Sorry I've been MIA

I had good intentions of joining a couple end of the year read-a-thons but have gotten waylaid by the holidays. I'm trying to finish up some presents for family, and haven't been reading... like, at all.

Well, I guess I can't say that, I read 3 pages the other day ;) But I have been making plans to start in again after the new year. I did get one new book for Christmas from my cousin in California. I had never hear of it but it sounds amazing and right up my ally!

I am planning on taking the Read Harder Challange over at the Book Riot site. For more info follow this link, http://bookriot.com/2015/12/15/2016-book-riot-read-harder-challenge/ My cousin Kris and I plan on doing it together so let me know if you plan on joining in so we can cheer each other on. I also have been thinking about my reading goals and decided I am doing a Series TBR Jar.

I have about 20 complete series on my book shelves that need to be read. So I put them all in a jar and at the beginning of every month, I will pull a slip out and read that series. There are a couple that may take two months to complete since I threw The Mortal Instruments in there. If you don't know the series it is 6 very large books so, it may take me a little longer. I would like to read about 100 books in 2016 so I will also throw in some of my stand alone books. That pretty much covers the reading goals I've made so far. There are other 2016 goals I've set but I think I will save that for another day. I hope you've all had a wonderful and productive December and are looking forward to 2016! Huggs from Minnesota!

Another awesome Lit Cube!

Not sure about the books this month but love the shirt!

And all the other bookish swag.

The lump of coal peppermint soap is a cute idea. The first book is interesting, set in the Christmas Carol world. From what I understand it's a murder mystery.

The second book is actually 2 books in one and are 2 love stories that revolve around a Christmas cabin.

I figured I would give then a try once I'm done with the Lux series and Cramathon TBR. Hope you're having a wonderful December!

Gearing up for #Cramathon 2015!!

Don't know what it is? It's a read-a-thon from the 19th to the 22nd. It's hosted by Whittynovels on you tube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEsloLuTEQ4 She has 7 Challenges: 1. read an audiobook or ebook: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater 2. read a bindup: Lux Opal and Origin bind-up 3. finish a series/read the last book of a series: Opposition 4. read a book under 200 pages: Three Quarters Dead 5. Finish a book you DNF’ed: The Iron Trial 6. Read a graphic novel series (or as many graphic novels as you can): The Infernal Devices trilogy 7. Read 5 books total So here is my TBR

It's an extremely ambitious list to do in 4 days and I honestly don't expect to get them all read but hopefully most of them will be done and I can finish the rest before the new year! I'll be back here and on Twitter (@iluvmy5men) with updates! For now I'm gonna finish Duality by Kellie Sheridan. Huggs to all!

Post NaNoWriMo hangover!

Okay, so a week before the end of Wrimo I stopped writing for this, that, and other reasons. I fell 12,000 words behind and just gave up. UNTIL.... The afternoon of the 29th. My favorite group The Word Nerds were having a live chat with word sprints and I didn't want to miss it even though I wasn't going to win NaNo. I told my husband about it and he asked me the craziest question, "Why can't you catch up?" My response was, "Umm, it's 12K in a little over 24 hours! I can barely do that in a week!" I knew that the man was crazy, I mean he married me right? but this was bat crap lost your mind crazy! Then I started thinking about it, and thinking, and thinking. Why not? Sure, there wasn't going to be much sleeping involved, and my Keurig would be working over time, but why not?!? Can't hurt to try! So I Joined the WordNerds over on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSKHG1eUF7vnL1kieYiVasA and I re-watched some of their other live write-ins, I finally went to sleep at 4 in the morning when I couldn't write a word without misspelling it, and I mean if there were more than 3 letters in it I would spell it wrong! I got 4 hours sleep and went right back to work. I sat in front of my laptop all day and even up to this point I was saying, I don't want to do this!

And maybe because I'm totally stubborn, or just plain spiteful to thoes who doubted me, or the fact that I have an awesome husband and Amazing friends cheering me on but at 11:00 pm on November 30th I finished with 50,113 words!

Thank you all for visiting my Blog, and this story goes to prove, You can do anything you set your mind to! Even if you don't think you can! Huggs from Minnesota!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I haven't updated lately because my life has been nuts! I had a great weekend and did really good word count wise but then I didn't write at all on Monday because my van broke down on the way home. Then I had a doctors appointment and went grocery shopping on Tuesday. Then yesterday it was catching up on all the things I hadn't done in the last 5 days. Then My mom and nephew are coming up on Saturday for our thanksgiving dinner which means today and tomorrow are prep days. I grabbed the wrong gluten free bread at the store so I have to figure out how to make it today so it can dry out in time to make stuffing, I still have to bake pies and finish cleaning the house, and I have come to the realization I am not going to win NaNoWriMo this year, but that is okay. I am a lot further than I ever thought I'd get my first try at NaNo, and next year I am going to kick ass next year because we are not going to have Thanksgiving dinner till December! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving or Thursday depending on your beliefs and Congrats to all the NaNo Winners!

Total emotional exaustion has set in!

I got up with a raging migraine today, which took a hot shower and 2 rounds of medication to dull to functioning level. Then, drove the 70+ miles to my best friends house, hitting every red light along the way. Got here just in time to pass her on her way to work. Sat down and wrote 3948 words! I find it totally amazing, if you have children back me up here, how much you can get done without them interrupting every 5-10 minutes. I honestly didn't realize it till now. I had my boys pretty close together, as in 4 boys in 5 years 1 month, so I haven't had a lot of quiet time lol. But that is not why I am emotionally exhausted. Today I wrote the goodbye scene and it has ripped my heart in two. I sit here trying to write through my tears. Did I know this was coming? Yes! Does that prepare my heart for this trauma? No! So, for tonight that is all I have... Let me know in the comments if you've ever written a scene that was filled with strong emotions. And until next time, Huggs from Minnesota!

32,348 and I'm done for the night.

Just a little more than the 31,667 for day 19 but not as far as I would have liked to be. I am leaving tomorrow to go to my best friends, so we will see how that goes. For tonight I need a shower and a good nights sleep. Huggs from Minnesota and update you tomorrow!

I broke 30 thousand and had an Holy Crap moment today!

First, I've been doing late nights which is why I haven't updated in a few days. Just not enough hours in the day for everything and my writing brain has decided not to turn on till about 7:30 at night... which kinda pisses me off lol. But even with that I have been hanging in there. Hopefully I keep up the momentum through this weekend when I'm spending the weekend with my best friend. Anyway, tonight while I was writing, I was in the zone so to speak. Actually my family had not interrupted me for a half hour, so I was on a roll. All of a sudden the story took off on it's own and without going into too much detail, one of my subplots took a twist. A holy crap I didn't see that coming twist! Now it you're not a writer you may ask exactly what my husband did, "You're writing it, how did you not see it coming?" But if you're a writer... you understand! When you are writing as a kind of Plotter and a kind of Pantser you know some of the story but not all. Something your characters will hijack your story and take it in directions even you can't predict, and when they do, it's basically and bluntly a "Where the hell did that come from" moment. It's one of my favorite things I have discovered as a newbie novel writer and it's made me fall in love with writing even more. So for tonight I will wish all my NaNoers Happy Plot Twists!

HALF WAY BABY!!!!

That's right 25,333 to be exact! Half way feels pretty good :D I have had some times where I didn't like my story, and times were I was bored with it, but things are picking up and I can't wait to see where the second half takes me. I hope you're all hanging in there with me!

23,547 New Total for Today

The goal was 23,333 for day 14 and I got a little extra. So I'm done for the night. It's almost 7 pm and it's a Saturday evening so it's time for some fun! I hope all of you NaNoWriMo writers had a wonderful word count day as well!

Busy day so quick update!

Went to town and didn't get home and settled into writing until 7:00. I did finally finish my word goal for the day and now I need to get ready for bed. My prayers tonight go out to all of the people in Paris and all over France!

I broke 20K!!!

It's crazy to think that in 12 days I wrote 20 thousand words but I did :D Today it was easier to get my word goal because except for my amazing mom stopping in for a visit, I had all day to write. Now the big question is do I write more of do I treat myself to some audio book time??? Hmmm... Ya, I believe 20 K deserves a break! Also, one of my favorite authors does a "What's on my desk" picture on Facebook and I always thought it was neat. So, in honor of Kami Garcia, here's mine!

It's actually a desk I can set on my bed. My husband made it and I totally love it! Someday I will have a motor home set up out back as my writing retreat, but this works for now. Okay well it's time to put in my headphones and relax! Blessings to everyone!

Brief update:

11:53 pm and I MADE IT!!! I didn't wanna but I did anyway! Made my word count goal for the day and now it's time for bed, Yay! Happiness to all!

I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna!

I suppose this is a normal point in NaNoWriMo. I sit here at my computer and write 10 words, then I check Facebook. I write 10 more words, and I check Youtube, I write 20 words and check my phone. I write a little more and someone calls. I write a few more, sit back and just stare down my computer. Nothing exciting is really happening in the story and I don't know how to more it where it needs to go. I have a little over 500 words and I just don't wanna write any more! I have been battling a headache on and off all day and I just don't wanna write. So, I'm going to give myself just enough time to make a cup of coffee in my brand new amazing cup that Janet sent me, and then

I'm going to get back to work, even if it is just 10-20 words at a time. See you on the flip side!

Feeling lazy and the most beautiful book about writing!

So today I have done nothing... Well, nothing writing related. I spent the morning getting ready for my meeting, I wrote a letter (by hand, I know, how old fashion can you get!) and I started listening to The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater on audio book. If you haven't heard about it I subscribe to an audio book/e-book site called "Scribd" I get to listen to 1 audio book per month and read all their E-Books for less than 10 dollars a month! And they have an AMAZING selection!!! If you're interested you can go to https://www.scribd.com/g/4xomnm and check it out. I have the app on my phone and tablet plus I can access it on my laptop and it auto sync's to where I left off. It's awesome! Anyway, I figured I would probably feel this way, since town always wears me out, so I did today's 1667 words yesterday *such a smart cookie* lol. Oh, and I also got the most beautiful writing book I have ever seen in the mail today!! It's called Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer

Now, I've just briefly flipped through it but look...

All the pages are this awesome!!!!! Okay, I may or may not have had a Ho Ho Mint Double Shot Mocha in town :D So now the hard part is deciding if I try and get ahead on my word count for tomorrow or read/listed to one of these amazing books! I hate these decisions! Whatever you're doing tonight I hope it makes you happy!

7:30 pm on Day 9 of NaNoWriMo and I'm ahead!!!

Yes, I'm super excited! I'm almost done with my word goal for tomorrow :D Time to do the happy dance!!! My exact number total is 16,059, so only 610 words to go and I'm at a really exciting part because Super hot boy confesses his love to Cyn, and she loves him too! Which means they have to decide how to handle everything that goes along with loving someone who is going to die... I'm as excited to find out what ends up happening too! I only know how this story ends, I'm as clueless as you are to how we are all going to get there! Thanks for stopping in! Happy Reading, Happy Writing, and I'll be back tomorrow!

Sneak peak of the working title and cover

Yay for catching up!!!

It took two days and a LOT of work but I'm finally caught up!

I think I will reward myself with going to bed! Or maybe a bit of reading lol. I know, the exciting life of a writer. Not that I'm not excited to write the next scene, but writing is simply exhausting... and this coming from the mother of four sons! I'm hoping to hit it hard tomorrow so that I don't fall behind on Tuesday when I have to take a break for afternoon meetings. But for tonight, Happy Reading and Happy Writing!

What a long day!

I started the day 5000 words behind, it seems impossible to catch us but I set my goal as the end of chapter 6. I knew that that would put me in reach of the 13,333 total I need to get back on track. I even decided that I wouldn't do my nails until I knew I was going to make that goal. I know, it may be lame to you but I got my nail wraps from Jamberry and in that order is the perfect nail wraps for NaNoWriMo. With all the boys home I've had plenty distractions and phone calls because we all know that no one wants to talk to you until you're busy. It is not 12:28 am and I can happily say that I am now only a little over 1000 words behind and my nails look amazing!

Chapter 6 ended with cake and the promise of a date ;) Happy Reading, Happy Writing, and Good Night!

Okay, not as much as I was hopeing for, but...

It wasn't to bad because I'm not any further behind than I was starting off the day. I'm up to 6667 words total which is one less than my goal for yesterday which means I need 3335 tomorrow to be caught up... totally do-able! Decided to amp up the drama by giving my main character an alien disease! I don't know, I was writing and before I knew it she was on the ground. That's the beauty and flexibility of being an "Astronaut" instead of a full on plotter. I've also found that writing about aliens and a world made up by me, there is no one to question the validity of her illness ;)For now I'm off to bed, got a busy day planned with trying to get caught up and also go to town for blaze orange clothing lol. Oh, almost forgot. My shirt came in the mail today!

Yay me!!! Anyway, Happy reading, Happy writing, and have a great day!

No Words...

Not one yesterday. The thunder (thunder in November!) woke me up before my normal 10:00 so this morning it's cold pizza and Supernatural. Then get down to some hard core writing. I did get a little more plotted out before my appointment though so I guess that could be writing... kinda. Anyway, I'm hoping to be back for an update later. Until then Happy reading and Many words!

Too exusted to update...

I fell asleep last night... actually this morning, and forgot to update. I am currently at 5200 words which is the goal as of yesterday. I don't see a lot of writing getting done today because I'm headed to the doctors, and it's my husbands birthday! I will try and do some hand writing while I wait for my appointment so I'll probably update on that tomorrow morning. But for now, Happy reading, Happy writing, and Happy birthday Hunny!

Today didn't go as well as yesterday...

Spent most of the morning fighting with my writing program after it ate a bunch of the words I wrote yesterday. Note to self... do not update software, it's a trap! Thankfully I also saved it in Word so after all my fight was gone I switched to that. I got 1399 words, added to yesterdays total, gives me 3400 words. Just slightly over the 3334 words needed to meet my over all goal. I hope tomorrow is a better word count day since I have a doctors appointment Wednesday and I'm taking my husband out to dinner for his birthday. It's 11:00 and I'm tired so I'm putting away the computer for tonight and maybe picking up one of the books in this photo :)

So for now, Happy Writing and Happy Reading!

Not a bad day!

Thanks to the 2 Virtual write-in's; the first one hosted by NaNoWriMo and the second hosted by the Word Nerds, both on Youtube, I got a total of 2001 words for the day. YAY (insert confetti throwing here). For those of you who don't know, the word count goal every day is 1667 words for 30 days to get the 50,000 words in 1 month. As for tonigh my right hand officially hurts and the palm of my left hand won't stop itching, which is really weird. My husband says it's writers itch. I've heard of swimmers itch, but never writers itch. Guess I'll have to ponder that a little more! Anyway, I think it's time to put away the computer and do some more plotting, or at least decided what comes next. I'll be back tomorrow night with another up date :D Night all and Happy writing/reading!

NaNoWriMo Starts Today!!!

Am I ready? Hell no! Do I care? Maybe? Am I still going to do it? Of Course!!! I spent the better part of October plotting and prepping my novel for my very first National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) but no matter how hard I tried, I could not see the end. Without an ending, I didn't know where I was headed... THEN 4 days ago I realized that it was because I wasn't starting at the beginning. So, I went back even further to find my start and my finish. Which just so happened to be in a completely different story. This gave me a total of about 2 days to come up with new characters and building an alien civilization from the ground up. BUT I'm happy to report that being an astronaut, that's all I really needed. So far the count is; a little over 1000 words, 4 cups of strong coffee, and left over Halloween candy... we won't even go there! ;) Happy NaNo Everyone!

The Owl's Have Landed!!!

I just unboxed my Owl Crate for October and I got some awesome things :) First is a scent pack and book mark from Adventure scents that smells amazing!!!

Then I got 3 sugar skull erasers from NPW and 2 super cute ghoulish magnetic bookmarks from Craftedvan.

Then my favorite bookish item this month comes from Out of Print Clothing. It's an Edgar Allen Poe-lka Dot canvas zipper pouch. Perfect for the book nerd bag lady in me!

Then, what you've all been waiting for....The book!!! This month is A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis. I don't know much about it other than the main character ends up in an asylum and the synopsis on the back starts with: I'm going to die. Can't wait to read it!!! I also gor a mini book poster and a letter from the author.

Well, that it for this month. If you want to check it out yourself at https://owlcrate.com/ Next month's theme is Myths and Legends

Happy Reading Everyone!!!

So I just found out tonight that there is this rivelry...

I guess it's between Booktubers and Book Bloggers, Who knew! Me, I LOVE then ALL!!! So I've decided that I am going to share my favorite Book Vloggers on Youtube! And in no particular order... Katytastic and Wordnerds were the first two I started following on Youtube! They do both book talks and writing vlogs. Then I found Little Book Owl's vlog about NaNoWriMo and fell in love with her too. Not long after that I stumbled onto Polandbananas and Jesse The Reader and I was hooked ;)I started watching vlogs on writing and found Jenna Moreci and Bookish Pixie who are very helpful and super funny. Most recently I started watching Kassidy Voinche and Tashapolis, also both totally great! If I was more tech savvy and comfortable in front of a camera I could see myself totally having my own channel. But for now I love my little blog here and my handful of readers :D Oh and BTW, Super excited to find out all the amazing Wordnerds are partnering with NaNoWriMo to put out content for the month of November!!!! They did such an awesome job during Camp Nano that I'm even more excited for NaNo!!! So, if you are adicted to books and/or writing and need to kill a little... Okay, maybe a lot of time, head over to Youtube and look up a few of these. Comment below if you have favorites I can look up :) Happy Reading!!!

LitCube is Here!!!!

This is the second of my subscription boxes came today! I think this has been my favorite out of the three.

First off this one always has a theme Octobers is Supernatural, Idjits. First is the cute collectors card, a post card, and in the little baggie I got a little charm, a button, and 2 business cards each with a coupon code for a free ebook!

Then I got the cutest nail polishes EVER!

Next is a Supernatural Button and a neoprene e-reader case. Since my tablet is to large I've decided to put a small journal, a pen, pencil, and post-its in and call it my emergency writing kit ;)

And then there is my absolute favorite out of all the goodies... The key chain. A vile of salt, a vile of holy water, boxing gloves, and a reminder to Always Keep Fighting!

Finally the book!

Looks pretty creepy! Happy Reading Everyone!

Just recieved my Uppercare Book Subscription Pack...

I am a member of three different monthly book subscriptions. This is what Octobers Uppercase package looks like:

First you get a personalized letter from the box designer Lisa and a couple really cool book related items and a signed book plate.

Then you get a new hard cover book with post-it's throughout the book with codes you can enter into the website for bonus information.

Here is all the goodies I got in this package and here is where you can get yours https://www.uppercasebox.com/join-now/

Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Post Readathon Hangover!

Yesterday was rough, it always is when you read 3 books in 1 day lol. So I took a day off from reading and watched Harry Potter movies ;) Today is going to be a reading/relaxing day again because I woke up feeling like I'd been run over, It happens right? I am hoping to get a book box or two today and watch some TV later on because today is the start of the 13 days of Halloween!!!!!! For those of you who don't know me, this is my FAVORITE time of the year and I normally find all kinds of fun stuff to make, usually that my family won't eat because they aren't any fun at all... Doesn't stop me though :D Okay, I'll probably check in with a couple updates later! Bye4now!

The end of hour 17 marks the end of book 3!

Not impressed and glad it's done, The Lost Girl by R.L. Stine wasn't my type of book. Going to start book 4 The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare but shutting down my computer since it's midnight and I suspect my husband will want to go to bead soon. I will continue to post updates on Twitter for as long as I'm awake. So look for me @Iluvmy5men

The Begining of Hour 17

11 pm here and I keep yawning but I will continue reading till I pass out lol. Page 209 out of 285, almost done!!!

Page 151....

The start of hour 16. Not sure that this book is my cup of coffee. I've decided to put it down a few times but pick it back up seconds later... why? Because it's an arc and I feel it's my duty to see it though to the end so that I can write a review about it. Even though it's actually on the market lol.

Dewey’s #ReadAThon Hour 15 Mini-Challenge:

Edward Cullen: And so the book nerd fell in love with the Nachos. Isabella Swan: What stupid nachos. Edward Cullen: What a sick, masochistic book nerd

Hour 15...

page 128 and stuffed so full of nachos I need a nap! lol

End of hour 13 of Dewey's 24 hour readathon

I'm on page 74 of my 3rd book so far. Time for a little break though and maybe grab some supper.

Okay, but first, a Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now? The Lost Girl by R.L. Stine 2. How many books have you read so far? 2 so far, this is my 3rd. 3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare 4. Have you had many interruptions? Many, I'm a mother of 4 teenagers! How did you deal with those? I deal with them quickly so I can get back to reading! 5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? That I've finished 2 books and am working on a 3rd in one day!

End of hour 11 and I'm fading...

fading...fast.... Okay, maybe not fading but getting distracted. So I took a little Youtube time, and a little time to clean my bathroom. Time for some energy drink from my Sodastream, 90's music via Amazonprime, and some R.L. Stine! Bring on Hour 12!!!

5:22 and done with book #2

Now time for The Lost Girl by R.L. Stine. I got an ARC about 3 days before it came out, finally getting the chance to read it :D

Time stamp is totally wrong and I would starve if not for my husband!

It's actually 3:55 and I'm up to 60% read on my ebook. I forgot to have lunch so my amazing husband made me lunch... did I mention he's amazing!

A dash of nonfiction...

Wrapping up hour 8? I think 8... Anyway at 40% of book #2! I love Erica's straight and to the point talk about writing! Almost like we're sitting here just chatting :)

1:40 pm and Readathon Book One Finished

Now on to book two after I switch out clothes and hunt down some lunch! This one was so good and makes me want to read the other 6 books soon!

The start of hour 6 and the start of chapter 9! Started laundry again, only the 14th load this week, ya, wish I were joking about that but I'm almost caught up so I guess there's that! Okay, back to the Drake sisters!

Page 50, Chapter 7, at the start of hour 5... Time for more coffee!

Pre-Party Intro 3 hours late

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Northern Minnesota/my bed (so far) 2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Magic in the Wind 3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Banana nut muffin for breakfast and See's coffee flavored sucker later! 4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm addicted to coffee, reading YA, and my quiet life in the woods. I'm working on plotting my 2nd book this year for my first official NaNoWriMo. 5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? Knowing that even living in a house full of nonreaders, there are other people out there that love reading just as much as I do!

Dewey's 24 hour readathon

Almost the start of hour 4 and my brain is starting to kick in! Just finished chapter 3-page 26 and so far LOVING this book! Eating breakfast and drinking my first cup of coffee... Life is good.

Let's do this!

Getting a late start this morning because I was up till after 1 plotting my novel. I got some really good stuff and now I will pay. Those of you who know me know I need about 9-10 hours of sleep before I feel human. But today is Dewey's 24 hour Readathon!!! I've decided to start with Magic In The Wind by Christine Feehan, This series was recommended to me by my friend Kris. This first book is a novella so it should be a quick read this morning. So, I'll check in when I'm done and hopefully I will have had some coffee and make more sense.

Readathon time!

Dewey's 24 hour Read-A-Thon is on October 17th and guess who is participating?!? Ya, not a big surprise I know. Found out about it today and since I have plenty to read I decided to join. Not sure what my TBR will be but it will more than likely include Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas and Surviving First Drafts by Erica Crouch which is one I want to read before NaNoWriMo starts. Anyway, if you want to join you can sign up at: http://www.24hourreadathon.com/?p=5404

Ever have a Meh kind of day?

I'm not sure if it's anything specific but I'm just feeling Meh today. It's a warm September day, everything is still green and sunny and beautiful but I'm sitting in my dark bedroom, trying to avoid anything adultish. I could be reading the ton of books on my TBR (to be read) list, and should be doing edits on my manuscript. Heck I could even be preparing all the ingredients for salsa, but I really just want to do nothing... See, Meh.

Pets are not "just like my children" but....

This little man wormed his way into the heart of us all. He came to us and fit in the palm of my hand. Fully grown he was just shy of 4 pounds but he had the personality of a big dog. He would growl at any dog that dared to exit the house in front of him. He loved to snuggle making him the perfect lap dog from the start. He should have only made it to 8 or 9 years old but because of his stubbornness, he was 10 years and 9 months old when he passed away sometime yesterday morning. I have had pets come and go, and although I cared for them I did not equate them to my children. But then there are a special few that truly change my life and become one of the Dowlings... Smeagol aka Smooke was one.

Pick Your Pages is a Patchwork Press feature that puts readers in control of the publishing process. With PWP PYP, two titles will compete for your vote. You'll see the cover and have access to the first chapter. Both books will eventually be published, but your vote will decide which book hits shelves first. So take a look, read a sample, and pick your pages!

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Today for Pick Your Pages, two of Erica Crouch's new adult novels will be competing for votes, both from very different genres: Mostly Marceline and Lovely Dark & Deep. Check out the blurbs below, and make sure to read the first chapter of each story before you vote. Then let me know which book you want to see published first! (Click the image above to see the covers BIGGER!)

About Mostly Marceline

Genre: New Adult Contemporary/Romance Blurb:

Marceline has this whole “adult” thing under control… mostly.

Even after carving out a decent career for herself as a young author, she still has trouble remembering to feed her cat—who she’s sure is plotting her death—pay her bills, do the dishes, or cook anything more complicated than pasta. But most unnervingly, Marceline is having trouble writing.

Just months after a catastrophic breakdown, Marceline’s not sure she’ll be able to put pen to paper again, and it terrifies her. Critics once called her writing dark, haunting, and poignant, but now they’re only wondering if she’ll publish anything else ever again, or if her previous successes were flukes.

Post-breakdown Marceline can’t seem to fit in the same headspace as pre-breakdown Marceline, and her awkward on-again/off-again relationship with her once serious boyfriend Cyrus isn’t helping to clear her mind, especially since he’s become more on-again as of late.

With a deadline looming and her apartment quickly turning in to a blanket fort kingdom of garbage, Marceline must let go of who she once was if there’s any hope of the new Marceline shining through the mess.

Read Chapter 1 of Mostly Marceline here.

About Lovely Dark & Deep

Genre: New Adult Dark Fantasy Blurb:

Here's a dilemma: how do you destroy a witch without incurring her wrath? Sending one into the wintry woods to die didn't work. After all, the woods loves witches, and it loves silvirn even more.

Aysel was the first girl to disappear into the woods and become a silvirn, a siren of the forest. Luring hunters deep into the dark woods to die, her and her three adopted sisters are responsible for repaying nature for its shelter by protecting it from the greed of man. But before the hunters she catches are strung up in her tree, Aysel delights in syphoning their stories.

When she snares a victim that manages to hold her attention rapt with magnificent tales, she finds herself hesitant to tie the hunter’s noose. Her fascination with Cadence puts her life in peril, especially since he’s harboring a dangerous secret and Valeria, Aysel’s vengeful mother, grows hungry for flesh. With a kingdom hellbent on destroying magic and search parties rallying to find their missing hunters, the rope is tightening—for the first time—on Aysel’s neck.

Read Chapter 1 of Lovely Dark & Deep here.

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Well, what do you think? Make sure to vote below to have your voice heard in deciding which book Erica will be writing next! If the poll isn't working below, you can vote at this link. The poll will be open until 8/28. Let me know in the comments how you voted, and why!

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Lovely Dark & Deep

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About Erica Crouch

Erica Crouch is a young adult and new adult author from Baltimore, Maryland. She has a strange blended aesthetic of cute and spooky, and her books reflect her ever changing mood. (You may find romance, you may find gore—sometimes both in the same book, but probably not at the same time. Probably.)

Erica is the cofounder of Patchwork Press — an indie publishing collective that produces middle grade, young adult, and new adult titles in all genres — and Weapenry — a resource for writers. She is the head of editorial services and design, with over fifty projects to her name.

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Sorry it's been forever!

Wow, it's been a year since I started this blog of randomness and a year since I've been back. Okay, so I kinda forgot about it, but you'll have to cur me some slack. I've pretty much totally healed from the broken ankle last Memorial Weekend, I've seen another of my evil minions graduate high school, I got to take my very first trip to see my cousins and uncle in California, and I've started writing again, this time a novel. Yes, a real honest to god, young adult novel, with many many words. I joined Camp NaNoWriMo. I met my goal in April and am 2210 words away from my goal in July with 10 days to go. I can not tel you how in love I am with writing and through Camp I have met some amazing people along the way! Okay, that's enough for now but I promise to come back soon and update you all on my progress.