Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Character Giveaway!



I have no doubt that we are all quite the characters in real life, but have you ever been a character in a book?

I will make you a character in my next book "Living Soul" if you share a picture of your paperback copy of "Veiled" on Facebook to all your friends! So when you get the book, simply upload a picture of your copy or a visible Kindle version and collect 'LIKES' from your friends. The more Likes you get the better your chances of becoming a 'mystery' character.


I'll use your name, first and last (or just first) if you feel more comfortable.

Don't miss this ONCE IN A LIFETIME chance to be a real character in a book. You can brag about it and hand it down to your posterity!

So upload those pictures and start playing during the month of May. Whoever gets the most Likes wins!

Post your total Likes on my Author Page on Facebook and I will annouce the winner on Tuesday the 31st.!!!

Have Fun!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

My Glory Day in the Hot Sun--Nacho Libre.



So as I was looking at my book on the Amazon page, I hoped to hear a great "AHHH" of angels, or clapping, or something! Instead I got to hear my kids fight about the last juice box and who should get it! I walked away from the computer and punched the whole on the juice box then proceeded to equally distribute the meager contents into three cups.

So if you were ever wondering what it feels like to be a published author--now you know!

Life goes on, kids are great reminders of that. But as I squirted that juice I was thinking how happy I was. But that happiness has come mostly from other things. Seeing my dream of writing a novel and being published has added to that happiness, but it hasn't been the sole source of it.

After the juice box incident I did exactly what this picture shows, went to the garden and drank a Mate with my husband. What we talked about was: The next dream!

Dreaming and working toward dreams or goals has added a great new dimension to my life. It has been hard, I've had to give up other hobbies and social events. But it has given me something I was missing. Don't get me wrong, I was happy before, but now I feel complete! Like when you make a cake, then you add the frosting or the glaze.

If I were to make a recipe for happiness, I would add one cup of God (service, prayer, scripture reading) and one of Family (the every day working, talking, feeding, cleaning, teaching stuff). Then I would shake in work (providing for material needs) and a pinch of Dreams or Goals.

Dreams are the zest of life, the extra flavor that makes the dish worth eating (often times you put it on top). When you make Lemon Cake, you scrub the yellow of the peel into the batter, being careful to not get the white part, because it makes it bitter.

Likewise, the taste of your life depends on a careful balance between the flavor and the main ingredients. I haven't always been the best at it, sometimes my 'cake' has been a little on the lemony side. But I have found that on the days that I'm happiest, I scrubbed that lemon very lightly.



Lemon Jell-O Cake

(From the Family Cookbook--by Rebecca Bell)

1 Small Pkg. Lemon Jell-O
1/2 C. oil
3 Eggs
1 Yellow cake mix
1 tsp. lemon extract


Icing:
1 C. powder sugar
Juice of one lemon
RIND OF ONE LEMON, GRATED!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Unveiling Veiled!

Okay...so that's me, the chicken. You can thank me later for not putting up a picture of a chicken with it's head cut off. But you get it right? I've had chickens before and they pretty much run around cackling aimlessly. In fact I have a pretty funny anecdote about me and my omega 3 chickens...but that's for another time. I actually have a reason, for feeling like this, several really.

Veiled has been approved and will soon be ready to be purchased. The actual release date will be a few days before the release party. All of which will be happening while I'm on vacation. My husband's work is taking us to Hawaii for a week and it falls on the release of my book, so while all of you feel very sorry for me and my dilemma, I am running around trying to get everything squared away!

Snorkel gear, bug spray, sun-tanning lotion, book release announcements, blog tours, book orders, shopping carts (so ya'll can buy the book) ;).

Then there's my son's birthday party, in-laws coming into town, homeschooling, taxes, sports and yes! Cleaning, laundry and all those things that I never seem to get to.

All and all, I can't complain. My book is coming out! So please be a dear and spread the word, tell all your friends, send me a message if you would like to pre-order a book and mark your calendars because on the 14th Amazon will have it available for purchase. Once you read the book, don't forget to leave a review on Amazon.
Reviews are very important, so be kind and give me a good review!
Cluck--cluck!