A Magic Redemption Archives - Page 8 of 8

Dec 28th The Good, Bad and Ugly – Reflections of 2018

This time of year, I always look back to see what my successes were and what I could have done better. 2018 was my least favorite year of all time. Beaten only by the year my mother passed away twenty years ago. Now there were some shining moments too; which I clung to tight just to get me through this year.

Let’s start with the good:

I met all my goals for 2018. Yeah! <Fist pump>

Book four, AN ANGEL’S UNINTENTIONAL ENTANGLEMENT, and five, A MAGIC REDEMPTION, in A DEMON’S WITCH SERIES were published in August and December. Exciting times but promo was crazy.

My third book, A Witch’s Journey became Amazon’s #2 best seller in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Yep I was stoked. What happened to the United States ranking, I’ve no idea.

I was featured twice August and December in HEA column of USA Today the latest being an exclusive excerpt from A MAGIC REDEMPTION in December. As a writer, that is a dream come true.

Hubby and I enjoyed a few fantastic camping trips over the summer and early fall. During the next to last camping trip we learned the company my husband worked for had been sold and he would have to find another job. Yeah it kinda ruined the trip to our favorite spot Rocky Mountain National Park. But there’s always next year. However, same day he was offered a job with another company but dealing with the six month non-compete sucks. Which leads me to…

The bad:

My father-in-law passed away in January 2018 after a long battle with cancer. Settling the estate long distance was difficult to begin with, not to mention the interference from relatives.

Due to Alzheimer’s, my mother-in-law is in a nice memory care facility but it’s located 2500 miles from our home. Because of her deteriorating condition, she can’t be moved.

A favorite aunt passed away mid-December.

Though my books usually get stellar reviews, there were a couple reviews that were not and those bother me even though I read them only once. Yes I know publishing is a tough industry and writing is subjective… but still…

The Ugly:

Right now the world around us is scary and very dark. Kindness is in short supply, negativity is everywhere, and it’s always someone else’s fault. I can remember when you owned your mistakes and stepped up to correct them. I’m hopeful 2019 will bring about changes that will put our country and world on a better path.

So I’m going to put aside the bad and ugly and start 2019 with a renewed enthusiasm for accomplishing my New Year’s goals.

Hopefully receive a couple new book contracts.
Meet my writing goal of 5,000 words written each week.
Set aside more quality time with friends, family, and my dog, parrot and turtle.
Relax and enjoy many camping trips.
Exercise regularly. This is always a tough one for me. I tend to let deadlines and obligations control my schedule.
Take control of my schedule and stick to it, barring emergencies.

How about sharing some of your New Year’s goals? Did you make your 2018 goals? Wishing you and yours Love, Laughter and Happy New Year! See you next year. I love saying that. LOL

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged 2018, 2019, A Magic Redemption, An Angel's Unintentional Entanglement, New Year, Paranormal Romance, Reflections of 2018, Rocky Mountain National Park, Tena Stetler, USA Today, writing by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.

Dec 5th Holiday Recipe & A Magic Redemption

Happy holidays to all! I’m so excited today is the release of A MAGIC REDEMPTION, the fifth book in A Demon’s Witch Series. Yippee!! Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets see what A MAGIC REDEMPTION is all about! Also, check out my Holiday Recipe for Fantasy Fudge. Pssst. To celebrate my new release I’m giving away a $10.00 Amazon gift card. Read to the bottom of the post, tell me the name of Synn’s pup in the comments to be entered for a chance to win Thanks for joining us!

A Magic Redemption has been in the process for quite some time. Synn the heroine of the book has wandered in and out of most of the books in A Demon’s Witch Series. Kidnapped as a child, her captors murdered her family and forced her into training as a warrior assassin. When an assignment goes horribly wrong, she sees an escape and exchanges valuable information for protection and takes freedom in Ireland. Gavin Shaughnessy is the publican at his family’s Irish pub. He is certain Synn is meant to be his and isn’t bothered by her past. He must find a way to convince her, their future together is stronger than the dark memories that haunt her dreams.

I always knew I’d have to tell Synn’s story, but had to wait until all the pieces fell into place from the other books in the series. I’m super excited to share her incredible adventure and heart-warming story with you now. I certainly hope you enjoy reading A Magic Redemption as much as I did writing Synn’s tale.

Although A Magic Redemption is the fifth book in A Demon’s Witch Series, it can be read as a stand-alone like all the other books in the series. Before we get into A MAGIC REDEMPTION, a little holiday fun and a recipe!

Twinkle Bright – Elves Secret Santa

Direct from the North Pole, welcome to the Elves Secret Santa party! Here at the North Pole it’s extremely busy, but we still have time for a little holiday fun and shenanigans.

Let me introduce myself. I’m an elf and my name is Twinkle Bright because my elf hat has twinkle lights wound all around the scalloped edge and the pointy top.

I make yummy Hot Chocolate for Santa and the elves from a secret family recipe passed down from generation to generation. My hot chocolate keeps everyone warm and toasty inside at the North Pole. There is even an automatic dispenser in Santa’s Sleigh providing him with hot chocolate during his travels on Christmas Eve. It goes good with the cookies the children leave for him.

While I am mixing up large batches of hot chocolate, I listen to Christmas Carols from a variety of pop, country and rock artists. I always taste each batch to insure it’s up to elf standards. . You would think I’d get tired of hot chocolate, but no — never. I love the steaming chocolaty drink. I usually keep mine in an insulated mug so it stays warm while sampling the cookies in the elves’ bakery. Frosted sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies are my absolute favorites.

Now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. But you must promise not to tell…anyone.

We do a secret Santa gift exchange around here and this year I got Bob, her job at the North Pole is name checker to make sure Santa has all the correct spellings of the girls and boys. One year she spelled Chrys’ name Chris and wow what an uproar.

Luckily Santa caught it, but we had to rush to change all the tags on her packages. Whew!

I’m getting Elf Bobi a package of 120 different color markers in a jewel encrusted case for marking off the correctly spelled names after she checks them.

Do you think she’ll like that?

Do you like fudge? Great, I’ll share with you my favorite Fantasy Fudge Recipe.

3 cups of sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 – 5 oz can of evaporated milk (do not use sweetened condensed milk)

1 – 12 oz package semi sweet chocolate chips

1 – 7 oz jar marshmallow cream

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

You may add chopped nuts if you wish

Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to a full rolling boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stir constantly

Cook for four minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees.

High altitude takes about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add chocolate chips and marshmallow cream, stir until melted.

Add vanilla and nuts. Stir until blended.

Pour into a greased 9×13 pan, spread evenly.

Cool completely and cut into squares.

A sneak peek between the pages of A MAGIC REDEMPTION!

He showered, pulled on sweats, and stretched out on his empty king-sized bed. After his long flight, a peaceful sleep came quickly until Synn’s nightmare invaded his dream world. Gut wrenching terror tore through him until he was able to disengage himself from the nightmare. There’d be no phone call this time. For a moment he considered shifting, but he might need a vehicle after arriving at her home. He yanked off his sweats and pulled on jeans, a sweater, donned a coat, and grabbed his keys.

He found her sitting cross-legged on the bedroom floor. Storm curled in her lap. The usually active pup was lying still just peering up at her. When Gavin approached, Storm moved one ear forward and turned her head to look at him. “It’ll be okay, girl.” He knelt in front of Synn, brushed the hair away from her face. A vacant stare met his gaze into her eyes like she was in a trance. This couldn’t be good.

He’d seen her nightmare. Something was trying to control her. He wouldn’t let it happen. Releasing a breath, he took hold of her shoulders. She’d been like this once before. When she came out of it anyone within arm’s reach could be in danger. Though her magic was tempered these days, it wouldn’t be for long… Changing strategy, he repositioned himself behind her, caught her up in a bear hug, and pushed the pup out of her lap. Storm yelped and went grudgingly but refused to leave her side.

“Synn, it’s me Gavin; you’re safe.” He gave her a little shake. Arms and legs began flailing. She let out a blood curdling scream and kept screaming until he thought the neighbors a few miles away would hear and call the police. He held her tightly, sat down on the floor, and pulled her into his lap. “Synn. Synn. You’re all right. We’re at the cottage.” The screams turned to sobs. She leaned her head back and blinked.

Panic seized her. “Gavin, you’ve got to get out of here. He’s coming for me and will kill everyone associated with me, including Storm.” She reached for the pup cuddling her close to her chest. “I’m so sorry. I knew this would never work. I don’t deserve a normal life.”

“That’s enough. It was a nightmare. That’s all.”

She turned her large aqua eyes on him and raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Available from Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon AU, Amazon CA, Kobo , itunes, The Wild Rose Press, Barnes and Noble Wal-mart.com

About the Author:

With the Rocky Mountains outside her window, she sits at her computer surrounded by a wide array of witches, shapeshifters, demons, faeries, and gryphons, with a Navy SEAL or two mixed in telling their tales. Her books tell stories of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.

Thank you so much for indulging my excitement at the release of my eighth book with The Wild Rose Press and reading a bit about A MAGIC REDEMPTION! I hope you enjoyed the recipe!

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged A Magic Redemption, Fantasy Fudge, Ireland, magic, Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, Tena Stetler, Twinkle Bright the Holiday Elf, Urban Fantasy, Witches by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.

Nov 20th Why Worry?

Why worry? If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it better. – Walt Disney

As you all know, I love and admire Walt Disney. In fact in September of 2017, I spend my wedding anniversary with my hubby in Disneyland California. Hubby and I got in on the Disney Halloween celebration. Halloween IS my favorite holiday, you know. It was fantastic. One day I’ll make it to Walt Disney World it’s on my bucket list. But I digress.

I came across this quote and it made me burst into a huge grin. As a writer, I sometimes worry. Okay, maybe I worry a lot. What if my writing isn’t reaching people? What if my books aren’t good enough? What if people don’t like my books? Writing is subjective after all. How am I going to make the next deadline? Would it have been better to land a literary agent? What if I’d taken the self-published path rather than traditional publishing? And the list goes on. Go ahead add some of yours.

My mind reels, my heart palpitates, and I have to go for a walk. Taking my dog for a walk and telling her how I feel is one of my stress relievers.

Are you facing something that seems insurmountable and worrying about it?

If so, let’s all read aloud this quote and just breathe. Worrying won’t make it better or make it go away. In fact, it just makes our head and heart hurt. Then grumpiness sets in.

Let’s stomp out worry and wear a great big grin instead! Don’t forget exercise, it gets those feel-good endorphins flowing. I feel better already. How about you?

Back to the writing cave! Have a productive day! In fact make that a productive week, month, and year! Happy Thanksgiving!

Yep, I’m going to sneak in a promotion for my upcoming release A Magic Redemption, fifth book in A Demon’s Witch Series! I know you’re going to love it! See got those endorphins flowing. LOL Psst…
Share the magic, adventure and mystery -Pre-Order your digital copy of A MAGIC REDEMPTION from Amazon at a special discounted price for only $2.99 for a limited time!

A Little about A Magic Redemption!

Synn, a demon, carries extraordinary magic and power, but there is more within her than she dreams. Kidnapped as a child, her captors murdered her family and forced her into training as a warrior assassin. When an assignment goes horribly wrong, she finds herself at the mercy of the friends and family of her intended target. Offering valuable information in exchange for protection, she gains her freedom, but it is not without its challenges.

Gavin Shaughnessy is the publican at his family’s Irish pub. He is certain Synn is meant to be his and isn’t bothered by her past. He must find a way to convince her, their future together is stronger than the dark memories that haunt her dreams.

When her past comes calling for revenge, will their love survive the raging inferno she brings down upon them? Or will the searing path of destruction destroy all they hold dear?

A sneak peek between the pages of A Magic Redemption:

Darkness engulfed her. The voices in her head returned calling her a traitor suggesting retribution would be sweet and exacted soon. She fought against the words and covered her ears. As suddenly as the booming words came, it was silent. The dream shifted to a dank room, without windows, or light, and a darkness she could almost feel. Scraping sounds against a large wooden plank door grated on her nerves.

Magic failed her leaving her drained and unresponsive. She curled up in a fetal position. Baltizar’s voice whispered again in her mind. “I still control you. They’re all going to die a horrible death at my hands. You will get to watch. Just like when you failed to save your family.”

His wicked laugh echoed though her mind and faded. A warm liquid flowed over her hands. She looked down. They were covered in blood. Bodies were strewn over what looked like the dirt floor of a cave. Screaming, she awoke soaked with sweat, head pounding and blood trickled from her palms where her finger nails had sliced through the skin.

A loud bark came from the foot of her bed. She stumbled out of bed and rushed to Storm’s crate, knelt, and yanked open the door. A warm, fur ball bounded into her lap, the dog covered her face with kisses. She sat on the floor, tears streaming down her face dripping on the soft fur she buried her face in.

Never allowed to cry, she allowed the flood gates open, and cried for her family, mistakes made, decisions forced upon her, and wished she’d died in the battle with Baltizar. She wouldn’t be responsible for the deaths of her new friends, Gavin and his family, or Storm.

Dont miss : Book Series Trailer: https://youtu.be/lELj0amtkk8

Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon AU, Amazon CA, itunes, The Wild Rose Press, Barnes and Noble Wal-mart.com

About the author:

Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance. She has an over-active imagination, which led to writing her first vampire romance as a tween to the chagrin of her mother and delight of her friends. After many years as a paralegal, then an IT Manager, she decided to live out her dream of pursuing a publishing career.Her books tell stories of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.

Colorado is home; shared with her husband of many moons, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors. During the winter you can find her curled up in front of a crackling fire with a good book, a mug of hot chocolate and a big bowl of popcorn.

Well, what do you think? Drop me a line in the comments with your thoughts. Thanks for allowing me to be part of your world today! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!