Goodbye, 2020 - Don't Let the Door Hit You

New Year's Eve Reflections

 

Like many of us, I am extremely happy to say goodbye to 2020. It's been a long, awful year, and even though I know 2021 isn't going to be better as soon as the year kicks over, the symbolic turning of the page will feel so much better.

 Themes

For 2020, I started with a word that was to be the theme of my year. I wrote it in my journal.

The irony is, I didn't know how much I was going to need this word. Everything went wrong this year, and when I tell you the one good month I had was January 2020, I'm not kidding. I had to remember, every day, to be like water and flow around the rocks I couldn't move. It was hard. It was so hard. I cried a lot. I leaned on friends and family more than I ever have. I learned a hell of a lot about gratitude. I learned how undeserving we humans are of the dogs in our lives. My Macey kept me sane that first two weeks when my son was in the hospital and my husband there with him.

Somehow, I managed to start feeling like myself again. The world is still a mess, and COVID-19 is still a thing, but there is light at the end of this tunnel, and despite what I'd been feeling, it is not an oncoming train. I don't feel as strong as people say I have been, even though it's nice they think that. But I am amazed at how many hits I can take and remain standing. More than I thought I could. It is tiring, though. I kept coming back to that theme. If I could not fight 2020, I would have to flow with it. Adaptability has never been my strong suit. I am a very stubborn, very Capricorn woman of habit. So it took the mountain that is 2020 to move me.

Back to the Beginning

These days, I find myself falling back to the things that brought me joy when I was growing up. Drawing. Reading. Watching old movies and TV shows. And it occurred to me that I needed a new theme word for 2021.

This year, I'm going back to the basics. I'm going to revisit that excitement I experienced as a kid and let it fill the things I do. Just because I am an adult, doesn't mean I have to give up the wonder and joy I felt as a girl. Instead, I'm going to dive into the things that make me happy. Getting my hands in the dirt. Sketching and reading new books. Decorating a room in a fresh way that makes me smile.

I'm going to let being happy become my goal. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy. Just happiness, wherever I can find it and in whatever measure it's there. Like a joyful scavenger hunt. You're welcome to join me. Happy New Year!

Join Nicki Greenwood's Street Team!

 

Want to be part of an exclusive street team for fans of my books? Here's your chance to get exclusive content that won't be available anywhere else! From swag to behind-the-scenes content to excerpts from upcoming works, you'll get a look at my books like never before. Drop an email to nicki@nickigreenwood.com to get in on the action! Happy reading!

Author Meet & Greet 11/14/20 / THE FUDGE RIPPLE EFFECT in print!

Hi, Readers! I've got a couple of announcements for you, and I'm thoroughly excited about both. Let's get right to the good stuff.

Baldwinsville Public Library 5th Annual Authors Meet & Greet

 

This year's coronavirus pandemic may have thrown a wrench in many plans, but one thing it hasn't managed to do is to cancel Baldwinsville's biggest annual author event! Baldwinsville Public Library is excited to bring you a virtual event featuring several of Central New York's awesome local authors, writing in a variety of genres. We'll be bringing you an informative Q&A with each author and a terrific panel discussion about creativity during COVID. You don't even have to leave your seat!

Featured authors include Carol Pouliot (mystery), Patricia Antone (romantic suspense, contemporary romance), Erin Kelly (urban fantasy), Scott Varengo (fantasy, crime, espionage), Nicki Greenwood (new adult, romance, women's fiction), Karen Osborne (science fiction), Thomas Clark (speculative fiction, science fiction, horror, dark fantasy), Ronald Bagliere (adventure, literary fiction, women's fiction), and Pamela Daniell (young adult).

You must register to attend this free online event. Please register at: https://tinyurl.com/BPLAuthorMeetandGreet

THE FUDGE RIPPLE EFFECT in Print!

Do you love reading romance, but long for the feel of a book in your hands? Just in time for the holidays, you can read THE FUDGE RIPPLE EFFECT in print, along with two other delicious romances! ICE CREAM DREAMS is available now in paperback at The Wild Rose Press. Treat a loved one to this dreamy anthology, or save it all for yourself!

Order ICE CREAM DREAMS here: https://www.thewildrosepress.com/product/ice-cream-dreams

How a Construction Project Saved Our Sanity

This year has been quite a ride, hasn't it? It's been hard here at Greenwood House. In May, our son went into the hospital for emergency surgery, and he's been recovering ever since. A medical problem with your child is difficult at any time, but in this post-Covid era, it's downright scary. Our family has been struggling, no doubt.

When I looked in our living room at the hodgepodge of storage we had for books, games, gaming consoles, and DVDs, a light bulb went on. This family needed a win in this year of setbacks. It was high time to make the entertainment center this room needed. My husband never shrinks from a challenge, so when I sketched out a plan with some measurements on a scrap piece of paper, he took up the gauntlet.

During this process of building and planning, we discovered a bonus side effect: much-needed family bonding. My husband, son, and I worked together on various parts of the project, from concept to paint. My son got some experience with various power tools, and I got in some therapeutic painting.

Start to finish, this project took about a month. For all of us, it was amazing to have something to focus on that had nothing to do with pandemics or medical care. While the entertainment center is mostly complete (still needing doors on the lower front), what will last is our visible reminder of something much more important: this family is strong, and even a world with coronavirus won't beat us.

Guest Blog: Kara Leigh Miller!

Hi, Readers! Please help me welcome Kara Leigh Miller, author of Young Adult and adult romance! Today, Kara joins us to talk about the upcoming release of ETERNAL CURSE, the debut novel in her YA paranormal Cursed Series. ETERNAL CURSE comes out September 15th, but you can get a sneak preview right now! Keep reading for more.

1) How did you get started writing?

Boredom. I know that sounds strange, but it’s the truth. I’ve always been an avid reader, and throughout high school and college, I always took as many English classes as I could, but I didn’t really write all that much. It wasn’t until I became a stay-at-home mom with a broken down car and no new reading material that I finally decided to try my hand at writing something of my own. My very first (and very horribly written novel) as a dark New Adult romance with some… interesting suspense elements. LOL.

2) What interests or excites you most about your genre(s)?

The possibilities. I write mostly young adult novels, and that age group has so much potential. They’re on the cusp of adulthood, fumbling their way through high school, and trying to make big decisions that will affect the lives in some pretty significant ways. Throw in a first love or some paranormal elements, and it’s a recipe for lots of drama and angst.

3) Who or what is your favorite inspiration when writing?

Music. I never used to be able to write with music, but now I can’t seem to write without it. I create a playlist full of songs that set the tone for the overall book, and I pop in my earbuds, block out the world around me, and type away 😊 Also, pictures of my characters help, along with images of Dominic Sherwood. Haha.

4) Tell me about your latest book or work in progress.

Eternal Curse is the first of six books of The Cursed Series. It’s a young adult paranormal romance, and my personal homage to Twilight and The Vampire Diaries—two of my favorite vampire stories of all time. Here’s the official blurb:

After pulling the plug on her mother’s life support, seventeen-year-old Chloe Madison moves to live with relatives she hardly knows. Her new hometown in the Adirondack Mountains is barely more than a pinpoint on the map, but it’s shrouded in deadly secrets and strange family legends. Chloe is determined to keep her head down, finish high school, and get the heck out of there. Until she meets the enigmatic Trent Halstead. Something intriguing hides beneath his quiet self-assurance and hero hair. Maybe there’s something—or someone—worth sticking around for after all.

But when a rash of unsolved murders leaves two of Chloe’s classmates dead, she begins to suffer from disturbing hallucinations that build to the horrifying image of Trent as a murderous vampire. With nowhere else to go, she’s stuck in a town she hates, surrounded by people she can’t trust, and she’s pretty sure she’s going to be lunch.

If all that isn’t bad enough, Trent is hiding a lethal secret, besides the whole immortal bloodsucker thing. He’s the not-so-proud owner of an ancient, family curse—no Halstead will ever know true love—and he’s desperate to find a way to break the curse. Could Chloe be the key to his happiness or just another secret Trent wished he never unlocked?

5) Please share with us the first few paragraphs of your latest work.

Am I a murderer? That question had haunted me for the past two weeks. Since the day I killed my mother. It was as simple as signing my name. And now I was signing my life away, too. Moving to a new town to live with people I didn’t know. Fitting punishment for my crime.

Buy ETERNAL CURSE at:

EBOOK:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CY5Q9WG

PRINT BOOK:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Curse-Cursed-Leigh-Miller/dp/1735433608/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eternal-curse-kara-leigh-miller/1137369931
Wal-Mart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cursed-Eternal-Curse-Paperback/505164510

About Kara

Kara Leigh Miller is a full-time wife; stay-at-home mom to 4 kids, 3 pit bulls, and 6 cats; writer, and the Editorial Director at Anaiah Press. When she’s not herding her family, she’s working out, reading, or binge watching Netflix. She's previously published two adult Christian romantic suspense books that are no longer in publication. Though she’s published a young adult Christian romance (Perfectly Imperfect), Eternal Curse is her first foray into the secular young adult market.

Find Kara on the Web

Newsletter: https://eepurl.com/bn1wyD
Website: www.karaleighmillerauthor.com
Blog: www.karaleighmiller.blogspot.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kara-Leigh-Miller/e/B009L2V782
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/3352132601
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaraLeighMiller
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KaraLeighMille1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karaleighmiller/

THE FUDGE RIPPLE EFFECT is on sale!

New from Nicki: THE FUDGE RIPPLE EFFECT!

Nicki's newest book, THE FUDGE RIPPLE EFFECT, is now available through your favorite bookstore! Order the eBook for just $1.99 and start your summer off right!

About THE FUDGE RIPPLE EFFECT

Love is unpredictable...but it sure is sweet.

Jax Thatcher loves creating stained glass, but love can't pay the bills. After a disastrous relationship, love lands her back in Narragansett with her overbearing parents and a mountain of I-told-you-so's. Broke and brokenhearted, she's forced to abandon her romantic and artistic dreams. Fortunately for Jax, fate is making waves on her behalf.

Sawyer Hennessey, the handsome owner of a generations-old soda fountain, has been burned in love himself. When an accident shatters the stained-glass transom of his shop's front window, Jax splashes into his quiet life.

Suspicious of their growing feelings, Jax and Sawyer can't resist testing the waters. They have a lot to learn about the ripples people make in each other's lives, and how one little drop might lead to an outpouring of love.

Click Here to Learn More

On Love

Christmas in May?

Yes. This is a very difficult blog post, but one I need and want to share with you. As you know, this has been a very difficult year, and we are all struggling. The hits seem to keep coming, and last week was, for me, the biggest hit of all. My 13-year-old son is in the hospital with serious injuries, during a time where I am afraid to have any of us in a crowd of people. During a time when what I want most is to hold close the people who are most dear to me. He can't have both his parents there, so I am without my boy and also without my husband who must be there with him. It would be easy to feel alone right now.

But I am not. And that is making all the difference.

I am with my mom and stepdad, and I have our dog with me. My husband, who is a nurse, is doing the most amazing job at the hospital, looking out for our son and explaining the complicated medical terms and procedures in a way that will make our boy feel more confident. My job has been to provide supportive videos and pictures from my temporary home base so that our son can see them and smile and know how loved he is. How loved we all are.

And we are, so much.

I know I have friends and family. It is one of those things you kind of know, off the top of your head, but never really get a chance to understand to its full extent until something like this happens. Our friends and family have banded around us so strongly that I can't help but feel the love and healing. It is what gets me through the difficult nights without my boys. It is so strong that it filters through the phone to my husband and son, a beam of light and love that fills our lives.

And it's working. Our son is taking steps forward every day. I am so thankful for every victory, and more so knowing that you all have helped create it.

To our family, thank you for always having our back. To our friends, thank you for your love and for being the family we chose. And to my writer friends? My God, I know I have been writing for a lot of years now, but to see the extent of love from all of you? People I would never have met if I hadn't answered an ad for a writing workshop all those years ago? You will never know how grateful I am to have you in my life for so many reasons, and this is just one more on top of that very amazing, incredible pile of good in my life.

Thank you all. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. For helping me help our son. For loving us.

Because I promise you, when 2020 is over, THAT is what I will remember about it. So. Much. Love.

XOXOXO