Is Change Messing With Your Sanity? IWSG

This is the month.

THE MONTH.

The month people go back to school. (Were you expecting something else?)

We've homeschooled for twenty years. Twenty. You might think I know what I'm doing after all that. Three graduates and two more inching forward with 9 years until the finish line... In those twenty years we've tried all kinds of things:

• Workbooks
• A kinesthetic education
• Virtual classes
• DVD classes
• Hosting co-ops
• Library classes
• A Montessori approach
• Establishing a teen book club
• Attending small co-ops
• Creating fieldtrips
• Early college
• Attending LARGE co-ops
• Hosting parties and events
• Running a drama program...

We've run solo, done groups, and used a hybrid. It's always easy to up the scale/scope/commitment, but it's terrifying to scale down. I remember the days of going it alone, always wondering if I was doing enough, worrying about the balance of experiences...

This school year, we're pulling away from the major supports we've utilized since 2018. Going solo. To be fair, we have a strong support group of friends but stepping back means everything falls on my shoulders.

And why are we doing this? 

To chase a dream. (Literally.) Because I can't do both. It's too much.

So we're giving up the familiar, comfortable, status quo for something that feels impossible, heavy, and ALL ON US. Doesn't that sound smart?

But here's the thing: it's either worth it, or it's not, and we can't know without trying. That's the deal with going after your dreams--if you don't put everything on the line, you are choosing the mundane. The boring. The unchallenged. And there's nothing wrong with that, but I'd rather live without any what if's. Which means I'm choosing (consciously, intentionally) the unknown and the burning shoulders that go with carrying the load. May my muscles grow rather than charring to cinder. 😂

What big dream would you risk it all for?

Thanks to our awesome co-hosts for the IWSG: Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Natalie Aguirre, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, and Olga Godim.

This month's question - What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

I'm going to skip the question this time, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

What changes are you facing that have your heart pounding? Do you have a big dream you'd throw your status quo to pursue? Have you ever stopped to intentionally rewrite your personal narrative?

Can We Get Any More Awesome in this Room? IWSG, Writerly Wednesday, and a Blogfest

You don't have to be crazy to get how stoked I am about everything that's happened lately. It's humbling and oh so amazing. There are people, REAL people, who like my book and email me about the sequel, and beg me to make it as awesome as the first, and who write reviews and rave on their blogs or facebook (without me even asking!!!), and squee every time I post a writing update...

As amazing as this trip is, it leaves me with one HUGE worry. If this book is that good, am I sufficient enough to market it, or am I squashing it before it gets out the door for lack of a larger marketing team? 

Don't get me wrong, I love my publisher. (Like the bleeding-heart kind of soul-mate love.) Before launch, we made a very clear plan that we'd wait until the first series and serial story were published and then make a HUGE campaign push (we're talking EPIC here), but I worry that putting off the push is shooting myself in the foot. Still, I don't have the time or energy to do it all, darn perfectionist that I am. 

Whatever happens, I'm in for the ride -- or better yet, I'm driving and wondering if someone else should have been put in charge of this crazy train. Teeth rattling, I'm hitting every bump and unsure of the road ahead. Where is my crystal ball?

Enough of that. Who's ready to win a book and test your lie detection skills?

Writerly Wednesdays here are for readers and writers. Get to know authors, test your human lie detector skills, and WIN books. 

A few weeks ago Rachel Morgan shared two truths and one lie about herself and those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing to win a book of their choice from her Creepy Hollow series.

The options were:

1. Rachel has read every Harry Potter book at least 8 times.
2. When she was little, she had an imaginary friend who was sometimes a boy and sometimes a girl.
3. To relieve exam stress, Rachel and her high school girlfriends used to hit the middle of the school field and scream. 

And the lie is: 

#1. As much as we all want it to be true, Rachel is not quite that much of a Harry Potter fan. 

Way to guess those of you who got it right! You are officially human lie detectors. And the is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Linda! 

Congrats, Linda!

And now for this week's special feature! I'm so excited to share Julie Flanders and her amazing new release with you!

A brilliant flash of light transcends through time.

Another freezes a cloaked figure within a frame of salty mist as waves crash against a rocky shore. Her harrowing expression shadows the beacon to a pinprick.

By the next blaze, she is gone. Only the lighthouse remains.

Hannah’s eyes blink in step with each heartbeat. Images of her deceased parents and Martha’s Vineyard explode like firecrackers inside her mind.

She shakes her head.

For weeks this eerie woman dressed in nineteenth century garb has been haunting my webcam, but tonight she stared into my soul. Why? ... Who is she? ...

Casting aside months of research on historic lighthouses, Hannah drives to the coast and boards a ferry.

What is the strange connection she has to this mysterious woman suspended in time?

Hannah finds out.

But, it’s not at all what she expects...

Hannah unravels a century old murder.

This one is at the top of my TBR list, precariously teetering over the edge. You can buy it HERE.  

Ready to meet Julie?

Julie Flanders is a novelist and freelance writer in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a life-long love affair with the ocean and has spent more summer vacations than she can count on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. When not writing, Julie can be found playing with her pets, reading, cheering on her favorite sports teams and watching too much television. The Ghosts of Aquinnah is Julie’s second novel. Her debut novel Polar Night was released in February, 2013 by Ink Smith Publishing.

The Ghosts of Aquinnah was released on December 5, 2013 by Ink Smith Publishing. It is available in both paperback and ebook formats. For more information, including purchase links, please visit Julie’s website here.

You might stumble across her munching on Muenster pretty much anywhere. (A cheese after my own heart.)

Julie gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Can you figure out the lie? Those who do will go into my magic hat for a chance to win her eBook. Eek! How cool is that? You have until Tuesday, January 14th at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on January 15th.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. While work as a psychiatric social worker, helping with assessments for the county jail, she was nearly strangled by an inmate who was having a psychotic episode.

2. She was in drama club as a teen and loved performing in plays and musicals.  

3. Julie desperately hates pie and can’t understand why anyone would choose it for dessert.

And if that wasn't enough awesomeness, check this out!

My very first blogfest! Meet my AMAZING co-hosts: Pk Hrezo, Tammy Theriault, and Michael Di Gesu. Is this a party, or what? 

In the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole world—especially later when she discovers him standing over her murdered host in the middle of the night.

Her nightmares become reality: a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these creatures. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with her beloved and risk becoming one of the Soulless.

So here's where you come in: If you lived in a society where arranged marriages were a la mode, who would you beg your parents to set you up with? (Literary characters and celebrities welcomed.) Who and why? That's what I want to know on February 10th, so think about it, sign up on my linky list, and make sure to include the hop image in your post.

Oh, and be sure to grab my button and post it on your blog, share it with everyone and let's make it a party! Yay! I can't wait to hear all about your dream matches!

P.S. If you're a coffee drinker, you have to get over the Michael's blog, now! 

Okay, which is the lie? Have you signed up for my ROCKIN blogfest? (And if not, are you crazy?!?) What marketing worries do you have or have you overcome? Have you read Julie's super amazing book? Have you read any truly amazing books recently?

My First IWSG and a Writerly Wednesday

Are you ready to win a book? It's time for Writerly Wednesday!

A quick thank you... I got BLITZED yesterday, and I'm left feeling oh so loved. Thank you everyone. Don't know what the Blitz is? DL Hammons explains it HERE. 

AND my first Insecure Writers Support Group post. I've been hanging out with the IWSGers since the conception of the group, but haven't jumped in because of what we'll call an insecurity. Since living in NYC (where you fight uphill to accomplish even the simplest tasks) I never take on a project unless I'm 100% certain I can complete it. It's the same reason I've never hosted a bloghop, or why I've had a couple completed books sitting in my digital storehouse for over ten years.  

BUT, with the publication of MOONLESS next week, it's time to take the proverbial plunge. All of them. So IWSGers, here I am! Here's hoping I don't fall off the map, but if I do, I know you've got my back, just as I've got yours. 

Okay, who's ready for the winner of last week's game? Sherry Auger shared two truths and one lie about herself and those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for 7 chances to win, one paper signed copy, one eBook, and 5 books marks of her amazing new release, Willow Brook. 

The options were:

1. Every book Sherry reads, she reads on her kindle.
2. She wrote Willow Brook in 30 days and took 3 years to edit it.
3. She researched a topic for a year before starting her WIP adult novel. 

And the lie is: 

#1. Most of you nailed it! Sherry still likes the feel of paper.

Way to guess those of you who got it right! You are officially human lie detectors. And the winners are: 

...DRUM ROLL...

Paper Copy: Kelly Steel
eBook: Sherry Ellis
Book Marks: 
Christine Rains
Aldrea Alien
Dana
Keith (also known as Optimistic Existentialist)
Suzanne Furness

Congrats, winners!

And now for this week's special feature in three power packed sentences...

Joel is searching for Rachel.


Newstead is searching for Joel.


Bashan wants them both.

The Bashan Agenda is book two in the series and was released November 1st. You can pick up both books HERE.

Shall we meet the author?

Melanie says: I'm not really a writer, storyteller maybe, but not a writer. I'm a wife, a mom, a psychiatric nurse. So then why did I write this trilogy? I don't know. Some stories, like this one, just write themselves. 

You can find her pretty much anywhere eating a nice ripe Camembert with warm caramel and pecans on top--along with a glass of ice wine.

Connect with Melanie on her website or blog.

She gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Can you figure out the lie? Those who do will go into my magic hat for a chance to win one eBook of The Bashan Agenda. Eek! How cool is that? You have until Tuesday, November 12th at 1 p.m. to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on November 13th.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Today is Melanie's birthday.
2. She's developed a field training game people can play to live out her books.
3. She is a vegetarian.

Okay human lie detectors, which is the lie?