Backstage Soundtrack

With a little less than a month until Backstage is released, I figure it’s about time to share the soundtrack that helped inspire it!  Every time I come up with a new idea for a book, one of the first things I do is make a playlist of music to listen to that serves as a soundtrack that I listen to while the book plays out in my head.

You can find the Soundtrack to Boy Band here.

Note: I do not own any of these songs, nor am I profiting from them in any way.

  1. “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon
  2. “Little White Lies” by One Direction
  3. “Roller Coaster” by Bleachers
  4. “Ordinary Day” by Vanessa Carlton
  5. “Something Great” by One Direction
  6. “Good Girls” by 5 Seconds of Summer
  7. “The Great Escape” by Boys Like Girls
  8. “Don’t” by Ed Sheeran
  9. “Manhattan From the Sky” by Kate Voegele
  10. “Drag Me Down” by One Direction
  11. “Headphones” by Matt Nathanson
  12. “Disconnected” by 5 Seconds of Summer
  13. “Perfect” by One Direction

Backstage will be available on December 8!  Make sure to enter my GoodReads Giveaway for a chance to win signed copies of BOTH Backstage and Boy Band!

GIVEAWAY!

Hello Tuesday

Hi, friends!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Mine was super busy.

For one thing, my dad had another eye surgery yesterday to take care of a nasty cataract which was a direct result of his last surgery.  Thankfully, everything went well.  It was a simple procedure and he was up on his feet and totally fine within about thirty minutes.  He still can’t drive, so my mom and I are helping him out there, but his vision has improved significantly in just twenty-four hours.  Pretty cool!

For another thing, I have been sending out review copies of my books like crazy.  And I still have more to send!

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I also finally made it to the mall to visit the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree.

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I usually don’t post about personal stuff like this, but every year, my sister and I adopt an angel.  I know that it’s always important to give things like food and clothes, practical items to those in need.  But I’ve always loved the Angel Tree because it gives me the opportunity to give those kids something more.  I love the idea of being able to make their holidays magical, to bring them a bit of joy.  By adopting an angel, you’re making a kid’s Christmas dream come true, a wish that may not have been granted otherwise.  So if you have a moment, or a few gifts to spare, stop by your local Angel Tree.  It’s so much fun to play Santa, and a beautiful reminder that this truly is the season of giving, of love, and of goodwill towards all men, women, and children.

This weekend, I also got to spend a bit of time outside, first with my friend and an adorable puppy named Kate, and then with my cousins at White Rock Lake.  I’m so happy to say it is finally feeling like fall.  I’ve been wearing my jeans and scarves and sweaters.  I love it!

Of course, I’ll only love it until December 26, but hey, I’m going to enjoy it while I can.

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Last but not least, I’ve been working tirelessly on Backstage, getting it ready for publication in less than a month!  Agh!

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On a similar and very fun note, there’s a new Twitter account called Niall (Horan) as Books.  I may have mentioned before that even though I am fond of all the 1D boys, I am very partial to the adorable blond Irishman.  Imagine how thrilled I was when this appeared in my Newsfeed:

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This is officially one of my favorite Tweets, along with a Tweet from a similar account, Harry (Styles) as Books!

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Yes, I am still a 1D fangirl and I am eagerly awaiting the release of Made in the AM this week!  I’m probably looking more forward to that than the release of my own book.

Well, maybe they’re tied.

Love you all!

Texas Renaissance Festival

Alright, here we go!  Pictures from this past weekend at Texas Renaissance Festival.  The theme for the weekend was All Hallow’s Eve, so my friend and fellow author, James William Peercy, invited me down to sell a few ghost stories.  I am so grateful to him and his beautiful wife, Claudette for taking me under their wings.  They are just the most amazing, wonderful, selfless people you could ever hope to meet and James’ books, The Wall Outside series, are just so beautiful and magical.  If you enjoy fantasy, I highly recommend you check out his work.

http://jameswilliampeercy.com

Although I can do things all by myself, I always prefer not to.  Besides, weekend excursions to Renaissance festivals are always so much more fun with friends.  So I took my trusty house elves, Kat and Rachel (Rat) to help me out.

Before we reached the festival, we made a quick stop at this cool, old, haunted town called Anderson.

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After we arrived at the Festival (OMG it was so muddy), we unloaded all the books from the car and then set out to explore the grounds.  Naturally, we first found ourselves in the Enchanted Forest.

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The rest of the grounds were equally beautiful.

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And the arts and crafts were absolutely breathtaking.

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Oh, and there were books too.

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I also had to get my picture taken with my Great-Great-Great-Great several times over Grandfather, Robert the Bruce.

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But I think my favorite new friends that I made were Pip and Owlbus Dumbledore.

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How did you spend your Halloween?

Crazy-Busy, Super-Fun Weekend

Hi, friends!  I am literally just arriving home from Houston and the Texas Renaissance Festival, but I wanted to at least post a quick update before I get in to editing pictures.

First of all, thank you to all who came out to the Festival and especially thank you to all who BOUGHT BOOKS!  I hope you enjoy them and I had such a blast meeting each and every one of you! I will be posting more about the festival and sharing pictures in the coming days, but I still wanted to just say what an amazing and magical time I had!  I loved every moment!

Secondly, I’m almost TWO DAYS behind on NaNoWriMo but I’ve been out of town and in a car most of today!  But I’m going to get on that!  It’s going to happen!

Finally, the BACKSTAGE GoodReads Giveaway is officially up and running!  Enter now for a chance to win signed copies of BOTH Boy Band and Backstage!

Giveaway!

Well, I need to be off to return the rent car.  Talk to y’all soon!

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/160390-backstage

#NaNoWriMo 2015

Well friends, it is that time of year again.  Preparations for National Novel Writing Month are officially underway!

Last year was my first year as a NaNo participant, and that was because a writer friend of mine talked me into signing up.  I’m so glad she did.  I used to be of the mindset that if you needed a special month to get you to write a book, then maybe you shouldn’t be writing.  But that’s not what NaNoWriMo is about at all.  It’s an opportunity to try something that you might not have tried otherwise.  For example, I never would have written Boy Band had it not been for NaNoWriMo.  It just wasn’t something on my radar.  Then I signed up, watched a music video, and there it was.  The rest is history.

Since the sequel to Boy Band will be on December 8, that isn’t the book I’ll be working on this year.  I don’t actually have a title yet, so it’s temporarily titled Nostalgia.  It sounds really deep and dramatic, doesn’t it?  The funny thing is it’s really not.  If anything, it’s only slightly less girlish and fluffy than Boy Band.  It will not be a YA book, however.  It’s more aimed toward the New Adult audience.  That’s not to say that YA fans can’t read it.  But just as I wrote Boy Band specifically for the girls who love boy bands, I’m writing Nostalgia specifically for my generation.  For the girls who grew up in the 1990s.  And that’s all I’m going to say.

If you plan to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, I’d love it if you added me as a buddy.  See you on the other side!

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Thankful

Usually, I can always think of something blog about.  Books, writing, polymer clay dragons, but today I’ve kind of got nothing, except to say that I hope that our nation, heck, that our entire world, can find peace.  That’s probably a long shot, but it’s something I know a lot of people are praying for.

As it is the week of Thanksgiving, however, and I probably won’t be posting again until after the turkey comas have come and gone, I would like to dedicate at least a little bit of my blog to the people, places, and things for which I am thankful.  I know, I run the risk of sounding terribly hokey, and I apologize.  But it is the season.

I’m thankful, first and foremost, for my family, my parents and my sister.  They are, without a doubt, the most important part of my life, and I’m so grateful for their love and constant support.

I’m thankful for my sweet kitty, my Midnight.  She has been through a whole lot in her life, but I hope she knows just how loved she is and that she is safe and sound inside her forever home. I think she does.

I’m thankful for friends who make me laugh and listen to me when I’m crazy and who I know I can count on no matter what.

I’m thankful for books and for the gift of words.

I’m thankful for my home.

I’m thankful the opportunities I’ve had in the past year.  To be honest, getting to participate in book events, being asked to speak (I’m actually speaking at a writer’s group on Saturday!), I just never could have imagined that I’d get to do stuff like this.  I made the decision to become an author five short years ago.  It’s insane to look back and think about how far I’ve come.  And I’m hoping it’s just the beginning.

I’m thankful for this holiday season and all the joy it brings.

Finally, I’m thankful for you, all of you reading this.  To everyone who has supported not just me, but any author, traditional or indie, a huge THANK YOU.  I know several of you are authors yourselves, so I know you’ll agree with me when I say that we owe our readers everything!  Thank you so, so much.  You make our worlds go ’round!

NaNo Update

Hello friends and fellow writers!  How goes it?  I hope you are all warmer than I am.  In case you don’t know anyone who lives in Texas, it totally snowed here last night.

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Look at that.  Snow.

So yeah, it is uncommonly cold around here for November.  I mean, I actually really love snow.  It’s so rare here that every time it comes, it’s like seeing snow for the first time.  Of course, I’m not a fan of the hazardous driving conditions (both the roads and already dangerous Texas drivers), but I love snow itself.  It’s magical.

As far as NaNoWriMo goes, I’ve fallen a bit behind.  I’m still working on my book every single day, but if I’m being totally honest with you and myself, I’m not thinking I’m going to finish it by November 30.  Why, you ask?  Several reasons.

1) I’m fairly certain the book is going to end up being longer than 50,000 words.

2) I’m still working on Cemetery Tours 3.

3) I’m going out of town this week to see my sister in her first professional musical production.

4) My sister is coming home for Thanksgiving next week and I plan on spending as much time as possible with her.

5) The holidays are a time for family, not obsessively trying to finish a novel.  It is very important to finish what you start, but for me, finishing this book in thirteen days is not worth what I would have to give up with my friends and family.

Don’t get me wrong.  I WILL finish this book.  I absolutely love it.  I’m having a blast writing it, and I do think NaNoWriMo is still a good thing.  It encouraged me to begin this project that I wouldn’t have even touched otherwise!  Now I’m kind of thinking I’ll be ready to publish it before the next Cemetery Tours!  But I’m not sure I’ll be one of the ones who is able to claim that they finished within thirty days.  And that’s okay.

Again, I’m so thankful that NaNoWriMo exists.  I’m going to participate every year, I’m sure.  I might never finish within the thirty days, because let’s be honest, November is a crazy busy month!  It’s the beginning of the biggest holiday season of the year!  But I will finish it.  That’s a promise.

Peace out!

New Beginnings

This was a busy, busy weekend.  It actually started Friday afternoon when my mom and took my baby kitty Midnight to the vet for her check-up.  Midnight does not like the vet.  At all.  She’s very vocal about this.  Thankfully, after her check-up, the vet gave her a clean bill of health, except for her heart murmur for which she is being treated.  So yay! I have a healthy kitty!  And she even seems to have forgiven me for manhandling her and taking her to the doctor.

Saturday was a big day, not really for me personally, but for my church.  I’ve touched on my faith here in this blog on occasion, but since this is a blog intended mostly for updates on my work as an author, I don’t delve into personal topics very often.  My relationship with God falls under that category.

I’ve been a member of my church since before I was born.  My grandparents were founding members and my mom has been a member there all her life.  As it turns out, my mom is even BFFs with the Bishop of our Diocese (who also bought a copy of my book… Oh Lord…).  I could probably write a book just about growing up in that church, the people I’ve met, and the adventures I’ve had as a result.  However, the book would also include some less pleasant stuff, stuff that I really don’t want to go into for the sake of my church and the people it involved.  If they read this blog, I’m sure they’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.  Hopefully, they don’t.  It was nothing illegal or taboo or anything.  But it was hurtful.  And it was wrong.

The incident that I’m talking about ignited a part of me that, honestly, I wish didn’t exist.  It’s the part of me that holds grudges and doesn’t forgive easily.  It also marked the beginning of a time when, honestly, I did not feel all that welcome in the church.  I still went, but the atmosphere there changed.  I no longer felt God’s presence.  It all seemed a show.  I’m glad I had my camp in the summers, because I felt closer to God there than I have anywhere else on Earth, except perhaps Scotland.

I could ramble on about this forever. The point is, our church went through a phase where I was not proud to be a member.  However, on Saturday, we welcomed our new Rector, and let me tell you, this guy is the real deal.  I don’t know him very well, but just from having heard him speak, I know he’s going to do good things for our church.  The energy he exudes and the energy he ignites in the congregation is extraordinary.  Once again, I’m feeling hope and excitement and joy inside our church.  I feel God’s presence there again.  I’m so thankful to have our new Rector and to see our church revitalized.  I think he’s going to do amazing things, and I hope he inspires our church to do amazing things as well.

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That night, I went and hung out with my dear friend and editor Kit Kat and her new boyfriend and some of his friends.  We played Cards Against Humanity (always a fun time) and then we built a campfire and sat around and drank hot chocolate.  It was lovely.

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And of course, all the while, I’ve been hard at work on my #NaNoWriMo project.  I’m still working on Cemetery Tours 3 also, which I think is going well.  My primary reader AKA my sister seems to be liking it, but she’s really liking the NaNo project.  I don’t know.  I might just have to publish it under my real name.  And why not?  I’m kind of proud of it.  It’s fun.  It’s SO different from Cemetery Tours but you know what? That’s not a bad thing.  I’m proud of both of them.  I think they’re both pretty awesome.  I should, I’m the author, but still!

I’m sure I’ll do a more in-depth update on NaNo later on this week.  For now, have a pleasant Monday!  And sound off in the comments section how your NaNo project is going!

Writing Writing Writing

Hi, friends!  Just a quick note here because as it turns out, #NaNoWriMo really keeps you busy!  I’m not only working on my NaNo project, I’m also keeping up with the new Cemetery Tours.  Needless to say, my fingers are quite tired from all the typing.  But it’s so much fun!  I had no idea how much I was going to enjoy National Novel Writing Month!  It really gets you to open your mind and explore new ideas.  I’ve even been asked, at the end of the month, to come speak to a writing group about it!  How fun!

That’s all I’ve really got to share for now.  Just a lot of writing!  I need to start reading more, also.  I have so many books that I’ve received from friends and indie authors that I want to read and review.  I wish there were more hours in the day!  I wish I didn’t need sleep!  And I really like sleep!

I also wish this dark rainy weather would go away.  I know we need the rain, and it finally feels like fall, but it makes me feel so sleepy and unproductive.  Blah!

Anyway, keep on and carry on, my fellow #NaNoWriMo authors!  5 days down!

Hello, November

Happy Monday, everyone!  I hope you all had a spooktacular Halloween filled with fright, laughter, and small children requesting candy on your doorstep.

A few girlfriends and I celebrated by dressing up, eating a lot of junk food (and one surprisingly delicious organic and gluten-free pasta dish) and watching Hocus Pocus, only the greatest Halloween classic of all time.

Here’s what I looked like:

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At first, I’d intended to go as a zombie, but then, I found this old veil that my sister had used for something, so I decided to go as Grace, the ghost bride from Cemetery Tours.  How cool is it to be able to dress up as a character from your own book?

After a super successful Halloween, I dove right into #NaNoWriMo.  Well, first I drove out to Fort Worth to hang out with my BFF, but then I dove right into #NaNoWriMo.  I’m happy to announce that I have since earned my 5000-Word Badge.

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Remember, the book I’m working on is NOT another Cemetery Tours installment.  I am working on that as well (Chapter 12 is actually about to make me cry… It’s really sad…), but this #NaNoWriMo project is something that I’m working on strictly for fun and my own entertainment.  If I like it, then yes, I will probably publish it, but I haven’t decided whether or not it will be under my own name or my super secret pen name.

Finally, Halloween may have come and gone for another year, but ghost stories are fun to read all year round!

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Happy November, everyone! How are your #NaNoWriMo projects coming?