Megan Bostic's Blog, page 14

The World is not Perfect

Sometimes when things are going good, the universe needs to balance itself out remind you that life cannot be perfect.

My daughters, I know they are not perfect, but they are beautiful and talented in their own ways and they are doing the best they can in school. They are weird and funny and inappropriate most the time and I love them for it.

I have a boyfriend who brings me flowers once a week and rarely lets me pay for dinner. When my vacuum breaks and he can't fix it (and he can fix mostly everything) he brings one to my house and tells me it fell off the back of a vacuum truck, then proceeds to vacuum half my house to check it out.

The work I do at my day job is awesome. I get to write and be creative and work part time so I can also write and be creative at home and try to continue to work on my goals of becoming a full time fiction writer some day.

I live in a lovely home, in a quiet neighborhood with a big yard, close to the girl's school.

Yes, that is all good. But then there are faulty memories and car accidents in life. There are delicate situations handled improperly by people who are supposed to care.  There are those who do not know when to shut their mouths and leave well enough alone and those who do not speak up when they should.

Balance. The Yin and Yang of life. It's necessary I suppose. Without it, what would we
be? A bunch of vapid, wastes of oxygen with no personality or purpose?

The balance, the struggles, the hard stuff, it challenges us, molds us, gives us character. I've faced many struggles in life and I wouldn't be who I am today without them, and I kind of like the me I am right now.

Also, adversity, it is a test of our strength. How much can we take? How much are we willing to take for the ones we care about, because sometimes the challenge isn't about us, sometimes it's in the name of our parent, child, or a complete stranger. Sometimes we have to be strong for someone else.

I'm not really a religious person, but all this reminds me of a quote from Mother Theresa:


So, I say bring it world. I thank you for all the good things I have, but I'm ready for the challenges too. I've been through worse. I've felt pain, I've seen death, I've hit rock bottom. It may be hard, I may cry, I may yell, but I'm pretty sure I can handle anything that comes my way.

Never let the bureaucracy get you down

The last couple of weeks I have found myself dealing with one of our local bureaucracies. I suppose, outside government, I've never really thought all that much about policy and practice, red tape, and bureaucrats, getting the run around and discrimination because, well, I haven't had to. It's never really applied to me.

Now it has.

I'm not going to get into the specifics of my problem, only that it has had a great effect on me (and not only me, but we'll just talk about me today). It's been frustrating to the point that it's driven me to tears. It's affected my focus, therefore the work at my day job, my writing, also its been physically draining so I've been fatigued and my body aches. It's made me take time out of my day to try to solve this problem that should have never occurred in the first place. It feels like my soul has been sucked right out of me.

Some of my questions have been skirted around rather than answered. They act like they are trying to help, but it feels more like they are just pretending in order to appease me.

When this first happened I searched their policies and found nothing that warranted their actions.   I called them on it, quoting their own policies as well as Washington State legal code and demanded that they fix what they'd done. I was told they would find the policy and show it to me, but their hands were tied because  it was the call of the higher ups, but they would confer with them and get back to me.

When my answer came back, I was told that, well, it's not actually policy, but more of a "practice." To me this means there is nothing in writing to allow/excuse what they've done. They also said they would still try to work with me though and that a "support team" of "very important people" who are "very busy" doing "other things" are going to make the time to have a meeting to try to solve my problem (yes that's basically the way it was told to me like I'm supposed to be thankful).

The problem is they still aren't seeing the big picture I've been trying to point out to them. 1) this should never have happened in the first place. 2) they should have a set policy for this type of thing because according to them it happens more than you'd think. 3) their "practice" in dealing with this situation is uninformed, ridiculous and I would think discriminatory and illegal.

Even if their "support team" comes up with a solution, I'm told "these things take time." My resolution is already coming up next week, so putting all these talking heads together seems to be futile, and like I said, just a way to appease me.

I've decided to make it my mission to force these people to install a policy so this doesn't happen again. I don't want anyone else to have to go through this.

Those who give you strength

I have been tested much in the last three years, but I think none as much as I have in the last three weeks. I cannot give you all the details of my struggles, as some are very personal and some involve people I love very much. But today's blog isn't really about that it's about those not directly involved in those struggles. It's about the people in life that give you strength.

It's so important to have people in your life to lift you up when you're feeling low, to pick you up when you've fallen, to keep you going when you think you can take no more.  I'm very lucky to have people like that in my life.

Anyway, I just want to dedicate today's blog to those people and thank them, and hope that I too am that person to them.

You know who you are.

 Here are the Friday Scribbles for your entertainment...
Pandora queue: Landon Pigg, Falling in Love in the Coffee Shop. LOVE
Book of the Week: Allegient by Veronica Roth. I like it, not as well as the first two, but still...it's getting better.
Netflix of the Week: I started watching Sons of Anarchy again. For some reason I stopped right before the first season ended. I just lost interest. When I say right before, I mean at the very last episode. When I started again, I didn't know why. Pretty good.
Quote of the Week: “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

I am not a social media addict...

At least according to this article here. I would say at one time in my life there was a certain writer's forum I could not take my eyes off of, *cough* ABNA *cough* and perhaps there was a time that Facebook meant more to me than oxygen(I mean, who really needs to breathe, right?), but hey, I've found there are other things in life than virtuality (yes that is a word, I'm pretty sure I just made it up) and reading random posts from people, most of which you'll never meet in real life (though I will say I've been very lucky to meet some of my virtual friends in my reality too).

Here is my defense to this social media addiction blog:
 I only keep one Twitter app on my phone for my ONE Twitter screen name...okay, admittedly I have three Twitter screen names, but the others different aspects of my life that are rarely touched.I don't ALWAYS check myself in when I go somewhere. Sometimes I forget.My children don't always have to tell me not to Tweet the crazy things they say. I'm more of a Facebook user.Posted on the gyno's table with feet in the stirrups? I think not. Though the dentists chair isn't out of the question.I've never shed a tear that Pinterest wasn't around before I got married. I've always prided myself on being a great party-thrower. Although now, I admit, with all those pictures, it's so much easier to steal other people's ideas.And I'm not into taking pics of my food, especially since I eat popcorn for dinner about three nights a week. I've also never heard of Diptic. Of course, there are all those selfies...Diptic...Where have you been all my life?Instagram as a verb? Please! Of course. And Facebooked, Twittered (I make up all sorts of words for Tweeted), Tumblred...any of them can be turned into a verb.Yes, I own multiple chargers. I have one at the office, one in my car, one plugged into my computer, one in my bedroom, one that roams...you can never be too sure when there might be an emergency update to post. I know where there are outlets, AND wi-fi. I do not see this as a problem.My mom has never called to see if I'm okay because I haven't Tweeted. She doesn't even KNOW how to Tweet. However if my dad doesn't see me on Facebook...An Android user as a wannabe...pish posh.Oh yeah, those iPhone users are snobs. Any time I complain about my phone it's always, "You should get an iPhone. They're perrrrrfect." Douchebags.Pttthhhh. See, totally not an addict. I can take it or leave it. Quit any time I want.

Have a great day. I have to go check my feeds on Facebook and Twitter. And I should probably update my Tubmlr, and maybe post some pics on Instagram, and perhaps...

Pushed Blog Tour: Remy Looks Like Who? - The Cast of Pushed

I am happy to be participating in the official blog tour for my fellow 2k12er and  all around great gal, Corrine Jackson and her novel Pushed, book two in the Sense Thieves trilogy. There is just over a week left of the tour, so if you want to hop on, you'll find the full tour here.

Today we're going to talk about Pushed character Remy, and who Corrine may have had in mind when developing her physical attributes, but first, let's give you a little taste of Pushed...here's an excerpt from the novel.

Gabe Blackwell never saw me coming. In the tick of a hummingbird’s wings, I had launched myself at his back, taking him down in a tangle of arms and legs. Our bodies hit the blue mat in the middle of the Blackwells’ gym with a thud that shivered from my teeth to my backbone. Gabe’s breath hissed out when Asher, leaning against a rack of weights, laughed at his older brother’s defeat at the hands of a gangly girl half his size. I took advantage of Gabe’s distraction to wrap an arm around his neck, putting the whole of my weight into pinning him. My height rivaled his, with me close to six feet and him just over, but he had a good sixty pounds of muscle on me. Unwilling to loosen my hold for even a second, I considered biting him in retribution for the thousand times he’d insulted me. And then I wondered if I might have given away my abnormal speed. I really hoped not. “What is it you’re always yelling at me?” I pretended to think about it, enjoying my little victory over my boyfriend’s brother. With his sculpted features, Gabe never lacked for company, and he never let anyone forget it. I savored any opportunity I had to take his ego down a notch. “Oh right. I remember now. Never turn your back on the enemy, Protector.”Gabe cursed and cut my amusement short when his muscles tightened and gathered under me. He might look twenty to my eighteen, but Gabe had lived more than a century, and his experience with our powers surpassed mine. Too late, I tried to strengthen my grip. The thought had scarcely occurred to me when I found my face planted in the mat with his knee bending my spine like a bow. “I also told you to concentrate instead of getting cocky.” The cheer in Gabe’s proper British voice grated on my nerves. “Now, be a good little mortal, and say it.”His humiliating version of saying “uncle,” he meant. Ten minutes ago I’d bet him that I could take him down in a fair fight, and he’d agreed with terms of his own if I lost. “Come on, Healer. Say it. Tell me I’m the greatest Protector who ever lived.” His knee pressed harder, as he settled in with more of his weight. Grunting, I tested my range of motion and felt an electric storm of agony gathering inside my body. Powerful energy, but not enough to turn the tables. Almost there, you smug jackass.“All right.” Defeat colored my tone, and my body went limp. “You win. I’ll say it.” I could picture the smirk on his carved, handsome face, and I used the anger to steel myself against the coming pain. In an explosion of movement, my body jerked backward, forcing his knee to dig in that little bit more I needed. A disk popped in my spine and slid sideways. The tempest exploded out of me, firing my pain into Gabe. Another popand he collapsed with a thump next to me, his back now screwed up, too. Poetic justice. In the quiet that followed, I pressed my cheek into the cushioned mat and studied my nemesis, curled up in the fetal position next to me. My voice came out weaker than I intended when I declared, “I am the greatest Protector who ever lived.” 

  Now, let see what Corrine has to say about Remy...

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 “Remy looks like WHO?” -  The Cast of PUSHED” 

Remy doesn't look like any actress you know because I didn't base her appearance on a star. When I started writing the Sense Thieves series, I didn't use reference photos. That was a mistake because the longer I worked on TOUCHED, the more lost I got in what Remy and Asher were supposed to look like. Finally, I had to give in and find photos to reference. I happened to be flipping through a magazine when I saw this photo:


The model is tall, long-limbed, and she has the wavy hair that borders on curly. I wouldn't exactly describe her as typically beautiful. But there's something so striking about her features. She became the Remy I pictured in my head, except Remy was more blond than brunette. 
Asher was a different story. I had a more difficult time imagining what he looked like until I came across this photo.
 A young Orlando Bloom. He has the chocolate brown hair, high cheekbones, jawline, and lanky build that I pictured for Asher, except Asher had greener eyes. Add some muscle, a couple of years, and broader shoulders to Orlando and you'll have how I pictured Gabe.
These pictures now how you saw the characters? The great thing about knowing how an author pictures their characters is that you can entirely dismiss it. I do this all the time with covers, preferring to imagine characters as I see them in my head. Who did you imagine playing Remy, Asher and Gabe?
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Well, if Asher looks like Orlando Bloom I know I for one will need to get my hands on these books, and here's one way to do it...


Corrine is having an AWESOME giveaway. She's giving away 2 signed copies of her upcoming release, Ignited, and 20 (yes, I said 20) signed copies of Pushed. Enter right here!! *points down*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Don't worry, if you don't win, you can always buy the book (and all her books of course).



Buy the Book:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million| German Amazon  Add to Your Shelf:  Goodreads 

About Corrine:

Young adult author Corrine Jackson lives in Sand Francisco and has over ten years experience in marketing. She has bachelor and master degrees in English, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. Her novels include If I Lie (Simon Pulse) and the Sense Thieves trilogy (KTeen), comprised of Touched, Pushed, and Ignited (5/27/14). Visit her at CorrineJackson.com or on Twitter @Cory_Jackson.

Time to make some changes

I've been thinking about this for a while now, and it's time to set aside Creative Chaos. I know I just started using that a couple years ago, (has it been that long already?) but that's more who I am, not what I write or do. Plus, I'm going to be using that name for my publishing and indie author services business with my friend Rachel. Check it out (website is a work in progress, not completely done).

With a new brand, I need a new design, so my blog, my website is getting an overhaul. I'm just running through ideas in my head right now, but I think it will be fantastic (hope, wish, pray).

I also want to use my site as a platform to raise awareness for teen depression. You may wonder, why do we need to do that? Everyone knows about depression, right? Here's my take as someone who has suffered and probably has since high school...

I truly think teens may not know what depression looks like or feels like, therefore they may not know they're suffering. When I think back to my high school days, even my junior high days, I truly believe I suffered depression and had no idea until I was the ripe old age of 39 and having a nervous breakdown.

 They need to know where the outlets are for them to get help and have them at their fingertips so that they have a place to turn instead of harming themselves,  turning to drugs and/or alcohol, or worst case scenario, suicide.

Realizing that something is wrong and telling someone is key, but I think one of the hardest things to do.

And I'm not sure how I'm going to do it yet, but I'm going to start an awareness project myself and get the right people involved to help those who struggle. I know there are a couple others out there, but I'm not sure they fit with what I want to do. If you've got ideas, let me have them.

I am but a speck...

This morning I went to the funeral of one of my best friend's fathers. I remember him back when we were in high school and college as a commanding presence.  Boisterous, he would fill up a room when he walked in. I knew he was a Teamster.but other then that, I didn't know him at all.

As I listened to people talk about him, I learned more about the man behind the dad I met a few times. The boss that fought for employee rights, benefits and pay as a member, as secretary/treasurer, as vice president and president of a variety of Teamster committees, organizations, unions.

I learned about the philanthropist who donated his time as a board member of the Boys and Girls Club and the United Way.

I learned about the uncle, friend, father and brother who played football and baseball liked to fish and shoot guns by listening to stores, looking at pictures and seeing how many people were there to honor his life in the church this morning.

On my way home I received a text informing me that my father had been in a car accident and was at Tacoma General Hospital. Someone had ran a stop sign and plowed into the driver's side of his car at 40 miles per hour.

When I arrived at the hospital, my family was awaiting the CT scan results. My dad was in pain, he wore a neck brace and had a hematoma on his arm, but things could have been so much worse.

If things had been different, I don't think my dad would regret leaving this place as is, much like my friend's father. He has, in many ways, built a dynasty. His law practice has been up and running for over 25 years and he is one of the most respected attorneys in Washington State.

He went into this kind of law to defend the defenseless. His clients mean something to him. Many of his cases have helped make roads safer, the government more accountable, and helped numerous families put their lives back together after serious accidents.

He is the most generous man I know, willing to give to others, even to his own detriment, even if it means in the long run, he will receive less. He not only gives his money to numerous charities, but has helped many kids go to college, and has donated his time and energy to charities and organizations, politics and justice.

He worked numerous jobs to be able to get through college and law school, he was in the seminary, has traveled every state in America and all over the world, and wrote a novel. He is a lover of football and baseball, has supported just about every local sports team at one time or another including the Mariners, Seahawks, Rockets, Sabercats, Rainiers, and more.

He worked hard but still made us breakfast in the morning and didn't miss our soccer games, baseball games, and school concerts. He's been to his grandchildren's soccer games, football games, choir concerts, school auctions, band gigs, and plays.

He is kind and funny and intelligent and you don't have to take my word for it. Anyone who knows him will tell you in the legal world, his family, the community and his friends. He has kept the same group of friends since he was a child and made many more along the way.

These kinds of events, funerals, close calls, they make you think about life, mortality, your place in the universe...

Compared to these two men, I am but a speck. I look at their lives and I say to What have I done? In comparison, not much. I complain because I don't have time. Maybe time is subjective. Maybe I don't have time because I'm spending it unwisely. Because what I've thought is important, is in a word, not. I've  thought about doing some of the things these great men have done, but I've never actually done them.
myself:

I don't want to be a speck. I want to make a mark.

Less think, more do.

Dissected free for you Kindle tomorrow!

Man, it's been a crazy busy couple weeks. Again.

I had my first school visit in conjunction with my book Dissected. I went to Tacoma's School of the Arts and talked to an English class about traditional and indie publishing, as well as the book itself. They had some great questions for me. I think it was a successful visit.

To celebrate, the Kindle version will be free on Amazon all day tomorrow, February 7th. If you've not read it, go get your copy.

If you read it, I would urge you to leave a review. Reviews truly help us small, tiny, miniscule authors get noticed. Really they do.

Also, if you are a Tacoma/Seattle area school librarian or English teacher I would love to visit your school. It's one of my favorite things about being an author. Feel free to send me an email.

Wins and losses

You know what I'm going to talk about first. That's right, my Hawks. My dad has had season tickets since the beginning, 1976. I've been going to games since he deemed me old enough, probably since I was about 10 or eleven. I've never been a fair weather fan. I've always been die hard.

When they opened the new field, I bought my own season tickets. Kept them 3 years, I was there when they won the 2005 NFC championship game against the Panthers, but a single income household just couldn't keep up with the rising ticket prices.

It was so exciting to see the Hawks get back to the big game again. I had the Super Bowl score pegged at somewhere around 26-24. Never in my wild imagination did I think the Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense were going to fall apart like that. Never.

The Legion of Boom brought it. A sack, fumble recoveries, interceptions, one of those for a touchdown. There was Percy Harvin's kickoff run for a touch down, and the offense was on fire, especially Kearse and Baldwin. Ouch.

We were sitting around contemplating who they would choose for MVP and really were baffled. That's the thing about the Seahawks. They truly are a team and last night they all did their part to win. I thought maybe Avril, Kearse...but Smith with his interception for a touchdown and fumble recovery was very deserving.


I loved how when they interviewed the players after the game they all thanked the 12th man for being part of the reason they were there. Other fans may hate us, but we are loyal and passionate about our team.

I think this may be the beginning of a dynasty. It's a very young team with a lot of heart and talent. There are only a couple of free agents this year, the rest stay. I hope to see them get back to the show in the next few years.

Go Hawks!!

Photo by Justin Hoch.  Click here for license
Of course a dark cloud cast a shadow over the day. That was the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. I remember him way back when from Scent of a Woman in 1992. He has done so many great films since then. He was so diverse an actor, he could play anything, intense, funny, creepy, manipulative, a total douchebag...Truly, I think he was one of the greatest actors of our time.


How sad that his stellar career wasn't enough for him to be happy in life and made him turn to heroin to escape whatever demons he faced. I've heard heroin is one of the hardest drugs to kick. It sounded like he'd been clean for a couple decades before going back to the drug.

How terribbly depressed do you have to be to leave behind that kind of career and three children? 

It was a great day in Seattle, but a Sad day in the movie world yesterday.

MIA, Super Bowl, Writing, Oh My!

Where has the week gone? Have I blogged once this week? I really couldn't say, I've barely known what day it was all week. It's been crazy...

The day job has been so busy. We have some big changes in the making, so I've been putting together a marking blitz to publicize them, which will come out next week. On top of that, I had two marketing events Martini Monday and  Legal Marketing Winter Social and Awards Night.

I enjoy my day job, but, Oy, it's been crazy busy lately.

I've been doing a little writing. I've been working on A Tattered Life, and I started a new WIP. I know, I'm crazy. It's women's fiction. Humorous. Well, I hope it is at least. I've been wanting to write the book for about 3 years. When I was on my vacation...wait...have I already told you this story? Anyway, when I was on vacation, I was lying in bed one morning and specific sentences came to mind. So I started writing it. Stupid, I know. But stupid is how I roll. *cough*

Of course I had to fit the BF in because I'd barely seen him.

Then there were the debates over gun control over Facebook and Twitter. Not going there now, nor am I ever going there again. Agree to disagree. Period.

House cleaning, exercise.

Thinking about marketing my book then not doing it.

I swear I'm going to this weekend.  It's selling without marketing it. Imagine what it would do if I actually told people it was out there.

Anxiously awaiting the Super Bowl. GO HAWKS!!!

Anyway, busy busy busy...

Have a great weekend, relax, don't play with guns, buy my book and root for the SEAHAWKS!!!

Friday Scribbles:

Pandora queue song: Not That Kind of Girl by Miss Li (Miss Li station)



Book of the Week: I'm reading Allegiant by Veronica Roth. Such a great series. Really have enjoyed it. Just started the book a little bit ago. Hope to finish in the next couple weeks.

Netflix of the Week: Damages Season 5. I cannot believe I already almost done with this series. At least it's almost gotten me to the last half of Walking Dead Season 4.

Quote of the Week: