I'm dreaming of a ...

... finished manuscript.    Oh, did you think I was going to say "White Christmas"?  

It's the most wonderful (a matter of opinion, if you ask me) time of the year!  And, the most distracting time!

Ding-dong, ding-dong, Christmas bells are ringing and my credit card is steaming and I can't get Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You" out of my head and if I do, then it's replaced with my children shouting, "Come see this commercial. Now I want that!" And, I know that the product is never as good as the commercial with the kids laughing and the whole slow motion animation thing. And then, there's the wondering of what do I get for people?   And, do I like what I bought or should I return it and get something else?  And then there's the wrapping and the baking and the whole tree thing and should it snow - I won't even go there.

And then, and then, I'm reading this newsletter from a writer's organization I joined - back when my mind was free of sugar plums dancing in my head- and I see this quote:

"If you have a dream of writing, that's wishful thinking.  If you have a commitment to writing, that's the way to make dreams come true." -Nancy Pickard, novelist

I cut it out and taped it on to January.

If you're thankful and you know it...

"What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets.  I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?"  ~Erma Bombeck, "No One Diets on Thanksgiving," 26 November 1981

On this day before Thanksgiving, I am thankful for a few odd things.  In addition to, of course, being endlessly thankful for my wonderful family and my amazing friends, I am thankful for... a timer on my coffee pot, my box of wine concealed - but oh so accessible in the cupboard, my stash of chocolate hidden in the freezer, hair color in the form of a full head of highlights, the invention of Spanx, electricity (see post from two weeks ago), video games (without them, this post wouldn't have existed this morning: Day 1 of Thanksgiving break), and one more thing...

Thank you blog readers and followers, anyone who purchased my book or wrote a review, liked me on Facebook (here's the link, if you suddenly feel compelled to do so: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Audry-Fryer-Author/207222035989970 ) ...

... and most especially to those of you who have offered kind words of encouragement and support.  Thank you!

Hey Look: I'm on the Nook

The following is a post containing shameless promotion, reader discretion is advised! 

Hey look:  I'm on the Nook!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Audry-Fryer?keyword=Audry+Fryer&store=nookstore

Exciting, right?  Last winter, when I put Going Barefoot in Greener Grass up for sale on Amazon's Kindle, I checked into self-publishing on other e-readers.  Only Kindle, at that time, provided no fee for uploading my novel.  Fortunately, as of recently, I was tipped off about Pub-It through Barnes and Noble which also uploads for free.  As I am new to the world of self-publishing and self-promotion, I didn't want to spend more than I would potentially make.  So, "free" works!

And now, for more shameless promotion, here's my new and improved summary:

Be careful when you tread barefoot in greener grass ... you might get stung.

For best friends, Olivia and Bethany, life looks a whole lot better on the other side of the picket fence. Olivia had the big Italian wedding - a boisterous affair including her pizza shop owner parents, her superstitious Nonna, her three rowdy older brothers and one quirky photographer's assistant. Now, Olivia lives in a cute suburban home with her husband and three children. Bethany, pushed by an ultimatum to choose between her love life and her budding career, broke off her engagement the night before Olivia's wedding and has been single and free ever since.

In her mid thirties, Olivia longs for a life beyond the threshold of her front door, for an identity other than "wife" and "stay-at-home mom". Bethany, too, has a void in her life, one that she can never seem to fill, no matter how many places she has traveled or how accomplished she has become in her career with a popular food and wine magazine.

On a girls get-away to the Jersey Shore, tensions reach their breaking point as each woman realizes she desires what the other one takes for granted. Can Olivia's and Bethany's friendship survive as each woman dares to have it all?

In her debut novel, Audry Fryer takes the reader on a fun ride with relatable characters, humor and unexpected plot twists. Going Barefoot in Greener Grass is a warm story of friendship weaved into a satisfying tale about never giving up on your dreams.

Don't walk, run through the greener grass (barefoot if you like) to get your copy today!

Okay, enough shameless self-promotion.  We will soon return to your regularly scheduled blog posts!

Mother Nature is on Crack!

I'm serious, Mother Nature needs rehab.

  Bizarre weather has been happening all across the planet, with no exception in my corner of the world.

We went from this: 

to (in a matter of a couple weeks) this:

That's eleven inches of snow three days before Halloween, countless trees down including our treasured maple that shaded our picnic table and no power for four days (some of my neighbors were out for more than a week)!  Oh, and no post for last Wednesday, due to the lack of electricity. 

Well, I'm happy to say the electric company hung the wires right back up amongst the weakened tree branches, thus restoring power ... for now.  Also, I'd like to say that my children demonstrated that they learned much from Fire Prevention Month.  When I lit every candle in my house (because it was seriously dark), all three simultaneously stopped, dropped and rolled.  I thought about telling them that you do that only when your clothes are on fire, but I let them go.  What else was there to do without t.v. or video games?!?

And, finally, in this month of thankfulness, I'm going to strive to be grateful everyday for our utilities while really trying to remember to give back to those less fortunate.  Perhaps I'll donate my candles my children refuse to allow me to light! (Of course, along with can goods and gently used winter coats.)

On a quick side note, as I've decided to incorporate this October snowstorm into novel #2.  Hopefully, by the time I finish, Mother Nature will have been released from rehab and living substance-free!

Comment here or find me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Audry-Fryer-Author/207222035989970