January 12th, 2012
and yet…so far away.
January 12th, 2012
I picked this up off a writer’s forum and it’s too good not to share. From what I’ve used of it so far, really user friendly. Excellent little tracker to let you know where you are in the year, if you need to pick up your pace or add some more books on your schedule! GO HERE TO DOWNLOAD.
A year-round wordcount tracker, with a separate sheet for each month. The pack contains 3 .xls files, zipped, so just click on “Download file”, unzip, and you’re good to go. Instructions are included in the file; if you run into problems, just get in touch.
It’s basically an updated version of last year’s, with two new designs added. Hope you like them!
December 30th, 2011
**Before I forget! Hop over to Everybody Needs A Little Romance! Take a guess at the Romantics and maybe win some prizes!!!**
Roni Loren did a post on her blog about being accountable for the new year. If I made goals at the beginning of 2011, I don’t remember it. To be honest, I don’t think I made goals anyway because I’m pretty anti-goal and more of a ‘just-get-it-done’. It’s probably the same thing, but to me it feels different. Anyway, I like the looking back Roni was able to do. So for that, I’m writing it down.
In 2012 I have:
4 contemporary full-length series to do something with by the end of the year. It’s in proposal form at the moment. getting the first book completed or started would be nice. (note to self to remember what series this is, think “dogs”…that’s so not going to be helpful in a year, but hey, I tried.)
A 5 book contemporary series. I’m not sure the length of these. At the moment of this writing, the first is completed at 55k (self, that’s your note to know what series this is), but I’m about to extend it out to around 75k to answer a submission call.
That’s it for the new stuff. Old business includes:
Writing, finishing and turning in Rough Tumble, book 3 of The Roughnecks and due Aug. 11, 2012. (about 40k)
Finish deep editing the first Mystery In Mississippi book that needs to be to my editor really by the end of Feb 2012. (a 90k story, I think. I don’t know, I’m editing on paper)
Then editing the first 2 Roughneck books (they’re both written).
And then, August. I’m really excited about August(kid starts kindergarten-wootwoot!). August 2011 I started tracking the number of words I was writing. So I’m ready for August 2012 to see what I was able to do in a year’s time.
And that’s all I got. What goals do you have for the new year?
December 20th, 2011
I picked these up from twitter and what do you think? I’ll give you a word for the picture, YUMOLICSIOUSLIKEWOW.
If I happen to bake this year, I think it’ll be these babies. They’re pretty birthday looking, but it’d be a snap to make the frosting red and green. You could even do them white and dust the cookies with red and green sugar crystal things (aka, sprinkles. why can’t we just call them all sprinkles anymore?)
Here you go. This is Betty’s recipe, but I pasted here incase the link dies.
Cookies
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix (dry mix from box)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix (dry mix from box)
Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Liquid food colors (neon pink, neon blue, neon green, classic yellow and red to make orange) Assorted Betty Crocker® colored sprinkles
1-Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir sugar cookie mix, 1/2 cup dry cake mix, 1/2 cup butter and the egg until soft dough forms.
2-In small bowl, place remaining 1/2 cup dry cake mix. Shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. Roll balls in dry cake mix, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3-Bake 7 to 9 minutes or just until cookies are set. (Watch closely to prevent cookies from getting too crispy and overbaked.) Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
4-In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, 1/3 cup butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in 1 tablespoon milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Divide frosting among 4 small bowls, about 1/4 cup each. Add food color to tiint frosting in each bowl.
5-For each sandwich cookie, spread 1 rounded teaspoon frosting on bottom of 1 cooled cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down; gently press cookies together. Roll sides of sandwich cookie in sprinkles.
For other cookie recipes, check out:
Nena – chocolate mice
Annie – shortbread
Chris – Stained Glass Christmas Cookies
Jeanette – Seven Layer Cookies
December 16th, 2011
Friends of mine have started up a GREAT new blog featuring NOOK BOOKS! The Nook Lovers Daily Book Deals is a great new place where Nook lovers can find cheap daily reads!
Not sure what a Nook is? No worries! At Nook Lovers, they have a page dedicated to recent Nook devices. Hop over there and find books priced at 4.99 and below!
and if you already have a NOOK and are looking for a break in all those Christmas reads, check out my Apple Trail series! Apple Trail is ordered by:
Through The Wall
On The Fence
In The Hay
Making Her Nights
Satisfying Her Tastes
Chasing Her Trail
OR
get the first 3 novellas in the Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas Vol 1. (Vol 2 featuring the last 3novellas coming soon!)
December 14th, 2011
Spring cleaning? Puhleease. How about Winter Cleaning. Or, mad dash-n-grab before guests and family arrive. And since it’s cold outside, everybody will be piled up warm and toasty on couches or around the kitchen table.
Not long before Christmas and we’ve ironed out our Christmas plans. This year people are coming to our house. I’ve gotten out of this for the past couple years and honestly, that probably explains for a LOT.
On the upside I’ve been steady for two days and two rooms are cleaned up, picked up, and put back together. I’ve trashed, I’ve bleached. I’m bruised (for real, curtain rods are deadly when you’re standing in a twisty chair), I’m sore (helloooo shoulders from manual screwdriver!), and I’ve given away. Around 45 books went to my local women’s shelter and son packed up toys and stuffed animals for The Salvation Army.
This afternoon I smacked a wall. You know the one. The exhaustion wall. At least it only lasted an hour where I was completely prone on the couch.
Six more rooms to go. Major jobs: the bookcases, the kitchen curtains, and that repair job thing of fixing the wall where the dog chewed. Somewhere in there, I still need to get some writing in!
Who else is Winter Cleaning?
December 8th, 2011
What’s shakin’ bacon? I’ve been sick, but I’m feeling better! Christina Wolfer sent me this list of truth. Let me know if they ring true for you!
- 23 ADULT TRUTHS -
1 Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How on earth are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind-of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.
13. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Light than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said?
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
22. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
23. The first testicular guard, the “Cup,” was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.
***
I think 21 and 22 are my only False ones. Pants? I think my pants get dirty before anything. I have a childhood habit of wiping my hands off on my hips. As for 22–puhleease, not for my husband. He can’t get that done in 3 tries, let alone one.
6-Learning cursive. I’m undecided. I think EVERYONE should know how to sign their name, but for the most part people come up with their own form of writing, often a mix of cursive and print letters. So something to learn–yes, not sure some 4wks studying it like we probably did is required.
How about you?
November 22nd, 2011
Have you ever wondered how critique parterners work? Jeanette Murray, my lovely critique partner put together a quick video to show you how it all works!
Somehow we make it work! So for this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for my lovely cp! Happy Thanksgiving all!!
November 16th, 2011
Because really. LOOK AT THIS GUY.
This guy is just complete perfection.
On the other two cover reveals, I’ve had excerpts. At the time of writing this post, I haven’t started anything on the last story of this series. BUT! I am being challenged. By the lovely Sasha Devlin. She’s basically dared me to include the following exhange in a book. I have no idea what started this conversation, but nonetheless it happened.
[KeriFord] awesome with a cherry on top. *touches self and feels tha sizzle*
[Sasha Devlin] and modest
[Sasha Devlin] don’t forget modest
[KeriFord] always, honey. always.
[KeriFord] southern girls are the tip top highest held to modesty. not nice to brag, you know
[KeriFord] unless we won blue ribbon pie. then IT IS ON.
So, sAshA, IT IS ON.
And these are The Roughnecks! Coming 2012.
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Do we approve of the set? I sure do!
”I love this series. It’s honest, real and makes my heart go pitter patter. Having said all that, Keri Ford has given us an ending fitting to her series. I think I say this with each book of hers I read, but this is her best work yet!” -Ramblings of A Chaotic Mind, 5Stars.
The first written review is in for Chasing Her Trail! To say I’m super pleased would be putting it lightly!
If you haven’t checked it out— Chasing Her Trail is now available! If you like Small Town Sexy Contemporary, be sure to have a look!
For $1.99 at TMP | Amazon | Smashwords | AllRomanceEbooks | Bookstrand (will be available in more places soon! distribution times and all that)
*if you have a paypal account, it’s SUPER easy to order from TMP. No need to create a TMP account. Select the books you like, check out using your paypal account and a link with format options to download will be sent to you!
November 15th, 2011
Who wants to take a vote? How many pushups do you think this guy does for those shoulders? Let’s not forget the buns– whoa crap! look a those babies!
This cover might be my favorite. But I’m not sure. I do still have tomorrow’s cover left to show and…WOW. yeah. just you wait!
Rough Play is the second in The Roughnecks coming in 2012. I promise you, the characters are holding up to the title! Flora and Jacob are playing a dangerous game of flirtation and friends-with-benefit and everything about them is alllll rough.
Want proof? How about a little excerpt for you?
Jacob winced. “Sorry. You cursed, I thought I’d offer to help a woman in distress.”
“I’m not in distress.” She released the hold on the tape. The long metal sucked back in the holder. She pulled a pad of paper from her belt, added a number to an already long list and tucked the note back away.
“Now that I’m closer, I see you look plenty capable.” And tough. But still beautiful. And curious. And interesting. Jacob hadn’t come across that combination in a while.
“Thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more measurements to take.”
“Need any help?”
Her ponytail swished across her back as she glanced around. “Thought we established I was plenty capable?”
“We did. But if you finish early, that means there’s time to take you to dinner.”
She propped her hands on her hips and met his gaze and dear God by the spark in her eye and turn of her brow, he was just getting a taste of this woman. “Are you asking me out because you think I’m easy?”
“If I thought you were easy, I wouldn’t have bothered with the date part.”
Her lips twitched. “Too bad.” She slipped her pad in her tool belt and walked across the kitchen. Her arms were out and holding her balance like some circus walker.
He followed. “Too bad what?”
“Too bad you didn’t take me for easy.” She glanced over her shoulder. “That I would have gone for.”
“Well, in that case.”
She chuckled. “Nope. Too late. You’ve already shown your colors as one of those clingy relationship guys.”
Jacob Iverson. Clingy relationship guys. He nearly laughed aloud. Dear God, the people who would fall on their asses if they ever heard that. “Are you for real?”
She continued walking, chin up, steps sure and words sounding somewhat distracted. “Last time I checked I was. If you wake from a dream in a few hours, I guess you’ll know.”
He was helpless but to follow. “Ah, so you could be the woman of my dreams.”
Her brow lifted. “Again with the clingy talk.”
“Depends on the kind of dream.”
She laughed. The sound full and rich. “Touché.”
**excerpt is subject to change, editing or deletion entirely from the final version**
Until tomorrow for the last cover, here’s a recap of The Roughnecks….
If you haven’t checked it out—I have a new release! Chasing Her Trail is now available! If you like Small Town Sexy Contemporary, be sure to check it out!
For $1.99 at TMP | Amazon | Smashwords | AllRomanceEbooks | Bookstrand (will be available in more places soon! distribution times and all that)
*if you have a paypal account, it’s SUPER easy to order from TMP. No need to create a TMP account. Select the books you like, check out using your paypal account and a link with format options to download will be sent to you!
