Sweet writing, sweet cause

Joselyn Vaughn is a feel-good writer. Read one of her books and be prepared to laugh out loud, have a healthy little worry, and wrap it all up with a happily ever after. Her books are perfect summer reads. Luckily for you, she has a new book, Climbing Heartbreak Hill, coming out just in time for the season. In the strange way of serendipity, Climbing Heartbreak Hill features ex-Boston-marathoner, Ryan Grant. Joselyn is not just a writer. She’s a runner as well.  And when the Boston Marathon bombing hit a month before her release, Joselyn felt it strike a chord.

Let her tell you…

As a runner writing about running and the Boston Marathon, I have to do whatever I can to

Joselyn (on the far right) and friends running for Boston

support those injured at this year’s event. I’ve worn race shirts, I’ve run 4.09 miles, I’ve run 26.2 miles (over a few days) for those who didn’t get to finish the race and I wore yellow and blue for the Boston Athletic Association at the River Bank Run. Now I’m asking you for help. A portion of my proceeds from Climbing Heartbreak Hill will go to the One Fund Boston. Every penny and every step counts. Run on!

There you have it…the perfect package. Buy a sweet book and support a sweet cause. Run, don’t walk, to get your copy now. I am.

Blurb: Professional runner, Ryan Grant, blows out his knee training for another attempt at the Boston marathon and the dreaded Heartbreak Hill. Ryan retreats home, not looking for anything more than a fast recovery, but he finds solace in the arms of his tax preparer, Tara Mansfield.

Tara’s cheerleading career ended abruptly and she faces an upward climb beating the stereotype as dumb blonde in her new calling as an accountant. Framed with defrauding the IRS during the last weeks of the tax season, Tara’s tentative confidence is shaken, but Ryan coaches her in ensnaring the true perpetrator. She cheers him on in discovering his identity as a coach rather than an athlete.

With the help of the junkyard king and a mechanical bull, can Tara and Ryan find the courage to climb Heartbreak Hill together?

Excerpt: Tara didn’t let go of the phone after hearing the dial tone. She wasn’t sure what to do. Should she call the hospital? Minnie, Mark’s aunt? Leslie’s doctor? Leslie seemed awfully calm for a woman going into labor two months early, but she handled crises stoically. If Tara had been in her position, she would have been hysterical. People three blocks away would be able to time her contractions.

“Mark’s on his way. Can I get you anything?”

Leslie’s lips tightened. “If you have an epidural stashed in your desk, I’ll take it straight up. Although if I have another contraction, I’m going to ask you to knock me out with a volume of the tax code.”

Tara squeezed Leslie’s shoulder. The bell on the front door rang, and Tara scurried down the hallway wondering how Mark was able to arrive so quickly. But it wasn’t Mark.

A lanky, sandy haired man on crutches elbowed his way through the door, alternating between pushing the glass door open and inching his crutches forward. He wore a red windbreaker with ‘Lakeshore Track Club’ embroidered on the chest. Clutched between his left hand and the handle of his crutch was a wad of papers. It wasn’t the worst presentation of receipts she’d seen in the last three months, but it would make the top ten.

She experienced a brief wave of déjà vu. A flash of his face laughing in the dark. Had she seen him before somewhere? His physique didn’t match any of the football players she had been in contact with. Surely the strange bend in his nose would stand out enough in her memory. It gave him a reckless air she found appealing.

“Let me help you with that.” She hurried over to the door and kicked the stopper down to hold it open while she relieved him of the fistful of paper. A quick scan of the parking lot told her Mark’s truck hadn’t arrived yet. “Do you have an appointment?”

“Your sign said walk-ins were welcome.” His voice had a pleasant timbre. Tara didn’t miss the once-over he gave her. She was used to those. It was one of the side-effects of having breast implants not written in the tri-fold brochure from the plastic surgeon: every male and one in three females will stare at your chest. At times, Tara wanted to wear a name-tag that said ‘and yes, they are fake’ under her name.

Support Boston, buy it now: 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Heartbreak-Hill-ebook/dp/B00CX20YLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369156247&sr=8-1&keywords=climbing+heartbreak+Hill

Astraea Press: http://astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/category=662245&id=23861577

 

Contact Links:

Email: joselynvaughn@gmail.com

Website: http://joselynvaughn.com

Blog: http://joselynvaughn.wordpress.com

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/joselynvaughn

Twitter: @joselynvaughn

Facebook: http://facebook.com/joselynvaughn

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joselyn-Vaughn/225825554094665?fref=ts

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2907038.Joselyn_Vaughn

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Creativity or Lack Thereof…

Today I’m visiting with Joselyn Vaughn where I discuss my arts-and-crafts gene…or lack thereof.

Stop by and say hello…click here…

Monday Mix-and-Match…The Elusive Dougar

This week the Monday Muse bailed on us…or at least she chose to hit us all in different ways. This week, Chris Allen-Riley, Leigh Jones, Lynn Doezema, and I are mixing and matching. Each of us is writing about something different, so be sure to check it out.

I love to read about cryptids–Bigfoot, Nessie, Chupacabra. After writing about werewolves, of course I had to delve into the Dog Man. I don’t actually believe said critters exist–well, maybe Nessie; I just believe the world would be a far more magical place if they did. That said, the kids and I delight in searching out evidence for cryptids. It’s also a good way to teach your kids the scientific method. The part where the easiest explanation for phenomena is usually the right explanation is always the hardest part for my girls to take.

Along with looking for cryptids, we love to look for wildlife in general. Where we live in Michigan, there are rumors of cougars and bears, although we’ve seen neither. That doesn’t stop us from looking, though.

On weekend afternoon, DH, the girls, and I were driving when we spotted a large animal moving through a field at the edge of a woods. I made DH turn around and go back so we could watch it (he’s long-suffering, my DH is!). Of course, I didn’t have a camera. Our children’s formative years are full of milestones unrecorded because of my inability to remember the d*&% camera.

So…here it is…Dougar field. Doesn’t look like much, does it? It’s empty so don’t strain your eyes; as mentioned, I didn’t have the d*&% camera.

Anyway, moving through the trees in the center of the photo was a big tan creature. Four legs, long tail, long bodied. Here’s an interesting comment on eyewitness accounts. DH and kids insist the critter had that rolling shoulder walk that cats have. I insist it didn’t. What struck me was its tail–long, thick, ropy looking–way longer than a dog’s tail. But its muzzle was brown. So we sat and watched it move through the field and disappear. Then the debate started: Dog? Cougar? Dog? Cougar?

Eventually, we decided it was a Dougar. We debated on the term cog, but given its more general usage, that didn’t cut it. So I think we just invented our own cryptid (or maybe it’s a hybrid). DH thinks I should stop at nearby houses and ask to see their dogs. I think I’m interested in the advancement of cryptozoology but not that interested.

We keep looking but we’ve never seen the elusive Dougar again. The girls are rather mournful every time we drive by the field and it’s empty.

So, what do you think? Dog? Cougar? Or Dougar?

Have you ever seen something in the woods you couldn’t identify?

P.S. Remember when the Dougar hits the official cryptid lists, you heard it here first.

Weekly Musings…Favorite Books

Ha! By renaming this post, I’ve fooled you all into thinking I’m on time (except that I just told you I’m not…hmmm, I’m not very good at deception). This week, Chris Allen-Riley, Leigh Jones, Lynn Doezema, and I are looking at our favorite books. Ooh, where to start…

How about here?  Tolkien! Both The Hobbit and the trilogy. Hobbits, dwarves, elves, glowing blue swords. Throw in a ring, a dragon, some Cracks of Doom and some beautiful writing and you have an epic.

What about The Stand by Stephen King?

He can rock a killer plague like no one else. This book is really a foundation piece for me…good versus Evil (and yes, that’s with a capital E!).

Then there’s Rebecca. Who doesn’t get the shivers from Mrs. Danvers? I never dream of Manderly, but I sure wish I would.

Oh…To Kill a Mockingbird. I won this gorgeous copy in a library reading contest. I even named one of our horses Scout (although DH also pointed out that was the name of Tonto’s horse).

Then there’s Catch-22.  This particular copy has been to both Vietnam and Laos–packed in my footlocker and DH’s as well. Looks like it. Probably smells like it too.

So those are some of my favorite books. If you haven’t read any of these, I encourage you to choose one of them and dive in. All of these books have inspired me in one way or another: Good versus evil, the power of one individual to change the world, suspenseful settings, irony. I think my own writing carries the stamp of some or all of these books.

Lastly, I want to mention this book: Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan. I picked up this copy at a library book sale. I remember reading it as a kid (and rereading it!), but as an adult I remembered nothing other than I liked it. I paid a whole quarter for it, brought it home and popped it on the bookshelf. Over Christmas break, my daughter was looking for something to read so I grabbed this one for her. She finished it in a few hours. I asked her what she thought, and she proclaimed it “Very good and very creepy.” I took a peek through it…and realized the main character’s name was Kit. Guess it impacted me more than I remember! I’ve moved it onto my TBR pile. When I finish it, I’ll let you know how it was.

How about you? Have you read any of these? Did you like them? If not these, what’s your recommendation?

Monday Musings…again with the Tuesday thing…

Well, again I’m a day late on Monday Musings.  But I was so jazzed about the release of Flying in the Dark yesterday that I couldn’t help myself. This week Chris Allen-Riley, Leigh Jones, Lynn Doezema, and I are looking at our dream vacations.

Photo by Gwen Haugen

I think it’s funny how our personalities manifest in the places we want to visit. I once had a friend rave about Paris and how amazing it would be. Paris? Nope, not on my list. Mountains and oceans–that’s what I want. They don’t have to be in the same place, but 2-for-1 is a special I can’t pass up.

Here’s my list: New ZealandAustralia, Ireland/Scotland, Greece, Fiji, out West USA, Normandy.

Current tops on the list is New Zealand because I’m a nerd. I want to do a Middle Earth tour in New Zealand and visit all the locations/sets where the Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit were made. Told you I was a nerd (Admit it: You love me for it.).

However, since it’s winter in Michigan and I’m surrounded by snow, I’m also thinking

Photo by Gwen Haugen

about sand, sun and surf. I think now would be the perfect time for a little island hopping. Fiji, here I come (in my head, perhaps, but this is a post about Dream Vacations!). Okay, so the photos are of the North Shore of Oahu, but go with it people.

So…spill the beans…your dream vacation is…?????

Monday Musings…on Tuesday

Well, I’m a day late on Monday Musings. Let’s hope this isn’t becoming a trend (Tardy Tess on Tuesdays or something like that). This week Chris Allen-Riley, Kirsti Jones, Lynn Doezema, and I are looking at what we need to write.

I don’t write well by hand anymore. I cross out so many words and draw arrows and wind sentences around the margins that when I go to transcribe it, half the time I can’t even figure out what I was trying to say. So, of course I need my computer. DH got me a digital handheld recorder for Christmas so that I can “write” anywhere by speaking and transcribing later. Hope to break it in this week!

I also have to set a timer–stove timer, phone alarm, something. Anything to remind me that for the next hour, I’m concentrating on one thing and one thing only. Do I get sidetracked? Sure. But if I leave the table or chair, I try to note the time, so I can back the clock up when I return to work.

These two are biggies for me…caffeine and tunes. I like the first black, flavored, and leaning toward lukewarm. And I like the second minus earbuds. Those stupid things always pop out of my ears; I know one ear is higher than the other, but is that any reason to harsh my groove?

I make a playlist for each book. I find after a few times of listening and writing that I drop into the writing groove as soon as the music comes on.  There’s a lot of overlap between lists usually, and it varies wildly…from movie soundtracks to current stuff. For example, I’ve started work on a new book–a YA with a male slacker protagonist. So far, his playlist has some classic U2 (Red Hill Mining Town), some contemporary Christian rock by The Afters (You Light up the Sky), some movie themes (Cowboys and Aliens and The Hobbit), as well as a little Dave Matthews (If I Had It All).

That’s pretty much it–coffee, computer, and musical accompaniment. I have other accompaniment as well–not all of it helpful. Here are two of the farmette’s critters having a rousing battle to help me out. No doubt immediately before I took this photo one of them was taking a bath on my lap while the other bumped my elbow continuously with her cold nose.

How about you? What do you need to accomplish a task?

Better yet, know any good songs for Slacker Boy’s playlist?

Monday Afternoon Musings

Yes, it is I, the Monday Morning Slacker. However, I’m here now, and I did have an excuse…I was finishing proofing the galley for Flying in the Dark, the third and final book in the Kitty Irish Trilogy. Yay! Looks like Kitty will be out on time the week of March 3rd. Come back tomorrow for a peak at something sparkly.

But I digress. It’s Monday (afternoon) and that means it’s time for Monday Musings. This week Chris Allen-Riley, Kirsti Jones, Lynn Doezema, and I are looking at some of our favorite TV shows and movies. This could be a short post for me…for starters, I don’t watch much TV. This does not mean I’m some superior snob. It means reception at the farmette sucks and I don’t have cable…mostly because then I would sit and watch it and never get anything done (and I’m already pretty challenged that way). Also, I’m cheap.

However, I give you my all-time favorite…The X-Files. DH still won’t let me have that vanity plate that says X-Phile. There is one that sticks in my head from when I was a kid…Kolchak: The Night Stalker. The only episode I ever saw back then was the werewolf one..thank you, Carl Kolchak.

Movies? Oh yes, I watch movies. I used to have favorites when I was a teen. Now that I’m older, I find that I have fewer favorites, but many movies that I just plain enjoy. It seems like I’ve gotten better at pulling something to enjoy out of most films I see. Apparently I’m easily entertained along with being cheap. Please don’t tell my mother.

Interestingly enough, when it comes to movies, DH and I, who are about as boring and conventional as a couple get, have come to realize we fall into an odd group. We’re fans of cult classics (see X-files above). We didn’t realize it–we just kept recommending films that we loved to people and they never had the same reaction we did.

(Note: Names have been changed to protect the innocent.) Diane fell asleep during The Big Lebowski. Riley and Tasha didn’t like Raising Arizona. We didn’t even try to recommend The Men Who Stare at Goats to anyone. Wait, that’s not true. I did recommend it to Diane (don’t tell me you fell asleep!). Now that DH and I have finally realized our problem, we huddle on the couch in the dark, look furtively over our shoulder and slip anything by the Coen Brothers into the DVD player.

So that’s me. How about you?

Monday Musings…

Good morning! It’s Monday and that means it’s time for Monday Musings. Last week Chris Allen-Riley, Kirsti Jones, Lynn Doezema, and I explored the difference between literary and genre fiction. This week we look at a more personal topic…a place we’d most like to live.

I’ve chosen to willfully misinterpret this…I’m sure it was meant to be city versus country or beach (yes!) versus mountains (yes!) or Jamaica versus Antarctica. But I decided I wanted to talk about a house I would most like to live in.

Those of you who know me know I tend to go for older homes. The first home DH and I purchased was nearly 150 years old, our second 80+. I love the character of older homes—molding and wood floors and high ceilings. What I’ve come to dislike is the fact that most of them have crap for duct work and storage. So bear in mind that any dream house I describe should have both closets and heat.

I would love to have something Victorian with a little turret to house my writing desk. I want

Farnam Mansion by GerriGray (Wikepedia Commons)

a curving staircase, built-in bookshelves, stained glass windows, a tin roof in the kitchen. I want crown molding in the dining room and a fireplace someplace (anyplace!). I want crazy nooks and crannies for the kids to hide in. However, as I get older (Did that really just come out of my mouth?), I have found that simplicity is also a life condition I covet. Less room for clutter, less cleanup, smaller, easier. Which should kind of cut the Victorian out of the running.

So in the realm of all things are possible, I want a treehouse. That or a hobbit hole. I know, my Gemini is showing. But check this out…tree hotel. How zippy is that bird’s nest room? Or the UFO? Hubs can be Mulder and I can be Scully.

And the hobbit hole? What better is a hole in the ground as long as it’s a Bilbo Baggins-type of house with a round green door with a yellow knob? Oh yes, I could live there too. Especially if it had a little round room for my writing desk.

Grant Farmette–It may be cold but it’s home!

As I reread this, it seems I come off as rather indecisive. Again, those that know me may agree. In this case, I prefer to think of it as adaptable. I can live most anywhere–a gingerbread-festooned cottage or a treehouse or a hobbit hole or an 80-year-old farmhouse with very little heat and even less closet space. As long as there is room for the family and my writing desk.

How about you? In the realm of all things being possible, where do you want to live?

One Lovely Blog Award

Hey, the talented and generous Chris Allen-Riley has given me the honor of the One Lovely Blog Award. Stop over and check out her blog–she’s going to be one to watch in the YA world.

Meanwhile, here are seven quick facts about me…

1) I find chickens to be quite fascinating but ducks really don’t work for me.

2) I spent a brief period as a teenager working at a worm farm filling containers with night crawlers for fishermen.

3) I wrote my thesis on fracture patterns in bone.

4) I desperately wanted twins so I could name them Luke and Leia.

5) I am the youngest of 10 children—and yes, we only had one bathroom in the house growing up.

6) I can roller-skate backwards–not very well–but backwards nonetheless.

7) I did synchronized swimming for 2 years.

To pay it forward, I’m tagging  a few fabulous bloggers for you to get to know better. Check them out!

Joselyn Vaughn

W.S. Gager

J.Q. Rose

Ciara Knight

If your name is on the list and you’d prefer not to participate, it’s all good.

Announcing…..

Drum roll here, please….

Gathering Speed, Book Two of the Kitty Irish Trilogy, has just released in e-book. For you paper lovers (and I’m one too), you’ll have to wait another few weeks. In the meantime, if you’re an ebook reader…go and see what happens to Kitty next!

Blurb: All Kitty Irish wants to do is complete the task given to her by Daniel Phinney—free their small town from the werewolves that plague it. But every move she makes sets off an unforeseen reaction.

She burns Phinney’s cabin to the ground to lay her mentor to rest. Instead the hot ashes raise up a detective bent on connecting the dots between Kitty and his cold case list. The truth she tells to free a friend brings her an unexpected ally in the fight. And the letter she opens shows her a window into a past she never knew she had. Kitty’s mission is gathering speed.
Buy it here: Amazon, Smashwords, and ON SALE at Turquoise Morning Press.