About Sparkling and Time by Vicky Burkholder

A little backstory...on October 2, I wrote a post about blogging. It was on the whiny side, and I mentioned (mournfully) that Vicky Burkholder's Sparkling Book Reviews was going to close at the end of the year. I said I didn't know why, so I asked. Here's what she had to say. Thanks for coming, Vicky, and thanks for all you share! - Liz

From Sparkling Book Reviews Home Page

Recently I was asked why I’m closing down the Sparkling Book Reviews blog site. That’s a very good question. I mean, I have several hundred followers and  subscribers, and I get requests all the time from authors who want reviews and/or spotlights. So why close down a seemingly successful site? The easy answer is time. The harder answer is…time.

You see, I have two blogs: the Sparkling site and my personal author website where I have a blog about all things author-ish. Coming up with two daily blogs along with double Facebook pages, double email accounts, double postings, double the money spent on the sites, and more has become onerous.

Plus, I have all those books to read and review. Plus, my own writing. Plus, life outside… It all boils down to time.

I am not quitting blogging. I’m just condensing and moving things around. I will continue to blog on my personal site and pages and continue to review and  spotlight authors there, but having just one site will offer me the opportunity to maybe breathe a little. I don’t often get the chance to check out other author sites and maybe I can now. Or maybe I can finish that crochet project that’s been sitting on my table staring at me. Or write my next book. Or just watch the world go by. I haven’t done that in a long time.

Some people may call it burnout, and maybe that’s what it is. There is so much to take care of when you’re an author—you need to tweet, FaceBook, BlueSky, Instagram, InstaBook, etc. Sometimes it all just becomes overwhelming. Plus, I’m not getting any younger! (Who is, besides Dorian Grey?) I am into my seventh decade and want time to enjoy friends and family more. I recently had a health scare (I’m okay) and took a hard look at my life as it is now. My husband and I moved into a retirement community and other residents are often inviting me to join them in this or that activity, and maybe now I can.

So why am I closing down a popular site? To give myself time. Something that is slipping away faster than I want. I will still be around, just at a different spot. I’m not quitting completely, just stepping back to take a breath - something we all need to do once in a while. Meanwhile, it’s a beautiful fall day outside.

Think I’ll go take a walk. How ‘bout you?

As her alter-ego, Vicky has multiple homes all over the universe. She looks human - for the mostpart - but when she starts writing about characters being able to move things or flicking fire from their fingertips, or changing the course of rivers, people tend to get a little freaked out. She found the one guy out there in the universe who loves her for who she is and they've been together forever and raised four wonderful (now) adults. Her career includes work as a technical writer/editor, a stringer for the local newspaper, and an editor and copy editor for various  publishers. At various times in her life, she has been a teacher, a secretary, a short-order cook, a computer specialist, a DJ, and a librarian. When not editing or writing, she can be found in the kitchen creating gluten free goodies for her family.

Website: http://www.vicky-burkholder.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Vicky-Burkholder
Goodreads Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1264928.Vicky_Burkholder
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vicky-Burkholder-535739543163598/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickyburkholder
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/vicky-burkholder

From Vicky

The Cane, The Puzzle, and Magic by Vicky Burkholder

An Urban Fantasy Romance from The Wild Rose Press

It’s never easy to fight a friend. It’s even harder to kill

one.

Facing down an ancient evil, special agent Elizabeth St. John is outnumbered, outgunned, and outmatched. Local cop Kaeden Pike is the perfect choice to help her but letting him—or anyone—into her life and heart is the most difficult challenge she’s ever faced.

Kaeden has never found the one person who fit him, until now. But how can he convince Liz that they make the perfect pair, especially when the end of the world is coming? Someone has to gather the forces of good to win this fight, but when Liz accepts the role, she finds that being alone isn't a choice she has to make. Almost losing Kaeden to the evil who already took the only other person she's ever trusted convinces her to open her heart and let him in...where he belongs.

The Wild Rose Press: https://www.thewildrosepress.com/bookauthor/vicky-burkholder

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cane-Puzzle-Magic-Vicky-Burkholder-

ebook/dp/B0CDJ55FQG

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143862796?ean=9781509251032

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195596272-the-cane-the-puzzle-and-magic

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/vicky-burkholder

Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Vicky_Burkholder

iTunes/Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/the-cane-the-puzzle-and-

magic/id6456978093