Hello friends! Sorry it has been a while. I have been sick for over a week and have been dragging. I thought I’d give everyone an update on what to expect over the coming months. The cover reveal for Unexpected Entrapment was January 8, and the release date is scheduled for May 29. Right now I am in the final chapters and plan to be in the dreaded proofreading stage soon. After I’ve read through it more times than I would like, I will pass it on to some others to read through. Then it will finally be sent off to the editor. Once the editor finishes, it will come back to me for finalization. The last stage is formatting.

For those of you that have already read Unexpected Metamorphosis, you might have noticed the beautiful font and pictures of a butterfly at the beginning of each chapter. Jera Publishing did an amazing job with the formatting, as well as cover design, on this series.

Today I am finalizing the synopsis so the designer can finish the back cover. I also have to get things together for some blogs that will be spotlighting Unexpected Entrapment.

The goal is to have everything completed two months prior to the release date. In an attempt to get some early reviews in, there will be many ways to win an advanced reader’s copy of Unexpected Entrapment. You might want to sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss any of the chances to win, and if you haven’t already, be sure to leave a review at Amazon and/or Goodreads, or Barnes and Nobles if you have a Nook.

I will also be posting the first two chapters for you to read once it has been edited. Be ready for some excerpts also. This novel will include the first chapter of the next novel in the series, so I will immediately begin writing the third novel. The goal is to have it released by the end of this year, so I’ve got to stay busy 🙂

I am eager to begin the next novel, as it will focus more on the fantasy realm of the series. We will be meeting some new creatures, and I get to dive into my imagination to create them.

Thank you all for your support, and I hope you stay warm on this cold day.  As I type this, it is pouring snow outside, and I live outside Atlanta, Georgia.  Usually we get a mix of cold and warm weather in the winter, but not this year.  Although I’ve had years where I’ve built a snowman during the week while living in North Carolina, and then went bike riding while wearing shorts over the weekend.  This year it’s just been dreadfully cold, and there have been no warm days.  I am a firm believer in hibernating during the cold, and I have not ventured out of my home very much.  Snow is not my friend!

Balance. Everyone seems to be seeking it. How do we balance our time and money, the two biggest struggles? My husband taught a Dave Ramsey financial course years ago, and we learned the tricks to keeping our finances straight. It’s all about budgeting and making a point of telling our money where to go. We can’t afford everything, so we have to choose where our priorities are.

The same pretty much goes for our time. I’m not saying you should write out a schedule of what you plan to do each day. A detailed budget works fine when it comes to money, but I’m not about to have a piece of paper dictate how I spend my day. As my husband loves to remind me, he’s a creature of habit and could easily live off of a planned time schedule. However, I have an extremely random personality. There is no orderly fashion in just about everything I do in life, and my poor husband comes home to the unknown every day. Some days I get up in a cleaning mood. Then there’s the baking days where I destroy my kitchen to fill my freezer, errand days, marketing days at my computer, and then there’s the writing binges where I barely take time to eat, much less cook a meal or clean something.

When I was in my early twenties (and I’m not going to say how long ago that was), I used to have a saying. Every day I made it a point to be the best I could be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Those were my four priorities, and although some days I did not work out or do anything to recharge in the other areas, I tried to keep a balance among them throughout the week.

What I’ve learned along this roller coaster ride called life, is that when I pay attention to those four priorities, I’m much more balanced and at peace. Any time I neglect any of those areas, my life slowly topples.

I’m only truly happy when I’ve balanced my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state of being. So how do I do that when it always doesn’t come natural for me? That’s when I surround myself with the proper reading materials. I have books and magazines in just about every room of the house, and although I’ve not read half of them (I plan to), just seeing their covers or spines reminds me of what I need to do. I’ll read a quick article on exercise or healthy eating. If I’m really tired, I’ll pick up the book titled The World’s Healthiest Foods, and I’ll start highlighting like crazy. I know I’ll never memorize all the information in the book or any of the other health books I read, but it reminds me how I need to be living.

The same goes with my spiritual state. My house if filled with books and studies to support my faith. I have to feed my mind if I want to live the lifestyle I choose to believe in.

There are no books to help with your emotional state (except relaxing with a great fictional read). That only comes from taking care of yourself. Slow down and spend time with the ones you love. If you’re single, find a friend to laugh with, turn on your favorite music, sip a glass of wine or hot tea, light some candles, get a massage, or take a hot bath.  (Yes, I realize some of these are girly.  These are my loves.) Do something that makes you happy, even if you don’t feel like it at first. Just do it.

Then there’s the mental part of life. My husband and I are both avid learners. Almost every year we get into something new and start researching and studying it. Just last year, my husband took some Spanish classes and absorbed himself into the language. He learned it and moved on to learn something new. (Not to be a downer, but if he doesn’t use it, he’ll lose it. I majored in foreign language in college and lost everything I knew from lack of use.)

As for me, I spent my time last year taking classes and researching how to build a website and maintain it (not the funnest thing to learn). I continuously research marketing and things related to being an author. Honestly, there’s just not enough time in my life to study all I wish I could learn. To this day, I have a desire to learn kickboxing, yoga, belly dancing, photography, organic gardening, foreign language, and how to do advanced novel formatting and graphic arts. As you can see, I just don’t have the time for all that if I want to continue to write books for a living. I’ll just have to teach myself the basics when I can, and that’s how I balance the mental part of my life. I learn a little here and there. I never stop learning. (Oh, and my organic gardening is a total fail every year, but I never stop trying.)

I’m not saying to run to a bookstore and spend a lot of money, which is an extremely easy thing to do. However, I do advise you to spend some money on some reading materials. If you’re having trouble working out or eating healthy, grab a book or magazine and read some articles to jumpstart your mood. (It works!) Choose something you would like to learn and either take a class or start researching it online or in a book. (Just try to learn something.)  Read about what you have faith in so that you’ll know why you believe in it.  If you need an emotional break and some alone time, then take the time to rest–light those candles, and read a fictional book for fun. In fact, I know of a great one called Unexpected Metamorphosis. 🙂

Until next time, read a book and take a moment for yourself.  You’d be amazed at how everything will just fall into place!

Here are a few of my all-time favorites:

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.

Author KD Rose tagged me on Twitter for a blog hop, and you can find her answers to these questions on her blog.  You can also find her on Twitter as @KDRose1.  Here are my answers to the questions, and now I will need to find five random authors on Twitter to continue the hop.  Should be fun reaching out randomly to others.

What are You Writing?

 I am writing the second book in the Alissia Roswell Series.  Unexpected Metamorphosis is the first one, and it was released at the end of July.  The series is a fantasy romance about a young woman pulled into a new reality and forced to rely upon others, which is something she has never done before.  

How Does This Differ From Your Last Work?

Unexpected Metamorphosis is my début novel, and I learned a lot through the long writing, editing, and publishing process.  I was clueless in many ways, and that meant there was a lot of anxiety mixed in with the excitement.  Things are very different with this second one, because I know more of what to expect.  There really isn’t any anxiety.  I’m just focused on the process itself, which is in the writing stage at this time.

Why Do You Write?

I wrote a lot of poetry as a teenager when I was dealing with some stressful issues.  I stopped writing in my twenties, but I recently went through another dark stage in my life.  The story of Unexpected Metamorphosis came to me and would not leave.  Within a week of the story coming to mind, I started typing it out, and it immediately became a passion that consumed me.  I had to type.  There really was no other choice.

Now that I’m no longer in that dark place, I still have the desire to write.  It calms me, and I greatly enjoy it.  Alissia is a strong presence in my mind, along with two other women.  I can’t wait to hold each of their finished stories in my hands.  In a way, it’s like giving life to a fictional person when their story is shared with others.  They were once nothing, and suddenly they are loved by the people that read about them.  I do love the characters very much, as I spend a lot of time thinking about them.

What is Your Process?

I really don’t have a certain process.  Unlike most of the authors I know, I have a random personality, and I despise outlining.  Even the thought of outlining makes me cringe.  I do, however, have a small notebook that I scribble a lot of my ideas into.  The stories demand their space in my mind, and they come to me at various times.  I don’t have any control over when I think about them, and it can be very distracting at times trying to deal with reality when my brain is stuck in a fictional place.

I love to write outside on my back porch when it’s not too cold or hot, and I pretty much always have a cup of hot tea by my laptop while writing.  Oh, and chocolate.  I do love my dark chocolate breaks, at least if I don’t give into a binge and have guilt.