Vegas Valley Book Festival Here I Come!

Tomorrow I will be doing my FIRST book signing. I am really looking forward to getting to meet some fellow authors and new potential readers. Since my last post I  have taken on a part-time job working for my favorite non-profit. I thought that with my new job, having 2 little kids, and all the other things life throws at me that I would have less time to write. Funny thing is it's given me more to write about and therefore I actually write more. I've learned that if it's something you care about then there is always time to do it.

My Next Project

I am currently working on my next project. It is a children's picture book series geared towards 3 to 5 year old readers. I am SO excited about this project and am hoping to find the perfect illustrator and/or perfect publisher. If this process has taught me anything it is to have patience. I do not want to rush into anything because I believe this series has great potential. And I must admit, having my children as my inspiration for this project has made writing this series seem pretty natural and pretty awesome.

What Makes a GREAT Writer?

What really makes a person a writer? Creating a super popular blog with thousands of followers, writing a book, self-publishing a successful e-book, working as a journalist for a national newspaper or magazine? I think there are a lot of things that make a writer. But what I am really wondering is what makes a person a GREAT writer? Is it after 20 or 30 years of work, after selling a million copies of their latest book, after landing an incredible literary agent, after gaining international recognition? I suppose that is what many of us in this society would consider as great. However, after really thinking about this question and examining myself a little, I believe there a few key things that make a great writer. A great writer is someone who writes with no fear, writes without limits, writes honestly and openly, writes without regard as to what the critics might think, writes with confidence, writes from the heart, writes without second guessing, writes with integrity. The hardest part is picking up that pen or opening up that laptop. After that, I believe any of us have it in us to be a GREAT writer.

Don't Lose Sight of Your Audience

As an author, it can be really easy to lose sight of who your audience is. I was putting final touches on my second book and I found myself becoming more and more particular about each and every sentence. I then reminded myself that this book is geared towards second graders. It is of course important to make sure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors for this (and any) age group. However, I had to keep reminding myself that this book was for the readers, not the critics. And I am pretty sure that the 6 through 8 year olds who get this book will enjoy the read. 

I Think da Vinci Had it Right

"Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication". That is still probably one of my favorite quotes. I am sure Leonardo da Vinci was referring to works of art when he made this statement. However, I cannot help but feel like this can be applied to all aspects of life. In this day and age, it seems so many of  us are obsessed with the finer things in life. And we work hard to acquire these things. I have learned though, that it's not so hard to be happy with less. As long as we have what we need, that should be enough. Whether it be simplicity with the style of our homes, the things we acquire, our artwork, or with how we raise our kids. We do not have to have it all to be sophisticated, sometimes a whole lot less makes for a more sophisticated work of art, a more sophisticated person, or a more sophisticated family. 

Things Always Work Out

Sometimes we find ourselves in uncomfortable situations. Whether it be money troubles, an argument with a family member, a feud with a friend, or problems at the workplace. However, I have learned through  my experiences in life, that things always work out. Sometimes they do not necessarily work out the way we plan or hope for, but either way they will work themselves out. The most important thing is to stay positive and to "keep the faith" as they say. And that is just my thought for the day.

Social Media is Ruining our Lives (Mine Included)

            Let’s face it. Since the creation of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media outlets we as a society have completely changed the way we do things and have become more self-obsessed than what may have ever been considered humanly possible ten years ago. 

            How many times have you gone on a family outing or a date with your significant other or to a girls or guys night out and completely stopped what you are doing to “check-in” on Facebook? How many times has your kid or puppy done something cute and you completely miss out on the moment because you cannot get the video on your phone working so you can upload this adorable moment on YouTube? And do you find yourself personally invested in the social or personal life of someone you went to high school with who you barely even talked to when you were actually in high school? Statistics show that the average person logs into Facebook six times a day and seventy percent login every time they start their computer.

            We all know that social media outlets, especially Facebook, are a huge waste of time (at least in some respects). But not only that, they have allowed us to become more and more self-obsessed as individuals and as a society. I am glad that you cooked a nice healthy dinner for yourself, but do you really need take a picture of it and upload it to Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook? Or in some cases, all three? And I am sorry that you could not find your keys and were ten minutes late to work today, but is it necessary to tell everybody this via Twitter? And I am glad that you have the most wonderful hubby in the world, but come on people; don’t you think that could be considered bragging just a little bit? Would you text that to everybody on your contact list? Then why do you post that on your Facebook or Twitter for everyone to see? It seems that we know every detail of so many people’s lives right now whether we want to or not. The sad thing is, deep down, we actually want to, which is exactly why we spend so much time looking at these websites. And it seems that we want everyone to know every detail of our life as well. Whether it is for attention, justification from others, or maybe we just do not have anything else to do (although we probably have a million other things we could and should be doing).

            Whatever happened to the days of just living our lives, without having to tell everyone exactly what we are doing? Is it possible to go to a concert, or a movie, or even the park anymore without “checking-in” or uploading multiple pictures? And you have to love the mobile upload option, now we can upload pictures and videos at almost the exact moment that these things are happening.

            Social media in many ways is RUINING our lives and I suppose there is not much more to be said on this topic. This is just my opinion after all and a little food for thought. And if you could please excuse me now, I must go log-in to my Facebook and Twitter so that I can post a link to this blog. 

One day I will get it together...right?

Anyone else feel that since having kids that you just cannot get it together? I do. I am just wondering how long it will take until I finally do get it together, or is that pretty much never going to happen now? I take my daughter to the library for story time every Tuesday and I cannot get over how put together some of these other moms look. At first I told myself, well, they only have one kid and I have two. But then I see moms with two kids, sometimes three who seem to have it all together. Maybe it just looks that way on the outside, or maybe they have a nanny, or a husband who doesn't work every day of the week. Or maybe they are faking it. Or maybe they do not dedicate every second of their free time to writing or trying to draw up some inspiration. Or maybe, well, maybe they just got it all figured out and I don't. But at the end of the day, my kids are happy and well taken care of...and that is all I can really ask for. And at least I got that together.

I have all these thoughts in my head....

...and no time to sit and jot them all down. Well, until next time y'all. I see a 2am writing binge in my future.

It was suggested to me that I focus my blogging on being a writer and being a mom. However, this has absolutely nothing to do with either one of those things....

I really wish I could take a picture of some of the things that I see when I am by myself (usually when I am driving in my car). There is no better place to people watch than Las Vegas. The other day I saw an elderly woman driving her motorized chair while pulling her friend behind her in her wheelchair (held together by a rope, crossing one of the busiest streets in the valley). Totally makes sense to me! They were able to get where they were going in a timely manner I am sure. I remember when I was living in my first apartment here a guy followed me home on his Moped and when I got out of my car he asked me where the party was at. Apparently when driving I signaled to him that I was heading to a party and he should follow me. Not quite. I could go on and on with different examples of crazy things I have seen out here...I seriously love this city.

Now & Then

Three years ago I was working countless hours at a job that I loved. I was always on the move, living a fast paced life. Life was chaotic. There were times when my husband and I were at opposite ends of the country and neither of us were even at home. Tonight I sit here, three years later, having just tucked into bed my two year old daughter and my nine month old son. Funny how life changes. I now realize I did not even know what chaos was. If that was chaotic, then this is, well, this is something that they haven't even made a word for yet. And I would not change it for anything. I have been a writer since I was old enough to pick up a pen. As a child, I wrote stories for my parents on a daily basis. In high school, my poetry was picked to be published in a few different anthologies. But I was never able to take my writing to the next level. And I put it on the back burner for a long time. Then I became a mom and I had exactly what I needed to motivate me to pick up that pen again. I had my inspiration and I had my two little muses. Writing suddenly felt more natural, more real, more right. I am now a newly published author and I plan to write and write and write, as long as someone is reading.