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Confessing my dark winter secret…

Running down the hill in the snow.

This activity is not for everyone! Maybe my taste in fun is a little unusual, but I’m about to confess something that I really enjoy. I rarely get seen as I do it, because I do it before dawn. Here in Northern Utah, where we can get some exciting winter storms, I wait for a really good one. You need 4-10 inches of new snow, and you have to get out before the plows have been through. I find a street with a nice hill, not too steep, not too flat. I trudge through the deep snow to the top, and then RUN down. It feels amazing. The deep, fresh snow catches you as you land with each step. That quantity of snow prevents your feet from slipping. 1-3 inches of snow will not catch your feet as you go, and 11-36 inches of snow will trip you, and you’ll fall on your face. (Entertaining for your friends, bad for forward progress.)

WARNING: Not intended to be used as life advice. Always consult your doctor before beginning any wild exercise program. Ice can hide beneath the snow, and injury can occur.

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Choose D, All of the above

I have been writing like crazy on the sequel to Forgotten Rebellion, and I’m really liking the story! Here are a few rough draft descriptions. Which one most makes you want to read it? Feel free to answer, D – All of the above! More info soon!

A. A prince takes on a dangerous quest to find a lost king and his family in the barren desert. Their enemies are close behind them, and they will do anything to force them to give up the sacred tablet.

B. A sleeping god. A kingdom in danger. A quest to find a young woman protecting a secret heirloom. Attempting to force her to reveal its location, her enemies cast a deadly curse. Will she give up the hopes of restoring her nation in exchange for the cure, or face death?   

C. Accused of murdering the man he tried to help, a young man on a quest to find the lost royal family tries to discover the identity of the killers before they strike again.

D. All of the above

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The lost enchantment of DEFROST

a knight questing for the magical power to DEFROST

Dear Fellow Quester, if, in your travels, you have learned the precious, secret enchantment of DEFROST, please share it now!

It has been cold and snowy here in the Rocky Mountains. Great for skiing. Bad for driving. I have been taking advantage of indoor-friendly-weather to work on the sequel to Forgotten Rebellion. Maybe you had ideas for the sequel? If so, feel free to share. I went in an interesting new direction with the story:

A sleeping god, a lost princess cursed with blindness, and a young man who hopes that saving a nation will put to rest the demons of his past…  

Sounds fun right? As always, it will have lots of adventure, action and some romance. I hope to have this version done in a few more days. Once I do my own round of edits, it’ll be off to the professional editing team!

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The noodle disaster of 2024…

Someone– call a chef, quick!

In my defense, the cooking directions were written in Japanese.

It all began as I was trying to branch out a little into Asian cuisine, and I bought an assortment of different noodles. Most of them worked out pretty well, but somehow. These DID NOT. Maybe I didn’t prepare them correctly. They managed to be squishy, sticky, soft, and reeeeeaaaaallly rubbery ALL at the same time!

You know how you always tell your kids, “Don’t play with your food!” Well, this time I didn’t say it. She was better off playing with the noodles. At least it was funny. Better luck next dinnertime. I’m better at writing than cooking!

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Back Shelf Books Top 10 for 2023

The absolute BEST thing about being a writer, is having book-lovers read and enjoy my work! I was so excited this morning to get an email from Back Shelf Books, listing Forgotten Rebellion as one of her Top 10 Best Books of the Year! I appreciate the support so much, and if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, now is the time! Of course there will be a sequel soon. I’m busily writing it, right now, and I hope to be able to release it this spring. More info to come…

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A snapshot of a great moment in my life…

Ann hiking in the Grand Tetons, WY

What is the craziest thing YOU plan to do this year? One thing I like about New Year’s is how it causes us to stop, take a step back, and look at our lives from a new perspective. What do we like? What do we want to change? What great accomplishment do we want to achieve?

In 2018, I climbed the Grand Teton in Wyoming. Climbing that peak was one of the greatest moments of my life. Happy New Year!

p.s. New Years Resolution – clean and organize all my computer files, cause I can’t find the picture from the summit this morning, and I have to get back to work!

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What’s your quest?

Brave adventurers going on a quest.

Maybe you call it your bucket list, maybe your life goal, but everyone has something that they hope for and dream of. The quest is a very familiar part of fantasy stories. You know how it goes: find the (strange artifact), rescue the (important person), discover the secret of (magical powers). SAVE the world!

Sometimes we don’t feel like the heroine or hero of our own story. Those can be big shoes to fill! Sometimes life is tough, and instead of the hero of the group you become the villain, the sidekick, or even the crazy friend. I guess that’s how it goes! Happy New Year, and enjoy setting some goals for new quests!

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Holidays = fruitcake and reading

I know that most people cringe at the mention of fruitcake. I’ve never tried to bake it myself, but I actually remember my grandma making it during the holidays. I recall it being quite good. But you know, sometimes the magic doesn’t happen if you try to recreate it.

When I was a little kid, my mom had a collection of beads. They were bright and sparkly, and the minute the Christmas season rolled around, I would take a needle and thread and start stringing beads. What pattern could you make? Who had the longest string? It was very uncool if you acted like a baby and tossed them on in random order. When they were finished, we took the strings and hung them on our Christmas tree. I’m hoping to have a little down time during the next few days to write. I’m deep in the middle of a spectacular sequel to Forgotten Rebellion. Only one person (besides me) has read it so far, but she loved it. I hope to have more to share soon. Have a wonderful holiday season!

Santa wrapping books for Christmas.