Welcome to Authors Dish – a time to connect with your favorite authors or discover new ones as they share a little bit about themselves. I’m always so appreciative when they take the time to chat and hang out a bit while writing all the adventures we crave. I’ll be sharing their links and bio so if they are a new author for ya, you’ll have all the info you need to check them out.
If you’re an author and interested in dishin’ comment below or hit me up on any of my social media platforms.
Today we are officially one month into 2024 and with that …. hopefully a month with a planner that is well used, filled with amazing adventures, goals, and tasks. If you’re a booklover than I’m sure you have those stacks of books waiting to fill our shelves with a goal to read them all. Are you ready for a little author fun?
Today we’ve got NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author Samantha Chase, Bestselling Author Mariah Ankenman and Author Jeanne Adams ready to dish!
1. With the new year underway, do you have a “word” of the year or do you set monthly goals?
Samantha: You know, I never got into the “word” thing and I don’t know why. I had to pick a word of the year for this retreat I’m getting ready to go on (and it gave my great anxiety to have to do it), but my word is CONFIDENCE. As for setting goals, it’s a little like making a New Year’s Resolution every month and I can honestly say that I don’t. I know that I have things I have to do, but life seems to really get in the way sometimes – especially these last few years – and I always seem to end up feeling defeated because I didn’t reach my monthly goal. So now, no goals.
Mariah: I don’t really have a word of the year unless you count “panic” lol, just kidding. I’m more of a task person than a goal person. I set out achievable tasks I need to accomplish then get a ton of satisfaction crossing them off the list when they’re done.
Jeanne: I do pick a word of the year – this year is FOCUS! Grins. I’ve had a lot going on in the last few years and finally a lot of that is resolved so now…I get to FOCUS!
2. If you’re a snow lover what is your favorite thing to do outside in the winter months? If you prefer the sunny beaches and warm sand …. where would you rather be?
Samantha: Ooo…I wouldn’t say I’m a snow lover, but I certainly love a good snowy day! I love the quietness of a day when the snow is coming down and just love watching it. I’m not a winter sports person, but I used to LOVE to get on a sled and go down a big hill when I was younger!
And I think I’ve mentioned it before that I do also love the beach, but only in the off-season when it’s cooler! Lol!
Mariah: I love the snow! It gives me an excuse to sit inside and read under a cozy blanket. I used to ski, before it got too pricey. I love a quiet walk in the snowy woods, but my kids prefer making snow forts and sledding. Once I set up my aerial hoop in the snow. It was freezing but I got some really fun photos and video.
Jeanne: I AM a snow lover!! I love to watch it snow from inside the house and make soup and chili and other hearty things. Grins. I do like to have a good snowball fight, however, and I like to ski.
3. It’s January and we’re all thinking about staying organized and setting our goals, what are the top five things you’ve found to help motivate you and keep you on task?
Samantha: Nothing! Lol! My attention span is like a squirrel in traffic – it’s all over the place! Staying organized is hard for me because it never lasts long. My office slowly starts to fill with papers and notes and other random stuff (like snack wrappers!) and I find that I need to work with no chaos around me. I’ve taken to writing more in our bonus room because it’s neat and peaceful. As for keeping me on task? Seriously, nothing does except fear of a looming deadline.
Mariah:
2. Coffee
Jeanne: Getting that new planner set up and ready to go is my number one thing to motivate me and keep me on task. I use a combination Bullet Journal and Sarra Cannon’s HB90 calendar method to keep me on track. Number two is to set aside sacrosanct time on Sundays to plan my week – as Stephen Covey would urge – to put the “big rocks” (writing, family, etc) in first before the days fill up with minutia
Number three would be to add stickers and color! (it helps me!) Four is look at the calendar every night before I go to bed. And last but not least at #5 is plan BIG, stretch goals, Beyond goals and Good goals – the three tiers lets my brain know that Good is good enough, but there’s bigger levels if I have time and energy to streeeeeeetch!
4. If you could create a winter drink what would you call it and what would be in it?
Samantha: I am not an adventurous drinker at all. I’m relatively boring. It’s either water, Coca-Cola, or hot cocoa. No flavors, just the basics. So maybe just a really rich, chocolatey cocoa called Simply Yummy. Lol!
Mariah: I actually made a winter cocktail called the Coco Mint Martini a few years back. It’s peppermint vodka, irish cream, and chocolate syrup poured into a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass and top with whipped cream. It’s delicious!
Jeanne: If I could create a winter drink….hmmm…Probably some kind of hot coffee toddy with Kahlua and my fav coffee and cream. I’d probably call it something goofy like a Ski Lift (caffeine..get it?)
5. Do you have a winter bucket list?
Samantha: To stay warm. It was really cold last week here in NC, but today, I had to put the A/C on because it was 75 degrees in the house!
Mariah: Not really a bucket list, but we’re going to see the Ice Castles in Cripple Creek next month. We haven’t been in years and I’m so excited to go again.
Jeanne: Always! It only really works if it actually snows, however. As in, curl up with a good book and watch it snow. Pile on extra blankets and read in bed. Make Snow Creme. Build a Snow Fort and have a Snowball fight. You get the idea!
6.You just found out a snowstorm is headed your way and you need to run to one store to pick up provisions to last for three days. Where are you shopping and what are you putting in your cart?
Samantha: I love knowing we’re going to be snowed in! When that happens (whether it’s snow or a hurricane) I love to bake. I don’t know why, but if there’s a storm coming, there will be cake, cupcakes, brownies, and cookies. But when it’s cold out, I’m going to make a batch of turkey chili, a batch of creamy corn chowder, and a big pot of sauce with meatballs and sausage. We may be cold, but we won’t starve! The Italian in me will not allow that to happen 😊.
Mariah: Bread, soup, canned food, water, cheese, firewood, sidewalk salt, coffee, vodka, batteries.
Jeanne: Thankfully, I can get books online if I run out of reading I already have, right? For me, it’s the local grocery to be sure I have eggs, sourdough bread, the makings for chili and chicken soup, coffee and Diet Coke. I’m good!
Click here for a link to ALL of Samantha’s Books on Amazon
Click here for a link to ALL of Mariah’s Books on Amazon
Click here for a link to ALL of Jeanne’s Books on Amazon
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Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than eighty titles under her belt – including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017! She’s a Disney enthusiast who still happily listens to 80’s rock. When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 32 years and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious children and loving spouse who is her own personal spell checker when her dyslexia gets the best of her. Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books, visit her website http://mariahankenman.com/ follow her on social media, or sign up for her newsletter.
Jeanne Adams is an award-winning author of more than 20 thrilling suspense, wicked Urban Fantasy, paranormal romantic suspense, and dramatic space adventures which have been compared to the works of Robert Heinlein and Jack McDevitt. Both traditionally and independently published, Jeanne is a sought-after speaker for her Body Disposal for Writers Worldbuilding for Writers, Plotting for Pantzers, and her workshop on Fight Scenes in Fiction.
Jeanne helped create the Nora Roberts Writing Institute at Hagerstown Community College; served on the Board of Directors for Romance Writers of America; was featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine; and is a showrunner on ConTinual, the online Con that Never Ends. She’s currently completing her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction and has won numerous awards for both her fiction and non-fiction work. Jeanne lives in DC with her sports-mad husband and sons, as well as three large, boisterous dogs. Find links to her latest work on her website or through most online purchasing platforms!
Find her at:
www.JeanneAdams.com
Twitter: @JeanneAdams
Facebook: JeanneAdamsAuthor
Instagram: @JPAGryphon
Pinterest: JeanneAdams (Especially her Writerly Things board!)
