Favorite Reads in 2016

In 2013, I challenged myself on Goodreads to read 75 books for the year and read 176%. Fist bump. Yes! 

In 2014 I challenged myself to read 100 books and succeeded. Too easy.

In 2015 I...uh. I failed. I don't even know how badly because even Goodreads is embarrassed to show the badge. *lower lip quivers*

In 2016 I vowed this would never happen to me again! My challenge was to read 100 books and if that meant reading skinny books, picture books, comics, whatever, then that's what I would do. On December 30th, I went to Barnes & Noble to make an exchange for my kids and spent some time reading picture books to catch up.

I don't feel bad about my reading choices; I love kids books and all those beautiful illustrations. In fact, I bought one at Klindt's Bookstore in The Dalles, Oregon over Christmas break (Number 1 on my list). I walked in, read it, bought it, took it home, and immediately read it two more times. The illustrations are fabulous! Lovesies!

1.) Favorite "Surprise" Picture Book

Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis

Ha ha! I did it!

Okay, enough blabbing. I perused my reads for 2016 and decided to list my favorites. It's all over the map. Here goes:

2.) Favorite "Laugh Out Loud" Graphic Novel

Extreme Babymouse by Jennifer Holm

3.) Favorite Childrens Early Read

The Thank You Book by Mo Willems

4.) Favorite Young Adult

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

5.) Favorite "Freaky" Middle Grade

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

6.) Favorite "Didn't Want It to End" Middle Grade

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

7.) Favorite "Where Is This Going?" Middle Grade

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty

8.) Favorite Romance

One Pink Line by Dina Silver

9.) Favorite "Get 'Er Done" Self Help

 You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

10.) Favorite "Chalk Full of Good Stuff" How-To Book

How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn

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"Children should learn that reading is pleasure,

not just something that teachers make you do in school." ~ Beverly Cleary

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Day #5: Fabulous Five Lego-isms

Two things are fabulous about today. The first one is...

Last Chance to Win Some!

...it's the last day to win your FREE ebook copy of Riding with the Hides of Hell* on Amazon. All you have to do is "click it" to "stick it" on your Kindle. Or you can cough up the big bucks for a paperback. Totally up to you. 

If you don't like stories about strong heroines who kick butt, take names while doing it, AND get the guy...THEN DON'T READ Riding with the Hides of Hell*. It's all those things...and more :) It's a love, adventure story for young adults and for adults who feel young.

Kindle Price = $0.00

Today only! January 3rd

The second fabulous thing about today is this: I've combined three of my favorite things in one place: photography, Lego Mini-figs, and quotes. Just for fun. Not trying to win a prize or anything.

Computer Time

Making Sausage

Do the Thing

You got this.

Go get Riding with the Hides of Hell*...today!

* Riding with the Hides of Hell has a new title: Burnout!

Day #4: Be Good To Yourself

With the start of January come resolutions, like loosing weight, exercising, rejuvenating the creative spirit, doing more of something, or maybe doing less. Mine will be to get on a better writing schedule. Write every day, rain or shine, a couple hours, just do it. I've got four ideas, and I want to work on them all, but then I find myself stuck in marketing hell...

Oh yeah.

Marketing.

Riding with the Hides of Hell* is STILL FREE on Amazon, from now until tomorrow, January 3rd. It's about a kick-@ss heroine named Miki Holtz, who fights for what she wants, survives the bad bikers, and saves the boy. It's a hellish road trip of tough luck and tough love. Get your clicking finger ready and give RHOH a go.

Kindle Price $0.00

Today - January 3rd

Boom! Done. Back to resolutions. What I was trying to say, is to make 2017 a year of being good to yourself...like the turtle below.

Be Good To Yourself

This image has come a long way, baby. I first created it for the 2010 Ripple Project and called it "Clean Up at the Gulf." Then I worked Mr. Crab and the black oil out of it to make postcards as take-aways at the 2012 SCBWI conference where I was showing my art portfolio. I had 500 cards printed, the conference would only allow me to leave a pile of 200 there, so I had turtle postcards coming out of my ears.

Then the November 2016 Western Washington Scrapbook Retreat happened. I signed up for the card swap and wondered how to put a dent in my stash of postcards. What does one do with a turtle taking a bubble bath?

I cut, glued, and tied ribbon onto a card with the words, "Be good to yourself" and made thirty birthday cards.

It was a small dent.

So...yeah. Resolutions. Be good to yourself out there!

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Now, go get your copy of Riding with the Hides of Hell* for free, draw your own bubble bath, sing Happy Birthday if you want, then settle in for a relaxing soak and a good read. Let the adventure begin :) Oh, it's an ebook, so there's that...


* Riding with the Hides of Hell has a new title: Burnout!

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Day #3: Starting the New Year with Blackout Poetry

FIRST: Happy New Year! HONK. Tweet. It's 2017!

SECOND: Start your year with a biker themed adventure story where Will and Miki find themselves on a hellish road trip of tough luck and tough love. Burnout is free on Amazon. 

Kindle Price $0.00

Today - January 3rd

THIRD: I just found a new hobby, and I need one like I need another hole in my head, as my mom would say. I stumbled across blackout poetry on Pinterest one day and thought, "How clever."

I have to confess that I found this poetry process addicting. To get started, I selected a random page from an old proof copy of Dealing with Blue (pack rat) and followed Austin Kleon's youtube video on How to Make a Newspaper Blackout Poem. He seems to know his way around the topic, so I followed along diligently.
1.) Find your page and tap your inspiration.
2.) Select the words you like. I used a pencil and erased a lot :)
3.) Then, blackout what you don't need, high light what you do.

Ta da! I LOVED finding words, maybe even a hidden meaning especially within my own story.

My Blackout Poem

THE HORNET'S SPELL

Let's just say,

I saw a hornet behind her ear.

She turned, and

the lunch crowd stared

interested in

the magic between them.

Day #2: Pie Time to Celebrate

Sorry to all you math nerds...I didn't mean 3.14,  I meant apple pie with a flaky crust and pumpkin with nutmeg, cinnamon, and fresh whipped cream *slobber* 

Christmas may be over, but the New Year is right around the corner. If you need a good book to ring in 2017, then check out Riding with the Hides of Hell*. It's free on Amazon from now until January 3rd. It's a hell-a-good adventure story for Young Adult romance fans.

Kindle Price $0.00

Today - Jan 3

Now...back to pie time. A feast for your eyes!

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

Land O' Lakes Treasury of Country Cookbook Recipe

Pumpkin Pie

Butternuts in the Background

Digging In

Dog Diggity

Abby (with her tops down) Zelda, Tilly, and Tango

* Riding with the Hides of Hell has a new title: Burnout!

Day #1: Riding with the Hides of Hell Free eBook on Amazon

It's that time again...time to go to Amazon and download your free copy of Riding with the Hides of Hell*. It's available for the next five days to celebrate 2017. Tell your friends, pass the joy along...Free!

Happy New Year!

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Riding with the Hides of Hell* is a gritty Young Adult romance set in small towns throughout the Pacific Northwest. It’s about a strong girl and a moody grump finding love on a road trip from hell. 

**Young Adult FINALIST in the 2016 PNWA Literary Contest**

* Riding with the Hides of Hell has a new title: Burnout!

Day #5: Merry Christmas!

FIRST: Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a joyous Festivus for the rest of us.

SECOND: Today is the last day of a FREE Dealing with Blue eBook on Amazon. They're going like hotcakes so get in there and get a copy. 

THIRD: What are we up to here in the PNW? Well...we've opened our gifts and have discovered that more than one of us likes Legos in this household. Trix are for kids; Legos are for everyone.

"Houston, we may have a problem."

Family Lego Addiction

Feelin' Like a Kid in the Candy Store

We also played in the snow! But while the weather warnings say words like "blizzard" and "snowpacolypse," we're scratching our heads and wondering about the blue skies and sunshine. The snow is melting fast around here. Gotta get the fun in while it lasts!

Angels in the Snow

Making a Snowman

with a Red-Pepper Nose

Snowball Fights

Pack 'em Hard, Ladies!

"Humans are weird."

Tilly and Tango

Fun's Not Over Yet...

Next book giveaway is Riding with the Hides of Hell...so get ready! It will be FREE December 30 - January 3, just in time to ring in the New Year :)

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Day #4: Fabulous Five Ornaments

Day #4 is the eve of...the last day of...the free ebook of...Dealing with Blue on Amazon. It's a Young Adult love story set in a small town. Here's what's inside:

Life used to be organized and normal until Suzy Blue moves in with her hoarding mother. Her neighbor, J.J. Radborne, has his own set of problems. His ex-girlfriend is turning up the heat in a confusing mind game, but fortunately, he knows exactly who to team up with: Suzy Blue. Yeah…perfect. Now, if she’d only cooperate.

Kindle Price $0.00

Now - Dec 25th

Now for the fabulous five...Christmas ornaments! My late Aunt Judy used to craft her own ornaments out of beads, wire, and ribbon. On our trees we see our favorite decorations with her craftsmanship, unique and sentimental, and we remember her.

Angel

Mice Friends

Snowflake

Rainbow Star

My Aunt Judy made hundreds of ornaments: icicles, wreaths, drummer boys, toy soldiers, Christmas trees, and a lot more. The clothespin reindeer above was made by my little brother for a holiday craft when he was in elementary school. Ah...the good old days. I love seeing these things on Mom and Dad's tree.

The Head of Donner

I made this one out of a pompoms back in the day...and it made me laugh when I saw my kids hanging it this year. So odd with the bug eyes set close together. Lol.

Homemade is best!

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"If all else fails, sprinkle glitter on it!"

Day #3 Puppies in the Snow

It's day three of operation, "Free ebook" on Amazon. Dealing with Blue, a Young Adult, small town romance, is available for a free download today thru December 25th! Christmas is fast approaching and with the impending snow blizzard, it could be a great way to cozy things up. Warm fire, mug of hot chocolate, a furry friend (or two), and a good book. Give Dealing with Blue a shot :)

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Tango

The Snow Scout

Tilly Bean

Happy Birthday, Puppies!

Tilly and Tango Turn Two

Dealing with Blue

On one side, Suzy Blue has a mother with a hoarding problem and on the other, the hunky neighbor, J.J. Radborne, who needs a stand-in girlfriend. Suzy's makes a deal with him, but how can she keep him away? It takes a lot of pretending.

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DAY #2: Dealing with BlueFree eBook on Amazon

A Breakfast Special: Dealing with Blue

These pancakes are awesome! All slathered in syrup...salty, sweet. Yum. The recipe is from the Land O'Lakes cookbook called Treasury of Country Recipes, an old cookbook I use all the time. The recipe says it makes six, but if you like your pancakes big, pretend it says, "Makes a hearty four." 

After you get done slobbering over the ingredients list--bacon, cheddar cheese, apple compote--then pick up an ebook copy of Dealing with Blue. It's currently free on Amazon now through December 25th.

Day #1: Dealing with BlueFree eBook on Amazon

Save Yourself with a Free eBook

Dealing with Blue

Winter Solstice is here! Snow...icicles...a cold chill. I'm ready to bust out a couple sleds and put on my skis. We'll be playing outside for the holidays and throwing white stuff around. This Montana girl has the chains packed, but first...let's whip some donuts. Lol. Safety first...yes, yes. I know. Hi, Mom!

Anyway--got side tracked there--what I wanted to say is go to Amazon and download your free copy of Dealing with Blue. It's available for the next five days to celebrate the holidays. Tell your friends, pass the joy along...Free!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

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Dealing with Blue is a Young Adult love story about the serious Suzy who acts like the school's party animaniac is her new boyfriend, and that her hoarding mom is perfectly sane. Yeah, there's a lot of pretending going on. This book is a stand-alone set in a fictional small town somewhere in western Washington. It's about a strong girl and a bad boy peeling back the layers to discover what's true.

**FINALIST 2015 PNWA Literary Contest for Young Adults**

**FINALIST 2016 PNWA Nancy Pearl Book Award**

Favorite Artist: Dale Chihuly

I recently went to the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit located near the Space Needle at Seattle Center. It had approximately 15,000 positive reviews on Yelp, and I'd never even been there! Last weekend, I decided it was time to get out of my house, renew my creative energy, and get my art on.

I'm glad I did because I absolutely loved it. My favorite part of the museum wasn't glass, but Dale Chihuly's abstract paintings...so textural and full of energy.

Boats

Chandelier

Vivid Paintings

Glass Bowl

Garden of Reflections

Space Needle

Glass House

"Tough times never last but tough people do." ~ Robert H. Schuller