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 ♥

 

Born in Flames- 2012 Turning the Pages Books “Book of the Year” Winner!

Hello once again, Readers!!! Guess who won Book of the Year over at Turning the Pages Books!!!??? Excuse me while I do some cart-wheels and run in circles…

Okay, I’m back. And out of breath.

It was a close race, and I never expected to win, but the Readers have chosen! I am So. Freaking. Excited! Does this mean that I can call my novel “award-winning”?? I couldn’t wait to tell my son. He has been asking me about it for like the past five days. Every day he says, “Mother, did you win?” (Yes my six-year-old calls me mother…lol). So you can imagine when I found out last night, after his bedtime, how hard it was for me to wait until this morning. His grin this morning before school was the best part of this whole thing. I made him proud!

Okay now I’m tearing up. I digress.

And to make it even more exciting, I am going to be on a Blog Talk Internet Radio Show with Fran Lewis on March 14th to talk about Born in Flames! Woot! (I am extremely nervous about this just because I’ve never done it before…so I’m crossing my fingers it goes well). Thank you for believing in me and for supporting my debut novel! I hope that it’s only up from here!

But I digress once more.

In other, exciting news, I am still holding a BIG giveaway on my Facebook page for when I reach 500 Likes. So far, the first prize I have revealed is a $25 Amazon gift card. Cha-ching! My current tally is sitting at 388 Likes so there is plenty of time to Like and try to win! For every 50 Likes up until I reach 500, I am giving away an ecopy of my novel. Exciting stuff.

Hopefully the cover will soon be complete for Embracing the Flames and then a new round of excitement, giveaways, and promotion will begin.

Now to leave you with a question: Who put the cookies in the cookie jar?

Echelon out ♥

12 Writing Tips For 2012

Ho Ho Ho, Readers!!! What!? There’s a baby with a finger stuck in her nose on my blog!? What in the-!? How in the-!?

Yes…that would be my lovely daughter Scarlett with her finger shoved up her nose. She’s cute even when doing that! How am I ever supposed to discipline such cuteness!?

I digress.

In light of the ending year, I figured I would share 12 writing tips I gathered in 2012. This past year has been one crazy ride. I quit my job of five years to stay at home with my kids, I started up an art business with my best friend, and most importantly, my first novel ever written, was published by 48fourteen.

To say that I’ve obtained a lot of knowledge in a short amount of time is an understatement. It’s funny how much we change in a year. A life lesson can be found in every action we make. But a wise person recognizes this and grows because of it.

Any who, let’s get to the tips, shall we? Now, keep in mind that they aren’t anything that will change your life. They are only things that stand out to me as I reflect on this past year.

1. The only way to see a novel through is to simply write it. Sounds easy right? Well it’s not. Distractions surround us…especially writers who have access to internet and social media. But if I’ve learned one thing from this insight, it’s self-discipline. Only I can make it happen.
2. Editors are a must! You know that saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”? Well, our novels are our children. One person simply cannot do it alone. There is no shame in that either. If you are planning on self-publishing, please invest in an editor. I can’t tell you how much my editor has taught and helped me with both of my novels. Sometimes being so close to the project blinds you from the truth.
3. If you stumble on a scene that doesn’t sit well with you in your novel, trust your gut. Don’t overlook it because it’s the easiest thing to do. Yes it’s hard to delete your work, but if the scene was they way you wanted it, then you wouldn’t have had that feeling in the first place. I experienced this with a couple of scenes in Born in Flames that ended up being pointed out by my editor. I left them because I wasn’t sure, when I should have just went with my gut in the first place and deleted/fixed them.
4. Criticism is not always a bad thing. Although you do find those who bash just to bash, try to find the good in every remark. Criticism keeps you humble and it gives you insight into what readers are looking for in that particular genre. They might also bring to light something that wasn’t caught in editing.
5. Marketing is very time-consuming, but necessary. The key to success is to use what’s available. Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, ect. Also, Google blogs that read your genre and ask them if they’d be willing to review your copy. Every blog has followers and this is how you will expand your audience. Any exposure is good exposure.
6. You must give yourself time away from your projects or you will burn out.
7. Any idea, no matter how anemic it may seem, can be turned into something magnificent if you want it bad enough. All you have to do is believe in yourself.
8. Publication takes time. Lot’s of time. Editing, cover art, more editing, formatting, more editing…don’t rush it. Let things fall how they are meant to fall. But also, for those who have never published, understand that it does take up to a year. Don’t get discouraged!
9. Success doesn’t happen over night. It happens with word of mouth and plenty of time. Patience (the one thing I have worked on as my new years resolution last year) is the only thing that will get you through it. And marketing.
10. Not everyone will like/understand your work. Writing is like coffee. Taste buds vary.
11. READ! Read as much and as often as you can. Reading is a writer’s food for thought.
12. Don’t give up. When you feel down, alone, lost, confused, discouraged, worthless, not-good-enough…just take a deep breath. We all go through these emotions. Even the best of them do. It’s human nature to question yourself. It keeps you humble. But no matter how bad the emotion, don’t give up. Keep the fighting fire within you alive.

So that’s it. I know…it’s nothing spectacular or grand. It probably won’t change your life, but they are my lesson’s learned this year. I can only imagine what I will learn in 2013. Maybe my dream of being insanely successful will come true…lol. One can dream, right?

I finished approving my editors edits a week ago, so hopefully the cover art will be next. I am very excited about Embracing the Flames. I built up a whole new world with a bunch of different races, while letting Aurora simply…be. I can’t wait to share it with the world. I am only a quarter of the way through on From the Embers. I kind of slacked off during NaNo and then through the holidays.

That will be a New Years Resolution for me.

Any way, I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!!! Be sure to put a coin on your doorstep before midnight and then pick it up after midnight. It is said to bring you good fortune through the year. You won’t go a day without a dollar in your pocket.

Echelon out ♥

Blog Of The Year!!

Hello once again, Readers!!!! How was your holiday? Santa snuck in and ate the cookies my kids baked. He even took the note my son left for him! This is the only time of year we promote breaking-and-entering as acceptable…lol

But really, we are very fortunate and grateful for our family and friends and the love that is shared between everyone. I couldn’t ask for better people to share these special moments in time with.

But enough about all the boring-ness of my life…:)

I am still in the first year of starting this blog and I can’t believe all that has changed for me. My book was finally published in September with the second on the way, I’ve had over 8K views, and I’m one subscriber away from 500! What!?

The sad thing is, I have severely slacked on my posts in the last few months (something I am making a new years resolution about). But even with all the craziness and my late absence, I have still been nominated for Blog of the Year 2012! Not once, but twice!! I know right! AWESOMENESS!!

I was nominated by the lovely Andrew Toynbee who wrote ‘A Construct of Angels’ which I read and loved and also did an interview for, and the magnificent Pat who has always been kind and has a great talent for writing. She also loves to cook! You MUST check them out and say hello!

Any who, let me give my nominations before I explain the rules:

1. Sonya Loveday - Because she is my very best bestie and I love her!
2. 40 is the new 13 - Because you always have a neat outlook on life that makes me think and laugh.
3. Phillip McCollum - Because he is extremely talented and awesome!
4. Cassandra Giovanni - Because we are in the same boat in the world of being published!
5. Cramped Writing - Because you are going places and I enjoy your posts!
6. Ignore the Buckles on My Jacket - Because you are hilarious!
7. Patricia Awapara - Because she can paint like the Greats. She inspires me!
8. James Calbraith - Because his books are AWESOME and he is a talented writer!
9. ZB’s Blog of Awesomeness - Because she is a good friend and fellow author of 48fourteen!
10. The Bishop Review - Because if you ever need the “know” on what to watch-he’s your guy!
11. Jason Alan - Because you are kind and talented!!

I know…that’s a lot of people. There are so many more that are great and talented and keep up with their blogs better than I ever could! I am very grateful to everyone that I have met and learned from since being on here.

But I digress. It’s rule time!

Do you know a blog that deserves an award?

Do you have special blogs that you love to read?

Which blogs do you bookmark and follow?

Would you like to give them an award this year?

Then the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award is for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ‘rules’ for this award are simple:

1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award

2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.

3 Please include a link back to this page

‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/   

and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)

4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them

5 You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page

‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group 

and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience

6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes – that’s right – there are stars to collect!

Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once – this award is different!

When you begin you will receive the ‘1 star’ award – and every time you are given the award by another blog – you can add another star!

There are a total of 6 stars to collect.

Which means that you can check out your favourite blogs – and even if they have already been given the award by someone else – you can still bestow it on them again and help them to reach the maximum 6 stars!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Badges

Here are the six badges for you to collect – you can either ‘swop’ your badge for the next one each time you are given the award – or even proudly display all six badges if you are lucky enough to be presented with the award six times!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need to know more? Check out our FAQ page

And Congratulations! on being chosen for the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award!

Thanks everyone!!!

Echelon out ♥

NaNo Success!

I completed it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was there a moment when I thought I might not…..umm….more like tons of moments.

But I conquered it with a whopping 50013! Woot!

That being said…it is nowhere near finished. Also, the story completely changed about halfway through, but due to the time constraints I left it all as is to be fixed later. From the Embers will continue to be my main focus until I have time to pick this back up.

What I learned:

1. I can do something I didn’t know I could do.
2. I can drink three Red Bulls back to back and not have a heart attack.
3. I can juggle (literally).
4. I can get sick and still find it in me to put in some pretty wordage.
5. People are mean. (Okay so that has nothing to do with NaNo and everything to do with Goodreads…lol)
6. Letting yourself go is really the best way to write (at least for me.)
7. A year ago I didn’t even know about this.
8. My jaw clenches up when I get in the zone…ow.
9. I can write something other than my trilogy.
10. It’s okay to believe in myself.

Okay…so those aren’t deeply philosophical points, but I just put in a lot of words today and finished another painting so my mind is beat and my jaw hurts lol.

To everyone else who finished way before me or with an obsene amount of words, congrats. And to those who didn’t finish…don’t worry about it. Putting a thing like this smack dab in the middle of the holidays is a little silly and makes it pretty hard to accomplish. I barely made it. Keep writing. That is all that matters!

Here’s my latest painting:

Dreams 12×12

Side View

And I’m spent. Have a great night everyone!

Echelon out ♥