The BIG Fat FAIL Post: IWSG & Being Human

Have you ever had to make a REALLY hard choice?

That's where I'm at. It's been coming for a long time, but it is finally time for me to step away from the blog.

And no, I don't mean for a month, or two, or three... This is an extended farewell.

I know, I know. We've all seen people desert us here on the blogosphere for the continued reason that, "I need to focus on my writing." Basically, when I read those words I think:

I've been doing this for over ten years, and the relationships...oh the relationships! I love this place. Seriously, I do. Watching each person disappear has been painful--like spooning out a peice of my heart and stomping on it. (Sorry, that was graphic.)

But it's time.

And it's killing me.

This won't come as a surprise to some of you, as many have marveled at how I juggle the writing, home schooling, and babies around not just blogging, but leading choirs, writing music, vocal performances, and visiting hundreds of blogging friends each month. The truth is, we could make it work, until now. My oldest is leaving, my baby is walking and getting into everything, and my toddler is in preschool full time (which we teach her). My older middle children are on the cusp of high school. My writing is almost non-existent, and I find that my creative juices really do need to be focused on my children for the short time that I have them. It flies.

I've even cut down (or dropped out of) Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, and Twitter. And reading. *gasp* (So you know it's desperate.)

And that's it. I'm not leaving to write. (And yes, I'm sorry, the writing thing is a lame excuse. Even if I've used it before...)

So give me a virtual hug, and perhaps if the stars align, I'll be back one day.

In the meantime...

This has been an answer to the IWSG blog hop: How do major life events affect your writing?

Huge thanks for hosting
Alex Cavanaugh, Dolorah @ Book Lover, Christopher D. Votey,
Tanya Miranda, and Chemist Ken!

Last month Sherry Ellis shared BUBBA AND SQUIRT'S BIG DIG TO CHINA along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed was entered to win a signed print copy.

The game:

1. Sherry once played her viola at night in the middle of the Black Forest in hopes of scaring away the wild boars. 
2. Sherry enjoys parasailing and hopes to do it in Australia some day.
3.Sherry once crawled through a window of a locked hotel in Europe to get inside because she was out past curfew.

The lie: #2. From Sherry: I have never para-sailed. I do want to go to Australia, but I don't care about parasailing there. SCUBA diving? Yes. 

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Shannon Lawrence!

Congrats, Shannon!

And a HUGE thank you to Tonipads & Ezvid Wiki Editorial for featuring a surprise review and recommendation of my Maiden of Time series in their Paranormal Romance article! (Click on over.)

WAIT, WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO--!!!

What kind of lame-o friend would I be without a parting gift? Exclusively for you, my blogging buddies, pick any one of these books, shoot me an email (crystal@crystal-collier.com), and your inbox will fill up with cheese and joy:

7 Tips to Make Your Summer a Success, IWSG, + Win a Beach Book

Are you ready? I'm so ready.

It's the season for beach reads, vacation, and kicking it with a capital "K". To start us off right, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Plan your road trips wisely.

2. It's okay if plans go amiss, as long as you make your destination in the end.

3. Enjoy each moment to the fullest.

4. Take things slow.

5. Don't get overwhelmed.

6. And HAVE FUN!

7. But remember, you can't take it home with you, so make good memories.

And last of all, the IWSG question for the month. I know some of you will spend the months dreading the lack of writing you get done, but keep in mind that life goes fast. Enjoy each moment.

The question: What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?

Titles, though I usually don't struggle with either. Titles can get sorted out by a publisher...or critique group.

Huge thanks for hosting
Alex Cavanaugh, Beverly Stowe McClure,
Tyrean Martinson, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!

Last month Judy Corry shared MEET ME THERE along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed was entered to win a signed print copy.

The game:

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.

The lie: #3. From Judy: I speak a little German. (My dad taught it.) But my husband is the one who is fluent in Italian and lived there for two years before we were married. We wrote emails back and forth during that time, so Italian has a special place in my heart. This is why I made the main character in my book DON'T FORGET ME half-Italian.)

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Christine Rains!

Congrats, Christine!

Today is all about summer, eh? And today I've got an awesome summer read for you (clean romance for the pool side). Check it out:

Ethan Walters has no time for distractions like romance. Not if he's going to have the brilliant medical career he's always dreamed of. But when he's given a trip to a theme park resort as a college graduation present, he can't exactly say no. Even if Samantha--the one girl with the power to dismantle his goals--is tagging along.

Samantha Diederik has managed to avoid her high society mother’s manipulations since the woman moved to Europe. Now she’s back and pressuring Sam to move to New York with her. With that battle on the horizon, Sam proceeds with a vacation with her brother and his roommate. She’s crushed on Ethan for years. They've only met online, but their hours-long conversations are the highlight of her week. Now she has a chance to find out if the cyber magic she's felt with him will translate to real life.

And wow, does it ever--with sparks flying! Now all she has to do is find a way to fight off her mother's machinations while convincing Ethan she won’t destroy his dreams.

Buy your copy for 99 cents now on Amazon.

Ready to meet Donna K. Weaver?

Award-winning author, wife, mother, grandmother, Harry Potter geek, Army veteran, karate black belt, and online gamer.

She loves Muenster cheese, but usually only get it when she attends those luncheons with sandwich trays. (Poor thing! She just needs to come to my house!)

Donna 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 the winner's choice of an AUDIOBOOK or EBOOK of SWING VOTE. (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 crystal@crystal-collier.com to enter.

You have until Tuesday, July 3rd at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on July 4th, 8 a.m. EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I was interviewed on TV just before the release of the last Harry Potter Book, Deathly Hallows.
2. I started school in Greece.
3. I flunked the second grade.

So sleuths, which is the lie? What are you most looking forward to about summer? Have any great tips for making summer rock? Do you like clean romance stories?

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?

Are You a Hater on Social Media?

HUGE thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh
and his cohosts, Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan, 
Liesbet @ Roaming About, and Feather Stone! 

You know those moments when you see the ugly side of humanity? Yeah, I had one of those this last month, regarding social media...

But before I get into that, a HUGE thanks to Operation Awesome for inviting me to share a guest post about running blog tours during the #AtoZChallenge. (Check it out!) Now back to our regular program...

We all know the rules: Behave yourself. Be polite. Don't be a troll.

Or at least we think we all know those rules. I had a moment where I began to wonder, seriously wonder if humanity is lost. Let me tell you about it. (And before we start spouting political opinions about the subject discussed in this thread, keep in mind this is about social conduct and respect, not political opinion. Please refrain from commenting about your like or dislike of President Trump.)

Recently I posted a status update on Facebook about the statement President Trump made at 3 AM after bombing the Syria airport that delivered chemical weapons. I was surprised by 3 things: the compassion you can't help but feel as he speaks, the fact he spoke of God (for the first time that I'd heard), and that he mentioned prayer. Really? All from the lips of Trump. And then, I expressed my hesitant support of the bomb drop with a hope it won't lead to further conflict.

Well, you know how people are. If you mention the word "Trump," (especially with any kind of positive spin) some will zero in on you as their next meal.

And this was the case.

Two such people decided to make my post a flaming war. The first, I asked to refrain from commenting so vehemently. After the second, I told them they were welcome to their opinions, but I liked mine more. (With a winky face.)

And then...

The one kept going, throwing insults at the President.

I asked him to quit.

He continued on.

I asked him to respect that this was my personal Facebook feed and to please refrain from commenting.

He continued by calling Trump a puppet.

Again, I asked him to stop.

At which point he made a public statement about how he was going to defriend me--because we couldn't be friends if I thought Trump had a sincere bone in his body.

Wow, right?

So I asked him to please carry out his threat, finishing with "This is MY feed, and I should be able to state how I feel. If you're too biased to live and let live, we're better of not associating."

Then he called Trump a nasty word on my feed.

And that was the point at which I began to lose faith in people. I do my research, and I admit to not knowing everything, but I don't write anything in social media without a great deal of thought. Now this is where things changed. Several friends (from both sides of the political spectrum) stepped up and called him out.

One person asked if this was the kind of world we live in--where you have to go unfriending everyone who disagrees with you, essentially taking your ball and going home.

Another person scolded him for using fowl language on my feed.

Yet another asked if he was an adult.

Someone else told him to grow up and stop being mean and hurtful.

And suddenly my faith was restored in people.

So if you're having one of those days where you've lost your faith in humanity, fear not. Good people are out there, quietly hovering. They just need a call to action. However, some people cannot see beyond their own noses to begin grasping even the concept of respect. If you're ever confronted by one of those, feel free to be the adult in the room and turn your back, unfriend, or walk away.

[And a quick aside: There's all this rhetoric about the US president, so much misinformation, propaganda, and hate. I have disagreed with pretty much every president in some regard, but I still respected the office. When an election is complete, an election is complete and the nation is supposed to come together as a whole and heal. That isn't happening. Is it because we can't be friends and disagree on political aspects? Tell me, what is going on, because I fear for the future of this great nation--and not because of Syrian or Russian retaliation.]

Two weeks ago, S.M. Boyce shared LICHGATES along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed was entered to win an eBook.

The game:

1. Before quitting to write full time, I used to work as a software tester and was even promoted to lead/deemed the project expert of the software.
2. I planned a cross-country move from Maryland to Washington state in 2 weeks, from idea to move-in.
3. Due to an addiction to glittery things, I own 24 carats worth of diamond jewelry.

The lie: #3. 

From Boyce: Though this isn't true, I do have a bit of a jewelry addiction after working at Zales Jewelers in my college years. I was my boss's favorite customer for quite awhile!

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Barbara Fisher!

Congrats, Barbara!

Speaking of people coming to our rescue, how about a rockin' Superhero book:

Sometimes the villain must create the hero.

The streets of Arcania are overrun with crime, deteriorating as a madman named Fortune makes himself at home. He shows no mercy, striking down anyone in his path – including Nova Benson’s little sister. Devastated, Nova vows to seek justice for her family, but aside from her freak strength and impenetrable skin, how is she supposed to stop a monster like Fortune?

Cole Warner wants to help people. Entrusted to keep his family’s secret, he’s also frustrated at having to hide his gift. He knows he could do more to help in the fight against Fortune. If he could convince his sister Penelope to join him, they might even have a chance at beating him. When Cole meets Nova, he realizes his whole world is about to change. And he’s going to welcome it with open arms.

Falling for each other wasn’t part of the plan.

Then again, neither was becoming a superhero.

Buy your copy on Amazon.

Ready to meet the author?

Liz Long is a proud graduate of Longwood University. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her day job as Associate Editor includes writing for a magazine publisher in Roanoke, VA. She is also the director of the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference and the annual Roanoke Author Invasion.

Comic book readers and fans of CW Network smash hits Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Netflix’s Daredevil will root for Liz Long’s bestselling YA summer series as the HoA’s gifted teen superheroes attempt to save their city from its impending demise. The Donovan Circus series has best been described as "X-Men meets the circus." Adult horror story Witch Hearts tells the tale of a serial killer hunting witches for their powers. New Adult PNR A Reaper Made is about a teen Reaper who gets caught between falling in love or saving her sister's soul. All titles are available for paperback or ebook on Amazon. 

To learn more about Liz (including more information on her books, plus writing, marketing, and social media tips), visit her website: http://lizclong.com.

You might stumble across her on the couch in her slanket, singing about my Night Cheese (30 Rock, anyone?) while munching on brie and apples. Or smoked Gouda. 

Liz 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 SUPERNOVA. (Open internationally.) IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BLOGGER ACCOUNT WITH AN EMAIL ON THE PROFILE, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS OR EMAIL IT TO crystal@crystal-collier.com WITH YOUR SCREEN ALIAS.

You have until Tuesday, May 16th at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on May 17, 8 a.m. EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I've appeared as a Jeopardy contestant.
2. I have interviewed Kevin Costner and Bill Maher.
3. I was once involved in an FBI case.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have you ever faced a cyberbully? What solution do you propose for healing the US? Have you met Liz Long? Do you like superhero books?