Joselyn Vaughn

Bubble Baths and Steamy Romance Blog Hop!

2012-01-28T21:07:00.000-05:00

Hey, over at the new location, we're having a blog hop. Come over and join us for a chance to win lots of great prizes.
http://joselynvaughn.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/bubble-baths-and-steamy-romance-blog-hop/

All the fun has moved!

2012-01-19T20:01:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that all the new posts are over athttp://joselynvaughn.wordpress.com Blog hops, funny kid stories and excerpts are all appearing over there. Don't miss out.

Interview at Cafe of Dreams

2012-01-07T11:03:00.000-05:00

I am honored to be included in the Cafe of Dreams 365 Days of Great Authors. (Http://cafeofdreamsbookreviews.comhttp://www.cafeofdreamsbookreviews.com/2012/01/joselyn-vaughn-day-7-of-365-days-of.html#more) Stop by for a chance to win a copy of Hauntings of the Heart.

Or you can just go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble and buy it. It is still on sale for 99 cents. That's less than a candy bar and you won't have to run a mile to keep it off your hips.

New posts to this blog will be appearing at http://joselynvaughn.wordpress.com. Don't forget to subscribe to the feed over there.

Reminder!

2012-01-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

This blog has moved! New posts will be appearing at http://joselynvaughn.com. Please update your bookmarks and subscriptions to the new site.

Lots of exciting things will be happening there in the coming weeks. Don't miss out on the fun.

Another reminder, Sucker for a Hot Rod and Hauntings of the Heart are still on sale for 99 cents each. I'm not sure how much longer the sale will last, so get them while you can.

Holiday Sale!

2011-12-27T11:00:00.001-05:00

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Astraea Press is having a post-holiday sale. Many books including Hauntings of the Heart and Sucker for a Hot Rod are only 99 cents. They are also available on Amazon.

Happy Shopping!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone joy and peace this holiday season. Enjoy the cookies and special times with friends and family.

I'm guest blogging at Brea Essex's blog today about some of our holiday traditions. Hope you can share a minute or two with me there.

Merry Christmas!

We're Moving!

2011-12-20T14:02:00.000-05:00

Okay, not physically, but my blog is moving after New Year's to Wordpress. I'm hoping that it will be more user-friendly - for me, with posting - and for you with commenting, etc.

After the New Year, you should be able to access my blog either at Http://joselynvaughn.com or http://joselynvaughn.wordpress.com. If you subscribe by email, you will be able to subscribe from the new blog. You shouldn't get duplicate posts because I won't be posting here other than a few reminders about the change.

So if you want to keep up with the fun, join us over there.

Stuff Your Stockings Christmas Blog Hop

2011-12-16T00:01:00.002-05:00

Thank you for stopping by on the Stuff Your Stockings Christmas Blog Hop. Hope you are having an enjoyable holiday season.

Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win a PDF of Sucker for a Hot Rod. If you have trouble commenting, you can also enter by sending an email to jvaughn@joselynvaughn.com.

Bryce Halloway only dates a woman once. No exceptions.

It gives him the reputation of a heart-breaker, but he can handle that as long as it keeps his mother, Dinah, from trying to marry him off. Judi Montgomery and her tempting ponytail finagle their way around official dates with car problems and driving lessons. She worms her way into his heart and entices him to want more from his life.

When health issues causes his father to retire, Bryce inherits the family-owned tractor repair shop. Can Judi’s love and encouragement give him the courage to break tradition and pursue his dreams of owning a custom hot rod shop?

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6abWcCuIO0

You can purchase my other books at the following retailers: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance eBooks, Bookstrand and Smashwords. Happy Christmas Shopping!

Return to the Stuff your Stockings Blog Hop!

Guest Blogging Today

2011-12-15T07:00:00.004-05:00

Today I'm guest blogging today at Liz Botts' blog about our Christmas Tree and at JF Jenkins' blog about the songs that influenced and inspired Hauntings of the Heart.

Hope you can stop by and check them out.

Guest Blogging at Amy Corwin's Blog

2011-12-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm guest blogging today at Amy Corwin's blog. Hope you can visit me over there.

Favorite Holiday Cookies

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

More cookie recipes coming up. These are my favorites.

Magical Cookies

Russian Tea Cakes

Brown Sugar Refrigerator Cookies

Happy Baking!

Sweet Saturday Samples

2011-12-09T12:51:00.001-05:00

Here's another snippet from the short story about Barbara and Elmer. I'm leaning toward The Warden's Light as the title.

She admired his focus and determination for learning about weather disasters and helping to prevent people being injured or killed in them. It seemed to be his only interest. Her mother said she was just as single-minded about numbers. Well, Barbara had other interests, hobbies, pursuits. She fantasized about plastering herself across the bank of weather monitors in his office, but she wasn’t brave enough to actually do it.

But maybe she could prove to him that not everything was connected to the weather. She’d have pictures to establish the Warden’s Light as a ghostly manifestation. These weren’t ideal conditions for a paranormal investigation, but she wasn’t a professional. She was bored and decided to check it out.

A Friday night and she was hanging out in the woods. Alone. Didn’t say much for her social life.

She hadn’t seen a thing so far. Not even the ghosts wanted to hang out with her. That’s what she got for being too interested in math, her mother said. Or being in love with the guy who never noticed when you wore that sweater, her best friend said.

A light flashed between the trees and Barbara’s pulse leapt. The air seemed to hum. She knelt on the ground to steady her arms against her knees. Her arms were shaking so badly, she’d end up with a hundred images of a fuzzy dot. She forced herself to calm down. Here it was. Here was her proof. Her camera poised in front of her nose, she snapped picture after picture. Her pulse zipped along at one twenty bips a minute. This was going to be good.

I shared my favorite holiday cookie recipes last December. You can find them here.

You can also purchase my books at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Astraea Press, All Romance eBooks, Bookstrand and Smashwords.

More Cookies

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

For all your holiday baking needs... I'm going to have to find some time to do these myself.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Rosemunnar

Fruit Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Holiday Cookies Redux

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

The holiday season is upon us and everything gets busy. Don't hate me, but I have my holiday shopping pretty much done. It's much easier when you tell your husband, I'm getting you this, pick out the one you want. I got him a new laptop. His was pushing seven years and had been rebuilt a couple times too. Maybe this will inspire him to do more with photography. I got my wish and am getting a Kindle Fire. Amazon said that it shipped yesterday, so I am waiting on pins and needles.

Last December, I posted a bunch of my favorite cookie recipes and I am going to reshare them this year. They are all delicious and easy which is something we all need this time of year. Enjoy!

Lemon Squares

Cream Cheese Kolacky

Split Second Cookies

Sweet Saturday Samples

2011-12-02T20:32:00.000-05:00

From an untitled work in progress, hopefully a short story: (Barbara is a secondary character in Hauntings of the Heart.)

The fishy, seaweedy smell of the lake wafted in the breeze, mixing with the damp mossiness of the trees. Barbara stared down the trail where the path disappeared around a curve.

The legend claimed a light would bob along the path shortly after twilight and when one approached it, the light disappeared. Those who claimed to have “seen” it said was the lantern of a warden who disappeared searching for an escaped inmate. Neither he or the inmate had ever been found. Some said the inmate killed the warden and buried him in the sand dunes. Others said the warden lost his way as a storm came across the lake, disoriented by the wind and raid, he wandered into the raging surf and drowned.

Ever since, the light had been called the Warden’s Light and had yet to be documented by an official team of paranormal investigators. She’d checked on the Internet at work this afternoon. Her boss wouldn’t care. He was the one who brought up the haunting. As always he claimed to think it was a natural phenomenon, but to him everything was a weather event. Blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, rain storms, cumulous clouds and clear skies. He was fascinated by it all. She doubted he thought of anything else.

Barbara had told herself that a lot lately. Specifically, every morning as she got dressed for work. It didn’t matter whether she wore the pencil skirt that accentuated her hips or the sweater that hugged her breasts, Elmer still wouldn’t notice her.

Any title suggestions?

As always, you can find my other books at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance eBooks, Bookstrand and Smashwords.

Find more samples at Sweet Saturday Samples.

The End

2011-11-30T07:00:00.004-05:00

It's all gone. I can't say anything else.

Tie-dying with Sharpies

2011-11-28T07:00:00.010-05:00

My daughter is notorious for spilling on her clothes. I don't know if she is worse than my son or if because her clothes are mostly light pink, the stains show up on her clothes. She has shirts that I am sure I soak in Oxyclean every other week. Some shirts I've completely given up on and others I've thrown in a pile to try to do something else with. Sadly, usually I debate about what to do with the shirt for so long, that she's outgrown it.

This time I decided to use my obsession with Pinterest.com for good. (As in actually accomplishing one of the things I have pinned.)

I was quite intrigued by a posting about tie-dying with Sharpie markers. You could do small designs without having the mess of a tub of dye.

The process was simple. Place a plastic cup under the shirt. Secure it with a rubberband and stretch the shirt a bit. Draw the design. Use an eyedropper to drop rubbing alcohol on the design and watch the colors spread. Do this as many times as you like. Dry the shirt on high to set the design.

Here are the results:

For a first attempt, it's not too bad and you can't see the stain that was in the middle of the front anymore. :-)

Here is the website where I found the instructions: http://theartgirljackie-tutorials.blogspot.com/2011/10/tie-dye-t-shirts-with-sharpie-markers.html

Astraea Press Holiday Story Release Party

2011-11-25T00:01:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the next stop on the Astraea Press Holiday Story Release Party!

My latest book, Hauntings of the Heart, was released just before Halloween.

When lost love shows up on your doorstep, what do you do? Minnie Schultz slams the door in his face. She and Gordon Anderson have a history—close to ancient history, given the fifty years since their last encounter. After all that time, it might seem like water under the bridge. But the water pours from the plumbing in Minnie’s bed and breakfast, the Lilac Bower, uncovering all the secrets and heartache between them. With the help of some paranormal investigators, an Elvis impersonator and a couple of nosey friends, can Minnie and Gordon find the future they were meant to have?

Buy Links:

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance eBooks, Bookstrand and Smashwords.

Reviews:

Whispers from a Book: http://whispersfromabook.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-of-hauntings-of-heart-by-joselyn.html

Contest:
Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win a PDF of Hauntings of the Heart. If Blogger is cranky about commenting, send me an email with AP Holiday Release Party in the subject: jvaughn@joselynvaughn.com.

In other news:
Sherry Gloag, the Heart of Romance, is hosting me at her blog for the holiday weekend. I wish I was actually visiting her, since she is in the UK. Hopefully someday.

Join us across the pond at http://sherrygloagtheheartofromance.blogspot.com/ and see what trouble Minnie gets me into.

Happy Black Friday shopping to all you bargain-hunters out there!

Hop to the next blog on the tour: Elaine Cantrell

Coming to an End

2011-11-23T07:00:00.002-05:00

In the ongoing story of my mother's farm being sold and her moving, we are coming to the final steps.

She is happily ensconced in her name place. She had a house cleaner. (I'm jealous, but it's not in my budget.)

The state has now taken possession of the property and is tearing the buildings down.

These buildings were built after a tornado destroyed them a day or two after my brother was born. He was born early and no one had expected him to survive the delivery. Many people from the community helped my parents get back on their feet and their efforts went into many of the buildings.

It seems like such a waste that the barns and silos are simply being bulldozed or blown up. My brother says they will burn down the house soon. I hope the fire department will use the fire for practice putting them out. It will seem less pointless that way.

And that is the last step. The farm will exist only in our memories.

The Dynamic of the Third

2011-11-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

Since my daughter's potty training problems are keeping her home from school, my son goes by himself two mornings a week.

I expected fits and tantrums from my daughter about not being able to go to school. She hasn't had any. I think it's a big stress relief for her. One less pressure to connect with using the potty.

I also expected having two kids home would be much like having three. Loud and crazy and always a little off balance.

Instead the girls play quietly with their dolls and stuffed animals. (When my son is home, they play similar games with cars and dinosaurs.) And it's possible to do things that require a moderate amount of concentration.

A third child that talks a lot changes the whole dynamic. Someone is always the odd one out. The little one isn't one of the twins. My son isn't one of the girls. My daughter wants to dance instead of camp.

I've often wondered how some moms were able to go shopping or do things with their kids that I haven't dared. Maybe this is part of the answer. Their children are all the same gender or there are two.

Or maybe they are infinitely more adventurous than I am.

Sweet Saturday Samples

2011-11-18T07:00:00.002-05:00

From an untitled work in progress, hopefully a short story: (Barbara is a secondary character in Hauntings of the Heart.)

Barbara adjusted the motion setting on her camera and snapped another shot of the trail. She wrapped the strap around her wrist and wandered a few yards along the road—if it could be called that anymore. Weeds grew up through the middle and crowded in from the sides. A gust of wind caught a handful of leaves and tossed them in front of her. The trees swayed and creaked, sending chills down her spine.

It’s certainly creepy out here. No wonder there were stories, but with the dim light and building fog, she doubted she’d find anything useful tonight.

She took off her glasses to clean them on the bottom of her black turtleneck. The fog clouded them up in minutes. Surveying the woods, she tried to discern the shapes of brush and undergrowth from the darkening sky. Professional investigators would have been better prepared. Tripods, extra batteries, voice recorders, flashlights. The farther she traversed from her car the more items she added to the list of things she should have taken. She’d headed into the woods with only a camera and pepper spray on a dare.

Any title suggestions?

As always, you can find my other books at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance eBooks, Bookstrand and Smashwords.

And Sucker for a Hot Rod got a great review from the Knight of the Round Table.

Find more samples at Sweet Saturday Samples.

And it goes on and on, my friend...

2011-11-16T22:28:00.000-05:00

Sorry if that gets stuck in your head, and yes, this is another post about potty training.

My son continues to do well. The Little One insists on sitting--it's really more like bouncing--on the potty a couple times a week. For her age, she is well ahead of her brother and sister.

My daughter, however, is hitting setback after setback. She's had three urinary tract infections since July as well as other issues. It seems like each time we figure out a problem and get a solution, another one or the same one returns. So we never seem to make any forward progress.

Through all of this, my daughter has been incredibly tough. She rarely acknowledges pain, though I'm sure she must be in some, and she rarely acts sick which has made diagnosing the infections hit and miss. I've only discovered one clue, so I'm calling the doctor as soon as I see it. We're lucky that the medications have all been light pink (her favorite color) and she takes them readily.

We are going to see a urologist and hopefully find some answers and a path to being potty training. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Guest Blogging at Grand Rapids Region Writers Group today

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm guest posting today at the Grand Rapids Region Writers Group blog today. Hop over and share your favorite thing about Thanksgiving. Http://grandrapidsregionwritersgroup.blogspot.com. See you there.

Sweet Saturday Samples

2011-11-12T00:01:00.001-05:00

From Hauntings of the Heart:

Gordon Anderson dropped his fedora on the worn Formica
counter in the Carterville Register of Deeds office. He pressed the
bell labeled ‘ring for service’ and waited.

An empty office chair sat in front of shelves of files and
ledger books on the other side of the counter. Some of the books
appeared a hundred years old, and one of them held the records of
his family’s downfall. Events he planned to rectify, if only to ease
his mother’s final days.

A woman with unnaturally auburn hair approached the
reception area from behind the shelves. It had been long enough
since she’d been to the beauty shop that a half-‐‑inch of white glared
out from her roots. She placed a stack of manila folders on the
counter and evaluated him over her half-‐‑rimmed glasses. She wore
a cream blouse with a large silk bow at the collar and light blue
polyester pants. Dust smudged her sleeves where the folders had
rested.

“May I help you?” she asked, brushing at the marks.
Gordon leaned against the counter. The woman seemed
familiar, but he didn’t know anyone around here that old. Then he
realized she was probably the same age he was, probably one of his
friends. He’d been gone too long. He guessed, “Maybelle?”

The woman flushed slightly. “Yes.” She paused and he
could feel her dissecting the wrinkles around his eyes. “Gordon
Anderson?”

He smiled. She did recognize him, but he couldn’t judge the
tenor of her voice. Pleasantly surprised, or mildly disgusted? “It’s
been quite a while,” she said. “What brings you back to town?”

Get your copy at

Astraea

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Return to Sweet Saturday Samples for more great excerpts.

Bucket List

2011-11-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

I've seen the Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson movie where they made the list of things they wanted to do before they kicked the bucket. I still don't understand what would inspire someone to grab coffee beans out of cat poop and say 'hey, let's use these,' but I also haven't thought much about what I'd put on a bucket list.

I'm not a daredevil-type person, so skydiving or bungee jumping wouldn't make it. Experience an earthquake. Been there, done that. I like to test my endurance, but my children do that everyday and I've already run a marathon. I'd like to do another one some day, but since I've already run one, it doesn't seem like it should be on my list now.

Someone recently asked what was on my bucket list and I drew a blank. Climb Mount Everest? no. Gamble in Vegas? nay. Swim across Lake Michigan? If it was, it had better be the last thing, because I wouldn't make it. Sure, I would like to travel around Europe and see Yellowstone and maybe Alaska. But the other things I would like to do mostly populate my Pinterest boards. Tie-dying a design on my daughter's shirt with Sharpie markers. Crocheting a rug. Finally getting the shelves built under the stairs... oh wait, that's on my list for my husband.

Beyond that, I don't know. What's on your bucket list and what requirements do you have for an item to bucket list worthy?