Sneak Peek

I haven't written in a while. Part of it is a bit of writer's block--I'm not exactly sure where I want the story to go--and part of it is the fact that I can't seem to get out of my own head. Those voices that rear up when we put a piece of ourselves out there are screaming and I lately haven't been able to tune them out. What those voices are hollering about shouldn't matter. Writing is therapeutic for me. I'd do it even if no one ever read it, but those closest to me see a potential in me I'm afraid I won't ever achieve. Those voices.

I do not have a grand resume in author terms (Ok, any terms!). I almost finished my bachelor degree in Elementary Ed but stopped when we adopted our son. I always assumed I'd go back...and I will. It's just taken much longer than I'd imagined. However, in two years when I do get back, I'm going to ditch Elementary Ed and go for something in the English world. Something that will help that resume of mine and hopefully make me a better writer. It certainly can't hurt, right?

I absolutely do not regret my life decisions. I look at my kids and even though they beg to be left in the after-school program at school, eye roll, I know they would miss me. I know they needed me present in their lives just like I know I need to write. It should be obvious, but I'll say it just in case--  if you chose differently that doesn't make either of us wrong. If your kids thrive in that after-school program and you held on to that career just as hard as you hold on to those babes, kudos. I am grateful life has taught me the grand notion of to each their own. I truly mean that. I know that what is right for me may not be right for you and that doesn't mean anything other than our choices needed to be different. I'm glad I stayed home but sometimes I do feel so far behind in the race. Those voices.

I pushed through those voices today and pulled up my latest project while I sat in the car rider line in front of the school. I scrolled to the top and began to read and guess what? I liked it. It is not perfect, but it is GOOD. I would read it! Ha! And with that thought, the voices were a little harder to hear. Before long, the line was moving and I was scrambling to get my seat where I could reach the peddles because goodness knows that car behind me won't wait long. The car rider line is serious business! As I tucked my laptop on the seat next to me, I marveled at how quickly time flies when I write. Seriously! I've begun writing and not realized darkness settled around me with the setting of the sun until I look up from my screen and find the room pitch black illuminated by only my screen. I truly hope I'm always surprised at how quickly time passes when I write. And those voices? Well, they are completely gone when I'm lost in the story...lost in time.

And, if you're still reading, I'd like to share the preface of my next novel. I THINK it will be called THE LAST OF THE DRAGON KEEPERS, but I reserve the right to change that name! Hope you enjoy.

*****

She slipped through the large battered door quickly, closing it behind her. She fumbled with the reluctant latch, eventually securing it in place. The room was dim, lit by only one candle. The scent of hay and the chicken she’d cooked earlier for dinner hung in the air. She leaned against the door while her eyes adjusted to the low light. She couldn’t see him, but she knew he must be there. She hadn’t expected him to be back so early. Her heart sank.

“Well?” His voice boomed through the silent room, startling her.

“We lost her,” she said quietly, head down. She knew what this meant. 

The man stepped from the shadows across the room and flipped the small table in the center of the meager space, causing the remains of her modest dinner to clatter across the floor. She jumped involuntarily. The solitary candle that sat on a small table next to her bed flickered and went out. Darkness wrapped around her. It didn’t matter. She focused on a tingling within her chest. Her senses immediately heightened. She didn’t need light to see the remnants of her dinner scattered on the floor or the upturned table now laying on its side, one leg broken. She didn’t need light to see him. She didn’t know what else to do, so she immediately began picking up the mess.

“Leave it,” the man said. The fire once in his tone settled into resignation. He stepped toward her and rested his hand under her chin. She reluctantly gave in to his gentle tug and stood. He brushed the tiny stray curls of hair that had refused to stay in her braid off her forehead. She let out the breath she was holding and melted into his arms. “It will be okay,” he whispered near her ear.

“How?” she asked as tears streamed down her face. “The Emperor won’t listen. He refuses to stop using the dragons as weapons, but I thought we could at least convince him to let them rest.” She lifted her head from his chest and wiped her face with the backs of her hands. “He will not acknowledge the dragons’ connections. When one is in battle, they all may as well be. How can he not see that?” Anger burned through her. She wiggled out of her husband’s arms and turned her back to him. “They are all going to die! If not from war, then from a broken heart!” 

He stepped around a chipped bowl and rested his hands on her shoulders. “I will not let that happen.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. With her back pressed against him, she could feel the beating of his heart. “What about her babies? Are you going to be able to save them?” he asked.

She turned and faced him. “She protected her eggs until the very last moment.” She shook her head and choked down her emotions. “There are six. If we can keep them from the devastation their family members are feeling they should survive.” She ran a hand across her face. “I’ve successfully hatched dragons before, but never under these circumstances. She lifted her eyes to her husband’s. He looked so tired. She rested a hand on his cheek, fingering his thick beard. It had begun to turn gray these past months. This war was taking its toll on them all. “And your travels—I’m surprised you are back so soon. How many are left?” She held her breath not sure she wanted to know the answer.

“Four,” he said grimly. 

“Four! Only four Keeper families remain?” He nodded. She pushed away from him and began to pace. “That’s six down from only a month and a half ago. At this rate— ” She stopped pacing and rested her hand on her bulging belly. He stepped toward her and placed his hand on top of hers. He bent and kissed where his child grew. Normally, when he did this, she would ask him to use his Keeper senses to see how the baby was doing. She could and did so herself, but his extra assurance kept her worry at bay. At this moment, however, her mind spun so fast she couldn’t keep up. “What—how are we…” she stammered.
He stepped in front of her and clasped his hands around her face. “We, my darling, are getting out. All of us. We are taking the dragons and running. Tonight.”

In Case You Forgot...

It's done! The Ordinary is .99 for a limited time! Perfect time to give it a try. I'd love to hear what you think! 

And, in case you forgot...

NOW IS THE TIME

Have I mentioned before that I'm a Southern transplant? I am. I grew up in the desert where hot is hot and humidity isn't a factor in anything. Well, except the rainforest exhibits in the Zoo and the Aquarium.  If you would have told the six-year-old me that I'd basically live in the Zoo rainforest I would have kicked you in the shin and ran. But, big sigh, I am here and I am trying my best to bloom where I'm planted.

However, it's August and summer has been brutal. I'm so ready for the temps to drop and take the humidity with it (like that ever happens but whatever!). So, I'm doing what any logical southern transplant would do, and I'm trying to send mother nature some subliminal messages by dropping everything I can think of. That includes the EBOOK price of THE ORDINARY! If you've been waiting for a good time to try out the series, this is it. Next week, probably 8/29 or 8/30, the price will drop from $2.99 to .99 for a limited time. There is a handy-dandy link on the right that will take you to Amazon where you can purchase it. I'll post here when the price has for sure dropped!

And, just for fun, the photos below inspired a scene in THE TIME BETWEEN.

Can you guess which one? 

Comment below! Happy Friday!!

Girl Smarts

There is a character in The Ordinary who is witty, fearless, and sure of who she is. She makes her debut partway through The Ordinary. She doesn't play a huge role in book one or book two, but she's pretty center stage in book three (still working on #3!). She's kind of who I'd like to be, in a way. I'm talking about Ky, Jordan's sister.  I admire Ky in so many ways, but the way Ky doesn't let fear hold her back is definitely what I admire the most. I tend to sit right in the middle of fear. Paralized and crying! Haha.

Now I'd like to introduce you to my daughter, Kyleigh. She is almost twelve (four more days, actually!) and she is fierce! We call her Ky a lot. Made a connection yet? Ky was born from this little lady right here. She stands up to her brother even though he can be intimidating at times. She's quick to forgive, easy to love and is a terrific friend. And she is fearless. She isn't afraid to be who she is regardless of the circumstance. She's awesome.

This is her first year in middle school. She's a social little gal and I was kind of surprised she hadn't found a club or group to join. But, right before Christmas, she informed us she wanted to join the Academic Challenge Team. The what now? We'd never heard of that. At first, she wasn't really sure either. We didn't get much information out of her except they push buzzers and answer questions. Before long, we were able to attend her first meet and got to see first hand what exactly the Academic Challenge Team was. We. are. impressed.

Have you seen The Chase? If not, google it and then come on back. It might be awhile because it's a pretty addicting show. It's okay. I understand. The Academic Challenge is kind of like that except without the Beast. And the chasing. The team who answers the most questions correctly wins. I could never, ever, EVER join this team. My brain would freeze and I would be dead weight. Dead, I say. 

Kyleigh, on the other hand, it's like she doesn't know she's supposed to be scared. She doesn't know it may be embarrassing to get the question wrong (which it's not. My brain would tell me it would be!). Our Ky started the first meet as the team captain and has been the entire time. No one else will do it. See. They know fear. 

I'm not just saying this because she's my daughter, but that girl carries the team. I love her little teammates and wish I could help them have Kyleigh's confidence. They got this! They just don't know it yet! 

Their last meet was yesterday and there were only three of them there. Normally, each grade level is separated into different rooms to compete but because of the flu epidemic, they were short staffed. They announced they would all compete in the same room and take turns. Sixth grade was up first. My fear swelled for her! If she noticed my wide eyes as she stood to take her place at the table, she sure didn't notice. She didn't seem intimidated by that packed cafeteria at all. She killed it in the first two rounds, which is the team challenge. They all discuss the question and she gives the answer (because she's the team captain). The last two rounds are the buzzer round and the other team had a really fast buzzer pusher. That kid was fast I tell you! 

Ultimately, they lost this round, but she was recognized as our team's high scorer. She didn't gloat or even tell her dad when we got home. She's humble, too.

As Ky's (Jordan's sister) character progresses, she may have some fear. She's up for a challenge and I'm anxious to see how she handles it all. More on that later! In the meantime, I'll keep watching my fearless girl and all her girl smarts and hopefully gleen some from her.

Happy Anniversary!

It's late. Well, technically it's early, I guess. Our house has been hit by a nasty bug and I'm on watch tonight. Our oldest had/has (I never know if since he's still a child I can say had) childhood onset absence seizures. He hasn't had a seizure for a few years now, but I don't mess with fevers. They lower the threshold and make having one more likely. In ten more minutes, I can check him and give him more meds to make sure that fever stays down.

I turned to facebook to entertain my weary eyes and clicked on, on this day. I love that little facebook gem. I'll take that walk down memory lane every day. Thank you very much. Today's caught me off guard a bit. Memories definitely flooded over me and I began writing a facebook post about it. I realized quickly that it was turning into a very, very long post and decided it should be on the blog instead.

A year ago today, I did the hardest thing I'd done in a long time and clicked the publish button on Amazon making The Ordinary available to all. Almost a year before, I began writing it to pass the time while waiting for my son to do his homeschool work. See, that firecracker, amazing kid of mine needed me to be close by. Laundry and housework had to wait until he was finished and one can only plan and grade so much. I was bored. So, I did something my husband continually encouraged me to do. I began to write. One page turned into ten. Ten to thirty. Pretty soon I wasn't just writing while Kaleb worked. I wrote every chance I got. It was so. much. fun. My husband would say, "I'm taking the kids. Go write." And I did. And I loved it.

I, however, had no intention of ever showing that creation of mine to another soul...well, besides my husband! My husband read it as I went and encouraged me, but, he's my husband. He loves me. He never criticizes me and thinks everything I do is amazing. I'm not exaggerating. Really. I love him and his support, but I didn't believe him. I really wanted to. But, remember, I called this The Ordinary for a reason. I felt extraordinarily ordinary. I felt beyond ordinary. I couldn't see past that.

The day I finished it was amazing and so anticlimactic all at once. I typed the end, pushed my chair back and stood up. My hands shot in the air and I exclaimed to my empty house, "I did it!" I quickly texted my husband and that was that.

I spent the next few months editing it. My middle daughter wanted to read it, so I handed her the latest, marked up, edited version. I had gone through it once again and was putting the corrections in the computer. I gave her the first couple chapters and off she went. She came back not long after and said, "I can't read this with all your writing on there!" That was the start of something amazing. I read it to her and watched Natalie's journey come to life in one of my favorite people's eyes. She would come home from school and beg me to read it to her. She'd give me pointers, like Essentials and Ordinaries should be able to have Essential babies. :) And at night when it was time to tuck in, she would beg for just one more chapter. It. was. awesome.

It put me in a bit of a pickle, though. We were about 3/4 of the way through and my mom was coming for a visit. I live 2,000 miles away from family so they were none the wiser. I knew Kyleigh was going to ask me to read it to her and my little secret would be out.

We took the kids to Universal Studios that year for Christmas. We surprised them with the trip and also with my mom coming with us. She came out to the car with me to help bring a few things into the hotel. As we walked in, I said the words. "Hey, I wrote a book." She looked at me and asked what I meant. I tipped my folder holding the 200+ manuscript in her direction and said it again. "I wrote a book."

Her reaction was beyond amazing. She didn't care what it was. She was just so impressed I'd written it. Before she left, she asked to read it. I told her she didn't have to. I knew it was a genre she didn't necessarily like, but she really wanted to. The morning of her flight, I quickly printed it and she tucked it in her suitcase.

After that, I told a few more people. Five total. I looked into Kindle Direct Publishing because it was an easy way to get it to those five people who lived across the USA from me. I was going to put it up for free, but my sister said she wanted to be the first person to buy my book! Thanks, Vickie! So, after looking at the button for what felt like an eternity, I clicked publish. 

Look! There it is!

My husband had been on a business trip and returned home that day. We picked him up at the airport and stopped for dinner on the way home. As we sat there, I received a text from my sister that my book was live on Amazon! I can't tell you what I was feeling. It was a jumble of good and bad emotions I'm still sorting through. My husband declared he was going to post it to facebook and I wanted to die right there. All three of my babies looked at me waiting for my response. Had it been he and I, I would have told him no way. But, how could I say no with them watching? I want them to be fearless. I needed to be fearless. So I nodded and fought the urge to throw up. I didn't sleep well for the next two weeks. Seriously. I have never felt so vulnerable in my life. I hadn't realized how good I was at sitting on the comfortable side of fear.

What happened next was really pretty amazing. So many friends and family responded with surprise and support. So many people bought my book! I couldn't believe it. And the kind words and great reviews that followed buoyed me up and pushed me to do more.

One thing this journey has taught me is that kindness and support doesn't always happen. Truth be told I've been pretty surprised at some who have been radio silent. Those of you who stand in my corner and accept me, flaws, uploaded rough draft and all, I truly love and appreciate all of you.

I feel the love and am so very grateful!

Seriously! Thank you!

This next picture is just because I need to prove to you all that I do know a thing or two about grammar...despite my rough draft upload and editing blinders! You know. Because facebook tests are real. Muh-ah! Love you!

Clips

We moved to our little town nine and a half years ago. Up until then, we'd had T-Mobile as our carrier for...years. Probably ten years before that. But, our little T-Mobile did not have good service in our area. We struggled for a year or two not willing to give up the amazing price. Too many failed and dropped calls later, we caved.

Enter Verizon. My husband got a work discount, but it was still much higher than T-Mobile. Much higher. It was sad but we did really enjoy the coverage we received.

Every now and again we would stop back into T-Mobile and they would pull up our address on their coverage map and we slowly watched it fill in. Last Saturday we stopped in again and were pleasantly surprised. The difference between Verizon and T-Mobile wasn't significant enough we felt we couldn't switch! Yay. Doing so would not only pay off almost $1000 in phones but drop our bill by almost $100 a month and give us unlimited data (we had 12 something or other...I need to pay closer attention to details!). Oh and free Netflix for life.

We made the switch, but one thing we hadn't counted on was needing to purchase a new phone for my daughter. In order to move it to T-Mobile, it needed to be a 6s or higher. She had a 6 plus. It was on its last leg anyway. It wouldn't work half the time and randomly called people. And it never randomly called her mother. Rude.

The solution to our little predicament landed me with a new iPhone 8. My husband knew I'd enjoy the camera (He is the sweetest!!) and insisted I take the new phone. This leads me to CLIPS! Maybe I missed that little gold mine on my iPhone 7, but I don't think so. I. Love. That. Thing. Mainly because I'm easily entertained and that thing is definitely entertaining me.

That being said, I'm going to upload a little something I made for my husband last night...that so sounds different than what I mean! Haha. He teaches an evening class about an hour away on Tuesdays. My youngest has been really sick and needed some extra snuggles which means my house is falling apart. Which is fine. I'd rather snuggle my baby, but it was a great opportunity to have a little fun. This is what I sent him. My only regret is not seeing him watch it.

Goodreads Giveaway Wrap-up

The Goodreads giveaway for The Heir ended a few days ago. 521 people entered the giveaway, which is pretty ironic because 521 highway is where I spend most of my life! It connects my little town with what I like to call civilization! Ha! Don't get me wrong. I adore this small town and the people in it, but sometimes this city girl just needs a Target. But, I digress...

I sat down today and wrote a little note to send to the lucky winner. Her book and my note are already on their way to her house. I hope she feels the love in the pages of the book and the little note I sent. In a little over two days, I'll send another note along with The Ordinary to another lucky winner. Truth be told, I wish I could send a little note to all my readers. I often wonder if all authors feel such gratitude for those who take the time to read their work. I have always been hesitant to "pester" authors of books I love but now, being on this end, I think I'll do more pestering because hearing from a reader? Well, in my humble opinion, that's not pestering at all. Not. at. all.

Happy reading! And head on over HERE if you haven't entered the Goodreads giveaway for THE ORDINARY. You have just over two days to do so!

Project Life

Years ago my sweet cousin introduced me to scrapbooking. She'd been doing it for years but I hadn't taken the plunge yet. My husband and I were both students at the time, and money was TIGHT! I worried about adding the expense to our already tiny budget. (Although, my husband encouraged it!)

Not long after our son passed, (you can read a little about that HERE) my cousin called and invited me to her weekly scrapbooking night. I took the prints I had of my little guy and headed to her house. I don't know that I've ever told her how much I appreciated those evenings we spent at her home. Those weeks that followed his death were so very, very dark. Grief is temperamental and some days it swallowed me whole.  Sitting in a room with her, my sister and cousins documenting his short life and the enormous impact he had on us was so therapeutic.  Our little group kept my head above water and I so appreciate them. They created a safe place for me to walk back into those experiences that were so tender, so miraculous and so devastating at the same time. She also generously shared her scrapbooking stash. I often wonder if I took advantage...I hope not but sure apologize if I did.

From that, my love of scrapbooking was born. I really did enjoy creating pages and watching our lives fill the pages of a binder on the shelf. After we adopted Kaleb, my time became more and more limited and my scrapbooking days dwindled. Years later they were pretty much nonexistent. I didn't have an hour to spend on each page, especially as we added more children to our family. Years were ticking by, and our photos were piling up. Documenting our lives was important to me and I couldn't seem to find a way to keep up with it all. I realized as time went on and my photos sat untouched longer and longer, I was FORGETTING. It was getting to the point where I could flip through our photo's and not remember exactly where we were or what we were doing. More importantly, I knew I was losing the feelings behind why I took the photo in the first place. That just added to my guilt. 

In 2011, I discovered Project Life by Becky Higgins. I had "known" Becky (I didn't really know her although I would totally be her friend!) for a long time through the Creative Keepsakes magazine and her published books, so when I saw her new product (I'm not sure how long it had been out before I snatched it up) it was a no-brainer. It has changed. my. life. Not only have I been able to keep up on documenting our lives but I've been able to go back and catch up on years I've missed. The guilt is gone! 

The first kit I purchased from Project life was a core kit and it came with beautiful, coordinated filler and journaling cards. The sheet protectors I chose had four 4x6 slots and four 2x3 slots on each page. (She has lots to choose from) I simply slipped my photos into the slots, journaled my memories about each photo on the 4x6 or 2x3 stylish journaling cards and added them in the appropriate spots. And done!

Since then Project Life has introduced a digital version so you can complete the pages with never printing a photo or physically writing on a piece of paper. I never did try digital but I signed up at lightning speed for the Project Life App when she released that. I've never gone back to paper although I still have a couple boxes of photos I need to do so eventually I will once again. Now I scrapbook from my iPad or phone when I'm watching TV, sitting in the car rider line or waiting for an appointment. Anytime I have a few minutes to kill I can pull out my phone and complete a page in no time at all. I no longer have to worry about losing photos. I create a project life page, print them and tuck them in my album.

Project Life has a way to print the pages from their app or order albums but I choose to print them at home. Our printer does a good job and it's the most economical way for me to do it right now. My pages are saved on my computer, so if I decide down the road to print them another way I certainly have that option.

I'm sharing all this with you today for one reason, though. (No this isn't a sponsored post. Becky Higgins has no idea who I am and will most likely never even see this post!) I've mentioned I never really expected to share my novel with anyone other than my immediate family. The roller coaster of emotions I went through as I pushed myself to put myself out there was intense. I didn't sleep for a few weeks after I clicked the "publish" button. No joke. Project life gave me an almost immediate way to document my feelings. It was all done within a day or two! 

See!

These pages were created on the app on my phone. For each month I choose a different color background so I don't have to add the date to every page. This month was white. You can see different choices below. 

Look at my baby! She's eight now. Time. slow. down. Below are the physical 12x12 albums. I slipped each photo and the cards in and done.

Kyleigh is so tiny, too! That bottom right photo? Sometimes when I would speak firmly to her she'd solute me and say, "yes, Ma'am!" Like, okay I see you are serious about this. Got it! :)

 This kid is driving now! 

Below is one of my 8x8 albums. These pages were done with the Project Live app and printed at home on my personal printer. We have the HP Instant Ink program which allows me to print 300 copies a month with as much color as I want! It really makes printing these so economical and the quality is great.

This size (8x8) is so great for little hands. (These 8x8 albums are not Project life. My local craft stores don't carry that size and so I used these instead. They fit great.)

Excuse the poor lighting but this is the best reason to document! She giggled and giggled looking through our albums last night. I don't know why she brought the kitchen chair over, though. I guess to be closer to the pictures. Silly girl.

Breakfast Pizza

Poor time. No one seems to accept it for who it is. We are constantly asking it to hurry up...my daughter is almost twelve and cannot wait for that birthday. Twelve is a big number in our house. You get to start wearing makeup at twelve. Hurry up time.

On the other hand, my babies are growing so fast. Those newborn, sleepless nights are long gone and I have said at least a million times, please, time--slow down. It's all going too fast.

Traditions, for me anyway, seem to ease the pain of time. Traditions somewhat let us pause a cherished moment. Traditions are the ultimate walk down memory lane all while creating a few new memories along the way while bringing those you love the most right along with you. Traditions are time beating (really celebrating) superheroes. Yep. Sign. me. up.

Traditions come in all shapes and sizes. Some are big, loud, in-your-face-extravagant and others are so subtle you might not even realize they are a tradition until a little person in your house points it out. "We can't go to bed without reading! It's a TRADITION!" Silly me. I thought that was a routine. But, somewhere along the way it became just that for that little person in our home. Ok. Tradition it is.

Breakfast pizza is a subtle tradition in our home. I'm not sure where exactly it originated but my mom used to make it for us when I was a kid. It always takes me back to her kitchen when I make it. We loved that stuff and now my kids do, too. You may be wondering where exactly the tradition is in breakfast pizza. The tradition comes in the fact that we never actually eat it for breakfast. We may have growing up but here in the Richardson household, I don't believe I've ever made it for breakfast. 

One aspect of writing The Ordinary Series that has been so fun for me is including some of our favorite traditions. Breakfast pizza is one of those that made its way into the series. I thought it might be fun to share the recipe here. It's super simple. PRINT RECIPE

Breakfast Pizza

1 egg                           1 cup regular pancake mix

¾ cup milk                  1 cup rice cereal

¼ cup oil                     cinnamon and sugar mix

Combine egg, milk, oil and pancake mix in a bowl; mix well until well blended. Pour into greased 12-inch pizza pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mix and cereal. Bake in preheated oven, 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed.

*Note: I double the ingredients and use a cookie sheet to feed my crew. Hope you enjoy!

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