D. Thrush's Blog

It's time for holiday bargains. I'll be setting up some sales, but in the meantime, The Santa Secret is FREE on all booksellers! It also makes a great gift. It's a fun, full-length, standalone, PG-rated, rom-com prequel to a 4-book series. Feel-good, magical, heartwarming.

When Clara marries Nicky, they have to live at the North Pole with his parents. His parents? You mean Santa and Mrs. Claus? Yup!

Here's the link for Amazon (US), but it's available everywhere.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJDPYRFQ

I didn't have a great childhood. My parents fought all the time and eventually divorced. I escaped into books. I had a large bookshelf that I filled with used books from thrift stores that I cherished.

Not surprisingly, I had a bad marriage and became a young struggling single mother. I escaped into books.

Now my kids are grown and I have grandchildren. I celebrate their successes but feel helpless watching their challenges. You never stop being a parent.

I still escape into books. When the outside world is difficult, books can take you to a better place.

All Hallow's Eve, which became Halloween, evolved from a Celtic festival marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter, which signified death. The Celts believed that on October 31 the spirits of the dead could pass through to the living world. Bonfires were lit and costumes were worn to ward them off.

We get around 200 trick-or-treaters. Years ago, I decided to offer different "treats." So now, we give out Halloween-themed toys. You can buy pretty inexpensive Halloween party favors, and the kids seem to like them. "You're the lady who gives out toys!" This year it's stretchy skeletons, squishy Halloween toys, and Halloween bracelets. I let the kids choose what they want, and the best thing is that they don't go bad if I have any left over.

Happy All Hallow's Eve!

Reviews of my books mean the world to me, especially when someone really loves one of my books. So, I have to give an extra special Thank You to Utopian Dreamer who wrote the following about The Santa Secret (which is free):

"D. Thrush is one of my all-time favorite authors - I've read and loved all her books!”

An extra special Thank You also goes to Amy for this review for The Daughter Claus:

“I even walked to the mailbox with my iPad in hand because I couldn't put it down.”

Thanks to all the readers who have taken the time to read and review my books. It warms my heart more than you know!!!!

Have we run out of stories? Some think we’ve covered just about every premise there is. According to Christopher Booker’s “The Seven Basic Plots,” published in 2005, pretty much every novel or movie fits into one of them.

They are: Overcoming the Monster (Jaws, Dracula), Rags to Riches (Cinderella, David Copperfield), The Quest (The Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings), Voyage & Return (Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit), Comedy (Much Ado About Nothing, Bridget Jones’s Diary), Tragedy (Romeo & Juliet, The Great Gatsby), Rebirth & Renewal (A Christmas Carol, Groundhog Day).

There are countless novels with every variation of plot you can imagine and some that include several of the 7 plots into a single story. I enjoy those with action, adventure, comedy, and romance. But as an author, it’s quite a challenge to come up with something unique. I tend toward comedy and romance, family dynamics, and the inner journey of finding belief in yourself in my books.

What draws you?

First person uses I, second uses you, and third uses he/she. First is like you’re telling the reader your story and third is like telling someone else’s story and gives you the advantage of changing viewpoints. I’ve written in the first and third person.

When I’m reading, I think it depends on the story. I’ve read books with first-person and third-person narratives. Second person seems off to me. What’s your preference?

Which do you prefer?

Sometimes a book will make me want to see the movie, but more often the movie makes me want to read the book. I watched and then read "The Martian" by Andy Weir (which began as an indie-published book). I loved both. His second book "Artemis" didn’t grab me. The protagonist was too unlikable. His next book, "Project Hail Mary" is one I highly recommend, soon to be a movie starring the wonderful Ryan Gosling. But I’m nervous about it. Will it be as good as the book or will they change it?

Other books and movies: "The Idea of You." I enjoyed both but they ended very differently. "A Simple Favor." Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively were so good in the movie, which is better than the book, though the book's ending is more realistic. "Daisy Jones & the Six." The mini-series wasn’t as good as the book but was still good. "Ready Player One." The book was better but the visuals in the movie are very well done.

What about you?

That's how many books are self-published on Amazon yearly. 300 million. The competition is overwhelming. Yet, indie authors are a supportive group. It's a huge endeavor to write a book. We help each other out with marketing advice, book descriptions, and flagging enthusiasm. We read each other's books and know how much each review is valued. So, read and review an indie book. And hug an indie author!

This is the last day of my big .99 cent sale on most of my books. The prices will return to $3.99 starting tomorrow and will again become available in Kindle Unlimited.

The Santa Secret will still be FREE, and Guardian of the Light will be .99 cents until the end of this month.

Happy Reading!

I've finally finished re-editing all of my books, hopefully catching all those tiny little errors that slip through. AND I've reduced all the prices to .99 for the next few weeks on all booksellers. (Except for The Santa Secret, which is free.)

I used an editing program for this feat, and as I went through each book, I found myself appreciating anew my stories with their twists and heartaches and flawed characters. Of course, they each contain bits of myself and bits of my own story. Many of us authors do that consciously or subconsciously. Or we create the worlds that we want to inhabit or the heroes we wish we were.

I hope you'll venture into the labyrinth of my imagination and love the characters there. I want to find the readers with whom these stories resonate, who sit back and let the feelings sink in, who enjoy the humor, the romance, and the challenges the characters experience. And I hope you experience it with them!