Barbara S. Stewart's Blog, page 13

A new day…….

…to be THANKFUL!

I haven’t posted in a few days because I’ve been catching up – some cleaning, so relaxing, some family time… And as I look back on the last 4 or so weeks I’ve learned some very important things.

1 – SLOW DOWN – this has always been an issue for me. Gene says I’m already thinking about what I need to do next before I finish what I’m doing. And all that means this – I’ve put someone else in charge of ME when it comes down to crunch time….. js

2 – LET IT GO – I learned that I work for myself (and you in a manner of speaking) and that I am the one who sets the deadlines. I need to think them out better – make SMALL GOALS to meet the BIG PICTURE. (I learned that years ago in another aspect of my life, but I by-passed the thought with this one). But more importantly – I need to remember that I SET THEM, and if it’s not enough time – I CAN ADJUST THEM…

3 – I’ve “met” some incredible people on this journey. Some of them I knew before, but really got to know them better as I’ve traveled this path. You may not be beside me physically, BUT I FEEL YOU THERE! The others I haven’t met face to face but I’ve gotten to know you by the messages you share with me about how something in one of the books touched you. I LOVE THAT YOU TRUST ME ENOUGH TO SHARE YOUR HEART WITH ME… KEEP THEM COMING, because you fuel my desire to continue and get better.

4 – and lastly… While I know I’m no Nora Roberts   I believe that each story that I write gets me to a place that was better than the last one. I’ve said before, I don’t know where they come from – I don’t plot out the story before hand. I can’t do it that way – I’m not a planner – I’m a PANSTER – I fly by the seat of my pants yelling WHOOOOO HOOOOOO the whole way!!!  And sometimes… I go back and read something and wonder – did I really write that…???????

I love all of you who take the time to read whatever I’ve written – maybe the blog, maybe my facebook page, the stories I share. You took a chance on me and I APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH.

Blessings for a beautiful day…

Love, Barbara

OH! And one more thing I realized that I forgot to say – I remembered as I was tagging the blog before publishing…

THANK YOU to the THREE CHICKS and the CHICKLET – thank you for finding me – thank you for sharing me, and THANK YOU for the opportunities you’ve given me! #threechicksandtheirbooks. I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Make sure YOU “Like” them on facebook! 

A breath… more like an exhale of relief…

LIVE ON KINDLE!!!!

 

It is the dawn of a new day. She is awake, waiting on her second cup of coffee to complete brewing. She sits back in her chair, satisfied that she has done all she can do. A deep breath followed by a heavy sigh, or was it just an exhale of relief. Relief, she thinks. The past week was hectic and kept her mind racing. Anxious nerves led her through every waking moment… people were waiting for her and she couldn’t hurry any quicker. THERE WAS TOO MUCH AT STAKE… but now she realizes…

The wait is over and she can breathe, she can allow her baby to take flight and move forward. She can clean and cook and read again – because there isn’t this need to finish… now she can begin again…

AND SHE IS HAPPY!

I love you all for waiting – some patiently, and some no so patiently! (WHEN??? How much longer??? I can’t wait!) ha ha!

With my heart I say THANK YOU for waiting on me!

Love, Barbara

Your book will be available in the following timeframes:

• CreateSpace eStore: Immediately

o Your title is already available:

https://www.createspace.com/3912127 

• Amazon.com: 5-7 Business Days

• Amazon Europe: 5-7 Business Days

• Kindle…

• Please be aware that it can take up to 12 hours for English and 48 hours for other languages to be available for purchase in the Amazon Kindle Store.

One more day…

…to add When I Look to the Sky to your “want to read” or “TBR” list on goodreads for my drawing! Hurry!!!

When I wake up tomorrow (Saturday April 13th) morning (and I sure HOPE it’s not 4:something AM like it is today) I’m doing a screen print of all the names who have it listed (74 at this time!!). I’ll announce the winner and the prize after the winner contacts me!

If you liked Rock and Roll Never Forgets…. you’ll want to do this!

Good luck!

Barbara

 

Change…

Greetings friends,

I found this quote, and it goes along well with my thoughts today, “It doesn’t matter where you are, you are nowhere compared to where you can go.” -Bob Proctor

I wanted to post on the site that I decided to make a big change, and I have some news to share.

First, I want to tell you that When I Look to the Sky will be uploaded by 4/15/2013. It will be available sometime after that. (How ever long it takes Amazon/Kindle to do their thing).YAY!

I hope you’ve taken a peek at the beautiful cover for WILTTS! I LOVE IT! I can’t stop looking at it! My good friend, Jeff Manalo designed it, He also did the cover of R&R and will be doing the one for the next book, too!. Did I say I love it! You may not know the meaning of the vision you see, (you will!). I know that it depicts exactly what I “saw” as I wrote. I’m not sharing the back until I publish. Keep an eye on my facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barbara-Stewart-Author/352239824808537

That said, I just finished reading R&R again, because i needed to experience those feelings, as well as do some fact-checking. As I read, and as I’ve reread the words I typed that brought WILTTS to life (again and again), I saw how far I’ve come – others have told me that as well. I am proud of every mistake that taught me how to be a better writer, but…

I don’t want someone who read Boots, Rock & Roll, or WILTTS to go back and find Sweet Surrender and think – what the heck happened??? I love the story of Laney and Logan, but it’s a very rough ‘first’. I’ve thought about it, prayed about it, asked for advice, and decided to it make it unavailable. I want you to read the best I’ve got. If you already have it, (IT’S A COLLECTOR’S ITEM NOW! ha!)  I hope that you look past it’s rough-edges and fall in love with the story. Down the road, who knows… maybe I’ll clean it up and release it again, but for now… I feel very strongly that this was a good and right decision.

I’m going to do a giveaway very soon! To enter you must have WILTTS listed on your “want to read” list on goodreads. There are already 66 names waiting! I’ll do a screen shot of all the names on Saturday morning (4/13) when I get up, and I’ll announce the winner after I’ve made contact with them! If you aren’t on goodreads – it’s easy to join!

I want to thank every one of you who read this, who check in on facebook, and reach out to me with a reply here or an email, that I appreciate and love that you took a chance on a new writer, and are ready for more!

You bless me, Barbara

The Cover

Greetings my friends!

Three Chicks and Their Books released this on their site this morning!

(IF YOU HAVEN’T LIKED THEM YET – DO!!)

https://www.facebook.com/ThreeChicksAndTheirBooks?ref=ts&fref=ts

This is the cover and a tease for Book Two.

I’ll be posting a release date here or on my FaceBook page in a day or so!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barbara-Stewart-Author/352239824808537?ref=ts&fref=ts

Enjoy!

Love, Barbara

Matthew boarded the train for London with thoughts of the previous week. He liked Carlee, enjoyed her. He liked Andy, liked that he could share conversation with them both. He wasn’t working that evening, and when he arrived, he went to a bookstore, one of his local hangouts. He ordered a coffee and browsed.

“Hey, Essie,” he said.

“Help you find something, Matthew?” the gal behind the counter asked.

“Older book,” he replied. “Paperback or used is fine. The title is Rock and Roll Never Forgets.”

“Not familiar,” she replied as she got on the computer to search. “I have one,” she said. She walked from behind the counter leading the way. She pulled the copy from the shelf, and looked back at Matthew. It didn’t seem the kind of book he usually looked for, most were on photography.

“Special project,” he said knowing her thoughts, knowing it was special to him.

 

He went home, grabbed a beer and stretched out in his recliner. He flipped through the pages glancing at pictures first, and then began to read. He wanted to know. Class was late the next day, and he wasn’t working, so he read, and read. The last time he looked, the clock read 3:06am.

When he woke the next morning, he was still in the recliner with the book on his chest. He got a bite to eat and thought about Carlee. He read about that ‘rollercoaster’ she referred to, and thought about her growing up without her mama. He thought about the love-affair that Andy and Bethy shared, and how her dad must have felt. ‘Lost’, was the word that came to mind, and he wondered how Carlee didn’t end up lost as well, but then… he saw how much Andy loved her, and she turned out OK in spite of her losses.

He’d seen a beat up piece of paper on the bed in Paris as she sorted her things when she was packing her bags. “Emerson,” he said.

“Mmm hmm, it’s something that gives me peace,” she told him as he picked it up to read it. “For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.”

He thought about how profound that statement really was, now that he understood more.

He looked at the clock; it was too early to call his mom, so he sent an email.

 

At 1:10 his phone rang. “Hey, Mom. Thanks for giving me a call.”

“What’s up? You said nothing’s wrong but it feels like you have something on your mind. I’ve got fresh coffee and I’m sitting on the back porch watching the herons down by the river, so shoot!”

Since he’d met Carlee, he’d told his mom about her in previous conversations, so Geni Davis knew he liked her. She realized as he talked that she didn’t really know how much. Matthew told her about the book, and Geni felt tears in her eyes, partly over Beth’s story, but the thought of a young girl growing up without her mother broke her heart.

“Reading the book gave me a better understanding of Carlee, but it made me sad. I can’t even begin to imagine growing up without you and Dad.”

Geni listened intently, and then finally said, “Matthew, you really seem to like this young woman.”

“Like? Nah,” he replied and paused for effect. Geni waited, because she knew there would be more. “I’ve fallen way past ‘like’ Mom. She’s different, special and I can hardly wait to see her again. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

See her. Meet her. Geni thought as she listened. She hung up thinking, My baby boy is in love.

 

Matthew went to bed that evening thinking of Carlee. He’d dated plenty of girls. He liked some of them a lot, but he had never been with anyone that he couldn’t stop thinking about. She was quirky, fun, passionate… and beautiful. He loved their conversations; he pretty much loved everything about her; she was adorable. He was ready to explore a relationship with her, explore the passion; but it wasn’t sexual passion, although he thought of that, too. Her true passion was for ‘life’, and now he understood why.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Here we go!!!

COVER REVEAL!!!!

Go LIKE Three Chicks and Their Books!! https://www.facebook.com/ThreeChicksAndTheirBooks?fref=ts

DO IT NOW!  :)

http://www.threechicksandtheirbooks.com/2013/04/cover-reveal-and-excerpt-when-i-look-to.html

Thanks for being part of my dream…. my journey!

Love, Barbara

#BOUTTOPEEMYPANTS

Oh yes, I said that! I’m very excited!

WILTTS is finished – fertig – terminado – fini - DONE!

 

I’m sending it out for layout tweaks tomorrow!

EXCITED!

Love y’all! Barbara

Show your support

Author Tina Reber  posted the following on her website today – Support your favorite authors by posting the picture below as your profile picture on facebook, and share this information. Thank you for sharing and supporting!

Love, Barbara

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https://www.facebook.com/authortinareber

Today marks the first day of a month-long awareness campaign to bring information and new enlightenment to “E-BOOK ANTI-PIRACY.” I will be GIVING AWAY a bunch of things for the entire month of April to those who help spread the word that stealing bootleg copies of novels harms authors. Attached is a picture that I made using 100% purchased stock photos. Feel free to share the message. THANK YOU for showing your support and love to your favorite authors.

I see a light… and stars!

Good morning to you!

I’ve had a busy few days! (FINAL) editing and rewrites are getting closer to being complete… Front cover is done… back is a work in progress! As it gets closer to publishing WILTTS, my head is full – my convoluted conglomeration mess of thoughts, phrases, ideas and words for Feel Like Makin’ Love has begun! I know how it begins… I know where it ends…  :)

But……

I did a NaNoWriMo story for 2012′s challenge – The Face in the Mirror – and I’ll be finishing that before I get too deep in Makin’ Love…  OH! That sounds funny – but I’m leaving it! ha ha!

What a journey I’ve been on and I feel blessed beyond words for all of it.

Exciting things are happening for me! Hang on and see where we go next!

Love, Barbara

QUICK so you don’t miss out!

Hey y’all! I’m giving away an eBook of Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under - all you have to do is go to the site below and find the GIVEAWAY ALERT for the book click to enter!

If you haven’t already LIKED their page – DO IT!  :)

Good Luck! Barbara

You have till midnight tomorrow – go! Hurry!

http://www.facebook.com/ThreeChicksAndTheirBooks