Ring in the New Year with FE Feeley Jr -

New Years Writing Resolutions

Hi and Happy New Year. My name is F.E. Feeley Jr and I am the author of The Haunting of Timber Manor and the soon to be released, Objects in the Rear View Mirror.

 

I guess one of the things that I need to change or make sure to pay more attention to, is patience when it comes to writing.  I have a really bad habit of letting me get ahead of myself. I’ll write a book that gets accepted for publication and then I sit down and push out another one and not pay attention to what I’m doing.  In the end, its crap and the publisher rejects it.  Then I get mad and rage over it, damning everyone in the process. Yes, I am that guy.  So, as far as resolutions go, should I ever publish again is to slow down, soak in the accomplishment and not jump right into another book thinking that golden words flow out of my fingertips.  I need to respect the entire process. So yeah, this is me apologizing for being a douche and a promise that I am gonna work at it.

The Haunting of Timber Manor

While recovering from the recent loss of his parents, Daniel Donnelly receives a phone call from his estranged aunt, who turns over control of the family fortune and estate, Timber Manor.  Though his father seemed guarded about the past, Daniel’s need for family and curiosity compel him to visit.

Located in a secluded area of the Northwest, Timber Manor has grown silent over the years. Her halls sit empty and a thin layer of dust adorns the sheet-covered furniture. When Daniel arrives to begin repairs, strange things happen.  Nightmares haunt his dreams. Memories not his own disturb his waking hours. Alive with the tragedies of the past, Timber Manor threatens to tear Daniel apart.

Sheriff Hale Davis grew up working on the manor ground. Seeing Daniel struggle, he vows to protect the young man who captured his heart, and help him solve the mystery behind the haunting and confront the past- not only to save Daniel’s life, but to save his family; whose very souls hang in the balance.

At Dreamspinner Press

You can reach me at : FACEBOOK

And you can read and comment on my blog here: FE Feeley's Blog

Fantastic heroes, some amazing loving and a happy ending are the answers you can find in The Librarian- Reviewed by Elise at Sensual Reads

All Romance     Amazon

Watching the Ball Drop with Havan Fellows

Howdy ya'll...Havan Fellows here. :) So Lee hunted me down and hip bumped me, telling me I have to make some New Year resolutions...um...so I should close the Candy Crush window right? *winks* Just kidding, I'm at the EDJ—can only get Bejeweled here. lol

Seriously though, this is the first year of the rest of my life...right? So many things I want to accomplish and so many things I feel I can't do...

Yeah, I'd kinda like to prove myself wrong.

Let's start with the "gimmes":

STORY ORGY IS BACK!!!! Every Monday, whether it is a hundred word flash, a promo for a new release (oh please lol) or a thousand word short...I will be on my blog making the most of it.

-and not to be out done-

PULP FRICTION IS BACK!!!! We gave you some kick ass men of Atlanta...what happens when we wrangle up some ass kicking men of Flagstaff? I'm not sure either...but I'll be front and center to find out. ;)

Okay—so those were the easy ones...let's delve a little deeper for the next couple of resolutions:

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm perpetually late with almost everything...I'm talking a 90/10 ratio against my good name. I'd sure like to make a resolution that I'll turn in my WIPs on time to my editor. Oh wouldn't that make her happy happy too! lol

Plus I'd like my BDSM series Secrets of the Sanctuary to maybe have a go at it this year...so far I've got two shorts for that series in the public eye: Hidden Needs (which should be edited maybe for re-release soon) and Secret Needs (a sexy little holiday short in Melting Jack Frost). I'm working on two longer stories: Forgotten Needs and Unspoken Needs, trying to get them finished and shined up.

And finally...there are two men that seem to be shouting at me now, wanting their turn in the spotlight. Over a year ago I started a book that finally got finished and published in Nov – Judging Jude. I'm really proud of this book—Lee calls Jude the anti-hero that everyone will fall in love with *squee*. Well, there are two guys who helped Jude in his trials...Wally and Doc. *looks around and leans forward to whisper* You know what? I think Wally just might like the Doc...and I'm pretty darn sure the Doc might like him back. So what's the problem? Well you know my men—nothing can be that simple. *winks*

So there you have it...*counts down the list* well crap! I've got way too many resolutions here...*heads desk* Like I don't know...five too many? lmao *hip bumps Lee back* so whatdoya say? Think you can keep me on track for another year? *big smiles* I guarantee I'll make it interesting for ya! hehe

Here's a little peekie poo at Judging Jude...guess what—it's half price at ARe right now! *winks*

Judging Jude excerpt:

Jude heard the door open.

"What's up, doc?" He laughed at his own joke.

Dr. Haims joined Jude at the window. "How're you feeling today? You got up on your own? That's good."

"Yeah, I even peed like a big boy all by myself."

"Well, it's been a couple of days. You should get up and move around by now. It's not like you were in a coma." Dr. Haims chuckled. "No matter what Billy thinks."

Jude kept his gaze trained on the silhouette of the trees and hoped he sounded nonchalant. "Is he still here?"

"Snoring on my couch as we speak."

"Doc? Can I ask you a question?"

Maybe Dr. Haims could feel Jude's insecurities, or maybe he had really good bedside manners. Either way he didn't try to face Jude or pry in any way. "You can ask anything you want. My answering, now, that's a different question."

Jude snorted solemnly. "Am I sober? I mean… two days, is that enough time for my system to clear out?"

He heard the long, deep intake of breath from the doc. "Technically, yes. For the poisons you took, they're gone from your body."

Jude continued to bore a hole through that window. "I'm lucid. It's been a long time since I've had real thoughts. I mean thoughts solely mine, not chemically induced. The headaches, the shakes, the nausea…I can handle all that. These thoughts scare the hell out of me, though.

"I can't go back home. If I do, I'll fall down the rabbit's hole again, and this time I might not get out…" 

 Available at All Romance  Amazon, Breathless Press and other fine ebook vendors! 

Ringing in a New Year! Pass the Pickled Herring!

My father used to gather us (my eight siblings and I) all around on New Year's Eve and we'd write out our goals, our resolutions to be read aloud. I hated it. I never knew what to say, because really, I had no desire to change myself. So every year it was all more of the same. "I'll be more active", "I'll watch less junk on television and more documentaries", "I'll lose weight".  Blah blah blah. All things that should make us realize how critical we are of ourselves and how difficult it is to be happy and productive when you're so down on yourself.

But he was adamant, so every December 31^st, we'd sit down and share these goals, and seal the deal by watching the ball in Time's Square drop at midnight whilst munching on pickled herring and crackers, black-eyed peas and ham hocks.

It seems counterproductive to me. Every year starts afresh with the promise of new things, of rewards and blessings and joy that can be had…if only we do something differently than we did the year before.

Do we really think we can be happy in the coming year, if we lose weight, exercise more, read more books, ask for a raise, find a better job? How is doing all these things that make us miserable going to make us happy?

How can we expect to be happier in a new year, if we plan to punish ourselves?

We probably can't.

I don't usually make resolutions for that reason, and a few others.

But I look around today, and I know things have to change. I have to work smarter, more efficiently, and more effectively. So, I have a few writing related resolutions for the coming year to share with you.

1.      Write 1K words a day.

2.      Keep a schedule. This is my "job". I should treat it as such.

3.      Connect with readers via the blog and FB regularly.

4.      More specifically: Revise, expand and republish Be A Bad Boy

5.      Complete projects 2 weeks ahead of schedule

There. That ought to be sufficient to start off with, huh? Meanwhile, I've coerced some of my fellow authors into sharing their resolutions for the upcoming year. Watch this space for posts from Hank Edwards, Laura Harner, Havan Fellows, Tina Marie Westbrook, F.E. Feeley Jr., Raven McAllan, Edmond Manning, Lisa Worral and more!

Bonus:

Pickled Herring for New Year's and ALL special occasions!

(Similar to my Dad's, but this one is from HERE)

INGREDIENTS

6 new or baby red potatoes (about 12 ounce)

⅛ tsp salt

8 oz pickled herring fillets (see note), drained

3 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream

2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion

fresh dill for garnish

freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan, add 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Put potatoes in the basket and steam until barely tender when pierced with a skewer, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on size. Slice each potato into 1/4-inch-thick slices (discard the ends). Sprinkle the potato slices with salt.

2. Cut herring fillets into pieces small enough to fit on a potato slice. Place one piece of herring on each potato slice, dollop each with about 1/8 teaspoon sour cream and sprinkle with red onion. Garnish with dill and a grinding of pepper.

Note: Pickled herring are herring that have been cured in salt, rinsed and then packed in a vinegar-based marinade that can be flavored with wine, mustard, sherry or cream—any flavor will work in the recipe. Look for it in jars or tubs in the seafood department at most supermarkets.

 Available at All Romance  Amazon, Breathless Press and other fine ebook vendors!