Wednesday, June 3, 2015

A Funeral, A Wedding, and A Baby Blessing: IWSG Edition

It sounds like the title of a book or movie, right? 

Have you ever had a season where EVERYTHING hit at once? When you've had a long stretch of calm, beware of earthquakes.

My baby was a week shy of 2 months old when we received word that my grandmother passed away. Now this wasn't a sad thing. She was 94 and bed-ridden for over a decade. We knew it was coming. Regardless, I needed to be there for the funeral...even if it was beyond crazy to fly across country with a baby. My sister-in-law was getting married 1.5 weeks later and we already had plane tickets, so we changed my flight, along with my daughter's--so she could be a second mommy. 

Ouch to the pocketbook.

The funeral happened. It was sweet. Being with so many wonderful family members--people I haven't seen in about 10 years--was awesome. Saying goodbye to Grandma, that was bitter-sweet. Singing with my sisters and cousins to honor the woman, such a great experience.

The next week was a whirlwind of family visits, clingy baby, and bouncing between "hotels" (AKA, houses)--until the wedding. With all of the family close, we blessed our baby. (60 people + a special dinner afterwards.) 

Needless to say, the last two weeks have been insanity--but a good kind of insanity. Every life experience improves our grasp of the world and teaches us how to share the human experience through our writing. The key is knowing when to pause on writing in order to live.

How was your May?



Now that we're caught up, how about the chance to win a book?

For this week's game...

Rowena thinks the Grimm’s infamous podcasts are simply another teen fad until she finds herself trapped in a land of nightmarish storybook characters. She tries desperately to flee Mezzanine and return home, but Dresdem, Mezzanine’s wicked monarch, plans to use Rowena’s access to her world to bring dark magic and absolute rule into Georgia and beyond.

But when Rowena’s dear friend Madeline falls into Dresdem’s grasp, her battle with him becomes war, and all hopes of home are temporarily thwarted. With the help of an invisible hero, a beast, and an owl, she sets out to free Madeline from a deadening sleep. But Rowena must become her own hero when she finds herself bound by the kingdom’s darkest family. She must make the ultimate choice – align herself with her enemies or live on the run forever.

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet the author? 

Vanessa K. Eccles graduated Troy University with a degree in English. She currently serves as executive editor of Belle Rêve Literary Journal and is founder of the book blog YA-NASisterhood. When she’s not writing or devouring books, she enjoys the lake life with her Prince Charming and their four dogs.

You might find her eating pepper jack (or any spicy variety of cheese) while sitting on her couch watching one of her many favorite TV shows.

Visit her online HERE.
Vanessa 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 an eBook of FABLED.

You have until Tuesday, June 16 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on June 17.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. As a child, the Grimm fairy tales where Vanessa's favorite bedtime reads.
2. When she was seven, she played a magician's assistant for her best friend's brother. When he couldn't remember how to get the handcuffs off, she pulled her arms over her head. It was the first time she realized she could dislocate her shoulders on command. Still can, in fact. 

3.) She was an avid X-Files fan as a kid, which resulted in an immense terror of being abducted by aliens.
So which is the lie? What have you been doing with May? (What has May been doing with you?) Do you love Grimm's fairy tales? Which is your favorite?

Oh, and a quick shout: The True Diary of Melanie Jane, AKA Runaway Jane
(My most recent FREE read on Lightning Quick Reads. Leave me your thoughts, eh?)

70 comments:

  1. I can't imagine fitting all that in a month never mind two weeks. I'm glad you're back safe again. :-)

    Anna from Elements of Writing

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  2. You must be exhausted! Hopefully, the month of June and the rest of the summer will be easier on you and your family. :)

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  3. So glad you made it through, but how fun to be able to spend so much time with family.

    I'm going with number three as the lie.

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  4. Sorry to hear about your grandmother. It always seems like everything happens at once!

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  5. Wow! You are superwoman. I'm sorry about your grandma. Even though you knew it was coming, it still had to be sad. Wishing you and your family well. Your new daughter is adorable by the way.

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  6. Oh, what a roller coaster ride for you! Glad you are home and safe. I'm ready for my crazy summer with my kids, vaca, more family dropping in. That book sounds wonderful:) I'm guessing the lie is #3???

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  7. You have been so busy! And that baby is amazingly gorgeous. I love the photos you've posted on FB. I've seen Fabled around the blogosphere. Best of luck to Vanessa!

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  8. Wow! Such a busy month. Bitter-sweet for sure. Families are so important though, and I'm glad you could be with yours.

    May was good for me. I sent my sequel to my publisher. Hopefully June will see it accepted and I'll get to start work on it again.

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  9. Goodness, you've definitely been busy. It's great you were able to be with family, though.

    As for the lie, I'm going to guess #3, though I'm hoping the lie part is about the alien abduction instead of being a fan of The X-Files, which are awesome. :)

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  10. yes, life always comes in all at once! So sorry to hear about your grandmother. Definitely a lot of ups and downs. Congrats to Vanessa! I think number 3 is the lie. :)

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  11. I'm going to go with number one is the lie? I was going to say three, but everyone is saying that ;) What a whirlwind month!

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  12. Much success to Vanessa! I think her lie is #2.

    Crystal, our family is like that, too - calm and then everything happens at once. I know how hard it is to say that final goodbye to people you love. I'm glad you had a lot of positive real life to help ease that pain.

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  13. I love your conclusion--that craziness is fodder for writing. So many life experiences teach us. I remember when my daughter was doing a Summer program at the Naval Academy, to see if she liked it. It was poring so she asked one of the leaders if they'd be moving the activities inside? His answer: "Sure. We like all our wars on sunny days!" That says it all, doesn't it?

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  14. Ah, that is so much--all the major life events! (At least you aren't moving, right? Unless you are, then you win All The Awards!).

    All of my family lives within driving distance, so when my husband's grandfather passed away two months ago, we had to pony up for a plane ticket to Florida during the peak of spring break trips. We decided just he would go and he met up with is siblings at the cheapest destination they could find that was relatively close and then they drove in. I feel for the people who aren't able to do even that, and have to miss those events.

    Here's my IWSG post

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  15. All of the happened in a month? Wow! I am sorry to hear about your grandmother but so happy to hear about your sister-in-law's wedding, and of course your daughter. She is so precious!

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  16. Crystal... so good to see posting ... sorry about your grandmother but you are right, she is no longer in pain and that is wonderful. How awesome that so many people showed up for your baby's blessing... wow♡

    I hope you are doing well, have a fabulous rest of the week xox


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  17. What a beautiful picture of the baby! And what a crazy couple of weeks. Family can be both exhausting and exhilarating. Condolences for your loss. Even when it is expected and even welcome, it's still a loss. As for the lie...sheesh I have no idea. I'm gonna say #2 because it gives me the willies to think of someone dislocating their shoulders - so I kind of hope it's a lie. ;) Best of luck to Vanessa.

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  18. Wow--sounds like it was a crazy time! Sorry to hear about your grandmother. Hope you get some time to relax now.

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  19. That sounds like a crazy hectic month, Crystal. Sorry to hear about your grandmother, but you gave her a beautiful sendoff.

    May was a crappy month for me as well, for other reasons. Must have been in the air. Here's hoping June is better!

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  20. You're so right, everything always seems to happen at once with me, too. There'll be weeks, sometimes months where nothing at all happens, then about 5 things all at once.

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  21. Wow, I admire the flying with a baby. It's difficult enough to fly as an adult. I don't think the story about the handcuffs is true.

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  22. You had a hectic May, Crystal. Travelling with a baby can be quite tiring. My May was kinda of okay.

    Rachna Chhabria
    Co-host IWSG
    Rachna's Scriptorium

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  23. I can't imagine how exhausted you must be after a month like that. How lovely that you were able to have so many family members together for the baby's blessing. I'm sorry for the loss of your grandmother but glad you were able to honor her life in such a beautiful way.

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  24. Great to meet Vanessa! The lie? Not sure. Pick a number. Any number. Hmmm ... this is something a magician would say, so I'll go with number 2.

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  25. Sounds like a lot of shaking going on. I'm glad you're surviving and that things are staying under control. :)

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  26. You did have a hectic May. I did too. Took time off, because sometimes there's no other choice.

    Congrats to Vanessa. I'll guess #1 is the lie.

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  27. That sounds exhausting. My grandfather just passed on May 30th, though he'd been sick for a while and definitely declining, the end was a little quicker than we expected, even though we had time to say goodbye. At the same time, my cousin was up visiting with his sons and we had scheduled a birthday party for the 2-year-old. Oy.

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  28. Wow! I don't envy you traveling with a little one, but what memories!

    I often feel like I'm looking over my shoulder when I've had a bit of calm. Almost makes me so nervous I can't enjoy the good times. :/

    IWSG #126 until Alex culls the list again.

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  29. Sounds like an amazingly intense couple of weeks!

    I'm going with #1 as the lie :)

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  30. That's not only emotional but physically exhausting. I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother, expected or not it's still sad.

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  31. You were busy... wow. Sorry about your grandmother... But at least your family was together and I can only imagine the wonderful stories you all shared about her.

    My May... Don't ask... you already know.

    Congrats to Vanessa! Fabled sounds like a fun and magical read! The lie... hmm... I'm going to say #1 mainly because, although she wrote about them in her novel, it doesn't mean they were HER FAVORITE stories growing up.

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  32. I'm sorry for your loss. It is never an easy thing, no matter how expected it is. But in spite of the pain in the pocketbook for last minute changed flights, it was good that you got to spend so much time with your family and balance a sad event with a happy one!

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  33. Very sorry about your grandmother. Glad the visit ended on a happy note.
    I'm guessing the third one is the lie.

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  34. You must be exhausted! Sorry to hear of your loss. There's nothing like seeing family you haven't seen in a long time. Awesome for you!

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  35. It sounds like you had a glorious May, immersed in the cycles of life with people you love. One of my grandchildren was born within days of my father's death, and it reminded me of a picture hanging on my office wall, which says, "A baby is God's way of saying the world should go on."

    Okay, which one's the lie? (I'm really bad at this.) I'll say number two. I HOPE she didn't spontaneously dislocate her shoulder. That sounds very painful, not to mention annoying.

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  36. Hi Crystal! Welcome back to blogoland! I've been following your exploits on facebook and was exhausted just reading about your May!
    I think #3 is a lie.

    Denise :-)

    My IWSG post on Mindfulness

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  37. Congratulations, Crystal, on your miracle baby and all the celebrations. Sympathy for your loss too.

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  38. My goodness, you've been so busy! But it's great that the family got to see you and your new baby! :)

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  39. Take a breath! The cycle of life continues. So, sorry about your grandmother. Even knowing it’s coming can’t take away all the sting of a loss.

    Your daughter is absolutely gorgeous. May flew by so fast, I can’t remember what I was doing. In fact, I may still be doing it.

    #3 for the Vanessa’s lie? My favorite Grimms tale is Cinderella although I think it’s owing more to the Disney version than to Grimms. :)

    VR Barkowski

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  40. Oh, wow, I can't ever imagine having so much happening at once. Not sure I could handle that, heh. Hope you have a wonderful June!

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  41. The best part was being with family, but I'm sure you were exhausted. Hope the little one slept okay for you.
    Play off the Page

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  42. The way my life has been, I can't ever accept a long stretch of calm. Because something ALWAYS happens. It isn't possible for us to just be OK, nope. We had a long stretch of calm and now we're having to deal with moving and a new job and a new pet and family. A sudden inbound of stress. Makes me want to ditch and live in a tree house. *sigh* (this was my May) Hopefully June is stress free for the both of us!

    Fabled sounds pretty cool! And I'm going to guess the alien abduction thing is a lie and the other two are truths. :)

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  43. Thanks for all the wonderful wishes, everyone. And I'm so grateful you had me over, Crystal! I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother, but your attitude about things is inspiring. :)

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  44. That's a whole lotta life in a little amount of time. Glad you kept your sanity, and my condolences on your loss.

    I think #3 is the lie!

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  45. "Every life experience improves our grasp of the world and teaches us how to share the human experience through our writing." I love that. So true!

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  46. Nope, my May not as busy as yours. Sorry about your grandmother. But happy days otherwise.

    Lie...#1...

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  47. It's amazing how the good and the bad often happen together. I'm so sorry about your grandmother. Fabled sounds intriguing. I love Grimm's tales, especially the version by Wanda Gag.
    I guess #3.

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  48. Wow, you have had a crazy bittersweet month. So sorry about your Grandma. Glad you were able to spend time with so much family, though. The interesting seasons of life, right?

    Thanks for the intro to Vanessa. Have a good rest of the week!

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  49. My sympathies about your grandmother and congratulations to your sister-in-law. Crazy, indeed! My May was a bit like yours without the traveling. My husband's grandma passed at the end of April, his grandfather is very ill, and my son graduated preschool at the end of May. Hope you have a quieter June. :)

    My guess is #3.

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  50. Whew. Reading all that made my tired. My May was pretty calm. Did a book release. Haven't needed to strangle anyone at the day job. Things should be blowing up for me soon, I think.

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  51. Yup, it definitely sounds like a title of a book. :-) Last month was filled with excitement at going to a meeting with the publisher and receiving a draft of the contract. But then after that, it's waiting, waiting, and waiting. :-)

    Grimm's fairy tales? I like Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, The Frog Prince, Cinderella, etc. :-) Lots, actually.

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  52. Crazy indeed. Hope you had a time to breathe. Sorry about your grandmother. I bet she was smiling down on all the happy events too though.

    I'll go for #3 for the lie. #1 is very believable and #2 has got the ring of a true story.

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  53. Holy moley! You had a ton of action the last two weeks. I'm truly sorry about your grandma. My hubby and I had to travel from Europe to the states while I was pregnant and our son was still a young child. Whew! What a plane ride that was!

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  54. Your baby is so adorable, and her little dress is beautiful.
    I'm glad to see you are back on your blog. I've been absent from mine quite a bit as well, but I'm starting to find a little more time. I think I should be writing for the blog at least twice a month now. :-)
    Have a great day, Crystal.
    Best,
    Deb

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  55. The running around happens all at once, doesn't it? My grandmother passed away not to long ago, also in May. Not quite 94, but peacefully, which is always great.

    I love Grimm's Fairy Tales! I have several collections. ^_^ I'm going with #2 for the lie. It's the longest so maybe the details are fudged a little?

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  56. I understand chaos and the whole running around madly thing, what with moving myself all at once three months ago. >_< It sounds like it turned out well for you, though, what with all the time with family. Glad you survived the experience. ^_^

    As for my May, that was when I wrote the majority of a book, finished it on the 22nd. And I started another one on June 1st. O_o

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  57. Your May was only a little bit busier than mine. Though yours was definitely more emotional. :) Glad your back!

    Vanessa, sounds like a good book!

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  58. That's a lot of stuff to pack into such a short amount of time! I'm really sorry to hear about your grandma. I lost mine last April, and it's still weird to think about how she's no longer among the living.

    Grimms' Fairy Tales were the first book I ever read, when I got hyperlexia at age three. I really feel they had a most profound influence on my subconscious, the way I tend towards lots of Sturm und Drang, the macabre, and less than happy settings in my writing, instead of writing more lighthearted stories.

    I'm guessing the lie is #2.

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  59. The first time we flew with my daughter (at three months) was to be there for my family when my grandmother passed. It was hard and we were very worried about traveling with the baby, but it all worked out. It was the end of the hardest year, though, my brother had a stroke, I got married and had a kid, my paternal grandfather died, and my maternal grandmother died. All in one year. So yeah, things were pretty crazy.

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  60. What a month! I'm sorry you lost your grandmother. Never easy, even when you know it's for the best. Your baby is precious. I lost a lot of time in May because of family, but it was all worth it. Best wishes.

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  61. So sad to hear about your grandmother. I'm glad you got to attend her funeral. My grandmother is 95 and nearing the end too. We just started talking about how I would get to the funeral, when it happens (hopefully not too soon!).

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  62. So sad to hear about your grandmother. I'm glad you got to attend her funeral. My grandmother is 95 and nearing the end too. We just started talking about how I would get to the funeral, when it happens (hopefully not too soon!).

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  63. Hi Crystal - congratulations on your new little girl - she looks delightful ... and I'm so pleased you were able to travel and be with everyone to say your farewells to your grandmother, and to welcome your new family member with your Sister in Law and her new hubby ... and then have your child blessed with so many family and friends around ... wonderful ... once again .. many happy years ahead .. cheers Hilary

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  64. Oh my gosh, you've really had a lot going on. That baby looks so precious:) Sounds like your Grams had a long full life.
    Hugs,

    Congrats, Vanessa, Fabled looks like a great read.

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  65. I'm going to guess that #3 is the lie.

    My May was as busy as usual, plus a christening. We're so lucky to have my cousin living nearby so that my kids get to have a baby in their life (among many other reasons to have her so close).

    Congrats on your life events! Sorry about your grandmother.

    -Vicki

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  66. Where did May go to? Sorry about your Grandma. Congrats on all happy happenings!

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  67. Glad the family was all there to meet baby! My grndmother passed away a couple of months ago but the funeral was within a couple of days of her passing and between the day job and baby, I just couldn't fly over. Despite the busyness, it's lovely that you were able to attend {{hugs}}

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  68. Wow, what a whirlwind, Crystal and I am sorry to hear about your Grandmother. I am amazed you were able to post this. I hope you find some calm over the next couple of weeks. Sending hugs.

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  69. Hi Crystal!! I am so sorry to hear about your loss but happy you were able to spend time with family you haven't seen in years. And CONGRATULATIONS!! I can't believe it's been this long and you finally had your beautiful baby girl. Wonderful news!
    I had to take a break over the last few months and I explain why on my blog. I am glad to be back and missed your sweet face and muses over here!

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  70. Wow, what a busy May you had! So glad you got to experience all those invaluable things, even though it was hectic. Congrats and sympathies to you.

    I think #3 is the lie, specifically the last part of it. And I love lots of Grimm's tales, but specifically I've always adored Cinderella. :)

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Hit me with your cheese!