When Your Summer Dies, IWSG, & Angels

It's that time of the year when many parents are shopping for school necessities, looking forward to shipping their energy-balls off to the institution, and getting back into a prolific routine.

Yet some of us are filled with dread.

Some parents are welcoming a season of ease, writing, freedom, and productivity.

For everyone else, students and teachers alike, these are for you:

I pretty much feel like this at the beginning to middle of every school day:

And this:

And this, of course:

But for me, it really looks like this:

And when the kids fight me about assignments, there's lots of this, along with self talk:

(Why oh why do I do this to myself? Home schooling is COMPLETE insanity. I'm insane.)

(Especially when teaching my kid who is ADD+.)

(Who eats up ALL my energy, by himself.)

(Which is every day.)

(All the time.)

(Plus the other three kids.)

(Is it too early for a cheese break?)

But then there are little moments that change everything, moments I would miss if we did things differently:

This is pretty much how I feel about the process of writing as well. We slave over something we love, and sometimes it turns out, and often we want to slam our heads into a desk, repeatedly. But it's the small moments that make it all worth it. It all boils down to loving what we do, and making the best of every moment.

For those of you who are really excited to shove your kids/self back into the cookie-maker, I mean shaper, I mean school...

Huge thanks for hosting
Alex Cavanaugh, Christine Rains,
Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor,
Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner!

Last month, Bethany Kaczmarek shared STRAINS OF SILENCE along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed which was the lie was entered to win an eBook.

The game:

1. I've been married for 19 years, and we've moved 15 times.
2. I once lived in the country and had a cat named Taxi, because it amused us all to call for her.
3. I collect place mats from all over the world, and I love mixing them up at the table.

The lie: #3.

From Bethany: I only have place mats from Lithuania. They're made of linen and lace, and I would never allow anyone to eat on them. I do collect pottery and nativities from all over though. I'm not attached to stuff, but a few things in my home make it home to me, representative of our lives--and those are the pieces of art I've collected on our travels. Each tells a story I don't want to forget.

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Sandra Allen Lovelace!

Congrats, Sandra!

And now for a book I think sounds absolutely fascinating:

For a ghost there are only two choices. Heaven or Hell.

Life has returned to normal for Tamara and Dex after helping a horde of ghosts cross over. Their brush with the afterlife affirmed one thing: happily ever after is real.

When odd pranks around the farm escalate to destruction, Tamara fears mischievous teenagers are vandalizing the neighborhood. Then Dex starts to act out of character. Meanness slips into his usually playful disposition. One day he even ridicules a co-worker publicly. Tamara watches helplessly as he seems to lose the ability to control his own actions. When Dex’s abnormal anger turns violent—toward Tamara—their happily ever after is threatened. Desperate to help Dex and herself, she sends out a silent prayer for help.

She didn’t expect Cal, the cowboy ghost she fell in love with before helping to cross over, to come to her aid.

Buy your copy on Amazon.

Ready to meet the author?

LA Dragoni isn’t too particular about who falls in love or where they fall in love. Whether it’s paranormal, mythical, or time travel, LA simply considers it her job to divine their story and share it with you. No stranger to the supernatural, LA believes the house she grew up in was visited by the ghost of the previous owner who died of a heart attack while mowing the lawn. Now she lives in a ghost-free home in Central Oregon with her husband and children, but haunts ghost towns and cemeteries throughout the west, in search of the next adventure to sift through her storytelling brain. Learn more about LA and her work at www.ladragoni.com.

Originally from Wisconsin, cheese is a way of life for LA. She is always trying to find new ways to enjoy it. Her current favorite is homemade mac and cheese made with generous shreds of mozzarella and pepper jack cheeses. The gooier, the better.

LA gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. If you guess the lie, right or wrong, you will be entered to win an ebook of GUARDIAN'S TOUCH. If you are the randomly selected winner and guessed correctly, you will also receive GHOST TOUCH, the first book in the series. (Open internationally.) DON'T HAVE A BLOGGER ACCOUNT WITH AN EMAIL ON THE PROFILE? No problem. LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS OR EMAIL IT TO crystal@crystal-collier.com WITH YOUR SCREEN ALIAS.

You have until Tuesday, September 5th at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on September 6th, 8 a.m. EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Once when riding with a friend, LA grabbed the dashboard and cried, “Careful! Watch out for the dog.” Her friend thought she was nuts, but when she turned the corner had to break to avoid hitting a dog running across the road.
2. LA has accurately predicted two earthquakes.
3. As a young girl, LA wanted to go on a day trip with her dad, but it was raining too hard. She flung her hands into the air and yelled stop. It did! Instantly! Though her father was freaked out, they departed on their adventure.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have you met LA Dragoni? Are you ready for/excited about the new school year? What pet peeves do you have about reading or writing?