‘Tis The Season for Holiday Romances ..... ..... ..... by Debora (Deb) Noone w/a Delsora Lowe

     I think I have been doing more reading than writing lately. It didn’t help the writing cause to have my computer in the shop for almost three weeks. Now trying to get back in writing mode with only a week before my daughter and her family arrive for the holidays and “camp out” at my son’s house, about a forty-minute drive away. Presents, menu planning, and reserving time to see family will be priority for the next few weeks. Plus, getting to a few varsity hockey games for my in-state grandson.

Having said that, my Kindle will be my respite.

As usual, I have purchased more holiday books than I can read before 2025 roars in. But I am one to read holiday books all year round – especially in the colder, darker months of January and February. And I love reading holiday books for other holidays through the year.

I also love writing holiday short romances. I was privileged to sell both an Easter and a Thanksgiving story to Woman’s World this year – one of my BIG writing goals for 2024. Fingers crossed... I hope to release a book with short romances (around an 8-minute read for each,) sometime in 2025!

Here’s to Happy Holidays to all! And don’t forget to start thinking about personal and professional goals for 2025.

Books I have read so far:

  
December 2, 2024

  

November 25, 2024

November 11, 2024

November 14, 2024

December 16, 2019

November 18, 2024

November 4, 2024

November 1, 2024

Books I plan to read ASAP:
And… I am sure I may spot a few more that I want to send to my e-reader before 2024 ends. As I said, a sucker for holiday romances.

November 5, 2019

 

November 8, 2022

September 11, 2024

 

And to help with holiday prep - the 2nd edition cookie cookbook for the Dicken's series - ENJOY!

 

October 31, 2024

 

 

Do you love reading holiday books?

Do you set personal goals at the beginning of each new year? And do you try to stick to them? Or run out of paying attention to goals before the year is out?

 

In case you are interested in another holiday book or three…

Holiday Hitchhiker

Amazon

Books 2 Read

The Inn on Gooseneck Lane
also in print

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Apple

 

Come Dance with Me

Amazon

Books2Read

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in 2025.

What’s New in ’22 … Delsora Lowe

For me, it is not what’s new for the new year, but what I will recycle and make new in 2022.

I’ll admit, 2021 was not the most productive year I’ve had. Between trying to figure out how to live a normal life, in a crazy situation, and then experiencing many life-changing situations, both sad and happy, I had difficulty making my goals that I set out for myself last year.

For 2022, I’ve brought forward all that I planned and was excited about in 2021, in hopes of accomplishing them in 2022. That list includes both professional and personal goals. For several years I have had on my list to join a local, non-profit organization that provides a meeting place and a list of activities for both teens and retirees. Last spring, I finally joined. The activities that interested me most were exercise classes, various art classes, and a writing group. Did I do any of them? 

A BIG FAT NO!

So, what’s new for ’22, is to get myself out of the house, with mask in place, and get to exercise class two days a week, join the writing group, and explore some art classes that will definitely take me out of my comfort zone. My sister was an artist. My grandmother was a juried craftswoman, mostly in painting on tins and velvets. My grandfather dabbled in painting, as did my mom. My daughter is an interior designer and a floral designer. Me? I loved art when I was in school, and I took craft classes as an adult and loved rug braiding, pottery, knitting, etc. But I never pursued any of them beyond the adult education classes I took.

2022—here I come.  Time to get out of my comfort zone and learn a new craft. If only, because it will challenge my creativity in a different way than writing. And by doing so, my hope is to jumpstart my writing,

I’m convinced that if I can activate my creative brain in other areas beside writing, that I might jumpstart my writing creativity, as well. In other words, allow the light of creativity to shine through once more.

“It is the light in the lantern which shows you the path,
 not the lantern.”
from a Yogi Tea Bag

And that leads me to what I love…writing. Alas, 2021 was a bad year for me. I totally shut down. I missed most of my goals I set for myself at the end of 2020, and I beat myself up over it. But hey…as I write this, we are in the last few weeks in December and all of a sudden, my creative juices are flowing through my brain and into my fingers. Time to take advantage, pull all my 2021 goals forward, and kick up a dance of creativity (both physical and mental) for 2022! And STOP with the I’m a failure self-talk.

The words of encouragement I have chosen to guide me for 2022 are:

Self-Forgiveness and Looking Forward

What are you going to do to move forward and find something new in ’22?

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her new novella, The Love Left Behind, will release in late fall, 2020.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

Credits:
2022 Words Meme: Image from CANVA
Reuse in-box: Displaying 19 Images For Reduce Reuse Recycle Symbol Clip Art #v3CeAZ - Clipart Suggest
Goals Clothesline: free clipart goals - Google Search
Exercise: Free Exercise Cliparts, Download Free Exercise Cliparts png images, Free ClipArts on Clipart Library (clipart-library.com)
Writers Block: writer-s-block-words-road-construction-barrier-barricade-sign-stopping-you-making-progress-writing-novel-article-40955648
Raising a Glass: Raising A Toast Stock Illustrations, Cliparts And Royalty Free Raising A Toast Vectors (123rf.com)
Michelle Obama
Nelson Mandela

Freedom of Mind ... by Delsora Lowe

Anything artistic takes a creative mind—obviously. But, creativity-inspired work takes so much more. It takes years of studying and honing a skill, whether it is writing, painting, weaving, pottery, cooking, or…

Sauteeing farmers' market swiss chard

Having said that, artistry also takes concentration. And to concentrate, the mind must be free to explore.

These last few years have been daunting, in that the problems of the world seem to overtake the creative part of the brain and shut it down. At least it has for me. Freeing my mind to create has been tough.

In order to attain freedom of mind, I’ve had to shut off the things that cause me anxiety. And those stressors can vary from day-to-day. Whether it is the news or dealing with family issues or catching up on the never-ending barrage of email or keeping up with social media, even if it is fun—all those things can put one in overload mode.

Add in your creativity priorities and deadlines, and the stress can become overwhelming. Finding other creative outlets that don’t have timelines or expectations, is a good way to jumpstart the creative parts that have shutdown. For me, it was the simple idea of grabbing a few sheets of computer paper and my ten different-colored sharpies and scribbling out a drawing of flowers in a vase. I am not an artist, even though everyone else in my family is. But I had fun creating what I call Kindergarten / Picasso-Inspired-Abstract. And even though it was the only creative thing I could think to do in my marathon, TV-induced haze of procrastination, IT WORKED!

Find something to distract you that will jump-start your creative mind. Cooking, which for me starts with a random set of ingredients to create a new recipe, has always been a relaxing and creative endeavor. But push yourself out of your comfort zone, whether it is buying an adult coloring book and a set of bright-colored pencils, picking up knitting needles after thirty years of not knitting, pot gardening on your deck, trying a ZOOM belly-dancing class (yes, I did that and what fun!,) trying something new and creative is a great way to free up, and jump start those stagnant brain cells.

So, my advice, as all of us try to get back into a more “normal” life pattern, whether it is resurrecting our creative mode, or jumping back into in-person work or meetings or social events, is to pinpoint potential stressors, and limit yourself. And not only do this for the things we must check off our lists. Do so as you ease back into the joys of life and discover a new, fun distraction.

And most of all, define your own freedom. I’m usually an outgoing, social being, but this last year of isolation has diminished that part of me. So, I’m easing back into interacting in-person, in order to save my brain from the overload shock of dealing with real people.

Having said that, there is nothing more that energizes me then running into a friend in the grocery store parking lot and just getting to yack, yack, yack for a few minutes. Or talking to a farmer at the farmers market about their wonderful offerings and getting ideas for recipes. Or hollering “over the fence” to a neighbor to find out how their chickens are doing or their garden grows or their kids or dog is faring.

Enjoy your new creative outlets. Have fun setting your new boundaries. Recognize your limitations that may have changed. And take back your freedom in whatever way works for you.

What tricks do you use to free up your brain?

The Love Left Behind

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Left-Behind-Hartford-Estate-ebook/dp/B08L5N5DS9/

Books2Read   books2read.com/u/mglVqK

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her new novella, The Love Left Behind, will release in late fall, 2020.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

Photo Credits:
Exploding Brain - free clip art brain exploding - Google Search
Belly Dance- Free Belly Dance Silhouette, Download Free Belly Dance Silhouette png images, Free ClipArts on Clipart Library (clipart-library.com)
Crowd: free clip art crowds of people - Google Search

Art and Imagination

by Courtney Pierce

As far back as I can remember, maybe age four or five, a small oil painting hung in my grandparents’ living room. It portrayed a young boy dancing in the woods. The ornate gilt frame measured twice the size of the canvas. The boy wore rolled-up linen britches and a frilly linen shirt. His waist coat appeared to be soft. Tousled brown locks topped his exuberant feminine face, so life-like that he appeared to move.

I named him The Dancing Boy.

There was nothing for a young girl to do at my grandparents’ house. The tick and bong of a clock in the dining room cut through the quiet to mark the passage of every slow hour. My paternal grandmother was a fairly terse German woman who held on tight to every minute of her escape from WWII. Whenever I visited, I would plan my own escape by spending an inordinate amount of time staring at that painting, chased by my own imagination. I made-up all kinds of stories about that young dancing boy. What did the music sound like to inspire him to dance? Why were his bare toes so dirty when he’s wearing fancy clothes? Did he run away from home? Did he have to dance in secret because his parents were too strict? Who are the two shadowy adults in the background?

As I approached my late-teens, my questions focused om the painting itself. I broke through my fear of my grandmother to dig a bit deeper into its history. She told me it was created in the early 1800s and had been given to her as a gift by her employer after an elaborate remodel of a guest bedroom. In fact, most of the furniture in my grandparents' Georgetown home were cast-offs from that wealthy family. She also told me the painting had been a rescued section of a much larger piece that had been destroyed by fire. 

To me, that little cutaway had become its own work of art.

After my grandparents passed away, The Dancing Boy hung in my parents’ living room for over thirty years. My Dad requested I research how best to have it professionally cleaned and conserved. Decades of cigarette smoke had veiled the luminous skin tones, vivid details of the boy’s frock, and richness of the woodsy vegetation. I took the piece out of its heavy frame for any indication of the artist. Nothing. But I did discover it had been painted on wood, not canvas.

I took The Dancing Boy to the Portland Art Museum for a deeper inspection by the curator. My Mom freaked a bit, however, because she was convinced that The Dancing Boy had been stolen by the Nazis and didn’t want me to get busted. Geez, Mom! And I thought I had a vivid imagination.

The curator’s eyes lit up when I showed him the painting. Under the glow of lighted magnifying glasses, he made all sorts of noises: “hmmm . . . ahhh . . . mmm.” Then he raised his head and nearly blinded me before switching off his headgear. “As far as I can tell, it’s definitely Early American, around the Revolutionary War," he said. "But without an identifying signature, it’s hard to say who might’ve painted it. Whoever it was, they were damn good.”

“Damn good to know,” I said. 

Then my imagination started to race with more stories. Maybe Ben Franklin had been in the company of the original painting, or Washington, Adams, Hamilton, or Jefferson. I suddenly heard tankards clinking and the scratching of quilled words on the Declaration of Independence. That would certainly be cause for a budding young man to dance in the woods. The possibilities were endless. I packed up the painting and hung it back on my parents’ living room wall, my soul having grown ten times in size that day.

On Christmas morning of 2012, my parents came by the house for our traditional exchange of gifts. We had spend limits in place, so gifts were usually gag-like in nature. My Dad had been failing rapidly, and I knew he would only exist in my heart quite soon. I sat him on the couch in the living room and handed him a cup of coffee. He pointed to the front door.

“Go out to the truck and get that big box in the back.”

I did as I was told, of course. I had no idea what my parents had given me, but my pulse raced like a hummingbird's. I brought in the box and set it on the floor in front of my father.

“Go ahead and open it,” he said. “It’s for you, not me.”

And when I did, I broke into tears. He had given me The Dancing Boy. I didn’t know what to say, but my Dad did:

“It’s yours now, kid. I wanted to be able to see the look on your face before I’m dead.”

Dad. A steel-belted marshmallow.

It took only fifty years to come up with the ultimate story about The Dancing Boy. The painting became the subject of magical realism in my second novel of the Stitches Trilogy, Brushes. The three-book series—Stitches, Brushes, and Riffs—centers on a baby boomer couple, Jean and Spence Collins, who find a magical artifact at an estate sale. When they discover it holds the key to immortality, they set off on quite the world adventure, but not without getting into serious trouble with the FBI. It’s a bit like The Thin Man meets History Detectives—with a twist of magic.

I relived every wondrous moment of little-girl imagination when I wrote Brushes. And immortalizing The Dancing Boy forever on its printed pages means that I, too, have added to the painting's long history.

Courtney Pierce is a fiction writer living in Milwaukie, Oregon, with her husband. stepdaughter, and their brainiac cat, Princeton. Courtney writes for the baby boomer audience. By day, she is an executive in the entertainment industry and uses her time in a theater seat to create stories that are filled with heart, humor and mystery. She has studied craft and storytelling at the Attic Institute and has completed the Hawthorne Fellows Program for writing and publishing. Active in the writing community, Courtney is a board member of the Northwest Independent Writers Association and on the Advisory Council of the Independent Publishing Resource Center. She is a member of Willamette Writers, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, and She Writes. The Executrix received the Library Journal Self-E recommendation seal.  

Coming Soon!
Book 3 of the
Dushane Sisters
Trilogy

Check out all of Courtney's books: 

courtney-pierce.com and

windtreepress.com 

Print and E-books are available through most major online retailers, including Amazon.com.

The Dushane Sisters Trilogy concludes with Indigo Legacy, due out in the fall, 2018. There's love in the air for Olivia and Woody, but will family intrigue get in the way? Ride along for the wild trip that starts in a New York auction house and peaks in a mansion on Boston's Beacon Hill. The Dushane sisters finally get to the truth about their mother.

New York Times best-selling author Karen Karbo says, "Courtney Pierce spins a madcap tale of family grudges, sisterly love, unexpected romance, mysterious mobsters and dog love. Reading Indigo Lake is like drinking champagne with a chaser of Mountain Dew. Pure Delight."

Fair, Fair, Oh, how I love Fairs!!!

by Diana McCollum


Diana writes paranormal romance, always with a happily ever after. In her latest book "The Witch with the Trident Tattoo" you'll find a heroine and hero to root for as they fight against an evil force set on killing all life in the oceans. Along the way are colorful characters. A teenage mermaid with pink hair who can come on land for short periods of time,  an octopus familiar named James, and a host of others.




A great summer read, "The Witch with the Trident Tattoo".


Fairs have been around since before 500 B.C. Fairs were mentioned in the bible as places to socialize and sell goods.

Over time, the fair morphed away from religion and commerce and into periodic gatherings attended by crafters, food brokers, clothing stalls and livestock for show and sale. People bartered for, and exchanged goods, not that much money changed hands, but lots of goods did.

The actual first date of the original fair is unknown. 

The first fair in America was recorded in 1765, in Windsor, Nova Scotia. In 1792, the first fair of Niagara was held, by the Niagara Agricultural Society. Both of these fairs still occur each year right through the present day.

Today, there are around 2,000 fairs each year in North America.

Now days fairs include, but are not limited to: food, shows, rodeos, games to play for prizes, carnival rides, 4-H exhibits, horticulture, livestock, all kinds of new innovated things for sale!

Personally, I love the fair! Hubby and I try to go every year. Here in Deschutes County there is one day , usually opening day, when seniors get in free. We missed that day this year, hubby wasn’t feeling well, but did go the next day to walk through the exhibits. 

What I learned is there are so, so many talented people in this world. From paintings by 13-year-old kids to gorgeous photography to quilts that are definitely a work of art, it humbled me to see all the creations by everyday amateur individuals.

Most exciting, unusual thing we saw? A couple cowboys riding Long Horn Bulls through the streets of the fairgrounds!

Most beautiful craft was this quilt.

Most beautiful flower? This two toned gladiola. 

The most exotic thing? This Styrofoam head decorated with food and flowers.

Do you have a fair near you, and if you do, what do you like doing the best? For me it’s the inside exhibits, including the animal barns.