Tena Stetler Archives - Tena Stetler

Dec 31st Happy New Year, Welcome 2025!

From our house to yours, wishing and hoping that 2025 is a prosperous, healthy & Happy New Year year. One filled with love, laughter, and light!

Be sure and check out my Paranormal Mystery/Romances before moving on! Also check out whether or not New Year’s Resolutions are in my future.

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog, My Say What Blog and tagged 2025, Happy New Year, Paranormal Romance Tena Stetler, Tena Stetler by Tena Stetler with 1 comment.

Dec 29th New Year’s Resolutions…Yes or No!

Happy Almost New Year!! New Year’s Resolutions? This week we’ll forgo the Sunday Snippets. Next week, as with all things new in the new year, I’ll have a snippet from my new WIP. I’ve never done this before, so hold on to your hats. LOL

Now there’s a dilemma. At the end of 2023, I made what I thought were attainable New Year’s resolutions for 2024 as I normally do, even though my husband was retiring. I knew things would change. I had no idea how much. However, our RV Adventure of a life time started in August 2024, and completely discombobulated my goals, plans, and life in general. NO COMPLAINTS. We had a blast. Heck, I didn’t even try 50,000 words in November when we returned for Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo. for the first time in 14 years. I tried to muddle through making my word counts, deadlines, promo and projects as planned, but was thwarted at every crossroad. Our RV Adventure was a cross-country trip in our 38-foot RV to the East coast from Colorado. Never been to the East coast. Branson, MO was way too hot at 104 degrees. Turned south to Mississippi where some friends have a wonderful spread, including a pond stocked with mosquito larva eating fish. Sat on the back porch and sipped iced tea. Visited friends in Georgia. then on to a ChowChow reunion in North Carolina. Great fun with great people. Visits with more friends and family, in Delaware. Had the best Pizza ever at Mystic Pizza, in Mystic, CN. Spend a few days in Salem, Bar Harbor, Cape Cod, New York, and Niagara Falls, NY. Wow what a rush. Lots more to tell. Pictures to share. Check check out my Say What Blog, after the first of the year. You’ll be glad you did!

Back to New Year’s resolutions. I guess I’ve been lucky in that I am a planner and the plans I set in stone happen as expected. 2024 for the first time, I learned that setting long term plans and goals can be fraught with problems. Life throws curve balls that you cannot imagine until it happens.

Ever the optimist, I did make reservations for 2025 camping trips, with the knowledge that changing them is a possibility. The alternative of no camping reservations is unthinkable.

I have discovered that I don’t work well with the unknown. I like to have it nailed down and know where I’m going and how I’m going to get there. Which is probably why I’ve usually created my new year’s resolutions with an eye to my plans for the entire new year. Yeah, going to back that off a bit.

So here it goes. My 2025 resolutions:

Write 5,000 to 7,000 words each week.

Finish the draft of my first contemporary romance set on the beach that I’ve been working on for a while.

Finish a rough draft of my romantic suspense – book three of the Mountain Town Mysteries Series.

Finish the sequel to Mystic Maples, I’ve had in the pipeline for a while.

Clean up my writing cave. It’s a disaster! In fact, it my qualify for national disaster relief. LOL

Take more time for myself and my companion animals. I did pretty good on that goal last year since we all traveled together for the better part of three months.

Read and enjoy more books than last year.

Think before I blurt out statements that are better left unsaid, making me a kinder, gentler person.

Clean out the closets and give away the clothes we don’t wear anymore. It’s time. LOL

Spend more time actually talking to people rather than letting my fingers do the talking. (More verbal communication and less electronic) LOL

Exercise more! This is a tough one for me that’s why I’m not setting a specific goal trying for 3 times a week.

As always, I plan to open the front door at midnight on New Year’s Eve as is the Irish tradition to chase out the old year and welcome the new year.

How about you? What resolutions will you make for 2025? Did you make your 2024 goals? Or if you don’t make resolutions, why not. Leave your answers in the comments, please. Welcome to 2025, what I wild ride it may be!

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog, My Say What Blog and tagged New Year, New Year Resolutions, RV travel, Tena Stetler, Traditions by Tena Stetler with no comments yet.

Dec 22nd My Favorite Things About Christmas – Sunday Snippet Plus 99¢ Sale

With the Christmas/holiday season in full swing, Thought I’d mention a few of my favorite things. Besides the reason for the season. I love Halloween, it’s by far my favorite holiday and decorate for the All Hallows Eve almost as much as I do for Christmas, which comes in a close second. Did I mention, I LOVE to decorate! LOL At Thanksgiving the aroma of turkey, candied sweet potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie made the house smell so inviting. My mouth waters just thinking about it. But Christmas…well… Bright lights adorning neighborhoods, Christmas Carols playing in the malls, and Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays on everyone’s lips makes the holiday season special. Here’s what makes my family’s holiday special. Year after year I appreciate Jellyfish outdoor lighting. No more climbing on ladders, across the slippery roof, worry about inclement weather when working on outdoor lighting. All programing is done from my smart phone. Love it!

1. Decorations. First of all, we start decorating the Friday after Thanksgiving. First the outside decorations go up. Then the tree, it’s lights, especially the bubble lights they are mesmerizing to watch. Several years ago, I brought the cutest colorful lifesaver shaped garland that I wind up the stairway banister. The tiny Precious Moments nativity is one I found years ago, along with Sam’s town, the soft lights from their windows are my christmas tree parrots night light during the holidays.

2. Food. Christmas is turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, rolls, candied yams and pumpkin pie swirled in whipped cream. Yummmm! The leftovers are even better. Sometimes we freeze the turkey leftovers and weeks or even a month later, yummy turkey sandwiches are wonderful. I’ll be putting one of those sandwiches together for lunch today. Left overs from Thanksgiving. LOL

3. Music. While we decorate the tree, we play a wide variety of Christmas Carols from the traditional to Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. The carols are sung by rock and roll artists, county western or classical renditions. It has been a family traditional as long as I can remember. We reminisce where the beloved tree decorations passed down generation to generation originated and the funny stories each spark.

4. Movies. It’s officially the Christmas season when we watch Miracle on 31st Street and How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carey. He is such a hoot. Then its Scrooged with Bill Murray. Afterward most nights we enjoy watching the variety of Christmas movies collected. Yep, get my Christmas movie fix. Then of course there is always the Hallmark channel heart felt Christmas movie magic.
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5. Christmas Light Looking. It isn’t Christmas without getting in the SUV and driving through town admiring everyone’s decorations. Some lighting displays are synchronized with popular holiday music wafting through the crisp night air as you drive by. It’s beautiful and we enjoy it every year with a mug of hot chocolate and Christmas cookies we pack with us for the drive.

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6. Family and Friends. The best part of the holidays is connecting with family and friends, whether it’s a long over-due phone call to catch up or a board game with friends. Years ago, I started writing a Christmas letter with our family’s actives for the year, complete with pictures. Since then it’s become a tradition. Friends and family look forward to that letter and make sure updated address are in my hands by Thanksgiving. There have been scary times, happy times, sad and in-between times, but keeping in touch seems to help everyone weather the preverbal storms. It’s been a rough year for many.

One last favorite thing of mine is to curl up with hubby in front of a crackling fireplace with a good book and a mug of homemade hot chocolate. Speaking of good books, have a look at a heartwarming holiday tale with a mysterious twist MERINGUE SNOWFLAKE MAGIC. A witch in the wrong place at the wrong time winds up in witness protection. Relocated to a small town with strange but friendly townsfolk. Their huge Christmas/holiday festival is centered around an annual cookie contest and tree lighting ceremony. Will they learn her secrets that put the town in danger before she discovers theirs? Makes a great Christmas gift for the Paranormal book lovers on your list.

If holiday tales are not your thing. I’ve got Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic on sale for 99 cents also! Guaranteed to chase away the winter doldrums!

Spring is in full bloom in Raven’s Hollow, a small, quirky town in the Colorado Rockies. A mysterious disappearance has the law enforcement baffled and the townspeople worried.

You can also pick Charm Me, for 99 pennies. Can a ski trip turn romantic in Divide, Colorado?

So there you have it, a few of my favorite things along with a gift idea. What are yours favorite things?

With that, I’ll wish you all Love and Laughter. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Got any resolutions? Come on, you know you do. LOL What do you plan to change and what do you hope to see in 2025? I look forward to hearing from you! See you next year. I know it’s an old cliché, but couldn’t help myself!

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Christmas, fantasy, Favorite things, Holiday, Meringue Snowflake Magic, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Raven's Hollow Spring Magic, Sunday Snippet, Tena Stetler, Witches by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.

Dec 15th Christmas/Holiday Traditions – Sunday Snippet

Fun things about Christmas/Holiday traditions Around the World. Take for instance, the Land Down Under, because, well, someday I want to visit there, just probably not at Christmas. The English and Irish predominately settled Australia so it stands to reason their traditions reflect those countries. Here’s a few of of their Christmas Traditions.
Aussie’s decorate their homes with ferns, palm leaves and evergreens along with blooming flowers of Christmas Bush and Christmas Bell Flower. It’s summer time in December down under, when most of the United States is looking forward to big flakes and blankets of snow for a white Christmas.
Carols by Candlelight is one of the popular events in Australia. People come together under the stars at night to light candles and sing Christmas carols. Seems to me, it’s not far from our own tradition of Christmas carolers. I just can’t imagine Christmas/holiday without snow, that’s why I live in Colorado. Hehe!
Christmas Day is when families and close friends gather from all over Australia for a holiday midday dinner. Some enjoy a traditional British Christmas dinner of roast turkey or ham and rich plum pudding doused in brandy and set on fire before it is brought to the table. Other families head for the backyard barbie to grill their Christmas dinner, maybe shrimp, in the sunshine or go to the beach and enjoy a picnic of cold turkey or ham and a salad. To the delight of children, Father Christmas in shorts may appear to greet children at the beach on Christmas/holiday! If you can’t have snow, that’s the way to celebrate Christmas.

Because I am of Swedish descent, let’s take a peek at Christmas Traditions in Sweden where in December the days are quite short, the nights long and the ground is usually snow covered. The Christmas/holiday season begins at church on the first Sunday of Advent, which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Children use an Advent calendar to keep track of the first day of December until Christmas, just like some of ours do. Each morning, they open a flap in the calendar’s Christmas scene to see the charming picture behind it. This year, I have a Victorian Advent calendar on my computer and enjoy a surprise behind each door daily.
The festivities in Sweden really begin with St. Lucia’s Day, December 13th, a celebration of the patron saint of light. A Christmas market held in the old medieval section of Stockholm is where you can find handmade toys, ornaments, and candy. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Some people write a special verse to accompany the gift and even seal the package with colorful sealing wax. I have enough trouble with scotch tape and wrapping paper, I can’t imagine what would happen with hot sealing wax. Not a pretty sight, I’m sure. A Christmas tree is selected by the whole family just a day or two before Christmas and decorated, while the delightful aroma of gingerbread cookies in the shape of hearts, stars, or other festive shapes waft through to house. Christmas Eve is when the main feast is eaten. Presents might be brought by Santa (Jultomten) or by gnomes/elves named Tomte or Nissar. Many families set out a sheaf of grain on a pole for hungry birds. My hubby and I always put out special treats for the wild birds in our Aspen grove on Christmas.

As for my family, we put up the tree, Christmas decorations inside and out, the weekend after Thanksgiving. Or try to. No it’s not a real tree, only because I’m allergic. <sigh> We watch Christmas movies throughout December and make candy such as Divinity, Fantasy Fudge and Beaver Dams. What are Beaver Dams, you ask. Well, take a package of butterscotch chips, melt them in a double boiler, stir in half-package of crispy Chow Mein Noodles and one half can of cocktail peanuts. Spoon the concoction onto foil in small mounds and let set. They look like beaver dams hence the name. YUMMY.

This year I’m going, to once again, try my hand at gingerbread cookies. Its become a Christmas Tradition of sorts, an make my family cringe. Why you ask? I haven’t had a lot of luck in previous years getting a good tasting cookie. But last year, thanks to a great recipe, not only did they turn out, but it’s become a beloved tradition now. Goes great with hot chocolate and marshmallows. LOL

Speaking of things that go good with hot chocolate. A heartwarming holiday tale, fits the bill! I’ve got just the one for you Meringue Snowflake Magic AND it’s on sale #99cents.

A Snippet of MERINGUE SNOWFLAKE MAGIC for your holiday enjoyment –

“What the hell?” burst from her mouth before she could stop it. She slapped a hand over her mouth and glanced around.

He took her hand. “Follow me. It’s not safe out in the open for you.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Where are we?” She stared at the surrounding area.

“I’ll explain all in good time. Right now, it’s imperative you follow me.” He started to tug her deeper into the woods.

Refusing to continue, she dug her heels in the damp ground covered with decaying leaves. “I’m not going any farther until you tell me what’s going on.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Whirling around, he slung her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, then sprinted into the woods.

She squealed. “Put me down this instant.”

Paying no mind to her, he set her feet on the path at the foot of a large oak tree. He pushed aside vines and plants to reveal a door in the ground. When he pressed his hand into the rough bark on the side of the tree, a keypad appeared. He punched in a number. The door sprang open to reveal steep winding steel stairs. Crouching over, he swept his arm toward the entrance. “You first.”

She stood hands on hips. “You expect me to—”

“Or I can haul your ass over my shoulder again. Unfortunately, the stairs are a bit tricky to navigate in that manner, but….” He jerked his head toward the stairs. “All will be explained once we are safe inside.”

“I’m not— ”

He took a step forward. “Your cover’s been blown. Handler is missing. Now move!”

What Christmas or holiday traditions do and your family observe during the month of December? I look forward to hearing from you. I’d love for you to tell me about your traditions in the comments!