Phwew! That was heavy...

Do you remember that phrase from Back to the Future? It was supposed to be all cool and futuristic. And now that movie is so old, most of my target audience for my books (YA) probably have never even seen it.

Anyway, the point is.... wow, that post yesterday was heavy. And yet you guys completely and totally lifted me up. THANK YOU so much for every comment and email. I can't begin to tell you how much it meant to me. Hugs for everyone! Unless you don't like hugs. Or if you're shorter than me and then that awkward moment happens when your face is in an inopportune location and I have to kind of shlump down and it's just totally lame. Let's just throw out cupcakes instead. CAKE FOR EVERYONE!

And you know what? I was sick to my stomach about posting that yesterday morning, but by the afternoon, I was so much happier. And then last night, as I was driving my three amazing kids home from SonA's baseball tournament (the last sporting event for two months until soccer starts up again!! YAY!!), we had the windows rolled down, Muse (Best. Music. EVER.) was blasting, and we were all rocking out. It was a perfect moment. We were laughing, dancing, singing. The wind was blowing through the car, the sun was setting, it was amazing.

So you know what? Yes, sometimes life is hard. Sometimes things don't go how we hope. Sometimes I'm not as kind as I want to be, and sometimes others are not kind to me. BUT. Life is beautiful. There is joy to be found in the journey every day.

I am grateful for how sad I was when I wrote that post yesterday morning, because it made the joy of driving home with my family that much sweeter last night.

Monday Motivation

"There are two types of people: those who come into a room and say, 'Well, here I am!' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are.'" - Frederick L. Collins

Today, I am grateful for friends and family who are the second type of people; those who care about others rather than trying to seek attention and praise for themselves. I am grateful for critique partners and friends in this crazy writing world who say, "you are not alone"--even though sometimes this business can feel lonely.

I hope I have been, and can continue to be, that type of person to others as well. Wouldn't this world be a happier place if more people were like that?

Who has been there for you in your life or in your writing career that you are grateful for today?

**Also, for those of you who have been following Josh and Megan's story... he has been moved up to have an immediate bone marrow transplant to try and save his life. Out of his family, only one person matched him--his sister. But the miracle is that she is a PERFECT match. He is going in to the transplant room for 14 days to have his immune system obliterated and then when he hits zero, he will have the transplant and a new "birthday" because he will be like a newborn. He is going to have to rebuild his immune system from scratch, even repeating immunizations and everything. If you could please keep him in thoughts and prayers, I know they would appreciate it.

You know what 200 means...

*note: well, when I checked my blog earlier on Tuesday, I had reached 200... but apparently someone decided to unfollow me. *sad face* Apparently my rambling answers about loving Benihana and desserts and lots and lots of books and movies was too much for someone. Now I'm down to 199. But, you know what? It's close enough. So...

It's time for a contest! Woohoo! Thank you all for caring enough about what I have to say to follow me and comment on my posts. It means more than you know. As a way to say "thank you" I am going to do a contest. The only thing I'm having trouble deciding is... what to give away?

So now is your chance to let me know. What would you--my lovely, wonderful, awesome readers--like to win? Please vote in the comments and I will announce the contest prizes and what to do to enter on Friday!

1. A package that includes a book (maybe two or three depending on which ones I get) and some chocolate or candy.

2. A package that includes a gift card to Barnes & Noble or Amazon or something like that, and some chocolate and candy.

3. A ten page critique of your manuscript.

Let me know which one sounds the most appealing to you (and if you have any requests, let me know!) and I will announce the actual contest on Friday.

Thank you again; all of your support and kindness has been astounding.

Reminiscing

Why do I write? For some reason I'm in a nostalgic mood today, thinking about how far I've come in this journey (and yes, how far I still have to go), and it got me thinking about that question. Why do I write? With all the ups and downs and craziness of this business (and the sometimes sluggish pace, I might add), why do I keep at it?

I write because I love it. I always have, and I always will. I've written for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I have three stories running in my mind at once, sometimes I hit a dry spell and take a step back (although, not so much anymore, I usually make myself write through the dry spells now that I'm making it my career). But no matter what, I always come back to it. Whether my break was a day, a few weeks, or even a couple of years (like right after I got married and was worried my hubby would think I was nuts if I went and sat down in front of a computer for hours on end to "write a book").

Thankfully, one day, about six months after the birth of our first son, he asked me if there was anything I wish I could do if I had some extra time. He wanted to know something that I loved and wanted to do that I might be missing since getting married/having a child. I immediately told him I missed writing.

I explained how much I loved it, that I'd written more than twenty books throughout my life, and that I really, really missed sitting down with pen and paper (or at my computer) and writing a story. He was pretty surprised. He knew I "liked writing" but I'd never really admitted that I had two bins full of notebooks and printed "manuscripts" (if you could even call them that), hiding at my parent's house. There were even two I wrote in high school that I liked enough to three-hole punch and put in folders. Giving them the appearance of a real book to let family and very close friends read. (Oh yes, I still have those beat up folders. Not sure I'd ever let someone read any of those stories again though--at least, not without a MAJOR editing/rewrite job. )

Instead of laughing his head off at me, my DH immediately told me I should write again. He said he was taking our little boy and would let me have a few hours at least once a week to let me write.

Isn't he amazing? I love my husband and am so grateful for his support and belief in me. I started writing again that very afternoon.

So, why do you write?