Christene Houston's Blog: Christenehouston.com, page 5

A Heart So Broken {Teaser}

So this morning, instead of going to preschool, my little Trouble is stuck in his room moping. I’m thinking about working out (totally going to do it after the next feeding session – totally), and in spirit of procrastination I’m blogging on a Tuesday, sharing a romantic teaser from my book A HEART SO BROKEN.

Here’s the setup: Jenna Tucker has just returned home from losing her cast – the one she got while hanging with her bad boy boyfriend BEFORE she came to West Junction. Her boyfriend and her cast are finally history and Cooper, the hunky football star of this little town, brings her home after celebrating:

“Thank you for tonight,” I said, looking up at him, wanting to tempt him and yet knowing I shouldn’t, “for everything.”

He came closer, leaning in. I loved the smell of his cologne mixed with fire smoke. His lips touched mine so soft it was a whisper. Chills raced down my body. His arms wove around me, pulling me in close to him, the heat of our bodies burning through the chill of the night. My fingers wove into his hair. I wanted to pull him closer, but simultaneously, we pulled apart. He slid his hands back into his pockets, his face conflicted. I walked past him, secretly breathing deep for one more inhale of his beautiful smell. I felt his fingertips run lightly down my hair as I passed. With my hand on the doorknob I whispered, “Night, Cooper.”

If you’re needing something spicy and sweet to warm up your winter night, check out A HEART SO BROKEN in Kindle and paperback on Amazon.com.

 

 

 

A Little Lovin’

It’s Valentine’s Week – and for someone who’s ADDICTED to romance, let’s share a little bit of what makes a great one:

1. Romantic tension

2. Lots of smooching

3. A sense of humor

Bonus:

4. It really helps if your guy is a hunk!

With this in mind, I’m going to share a daily dose of my favorite romantic things. I hope you’ll share yours in every category because I am ALWAYS up for something new to obsess over.

Let’s begin, shall we? Since the rest of the country is experiencing frigid temps and in need of some serious snuggling (can we say baby boom?), let’s talk movies first.

Top Three Romantic Movies

While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock (Has all top three elements, plus the bonus)

Pride and Prejudice with Kiera Knightly (Um..do we even need to ask?)

Austenland with Keri Russell (Tension, smooching, hilarity – some entirely inappropriate, I know! – and more than one bit of hunky-ness!)

Is anyone else concerned that two of my faves are Austen inspired?

Oh good. Me neither.

Just so ya know, AUSTENLAND the movie is out this week. You can get it here and you SHOULD.

Here’s a bonus list:

Ever After with Drew Barrymore

Enchanted with Amy Adams

And just for fun, here’s one of the songs from Enchanted. I can’t help myself. This is SO cute! Seriously – tell me you can resist it.

Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite romantic movies? How do they stack up with the most important elements? Please SHARE!!

Now, go get your favorite movie, snuggle up with your honey and let the week of LOVE begin!

The Last Five – Book Version

Today’s installment of The Last Five comes to you over hot cocoa (needed the sugar boost after baby forgot he wasn’t a newborn last night and woke up every couple of hours!) and a bowl of Tostitos. Yep, breakfast of sleepless champions everywhere. Speaking of champions, are you even ready for the Olympics starting tonight? I am so ready!! (Attempts a cheerleader split and falls asleep halfway down…)

This new feature will always include the LAST FIVE of something. The last five dinner’s I’ve made, the last five places I’ve been, the last five agents I queried, the last five sentences I wrote, my last five posts on FB, etc. You get the picture. Today, it’s all in the books:

The Last Five Books I’ve Read

and their first sentences.

“You’ve chosen this book for a reason.”- FAITHFUL FIT AND FABULOUS by Connie E. Sokol
“Corbin Jonquil knew he really ought to be listening to the sermon.” – AS YOU ARE by Sarah Eden
“Shane Emerson stormed up the front porch, undeterred by the dog barking on the other side of the door.” – CASSIE’S COWBOY CRAVE by Kimberly Key
“Spencer shifted the papers on his school desk and looked for a hundredth time at the graffiti in the corner.” – JANITORS by Tyler Whitesides
“Telepathy, of course.” -ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT by Stephen King

And just in case your looking for a great romance for your Valentine, here’s the first sentence from A HEART SO BROKEN by Christene Houston available in paperback and Kindle versions:

“Every downward spiral has its tipping point, the precipice from which normal life is hurled and nothing is ever the same.”

What’s on your Kindle, or waiting patiently on your bedside table? Share a first sentence, won’t you?

Between these Pages

Today my baby boy is two months old and I’m trying not to think about the fact that his newborn clothes are too small and his little toes are pressing at the bottoms of his snuggle suits, needing more room. Instead I’m adoring the look in his eyes when I talk to him. I know he has something amazing to say. When it comes out in a gurgle or coo I’m smitten. I just can’t handle this much cuteness.

In other news, I’m going to share what I’ve been reading while doing a boat load of author interviews (with amazing people, I might add. You’re going to be so stoked!!), writing new stories, and trying to fill out insurance information…which I must say is worse than cleaning up poo. But we’ll move on. There’s nothing like a good book, as we all know. So here’s what I’ve been reading:

Faithful Fit and Fabulous by Connie E. Sokol

I got this book two years ago during a conference where I met the amazing and funny Connie Sokol. What fun I had listening to her! She is the real deal and it gave me such a boost to see a beautiful mother of many doing things she loved while being an amazing mother. She was honest about not balancing everything perfectly and I needed to see that.  Now, with the natural upheaval of having a new baby, I am feeling ANYTHING but Faithful, Fit and Fabulous. I felt the urge to pick up this little volume and work through it’s pattern of setting goals and improving myself again. It has been…a breath of fresh air to say the least. Get yourself a copy and follow Connie on FB. You’ll be glad you did.

Emma by Jane Austen

For Book Club we’re reading my all time favorite author. Reading a classic among the more contemporary books we choose always gives me a little thrill. When I’m done I’ll be using proper English and an accent whilst changing the laundry and powdered the baby’s bottom. Don’t you wish you were here?

I adore Jane and am just a little giddy that Shannon Hale’s book on film, Austenland, is coming out in time for Valentine’s Day. Yippee for me! It’s irreverent, silly and sometimes inappropriate, but I liked it all the same. What does that say about me?

Cress by Marissa Meyer

This third installment in the Lunar Chronicles JUST came out and I’m honestly geeking out over it! I didn’t expect to love this series as much as I have. I’m not typically a sci-fi kind of girl, despite growing up with Star Wars and Star Trek obsessed family members. What I love is the way Marissa takes your average and well known fairy tale and weaves it into this amazing, out of this world storyline. I keep suggesting it for my Book Club, but they get stuck on the cyborg fairytale explanation and eyebrows go up around the room. *Sigh* Someday I’ll get them and then they’ll wonder what they were waiting for.

By the way, if you’re looking for an awesome, romantic and seriously gripping read during this season of love, run over to Amazon.com and pick up a copy of A Heart So Broken in paperback or e-book. It’s just the thing for your sweetheart who loves to read or for you!

Check in tomorrow for the first in my Author Interview series. You’re going to swoon!

Letting Go

Do you ever have a hard time following your bliss? Is it a series of excuses and obligations that you made before you realized what you were truly meant to do with your life, and now…you just don’t know how to let go of what WORKS for what breathes LIFE into your soul?

For me, it’s saying NO to the comfortable familiarity of the knowns. With five little people trying to tell me what to do and where to be, my time to work on my craft is extremely limited. Well, if I want to sleep and eat and maybe use the restroom once in a while. And let’s establish that I do. So I’m faced with decision and making changes. We’ve already talked about the fact that I over think (right? You know this about me…), therefore, every decision becomes a back and forth.

My inner impulse, my divine drive says, “Drop that activity. You need more time to do what you love.”

My mental side kicks in with, “But that’s how I make spending money and is it really THAT many extra hours?”

The divine, “Um…do you remember how many kids you have? Homework? Chores? Works in progress? That hall that has STILL not been vacuumed?”

Mental, “Someone will eventually vacuum the hall, sheesh!”

Divine, “The point is, there are only so many hours when you’re a Mother who loves her life’s work (aka mothering). Something has to go and God will make up the difference in your spending money.”

Mental: “Eeek! An act of faith and trust.” Trembling ensues.

Why is it so hard for us to remember that, while we can have it all, it is unlikely that we can have it ALL AT ONCE?

We have to be willing to allow ourselves room for growth, room to say no, room to follow our heart’s purpose with the time we have on this earth. I think it’s hard to do that because we hate letting people down. However, I have come to understand that when we say NO, we’re actually giving someone else the opportunity to shine. Someone who might have been overlooked because we’ve become that GO TO person for so long. But when we back out and admit that we have to honor our priorities, we GIVE SOMEONE ELSE a moment to flex their TALENTS and SHINE their light. Doesn’t sound so bad when you think about it that way, does it? So instead of saying NO, you’re saying, “I’m willing to let someone else have the chance to BLOSSOM.”

Today I’m making that LEAP. I’m honoring my inner divinity and choosing to allow someone else a chance to blossom in something I have grown comfortable doing for over ten years now. Because in letting go of this obligation, I am opening my heart to what I’m truly here to do. More on that to come.

What could you let go of today, or SOON, to allow yourself time to follow your passion?

 

When it rains

This morning I’m sipping hot cocoa while I dash through emails and check FB. Hot cocoa in honor of the thick, puffy clouds crowding the sky and the tiny little teaser raindrops that sprinkled my windshield as I dropped of the littles as school. Dark cloudy days are my FAVORITE for writing. Something about the layers of white, gray and blue in the sky inspire images in my mind that can’t be ignored.

You’ll be happy to know I’m not just writing books lately (though I’m working on some serious awesomeness – just so ya know). In my pursuit of an agent or agents for my books this year, (see my New Year Resolutions from Monday) I am curious to know how other authors got their agents, what they think of this whole Indie thing, and what they’re writing in the meantime. Let’s be honest, I just love learning about other people and WRITERS are on the top of my list! I’m in complete agreement with Bill Nye who said, “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” I intend to ask them!

With that in mind I’ll be starting an Author Interview Series here on Addicted. Interviews have certainly become a new obsession. Every day I see new candidates. I hope you will enjoy learning about my friends and writers I admire, including a whole load of the recently nominated Whitney finalists. There will also be some industry professionals so we can learn about what they do in this crazy world of books. Believe me, you’ll want to be a part of this fun!

Check back often, or sign up to receive my posts in your inbox so you don’t miss a single one!

And just in case you needed some, here’s a little Weekend Inspiration:

Love me some Maya. Happy Weekend!

Leap

I’m one of those people who is cautious. I enjoy watching from the sidelines. Mr. Houston loves to speed around on quads and motor bikes. I like being the passenger, holding on and letting someone else do the driving. Making decisions means thought and consideration. There is no flying off the handle, acting rashly for this girl – oh no.

Well, in situations like which school your kids should go to, or which toothpaste will actually whiten your teeth without making it hard to eat ice cream, having a thoughtful personality can be a great thing. But in other ways, it can really hold you back.

Take, for instance, registering for a popular conference. Let’s say you don’t have your credit card numbers in hand because you’re still considering if you want the beef dinner or the pork, when it really doesn’t matter. By the time you check out, the limited number of spots for the agent workshop you were dying to be in has suddenly been filled and you’re stuck with a pitch interview instead. Yep…not such a great characteristic at that point.

In an effort to curb my propensity to overthink and therefore miss out, I’m taking a word for the year. That word is LEAP. Whenever I face an opportunity, a crazy, somewhat wild idea or otherwise have a chance to do something slightly scary and even more exciting, instead of holding back for prolonged consideration – I’m going to LEAP.

Check back on Friday to see what that will look like for this Blog. I think you’re going to like it!

Resolve – 2014

Addiction – List Making

For a dedicated list maker, January can find you up to your squeaky new Christmas boots in New Year Resolutions.

Research says you should keep it simple.

Make it achieveable.

Choose measurable goals.

Set your sites on what you can surely accomplish.

Use systems to get there.

I love all these ideas. (Hmmm…idea collecting…another addiction?) However, one idea I saw on fellow author Jessie Humphries‘ blog really got my heart pumping.

Set crazy goals.

Big ones.

Shoot for the moon. That kind of thing.

Just put it out there and see what happens. Jessie’s goal is to get the locally grown band, The Killers, to play at her book launch in May. (If you haven’t checked out her blog…ahem…you should. Seriously.)

This started me thinking. What should MY goals for 2014 be? What big, amazing, possibly unreachable goals could I put out into the universe? I might begin with actually finding time to write with a delicious newborn to snuggle, four other kids to wrangle and a hall carpet that may not have been vacuumed since before Jingle Bells started playing on your radio. Unless it started near Halloween…we’re not animals.

But I’m not settling for a goal like: Vacuum your hall regularly.

How boring. Sanitary yes, but still boring.

Instead I’m going for something big. I know they might sound silly and you can laugh, but when the final days of 2014 roll around and everyone is breaking out their noisemakers and fireworks, I will be looking back with satisfaction on a year well played. Here’s what I’ve got:

1. Run a 1/2 marathon

2. Publish (or sell) three books.

3. Get a kick-butt Agent(s) for my books.

4. Write 4 books this year (I know which ones, but I’ll keep that under wraps until lat-ah for you!)

5. Write consistently on my Blog. For me, consistent is going to be three days a week. That’s about as good as it gets with a newborn and let’s be real here, outlandish and impossible are two different things.

There they are. Out in the universe. I have a few crazy family goals too, like taking my whole tribe to Disneyland for the first time. My savings account is already whimpering, but I’m going to do it people! So if you’ve got a hookup, lmk.

 

Weekend Inspiration

A New Year has begun. 2014 is going to be AMAZING!

Happy New Year!

May you greet the New Year with hope and promise of all there is to be. Happy 2014!