Now that the days are warmer it’s time to throw open the windows and let in the fresh air. Each new season offers a chance to renew ourselves and our homes, to take stock of what’s working and what needs to change.

For most of us, spring means spring cleaning—airing out our homes, washing down walls, hunting down dust bunnies, and giving everything a scrub to freshen it up. It’s also an opportunity to go through what we have stored in our closets and dresser drawers.

I don’t know about you, but the only clothing I bought last year was socks. I mean, I wasn’t going anywhere, so I didn’t see the point of new clothes. Some of what I’m wearing is getting a little ragged. I’m not a big clothes shopper. I tend to find something I like and buy it in multiple colors and call it a day. But it’s time to toss what’s faded and worn and make a list of what I need. I’m looking forward to it.

The same goes for the linen closet. My summer sheets, which only get used about three months of the year, must be about fifteen years old. (I spend my money on sets of heavier jersey sheets since they’re the ones I use most often.) The colors are faded and I fear they won’t last for many more washings without disintegrating. That’s something else to go on the list, along with new pillows. The ones I have are starting to get a little too flat for comfort.

Since I live in an apartment, there’s no garage to sift through, but I will be poking around the kitchen cupboards and closets to see what else can go. I’m a big believer in yard sales and donating what no longer suits me. It keeps things in circulation and out of the landfill. And it also makes room for the new.

Happy cleaning!

Salvation Pack

Have you discovered the Salvation Pack? If you love alpha wolves, you’ll love the Salvation Pack.

Wolf at the Door
Wolf in her Bed
Wolf on the Run
Wolf from the Past
Wolf on the Hunt
Wolf on a Mission
Wolf in his Heart
Wolf in her Soul
Wolf of her Own

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0753H2PLQ

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, 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.

Visit me at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
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Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, watch this video and tell me something you like about it. Maybe I’ll figure out why I like it so much!

P.S. Do you recognize him?

MORE OPEN CONTESTS!

1. Our Favorite Pets! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win a FREE book!
2. “Blown away, tissues on hand…” Have you ordered your copy? (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Andy Carley: Pure Magic (Contest + Excerpt) — Win a FREE book!

Don’t forget…

Did you get your copy?

Click on the meme to go to Amazon!

UPDATE: The winner is…Dana Zamora!
*~*~*

Spring has sprung—at least here in Northwest Georgia! The flowers are going crazy. There’s green as far as the eye can see, and of course, the yellow haze of pine pollen coats everything. We’re joyfully wheezing and sneezing our way through the days with runny eyes and runny noses as we embrace the wonder of spring.

Here on the farm, spring means BABIES! Our first calf dropped last night—a little late, but better late than never. We have four new chicks that will augment our four old ladies who supply us with eggs. Piglets should be coming in another few weeks. The energy of spring is like nothing else. It just lifts your soul when you walk among new life, full of possibility and hope.

I think creating a story is like that too. It starts as a baby idea, a kernel of thought. Then, it starts to grow, sometimes not even consciously, until it defines itself. Sometimes, it rises in my brain, fully formed with crystal clear images and parades around like a gaudy Vegas side-show until I give it my attention. Other times, it whispers and nags, slipping into my dreams as half-formed ghosts, only revealing itself clearly when I focus solely on it.

Then, the magic starts. Just like that buzzing lift of spring, the story takes root and blooms—and it’s the most amazing feeling in the world. It’s why I’m shamelessly addicted to writing! Like any infant, you don’t know what it will be when it grows up, but breathing life into a story is like experiencing spring over and over!

One of my book babies releases today! Thank you, Delilah, for letting me drop by and celebrate with you wonderful folks!

Pure Magic Contest

I’m offering a giveaway of an ebook copy of Pure Magic, a multi-author anthology that features my story—Hecate’s Hand-Me-Downs. To enter, leave a comment about your favorite part of spring! I’ll pick a winner on May 1^st!

Hecate Rigby wants nothing to do with magic or being the witch she was raised to be. But, when Cate’s forced to return to Ravensdale after her Grandmother’s death, she soon finds out her Grandma led a double life—one that will change Cate’s life forever. The Hammer of the Gods is missing, and Cate was the last one to have it. Will she step up, embrace her powers and her heritage, and find the hammer before it falls into the wrong hands and plunges the world into war?

Grab your copy here: https://books2read.com/pure-magic

Here’s an excerpt from Hecate’s Hand-Me-Downs:

Rook squawked and puffed his feathers up.

In a voice that shook the walls, he announced, “Behold, the God of the Forge.”

He flew down from his perch and landed in front of the door, bowing his head with one wing spread out to the side.

I spun around to see a man shuffle into the store and stop short of the mess. Despite his twisted legs, he towered over me and seemed to suck up all the available space. His t-shirt read ‘Save an Anvil, Bang a Blacksmith’ and stretched to its limits over his massive shoulders and muscular chest. I glanced down at his legs. His knees touched, and his pigeon toes canted in at an awkward angle.

The dichotomy of his top and bottom halves would have distracted me, but his bedroom brown eyes snagged my attention.

Goddess help me, but I’m a sucker for a brown-eyed boy.

The man wore his dark brown hair long and pulled it back in a simple ponytail gathered at the nape of his neck. His body screamed bad boy, but his eyes whispered tenderhearted dreamer.

Rook squawked and pecked my ankle. “Show some respect.”

“What?” I gave myself a little shake and put a smile on my face, reminding myself that it was bad manners to stare.

“Hello, Mistress Rigby.” He nodded at me as his gaze swept over the disarray in the shop, and his mouth turned down with a frown.

I drew a breath to launch into my ‘we’re closed’ speech, but he cut me off.

“I’ve come for the hammer. Bring it to me, please.”

The command in his voice was unmistakable, and my patience, brown eyes notwithstanding, found its end. I didn’t like his tone.

“The hammer isn’t here. A tall, beautiful, scary lady beat you to it.” I put my hands on my hips and mirrored his frown. “As you can see, we’ve had a bit of a…” I trailed off, not knowing what to say. Finally, I just said, “We’re not open.”

“Rowen Rigby, Sentinel and Guardian of the Crossroads, do not play games. I will have the Hammer of the Gods as I am its rightful owner.” The man seemed to get bigger, and his voice filled the shop.

Magic crackled in the air. Pieces of the puzzle clicked into place.

Rowen had not been remiss in my arcane education. I knew mythology as well as spell casting, herb lore, and healing magic. Though I hadn’t embraced the craft after leaving home as an adult, the lessons still lingered in my mind. The Hammer of the Gods, Rook’s announcement of the God of the Forge, and the man’s palpable power all came into focus. Impossible as it was, Hephaestus, Son of Hera, God of the Forge, and Olympian outsider, stood in my shop.

*~*~*

Stalk me (it’s not as kinky as it sounds!) for more giveaways, games, and fun: https://linktr.ee/andycarley

Hot SEAL, In His Memory

On Memorial Day, this SEAL will stand beside his best friend’s grave and hope his widow will see him as more than the man who brought his body home…

Order Ebook: Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Google

Order Print: Amazon

I’m late! For the first time in forever, I forgot to write “Post Blog” at the top of my to-do list. So, here’s me, posting something quick and fun. Solve the puzzle–I think it will be challenging! Then tell me whether you’d be eager to be whisked off to some alien destination in a galax far, far away if your hero looked like one of these handsome fellows!

UPDATE: The winner is…Carol Cox!
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What readers are saying…

“This book completely tugged at my heart. Great characters, family, heart, heat, tears…”

“Blown away, tissues on hand!… I truly ugly cried with this book, and it’s got a place in my heart now.”

“I was caught up in this story from the first word. I lived in this book…”

I have some early reviews of my story, and I’m pleased. I’ve read my own book easily a dozen times while editing it, and I can tell you there are places I still get teary-eyed. Now, all I have to read are these two words and I get choked up: Hey, Zig. It’s not my usual book. I like funny and fast. But this was a story about loss set around Memorial Day. Truthfully, the story wrote itself. When I began, I knew who my hero and heroine were, and who Ozzie was. The first two chapters I already had in my head. Then…every day when I sat to write the next chapter, I had no clue where the story was going until my fingers began typing. It works that way sometimes. Either I have the story stored somewhere in the back of my brain where I can’t consciously access it, or…it’s like several psychics have told me who didn’t have a clue what I do for a living…my three muses were at work. I just emptied my mind and let them take the wheel. So, now you know I didn’t write the story at all. LOL.

When I finished and began editing it, I surprised myself with how much I love this story. And I LOVE Ozzie. Yes, if I could write him a Happy-Ever-After, I would. Anyway, if you have no clue what this story is about, check this out…

Hot SEAL, In His Memory

On Memorial Day, he will stand by her side when she visits her husband’s grave, but he wonders if she’ll ever see him as anything more than her husband’s best friend and the man who accompanied his body home for burial…

Navy SEAL, Chris “Zig” Bykowski, has done his duty to his best friend’s wife by being there to help whenever she or her son needed him. However, now, he has the feeling she wants to put distance between herself and the SEALs who watch over her as the widow of a fallen teammate. Though painful, because he’s grown to care for her, he will let her go, knowing she needs closure to move on with her life.

Andi Westall has picked up the pieces of her shattered life after the death of her husband, Ozzie. Although she knows it will be painful to break away from the SEALs who have given her their support, she is ready to cut ties and move on past the painful memories. However, fate has another idea. When she discovers that she may have a stalker, the only person she knows to confide in is Ozzie’s best friend, Zig. When Zig and the team rush to the rescue, she finds that accepting their aid and continued friendship isn’t as hard as she’d imagined.

While the team works to figure out who is stalking her, Zig insists on sticking close to keep her safe. One night of tearful remembrances ends with her waking up to discover that she wants more from Zig than just his protection. Whether this is love or simply need is something she’ll have to figure out before they both get hurt.

Order Ebook: Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Google

Order Print: Amazon

Contest

For a chance at winning a $5 Amazon gift card, name a movie or TV show that left you “ugly crying”.

The last one I watched that did that for me was one I watched to prepare for this book, Taking Chance, starring Kevin Bacon.