Theresa Paolo's Blog, page 12

It's that time. New Years Resolution time.

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother? I don't think I've ever accomplished my entire list of resolutions EVER. But I do accomplish some, and because of that, and because it gives me hope for the new year, I will continue to make my list. So here are my resolutions/goals for 2014.

1) Sell another book (Fingers crossed)
2) Finish writing the Bed series with the awesome and talented Cassie Mae
3) Be successful with my writing so I can quit my job and write all day (Ha! I know this is a long shot, a real, real long shot, but this is my dream and I will continue to strive for it. Plus I kind of hate my job.)
4) Finish writing the book with my Mom (This was on last years list...)
5) Beat my anxiety (If I can do this then even if I don't complete this list I will still feel accomplished) 
6) Visit two new museums
7) Pay off my credit cards
8) Finish the first draft for one of my WIP's
9) Finish edits on two of my WIP's
10) Read three books a month, including one that is out of my comfort zone
11) Appreciate the little things and stop stressing out over things I can't control
12) Be happy
13) Run a 5k (If you knew me, you know I don't run)
14) Get back to the gym (Of course. It's inevitable.)
15) Do something completely unexpected (This one is because last year I drove from NY to Minnesota with Cassie Mae, and no one believed I would actually do it. I did. And had a blast with amazing people!)

Here's to a fantastic 2014! Happy New Year, everyone!

Is there a method to my madness or am I just crazy?

This is a question I've been asking myself a lot lately. I finally finished a manuscript I've been working on since June. After a million rounds of edits I finally marked it complete and sent it to my agent. Now it was time to start something new, or work on something old. So of course, in typical Theresa fashion, I didn't choose just one. Currently, I'm working on 3 WIP's and rewriting another. Every time I lose my focus on one, I jump back to one of the other ones. There's so much jumping, I feel like I'm not getting anywhere.

Then there are times when I think about working on one of my projects and instead of actually working on one, I just think about it. I never open the document and actually get words down. By the end of the night I got nothing accomplished and feel terrible. This happens more times than not. 

Some how in the end though, it could be three months or six, I always manage to finish another first draft. How I have no idea?I just wish that I could sit down and write every day on one project. But maybe that doesn't work for me and I should just continue what I'm doing. It might make me an unorganized mess, but I accomplish something. So do I really need to change how I do things? I don't know.

Do you have a method to your madness?

Rachel Schieffelbein's Christmas Book Giveaway!

 The awesome Rachel Schieffelbein is doing a huge book giveaway! Details Below: Christmas Book Bundle Give-away!! It's almost Christmas, and one of my favorite things about Christmas
is giving gifts! So I got some of my favorite writers (and critique partners)
 together to do an awesome give away!

One winner will get a bundle of a bunch of amazing ebooks!
   The bundle will include an ebook of  Run for the Roses, andSecondary Characters, by me. :) Effortless with You, by Lizzy Charles (Never)Again, by Theresa Paolo Unexpectedly You, Riley Janes and Mia Josephs Friday Night Alibi, by Cassie Mae  Fraction of Stone, by Kelley Lynn and (perfect for the holidays!) The Spirit of Christmas!

which includes short stories by J.A. Bennett,
Jessica Salyer, Kelley Lynn,
and more!

Blogger is giving me a hard time with the rafflecopter so please stop by Rachel's blog to enter

A Saturday Quote

 
Happy last day of Nano! I didn't make it, didn't even really start, but I'd love to hear about those of you who did! Have you made it to 50k yet? Do you love what you have?

A Saturday Quote

I got published...Now what?

The moment you decide you want to be a writer you're faced with nothing but hurdles. Writing the book for one, revising, rewriting, finding an agent, finding an editor and then the revising and rewriting starts all over. Getting published is always the end goal, but what do you after you're published?



My pub day was full of excitement. I was tweeting and Facebooking and talking to so many awesome people. It lasted for about a week and then it plateaued. Then I was left wondering, what now? Almost six years of my life was dedicated to getting published and it finally happened yet now I'm more insecure than ever.



Eric, my boyfriend to those that don't know, doesn't understand. He keeps telling me I finally got what I've been working for for so long and I should be over the moon happy. And he's right, but no matter how hard I try to be, I can't be. I'm so scared of the future. What if I can't sell another book? What if I never find my audience? What if my ultimate dream of quitting my job and becoming a full time writer never happens?



All these questions and doubts have been a black cloud over my head. And what makes it worse is that I did it. I actually did it. I should be walking on rainbows, and I feel guilty for not feeling that way. I've been dealing with a whirlwind of emotions as I'm sure you can tell from this post. And you're probably wondering what's the point of this? The point is getting published isn't the end goal. It's just the beginning. It took me getting published to finally realize that.



I have so many new goals now. And it's time I stop letting the doubts get to me. *deep breath* I got this.



This turned into more like a diary entry than a blog post. Thanks for reading! What are your goals?

A Nano Saturday Quote

 




Happy Nano! Good Luck! 

The Game On Bloghop

Today is the last day of Kyra Lennon's Game On Bloghop. It's not too late. Go sign up and put up your post! Here are the details:



The Game On Series is centered around a soccer team in the U.S, and
those of you who have already read the books will know the hottie of the
series is Radleigh McCoy.

Between October 28th and October 31st, I want to hear from you about
your sporting crushes!



Does David Beckham do it for you? What about swimming sensations Michael
Phelps or Rebecca Adlington? When did you first notice your sporting
crush, and what do you like best about them? Have you ever been lucky
enough to see them in action?

Please keep posts to a maximum of 500 words (this is for the benefit of
Clare Dugmore who offered me a 10-page essay! ;) LOL!).



Yes, of course there are prizes!



1) New paperback copies of Game On and Blindsided

2) E-copies of any of my books (3 winners)

3) A full manuscript edit (2 winners)









Can you believe that David Beckham doesn't really do it for me? I mean he's gorgeous don't get me wrong, but eh. Once upon a time I thought Ryan Lochte was cute but then he opened his mouth and even his good looks couldn't save him. So believe it or not I actually had to Google athletes. In doing so I came across this hottie.





Introducing Thom Evans. Isn't he pretty? He is a former Scottish international rugby union player and model. Yay Scotland! I'm going to stop talking now and just let you guys enjoy the view.







Oh. My. Wow. I could stare at him all day! Thank you Kyra! Without this hop I never would have discovered Mr. Hottie. So what athlete are you crushing on?

And the winners are...

Thank you everyone who participated in the (Never) Again Bloghop! I had so much fun hopping around and reading all the posts! Now it's time for the winners :) I had my boyfriend pick the numbers and I just have to say he really took his time choosing. No, really he did. I told him it wasn't life or death, I just needed numbers. Finally after much thought he picked.



Third prize: A copy of (Never) Again goes to Tammy Theriault

Second prize: A signed copy of Cora Carmack's Faking It goes to Robin Hall Writes

The first prize for a $20 Amazon gift card goes to: Julie Sondra Decker

And because Suzi is the coolest person ever she is giving away another copy of (Never) Again and that winner is Stina Lindenblatt.



Congrats to all the winners! Please email me at tmpmarkmajor @ aol.com

(Never) Again Bloghop

Today is the day! I am officially a published author!!! *happy dance* *fist pump* It is also the day of the (Never) Again Bloghop! It's not too late to sign up either!







Liz, the main character of (Never) Again got her heart broken and
refused to ever open it up to anyone again. We all know how that goes
though. How many times have you swore off something only to step right
back into it? So for this bloghop I want to know what it is you swore
you would never do again and then wound up doing. It could be anything.
Dating a guy, drinking, going on the roller coaster that made you vomit,
anything.



Since I'm giving such short notice, you can post any day between October
15-17th. Sign up below and at the end of the hop I will randomly select
a few winners.



The prizes:



First prize: $20 Amazon gift card

Second prize: A signed copy of Cora Carmack's Faking It

Third prize: A copy of (Never) Again (Of course I have to give a way a copy of my book!) 







I thought this would be an easy topic, but when it came down to me actually picking something, I went blank. There's the obvious. Drinking. At least a few times a year I swear I'll never drink again. It usually lasts a week before the God awful headache and nausea become a distant memory and I forget the promise I made to myself. Plus lets be honest here. Who am I fooling?





Then I thought about all the times in college I waited till the night before or the morning of a test to study. Every time I swore I would never do that again and I would give myself more time. I never did. I became a pro at shuffling index cards while blow drying my hair. This is not an easy task!



Or I could be a total Debbie Downer and talk about my anxiety attacks and how I get so fed up that each time I swear I'll never let it happen again only to continue to suffer from them. But today is not the day for that! At least on my end. Today is fun and exciting and I won't let my anxiety take center stage.



So what is left? Too many. I swear I will never do things again all the time and then there I am totally going back on my word.



But the one thing that keeps popping into my mind is mountain biking. A year ago I wrote a post about how I took a nasty spill off my bike. You can read the post here but if you don't want to read it then all you need to see is the aftermath of the fall:





 That is a picture of my upper thigh, I took the picture looking down. The bruise spread from one side of my thigh all the way to the other. This wasn't the only bruise. I had one on my boob. How you bruise a boob is beyond me! I also had bruises on my legs and arms along with cuts. It hurt like hell.



I secretly swore to myself I would never get on my bike again and if I did I would never go back on a trail. Ever! I kept my word for almost a year. Then my boyfriend talked me back into it. And you know what? I'm glad he did. I actually really love being in the trails.



Sometimes you swear you'll never do something again out of fear. It's a pesky emotion that tends to overshadow all the good stuff. But when you overcome it there is nothing greater. So yes, I swore I would never mountain bike again, but a year later my @$$ is back on those trails!



Can't wait to hop around and read all your posts :) !