So yes, it's been ages since there was a blog post, but that's for many reasons. One, this blog will soon be moving and I'm busy designing and working and figuring out GoDaddy and Wordpress. It's coming soon! See the countdown here: www.dmpederson.com Two, there is so much more work to get my book out in print than I expected! There's the ISBN, barcode, legal deposit, CIP and a ton more stuff. Plus I am very very busy getting auditions set up for the book trailer. (See the audition ad here) Three, getting all the social stuff done and put together! Doesn't the header above look amazing? Super big thanks to Deranged Doctor Design for all their amazing work. Should be tackling more reviews and fun videos and blog stuff soon! Stick around and I'll make sure to let all of you, my amazing readers, know the second Lasera is available for pre-order :D
Cheers!
My Book Is Going to be Published! -- With Kickstarter's Help
I am ecstatic to announce that my book will be published! This is the big reason why I haven't been blogging, that I alluded to in my previous post. I am publishing it myself in February 2015. I've been putting in so many hours researching editors and cover designers and the best way to publish that blogging had to be pushed back. But no more! Why? I've launched a Kickstarter for the book! After more than 60 hours of work on a video (not to mention days and days worth of prep) the project is now live on Kickstarter! See Lasera - Book 1: The Mer Archives.
Kickstarter is an all or nothing funding campaign which means I desperately need your help! If I don't reach my goal in the next 29 days, I won't get any of the funds raised. So go and click the big green button on the above page and pledge now to get some great rewards. So far the campaign has been amazing :D The project was chosen as a Kickstarter Staff Pick barely an hour after launch and it has already been shared on facebook more than 90 times. Keep checking back here as I update and share all that is going on.
This kickstarter is not only a great way to pre-order the book now and get some awesome extras too, but it also helps get the book into print. I love the creative journey and can't wait to go through this whole adventure with all of you! Please share, tweet or just chat up the book anywhere you are. The water-cooler, the dog-park, the play group, the library, or even the end of rainbow. This is a -clean- young adult urban fantasy that I can't wait to share with the world and now it's finally on it's way to being done.
Thank you so much for all your support!
COUNTDOWN: 29 DAYS LEFT TO GET LASERA INTO PRINT
Cheers!
Kickstarter is an all or nothing funding campaign which means I desperately need your help! If I don't reach my goal in the next 29 days, I won't get any of the funds raised. So go and click the big green button on the above page and pledge now to get some great rewards. So far the campaign has been amazing :D The project was chosen as a Kickstarter Staff Pick barely an hour after launch and it has already been shared on facebook more than 90 times. Keep checking back here as I update and share all that is going on.
This kickstarter is not only a great way to pre-order the book now and get some awesome extras too, but it also helps get the book into print. I love the creative journey and can't wait to go through this whole adventure with all of you! Please share, tweet or just chat up the book anywhere you are. The water-cooler, the dog-park, the play group, the library, or even the end of rainbow. This is a -clean- young adult urban fantasy that I can't wait to share with the world and now it's finally on it's way to being done.
Thank you so much for all your support!
COUNTDOWN: 29 DAYS LEFT TO GET LASERA INTO PRINT
Cheers!
Lack of Posts = A Great Surprise!
I'm loving that I'm still getting amazing book review requests and I've already delved into so many of them (despite my very conspicuous lack of posts). Here's the thing. There's a reason why there hasn't been a lot of things from me or reviews in the last while. I'll be sharing some specific details in a post on Monday, but not the main one.Some HUGE is coming! And it's the main reason. (If you didn't guess) I can't wait to tell all you lovely readers about it. Keep your eyes glued here and check back, I'm so excited for this you have no idea. I'm staying up way too late all the time working on it and am very zombie like with my kids and hubby the next day. :P The surprise is coming! :D
Cheers!
Keeping the High from a Writer's Conference
I had the most amazing opportunity to go to the SAOW Word on the Lake Festival this past weekend. It inspired me, taught me, relaxed me and allowed me to find so many new friends and connections.
I'd told some of the people I met at the conference and my family and friends that I plan on attending a type of writer's conference or festival every six months. It both mentally gives me a break from the day to day work of creating and writing, and allows for invaluable networking and connecting, plus I LOVE talking with other writers.
But how to keep the high from that conference? It's a week later and I still feel like I'm going strong. How have I done this now as opposed to any other time I've attended writer's workshops or conferences? Well I started by setting realistic goals for myself and writing them down. Specifically right onto my desk calendar so I can see my deadlines and goals in front of me everyday. Plus I've set aside a big chunk of time to write every week. Many good authors tell you to write every day. I'd say the same, and I try to do so, but as a mom of two very active little kids it sometimes just isn't possible (my daughter got 8 teeth in 3 weeks last month - see teeth, teeth, teeth ) and therefore I PLAN to write for more than 3 hours at least once a week. I also made an agreement with a friend of mine at this conference and actually made a hand shake "pact" out of it. Therefore, I now have to hold myself accountable to her.
In an easy to read list - 3 Ways to Keep the Writer's High
1. Set realistic goals. Write them down. On a Calendar.
2. Set TIME to write weekly. This needs to be a big chunk. 3 hours plus.
3. Get a friend to hold you accountable. Choose one specific deadline and make sure you stay on track and report to your friend.
I learned a lot that I hadn't even considered before at this conference, but I have to keep going and so do all the other writers out there. Unite writers of the world and keep that high as long as possible!
But because of that high I have to get back to writing novel #2 in the Lasera series. :D
I'd told some of the people I met at the conference and my family and friends that I plan on attending a type of writer's conference or festival every six months. It both mentally gives me a break from the day to day work of creating and writing, and allows for invaluable networking and connecting, plus I LOVE talking with other writers.
But how to keep the high from that conference? It's a week later and I still feel like I'm going strong. How have I done this now as opposed to any other time I've attended writer's workshops or conferences? Well I started by setting realistic goals for myself and writing them down. Specifically right onto my desk calendar so I can see my deadlines and goals in front of me everyday. Plus I've set aside a big chunk of time to write every week. Many good authors tell you to write every day. I'd say the same, and I try to do so, but as a mom of two very active little kids it sometimes just isn't possible (my daughter got 8 teeth in 3 weeks last month - see teeth, teeth, teeth ) and therefore I PLAN to write for more than 3 hours at least once a week. I also made an agreement with a friend of mine at this conference and actually made a hand shake "pact" out of it. Therefore, I now have to hold myself accountable to her.
In an easy to read list - 3 Ways to Keep the Writer's High
1. Set realistic goals. Write them down. On a Calendar.
2. Set TIME to write weekly. This needs to be a big chunk. 3 hours plus.
3. Get a friend to hold you accountable. Choose one specific deadline and make sure you stay on track and report to your friend.
I learned a lot that I hadn't even considered before at this conference, but I have to keep going and so do all the other writers out there. Unite writers of the world and keep that high as long as possible!
But because of that high I have to get back to writing novel #2 in the Lasera series. :D
Cheers!
Don't forget to
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or follow my blog >>
** Reviews for novels submitted start up again next week. Plus those who are fans of my Recipe Recaps and WAM Moments of the Week? Keep coming back. Tons more content and plans are coming for both of those next week. There's also some great new things that'll be dropping into the blog soon :D
I Finally, FINALLY Made My Deadline
So yesterday I posted something that I'd originally typed and intended to publish in January. Why did it not go up until then? I started working on my novel revising and polishing and once I got in the grove I couldn't stop :D
The sum of not posting for two months? MY NOVEL IS FINISHED AND POLISHED! I've got to send out the final stuff to my beta readers, but I'm sending out queries and ecstatic to have things actually happening. And knowing that this is going to be my year. Whether I get a good publishing deal or not, I now know enough and I'm confident enough that if I don't get any interest from publishers or agents I'll go ahead and publish this novel myself.And although this blog languished on the back burner essentially, I'm very glad it did. Now come April, after I've sent off my queries, I'm going to refocus back on this blog and make all the adjustments and tweaks I've imagined for it.
Thanks, dear readers, for sticking with me. This blog and everything wifey, authory and mothery will come back online and on schedule soon!
Cheers!
Don't forget to
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p.s. There have been some amazing novel review requests that have come in, and I promise I haven't overlooked any of them. I can't wait to read a ton of these so keep them coming! :D
Do I Want to Work Full-time? That's a Nope with a Capital "N"
Some moms can totally organize the house and kids and work full-time. I'm not one of them.
For the middle two-ish weeks of January (yes this is a post I wrote in Jan. Why is it just going up now? More on that tomorrow) I was pretty much working full-time as a temp in an optometrist's office. I didn't mind the work at all. It's a great office and place to work, the other ladies were welcoming, understanding and fun to work with. Plus I'm certified as an optometric assistant and so I fell into a groove pretty fast. However, my house and kids didn't fair well. My two little ones did okay considering, (a 3 year old boy and at the time 11 month old girl) but when they're used to having me home all day and I was gone for 8+ hours a day, 4 or 5 days a week, it wasn't that easy on any of us.
 |
| my mount doom of clean laundry: as tall as my 3-year-old |
The biggest thing that overtook my house was the laundry. I'd wash and dry load after load, (we all had to have clean clothes, especially me for work) but it would just not get folded. This happened with a couple loads, and then three, and four. And yeah this huge pile that overtook my bedroom was about 6 loads worth, (minus whatever clean clothes we took out because we had to wear them.)
Why am I telling you all this? So other working moms out there who feel like they're the only ones who can't do it all, NOT TRUE! A lot of us have trouble staying organized and we need to lift and support each other.
Understand your own personality, and set realistic expectations. Right now my organizational skills are not at the point where I can make a full-time job work. Will I eventually be that organized? Maybe. Should I keep trying to improve and change and work on my organizational skills? Yes. But something else I learned about myself was that I didn't want to be away from my kids that much. Sometimes we don't have a choice financially and have to work full-time. Thankfully I'm in a position where I can stay home with my kids. Some women choose to work full time because they want to. But I think we all need to be aware of our own weaknesses and strengths. Because when it comes right down to it if you're so stressed out you put your pants on backwards and two different coloured socks on in the morning, yeah something's gotta give.
So what do you want? What can you handle?
Me? I'll keep working part-time and try to rein in the chaos that is my house.
Cheers!
WAM Moment of the Week:
10 min before we were supposed to leave for my son's speech therapy appointment he lost his glasses. (Like brand spanking new two-day-old glasses) and after tearing apart his bed room for almost 15 mins, I still couldn't find them. We went to rush out the door and the babysitter found the glasses tucked in beside his mattress. So we managed to get the glasses, but when we got to the appointment I realized my son's communication aid iPad had been forgotten on the hook by the door. Yeah, it had been one of those types of mornings. :I Facepalm.
Btw if you noticed there's no Recipe Recap in the post today, stay tuned for Friday :)
Btw if you noticed there's no Recipe Recap in the post today, stay tuned for Friday :)
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Peacock Flock Review #26 - If I Stay
Author: Sunni Overend
Length: ~ 262 pages
Genre: Romance
Heat level: Clean
Stars: 4 Stupendous Purple Stars 
Book Summary:
On a day that started like any other,
Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.
Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting, and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving.
Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.
Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting, and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving.
Review:
We really liked this. You know it's a really good book when the characters stay with you. The characters felt so real! Much of what we found out about them wasn't from a lot of telling or info dumps but the small little details -- the way they talked and did things, reactions and hobbies-- really rounded out their personalities. The only real drawback and why this wasn't five stars was because of the flashbacks. As much as they were needed and it was the only real way to tell this story, we found it slowed down the forward motion of the main plot line. But as we can't think of another way to tell this wonderful character's choice and decision and this moment in her life, we accept that the author did a good job of it. The only other thing that was both good and bad: the abundance of music was great and specific references lent realism to the novel, however, not being music gurus ourselves we found it hard to feel the tone of certain scenes when we could only imagine what a certain song might have sounded like (because it wasn't a song we were familiar with). All in all an amazing premise and a good story, we wanted to know what happened next to this girl, but the story still ended in the perfect spot. One great read :)
p.s. Just found out there's a sequel to it. Where She Went. We are so reading it too!
p.s. Just found out there's a sequel to it. Where She Went. We are so reading it too!
That's it from the flock!
A Writer's House
Although I admit that there are many other voracious readers out there whose houses are overflowing with books just like mine is, I'm sure every writer out there can relate to my current dilemma. Books are overtaking my house. I love it, but it is a bit of an organizational nightmare. In fact, the last time we moved when my brother-in-law was helping and carrying out his fifth box of books, he couldn't believe it "How many books do you have?". "Another one?" he said as I hand him a large bin marked books.
Now I am more than completely glad to have this many books in my house and always will, but I'm running out of room to store them :I :) Which makes me both annoyed (in the organizational part of my brain) and ecstatically happy (in the creative part of my brain).
So here's a little peek into the overflowingness of books in a writer's house. :D
Recipe Recap:
Dinner For This Week: Slow Cooker Venison Roast - This sounds good, but the reviews seem pretty divided. I'm going to follow a lot of reviewer recommendations and sub potato for the fresh onion and use garlic powder instead of garlic salt.
Dessert For This Week: Chocolate Shortbread Sandwiches - Even though it's not Valentine's Day, I gotta try these!
Now I am more than completely glad to have this many books in my house and always will, but I'm running out of room to store them :I :) Which makes me both annoyed (in the organizational part of my brain) and ecstatically happy (in the creative part of my brain).
So here's a little peek into the overflowingness of books in a writer's house. :D
My wonderful writing books smack dab in the centre of my desk,
as I need to refer to them, a lot!
My overflowing bookshelf beside my desk
The bin of books which don't fit on the shelf,
currently underneath my desk
Book I'm reading right now, on the edge of my desk
Another book I'm reading right now,
in the pocket of the rocking chair
Books in my bathroom that I'm chipping away at
More books in my bathroom that I'm trying to chip away at
My cupboard of cookbooks
(which overflows into the bookshelf by my desk)
My Narnia books on display with their fabulous bookends
The books currently on my bedside table
I'm also very proud of how much my children love books!
This is their little bookshelf
Plus the overflow of more of their books
And even more overflow into the drawer of the above bookshelf
Plus a couple of my random books on the same shelf
Yeah, I've got a ton of books, and I want even more. Ideally I'd love to eventually have my own library. But for now I'll just let the wonderful pages upon pages overtake my house :D
Dinner From Last Week: Beef Barley Soup
Went really well (and this was actually made a number of weeks ago, but I'm just catching up now :D). I had to use actual tomatoes because I didn't have any canned tomatoes. But it was quite tasty and warm and hit the spot on a cold day.
Dessert From Last Week: Cranberry Bars
So for these after I started mixing the dry ingredients, I realized that my cake mix package was only half the size of what this recipe called for. I had to half all the other stuff for the crumble. Plus all I had was chocolate cake mix, so it was quite different than the actually recipe and only had half the crumble it was supposed to, but they were so tasty! Loved them with the chocolate. And I might just have to make these again with the full crumble instead of halving it!
Dinner For This Week: Slow Cooker Venison Roast - This sounds good, but the reviews seem pretty divided. I'm going to follow a lot of reviewer recommendations and sub potato for the fresh onion and use garlic powder instead of garlic salt.
Dessert For This Week: Chocolate Shortbread Sandwiches - Even though it's not Valentine's Day, I gotta try these!
WAM Moment of the Week:
- my husband was playing a lego videogame with my son and had moved the remotes of my daughter Kaia's reach. All of a sudden he said he felt something on his back. He looked around and Kaia had climbed up on the couch to get to the remotes! :O So yes my daughter is quite the climber now, but I had to laugh at how surprised my husband was at her determination to get to those really fun remotes :D
- my husband was playing a lego videogame with my son and had moved the remotes of my daughter Kaia's reach. All of a sudden he said he felt something on his back. He looked around and Kaia had climbed up on the couch to get to the remotes! :O So yes my daughter is quite the climber now, but I had to laugh at how surprised my husband was at her determination to get to those really fun remotes :D
Cheers!
The Saviour of My Soul and a Merry Christmas to All
On this day many are celebrating a variety of things, I myself am celebrating Christmas with a special focus on my Saviour Jesus Christ.
It doesn't matter to me what you may or may not believe and may or may not celebrate. Personally? Wish me whatever you please, Happy Holidays, good Kwanzaa, Hanuka or Christmas, if it's said with a smile and good intentions then I'll smile right back! :) This is a time for people to come together and spend time sharing and caring.
Although for some, this is a particularly hard season as they may not have family or feel like anyone cares. If you notice one of these people please reach out and give them a smile, invite them over to join in your family celebrations, be inclusive, be kind. It can not only make someone's day but keep them going and in good spirits for a long time. We all need those happy memories to hang on to when the hard times come. If you happen to be someone who's feeling all alone and unloved and you're reading this, please reach out to those around you. So many people care that you may not think do. I care too and hope that you find peace and happiness.
For me this is a season of family and good tidings and giving, but it is also a time for me to Honour my Saviour. I know that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and that He died for me and that He Lives. At this special time of year I hope to show how much I try to follow him, both in how I treat others and in the smile and kindness on my face.
I hope each and every one out there has a very wonderful season, filled with joy, laughter, good company, and snuggling into the warm blankets on a cold morning. (Or trying to stay cool and still enjoy the season if you're in the Southern Hemisphere :D)
Merry Christmas! Laugh and Love and Please Drive Safe!
It doesn't matter to me what you may or may not believe and may or may not celebrate. Personally? Wish me whatever you please, Happy Holidays, good Kwanzaa, Hanuka or Christmas, if it's said with a smile and good intentions then I'll smile right back! :) This is a time for people to come together and spend time sharing and caring.
Although for some, this is a particularly hard season as they may not have family or feel like anyone cares. If you notice one of these people please reach out and give them a smile, invite them over to join in your family celebrations, be inclusive, be kind. It can not only make someone's day but keep them going and in good spirits for a long time. We all need those happy memories to hang on to when the hard times come. If you happen to be someone who's feeling all alone and unloved and you're reading this, please reach out to those around you. So many people care that you may not think do. I care too and hope that you find peace and happiness.
For me this is a season of family and good tidings and giving, but it is also a time for me to Honour my Saviour. I know that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and that He died for me and that He Lives. At this special time of year I hope to show how much I try to follow him, both in how I treat others and in the smile and kindness on my face.
I hope each and every one out there has a very wonderful season, filled with joy, laughter, good company, and snuggling into the warm blankets on a cold morning. (Or trying to stay cool and still enjoy the season if you're in the Southern Hemisphere :D)
Merry Christmas! Laugh and Love and Please Drive Safe!
Cheers!
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Let's Be Honest. I Bit Off WAY More Than I Could Chew.
So I went to the most amazing Writer's Fair at the beginning of November. I got all motivated and excited about my writing again. Therefore I readjusted my deadline for sending out my manuscript, and I decided to do NaNoWriMo which for those who don't know means you start a new novel at the beginning of the month and try to write 50000 words in that month. Both of these on top of my day to day chores with a house and two kids, plus teaching a women's class at church and being a single mom for three weeks out of the month because my husband was taking a longer shift at his job out of province. Then my health tanked, problems that not the least of which was severe exhaustion (despite 7-10 hours of sleep most nights) and some huge issues with postpartum depression. See How I Deal With PostPartum DepressionHow did it all end? I still didn't make my deadline and I only got about 1000 words into the book I started for NaNoWriMo. Now a part of me really thinks of this as a failure but another part of me realizes that I still tried, and that you have to tackle life as it comes. Am I upset that I didn't make my deadlines or meet those goals that I wanted too? Darn right I am. However, I am honest enough with myself to know that my health and exhaustion contributed to this. I actually finally began to feel like myself again (for the first time in months) in the past couple weeks.
As much as I would've loved to do everything I tackled it didn't happen. But at the same time I can still keep working towards those goals, just because I didn't finish them when I wanted to doesn't mean I should just give up on them. I will accomplish my goals, it may just take some extra time.
The end result is that day by day I'm slowly becoming more of the person I want to be. With the aid of good doctors and friends and family my health is getting back to normal. When I take bites of the proverbial sandwich I'm going to take smaller bites for the next little bit, and once I swallow those begin to take bigger and bigger bites. Time marches on, but so do my trials, and hopefully my strength grows as I take them on and work and push past them, because I know I can.
So if you're having a bad day, or week, or month, remember that if you get help and understand yourself and keep working, a good day is on it's way to you.
Cheers!
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p.s. If you are also dealing with depression like I was, please talk to someone and get some help, one of the best and most informative and truthful videos about this that I've ever seen is this one here:
***Make sure to watch the whole movie all the way through
Peacock Flock Review #25 - March
Author: Sunni Overend
Length: ~ 300 pages
Genre: Romance
Heat level: Moderate - for details highlight between parentheses
(Some explicit terms in foreplay, but jumps over the full 'scenes')
Stars: 3 Enjoyable Purple Stars
Book Summary:
A creative wunderkind who once topped the country's most prestigious fashion school, Apple March is now languishing behind a retail counter. When fate shifts and her imaginative passion is reawakened, so too is the threat of a past secret.From the cool heart of Melbourne to Paris and New York, in a vibrant world of Pimms and croquet, crocodile boots and cocoon coats, Apple seeks the thrill of creative freedom and the one man worth sharing it with.A page-turning debut novel written with fun, stylish wit, March is too satisfying to miss.
Review:
We liked this. Most of the characters had distinctive traits and we thought the descriptions of everything fashion and designer were done well. However. That's about all we have for positives. There were a fair few typos and some larger ones where the sentence had to be reread a few times to understand. The main character Apple had little direction and although this did give her character some room to grow it made for a very lagging beginning. Plus Charlie and his whole family were in desperate need of some flaws. Everything about them was too perfect. Too picturesque. And did Apple come from money or not? It wasn't really clear and if she was more middle class why on earth wasn't there more reaction to the obscene amount of opulence experienced by Charlie and his family? Going to a croquet tournament and having a private area with rugs and your own personal waiter serving champagne? Yeah Apple took all the richness too much in stride for me. And the plot was just so-so. Not a lot of unexpected or unpredictable. We wanted more from it. This book hovered dangerously between 3 stars and 2.5 stars, but it was a cute (albeit very transparent) ending, so we put it into the 3 star bracket.
This review would've been 3.5 stars but we had to take .5 star off for language. There were 40+ f bombs. That is way too much swearing. And that's just the f words. We didn't even count other swears. We specifically state in the review policy that we don't like excessive language. Maybe it's different in Australia where much of the book takes place, but anything more than 5 f words and we just do not like it. We'd prefer there to be none at all. This was just time after time. From an authors stand point as well this was too much repetition. Even if it's common in Australia for f bombs to be dropped that often (which we honestly don't know) the characters began to sound all the same. And it begs the question whether or not these characters have any depth to them as they're using the same words and expressions.
So it's a light read with okay characters. But only pick it up if you can handle a lot of language.
That's it from the flock!
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