2015 Year of Firsts – 2016 What’s Next
After Christmas is done and all the decorations are put away, it’s time for reflection. What was accomplished in 2015? What will 2016 bring?
For me, 2015 was a year of firsts. My debut novel, A Demon’s Witch, came out on September 25, 2015. I dared to dream of becoming a published author since I was young, and through dedication and determination made it happen. The feeling was beyond description to hold my creation in hand and have people enjoy reading it, well — it’s fantastic. I have to admit the promotion side of the business had a steep learning curve.
First interviews on blog sites for both me and my characters were nerve racking. What to say, how to say it and would people like my book? Thunder clap campaign was an experience all its own, thought it brought much needed name recognition.
Participating in my first Facebook Party after the release of A Demon’s Witch was overwhelming, but exhilarating at the same time. Learning to create my website was fun, but ramping it up to promote my books was interesting to say the least. January 9, 2016, will be my second Facebook Party a release party for a fellow author, Mary Morgan and promotion for my second release, Charm Me. I’m ready. Please feel free to join several well-known authors and myself.
Now let’s talk about a first author’s newsletter. I chose Mail Chimp as my provider, but that nasty learning curve rose up and slapped me upside the head, AGAIN. Just type the info in the boxes. Right? All kinds of wrong, arrange the boxes, add the art work, then the content. After blood, sweat and tears, in the end, I won and produced a newsletter my readers enjoyed. Whew!
Whats next for 2016? I’m glad you asked. Charm Me has a release date of January 6, 2016 and A Witch’s Journey will be out later this year. I have work in progress that I hope to submit, one is the second book in the Demon’s Witch series, the other a fun Christmas novel. I continue to strive to reach my goal of 5000- 7,000 words a week, which I met in 2015. Spend quality time with my family and friends, take long 
walks with my dog and more play-time with my parrot. Camping is high on my list of priorities, I’m in the process of making reservations for my family’s favorite camping spots.
How was your 2015? Did it meet your expectations? What about 2016? Any resolutions, changes you want to make, plans or vacations you want to take or do? Please leave a comments as to what you are looking forward to in 2016!
Wishing you a safe, heath, prosperous and Happy New Year!
Next we tackle camping plans and making reservations for the summer. See you then.
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Posted in Camping, Food for Thought, For Fun, My Say What Blog and tagged 2015, 2016, A Demon's Witch, camping, Charm Me, goals, New Year Resolutions, novels by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
My Favorite Things About Christmas!
With the holiday season in full swing, Thought I’d mention a few of my favorite things. I love Halloween, it’s by far my favorite holiday and decorate for the All Hallows Eve almost as much as I do for Christmas, which comes in a close second. Did I mention, I LOVE to decorate! LOL At Thanksgiving the aroma of turkey, candied sweet potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie made the house smell so inviting. My mouth waters just thinking about it. But Christmas…well… Bright lights adorning neighborhoods, Christmas Carols playing in the malls, and Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays on everyone’s lips makes the holiday season special. Here’s what makes my family’s holiday special.
1. Decorations. First of all, we start decorating the Friday after Thanksgiving. First the outside decorations go up. Then the tree, it’s lights, especially the bubble lights they are mesmerizing to watch. Several years ago, I brought the cutest colorful lifesaver shaped garland that I wind up the stairway banister. The tiny Precious Moments nativity is one I found years ago, along with Sam’s town, the soft lights from their windows are my 
parrots night light during the holidays. 
2. Food. Christmas is turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, rolls, candied yams and pumpkin pie swirled in whipped cream. Yummmm! The leftovers are even better. Sometimes we freeze the turkey leftovers and weeks or even a month later, yummy turkey sandwiches are wonderful. I’ll be putting one of those sandwiches together for lunch today. Left overs from Thanksgiving. LOL
3. Music. While we decorate the tree, we play a wide variety of Christmas Carols from the traditional to Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. The carols are sung by rock and roll artists, county western or classical renditions. It has been a family traditional as long as I can remember. We reminisce where the beloved tree decorations passed down generation to generation originated and the funny stories each spark.
4. Movies. It’s officially the Christmas season when we watch Miracle on 31st Street and How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carey. He is such a hoot. Then its Scrooged with Bill Murray. Afterward most nights we enjoy watching the variety of Christmas movies collected. Yep, get my Christmas movie fix. Then of course there is always the Hallmark channel heart felt Christmas movie magic.
5. Christmas Light Looking. It isn’t Christmas without getting in the SUV and driving through town admiring everyone’s decorations. Some lighting displays are synchronized with popular holiday music wafting through the crisp night air as you drive by. It’s beautiful and we enjoy it every year with a mug of hot chocolate and Christmas cookies we pack with us for the drive.
6. Family and Friends. The best part of the holidays is connecting with family and friends, whether it’s a long over-due phone call to catch up or a board game with friends. Years ago, I started writing a Christmas letter with our family’s actives for the year, complete with pictures. Since then it’s become a tradition. Friends and family look forward to that letter and make sure updated address are in my hands by Thanksgiving. There have been scary times, happy times, sad and in-between times, but keeping in touch seems to help everyone weather the preverbal storms. It’s been a rough year for many.
One last favorite thing of mine is to curl up in front of a crackling fireplace with a good book and a mug of homemade hot chocolate. Speaking of good books, have a look at two great holiday tales, A WITCH’S JOURNEY and A WITCH’S HOLIDAY WEDDING. Tales of redemption, magic, wildlife rescue, true love and paying it forward will leave you breathless. A Witch’s Journey and the sequel A Witch’s Holiday Wedding.
So there you have it, a few of my favorite things. What are yours?
With that, I’ll wish you all Love and Laughter. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Got any resolutions? Come on, you know you do. LOL What do you plan to change and what do you hope to see in 2019? I look forward to hearing from you! See you next year. I know it’s an old cliché, but couldn’t help myself!
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Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged A Vampire's Unlikely Alliance, Christmas, Decorations, Favorite things by Tena Stetler with 1 comment.
NaNoWriMo – A Tale of Fifty Thousand Words in Thirty Days Plus TRR Year End Splash!
NaNoWriMo UPDATE: November 30, 2015
I MADE IT! 50,355 words in thirty days. Whew!
A darn good start on another novel – A Wedding For The Holidays.
On December 4th, stop by and read the tale of Christmas Decorating gone way wrong.
Fourth Week of National Novel Writing Month and I’m doing better. Approximately 41,000 words written with 9,ooo more to go before midnight on November 30th. I just might make it. Keep your fingers crossed for me!! LOL
Third week of National Novel Writing Month and I’m going to have to play catch up! Had some other tasked on my radar this weekend. Received and signed new contract from The Wild Rose Press for A Witch’s Journey, a paranormal romance you’re going to Love. I needed to complete the cover info sheets and manuscript sheets. So lost a couple of days writing. But now, nose to the grindstone and making up that word count. See you next week!
The second week of National Novel Writing Month finds me just a wee bit behind. Had a medical situation middle of the week that caused me to get behind. I’m back, fingers flying over the keyboard and headed toward 12000 word mark!
November is an exciting month, and not just for Thanksgiving. First of all, I am a participating author in The Romance Reviews Year End Splash! Great books from over 300 authors/publishers. More than 300 prizes, including an Amazon Kindle Fire HD7, lots of games, FREE books and great reads beginning November 1st continuing the entire month. In week two of the celebration, I’m giving away an electronic copy of A Demon’s Witch to one lucky participant with the right answer (See My Books). You need to be registered & logged in at TRR before playing the games in order to keep track of your points for the game. Registration is free and easy. Check it out. Second…
Along with millions of writers around the world, (ok maybe not millions, but close) I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month.A challenge to write fifty-Thousand words in thirty days. For weeks, our minds have worked out the logistics of the story, our fingers are twitching to tap that keyboard and kick off the race to our latest novel. The National Novel Writing Month challenge is a great confidence builder and something we writers look forward to November 1st every year.
NaNoWriMo as it’s fondly referred to has become somewhat of a tradition for me starting in 2010. I’ve made my goal of at least 50,000 words every year since with the exception of 2013. That year I failed miserably at only 17000 words. My day job was a monster, the hours were long and by the time I arrived home, I was the monster. Anyone know what I mean? But I digress, at 17,000 I still had a working story, plot and characters. Yea! Finished it up in the months that followed, submitted it and publication is pending.
Along with the Pikes Peak Writers group, who gave me the tools, NaNo gave me the confidence needed to stick my toe in the murky waters of the publishing industry. The 50,000 words, approximately 1,667 per day, usually is three-quarters of a pretty darn good novel. Eventually, I submitted one of the manuscripts, received a contract and it released September 25th as the first of a series entitled A Demon’s Witch. Each year I build on what I’ve learned throughout the year and use it to complete the NaNo challenge.
This year, I’ve completed a short story, A Witch’s Protocol, of 7,000 words, which will be on my webpage in segments beginning January of 2016. A novella, Charm Me, 20,000 words, to be released in January or February in time for Valentine’s Day 2016, and a full length novel of 88,000 words, all in less than six months from draft to submission. NaNoWriMo taught me the discipline and determination to get it done. AND it’s not even Novel Writing Month yet! Yes, I am signed up and raring to go for NaNoWriMo 2015. Who’s going to join me?
What does it take to prepare? A story idea, maybe a list of characters, I always complete a character worksheet on each character in the story I plan to write. Some writers do a story outline. I’m a panster, meaning I write by the seat of my pants, no outline, so the character worksheet is it. Let people know, who will keep your feet to the fire, that you are participating in NaNo and have a 50,000 word goal. Some people join groups that are also participating in NaNo for encouragement and camaraderie. READY, SET, WRITE! No whining, no goofing off, no excuses. You got this!
Check back often to see if I’m meeting my goals!
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Posted in For Fun, My Say What Blog, Uncategorized by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
Up, Up and Away – Hot Air Balloon Festival Fun!
Okay, okay, I know I’m late and that the Colorado Springs Balloon Festival was a Labor Day 
festivity. But the exciting feeling of watching those beautiful balloons lift off is still with me. This morning as yellow and orange spread across the horizon, the whoosh of a patchwork color pink, purple and blue hot air balloon in the clear azure sky above my house reminded me of the festival. I stood in the back yard watching the balloon as my dog stood by my side boofing quietly unsure what to do about the object invading her airspace.
Now, I am not — nor have I ever been a morning person. But the draw of breathing in the crisp, cool morning air and watching the early 
assent of a cadre of colorful balloons in a variety of different shapes was just too much. So with one eye nearly open and the other squinted my husband and I piled into the truck. We stopped at a favorite fast food restaurant to grab a breakfast sandwich to go with our orange juice and hot chocolate then headed for the park where the festival is every year.
Finding a place to park was a challenge, but finally through the dusky morning we suck in a breath at the scene unfolding before us. Multitudes of brightly colored balloons are spread across the grass, slowly filling with air heated by the flames from their burners. The first one to lift off is bright yellow with multi-colored squares, followed closely by the rest of the group. Then it’s the splash and dash, where the pilots float down and skim the balloon’s basket on the water of a nearby lake then regain altitude.
Wide varieties of venders offer their wares to the throngs of spectators throughout the morning. A beautiful pair of turquoise and coral earrings in the shape of a balloon found their way into my possession. Then we were walking back to our truck and the multitude of projects
that awaited our attention at home.
The memories of this once a year festival remain with me throughout the year, especially when I don my beautiful balloon earrings or hear the whoosh of a hot air balloon as it floats over our home.
Have you attended a balloon festival or ridden in a hot air balloon? I ‘d love to hear about it. Leave me a comment.
**Next week check in for part one of a three part series of Haunted Colorado High Country. Until then, have a great week and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!
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Posted in My Say What Blog, The Pikes Peak Region, Uncategorized by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
