Take a Break


by editor Kathryn Lye

Now that’s not a comment authors often hear from their editors!  However, having just returned from the first vacation I’ve had in years, I’m all about break taking.

Visiting the land of Shakespeare, Austen and Wordsworth has left me feeling inspired.  It’s been invigorating and not a little fun to see things you haven’t seen before, or to see the same things but from another perspective.  

The great part about inspiration is you don’t have to cross an ocean for a new view.  You could rearrange your office.  Or move your chair to another spot in the backyard.  Even park your car where you normally wouldn’t.  The smallest and simplest gestures compel me to think and to be hopeful.  So here’s to inspiration and being inspired!

What inspires you?

Something else inspiring are the four Heartwarming titles that have been released this month.  Each is unique.  Pamela Tracy’s Small-Town Secrets features an intriguing hundred-year-old mystery as part of the storyline.  Kathy Damp is a debut Harlequin author with the sharply-told Waiting for Sparks.  A compelling brand-new miniseries begins in Winner Takes All by Cheryl Harper.  And Patricia Forsythe’s romance features a fan-favorite iconic hero—the cowboy—in Her Lone Cowboy.

Best wishes!

Kathryn

Comments

  1. Kathryn, it sounds like your vacation was long overdue! I'm so glad it left you feeling inspired! Just reading how it refreshed you has given me some new inspiration for summer. Days of sunshine always give me renewed energy to write. Try not to wait too long between your next trip! :)

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    1. Thanks, I will definitely be taking another vacation sooner than later!

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  2. I agree with Cerella that you shouldn't wait too long before your next vacation, Kathryn!

    The June releases sound terrific, and at least one of them will take readers on an exotic journey.

    Happy Friday!

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    1. Agree, the June releases are terrific. I have to tell people all the time that I am so biased as I love Heartwarming and am really happy to be working on the series.

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  3. I agree that even a few adjustments within our current environment, if we are unable to get away due to circumstances, can be inspiring. As a lover of Heartwarming books I am inspired, first by the beautiful covers, and second, by the wonderful stories within their pages. These four new titles have inspired me.

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    1. So glad to hear that you're enjoying the series! The covers are so lovely.

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  4. I'm happy to hear that you finally treated yourself to a well-deserved break from routine! And what a glorious place to do it...in the land where so many of our favorite writers lived!

    You're so right when you say that getting away from it all can be inspiring, invigorating, and downright fun...AND that we needn't leave home to experience it, thanks to authors like those whose Heartwarming stories were released this June!

    Although I won't take an official vacation this year, you can be sure I'll enjoy the perks of travel while reading this month's Heartwarming titles. And how lucky am I...I get to travel to all those delightful-looking places without ever leaving my overstuffed easy chair!

    Wishing all of you a wonderful weekend! :-)

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    1. That's a great point about travelling via a good story. Rats! Wished I'd used it in the blog! :)

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  5. So glad you managed a vacation Kathryn. Everyone needs a break to refill the well. I think I am most inspired by the changing seasons. Each one brings something new. I also like hearing birds in the morning, and sunrises and sunsets. Maybe I'm easily inspired---lol.
    The new books sound intriguing. Can't wait for my subscription.

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    1. I'm with you, Roz, on all of those things. We had a crazy rainstorm here on the weekend and the result was an amazing rainbow right outside my window. It took my breath away.

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  6. I love that, during the winter months, Kathryn always has a vase of fresh flowers on the left side of her desk...speaking of inspiration! (And thanks, KL, for blogging today and letting me take a wee break!) Happy June book birthday to Cheryl and Pamela! And welcome to Patricia and Kathy, new to the Heartwarming lineup with their poignant new books!

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    1. Oops...it's clearly an exclamation point day...!

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    2. If we have another winter like the last one Harlequin will have to give me a big raise as my flower budget took a gigantic hit with the cold hanging on for so long. Lol

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  7. So glad your vacation refreshed you, Kathryn. Yours was a vacation I'd love to take.
    And I love !, Victoria...as long as they're not in my manuscript. So I have to get them out in blog comments.

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    1. Thanks, Pat. I had the chance to see a few friends I hadn't seen in years and while email and texts are great tools to communicate, there's nothing quite like seeing people in person.

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  8. I'm so jealous, Kathryn! (there's one of those dreaded ! but my heart is full of them.) At this point in our lives, Ron and I are pretty much confined to our beautiful Astoria, but it's gorgeous and finally sunny and thanks to a new HoverRound, Ron can accompany the dog and me on our walks. How cool is that! Inspiration is everywhere - and sometimes where you'd least expect to find it.

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    1. That is very cool, and so true it's often where you'd least expect it!

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  9. I've never thought of release day as a book birthday. How cool is that.
    This year we're taking the camper and going to the beach for a week. Instead of quads (wilderness camping), we're taking our bikes. I'm going to take a lawn chair and read!!!! I can hardly wait.
    And, do authors ever vacation? Or, is it "Have laptap, will travel."

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    1. I like the book birthday idea, too, saw it for the first time when I started on Twitter. The beach sounds fab!!!!

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  10. It sounds like a wonderful trip. May you always be inspired and never suffer from jet lag.

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  11. Your vacation sounded wonderful, Kathryn (I'm going to resist using an !). I recently took a trip East to visit family in MA and CT, which was a lovely break--although I did take a proposal in progress with me. Now I've decided to extend my stay in NY for RWA so my husband can join me after conference to explore the city again--which is really our second home. He's a native. But switching things here can be good too, using a half day to run errands and see the world beyond the office or even taking the laptop to the deck for a bit of sun while writing can inspire. Hurrah for the June books! Congrats, ladies.

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  12. A wonderful-sounding vacation, and I'm resisting exclamation points, too. I avoided them most of my life and now they're cropping up everywhere. I'm always inspired by travel, even when said inspiration doesn't show up in the finished product.

    The June covers are, as always, beautiful.

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  13. How wonderful that you finally took a much-deserved vacation. I've been to London once and I plan to go again someday to see more of the UK.

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  14. Yay, vacation!! Bet you had a great time. London is awesome! The surrounding cities even better. :) Welcome home! Vacations always inspire me...I think I'm due for a new one .

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  15. Glad to hear you had a good trip. It's always good to get away, be inspired and recharge our batteries!

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  16. Kathryn, how fortunate for you that you went to London. I love that city and would kill to go back. I agree totally with you that vacations are truly necessary in our busy lives. I haven't had one in a long time...work vacations are still okay because they get me out of town at least for a few days. I love the looks and sounds of all the June books. Some great reading for under my dying (sniff) red leaf maple tree.

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  17. I remember visits to London as a kid. Loved it! In fact, I'll never forget watching a live performance there of The King and I with Yul Brynner. Oh, and visits to the castles...

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