Lydia Howe's Blog, page 55
November 5, 2014
5 - Action Kids Book Release
5 Days!!!
Last night I was thinking about the book and I was so stressed about... Well, I'm not even sure what, but I just wanted to cry and maybe I did cry multiple times. Being an author can be pretty stressful, except there's nothing pretty about it. Take it from me and if you don't want to, you can ask my family..., but today I'm really excited! My illustrator (who, by the way is going to be part of the blog tour!) helped me out with an amazing project I've been working out. I can hardly wait to share it with y'all! It's going to be SO thrilling to show it to you!
Do you people realize how short five days are? Ok, so I just read that the average American lives 27,375 days, so maybe five days are longer than I realized... November 10th is going to be here before we know it!!!
Since it's only 5 days until the release of the first Action Kids book, here are 5 things that I'm really thrilled about regarding the series:
1. Getting the surprise finished that I've been working on for y'all
2. Showing my editor some of the stuff I have planned for the book release and him liking my ideas
3. Knowing I've sent out all the emails besides one for the book tour and that one is all ready to be sent as soon as I get some more info for it
4. Thinking of showing my family the surprise I've been working on
5. My Action Kids business cards
* * *
Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 5 things that you're thrilled about (in general) and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
Last night I was thinking about the book and I was so stressed about... Well, I'm not even sure what, but I just wanted to cry and maybe I did cry multiple times. Being an author can be pretty stressful, except there's nothing pretty about it. Take it from me and if you don't want to, you can ask my family..., but today I'm really excited! My illustrator (who, by the way is going to be part of the blog tour!) helped me out with an amazing project I've been working out. I can hardly wait to share it with y'all! It's going to be SO thrilling to show it to you!
Do you people realize how short five days are? Ok, so I just read that the average American lives 27,375 days, so maybe five days are longer than I realized... November 10th is going to be here before we know it!!!
Since it's only 5 days until the release of the first Action Kids book, here are 5 things that I'm really thrilled about regarding the series:
1. Getting the surprise finished that I've been working on for y'all
2. Showing my editor some of the stuff I have planned for the book release and him liking my ideas
3. Knowing I've sent out all the emails besides one for the book tour and that one is all ready to be sent as soon as I get some more info for it
4. Thinking of showing my family the surprise I've been working on
5. My Action Kids business cards
* * *
Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 5 things that you're thrilled about (in general) and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
November 4, 2014
6 - Action Kids Book Release
6 Days!
And instead of freaking out today, I'm excited. Everything's under control. I'm able to breath again. This blog tour prep is going great. Except for the person who stopped responding to emails so now I have to find a replacement with less than a week until the beginning of the tour, but we won't talk about that because it isn't professional to let people know that everything isn't peachy.
At nine-something last night I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open. So instead of finishing the work I wanted to do on the blog tour, I decided to get ready and go to bed. Like a good little girl. Then, being me, I decided to check my email again just one more time, after I was in bed. Note: Not the smartest of all ideas ever. Low and behold, I had an email I'd been waiting for. Of course I wanted to take care of it, so I pulled my laptop onto my sleeping bag and... I finally went to sleep after midnight, but I got a lot done and it was very happy moment for me.
Since it's only 6 days until the first book in the Action Kids series is released, here are 6 authors I would have liked to meet (even if it's impossible, as in they're not alive any more...)
1. Catherine Farns 2. Patricia St. James3. Andy Andrews4. Apostle Paul5. King David6. Kayla Woodhouse
* * *
Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 6 authors you like to meet and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
And instead of freaking out today, I'm excited. Everything's under control. I'm able to breath again. This blog tour prep is going great. Except for the person who stopped responding to emails so now I have to find a replacement with less than a week until the beginning of the tour, but we won't talk about that because it isn't professional to let people know that everything isn't peachy.
At nine-something last night I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open. So instead of finishing the work I wanted to do on the blog tour, I decided to get ready and go to bed. Like a good little girl. Then, being me, I decided to check my email again just one more time, after I was in bed. Note: Not the smartest of all ideas ever. Low and behold, I had an email I'd been waiting for. Of course I wanted to take care of it, so I pulled my laptop onto my sleeping bag and... I finally went to sleep after midnight, but I got a lot done and it was very happy moment for me.
Since it's only 6 days until the first book in the Action Kids series is released, here are 6 authors I would have liked to meet (even if it's impossible, as in they're not alive any more...)
1. Catherine Farns 2. Patricia St. James3. Andy Andrews4. Apostle Paul5. King David6. Kayla Woodhouse
* * *
Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 6 authors you like to meet and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
November 3, 2014
7 - Action Kids Book Release
7 Days!
One week. One ittiy, bitty little week until this book that I began working on four years ago is released out into the wild. Ahem. I mean public.
In case you're not an author, let me give you a glimpse inside of an author's mind this can be a rather scary place, by the way, so hold on tight!.
THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST THING EVER!!!Woah. Wait a second. What if people don't 'get' the book? What if they think it's lame? AHHH!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO ACTUALLY HOLD IT IN MY HANDS FOR THE FIRST TIME!People are probably going to think I have no clue what I'm talking about. KIDS ARE GOING TO GOBBLE IT UP AND COME BACK BEGGING FOR MORE!There are going to be people who buy it, right? What if it's a flop and no one wants it? Good thing no one else besides me can see the sales...I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THIS BOOK IN STOCK! I WONDER HOW LONG BEFORE WAL-MART WILL START CARRYING IT? Am I talking about the book too much on my blog? But it's a writing/author blog and this is what my life is full of, so it's good, right? PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!!!I hope people buy it. I hope people take part in the blog tour.I hope this isn't a big mistake. HOW LONG UNTIL I'LL BE ABLE TO GET THE SECOND BOOK IN THE SERIES WRITTEN?I wonder if that dream I had last night was because my mind is working over-time trying to fix any problems that might pop up during the blog tour. Why did I even decide to celebrate with a blog tour? PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS BLOG TOUR SO MUCH. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED MORE BLOGS TAKE PART IN IT!!!Please, oh please... This book is going to work out just fine.
I am an author. An author. I'll survive this no matter what. Actually, I'll thrive with this. I will.
And that, my friends, is a look into my very full head.
Since today marks 7 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 7 things I like to do/have when I'm writing:
1. My chair with either a lap desk or a pillow and my computer 2. Have a candle burning next to me3. A glass of water handy4. Sugar-free Lifesavers and Jolly Ranchers to suck on5. My dog or rat to keep me company6. Music7. No one around
* * *Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 7 things you like in your working environment and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
One week. One ittiy, bitty little week until this book that I began working on four years ago is released out into the wild. Ahem. I mean public.
In case you're not an author, let me give you a glimpse inside of an author's mind this can be a rather scary place, by the way, so hold on tight!.
THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST THING EVER!!!Woah. Wait a second. What if people don't 'get' the book? What if they think it's lame? AHHH!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO ACTUALLY HOLD IT IN MY HANDS FOR THE FIRST TIME!People are probably going to think I have no clue what I'm talking about. KIDS ARE GOING TO GOBBLE IT UP AND COME BACK BEGGING FOR MORE!There are going to be people who buy it, right? What if it's a flop and no one wants it? Good thing no one else besides me can see the sales...I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THIS BOOK IN STOCK! I WONDER HOW LONG BEFORE WAL-MART WILL START CARRYING IT? Am I talking about the book too much on my blog? But it's a writing/author blog and this is what my life is full of, so it's good, right? PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!!!I hope people buy it. I hope people take part in the blog tour.I hope this isn't a big mistake. HOW LONG UNTIL I'LL BE ABLE TO GET THE SECOND BOOK IN THE SERIES WRITTEN?I wonder if that dream I had last night was because my mind is working over-time trying to fix any problems that might pop up during the blog tour. Why did I even decide to celebrate with a blog tour? PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS BLOG TOUR SO MUCH. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED MORE BLOGS TAKE PART IN IT!!!Please, oh please... This book is going to work out just fine.
I am an author. An author. I'll survive this no matter what. Actually, I'll thrive with this. I will.
And that, my friends, is a look into my very full head.
Since today marks 7 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 7 things I like to do/have when I'm writing:
1. My chair with either a lap desk or a pillow and my computer 2. Have a candle burning next to me3. A glass of water handy4. Sugar-free Lifesavers and Jolly Ranchers to suck on5. My dog or rat to keep me company6. Music7. No one around
* * *Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 7 things you like in your working environment and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
8 - Action Kids Book Release
8 Days!
Since I try not to do stuff on my computer or the internet on Sunday's, here's what I did for yesterday's count-down post. Eight words that have a lot of meaning for me:
Since I try not to do stuff on my computer or the internet on Sunday's, here's what I did for yesterday's count-down post. Eight words that have a lot of meaning for me:
November 1, 2014
October 2014 Review
Goals
Well, wonders of all wonders people, I didn't set any goals for October. Shocking, I know. I knew I had a lot I needed to do, but I wasn't sure what all I would be focusing on as the month progressed (work can be like that, you know), so I decided to just see how the month went. I'm looking forward to some goals for November, though. :)
So, what did I focus on in October?
1. My book release coming up2. Busy times at my non-writing job3. Helping my sister
Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update:
Birthday List:
1. Read 23 Non-fiction books - Read 1
5. Track all the money I spend for 23 days - Done
10. Listen to the book of Eph. 23 times - Done
13. Go to bed before 10:30 23 times (not in a row) - Six times
16. Crack the whip 23 times in a row - Done
18. Send/give gifts to 13 random people - 5 People and without even remembering I had it on here. :)
Dream List:
Go to a concert {October 4th, 2014 post }
Reading Update
Books read in October: 14 That ^ my friends is a record for this year. I wasn't feeling the best at the beginning of the month (pinkeye, getting over a nasty cold, etc...) and I read seven books in the first eight days of October.
Fiction: 13Non-Fiction: 14 Oh.
Ok, sooo, I got an idea from this blogger... She does this really great thing for all those curious people out in the world like me where she does a review and shares her stats from different social medias. I like it when people do that. So, I thought I'd share with y'all.
Please please, let me know: Is this a yea or nay? Do you like the idea or is it just annoying info that doesn't need to be shared? If y'all want me to keep going with it, I would include it in (some of) my month reviews, just for you curious people. Plus, I don't know about y'all, but I have SO much fun track stats!. Also, it would probably help keep me humble since I have a grand total of one lovely friend on Goodreads, who just happens to be the afore mentioned blogger who also just happens to have almost 730 friends on Goodreads...
That ^ Update:
Noveltea: Followers: 270
Posts written during October: 26Pageviews during October: 9,656Average of pageviews a day during October: 311
Twitter: Followers: 94Tweets for all time: 562
Facebook: Likes: 127 How did I do updating it? Better than last month...
Google+: Followers: 131How did I do updating it? Better than last month...
Goodreads: Friends: 1Books on my shelf: 29Started Goodreads this month
Pinterest: Followers: 13Boards: 16Pins: 348
If any of y'all want to chime in and let me know what you'd like to see more of/less of on any of these platforms, I would be SO delighted! I aim to please, so when you give me your preferences, that helps me out a lot!
Other Things:
I was gone 6 days this month when I went and stayed with my sister and her happy little family. Little as in young. With six nieces and nephews running around, it didn't seem like such a little family after all.
One really exciting thing I got to do this month was help my younger sister, Johanna, start a blog! Y'all really need to check it out. She launched it today and I'm extremely proud of her. I don't talk about my family much on here, but you know how I've been writing the When Life Hands You Lymes story and sometimes talk about how I had Lyme disease for 6 years? Well, her battle with Lyme disease isn't over yet, and yet somehow she is a bright bit of sunshine to everyone who knows her, keeping us all in laughter, stories and filling us with hope.
So please, do yourself a favor and go check out her blog. Make sure you also read her "about me" page and of course you can follow her blog if you feel so inclined. I'm sure she would be delighted.
That's all for now, folks! I'd be thrilled to hear about your month...
Well, wonders of all wonders people, I didn't set any goals for October. Shocking, I know. I knew I had a lot I needed to do, but I wasn't sure what all I would be focusing on as the month progressed (work can be like that, you know), so I decided to just see how the month went. I'm looking forward to some goals for November, though. :)
So, what did I focus on in October?
1. My book release coming up2. Busy times at my non-writing job3. Helping my sister
Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update:
Birthday List:
1. Read 23 Non-fiction books - Read 1
5. Track all the money I spend for 23 days - Done
10. Listen to the book of Eph. 23 times - Done
13. Go to bed before 10:30 23 times (not in a row) - Six times
16. Crack the whip 23 times in a row - Done
18. Send/give gifts to 13 random people - 5 People and without even remembering I had it on here. :)
Dream List:
Go to a concert {October 4th, 2014 post }
Reading Update
Books read in October: 14 That ^ my friends is a record for this year. I wasn't feeling the best at the beginning of the month (pinkeye, getting over a nasty cold, etc...) and I read seven books in the first eight days of October.
Fiction: 13Non-Fiction: 14 Oh.
Ok, sooo, I got an idea from this blogger... She does this really great thing for all those curious people out in the world like me where she does a review and shares her stats from different social medias. I like it when people do that. So, I thought I'd share with y'all.
Please please, let me know: Is this a yea or nay? Do you like the idea or is it just annoying info that doesn't need to be shared? If y'all want me to keep going with it, I would include it in (some of) my month reviews, just for you curious people. Plus, I don't know about y'all, but I have SO much fun track stats!. Also, it would probably help keep me humble since I have a grand total of one lovely friend on Goodreads, who just happens to be the afore mentioned blogger who also just happens to have almost 730 friends on Goodreads...
That ^ Update:
Noveltea: Followers: 270
Posts written during October: 26Pageviews during October: 9,656Average of pageviews a day during October: 311
Twitter: Followers: 94Tweets for all time: 562
Facebook: Likes: 127 How did I do updating it? Better than last month...
Google+: Followers: 131How did I do updating it? Better than last month...
Goodreads: Friends: 1Books on my shelf: 29Started Goodreads this month
Pinterest: Followers: 13Boards: 16Pins: 348
If any of y'all want to chime in and let me know what you'd like to see more of/less of on any of these platforms, I would be SO delighted! I aim to please, so when you give me your preferences, that helps me out a lot!
Other Things:
I was gone 6 days this month when I went and stayed with my sister and her happy little family. Little as in young. With six nieces and nephews running around, it didn't seem like such a little family after all.
One really exciting thing I got to do this month was help my younger sister, Johanna, start a blog! Y'all really need to check it out. She launched it today and I'm extremely proud of her. I don't talk about my family much on here, but you know how I've been writing the When Life Hands You Lymes story and sometimes talk about how I had Lyme disease for 6 years? Well, her battle with Lyme disease isn't over yet, and yet somehow she is a bright bit of sunshine to everyone who knows her, keeping us all in laughter, stories and filling us with hope.
So please, do yourself a favor and go check out her blog. Make sure you also read her "about me" page and of course you can follow her blog if you feel so inclined. I'm sure she would be delighted.
That's all for now, folks! I'd be thrilled to hear about your month...
9 - Action Kids Book Release
9 Days!
Ok, let's just say, despite how very excited I am about my book coming out, I do not feel ready for to be in the single digits yet! There's still so much to do getting ready for my blog tour and all that good stuff.
On another note: Happy November! And to all of you who are taking part in NaNoWriMo, congratulations! I'm not linking it people, because when I do I get tons of spam comments left on here. So, if any of y'all are wondering, I'm not doing NaNoWriMo this year. I don't think it's very wise for me to try and juggle a book release, the rest of my life, and writing 50,000 words in a month. Although believe me, it sounds like fun.
For all you first time NaNo-ers, it's possible to win. Really, it is. Just buckle down and do it. No editing. No reserach. Leave those things until later. This is just time to get your story out in raw form. It's a good exercise.
The first, and only, time I did NaNo was in 2012 and I finished it on November 27th. It was a thrilling experience. Then, last year I had a story I needed to write to get out of my system, and so even though it wasn't November, I sat down and wrote over 50,000 words in three days. So yes, take courage and hit it running. :)
9 Days...Since today marks 9 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 9 of my favorite countries I have visited (in the order I visited them in):
1. Canada2. Peru 3. Indonesia 4. Austria5. Germany6. Switzerland7. The Netherlands8. France 9. England
* * *Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 9 countries (or states!) you've visited and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
October 31, 2014
10 - Action Kids Book Release
10 Days! Can we all take a moment here to gasp in amazement? Ten days. This is a project I've been working on for over four years. Y'all. Excitement.
I was finally able to finish some really big projects yesterday that I've been working on for a while, so I'm feeling a great sense of relief. I have so much on my plate with my book release, but each day it's looking more and more manageable. Manageable is good.
Today I got some more of the prizes that I've ordered for giveaways for during the blog tour. Y'all are going to be blown away by some of the stuff I'm offering. I'm so excited about it! Blogging is such a huge part of my journey as an author and it's so much fun when I can give y'all something extra.
By the way, right now I have my cute little rat climbing on me. It's fun. Having Autumn is a lot more rewarding than I had thought it would be. She doesn't take much care and she's a great pet. Even if my siblings ask me to keep her in my room because they don't really like the idea of a rat around the house. Oh well. Understandable, I guess.
10 Days...
Since today marks 10 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 10 countries I've never been to that I would be delighted to visit one day (random order):
1. Ireland 2. Australia 3. Scotland4. Kenya 5. Antartica 6. China 7. Egypt8. Israel 9. India10. Italy
That was actually really hard though... Because, pretty much, I want to go to all the countries. New Zealand and Iceland are two that really fought for a place on this list...
* * *Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 10 countries that you like to visit and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
I was finally able to finish some really big projects yesterday that I've been working on for a while, so I'm feeling a great sense of relief. I have so much on my plate with my book release, but each day it's looking more and more manageable. Manageable is good.
Today I got some more of the prizes that I've ordered for giveaways for during the blog tour. Y'all are going to be blown away by some of the stuff I'm offering. I'm so excited about it! Blogging is such a huge part of my journey as an author and it's so much fun when I can give y'all something extra.
By the way, right now I have my cute little rat climbing on me. It's fun. Having Autumn is a lot more rewarding than I had thought it would be. She doesn't take much care and she's a great pet. Even if my siblings ask me to keep her in my room because they don't really like the idea of a rat around the house. Oh well. Understandable, I guess.
10 Days...
Since today marks 10 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 10 countries I've never been to that I would be delighted to visit one day (random order):
1. Ireland 2. Australia 3. Scotland4. Kenya 5. Antartica 6. China 7. Egypt8. Israel 9. India10. Italy
That was actually really hard though... Because, pretty much, I want to go to all the countries. New Zealand and Iceland are two that really fought for a place on this list...
* * *Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 10 countries that you like to visit and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
When Life Hands You Lymes #44
People. There are only 8 Fridays left in 2014. I hope you weren't expecting Madalyn's story to be done in 2014, because that's just not going to happen. I have been doing almost twice as many words recently in each of these posts, though, so hopefully that makes y'all happy.
As always I would really enjoy hearing some feedback from y'all! So, with that being said, please sit back and enjoy the 44th installment of my fiction story, When Life Hands You Lymes.
For the first time in my life, I was dreading the beginning of school. The very thought made make my chest squeeze into a fist that hurt like someone crushing me and made my breathing come with painful intakes. Julia’s “Ok, you need to just snap out of this funk” when I tried to explain to her how I felt one time sealed up my willingness to share with anyone and I could tell from Katie’s half-hidden exasperated glances that she was getting fed up. Dad seemed mildly confused, Mom perturbed, Darrick excited about starting classes in a nearby college. The last weeks of summer were generally chocked-full of last minute get-togethers, sleep-overs, ice cream dates (although I rarely actually ate ice cream, a health-conscious Mom drilled that into me at an early age), and all-around fun. This year though, the mere thought of having to ward off all the invitations or risk going and hanging out and feeling worse than miserable made me seek a way of escape.
“You want to do what?” Dad put down his phone and gave me his full attention. I grimaced. I had kinda sprung it on him, with not even a Can we talk? like I normally would have done. “Go stay with Grandma until school starts.” I could feel a twitch coming on somewhere around my mouth and knew that if I wasn’t careful I’d be crying. Again. I’d already cried enough to last me until my 98th birthday, so I wasn’t really eager to have those stupid tears running down my face again. Tears are wet, make my face feel soggy and taste horrible when they get in my mouth. Not to mention they make me look like I’ve just run a marathon after not being able to sleep for a week. “You’ve had several sleepovers at Grandma’s already this summer. Why do you suddenly want to spend the next-” Dad glanced at his phone “eleven days with her?” “Quality time?” I knew the answer wouldn’t suffice. “With what? The bedroom walls?” Dad raised an eyebrow at me in such a comical expression that I started laughing. Dad’s good at making me laugh. “People stress me out.” All laughter was gone. I pulled both my lips in and bit down on them, willing my eyes to not spill over. “Do you know why they stress you out?” Dad had the look like now we’re getting somewhere. I plopped down on the couch next to him and hugged a pillow. Hard. “They talk.” Dad gave a nod. “They make noise.” “I guess they do.” “They ask questions.” “That’s so.” “They, they look at me.” Dad’s eyes widened. “I’m pretty sure they’re judging me, too.” Dad opened his mouth, as if he had something to say, then closed it. “They make me feel guilty.” “Guilty?” “Yeah. Because I’m not fun like I was.” “Oh.” “They smell.” “As in?” “Perfume, cologne, body odor.” Dad still looked puzzled. “Smells give me a stomachache and make my head hurt.” “Oh.” “Even thinking about hanging out with people makes all my energy disappear as if some alien’s come and stolen it.” “Alien?” “Yeah. And speaking of aliens, I’m pretty sure there’s one that’s come and invaded my body. I look back at who I was several months ago and I can hardly recognize the girl any more.” I wrinkled my nose then took a huge breath and clenched my jaw until my teeth hurt. “I think-” my mind went blank. After a full minute, Dad gently prodded, “You think...?” I gave him a blank stare. “That’s the problem. I don’t.” “You don’t...?”
“Think. I’m not even sure how to think any more. I try to play a piece of music that I mastered as a pre-teen, and my brain laughs at me, mocking my lame efforts.” I gave a half-shrug. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to fail in school this year because there’s no way I can stay awake until school gets out every afternoon and there is absolutely no way in the entire world that I’ll be able to focus on what the teachers are saying.” I clenched my teeth and squeeze my hand until I feel my short fingernails digging into my palm. “And yeah, I know you’ve taught us to look at the positive and that I’m going with a negative attitude right now, but pretty much, I’m so non-me and so non-Emerson right now that I don’t know what to think.” “Non-Emerson?” “Yeah. I know the rest of you are successful and know just how to think and act and be perfect and all that kind of good stuff, but I can’t keep up any more. It’s too tiring.” For the first time in the conversation, I saw a crack that showed worry, not just concern on Dad’s face. “What are you saying, Maddie?” Swell. What was I even saying? I put both hands up in the air, one eyebrow cocked. “I don’t know.” Dad reached out and took one of my hands, giving it a squeeze. “Listen to me, Madalyn Marie Emerson. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to live up to the expectations of everyone you know or meet. You don’t have to try and conform yourself into who you think we want you to be. You’re an Emerson because you’re my daughter. I love you for who you are. None of my children, you included, have to follow in my footsteps or work with Emerson Airlines in order for me to love and accept them.” Dad gave my nose a light tap. “I’m proud of you, Madalyn. I love you, Madalyn. You’re my daughter and I want the world to know that. I accept you for who you are.” Well. So much for not crying. “And instead of you going to stay at Grandma’s for the week, why don’t you think about coming along with Mom and me to our conference. We’ll be staying in a little fishing village in Maine and you’re welcome to hang out there, where you don’t know anyone so you can be totally by yourself, while Mom and I are in the meetings.” Dad let go of my hand after giving it a final pat. “Of course if you want to go to Grandma’s that’s perfectly fine, too. Salt air, sand and the rolling of the ocean waves might do you good though.”
As always I would really enjoy hearing some feedback from y'all! So, with that being said, please sit back and enjoy the 44th installment of my fiction story, When Life Hands You Lymes.
For the first time in my life, I was dreading the beginning of school. The very thought made make my chest squeeze into a fist that hurt like someone crushing me and made my breathing come with painful intakes. Julia’s “Ok, you need to just snap out of this funk” when I tried to explain to her how I felt one time sealed up my willingness to share with anyone and I could tell from Katie’s half-hidden exasperated glances that she was getting fed up. Dad seemed mildly confused, Mom perturbed, Darrick excited about starting classes in a nearby college. The last weeks of summer were generally chocked-full of last minute get-togethers, sleep-overs, ice cream dates (although I rarely actually ate ice cream, a health-conscious Mom drilled that into me at an early age), and all-around fun. This year though, the mere thought of having to ward off all the invitations or risk going and hanging out and feeling worse than miserable made me seek a way of escape.
“You want to do what?” Dad put down his phone and gave me his full attention. I grimaced. I had kinda sprung it on him, with not even a Can we talk? like I normally would have done. “Go stay with Grandma until school starts.” I could feel a twitch coming on somewhere around my mouth and knew that if I wasn’t careful I’d be crying. Again. I’d already cried enough to last me until my 98th birthday, so I wasn’t really eager to have those stupid tears running down my face again. Tears are wet, make my face feel soggy and taste horrible when they get in my mouth. Not to mention they make me look like I’ve just run a marathon after not being able to sleep for a week. “You’ve had several sleepovers at Grandma’s already this summer. Why do you suddenly want to spend the next-” Dad glanced at his phone “eleven days with her?” “Quality time?” I knew the answer wouldn’t suffice. “With what? The bedroom walls?” Dad raised an eyebrow at me in such a comical expression that I started laughing. Dad’s good at making me laugh. “People stress me out.” All laughter was gone. I pulled both my lips in and bit down on them, willing my eyes to not spill over. “Do you know why they stress you out?” Dad had the look like now we’re getting somewhere. I plopped down on the couch next to him and hugged a pillow. Hard. “They talk.” Dad gave a nod. “They make noise.” “I guess they do.” “They ask questions.” “That’s so.” “They, they look at me.” Dad’s eyes widened. “I’m pretty sure they’re judging me, too.” Dad opened his mouth, as if he had something to say, then closed it. “They make me feel guilty.” “Guilty?” “Yeah. Because I’m not fun like I was.” “Oh.” “They smell.” “As in?” “Perfume, cologne, body odor.” Dad still looked puzzled. “Smells give me a stomachache and make my head hurt.” “Oh.” “Even thinking about hanging out with people makes all my energy disappear as if some alien’s come and stolen it.” “Alien?” “Yeah. And speaking of aliens, I’m pretty sure there’s one that’s come and invaded my body. I look back at who I was several months ago and I can hardly recognize the girl any more.” I wrinkled my nose then took a huge breath and clenched my jaw until my teeth hurt. “I think-” my mind went blank. After a full minute, Dad gently prodded, “You think...?” I gave him a blank stare. “That’s the problem. I don’t.” “You don’t...?”
“Think. I’m not even sure how to think any more. I try to play a piece of music that I mastered as a pre-teen, and my brain laughs at me, mocking my lame efforts.” I gave a half-shrug. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to fail in school this year because there’s no way I can stay awake until school gets out every afternoon and there is absolutely no way in the entire world that I’ll be able to focus on what the teachers are saying.” I clenched my teeth and squeeze my hand until I feel my short fingernails digging into my palm. “And yeah, I know you’ve taught us to look at the positive and that I’m going with a negative attitude right now, but pretty much, I’m so non-me and so non-Emerson right now that I don’t know what to think.” “Non-Emerson?” “Yeah. I know the rest of you are successful and know just how to think and act and be perfect and all that kind of good stuff, but I can’t keep up any more. It’s too tiring.” For the first time in the conversation, I saw a crack that showed worry, not just concern on Dad’s face. “What are you saying, Maddie?” Swell. What was I even saying? I put both hands up in the air, one eyebrow cocked. “I don’t know.” Dad reached out and took one of my hands, giving it a squeeze. “Listen to me, Madalyn Marie Emerson. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to live up to the expectations of everyone you know or meet. You don’t have to try and conform yourself into who you think we want you to be. You’re an Emerson because you’re my daughter. I love you for who you are. None of my children, you included, have to follow in my footsteps or work with Emerson Airlines in order for me to love and accept them.” Dad gave my nose a light tap. “I’m proud of you, Madalyn. I love you, Madalyn. You’re my daughter and I want the world to know that. I accept you for who you are.” Well. So much for not crying. “And instead of you going to stay at Grandma’s for the week, why don’t you think about coming along with Mom and me to our conference. We’ll be staying in a little fishing village in Maine and you’re welcome to hang out there, where you don’t know anyone so you can be totally by yourself, while Mom and I are in the meetings.” Dad let go of my hand after giving it a final pat. “Of course if you want to go to Grandma’s that’s perfectly fine, too. Salt air, sand and the rolling of the ocean waves might do you good though.”
October 30, 2014
11 - Action Kids Book Release
11 Days!
Life is good. I might have had to go three different places trying to find Internet that works, I might have taken pictures of the elven stickers in three different rooms, trying to get one that would turn out well and I might be behind on several projects, but still, Life is good. By the way, I got those stickers at the doctors office yesterday when I went for a check-up because I think about y'all even there. I'm a blogger through and through.
Today I was thinking about how crazy it is that while I'm here, living my life, going from task to task, there are kids reading my book. It's so weird to think about that! I mean, a lot of my life is filled with doing laundry, sweeping the floor, cooking, cleaning up, cutting grass, etc... When I was a little kid reading I never imagined the author could be living, doing mundane tasks at the very moment I was reading a story she wrote.
Being an author is pretty cool cause it's kinda like I'm getting to do more than one thing at once. I can live my life here with the list I have for the day Including, yet not limited to, Making lunch, helping out with a Science project, cutting grass, helping make supper, working on my blog tour stuff, working on a book report for work.... and I can also be influencing/entertaining/helping kids basically anywhere in the world. Yikes. That's almost mind-blowing.
11 Days...
Since today marks 11 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 11 pets I have/would like to have one day:
1. A dog (have one)2. A skunk 3. A rabbit (have one)4. A hedgehog5. A horse6. A prairie dog7. A rat (have one)8. A penguin 9. A donkey10. A raccoon11. A monkey
* * *Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 11 animals that you like to/do have and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
Life is good. I might have had to go three different places trying to find Internet that works, I might have taken pictures of the elven stickers in three different rooms, trying to get one that would turn out well and I might be behind on several projects, but still, Life is good. By the way, I got those stickers at the doctors office yesterday when I went for a check-up because I think about y'all even there. I'm a blogger through and through.
Today I was thinking about how crazy it is that while I'm here, living my life, going from task to task, there are kids reading my book. It's so weird to think about that! I mean, a lot of my life is filled with doing laundry, sweeping the floor, cooking, cleaning up, cutting grass, etc... When I was a little kid reading I never imagined the author could be living, doing mundane tasks at the very moment I was reading a story she wrote.
Being an author is pretty cool cause it's kinda like I'm getting to do more than one thing at once. I can live my life here with the list I have for the day Including, yet not limited to, Making lunch, helping out with a Science project, cutting grass, helping make supper, working on my blog tour stuff, working on a book report for work.... and I can also be influencing/entertaining/helping kids basically anywhere in the world. Yikes. That's almost mind-blowing.
11 Days...
Since today marks 11 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 11 pets I have/would like to have one day:
1. A dog (have one)2. A skunk 3. A rabbit (have one)4. A hedgehog5. A horse6. A prairie dog7. A rat (have one)8. A penguin 9. A donkey10. A raccoon11. A monkey
* * *Now it's YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 11 animals that you like to/do have and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!
October 29, 2014
Reviews and Reviewers
At this moment...Setting: My office, dim overhead light on, sitting on my "writing chair" with my legs criss-crossed under me, a candle lit next to meListening to: Christmas music. Yes. I listen to Christmas music in OctoberDrinking: Ice-cold waterEating: Well, I'm chewing on half a piece of delicious Ice Cube Arctic Grape gum that my lovely brother and sister-in-law bought me for my birthdayDoing: Writing a blog post and texting one of my sweet little friendsThinking about: Book reviews and book reviewers
So, where did this post come from? A little while ago I received an email asking me if I was interested in reviewing a book. I was busy at the time so just glanced over the email and then forgot about it. A week later I saw it again, emailed back and soon had the book downloaded to my iPhone.
I proceeded to begin reading it. Began is the key word there, people. It didn't take me long at all to realize that not only was this book not my style, but I didn't agree with it. Even though the blurb sounded intriguing, the book... Well... I'm afraid I have nothing nice to say about the book. Which is really sad. If I had begun reading it from a store or a sample on Amazon, I wouldn't have finished the first page.
Finally, since I had been contacted by an actual person instead of working though a website, I decided to let them know what I was thinking. Exiting out of my kindle I pulled up my internet and shot them a quick email saying basically "Hey, I'm 45% of the way through _____ and this isn't my style. I'm afraid my review isn't going to be positive at all and I was wondering what you would think if I stopped reading it and didn't review it? Since I agreed to read and review it I will happily do so, so just let me know what you think..."
They emailed back and said sorry it wasn't to my taste and it was fine with them if I didn't finish it. So, I promptly thanked them, deleted the book and thought of how happy I was that they allowed me to not review their book. Ouch. Seriously, I mean that in the nicest way possible.
I really do not like writing negative reviews. Which is one of the reason I get such few free books to review. I'm an author. I know what it's like to have someone who doesn't like a book I've written. It kinda stinks. Have I written negative reviews? Yep. Check this one out, for instance. But there's a right and a wrong way to write negative reviews, so I thought I'd let y'all know from an author's prospective how a negative review should be written. :)
Alrighty. Just how should a negative review be written?
1. First off: by all means, if the book didn't resonate with you then don't hide that fact. Negative reviews are helpful to readers and I'm all in favor of them. I think that the exception should be if you get the book sent personally and you're thinking "zero stars here", then maybe you can ask about it like I did.
2. Write it respectfully. Tell about your problems with the book, not the author. I actually got this little tid-bit from this amazing blogger. An author is a person just like you and has probably poured years of their life into that story you didn't enjoy. I know, I know, it seems like such an awful waste sometimes!
3. Avoid using "strong" language like never and absolutely and worst unless you feel very strongly haha that those words need to be in the review.
4. Don't tag the author anywhere on social media in connection with your negative review. Again, I heard this hint from another blogger, but I forget who... You're writing the review for the reader, not the author. There's no reason for the author to get the negativity brought to their attention. Take it from me, we hear enough about what can be improved in our books without having it poured into our lives from a random stranger. Please don't take that wrong!
5. When writing a negative review, don't just say "This book was a huge waste of time and money" go ahead and let people know what your issues were with it. Nicely. Like "The battle scenes seemed rather unrealistic to me and the main character whined too much" or "There were quite a few typos and the blurb didn't represent the book well" or... something like that anyway. You can even give a specific example if you want to take the time.
6. Try and find something nice to say about the book. If you can't find anything that you liked about the book, maybe glance at Amazon and see what others have to say. For instance in the review I linked to up there^, I took a screenshot of the rating on Amazon because the book had a 4.5 star rating which is pretty amazing. So, even though I personally found nothing to like about the book, obviously others did.
7. Re-read the review before you post it and make sure it sounds polite.
There you have it, folks! Thank you for being considerate of us little authors who type away day in and day out. As Ernest Hemingway said: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
So, where did this post come from? A little while ago I received an email asking me if I was interested in reviewing a book. I was busy at the time so just glanced over the email and then forgot about it. A week later I saw it again, emailed back and soon had the book downloaded to my iPhone.
I proceeded to begin reading it. Began is the key word there, people. It didn't take me long at all to realize that not only was this book not my style, but I didn't agree with it. Even though the blurb sounded intriguing, the book... Well... I'm afraid I have nothing nice to say about the book. Which is really sad. If I had begun reading it from a store or a sample on Amazon, I wouldn't have finished the first page.
Finally, since I had been contacted by an actual person instead of working though a website, I decided to let them know what I was thinking. Exiting out of my kindle I pulled up my internet and shot them a quick email saying basically "Hey, I'm 45% of the way through _____ and this isn't my style. I'm afraid my review isn't going to be positive at all and I was wondering what you would think if I stopped reading it and didn't review it? Since I agreed to read and review it I will happily do so, so just let me know what you think..."
They emailed back and said sorry it wasn't to my taste and it was fine with them if I didn't finish it. So, I promptly thanked them, deleted the book and thought of how happy I was that they allowed me to not review their book. Ouch. Seriously, I mean that in the nicest way possible.
I really do not like writing negative reviews. Which is one of the reason I get such few free books to review. I'm an author. I know what it's like to have someone who doesn't like a book I've written. It kinda stinks. Have I written negative reviews? Yep. Check this one out, for instance. But there's a right and a wrong way to write negative reviews, so I thought I'd let y'all know from an author's prospective how a negative review should be written. :)
Alrighty. Just how should a negative review be written?
1. First off: by all means, if the book didn't resonate with you then don't hide that fact. Negative reviews are helpful to readers and I'm all in favor of them. I think that the exception should be if you get the book sent personally and you're thinking "zero stars here", then maybe you can ask about it like I did.
2. Write it respectfully. Tell about your problems with the book, not the author. I actually got this little tid-bit from this amazing blogger. An author is a person just like you and has probably poured years of their life into that story you didn't enjoy. I know, I know, it seems like such an awful waste sometimes!
3. Avoid using "strong" language like never and absolutely and worst unless you feel very strongly haha that those words need to be in the review.
4. Don't tag the author anywhere on social media in connection with your negative review. Again, I heard this hint from another blogger, but I forget who... You're writing the review for the reader, not the author. There's no reason for the author to get the negativity brought to their attention. Take it from me, we hear enough about what can be improved in our books without having it poured into our lives from a random stranger. Please don't take that wrong!
5. When writing a negative review, don't just say "This book was a huge waste of time and money" go ahead and let people know what your issues were with it. Nicely. Like "The battle scenes seemed rather unrealistic to me and the main character whined too much" or "There were quite a few typos and the blurb didn't represent the book well" or... something like that anyway. You can even give a specific example if you want to take the time.
6. Try and find something nice to say about the book. If you can't find anything that you liked about the book, maybe glance at Amazon and see what others have to say. For instance in the review I linked to up there^, I took a screenshot of the rating on Amazon because the book had a 4.5 star rating which is pretty amazing. So, even though I personally found nothing to like about the book, obviously others did.
7. Re-read the review before you post it and make sure it sounds polite.
There you have it, folks! Thank you for being considerate of us little authors who type away day in and day out. As Ernest Hemingway said: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
