Last week, I had two television interviews and a booksigning event for Wild at Heart.  Wild at Heart is a service project of two anthologies to benefit the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, TCWR. 

TCWR is a wonderful big cat rescue facility in Arkansas.  Read HERE for a report of 34 big cats in need of rescue by TCWR.

On Saturday, the booksigning raised more than $900 to benefit TCWR. It was my first booksigning. I had the pleasure of signing with authors I know and meeting new friends.

If you'd like to help TCWR, you can check out the Wild at Heart   anthologies available in ebook or print format on Amazon.  You can also visit their website to donate. 

Because I want to show my reader appreciation, I'm giving away a $5 Amazon or Starbucks gift card every week in November.   Last week, I had a guest post at the Diamond State Romance Authors blog, and I competed in the Hetty Locklear Jousting Tournament hosted by M.Pax. I counted all the comments, assigned numbers, and drew a number at random.org. Emily R. King of  Get Busy Writing is the lucky winner.

I'll be drawing again this week. Leave a comment Monday-Friday (midnight CST) of this week, and you're in the drawing on Saturday. I appreciate you.  Have special plans this Thanksgiving?

My husband and I recently hosted my niece’s outdoor wedding at our home.  This was my first experience in hands-on wedding preparation. My sister and her best friends did the bulk of the hard work. Still, I’m exhausted by all that is involved in creating this beautiful ceremony. It occurred to me that it is much like writing a novel.

The novel (or wedding) begins with a plot...

READ MORE at the DSRA blog. 

Everything my little sister taught me about exercise applies to writing.

My sister has worked hard to be a fit adult. She didn’t always look like this with her Linda Hamilton  from Terminator arms. She was the chunky little kid who enjoyed my extra candy. Sis  grew into a teenager who struggled with weight issues.  As an adult, she discovered that she could conquer her fitness and health. She lost 100 lbs and was featured in Shape magazine.  Today, she teaches weight lifting classes, is a certified Zumba instructor, and  runs marathons. She’s my fitness idol.  Click here to read more at the Diamond State Romance Author Blog.


I'm also a guest today at Amy Newman's blog with a post about making a book trailer at this link. 


Have a great day!

Looking for the Indie Author Hop?
    June 13th to 19th
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Krazy Book Lady

I'm giving away an ebook of my YA fantasy, The Waiting Booth. Molly Zenk is co-hosting this giveaway with her new release, 
90 Cats and No Litter Box In Sight.   CLICK HERE TO ENTER or scroll down to yesterday's post.

Confessions of a Writing Class Junkie
I admit it. I’m addicted to taking writing classes. Although I’m not taking a class at the moment, I find myself constantly searching for the next one.  There is such a wide range of topics and expertise online that I’d like to share the ones I’ve discovered. The classes I’ve taken were all inexpensive and loaded with information. 

Click HERE to read more at the DSRA blog.

Hang On To Your Wallet 

We talked a little about marketing and book swag last time. I chose one of the least expensive items in marketing when I went with my romance trading cards for a giveaway item. As a reminder, I paid $59.10 total for 2000 cards from www.gotprint.com. I've used them for giveaways and sent them to two author/reader conferences for bags.

I've given away larger items for marketing purposes. During my blog tour in April, I offered a grand prize of a Kindle Touch eReader or Nook Simple Touch (approx. $100) . I also offered romance trading cards from my books to 20 winners. Using the Rafflecopter widget, I was able to track my return on investment (ROI) of this giveaway.  Click HERE to read more at Gloria Richard's blog.