IT'S STILL ME (and POSSESSION winner)

You may have noticed my blog looks a little different. What do you think? (Scroll to the bottom to see the entire picture.)
I LOVE this new design by my brilliant friend/web designer, Ron Schirmacher. (Click on link if you'd like to find out more info or have him design a site for you.)

There's still a few little tweaks that need to be done, but I love that my beautiful mermaid is coming out of a book. (Hence the title of that story, The Sea Monster Memoirs: A Motley Mermaid.)

And the eyes in the eternity symbol represent my reincarnation story: Grasping at Eternity.

Do you love it? Hate it? Is it good? Bad?

Oh, speaking of Good and Bad...I have a winner to announce!

The winner of Elana Johnson's, POSSESSION ARC is...

Marquita Hockaday !!!
She wants to be a Goodie, but considers herself an In-betweenie. We'll see if she still feels that way when she finishes the book. ;)

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

MAKING UNIVERSAL DEALS ON FRIDAY THE 13th

Happy Friday the 13^th! (And coincidentally, welcome back Blogger. You picked one heck of a day to go down.)

Jen Daiker and I are in the querying trenches together right now, so we decided it would be fun to add some fun to the possibility of being agented.

So, If I snag an Agent. (That’s a big IF)…

we will do something to embarrass ourselves on our blogs.

We’ve become fabulous online friends, and soon (kinda) we'll be meeting in real life as well! She and I will be meeting each other in November when Jen makes a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Don’t get me wrong, I love Harry, but I’ve invested a lot of money on an annual pass to Disney, so that’s where our rendezvous will be taking place. We've decided that if we are both agented by then, we’ll make some sort of crazy vlog.

We need you to helps us decide what craziness to do!!

Here are some options:

1. Dancing down Main Street to The Dog Days Are Over- (Yes, Jen and I will be hand in hand with Jen’s hubby graciously taping the whole thing - most likely unwillingly).

2. Going to Writer's Stop and making pretend copies of our own books and try to sell them- (I came up with this one as a joke, but Jen thinks this one is an amazing idea, but oy. *facepalm* How embarrassing. Why did I suggest this?)

3. Disney fun: Asking a character (Mickey, Pooh, or whoever is hanging around) and Disney employees if they’ve heard of our books- (Complete with costumes - or at least some Mickey Mouse ears).

4. Other ideas from our lovely readers.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on what you are rooting for to win in the comment section.

Also, if you have another suggestion (please remember I embarrass VERY easily) provide it in the comment sections. As the months progress I'll add it to the poll to be considered.

SO again, if Jen and I reach our goal of agenthood come November, you’ll get to see us totally make fools of ourselves as our promise to the universe.

ALABAMA SLAMA!

Okay, so, the fabulous Jen Daiker and I are making a Disney Deal with the universe for when we land agents. I was supposed to post about that today. But, you see, it has to wait a couple days (I'm sorry, Jen!) because Alabama needs YOUR help. And if not your help then at least your support.

The Southern Princess, aka Courtney Barr is raising money to help victims of the storm that tore through Alabama, leaving many people homeless or worse. The auction starts tomorrow and I INSIST that you go to the ALL 4 ALABAMA Blog and become a follower. Now. Go. It only takes a few seconds.

Read a few of her heartbreaking posts about how bad it is down there, and I guarantee you'll want to help however you can. One great way is to bid on lots of priceless stuff, including signed books, ARCs, and agent critiques!

So please, (I'm not being bossy anymore. I'm pleading for your support) PLEASE go follow the the ALL 4 ALABAMA Blog and help spead the word via Twitter, Facebook, or your blog. Remember, the universe loves paying back good deeds with good karma.

Oh, and don't forget the other spectacular storm victim auction already underway. HELP WRITE NOW.

See, Jen, I'm creating a lead-in to our deal with the universe post. :)

KEEPING COMPANY WITH NIKOLAS & Co.

A couple months ago, a writer friend, Kevin McGill, asked me to be part of his Story Makers section of his website: http://www.nikolasandco.com

I was flabbergasted and flattered, but of course I said yes. Yesterday, my short story (very short—only 4 pages) Eternal Amusements went live. I combined my love for angels, amusement parks, and possible takes on heaven and/or the afterlife. (It was my first attempt at a short story since high school, so go easy on me.) If you’re interested, you can read it here.

Even if you don’t want to read my story, you should check out Kevin’s site. His MG book, Nikolas & Company will be released June 23^rd. It contains fire-breathing winged lions, nymphs, and lots of magic. Need I say more?

ROONEY UPDATE

Back in December, I posted about my American bulldog, Rooney. Many of you have emailed and asked how he’s doing (which I truly appreciate), so I figured I’d give an update.

In November, after a surgery to remove a questionable mass, Rooney was diagnosed with cancer. The vet recommended chemotherapy. They wanted to inject poison into my baby, over and over. Or we could do nothing and hope for the best.

As tough as it was, I chose chemo. I wanted to give him the best fighting chance possible.

I cried. A lot. Through many tummy aches, weak limbs, scratching his eyes and face so much it caused infections (chemo made him itchy), and lots of hair loss. But he’s still here.

He’s still wagging his tail, playing with toys, and smacking me with his mammoth-sized paws when we wrestle. He still snuggles up beside me as I type on my laptop for hours, still gives his sister, Moby (lab/border collie mix) lots of kisses, and he still snorts with happiness and jumps around when I ask him if he wants to go for a walk or ride.

(See that blur where Rooney's tail is, that's him wagging cuz he's cuddled up with his sis.)

If he hadn’t gone through chemo, I’m not sure I could report any of the above. I don’t know if he’d still be here. The vet estimated 2-6 months without chemo. I can’t fathom that. Not after all we’ve been through together. Rooney endured a rough existence before I rescued him. I want him to enjoy a long, happy, love-filled life. With each day that passes, and with each night I get to kiss him goodnight, I say a prayer that we will have many many more together.

Just like I said in my original post, Rooney and I have learned…

Where there is love, there is hope.

And that hasn’t changed.

PRODUCTIVE PATTERNS

Happy April!

I'd say Happy Spring, but since I live in Florida I feel like it's been spring since February. To all of you Northerners, I hope the weather is getting warmer and more enjoyable.

I've noticed April is my Finish month. As in, I always seem to finish my projects at the end of March/beginning of April. Whenever I query a project, it's always in the spring. I don't know why that is. But I'm pondering this pattern as I polish and shine my query and MS for Queryland.

Does anyone else notice a seasonal pattern with their writing? What are you working on right now?