Tag Archives: elena writer

Hidden Gifts is NOW Available!

Leave a comment

I’m so excited to announce the latest in the Castle Mountain Lodge Series…

Bo’s always known that to be a successful hiking guide at the beautiful Castle Mountain Lodge, you have to flirt with the ladies-but never get too close; have a penchant for wild adventures-but know when to pull away; and never have any ties holding you back.

And his plan was working fine…until Ella, the child he didn’t know he had appears in his life.

Morgan’s always known what she wanted out of life but when the doctor’s crippling diagnosis changes everything, she knows she needs a fresh start. Maybe changing her career and throwing herself into a totally new lifestyle at the Lodge is exactly what she needs?

And it might have worked too…

Bo knows he needs Morgan’s help to reach Ella, but will she be willing to give up the new life she thought she wanted? And can either of them let down their guard long enough to recognize that all they really need is right in front of them, in Ella…and each other.

Hidden Gifts is now available in the Amazon store and through Smashwords for any of you who read on other devices besides the Kindle. And for a limited time it’s only $2.99, so get it while you can!

A book launch is always exciting but I can’t do it without a little help.
Did you know that the best way to help a book and an author is to start talking?! That’s right. If you enjoy my books, please tell someone. Tweet it! Post it on Facebook! Leave a review on the site where you purchased it! All of these things help and contribute so much to the success of a new book (or any book)!

After a busy week, I’m ready for some R & R with some girlfriends! I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

It’s A New Year, So Move It!

7 Comments

The best intentions…

Last spring I blogged about Ripping Up The Workout Schedule. It was the end of June, I was tired. I’d been following a schedule for so long that nothing was fun anymore. I didn’t want to do any of the workouts I normally enjoyed. I dreaded every trip to the pool. Every run was a slog. So I made the decision to rip up my schedule and only do what was fun.

How did it go?

It was excellent. I went for walks, I did a few hikes with my kids, I threw in a few runs with some people I never get to spend time with, paddled around on a board and in a kayak and I even got back on the knee board a few times.

As far as taking it easy and not following a schedule…total success.

Can’t beat a kayak in the Pacific Northwest

I didn’t feel bad about not getting up early to go for long runs. I didn’t feel guilty because I missed a workout on the schedule. It felt awesome.

BUT.

And of course there’s a but.

I do have a tendency to put off my workouts if they’re not scheduled a little bit. And I know I need to be active in order to feel good. SO…

It’s September and it’s back to reality. For me, September has always felt more like the start of a new year than January. And that means it’s time to set some goals.

It also means it’s back to some sort of routine.

Now I just have to figure out what that is. Setting new fitness goals is exciting but it’s also scary because after two months off of scheduled activity, it’s kind of like starting all over again. And that sucks.

I’ll be honest, I have tossed around the idea of not scheduling any workouts and continuing with my ‘do it if you want to’ theory. It would be easier. I wouldn’t have to go through the period of suffering as I build my fitness level up again. (And after two pool workouts this week, I am suffering.) Plus, you can’t burn out if you’re not doing anything. Right?

But I know that’s not the answer either.

So, I’ll work on my schedule and I’ll set some goals and then I’ll work my ass off trying to reach them. Because who am I kidding? That’s what I do.

So, who’s with me? Are you setting some fitness goals for the ‘new year’? Come on…join me. There’s accountability in groups. So state your goals, stay accountable. You know you want to…

Squeezing Out Summer

5 Comments

My kids start school on September fourth!

It’s coming up fast. Too fast!

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be ready for the peace and quiet and the uninterrupted writing time that comes with September. BUT…

I will miss summer.

I love summer. And I love spending time with my kids at the lake. Swimming, playing on the beach, hiking, just…being.

Every summer I take the kids and head off to the lake where we have access to a family cabin. Usually, I try and come home for a few days here and there. But mostly, I just go. That’s the beauty of being a writer. I’m totally portable. I also have a very understanding husband who ‘gets’ that the lake feeds my soul. At the lake I’m happy, inspired, less stressed, creative and well…it’s just better. And yes, I’m absolutely aware at how completely blessed I am to have not only an amazing place to escape to, but an equally amazing husband who is totally okay with me going and a career that makes it possible for me to go.

SO. UNBELIEVABLY. GRATEFUL.

These few months in the summer are so special to me because the kids are able to reconnect with each other and play together (most of the time), they unplug and just have fun. And I get to reconnect with them as well. After a busy year of school, swim club, Guides, softball and whatever else we jam in, it’s nice to just ‘be’ with the kids.

But with only one week left before school starts up again, I’m sad. And not just because I have to wait a whole year before we get to escape to the lake again. But because my kids are ten now. TEN! (The fact that I’m even old enough to have ten year olds is a whole other issue.) As the kids get older I realize that they’re not going to be satisfied with leaving their friends behind for the whole summer and hanging out with Mom.

I know this.

It makes me unbelievably sad to know that our special summers may be coming to an end. I don’t know what next year will bring. Maybe I’m wrong and the kids will be happy to escape reality with their mom for another year. I hope I’m wrong. But my instinct is that we’ll have to modify our summer plans. And, I guess I’ll be okay with that…

…when the time comes.

Until then, I still have ten more days of summer with my kids and I’m going to make the most of it.

The summer months are often some of the most special. How are you hanging on to the last few days? What are your best memories?