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Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Geek Chick Radio Halloween Talk  I'll be on Geek Chick Radio today at 1pm EST talking about all things Halloween. Come join us by calling and/or listening in here.
2. Hurricane Sandy  We're expected to lose power, possibly for 7-10 days, so if I go MIA, you know that's what happened. Stay safe everyone who is in the storm's path.
3. Edits  I'm swamped with client edits as well as my own. Good thing I love to edit.
4. Halloween I'm worried Halloween will be a wash out thanks to Hurricane Sandy. :(
5. Touch of Death blog tour  I've been having a blast doing interviews and guest posts for my blog tour. It starts very soon, too, so stay tuned.

No Monday Mishmash today because it's exactly 3 months until the paperback release of Touch of Death, and that means I'm giving away an ARC!

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Touch of Death ARCs up for grabs!  I've been getting a lot of requests for ARCs and I don't have many. Spencer Hill Press takes care of them for me. But I do have 3 to give away and will be doing so once a month for the next three months. The first giveaway is next Monday, October 15th. All three will be open internationally.
2. Fangs, Fur, and Fey Giveaway  The giveaway is over now, and I'll be notifying the winner today. Thanks to all who entered, and hello to my new followers.
3. Columbus Day  My daughter is home today because it's Columbus Day. I asked her if she knew what the day was about and she said, "Yeah, the teachers have to work but we get a three-day weekend." Oh, youth!
4. Editing  I'm finishing up an edit on a really awesome book for a client. I really love editing.
5. Revisions  I have to get started on revising my YA Contemporary Romance to break it into two novellas. Should be fun. 

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Revise/Rewrite  I'm working on a revision of INTO THE FIRE that requires me to rewrite most of the book. Same concept but from a different angle, and it's amazing! I'm so excited with how it's turning out.

2. Touch of Death Tattoo!  The totally amazing Keren Spencer got a tattoo of the 13th sign of the zodiac in my book. It might be the coolest thing I've ever seen.

Happy Monday! This mishmash will be a little shorter because I was given a blog award.

1. Touch of Death is available for pre-order!  I was so excited last week to find out Touch of Death is now available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Yay!
2. Kindergarten Orientation  Thursday is kindergarten orientation for my baby girl. I can't believe she's going to kindergarten already.
3. Picture book contract signed  The picture book I've mentioned here is finally contracted, and the illustrator has been selected. It will be out in the next 9 months!
4. Thanks for Being You blog award  I was given this award by the very sweet Katrina DeLallo. Kat is a great friend and one of my critique partners. Thanks, Kat. The rules for this one are insane. A total of 18 facts about myself and answering 11 questions. Wow! I'm totally cheating. You guys know me. I'm an open book. But here are a few things I might not have told you before:

• While I was querying agents in 2011, I played Katy Perry's Firework over and over and cried. 
• I'm equally terrified and excited for the release of my book.
• In 3rd grade everyone called me K.C. (my initials—Kelly Christine) because there were so many Kelly's in my class.
• When Touch of Death became available for pre-order, I did my hair like the girl on my cover. (Yes, I'm a dork!)
• I named my treadmill Teddy the Treddy.

 

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Summer Giveaway Hop  In case you missed it, I'm participating in the Summer Giveaway Hop hosted by Kathy at I'm a Reader Not a Writer. The giveaway is open until August 8 and it's international. Enter here.
2. Touch of Death Galley  I'm proofreading the galley of my book! Eep! I'm so excited. It looks gorgeous, and I couldn't be happier with how Spencer Hill Press has made this book shine. :D
3. Guest Post  Last Friday, I did a guest post on Cecilia Robert's blog. I talked all about creating memorable heroes and villains. Check it out here.
4. Free Newsletter  My free monthly newsletter goes out this evening. If you aren't signed up to receive it and you want to, click here.
5. Picture book sketches  I got to see the sketches for one of my upcoming picture books and they are adorable! I'm so happy with them. I love seeing my story through the eyes of an illustrator.

My life has definitely changed since December when my two-book deal was announced. And it continues to change. But that doesn't mean it's exactly like I imagined either.


What I imagined:
I thought I'd be counting the days until my release and thinking nothing major happens until that point.


What really happened:
I'm glad I have time to prepare for my release. I've been busy editing, writing the other books in the trilogy, doing interviews and radio shows, brainstorming promotional ideas, and getting really excited about my launch party in Boston. Did I mention it is a zombie aPROMcalypse? How awesome is that?


What I imagined:
I'd be contacting people to interview me and review Touch of Death.


What really happened:
People are contacting me... already! Just last month, I was contacted for four author visits. I've already done readings for Touch of Death and school visits. I'm blown away by this. I also have an amazing marketing person at Spencer Hill Press. (Kendra, you rock!) Having a great publisher behind me really is helping to get the word out.


What I imagined:
I'd be wishing my life away until January.


What really happened:
I'm enjoying every step in the process. I'm looking forward to giveaways and of course the big release day, but I really like all the other things involved in the process. I'm savoring every moment.


So life after the contract is even more amazing than I thought it would be. I'm truly grateful to my agent and Spencer Hill Press.


Your turn. How was life after the contract different from how you thought it would be? And if you are pre-contract, what do you imagine life to be like after you sign?

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Giveaway winner!  Congrats to Amber Garcia. She won the zombie deer, compact mirror, bookmark, and sticker. Amber, I've emailed you to get your mailing address.
2. Edits  Last week was an intense few days of editing for Touch of Death, but it's finished! Yay!
3. Back to planning  While I wait for edits on the sequel to Touch of Death, I'll be continuing to plan the next manuscript I have in mind. Planning is so exciting!
4. Reading  Last week was really busy for me and my reading suffered. I'm hoping to catch up this week.
5. Picture book sketches  My editor told me I'd get to see sketches for one of my upcoming picture books this week. Seeing how an illustrator pictures my characters is always exciting.

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. New Puppy!  We adopted a German shepherd puppy last Tuesday. Her name is Hadley, and she such a sweetheart. 
2. Spencer Hill Press Summer Blog Run  Today I'm over J.L. Spelbring's blog for the Spencer Hill Press Summer Blog Run. Judy interviewed me, and I'm giving away some awesome SWAG for Touch of Death.
3. Reading  I can't seem to catch up on my reading this summer, and having a new puppy isn't really giving me more time to relax and read either. :(
4. Summer  Wow, did summer hit with a bang. It's been ridiculously hot!
5. Revising  I think this is the week I start revising my latest WIP. I've had ample time away, and I'm ready to dive in.

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts today:

1. BEA  I've been checking out great pictures from BEA. I'm so sad I couldn't go this year. But the Spencer Hill Press pictures have great shots of my book cover.
2. Editing  I'm finishing up edits (for a client) on a great book that will release December 1. I've had a lot of fun working on this one.
3. Closed Hearts  This weekend I finished reading Susan Kay Quinn's Closed Hearts. Such a great read!
4. Time management  Now that my daughter is finished with school for the year, I'm struggling to find time to get everything done. Luckily, she's gives me about an hour of uninterrupted work. The rest I do at night.
5. Congrats to my agency sister, Trisha Wolfe  I'm so excited to announce that my agency sister has big news! More info to come.

Happy Monday! Here's what's on my mind:

1. Pocono Retreat  I spent the weekend at my regional SCBWI conference, and as usual I learned a lot. I also got to meet my agency sister, Diane Alberts, which was so great! And did I mention I met and shook hands with Laurie Halse Anderson? :D
2. New New story idea  No, that's not a typo. I was already working on a new story idea when another new idea came to me. I'm very excited about it.
3. More time  I have so much I want to do each day, but I can't find time to do it all. It looks like I'm going to have to give up some sleep this week.
4. New look of Blogger  I went to write this post and realized Blogger gave it's administrative panel a facelift. Not sure if I like it. I'm kind of a creature of habit, so when things change I need time to adjust.
5. Winner of my Touch of Death SWAG giveaway  My giveaway ended on the 21st, and the winner is... Hillary Curran! Congrats! I've sent you an email so you can claim your prizes.

I admit I'm not the most patient person. Okay, okay, I really need to work on having more patience. My editing clients can tell you that I don't like to keep others waiting either. If I have something to do, I do it. Right then and there. Why? Because I hate to wait. Or do I?


My debut YA, Touch of Death, releases in January 2013. When I first got my release date, I thought, "That's so far away." Now, I'm glad I have the time to prepare. More time means more opportunities to spread the word, to figure out how to market the book, and to establish my platform.


Why am I talking about this today? I think as writers we focus on getting published. We can't wait for it to happen. We countdown the days and wish our lives away until that release date arrives. But why? Honestly, I'm nervous for my book to come out. Will people like it? So far it's gotten great feedback, but will that continue? That makes me nervous. I'm still extremely excited though, so don't get me wrong. But... I'm glad I have time to get ready.


Do you ever find waiting to be a good thing?

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Easter  I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend. We had fun dying eggs, searching for eggs, and visiting with family.
2. Friday the 13th  This Friday is Friday the 13th. Anyone superstitious?
3. Editing  I'll be doing second round edits on Touch of Death this week. Wish me luck!
4. Spectral  This amazing novel by Shannon Duffy releases tomorrow! Though it's already available on Amazon, if you want to snag it early like I did. ;)
5. Brainstorming  My new WIP idea is revealing itself very slowly. I got the idea months ago, but it's still only bare bones right now. I need to sit down with my MC and ask her to tell me her story so I can get this plotted.

Happy Monday! Here's what's on my mind today:

1. Finishing my YA contemporary romance  I was so worried about writing a contemporary novel, but I loved it. I'm finishing it up today and can honestly say it was so much fun to write.
2. Book Expo  I registered for my local Book Expo in July. Yay! It was a lot of fun last year, so I'm looking forward to doing it again.
3. SWAG for Touch of Death  I've got some killer SWAG in the works for Touch of Death. Look for lots of giveaways in the months before the release!
4. Editing  I've got some new editing clients, which is always fun. I love getting to work with new writers.
5. Kindle Fire  I really want one! I'm so glad they came out with a color Kindle because my new PB, Santa Bunny, is selling well on it. (Easter book and it's only $2.99-- yes, that's a shameless plug *bows head*)

Happy Monday! I'm participating in the cover reveal for Rachel Harris's debut YA, My Super Sweet 16th Century, coming September 11, 2012 through Entangled.

Happy Monday! As usual, my mind is a mishmash of thoughts.

1. Finishing the Touch of Death trilogy  I finished the third and final book in the Touch of Death trilogy. I had to go back and reference a lot from the first two books, but it was worth it in the end. I'm happy with how it turned out.
2. Santa Bunny  Yes, I know this is my MG/YA blog, but I recently released another picture book, Santa Bunny. It's an Easter/Christmas crossover story. Learn more about it here.
3. Promotional items  I'm brainstorming promotional items for Touch of Death. Yes, a little early. ;) They are awesome though! Can't wait to do a giveaway.
4. My dad's birthday  My dad's birthday is this weekend. Looking forward to celebrating.
5. Contemporary romance  At the beginning of the year I promised myself I'd write a contemporary YA. I'm planning it now!

That's it for me. What's on your mind today?


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Happy Monday! Here's what's on my mind today:

1. Touch of Death edits  I got my editorial letter last week, so I'm deep in edits right now. The good news is I'm enjoying it. No tears... at least not yet. 
2. Newsletter  My free monthly newsletter goes out later today. If you aren't signed up to receive it but would like to, you can sign up here.
3. Writing without nap time  Last week I mentioned my daughter gave up naps. I now have her trained to give me one hour of quiet time each afternoon to write while she does puzzles, reads, etc. Love her!
4. Kindergarten  Sign ups are this month. Parent/teacher conferences went well, so we move on to the kindergarten evaluation.
5. Presidents' Day Week  I have two book signings, a school visit, and my daughter's birthday party planned for Presidents' Day Week. (Wow, that's weird to say.) One more week until the craziness begins.

That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

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Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts today:

1. Thank you!  A huge thank you to everyone who hosted the cover reveal for TOUCH OF DEATH, commented on one of the blog posts, and/or added my book to your Goodreads shelf. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your support.
2. No more naps  My daughter is growing out of her naps. This is good because she can't nap in kindergarten next year, but it's bad because I lose 2 hours of writing time. Looks like I'll be learning to write more at night.
3. Giveaway  Don't forget to enter my giveaway. It ends Thursday at 11:59pm. Sorry that it's only open to US. I will do an international giveaway soon.
4. Dancing  My daughter and I have been in dance mode lately. Dancing is great for getting the creative juices flowing.
5. Spencer Hill Press Giveaway  If you missed the SHP giveaway, there's still time to enter. Great books are up for grabs.

That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

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