Upcoming Events and Secret Handshakes

“The time has come!” the walrus said. “To speak of many things…”

I feel like a circus clown juggling chainsaws right now. I’ve come to the realization that I’m not very good at saying NO. But I’m getting better at it. I’ve also come to the realization that I am not a super hero, and that’s okay. I actually do need more than 5 hours of sleep at night. Using Redbull in place of water when brewing coffee will only work for so long, and if I don’t want to burn out or have a nervous breakdown, something’s gotta give. 

I know how many hours are in a day, and I know where I need to be directing them. I’ve already taken a big step by putting in my notice with my day job. That was hard. Really hard. I like my boss, and he’s asked me a few times now if I’d consider staying. But like I said, I’m getting better at saying NO. I did, however, give 3 months’ notice (I think I mentioned this in my last post). I just finished designing my second to last real estate guide book. And after next month, I’ll be a full-time writer. I’m hoping this will reduce my stress levels by about 25%. And just maybe, this weird eyeball thing I’ve had going on for the past few weeks (like sleepy pins and needles in my eye socket, when I’m in front of my computer for too long) will go away. I’m also looking forward to more sleep, and a faster computer, since I’ll be clearing out a bunch of ginormous graphics files.

With this month’s guide done and off to the press, I scoured over my author email account and noticed an update from my newsletter service, telling me that a hundred new subscribers have signed up since my last newsletter. Ruh-roh. Looks like I’ll be working on that next. I have a lot of news to share—upcoming events, books that friends have recently released, and other exciting things…

With spring comes convention season, and I’m diving in this year! Here are just a few things I have planned in the coming months:

NEXT FRIDAY, March 27, from 4pm-6pm @ Reader’s World in Sedalia, I’ll be signing books and visiting with readers, along with Madge Gressley and Paul Ross. You can find out more on the Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/629253317206789/

FRI-SUN, April 24-26, I’ll have a table at the Writer’s Corner of the Trail’s End Heritage Days event at the Missouri State Fairgrounds. Check out their website for more details on this huge event: http://www.thetrailsend.org/

FRIDAY, May 15, @ 2pm, I’ll be at Club RT at the RT Booklovers Convention in Dallas, TX. Kory Shrum and I are going to try to nab a table together, so you can visit us both and check out the new anthology we co-edited. We’ll be giving away a few copies! Find out more on the convention website: https://rtconvention.com/

SATURDAY, May 16, 11am-2pm, Giant Book Fair at the RT Booklovers Convention in Dallas, TX. There will be hundreds (like, around 800) authors signing at the fair. It’s amazing! I’ll have copies of my new book, Blood Moon, and copies of my first book, Graveyard Shift, available. Again, more info is available at the convention website here: https://rtconvention.com/

There’s also a vineyard reading in Knob Noster, MO in June, but I don’t have all of the details yet. More on that to come!

In other exciting news, I am now a member of HWA, the Horror Writers Association, and SFWA, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. As an indie author, without a publishing house family, these kinds of connections are usually difficult to forge. We indie authors have to do more research, without an agent or publicist to point us in the right direction, and many of the more prestigious organizations have not been open to us, until now. I’m very thrilled to be a part of these two groups. I admire many of their author members, and I’m looking forward to attending their events and learning secret handshakes! : )

Another group I’m proud to be a part of is my critique group, the Four Horsemen of the Bookocalypse. We’re coming up on our 1 year anniversary! Kory Shrum, Kathrine Pendleton, and Monica La Porta, you ladies are amazing! Your work is inspiring, and your critiques make all the difference in the world to me. I hope we have many more fantastic years together ahead of us! ♥

I’ve also been connecting with some local authors lately. Madge Gressley, who invited me to the Trail’s End event, met up with me for breakfast a few weeks ago. I’ve started reading her Inescapable series. It’s an interesting sci-fi, thriller, romance mashup that looks like a lot of fun! In that same week, Lisa Medley stopped on her way through Sedalia to have lunch with me. I met Lisa at the RT convention in New Orleans last year. She writes reapers too! If you follow my blog, you’ve probably heard me gushing about her a few other times, in interviews and blog hops.

So that’s what’s what on the author front. There are also some exciting things happening in my personal life, that have been upping my stress levels, but I’m hoping those will be resolved soon too. I can’t wait to share that news with everyone, but it will have to wait until everything is finalized. : )

Wishing you all rainbows and unicorns!

xoxo

-Angela

Crazy Little Baby Man

I really thought I'd have all the time in the world to blog after I finished my degree a year ago. But about that time, my kiddo hit the toddler phase. Xavier was a phenomenal baby. He'd hang out on the couch with me and breastfeed in between me typing on homework, a novel, or the monthly real estate guide I design. Most of the time I was still able to continue working one-handed. He really was the sweetest, happiest little guy. Not that he isn't sweet and happy now. It's just that since he's figured out how to walk (and subsequently run and crawl and open things), I'm finding that I require more and more coffee... and hours in the day. If anyone knows the location of a vat of chemicals that could help me develop time-freezing super powers, hit me up. I've weened Xavi off the boob, so at least I don't have to worry about said chemicals affecting my milk supply.

I love my kiddo. I love that I get to work from home and spend all day with him. It's not without it's challenges though. Today, I woke up with a tiny elbow in my spleen. It took half an hour to balance my checkbook this morning, because a million kisses were in order. Oddly, I was entirely uninteresting once I finished with the checkbook and was ready to play. That baby radar is no joke. As I type this, Xavi is relieving me of all the mac-and-cheese on my plate. (I can count this as dieting, right?)

I solemnly swear I'm up to no good...

Things have been especially trying through Xavi's terrible twos because his language skills are developing slowly. Crazy, right? With as much as Paul and I gab, it's really a shocker. No, we haven't had his hearing checked, and we see no reason to. You can whisper the kid's name from across the room and he turns around. And he understands when we tell him no or when we play peek-a-boo. I'm not getting too worked up about his pace yet. I know several people who didn't start talking until they were three, and Einstein was four. It just makes it hard for him to communicate with us, and then he gets frustrated, and I get frustrated for him. He's developing just fine otherwise. He's very mechanical and his motor skills are spot-on. He's even started changing the oil in my car. Okay, not really. I'm hoping those motor skills come along soon though too.

I'd like to start blogging more, and hopefully before my kiddo starts preschool. I think I'm just a guilty person by nature. I can't seem to focus if I feel like I'm not making enough time for my little guy. Mix in the time I spend writing, reading, editing, doing graphic design, marketing, networking, and all the regular, boring activities like exterminating dust bunnies and scrubbing toilets, and well, you get the picture. That's how I end up blogging once a month (if that). I'm a little better with Facebook and Twitter, but not much. I need a set schedule. I need a New Year's resolution... that I actually stick to. I need one of those coffee enemas. Okay, that might be taking things too far.

Well, it's taken nearly two hours to do this blog, because after eating my mac-and-cheese, Xavi decided that I should be wearing him like a hat. I love this little guy to pieces. And if I have to get a Five Hour Energy IV to keep up, then that's what I'll do. Until it comes to that, I'll save nap time and the extra hours I should be sleeping for working on the novels, and continue to blog when I can... while wearing a Xavi hat and drinking beverages with questionable looking toddler backwash in them.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! And I'll do my best to check in again soon, hopefully with some new giveaways and freebies before Christmas! : )

We Survived the Prombie Apocalypse 2013!

It has been eleven days since the Prombie Apocalypse in Sedalia, MO, and I still feel like I'm recovering. lol We had such a great time!!! Here is a brief history of how this event came to be... since you're all in for a round two next year!

Back in July of this year (2013), my honey and I were hanging out in Grand Central Station (a.k.a. our living room) and we were discussing my new book, Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend, which was due to release in October. I have three other titles out in my urban fantasy series, Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc., but this was going to be my first YA novel. I wanted to do something BIG to celebrate the release. In the past, I've always done book signings and blog tours. (btw There's a blog tour for Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend going on right now! I'm giving away a paperback, a few ebooks, and a $20 Amazon card. Check it out HERE.) I wanted to do something more to commemorate this new genre I was diving into, and I also wanted to do something nice to give back to the community I grew up in. With it being so close to Halloween, and the novel themes of zombies and prom, the idea of the Prombie Apocalypse sprang forth effortlessly. Also, with the Sedalia Public Library preparing to move back to their original building, after the big remodel, raising money for new books seemed like a worthy cause. My honey, being the supportive and adventurous guy that he is, said, "That sounds like a swell idea!" So our work began...

After finding a venue (the Convention Hall at Liberty Park), we secured insurance for the event. Then we began hoarding decorations and other party necessities (i.e. raffle prizes, crowns for the Royally Undead Court, table centerpieces, fog machine, brain jello mold, ect.). Next, we commissioned one of Sedalia's favorite karoke DJs, Char Mickle, and a photo booth from Turpin Photography. We had tickets and flyers printed. We also reached out to the SFCC vo-tech Graph Design class, and they did a tee shirt design challenge for the event. We talked to the radio and newspaper about our plans. We also sought out some fantastic sponsors! 

Sponsors and raffle donors include: Sedalia Reader's World, Stone Laser Imaging, Kay's Bridal & Tuxedo, The Academy of Salon Professionals, The Gallery Salon & Spa, Preferred Properties, Formal Affairs, Woods Supermarket, The Sedalia News Journal, 92.3 Bob FM, Precision Paint & Auto Body, and Pepsi. 

As with any event this big, there was the last minute hand grenade. In our case, it was the insurance, one of the first things we secured. We received a call 4 days before the event stating that underwriting had decided they couldn't insure us. They had even sent us a certificate the month before. : ( So we ran around at the last minute trying to find new insurance. Most places told us it was too short notice for them to put together a bid. When we were just shy of heart failure, Ahrazue Wilt with American Family Insurance in Sedalia came to our rescue! She even found us a great price.

Everything finally came together, and we had a great time! Here are some pictures and a final shout-out to all the fantastic people and businesses who helped us make the night a huge hit!
 





So there you have it. Come join us on the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PrombieApocalypse 

We'll be discussing themes for next year, music selection, and also, as with this year, we'll have the court nominations and tee shirt designs up on the page for voting! You'll also be the first to know when tickets go on sale. Can't wait to see you all again next year for a spooky good time!

This and That

It's been a bit of a downer day. One of the most awesome bosses I've ever had passed away yesterday. Almost everyone in Sedalia knew Seth Wagenknecht, the manager of Galaxy Cinema. I worked at the theater when I was seventeen, right after graduating high school. Seth was a lot of fun to work for. He was laid back and always had a good story to tell. Some of my fondest memories are of the midnight showings for employees on Thursday nights. We would watch the new releases to make sure that the reels were put together in the right order and played smoothly, before being officially releases on Friday. In the last few years, Seth was diagnosed with cancer, after doctors found several tumors on his brain. He went through radiation treatment, and the last time I spoke to him, he was in good spirits and it sounded like the treatment was working well for him. He was only fifty-seven. I had really hoped to introduce him to my son, once he was old enough to sit still through a movie at the theater. The funeral is this weekend, and while it's a very sad time, I am looking forward to seeing some of the old friends I worked with years ago. There are so many generations of theater employees who I'm sure will be present to pay homage to a great mentor and boss.





On a more up note, my friend Teresa has recently launched a new book review blog, and the first books she reviewed were the first three novels of my Lana Harvey series! I helped with the logo design, and I think it turned out really nice. She's new to the blogosphere, so if you could help her out by liking her Facebook page, following her on Twitter and Goodreads, or following her blog, it would be greatly appreciated! : )

 Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Blog

The Prombie Apocalypse planning is coming along nicely. The venue is reserved, the deposits have been paid on the DJ and photo booth rental. I've also found some really cool decorations that I can't wait to set up! Hopefully "Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend" will be complete by the end of August, and then the ARCs can go out for reviews and the real marketing work will begin! If you're planning on coming to the Prombie Apocalypse, be sure to check out the Facebook page and list the music you'd like to hear and check out some of the fun links posted, like the zombie makeup and walk tutorials. It's going to be a good time. : )

A Lot Like Life

We spent the weekend at the lake. Around here, THE lake usually means Lake of the Ozarks. I always get the most reading done when we're away from the house. I guess it's because I don't have the internet or a zillion things I could be organizing or cleaning. I also never take my laptop with me, so any writing I do is all longhand. It's a fun change of pace. Of course, decoding my own handwriting once we get home is another story entirely. 

This weekend, I finally read the last Sookie Stackhouse novel. Le sigh. It's so sad that the series is over, but I do think Harris ended it well. I suppose it was a little unexpected and unsatisfying for some. The only thing I found a little odd was the switching back and forth between first and third person, which Harris did to show the bad guys plotting behind the scenes. I felt a little robbed of the surprise and mystery that is usually present in her books. While I was okay with the ending and who Sookie finally ended up with, it didn't seem like there was as much buildup and fireworks as usual. I guess I was really expecting that for the finale book, but I still enjoyed the read. I'll probably give it four stars on Amazon and Goodreads, though truthfully, I wish I could give it five to help balance out all the nasty reviews being posted by fanatics who think that since Sookie didn't end up with their favorite bachelor, Ms. Harris should be tarred and feathered. However, she's still on the best sellers list, so naaa na naaa na naaaa na! : P

In other news, My kiddo turned two on the first of July! How the heck did that happen? This weekend, we watched the big fireworks show over the lake from our deck and sang Happy Birthday a lot so he would know that the show was all for him. hehehe. He had two parties last week, but I'm pretty sure that the private fireworks party with Mommy and Daddy was his favorite!

Paul and I are already planning for the RT Convention in New Orleans next May. Hopefully, the book we're coauthoring, "Backwoods Armageddon," will be released in early April so we have time to squeeze in a few Missouri signings before hopping a plane or train to head south. I've been making pretty good progress on Crazy Ex-ghoulfriend, the zombie YA novel that I'm working on. It should be out in early October. It's my first YA book, so I'm doing some pretty new and exciting things with it. For one, I have a super awesome group of beta readers who are reading the book as I'm writing it. AS I'M WRITING IT. O_O  I'm uploading a chapter or two at a time to them. It seems to be going well so far. : )  Also, I have some really fun Launch Party ideas a brew'n. Hopefully I'll have some details ironed out and ready to share with you all by next week.

It's been beautiful out lately. Summer is my favorite time of year. Xav and I have been hanging out at the pool and park. I hope we have time to go check out the Farmer's Market this week. It makes me giddy that I'm able to be relatively lazy when it's this nice outside. The bigger marketing/publicity work for my last Lana novel is finished up. Oh! And my college diploma finally came in the mail last week! No more school for me. Squeeee! The awesomeness below came in the mail recently too. It's a Lana themed snowflake, designed by artist KitCameo. I'll be framing it in my office this week, with a teal backdrop. I loves it! Check out all the insanely awesome detailing! The little tombstones around the central square, the battleaxe and hell hounds. I am beyond impressed!

Well, this blog posting is going to get awkward if I let it ramble on much longer. I guess I shouldn't let so much time pass between postings, and then I wouldn't feel like I have to retell my life's story so everyone can get reacquainted. If you get to missing me too badly, feel free to track me down on Facebook or Twitter. The links are at the top of the page. 

Hope you're enjoying this summer as much as I am! ♥