It's Not a Diet--It's a Lifestyle

That's what every diet plan says, right? And yet, my diet and my lifestyle don't mesh very well. So here I am, on the weight-loss-go-round again.

I can't say I've tried them all. Some plans just sound plain dumb or impossible to stick with, even for a few days. That cabbage soup thing? I wouldn't consider it. Grapefruit--nope. All those pills of questionable ingredients, safety, origin and hype sold on TV? Forget it.


That pretty much leaves me with two viable choices: count points (Weight Watchers) or carbs. I've done both and had success with both, but y'know, most of us have faced this at one point or another and pretty soon, we fall back into our sloppy ways. Yes, I want my wine. Or my Jack Daniel's, depending on my mood. Oh, cheeseburgers and fries? Yes, yes. Pizza, yes, yes, yes!!! Chips, I try not to let them into the house but they get in sometimes. And there isn't much that can be done to a potato that I won't eat. Mashed, baked, fried, boiled, casseroled, au gratined, scalloped--heavenly potatoes. Doughnuts, cookies and such, nah, not really. I do LOVE salad, and especially love salad bars where you can get things that are so not salad they shouldn't even be in the trough. "Chocolate mousse," which is really more like chocolate Cool Whip. Bread and muffins? Mmmmm, bring them on! Still, I'm not as young as I used to be and I have a job that keeps me at a keyboard most of the time, so I've got to take a step back to consider my condition.


Which plan is the winner this time? Low carb. You get more variety with Weight Watchers, but all that measuring and points counting and journaling and obsessing . . . geez, talk about a hassle. I'm one of those people who has a closet full of clothes in a variety of sizes. Lucky for me, the styles are fairly classic so I'll be able to wear any of them without looking like a refugee from any particular decade.


Sunday was Day 1. Two hard-boiled eggs, a handful of almonds, a can of tuna, seared yellow fin tuna steak, salad with sensible dressing, and a kosher hot dog (no bun). And I'm still full from dinner even though it's almost 1:00 AM. That's the plus side to the low carb thing, so I'm hopeful.


They say any fool can lose weight. Sure, look at me, I've done it lots of times. It's the keeping it off that's tricky. As soon as my knees stop creaking, I'll be out there pounding the sidewalk again with the dog.

Restart the Presses!

While I still consider myself an indie author, about six weeks ago Amazon Encore, the publishing side of Amazon, sent me an e-mail, expressing interest in contracting with me for two books. After some back and forth, I agreed and last night I signed the contract and sent it off.

What this means for readers: This contract is for Home By Morning and the sequel, Home By Nightfall. If you have a Kindle, nothing will change. The e-book price will stay at $2.99. If you don't have a Kindle, this title will be available at all the places I sell my e-books until December. After that I'll have to pull it from all e-tailers except Kindle. But . . . if you don't have an e-reader, both of these books will also be available in trade paperback. I'm not sure about the details of that yet, but certainly it will be available through Amazon.

I'm really excited about this new phase of publishing and I'm looking forward new adventures. I'd better get back to my sequel!

My New Look

I am very pleased to announce that both my blog and my website have a brand new look. Now, before anyone asks why there's a cowboy and a sailing ship in the montage, it's because while most of my historicals are westerns, some are Americanas. A Light For My Love and the Home duo are what I consider Americana. I wanted to reflect that with this new art.

I hope you'll take a minute to visit my new website too: www.alexisharrington.com. If you still see the old site, you can either cold-boot, or give it a little time to deactivate. Check back here for more news. As always, thanks for visiting.