Category: Book Release

4 – Action Kids Book Release

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4 Days!

And the countdown continues. 
I like countdowns a lot. And lists. And numbers. And patterns. And statistics it’s a wonder I don’t like math more. So these posts have been a lot of fun. I would regale you with round after round of ambiguous patterns I’ve discovered in life, lists that ultimately hold little to no intrinsic value in the grand scheme of things and minute detailed statistics in which I compare my blog stats from one day, week, and month to the next, but I’m afraid most of y’all would find it rather tedious. 
So, now we’ll just talk about a book that I read that pretty much blew my mind. 
Last night when I got home from work I was stressed out most likely because I’m having a hard time focusing because of my upcoming book release. Seriously people, it’s doing strange things to my brain. I can’t even function properly. And I don’t even understand why. and I decided to look for a Middle Grade book to read on my kindle cause I’m trying to inundate my life with reading MG books right now since that’s what I write. 
I downloaded some rather ehh-looking free books and one that seemed rather promising. Of course I started reading the promising-looking one. PEOPLE. It’s one of those books that if I had read the blurb I probably never would have opened it because it’s not my style. It was a si-fi book. Or at least I think it was. I’ve never read those kind of books because I’ve started them and haven’t liked them at all. But I read this book. All the way through. In four hours. Without really stopping. And I liked it. Maybe a lot, but I’m not even sure. 
Mostly I’m just kinda in shock. Because I read a si-fi book. For real. All the way through. And I enjoyed it. I didn’t know this could happen to me. It’s so weird. It would be like someone who loves classical music and plays it for a living suddenly discovering great delight in rap music. Mind blowing. 
Ok, moving on now. 
Since it’s only 4 more days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are four people who inspire me with my writing:
1. Aubrey – My cousin. Very seriously inspiring 
2. Catherine Farnes – One of my favorite authors. I read her books a lot 
3. My adopted dad – He’s walked in my shoes not really, his feet are way bigger than mine and he’s encouraging, successful and helpful 
4. My family – Yep. They’re amazing. And I’m counting the whole huge group of them as one. Aubrey says I’m cheating. And I say it’s my blog so I can cheat if I want to
Of course this isn’t an all-encompassing list by any means. But it’s a good start. Inspiration is good.

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Now it’s YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 4 people who inspire you and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. 
Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!

5 – Action Kids Book Release

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5 Days!!!

Last night I was thinking about the book and I was so stressed about… Well, I’m not even sure what, but I just wanted to cry and maybe I did cry multiple times. Being an author can be pretty stressful, except there’s nothing pretty about it. Take it from me and if you don’t want to, you can ask my family…, but today I’m really excited! My illustrator (who, by the way is going to be part of the blog tour!) helped me out with an amazing project I’ve been working out. I can hardly wait to share it with y’all! It’s going to be SO thrilling to show it to you!
Do you people realize how short five days are? Ok, so I just read that the average American lives 27,375 days, so maybe five days are longer than I realized… November 10th is going to be here before we know it!!! 
Since it’s only 5 days until the release of the first Action Kids book, here are 5 things that I’m really thrilled about regarding the series:
1. Getting the surprise finished that I’ve been working on for y’all
2. Showing my editor some of the stuff I have planned for the book release and him liking my ideas
3. Knowing I’ve sent out all the emails besides one for the book tour and that one is all ready to be sent as soon as I get some more info for it
4. Thinking of showing my family the surprise I’ve been working on 
5. My Action Kids business cards 
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Now it’s YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 5 things that you’re thrilled about (in general) and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. 
Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!

6 – Action Kids Book Release

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6 Days! 

And instead of freaking out today, I’m excited. Everything’s under control. I’m able to breath again. This blog tour prep is going great. Except for the person who stopped responding to emails so now I have to find a replacement with less than a week until the beginning of the tour, but we won’t talk about that because it isn’t professional to let people know that everything isn’t peachy. 

At nine-something last night I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open. So instead of finishing the work I wanted to do on the blog tour, I decided to get ready and go to bed. Like a good little girl. Then, being me, I decided to check my email again just one more time, after I was in bed. Note: Not the smartest of all ideas ever. Low and behold, I had an email I’d been waiting for. Of course I wanted to take care of it, so I pulled my laptop onto my sleeping bag and… I finally went to sleep after midnight, but I got a lot done and it was very happy moment for me.

Since it’s only 6 days until the first book in the Action Kids series is released, here are 6 authors I would have liked to meet (even if it’s impossible, as in they’re not alive any more…)
1. Catherine Farns 
2. Patricia St. James
3. Andy Andrews
4. Apostle Paul
5. King David
6. Kayla Woodhouse
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Now it’s YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 6 authors you like to meet and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. 
Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!

7 – Action Kids Book Release

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7 Days!

One week. One ittiy, bitty little week until this book that I began working on four years ago is released out into the wild. Ahem. I mean public. 

In case you’re not an author, let me give you a glimpse inside of an author’s mind this can be a rather scary place, by the way, so hold on tight!. 

THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST THING EVER!!!
Woah. Wait a second. What if people don’t ‘get’ the book? What if they think it’s lame? 
AHHH!!! I CAN’T WAIT TO ACTUALLY HOLD IT IN MY HANDS FOR THE FIRST TIME!
People are probably going to think I have no clue what I’m talking about. 
KIDS ARE GOING TO GOBBLE IT UP AND COME BACK BEGGING FOR MORE!
There are going to be people who buy it, right? What if it’s a flop and no one wants it? Good thing no one else besides me can see the sales…
I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THIS BOOK IN STOCK! I WONDER HOW LONG BEFORE WAL-MART WILL START CARRYING IT? 
Am I talking about the book too much on my blog? But it’s a writing/author blog and this is what my life is full of, so it’s good, right? 
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!!!
I hope people buy it. 
I hope people take part in the blog tour.
I hope this isn’t a big mistake. 
HOW LONG UNTIL I’LL BE ABLE TO GET THE SECOND BOOK IN THE SERIES WRITTEN?
I wonder if that dream I had last night was because my mind is working over-time trying to fix any problems that might pop up during the blog tour. 
Why did I even decide to celebrate with a blog tour? 
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS BLOG TOUR SO MUCH. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED MORE BLOGS TAKE PART IN IT!!!
Please, oh please… This book is going to work out just fine. 

I am an author. An author. I’ll survive this no matter what. Actually, I’ll thrive with this. I will. 

And that, my friends, is a look into my very full head. 


Since today marks 7 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 7 things I like to do/have when I’m writing: 

1. My chair with either a lap desk or a pillow and my computer  
2. Have a candle burning next to me
3. A glass of water handy
4. Sugar-free Lifesavers and Jolly Ranchers to suck on
5. My dog or rat to keep me company
6. Music
7. No one around 

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Now it’s YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 7 things you like in your working environment and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. 
Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!

9 – Action Kids Book Release

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9 Days! 

Ok, let’s just say, despite how very excited I am about my book coming out, I do not feel ready for to be in the single digits yet! There’s still so much to do getting ready for my blog tour and all that good stuff. 

On another note: Happy November! And to all of you who are taking part in NaNoWriMo, congratulations! I’m not linking it people, because when I do I get tons of spam comments left on here. So, if any of y’all are wondering, I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this year. I don’t think it’s very wise for me to try and juggle a book release, the rest of my life, and writing 50,000 words in a month. Although believe me, it sounds like fun. 

For all you first time NaNo-ers, it’s possible to win. Really, it is. Just buckle down and do it. No editing. No reserach. Leave those things until later. This is just time to get your story out in raw form. It’s a good exercise. 

The first, and only, time I did NaNo was in 2012 and I finished it on November 27th. It was a thrilling experience. Then, last year I had a story I needed to write to get out of my system, and so even though it wasn’t November, I sat down and wrote over 50,000 words in three days. So yes, take courage and hit it running. 🙂 

 
9 Days…

Since today marks 9 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 9 of my favorite countries I have visited (in the order I visited them in): 

1. Canada
2. Peru 
3. Indonesia 

4. Austria
5. Germany
6. Switzerland
7. The Netherlands
8. France 
9. England 

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Now it’s YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 9 countries (or states!) you’ve visited and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. 
Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!

10 – Action Kids Book Release

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10 Days! 
Can we all take a moment here to gasp in amazement? Ten days. This is a project I’ve been working on for over four years. Y’all. Excitement. 
I was finally able to finish some really big projects yesterday that I’ve been working on for a while, so I’m feeling a great sense of relief. I have so much on my plate with my book release, but each day it’s looking more and more manageable. Manageable is good. 
Today I got some more of the prizes that I’ve ordered for giveaways for during the blog tour. Y’all are going to be blown away by some of the stuff I’m offering. I’m so excited about it! Blogging is such a huge part of my journey as an author and it’s so much fun when I can give y’all something extra. 
By the way, right now I have my cute little rat climbing on me. It’s fun. Having Autumn is a lot more rewarding than I had thought it would be. She doesn’t take much care and she’s a great pet. Even if my siblings ask me to keep her in my room because they don’t really like the idea of a rat around the house. Oh well. Understandable, I guess. 

10 Days…

Since today marks 10 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 10 countries I’ve never been to that I would be delighted to visit one day (random order): 

1. Ireland 
2. Australia 
3. Scotland
4. Kenya 
5. Antartica 
6. China 
7. Egypt
8. Israel 
9. India
10. Italy 

That was actually really hard though… Because, pretty much, I want to go to all the countries. New Zealand and Iceland are two that really fought for a place on this list…


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Now it’s YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 10 countries that you like to visit and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. 
Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!

11 – Action Kids Book Release

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11 Days!

Life is good. I might have had to go three different places trying to find Internet that works, I might have taken pictures of the elven stickers in three different rooms, trying to get one that would turn out well and I might be behind on several projects, but still, Life is good. By the way, I got those stickers at the doctors office yesterday when I went for a check-up because I think about y’all even there. I’m a blogger through and through. 

Today I was thinking about how crazy it is that while I’m here, living my life, going from task to task, there are kids reading my book. It’s so weird to think about that! I mean, a lot of my life is filled with doing laundry, sweeping the floor, cooking, cleaning up, cutting grass, etc… When I was a little kid reading I never imagined the author could be living, doing mundane tasks at the very moment I was reading a story she wrote. 
Being an author is pretty cool cause it’s kinda like I’m getting to do more than one thing at once. I can live my life here with the list I have for the day Including, yet not limited to, Making lunch, helping out with a Science project, cutting grass, helping make supper, working on my blog tour stuff, working on a book report for work….   and I can also be influencing/entertaining/helping kids basically anywhere in the world. Yikes. That’s almost mind-blowing. 

11 Days…

Since today marks 11 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 11 pets I have/would like to have one day:

1. A dog (have one)
2. A skunk 
3. A rabbit (have one)
4. A hedgehog
5. A horse
6. A prairie dog
7. A rat (have one)
8. A penguin 
9. A donkey
10. A raccoon
11. A monkey 

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Now it’s YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 11 animals that you like to/do have and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. 
Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!

12 – Action Kids Book Release

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12 Days!

After a lot of hard work, I can finally say that I’m feeling fairly confident that I’ll be able to get everything in line that needs to be ready for this book release to come off smoothly and I’ll even be able to enjoy it. Exciting right? 

I’ve been sending out galoamzoes of emails, writing author bios, formatting, exploring character developments, updating my stuff, getting surprises ready, ordering giveaways, getting set up on Goodreads (I just about did a happy dance while singing Jingle Bells for joy when I got the email saying I was accepted as a Goodreads author!), finalizing various things, talking on the phone, trying to get business cards… Wwoooosssssssshhhhhhhhhh. Yes, I’ve been busy. 

By the way, if you want to get random updates throughout the day you can check out my Twitter page, Google+ profile and Facebook. 

12 Days…
Since today marks 12 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 12 things you’re likely to find in my computer bag:
1. My computer
2. My computer cord
3. A notebook
4. Pens
5. Notecards 
6. Envelopes with stamps
7. Sugar-free hard candy
8. Notes people have given me that are special to me
9. A little bit of money
10. A book or two
11. Wrappers 
12. A harddrive 
I carry my computer bag around a lot. Kinda like a briefcase and purse combined. So now it’s YOUR turn. If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 12 things that you have in your backpack/briefcase/purse/computer bag and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. 

Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!

13 Days – Action Kids Book Release

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Thirteen Days! 
Here I am, sitting in my writing chair, listening to happy music, drinking coffee and writing a blog update about my soon to be released book. Pretty amazing, right? Oh, plus I have a whole flock of stuffed animals looking at me so it doesn’t get much better than that. 
Of course there are some logistical, formatting and time issues I’m working with that are kinda maybe stressful, buuutttt I’m working on keeping an upbeat attitude and it’s helping.  
13 Days…
Since today marks 13 days until the release of the first book in the Action Kids series, here are 13 things I like to eat:


1. Pickled green beans 
2. Apples with peanut butter
3. Caesar salads 
4. French fries with hotdogs cut up on top (a Peruvian dish)
5. Sugar-free Butter pecan ice cream
6. Broccoli and cauliflower with butter and salt
7. Noodles
8. Frozen grapes
9. Chapati (an African flat bread)
10. Cupcakes
11. Mixed veggies with cheese
12. Stuffed grape leaves (a Middle Eastern dish)
13. Cheesecake 
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Now it’s YOUR turn! If you feel so inclined, you can either write a post (and link it back to this one) where you talk about 13 things that you like to eat and leave a link in the comments section. Or, just leave your list in the comment section. 
Everyone who participates during the next two weeks will be entered into a drawing for their chance to receive one of the very first signed copies of the Action Kids book!