Jacqueline E. Smith's Blog, page 28

Book Publishing, Here I Come

Originally posted on paulawalkerbaker:

Previously, I had decided I was going to use the crowdfunding group, Indiegogo.com to help fund publishing my children’s book. I have revisited my plan and decided to just go forward with it myself- put my money into the things I need to- it won’t be much and publish my book. I’m very excited about it. I will be contributing some of the proceeds to Saving Carolina Dogs Rescue & Adoption Network. Because my dog, Jack, who is, after all , the star of my books is a Carolina Dog- a dingo. They are the ones responsible for me finding Jack.

My friend Amber had texted me one day saying that a girl in Garland, Texas had adopted a dog thought to be a Carolina Dog, but she couldn’t keep him and  asked if I could go pick him up. So, my husband and I did go and pick him…

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New Year, New Adventures, New Books!

I know a lot of people who make New Years Resolutions.  I know several more who don’t because they never keep them.  I think we all like the idea of a fresh start, a blank slate, and that’s why we take New Years Day as an opportunity to make changes in our lives that we truly want to make.

Now, there are some resolutions I know I can’t keep.  Like giving up chocolate?  Forget it.  I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t eat fast food or drink soda or even coffee.  I NEED chocolate.  It’s my one source of caffeine.  It is my vice.  The only way you could get me to give up chocolate is if a doctor looked me in the eye and told me that if I kept eating chocolate, it would eventually kill me.  And even then, I’d probably still sneak pieces here and there.

So instead of making resolutions that I may or may not be able to actually keep, I set goals for myself.  My goal in 2013 was to publish Cemetery Tours.  My goal for 2014 was to take an amazing trip over the summer.  I actually still haven’t achieved my goal for 2012, which was go see a movie at the drive-in.  Maybe 2015 will be the year for that.

This year, I’m setting myself a few new goals.  The first is to publish not one, but two new books: Boy Band and the third Cemetery Tours.  The second is to at least try to get in a little better shape. I’m not in bad shape, but there’s always room for improvement.  And since I’m almost 27, you know, age might start catching up with me.  Finally, I’d really like to get more into urban exploration.  I met a woman back in October who specialized in exploring and writing about ghost towns.  She was SO cool!  Her name is Robin Cole Jett and you can find her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-River-Historian/195104580538409?pnref=lhc

As for adventures, I already have a few lined up for 2015.  For example, in April, I’ll be participating in the North Texas Book Festival!  I’m looking into a few more events as well, but nothing is solidified.  Then in July, my sister and I are taking a trip to San Diego.  We’ll hopefully be visiting the zoo, the beach, the haunted Del Coronado Hotel, going on a whale watch… And we’ll definitely be seeing One Direction.  Can’t  lie.  I’m really excited.

Of course, throughout the year, I will keep reading and I will definitely keep writing.  Along with the two books I plan to publish, I have at least twenty more in my head desperate to get out.  I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.  Being a writer is never dull.  There is literally always something going on, even if it’s just inside your mind.  But as Dumbledore says, “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

Happy 2015, everyone! I hope it’s your best year yet!

A Look Back

Well, it is New Year’s Eve.  Another year has come and gone.  We’ll welcome 2015 in just a few short hours.

Last year, I recapped the year with moments captured on my Instagram account: http://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/how-do-you-measure-a-year-in-the-life/

I thought I’d honor 2014 by doing the exact same thing.

2014 was a big year.

I grew a sunflower garden.

Saw shooting stars.

Enjoyed the rain and even a little bit of snow.

Watched some amazing sunsets.

And went to the movies by myself for the first time.

I said goodbye to my oldest and dearest friend.

And spent time with my Midnight.

I published my second book.

And participated in some amazing book clubs and signings!

I saw my favorite Disney Movie of all time brought to life on stage.

And attended an early screening of The Fault in Our Stars.

I ate the best snow cone I’ve ever had in my life.

And went for a sunrise kayak adventure.

I played with the cutest husky puppy ever.

I discovered the coconut fad.

And I got my first tattoo!

I saw a really cool train.

And learned to mow the lawn.

I visited the church where I was baptized.

And I saw the Mystery Machine!

I had a few laughs in the bookstore.

And found one of my new favorite books of all time.

I visited my old camp, one of my favorite places in the world.

My sister and I met some awesome musicians.

And I met some awesome authors: Kathleen Kent and Anne Rice!

I took a trip back to the Gulf Shores.

And San Francisco!  I was even there for the 6.0 Earthquake. But I slept through it.

I read an awesome book with my Witch’s Familiar.

And explored a haunted antique show.

I also gave a presentation on Ghost Stories at the Colony Public Library.

And discovered my initials on a haunted gravestone.

I was honored to have some incredibly talented film students write and direct Cemetery Tours‘ book trailer! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr7b59l1s4o

And met The Doctor on Halloween!

I exercised my right to vote.

And participated in my first NaNoWriMo.

Even though I didn’t finish within the month, the book that I began will be published on April 21!

I drank hot chocolate by a campfire.

I enjoyed holiday Starbucks.

And celebrated my Scottish heritage.

I also made some amazing discoveries about my heritage thanks to Ancestry.com.

I traveled to Lubbock to see my sister perform in her first professional musical production.

I made some pretty fantastic desserts.

And adopted two adorable Venus Flytraps.

I met a beautiful horse named Licorice.

And enjoyed Double Movie Day with my sister.

I went on the Great Cheese Ball Expedition of 2014.

And ended the year with a stack of brand new books!

2014, you were a good year.  2015, I’m ready for you!  Good things are already in the works!  I can’t wait!

PS If you want to follow me on Instagram, go here: http://instagram.com/jacquelineesmith/

Warning: I post a LOT of pictures. But I do follow back.

The Cheese Ball That (Almost) Ruined Christmas

Well, another Christmas has come and gone.  It was a pretty fantastic one, full of food, family, friends, and merriment in general.  I got exactly what I wanted, gift cards to Barnes and Noble.  There were also a few surprises, however, such as a Michael Kors purse and a really nice Anne Klein coat.  I never get designer stuff, so I feel very fancy.

Christmas Eve was kind of an adventure.  My sister realized, kind of completely out of the blue, that we didn’t have our annual holiday cheese ball.  Apparently, she believed that you don’t actually go out and buy a cheese ball.  Around Christmastime, one just magically materializes inside the refrigerator.  After assuring her that this was not, in fact, the case, we went out to buy a cheese ball.

Well, as it turns out, cheese balls are very popular around the holidays.  We ended up going all around town, to three different stores, ON CHRISTMAS EVE just to find her dang cheese ball.

Apparently, if we had not found this particular cheese ball (port wine… because cheddar isn’t good enough or something), then Christmas would have been ruined, her life would have been over, and the Horseman of the Apocalypse probably would have trampled our house to the ground.

But in the end, Christmas was saved.  Thank God.

Aside from the Great Cheese Ball Expedition, Christmas was beautiful.  We went to Midnight Mass and reconnected with a lot of old friends.

We enjoyed a vintage Christmas around my sister’s new record player.

And of course, we spent Christmas Day with our friends, the Kisers.  Sadly, there was no toilet this year.  I did come in second place in Mario Kart, however, which is nothing short of a Christmas Miracle.

Over the weekend, we got to spend time with my older sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, his girlfriend (they are so unbelievably cute together), and my crazy cousins (I say crazy in the best possible way).  It was great to see them and to spend that time with family.  My sister and her family live about two hours away, so we don’t get to see them that often.  I do have to take a moment to brag on my nephew, however, who will be attending the University of Texas next year and playing on their baseball team.  Next stop: the Major Leagues!

Finally, I have to tell you all about quite possibly the coolest thing to have happened to me as an author.  I ran into a guy yesterday at Barnes and Noble.  We got to talking about books and I told him to friend me on GoodReads.  As soon as he did, he looks up at me and goes, “Wait… You wrote Cemetery Tours?”

I said, “Yeah.”

He goes, “You are not going to believe me.  You are going to think I’m lying.  But my mom has this book.  She wants me to read it but I’m afraid it’s going to be about killers and stuff.”

Can I just tell you that it is the coolest thing to meet a complete stranger who knows about your book?  It seriously made my entire day.

Speaking of books, I am so excited, not only about Boy Band and the third Cemetery Tours book, but about all the books I have in my head.  Sometimes, I wish I could clone myself so I could work on all these books at once.  Not only do I want to finish the CT series, I have a follow up novel to the new one, I have a whole different series planned in my head, I have at least two stand alone novels that I want to write, and another series that I began working on in college.  It never ends, people.  It really never ends.  But I’m glad it doesn’t.  It can get very confusing, but for the most part, my brain is kind of a neat place.  There’s always some form of entertainment.

As for the New Year, my goal is to get in as much writing as possible.  I will be publishing at least two new books and hopefully working on several more.  I’m also really hoping to keep cleaning out my numerous possessions that I don’t use and donate them to a good cause (Operation Kindness is actually going to get a lot tomorrow).  I just feel so much lighter and freer without the clutter.  Finally, once my fresh batch of fudge is gone, I’m back on the healthy bandwagon.  Christmas was great, but I ate SO much that I shouldn’t have.  It will probably take me months to recover.

On that note, I think I’m going to go see if I can find anything else to donate.  I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season and that your good fortune continues on well into the new year!  I’ll talk to you soon.

Double Movie Day

Two years ago, my sister insisted that I needed to see Wreck-It Ralph before Christmas.  I turned around a said that she needed to see the first Hobbit movie (although she’s not really a fan of Middle Earth, she loves Martin Freeman).  We decided, what the heck?  Let’s see them both in the same day.  Thus Double Movie Day was born.

This year was our third year in a row to celebrate Double Movie Day.  Last year, we saw Frozen and the second Hobbit.  We could very well have kept up with tradition and gone to see a Disney movie and then the final film in the Hobbit trilogy, but the big white thing in the new Disney movie scares me and I have way too many problems with what I’ve heard of the third Hobbit movie to sit through it in the theater.  Instead, we decided on The Theory of Everything and Night at the Museum 3.

Now, I’m not a reviewer at heart.  However, I do very much love giving my opinion on films.  Instead of making this a beautiful and eloquent piece about the highs and lows of the movies, I’m going to format this post the way I did when I “reviewed” Godzilla over the summer: http://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2014/05/18/godzilla-a-very-girly-review/  

WARNING!  SPOILERS AHEAD!

Thoughts on The Theory of Everything

*This movie looks so good.  I can’t wait to see it.

*Stephen Hawking is really smart.  I hope I understand this movie.

*I wonder what young Stephen Hawking would have said if someone had told him that he would grow up to be a guest star on The Big Bang Theory.

*I had no idea Stephen Hawking was English.

*Eddie Redmayne is really cute.  I’m attracted to a guy playing a young Stephen Hawking.  I don’t know how to feel about this.

*I love guys in glasses and cardigans.

*This movie is just beautiful.  It’s just a beautiful movie.  The music, the cinematography, the lighting, the camera angles.  Everything about this movie is beautiful.

*OMG his roommate is Khaleesi’s creepy brother.

*He’s hot too.

*Stephen Hawking asked her to dance! This is so romantic!

*OMG his professor is LUPIN!

*He’s not hot.  Sorry, Lupin.

*Must stop thinking about The Big Bang Theory.  

*This movie constantly has me on the verge of tears.

*I’m loving this movie because it makes math, science, and intellect so beautiful.  It’s brilliant and artistic.

*Eddie Redmayne deserves an Oscar nomination.  His portrayal of Stephen Hawking and his initial diagnosis and progression of his Lou Gehrig’s Disease is raw, passionate, and heartbreaking.

*At least we know Stephen Hawking doesn’t die.

“What do Sheldon Cooper and a black hole have in common?  They both suck.  Neener neener.”

Thoughts on Night at the Museum 3

*Robin Williams.

*Rami Malek.  You are so cute.  Why are you not in the first two movies more?  Why are you not in more movies in general? I need more of your cuteness.

*Steve Coogan and Owen Wilson are hilarious together.

*Octodaddy.

*Love Ben Stiller’s caveman doppelganger.

*I LOVE Rebel Wilson!  “What, have you never seen a gorgeous woman before who could be a model if she didn’t love pizza so much?”

*Teddy Roosevelt + Sacajawea = OTP

*MATTHEW FROM DOWNTON ABBEY IS LANCELOT AND OMG HE IS HILARIOUS.

*The whole exchange between Pharaoh Ben Kingsley and Ben Stiller about basically everything in Exodus is, quite frankly, one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in a movie theater in a long time.  “Laugh out loud.  Yeah, that’s what I did.”

*Seriously, Rami Malek.  Be in more movies.  You were so cute in Breaking Dawn but you only had like, two scenes.  You deserve your own saga.

*Why is this movie so funny?  Why am I laughing so hard?  What am I even watching?

*HUGH JACKMAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!

*I’m glad Dan Stevens ditched Downton Abbey.  He was never this funny as Matthew.  “Yes, hop, hop, hop!  You are REAL!”

*Owen Wilson, I thought you should know, I’ve always had a weird Texas crush on you.

*Why is no one in London questioning the Knight in Shining Armor riding through the streets on a white steed?  Is this just an everyday thing in London?

*Bus scene.  Hilarious.

I do need to take a moment to be serious here before I end this post.  This was Robin Williams’ final live-action film.  I went in to this film knowing that I probably wouldn’t make it through without tearing up, but I didn’t expect to break down completely.  I’m not going to tell you his final lines in the film, because I think they’re something you need to experience for yourself.  All I can tell you is that they broke my heart.  It seemed a goodbye message, not only to Larry from Teddy, but to all movie-goers from an actor we all loved dearly, and whose absence we still mourn.  It’s not fair that so many movies will exist without Robin Williams.  It’s not fair that such a great and wonderful life was cut short by such a tragic and shattering disease.  I will undoubtedly be seeing this movie again, and I will undoubtedly shed tears once again listening to Robin Williams bid us farewell.

“For Robin Williams. Magic Never Ends.”

Where Do Broken Hearts Go?

Yesterday, I got a text message from my best friend.  “Why is One Direction’s new album so good?  Like, it’s really, really good!”

Let me begin by telling you that my friend and I are both huge fans of boy bands.  Hanson’s Middle of Nowhere was my very first CD and, okay, they weren’t a typical boy band like N’SYNC or the Backstreet Boys, but I still think of them as such.  I always thought that by the time I reached 26, almost 27, I would have outgrown my affinity for boy bands.

Turns out I was wrong.  I still listen to all the boy band hits from the 90s and early 2000s.  Just this weekend, my sister and I were jamming to Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by N’SYNC.  And we’ve basically been listening to One Direction’s new album, FOUR, non stop since the day it came out.

I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t always a 1D fan.  Even though I carried my love for N’SYNC, Hanson, BSB, BBMak, 98 Degrees, etc… with me well into my 20s, when One Direction first hit the big time a few years back, I wasn’t impressed.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw their image on a magazine at the local supermarket.  They looked so… young.  Keep in mind that I was a 22-year-old culture snob who was only just learning who Justin Beiber was.  Believe me when I say I really wasn’t impressed by him.  I thought, “Oh great… another wannabe boy band… and they’re kids.  Ugh, why are they so young?”

That, by the way, is what happens when you reach your twenties.  Suddenly all the big names and famous artists are younger than you.  It’s weird.  And a little disheartening.  It’s kind of like, “Wait a minute… What about the bands I grew up with?  I was learning to multiply fractions before these kids were even potty-trained!  They can’t be the next big thing!”

But they were.  And they still are.  And guess what?

I love them.  I’m saying that, not only as someone who really enjoys their music, but as someone who things that these guys have got a lot of talent, personality, and integrity.  The first time I heard them perform was at the Summer Olympics in 2012.  They sang What Makes You Beautiful and I remember thinking, “Hey… This song is really catchy.”

A few months later, my sister’s best friend, basically my second little sister, showed us the Best Song Ever music video.  That’s when I found myself thinking, “Oh my goodness, this video is so fun.  They’re hilarious.  And kind of adorable.”

Now, with the release of FOUR, my transition into the One Direction fandom is complete.  This is good music.  And I do not just say that.  In fact, I’ll be the first to tell you that most of what I hear on the radio nowadays is dumb, ridiculous, or flat-out annoying.  But this is good music, and the 1D boys are actually great singers.  This new album isn’t like the bubblegum pop of 90s boy bands.  It’s an edgier, almost 80s rock type album, with piano, electric guitar, and just an all around great beat.  I was surprised, after listening to their earlier songs such as What Makes You Beautiful and Kiss You to hear such a mature sound and quality of music, especially from guys who are so young.

I’m not saying this as a fangirl.  I’m saying this as a person with a Master’s Degree in the Humanities and a Minor in Music.  I know quality when I hear it.  And the 1D boys have got it.  That’s why, as an early Christmas gift, my sister and I bought tickets to go see them perform this summer in San Diego.  It’s going to be an amazing show, well worth the time and the distance.

This newfound respect and admiration, not only for One Direction, but for every boy band I’ve known and loved in the past, also inspired my next book, which will be released April 21, 2015.  I hope you check it out on GoodReads!  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23966802-boy-band   

I also hope that you have a very Merry Christmas.  Go and listen to some good music, watch a good movie, enjoy the fun things in life.

In the Bleak Midwinter

Christmas is in six days.  My general rule of thumb is that I like the cold and the gray and the winter weather (or at least pretend to) until Midnight on December 26.  Once Christmas is over, I can go back to openly hating the winter chill as much as I darn well please.

Okay, so there are a few things I like about winter.  I like hot chocolate.  I like snuggling with blankets.  I love Christmas.  And I actually do like snow as long as I don’t have to drive in it.  It’s pretty.

Ice can even be pretty.

The only problem with pretty scenes like this is that they come with temperatures like this…

That is too cold.  When it’s that cold outside, my face often looks like this…

Or more accurately, like this…

Every year I start off thinking that I really do like the cold.  I was born in the dead of winter, in the middle of a snow storm.  I feel like I should like I owe it to winter to try to like it.  But once the initial Yay-It’s-Cold-Outside-I-Can-Wear-Boots-And-Scarves excitement wears off, winter gets really old really fast.  The worst part is IT’S NOT EVEN TECHNICALLY WINTER YET AND I’M ALREADY SICK OF IT.  As far as boots and scarves go, guess what?!  I wear boots and scarves all year round!  I’m a writer who lives in Texas!  Boots are a given and scarves are kind of a thing for some of us.

I’m beginning to feel, in a weird kind of way, that by professing my “love” for winter and denying my love for all things summer, I’m in a way denying a part of myself.  I’m supposed to be listening to Christmas music, but I’ve been sneaking listens to my summer iTunes playlist for the past two weeks.  Even as I write this, I’m singing along to Summertime Guys from the movie Aquamarine.

But when you think about it, all of this is really to be expected.  I’m from the South.  Southern girls love summer. We thrive on sunlight and open-toed-shoes and the smell of coconut sunscreen.  Summertime is also the time for colors and being outside and swimming and flowers.  Honestly, how could it not be my favorite season?

In my mind, summer equals freedom, and as a writer, as a creative mind in general, freedom is all that I want.  It’s all I’ve ever wanted.  Winter is fine, but I so often feel confined and limited in the cold and the gray.  And come on, shoes?  Who actually likes having to wear shoes?  My feet, like the rest of me, like to be free.  One of my favorite memories is of my first Fourth of July working as a summer camp counselor.  My co-workers and I spent the evening at our friend’s lake house and as the sun set, we ran around playing Ultimate Frisbee in our summer clothes and bare feet.  It was the best Fourth ever.

Winter, I guess, reminds me too much of the real world.  Summer is a fantasy.  It’s a time for adventure.  It reminds me of what I want out of life: mountains and oceans and gardens and hiking and swimming and running and forests and open fields of tall grass and flowers.  I realize I must sound like the biggest hippie right now, but that is what my soul craves.  That’s what it needs to survive.  If I can’t have that during the winter months, I at least need my summer music and pictures to keep me going.  Of course, I have my writing also, which definitely frees me, but I also like to experience these freedoms and moments for myself.  It’s not enough to just write them.  You’ve got to live them too.

So for the next six days, I will love and savor what’s left of Christmas, but in the back of my mind, I’m still anticipating the summer sun.

My Christmas To Do List

Christmas is less than ten days away.  The most wonderful time of the year is undoubtedly in full swing, and there is still so much to do.  Yes, there are presents to be bought, but they’ve never been the most important of holiday traditions.  As my friends and I have gotten older, very few of us actually exchange gifts anymore.  Instead, we go out to eat, share a meal, and just enjoy the time together.  I like that better than exchanging gifts that may or may not actually go to use.  Don’t get me wrong, I love giving and receiving gifts, but as you get older, they become far less important.

Unless it’s a gift card.  Gift cards are actually the best.

I’ve got to tell you though, I’m really excited about the gift my family is getting for my sister.  She’s absolutely convinced it’s a gag gift because we keep laughing about it, but the truth is, it’s a really great gift.  She’s going to love it, even though I know she doesn’t think she will.

Some of our Christmas traditions have already taken place, for example decorating the family tree.

This tree is actually pretty awesome.  We’ve got some great ornaments.  For example, my very favorite ornament, my Mimi’s bells.

Then there’s Rudolth the Red Nosed Reindeer.  No, that’s not a typo.

There’s the Scottish flag and Santa in a kilt…

And of course, we have One Direction, because who wouldn’t have One Direction on their Christmas Tree?

We also have the Magic School Bus.  Talk about a classic.

Along with an array of other old and oddball ornaments.

It’s a great tree.

But just because the house is decorated, it doesn’t mean that Im ready for Christmas to be here just yet.  For example, I still need to drink a holiday hot chocolate and drive around looking at Christmas lights.  My sister and I also need our 3rd annual Christmas Double Movie Day.  In years past, we’ve seen the newest Disney movie accompanied by the newest Hobbit movie, but this year, we’re branching out and seeing Night at the Museum and The Theory of Everything.  There are other Christmas movies I still need to watch.  There are Christmas songs to be sung.  I still have Christmas fudge to make, as well as our family history scrapbook, which I’ll be sharing with my mom’s side of the family.

For the record, we have a lot of ancestors.  Who knew, right?

On top of all of this, I’m working to finish the first draft of my upcoming book by December 31.  I’m pretty sure I’ll make it.  I was planning it out, and I estimate I only have six chapters left.  That’s kind of awesome.

Please keep in mind also that there are only 9 days left to enter my Christmas GoodReads Giveaway!

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/117688-between-worlds

I hope you are all having a festive countdown to Christmas!  What are some of your favorite traditions?

My Venture into Young Adult Literature

I’ve mentioned before that my next book to be published will be the young adult novel that began as my NaNoWriMo project.  While I didn’t complete it for the month of November, I have almost reached the end of the first draft and I have even secured ISBNs for both the paperback and the eBook.

Y’all, I am really excited about this book.

I’ve decided to release it on April 21.  I even have a cover designed, though I probably won’t be releasing it or even the title of the book for at least a month.  I don’t want to make a big deal out of it and then have everyone forget about it by the time the book actually comes out.

I made the decision to write this book, and to go forward with publishing it for a number of reasons.  For one thing, it’s probably the most fun thing I’ve ever written and I really, really think that fans of the young adult genre will enjoy it.  I know several readers have enjoyed Cemetery Tours, but I do feel like it’s something of a niche.  People love a good ghost story around Halloween, but once winter rolls around, readers have moved on.  I’m incredibly enthusiastic about this new book/series because it’s one that readers can enjoy year-round.  I still love Cemetery Tours and I have every plan to continue the series.  The third book, I’m thinking, will be released August or September 2015.  However, I don’t want to be a one-series author.  I want to be like Meg Cabot, who has dozens of books and several series to her name.  I write ghost stories, but I also write YA and chick lit and mythology and so on.

Until the new books are released, however, I’m going to keep doing my best to keep promoting Cemetery Tours.  It is featured now on Google Books: https://books.google.com/books?id=w4NOngEACAAJ&dq=cemetery+tours&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DHiPVOjcA8ibNqaSgpAG&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA

And on BookDaily.com: http://www.bookdaily.com/book/4142184/cemetery-tours

Friendly reminder also that there are TEN DAYS left to enter my Christmas GoodReads Giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/117688-between-worlds

Finally, I do have a Pinterest board going for my new Young Adult book.  I really can’t tell you how excited I am about it.  https://www.pinterest.com/windtrailpub/a-young-adult-novel/  

I’m also in the midst of planning out new events for 2015.  All good things, y’all!  All good things.

It’s Christmastime in the City

Hi, friends!

I hope you all are getting into the holiday spirit.

I’ve been enjoying this time with family and friends (especially my sister, who is home from college) and working hard to make sure my new manuscript is finished by the new year! I think it’s going to happen.  I’m having way too much fun with it.  This book is pretty much the life my teenage self wanted to live.  I feel like I’m making her very proud.  Hopefully, readers will enjoy it just as much!

Other than that, I’ve been trying to savor and make the most of this special time of year.  Midnight is, too.

She particularly likes this time of year because it reminds her of her youth as a street cat, when she used to climb trees and live life on the edge.  Nine years later, she still wreaks havoc on the Christmas tree.  Don’t let the innocent look fool you.  She is a menace to all holiday trees.

I also forgot to share with you the best White Elephant Christmas gift of all time.

Everyone, meet Audrey and Seymour, the Christmas Venus Fly Traps!  I went into that White Elephant gift exchange thinking that I would be regifting whatever useless item I ended up with, but oh my goodness, I love my Fly Traps!  How cool are they?  Seriously?

And with that, I will leave you to the rest of your day.  I hope it’s splendid.

Merry Christmas!