Hey look, it’s a blog post! First, let me start with a shoutout to my author buddy Tes Hilaire who just released her gritty new paranormal YA, Life Bites! It’s on sale for the sexy new release price of 2.99, so go and get in on that action. Zombies and vampires and snarky heroines, oh my.
Now. If you stop by here with any regularity I hope you’re so distracted by the groovy new interface (thanks to Syd Gill cuz she’s AWESOME!) that you haven’t noticed how shitty I am at updating the blog. I’m sorry…
I AM hard at work editing Hunter by Night, and the deadline is creeping up, so there’s that. Lee and I, we have some serious work to do.
The kids are out of school. I know some of you feel me on this one. A “quick” blog post can easily take hours, and I’m not making that up. I sit down to type a quick “what’s going on” kind of thing and several potty breaks and juice refills and story times later, I may finally finish. Or not. You wouldn’t believe how many days end with me going “Dammit, I never got around to…” (Fill in the blank. Or many blanks.)
And there’s been a lot of ugly shit going on around the world. My god, just watching the news makes me cry. On top of it all, the person I wanted to win on The Voice didn’t win. As a glasses-wearing nerd girl, I was Team Usher all the way baby (Sorry, Trish). That Michelle was the cutest. Plus, I mean you’ve seen Usher, right? That’s a fine specimen of man even if Adam Levine IS my secret fantasy boyfriend. Anyhoo… Danielle was adorable and she sang like an angel so congratulations to her.
But fuck, at least it’s Friday.
And the other day when my youngest kid–who hasn’t been sleeping well–had an epic meltdown that resulted in him crying himself to sleep in my arms, I had this amazing moment of gratitude. First, because the kid was asleep, but I’d gotten him to stop crying and at that moment I felt like I’d won the world because he finally wasn’t upset anymore. Also, because I knew that no matter what kind of bad shit was going on elsewhere in my life, my kids were healthy and safe and one of them was snuggled in my arms which happens less as they get older. You go from thinking you’ll never be able to put them down to never being able to hug or hold them and them moments when you can are so nice.
I’m also grateful because I’m alternating lately between the kind of dark mood that makes Wednesday Adams look perky, and a full-tilt bitch on wheels level stressed out, and thank fuck I have the world’s most understanding husband who has been watching the kids so I can work and also tossing treats at me from a distance like he thinks I might bite his kneecaps otherwise. I’m grateful for friends like Nyrae Dawn keep insisting that I must watch Spartacus, and she was totally right. She writes good books, too. Check them out. And friends like Mary Calmes who sends me funny text messages when I’m about to lose my sanity. (She writes good books too.) I am grateful for the agent-hunting advice shared here (in tweets) by author and editor Rhonda Helms. She’s a smart and savvy lady and her advice is good. Read it, commit it to memory. Bookmark it so when an agent calls to offer you representation, you can ask them these questions. This is information authors should know and isn’t easy to consolidate, so it was extremely generous and helpful for her to share. And authors like Lori Wilde and Marie Force, who not only write AMAZING books but also take the time to share wisdom with us young grasshoppers once in awhile. I adore these ladies.
See, this is what I do. When life feels a completely sucktastic, I try to focus on the good where I can find it. My kids are healthy, there’s food in the refrigerator. My cat is still alive (okay that one’s looking iffy, but for now she’s hanging in there). I have amazing friends who check in once in awhile to make sure I’m still breathing. Oh, yeah, and OF COURSE…
Always and forever I’m grateful to my readers, because my readers are bestest-estest ever. I love you guys to pieces.
Okay I have to go now. My kids want juice, they want to draw pictures, and they want to kill each other. All right away. Also, Lee is calling my name. So is the guy from the pest control company. And the kid who mows the lawn. And my mom.
Fuck, at least it’s Friday.