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Writing Oasis In the Middle of the Woods

Last summer, my husband gifted me with a great idea. As my children grew they each wanted their own room and eventually I lost my office in the house. No resentment there, but I found working in the living room to be too difficult. That was when my husband suggested a writing shed. We bought a basic shed, and after many hours of labor in constructing a platform for it, it was delivered.

I wanted to share some pictures of the process.

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After lots of consideration, we decided a dying fir tree that needed to be removed, was the best location for The Oasis








Hired some tree guys, who climbed the massive tree and did their thing








After the trunk came down, we had lots of wood for burning, and a stump for my boys to play on. Due to snow, work stopped for a while, but eventually the stump and root system were also removed.








We ran an underground conduit from the house to the site so I could have electricity for lights, heat and of course the computer.








Bricks and more bricks were used to build the retaining wall. Due to town regulations, my original idea of a concrete slab, did not pan out.








Slow and steady work, and the wall started taking form.








Stone and dirt deliveries rolled in. We had to wait several weeks due to rain. Even then, the trucks ripped my side yard to shreds.








The shed at the lot. It was built faster than expected and because of all the rain, the construction site wasn't ready yet. The shed sat at the lot for two weeks before I was ready for it.








Six levels of bricks later, we were almost there.








The wall is complete, and the arduous task of filling it in with the stone and dirt began. This is a picture of the final space before the shed was delivered.








It was wicked cool watching the delivery. It took some manuvering, but in the end, the delivery was successful.




Bare Bones








Framing the extra windows, with a little help from my friends



Thankfully they knew what they were doing, because I sure didn't.




Insulation complete








Dry wall complete








Wiring complete








Painting begins








Blue like the ocean



I love the ocean. It is my calm place, so what better than the color of the water where I grew up.




Beginning the building of the shelves



After lots of research I designed these shleves to fit paperbacks and hardcovers perectly, and maximized teh space in the office.








Since the space was limited, I designed shelves that were the exact width of paperbacks, tradebacks and hardcovers. Now my book collection was coming out of boxes. Yipee!




My Desk



I built my desk from leftover bamboo flooring that my friends used in their basement.




DIY light fixtures



I wanted to bring my culture into my workspace. I made the light fixtures using hundreds of beautiful beads, giving the room a Mediterranean feel.













Where the magic happens








Starting to fill up my shelves. Lots of boxes still to go through.








Some of my favorite characters








A place to enjoy a good book








The Final Product



There's nothing like a beach shack in the middle of the snow.




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This is my Oasis.  In the middle of the lush woods of Upstate New York, I have created something that reminds me of my childhood home. When I step into my office, it is with a smile on my face. Now I have the best of both worlds, my loving kids and husband in New York, and my  young life in Dubai.

Rasha

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Coming Soon

With the release of Stolen Gifts, my life took a major turn in a different direction. In the middle of promoting, marketing and selling my debut novel, I had to find time to write the second and third novels in the series. What a learning experience in time management that has been.

I wish that there was another 10 hours per day to get everything done. Alas, that is not the case but I’ve finally figured out how to juggle all the balls. No sleep.

No. I’m just joking. I get the sleep I needed to keep my creative juices flowing.

I’m so excited to announce that the second novel is finished, and is in final edits. I will have more news on its release along with a cover reveal over the next month. I am working hard alongside my editors and designers to make this happen as soon as possible.

Van and Caine have a journey ahead of them but without you, that journey stays dormant. Thank you for being reader, and especially, thanks for being a fan. I’ve had a wonderful time connecting with all of you and reading the reviews.

Stick around and stay tuned.

Loves Rasha

NY Book Con

New York Book Con:

I had a wonderful day in Manhattan this past weekend, with one of my good friends, Sara Benedict.  Sara is an associate publicist with Gliterary Girl Media.  Together we drove to the city to enjoy some time with people immersed in the field, from authors, to publishers to the readers.  We met some great people and came home with tons of new books and swag.

If you ever go to a Con of some kind, you should know that the day takes planning.  With all the autographing opportunities, celebrity meets, panels and discussions, you have to pin point what you want to do and build a schedule for yourself.

On the very top of my schedule was meeting Jeaniene Frost, author of The Night Huntress series.  I absolutely love her books and buy them the second they are released.  Meeting Ms. Frost (this was the second time I’ve met her) was the highlight of my day.  Even better, I got to give her a book mark for Stolen Gifts.  It was only later when I had come off my Fan Girl high, did I realize I could have given her the book.

We got to meet Tartar Sauce, A.K.A.  Grumpy Cat.  After an hour long line, a closed booth and chatting with great people on the line, we got to meet an absolutely adorable cat.  Grumpy, she was not.  She was really cute, and wow!  I want to be that famous someday.

The day was spent visiting various booths, walking around with a 50 pound bag full of free books and swag, and taking pictures. I want to thank you all by sharing a bit of the goods, with a flash sale and giveaway.  For four days only, Stolen Gifts e-book will be available for only $.99. I’m also giving away some of the books I have received both at the 2014 Book Con and the 2013 NY Comic Con.

 

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to Win?

I’m doing a giveaway on Goodreads.  Follow the link to enter.  Doors open on Monday April 21st.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Stolen Gifts
by Rasha Selim

Giveaway ends May 25, 2014.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

The Aftermath

Stolen Gifts has now been officially out for one week.  Wow!

If someone had told me last year that I would have a newly released debut novel on the market, I would have laughed.  It’s surreal to say the least.  The amount of work and time it took to get here was huge, and now the work that remains is equally huge.  But I wouldn’t want it any other way.

It has been a great learning experience.  However, I don’t want to claim that it was all peaches and cream, because it wasn’t.  Many times along the way I wanted to call it quits, and just have my novel available to friends and family.  Their encouragement is what kept me going.  I’ve figured out who I can rely on to get me out of a slum, who will slap me on the back and get me moving again, and who will cheer the loudest for me.

The novel is doing well, and none of it would have come about if it wasn’t for those people.  Now I get to sit back (only for a few minutes each day) and enjoy the fruits of my labor.  I get to, once again, concentrate on finishing the second book in the series.  But best of all, I get to watch.

Up until now, my role has been very active, as it should be.  With the release of the novel, my hands are a bit tied.  I can promote, and market, but I can’t tell you what to think.  Actually, I never could do that.  The big thing now though, is I get to watch (and that’s something I love to do).  I get to watch the reviews and thoughts of my readers.  Some have reached out to me in personal messages, and I have to tell you, I’m loving it.

Watching you read and enjoy the novel, is truly an exciting part of the process.  So if you’re reading this, and have purchased the book, and have read it, I want to extend my thanks.  I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you help me spread the word and leave comments and reviews wherever you may.

Thank you all for your support, kind words and the wonderful messages I am receiving.

Release Day

Tomorrow, April 1st, 2014, is the day of release of my debut novel.  I am so excited but at the same time I am so very nervous.  As of tomorrow it is out of my hands.  People will get a chance to read the story and make their remarks.

But the longer I sit here contemplating that, the more my nerves lessen.  It’s okay, because everyone is entitled to their opinion.  I wrote a book from my heart and head and I brought to life characters that have been haunting me for years.  So I am truly excited to share them with you.

My friends are not allowing me to sit at my computer tomorrow, keeping me away from the temptation of watching the sales and reviews.  I think it’s funny because they know me so well, but as of today, I have decided not to worry so much, but to simply live in the moment and enjoy the exhilaration that tomorrow will bring.

If you find Stolen Gifts and you feel anything for it (good or bad) leave a review.  I hope to see more good than bad, but I plan on using all the feedback to make the sequel even better.  Drop me a line and let me know what you thought.

 

One Week

I woke up today and started my day like any other.  I prepared lunches for my kids, started a load of laundry, made breakfast, and then shuffled kids out the door.  When the house became quiet, I took a seat to read for my alloted half an hour.  But my computer started dinging and when I woke up the screen, I saw several messages and all of a sudden, I was floored.

Up until I read my messages, I had somehow put my novel out of my mind but realization quickly dawned.  ONE WEEK to publication.  I became frantic and had to concentrate on my breathing to calm myself down.  I’m still in shock several hours later, that this day is actually close.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m excited, but at the same time I’m scared.  I’m putting my book out there and the idea is…I don’t know…freaking me out.  I’ve been working on this for so long, and when I started, it was for fun.  But now, even though I’m still having a blast, I’m opening myself up for reviews and opinions.

I love my book, I love my characters, and I love where the story is going. So in one week, Stolen Gifts will become available for the masses and I’m okay with that.  Because at the end of the day, I love what I’m doing and I’m having the time of my life.  I hope that each and every one who picks up my books will be drawn into the world I created and both laugh and cry along with Van and Caine.  I know I will.

Giveaway!

My first giveaway. So cool.

Do you want a free, signed and personalized E-Copy of Stolen Gifts? It’s easy. Add Stolen Gifts to your Want to Read list in Goodreads, come back here and let me know that you did it, and then keep your fingers crossed. That’s it. Sit back, relax and on release day, April 1st. 2014, I will announce the winner. Tell your friends to add it to their list as well.

Starts on March 20th, 2014 and ends on March 28th, 2014

a Rafflecopter giveaway