Express Yourself and Celebrate the Small Things

Express Yourself is a weekly meme that I do with my fellow blogger and friend, Dani @Entertaining Interests. Our goal is to get to know other bloggers better.

EYM ques of the week: What are you looking forward to in August?

*My oldest will turn 16 ! 
*I'm doing a 5K with Dani, and our hubbies.





I had a busy Friday and weekend so I didn't get to do Celebrate the Small Things in a timely manner so I'm doing it today. Celebrate the Small Things is the fun weekly meme hosted by Viklit @Scribblings of an Aspiring Author, where we share things we wish to celebrate and then hop around to other bloggers to rejoice in their celebrations, too. :)

My celebrations: 
*My youngest turned 7 !
*Dani wrote me a beautiful poem and gave me a bracelet as a reminder of our friendship and as a forever hug from her.

What celebrations would you like to share? Is there anything you're looking forward to in August?

Express Yourself Meme

Express Yourself is a weekly meme that I do with my fellow blogger and friend, Dani @Entertaining Interests. Our goal? To get to know other bloggers better, and learn things that make you, well, you. :D

The topic for this week: What is the most frustrating/satisfying thing about being a writer? Not a writer, then pertain this question to whatever you'd like.

The most satisfying thing for me happens during the revisions  editing, or the second, third, forth, etc drafts. That's so fun for me because it's when I feel the story comes to life.
The most frustrating thing is when I have to delete a section or even a character. I know it needs to be done, but it sucks all the same.

Please take a moment to stop by Cover Girls. I'm doing the 30 Day Book Challenge with my co-blogger, Dani. Today is her turn while mine is on Wednesday, but we decided to post the 30 questions in one survey instead of daily.

Swing by and visit Dani at Cover Girls. 







See what other bloggers said in this week's Express Yourself Meme...

Express Yourself Meme and Celebrate The Small Things

Express Yourself Meme is done weekly by me and my fellow blogger and friend, Dani @Entertaining Interests. Our goal? To get to know other bloggers better, and learn things that make you, well, you. :D

For this week's topic, we came up with this: 
What is the biggest challenge you face socially?

I'm painstakingly shy, so it takes me a bit to warm up to people. I can open up when I'm around fam and friends who I've known for a long time. But with others? I feel knots in my stomach and like I'm about to give a speech in front of the classroom right before throwing up. The feeling is brutal.

Do you have any challenges that you face socially?

Celebrate the small things is the fun weekly meme hosted by Viklit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author.

Instructions: Each Friday, share things you wish to celebrate and then hop around to other bloggers to see their celebrations.

My celebrations:

• My 10 year old hit his first home run in an All-Stars Tourney! Seeing that cute smile on his face when he talks about it melts my heart.
• My sis gave me an awesome belated birthday present - an autographed vinyl by the band, Papa Roach. When I opened it, I screamed... LOUD. And may or may not have said some bleepity bleeps, but only because I was so excited. :D

What celebrations do you have for this week?

THIS TIME NEXT YEAR by Catherine Peace

Catherine Peace stopped by my blog to celebrate the release of This Time Next Year and to share some music with us. 

Take it away, Cate...

I am one of those people who absolutely must listen to music when I write. I depend on it a lot for inspiration, for help focusing, and to help me get in the mood. Sometimes, it’s a song for a scene, sometimes a group of songs for an emotion. But typically, I have Spotify going and earphones in.

I didn’t have a playlist per se for This Time Next Year. Really, I listened to a lot of soothing music, a lot of Mumford and Sons and Iron & Wine—which, if you know me, is odd, as I usually blare hard rock. So I want to share with you some of the songs that helped me get through this whole process, and maybe you’ll find some new favorites!

Timeless – Airborne Toxic Event



Okay, so this one isn’t folk, but it’s a beautiful song that encapsulates Kiernan and Moira’s relationship.

I Will Wait – Mumford and Sons



I straight up love this song. To pieces. And again, it’s appropriate.

House by the Sea – Iron and Wine



This one’s just great. I listened to it on repeat through edits. I love the rhythm and the feel.

Smoke – Ben Folds Five



I might have a small obsession with this song in general…and it was perfect to write those more somber moments to.

Swoon – Chemical Brothers



Also not folk. Not anywhere near folk. But I jammed a lot during edits. The beat is great and actually helped me concentrate big time.

Thanks to Cate for stopping by my blog and sharing her inspirational music with us! And congratulations to her on the release of This Time Next Year.

Vampire Kiernan Shaw has never forgotten the night twenty years ago when he’d been forced to stand by while another vampire killed a six-year-old girl’s parents in front of her. He’s spent the better part of the last two decades watching over her, protecting her and hoping for an opportunity to make amends one day.

Ever since surviving the vampire attack that killed her parents, Moira Curran has dealt with the resulting nightmares and abandonment issues the only way she could—by throwing herself into her biochemistry career, preferring a life of a hermit in her lab to facing the reality of her lonely life.

Madame Eve brings them back together for one fateful night. An immediate bond of sizzling chemistry and respect forms, but can it heal her fears and his guilt?

Buy links:

Decadent Publishing

All Romance

Amazon

Entry-Form

Celebrate the small things

Celebrate the small things is the fun weekly meme hosted by Viklit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author.

Instructions: Each Friday, share things you wish to celebrate and then hop around to other bloggers to see their celebrations.





My celebrations for the week:

*One of my sons turned 13 this week! :D

*I'm at 18k for my current WIP. woot!

*We bought a new grill. I'm so excited because our old one quit working. So now we can grill out again!!! Yummy! 


What celebrations do you have for the week? 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Express Yourself Meme - Movie Snacks

Express Yourself Meme is done weekly by my fellow blogger and friend, Dani @Entertaining Interests. Our goal? To get to know other bloggers better, and learn things that make you, well, you. :D


For this week's topic, we came up with this:  Whether watching a movie at the theater or at home, what's your go-to snack?


At the theater or at home, my movie go-to snack would probably be popcorn with M&M's mixed in, preferably peanut dark choc M&M's or peanut butter M&M's.

Also, at home, if I don't feel like having popcorn, I'll choose animal crackers and dark chocolate, sometimes together, sometimes not. 

What about you? 

What's your go-to snack/s at the theater and/or home?

Express Yourself Meme - 4th plans

Express Yourself Meme is done weekly by my fellow blogger and friend, Dani @Entertaining Interests. Our goal? To get to know other bloggers better, and learn things that make you, well, you. :D

This week's question: What are your plans for the 4th, if you celebrate it. If not, do you have any fun things planned for the weekend?




Being a co-host for this meme, you'd think I'd know exactly what I will be doing on the 4th, but truth is, I don't. Which is freeing, in a way. You see, I'm a planner and like things organized. With the busy schedule that my family and I have had so far, my hubby and I decided to take the 4th and plan absolutely nothing. We may go to a cook-out or have our own. We may go see a movie with the kiddos or go for a walk. We may see fireworks later or do that ourselves. We don't know what we're going to do, and it feels great! 

What plans do you have?