Brain Noise

Let's see if I can remember my blog post from before I fell asleep last night.

Ah yes. Brain noise. I've been struggling with what I call "too much input". It's been too noisy in my head for my characters' (those imaginary friends we writers all have) voices to come through.
I keep telling myself I need to unplug, to only use my computer as the writing tool it was meant to be. I need to leave possible social networks either turned off or relegated to special use on my phone only.

Social networks are awesome. Some of them. We won't get into my strong dislike of Facebook. Buuut, I've got this thing that makes me keep going back to my networks of choice. I've got cultivated relationships there, and I am afraid that everyone will leave, if I go Do All the Things.

One wise person commented: life has a tendency to rear its ugly head when most inopportune. Anyone that doesn't understand that isn't human. (Thanks, Matthew Stevens! You really helped me take this needed step. :) )

Still, the fear of abandonment runs deep in my psyche. It's not a rational fear. So I stay waiting for the next instantly gratifying interaction that satisfies my addiction and calms my fear. It's a fear I need to battle to gain the victory of discipline.

I love the besties I've made on Twitter and Pinterest. I may have an overblown perception of the level of BFF I've got going with some, but I still love them. My awesome tweeps say A LOT, and as I said, my chatty and interesting network is starting to drown out my more fragile and introverted imaginary friends I call my characters.

If I can't hear my characters voices, I can't write. I always (almost always) start every story with my characters. If they run and hide, I'm doomed to a writers' block as real as this winter has been horrid.

So my darlings, if this blog gets neglected...if you don't see me much on Twitter or Pinterest...it's because I'm trying to clear the noise in my head.  I may have a fear of everyone leaving, but my characters abandoning me is even scarier. I have to trust that I'll get real people back, but characters are even more easily surrendered to the ether, if they aren't allowed to shine through above everything else.

 I know I've said things like "I'm unplugging" before. Fear has kept me from complying with discipline. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Incidentally, while I'm clearing out some brain noise, you'll want to go read a book by one of my very first BFF tweeps, Jen Naumann. She's got an intriguing take she calls Mind Static. I guarantee it's more entertaining than my noise. Also, if you like a little creepy in your life, check out her newest release Paranormal Keepers. Don't forget the rest of her books. You won't be disappointed!

See you back when I've got a grubby little manuscript clutched in my ink stained fingers! 

Kicking the Blarney Stone

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I'm Irish. I forgot to wear green today. Maybe that's why the leprechauns were particularly nasty to me today. I feel like I kicked the Blarney Stone instead of kissed it. It was just one of those days.

So much for the Luck O' the Irish.

This is really just a filler post. I could ramble on about a hundred different random things. I am not going to risk it though, because I have had enough bad luck for one day.

I hope everyone is having better luck than me today and the leprechauns have left you all alone.

Enjoy the rest of your evenings/days/afternoons, etc. Remember, at least there are no more snakes in Ireland.

Smoking Hot Cover Reveal

It's Teaser Time! Oh yeah, and this book cover is steaming! It's going to keep you in anticipation until the book's release date on March 26th, I can tell you that much.

So roll out the red carpet and get your programs folded into fans to cool you down...

I present to you the cover for (drum roll please!)

Night Moves by Kristen Strassel - the steamy, raw tale that is second in her Night Songs Collection and will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat until the third book comes out! I just love the intensity of her expression and the art deco style of the font. This book has the style, the heat, and the tension.

Melanie Vaughn’s job ruined everything. Her social life, nonexistent. Her relationship with her boyfriend, a hostile roommate situation. She resolves to fix everything one snowy afternoon, but instead comes home to discover her boyfriend is already exploring other options. Blonder, bustier options. Rage drives Melanie to do the unthinkable.

When Soul Divider was on the top of the world, so was Ryder Maddox. When the band faded into obscurity, Ryder’s luck plummeted with it. In a last ditch effort to rekindle the band’s heyday, Soul Divider teams up with powerful vampire clan leader, Talis de Rancourt. In return for her services, the band pays the ultimate price for never ending fame.

Now on the run, Melanie meets Ryder in a middle of nowhere hotel. She never expected her teenage rock star crush to be as lost and as in need of a companion as she is. Their connection is all consuming, even before they find they share another kinship: murder.

The newly turned vampires in Soul Divider still have a lot to learn. The police and public begin to connect the girls that go missing or die in sync with the band’s tour schedule. Back at home, clues are also adding up against Melanie as well. Between constant media coverage and unrelenting attention from the authorities, Melanie and Ryder find themselves in uncharted territory.

Add Night Moves on Goodreads! 

Whew! Got those programs flapping? It's hot! Save the date! Night Moves comes out March 26! Be sure to read Because the Night and Seasons in the Sun to get in the mood!

Honoring Your Own Pace

I'm a very slow paced, go with the flow kind of girl, but I'm dualistic, so there's a side of me that is impatient as hell. Each side of me fights with the other, a LOT.  I'm a Pisces, we do this. I've got the internal Tortoise/Hare struggle all the freaking time. 

Right now my hare is winning. I am even rushing through my breakfast just so I can finish this post.

What is wrong with me?!

Winter is a good time for the tortoise side of me to take over. It makes sense, since everything slows down in winter.

Now that it is looking like it will finally be spring, I'm getting restless and the hare will take over. The two sides will still fight. Tortoise likes spring too.

The problem with having a dualistic pacing is that I end up being very hard on myself, especially when the tortoise is taking over. This isn't a world where a lot of tortoises are encouraged despite the "take a load off" and "go with the flow" shouts and quotes out there. I doubt there are a lot of people who feel like they can "just relax" or "keep calm..." in today's world.  Nobody wants to be thought of as Slow.

I don't like that aspect of society. I like my tortoise probably more than I like my hare. I really get to use all of my senses when I don't feel like I need to rush off to the next project or the next chore, or the next meal, or whatever.

I complain about being constantly interrupted. I am. I have a 4yo who worships the ground I walk on, but that also means I'm the only one who can do anything correctly in her world.

Sometimes those interruptions make my hare feel in control. He's winning when I have to rush off to attend to the next thing before the next calamity hits.

I'm using my analogy of the tortoise and the hare, but really my power animal is a sloth. I move very very slowly in general...my physical self is extremely slow even when my impatient side is winning....my hare side feels extremely irritated with my tortoise/sloth side then.

I lost my train of thought during one of those interruptions I mentioned above. So, my point is this: No matter if you are slow, fast, or dualistically paced, you've got to be easy on yourself and honor whatever pace you're moving at during the different times of your life. If the river is running slowly, (oo, I get to mix my metaphors now) use that sense of slowness to rest or do things that need intense attention to detail. If you're headed toward the rapids, let it happen and go with that flow too.

The idea is not to beat yourself up. I'm good at beating myself up, but it doesn't do me any favors. Even though we often feel inadequate on the journey (inadequacy is a big thing with me too), we shouldn't feel this way because no one is ever really prepared for the things that pop up along the way. A crocodile could jump out of the river and eat the hare! You just never know.

I once read a blog post from James Clear that helped me. Enjoy the system and don't worry about the outcome is another way of saying enjoy the journey, the destination is never quite a certain thing.
"...Goals suggest that you can control things that you have no control over." - James Clear

Awesome Blog Content Award

Look! I got nominated for another award right during Oscar time! Unfortunately, I was too tired to watch the Oscars, and when I hunted up the highlights they were dreadfully boring...aside from a few tidbits like Benendict Cumberbatch photobombing U2. Gotta love the British! 

Speaking of, one of my favorite British ladies nominated me for this award, the awesome blogger in her own right, and beautiful blossoming novelist: Fiona Chapman. I am so grateful that someone, at least, thinks I have awesome content on my blog. 

Without further ado, here comes my "acceptance speech" in the form of the A-Zs of what is important to me. Hope you enjoy this little bit of goofiness. 

A - Apple© Products - without them, my creativity and level of distraction would be non-existent. 

B - Bunnies - BUNNY! bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny (saw the small print real fast) I happen to have a huge soft spot for my eldest daughter's rabbit.

C - Coffee and Chocolate - My writing vices of choice. I have to add creativity too because without it, I wouldn't exist. I could say the same of coffee and chocolate.

D -  Doors - because without opening them, I would be devoid of opportunities. 

E - Exile - sometimes you just have to get away from it all. 

F - Family - I have one of the best. 

G - Griff -  He's my Muse. 

H - Husband - He's my rock and my other muse and my totally awesome other half. 

I - Inner Strength - I keep looking for it, and sometimes I even believe I have it. (You thought I was going to say Internet, didn't you?)

J - Jasmine - She's the best little sister in the world and she will make an incredible doctor. 

K - Kids - they drive me nuts sometimes, but without them I would not be able to fulfill my whole purpose.

L - Llamas - I want to have some on my future farm.

M - Music - I try to have a soundtrack for my life, and I have a musician for a husband. 

N - Noir - I try to get a flavor of it in my writing. 

O - Open Mindedness - Everyone has a point of view, and there are at least two sides to every story.

P - Pinterest - Yup. It's my photo hoard of inspiration and part of my Internet platform. Pictures tell a thousand words and most of my hoard reveals secrets about me. 

Q - Quest - a form of making dreams come true. 

R - Research - an essential part of being an author.

S - Shakespeare. I have a renewed appreciation for The Bard. He might be my biggest intellectual crush.

T - Twitter - My Internet support group. I can't believe the number of talented people there, and the number of connections I have made in such a short period of time, even finding awesome people in my local area. The people I have met there so far have been been my backbone for braving this world of public writing.

U - Unity - Everyone comes from the same stuff. 

V - Visuals - go along with my photo hoard. Scenery is a good thing.

W - Writing. This is my life. As I say everywhere, for me, writing is as necessary as breathing. 

X - SupercalifragilisticeXpialidocious - about as ridiculous as the Letter X. ;) 

Y - You - My readers. I have high hopes for dragging all of you along on my journey and hopefully providing you with some entertainment along the way. 

Z - Zoos - I have a latent desire to be a zoo keeper, and I have quite an in-home menagerie. 

There you have the A to Z of what's on my awesome list. I am pleased to nominate a few of my friends for this award. They may not succumb to this blog goofiness, but their blogs are worth a visit, and their books are must reads.

Julie Hutchings

Kristen Strassel

Katie Hayoz 

J. Elizabeth Hill