Fourth stop on the road trip with my sister was Waco, Texas. If you are a fan of HGTV then you’ll know that’s where the silos of Magnolia are located. Owners Chip and Joann Gaines were stars of the show Fixer Upper. The store was fantastic and packed full of tourists trying to find the perfect item to make their home the best it can be. 

The bakery had a line outside the door and around the building. I settled for a picture outside.

We also visited the original store called Magnolia. It contains items they consider last seasons décor.

Kudos to Chip and Joann for hiring numerous students from local Baylor University. I’m sure it’s been a success for the students as well as the owners.

More about my recent road trip. Our second stop was in Roanoke, VA. Home of Black Dog Salvage. You’ve never heard of it?! It is a show on the DIY channel. The owners, Mike and Robert, are architecture salvagers. They repurpose and resale items they salvage.  Lots of fun rummaging through their store. 

Have you ever been on a cross country road trip? Well, I just returned from one. We didn’t go COMPLETELY across the country, but pretty close. 

I met my sister in Baltimore, Maryland. We drove her car back to her home in Phoenix, AZ. Our first stop? Colonial Williamsburg, VA. It was my first visit and her second. It had been about forty years since her last visit! The weather was sunny and warmer than expected. What fun we had!

Yes, we took a carriage ride. This particular carriage had been used for visiting dignitaries and was outfitted with Kevlar. No worries about being shot — well, of course, there was the pesky fact that the top was down! New meaning to the phrase — head shot!

Our third stop of the road trip was in Knoxville, TN. I won’t bore you with those details — we met up with a high school friend we hadn’t seen in forty years. Lots of fun catching up with each other’s lives.

Now to something you might find more interesting. Our stop in Memphis, TN. Where else? Graceland. We made reservations at the Guest House which is associated with Graceland. It opened about two years ago and Priscilla Presley oversaw all the décor used throughout the facility. I have to say it was the most spectacular hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Of course, we also took the tour of Graceland. 

The evening entertainment was in the lobby of the Guest House. The band played 1960’s era music — not just Elvis songs, but a mix of several bands and individuals.

What an opportunity to take a picture of this replica staircase! The original is located in Graceland itself which is tricky to photograph due to limited space.

I bet you’ve been watching the coverage of Hurricane Florence. Unlikely you’ve been more interested than I have been. I’m currently in Columbia, SC where my husband and I evacuated since we live in the Myrtle Beach area. It’s been harrowing watching all the damage the wind and rain is doing. Praying everyone stays safe. 

While I’ve been sitting in a hotel room I’ve managed to write a bit more on my latest Work in Progress (WIP). Still no name for it. It’s about a young woman living in Oklahoma during the 1915 – 1920 time period. This is a real deviation from my previous writings which are romantic suspense.  My main character’s name is Frances, in honor of my grandmother who was born in Oklahoma in 1890. 

Although it is a fictional story I plan to bring some actual characters into the book who did live in the area at that time. Both my parents and theirs were born and raised in Oklahoma so I have a lot of relatives to draw from.  

Still more research to do. I want this to be as accurate as possible including the dress, activities for young women and what life was like at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. 

The launch of After the Raid (Book 2 of the Sons of Magnolia Meyers series) will be August 28, 2018! Woo Hoo! It’s finished and ready to read. I hope you enjoy it. 

Lucinda Edwards, the spunky Information Assurance Manager, is a favorite character for me. I was a former computer security specialist with the U.S. government and only dreamed of being the kick-ass person Lucinda is in this book. Yes, I’ll admit some of her actions are my own fantasies! I describe Jason Meyers as a dreamy budget analyst — what can I say — my husband became a budget analyst after he retired from the Army. Can you see a theme here? Other than actual job titles the characters are not anything like my husband and I, although I suppose they are in my dreams.  

Yes! I finally finished book 2 of the Sons of Magnolia Meyers series. It will be available in August on Amazon. For now — drummmm rollll pleasssssse! Here is the cover for After the Raid.

What do you get when you mix Cyberterrorism and Romance?
AFTER THE RAID
Computer security specialist Lucinda Edwards eagerly worked with the FBI to capture the hackers who embezzled money from the government. She thought her work on the case ended there, until Jason Meyers, the dreamy government budget analyst, shows up at her door with more bad news. He needs her help to catch a rogue hacker. When they realize someone is following them, their very lives are on the line. Despite being forced to join forces to discover who or what continues to threaten the government computers, Jason and Lucinda also discover each other.

June was a crazy busy month for me. I finished book two of my series, Sons of Magnolia Meyers. Title of the book is After the Raid. It’s been sent off to my editor, returned with content edits which I made then resent for final editing! Hooray!!!

This means it will be ready for your reading pleasure the first part of August. In a couple of weeks I’ll be giving you a look at the book cover.

After finishing a book I declutter my office. Here’s a picture of what it now looks like. Sorry, I didn’t take “before” pics. Good lord, nobody wants to see THAT mess. 

Tuesday I had the privilege of addressing the Berkshire Bookies Book Club along with two other authors. Each author explained their current book as well as what prompted them to become an author. 

In my case I started writing in 2009, two years prior to my retirement. I’d wanted to write for years and did dabble in articles for local community newspapers. As I explained, life got in the way until shortly before my retirement. 

It’s been a rewarding process and I can’t imagine not doing it. I have so many ideas for new books it will take years to put them all on paper. I’m sure some will never be published, but the ones worthy of being read by others will find their way to print.

Woo Hoo! I finally finished After the Raid the second book of the Sons of Magnolia Meyers series. Well, I suppose finished is not exactly the correct word. I completed the story and wrote THE END. However, this weekend I will be working away on edits. Self-editing, that is. Then it will go to my professional editor. My plan is to have it available for purchase the end of August.

Stay tuned in June for my cover reveal. It’s already in the works and I have to say I LOVE it. Hope you will too.

Happy Memorial Weekend to everyone. Honor the fallen military people in your family and community. 

GOD BLESS AMERICA

My recent travels took me to the Biltmore estate in Asheville, North Carolina. It was built in 1895 by George W. Vanderbilt and remains the largest privately owned home in the United States. I’m sure you’re wondering what my favorite room was. What else? The library! The mannequins are wearing costumes from the movie “Titanic”.  All books were selected by George Vanderbilt himself.

Of course they had fabulous gardens. Here is one from the walled garden where Tulips were in full bloom.

A short distance from the walled garden is the Azalea garden where they were also in full bloom.

This week I had the opportunity to attend a book signing event which included a speech by the author, a copy of his most recent book and dinner. The author was David Baldacci!  The book featured was THE FALLEN. It is the fourth book in his series Memory Man.

What a FANTASTIC speaker. Although he gave us a short synopsis of the featured book he regaled us with tales from his personal life. Is anyone’s life that funny? The story of his chance encounter with a man reading his book at LAX airport made us all roll on the floor with laughter. If you ever have the chance to attend an event where David Baldacci is the speaker don’t hesitate to buy a ticket.

I’m FINALLY almost finished with Book Two of my series Sons of Magnolia Meyers. The title is After the Raid. I’ll be sending it to my editor on June 1, 2018. It should be available for purchase by August. During the next few weeks I’ll be giving you some background information about the book that won’t appear in the book. In June I’ll be sending out a picture of the cover art. I hope you are as excited about this as I am!

Stay tuned for more updates.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Mine was low key, no visitors and we didn’t visit anyone. The weather is not as warm as I would like, but it won’t be long now!

Later today I will be signing books at The Oaks Craft Fair at the Lazy Gator in Murrells Inlet, SC.  I’ve had the privilege to participate in this craft fair a couple of other times. I’ll be on the porch in case of bad weather. Here are a few pictures from previous times.

Our local Irish Festival 2018 was held yesterday on St. Patrick’s Day, of course. I had a vendor booth displaying my books along with fellow author Bella Fayre. The weather was a bit windy, but that’s to be expected in March. Being part Irish I had to dress appropriately as most of the attendees did. The biggest surprise was the number of dogs. Their owners had them decked out in green — some with neckerchiefs, beads, hats and dresses. The darlings added to the celebratory atmosphere.