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Archive for 'Valentine’s Day'



Anna Hague: A Chunk of Change
Friday, February 10th, 2023

Originally, I was titling this piece “Conquering Change,” but I haven’t conquered anything. Instead, I’m chipping away at needed changes. The biggest chunk I’ve chiseled off is making the decision that I had to change my job.

I’ve been a published author since 2016, but for almost three decades I’ve been a sports journalist. As a reporter, I’ve covered professional events, college events, and even taken some photos at a few NFL games. I spent twenty years covering a real love of mine, the Indianapolis 500. I covered my last race in 2016 to concentrate on being an author.

After six months, I missed being a sports reporter and found a compromise. I decided to cover high school sports for the local weekly newspaper whose coverage area included two high schools in my community. In a way, it was a dream job, because I had the freedom to continue being an author but still have the extra income of being a reporter.

I fell in love with being a reporter for high school sports. I developed wonderful relationships with coaches, athletes and others in the community. I watched some incredible events and athletes who never gave up, but more than anything, I loved seeing how these coaches were more interested in guiding kids to be good people more than winning games.

Then something happened.

I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through treatment and went into remission, but the lingering effects of treatment changed the game for me. I did go back to work, but it was difficult with the exhaustion and chemo brain causing trouble in interviews. It got better, but I was never like I was before treatment. Nine months again, the cancer returned. Now, I’m on a different treatment which is not as draining as chemo.

I still couldn’t keep up. The late nights, weekends, hard bleachers, press boxes with no heat or air took its toll, and I had to make a difficult decision.

I couldn’t do it anymore.

But what else could I do? Reporting was all I knew.

A CPA firm took a chance on me even though I had no experience working in an office or working with software other than Word. I think I nailed the interview when I said I was used to unhappy people yelling at me. Grandmothers at sporting events can be pretty scary.

I’m in my fifth month at this job, and I love it. I don’t work nights or weekends. I work indoors with heat and air conditioning, and my two other coworkers are already like family. I have a cozy chair to sit in, and the owner comes into the office maybe once a week. I’ve been yelled at twice over the phone by people who still haven’t received their tax refund. (The IRS is six or more months behind in processing paper returns). The yelling doesn’t bother me because it’s not something I did, and since I have the health issue I have, most problems seem pretty minor to me.

I guess what I want to say is big change is scary, and something we don’t want to do but are sometimes forced to do. At this point in my life, it was the right decision, and in doing so I have a whole new set of people who care about me and are fun to be around.

My writing has stalled a lot during the last two years, but I haven’t given up completely. I’ve had some short stories in anthologies and have another story in a Valentine anthology from the Indiana Romance Writers group which released February 1st.

Once I adjust more to my new normal, I hope the writing juices began to flow as opposed to trickle. Until then, I’m going to enjoy this change.

https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Valentine-Limited-Romance-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0BKJZ93TB
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/…/lucky-valentine…/id6444009196
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/…/lucky-valentine-a-limited…
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1277604

Puzzle-Contest: It’s in the genes… (Contest)
Saturday, February 4th, 2023

UPDATE: The winner is…Shirley Long!
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I’m posting late today. Honestly, I nearly forgot to post at all. My daughter and I headed out with the 9-year-old this morning to spend time at the flea market and then eat a meal out. I bought junk I didn’t need—according to her.

I bought a tin with lemons painted all over it that will make lovely cut tin earrings; a vintage yellow enamel soap dish; a white and charcoal-grey flowerpot that will be perfect for holding more paintbrushes; a stack of music books with yellowed paper that will be perfect cut up for collage fodder; and three small, framed prayers that will be disassembled so I can use the matching frames for my art.

Before we left for our flea market jaunt, my dd shot her monthly “senior pictures” of the 18-year-old. I can’t get over how gorgeous my baby looks or how well my older baby works her iPhone camera. Check this out!

The background’s red for the Valentine’s Day theme, but baby girl didn’t need to dress up to look fabulous.

I used another photo for the jigsaw. Wait until you see it!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me what you’re up to this weekend!

Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Will you be my valentine…?
Saturday, January 28th, 2023

UPDATE: The winner is Mary Ann Dean!
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I hope you love the puzzle! I found this image and knew it would make a great puzzle! Very inspirational—cool and creepy! We are getting close to Valentine’s Day, and I have a ton of cards to make. Or maybe just a couple. Depends on my inspiration. Now, I feel like Santa making his nice and naughty list. Anyways, it’s Saturday! I got to sleep in, it’s cold outside, and I’m wearing fuzzy socks, so you know it’s the beginning of a great day!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, have you ever made a homemade valentine card for someone special?

Saturday Puzzle-Contest: What are we celebrating next?
Saturday, January 7th, 2023

UPDATE: The winner is…Donna Bayar Repsher!
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I love gift-giving and our family looks for every opportunity to celebrate holidays with gifts, food, and fun. So, naturally, I’m already turning my attention to the next celebration.

Solve the puzzle, then tell me whether this is a holiday you like to get behind for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Dr. Tonya Nagle: 10 Gifts to Give Your Valentine
Sunday, January 30th, 2022

Do you love military heroes? So do we. 

Cupid Wore Dog Tags is the result of a brainstorming project to write anthologies about military members by veterans and spouses. 

The first book we released is out now. https://books2read.com/cupidworedogtags

February is right around the corner, so Valentine’s Day is on my mind. Maybe it is on your mind, too. 

Here are 10 gifts to give your valentine that may or may not cost a lot depending on how you decide to execute this plan:

  1. Provide a meal. This could be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but taking the burden of cooking off of someone’s plate when they normally do the cooking is an amazing gift and gesture. 
  2. Household Chore. Whatever chore your significant other, parent, child, whoever you are showing they are special this holiday, hates the most. Do that chore for them on this day or the day before. You really want to rock? Do this chore for a week! 
  3. Snacks. That’s right, get a gathering of this person’s favorite snacks together and present it to them. Let’s them know you know them well enough to get those and they have them on hand. The key to this gift is not eating your Valentine’s gift no matter how tempting that box of thin mints are! 
  4. Bake Something. A cake, pie, cupcakes, brownies, etc. are not a meal and not a snack. Desserts are special and when you fancy them up it makes them extra special, so take the time and bake something. 
  5. Make Something. It’s not all food on this list. LOL. You know how people pull out ornaments and finger paintings from when you were a kid? Well, you could pull out the crafting supplies and make something. If for your significant other, make two somethings. One for them to display and one that no one but the two of you should ever see. 
  6. Journal. A gender-neutral gift that aims to please when you write a nice note on the inside of it so they remember who gave them the gift and when. I give journals as gifts frequently. 
  7. Books. eBooks, audiobooks, paperback books, hard cover books, doesn’t matter. Find some books in their favorite genre or by their favorite authors and gift it to them.
  8. Sleep. Whether it is an extra hour in the morning or night, a nap in the afternoon, the gift of sleep matters! 
  9. Music. Make a playlist. It’s a throwback to the 80s but now you don’t need a cassette player and the radio station to finally play that song for you. 
  10. Time to do whatever they want. An hour to read undisturbed, family movie night without cellphones, whatever it is, gifting someone time with you, with friends, with family, or with themselves is never time wasted and always a great gift. 

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you will check out Cupid Wore Dog Tags and you can find more by me at www.creativewritingwithdrnagle.com 

Tonya Nagle, PhD
Educator, Author, Podcaster, Editor
Veteran Owned and Operated
Website: www.creativewritingwithdrnagle.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TonyaNaglePhD/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.tonyanagle/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/musesandsirens
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyanaglephd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyaNagle