How to Overcome the Overwhelms: IWSG + the BIG Reveal

You're a hair away from imploding due to stress. You don't know how you can manage ONE MORE THING, say nothing about keeping up all the balls you have in the air.

How in the world are you supposed to dig yourself free of the insanity so you can do important things like breathe?

If you're there, you're not alone.

A quick hello to all my wonderful friends! I'm back on the blogosphere...sort of. This is an experiment. Normally I visit 100 to 200 blogging buddies on blogging day, but life has changed yet again, as life does. Per request, here's a sweet little hint as to why:

Actually, she's not so little, for a newborn.

So I'll be slow getting around to visit everyone. Very slowly. Like 5 blogs a day. But hey, it's a place to start.

For those of you who want more details (because I know there are a few), here you go:

She threatened to come DURING Hurricane Irma, but thankfully all the prayers on our behalf held her in. A week later, and after 24 hours of labor + a home birth that made me once again question why I didn't just opt for a c-section (which would have been mandatory in a hospital), I was handed this little beauty. (And man was I grateful to have her in my arms rather than kicking my ribs.) She goes by "Ally." And she's epic.

Since that moment, I've been sleep deprived and working to get my feet back under not just myself, but my entire family.

The upstairs hasn't been vacuumed for three weeks, which is a slightly big deal with a 2 year old in the house.

Big sister adores her.

Laundry takes all week to get done.

In her handmade, great-grandma dress.

Dinners have been 50% store bought or fast food since she was born.

And all of that (and more) could be greatly discouraging and make me feel like a failure of a mom.

But I don't feel that way.

Not at all.

Every day I fight to get a little more done. Each evening we're a little better than the day before. Our routine is coming back into place and we're even establishing new and better aspects. There are set backs...like my 2 year old who dumps toys EVERYWHERE (especially my room), spills liquids all over the house (milk, juice, spaghetti sauce), sneaks into the vitamins and medicine, and wanders off with important things like makeup & baby necessities. Or there's my ADD 11 year old who periodically needs more watching than the two year old.

BUT the point is, we need to have patience with our circumstances, life, and our ability to achieve. Working toward "perfect" or even just "good" is hard. There are little victories along the way, and we have to celebrate them when they come. We can't get stuck in the overwhelms.

Today, I'm celebrating the fact that I'm going to visit a few friends that I've missed online. One more ball in the air--but it feels more like a helium balloon.

This has been an installment of

Huge thanks for hosting
Alex Cavanaugh, Tonja Drecker, Diane Burton,
MJ Fifield, and Rebecca Douglass!

What victory are you celebrating today? Who is NaNo-ing? And have you had any fabulous cheeses while I've been away?

The 4 Commandments of Celebrating

What are you celebrating this week? 

Come swim along for the Four Commandments of Celebrating, but first, I've got two celebrations.

First, Beverly Stowe McClure totally made my day. That's right, she reviewed MOONLESS. Want to make an author's day? It's just that simple. SEE WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY. 

Second, Monday is the 4th of July! (Independence Day) So if you're outside of America, that holds less meaning, but think of it this way: The nation that is a world super power and supports the majority of the world's economy came into existence the day it declared independence. Now that's pretty monumental in my book. And although my country has had its ups and downs, I still love it--land of the free (ish) and home of the brave. So I'll be out celebrating on Monday.

BUT how to do it right?

I give you, THE FOUR COMMANDMENTS OF CELEBRATING:

1. Reflect: What is it about any event, day, or circumstance that makes it worth celebrating? Looking back on life and reviewing the reasons helps us identify their meaning and evaluate their weight.
2. Let Go: Sometimes we just need to let go of the restrains on normal life--and no, I don't mean do anything illegal. I mean, forget the day job, financial stresses, school & home work, etc. Free your mind to enjoy the moment.
3. Make noise! I'm not kidding. Yelling and screaming releases pent up energy and emotions. Singing, likewise. Laughing has all kinds of benefits. Freeing the mind enough to let loose a "whoop" of joy can be difficult sometimes, but it's healthy and NECESSARY.
4. EAT CHEESE: You knew that was coming. But seriously, no celebration is complete without a little splurging--be it food, money, or time.

So what are you going to celebrate this week?

And speaking of celebrating, time for some giveaway love, eh?

This month I'm highlighting fellow authors from:

BUY NOW 

(And if you already have, go buy another and gift it to someone!)

Last week Yolanda Renee ( author of EVER-TON) shared MURDER & OBSESSION, along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed the lie was entered to win a SIGNED copy of either MURDER & OBSESSION or the PARALLELS anthology.

The game:

1. My Sunday school teacher was dismissed for taking our class to see the movie the Bible.

2. One of my favorite past times was drag racing. On the way to work one morning I raced a fellow driver on the highway. He asked me out and we are now married.

3. I've been married three times.

The lie: #2. While Yolanda didn't marry the man she was drag racing, but he did ask her out.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

L. Diane Wolfe!

Congrats, Diane!

And now meet a story from the author of HAUNTED in the Parallels anthology: 

Alphabet Soup is a collection of flash fiction from the darker side—all done Ubook style. What’s a Ubook, you might ask? It’s a brand-new, patent-pending book format that combines the story with music. And the best thing? It’s completely free.

Experience it HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

Melanie Schulz is planted in upstate New York with her husband and three kids on a smallish plot of land she likes to believe is a farm. She plays at being a writer, same as she plays at being a farmer, and nurse, and overall enjoyer of this thing called life. One of the things she enjoys most are people who delight in discussing all things listed above.

Join in the conversation at:

Website
Blog
Facebook

You might run across Melanie at her computer with a glass of wine munching on room-temperature camambert topped with an ooey,  gooey carmel/dried apple/peacan mixture.

Melanie gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win their choice of eBook THE NEWSTEAD PROJECT, ERRON, 2084, or BLACKBIRD. (Open internationally.)

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

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I am a concert pianist.

2. My husband used to drive a race car.

3. I have three dairy sheep: Daisy-May, Lucy-Lu, and Sunshine that I plan to milk and make homemade cheese with.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have you met Melanie? What are you celebrating now/shortly?

Excitement and Cheese!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(Lets celebrate.)

And my favorite way to celebrate is with a new book.

Do you love the feel of paper books? I do. I love curling up with one in bed and diving into the world of imagination. Old books especially get me excited. Pens, pencils and notebooks...well I regularly get lost in the stationary aisle. 

BUT, I love digital books most. They can go anywhere. I don't have to worry about bookmarks or my littles tearing/smudging the pages on accident--OR losing my book. (Which happens ALL THE TIME because we have TOO many "helping" hands around.)

That said, the time has come. 

Moonless is going to be released as a physical book!

This is pretty much me, but with cheese.

So now I'm looking for a little help getting the word out and will be hosting the...

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. Come back next week to learn who won Rachel Morgan's Writerly Wednesday Truth or Lie game.

P.P.S. If you missed it, Kate Scott twisted my arm into telling a childhood story, and here's another fun hop featuring CLEAN reads--and guess what? Mary chose to feature Moonless! Yay! Oh yeah, and I just found out I made Robyn's TOP FIVE READS for the year. *gulp* I'm blushing. Seriously blushing.