Every Writer Needs a Break

Every writer needs some time to get away from the daily grind and focus on their work. I took the first week of March to escape to the mountains of North Carolina. Having the chance to soak in a bit of cooler weather was a huge bonus. I arrived on Friday night and got right to work on Saturday, managing to knock out a little under 4,000 words on Virginia, the third novel in The Coastal Chronicles Series. I had set a goal of 4,000 words a day, so I thought I was off to a good start.

I kept my word goal low because I also wanted to take some time to recharge and spend some time with my family. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a little over an hour from the house and I try to make at least one trip into the Park during my visits. Since it had snowed the previous Thursday, my family and I drove into the Park hoping to find some snow still on the ground. We were not disappointed.

The snow started showing up in small patches, growing larger the higher we went, until the entire ground was covered on either side of the road. I had thought about walking a little ways on a trail at Newfound Gap, but it was windy and I didn’t have a warm enough coat on to venture too far. If I could have this view every day I think I would be much more productive.

View from Newfound Gap

A couple of years ago, elk were reintroduced to the Park and I’ve been wanting to see them ever since. I’ve had a few close encounters with elk during camping trips out west, but these are Smoky Mountain elk. On our way out of the Park I decided to stop at the Visitor Center gift shop. I’d hoped to find a wall calendar I could give to a photographer friend. I’ve been trying to convince him he needs to visit North Carolina with me to capture some great photos of his own. Unfortunately, there were no calendars for sale. Does no one use wall calendars anymore?

There is a wide porch outside the Visitor Center that overlooks a large field where the elk have been known to graze and perform their mating battles. It was getting close to sunset and I’d hoped we would see the elk, but it didn’t seem meant to be. I climbed back in the car and we started for home. God was smiling on me, though. Less than a minute out of the parking lot I spotted them; a herd of at least 30 elk grazing at the far end of a field. We stopped and I jumped out to take pictures. They seemed very calm and accustomed to people; I really wanted to pet one, but I was smart enough to keep my distance, just in case.

For the rest of the week, I spent at least four hours each day working, with small trips into town. I spent additional time doing research. There is a lot of information to take into consideration for this book and I’ve struggled to find resources online. Thursday was supposed to be my last full day before flying home Friday. Snow had been in the forecast off and on, but when it started falling it was so tiny I didn’t expect it to stick. Thirty minutes later the flakes had grown in size and we had about half an inch on the ground.

It was magical watching it fall and I had a hard time focusing on my work. When I did drag myself away from the window, I ended up getting into a real groove with the story and had to be torn away from it when my brother and his family came over for dinner.

I was granted a some what mixed blessing on the final day of my visit. I was scheduled for an evening flight out of Asheville but the plane failed to arrive! Since it is a limited service route, I couldn’t catch another flight until Monday. My Spring break was extended an extra two days. 😀

To celebrate Spring, books one and two of my Seasons of Faith series are on sale! Summer Storms is free and Winter’s End is only 99¢

Friday Reads~Beautiful Wreck

Well friends, we made it. It is Friday! That means it’s time to get our #FridayReads on and we have a fantastic author interview to share. A big welcome and congratulations to CeeCee James! She released the third book of her Wrecked and Yours Second Chances trilogy this week. Let’s get the interview started.

I enjoy reading novels that are part of a series. Tell our readers what your series is about.

The series is about love, secrets and navigating life. It’s romantic, uncertain and messy, like life often is. It describes their season to make a choice, “look at life honestly and deal with it, or continue to run away.” CeeCee absolutely loved writing it, and hopes it resonates with you because everyone has an important story of what they’ve overcome.

The first two novels of your series have dramatic titles, Wrecked and Yours and Out of the Wreckage. Book three has a sweeter title, Beautiful Wreck. To me that indicates the characters carry over and grow in each book.

Is Beautiful Wreck intended to be a stand alone novel or can it be read as a stand alone?

A Beautiful Wreck is written to be a stand alone, this sweet romance is all about hope restored.

I just happen to have the blurb: 😀

Her love may heal him, but his secret may destroy her.

One terrifying, emotional mission to return a family heirloom sends Cassie on an unexpected search for the person she never knew she needed.

Luke is tough, strong, and was once the best cop in town. Until the mob took away the one person he ever wanted. Now he’s trapped in fear over the man he’s become.

Cassie wants to bring him redemption, but fears she will never open her heart again.Each is the only one who can understand the other. If they’d just let their walls down.

Now to the part my mother enjoys, questions about the author. (She claims she is curious rather than nosy).

What influenced your decision to embark upon the insane journey of becoming an author?

My journey as an author first started as a child who loved to read. Growing up in a household that was often painful, in and out of foster care, I made my escape in several favorite books, who continue to be favorites to this day.

I am sure our readers would like to know which books and authors are your favorites. I know I would!

My first favorite that is near and dear to my heart is the James Herriot All Creatures Great and Small series. Those four books made me laugh, cry, and feel like there was a place of goodness and hope still in this word that set me on my own personal journey to find that place. He was an amazing author.

My second favorite books are the C.S. Lewis series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Yes! Still a favorite. It was here I saw other kids escape to new lands, and I lived vicariously through them. They reminded me to be brave, and continue to look for the beauty and whimsy in the world. I adored reading them out loud to my own children, over cups of hot cocoa.

As an adult, my favorites have gone far and wide. But nothing has yet measured up to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. His world building skills continue to hold me in awe.

Those are some of my favorites too. I devoured The Chronicles of Narnia.

No interview is complete without the official author bio.

CeeCee James is a wife, mom, owner of two mini-dashchunds, writer, and watercolor artist. Most of all, she is a survivor. The story about overcoming strife is one that resonates with her. She lived it herself. An advocate for adult survivors of child abuse, her Ghost No More series is her true story of surviving and healing from childhood trauma.

CeeCee’s blog is Joyfully Living After Child Abuse

CeeCee James Author Page

If you would like to contact CeeCee on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/CeeCeeJamesAuthor

To view the complete series, click on the cover below

I think our time is up CeeCee. It’s time to finish up my workday and do the TGIF dance.

It has been a pleasure to host you.

Release Day with Clues and a BIG Giveaway

It is always a pleasure to have talented author Faith Blum on our website. Today is extra special though as she has not only an official release day, but also a cover for her newest novel, The Solid Rock!! There’s a catch, though. You can’t see the cover for the novel until you’ve gathered all 15 clues. There’s also an exciting giveaway of 10 books, well 14 if you count the box set of 5 as 5 instead of just 1. Have fun searching for the clues. Instructions on how to see the cover are under the “Clues” section of the blog post.

About the Book

Joshua woke with a quiet groan. As his senses woke up one at a time, he cracked his eyelids open. Sure enough, there was a silhouetted form standing at the foot of the bed. From the smell, the person was either from the brothel down the street or had recently left one.

He forced himself to breathe evenly and reached for the knife in his thigh holster. With as tough and evil a voice as he could imitate, he spoke, “State your intentions.”

Pinkerton detective, Joshua Brookings, is sent on a job that seems simple on the surface. His fellow detective has been kidnapped and his boss, William Pinkerton senses foul play. Joshua is sent to investigate Edward’s case in hopes of finding the kidnapped detective and helping solve the case that has taken over ten years to investigate.

Arriving in Cheyenne, Joshua finds much more than a simple kidnapping. Yet again, he must go undercover, something he made his boss promise never to make him do again. The only Christian in the outlaw group, Joshua falters and almost loses faith in God’s providence. Will he stand on the solid Rock or drown in the sinking sand? Continue reading “Release Day with Clues and a BIG Giveaway”

I’m Recovered but Still a Little Crazy

In 2015 I released the last two books in my Seasons of Faith series. After spending a little over four years with these characters I feel as if I am moving away from dear friends. I have a number of other stories that have been begging to be told, but that hasn’t made it any easier to move on. Spending time with Lizzie, Ian, Jeffrey, Michelle, and Stephen is comfortable. They aren’t predictable, but I had developed a relatively clear picture of their future. In fact, there have been a couple of ideas for new stories with some of these characters that started developing at the edge of my mind as this series wound down.

Shortly after I finished Christmas Vows and had everything in place for its release, I became very sick. I didn’t know a body could take in as many antibiotics as mine did and still not get better. Between the medicine and the natural immune system reaction, I was exhausted and felt unable to connect with anything beyond a surface level. I knew I needed to get started on my next book, but I simply couldn’t focus on anything more complex than a formulaic television show. I’m pretty sure I have now seen every Hallmark Channel Christmas movie.

In January I began to regain my strength only to have it sapped out of me through extra hours at the day job. My energy languished until the last week of the month when I had the chance to get together with my friend Mike for a couple hours of conversation. He’s a musician and has been honing his photography skills over the past few years. A couple of years after we first met, we spent hours creating a multi-media show, maybe not to rival Epcot’s Illuminations but to reflect it in some ways. The plan was for Mike to take this show to a resort area in New Hampshire he’d performed at in the past and then maybe on the road to other venues. We’d work until three or four in the morning and never get tired. Getting together with him always seems to energize me and renew the creative spark, even if we aren’t creating something.

Ideas began to percolate in my mind and by the time I sat down at my computer, I was ready to start writing again. Virginia is my current project. This will be the third book in the Coastal Chronicles.

While this book will have many of the characters from Jessie and will carry on some of that storyline, it will still be a book that stands on its own. I grabbed snatches of time and started to age Virginia and Jessie, but I still wasn’t sure where the new book would start.

Now, here’s how I know I’m truly recovered from my November illness. Driving home from a day of shopping with my mom, a scene started to form in my mind. A couple of days later I was at the computer again and the original scene grew into three chapters. I’m now thinking about the story and wondering what the characters are doing, even when I’m at the day job. My commute is more exciting because I’m starting to see the world through Virginia and Jessie. I feel alive again and can’t wait for my next vacation so I can devote myself to writing. So, if you see me walking down the street with a silly grin on my face, don’t worry, I’m not crazy, I’m just a writer.

I forgot to mention that Summer Storms is currently free

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Jessie is on sale for 99 cents.

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