Get all 5 of the digital books in the Snow Blood Series Free from February 14-29th. It's my Valentine Gift to you!

That's right! Haven't read the series? Missed one or two of the books in the series? You can grab them today, along with other great Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books by simply clicking here:

https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/SnIk5t06n3vZrAY4NW0Y


WHY? Because I love my readers, and it's my Valentine's Gift to you. 
That's it! Happy Valentine's Day!

Unconditionally,
Carol

Basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, and his 13-year-old daughter Gigi were killed in a horrific helicopter accident yesterday. Even those who don't care about basketball took to social media to mourn their loss, including me.

What really struck me the hardest was their ages. He was only 41. She was just a young teen. And most of those who perished with them were so young as well. I thought it so unfair that ones with so much life ahead of them could be taken away in an instant.

It brought me back to a time with my brother, who is now gone from us as well. I remember sitting in his room and conversing with him. He was 18 and I was nine. We were close, always were. He looked at me and smiled and said, "Remember this, Sis. Live each day like it's your last. Take all you can from life and never forget to tell those close to you how much you love them. When you leave them, or close your eyes at night, be sure that they understand how you feel about them."

I've carried those words with me all my life. I know he knew how I felt about him the last time he closed his eyes. It was one of his many legacies to me. I hope the rest of my family and friends know how much I love them.

Whether we live to 100 or only for a few years, life is precious. Every day needs to be treasured. So cease the day and live life to the fullest. 

R.I.P., Kobe and Gigi.

Til Next Time,
​Carol 

As I am in the process of finishing up edits for Moon Blood Book 5, the last book in my First Blood Son Series to be released in February, I thought I'd share an excerpt from it. Hope you enjoy it, and I would truly appreciate your feedback!

Moon Blood Book 5 Excerpt:
Enzo’s black, shaggy fur shimmered in the Tuscany moonlight. His golden eyes transfixed on nothing. His body stood frozen in place. I knew the signs. My spirit-turned-corporeal wolf experienced another vision.

The forest around us just outside my master Kane’s Italian wine estate was silent save the laughing voices of Zandra, her brothers, and James, her newly turned hybrid vampire Lycan, as they hunted for prey in the far distance. They had no need to be quiet as their vampire speed allowed them to take down the fastest prey. Through my preternatural connection to Kane, I alerted to my sire taking down a large bull moose and sating his thirst at the beast’s jugular. I longed to have a taste.

Instead, I padded to Enzo and pressed against him until his eyes focused and he shook his head. I sat back on my haunches as he gazed into my eyes.

We will have little rest. The worst approaches.

His warning shook me to the core. I twisted my head at the one I loved only second to Kane and wondered, what could be worse than what we have experienced? Enemy werewolves, Flesh eaters, shifters, and zombies have attacked us repeatedly. Lilith, the original succubus, has tried to control us. Satan has tried to destroy us. Prior to ever meeting you, human greed captured and tried to use us.

Before he could telepathically respond, we both lifted our noses to the air and took in the stench of danger lurking around us.

An arrow whizzed past my right ear. A sharp sting and the whiff of deadly silver alerted me as a chunk of white furry ear sailed through the air.

Enzo whirled and placed his backside to mine. We circled as some twenty men dressed in brown leather pants and boots surrounded us. They carried axes, crossbows, and swords. Their faces and bodies reeked of hate.

My injured ear stung. The insidious burn of it seeped inward from the minor cut. Liquid fire ran down the rest of my injured appendage numbing everything it touched. I feared silver poison but ignored it and sprang just missing the sharp side of an axe intended for me. I went for the hunter’s wielded weapon arm and bit down.

The man screamed, convulsed, and foamed at the mouth. He died before he hit the ground.

Behind me, I heard Enzo tear into several others. Skin and cloth ripped. Screams of humans being devoured rang through the air. The spirit wolf’s throaty growls and gnashing teeth mingled with their cries.

A few of the enemy backed off momentarily in surprise at Enzo’s ferocity and their comrade’s death from my one bite. They must not have known that I inherited my biological father Snow Blood’s deadly bite. I took off to my right, grabbed the extended arm of one man and ripped it from his shoulder. He shuddered and fell face first into the budding spring ground cover. I whirled, and this time bit into the leg nearest me. Knowing I had killed again, I moved on and sprang, tearing out the throat of a third victim.

The screams of those Enzo attacked were short-lived. His powerful jaws ripped throat after throat. Dead bodies littered the forest ground. The smell of their blood incited me. The blood lust within me overpowered my senses.

I leaped for another would-be victim but got taken down by a silver arrow to my spine. The pain shot through every nerve ending, and the deadly metal surged through my core paralyzing me. Four more attackers surrounded me and began to slash and hack at me with both swords and axes. A blade bit deeply into my shoulder. I yelped in agony. The pain became intolerable.

Enzo instantly jumped them and became a killing machine. Body parts flew in the air. A head rolled next to me. The man’s blank, dead eyes stared at me. An arm plopped down just next to the head. A headless torso took flight and smashed against an oak tree.
​
I struggled to stand as another blow landed on me from behind, taking my hind legs out from under me. I whirled and took off the offending hand with one bite. The soft appendage still wiggled. My body began to morph into my inner demon, but blood poured from me. I fought to keep my eyes open and was sinking fast. I felt my life slipping away.

So, hope you enjoyed a taste of what's to come. Let me know what you think!

Til Next Time,
​Carol

Anticipation... it's a feeling we've all experienced. It involves waiting for something about which we are anxious - going on a first date; counting down the days until a wedding; waiting to get that new puppy; sitting by the phone after an interview to see if the job has been secured; sitting on a horse waiting to go into the arena to be judged; or expecting word that the new baby is on the way.

The latter is what I am anticipating these days. My granddaughter is about to have her first child, and I'm to go be with her during labor as soon as I get the word, 

What, Carol? You're old enough to be a Great Grandmother? You betcha. My son made me a grandma at 43... and it was a great feeling and has blessed me with one of the most beautiful human beings I've ever known. 

But I have to confess, the anticipation for my great granddaughter has me on edge. I worry that everything will be all right... both mother and daughter. I worry that I won't get there in time. You know how anticipation works. It grinds on you and makes you imagine all the worst things that can happen.

I have the same feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I launch a new book... what if my readers don't like it? What if we didn't catch all the typos? What if it gets bad reviews?

But, that's the chance you take when something that's wonderful to you is about to happen. Isn't the anticipation really what makes it exciting? Makes life worth living? We don't know the end result, but it's a thrill ride just the same, and one we all hope will be positive and beautiful.

So if you are somewhere, sitting on the edge of your seat (like me), and waiting... think only positive thoughts. You know the saying... if you put what you want out into the universe, it will give it back to you.

Til Next Time,
​Carol

Being negative is like sitting in a bathtub full of dirt. It certainly doesn’t make you clean and probably just pisses you off. Right?

I have a friend who is so negative that she never tries anything new, complains about everything, and isn’t willing to listen to anyone else’s opinions. The problem with this is that she lives in her own little world and is miserable. Nothing makes her happy. And, I mean nothing.

To me, finding fault with everything translates into living in fear. It means holding back from those very things that might and probably will make you happy.

Let’s look at it from a practical standpoint.

Negative: If I get on a horse, I might get hurt.
Positive: Riding a horse might be the most fun I’ve ever had.

Negative: I already have a job. Why should I follow up on this other job offer?
Positive: I’m not really looking for a new job, but it never hurts to talk to new people and pursue potential opportunities.

Negative: Nothing I can do will ever change my situation.
Positive: One voice, one opinion can change the world for the better. Because of those first fearless women, all women now have the right to vote. A few voices changed everything.

Negative: I don’t want my kids to go out and play, they might get dirty and track all in on my clean floor.
Positive: I love for my kids to play outside in the sunshine and fresh air. It’s so healthy for them. Who cares if I must mop the floor again? Their health is more important than any floor.

I could go on with more examples, but I think you get the point. Being negative just requires an adjustment in attitude and looking at things from a different perspective… For instance, in all my books, my characters are riddled with bad fortune, beleaguered by those who would harm them, and can’t live their lives the way they desire. Instead of moaning about it, they tackle their problems headfirst, find solutions, and win the day.

Moaning and groaning about life won’t change it, but positive action will. Be like the Lab in the photo and maintain an indisputably good attitude.

So, erase negativity by putting a positive outlook on it. If you don’t like something, change it. You’ll find that attacking issues head on instead of sitting around in fear and complaining about them will rock your world.
​
Til Next Time,
Carol

Last January, the muscles in my left leg and groin tore while I was riding my horse, Okido. I ended up face planting in the dirt. I had to have help to get up and limp out of the arena as my poor horse stood there staring at me in total surprise. What happened? he seemed to be saying.

Needless to say, my leg and groin hurt like hell for about the next month. Riding was out of the question. Walking around was a huge chore. Finally, after a few months I was back riding again but I wasn't myself. I thought I'd never be me again.

My trainer recommended physical therapy after a second fall, due to lack of balance, landed me in the dirt again. (Even though I actually felt more normal after. The fall must have been the chiropractic adjustment I needed!)

Anyway, off to PT I went. I stayed with it for two months, and the therapist gave me a bunch of yoga-like exercises, as well as work with weights in the gym to do on my own when he determined I had graduated.

Throughout all this, I felt like my riding was sliding backward until I realized that we had gone back to the basics, and I started seeing the benefits. As a result, I'm more centered in the saddle, balance from my seat and legs instead of my hands (well, most of the time), and am more relaxed. I continue, to this day, and probably for the rest of my life, to do the exercises my therapist gave me. I'm also content to focus on the basics which is making me a much better rider and from which I will begin to advance at a faster pace in the future (one can only hope).

My point in sharing my little fiasco with you is that it never hurts to take a step back... no matter what it involves... riding, making a relationship work, perfecting your career, or just about anything.

"Pausing to refresh" comes to mind. So, take stock of the things you're hell-bent on accomplishing. Reflect a bit and make sure you aren't rushing it or going about it in the incorrect way. 

You'll be glad that you did.

Til Next Time,
​Carol

 Most of us hate to wait. It's frustrating. But, if you look at it from the perspective of what you get at the end of waiting, it's really terrific.

So, what do I mean? Let's look at the things we wait for most in our lives.

• We wait to fall in love. In the end, if it's the right person, it brings joy.
• We wait to finally pay off debt. When we do, we're free.
• We wait to get well. And when we recover, we are grateful for our lives.
• We wait to finish school. When we do, we have an entire new life to which to look forward.
• We wait for that all important interview. If it goes well, we're set to make money and live as we hope to.
• We wait for our friends to call, text, or meet us. When they do, we're happy.
• We wait for transportation. But we enjoy the destination.
• We wait for our computers to reboot. Once they do, we can get on with it!
• We wait for doctors, dentists, and therapists. Once seen, we hopefully feel better.
• We wait for a table at a restaurant. In the end, we are sustained with a great meal.
• We wait for vacations. What wonderful memories they bring in the end.
• We wait for special moments - birthdays, anniversaries, and special events. They leave us with great memories and time with those we love.

As for me, I wait for my first great-granddaughter to be born. You can only imagine the joy that will bring me. 

I hope my readers look forward in anticipation to the last book in my Moon Blood Series coming out in February 2020. I hope it gives them entertainment and satisfaction. In the meantime, if you haven't read all the books in the series,  you can catch up here: http://mybook.to/MoonBlood1 (I know. Shameless plug. Sorry.)

No matter what any of us await, focus on the end result, not the waiting. It will bring you satisfaction.

Til Next Time,
​Carol

Bad news seems to surround us these days. It's in the news and on social media, I get emails telling me I'm missing an opportunity or that this is my last chance or... you get the picture. 

That's why I'm focused on looking for the good news. It's amazing how it's as prevalent as the bad news if you are open to it. For instance, just yesterday I discovered:

• a man who has saved hundreds of dogs from hurricane and flood waters
• a girl with autism who explains what it's like to be inside her head and how she's learned to cope with it
• a premature baby's ultimate victory and survival
• a 13-year-old boy who created a school closet so his classmates will have nice clothes to wear
• a man who moved in with a shelter dog to help her get adopted
• the first female high school football coach who is blazing trails for women
• a woman who created custom dolls to match children's disabilities
• a Florida company that uses scrap wood to create guitars for sick children

The list goes on every day. One of my greatest sources is from Extraordinary Events and my friend Andrea Michaels. She got fed up with bad news years ago and began a weekly ePublication called the Good News-Letter. If you want to get on her list and receive it, just email  [email protected] and let them know.

Good news is a great way to fight the dark clouds of bad news depression that can ruin your day! I thought I'd share this nice resource with you so that you'll realize that love is really everywhere, and it's love that made all the good news above possible. Do be grateful for it. Gratitude really is the best attitude.

Til Next Time,
Carol

I took a break from blogging this summer. It's extended a little longer than I had meant. I've been enjoying life with my beloved Okido and our great dogs. I did finish up Moon Blood, Book 5, the last in that series and have started working on the outline for a new series entitled: James, the Silver Blood Knight. 

The last in the Moon Blood series will be published next February. Lord knows when I will be able to finish James! I've been working with some incredibly talented authors who have written inspiring books over the summer. One is The Heartlanders by Patrick Godsey. Look for it this fall/winter on Amazon. It's a great story.

Unfortunately, as far as my blog goes, I just need to wait for some inspiration, but, I'll be back in full force soon.

Til Next Time,
​Carol