Winters' Day In

Sit down and have a cuppa...

Buy me a coffee at ko-fi.com/talenawinters .

Writer. Knitting pattern designer. Foodie. Tea addict. Book geek. Mom of boys. Aspiring mermaid. My Secret Wish: Be your most fabulous you.

Get more encouraging and knitterly posts by following me on Instagram @TalenaWinters.

My Inspiration newsletter is a bit late this month, but it's worth the wait, I promise! This quote goes along with the theme. Did you know we get to decide what our self-talk is? I mean, it's easy to say, "Yeah, yeah, I know," but have you ever thought about areas where your own self-talk might be holding you back and how to change that? . Check out my newsletter at http://tinyurl.com/august19books. Be sure to use the link at the bottom to subscribe! . Happy Monday! . Photo by @dino.reichmuth, courtesy of @unsplash. #bookstagram #amreading #bookish #reading #igreads #bookworm #booklover #booknerdigans #writerscommunity #writerslife #writersofig #amwriting #inspiration #motivation #seekbeauty #spreadsunshine #seizetheday #liveinthemoment #itsthelittlethings

First, have some super-cute little boy run around your store doing little-boy things. . Next, play some emo music from the 90s. . Last, put five kinds of socially-responsible dark chocolate by the till. . Well played, local grocery story, well played. . Excuse me. I have some chocolate to eat... . #iboughtoneofeach #cheaperthantherapy #itsjustatrigger #illbefineinthreemorebites . #noreally . #goodgrief #childloss

This lovely scene is on the outskirts of Peace River up on Kaufman Hill. I can't promise tempestuous skies every time you drive by, but the cabin will be there for a while yet. :-) . I'm busy working on my Books & Inspiration newsletter and a couple more things today, including developing a page for a new community I am planning on Patreon. (Squee! I'm so excited! It's going to be so cool, guys!) . What are you up to today? And what would you love to see on my Patreon page? . #gomightypeace #peaceriveralberta #photography #sundaydrive #kaufmanhill #seekbeauty #spreadsunshine #liveinthemoment #itsthelittlethings #amwriting #amknitting #amreading #mysecretwishbyTalena

This year's WWC book haul was modest (except the cover of Jim Jackson's book, haha!) but diverse. I'm not sure if I've ever read pulp fiction before, so this will be a fun change. I heard Jim read from book 2 in this series at the Taste of Local Authors event in May, and it was so fun that I was tempted. . My editor, Ellen, who was also the sales rep for the Myth Hawker Book Store in the vendor hall, recommended Overture so emphatically I had to get it. And even though I've had the first edition of the Emotion Thesaurus digitally for years, I'm looking forward to having the expanded version in the "flesh", so to speak, on my desktop. . I'd meant to get other books. Laura VanArendonk Baugh's new "Shard and Shield", for example. But I didn't because that's what happens when you're too busy teaching and catching up with friends to go shopping, lol. It's okay, I know where to find those books. . And even though I know all these authors personally, did I get any of my books signed? Um. Nope. Sigh. . Still, I look forward to diving into them as my schedule permits. And I'll let you know what I think, of course. (Well, I can tell you already that the Emotion Thesaurus is something I believe every fiction writer should own. So if you don't, go get it. Now.) . Now back to work. . Happy Wednesday! How's your week going? . @ellens_mic @writers_helping_writers_angela @rebeccahuggins @jacksontron @jmlandels @lauravanarendonkbaugh @mythhawker #wwcyyc2019 #whenwordscollide2019 #writercon #bookstagram #amreading #bookish #reading #igreads #bookworm #booklover #booknerdigans #writerscommunity #writerslife #writersofig #amwriting

Sigh. I am so thoroughly full, and happy, and inspired, and rejuvenated, and exhausted, and completely satisfied. This year at When Words Collide was my best experience yet, in no small part because of the old friends I got to share it with and the new friends I made. I am sad it's over, but excited to go home and keep doing what I do, renewed by all the encouraging comments I got from people who learned things from/were inspired by my classes or raved about my books (and, in one case, my newsletter! 😍😁❤️). . Hagrid and Dumbledore were very busy and made lots of new friends. Most of these photos were shared by other conference attendees. Thanks for sharing, everyone! Keep writing your brilliant words! The world needs your stories! . #writerslife #wwcyyc2019 #whenwordscollide2019 #writercon #hagridanddumbledore #tripmascots #amwriting #amediting

Hagrid and Dumbledore made a new friend! Thanks for coming to our panel, Sander! . #hagridanddumbledore #tripmascots #wwcyyc2019 #whenwordscollide2019 #writercon #amwriting

Revving up for a great con! And with such pretty coffee, too. Squee! . Off to a great start. I had this post interrupted by an amazing hour-long conversation with the fantastic @lauravanarendonkbaugh and @rhondaparrish. This is how great con memories are made! . #wwcyyc2019 #sageandco @rokclimer73 #whenwordscollideyyc2019 #writercon

Hagrid and Dumbledore are ready to hit the road for the When Words Collide conference. At least someone is full and vim and vigour on this trip. (A squirrel decided to torment our dog at 7 a.m. this morning. That was earlier than we planned on getting up. That's why we have the"tired faces" in the second photo.) Just kidding. DH and I are looking forward to a weekend away, and I'm so excited about the conference and seeing my writerly friends. As far as "vim and vigour," that's what the coffee is for... Here we go! . #whenwordscollideyyc #wwc2019 #hagridanddumbledore #tripmascots #roadtrip #writerscommunity #writerslife #writersofig #amwriting @rokclimer73

Because Mondays and stuff. . Happy August! . #inspiration #motivation #seekbeauty #spreadsunshine #seizetheday #liveinthemoment #itsthelittlethings #writerscommunity #writerslife #writersofig #amwriting

Guess what? The Undine's Tear eBook is on sale until August 15! The sale has already started on my website, Amazon, and Google Play Books. The sale prices go into effect August 9 everywhere else. It's more than 50% off, so don't miss out! Find all the links at: www.talenawinters.com/undines-tear. . Perfect time to grab some more summer reading! . #riseofthegrigori #theundinestear #fantasybooks #historicalfantasy #shifter #YAbooks #YAFantasy #youngadultbooks #mermaids #sphinxes #dragons #angels #grigori

Blog Archive

Monthly Newsletter

Blog Subscription

See Popular Posts

Check out my Writing Tips blog:

Writing Tips

Jul 1, 2019

Conflict: The Engine that Drives Page-Turning Writing

Jul 1, 2019

Most of us avoid conflict at all costs, but conflict in all its forms is the beating heart of great fiction. In this post, I give you simple tips on how to infuse more conflict into your writing.

Jul 1, 2019

May 15, 2019

Going Deep: How Deep POV Hooks Your Reader

May 15, 2019

Deep POV is immersing ourselves so deeply into the character’s head that we forget we’re reading about someone else. But how do you do that?

May 15, 2019

May 6, 2019

The Indie Publishing Process 3: Finding Your Readers (aka Marketing)

May 6, 2019

At its heart, marketing is simply telling a story that your Ideal Readers wants to be a part of. For authors, this is exactly what we do. That doesn’t seem so bad, right?

May 6, 2019