Month: October 2023

I thought you might like a picture of an elephant

I took this photo from a mokoro (canoe) in Botswana at Linyanti Bush Camp in Chobe National Park, Botswana, in late November 2019. Isn’t the elephant magnicient?

I used to to blog about my travels but haven’t done so in quite some time. It was a lot of work, and I need to reserve my computer time for writing and business of writing now that my noggin has been koko-bonked (IFYKYK).

But from time to time I’ll share some of my fave photos.

We visited Rwanda, then traveled via Kenya to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe (where I bought some seemingly indestructible sunglasses to replace a pair forgotten at the Victoria Falls Hotel during high tea), three camps in Botswana, and then Cape Town in South Africa.

I adored the Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda, but in Botswana the elephants were my fave. They are so graceful. They are loving. They persevere.

And so do I.

I am a turtle writer. I am slow. And a lot of that is because I’ve been in 3 car accidents that, accumulatively, have greatly impacted me physically. But I am determined. I am attending various body therapies. And I do not know how to give up, a trait I inherited from my grandfather.

This elephant reminds me of Duke. Steadfast. Resolute. Thirsty for life.

Just a note that if you visit the Duke page, it is from my original website and most of the links to articles about my grandfather on the web no longer work. But his Wikipedia page stands.

I took my author photo in my bathroom

So, this is what’s going in the back of the Love & Other Calamities Romantic Comedy books:

Yeah, I took my author photo in my bathroom! With my phone.

It’s in black and white in the books (unless a reader reads on a tablet with colour), and it looks fine. Good enough! Until I can set up the “big camera” and take proper self-author photos for my new website.

But my website is still old, and when I imported the picture into the new home page, it looked weird. It was suddenly obvious that’s a shower curtain behind me.

A couple of YouTube tutorials, and this is what I’m hoping to pull onto the home page instead:

Not bad for my first time using Affinity Photo. I like the blue behind me. I managed to accidentally cast a shadow. A splash of over-exposure and it’s not so obvious that I’m, ahem, mature.

I like my Cruella tinsels.

Wish me luck getting the new website pages built!

I’m updating my website, and I’m not sure how it’s going….

When I say I need to redesign my website, I mean I have to start over with completely new software. This current site is built with an ancient copy of Dreamweaver and the Fireworks software that no longer loads on the ancient PC that sits in my office ONLY to update the website. I used to have an old copy of Photoshop on there, too, and no idea where it went. This makes creating new graphics a challenge.

Here’s the thing. I’m not allowed (by C’est Moi) to rebuild the website hopefully using the How to Build a Website on WordPress course on a special template/theme/whatever they’re called I bought, oh, 2 years ago before I realized just how long my 2018 car accident was going to affect my ability to write actual books. What I am allowed to do is update this current site because I still believe in websites.

So I’m trying. My software no longer connects to my server, so I need to update and build the books without worrying that they might look horrible in Internet Explorer (which thankfully no longer exists) and then go in through the back end and upload via FTP.

So, seeing as I can’t completely start over on the website until all 5 books in Love & Other Calamities are on preorder, I’m bumbling about doing the best I can with my ancient software, and cross your fingers that when I load those pages, they’ll look reasonably okay.

I’ll post on the blog when I’ve uploaded the pages. There are a lot of pages to upload. First, I need to resize some current graphics on the iMac, zip them to the PC, and finish building the durn pages.

Meanwhile, my imagination is itching to come up with a new series but I still have to revise and edit the last two books in Calamities. But the covers and blurbs are done like a lizard burning in the Galapagos sun!

Yippee-ki-yay, mudderfugger.

#YOLO with Kobo – our first Kobo Plus event!

Time sensitive! October 20, 2023!

If you read with the Kobo Plus subscription service, or want to try it out (it’s free to do so), a group of romance authors with eBooks and audiobooks in Kobo Plus (including C’est Moi!) has put together our first ever #YOLO with Kobo event with the help of Kobo. So hop on over and check it out!

The romance books are broken down by subgenre!

Kobo Plus Romance Binge

Before Brady is on pre-order!

Finally!

I have another book coming out. And two more in the Love & Other Calamities Romantic Comedy series coming in 2024.

Before Brady: A Never-Him Bridesmaid Romance is Book 3 in the series and features Alicia Maxwell, the hostess for the bachelorette party in Book 1, and Brady Jacobs, a police officer under her father’s command in fictional Briarton, WA.

The story:

She has one rule. Never date a cop. But he craves so much more than her cupcakes…

He’s speeding into her heart…

Alicia Maxwell feels pulled in a million directions trying to make her cupcake shop a success. Nothing will stand in her way. Especially not sexy cop Brady Jacobs, who gave her a speeding ticket with a twinkle in his eyes. Then claimed he was just doing his job!

But when chaos erupts in the weeks before a friend’s wedding, Brady turns on the help. And the charm. Ultra-focused Alicia needs neither. Not his fiery touches. Or his sweet kisses. Not—

Oh, no, what is happening? Before long, Alicia yearns for Brady’s heart and his arms…but has she missed her chance?

Coming in December! But you can preorder on all the major eBook retailers now!

Find your links at Book2Read

Extended and updated edition of Catching Claire now available!

Cover designer Kim Killion did an awesome job of rebranding Love & Other Calamities Romantic Comedy! Loving this new cover for Catching Claire: An Instalove Maid of Honor Romance – available now!

Find your links at Books2Read!

I want some of what she’s having!

Catching Claire, Book 2, Love & Other Calamities Romantic Comedy

Did they share all the right moves last night?

She’s falling fast!

When Claire Merriweather hires sexy future doctor Ridge Pederson to strip at a friend’s bachelorette party, she never imagines she’ll wake up in his bed. Well, she imagines it—but now it’s happened.

Big problem: Claire’s memory is fuzzy. Did they do the bouncy or did Ridge reject her?

Either way…uh-oh, her heart is in trouble!

I’m using Books2Read for all my links until website updates are complete.

Deceiving Derek – Book 1

Catching Claire – Book 2

All Cindy’s Books

And, yes, something’s on preorder!!