A Trio of Hops

Hello and Happy March to everyone! I'm always so glad when March arrives as it's great to know that Spring is right around the corner.

It's another busy day here as I'm participating in three blog hops.

First up, the Back From The Future hop, hosted by Suze, Mary, and Nicki.

You're up before dawn on a Saturday when the doorbell rings. You haven't brewed your coffee so you wonder if you imagined the sound. Plonking the half-filled carafe in the sink, you go to the front door and cautiously swing it open. No one there. As you cast your eyes to the ground, you see a parcel addressed to you ... from you.

You scoop it up and haul it inside, sensing something legitimate despite the extreme oddness of the situation. Carefully, you pry it open. Inside is a shoebox -- sent from ten years in the future -- and it's filled with items you have sent yourself.

What's in it?

My box contains the following items:

1. A copy of the New York Times Bestseller list with my book in the number 1 spot
2. My latest novel, the fifth in a series featuring Polar Night Detective Danny Fitzpatrick
3. The deed to a home I own free and clear. The home is big enough and has enough land around it that I am able to take in rescue animals who are waiting for homes. I'll have my own pets too, of course.
4. Two t-shirts - one celebrating the Cincinnati Reds' World Series win and another celebrating the Cincinnati Bengals winning the Super Bowl

If you know anything at all about Cincinnati sports, you know that #4 is by far the most far-fetched item on my list. ;) :D

Thanks to Suze, Mary, and Nicki for hosting this great hop! It was fun to think about what I'd like to see in my future, regardless of how far-fetched it may be. :)

Next, The Bloghop of Joy, hosted by Kyra Lennon and Claire Dugmore.

This hop is all about sharing the little things that make us smile. Kyra and Claire asked for participants to share a minimum of five things that put a spring back in our step.

Here are five things that bring me joy:

1. My dog Clancy running around the house and jumping up and down like a lunatic because I've come home from work
2. My cat Nate snuggling next to me and purring so loud that I wouldn't be surprised if the neighbors can hear him
3. This video:

4. Turning the calendar over to March like I did this morning
5. Planning my upcoming trip to Martha's Vineyard, which I'll be taking in May

Thanks to Kyra and Claire for this joy-filled hop! I am looking forward to seeing what makes everyone else smile. :)

Last but definitely not least, it's Friday and time to Celebrate the Small Things with Vikki.

This week I'm celebrating that I figured out how to set up my first giveaway on Goodreads, and I learned how to run an ad for Polar Night on Facebook. To say I don't know anything about marketing is an understatement, but I'm having fun learning as I go along.

I'm also celebrating that I got a start on my sequel to Polar Night and received an email from my awesome publisher saying she would be interested in it. That definitely helped kick start my motivation!

Finally, I'm simply celebrating that it's Friday and the weekend is here. I've been fighting a sinus infection all week and feeling crummy, so I'm thrilled that the week has come to an end. And I suppose if I think about it, I am fortunate that a sinus infection is the worst thing I have to complain about! That's something to celebrate right there.

Happy weekend, all! :)