Girlfriends, Chocolate and Mistletoe…
November 10, 2020 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett tagged as #HeromsaForTheHolidays, Holiday Stories, new release, Tari Lynn Jewett
I’m in full holiday mode. My gift shopping is nearly done, I’ll do a little baking, but it will be limited this year, and I’m ready for Thanksgiving turkey and holiday decorating. Christmas songs are playing in my head.
In between wrapping gifts and writing, you’ll find me curled up reading holiday books. In my head Karen Carpenter is singing Sleigh Ride and I feel the same hope and wonder that I’ve felt every holiday season since I was a little girl.
And so of course, I’ve written a Christmas romcom, because after all…it’s Christmas.
#12DancingSantas is the last book in my #HermosafortheHolidays series, and as I finish it, I feel like I’m spending time with friends.
The whole series is set in my fictional version of Hermosa Beach, California, and is centered around a social media app called Framed. Framed is a social networking app similar to Instagram. Members have a profile and a ‘wall’ where their pictures and pictures that they are tagged in hang for their followers to see. Other members can comment on photos on your wall. Since the beginning of the year…or the beginning of the series, the heroines of these stories have gone viral on Framed for one reason or another.
This is Brenda’s story, and it’s a bit of a reverse Cinderella story. Brenda is a school teacher, who loves to cook. She and her friends are at the Hermosa Beach Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, they’ve just watched a performance by twelve firemen from the local beach city fire departments, dancing on roller blades to a medley of Christmas songs from classic to current. The performance has ended, and the girls are discussing how to spend the rest of the evening when one of the Santa’s skates over to the little group of friends, grabs Brenda, bends her back and gives her the most romantic and magical kiss that she’s ever experienced. But he skates off so quickly that she doesn’t get a chance to find out who he is.
As luck, would have it, a boot falls out of his duffle bag, and now Brenda is on a search for the man who fits the boot. With girlfriends, chocolate and mistletoe she just might find true love this holiday season…
#12DancingSantas is on preorder at Amazon for just 99 cents right now. I hope you’ll check it out!
In the meantime, I’m wishing all of you, good friends, chocolate (unless you’re allergic) and mistletoe this holiday season.
#HermosafortheHolidays Series
Rewards for a job well done!
September 10, 2020 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett, Writing tagged as " Angela James, "Before You Hit Send, rewardsThis morning, editor Angela James posted in the 30 Day Accountability Group that she’s hosting on Facebook for writers: HERE’S ANOTHER TIP FOR GETTING YOURSELF ON TRACK: MAKE A REWARD SYSTEM
So, what about reward systems? Do they work for you? And if they do, how do you set yours up?
A solid reward system can work for so many things. Years ago, when I homeschooled my two younger boys, I made a reward chart for them. They got stickers for completing each task during the day, and they loved getting the stickers, but when they reached a certain number of stickers they got a small ‘prize’. It might be doing something special with Mom or Dad, getting to pick their favorite lunch out, extra video game time, or a small toy. When they collected a larger number of stickers, they earned another larger prize, usually a field trip somewhere special such as the local aquarium, or the zoo. This tiered rewards system was very motivating for the kids, and the rewards were really for both of us. We spent time together that wasn’t school related, and we had new experiences together.
Some of you know that I’ve recently lost a substantial amount of weight. In the beginning, I was rewarding myself for every 5 lbs. with a manicure, of course, the pandemic has changed that, and to be honest, once I hit a certain point, the weight loss itself became the reward, as well as fitting into smaller sizes! Not to mention, how good I feel, and the increased mobility that I have.
When it comes to writing, of course, finishing the book and having people actually read it is the ultimate reward, but sometimes you need those little incentives to get you to THE END. I used to reward myself with food, a piece of See’s chocolate for completing the day’s word count, dinner out for meeting a larger goal. I also justified dinner out by saying that it gave me more time to write. Obviously, in recent months I’ve learned that those rewards had created a different problem, and I needed healthier incentives.
But, I have another passion that I don’t get to indulge as often as I’d like. Sewing. And that has become my new reward. If I meet my writing goal, I’m allowed to sew, and when I finish the book, I get a new sewing toy! With my weight loss, I need new clothes desperately, so I better get writing! And I may even add new clothes (that I didn’t sew) to my rewards.
Oh, and sometimes a writing class or workshop with someone like Angela James is a reward! A reward that can make your next project even better.
How do you reward yourself for your accomplishments? What are your favorite treats? Or do you feel the accomplishment is reward enough?
6 0 Read moreFinding Focus
June 10, 2020 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn JewettIn the middle of this pandemic, riots and protests, my husband and I decided to buy our retirement home, which will hopefully serve as a getaway place, until he retires in four years… so in the meantime I’m thinking writer retreat. But, gee, let’s add the stress of buying a house to the already chaotic situation we’re all living with.
And did I mention I’m finishing a book right now…well, I’m always either starting or finishing a book, so that’s not surprising. But finding focus during the unprecedented mayhem in my life, in all of our lives, isn’t such an easy thing.
And writing a romcom with all of the darkness going on sometimes feels like a disconnect.
And yet, when I need to escape, I’m turning to Hallmark Channel, or old television shows like The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie, so maybe writing a romcom right now is not so out of place.
But finding focus, being able to escape to the peaceful little beach world in my head isn’t always easy. I wouldn’t call it writer’s block. If I can get there the words flow. It’s more an inability to detach from the real world…and stay detached.
Usually when I write, I plan long blocks of time to work. I schedule breaks at the end of each hour to stand up and move around, then I get back to work. But, my process has changed. Instead of writing for 3 or 4 hours with ten minute breaks each hour, I’m writing in little bursts. I’ll sit down write a scene maybe 15 to 20 minutes, instead of writing a full chapter. Then I get up to go do some chores…pack some boxes for our new home…sew some masks, any of the above sit down and write for another 15 to 20 minutes. It’s a challenging process, but then, everything is challenging right now.
I’m trying to focus on the good things. People coming together to help each other and their communities, to support each other, sharing resources, finding new ways to teach, work and celebrate. Human beings can be amazing. Those things make it easier to sleep at night, and to write about people
Well, I’ve been writing for nearly 20 minutes, so it’s time to do some chores…or pack some boxes…or maybe it’s time to look at pictures of my new house, lol. How are you finding focus in this challenging time? How are you distracting yourself from the stress? Share your tips and ideas. I could sure use the help!
1 0 Read moreJust in Case by Tari Lynn Jewett
April 10, 2020 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett tagged as grandmothers, making do, saving, social change
When I was a little girl, both of my grandmother’s saved margarine tubs, whipped topping containers, reused aluminum foil, and even washed the plastic bags that bread came in, turned them inside out to dry and reused them. One of my grandmothers was known to scrape the black off of burnt toast and serve it, and I once even saw her eat a banana so black that I wouldn’t have used it for banana bread!! “You don’t waste food,” she told me.
My father’s mother, Mildred Porter, was born in 1902. My mother’s mother, Maclovia Villereal, was born in 1916. They both lived through The Great Depression, but came from vastly different backgrounds and were at different stages in their lives. My grandma Mildred, was a young mother, with the responsibility of keeping food on the table for her children. My grandmother, Maclovia, who went by the name of Maxine, was a teenager at the beginning of the depression, and by the time those dark days ended, was in her early 20’s. Yet, for both of them, that depression era mentality of not being wasteful was ingrained in their behavior to the day they died.
As a child growing up in more prosperous times, I thought it was funny to wash bread bags and foil, then hang them up to dry. The margarine tubs and cool whip containers were more reasonable and something I’ve always done. They’re convenient for sending leftovers home with guests, if I’m out of plastic containers. But, bread bags and foil…I didn’t get it.
And today, with all that’s going on in the world, I find myself doing many of the same things. I’m washing jars and instead of tossing them in the recycling bin, I’m putting them aside…’just in case’. Yogurt containers that I’d normally throw away, I’m washing and storing…’just in case’. I’m saving my butter wrappers to grease bread pans with, and I’m using cloth napkins instead of disposable napkins, and using dish-towels and rationing paper towels, and serving almost every meal on glass plates. Why? Just in case… Not because we’re broke…at least not yet, but because we can’t get them.
Food, and daily necessities have become precious, in a way that we’ve forgotten that they should be all of the time. For many people, it’s already a matter of financial necessity, but for everyone it’s a matter of access. We don’t know when we’ll be able to get toilet paper again, or diapers. Will there be mayonnaise on the grocery shelves this week? Will they be out of chicken in the meat department? (It was three grocery orders before I got fresh chicken!)
We’re cooking more, rationing more, appreciating small things…I mean, who ever thought you’d be so excited to get a package of toilet paper??
Things have changed, and we don’t know for how long. Will this be a permanent change? Will these new habits become ingrained in our behavior? What about our children?
And would that be a good thing? And while we don’t want to become hoarders, maybe we should continue to conserve, to waste less and appreciate more.
So, what do you find yourself doing now that you didn’t Before? Are you saving containers? Rationing? And do you think that some of these changes will be permanent for you and your family? I’d like to know…
7 0 Read moreRomantic Connections
January 10, 2020 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett
I know that New Year’s is barely over, but I’m already looking forward to Valentine’s. I walk through craft stores, department stores…even the grocery store, and love the red and pink lined aisles. I love the paper doilies, heart shaped boxes of chocolates (especially See’s Chocolates), and sentimental cards. I love planning a romantic evening, what I’ll wear, where we’ll go. Even after thirty years of marriage, Valentine’s is an important holiday to both me and Hunky Hubby. Yes, my gearhead, construction worker, sports loving husband, is a romantic.
So, this year in The Charmed Connection, our Charmed Writers Facebook reader group, we’re having a special celebration. We’re celebrating from February 1st through 16th with romance interviews from some of our very owned Charmed Writers.
Would you like to find out what authors find to be romantic? What would an author consider a romantic Valentine’s date? What would be on the menu? Who would be sitting on the other side of the table? How would the evening end? (This is on facebook, so it’ll have to be PG, LOL)
We have some wonderful authors participating in this event, and we hope you’ll join us!
And on Valentine’s Day I have a new book releasing, #SilverBracelets is Book 2 in my #HermosafortheHoliday series. Book 1, #PleaseSayYes is a Valentine’s story. If you haven’t read it, I hope you’ll check it out (in fact, if you email me at tarilynnjewett@gmail.com, I have 10 free ecopies to give away this month).
Book 2 begins the day after Valentine’s, and ends on St. Patrick’s Day. #SilverBracelets is available for preorder right now on Amazon for 99 cents. This price will go up after the book releases next month.
I hope you’ll join us in The Charmed Connection. Charmed Writers is made up of over 130 authors from NY Times and USAToday best-selling authors to new authors just beginning their journey. We work together, learn from each other, support each other…and share the results with you.
0 0 Read more
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