Things to be Thankful For – Thankful Author Tena Stetler
What am I thankful for? This year has been a year of discovery for me and I am thankful. I’ve discovered that watching the news is not necessarily a good thing. Terrorists, bombs, wild fires, floods, hurricanes (3 back to back) Whew!
I’m thankful, of course, for the roof over my head, food in my cupboards as well as family and friends. That goes without saying, but I’ll put it out there anyway!
Recently I rented a booth at the Body, Mind & Spirit Expo (metaphysical fair) in Colorado Springs to expand my readership. With this came the opportunity to give a forty-five minute lecture. I chose to talk about why the world needs romance and why I write it. It had been decades since I stood up in front of an audience and spoke. I’m thankful I made it through the speech mostly unscathed.
I’m also thankful I reached a lot of readers that were interested in my genre of books and I was the only author at the Expo. How cool is that? Witches, Demons, Shapeshifters, Angels and Vampires were right up their alley. The people attending the expo ranged from teens to elderly, all genders. In the three day expo, I’d broadened my audience exponentially and had a wonderful time to boot. I will be returning next year!
I’m extremely thankful to be living my dream. A dream made possible by my supportive, extraordinary husband of many moons, and The Wild Rose Press, my amazing publisher. My editor, well, let’s just say…she rocks! I’m thankful for the helpful, supportive authors of The Wild Rose Press! They are always willing to pick you up when you’re down and do the happy dance over your successes. Bless the hearts of my wonderful readers, I am so thankful for them!
Finally, a day never passes without my thanks to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces whose dedication keeps our great nation free. (Comes from living in a military town all my life & marrying a soldier.) We are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. You may not agree with me, but that’s what is great about this nation. You don’t have to. I’m entitled to my own opinion, as are you. I can write books on any topic I choose without fear of a midnight knock on my door or being carted away. Unless of course our characters come to life, then we are all in trouble. ROFLOL
While I have a lot more to be thankful for, those are the biggies. I wish you all love, laughter, romance and a Happy Thanksgiving!
Little About A Vampire’s Unlikely Alliance, Release date November 29, 2017
Stefan is a Native American vampire, former assassin for the Vampire Council. In a twist of fate, he now DJ’s the midnight shift for a small radio station in Whitefish, Montana, on the edge of Glacier National Park where his secret is safe until…
Born in Ireland, Brandy now works as a park ranger and trail guide in the park. During a full moon, Stefan and Brandy’s paths cross in a near physical collision on a trail. Their attraction is immediate and undeniable, almost as if fate demanded it.
Their union was foretold long ago in Irish folk tales where vampires and gryphons, warlocks and demons, witches and faeries must work together for the good of man and magic kind. Is a trip to Ireland the key to unravelling secrets and returning the magic? And even more importantly, will their love survive the trip?
A Peek Between the Pages of A Vampire’s Unlikely Alliance – A different vampire tale.
The sun slid behind the mountains, 
setting the azure sky ablaze in hues of red, orange, yellow, and pink. Then red shifted to purple and dusk faded to darkness as he jogged toward the trails. She stood leaning against the rock where he had started his run last night. He’d tried to convince himself to stay away, but in the end, the urge was too strong.
In a whisper of movement, he was at her side with his hand on the rock just above her shoulder. “Waiting for someone? Brandy, is it?” The scent of warm, perfumed female skin wafted over him as he leaned into her.
“It took you long enough, Mr. Talltree.” Her full lips formed a slight pout as she lifted her chin and tilted her face up to meet his. “Nice to see you again.”
There was no hesitation or apprehension in her lovely features as he moved closer, placing his other hand next to her left shoulder, effectively pinning her against the rock. He wanted to wrap his arms around her lithe, warm body and brush his lips over her sexy pout. But he thought better of it, not wanting to scare her off…not yet.
“Yes, it is.” He let his gaze wander leisurely up and down her luscious body. “Didn’t your mother warn you about the dangers of stalking a stranger at night in the park alone?”
Available at
Amazon Amazon UK , Amazon AU, itunes and Barnes & Noble.
Release date November 29, 2017! Just in time for Christmas. Reserve your copy today!
Bio:
Tena Stetler is a paranormal romance and cozy mystery author with an over-active imagination. She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends. With the Rocky Mountains outside her window, Tena sits at her computer surrounded by a wide array of paranormal creatures telling her their tales. Colorado is her home; shared with her husband of many moons, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-year-old box turtle.
Any winter evening, 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. Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them.
Contact Information:
One last think I am Thankful for, Everyone that has enjoyed my blogs this year and hope you’ll continue into the new year!!! Have a Happy Thanks Giving!! Eat lots of turkey and pumpkin pie then take a walk around your neighborhood.
**This post was originally part of Angela Hayes’ Thankful Author Series. If you’d like to read more of the fun and interesting Thankful Author’s Series click on the link.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged family, Friends, Military, Romance, Thankful, Thanksgiving, writing by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
Camp Nanowrimo Creates Romance & Happily Ever After
Once again I am participating in Camp Nanowrimo, April 1st through April 30th, 2017. It’s a little more unstructured than the November Nanowrimo, where you have to complete 50,000 words in thirty days. At camp you set the pace and how many words you want complete in the 30 day timeframe. Still, there are hundreds of writers worldwide participating so you cheer each other on. It’s a fun forum, when usually it’s only you, the computer and keyboard. Writing is a solitary endeavor for the most part. Check back here to see how I’m doing! This morning, April 7th, I’m at 8,990 words, so I have a bit to go to meet my daily word count. Wish me luck!
For me Camp Nanowrimo is still 50,000 words in thirty days, because I need a good start on my next book. But there are a few obstacles, Pikes Peak Library District’s Mountain of Authors is Saturday , April 8th. It’s a lost day of writing but so much fun hanging with local authors, selling and signing books for my readers. Then April 28th through the 30th I will be at the Pikes Peak Writer’s Conference, so I better have my 50,000 words done at that point. Whew! That means only twenty-seven days. Still I love a good challenge!
Something that has always mystified me is the rolling of eyes and a few derogatory comments when I say I write romance or paranormal romance with a little mystery and suspense thrown in. It’s the happily ever after that draws me to the genre. What could be more inviting than to be swept away to a world of magic, fantasy, feel good and romance for a few hours. No time in recent history has there been a greater need for a safe place to escape for a few hours. Or a reminder of the heart-warming and healing power of love. Especially when devastating destruction is all around us, whether it be natural disasters or man’s violent acts on mankind.
So to those who question my choice in writing — too bad. I will continue to create stories that stress the importance of seeing beyond ourselves to help others obtain their happily ever after! I’m not sure what can be done to fix this world, but for my part I will continue to create happily ever afters in my corner of the world to share with you.
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Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged Camp Nanowrimo, Happily Ever After, Paranormal, PPLD Mountain of Authors, Romance, Tena Stetler, writing by Tena Stetler with 7 comments.
Spring and Family Collide
March is here! Yea! The wearing of the green, always brings me into a Spring 
mood. This year Easter is right on it’s heels, which makes decorating my house for Easter a short-lived experience. I love all those pastel eggs, bunnies, butterflies and happy things. No I don’t forget the reason for the season either.
It’s time to encourage the brown grass to bring up new green shoots. Daffodils, 
tulips, crocus all have their little green sprouts above ground checking for acceptable weather. Inevitably, they get snowed on at least once here in the Rocky Mountains, but they persevere anyway and put on a colorful show. I love Spring.
I’ve been planning our 2016 camping excursions since December, making those all important reservations at Steamboat Lake, Rocky 
Mountain National Park, Twin Lakes and many more. A trip to Lake Vallecito this year is exciting, especially to meet up with friends. However, last night I discovered that maybe, we’ll have to rearrange a few details this year.
A death in the family, and failure to keep in touch with cousins I was close with growing up gave me pause for thought. I received a letter and an obituary in the mail of a favorite uncle a few weeks after the fact. Why… because my cousin didn’t know how to contact me. She located my webpage, facebook page, but a death is something you don’t want to post on social media.
When I received the letter, I immediately looked her up online and located a phone number, made the call. After forty-five minutes of catching up, I was sad how much we’d missed after we grew up and life intervened. The reason for lack of communication is not always what you think. What a shame.
So… plans to return to my childhood stomping grounds may lessen the amount of time we spend in state and federal parks this year. Connecting with family and friends I haven’t seen in years, seems more important. To my credit, I always send a newsy Christmas Letter with pictures of where we’ve been and what we’ve been doing. That’s how my cousin knew my address. Life is unpredictable, what you assume will always be there when you are ready… can disappear in an instant.
I’m not one for genealogy, but connecting with family that helped make childhood memories so precious is something I wish I’d done sooner. But better late than never. I hope this acts as a reminder to pick up the phone, call someone you’ve put off too long connecting with, because… you never know. Sorry for the less than inspiring post this week.
Some good news. Copy edits are done on my next novel, A Witch’s Journey. A story about how meeting the right person can make all the difference in the world. No matter who or what your are. I await excitedly for a peek at the book’s cover, soon to come. I’ll share it of course.
Do you have people you wish you’d stayed in contact with? Look ‘em up, give ‘em a call. If only to say hi, how are you doing?
I love to hear from readers. Take a minute, write a comment. You’ll be glad you did, and so will I.
Next week I promise a happier topic as I discuss favorite camping haunts. Places to enjoy in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Also the challenge of gardening in a short growing season. Until then, make each day count!
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Posted in Food for Thought, My Say What Blog and tagged A Witch's Journey, camping, Colorado Rockies, family, flowers, remember, Spring, writing by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
