Today I'm over at Sandra Sookoo's blog talking about professionalism online and sharing the story of the incident that irked me and spurred the inspiration for this post!
Click here!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Everything is bad....m'kay?
Seems every single day I see posts in my Facebook and Twitter feeds talking about something else that is bad for you.
Sugar is bad. Sugar substitutes are bad.
Milk is bad, unless it's hormone free.
Gluten is bad.
Carbs are bad.
Fried foods are bad.
Any and all packaged processed foods are bad.
Red meat is bad. Meat fed with the wrong food is bad.
Even vegetables and fruits are bad...the ones that aren't organic. And now even those are iffy. I read an article where a farmer stated that no produce is completely "organic" and the pests and diseases on produce grown without pesticides can be just as dangerous as produce grown with pesticides.
All I hear/read everyday is how everything is bad bad bad. Makes my head spin. I have no clue what is good anymore. And I really have no clue what is best for me, my family, our future. But everywhere I look are people and articles telling me what I'm doing is wrong....no matter what I do.
So this is how I live my life- moderation. With anything in life, moderation is key. I'm not gonna give up sugar, cause I have a crazy sweet tooth! I'm not gonna give up dairy. I love cheese! I won't give up carbs and gluten cause I cannot live without pasta and bread and crackers! I won't give up friend foods cause they're damn tasty! I won't give up processed foods cause sometimes I need something quick and easy. I won't give up meat because I like it. I won't give up fruit and vegetables, because, duh, they're good for you. But I try not to over do it on any of these things. I don't let my kids eat potato chips every day for snack and we rarely have soda in the house. I don't buy canned soup or Hamburger Helper and instead find recipes for homemade versions. But I do occasionally buy Ramen noodles and boxed macaroni and cheese. It's a cheap and quick lunch. I try very hard to feed my family healthy low calorie meals that are good for them, but it doesn't always happen. We like to go out for pizza every once in a while.
Part of it is a financial thing too. Organic, carb-free, hormone-free, organic-fed, non-processed foods are not cheap. Our paychecks only go so far. I can't afford to double my grocery bill. And some weeks are tighter than others. So I do the best I can and keep the bad stuff to a minimum.
Sugar is bad. Sugar substitutes are bad.
Milk is bad, unless it's hormone free.
Gluten is bad.
Carbs are bad.
Fried foods are bad.
Any and all packaged processed foods are bad.
Red meat is bad. Meat fed with the wrong food is bad.
Even vegetables and fruits are bad...the ones that aren't organic. And now even those are iffy. I read an article where a farmer stated that no produce is completely "organic" and the pests and diseases on produce grown without pesticides can be just as dangerous as produce grown with pesticides.
All I hear/read everyday is how everything is bad bad bad. Makes my head spin. I have no clue what is good anymore. And I really have no clue what is best for me, my family, our future. But everywhere I look are people and articles telling me what I'm doing is wrong....no matter what I do.
So this is how I live my life- moderation. With anything in life, moderation is key. I'm not gonna give up sugar, cause I have a crazy sweet tooth! I'm not gonna give up dairy. I love cheese! I won't give up carbs and gluten cause I cannot live without pasta and bread and crackers! I won't give up friend foods cause they're damn tasty! I won't give up processed foods cause sometimes I need something quick and easy. I won't give up meat because I like it. I won't give up fruit and vegetables, because, duh, they're good for you. But I try not to over do it on any of these things. I don't let my kids eat potato chips every day for snack and we rarely have soda in the house. I don't buy canned soup or Hamburger Helper and instead find recipes for homemade versions. But I do occasionally buy Ramen noodles and boxed macaroni and cheese. It's a cheap and quick lunch. I try very hard to feed my family healthy low calorie meals that are good for them, but it doesn't always happen. We like to go out for pizza every once in a while.
Part of it is a financial thing too. Organic, carb-free, hormone-free, organic-fed, non-processed foods are not cheap. Our paychecks only go so far. I can't afford to double my grocery bill. And some weeks are tighter than others. So I do the best I can and keep the bad stuff to a minimum.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Yet another reason......
......why I love writing and reading romance........
I never leave feeling sad.
So, last night we watched Gatsby. I'd been wanting to see it for a while. I've never read the book or saw any of the other movie adaptions, but I did know a tiny bit about the story. It was a good movie with a good cast and lots of pretty things to look at. That era fascinates me. But the movie left me feeing sad. It did not end happily ever after. And I am starting to realize I crave that when I watch movies or read books. I don't like walking away sad.
***SPOILER ALERT***
Click away now if you haven't seen the movie or know nothing about the story.
Jay Gatsby is a complicated character with many flaws. He's mysterious at first, but then we get to know a little about him. He's a man in love, who has done a whole lot to make himself into the man he wants to be, the man he's dreamed of being, the man he thinks she deserves. Everything he did was for her. To prove he was good enough for her. I loved the scene when he was getting ready to see her for the first time in five years....the nerves. So adorable! My romantic heart went all a flutter :)
I liked Daisy at first....I felt sympathy for her. A girl stuck in a marriage, knowing her husband is fooling around and unable to do anything about it. She still loves Gatsby too, and my heart swooned, hoping they would figure it out and be together...finally.
But she didn't love him. Not really. She let him take the blame for killing that girl, a chivalrous act that backfired and got him killed. And she'd had no intention of being with him. She walked away scott free. Nothing he did was good enough for her.
The movie ended and I just felt sad.
This is why I love romance. Love always wins out. I never finish a movie or book and feel sad. There is far too much sadness in the world....everywhere I look. I want to believe that there is happiness in our world. A cynic will say romance stories are unrealistic. I disagree. I believe true love exists. It's not always easy, but it is there for those who want to work hard for it.
I never leave feeling sad.
So, last night we watched Gatsby. I'd been wanting to see it for a while. I've never read the book or saw any of the other movie adaptions, but I did know a tiny bit about the story. It was a good movie with a good cast and lots of pretty things to look at. That era fascinates me. But the movie left me feeing sad. It did not end happily ever after. And I am starting to realize I crave that when I watch movies or read books. I don't like walking away sad.
***SPOILER ALERT***
Click away now if you haven't seen the movie or know nothing about the story.
Jay Gatsby is a complicated character with many flaws. He's mysterious at first, but then we get to know a little about him. He's a man in love, who has done a whole lot to make himself into the man he wants to be, the man he's dreamed of being, the man he thinks she deserves. Everything he did was for her. To prove he was good enough for her. I loved the scene when he was getting ready to see her for the first time in five years....the nerves. So adorable! My romantic heart went all a flutter :)
I liked Daisy at first....I felt sympathy for her. A girl stuck in a marriage, knowing her husband is fooling around and unable to do anything about it. She still loves Gatsby too, and my heart swooned, hoping they would figure it out and be together...finally.
But she didn't love him. Not really. She let him take the blame for killing that girl, a chivalrous act that backfired and got him killed. And she'd had no intention of being with him. She walked away scott free. Nothing he did was good enough for her.
The movie ended and I just felt sad.
This is why I love romance. Love always wins out. I never finish a movie or book and feel sad. There is far too much sadness in the world....everywhere I look. I want to believe that there is happiness in our world. A cynic will say romance stories are unrealistic. I disagree. I believe true love exists. It's not always easy, but it is there for those who want to work hard for it.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Book settings- Big City vs. Small Town
When I sat down and started crafting my first book, I naturally set it in a city setting, since that is where I grew up. It was comfortable for me. I went on to write a few more books, also set in cities. The fast-pace excitement of a city setting fit the story.
I wrote a novella and set it in a small town. I wanted to try it out. And I liked it. It was interesting to see the drama that unfolded with the quirky characters you find in that setting. The gossip mill never stops churning! It was addicting and I went on to write a few more books set in small towns.
There is so much to love about a book set in a city, especially if it's a well known major city, like NYC. I set my Karma books there. There is so much excitement in a big city, so much going on. There are all kinds of ways the setting can affect the plot and characters. I have been to NY a couple times, so I can envision it from experience, but there is soooooo much online about NYC that the research is so simple to do. When you set a book in a real city, you have to make sure the details are accurate and with a big city, it's very easy to do. And I think readers enjoy reading about these places. They may be places they might not ever get to visit in real life.
Small towns are so fun to write about. I tend to completely make mine up though, and the crazy quirky people who live there. There is a certain charm to a small town, quaint and cute, but that doesn't mean there isn't drama. My husband grew up in a small town, and I see how everyone knows everything about everyone who lives there. It's hard to keep things secret, and that can definitely add to the drama in a book.
Tonight I am hosting this week's #ChickLitChat on Twitter and my topic is city vs small town. What we love, what we hate, how where we grew up or live currently affects our opinions. Come on by and share your opinions!! 8 PM EST, use the hashtag to join in!
I wrote a novella and set it in a small town. I wanted to try it out. And I liked it. It was interesting to see the drama that unfolded with the quirky characters you find in that setting. The gossip mill never stops churning! It was addicting and I went on to write a few more books set in small towns.
There is so much to love about a book set in a city, especially if it's a well known major city, like NYC. I set my Karma books there. There is so much excitement in a big city, so much going on. There are all kinds of ways the setting can affect the plot and characters. I have been to NY a couple times, so I can envision it from experience, but there is soooooo much online about NYC that the research is so simple to do. When you set a book in a real city, you have to make sure the details are accurate and with a big city, it's very easy to do. And I think readers enjoy reading about these places. They may be places they might not ever get to visit in real life.
Small towns are so fun to write about. I tend to completely make mine up though, and the crazy quirky people who live there. There is a certain charm to a small town, quaint and cute, but that doesn't mean there isn't drama. My husband grew up in a small town, and I see how everyone knows everything about everyone who lives there. It's hard to keep things secret, and that can definitely add to the drama in a book.
Tonight I am hosting this week's #ChickLitChat on Twitter and my topic is city vs small town. What we love, what we hate, how where we grew up or live currently affects our opinions. Come on by and share your opinions!! 8 PM EST, use the hashtag to join in!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
BIG NEWS!!! It's happening!
Back in like 2005 or so, when I started writing what ended up being a crazy 130,000 word monstrosity, I had no thoughts of my writing future. I was just writing cause I had an idea and it sounded interesting and it was fun. I just wanted to see if I could do it. If I could write an entire book. And I did. It sucked--I later realized-- but I'd done it. It was then I realized I wanted to share my words with the world. I liked that people enjoyed the story I came up with. It made me feel really good and I wanted to keep doing it. Keep getting that high.
So I kept writing, and took each step I had to take to get myself where I needed to be to make this new dream a reality. I read, I learned, I made mistakes. But I never stopped moving forward. I kept on working. I knew my dream would come true if I just kept working hard. I could only get better, right? And getting better would get me where I wanted to go.
I knew 2013 was going to be a good year. On New Year's day came an offer of representation by my now agent Brittany Booker, for my new book- Try Me On for Size. It's really an amazing feeling when someone else believes in your book as much as you do. This book is different than anything else I've ever written, and it really shows my voice and style. Its sassy and sexy, but funny and heartwarming...and let's not forget dramatic. She sent it right out on submission, and it garnered lots of requests. But the rejections were all the same. So we made some changes. And that did it.
I'm so so proud to announce I have signed a TWO BOOK contract for Try Me On for Size and it's sequel, titled Size Matters, with Abby Zidle of Pocket Star, an imprint of Simon & Schuster!! TMOFS is estimated to release in summer of 2014 :) So so excited!!
So I kept writing, and took each step I had to take to get myself where I needed to be to make this new dream a reality. I read, I learned, I made mistakes. But I never stopped moving forward. I kept on working. I knew my dream would come true if I just kept working hard. I could only get better, right? And getting better would get me where I wanted to go.
I knew 2013 was going to be a good year. On New Year's day came an offer of representation by my now agent Brittany Booker, for my new book- Try Me On for Size. It's really an amazing feeling when someone else believes in your book as much as you do. This book is different than anything else I've ever written, and it really shows my voice and style. Its sassy and sexy, but funny and heartwarming...and let's not forget dramatic. She sent it right out on submission, and it garnered lots of requests. But the rejections were all the same. So we made some changes. And that did it.
I'm so so proud to announce I have signed a TWO BOOK contract for Try Me On for Size and it's sequel, titled Size Matters, with Abby Zidle of Pocket Star, an imprint of Simon & Schuster!! TMOFS is estimated to release in summer of 2014 :) So so excited!!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Learning the publishing business
Before getting publishing is a lot like going back to school. Check out my post about it!!
Click here!
Click here!
Monday, September 9, 2013
I hate neglected blogs :(
I hate clicking someone's blog and seeing the last post was months, or even years ago. And here I am...doing just that :(
It's been a hell of a summer. That's all I can say. It's been one thing after another. Two kids keep me busy. I can't imagine what bigger families are like. Yikes! Do mom and dad ever get a spare moment to breathe? LOL!
Lots of exciting writing-related things going on too. I still can't reveal much yet, but let's just say, it's what I've been working the last 5+ years for. I still can't believe it's actually happening. Details to come soon. I promise!!!
It's been a hell of a summer. That's all I can say. It's been one thing after another. Two kids keep me busy. I can't imagine what bigger families are like. Yikes! Do mom and dad ever get a spare moment to breathe? LOL!
Lots of exciting writing-related things going on too. I still can't reveal much yet, but let's just say, it's what I've been working the last 5+ years for. I still can't believe it's actually happening. Details to come soon. I promise!!!
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