Quiet Keystrokes and Midnight Ramblings

A friend on Facebook shared this article/video with me and it really blew me away. I have a real problem with self-degrading thoughts. My butt is too big. I'm too short. I'm not smart enough. I don't write well enough. I'm not a good enough Mom. I'm not a good enough wife. The list goes on. The powerful message that Taryn Brumfitt shares is that we are all beautiful, perfect and empowering in our own way. We have the power to help others to see the beauty in themselves (especially our children) by honoring ourselves loving us because of who we are. I don't like to push too much out there at you, but this is worth taking a look at. I hope that it helps you to find beauty in yourself the way that it helped me. article:  http://www.hefty.co/love-your-body/

Wow, what a month it has been! Adaline is selling at a record pace, and has already surpassed my 5 year sales goal. I am so very excited to see where things are headed, and looking forward to putting some more time into Adaline 2.0 this summer. I've also been working on some promotional / sample cover art for "S is for Serial" by my alter-ego D K Greene . Check out my "other" Facebook page for a peek at what is coming! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a fall 2015 release on that one. Mr. Kawaii has started reading the manuscript and it is creeping him out. As long as the plot doesn't cause him to move out of the house ("What the hell is wrong  with you?" he shouts), I call that a big success! I've also been reading, which is amazing. In the last few weeks I've read The Martian by Andy Weir and Kill You Twice by Chelsea Cain . Despite my love of Adaline, I don't read much Sci-Fi. The Martian gripped me tough, though. Funn...

Believe it or not, progress is being made on the 2015 reading challenge! I am pretty excited about that considering how little time I have to read. But I am plugging steadily along. I just finished Secrets of the Interior Life by Luis M. Martinez  which was a recommendation by my mother. Here is the full list:

I sometimes wonder if I can write anything worth reading. Sometimes, I can assure myself that I am not the worst writer out there. Other times (usually in a writing drought) I can't. During those times when I'm not churning out the pages like a madwoman it helps to get a note that says, "Guess what? You have adequate punctuation, tolerable voice, and a story line that hasn't lost me." Occasionally, I even get a vote of confidence that is a lot better than, "You don't suck that much." Tonight I was browsing all of the corners of the internet that I haunt and stumbled across this review of Adaline from Big Al's Books and Pals . I am so very pleased that the reviewer (Pete Barber) enjoyed the story enough to put the review together. I know the fine folks over there read a LOT of books, and just knowing that they took the time to read mine means a lot. Please do head over there to check the review out for yourself, and make sure to tell them th...

February / March have continued to be a time of struggle for our family. My Great-Grandmother, the head of my mother's family, passed away. Her passing has pushed me over the edge of depression and it has been very difficult for me to focus on much other than just making it through the day. Despite my depression, I did finish working on the first draft of a D.K. Greene writing project and managed to read a couple more books for the 2015 reading challenge. I am letting the Greene manuscript marinade before getting into editing, and am working on getting my head back in the game so I can dive back into Adaline 2.0. This year promises to bring a LOT of new challenges, and I am doing my best to face them head on. Thank you all for reading, writing, and surviving with me. Before I go, here are the updates to my reading list. The Parrot Told Me by Rachel Rawlings  was a fun parrot-inspired murder mystery. I also had the pleasure to read Shadow Bound by Jenny Reynolds. I don't ...

Well, I am making much better progress on the 2015 reading challenge than I had anticipated. I've finished my 7th book of the year with Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld . It was a great way to get introduced to the imaginative world of Steampunk, and I recommend it if you are wondering what all those gears and fanciful costumes are all about. I also had to add All the Stars in the Sky by Sarah Lyons Fleming which I read last week. Have I told you all how amazing the Until The End Of The World series is? I haven't?? Well, let me tell you that it has been an amazing read, and All The Stars In The Sky is a fantastic final book. You have GOT to look this series up if you are even remotely interested in survivalist stories, zompoc, chick lit or... anything else that a normal person would be interested in. 

I am so in awe of all of you readers out there. It has only been five short months since the release of Adaline . Already, it has sold nearly 1/3 of the copies I was hoping to sell in a 5 year period. I have gotten email from readers excited for the next book in the series. I've been writing for pay for several years now, and although I am not cashing checks like JK Rowling I will say that my gas tank is a little fuller, and my purse is a little heavier than it was when I first started. I am so thankful to those of you who have bought, downloaded, borrowed and found the time to read Adaline. It means so much to me to be seeing the numbers growing. Thank you all for your support. Thank you for asking for Adaline at your local libraries, borrowing through Kindle Unlimited and coming out to see me at signings and events. There isn't anything else to say except that after a couple of the hardest years in my life, this glimmer of growth is keeping me moving forward. I sincer...