Monday, November 28, 2016

Monday, November 21, 2016

Thanksgiving 2016 and a bonus Giveaway!



2016 has been a turbulent year for most of us and I'm glad it's almost over. That being said, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the good things--people, places, and events--that have enriched my life and made me grateful to be alive. 

January-I started on the Paleo Diet and increased my visits to the gym. Now I'm ten pounds lighter and in better physical shape than I've been in years. You don't realize how important it is to be able to walk for miles until you can't do it any more. Problem solved.

Also in January-My historical novel Yesterday was released. 

February-My historical novel Mayon was re-released under the DSP P imprint. 

March-I attended the annual Dreamspinner Press conference in Orlando, Florida. Aside from seeing old friends, and making new ones, I was energized. I left the meeting feeling confident in my publisher and the future of our growing genre. 

April-I made a short trip to North Carolina to visit my granddaughter. She's the first female to show up in our testosterone-heavy family in a gazillion years. Not only is she beautiful (I'm not biased-see for yourself) she's smart, loves animals, speaks her mind, and has a small army of doting relatives at her command.  She might be the one to break the glass ceiling. No lie. She's something else.       



May-I fell and hurt my neck. It doesn't sound like a positive thing BUT there were no broken bones. At my age, that's a very good thing. I'm grateful to have made a full recovery in a short time.

June-Open Seating, the first book in the Open Series was released 

July-I left for Spain and spent almost six weeks with my family in the Basque Country. It was great fun and I left with plot bunnies bouncing happily in my head. The result is a long novella that will be a part of the Dreamspinner "World of Love" collection representing Spain.  

September-The One Pulse Anthology was released.  I'm grateful to have contributed in my small way to benefit the members of the LGBT organizations in Central Florida. 

October-Open House, book #2 in the Open Series released.  

November-The Chicago Cubs won the World Series! OMG! I'm grateful to Naomi Grant, Elizabeth Noble, and all the members of DreamReaders of Dreamspinner Press for inviting me to participate in the nail-biting, hair-pulling, group watch. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the sport. Let's hope for a repeat next year! 



I'd like to acknowledge and thank my editor, Erika Orrick. Despite the many challenges she's faced this year, Erika has found the time to help me in every way possible. I'm also grateful that I have a diligent and super efficient publicist, Joleen. She's a wiz at handling my blog tours and anything promo-related.

I'm very grateful that Elizabeth North and Lynn West are a part of my life. They continue to encourage my writing endeavors, guide our publishing home with a steady and reliable hand, and pass along their high standards to everyone behind the scenes at Dreamspinner Press. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with.

I'm super grateful to the bloggers, reviewers, loyal readers, friends and fellow authors who have supported me in one way or another this year. Thank you for letting me be a part of this community. 

To all the authors who have kept my Kindle loaded--thank you! I appreciate all your wonderful stories. They've kept me sane throughout this election year.   

Upcoming in 2017-Open Case book #3 in the Open Series will release in early February. Son #3 gets married at the end of March and presents me with granddaughter #2 in May! So excited to welcome another female into the family. I'm hoping to repeat my Spanish vacation in August and join a good friend on a Baltic Cruise in September. Meanwhile, I write, and write, and write some more... Chyna Doll fans. I'm 50% done with the sequel. Crossing my fingers and toes that my muse keeps me on track. 

Giveaway: Leave a comment on this blog for a chance to win a $20.00 DSP gift certificate. Winner to be announced on December 10. 



                                       


  


Wednesday, November 9, 2016

When in doubt...read.



A lot of us woke up to a different world. I'm still trying to process how inexperience, bigotry, and bullying is all you need to win the highest position in the land. It'll take a while for it to sink in. Meanwhile, I choose escape. My publisher is having a wonderful sale. Now's you chance to get caught up on my Open Series as well as hundreds of other great offerings. 


https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/new-releases-c

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Giveaway Winner




The winner of the giveaway is Lee Todd. Please contact me at mickie dot ashling at gmail dot com to get the code which will allow you to redeem the audible version of my novel Taste for free.


Thursday, November 3, 2016

CUBS WIN WORLD SERIES!





Last night, I had the privilege of watching the Chicago Cubs win the world series. It was a true nail-biter and could have gone either way but the Cubbies came out on top. What a fantastic night for Chicago and sports in general. 

I spent most of the game interacting with several members of the DreamReaders of Dreamspinner Press group which was a great way to share the nerves and excitement. Curses flew and plot bunnies were born.  It was so much fun! 

Everyone on the Cubs team played an essential part in this win but I'd like to single out pitcher Kyle Hendricks who did a remarkable job in his usual unflappable way. This guy is a gem. 


In honor of the win, I'd like to give away an audible book code for my novel Taste, which is set in Chicago. All you have to do to be eligible is comment on this post. A winner will be chosen on Sunday, November 6.