Epic 3K-Twitter-Followers Giveaway

The moment is here, you guys!! Thanks to all the love and support, I finally reached 3,000 Twitter followers. Wow. It's kind of crazy, right? I hope my tweets are at least a little interesting. I truly appreciate all of you and your support, as I've said countless times before, but it's true. It's been a crazy journey to publication and you have all been there for me along the way.

I'm excited to have the opportunity to give one amazing follower the chance to win the first ever ARC of THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME. Nothing has been finalized yet, so please understand that there will be a little bit of a wait. With that being said, the minute the cover and edits are ready to rock, this winner will immediately receive their prize, and hopefully love it. Right? RIGHT.

I'll also choose two completely different winners to each win (1) YA book of their choice, plus the Curiosity Quills totes. So, you heard right, there will be THREE winners overall.

Are you guys ready to get started? Scroll on down to the Rafflecopter below! This giveaway is U.S. ONLY this time around. Good luck everyone!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY AT 3K TWITTER FOLLOWERS!

Hi, guys and gals! Okay, so I've been talking this up for a while and now that everything is set in stone, I can finally announce what's up for grabs during the giveaway.

You know I like to do something fun to celebrate a 1K milestone on Twitter. I try to give away fun things to show my appreciation for all of you, because, truly, you are all amazing. The last giveaway was a Kindle which turned out to be a hit! I mean, duh, it was a Kindle. Anyway. This time I'm able to do something EVEN MORE EXCITING. More exciting than a Kindle, you say? Yes, indeed. 

You may have heard that I recently got myself a little thing called a book deal. Did you miss that? Oh, well, here you go. I'll just put the link right there for ya. 

Now that's out of the way, let's talk about the prizes. 

When I reach 3K followers on Twitter, I will be hosting a giveaway that will be as follows: 

TWO people will get a chance to win ONE YA book of their choice. That's right. One book each and they get to pick something that is already published. It definitely has to be a YA book, though. Along with that, those two people will also be receiving these awesome totes from my publisher, Curiosity Quills! 

How cute is that!? Here's our lovely marketing co-ordinator, Nikki Tetreault, modeling the cat-tastic tote below: 

Honestly, I'm a little jealous that even I don't have one of these, but, you know, whatev. ^.^

Now remember that BIG prize I keep mentioning on Twitter? Well, now I can tell you. 

Are you ready? 

No, really. 

Okay, NOW are you ready? 

One person, yes, ONE, will win the very first ARC for THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME the second it becomes available. 

You heard right. As soon as those puppies are printed and sent, YOU can win one of the first ever ARCs to hold in your hot little hands. The winner will be notified when their prize is ready and shipped, and they'll get to read it before anyone else! What do you think of that? ARE WE EXCITED NOW??? 

Okay, my friends, this is what's up for grabs. This giveaway is U.S. ONLY.  Next time I promise to include my international friends. I hope you are just as excited as I am because this is such a huge deal for me. All of this will be ready to go when I hit 3K followers on Twitter, so please help spread the word! Until then, you can add THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME on Goodreads, you know, if you want to. 

Thank you all for your constant support!!! You're the best. xo

That Post Everyone Dreams of Posting

I think the title of this gives it away, don't you think? So since I know you'll just scroll to the part where I announce all the awesome stuff (I'm totally guilty of that), I'm just gonna tell you flat out.

My YA supernatural horror: THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME is going to be published by Curiosity Quills!!!!!

I KNOW, RIGHT?!

I AM SO FREAKIN' EXCITED YOU GUYS YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW. 

Here's my query for those interested: 

To seventeen-year-old Aiden Ortiz, letting the dead walk through his body to reach the other side comes with the territory––the territory of being a Gateway. It’s hard enough doing the exchange, sending even one Bleeder away without being seen, but when Koren Banks––the girl who’s been mysteriously missing for the last seven months––comes back into his life, the Bleeders begin seeking him out in droves. 

When confronted by a Dark One, a Bleeder gone rogue, Aiden finds himself infected with an evil inside of him that wants nothing more than to be released. Fighting the urge to let the darkness consume him, Aiden discovers that not only does the Gateway send things away––it also brings things back. 

With Koren and his two best friends, Trevor and Evan, by his side, Aiden fights to rid the world of the evil that’s been released by the Dark Priest, while saving the girl he loves from her haunting past. Time is running out, and Aiden must find a way to abolish the Dark Priest and his Brethren of Shadows before he finds himself consumed into a world of evil––and before the monster lurking inside of him takes control.

THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME is a YA Horror with supernatural elements complete at 72,000 words. It will interest fans of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD and BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. I can be contacted at xxx-xxx-xxxx. 

I can also be found on Twitter: @HeatherMarieYA

Thank you for considering my manuscript. 

Sincerely, 

Heather Marie

If you follow me on Twitter, then you may have noticed my talk of Gateway revisions and such. My manuscript was fortunate enough to make it into the hands of Alisa from CQ, who absolutely loved Gateway to pieces. She not only cared about the characters and their story, but she opened my eyes to things I never would have thought to incorporate. She helped turned Gateway into something I like very much to something I *LOVE*. 

When someone not only believes in you and your work, but they also ask all the right questions to challenge you as a writer, it is exactly what you need to create a successful story. I knew Gateway needed work, and many people told me just that, but having Alisa on my side throughout the revision process meant so much. 

Revisions are far from over, of course, but I'm ready to push on and make this book everything it needs to be. I so look forward to this new adventure with Curiosity Quills and their amazing team. Thank you to everyone for all your support and for cheering me on along the way! xo 

It's NaNoWriMo time again!

So I wasn't sure if I was going to participate this year, but since a shiny new idea has popped into my head, I figured the time is now. To be honest, I've had this concept in my head for a really long time. I've never attempted contemporary before and I wasn't sure if I could actually pull it off. But once I let the ideas flow and the words scramble out, I knew it was time to get it done. I'm really, REALLY excited about this new project. It's a story very close to my heart.

For the first time ever I'll be drafting two mss at the same time. Not sure how well this will go over, but it's a challenge I'm willing to accept. If you're doing NaNoWriMo and want to add me, you can find me here.

Here's the synopsis for my YA dark contemporary as posted on the NaNo website:

Delia Summers has been hiding a secret, one of many. From the outside looking in her life appears like any other, but it's what happens within the house that no one could ever know. If they could see the bruises hidden under her clothes or the scars on her arms, the truth would be exposed. No one understands what it's like to know real fear––a fear manipulated by the one person who was always supposed to protect her. 

The scars along her arms were the seams keeping her stitched together. They were her survival. But when she meets Jackson Briggs, her best friend Jenae's new boyfriend, suddenly her life doesn't feel so dark anymore.

You can also find an excerpt of SCAR TISSUE on my NaNo page as well. Happy writing and good luck!

The Launch of YA Scream Queens

Have you checked out my newest group blog YA Scream Queens yet? If you haven't, please do! You can find my introduction post by clicking on the link below.

My Scream Queen Intro

I'm pretty excited about this new venture and hope you are too! Expect to find lots of awesome posts from writing horror to horror films, books, etc. It's gonna be a scream.

Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date: @YAScreamQueens

Get Entranced

If you haven't heard yet, I have officially signed on to an internship with Entranced Publishing. I am very, VERY excited about this! It's been something I've considered for a long time, but just wasn't sure how to go about it. I always loved the idea of getting into the publishing world one way or another, in hopes that it could lead to bigger and better things. 

When I asked Twitter last Friday (because Twitter knows all) if there were any positions available, the word spread quickly. And thanks to everyone's retweets, I heard from Entranced managing editor, Julie, who was seeking an editorial intern. After a few exchanges via email over the weekend, Julie and I agreed that we would love to work together. By Sunday morning, I was a part of the Entranced Team! 

If you aren't familiar with Entranced, you should definitely check them out. They publish eBooks in several genres/categories and are absolutely wonderful to work with. If you'd like to consider an eBook format for your manuscript, check out their submission process via their website. 

Good luck to all! And thank you for all the lovely words in celebration of my new position. Cheers! 

Kindle Giveaway!

The time has come, my friends! 

With your help, I've reached 2,000 followers on Twitter. Woo hoo! 

As promised, I'm giving away a Kindle to celebrate the occasion. Are you ready for the awesome? 

(photo)

Enter to win an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (WiFi)! Check out the Rafflecopter below to find out how. 

Thank you to all my friends and amazing followers for making this happen. You have until June 30th to enter. I know that seems like a long time, but this is a pretty big giveaway and I want to make sure everyone has time to enter. I'll announce the winner on July 1st. Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That Time I Almost Gave Up

Remember a few months back when I said I wasn't giving up on writing? Yeah. I almost gave up. I went through a dark phase where I was just too emotionally drained. It's kind of scary how that could happen to you, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. You cry for no reason. You sit there staring at the computer feeling sorry for yourself. You completely stop writing and feel even worse. You feel completely at a loss and don't know how you're gonna make a comeback. Everything seems kind of pointless.

Most people don't realize how much of yourself is invested in your writing. They don't understand all the time and energy and passion you put into those words every single day, every hour. People are like: "It's just writing." No. No, it isn't. IT'S MY LIFE.

It's when you want something so bad, you'll spend days, weeks, months working on something that earns you no money. That keeps you up all hours of the night. That becomes the constant thing on your mind no matter where you are. Most people comment on the fact that I spend all this time and nothing ever comes up it. How can you spend all that time working on something for free? Because I love writing. It is everything to me. And because I want to say one day: "Yep. That's my book."

I don't care about the money. Sure, who doesn't want to quit their day job and become a full time writer? OF COURSE I WANT THAT. But what I want more than anything in the world is to hold a book in my hands that I wrote and know that I did it. I made my dream come true. I'm a published author and this is only the beginning. I don't want to stop at one book, or two. I want to write for the rest of my life, because I've never been more passionate about anything.

So when I hit that rather large bump in the publishing road, I very nearly gave up. I wasn't sure, and I'm still not, whether I'm going to get another agent. I don't know if this book or the next is gonna be the one. And you know what? That scares me more than anything. But what I do know is this:

I love to write.

And if this is all I ever do––if all I do for the rest of my life is write one manuscript after another and nothing comes of it––I'll at least know that I gave it everything I got. And to me, that's all I can ask of myself. I win either way.

25 Page Critique Giveaway!

Okay. You guys have been super awesome, so I decided to announce the giveaway early. YAY!! I really want you guys and gals to know how much I appreciate you. You've been beyond supportive of me since the beginning and I seriously couldn't ask for better friends. Thank you for being so amazing. Seriously.

To celebrate your awesomeness, I've decided to have a giveaway at 1900 (the critique) and at 2,000 Twitter followers. As most of you know that giveaway will involve a Kindle. Say WHAT? IKNORITE?

Enter below to win a 25 page critique by me! You have until Monday at midnight. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your Insight on Gothic Horror

original image

Hello, lovelies! I know I've asked this before, but being that it was on Twitter I've lost all the mentions. So it's no secret that I'm writing a YA gothic horror retelling. (Well, the story it's based off of is a secret. muhahaha) Anyway . . .  It's my first go in this sub genre and I'm seeking your advice. I'm a huge fan of horror, obviously, but gothic horror is proving to be much different than I anticipated.

Here's where you come in. I want to know what it is YOU love about gothic horror. What is it about the world and mood that you love so much? I want ALL THE DETAILS. I want to be able to look back at this post and really grasp what it is the readers are looking for. So how about it? Tell me what you think!

Getting It All Out On the Table

So. Some of you already know, but for those who don't, you may have noticed my lack of Twitter presence and writing time. I'm usually very upfront about everything and I've been feeling like I should just come out and explain what's been going on.

First off, I left my job of eight years due to the fact that business was extremely, extremely slow. I've been struggling financially for quite a while now and it was a really tough decision to part ways with my hair career. I'm not just leaving behind a career that I've worked hard for, but I'm also leaving behind a family of people that have made a huge impact on my life. Even though I've been struggling with my loyalty to hair for a while, it was the people that kept me going. To walk away and start over has been beyond difficult. Going back to makeup is exciting, but sometimes it takes change a while to actually see the bright side.

That decision alone has really changed me in a way that I've just been kind of sad about it all. But don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to start on this new path to makeup and I'm hoping for some amazing things to come of it.

Now here's the truth about my writing hiatus. About a month ago, I parted ways with my agent. Out of respect to everyone involved, I'm not going to get into the reasons for why I made this move. Although it was amicable it has left me feeling jaded about my career as a writer. Things like this are never easy for anyone involved and sometimes it makes you question pretty much everything about a career in the publishing world.

So when you look at it, I not only went backwards with my hair career, but also with my writing career all at once. I've been in such a slump lately that I find it extremely difficult to get out of this hole I've put myself in. I haven't given up completely and I feel you should know that. As of now, I'm currently querying THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME. I still love this story and have hopes that it'll get me where I want to go, but for now I'm left in this strange place where I feel like everything in my life is sort of at a standstill.

I just want to thank everyone for their support as I go through all of this. Everyone that has known from the beginning have been absolutely wonderful and I'm lucky to have them in my life. I hope to be back at it soon and I promise to keep you all updated on my progress. Cheers for now!

A Game of Secrets: Meet Emery

For those of you who don't know, I'm part of the group blog The Secret Life of Writers and we're taking part in this awesome event with The Mod Podge Bookshelf blog called: A Game of Secrets. Consider it a game of Clue. We each tell our side of the story and YOU will help write the ending. Only one person with the best ending will win the prizes. Sound awesome? Let's get started!

Name: Emery Chase

Age: 17

Hometown: Silverlake, California

About: I've been around the record industry since I was a baby. Loud music, gorgeous musicians (some not so much) and playing every instrument you could imagine. When my parents told me we were moving to a remote town to get away from it all, or what they meant to say: To get me back on the straight and narrow, I knew shit was going to get ugly, quick.

As if being around a bunch of wannabes and goody goodies is gonna make me drink less. My parents have a whole other thing coming. I'm supposed to be making "friends." Yeah, right. This cookie cutter town doesn't know what hit them. I'm like a tornado of black clothes, knee high docs, enough facial jewelry to make any mom squirm, and long, black hair for days. It isn't exactly the kind of girl this town is used to seeing. But back in my hometown of Silverlake, this was an every day occurrence on the streets. I don't think much of it. I mean shit, I'm not trying to be an outsider. This is just who I am. Mom says I should try a little harder and attempt to wear some color, something inviting. I tell her she's crazy.

The only friend I've made is this girl Mouse and I'm pretty sure it's just because she's intimidated by me, or I'm all she has. Either way, I like the girl and I'll protect her from these assholes any day. So when we got the invitation to the "party of the century" I was like: Why would anyone invite us? Mouse wants to go, of course. She never gets invited to anything and I'm not going to hold her back. But I'm sure as hell gonna stay by her side in case shit hits the fan. You never know with these jerks. Anything could happen.

The Perks of Having a Library Card

I haven't posted in a while, so here I am! As most of you know, I recently moved and found myself near a pretty awesome library. Where I lived before had a library that was located in the heart of downtown and the parking was atrocious. For the longest time people kept saying: "How do you NOT have a library card?" Well . . . that's why.

Before we moved, I was searching online for the closest library in our new town. I was thrilled to find one just down the street with, and get this, PARKING. This is seriously one of the biggest reasons why I was anxious to move. Not because we'd have a beautiful new apartment. Not because the town is clean and safe. Nope. Because of the library. (Don't tell my husband that.) Anyway, the first thing I did once we were moved in was high tail it to the local library and sign up. I walked out of there with some awesome books and feeling like I was on top of the world. This, my friends, is where the madness began. I cannot for the life of me stop going to the library. It's become my favorite place in the world and I find myself going at least once a week.

Can we talk about how absolutely amazing these things are? I mean free books. Let me say that again. FREE. BOOKS. I try to buy as many books as I can, but financially I'm stuck in a rut. Though I'm hoping to change that soon, it's left me completely dependable on the library. I'm not exactly complaining, but it does make me feel a little bad that I can't support my friends and favorite authors all the time by actually purchasing the book. But you know what I can do? I can tell you guys ALL ABOUT THEM.

I've seen people complain about libraries recently (IKNORITE?) and I think we can all agree that the complaints are B.S. What those people don't realize is, yeah, okay, people aren't buying the books, BUT those people can help sell them by word-of-mouth. Isn't that the best way? So basically, I'm here to encourage you guys to talk about the books you love and share them with everyone that you possibly can. You see me on Twitter talking all about them and praising the authors that I admire. This is my way of giving back, and I hope that someday people will do the same for me . . . and you.

So cheers! Go support your local library and your fellow writers. You bet I will. xo

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

I was lucky enough to get chosen by Nova Ren Suma (author of IMAGINARY GIRLS, 17 & GONE)  when she did a shout out on Twitter for blog hop participants. It's been showing up in my feed a lot and I've been wanting to take part but had too much going on at the time. So I'm very excited to have this chance to share with you guys my newest project.

Originally I wanted to chat about DROWNING BAILEY. It was the manuscript that nabbed my agent and it seemed the best fit. However, I recently did an interview with another blog and talked all about it. I thought this would be a fun opportunity to share something different. These things are usually TOP SECRET for me, so this is going to make me feel exposed.

With that being said, here we go!

What is the working title of your book? 

THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME

Where did the idea come from for the book? 

Is it weird to say because I'm obsessed with dead people? I kid, I kid . . . sorta. Really I'm just fascinated with the idea of ghosts and where it is they come from. Whether they are real or just a figment of our imagination. But truly, I've seen way too many things to write them off. I've experienced some strange encounters and I know several people that have as well. My parents to name a few. And why would they lie?

I just love the idea of a person being used as a gateway to the "other side" and them also having an inner battle with their faith. That's something a lot of people have trouble coming to terms with and when someone is presented with this sort of gift, you have to expect them to ask: Why. Having the dead appear to the MC in ways in which they died just gave that extra punch the story needed. Also it's fun describing, and picturing, their fatal wounds. I'm weird like that.

What genre does your book fall under? 

I'd definitely say YA Supernatural/Horror. That's pretty much my thing.

What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 

I was asked this during my interview about DROWNING BAILEY and I have a hard time answering. I came up with names for that one right off the cuff, but I don't think I can for this. When I write, I don't have actors in my head. They're my characters and I picture them as so. Giving them a face kind of ruins it for me, so I guess I'd have to say what Nova said. Unknowns.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

Seventeen-year-old Aiden Ortiz has always known that being a Gateway means leading the dead to the other side, but he never anticipated the Gateway's power to bring things back.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 

I completed a really horrible first draft during NaNoWriMo last November. It was my first time participating and I definitely learned a lot about being on a tight schedule. I took a month long break before getting back to it. The idea of looking at the mess I made was just too much during the holidays. Somehow I found it in me to take a peek just after Christmas and realized it might not be as bad as I thought. Sometimes it's good to put things away for a while and give yourself some time to think things over.

It's currently going through four betas. I'm looking forward to getting back to it and fixing it up some more.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 

I'm not going to answer this BECAUSE I already have a hard time writing supernatural without it getting related to a certain book. As much as I loved said book, it kind of irks me every time someone says, "This is sort of like blah blah blah. Just so you know." It doesn't matter how much you try to differentiate your book from someone else's, someone will say it's similar to something else, which is fine! BUT I'd rather not put the idea in your head with hopes that when you read it you won't automatically think of certain books. Savvy?

Who or what inspired you to write this book? 

The biggest thing that inspired me is, and please don't judge me for saying this, my lack of religious background. Gateway is not a religious book by any means, but there is a religious element as far as Aiden having a gift that's been "sent by God" and not knowing why someone or something would leave him with such a challenge.

Personally, I have my own views on religion and writing a character that is struggling helped me see both sides. It's not the entire basis of the story, as I said, but it's kind of where the idea came from. I just threw in this awesome premise and BOOM. That was that.

What else about the book might pique the reader's interest? 

I'm gonna copy Nova (again) and put an excerpt:

I always believed that there had to be other people like me, that do what I do. How could I be the only one? With all the people dying every day, having one gateway would be ridiculous. One person couldn’t possibly send thousands of Bleeders through the gate. I’d kill myself if that were the case.

“I don’t know about others like you," Bennie says. "No one knows for sure. But they’ll find you, just like I have.” 

Great. That’s what I want to hear. 

“What does He look like? Who is He? Can you tell me that?” I’m fighting the urge to freak out and demand an answer. The last thing I want is to scare the kid more than he already is, but I’m desperate. 

He shakes his head innocently. “I’ve never seen him.”

Frustration consumes me. This guy is sending Bleeders my way, but why? How does He even know about me? 

I fall silent, having an inner battle with myself. 

Bennie asks, “So . . . Can you send me away now, like you promised? I don’t want to be here anymore.” He searches the room before whispering, “The others scare me.”

At his words, I realize he has no idea. He doesn’t know what he looks like, that his injuries have followed him even in death. The sadness in his eyes put my problems aside. What more could I possibly ask of him? I made a promise. I plan to stick with it. He has no idea who sent him here, and my mission to find Him is no closer than before. 

I shove aside my unresolved issues, and say, “Yeah, Ben. I’ll send you home. You just have to walk through me, okay?”

He nods with relief. For the first time since he died, he looks somewhat alive. His shoulders relax and his face brightens, just a little. If this is the last thing I could do for the kid, I’m not going to make him wait any longer. I take a deep breath, bracing myself for the iciness that’s about to surge throughout my body. 

“Go ahead,” I tell him. “I’m ready.” 

With careful steps, he comes closer. He’s only a step away when he pauses. “Don’t go looking for Him,” he warns. Confusion hits me. I want to stop him, to ask why, but it’s too late. Bennie doesn’t falter as he steps into my body, melting into my skin, and fading into whatever waits for him on the other side.

Thank you so much to Nova for choosing me to participate in the blog hop! This was fun!! And now I'm tagging five other writers for "The Next Big Thing." 

Marieke Nijkamp

Alexis Bass

Tristina Wright 

Alessandra Thomas

Liz Lincoln

The Finish Line

Nothing beats that feeling of accomplishment after you finish a manuscript. Whether it's your first draft or your tenth, you walk away knowing your manuscript is only getting better and better. Sure it's gotta go through a few CPs and get ripped apart along the way but that's the beauty of it. How else will your manuscript get to where it should be?

I couldn't wait to get THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME into the hands of my critique partners. The idea that someone else gets to read my words and get to know my characters is exciting. They see things that I can't and knowing that their feedback is gonna make this story everything it needs to be gets me hyped. It's a little scary sometimes because you're afraid they'll hate it or pick it bone dry until your soul feels ripped to shreds. But they wouldn't tell you the truth if they didn't care about you and your manuscript. Those are the type of people that'll help you succeed.

So. As I wait anxiously for their feedback, and prepare myself to jump back into the drafting trenches, I'm gonna enjoy this moment of knowing that I've completed yet another story. And you know what? I feel pretty damn good about that.

Cheers!

Reading Challenge

I found this link on my Goodreads profile and thought I'd give it a try. It's easy to fall behind on reading and I always end up kicking myself for missing out on so many amazing books. The 2013 Reading Challenge looked like a fun to way to keep up with all the fabulous book releases, and even catch up on some I should have read a long time ago. *cough* The Fault in Our Stars *cough* 

So I'm challenging myself to read AT LEAST fifty books this year. That doesn't sound like much, but with the hustle and bustle of things it seemed like a decent goal. And if I end up reading a hundred books, well, I'll just have to high five myself. 

How about it? Give yourself a challenge. What's your reading goal for 2013? 

Pinterest

If you haven't yet, you can now add me on Pinterest!

You'll find sneak peeks at ideas and storyboards for my current manuscripts. This is huge for me because I'm usually Top Secret. I try to check it every other day, so if you follow me, I'll be sure to follow you back! 

A New Year is a Fresh Start

Happy New Year! I've been neglecting my blog and I feel just awful about it. Things were getting pretty hectic for a minute with NaNo in November and the kick off of Pitch Wars in December. Even though I was still interacting a bit on Twitter, I took a semi-break from social networks last month. Things in real life were getting crazy and I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed. Usually I'm so good at balancing everything and keeping up on my online presence, but I just couldn't hang.

So I'm back!

I can't promise that I'll update the blog as much as I should, but I am on Twitter quite a bit and I'm still blogging over at The Secret Life of Writers. We'll be starting back up on Monday January 7th.

As for me, I've been working on a few manuscripts, which has put a damper on my reading. If you follow me on Twitter then you know all about our new awesome apartment. We don't get to move in for another month, but we're really excited and anxious to start fresh. Along with moving, I've been thinking a lot about my career outside of writing and considering some changes in that aspect as well. That alone is pretty scary.

Several things are changing in my personal life, and it's left me feeling anxious and exhilarated. This year is going to bring a lot of changes and challenges, so I'm hoping that as it progresses I'll have more to share with you. I'll keep you updated as much as I can along the way.

Cheers!