Here it is!  What do  you think about the cover of the second book in the Alissia Roswell Series?  Jason over at Jera Publishing did an amazing job, as always!  I’m not giving you the synopsis just yet.  That will be revealed soon enough.  The release date is set for May 29, 2014.  If that seems too far away, then be sure to sign up for my newsletter.  (I promise I’m not a spammer.  In fact, I’ve only sent out one newsletter in total.  I truly need to work on that.)  There will be many chances to win advanced reader copies before the official release, and I don’t want you to miss any of the fun.

If you haven’t read the first book in the series, it is available in paperback and e-book at almost all bookstores online.  There are many chances to win an e-book this week through some blogs that are helping with the cover reveal.  Be sure to check them out, and sign up for your chance to win.  Those sites are:

Behind a Million and One Pages

Behind a Million and One Pages – Book Likes

Addicted to Novels

Becky’s Barmy Book Blog

It’s been a while since I’ve done a raffle, so I’ll add one to this page.  Now you have even more chances to win a copy of Unexpected Metamorphosis, so you’ll be ready for Unexpected Entrapment when it comes out.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’m excited!  I just got the final version of the cover for the second book in the Alissia Roswell Series, and I love it.  I can’t wait to share it with you all tomorrow.  With the cover reveal, you’ll also learn the title and the release date.  But, don’t worry if you want your copy before the release date.  There will be many chances for you to win an advanced reader’s copy, so you may want to sign up for my newsletter to be sure that you don’t miss any of them.  I’ve got some fun ideas for y’all, and I’ll share them once we get closer to the date.

If you haven’t yet read Unexpected Metamorphosis, don’t worry about that either.  Tomorrow there will be multiple blogs giving away ebooks, and you can also buy a paperback from Amazon and Barnes & Nobles.

I am very excited to get this second book out to y’all.  Unlike the first novel, where no one knew what to expect, most of y’all are into the story and love Alissia almost as much as I do.  The second book is much different from the first, and the third will be filled with a lot of fantasy as Alissia continues her adventure in search of the Lamians.

Her adventure is a big one, and I hope you enjoy all the people and creatures she meets along the way.  As always, I thank you all for your support with my début novel.  Like Alissia, my life is also changing as I transition into being an author.  I’m learning a lot, meeting new people, and my mind is filling up with untold stories I can’t wait to share.

I could never have done any of this without the support I have received from many people, a lot of them I have never met.  I hope that my writing never lets you down, and I thank you for giving me the gift of your kind words.  Hope you all have a blessed day!

Ah, it’s that time of year again.  Many people are thinking up resolutions and starting new planners and calendars for the year.  Although I’m not one to make up resolutions, I did have a hard time falling asleep last night.  As I snuggled into my pillow, I could not help but think of how blessed I was in 2013.  It was an amazing year, and one I won’t forget.

2013 was a year of healing for me.  You see, 2010 and 2011 were hard years filled with many difficulties life can throw at a person.  In 2012, I was completely broken and found myself in a dark place, which is where my first novel came from.  At the beginning of last year, my husband and I agreed that I would focus on trying to relax and let myself heal.

As 2013 rolled in, I was locked in my bedroom editing Unexpected Metamorphosis, filled with determination to finish.  Then, in early January, one of my childhood dreams came true.  We took a family vacation to Costa Rica, where we rode horses to a waterfall, hiked to the edge of a volcano, got rained on in the rain forest, swam in the ocean, and saw some amazing scenery.  Although I have been to other countries before, I am a true nature lover, and I fell even more in love with Costa Rica.

Unexpected Metamorphosis was finally published in late July, and I even went to an author’s convention in Las Vegas in August.  Being surrounded by other authors that understand the writing process and the mind of a writer was worth so much more than I had expected.  If you are an author and you’ve never been with a group of other authors, I highly recommend it.  All of the authors I have met this past year have been extremely kind, and I’m highly impressed with the writing community.  I also participated in book signings and found that I love public speaking.  (I’m really not a shy person.)

I retired from home schooling and sent my children to school, so I now have time alone throughout my day, which is something I have not had in many years.  It is amazing how starved I was for some alone time, and I even acquired a taste for hot tea for the first time in my life.  My cabinet is now filled with many varieties.

2013 ended perfectly for me.  We celebrated two Thanksgivings at my home.  The first with my family and then with some friends that stayed with us.  Having my home filled with the people I love and laughter did much to soothe my soul.

As for Christmas, my dear husband gave me the perfect gift.  He and the children went to visit his family for three days, while I stayed home for a writing binge.  That one gift put me near the end of my second novel due out this spring.  When they came home, we celebrated Christmas as a family and spent an entire week at home sleeping in and doing things around the house.  It was simple and relaxing.  My husband even surprised me with a new MacBook Air since my old laptop was beginning to act up.

If you are in the midst of life’s trials, I hope you’ll realize that there is a season for everything.  Maybe you’ve lost someone you love or you’ve been diagnosed with a life threatening disease.  Although the situation is not temporary, you will eventually learn to live with whatever you are faced with.  I still carry a deep wound within my heart over some of the things that happened recently in my life, but I made the choice to not let any of it destroy me.  I had to forgive myself and others, and I also had to make the hard decision to stay away from someone I love dearly as a mother.  You can only control your own thoughts and actions, and sometimes you have to walk away out of self-preservation.  But, if I’ve learned anything from 2013, it’s that we can heal, and no matter how broken we become, we can smile again.  The darkness will eventually pass.  Who knows?  Maybe 2014 is your year of healing.

I truly wish each and every one of you the best in 2014.  May it be even better for you than 2013.  If not, don’t ever forget that there will be another year and even another.  Life goes on.

I was talking to a woman at a party the other night, and she said that when she thought of authors, she thought of someone who enjoys being alone, a recluse. She went on to say that she imagined them enjoying solitude in a cabin on a lake. That’s when I told her that sounded like the perfect place for me.

As for being reclusive, I can say there is some truth to that. Before writing, I hosted parties at least once a month and often even twice a month. I was very extroverted and organized many girls’ night outs, but now I don’t organize or host anything. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the parties and friends. I just don’t have the time, and my mind is often thinking of other things.

I have always been a busy person with a busy mind. Before writing, I was always organizing some social event, home schooling, cleaning, baking, etc. I always had to be “on,” but that’s not so anymore. Where I used to have the radio on while driving or I’d go crazy, I can now sit in silence. My mind has learned to entertain itself by creating stories, and I enjoy it. I guess that means I’ve learned to enjoy my own company. I don’t have to have outside distractions anymore.

My family will soon be visiting my in-laws, and since I’m behind on my writing, I will be staying behind. I’m hoping to finish writing the novel I’m working on. I even plan to keep the alarm on in my home, because I won’t be going outside (too cold for me). It will be a complete writing binge with no makeup, comfy clothes, and I’ll only take breaks for cereal, sandwiches, and bathing. I’m actually extremely excited about having a few days alone and can’t wait to completely immerse myself into Alissia’s latest adventure.

Does that make me a recluse? I don’t know. What I do know is that I will soon have to find balance between my new reclusive lifestyle and my old extrovert self. My friends and the ESL class that I teach have told me that they miss my parties. I’m also about to start leading a class with my husband on the Love & Respect books out by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. That means I will most likely want to start hosting gatherings for the people in the class.

Spring and summer I’ll be back to face-to-face marketing with book signings and some travel, so the pressure is on to get ahead of my schedule. I’m in the process of organizing a meet-up with other authors in the area, and it will be nice to ask them how they are doing with their management of time. If you are an author, how’s it going for you, and do you find yourself more of a recluse since writing? I’d love to hear from you in the comments’ section below.

There’s less than two weeks until Christmas, and I’ve done no decorating (not even a tree).  I really haven’t done much shopping, and nothing is wrapped.  It’s not that I haven’t wanted to do these things.  It’s just that the time has not been there.  My oldest daughter’s schedule has kept us busy this month with extra activities and two school projects.  We always put the tree up as a family, and that means we all need to be at home for one full afternoon.

At a party I attended the other night, someone told me that they have their tree up but not decorated.  Like me, she feels there’s not much point in doing all the work of decorating a tree for so little time.  Yet, it is a family tradition in our home, and we even buy the kids a special ornament each year that goes along with what they’ve done during that year.  (And, no, I haven’t even looked for their ornaments this year.)

I’m starting to feel the last-minute pressure, and I feel a late, online shopping binge coming my way.  I believe we have a free afternoon this Saturday, and we can put up the tree after I get home from a writer’s meeting.  I did manage to get the kids some matching Christmas outfits the other night, so I may even have time to take their pictures sitting by the tree.  That means I may be able to send out cards this year.  (I’m really random on card sending.  It’s basically every other year.)

Is this normal?  I feel as if everyone around me has their Christmas decorations out and are in the spirit of things, and I’m a Scrooge.  No matter what I do in life to downsize my schedule to slow down, it’s always crazy and hectic.  Is this because I’m a mother?  Is it like this with everyone?  If so, how did this happen to our society?

Well, I will continue to ponder my life, but I have a stack of emails and marketing that is waiting for me.  Maybe I’ll end my evening shopping from bed, and everything will arrive on time.  That is me being optimistic and living by one of my mottos.  “It’s all good.”

I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season.  May your cookies be yummy and not stick to your tummy (and thighs)!

Hmm… This is so very true.

Here’s a Goodreads giveaway of a signed copy of Unexpected Metamorphosis just in time for the Christmas and New Year holidays.  Enter to win and don’t forget to share it with others.  Good luck!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Unexpected Metamorphosis

by Tianna Holley

Giveaway ends December 21, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win