On Winning an Award - Smiling!

I was pleasantly surprised during my local Romance Writers of America chapter's Zoom meeting. They announced the 2021 winner of the Christine Hyatt Award. Named for a founder of our chapter, it is awarded to a member of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers whose membership has helped the chapter in some way.

i was very surprised and pleased to receive this honor! As a writer, belonging to a group of writers such as HCRW makes writing alone at my desk easier. I look forward to the monthly meetings, but we also keep in contact via emails and social media. I look forward to returning to in-person meetings!

I received two plaques. One is the annual award and the other describes all I have done for the chapter over the years, including my reign as its president several years ago. I also was given a lovely bracelet and was taken to lunch by two volunteers. Thank you to all the members of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers for thinking of my and what I have accomplished as a member.

Are you a writer or wondering how to get more help from other writers? Consider joining RWA and HCRW. We would love to help you grow!

...and check out all my books HERE

What is Old is New - a Slice of Spring

BEFORE

Owning a home is expensive. People say "But the value keeps going up and up!" True. Ours has doubled in value since we moved to sunny Raleigh, North Carolina from snowy New Hampshire 13 years ago. Not a bad investment!

However, people also can say home owners are "Property rich, and cash poor." The upkeep continues and we recently experienced several basic challenges. Two trees had to come down. One was really dead and the other was slightly dead and dropping branches on our front stoop and roof. We need the roof to last!

These trees harbored squirrels and birds, so having them cut down BEFORE nesting season was the best choice. They are gone, sad to say, but now the sun will reach the house and I can add flowers that will enjoy sunlight.

AFTER

We also bought propane this week so we can continue to appreciate our gas log fireplace, which allows us to keep the electric heat turned way down. We also cook with it. The HVAC guy is scheduled to service our combo A/C-Heater so once the hot, steamy weather comes we will be comfortable.

I need to buy a toilet and gasket so the 13 year old one can be ripped out and the new luxury vinyl flooring and baseboards can be installed in the master bath. Everything used to be off-white. I repainted the room light gray with white trim. It will be really lovely once finished.

Projects like these are why I continue to write and publish my work. Royalties help pay for these improvements and maintenance. So, if you want to help, find all my book buy links

HERE

...including the 4-author Medieval Redemption Anthology, which is only available for a limited time at a great LOW PRICE!

Stay safe,

Nancy Lee Badger

Name my Character Contest!

 

The Rogue’s Ring is the third full-length book in my Treasure Tales series. The basic premise follows The Earl’s Treasure and The Duke’s Diamond where a treasure hunt has English noblemen and their Scottish love interests searching for a fragment of The French Blue (also known as The Hope Diamond), They also wish to return signet rings to noblemen who had been blackmailed.

Set in 1817 England, my hero is a rogue who loves the ladies. As a friend to nobles, he agrees to help their cause. That this requires him to traverse through Scotland in winter causes friction. When he comes across bandits threatening a coach and its occupants, he shoots a bandit and is, himself, injured.

The injured bandit is secretly a young woman named Catriona who he knew when they were fifteen. Fast forward to her and her twelve-year-old son WHO NEEDS A NAME. Bryce has no idea Cat is the same girl he loved before he disappeared from her life, leaving her to raise their son. Cat’s brother, Devlin, is a pirate and raises the boy as his son in order to keep the shame from their family, whose last name is Douglas.

WILL YOU HELP?

The boy is twelve, Scottish, thin and tall, with dark-brown curls and silver eyes like Bryce. They live in a cave beside the North Sea and the village of Dunbar. He rides horses well and has learned to use a dagger, as well as a bow and arrow. Cat worries that Devlin means to turn the lad into a pirate.

What I need is a name for this Scottish lad. The prize? The name I choose will be used in the book due out later this year AND the winning person’s name will appear in the acknowledgments inside both the ebook and print versions.

There is no cost to enter this contest. Rafflecopter.com will collect all contestant’s emails to preserve your privacy, so click HERE to enter your name. However, you must ALSO leave a comment on THIS BLOG POST sharing the name you think I should use for this Scottish lad. The winner will be chosen on MARCH 1^st 2022.  

Nancy Lee Badger

author of 40 books

Baby its Cold!

As the rain beats against the windows and the furnace and fireplace work double duty to keep our 1970's southern ranch protected against the predicted storm, I am making a mental note of what to do all weekend. 

If the power goes out, should I find a window and sit and read? Should we get out the canned fuel stove to cook our soup? Shall we flip a coin to see who gets to use the one bent snow shovel? We dragged it from New Hampshire all the way to North Carolina, so we ought to give it a try.

I sold my two Flexible Flyer sleds to an antique dealer, but we are at that age when watching the snow come down is better (and safer) than walking or playing in it.

Whatever happens this weekend, I will make a point to continue cleaning and reorganizing my office (i.e. the third bedroom) and maybe get back to writing my current book. 

As always, find all of my titles HERE.

Stay safe!

Nancy Lee Badger

A New Year and a New Start

It is January 2022 and I am thankful I am here! The road ahead is still filled with danger but I am hopeful the trip will be fantastic. The pandemic is dragging on. We got our THIRD shot and just updated our masks to KN95 (thanks for giving us some, Sis!)

While we all hope for life to return to 'normal', many of us understand that the word 'normal' might never describe life in the United States. Snow is due in a few days, which people all agree is both pretty and a headache. Here in North Carolina, it is usually only experienced once a winter.

Even so, there is hope. I was throwing carrots onto the lawn for our wild rabbits that hop around and saw these:

 

Last fall, I filled in the divot in the ground where they bloom because all summer I kept tripping into it. I was very surprised yesterday to see these hardy daffodils pushing up through the frozen dirt. This makes me very hopeful: life goes on.

I am back writing and working, specifically, on the next book in my Treasure Tales series, which follows Love, Hamish, The earl's Treasure, and The Duke's Diamond. I also find time to read and listen to audio books. Currently reading Sold on You by Cheyenne McCray and listening in the car to Joy to the Wolves by Terry Spear.

So, grab a book (see all of mine HERE) and stay healthy and protected for the long haul.

Nancy Lee Badger

Writing Romance since 2010

Happy Hogmanay!

Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the old year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner. 

They normally follow the night by further celebrating the morning of New Year's Day (1 January) or in some cases, 2 January—a Scottish bank holiday. 

The origins of Hogmanay are unclear, but it may be derived from Norse and Gaelic observances of the winter solstice. Whatever...I am thrilled that the days are getting longer!

Many are happy to see 2021 end. With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to spread its viciousness across the world, the holiday celebration is restrained. New York City, for instance, has a population on the island of Manhattan of nearly 2 million. However, only fifteen thousand guests are allowed to stand in Times Square to view the ball drop, which heralds in 2022.

Watching the ball drop from the comfort of home is our tradition. Comfort food, a roaring fire, a purring cat, old movies, family (all vaccinated), reading one of my BOOKS, and sleeping late the next day is comforting as well as healthy. (COMFORT being the important aspect of the holiday)

However you choose to celebrate the New Year, keep safe!

Nancy Lee Badger

Happy Holidays to All from Author Nancy Lee Badger

 

Another year, another Christmas, and many good wishes to my family, friends, and readers. I celebrated the release of my 40th Romance novel and I am working on number 41. 

Please check out all my book buy links HERE and connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and my Amazon Author Page.

Let's hope for a better and even healthier New Year and remember... however you enjoy the holidays, remember to keep safe and think of others by wearing your mask. It protected hubby and me.

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Happy Holidays!

Nancy Lee Badger