Surprise!

I'm 2! And it's a big surprise to me!

Yes, it's my Blogaversary. Anyone know what the gift is to celebrate two years?
Me neither!
*searches*
It's cotton! Woo hoo! cotton candy for everyone!

Blogging has been so fun! I can't believe it's been two years. And I have some other reasons to be excited too:

• I'm getting close to 500 followers, woot! 
• I finished my camp nano book, though I didn't get to 50,000 words, yet. But I'm sure with editing I will get there.
• and best of all! I got a request for a full for POP TRAVEL! My first one! 

What better way to celebrate than to give stuff away?!

How 'bout a couple of books:

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

or

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

or
A personalized graphic design by me? I've been making buttons and banners for friends and I also do business cards and fun, inspirational covers!

All you have to do is comment and let me know what you'd like. Then I will randomly select winners. EASY! I'll leave it open for a week (9/6)

Thanks for following me around and keeping me going!

finished, but not done yet

Now I'm in trouble. I see the problem with me doing a Nano. I rush to get my word count in and I reach the end. Too soon! I'm terrible at lengthy descriptions. Now I have to edit and weave in backstory, sensory filled settings, and a better ending. I'm the worst at endings. Everything worked out, the end, good night everybody!

But I do get to go back and read what I wrote. That's fun. Adding words, even chapters is the tough part. Many of you overwrite and have to chop. I am way more conservative with my writing and have to beef it all up. Maybe that's the simplifying math person in me. Or maybe that's just how I write. To even think I have a complete novel, I have to have a whole story in outlined sentences. Then I use my notebooks to add what actually happens in the chapters. When I get to typing, I touch up the scenes with details and add more characters and background. So now I'm done with that phase and I have the skeleton of a book. Time to add some muscle!

Hope everyone is doing well with their writing! How do you get through your first draft? What are you working on?

To give myself inspiration, I visualize. In addition to drawing maps and making lists and charts for my book (total plotter!) I also flutz around with cover ideas...here's my fun cover for

Broken Branch Falls - The story of a high school goblin who wants to break free from his stereotype, which also means breaking the law.

PS - lots coming up in September and still going on right now - check out my packed sidebar!

thou shalt listen here!

I went to college in Arkansas, what a hoedown! And while I was there, I fell in love with the Southern dialect, even picked up a bit of an accent. Y'all hear it once in a while. Anyway, a friend on facebook posted this and I had to pass it on...

Oh! And if you ever thought of being in a band - here's a way to name it (from another friend on facebook - it's perfect fun, useless nonesense, ain't it!)

Answer these two questions and that's the name of your band:
1) What are color are you wearing?
2) What did you just eat?

Mine at the time was: Plaid Fish! which was very weird since I hardly wear plaid or eat fish. What's yours?

Rock on! Have a kickin' weekend!