My Kids are Backwards

I'm sure all families are different, but there's an expectation that siblings fight a lot until one of them gets too big. Usually it's when the younger one gets big enough to hurt the older one back. (With me and my brother, it stopped when I tried to hit him with a garlic press, missed and hit my hand instead, and cut myself. I was so shocked at my capacity for violence I made sure it never got physical again.)

My kids have never fought. Two girls, 3 years and 8 months apart, you'd think they would have. Number One should have been overly annoyed by Number Two, who was certainly crafty enough to bug her sister deliberately and then play the bullied baby when Number One retaliated. But they never really went there, back when they were 12 and 8, a time I consider prime fighting age.

But NOW.

I started to leave to go to the bank, realized I didn't have my ID, and went back inside. Where Number Two promptly told me the following:

"She was blocking my view of the pantry so I couldn't get a snack, so I slapped her in the face. Very lightly! And she [insert woe-is-me voice here] grabbed my arms and pulled them behind my back and it HURT."

Number One comes out to the kitchen. "Is she telling you about how she slapped me in the face?"

Number One has reached 5'6" and has the nickname "Brick Wall" from soccer. Number Two is about 5'1" but plenty solid and capable of defending herself. They never fought like this before. WHY did they wait until they're 16 and 12 to start the fisticuffs?

Of course, they laughed at me. "We were laughing the whole time, Mom."

Yeah, that makes me feel better.

~~~~~~~~~~
Note: I sent this to my kids to get their approval before I posted. Number Two said "It's fine. I think it's quite funny." Number One said "yeah, it's fine. i don't know why, but i couldn't stop laughing!"

She doesn't know why?! Guess which kid is my favorite today.

My Daring Escape, Hero Wars, and Okay, Yeah, More Football

I don't know how much time I have. I've just escaped from the dark, terrifying world of Mary Kay, and I it may be only moments before I am dragged back in, kicking and screaming.

Okay, that's an exaggeration. I did spend last evening, and a previous Tuesday evening, tortured with MK propaganda as a trade-off for a free eye makeup training seminar. Our consultant is one of my coworkers at my day job, and she's cool. We were with cool people. And we got free eyelash curlers. Which I have never in my life used. But that's beside the point. I bought the skin care products and totally fell in love with Satin Hands. What I didn't fall in love with was the "sell sell sell buy buy buy!" agenda at the big event, but hey. Like I said. Tradeoff.

ANYWAY.

Want some news? Here's what's going on.

1. Kira's Best Friend is going Greek! I just signed a licensing agreement with Anubis Publications to translate KBF into Greek for sale in Greece and Cyprus. Isn't that cool?! I think it will be out in April, and I'll post the cover and stuff when I get it. At worst, I'll take a picture of my author copies. The rest of the Brook Hollow trilogy should follow.

2. My April 16 release, Acceptable Risks, has a cover! I'm not going to show it yet. I'm going to reveal it on February 7th at Everybody Needs a Little Romance. Then I'll follow up with a poll about the elements of the very cool cover. Participants will have a chance to win prizes via the poll and my newsletter. Then we'll see how close everyone came when I post the story blurb.

3. Hero Wars on Twitter! Look up the hashtag #herowars for teasers of Entangled Publishing's heroes. I have THREE to throw into the competition. Admittedly, said competition is stiff. (heh heh I said stiff) But I think these guys can handle themselves:

Goddesses Rising Hero Stats

Name — Nick Jarrett, Under the Moon
Build — Big, muscular, intimidating
Height — 6' 2"
Weight — 180ish
Strengths — Protective, watchful, smart
Weaknesses — Likes things done his way
Leading Lady — Quinn Caldwell, top-level goddess
Favorites — beer, his '69 Charger, and his guns
Occupation — Goddess Protector


Name — Sam Remington, Heavy Metal
Build — Kind of lanky, but broad-shouldered and strong
Height — 6' 4"
Weight — 180ish
Strengths — Great with research and organizing/managing things
Weaknesses — Women in need
Leading Lady — Riley Kordek, young goddess who never knew she was one
Favorites — Nothing at the moment, he's floundering a bit
Occupation — Former bar manager and goddess assistant, former protector

Name — Finn Samargo, Sunroper
Build — Lean, pampered
Height — 6'
Weight — 170ish
Strengths — Rich, loyal, focused on his goals
Weaknesses — Rich, and way too focused on HIS goals
Leading Lady — Marley Canton, leeched goddess turned null
Favorites — the small of a woman's back, expensive champagne, and silk sheets
Occupation — Business manager for one of his father's companies, on leave

Katee Robert and Laura Kaye posted their hero stats. Watch Twitter or keep an eye on Entangled in Romance for stats on other heroes.

4. The Patriots are in the Super Bowl! I went on a mini-retreat a couple of weeks ago with some other authors, and the Patriots were playing in the division playoff game against the Broncos while we were there. It was a blast teaching Misty Simon about first and ten and safeties and stuff. :) She impressed her dad while they watched the AFC championship last weekend. So I'm a little scared about the game next weekend. And less then thrilled about the rematch. I mean, yeah, redemption would be nice. (Or atonement, as my brother called it.) But I just didn't want to spend two weeks hearing about Super Bowl XLVII. Should be a great game, regardless!

5. Is All Romance eBooks your preferred retailer? I just learned they're selling Brianna's Navy Seal and Cat's Claw over there now. Check it out!

My iPod is Ruining My Life

I know. I've been complaining for six months (exactly) about my old iPod (Remington) being stolen, and how awful it is to have to listen to the radio. My long-suffering husband is now reunited with the iPod Classic he let me use for months, and I have a fantastic new iPod Touch.

It's too fantastic.

I can't put the damned thing down! The first night, I just kept checking Twitter. Then Facebook. Then mail. Then playing Angry Birds. When I forced myself away from Angry Birds, I had to do one more check of e-mail. Then Twitter. Then Facebook. Then Twitter again. Okay, maybe I'd play more Angry Birds.

The novelty has not worn off a bit, but it's dulled enough that I'm not turning off the light at 2:00 a.m. Of course, I'm now working until 1:00 a.m. because any time I have a few seconds for a break, I start playing a game (or checking Twitter, etc.). The trek to bed, always slow because I'm a night owl and hate to go to bed, is longer and slower now.

I get an NFL newsletter and check for news on the Patriots app. I add items to my reminders, check the weather, and surf the Internet, which is a challenge, let me tell you, with those tiny links. (I know I can zoom in, it's just more fun to be challenged!)

I work on a computer most of the day, so eyestrain is already a problem. It's reached epic proportions, and our electric bill is going to be huge this month, between my constant recharging of the iPod and my husband's of his own new toy. My only complaint is that it's more complicated to use it for its primary purpose. When I'm doing dishes or laundry or cooking or cleaning and the kids need me, I can't just hit pause. I have to hit home, swipe it unlocked, wait several seconds because for some reason there's a delay when I'm listening to something, then hit pause. Small complaint, though.

My Kindle and the stack of paperbacks on my shelf have been a bit neglected. I've actually been trying to carve through the print books, but a lot of them are ones that were given to me that I wasn't sure I'd like. I've added nearly half a dozen to my "did not finish" list. Not because they were bad, they just weren't my thing. I'm trying really hard to keep going with the one I'm reading now, because it's well written and interesting, if some of the details are off and the characters aren't the type I'd naturally gravitate toward.

Anyway, I have to break this new addiction toute suite, because the "lull" of the holidays is almost over and I won't be able to justify so much leisure time anymore. (My brain is whispering that TV will still be on hellatus and I'll have time to play, but I can't extend the habit. I'm standing firm!)

Speaking of TV, I'm kind of excited. We're getting a new DVR unit. The one we have has been eating chunks of shows. Last season it ate stuff that had been on it for a while, so I was unable to rewatch Supernatural and had to buy some episodes of Doctor Who that I had let collect for a reason I don't remember. The current unit was refurbished in 2007. It's so old they don't want it back. I'm looking forward to seeing if it has any new features.

So tell me. Am I alone in my new addiction? Anyone else stuck on the pretty and the cool and finding it difficult to get back to routine?

Birthday and Christmas Highlights

I've been meaning to post ever since Friday, but I've been held hostage. By, yes, Angry Birds.

My big birthday gift was an iPod Touch to replace the iPod that was stolen in NY in June and so my husband could have his iPod back. I love the damned thing so much. I keep going back and forth between e-mail and Twitter and Facebook and the Patriots app and Angry Birds. I spent much of Christmas day troubleshooting my in-laws wireless network so we could all connect to it. (And much of the rest of it getting my father-in-law started with the Kindle he didn't want. He likes it, though!)

I did go get adjusted on Friday, because my back was worse when I woke up. It steadily got better until yesterday, and the way I was sitting or the jumping around during Catchphrase. I was teamed with Number Two and my nephew, both of whom preferred the Sports category, and my MIL, who excelled at the Entertainment stuff. We kicked butt in the number of words/phrases we guessed, but the other team (my husband, his sister, his father, and Number One) would drag out their clues/guesses so long that inevitably, we got the buzzer just before it buzzed and never had time to do one more. It was raucous fun.

My big present for Christmas was a new widescreen monitor. I f'd up my computer so I haven't loaded the Windows 7 I bought today, but I can't wait to do that so I can take full advantage of all the wide goodness.

Watched Doctor Who last night, and it was a decent enough Christmas special. It served mainly to make me long for the series to come back already. I'm tempted to go back and rewatch it all, because I have the Netflix app. :)

Some other highlights from Christmas:

Number One got a guitar, and she has barely stopped playing. She's teaching herself "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol and her fingers are purple. She also loves her gift from her sister, which is a soccer ball signed by Abby Wombach. It was an item in a silent auction at her school, and she didn't even think twice, just instantly bid $100 and chewed her nails the rest of the night hoping no one would outbid her.

The Patriots won on Christmas Eve. That was good, especially when they were down 17-0 at halftime. Wes Welker is on Twitter now, and yes, that's a major reason I couldn't put the iPod down on my birthday.

Number One also put together a special present for us all. We had to open her gift from us last. Each of us got a piece of a puzzle, that put together looked like this:

I bet no one else got this gift in 2011! :)

So what was your best gift or best part of the holiday this year?

I Would Take a Breath if it Didn't Hurt So Much

I don't know if I slept funny, or if it's from all the cleaning and hauling and everything, but my back is killing me.

Luckily, I work for a chiropractor.

Unluckily, I can't get adjusted until Tuesday, and that will be iffy. We're closed on Thursdays, tomorrow I'm off because it's my birthday, then the weekend, we're closed for the holiday on Monday, so Tuesday will be the busiest Tuesday EVAR, and I don't like to ask for an adjustment when the docs are that busy. So it will just have to resolve itself.

Anyway. I have cleaned the entire upstairs (except the bedrooms). I've done the dishes and wrapped all of my husband's gifts. All the other family gifts are done, too, so it's just the kids' to wrap on Saturday night.

BG has claimed a new favorite spot:

She's there all. the. time. She might choose a different present from time to time, but man, does she glare when we laugh at her.

I don't have any client work pending today. I have to eat breakfast (I guess it's lunch now), shower, and go to the grocery store so I can spend $50 and get 30 cents off per gallon of gasoline. Then I can tackle some of the things that have been on my "nonurgent" to-do list. You know, the things you REALLY need to do but always get shuffled. They include:

1. Updating my website
2. Designing a new website
3. Revising Entanglement
4. Sending Keri the updates for my sidebar book covers at Everybody Needs a Little Romance.
5. Taking the Scrivener tutorial so I can actually start using it.
6. Transferring the little bit of Sunroper I've written to Scrivener and work on that book.
7. Researching and planning my contest strategy
8. Writing a novella in the Goddesses Rising series
9. Coming up with a novella idea so I can write it!

As you can see, I still have plenty to do. But no in-my-face deadlines for the next week, so I'm taking a breath.

Gingerly.

Guest Blogger Megan Hart with FREE copy of ALL FALL DOWN

A lot of people have been asking me why I chose to write about a cult. The short answer is, because they’re scary. The longer answer is, I didn’t write a book about a cult, I wrote a book about a girl who was raised in a cult and is forced to join “normal” society after her mother forces her out. With no place to go, Sunshine takes her three kids to live with the biological father she never knew existed and his wife Liesel, who thinks this ready-made family might be the answer to all her prayers.

I wrote a book about a family trying to learn how to survive and how to make a life together when everything they all ever knew has been turned upside down. I wrote about losing everything you’ve ever believed is true and trying to find a way to move forward instead of being held back.

The cult is just part of the background. A fascinating, scary part, yes. But I also tried to show just why someone would not only want to join a cult, but how someone might genuinely feel like life in the cult is better and more normal than the type of life general society agrees is right.

Sunshine was sort of difficult for me to write, because I’m not sure why people would ever let themselves be brainwashed into following a leader, no matter how charismatic, whose teachings bring them harm. Yet as I researched cults, I discovered something disturbing...I began to understand how something so different, so off-beat, could become appealing and eventually, overwhelming.

I hope readers of ALL FALL DOWN enjoy the story and maybe discover within themselves how it feels to find out that everything you thought you knew about yourself can be turned upside down.

Want a copy of All Fall Down for your very own? Comment here about a time you changed your mind about something you thought you knew. Or just comment, I’m easy that way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn more about Megan here:
www.meganhart.com

www.readinbed.net

www.facebook.com/megan.hart

www.twitter.com/megan_hart


Click for Excerpt

In the midst of a chaotic midnight assembly, Sunshine is forced out into the darkness. Holding a scrap of paper scrawled with a stranger’s name and address, Sunny grasps the hands of her three small children and begins her escape.

Liesel Albright has dreamed of starting a family. She never bargained on inheriting one already in progress…or one so deeply damaged. When nineteen-year-old Sunshine appears on the Albright’s doorstep claiming Liesel’s husband Chris is her father, all they can think to offer is temporary shelter. The next day, they’re stunned by the news that the Family of Superior Bliss, led by a charismatic zealot, has committed mass suicide. Sunny and her children haven’t just left the compound–they’ve been left behind.

Now, instead of a baby of her own, Liesel must play mother to the four survivors while Chris retreats into guilt and denial. For Sunny, however, a lifetime of teachings is not easily unlearned. No matter how hard she tries to forget, an ominous catechism echoes in her mind, urging her to finish what the Family started.

Magnificent Megan

Tomorrow I'm going to host guest blogger Megan Hart about her newest book, All Fall Down, and writing about people connected to a cult. Don't miss it!