Express Yourself: Scary Place to Spend Halloween

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is: Where would be the scariest place to spend Halloween?

The second I saw this question, I immediately thought of the Villisca Ax Murder House.  It's located in Iowa, and since I'm from Iowa, this place sticks out in my mind. On June 10, 1912, eight people were bludgeoned to death with an ax while they slept. This obviously shook the small town to its core.  There's been a ton of folklore surrounding the house ever since, and last I knew, small groups could pay to stay there overnight.  Imagine telling ghost stories in a house with that kind of brutal history. I'm not easily scared, but staying there with a group of friends on Halloween would definitely feel creepy.

If you're curious about the house and its history, you can read more HERE.

What do you think would be the scariest place to spend Halloween?

Final Day of A Silent Soliloquy Blog Tour, Celebrate the Small Things, and Express Yourself Catch-Up

First of all, today is the final day of the blog tour for my novella A Silent Soliloquy. You can find me over at Patricia Lynne's blog.  While there, you can read a character interview involving one of the  especially important secondary characters.

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain.  Tonja and I are her co-hosts.

My kids are riding on a float in a parade tomorrow.  They are super excited.  They also got some new kites, so they're looking forward to flying them.

Jude lost a second tooth.  He is now missing both the bottom center teeth.  He was concerned about being able to bite his food, but he seems to be coping pretty well.

Like I already mentioned, today is the final day of my blog tour.  It feels like an accomplishment to have made it all the way through.

My great grandma who died a couple of months ago would have turned 100 today.  I can't help but think of her as I write this post.

What would you like to celebrate?

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

I have a couple of questions to answer this week.

July 6th-10th: Name three things you wish you were better at.

Singing

Dancing

Running

July 13th-17th: If you had to eat the same thing for breakfast every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

An omelet made with green peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, bacon, and pepper jack cheese.

Express Yourself: Abnormal Skills

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is: If you could learn one out-of-the-norm skill, what would you choose?

I know I've said this before, but I'd like to learn Klingon.  Learning Elvish would also be cool. The writing just looks so pretty.

What out-of-the-norm skill would you like to learn?

Express Yourself: Secret Location

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

This week's question is: You have been blindfolded and taken to a secret place. When the blindfold is removed, where are you?

When I remove the blindfold, I'm sitting in a nice coffee shop with a steaming hot cup of dark roast coffee and a delicious side salad.  I have my laptop and notebook with me, and an entire afternoon of uninterrupted writing ahead of me.

I know, this isn't an elaborate dream, but I could really use an afternoon like this right now.

Where would you be?

Celebrate the Small Things and Express Yourself: June 12, 2015

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  TheCyborgMom and I are her co-hosts.

As some of you may have already read, TheCyborgMom is stepping down as a co-host.  She's been a wonderful co-host, but I understand that life makes other demands and it can be hard to keep up with blogging at times.  I'd like to wish her all the best!

This has been a tough but exciting week.  I announced earlier this week that I'm having a cover reveal for my new novella on Monday, June 15th.  If any of you would like to help me out with that, you can sign up on the following linky.  I'll get all the necessary information emailed over the weekend.

The release date is July 6th, which also happens to be my husband's birthday.  To celebrate the release, I'm going to be doing a blog tour that will run from July 6th through the 17th.  If any of you would like to host me during that time, you can sign up with this linky.

As a first time self-publisher, I'm learning a lot this week.  I learned a lot about formatting especially.  The Smashwords style guide was helpful, though the whole formatting ordeal still gave me a massive headache.  I finished formatting a print version of the book as well, and I just need to finish proofing it.  I'm also publishing on Amazon, but I've had a bit of a hiccup there.  I'm working on getting it resolved, though.  I think I should be able to get things worked out in time, but  I'm a newbie as far as these things go, so I can't say anything with absolute confidence.

Still, even with the challenges that have come up this week, I'm still more excited than anything else.

UPDATE: The issue with Amazon is now officially solved!  I'd love to thank the super helpful customer service person who helped me out.  You were awesome!

What would you like to celebrate?

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The prompt for this week is:  You have 30 seconds to change your whole name, what is it?

Perpetua Nicklefinger Gruntletoad

Why that name?  I don't know.  My brain is weird.

Celebrate the Small Things and Express Yourself: June 5, 2015

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  TheCyborgMom and I are her co-hosts.

This week has been big for my writing.  As I mentioned earlier this week, I made the decision to finally self-publish the novella I'd been anxious about.  The feedback I received on it was actually far better than I'd anticipated, and that gave me the confidence to move forward.  I'm still not sure when my cover will be ready (what I've seen of it so far looks great though), but when I have it and am ready to do a cover reveal, I'll let all of you know!

I've also been working on both a short story and a novel this week.  I wish my brain could focus on one thing at a time, but alas, it cannot.

My boys have a t-ball game tonight, so that should be fun.

What would you like to celebrate?

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The prompt for this week is:  Pick one of your 5 senses you find the most important to you.

I'm glad to have all 5 of my senses intact, but I think the one I'd miss most if I lost it would be my sight.  I wouldn't be able to drive anymore, and I already trip over things as it is with my sight intact.  I can only imagine how bad things would get for me if I lost the ability to see altogether.

I'd also have to deal with not being able to read or write until I managed to learn Braille.  It would be possible to learn, of course, but that period of time would be hard for me.  Frustrating.

What sense is the most important to you?

Celebrate the Small Things and Express Yourself: May 29, 2015

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  TheCyborgMom and I are her co-hosts.

I'd like to celebrate the life of my Great Grandma Inez.  She died from cancer this week. She would have been 100 on July 17th, so no one can say she didn't live a good long life.  I have a lot of fond childhood memories of going over to her house.  She always had the best homemade pickles waiting for us.  She also spent a lot of time in the garden.

The kids love T-ball so far.  It's entertaining watching a group of energetic little kids learn to play the game for the first time.  So much enthusiasm!

My husband and I will have been married for 8 years on June 2nd.  Where has the time gone?

What would you like to celebrate?

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The prompt for this week is:  Name a few things you like to eat while writing.

Well, I always have to have a cup of either tea or coffee, so any snacks need to go well with either of those beverages.  Chocolate in any variation is a good thing to eat while writing.  I also like freshly made cookies or brownies.  On the healthy side of things, a good salad is always a great thing for me to eat while writing.  I like going to coffee shops to write, and when I do, a good strong coffee and a side salad are requirements!

What do you like to eat while writing?

Celebrate the Small Things and Express Yourself

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  TheCyborgMom and I are her co-hosts.

I just finished grocery shopping, and the store had a lot of good deals going on, so that's always nice.  Who doesn't like to save money?

The kids are starting T-ball in the next week.  They're definitely excited about that!

We have two birthday parties to attend this weekend.  We'll be busy, but it should be fun!

Three day weekend!  Who doesn't enjoy a holiday spent with family?  Unless you don't like your family, of course.  Fortunately, I like mine.  Most of the time, anyway.

I also got a cool idea for a short story.  I'll try to find time to work on that this weekend.

What would you like to celebrate?

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is:  What quirks does your BFF have that you adore, because it makes them unique?

Well, my BFF Chelsea and I have a few quirks in common that have helped us remain friends for about two decades.  We enjoy the same British comedies, we both enjoy Doctor Who, and we both have a strong love of Oolong tea.

Chelsea is also super creative.  She's a great artist (I am not), and she can draw inspiration from just about anything.  And as we all know, artists are often quirky, but it keeps things entertaining.

Celebrate the Small Things and Express Yourself

Today I have a double post for you.  I hope none of you mind.

It's Friday.  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain.  TheCyborgMom and I are her co-hosts.

My husband and I met ten years ago as of May 13th.  It's crazy to think that it's been ten years since he randomly showed up at my front door with one of my friends from high school.  Life definitely would have turned out far differently if he hadn't.

Lyle had a great birthday.  He took cupcakes to school to celebrate, and he got a birthday sticker from his teacher.  For a four-year-old, that's a pretty awesome day.

What would you like to celebrate?

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

I have a little catching up to do.

May 4th-8th: Tell us about something you haven't tried yet, but would like to.

I would love to try skydiving.  I would also love to learn to fly a plane.  I'm torn between the two.  Perhaps I would learn to fly a plane since that's a somewhat useful skill.  I'm already pretty good at falling already.  I've just never tried it from such great heights.

May 11th-15th:  We are 1/3 of the way through the year. Name something you have achieved thus far.

I've lost 20 pounds.  I still need to lose more, but it's a start.  I want to be as healthy as possible for my kids (or at least, as healthy as I can possibly be without adding jogging into the equation), so that's why I started this.  While it's nice to hear people tell me I'm looking good, that never would have been enough to motivate me.  Health, however, is.

I have to tell you this.  I wish I could go back in time and slap my high school self who thought she was fat.  She had no idea what she was talking about.

Express Yourself: Changes

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is:  In the past year, what has been the biggest change for you?

I have a couple of answers for this.  One of them is sad, and one of them is a bit happier.

The sad one regards my recent miscarriage.  It was so shocking to be planning for a new baby one day, then having to suddenly come to terms with the fact that I wasn't pregnant anymore.  Sad as it was though, it changed my perspective on things, and I've used that change to motivate me in my writing.  I want to make the pain of the situation mean something.  It's really the only way I could think to handle it.

The happier change in the past year has been having both of my kids in school.  Lyle is only in preschool half the day, but it's clear that my boys are growing up and learning more every day.  It can be bittersweet at times, but I'm glad that both of my boys love school as much as they do.

What changes have you experienced in the past year?

Celebrate the Small Things: March 20, 2015 and Express Yourself: Expertise

It's time to Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  TheCyborgMom and I are happy to be her co-hosts.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to take care of myself.  I've been exercising some and eating healthier, and as a result, I've lost nine pounds.  Trust me, I can stand to lose a fair bit more, but the change has me feeling more energetic already.

My kids have been on spring break all week.  I've taken them to the park, they've had movie nights where I let them curl up on the floor with blankets and some popcorn. They loved that!  It doesn't seem to matter that we haven't done anything really exciting.  Those boys have been having a great week off enjoying the simple things.

I've been doing a lot of writing and editing.  I've gotten a couple of rejections back on submissions, but I'm not letting that discourage me.  Rejection is part of the game, and no one can get rid of me that easily.

What would you like to celebrate?

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

This week's prompt is: Everyone has at least one subject matter they are self-proclaimed experts in (pop culture, monsters, robots, etc.  What is yours?

Does it count if I say that I'm an expert in useless trivia?  There's a reason I wipe up the floor with my competition when I play trivial pursuit.  I usually do, anyway.  The sports and leisure category is my weakest area, but I still do decently enough in it that it doesn't cripple me too bad.  When it comes to categories like science, literature, history, and other things like that, I retain a lot of snippets of knowledge that aren't all that useful outside of trivia games.  Except for adding little interesting details into the stories I write, of course!  Now, if I'm playing a pop culture version of trivial pursuit, then that's a different story.

What do you consider yourself to be an expert in?

Celebrate the Small Things: March 13, 2015 and Express Yourself: Occupation

Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  TheCyborgMom and I are happy as always to be her assistants.

It's been a tough week, so I haven't been doing a lot of blog commenting.  Sorry for that, but I've had some stuff to work through.  After my miscarriage last week, I've been trying to take care of myself.  My lovely friend Chelsea brought me coffee, wine, and various other goodies to cheer me up.  It meant a lot!

Lots of you have stopped by to offer me so many kind words.  Thank you!  You guys are the best!

I've been eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise.  That makes me feel better when times get tough.  The weather here has also been gorgeous, so I've been taking my boys to the park every day after school.

I also submitted a couple short stories to different magazines this week.  I have no idea how that will turn out, but as long as I keep trying, I know I've accomplished something!

I'd also like to take a brief moment to celebrate the life of the amazing writer Terry Pratchett.  We'll miss you!

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is:  If you could try out one occupation for a week, what would you choose?

If I didn't have to worry about meeting the physical fitness requirements, I'd be an astronaut.  It's something I always thought would be amazing, but it's a rigorous and demanding occupation.

If I were forced to pick something more reasonable, I'd write fortunes for fortune cookies.  yes, this is a thing you can do.  Those fortunes don't write themselves!  I'd do it for longer, but I'm sure I'd run out of ideas if I tried to keep going beyond the initial week.

What occupation would you try?

Celebrate the Small Things: March 6, 2015 and Express Yourself: Narration

It's Friday.  Or almost Friday anyway.  It's time to Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain.  Your co-hosts for this event are TheCyborgMom and yours truly.

I'm not going to lie.  I don't feel much like celebrating this week.  Sometimes it's hard.

Some of you have noticed that I missed IWSG this month.  I have good reasons for that. As most of you will remember, I recently found out that I was pregnant.  Well, there's no good way to say it.  I had a miscarriage this week.  I found out at my routine appointment.  Things weren't taking care of themselves naturally like they should have (hence why I had no clue beforehand), so I had to go to the hospital to have a medical procedure done.  I'm not up to giving any details right now.  Suffice it to say, it's been rough.

My oldest son Jude took the news pretty hard.  Once the reality of what we told him sunk in, he cried.  He doesn't seem to fully understand it still, but he's pretty upset.

There are still a few things to be grateful for though.  The doctor and nurses I saw made things as easy on me as possible.  They were awesome.  The procedure also went off without a hitch.  I had to go under general anesthetic, but I woke up afterwards even better than they were anticipating.  I also recovered (physically speaking at least) so quickly that I got to leave the hospital more than an hour earlier than they predicted.  

My husband has been amazing through this whole thing.  I know he's sad too, but he's done everything he can to take care of me.  I'm definitely grateful for that.

My youngest son Lyle seems to be taking it all pretty well.  I know it's because he's not quite old enough to understand it, but it makes things a little bit easier that I don't have to worry about him too.

Sorry to be depressing.  The emotional fallout has been the hardest part of this.  I just wanted to tell you a little bit about what's been going on.  I know how supportive this blogging community is.  I'm definitely grateful for all of you as well.

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is: Who would narrate your life in a movie?

I love this question.  My answer is also an easy one.  I've talked about this before.

Morgan Freeman.  He has the best voice for narration.

Express Yourself: Secondary Characters

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The prompt for this week is: Name a secondary character who you think deserves their own series/stand-alone.

Sometimes the minor characters shine so bright that you can't help but take notice. Others have a mysterious past that you just yearn to know more about.

Both of my answers come from the world of Harry Potter.  This should hardly be shocking. That world is replete with interesting characters.

First of all, I'd like to read more about Luna Lovegood.  She's so delightfully strange, but loyal and good to have around.  She seems like someone I could be best friends with, so I'd love to see her side of things and where life takes her.

The second is Dumbledore.  I find his past so intriguing.  I'd love to read more about how he became the man we knew in the books.  There's a rich story there.

Which secondary characters would you like to read more about?

Celebrate the Small Things: February 20, 2015 and Express Yourself: Apocalyptic Scenarios

Here I am, doing another double post today.  I didn't intend to, but this week didn't go the way I planned.  Sometimes it happens that way.

Let's start things out right and Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain. TheCyborgMom and I are Lexa's proud co-hosts.

I spent a good portion of this week feeling sick.  Yesterday was the worst, but I'm feeling much better today.  I think that's worth celebrating.

Earlier this week, before illness descended upon me, I pulled out a story I'd abandoned months ago and decided to try to finish it.  It seems to be going well so far, and now that I'm on the mend, I hope that will continue to be the case.

The weather here is cold, but at least it's been sunny the last couple of days.  The sunshine always makes me feel happier.

What would you like to celebrate?

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is: What's your favorite kind of apocalyptic scenario (natural disaster, zombie, alien invasion, etc.)?

My husband has plans for what to do during a zombie apocalypse, so that one might be doable.  On the other hand, I've always wanted to meet aliens.  Sure, during an alien invasion they aren't coming in peace, but I look at it this way.  A lot of them will just be soldiers following orders.  They may not want to be a part of the invading.  You never know.  It might be possible to find some sympathizers and create an awesome rebellion out of the deal.  Yes, I'm envisioning myself as a rebel fighter, even though I know I'm not much for running or fighting.  Maybe I'll be the diplomat.  I can be tactful when I want to.  Hmmm.  Maybe.

What's your favorite apocalyptic scenario?

Celebrate the Small Things-February 13, 2015 and Express Yourself: Book Duos

I'm making double posts a regular thing lately.  Hopefully you don't mind!

For starters, it's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  I'm a co-host, as is the brilliant TheCyborgMom.

Sorry I'm posting so late.  We ended up spending most of the day in the emergency room. My husband contracted a rather spectacular stomach virus, and things got a bit nasty. Anyway, he's going to be fine.  So that part is worth celebrating at least.

My husband and I also celebrate Friday the 13th as a romantic holiday, simply because we met on Friday, May 13, 2005.  So happy Friday the 13th honey!  I hope you feel better soon!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!  My kids enjoyed their Valentine's Day parties at school, and they came home with significant amounts of candy.  They're happy about that.

What would you like to celebrate?

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The prompt for this week is:  List your favorite book pairs who have amazing chemistry.  They can be BFFs, love interests, kindreds, or even nemeses.

There are definitely some wonderful duos out there.  Here are but a few.

-Frodo and Sam from The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien

     The level of loyalty exhibited here is impressive for any friendship.

-Tristan and Yvaine from Stardust by Neil Gaiman

     I love the snark present in this pairing.  They end up falling in love, but the sass never disappears.

-Lily Evans and Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

     We didn't get to see as much of this relationship as I would have liked, but the dynamic fascinates me.  There were definitely some intense feelings going on.

-Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

     These two take sass to the extreme, and I love it!  It helps that nothing stings as brilliantly as a Shakespearean insult.

What fictional duos do you enjoy?