I was able to interview the incredible Chrissy Lessey for my blog. Chrissy is the author of The Crystal Coast series, featuring a mysterious coven of witches. I've read the first book, and it was awesome. Chrissy is also a mother, and vocal autism advocate.

Tell me a bit about your Crystal Coast series. I've read the first book and loved it! Can't wait to see where it goes.

The Crystal Coast series is about a secret coven of witches living in a small town in Eastern North Carolina. At the heart of the story, there’s Stevie Lewis, who has no knowledge of her magical heritage. She’s a single mother focused on raising Charlie, who has autism. When her son’s life is endangered by a dark witch, the coven’s 300-year-old secret comes to light and we see just how far Stevie will go to protect her child. I’m working on the second book in the series now and it’s shaping up to be darker than the first. The stakes are higher, the villain is more devious, and the danger is even greater.

You are an amazing advocate for the autism community. How did this come about?

My own son has autism. It became clear to me early after his diagnosis that there was a tremendous need for services, support, and awareness. I work with a dedicated group of volunteers to meet those needs on a local level. I’m proud of what we have accomplished to help individuals with autism and their families.

Your book The Coven is an amazing story about witches, magic, and maternal instinct. Where did you glean your inspiration from?

Honestly, I never expected to write a paranormal novel. One day, I found myself wishing that there was a magical cure for autism, so my son’s life could be easier. That started me on an imaginative path full of witches and a special little boy with autism. I get lots of ideas for stories, but this one came to me so clearly, I knew I HAD to write it.

On a minor tangent, you say that you love rock music. What bands are your favourite? Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what do you have on your playlist?

I have lots of favorites! Fleetwood Mac and The Rolling Stones immediately spring to mind, but there are certainly many more. I write faster in silence, but I occasionally listen to music while I work to help set a mood or to drown out even more distracting sounds. My playlist for the next book has songs from Phillip Phillips, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, Fun, and Imagine Dragons.

As a parent myself, I often find it difficult to find the time to devote to my craft. How do you do it?

Each week, I establish a work schedule for myself and I stick to it. This schedule, of course, is organized around my family’s needs, routines, and obligations. Even with a schedule, I don’t have as much time to write as I’d like. So, sometimes I wake up in the wee hours of the morning just to get a couple of hours of work done before the rest of the household comes to life.

Any tips that you would give aspiring writers out there?

I hear from a lot of people who want to write a book. My advice is always the same – Just write it! Stop “aspiring” and start “doing”!

Here's where you should go to find out more about Chrissy and her amazing books ! Links:

www.ChrissyLessey.com

www.facebook.com/chrissylessey

www.twitter.com/spectrumhope

http://plus.google.com/+ChrissyLessey-Author















































































 

So, this week I lived through my worst nightmare as a writer. I also learned a very VERY valuable lesson. Let me tell you what happened:

I was typing my way through the first draft of The Kingdom Thief and had just crossed the threshold of 41,000 words. (Can I just take a moment to say that I was extremely happy with how the story was shaping up?) I remember thinking to myself "I should probably email this to myself, just in case the Cloud isn't automatically backing this up." I turned off my laptop and put it away for a bit so I could put the kids to bed. I come back a while later and turn it back on to continue working. Well, I nearly had a heart attack as I watch my computer turn itself off before finishing booting up.

I grabbed my iPad and go on Apple Support. They tell me to hold down the shift key while booting to see if I can get to the safety start up. This doesn't work. I then read to hold down the command key to get to the recovery start up. Success! Now here, I am told to reload OSX. Well, my lovely hard drive is locked. This won't work. I call Apple Support and talk to a lovely woman who tells me that my only course of action is to reformat the hard drive. I nervously ask her if I will lose everything I've done on my lap top. We're talking about the first 41,000 words of The Kingdom Thief, the entire first draft of The Dybbuk's Revenge, the first 12,000 words of either a novella or novel (time will tell) set in Hadariah (as yet, unnamed), and pictures, music, etc. But my writing at this point is my primary concern. She tells me that as long as I have the cloud, it will all be fine. Also, everything else should be retrievable. I take a deep breath and follow her instructions. The damn thing STILL won't work!

In the morning, I make an appointment with the Genius Bar at my local Apple store. I also call Apple Support for good measure, because my cloud is surprisingly empty of documents when I look on my iPad. Here's where I start to have palpitations, cold sweats, and uncontrollable crying. The nice lady at Apple Support says "Of course it's all on the cloud. You were using Pages, right?" Of course I wasn't using Pages! I do everything on Word so I know it's all formatted correctly when I send it off to the publishers! I tell her this and she says "Oh sweety, it's all gone." I wonder if she's ever heard anyone having a nervous breakdown over the phone before.

I call the Apple store where I made my appointment and tell them my issue. They get a Genius on the phone with me. He tells me that they will fix my computer and make it work, but they don't really do document retrieval. If it's gone, it's gone. I am then told about a dozen times to "calm down. It's only a book. You can rewrite it. What was this for? You aren't some fanfic writer are you?" I wonder if I can punch someone in the face through the phone receiver. I am seriously having some daydreams along the lines of that scene in Nightmare on Elm Street where Freddy Kruger licks Nancy through the phone, only it's my fist instead of my tongue. I am too polite, and thank him for his help and hang up.

I consider tearing my hair out and call my friend Joel. I think I left him a tear-filled voicemail. He comes by, takes my laptop home with him, dismantles it and sets about using retrieval software on it. I spend the next ten hours compulsively texting him. The end result is that the scan found my documents!

So boys and girls, the lesson here is this: EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE! BACKUP YOUR WORK! EMAIL YOURSELF! Basically, take great pains that your stuff is in more than one location. I got lucky. Also, Joel, I owe you.

Faery Fest has come and gone. Sigh. Now we gear up for the Pirate Festival! I am such a kid at these things. I mean, come on! I get to spend the weekend in a tent pretending I am a pirate, or a fairy! (Maybe a fairy pirate? Hmmm...)

This year's first festival was a little bit hard for me. Usually I have the lovely An Tran as my other half. (Or as one of the Pirate Festival people called her: "My Better Half".) But she was not able to attend. So I had the dubious pleasure of setting up my tent ALL BY MYSELF! And I did it! I was ridiculously proud of myself. Check it out:

Not bad for someone with no design experience, eh? Then it was a matter of selling books, and bribing other merchants to watch my tent so I could do things such as: Eat lunch. Go to the bathroom. Visit other merchants. etc. All while dressed like this:

In the meantime, between customers, watching jousting matches, and mummer performers, I was doing quite a bit of writing. As of last night, I am now nearly halfway through the first draft of the sequel to Sitnalta! I think I would be further if it wasn't for one little thing. You see, I didn't want to bring my laptop into a field in the heat, and typing on my phone is frustrating. So I wrote it all out by hand. This is frustrating, because I then had to type it all into the sequel file once I got home. So it was like rewrites before I even truly had a chance to edit it. Ah well.

The next day at the festival, I changed up my look a bit. I did this for one very good reason: I also had to pack everything up. I was NOT going to do that in a gauzy skirt and oneshouldered top. Therefore, it was a day to wear my pirate bloomers and corset. I know it sound weird, but that outfit was much better for heavy lifting and moving about  in. Also, a very sincere thank you to Curtis who graciously helped me pack my tent frame into my car. You were a real life saver!

Now here's my problem. I would love to incorporate my Sitnalta sequel into marketing efforts, and such for the first book. However, I have no idea what to call the darn thing. Furthermore, every time I try to tell people what it's about, I tend to babble. I am no good at blurbs. It all comes out like this: the coin is important. There is a bit of a love story. Sitnalta is a character in it. Can't say too much without giving important plot points away. Kralc! SPOILERS! Then I get this look from whomever I'm speaking to:

Yeah. I need help. Also, I uploaded a Gif to my blog! Yay me and technology! I'm learning!

In other news, An and I are almost done edits on Ouroboros, and I'm really excited about this particular story. It was also a pain to name. For a while we were calling it The Short Story NOT Named "Fire". So, there's hope for me yet.

Now: MORE PICTURES!

It's been a while since I've updated. But I have a decent excuse. As you know, An and I have been working on a short story that will be published in an upcoming YA Paranormal Romance anthology called Night Life. Yeah, that's right. We're ROMANCE writers now! I have to say, I was nervous about venturing into another genre, but I enjoyed it. Who knows? I may dabble in it again. As a matter of fact, my soon to be released novel The Dybbuk's Mirror does have a romantic subplot in it. Maybe the genre wasn't so new to me after all.


Anyway, our Night Life story is due on July 1, so we've been working like mad to finish it, get the edits done, etc. We've finally chosen a title (subject to change if our editors hate it.) and we're going with Ouroboros. Why do I always name books and people after things that spell check hates? Oh well. Anyway, check out the anthology's cover:

Pretty snazzy eh? Also, the other authors in here are all awesome, so if you're looking for some good reading... hint, hint.


Other updates: this weekend is FAERY FEST! I am ridiculously excited about this. Yet another opportunity to dress up and have an awesome time. Yes, I will officially be there selling and signing my books, so if you're around check it out in Marden Park in Guelph. Unfortunately, I don't have An with me, but I do have Tal! I've known him since he was two, and my brother's best friend. Also, he's letting me dress him up. Yay! After that comes Pirate Festival in August.




Last weekend was Father's Day, and the triplets' first dance recital. I didn't know what to expect from them. All I know is that they've been dancing up a storm at home, and in their class (which I get to watch with the other parents on a television the school provides in their waiting area.). I like to think they were amazing. I think every parent thinks that watching their kids up on stage. They didn't really do the dance they were supposed to, but they were extremely brave getting up there and facing the crowd. I am so proud of them. I will definitely have pictures soon. Their costumes were too cute!




I will have more updates soon, and will be better at this once Ouroboros is officially submitted!

Recently I had the great opportunity to interview the wonderful author Steph Post. Her novel A Tree Born Crooked will be released soon with Pandamoon Publishing. She lives in Florida with her husband and their six dogs. Here's what she had to say on writing:

 1. Tell us about your upcoming novel A Tree Born Crooked.

It’s the story of a man who reluctantly returns to his hometown to attend his father’s funeral, but winds up having to rescue his brother from the consequences of a ridiculous and ill-thought out crime. Along the way, he has to confront his own unsettling internal issues, but ends up learning about himself in the process. It’s also about trailer parks, fruit stands, pickup trucks, idiot criminals, sleazy motels, drugs, guns and money. :)

 2. The novel is described as a "Southern Thriller", though you like to use the term "Country Noir". As a Florida native, is it easier to write from this perspective, and to set a novel in your home state?

It’s funny, like the main character of my novel, James, I spent a large part of my time after high school trying not to return to my hometown or state. I really didn’t want anything to do with Florida. And now, I write books where the identity of small Florida towns plays a key role. But as far as research for the setting of A Tree Born Crooked- it is much easier, I believe, to write about places that seem to be ‘in your blood.’

 3. A Tree Born Crooked is not your first book. Tell us a little about your other projects.

My first novel (which is currently unavailable because I am planning to rewrite it) is about a Depression-era traveling carnival. The first draft of it served as my master’s thesis. I’ve also written and published poetry and short stories.

 4. As an author, I know how hard it can be to find the perfect name for a book. What is the significance about the title of A Tree Born Crooked?

Usually I have the worst time coming up with a title, but I had the title for A Tree Born Crooked before I even started writing. I was still in the planning stages of the novel when my husband called me from work and said, “I have the title for your book.” It was perfect! Of course, the title and its significance took on a life of its own during the writing, but it was wonderful to have the title taken care of ahead of time.

 5. You are also an English teacher at an arts high school. What advice do you give your students when it comes to pursuing their dreams?

I tell my students to work their tails off! That with enough hard work, they WILL succeed- even if they don’t know what or how that success will take form. I think it means a lot to students when they can see a living, breathing example of someone who had to work hard and fight for their dreams.

6. What upcoming projects are you working on right now?

I just finished another novel, so at the moment I’m taking a short breather from novel writing. I’m hoping to attack my first novel this summer and strip it down, take it apart and rewrite it into a much better book. I have a short story coming out in June in the literary magazine “From the Depths” and that’s gotten me excited about writing short fiction again. There’s always something going on and something on the horizon when you become immersed in the writing life! :)

About A Tree Born Crooked 

Synopsis: Thirty-six year old James Hart, with a tough-as-nails exterior and an aching emptiness inside, does not want to go home. Upon hearing of the death of his father, however, James decides to bite the bullet and return to Crystal Springs, Florida, a collapsed rural town running on the fumes of the occasional interstate tourists passing through.  It is a place where dreams are born to die. Here, James discovers that he is too late for Orville’s funeral, but just in time to rescue his younger brother, Rabbit, from the deadly consequences of his petty crime life and, in the process, discover that he can’t escape the grips of his family, and might not even want to.

 

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Steph-Post/153516208138065?ref=hl

Twitter: @Stephpostauthor

Blog: www.stephpostauthor.blogspot.com

Instagram: Stephpostauthor

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but life, author interviews, and other writing have gotten in the way! Anyhoo..

February, right on the heals of EVERYBODY's birthdays we took the kids on their first trip to Florida. We stayed with my parents, ate lots of food, did lots of shwiming (as Hailey puts it), and Joseph got punched in the face by a kangaroo. Yup. That actually happened. We went to FLORIDA of all places and my kid got punched in the face by a real live red kangaroo. Let's look at the offending species:

Now how did this happen? Well we went to this lovely place called Jungle Island. (That 'lovely' comment was not sarcasm. Seriously, it's the perfect sized zoo-like park for a bunch of toddlers.) While there, we noticed that they had a petting zoo full of red kangaroos. I thought that that would be fun for the kids. They love animals, and this way they could feed and pet something a little different then the standard goats that you'd usually see. (Sidebar- the goats freak them out! They keep trying to eat their hats, and any paper they carry in their pockets: Gone.) So we paid our extra $5.00 and went inside. The kids got handfuls of grapes and kangaroo pellets and went to pet them, with Brian and I watching carefully. Joseph looks at them and yells: "They look like Sebastian!" Sebastian is our dog. He is 85 lbs of patience and love when it comes to the kids. See:

He knows they don't bite, and if he gets annoyed he stands up and walks away. Well, Joseph runs for the nearest kangaroo, and I chase after. He reaches for it's ear squealing with joy, and it jumps up, spins, and lashes out with fists of fury. Joseph falls on his butt, and his brother Phillip bursts out laughing that the kangaroo hit his brother. Joseph seemed okay, and went off to continue feeding and petting the other animals, albeit a bit more tentatively.

A while later, I sat with him in a bird show and asked what had happened. His response: "Kangaroo try to hug Joseph. Didn't do a good job." Yeah....

Their other discovery that day: Dinosaurs are real and alive. This is proven by this thing they saw:

6 foot tall bird monster known as a cassowary. The kids thought it was awesome, and I was a horrible parent for not letting them rush the stage so they could pet it.

The trip was a lot of fun, and as the triplets grow and mature, we can definitely do more things with them. I can't wait for the next one!

I recently had the chance to interview the award winning author Michelle Bellon about her writing, life, and novel Rogue Alliance. Check out everything she had to say!

1.  Rogue Alliance isn't your first book. Tell us about what you've written so far.

The first book I wrote is a YA, coming of age story, titled Embracing You, Embracing Me. It was not the first to be published however. It’s about a young girl learning about self-discovery through tragedy and loss. It won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for its category in 2012.

The Complexity of a Soldier is a story that follows Rory and Emily, two high school sweethearts, through the heartache and trials of his multiple deployments to Iraq as they also try to start their young family. This book spurned me to write an article on PTSD among our troops that was published nationally. You can currently read it on my blog http://www.michellebellon.com/u-s-must-rally-support-for-vets-with-ptsd/

His Salvation is a fast-paced romance suspense. Seth and Krista were best friends as teenagers, forming a bond like no other until one day Seth disappears without a trace. Ten years later, he finds himself in a conspiracy too deep to tackle on his own and he seeks help from the only person he has ever trusted- Krista.

2. You write in many different genres. Is it hard to jump from genre to genre? How do you keep them straight?

This is a good question. No, it’s not hard for me to jump from genre to genre. When characters and a plot come to me I don’t think of it in terms of what genre it will fit into. I simply see the story that needs written and I start writing. Later, during rewrites, I start thinking of who my target audience will be and edit with that in mind.

3. What is your favorite genre to write in and why?

Even though it’s harder, I really enjoying writing suspense. It forces me to keep every chapter moving at a challenging pace, which means digging deeper into the plot and subplots, and honing the dialogue.

4.  Rogue Alliance is part of a series. Do you have all the books written? Did you know exactly how the series would end when you first began writing? If so, did that make it harder or easier to write?

 I had absolutely no intention of writing a series. I didn’t want that kind of pressure. (laughs) However, when I finished writing the book I knew that there was still a lot of Brennan’s and Shyla’s story to be told. Then when readers began to reach out to me with such strong, positive responses to the book and to the characters they also demanded a sequel. I had to start writing the next book. At this point it’s about half finished and the screenplay is nearly done as well.

5. Shyla is an amazingly complex character. Did she come to you fully formed, or did she grow and change as you crafted the plot?

She and Brennan both presented themselves as fully formed characters with pasts, fears, strengths, and, yes, flaws. Plenty of them. The entire book was born of one scene that came to me while driving one day. In that single scene it was clear to me who these people were and what their motivations were.

6. You write all sorts of different books. What do you prefer to read when you have the chance?

 Ooh, that’s a tough one. I find magic in so many different genres. My favorite book of all time is Outlander, an epic historical fiction novel. I tend to like those quite a bit. I love suspense and thrillers so I’ve read my fair share of Koontz and Grisham. Also, last but not least, I love a good romance whether it be contemporary, suspense, or young adult. I like to swoon just as much as anyone else.

7. Let my readers know where to find you. Give us your links!

First just let me say thank you for having me on your blog Alisse. It’s been fun!

http://www.michellebellon.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Bellon-Author/544448685599147

https://www.facebook.com/michelle.authorpage

https://twitter.com/MichelleBellon

I am having a ton of fun interviewing other authors, and seeing what makes them tick, what inspires them, and how they write. Today I get to introduce you to the talented Christine Gabriel. She is the author of the upcoming New Adult novel Crimson Forest. 

1. Tell us about your upcoming novel  Crimson Forest due out this summer with Pandamoon Publishing.

Crimson Forest is the first book in the Crimson Chronicles Series.  It focuses on eighteen year old Angelina Adams who is lives in the small town of Buffalo, Wisconsin which is famous for its eerie moss covered forest.  The novel focuses on age old myths and shows that no matter how average you are, wonderful, amazing things can happen to you.  The series has an awesome love triangle, devastating losses that will most certainly make you tear up, and of course action that will hopefully put you to the edge of your seat.  
 
2. What are your top ten novels of all time? Why do you love them?

Ooo, top ten novels of all time.  Well let's see: 

- Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas - James Patterson - I love this book because it's packed full of emotion.  I literally went through an entire box of Kleenex as I read it. 

- Eightysixed - Emily Belden - I'd never read a memoir until this book.  I laughed, cried, and got so mad I threw a pencil across the room. 

- The Secret - Rhonda Byrne - It taught me that all the positive energy you put out into the universe manifests itself and rewards you with what you ask for.

- To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - I read this in 8th grade English and even got to see the play at a college theater.  I adore this book. 

- The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien - It's just my size, what can I say?

- IT - Stephen King - Scariest book I've ever read...I now have a huge fear of clowns.  Thank you for being that awesome that you've incited a true fear in me Mr. King. 

- Sunday's at Tiffany's - James Patterson - This is a great book about an imaginary friend who she ends up falling in love with.  (swoon)

- The Sookie Stackhouse Collection - Charlaine Harris - What can I say?  I love this series(having Joe Manganiello play Alcide...enough said.)

- All of the R.L. Stine books - That's right, I read the entire series growing up and they've stuck with me. (I think that should count as 9 and 10 haha)
 
3. You talk a bit on your blog about being bullied in high school. This is something that, unfortunately, affects a lot of people and can stay with them for a while (myself included). What advice do you have to give to teenagers who are dealing with this right now?

You know Alisse, growing up was extremely difficult for me.  Being bullied is something that has stuck with me throughout the years.  My advice for teenagers would be this:  Never lower your standards to please others.  You're a beautiful soul and embrace that.  People only bully others because they're jealous of their own insecurities.  Never try to be someone you're not because the person you are is AMAZING.  Hold your head high and know you're NEVER alone.  Be proud of yourself and know that the future holds great things for you, don't believe me?  Just take a look at me now :)  
 
4. Your novel  Crimson Forest is a New Adult novel. Why did you choose to write for this age group?

I love the New Adult genre because it appeals to so many different ages - from young girls hitting their teenage years to women in their twenties.  It makes me smile to know they're all able to read it and understand the emotion behind my words. 
 
5. Who are your top ten authors for new adults?

Top Ten?  Whew, I don't really have a top 10 list for new adult authors because I have such a vast taste in books.  If I had to narrow it down to one however; it would be Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
 
6. You say that you grew up in a small rural town. What was it like? Are you still there?

Oh yes!!  The Village of Monroeville, population 1394.  What was it like?  Well, it was your typical small town with everyone knowing everyone else's business :)  If you didn't have a "certain last name" you were dubbed a geek (yes I'm proud of my last name and yes I'm proud to be a geek.)  Monroeville has 2 stop lights, a gas station, a subway, pizza place, and now a Dollar General(woohoo) all within half a mile.  It's surrounded by cornfields and they even have their own events such as - Tractor Day(everyone drives their best/dirtiest/oldest/smallest tractors to school where they're judged and awarded) and the famous St. Joseph's Festival which is held every summer.  

I promised myself that as soon as I moved out I would leave that small town...and I did :)  I now live like 10 minutes away in Norwalk...still close enough to my parents, but just far enough away that the smell of cow manure won't overwhelm me.

7. Let my readers know where to find you. Give out your links!

www.facebook.com/christinegabrie

www.facebook.com/christinegabrielcrimson

www.twitter.com/christinegabrie

www.thecrimsonforest.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7276953.Christine_Gabriel

I recently had the opportunity to interview writer, illustrator, and editor McKelle George on her writing (among other things). She is a writer of YA, as well as mysteries with her upcoming novel Until Proven coming out January 2015 from Pandamoon Publishing.

Q: I read that you are an illustrator as well as an author. Tell me, how do you approach a book from a visual art perspective as opposed to a writer's perspective?
  I'm more a wannabe illustrator. But I actually think the approach is similar, if expressed in different ways. In art, you have to capture so much in one moment. You have to convey emotion and tension with only superficial, visual cues. Writing is the same way, only reversed, trying to convey an entire visual scene in fifty word paragraph, with only language to help you.
 
Q: Your novel  Until Proven is a speculative mystery. When you write a book like this, do you have every twist and turn planned out before you start? How do you approach plotting this out?
  Yes and no. When I start, I definitely need to know at least where I'm going. So I think I have it mostly figured out, but then as I'm writing, I discover new ways of how the story could turn out, and new layers that move me in the right direction. Though I will say that my character, like me, is fumbling her way around and relies sometimes on luck. Those people who can plot out elaborate Sherlock-esque mysteries are much smarter than me.
 
Q: Until Proven isn't the first book you've written. Tell us a bit about the others, and where you got the ideas for them.
The trouble is all of my ideas are really polarizing from each other.  The first book I ever wrote was this bizarre, quirky young adult story about Nightmares and Dreams being actual creatures. I was so in love with this world I'd created, I think I got hung up on that first idea for too long. I still have it available online, but it's not my best work, and the greatest advice I got about it was at a writing conference when someone said, "Move on from you first project." That's when I wrote Until Proven. Right now I'm working on a series of YA Shakespeare adaptions. I'm a hardcore Shakespeare fangirl, and it's been a total pleasure reimagining my favorite plays. One is retelling of Much Ado About Nothing set in a 1920s speakeasy, and the other is a retelling of the Tempest, set in a contemporary highschool.
 
Q: Like you, I'm a big fan of small press publishing. You work for Jolly Fish Press in their editorial department. Tell me why you are such a fan of the small houses.
  Yes! I love small presses. The thing I love the most, as an author and as an editor, is the sense of community and closeness involved in traditional publishing on a smaller scale. This interview, for example, is an example of that. You feel like you're part of a small family. You get more attention. And it's not as competitive and intense, and you don't usually feel like you're getting ignored for a more prominent book, because in a small press, every single title matters.
 
Q:  As an editor as well as an author, do you find it easier to hand your books off to someone else to edit?
  Oh, yes. I NEED good editing. I'm the kind of writer who can shoot off fast drafts, but I need about twelve of those fast drafts to arrive at a satisfactory place. As an editor, it makes me crazy when an author is completely unwilling to take a second look at their book and change things. Anyone can write a book, but it takes a village to write a quality book. When I'm editing, I know that the only thing I'm trying to do is help polish the book to its highest potential, so when someone edits my book, I assume they're doing the same, so I take each critique seriously--even if I end up ignoring it or finding a different solution to the problem.
 
Q: What is the strangest daydream you have ever had?
  Ha ha! I love this question, first of all. And I'm also laughing because we could be here forever talking about my weird daydreams. I daydream all the time. But okay: here's my most recent one, to save on time. On the drive over to the library, this guy cut me off, and I thought (a bit vindictively), "Well you're lucky I'M paying attention, pal," and then I entertained a full-length daydream about a guy whose job was to get into minor accidents on purpose to teach bad drivers a lesson.
 
Q: Let my readers know about your books, where to find them, and where to find you. (Links please!)
Here's my website, which also has links to all of my social media outlets: http://mckellegeorge.com. Until Proven won't be available until January 2015 (whew!), but you can read that first Nightmare/Dream book for free, if you want, on FictionPress: http://fictionpress.com/~mckellegeorge 

This is not going to be a writing entry. Why is that? Well, we are now in the month I like to think of as "Birthdaypalooza"! This is the month that pretty much everyone in the house has their birthday. (And all in the span of 9 days. Oy.) Birthdaypalooza kicks off tomorrow as the triplets have their birthday.

Tomorrow, Joseph, Phillip, and Hailey turn three years old. I can't believe that it's already been three years since they were born. They say that time flies, and I am seeing that to be 100% true. Three years ago tomorrow I was lying in bed planning to finally watch the BBC 6 hour miniseries of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. However, my plans to do so were tossed aside when Joseph's water broke at 4:00 in the morning. A few hours later, my children were born via C-section seven weeks premature.

Everyone who wants to be a parent has dreams of what it will be like when their children are born. They dream of holding them as soon as they were delivered. They dream of having them in the room with them, and of how perfect everything will be. I'm fairly certain that no one dreams of having their babies taken to a sterile room, and then whisked away to the NICU while they (the mother) are taken to a completely different hospital ward for surgical recovery. I remember driving myself absolutely crazy with worry over what was happening with them, how they were, would they know me when I was finally permitted to see them.

I don't know how much time passed before I was wheeled in on a stretcher to where my babies were lying in their incubators. I knew they would be small, but I had no clue just how small they would be. Joseph, who was biggest, was just over four pounds, and I was told that this was a good size for a premie multiple. I remember seeing him, Phillip, and Hailey lying there, and I became determined to get as strong as possible, as quickly as possible so I could spend as much time as possible at their side, and I did just that.

Let me tell you, you haven't experienced a weird birthday, until you have your parents bring you restaurant food and make a buffet dinner at the hospital cafeteria. That was my 29th birthday that year. 

Going home was extremely difficult. Being in the hospital sucked on so many levels, however it enabled me to see the kids as often as I wanted. I couldn't do that from home, especially since I couldn't drive yet. Thank god for Brian, and his taking me wherever I wanted, and for his help with everything baby. He was a total rock. That plus our wonderful families got us through it all, and soon, one by one the babies came home. 

Now the triplets run around the house like crazy. They love music, singing, art, and dance class. They have distinct, wonderful personalities. They are growing and learning new skills at an astonishing rate, and Brian and I couldn't be prouder.

Happy birthday babies! I hope you like your cake on which the Avengers are fighting Princess Sophia, Captain Hook, Nemo and Dori. We love you guys!