, and all my writing deadlines, I panicked. Being the smart girl I am, and use that term loosely, I looked at this weeks writing agenda, then panicked. Of course, since I’m not completely awake, I looked at next week, not this week. Let’s just say I broke out in a cold sweat thinking I had to turn in Lily to my editor.

Then, finally, I realized that today is the 15th, not the 22nd. To say I was relieved is putting it lightly. I almost shouted, because adding over 8000 words to my already crazy word count this week would be brutal, to say the least.

So, how’s your Monday so far? I know several of you are already deep into this day, so has it been a typical Monday or extraordinary one?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Saturday coffee is always better…

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Why is Saturday coffee better than any other day? It’s the same coffee… I think it’s the fact that you get to sleep a little later so it’s not just for pulling your lazy self out of sleep. Or maybe it’s the fact that you can actually sit down and enjoy it.

For me, it’s the fact that I can sit, relax and sip my coffee, not just gulp it. Coffee pulls me from sleep into the day time. Only I have a bad habit of writing and sipping coffee until I’ve down three or four cups. When I’m writing I can go through half a pot before I know it. Especially on Saturday morning.

This morning as I sip my coffee and reflect on 2015, I can hardly believe that it’s almost over. Last night I finished the last book in the Five Oaks Ranch series. It’s been a busy year, publishing six books in a series, but that’s the goal I set and I saw it through.

The last book, A Christmas to Remember was such a sweet story. I cried during some of it and I hope that the readers will feel the nostalgic pull that I tried to put into it. It contains recipes at the end, but you’ll get the reason why as you read the book.

So, here’s to a great Saturday of writing and May God Bless You…

Coffee, love, laughter…

Good Saturday morning all! How do you like one of my new rugs? I’m super excited about this one. Can you see why? If you’ve been reading my posts for the last three years then you know why. Hint, there’s three of them… Did you figure it out yet?

This morning as soon as I opened my eyes it was evident the rain was here. So much for some yard work this morning, but I can’t complain because we need the rain. Saturdays at our house are for cleaning and writing. For some reason this week and I’m still a little confused about this one, I actually finished most of my laundry early. That means more time for writing today 😉

If you haven’t checked out my Wattpad entry, then run, don’t walk over there. Votes and views are important for this one. I also enjoy the commments. As a firm believer in the close knit writer community, I want to hear from you. One friend has already helped out by pointing out something that needed tweaking. I’m ever grateful for that too! When someone that doesn’t see the story from your head makes an observation, then you can see it clearer.

Also, for you Five Oaks Ranch fans I have a nifty little surprise that I slipped in this week when you weren’t looking. Ridge is free on most sites for a while. With Chase riding on the heels of publication I had to get some things happening. The downloads have been pouring in, which means there’s an interest in catching up. As I’ve said before, i can’t wait for you to meet Chase, my favorite of the Cauthen brood.

So, what’s your plans for today? Writing? Cleaning? Just being alive? For me, all of the above! My advice for you on this rainy Georgia day, drink a pot of coffee, hug someone you love and laugh a lot…

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/48304085-tuscany

One more thing before you go! When Tuscany’s entry on Wattpad reaches 25 views I’ll be doing a sweet giveaway, then at 50 and 100! So pass the word around and give me some reader/writer love!

Outlines, good or bad…

I’ve been telling you about my surprise manuscript for a couple of weeks. As I sit here enjoying my coffee and the morning sun, I’m going over the outline for the new work. It’s a complete outline that goes to the words ‘The End’.

Some writers say they can’t work from an outline and others, well they can’t work without one. I’ve written several books using a outline draft, but it sometimes changed through the process. My new work is coming along well with the outline. This outline seems to flow with the way I see the story in my head. But I wonder if it will stay the same.

Here are some good points to using an outline…

1. The outline keeps you focused on the story and where it’s headed.

2. Outlines are not written in stone and can change.

3. If you have a detailed outline, all you need to do is make a chapter out of each line.

Since my outline goes to number 29, that means it’s looking to be a really long book. The details are there, all I need to do is pull each chapter from the lines I’ve written. With this outline I was able to pull the story that’s running around in my head out. When a story comes into my head, usually the whole thing comes in a rush and I can’t wait to get to the end. With my outline I was able to get the story on paper so that I’m free to fill it all out.

So, do you work with outlines? Have you ever tried? What was your experience?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Coming out of the rain!

Good Tuesday morning! It’s wonderful to look outside this morning. The sun is streaming in through the windows and everything looks great. We’ve had rain and dreary weather for over a week, so the sun shining this morning makes me smile. Although it’s a little cool this morning, I’m not complaining one bit.

As a writer I go through many phases of writing. Some days I feel like it’s raining in my brain and the floods of thoughts seem to overtake me. It can be overwhelming, but then the sun comes out and the writing begins. I’ve been coming out of the rain for the last couple of days. During the busiest part of tax season I had so much going on in my mind that I couldn’t get a hold on my writing.

Now that the sun has come out I can’t seem to write enough. Of course I still have to go into the office and do accounting, but my mind is still focusing on the stories that cross back and forth. I’m a major multi-tasker so usually I have a note pad handy for those moments when I can’t get them to stop screaming at me. Some days as I do data entries which usually I do this automatically after over twenty some odd years I can do these in my sleep, I use my dictation app on my phone and write as I work. Yep I’ve got it bad.

If you’ve been following my blog the last couple of days you know I’m doing a fun giveaway of Ridge. This is because Oakley is coming out really, really soon… So keep up with all the news and subscribe to my website at stephaniehurtauthor.com for updates. Also, watch out for the questions that help you rack up points for chances to win a copy of Ridge.

I hope you enjoy your day and make the best of it!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Here’s a little reminder of the giveaway rules and today’s question:

Do you prefer a moonlit stroll in the country or on the beach?

As the fog clears

This is the view from my front porch this morning. The temperatures have finally warmed up and the threat of rain looms, but you can’t tell by the gorgeous sunrise. The fog is starting to clear and is barely visible in this photo. I feel inspired as the vibrant colors stream through the front windows.

As most of you know from reading my posts I try to get in my word count every morning. This morning as I woke at 6:00 my body and brain felt heavy and filled with inspiration zapping fog. I dragged myself out of bed and fixed breakfast for my son. As I poured the coffee and the delicious aroma steamed up to my nose I smiled. Yes, I need several cups of coffee. Since the time changed the sun comes up later and that always makes it hard for me to wake up. But one look at this beautiful sunrise I feel inspired to get to work. I can do this is the feeling it inspires.

Does a beautiful sunrise inspire you? As for me, I’m off to get in a couple thousand words before a warm shower and then on to the accounting office. I may need that third cup of coffee while I type…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday morning rain!

Monday mornings are tough, but when you wake up to the sound of rain on the roof, well, it just sets the mood for the day. Of course here in Georgia it’s cold and rainy. The temps are hitting a high at lunchtime and then going down from there. So it’s turning out to be a dreary, cold, sweater wearing day.

Right now I’m curled up on the couch, sipping coffee, watching the Today Show and catching up on my posts. This is what I call my special time of the day. My son is at school, hubby is at work and I have about two hours before I need to get ready to walk across to my office. This is also my writing time.

This morning I’m working on Ridge. I know, I’ve been talking about this book for several weeks, but I’m excited about this book, well actually the whole series. Of course you know I love a cowboy romance and this will turn into five. Each main character is special and has so many facets of their personalities.

Someone asked the other day if I have anything else in the works, along with the Five Oaks Ranch. I have to say that a book came into my mind about two weeks ago. I’m playing with an outline, but mostly working on Ridge. As you know me, I do have several books on the back burner. Funny how you get into a story and then something happens and your attention spans steers off in another direction.

What are you doing this morning? Is the weather good in your area?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday Morning Coffee…

Good morning! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. My weekend was great and I got a lot done. I cleaned my house Saturday morning and then grabbed my laptop and headed for the back deck. I recently purchased a large dark green market umbrella for my table, so I opened it and sat down to work. I was able to get in a couple of thousand words which is great.

Writing outside is so awesome. I enjoyed the slight breeze that was blowing and the sunshine all around me. The birds were singing happily in the trees and I was playing one of my writing playlists on the computer. Of course I had my new puppy outside with me. She was running everywhere and biting my toes, but I still managed to get in a lot of work.

As most of you know I have several books in the works. This weekend I worked on Emma Rose which is the 2nd book in the Women of Magnolia Hill Saga. It’s crazy how you get into a piece of writing and then you’re taken away on the adventure. I enjoy this series so much because I love history. It’s fun to write about the history of the great state of Georgia.

As for today, I’ll be back to the office. I do need to work on my other job some. My accounting clients don’t like it when I don’t keep up their work. Some days it’s hard not to pull up a manuscript and write. Since all of it is on the same laptop the books are always there taunting me. Most days I can be strong, but Mondays make it hard. Maybe I need another cup of coffee before heading out to the office. Yeah, I think that’s what I’ll do. I hope everyone is having a great Monday so far. So I’m off to refill my mug and then back to the real world.

As always, good writing and may God Bless You…