Superstitious Rituals

Hello once again, Readers!!! I finally saw The Great Gatsby last night and I loved it! I know that it has had a lot of mixed reviews…and I can understand why…but for my tastes and love of the novel, it was amazing!

But that’s not what I wanted to write about today. Prepare yourself for random information that really has nothing to do with anything and may even make your eyes cross! My eyes are crossing…a little.

Ready?

Today I wanted to write about superstitions. They are so silly aren’t they? To place the outcome of a situation on one little detail that is most likely irrelevant to the problem. But I have so many and I can’t stop believing in them! How do you stop and feel comfortable in letting go, because really, I think it comes down to just letting go. You can’t plan the future because no matter how much you prepare, things will happen as they happen. We really don’t have control in the grand scheme of things. Right?

I know…you are probably wondering where this is coming from.

Well, I finished the Born in Flames trilogy. The third book is in the hands of my publisher now waiting to be reviewed. That means I can move on to another project which I have been dying to do. All these ideas have been floating around in my head, plus I have my NaNo project (which is my current WIP) to finish.

As I started reading through what I’ve already written and decided to change a few things, I decided that I wanted to write in a different font from Courier New (which is what I wrote trilogy in). But I just can’t bring myself to change it. What if by changing the font, I change my ability to write. Or I jinx myself?

Wow. Did I really just admit that absurdity. Yep. I did. And I have a few others too.

Like parking in the same areas to ensure I have a good day, switching laptops to write on, or even blogging a certain way. I don’t do it all the time, but on occasion, I find myself creating rituals that I become dependent on and scared to break. The whole point of me telling you is to share the silliness. It made me laugh the second I realized what I was doing. I’m not going to let fear of the unknown stop me or cause me to create silly fixes that have absolutely no power in changing my future.

So I’m going to change the stupid font and park in a new section. Wish me luck…lol.

Now to leave you with a question: Do you have any superstitions or rituals?

Echelon out ♥

Crazy’s My Middle Name

Hello once again, Readers!!! I’m just going to jump right into things because this past week has been an emotional rollercoaster for me. It started off normal, and then all of sudden the rug was pulled out from under me. My husband’s brother was in a very bad car accident. And he lives over 1100 miles away from us.

o_O

It was one of the scariest phone calls I have ever received and it resulted in rushing to book two flights out for the next day for my husband and me, while trying to set everything up for my children to be taken care of by my bestie and mom.  Around midnight. Thankfully I have such a great support system. They helped me tremendously.

Long story short, my BIL is alive and healing up. I can’t tell you how good it is to day that because for a minute there, we weren’t sure. I won’t get into all the gory details, but I will say that he is extremely lucky to be alive. He must have an angel on his shoulder and I am so glad we were able to be there for him and to see his face alive and smiling.

Any who, now onto Born in Flames news. First off, the tour has kicked off with an awesome start. Great reviews, fun interviews, and music galore! I am very pleased and excited with how things are coming along. If you want to see for yourself, check out this post I did previously with all the dates and stops.

Also, when I finally made it home (after four crazy days of being in another state), I came back to two special packages. One being from an insanely sweet fan who created and mailed necklaces to me all the way from England!! And another was from Next Day Flyers who I ordered my second round of bookmarks from. Here are the necklaces:

Aren’t they just gaw-geous!!!?? So exciting!!! I can’t wait to find ways to give them away! It is the first thing a fan has ever made for me. Kind of tears me up a bit. I am extremely grateful to have the wonderful fans in my life who love and understand my story. I can’t wait to share book two with them!

Here are the bookmarks I ordered:

That’s 500 right there. I will be ordering the Embracing the Flames bookmarks next all in preparation for the Bookfest in August. And that’s about it for now. I’m still in the process of editing From the Embers. It’s crazy how my writing has changed and grown since Born in Flames. I’ve learned so much from the editors and just from writing and reading.

But I digress…

Now to leave you with a question: What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Echelon out ♥

Spring Fling Craft Fair and Bookfest News

Hello once again, Readers!! Oh how I’ve missed this blog. I swear I’m slacking and not because I have been abducted by aliens or even left to join the circus. Well…maybe you could call my house a circus at times…

This past weekend Sonya and I embarked on yet another craft fair, hoping to sell the last bit of our art to put into savings. It was a two-day event so we were pretty pumped about the possibilities. That is, until the weather decided to throw us for a loop. And when I say loop, what I really mean to say is tried to kill us.

Death by wind storm. Or by sunburn. Or both at the same time with a side of ex-convict stalking.

But I digress.

Day one was crazy windy and pretty much slow on the business side of things. We sold a few small items and left feeling a little blue, but still with a smidgen of hope for day two. The craziest part of the day was when a lady bought one of our wish necklaces (a vial filled with dandelion seeds) and asked if she could remove the seeds to put her dead boyfriends ashes inside of it to wear. I think Sonya almost fainted. I thought it was neat in a creepy-lovesick kind of way. But that’s just me…lol.

Day two we sold enough to earn back our tent fee and met a convict who said I have a dark side. He could tell this by looking at my art. 0_O

So apparently, I am somehow related to Darth Vader with a side of Voldemort and the Wicked Witch of the West. I’ll get you my pretty!

Any who, here are the photos from the fair:

Our lovely whimsical setup.

 

Our fairy-tasmic shadow boxes and liquor lamps. Can I getta oh snap!

Necklaces, doorknob hangers, and other pretty things.

One of the painting stands.

More paintings.

Yeah, so moral of the story…there is no moral. We had a ton of fun despite the moody weather and plan on going to another in Orlando. Hopefully. In the meantime, I am near halfway through my edits on From the Embers and waiting for word on when Embracing the Flames will be ready to go.

When I know, you will know. *wink*

Also, we have been given the okay by the lovely woman directing the Bookfest to share some exciting news about certain authors who will be signing alongside of the rest of us. So without further adieu, here is the announcement:

Oh snap! Can’t wait to meet everyone going!

That being said, Echelon out ♥

How Do You Say Goodbye?

Hello once again, Readers!!!

I know I have been MIA for some time now, but that is because I have thrown myself into finishing this trilogy. Guess what!? Last night I finally reached that moment where the final two words were written.

The end.

*tear*

I am beginning to feel separation anxiety. How do I say goodbye to my characters who I have become so close to? How do I move on to another set of characters?

I have my WIP from NaNo just waiting for me to jump back into, and for a while I couldn’t wait to finish this trilogy so I could get back to it, but now that my first draft is complete…ahhh.

There is so much pressure with this one. This is it. There will be no fourth. Every idea, every foreshadow, every minor plot, they all have to come together in an explosion of epicosity. The final battle between good and evil. Deciding their fates from that point on.

When I started this whole idea back in 2009, I had no idea that it would actually get published. I had a faint idea of where the story was going, but never all of this. I approached the second novel with a heavy mind, wondering if I could do it. Would I be able to write another? And I was surprised once again by how easily the words flowed out. The characters took me places that I had never imagined before. They wanted their story told.

Which brings us to the third. From the Embers.

Last night I finished it; the final chapter in Aurora’s story. My heart pounded and my hands shook as I typed those last two words. My throat felt tight. I couldn’t tell if I was delighted or sad. I didn’t know if I wanted to do a happy dance or cry. I thought maybe I was having a bit of a panic attack. So I went to bed.

My characters have literally been put through hell. The story and all its many layers have unraveled, and the ending sentence is dangling before me. Am I being a bit dramatic? Maybe, but this is my first real ending. This was my first project. This idea that sprung to life is what changed my life. I will forever be grateful to these characters for showing me where my path rested in life.

Okay, now I am getting emotional so I need to stop. I still have a ton of editing to do with it. It is, after all, the first draft. I still have many more months to spend working on them between wrapping up and publishing Embracing the Flames, and then getting through my own personal edits and read-throughs to send From the Embers in to my publisher for review.

So it’s not really over yet. I just can’t believe how everything turned out. Bittersweet and definitely not what I had expected in the beginning. I mean that in a good way. To all of my readers, you are in for a surprise.

Any who, that is all for now. Now to leave you with a question: Who’s ready for Game of Thrones!?

Echelon out ♥

Tagging Thyme Meme: 11 Weird Questions Answered

Hello once again, Readers!!! I was nominated by Story Addict for the 11 Weird Questions Meme. I didn’t have anything else to post today so I figured why not?

Let us begin!

1. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten in public?

I can’t think of anything that was strange. I don’t stray too far from the norm when it comes to food.
2. If you had to go on an adventure, with elves, dwarves, or hobbits, who would you take and why? 

My husband for sure. He knows everything there is to know about each of them and would probably fit right in. He has hobbit feet. I would totally be safe.
3. You are at a rural retreat lodge somewhere deep in Wisconsin or Canada. You are approached by a taxidermist who hands you a stuffed badger and asks you to put it in your lap. What do you do next?

I would most likely say no because I don’t like touching dead things and I especially wouldn’t do it for a stranger who approaches me by asking me to hold something dead. *shudder*
 4. If you were given biscotti, would you prefer it with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?

Coffee…Irish cream flavored. Yum.
5. In your opinion, who is the funniest man or woman alive today (comedian)?

I’d have to go with Dane Cook. The Kool-Aid man was one of my favorite skits.
6. If you were given thirty seconds on television to say something, what would it be?

I would probably freeze up and stare at the camera like a weirdo lol.
 7. What is your idea of the most romantic date setting ever?

A late-night picnic under the stars followed by camping. No distractions and hours of good conversation.
8. If you could go on one date with a movie or television star, who would it be and why?

Sheesh. I wouldn’t because I love my husband, but since this is not real and it will never happen, I would have to go with Ryan Gosling because I love his movies.
9. What is the worst song you have ever heard?

Lol. Umm…I usually stick to what I like and branch out in genre so I haven’t really run into anything that I would say was the worst.
10. If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

Somewhere over seas. At least that is my dream. I have no idea if I would like it and I would probably miss home, but for now, that is where I would go.
11. Who- in your opinion- was the greatest person to ever live?

Gosh, I don’t know. I don’t really think that way about life. There are a ton of people for many different reasons that I respect and am grateful for their choices and influences on the world though.

Now to tag. Muhahaha. I am tagging anyone and everyone who reads this!

Echelon out ♥