Reading Challenge Update: August

August 5, 2016 | Amy

I can’t believe it’s already August! It seems like every year goes by faster and faster. I would love to tell you how much I’ve gotten to read in the past month, but it wouldn’t be the truth. I’ve bought a lot of books these past four weeks, but I haven’t gotten around to reading any of them.

Yes, that’s right. I haven’t read a book in the last month. Yikes! Maybe because I’ve spent the last few weeks editing and traveling. But more on that later.

reading challenge

I did get a book started. My #3: a book I’ve read before, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I devoured this book years ago and I’m currently obsessed with the Starz series. My plan is to re-read the first book, read the second book as my #9 (Yes, I started Dragonfly in Amber, but never finished it. Long story. Maybe I’ll write a blog post about it. Hmmm…). And then read the third in the series before the third season of Outlander starts. Since these books are incredibly long, I’d better get busy! After all, I still have the reading challenge to finish!

What about you? How are you doing on the reading challenge? Remember the goal isn’t the number of books that you read, but reading with a new effort, a different goal in mind.

Can’t remember the types of books on the list? Here’s a refresher:

1o book reading challenge

A book recommended by a book seller or librarian
A book published in a different decade
A book you’ve already read before
A book you should have read in school
A book that has been banned before
A book from a genre you don’t normally read
A book that intimidates you
A book you’ve been meaning to read for a while
A book you quit reading once before
A book published before you were born
A book recommended by someone close to you
A book published this year
A book about another century
A book you’ve never heard of before
A book recommended by amazon/internet/cyber friend

And as always, Happy Reading!

Amy

I’m blogging…Amish

July 15, 2016June 24, 2016 | Amy

blogging Amish

Loving a Lawman is here!

July 8, 2016June 24, 2016 | Amy

At last…

Can you hear Etta James sing? I can! At last Loving a Lawman is on the bookstore shelves! This book was a long time coming and I’m so excited to be able to share it with you.

Sheriff Seth Langston is head over heels for local wild child Jessie McAllen and has been for years. The trouble is she has eyes only for Seth’s rodeo star brother, Chase. Even though he considers Jessie his girl, Chase is an incorrigible ladies’ man with a wandering eye and no chance of settling down soon.

Jessie is ready to move away from Cattle Creek to put her feelings for Chase behind her, but after she shares a white-hot kiss with Seth, things get a little complicated. Jessie realizes her heart should have been his all along. And in the face of sudden tragedy, they’ll discover if their newfound passion will tear the Langston men apart or make the family stronger than ever. . . .

Here’s a tiny peek at Loving a Lawman.

Jessie sat at the end of the building farthest from the door. Her breathing had returned to normal and her head was down as she contemplated only heaven knew what. Her hands were braced her on her knees, and her hat was pulled low over her eyes.

Seth didn’t need to see them. He knew what color they were, had memorized it long ago—storm-cloud gray and just as dangerous, with dark rings around their irises that made them look twice as big as they really were and sooty lashes that should have belonged to a brunette.

“Jessie?” he said softly. It was the voice he used when talking to frightened mares and skittish colts and red-haired angels who had fallen from grace.

She didn’t look up, just raised her arms out in front of her, wrists lax, hands dangling, anger spent. “I’ll go peacefully. Just get it over with, Seth. Handcuff me and take me to jail.”

Handcuff her.

Now, there was an image Seth could’ve lived without.

He swallowed hard.

Despite his brother’s tomcat morals, and the fact that he didn’t deserve . . .

Well, despite everything that Chase didn’t deserve, including the sassy redhead, Jessie was Chase’s girl. Always had been. Always would be.

“I just want to talk to you about what happened tonight.”

She dropped her hands back to her lap and shrugged. But he still couldn’t see her face, couldn’t read what was going on inside that pretty little head of hers.

Uh-hum . . . did he say pretty? He’d meant . . . well, he’d meant something else, that was all.

Barbie, Oh, Barbie

July 1, 2016June 23, 2016 | Amy

Stacey and I were recently talking on the phone, an everyday occurrence, and as usual, we had gotten off subject and somehow on the topic of Barbie.

Barbie_Logo blog

Now, I should stop here and tell you that Stacey and I had very different upbringings. I grew up in the sticks. The. Sticks. There weren’t any neighborhood kids to play with. Uh, there wasn’t even a neighborhood. As the youngest (at the time) of three, I was most likely to be picked on and I learned to play by myself fast. My older sister is six years older than I am so by the time I reached the Barbie age she had outgrown it. So I inherited her Barbie as well. I cut her hair into a chin-length bob so I could tell them apart–the Barbie’s, not my sister’s.

Stacey grew up as an only child. Like with me and my youngest sister, there is big gap between her age and that of her older sister. But Stacey grew up in a neighborhood. And during this call, she’s telling me about how the main goal at these playdates was to call dibs on naming her Barbie first.

Huh?

You named your Barbie? Why did you name your Barbie? I ask. Barbie already has a name…Barbie.

At this point Stacey is laughing her head off. Of course she had to name her Barbie when playing Barbies with the rest of the neighborhood girls. Otherwise they would have all had the same name.

I fess up that I did name my short-haired Barbie, Serena, after the evil twin of Samantha Stevens on Bewitched. (I couldn’t figure out a way to dye her hair black or I might have done that too!) And she was evil!

So Stacey would play Barbies with her friends–teacher, mother, wife. Is it any wonder that she grew up to be a teacher? (and a mother and a wife?)

I had also had a Ken doll. Just one. He owned a pair of red swim trunks and a tan-colored corduroy blazer. He wore this on his dates with Barbie. And Serena which caused a big riff between the twins. Especially when Barbie caught Ken in bed (a shoebox with one of my daddy’s handkerchiefs inside for bedding) with Serena! (I told you she was evil.)

Is it any wonder I became a romance writer?

But the most fun thing about the conversation was learning how someone else played with their Barbies. Well, that and the fact that Stacey always wanted to use the coveted name of Jessica for her Barbie.

How about you? Did you have a Barbie? One or two? Did you call her Jessica? Did you own Ken? The dream house? The RV? Take a walk down memory lane…what was your favorite way to play with Barbie?

And check this out…18 Surprising Things You <probably> Don’t Know About Barbie https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/18-surprising-things-you-dont-know-about-barbie?utm_term=.wiOMEa6A9#.bn0O52Rbo

And so there’s no confusion, Barbie is a registered trademark of the Mattel Toy Company. :)

Reading Challenge – Update June

June 24, 2016June 23, 2016 | Amy

Hey, everyone!

Just wanted to take a few minutes and see how everyone is doing with their reading challenge. Remember, the main focus is to read outside of your comfort zone (if only a little) and not so much about volume or number of books.

And speaking of volume…I wanted to come on and tell you how many books I’ve managed to read but edits and the like have cut into my reading time this month. I did finish two books–at least two books that I didn’t write. LOL

reading challenge

Every Fifteen Minutes by Lisa Scottoline is a thriller about a psychopath who has targeted a psychiatrist and plans to destroy his life. I count this as my #6, a genre I don’t normally read. I might have just as easily called this my #11 (a book recommended by someone close to you) as Stacey has read almost all of Scottoline’s books, but I’m saving something special for #11. :)

I also managed to read Back in the Game by Lori Wilde. It’s a fun and heartwarming romantic comedy. Yes, I know this is my go-to genre, but I got to meet Lori recently and just adored her! No, I don’t have a place for this one on my challenge list, but that’s okay. Except that now I want to go back read all of her books! And boy, do I have some catching up to do! But if you like sweetly funny, mildly sexy, small town romances, then be sure to check out Lori’s books!

I started reading True Grit by Charles Portis. Yes, this is the book that the movies stemmed from. So far it has been a complete joy–just as the movies are. But I’m not done yet. And of course I have looming deadlines and a very busy working vacation planned so it might be the only book I manage to read this month. It will be my #8 a book I’ve been meaning to read for a while.

How’s your reading going? Has anyone marked a book off their list? Or have you been reading in your comfort zone? Any good book recommendations out there? I’d love to hear what you have to say.

And for those who are late joining the challenge…

1o book reading challenge

A book recommended by a book seller or librarian
A book published in a different decade
A book you’ve already read before
A book you should have read in school
A book that has been banned before
A book from a genre you don’t normally read
A book that intimidates you
A book you’ve been meaning to read for a while
A book you quit reading once before
A book published before you were born
A book recommended by someone close to you
A book published this year
A book about another century
A book you’ve never heard of before
A book recommended by amazon/internet/cyber friend

Pick any ten and start reading! You’ve still got 6 months to geterdone! :)

Happy Reading!

Amy

Vintage vs. Dated

May 27, 2016May 8, 2016 | Amy

I recently read a review of one of my favorite author’s books and the reviewer stated that she wasn’t going to read the previous books (mentioned in the reviewed book) because the author’s older books tended to be dated due to fashion references. Now one of the books in question is my favorite book by the author and I know that the fashion elements are extensive, but does that truly date the work? It was vintage vs dated written in 1991, and the references in the book are accurate for the time.

But all this has made me think. What is the difference between a book written today that takes place in a different time and one that was written during that time? What makes one dated and the other not?

When I first started writing, there were no cell phones. (Yikes!) I would finish a book and start a new project as I shopped the one I had just written. What happened is in my years as an unpublished author, I banked several books that never made it to print until after my first Big Break. Now these books had been written years before and when they got their chance to be a ‘real book’ I had to do things like account for cellphones and make sure I had no references that would render them ‘dated.’ Because that is a big, fat no-no.

I can’t tell you how many times another author has tried to be helpful and suggested that I cut something to keep the book from being dated. But aren’t those just details? Is it possible to take a good story from 1982 and keep it fresh even though the characters have feathered bangs and Jordache jeans? Isn’t it something of a trip down memory lane for those of us, ahem … you who wore Jordache jeans or a glimpse into another time for those who were born after these trends had moved on?

With the rise of amazon.com a great many authors are getting the rights back to their works and republishing after an update. I won’t bore you with all the details about publishing rights and all that, but an author’s backlist can be very important to their current income. But why the need to update?

Is it just part of our society that says ‘old but not really old’ is bad? Where is the line that separates vintage from dated? Antique from needs to go to the trash heap? Or is Vintage just a euphemism for people like me who enjoy the history of objects?

I have a new neighbor in my seventy-year-old neighborhood. He’s remodeling the house—extensively. He’s taking out tile that has been in place for years, original tile just like I have in my own bathrooms. Yes, my tile is not a color that most people use today and I painted and decorated my bathroom around this mosaic tile floor. But it’s got a history. No one puts in tile like that these days. It’s unique and special to me. Dated? Maybe to others.

The world moves so fast these days. Don’t get me wrong. I love the internet and cable TV and having entertainment at my fingertips. But I miss the days of waiting all week to gather around the television with my entire family (Dad included) at 10:30 on a Saturday night to watch the Not Ready for Prime Time Players on Saturday Night Live. It was special. If we wanted to watch it, we had to make time to be together to do so. We talked all week about who was hosting, who was going to be a special guest, and what band would play. Are those shows dated now? So I’ve heard, but I still laugh as hard at the Coneheads, Todd and Lisa, and the Samurai skits.

So if you are poking around and see that your favorite author may have written something a while back, give it a try. It might be considered dated. Or it might be a gem. You might just find a diamond and you know what they say. Diamonds are forever.

What do you say? Where do dated and vintage part ways? I’d love to hear from you!

Reading Challenge: Update May

May 20, 2016May 5, 2016 | Amy

Hey readers! Just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing with the reading challenge. I got under the weather earlier this month (actually it crushed me beneath the heel of its boot but that’s another story) and spent more time reading than normal. That’s not to say that I checked a great many books of my list.

reading challenge Here’s what I read:

The Amish Market by Vannetta Chapman, Kathleen Fuller, Amy Clipston, and Kelly Irvin

Second Chance at the Sugar Shack by Candis Terry

The Second Sister by Marie Bostwick

Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

The Great Escape by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie

I finished reading 50 Ways to Ruin a Rake. Loved it! If you like steamy, historical romance, this is a great read. And so goes #13 on my list. I can also check off #10 A Book published before I was born (4:50 from Paddington).

How are you doing with your challenge? Read any good books lately?

1o book reading challenge

A book recommended by a book seller or librarian
A book published in a different decade
A book you’ve already read before
A book you should have read in school
A book that has been banned before
A book from a genre you don’t normally read
A book that intimidates you
A book you’ve been meaning to read for a while
A book you quit reading once before
A book published before you were born
A book recommended by someone close to you
A book published this year
A book about another century
A book you’ve never heard of before
A book recommended by amazon/internet/cyber friend

Happy Friday the 13th

May 13, 2016January 11, 2017 | Amy

giveaway-closed

Happy Bad Luck Day! Isn’t that what Friday the 13th is?

Well, not for everybody. Do you know why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky? I did a little research and here’s what I discovered.

friday 13 The number 13 has been considered unlucky since before Jesus walked the earth. But a few things pushed it beyond that gentle superstition.

Some historians have claimed it was the day Eve bit the apple, the great flood began and possibly when the Tower of Babel was started.

In the New Testament there were 13 people present for Jesus’s last super which took place on the day before Christ’s crucifixion, Good Friday.

Chaucer made reference to the unluckiness of the day in the Canterbury Tales stating that it was bad luck to start a journey or a project on a Friday.

On Friday October 13, 1307, Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar and systematically slaughtered them.

Twelve is the number of completion leaving 13 on the outskirts. There are 12 months of the year, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 hours of the clock, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles of Jesus, just to name a few.

There seems to be no solid reason why Friday the 13th is unlucky and yet there is a name for the fear of the day: paraskevidekatriaphobia – from the Greek words paraskeví meaning ‘Friday’, and dekatreís meaning ‘thirteen’. The fear of the number 13 itself is called triskaidekaphobia.

I for one sort of like the number 13. Two of my favorite people have birthdays on the 13th. Alfred Hitchcock was born on Friday the 13th and he’s cool, don’t ya think? A baker’s dozen is definitely better than a regular dozen. After all, 13 donuts are better than 12 right? Well, maybe not to my waistline!

But if you are still leery. watch out for ladders, black cats, and Greeks bearing gifts and somehow manage to have a fabulous day!

So what do you say? Friday the 13th…lucky or unlucky?

Leave a comment and get entered into a drawing to win one of 3 copies of my latest Guideposts Amish mystery, Shoo Fly, Shoo. (FYI: this is book 12 of the Sugarcreek Amish Mystery Series.)