In my non-writing life, I’m a lunch lady. No, I’m THE lunch lady at a parochial school. One of the benefits to this occupation is that I have a good part of the summer off (after a state convention and planning for the new school year that starts in August…August?!). But I have the rest of the time for myself, and that means writing.

The school year ended with creating my To Do list. Okay, realistically, I need about three summers to get everything done. It doesn’t help that I took a vacation right after school let out so didn’t jump immediately into a new schedule filled more with writing than cooking. Late May in Yellowstone is fantastic!

However it’s back to real life and now is the time to set the plan in place so each To DO becomes a Tah Dah! And a reason to celebrate. Even if that celebration is simply a sigh of relief as I’m scratching an item off the list. Ah, the simple things…

I’ve already blocked out a certain amount of time each week for day job work—menu planning with requirement changes takes longer, and more thought. I’m determined to start the next school year more organized and ready to go than last year. So, weekly menu planning. A bit of time each day is also set aside for decluttering. Too much stuff seems to be the bane of many folks I know—and I live with two other ‘collectors’ of numerous interests. That means a lot of clutter—which translates to distractions which, of course, means I don’t get as much writing done.

Not that my writing projects aren’t a distraction in themselves. I’m nearly through converting my originally epubbed backlist to an Indie pubbed list. At least one of those will be released this month. I’m also working on a tale that’s part of a series with a group of talented authors. And I’m going through manuscripts again with my red pen so they’ll be ready to go in whatever publishing direction I decide. So there’s a lot on my stove—as well as plenty of new ideas warming in the oven. Good thing I’m accustomed to stirring more than one pot at a time!

The first of the summer’s creations—the release later this month of Blue Keltic Moon, the first of The Children of the Keltic Triad.

Duty before love. As much as Breanna’s heart protested, Gowthaman would have to wait until she returned with the rescued Alfar-Sindhu prince.

Love before self. Following Breanna into the World Between Worlds, Gowthaman faces the pains of his past, risks his intellect, his sanity, and his life. For her.

Destiny before all. In the time of the blue Keltic moon.

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Now, off to make this summer a Grand Slam—and I don’t even like baseball!

Summer is upon us. The long, hot days are here and it’s time to let go of work and responsibilities and have some fun. For most folks that means one thing—VACATION!

The high cost of living coupled with the high cost of travel is keeping more and more people closer to home. The idea of spending thousands of dollars for a one or two week stay at an exotic location isn’t quite as appealing to families as it once was. So what are people doing on their holidays?

They’re taking a staycation and exploring the world closer to home. Maybe they’re going camping, discovering nearby museums and galleries, or taking in local music festivals. For sure they’re barbecuing, swimming at the beach or local pool and, of course, reading good books.

It’s amazing how we can live somewhere and never really explore it to the fullest. It’s fun to load the family into the car and travel around whatever state or province you live in. You can take day trips, traveling as far as you can in different directions but making sure you can get home by nightfall. Some people may even opt to spend a couple of nights on the road in a motel.

My sister and I are planning a three-day road trip this summer. It’s something we’ve never done with just the two of us. We plan to hit the road, spend a couple of nights in B & Bs, see new places, eat good food and have fun.

The idea is to try new things. You never know what you might discover.

Now, Allison Lewis isn’t on vacation, but she is trying out a new local hotspot in my latest Ellora’s Cave release Mad Loving. What she discovers is a fun bar with an Alice in Wonderland theme and an even hotter owner—Nevar Hatter. What starts out as a night of fun could turn into much more if only she has the courage to let down her guard and believe.

Allison Lewis finds herself in another world when she enters Hatter’s, a trendy New York nightclub. She’s a Midwestern girl living in the big city and has recently been through a bad breakup. But tonight she wants to put all that behind her. And she’s found just the man to tempt her to break out of her conservative mold—the sexy Nevar Hatter.

Running Hatter’s takes up most of Nevar’s time. He never comes on to patrons, but he’s more than willing to make an exception for Allison. Fiery passion leads to a one-night stand. Nevar wants more but Allison is running scared. He pulls out all the stops, including a private tea party of their own to entice Allison to trust him with not only her body, but also her heart.

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Ellora’s Cave

What are your plans for this summer?

N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

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