A Sneak Peek

Instead of giving you a quick, bullet list of items from my novel…I thought today I would grant you insider access. That’s right, never before seen words straight from my book! Ok, so some people have actually seen it, but not many. Maybe one or two.

Parker smiled and ordered his usual large soy latte with extra foam. He walked over to a large, empty table and set his guitar down. Surveying the crowd, he noticed many of the people had not seen him walk in. They were focused on their coffee and the company. The inattention did not bother him. Oh well, he thought, at least they won’t be disappointed when I start singing. He was just about to go start looking for Joe, the manager, when he saw the older gentleman walking towards him.

 

So, what did you think? Be honest!

How To Be Like a Secret Millionaire

Last night, hubby and I came across a show entitled Secret Millionaire. It’s a really neat show where millionaires visit rough neighborhoods in various cities and volunteer for however long they are there. The episode we saw focused on mainly on the children of this specific town, so it really caught my attention. Several of the things that the millionaire came to realize in the show are notions that can be applied in our everyday lives.

Don’t get caught up in the notion that you have to be “well off” to make a difference. Let me point out that while on the show, the millionaire only has around $45 for the week for spending money for their meals. The most important thing they do is get into these organizations and ‘get their hands dirty.’

Sure, at the end of the show they get to surprise those people with checks and buildings and land. But, that’s not the point. The point is to make a difference. How can you do that?

-Volunteer at an after school program somewhere
-Pick up trash in your community
-Smile at the cashier at the grocery store
-Ask someone how they are doing

Don’t underestimate the difference that you are making.

The Reset Button

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. To get a better mental picture, imagine Gollum from Lord of the Rings when he’s fussing over his precious. Yeah, I even looked like him too.

Luckily, when I was driving to the grocery store, I decided that the rest of my day did not have to resemble the morning I had started out having. I choose then and there to hit RESET in my mind. Don’t worry, my eyes were still open and on the road. Although, there was this truck going 30 mph on a 50 mph road…anywho.

Sometimes I forget that I can choose to feel better. I just said a quick prayer and TA-DA! My day got off to a rough start because I slept later and lazed around in the bed. This always makes me grouchy, which is odd because you would think it would be quite the opposite. However, whenever I stick to a morning routine, know matter what time I get up, I find that my attitude is remarkably better.

Question: What do you do to hit reset in your life?

The Balance Beam

I’m in full on attack mode today. What am I attacking? I’m glad you asked dear reader. Here is your answer: my grody house.

It seriously needed a deep cleaning, and that’s what I plan on giving it. It’s like a layer of dust/nastiness settled in on it sometime when I was wasn’t looking. Why wasn’t I looking? Thank you again for asking my little, attentive readers. I was focused on my writing. When I am working on a writing project (such as a novel), I find that I just bury my head and ignore whatever undesirable things appear in my house.

I don’t want to stop writing because if I do, then it is hard for me to refocus whenever I complete the task. So the little things add up, and before I know it, I have to spend the entire day cleaning or whatever. This is not a very smart way to operate as a writer.

Pete Wilson wrote on his blog the other day that whenever we make a decision to do something, then we “cheat” something else. For instance, if I write all day, then I cheat at housecleaning. Or, if I choose to spend the night ‘unplugged’ from my computer, then I cheat my writing.

Finding balance in what you want to cheat is key. This is where our priorities kick in and persuade us. If I have a writing deadline (these are self-imposed, but I try to stick to them as much as possible) and haven’t managed my time well, then unfortunately precious things get cheated. In turn, I feel guilty for cheating them.

If I just plan ahead and keep balance in mind, then I don’t have to rush and feel guilty for it. Balance is tricky, but I know that with a little effort it can be achieved. This way we don’t cheat the things that matter most.

Ask the Reader

Ok peeps…I hope you all had a great weekend and Father’s Day.

Today’s “Ask the Reader” question is this:

What is your favorite book right now?

Just click “comment” below or feel free to comment on the Facebook page as well…looking forward to reading your favs!

Novel Update #3

It’s been awhile since I posted an update on my novel, so I thought I would give you a few nuggets of goodness here today.

–Parker, the main character, wants to be a musician.

–Parker has to fight through the obstacles that are constantly thrown his way.

How does his fare in the face of life, loss, and grief?

Stay tuned to find out more about my novel, Too Far Gone.

Top 5 Things I Learned at SCWC

This past weekend I attended the Southern Christian Writer’s Conference in Tuscaloosa. I had an absolute blast, and I learned a lot about the art of writing. I thought I might share a few of the things I learned.

Here are the top 5 things I learned:

5. Expect to write junk. The good words are often hiding behind the junk. It might take you awhile to peel the layers off, but you will.
4. Promote your writing. This is so popular in the writing realm right now. I just started my own Facebook author page (click on the link at the right to like the page), so I’m still learning about this.
3. Writers are cool. Getting to spend the weekend surrounded by people who do the same thing I do and struggle with the same things was a tremendous blessing.
2. Rejection is not the end. One speaker said his book was rejected 99 times and accepted on the 100th. Yeah, enough said.
1. Write what you know. Don’t push it with your writing-just write from within you about things you like and love.

There you have it…the top 5 things I learned at SCWC.

Be sure to “like” my Facebook author page by clicking on the link at the right.

A New Way To Connect

Hey peeps…check out this Facebook page. It’s my new, official page. Be sure to “like” it.

 

Ask The Reader

Today, I have a question for you. Try not to overthink…it is summer after all. Here it is:

If you were going to buy an e-reader, would you choose a Kindle or a Nook?

There it is folks, the first question in the Ask the Reader series. Just click the comment button below to answer…you don’t have to use your real name or e-mail if you don’t want to. I can read answers from ‘Scrooge McDuck’ just as I can read answers from anyone else. 🙂

Pioneer Woman Experiment, Week One

Yesterday was the first week of my Pioneer Woman Experiment. Every Sunday in June, I am going to cook a delicious meal from her cookbook.

This week’s meal was Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork…or something along those lines. Again, I can’t post the recipe because that’s illegal and all. I’m too pretty to go to jail. 😉

Anyways, I thought the meat was absolutely delicious. Although the original recipe in her cookbook calls for it to be cooked in the oven, I had to cook it in my Crock-Pot because we had somewhere to go and would not be at home to keep a watch on the oven. You know how ovens are…sneaky things.

One good thing about not being at home while it was cooking was that when we first opened the door when we arrived back at home the smell was INTOXICATING to our nostrils. Seriously, it was better than Thanksgiving Day…okay, not really but close.

To eat the meat, we shredded it with a fork and put it on hamburger buns. It was scrumptious. Another plus, it made a huge amount. Normally, what is a huge amount at our house turns out to be a normal amount for my hubby because he can eat a horse. Not the ones we keep outside, but you get the picture. We put some in the freezer to have at a later date, which may or may not be tomorrow!