Thankful Author 2018- Kathy Otten

Thanksgiving is over for another year. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have blasted off for another season of frenzied holiday shopping. It’s easy to forget the family and friends we were so thankful for just a few days ago.

We each have stuff. Life kicks us all in the chest sometimes. It can be hard: loss of loved ones, of home, of money.

After fourteen years, I lost the unconditional love and constant companionship of my German shepherd, Max. Right after that, I lost two close family members. And the holiday has been hard. Even thinking about their passing now, months later, still really hurts. But life is a circle I have my kids, though they are grown, and I don’t see them as much. I have a grandson. He reminds me how to be young, and he brings me joy.

I have friends who offer support and encouragement, in my personal as well as my writing life. I’m thankful for them; for their smiles and their hugs.

I’m thankful for my computer guy who doesn’t charge me much to keep my old desk top running and has kept me able to write while on a tight budget.

I thank the Lord I was able to buy my house. I have a real office now. My research and writing stuff is all organized. I feel like a real author. I love looking out the window and feeling happy.

Because life is full of those moments, when everyone is well and everything is good. So I try not to sweat the small stuff. It’s not worth it. Life’s too short. I hug my grandson close and know there a piece of my brother inside him.

And I will get a new dog in 2019. 

Excerpt

He pulled away, and she blinked up at him in a daze. His chest rose and fell as his breath escaped his parted lips in wispy clouds. He shook his head and smiled. “Ye are not clumsy, Maddy. And when ye are in me arms, ye’ll glide around the room like a swan.” Her heart leapt. “Oh, James, it sounds so wonderful, but...”
“We’ll dance all night. I’ll not be giving ye up to anyone else.”

“People will talk.”

“Let them talk. I want to marry ye.”

Madeline gaped at him stunned. Surely he was teasing. “But I’ve known you less than two weeks.”
“Marry me, Maddy, and we’ll dance every night for the rest o’ our lives.”
James offered her a lifetime with his smile, and because she ached so desperately to believe he loved her, she said yes. 

 Buy Link

ANOTHER WALTZ   (Victorian Holiday Novella)

https://www.amazon.com/Another-Waltz-Kathy-Otten-ebook/dp/B009MAV6EI

Author Bio

Kathy Otten is the published author of multiple historical romance novels, novellas, and short stories. She is also published in contemporary romance and historical fiction. She is a Northwest Houston RWA Lone Star winner and Utah/Salt Lake RWA Hearts of the West finalist. A Place in Your Heart is her fourth full-length novel. Currently, she is putting the finishing touches on a contemporary young adult novel.

She teaches fiction writing online and at a local adult education center, and is a regular presenter at area events. Kathy also does manuscript assessments and editing. She lives in the rolling farmland of western New York where she can often be found walking her dog through the woods and fields. She has been married for thirty-four years and is the mother of three grown children and one grandson. 

Author Links 

kathy@kathyotten.com

www.facebook.com/kathyottenauthor

www.twitter.com/kathyotten