Inquire, Inspire, Aspire
Happy Tuesday!
Remember last week when I shared the bare photos of the creek near my house? I had taken those photos on April 30th. The above picture is taken in the same spot as those others, and I took this one on May 17th. Voila! Magic.
So, I’ve been tossing around talking to my favorite bloggers about the novel I’m working on.
I finally did it. I wrote several chapters of crap. 
No really. This is a good thing. Stick with me.
Welcome to Lori’s Lane for the first post of 2018. We’re in a deep freeze up here in the Midwest, with temperatures below zero Fahrenheit (below -18c). Remember when I used to live in Florida? Believe it or not, I still don’t miss it.
Living on a peninsula wasn’t too unlike living on an island. I didn’t care for it much. There was only one direction out of Florida when hurricanes came.
My friend, Anneli, lived on an island way farther north than Florida with a drastically different climate. She didn’t have to deal with hurricanes, and she had some breathtaking scenery.
My husband and I didn’t always have people to spend time with on the holidays. Those years were melancholy for us. This year, we are blessed to have family nearby.
Having family to spend holidays with isn’t always easy either. We might idealize the holiday gatherings and imagine the perfect scene, but sometimes relationship issues and dysfunction get in the way.
This is the case for Ava and Meg who are married to the Whitaker brothers in my novel, Whit’s End. The relationship struggles they have with their in-laws takes a toll on each of their marriages. Their difficult issues cause them to make decisions with dyer consequences. You can read further about their stories on the blurb at the above link (or click the book cover).
As a Thanksgiving and holiday special, I’m giving away two paperback copies of my novel, Whit’s End. Keep reading for instructions on how to enter the contest to win the book. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY READ THE BOOK, perhaps the paperback might make a nice Christmas gift for someone.
Last week I talked about meeting new friends through social media. Today, I’m going to share with you how I met one friend in particular. I joined an author’s facebook page that had quite a lot of members. If I’m being honest, I met a lot of snarky people there, except for three really kind authors. I unfollowed the page, but luckily was accepted as friends by those three authors. It always amazes me how the Universe brings us just the right people for our lives, if we recognize them.
I’m super excited to introduce my first guest, Jill Weatherholt. Let’s get to know her and find out what she’s been up to. I’ve asked her a few questions to get the conversation going, and guess what I learned? She just released her debut romance novel, Second Chance Romance. So, I started reading it and, well…WOW. So far I’m loving it. Here’s Jill.
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Thanks for inviting me to visit your blog today, Lori. When I started blogging in September of 2012, I had no idea I’d meet so many wonderful and talented people who I’d end up being friends with. Honestly, I don’t remember how we connected, but I’m so happy we did.
On Wednesday I posted about making new friends, but I also have friends from this blogging world that have been around for almost my entire five years. I will not call them “old” friends, because getting to know them through their regular blogs is always like new.
We see such division in the world these days, but when I’m online with my blogging friends and fellow authors, I feel unity. I’ve received much kindness and help from many in these communities and want to give back in at least some small way.
Remember when I wrote a post about how I have found some wonderfully, talented blogging and author friends? I said they are such kind, thoughtful and helpful people.
I have some exciting news. My novel, Whit’s End, is now available on CreateSpace in paperback and will be available on Amazon next week. The Ebook version is available now. On December 14th, they’ll be a goodreads giveaway contest for the paperback version. I will post a link when the contest goes live.
Switching gears, on November 1st, I posted about my short story memoir anthology, and gave a glimpse of the first of those four stories titled, Don’t Blink. The second tale in the anthology is titled, Hope Lies in Meatballs. I thought it was a funny and fitting title.
What does it mean?
I’m waiting for the PROOF of my paperback novel, Whit’s End, to make sure it all looks good. I can’t wait to share it. For now, I’ll tell you a little about my winter experience from over the weekend.
Have you ever been at your wit’s end . . . say about . . . this year’s election process? I’d venture to guess that most people in the U.S. reached that wit’s-end-point with the build up to November 8th.
Have you ever been at your wit’s end with a person? Maybe a coworker drove you nuts? How ’bout a family member? Or, perhaps 
computer problems?
I haven’t done any substantial writing in <gasp> about 20 months, other than some poems, blogging, and editing my work. In May 2015 we moved across country and rented a townhouse until we could find a home to buy. So, we never really got settled.
After I published the post about my Kindle Scout experience, I received more clicks and the most feedback I’ve had on my blog since I posted about the loss of my father-in-law.
Because of the Scout post, many people contacted me through different venues, including my email. I had many discussions that were quite interesting and eye opening. I came to a new understanding about Kindle Scout, which I have written below.
But, before you go further, here is the link to my now published novel.
This campaign has ended. Thank you to everyone who helped me out.
UPDATE: The novel has now been published and can be found HERE.
Since this is the last week my novel is in Kindle Scout, I’m going to share more of its content. I’d love for you to read this excerpt, let me know what you think and share it with others.
You see, Ava and Alex’s marriage is hanging by a thread. While things keep getting worse between them, she meets an intriguing man online. They correspond for months, and into a couple of years, when she decides …. well, read it for yourself.
There comes a point in my novel, when the character, Ava Whitaker is at her Whit’s End. She struggles to get her husband’s family to understand her, including her husband. Ava thinks she is being pretty reasonable, and that they are the ones being unreasonable. But, if they all think it’s her, than maybe it is?
Ava Whitaker, one of the main characters in my novel, is at her Whit’s End over her shambles of a marriage. She tries everything to make it better. One thing that brings her some hope is reading inspirational quotes.
I share such quotes here on my blog frequently. Sometimes they can give us a boost, even if only for a short time. I thought I’d share another today.
Don’t worry, I’m not a politician running for any office, but I need your votes, so please read this post.
Lori's Lane 