Dec 19, 2014 |
Merry Christmas! How exciting that it’s less than a week away.
Are you ready? I’m so ready, I’m getting ready for next year already! Okay, not really. But almost really. I’ve definitely got plans. I may even venture into the world of day-after-Christmas shopping to find some amazing pack-it-away-for-eleven-months deals.
But that’s next year, and that’s a little ahead of the game.
This year, I have a few more gifts to give . . . to you!

The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition
On Sunday, December 21, the Kindle edition of The Unemployment Cookbook will be available for just 99 cents – that’s well over $2.00 savings!
And on December 24 and 25, both The Penny Parable and A Study on the Ten Commandments will be available to download for free.
So if you’re gifting a Kindle to someone, or looking to add to your own, please enjoy these books, from me to you.

Merry Christmas from Bedford Manor
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
Meeting Charles Dickens
Bedford Manor on a Budget: People Feeder
BETTER: Thanksgiving
My Amazon Author’s Page
Dec 17, 2014 |

Doing the Write Thing
I sometimes feel like a circus performer, juggling more plates than a normal person would, yet artfully keeping them up in the air without fail.
For the most part, anyway. The law of averages dictates that sooner or later, the law of gravity will take hold of one or more items and, well, you know . . .
Still, I enjoy working so many angles with my writing. Social Media and Marketing for others. Promoting my own projects. Running New Inklings Press. And, of course, actually writing.
It’s when I don’t make time for writing that the rest of my world turns to chaos. And so, once the fall cleaning, the new budget, and the flu had all run their course out of Bedford Manor, I was able to get back on track by getting back into writing.
NOLA is on its third draft ~ a combination of the rough draft and the second rework which didn’t go so well. I’m learning more about my characters each day and how they think, feel, live. I’m learning to listen to my characters, and allow them more freedom in telling the story, instead of dictating every scene in my own linear thinking.
My friend Beckie and I are forming a critique group for the Writers Club. It will be another outlet for our creativity, as well as a means to offer and receive support, encouragement, and wisdom from other writers.
My GoFundMe #DoingTheWriteThing campaign is still gaining steam, which is also encouraging. It inspires me to work harder on my writings.
I recently updated The Penny Parable and A Study on the Ten Commandments for Kindle. I now have three eBooks available, and over 50 print copies of The Unemployment Cookbook still in inventory.
I’m working on a series of blog posts for January ~ potato-based recipes. I’m becoming a huge fan of boiled, baked and mashed potatoes. I’ve always loved potatoes, but lately I’ve been doing much more than I used to. I can’t wait to share some ideas with you.
For Christmas I’ll be reading my Narnia collection, a family story written by my uncle, and Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Charles Dickens
But first, it’s time to enjoy this wonderful life.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
Please share my GoFundMe #DoingTheWriteThing campaign by clicking on the poster below. If just one thousand people purchase each of my three Kindle titles (a total of three eBooks for less than $5), I’ll earn the full funding and be able to attend two major writing conferences in Spring, 2015.

Go Fund Me: #DoingTheWriteThing
You may also enjoy reading:
FIVE THINGS FRIDAY: Everything Old is NEW Again
Why I Write. Every Day.
Mojo Book Review: “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
“Be Not Afraid.” Yes, I’m talking to YOU
Dec 14, 2014 |
Saturday was the monthly meeting of the California Writers Club, High Desert Branch. I’ve been a member for just under two years and have been, well, no other word suffices ~ I have been blessed.
To be surrounded with a group of like-minded people who “get” the why of writing, who quote and embellish and say “Wait!” as we write a note on anything including our own skin if there’s no paper around ~ these are the people I live with and for.
The critique groups, salons, meetings, and friendships are more than I ever anticipated being a part of. And those are on the regular days.

The Wordsmiths Critique Group
Then there’s the special moments, like Saturday’s meeting. Our branch president, Dwight Norris, arranged for this month’s guest speaker to be none other than Charles Dickens . . . okay, so, obviously, not really, since the man’s been dead for nearly a hundred and fifty years.

Dwight Norris and Charles Dickens (Paul Jacques)
Our speaker, Paul Jacques, portrays Charles Dickens in the Riverside (CA) Dickens Festival each year. He regaled us with his performance filled with history, biographical information, Dickens quotes and readings, and all-around literary magic.
I was lucky enough (or just early enough) to get the front row center seat which enabled me to capture some memorable photos and video.

Molly Meets Dickens
As you’ll recall from the very few (okay, two) videos I’ve ever posted, I’m not exceptionally gifted in the video editing department. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this little blurb I put together.
And may God bless you, every one.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
Some Christmas Trivia
Destination: Mission Inn Festival of Lights
How Bedford Manor Got Its Name