Saturday, December 06, 2008

Fairwell RWA...for now

Today was my last RWA chapter meeting, and I left with mixed emotions. I've been part of RWA for approx ten years, and I've enjoyed every year. Two years ago I was President of my chapter, and before that I volunteered in other positions. I've always helped with the contests, and this year I coordinated three categories. YIKES! That was a challenge, but I made friends along the way and had fun. Today in my chapter meeting, I was presented the "Service Award". It brought tears to my eyes. I wasn't expecting that. What an honor! And it makes it harder to leave my friends and the ladies in this group.

Every month in our chapter meeting, we're given treats if we finish a book, or if we are rejected by a publisher or agent. (yes, treats because we are working toward our goals!) This month I was proud to raise my hand to both. I was able to finish a book - my first ghost story called Love Only Once. As soon as my crit group finishes with this, I'm sending it to an agent who has already shown interest. (grins)

I realized today, that if I hadn't been with Romance Writers of American, I might not have had the courage to keep plugging away. I wouldn't have dusted myself off after those awful rejections and keep querying other stories and other publishers / agents. Being with other writers has helped me tremendously. If you're not with a writer's group, I highly encourage you to join one. Nobody else knows your sorrows or your joys relating to writing. It's totally worth it!

~Phyllis~

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

My Short is Up

For those of you that have read Kaitlin's Silver Lining, I have a short holiday story that will be posted Thursday, November 20 at the Writer's Vineyard. This story involves two of the secondary characters, Luke and Charlie. And while you're there, take a gander at some of the other awesome stories and excerpts and enter several wonderful contests.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

A new Contract!

Whoop! I just heard back from my publisher and they offered a contract for my Viking Time Travel! Very exciting. Of course, I can't read the word documents they sent because this computer doesn't have word but I should have my computer issues solved by this weekend I hope. I'll keep you updated on a release date.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Do you like Free Stories


For Holiday Book Lovers Only

Leave the gloom and doom of today's newspaper headlines behind and
escape into a celebration of the holidays with The Writer's Grapevine.


Every day during November and December on the Writer's Grapevine,
an excerpt or original short story from a favorite author will be
shared. These favorite authors range from New York Times
Bestsellers to brand new, about-to-be-discovered talent, sharing
their tales of romance, science fiction, mystery, and horror. There
will be Thanksgiving turkeys, Kwanzaa love, dead bodies under the
Christmas tree, and stolen New Year's Eve kisses. My short story will post
on November 20.

Of course, what would a holiday celebration be without presents?


Share your favorite holiday memories and enter to win a gorgeous UK
hardcover of Eloisa James' An Affair Before Christmas.

Do you love holiday shows and movies? Tell us about them and you
could win a copy of A Christmas Wedding Wager and a copy of either
Viking Warrior Unwilling Wife or A Question of Impropriety from
Michelle Styles.

Did we miss a great book? Perhaps yours? Name your favorite
holiday book (even if it is your own) and enter to win a prize pack
from Barbara Baldwin and an ecopy of Linda LaRoque's Forever
Faithful.

Get into the holiday spirit. Drop by the Writer's Grapevine
and join the fun.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

I got tagged!

One of my best friends, Phyllis Campbell, tagged me. She's been my critique partner for years and a fabulous writer and one of the magic mavens! So now, I need to think of 6 things about myself and share with you all.

1. I have the most wonderful family in the world. Both kids are now in college and make me proud each and everyday. My husband is my soulmate and my best friend. And my mother, she's golden. She's my best promoter.

2. I can count the number of jobs I've had on both hands and then some. I've been a babysitter, a waitress, a janitor (for a church), a sales clerk for art supplies, a sales clerk for fabric, a dental assistance (one of my more interesting endeavors), a receptionist, a librarian, a teacher, an artist, an editor, and a writer.

3. I keep the website for two organizations; Northwest Houston RWA and Brazos Valley Art Education Association.

4. I'm hopelessly addicted to chocolate but I'm trying to wean myself. (Of course you couldn't tell by the amount I consumed today, though)

5. When it comes to art, I'm a sponge for new ideas and media, but my favorite medium is printmaking.

6. I"m a great cook. My daughter wants me to open a restaurant. Sheesh, I could do that in my spare time. No worries. My favorite dish to eat is shish kabobs, but my favorite to cook is stuffed pork chops with mash potatoes, stewed apples and pumpkin pie.Yum

So now I need to pick six people to tag. So ....

Kimber Chin has to be my idol right now. She has the energy of three people and is one of the most positive people you'll ever meet. On top of that, she's a wonderful writer. I LOVED Breach of Trust.

Vicki Gaia is one of my crit partners and a great friend. She writes fabulous stories which rich backgrounds. I love her work.

Rayka Mennen is one of my dearest friends and a great crit partner. I love the way she weaves a story together and I wish she'd hurry up and write more!

Linda LaRoque has a fabulous story in progress that I've had the honor of critiquing. I can't wait for her to finish it. And she has a book coming out soon called Forever Faithful.

Diana Castilleja is a member of the Texas Authors of Romantic Fiction and dynamite on wheels. I adore her for the efforts she makes on our behalf and she's also a talented writer.

Linda Mooney is another member of Texas ARF and an inspiration. Like me, she teaches school and still finds time to be a multi-published author of romantic fiction. I enjoy her work as she writes fabulous stories.

Donica Covey is another talented writer who was the instigator of the Magic Mavens. She's a great friend who keeps us all organized and on track with our newsletter.

Becka Goings amazes me with her ability to promote. Her books consitantly get great reviews and sell well.

PS. There were a ton of authors I would have liked to have tagged but Phyllis nabbed up three of the ones I'd chosen and Ginger Simpson had already been tagged and I couldn't find a website for Rebecca Savage. The others don't blog.

Friday, October 03, 2008

Becka's Birthday Bash

Hello everyone! If you've been following my books for the past few years, you might know I hold an annual birthday party for myself every year. :) It's called Becka's Birthday Bash, and it lasts for an entire week, the week of my birthday, October 9th.

This year, it will be held from Oct. 6th to Oct. 10th on my author loop, The Magic of Romance. I will be posting excerpts, posting fun facts, fun questions, holding contests and giving away sweet wrapped "mystery" birthday gifties. :D If you'd like to come and partay with me, you can join my group at:

http://groups.google.com/group/themagicofromance

The best part is, all of my author friends are coming as well! (Well, most of them. :P) You'll be reading their excerpts and entering their contests as well! So it won't just be a Becka Bonanza. :D

I'll be giving away some sweet prizes - you don't want to miss it!

Remember, Oct. 6th thru Oct. 10th, Monday through Friday of next week. Hope to see you there!

http://groups.google.com/groups/themagicofromance

~~Becka

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Booksigning in San Marcus Texas

Hope to see some of you there! This was originally scheduled for September 13, but Ike had different plans for Texas. Man, what a storm. We were quite lucky because we suffered very little damage or ill effects from the hurricane but our neighbors all around us, and I do mean all around, weren't so lucky. We had power but the smaller towns that border us to the east, south, west and north were without power for a week.

Oh, and I have an interview up at Abandoned Towers. Too fun.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

I have a new cover & book trailer!

I'm excited to show everyone my new book cover. The Wild Rose Press really did a great job finding the right pics for this story. I'm very impressed!


~~~
Is she the goddess Artemis?

Phoebe Alphius, daughter of the governor of Turkey, was told at the tender age of ten that she was the goddess Artemis, reincarnated. Yes, she has the silver-blonde hair of the goddess, and she has the bold personality and hunts better than any of her brothers. Does that mean she is Artemis? All these years people have treated her different, and she’s tired of it. She wants a normal life. She wants to find love. But just as Artemis, she’s going to die a virgin. Unless she dresses as her maid and sneaks out of the palace and ventures into the marketplace...

Captain Barrington Winston, Marquis of Cantbury, knows Turkey will be the last country he visits to do his trading before returning to England to his dying father. But when a beautiful servant girl catches his eye, he’s drawn to her. He doesn’t understand why, but he enjoys the way his loins heat up whenever she touches him. He must have this woman before he leaves...or forever. Whatever it takes.
~~~

I also have a book trailer for this. It's PERFECT! Check it out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkWQZMw_OUQ

~~Phyllis~~

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Announcing a Blog Train - chance to win 16 Books


Get Your Ticket for the Blog Train Excursion
Want to win a 'virtual' basket of books? Who wouldn't want SIXTEEN of the best ebooks available. All you need to do is to visit Ginger Simpson's blog for the start of the Blog Train Excursion on Monday, September 8th.

The contest will actually be a blog scavenger hunt. You'll link from site to site and find hidden words to put together and form a famous quote. Make sure to mark your calendar and come join in the fun. If this turns out well, Ginger will do it again next month as she already have a list of authors wanting to participate.

And the best yet is that I'm one of the featured authors on this scavenger hunt. Yep, I get to bring up the caboose. LOL.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

First Week Blues

This is the middle of my first week back at school. I'm exhausted, but at the same time exilerated. School is such a pivotal point for so many.

Turning points in my life revolve around school. Think about it. First there's kindegarten and that very, very first day. The nerves, the stomach aches, recess, storytime, and naptime. Why don't they have naptime in the older grades? But going to school marked the beginning of independence from our parents.

Junior high marked the start of "going together." The first time we took a look at the opposite sex and didn't think they were gross. In my day, the big thing was to trade ID bracelets. When that happened, you were seriously going together. Of course, in most cases, it didn't last past a week but still... We also started taking a keener interest in fashion and make-up and girly-girl stuff.

High School, the part of our lives that most of us would never ever want to repeat and yet, it's the part of my school career I remember most; the bad and the good. I enjoyed a bit of rebellion, though for the most part, I was pretty tame as a teen. I learned to perform before large groups, I volunteered time at the hospital and I excelled in school. But I failed miserably at relationships as I was too shy to attract the attentions of a boyfriend. Probably for the best. I think I could have easily fallen in the category of "follower" and could have been led astray by the right guy. Ah, the follies of youth.

College marked another turning point as I moved out of the house and came into my own. Met my first DH and earned a degree. But I didn't "find" myself until I returned to college three years after earning my first degree to get certified to teach.

Now, each year begins in August for me and not January because time is marked by the school calendar. I look at each new face and wonder what trial they will face, what challenges and successes. Life is ever evolving.

Even for those that don't teach, their lives are ruled by the school calendar if they have school=age children. And again, pivotal moments revolve around school as they watch their children grow and mature. Gotta love the cycle of life.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Scared crapless!

About a month ago, a writing group out of Utah asked me if I'd like to give a workshop at their big conference Sept. 12 & 13. My hotel stay would be paid for (even though it's only a 30 minute drive!), my meals, and the registration fee. I couldn't pass this up! BUT...my workshop had to be on research since I'm a historical author. (biting nails) I don't know why, but I'm scared crapless! I don't know what to talk about. I don't know what kind of handouts to get for them. And my workshop has to be 50 minutes long. AUGH!!

What's really worrying me is the agent I'd like an appointment with. I checked out her website, and she is looking for historical ROMANCE authors! OMG! This could be my lucky break! But...what if she comes to my workshop and thinks I suck? That is not a good image to have. I'm only given ten minutes to pitch to this agent, and I have three stories I could pitch, too! "Excuse me, agent, but can we meet for drinks later tonight and talk?" LOL

So the weeks are counting down, and here I sit biting my nails and getting an ulcer because I really don't know how to go about talking research. My workshop is titled "Digging Up The Past".

Any suggestions are appreciated!!

~Phyllis~

Friday, August 22, 2008

Review for Tides of Maryna's Love



I just had to drop in and brag! I received my first review for Tides of Maryna's Love! I'm so thrilled with it. See this morning started out completely sucking and then I find this email with the review link and it brightened my day.

Here are some snippets from what Orange Blossom from Long and Short Reviews had to say:

" If you enjoy classic television from the likes of Bewitched, then this is the tale for you..."

"With all the dark paranormal romantic fiction out there today, I found this lighthearted and sweetly written book refreshing..."

"I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was a complete delight and just perfect for these late summer afternoons."

To read the review in its entireity pleas head over to Long and Short Reviews

Have a great weekend!
Hugz
Donica

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Managing Time?

(Disclaimer, I confess to posting this on another blog also, but still, it really makes me think)

I always complain during the school year that I have no time, but I have come to realize that maybe that's not true. I manage my time better during the school year and get more accomplished than when I have the time I crave. Ya, I feel like I've piddled this summer away.

Egads, I start back to regular work in a week and a half. OMG, have I accomplished what I wanted. Well - no. I accomplished more than I give myself credit for but still. I think when you have more time, you tend to procrastinate more. When you have a full schedule, there's no room for internet solitaire, lunch with buddies or watching TV.

Okay, so what did I accomplish while off for the summer:

1. 9 days in Paris (that was a biggy and food for all sorts of plot ideas)
2. 25,000 words on my sequel to Celestial Dragon (my goal was to finish it. I'm at 35,000 words now with about 35,000 more to write. I don't see it getting finished by the time I return to work)
3. 60,000 words of rewrites on the Viking Time Travel (it was already completely written at 100,000. It just needs a LOT of work)
4. Queried the Viking TT - I'll let you know in about 2 weeks if it's a go or if I have to shop it around.
5. Edited about 10 stories for the community magazine and wrote 3.
6. Painted 15 megaphones with tigers
7. Attended a day conference for school
8. worked about 80 hours on a project for school.

So maybe I did more than I thought but still, for every hour I worked, I piddled away twice that many or I'd have finished that sci-fi by now. Drats!

Anyone else procrastinate when you have more time to kill?

Monday, August 04, 2008

Back from vacation--sort of

Hi everyone! Well, my intention was to come in and tell you what a wonderful vacation I had. I’d been looking forward to this all year. And it was an amazing week. Truly. We spent the days swimming, ATVing and hiking, the nights on night drives hunting for animals to try and take pictures of.

My updates will be a little off for a while. During the trip, Friday (almost the end of our vacation) my dad, my best friend, her son and I headed off for one of our three hour ATV rides. We were headed down a steep grade into a washed out creek bed.

I remember stopping long enough to look at the grade and find the best way to cross the bank—then things went black and then I was sitting on the ground next to my father in more pain than I’ve ever known in my life—and I’ve had two kids!

I can’t remember the accident no matter how hard I try. My best friend and my father have tried to fill in the blanks for me but nothing registers. I do remember them saying “I thought she was dead.”

So, here is what happened, to the best of my knowledge:

My best friend saw me do two things she’d never EVER seen me do before: fail to counter balance and stick out my leg. Counter balance is just what it sounds like, you’re going on a slope you lean away from the middle, the sloped side, to give your bike/ATV a counter weight. As to sticking out the leg, that’s an absolute no-no no matter if you’re riding an ATV or a motorcycle. You’re foot can get crushed if the bike flips on it’s side.

Anyway we figured out that my shoe/foot either got hung on an uproot or the strap got caught in the brake, so I pulled out my leg to try and free my foot. By focusing on this I must’ve been distracted from the fact I needed to counter balance.

The ATV went down forward first, I was thrown into the side mirror. Then I flipped off the back and side of the bike when the creek bank crumbled under the tire. I hit the rocks, bounced upward, but had been knocked out because I collapsed just before the bike slid down the embankment. The back in crashed down by my head so close the tire ended up on my hat.

My head was between the back tires. Because my hat had been pinned on the underside and the way the bike came crashing down, AND because of where my head had been just seconds before, my friend and my dad were sure I’d been killed by 600 pounds of heavy metal.

Where we were, there was no way of a rescue squad getting in to me. There was no way a truck, even a 4 wheel drive, could get down there. The trees were too tall, so the helicopter was out. (I have special insurance that covers rescue choppers—I’m a die hard rider :D)

I do remember my best friend asking how they were going to get me out. My dad said “She’s going to have to ride out.” K’s face was so funny, kind of a mask that seemed to say “Have you lost your freakin’ mind?!?!?!”

There was also a suggestion of leaving one of the bikes down there and someone coming back for it. My father discounted this; there really was no one else. My grandfather is as tough as most anyone I know, but he couldn’t have made that ride.

So I rode the ATV out. We were only halfway through the ride but I was told it still took us almost three hours. They had to stop occasionally for me to rest. The ride out is a massive blur. I do remember some things, but for the most part…well, not so much. We reached one point and my dad said we would be reachable by first response or a rescue squad and he asked if I wanted one—apparently I said no. Again, don’t remember this conversation.

We got to my grandparents house, Granny was a little freaked. K went down to my trailer to swap out an ATV for my truck then we loaded me into the truck and made the hour drive to the nearest hospital.

I was immediately taken in, x-rayed and the staff was stunned to find I hadn’t broken a single bone. They put a temporary cast on my foot because the muscles, ligaments and tissues were pretty mangled. My shoulder felt dislocated, but it was only severe muscle bruising.

On Saturday, I came hobbling out of the trailer and was riding the ATV around again. I was afraid I would be too scared to ride again and I felt I had to get on again. There were some patches I did indeed panic but I’m sure that will fade in time.

Then I got my hillbilly shower andf it felt wonderful. What’s a hillbilly shower? Well, take a garden hose and…I hear you laughing but honestly, it works! I got up, put on a swimsuit and pair of shorts, wrapped a garbage bag around my cast and secured it with duct tape—yes, it does fix anything! Then after wetting down with the hose, simply scrub up. After I finished soaping up, my best friend riunsed me off then washed my hair. I accomplished two tasks: cleaned my body AND washed my clothes, LOL. She also took tons of pictures of my heavily bruised body.

I ended up staying alone that night while my best friend, my dad and her little boy went on the night drive together. But, my grandparents came down to visit with me for a few minutes. They wanted to see for themselves I was all right.

Sunday morning I woke up and found I couldn’t move. Not an inch without excruciating pain. I hurt in places I didn’t know I had, or at least hadn’t seen in a LONG while. Sunday was the day we were supposed to pack up and load most of our stuff. Because I couldn’t move even if the place was on fire, my best friend did it all, with the help of her son. (Nick is an amazing kid! Not only did he insist on going to the hospital with us to make sure I was really all right, he helped wait on me. Whatever I needed he more than willingly got for me!)

Monday we did the final load and headed for home. I was absolutely miserable the entire drive. We stopped at Mammoth Springs park—if your ever in that area don’t miss this place! It’s AMAZING! I missed the walk around the dam this time around, but take my word for it, you won’t regret stopping by there.

But by the time we got home all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die.

It’s been over a week now. My foot is still massively swollen and the pain gets to be almost unbearable at times. My arm still doesn’t function the way it’s supposed to, but it is getting better.

Friday I went from the orthopedist to the Wal-Mart super center for grocery shopping. Came home in tons of pain. Saturday mom came and got me. We went to Wal-Mart with my Daughter in law and my little punkin face Alyx. Came back in tons of pain. Sunday my daughter drove us to church—16 + learners permit = Mom’s heart attack. We made it in one piece. My brother and his wife and their sons arrived and after services we all went out to eat, then DD drove us home to change and over to mom’s to visit for a while. Then she asked if we could go to, ready? Wait for it…steady…Wal-Mart. It was tax free weekend and she wanted to get some clothes and school supplies. I couldn’t go shopping again if I had to. So she and my brother went.

I even jumped on the back of the ATV yesterday and rode up my street. This was a big mistake. Today I’m sore and my shoulder is cursing me again. I’ll learn, eventually. Maybe. I do have to start taking it easy, letting my body heal and that sort of thing. Today is the day I’m going to do absolutely nothing. Again, maybe.

I am glad the accident happened at the end of the vacation. I’d have been so miserable the entire week! Plus, because of the accident my dad took K and Nick on the night drives and they got to see a wild boar and several deer as opposed to the dozens of bats and one rattlesnake we saw the entire week until that point.

And that’s how I spent my summer vacation. Fun, huh? Well, now that you know where I’ve been youi’ll understand when I say, I wont’ be updating for a while. I’m going to give my arm and leg rest time. If I stay still I’ll recover quicker, I just wanted to let you all know why I haven’t been on before now.

See you all in a few days!
Hugz
Donica

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Montematre



Wow, it's been almost three weeks since I returned from Paris. And like always, being there feels surreal, like a dream. Before I forget it all, though, I thought I'd post about our last real day in Paris. Sunday we decided to head for Montematre, a tall hill near the north center of Paris. The view was wonderful, btw. We took the funiculaire, a moterized pod from the bottom to the top, otherwise we would have had to walk a ton of stairs. We still had to walk stairs to reach the church. The church or Basilique du Sacre Coeur (Church of the Sacred Heart) was beautiful and everyone was very respectfully quiet inside. Afterwards, we went to Salvidor Dali's museum. It was expensive for the the amount of work we saw but I still enjoyed it as I'm a huge Dali fan. The museum housed lesser known works and a lot of his sculptures. Next, we found a wonderful restaurant tucked away under the hill and learned to drink lemonade with fitz (kinda like carbonating our drinks but oh, so much better.)A trip down the Seine finished off the day.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

unscheduled day in Paris

Friday morning and afternoon was an unsheduled day and my mom, daughter and I decided we had gained enough experience using the subway system that we could navigate Paris on our own without following the large group about. I also confused this day with our day at Chenonceau and Chambord as we actually did this day before that one. Oh well. We still had fun.
So, the first thing we did was walk/subway to the Eiffel tower. It opened at 9:00AM and we got there about 9:30 which was great timing. The lines were just forming so we only had about a 15 minute wait. We elected to go to just the second level. Tickets for the very top were a bit steep and Casey and I are both wusses when it comes to heights. And the second level was perfect. We had a great view of Paris from there. After the Eiffel tower we headed for the Musée D'Orsay and the Musée D'Orange. Both were incredible. Musée D'Orsay housed impressionism and post-impressionism so we saw work by Seurat, Monet, Renoir, Degas and others. As it was lunch time, we found a cafe on the top floor that had great food. We then went outside on the terrace that was on the 6th floor and had another great view of Paris. The Musée D'Orange houses Monet's large waterlily paintings.

After this, we decided to visit the Petit Palais which had no admission charge. Wow! I fell in love with the architecture and courtyard. It housed as much artwork as some of the art museums we'd paid good money for.

By this time we were exhausted so we decided to head back to the hotel before having to meet our group for dinner. But, by the time we missed out bus stop and backtracked, we really didn't have time to rest as we'd hoped. We had a wonderful dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, so my daughter was very happy.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

My favorite day in Paris - Chateau hopping


This was a special day. For a little extra, the tour took us to two chateaus, Chenonceau and Chambord. I loved them both but I think of the two, Chambord was my fave. The first picture is one of Chenonceau. The bus took us to Chenonceau first which is close to Tours, France, and west of Paris. The two-hour drive was very pretty and we saw a variety of countryside. Certain parts reminded me of the drive through West Texas through Amarillo. My German neighbors are so funny. They were very insistent that France has no castles. Yep, they're called chateaus but they sure look like castles to me. Both buildings were massive and the grounds beautifully sculpted.




Though a bit dark these pictures are of the kitchen. Yep, I took lots of the kitchen but what can I say. I was snapping them from a writer's perspective. Notice the fancy pulley system they had for turning the spit. There was a weight hanging outside the window to keep it in place.

Next we went to Chambord. After a wonderful lunch at Chenonceau of course. Chambord had this stairway that was a double helix. Fascinating. And almost all of these buildings had either painted ceilings or vaulted ceilings. I'm even going to include a photo of the "hunting" room with the largest deer blind I've ever seen.


Monday, July 07, 2008

A day at Versailles and Monet's Home

Day three was perhaps one of my favorite days. We started out with a bus trip to Monet's house in Giverny. The weather was simply gorgeous and the scenery en route, a treat for the eye. Giverny, itself, is a very quaint village hidden among tall, lush trees. I spent more time snapping pictures of Monet's garden than I did of his house.




After taking in the sights and getting lost trying to find the parking lot with our bus, we headed for Versailles. Located west of Paris, the estate of the late King Louis XIV is quite impressive. Called the Chateau of Versailles, it's more like a castle. I can't begin to tell you how large this area is. The chateau is a wonderful example of French architecture while the grounds remain beautifully sculpted.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Day Two in Paris


We woke up early and ready to get start on our sight-seeing adventure. Nabila, our guide, told us that breakfast would be at 7:15, but we were in the lobby and ready to eat at 7:00 AM. The hostess for the dining area waved us away, communicating in sign language that she wouldn't be ready to serve until 7:15. Not even coffee! So, we waited and she came and got us when she was ready.




The morning was spent on a bus, sight-seeing. He drove us everywhere and let us get out to take pictures now and then. My daughter, was sick the entire trip which made it hard to enjoy everything, but she was a real trooper and never complained. One of the places we stopped was Notre Dame and oh my, the architecture is simply wonderful.

I'm posting some of the pictures I took on our walking tour including the one of the ambulence strike. Yep, the first day was the taxi strike but this day was the ambulence drivers's day to strike. That evening we ate at a greek restaurant and it was very tasty. We got back to the hotel around 9:00 PM and crashed.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Once Jilted is now in PRINT!

Once Jilted is now available in print version. Whoop! Not only that, but I also saw where two more of my westerns are available in print. I'm so thrilled!

Blurb:

How many times will an orphan be cast aside before someone offers love?

Shauna Joyce has three weeks to find a husband or face watching a special little girl fall into the hands of loveless parents. An orphan herself, she knows the heartache of growing up without love. Armed with a need greater than her own, she finds a likely candidate in bridge-builder, Kane McKenna.

Kane McKenna has one goal; to finish the bridge he’s erecting so he can earn the capital needed to start a business of his own. A wife and child would drain his finances, so when Shauna Joyce proposes marriage, he balks at the idea. Will her determination be enough to build the bridge of trust needed to make him trade one dream for another?

Excerpt:

“You plan to have the babe out of wedlock?” Kane scratched his head.

She looked skyward and gritted her teeth. Was the man dense? “Can you stop walking? It’s hard to talk to you at this pace.”

He slowed but continued to walk. “Daylight’s a wasting and I’ve got a deadline.”
“Will you at least let me explain so you can stop the rumors?”

Her foot caught a gopher hole, and she tripped, falling headlong onto the hard ground. She cried out when her elbow kissed the ground.

“Goodness, you’re a walking calamity. First pickles and now, a sprawl in the grass. You wouldn’t perchance be related to me Aunt Nell?”

She groaned and rolled to her knees. Every joint ached. Twigs and grass stuck to her dress, and she brushed them away with sore hands. She moaned at the pain and glared at her scraped skin.

“Are you hurt?”

Now he asked. She shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

He grabbed her elbow none too gently and helped her stand. She tested her foot and found herself uninjured. Praise be. An injury would have complicated matters more. “Thank you, Mr. McKenna.”

“You’re welcome. Now, if you doon’t mind, I’d like to be gettin’ back to me work.”

“But . . .”

“Miss Joyce, do you see that armature?” He pointed a finger at the structure. “That’s a mighty important bridge to folks around here. Can you tell me in all honesty that your quest for a hoosband be as important as the building of that bridge?”

She swallowed hard and frowned, thinking of Sarabeth. “For one person, it’s even more important.”

He frowned. “To be sure, and I can sympathize with your plight. Unwed and pregnant must weigh heavy on your mind, but alas, I can noot help you, nor can any of me men. Good day, Miss Joyce.”

She stomped her sore foot and grimaced. “For the last time, I am not expecting!”
Her shout brought the attentions of his workers. Seventeen sets of eyes peered down at her, and the heat rose to her cheeks.

“Now see what you’ve done. You’ve distracted them froom their work again. At this rate, it’ll take me five years to have this bridge completed.”

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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My first day in Paris!

Well, it's been a week since I've returned from Paris, France, and it took me that week to recover and feel like my old self again. Ten hour flights are no fun, but I did catch up on every movie I hadn't seen. After we arrived, it took us almost two hours to get to the hotel (okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit) because the taxi drivers were all on strike and their idea of striking was to form a wall in front of cars on the freeway/highway and travel about 20 miles an hour. It was fun to watch the police force in action, though.

We stayed at the Adagio which was an interesting experience. Everything in Paris is small with regards to room. The lobby was very small compared to our hotels. The room was a nice size but the bathrooms were small. We slept on a Murphy bed which we figured out in due course. We found bedding and pillows in the closet but no sheets. The bedding was some sort of comforter and I couldn't figure out if it went on top or we slept under it. The mattress was very hard. I slept under it because it was cold but then it made me sweat so we figured it was meant to be slept on top of. Of course, silly me just assumed it was the Parisian way to sleep without covers. Thank goodness my daughter and I brought blankets for the plane ride. We found out much later (like after we came home) that the missing sheets were just an oversight. Oh well.

After checking in, we found a place to eat lunch, then took a short walking tour of the surrounding area. It's hard to see, but this is a view of the small cafe we found. Every inch of space in eating establishments is used so it's a bit cramped, but it was tasty so no complaints.We were with a group of folks, one of those package deals. We booked the tour through Passports and I must say, I was very impressed. Our tour guide, Nabila, did an awesome job. We didn't have a lot of time before our main first meal and my daughter wasn't feeling well, so I had my first Paris shopping experience. They don't have Wally World or Super Stores. You buy food at a Market and medicine at the Pharmacy.

I'll post more later. I want to document the trip one day at a time.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Come on down!

Or over. Tides of Maryna's Love is releasing tomorrow, July 1 and I'm having a small bash to celebrate.

Hop over to my blog for the first round of fun! See you there!

Hugz!
Donica

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Paris was amazing

My daughter and I were smiling big as we started our journey. After ten hours on the plane we were still smiling but not quite as broadly. LOL. We arrived about 10:00 AM Paris time so we dropped off our bags and headed out to see our first glimpse of Paris.

The architecture is absolutely amazing, but they have a law or city ordinance that doesn't allow new construction to exceed a certain height because they don't want the tall skyscrapers to dwarf the older buildings. While the buildings aren't much taller than 8 stories, the city itself is very compact, to the point of feeling crowded. Space is at a premium and all the rooms and stores are quite small. They pack a lot into each space.



Parking is almost nonexistent so everyone rides bikes, mororcycles or they walk and walk we did. Everywhere. They have an amazing subway system but even so you have to walk down lots of stairs to make the connection you want. Needless to say, I came home well toned.



We saw so much that I'm on visual overload, but my two favorite areas was Monet's home and water gardens and Chambord Chateaux.



Oh and the Reims Cathedral was breathtaking. The heighth was astounding, but the solemn atmosphere was spiritually uplifting.