Be You...

Friday Five for Jan 27...

My airman...

I got my first letter from my kid who's at Air Force basic training. It's been three and a half weeks since he left so it was so good for this momma's heart to hear from him.

Found at the Bookstore

The first draft of this book is so, so, so close to being done. I actually stopped writing yesterday and re-read it before I headed into the final scenes to make sure the story was still on track. And good news...I think it's really good. I'm super stoked now to get it done. 

But I'm juggling it with what feels like a million and one other projects right now. Ack...there are not enough hours in the day.

Ryder and Stig...

happy sighs...

this whole series just makes me happy, but I really, really love these two guys. 

(And you know what? 

I'm pretty sure there's going to be another two books added to this series...

an m/f novella and then the final m/m book.)

But if everything stays on track, I should be releasing this book in early March.

Self care...

I don't think I'm alone when I say that the last week has been kind of rough. Everywhere I turn, there's something negative about our world. I don't know about you, but I don't like living in the negative. So, I decided to combat it at home with some self care and lit my salt candle lamp. 

Salt candles are supposed to have all kinds of healthy benefits from increasing energy levels to cleansing toxins from the air. I don't know how much stock to put in all that, but I did feel calmer today for having lit this while I worked. I think it's going to be part of my daily routine for the foreseeable future. 

Favorites for the week...

planner page:

I adore that sentiment. It speaks to me.

You can check out the rest of this week's planner pages and what I've been reading every night on my Instagram page...HERE.

favorite book I read:

Hot Licks by A.M. Arthur

m/m/m

Goodreads link

I just finished it. In fact, I haven't even finished writing my review of it yet. But this book was hot and sweet and emotional. I give it an A. It releases January 7th.

Friends...

I'm flat out not a person who connects to other people very easily. But I am lucky in that I have an incredible little circle of friends who I know I can count on. Today I'm going to pimp out two of them...my writing accountability girls....Amanda Shofner and Kelly Apple.

I meet with these girls every week...online Monday nights, we talk goals and writing accomplishments. Every morning, we do writing sprints (which I've been sorely lagging on lately). They are both so talented and blow me away with all that they are doing...and this week, they both had some new things happening. 

Amanda announced her new FREE writing course...

Click the bar above to follow the link or here is the web address...

http://amandashofner.com/get-writing/

*****

Kelly released the first book in an all new series...

I'm dying to read it, and that cover is hot, hot, HAWT!

Amazon ...only $.99

Living on the outskirts of society suits Will Quinn just fine. He’s one of the last of his kind and he’s grown weary of being the boogie man to the humans who dare each other to check out his presumably haunted cabin.

When a small group of humans from the local college show up to interrupt his solitude, Will is determined to run them off. He never expects a pretty coed to see right through his glamour to the heart of the man beneath.

With tensions rising in the monstrous community and the danger of being revealed an ever-present threat, Will must make a choice: Guard the secret of what he is or let the spark that is smoldering between him and Kaitlin become a full-fledged burn.

Warning: This book contains a man who’s much more than a Wisp. Not all monsters are created equal and Kaitlin’s about to get the type of education she never dreamed of.

******

So, that's it from me this week. I hope you're having a fabulous week and are reading something good as you head into the weekend.

smiles,

Christi

Don't let them ignore you...

Friday Five for Jan 20...

It's a sale!

I know, I know. You all are my readers so this is just like preaching to the choir. But just in case you haven't read it yet...the very first book I ever wrote and by far, the most popular, Operation: Endgame is on sale. 

Through this weekend, it's only $.99

The rest of this series is already out, so this is a great way to kick off a full weekend of reading. There are four full length books and a novella in the series.

1. Operation: Endgame

2. Operation: Endeavor

2.5. Before the Mission Began

3. Operation: Endurance

4. When Love Intrudes

****

Another author to share...

I'll admit, sometimes it takes me a while to get completely sold on an author. 

In 2015, I had a new to me author hit my top ten list for the year. 

That author and book was Since Drew by J. Nathan.

Since reading that book, I've bought another couple of the author's books, but haven't made the time to read them. What the heck?

Tonight I finished a book coming out on January 30th by J. Nathan called For Finlay. OMG, all the feels. If you like sports romance or New Adult, you need to go add this book to your tbr list now. 

It was so good, so emotional, so all the things I love in a romance novel. I haven't written my review yet, but it will be an A+ rating, and will go up on release day on my book review site. 

I promise you, you want to go get this book. 

And now I need to go buy ALL the J. Nathan books!

****

Man-Candy?

What kind of romance author would I be if I didn't share a little man-candy with you once in a while. Let me introduce you to Nathan Hainline.

Nathan is one of those guys...absolutely gorgeous, extremely talented (he takes all his own photos), a cat lover, and he's simply the nicest guy you could ever talk to. He's going to be on a couple of my upcoming books...one you'll see VERY soon and the other a new series coming out in 2018 that he helped inspire. 

Go give him some love on his Facebook page. (He also features his real life girlfriend in his couples shots which I love.) And if you're an author or know an author looking for a cover model, I highly recommend Nate. He's completely professional and like I said, just the nicest guy you can imagine.

****

My favorite planner page...

This week, my pages were all about the tags. I think I've used one in almost every day's spread, but this one was by far my favorite...

You can go see all the other layouts on my IG page.

****

A hotel for Book Lovers...

I saw this article on Huffington Post tonight.

I feel the need to travel to Portugal, just so I can stay in this hotel.

Or better yet...

(oh, this is brilliant)

You all buy all my books...

and...

I'll build us a hotel like this in the US specifically for romance readers.

Can you imagine?

Ahh, I think I just found my happy place. 

Come on...

dream with me!

****

Have a great weekend, everyone!

smiles,

Christi

Create your future...

Friday Five for Jan 13...

ooh, I just titled this post and realized this is going up on Friday the 13th. 

I missed that we had one of those coming.

bum-bum-bum

(and no, I'm not really superstitious...LOL)

So onto the Friday Five...

The art of letter writing...

This is one of those things that I love just for the nostalgia and thoughtfulness that it takes, although I'll admit, I'm the world's worst about actually doing it. 

But with the man-child at Basic Training for the Air Force, I am getting in touch with my letter-writing side again. They aren't allowed any other real communication, but they can receive letters.

But it's hard to do. 

I may be a writer, but I am not a talker. 

I abhor talking on the phone. 

Texting was made for people like me...say what I need to say and that's it. 

But how much are we losing by this quick communication? 

It's interesting... I am more thoughtful about him throughout the day now...looking for little tidbits to put into a letter about what's happening in our world. As a result, he's on my mind even more than he usually is. I kind of like that.

So, tell me...do you ever write letters? Personally I think I need to make more of a conscientious effort toward doing it.

(a new resolution)

Story Descriptions...

Happy sigh. 

I love writing story blurbs. 

So many authors don't enjoy it, but that is not me. 

I LOVE WRITING THEM!!

In the past two days I've written FOUR of them.

 (you know what that means? There's fun stuff coming!!)

So, because I suck at keeping things secret...how about I share one? 

Do you want to read the story blurb (back cover copy) for...

Found at the Bookstore?

okay, okay...only because you twisted my arm...hehe

Here it is...(and it may still get edited a bit more before release):

Found at the Bookstore Story Description

After suffering a traumatic brain injury the final football game his senior year in high school, Ryder Garrett’s life was never normal again. Most days he’s happy when he can remember the way home. There’s no room in his life for romance or love, which means he’s destined to die a virgin.

Stig Minton doesn’t remember what virginity felt like. Twelve years older than Ryder, he’s been around the block too many times to count and has the scars to prove it...both physically and mentally.

But as these two men come together to help with a wedding, they forge a friendship, a friendship they both desperately need. As their relationship evolves, feelings go deeper. But is it stupid to risk this new—and, yes necessary—bond in pursuit of something that’s doomed to fail?

They both think they’re too broken to make this work. But what if they’re wrong?

Two broken souls may just be able to find reparation in one another.

Book #2 in the Found Series.

Thoughts?

It's coming soon...probably early March. 

Favorites of the week!

Favorite book...

Worth the Wait 

by Claudia Connor

You can see all of my A++ rated review HERE.

Favorite Planner page...

This is the page I did the day Jacob left for Basic Training. 

I just love all the red and blue hearts and the effect the watercolor shading gave on the page.

The stamps are all from Unity Stamp co.

You can see my other pages on my IG page.

Good friends

I have a special friend who gets me.

She gave me this bracelet yesterday and I'm totally in love with it. 

 (if you can't read it, it says...Wake Up, Kick Ass, Repeat)

Love, love, love!!

Thank you, B!

And finally...the last in our countdown. 

One of the things I want to do this year is share authors with you that you may not know about. 

This first author I'm sharing is a brand new author.

Kind-of. 

hehe.

This is actually a couple of well-known authors who have come together and are releasing their first book under their new joint penname...

Piper Rayne. 

I'll admit I haven't read this book yet, but I'm dying to. 

It looks like so much fun. 

I can't wait for it to come out.

It releases Feb 1st...

Story Synopsis:

Who knew sleeping with the enemy could be this fun

Was the one night stand a good idea? Well, no. Probably not in retrospect.

In my defense I had just moved back into my grandparent’s house, I’d lost my dream job, and a guy on Tinder had stood me up. It was like life had suddenly stamped ‘LOSER’ on my forehead.

So when the guy behind the bar started giving me THE look…you know, the one that promised I’d be screaming his name into the wee hours of the morning? When that guy also has the perfect amount of scruff on his chiseled chin, biceps bulging out of his t-shirt, and a cocky grin you knew he’d earned in the sack…when he gives you that look, you don’t bother to figure out what your six degrees of separation are. You jump on that horse and ride it!

Pun fully and completely intended. And accurate by the way.

I fully admit to feeling sorry for myself and acting impulsively, but by the time I’d figured out WHO the bartender was, I was already falling for him.

You can add it to your goodreads list HERE.

Okay, all. That's it from me this week. I hope you're having a good one. 

smiles,

Christi

Believe you can...

Friday Five...on Saturday

Ack...it's Saturday and I didn't get this up yesterday. 

I promise I wasn't slacking. 

I actually was working...really hard...and the details about that take me into my FIVE for this week.

Doubling up on projects....

So, this is why my Friday Five post is late today.

Right now, I'm working on two projects/day.

I have a goal of writing 2k/day on one project (Found at the Bookstore)

+

I've also been doing final edits on another project (this one's a secret)

I was in the last dash of edits last night which took me until 11 PM.

But I got them done.

And I didn't get this post done.

Sorry.

But after staying up until 1:30 getting some other tasks on my list completed, this is the first thing I'm doing Saturday morning....even before coffee.

Well...during coffee. 

Coffee is most definitely being imbibed. 

I did mention I stayed up until 1:30 am, right?

New Goals/Optimistic Plans

I love this time of the year because there are all kinds of new, positive outlook posts and groups popping up everywhere. I'm a member of several of them and it rocks. I love adding positivity and accountability to my life. It makes goals so much easier to achieve. 

I've been getting my word counts done EARLY in the day which makes working on multiple projects possible. I LOVE that...and in the end you will, too, because that means more books coming out faster.

First release of 2017 will be Found at the Bookstore...and I  think I'll finish the first draft of it this week. Yippee. I love Ryder and Stig so much. *happy sigh*

Joy of Slippers

I don't know where you live, but if you're in the US, it probably got really cold this last week. Ack...I live in Texas where we usually run our air conditioner on Christmas day...seriously...it was in the mid 70's that day. But as I'm writing this today it is 14* outside. 

O.o

So, one of my favorites this week...are my slippers.

I've discovered over the years that if my feet are warm, the rest of me usually is, too. 

But it's not just wearing slippers. 

In fact, I hate wearing slippers by themselves. 

Sweaty feet...nuff said. 

No, there is a method to wearing slippers. 

You have to put on socks first.

That is the secret to having toasty toes.

Socks + Slippers = WARMTH

It's magical.

Favorites of the Week

Favorite planner page...

(You can check out my instagram page here with every day's planner layout)

I just love that sentiment. 

I also played with some new watercolor paints (Prima) on this and they blend amazingly well

Favorite read of the week...

(with my author schedule and the details of #5 happening, it's been a light reading week)

Giving It All by Christi Barth

Naked Men #3...releasing Jan 17th

Goodreads link

I've adored this series and Logan, the hero in this book spoke to me. I loved him so much. The series is based upon a group of five guys who survived a horrific event in high school...their bus crashed in the Italian Alps in the middle of winter...leaving them hurt and stranded for 3 days. That trauma shaped them all and bound them together so their friendship is even stronger. But none of them were as affected as Logan by it. He shaped his entire world around that one event. I adored him. 

You can pick up any of the books to read as stand-alones...but the entire series is FANTASTIC!!

My New Airman

This week also brought a few surprises. 

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that our son is home and living with us again while he waited for Air Force boot camp. Last week, he'd gotten official word that he was supposed to report in March 14th. That was cool...it meant we got to spend a couple more months with us. 

Well...after 21 years with the military we should know not to plan on anything like that. 

Late Wednesday afternoon, he got the paperwork that says he's to report in Monday. 

Like in 2 days from now!?! 

Eeps. 

Ultimately, this is a good thing. The job he's getting is amazing and I'm so excited for him.

But, but, but...

My little boy (who is 21) is going to boot camp.

*my heart*

Let me explain something.

I'm not that mom. My kids go to kindergarten. Yes! Now I have free time during the day and they need the social outlet. Even when he left for college, it was okay. It was just 3 hours away and my college years were some of the best times in my life. He'd love it. Besides...he was only 3 hours away and I knew I'd still be involved with his life (hey, I was paying the bills...he'd have to still call and see me). 

But this is different.

(and dammit, I think I even would have been okay if I hadn't gone to see Rogue One...the trailer for Dunkirk killed me!! Like left me a soppy mess...the trailer! My baby is about to become a soldier)

I know, I know.

I spent 20 years as a spouse to an Air Force guy. I know the world. I know the lifestyle. I know...but right now, it's all so real. For the first time, I'm sending my kid off to someplace where I have 0 control. It's going to be hard for him. I know that. But this is the beginning of his life away from me. From here on out, his loyalty is to the Air Force and the odds are he will never live in my house again.

So, yeah...

I'm excited for him.

But I'm a bit of a sappy, teary mess.

Because I'm going to miss my kid. 

Even though I'm so proud of the man he's becoming.

*sniffle*

So, a day late, but that is this week's Friday Five.

smiles, everyone!