If you HAD to pick...

If you were allowed to only pick ONE major holiday to celebrate each year, which would it be? Christmas or Easter? And why?

Second question - if you were allowed to only celebrate one small holiday in ADDITION to Christmas or Easter, which would you choose? (Valentine's Day, New Years, St. Patrick's Day, 4th of July, etc.)

GO! :)

What is your greatest fear?

Over at Scribble Chicks, we're talking about our biggest fears (writing related or otherwise) and how to break through them.

What is your biggest fear's name?

Come join the discussion and see how God can see you free of it.

What does your candy heart say?

I really can't believe January is almost over! Can you? I love February though. The whole month just seems pink :)

Do you celebrate or protest Valentine's Day?

In honor of the pending holiday, here's a fun little quiz ;)

WHAT DOES YOUR CANDY HEART SAY?

My results:

YOUR CANDY HEART SAYS HUG ME

A total sweetheart, you always have a lot of love to give out.
Your heart is open to where ever love takes you!
Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a surprise romantic evening that you've planned out

Your flirting style: lots of listening and talking

What turns you off: fighting and conflict

Why you're hot: you're fearless about falling in love


What'd you get??

Encouragement?

If you're in need of encouragement today, come on over to www.writergetsreal.blogspot.com   and check this out.

Just in time for Valentines...

A four part romance just in time for Valentines!! :)  AND - by some of your favorite (and mine!) authors!

About Secretly Smitten:
Summer, fall, winter, spring -Smitten, Vermont, is the place for love . . . and mystery!
There's a secret in Grandma Rose's attic-a forgotten set of dog tags belonging to her first love. But David Hutchins was killed in action and never returned to Smitten. How did the dog tags end up in the attic?
The mystery intrigues Rose's three granddaughters-Tess, Clare, and Zoe-and they decide to investigate, though their mother, Anna, warns against meddling. But as the seasons turn and the mystery unravels, the three young women and their mother encounter some intriguing mystery men of their own. Has a sixty-year-old puzzle sparked something new for this close-knit family of women?
Join popular romance novelists-and real-life BFFs-Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter for four delightful intertwined tales of mystery and sweet intrigue.
Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/gM679

Meet "The Gals":

RITA-finalist Colleen Coble is the author of several best-selling romantic suspense novels, including "Tidewater Inn", and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series. * Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year award, Kristin Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. Her books include "A Billion Reasons Why" and "What a Girl Wants." * Denise Hunter is the award-winning and best-selling author of several novels, including "A Cowboy's Touch" and "Sweetwater Gap." She and her husband are raising three boys in Indiana. * Diann Hunt has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate.


Find out more about Coble, Billerbeck, Hunter, Hunt here.

Secretly Smitten

An Evening of Giggle, Gab & Prizes

The "gals" are celebrating the release of Secretly Smitten with a fun Live Webcast on February 5th. They'll be debuting the *NEW* animated Smitten trailer, giving away tons of prizes, dishing on the book and their friendship. They'll also be wrapping up the Secretly Smitten blog tour, answering audience questions and testing your trivia skills. Don't miss the fun and bring your friends. Click here to RSVP and set up a reminder.

Blog Tour Schedule - http://litfusegroup.com/author/Smitten

Happy weekend!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

I'm heading to a cabin with a hot tub, a pool table, and 3 fireplaces. Bring it on.

My deadline will be waiting for me when I return ;)

It's OKAY to ask!!!

It's OKAY to ask questions of God.
http://www.girlsgodgoodlife.blosgpot.com 

A new chick in town....

Visit me today at SCRIBBLE CHICKS and meet our new Chick!!!

A day off....

Taking today off from posting because my Little Miss is testing today for Magnet - meaning her test today will determine potentially where she is going to kindergarten next Fall. EEK. When did she get this old??? Prayers appreciated for her best job. I'm proud of her regardless. She's already in the advanced gateway preschool program, so at this point, I'm just praying for God's wisdom in potentially giving us the choice to change schools next year or not. I'm happy either way!!

Have a great week :)

MLK all the Way....

Happy MLK day!

I'm off work and living the high life today with Little Miss - pjs, reading, cartoons, late breakfasts, Wii bowling, Princess Dominos, and lots of snacks and Valentine candy. I think there are chicken nuggets and more cartoons in our immediate future.

Hope you're having a good one :)

Is smoking okay for Christians?

Come read and find out ;)

www.writergetsreal.blogspot.com

Escape with...

Some days, you just want to escape.

NEED to, really, so you don't actually go insane.

Running away to a warm deserted beach island isn't a possibility for me today, though at this point I'm sort of like "well heck just charge that too".  (Yeah, just found out last night our heater repair in our house is going to be $948)

My friend posted on FB yesterday about how hard it was to be on bedrest (with her third child) and uncomfortable and forbidden to do anything her OCD nature demands (housework, laundry, babyroom prep, etc.) And how her nerves were shot and she needed an OCD break. I can totally relate! I told her on FB after getting the bill for the heater - "I understand. I was just thinking how great it'd feel to punch a hole in the wall, but I don't want to have to deal with sheetrock dust."  haha. Been there?

So, (as a much less messy and less painful and less expensive alternative to beach trips and wall punching)  I'm planning on escaping tonight inside a few more chapters of Carol Cox's "Love in Disguise". Fabulous historical about a Pinkerton detective who is playing the part of an older woman and a vivacious younger woman to undercover the truth about some mine thefts...and falls in love with one of her suspects who has no idea she isn't any of her roles!

Talk about bigger problems than mine  ;)

Where do you escape?

Scribble Chicks

Visit me today at www.scribblechicks.blogspot.com !

Poll time!

Okay, we're going to do a poll!!

Pick your favorite from each line of the below choices and leave your entry in the comment section of this post.

No explanations, just answers :)    It'll be fun.

1. Wal-Mart or Target
2. Print book or ebook
3. Romance or suspense
4. Black Friday shopping or sleeping in
5. Christmas or Easter
6. Apples or oranges
7. Board games or computer games
8. Grease 1 or Grease 2
9. Gummy bears or lemon drops
10. Nicholas Sparks or Karen Kingsbury

Spring cleaning in January

So I'm suddenly in the mood to spring clean.

I mean, like, scrub behind the refrigerator, de-clutter, throw everything away that we haven't touched in 6 months, every closet/every drawer/every crevice, spring clean.

You'd think I was 36 weeks pregnant and nesting or something.

Sigh. It's actually sort of horrible, because it's so overwhelming and there's no time or money to really do all I want to do. And this is definitely not what I need to think about 4 weeks away from my book deadline!

I need a spring cleaning fairy.

Though I'm actually still just riding the high that I changed out our computer monitor and keyboard (monitor was dying) all by myself with only one brief phone call to my tech-genius Daddy. Woot woot! Maybe that'll distract me from the clutter.  ;)

And the dust bunnies behind the fridge that I can't see but I know are there....

Are you spring cleaning yet for the new year? Or procrastinating? Or is your house so perfect and clean 24/7 you don't even need to?

Starting 2013 with an addiction...

That's right. I'm addicted to the Big Bang Theory.

Have you ever seen that sitcom?

HILARIOUS.

It's basically about 4 genius/nerds who work together at a science lab, and their attractive neighbor Penny that lives across the hall in their shared apartment complex. The most quirky character is Sheldon, and he gets all the good lines. Frankly, I don't see how he even delivers them with a straight face. They must do 98945 takes per episode.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK Penny. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK Penny. heheehe.

The recorded reruns are my 2013 addiction! And I'm so happy Bunheads is back for a new season! YAY!

What's your 2013 addiction of choice??

The Good life....

I'm posting today over at Girls, God and the Good Life! Come see me :)

Rewrites and revisions!

Join me at Scribblechicks today and let's talk about revisions and rewriters and edits! (oh my!)

Any you making resolutions?

Are you making 2013 New Year Resolutions? What are they?

Whether you are or aren't, you might consider reading my monthly column on the topic over at YA author Nicole O'Dell's CHOOSE NOW ministry.  :)

http://nicoleodell.com/2013/01/on-good-girls-hand-god-pen-already/

YA at its finest

WOW. 

I just read THE SHADOWED ONYX, a YA novel I've been excited about ever since finishing the first two novels in Nicole's "Diamond Estate" series, and...wow. I wasn't disappointed! Now I'm just sort of bummed the series is over :)

**note ** Each of the novels in this series totally stand alone, but if you can read them in order, it's even better. 

Series Description:

Diamond Estates. Three girls are on a journey to find hope and healing. Each coming to Diamond Estates seeking solace... Each with her own unique set of struggles…And each capturing hearts and challenging the faith of teen girls.

I love that Nicole openly tells in the author notes of the novel about her own experience as a teen at Teen Challenge. Her experience there clearly rings true and sincere in her novels in a way that other authors couldn't even touch. Nicole KNOWS - and PRACTICES - what she's preaching here, and the best part about it is that it doesn't come off as preaching at all! I highly recommend any of Nicole's YA novels for the teen in your life. 

Book Blurb: At age seventeen, Joy Christianson is the life of the party. That is, until her best friend commits suicide. Joy’s already wavering faith slips completely out of her reach; darkness sets in, and her smile fades. Her “friends” lead her to the Onxy, meant to help her let go of the past and bring her into harmony with reality. Joy embarks on a dark journey of witchcraft. Eventually, afraid of letting the depression and evil take root, Joy decides to seek help in the haven of Diamond Estates—and try to reclaim the Joy she once knew.

**Disclaimer** This book is hardcore. It's great on so many levels, but it's definitely not a light, fluffy read to hand to a teen to skim on their beach blanket this summer. This contains serious content and should be treated seriously . (the occult, spiritual warfare, demonic influences, suicide, death, etc.) Not to scare readers away, because I firmly believe teens SHOULD read this. It's just a bit of a catch 22, because while this book clearly presents what could happen and often does happen when teens (or anyone) dabbles in the occult, and serves as a warning thereof and offers light to escape the darkness, (I love how Nicole added the plan of salvation and Scripture to the back of the book!) it could also have the reverse affect and entice a spiritually scoffing teen to try things out or "give them ideas" if they don't take it seriously. So please pray over your teen before, during and after they read this story, and discuss it with them and get their thoughts on the subject matter. I believe God can and will use this story to do big things in the hearts of teenagers!

Here's info on Nicole:

Bio: Nicole O'Dell, founder of Choose NOW Ministries and host of Choose NOW Radio: Parent Talk and Teen Talk, is a youth culture expert who writes and speaks to preteens, teenagers, and parents on preparing for life's tough choices. The mother of six, including toddler triplets, she’s author of YA fiction, including the popular Scenarios for Girls interactive fiction series and the Diamond Estates Series, and non-fiction for teens including Girl Talk, 2/1/12, based on the popular advice column she writes with her two daughters. Hot Buttons, O’Dell’s non-fiction series for parents, pre-empts peer pressure by tackling tough issues and was recently endorsed by Focus on the Family. Visit www.nicoleodell.com for access to her bustling blog network and other resources.

You can purchase this novel at any link below:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Shadowed-Onyx-Diamond-Estates/dp/1616265590

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-shadowed-onyx-nicole-odell/1110505663

GoodReads: The Shadowed Onyx (Diamond Estates, #3) by Nicole O'Dell ...

ChristianBook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/3-shadowed-onyx-nicole-odell/9781616265595/pd/265590

Mountains still move...and I have proof...

Come read what happened at www.writergetsreal.blogspot.com

Gettin' Real

Come "Get Real" with me today at www.writergetsreal.blogspot.com and see what aspiring novelist Anne Prado has to say on the topic :)

Scribble Chicks time!

Visit me today on Scribble Chicks and get some inspiration for your creative writing!