From Sweden with Love!

 

New year, new books?

Happy January! I’m not one of those people who make resolutions just because it’s the new year. I tried it in the past and realized I never stuck to it. Instead, I ask myself what I still need to do. I still need to finish writing a few books (more of that later) and I need to decide if I want to continue indie publishing or focus on getting traditionally published (or some hybrid). The main thing I want to finish though is a book…or several.I want to publish at least two of them this year. I’m not going to swear that I will publish a book a month. I’m not one of those turbo writers (even though I sometimes wish I were). I am a slow writer. Pretty much, I am a tortoise. But I have a plan and it involves finishing and publishing at least two books this year.

 

Something new

I’ve always loved historical fiction but I never dared to write it. The amount of research needed for a historically accurate story felt daunting and I really didn’t feel like having to contend with debating readers who’d claim that Black and Brown people didn’t exist in Europe at a certain time (even though they did but just weren’t mentioned in history books) or forget about this wonderful thing called poetic license that we authors use to invent details to enrich our stories. But for a while now a story has been brewing within me. It’s set in the past and the present and involves a house by the sea, an inheritance and two sets of lovers separated by around 200 years. I’ve plotted the contemporary timeline. Now I am working on the part set in the past, which would be a few years following the Second Battle of Copenhagen, which took place 16 August - 5 September 1807.

 

 

I like the idea of these pairs of lovers who are somehow connected despite the centuries between them. Some details are based on history, some are my own invention. It’s just been so exciting delving into their stories and teasing it out. To keep me motivated as I write, I’ve made an inspiration image for my experiment, which has the working title of The Keepsakes House.

 Getting back in the swing of things

After an unintentionally long hiatus, I’m finally beginning to enjoy writing again but the words aren’t coming to me as easily as before. I think a lot of this is down to me trying to find a good rhythm again. I moved from a large city (with a multitude of cafés and coworking spaces where I could write) to a small town (with only three cafés and a library to use as writing spaces).

 I haven’t figured out yet which place is good for writing. The library is fine as long as it’s before the kids at the local school are done for the day. When they arrive, the library goes from calm and soothing to riotous. Apparently, kids here haven’t quite understood that you aren’t supposed to run, scream and act like you’re on a playground in libraries. And since my husband and I both work remotely thanks to COVID, I need a place to escape to where I can write without the distractions of home. I have a small home office, but it’s where I do my day job-related writing. I write there on the weekends but on weekdays I need another place to write.

I am sure I will find it soon.

In the pipeline

But, even with not quite finding the perfect rhythm, the words are coming. I’ve got several WIPs in various states of near-completion: a novella in the Maybe… series called Maybe Now; a travel love story set in Taormina, Sicily; a second-chance-at-love novella called Slow Song; a novel and novella set in the fictional Vermont town of Hunters Grove (from my debut holiday novel, Snowbound); two stories for my new series (Love in Sweden) that are both closing in on 60k words and my historical experiment.

   Which cover do you like for Maybe Now? I still haven’t quite figured it out yet.

 

  I’m aiming to get Maybe Now and the Hunters Grove stories done ASAP. I want to release the Maybe… novella by June and the Hunters Grove novel by November. And I hope you’ll love the characters and their love stories as much as I do.

Kim Golden lives and writes in southern Sweden. Originally from Philadelphia, she moved to Sweden in 1995 for love and is still with the Swede who stole her heart. Kim writes romantic women’s fiction featuring Black women who often live abroad and find love where they least expect it. Check out Kim’s latest release, Near Enough to Hold.  Follow Kim on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The Magic of Visions

Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic women’s fiction that honors pagan spiritual practices that nourish the soul. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where you do overcome obstacles and find your happily-ever-after.

When I started writing The Sacred Women’s Circle series, I clearly saw seven women coming together to form their own special place where they were unconditionally accepted, supported and loved and where they created their own spiritual practices drawing from various religions. The visions were clear and I eagerly wrote these stories while learning more about the craft of writing and then the process of publishing.

Initially I pitched my series to traditional publishers but the changes they wanted me to make (have the women fight among themselves) would change a core principle at the very foundation of the stories.

The sixth and seventh books Gabriella and Sophia were published in October and November 2017. In each of the books there were secondary characters I thought might have their own stories to tell but I stayed focused on the original seven.

Before Sophia was published I began to have the lucid day and night dreams as well as hear bits of dialogue that marked the beginning of my writing these books. I was not surprised to hear Mark Parker and his son, Ethan but who was the woman and little girl?

Visions of Happiness was published in 2018. And while it isn’t one of the original Sacred Women’s Circle series books, it is a part of a larger circle of women.

And now? I started Visions of Ireland (may end up being a working title) in December but a series of health problems have curtailed my writing for the past four months. Set in Ireland, Vision of Ireland’s hero is a major secondary character from Elizabeth (Book 2 in the series) and the heroine is barely mentioned in Visions of Happiness. But here she is in Ireland seeking her to enhance her spiritual practice with dogged, determined, purpose—you get the picture.

Here’s the back cover blurb for Visions of Happiness.

Dr. Mark Parker and his foster son face a social worker who is prejudiced against single parent adoptions.

Jocelyn Edwards and her step-daughter flee the little girl’s abusive father ending their cross-country ordeal in Fremont, OR.

When a mutual friend brings them together, it is love at first sight for the battered little boy and broken little girl.

But the path to love between Jocelyn and Mark is fraught with nightmares from the past and fears of future loss.

To have the future they both desire, Mark and Jocelyn must persevere through the terror of loss to find love and claim their future.

You can find all of my books at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource. 

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshleyRomance.com

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2019 Judith Ashley

My Sanctuaries and Safe Havens: Writing and Spiritual Practices

By Judith Ashley

Writing has been a refuge, a safe haven for me since I started writing fiction in 2002. At that point, I didn’t even have a writing process nor did I have any idea of things like genres or tropes.

What I did have were stories that infiltrated my night and day dreams. Scenes so real I could hear, see, smell and taste the people and food in the stories. My body recognized the emotions of my characters so I laughed and I cried. My jaw clenched, my stomach churned, my lungs seized right along with my characters. And when all seemed lost, the prayers for strength, for guidance, for protection appeared on the page.

The Sacred Women’s Circle series shows the power of spiritual practices to support us on our life’s journey.

What do we do when we are no longer comforted by the religious customs in which we were raised?

Like myself, my characters created their own spiritual path. They took bits and pieces from the religions they grew up with that still brought them peace. But they went a step further and created their own path. Because they are all equal in this sacred circle, they respected each other’s individual practice while forming The Circle’s foundational traditions.

As you read their stories, you’ll see the differences between them, what they rely on during difficult times. You will also have a road map if you want to create your own sacred circle.

What’s the difference between a sacred women’s circle and a women’s circle? Answer this question and you’ll know:

What would your life be like if you were unconditionally accepted, unconditionally supported and unconditionally loved?

What happened to me when I first talked to traditional publishers about my series? The feedback I got that was consistent was that I needed to build conflict in The Circle. In other words, the women had to have disagreements between them. A good old-fashioned fight, with members taking sides, etc. I was told there wasn’t a market for a story where women got along, believed in each other, supported, accepted and encouraged each other. All stories needed conflict. The reality that each of the women had a major life conflict going on in their personal life outside The Circle wasn’t enough.

Stonehenge

The good thing about that feedback is that I stopped and really took a look at my stories. The core principle or foundation in a sacred women’s circle is that we will always be accepted, always be safe no matter what. The Circle is our Haven, our Sanctuary, our place to rest, to heal, to restore ourselves before going forth to do battle in the world once again.

What battles do these women face? Domestic violence, recurrent breast cancer, spousal abandonment, custodial interference aka child stealing, death of a spouse, conflicted core values, etc. Most of us have dealt with these issues or know someone who has. With that assessment my choice was clear. I became an Indie Published Author.

So I ask again: What would your life be like if, when facing one of these major life events, you had a place where you were unconditionally accepted, unconditionally supported and unconditionally loved?

My large crystal altar

One of my 2019 goals is to spend more time reaching out to those people who’d like to experience being in that space. What that means is claiming the Pagan Spiritual practices that are an integral part of each book.

Yes, my heroine’s find their happily-ever-after but what’s as important is they come to rely on, to find strength in their spiritual practices and their relationships with each other. That’s why I write what I believe is best called Contemporary Romantic Women’s Fiction or for even more clarity: Contemporary Romantic Pagan Women’s Fiction.

Another of my 2019 goals is to change out the Keywords, etc. on the on-line vendors and my website by the end of January 2019 to more clearly reflect the Pagan Inspirational theme in my books.

Also on my 2019 radar is publishing Ceremonies, Prayers and Resources. CPS is a short booklet of the prayers and ceremonies from this series as well as Visions of Ireland (working title) which is the 9^th book in the series. And if all falls into place, I’ll have the 10^th book at least in draft form or actually published before the end of this year.

What suggestions do you have for the best way to let people know about my books? And, do contact me at Judith@JudithAshleyRomance.com if you are interested in my doing presentations or workshops on the various practices and concepts included in these stories.

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic women’s fiction that honors pagan spiritual practices that nourish the soul. The Circle is the haven where each heroine has the support of the others to sustain them as they overcome obstacles and find their happily-ever-after.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshleyRomance.com

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2019 Judith Ashley

I Never Would Have Believed It!

By Judith Ashley

Judith and Sarah at Desert Dreams Book Signing

Three years ago on April 30, 2011 Sarah Raplee and I crossed our fingers, held our breath and checked this site.

We were "Live!"

Everything worked so we knew we didn't have to stay up all night although we did hover multiple times a day for several months (years) after our launch.

As I write this 6637 comments have been made on 947 posts. Our stats say we've 108,204 page views and also show that just over 1200 are from stat-gathering robots or whatever they're called (they "visit" you and use your link to build their stats or something like that).

I digress.

One half of the original Genre-istas are still with us.

When a Genre-istas life goes in a different direction, we add them to our Alumni Page and continue to support them in various ways including featuring a new release or award in our Headlines. (You'll see our Saturday guests include former Genre-istas as well as popular guests).

How do we fill a vacancy? We stay focused on diversity and inclusiveness and invite someone who writes in an under-represented romance sub-genres, is from another part of the United States or country, and as we are well aware men write romance we've had a male romance writers as Genre-istas and guests.

Three years ago today I might have dreamed of this much success but I didn't believe it possible.

Judith and Sarah at Desert Dreams with L&M poster

What else did I believe impossible?

Coming from the "old school" where you sat down with someone, sized them up and got to know them, I knew with a certainty any relationship developed over the internet would, of necessity, be superficial. Romancing The Genres blew that right out of the water. Reading thirty plus posts and some of their books as well as engaging in cyber conversations with them, I've come to know and value the relationships I have with other Genre-istas.

I've made a fast-friend in my co-founder and co-Blog Queen, Sarah Raplee although that did happen the "old-fashioned" way. As I sit and type this post, I'm doing so directly into the "new post" setting on Blogger. When I finish the text, I'll go back and add links and pictures. If it doesn't work the first time, I will try again. No panic, no stress (well, maybe a little if I've tried a couple of times and nothing is working - after all, it is less than 10 hours before this is to go "live").

Three years ago I never would have considered sitting down and writing my post this way. I had a website but was not published. My technical skills were better than some but sorely lacking when it came to the internet, blogging, etc.

So much has changed and yet I can honestly say three years ago "I Never Would Have Believed It". And today? Well today I'm saying "We've Come A Long Way!"

Thanks to each and every one of you for your support!!!

Check out Judith's website at www.JudithAshleyRomance.com
You can find Judith's books here