Recipe--Warm Up the Holidays with Fireside Coffee

Fireside Coffee is my favorite recipe for warming up the winter holidays. If you were here, I'd love to share a cup of it with you at my kitchen table. The best I can do is give you the recipe so you can share a mug with friends and famiily this winter. (It is also a great drink to have around the campfire when camping this summer.)

Gift Idea--Bag up some mix, add a ribbon and tag, and give to that coffee lover on your gift list.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011!!

Fireside Coffee Recipe

3 c. instant cocoa mix

1 c. instant coffee (decaf is okay to use)

2 c. dry coffee creamer

1 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp, nutmeg

pinch of cloves

pinch of salt

Mix well. Use 3-4 heaping teaspoons of mix in a mug of boiling water.

Good Avice On Being Published by Sarah-Jane

I know I am not the only writer experiencing the journey to publishing a debut book. Read this post from the Write Game by Sarah Jane Lehoux.

TheWriteGame: On Being Published, The Process

Final Galley

A galley. Thesaurus.com uses these synonyms for a galley--galley , galley proof, impression, page proof, pass, pull, repro, revise, slip, stereo, trial, trial print, trial proof

Were you thinking of a kitchen on a boat? No, it is a publishing term derived from setting type in a metal sleeve and placing it on the printing press. In modern terms, I received a galley from my publisher and it was a digital file of my entire book, Sunshine Boulevard, as it will appear as an online ebook. Lea Schizas, formatting editor and publisher at Muse It Up Publishing included instructions--"go over this with a fine tooth comb." I searched for typos, grammar errors, punctuation problems, incorrect line spacings. whew...Now it's on me if there are any goofs in the book. That is scary enough, but even more scary is what she added.--"The sooner you get this back to me, the sooner we can finalize it and send it out for reviews."

Reviews, what? That has me shaking in my boots. My little story which I wrote closeted at my safe desk oblivious of the world around me, will now be sent out into the cold, cruel world for criticism, judgment, praise, applause, or rotten tomatoes.

The plan is for release on March 1, 2011. When I signed the contract for Sunshine Boulevard, I thought March 1 was so far away. Now it is just around the corner. I am excited to share it with readers, but also a bit apprehensive. Whatever happens, I have enjoyed the adventure into publishing.

Muse It Up Publishing December Holiday Discount

Muse It Up Publishing is flinging open its doors and celebrating the launch of its new publishing company in real style. Unbelievable 25% holiday discount till December 10. Check out this site for free reads, samplers, and great books from new and seasoned authors.

The Muse It Up Publishing blog is featuring holiday essays and stories for you. Jump in and enjoy our authors musings.

My mystery/light horror novella, Sunshine Boulevard will be available March 1, 2011. Click on the "notify me" button on the linked page to receive an email when the book is available.

Gifts of the Season

This is a time for gift giving. The stress of shopping, planning, purchasing, events can ruin the holidays. Don't let it. Take some time to enjoy the gifts of the season--hope, joy, peace, and love. I wish these all for you. Happy Holidays!!

More Editing

Sunshine Boulevard, a mystery/horror novella, coming in March 2011.

 Sunshine Boulevard is my debut novel. I am learning about the publishing business with this new experience. Those of you who are writers are well aware of polishing your manuscripts (ms) before submitting to a publisher. But are you aware that just because the pub decides to publish it, you are not done with revising?

The editors at Muse It Up Publlishing are going through my ms with a fine tooth comb. I have a content editor and a line editor. Now that the content editor has finished, she sent the ms on to the line editor. But before making changes the editors always check with the author, thank goodness. Thanks to these two editors, my story is becoming tighter and I must say shorter. LOL..But improved for sure.

I am not through with the editors yet though...I have one more to go through for formatting. I'll let you know how that works out!!

Going Flamingo

I am going flamingo crazy! Just because the book cover for my upcoming ebook, Sunshine Boulevard, has a pair of flamingoes on the front, I am searching everything flamingo. I think it will be fun to use these symbols of fun Florida sunshine to add to the conversation about my mystery/horror story that takes place in Florida.

On the right side of this page, notice the flamingo pair on the cover of the book make a heart shape. No it isn't a romance. What is the significance of the heart? The book cover designer, Delilah, figured this one out. Very clever gal. Perhaps as you peruse the info on this blog and my author website, you can figure it out.