Fiver's Flamingos 2013

How does one start something like this? I guess you go back to the beginning, which in this case would be Mel, AKA Fiver, and we are her Flamingos. Back in 2007, our friend Mel ( , AKA Fiver) was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Essentially, it causes all the motor neurons to shut down, gradually making the muscles unable to function. It's very rare (1 in 1 Million) for someone who was only 34 years old to come down with this, as it mainly affects people between 50 and 70. Life expectancy is 3-5 years from diagnosis. The disease progressively takes away movement and coordination. In September 2007, she marched with fellow LotR fans in the annual DragonCon parade. Six months later, she was wheelchair bound, now has a permanent feeding tube, and can no longer talk or move outside of blinking her eyes. To say that we all (Mel's friends) felt more then a bit helpless would be an understatement. How do you fix something that can't be fixed? The answer is, you can't. But what you can do is take a page out of Mel's book, slap a smile on your face, and always look on the funny side of life. So 4 of us did something spur of the moment in 2009, when we got together to run the inaugural Disney Princess Half Marathon (13.1 miles) at Disney World. I threw together some team jerseys with iron on letters & princess stickers, and we dubbed ourselves "Fiver's Flamingos" in honor of Mel, who loves both Flamingos and Disney more than anyone we know. In 2010 we teamed up with The ALS Association of Georgia (http://www.alsaga.org/) to help raise some money to find both a cure and treatments for ALS, as we ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon again that year, 2011, & 2012 with some new faces on the team. ALS Research had a major breakthrough last [...]

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THE NEXT BIG THING (yes, all caps)

A few weeks ago Tera Fulbright tagged me on her blog as part of a chain of authors (or creative people) recommendations called THE NEXT BIG THING. Given that I've been away on travel a lot & I found a free minute today, it's my turn to reciprocate and to pass on the torch. I'm going to answer questions about my new project War of the Seasons, book 3: The Hunter. Then I'm going to tag five wonderful authors who will tell you about their Next Big Thing on... whenever they get a chance.

Guest post: Finding time to write, by Bryan Young

I was absolutely thrilled when on of my oldest friends & fantastic author, Bryan Young, agreed to do a guest post here. Seriously, if you haven't read his most recent novel, Operation Montauk, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Dinosaurs, Nazis, a space ship, time travel... oh, and a monkey! 

I returned the favor and did a guest post on his blog on interacting with readers, which you can find here. Bryan's post on finding time to write can be found below. 

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Janine and I have been friends for a long time, and so when she asked me to do a guest post for her writing blog, I said, "Sure!" With the exclamation point and everything. And she asked me to write about finding time to write. She and I share many things in common, but chief among them is our mutual love of Star Wars and our ability to write quality work while having two of the busiest lives in the galaxy. So it seemed like a natural fit for me to write about finding time to write. We should start with the most obvious statement in the world: If writing makes you happy, you should be writing. Period. And if your writing is good, there's no reason you shouldn't be publishing. But the biggest stumbling block for people always seems to be, "I don't have time to write." I'll let you in on a secret: Me neither. I make time. I wrote and published well over 250,000 words in 2012. In 2012, I also held a full time job. I had freelance work on top of that. On top of that, I have a family that demands attention. Dates, play dates with the kids, school functions, and on and on and on. I've got a gig hosting a pub quiz every week, and that needs to be written as well. I'm as busy or [...]

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Thrifty Fashion: Modest is Hottest (and stripes!)

I've not hidden the fact that I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, aka "Mormon"), but it's also not something I am "in your face" about. It's just a part of who I am - like curly hair, my family, sneezing in threes, and pretty much anything else that's integral to my life. And so it's natural that just like my personality, colors, patterns, and weather effect my clothing choices, so do my religious beliefs. I was raised LDS, and I remember my parents always teaching from a very young age to dress appropriately, modestly. When I turned 12 and graduated from "primary" to "Young Womens" I was given a small book "For the Strength of Youth" that further clarified the way we should dress, act, and treat others. As an adult I've tried to maintain these values and standards, though I am human, and do fail at times, especially in my treatment of others. I need to be better about that. When my husband and I were sealed to each in the temple other (a little while after we were married) we made new covenants to each other & with the lord - one of them being to dress modestly. So, unless I'm running (or participating in another physical activity, like swimming, etc), I don't wear anything sleeveless, low cut, short (I stick with knee length), etc. Essentially, like I was taught as a teen, I try to think "Would I feel comfortable with my appearance if I were in the Lord's presence?" That's a pretty good guideline. I don't find this limiting at all, and I don't think my "fashion sense" has suffered for it either. Though I'm certain my parents disagree with me & my "fashion sense." ;) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ You might be asking yourself (because I know I'm certainly asking myself), why the heck is this author/Marine/mother/wife writing a [...]

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2012 year in review & some resolutions

A love doing retrospectives like this - it's a great way to reflect on the year & take stock in my life, etc. It really puts things in perspective. Often I've thought that I had a horrid year, and then when I look at the meme I'm like "oh hey, my year was actually pretty awesome!" That's not to say there wasn't drama - face it, living with a teen(s)... there's gonna be drama! 1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before? I'm sure I'll forget a lot, but I traveled to several countries I'd never been to, published a sequel novel, moved to Washington, DC, won a Disney racing award (twice!), was a guest of honor at a convention, got my coast 2 coast Disney medal, dressed up in a Star Trek suit and pretended I was an away team at Disney World. Met the Speaker of the House (and went to his Christmas party). Flew business class internationally (that was AWESOME), visited the CONGO and watched a Lion hunt a Warthog! Saw Big Bad Voodoo Daddy & Don McLean in concert!

Thrift Fashion, a post for Jill

Several weeks ago my friend Jill gently reminded me that I hadn't done a Thrifty Fashion post in a long while, so I am doing one now for her. :) Happy Christmas everyone! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ You might be asking yourself (because I know I'm certainly asking myself), why the heck is this author/Marine/mother/wife writing a fashion blog? Aren't there like a bajillion fashion blogs out there? Why do we need another? We probably don't, and I don't think I'm a fashionista at all, but apparently some of my friends and family do, and they asked me to do one, soooo... I figured this would be kind of fun to do. So there. You can see my first post HERE, where I go into the basics of my style & kind of what my shopping "motto" is (never pay full price for anything), and that patience is a virtue (wait 3 years to find a specific pair of $250 Fluevog shoes for $40? Why yes I did...) ~~~~~ Outfit # 1, Special Agenda? Nope. I just wanted to be comfortable and warm on this chilly morning. Anthropologie sweater, $30 (store year end clearance) Grey blouse, $3 (thrift store) Anthropologie Purple knit skirt, $25 (store year end clearance) Purple Penny Blossom by BrightCopperPenny (she makes geeky themed ones too!), $7.50 Tan suede boots, $6 (thrift store) Bling (necklaces, costume jewelry on sale at Claire's - yup!), $30 Total: $101.50. At full price would have been: approx $350. [...]

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A guest post from Author, Marianna Roberg

[caption id="attachment_834" align="alignleft" width="369"] Me (Queen Amidala) and Marianna (Sith Witch) at a Star Wars party I put together right after Episode I came out. Yes - we made our costumes, and yes, we have always been geeks. :D[/caption] Many years ago, when I was 18 (it was in the last century!) I discovered a wonderful thing called "fanfic." I read and read and got my Star Wars and X-files fix, and in doing so, made friends with a another young lady online named Marianna Roberg. Of course we didn't know each other by our real names, no, but eventually we chatted a lot more, grew to trust each other, and realized after a while that lo and behold we lived only a few blocks from each other! So of course we had to meet & solidify our friendship. Then about a year and 1/2 later I graduated from BYU &  I went and joined the Marine Corps, moved to the other side of the country and  we lost touch for a few years. Until once again on a Star Wars forum I saw the handle I recognized so well & bam! Marianna & I were back in touch again. I was absolutely delighted that she was able to make it out to see me this past October during Crystal Coast Con, and after a bit of talking/catching up, I asked her if she wouldn't mind sharing some of the challenges/experiences she's had with her writing/life over the years, and I'm so grateful she was willing to do so. I've always been a fan of Marianna's writing, so if you are looking for something new to read, please check out her Broomcloset series: http://amzn.com/1475221312 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Not long ago, I visited Janine and her famil [...]

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