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Friday, September 29, 2017

Happy 5 Years Blood Purple!

This week marked something pretty major in my life. It marked the day my first published novel turned 5 years old.

So much has changed since I first picked up my laptop and started to randomly toss words on the page. I never imagined that this fantasy world I was creating would actually be accepted by readers. As a teen I would write poems and that was pretty much what I stuck to. Well that and oratory speeches for debate. I never pictured what it would be like to create worlds, kill people, discover new lands, all from the comfort of my chair.

The entire experience has been mind blowing on so many levels.

Especially when I look back at where I was in 2011 when I wrote Blood Purple.

English was never my strong subject in school. I loved reading and I did great on content questions and essays but the grammar nuts and bolts were a struggle. This journey through writing really helped that little girl who couldn’t figure out the difference between an adjective and a noun in elementary is rejoicing because now, while yes the nuts and bolts still are a struggle, I have learned to overcome it!

Conquering ones fear is am amazing deal, one that more of us should be doing. One that I should have done a long time ago.

I remember how Blood Purple came to life. I had been laid off of work and I was depressed. I wanted to read a story about Arabic vampires. Vampires were all the trend, you had Twilight, Sookie Stackhouse, Dark Hunters, Black Dagger Brotherhood, of course I wanted MORE vampires.

But I couldn’t find any from the Arabic region. My aunt and I had been researching our families journey from Lebanon to America and the idea hit me. If I can’t find the book I want to read I will just write one!

I think I would like to add right here my Aunt has been one of my biggest supporters and is a true source of encouragement. So Thank you Aunt Pam!

Anyway - I took the history my family encountered and twisted it into this new world. A world where God didn’t create humans, the Algula created humans, in their image, and used us in their civil war against one another.

Nikole and Zane, oh how these two characters will forever hold a deep place in my heart. And Leigh and Haydar too.

Probably the best part of all was when my very first true fan, by true fan I mean complete random stranger who sought me out to talk and I didn’t already have a connection with, unveiled a truth in my novel.

She told me that Nikole (the heroine) and Leigh (the villain) were two sides of the same coin and she believed that coin was me.

Dear Ole Laken really made my year that night.

Everyone judges success on something different. I don’t judge it by the number of books I sell but by the experiences created.

Ish - this guy is an awesome fan (and photographer). I met him at one of my first ComicPalooza events in Houston and he has been a loyal follower ever since. I believe he has read the whole (or most of) my Maverick series. And he sure seems to like it because he has been known to send a tweet or two out about it.

The Pasadena, TX library - this place is awesome! They keep my books out on display, invite me to their local events and most of all, have my whole mystery series on their book shelf! Every time I go down there for an event fans come up to me and talk to me about my books. It’s a small town outside of Houston but that town is the best town. No where else do I go and always have someone who recognizes my name.

These are my grading scales about success and why I feel like Blood Purple really helped to make me successful.

Of course the novel itself has its own journey on how it came to be exactly what it is today but that is not a story for this blog. I will say as a first novel it wasn’t the best quality of writing because there was SO much to learn about this process. But the story was true and the characters are purely delightful. When I look at my current works in progress and compare the quality to what I was back in 2011 I see true growth. Growth I can appreciate and feel a sense of accomplishment for.

It takes a strong person to be able to point out a weakness and I know where mine are. But weakness or not, Blood Purple was an amazing adventure, one that I hope never ends.

And the best part of all in my writing ... once in a while, a bad guy gets to win. Rock on you evil villain ... you have your moments too!

You can check out my Blood Series on Amazon free with Kindle Unlimited ...

BLOOD PURPLE

Monday, September 25, 2017

Parent Handbook?!? Why I Needed One Today

For those of you Mom’s (and Dad’s) out there like me who haven’t been doing this very long don’t you wish there was a handbook? Especially when you have adopted! It’s like so many little things that you just dont realize you are clueless about pop up and give you a quick kick in the rump. Things that are perfectly simple for you but when it is applied to your kid it is like the world went crazy.

Take today for example ... everything started out normal. I woke up at 4am took the dogs outside and fed the cat. Made my hubby his breakfast and lunch and then went upstairs and did a little work on my author stuff and got ready for my real job. 5:30 rolls around and I wake my kiddos up for school. My daughter looks awful super pale and just not well at all. She had some sinus issues yesterday and at 7pm Sunday night I had given her some pseudoephedrine. So naturally I gave her the Day Quil dose for her age and sent her back to bed. I made a doctors apt for her because you know that’s what a responsible parent does when your kid is sick right and off we go at 9:00 to the pediatrician.

My word it just went downhill from there.

Had the ultimate scare of my life when my daughter had her blood pressure reading. 53/26! I thought it was wrong I made them do it again. After her exam the doc didn’t think all was kosher either so she retested the blood pressure, 71/40, still no bueno, so she sent us off to the ER.

LONG story short ... the ER sucked, waiting was FOREVER and a day but the end result is ... for kids on ADHD medication you shoudln’t give them pseudoephedrine products.

DOESNT THIS SEEM LIKE SOMETHING YOU SHOULD TELL PARENTS?!?

This reminds me exactly about the time when Sierra had her first fever with us. I had been giving her Tylenol to help break it but it just wouldn’t go away. So off to the ER in the middle of the night we go. Where the doctor then decides to make me feel like an absolute ass because I didn’t know you were supposed to alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Again SHOULDN’T SOMEONE HAVE TOLD ME!!

I don’t know ... I don’t get it ... there are handbooks out there for all sorts of crap and somewhere there should have been one for new moms whose child isn’t an infant.

Just really annoys me deep down that when something happens and I dont know the solution and I seek help from the would be professionals AKA Doctors, that some of them really make me feel like a bad mom for just not knowing.

At the end of the day all is fine Sierra is good and now I know, OTC meds do not always mean their okay even when you follow the directions on the box.

Maybe there should be a PSA about this. I would totally watch that.

Anyone else ever have these kinds of experiences or are they always just happening to me?

Friday, September 8, 2017

Stephen King's Movie Adaptation: IT

Hey there ... Today's review is going to be in the form of an approx 120 second review podcast.

Love to hear your comments on what you thought of the movie too.

Talk soon everyone!

4.5 Stars from me!