tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52872035815198456882024-02-06T21:23:40.766-08:00Karen Fenech BlogBLOG for contemporary and historical romantic suspense author Karen FenechKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-31551076731887443512012-01-06T12:26:00.000-08:002012-01-06T12:39:22.478-08:00Free through weekend of January 6, 2012 - THREE SHORT STORIES OF SUSPENSE: DEADLY THOUGHTS, SECRETS & THE PLAN<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTp-Zic2Ui_FFQ2dquSv6GrP1xqDZIVWEL4l4Pxe6_zEMPHM9we_vEBzNAlR2eHrkHYCthuEsFSs2XsEvje5c0UBDwkUfR1lPQCSu1zH3qFbnieTrUK7xdk1yy-PuGHikVtcOUwV9d6bT0/s1600/THREE+SHORT+STORIES+OF+SUSPENSE+-+Cover+-+FINAL+-+USE+THIS+SIZE+FOR+WEBSITE.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 143px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 195px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694619852645693458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTp-Zic2Ui_FFQ2dquSv6GrP1xqDZIVWEL4l4Pxe6_zEMPHM9we_vEBzNAlR2eHrkHYCthuEsFSs2XsEvje5c0UBDwkUfR1lPQCSu1zH3qFbnieTrUK7xdk1yy-PuGHikVtcOUwV9d6bT0/s320/THREE+SHORT+STORIES+OF+SUSPENSE+-+Cover+-+FINAL+-+USE+THIS+SIZE+FOR+WEBSITE.jpg" /></a><br />My THREE SHORT STORIES OF SUSPENSE: DEADLY THOUGHTS, SECRETS & THE PLAN is<br />available free at Amazon beginning today, January 6th, and through this weekend. These stories were previously published domestically and internationally in HJEMMET Magazines in translation to Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian. They have now been compiled for the first time and reissued for Kindle and Kindle applications. If you'd like a free copy, please scroll down to the links provided.<br /><br /><strong>About THREE SHORT STORIES OF SUSPENSE: DEADLY THOUGHTS, SECRETS & THE PLAN</strong><br /><br /><strong>DEADLY THOUGHTS:</strong> What price is too high to achieve a dream? Would you draw the line at murder? Abby Branson never expected to be faced with such a question. But in her single-minded pursuit of her dream, she's sacrificed everything, including her marriage. Now, she just wants back what she had - even if it means giving up her dream forever. But it may be too late to go back. Because one man is already dead.<br /><br /><strong>SECRETS:</strong> Everyone has secrets. Some are good. Some are bad. For Emily Brandewynne, out for a weekend fling from her marriage, her secret is deadly.<br /><br /><strong>THE PLAN:</strong> To get her dream life, Jackie comes up with a plan. But is the plan the key to her dream, or to her worst nightmare?<br /><br />Link to THREE SHORT STORIES OF SUSPENSE: DEADLY THOUGHTS, SECRETS & THE PLAN at Amazon.com:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/THREE-SHORT-STORIES-SUSPENSE-ebook/dp/B006NZKK74%3FSubscriptionId%3D1QZMGW0RRJC2PX87HDR2%26tag%3Dsalranexp-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB006NZKK74">http://www.amazon.com/THREE-SHORT-STORIES-SUSPENSE-ebook/dp/B006NZKK74%3FSubscriptionId%3D1QZMGW0RRJC2PX87HDR2%26tag%3Dsalranexp-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB006NZKK74</a><br /><br /><br />Link to THREE SHORT STORIES OF SUSPENSE: DEADLY THOUGHTS, SECRETS & THE PLAN at Amazon.uk:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/THREE-SHORT-STORIES-SUSPENSE-ebook/dp/B006NZKK74%3FSubscriptionId%3D1QZMGW0RRJC2PX87HDR2%26tag%3Dnovelrank-21%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB006NZKK74"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/THREE-SHORT-STORIES-SUSPENSE-ebook/dp/B006NZKK74%3FSubscriptionId%3D1QZMGW0RRJC2PX87HDR2%26tag%3Dnovelrank-21%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB006NZKK74">http://www.amazon.co.uk/THREE-SHORT-STORIES-SUSPENSE-ebook/dp/B006NZKK74%3FSubscriptionId%3D1QZMGW0RRJC2PX87HDR2%26tag%3Dnovelrank-21%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB006NZKK74</a><br /><br />I hope you enjoy these short stories. Happy Reading! :)Karen Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-21521602004474592412011-10-23T09:48:00.000-07:002011-10-23T10:03:32.838-07:00News From Karen Fenech - August 2011 - SNOWBOUND<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZFmkC9KZdc0VoVCwla5uiDgDcG1xQtbunRGYhZDHlxS2TJxzbPpbWCeJKQTUmaKrBWVeLRd4TZpdS4UJWuS3SoP0ND6LnjaFutlIshriuAKkEzagCcyWFEpmjjwIfUiDfSFcKpNJMxLd/s1600/Snowbound+cover+image+for+website+-+use+this+one.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 143px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666731944173854082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZFmkC9KZdc0VoVCwla5uiDgDcG1xQtbunRGYhZDHlxS2TJxzbPpbWCeJKQTUmaKrBWVeLRd4TZpdS4UJWuS3SoP0ND6LnjaFutlIshriuAKkEzagCcyWFEpmjjwIfUiDfSFcKpNJMxLd/s320/Snowbound+cover+image+for+website+-+use+this+one.jpg" /></a><br />Dear Friends,<br /><br />I hope you've all been enjoying a lovely summer. The weather has cooled this week and I woke up to a definite chill in the air. It's starting to feel like Fall.<br /><br />The end of summer starts a busy time for me, and I'm sure, for all of you as well. I try to hold onto these last summer days as long as I can. : )<br /><br />This year, summer's end marks a new release for me. SNOWBOUND, the second book in my romantic suspense series, The Protectors, is now available. With the increasing popularity of electronic books, I'm so pleased to share with you that SNOWBOUND is now available for Kindle and Kindle applications, and currently priced at $2.99.<br /><br />Chapter One may be read on the BOOKS page of my website. <a href="http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html">http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html</a><br /><br />About SNOWBOUND: The Protectors Series - Book Two:<br /><br />When her cover is blown in a criminal operation to apprehend a human trafficker, FBI Special Agent Mallory Burke is put in a car destined for a mountain cabin to be tortured and killed. But a snow storm results in an accident that leaves all but Mallory dead and she finds herself in the midst of the raging storm and in the care of Police Captain Gage Broderick. Mallory's relief that Gage is a cop is short lived. He has secrets of his own.<br /><br />Gage is haunted by an incident in his recent past. The last thing he wants is to become embroiled in Mallory's investigation - or to feel this powerful attraction to her.<br /><br />But the lives of twelve women depend on Mallory and Gage working together to stop this man - the women's lives and now Mallory's life. He knows about her. He knows where she is. And he wants her dead.<br /><br />SNOWBOUND at Amazon.com: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/SNOWBOUND-Protectors-Book-Two-ebook/dp/B005HPYWUM/ref=pd_sim_kinc_3?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC">http://www.amazon.com/SNOWBOUND-Protectors-Book-Two-ebook/dp/B005HPYWUM/ref=pd_sim_kinc_3?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC</a><br /><br />SNOWBOUND At Amazon.UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/SNOWBOUND-Protectors-Book-Two-ebook/dp/B005HPYWUM/ref=pd_sim_kinc_4/277-0420582-5447607">http://www.amazon.co.uk/SNOWBOUND-Protectors-Book-Two-ebook/dp/B005HPYWUM/ref=pd_sim_kinc_4/277-0420582-5447607</a><br /><br />As always, thank you so much for keeping in touch with your emails and messages to Facebook and Twitter. I love hearing from all of you.<br /><br />Until next time, warmest wishes,<br /><br />Karen<br /><br />________________________________________<br /><br />Visit<br />KARENFENECH.COM <a href="http://www.karenfenech.com/">http://www.karenfenech.com/</a>Karen Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-17595261521070704442011-04-30T10:08:00.000-07:002011-04-30T11:15:40.778-07:00The Royal WeddingDid anyone watch the Royal Wedding yesterday? Lol. Okay, enough with that joke. : ) I didn't wake up at 3 am EST to watch the ceremony in real time, though I might have if I hadn't put in a long day writing and found my way to bed just shortly before that. I watched recaps of the ceremony later in the day. I think, though, I missed out on quite a bit.<br /><br />The recaps that I saw were actually highlights of the event, rather than full recaps, recapturing all that took place. Sure there was the bride's arrival and the awaited reveal of her gown. Her march down the aisle on her father's arm. The reciting of the vows. All of this, though, I found, was broadcast in clips, rather than in one steady stream and it took the immediacy out of it for me. Though I knew what I was watching was being telecast hours later, I would have liked the illusion that the lovely event was actually taking place at that moment. : )Karen Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-90512778392571707792011-04-23T09:56:00.000-07:002011-04-23T11:26:29.864-07:00It's been a while . . .It's been a while since I've posted anything here. Life and writing have been busy and I've been having a difficult time keeping up. As a result, this blog was put on hold.<br /><br />Part of the reason it's been so long between posts, is that I haven't known what to write about, what to focus on. Gotta have a focus? Gotta have a theme, right?<br /><br />Or not.<br /><br />When I started thinking that I'd like to begin posting here again, I realized that I didn't want the structure of a theme or have a narrow focus. I didn't want any formality at all. The idea of just hanging out here, "talking" about anything and everything feels so right.<br /><br />So that's what I'm going to be doing here. Talking. If you happen by, I hope you'll join me in the conversation. I would so love to talk with you.<br /><br />Happy Easter weekend!Karen Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-57856777445737752412010-07-26T10:34:00.000-07:002010-07-26T12:45:03.798-07:00News from Karen Fenech - BETRAYAL now on KindleDear Friends,<br /><br />Thank you for your emails asking when/if my books would be made available for Kindle. I'm so pleased to share with all of you that BETRAYAL is now available for Kindle and Kindle applications. BETRAYAL is currently priced at $2.99.<br /><br />Praise for BETRAYAL:<br /><br />"I love a good medieval and Karen Fenech has written a dandy. This one's a keeper!"<br />--- New York Times Bestselling author Kat Martin<br /><br />" An excellent read."<br />---Donna M. Brown, Romantic Times Magazine<br /><br />About BETRAYAL:<br /><br />To save her son and people from a deadly enemy, Lady Katherine Stanfield marries her former betrothed, a man she'd betrayed but has never stopped loving.<br /><br />Katherine has never revealed her reason for the betrayal and now, five years later, believes her secret is safe. But someone won't let the past rest. Someone with a secret of his own. She must stop that "someone" because he wants Katherine and her new husband dead.<br /><br />Link to the BETRAYAL Kindle page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/BETRAYAL-ebook/dp/B003U4W4YS">http://www.amazon.com/BETRAYAL-ebook/dp/B003U4W4YS</a><br /><br />I hope you enjoy the Kindle edition of BETRAYAL.<br /><br />Until next time, warmest wishes,<br /><br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-90628299490148396882010-07-26T10:26:00.000-07:002010-07-26T12:43:46.694-07:00Happy Holidays From Karen FenechDear Friends,<br /><br />Thank you to all who blogged with me on my mini blog tour last month, celebrating the release of GONE.<br /><br />The winners of the Amazon gift certificates are:<br />Mari M., Sue H., Elizabeth W., and Holly D.<br /><br />Congratulations!<br /><br />If you haven't read GONE, an excerpt can be found below. I hope you enjoy it.<br /><br />As always, thank you for your letters and e-mails. I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season and all the best in this new year.<br /><br />Until next time, warmest wishes,<br /><br />Karen<br /><br />Excerpt from GONE:<br /><br />In seven minutes, her mother was being executed.<br /><br />FBI Special Agent Clare Marshall watched the clock mounted on the wall above her cubicle in the New York City Bureau office. After twenty-four years, three months and four days on death row, the state of Texas had grown tired of providing her mother, convicted murderer Jolene Marie Marshall, with room and board and was going to enact the death sentence handed down almost a quarter of a century earlier. Jolene would die by lethal injection at ten a.m. this July morning.<br /><br />. . . in six minutes.<br /><br />Clare had been five when her mother pointed a gun at her head and fired.<br /><br />Boom.<br /><br />Though Clare couldn’t recall it, she’d landed on top of the body of her older brother, Owen. Mama had shot seven-year-old Owen first. She would have shot the baby, Katie, too, if police hadn’t broken down the front door of their government-subsidized apartment before she could.<br /><br />. . . three minutes.<br /><br />Sweat broke out on Clare’s upper lip and along her hairline. Her heart pounded. Someone in the outer office laughed. A phone rang.<br /><br />The clock now read ten a.m.<br /><br />Clare pushed her chair back from her desk with a screech. The air conditioner kicked on, blowing a gust of cool air down on her, yet the office felt stifling. Her chest felt weighted down. It was hard to breathe.<br /><br />She had to get out.<br /><br />She stumbled to her feet and staggered out of her cubicle.<br /><br />“Clare . . .”<br /><br />It was her team member, Benita Sanchez, calling out to her. Dimly, Clare recalled they had a meeting to go to. Clare ignored Benny and brushed by a trio of her colleagues grouped in the carpeted hall, waiting for an elevator.<br /><br />The stairs would be the quicker way down. Clare took them at a run. Her heels tapped against the tile in a staccato beat that echoed in the stairwell.<br /><br />At the bottom, she headed for a rear exit—away from the smokers who gathered out front to enjoy a cigarette on the lawn.<br /><br />She shoved the door open and charged into the alley beyond. Hazy sunlight beat down on the cracked asphalt and the faded brick of the old building.<br /><br />Clare squinted in the sudden brightness.<br /><br />Fetid fumes from the overflowing dumpster wafted on a slight breeze. Clare didn’t care about the stench. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs. In. Out. In. Out. When her breathing was regular again, she leaned back against the building. Her white jacket fell open, and a ray of sunlight glinted off the gun in her shoulder holster.<br /><br />She’d just had what the psychologists who’d treated her in childhood called an “anxiety attack.” Though she hadn’t had one since her teen years, she hadn’t forgotten the symptoms, or what brought them on: vivid thoughts of the day her mother shot her.<br /><br />The psychologists she’d spoken with over the years had blamed the attacks on fear. She’d certainly been terrified when Mama pointed the gun at her. But it wasn’t fear that triggered her panic, it was the awful emptiness of being completely alone in the world.<br /><br />Her hands were almost steady now and she pushed damp strands of brown hair back from her face. Her first attack had come on when she awakened in a hospital bed weeks after her mother shot her and was told that her brother was dead, and that she couldn’t see her sister again. Katie had gone to live with a new family forever. At two years old, the baby had been promptly adopted.<br /><br />The only thing that had calmed Clare was knowing that Mama was in prison. The officials from Child Welfare Services who spoke with Clare believed it was the reassurance that her mother would not be able to hurt her again that had given Clare ease, but they’d been wrong. Clare had been comforted knowing where her mother was—knowing where she could find her.<br /><br />In the twenty-five years since the shooting, Clare had never gone to the prison to visit her mother, had never written, had never called. What her mother had done was horrific and Clare had not forgotten, yet . . . yet Jolene was her mother. The one person she belonged to and who belonged to her.<br /><br />Now Jolene was gone and Clare was truly alone. She felt abandoned by the mother who’d tried to kill her. What did that say about her?<br /><br />She closed her eyes, tight, tighter. Tears trickled from between her lids.<br /><br />A sound—like the clang of cymbals—drew Clare’s attention.<br /><br />She opened her eyes.<br /><br />A convenience store was located behind the FBI office, separated by the alley between the two buildings. The door of the store was flung open. A gangly man, dragging a sobbing woman by her black curls, charged out. The woman wore a sleeveless yellow dress, but despite the heat, Clare could see she was trembling. The man held the barrel of a .45 to the woman’s head.<br /><br />excerpt - copyright 2009 by Karen FenechKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-65431748062558613312009-08-20T10:45:00.000-07:002010-07-26T12:45:43.749-07:00News From Karen Fenech<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIpOor0yR8yyMa7xqZwNXuEoohODgLqbo5KVC83dbrKONlu4PhMGwsf9bZh5Va5bTvCNuk0PwM1H0DfPR2nicku-YTOQeTVGiiH-hjgZ9DV9XdT7Igmerre12aTPqWh3wrVXms8W6hyphenhyphenei/s1600-h/GoneFront+-+143+X+221+for+Website+Books+Page.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372107965535983282" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 143px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 221px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIpOor0yR8yyMa7xqZwNXuEoohODgLqbo5KVC83dbrKONlu4PhMGwsf9bZh5Va5bTvCNuk0PwM1H0DfPR2nicku-YTOQeTVGiiH-hjgZ9DV9XdT7Igmerre12aTPqWh3wrVXms8W6hyphenhyphenei/s320/GoneFront+-+143+X+221+for+Website+Books+Page.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7thdOqpeHQDK2Iic43vZsrry2E1LuwZpsCuZYNKJrOzEMFOFNtEP1CmaGxg7iTsG20lpR4FneyChACKorumpz5TIJIcKJ4SuXasPGBjm8OKXLF1yZ_kOsUbqRDlBVc6SHGZz59e6dLLC/s1600-h/GoneFront+-+143+X+221+for+Website+Books+Page.jpg"></a><br /><div>"Karen Fenech's GONE is a real page turner front to back. You won't be able to put this one down!"<br />--- NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR KAT MARTIN<br /><br />"Karen Fenech tells a taut tale with great characters and lots of twists. This is a writer you need to read."<br />--- USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR MAUREEN CHILD<br /><br />"Brimming with small town secrets and gritty suspense, GONE left an impression this reader won't soon forget!"<br />--- BESTSELLING AUTHOR DEBRA WEBB<br /><br />Dear Friends,<br /><br />This year seems to be flying by. Thanks to all of you who kept me wonderfully busy with contest entries. June 30th marked the close of our latest contest. I'm pleased to announce the winner is:<br /><br />Karen Haas<br /><br />from<br /><br />North Carolina<br /><br />Congratulations!<br /><br /><br />In addition to processing entries, it's been a busy and exciting time as I anticipate the release of my next novel GONE. The official release date for GONE is October 16th, and for me, the countdown has begun. : )<br /><br />Here's a little about the story:<br /><br />FBI Special Agent Clare Marshall was separated from her sister Beth in childhood when their mother tried to kill them. Now Clare learns that Beth lives in the small town of Farley, South Carolina but when she goes there to reunite with Beth, Clare discovers her sister is missing and that someone in the town is responsible for her disappearance.<br /><br />Clare receives an offer to help with the search from fellow FBI Special Agent, Jake Sutton. The offer is too good to refuse, though that is exactly what Clare wants to do. Jake is Clare’s former lover, a man she cannot forget and who has an agenda of his own.<br /><br />Now while Clare tracks her sister, someone is tracking Clare, and finding her sister may cost Clare her life.<br /><br />Many thanks for your e-mails asking when my next novel would be available. Chapter One of GONE is posted to my website. Please visit my <a href="mhtml:%7B5C9113D9-DB2B-425A-80ED-4598874AFBB3%7Dmid://00000094/!x-usc:http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html">BOOKS</a> page to read the chapter.<br /><br />I'm offering my short suspense story DEADLY THOUGHTS in .pdf as a free read. If you'd like to receive this short story, please send an e-mail to: <a href="mailto:karen@karenfenech.com">karen@karenfenech.com</a> Please write DEADLY THOUGHTS in the subject line. Thank you for your patience as we respond to your requests.<br /><br />I can also be found at Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Do befriend me : ) Links to my pages are posted on the "contact" page of my website.<br /><br />I hope you're having a lovely summer. As always, thank you for sharing your lives with me and for letting me into yours with your letters and e-mails.<br /><br />Until next time, very best wishes,<br /><br />Karen<br /><br />Read Chapter One of GONE<br /><a href="http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html">http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html</a><br /><br />Pre-order GONE<br /><br />www.amazon.com - through - <a href="http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html">http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html</a><br /><br />barnesandnoble.com - through - </div><div><a href="http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html">http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html</a><br /><br />www.amazon.ca - through <a href="http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html">http://www.karenfenech.com/books.html</a><br /><br />Visit<br /><a href="http://www.karenfenech.com/index.html">http://www.karenfenech.com/index.html</a><br /></div><div></div><div></div>Karen Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-44342680096137397782008-07-29T18:50:00.000-07:002010-07-26T12:46:11.970-07:00News From Karen FenechDear Friends,<br /><br />Happy Summer! After a long, and for some of us, cold winter : - ), Summer has finally arrived. I hope you are all enjoying lovely, warm weather.<br /><br />I have a lot to celebrate this Summer that I'd like to share with you, beginning with the announcement of our latest contest winner.<br /><br />The winner of the drawing for a signed copy of UNHOLY ANGELS and a $20 gift certificate from Amazon is:<br /><br />Ron Miller<br /><br />from<br /><br />Michigan<br /><br />Congratulations!<br /><br />Thank you to all of you who participated. Again, response was tremendous. You continue to make the contests great fun.<br /><br />Of course, we're hosting another drawing. This time, we're giving away a signed hardcover edition of BETRAYAL and a $20 gift certificate from Amazon to one winner. Just send me an e-mail for your chance to win. Please remember to write "contest" in the subject line. Enter as often as you like. We're in the process of updating my website with the new contest information. Please visit my Contests page at: <a href="http://www.karenfenech.com/contests.html">http://www.karenfenech.com/contests.html</a><br />if you would like a re-cap of the details for the drawing, and for the closing date.<br /><br />Speaking of editions of BETRAYAL : - ), a Japanese edition was released in April. I'm thrilled that BETRAYAL is now available in Japanese.<br /><br />I have completed a new book, a contemporary romantic suspense. The title of the new book is GONE and it will be released late next year. Thank you to all who wrote asking when my next book would be available. Your interest and support mean so much to me. More about GONE soon! : - )<br /><br />I now have pages on MySpace and Facebook. To "befriend" me, please click on these links: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/karenfenech">http://www.myspace.com/karenfenech</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Karen_Fenech/727271203">http://www.facebook.com/people/Karen_Fenech/727271203</a><br /><br />Reading and responding to your letters and e-mails is a great part of my day. I love hearing from you. Thank you for keeping in touch.<br /><br />Feel free to let all of your reader friends know about the new contest, and feel free to pass this newsletter along to them.<br /><br />Until next time, very best wishes,<br /><br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-74981017511733129042008-02-02T18:34:00.000-08:002010-07-26T13:01:02.061-07:00Confessions Of An Internet JunkieThere are a few blogs I read regularly, or as regularly as time permits. One of them is the blog by author J A Konrath. His posts are often laugh out loud funny, and I also enjoy his take on the world of publishing.<br /><br />I'd fallen behind in reading his blog lately, and when I was scrolling through it this week to read what I'd missed, I came across his humorous post, "The Top Ten Signs You're Spending Too Much time Online."<br /><br />As I read over the list, I realized that I'm guilty of many of the signs he named and I started to wonder - am I an internet junkie? : - )<br /><br />I DO communicate with family and friends via e-mail as much as possible. (#8 on the list).<br /><br />Recently, I complained to my husband that my nether region HAS left a permanent imprint in the chair at my desk. (#4 on the list).<br /><br />And, the bump I have on the middle finger of my right hand from holding a pen for hours at a time now DOES have a companion - I now also have a bump/callous on my mouse finger. (#5 on the list).<br /><br />Out of the ten signs, I have six of them. EEK! : - )<br /><br />In case you'd like to take a look at the list, here's the link to J A Konrath's blog: <a href="http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/">http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/</a> Scroll down to his post dated Friday, September 14, 2007.<br /><br />Do let me know if you have any of the signs too! : - )<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-22321601805101959402008-01-26T20:57:00.000-08:002010-07-26T13:01:18.676-07:00My New Year's ResolutionI've been thinking about New Year's resolutions. I realize that I'm a few weeks late in the year with my list : - ) I'm not sure "resolutions" is the right name for my list anyway. More accurately I've been thinking of "improvements".<br /><br />An honest look in the mirror will tell me that I have a few pounds to lose : - )<br /><br />I'm a nail-biter - I could certainly work on that : - )<br /><br />But it isn't outward improvements that I've been thinking of. I'm thinking more of internal change, characteristics that I would likely be better off without. Topping my list is that I'm a control freak. That one is key for me.<br /><br />So, this year, I'm going to let go a little. There, I've said it (actually written it : - )) . I'm going to adopt more a "take things as they come" attitude. There are times when things happen the way they're going to happen no matter what we do to the contrary. This year I'm going to work on being okay with that. : - )<br /><br />I wish you every success in whatever you've set out to change, accomplish, or gain this new year.<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-58329569365371511642008-01-11T21:11:00.000-08:002010-07-26T12:47:04.260-07:00If the shoe doesn't fitI got to thinking about Cinderella this week. How both of her stepsisters tried on the glass slipper with no success. Then, Cinderella tried it on and it fit!<br /><br />A few weeks ago, I was trying to make something fit, trying valiantly, and it just wouldn't.<br /><br />In my case, the ill-fit wasn't a shoe, but a scene I was editing for my then novel in progress. I had a powerful scene which just wasn't working.<br /><br />I fiddled with it, tweaking it, changing the odd word and punctuation mark, and was no happier. I knew the scene was good, and good for the story, yet it wasn't working.<br /><br />I finally admitted that it wasn't going to. Not at that point in the story.<br /><br />So I moved it. It works now : - )<br /><br />Sometimes a problem with a piece of writing is just a matter of an ill-fit. A scene that may not be working may be due to where it takes place in the story, rather than due to a problem with the scene itself.<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-30302819126934404142008-01-03T21:19:00.000-08:002010-07-26T12:47:37.544-07:00The book with no titleI'm struggling with the title for the book I just finished. Usually, the title is one of the first things I decide on before I start writing. For me, the title cements the book, summarizing it in my mind.<br /><br />With this book though, I wasn't able to decide on the title at the outset and so I settled on a "working title" to keep myself from calling my work-in-progress the "book with no title" : - )<br /><br />I'll be turning it in this month and I still haven't come up with what to call this book. Maybe it will be released as "the book with no title" after all. : - )<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-74442070116199618692007-12-22T08:08:00.000-08:002010-07-26T13:01:40.902-07:00'Twas the week before Christmas and I had the flu . . .I'm a firm believer in not leaving things I need to do until the last minute. I'm a compulsive list maker and list checker - checking off tasks as I complete them. Have I mentioned before that I'm a Type "A" personality? : - ) Anyway, I generally finish my "to do" list before the tasks are actually due, with time to spare, But not this week. This week I was down with the flu.<br /><br />I am not a good patient - not one who suffers in silence : - ) or who grins and bears it, sucking it up and trudging on, keeping on, no matter how lousy I'm feeling. When I'm sick, everything is all about me. : - ) As a result, this last week was a bust, and I got nothing on my list done.<br /><br />Today is the first day that my thoughts turned outward - outside of myself and the fact that I was sick. A good sign; if I'm no longer focused on being sick, than the worst is behind me and I've come out of it. But, with my thoughts turning outward again, came a reality check: It's three days before Christmas. <em>Three Days.</em><br /><br />I have three days to get my house tidy after several days of neglect, finish my Christmas gift shopping, grocery shop, and prepare a meal for twelve people. That's doable, right? : - )<br /><br />I wish you a happy and safe holiday.<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-75224659762460714572007-12-15T18:57:00.000-08:002010-07-26T12:48:31.276-07:00Newsletter From Karen Fenech - December 2007Dear Friends,<br /><br />The holiday season is upon us. Didn't the summer pass quickly?<br /><br />I had a wonderful summer and fall, and in large part due to so many of you whom I had the pleasure of meeting while touring for BETRAYAL. Thanks to all of you who came to my events. I loved meeting you.<br /><br />The winner of the drawing for a hardcover edition of BETRAYAL is:<br /><br />Sharon Palmer<br /><br />from<br /><br />New York<br /><br />Congratulations!<br /><br />Thank you to all of you who participated. Again, response was tremendous. You continue to make the contests great fun.<br /><br />We're hosting another drawing. This time we're giving away a signed copy of Unholy Angels and a $20 gift certificate at Amazon.com to one winner. Just send me an e-mail for your chance to win. Please remember to write "contest" in the subject line. Enter as often as you like.<br /><br />We're in the process of updating my website with the new contest information. Please visit the CONTESTS page shortly if you would like a re-cap of the details for the drawing, and for the closing date. Link to the page: <a href="http://www.karenfenech.com/contests.html">http://www.karenfenech.com/contests.html</a><br /><br />Feel free to let all of your reader friends know about the contest, and feel free to pass this newsletter along to them.<br /><br />Reading and responding to your letters and e-mails is a great part of my day. I love hearing from you. Some of you may have written and have yet to receive a reply from me. I've fallen behind in my correspondence and it's taking me some time to catch up. Thank you for your patience in awaiting a response, and as always, thank you for keeping in touch.<br /><br />I wish you a happy and safe holiday season.<br /><br />Until next time, very best wishes,<br /><br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-8924691103184433542007-12-07T12:08:00.000-08:002010-07-26T13:02:15.984-07:00What's on your menu this holiday season?With the holidays approaching, and concern for our waistlines temporarily suspended, I thought I'd share a delicious recipe a reader kindly sent to me for my favorite dessert - chocolate cake. : - ) I've been told that this cake has been named the "Better Than Sex Cake" . : - ) You'll have to let me know what you think : - )<br /><br />Teoh, if you're reading this, thanks so much for the recipe.<br /><br />When I was researching BETRAYAL, I looked into twelfth century recipes. Spices such as salt were liberally used in cooking, often times to conceal the taste when food had spoiled. Saffron, which turns foods yellow, was a pricey spice that hostesses delighted in, despite the cost, for important parties and feasts.<br /><br />I thought I'd include a link to a Medieval recipe site:<br /><a href="http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/mediaeval/starters.php">http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/mediaeval/starters.php</a><br /><br />I just may include a Medieval dish as part of the Christmas meal this holiday season. : - )<br /><br />Regards,<br />Karen<br /><br /><br />Better Than Sex Cake<br /><br />INGREDIENTS:<br />1 German chocolate cake mix<br />1 can sweetened and condensed milk (I use Eagle brand)<br />1 jar caramel ice cream topping<br />1 8 ounce container of Cool Whip<br />6 ounces crushed Heath bar<br />6 ounces crushed plain Hershey bar<br /><br />DIRECTIONS:<br />Bake cake as directed in 9x13 pan. Take the handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes all over the cake while it's still warm. Pour can of condensed milk over warm cake, then repeat with caramel topping. Refrigerate for 6 hours. Frost cake with Cool Whip topping and sprinkle with crushed Heath & Hershey bar. Serve immediately.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/mediaeval/starters.php"></a>Karen Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-47419818642922094712007-11-30T10:47:00.000-08:002010-07-26T12:49:27.272-07:00One way to add realism to our fictionOn this day, November 30, 1959, production on the film "Psycho" began.<br /><br />Now you may be wondering why I began my blog with that tidbit of information. The reason is that I discovered a new research site. If you've read my earlier blogs, you've read about my fascination with research. I'm sure you can imagine my excitement at being able to add another one to my list. : - )<br /><br />I got the above information from the web site of the History Channel by clicking on "This Day in History" and choosing the Entertainment category. I checked out the Literary category first, of course : - ). I learned that on this day in 1835, writer Mark Twain was born.<br /><br />But while I was browsing the site for fun trivia, it occurred to me how useful this site could be for writers. It got me thinking about how we can use "day in history" information to add realism to our fiction.<br /><br />The goal in writing fiction is to suspend disbelief. Writers want readers to believe that the story they're reading and the people they're reading about could really exist. It doesn't matter when or where our story happens. If our readers don't believe what we're writing, then our fiction has failed.<br /><br />Referencing people who lived during a given time period helps our readers identify with the people we've created. Including events which actually took place at the time of our story is one way of making our fictional world familiar. Maybe even a place that readers will want to go to. : - )<br /><br />In case you'd like to take a look, here's a link to the site:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do">http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do</a><br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-18930494395418923622007-11-24T17:40:00.000-08:002010-07-26T13:02:52.966-07:00A "Real" WriterI received an e-mail from a writer who has lost heart with his writing. Since he hasn't been published, he doesn't feel like he's a writer.<br /><br />His story touched me. I don't think there is a writer among us who hasn't endured the heartbreak of rejection and questioned his or her path as a result.<br /><br />Though I am certainly no authority on writing and publishing, I thought I'd share with all of you something that I'd gone through several years ago when I questioned my own path. I hope, if you're reading this and struggling with your own writing goals, you will feel a little less isolated and know you are not alone.<br /><br />I'd been working on a novel for a very very long time. Another novel. That current work in progress wasn't my first. I had scenes on paper, sketchy bits of dialogue, snippets of description. And nothing to string one scene to the next because I'd long since given up the project.<br /><br />I'd called it writer's block that I'd stopped writing, though I winced at the term. It sounded like an excuse to me for not working and, worse, calling not writing by that label seemed pretentious to me. "Writer's Block" is something that afflicts writers like Hemingway. It's a phrase used to describe why words fail best- selling authors. I was certainly not one of those - I hadn't published one word - and so I wasn't worthy of having that same affliction.<br /><br />Not worthy. Right there was the heart of my problem. I didn't think of myself as a 'real' writer. For all the effort I'd put into my writing, the world was not beating a path to my door, clamoring for my prose.<br /><br />If no one wanted to read what I wrote, then why was I writing it? Clearly, my time would be better served doing things that were productive.<br /><br />With my husband's loving support, I'd made a decision to write full time. Since I wasn't writing, though, what did that make me?<br /><br />I struggled to find another purpose for myself. I was doing the chores in my home, things that kept my family comfortable. Okay, I was a homemaker, then. I'm a homemaker, not a writer.<br /><br />I put my novel into my desk and went about my house doing what needed doing. Not just for my family's benefit. It was for my own, as well. Doing for them fulfilled a need within me. A well-cooked meal or fresh towels in the linen closet was my achievement. As caregiver to my family, I felt validated.<br /><br />And that was a feeling I could no longer get when writing. A dramatic sentence or poignant description no longer made me feel the time was worth the effort.<br /><br />Admitting to that, hurt. I'd lived with writing in my life for so long that I didn't know how I'd cope without it. But the pain that was coming lately from writing was as bad as from not writing.<br /><br />So, along with my novel pages, I put aside all of my hopes and dreams for my work. And didn't write.<br /><br />Time passed. Nothing earth shattering happened. The sky didn't fall. The world didn't mourn the loss of my prose. The world didn't change at all because of my decision, but I did. I felt a loss as if something important to me had died.<br /><br />I hadn't expected to feel that way. I'd thought by not writing, I would have felt better, but I didn't. It took me a while to figure out why. Somewhere over the years, while I was pursuing publication, my writing became all about publishing, and not about writing. I'd lost the joy of writing.<br /><br />But I regained it. In that time of not writing, when I realized that something was missing from my life, I also realized that I couldn't stop writing --whether I was ever published or not.<br /><br />I started writing again. Did I put aside my dream of publication? No. I've since had novels, and short stories published. But I realized that it wasn't publication that made me a writer. It was the manuscript pages in my desk. A pretty tall stack, I recall. : - ) But tall or small, a word or a phrase, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I was writing, because it isn't publication that makes me a "real" writer, writing does.<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-20830931282279692342007-11-15T11:23:00.000-08:002010-07-26T13:03:26.611-07:00Where do you write?With an active and exuberant family in my house, it's sometimes difficult to get any writing done on weekends. I usually write Monday to Friday, but with a book I need to finish quickly, I require the additional writing time just now of Saturdays and Sundays.<br /><br />I use the spare bedroom as my office, which happens to be right in the middle of all of the activity. Even a closed door, I've learned, isn't always a deterrent to the more persistent. : - )<br /><br />So, out of necessity at times, I take my writing to the road - literally.<br /><br />Some writers thrive on the busy atmosphere of coffee shops. Others I know listen to music, or have television or a movie playing in the background, I write in silence. The tap tap of the computer keys as I strike them is all the sound I want. For me, that tapping is a symphony or a rock song, depending on my mood. : - )<br /><br />I recently discovered a great place to write that can be as quiet or loud as I prefer - my car.<br /><br />Now, when the weekend comes around, and things get a little too hectic at home for writing, I take my laptop out to my car and let the words flow . . . : - )<br /><br />Where do you write? : - )<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-9794203695753670332007-11-08T08:48:00.000-08:002010-07-26T12:50:34.699-07:00NANOWRIMOAre you participating in NANOWRIMO this month?<br /><br />In case you haven't heard of it, NANOWRIMO is short for National Novel Writing Month, an annual event each November in which writers register to attempt to write 50,000 words of a new novel in 30 days. <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">http://www.nanowrimo.org/</a> The emphasis is on quantity not quality. The thinking behind NANOWRIMO is to write freely, accumulating words, without stopping to edit.<br /><br />I think the concept is wonderful, particularly since, as I've blogged before, I'm obsessive about editing as I write, thinking out each sentence before it makes it to the page.<br /><br />Each year I intend to sign up for NANOWRIMO, and each November I'm neck- deep in another project and unable to start something new.<br /><br />Being the Type A personality that I am (I blogged about that a few weeks ago : - )), I don't know if I can take the necessary step back from the work that I'd need to in order to write without editing - but I'd love to try! I'd love to challenge myself and see if I can let go and just write.<br /><br />I'd also like to see just what I'd end up with in terms of useable material. Wouldn't it be a kick to discover that I'd actually written something worthwhile?<br /><br />I won't have an answer for that this year, since I didn't participate. I'm working to complete my current novel at this time. But, I have high hopes for participating next year : - )<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-44490320241355491972007-11-01T18:38:00.000-07:002010-07-26T12:50:59.800-07:00Where does good writing come from?There's a writing fairy godmother who flits about the universe, visiting all writers, waving her magic wand over us so that we will all instantly produce perfect prose.<br /><br />I'm sure you've met her.<br /><br />You haven't?<br /><br />Don't feel badly, I haven't either.<br /><br />But, if I can indulge the thought for a moment, wouldn't that be wonderful?<br /><br />Reluctantly letting that fantasy go, where, then does good writing come from?<br /><br />I've been at this for a while and though I'm certainly not the definitive authority on the subject, I've learned that good writing comes from bad writing.<br /><br />Good writing is made, not born. Often for many of us, first drafts of a piece of writing are a mess of rambling in places, with gaps you could fly a plane through in others. Reading over such a mess, it can be very difficult to believe that out of that muck, will come good writing. But the truth is, it will.<br /><br />That first draft - messy as it is - is the most important writing we do because it gets the story from our heads to the page. Once there, we can go about moving words, discarding, and adding at will, turning bad writing into good. We'd never be able to do that if we didn't have something to work from.<br /><br />I'm working my way through a first draft now, turning a mess of bad writing into good. I am getting there. But, if you happen to meet up with a writing fairy godmother, do send her my way : - )<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-43433570579118117392007-10-18T17:26:00.001-07:002010-07-26T13:03:49.834-07:00Medium, anyone?I don't watch much TV. Like all of you, I'm sure, time is at a premium and we just don't have any to waste watching programs that we don't enjoy. It's rare for me to find a program that I like and that I like enough to stick to, watching faithfully week after week. I found one last season. That program is MEDIUM.<br /><br />I've never really watched movies or read books that deal with the paranormal. I don't know why that is except that I haven't come across many. I liked MEDIUM from the first episode and I've been looking forward to its return this Fall.<br /><br />The thing is, I've been watching for it and I haven't come across any new episodes. I'm wondering if I've missed them, despite my best efforts : - ) or if the season hasn't started yet for this series.<br /><br />If anyone knows which is the case, please do let me know. Maybe I should just ask a Medium. : - )<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-90536500773582006242007-10-11T21:54:00.000-07:002010-07-26T12:51:28.699-07:00The Tortoise and the HareMy writing isn't coming as quickly as I'd like with my current work in progress. Or so I've been thinking. I seem to have developed this idea lately that I'd written my two previous novels faster than this one. Thinking back on this, though, I realize that wasn't the case. I've always been a tortoise when it comes to my writing, rather than a hare.<br /><br />I'm a slow, methodical writer. I think each sentence through as I write it, testing it for its purpose in the story. Each sentence must earn its place in my mind first, or it will never be included on the page. As a result, I don't write a full chapter at each writing session, but only a few pages.<br /><br />I don't complete manuscripts at lightning speed, but, neither do I find myself discarding countless pages when I get to the editing stage. All of the thought that I put into each line makes for tight and accurate writing.<br /><br />I am definitely a tortoise when it comes to my writing. Since I'm working on my third novel, though, slow and steady works fine for me. : - )<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-17007614652702461372007-10-04T20:58:00.000-07:002010-07-26T12:51:48.918-07:00Writers' Foreplay . . .Recently, I noticed that over the years I've developed habits or rituals as a warm up for writing and to get the thoughts flowing. I hadn't realized that I was doing anything "special" or maybe what I mean is "specific" to get me in the writing mood. I wonder if getting in the writing mood could be described as writers' foreplay : - )<br /><br />Before we all start conjuring up lurid images <g>, I think I'd better explain just what I mean.<br /><br />In an ideal world, we writers would get comfortable in front of our computers (or with pen and paper in hand) and WHAM! brilliant prose and ideas would come to us that we could then just record. Unfortunately, for this writer at least, my writing sessions don't go that way. I've found that I need to encourage the creative process - often drag it forth - kicking and screaming : - )<br /><br />So, just what do I do? A variety of things I realized. Some days, I read over the pages I wrote the day before. That reminds me of where I left off and puts me back in the lives of the people I've created. Other days, I write a note to myself of what I want to accomplish with the days work - not so much a number of pages, but the plot points and emotions that will move the story and characters forward. Lately, though, I've been doing something different: I've been pondering what type of music - or what specific musical recording would suit the scene I seek to write.<br /><br />This addition to my process surprised me. I don't play any musical instruments, read music, or know much about music at all. I don't understand why someone as challenged musically as I am would find thoughts of music a stimulant to creativity. I don't know how, or more, why this is working for me. : - )<br /><br />But, it is. : - )<br /><br />Today, I'm seeking to write a scene in which the FBI heroine in my work in progress has lost her only lead to break her current case.<br /><br />Now, what music would suit this scene. . .<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-51023316365817120132007-09-20T12:42:00.000-07:002010-07-26T13:04:12.297-07:00Sneaking away. . . almostI'm sneaking away for a belated anniversary getaway with my husband. Belated because I've been touring for BETRAYAL and working to meet a looming deadline for my current work-in-progress. My husband and I acknowledged our anniversary briefly when it came around last July, with the promise that we'd celebrate properly when our schedules eased.<br /><br />Since there isn't any indication of that happening, we've decided to go for it and sneak away anyway! : - )<br /><br />The thing is, I'm not sneaking away entirely. I'm setting a scene for my next book in our getaway locale, so this trip will be part vacation and part work. I just haven't told my husband about the "work" part yet. : - )<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287203581519845688.post-81537544572083066492007-09-06T18:29:00.000-07:002010-07-26T13:04:26.135-07:00Before I Die. . .I read about people making a list of everything they want to do before they die. I hadn't ever thought about that. I can't say that I ever considered my wants and goals and hopes and dreams in such a way.<br /><br />I'm not unaware that the clock is ticking, of course. I realize that at some point I will be out of time. But, while I've set personal and professional goals for myself over the years, I've never considered how I would feel if, when my end came, I wasn't able to put a check mark beside each of them.<br /><br />I think, somewhere along the line, I shrugged and accepted that what is left undone, will remain undone.<br /><br />Am I right? Or, when all is said and done, if I still have things that will never be checked off, will I feel dissatisfied or unfulfilled . . .<br /><br />Just in case, maybe I should get started on that list. : - )<br /><br />Regards,<br />KarenKaren Fenechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08110897263046427538noreply@blogger.com0