Life Outside of Writing?

I'd planned on doing a long blog post on how awesome B's new education plan was...but then I found out that it was a "proposed" plan and that the Jr. High will most likely dump half of it. I'm still waiting to hear more.

B, on the other hand, has been having so much fun lately. She turned 12 and in our church that's a big birthday because she moved up to the Young Women's group where she is making friends and having a blast. She went to a scripture lock-in at someone's house last weekend and she's busy doing all sorts of girl activities during the week and on Sunday she gets to be with the girls 12-18 now. She. Loves. It.

T did his last Pinewood Derby and finally did the shark car he'd always wanted to. He went through four days of standardized testing this year and he hasn't come down from that stress.

They're both in school for another week and a half. B's teacher and several other teachers are being laid off at the end of this school year due to budget issues. (Originally there were 9 out of 23 being laid off--I think they're down to 7.) So this end of year has been even more bittersweet than normal.

I've been diving into writing more--partly to deal with the rest of life's stress. I can't seem to cope if I'm not writing or revising. On my writing site, I've been posting either short stories or part of a serial every Friday. If you're interested, they're all going here: http://wendysparrow.com/free-shorts/

It's funny...I can't wait for school to be over...even as I know having the kids home all summer is going to make me bonkers. I hope we can find stuff to fill up their days... *fingers crossed*

The Cold and Lovely Moon - Free Short Story

I put a short story I wrote quite a while ago on my Author blog. If you're interested, go here:

http://wendysparrow.com/2013/04/the-cold-and-lovely-moon-free-story/

Leave me a comment so I know I'm not just throwing these stories out into the ether to fend for themselves...poor little short stories.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum

If you've known me for any length of time, you know that my kids are my world. They’re everything to me. When I was asked as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, “A mom.”  Like most things in the world, those idealized plans we have as children aren't as simple or as care-free as we think.

It started with the miscarriages, I miscarried over and over. At some points, I was on birth control just because we couldn't handle the stress of it as a couple.

 So, when I finally got pregnant and stayed pregnant, it seemed like the tough times were over…and then I threw up every day of the pregnancy and started having contractions at 28 weeks. With bedrest, I made it to 37 weeks and then…then it would be easy and like what you read in the books.

B was born with an air pocket in her lung and a collapsed lung. They were able to resolve it in the NICU in a few days, and we took her home.

 But, then, it was going to be easy, right? I’d be able to find my answers in all those books I had. I’d be that mom I wanted to be when I was a kid. 

B had so many weird little allergic type reactions and she was sick–all the time–she was sick over two dozen times in the first two years of her life. But then she started talking when I was pregnant with T, and it felt like I was finally fitting on the pages of my parenting books…and then she stopped talking and the words just disappeared. They slipped away and other milestones followed.

 I was given a baby scrapbook at one of my baby showers, and I didn't know what to do with it. One of her sicknesses reverted her back to crawling again. Her first words were gone. She seemed not to care who I was or if I was in the room. She never pointed–she would just shove our hands at what she wanted. There was never any eye contact. She wouldn't react when we called her name. One of the scariest things was that her response to pain was nonexistent at times.

 We were living outside the parenting books…reading them just made me cry.

 A month after T was born, I convinced my husband we should see the doctor about her hearing–but it was more than that–I knew it was more than that. On March 8th of 2003, the doctor told us he thought she had regressive Autism. It changed everything. It hurt, and it helped. Nothing was the same, but everything made sense. It felt like the start of a different life…and it was.

 Later, my son was diagnosed with Asperger’s and both kids got secondary diagnoses of Sensory Integration Dysfunction.

 Thanks to therapists, doctors, diets, teachers, interventions, family–and a whole lot of work from us and from the kids, my kids are both extremely high-functioning and mainstreamed in school. Most people will never know they were once diagnosed with things that ripped our hearts out.

 B loves math and likes to Skype with friends about Minecraft. She’s sweet, beautiful, and laughs at corny jokes. She has a friend who refers to B as “her best friend.”

 T has been reading at a 12th grade reading level since 3rd grade–likes to know everything about everything, and he, too, is obsessed with Minecraft. He’s charming and treats our furniture like a jungle gym. He is the most literal child you’ll ever meet and half of his sentences are the word “Dude.”

 Ultimately, our story is a story of hope. After the crying and the loss and the confusion, we got up and got to work. My parenting experience has never been in the standard books. We celebrated when B relearned words and could put her feet in sand. We celebrated when T stopped wearing earphones and gloves.

 I’m not at all the mom I thought I’d be as a kid. I’m the mom who learned home therapy and married the dad who built a therapy room for his kids.  I’m the mom who cooked gluten-free and dairy-free for four years. My husband is the dad who once stayed in a job he didn't always like because the medical benefits for therapy were good. I’m the mom who jumped at the chance to write something for a book about being a mom to kids on the spectrum. I’m the mom who bawled while reading through journals and through every revision.

 When I heard that my story “When Ladybugs Roar” had been chosen as a finalist–I felt everything I’d always wanted to feel as both a writer and a mom.  I've never been so proud of being a writer and a mom. So, I'm that mom…and my story is found in the section of the book under the category of “Hope and Expectations."

Downstairs From Hell--Free Short Story

So, once upon a time, I wrote a romantic tax season short story. You know...as you do. I put it on my website's blog just now: http://wendysparrow.com/2013/04/downstairs-from-hell-free-story/

The Creeping Death

This is cut and pasted from my website's blog--if you haven't seen that, you can go check it out and think, "Wow, Wendy! Look at that! You have a website!" I know, right? Weird. 

I've been gone from online lately because I caught the flu...only just calling it the flu doesn't really cut it. It was definitely the creeping death...and both my kids and I caught it. The timing sucks because I missed Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd, but there was just no way. I think I slept through that day actually--I was that sick. My kids both had fevers so high (over 105) that we were worried about seizures and used frozen rice bags to ice-pack their heads. 

It's been a very slow recovery for me because I took care of the kids when the husband was gone and I have wimpy lungs. I'm still coughing my brains out and it's been over two weeks. Ugh.

I will be posting more this week and hopefully getting back into the swing of things. I hope. I actually finished a revision during the last two weeks of hell, and I received good news about a few other projects. (Of course, in the world of publishing, this means I'll be able to share it with you around the time they're actually published.) 

In my next post, I'll talk more about my contribution to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum which came out on April 2nd. There are buy links on my book page on my website.  

Thanks for reading! *blows kisses sprayed with Lysol* 

Facebook Party Tonight (3/26)

Tonight is a Flirt & Ever After (novellas) Entangled party on Facebook. It's from 8-9 p.m. (EST) so 5-6 p.m. (PST) There are going to be giveaways and loads of fun I'm sure. But, WOOOOOOO! Giveaways! It'll be my first Facebook event. I'm a little nervous. So, if you're there...and I'm the kid doing their own thing...I'm assuming I'll get better at this with time. : )

Party! Party! Party! 

By the way, if you're thinking: Wendy is on Facebook? Wuhhhh? Here is my author page: Wendy IS on Facebook! Come "like" me if you...you know...like me...if you don't...it's fine...we can still do the acquaintance nod when we meet.

Also, I'm going to be post more or all of my author-related blog posts on my site eventually: http://wendysparrow.com/blog/  Since this blog still has most of my followers, I'm double posting some things. 

Amalia Dillin's Forged by Fate Cover Reveal

My good Twitter friend, Amalia's cover is here and it's gorgeous! Check it out and visit her website for all the amazing new info:

Amalia's Website

Every god, from each of the world’s pantheons, mythologies, and religions — they’re all real.

After Adam fell, God made Eve to protect the world. — Adam has pursued Eve since the dawn of creation, intent on using her power to create a new world and make himself its God. Throughout history, Eve has thwarted him, determined to protect the world and all of creation. Unknown to her, the Norse god Thor has been sent by the Council of Gods to keep her from Adam’s influence, and more, to protect the interests of the gods themselves. But this time, Adam is after something more than just Eve’s power — he desires her too, body and soul, even if it means the destruction of the world. Eve cannot allow it, but as one generation melds into the next, she begins to wonder if Adam might be a man she could love.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16207327-forged-by-fate

Entangled In Love Valentine's Blog Hop

Click here to check out what the other authors are giving away during the Entangled In Love blog hop!

This is quite the hoopla so go check out the other blogs--and GET ALL THE THINGS!  WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!   For my blog, I'm giving away a Personalized Snowflake Mug from Personalization Mall!  Score!

    

You can put whatever name you want on there! Yours, your BFFs, Jack's name, Frosted, Booger, your boss's (suck-up), etc. Limitless limited options. (Let's not get nuts...I'm sure they only allow a certain number of letters.)  I'm limiting this to the contiguous United States because their international shipping rates scare the crap out of me...AND I'm terrified I wouldn't pack this well enough and the snowflake mug would be shattered to pieces the size of snowflakes.

The snowflake necklace I'm giving away in the Get Frosted Blog Hop IS international, though, so knock yourself out there. Here is the Rafflecopter giveaway for the mug pictured above:a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Super Bad Jack Frost- Frosted Jokes

I'm trying to switch more of my writer's blog posts over to my website. (It's been up and going for about a week now...yay! Woo!)

Here is the post link: http://wendysparrow.com/2013/02/the-best-of-the-worst-jack-frost-frosted-jokes/

But I'll repost it here...so you don't have to travel:

I know how much you guys have been enjoying my jokes on Twitter, but you’re all heartbroken because you might miss some while you’re sleeping…or whatever you people do during the middle of the night while I’m awake.  So, HERE THEY ARE…altogether…for your bad joke enjoyment.

How does Jack Frost get around town?

By icicle.

Where does Jack Frost keep his money?

In a snowbank.

After he’s nipped your nose, what does Jack Frost do to show you he REALLY likes you?

Frost bites.

What did Jack Frost have for lunch?

An ice-berger.

Oh, yeah, well, what did he have for breakfast?

Frosted Flakes.

What did Jack Frost call the lazy Frost Fairy who skipped work?

Snow flake.

What did Jack Frost give the baby Frost Fairy?

A snow mobile.

What happened when Jack Frost got attacked by a vampire?

Frost bitten.

What happened when the icicle fell on Jack Frost’s head?

It knocked him out cold.

What is Jack Frost’s favorite dessert?

Something with icing. (You thought I was going to say frosting there, didn’t you? I like to mix it up.)

How does Jack Frost greet his enemies?

With an icy stare.

How did Jack Frost’s ice queen know things were heating up between them?

She got wet.

What did Jack Frost’s ice queen do when he came home late one night?

She gave him the cold shoulder.

Who is Jack Frost’s favorite aunt?

Aunt Arctica

When the Frost Fae return back to the Winter World, how do they greet Jack Frost?

Ice to see you!

(I know. That one was really bad. I winced as I was typing it, and I may have thrown-up a little in my mouth too.)

What does Jack Frost take when he gets sick?

A chill pill.

(There was a joke that I thought of adding here where the punchline was snow-balls, but… *coughs* I’m leaving it out.)

(No, I’m using it.)

Where does the royal winter couple dance the night away?

At snow-balls.

(Wait, what were you thinking?)

(gasps)

Why did Jack Frost leave the snowbank in a fury?

His assets had been frozen.

(See what I did there? I played off that earlier joke. Oh, what? I can’t do that? FINE!)

What are little Frost Fae called?

Chill-dren.

What do you call Jack Frost in Florida?

Out of his element.

Okay, last one… (you’re welcome)

What did Jack Frost’s wife say to him when he was in a temper?

Chill out.

If you groaned at most of these jokes, it shows you have good taste, and you’d definitely enjoy my novella Frosted.  There is an abnormally large excerpt on Entangled’s Frosted page…not that size matters…but if it does, it’s here:

Frosted Excerpt

If you laughed at all of these jokes, well you’re just easy to please, and you should just skip to buying Frosted:

If you enjoy Frosted, I’d be eternally grateful to you if you review it somewhere or “like” it on Amazon or tell a friend…maybe buy it for everyone you know…whatever…. ; )  Thanks for visiting my blog.

Get Frosted--Blog Tour

Get Frosted!

Please join me in celebrating the release of my debut Contemporary Fantasy Romance Novella, Frosted! Jack Frost will be giving away a Blue and White Swarovski Crystal Snowflake Necklace in Sterling Silver to one lucky winner at the end of the tour–experience the shivers of excitement only Jack can deliver!

Tuesday February 5th Reader Girls Blog

Wednesday February 6th My Reading Room

Friday February 8th Books Glorious Books

Monday February 11th Always YA at Heart

Tuesday February 12th  Reading Lark After Dark

Wednesday February 13th  Whispers at Moonlight

Friday February 15th Books and Needlepoint

Monday February 18th Urban Girl Reader

Tuesday February 19th Bookish Babbles with Michelle

Wednesday February 20th Manga Maniac Cafe

Friday February 22nd http://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/

Monday February 25th Grave Tells

Tuesday February 26th The Caffeinated Diva

Wednesday February 27th  Random Jendsmit

Wednesday February 27th What I’m Reading in Search of Great Romance

Thursday February 28st Cocktails and Books 

Friday March 1st Waves of Fiction

Frosted by Wendy Sparrow

 Seven years ago, Kate Finley fell through the ice into the Winter World and straight into the heart of its king, Jack Frost. Then cold feet set in and Kate ran from the one man who made her feel complete.

Jack let his queen go back to the mortal world to say goodbye but she escaped out of his reach to sunny Florida. Now time is short, and he must convince his runaway bride to give him a second chance to melt her heart.

Information

Title: Frosted

Author: Wendy Sparrow

Genre:  Contemporary Fantasy Romance Novella

Length: 117 pages

Release Date: January 2013

 ISBN: 978-1-62266-860-1

Imprint: Ever After

 

Cue Crazy Screaming And Muppety Arms

So, I told you my novella would be out today...

Kate and Jack have all the regular marital problems of a couple who have been married a while.  The sex has cooled.  She’s concerned that he’s not emotionally invested in their relationship.  Distance is definitely a problem—mostly because, as the King of the winter world, Jack Frost can’t make it down to sunny Florida where Kate has been hiding for seven years.  After falling through the ice and marrying the king of winter himself, Kate is the one with cold feet…and cold everything else.  Now her work drags her to Denver, Colorado where Jack has one last chance of convincing his run-away bride to come home for good. 

Goodreads

Amazon (if you feel like "liking it" via the "like" button--I wouldn't hate that...)

Barnes and Noble

Dudes, there are no words. I've been at this for four years... I've got my unofficial bachelor's in "It's tough to be a writer" and I just got through one of the worst years ever...and then there's this... MY NAME IS ON THERE. I just want to grab you and shake you until you realize how significant this is because you can't possibly... THAT'S MY NAME. I did that. 

*sighs*

It's good to be me today. 

Good News from a Bad Year

I woke up to a whole slew of emails this morning--all with varying degrees of good news. It felt...odd. This has been a very strange year thus far as compared to last year. I'm not sure if at some point I've paid some debt to the universe or what.

Most of the news awaits approval from others and so on. It seems like I *might* be signing more than one contract in the next few weeks--which is exciting. I might have to go buy a new lucky pen to sign them.

(Also knocks on wood)

It does appear like I'm going to have a novella published this upcoming Monday. I can't tell you which...though I'm sure you can guess if you've read any previous posts. Entangled likes to be all sekrity about things so that you're just blown away when the books hit the "stands." (I picture all of you blasted by an unseen wind as you click on links on Monday--tell me if that's the case.)

I did get to see the cover this morning.

I like it.

I like it a lot.

It's weird after all this time. I've been "a writer" for over four years now--agented for two years. I've had four short stories published in anthologies and I loved those experiences, but this will be my first standalone. My experience has seemed like a bunch of contradictions.

Writing is awesome, except when it isn't.

The publishing world moves slow, except when it doesn't.

Last year sucked--except that everything that is now spinning into good news--is from last year. Also, November 2012 was one of the worst months of my life, hands down...except that the hell of all that I went through...the sleepless nights...the stress...generated two novels I'm proud of--two novels that are pretty damn funny--which makes sense because I use humor as a defensive mechanism.

Then, there's you. You might be an old reader of my blog OR you might just be someone who visited my blog to read about a friend stealing an idea from me...and now you care what happens to me.

Life is a weird bunch of contradictions so I guess it's no surprise that the writing life is too.

So...Monday...come here...or see me on Twitter...you're supposed to be blown away by the sheer awesomeness that is *Title Redacted*

*snickers*

New Odd Prime Year--New Odd Goals

I can't even begin to tell you how much I wanted to get into a new year. Wow, did 2012 suck for the most part. There were some good times, but the amount of stress so vastly outweighed everything.

Okay...so there were some very good times.

We took the kids to Disneyland. I wrote a few books I'm really proud of. I won third place in Mystery Times Nine anthology which is available now: Mystery Times Nine 2012  I grew closer to a few friends that I plan to keep for the rest of my life. My husband and I went on a 15th anniversary trip to New Orleans--which was on my bucket list for the U.S. (Florida Keys is the last remaining on that list.) I spent time with family and friends. There was just so much stress--including a lot of medical stress that is going to spill over to this year.

Anyway, we're into a new year, and it's prime and odd. Thirteen isn't actually unlucky in my book. It's actually very, very lucky. Prime. Odd. And it's rare to see thirteen stories, Fridays, or anything because of other people being superstitious and, of course, the calendar on the Friday thing--so I see that as positive--like a blue moon. On the whole, many with OCD are extremely superstitious. Not because we believe but because we HAVE to cover our bases and we have to place blame when things go wrong. I don't walk under ladders, open umbrellas inside, and I don't step on crack if I'm paying attention. *knocks on wood* *throws salt over shoulder* On the other hand, my love affair with odd, prime numbers outweighs the number thirteen superstition by a landslide.

So, in this very lucky new year, I'm going to set some goals.

1. Read at least 13 Sci-fi/Fantasy, Classics, Mystery, Contemporary, Suspense/Horror, Historical, Paranormal, Non-fiction, Non-fiction (writing), MG, YA, PB, and general/other fiction. 13x13 = at least 169 titles.

2. Revise Honor Among Thieves, Sentinel's Run, Dream a Little Dream, Secrets of Skin and Stone, and Curse Me a Story.

3. Keep my house cleaner and quit using my abhorrence as an excuse.

4. Write three novels (including finishing one I've started.)

5. Have Sarah sub three novels.

6. Write at least 13 Amazon reviews.

7. Average at least 13 blog posts per month. (I know...I've been horrible about that lately--I was burnt out and depressed.)

I'd planned on starting the year by walking away from publishing...because the stress from all of that contributed to how bad last year was. On the other hand, this is my lucky year...if I can't swing things in my favor this year, I can assume nothing will help. ; ) Plus, I have a difficult time walking away with something unfinished--so maybe "planned" was a pipe-dream/empty threat anyway. I'm a writer to my soul--a storyteller--so the natural progression is to publish. Last year just sucked so bad. I just want to punch it in the face despite all the good times.

So, that's it.

I'm starting off the year with a head cold so I'm going back to bed now that I've done this.

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

Titles I Read in 2012

So, I decided to read 366 titles (short stories, picture books, midgrades included) in 2012. It seemed ambitious and insane...but also the type of thing to do in a Leap Year. It WAS insane. I'm a fast reader, but also...this was crazy. I'm not sure I'll ever hit this high again for a single year. (The previous year was less than 100.) You know what is crazier? I have at least twice this many books on my To-Be-Read list--and there are a bunch I really need to buckle down and read. I really need to quit letting books jump the line too. *headslap*

I'm posting my final list of books read. Some of my five star reads are going unmarked because I wasn't as careful early on in the year about noting them. So, if a book doesn't have five stars, it doesn't mean it wasn't a five star book. There were actually very few books on this list that I didn't like--probably less than two dozen. For that many books...that's a small amount. Oh, and I cleared it with Twitter about including my own stuff and they okayed it--so take it up with them if you object.

My other goal for the year was to post 52 Amazon reviews of books and I fell a few reviews short of that--so I really need to clear my slate and write a few more.

Oh, and I surpassed 366 and finished at 393.

Titles Read in 2012

Books that went in Favorites category: *****

Rereads: RR

Read them more than once this year: (x2, x3)

Book Club reads marked.

(I've included some anthology locations for my family--as some of them share my Kindle library.) 

Contemporary Romance

1. On One Condition by Diane Alberts

2. Try Me (Take a Chance) by Diane Alberts*****

3. Real Romance by Ginny Baird

4. Too Hot to Handle by Aleah Barley

5. The Rent-A-Groom by Jennifer Blake

6. Fool for Love Anthology by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Stephanie Bond, Judith Arnold (RR)

7. Enticed by Stephanie Bond

8. Private Confessions by Lori Borrill

9. Catch Me If You Can by Nina Bruhns ***** (#1 in New Orleans Series)

10. Sweet Suspicion by Nina Bruhns ***** (#3 in New Orleans Series)

11. Sweet Revenge by Nina Bruhns ***** (#2 in New Orleans Series)

12. Killer Temptation by Nina Bruhns***** (#1 in Killer series)

13. Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot ***** (RR)

14. The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot ***** (RR)

15. Constant Craving by Tori Carrington

16. The Temporary Mrs. King by Maureen Child

17. Table for One by Ros Clarke

18. Love Comes for Saint Patrick’s Day by Jennifer Conner

19. Love Comes for Valentine’s Day by Jennifer Conner

20. A Night of Southern Comfort by Robin Covington

21. Secret Santa Baby by Robin Covington

22. The Disgraced Playboy (Notorious Wolves #2) by Caitlyn Crews*****

23. Crazy for You by Jennifer Crusie (RR)

24. The Day My Sister Shot the Mailman And Got Away With It, Of Course by Jennifer Crusie

25. Snowbound by Fay Cunningham

26. A Blazing Little Christmas (in One Click Buy Blaze December 2008) by Jacquie D’Allessandro, Joanne Rock, and Kathleen O’Reilly ***** (esp. Dear Santa by Kathleen O’Reilly)

27. Lancelot’s Lady by Cherish D’Angelo and Cheryl Kaye Tardif

28. Killer Affair by Cindy Dees (#3 in Killer series)

29. Feed the Fire by Melissa Ecker

30. Love by Chance by Debra Elizabeth

31. Virtually Yours by Alexandra Erie

32. Believe It or Not by Tawna Fenske*****

33. Best Man, Worst Man by Stacy Gail

34. Married by Mistake by Abby Gaines

35. The Stolen Bride (Notorious Wolves #3) by Abby Green

36. Roped In by Crystal Green

37. Naughty or Nice by Kari Lee Harmon*****

38. The Man with the Money (Notorious Wolves #5)  by Lynn Raye Harris

39. The Boyfriend Bylaws by Susan Hatler

40. A Valentine from Harlequin: Six Degrees of Romance Anthology

41. Bah, Humbug! by Heather Horrocks

42. Wife for a Week by Kelly Hunter*****

43. Talking in Your Sleep by Samantha Hunter (in One Click Buy Blaze December 2008)

44. A Spy for Christmas by Kristen James

45. Double-edged Detective by Mallory Kane

46. For Services Rendered by Patricia Kay

47. Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye*****

48. Blazing Midsummer Nights by Leslie Kelly

49. Bringing Down Sam by Leslie Kelly

50. Don’t Open Until Christmas by Leslie Kelly

51. Killing Time by Leslie Kelly***** (#3 in Derryville series)

52. Make Me Over by Leslie Kelly***** (RR)

53. Relentless by Leslie Kelly

54. Propositioned by Leslie Kelly

55. She Drives Me Crazy by Leslie Kelly***** (#1 in Walker Brothers set)

56. She’s Got the Look by Leslie Kelly***** (#2 in Walker Brothers set)

57. Trick Me, Treat Me by Leslie Kelly***** (RR) (#1 in Derryville series)

58. Two to Tangle by Leslie Kelly (#1 in Langtree Family set)

59. Thrill Me by Leslie Kelly (#2 in Derryville series)

60. Night Whispers by Leslie Kelly

61. Morning Man by Barbara Kellyn

62. Nobody Does it Better by Julie Kenner

63. Starstruck by Julie Kenner (One Click Buy December 2009)

64. About Last Night by Ruthie Knox *****

65. Ride With Me by Ruthie Knox *****

66. The Big Heat by Jennifer LeBrecque (in One Click Buy Blaze December 2008)

67. Private Lessons by Julie Elizabeth Leto

68. To Love, Honor, and Betray by Jennie Lucas

69. Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn *****

70. Home for the Holidays by Christine Lynxwiler

71. Oh, Baby! By Claire Matthes

72. Can’t Get Enough by Sarah Mayberry*****

73. Holiday in Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller*****

74. Police Business by Julie Miller

75. Beauty and the Badge by Julie Miller

76. Bodyguards in Bed Anthology by Lucy Monroe, Jamie Denton, and Elisabeth Naughton

77. The Shy Bride by Lucy Monroe *****

78. A Night of Scandal (Notorious Wolves #1) by Sarah Morgan *****

79. The Twelve Nights of Christmas by Sarah Morgan

80. One Bride Short of a Wedding by Sandra Mull

81. Always a Bridesmaid by Cindi Myers

82. Kiss Me If You Can by Carly Phillips

83. White Christmas by Cheryl Pierson

84. The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst*****

85. It’s In His Kiss by Catie Quinn

86. No Dress Required by Cari Quinn

87. Getting Gabriel by Cathy Quinn

88. What I Did on My Summer Vacation Anthology by Debbie Rawlins, Thea Devine, and Samantha Hunger

89. Danger Next Door by Katie Reus

90. Wrong Bed, Right Guy by Katee Robert *****

91. Riding the Storm by Joanne Rock

92. You Again by Carolyn Scott

93. My Fake Fiancé by Lisa Scott

94. Aftershock by Jill Shalvis

95. The Heat is On by Jill Shalvis

96. Love Letters, Inc. by EC Sheedy

97. Kiss Me I’m Irish Anthology by Roxanne St. Claire, Jill Shalvis, and Maureen Child

98. Christmas Male by Cara Summers***** (One Click Buy: December 2009)

99. To Desire a Scoundrel by Tracy Sumner

100. Strokes of Midnight by Hope Tarr (in One Click Buy: December Blaze 2008)*****

101. A Family for Christmas by Helen Scott Taylor*****

102. A Wedding Story by Dee Tenorio

103. Holiday Kisses by Various

104. Some Like it in Handcuffs by Christine Warner

105. Breathless by Nancy Warren *****

106. By the Book by Nancy Warren

107. Whisper by Nancy Warren

108. Killer Passion by Sheri Whitefeather (#2 in Killer series)

109. Fevered by Lori Wilde

110. Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Cathy Yardley

111. The Life She Left Behind by Maisey Yates

112. Marriage Made on Paper by Maisey Yates *****

Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Magical Realism Romance

1. Divinely Ruined by Diane Alberts

2. Banshee Charmer by Tiffany Allee

3. Once Upon a Valentine Anthology by Stephanie Bond, Leslie Kelly, and Michelle Rowen

4. Three Wishes by Stephanie Bond *****

5. Wild & Steamy Anthology by Carolyn Crane, Jill Myles, and Meljean Brook

6. Under Her Skin Anthology by Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews and Meljean Brook

7. One Snowy Night Before Christmas by Pamela Fryer

8. To Love a Witch by Debora Geary*****

9. Ghost Night by Heather Graham

10. Forbidden Temptation by Paula Graves***** (#2 in Forbidden series)

11. Forbidden Territory by Paula Graves***** (#1 in Forbidden series)

12. Forbidden Touch by Paula Graves***** (#3 in Forbidden series)

13. Bewitching the Werewolf by Caroline Hanson

14. How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper***** (1^st in Naked Werewolf series)

15. Dream Man by Linda Howard

16. A Prince of a Guy by Leslie Kelly (Bedtime Stories V) (RR)

17. Once Upon a Mattress by Leslie Kelly (More Bedtime Stories) (RR)

18. Into the Woods by Julie Leto Klapka (More Bedtime Stories) (RR)

19. Goldie and the Three Brothers by Jennifer LaBrecque (Bedtime Stories V) (RR)

20. Miss Kane’s Christmas by Caroline Mickelson

21. The Cinderella Curse by J.L. Penn *****

22. Fairy Tale Flirts by Lisa Scott *****

23. Siren’s Song by D.L. Snow

24. Kiss and Dwell (#1) by Kelley St. John

25. Live and Yearn (#6) by Kelley St. John

26. Burning Bright Anthology by Anne Stuart, Maggie Shayne, and Judith Arnold

27. Better Naughty Than Nice by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis, Rhonda Nelson (from One-Click Buy: December 2009 Blaze)

28. A Father’s Duty by Joanna Wayne

Historical Romance

1. A Christmas Bride by Mary Balogh

2. Lady Sophia’s Rescue by Cheryl Bolen

3. Wicked Mourning by Heather Boyd

4. The Secret Christmas Ciphers by Carolynn Carey

5. Paper Hearts by Maureen Child

6. When a Duke Says I Do by Jane Goodger*****

7. Once Upon a Castle Anthology by Jill Gregory, Nora Roberts, Ruth Ryan Langan and Marianne Willman (RR)

8. Once Upon a Dream Anthology by Jill Gregory, Nora Roberts, Ruth Ryan Langan and Marianne Willman (RR)

9. Once Upon a Star Anthology by Jill Gregory, Nora Roberts, Ruth Ryan Langan and Marianne Willman***** (RR)

10. A Christmas Proposal by Karen Hall

11. When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

12. Royal Weddings Anthology by Stephanie Laurens, Gaelen Foley, and Loretta Chase

13. Forever Mine by Delilah Marvelle

14. Before the Midnight Bells by Jessica Woodard

15. Mistletoe and Mischief by Patricia Wynn*****

Science Fiction/Fantasy

1. Underneath by Heather Marie Adkins

2. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov*****

3. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card***** (Book Club read)

4. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith *****

5. I am Legend by Richard Matheson

6. The High Priestess by Katee Robert

7. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien *****

8. The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells

9. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Mainstream Fiction

1. In Love with Eleanor Rigby by Stacey Cochran

2. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn***** (Book Club read)

3. By the Time You Read This I’ll be Bread by Mathew Ferguson*****

4. A Puppet Whisperer by Mathew Ferguson*****

5. On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves*****

6. Hot Blooded by Lisa Jackson RR

7. 2Gether 4Ever: Notes of a Junior High School Heartthrob by Dene Larson

8. Sleeping Beauty Elle Lothlorien

9. My Boyfriend’s Back by Chrissy Olinger

10. The Codex by Douglas Preston

11. Rape Fantasies by Margaret Atwood (RR)

Young Adult

1. My Life as the Ugly Stepsister by Juli Alexander*****

2. My Life as the Ugly Stepsister by Juli Alexander (x2)

3. Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks by Andrea Brokaw *****

4. 1-800-Where-R-You #1: When Lightning Strikes by Meg Cabot*****(RR)

5. 1-800-Where-R-You #2: Code Name Cassandra by Meg Cabot *****(RR)

6. 1-800-Where-R-You #3: Safe House by Meg Cabot*****(RR)

7. 1-800-Where-R-You #4: Sanctuary by Meg Cabot*****(RR)

8. 1-800-Where-R-You #5: Missing You by Meg Cabot*****(RR)

9. Mediator #1: Shadowland by Meg Cabot *****(RR)

10. Mediator #2: Ninth Key by Meg Cabot *****(RR)

11. Mediator #3: Reunion by Meg Cabot *****(RR)

12. Mediator #4: Darkest Hour by Meg Cabot *****(RR)

13. Mediator #5: Haunted by Meg Cabot *****(RR)

14. Mediator #6: Twilight by Meg Cabot *****(RR)

15. The Grimm Curse by Stephen Carpenter *****

16. Heist Society by Ally Carter *****

17. Shelter by Harlan Coben

18. The Curse Girl by Kate Avery Ellison *****

19. Once Upon a Beanstalk by Kate Avery Ellison *****

20. Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine *****

21. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

22. Stormbreaker (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz

23. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson *****

24. The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen *****

25. Virals by Kathy Reichs *****

26. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

27. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman *****

28. The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade *****

29. Boyology: A Teen Girl’s Crash Course in Boys by Keri Smith and Sarah O’Leary Burningham

30. Mystery Times Nine 2012 by Kristina L. Martin, Melanie Cummins, Sam Hilliard, Pat Cox, Donna Jean McDunn, Wendy Sparrow, Michele Shaw, Johanna Harness, KC Sprayberry

Mid-grade

1. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

2. The Worst Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure: Mars by David Borgenicht

3. The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch *****

4. Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2^nd Dimension by Megan Bryant

5. Scream Street: Fang of the Vampire by Tommy Donbavand

6. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom *****

7. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (x2)

8. Vordak the Incomprehensible: How to Grow Up and Rule the World by Vordak T. Incomprehensible *****

9. The Big Book of Spy Stuff by Bart King*****

10. The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry*****

11. Weird Science for Kids by Brad Miller

12. The Plight and Plot of Princess Penny by Michael Mullin

13. Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

14.  Emily the Strange: The Lost Days by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner *****

15. Holes by Louis Sachar *****

16. Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith*****

17. Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith (x2)

18. Tentacles by Roland Smith*****

19. Tentacles by Roland Smith (x2)

20. Storm Runners #1 by Roland Smith

21. Storm Runners #2 by Roland Smith

22. How to Speak Wookie by Wu Kee Smith

23. A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: A Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket *****

24. A Series of Unfortunate Events #2: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket *****

25. The Dragon’s Eye: Dragonology Chronicles

26. Classic Goosebumps #13: Welcome to Deadhouse by R.L. Stine *****

27. Classic Goosebumps #1: Night of the Living Dummy by R.L. Stine

28. Classic Goosebumps #2: Deep Trouble by R.L. Stine

29. Classic Goosebumps #3: Monster Blood by R.L. Stine

30. Classic Goosebumps #4: The Haunted Mask by R.L. Stine

Picture Book/Kid

1. Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown

2. Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown*****

3. Once Upon a Twice by Denise Doyen

4. Pie-rits: A Pirate Adventure by Julia Dweck and Fian Arroyo

5. Chicken Big by Keith Graves*****

6. Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon by Ute Krause

7. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch*****(RR)

8. Cozy Classics: Pride and Prejudice by Jack Wang and Holman Wang*****

Nonfiction: Writing

1. The Liar’s Bible: A Handbook for Fiction Writers by Lawrence Block *****

2. Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block *****

3. Writing the Novel: From Plot to Print by Lawrence Block*****

4. Story Engineering by Larry Brooks

5. Telling Details by Kat Duncan

6. Plot Versus Character by Jeff Gerke*****

7. Writing Your Novel by Brenda Hill

8. The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

9. Be Your Own Editor by Sigrid MacDonald

10. Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

11. The Editing Ninja by Aaron Polson

12. The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman *****

13. Save the Cat by Blake Snyder*****

14. Save the Cat by Blake Snyder (x2)

Nonfiction: Other

1. Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng*****

2. Heroes: What They Do and Why We Need Them by Scott T. Allison and George R. Goethals. *****

3. 1001 First Lines by Scarlett Archer *****

4. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating: A Memoir by Elisabeth Tova Bailey ***** (Book Club read)

5. F in Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Answers by Richard Benson *****

6. The Myths, Legends, and Lore of Ireland by Amy Hackney Blackwell

7. The Rough Guide to New Orleans by Samantha Cooke

8. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

9. The Unofficial Harry Potter Party Book by Jessica Fox*****

10. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J. Fox

11. When Parents Text by Sophia Fraioli and Lauren Kaelin

12. A Walking Tour of New Orleans by Doug Gelbert

13. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell*****

14. The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler ***** (Book Club Read)

15. Steampunk Emporium: Creating Fantastical Jewelry, Devices and Oddments by Jema Hewitt

16. Sleep by Infinite Ideas

17. Please Understand Me II by David Kiersey*****

18. I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else’s Maze by Deepak Malhotra*****

19. The Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures at the World’s Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick ***** (Book Club read)

20. What Every BODY is Saying by Joe Navarro *****

21. The Sherlock Holmes Handbook by Ransom Riggs *****

22. Fact. Fact. Bullsh*t by Neil Patrick Stewart *****

23. Eat the Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating by Brian Tracy*****

24. Between the Panels: An Inside Look at the Making of Eleven Exciting New Graphic Novels by Various Authors

25. The Crap-tastic Guide to Pseudo-Swearing by Michelle Witte *****

Recipe Books

1. Fantastic Slow Cooker Crock Pot Recipes

2. 35 Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes

3. Healthy Crock Pot Meals by Nicole D. Richards

4. How to Make Amazing Dinners by Linda Roberts

5. Slow Cooker Magic by Judith Stone

6. The Man Cave Cookbook by Matt Thompson*****

7. Slim Down Snacks by Corina Tudose

Mystery

1. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie *****

2. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie*****(RR)

3. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

4. The Dream by Agatha Christie

5. Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie

6. Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds by Agatha Christie

7. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie*****

8. Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie

9. The King of Clubs by Agatha Christie

10. Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie*****

11. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie***** (Book Club read)

12. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie*****

13. Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie*****

14. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie*****

15. The Mystery of the Blue Jar by Agatha Christie

16. The Mystery of the Spanish Chest by Agatha Christie

17. The Plymouth Express by Agatha Christie

18. Poirot and the Regatta Mystery by Agatha Christie

19. Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (Collection of 14 Short Stories)

20. The Second Gong by Agatha Christie

21. They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie*****

22. Triangle at Rhodes by Agatha Christie

23. The Under Dog by Agatha Christie*****

24. The Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie*****

25. Yellow Iris by Agatha Christie

Final Agatha Christie vs. Wendy Tally:

Agatha Christie = 31  Wendy = 7

Classic

1. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (Book Club read)

2. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (Book Club read)

3. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe ***** (RR)

4. The Fall of the House of Usher with Shmoop Study Guide by Edgar Allan Poe ***** (RR)

5. The Masque of Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe ***** (RR)

Poetry

1. Fire and Ice Study Guide by Robert Frost and Shmoop *****

2. Jabberwocky Study Guide by Lewis Carroll and Shmoop *****

3. An Eyeball in My Garden and other Spine-Tingling poems by Jennifer Cold Judd*****

4. Love Poem Collection by Macadu Ltd.

5. The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes and Shmoop

6. Raven Study Guide by Edgar Allan Poe and Shmoop

7. A Poet to His Beloved by W.B. Yeats *****(RR)

Religious

1. Forget Me Not by Dieter F. Uchtdorf *****

2. Your Happily Ever After by Dieter F. Uchtdorf *****

My Own Manuscripts

1. Heat Signatures (Adult Dystopian)

2. Heat Signatures (x2)

3. A Fixed Point in Time (Adult Dystopian)

4. A Fixed Point in Time (x2)

5. A Fixed Point in Time (x3)

6. Seasonal Novellas (Adult Romance)

7. Seasonal Novellas (x2)

8. Good Girls Don’t Date Mutants (YA Sci-fi)

9. Good Girls Don’t Date Mutants (x2)

10. Good Girls Don’t Date Mutants (x3)

11. It’s Not You, It’s Me (YA Contemp) (written in 2012)

12. It’s Not You, It’s Me (x2)

13. It’s Not You, It’s Me (x3)

14. It’s Not You, It’s Me (x4)

15. On His List (Adult Contemp)

16. On His List (x2)

17. On His List (x3)

18. Once Upon a Frozen Sleep (Adult Fairy-tale Retelling) (written in 2012)

19. Once Upon a Frozen Sleep (x2)

20. Once Upon a Frozen Sleep (x3)

21. Phoenix’s Flame (Adult Paranormal)

22. Phoenix’s Flame (x2)

23. Phoenix’s Flame (x3)

24. Scorched (YA Paranormal)

25. Scorched (x2)

26. Scorched (x3)

27. Hold Em’ (Adult Sci-fi)

28. Hold Em’ (x2)

29. Time Slime and Other Acne Cures (YA Sci-fi)

30. Time Slime and Other Acne Cures (x2)

31. Time Slime and Other Acne Cures (x3)

32. Time Slime and Other Acne Cures (x4)

33. Frosted (Adult UF)

34. Frosted (x2)

35. Frosted (x3)

36. Frosted (x4)

37. Frosted (x5)

38. Frosted (x6)

39. Frosted (x7)

40. Just Killing Time (YA Horror/Mystery) (written in 2012)

41. Just Killing Time (x2)

42. Just Killing Time (x3)

43. Past My Defenses (Adult UF) (written in 2012)

44. Past My Defenses (x2)

45. Past My Defenses (x3)

46. Past My Defenses (x4)

47. Past My Defenses (x5)

48. Past My Defenses (x6)

49. This Weakness for You (Adult UF) (written in 2012)

50. This Weakness for You (x2)

51. This Weakness for You (x3)

52. This Weakness for You (x4)

53. This Weakness for You (x5)

54. This Weakness for You (x6)

55. Living Parallel Lives (Adult Suspense)

56. Face of the Phantom (Adult Suspense)

57. Someone to Watch Over Me (Adult Suspense)

58. For In That Sleep (Adult Suspense)

59. Stories and Magic (Adult Suspense)

60. Share With Me a Lullaby (Adult Suspense)

61. My Little Runaway (Adult Suspense)

62. Things Outside (Adult Horror)

63. When Ladybugs Roar (Memoir piece) (Written in 2012)

64. When Ladybugs Roar (x2)

Beta Reads

1. 90K UF Romance

Total: 393