I Do Not Think That Word Means What You Think It Means...

Normally being a night owl doesn't bother me. I can slave over my manuscript until midnight and still get at least seven hours of sleep. It's all good. But then again, most nights I don't usually get pulled from sleep and given a near heart attack.

Allow me to explain.

We're moving. Our house is sold (yay!) and we're closing on the new house in less than three weeks (also yay!). The packing has commenced. Yesterday afternoon, the hubby and I cleaned out our under-the-stairs storage space in the basement. This kicked up quite a bit of dust.

In case you didn't know, smoke alarms possess a deep hatred for dust.

Of course, it waited until the smoke-alarm-secret-oath time of 4am to give a "nuisance alarm."

Whoever decided the word "nuisance" was appropriate, should be locked in a room and subjected to 85 decibels of ear-piercing screeching x6. Because as it turns out, if your house has an interconnected system of wired-in smoke alarms, when one goes off, they ALL GO OFF.

More like a WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON alarm.

The upstairs alarms are in three locations: the master bedroom, the kids' bedroom, and the hall. Which means they're all approximately three feet away from each other. I've been to rock concerts that were quieter. I'm freaking out, the kids are freaking out. My poor husband, who is transitioning from days off to graveyard shift has only been asleep for an hour and is scrambling to get a chair and hit the silence button. Finally we get it shut off.

The silence lasted for a whole 45 seconds before they all started screeching again, only to shut off on their own a couple seconds later. There's no smoke. No signs of any sort of emergency. After another round of on-and-off, my husband unplugs the hall detector. IT KEEPS BUZZING. I'm yelling over the noise to take the back-up battery out, he does and, finally, they all shut off and stay off. It looked like we found the culprit, so we calmed down the kids, I stayed in their room and my husband went back to bed.

About a minute later they all go off AGAIN.

At this point, no detector is safe. They all get unplugged and their batteries ripped out (serves them right). This is when my husband notices the basement alarm in front of the storage space has a red light instead of a green light. I Google the manual and it turns out the red light signals the trip alarm. Thankfully, this confirms the dust theory and I can stop envisioning our attic smoldering silently above our heads.

I don't care if automated houses are going to take over the world someday. I'm saving up for a smoke detector that talks to me when it goes off and tells me where the alarm is coming from. Preferably in a soothing British accent.

Now. Where's the coffee?

Picture Quote Monday {Yourself}

Something about this quote spoke to me when I read it. I think it's because, now that I'm nearly thirty, I feel like I'm finally figuring out who I really want to be, as both a person and a writer.

To all my friends and readers who are chasing a dream, a passion, a vision: You have the ability to impact the world with your uniqueness. There's only one you. Be that person.

Picture Quote Monday {Duty}

Today, as we gather with family and friends around tables piled with food, let's not forget that at many tables, there are empty places and absent faces. While this is true on any holiday, it is the very essence of Memorial Day. It is our duty to ensure that the sacrifice of these men and women is remembered and honored. To all those who have given their lives in defense of ours, and to their families: Thank you.

Booyah!

In my last post (yes, I am aware that last post was over a month ago) I mentioned the biggest reason for my blogging absence: I've been hard at work finishing my novel. Well guess what?

I DID IT!!!!

I finished my second novel. *insert girlish squeals here*

My biggest emotion in the light of this news? Honestly...relief. In a lot of ways, I found my second book was more difficult to write than my first. Mostly because my inner critic didn't get the memo that I wasn't interested in his opinion. It turns out I really CAN do this thing called writing, and that the first time wasn't just a fluke.

Take that, critic.

So far, I've gotten very positive reader feedback. Even from people who aren't related to me. YES.

Now I'm just waiting on my dear, unofficial editor to send me her notes, and then this book can be off to a certain inbox where, fingers crossed, it will be loved and welcomed and asked to stay for tea.

I shall do my best to return to more regularly scheduled blogging. But please don't hold me to too high of a standard for at least the next 4-6 weeks, as I'm currently attempting to maintain my sanity until summer vacation, and reminding myself that packing the entire house will be totally worth it once we get into our new digs (It has an office!! Oh, the glorious writing-space possibilities!).

P.S. If you didn't give up on me during the last month of awkward silence, thank you. You're awesome. Like, happy dance awesome.

Tiny Potato Believes in You

I haven't posted in FOREVER. Mostly because I've been desperately trying to finish editing my book so my writers' group can read it and tell me whether or not it's any good.

Sometimes, doing what you love is hard.

Sometimes, you just need someone to believe in you.

I believe in you.

And so does tiny potato.

(Image stolen from my friend Becca's Instagram. For more awesomeness follow her here. And here.)

Ready is Relative

Lately, I've become a big fan of now. I've also become a big fan of the phrase, "why not?" 

I think why not and now go together quite nicely, don't you?

Thank you to my indescribably awesome cousin-in-law, Avery, for bringing this quote 

(which I typed up on my vintage Royal KMG) to my attention.

Stranger Things by Erin Healy

This last December, I had the honor of hosting best-selling author Erin Healy on my blog to promote her new book. I've been a long time fan of Erin's books, and I'm happy to say Stranger Things is yet another inspiring, thought provoking, and impactful novel.

Serena Diaz's life is suddenly torn apart after a troubled student accuses her of sexual misconduct. In an effort to escape the inevitable fallout, Serena retreats to the comfort of the woods, only to stumble into the middle of a criminal operation. And she almost pays for this discovery with her life, until a man she's never met steps in front of the bullet meant for her. Haunted by mysterious visions and the question of why a complete stranger would die for her, Serena's search for answers reveals an evil she never expected. Caught in a tangle of false accusations, Serena is forced to confront the darkness and step into a world of terrifying danger where she soon realizes her life isn't the only one at stake.

Among the fun stories and the easy reads, the classic novels and the favorite series, there are a handful of books on my bookshelf that have done more than just entertain me. They've impacted me in a big way and changed the way I look at the world around me. This is one of those books. In her latest novel, Erin not only weaves a captivating and suspenseful story, but she also tackles the very serious--and very real--topic of sex trafficking. In the midst of the beautiful writing and masterful storytelling I've come to love so much from Erin, the import of the truth behind the fiction began to haunt me. As I was caught up in the characters' stories--each with their own unique, powerful, and emotional layers--the realization that their stories are, in some places, closer to fact than fiction was heartbreaking. And then I came to the line that completely wrecked me:

"And then she thought she didn't really want to hear this story. She wanted the sordid tales that involved fourteen-year-old girls to stay at arm's length the way they did in the papers, or in her parents' safe house. She wanted them to remain trapped at a safe distance on digital screens, where she didn't have to look a victim in the eye and find she had no idea what to say."

Wow. Can we say "hard truth"? I saw myself in those lines, and the more I read, the more I wanted to do something to offer the hope woven into the pages of this story to the real-life women who so desperately need it. And that is what makes this book so amazingly wonderful--its power to defeat apathy and inspire change. If you're a fan of emotionally charged, well-written suspense, I hope you'll put this book at the top of your to-read list, then spread the message: We're in it to end it.

If, like me, stories like these--whether fiction or real life accounts of those exploited--have inspired you to take action, the End It website is a great place to start. There you'll find ways you can show your support and take a stand against modern-day slavery, and links to organizations that are leading the fight against human trafficking.