December 9th, 2014

Our weather continues to be undecided as to if it's winter or spring! Here it is, fast approaching mid-December and it's over 60 degrees. The bad news, is that it's accompanied by rain and this equates to lots of melting snow up in the mountains, and more flooding down here on the Skagit. I posted about our local flooding less than two weeks ago, and the river predictions are looking like it's going to be the same scenario by Thursday. Praying that the rain eases up, and we get by without any local damage.

This past weekend was an exciting one for our small town of Sedro Woolley! Our local high school football team took the 2A state title! This is the first time in the history of our school, so it's pretty amazing! My son played Woolley football for six years and was a first-pick conference offensive line and 2nd pick defensive line his senior year (2 years ago), so I spent plenty of time under the 'Friday night lights'! I'm so happy for these kids and I hope it ends up creating college career opportunities that they might not have had otherwise. It's hard to get noticed in football, no matter how good you are, when you're on a 2A team...unless you make it to a state game! Way to go CUBS!

Last night I played around with a unique site called, The Imagine Film List. It gives people the opportunity to make movie suggestions based on books, etc, and even match up actors to characters. Take a look at what I have going for Bloodline, and maybe give it a bump if you agree with me that it'd make a great movie!  IF List

I haven't done this on my blog yet, but I know a fellow Indie Author who is running a 0.99 cent promo on her book, Dangerous Liaisons, and I'd like to give her a mention:

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DANGEROUS LIAISONS by SARAH STUART

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M9CU1Z6 

eBook & Paperback

Lizzie, daughter of a wealthy Scottish laird, inherits a Book of Hours passed down the illegitimate female line from a 16th century queen. It carries a Royal Command: find love. Lizzie, and Michael, a backstreet boy determined to escape the poverty trap with a successful career in the theater, develop a passionate relationship. Sparks, ignited by decoded secrets recorded by the queen’s unscrupulous, vengeful, granddaughter, break the bounds of marriage, the law, and the church.

19 4 & 5 star reviews on Amazon

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I have to admit that I haven't read it yet (now that I'm working on writing The Secret of Camp Whispering Pines), I am back to my reading hiatus. I just can't mix others words around in my head while I am writing, but I have added it to my TBR pile and I plan on getting to it soon. It looks like a good story, so check it out!

Speaking of Whispering Pines, I will be doing a cover reveal soon, so be on the lookout for that!

I FINALLY finished the audio book for Bloodline!!!!!  I'm just waiting for it to be approved and then processed for distribution. I am pretty excited about this. The editing process just about kicked my butt, but I learned a lot from it. (mainly that I am WAY too picky and need to lighten up if I also do Heritage and Descent)

I will let you all know when it is out, and offer up some free codes for it!

On the photography front, I still have my work up on display at out local hospital, United General, and I'm still averaging several sales a month. I've created a couple of new images for Christmas cards, so I will leave you with one of them!

December 1st, 2014

Oh my gosh, where did November go?!

I can't believe it is already December, and I sit here looking at the naked Christmas tree, waiting to be decorated.

I like the holidays, but I think that I am not alone in that there is also a certain amount of stress and pressure to get things done that come along with them. It is always this time of year that I try and slow things down and remember what the season is really all about. NOT giving and giving gifts, but LOVE.

So take a deep breath and hug someone. :)

I am STILL working on finishing up the audiobook for Bloodline,  but I can see the finish line. I will cross it this week and then it should be available the following week. I'm excited to get it out there!

I am also excited about my next book: The Secret of Camp Whispering Pine (Book #2 in the Samantha Wolf Mysteries) I just got the proof for the book cover and I LOVE it! I will be planning a reveal for it in a week or so.  I'm still hoping to get the book out by the end of the year, but we'll see. While I always try and keep the deadlines that I set for myself, it will never be at the cost of the story quality. I'm behind on it as of now, due to the audiobooks taking me longer than anticipated, but it will just depend on how fast the writing goes these next few weeks. Either way, it will be soon and I think readers will like this next installment!

I've had a blast doing senior pictures these past couple of months and I just completed a really fun shoot yesterday. It flooded this past week on our street, and then froze. So we took advantage of this unique setting and literally went out on the ice! The pictures turned out great, and I always feel privileged to be a part of such an important time in their lives. I continue to charge just $50 for everything (including copies of all the pictures), because I can't stand to take more. My son just graduated two  years ago, and I know that the going rate for a professional photographer starts at around $250. These kids already have so many expenses, and there are a lot that can't afford the pictures. (I also do some free ones each year)  I will end up doing about eight senior portraits this year, and I hope to continue it!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Nov 16th, 2014

I did another fun, senior photo shoot yesterday in the COLD sunshine! I have a few more coming up, which will make seven senior pictures I have the privilege of doing this year. I have seen a lot of my kids friends grow up and reach this milestone over the past few years, and it's an honor to be a part of it.

Yesterday, while getting my camera ready, my daughter asked if she could use my old camera. Of course! (maybe she'll let me post one of her pictures here. She is quite good!)  While going through it, and making sure it was in working order and had a memory card for her, I discovered that the old card still in it, had some images on it from our vacation at Flathead Lake a couple of years ago.

I was a bit surprised when I saw one of the images. It immediately jumped out at me as an instant favorite, but for whatever reason, hadn't done so when I took it over two years ago. Granted, there were a few others on the same card that I was drawn to back then and they are quite popular, and I believe I had close to 1,000 pictures originally taken that week...so maybe it isn't so surprising that this one got over-looked. Whatever the reason, I am SO glad to have found it. I absolutely love this picture. It immediately takes me back to those precious, treasured days as a child, when I spent time with my own dad. The world was such a simple place. (I don't know who the people in the picture are, this was a totally spontaneous moment, which kind of makes it even more...honest.)

November 4th, 2014

The rain has set in this past week and seems determined to stick around. Last night was too windy for me to get any recording on my audiobook (Bloodline) done. However, I have only six chapters to go! I seem to be on target for my end of November release date. I still have a TON of editing/mastering to do of the audio files, but at least I can accomplish that pretty much anywhere, any time. Once I get closer to completion, I'll provide a link for any readers to take a sneak 'listen' to a sample audio of it.

My artwork has been up at United General Hospital for just over three months now, and I consider it a great success! I have sold over twenty pieces during this time. I am going to be offering a sale this next week, since I will be taking it down soon and also because Christmas is coming up! *hint, hint*

The following picture has been, by far, my most popular. It was taken in Blue Bay, at Flahead Lake in Montana. This is a favorite spot of mine, and holds a ton of great, family memories. I was standing in about two feet of water when I took this, and YES, the water really IS that clear, and the rocks that colorful!

For those that are not local to me, I also offer my work through either direct sales (contact me at taraellisphotography@gmail.com), or if you prefer, through my website at FineArt. This is a complete service, with great ways to view the pieces in different formats and then purchase/ship direct from them. They use all high-quality material. Artwork

I've also recently outlined the next three stories in my kids mystery series, so I expect to remain busy in the coming months!

Oct 29th, 2014

So yesterday was interesting! I read a report from our local news source, Skagit Breaking, about a bear sighting in town. No one had been able to get a picture of it to share a couple of hours later, so since I was already headed in that direction to pick my daughter up from driver's ed....I grabbed my camera. The area was cordoned off by police, but from a distance, with my telephoto lens, I was able to quickly determine that he was a BIG bear...and he had chosen one of the biggest trees in the center of town, in a residential neighborhood, right next to an elementary school!

As I was leaving, I passed by an alley some distance away, and I could see a group gathered by a fish and wildlife truck. I made my way over to them...they were situated under the other trees near the one where the bear was, so he likely couldn't see us from his angle.  It was obvious that the agent and other officers were doing their best to come up with a feasible way to deal safely with the bear. I was saddened to learn later last night, that he died in a fall after being tranquilized. There has been a lot of criticism over how it was handled, but it is always easy to second guess. I haven't spoken directly with anyone that was involved, but according to reports, they tried for some time to get the bear down lower in the tree (he was around 75 feet up there!) and then used a low-dose tranquilizer, in hopes that he would come further down afterwards, on his own. Instead, he fell from the tree, and because of  the angle, he missed the net they had out under him. Sad. :(

My first picture has gotten a whole lot of recognition from local news, and I just want to say that I was very careful when I took it. I did NOT use a flash, remained low where the bear couldn't see me and be scared, and I was right next to a game and Wildlife agent. (I was there for maybe five minutes)

As to what happened: Please remember that it was a HUGE bear. Yes, he was cute, but if he HAD come down the tree, into the neighboring yards, people wouldn't have thought he was so cute. Keep in mind that it was literally right next to an elementary school. Did it pose an actual threat? I don't really know, I've never dealt with bears and I have no idea how they behave...but it seems somewhat like a lose-lose situation for the wildlife agents. I just wish it had had a happy ending.