Alyson Raynes's Blog, page 9

AITC 2015 Signing

Tickets are on sale for Authors in the City event! Come and meet me and your other favorite authors! March 14th, Myrtle Beach, SC.   I hope to see you there!  

http://www.stephaniesbookreports.com/authors-in-the-city-t…/

Depression and Loss

Good Evening,

I know I said I wasn’t going to be on social media, but I thought I would do a quick blog post because it helps me clear my head and say things that I normally wouldn’t.  Sometimes the things I have to say are a little off the wall, but that’s just me.  I’m usually that person that is always happy and trying to cheer those around me up.  I love to see people happy and smiling.  I think smiles are beautiful!  

I woke up this morning feeling great and was even excited to go to the early service at church.  It was a great sermon, as most of them are, but something changed in the car on our way home.

The last few days have been really tough for me.  I haven’t had the the drive to do much other than lay on my couch and watch mindless TV.  I’ve written quite a few words in the book I’m working on, but something just seemed off.  That something is me.  You know it’s a problem when you don’t even care to shower because you figure what for?  I’m not going anywhere, and even if I am…who cares.  That’s where I’ve been.  I go through this periodically, where I go into a deep depression for absolutely no reason at all.

My husband asked me if I was in a fighting mood today and I just answered with “yes.”  Because I was.  I wanted to scream, cry, argue, sleep, be left alone, not left alone, go somewhere, not go somewhere…I was all over the fucking board!  Then I remembered that I had received a card in the mail from my dad and I knew that I needed to call him to thank him.  I didn’t want to.  I didn’t want to talk to anyone.

Despite my apprehension, I made that call anyway and it ended up turning my day around.  I feel so much better after talking to him, reminiscing about old times and talking about my grandmother.  And then it hit me.  The anniversary of my friend passing is coming up this week and it all fell into place.  I am missing him.  Grieving is a tough thing.  When I was younger I seemed to be able to deal with death and move on quicker, but as I’ve gotten older, I find that it gets harder.  I don’t know if it’s because you’ve had more time with that person or that you just learn to cherish people more, but either way, missing someone is painful.  I cannot tell you how many times I have cried even knowing that cancer would take his life.  I miss his smile, playing games on the weekends, having him over for the holidays to celebrate with our family and more than anything…I just miss his smile.  I miss him!

Depression is an evil bastard that tries to steal your life away.  I’ve battled it most of my life, but not like some I know.  To those of you who suffer, my heart aches for you.  If I could wrap my arms around you and give you a hug, I would.  I guess the moral of my story is…you are not alone.  There are others who can relate and feel the same way you do.  I also want you to know that you are loved and no matter how alone you might feel, you are not.

Take care of yourselves, take care of each other.

Much Love,

Aly

Winter Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Triztan, ADD and Everything Alyson!

Here is another random blog post brought to you by Aly!

I’m sitting here finishing up Triztan and of course once again, I’m totally distracted.  The ADD has officially kicked in and as I look around my house, I see everything that needs to be done.  Mainly vacuuming, but I don’t care.  I have a book to finish after all, the cleaning can wait!

But it isn’t just cleaning that has me distracted today.  Nope!   It’s everything.  So I decided to browse on Facebook for a bit and ended up spending an hour doing that.  UGH!  Why do I do that to myself.  It is the biggest energy sucker and I end up looking at stuff that I shouldn’t.  Pinterest is the same!   HELP!!!!  I’m on social media over load.  And then I find the sweet little quilt that I made for my daughter for Christmas.

I started it 20 years ago for her, she is now 24, using fabrics from the little dresses that she wore as a child.  I had lost all of the little hand cut pieces that I had done over the years, through moves and what not.  Well, about a month ago, I was down in my basement and found them stashed in a Rubbermade crate that I have and decided that I would finish it once and for all. I couldn’t believe how incredibly cute this quilt turned out and the story behind it makes me smile even more.  You see, my little girl never felt like she fit in.  The kids made fun of her because she had buck teeth and her blonde hair was always a mess.  That was her doings by the way.  I would put the prettiest little bows in her hair and she would tear them out!  UGH!!!  That child frustrated me to no end, and I love her to death!  She wanted to change her name to Flower.  I had read her a book about a little girl that had the name “Chrysanthemum” and she loved it!   Because she could relate to the girl in the book that just never quite fit in.

There is one patch on the quilt that is made of flower fabric and that is what that represents.  The little houses that border the rest stands for…home is where the heart is and the blue patches represent the color of her beautiful eyes.  I was so excited to give this to her for Christmas and she was just as excited to get it.    I wanted to share it with you and if you have similar stories, please feel free to share on here with me.

You see, whenever I feel sad or unsettled, or I need to work out a storyline, I take to my sewing machine and create something beautiful.  Sometimes I only make things for family and other times I make things for you!   Some of you have won some of the things that I have made.    They are all made with love!

So as I sit here watching my son carry a snow covered shovel through my house to the back deck;  yes, you heard me right; I should get back to writing.  I am also sharing the pics of my daughter’s quilt.   I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  Have a terrific New Years!

Aly

New Year’s Eve

Good Evening,

I am going to do my best to blog more often about things that interest me and hopefully, you as well.  New Year’s Eve is fast approaching and in some parts of the world, it has already arrived.  I’ve never been a big New Year’s Eve fan and usually end up staying home.

My husband and I use to go bowling when our children were younger, but having a child with special needs made it difficult to find babysitters and so we just ended up staying home most of the time.  Which brings me to my next point.  My husband worked two jobs so that I could stay home with our children when they were young, something that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.  I feel so blessed to have been home and watch them grow, even though there were times when I wanted to rip my fucking hair out!   Sometimes our children can make us feel that way, especially a hyperactive, mouthy four year old and a baby that requires tons of care.  I still wouldn’t change a thing.  

My husband did his best to make things extra special, even after working two jobs all day and dragging ass.  He would come home and grill steaks, shrimp and make baked potatoes just for the two of us after the kids had gone to bed.  We would sit on  our living room floor and have a nice candle light dinner while sipping on a glass Pepsi.  Yes folks, we were dirt ass poor, living in our first home with crack heads as neighbors, literally.  Again, I wouldn’t change a thing.  It’s what has made us who we are today.

So…you might be asking yourselves what we’ll be doing tomorrow evening for New Year’s Eve now that the kids are grown up and living their own lives.  Well…my husband went out and bought some yummy steaks and baked potatoes!   There will be no shrimp this time around because I’m super allergic to it and swell up like a big fat balloon.  Times have changed, and it won’t be Pepsi tomorrow night on the living room floor, but we’ll have wine instead and a fire burning in the fireplace.  I’m pretty excited and I’m happy to be not going out, especially since it’s -12 degrees and dressing up like a hooker to freeze your ho ho off just isn’t fun anymore!

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Year’s!   If you get dressed up to go clubbing, please dress warm and remember…don’t drink and drive!   Call a cab!   I want to see all of your smiling faces in 2015.    In the infamous words of U2- “Nothing Changes, On New Year’s Day!”  Best song ever!  They are my favorite group, but that will be for another post, perhaps when I share about the time I went to Ireland and saw them in concert.

Much Love,

Aly

 

Announcements for 2015

Hello Everyone!

First I want to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to each and every one of you!   May your day be filled with lots of love and blessings, and your New Year be bright!  Be safe!

2014 was a very busy and tough year for me.  It was the year that the Fixer Series was complete and many other stories were born.  Stories that have not been released yet, because I am waiting until 2015 to bombard you with all of them.    In all seriousness, I did have some set backs in 2014.  It was the year when I lost my best friend to cancer back in January and then in October, I lost my grandmother.  I have grieved a lot and it did take its toll on my creativity.  Depression can be a very ugly thing and unfortunately it struck me.

On the bright side, I have been writing daily and getting back into the swing of things.  I have two stories that are almost done and will be released in early 2015.  I want to thank you all for your patience, as I know that you have been eagerly awaiting one of them.  So…here is the schedule of books that are going to be released.

Russian Roulette Series:

Triztan-  Early 2015 (Date will be announced when I receive manuscript back from my editor.)

Alexi-  Spring 2015

Ivan-  Summer 2015

Svetlana- Winter 2015

Jacobs Ranch Collection:

Kiss of Summer-  Early 2015

Untitled (Angie’s Story) – Late Summer 2015

Untitled (Natalie’s Story) – Late Fall 2015

Untitled-  Winter 2015/2016

I am also working on a full on suspense novel.  Many of these stories have been started, but will require time to finish them. Yes, I feel like I’m going crazy with all of the characters talking to me at once.  LOL!

I also wanted to announce that the very sexy, Robert Simmons will grace the cover of Alexi’s book in the Russian Roulette Series!

I am so grateful for each and every one of you and I couldn’t do this without all of you!   Thank you for your support, understanding and for purchasing my work and loving it!   I’m looking forward to a wonderful year in 2015 and feel blessed to have you as a part of it!

Enjoy the holidays with your families and I’ll continue to update you when there is a new release!

Love,

Aly

 

$15 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

$15 AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

Join me on tsu.com for a chance to win an amazon gift card.   Create an account by clicking on the link below and then follow the instructions numbered below.

Good Luck!

1. Like this post.

2. Share this post.

3. Send me a friend request, so in case you’re the winner, I can contact you.

4. Comment below “DONE” when complete.

Have fun! Winner chosen on Tuesday!

www.tsu.co/alysonraynes/17237399

BLACK FRIDAY SALE- The Fixer Series Box Set

★•**•.BLACK FRIDAY SALE•**•.★

http://amzn.com/B00LJ1PAKO

 

Triztan Snippet

Snippet from Triztan.  Unedited and subject to change.  Copyright by Alyson Raynes 2014.  This work may not be copied or reproduced without written permission from the author.

I landed safe and sound in beautiful Colorado.  The airport was magnificent, with smells of American food, marble floors and the train that took you to the baggage claim area.  The doors automatically opened and I stepped on.  Instead of standing, I took a seat at the end of the first car on the underground train.  It started moving slowly, but picked up speed as it took us to our destination.  As the train passed through the concrete tunnel, there appeared to be small pinwheels attached to the walls.  Each section had different colors of them, and although it looked really cool, it was bizarre as hell.  I’d never seen anything like it, especially not at the Moscow airport.  Things were a lot more bright and cheery here than they were back at home.

The train came to stop and I exited with the rest of the passengers, then headed toward the escalators, where a representative from the school was waiting for me.  She held up a sign for all of the incoming international students whose flights were arriving at the same time.  I grabbed my bag from the baggage carousel and made my way over to her.

$30 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

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