We are moving house today and I will most likely be offline for the next week or two.  I looked for good quotes about moving but they were all far too motivational for a simple move up the road.  Onwards Dubai!

As I’ve told everyone this week – it was an absolute race to the finish.  And now I’m done!  Well, technically 8 hours, but who is counting?

• 8, number of contracts I put through this week (yes, that’s a lot!).  Four could still go out today.  Friends, when I work somewhere, I don’t cut any corners.
• 3, number of Mai Tais consumed with a former co-worker
• 245, estimated number of recycled pages of paper
• 2, hours Skyping with my sister (yay!)
• 1, Gin dinner attended with…
• 9 friends and…
• LOTS of gin and…
• 4 people that I had to cancel on (because I am not as good at organizing as I thought).

Gif of the week – specifically on the question of, “Can you stay on?” 

Laura felt a warmth inside her. It was very small, but it was strong. It was steady, like a tiny light in the dark, and it burned very low but no winds could make it flicker because it would not give up.”

― Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Long Winter

Although I have nothing to complain about here in Abu Dhabi, seeing my facebook feed makes me grateful I live in such a mild climate.  Stay warm out there people!

I did not write this (obviously), but I love this and it reminded me so much of Life After Joe, I had to share.

Y’all, I wanted to like this book sooooooooooooo much. I’ll give you two words: assassin nuns.  Right?!  Also, it came highly recommended by one of my favorite authors.  How much more could I want in a YA novel?  Okay, before I devolve into negatives, let me highlight the positives.  As someone who is attempting a bit of historical fiction, I can say that Ms. LaFevers seamlessly covered many of the details unique to Middle Ages Europe — setting, clothing, ambiance.  Unfortunately, modern language and dialogue crept in quite a bit.  For example, with The Queen, everyone has to address my character with the correct title (you can’t believe how many times I have to write ‘your majesty’).  On more than one occasion in Grave Mercy there were a few jarring instances that took me straight out of the fictional world.

Other good stuff?  I did think the use of the supernatural was well done.  I loved the idea of Death as a character and thought the entire concept was nicely incorporated and ‘realistic’ within the world of the novel.

There were a lot of ‘real’ (and obviously well researched) characters in use here — a debate I am currently up against.  Certainly, I am working within a time frame where there were many memorable personalities in Europe, many who had a significant impact on one another.  However, as much as I want my action to ring true, I don’t want to get bogged down with politics…i.e. my story is one of a young woman’s quest to understand herself, protect her country, and act as a monarch of the most powerful country in the world — a future she could have never predicted for herself.

In Grave Mercy, I thought there were entirely too many characters running around.  The beginning of the book opens with a three page (or more) cast list — something I found very off putting.  Look, having a diverse supporting cast can add a lot, but when I couldn’t begin to keep all the names and intrigues straight, I lost interest.  Even with all the betrayals and lack of trust, the ‘surprise’ baddie really wasn’t that much of a shock.  More than anything, I found the amount of characters overwhelmed the main story line.

I’m not sure if I’ve been completely spoiled by Sarah Maas, but I was bored by the action and couldn’t find myself cheering for Ismae, Duval or the duchess.  I knew their story would be (more or less) happily resolved and thought it took about 100 pages too long to get there.

As the first book in a trilogy, I can honestly say I am not interested in seeing what happens next and this book was very close to ending up as DNF.

Holy hell this was a busy week.

• 5, days I have left of work
• 2, number of farewell lunches I attended
• 1, article drafted and submitted to a fab food blog
• 500 words (The Queen)
• 300 words (untitled marching project)
• 20%, estimated jump in stress level given all the moving and work stuff going
• 1, free trips I’ve been offered to Doha to attend a jewelry trade show
• 1, magical haircut
• 2,324, estimated to do list before the movers show up on January 31st

Gif of the week:

Shallow as it might be, I wanted to make a physical change to signify my upcoming departure from the ‘real world.’  I debated getting a small tattoo, piercing my nose or cutting my hair.  While I haven’t ruled out the other options, for now, the hair cut will do.

I booked my appointment at the salon yesterday, and after taking care of some major roots, showed the stylist the picture of the ‘look’ I wanted.  Of course, I’ve had short hair before, but as the shears went snip, I felt lighter — physically and mentally.  Four inches of hair, gone in an instant.

No regrets, whatsoever.

The world immediately agreed with my decision.  Hubs asked for a photo (he was working in Dubai), so I obliged.  As a friend once said about an early profile pic of mine, ‘You look like such a Courtney Brandt in that picture.’ And I knew what he meant.  As a non-photogenic person (not fishing here folks, it’s a fact of life), every once in awhile there’s a photo that perfectly captures a moment in your life — something that is YOU — and how you define yourself to the world.

With the below photo, I posted it on everyone’s favorite social media channel and spent the evening amazed at how many people responded — new friends, old friends, people I hadn’t heard from in ages.  While I’m kind of wondering why I didn’t cut my hair sooner, it’s nice to have this exact moment of knowing, ‘This is what I want my future to look like.  This is the person who is going to be successful in the year ahead.  This is a person who might be 35, but feels a lot younger.’

 Have you ever had a magical haircut?

She sighed. “Defenestration. The tossing of an object from a window.”

Sarah MacLean, The Rogue Not Taken: Scandal & Scoundrel, Book I

While I have established my love of Regency romance, I’m not sure I’ve mentioned Sarah MacLean, who is a fantastic author in this genre. Her most recent book was full of funny little quips and I couldn’t help but wonder if she had a bet with her editor to find a way to use the word ‘defenestration’ in a novel.

Up and down and back and forth this week.

• 2 tickets purchased home for this summer (AMAZING deals on Qatar Airways right now, sale ends January 17th)
• 500 words (for The Queen)
• 300 words (for my Untitled Marching Project)
• 1 villa in Jumeirah Village Circle, lease starting February 1st!
• 5 Powerball tickets purchased with…
• 0 matching numbers (sad face).
• 3 Mai Tais consumed on a night out with The New Glitterati!
• 1.5 hours – length of my exit interview.
• 11 days of work to go.

Gif of the week:

Not sure where you hail from in the world, but there is some serious money up for grabs in the States (1.3 billion USD in the Powerball lottery).  I asked my Dad to purchase some tickets on behalf of Hubs and myself, because, who knows?

So, with a bit of anxiety around ending my current job, moving out of my current apartment and into a new villa, it’s no surprise I’m having some worse than usual insomnia.  As I’ve tried to get to sleep the past couple of nights, I started thinking about what I would spend the Powerball money on if I was the winner.

Which, for the record, is an intimidating amount of money…

I’d first assume that half (or some other large portion) would immediately go to taxes.  Fine, whatever.  Also, I would absolutely choose to remain anonymous.

My next thought was how much I would need for the rest of my life – certainly, not anywhere close to the total amount, so, like many altruistic individuals, I would set up a trust (ala Bill and Melinda Gates) and get to giving across all kinds of platforms and organizations.  To do so, I would most likely need a team of lawyers as well as a private wealth fund team.  This all seems like a worthy undertaking – especially if it can make the jackpot last for decades.

Of course, I would be spending some money on myself, and came up with a wish list:

• Being able to hire the right people to help with my manuscripts (most essentially, top editors to help develop my stories)
• Spending more money to market my books
• A total vanity project, but I’d love to adapt one of my books to screen
• Buying a plane – or, at least, traveling first class the rest of my life.
• Maybe doing this?
• Buying properties around the world and then fixing them up.

Where would you spend your billion?

I spotted this one as a result of a sale (through one of the many e-book newsletters I receive daily) and the general idea is close to a manuscript I hope to start at some point this year (current working title, A.U.).  As a first foray into my ‘research reading’ on the topic, I didn’t have a lot of expectations.

Spoilers below!

I feel like The Bookseller belongs among my reads for The Year of Pleasures and The Unexpected Waltz (that is, I am about 20 years younger than the intended demographic).  As the book has been out awhile, I’m going to get into some of the more specific parts of the story – you have been warned!

By definition, any time travel or alternate universe type story is big concept.  That is, in a non-linear story line or following a set of events that takes place outside of known reality, you’re going to need to get the audience on board.  I believe Ms. Swanson was able to accomplish this.  Unfortunately, with the ending revealing that our protagonist Kitty was hallucinating her entire ‘real life’ (or at least the one we were introduced to) I felt…disappointed.  While the technique was a good way to resolve the two story lines, I actually was rooting for what ended up being her dream life.  Additionally, I’m not sure I really enjoyed that the creation of the alternate universe was due to the horrific event in Kitty’s life (to be more blunt, that she has a fairly serious psychotic break).

Major mental issues aside, there were a number of things the book did well – the introduction of two separate and distinct realities.  A decent set of characters, if a kind of vanilla protagonist.  A relatively quick read.  Unfortunately, I also found the writing very simplistic and the inclusion of a severely autistic son to not have any real impact on the plot (not to mention the main character’s initial horrified response to him).  In the end, I wasn’t really rooting for anyone — I just wanted things resolved.

What are your thoughts?  Have you read a good alternate time line novel?  Recommendations please!

…If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.”

—Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald

I found this sentence while looking for last week’s sentence, but as we’re still in the early days of 2016, it seemed appropriate.  Have a great week ahead!

Another reading list, another chance for me to pimp my books.

Looking at the list above, I can see my books easily tick the ‘a book by a female author’ or ‘a book by an unfamiliar author’ categories.  At some point this year, I will have an additional book(s) (insha’llah) to qualify as ‘a book that has been published in 2016.’

For the record, I would love a recommendation that ticks the ‘a book that will be a complete mindfuck.’

I’m testing out this kind of post, which I hope to continue doing every Thursday – kind of a weekly check in for various progress of different projects:

• 400 words (The Queen drabbles, from 1.3.2016)
• 300 words (Confessions sequel, from 1.3.2016)
• 4 villas, in contention for our new residence starting February 1, 2016
• 1 Gucci bag, purchased on my behalf by a good friend (which is currently sitting in Dubai and I want it so desperately and I also need to pay her back)
• 3 days, I felt bad for Room 702, so I did a quick facebook ad for it which yielded…
• 43 likes, but…
• 0 sales.  :(
• 1 time, I opened the DINKs character reference sheet
• 0…number of Diet Cokes I’ve consumed — gotta break that habit!
• 1.5…number of alcoholic beverages I’ve consumed — trying to give my liver a break!
• 1…number of emergency dental procedures I’ve had (ugh!).
• Maldives, trip I’m considering for May (gotta love those flydubai sale prices).

Gif of the week:

I’ll admit, I’ve been in a bit of a reading funk.  After finishing the fantastic first four books in the Throne of Glass series and my lovely Victorian interlude, I had a bit of a book hangover.  Literally, I’ve tried to get into three books this week and have had no luck.  When I saw The Paper Magician (by Charlie Holmberg) on sale for $1.99, I thought, ‘hey, why not?’ and picked it up as research for my Queen manuscript (as it is set at the end of the Victorian era, sort of).  At the outset, I was excited — a new take on magic and a female protagonist (not to mention, a fairly striking cover).  Unfortunately, at 21% I had to designate the book as DNF (again, super rare for me).

Determined to see if the book got ANY better, I skimmed but could find nothing to hold my interest or understand why the book was so highly rated.  Goodreads falls more in line with my opinion of the book (i.e. most of the reviews echo my critiques and problems), but the Amazon reviews were mostly positive.

I hate to get too snarky, but when this book goes off the rails (and it thoroughly does so for a significant portion of the book in an interlude that adds nothing to the A storyline), I had to wonder how and why this manuscript was sold, if the editor just phoned in their work, or why Ms. Holmberg would choose to take such a large detour that essentially stops all action.  There are better protagonists, better stories and better integration of supernatural elements in many other YA novels (I can easily name five off the top of my head).

As a lesson for my writing, my biggest takeaway was to be sure to have characters that readers can care about.  I felt NOTHING for nosy Ceony and her non-chemistry with the bland Magician Thane.  There were far too many unnecessary details and while creating a unique magic system had potential, the storyline could have been condensed by a factor of at least 40%.  Additionally, when introducing supernatural elements, I think it’s important to set boundaries and rules.  A fictional reality can have magic, but it needs to have some sort of definition (an element I’ll need to work on).

Did you see something I missed?

With around 18 days left at the old j-o-b, I had to share this gem from Mr. Robot…

“When you shatter the chains of this world and forge the next, remember that art is as vital as food to a kingdom. Without it, a kingdom is nothing, and will be forgotten by time. I have amassed enough money in my miserable life to not need any more—so you will understand me clearly when I say that wherever you set your throne, no matter how long it takes, I will come to you, and I will bring music and dancing.”

– Sarah Maas, Queen of Shadows

After my love fest for the first two books, I tore through the next two books in the Throne of Glass series.  My enjoyment is still very high (although I do have some Mary Sue issues what with everyone being half in love with the protagonist…).  Anyway, I read this passage and absolutely loved it, so I’m sharing it with you today.

So, I started this book in November, and as someone who doesn’t regularly read or enjoy non-fiction, I found myself very much pulled into the lives of Victoria and Albert, told in a relatable way by the author, Gillian Gill.  Why did I pick up this book?  Even though I (most unfortunately) kill off poor V&A in the first pages of my current manuscript (The Queen of England: Coronation), I wanted to understand their lives, their England and their Europe.  While reading ‘We Two,’ I highlighted numerous passages and when I start the edit of the first draft in Feb 2016, I will need to make some major decisions about including real life members of British politics.  I learned much about royal protocol – much of which will be necessary to include if I want accurate details.

Do I recommend this book?  Honestly, yes.  I think it’s good every now and then to pick up and read a well researched and well written non-fiction book.  Sure, your non-fiction interest might not be about Victorian England, but I’m sure there’s something out there to tickle your fancy.  (Alternatively, if you are a major reader of non-fiction, why not pick up some fiction — there are some amazing books and authors out there).

Ms. Gill does a wonderful job of integrating historical record (and humor) into the book.  I admired how she followed different parts of V&A’s lives and while not wholly dedicated to a singular set of chronological events, she presented an excellent timeline, one that was easy to follow.  Also, you get moments like these:

We can imagine Albert weeping, saying he was sure he was going to die; Ernest, taken aback, sputtering the kind of banalities we still use for severely depressed people. Don’t be absurd. You are only forty years old. You have everything to live for. For pity’s sake, get a grip on yourself, brother.”

To round out my historical reading, I’ve got The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince in the queue.  While it will take place well after the events of my trilogy, I appreciate the glimpses into real world England.

Do you have any non-fiction to recommend?

CHAPTER FIFTY: New Year

Days without Joe: 214

I’m not usually one for New Year’s resolutions, but this year seems different. I feel like, if I commit things in front of all of you, maybe I’ll achieve some goals. So, here we go:

1. Get off the road. Whoa, whoa—don’t freak out. Not anytime soon—however, by the end of this year, I have to commit to something. I don’t know what it will be or where, but I do know I can’t keep up this nomadic lifestyle forever. It’s not fair to me. To Apollo. To my family. I need to make a choice and go with it. Suggestions welcome.
2. Let the Katie thing go. She hasn’t called or texted. It sucks. It hurts. It may never happen, but, as Mr. Frank Sinatra says, that’s life.
3. Go back to work. Sure, I don’t necessarily have to, but I think the longer I stay away from some reality where I am regularly held accountable, the less touch I’ll have with anything approaching normal. While everyone has been accepting and understanding of my life choices to date, I think it will look less charming as time goes on. Yes, Joe died. Yes, I have a right to mourn his loss, but, no, that state of grief can’t last forever. I can’t go knocking on people’s doors with a box full of ashes and saying, “Remember when?” much longer.
4. Learn how to apply winged eyeliner. Seriously.
5. Start meditating.

So, what craziness did I get up to tonight? Of all the things, the person I was closest to (geographically) was Marissa, a girl I used to babysit. And here’s a secret for when you get worried around people you haven’t seen and have very little in common with: after enough champagne, nothing really matters.

I was glad I spent Christmas alone but happy to ring in the New Year with others.

It was a simple house party, and owing to the younger age of the group (I was easily eight years everyone’s senior), I had a glimpse of what my optimistic twenties must’ve looked like: The casual yet deep conversations. Lots of fun party drama to watch. An insanely funny game of Cards against Humanity. And—as a party trick bonus—I even learned how to saber champagne!

The hangover was not so severe this morning, although I can’t say the same for my hosts. I’m making breakfast, and then I think we’re all going back to bed.

What are your big plans for this year?

What will you accomplish?

Marissa’s favorite ice cream? Raspberry.
Tags: #happyNewYear #champagne

If I’m going to grow my numbers next year by 20%, I should capture a baseline of those numbers, yes?  And be warned – some of them are quite low!  But who am I comparing myself to?

In a semi-related tangent, I rarely (like, maybe twice a year) announce to my 550 facebook friends of anything related to my writing (that includes trying to sell my books or mentioning this blog).  I do this because it’s a pet peeve when people use their personal lives to sell their professional ones.  My books fit some of the demographics of people I know, but certainly not all of them.  Same with my food blog.  I guess I’m kind of always at war with myself about wanting people to know what I’m doing and growing my numbers, but also knowing that I prefer it when people find me/this blog/my writing organically.

Right, so, time for the numbers!  (Plenty of room for improvement).

68 likes – Ann Benjamin facebook page

6 likes – A to Za’atar facebook page (totes amazing, I know)

439 followers – this blog (thank you!)

13,324 followers – my marching Tumblr account, grown from its start in 2011. As I’ll be publishing YA next year (and years to come), I’m keeping this active.  I won’t post as often, mostly because I feel the core group is now more active on Instagram (and I missed the boat).

699 followers – Pinterest, heavily populated by manuscript ideas and travel.  Can someone please follow me so I have an even 700?

351 followers – Twitter. I have a love/hate relationship with the whole concept of Twitter, but I can see how it does well for some people I know.  Twitter is usually an afterthought for me.  I’m probably doing it wrong.

0 – newsletter follows or e-mail addresses for any type of listserv.  In much of my research for marketing/self publishing types, there seems to be a HUGE focus on creating newsletter lists, but all I can think is how much I hate getting spam e-mail and extra crap in my inbox, so why would I supply that nonsense for others?  I’m probably doing it wrong.

201 followers – Instagram.  I really do enjoy IG – it seems like one of the best platforms to interact with people.  Especially The Rock.  No seriously, his Instagram account is amazing.

Anyway, I know it’s not a competition, nor does followers/likes = book sales.  However, I do like a challenge and I’m ready to step things up in the next year.  Not to mention, I truly enjoy the creativity and discovery for both the Pinterest and Instagram platforms.

I also have accounts on WattPad, FanFiction.net, Goodreads and other writerly places.

Which social media platform do you most enjoy?

(Also, I’ve figure out how to embed posts from Tumblr – whoo!).

I think it’s established I like a good podcast and while I haven’t read Big Magic (by Elizabeth Gilbert) which has been recommended by multiple friends, I did discover Magic Lessons, an audio recording related to the material of the book (great idea!).  In the third episode, Liz speaks to her guest about how the many things in the guest’s life have been preparation for all the great things ahead.  Liz makes a fantastic analogy of the journey as being on the runway and getting ready for take off.  As a visualization, this concept really stuck with me.  Given the unknown — but hopefully friendly skies that await me — I’m optimistic that I am ready to leave the ground soon!

If you haven’t checked out this podcast, I highly recommend it. No matter what your background or current goals, I think there is something that will speak to you as Liz chats with her guests.

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserve and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real… it is possible… it’s yours.”

—Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

By the next Sunday, it will be a new year (and I will be back at work…sigh).  In the mood to look ahead for 2016, I searched out inspirational quotes (fortunately, the nice people at Bustle already had an article ready for me) and this one spoke to me.

Looking forward to the new year!