Time To Reflect

Family traditions come into play big time, this time of year. In my family, Christmas was never a big production like it is for so many. We never cut down a tree and brought it indoors. We had one of those silver things with a light that spun around, tinting it red or blue.

We never had much money for presents, so our gifts were meager. I remember having a day after the holiday when we got to take our favorite gift to school, and I was always embarrassed by what I had to choose from. Not too much to be excited about. So, instead of celebrating Christmas, we make a big deal of Thanksgiving. A time to eat all you want, spend the day in the kitchen with each other, and telling stories about how hard it was to find a turkey at the grocers in July when we celebrated Thanksgiving in the past, etc. Since my siblings are spread from the east coast to the west coast, we tend to put on the whole lavish food frenzy whenever three or more of us are in the same place at the same time. Rarely does our Thanksgiving happen in November. But the sentiment is the same. 

My best friend's family is a polar opposite when it comes to celebrating Christmas. They pull out all the stops, and I have a lot of fun celebrating along with them. But this year is different, and it's not wise for them to get together. I tried to convince them that the day didn't matter as much as the people you were with, and they could hold off on celebrating until we have the vaccine. But such sacrilege did not go over so well with them. Family traditions are not something to fool around with. 

I usually take December to reflect on the past year. Like most of us, I won't be sorry to close the book on 2020. Hopefully, the next chapter will be filled with love, laughter, and the ability to hug my siblings again. 

Turkey Coma

Like so many Americans, Thursday was a solitary holiday. It wasn't that unusual for me, since my family has for years not adhered strictly to the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving. Rather, we celebrated whenever three or more of us could manage to get together, since we live all over the map. But for some reason, I decided to make this Thanksgiving, on the same day as the rest of the country, traditional and special. I bought only a turkey breast instead of a whole bird. My mashed potatoes were from a pouch, and my stuffing was a side dish instead of being stuffed inside a bird carcass. But, in the end, my plate of food looked very familiar.

So, for the next several days, I'll be dining on turkey. Mary and I are attempting to not waste any of it, but we are spending our afternoons in a turkey coma. In between our naps, we've both found ways to keep busy. I've got a new idea for a story and Mary's got a whole new stash of toys to play with, so we're both content. What are you up to these days?

Giving Thanks

This year, it's very hard to find things to be thankful for. Like most, I won't be able to gather with friends and family for Thanksgiving. I'll be alone, sharing my turkey breast with Mary, my dog. And then, after we each come out of our turkey coma, we'll take a walk along the golf course.

My family has always held Thanksgiving whenever three or more of us can gather together, so in the past, our Thanksgiving dinners have taken place in March, or July, or whenever. The day didn't matter so much as the people who were sitting at the table. It seems like most of the world now has to do the same. It will be fine, I assure you, having been there before. Count your blessings, hold your loved ones if you safely can do so, and have a great Thanksgiving. The turkeys will thank you that they can live a bit longer.

Taking Time to Give Thanks

In a combination of Thanksgiving blessings and Christmas gift giving, I decided to part with a piece of property I had in Virginia. I'd held it for over ten years and finally decided I wasn't going to ever build a house on it, so it was time to get rid of it. I contacted a realtor and she agreed to represent me, but told me it might take as much as eighteen months to sell. Much to the surprise of both of us, it was under contract within two weeks.

So, what did I do with the profit? I bought myself a Christmas gift. If I could find one of those big red bows you see in commercials, I'd have it tied to the top of this car. My new to me Jeep!

My old Jeep had been purchased as a used vehicle, and I drove it for thirteen years. I owned my car longer than I held onto any of my assorted houses. The Ohio winters had been very hard on the old boy, and the parts underneath had begun to rust together. It was past time to upgrade. On the final day of having the car in my possession, I took it through the car wash, had a final meal in the car, and got misty when I thanked it for a final time. We'd been through a lot together.

So now, I'll learn what all the buttons are for in the new vehicle, and become as familiar with it as I was with the old one. As long as it's a Jeep, I'm comfortable. My brother was the one to remind me that, when I was contemplating my first car way back when, I told my mother I wanted a Jeep and she persuaded me to buy something else, saying that Jeeps were for boys. So now I have purchased two of those "boy" cars. My brother is proud of me for finally realizing my dream. My mother would probably shake her head at my folly and tell me that's one of the reasons I never could find anyone to marry. I do miss my mother but maybe it was because of her I learned how to be a strong, independent woman, much like my heroines. 

What about you? Are you planning to buy something nice for yourself this Christmas season?

If you need a gift idea, here's one. My novella, An Unconventional Courtship is free right now. Grab a copy for you and your loved ones. https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/wPvUwkuJ

And check out the Chase Family Book Club here: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=cfrg%20book%20club&epa=SEARCH_BOX

Getting Ready for the Holidays

If you've been following my blog for any amount of time, you know that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I attribute this phenomenon to the fact I come from a large family and there never seemed to be enough food to go around–except at Thanksgiving, when everyone got to eat until their bellies were full. The turkey, all juicy and golden brown, and all the trimmings, was eagerly anticipated each November.

Over the years, my many siblings have spread out, as my mother used to say, from sea to shining sea. So each year, we have carried on the Thanksgiving tradition any time of year when three or more of us have been together. Sometimes, it caused funny looks in the grocery store, such as when we tried to buy fresh cranberries and turkeys in July. But, for the most part, we had our celebrations whenever we could get together. 

Alas, this year will be different. At no time during this year were there three of us together, except for one weekend when we had more important plans. So, I'll be alone this year for the holiday. I certainly don't want to prepare a big bird for myself. I'm still eating turkey soup from the last time. I'm thinking of ordering a pre-cooked meal for two from the local grocery and buy a little pumpkin pie or pumpkin roll. It will be more than enough to fill my belly and put me in the mood for all those Hallmark Christmas movies to come next month. 

And, in celebration of the season, I'm giving away my novella, An Unconventional Courtship, to one and all. Be sure to visit Lauren Royal's facebook page on November 24 for freebies galore, and snap up a copy of my book now. I know it's a few weeks early, but Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. That's how we Lowers roll. 

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Dangers of Tryptophan

Most of America celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday. As I had done Thanksgiving early, I had the pleasure of eating some really great turkey soup instead of the traditional full-blown meal. However, the outcome was the same. I watched the Macy's parade, snoozed through a couple football games, and had another bowl of soup. The lack of energy was palpable. Even Mary, my little dog, only wanted to snuggle and sleep.


My list of things to accomplish during the week stayed static for a day. I had managed to get some writing done before I hit the soup, but not much got marked off after noon. Rather than beat myself up for not getting enough done, I decided to give myself a break. After all, some of my best ideas come when I'm not expecting them. A little down time may be just what my story needs.

Next week, I'll begin again with a new list of items to take care of during the week. Things I didn't think I'd ever do, like get a passport, buy a new suitcase and get my nephew moved from one coast to the other. But the unexpected is what makes life exciting. I hope the remainder of your year is filled with all the excitement and joy of the season. We're in the home stretch.

Turkey Day

My family celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, a whole two weeks ahead of the actual holiday. Because we're scattered from coast to coast, we've made it our mission to celebrate our favorite holiday of the year whenever we can manage to get three or more of us in the same place at the same time. This has become increasingly important since the deaths of our parents and the fact the five of us kids aren't getting any younger. My brother and his wife flew in from California for a few days, so my sister and her husband came over from their home in North Carolina, as did my niece, her husband and their two children. It was a packed house. I borrowed chairs from the neighbors and bought paper plates. We spent the day in the kitchen making our favorite dishes and sharing stories about growing up together in Ohio.

After all, it's not so much about the day as it is the people you share it with. Happy early Thanksgiving, everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving

It's been a busy year for me and my family, so there's no better way to end it than to take a step back and be thankful.

I'm thankful my family is relatively healthy.

I'm thankful I'm able to write what I want and to try out new genres and publishing platforms. A Regency Yuletide is my first foray into the world of indie publishing. And my first foray into writing a Regency. It won't be the last.

I'm thankful Pat, the sister who lives with me, remembers to be quiet in the morning so I can write. Mary, my dog, still hasn't learned that lesson.

I'm thankful I can end the year on a high note, with a contemporary Christmas novella, a super bundle of all the Cotillion books, and an American historical set at the outbreak of the Civil War, all coming out in December.

Dance With Destiny Cover?

For those of my fellow authors who are taking part in NaNoWriMo, the month is nearly over, and you can be thankful your goal is in sight, but your work isn't done. Here are a few words of encouragement from Stephen King.

So, how about you? What are you thankful for?

Turkey or Ham?

For most of my life, I've preferred Thanksgiving over Christmas.

My preference began when I was a kid, one of five. Food was always scarce, except on Thanksgiving. For one day, we could eat as much turkey,  stuffing, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole as we wanted. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Christmas was a far different affair. We didn't have much extra cash for a ton of gifts like my friends were given every year, and I always felt we were the house on the block that Santa forgot.

However, this year I have managed to write two Christmas themed novellas, which will be releasing as the season nears. One is a contemporary, set in Lobster Cove, ME, as part of Wild Rose's popular lineup of stories centered around this fictional town. The other one is a historical set in Regency England. They were both extremely fun to write, they both feature romantic love stories, and have made me believe I may have been wrong all these years.

Rather than focus on the food, or on the lack of gifts, I should have been focused on the significance of the day. Thanksgiving may be in celebration of the pilgrims surviving in the new world, but Christmas is steeped in religion. Engagement rings are a staple gift at Christmas. Who ever would give an engagement ring at Thanksgiving? Mistletoe is another iconic symbol of Christmas. Thanksgiving offers a wishbone from the turkey. Not quite the same.

I have written a love story centered around Thanksgiving, don't get me wrong. I think any day when two people find each other is special, regardless of the trappings. But when it comes to writing a novella, I'll take Christmas over Thanksgiving any day of the week. I'll take ham over turkey.

I hope you'll enjoy my novellas. If your taste runs to contemporary, Love's In The Cards is for you. If you happen to love historicals, A Regency Yuletide will tempt you. I don't think you can go wrong with either story. Here's a little something about each one.

Love's In The Cards

Christmas used to be Penny Beedle’s favorite holiday. But a messy breakup with a country star on Christmas Eve years earlier, and a botched wedding last Christmas Eve have tainted Penny’s outlook about the holiday. But she has to suck it up, since she and her sister now own a greeting card store, and this is their crazy selling season.

Del Madison has loved Penny since kindergarten. Now he’s been commissioned by a big greeting card company for a line of Christmas and Valentine’s cards, as long as he comes out from behind his alter ego and unveils himself to the public. He chooses Penny Beedle’s shop for the big reveal. If he plays his cards right, he just might be able to have Penny be part of his life.

If Del plays his cards right, he just might make Christmas a holiday Penny can enjoy once again.

A Regency Yuletide

After a disappointing season in London, Sophie Davenport returns home without a marriage proposal. No sooner does she settle back into her country life than she learns her uncle has arranged for her to marry the local Vicar’s son, a respectable and utterly forgettable man. He’s returning home immediately after the Christmas holiday and they will wed. She sets about making this last Christmas with just she and her mother memorable.

Jeremy Wyatt agrees to help his friend Thomas and his love, Emma, as they chase to Scotland to marry at Gretna Green before her father comes after them. What he’s really doing is avoiding heading to his parents’ home, where he’s set to be married out of obligation, not love. They get close to the border before their carriage gets hopelessly mired in the mud from the incessant rains. Jeremy sets off to find shelter for them, and knocks at the door of the first house he comes to.

Sophie forms a bond with Jeremy right away. However they’re both spoken for, so despite the sparks they ignite in each other, they have to maintain their separate paths.

But love and mistletoe have a way of upsetting even the most well-laid plans.

More Time In The Editing Cave

As most of you know, I've been editing and re-editing my manuscript The Forgotten Debutante. It's been going fairly well, but one scene, the Thanksgiving dinner, wasn't coming together as it should have. I had my two females, Saffron and Grace, discuss the menu, make certain the silver was polished and the tablecloth was clean. But then I glossed over the meal altogether. Left it on the proverbial table, as it were.

After thinking about it for a few days, I went back and added in one paragraph about the dinner, and thought I had it fixed. I just reread the section again and I realized my hero, Zeke, was jumping up and down trying to get my attention.

"I want to taste the pie, not just see it, Becky," Zeke yelled at me from across the table. "And what about the mashed potatoes and gravy? Did they just eat themselves?" When he picked up a dinner roll and lobbed it in my direction, I flung my hands in the air.

Okay, okay, Zeke, calm down. I went back to my paragraph about the dinner and added in some actual conversation, referred to the two available pies, and how Zeke could have a slice of both, etc, etc, etc. Finally, Zeke had a full belly and he quit yelling at me.

My dog, Mary, has lately been reacting the same as Zeke. She's decided she likes to cuddle, either with my sister on the couch, or with me in my chair. Since she's a puppy mill rescue dog, she never learned how to jump up on the furniture, so we need to pick her up each time. Picking her up is still a challenge, though, since she needs to be herded into her little bed (not the big one, mind you). But once she's in her safe place, she'll allow us to pick her up, and she'll loll for hours in one place or the other.

A few days ago, she sat quietly with Pat in the morning when I was working. Then, she got up for a potty break, came back in the house, and went to her little bed. I headed for my chair to check my emails. She got out of her bed, stared a hole through me until I looked up from the screen. When she had my full attention she gave a full body sigh, nodded her head in the direction of the bed and walked back to it, ready to be picked up. Thank goodness, there were no dinner rolls in the house.

So I missed Mary's cues, just as I had Zeke's. Time to pull my head away from the computer and pay attention to the folks that matter.

Hopefully, both Zeke and Mary have now been taken care of. I haven't heard either of them yelling at me today.