Thank you!

Thank you everyone for your support!  Your kind words of encouragement mean so much to me.  I have been feeling a mixture of exhilaration over chasing one of my long held dreams and anxiety over being way out of my comfort zone.  But I know with wonderful family and friends like you, I can't go wrong. Plus, double thanks to anyone who has purchased the book.  As of today, I have sold 17 copies ... and counting!  Don't forget to post a review if you enjoyed reading it (and I sincerely hope you do). 

Moving forward, I am in the process of trying to get noticed.  If anyone has a suggestion on how I can promote my novel or even this blog, please leave a comment.  I have a fan page entitled Going Barefoot on Face Book, I am planning to create a book trailer that I will post all over my sites and You Tube and I am in the process of developing book club discussion points along with ideas for Going Barefoot book club gatherings.  Suggestions about any or all of these topics would be much welcomed.  

Well, back to writing that second novel.  Here's a sneak peek:  It's entitled Secrets, Lies and Apple Pies (though I've toyed with calling it Secrets, Lies and My Fat Thighs).  Just know this:  I'm jam packing it with story twists that will keep you guessing, plenty of comical situations and a few tender moments.  Here's what I can tell you so far:  Meredith's life comes to a sudden halt when she accuses her husband of having an affair with a close family friend.  It is the same day her car slides out of control on an icy road and collides with a tree.  Now living with her mother, Meredith discovers shocking secrets hidden by years of lies.

Again, much love and appreciation to everyone, especially my family and friends!

Like a Kindle in the wind

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT:
I have hit the "save and publish" button on the Amazon digital self-publishing page thus making Going Barefoot in Greener Grass available for anyone in possession of a Kindle for the ultra-low, bargain shopper price of $0.99!  Tell your friends.  Tell your neighbors.  Tell your cousin's roommate's sister who owns a Kindle!  News like this needs to be spread like dandelion seeds in the wind!

Well, here I am.  After much research, I have entered the virtual self-publishing world.  At first, I have to admit that I was hesitant, still gripping tightly to the dream of actually holding a paper-filled book in my hand.  And, it will be wonderful if that particular dream comes true someday.  But in the meantime, I was still speculative about the concept of self-publishing.  I imagined my novel sitting a sports bar with short skirt, low cut top and bright red lipstick looking desperate for attention.  But as I have been learning through various articles from blog posts to well-known publications, this image is simply not the case.  And, I learned a fascinating new term: Digital Natives.  I have three of them living with me right now.  They are anyone born after the advent of the Internet.  This bit of knowledge makes me feel really old, especially since I wrote a paper in college entitled, "The Internet: How Computers Talk to Each Other".  I, at the ripe age of 37, am not a digital native, but my children are.  And these digital natives are more interested in the quality of the read and the enthusiasm to generate it, than the material it's printed (or in this case, not printed) upon.
So, wish me luck ... and don't forget to spread the word :)

Looking for love ...

As the songs goes, "in all the wrong places." 
Yesterday was Valentine's Day, a day I set aside for expressing my love and for recieving love from everyone special in my life.  And, did the love ever flow.  From homemade cards to sweet treats to flowers, the love was oozing from every corner of my life ... except one.  A few months back, I submitted a short story into a writing contest in which the winners would be announced - you guessed it - on Valentine's Day.  No love appeared in my e-mail inbox yesterday, no announcement of a winning short story.  Hmm, major bummer on this day of love.  If you scroll below, you'll see the novel that I have written and have been attempting to sell.  There's been a few rejection letters associated with this work as well and no news of anyone interested in representing it in my inbox either. I guess I'm gonna give up.
Nah!  When I finally took my eyes off my cold computer screen, I saw success all around me -- literally three pairs of little feet running all around me on a major sugar-high.  Now there's a success I can't deny.  And when my husband came home with take-out from our favorite Chinese restaurant, chocolates and a heart shaped balloon, I hugged him. 
"The balloon and chocolate are only from the dollar store because I had to wait," he told me.
I didn't care.  I thought about how much I appreciated having my family all home together and happy.  I thought about my children's grandparents, all four alive and generous with their part in making this Valentine's Day special.  In endeavoring to become a published author, I often forget why I started writing in the first place.  I defer to the quote at the top of this blog by Henry David Thoreau about living "the life you have imagined".  The beautiful life I have imagined is right here in front of me.  Being a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend (I have an awesome group of friends!), an aunt, at times a teacher and always a writer.  I write for the sheer enjoyment of imagining a story or for the fun of playing with rhymes, not to win contests or to see my name plastered across the New York Times Best Seller List (although, that would be incredible). 
So, this past Valentine's Day and everyday, I'll look for love where it matters most.  And who knows, with a little perserverance and a lot of imagination, the writing/publishing world someday might show me a little love too!

Yes, it's been that cold!

I distinctly remember realizing on October 29th that all of the pumpkins we had grown in our garden were far too small for a proper Jack-o-Lantern.  I recall getting my oldest son off the school bus and rushing over to our local farm store.  There we purchased this big fellow in the photo.  I drew on the face, the kids contended with the seeds and "guts" and my husband (a lover of power tools) carved its features using a skill saw.  Four days later, I took the pumpkin out to the garden all the while apologizing to it for its time in our home being so short-lived (Ha! little did I know).  Usually we watch our old pumpkins put on their own type of gruesome Halloween display as they decay in a pile of mush  ... but not Old Jack here. He survived Thanksgiving and then, miraculously he remained in tact through Christmas.  I think we accidentally freeze dried our Jack-o-Lantern!  So, in the middle of January, I snapped this picture to record this bit of craziness for all time.  Yes, it really has been that cold. 

  I have proof!