Welcome to 2015

So this post is a long time coming. Part of the reason I'm such a bad blogger is because I never know what to write about. I do have some new book reviews coming, and have plans to host more authors as well, but with the holidays kicking everyone's butts, time has flown by and here we are almost halfway through January. In any case, I thought I'd do a New Year's type post, with a look ahead as to what's coming, as far as me and my books are concerned.

I've already posted about Warrior's Possession being released sometime this summer. Additionally, I'm hard at work on the next Magiste book, and this one takes us back to 13^th century France. I've had to do quite a bit of research, since my main characters will be traveling to the New World, and that journey is way ahead of Columbus'. Most of the research has been along the lines of ships of the time, and the various Papal Inquisitions that took place during this time. The Spanish Inquisition that most are familiar with is still a couple hundred years away, but there were several others that came before. The Spanish Inquisition was by far the most far-reaching and long-lasting of them all, but the one started by Pope Innocent III was focused on the Cathars. The next pope continued the Inquisition, supported by King Louis IX, and it is during his reign that this book takes place. I'm having fun with the Marchand ancestors – they are quite the dark Enchanters, though the hero in this book, Henri Marchand, has some very conflicting feelings about that. He has his heroic side, such as rescuing the heroine, Chantal, but he also has his dark side, so it makes for lots of juicy emotional torment for him.

My Viking tale is also completed, and for now is being reviewed by a couple of agents. It's another tale that I call true to the time, and there are scenes that can certainly make some folks uncomfortable, but hey, what's a Gianna Simone book without a little questionable content, right? One agent in particular had requested revisions so I could resubmit and I did complete those and found she was absolutely right and it made the book so much better. I'm hoping one way or another to have some news about how Norseman's Revenge is faring sometime in the spring.

On the personal side, I spent much of the fall traveling to various colleges with my daughter. She has applied to the top four on her list, and has already been accepted to her number one choice, the University of Scranton. Some days, I am dreading her leaving, and others I'm ready to take her out there right now! I suppose that's typical of being the mother of a teenage girl, though I somehow managed to escape karma with her – she's a really good, hardworking kid (I was a rotten teenager, rebellious and always in trouble). My son, on the other hand, while also a super kid, is going to more of a handful, I can tell already, but for now he's only 10 and still loves his mommy. He's become quite the hockey player this year – and his team just had a special event sponsored by the NJ Devils (I know, we're NY Rangers fans, but the Devils sponsor a lot of NJ youth hockey events). They actually got to play on the ice at The Rock after the first period and he and all his teammates were thrilled beyond belief.

In other news, I am actively seeking a part time job – we need the money, though being unemployed does give us an edge when applying for college financial aid. But I need hours that will allow me to be home for the kids after school and still give me enough time to write, while bringing in some extra cash. The local bookstore didn't want me, but since I've been out of retail for almost 30 years, I'm not surprised. 

So that's the recap – stay tuned for more info on my books, some reviews and more. 

Happy 2015 – here's hoping it's happy, healthy and prosperous for everyone.