Stop and smell the roses - or orange blossoms

Horned Owl Hollow is with the editor! I'm in a wait and see pattern for what she might find that has yet to be addressed. This is often when I start thinking about what comes next. The original intent is to make this book a first in series. 

I'm not ready.

2022 was a long year with a lot of curve balls, so I'm just taking a minute to "be." 

I've taken some time to tackle the marketing that goes with releasing a book, like creating a trailer and promotional graphics. I'll need to snip excerpts to share. But the next major item on my agenda is a trip!

For the first time in four years, I'm getting on an airplane (wish me luck!) and traveling across the big, blue ocean. My niece is getting married in Spain! (Or at least going through the motions for the family - she already married her handsome husband.) DH and I have gone through the motions of taking several trips over the last couple of years, but never actually went through with booking them for a variety of reasons, not the least of which includes the problems the air traffic industry has had. We were determined to make this one happen and went ahead and booked our flights and an AirBNB. Woo hoo! But what are we going to do while we're there aside from the wedding? I mean, you don't fly across the ocean just for the weekend, generally. (Wait. I did that once - to the UK... but I digress) Fortunately, we have a niece who lives there who is ready to share ideas. So this is what we're thinking, along with the options other people are looking at.

Flamenco dancing anyone? What about a paella making class? And the local soccer team is scheduled to have a game while we're there. There are city tours, and a Haunted Seville tour (yes, I'll be taking that one, and if you read Horned Owl Hollow, you'll know why!). But what about other tours? We're close enough to the coast to do a day trip to Gibraltar (yes, we scheduled that one, too). They say you can see Africa from the top of the Rock, and some folks are going to hop on over to Morocco since it's just a little farther. For Amazing Race fans, you might have seen Malaga and Ronda. Those are also day trips from Seville. There's Cordoba and Granada. Bull fighting arenas and palaces and multi-cultural cathedrals and towers. Such exciting options! And did I mention the orange blossoms should be in bloom?

But most exciting will be the bride and groom. Brushing up on my Spanish...

What would you want to see if you were taking the trip with me?

My name is Karla, and I’m a cookie-holic

The struggle is real folks. 

I wasn’t going to make Christmas cookies this year, but its tradition, so when my family suggested it, how could I refuse? In truth, I did well when it came to not eating them all at once. 

Then there’s my dear husband who thinks he’s spoiling me when he buys the super pack of bakery cookies. I was even doing fairly well ignoring those, until I wasn’t. 

The other day I sat my husband down and told him he wasn’t doing me any favors when he spoiled me, because now I have to “dry out” again.

So here’s the thing. Three years ago when my son got married, I lost a lot of extra weight I’d been carrying, and the most amazing thing happened! My body said thank you. I went on a program that truly wasn’t sustainable, but it trained me to make better choices. Then, my sister died. My person. I was crushed, and I adopted the philosophy my father lived by: “Life is short. Eat the cookies” (paraphrasing). My dad lived to be 90, although he developed several health issues along the way. I don’t want to live to be 90, and my body is again reminding me that I can’t make meals out of cookies like I could when I was a teenager. (No, I don’t do that anymore.)

So this year, I’m going to work on making my body happy again. Life IS short, but if I plan to make the most of it, I need to eat foods that allow me to do so and that don’t hold me back. This is not a New Year’s resolution. It's knowing myself and making a choice.

What does that mean for my newsletter - Books & Cookies? I do believe I can still share recipes that I’ve either tried in the past or that look good for those of you who have more self-control. Not signed up? You can do that now by clicking Newsletter on the menu bar.

Sales to start off the new year

I'm busy getting HORNED OWL HOLLOW ready for the editor. The projected release date is February 21. In the meantime, you can catch up on some of my other books at discounted prices for a limited time.

Epitaph:  The McCormick Collection The compilation that includes four of the books in the Epitaph series is currently discounted for a limited time. 4 Books in 1 for $1.99!  Click here to get your copy

And in Audio Family Alchemy and Breaking the Mold are discounted for the first quarter of 2023.

Buy them at:

Looking ahead to the new year

We've had yet another year filled with uncertainty and catastrophe of epic proportions. I watch the news and see millions of people who were stranded over Christmas at airports due to the crazy storm that crossed the country. For days! It's like one of those rom-coms gone wrong. I did, however, see an article about a group of strangers who rented a car together to get to their destination - a la Planes, Trains and Automobiles. That sort of thing shows that people CAN and WILL work together when they need to, and gives me hope for the upcoming year.

As I look forward to the new year, I'm excited about my new release coming in February. I'm looking forward to grandbaby #5 and wish my son and his wife all the happiness they deserve. I'm looking forward to a trip to Spain to celebrate my niece's wedding.

My New Year's resolution is to look for the joy and let go of the disappointment. Celebrate my blessings and look for ways to shine light on those who need it. 

Sharing hope for a bright, shiny new year to you all.

Merry Almost Christmas

Wishing you joy this holiday season. 

Holiday Presents

There are a bunch of holidays crammed into December! To celebrate, I'd like to offer my readers a gift.

I'm one of those silly, sappy people who watches Hallmark movies. You know what? I agree with those people who condemn them as all the same, and even my husband can now point out "the black moment," in all of them, which is pretty much the same overused cliche in most of them. It generally stems from a misunderstanding that is easily resolved. (I can hear you saying, "why don't they just talk to each other," Terry!) Some of the movies have irrational responses to force this moment, which irritates the life out of me, but overall, they are "feel good" movies that you know will result in a happy ending. Light. Fluffy. Hope in a dark world.

A couple of years ago, I set out to write my own "Hallmark" movie, which is how I got my dear husband to watch them with me. Researching the genre. The funny part was when I told him we didn't have to watch anymore, he still wanted to. I should add the disclaimer here that he is not a fan of the old standards (like Its a Wonderful Life, and White Christmas, and Christmas in Connecticut - "black and white movies? Who watches those?"). He figures watching the Hallmark movies saves him from suffering through the oldie moldies. I have to watch those on my own or with a friend (ready, Bobbi?).

Did I mention a gift at the beginning of this post? I DID! And in honor of the holidays, whichever one you celebrate, I'd like to share the e-book version of my "Hallmark movie" book, While We Were Shopping, with you. After you've read it, I hope you pop over to Goodreads and let me know how you liked it! 

Click here to download your copy 

 

Ta-Da! Sneak peek at the new book!

Here's the eagerly anticipated first look at my new book! What do you think?

Antiques dealer Elle Barclay is called to the Horned Owl Hollow mansion to evaluate an antique figurine collection. What should have been a simple assessment of the collection’s value takes an unexpected turn when Elle learns the house is haunted. Residual energy taps into Elle’s sensitivity telling her to protect the estate for Martin.

Martin who?

A violent pop-up storm engulfs the estate and brings a sailor to the front door seeking shelter—a man claiming to be Martin Foster, the heir to Horned Owl Hollow who was lost in the Bermuda Triangle a hundred years ago.

Suddenly, the current owner of Horned Owl Hollow is speaking in a voice not his own—an angry spirit determined to see his wishes carried out. Other souls who perished in the house return to reveal the mansion’s dark history of treachery and greed dating back to the Prohibition Era. Time is against Elle as she works to right the wrongs of the past.