Happy Holidays!
The year is almost over and I look back on
the goals I set for myself. My plan was
to complete six writing projects in 2014.
I buckled down, afraid I wouldn't complete them before 2015 rolled over
on the calendar. Well, I got them all
done. In fact, I had them all done by
April and so I added four more and went on to finish them even with life
intervening. It has been an interesting
and productive year and I have you to thank for it. Let me take this opportunity to thank my
readers for your support in the past and your continued support in the coming
years. Without your help, my career might
not exist. So I appreciate both the help
and encouragement you give me.
As Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Years celebrations begin, remember
when you were a kid and wanted the must-have toy of the season?
For me the toy I had to have was called Mini-Brix. They were the precursor to Legos. I was about seven and I longed for them. You could build things with them just like you can with today's Legos. However, my father said it was a boy's toy and I was a girl. This was prior to the sexual revolution. On Christmas morning the mini-brik were not there. I got a doll and a tea set as all good little girls should want.
What is the toy you want today? If you could get your must-have toy,
what would it be? You're never too old
for the perfect holiday present. If I
got to sit on Santa's lap and whisper in his ear what I want for Christmas, it
wouldn't be a tangible toy, a coat or that one of my books makes the New York Times bestseller list (although
I wouldn't refuse that). I want peace.
This is probably why I choose
to write romance. There is always a
happily-ever-after, and the characters remind me of Superman. They stand for truth and justice. So as the year comes to a close, let us all
pray for our soldiers to come home safely, that the sons and daughters of our
enemies lay down their weapons and return to their families, and for the world
to work for peace.
Come January, I'll begin the
year with new goals and a new book. Summer
on Kendall Farm is the story of Jace and his son returning to their
family home only to discover it's been sold for taxes. Kelly Ashton, a woman from the wrong side of
the tracks, now owns the farm and her plans to make it a public showplace has
sparks flying between the two over both the land and her flash of bright red
hair. http://amzn.com/B00M6G8LV6
I have written thirty-four novels. This is my first Heartwarming novel and I am
thrilled to be among such great authors and in the company of readers who loves
these books. I hope you enjoy Summer
on Kendall Farm. I sent a lot of
time with Kendall Farm in my head before a story totally jelled.
The idea came with an explosion. It's all right. The explosion was in my brain and out of it
came Ari, the young adopted son of hero Jace.
It was the love between a father and son and the sacrifices Jace makes
to give his son a better life. As
parents, we make sacrifices for our children.
It may not be getting better medical care since we live in a society
that provides many outlets for children's heath. What we do is expose them to opportunities,
music lessons, sports, play dates, or programs that will enhance them in the
future or allow them to find their niche in life. We sacrifice our time for pursuing our own
dreams to help them attain theirs. It
may not appear as a sacrifice because we love our children and are happy to be
there for them.
We'll drive for hours to get them to a meet, sit
on hard bleachers all day to come home with ten minutes of video. We'll spend hundred of dollars on overpriced
costumes for dances programs and recitals.
When it's all done and they are safely home and
in bed, we go to our offices and write wonderful stories that stem from our own
experiences, some of which are provided by those long sacrificial days with our
children.
Until next time, keep
reading.
Shirley.Hailstock@comcast.net
http://www.shirleyhailstock.net
Ten writing projects in one year---you make my head spin. Hear, hear to your plea for peace. War makes no sense and hurts so many people long term. Happy holidays. I look forward to reading your Heartwarming book.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Roz! And welcome to the Heartwarming family. Oh, and I'm glad my parents didn't realize cap pistols weren't for girls because that's all I ever wanted. :-) Can't wait to read Summer on Kendall Farm.
ReplyDeleteCap Pistols, not for girls. All we could do was load the caps for my brother. He was too young to do it.
DeleteLooking forward to your new release. I second the 10 story "wow"! I'm a nutty woman with 6.
ReplyDeleteOne project was a short story. A couple were novellas, but the others were full novels for Harlequin.
DeleteCongratulations on the book - and on reaching all personal goals! I'm right beside you with the wish for peace. If I could ask Santa for some current toy, it would be all those cool things Crayola is doing, taking crayons into the 21st Century! As a child, I received coloring books and crayons often, but usually the 24-color, and sometimes the 48, which were all great, but it had to be the 60-something box because that was the only one with the color 'flesh.' Otherwise, you couldn't do faces and arms. Terrible situation. Like the Zombie Apocalypse.
ReplyDeleteThe Crayola factory is only 35 miles from where I live. I've been there three times. We take our kids only as a camouflage. I love that place. And the gift shop. Don't let me in there.
DeleteI remember those days, Shirley, when girls had to do “girl things.” Fortunately, my family never made those restrictions. I often played with my brother’s toys, glued airplanes together, and built buildings with his Lincoln logs. Sorry you didn’t get those Minibrix that you wanted.
ReplyDeleteI did get to put the train set together on Christmas Eve. Probably not getting to do the boy things was why when I went to college, I was a Chemical Engineering major. When it came to things I wanted to do, they were always dangerous like skydiving or leaving to fly a plane. My first hero was a pilot.
DeleteA wonderful post, Shirley. Congratulations on the book--and I'd like to borrow some of your energy!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I do have a lot of energy, but I used to have more. Now I need a nap every now and then.
DeleteWow, those Mini-Brix look like fun! I never heard of them but my favorite toy for Christmas (I actually got them) was a set of lego-like white building bricks. I don't know what they were called. I also always got a 48 crayon set, of course.
ReplyDeleteI still have the Legos I bought for my kids. Every now and then, I pull them out and my 12-year old and build something. I try for the helicopter, but never get it right. In our mall there used to be a Lego pit. It was a rectangle about 8 feet long and 5 feet wide. The kids would get in there and just play. They got rid of it, probably because mothers would leave their kids and go shopping. Not a good idea.
DeleteI found out, if anyone is interested, that you can now do virtual mini-brix at http://minibrix.com/. I've downloaded Minecraft from Lego but it's really difficult. I might try this one as well. We can still play, you know!
ReplyDeleteI'm on my way over. Another thing to waste time from writing.
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