Monday, January 30, 2012

Monday Mishmash 1/30/12

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts today:

  1. Thank you!  A huge thank you to everyone who hosted the cover reveal for TOUCH OF DEATH, commented on one of the blog posts, and/or added my book to your Goodreads shelf. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your support.
  2. No more naps  My daughter is growing out of her naps. This is good because she can't nap in kindergarten next year, but it's bad because I lose 2 hours of writing time. Looks like I'll be learning to write more at night.
  3. Giveaway  Don't forget to enter my giveaway. It ends Thursday at 11:59pm. Sorry that it's only open to US. I will do an international giveaway soon.
  4. Dancing  My daughter and I have been in dance mode lately. Dancing is great for getting the creative juices flowing.
  5. Spencer Hill Press Giveaway  If you missed the SHP giveaway, there's still time to enter. Great books are up for grabs.
That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

58 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Jodi, it's killing me. And she's sleeping less at night now too. I don't understand it. I need sleep.

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  2. This is my first time to visit your blog. It's lovely!

    On my mind today is:

    1. Email a review to my editor.
    2. Write more on my last two chapters of adult romance WIP.
    3. Reading a YA paranormal ARC to review sometime this week.
    4. Work on my blog post for tomorrow.

    Have a great day!

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    1. Hi, Sandi. Thanks for stopping by and for following. It's nice to meet you. Good luck with your to do list this week. :)

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  3. I agree with you about the dancing.. besides it's fun and super healthy.
    2 hours loss of writing time? Ouch. but you'll find time. always does, if determined. One kind of wishes there'd be more than 24 hours in a day, eh?

    I look forward to reading Touch Of Death.

    Oh, International giveaway? Yay... look forward to that as well.

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    1. I'll find time if I have to give up sleep. I've done it before. I'm glad you are looking forward to Touch of Death. And I really am excited for an international giveaway. I hate leaving people out.

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  4. Hi Kelly! I love your cover! It makes me want to read the book - RIGHT NOW!

    Don't worry about the nap time too much - you'll get that much more time with your daughter now, and I know you will find a way to write as much as you need to.

    What's on my mind? Change - lots of change in my life, and all of it is good.

    Have a great week!

    Beth

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    1. Yes, the extra time with my daughter is nice, especially since she'll be in all day kindergarten next year. I'm finding small amounts of time here and there. It's not the same as having 2 straight hours, but I'll make it work. I'm glad you like my cover. :) Have a great week!

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  5. Chiming in to agree with Beth. Spend time with the daughter because you can't get that time back. Writing can be rescheduled; childhood cannot. :-)

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  6. Dancing to get the creative juices flowing? I haven't tried that one yet. Maybe today. . .if no one else is around ;)

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  7. Must try dancing! I usually do push ups and sit ups to get the writing brain working! :-)

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    1. I run, too. That always gets my brain in gear to write.

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  8. They grow so fast, enjoy every second. Just by following your posts, and seeing your accomplishments, I know you will make up for the lost writing time. You are a writer! It looks like next year you will have more time to write when the little one goes to Kindergarten.

    Keep up the hard work. Can't wait to see Touch of Death. I'll be in touch on how to buy a signed copy. (Unless I can win one.)

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    1. Rick, I'll host a giveaway, so you'll have a shot to win a copy of Touch of Death. If not, we can definitely get you a signed copy. :)

      I plan to enjoy having my daughter home as much as possible before I lose her to kindergarten five days a week. The tough part is, she's barely sleeping at night now too. I'm sleep deprived. That makes writing tough.

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  9. Yes, it happens, kids grow out of naps. But they do grow into being able to play for longer periods and amuse themselves. As for me? I am getting prepared for my Fireseed One bllog tour, which starts on FEB 20th, and I am thrilled to say that I sold my old car yesterday to help pay for my new Cube. Rah, rah!

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    1. Catherine, wow that was quick! I'm glad you were able to sell it so fast. I'm sure that money helps with the Cube. Good luck with your blog tour. :)

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  10. I get to work today and my PC is belly-up. Thank goodness I have a backup PC that at least lets me onto the internet. :D

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    1. Diane, I'm sorry to hear that. It's essential to have more than one computer in the house. We have three. ;) I hope you get it fixed soon or get a new one soon.

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  11. Oh boy, it was a busy weekend and I'm still trying to recover. :) I have revision notes from my agent and I know exactly how to attack them, but everything else seems to be hijacking my writing time. So today I'm going to create a plan to protect that time. We'll see how it goes. :)

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    1. Tabitha, good luck! I hope you get your writing time and that your revisions go well. :)

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  12. Sorry about the nap loss, Kelly. Those will be missed, but that means your daughter's moving on to another exciting part of her life--and yours!

    Congrats on your YA release. Great job. Keep up the good work.

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    1. Thanks, Lee. I have to admit I'm happy I have more time with my daughter each day. That's the upside to this no more napping.

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  13. Kelly,
    You'll make the no naps work, I have not one doubt in my mind about that! Just enjoy your little bit of extra time with your daughter while you can because before you know it you'll be wishing for that time again. And remember she is one of your biggest inspirations so just use those two hours with her to get new ideas for your next picture book!

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    1. Allyn, I like the way you think. ;) I do enjoy every minute with her and I am already missing her just thinking about kindergarten.

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  14. Actually, the first thing I thought after reading this was "I need to take a nap." But before I reward myself with sleep, I need to start plotting out my blog posts for the rest of the week and get some editing done.

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    1. Good luck with your posts and your editing, Adrianne. And take a nap for me, please.

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  15. I can't dance - well, I can, but it's not a pretty sight. I am sorry about the napping and writing, however, enjoy the time together. Our babies grow up so fast, in a wink, she'll be telling you she wants to go to college in another state. On my mind today is enjoying the feeling of writing a book but also knowing the journey is just beginning. Kind of enjoying this rush to be honest.

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    1. Brenda, I know you're enjoying the rush. Bask in it. :) I do like having more time with my daughter. I just wish I had her energy.

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  16. Oh, Kelly, how well I remember #2 (on your list) A real challenge for Mom.

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    1. Mirka, it's nice to see you survived it. Gives me hope.

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  17. When I saw this, I thought that you were the one giving up the nap-times!

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    1. LOL. No, I don't nap. (Well, if I'm sick I might.) Nap time was my afternoon writing time each day.

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  18. I agree with the others about spending time with your little one before she's no longer little. However, this might also be the time to introduce a couple of things to your little one. First, kids need to learn that sometimes their moms need to do something without distraction and second, kids can share in your activity by doing a similar activity on their own. In your case, this might look like you doing some writing (maybe only an hour?) while your little girl sits nearby doing some similar activity on her own. For my son, this activity was also writing...or at least that's what he called it when he was little. What he really did was make up stories on blank paper with picture rubber stamps. Then when I was done with my writing, we would go over his stories and I would write them out with words while he showed me and told me what they "said". I think that might be a win-win.

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    1. I love this idea! Thank you so much. She's already dictated one "book" to me, which I've typed up so I think she'd love this. I'm definitely going to try it. And you're right. Kids should learn to sit quietly for a while, too. It's good practice for school. Thanks again!

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  19. I love naps and wish I had time to take one each day! I think it would be great for you to both write together for part of the day. I always wanted to do what my mom did when I was little. :) Dancing is such fun- I am not good at it- but I have a blast!

    Happy Monday!

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    1. Jess, I don't consider myself a good dancer either. My daughter loves it though and we have fun. That's what it's really about, right? I definitely want to try writing with her. I think we'll both enjoy it.

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  20. Neither of my kids ever did the nap thing really. I gave up trying to get my eldest to nap as a toddler when it was taking as long to settle her as it was for her to have the nap.

    I'm back to my work in progress with a refreshed mind and new slant on the story. Looking to get the first 50,000 words polished to send off to a competition at the end of March.

    I'm still unpacking after moving just before Christmas. We desperately need a sideboard and desk for my children's rooms.

    Have a great week.

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    1. Fi, good luck with your competition in March. I loved the snippet you posted on your blog. I know you deleted it from your WIP, but I hope you do use it in another manuscript in the future. It was very intriguing.

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  21. Most kids I know nap when they get home from Kindergarten - it wears them out. So maybe you'll get a bit of nap time, just at a different time of day. Dancing sounds like fun - any particular type? I just started taking a hula class, and it's great!

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    1. Ellen, kindergarten is all day here so if she napped she might miss dinner or not sleep well at night. I don't think I'll be able to let her nap then. But she's been going strong without a nap for now. I don't nap. I just write during that time. Next year I'll have plenty of time to write since she'll be in school all day.

      We just dance. No particular style. It's just all in good (uncoordinated on my part) fun! ;)

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  22. Sounds like you've been busy. The cover of your book is beautiful!

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  23. okay well I can digest: I'm not getting the books anyway.
    Children's naps are helpful not only for mothers but for Aunts too. But what can be done. they grow up with their own ways.

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    1. Don't worry, the international giveaways will come. I promise. And yes, kids do grow up in their own ways. We have to adapt around them.

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  24. I will say that I've been dancing on the Kinect for exercise. I like it better than freezing outside. :)

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    1. Yes! I don't want to be outside in this cold either.

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  25. I just found you via Jolene's blog. So glad I did. The new cover is beautiful! Very exciting! And I know what you mean about losing naptime to write. My youngest is 2 1/2 and just outgrew naps (WAY too early). It's killing me. I loved having that writing time!

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    1. Hi, Leigh. Thanks for finding me here. I feel for you with the naps. My daughter almost lasted until 5 years old. One month shy of it actually. Now my poor husband is really getting ignored. ;) Good luck to you.

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  26. School has recently gone back here... And I'm missing so much! Did I miss your cover reveal?? It's fabulous! Love it... Congratulations.
    Yes, I have to write mostly at night. No more day naps here.
    X

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    1. My cover reveal was on Friday, but you can see it in my sidebar so no worries. Or you can check out the post if you really want to. I've written at night before but I prefer afternoons. I'll have to train myself to prefer nights now. ;)

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  27. I prefer to write at nights, but I feel guilty about it b/c that's when my husband is home and I feel like I should be spending time w/ him.

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    1. Beth, same here. It's tough when finding time means sacrificing time with family.

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  28. Dancing is such a wonderful way to express oneself. Never stop dancing.

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    1. And you should see my little dance. I don't know where she comes up with half of her moves. She's amazing. :)

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