Joan’s Organizing for Spring!
I haven’t set a table for company this month, because I’m not entertaining during the Covid-19 pandemic. Staying home has given me time for a lot of projects—like organizing my entertaining supplies—that would normally get shoved aside in favor of social activities. Many of you have asked me where I store all the items I use for my table settings. I have a secret. The townhome where I live has a full-size elevator shaft running from the main floor all the way upstairs. Until I install an elevator, I have two huge storage closets, one on each floor.
In the downstairs closet I keep all my napkin rings, place holders, and wine charms in neatly stacked clear plastic shoeboxes. I can see exactly what I’m looking for without having to hunt too much.
Above the clear shoeboxes I’ve stored larger items that I use as centerpieces or for themed parties.To the left of the shoeboxes, I’ve arranged my candles by color. Above the candles are the various sizes and kinds of candle holders. I have larger candelabra in the top shelf of the upstairs closet.
To the left of the shoeboxes, I’ve arranged my candles by color. Above the candles are the various sizes and kinds of candle holders. I have larger candelabra in the top shelf of the upstairs closet.
I keep all my tablecloths and placements in a cupboard in the garage. That works because I live in Colorado, which has less than 10% humidity. As you can see, everything is organized by color, and placemats are separated from tablecloths.
I like to match my wine and water glasses to the table setting, so I have a lot of them. Lucky for me, I have a lot of kitchen cupboards–and don’t forget that upstairs elevator closet.
I also have way too many sets of dishes. I store them in plastic bins in the elevator closet. It would be nice if I had the bins labeled . . . but I don’t.
Everything Else
I prefer to put my car in the garage, which happens to be lined with bookcases filled with copies of my 63 novels and novellas, so all my holiday decorations—Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas—are kept in neat plastic storage bins at a remote location. Sorting through everything is a project for later in the spring, when the weather is warmer.
WINTER MAGIC Now Available
Winter Magic is now available from Amazon on Kindle for $2.99 and print-on-demand with this gorgeous cover for $6.99. You can buy either version by clicking here.
Here’s how the book begins:
When you looked like a monster, you tended to avoid people. So when Mike Sullivan saw the dilapidated pickup stalled on the side of the road, he shuddered at the realization that he might have to stop his truck and help. Some poor soul had slid off the highway, likely as a result of the treacherous blizzard that had descended from the heavens an hour ago like a howling fury.
As his headlights flashed on the snowdrifted side window of the blue Dodge, he hissed in a breath. “What the—”A woman and a child were huddled together in the front seat.
Mike swore under his breath. Ever since the brutal grizzly attack five years ago that had resulted in most of his face being torn off, he’d kept his distance from strangers. It had taken hundreds of stitches to put him back together, and after the black threads had come out, he looked like a modern-day Frankenstein.
When that woman and her child saw his face—what was left of his face—they might choose to stay where they were rather than come with him. But he couldn’t leave them marooned in a gale-force blizzard.
IRRESISTIBLE Coming Soon!
I’m taking advantage of the opportunity that self-isolating offers me to work on Irresistible, the third book in my Benedict Brothers, Tales of Modern-Day Royalty, series. This is Riley’s story, and it takes place in and around Santorini, Greece, where I spent time doing research last summer. Riley and his younger brother, Payne, become rivals for the same woman, Samantha Warren, as they help her search for her missing father, who may have been captured or killed by smugglers.
Irresistible is the third of a projected five-book series. I’m planning to write the fourth book in the series, Undeniable, which will be Payne’s story, before the summer is done. Meanwhile, you might want to read the first two books in the series, Invincible available both digitally and in paperback through my website by clicking here, and Unforgettable, available digitally and in print-on-demand. Enjoy!
THE INHERITANCE – Limited Time Offer, Just $1.99
Great news! The ebook edition of The Inheritance will be available for just two weeks at $1.99—wherever this ebook is sold—starting 4/21/20. That’s 66% OFF the normal cover price. Don’t miss this incredible deal!
15 Audiobooks Available for Order
Don’t forget, I have fifteen audiobooks available to you from Audible. Click here to order your copies today. Enjoy!
April Contest
This month I’ll be offering a $25 gift certificate from your choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble and an autographed paperback copy of Winter Magic. Click here to enter and good luck!
Take care and happy reading,
