Merry Christmas Everybody!

It's Wednesday and this stuff's in my TBR pile!

I'm writing the sequel to Full Circle. It should have been done by now but like the crazy woman I am I threw out a bunch of words and have begun to retell and reweave a story with two very intense people at the heart of it.

In the mean time it seems my brain is collecting information, for which it won't divulge the purpose much later.  I allowed myself to be seduced by nonfiction on this latest stocking of my ereader.

And then I who follow the Bocas lit Fest apparently don't follow it closely enough because I'd totally missed this book:

And there you have it a tiny sampling of my very eclectic To Be read pile. :)

My What Big Eyes You have!

Happy Halloween!

Advice from a friend.

In low moments.

Moments of self doubt.

Moments of questioning.

I'm grateful to my friends.

The one's who see the real me.

Who remember who I am.

Who remind me of who I am.

The girl I once was.

The woman I am now.

Who remind me of who I come from 

and 

where I have go from.

and where I have to go. 

The friends I have

never let me forget 

that I am capable

I am strong

and that I 

have the ability

 to push through.

When I was feeling low, a friend sent me this:

Music Monday! Collbie Callat- Try

Good News! I'm up for an award!

Just when you least expect it life will hand you[ a surprise. Sometimes you like them sometimes you want to hand them back. Today I'm simply grateful. I got handed a surprise that I'm not handing back. I've been nominated for an Angie!

What category you ask ?

I'm so happy! I'm doing a happy dance. It really is an honor to be nominated.:)

Moonlight and Magnolia's recap!

I can't believe it's already been a full week and a half since I made my yearly trek to Norcross, GA.  It always begins the same way,the purchasing of my registration as soon as I had the funds. The purchase of my plane ticket, the flurry of packing. Until finally my husband dropped me off at the air port. 

 It always hits me at the airport. To be more specific once I've actually cleared the security line and boarded the train that takes me to the terminal. That's when it hits me. When the planes come into view. I'm on my way to meet my tribe.There is always something about meeting a bunch of people who get you. And once I arrive at the hotel and see that first face I'm happy.

What I love about that weekend is the possibilities. The opportunity to meet people, to learn new things and to just be. No one looks at you funny if you just whip out your laptop and start writing furiously.

You get approached by people to help out at workshops that
you wouldn't ordinarily have gone to but you learn so much in the process. Thanks Fran Fowkes, for asking me my size in the breakfast buffet line. Saying yes to something where I would ordinarily say no, gave me an opportunity to meet such cool people.

La Tessa, Hildie and I

Then there, the old friends. Friends whom I've know for a while. Being at M&M together gave us a chance to know each other even better. And since conferences are the only times we get to see each other it makes the conference even sweeter.

There's also the fact that M&M14 was my first conference ever as a Published author and also hosted my first book signing.

The very brave Jennifer McQuiston and Hildie McQueen horsing around.

Which of course meant there were Shenanigans!

My bestie Tanisha from high school!

And visitors from the past baring the future!

Adrienne, LaTessa and I

Then there's the party!

 Where else can we dance on not be judged!

Or see some very cool dresses worn by very cool people.

Or meet really tall Rusian cover models! Hello Sergey! 

So tired, do I really have to drive to the airport?

Then there's the aftermath.  The realization that I have to head home and leave all of these wonderful people behind.

Then it was home again! I swear they were happy to see me. 

Curious about M&M? Noelle Pierce does a good post on why you should attend a M&M here.
 Want to see what Paranormal/ Fantasy authors were at the signing? Check out my post at Smart Girls love Sci-Fi
Curious about Fran Fowkes and her friends . Check out Bad Girlz write.

Music Monday! Tove Lo - Habits (Stay High)

Kids and Persistence

The view from my hotel room as I wrote last weekend.

I'm deep in the rewriting cave this next month. I wasn't happy with the manuscript for Full Force the secret to Full Circle. So I dumped a ton of words and started over. It hasn't been easy. I don't like doing it but the book even in the rough stage it's in right now is already better.

Writing and editing a book while promoting another requires patience planing and a real talent for organization and coordination. Skills that I've been perfecting for over three decades and still have yet to perfect.

In the end I'm making list and hoping to make list or maintain my spot on list. While churning out words in hopes that when I hand them over to my editor they're won't be too much blood shed come editing.

This morning as I got ready for work I spotted a red slip of paper. It was out in the open not hidden but it hadn't been presented to either myself or my husband. Clearly in large letters it bore the name of my younger daughter.

It was a note about her reading. The teacher was making a plea to her to do better. Because you see she can do better. However, she doesn't put in the effort unless she feels it's necessary, sometimes. And she's been busy reading, I see her but much like her father and if I'm fair myself if she's interested she's all gun ho.

If she's not. Oye!

This morning as I brushed her hair. I explained to her why it was important for her to put in the time and effort and not give up. Especially if as she says the computers they use are messed up. I told her to report and show the teacher what was happening.

It's all well and good to whine and play victim for a minute. Everyone needs to have a pity party so they know what it's like but what the kidlet had to learn today and what I needed to remember was that persistence can be a learned behavior.

Most of us have that drive deep down within. It can get buried. It can get hidden. Especially when no one in your group of friends recognizes the pity party for what it is. So I made her repeat what has been my mantra for a long time. It's been my family mantra though not in the same words.

"Over, under, around or through! One way or another we'll make it through.

One step at a time. 

One foot in front of the other."

It may not be much, but it's enough to remind me that obstacles are simply that obstacles and the way forward is really straight. More often than not you have to do what you would prefer not to do in order to achieve your goal. It was a lesson I haven't forgotten but needed a little reminding on. And, so did she.

Music Monday! Pitbull ft John Ryan - Fireball

I'm over Alicia McCalla's blog.

Follow me over to my friend Alicia Mccalla's blog while we Celebrate Black Speculative Fiction Month.

Music Monday! Metallica -Turn the Page

This song has been in my head all weekend and then I found this video, my two favorite thing Metallic and Sons of Anarchy. Who could ask for anything more.

It's time for another giveaway!

I'm giving away a Tote bag and a $25.00 Amazon gift-card just review my book Full Circle.

Leave a link to your review on the  Indie Authors & Book Blogs Facebook page to enter.

Full Circle just hit ARe's bestseller list!

How can I be so excited over this button? Click on it to go to the bestseller list over at All Romance eBooks.

Music Monday! I'm over at Books Make Me Happy

I'm over at Books Make Me Happy today:

Join me, I'm discussing what Adam Levine and Werewolves have in common.

Full Circle is out now!

After all this time squinting at the computer screen and railing against characters who wouldn't cooperate. It's here!

You can find it at the following:

Amazon

All Romance eBooks

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Google Play

and 

Smashwords 

to follow.

Music Monday! Arctic Monkeys- Do I wanna Know?

My Music Taste

OK so I'm pretty sure I thoroughly confuse some of the shirts at my day job.

I listen to music almost all day long. Some days I prefer silence. Those are the days when people are in the reception area non stop and the phones are ringing off the hook and it's a miracle I can leave for lunch.

But other days it's all data entry, monitoring email and social media in between reconciling invoices. Then, I need music and lots of it. Sometimes I simply finds a station on Pandora and let it play all day.

• Today's Top hits ( have to stay up on the hip and trendy, having a teenager makes the necessary)
• Summer hits of the 2000's
• Pop and Hip Hop workout
• 90's R&B

That's only a few of many.

Then there's my YouTube choices. Yes sometimes I prefer o pick and choose the music that I want to play. I even simply click through to something I've never heard. Sometimes it's the familiar. The other day is was the Beatles, today it's Weezer. 

So I'll give you some of my picks from the last month.

• Led Zepplin
• Machel Montano
• Wu Tang Klan
• Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
• Rihanna
• Florence and the Machine
• Jessie Jay, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj
• Pink
• Aswad
• Meghan Trainor
• 30 Seconds to Mars
• Beres Hammond
• Bond

I won't list anymore, This could go on for a long time. A really long time. 

Sometimes I get looks of a approval depending on who walks by and whats playing at the time. Other times I get odd looks because I might be listening to Metallica. See at the heart of it I love music  any music if it has a beat I'll move to it. 

Even if I don't like it I can still appreciate the hard work put into to it. I guess this all boils down the the things I love the most music and writing. While I only dabble on the piano. I write every night and I still get the odd looks from people about that. 

So I guess I'm just odd and proud of it in Music and writing. Let's just say in life in general and be happy about that. 

The moral of this ramble? Let your freak flag fly! 

Music Monday! Taylor Swift- Shake it off!

This has been one of my theme songs lately. Set backs, illness and broken Ac's need to be shaken off soon, Full Circle will be back from my editor and then it's off to the formatter and as soon as it's live. I will do a virtual jig.

PS. There is a super secret project that I can't tell you about yet.

PPS. I'm working on the sequel to Full Circle.

love,

Chudney

Music Monday- Bang Bang-Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj

Music and Madness

I'm in the Editing/Writing cave. I've got deadlines pouring out of my ears. Two new projects underway and Full circle to prepping for a CP review. In the midst of all this I had my family visiting and we're not only getting the girls ready for school, but the younger one is turning nine this week. Which of course means birthday party planning and execution and the kiddo is wanting Sharks.

So I leave you with my current Jam as I descend into the madness that is deadline/birthday party hell.

Crawling up hill slowly

I sat in my car in the parking lot this morning giving my manuscript a final reader over before I send it into my editor. I was there at 6:45am because, this is a one car family and that means if the man has to get to work early then I go to work early. Some of you might think this is a bad thing, but I'll tell you what it's not.

Yes I'm a little more tired in the evening on the days that he has to go to work early. But, I do get an extra hour to write/edit on those mornings. It's just me, the empty work parking lot and my laptop. Sometimes i'm joined by the odd woodpecker or squirrel.

The truth is I'm beginning to like these mornings. When my creative brain is on and I don't have anyone asking me to find their socks or their backpacks. (the kids are at grandma's. Fall will come soon enough. In case your wondering I have beach time scheduled with them this week)

You've heard that writing advice, write first thing in the morning. It turns out it works. At least for me a few days a week.

I've been the girl who has to wait until the kids go to sleep at night. I'm the girl who eeks out  an hour and a half of work before dropping into bed.

This self publishing journey has taught me and reminded me of a few things:

• Do not rush 
• Quality, Quality, Quality then Quantity
• Taking care of yourself is a major priority everything else will suffer if you don't (hence the PIYO and My fitness Pal)
• Plans are meant to be modified, flexibility and creative thinking are necessary
• Deadlines are important. you can't be going off all wily nily 
• Don't forget your family or your friends
• when all else fails a day off will recharge your batteries 

Since I missed Music Monday! Here's the song that started off my day!  Shine

Music Monday! One Republic- Love Runs out

Music Monday! KONGOS- Come with me now

Music Monday! Enrique Iglesias ft. Sean Paul - Bailando

Adventures in NOLA- Part 3

Last post I promise I took way too many pictures. (unless you want to see the madness of the book fair)

Of course I had to stalk my favorite people Trent Hart!

Love him.

See I was stalking Jeffe Kennedy too!

There's nothing like running into sexy models on a pub crawl. Where can we see these specimens in the wild you ask? 

On Bourbon Street of course!

Yes. That's Scott Nova and my buddy Jodi Vaughn.

Shane! I lost his info, if someone knows it please email me.

And Jeremy, Charles was around some where but I didn't see him.

Got to hang out on a balcony with Kristen Painter and threw beads at passers by.

And totally had a fan girl moment with Kristin Callahan.

Proof, that I was above Bourbon Street.

Really good music.

A busty young lady kept trying to get me to take a shot !

Stopped by Pat O'Briens.

As always my diet included beignets.

Then there was the Samhain Saints and Sinners ball. 

I'm with the lovely Gennita Low.

Danced with my good friend Adrienne Trent.

Ran in to Scott, again.

And the lovely PJ Schndyer 

And the other devil on my shoulder Noelle Pierce.

I took way too many photos and had a ton on fun. I learned a great deal. RT and NOLA I had a blast.

Music Monday! MAGIC!- Rude

Adventures in NOLA Part 2

That's my buddy Kwana! 

There is nothing better in this world than meeting up with good friends and RT certainly provided me with the opportunity to meet up with  lots of them.

My other buddy Deborah Blake Dempsey

Then there is that bar I told you about. You know the one that if you stood in one place long enough you'd see everyone? Well there's nothing like cornering Nalini Singh and Karina Cooper stops by with a copy of Delilah Dawson's book.

Then there's the food. Behold Red beans and Rice and Andouille sausage. 

Nom Nom Nom!

Then there was Mardis Gras World. RT and the Publishers did go all out to make sure we experienced New Orleans.

Lyla Bellatas and Damon Suede

I found these two in the darkened pathways of the Haunted Mansion. 

We grooved to a New Orleans Jazz band on the way to see the floats!

Nothing like discovering authors in the floats. Which meant:

Oh look it's Sara Humphrey's! 

And  

Suzanne Brockmann with her writing partner and daughter Melanine Brockmann. I tried really hard not to squeal and I remembered to acknowledge Ed  Gaffney this time. Years after meeting them in Jacksonville and having a total fan girl moment where I pretty sure I was unintelligible, I redeemed myself and got a picture.

Seriously the Jazz band rocked it out! 

There was another part to this event but, the lines were long though the food was good and for a tired girl the best thing I could for myself do was head back to the hotel. Where I ran into:

DeLonn Donovan

And decided I wasn't too tired to venture out into the cold (yes it was cold and windy) for a hilarious dinner, where we closed the restaurant down and shocked the staff.