Let Them Be Little

I really enjoy Halloween. I have fond memories of watching scary movies with my brother and dressing up in cool costumes pretending to be someone else for a day. One year I was even a witch ((gasp)) because I thought it would be so cool to fly and wear a pretty, sparkly hat. I loved pretending to be someone else and knocking on a stranger's door knowing that one day a year everyone had their doors open to greet each other. Essentially, we were all playing one giant game together- until the porch lights went off. That was the universal sign that we were done playing. (A sign I'm certain people don't remember.)

This year I'm bummed though. I look around me at terrifying or provocative  'children's costumes'. I see sugary, crap food everywhere that society has been trained to think of as 'normal' for a child to consume. Each and every single one of the ingredients in any candy bar contains high fructose corn syrup. (Go research what that is, what it does to your body, and then you'll understand why I am bothered by giving this to my children.) 

I have the desire to take my children trick-or-treating because I want them to experience what I experienced at their age. I want them to look back and remember the times we spent together doing things as a family. I want them to be able to hold out their bag and get excited by what is inside at the end of the night, but it is not worth it to risk their health or their lives just to get candy which we all know they would be devastated to receive and not be able to consume.

Then there is the other reason I'm bummed. The 'fun-suckers' come out. I see social networking sites explode with negative and purposefully nasty, judgmental comments directed at those who 'partake' in Halloween. I still fail to understand how people who claim to have a desire to show Christ can sit around the same table and make such purposely hurtful statements based on no facts to back them up. When it comes right down to it, my reason for 'celebrating' Halloween may be completely different than the couple down the street. Is it true that there are those who 'worship' this 'holiday'? Yes, it is, but to lump everyone into the same basket isn't fair or accurate. We are all different. We have different backgrounds, different beliefs, different reasons for why we do the things we do. The thing that constantly surprises me is adults' desire to turn a child's imagination into more than what it is. 

I've said this many times, but it's worth saying again. If something is a stumbling block for you-- Stay away from it!!!! Good for you for recognizing a problem in your life and not having a desire to be around it. I sincerely applaud you and am genuinely happy that you are trying to do the right thing by you. But we have got to stop getting so angry and upset at others for doing things that we stumble over. Your situation is not the same as theirs, it's a matter of opinion rather than a matter of salvation, and you have no idea where someone else is at in their journey to criticize something they choose to do. Live your life, tend to your own garden, and let them live theirs. At the very least, be polite when having a disagreement. Not everyone has to think the same way or do the same things, contrary to popular belief. If you're reading this and are completely anti-Halloween... That's ok! I completely respect you and the decision you have made about what you feel is best for your family.

For me, Halloween wasn't about sitting around in a dark room speaking in unintelligible languages to the dark forces that be. It was about playing dress up and using my imagination to fly or put out a pretend fire like a fire fighter. As an adult, it's about reliving my childhood and seeing a smile light up my son's face as he uses his imagination. Now, to me, it's more of a tribute to fall and a reason to do something we wouldn't normally do. (Plus, I don't think i'll ever grow tired of playing dress up.)

Let me tell you something that happened a couple days ago. As my husband and I walked our children through Aldi, my son saw all the costumes on the shelf. I asked my husband if he wanted to 'do Halloween this year' but he didn't care one way or another. As we had our own conversation, my three year old points up at one of the costumes and says, 'Mamma, I wanna be buzz lightyear!!!' Seeing his face light up with the uncontainable joy only three year olds possess, we picked through the costumes to find his size and handed him the package. Anyone with a three year old knows what came next... 'Mommy, open it!' followed by daddy saying, 'We have to pay for it first, then you can put it on at home.'

Fast forward to the very moment we crossed the threshold of our home. Little squeals pierce my eardrum as my toddler begs his daddy to 'Open Buzz!' While my husband unwrapped the millions of layers of packaging with a Swiss Army knife and a crowbar, my son was readily disrobing with the door half open to the world. Eyes still blazing with excitement, my son begins running around the house hitting the 'button on his arm' and saying 'pew, pew!' He dubbed our miniature dachshund 'slinky dog', gave me the title of 'the dinosaur', my daughter was 'bo peep',  my husband became 'woody', and my son made us call him 'buzz lightyear' all within the span of a wardrobe change.

 Isn't it amazing what our little ones come up with when given room to let their imaginations run untamed while they are little? Embrace their precious imaginations. One day you'll look back fondly on all the times you spent together in make believe land. Let them be little. They grow too fast as it is. 

-A

And the winners are...

I am super excited to announce the winners of the very first giveaway for 'A Perception of Dreams'!!!

Collin C. & Amanda J.

Congratulations to both of you!! I will be sending you emails hopefully by tonight. (Here's hoping my children allow me five minutes of peace!)

I will be hosting another giveaway as soon as we reach 100 likes on The Tabitha Hale Saga facebook page. However! As an added incentive to help me get the word out, I will happily have TWO MORE WINNERS if we can reach 100 likes by Monday!! Only 9 more to go =)

Congratulations again to Collin and Amanda! I can't wait to hear what you both think!

-A

Oh, the life of a mom. Yesterday I said I would get 'A Perception of Dreams' (affectionately known as APoD) on another site. As is typical, life happened and my littles picked that day to be demanding. I love, love, LOVE being a mommy, but it is so complicated to be an author at the same time! The deadlines I set for myself have to be lengthier ones so that I'm sure I meet them on time. What would normally take me a couple hours to do or figure out now takes a day at the least, but most likely several. I have emails that I haven't had a chance to respond to and a very dear friend that has been left hanging somewhere in facebook land because I haven't had more than two minutes to sit down and type out a well thought out reply. Bless her heart for still keeping in contact with me though!

I really do love being a mom though. It is hands down the best job I have ever had and more rewarding than anything. Even now, my daughter is in her bouncer giving me those baby blues asking to be held, I just noticed that my son drew on his face with blue and black markers, and my phone is going off every two minutes. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Finally, a day later, I've gotten around to the 'other site' that I wanted to put APoD on. It is now avaliable for purchase on Smashwords. Also, for those of you who have read the book already, I would greatly appreciate it if you left a review on either Amazon or Smashwords or both! Thanks! <3

Have you entered the contest to win APoD? Remember, you can do so daily! Share with your friends =)

-A

A New Beginning

After many months of being silent on here, I am finally ready to reveal what I've been working on! It's been so long since I've written to you all and so many things have influenced that. 

I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in April, whom we named Tabitha. She is such a little mommy's girl. I can't put her down for more than fifteen minutes without her wanting me which I dearly love, but it does get frustrating when I need to get things done. My son, Jonah, loves her to pieces and is constantly wanting to play with her, talk to her, hug and kiss her... As she has grown (she is now almost five months) we have noticed that she is living up to her name. My mother first pointed out that she has 'elf ears'. I can't wait to see who she looks like!

My sweet agent, Pauline, passed away unexpectedly. It was a complete and total shock, one which I'm still reeling from. I think a lot of frustration came from that, but in more ways than one. She was one of the first people to believe in me and in the story that I have created. She encouraged me, corrected me, helped me to learn and grow to be a better writer, and without her I would never have the courage to do what I am about to announce. Because she, and many others, believed in me and The Tabitha Hale Saga so much, I feel confident in the work I have been doing over the past few months. 

::The big announcement::

I am beyond excited to announce that the first book of The Tabitha Hale Saga, A Perception of Dreams, has been created into eBook format for Kindle and is officially for sale on Amazon. To celebrate this, I am having a contest for five days! Not one, but TWO people will win a FREE copy of 'A Perception of Dreams'! The contest will run today through the 27th. You will have up to 10 entries and 4 of those will be daily entries. So invite your friends and let's really get the word out! I'm so excited to share this with all of you and am excited to see who the lucky two people will be!

-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 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 the next question!

Will you write more stories set in this world that doesn't involve the main character?

When I first started writing the Tabitha Hale Saga it was solely meant to revolve around Tabitha, which is very evident in the first book. As I have gotten deeper into the story and become more involved in the character's lives I have had an inner pulling to tell their stories as well. Even now that I'm working on book four, I frequently have the desire to go back to book one (A Perception of Dreams) and indulge more on Emma's side of the story, but as my father says, "The important thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." In the end, I always end up listening to him and adding more to books two through four which you'll thank me for later. ;)

Once you switch from book one to book two you can definitely tell that I take a greater interest in telling Emma's side, but I also want to make sure that I keep the main focus on Tabitha as it is still her story. I have thought of several different ideas where I could branch out and do a separate book on specific characters- and I very well may- but my current priority is finishing the THS. 

I think one of the biggest things I love about the THS is that I have somehow managed to reveal everything as the character is figuring it out so that we learn everything as the character is. (I think part of that is because, for the longest time, I had no idea where I was going with it; rather, I just sat down and wrote so whatever the character was experiencing I was experiencing too.) I didn't want to put all the info on the table at once and overwhelm my reader, but I didn't want to leave out so much that I didn't grip them either. 

Somehow I think I've found the perfect balance and I really have to just thank my dad for listening to my lengthy ramblings and understanding what I mean through all the crazy thrown in. I also have to thank my agent for taking a chance on me and believing in the book and Tabitha's story enough to pick it up and promote it. I have some pretty great people in my life that really helped stitch all of this together.

-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 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 the next question!

After a much needed break, I am working on getting back into the swing of not only writing, but also posting for all my lovely readers. I really appreciate the patience you have all had as well as the encouraging words from several of you that a break is sometimes needed to clear an authors mind. I hate these breaks because I know exactly where I'm going with the Tabitha Hale Saga, but for whatever reason the words just don't seem to appear as quickly as I would prefer them to. I am thankful for the many extra snuggles I got with my little one at night as I put him to bed rather than writing immediately after he went upstairs with daddy. =)

What influenced the world you have created?

My first thought when I read this question was David Eddings. (I swear, everything goes back to that brilliant man!) I was so in awe of the world he created for his characters that it made me want to create my own as well. Imagination is such a wonderful and amazing tool. One can literally use this tool to accomplish anything. Look across time at all the things people have dreamed up- Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Harry Potter being the firsts to come to mind. In the creation of those stories, the authors literally reached an entire generation. The power that a properly told story has and its long-reaching affect astounds me, but is also a little scary because, when you think about it, that is a lot of power to wield. Speaking for myself, I really try to be careful what I write and how it comes across to my readers. Even if you aren't an author, I would really encourage you to be mindful of how you want others to remember you and think of the impressions you could end up leaving upon the earth after you are gone. You never know- you could be the one that affects an entire generation.

-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 the next question!

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!