Do You Love Your Mother? & IWSG

You have a mom. I have a mom. Everyone has a mom.

Not all mothers are created equal, but generally speaking, no matter who she is, she wants what's best for you. Before I was a mom, I was a driven, multi-talented individual who was going to take the world by storm. For 10 years after I became a mother, I clung to those aspirations.

Hollow aspirations?

But things happen--moving to NYC and having no option but to home school (I was NEVER going to home school), chronic sicknesses (being down and out for 3+ years really takes a toll), being far from extended family and forced to rely on my individual family alone...

I found the joy in nurturing and raising children. I was pouring all my creativity into home schooling and mothering.

My books were part of my young girls aspirations, and finally getting a few of them out there felt amazing...for a moment. Being published blew my mind. Literally. It contributed to the stress that kept me down during my chronic illness. I was already juggling so much to keep a household and 3 separate grade curriculums going, and to those who haven't experienced it, publication has the potential to take over your entire life. Forever. Because it never ends.

Ah, the lessons we can't learn except in doing...

For the time being, I'm on a publishing hiatus. I admit, occasionally there is a twinge of jealousy when I read about other people's successes, but these are the best years of my life, and I plan to enjoy them to the fullest.

After all, when I get to the end of this life, my greatest successes won't be my abundance of novels. It will be my children.

Even the bad moments.

This mother's day, be sure to say thank you to your mother. You never know what she gave up on your behalf. If she's not around, pass on stories of her goodness to the next generation. And if you're like me, stuck in the middle,

Keep at it.

On a related note, how about the IWSG question for the month:  It’s spring! Does this season inspire you to write more than others, or not?

So when you have wicked allergies, spring is not the most productive season. (But it's awesome for sinus infections.) =P

Huge thanks for hosting
Alex Cavanaugh, E.M.A. Timar, J. Q. Rose,
C.Lee McKenzie, and Raimey Gallant!

Last month, Michelle R. Reid shared ALICE GAMES along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed was entered to win a print copy or eBook.

The game:

1. I'm a certified falconer.
2. I was seriously studying to be a Manga artist when I was 18 years old.
3. The first time I saw Jurassic Park, I was eight, in a dark basement, alone, at Crystal's house! 

The lie: #1. She specialized in raptures in zoology for a time while at college, but never did actually become a falcon pro.

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Tyrean Martinson!

Congrats, Tyrean!

Moms, and all of you who read YA, I've discovered a fabulous author whose works are mom approved (aka clean), and fun to boot. Check it out:

A dark Chemistry lab. A fake British accent. It's all fun and games until somebody falls in love.

When sixteen-year-old, Ashlyn Brooks, runs into a sweet British guy in the dark Chemistry lab, she has no idea she's actually sitting in the pitch black room with her longtime rival, Luke Davenport. She also doesn't know that she's stepped into another one of the football captain's pranks. It isn't long before she's sharing things she's never told anyone, and starting to fall for the mysterious guy with a sexy accent who seems to understand her in a way no one ever has before.

When Luke's mom dies the summer before his senior year, he turns to pranking Ashlyn to keep his mind off his loss. But the more he gets to know her, the more he regrets using his fake British accent in the first place. Soon Luke is walking the thin line of keeping his lies a secret and wishing he could tell her that the boy she's falling for is really him.

Meet Me There is a standalone novel in The Ridgewater High series, a collection of simmering YA contemporary romances. If you like sweet romance with ballad-worthy chemistry, swoony kisses and endearing characters then you'll love Judy Corry's latest book.

Buy your copy on Amazon.

Ready to meet the author?

Judy Corry has been addicted to love stories for as long as she can remember. She reads and writes YA & Clean Contemporary Romance because she can't get enough of the feeling of falling in love. She graduated from Southern Utah University in an area that has nothing to do with writing. Some of her favorite things are chick flicks, singing, and playing the piano. She believes in swoon-worthy kisses and happily ever afters.

Judy met her soul mate while in high school, and married him a few years later. She and her husband are raising four beautiful and crazy children in Southern Utah.

You might run across her snacking on cream cheese and Triscuits, or laughing cow swiss cheeses--especially while she's writing! 

Judy 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 a signed PRINT copy of MEET ME THERE. (US only.) DON'T HAVE A BLOGGER ACCOUNT WITH AN EMAIL ON THE PROFILE? No problem. LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS OR EMAIL crystal@crystal-collier.com to enter.

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

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I broke my toe doing a cartwheel into my friend's back.
2. I lived in 4 different houses on the same street.
3. I speak fluent Italian.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have you thanked your mother recently? What's one life dream you've given up for a different one? Do you like contemporary stories?