While I’m Waiting…Let’s Do FREE!!!!
Update!!! It has been released!
While I’m waiting for this to release I thought I’d mention a couple of things. First and foremost? If you received a review copy and I sent you an ePub file but you wanted a mobi, don’t be shy. Email me. Next time I do this I’ll make sure the file option is there for you guys to choose. Sorry about that.
Next thing? This:
*shrug* I just thought you had to see it. 
Next thing? Honey is completely nuts. That is all. *insert that annoying piano one note/key playing from the movie Eyes Wide Shut here until I can’t stand it* Gah! Alright! He’s driving me crazy with all his help. Yes, you read that right – help.
Allow me to explain. Here’s the conversation:
Imagine me sweating over everything I have to do to nail the holidays, and imagine Honey sweating over one thing, what to buy for me.
I’m looking at the list I have – the one I don’t want to check twice because it’s too long, and then I sigh. “How am I going to get all this done before Turkey day?”
Honey answers, while lounging on the couch watching one of his stupid documentaries. “Yeah, I know. It’s tough. Every year you get harder and harder to buy for. I can tell you that.”
I look at my list of…well, there’s more than one person, that’s all I’m saying. To him I narrow my eyes and grate out, “One gift purchase must be a major bitch to figure out. How would you like to swap this year? I’ll buy for me and you can buy for everyone else.”
His eyes remained glued to the TV. Aggravating? Don’t ask. “No thanks. I have a system, and it would get all screwed up if we switched.”
There’s me thinking, “oh yeah, I bet it would” when he adds, “It’s taken me years to get this down to a science where I can be in and out of one store in less than twenty minutes.”
Me: *blink, blink* Twenty minutes? I looked down at my list and decided the only way I could pull that off was to evoke the mighty power of the gift cards. “Hm. You may have given me an idea.”
“Your welcome.”
Again, his eyes never moved. Wow, who said men can’t multitask? Here he was solving my huge problem and blissfully watching his show about– yeah, I’ll be damned if I know what he was so engrossed in– at the same time. By the look of the dirt-covered people on the screen, I’d say a primitive tribe of mud dwellers. *le sigh*
Now fast forward a couple of days when I walk through our front door and see it. *insert the snow glob moment here*
I can’t tell you what it was in case my daughter reads this (it’s one of her presents), but I can tell you it was two things. Number one. Nothing I would have EVER and I mean, NEVER bought for her, and two, it was something I’d needed to read the instructions so I could figure out how it was used. So, yeah, where was I going with this? Oh, right. Honey attempting to help. Here’s that conversation:
“Ta-da! I bought a present for our girl.”
I tried not to scowl, but failed. “I gathered that by the note you stuck on it.”
He’d written her name on a piece of paper in block letters so there was no missing it.
“I don’t know where you keep the bows and stuff. Just stick one on there after you’ve wrapped it.”
I kicked off my shoes and remained staring at them while I let that sink in. He wanted me to wrap the monstrosity? “I’m not wrapping that.”
Honey didn’t eve blink. “You have to. I’m no good a gift wrapping.”
Like I didn’t know that. One of my first presents from him was tied with string in a garbage bag. In his defense it was a rather large stuffed animal that wouldn’t have fit into much else, and besides he was only eighteen at the time so I forgave him. But this? “Sure, I may be an expert at wrapping gifts, but I can tell you with all truthfulness, I wouldn’t know where to start with that. Sorry. We’ll have to hide it and do a present finding map for her.”
I could tell he liked the thought of that because he grinned. “Great idea. I’ll put it in the garage and make her really have to work for it. You won’t have to do anything. I’ll do the map and everything. After our talk the other day I want to help you.”
I was just doing a mental. “Aww…” over his sweetness when he heads into the kitchen and calls, “Do you know where the good paper is? Oh, and I need a better marker. What can I use as clues? Do you have red and green markers? Maybe I should make the map festive.”
*Looks right at you* This is him doing everything????
“Where do you hide the tape around this place? I couldn’t find it earlier.”
Yes, it was right at that moment I remembered why I don’t like Honey to help me with these things. Forget the crazy idea of the gift, when I walked over to better examine what he’d stuck that block lettering note on with – all I could do was sigh. Honey may not have found the scotch tape, but apparently he’d discovered our medical supplies. Once I got close enough to see how the paper with her name on it, was fastened – I frowned as there was no mistaking the white bandage tape. He’d even gone the extra mile too and made an cartoon “ouch-looking” ‘X’ to hold in place. *Double le sigh*
A few seconds later, he leaned out of the kitchen entrance, and asked, “What about glitter? Should I use some of that?”
Forget the double le sigh. This called for a double dirty martini! If you’ve read A Perfect Holiday you’ll know why I cringe whenever Honey mentions the use of glitter. That scene in the park at the Santa Claus parade was taken right out of a page of our lives. Lol!
“I’ll need some Elmer’s glue too.”
So there you have it. Instead of banging out my lengthy gift purchases and getting my shopping done. With all of Honey’s “help” – I wasted a whole afternoon trying to keep him from gluing the red and green throat lozenges he’d spied in the medical supplies onto the gift map. I knew I was in serious trouble when he dumped the glitter on the page and then squirted the glue on top of that. *shakes head* He’s been a really, REALLY, big help I can tell you that!
On another note…
I seriously think Amazon forgot about me. The Present Deal should have been published yesterday morning. I’m kind of bummed about that. So to make up for it, I’m offering A Perfect Holiday on for free for today and tomorrow. Grab it if you haven’t read it. Free is always nice, right? Just click the cover or the teaser and it will take you to the FREE buy link.
Last thing! I promise. In a few days I’ll be posting about a new contest! This one will be a New Year’s one and they’ll be a little bit of mystery. You see the picture below?
So far I’ve decided the giveaway will include two signed paperbacks and what’s in the box. I love the box there’s a jewel in the center and I love what’s in the box, but that’s the mystery. I haven’t decided what else I’m going to include, but when I do I’ll post the details.
Hope you guys have a great weekend. Between waiting for Amazon and babysitting Honey around my craft supplies, I think it’s going to be a long one for me. 
Riley
