Monday Motivation - Inspire yourself

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Celebrate the Small Things - #LuckySeven edition and FATAL FALLOUT teaser!

Many thanks to Nana Prah, who tagged me for this fun hop!  The rules are simple:

Go to page 7 or page 77 in your current WIP.  Find line #7, and post the next 7 lines.

Here we go!  This is from FATAL FALLOUT, coming in August (that's a month and a half away, in case you're keeping track!).

She [Claire] nodded, but it was too late. The image was burned into her brain. All she had to do was close her eyes to see Ivan, her friend and collaborator, lying in a pool of his own blood, the horrible words painted in jagged red script across his chest.

You’re next.

******* 

“Again!”

Thomas looked down into his niece’s smiling face and couldn’t help but grin in return. “Okay, but this is the last time.”

Want to know what happens next?  Check out the FATAL FALLOUT tab above and pre-order your copy today!

Want to participate in this hop?  Just follow the rules above, and leave me a comment so I can check out your snippet :)

What are you guys celebrating this week?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week.  This is a blog hop hosted by VikLit, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Pre-order LETHAL LIES today!

I'm happy to report that the pre-order links for my December release, LETHAL LIES, are active!

You can find the book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble now, and I'll post links for other retailers as I find them.

What's this book about?  Here's a short description I posted to Facebook a few days ago...

Alex Malcom is an undercover FBI agent who has infiltrated a violent D.C. gang. When his cover is blown and the only man who can prove his innocence is shot, he kidnaps ER doctor Jillian Mahoney, hoping she can save the injured man. But the gang is determined to find him, and now Jillian's life is in danger as well. Oh, and did I mention it's December and a raging snow storm has the city on lockdown?

This was such a fun book to write--Alex and Jillian go through so much together, and I loved developing their story and their relationship :)  I hope you guys will enjoy it as well.

If this sounds like your kind of book, please consider pre-ordering it today!

Monday Motivation - Um, yeah...

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An excellent question for any WIP...

And one of my favorite movies, to boot! :)

Celebrate the Small Things - Outdoor edition

One of the nice things about having a house is that now I have a backyard. While I've never really thought of myself as an 'outdoor' girl, I do enjoy being able to have potted plants and bird feeders and the like.  I thought today I'd share some pictures of my yard, and some of my favorite things there.

These are my garden lights.  During the day, the look like unassuming, super-cute figures, but at night, watch them glow!

And finally, meet my new friend.  There is a dove living in my gutter, under one of the eaves.  It's a pretty smart location, since she's in the shade most of the day.  I've taken to calling her Debbie.  Here she is, posing for you :)

Do you like gardening, or being outside?

What are you celebrating this week?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week.  This is a blog hop hosted by VikLit, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

IWSG - Enjoy the journey

If you're just joining us, IWSG is a great hop, started by Alex J. Cavanaugh, that has grown by leaps and bounds.  Check out the blog for a full list of participants, and to sign up yourself!

Hard to believe we're about halfway through the year already.  It seems like just yesterday I was snuggled under a blanket while the ice storm raged outside, and now I'm standing under or near every fan I can find in an attempt to stay cool!  It's becoming more and more difficult to take a moment to just breathe and to enjoy the days as they pass.

As our lives grow ever-busier, it's easy to overlook the everyday joys that occur.  For a lot of people, this means they start to pin happiness on some future event.

"I'll be happy when I get an agent."

"I'll be happy when I get published."

"I'll be happy when my book sells X number of copies."

I'm just as guilty of doing this as the next person.  But the problem with this attitude is that you keep pushing your happiness into the future, rather than grabbing onto it with both hands right now. "I'll be happy when," is self-defeating, because it's an ever-elusive goal. You're constantly moving the goalposts, and you can never win.

"Sure, I just signed with an agent, but I'll be happy when I have a contract for my book."

I'm not saying we shouldn't have goals or benchmarks to strive towards. But I think it's a mistake to decide that our happiness depends on meeting them.  Rather than focusing on future happiness, why not take some time to celebrate the joys in your life right now?

Monday Motivation - Well, sort of...

I'll admit, this statement does sometimes apply to me.  While I generally like to get my work done in a timely fashion so I'm not scrambling in panic as the deadline approaches, there are definitely tasks in my life that I delay completing.  Like housework. :) There's just always something more interesting to do, you know?

Even if you're not a procrastinator by nature, what's the one thing you always put off doing?