Happy New Year! (a few days late)

Hello all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a great start to 2012. Mine has gotten off to a bit of a slow start. My husband has been off work for about two weeks, and while I enjoy having him home with me, it's thrown me off my routine a bit. He went back to work today, and I'm going back to work today as well. ;)

I wrote last year about new year's resolutions and how I don't like them. I feel exactly the same now as I did then. I'm just not a big fan of resolutions, and I doubt I ever will be. Answer me honestly, how many new year's resolutions have you made that you actually kept? I've only made a few in my life, and never kept a one. I'm a firm believer that if you want to make a change in your life, you'll make a change in your life. Period. Not tomorrow, not January 1st, not at some point this year. But literally right now. Want to write a book? Start on it. Want to run a marathon? Stop wasting time reading my blog and get to training! I could go on all day, but y'all are smart people. You get the idea.

2011 was a pretty good year. Not the best, no, but definitely not the worst. I think more than anything it was a year of learning for me. I quit my job to write full time in November of 2010, but because of the holidays I wasn't able to take advantage of my stay-at-home time until January. People think that working from home is amazing, and it is! And it's also not. To be honest it can be pretty stressful. It's funny because growing up I wasn't the neatest of persons. My room was rarely clean (meaning you often couldn't even see the floor), but now that I have my own house -er- apartment, I find myself being a cleaning fanatic. For me it's hard to work when I can see all the clutter sitting around. I take a break and walk by the overflowing laundry hamper. I walk in the kitchen for a snack and see the pile of dirty dishes in the sink, the clean ones in the dishwasher. I work in my office and all I can see are piles of unorganized books on the floor. One of my goals for 2011 was to clean less, and it did last for a while. Well, like a month, maybe. Ha! I think one of my goals for when I'm Rich and Famous is to have an office space that's not in my house. Or maybe I could just rent a table at a coffee shop or something. People think that being a full time stay at home writer is so romantic, but I promise it's not all it's cracked up to be.

I also had to tell a lot of people "no" in 2011, and I don't like doing that. I'm a big doer, a helper. If you need something I'm your girl. I quickly realized that I was doing so much for other people that I wasn't able to do things for myself. For the most part it wasn't anything big that people wanted me to do: meet for coffee, go to a movie, etc. But I'm a creature of habit, I need routine, and while I love meeting friends for a quick cup of coffee, that means leaving the house and leaving my work (also putting pants on). About halfway through the year I realized this and started saying no. I even lost one friend over it, but in my opinion if you can't respect that I still work an 8-5 job, just at a different pace and place than you, then you aren't my friend in the first place. I hope I continue to say "no" in 2012.

I pushed myself harder than ever in 2011. Now that I look back on it, I pushed myself too hard. I took a lot of risks with my writing, most of which scared me. I wrote my first contemporary YA, did my first NaNoWriMo, wrote my first middle grade, wrote my first third person POV. It's good to be scared, and it's good to push yourself, but I think it's important to not lose sight of who you really are and in the process. In 2011 I wrote three books, read over 100, won NaNoWriMo, went to two lovely library conferences, organized and donated over 700 books to various charities in the Austin area, and barely had time for anything else. This year I'm taking it down a notch, I don't plan on writing any books (famous last words, right?), instead I'm going to pick one of the manuscripts I wrote last year, edit the snot out of it, and start querying agents. It's time, it's well past time for me. I don't think I was doing it purposefully, but looking back I can see how I've been putting it off.  Writing a book is hard, but not nearly as hard as editing it and sending it to people to ACTUALLY READ. It's funny, I write because I want to get published, yet I'm scared to death for people to read what I wrote. I don't have a very thick skin (hopefully that will change), so the thought of putting my work out there terrifies me, but it's what I want, right? To be published? I hope in the end all this is worth it.

2012 will be a stressful year for me. We're moving (no worries, just three miles up the road) in February, then I have to have reconstructive jaw surgery during the summer and will be MIA for about two months in order to recover. As I type this I can feel the stress starting in the pit of my stomach and roaring upwards, making my head fuzzy. I don't deal well with stress. I'm going to try to take a step back from everything when I'm feeling stressed. Take a deep breath, take a break. I'm relying on you all to keep me accountable for this.

So long story short, my only goal for this year is to EDIT EDIT EDIT then QUERY QUERY QUERY.  No, I'm not making goals like "I'm going to get an agent/get published this year!" I don't like to make goals about something I, literally, have no control over. I can't make an agent sign me, I can't make a publisher buy my book. I can, however, do all that I can to get my book out there. And I plan on doing just that.

I knew going into this journey that it wouldn't be an easy one, I just didn't expect it to be one of the hardest things I've ever done. I hope I never lose sight of how much work goes into a novel. I hope I never lose sight of how much I love doing it, no matter how hard.

ALA Midwinter 2012

We're so fortunate to have ALA Midwinter in Dallas this year! Of course me and my Literary Lonestar pals will be there, and we cannot wait! We're planning a little blogger get together on Friday night January 20th. If you want to come, please go to Jen's blog and RSVP so we can have a head count. And for more information about ALA itself, visit their website! Will I see you there? :)

So Much to be Thankful For

That Wednesday started out as many normal days do. My husband got up and was getting ready for work, and I was lounging in the bed (it takes me a long time to get awake, I'm a big lounger :p). He came to tell me goodbye and I thought he had left. He came back in the room and as calmly as he could said, "You might want to call your mom... when you get up and get the chance." What? Why? "Their house got hit by a tornado early this morning." You know those moments where your heart plummets so deep down into your stomach, you feel like you'll never be able to breathe properly again? This is one of those moments. I called her and we talked for a while. Well, she talked, I squalled the entire phone conversation. I have never felt so heartbroken, so conflicted. I cannot tell you how painful it is to have your heart reside in two different places, both far away from the other.

Thankfully everyone is fine and escaped the storm unharmed. My mom's truck has to have some repairs, my dad's truck was totaled, and the house had some heavy damage, but nothing that isn't repairable. I can't tell you how many prayers of thankfulness I've uttered since then. Things could have been so much worse than they are. My parents have a long road ahead of them as the repairs are starting on their house, but we're all thankful and grateful.

I have blogged a few pictures about my childhood home previously (click here and here if you're interested), so I'd like to share some of the aftermath pictures with y'all today. Hug your loved ones extra tight this holiday season. Things can (and do) happen in the blink of an eye.

 The front yard before

The front yard after (the house is there, through the debris)

The back yard before

The back yard/back of the house after

                                   

Part of our old swing set. It's about 20 years old and made it through Katrina.

There was a covered carport here where my dad's truck was. They have no idea where most of the carport ended up.

 None of the pine trees my dad planted when they built the house survived. :(

One of the few trees that survived. (Along with my nephew's sandbox that wasn't moved an inch.)

Their storage shed. Or what was a storage shed.

Side of the house where a big piece of a tree came down. 

 Damage to the front of the house.

My mom, like me, is obsessed with books. Particularly cookbooks. All of her books are hanging about three inches out, from where the wind sucked them. Crazy.

The insurance company towing my dad's totaled truck away. So sad.

Long Time No See!

I've never said I was the best blogger. On the contrary, I'm probably the worst blogger I know. It's not that I don't enjoy blogging, I do, it's just... effort. And I'll be honest, sometimes (well most of the time) watching Youtube videos about cats is way more entertaining than writing a blog about my boring life. However, people do ask me every now and then how a certain project is going, and I'll realized I haven't blogged in a while. So this is fixing that. Yeah.

I did manage to "win" NaNoWriMo! Unfortunately I did not finish the book yet, but I managed to make it to 50K by November 21st. Yes I'm the idiot who finishes NaNo in three weeks. I don't recommend that any of you do that, but I wanted to "win" before we went home for Thanksgiving, and I did. I worked so hard those three weeks, and it was such a learning experience. It was my first middle grade book, as well as my first third person book (what can I say? I'm a sucker for pain.), so I learned a lot. It's probably one of the worst books I've written, but I also think it's one of the best. Yes, that sounds weird, I know. I started this book mainly as a joke. My goal was to make it as ridiculous and silly as possible. But the more I worked on it and the more I got involved with the characters... the more I thought I may actually have something. I've told the idea to a few people, all of whom are very excited. Which is silly to me. It almost makes me feel like I've cheated, you know? Not that writing this book was anywhere near easy, but it seemed easier. I don't know if it was the book itself or if since I've been writing so much it doesn't seem as daunting of a task anymore. And trust me, nothing is as daunting as that first book you try to finish.

I won't tell you what the book is about, and it doesn't have a name yet, but I call it Dead Santa. (My point with the book was to get in the Christmas spirit, we can see from what I call it that it didn't really work out.) I have about 10K left on Dead Santa, and I'll be done. It's been a bit... difficult. See this book broke all sorts of boundaries for me. Usually when I write a book I write the ending chapter first, then the beginning, then a main plot point that's around the middle of the book and fill in my gaps. But with Dead Santa... I just wrote whatever popped into my head. That was the point right? To make it as ridiculous as possible. I didn't want to give myself time to over-analyze things, so I just wrote. (Seriously, the book has talking gangster penguins and elves that are more like evil fairies than Santa's little helpers.) The problem, you ask? Well since I didn't write the ending first... I don't really know how to end it. I mean yes, I sort of know how it ends, but since I don't know exactly how ahead of time, I just keep rambling on and on. Well, my characters do anyway. They keep talking in circles, repeating the same questions, running around to random places. So as stupid as this sounds, if anyone has any advice on how to end a book, that would be lovely. Ha.

Since I did work so hard in November on Dead Santa, I decided after Thanksgiving to give myself December off.  Seemed like a good idea. I needed time to rest and prepare for the upcoming Christmas holidays. What seemed like a good idea actually made me a little crazy. I had a conversation with someone recently about how I didn't really feel like a "real writer." They said to stop writing for a while and see what happened. The results weren't good. These past two weeks I've been a little crazy. More than a little, actually. Even my poor husband noticed (and bless him, he doesn't notice much) so you know it was bad. I was listless. Restless. I recently made a Pinterest account, and while it was fun, it didn't do anything except help me waste more time. I cannot tell you how many craft projects and new recipes I've tried. No, it doesn't sound bad, does it? (Tell that to the five different wreaths I've made.) And I guess it's really not that bad, but I wasn't putting my time and energy into what's really important: Writing. It's my work, my job. It's what I do. It's how I should spend my days and how I'll eventually (God willing) make my money. I'm a creative person, and without weaving my creativity onto paper (or typing it on to a screen, actually), I felt useless. Apparently my brain and hands still need to do something creative, which is where all the crafting comes in I guess. It's interesting to be able to analyze yourself sometimes. And yes, it's nice to take a step back and get some prospective on your life, take a breather, but it's also good to be able to have the foresight to know when it's time to come back.

With all that being said, I am writing again. I worked a bit on Dead Santa today (yes the characters are still talking in circles, but at least they're doing something), and it feels good to be doing productive things again. Hopefully I'll finish the book before the end of the year. I have a few more topics I wanted to cover in this post, but it's already too long, so those will come later this week and next week. One will be about my 2012 goals, the other will be about how thankful I am for my family after my parent's house was hit by a tornado the week before Thanksgiving. Thank you all for reading my rambling blog posts and supporting me even when I am crazy. <3

Ways To Give This Holiday Season

I love the holidays, and what better way to celebrate the holidays than to give to those less fortunate? There are two causes which I support every year, and both are near and dear to my heart.

The first is Operation Christmas Child. OCC takes up donations of shoe boxes filled with goodies and sends them to children around the world who otherwise wouldn't have a Christmas.

I've participated for as long as I can remember. If you'd like to participate, here's what you need to do:

*Find a shoe box (I usually buy the plastic shoe boxes because the family can use it after to store things in or use to get water.)

*Decide if you want it to be for a boy or a girl and fill it with things!

*Print a label from their website and include a donation for shipping (There is a $7 suggested donation per box. You can even check an option and they'll email you letting you know what country your box went to!)

*Wrap a rubber band around your box and drop it off! National Collection week is THIS WEEK so the sooner you do this, the better! (Click here for locations in your area)

Gift ideas:
Toys
small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), etc.

School Supplies
pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.

Hygiene Items
toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.

Other
Hard candy and lollipops (please double bag all candy), mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps; sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries)

A personal note
In a separate envelope, you may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. (If you include your name and address, the child may write back.)


Things not to include:
Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers; aerosol cans.

My shoeboxes are all wrapped up and ready to be dropped off tomorrow! :)

The second charity I love to support at Christmas is St. Jude's. This is a super easy one to support, and also a bit fun. Answer me a question: What do you do with all of the cards you receive once the holidays are over? Did you know that St. Jude's has a card recycling program? They do! You can mail them the fronts of your cards and the kids at St. Jude's make new cards with your unwanted cards. The cards are then sold to raise money for the hospital. How brilliant is that? You can also purchase the handmade Christmas cards from St. Jude's, they're $10 for a pack of 10. As far as I know you cannot purchase the cards online, so call 1-877-977-7572 to place your order. They take donations year round and have a particular need for Birthday and Thank You cards. Already have your Christmas cards all planned for this year? You can also purchase inserts to put in with your Christmas cards. For a donation of your choosing (though a $5 minimum donation per insert is suggested) you can let your friends and family know that you support a great cause by making a donation in their honor. 

To donate your card fronts, please mail them to:
St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005


I'm sure you all have charities that you like to support during the holidays (or year round!) so please let me know what they are in the comments so I can check them out! I'm always looking for new ways to give.

 

Bah Humbug! ;)

Fired Up Friday

Sorry for the radio silence the past few weeks. I was desperately trying to finish the first round of revisions on my dystopian time travel novel (which I finished at about 10:00 on Monday night) and then I stupidly decided to do NaNoWriMo this year (what can I say, I'm a sucker for The Pain), so I've been a bit busy. I'll be pretty busy for the remainder of the year with the holidays coming up, but I'm going to try to schedule some posts in advance so the blog doesn't just sit empty.

Now on to my Fired Up Friday, which is brought to you today by Fall. Fall is my all time favorite season. I love the colors of the leaves changing, fall festivals, pumpkins, and the crisp, sunny days. The weather has finally started to cool off here in Texas (We caved and turned the heat on last night. Don't judge, it was 34 degrees!) and I am very thankful, those 100+ degree days were starting to make me a little loopy. So without taking up to much of your time, here is why Fall inspires me, brought to you by pictures this week.

Is it weird to be inspired by tights? Because I am. I have bought about six different colors of tights to wear this fall, and I think I need at least two other colors (it's an addiction). Here I am in a dress my husband got me for our anniversary with teal tights. 
 

As I said earlier, I am digging this cooler weather. High today of 65? YES PLEASE. 
 

Every year when we carve pumpkins I'm always surprised by how hard and time consuming it is. These are our pumpkins for this year, I did the owl, and my husband did NightMare Moon from My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic.

I love pumpkin anything, pretty much. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie... pumpkin anything. Today I made up a recipe for Pumpkin Harvest Bread, which turned out awesome! I'll share the recipe with you on a later date, but here's a tease picture for now. :)

I love Fall so much I chose to get married in it. My husband and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary on the 27th. As you saw from the first picture, he got me a lovely dress and I got him a laptop bag. He treated me to my favorite breakfast (Shipley's chocolate filled donuts!) then we drove out to Marble Falls to visit the pumpkin patch there and had dinner at The Melting Pot that evening. The following day we visited San Antonio to go to the Alamo (I've never been, and he's only been as a child) and then spent the day at the Riverwalk. All in all we had a fabulous anniversary and weekend. The rest of the pictures in this post will be of our visit to the pumpkin patch and San Antonio. Hope you enjoy!

A Benefit Honoring the Life of Sophie

On September 14, 2010 heaven gained a beautiful angel, my dear friend Lindsay's daughter Sophie. Sophie was just shy of her second birthday when complications from a sudden illness took her too soon. I love Sophie more than words can say, and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her and miss her.

If you're in the Austin area and free on Saturday November 5th (Sophie's birthday), please stop by the Gallery Black Lagoon on Guadalupe from 5:00-9:00. All are invited to honor the life of Sophie whether you knew her or not. There is a $10 suggested donation at the door and a silent auction with proceeds going to Any Baby Can. I will be donating one of my book wreaths to the auction. Sophie loved books and loved to read, I can't think of any better way to remember her by making something from a book. If you have an item you'd like to donate for auction, please email me at StephanieNPellegrin@gmail.com and I'll forward your information on to Lindsay.