Betsy Horvath

Category: Writing

  • HOLD ME is live! Again!

    Well, I am both happy and relieved to let you know that, in between shoveling the massive amounts of snow falling on the Palatial Horvath Estate over the last week or two, I was able to set up everything I needed to re-release my first book, Hold Me.

    That’s right – the book that launched me on my author journey lives again! I actually got the rights for it back at the beginning of 2020, but then, well… 2020.

    But now it’s finally out again as an ebook and a paperback.  The ebook should be available on most stores as I write this post. The paperback takes longer to get into the system so it’s still percolating through. But soon it will be available for purchase, download, or order pretty much everywhere.

    If you already have the edition of this book that was originally published by Carina Press…. thank you!! I did scrub up the text a little bit, and changed the cover, but basically it’s the same book it was before.

    Here’s the information –

    Everything can change in an instant…

    Katie McCabe’s life might be stuck in idle these days, but she dreams of more. More love. More excitement. Just more.

    When FBI Special Agent Luc Vasco’s undercover assignment blows up in his face, he finds himself running for his life. Injured in the escape, Luc makes a decision that could change Katie’s world forever. And his own.

    Suddenly both Luc and Katie must deal with far more excitement than either of them ever expected.

    Just one moment sets the pair on the adventure of a lifetime, and a journey neither one could predict. In Hold Me, sizzling romantic suspense, sassy humor, and lots of heart combine in a non-stop race to love.

    Click HERE to read the first chapter

    Available Now

    Ebook

    Kindle  |  Nook  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Google Play

    Paperback

    Amazon  |   coming soon to other retailers (it really is–I promise)

    There’s also an audiobook for this one because it was produced when it was originally published. Even though the rights have reverted back to me, the audiobook will still be available until the end of 2021. It doesn’t include any of the changes I just made, but, like I said, those changes were relatively minor, as far as I know.

    I honestly haven’t listened to it myself–it was too strange hearing someone else reading my words–so I can’t comment on production quality or anything like that. But I thought I’d mention it exists because it won’t be offered anymore once the contract ends. At least for now. Audiobooks aren’t exactly cheap to produce!  LOL

    Audible  |  iTunes  

    And, in case you couldn’t guess from the blurb, this book is a romantic suspense and it is not a part of my Welcome to Hardy Falls series… Yet!

    Now I just have to find my notes of how I thought I was going to continue the series… Hmmm…  But first–back to Hardy Falls!

    Anyway… hooray! Hold Me lives again! Woohoo!

    And, oh my glory, please make it stop snowing!!! And sleeting!!!! And icing!!!

    Be careful out there!

    You can get Betsy’s Blog by email by signing up HERE.! Or get the RSS feed

     

     

  • Writing Catch Up

    Hello, friends!  This is just going to be a quick-like-a-bunny post about my writing and where things stand at the moment. Because, you know, I actually do write. I just haven’t proven it much lately.

    I’ll be honest with you, the past year has been very difficult for me in lots of ways. Shocking, I know. And one of the most difficult parts for me personally was the impact the stress of the year had on my creative life. Let’s just say that with everything else going on, I lost my creative mojo for a little while.

    Okay, I lost it for a long while. But I’m starting to take baby steps forward again.

    At the end of last year, I began taking courses to upskill in various areas related to writing and publishing. I’ve learned how to create my own book covers, so in the next month or so all of the books I have out currently will get new covers and blurbs (most of them are already done). I will also release them all as paperbacks as well as ebooks. And I expect to release them as large-print hardbacks in the near future, too. Well, as soon as I figure out how to do a hardback dust jacket.

    I’ve gotten the rights back for my first book, Hold Me, so I will be re-releasing that by the end of the month with a new cover. It will also be released as a paperback as well as an ebook.

    More information on all of that to come in the next couple of weeks.

    I’ve written a new Hardy Falls short story for the next newsletter. It’s a Christmas story taking place after the events of Expecting Love, and I’m only a month late getting it out! Woohoo! If you want to read it, and you’re not a newsletter subscriber already, you can sign up here. This particular newsletter will be going out on Tuesday, but don’t worry. If you miss it, you’ll get a link to the newsletter archive with past stories. And there will be more stories and novellas coming for the newsletter subscribers in the future.

    The next Hardy Falls book, Marrying Love, is almost finished. Really. Promise. I’ve had some severe writer’s block with this book, so it’s been hard going. That’s probably because I was well underway with it when the pandemic swept in and the world suddenly changed. But I’ve decided to party like it’s 2019, so it’s actually moving forward again.

    And I have some new projects I’m working on, too. One is a fantasy romance novel, because this seemed like a good time to go into the paranormal. I’m also looking at turning some of the blog posts here into a book. I believe Harry the Quest Guide will approve! I’ve started considering the plot for the sequel to Hold Me. And, of course, more Hardy Falls books and stories are in the works.

    Oh, and writing more blog posts.

    So, anyway, there’s my writing catch up! More info on the various projects to come as things develop. And I hope that you all have a good week!

  • Taking Breaks

    I’ve been concentrating a lot on productivity in my writing lately.  I am intent on working more effectively, efficiently, and consistently.  Getting things done more quickly.  Not lallygagging around.  Focused.  Feet to the fire.  That’s good because these are issues I’ve been needing to address.  After all, you can’t write books unless you actually, uh… write books.  Get that butt in that chair, baby!

    But in November it came to my attention that one thing I’d forgotten to factor into my zeal for productivity was the importance of taking breaks.  To rest.  To regroup.  To re-assess.

    It’s a balancing act. I have to push myself. I have to keep my feet to that fire. But sometimes holding my feet to the fire only gets me burned feet.

    Which is exactly what happened.  I ignored the warning signs, determined to push on through.  Pushing got harder and harder.  I pushed anyway. Then I got trapped in the chapter I was writing.  I mean, really trapped.  I couldn’t seem to find my way out of it.  I went over that thing so many times it was making me physically ill to read it.  But I couldn’t seem to stop.  I wouldn’t LET myself stop. I HAD to keep going over it again and again and again.  I HAD to whittle it down until it was perfect.  It was never perfect.  But it HAD to be perfect.  I knew I should move on.  I knew I should work on other things.  But I couldn’t seem to do it.

    Some of you might call that OCD.  Some of you would probably be right.  I do definitely have my moments.

    Anyway, I couldn’t seem to stop working on that damn chapter.  I went over the same words again and again and again.  This was my mind’s way of taking a break without me admitting I was taking a break.  Actual productivity was non-existent, but the illusion of productivity remained.  As long as the illusion was there, I could tell myself I was working.

    Then my family came for a visit for a week at Thanksgiving and I finally had the excuse I needed to come to a full stop.

    Stopping is not something I normally encourage in myself.  Coming to a full stop makes it much, much harder to start again.  Stopping can be nothing more than avoidance or fear.  But this time it was essential.   

    I HAD to stop.  To regroup.

    If you are stuck in the mud, if you are doing nothing but spinning your wheels, stopping what you’re doing might not be the self-sabotage it appears to be.  It might simply be necessary.  I was losing sight of the fact that I actually LIKE to write and be creative.  The longer the wheels were spinning, the more writing felt like a punishment.  The longer you go where being creative feels like a punishment, the easier it is to give up.

    So I stopped.  Breathed.  Settled.

    And when I came back a week or two later, I was able to look at the problem with new eyes.

    You probably won’t be surprised to hear that I finished the chapter I’d been laboring over quite quickly once I’d sat back down at my computer after the Thanksgiving break.  It had seemed sooooo painful and important before the break.  But afterward, it was just another chapter.  Of course I finished it.

    The thing I need to remember is that there’s never just one way to handle a situation.  Sometimes—many times—stopping is dangerous for me because it’s so easy to turn a break into an excuse not to succeed.

    But sometimes pushing isn’t the answer either.  If all you’re doing is hitting your head against a brick wall, you just might want to, possibly, maybe, sort of, uh…stop doing that.

    I’d planned on saying here that if you stop you just have to be sure to start again.  But after I thought about it more, I realized that starting again isn’t always the answer either.  Sometimes the answer is to stop and move on to something else.

    There are no easy answers.  No one-size-fits-all way of being.  Not everything works all the time.  Not everything is right all the time.  And not everything is right forever.

    I’m happy that writing still seems to be right for me.

    And, as we all get caught up in the endless demands of a hectic holiday season, don’t forget to give yourselves time to breathe. To settle.  Try to enjoy what you’re actually doing.

     

     

     

     

  • New Release!

    Hello, my friends!  I’m pleased and proud to tell you that I have a NEW book out!  A NEW one!  I KNOW!  I’m as shocked as you are!

    Choosing Love is finally out in the wild, and available now wherever fine ebooks are sold!  Paperback version coming shortly.

    Here’s the information –

     

    Sometimes the best choice is simply to follow your heart.

    Jenny Kline’s whole life is centered around chasing her dream to be an artist—a painter. Sure, she works two jobs to make ends meet, but she tells herself the life she’s building will be perfect—until she finds out she’s lost not one of her jobs, but both of them. At first, the offer of employment as a temporary receptionist at the Hardy Falls police department seems like a no-brainer. That’s before she’s stuck behind a desk all day dealing with cranky townspeople and lusting after a certain gorgeous cop she’s been trying to ignore for years.

    Officer Harry Newman has been avoiding Jenny since the moment he joined the Hardy Falls police force. After all, he might think she’s sexy as hell, but her mother is the chief of police—and his boss. He knows it’s better to stay far away, but that’s hard to do when Jenny is in his personal space every day. She’s a temptation, and all Harry wants to do is get closer—to hell with the consequences.

    Despite their best intentions, the chemistry between Harry and Jenny sizzles. Then Harry’s past raises its ugly head, Jenny tries to help, and their mutual attraction explodes into a night of passion neither of them expected. Will they be brave enough to continue what they’ve started? Can Harry put the past behind him and walk into the light? And will Jenny be able to chase her dreams and hold on to Harry at the same time?

    Welcome to Hardy Falls, Pennsylvania, where even the best-laid plans have a way of flying right out the window—especially when love comes knocking on the door.

    Click HERE to read the first chapter

     

    Available Now

    Kindle |  Nook  |  Apple Books |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  Other

     

    Huzzah!

    I also thought I’d better mention that I’ve re-numbered the books in the Hardy Falls series–just in case someone notices and is confused. There are a couple of reasons for doing that, but mainly I went to the trouble because Amazon doesn’t recognize the “.5” books as part of a series.  I figured I’d make the change now before I got too much further along.  The number changes are still filtering through the various vendors (I’m looking at you Apple Books!), but eventually they’ll all be whole numbers the way God–and Amazon–intended.

    By the way, just as a side note, do you know what you SHOULDN’T do when you’re trying to finish up the millions of little tasks needed to get a book out?  Tasks that all require internet access?  You SHOULDN’T cut through your internet cable because you wanted to do a little yard work to decompress and got overenthusiastic with the hedge trimmer.  That’s bad!

    Sigh…

    But I don’t care because the book is out!  I hope you enjoy Jenny’s and Harry’s story as much as I do!

     

    I’m tired.

     

  • Running Uphill

    Betsy is climbing the mountain of her aspirations, again, struggling to reach the summit.  Again.  Except this time, unlike in the past, she isn’t carrying just ONE boulder that is her work in progress, she is carrying TWO of them!  TWO works in progress!  What the heck!

    Both boulders are important in their own right.  Both need to reach the top of the mountain and be completed.  Boulder One is the book Betsy is currently writing.  Boulder Two is the book she just got back from her editor.  Boulder One needs to be shaped and created.  Boulder Two needs to be refined and polished so it can be published.

    Both of them need to be finished.  Both of them.  Both.  At the same time.

    Betsy is not exactly a wizard at multitasking when it comes to writing, so getting both of these works in progress to completion requires skills she is still developing.  That alone makes juggling them hard.  But the REAL problem, the problem causing the most trouble at the moment, is that Betsy also seems to be focused on the thought of her own, well, aging.  On the fact that time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future.  That things need to happen NOW, or they might never happen. 

    That she needs to hurry.

    Why, yes. Betsy is basically panicking.

    The Muse (Goddess of Creativity) and Harry the Rabbit (Guide on Betsy’s Quest to be a successful author) are watching her in some confusion.  They watch as Betsy tries to scrabble of the mountain of her aspirations, while at the same time juggling the work she needs to finish.  Will she make it?  Will she fall?  Will she turn into a hermit and forget to shower?

    Let’s see…

     

    Muse comes to stand beside Harry the Rabbit and puts her hands on her hips as she stares at the mountain.  “What the heck is she doing?”

    “Running?” Harry tilts head. “I think?”

    They watch Betsy for a moment.

    “Why in the world does she think she can run up that mountain and juggle two boulders at the same time?”  The Muse frowns.  “She doesn’t run in the best of times.  I don’t think she CAN run.”

    “I have no idea.”  Harry shrugs.  “Maybe she’s nuts?”

    “Even if by some miracle she doesn’t trip and fall flat on her face, she’s going to burn herself out.  This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

    “Well, I don’t know what to tell you,” Harry says, tugging his long white ears.  “You could just go ask her, you know.”

    Muse slowly turns to him.  Raises an eyebrow.

    Harry winces.  “Ma’am,” he adds hastily.

    The Muse sighs.  “Well, you’re right that I need to find out what’s going on before she gets herself in trouble.”

    “Thank you, ma’am.”  Harry’s bow is so deep his pocket watch falls out of his vest pocket.

    The Muse shakes her head and walks over to Betsy.

    “Have to get them done now!”  Betsy huffs. Holds the two boulders clutched to her chest like footballs, except they are bigger and heavier.  Tries to stagger a few more steps.  Tries to move a little bit faster.  “Now!” she pants.

    “Why are you running?” the Muse asks.

    “No time!  No time!  Too many plans!  Too many goals!  Have to do it now!  Have to do it while I can!  Too late!  Too old!”

    “Uh-huh.”  Muse walks beside Betsy, easily keeping pace even though Betsy is trying to run. 

    “I’m behind,” Betsy pants.  “So far behind.  Have to catch up.  Have to get going.  Not that much time!”

    “You’re wound up so tight I’m surprised you’re not bouncing like a spring,” the Muse tells her.

    “Yes!  Yes!”  Betsy’s eyes are wild.  “Bouncing!  Good!  Bouncing is good!  The wonderful thing about Tiggers!”  Betsy laughs maniacally.  Tries to bounce.  Fails.  Falls, dropping both boulders.  Staggers to her feet and picks up the boulders again.  “A few more feet!  Almost there!”

    “Yeah, I don’t think so.”  Muse waves her hand and suddenly Betsy is on the ground and the boulders she’d been holding are suspended above her.  “I’m thinking you’d better take a minute to breathe.”

    “Ow,” Betsy says, her face in the dirt.

    “It was only a matter of time before you fell,”  the Muse tells her unsympathetically.  “You’re juggling two things at once.  I know they both need to get done, so juggling them isn’t the problem.  But I don’t have a clue why you’re trying to run and rush? Why are you so panicked?”

    “There’s so much to do! And there’s not enough time!”  Betsy flips onto her back and flops around, trying to get up.  “Why are we wasting time talking? I have to go again!”

    “So let me get this straight.  You don’t think you have enough time, so you’re pushing and pushing and not stopping?”

    “Right!  Right! Go, go, go!! Must go!”

    “Uh-huh.”  Muse watches Betsy struggle for a moment.  “And what’s happened in the past when you’ve pushed too hard, hmmm? How’s that worked out for you?”

    Betsy stops flopping around and thinks.  “I crashed?” she suggests after a moment.

    “Riiiiight.”  Muse nods. “Crashed and burned, baby.” Mimics an airplane crashing with her hand. “Boom.”

    Betsy lays on her back and frowns.  Crosses her arms and glares up at the Muse.  “Not every time,” she argues.

    “Really?” Muse is skeptical.

    Betsy pouts. “Okay,” she mumbles. “Every time.”

    Muse sighs and helps Betsy get to her feet.  Dusts her off.  “Look I know you need to get these things done. I know you want to get them done as soon as you can. But maybe don’t panic okay? Maybe don’t make yourself crazy. Uh…crazier.”

    Betsy looks up at the boulders.  “But—”

    Muse puts her hands on Betsy’s shoulders.  Looks into Betsy’s eyes.  “You’re not too old and it’s not too late. Don’t worry. Keep moving. But be kind to yourself as well as your boulders, okay?”

    “Okay.”  Betsy grabs the boulders as they float into her arms.  “I guess I’d better go.”

    “Fine.”

    Muse watches as Betsy toddles off.  Not running, but still trying to move fast.

    “Do you think she’ll listen?” Harry asks as he hops up to her.

    “Some of her concerns are valid, so we’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t end up head first in a ditch.”  Muse taps her chin thoughtfully.  “And watch out for sugar.”

    Harry’s ears droop.  “Oh, boy.”

     

    To be continued…

     

     

  • Order and Planning and Schedules

    One of the most jarring things about losing an established routine is having to come up with a new one to fit completely different circumstances.  I’ve found it to be very challenging to move from an extremely regimented life, where schedules were imposed on me from the outside, to one that is a lot more self-generated, self-motivated, and self-sustained.

    This is still very much a work in progress—I’m bumbling around to see what works and what doesn’t.  It’s hard to go from a life with very clear cut boundaries to one that is a little more free form.  I mean, you actually DO have to get things done to meet your goals.  Freedom is great, but only if you actually take advantage of it.  As opposed to, say, watching Netflix.  Or so I’ve been told… *cough*

    It’s even more challenging if you happen to be a woman of a certain age who’s short term memory is, shall we say, inconsistent.

    All of this means I’ve been needing something to help keep me in line, help me keep things in some kind of order.  Otherwise, I’ll be lost.  Either I’ll forget what I need to do completely, or I’ll remember it all at once.  Then I’ll feel like I have to do everything at the same time before I lose track of it again.  And that’s overwhelming.

    It’s especially true because there are a LOT of plates to keep up in the air in this writing / publishing biz. It’s really easy to lose track of it all.  Add in regular life tasks and expectations and…boom.

    Chaos.

    Ergo…schedules.  Planning.

    But, just as I’ve learned the hard way that writing using too strict an outline doesn’t really work for me, I’m learning that being too slavish to a schedule doesn’t exactly work for me either.

    Not that there’s anything wrong with a detailed schedule.  I know people, good people, who have their entire lives mapped out in a day-planner, right down to the minute.  I know people, good people, who actually live by those schedules.  These are organized people. Focused people.  People to be admired.

    I, my friends, am not one of those people.

    Oh, no, no, no.  I am a stubborn little Hungarian-Pennsylvania Dutchwoman.  I am Paprika Spice.  You give me too many detailed schedules and plans and I will go out of my WAY to show you that I don’t need no stinking schedules!  Those stinkin’ schedules are goin’ DOWN, yo!

    Even if I’m the one who set up the schedules and made the plans and deadlines.  Even if the only one who’s hurt by breaking them is, well, me.

    Yeah, cause that’s the way I ROLL!  What, what!  *makes finger guns*

    And this, children, is the sad story of my life.  I know I need order and planning and schedules to reach my full potential, and yet I remain determined to break out into chaos at the first possible opportunity.

    Another problem is that calendars also don’t work for me.  I think it’s the detailed schedule bit.  I see something written on a calendar, and I immediately feel like I need to ignore it or push it.

    Which is not exactly the point of the exercise.

    Until recently, I was using steno pads to keep track of things.  I had them scattered all over the house.  All of them had lists.  Lists and lists and lists.  And that’s fine…except when you have five steno pads, all with their individual lists, and the same items listed in all five places.  Not to mention that they tend to get buried under assorted detritus only to be unearthed months, nay, years later.  Not helpful.

    So I recently started using Google Tasks. It’s been going pretty well, so far.  I loaded the app on my phone and can access it from my desktop as well.   Google Tasks feeds into Google Calendar, so if I need to see things in a calendar format, I can.

    Google Tasks works for me because it is basically a to-do list like the ones I was writing and leaving scattered all over my house.  But now everything’s in one place and I can assign dates and make them recurring in various iterations.  Then I can view the various tasks in date order.  When I think of something I need to do, I can add it immediately to the list and then promptly forget about it, knowing I’ll be reminded when I need to do something.

    It’s not a perfect app by any stretch of the imagination.  I REALLY don’t like how the recurring tasks are hidden until the day they occur unless you look at Calendar (it makes it easy to over-book a day).  But so far it hasn’t triggered my inner schedule-buster.  Betsy…SMASH!

    I have business and personal tasks all on one list because at this point my business IS my personal and both need to be accounted for in the same 24 hour period.

    We’ll see how it goes.  Either way, I am determined.  I WILL have order! I WILL!

    And maybe I’ll even be able to meet deadlines.

    Because I’ll remember what they are.

    I hope.