What Do Books & Hair Have in Common?

Weird topic for the day? Maybe.

But I hang in there while I make my point. 

I recently colored my hair - again. I do this often, because honestly... I get bored. I used to change my hair up a lot more, but now I try to reign it in a bit so the elementary students I work with don't get completely distracted by my newest hair color.

You should hear the commotion when they come into the classroom or see me in the halls! All I did was go dark..er! Can you imagine if I went purple? ... or pink? These kids have no idea how mellow I'm being!

But, as many of you know, young kids are what we like to call... brutally honest!

I know you know what I'm talking about. They haven't quite figured out how to "put things nicely."

So what happened when I changed my hair? Most of the kids... "Oh! It's so pretty!", "I love it!" "You look so beautiful!" One 6th grade girl even made tiger claws and growled at me. LOL. This of course, all after they asked me if I dyed my hair. LOL. Obviously!

But then there are others. One girls looked at me for a minute, her deep thinker cap on, then said, "I like it better the other way." Or another one who cringed and said..."Why'd you do that?"

THE POINT: You can NEVER make EVERYONE happy!

 

I know you're saying, "Thanks for the happy thought, Leigh!", but you know it's true. And the sooner we come to terms with that, the better we are. Does that mean the bad reviews don't hurt? No. They suck. But there is always going to be someone out there who finds something to gripe about. Don't let them steal your momentum or your belief in yourself. Keep moving forward being proud of your work! Look at all the fantastic reviews and people who were touched by your writing! Those are people who needed to read that story. For whatever reason, you connected with them, and those are the people that matter. Not to mention - YOU!!!! Of course, we want our readers to be happy, but we write because we love it! So keep writing! Keep doing what you love and brush off the negative!

The meaning of life is to find your gift.

The purpose of life is to give it away.

- William Shakespeare

Ever had this happen to you? How do you deal with it? Any words of wisdom to share?

BOOK AWESOMESAUCE EVERYWHERE!!!!

First off... good luck to all of those doing the A-Z challenge this year! I'm kind of bummed I won't be participating because I've had so much fun doing it in the past. Hopefully next year though!

For today, let me share a few books you ought to try and get your hands on:

First: KILLING RUBY ROSE by Jessie Humphries is a Kindle First Pick!!! Congrats Jessie!

So what does this mean? That you can read it FIRST on Kindle for FREE (if you're an Amazon Prime member) and $1.99 if you're not. Either way, that is a freaking awesome deal!!! 

GET IT HERE!

May 1st is still the official release date, so you'll be able to get this book in paperback and audible in a month!!!

Also: SIDELINED by Kyra Lennon has been officially released! YAY KYRA! I'm so excited for this. I love Kyra's books and I'm excited to read book 3 of the Game On series!

The Blurb: 

At the age of twenty-one, Bree Collinson has more than she ever dreamed of. A handsome husband, a fancy house, and more shoes than Carrie Bradshaw and Imelda Marcos combined. But having everything handed to her isn’t the way Bree wants to live the rest of her life. When an idea to better herself pops into her head, she doesn’t expect her husband to question her, and keep her tied by her apron strings to the kitchen.

Isolated and unsure who to turn to, Bree finds herself falling back into a dangerous friendship, and developing feelings for the only person who really listens to her. Torn between her loyalty to her husband and her attraction to a man who has the perfect family she always wanted, she has some tough choices to make.

While Bree tries to figure out what she wants, a tragedy rocks the Westberg Warriors, triggering some dark memories, and pushing her to take a look at what’s really important.

 FIND IT ON AMAZON

I am so excited for both of these fabulous ladies! They are amazingly talented, and I will never complain about getting more fantastic reading material! BTW... I just finished CRESS by Marissa Meyer and it is PURE AWESOMENESS!!! I will do a review on this another day!

What sort of awesomeness is going on for you this week? Did you do anything special for April Fools Day?

Fate Intended? ... I Think So!

Was it fate that I hit up the fabulous Elizabeth Seckman for an interview? I don't know. But it probably was fate that I found her in the blogosphere around a year ago, fell in love with her fun, zany personality, bought and read her first book, and fell in love with it... and the next one after that! I just can't get enough of her! So, in honor of her latest novel, Fate Intended, I invited her over for a short Q&A.

Hello my favorite lady!  

ME?! THE fave? Not A fave? I am so flattered...note to self...must send Leigh chocolate.

Are you ready to answer some questions?

My lawyer says yes. 

I'll keep them fun and simple! Short and sweet! It’s the best way to go!

So... I frequently get weird thoughts in my head (I'm a writer, so it's acceptable, right? Totally!!) and these thoughts have turned into your first question!

*drum roll*

If you could be on any tv show (should I call it a talk show?) which one would it be and why? (So like Oprah, Ellen, Conan... I dunno!) And... who else would be on the show with you that day, and why? (Ahem, you can't choose Gerard Butler, cause he's my choice.)

Ellen would be the best place to reach my target audience (chicks!), but I can't help but want to go "Between the Ferns" with Zach Galifianakis. You know how some people want to challenge themselves by climbing a mountain? Surviving an interview with that crazy man would be my Mt. Everest. 

And, I want to share my seat with Thor. And no I don't mean Chris Hemsworth as himself...he has to be Thor...hammer and all. 

Okay - I'm a little embarrassed to admit I had to google Zach Galifianakis and "Between the Ferns". And yes, I do know who he is, I'm just terrible with names. Never seen the show though, so I watched a clip of him and President Obama and you are indeed right - you would definitely be climbing a mountain! It would be nice a good idea to have Thor by your side to survive him! They should give people trophies for those interviews. LOL. As for me... I would stick with Ellen, who would totally be my first choice anyway because I just love everything about her and the only thing I'd have to worry about would be somebody jumping out to scare me. 

I've never watched Ellen. Can you believe that? But she does seem sweet and more of her viewers would be my kind of readers!

Yes, that would be a great show for your readers, but that Galifianakis guy would get you’re a trophy! *cheers* But let's move on!

You've survived the Zach Galifianakis interview and received your trophy... what's next? What are three goals on your bucket list?

1. Meet all my bloggy friends. Wouldn't it be cool to have a big conference and everyone attend?

2. Travel the US and then the world. I want to see everything.

3. Organize my house. I want closets that look like I am OCD. 

I AM OCD and my closets still don't look that way! It's a curse! I absolutely love your bucket list. We must have been related in a different life! And I completely agree about a conference that we were ALL at! That would be the BEST!

But one more thing before I let you go...

Can you give a little hint about your current WIP?

I'm working on a few things. I'm working on another contemporary adult story, having some fun adding in some gal pal delivered street justice; an NA novel addressing Tanner Coulter's happily ever after; and I am working with Tammy Theriault on a YA collaboration, which I have NEVER done a YA, so it's a learning experience!

AH! So many great things coming from you in the future! I look forward to it all, and I know you will be marvelous at YA too! Thank you so much for coming by and sharing all this awesomeness with us! AND… congrats on your latest release, Fate Intended!

Thanks Leigh! You totally, seriously rock and I love you bunches. You always bring a smile to my face and a glow to my heart! If the world was filled with people as awesome as you, it's be like Disney Land every day with free pass coupons. 

And in honor of our lady crushes... here's a little sneak peek from me and Elizabeth's double date with Thor and Gerard. We make the cutest couples, don't you think? Shhhh - don't tell our husbands!

I think it was fate that we met these fabulous men! Ooh-la-la! If only Gerard knew what a cute couple we make!

 Blurb for Fate Intended:

Trip is the last of the Coulter sons to find love. He’s smart…he’s handsome…he’s a shadow op. He’s a man with all the skills a spy needs. But when it comes to relationships, he misses the target. Jane is sweet…she’s beautiful…she’s a cleaning lady. She’s a woman with all the skills a lady needs to sweep a man’s heart right into her hands. She may be wanted for murder, but she has her sights set on Trip. Trip sees her every day, but he never really sees her at all until fate and his bitchy girlfriend bring them together. Nothing about Olivia is average. Not her looks, her body, nor her obnoxiousness. When Olivia turns her full fury on Jane, it’s Trip to the emotional rescue. For him, it’s an opportunity to make amends. For Jane, it’s an opportunity to make dreams come true…to make reality as it was intended to be.

About The Author: 

I am a former social worker, constant day dreamer, and mother of four fabulous boys. I have two books completed in the Coulter Men series, PAST DUE & HEALING SUMMER. The third, FATE INTENDED, is set for full release on December 1, 2013.

I also have a house in desperate need of cleaning. No set date on completion.

Ah! And if all of this wasn't enough, Elizabeth, (being the uber fab lady that she is) is giving away a signed copy of one of her books! Winners choice! Just enter below, and GOOD LUCK!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
And, Elizabeth, thanks again for being such a good sport and sharing with us today! YOU ROCK, woman!
And... if YOU could be on a talk show, which one would you want to be on? Who would be on the show with you that day?