Heya guys, my book HEAVEN SENT is now available for purchase from Cobblestone Press!  I’ve you’ve been waiting for my latest Christmas novella, now’s your chance to get it.

http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/heavensent.htm

I’m so excited for this one, you don’t want to miss it!   WOOHOO!

Just got my cover art today for my next fantasy novel, KINDRED, from Champagne Books!  This book is coming in March of 2010.  Isn’t it awesome??  I love the colors!  Much better than I envisioned.  Now I can’t wait for this story!    WOOHOO!!!

~*~*~

When an ordinary woman discovers she’s anything but ordinary, her life becomes an amazing journey into the land of dragon-shifters, and into the arms of the Crown Prince himself…

While caring for her dying grandmother, Alana Capria hears the most shocking news of her life.  She’s not human, she’s a dragon-shifter.  Not only that, she’s from the extremely rare and powerful House of the Sun, brought to Earth as a baby to save her from assassins.

Rionshalintaris is her betrothed, the Crown Prince of Dragoran, and a blue dragon-shifter from the House of Ice.  He’s been looking forward to bonding with Alana ever since they were children.  Rion is overjoyed she has returned to Dragoran, and is most eager to claim her as his own.

But the red dragons of the House of Fire endeavor to kidnap Alana in an attempt to overthrow the Crown.  Can Rion protect the woman he loves and bind Alana as his Kindred before it’s too late?

~*~*~

(As an aside, only THREE more days before the release of HEAVEN SENT from Cobblestone Press! )

~~Becka

On My Books:

1.) I’m thankful for being an author.

2.) I’m thankful I’m published.

3.) I’m thankful for my fans.

4.) I’m thankful I’ve found what brings me joy.

5.) I’m thankful that after a lifetime of wishing and dreaming, I’ve achieved my childhood goal.

6.) I’m thankful for all my author friends and all the people I know in the industry.

On My Family

1.) I’m thankful for my husband.

2.) I’m thankful for the five children he’s given me.

3.) I’m thankful we’ve found a way to raise them that makes us “lucky” five times over.

4.) I’m thankful I’m able to stay home with my children.

5.) I’m thankful I can homeschool them.

6.) I’m thankful for our house and the cars we own.

7.) I’m thankful for our two cats.  Okay, okay, and the dog too.

8.) I’m thankful for my extended family, my sister and brother-in-law, parents, mom-in-law, & my nephews.

On My Friends

1.) I’m thankful for my girlfriends, who are, admittedly, the wives and fiancees of my hubby’s good friends.

2.) I’m thankful for Friday night game night.

3.) I’m thankful for D&D.

4.) I’m thankful they sometimes watch my angel kids so Jim and I can have date night.

5.) I’m thankful some of them have read my books.

6.) I’m thankful they ask me for child-rearing advice.

This Thanksgiving, think about what you’re thankful for.  What have you been given that makes you a better person?  That makes you happy?  That fills your heart with joy and purpose?

And Who, exactly, are we giving thanks to?  For me, I can only think of One.

Thank You.  For everything.

Love,

~~Becka

Isn’t it gorgeous?  I can’t wait for this one!  Just finished second round edits with my editor at Cobblestone.  This one will get a release date once it’s signed/sealed/delivered to the Powers That Be.  OBVIOUSLY it’s going to be in December. 

It’s a historical western set during Christmas, 1881.

I can’t wait for you guys to read it!  I already have a page up for this one.  If you want to read HEAVEN SENT’s blurb, check out it’s own page.

http://www.rebeccagoings.com/westerns/heaven-sent/

Yeehaw!  Many thanks to Tuesday Dube for nailing my hero and heroine. 

~~Becka

I seriously cannot take a break between projects, folks.  I was tempted, but I couldn’t do it.  This cowboy has been poking me for far too long.  I’ve started a new novella.  It’s about a ghost cowboy.  It’s a time-travel.  It’s entitled RIDE THE LIGHTNING.

I told you about it not too long ago.  I have no word count goal.  I just hope I don’t have too much story for a novella.  Sure, I could write a novel, but the dynamics wouldn’t “fit” with a novel, I don’t think.

You see, the heroine can only see the hero during a thunder storm since he’s a ghost, hence the title.  The story has to actually be fast-paced to make any sense, because I can’t have it storming all the dang time.  So their meeting, feelings, and circumstance has to happen pretty fast and desperate for the premise to work.

Leaving the heroine to wait for the next big storm is going to be a boring read, as we all know waiting for a storm can take many weeks, and even then, it’s not guaranteed to be a thunder storm.

Therefore, I can have the story take place over a few days, as it makes sense to have a large storm overhead for a little while, but not month after month.

Anyhow, this little gem might get sent off to Carina Press, the new eBook division of Harlequin.    Yup, Harlequin opened a new publishing house, one that’s under the Harlequin umbrella but not affiliated with the Harlequin imprints we all know and love.  And guess who’s executive editor over there?  Ms. Angela James, the very same wonderous exec. editor who used to be with Samhain Publishing!  We love Angie. 

So far, I’ve written 3265 words on it and it’s coming right along.  As always, you can follow my progress on this one at my FaceBook Fan Page.

So, to keep myself sane with all the submissions I’ve got in the air right now, I’m on another adventure, to Texas, where I’ve gotta save a cowboy from reliving his death over and over and over again…  :’(

~~Becka

Heya gang.  If you’re like me, then you HATED the last incarnation of my website.  The scrolly pics had broken and it was just downright ugly.  At the time I picked it, anything was better than my previous “old time western” website, which I loved when I first got that as well.  I guess as we evolve online, so too do our tastes.

I scoured the web for a Wordpress template that was “romancey”.  The sexy ones just weren’t ME.  The flowery ones were kinda lame.  The ones with couples were either wedding templates or splashed with horrid colors.  Then I stumbled across this one.

Sure, it’s not perfect.  It doesn’t scream that I’m a romance author.  But I liked it because it has my posts on a notebook, with handwritten notes on the side bar, and what appears to be “Imagination” coming off the “pages”.  The first thing I thought of when I saw it was writing my stories, as there are usually notes, notebooks, and imagination all around me.    Therefore, I chose this theme over all the rest.

Not sure how long I’ll have this incarnation, but for now, it works and I really love the colors and the simplicity.  All my book information is still here, over there in the right-hand sidebar.

At least now, my blog is more the focus of my webpage rather than some ugly black/pink/gray funky page with broken pics.  LOL

Do you like this new template?  Let me know!

~~Becka

Wow, so many things to ponder, I don’t even know where to start. I’m pretty darned uncomfortable these days, and I can’t believe I have just over 9 weeks to go in this pregnancy. UGH. Thankfully, I’m not going to be allowed to go past my due date, and in fact, have probably a 100% chance of delivering early, due to when my doctor wants to induce me. So yay on that front.

Scary thing is, DH was recently laid off from his work, meaning, we’ll have to pay for Cobra to keep our health insurance unless he can get a job soon. We might just pay for Cobra until after the baby’s born anyhow, since we’ve already paid all our co-pays with this baby. Good news is, because all the programmers and designers at Jive Software were in their late 20’s, early 30’s, the premiums for health insurance are relatively low, due to the collective age and good health of the company. Meaning, DH and I won’t have to pay out the nose for Cobra. I thought we might end up paying $1500 a month, but it turns out it’s only about $650, plus another $125 for dental.

His work laid him off on Oct. 10th, but allowed him to stay on until Oct 31st to wrap up loose ends and such. Because the company was very nice, they decided his official last day was Nov. 1st, so his health insurance wouldn’t run out until the end of November. I thought that was very awesome of them, something they totally didn’t have to do.

Which means this nation’s elections were specifically poignant this time around for the Goings family. DH and I are registered Republicans, but we could not bring ourselves to get behind McCain. His policies were vague where Obama spoke of specific plans, not to mention his age and his unfamiliarity with technology. Or his “yeah yeah yeah we’ll get to that” stance on global warming and what we need to do to turn things around.

I voted for Obama, I’ll come right out and say it. Why? Because I want health care reform. I want to find other energy sources that don’t harm the planet. I want to get out from underneath the Middle East’s thumb with regards to foreign oil. I want more jobs here in the U.S. of A. I want the dang national debt to get smaller, if at all possible! Geez! I want my kids to have the opportunity to go to college or at least get college funding if DH and I can’t hack it for whatever reason. If these things mean higher taxes, well, then it’s got to be done. Taxes aren’t necessarily evil. Where does the federal funding for these kinds of projects come from anyway? If we want this country to change, we’ve all got to do our parts.

Aside from the issues, I just could not stand country bumpkin Sarah Palin. Enough with the winking and the you betchas. Her Christian faith wasn’t enough to sway me, nor was the fact she was female. And even the tried and true stance that Republicans are traditionally against abortion wasn’t “enough” for me to vote with my party this time around. Not to mention the fact I’ve become somewhat ashamed to be a Republican in the first place with people shouting “terrorist” and “kill him” at McCain’s rallies. Even during McCain’s concession speech, they were vehemently booing Obama. Did you watch Obama’s acceptance speech? He praised McCain and the crowd was respectful and clapped for him. Where did this hatred in the GOP come from? It disgusts me, frankly.

I’m not a “Democrat”, but I’m not sure I’m Republican either, at this point. Heck, even now, I’m not sure what either party stands for.

The fact Obama is a black man never even entered my mind, and shame on those people who didn’t vote for him because of it. I must admit, I got a little misty when they announced he’d gone over 270 electoral votes to claim the presidency. My children got to witness history being made. On that note, so did I! I always thought a woman might get there before a black man. But I believe it was Obama’s likeability and his clear intelligence that won people over. Imagine, someone who doesn’t make stupid jokes and stumble all over himself in the White House! What a breath of fresh air! Seriously, who wants a president who acts like your crazy Uncle Jethro you never want to put up with at family BBQ’s? We’ve had enough of that for the past 8 years. God forbid we have more of that with Sarah Palin as veep.

I’m very proud to be an American right now. Not just because the guy I voted for won, but because I believe the best candidate won. And if he can live up to his promises, he just might be one of our greatest presidents. If he doesn’t, he could turn out to be one of our worst. Only time will tell. There’s a tremendous amount of pressure on the guy right now, but if there’s one thing Obama is, it’s cool under pressure. Let’s hope he brings some of that into his administration.

And let’s hope this country is finally headed in the right direction with our heads out of our butts and our priorities straight.

~~Becka

Well, I saw my doctor today and have some good news to report. First of all, the placenta moved away from my cervix, so I no longer have placenta previa and I’m all clear for a vaginal birth. Yay!

Second of all, I’ve only gained half a pound since the last appointment. Considering that’s probably the baby’s weight, since it is now putting on a half pound every week until birth, I’m pretty stoked!

Also, my doc said she wants to induce me in the week before my due date of Jan. 10th regardless of the weight of the baby. Because I’m a diabetic that’s on medication, they have to monitor me very closely in my final weeks, moreso than a diabetic who’s controlling their diabetes with diet. So she mentioned the week between the 3rd and the 10th, in there somewhere. DH mentioned, “Or the 31st?” She looked at him and said, “Oh sure, for the tax break? You bet!” LOL

I suppose the baby will be healthy enough at that point being 38-39 weeks old. She will be at term by the end of the year. Hopefully she was serious about the end of December induction! LOL Maybe I can whittle her down as the weeks go on. Heh I have to go in twice a week in December so they can hook me up to the fetal monitors to make sure there’s no stress on the baby. I just don’t want to be in the hospital on Christmas day. Baby can come before or after Christmas, but not ON! I want to be home opening gifties with a warm fire, some cinnamon rolls and holiday cheer, darn it!

I bought a few things for the baby just in case she decides to come before I have my baby shower (many smooches to Joleine and Michelle for throwing me one. . I have about 5 onesies, 3 jammies, 3 pairs of socks, and 3 hats. I know, not much, right? Jim’s mom already bought us the uber pack-n-play complete with a baby changing station, mobile, lights and music doo-dad, and an adjustable bed height for infant or toddler, along with a carseat/stroller combo. So, if baby comes early, all we really need now is some diapers and wipes. I’d considered buying a giant box of diapers from Costco, but read online that you should really only buy a few packages of newborn-size diapers, since the baby grows so fast. I’m not sure what I’m gonna do about that situation. We shall see. The rest of my kids didn’t grow like weeds, so perhaps Sophie will be the same way.

Anyhow, just thought I’d share that info. Funny thing is, the tech at the ultrasound told me baby’s head was down, but my doc found baby’s heartbeat high up on my belly, which means she’s probably sitting head up at the moment. Guess the wee one is still rolling around in there! Let’s hope she rolls back into position before D-day…

~~Becka

In case you didn’t know, DH recently got laid off from his job. Couple this with the fact I’m just a housewife, who happens to be pregnant, and the sudden, dramatic downturn of our economy, this doesn’t bode well.

However, there are a few irons in the fire for my ol’ hubby and his job prospects, so all is not hopeless. Due to this craptastic crapfest, we decided we needed to get away for awhile and relax. As you know, we’ve gone camping a few times in the past, but never “by ourselves”. We’ve always gone with friends. This time around, we decided to meander on up to Ft. Stevens, Oregon on our own, a place we’ve actually never visited – the only stretch of American soil to be shelled by the Japanese in 1942 (as Hawaii wasn’t a state when they bombed Pearl Harbor).

Anyhow, it was awesome to camp out there, amidst the many different batteries protecting the mouth of the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. We had fun exploring the catacombs of the bunkers and the old giant gun pits.

But that wasn’t our only adventure. The first night, we discovered our air mattress had a hole in it. We tried patching it, but to no avail. Thankfully, DH had just bought an air mattress for the kids, a “king” mattress, which is actually two twin mattresses that will zip together to make a “bigger” bed. Well, that first night, they were sound asleep, and we didn’t have the heart to steal it from them then. So we “roughed it” on the hard ground with just our blankies and two half-inch thick foam pads we had. You might think this is what camping is all about, but not when you’re 7 months pregnant! Holy cow, I couldn’t sleep at all that first night. I was so uncomfortable.

Not to mention the LEGION of raccoons that descended upon us once we were safe in our tents. Once we’d doused our lantern, they were bold enough to enter our campsite while me and my oldest daughter were sitting at the campire. They were trying to get into our chip and bread duffel bag. LOL Okay. So I shooed all FOUR of them away – yes, four – and my daughter was freaked out while they snorted and hissed at me, little buggers.

I then proceeded to put our dry goods bags in our van which was just a few feet away from our site thinking, “They can’t open the ice chests. We’re all good.”

We finally go to bed, and a little later, we hear THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. Little bastardos CAN get into the ice chests! Let this be a lesson to y’all. So we put a few of our heavy items on top of the ice chests while DH shooed away SIX of them. The four came back with two of their friends, I guess. Cute as all get out, but dang, are they little pests! One even tried to make off with our kids’ clothing bag which had their toothpaste inside, which we figured they could smell. LOL He was snorting, huffing and puffing, trying his hardest to drag it away, but it was just too heavy, I suppose. We got a good laugh out of it all, especially when raccoons lined the pathway to the bathrooms a few yards away. Fun times when you’re heavily pregnant and have to get up 2 to 3 times due to shivering.

Yeah, when I shiver, it makes me have to go more often for some reason. And I was shivering. Why? Because it wasn’t just cold, it was BASTOGNE cold. Holy cow.

So the next night, we steal the air mattresses from our kids, tell them to deal with sleeping on the ground (with our pads and a few extra blankies as more padding to lie on), but even these mattresses suck due to the gaping CHASM between them! Sure, you can zip them up, but there’s still a crack about 2 to 3 inches wide in the middle. And since the nights were BASTOGNE cold, cuddling is a must to stay warm. So that crack didn’t do any wonders for DH’s back, lemme tell you. LOL

We managed to go for a family bike ride to one of the batteries, which was fun, and another day, I was exhausted (due to lack of sleep), so DH took the kids for a longer ride. We had good food and many a roaring fire, played Apples 2 Apples Jr. with the kids, and had a fun time.

We originally were going to stay there for four days, but the cold and the uncomfortable mattress situation made us come home a day early. But it was fun nonetheless.

You might think we’re crazy for going camping at the end of October, but it was only because baby Sophie is going to make her debut sometime in January, and camping with a newborn isn’t going to be pleasant. So while DH might be able to take the kids on his own, I won’t be able to go camping with the baby until she’s older. Fort Stevens was our “one last hurrah” as a family. Also, there was NO ONE else at the camp site aside from a few older folks in their campers, which was probably why the legion of raccoons descended upon us as easy picken’s.

We liked the empty campsite because we never had to wait for the potty and we always found an open shower. (Yes, there are showers, we don’t like “roughing it” camping in the back woods). Well, let me rephrase. DH would probably like that, but I like my car-camping. I don’t necessarily mind if there are showers nearby or not, but there MUST be some sort of outhouse/toilet/honeybucket on hand. I can’t stand hiking, so trekking to the campsite with gear from the car doesn’t appeal to me.

Anyhow. DH has his perspective of the camping trip on his blog at www.jimgoings.com, or you can see our camping pics at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimgoings/sets/72157608393198748/

~~Becka

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