2013's To-Do List

2013’s To-Do List

 I’m the type of girl who makes resolutions and NEVER stick to them, but I really enjoy making them. So for 2013, I decided (with the help from a friend from school) that instead of making resolutions, I would make a to-do list. At first I decided not to make it public, but then I thought why not make it public? When I announced on Facebook, Twitter, and to my friends and family, I got so much positive feedback that it made me want to strive to reach the 50,000 word count. So without further ado, here is my to-do list for 2013!!

• Read at least 30 books
• Complete at least 2 scrapbooks
• Participate in NaNoWriMo & Camp NaNoWriMo
• Publish a novel
• Write my second novel
• Complete my portfolio
• Get back to doing yoga
• Make more time for myself
• Get an A in at least 1 class
• Believe in myself
• Blog more frequently

Update!!

I feel exactly like the man in this picture. This has been one crazy, hectic, and time consuming semester! I don't think I've ever been more excited for a break than I am right now!! I have so much (not really) to fill y'all in on since I last posted on here.

The last time I posted on here, I was stressing out about being behind with my novel for NaNoWriMo. Well, I am pleased to announce that I successfully completed my novel; I was able to make it to 50,156 words. I would have rathered a much higher word count, but I'd say I did pretty darn good if you factor in that this was my first year doing NaNoWriMo and everything else going on in my life. I've been waiting for the end of the semester to pick my book back up. Now since the semester is ending and the fact that my novel has had a good time to collect dust, I'll be picking it back up to edit and add/take out some scenes.

 

Last, but not least, let's not forget about the innocent people whose lives were taken from them way too soon. It still baffles me as to why someone would want to shoot babies and innocent adults. I just feel like they had so much good they could've done in this world, and they were robbed of their chances to make a difference! Please, continue to pray for these innocent people and their families. This should be a wake up call for the entire world...for everyone who is always complaining about any and everything, be grateful that you're still here today; you could be in worse shape...what if one of your family members was lost in that shooting? What if you didn't have a roof over your head or food to eat? Sometimes I think people take everything they have for granted. Although I don't have any children, I really feel for these parents and for the families that lost the adults as well. School is supposed to be a place where we can feel safe, but that's not the case anymore and it just sucks! While everyone is running around, screaming about the world coming to an end on December 21st, they need to wake up. If you ask me, the world ended when these innocent people were killed. Tell your loved ones how you feel today...don't let another minute pass by!



NaNoWriMo Update

It's Day 14 of NaNoWriMo and I'm only a little over 14,000 words into my novel! I thought I'd be a lot further than where I'm actually at, but with finals coming up, it's getting hard to balance. I'm really hoping that I can make it to my 50,000 word count, because it'd be a huge accomplishment for me, but if I don't make it to 50,000 words, I'll know that I tried my best! I'm not giving up hope yet, though; there's still some time left to finish! There are many days I stare at my story and think, "Is this flowing smoothly?", but then I quickly remind myself that it's about the writing right now; I'll have more than enough time to edit my story during my Christmas break. This has been an amazing journey so far, and I'm very grateful that I'm able to experience it. Below are some of the things/people that have been helping me stay sane throughout this experience!

The man behind the novel, my father; this novel wouldn't be possible if it weren't for him!!

 

My mother and sisters have helped majorly!

Samantha Stroh Bailey is an awesome person, and she's made this experience so great for me!

Anyone who knows me, knows I love Xtina! This album has been on repeat since it came out!

Need I say more?

 

 

 

Book Blurb for NaNoWriMo

Now, I know in my last post I said I was going to wait until Thursday to reveal my blurb for NaNoWriMo, but with school being so demanding and hopes of not neglecting either of my blogs, I'm going to reveal my blurb right now. This is a huge step for me because I've never been one to share my serious writing with anyone, so here goes nothing!

 

"Sliding Into Love"

 

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade; but when it throws you a curve ball, what do you do?

Emma Murphy has been spending her days the same way for the past ten years:  wake up, take her medicine, go to dialysis, and help her mom run the daycare. But when Bradley Carter, the star Pitcher for the Pleasantview Penguins, start attending dialysis, she knows that her days are about to be a lot less boring.

When Bradley is forced to put his career on hold, he goes from goofball to grouch within a matter of days, but Emma is adamant on changing that. Things are going well for them until Bradley receives bad news. Will Emma be able to turn Bradley's bad news around before it's too late?



Missing In Action

I'm baaaaaaaaccccccccccckkkkkkkkkk!! Well, at least I am for the moment. There has been so much that has been going on since I've been on here last. For example, I'm back in school and it is kicking my butt literally!! I had no idea this year would be so time-consuming; it's my sixth week back and I feel like I'm still trying to get used to my schedule! Thankfully, Thanksgiving break is coming up soon, but I'm crossing my fingers that Christmas break will come even sooner!

Next, I'd like to take this time to recognize the people who have fought, is fighting, or who will fight Breast Cancer. My prayers go out to these people and their families. Stay strong, keep fighting, and I pray a cure is found soon!

Last, but certainly not least, this year I'll be participating in the 2012 NaNoWriMo challenge. The National Novel Writing Month is where writers and authors challenge themselves to write a novel of at least 50,000 words in 30 days, but it has to be a story that you haven't previously worked on. Lucky for me I have about 20 of those. Of course, my inner Drama Queen is nagging me, saying "I can't do this" because I can barely balance school by itself, but I'm determined to prove her and everyone else wrong. Yesterday was officially NaNo Prep day, and I started filling out one of my character sheets, and I'll be doing even more prepping tonight!! I was a little nervous at first, but I believe that I can do this; I have faith in myself, my story, and I have an awesome support system from Facebook friends to authors to my actual friends, and especially my family. I don't think I'd be able to do this without them. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to do this, but if I don't succeed at writing 50,000 words in 30 days, I'd be happy with just attempting to; and I'd be even happier if I can stick it out and not quit after a day. Be sure to come back next Thursday, the 25th, and check out the blurb for the book that I'll be working on for NaNoWriMo!!

 

 

Appreciating Your Losses, Gains, and Everything You Have

There has been so much stuff going on lately, not only in my life, but in the world period! First and foremost, it's been a CRAZY last week; beyond crazy!! Through all this craziness, though, it made me appreciate everything I have in my life at this very moment, but before I get into that, I'd like to congratulate the Rancics on their baby boy! I'm a huge fan of their show and I'm thrilled for them because they deserve this happiness and more!!

On August 23rd, our lives were forever changed; on that day I lost my maternal uncle. His death was very unexpected and came as a shock to our entire family. I'll never forget that phone call, what I was doing when I got the phone call, or how fast I raced out of the house to be by my Grams' side. At the time I had no idea my uncle had passed away, I honestly thought it was going to be a call about my Gramps, but when I found out the real reason, I was completely heartbroken. I've been experiencing the loss of close family members for the past 3 years, and those were completely different than this one. Those family members had been sick for some time, not that I was expecting death, but I had some time to prepare myself for what might've happened, so when death is completely unexpected it takes some time to recover from something like that. Throughout this experience I've learned two things; the first thing, it is pure heck trying to organize a funeral during hurricane season, especially down in the South. The second thing I've learned is that my Grams is one of the STRONGEST women I know; a lot of people underestimate her. But you have to be a very strong woman to bury two of your children within a year of each other. Most people think that children are supposed to bury their parents, but that's not always the case; so please, appreciate and love your loved ones while their still here. Give them their flowers before it's too late!

Well, the time has come...this Thursday I'll be back to school. I'm definitely having mixed feelings about starting school again. I've been out of school for summer break since May, so it'll definitely be challenging to fall back into the routine of notes, homework, quizzes, and school projects, but I know as long as I work (not too) hard and I'm dedicated, I can't go wrong!!

Goodbye Freedom :(

In just 18 days I'll be forced to give up my freedom; that's right, I'll be starting school in 18 days!! Just as soon as I was starting to enjoy my break, I have to give it up. With starting school comes certain responsibilities; for example, both blogs will probably be slightly abandoned due to homework, class notes, and all the not so fun stuff that comes with school! Also, I'm pretty sure my reading list will be longer and my writing will probably suffer severely, but I'm going to try my hardest to NOT let that happen. Even if it's only a sentence, I vow to not neglect my personal writing. If I want to be a serious author, I cannot let little things like school, exams, and homework stand in the way of my success!!

Goodbye July and Hello August

I can't believe it's August already..where did the time go?  It seems like July was just here yesterday!!  I'm kind of excited for Fall, which is a huge deal for me because the only season I'm ever excited for is Winter, but anything would be better than this heat we've been getting down here.  Summer is supposed to be fun and spent outside doing fun things, not being stuck inside sitting in front of the A/C and still not being able to cool down enough!  I've absolutely had it with this heat!  The only downfall of Summer leaving and Fall coming is Fall semester will be right around the corner!  As always, I'm semi-ready to get started back (I'm just ready to be done with this so I can graduate already), but I'm not looking forward to my blogs being abandoned, my writing being neglected (despite the fact that it's my major), and my TBR list growing larger than it already is...hopefully, I'll be able to balance everything without stressing!  In other news, I've been watching the Olympics, and although I've been really enjoying the volleyball games (I secretly wish I could be out there playing on someone's volleyball team), I'm even more excited for the Winter Olympics.  What can I say, I'm a Winter kind of girl.  There was a perk to the Summer Olympics though...I laid eyes on my future husband last night!  Everyone meet Oscar Pistorius!!

Catch Up Time!!

Christmas in July...do you celebrate it or just treat it like a regular month?  Oddly enough, Christmas in July is something I enjoy celebrating; lots of people find me weird because of that, but surely I'm not the only one, and if I am, then maybe I am weird!  I don't go as far as to putting up a Christmas tree in my house (because that would probably make me seem more psycho than weird), but I do blast my Christmas playlist and sing along to songs like "Silent Night", "This Christmas", and "Do You Hear What I Hear".  Listening to Christmas carols in the middle of the year is actually relaxing.  Now if I could just do something about this heat, I'd be all set.  If you don't celebrate Christmas in July, I highly recommend it; it's good for your youth!!


There is definitely a such thing as being overly confident, and it's called cockiness.  Just like the picture says, "confidence is attractive, cockiness isn't."  One of my biggest pet peeves is learning about a cocky person.  I love reviewing books and connecting with the authors who have written these amazing novels.  Awhile back, Jodi Picoult stated in an article that people shouldn't self-publish.  A few weeks ago I read an article where a woman called the genre, Chick-Lit, stupid and said it was a sexist term.  Throughout her interview she just seemed really cocky and overly confident which was a huge turn-off for me.  Authors who are that cocky and say things like that steers me in the wrong way; I'd much rather read a self-published novel by a down to earth author than an overly confident author whose book has been published by a major publishing company.  Authors have fans and their fans look up to them; the last thing any author should want to do is say something so discouraging in an interview.

Father's Day

My father, my sisters, and me

My father, sister, nephew, and mother

Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful fathers out there and also to the single mothers who are taking the role of fathers.  For 21 years, I have had an amazing role model as my father.  He's the best man I know and I couldn't ask for a better dad.  He's my hero and I love him to death!!

Life As an Aspiring Author

I told my mother that can of frosting helped my "Writer's Block"! Lol!!

I must admit that I'm really enjoying working on my first novel, "Four Weddings".  Despite the fact that I gave up my dream of wanting to write novels as a little girl, I've recently recanted; I really enjoy it.  I'm not saying that I'm giving up on Screenwriting, but I'm really enjoying this entire process of writing a novel.  What has been the biggest challenge for me, so far, is getting used to the formatting; I mean, for the past three years I've been studying formats for scripts.  I love how writing seems as if it's the same, but can be very different when you consider the formatting; for example, novels, scripts, and teleplays, is something I've worked on in the past few months and it took some time getting used to all of them.  The authors that I've interviewed on eBook Addict have all pretty much given the same advice to aspiring writers, which is "Write everyday"; I thought the advice was smart and insightful, but not something I could do because of my schedule, but they were right!!  It's as if I write now without even thinking twice about it; whether it's a sentence or a paragraph, I always make sure I write at least a little something everyday.  When I started eBook Addict, I never anticipated meeting such wonderful authors; authors who sometimes go unnoticed, but they gave me hope and made me want to pursue this journey.  Also to my surprise, I've been really dedicated to this novel; usually when I start working on a screenplay, I work on it for a few days and start working on a new screenplay within the next week and completely abandon the one I was originally working on.  Now, the only thing I want to work on is "Four Weddings"...maybe this is a good sign.  Like I mentioned before, I have ran across some great authors, but the Unsung Heroines that basically gave me the push that I needed towards this new journey...the women that I hope to be as successful and talented that they are will be listed below.

My Unsung Heroines (authors)

Sybil Nelson
Samantha March
Lacy Camey

**These women have been so incredibly amazing (and friendly to me) and has inspired me tremendously!!**

Food for Thought!

For the past week, I've been reading this book, "A Sister's Forgiveness" by Anna Schmidt from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.  Although this has been an extremely long novel (and I'm still not through with it), it has really got me to thinking.  In this novel, two sisters whose families are extremely close are basically torn apart when a tragedy strikes.  When one sister's child is responsible for the other sister's daughter's death, how do you deal with something so tragic.  I've had mixed emotions while reading this book.  I mean, how are you supposed to just go on and pretend as if nothing ever happened as if your daughter's killer isn't family.  Can you turn away from that?  Would you turn away from that?  As much as I would hate sending my niece or nephew to prison, I don't think I can just turn a blind eye to them being the cause of my only child's life.  What would you do...could you go on with your only child dead, knowing that your niece could possibly walk away scot-free?

Big Things to Come

Now that school is out for the summer there are HUGE PLANS for my summer break.  Since I've been blogging more frequently on my other blog, eBook Addict, I decided it would only be right to show my first baby some love.  So I decided to redecorate it; make it look extra pretty, add some tabs, and make it something that will make me want to come back to.  Since I'll be off for the next three months, I've decided to focus on my writing.  I have ideas for my novels that I can put to use, ideas for my scripts, all I have to do is be able to sit down long enough to put it all on paper.  I will be continuing to update this blog over the next week or two, I hope you'll enjoy the finishing product.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom ever!!

Mother's Day ended up being quite the success over here...I loved that my sisters and me were able to put a smile on my mother's face; she definitely deserved to have this great day.  Don't just take out one day to show appreciation to your mom though, you should make EVERYDAY Mother's Day.  Happy Mother's Day to ALL the mothers out there:  expecting mothers, Grandmothers, Godmothers, step-mothers, mothers who have passed on, and the fathers who takes the role of the mother for any reason.  A big Happy Mother's Day to the most important women in my life:  my mother, my maternal Grandmother, my aunts, and my sister; and to my deceased aunts and paternal grandmother, Happy Mother's Day...you may be gone, but you will always live on in our hearts!! :)

25 Years Later

In 25 Years, I think the world will be completely different from how it is now.  There are a ton of things that can change between now and then, but the top three things I think will change the most is life with technology, our health, and cars.

I think that technology will take over the world completely in the next 25 years; it has partly taken over already.  In 25 years, I think instead of actual textbooks in classrooms, they will have Kindles and you'll be able to download all of your textbooks onto your Kindles.  I also think houses will become a lot more tech-savvy...almost like the Disney Movie, "Smart House".

Also in 25 years, I think our health will change immensely, but all for the best.  I think they will finally have a cure for cancer, infertility, and all the other diseases and disorders that has plagued our lives.

And last but certainly not least, I think in 25 years, all cars will be hybrids, but just in case they aren't, I'm crossing my fingers that gas prices won't be as high.


**This post is for the Fire Up the Future Giveaway!!**

Spring Break is Over -_-

Despite the fact that Spring Break is over, my homework hasn't picked up much...I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I'll take it as a good thing.  My break went by so fast; I had no idea a week could go by so quickly.  I didn't get as much writing done as I planned on doing...I didn't even get as much reading do as I thought I would, but on the bright side I did finish my spring cleaning of my Kindle; it was time consuming, but well worth it.  In other news, in 5 weeks I'll be off for the Summer and I'm crossing my fingers for a summer break filled with laughter, reading, and most of all, writing!!

Much Needed Time Off

Today is my first day off for Spring Break and I plan on using my time VERY wisely.  I have ONE week to get a TON of stuff done that I've been wanting to do in what seems like forever.  The first thing I need to do is catch up on both my blogs (I'm behind two book interviews and a book request).  Next on my To-Do List is Spring Cleaning!!  Now, when I say Spring cleaning, I'm actually talking about cleaning out my Kindle, not my house.  I've been wanting to clean my Kindle out since February...trust me, it is WAY overdue.  Last, but certainly not least, I would like to try my hand at writing.  Since I've been getting such great feedback from my Professor about my screenwriting, I decided it was time to try out a very different writing; novels!!  When I was a little girl, and hadn't decided on Screenwriting, I wanted to be an author.  In my opinion, writing novels and writing scripts are TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS, but I think I'm ready for the challenge.  Who knows, this could turn out to be a very good thing for me!!  Anywho, on top of all of this I still have 10 books that I need to complete for my A-Z Challenge; 6 books for my Chick Lit Challenge, and I'll be participating in another book challenge in May.  Seems like I have my work cut out for me.  But on the bright side, I only have five more weeks of school until the semester is over...then I'm free for three months!!!

So Much To Do, So Little Time

I know it's been awhile since I've been on here, and I apologize.  School has been so demanding lately, and I've been all work and NO PLAY!!  Well, I decided to take the night off and catch up on some fun things.  A lot has happened lately; for example, Chris actually came to a Birthday party, and this is a BIG step for him, because he doesn't do the "family get together" thing.  I was thrilled to have him here though.  Also, I can't believe it's been a month since Whitney Houston has passed away and I'm still listening to her songs and saying, "Oh my God, I can't believe Whitney Houston is dead!!!!"  I don't know why, but I'm really wishing that Spring Break gets here fast; probably because I can use the break and because I'll be doing A LOT of Spring Cleaning, and by that I mean cleaning out my Kindle...it's in dire need of a good cleaning!!  A couple of weeks ago, the Writer in me decided that I should live vicariously through my characters.  With being a Screenwriting major at an art university, its' kind of hard to NOT live through my characters.  So, with that said, for my script that I'll be working on, I'm transforming myself into the "Bride to be"....this should be so much fun; planning a wedding and I'm not even getting married, but it'll make for GREAT research!!

The Loss of a Legend

August 9, 1963-February 11, 2012

Last night while I was getting ready to eat dinner with my parents and sisters, we were informed of Whitney Houston's death.  This really shocked me, because it was just so all of a sudden and random.  Even though I'm only 21, I have two older sisters, which is who I learned all about Whitney from.  This woman was definitely an idol and inspired so many people, she was very beautiful, and had the voice of an Angel; she was a LEGEND!!  The first song I ever heard by Whitney Houston was "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", and it has always stuck with me...she definitely had those songs that you could hear once or twice and they would touch you; her voice and her high notes would give you chills.  Her songs were unforgettable.  I hate the fact that the media is so focused on her past struggles with drugs and alcohol; even if her cause of death was because of substance abuse, I feel as if though they shouldn't focus on that.  DRUGS DIDN'T MAKE WHITNEY FAMOUS, HER MUSIC AND HER VOICE IS WHAT MADE HER FAMOUS!!  Stop focusing on the bad parts of her life, and cherish the good that she has done for the musical community; music today is struggling, and it's because they don't have a lot of people out there that could carry a note like Whitney could.  Just because she was a celebrity, doesn't mean that you can just rip her apart like that; she was a human being just like us, and she left behind a family; so instead of tearing her down, you should be building her up like the great artist she was, respecting her, her music, and most importantly her family.  After all of this is over, "normal" people are just going to go on with their lives, and maybe think of her when they hear a song by her, but her family has to deal with this for the rest of their lives...so before you go bashing her, think of the real people that she has left behind.  My prayers and condolences go out to Whitney's family and friends, especially her mother, Cissy Houston, and daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

Bobbi Kristina & her mother, the great Whitney Houston

Finally 21

Okay, so this post is a little late...like 11 days, but I'M FINALLY 21.  I must admit, I thought that things would be a little bit different, but they're not (but don't tell Chris I admitted that); the only thing that is different is that I get tired a lot faster than I used to and the bones in my body crack every ten seconds.  I had no idea that school would take up this much of my time, but it must come first, so please forgive me for semi-abandonment of the page.  In other news, my Professor told me I had talent, which is a huge compliment...it just makes me want to further my dreams and work even harder at becoming a Screenwriter.

Apologies and Back to School

First and foremost, I would just like to apologize for neglecting my blog, but things have been super duper crazy around here.  Next, I hope everyone had a great weekend; mine was great.  Chris came over to surprise me for birthday, which was really sweet because I knew NOTHING about it.  This is definitely going to be one busy week for me...I start school today, my 21st birthday is Wednesday; it just seems like a lot.  I will try my hardest not to neglect on here as much as possible, but I can't make any promises, because this semester I'm taking two writing classes which I'm sure will take up most of my time.  Anyway, hope y'all have a wonderful day!!

Friendship Anniversary & Appreciation

How many of you out there celebrate an anniversary with your best friends??  Well, I don't know about y'all, but I definitely believe in honoring the day you became friends with your best friend.  It's so weird because Chris and I have officially been friends for 2 years today, but it honestly seems like it's so much longer than that.  We've been through so much together the past year, it's a wonder we've made it this far, but I guess it's really true; THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR!!  So Happy Anniversary, Chris, you're the best guy friend any girl could ever have!!!

So while I was browsing my Facebook page yesterday, I came across a quote from Madea that one of my friend's had quoted.  "You can't really appreciate up until you've been down."  I agree with this quote 100%.  I'm not saying that I've never appreciated what I've had, but these past few years and the struggles have made me appreciate everything so much more.  I hate to revert to a cliche, but it's true when they say you really don't know what you've got until it's gone.  In the past few years, I've lost some loved ones; what I wouldn't give to hear their voices again.  Even after experiencing an illness in the family, it's definitely enough to make you appreciate everything in life...the ups, the downs, and the lessons learned.  Words cannot express how thankful and how much I appreciate my family!!!

My oldest sister, Kedra, & nephew, Tyrick

My older sister, Rosa, and me

Me, my father, and my baby sister, Nay

Me and my mother

One thankful girl

It's 2012

It's the moment I'm sure we've all been waiting for...JANUARY 2012!!!  I don't why, but I'm super excited for January this year...it could be because next month will be my 21st birthday or it could be because being from Louisiana during this time of the year is extra fantastical!!!  For example, a lot of people start planning their trips to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Mardi Gras in itself is a big deal to us down here, and then you also have the wonderful King Cakes that mostly everyone loves to eat from now until Mardi Gras is over with (I've already had two)!!!  Well, with all of that said, I'm ready to see whatever 2012 has in store for me!!!