Take a Walk!

Today, I did something I haven't done in quite some time: took a walk behind my mother's house, around the lake and into the woods.  It was amazing.  I had forgotten how beautiful and peaceful it can be.  Just the smell of the woods alone is worth the walk!

Before I started out, I found an enormous black dragonfly on the driveway.  He must have been sunning himself!  He didn't even seem to mind me sticking my face in at him to take a photo.  He was almost as big as my hand!

This is what "refilling the well" is all about.  How I missed those trees!  It was a long walk, but I feel refreshed, and I'm fairly certain I'm going to sleep like a rock tonight.  *deep sigh*

Cool Cars

For someone who isn't crazy about driving, I have a bit of a thing for old cars.  Summer in Central NY is awesome for classic cars, because every summer, we have the Syracuse Nationals, which is the biggest car show in the Northeastern U.S.  Every summer, we are set upon by amazing rides from all over the country.  Our hotels and motels are filled up, and even if you don't go to the Nationals, you're gonna see a car show at every parking lot, gas station, and ice cream stand in Central New York.

And every summer, I look for my favorite, which is the '63 split-window Corvette Stingray.  Now, that car is beauty on wheels.  And I know you car aficionados will gasp with horror when I say it, but if I could drop a newer, more fuel-efficient transmission into one of those babies, you bet your butt I'd do it, and drive it loud and proud.  They just don't make cars as pretty as that anymore.

This one's not a '63, but I definitely wouldn't turn up my nose at it if someone handed one to me.  Would you?

 

There was also a pretty awesome old fire engine there, which I thought was cool.  I love anything from the 20's up to the 60's.  After that, while I might think it's a pretty car, I lose interest.  I also have a thing for European styles:

 

This is an Austin Healey 3000 Mark III, and I totally need to make friends with someone who has a car like this so I can ride around in it, just once, and feel like an international super-spy.

Maybe one of my favorite things about old cars is that they put a story in my head.  For instance, there was this one, a 1963 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.  The owner had helpfully added all the accessories that made it an instant story for me.  Can you imagine a character who'd drive one of these, complete with surfboard, cooler, and picnic basket for a day at the beach?  Fell in love instantly, and started forming storylines.

I often look at the cars made today, and wonder which of them have lines iconic enough to become future classics.  Which do you like?

The New NickiGreenwood.com!

Well, it's been quite the learning curve, but I'm thrilled to say I now have an brand-new, mobile-friendly website for viewing on all devices! I've been hand-coding my own website for a while now, and I know enough to be dangerous ... but responsive web design was something new for me, and at first it was rather frustrating to try to get it right. Now that I think I have the kinks worked out, you can see my new site in all its resizable glory:

http://www.nickigreenwood.com

Responsive websites are just that: they respond accordingly for optimal display, no matter what device you use to view them. Test it out by viewing my website on your desktop, tablet, or phone, and you'll find that it's comfortably readable at any size. You can even change your browser window's size or go from portrait to landscape orientation on your handheld, and the site will re-flow for the best view. It's really quite impressive how far web design has come in just the past few years. Who knows where it'll go next?

Book Signing Saturday 7/25/15 at Lewis County Fair!

I'm thrilled to be going to a book signing on Saturday, July 25th at the Lewis County Fair in Lowville, NY.  Love books (especially romance)?  This is your chance to meet me and my fellow romance author, Regina Edwards-Drumm, and get a book personally autographed!  I'll be there from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and I hope to meet you there!

In addition to some wonderful romance reads, we'll be offering raffle prizes!  Regina is donating a "Night of Romance" gift basket, and I am donating "The Elementals Jewelry Set," a one-of-a-kind, handmade necklace and earring set, pictured above.  Proceeds from the raffle benefit the Lowville Free Library.  These terrific prizes are only available by raffle at the Lewis County Fair, so we hope you'll come and see what it's all about!

The Lewis County Fair offers a day of fun for the whole family. Sound like an awesome time?  Click here for directions!

Shh! The New Project is Sleeping

By the time I finish writing a book, I am usually pretty burnt-out.  This year, I have the extraordinary luck to not be burnt-out, and to be looking forward to my next book.  I have enjoyed every hill and valley on my learning curve, and am very proud of how far my writing has come since beginning this madness some five years ago. Six books later, and with FIRE waiting in the wings, I have now reached the point where I can say:

It's time for a new project!

I'm pretty jazzed-up about this one, and you heard it here first: the new series will be in the New Adult genre, a departure from my current focus in romance and paranormal romance.  I plan to continue writing romance, but for the foreseeable future, my focus will be on this series.  It's all very hush-hush until I have the basics ironed out, but rest assured, I will let you know all the news once I have something to share.  I hope you'll be as excited as I am about this new series, and I promise not to keep you waiting too long!

Fort Ticonderoga

If there's a place you want to be on the Fourth of July, it's Fort Ticonderoga. It was amazing to witness how people lived during the founding of the United States, from what they ate, to how they dressed, to how they slept and fought. The raising of the colors, to the music from the Fife & Drum Corps, actually gave me chills.

I can't even begin to tell you how geeky I was over the amazing engravings on the 18th century powder horns belonging to soldiers of the era. Then there were the weapons and arrowheads and pieces of pottery and ... well, you should go there, that's what.

The original fort was mainly earthworks. The stone was added much later. Still, it boasts one of the most beautiful vistas I've ever seen, of New York's Adirondacks and Vermont's Green Mountains.

If that isn't enough to impress you, take a walk through the King's Garden, modeled after 18th century military gardens. The walled garden was part of a project in the early 1900's by the wealthy Pell family, to restore and preserve the property. It must have been even more beautiful back in the day.

Find many more photos of my visit to Fort Ticonderoga in my Facebook album for the site. Hope you had a happy Fourth, America!