Milestones and Celebrations

Hobbies, personal interests and even exercise time go by the wayside when one goes about the business of living life.This last year's been crazy hectic...in both good ways and bad. Renovating our new home has been a huge project. Getting our old home ready go to on the market, at the same time as the new home renovation, has been insane. Hubs being incapacitated from not one but two foot surgeries, while trying to accomplish everything, has been a nightmare.

Somehow, we've managed to survive.

Thankfully, hubs is doing great. He's on the mend and back at work. The old house goes on the market October 1st. Renovations on the new house aren't completely finished but everything looks great and every day offers us another reason to love our home.

On a personal front, our third daughter graduated high school in June and our second daughter finished her first year of college the same month. Today, ironically, both of those girls started on a new path. Daughter number two was accepted into the medical assistant program. She is working toward a nursing degree. Daughter number three started her first day of college. She is following her big sister's footsteps toward the nursing program as well. Daughter number one works two jobs, always moving toward her personal goals. And daughter number four, though still in high school, already has her eyes on a music scholarship for singing, piano, violin...maybe all three.

So this last year is marked with milestones and celebrations in our family's journey through life.

And even if I'm the only one that reads this blog, this is my private clifftop for shouting, cheering and pom pom waving in celebration. I am so proud of my girls. Every day I look at what the four of them have accomplished or are working toward accomplishing, and I realize how blessed I am to have such strong, driven, nurturing daughters. The world is a big, harsh, beautiful place. I can't wait to see each one of them find their niche...and make a difference.

World, meet my daughters.

Girls, the world is yours.

2013 Lunar Love Giveaway Hop

2nd Annual
Lunar Love Giveaway Hop

March 8th to 13th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Bookworm Lisa

Thank you soooo much for the invite, ladies. Last year was a blast, and I'm excited to be on the list again for 2013!

So, if you've landed on my blog, it's because you love to read. No, I'm not psychic (it's a blog hop so I had a heads up) but several characters in my Tueri Fated Souls series are. In fact, the entire Tueri race are psychics. Tueri is Latin for protect, and that's just what the Tueri do...they protect mankind from supernaturals, preternaturals or just plain bad guys that threaten harm.

Now, not everyone reads the paranormal genre - although again, you're here, so you most likely do. I love the genre. I cut my teeth on fantasy and sci-fi, graduated to supernatural horrors and finally immersed myself in paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

Why do I read these genres? Pure escapism. I love my life, but -like everyone else's- it gets hectic. I work in court everyday, surrounded by real life. Turning a page and falling into a completely different world always soothes my overloaded senses.

How about you? Why do you read the genre you do?

Thanks for stopping by. To show my appreciation (and because I love contests) I'm giving away your choice for one of three prizes:

1. $10.00 Amazon gift card or 
2. A print copy of Moonlight Blue or 
3. A print copy of Crimson Sunrise.

Just fill out the rafflecopter below, and then click here for the full list to continue hopping! I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's Love Got To Do With It

Welcome to the What's Love Got To Do With It? Blog Hop. Many thanks go out to Lynn Rush for inviting me to join the fun!

February, the month of love...or the possibility of finding the ever elusive one. For some lucky people, finding your soul mate happens when you're young, without much heartache involved. The rest of us spend a good chunk of our lives nursing a bruised heart while looking for our other half. (Hope you're all one of the lucky few!)

For Saari, a true immortal, love's been more intangible. Cursed in 1499 has given her more time than most, so you'd think she has the whole love angle worked out by now. Not so much.

But then the universe decided to shake things up a bit and send her a soul mate...or two. Sure, that sounds cliched. But what's a girl to do when she finally has a chance at answers she's been looking for her whole life?

Ask the right questions, and wonder what's love got to do with it. 

You can read about Saari's journey in the Tueri Fated Souls series in Moonlight Bleu and Crimson Sunrise. 

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to enter the rafflecopter below for the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Year of the Snake

Hello, and welcome to The Year of the Snake Blog Hop. Many thanks to Wendy Russo for inviting me to play.

Today we say goodbye to the year of the dragon and hello to the year of the snake. So this hop is dedicated to excerpts of deception, delusion, opportunism, and perhaps simply snakes.

Here's my excerpt.  Enjoy!

(Josie is the antagonist in Crimson Sunrise, and she has a plan that will launch herself in a new seat of power. She's not above using anyone to get what she wants, including her convenient for-now husband.)

Caleb crossed his arms over his chest. “You knew Dhelis’s mate

would drown. Why did you bother telling her you loved Dhelis?”

A thrill of power shot through Josie. She’d been right about his

being jealous. Men were so easy. A pull here. A tug there. I’m a

freaking puppeteer.

“Because,” she answered with exaggerated patience, “some Tueri

couples are telepathically linked. I don’t know if their match has

achieved that connection, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I didn’t

want her warning Dhelis—or Brogan for that matter. I wanted to

keep her off balance. Break her concentration through anger.”

There was no way Dhelis, Brogan, and Saari had already

achieved that kind of shared power, but Caleb didn’t know that.

“Dhelis’s blood type is a perfect match for me. If Saari hadn’t

come along when she did, I’d be bound to Dhelis and already

pregnant,” she answered, pouring sweet innocence into her words.

He all but growled with frustration. “I’m a perfect match for

your blood type, too. What do we need him for?”

“For starters,” she reminded him, “You’re only a half-breed—and

the Tueri half isn’t from a Stone Rider. For the abilities to be passed

on, I have to get pregnant by a Stone Rider.”

He glared at her.

She tightened her invisible hold. “This is only business, baby.

You know that. I’ve already explained this. Chimeras carry multiple

strands of DNA within their own, so we always reproduce Tueri

abilities. His mother was a chimera, like me, and his father was a

Stone Rider, like mine. That means a successful breeding between

our genetics will produce the highest Stone Riding abilities

possible. Dhelis is the best choice.”

“So?” he drawled.

“That’s the price for our immortality.”

Caleb’s expression changed as understanding dawned. “He

agreed to turn us? What were your terms?”

“Of course he did.” She ignored the second question and looked

up at him from under her lashes. “Do you think I’d be able to go

through this without you?”

“How do you know he won’t double cross us?”

Josie smiled. “Because he needs me. I’m his breeding queen. My

gift is passing on Tueri abilities through my progeny—and I heal

within hours of childbirth. So I can get pregnant again immediately

after giving birth. Once we combine the gene pool, vampires will

have an immunity, or affinity depending on the perspective, to

Tueri crystal. And the vampires will be able to give birth. They can

reproduce the same immunity.”

“Then he only needs you for the first child, not the rest,” he

argued.

“Not true. Genetics are a crapshoot. We’ve established the best

odds by using Dhelis’s genetics mixed with my own: that’s Chimera

and Stone Riding abilities on both sides back eons of generations.

But that’s not a guarantee. So, he’ll need us both.”

His mouth turned up in a feral smile.

She’d finally convinced him to play the game. Her nerve endings

hummed.

Poor sod. He doesn’t realize I meant Dhelis when I said we’d

both be needed.

I'm giving away a free copy of Crimson Sunrise to one lucky winner. (U.S. winner gets choice of print or ecopy. International winner ecopy only.)

Just follow my blog, leave a comment below with an email address, (sorry, couldn't get the rafflecopter to work) and click the links below. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Wendy S. Russo

Katie O'Sullivan

Raven Bower

Cindy Young-Turner

Rebecca Trogner

Lindsey Loucks

Sue Ann Bowling

S.M. Boyce

Constance Phillips

Stephan E. Train

Stevie Carroll

Kelly Seguin

Wynne Channing

Sherry Soule

FREE Kindle download!

My critique partner and awesome BFF is offering her mystery novella Honor Code FREE on Amazon today and tomorrow. The great cover, interesting blurb, links and my review are listed below.

What are you waiting for? Grab your copy now!!!!!!!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Honor-Code-Mystery-Novella-ebook/dp/B009STQQIE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357756418&sr=8-2&keywords=Honor+Code

Reviewing Your Universe:

Honor Code by Cathy Perkins
5 stars

As a rule, I generally stick to my favorite genres...but I'll read any novel (or novella) that catches my attention. Honor Code's book description did just that.

In a small, southern town an elderly widower disappears under questionable circumstances. Detective Larry Robbins knows in his gut George Beason needs help...and he intends to find him before it's too late.

The opening scene is powerful in its imagery and emotion. I connected immediately with both the victim and the hero. George Beason had to be found, and Robbins had to find him.

Though this police procedural is fast paced, the book never lost my interest. I also enjoyed the secondary characters. They added layers to the story that made me forget I was reading a novella. That doesn't happen often.

Honor Code is a great read that I would recommend to anyone that loves mysteries...and the fact it features characters from Ms Perkins' debut novel The Professor makes it even better!

Discovering My Universe #ReneeRearden #NewHome

Hubs and I purchased our dream home, and we're elated.

We also had a plan in place for things to accomplish  before we move in. First on the list: New carpeting throughout. Final papers were signed October 2nd. Two hours later hubs and I were in the house and started ripping up carpet in the formal dining room.

Imagine our surprise when we discovered pristine oak tongue and groove hardwood floors...that extended through the formal living room and down one hallway. That's the kind of thing you hear about happening to other people but never happens to you, right?

The next day we pulled up the carpet in each hallway on two sides of the atrium, hoping to find more hardwood. Unfortunately, we found an awful, orange-colored linoleum...which didn't make sense because it looked terrible next to the beautiful hardwood.

But, you can't have everything, right?

And then we discovered a chipped corner of the linoleum and found a light colored stone underneath. I held my breath as hubs stripped a large piece of linoleum away to reveal travertine tiles. All I could think was WOW!

Hubs shook his head and smiled at me. "How did we get so blessed?"

Righting My Universe

Okay, I admit I've been off my game lately.

My blog is languishing and writing anything new is on hold. Having limited time to do things I want to do has been driving me crazy...but I'm a firm believer in the bigger picture. You know, everything happens for a reason. There's a cosmic plan in place and I have a part in it.

So I sat down and meditated yesterday. Cleared my head of all the stuff and just was. I opened my eyes an hour later and nearly floated to my office. Everything made sense.

My transcript load has been insane for the last 18 months. I've struggled, trying to keep up with appellate court deadlines and still write. Work feeds my family. Writing feeds my soul. Since work hasn't gotten any less busy, these last few months I've questioned whether I should keep trying to write.

Then we discovered our dream home was for sale--below market value.

It was fluke. I tapped a real estate map on my iPad and randomly landed on the listing. I called the real estate agent. Never got a call back. Two weeks later we stopped by the house to look at it from the outside. The owner was there mowing the lawn. He showed us the house. Told us three other people were interested and working on closing a deal.

Two months later, we still hadn't heard any word on the other deals. So, we decided to purchase a different house. Three hours after talking to the builder, the first home owner called us and offered to sell us our dream home. We signed papers and started the process. Crazy things had to happen for us to have a shot at buying this home (including the extra funds my unusual transcript load provided), but things kept falling our way.

We're supposed to close on the house this afternoon or some time Tuesday.

My point with all this?

I believe there truly is a larger plan than the small pieces I see or try to understand. No matter how difficult or stressful, each circumstance I've encountered has happened for a reason. This last 18-months has led my family to the next milestone in our lives...the last home we ever plan to buy.

This home is where our growing family will gather, celebrate holidays together, where our grandchildren will run and play. It's the home my husband and I will live in together when the last of our four daughters move out on their own. The home where we'll sit on the porch, years from now, reliving all the memories we're going to make.