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.