Happy Monday!  Monday is probably the least popular day of the week for most people, but for me, it’s an opportunity to get started on my to-do list for the week.  I’ve mentioned it before, but if that list isn’t plastered to my face, I tend to wander around aimlessly like Dory in Finding Nemo.

Last week hubby and I celebrated our anniversary and his birthday, which is one day before – no way he can forget it, right?  Anyhoo, we went out with friends Saturday night to a local Greek restaurant.  It’s one we frequented several years ago, but then it closed.  Luckily, six years later, it reopened in a new location, and I couldn’t wait to dig into the tzatziki sauce (which I’ve tried to duplicate, with one epic fail after another) and the oozy honey goodness that is baklava again.  Good food and great friends – a fun night for everyone.

I finished the second season of You on Netflix.  It was just as good as the first season – even darker, but completely addictive.  It takes a talented writer to make you loathe nearly everything Joe has done (killing numerous people in his quest for love), and yet somehow you still want him to get his happily ever after.

It’s time for another excerpt from Subject A36!  Last week the ebook preorder wasn’t available, but it’s live now HERE.  To set up the teaser, Asher and Brynn practically grew up together, but their friendship evolved into a romantic relationship in their early teens.  Their relationship was fun to write because they challenge each other, are competitive to a fault, enjoy witty banter, and share an unusually deep bond.  In this scene, they’re considering adding a new member to their team of Insurgents and are observing him while he trains.

The way the other female recruits, and some of the males, looked at Declan made me wonder if he’d be a distraction in the field.  He was a few inches shorter than me, had a muscular build, startling blue eyes, and dark, wavy hair.

My gaze slid in Brynn’s direction to gauge her reaction.  “Well?”

Brynn considered Declan, tracking his movements about the training course.  “He’s a pretty boy, but he’s got the skill set.”

I grinned.  “Prettier than me?”

Brynn stood on her tiptoes, nuzzled my neck, and then whispered in my ear.  “No one’s prettier than you.”

And then I was distracted.  Focus, Ash.   

Once again, I’m playing catchup on blogs and comments.  Actually, I’m not sure I ever caught up after Bad Moon Rising.  Anyhoo, it was for a good reason.  Hubby and I took a long weekend and traveled to Marathon, FL and Key West!  The weather was perfect – and if you knew our history with weather and vacations is a miracle in itself (hurricane during a cruise, a week in Hawaii with temps in the 40s).

We stayed in a new resort in Marathon (it was gorgeous), then drove down to Key West on for the afternoon on Monday.  With it being a weekday, it wasn’t too crowded, and only one cruise ship was docked.  Yes, we took a pic at the southernmost tip of the US.  Gorgeous views of the ocean.  I don’t have the words to describe the many shades of blues and greens.  Just look at that gorgeous sunset in the first pic.  The second is a little blurry, but you can barely make out the boats in the marina decorated with Christmas lights.  The third is the view from our hotel room the one night we spent in Miami before flying out.

Yes, I also did some reading – finished one book and only have 100 pages or so on another.  And remember when I said the weather was perfect?  It was also a little humid, and I forgot to pack my hair defrizzer.  This is live footage of how I looked at the beach for most of the trip.

This will be my last post of the year.  We’ll have both boys home for a few days, so I’m excited about that.  The youngest will be traveling to Dallas with his university’s marching band for a bowl game, so we’ve had to make some schedule accomodations, but the four of us will be seeing The Rise of Skywalker on Christmas Eve and then having dinner with friends who are really more like family.  Wishing all of you peaceful holidays spent with family and friends!

I’m taking next week off from blogging, so this will be my last post until after Thanksgiving.

NaNo – not going so well.  I blame inadequate preparation on my part.  Hitting 50K was never doable, but I wanted to at least get some words in every day.  As it stands, I’ve got just a tad over 9K – so that’s something.  I’ll have some time over the next week to devote to it, so hopefully that number increases substantially.  Couldn’t they have chosen another month for NaNo – preferably one without a holiday?

The good news is that even though it doesn’t release until February 13th, I already have ARCs of Subject A36.  Be looking for a giveaway the week after Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and if you’re doing NaNo – wishing you all the words!

This past Friday and Saturday, I attended Heartland Book Festival in Elizabethtown, KY.  With it being the first year for this festival, there were a few hiccups here and there, but that’s to be expected with new events.  Friday was kids day, and I spoke to hoards of them.  Some were only there for the “free stuff” – their words.  But some were devoted readers and genuinely interested in hearing about the books.  One young girl about 9 or 10-years-old walking around with a tattered Eoin Colfer book tucked under her arm, eyes wide with excitement, absolutely stole my heart.  I met several other authors, which is always fun, and sat between two YA authors I really enjoyed talking to.  The local Barnes & Noble rep said they’d love to host me next February when my new book releases.  Altogether, it was a tiring weekend, but time well spent.

On the agenda for this week is trying to catch up on some reading (so behind!) and preparing more Bad Moon Rising posts.  It looks like one author won’t be participating, so I’ll have to invite someone to fill the slot.  If you know anyone interested, send them my way.

 

New shows are are starting this week.  I watched the new American Horror Story – a throwback to 80s horror movies – and I loved it.  Counselors working at a summer camp where bad things happened fourteen years ago – you can see where this is headed.  The clothing and hairstyles are spot on, and the soundtrack is fantastic.  I plan to try out a new show tonight, Prodigal Son, because it has a couple actors I like (one an alum of The Walking Dead).  If I get invested, it will probably be canceled.  Story of my life with most shows I like.  Speaking of TWD – October 6th starts a new season – woo-hoo!

Happy Reading and Writing!

I’m back from Penned Con – and once again, behind on blog visits.  I’ll try to get there this week!  This was my second year at Penned Con (I’ve already reserved my table for next year) and it was a blast.  I met and talked with so many passionate readers, sold some books, hung out with fellow authors, and reconnected with some friends.  I was exhausted by the end of both days, but it was so much fun and well worth it.  My tablemate was unable to attend so I was able to spread out.  I really didn’t have enough for a whole table, but the extra room was nice.  The final count at the end of the weekend – over 26K raised for Action for Autism!

This Friday and Saturday, I’ll be attending Heartland Book Festival in Elizabethtown, KY.  This is a new book fest, with Friday being student day.  I love talking to kids about books, so I’m especially looking forward to this.  I’ll let you know next week how it went.

 

The info for Bad Moon Rising was due yesterday, so if you haven’t sent yours in, please get it to me in the next couple of days.  I still have one slot open!

Have a great week!

Vacation was fabulous!  And I’m ready to go back.  Out on the beach by 9 am under the umbrella where I stayed, book in hand, until 5 pm.  Perfection.

Yesterday I attended Victoria Schwab’s book signing at Parnassus Books in Nashville, and it was a full house.  She’s one of my favorite authors, and I’ve often said I’d love to spend a day in her head to see how her mind works.  Marcia, if you’re reading this, I told her you had cats named Rhy and Kell, and she asked why I didn’t have their pics.  But I do have the pic you requested I take with her!

This week, I’ll be leaving on Thursday for Penned Con in St. Louis.  Last year was my first time signing, and it was one of most well-organized book festivals I’ve attended – plus, the organizers donate the majority of the profits to charity.  And the fans!  Folks who have a deep passion for books, and I enjoyed talking with so many of them.  This year’s theme is Going Back to the 80s, and Thursday night is a trivia contest.  Considering I’m a child of the 80s, I’m thinking I might have an advantage.  My Save Ferris shirt is already packed.  It’s going to be an awesome weekend.

During my downtime at Penned Con, I’ll be working on the Bad Moon Rising posts.  I still have one opening for October 31st, and I always like to have extra authors on the backburner.  Seems like every year a couple of authors don’t return their info, so I always have extra slots.  If all the info is returned, I’ll schedule a few posts for the same day to make sure everyone is included.  Tell your friends!

Have a great week!