Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Like most of the country, I'm looking forward to Spring 2014. I've had enough of the cold and the snow and I'm now thinking of sunshine and flowers. But Winter is not letting go. No yet. I'm hearing of more snow around the country but thankful that our forecasters are only calling for rain Monday, March 3, 2014.

Now for my goal updates:

As for my goal of writing on my blog at least once a quarter: Well here I am writing at the beginning of March, only two months since my previous post. So that is being accomplished right now.
On my lose weight goal, I have lost 13 pounds and I'm still watching what I eat. I'm eating more protein and less carbohydrates. For breakfast, I drink an Atkins protein shake and eat an Atkins protein bar for lunch. For supper, I sneak a baked potato or baked fries about once a month, but I mostly eat meat, beans, and green vegetables. But the exercise plan has not come to fruition. I'm not a morning person, so the get up earlier hasn't really worked out well, yet, though I still plan to do that.
As for my writing goal, I've added 18 pages to my Lana Malloy mystery novella, The Wedding Crasher, and I've researched the locations where the novella is set. I did that in about three weeks and it's been about a month since I've written on it. I do have a good reason which I will go into in the next paragrah.
On my Web designing goals, I have created my Web design page at . Check it out. I have contracted with a new Web client, American Garage which is a garage flooring company in Pisgah Forest, NC. I'm in the process of creating a whole new look for them and it is taking a bit of time and is the reason that I mentioned before about putting the writing on the back burner for now. The new client came about before I was ready to pursue that and so updating my author page and my husband's art page still needs updating. But there is no complaint about new business at all.
Overall, I believe I have accomplished a lot. My day job has been very busy so far this year and left me pretty tired in the evenings, but I still try to do a little more each day. How are your New Year resolutions or goals for 2014 going? I would love to hear from you.

2013 Reflections:I received a much needed raise from my day job at the beginning of 2013. I graduated from college in May, obtaining my second associates degree—this time in Web Technology.Ìý I contracted a with new Web site client in April—a small manufacturing company in Brevard, North Carolina. But with writing there wasn’t much except the occasional blog and school assignments. I did write about five pages on a new Lana Malloy novella. I came up with a couple of new book ideas. One is a paranormal suspense and the other a science fiction—like I needed more ideas to add to my list of to-dos. Way to go, Kim! I made up for the not writing with reading. I haven’t really kept up with how many books I’ve read but I know it was more than one a month averaged out. I also lost a very good friend in January 2013. Ann Burr was like a second mother to me. She had been sick with Alzheimer’s disease and in a nursing home four hours away for the last few years. I wanted to go see her but then I didn’t because I didn’t want to remember her that way. I have missed her more than I can ever express though. I will always remember the summers we spent together before she got sick.

My husband, Lee, became a stay-at-home husband again.Ìý Before I was laid off he stayed home and worked on his art and kept house, but then he went back to work to support me while I attended college and he continued to work for a couple of years after I acquired another job. Lee does a great job with all the cooking and cleaning. He cooks almost all our meals and he helped me a lot with Christmas dinner. He did what I like to call the grunt work. He peeled and cut the potatoes, chopped the onions and helped me shell the boiled eggs.Ìý He kept the dishes washed so I would have room to mix and cook. I know I’m a very lucky woman. He is also starting to carve again and he has sold about 4 pieces of art in the last few months. When we get his new page up and running, he will be a very happy man.

My youngest son attained a job closer to his home. No more driving over 30 miles one way to get to work for him. I'm so happy for Travis because he had looked for something in Hendersonville for a couple of years at least. He is now the store manager at Burkes Outlet with aspirations for advancement. He works very hard and deserves success. Travis found out he was diabetic in 2013 but he has handled it well. He wasn't over weight as he had already been dieting. Now he's 150 pounds which to me is too skinny for his frame and I admit it worries me a bit. Travis is also my reading buddy and keeps me supplied with books although I probably have hundreds in my own collection that I haven’t read yet. What can I say? He has very good reading taste. For Thanksgiving, Travis and Austin invited us to Laura’s House, a restaurant in Chimney Rock where the owners' and employees' families get together in the restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. We all had a good time there. Travis and Austin also went to Kelsey's Restaurant & Lounge Killer Theater--a 1920's Theme--in November. Travis lost his 11 year-old female Lab, Lacie, to cancer in December. He loved that dog so much. They still have their male dog, Luke, and a new cat named Dexter.

My oldest son drives a delivery truck for a tire company and was able to come to Asheville on one of his trips in October and weÌý to were able to have lunch together at Olive Garden but he wasn’t able to make it up for Thanksgiving or Christmas. We had planned to meet at Laura’s House Thanksgiving, but he wasn’t able to bring his sons and decided not to come. Brandon works most holidays and he has been going through a lot emotionally—a marriage separation which breaks my heart for him. He is a strong man and I know he is working through it okay. I just wish he didn’t have to go through it at all. He takes great care of his kids and they love him very much. For work, Brandon also does some beautiful granite counter top work and marble flooring work from time to time. Brandon is the father of my two grandchildren, and I’m sure they keep him jumping as well.Ìý They all called on Christmas to wish us a Merry Christmas and to thank us for their gifts.

Bryson who is 3 thought Christmas was his birthday again because of all the presents he received. Patrick who is 16 is the captain of his school's football team. Patrick spent a few days with us during the summer. We had a good time and love having him every summer. We just wish we could see them more.

Our two West Highland White Terries are thriving. You can probably tell by the pictures I posted here and on facebook. Scooter, our male Westie, is 3 years old and Harley, our female, is 17 months.Ìý Harley is now larger than Scooter. She weighs 18.8 pounds and Scooter weighs 18.2. She feels heavier than that but she’s not fat. She is a little longer and taller than Scooter and she is muscular. They both play very hard.

Contemplating 2014: First of all, I would like to wish all my family, friends, and readers much success, health, and happiness for 2014 and all the years to come. I want to see my children and grandchildren more than I did in 2013, and I plan to keep my resolutions.

My New Year’s resolutions were to lose weight (which means workout more), write more books (those that are in different stages of completion), update mine and Lee's Web sites, and actively look for more Web site clients. I plan to write out my goals and making objectives for reaching those goals. I have heard that if you write them out and make a plan that you are more likely to obtain your goals.

I will need to update our Web pages before looking for more clients. I’ve been procrastinating about it for a while. I did work on mine some in September 2013 while trying to teach myself WordPress software. About the time I completed my pages, they upgraded the software and when I upgraded, it messed up everything I had done. I think I had rather create the pages from scratch. When I say mine, I have two and Lee has one. The one I really need to work on is for my Web design business (because I have never created it), but I would like to update my author’s site with a new look too. I have a couple of ideas I plan to use for my design page and Lee’s art page that I think will look better and not take as much time to create. All of Lee’s images need to be completely revamped. Most of Lee’s art images were not taken with a digital camera, so they need to be scanned and that’s what I have procrastinated about the most.

As for the writing part, I plan to start next week by rereading the book I have three quarters completed and finish writing it, and to also finish writing the novella I started in 2013. Next, I plan to finish writing “For the Love of Moneyâ€�. ÌýI will go from there with my book writing, just going down the list on my page on my Web site. My plan is to also write in my blog more, at least once every three months. This post will be my winter 2014 post. My next post will beÌýMarch or before.

The most important and most difficult part of my New Year’s resolution for me is to lose weight and workout for my health. I have gained so much weight in the last few years and need to lose 30 to 40 pounds. I weigh more than I ever have in my life, and that’s including when I was pregnant. I hate all my recent pictures and hide from the camera whenever I can. When I can’t, since I’m the one who downloads all digital photos, I make sure they get no further. I don’t think my eating is the biggest problem though I am trying to cut down on carbohydrates and eat more protein. I know I don’t get enough exercise. When I was attending college full time, I sat in class during the day and sat in the chair at home doing homework until bedtime. Then when I went back to work, I was still going to school part time. My job is at a desk most of the time, so it has pretty much been the same routine. Now, I’m done with college, so I need to start exercising. I have a treadmill and exercise weights for working out. I just need to get into a routine of using them. The plan is to get up a little earlier and exercise before work. Pray for me and wish me luck at accomplishing my 2014 goals. It's going to be hard but I'm determined to persevere.

Ìý

West Highland White Terriers - Scooter and Harley
Scooter has a new hair cut and a new sweater, and Harley just has a new sweater. She goes to the groomer next week.

Read Christmas Novellas Mistletoe Medium by Elizabeth Delisi and Fate's Little Trick by Sheryl Hames Torres. In Fate's Little Trick , can Gemma McKenzie Fuller learn from a troubled child that you can go back again, or will she have to suffer yet another Christmastime loss? Can psychic Lottie Baldwin, the Mistletoe Medium , and the handsome new man in her life pool their talents and solve the mystery before the bandit strikes again?

Halloween is coming . . .Next month Halloween will be here, so don't forget to pick up a copy of Enchanted Holidays if you don't have one already. Although none of the holidays are set during Halloween, they are all wonderfully paranormal with a touch of mystery and romance. My story, Haunted Holidays is included in Enchanted Holidays and is the first Lana Malloy paranormal mystery. Enchanted Holidays includes two Christmas, two New Years, and two Valentine's Day stories.Ìý Once you read Enchanted Holidays, read the second anthology,ÌýOne Touch Beyond to read,ÌýGet Out or Die!, another Lana Malloy story. I'm now working on a third Lana Malloy story with a working title of The Wedding Crasher. Check out my to read all about the other wonderful stories in these two anthologies. Other authors include Elizabeth Delisi, the author of The Midnight Hour, Fatal Fortune, Lady of the Two Lands, Since All Is Passing, etc.; Chris Grove, the author of mysteries such as Seeing is Believing, Where's Michelle, Without a Clue, and erotica under the pseudonym Christiane France; Elaine Hopper, author of Lions of Judah, Always a Bridesmaid, Double Dare, Tigers Play, Purrfect Justice, etc., and erotica under the pseudonym Ashley Ladd; Maureen McMahon, author of Shadows in the Mist, Haunted Passions, A Nightingale in the Sycamore, and erotica under the pseudonym Ainsley Abbott; and Sheryl Hames Torress, contributing author and co-editor of Crumbs in the Keyboard, where proceeds benefit The Center for Women and Families, which in turn benefits those affected by domestic violence.

Well it's been over a year since I last posted on my blog. Wow, how time flys. Still taking college courses. This is my last semester for a Web Tech degree, and I'm still working full time at Mountain Area Workforce Development. Oh, my son got married May last year. I will post a couple of pictures of my grandsons, my son and his wife. They will be celebrating their first anniversary in a little over a month.

Not much else is happening with me, so what to say? I have two Westies now. Scooter is almost 3 years old, and our newest pup, Harley will be a year old in August. She is the sweetest pup around. Here's a couple of pictures of them:

First picture is of Harley about a month after we brought her home:





















This next one is a more recent picture of her at about 7 months old:

















The next picture is a recent picture of scooter:














Another one of Scooter:

















My grandsons, Patrick and Bryson:












Ìý


My son, Brandon and his wife, Rebecca:


Don't they make a good-looking couple? Well, that pretty much catches me up for the year. Hopefully when I finish classes in May, I will be able to get back to writing, but I'm so rusty now, I may have to learn the trade all over.

Make sure to pick up your copy of the Enchanted Holidays anthology for two phenomenal Valentine's Day stories, Haunted Hearts and Valentine's Inn, plus four other wonderful holiday stories. To read the sequel to Haunted Hearts, you will also want to pick up a copy of One Touch Beyond for the newest Lana Malloy paranormal mystery, Get Out or Die!.

Haunted Hearts by Kim Cox

In Haunted Hearts, will Lana Malloy solve the twenty-year-old double murder of her great-aunt and her great-aunt's fiance by Valentine's Day? If she can, they'll spend eternity together. If she can't, they'll be stuck as haunted hearts for another year.

Valentine's Inn by Chris Grover

After being injured in an automobile accident that killed three friends, Rianna Gordon hopes to erase the past by hiding herself away. She has no idea it's the past that holds the key to her happiness--until one cold February morning when a stranger and a stray cat show up and she starts smelling violets everywhere she goes.

Enchanted HolidaysRomance, mystery, danger and paranormal encounters...authors Kim Cox, Elizabeth Delisi, Chris Grover, Elaine Hopper, Maureen McMahon, and Sheryl Hames Torres provide them all in this intriguing collection of holiday magic.

In Fate's Little Trick, can Gemma McKenzie Fuller learn from a troubled child that you can go back again, or will she have to suffer yet another Christmastime loss? Can psychic Lottie Baldwin, the Mistletoe Medium, and the handsome new man in her life pool their talents and solve the mystery before the bandit strikes again?

Will Lana Malloy solve the twenty-year-old double murder of her great aunt and her great aunt's fiance by Valentine's Day? If she can, they'll spend eternity together; if she can't, they'll be stuck as Haunted Hearts for another year. When a stranger and a stray cat appear at Valentine's Inn one cold February morning, will Rianna Gordon realize it's the past that holds the key to her happiness?

Is the The Curse of Osiris just a legend? Four years after breaking her heart, Zane Ryan is back and determined to protect Alexis Hart from the 3,000 year old mummy who has designs on her and the future of all mankind. In Ghosts of Auld Lang Syne, Stacey Christian and Peter Mansfield reunite to celebrate New Year with friends at a remote New England homestead. Are the incidents that befall the guests only accidents, and why does the specter of a young woman walk the halls?

Review Ratings:
5 Angels ~ Fallen Angel Reviews
5 Cups ~ Coffee Times Romance
4 Lips ~ Two Lips Reviews
3 Stars ~ Romantic Times Magazine

I just can't seem to get used to writing on a blog every month, every week, much less every day. It seems there's never enough time in the day, and there's not that much to update on these days, but here goes.

Well, the good news is that this is my last semester of college where I'll earn an associate's degree in office systems technology. And I have senioritis as one instructor says. I'm ready to be done, but I don't think I'll ever be done completely. I want to keep going part-time. I need four more classes/subjects before I can get a diploma in medical office administration and one more class for the Level I accounting certificate. I also want to take more business and Web design classes. But those classes will have to wait until I find a job.

The job--Yes, I have officially started the search. I would love to work at the VA Medical Center that is only five miles from my house. That is my goal, and I've recently applied for a job there. Both my husband and my father are veterans of the U. S. Army, and I admire the brave men and women who fight for us and protect our country. If I could afford to, I would work for free just to give something back to those who have given so much to me.

And I've started networking. I've joined a few Web sites online. They are AdminsSecret, GovCentral, and LinkedIn. I joined another one about a year ago, but forgot which one it is and haven't been able to find my way back. I've been a member of MySpace and FaceBook for a while now, but since I started classes, I haven't been very active on them.

On the writing front: I started a new Lana Malloy paranormal mystery story a while back and I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I plan to work on it this month and next, and hopefully I can report that it is finished soon.

Thank you for reading my musings . . . Kim Cox