Free time, hmm. What is it good for?

I had some free time today.

This is very unusual for me. I work full-time outside the home. I write (I've got 6 books out this year). I'm working on edits for 3 books for next year, my WIP is a 6-book series, and I've got 2 other books waiting for me to write them.

Through an odd quirk of fate, I had a few hours of free time. I thought about how to spend it -- do some gardening? Nope, still too soggy from a week of rain. Pack for my trip tomorrow? Mostly done. Just a few last things to do. Read a book?

That stopped me in my tracks. I don't read any more. Since I started publishing, I very, very seldom read a fiction book. I do read non-fiction now and again, and I read the occasional book from friends who are publishing and I read (now and again) someone that I'm curious about, but I seldom read start-to-finish, "I want to read this" any more.

I've lost the reading bug.

Let me hasten to say I don't miss it -- reading (like needlework and gardening and wycinanki) are activities I do to relax me and have fun at the same time. I never classed reading as 'entertainment' (like I would a movie). It was a hobby, a "thing" I did. Now I don't do it any more, just like I don't do much needlework or wycinanki (aging eyes make those hobbies a chore now, not fun). And I have to admit, I don't miss reading fiction. I was skimming most of the books I read anyway except for a few from authors I really cherished (and they are few, believe me).

Nope, I'm going to have to find something else to fill those rare few hours of 'free' time. I could do the obligatory piece of promo: NEW BOOK OUT. FUN READ. FUNNY HEROINE. CLASSY HERO. All about a college professor who writes erotic romances and gets outed just when she's up for a promotion. There's a murder (at the State Fair, no less), a stalker, a boorish fellow professor, and a fan who is in love with the heroine's erotic alter ego...

Or I can take a nap, or lay on the couch and watch a bit of TV, or ...

Get caught up on my blog reading!

Mother's Day thoughts...

It’s Mother’s Day today here in the US and I’m up early drinking my hot tea and thinking about the day.

We’ll be meeting up with one of my sisters and her family in a few hours to have some Mother’s Day lunch, but I’m sitting here as I do every year hoping that I’ve been a good mother, and that I haven’t warped the kid too badly :) I mean let’s face it, all parents warp their children in some way—it’s just the amount and severity, right? :)

I know that’s probably not a ‘normal’ way to spend the start of Mother’s Day, but it’s something I’ve done since the very first year, and it just kind of stuck. Taking stock is a good way to give myself sort of a ‘report card’ and see what I can improve on in the new year.

So what did I find?

Well, I’ve really lucked out by having an amazing kidlet who makes this whole ‘mother’ job easier than it might have been. The kidlet gets pretty good grades (we’re struggling a big with honors chemistry this year, but it’s not for lack of trying), he doesn’t get into trouble and he hangs out with good kids who won’t warp him much more than we have already. (Hey, I was a band kid, too, I know how that goes...lol!) He’s got a terrific sense of humor, an easygoing personality and a great outlook on life. He loves with his whole heart and feels things very deeply – which can be both a blessing and a curse, but one that I think allows him to experience life to the fullest. He’s got a good moral compass, is very compassionate and full of curiosity for life. He got his permit several months ago and his driving is coming along well, even on the stick shift. Yeah, we’ve got some normal teenage stuff like leaving socks on the floor and having to remind him to do chores, but he’s a terrific kid, and I’m thankful each and every day to have this wonderful person in my life.

As for me...well, I’m not as strict as I sometimes should be about making him get those chores done, and when I’m not, the hubby steps in and evens that out. (We’re a very good parenting team in that sense.) But I’ve also got some good stuff going for me. I feel like the kidlet can come and talk to me about anything and does. We’re very close, but he is also an independent, stand on his own kid. He’s much more confident than I was at his age, and I can see he’s already worked through issues that it took me well into adulthood to work out!

He also saw me start to go after my dream (writing) in my early 30’s and he’s seen both all the hard work and the perks as each book comes out and hits the shelves. I think because of that, he’s allowed himself to think outside the box when it comes to upcoming careers for himself. But he’s also seen me take a part time job at Starbucks so the family can have health insurance, so I hope that’s taught him that sometimes you just have to suck it up and do what’s necessary while still never giving up on your dreams and passions in life.

I probably need to provide a better example of keeping a clean house, staying in shape and being better about keeping in touch with those we love and a few things like that, but since those are an ongoing struggle for me....it might be several more years before I can boast those among my OWN accomplishments. But those are definitely things I need to work on so I can be a better role model for kidlet.

But for right now, I’m going to go wake him up so we can start the day and I can enjoy all the blessings I have in my life, including one very terrific kid. :)

I hope everyone else has a terrific day—even if their children are the four legged furry variety :) Those need loving parents, too! (I say as mine are crying for treats.)

Tina
www.tinagerow.com

Seeking Charlotte by N.J. Walters

Seeking Charlotte is now available from Ellora's Cave. This paranormal/erotic romance can be read as a stand-alone book, but is also part of the Hearts of Fire series.

If you love a hot bounty hunter, powerful crystals, demons and destiny, then this is the book for you!

Books 1 & 2, Memory's Eye and Shards of Ecstasy, are also available from Ellora's Cave.

BLURB:

Creed Lawson knows Charlotte Jones is trouble from the moment she presses her lithe body to his and kisses him. But that doesn’t stop him from taking what she’s offering—a night of hot, uninhibited sex. But Creed hasn’t bargained for the feelings she stirs in him, nor the talk of crystals, demons and destiny.

Charlotte is an empath. The ability to feel people’s emotions has made it difficult for her to lead a normal life. At eighteen she received one of the eight pieces of the Heart of Fire, a crystal that contains untold power. She was told there was a male who held the other half of her stone, as well as a demon that coveted all the pieces of the crystal.

The demon has finally found her. But she knows that Creed is the special man she’s been waiting for. Charlotte is facing the fight of her life. Will Creed fight beside her or walk away?

Read an excerpt

New Date for Audio Book!

My Ellora's Cave Quickie, Tempting Tori , will soon be available in Audio Book! Look for it on May 10th from Ellora's Cave.

BLURB:

Standing in the barn, looking out over his ranch, J.T. Courage knows there is nowhere else on earth he’d rather be. He has his brothers, a successful horse business and a new home on the land that’s belonged to his family for generations. The only thing missing is someone to share it all with. And he has just the woman in mind.

Victoria Abrams is leaving the man she loves. She can no longer pretend he will one day see her as more than a friend or housekeeper. But J.T. is not about to let the sexy woman who has tempted him for months with her lush body and beautiful face slip away without a fight.

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Thoughts on aging and life

I'm visiting my Mom this weekend. It's her birthday (91) and I wanted to share it with her.


Thoughts on this auspicious date:


People have gone out of their way to acknowledge her big day. This is a benefit of having an intimate circle of friends and acquaintances who are willing to go out of their way to do that. I am lucky to have seen this.


The people here at the facility where she lives now (assisted living) are all making the best of their lot. No one is grumpy, annoyed, or angry. None of them want to be here but all have a universal "well, I'm stuck with this so let's make the best of it" attitude. I want to be like them when I grow up.


A nice place is live is crucial. Buddy the social worker dog wanders the hall, there's a nifty patio nearby where we have our before-dinner drinks, and there's a nice, quiet meadow outside.


More thoughts will come as I continue to watch Mom experience aging. These just struck me on this, her auspicious day.

Oh, yeah: writing-related stuff. New book coming out soon. I'll talk about it next month! I'm busy right now, getting ready to play double-solitaire with The Girls here at the home. I'm sure I'll have my butt beat quite soundly. They take no prisoners.

8)

Embroidered Fantasies--A New Book from N.J. Walters

Embroidered Fantasies is now available from Ellora's Cave! I'm very excited about this book, if you couldn't already tell, and I'm looking forward to seeing what readers thing of it. This is the fifth book in the time-travel/ménage a trois Tapestries series. While it is a part of the series, it can be read as a stand-alone novel.

This is a story of redemption, of changing your life and making it something different, something better in spite of the odds. Both the heros and heroine have emotional scars from their pasts, but they're trying to move past those and make a better life.

BLURB:

Roxanne Sykes is a divorced waitress, trying to carve a life for herself after escaping an abusive marriage. Her quiet life is shattered when her ex-husband finds her. Before he can harm her, a magical tapestry whisks her away. She finds herself in a strange land, in the presence of a man straight from her erotic dreams.

Radnor Craddock’s life has been one of violence and brutality. He never expected the tapestry of Javara lore would bring a woman to him and his brother, Sednar. They only have three days to try to convince Roxanne to stay, and both use their considerable seductive skills to do so.

The erotic encounters are like nothing Roxanne has ever experienced. Yet she cannot trust her judgment. After all, she married a man who abused her. Then there are the dark hints and innuendoes of the Craddocks’ violent pasts. But when her ex-husband threatens her, Radnor and Sednar risk their lives to save her. Will she leave them? Or stay and claim these wounded warriors as her own?

Read an Excerpt

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Read An Ebook Week!

Electronic Books Are Here To Stay!
By
N. J. Walters


March 7 – 13th is Read An Ebook Week! Like it or not ebooks are here to stay. It’s unlikely they will ever totally replace the printed page, but they do allow readers easy access to books, wherever they are in the world, at any time of the day or night.

No more do readers have to lament that their local store doesn’t carry their favorite authors. No more special ordering. No more being snowed in and having nothing to read. A few clicks of the mouse and books can be downloaded to your computer or your ebook reader. It’s fast and it’s easy. And it takes away the need to live near an actual bookstore. No matter where you live in the world, as long as you have computer access, you can order books.

I am an avid reader and have been for years. There is nothing I like more than to curl up on the corner of my sofa and read a good book. But even for someone like me, there is a place in my life for ebooks. And the big companies have finally gotten on board so there is no looking back.

The Kindle, Sony Reader, Nook and eBookwise Readers are readily available to many readers. And the price is getting more affordable. For those of you who can’t afford ebook readers, you can download free software from MS Reader and Adobe so you can read straight from your computer.

No longer will you have to lament the lack of space on your bookshelves. You can store thousands of books easily on a flash drive or memory card. Your bookshelves can be kept for your favorite authors that you must have in paperback or hardcover. I know there are many authors that I will continue to buy their paperback books for as long as they keep writing. However, I would be more likely to try a new author in an ebook because it costs less than a paperback.

And that’s good news in this economy. I know most, if not all, of us are tightening our purse strings. That doesn’t mean not buying books. Just the thought gives me the shakes. No, it means being more selective on how I do spend my book money. I want the most bang for my buck. And that means buying more ebooks.

A word of advice for those of you new to ebooks—remember to check the individual publishers, as well as the larger shops like Sony and Amazon. Many times the ebook will be cheaper on the publishers website because you’re cutting out the middleman. But you can buy your books wherever and whenever you choose. That’s the beauty of it. And some websites occasionally offer ebooks for free to tempt you to try one or two.

The world of ebooks has changed dramatically since my first ebook was published by Ellora’s Cave back in October 2004. They are much more readily available now and many of the large New York publishing houses that first disparaged ebooks have now seen the limitless possibilities and are offering the books of many of the best and most popular authors in ebook format. Newspapers and magazines are also being offered at a reduced rate in electronic formats. And why not? It’s simply another form that allows readers to access and enjoy books.

What can be wrong with that?

So, celebrate Read An Ebook week. And if you’ve never purchased an ebook before, maybe this is the week to give it a try. And if hot, spicy romance is your read of choice, maybe you’ll even consider trying one of mine.

http://www.njwalters.com
http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awakeningdesires/ (newsletter group)