Bittersweet Farm Biscotti Crisps

Jules is always making something delicious to nosh on, so she thought these chocolate and orange crisps would be very good with a cup of tea on a wintery day after the barn chores are done.

New Year's Eve

Happy New Year

Pony Bows in Bittersweet's Stable Colors!

 

Custom made by Ashleigh Dechant just for us!

I smell a giveaway!

Fly Away With Me New Cover

I've been looking at covers for years, and the styles have changed.  They've become visually more complicated and designed, so I decided to upgrade  Fly Away With Me by trying a new-to-me Photoshop technique.

The great thing about digital is that you can change things again and again.  And I do!

Not Low Maintenance

No, I'm not forgetting Bittersweet Farm for even 1 minute.  I'm just catching up on some of the things I've neglected over the past year.  I'm talking to someone about doing a cover for one of my adult contemporary novels.  And then I reverted to the original cover for this adult contemporary

Falling in love is easy.  Making love work is hard, especially when there are two lawyers and a defamation of character lawsuit involved.

The Blood and Guts Hunt Breakfast puts the Miller sisters' new catering business on the Litchfield County society map. This event is where Viva Miller meets the attractive, successful attorney Joel Bernstein, who just days later becomes the legal pitbull for Viva's ex-, the vile David J. Resnick.

Yes, Viva lies during the deposition phase before the trial. Then there's the unpleasantness when David turns up dead and Viva is the last person to see him alive.  But, what the heck, no relationship is perfect.  Bigtime love is not low maintenance.

Not Low Maintenance

If you'd like a free copy, send me an email and I'll be glad to send one to you.

BF2 JOYFUL SPIRIT Now in Paperback

Hard to say exactly when it will be listed on Amazon due to the holiday, but it can be purchased now at CreateSpace.com

Bittersweet Farm 5 Live

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H934PH0

Happy Holidays everyone. BF5 is live and you can read about what happens at the farm during their December. "Elf hats on ponies and bright colored breeches, snowfall and hot sauce and someone needs stitches, no one has packages tied up with string...these are a few of my favorite things."

Bittersweet Farm Equestrian Culture Giveaway

Through the generosity of the editor, Danielle Demers, I'm able to run a giveaway for their holiday issue of Equestrian Culture!  For you!  Bittersweet Farm readers.  Just leave your name and email.  If you win, you will receive a paper version sent directly to your home.  (Paper?  What's that?)

"Equestrian Culture features the best fashion, art and small businesses representing the equestrian lifestyle." Articles regularly featured in each issue are: "The Horse Behind the Brand", "Small Business Spotlight", Featured Artist, Featured Photographer, DIY Project, Book Reviews, Product Reviews, and style guide.

Created with style, grace and a love of horses, you will be as impressed as I am with this new magazine.

 Giveaway runs until Dec. 13, noon EST so get your information in there!

Bittersweet Farm Surprise Giveaway

It's a surprise to me because someone offered me this so neat thing for you!  I will have a photo and details tomorrow but you can put your name down for it today.  Giveaway offer ends Friday December 13 at Noon EST.  Lucky Friday the 13th!  It's terrific and I know you'll love it.

No, it's not a bag full of tissue paper and pinecones!  It's way cooler than that!

BF5: Calling All Comets Cover Reveal

Here it is with the lovely Peyton Jelinek.

Bittersweet Farm "BF" Horseshoe Nail Necklace Giveaway

Here is the first neat giveaway for you.  It's a real horseshoe nail I had stamped with the initials BF because you are so totally a fan of Bittersweet Farm, right?

Leave a comment to enter.  You can tell us what you like about the series, the characters, the horses or you can just leave your name and email address.  You can tell us what you would like to happen to the characters in the future, or what you think will happen to them.

Unless you request it, I won't put you on the mailing list.  The mailing list is only to notify people when a book is being released, I don't have the energy to come up with content and funny pictures or recipes for horse cookies because I'm busy writing and goofing off.

The winner of this necklace will be chosen by random.org.

The contest will last 1 week.  Ignore the Rafflecopter thing.  I only put it there so you would have a countdown clock

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bittersweet Farm Giveaway Tomorrow!

Yup.

Come back tomorrow for the details of the super cute....thing I had made specially for you.

Bittersweet Farm Books Video Debut

http://bit.ly/18SpF3r

It's something fun, lists the cover images of the books available--or soon will be!--and contains one of my favorite compositions by my friend, Michal Towber and two of her friends Dave Liang and Sean Han.  December should be an exciting month!
 

Epidemic Confusion

I suspect everyone is confused more or less, including me.  I made the video for the Bittersweet Farm series and finished it.  Then in the middle of the night I thought "Gee, I didn't say 'available at Amazon'." 

Hmm.  Much pondering about that. Is it necessary?  Is it ugly?  If I'm creating a beautiful series of images, do I want AMAZON.COM in neon lights?  Is this a commercial or is this an announcement.

Is it somewhere in between?

Can't people find the books without a map and a push on the back?

I had added a panel that said 'Fiction For Horse Lovers'.  I'm sure some people will still be confused by that but they require professional help perhaps.  The question persisted--will people actually realize this video is about books.  Even with 5 book covers, is it made plain enough?  Are they confused and think that Bittersweet Farm is a stable and will try to call for lessons?

As you can see I never underestimate confusion.  I have accepted that some people will just be confused, just as they are unable to find the horses in one of the books.  "I skimmed the whole book, I didn't see anything about horses."

This won't help them but I like it.

Happy Thanksgiving

Who isn't thankful for sticky buns?

December Delights

I hope that doesn't include the kind of weather we've been having in the last week--rain, snow, sleet, cold.

Because December is a month of holidays including Greer's birthday on the 18th, there are some surprises waiting patiently.  There will be a couple custom made giveaways, Bittersweet Farm 5 will be released and there will be a short video I created for the series.
No, I didn't upload it to youtube yet.

I was fortunate beyond belief to get permission to use my favorite song written and performed by my friend Michal Towber.  To have that piece of music as the theme song for the video of the Bittersweet Farm book series is very exciting and significant.

When will all this happen?  Next month!  I can't be more specific than that at the moment.
Think of it like hidden Christmas presents you haven't seen yet.

Maggie Dana Answers Good Questions

With good answers today at Elizabeth Graham's blog

http://www.elizagraham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/the-world-of-maggie-danas-timber-ridge.html

"Maybe I'm Wrong"

This is definitely one review I agree with.  Which, I suppose, is all the response required.

Something much more interesting is the visually compelling advertisement for Volvo trucks that has become a sensation and rightfully so.  The cinematography is lovely, the stunt is amazing and Enya never fails to deliver.  This is 1 minute 17 seconds of perfection.



Creativity still exists. It's possible to refrain from repetition and to reject the ordinary in order to choose the extraordinary.

Will the audience recognize these qualities? Perhaps not everyone but some.

If you read the comments on this brief video, some are dysfunctionally literate. Some viewers claim it is a fake. Some can't decide if the trucks were moving backwards or forwards even if the movement of the shirt is possible only if the movement is backward. Some have such negligible ability to express themselves, only vulgarities can be employed.  We are left with degrees of flailing about, some audience members unable to make sense of the obvious.

Thinking is hard!

ELFS Christmas Giveaway

ELFS--Everyone Loves Free Stuff
And this Christmas I have several super neat handmade items crafted specially for Bittersweet Farm Fans.  (That's BFF!)

I won't tell you what the items are now but I'm excited so that should give you a clue how cool these are.

Shutterstock #41864482

I hope the big present will be Bittersweet Farm 5.  Yes, I know the title.  Yes, I have the cover image.

Bad Apple 1: Sweet Cider

I know how enjoyable it was for this book to be free but, sadly, all good things and, happily, all bad things eventually come to a conclusion.

A great deal of fun was had by all yesterday after I contacted Ashleigh Dechant of Posh Pony Bowtique.  I was looking for a bow set to use as background for the website and may have wound up with quite a bit more.  We'll see.  I don't want to give anything away regarding Bittersweet Farm 5 but I will say I have the title.

I also have someone working on a very neat giveaway for the new book at Christmas so  as Sneaker Pimps sang "watch this space"

It's Snowing

I am already disoriented because it's December in BF5 and it's snowing for them and now it's snowing for me!  It's too early!

Jingles is #43!

Okay, yes, it's a small category

• #43 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Holidays & Celebrations > Christmas

But Jingles and I are grateful it's being noticed. Dogs like to be acknowledged, too!

 

Sticky Pecan Chocolate Cake

It's quite good but I need to think about it a little as something is missing and I don't quite know what.

Back to Bittersweet Farm 5.

I'm All Atwitter!

I don't go to Twitter much and don't know how it works but apparently if someone mentions you, then they email you that tweet.  I got this yesterday (today really)




 Imagine that.  Someone mentioning my site.

Golden Syrup

I love Lyle's Golden Syrup.  It's not too sweet and a little buttery.  And expensive since it's imported from England.  So when I found a recipe to make it at home, I thought I'd give it a whirl.

It's very pretty, isn't it?  But it doesn't taste like the real thing.

Back to Bittersweet Farm 5.

Top 3 in Teen YA Sports

 

It's cool.  Doing well is enjoyable and I thank all you readers for making it possible.

(No BF1 isn't in this category, I still haven't figured all of that out yet, altho I should try harder.)

 

BF4--New Cover Already?

I guess so.

I liked the flying hooves but some people couldn't tell what it was.  If anyone wants to revert to the original, let me know.

BF4 Counterpoint Hot New Release!

This is so terrific that I can't say thank you for your support often enough.

Bittersweet Farm 4: Counterpoint Live!

Good going Amazon!  Bittersweet Farm 4: Counterpoint

Always a moment of some excitement!

Bittersweet 4 Almost

I pressed the button and now Amazon will work its magic and publish it.  All we have to do is wait.  It may be very late today or it might be tomorrow morning.

Lots of surprises, I think.  New directions.  New people.  New horses.

Bittersweet Farm 4 Cover Reveal

There we go.  If you couldn't put the puzzle pieces together, there's the cover.  Where's the book?  Coming soon to an ereader near you.

Puzzle Piece 6

Good luck putting the pieces together.  Back to my work, now.  (Not seriously, the medium ponies hunters are going this morning live streaming vid from the PA National Horse Show.)

New Winter Socks

I finished them and brought them outside to take a quick pic.  Charm Boy 2 had to be involved.

Back to work now.

Bittersweet Farm #4 Cover Reveal Puzzle Piece 5

This should give you the title and author.  That's a lot of information! 

Dreaming of Horses Boxed Set

I've been wondering how my life could be simplified and improved--throw some of these books away, get rid of the pinecones--and I thought it would be nice to have a boxed set of Dream Horse and Summer Horse.  So I put them together.

Creating a 3-D box in Photoshop isn't hard as it's an automated procedure but getting to the point of pressing start involves quite a bit of fiddly work.

It's priced right for readers and the writer.  2 books for $2.99  which is $1 off the price if you buy them separately.  The set should be live by the end of the week--it's always unpredictably how fast Amazon can do these things and what else is going on at Zon HQ.

Lovely cover photo by Tim Simpson.

Bittersweet Farm 4 Cover Reveal Part 3

Now you have the entire bottom half of the cover.  You should have a good idea what the whole thing looks like!  I'm teasing.  I think this is pretty hard but then I was very surprise when I had the contest for guess the title to Bad Apple 4 and someone figured it right out.
You all are better at puzzles and contests than I am!

If Wishes Were Horses FREE!

And #1.
The only free book in the horses category!  I'll be #1 FOREVER!!

If Wishes Were Horses

BF4 Cover Reveal Part 2

That tells you a lot.  Or not.  I showed the cover to another writer and she didn't understand it at all.  But, not knowing anything about horses, she is a bit confused by the terminology and what goes on.  Another friend thought it is very understandable but she knows horses.

By the time we get to Book 4, we know what Bittersweet Farm is and a little experimentation is a good thing.  If we don't shake things up, some of us will get bored, right?

Cover Reveal Puzzle for BF 4

Yes, I've done the cover but how much fun is it for us if I just REVEAL it.
So I made it into a puzzle.  You can download the pieces and try to fit them together.
Then if you have a graphics program and know how, you can put each puzzle piece on a raster layer and move them around on the image until they all fit.  There are only 6 of them so it shouldn't be too taxing!

Good Luck!

Starry, Starry Nights

I got a very cute Bittersweet Farm related necklace today made by a farrier in Tennessee so that was fun.  What was not fun was to go outside and find 2 strange dogs in the yard and all my cats gone.  What was good was that they seemed to be the non-harm-intending types and I shooed them away.  Later all the cats showed up.

A typical day at Black Cat Farm while I write my way to the end of BF4.

Goldilocks or The Tale of the Bad Girl

Once upon a time there was a chick who had no regard for private property.  She went walking somewhere and got fed-up with the walking and all that it entailed so she broke into someone's house.  The home owners had food all over the place but because Goldi imagined her palate was Cordon Bleu level, none of it was good enough.  At least she could have barged into Eric Ripert's weekend house but no, she was stuck with grains.  It was hot it was cold it was too chewy.  After all that eating business, Goldi was exhausted so she crashed on the best bed she could find and she'll be the first to tell you none of them were any good.  It doesn't even bear repeating what happened in the bathroom.  And she got away with it because no one knows what to do with a bad girl.

4 books of top 6

In Bestsellers Equestrian Sports are mine

 

I'm tickled.  I think it's beyond wonderful.  Even if these things are pretty temporary.

Thank you everyone for your support.

http://barbaramorgenroth.com

Live!  It was worth the wait.  It's a beautiful website dedicated to Bittersweet Farms.

http://barbaramorgenroth.com/

I can tell you it was built by Amanda Church.  I don't need to say she's talented and intelligent and gifted.  You can see that by going to the site.  You know I recommend her because the site is so gorgeous and that's the kind of work she does.

So now with the roof fixed and the website created, all I need to do is go grocery shopping and I can get back to work!

Website Almost Ready to Debut

Finally after all these years I'm getting a real website built by someone who knows what she's doing ie not me!  It's pretty darn fantastic as you will see.  For the time being it will be focused on the Bittersweet Farm books and if you still want my random thoughts, this blog will be the place to get them.

I have created the cover for Bittersweet Farm 4 and will reveal that when we get a bit closer to release.  For those with a mental telescope, you will be able to see into the future based on book 4 and life at Bittersweet continues to be complicated, messy and wonderful.

The Sign At the Top of the Driveway

If you go down the right dirt road in Newbury, you will see this sign.

Unspeakably Desirable

Gorgeous pastry chef, handsome lawyer, sunshine and psychos.  Can you ask more of a romantic comedy? http://amzn.to/11yEDsj

Bad Apple 1: Sweet Cider Free

Edgy, realistic, gritty.  Bad Apple 1: Sweet Cider

New Nothing Serious Paperback

When I originally published Nothing Serious, I did a paper version.  I reformatted it and rebuilt the cover.  This is the wrap-around cover for the paper book. 

If that's all I'd done this week I would think myself a slacker!  Hopefully there will be fewer demands on my time next week and I can return to Bittersweet Farm 4.

Billie Holiday-- Crazy He Calls Me

A torch song to end the summer in fire and smoke.

Just Kate new cover

Here is the revised Just Kate cover.  This is a book that hasn't quite been discovered at Amazon, but has done well at BN for quite a while.  I still can't figure that out.

This is the story of a show business family--the Raffertys.  When the father loses his job on a soap, Life To Its Fullest, he goes into a tailspin.  Needing money, seventeen year old Kate agrees to do some commercial work to tide the family over.  Unfortunately she winds up getting a job on her father's old show and, worse, she starts to become famous before he did.  The redeeming aspect for Kate is that a new actor is cast to play opposite her, Fitch Cooper.  Fitch is gorgeous, talented, and emotionally smart.  Who isn't going to fall in love with him?  But in show business, you love someone for the run of the play and then it's over.  Kate knows this relationship is time-limited but sometimes you just can't help doing the wrong thing when it feels so right.







  

If Wishes Were Horses #11!

Thank you all for your interest and I know you'll love Caprice and Mill.  Who isn't going to love a polo player in tight blue jeans?

• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,790 Paid in Kindle Store
  • #11 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Sports & Outdoors
  • #43 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Sports > Individual Sports > Horses > Equestrian
  • #58 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Literature & Fiction > Sports

  

Not Low Maintenance

It's not about a high maintenance Louboutin  high heel wearing slickchick.  It's about your life and how that's not low maintenance, you have to attend to it.  But it's also about being sued for defamation of character and a Blood and Guts hunt breakfast, apple cake and the sexiest attorney in New York City.

I changed the cover today.  It's a little more autumnal.

Bittersweet Farm 1 5 Star Review

Thank you.  Very much appreciated.

As I was looking at the cover for the print book I realized it needed a tweak so I did lighten the horse which is so much better!

Does anyone think Greer needs a boyfriend?  Leave your comments.

Now I'll get back to BF4.

"If Wishes Were Horses,

that would explain this horse manure."

Yes, that's what Mill says in the newly retitled Caprice's Totally Screwed Up Wish.  It's still a novella.  It's still cute, and light, and who knows, Cap might move back to Connecticut and visit Bittersweet Farm one of these days.

When seventeen year old Caprice Rydell flips a coin into a fountain and
makes a wish that's just the beginning of trouble.  Cap learns her father
was a bigamist, and it's all downhill from there.  It's bad enough that
news is announced on a national television show but it all plays out in front
of Mill Crocker, captain of the school polo team and the most gorgeous guy
Cap's ever seen.

Mill doesn't take Cap's wishing seriously and thinks she already has what she wants. Not seeing it that way, Cap just wants to reset her life back to normal by retrieving that coin. One more small problem.  How is Cap going to find it among the thousands in the fountain?

Bittersweet Farm 1 Coming in Print

Yes via the magic of trees and ink, those without readers will be able to experience the endless excitement of Bittersweet Farm next month.

The way Maggie Dana and I help each other may be featured in an article appearing in the Huffington Post next month so if that happens, I'll be sure to mention it.

Indie publishing is not like traditional publishing in so many ways.   Large publishers believe their audience is small and each reader has to be fought to win over.  If books didn't cost $30 maybe readers could afford to buy more books.  In digital publishing, the costs and prices are low.  Readers are able to read as much as they want.  Writers don't have to be in competition for a small market, they can help each other reach the audience.

Bad Apple 2: Burning Daylight

Giving this a refreshed cover, too. 

Nothing stays the same in digital publishing, something I like and other people don't.  The book itself will be unchanged. 

Bad Apple 1: Sweet Cider has ended its perma-free run.  Thousands of copies were given away and I hope you all got a chance to read it and perhaps enjoyed it.

Bad Apple 1 Freebie Final Days

All things, good and bad, must come to an end and since Bad Apple has been free for quite a while, it needs a revamping and perhaps a category change.

What's great about digital is that books aren't stuck in a pigeonhole and forgotten there.  You can change anything.  The Bad Apple series is probably not really for young adults.  It doesn't fit well into New Adult, so there just isn't a named category for it.  Crossover someone said.  Ok.  But that's still not a real category.

I want to thank all of you for your sincere appreciation and affection for Neal and Tru.  I think we had a blast on the journey.

Here's the new cover and, yes, it gets its original title back!

Thanks go to Maggie Dana for doing the titling for me--she's a genius at it.

Top Three!

This is so unbelievable.  I never imagined this could possibly happen until yesterday but it wasn't something I expected to happen.

Of course it wouldn't be possible without so much support from people I know and who I don't know yet.  Thank you. 

Bittersweet Farm Makes It Across the Water Jump

Haynet

This is a nice post from the Haynet site in the UK featuring BF1.  I'd like the British audience to be introduced to the series.

It's finally Nov. 1 in Bittersweet 4!  Yay.  I got past Halloween.  Now I face new horses arriving, new characters arriving and of course an appearance by the Ambassador of Good Cheer.  I forgot to mention Thanksgiving.  Maybe they should be invited to Hotter Than Heck Farm for deep-fried turducken.  

Halloween at the Farm

Yes in Bittersweet Farm 4 it is All Hallows Eve, but soon to be Nov. 1.  It's going to be a very busy month for them.

As for Wingspread, it's having an amazing run at being #1 at Amazon

• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,362 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Sports & Outdoors
  • #1 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Horses > Equestrian
  • #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Sports > Individual Sports > Horses > Equestrian

A couple of hours ago I had 4 books in the top 10--all the the Bittersweet books and Dream Horse, so that was truly amazing.  These moments are fun but I don't take them too seriously.  Life is like a Wheel of Fortune.  It goes round and round,  you go up you go down.

Time For Photography Again

A couple minutes!

Friday in the Rain

If you knew the secret to life on the earth, would you reveal it?

What I Did For My Summer Vacation

I worked on Bittersweet Farm books, didn't I?

I have to share this, so exciting!  BF3.  Of course, thank you to all who are reading the series and supporting it.

• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,514 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Sports & Outdoors
  • #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Sports > Individual Sports > Horses > Equestrian
  • #3 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Horses > Equestrian

I started BF4 this week.    I can tell you one thing.  It spans November in their year.  There will be new characters entering.  Okay.  You twisted my arm.  Cameron Rafferty, extremely cute, extremely talented, who rides show jumpers.  I can also tell you this.  FINALLY, the carriage house will be finished and there will be a house warming party.  Will Lockie wind up living there?  You totally cannot trust me!