Photo Friday - Graduation edition

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Today is our graduation ceremony!  Hard to believe the school year is over...

I'm not actually participating in the ceremony--I'm volunteering to check-in graduates, but I won't be sticking around for the awarding of degrees.  None of my students are graduating right now, but I hope these students enjoy their special day!

Are you attending or participating in a graduation ceremony this spring?

More blog love!

The lovely and kind S.K. Anthony has nominated me for a blog award! Many thanks!

This is the Very Inspiring Blogger Award, and the rules are simple:

1. Display the logo on your blog (check!)
2. Link back to your nominator (done--thanks again, S.K.!)
3. Share 7 things about yourself
4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award
5. Notify your nominees

Here are 7 things about me!

1. I was born and raised in Texas, but don't have much of an accent.
2. I learned to read when I was 2 years old.
3. I like to have a candle burning when I write.
4. My favorite color is green.
5. My favorite TV station is BBC America.
6. I love to watch hockey.
7. I am on a never-ending search for the best Bloody Mary.

And now for my nominees--15 is a lot, so I'm just going to stick with 5.

Deniz Bevan
Deb's Writing Room
Jen FitzGerald
Father Dragon
Lexa Cain

Head on over to their blogs, and tell 'em hi for me!

Spring has sprung!

Well, this weekend, at least.  Temperatures have gone up and down over the past few weeks, but the past few days have been quite lovely. I took advantage of the weather to visit the Arboretum, which was a garden paradise.  I thought I'd share some of it with you, to start your week off with something pretty!

Celebrate the Small Things - Recap edition

After taking the month of April off, I'm happy to be back and participating in the Celebrate the Small Things blog hop, hosted by VikLit.

This week, I'm celebrating the fact that I survived the A to Z blog challenge.  It was tough but fun, and I had a blast reading everyone's posts and responding to comments on my own blog.  I really enjoyed the experience, and I'll definitely sign up for next year's challenge!

I'm also celebrating playoff hockey.  Although my beloved Dallas Stars did not make the playoffs, my other team, the Washington Capitals, did. I'm watching their first game as I write this post, and so far, they're winning <knock on wood>.  If you've read my blog for very long, you know that Thomas, the hero of my second book, looks a lot like Brooks Laich.  I tell myself that watching the games counts as research. :)

Finally, I'm celebrating the fact that tonight, I'm going to see Iron Man 3!  Hooray for superhero movies!

What are you all celebrating this week?

Photo Friday - Conference edition

Photo Friday is back!  After a month-long hiatus courtesy of the A to Z blog challenge, I'm happy to return to my regular Friday features.

Today's picture is the bag I received at the 2012 DFW Writers' Conference.  I had a wonderful time at last year's conference, and I'm excited to return this year.  They have a great line-up scheduled, so it looks to be a productive and educational weekend!

Is anyone else going?  Be sure to say hi if you see me there!

Looking for a new book?

I'm thrilled to announce that today is the release day for my friend and fellow agency sister Amara Royce's debut book, Never Too Late!

Amara is celebrating all day--stop by her blog for a full schedule of events, and for a chance to win some awesome prizes!

Congratulations, Amara!  Happy release day!

IWSG - May edition

Welcome to the May edition of the Insecure Writers Support Group! I missed April's post due to the A to Z blog challenge, but I'm back and I hope you guys will forgive my absence.

Today I want to talk about motivation.  What keeps you on track, writing-wise, when life gets in the way?  Do you have a daily goal in terms of word count?  Do you have a set schedule, a dedicated time to write every day?

As for me, I find that keeping a daily record of words written helps, because it makes me want to write even more the next day.  My schedule prevents me from writing much while at work, so I devote several hours every night to take care of my blogging and writing.

I love challenges like NaNoWriMo, be it the November full version, or the summer camps.  I signed up for the April camp, and challenged myself to write 20,000 words.  Although I am about 2,000 words short of my goal, I did manage to finish the manuscript I was working on, so I consider it a win.  I love the social aspect of the challenge, and the way my progress is mapped out every day.  There's something about feeling like part of a group that makes writing more fun and keeps me on track--after all, I don't want to be the slacker in my Cabin!

What about you?  How do you keep going when you're tired, or when the words just don't flow?