Tag: writing

Wow! Where did the last six months go?

On By jillhaymakerIn 2020, autumn, covid-19, life, Uncategorized1 Comment

Today I came to this site to update my header to a fall scene (something I do about this time every year. What did I see? My last post was entitled “Spring?” and dated February 21st. I had no idea it had been that long since I posted! That was before most of us had even heard of coronavirus or Covid-19. If we had heard of it, it was something far, far away in China. It wouldn’t ever affect our lives here in the United States. If you read my last post, the heaviest thing on my mind was if the danger of frost was over so I could plant spring flowers. My, how our world had changed in the last six months! No matter where you fall on the political spectrum of all of this, I think we will all agree our lives have been changed in ways we never imagined. Quarantine, social distancing, mask mandates, schools closed, events cancelled–all concepts that were completely foreign to me six months ago, concepts that were completely foreign to me for the over sixty years I’ve been alive. And yet, here we are. Living day to day and trying to make the best decisions possible for ourselves, our loved ones, and all of society.

To say it’s been a wake-up call would be too simple. We’ve all had to examine our lives and what’s most important to us. Some things have fallen by the wayside, while others have become more important. Apparently, writing on this blog fell by the wayside for me. I’m not happy about that. I like to interact with all of you who read this, but it happened. Anyway, I’m back, still writing, and getting ready to make a long distance move back home. For the most part, my life has been thankfully untouched by all that is going on around me. My loved ones are all safe and healthy and learning to deal with our new normal. I try to make smart decisions each and every day. I hope all of you are doing the same.

I’d love to hear from you, if you want to leave a comment. Let me know how you’re doing. We’re all in this together. Much love to all.

Vacation Time :)

On By jillhaymakerIn RWA, Uncategorized, vacationLeave a comment

aaaa

I’m getting ready to leave on vacation tomorrow. Well, a working vacation. I’m headed home to beautiful Colorado for RWA (romance writers of America conference) in Denver. Of course, I’ll spend a few days in Fort Collins, too, with friends and family while I’m in the neighborhood. I can’t wait to get back to cooler, less humid air for a few days. This will be the first time since I moved to East Texas that I’ve made the 16 hour drive by myself. Not looking forward to that. I’ve got some audio books though, so I should be good.

I love RWA. It is so much fun to interact with other authors and learn about our business. This year is the first time I am also doing an Indie book signing. Since the conference is in Colorado, I have lots of friends who will be there to reconnect with. I can’t wait.

So what am I doing today in preparation? Besides working on marketing and book stuff and packing, I’m cleaning. What about you do you clean your house before vacation? It’s something I learned from my mother. She always made sure the sheets were changed, laundry done and everything was spick and span before we walked out that door. I’ve learned to agree with her. Trips are wonderful, but there’s nothing like coming home either. It always feels good to be back in your own bed and relax in your own space. There would be nothing worse than coming home to a dirty house (I’m guessing here because I’ve never done it!) Its so nice to fall on the couch and just relax for a few hours before heading back to work and regular life. So today, I’m cleaning liked crazy.

Anyway, I’d better get off the computer and back to my vacuum. Have a good week and if anyone else is traveling, safe travels. Enjoy your time away 🙂

aaaaa

CHARACTER TALK TUESDAY–WILLOW HAYWOOD

On By jillhaymakerIn contemporary romance, happy endings, romance, second chance romance, silver fox romance, small town romance, Uncategorized, western romanceLeave a comment

I hear you’re a native of Peakview.

Yeah, born and raised. I grew up going to Peakview Elementary and Mountain High School, both about a mile from my current residence.

Tell us about your business.

My husband, Ryan, and I own Peak Adventure Camp. It’s a camp for disadvantaged kids. We get grants to paly for their stay. Lots of foster kids, kids who’ve been in trouble with law, or have behavioral issues. Most of them are from the Denver area. It gives them the chance to get away and have fun in the outdoors for a week. They ride horses, hike, fish and other age appropriate activities. We have kiddos as young as five and all the way up to eighteen.

Are you open year round?

Pretty much. We started out as a summer camp, but there was so much need. We got a grant and hired Penny Walker to work for us as camp manager, full time. That gave us the ability to do weekends throughout the year. It’s amazing. We’ve been able to add skiing and sledding in the winter. It’s so fun to see these city kids fall in love with the mountains. Our son, River, is almost a year and a half now. He loves all the kids and activity. It’s a great place for him to grow up.

Do you have other staff?

We have teenagers who live at the ranch fill time during the summer months. In the winter, we cut back. Some kids drive up from college in Denver, Fort Collins and Boulder to help out on weekends. Penny has a baby at home now too, so we try and give her a break every once in a while.

Do you keep in touch with the campers and track if you’ve made a difference in their lives?

Sometimes. Some kids we never hear from again. You always wonder if you had a positive impact. Others come back year after year, or are able to keep in touch through social media. We love those who do. Melanie and Hank’s daughter, Marissa, was a camper of ours. She was in a horrible foster situation at the time. Through meeting her while she was at camp, Melanie was able to become her foster mom, and later she and hank adopted her. She’s a great child. That’s definitely a success story. She even wants to come work at the camp when she’d older.

What’s the most important thing kids take away for Peak Adventures?

We’re all about positivity. We teach them to believe in themselves, to never give up, to be kind to other people and animals, and that they are in charge of their own destiny. I hope that take some of that home with them. That and we’re always here for them, if they need us.

Colorado Summer Stars

On By jillhaymakerIn contemporary romance, new release, romance, second chance romance, smal town romance, western romanceLeave a comment

It’s release day for book 7 in my Peakview Series! This book is full of romance and suspense.

How did her relationship go so wrong? When NICOLE PHILLIPS flees San Francisco after her boyfriend’s jealousy turns violent, she doesn’t know where to go next. Out of a job and a place to live, she heads to the only place she feels safe—her childhood home in the tiny town of Peakview, nestled high in the Colorado Rockies. The one place she’d sworn to never live again.

RICK BRADY was a skinny, nerdy kid, earning him the not-so-flattering nickname of Scarecrow in high school. He’d been glad to escape his reputation and leave Peakview behind. When his parents’ health begins to fail, he returns to Peakview and opens his own veterinarian practice on their ranch. He’s never really been in love, unless you count that crush he had on the most popular girl in school from kindergarten through senior year.

Now fifteen years after they both left town, they are back home and searching for answers to questions they can’t define. Beneath the beauty of the Colorado summer stars, they reconnect. They soon discover that it’s not easy to leave the past behind. To move forward and find true love, they must overcome their insecurities and doubts and learn to trust again.

Come home to Peakview, Colorado where everyone has a chance at love.

Got your copy for your kindle now at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075TF1WZQ

Paperback available soon.

I LIVE IN TEXAS NOW!

On By jillhaymakerIn contemporary romance, happy endings, moving, western romance1 Comment

Well, my move is complete and after almost a month of not writing, my office and computer are set up and I’m reconnected with the world 🙂 I now live in East Texas. It’s a change from Colorado. Most noticeably, the humidity. I think I’ve lost ten pounds since I got here just from sweating! It’s hot! I know I moved here at the worst time of the year. I’m already looking forward to autumn! Honestly though, its not so bad, and we even had a couple low humidity days the beginning of this week.

On a positive note, everyone here is so friendly, y’all. I feel very welcomed. And there’s no traffic in this small town, ever. Not even at “rush hour”. It’s nice. People here are proud of their state. The shape of Texas is everywhere. From Texas-shaped waffles to all sorts of Texas shaped items like this cutting board I got as a present when I arrived. We didn’t have that in the beautiful state of Colorado, however, to be fair, Colorado is the shape of a rectangle. If they made products in the shape of Colorado, no one would know. (I’ve eaten rectangle-shaped waffles my whole life). Texas is a great shape though, there’s no mistaking it for any place else. So I’m embracing all that is Texas and life in East Texas.

cutting board

Stay tuned . . . I may even place a place a romance here one day. But for now, my writer’s mind is back in the cool Colorado mountains, furiously trying to finish Colorado Summer Stars (Peakview series book 7) before summer ends. I’ll let you know when I have a release date. Stay cool wherever you’re spending your summer.

Back to Writing

On By jillhaymakerIn baby boomer romance, contemporary romance, passions, romance, silver fox romance, western romance, writing adviseLeave a comment

Happy 2017! I hope everyone is having a good year so far. The past month has been hectic in my life. The Christmas and New Year had three weeks of company at my house. It was so good to see my whole family and get to spend some quality time with all of them. But my writing got put on hold. Then when everyone left, I had a week of trials in my day job. Exhausted, this weekend I realized I’ve written virtually nothing in over a month. Where were my hero and heroine when I last left them? It’s time to get back to work, and let them continue their story. I’ve missed them. My New Year’s resolution is to find more time for writing and I’m determined to do just that. Three more Peakview novels are in the works for 2017, and I hope to finish them all before years end. Wish me luck.2017

 

Christian Fiction Novel

On By jillhaymakerIn contemporary romanceLeave a comment

It’s December and my life has become hectic, as I’m sure all of yours have as well. My very good friend, Pamela Trawick has just released her first novel, Walking between the Stones. If you enjoy Christian fiction, you need to check out this heartwarming story of a marriage tested. Pamela manages to sprinkle in a good dose of humor too 🙂  A great read for the holiday season. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0LQ3ZY

 

Why Write?

On By jillhaymakerIn passions, Uncategorized, writing adviseLeave a comment

smile

Last night I plopped down on my couch to watch some TV. The Olympics were on for the 12th straight night, along with lots of reruns on most of the other stations who acknowledge that their viewers were watching the Olympics. Don’t get me wrong, I love sports and especially Track and Field, but I was tired of watching it all evening, every evening. So I started flipping through higher numbered channels, some I didn’t even know existed. That’s when I came to the BYU channel. Who know universities had channels? Now I’m not from Utah nor am I Mormon, so I assumed it would have little to interest me. I looked at my watch-6:56. I flipped to the channel because it had a movie starting at 7:00. I’d give it a try and guessed that by 7:10, I’d be back watching the Olympics.

Well, the movie was entitled, The Letter Writer. It was about an elderly man in a nursing home who flipped through an old worn out phone book every day and picked names at random and wrote letters to those people. Kinda creepy, huh? Except in this case it wasn’t. This dying man wrote letters of affirmation and hope. Letters to total strangers telling them to follow their dreams, that life would get better, and that he believed in them. Each one a little different, but with the same positive message. The only return address was a pen name he made up for the purpose of the letters only. Then he’d stamp them and shuffle down to the front desk to place them in the mail. In the movie, a high school girl who everything was going wrong for ( and I mean everything!) got one of his letters and since her life was such a train wreck she set out to try and discover who sent the letter. I wont tell you what happens because if you like truly heartwarming movies and ever run across this one, you should watch it.

Anyway, as a writer this movie really spoke to me. This man wrote for two reasons: writing was his passion, and he wanted to use that passion make a difference in people’s lives. He received no money or recognition for what he did.

Its easy to get caught up in the fame and fortune part of writing. I know I need to at least make enough money doing it to continue spending my time and energy on writing. But in the end, isn’t following your passion and making a difference what life is all about? I know it is for me. I hope it is for you, too, whatever your passion is.

In case you were wondering, I watched the entire movie and still got to turn back and see “the world’s fastest man” win yet another race before my evening ended.