Friday, October 26, 2012

Friday's Letters #7



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Friday's Letters is hosted by Ashley over at Adventures of Newlyweds. This has been a really busy week for me, and it's looking like it'll be a busy weekend, too. I swear I need a few more hours in the day just to get everything done.




Dear NaNoWriMo, I am excited and terrified to do you. I think I might lose what little sanity I have left by attempting this, but book #4 needs to get written sometime, so why not amid the chaos of thousands of other crazy writers trying to write 50,000 words in 30 days?
Dear everyone who happens to be reading this, my second novel, The Game Changer, comes out in two and a half weeks (eeeeeeep!!!). I’m having a promotional giveaway on my book blog, and I’d love if you’d enter and help me spread the word about the book!
Dear Magic Mike, I'm so glad you're finally out on DVD! Even though I saw you twice in the theatre, I had to own you. And dear Mum, thank you for watching it with me...it was equal parts awkward and hilarious.
Dear Jessica, thank you for being such an incredible friend. It's kind of crazy when I think that even though you're hundreds of miles away, you've been a better friend over the past few months than most of my 'real life' friends. You always brighten my day and make me smile. 
Dear Noah, I was so, so happy to see you yesterday and get a big hug and kiss. Auntie misses you so much! I just don't get to see you often enough. I'm so glad you loved my idea of being a pirate for Halloween and that you're going to let me put your costume together. You'll look awesome, I promise. AND I'm super excited that I get to go trick-or-treating with you and Logan...Halloween is my favourite holiday, but I haven't had a chance to celebrate it for a few years now. Wait til you see my costume, you're gonna flip!
Dear Amanda, I'm sorry you're so sick, and I really hope the doctors find out what's wrong with you soon. This is going on two years now, and after countless trips to doctors and specialists, and dozens of tests, this is beyond ridiculous. 
Dear weekend, you and I are going to get along just fine. I thought I would be on babysitting duty, but I unexpectedly have the weekend off! Perfect timing too, because I have a ton of stuff to do...and I'd like to get caught up on my reading.
Dear mail carrier lady, UPS man, and Canada Post man, I had to stop myself from kissing you on several occasions this week for bringing me such awesome parcels. I can't wait to do my book haul vlog this weekend and show off all my awesome new books!
Dear Suleena, I can't wait until we go shopping in the States. You need to hurry up and pick a date! At 11:19 last night I realized it was two months until Christmas...gah! How did that happen?


 
  

Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Game Changer Spread the Word Giveaway


On my book blog, Ramblings of a Daydreamer, I'm having a giveaway for people who help me spread the word about The Game Changer via Twitter, Facebook, Google +, blogs, etc. If you'd like to win one of 20 new releases, hop on over to Ramblings of a Daydreamer and enter the giveaway!



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Happy stuff, excitement, and a meltdown

It seems like I usually use this blog to talk about the stuff that's bothering me. Today I actually have something I'm happy and excited about: my second novel, The Game Changer. It comes out three weeks from today. It feels like I've been working on this book forever. I started it right after the release of Blue Sky Days, and it took me several months to write because I had so much else going on in my life. When I finished writing it, I set it aside rather than starting revisions right away, and I ended up writing my third book in the meantime. When book #3 was done, I started revisions on The Game Changer, sent it out to beta readers, and long story short, here I am, three weeks before publication. 

I posted the very first excerpt of the book on Ramblings of a Daydreamer today. It was exciting and nerve-wracking to share a little piece of the book. All morning I've had butterflies and barfy feelings lol. I also have a giveaway up and a request for people to help me spread the word about the book, since I haven't done much to promote it. If you'd like to read the excerpt and help me spread the word in exchange for a chance to win an awesome new book of your choice, head on over to Ramblings of a Daydreamer

I just finished revisions for the book last night, and I'm not even technically done because I need one more set of eyes to read over it, and that set of eyes is very busy this week. It's stressing me out, because the longer it takes her, the longer I have to push back formatting and sending the book out to reviewers. But...for right now I have a little reprieve. I actually don't know what to do with myself today. My sister-in-law has been sick the last few days, so I unexpectedly had today and yesterday off from babysitting duty. Goodness knows I have  a ton of stuff to do - my apartment is a mess, I have books lying all over my room because I need to organize my shelves, I need to catch up on blogging, reading, and writing articles for the site I freelance with....but right now I'm just enjoying a little quiet time.

So now we come to the meltdown part of the blog title. Just before writing this post, I realized I hadn't written the acknowledgements for The Game Changer. When I wrote Blue Sky Days, I thanked practically everyone I'd ever known, but this time it's just going to be people who had something to do with The Game Changer. I started writing and got a little teary, as I always do...I'm a sentimental sort...and then I got to the part where I wanted to thank my Grama (who's been gone for over a year now, and who I talked about quite a bit when I started Lost and Found), and I had a full-on meltdown. I went from a little trickle of tears to hysterical crying, and I couldn't stop. I miss her like crazy, and sometimes it hits me all over again that she's gone, but I think it was more than that. I think it was just everything that's happened in the last few months while I've been trying to be so strong and it all just caught up to me in a moment of weakness. I'm actually kind of sitting here laughing about it now, which probably means I've lost my mind. It feels better to get it all out, and it also feels really nice to have a break, however short, before the chaos starts up again.

 

  

Friday, October 12, 2012

Friday's Letters #6

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Friday's Letters is hosted by Ashley over at Adventures of Newlyweds. This has been a really busy week for me, and it's looking like it'll be a busy weekend, too. I swear I need a few more hours in the day just to get everything done.
 
 
Dear weird, mysterious flu-like illness that made me feel like crap Monday night through Wednesday night, thank you for going away. I have way too much going on right now to be sick.
Dear Visa, upping my credit limit and dropping my interest by 8% was the best and worst thing ever. I've been going a little nuts on the spending, but in my defense, I've hardly bought anything all year...still...Dear self, it's NOT FREE MONEY, you have to pay it back. Take it easy!
Dear Dial guava and tangerine body wash, you were the cheapest stuff I could find, and even though guava and tangerine seem like a bizarre combination, you smell so good and you make my skin so soft.
Dear Mum, you're a rock star, as always. What more can I say? I couldn't ask for a better best friend.
Dear editor for The Game Changer, I could have kissed you when I woke up this morning and saw that you'd finished the book and sent me your notes. The last few weeks have been hell wondering if you were going to finish on time, and now I feel like 1,000 pound weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I still have a lot of work to do, but between your comments, my alpha reader's comments, and my one amazing beta reader who came through...I think I'll be ok. *crosses fingers*
Dear Nashville, I was determined not to watch any new shows this fall, and I lost interest in you after seeing the same commercial 5,428,103 times over the summer, but I caved, and you were actually pretty darn amazing. I guess one new show this season won't hurt...
Dear next week, I am so f'ing glad I have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off from watching Logan. I need the break...not that it will technically be a break break, because I have a million things to do and I'll be working morning, noon, and night, but at least I'll actually be able to work without being interrupted every five seconds by a pint-sized monster who uses the world's sweetest grin to manipulate and distract me.
Dear Logan, you were the sweetest thing this week. You're so funny and smart and crazy, and I love you so much it hurts.
 
Serenading me while I attempted to work on Thursday afternoon
 
Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you've all had a great week, and that you have a wonderful weekend. Be sure to leave a comment and/or link me up to your Friday's Letters - or just your blog if you're not here from Friday's Letters - and I'll be sure to visit you back! :-)
 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Out of control


My entire life feels like it’s out of my control right now. I feel like I have absolutely no say in anything that happens, and I hate feeling powerless. I’ve been feeling really down lately, and so irritable. The least little thing sets me off, and I hate being that person. I don’t want to be that person.

I guess I got a bit spoiled working from home and being on my own schedule. I could get up when I wanted, work when and for however long I wanted, eat whenever I wanted. Now I have no say in any of those things. I love having Logan here, but six days a week and different hours every day is exhausting and leaves me very little time to do my own stuff. And I have a lot of stuff to do. It’s frustrating.

Then I have friends who basically want nothing to do with me except when it suits them. I won’t hear from them for ages until they need me for something or all of a sudden remember me and want to do something as long as it’s what they want, when they want. Since when is that how friendship works? You can’t ignore me all summer, say you’re too busy doing other stuff, and then expect me to drop everything when you have nothing better to do and suddenly want to hang out. And of course it’s those same friends who have tons of time for their other friends but no time for me. Did I miss something and we’re suddenly back in high school? You kind of expect people to be all over the place in high school, but we’re adults now - it’s time to grow up.

I’m tired of being used and overlooked and ignored, and I’m tired of putting my life on hold for other people. 

*****

I wrote that last night, and shortly afterward I was talking to my mum and she said she's afraid I'm getting really bitter and cynical...and as you can see, that's kind of true. Like I said, I don't want to be that person. I hate that everything that's going on is affecting every aspect of my life. I need to take control back, but I just don't know how....yet.

I'm feeling a bit better today. Even though I was aware of how all this stuff was affecting my mood, I think in a weird way it helped to hear someone else say it. I was aware of it, but to know it's not going unnoticed, especially by the only person who's always there for me...it's upsetting. An eye opener. I've always been strong, and now I need to draw on that strength and try to make the best of things, even when it feels like everything is going against me.

*Takes a deep breath*...I'm going to try. Hopefully soon I'll have a happy post to share instead of all this angsty crap. ;-)

 



Friday, October 5, 2012

Friday's Letters #5

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Friday's Letters is hosted by Ashley over at Adventures of Newlyweds. This has been a really busy week for me, and it's looking like it'll be a busy weekend, too. I swear I need a few more hours in the day just to get everything done.
 
 
Dear WalMart, thanks so much for continuing to give my sister-in-law the crappiest hours known to man so that we won’t have a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving (one of my favourite holidays) this weekend. I have a few choice words for you, but I’d like to keep this blog PG.
Dear Mum, I feel like we're in a race to see who will lose her sanity first. I'm not liking it. At all. This seems like a really good time to run away to Ireland.
Dear Jessica, thank you for listening to me rant repeatedly this week and always being there (and by ‘there’ I mean 400+ miles away) with a reassuring and comforting word. Your cyber hugs are the best, and I love you!
Dear The Game Changer, I can’t believe you will be out in the world in less than six weeks! I also can’t believe that in less than six weeks I’ll be a three-times-published author. Eep! I’m a little worried (ok, a lot worried) that only two of my five beta readers have gotten back to me, and I’m beginning to think I’ll either need to go ahead without them or push back the release date…neither of which will make me a happy girl!
Dear Logan, I love you to bits, and even though having you here every day is sometimes stressful and has seriously thrown my schedule into the toilet, you’re a joy to have around (most of the time...except for yesterday...you were the devil yesterday and I couldn't wait for you to go home) and getting to spend so much time with you and shape your little two-year-old brain is an honour.
Dear blog, last Friday I said I’d try to do better with updating you…and considering this is my first post since then, you can see how well I did there. Sorry! 

I hope you've all  had a great week! Be sure to leave a comment and/or link me up to your Friday's Letters - or just your blog if you're not here from Friday's Letters - and I'll be sure to visit you back! :-)