Full Speed Ahead

This post is really late tonight, because oh my goodness what a day it has been!  First there was the almost 9 hour work day...which started with me realizing I had left my ID/Time badge in my other pants and ended about 30 minutes sooner than usual when the lights went out at 3.  Of course, we had to wait and clear the line of meat before we could clean up and go home.  No big deal.  I come out into the locker room and find text messages from my hubby saying that we had no power at home.  ???  This could have been a problem as we heat by electricity!  But it came back on, and turned off again, and came back on...I almost wasn't sure if I dared try to write this!  So we went out to dinner, got double fortunes in our fortune cookies (that has to be good luck!  Esp. since they were spot on!) and came home to lights still on.  So here we are!

My hopes for the new year are fairly simple.

I expect to get myself caught up to speed on all this social networking business, which is really kind of fun, and sell more copies of my first novel.  I know that there will be some locals things done to help promote it, as my fifth grade English teacher has been talking to our local library about helping me out.  I'm not sure which is cooler...having the library hype my book, or my former English teacher giving it the thumbs up!

I also expect to finish the second book in the series, Ring of Fire, and edited and published.  By summer, if I'm lucky.  That's my goal at the moment.  Because once I 'finish' it, I know I'm going to want to let it sit for a bit before I edit it and do any necessary rewrites.  I don't think I'll need ten years like last time!

In my dreams, I would like a job change.  Mostly because what I am doing hurts my hands.  I had trouble driving home after work today.  Every time I had my left hand on the steering wheel, it would hurt between my middle and ring finger.  It's very unsettling.  Especially since I don't get to drive much anymore.  No real reason, aside from not having our own vehicle.

Which is another of my hopes/expectations for next year.  For my hubby to get his truck back on the road.  This project is closer than the last one, so I'm thinking it'll happen.  I so miss my little Beretta.  It was such a good little car, even though there was a spider in it once, but that's a story for another time.

Oh, and I'd like to be able to get propane for our tanks again so I can stop heating my electric as much and actually start cooking/baking again!  I kind of miss that!  I've lost track of how long it's been since we ran out.  Two years?  It can't be three can it?  I really don't know.  I do decent enough cooking by electric...a griddle, frying pan, slow cooker and the microwave.  If I want to use an oven for anything I have to either use my mother's, my mother-in-law's, or my one friend who is also a neighbor.

Every year is the same.  We take time to reflect on the past year, good or bad, and hope the new one holds better things.  This past year was pretty good for me, and I have no reason to doubt 2014 will be any different.  I know bad things will happen, they always do.  But they don't have to ruin a year!

What are your hopes for the New Year?

Looking Back to Move Forward

In every religion there is a grain of truth.  The Roman god Janus was often depicted as having two faces, one facing backwards and the other facing forward as he was the master of time.  January is named in his honor, which is fitting as it is the beginning of the New Year.  These next few days many will devote to setting resolutions, if they haven't already.  Many of which they will not keep.  It is a time for both beginnings and also endings.

Before I start looking forward to 2014, I want to take just a few paragraph's to look back at 2013.

The first half of the year, was pretty bland as I remember it.  I downloaded my novel from me email towards the end of April and was overtaken with the writing bug again.  It felt really good.  And all I did was read through the rough draft and decide that I like it, except I had to change the ending.

At the end of July, my partner of almost five years kind of sort of proposed to me.  We had an argument about marriage the weekend before my vacation from work and that next Monday he bought something on EBay...and of course since my birthday was approaching, I tried twisting his arm to get him to tell me what he'd bought me.  He said it wasn't anything for any of his vehicles, but that night he passed his phone to me and said, "Ok, go to my EBay app..."  He had bought wedding bands!  One of the few times in my life I was speechless.  Until I said, "Are you serious?"

Which he was.  And since he didn't care about when it was done, I had things arranged and by that weekend in August we were married.  Like I told a friend, "We've been together for almost five years...why piddle fart around?"  We did get some grief for marrying "so quickly" but I was happy with the day, and he was happy with the day and that's all that really mattered.  Neither one of us wanted a big church wedding.  Or any kind of big wedding.  We had a reception a few weeks later.  We actually had two receptions, one for our local family and one for our New York family.

And then in September, I made the impulsive decision to self-publish my novel through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.  A few weeks later I published to CreateSpace.  And afterwards realized I had no idea how to get the word out and market it, or myself.  Which is what led to this new blog.  And my emerging presence on Google+, Twitter, Pinterest...and yes, to some degree Facebook.  I had over a thousand free downloads on Kindle, and a handful of real purchases.  I've even sold a few paperbacks.  And released to Nook as well now.  It blows my minds a little to think that there are over a thousand people out there with my work in their hands...or on their Kindle which is pretty  much the same thing.  And that was a worldwide event!

And in November, I was able to go to New York City for the first time in my life.  That alone could have made the year!  Finally I was able to see the Statue of Liberty with my own eyes!  I got to look down from the top of the Empire States building!  I got to walk the streets that I see so often in CSI: NY!  I loved the sounds!  The traffic is everything they say it is, although I didn't drive in it.  The subways were pretty cool in my opinion, even when it was 5pm and crowded!  I loved the little bit of lights before we left.

December has been a month of winding down.  Much needed after the exciting few months we've had.  As much as one can wind down during the holidays!

Tomorrow, I will take a few paragraphs to 'look forward' and dream a little.  Because after all the good things that have happened in 2013, there is no telling what is going to happen in 2014!

Lazy Sunday

After all the excitement of yesterday, today's been a lovely lazy Sunday.  I have done nothing but hang with my hubby, taking only a few minutes now to write this post as my Ramen Noodles cool enough to eat.

He's been busy playing his new Xbox Game, GTA 5.  It's something different from Halo wars!  I've just been watching him try to do the various missions, and as his wife getting to distract him every once in a while.  Like my mother says,  we're still newlyweds until next august. ;)

Hope everyone is having a good day!

Small Miracles

This may not mean anything to some people, but I have the full weekend off!  Considering that we had both Christmas day and the day after off as paid holidays, this really is a small miracle!  We all started the week off with the full expectation of having to work this Saturday, but of the departments working tomorrow, mine isn't one of them.

After the family dinner tomorrow afternoon, I'll spend some more time working on book two.

There's not much else going on at the moment.  I've spent a bit of time on Google+ and Twitter reading a few good articles.  Twitter and Pinterest are challenges to me, as I'm never sure if I'm using them correctly.  I get this chilling feeling that I'm not getting the most they have to offer.  It is a struggle, but I'll keep plugging away.

When it comes to Twitter, I probably don't follow the right people.  A lot of the people I follow are actors that I like.  Gary Sinise, Marina Sirtis, Mara Wilson.

I really like Mara Wilson.  I was never a big fan when she was a little girl in the movies.  Probably just a generational thing.  Oddly enough, I never even saw Matilda until recently, in the past few years.  And that was because my husband had seen it growing up and liked it.  My hubby's near Mara's age, while I'm ten years older.  It was an okay movie, but I have to be honest that it made me angry the way Matilda's parents treated her; and it made me angry that they just let her go at the end of the movie, even though it was for the best.  But I've read a bit of her blog, Mara Wilson Writes Stuff, and follow her on places like Twitter and Facebook and I just like her attitude.  She's a young woman who has more boldness and bravery than I ever had at her age.  I may be a bit envious of that.  Or at least her online persona has those qualities I admire.

I do have more practical Twitter follows, people in the same trade as I.  Frank Perreti, Ted Dekker, M.B. Mooney, and Jess Hanna.   Not all of them are frequent Tweeters though and I end up with more from my favorite actors.  And "guru" types like +Peg Fitzpatrick and +Jeff Roach even though I follow them more on Google+.  I can't help it, I just like Google+ (even if my computer sometimes doesn't! lol)  I just love Peg F.  She's probably my biggest source of social media information.

There is so much I feel like I'm missing.  I can only spend so much time online because of my job.  And breaks are never long enough!  I'm going to have to learn to better utilize them though, because I don't think my 'day job' is going to be changing anytime soon even though I do have a job interview tomorrow morning.  This week hasn't been too bad in the area of work, two 8 hours days Monday and Tuesday, two whole days off, and then a killer 9 hour shift today.  Usually we run five 9's.  But between family events and just being tired, it doesn't feel much different.

At least I don't have to wear earplugs tonight.  I did earlier in the evening, but the Halo Wars crew has changed so the volume has changed as well.  But it's the low rumble I prefer, so I'll be getting off now to pick up my writing in book two.

#offtowrite #twitter #small miracles

The Day After

And the day after Christmas is very much a lazy blah day.  At least here in my home.  There is this feeling of..."Really?  It's over?  That's it?"  Unmet expectations coupled with too much rich food.  Although I will say my blood sugar was a nice 119 this morning, so I didn't overdo it too badly yesterday.

About 3 this afternoon I was hit with a wave of exhaustion and I tried laying down for a nap.  I don't think I got any sleep and I still feel absolutely drained.  And tomorrow it's back to work.

I have gotten nothing accomplished with my writing today, but sometimes we need to give our brain a rest.  Mine has certainly been on overdrive recently, especially during the REM part of sleep.  Of course, I'm at a hard spot in the story where I'm not sure how to word things so I might also be procrastinating just a bit.  But I'll get over it like always and find the right words and then it'll flow out of me like water onto dry land.

Hope everyone had a great holiday and let's get geared up for New Years!

Christmas is...

Christmas is family.  An expectant mother and father looking for a place to rest after a long journey.  All they had was each other.  They knew no one in Bethlehem or that's where they would have been staying.

Christmas is a time for gifts. The gift of a newborn child. For many He was the expected Messiah, come to rule the world.  But for Mary and Joseph that night...he was just their son. 

Christmas is a time for hope.  As Mary and Joseph held their new son, they had only the promises of the angels.  They didn't know what the future held, but they hoped for good things for their son like any parent does. 

We don't always get what we want for Christmas, but sometimes exactly what we need to keep our focus on the things that really matter.

You don't need to believe in the Christmas story to celebrate the meaning of the holiday.  There is truth in every story and I've given you some in this brief post before I head off to spend time with my family.

Enjoy your day no matter the reason for the season. 

Already Christmas!

While I was perusing Facebook not that long ago, I read a status from a friend who lives in New Zealand and I was struck with the warm fuzzies as I realized something: it's already Christmas in certain parts of the world!  Time differences are something I seldom think of, but with friends across the world, it does occur to me once in a while.

I can't really tell you why exactly it cheers me to know that it's already Christmas in places. but it does.  I've heard so many people comment recently that it just doesn't feel like Christmas to them, or they're just not in the Christmas spirit, etc.  I'm not sure what's up with that, but it's more than just one person.

Some people go through a depression this time of year, whether it is from missing lost loved ones or just the general hectic pace of the season.  My work ran the cow line extremely fast today in an effort to get us out early...nice, but hectic.  We did have almost a foot of snow last week, and we were all happy to see it because it meant we were going to have a white Christmas (We live in PA, USA).  BUT can you believe - temperatures last weekend were a record high for out area at 64 degrees Fahrenheit and it ALL melted!  So some of us, even myself who hates the snow, is feeling bummed because of that.  Although I must say that it is trying very hard to snow at the moment.

I know that it's a tight time for us financially right now, and that brings it's own slump.  The holidays are supposed to be a time for family and friends, but when you have nothing to give...it makes you feel sad.  As though our presence is somehow not enough.  We all know some people that will tell us otherwise and it can be hard to remember that it's not true.  Our presence at the dinner table tomorrow (or today) is what really matters.

Of course, not everyone has someone to celebrate the day with.  I hope they can find at least one person, one moment, to pause and just be happy with and be appreciative of each other.  I would miss my hubby if he weren't here to drive me crazy with his Halo Wars...it's become such a constant in my life.  I'll still complain, but deep down I know the truth.  (It would still be appreciated if he could be a little quieter...)  Maybe I'll get on later and play a game or two with him...so long as we're playing with Rabbitman!

Whether you are already celebrating Christmas, or getting ready to...make sure to give your loved ones a hug.  Or go out on a limb and hug a stranger - it might be the only Christmas present they get.

I need a sign off slogan...something catchy, cool and me.  Until I figure out what it should be: have a great day and a Merry Christmas!

Earplugs

I'm sitting hear tonight in front of the computer working on my second book, my phone in my hand as I type this short blog post.  I never realized how sensitive I was to sound while writing until tonight. I know some people like to listen to music while they write; I do sometimes but never too loudly.  Tonight my dear hubby is making so much noise playing his Halo Wars that I decided to put earplugs in while I work.

It's working. 

Enough. 

But I don't think I'll try writing a longer blog, as much as I'd like to. I've got two good ones started. One on dreams and one on diversity.  But I'll be lucky if there's no errors in this one!

Partners to writers: if you truly love your writer, try to respect their work area.  I get that it goes both ways. But I'm trying to create something and no offense to gamers, but that's a little more important to me than gaming. 

Back to my story.

Why I Love Google+

One of the reasons why I love Google+ is that in my opinion it is far cleaner is appearance than Facebook. It's more to the point with it's news feed and to be honest, I've found less "drama".

I read a great article today, shared by +Sociallogical.  I'm trying to put myself out there, trying to sell my novel and in a sense create a community of people who like to read in general, and maybe even those who like to write like me.  I'll be honest, a lot of the time I feel like I've jumped in over my head just to see if I could swim and fins myself holding onto a tree limb while the waves crash over me!

Since one of the ways I'm trying to do this is obviously through this blog, I'm constantly trying to rate myself to see how I'm doing and this article about blogger mistakes really struck home because I know I'm guilty of a lot of them.  I used to blog a lot, on a different site, but it was mainly just an online diary.  And this blog is meant to be something different.

And I am determined to succeed in this venture.

Because I plan on publishing more novels.  I plan on being something more than what others have told me I could be.  So I plan on learning whatever I can so that I can write better posts, write better books, and be a better friend to those of you out there who need one.  I'll be honest enough to say I'm counting on your guys' patience while I figure this stuff out.  Because like my blog says below the title, this blog is all about my venturing into self publishing.  So mistakes are going to happen, they're to be expected in any venture.  But I will always do my best to fix that mistake once I realize it.

If any of you out there reading have any comments, don't ever be afraid to leave them!  I need your feedback to know if I'm on the right track or not.

Out of Order

Sometimes you just have to kick back and have some fun no matter how hard your day is:

Everyone laughed or chuckled or rolled their eyes at me!  It was great!  I so enjoy bringing a little bit of levity into people's lives.  We don't have to be serious all the time!

Not even at work.

;)

Loss and Life

Loss is a part of life.  There is no way around it at the moment, although there are times I insist I'm going to live forever!

When I was in third grade, age 8, my only surviving Grandmother died.  I never knew the rest of my other grandparents.  I remember not understanding what was going on.  And being sad.  Really sad.  I loved my grandmother.  I don't have a lot of memories, but I remember watching the ball come down on TV on New Year's Eve with her.  I remember the day after the dryer fire that burnt her house.  I remember how she looked in the casket when I was allowed to see her on the funeral day...like herself, but not.  It was scary.

That was my first experience with death, though far from the last.  My father died when I was 18.  The past three years has been especially hard, loosing one person or another about every six months.  One is never the same afterwards.

My brother's widow just lost her sister today.  I'm not sure what was wrong with her, I wasn't told that part.  I just knew that she was in the hospital and she wasn't expected to make it.  And it's just so sad.  Especially since I just got a Christmas card from my sister-in-law.  This isn't the time for funerals, this is supposed to be the time of joy and happiness.  My heart grieves for her.

If you are missing a loved one this holiday season, know that you're not alone.  It's okay to hurt and not be happy.  It's okay to cry.  It won't last forever.  Hold onto that.  You will never forget that person and you will always miss them, but one day it won't hurt so much.  Don't force yourself to quit grieving before you're ready, don't let anyone rush you.  It's a process that it unique to each person, and yes to each death.  I grieved differently for my brother than I did my father, differently for my friend Audrey who died from cancer and to whom my first book is dedicated.  Each person leaves a hole in your life, and that hole is as unique as they were.

Someday there will be joy again, and happiness.  Laughter and contentment.  Something will remind you of them...a song on the radio, a TV episode, a penny on the pavement...and it won't bring more sorrow.  Instead it will bring you a bittersweet happiness.  You will even smile.  Your step will be lighter for that moment.

May you find peace.  ♥

Midweek Blues

I'm feeling better than I did last night.  Less pain in my neck and shoulder, although my fingers are still achy.  At least they didn't lock up on me today!  Typing on the computer has never seemed to bother me, a few times my wrist has bothered because the mouse is in a poor position, but not the typing.

Ah well.

I've gotten a little writing done tonight, trying to sew up the middle of my second book in the series.  I know it's just a rough draft, but I so want to have all the pieces together now!  I don't remember this much trouble with the first one, but then that was a few years ago.  But I'm making progress so I won't complain.

Random trivia for the day: in my first novel, one of the main settings is a general store.  Of all the jobs I've work at in my life, I've never worked in any kind of store.  I've worked in more than a few factories, worked at a nursing home as a nurse's aide, worked as a bus driver, a librarian...I really miss that one...But I've never worked in a general store.  I know we're 'supposed' to write about what we know, but the story really isn't about the store.  Or the Carman's farm for that matter.  (I've never lived on a farm either, just next door.)

It's about the people, about Craig and Angela's relationship, about overcoming the past and embracing the future.  And when it comes to workplace drama...one thing I've noticed in all my jobs is that it's all pretty much the same.  Different faces, different stories, but people are still people and drama happens just the same everywhere.  We all have hopes and dreams, we all have troubles and sorrows.  And drama is just a normal side affect of people rubbing up against other people.  It's hard not to do in such a crowded world!

On the brighter side of my present work, we've been getting done before 3:30...although just barely a few times.  Today we were done before 3!  We start at 6 AM.  Of course, they've turned the cow line up really high like we're in some kind of race...which you'd think they'd stop doing since stuff keeps breaking whenever they do that.  On my end of the process we've been buried...which might be why my mental wandering has been off.

Here's to hoping we have Saturday off though!

Short and Sweet

Just a short note to say I'm not going to post much tonight.  Had a hard day at work and I'm really in a lot of pain.  I spent all my lunch break in Medical trying to get things taken care of.  It didn't happen today, maybe tomorrow.

I'm not even sure I'll get any writing done tonight, although I have it open and might try.  Stuff just hurts.

Have a good night, everyone.

The "Missing" Link

Here is the link for my book on Nook.  Presently I'm selling it for $2.50 there, US dollars.  Judging by some of the books I saw there, that's a fair price.

Truthfully, I hate putting a price on my novel.  It's just weird to me.  I mean, there will never be an amount that would accurately match the amount of hours I put into it...ever.  But I want the price to be attractive enough that people will want to buy it.

Because I like people reading my book.  It feels good when they say they like it.  Even my mother liked it..."enough".  I knew it wouldn't be met with rave reviews from her because of the smidgen of language in it, the f-bomb was dropped twice, and there was a little bit of sex in it.  Just a little.  My mother can be a bit of a Puritan sometimes, but to each their own, right?

I love hearing what people's favorite parts were.  One of my favorite scenes in the novel, is the "almost kiss" in the laundry room on Christmas day.  To come so close, and to be rudely interrupted.  Grandma Pearl meant well, but she obviously did not get the family memo stating that Craig and Angela were to be left alone!  In many ways, that moment marks Craig's first breaking point.  He decided at Thanksgiving that he wanted to see where his friendship with Angela would take them, so long as it was slow...but things begin to ramp up without his expectation.  On Christmas he also gets to see the depth of Angela's pain over her brother's death, and it once again puts his own in perspective.

Craig's pain is very real, and in no way does his opinion that Angela's pain is worse than his own pain mean that it actually is.  While it is true that there is always someone who has a worse situation than our own, that in no way diminishes the reality of what we feel and experience.  Many times it's just a matter of perspective.  Many times it's just knowing that we're not the only ones to feel pain and despair.  For so long, Craig only ever saw his own pain.  It consumed him.

But then he saw Angela's.  And knew that he wasn't alone.  While Angela's struggle with her guilt over her brother's death was far from a perfect Christian example (there is no such thing, but we often think there is), it is enough that it gives Craig hope.  Because Angela never stops fighting the despair that so often threatens to consume her; she often ran from it, denied it, but she never stopped fighting.

And I went on a lot longer than I intended!  That happens from time to time.

Hope everyone has had a good Monday!  Here's looking to more snow on Tuesday!

The Nook Book

If I did everything right, my novel Farmer's Daughter should be available for Nook tomorrow!

Going to keep this post short as I had a great day with family, but a long one.  It's that time of year for family and food!  And football!  Which is odd because I prefer hockey over football, but when it's what everyone else is watching, it's hard not to get involved!

Have a great day everyone and I'll keep you updated!

The Life of this Writer

The life of a writer should be easy, right?  I should be able to get up when I want, write when I want, write in the atmosphere I want, go to bed when I want.  In a perfect world, maybe.

Work has been rough this week, even though I had two days off midweek for mother's doctors appointments.  Thursday and Friday we worked 9 1/2 hrs.  It is not just my opinion that we should never have combined first and second shift and that we need to go back to that arrangement.  While it may save the company money, I have to ask: at what cost?  Their people are suffering, and this particular branch only seems to care for the bottom dollar and not those who earn them that bottom dollar.

And the hubby has been home a lot this week.  While I appreciated his company for my mother's appointments, it makes me worry whether he's lost his job or not.  Waiting by myself can be very trying, so I was very glad that he was there.  Mostly routine things, but the scans Mom had done on Wednesday should hopefully give us some insight as to her constant bladder infections.  I just heard from her and she's gotten a report back from the one scan already saying that she has a partial blockage somewhere between her kidney and the bladder...I'm guessing the same one that she had back in 2010 that no one bothered to tell us about.  I'm not sure how something like that is fixed, but I'm guessing there's going to be more surgery and more waiting in our future.

I can usually write and do my social media stuff while hubby plays his Xbox games, mainly Halo Wars, but lately he's been exceedingly...exuberant.  He did turn his music off last night when I was having trouble with my Nook Book cover.  Which I think I've finally settled on one that I like:

I like it.  I don't think I'll update the other covers, the one for Kindle and CreateSpace, but I will be sure to carry this on for the rest of the series.  I like the font. Naturally I made it with PicMonkey.  I'm not sure what the problem was last night, but every time I tried saving my cover it would crash on me.  So I finally shut down my other window and just kept PicMonkey open and that seemed to do the trick.  All's well that ends well.

Signing off for now.  Going to try to get some writing and 'socializing' done.  Google+ and Twitter, here I come!

Hopes Dashed!

I've spent a week off the computer in an attempt to rest my aching wrist, and have missed this place sorely!  But my hopes for an audio book have been cut short!  I tried to send an offer to the woman who auditioned, only to find out that she's super new too and didn't realize that she needed a home studio or acces to one. Which I understand totally, it's all confusing to me too. But it's still a bummer!  I guess I'll keep shopping!  I did send an offer out today, and am keeping my fingers crossed!

And then there's the death of movie actor Paul Walker!  I spent all day last Sunday hoping that it would turn out to be a hoax and finally had to accept that it was not.  I wasn't a huge fan, as I tended to find his characters somewhat annoying (which is why I would have wanted him to play Pastor Mark if my book was ever made into a movie lol). But he was one of my favorite actors. And all his undercover good deeds that are coming into more media coverage really kind of make me respect him more.  He was so much more than a pretty actor. He was a man who flew with teams into disaster zones as a 'first responder' to help and give aid...out of his own pocket.

I've had the house pretty much to myself today, although I've managed to write very little.  I have gotten some social media done, Facebook and Twitter, and even some Pinterest.  I've also started formatting to release Farmer's Daughter on Nook later next week.!!  Woot woot!  I have to do something for a cover though, and they don't have a program to build one right through them like Kindle did.  I will find something suitable and make it myself through PicMonkey.  I really enjoy that site!

There are a lot of thoughts on my mind right now, too many to include in this post.  Some I'm not sure I dare voice.  We will see what the week holds.  I do have Tuesday and Wednesday off, though the days will be filled with my mother's doctors appointment: it can be hard getting old!

New Things

This chicky has had a long day.  In my area, many companies give the Monday after Thanksgiving off as a paid holiday because it is the first day of deer season and they know that all the hunters will just call off "sick" if they don't.

But even though it was a holiday, I was still up way to early to take my mother to a doctor's appointment.  And it was very enlightening.  It was a new specialist and this one might actually get us somewhere.  My mother suffers from chronic urinary tract infections and no one seems to know why.  Or what to do to either fix it or make it more tolerable.

And then I went out hunting.  For the first time ever in my life!  Regardless of what you may think of hunting, it is big in the area and you're somehow odd if you don't go.  And this was a very trying time for me.  I have no problem trying new things, but have to admit I felt more than a little pressure from my husband and in-laws.  But at the end of the day, I was glad enough that I went ahead and tried it.  I didn't see anything, except squirrels - all of which I would gladly kill for the nuisance they were, and basically froze my bum off.  At least Hubby came and sat with me and kept me company.  Which is probably why I didn't see anything--we were too busy whispering to each other!  ;)

It's good to have family to encourage you, as I'm feeling the lack of it from my biologicals at the moment.  While I hardly expected all my family to read my book, I would have expected a little more support I guess.  I've heard: "the print is too small" (for the paperback - which I can remedy for future books; at 472 pg's I think the font is big enough for Farmer's Daughter), "it's too long" (not everyone is into big books and I understand) "unpronounceable words" (not much I can do about that as the person saying this has an extremely low reading level and would find most basic words a problem) "It's just not my thing" (totally get that one) and "I'm not reading love stories any more" (which is okay, but why start reading it and give up when you know it's a love story to start with?)

I knew criticism would come eventually and really did expect it to come from family first.  I'm trying to take it all with a grain of salt and take from it all what I can to become a better writer.  But obviously I don't write to please my family.  (obviously as there is some language and some sex in it.)  If I did, the book would never have been published in the first place!  There are some who don't want to see me succeed.  They'll tell you other wise, but their sarcasm and nay-saying indicate otherwise.

But on the bright side, I did get permission from a local restaurant to bring in a few paperback copies and see if they won't sell there  Crossing fingers and waiting to have the funds to buy a few more copies!  It's a rough time of year for us as Mr. Janney is essentially laid off for the winter.

I haven't given the go ahead to the audio book yet, but plan to later this week.  Also will be releasing to Nook in the middle of the month as well.

New things = exciting times!