Find the Story Friday!!!! A book...signed...

Happy Friday to all of you ~ my lovely, talented, kind, supportive, awesome fellow bloggers and writing friends!!  I feel like I've been distant lately ~ not visiting, commenting, or responding like I need to.  No excuses, here.  But, I am sorry... :(

Sadly, not sorry enough to keep me from bragging...a little... *semi-evilly laughs*

Here's a pic or two for the day:



A shiny new book!!  No really - it's shiny!



And it has an awesome signature in it!

I have the good fortune of living close to a cute little independent bookstore called The King's English, which just happens to be a local haunt for some awesome Utah authors.  They host several signing events and launch parties every year and I went to one on the 8th.  Any guesses who I met?  >:D  (you're seething jealousy about now, right?)

Can I just say - our reigning blog queen, query ninja, and lover of all things bacon gave the most inspiring, heartfelt, witty, fun, clever, touching, eloquent, charming and humble speech about her journey to publication and just what the launch and release of POSSESSION meant to her.  Ah, I kind of wished I'd taped it.  Elana Johnson's words - too cool.  I imagine myself tripping over my words with too many hmmms and uhhhs, but Elana didn't stumble once.  Should I be so lucky to publish and launch a book some day ~ I hope I can deliver my own words as seamlessly and as entertainingly as she delivered hers.

And can I also just say - the love in that room...wow.  She packed the house.  What an amazing support system she has in all her different worlds.  I'll admit, I'm a little jealous.  I'm sure her close friends would agree that it's a gift to be in Elana's inner circle of awesome.  I brought my daughter with me and she kept saying about Elana, "Wow, she's just so nice!"

Anyhoo!!  I'm almost positive that everyone who follows my blog has either already read an arc of POSSESSION, had pre-ordered it for delivery on the 7th, or rushed out last Tuesday to buy it and DEVOUR it!  But, just in case you haven't...??  I have a signed copy I'd like to give away.

Simple entry - (U.S. followers, only - so sorry!!)  1 - be a follower 2 - comment about a book signing you attended, or a rule you've broken in the past.

Easy peasy!!  I'll announce the winner next Friday - so comment away!!!  Have a FABULOUS WEEKEND!!

Broken Rule Reminiscing....

Happy Release Day, POSSESSION!! *throws bacon-bit confetti for Elana* :)  Check this out:

I haven’t read Vi’s story yet (picking up my books soon! Yay!), but I’m pretty sure she’d grant me membership into her RBP (rule-breakers posse).

Talking about the game, Sardines, yesterday – I started to think about a different hide-and-seek game I used to play in high school. During my senior year, the big thing to do (and don’t ask why, please – because I honestly can’t explain it) was to sneak into the local cemetery to visit Flo.

Flo was the name of a ghostly girl who died too young in life in the late 1800’s. To get her to come out and play, you had to walk down to her headstone, read the epitaph and then walk back up the lane slowly without looking back, until you reached the top/starting point. Flo would appear as a green glowing ball and follow you up the lane.

I think it worked. I think I may have seen something. It could have been a random headlight, hitting a reflective bulb positioned just so in a nearby tree to make me think there was a green, glowing ball. It might have been something else. I had a few friends tell me that Flo appeared to them as a girl in a long dress. Of course, that was all the times I wasn’t with them. Hmm…

Regardless, the cemetery closed at dusk and being inside after dark was technically trespassing. But, we did it anyways. And several times, my friends and I even had to duck behind headstones and freeze like statues as patrol cars passed a few feet away from us, their searchlights panning the grass and paths for movement.

*shakes head* Ahh. The things kids do… Still -I never got caught. I broke the rules. Successfully. :) Would I recommend cemetery-dodge-the-cops-hide-and-seek to future generations of teenagers? As a mother to a teenage girl, I know I should answer “NO!” to that question… I plead the fifth.

U is for Utah!!

Happy Monday, Everyone!!  Well, I've gotta give it up for the home state today.  So, U is for UTAH!

We're known for a few things:

Snow

(source)
Is it sad I've lived here ALL my life and never gone skiing??  It seems very wrong, somehow...

 National Parks



Gorgeous, no?  :)  (source)

 A certain religion:

(pic source)    (LDS religion resource)


It's FANTASTIC for me to know that Utah is also home to some very talented writers!!  Perhaps you've heard of them?


Brandon Mull!!

Shannon Hale!!!!! 

James Dashner!!!!



Elana Johnson!!!!



Jessica Day George!!!

Pretty Awesome, right??  I stalk run into them from time to time...(ok, so I've seen a few of them from afar once or twice...)  But, I'm quite excited to get my copy of Possession SIGNED in June!!!  Woot Woot!!  And who knows...maybe I'll pick up a signed copy for one of you, too....  :)  

Happy Reading out there today!!

Blogmetic Surgery....

So, since the medical community won’t allow me to use cosmetic surgery as a weight loss tool… *le sigh* I’m going to attempt to get my fix by performing a little “blogmetic” surgery on my blog. (no worries, little bloggy – it will be painless, I promise!)

So, I’m switching things up! And I do hope you all stick around and LOVE my changes! Here’s the new line-up:

Mood-munchies and Mood-music Mondays: Writers have things that help them through their writing processes and food and music seem to be among them - Elana J.’s obsession with bacon, Shannon Whitney Messenger’s character play lists, for example. I know music inspires certain scenes in my novels and who couldn’t use a break from their MS once in awhile to enjoy some good grub? So – on Mondays I plan to highlight music and food/recipes.

Totally Random/Traveling Tuesdays - This one’s a free-for-all! My prerogative to post anything I want, or nothing at all, OR something to do with travel. Maybe interviews with fellow bloggers. Maybe a snippet of my wip. Maybe this, maybe that – you’ll never know unless you stop by…

Writerly Wednesdays – ALL about all things Writing Related: Processes, contests, inspirations, prompts, great writing websites, conferences, etc. In which I hope to be helpful… :)

This-is-Me Thursdays – this will be my day to dish on what’s going on in my life, or to gush about other things I love – like all the many television shows I’ve watched over the years, or books I’ve read, or movies I’ve seen, or a particularly great GNO with my besties. Basically, it’s all about ME! (feel free to skip Thursdays entirely...)

Find-the-Story Fridays – This is a feature I already do and I really love it and I ESPECIALLY love when my followers play along! I post a picture that I’ve taken – a person, place, or thing - and ask you to find the story behind it.

Saturdays and Sundays = OFF/Blogcation.

So, that’s it! What do you think? Give it a week and you’ll let me know? :)  I plan to start with the new post schedule on Tuesday, Feb. 1st, as I’ll be participating and posting for “Market My Words” Pay it Forward contest on Monday, the 31st.

So, my bloggy friends. I hope you hang in there with me and enjoy the new things I’ll bring you. If it takes some convincing, well...I’m not above schmoozing, so I’ll also say that - “You da bomb!” “You’re frawesome!” “You ROCK!” “You’re the best invention since sliced bread!”
Seriously, wouldn’t be here without all of you. So, thanks!