New Release: Reclaim My Heart - Coming May 20th

Launch day is swiftly approaching. I'm so excited. Watch for:

Reclaim My Heart

Coming soon for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, and in paperback!

I'm working with a fabulous designer on the final details of the cover. The book is being formatted as I type this. May 20th can't arrive fast enough for me.

A wonderful friend, Gaele, owner of I Am, Indeed is putting together a Release Event Blast for me. Readers and Blog Hosts will be eligible for prizes: free backlist books and gift certificates. Blog Hosts are also being offered a free review copy, if they would like one. If you would like to participate in the event, follow the link for all the details and sign up. The more the merrier!

Click here for details and to sign up!

Pandora's New Workout Station

I used one of Pandora's new Workout Stations this morning. My critique:

Billie Jean – perfect warm up

Another One Bites the Dust – a little too slow, but listened anyway

Maniac – walk, walk, walk

U Can't Touch This – perfect beats per minute for walking

Girls Just Want to have Fun – slow down, glute crunch (lol I pity anyone behind me!)

Foot Loose – walk/run/walk, squeeee!

Get Ready For This – great!

Hit Me With You Best Shot – was I singing? LOL

Eye of the Tiger – wasn't ready for a cool-down yet

Your Love – perfect finish

Two quick and easy miles! 80s Cardio is a Pandora Work Station that I know I'll listen to again and again. I enjoyed today's walk very much. Great job, Pandora!

Pulled Pork with Tart Barbecue Sauce

Today I made pulled pork sandwiches with a southern-style vinegar-based barbecue sauce. The result? Scrumptious!

I usually use a tomato-based sauce, but I wanted to try something different. Boy, was this different—deliciously so.

To cook the pork:

4 pound pork butt

1 large sweet onion (Vidalia), chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ cups water

drizzle of olive oil, about a tablespoon (optional)

Place all ingredients into the crock pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until the pork is tender and succulent. Remove the pork from the crock pot and let it cool in a large bowl for a bit. Shred the pork, using two forks. You can discard the cooking liquid, or if you're like me, you can save it, covered in the fridge, and use it in something else later on.

Carolina-style Barbecue Sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (more for an extra spicy result)

The above ingredients completed the recipe I found online, but this sauce was too tart for my palate, so I added:

1 tablespoon Sweet and Sour Marinade

1 tablespoon ketchup

Stir together all ingredients and heat in a pan long enough for the sugar to melt. Pour over pulled pork and serve on your favorite rolls. I used potato rolls. Very delicious!

How To Set Up A Giveaway Using Rafflecopter

I recently read a great article on Indies Unlimited website on how authors can easily set up a book giveaway using Rafflecopter. I'll be trying this soon. This article was posted with permission. 

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Give It Away by BigAl

One of the tools in the promotional arsenal of an author (and also companies, websites, and many other organizations) is a giveaway. People love a chance to win free stuff. Many authors do book giveaways on Goodreads which has some positives (lots of people become aware of your book and add it to their to-be-read list), but some downsides as well. Goodreads only allows paper books to be given away, which has financial implications, not only the cost of the book, but shipping costs that could easily get out of hand if you don’t limit entrants to readers from your home country. By using a 100% off coupon code on Smashwords or emailing an ebook file directly to winners it is possible for an author to do a giveaway of ebooks outside of Goodreads at no cost or, if they prefer, at low cost using their promotional dollars for other prizes (Amazon gift cards or some kind of book swag).

However, not too long ago running a giveaway was full of work and issues. A few years ago, I did a giveaway where someone entered by... read more

I Did It MY WAY

If you squint hard, you can see me dancing up there!

I have crowed, long and loud, about my accomplishments as a traditionally-published author. Loads of sales and foreign translations, along with beautiful shiny medallions and pretty certificates, made it possible for me to call myself a Bestselling, Award-winning Author.

But several years ago, I became an Independent Author who no longer had the backing of a huge publisher. I started doing it all: writing, editing, proofing, cover design, marketing, and promoting…hell, I was hand-selling my books to anyone who looked remotely interested and to many who did not. The journey has definitely been uphill. You know, the one-step-forward-two-steps-back kind of struggle.

However, things seem to be changing. Yesterday was a banner day for me as an Indie Author. One of my books hit the Top 100 Lists of not one but three different stores. Can you see me walking on clouds? Heck, I'm dancing, baby!

Nanny and the Professor reached #53 on the Amazon Kindle Top 100 List. The book made it to #30 on the Barnes & Noble Nook Top 100 List. And Nanny also hit #13 on the iTunes iBook Romance Bestsellers List.

Many of you saw my recent news that Her Fake Romance won the 2013 BigAl's Books & Pals Readers Choice Award for Best Romance.

What does this mean? Well, it means I can once again call myself a Bestselling, Award-winning Author! And I did it my way…without the help of a New York publishing house. I don't mind saying, I am amazed and astounded. And just for the heck of it, I'm posting my award again for everyone to see:

Don't think for a minute that I don't know how this happened. I couldn't have done it without YOU, my loyal readers.

I humbly thank you for sticking with me!

Her Fake Romance Voted Best Romance!

I woke up to the news that Her Fake Romance was voted Best Romance in BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Awards. I want to thank BigAl and his reviewers for the support they offer Indie Authors. I also want to thank everyone who voted for my book. Without the love and support of my readers, my friends, and my family, I just don't know what I would do! I want you to know, I appreciate you more than words can express. ♥

I Am A Red-head

Me, trying out a Snooki do

I found this information floating around the internet. I thought some of the "facts" were neat; however, I have no idea how much, if any, of these statements are true.

Red hair is a genetic mutation.

Red hair is seen on the heads of only 4% of the world's population. Most of these people are located in the UK, Ireland and Australia.

In the US, only 2% of people have red hair.

Redheads have a specific gene called the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), found on the 16th chromosome. This single gene is responsible for red hair. This wasn't discovered until the late 1990's.

Redheads sometimes require up to 20% more anesthesia than people with other hair colors.

Bees are thought to sting redheads more than others.

In ancient Egypt, red hair was seen as so unlucky, red-haired girls were burned alive.

In medieval Europe, the infamous witch-hunting manual, Malleus Maleficarum, instructed that red hair and green eyes were marks of a witch, as were freckles, which redheads tend to have aplenty.

Redheads tend to bleed more, due to slightly different clotting factors, which again is a genetic factor.

Redheads bruise more easily than people with different colored hair.

Common Redhead stereotypes are: bad temper, sexual fire, untrustworthy, being smart, and eccentric.

In Denmark, it is a high honor to have a redheaded child.

The redheaded gene is recessive, so red hair can show up many generations later. It takes both parents carrying the specific gene to produce a redheaded child.

Because of the rare pigment in the hair, it is often more difficult to dye red hair and usually takes longer.

It is said that, while in Poland, if you pass three red-heads you'll win the state lottery.

If a man with dark hair has a red-headed beard (such as Daniel), he is more likely to carry at least one different copy of the red haired gene.

There is a belief that redheads are prone to industrial deafness. This actually could be true as the melanocytes are found in the middle ear.

In the late 16th century, the fat of a redheaded man was an essential ingredient for poison.

There have been studies done to confirm whether or not redheads are more prone to become addicts than those with blond or brunette colored locks. It is thought to be so.

Red haired/blue eyed combinations are said to be one of the rarest combinations. It is usually more common to see a redhead with brown or green eyes than with blue.