Nemesis, Thy Name Is Cardboard

1. Last week was wild, incredible, and exhausting (but in a good way).

2. The Skip A Starbucks Day fundraiser brought in a little over 1/2 of what we need to raise, which is AWESOME!

3. If you donated, blogged, tweeted, emailed ... thank you. Those two words are truly inadequate in the face of how much you've blessed our family, but it's all I've got.

4. I'm leaving the donate button up on the sidebar because donations keep trickling in. Again, thank you.

5. The only downside to being totally focused on fundraising last week?

6. The laundry saw my momentary distraction, whispered sweet nothings into the ears of my three boys ("Yessssss, go roll down that muddy hill, change your shirt, and then do it again! Your mom won't even notice!), and staged what shall hence forth be referred to as The Laundry Mutiny.

7. I realized the imminent danger with only hours to spare. Mostly because I had to be somewhere IN PUBLIC Sunday night and discovered I was going to have to either do a quick load of laundry or arrive in my birthday suit.

8. Since then, I've been dividing my time between teaching the laundry who's boss, catching up on email, organizing home school materials, and figuring out how to fit 5workdays into 4 so we can go to Louisiana (the birthplace of humidity and bugs) for the weekend.

9. What else happened last week besides running both an online and on-site fundraiser?

10. I did a face plant into some empty boxes at work, that's what.

11. Who leaves a pile of boxes right outside my office door???

12. It's like they WANT me to die.

13. Fortunately, I didn't have an audience for that.

14. Sadly, I can't say the same for the THREE TIMES IN A ROW that I hit my face on a box that hung over the edge of its shelf and into the hallway by about four inches.

15. It's not that I didn't see it.

16. I did.

17. Well, I did after I walked into it.

18. It's not that I didn't know it was there.

19. Especially times 2 and 3.

20. It's that I was distracted.

21. By someone asking me questions.

22. And clearly, I cannot safely walk and talk at the same time.

23. I now suspect the employees are trying to kill me off with the clever use of cardboard and conversation.

24. Kudos to them for making it look like an accident.

Grand Prize Winners!

First, I want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you who donated, blogged, tweeted, and went above and beyond to rally others to help bring our little girl home. I can't tell you how many times I had tears in my eyes as I read your notes of encouragement and saw the impact of my online community's incredible generosity. We raised fully half of what we needed to raise, and that is AWESOME. We've been so blessed by this. I can't wait to show Johanna my archived blog post one day so she can see how many people pulled together to bring her home.

Now, I get the exciting task of announcing the winners of the Grand Prize Giveaway goodies! Yay!

Prize Pack One:

Harry Potter Boxed Set: Christina Gearheart

Chest of Custom-made Soap: Lola Sharp

Set of Signed Kris Kennedy Books: Jennifer Petitjean

$25 Amazon Card: Dextra Chambers

Set of Signed Kelly Gay Books: Kait Nolan


Prize Pack Two:

The Twilight Saga: Lyn Palmer

Shadow Hills w/Signed Bookmark: Amanda Twentyfive

Set of Carlos Cortes Books: Angela Hoffman

Chest of Hand-made Soaps: H.C. Palmquist

Earrings & Cd: Jessy Blair

ARC of Obelisk: Jasmine Stairs

*Please check the individual blogger giveaways you entered to see if you're a winner there!*


Again, thank you all for participating! I will leave the Donate button up a while longer because some of you have emailed me telling me you'd like to donate in a week or two. I appreciate all of you SO much!

First Winner!

Thank you all who donated today during the MOCKINGJAY giveaway time frame!

The winner (chosen by random.org) is: Kara Critzer!

Congratulations, Kara, and thank you all so much for your incredible support.

More winners announced tomorrow so you still have time to enter the other giveaways. And yes, I realize you'd donate no matter what, but I do love being able to give back a tiny portion of the joy you've given us these past three days.

Skip A Starbucks Day!

Weekend Update:

We've now raised $4100! Our family is humbled and blessed by your support of our daughter's journey home. Thank you just doesn't seem to cover it! We still have $3900 left to raise, so I'm leaving the donate button up on the sidebar since donations continue to come in. Thank you again for caring about my daughter.

Our Story:

What do a skipped cup of coffee, a little Chinese orphan girl, and you have in common? I'll get to that in a minute, but first, I want to tell you our story.

We had three biological boys in four years, and then I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I had a hysterectomy and while I mourned the fact that I couldn't have any more biological children, I was certain our family wasn't finished. My husband wasn't so sure. :) I'd talked about adopting and I always saw us with a little girl from China. He came up with a ton of reasons why now wasn't the right time to adopt. Then, on Mother's Day of 2005, he leaned over to me in church and said, "We have a daughter in China. We need to start the adoption proceedings to bring her home." I adjusted to this unexpected news (we hadn't discussed adoption for months) in about 15 seconds. :)

The next day, we began researching adoption and we picked out her name: Johanna Faith. Johanna means God's Gracious Gift and Faith is what it is taking to bring her home. We signed up with Chinese Children Adoption International agency based out of Colorado. We completed our stateside paperwork and homestudy within a few months, sent off our dossier to China with the understanding that it would be a 6-8 month wait, and eagerly planned to bring our daughter home.

Soon, though, we began to hear rumors that the wait time was extending. Then we heard that the government had cracked down on orphanages who were receiving money from the state but who weren't keeping all of their beds full and the wait slowed to a crawl. Our dreams of having her home for Christmas were dashed. And then our dreams for having her home in time for summer were dashed as well. Before we knew it, another Christmas had passed and we were still waiting. Meanwhile, the Olympics were coming to Beijing, and the word was most adoption processes would stop altogether.

As the wait stretched from 8 months to three years, I struggled with depression. I could hardly bear Christmas, because she wasn't yet there. I shut the door of her bedroom and left it closed because I couldn't bear to walk past it in the hall. It hurt to think about having a child out there whom I couldn't protect. Couldn't love. Couldn't save. Three years became four with no real change. Our homestudy expired. Our immigration petition expired. Three times. Our fingerprints expired. Four times. And China raised the orphanage and court fees by thousands while we waited. Suddenly, the cushion of money we'd raised at the start of this process was almost gone, and China was picking up speed in their child match program.

In September, it will be five years since we officially started our adoption process to bring Johanna home. We expect to receive her picture, information, and permission to travel sometime by the middle of September.

I opened her bedroom door for the first time in 3 1/2 years.

And went a little crazy ordering cute little hand-made hats and headbands on Etsy because I still don't know her size so can't buy her any clothes.

We're so excited to be able to travel soon to bring her home! But we still need to raise $8,000 to ransom her life from the orphanage. And that's where you come in!

The thought behind Skip A Starbucks Day is that if every person who reads this and feels a tug on their heart to be part of Johanna's journey home would give up a personal indulgence (like a cup of coffee) and donate that money toward our adoption instead, we could raise the money needed to bring her home to her forever family.

We know most of you would gladly donate without receiving anything in return, but I thought it would be fun to line up some awesome prizes and do a huge giveaway at the end of the fundraiser. Other bloggers thought it would be fun too.

So here's the deal: donate any amount you choose (we suggest a $5 minimum to mitigate the small percentage Paypal takes from the transaction) and you're automatically entered in the grand prize giveaway on this blog! You can look at the prize groupings below and fill out the entry form to choose which group you'd like to be entered to win. Several winners will each win one item from each group.

You can gain extra entries by publicizing this fundraiser on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and your blog! And don't forget to grab an I Skipped Starbucks button from my sidebar for your blog!

It gets even better! My blogger friends are hosting some AMAZING giveaways for donors on their own blogs. Simply by donating, you are qualified to enter EVERY SINGLE ONE of their giveaways. At the bottom of this post, you'll see the prizes pictured with links to where you can go to enter. There's some awesome stuff there, ranging from Voldemort's wand to Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instrument series (with a signed City of Glass!) to a huge ARC giveaway!

All you need to do to enter any of these giveaways is make a minimum $5 donation (button on the top of my sidebar). If you don't have a Paypal account and would rather send a snail mail entry, please contact me via email. Thank you!!

*The Grand Prize giveaway is open internationally as are some of the blogger's contests below.*

*The Giveaways are open until 11 p.m. central time Wednesday, August 25th*

Ready to choose which group of prizes you want a piece of? Here you go!

GRAND PRIZE DRAWING:


Prize Pack One (enter for a chance to win 1 of the following):

Harry Potter Paperback Boxed Set



Treasure Chest of Custom Homemade Soap donated by Pepper's Apothecary




Signed copies of The Conqueror & The Irish Warrior donated by Kris Kennedy













$25 Amazon Gift Card donated by Tracey O'Hara








Signed copies of The Better Part of Darkness & The Darkest Edge of Dawn donated by Kelly Gay






Prize Pack Two: (enter for a chance to win 1 of the following)

The Twilight Saga in paperback



Shadow Hills book w/signed bookmark donated by Catie at Book Bound



The Prisoner & Perfect Circle by Carlos J. Cortes donated by Shawna Thomas



Chest of Custom Handmade Soaps donated by Pepper's Apothecary



Earrings inspired by The Dark Divine & a cd inspired by Twilight donated by Fire & Ice





ARC of The Obelisk (written by a produce of the show 24) donated by Shannon Messenger




Enter the Grand Prize drawing here or fill out the form below. Don't forget to check the bottom of this post for additional contests your donation qualifies you to enter!



ADDITIONAL CONTESTS!!

Head to these blogs for a chance to win some amazing prizes! All donors may enter every contest!

K.B. Wagers: Pirates of the Caribbean prize pack. Includes a set of the 3 Pirates DVDs, a collection of skull & crossbones soaps, & a Pirates Are Better Than Ninjas t-shirt.

Rebecca Clark: $10 Starbucks gift card

H.C. Palmquist: Voldemort's wand & a stuffed Crookshanks.

N.L. Gervasio: A print of Summer Procession (gorgeous fairy pic!) & multiple book giveaways.

Bree Despain: An Egmont Paranormal Prize Pack: Includes an ARC of The Lost Saint.

Myra McEntire: The Mortal Instrument series: Includes a signed copy of City of Glass.

M.G. Buehrlen: A Garden Gnome (And he is one handsome gnome!)

Rae Ann Parker: Percy Jackson Prize Pack: Includes 3 volume boxed set of PJ books & the Lightning Thief DVD.

Carolina Valdez Miller: An ARCS Galore Giveaway!

Avery Beck: A Starbucks gift card.

Jody Wallace: A Crocheted Amigurumi Pair (Winner's choice of one of Jody's designs ... My faves are the Zombies and the Ninjas. You really can't go wrong with crocheted Zombies or Ninjas.)

Beth Trissel: A signed copy of her new historical fiction novel Red Bird's Song

Sara McClung: A signed set of Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver & Linger

Shannon Messenger: A registration to my September Query Workshop.

Rachel Hawkins: ARC of Demonglass

Kimberly Pauley: Vampire Prize Pack

Kay Cassidy: Cinderella glass slipper & ARC of Cindy on a Mission

Gretchen Stull: Paranormal Prize Pack

Dear ...

Starshine: I think it's awesome you want to save 100k from your birthday money to purchase a Ferris wheel for our backyard. On a related note, if you ever DO get 100k for your birthday, it wasn't me who cashed the check and went to Vegas. I promise.

Acquaintance from years ago: If you don't bother to keep in touch with me, what makes you think spamming my facebook page with an ad for your new direct marketing business is going to be successful? Unless, of course, your definition of success includes me deleting you from my FB friends list. If so? Huzzah! Mission accomplished.

Johanna: I finally get to see your picture in the next few weeks. I'm absolutely giddy at the prospect.

New Employee: The spectacle you witnessed yesterday while I tried to simultaneously swallow soup, cough, and answer a question on my headset? That's just the tip of the iceberg. Consider yourself warned.

Clint: What an amazing husband you are.

Person who found my blog by searching for "need help with my ritting": I need help choosing from a host of (possibly sarcastic) responses. Shall we trade?

Author who shows me her character's personality and then proceeds to explain in great detail what I just saw: Please stop assuming I'm stupid. Kthnxbye

Jack the Cat: It disturbs me to find mangled nerf darts drowning in the dog's water. You've made your point. Stop the violence.

Blog readers: Thanks for visiting, for commenting (I love comments!) and for making me smile. And for finding me with search terms like "teflon lunatic" and "llama spits a lot." I'm honored.

Behold! My Hypnotic Domination-inator!

1. I survived last week's foray into corporate training fun.

2. The fact that I got along well with my roommate helped tremendously.

3. Despite (or maybe because of) the fact that she liked to sniff Expo markers and refused to wear pants.

4. I have to clarify that statement (for her sake) by saying that while she didn't wear pants, she did wear skirts.

5. Very modest skirts.

6. I still promised her I'd call her the Expo-Sniffing Pantless Wonder on my blog.

7. I once had an apartment-mate in college who wore clogs.

8. And nothing else.

9. Every morning.

10. And she liked to pace up and down the hall while the rest of us slept, slapping her clogs against the linoleum floor and daring us to get mad enough to poke our heads out of our doors to be treated to an eye-full of HOLY COW PUT THAT AWAY BEFORE I'M TRAUMATIZED BEYOND RECOVERY.

11. Speaking of eyes, I had my annual check up with the eye dr on Friday.

12. You'll recall the last time I was in, he rolled my eyelid up with a stick, prompting me to gag vociferously and accidentally (I swear it! Maybe!) kick him in the shins.

13. He approached me with caution this time.

14. Actually, he insulted my awesome gag-and-kick abilities by opening the office door, looking at me, and laughing before I even had a chance to threaten his lower extremities with the pointy end of my shoe.

15. The exam itself went well. Mostly because he didn't show me any gross inside-the-eye pictures or haul out any sticks.

16. Then we started discussing new contacts. He said he had some contacts that would make it so I didn't need reading glasses anymore. I told him in no uncertain terms that since I was the girl who knocked herself silly by WALKING INTO A TREE, wearing bifocal contact lenses was a prescription for almost immediate death.

17. He told me they weren't bifocals. They were contacts with CONCENTRIC RINGS OF POWER.

18. He had me at hello.

19. Yes, dear reader, I am now wearing CONCENTRIC RINGS OF POWER. Look into my eyes if you dare.

20. World domination, here I come.

21. And because she was fun and thought my particular brand of weird was enjoyable, I may make the Expo-sniffing Pantless Wonder my first lieutenant.

Workshop Update

Plotting Workshop:

Workshop starts next week. Lessons are emailed so you can do the homework on your own schedule. Includes an intense 1 hour private brainstorming chat with me. I have TWO spots left. Grab them if you want them!


Query Workshop:

Starts in September. Includes multiple critiques of your query letter until it shines! Four spots left.


*Please note that due to my uncertainty over when I'll be traveling to China, I'm not sure when (or if!) I'll be able to offer any more workshops in the next few months.*

Winner! Kay Cassidy Giveaway

As always, I used random.org to choose the winner of the beautiful glass slipper bookmark from author Kay Cassidy. And the winner is Heather! Congratulations! Please get in touch with me with your address so I can forward it on to Kay.

Thanks for reading!

Day One: It Begins!

1. Day one of Corporate Training Week of So Not Awesome has begun.

2. This time, I have an assigned roommate.

3. Which means any further run-ins with the bathroom door will have a WITNESS.

4. If she can't be bribed with lemon bars, I may have to ditch her body in the back forty.

5. Remember my earlier angst about the stunning lack of wifi in the area?

6. Turns out the hotel DOES offer internet service. You just need a special cord to access it.

7. So nice of them to offer me this magic cord LAST time I was here.

8. Anyway, this means I can bring you scintillating updates on prepackaged muffins, the Shuttle of Death, and hours spent shivering in an icebox of a classroom.

9. You're welcome.

10. In other news, I need to sign up for Goodreads. My friend and CP Myra McEntire's book HOURGLASS is now on there (It comes out next summer and you WANT this book. It is awesomeness squared.) I'd like to be a pal and add it to my reading list.

11. I just have to find the time to figure out how to use Goodreads.

12. I know, I know ... it's easy, right?

13. That's what everyone told me about LiveJournal and look how well that worked out for me.

14. So, we'll see.

15. And now, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I have the Shuttle of Death to catch so I can grab the blueberry yogurt I don't really like from the hands of a virtual stranger who will later ask for my phone number while swearing she'll miss me.

Pondiferous Ponderings

I get to spend most of next week locked in a classroom all day, every day with virtual strangers doing my second mandatory stint of corporate training. This means several things:

1. I will be showering in a shower whose makers had never heard of the concept of slip-resistant floors.

2. Which means I get to spend 90% of my shower time bracing my feet on either side of the tub to avoid doing a stop, drop, and roll with no one around to call 911 and explain to my hubby how I broke my neck.

3. It (referring to my week of corporate training, NOT my graceless attempts at personal hygiene) also means I'm in danger of once again hitting myself in the face with the too-large bathroom door which SHOULDN'T be five inches wider than a normal door thereby tripling my chances of giving myself a black eye with an inanimate object, but which is, nonetheless, a nemesis not to be underestimated.

4. It also means I'll be choosing from prepackaged muffins, blueberry yogurt, or curiously flat bagels every morning for breakfast.

5. And it means I'll be riding a shuttle to and from the hotel and the home office with a driver who still has dreams of one day proving himself on the NASCAR circuit.

6. And let's not forget that it means I might feel ever so slightly homicidal by day two when I'm STILL showering in the spread eagle position, after having face-planted on the bathroom door because I was hurrying to catch the Shuttle of Death so I could snatch the blueberry yogurt that I don't really like from the hands of a virtual stranger who will ask for my phone number at the end of the week even though we've probably spoken less than thirty words to each other. And four of those were "Hands off my yogurt."

7. But most importantly, it means my internet access will be craptastic at best because this hotel, while over-compensating on the bathroom door size, feels no need to provide basic wifi connections for its guests.

8. Which means any window of time I have to blog, Tweet, or check email is going to be mercilessly brief.

9. Which means I need a plan. A blogging plan. One that I can execute over the weekend in pre-written posts to be copied and pasted in the few measly minutes of wifi connection I manage to scrounge.

10. Which is where YOU come in. Got a question you'd like me to answer? (I'll answer anything except a detailed explanation for where I was the night of May 2nd, 1993.) Want to give me five words to work into a short story? Need me to compare the pros and cons of two seemingly unconnected items?

Leave your suggestions/questions/words/whatever in the comment trail and I'll see what I can come up with.

And watch out for rogue bathroom doors.

Interview With Author Kay Cassidy

*Please note that THIS is the post the dastardly blog thief stole while I was away at work on Wednesday. I hunted it down through the blogosphere and nabbed it for myself again with the clever use of stilettos, duct tape, and some really delicious tacos. Enjoy*



I met Kay Cassidy in the spring of 2008 when we were both Golden Heart finalists. She was warm, generous, and intelligent, and I was so excited when she sold her debut book THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY to Egmont for release in spring 2010. A few months later, my book was getting attention from several agents, and Kay stepped in with an introduction to her agent: Holly Root. The rest, as they say, is history, and I'm forever grateful to Kay for her generous introduction to my agent of awesomesauce. :) When I started inviting authors to be interviewed on the blog, I couldn't wait to include Kay!

Here's a peek at THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY:

What's a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn't want to wear it anymore?

Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it's like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys' magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she's finally found her chance to fit in.

Then the Wickeds--led by Jess's arch-enemy--begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there's more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.

Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn't want to be seen with her in public? And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?


Kay chose to be interviewed by that bastion of awesomeness, the Were-llama.

Were-llama



Kay Cassidy



Now that you know who's who, let's dive into the interview and reveal the gorgeous cupcake my hubby made for Kay. Actually, in a radical departure from the norm, my hubby made a miniature CAKE instead of a cupcake. In honor of Kay's beautiful cover (and maybe in honor of my own obsession with shoes), he made an cake worthy of Cinderella herself. Without further ado, I give you the cake and Kay's interview with the Were-llama.



1. So, you’re a writer. I’m a super-scary shape-shifter who can command obedience with the awesome power of my glowing red eyes. What do we have in common?

I like the color red. Red is pretty. And also scary.

2. You dare call my glowing eyes of death pretty? *gazes in a mirror* Hmm ... I see your point. I like to spit at my enemies from whichever end is closest to them. Do any of your characters have cool abilities like that?

Jess can coordinate a volunteer project with one hand tied behind her back and no access to phones or the Internet. That is a seriously major feat.

3. As long as the project she's coordinating involves helping me achieve world domination, I'll be impressed. If I had a nickname, it would be The Awesome. You?

Princess Fabulosity (P-Fab for short)

4. I'd address you by your nickname, but Were-llamas can't say "fabulosity" without losing street cred. I hang around this blog because I love stories. What’s your story about? Bonus points if it includes a llama.

THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY is about a secret girl power society dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world. It also involves kissing. (But no spitting.)

5. The power of a face-full of spit in any campaign to defeat a nemesis cannot be overstated. You’re making me a cake worthy of my awesome Were-llama status and decorating it to represent your story. What does it look like?

It would have to be pink to match the cover, but we would make it more of a reddish-pink so it complements your eyes. It would also have a glass slipper on top. Do Were-llamas wear shoes? If so, it would be a were-llama-sized glass slipper that you may keep to taunt any wicked Were-llama stepsisters that may come your way.

6. Were-llamas do not require shoes. Were-llamas do, however, require cake. Any Were-llamas in your book?

I suspect some of the Wickeds are Were-llamas in disguise.

7. Anyone who might be a Were-llama and you just haven’t figured it out yet?

Lexy is my best guess, though I think Tina has some Were-llama blood in her heritage too.

8. I approve of any story in which the awesomeness of Were-llamas is accurately represented. I trust you'll make sure both Lexy and Tina spit at their enemies at least once. Llamas or camels and why? Think carefully.

Camels. (Wipes spit from face.) GEEZ, can't you take a joke? Of COURSE it would be Were-llamas. As if.

9. That's more like it. I give you a baby Were-llama as a companion. What do you name her?

Precioussssss.

10. My favorite word is “awesome” because, yanno, look at me. What’s yours?

Hmm… probably a tie between Dude and Awesome. Or possibly Woohoo! (Always with an exclamation point.)

11. Were-llamas don't use exclamation points. The power of our glowing red eyes is all the exclamation point we need. As a young Were-llama, I dreamt of taking over the eastern seaboard one face full of spit at a time. What did you dream of doing when you were young?

At various times, I wanted to be a college professor, the CFO of a Fortune 500 company, a bacterial epidemiologist, and an actress. All of which seem strange and bizarre now.

12. Were-llama approves of strange and bizarre. Cake or cookies?

If it's chocolate cake vs. chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven, I'd choose the cookies. If it's oatmeal raisin cookies vs. cherry chip cake with cherry frosting, I'd choose the cake. However, red velvet cupcakes with chocolate chunks and cream cheese frosting trump all.

13. You have excellent taste in baked goods. Were-llama may come to your house for dessert when you least expect it. Do you share chocolate?

(Snort.) Yeah, all the time. (Insert much laughter here.)

14. Were-llama senses mockery and is now determined to take your chocolate by force if necessary. The Zombie Goat invasion is upon us. How will you fight them off?

What do you mean me? You're the Were-llama, are you not? I will fight them off by telling you how wonderful and strong and mercenary you are so that you will protect me and I can go eat red velvet cupcakes and watch the invasion on CNN.

Were-llama accepts your flattery and also absconds with your cupcakes.


Thanks for the fun interview, Kay! And for writing such an enjoyable book. To learn more about Kay and her books, please visit her site. Of course, the fun isn't over yet. Kay is giving away a gorgeous glass slipper bookmark to one lucky commenter!



Kay's Giveaway:

One lucky reader will win that beautiful bookmark!(No international entries) Here's how to enter.

1. Earn entries:

*Comment on this post with a question or comment for Kay = 1 entry (Kay would love to hear your favorite example of girl power!)

*Be a follower of this blog = 2 entries

*Tweet the link to this interview = 3 entries (Use @cjredwine or leave url to tweet in your comment so I can see it.)

*Post a link on your Facebook page = 3 entries (Leave the link in your comment.)

*Post the contest on your blog = 3 entries (Include link in your comment.)


2. Tally it up: Please tally up your entries and leave the total in your comment.


3. Check back: The contest is open until 8 p.m. Monday, August 9th. Please check back to see if you've won and to claim your prize.

Blog Under Fire!

This morning, I worked for an hour and a half putting together a post where the Were-llama interviews author Kay Cassidy. Tonight, I returned from work to find it was gone.

GONE.

Obviously, there's a blog thief in our midst who has absconded with my lovely post.

THIS WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED.

I shall hunt down the perpetrator.

Or, failing that, I shall work another hour and a half to put the post together again.

Which would be just so awesome. I'd rather find the blog thief. And carve out his heart with a spoon.

Insanity, Inception, Asylum & Goats

1. I don't have very much time to devote to blogging today.

2. To make up for it, I gave you a picture of an Emo Goat.

3. You're welcome.

4. The other day, I was driving to work when I got passed by a tank of a Cadillac.

5. A GOLD Cadillac.

6. Did I say passed? I meant LAPPED. SCHOOLED. Sent home to my mama to sit in the box of shame.

7. The Caddy whipped past me (my hubby will tell you that's no small feat, but he LIES) and tailgated the car in front of me.

8. And I mean TAILGATED. With judicious application of horn honking and everything.

9. I got close enough to get a look at the driver while the Caddy languished behind an SUV showing the temerity to go 80 instead of the Caddy's preferred 120 and discovered the woman behind the wheel was pushing 80 herself.

10. Like Betty White with a death wish.

11. Sort of awesome, in a flirts with death sort of way.

12. Know what wasn't awesome?

13. The guy on the road a few weeks ago who was transporting a refrigerator on the back of his flatbed but who felt no need to TIE IT DOWN.

14. It flew off the back of the truck right in front of us and bounced on the freeway.

15. Thankfully, my hubby had already seen a small item fly off the back of the truck and had backed off far enough that we were able to avoid having a refrigerator come through our windshield.

16. Some days I really worry that drivers with common sense are a dying breed.

17. I saw Inception this weekend and loved it. It was visually stunning, the plot was interesting and different, and the ending ... well, it was both awesome and NOT ... but awesome. Yeah.

18. Also, I had a plot convo with my hubby (where I throw out my ideas and he punches holes in them with questions and I keep talking until WHAMO I get clarity or WHAMO I get frustrated with his questions and he fears for his life).

19. I talked through the Asylum series (the YA I'm currently writing) and I now know the major plot arc and twists for the entire series. Yay! I'm super excited to write this!

20. Also, my hubby and I are doing a workout series called Insanity in which we obey the sadistic instructions of the most evil workout master ever to hit the DVD circuit. We despise him. Loathe him. Hate him with every screaming muscle in our bodies.

21. It's also sort of awesome.

22. And that's all I have for you today. I know, I know ... not my best Monday list.

23. But I DID give you the Emo Goat.

24. That has to cover a multitude of failings.