total FAIL!

So I don't know if I've mentioned this before or not, but now seems like a good time:  I've been on a major exercising kick lately.  Good, right?  Healthy, yes?  Well, ummm, mostly good for you, if you're like, normal and stuff.  I'm totally not.

Basically I've been trying to alternate running/walking on the treadmill with family trips to the park for a few reasons:
1 - doing the same thing indoors everyday is boring and will drive you insane
2 - so my family doesn't think I intentionally find reasons to avoid them (treadmill is not very social)
3 - being outdoors is healthy for all of us and fresh air does amazing things for the soul

Last night, as is our routine, we packed up the toddler (two and a half years of age) and headed to the park behind our house to do the 2 mile loop.  The weather was sunny and hot with just a few sprinkles of rain.  Sure, we took the time to consider whether or not we should still go on our walk...

Note:  this is the exact moment that normal non-crazy parents decide to go back home

We aren't those people.  Surely it won't rain we say, the clouds and storms that have been threatening us for weeks have only brought tiny little sprinkles that last a few minutes at the most.  Plus, really it's to our advantage because the park will be less crowded.  (Because even then we knew no one would be out and I remember actually talking about it as a plus).

We wait a few minutes in the car and unanimously (between the two of us) decide to go for it.  We'll be fine.  We get little man's tricycle out of the car, he jumps on, and we are off walking.  About a quarter of a mile along the trail it starts to sprinkle and we see a dark cloud approaching, so we decide to pick up the pace.  We are now jogging behind his tricycle (that has a handle for pushing) and only stop momentarily when we see a really cool turtle that we all want to check out.  Getting the little guy back on his bike takes about five minutes longer than checking out the turtle.  The clouds are now upon us so we jog some more, the rain picking up, but still not drenching us.  We reach the one mile marker...exactly half way...AND the bottom falls out.  It was an all out thunderstorm, complete with thunder, and yes, lightning.  And so we're running again. 

The first few joggers that pass us smile at the three of us,  but at about a mile and a half when we decide to carry him and push the bike, just in case, you know, lightning strikes us down, the stares get more stern.  As if I needed any other reasons to feel badly about this decision.  I can barely see in front of me because the water dripping down my head is getting into my contacts and each step is squishy from my water logged shoes and socks.  Little man starts to cry, because at this point the thunder is pretty loud and we're trying to rush (as best we can) back to the car.  We have a half mile to go and running at this point is out of the question and pointless, we're tired, drenched from head to toe, and the water is still falling from the sky at an absurd pace.

I felt like the worst parent EVER.  What were we thinking???  Honestly - we thought we'd get a little wet and have a good family walk.  That was it.  Not that we'd be more wet upon returning to the car than if we'd all taken showers with our clothes on.

BUT, as you all know, I'm a total optimist and can't help myself.  So, as we got close to the car, we stomped in the puddles, laughed, and acted like it was the best time ever.  I mean, is there an option at this point?  I think not.  Hubs and I exchanged looks, laughed about being the worst parents in the world, and headed home, thankful that our house was less than a mile away. 

The scary thing about this story????  I'm not sure we wouldn't do it all over again.  And you know what, even as miserable as it was that last mile, I wouldn't trade the memory for ANYTHING.  It was a family story that will live on for quite a while in infamy.  And on a positive note, we ran more than usual and had an excellent workout. 

Have you had any Epic Fails lately???  Anything that made you feel insane or silly?  Sometimes the most beautiful things can come out of the strangest places...

*hugs*
kristi

A little Tuesday Inspiration

I know, I know...it's been quite a while since I participated in Teaser Tuesday, right? 

Well, I actually did start working on a new-old project this week so hopefully I'll have something clean enough to post next week.  *fingers crossed*  And what is a new-old project you ask?  Or do you already know?  Something I started before I was swept away by a new shiny idea like The Tutelar.  This story is titled (for now) The Ones and for the moment it has consumed me once again.  :-)

But moving on, how about a few random tidbits that I current have on repeat on my IPOD?  A little inspiration in the form of music and video?

First up is a song and video that always capture my attention...I mean, the voice, WOW!  And who doesn't love Kiefer Sutherland? 



Next up is my current workout guilty pleasure from the Black Eyed Peas.  I'd be amazed if someone out there can actually listen to this song and sit completely still.  Seriously.  It's addictive.  I dare you NOT to get into it.



That's it for today...Happy Tuesday everyone!

*hugs*
kristi

Friday Fun ~ A CONTEST ~ Update!

TGIF everyone! 

Fridays in the summer seem even sweeter than usual, don't they?  Or is it just me?  Me?  Again?  Bummer.  I have lots of plans to get outdoors this weekend and try to enjoy the overwhelming heat.  The big word here is *try*.

Anyhoo - to celebrate this Friday, how about a contest???  I thought long and hard *ahem, a few minutes, ahem* on this one and as I'm a HUGE fan of easy contests, I went that route.  Sure, I could ask you a question and ask you to post your answers, but you know, don't we all have enough going on in our lives already? 

In my mind, winning something for doing very little is the best kind of win.  Most of us are already over-achievers with full time jobs and several hobbies on the side.  Don't worry, I'll allow for your over-achievers to get some extra points if you want them.  I mean, just because I'm a little lazy about my contests doesn't mean you have to be too.  So how about some free Amazon cash?  How does that sound???  As someone who recently won an online gift certificate, I can tell you that buying things with free money is pretty darn fun.

So without further rambling from me, here are the simple rules:

Leave a comment below with your email addy and a tally of your total points

+3 for being an old follower because my followers are awesome

+1 for being a new follower because I can't wait to get to know you

+2 for sidebar post about this contest

+5 for blog post about this contest 

WHAT?  You want to know exactly what's up for grabs?  Man, you guys are demanding.

1st place - $25 gift certificate to Amazon

2nd place - $15 gift certificate to Amazon

3rd place - $10 gift certificate to Amazon

And a few fun quotes to get this party started:

“It was a hole in one contest and I had a three.” ~ Abe Lemons (American basketball college Coach. 1922-2002)

“In any contest between power and patience, bet on patience.” ~ W. B. Prescott

“You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest.” ~ Rowan Atkinson

“A bumper of good liquor will end a contest quicker Than justice, judge, or vicar” ~ Richard Brinsley Sheridan

“You may be always victorious if you will never enter into any contest where the issue does not wholly depend upon yourself.” ~ Epictetus

Good luck to everyone and HAPPY FRIDAY!

*hugs*

kristi

PS - Okay, I forgot to add ONE major thing to this contest....the DEADLINE!  Duh!  I blame lack of coffee.  I plan on drawing the names via random sampler on Monday, July 5th!  Deadline to enter will be Independence Day, July 4th!

The Wednesday Book Recommendation

Good morning everyone! 

Hope your week is going well...I've been fighting the summer, well, I don't know what to call it.  Not blues, not laziness.  Hmmm...can't find the word, but my problem is I want to be outside all the time and doing anything other than what I need to be doing.  Work is slow and the writing is currently dead.  Normally I'm not a fan of the heat, but lately I've really been enjoying it and getting outside more.  Don't worry - I use sunscreen (the non-expired variety after my last "incident"). 

But the reading???  I'm doing GREAT at that!

One more thing before my Wednesday review....it's time for another CONTEST!!!  I'm planning something for this Friday so be sure to come back and check it out!

Now, on to my latest book...

Goodreads Description:

A Prodigal Son

A Dangerous Love

A Deadly Secret

Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappearedand her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.

My Review:
I LOVED this book...it rates up there as one of my favorite young adult novels! It was well written, simply done, and an easy read that I couldn't put down. I finished this story in a matter of days and wasn't disappointed in anything about it.


The story and plot were great, the characters believable, and the conclusion nearly perfect. I can't wait for the sequel and have it on my "must read" list.  This was a welcomed change after my last book!

Do you have a good book you couldn't put down???  Put it in my comments section and I'll add it to my "to-read" list...I'm always looking for additions!

*take care*
kristi

Friday Fun - Are you a fan of the glorious torture?

So after finishing yet another truly terrific book last night (more on next week's Wednesday review), I realized just how much I love the glorious torture that is the wait for a follow up novel in a series.

Yes, I said it.  My name is Kristi, I'm a book lover and a self-admitted addict. 

I've always been drawn to books in a series (Stephen King's Gunslinger, Rowling's Harry Potter, Meyer's Twilight) but today I had a funny realization that I actually love them MORE than stand alone books.  Not to say there's not GREAT stand alone books out there, because obviously that would be silly, of course there are some greats.  But there's something about the anticipation of a book and the wait for it that, I don't know, makes it feel more exciting somehow.  With a stand alone book you don't get the addiction the same way.  By the time you realize it's wonderful and you tear through those pages, you are done and alone.  I like knowing the story continues.

And apparently it sneaks into my writing.  It got me thinking about my own style and I realized EVERY novel I've ever written had the possibility of a sequel.  Some were of the obvious cliffhanger variety but my most recent, The Tutelar, I tried hard to finish in a way that would allow it to be a stand alone book with the hope that if I wanted to I could continue it later.  BUT the response from my readers was, are you working on the next one?  Hmmm...so maybe not as stand alone as I'd hoped.  LOL.  And I really tried to tie things up.  But that response meant the world to me because ultimately, I can't help myself.  Yes, I'm an addict.

And so today I'm listing all of the upcoming drool-worthy sequeals that I can't wait to get my hands on, in release date order with prequeals listed in case you haven't yet checked them out.  Feel free to drop me a comment if there's a book or series you loved that you don't see here....my to-read list is ever-growing and somehow I don't think I'm alone in that.

So, for the love of the books, without further ado, here are the tantalizing, drool-worthy, torturous upcoming books I can't wait for:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games #3)

Release Date:  August 24th, 2010

Hunger Games #1Hunger Games #2

Blameless by Gail Carriger (#3 in the Alexia Tarabotti series)

Release Date:  September 1st, 2010

#1 in the Alexia Tarabotti series#2 in the Alexia Tarabotti series

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Gracia and Margaret Stohl (Book #2, follow up to Beautiful Creatures)

Release Date:  October 12, 2010

Book #1 (prequel to Beautiful Darkness)

   

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (Book #2, follow up to Hush, Hush)

Release Date:  October 19, 2010

Book #1 (prequel to Crescendo)

No cover art yet, but on my list:  The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

Scheduled Release Date:  December 28th, 2010

Book #1 (preqel to The Lost Saint)

Hmm...I'm betting by the time these are released I would've added quite a few others to my ever-growing list of highly anticipated follow-ups!  I've been hearing REALLY good things about The Forst of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

Come back next Friday for a list of my highly anticipated debut novels, along with release dates!

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend...it's amazing how feeling back to normal can make everything once again cheery!  I'm hoping to get out and enjoy the sun a little! 

*hugs*

kristi

Down and out

My drink of choice this weekend?

And I'm going back for another shot tonight.  Time for bed...again!

And yes, for the record, this is me whining.  I knew when the men in my house were down and out last week it was only a matter of time before the cold struck me, but did it really have to wait for the weekend?

On the plus side (because even now the optimistic has to come out ) - I've gotten quite a bit of reading done so look for another review this Wednesday.  It's fun to see how many pages I can read before the medicine takes over.  You can tell how good the book is that way...

Hope your weekends were more exciting than my own!

*take care*

kristi

The Wednesday Book Recommendation

I just finished Gail Carriger's 2nd book in the Alexia Tarabotti series, Changeless and LOVED it!

The Goodreads Description:

Alexia Tarabotti, now Lady Maccon, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears -- leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her into the backwaters of ugly waistcoats, Scotland, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only a soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

 

My Review:

I've been asking myself whether or not I loved this book as much as the first, Soulless, and I really can't decide! They were both quite addicting. I will say that the way in which Carriger leaves this one is certainly a HUGE cliffhanger, making you salivate for the next book, which is yet to be released.

I'm definitely a huge fan of Alexia's (and therefore Carriger's) and plan to continue the series.

I think one of Carriger's greatest strengths is her way with characters. It's hard not to love each and every one of them, despite their odd and annoying habits. They seem so real that you are easily taken away and drawn to them. Lord Akeldama, Biffy, Lady Kingair, and Lord Maccon are just a few of my favorites, besides of course, Alexia. They are each so unique that I could go on and on about them all.

I also adore the way humor is interwoven into each page, making it appear effortless, along with the interesting steampunk vibe that Carriger has with her settings and inventions.

I just adore these books and the more I read them, the more they stand out as very different from the norm, in a good way.
 
 
Happy Reading Everyone!!!
kristi

The Last Chapter

Thanks to everyone for all the great graduation wishes!  My little sister Ashley is now officially graduated and we're all so very proud of her!  She made a gorgeous graduate!  (see updated photo on my last post)

It was hard not to think back (hmmm...quite a ways back) to my own high school graduation and that feeling of overwhelmingness that we all seem to have at that age.  It seems like the end to an era and the beginning of another, and well, it is.  It's the Last Chapter of one part of life and the First Chapter of what I considered a major part of my life. 

When I look back, those four or five years after high school really made me who I am today.  It was the part of my life in which I grew up the most.  No matter what path you take after school, I would argue we all share that.  I chose to attend a university for a four *ahem five* year program.  What do I remember most about those years?  It certainly wasn't the classes or the things I learned.  (Not that it's not important but it's not the type of thing I cherish).  It was the growing up I did, the relationships and friendships I made, and the person I slowly grew into.  I even remember my jobs, the roommates, every place I lived, the summer school vibe.  What a great time in my life!  Those friendships still remain to this day.

I'm so very anxious and eager to hear how Ashley's story turns out, how she likes school, how many times she changes majors...most of us at that age felt overwhelmed with expectations and worried about how we'd do.  It's natural, but things have a way of working themselves out, but you never really realize that until you reach the other side and have the option of looking back across.  And not everyone's the same...all of our stories will turn out differently and we will all take different paths.  Finding your own is simply a part of the journey and there is no wrong answer. 

I've also been working on my last chapter of my current WIP, Sybil.  It's going pretty well and I'm up over the 50,000 word goal I originally set for myself, but still not done.  Just a few more paragraphs I think and it will be the end. 

In the same way that high school graduation leaves those feelings of loss and a journey over, so does finishing a story for me.  It's just the beginning and there's still work to do, but to know the most creative part of it is over always leaves me a bit empty.  Now begins even more revising and editing, writing of queries and synopsis, and the hoping and dreaming that this book baby will eventually find a home somewhere and not be abandoned.  It's an odd feeling, being close to finished.  It should feel more joyous, but what can I say, I'm in love with the process, the creativity and emotion I pour into it.  Making it pretty is sometimes not my most favorite thing.  *grumble grumble*

Much like the high school graduate, I don't know what the future holds for this book baby of mine, but there's only one way to find out:  work hard and experience those growing pains that come with the territory.

Happy Tuesday everyone!
*hugs*
kristi

A Graduation Celebration

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

to my baby (ok, not so baby anymore) sister, Ashley, on her graduation from high school today!  Woo hoo!

And so begins my photo blog tribute in her honor.

Baby Ashley

Ashley and her friend Barney (I used to know every word of every video made...pure torture!)

The three of us at Christmas (please don't envy my cool attire!)

Ash and I out in the yard

Beach trip - dressing up with the lampshade..she was quite stylish even from the beginning

My college graduation - Me, Ash, my best friend Kristin

The girls on our way to Hawaii for our Make-a-wish trip (Mom, me, Ashley, Sandy)

Karate-kid style

Mom, Ashley, Sandy

Me and Ash on a trip to visit family in OK

Mom, myself, Sandy, Jesse, Ashley (not sure where)

The sisters on our Mississippi vacation

Sandy, Me, Ashley

A trip to the zoo...Mary, Ashley and Brent (hubs)

And she thought washing Van Gogh would be fun *snicker*

All grown up and beautiful for the prom!!!!

Congratulations again Ashley!  I'm so proud of you!

Lots of love,

big sister,

Kristi :-)

revise, revise, revise, edit, edit, edit

First off, how was everyone's holiday weekend??? 

Mine was actually fan-tabulous.  I was amazingly motivated and had an internet-unplug weekend.  We spent Friday re-doing our front flowerbed (thanks for the motivation Kim!)...we replaced three plants I didn't like when I moved in (looked more like pretty weeds than actual shrubs) and took out all the pine-straw and replaced it with mulch.  Talk about a chore!!! 

Saturday was spent with family playing tennis and cooking out...and guess what???  My new books arrived DURING my cookout...how fast is Amazon?  It really was like Christmas came early!  Sunday and Monday were a blur of housework, reading, exercising and yes, editing and revising.

Here's the deal with my latest WIP, the Tutelar:  I made it near the end and just couldn't finish it.  It wasn't that I didn't know how to end it but that the beginning really needed work.  And something about that made it impossible for me to keep writing.  Anyone else like this???  Plus I want to make sure my end is consistent with the mood and emotion of the book, and well, after you  have written and revised each chapter alone, I think it's important to re-read it all as a whole to make sure it is consistent in its entirety.  Sometimes after writing so much I feel lost, having come so far from the start of my story.  I want to pay homage to the important things in those last few pages, tie it all together in a nice little bow.  

So I printed out the first five chapters and sat quietly in my reading room and did just that.  I read and edited those first five chapters over and over and then later incorporated all those revisions into my WIP.  Am I totally happy?  Of course not, I'm a writer for crying-out-loud!!! 

Beginnings are hard.  But do I still think my beginning is horrible?  No, I have a bit of faith in it actually.  It's amazing how many people have critiqued and read those first five chapters and how much they have changed while keeping the same vibe they started out with.  This time around, the editing and revising doesn't seem so bad, it was actually kind of fun for a change.  And you know the best part???  I feel like mentally I can finish my story now.  Whew! 

Do you have any strange writing or life  habits that sometimes haunt you???  Something you can't get past???  The mind is a funny thing!

Happy Tuesday everyone!!!
*take care*
kristi