You Could WIN! Check out the Christmas Kindle Fire Event

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It might take a second to load the form, but it's worth it!

For more information: http://takingtimeformommy.com/2011/11/christmaas-kindle-fire-event-christmaskindle/

Dare to Dream and Make it Happen!!

Good Morning!

As I was running around getting the kids ready for school, I was trying to figure out how to manage my time better as I listened to the radio. Boy did this song hit home! With every dream, there is a price. That price is what you are willing to give, be it time, sweat or tears, to achieve it.  "Dare to Dream" and then get out there and make it happen!!

Excerpt from Lyrics of the song: "How Bad Do You Want It" - Tim McGraw


People always ask me
"Son what does it take
To reach out and touch your dreams?"

To them I always say

Are you hungry?
Are you thirsty?
Is it a fire that burns you up inside?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming
With that one thing on your mind?


How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line


I get to make my living
Doing what I love
Every night I give my heart and soul
Sometimes that ain't enough
But brother, if you're like me
Looking down that road


Be careful of that wild wind, son
Sometimes it don't let go
Can you feel it?Can you taste it?
Can you hear it knocking at your door?


How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming
With that one thing on your mind?


How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line


There's always a price you pay no matter what you do
If you're gonna climb that mountain to the top
It always comes down to


How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming
With that one thing on your mind?


How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line



For me, the price is going to be getting up earlier or going to bed later and kicking procrastination in the pants whenever it shows its ugly head. Whatever it takes to get those words down on the paper, I must do. Can you say more caffeine! LOL  Just thought I'd share. :) Off to write now!

Target of Betrayal - Live

Finally after months and months of edits and more edits, Target of Betrayal is alive, a mean available as an e-book. LOL Still waiting on the print version, but it shouldn't be much longer.

I'm excited, exhausted and relieved. So hubby ask me today, now that it is finished, what I plan to do with all my free time. Imagine his surprise when I smiled and told him "Now I can focus fully on my new NaNo story." I was almost jumping up and down. He's like, you're writing another one? Yep. It's official. He thinks I'm crazy. :)

Even with all the extra hassles of getting Target up and running, the NaNo story is coming along quite nicely so far. But then, for me, the first few days are always the easiest. Those last ones are down right brutal!

Thanks for all the support and encouragement through these trying months! I appreciate you all so much!

Amazon  

Barnes & Noble  

Good luck to all my fellow NaNo'ers!!! Write, Write, Write!

Border Heat by Teri Thackston

Don't miss this one!

Great Suspense!



Murderous drug runners, a wildfire in the Texas desert and the President's runaway daughter…Game Warden Shannon Walker didn't sign up for any of this. Add a sexy Secret Service Agent, unexpected betrayal and an escape into the desert, and the border becomes hotter than Shannon can handle.

Rescue Me, Somebody Please!

Just kidding. Although, I must say, I've felt this way several times lately.

October has come, and as I sit here staring at my computer, procrastinating as usual, I'm realizing the month's almost gone! Time flys when you're having fun and when your not, well, I think it flys faster. LOL We started out with football games, tennis matches and Homecoming. Now we're winding down. The fundraiser for tennis was a huge success and the team is off today for a trip to Regionals, (Yay Go, Team!)

But, even with all life's distractions and the wonderful memories we've made along the way, I'm happy to report that I managed to stay on track. "Target of Betrayal" is due out the first of November. Yes, I'm doing a happy dance. This is the first story I ever wrote, finished back in 2007. The first draft was a whopping 104,000 words. Yikes! Needless to say, it has gone through one heck of a major overhaul. :)

Now it's time to get ready for NaNoWriMo! This is National Novel Writing Month for those of you trying to make sense out of the abbreviation. The goal? Write 50,000 words in 30 days. It's alot of hard work, but so rewarding. My first attempt was back in 2007. I'd finished one manuscript and was worried I might not be able to do it again. NaNo helped me set goals, priorities and realize writing was definitely something I wanted to do. If you ask my hubby, I've become a bit obsessed over the years. LOL

He just doesn't understand my new battle cry.

 "I get to write something new! Yippee!"

After all this editing, I'm about to burst with all the great possibilities. All I have to do is pick one idea floating around in my head, focus and then smoke up those computer keys. :) One of my goals this year is to challenge myself to write a simple romance. Those of you who know me are shaking your head. I can see you! And hear you! "What no guns? No herione being chased by the bad guys, her time running out?" Did you see the word CHALLENGE above. LOL And I never said there wouldn't be guns! 

Let's Get This Party Started!

Here's a link in case I've enticed you to check it out. :) 

 National Novel Writing Month 

  

Wacky Wednesday Links

My final run through is done and off to the editor on the next book, Target of Betrayal. Whew...I didn't think I'd ever get to the end on this one. It's a great feeling.:) I'm now working on the final edits for the cover and having way too much fun. LOL I promise to share soon!

Until then here are a few of the links I've come across this past week.

Amazon Algorithm Exposed - Very interesting

http://ebooksuccess4free.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/amazon-sales-rank-secret-algorithm-exposed/

Another great resource for saving your sanity during the formatting process. :)
http://www.cjs-easy-as-pie.com/

Kristen Lamb's Blog -
Three Keys to a Successful Author Platform - All This and a Bag of Chips (Love her Blog titles!)

The Writer's Guide to E-Publishing -
What's So Special About Indie by Scott Nicholson - Worth a read. :)

And don't forget about the Northwest Houston Lone Star Writer's Conference coming this October 15, 2011!
It's not too late to register!!!     Northwest Houston RWA

TxDOT vs. Christie Craig

Have you heard about this?! It's just unbelievable! Christie Craig is an amazing writer and this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

I was born in Texas. I've lived here my entire life. And this just really makes my blood boil. Texas is so much better than this. Going after an author because of the title of her book? Really? "Don't Mess With Texas" has taken on an entirely new meaning for me. And it's not a good thing!

Please check out this site for more info and spread the word.

http://wildwickedwacky.blogspot.com/2011/10/txdot-v-christie-craig-write-in.html

Writer or not, this affects us all. There are tax dollars paying for a frivolous law suit. TxDot putting this much effort and money into this over a book title really scares the heck out of me. What else will they do?

I'm off to steam a bit more! And see who else I can contact.  Oh, wait! Rick Perry is running for President! I'm going to see what he thinks about this little lawsuit.  Want to join me? :)


Snail Mail: The Honorable Rick Perry, PO Box 12428, Austin, TX 78711-2428


Website: http://governor.state.tx.us/contact/

Phone No: (512) 463-2000

Twitter: @GovernorPerry (mention @TxDOT and @Christie_Craig)


Please say you will!

Wacky Wednesday Links

Summer break, kids, and back to school really put a kink in my plans to have the next book out by the end of summer.  Two chapters to go and then I'll do one last read through and it's off to the editor. Whew! Better late than never, right? LOL

Taking a few mintues to share some really valuable resources. :)

Google Calendar - A must to keep track of all life's little distractions.
http://www.ehow.com/how_6186026_can-calendar-onto-computer-desktop_.html


 Self Publishing a Book -25 things you need to know:   http://reviews.cnet.com/self-publishing/

 7 Ways to Write a Great Book Review - Now this is a great way to help support your favorite authors. Fan mail and great reviews help us know we are on the right track and doing our job. Entertaining the reader.

How about using Skype to sell your books!  The Savvy Book Marketer 

Want a challenge? Try writing 10,000 words in one day. :) It's doable. Honest!
http://www.murderati.com/blog/2011/8/4/10000-words-in-one-day-no-wayway.html


And a few must-read Ebooks regarding Indie Epublishing to help you find your way.


1. The Indie Journey: Secrets to Writing Success by Scott Nicholson

2. How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months! by John Locke

3. How I Sold 200,000 E-Books, A Guide for the Self-Published Author by H.P. Mallory

4. Let’s Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should by David Gaughran


Okay, back to work for me! Enjoy your day and remember to Dream Big! :)

Laughter, You Know You Want It

School is in full swing around here and along with it comes an extremely hectic schedule. I'm talking about the kind of schedule that has you wondering just exactly what day it really is. LOL Time to start working in lots of those laughter moments to decompress and save my sanity. 

Did you know, when we laugh, our entire body relaxes. A good, hearty belly laugh can actually relieve physical tension and stress as well. I've read this relaxed state can even last up to 45 minutes after. No way! Really? Boy, could I use that!

The Physical Benefis:

* Laughter boosts the immune system.
* Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals.
* Laughter protects the heart.
* Lowers stress hormones
* Decreases pain
* Relaxes your muscles
* Prevents heart disease

Mental Health Benefits:

* Adds joy and zest to life
* Eases anxiety and fear
* Relieves stress
* Improves mood
* Enhances resilience

Social Benefits:

* Strengthens relationships
* Attracts others to us
* Enhances teamwork
* Helps defuse conflict
* Promotes group bonding

Now with all these wonderful benefits, why have I not been using this little trick?  It's not that big a deal that I woke up this morning to a leaky pipe and had to call the plumber. Right?  Did he just give me a $400.00 estimate? Now there's a good belly laugh for you!  Needless to say we still have no water because Hubby is determined to fix this leak all by himself.  I'm laughing, really I am.  I did make some great head way on my edits as I waited for the plumber to show up. That's a good thing.

Come on ya'll, let's get this laughter started!!  I'm off to find me something to laugh about! Lord knows I need it right about now!