I do a fair number of guest posts on other people’s blogs, but today’s was one of the most meaningful (to me) I’ve ever done. Come over to Pam Thibodeaux’s blog and read why.
http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/tuesdaytreasure-guest-post-by-karen.html
This post is part of the Winter Warm-up Blog Hop. For more info, go to www.hopswithheart.blogspot.com . For prize information, read to the end!
I live in a very suburban neighborhood that sits near the downtown area of a mid-sized city in North Carolina. It’s been a great place to raise kids and make a life, and as we’ve gotten older, my husband and I have decided that we want to retire in this house and this area.
The location is within walking distance of schools, churches, and stores and there are sidewalks in most places. Homes and yards are neatly kept, large old oak trees make it a very green area, and the neighbors are great.
Christmas time, though, is when my neighborhood shines most brightly. I mean that in both a very literal and very metaphorical way.
The literal part is based on an amazing light display that was invented by someone in the neighborhood, caught on with the neighbors, and has spread all over it. It’s now being picked up by people in other places because it looks so astonishingly beautiful and is surprisingly easy to do.
Lighted tree balls are made from chicken wire shaped roughly into a ball or tube shape and strung with lights. But the thing that makes them amazing is that they are hung high in those tall trees. After dark, they seem to float in the air. With a whole neighborhood’s worth of them surrounding you, it feels like you’re in a fairyland.
Unfortunately, they don’t photograph well. I know a number of people who’ve tried to get pictures of them, including myself. I’ve linked to a Youtube video below that tells the story of how they got started and gives some idea what the neighborhood looks like this time of year.
Courtesy of Greensboro News & Record
There are many wonderful features to this display, including the way neighbors come together to put them up and the beauty created, but perhaps the best one is this: the display is used as a way to collect food for the hungry. Stations are set up around the neighborhood to collect canned and packaged goods to support various ministries in the city. Check out the blog link below for an update on how much has already been collected this year. There are also some much better pictures of the lights on the blog post.
Neighbors like these make me proud to be a part of the Sunset Hills neighborhood.
http://lightedchristmasballs.blogspot.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkf2DmF_-3w
The promotional note: I have just re-released one of my books formerly published by Avalon Books as an ebook. I’ve re-edited and updated it a bit, but kept the basic story the same. If you’re looking for a fun Christmas story with mystery and light romance, BLUE DECEMBER should work for you.
Blurb: It’s two weeks before Christmas and Meg Brandt, a department manager at Wambash’s, “the store with the answer to all your family’s needs,” has problems beyond the usual seasonal chaos. Her department is losing cash from the registers. Inventory is leaving the premises unrecorded and unpaid. Security is focusing on her, since the losses are happening on her watch. Her efforts to track down the source of the disappearances have produced no results, and her career appears to be headed for oblivion. When the store’s new security officer starts showing unusual attention to her, Meg isn’t sure what to think. He’s attractive in any number of ways, but she can’t be sure if his interest is personal or professional.
Buy at Amazon for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q29CBNC
Prizes: My prize is a Christmas gift pack containing chocolate, a couple of books and other goodies for one randomly chosen commenter. Be sure to leave your email address so I can get in touch with you.
Grand prize:
I’m experimenting with a Pinterest board for Blue December. Aside from images of the characters and places, what do you put on a Board for a book?
Did you notice that today, December 13th, 2014, is abbreviated in the US as 12/13/14?
I love this season of the year, as busy as it is. Shopping, baking, decorating, wrapping. It’s all good!
This year is particularly busy and exciting because all of kids and grandkids will be spending the holiday at our home. Normally, it’s just the two of us in the house, which is, admittedly a bit large for two people. But the location is pretty much ideal for us, so ten years ago, we renovated the place to be what we needed for a retirement home. Of the three bedrooms on the ground floor, one became my office, one my husband’s office, and the third is the master suite. The two bedrooms upstairs are used only as guest rooms now (and extra storage) so we don’t keep them heated or cooled except when they’re being used.
So technically we have room for the seven extra people who will be coming, although it makes the place feel a little crowded. But the interesting thing is that one of the visitors is a baby and two others are toddlers. It’s been a long time since our house was child-proofed, but I’m doing what I can. I’m sure the kids will quickly show us everything we missed. But we’ll have plenty of adults around as well to keep an eye on what’s happening.
This short, romantic Christmas mystery was originally published in hard cover in 1992 by Avalon Books, which has since been bought by Amazon. It’s been re-edited for release as an ebook.
Blurb: It’s two weeks before Christmas and Meg Brandt, a department manager at Wambash’s, “the store with the answer to all your family’s needs,” has problems beyond the usual seasonal chaos. Her department is losing cash from the registers. Inventory is leaving the premises unrecorded and unpaid. Security is focusing on her, since the losses are happening on her watch. Her efforts to track down the source of the disappearances have produced no results, and her career appears to be headed for oblivion. When the store’s new security officer starts showing unusual attention to her, Meg isn’t sure what to think. He’s attractive in any number of ways, but she can’t be sure if his interest is personal or professional.
I’m over at Buried Under Books, blogging about the power of story in our lives. Come, join me there. Would love to hear your thoughts!
http://cncbooksblog.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/the-power-of-story/
I have guest blogs posted at Sandy Cody’s blog talking about that old chestnut, where the ideas come from:
http://www.birthofanovel.wordpress.com
Sandy was also kind enough to post an excerpt of my new release, The Detective’s Dilemma here:
http://www.sandracareycody.com/guestexcerpt.html
Lucy Woodhull posted a really fun and off-the-wall interview with me at her blog, Stupid Questions with Lucy:
http://www.misswordedthewriter.blogspot.com/2014/11/stupid-questions-with-lucy-wedding-pie.html
The Winner of the Paranormal Romance BLog hop is Angela.
The winner of the Snarkology blog hop is Joely.
You should both be getting an email from me about your prizes, but if you don’t get it, please contact me at karen@kmccullough.com
The Detective’s Dilemma releases today! This book has had a long road behind it. I wrote it about five years ago, with a particular publisher in mind. That publisher requested the full from a query, but before they could contract it, the line’s guidelines changed and the book no longer fit them.
I then queried a number of other publishers and one indicated interest in it, but they wanted changes that would have made it a different book – not the one I’d written, so I walked away from it.
When I heard that Kensington’s Lyrical Press was looking to broaden their list, I submitted this book and got a contract offer less than a month later. They were willing to negotiate a couple of contract terms I wasn’t happy with, so we had a deal.
Last spring I was assigned an editor and we began the back and forth of three rounds of edits. It was a pretty grueling process and there were changes I wasn’t entirely happy with. But I’ve learned that editing is a give and take process that involves lots of compromises. I lean toward accepting an editor’s opinion. An outside perspective on the book sees things the author doesn’t.
Finally, a few months ago, I got the galleys for the book, which meant another check. By this time I’ve read through this book at least a dozen times and I’m excruciatingly tired of it. And even with all that I know that at least one error slipped through the cracks.
I hope many, many readers will enjoy it.
The Detective’s Dilemma is a short romantic suspense novel published in paperback and ebook by Kensington’s Lyrical Press imprint.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Detectives-Dilemma-Karen-McCullough-ebook/dp/B00OA9WFQY/
BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-detectives-dilemma-karen-mccullough/1120500707?ean=9781616506520
Kensington: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/31106
Blurb: Although Sarah Anne Martin admits to pulling the trigger, she swears someone forced her to kill her lover. Homicide detective Jay Christianson is skeptical, but enough ambiguous evidence exists to make her story plausible. If he gives her enough freedom, she’ll either incriminate herself or draw out the real killers. But, having been burned before, Jay doesn’t trust his own protective instincts…and his growing attraction to Sarah only complicates matters.