UPDATE: The winner is…Kerry Jo!
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I’ve written about different animals in my books. Some have been shifters, some pets; some were best friends, and some were dangerous menaces. There was a polar bear attack in Gun’s Mission and a bear attack in Cyrus. Butterflies were part of the theme in my sexy horror story, Lost Souls. My many cowboys have ridden horses and herded cattle. I’ve written a couple of dragons along the way (Dragon’s Desire, Arctic Dragon). I’ve had dogs working as partners to heroes (Big Sky SEAL, Guarding Hannah). And yes, I love writing shifters and trying to blend animal with human traits. But I’ve truly loved showing the bond between a dog and his handler, as in Guarding Hannah. Pierce was the hero of that story.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell what animals you’ve enjoyed seeing featured in the books you’ve read. Enjoy the puzzle!

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
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I have a guest scheduled for tomorrow, so I’m cramming the contest list in with today’s puzzle post. I thought that for today’s post we might head down memory lane again.

In this age of digital photos, it’s gotten so convenient to store photos on a cloud. I know that, personally, it’s only a rare photo that I bother to have printed to put into a frame. And my old photo albums? I gave them to my daughter for her to sort through them for anything she cares to keep.

I do miss holding an actual camera in my hand, knowing I had only so many shots on a roll of film. I had to work hard to get everything right so I didn’t waste the shot. Then I had to wait until the photos were developed to know whether I’d been successful or had accidently overexposed the film. I took photographs of places all over Europe. Some looked like postcards they were so good. My prized possession was an old Minolta, which I loved, and traveled with it slung over my shoulder. After many moves, I no longer have the negatives of those old pictures, so a lost photo is forever gone.

My daughter inherited our family’s photos as well, of all those relatives we never met. She had to go to family online to figure out how they fit into the family tree. My mother kept boxes of photos that my dd is still sorting through.

So, I wonder if anyone misses the old albums or shoeboxes of photos. Do you still own an analog/non-digital camera? Do you still use it? Or does it gather dust like my collection of old cameras that lives at the top of a shelf? Answer for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! Enjoy the puzzle!

Open Contests

Be sure to check out these posts and enter to win the prizes that are still up for grabs:

1. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: Gertrude Bustill Mossell, a Multi-faceted African-American Woman (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Story Cubes — Tell me a story (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Tell a Fairy Tale Day (Giveaway) — This offer ends tomorrow night! Get your FREE story!
4. February into March (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: On this day…Yellowstone National Park! — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Learn What Your Name Means Day (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. Word Search: First Signs of Spring (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
8. Flashback: Baby, It’s You (Contest–2 Winners!) — Win a FREE book!

UPDATE: The winner is…Theresa Privette!
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The official start of spring is the 20th, but here in Central Arkansas, we already have signs of the changing seasons.

Yesterday, I noted that the forsythia and japonica bushes have started to bloom. We’ve had rain and tornadic activity around the state. Another sure sign. We’ve already had some mild flooding around the state. The temperature is still cool here, but we have forecasts for the upper 70s in our 10-day forecast. I expect budding trees to begin to show some blooms. We have redbuds and dogwoods in the forest around us. There’s been an increase in deer sightings, and I’m waiting to see the first fawns emerge.

For a chance to win a download of your choice from among my over 200 stories, tell me what the first signs of spring are for your area—and when you expect them to happen! Enjoy the puzzle!

UPDATE: The winner is…Pat Bohn!
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On this day in history, in 1872, Yellowstone National Park became our first national park. With the news that our parks service has been hit with massive layoffs, let’s remember the majesty of our protected lands that we’re trying to maintain for future generations to enjoy.

I’ve been to Yellowstone twice. Once as a small child. The only memory I have of that trip is grizzly standing outside our car window while my mom freaked out. The second was a trip in the eighties. It was after a wildfire and some areas were devastated, but seeing buffalo spread over a large meadow was breathtaking. Is it any wonder I decided to set my next Montana Bounty Hunters series in West Yellowstone and feature the park and the park rangers who protect this magnificent place?

For today’s puzzle, I chose an image of the Grand Prismatic Spring—so iconic. Enjoy the puzzle!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me whether you’ve ever visited the park or tell me about a trip to another national park you love!

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
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I had bloodwork yesterday in preparation for a couple of upcoming appointments. On Thursday, I meet with a surgeon in Little Rock to see whether I am a candidate for having a hysterectomy. Next Monday is another round of immunotherapy infusions. Hopefully, the tests I took yesterday won’t show any backsliding! Only progress—good progress! Cross your fingers; I am!

Let’s play!

I bought this little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. “Story Cubes” is a brainstorming game. You roll the dice, and whatever pictures appear face-up are the ones you use to riff off a story.

You can try to include all the cubes in your “story” or choose a few. The story you tell doesn’t have to be long or even any good. They all count!

To make this fun, I’ll offer a prize—a $5 Amazon gift card—good for purchasing one or two stories…
Have fun with this! Don’t overthink! Here’s the roll…

UPDATE: The winner is…Rachelle Lerner!
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Since we’re nearing the end of February, the month of romance, I thought I’d end it on a bit of a nostalgic note. Some of us kept diaries. I did when I was younger. I put my secrets in it. Talked about things I didn’t want to share with another soul.

Today’s puzzle image is a lovely, sepia-toned photo with hints of travel and love. I could have collected these things. How about you?

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me a story about what you see. Whose memories are encapsulated here? What happened to the lovers? Have fun with it!

UPDATE: The winner is…Diane Sallans!
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Another day, another game! Woot! Since yesterday’s flashback post, I thought matching the covers of some of the Night Fall stories would be fun!

A little home news—we have heat! And just in time since, today, the kids didn’t go to school due to icy roads. We’ll be lazing around for the day. Or they will. I have edits to work on and canvases to gesso for a fun paint-together class with the local art guild.

Did I mention that the 11-year-old has been watching too many glam influencers on TikTok? Yeah, she used her mother’s bikini shaver to “fix” her eyebrows the other night. We had to make an emergency trip into town to find one of those draw-your-own-eyebrows wands at Walmart. The crisis was avoided since my dd is fabulous with makeup. However, we’re adding ten minutes to the morning routine so she doesn’t leave the house with butchered brows.

Kinda reminds me of when I decided to cut my own bangs. Uh-huh. I had one-inch bangs forever!

So, let’s have some fun. Solve the puzzle, then tell me if you ever had a self-made “glam disaster” when you were a kid for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!