Hey there! I hope everyone has a lovely weekend planned. J and I aren’t too big on Valentine’s Day, but we’re doing a little something this time… More on that below. But for now, here are five things on my mind this week:
1. Thank you for all the kind messages and comments to last week’s blog!
Pushing back the release date for Shattered Pack was a tough call for me. I’ve never not made a deadline! It was killing to even think of moving it out, but alas, I had to face the music. The little girl (who is currently hiccuping in my belly) needs me to sleep and rest a bit more than usual. If that means pushing the release out, then that’s what I had to do. Otherwise, I had a feeling the book would’ve turned into a hot mess, possibly with some gibberish at the end… Ha!
So, thank you to everyone who messaged and emailed with their good wishes. And thank you to everyone for being so understanding. I’m so incredibly lucky to have such awesome readers. <3
2. Ink Monster is doing a Valentine’s day giveaway!
It’s on Instagram. Find us by clicking here.
Rules and info from the Amazing Candace:
❤️ Its almost V-Day guys! 💝 To celebrate we’re having a Valentine’s Day GIVEAWAY!! As @loladodgewould say, “tell your friends! Tell your baristas! ” REPOST!
💟Directions Below ⤵
1. Must be following us
2. Must REPOST, tag us and use hashtag : #inkmonstergiveaway
3. Must tag 3 of your friends in the post 💝📚💝📚💝📚💝📚💝📚💝📚💝📚 💝
PRIZES : ❤️ one engraved Jane Austen pencil set ❤️ one e-copy of Alpha Unleashed ❤️ one e-copy of Portia ❤️ one e-copy of Quanta ❤️ one $10.00 Amazon Giftcard 5 prize winners will be chosen! #giveaway ends Feb. 15,2016
3. To keep me motivated (and awake) while I write I blast music. It’s like Club Aileen over here, especially since my super awesome brother wired my house for sound. Right now, this is the song I’m listening to over and over again:
Something about the baseline gets me in the Meredith and Donovan headspace. I don’t know why. It’s not really the lyrics that do it… It’s just a thing, but it’s working! So, I’m not messing with it. If the muse likes this song right now, then that’s what we’re listening to. But at this rate, Baby Girl is going to be born a certified club kid. 😉
4. On a more serious note, I saw this the other day:
It’s something that’s been on my mind. Regrets and going after what you want.
A couple weeks ago, one of those Facebook “On this day…” notices showed up. It was the post that I’d made on my last day working in postproduction. EIGHT YEARS AGO.
Holy moly, you guys! I remember how scary that was, leaving the steady job that I’d worked hard for, trained for, gone to school for… The one that had all those amazing benefits like health care and paid vacation days… Not to mention the salary. I mean, it wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. But I decided that I was happiest when I was writing, even if I’d never taken a writing class before! So, I quit my job, got a part-time nanny gig, and committed to my writing. It wasn’t easy, but if I hadn’t done it, I know I’d be one of those people writing a regret on the wall.
The good news is, it’s never too late. Every day, every moment is a new opportunity to start changing things. It takes time. I mean, it took me eight years to get here, but I did. It was scary and hard, but I don’t regret it for a second. And so, if I were in NYC and saw that chalkboard, I don’t know that I’d have anything to put on the board. That’s an awesome feeling. It’s one I wished everyone had.
Life is short, y’all. Make every second count.
5. This weekend is Valentine’s Weekend, but J and I never celebrate it. In fact, in the almost nine years that we’ve been together, we’ve only been in the same city/country once. Maaaaybe twice. We make up for it by being super barfy all the time. It’s pretty annoying to everyone else, but it works for us. 😉
Anyhow, a month or so ago we were driving by the El Capitan and saw that they’re going to be playing Lady and the Tramp.
Awe! So adorbs. Look at Lady. She’s just so elegant. And the Tramp. He’s so fun and adorable. <3 How could we pass that up?!
So, tomorrow night, we’re going to get Italian food and seeing Lady and the Tramp. It’s not so much a Valentine’s Day thing, but wanting to see it on the big screen and making a night of it thing. Bonus points because it’s a little romantical. 😉
What are you guys doing for Valentine’s Day?
Whatever yo do, I hope you have a fun weekend, filled with chocolate and treats and loved ones.
xoxo
Aileen