When I first conceived the notion to write THE COUNTRY GIRL EMPRESS series, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to cover the entire lifetime of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi), set in 19th century Vienna. While I was quite familiar with her life story and the setting already, I knew there was still so much more I needed to research about this timeframe. The question was: Where should I begin? Why...with the characters of my book, of course!
29 June 2022
Writing Historical Fiction: Where to Start!?
22 June 2022
Eight Simple and Free Ways to Support Your Favourite Author(s)

Writing a book takes many hours and dedication. Often it takes an author away from their loved ones. Most writers get paid much less than you might think; most of them write because they love to tell a story. The one or two dollars they make in royalties per book barely buys that next cup of coffee that fuels the next chapter.
on your blog, Amazon, GoodReads, Barnes&Noble.com or other sites. Even if it's just two sentences. Author's thrive on feedback! You don't even have to invent a new review for each website, just copy and paste your original review....there's nothing wrong with that. On a side note: If you’re a writer, do not hesitate to use your author name when writing reviews. This can give your name extra exposure.
You might only have a restricted amount characters available, but if you really love a book, it doesn't take many words to convey your enthusiasm.
or copy the one you just wrote on Twitter. Twitter streams seem to move on quickly, but on Facebook, news has the ability to stick around a tad bit longer.
on your favourite author's Amazon page, Facebook fan page, their website or blog. Every little bit helps!
and ask them to carry it. First, it would probably be prudent to check if they have the book already; many libraries and bookstores allow you to look it up online. If it's not in stock, you can personally request the book.
Tell your friends and family members how much you liked the book and why. Word-of-mouth is still the best way to support an author! The more people hear about a certain book, the greater the chances that they'll pick up a copy of it.
15 June 2022
Why You Really Should Read Your Manuscript Aloud
And I am definitely no exception. Ugh! Just thinking about it has me wishing for a genie to edit my writings for me. However, it is part of the writing process. So, I pick up my proverbial red pen and get to work. There's definitely something utterly satisfying about reading a paragraph and then picking it apart, analyzing it from beginning to end, trying to find a way to improve it. But nothing, in my humble opinion, beats reading my work out loud. It's one of those simple tricks that can help your story tremendously.
So, now you probably wonder if this really works and why!? The answer is fairly simple: When we read quietly, we can read extremely fast, but when we read aloud, we are forced to take our time to form the words with our mouths. This slows us down tremendously, and when we slow down, the brain can actually see what we're reading rather than see what we think is there.
Quietly reading requires our brain to do quite a bit of processing. We're seeing, interpreting, and perceiving the words. But reading out loud adds an acoustic component as we see the words and hear them as well. This requires our brains to process even more information. This, in turn, leads to better editing.
The end result? When you read your scribbles aloud, you're bound to catch a lot more mistakes than when you just rush through your manuscript quietly. Here are some of the problems that reading aloud can help resolve:
Misspelled Words
Repetitions
Inadequate Sentence Structure
Unnatural Dialogue
Readers will quickly pick up on stiff, pompous, or unnatural dialogue. Often, the dialog can seem a bit stilted to our modern ears, especially when reading historical fiction, where it's frequently just part of the book's charm. However, in most cases, it's just annoying. Reading aloud can help you identify places where your character's speech needs to be refined.
The Pace Is Off
Perplexing Paragraphs
The benefits of reading your work aloud go on and on; this list is by no means all-inclusive. I highly recommend reading your whole manuscript out loud at some point. It doesn't have to be all at once or even consecutively. However, reading every word aloud during the editing process can help improve your story in so many ways. It is definitely worth the time and effort, as it ultimately leads to a more gratifying experience for your readers.
08 June 2022
Dog Bakery: Lip-Smacking Pumpkin-Banana Doughnuts
Pumpkin-Banana Doughnuts
Thank you for stopping by, and Happy Baking!
01 June 2022
Month in Review - May 2022
I'm taking a short break from 19th century Vienna and transport my readers even further back in time to 12th century Aquitaine. Following on the heels of THE EMPRESS'S DIADEM, book seven of #TheCountryGirlEmpressseries, I'm diligently working on WITH THE HEART OF A LIONESS, the story of Aliénor of Aquitaine, projected to release in 2023...
Thank you for joining me, celebrating the release of book seven of #TheCountryGirlEmpressSeries! THE EMPRESS'S DIADEM has finally arrived and has hit the virtual bookshelves! I still can't quite believe it myself...this is so exciting....
So, this thing happened this morning. I woke up to find that my historical fiction novel, A LIFE IN THE SHADOW OF THE CROWN, book two of #TheCountryGirlEmpressSeries, won the Firebird Book Award in the historical fiction category. Woohoo! First thing I did is get out a bottle of bubbly and danced around the kitchen like a little maniac. I know - sounds totally silly right? But I just couldn't help it! I can't believe my good fortune...
Summertime means lots of fun in the sun for us and our four-legged family members….well, that is when the weather plays along. While long days are spent frolicking outdoors creates many priceless memories, it can also pose hidden dangers to your fur babies. However, when you follow common sense, you can ensure everyone, including your pet(s), enjoy summer safely...
As long as I can remember I’ve always admired writers who can crank out thousands of words per day. When writing was merely my hobby, I often struggled to carve out time to write in between my day job, family, and life in general. But since writing has developed into something more I've learned that developing a daily writing habit helps...