CJ Carmichael: Goodbye for Now

I’ve been a guest blogger here on Tote bags ‘n’ blogs for a good many years and this month I want to take the opportunity to thank the woman behind the scenes…Lee Hyat. They say writing is a lonely business, but every smart author has a support team behind them to help with the many steps involved in publishing and promoting their novels.

For me, Lee has been one of these important people. She has designed some of my most beautiful book covers…like these ones for my Carrigans of the Circle C series:

She has designed graphics for me as well, including this beauty that she created to promote a 99 cent book sale on Close To Her Heart:

In addition Lee has posted numerous reviews on my books, chatted me up on Facebook and Twitter, and basically been incredibly supportive, pleasant and lovely at every turn.

So thank you Lee for all you’ve done to help me and other authors like me in this crazy romance writing world. This may be my last guest blog for a bit, but I know I’ll be back because I’ll miss you too much!

Affectionately,

C.J. Carmichael

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CJ Carmichael: My Thankful List

Author Melissa McClone’s newest release, A Thankful Heart, (book 2 in our Love at the Chocolate Shop series) showcases a heroine with a huge heart. Dakota knows how to appreciate the good things in her life, and the lessons she has to teach the hero help make this a truly special read.

Since I’m working on the Love at the Chocolate Shop series with Melissa, I was able to read an advance copy of this wonderful book, and it left me with a real appreciation for the importance of being thankful.

Every time I pick up a newspaper or catch the news on TV or the radio, I am thankful for all the big things in my life that make me one of the truly fortunate. I’m thankful for my children, husband, friends and family. I’m thankful to live in a lawful country that respects the rights of all humans. I’m thankful for my health, for my home, and for having the means to live comfortably unlike so many in the world.

Yes. So fortunate.

A poem I was reading last night also reminded me it’s important to reflect on all the little things that give joy as well. And so, today, as I sit at the island in my kitchen and look out my window I am thankful for…

The delicious latte my husband makes me every morning…

The lovely finches and chickadees who are feeding on sunflower seeds outside my window right now…

The space and quiet to do work I love right from my own home…

The knowledge that I don’t have to cook dinner because there is left over pot roast in the fridge…

And maybe best of all, a wonderful book waits for me to start reading it when I finish my work for the day…

What joys are making you smile today? I hope anticipation for reading a good book is one of them.

Warmly,

C.J. Carmichael

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Roxanne Snopek: The Season of Anticipation

I love autumn. Always have. Maybe it’s because I was one of those kids who liked school, (even though simultaneously riddled with anxiety on that first day.) I also love, love, love the colors and crunch of leaves as they begin to drift from the trees, the fresh smell cool rain on thirsty earth and how great hot oatmeal tastes on a chilly morning.

Fall also begins the countdown to Christmas, Hallowe’en and in our house, several birthdays, so there’s much to look forward to as the season changes.

This year, there’s another thing to look forward to: the launch of a new book series. If you read yesterday’s post by C.J. Carmichael, you’ll be familiar with Love At The Chocolate Shop. If not, and you enjoy heartwarming romances and, ahem, chocolate, then you’ll want to pay attention. The first, Melt My Heart, Cowboy, by C.J. releases tomorrow, October 6. I’ve already read this story and readers, it’s wonderful.

There are six talented authors writing a total of 12 books, to be released one per month for an entire year. A year of chocolate and love, people! How great is that? Along with C.J. you’ll be treated to stories by Melissa McClone, Debra Salonen, Marin Thomas, Steena Holmes and me, Roxanne Snopek. The cover art for my first book was just released so I’m thrilled to share it with you. Isn’t it beautiful?

Sign up here to make sure you don’t miss the announcements: http://tulechocolateshop.wixsite.com/coppermountainchoc/sign-up-for-updates

And please stop by our Facebook page to join in the fun and get an invitation to our launch party next Wednesday, October 12. www.facebook.com/LoveAtTheChocolateShop.

Happy Fall!

Roxanne Snopek

CJ Carmichael: Writers Can Play Nice With One Another. It Happened Once.

Writing can be a solitary pursuit, until you agree to be the front man for a twelve-book series, working with five other authors, and then suddenly, it’s not solitary at all!

The idea for a series focused on a chocolate shop in small town Montana originated in February, when my publisher, Jane Porter, suggested that readers had loved my Sage Carrigan and her Copper Mountain Chocolate Shop (from my book, Promise Me Cowboy). I agreed there was potential to build a series around Sage and her shop, but I was leery of signing on to write too many books. I was also leery of working with a group of authors on the project because I’d been involved in other multi-author series and ended up pulling out great clumps of my hair on a daily basis.

It did occur to me, though, that the right group of authors might make all the difference. What we needed was talented authors—but no divas. We needed to work together in building our world and our stories, plus we also needed team players willing to do their share when it came time to promote and spread the word about our books.

Tentatively I sent out a few emails, and to my surprise and delight managed to snag some pretty amazing talent. Before I knew it we had set up a Facebook Group. Contracts were signed and story planning commenced. Suddenly, via Facebook and email, I was in daily contact with five creative authors, and I’m happy to say not a temper was frayed. Melissa McClone, Debra Salonen, Roxanne Snopek, Marin Thomas and Steena Holmes...all are such a treat to work with.

Melissa is incredibly organized and business-minded. She keeps us focused. Debra is wonderfully fun and enthusiastic... she’s positivity personified. Roxanne is incredibly creative. She came up with this wonderful caption for our series: “What Love Tastes Like.” We use it in all our promo because we think it captures the spirit of our books so well. Marin Thomas is a Facebook guru—she and her wonderful assistant Denise have a million excellent ideas for promoting our books. And Steena Holmes is our self-professed chocolate expert. She’s so committed to the cause she actually volunteered to visit Paris on our behalf and report back on all the best chocolatiers she discovers. Now that’s sacrifice.

So here you have it. A documented, real life example, of six authors managing to work on one series and not drive each other crazy. On top of that, I believe we’re coming up with some excellent stories for our readers. Happily, our very first book, my own Melt My Heart Cowboy is being released this month on October 6. Finally we’re going to be able to share some of the fruits of our hard work with our readers. Of course, Melt My Heart Cowboy is just the beginning. There are eleven books to come, one a month, until the series wraps up in September 2017.

If you want to join in the fun, please do like our Facebook Page and request our notifications. There are going to be so many parties, giveaways, laughs and stories in the year to come, and the more along for the ride the better.

Also, I’m hosting a special Love at the Chocolate Shop giveaway on my website this month and I invite you to enter that contest as well.

Hope to see you on Facebook soon!

C.J.Carmichael, author

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CJ Carmichael: Love and Hope…And A Good Cause

About a year and a half ago I was contacted by a digital publisher from Saskatchewan (the province where I grew up and went to University) and invited to participate in an intriguing project. Joanna D’Angelo from Lachesis Press wondered if I would be willing to contribute a short romantic story to a three book Anthology. Proceeds would be donated to ovarian cancer research.

As I had my own ovarian scare and surgery about thirteen years ago, I felt this was a cause I had to support. So I sent a message to Joanna that I was in! Several months later I was working on a story that we would call Devoted To Her Cowboy. I was on familiar ground, writing a small town rodeo cowboy (Blake Timber) and the strong but sweet local girl (Shelby Turner) he’s never forgotten. The twist was in the subplot as the hero soon discovers that his beloved grandmother is undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer.

For a peek at the creative process behind this story, check out my Pinterest Page. Here you’ll find all the visual elements that inspired Blake and Shelby’s story.

I’ll be joining my publisher and donating all proceeds from this project to Ovarian Cancer Canada. I would be so grateful if you would help this project be a big success. Love and Hope is available for preorder on Amazon, Kobo and Indigo. Please share this news with your reading friends—your help is greatly appreciated in our quest for better treatment and a possible cure for Ovarian Cancer.

Thanks and Happy Reading!

C. J. Carmichael

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CJ Carmichael: Traveler or Homebody?

Do you love to travel or are you a homebody? I can never decide which I am. My husband and I just spent two weeks in Ireland and Northern Ireland. We had a lot of craic (fun) as we explored the cities and countryside on a wonderful bus tour that swept up from Dublin to Belfast, then along the west side of the country through Derry, Galway, Killarney and Waterford. We enjoyed Irish beer and whisky, tried beef Guiness stew and fish and chips. And thanks to our awesome tour guide, learned a lot of Irish history at the same time.

Yet, coming home just feels so good, and these days I feel particularly fortunate to be a citizen of a relatively peaceful and tolerant country like Canada. This July 1^st marks the 149^th anniversary of Canada becoming a self-governing dominion. After my immersion in over two thousand years of Ireland’s history, this seems so incredibly young!

Whether you’re Canadian, or not, I’d like to invite you to celebrate our anniversary too—and what better way than by introducing yourself to a sample of Canadian romance authors? A group of us—masterminded by Lauren Hawkeye—have put together a boxed set of 19 stories. You can receive Oh! Canada for free, provided you sign up to receive all of our newsletters. Of course, you are free to later unsubscribe from any of the newsletters you don’t enjoy.

And now I would be remiss if I didn’t also wish all my lovely American readers a Happy Fourth of July! One of the awesome things about being Canadian is enjoying the friendly relationship our countries have had for so many years.

Happy Reading Friends!

Cheers from C.J.

C. J. Carmichael

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CJ Carmichael: Favorite Heroes From My Story Vault

Writing fifty novels can make you nostalgic. As I’m working on the very last chapters of the book that will mark the fiftieth of my career, I find myself looking back at the stories I’ve written and wondering… Do I have a favorite “type” of hero?

As I peruse the titles displayed so proudly on the bookshelf in my office I realize that in fact, I have 3 favorite types.

1.       The tough as nails, alpha man: In my stories this sort of hero is often a cop or private detective. His role in the story is usually to protect the heroine, or so he thinks. The truth is that he’s the one who is vulnerable—or at least, his heart is. Here is my all my time favorite alpha hero:

In Same Place, Same Time, Detective Morgan Forester is a tough, brave cop whose wife divorced him when she couldn’t deal with the death of their son. In this story his wife is being targeted by a murderer and he needs to protect her. He knows he can keep her safe, but his own heart will be on the line…because he still loves her.

2.       The Honorable Cowboy: Everyone knows cowboys live by a code and that’s what I love about them. They are men who are short on words and big on action. I’ve written about so many cowboys, because I really do love them, so it’s hard to choose a favorite. But I do have a soft spot in my heart for Colton Hart. He’s the black sheep of his family, and oh how he loves to live up to his reputation…until he meets a woman who makes him want to be a better man.

3.       My third favorite type of hero is the prototypical “Dad Next Door” and my favorite of these is the guy who belongs to the book with that exact name. Gavin Gray has known terrible tragedy in his life. Now all he focuses on is making his little daughter happy. But what he thinks his little girl needs isn’t quite right, as you’ll find in this, what I consider one of my most heartfelt stories about a dad.

4.       Okay, I know I said I had three main types of heroes, but let me quickly mention a fourth—the anti-hero. This guy is so cynical he’s sort of checked out of life. But at his core, he is still an honorable man, even though he won’t admit it.

Dougal Lachlan, the principal character in my Twisted Cedar Mysteries certainly fits this bill. He has a huge chip on his shoulder, related to his family history and his father who went to jail for murder. Overcoming this past is a big part of what this trilogy is about.

Thanks for indulging my trip down memory lane. If you’re still with me, I want to mention a new collection of novels whose heroes happen to make terrific fathers. In honor of dads everywhere this Father’s Day Collection of 5 stories by 5 different authors will be available for the price of 1  for June only.

So you’ve heard about me, and my favorite heroes. Now I want to hear from you! Tell me your favorite hero and which of the above books you’d most like to receive in ebook form. A winner will be chosen at random in about 1 week, so check back here to see if your name was chosen!

Happy June and Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

C. J. Carmichael

CJ Carmichael: The “Ugly Duckling” Heroine

I’m sure you’re familiar with the fable where an ugly duckling is rejected by the farmyard geese, only to emerge as a graceful and beautiful swan at the end of the winter. From this fable has sprung one of the most enduring character archetypes used in both movies and novels alike. Whether labeled a misfit, a nerd, a wallflower or a dork, these characters have been forced into situations where they are unable to tap into their full potential. The end result is a rather sad and lonely existence.

A terrific example of the ugly duckling archetype is the “Joan Wilder” character in the wonderful romp of a movie Romancing The Stone. Joan begins the movie as a nerdy, timid writer, whose restrained hair reflects the tight rein she keeps on all of her passions.

By the end of Joan Wilder’s adventure with the unscrupulous, but sexy Jack T. Colton she has emerged as an unfettered, beautiful and confident woman, ready to take on the world.

There are plenty of other examples of the ugly duckling character. In The Charm School by Susan Wiggs, the main character, Isadora Peabody, is an awkward misfit from an accomplished Boston family.  There’s also Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady, Harriet from Harriet the Spy, Vivian from Pretty Woman, and maybe the most famous misfit of all...Harry Porter.

I’ve written over fifty novels and never yet tackled the ugly duckling archetype, but for some reason I’m being drawn to it this spring as I contemplate plotting my next novel. I have in mind a young woman who has been looking after her sickly parents since she was eighteen years. As a consequence of never being able to focus on what she wants in life, she’s become rather...dowdy. She’s only twenty-five, yet feels as if life is passing her by. And it is.

Through the course of my novel, this young woman will learn how to engage with the world again. She’ll figure out who she is and what she cares about. And yes, her transformation will include a new hair style and some updated clothes. But the improvements that really matter will be the interior ones.

I’m hoping this will be a story that my readers will engage with. But I suppose only time will tell! If you want to keep updated on the progress of this and my other writing endeavers, please sign up for my newsletter. While you’re visiting my website make sure you enter my Grab-bag contest. I’m giving away a great custom totebag and a stack of ten autographed books. 

CJ Carmichael: So Many Books... So Little Time

When I was a kid growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan (think North Dakota, only less cutting-edge) it seemed I couldn’t get my hands on enough books. Our one-room school house (think Little House on the Prairie meets Lord of the Flies) received a rotating number of books every month from the local school library system. But I always plowed through those before the month was over. As a results I re-read my favorites many times over.

Those days are long over. Now it seems I am flooded with books. Every time I go on Facebook or Twitter, or visit Amazon, Kobo or Audible, I see dozens of books I’d love to read. And don’t get me started about Goodreads! Or bookstores!

The most amazing thing of all, is that having identified a book that interests me, I can have it purchased and downloaded to my Kobo, Kindle or iPad within five minutes (or less)!

Buying books is easy, fun…and addictive. But time to read them is increasingly scarce.

So…how to decide what to read next? For me I usually circulate among the following:

·        The monthly  reads chosen by the “Happy Bookers” my Calgary reading group

·        New releases from my favorite authors

·        New releases getting a lot of “buzz” on Goodreads, Publisher’s Weekly, or the Globe & Mail (think New York Times, Canadian style)

·        Older books I always meant to read…sometime

·        Classic titles I haven’t yet gotten around to

 

What about you? How do you decide which book you’re going to read next? Do you, for instance, pick up titles you see discussed on Facebook or Twitter? Do you receive author newsletters and buy a lot of books from those? Or do you subscribe to discount newsletters like Book Bub or ENT? And hey, does anyone browse actual book stores anymore?!? I do. Witness this photo taken in Portland this summer...

I really want to hear from you on this! To prove it, I have a lovely mug and totebag which I will be sending to one randomly chosen person who comments below with their top 3 ways of picking their next read. If your name is chosen you need to contact me with your mailing address (via Facebook or my website) so I can send you your prize! (Just follow the links under my name.)

Oh, and while I have your attention, why not enter my website contest for a grab bag of 10 books? (If you win you won’t have to worry about what to read next for a long time!)

Happy Reading!

C. J. Carmichael

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CJ Carmichael: How Harry Porter helped with my New Year Resolutions

Christmas is a chaotic time of year at our house, mostly because we (Mike would say I) choose to make it that way. I love to decorate our house, to buy and wrap gifts, and to bake special treats (even if everyone is cutting back on sweets these days). This year Mike and I made it even more crazy by deciding to get married on December 27.

We had our reasons for picking this date—mainly because Mike’s daughters from Nova Scotia and Montreal, and my father from Saskatchewan, were going to be coming to Calgary for the holidays and this way they wouldn’t need to make a special trip—but I don’t think either of us were prepared for just how exhausting it would be to combine two such momentous events into less than a week!

I’m happy to report that everything went well, both Christmas and the wedding. (Check Facebook for photos. I’ll be posting more soon.) But once the last out-of-town guest left town, we were ready to veg. We decide to combine an afternoon cross-country ski in the Rocky Mountains with a marathon session of watching Harry Potter Movies. Tonight we just finished Movie Four: The Order of the Phoenix, and when it was over, I realized that thanks to Dumbledore and Sirius Black I had found my three resolutions for 2016:

Resolution #1:

 Every year I make choices about what stories I’m going to write. Sometimes these choices have been driven by book contracts, market trends, or other such external factors. This year I’m going to write stories that stretch my abilities. I’m going to strive for excellence, for honesty, and at the same time let my imagination soar.

Resolution #2:

Sometimes I am too much swayed by my desire to get along with others, to be helpful and, yes, liked. This year I want to focus on standing up for what is important to me. More than anything, this means spending my time on activities and people that matter to me, rather than taking on projects to please others.

Resolution #3:

I admit I’m someone who loves to dream. Reading and writing are extensions of this love...but it is possible to live too much inside your own head. I want to pack this year with my beloved hiking and skiing adventures...and this year I want to start journaling these adventures, as a way to truly focus on each unique experience.

Resolved...to keep resolving

I’ve always enjoyed making resolutions and setting goals for myself at the beginning of each year. I realize not everyone does. But I feel, even if I make 80% of my goals by the end of the year, or even 50%, at least progress has been made.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. And if you’re the sort who likes to make resolutions, I’d love to hear what they are. Share below and I’ll choose one random commenter to receive a $10 Starbucks gift card. (Cause if we’re going to keep our resolutions, we’re going to need coffee...)

Happy 2016!

C. J. Carmichael

C. J. Carmichael: The First Sentence Matching Game

In every book I write, no sentence gets as much attention from me as the opening line. If I spent as much time on every sentence I wrote, I’d be finishing my first book...oh, about six months from now. Why is that opening so important? Well, I want to hook the reader into buying the book. But I also want to be true to my characters and the setting, and hopefully hint about the conflict about to unfold.

The best book covers have the same objectives as the first sentence, only using a title and a picture as tools to attract the reader’s attention while giving them an idea of the characters, setting and type of story.

So, theoretically, a good opening line should match the cover of the book, right?

To test this theory I came up with a matching game for my 6 book Carrigans of the Circle C series. Can you match the following opening lines to the correct book cover? (Note: I’ve substituted my name—Carla—whenever the heroine is named in the first line.)

Opening Lines: A, B, C, D, E, F

Book Covers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Share your answers below and on November 6^th I will pick two random commenters to receive an ebook of their choice from me (provided they contact me with their email address by November 8^th). You can shop for your prize here: http://cjcarmichael.com.

One more thing...this month I’m running a contest for a Kobo Glo HD. Wouldn’t you, or someone on your Christmas list, love a new ereader? Enter here: http://cjcarmichael.com/connect.php

It’s snowing in Calgary while I write this, thick, slow-falling flakes that are the true markers of a changing season. Winter is here. Happy Reading!

C. J. Carmichael

Christmas Spirit Sampler

Shhh. I know it's a bit early to talk about Christmas, but look. This is the most amazing deal!

I'll admit I have started thinking about Christmas. Usually I put it off until after Halloween at the very least. Heck, I'll procrastinate as long as possible, but my daughter lives away now. We had to start thinking about what it would look like so she could ask for time off work.

Not that we're planning anything exciting. I love the idea of spending Christmas somewhere tropical, but we usually stay home and do low-key things like play games and go for walks. I grabbed these photos from last year:

You could be forgiven for thinking this is Monopoly, but it's actually a game called The Gambler. As far as I recall, you don't have to know when to hold 'em or when to fold 'em.

My daughter loves Family Game Night and forces it upon us whenever we're together. We always have fun, which is why we succumb to the pressure. Pictionary is a big favourite, but sometimes we mix it up with something like Boggle, or, in this case, something we don't even remember how to play.

I'm a big walker, so that's always my choice if given the option. This is about a five minute drive from our house:

Yeah, we pretty much live in paradise.

Then, of course, there is turkey dinner. But on that topic... last winter I was organizing some paperwork with Canadian Customs so I could bring swag in from the US and avoid the duty. I went to visit their office, which is about five minutes beyond this gorgeous view, and when I came out of the building, these creatures rushed me.

I'm not afraid of birds, especially not dumb ones like wild turkeys, but when they all came running at me, it was fairly startling. I realized after the fact that someone must be feeding them, but for one second I had that panicked thought that I wouldn't make it to my car before they 'got' me. Of course, my second thought was, "Free. But looks like tough eating." Ha! As if I could pluck a bird myself, let alone 'get' one.

What does your typical Christmas look like? Are you ready to start thinking about the holidays? If you need a dose of spirit, I highly recommend this collection. Pre-order now and it will automagically deliver to your reader on the 20th. (Four short days away!) You'll be able to read one a week all the way into December. Preorder here:

Amazon: US | CA | UK | Aus 
Nook | Kobo | iBooks | GooglePlay 
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CJ Carmichael: How Long Does It Take To Write A Book?

This is one of the questions people most frequently ask me when they hear that I’m an author. I’m not sure why. Maybe they’re hoping it doesn’t take much time and they might be able to squeeze “writing a book” into their calendar next month?

The answer, of course, is complicated. Many factors come into play. How long is the book? (My books range from short novellas of 35,000 words, to longer novels upwards of 80,000 words.) Also, how much research is required to write the book? And what else is going on in my life—are there going to be interruptions for holidays, family-stuff or other writing-related tasks.

Here is a photo of me, starting a new book in June of this year. I had the title (A Bramble House Christmas), and the picture that would be on the cover of the book, and not much else. At the time, I had planned the book to be 40,000 words and I hoped it would be ready at the end of October.

What actually happened, is that despite tons of fun distractions (lake and hiking stuff) the book turned out to be 45,000 words and I just finished the first draft a week ago. I guess I got lucky this time…once I really had time to focus, the story just sort of flowed. Some books are like that. Others are like English Assignments from Hell. But maybe I shouldn’t get too smug. I haven’t had comments back from my editor yet, which means I still don’t know how much time I’ll be spending on revisions.

And that’s the other tricky thing. When people ask how long to write a book, do they mean including revisions, copy edits, etc? Since there can be time lags of weeks or even months between these stages, you can see why it’s a hard question to answer.

So next time you ask an author a question, ask her something easy like… “Where Do You Get Your Ideas?”

***

C. J.’s A Bramble House Christmas will be available October 26 from Tule Publishing. While you’re waiting why not pre-order A Montana Born Christmas—this boxed set of 8 stories is a special holiday price of just 99 cents. And it took about a gazillion combined author hours to write. http://tulepublishing.com/books/a-montana-born-christmas/

C. J.’s Summer Reading List

Salutations and Happy Independence Day to my American readers and friends. I’m going to be spending the fourth at our cottage in Montana with my daughter Tessa and her friend Ella. I wish we could look forward to some fireworks over Flathead Lake but conditions have been so dry lately, that those sorts of celebrations are being discouraged.

The good news is...we can still read! In the hot summer months one of my favorite indulgences is to dive into a fast paced book and just keep reading until it’s done. With July off to a good start, I thought it would be fun to share the top three books on this year’s summer reading list.

For Reading When It’s Just Too Hot To Move:

The Silent Girls by Eric Rickstad

The chills in this book will keep you from overheating on those very hot summer days. I am about two thirds in and can’t wait to finish! It’s a very captivating mystery with some pretty cool characters. The gun-toting, venison-eating hero captures your heart when you learn he raised his niece as his own after his sister’s murder.

For Reading On A Rainy Summer Morning:

It’s You by Jane Porter

Don’t let rain clouds dampen your day. Just make a cup of tea, crawl under your quilt, and snuggle down for a read that will touch your heart and make you think about who really are the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys’ in this world. I gulped this one down in just three days!

For Reading In Your Beach Chair:

A Week At The Lake by Wendy Wax

I don’t have my copy of this one yet, but I love the cover and I’m a fan of Wendy Wax, so I don’t see how I can go wrong. When I’m done here I may go pick another title from Tule Publishing. They have so many excellent books out this summer with the most delicious-looking covers!

Tell me—what will you be reading this summer? I need some more books to add to my list and I’d love to hear your suggestions.

Hope you enjoy your summer!

C.J. Carmichael

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CJ Carmichael: Cleaning & Purging

Salutations!

It’s May. I can’t believe it. April was a blur of writing for me. Today I’m putting the final touches on Forgotten before sending it off to my editor. My publishing team should have the book out by May 21 and I’m very excited about that.

The few times I’ve poked my head out of my writing cave the past while have been to deal with the renovations Mike is supervising around here. We’ve re-done the ceilings, painted, and updated our kitchen sink and island. It’s all part of my natural inclination to clean & purge before summer comes. (And then I just want to be outside!)

Part of the purging process this year, is reducing the number of backlist books I have stored in boxes in the basement. They’re not doing any good there! So I’m working hard to give away as many as I can.

If you’d like to help me with this, please sign up for my newsletter—I draw names from that list all the time and send surprise packages of autographed backlist books.

Or, if you happen to work or volunteer or frequently visit a senior’s care home, please send me an email through my website and give me the address of the care home and I’ll send them some books.

Do you get swept up by Spring Cleaning plans? If so, what are you focusing on this year?

Happy Cleaning & Purging!

CJ Carmichael