Big Stuff

Posted By on January 30, 2014

Lots of doings around here. The beloved and I did not find ourselves stranded on the highways around here in the snowstorm on Tuesday. However, my daughter managed her 20-minute drive in almost 3 hours. She was lucky. Her beloved managed his 25-minute drive in only 17 hours. Oddly, the thing that finally got him moving toward home was a policeman, directing traffic. Local drivers are never considerate, but let a few snowflakes fall, and anarchy reigns. The traffic laws are the first to flee the building.

On a more cheerful note, I’ve sold a new series. I’ll be writing three books set in a small, Smoky Mountain town called–Bliss. Because Bliss is what the mountains in Tennessee mean to me. My mother’s family showed up in those mountains, fresh out of the Revolutionary War. We’re all over the place up there. Every so often you run into a street sign with our family’s name on it. They also helped found a church that’s still active up there, and there are church minutes that my direct ancestor kept pretty much all his life. (Turns out, genetics are powerful. The same family scandals occur now as then!) Anyway, I’m borrowing parts of a town where my family has deep roots, and I’m moving it deeper into the mountains, keeping this house and that store and ideas that make me want to write about the families of Bliss, Tennessee. Sometime soon, my new stories will appear as part of the Harlequin Heartwarming line, a relatively new imprint that features wholesome, small-town romance.

Right now I’m working on the first Bliss book as well as a holiday novella. The novella will also be for Heartwarming. It releases next November, and I’m so excited to be celebrating Christmas again so early in the year. I’m always a little sad when all the twinkly lights go away in January, but this year, I’m still listening to the jazzy Christmas carol station on Pandora, and I’ve put snowy photos on my phone. (Thanks to storm Leon!) Inspiration!

The tricky part is writing two books at once. My critique partner, Karen Whiddon, is doing the same thing right now, except I think both of hers are full-length. My novella is a third the size of the longer ms. I know how many words I need to find every day to make my deadlines for each.

I should probably go wrestle a few of those words onto the screen! Yay–I’m employed!

 

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