I think I have had about enough traveling to last the rest of the year. What a long summer this has been! I'm pretty sure I've been gone more than I've been at home and, let me tell you, I have missed my own bed! Now that school has started again, things are finally starting to slow down. Also, the Olympics and Shark Week is behind me- FINALLY. Now I can begin writing again- after I catch up on all the emails and questions and such. :-)

Now that the Olympics and Shark Week are over, have you started writing again?

Ok, I remain skeptical that this is my agent emailing in in an attempt to light my inner fire again. ;) It's been a while since I have written, but as soon as I am finished with this blog post I am getting back to the grindstone. My husband bought me an amazing set of headphones which I have been drooling over for the past year and I'm itching to use them. For those that don't frequently follow my blog, I rarely write without listening to at least some kind of music, but mostly stick to dub step.

Regardless of if you're a writer or not, I think we all need breaks. They are healthy and give us a chance to cool down from whatever it is we are passionate about. For me, it gives me a chance to experience new things and catch up on my reading which actually fuels my writing once I begin again. It's interesting how, after taking a break and being frustrated by writer's block, can open your mind up to things you had not once considered before the break. I'm going into book four with fresh ideas and thoughts that I can't wait to get down. The several week long break, as frustrating as it really can be, is always a blessing in disguise because I gain more insight to my character's lives when I take a step back from the situation. 

-A

If you have a question about the Tabitha Hale Saga, please feel free to shoot me a message here or leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will incorporate it into my daily schedule. (Once you're on the website, click 'contact' on the upper right hand side.) Make sure you subscribe either via email or blog so you don't miss tomorrow's question!

Thanks to all the wonderful people at Goodreads, I now have not only an author profile, but also one for my book! You can become a fan, follow my updates, and add A Perception of Dreams right to your reading list! Here is my author page and here is the page for APOD. Also, if you look on the right hand side of my blog, just under the about me, you'll see my fancy Goodreads button. I've already clicked it twice. I'm so excited =)

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

Actually, it's a little of both. A good portion of the story has come from my imagination, but there are many places where I insert things from my own life. Whether it be in a conversation, a certain situation, or a minor detailing, there is a little bit of 'me' in all of it. For example, in chapter two there is a scene where Tabitha is knitting to relax after a long day. As she hears knocking at the door, she places the project into a 'multi-colored bag'. The bag I have in mind was actually my grandmother's. She always had that bag full of every color of yarn and an assortment of needles. After she passed away, I found out that she wanted me to have that bag, making it very special to me. We spent many hours in her seventies orange rocking chair as she taught me to knit.

In answer to the question though, it's little things like that which I throw in not because I expect the reader to focus on the minor details, but because it means something to me. It's pretty neat going back through all the books and picking out all of the hidden treasures I've snuck in over the years.

-A

If you have a question about the Tabitha Hale Saga, please feel free to shoot me a message here or leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will incorporate it into my daily schedule. (Once you're on the website, click 'contact' on the upper right hand side.) Make sure you subscribe either via email or blog so you don't miss tomorrow's question!

You know how you have those weeks where you're so busy that you feel like you're running around and forgetting everything you were supposed to do? Yeah. That's been my entire summer. The last week was verging on miserable and my memory is so shot that I had to buy a planner a few days ago! ...Then I lost the planner...However, I did just find it in my computer bag so we'll see how long this lasts.  I'm pretty sure I'm becoming the type of person that will forget something even if it's stuck to my forehead. 

On top of the previous dilemmas, the last two weeks were Olympic weeks. My mother, being the gem she is, called and informed me that the Olympics are ending on Sunday- thank God!- but that Shark Week begins then. ...Are you kidding me?! It's got to be a conspiracy against writers everywhere. I was glued to the television more than I would care to admit watching all of the Olympic events and now I will be glued another week to tune into Shark Week. It's a good thing A Perception of Dreams is not yet published or I would have emails out the wazoo prodding me to continue working on book four. No one tell my agent. :P

I need a nap...and someone to pull the plug on my television. K thanks.

-A

If you have a question about the Tabitha Hale Saga, please feel free to shoot me a message here or leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will incorporate it into my daily schedule. (Once you're on the website, click 'contact' on the upper right hand side.) Make sure you subscribe either via email or blog so you don't miss tomorrow's question!

What book are you reading right now and how often do you pick up a new novel?

Great question. If you take a look at the right hand side of my blog, you'll see a little box under my 'about me' titled 'currently reading'. I update this as soon as I finish a book. Currently, I'm reading Two Pins in a Fountain by Jane Arbor. It's one of those books that I picked up from a yard sale because it 'looked pretty'. [See previous post for that explanation ;)]

As for how often I pick up a new novel: I go back and forth all the time on this. I can easily go through a book a day, but the downside is that I get so absorbed in the story that I neglect my own writing of the Tabitha Hale Saga. I've gone from the former to a couple a week because I need a brain break from the THS. About a month later, usually when I see a new book coming out, I'll switch back to the former and do a book a day. After realizing, again, how much that took away from my writing, I always switch back to a couple a week. It's really a viscous cycle for me. Once I get into a story, I just have to know the ending which makes the book really hard to put down long enough to come up for air. As my husband says, 'You devour books.' No, but really. I do.

-A

If you have a question about the Tabitha Hale Saga, please feel free to shoot me a message here or leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will incorporate it into my daily schedule. (Once you're on the website, click 'contact' on the upper right hand side.) Make sure you subscribe either via email or blog so you don't miss tomorrow's question!

Do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what do you do to get past it?

Ugh. I get writer's block more often than I would like which usually ends up frustrating me to no end and causes me to walk away from writing for a while. As much as I would like to give you a definite answer that would cure the dreaded writer's disease, I don't have one. Every person is different and their thinking/writing process is entirely unique so what works for me may not work for you. That being said, I typically just have to turn my music up more loudly and push through the block. I force myself to sit down and write or I take a break and read a book to clear my head.

-A

If you have a question about the Tabitha Hale Saga, please feel free to shoot me a message here or leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will incorporate it into my daily schedule. (Once you're on the website, click 'contact' on the upper right hand side.) Make sure you subscribe either via email or blog so you don't miss tomorrow's question!

Alright, I'm back, ha ha. In previous posts, I mentioned that I had bought a massive bag of books a few weeks ago and posted a photo on Instagram of them. Well, I have been quickly working my way through that bag. It's a rather funny story as to how I acquired said books. A friend of mine, Kayla, went with me and my son to visit my family for a week. It was a blast! We all took one of the days to go to a local second hand shop and I ended up finding books for .25 cents to a dollar a piece. Needless to say, I filled a huge bag.

I came to find out that Kayla's way of choosing books and my way of picking them out were entirely different. I base my decision by reading the summary on the back cover; Kayla, on the other hand, chooses books with "pretty covers" and goes from there. As you may imagine, I laughed out loud when I heard this, but gave it a try figuring, why not?

I don't even remember how long we were in that silly store, but I remember it took up the entire afternoon as we scoured the shelves. Three weeks later and I have finally begun going through them. So far, I have read three books in the past four days. The first book was alright and had a decent story line. The second book verged on great, but kind of ticked off the reader in the middle and resumed the story at the end. [Author's first rule: Never tick off your reader.] The third book was just phenomenal. 

If you have been following along with my blog from the beginning, you will already know that David Eddings is my all-time favorite author and that I am head over heels for all of his books. There is just something about how he writes that sucks me in, not to mention his out-of-this-world imagination. I have read everything from Lord of the Rings to the Chronicles of Narnia, to Harry Potter, to Twilight and none of them have topped David Eddings for me.

I'm definitely more of a fantasy, paranormal buff, so stepping outside of that and into the contemporary romance novel was a stretch for me. I don't prefer stories that are laced with language and sex. I believe you can have an amazing story without the two of those placed so graphically into your mind for the rest of forever. That said, I just finished Secrets of the Lost Summer by Carla Neggers and fell in love. 

When I informed my husband that this was right up there next to David Eddings, he was shocked. Then I went on to tell him that there are twenty five more books she has written and I received the classic 'look'. [Check two posts before this one for more on that ;)] Bless his heart for putting up with my book obsession.

Switching gears a bit: Now that Michael Phelps has raced for the last time and the gymnastics I care about have come to a close, I can finally start focusing on finishing book four of the Tabitha Hale Saga! My week long brain break was nice, but I'm itching to see where my mind takes me. More to come soon!

-A

Because I just love you all so much, here's a sneak peek into chapter four of A Perception of Dreams.
 

Tabitha shrugged and stared into the water. “I just feel like I'm missing something. Even before my parents died, I always felt like there was something … more. When I'm alone, outside, I just have this sense of … I guess you could call it purpose. It's like I know who I am, yet I don't know anything at all, but on the other hand I'm supposed to be something more.” She shook her head suddenly, “Never mind. It's stupid.”

Aidan stood and offered her his hand. “First, you're not alone.” Helping her up, he picked up her blanket and handed it to her. “Second, your thoughts aren't stupid at all.” He paused, as if considering what to say, “Sometimes the best way to find yourself is to realize you're lost. Knowing that creates a starting point for finding your way home. If this is where your path leads you,” he said gesturing to the natural surroundings, “then don't let anyone pull you away from that. Only by being true to yourself will you become what you are truly meant to be.”

She was staring out over the water again, her face serious. He nudged her shoulder and smiled. “It's even better,” he said, “when you find those who share the same passions and walk the same path. It makes the traveling a lot less lonely.”

If you have a question about the Tabitha Hale Saga, please feel free to shoot me a message here or leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will incorporate it into my daily schedule. (Once you're on the website, click 'contact' on the upper right hand side.) Make sure you subscribe either via email or blog so you don't miss tomorrow's question!

The following is a list I created based on my own personal experiences. Enjoy ;)

You know you're a reader when...

When in trouble, your parents take away your book rather than an electronic device.
When you go to the hair dresser, you read instead of talk.

When your friends tell you to get your nose out of a book, they think that's a bad thing.

When leaving the house, you grab the book before the baby. (Kidding!...no, but really)

When in bed late at night and your husband is ready to turn out the lights, you ask for five more minutes to finish a chapter, but end up finishing the book.

When you sneak off to the bathroom during a sleepover to read a book where there is less noise.

When a teacher asks if the class has read a certain book, the class answers, "Andrea has."

When you have a 'must buy' list.

When you re-read a multiple book series every time before the new one comes out.

When you've read Harry Potter so many times that you point out every single anomaly in the movies.

When you ask if a friend has read a certain series and they answer, 'No, I would rather watch the movie," you consider deleting them on Facebook.

When you frequently have in-depth discussions about fictional characters as if they are real.

When you cry when a character dies or kisses the wrong person who they clearly aren't meant to be with.

When you purposely buy hardbacks so they will last longer through your obsessive reading patterns.

When you see a second hand shop, you make a beeline for the book section in hopes of finding a good deal, and walk out with bags of books.

When you have more books than shoes.

When you'd rather have more books than shoes.

When you begin a new book, you don't come up for air until it's finished.

When you defend your reading habits to others who find it odd.

When you were a kid, you would get into trouble for staying up late to read.

When someone asked what you wanted for Christmas, you give them your already-prepared book list.
When people buy you gift certificates instead of books for Christmas because they can't keep track of what you've already read.

When you quote from a book in a conversation and no one understands the reference.

When you have the tendency to think in third person.

When your friends know to come to you for suggestions on what to read next.

-A

If you have a question about the Tabitha Hale Saga, please feel free to shoot me a message here or leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will incorporate it into my daily schedule. (Once you're on the website, click 'contact' on the upper right hand side.) Make sure you subscribe either via email or blog so you don't miss tomorrow's question!