The Time Between UPDATE

I've been neglecting the blog! I feel like I've had a newborn in the house demanding all my attention. Instead of bottles and diapers, I've been up to my ears in edits and decisions. It's not really demanding to give attention to a newborn...sign me up for the sleepy little bundle on my chest. Yes, please. The decisions and editing didn't really feel demanding to me either. Putting the final touches on a cover I so painstakingly worried over for MONTHS...yes please! Crying while reading my own book...um yes again! See the pic above? Tears! It's been so fun and rewarding to feel it all come together. AND I cannot tell you how excited I am for all of you to have it in your hot little hands. Please comment here, message me, send a pigeon carrier, whatever, and let me know what you think. I can't wait to hear from you!

I've been editing like crazy wondering why I gave myself a deadline. And then I hear from a reader telling me they cannot wait to read it and wondering if I knew when it would be out yet and I remember why. I've had to get creative juggling my sweet family and editing. Good times!

Did you know my husband is a budding artist? He began to really draw (he's doodled his entire life!) a few years ago and it's been so fun to watch him grow his talent. He drew the above picture and it can be found in The Time Between! It looks so great. It wasn't easy getting it there though! Here's what it would look like in my document. Great, right!

Here's how it would look when it uploaded to kindle. What?

I'm almost ashamed to say how long it took me to fix. But, eventually I got it! Ta-da!

I discovered Chik-fil-a was my favorite place to edit. It feels like winter in there!  I couldn't feel my toes by the time I left. It was awesome!

My husband not only took the kids countless times so I could edit, but he brought me home flowers too. Love him!

If you follow me on facebook or instagram you know I agonized over the cover for The Time Between. 

I was so relieved when my proof copy came and I LOVED it! It was all I had hoped it would be.  

 

It soon disappeared, though.

This is where I found it! My twelve year old had swiped it. She finished it in a day and a half. It doesn't get better than that! Although, there was one point where she threatened to stop speaking to me. Ha!

The Time Between is now out and available in paperback or ebook! For some reason, it won't let me link it here yet, but I will as soon as it's available. In the meantime, you can search The Time Between Karen Richardson on Amazon or click The Ordinary or The Heir links on the right side of the blog. Once it takes you to Amazon you can click on my name and find it. If you're still having trouble after all that, comment and I'll see what I can do.

And lastly, THANK YOU, and HAPPY READING!

The Time Between - COMING AUGUST 6, 2018

Finally! I was extra indecisive when choosing the name and cover for the LAST book in THE ORDINARY SERIES. Each book has a level of expectations to meet (or hopefully exceed!). Maybe I got in my head a bit this time, but with each book, the level gets a bit bigger. This was no exception. I mean come on! It's the last book. You want to LOVE the last book. It needs to leave you feeling like reading the series was totally worth it! I've wanted each and every part of it to be just what I envisioned it to be...especially the cover and the title. I'm so happy with both!

Drumroll, please! Ok, we don't really need a drumroll. I mean it's right there!

AND did you notice the title? Love it! I think it fits the book so well.

I have more news! The release date is set! (Should I have a release date party??)

AUGUST 6, 2018!!

You can preorder an ebook copy now if you'd like. It will be delivered on August 6th. Paperback will be available on August 6th. Also, if you'd like BOTH versions, wait to order until the 6th. You will then be able to order a paperback at regular price and an ebook version for .99! If this doesn't make sense, let me know! I'll add a handy-dandy link to the side of my page when Amazon will let me. In the meantime, you can click on The Ordinary and then my name and you can find it.

Thank you all for all your support and excitement. I LOVE to write. You all loving what I write is beyond a dream for me. THANK YOU!

Perk or Curse?

I'm not sure the kids have figured it out yet, but I have learned if you want a "yes" from my husband,  wait for him to be huddled over a pile of papers to grade and go in for the kill. Do you want to go_______? He will drop that pen so fast you will wonder if he ever had it in his hand. Anything to get out of grading. It's pretty awesome. Want to go to the park? Yep. Want to clean the bathroom? Yep. He loves his job. He loves lecturing. He loves working with the students. He loves it all. All except the grading. I tell him every job has to have at least one downside--this is his.

A few weeks ago, he was deep in the end-of-semester-crazy, as we like to call it. He was up to his ears in papers to grade, worried students to console and diet coke. Okay, he's always up to his ears in diet coke. This time of the semester may be the exception to the above rule. Deadlines loom and have to be met. He keeps his head down and sometimes doesn't even hear our want to requests (noise canceling headphones in place!). So, when he asked for my manuscript I was kind of surprised. I thought he'd want to wait until his plate cleared a smidgen...even though he'd do just about anything to get out of grading. "Are you sure?" I questioned at least a dozen times. He was sure. He sent me this picture. He was hiding out at Hardee's reading and enjoying some non-grading time.

I worry though, is being married to the author and getting first dibs at the manuscript a perk or a curse? I guess we'll have to ask him. Either way, I'm super grateful for his excitement, enthusiasm, and expertise. I'm one lucky girl. Thanks Kim!

Guess What I Just Did?

The third and final book in The Ordinary Series is DONE! Well, except for the editing. For now, I've traded my laptop for THIS. The editing has begun!

Coming this summer! Check back for updates.

And, just because you've all been on my mind lately...thank you! Thank you for supporting and encouraging me. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I appreciate you!

With love,

Karen

Riverbed Road

My mother grew up in a little town in southern Utah. Right next to her little town was an even tinier town, Greenville. I talked about it and shared some pictures here. When we would visit my grandmother, we would always take a trip to Greenville. There were two ways to get there but our favorite was by far the riverbed road.

First of all, to get to the riverbed road you got to drive past the coolest nursery ever. A nursery in the front and a small farm in the back. Sometimes we would get really lucky and the peacocks would have their feathers out for us. As we followed the gentle curves of the road and we would listen to mom and grandma share their memories. The pictures they painted were so vivid I could imagine I was there with them.

I love that place and the area around it. So many memories are wrapped up in the smells, sites and sounds of that place. So. many. I still can't drive on gravel and not think of my grandmother.

I've shared a bit about my husband and his newfound love of art. The past year or so he's been nurturing that hidden talent and growing so much! I've been trying to get him to sketch my memories and he did! He's awesome like that.

To say I love it is an understatement. I mean, come on. My greatest love created one of my fondest memories! Does it get any better than that?

Him

My husband is a tenured Professor with a PhD in World History. He has accomplished a lot in his lifetime but if you ask him he would disagree with that. He also feels as though time is running out. He's past his twenties and therefore he has no more time to accomplish what he wants to accomplish. Mm-hmm. Silly boy.

That being said, a year or two ago he surprised me by telling me he's interested in art. Specifically drawing and ink pens. He can be found with a pen or pencil and a note book at all times now. I. love. it.

He decided he'd like to take a class to help him progress in his new-found hobby. Great idea. We checked out Michaels and he signed up for a class. We purchase the items on the supply list and soon dropped him off. He went in with a smile on his face and came out with...well, not as big of one. There were three students in the class and the other two were two adorable sisters who were probably around eleven and twelve. They were much better than he, he'd proclaimed as he climbed in the car. He'd learned a little but was certain those classes were not for him.

On his own he continued to grow and progress. Sometimes he didn't see the progress, but the beauty of being a bystander is you definitely get to see the progress. I continued to point this out and some days he agreed. Some days he didn't.

One day my phone dinged and it was a text from him:

"Should I buy these online art classes? They are discounted 90% and are $10. I just don't know if I should."

"YES!! DO IT NOW!" I texted back. He did and he has loved those classes! He has gotten so good, too. It's been amazing to watch him.

The above picture was part of a facebook daily challenge with another group. Most of what he draws are things he can see. This picture was just from his mind and it touched my heart. It's different than anything he's ever done and it looks much simpler (although I know nothing about drawing. It was probably difficult!) but in one glance it told a story. A love story. Our love story.

We were so young when we met. I was fifteen and he was barely sixteen. We dated occasionally for a year and became exclusive boyfriend and girlfriend about a year later-my junior year, his senior. I danced. He played the trumpet and was a student body officer. We attended all the school dances together and had such a great time.

He graduated and headed to college on a full-ride trumpet scholarship. I began my senior year. He still lived at home to save money for his mission and we still attended all the dances.  He would surprise me at lunch every so often. Weekends we were inseparable and man the hours we spent on the phone! Makes me wonder how he pulled off those 4.0's his first year of college. Oh yeah. He's an overachiever. And I'm pretty sure he didn't sleep. :)

Soon I graduated and headed off to college. I moved to an apartment near campus thinking I was finally out of the house and ready to be on my own. Soon after, Kim left on his two year mission to Sao Paulo, Brazil. If we had a nickel for every time someone said I wouldn't wait for him we would have had our grad school paid for. The only person who didn't discourage me was my sweet grandmother. She would happily ask each time I saw her how much longer until he was home and how I was doing. She was in the grips of Alzheimer's at the time. She attended our wedding but I'm not sure how aware of our big day she was. I'm sure when she passed and her world became clear again, she celebrated for me. I miss her.

Our first few years of marriage were not easy by any means. We were poor college students struggling to find the balance of us. Outside pressures compounded our struggle and it. was. hard.

The loss of our first-born brought us closer. We were told many times that the death of a child will make or break you. I'm so grateful it was not the latter for us. We moved 1200 miles away from the worst of those outside pressures I mentioned above and that helped so much. We took that journey together and only had each other to rely on. It only cemented us further.

Twenty-two years later we have had our ups and downs but we are strong. Sure we have arguments but honestly not that often. We are respectful of one another. We are mindful of one another and we are kind to one another. Watching some of our friends...that's not always the case.

That picture up there? Yep. It says all that plus a bunch more you don't really want to hear about. Our simple love has grown exponentially and the gratitude I feel for that cannot be expressed adequately. At least not by this girl.

Now, we are watching our oldest son's interest in girls blossom. Our almost twelve year old daughter is so boy crazy she's driving us crazy! But, what is breaking my heart is that they are already settling in a way. They have both let love interests treat them in ways Kim and I never would have treated one another. Neither of them are in anything close to a relationship but the communications they have had are not ideal. Our hope for all our children is they will value themselves enough to value those around them and surround themselves with people who value them.

Our prayer for them (and all of you!) is that they will wait for it. Because when you find it? Well, that unicorns and rainbows thing isn't real, but it's not too far off. It's worth. the. wait.

The Time Between UPDATE

I've been neglecting the blog! I feel like I've had a newborn in the house demanding all my attention. Instead of bottles and diapers, I've been up to my ears in edits and decisions. It's not really demanding to give attention to a newborn...sign me up for the sleepy little bundle on my chest. Yes, please. The decisions and editing didn't really feel demanding to me either. Putting the final touches on a cover I so painstakingly worried over for MONTHS...yes, please! Crying while reading my own book...um yes again! See the pic above? Tears! It's been so fun and rewarding to feel it all come together. AND I cannot tell you how excited I am for all of you to have it in your hot little hands. Please comment here, message me, send a pigeon carrier, whatever, and let me know what you think. I can't wait to hear from you!

I've been editing like crazy wondering why I gave myself a deadline. And then I hear from a reader telling me they cannot wait to read it and wondering if I knew when it would be out yet, and I remember why. I've had to get creative juggling my sweet family and editing. Good times!

Did you know my husband is a budding artist? He began to really draw (he's doodled his entire life!) a few years ago and it's been so fun to watch him grow his talent. He drew the picture above and it can be found in The Time Between! It looks so great. It wasn't easy getting it there though! Here's what it would look like in my document. Great, right?

Here's how it would look when it uploaded to kindle. What?

I'm almost ashamed to say how long it took me to fix. But, eventually, I got it! Ta-da!

I discovered Chik-fil-a was my favorite place to edit. It's July...in the SOUTH. It's HOT and HUMID. Not at CFA! It feels like winter in there!  I couldn't feel my toes by the time I left. It was awesome!

My husband not only took the kids countless times so I could edit, but he brought me flowers too. Love him!

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you know I agonized over the cover for The Time Between...

I was so relieved when my proof copy came. I LOVE it! It was all I had hoped it would be. 

It soon disappeared, though.

This is where I found it! My twelve year old had swiped it. She finished it in a day and a half. It doesn't get better than that! Although, there was one point where she threatened to stop speaking to me. Ha! Luckily she kept reading. 

The Time Between is now out and available in paperback or ebook! For some reason, it won't let me link it here yet, but I will as soon as it's available. In the meantime, you can search The Time Between Karen Richardson on Amazon or click The Ordinary or The Heir links on the right side of the blog. Once it takes you to Amazon you can click on my name and find it. If you're still having trouble after all that, comment and I'll see what I can do.

And lastly, THANK YOU and happy reading!