I took the boys for a little shopping trip on Sunday to get some flowers for my garden and groceries. At the grocery store, I found a deal I couldn't pass up. Bundled up in produce bags were bananas that were starting to turn brown. Most just had spots, but they still looked good. They were marked down to 99 cents a bag, and there were two bags. Jackpot! I took both, dreaming of making smoothies and banana bread.
At home, Brian was also happy with my purchase. He likes them ripe, not green. I took them out of the bag and counted them out. 27 total. My counter is pretty full yet. I haven't taken the time to mash and freeze them or make bread, but we have had a few smoothies and eaten some. I just laugh at myself when I think about all those bananas.
In about a week, I will be having my first book event! I swear it feels like it was just September when I found out North Star wanted to publish my book. I have also added to my calendar yet again. I will be at the St. Cloud Art Crawl on June 13th at Books Revisited downtown. I also have a lead on an event in Hutchison, and really hope it pans out.
There is so much little stuff I need to think about and get ready for my launch. I've had to think about what to sign- more than just a signature. Something cute or catchy. I ordered a banner and a matching phone case. I got a canopy for outdoor events. Then there is deciding what to bring with me. So much to think about.
One think I keep thinking about: I can't wait until I get my books and get to hold my book for the first time. I might just tuck one under my pillow for a while :)
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Off on a Tangent~ Working Outside
The weather has finally changed gears and it feels like spring should. After such a long, cold winter, I can't help but spend as much time outside as possible. And there is no shortage of work to be done.
We purchased a foreclosed home this past fall. Brian did a complete over hall on most the house, and I painted and packed. We knew there was going to be a lot of work needed outside, but had to wait until this spring to tackle it.
The area formally know as the flowerbed is so overgrown with weeds and trees. I was digging out some of the flowers I knew I would want to keep and found the edging stones we didn't know were there. I have dug 4 brown bags of iris, 7 bags of peonies, 2 bags and 2 buckets of some kind of lily, 2 bags and a bucket of sedum, and two buckets of hostas. Brian has been asking when I will get them all out of the garden shed, and I'm really hoping by the end the weekend I will have my garden all done.
The mess of weeds in the flowerbed was not the only eyesore we wanted to work on. I dug out what I wanted in front of the house, and another goal is to do new landscaping around the whole house. I pulled out the blocks around the front too. I think there are over 30 blocks from the flowerbed and another 50 some retaining blocks and 8 cinder blocks that I removed last weekend.
Then there is the tree line where brush was piled for who knows how long. Brian has been trimming some of the trees and we have hauled out over a dozen truck and trailer loads of brush to our land where we can burn it. There is still more, but we have to return the trailer my dad was nice enough to let us borrow. I can't wait to light up the pile.
We had someone come in and cut down some trees, and now there are stumps to grind. And a vegetable garden to build and plant...I can't wait for the long weekend to start!
We purchased a foreclosed home this past fall. Brian did a complete over hall on most the house, and I painted and packed. We knew there was going to be a lot of work needed outside, but had to wait until this spring to tackle it.
The area formally know as the flowerbed is so overgrown with weeds and trees. I was digging out some of the flowers I knew I would want to keep and found the edging stones we didn't know were there. I have dug 4 brown bags of iris, 7 bags of peonies, 2 bags and 2 buckets of some kind of lily, 2 bags and a bucket of sedum, and two buckets of hostas. Brian has been asking when I will get them all out of the garden shed, and I'm really hoping by the end the weekend I will have my garden all done.
The mess of weeds in the flowerbed was not the only eyesore we wanted to work on. I dug out what I wanted in front of the house, and another goal is to do new landscaping around the whole house. I pulled out the blocks around the front too. I think there are over 30 blocks from the flowerbed and another 50 some retaining blocks and 8 cinder blocks that I removed last weekend.
Then there is the tree line where brush was piled for who knows how long. Brian has been trimming some of the trees and we have hauled out over a dozen truck and trailer loads of brush to our land where we can burn it. There is still more, but we have to return the trailer my dad was nice enough to let us borrow. I can't wait to light up the pile.
We had someone come in and cut down some trees, and now there are stumps to grind. And a vegetable garden to build and plant...I can't wait for the long weekend to start!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Old Love
It's the eve of my 7th wedding anniversary, and as I did some yard work today, I thought about relationships. Brian and I dated a little over 3 years before we got married. It was a nice wedding, I remember the church being hot and not air conditioned. The details I had worked hard on, forgotten that day as I celebrated with everyone and my new hubby.
There is one moment of the day that I still often think of. My cousin had taken me to get my hair done, and on the way to the church for pictures, she told me a story my grandpa had told her. Grandpa died in 1997, ten years prior to my getting married. On the day of my wedding, the sky was a bright blue, with the big puffy white clouds. She told me Grandpa used to say 'I love days like this. They look just like the day I got married.' And in that one sentence, I felt I had him there with me.
My family is in no way touchy-feely or very vocal on feelings. That being said, they have still been a source of the way love and a marriage should be. My parents have been married just shy of 35 years, my grandparents almost 62 years, and if Grandpa was still alive, my other set of grandparents would have them beat. They didn't fight much in front of us kids, but worked out their problems.
There are many things I love about Brian. He's got a sense of humor similar to my own, he knows how to work, and can still have a good time. He takes time to do things with our boys, and as they grow up, I know there is more he wants to do with them.
We are both very stubborn people. Ask anyone who knows us. One good thing about that: we have both agreed to never give up on what we have with each other. We often tease each other, 'you said yes' or 'you're stuck with me now'.
In the seven years we're been married, we have had 2 boys, changed jobs, bought land, home renovations, bought a different house, and he joined the fire department. I'm not sure what in that list has had the largest impact. As I think about all we have done, and what we talk about doing, I look forward to seeing where we are in the next 7 years.
There is one moment of the day that I still often think of. My cousin had taken me to get my hair done, and on the way to the church for pictures, she told me a story my grandpa had told her. Grandpa died in 1997, ten years prior to my getting married. On the day of my wedding, the sky was a bright blue, with the big puffy white clouds. She told me Grandpa used to say 'I love days like this. They look just like the day I got married.' And in that one sentence, I felt I had him there with me.
My family is in no way touchy-feely or very vocal on feelings. That being said, they have still been a source of the way love and a marriage should be. My parents have been married just shy of 35 years, my grandparents almost 62 years, and if Grandpa was still alive, my other set of grandparents would have them beat. They didn't fight much in front of us kids, but worked out their problems.
There are many things I love about Brian. He's got a sense of humor similar to my own, he knows how to work, and can still have a good time. He takes time to do things with our boys, and as they grow up, I know there is more he wants to do with them.
We are both very stubborn people. Ask anyone who knows us. One good thing about that: we have both agreed to never give up on what we have with each other. We often tease each other, 'you said yes' or 'you're stuck with me now'.
In the seven years we're been married, we have had 2 boys, changed jobs, bought land, home renovations, bought a different house, and he joined the fire department. I'm not sure what in that list has had the largest impact. As I think about all we have done, and what we talk about doing, I look forward to seeing where we are in the next 7 years.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Birds of a Feather Stick Together
The whole experience of becoming a published author is still amazing to me. I was talking to a co-worker the other day and she was excited that she knew an author now. Heck, I'm excited and a little surprised that I know an author too!
In the last few months, I have been putting time and effort into getting events lined up to get myself out there and sell my book. Some of the events I was able to find on my own or just by luck of asking to do an event. But there are also a few events on my calendar that were brought to my attention by fellow North Star Press authors. The publisher has done a great job of creating a network for the authors to bounce ideas off of each other and offer to share a booth at different venues. It's a great support system to have in place. I've seen some of the reviews on other books, and it makes me want to read them too. One author has also sent me information about being a guest blogger for another nationally know author. That could be huge publicity for me, and I am thankful she thought to offer me the information.
Of course, I wrote my book, so I'm bias, but I am going to have a successful book.I've got my mind set on making it a success. And with the help and support of the publisher, other authors and my readers, I know it is possible.
In the last few months, I have been putting time and effort into getting events lined up to get myself out there and sell my book. Some of the events I was able to find on my own or just by luck of asking to do an event. But there are also a few events on my calendar that were brought to my attention by fellow North Star Press authors. The publisher has done a great job of creating a network for the authors to bounce ideas off of each other and offer to share a booth at different venues. It's a great support system to have in place. I've seen some of the reviews on other books, and it makes me want to read them too. One author has also sent me information about being a guest blogger for another nationally know author. That could be huge publicity for me, and I am thankful she thought to offer me the information.
Of course, I wrote my book, so I'm bias, but I am going to have a successful book.I've got my mind set on making it a success. And with the help and support of the publisher, other authors and my readers, I know it is possible.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Approaching the Finish Line
In about 20 days, I will have my books! It's amazing how long the process felt at first, and yet how quickly it has gone. I added another June event to my calendar last week.
Also added to the blog are a few things on the side. You can now get emails when I add a post and you can also share posts on Facebook and Twitter.
I've had a few more questions about what made me want to write the book. It all started after I got my Kindle as a birthday present. I was reading more books, and gravitated towards the romance books. Wanting to related to the female characters in the story, I looked for books featuring a fireman. I am married to one, why wouldn't I want to read about some stud of a fireman?
I tossed around the idea of a story for a while, and once I had enough of a storyline in my head, I sat down and began writing. It only took me the summer, and as luck would have it, North Star Press was looking for submissions at the time I was done. They liked it, and here we are.
Also added to the blog are a few things on the side. You can now get emails when I add a post and you can also share posts on Facebook and Twitter.
I've had a few more questions about what made me want to write the book. It all started after I got my Kindle as a birthday present. I was reading more books, and gravitated towards the romance books. Wanting to related to the female characters in the story, I looked for books featuring a fireman. I am married to one, why wouldn't I want to read about some stud of a fireman?
I tossed around the idea of a story for a while, and once I had enough of a storyline in my head, I sat down and began writing. It only took me the summer, and as luck would have it, North Star Press was looking for submissions at the time I was done. They liked it, and here we are.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Measure Twice, Cut Once
As I sit in the recliner at the end of the day, listening to the rain beating on our metal roof, I'm faced with a problem no writer wants to face. I have a typo on one of my marketing tools that I proofread. Or I thought I did when I submitted the order at 1 am last weekend. It could be a learning mistake, something I just have to accept and order new cards, or I could get more creative yet again, and try to fix it. It is a hard choice to make.
I stopped by the publisher today to pay for my books, sending things in motion to be ready to go to press. That is basically just my final go-ahead that I approve what they have shown me and the book is how I want it. In less than a month, I will have my first event, and copies of my book. It felt like such a long process when I got started, but it has gone by very fast. This summer will also fly by as I go to different events promoting my book.
The rain is still pounding away, and I'm debating getting some white out and a pen to correct my error. Would people really notice a missing letter?
I stopped by the publisher today to pay for my books, sending things in motion to be ready to go to press. That is basically just my final go-ahead that I approve what they have shown me and the book is how I want it. In less than a month, I will have my first event, and copies of my book. It felt like such a long process when I got started, but it has gone by very fast. This summer will also fly by as I go to different events promoting my book.
The rain is still pounding away, and I'm debating getting some white out and a pen to correct my error. Would people really notice a missing letter?
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Saturday, May 3, 2014
I have a book cover!
Yesterday I was able to get a preview of my book cover from the publisher. We still have to get the back finished up, but this is what you can expect to see when you get your copy:
I like that it is timeless, and doesn't give away the story. I have a hard time reading a book and trying to picture the characters if there are pictures of the people on the cover. When I'm reading a story, I picture certain things, and it doesn't always match what the book shows. I guess it's just one of my personal preferences.
Next step: My picture of me for the back cover.
Next step: My picture of me for the back cover.
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