Author Spotlight--Nan Reinhardt + Giveaway

Welcome to Author Spotlights on Mondays!

This week my guest is friend and fellow IRWA member Nan Reinhardt. She's been generous enough to offer a $25 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter, so show her some love! Take it away, Nan!!!

New Year’s Writing Resolutions, Systems

I read a fascinating article a couple of days ago by James Clear about why not having goals might lead to a happier life. (http://blog.bufferapp.com/why-having-no-goals-in-our-lives-might-make-us-happier-and-more-successful) Go ahead and check it out, I’ll wait.
Ah, welcome back. So this article made me completely rethink my usual set of New Year’s resolutions. Generally, on January 1, I make a list of the things that I intend to accomplish that year. The list invariably includes losing weight, being more organized, exercising more regularly, and of course, writing every day. Also invariably, I break every resolution—often as early as January 10.
But after reading Clear’s article, I decided not to make resolutions for 2014. I’m abandoning goals in favor of systems. I’m setting up a writing system wherein I will write for an hour at least five days a week. I’m not setting a word count goal, simply writing for an hour each day. So I’m not stressing over whether I produce 100 words or 1,000 words. My system is about writing, not about holding a word count sword over my own head.
I’m thinking that, as Clear points out, I can apply systems to other areas of my life where I often set goals and then become disappointed with my inability to achieve them. I shall make a system for exercising, focusing on moving my body each day, whether it be getting to the gym for a swim, riding my bike, or simply going up and down the stairs several times a day. My system will be movement—any kind of movement.
Who knows what I’ll accomplish in 2014 if I release the urge to make goals and instead enjoy each day’s progress.

Nan's Bio:
Nan Reinhardt is a writer of romantic fiction for women in their prime. Yeah, women still fall in love and have sex, even after 45! Imagine! She is also a wife, a mom, a mother-in-law, and a grandmother. She’s been an antiques dealer, a bank teller, a stay-at-home mom, a secretary, and for the last 17 years, she’s earned her living as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader.
But writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten, a love story between the most sophisticated person she knew at the time, her older sister (who was in high school and had a driver’s license!) and a member of Herman’s Hermits. If you remember who they are, you are Nan’s audience! She’s still writing romance, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled, menopausal woman who believes that love never ages, women only grow more interesting, and everybody needs a little sexy romance.
Visit Nan’s website at www.nanreinhardt.com, where you’ll find links to all her books as well as blogs about writing, being a Baby Boomer, and aging gracefully...mostly.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authornanreinhardt
Twitter: @NanReinhardt
Talk to Nan at: nanleigh1@gmail.com

Here's a peek at Nan's latest releases from her wonderful Women of Willow Bay series:

Once More From the Top

What do you do when the one who got away... comes back?

Carrie Halligan never regretted the choice she made sixteen years ago to raise her son Jack by herself in Willow Bay, Michigan. A successful photographer by day, at night Carrie satisfies her musical passions by playing piano at a hotel bar, maintaining a balance that works for her and Jack. Walking away from Maestro Liam Reilly without telling him she was pregnant with his child may have been the hardest thing she’d ever done, but it was definitely the right thing.
When Liam shows up in town to perform a benefit concert with the local symphony, however, Carrie’s carefully crafted life spins out of control. After sending Jack to summer camp, she realizes she can’t keep Liam in the dark forever. Telling the truth to the man she once loved more than life itself isn’t near as hard as spending time in his presence and realizing that the years haven’t diminished his power over her heart. Will her lie be too much to get past, or will the spark of passion between them overcome everything?
You can download Once More From the Top from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords by using these links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFCNGHC Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/once-more-from-the-top-nan-
reinhardt/1117906419?ean=2940149063536 Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/once-more-from-the-top Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/392910

Sex and the Widow Miles

His life ended. Hers didn’t.

Model-thin, beautiful, and aging gracefully, Julie Miles was looking forward to retirement with her husband, Dr. Charlie Miles, in their idyllic Willow Bay, Michigan home. But when Charlie dies of a heart attack, simply getting out of bed becomes a daily struggle. Desperate for a change of scene, she leaves her home to stay in her friend Carrie’s unoccupied Chicago apartment.
Her handsome and young new neighbor, Will Brody, seems to enjoy his assignment to keep an eye on her, and Jules can’t help but be flattered. She embraces life—and sex—again, until the discovery of a dark secret shatters her world once more. She knows her feelings for Will are more than casual, and he’s made it clear he wants her, but how can she ever trust a man again when her perfect life turned out to be a lie? Determined to get to the bottom of it all, Jules goes in search of the truth and discovers that there’s always a second chance to find real love.
You can download Sex and the Widow Miles from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords by using these links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFIVRHM Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sex-and-the-widow-miles-nan-
reinhardt/1117906420?ean=2940149063543 Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/sex-and-the-widow-miles Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/392921

Don't forget to comment for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card by midnight (EST) Wednesday, Jan. 15! And go buy these two fantastic books!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!