Saturday, April 25, 2015

Balance



Just don’t give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong ~ Ella Fitzgerald

Balance, balance, balance…I’m having some issues with NSEDJ (not so evil day job, I really do love working for the people I do) and getting my writing editing done. Even as I write this during the week before Saturday, I am not going into the office until noon today. But as soon as I am done with some writing chores, I will crack open the laptop and work on some projects.

I am trying. I make lists of the most important tasks that need to get done and then focus on those in the time I have in the morning and in the evenings. It’s all a delicate balance.

What other tips do you have for maintaining balance in our busy lives?

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Book Reviews, Rants, & Raves!: Just The Way You Are by EE Montgomery



EE Montgomery talks about what makes Just the Way You Are different from everything else on the book blog, stop by and check us out...

Book Reviews, Rants, & Raves!: Just The Way You Are by EE Montgomery: I asked EE Montgomery what makes her story different than other contemporary M/M Romances. This is what she had to say: I...

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Book Reviews, Rants, & Raves!: Down on the Other Street Volume 2 by Jennifer Cie



Jennifer Cie talks about what inspired her to write Down on the Other Street Volume 2 on the Book Blog yesterday...check us out...

Book Reviews, Rants, & Raves!: Down on the Other Street Volume 2 by Jennifer Cie: I asked Jennifer what inspired her to write this story, and this is what she had to say: Originally, I had no intention of ma...

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Balance and Boundaries



If life give you lemons, make some kind of fruity juice ~ Conan O’Brien

How’ve you been? Me? Busy!!!

I just some extensive edits back on my next novel, Need Your Love, set in the 1960s. I tried on Monday and Tuesday to focus on working on those edits and exhausted myself. I had a church meeting on Wednesday and we were supposed to go grocery shopping on Thursday. Instead, we took the night off. And we did on Friday as well.

Although I want to get this manuscript reworked and out to Dreamspinner, I also have to balance that with life. My Not-So-Evil-Day-Job is still really busy. We didn’t go grocery shopping on
Thursday like we normally do because I hadn’t had a chance to do the list yet. Yes, achieving goals is important, but balancing that with everything is even more important sometimes.

Even today would be a great day to work on the editing process. It’s pouring here in Kansas City, but we are going to the check out the mall that is not too far from the house. We never got to it over the winter when it was cold, so we’ll do it today while it rains and we can’t hang out on our patio anyway.

Balance and boundaries, we’ve got to have them or we’ll kill ourselves trying to reach our goals.

What challenges do you have balancing your dream activity with everyday life?

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Cover Reveal - A Place to Call Their Own





A Place to Call Their Own will be released by JMS Books, LLC on May 24! Isn’t the new cover awesome?


To request a review copy, please email me at deanfrech@aol.com.  I will send review copies when they are available.
Want to chat about A Place to Call Their Own? Let’s use #APTCTO on social media!

 
Here’s a bit more about #APTCTO:



Is it possible for the two Civil War veterans to find their place in the world on the Kansas Prairie?

Frank Greerson and Gregory Young have been discharged from the Army and are headed to their childhood homes. They both defied their parents in 1861 when they joined the Army. After battling southern rebels and preserving the Union of the United States of America, the two men set out to battle the Kansas Prairie and build a life together. Once they find their claim, they encounter common obstacles to life on the Kansas Prairie in 1866:  Native Americans, tornadoes, wild animals, and weather. 

When a prairie fire destroys their crops and takes their neighbor’s lives, Frank and Gregory are instructed to find their young son’s aunt. Faced with leaving a destroyed claim, the railroad coming through their land, and dwindling funds, Frank and Gregory must decide whether to leave the place they have worked hard to make their own or fulfill their friends' dying wish.
 
Excerpt:

“You two together, or…” Mr. McAvoy asked with a puzzled look on his face.
Mrs. McAvoy raised an eyebrow, also curious about the situation.
Gregory gave Frank a nervous and mischievous look and answered, “Ah, yes, sir. We planned to each get a claim and build one house for now, help each other out.”
The answer seemed to satisfy both Mr. and Mrs. McAvoy. “That sounds like a good idea. It’d be nice to have a few neighbors around to help with things once in a while. And what I wouldn’t give to have had just one other man to help me with some of the house building and stable. You stay around here, and you’ll need a stable. Wolves and coyotes will get your livestock if you don’t.”
“How did you protect yourself before? This stuff doesn’t get built in a day.” Gregory asked.
“It takes ’em a while to figure out you’re here. And of course, it’s worse in the winter than this time of year. They haven’t been quite so bad the last few weeks, have they?” he directed to his wife.
“No, they calmed down. Hopefully they’ve been preying on the deer that are eating my potato plants.” answered Mrs. McAvoy. “You two want to stay for supper? I’ve got a big pot of rabbit stew on the stove.”
“It’ll be good, I promise. She’s done great cooking whatever I can find for us,” Mr. McAvoy added.
Gregory ignored the invitation. “How’s the hunting around here? You do good during the winter months?”
“Yeah, in the fall it’s the best—the animals are all fat and sassy from the summer. You can tell the bucks from the does, and you don’t have to worry about orphaning a young deer like you do now. There are plenty of rabbits and prairie chickens right now. You can find squirrels…”
“And the meadowlarks do fine, too, in a pinch,” piped in Mrs. McAvoy. “Now, what about supper?”
“We appreciate the offer, ma’am,” Frank spoke up. “But we’re just trying to find us our claims and be done with traveling. We’ve been traveling nearly six weeks now. It has been that long since we had a decent home-cooked meal, but we need to keep moving on today.”
They both remembered the last time they joined anyone for dinner. The McAvoys seemed harmless, but Frank and Gregory were both a bit shy about joining anyone else at this point.
“Yeah, we’re getting close to where we want to settle,” Gregory added. “We appreciate the offer and all, but we just want to keep moving.”
Mrs. McAvoy smiled, turned, and ran into the house with her load of laundry. Neither Frank nor Gregory knew if she was hurt because they declined the supper invitation or just needed to get back to her household chores.
“We understand that. Took us nearly six months to get here from New York, where we come from. We stayed with some relatives along the way, but the missus did appreciate it when we finally stopped here.”
“Well, we appreciate your hospitality and all your help. We should probably get going,” Frank said, glancing at Gregory.
“If you happen to end up around here, don’t be strangers. Just let us know where you’re at,” Mr. McAvoy replied.
“It’s a deal, sir,” Frank said and extended his hand.
Mr. McAvoy walked over and took it. After they were done, McAvoy stepped away from the wagon.
Gregory slapped the reins and yelled “giddyap,” and the horses sprang forward.
A frantic Mrs. McAvoy yelled from inside the house, “Wait!”
Frank grabbed Gregory’s arm to stop him. Gregory pulled back on the reins.
Mrs. McAvoy came out of the cabin with a small basket covered with flour sack cloth.
“This here isn’t much, but maybe it will allow you to rest once you stop for the night. I put two crocks of my stew in there and part of the bread I baked for our supper tonight. I don’t know why I did it, but something told me to make extra bread today.”
“We’re mighty obliged, ma’am. This will help. Now we don’t have to worry about hunting anything for our dinner. We’ll just warm this by the fire and be ready to go,” Gregory spoke up.
“Yes, ma’am. We are getting a bit worn out by this trip,” Frank said. He grinned at Gregory and said, “Hopefully, we’ll be finding our home soon.”
Both men tipped their hats once more, and Gregory got the horses going again.
Dove and Daisy lumbered along for the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening. Before they realized it, the wagon climbed a gentle, gradual grade. The early evening sun blinded them as they reached the crest of the ridge. At the top, Frank looked over his shoulder where the wagon had just been. There he saw the trail left by the wagon and horses in the prairie grass. To the west, a line of trees indicated a creek, river, or some sort of waterway. The sun drenched the entire landscape in its golden hue. He looked at Gregory, and they both knew this was their new home. They had arrived on the homestead.
“Welcome home, Frankie!” Gregory yelled at the top of his lungs.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Dean Pace-Frech: Home



I updated my home page!  What do you think?


Dean Pace-Frech: Home: Welcome! With inspiration from historical tourism sites, the love of reading, and a desire to write a novel,   I started crafting my ...

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Faith in Yourself



Faith gives you an inner strength and a sense of balance and perspective in life ~ Gregory Peck

So the last couple of weeks have a been reminder to have faith in myself. I write about having a vision, creating goals, developing routines and boundaries, and having friends along the journey. But sometimes I forget to mention having faith in yourself and remembering that lesson when it comes to my own work.

With Musa’s demise, both of my published titles have found homes with two new publishers. APTCTO only took twenty-four hours to submit the query and sign the contract. It helped I had had a Twitter conversation with JM about second editions, but still, I turned that deal around in 24 hours.  I signed a contract last week for DWM with Amber Quill Press.That deal took a bit longer, I had some insider information, but still, they accepted my work.

Can you believe it? Two different publishers accepted my work! But why shouldn’t I believe it? Those two novels received plenty of four and five star reviews when they were available. APTCTO was even mentioned as Best Historical in 2013 by The Novel Approach Reviews!  There was no reason I shouldn’t believe that my work would get picked up somewhere else fairly quick.

Do you ever feel that way along your dream journey? Do you ever have some of those same bouts of self-doubt that I do with my writing. The one thing to remember is that, believe it or not, you are doing a wonderful job at whatever you’re trying to accomplish. Remember, most people aren’t even working towards a goal that is extra curricular from earning a living. Even if your goal is a promotion at your job, very few people are working toward higher goals than making it through the day and the week. My facts aren’t based on anything but my own experience, but I promise.

Wherever you are on your dream journey, remember to have faith in yourself. I am sure, as in my case, your are doing great!

When was the last time you realized you weren’t giving yourself enough credit for what you were accomplishing?

Friday, April 3, 2015

Disappear With Me has a New Home!



Time’s fun when you’re having flies ~ Kermit the Frog

I am excited to announce that Disappear With Me has a new home! I just signed a contract with Amber Quill Press for their Amber Allure imprint. I am excited that DWM has a home with a bigger publisher in the gay romance world. I’m also excited that it will sit along with other great gay historical authors and titles.

It looks like DWM will be also be released in May, more details to follow as I get them.

Here is a blurb about Disappear With Me:

Love is greater than hope or faith, but can Reverend Leander Norris convince a jury that the love he shares with another man is natural?

In 1910, the United Kingdom was in turmoil. King Edward died after only nine years on the throne. The social class system that upheld British society for centuries was being chipped away by social, political, and economic unrest across the Commonwealth. Amidst this backdrop, Reverend Leander Norris is accused of sodomy. After discovering his own self-worth and unconditional love, Leander finds the courage to stand up for what he believes is right and pleads not guilty to the charges. Throughout the trial, Leander’s past is revealed, including the temptations that bring the accusations against him. By the end of the trail, Leander is once again reunited with a romantic interest from the past, but it may be too late to rekindle any love that might remain, given the circumstances of the era and Leander’s likely sentence.


Here’s a link to the Amber Quill’s website in case you are not familiar:




http://www.amberquill.com/