Teaser Tuesday: 8 Lines!!

So keeping with my spirit of the 12 Blogs of Christmas, I decided to do 8 lines from a WIP. Well, the problem arose of what WIP, and then it hit me. I'm trying to begin promoting RTD since it'll be pubbed in January or February. So, I decided to do a teaser from the sequel to RTD, which is a YA Literary Fiction. I don't have a name yet, but most of the characters from RTD will be making an appearance as well as some new characters. The story moves from 1939 when the story left off to 1964, and it follows Jackson Tate's cousin, Parker's, three daughters: Eighteen year old Caroline, Seventeen year old Julianne or Jules, and fifteen year old, Emma Katherine, or Emmie.

The sweltering summer of 64’ changed us. Forged in the fiery inferno that almost consumed us, that threatened to squelch our voice and even snuff out our very lives, we were molded into the women we became. I turned fifteen that summer. The tomboy, the baby, the sheltered child of antiquated privilege made off the backs of cotton mill workers. Until then, all I knew was how much I admired the delicate, lady-like gentility of my oldest sister, Caroline, and how I coveted the rebellious, free-spirit of my middle sister, Julianne, or Jules as she was called. That summer we didn’t need black and white scenes on the TV of bloodied brutality coupled with cries for freedom and the anthem of “We Shall Overcome” from places like Selma, Birmingham, or even Atlanta because the drums of war raged all around us. The sins of our father, long submerged in the river of time, floated to the surface like a body weighed down with rocks—bloated, putrid, and hideously distorted. From society ladies frenzied fanning, the wind brought fragments of the truth about a place I only thought existed in the Bible and of man I thought was only a ghost. Damascus. John Christian

9, er, more like 19 or 29 Writing Buds I'm Grateful For

So, I started to do a post about all the people I'm thankful for who have helped me along the writing road. Then, that turned into an EPIC, longwinded post, so I decided to divide it up. So, here's the ladies of Absolutewrite I'm thankful for....

(9). My Buds from Absolutewrite

I don’t know where I’d be without the Absolutewrite forums. I stumbled upon them last December when trying to write a query for RTD. It took me until May to find a home in the OPWFT thread and find a kinship as well as kindred spirits among the writers there. I spend way too much time there, but it’s time well spent!!

Laura/Common is someone I believe could have been my twin, and we were separated at birth! We have a lot of the same interests, beliefs, and life experiences. The bummer is she’s an American living across the pond, so it’s not like we can meet up anytime soon. BUT one day we will. Laura is an amazingly giving person and gifted writer, and I’m truly blessed to have become friends with her.

Gretchen McNeil/Blondchen: I seriously don’t know what I can say about Gretchen. She’s a triple threat: singer, voice over actress, writer…actually she’s a quadruple threat because she’s funny as hell. She’s one of those people who have great one liners that you spit your drink out for. Gretchen not only gave me some TG query help, but she welcomed me to one of the threads and went out of her way to make me feel at home and at ease before I found my home in the OPWFT thread. I also owe about three paragraphs of the opening of DHtP to her after we did the Purgy Mashup!!

Marilee Brothers/Mamabro: It was a fluke that I met Marilee. She responded to a post in the Ask the Agent Forum, and I guess you could say the rest is history. I had RTD and TG on sub to the same publishers who pubbed her YA Paranormal series, The Unbiden Series. If you haven’t read Moonstone and Moon Rise, then you’re doing yourself a major disservice. Marilee’s MC, Allie, is HILARIOUS, and I can’t wait to read the next book because they’re action packed with suspense as well as romance. She's always been there to support me and answer any writing questions or concerns I had. I hope to one day meet up with her!

Then the ladies of the OPWFT Thread: HerbChick, my fellow GA gal I’ll be meeting up with soon, Vero, Race, Leasie, Amy, Debra, Kathleen, Lee, Kaitlin, Chanelley, Amanda(Sage), Sarah, Holen, LeahMichelle(who I’m so pumped she ressurected herself and came back to the thread), Kidd, Kate, Laurie, Cory, Heather...my fellow teacher writers: Rachele, Amanda(Char), and Bethany,

(8). My Teen Buds from Absolutewrite.

Emilia/Peachie: I’ll be forever grateful that Peachie decided to pop into the oldsters thread because I’d be bummed to have not become friends with her. Yeah, she’s sixteen, but she’s an amazing writer, and she knows more about the business than a lot of adults. She also gave me a great honor by being the first person to interview me as an agented writer.

Amna/GeekPride: She’s seriously about the least geeky person I know. I don’t know why people click, but something with us clicked. I’m totally digging her latest WIP, and I’m expecting great things from it!! Amna also did my first interview when she interview about one of my WIPS, The War Within. She was so awesome to want to hear me ramble around about my writing that I’m forever indebted!

Kristin/Red: What can I say about the talented Kristin Briana? She beta read TG for me, told me pretty frankly about a certain scene that wasn’t working, and I basically did the pouty write her off like, “Hrumph, what does she know?” Yeah, that lasted a few weeks until I realized, she did know exactly what she was talking about, and I owe her props for a major rewrite I did. But then we have our obsession, er, love of Twilight that we share although me being Team Edward and she being Team Jacob does divide us! Kristen’s a fabulous writer who I expect great things from once her book hits the submission wagon. I’m sure it won’t be there long. J

And I can’t forget Blindwriter/Kody for her beta reading of TG. And for Rachele/Horserider, Elysium, and Karla for bringing their young selves into our thread and sharing their writing stories, wips, etc.

My Golden Girl Book Tour Members: Annie, Becca, Jamie, Steph, and Hannah. Words are completely inadequate right now. I seriously couldn’t have made it through this crazy rollercoaster ride without you guys. You were there to laugh with me, cry with me, encourage me, and give me not only the will to go on, but the belief that my writing was good and my stories deserved to be out there. Who could forget our killer IMing sessions like the epic night of Jamie saying, “Steph? Damn, we’ve lost Steph!” and me, Bex, and Hannah cackling like morons! You guys have saved my ass on more than, oh four or five occasions by beta reading. I’m forever in your debt for making my books as good as they could be. Annie, I love your sweet spirit, infectious positive attitude, and appreciation for smexiness and hot guys. I’ll never forget your enthusiasm for Noah and DHtP. Jamie, I treasure not only your friendship, but your insight, your humor, and your ability to keep on keeping it on through the tough times. You're a fabulous writer, and I never know where you're going to go next. Like the other gals of the group, it's been my honor to beta read for you. Bex, my fellow GWTW fan and Steel Magnolia, I love your humor and how we’ve gone through some similar stuff. Hang in there, girlie, keep strong and keep writing cause I know you've got some stories to tell. Steph, what can I say? You’re my online BFF, and I’m your stand in child caregiver if only we lived closer!! I love your humor, compassion, and ability to wanna smex up most of the male characters in our books! Like Jamie, I never know where your imagination is going to go next, but I look forward to it! Hannah…SMACK…I love your semi-violent side, lol, but I love how you use it to get me in line and to think positively about myself and my writing. I couldn’t make it without our daily IM’s about everything and nothing, and the fact of how much you support my writing and my person life…ready to phone YP, right? LOL. I'll always be indebted to you for what you did for TG, and I loved, loved, loved TM, and I look forward to reading everything else you write!

Last May when we became friends, God was looking out for me. He knew what lay ahead, and he put you guys into my life for a reason. Now whether or not he blesses me with any RPatz time, that is to be seen!!!

So there you have it....some of the peeps I'm grateful for. Wednesday I'm gonna pick up with 7 more outsid eof Absolutewrite.

The Ten Reasons Why My Grandfather, Herbert Ashe, Was One of the Finest Men to Walk the Earth

Today is twenty-two years since I lost my beloved grandfather. It's hard to put into words what he meant to me and what he still means to me all these years later. Since he had an effect on both me as a person and a writer, I'm memorializing him in this blog post.

(10). He is one of the reasons I’m the writer I am today. Although I only had Papa eight and a half short years, he is certainly one I give credit for honing my writing gift. When I was little, he would always put me on his knee and tell me stories from his childhood. The favorite one was of Skippy, his loyal hound dog who warmed his feet on cold winter nights and was the best dog in the world, until a mad dog bit him, and they had to shoot Skippy. Yeah, I begged to hear that one over and over although I cried through it most of the times.

Or we’d go sit in the little swing below the house, and he’d make up stories. They were usually all about a wonderful, sweet, kind, beautiful Princess named Krista. And in the stories, Princess Krista was always doing good and helping others. His favorite story was about an ogre of sorts called a “Whatchmacallit” that was shunned by society, but who Princess Krista(of course!) made friends with and brought it out of its shell. He taught me not only about storytelling, but how I should treat others,especially those less fortunate than me.

(9). Papa was a writer himself. Among my dad’s possessions, I came across stories Papa had written about growing up. They’re homespun stories in the vein of Lewis Grizzard and Garrison Keilor. He would have had some amazing stories to tell of his time in the war, his faith, and his family.

(8). Papa was a WWII veteran. He served in the Navy on the USS Kenyon destroyer in the Pacific. One of his favorites was to kid my grandmother about my father’s birth. Although he was gone for many years, he had leave up in Massachusettes(I believe...up north somewhere!), and she took my aunt and went to visit him. On that trip, my father was conceived, and he was six weeks old when Papa came home. Papa loved to joke he’d been away for over three years and came home to a six week old son!

*Papa was quite a looker, huh ladies? LOL

(7). My favorite story of Papa is one of faith. When my dad was in Vietnam, Papa said he stayed close enough to God that he could reach out and touch him. One evening on the news, he watched as an elderly Vietnamese man was taken from his home and forced to flee from his village. That unknown man an ocean away touched my grandfather, and he fell down on his knees and began praying for that man. Even with my dad in a foreign land, Papa never forgot that Vietnamese man, and he prayed for him every time he prayed. Every time I tell that story, tears come to my eyes, and I hope to have the same faith that he did.

(6). Papa was a preacher, and he was the pastor of both Turniptown Baptist Church in Ellijah, GA as well as New Hightower. In my church, Riverdale, his sweet, humble presence as a towering man of faith is still remembered to this day.

(5). Papa was a stellar athlete. He won a basketball schorlship during the Depression to Snead College in Alabama. However, he had to come home because times were tough. Not only did he play basketball and football at Nelson High School, but he was a very talented baseball player. He had a tryout with the Atlanta Crackers pro Baseball team. Although he had the opportunity to play, he turned it down. He cited the fact he’d been away from his family too long during the war to leave them again.

(4). He had a tender-heart. Things touched him, bothered him, and worried him deeper than they did other people. He had a sensitivity that touched people. He couldn’t stand to see people or animals mistreated. When I was little, there was a hound dog up the street that was skin and bones. I named it Big Dog, and everyday we would feed Big Dog and try to fatten it up.

I know I’ve inherited my tender-heart from Papa. Sometimes it’s both a blessing and curse.

(3). Papa had a wicked sense of humor. He loved to tell jokes, sometimes not the kinds you’d expect from a preacher!!

(2). Papa loved his grandchildren. He even had a tag on the front of his car that read, “Let Me Tell You About My Grandchildren”. My cousins, David and Stephen, were twelve and eight when I was born, so they had a lot of years being spoiled rotten by Papa, but he wasn’t burned out on spoiling by the time I came along. Papa was the type if you wanted to get up at 2 in the morning and play Little People, well then, you just got up and played Little People!

(1). From time to time when the ache from missing him gets so hard I can’t breathe, a feeling will come over me. It’s as if he’s saying, “I’m still here with you, and I love you and I’m proud of you.” The way I felt about Papa influenced the relationship with George Lester and Sarah in The Road to Damascus. Here’s a scene from later in the book where that is particularly seen:

He held out his arms, and she fell into them, weeping uncontrollably. Since the day he’d died, she’d dreamed of the day when she’d feel his arms around her again. There was a divine aura of light all about him, and within the shining light was heavenly love.

“I can’t believe it’s really you! I’ve missed you so much!” Sarah cried.

“But I’ve been with you all this time.” George pointed to her heart. “I’ve been right here.”

Tears streamed down her face. “I know you have. I felt you and your prayers. They were the only things that got me through sometimes.”

“That’s what they’re there for, darlin’. When you love somebody, you bottle up prayers along the way, and when they need them, they’re poured out like anointing them with oil.

One day, I’ll have this reunion with my grandfather. It won’t be on earth, but somewhere beyond the skies.

11 Things About My Adult Novel, The Road to Damascus, which will be published in 2010!!

So, while some of the biggie New York pubs are hashing it out over my YA novel, Don't Hate the Player, I've decided to go ahead and locally publish my adult novel, The Road to Damascus. Why? Well, RTD is special because it's like Goldilocks in some ways. It's too Christian for secular publishers, and then it's too secular for Christian publishers. Plus, people are hankering(Southern word here!) to read some of my writing, so I thought why not. I retain my rights in case I ever want to big time publish later. So, it should be published in late January, early February. And here's 11 Things You Didn't Know(or maybe wish you hadn't!)

Here's a summary first of what Road to Damascus is about.....

Like it's biblical namesamke, the road into the Depression era, mountain community of Damascus, Georgia holds the same mythical powers of redemption and repentance. Within its rocky pathways lies the secret that binds a preacher’s daughter, the son of a cotton baron, and a black drifter to a lynching fifty years earlier.

Jackson Tate makes his pilgrimage to Damascus out of greed rather than soul searching. On a mission to acquire land for his family’s booming cotton mill business, he doesn’t anticipate his only stumbling block to be in mild mannered, Luke Nations, the pastor of a small church. Nor does he take too kindly when Luke’s daughter, Sarah, cools his sexual advances with a pitcher of ice cold water. But when a flash of blinding light leaves him a contemporary Saul, broken and bruised on the road to Damascus, the world Jackson knew is forever changed.

Amid the lush landscape of the mountains, Jackson is reborn not only through salvation at the very church he wanted take, but through the kindness of the Nations family who shelter and care for him during his recovery. It isn’t long before the reformed Jackson wins Sarah’s heart. When he brings her out of the mountains and back to his home in the big city, their newlywed life is forever changed when they befriend, John Christian, an elderly black drifter.

When John is falsely accused of murdering of a young, white woman, Jackson and Sarah hold John’s fate in their hands. Do they falsify a deposition claiming John wasn’t with them the night of the murder, or do they stand up to Jackson’s prejudiced family and execute a daring prison break along a backwoods road, embarking on a harsh trek to freedom through the rugged North Georgia mountains with Klansmen and hired mercenaries on their heels. Ultimately, the answer lies somewhere on the road to Damascus.

(11). I began writing RTD in June of 2008 after almost seven years of having the story with me, tucked away for the right time. When I finished in November of 2008, it was 160k words. Yes, it was an Epic Southern story! Since then, I’ve amped up the word wacker to shave off almost 65K words. Before you panic that I no longer have a story, I took out repetitive scenes, tightened the story, weeded out wordy parts, etc. There’s maybe three scenes that I’m really bummed to lose, but hey, that’s how the biz goes!

(10). The Road to Damascus is a story modeled after some of my favorite books and movies. To Kill a Mockingbird was a great source of inspiration, and it’s my favorite book of all time! While Tom Robinson is falsely accused of rape in TKMB, John Christian is falsely accused of murdering a young, white woman. Both the book, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café, and the film, Fried Green Tomatoes, score right up there with my influences. I pay homage to FGW with The Mustard Seed Café where Sarah works and first meets Jackson, and with the undeniable bond between FGT characters, Idgy Threadgoode and Big George, with my characters Sarah and John Christian. Cold Sassy Tree is another Southern story I drew on, especially with trying to nail aspects of dialect. And the prejudice of the time period and the strength of those in society without a voice such as women and blacks, is seen in another one of my favorites, Places in the Heart with Sally Field and Danny Glover.

(9). I pay homage to another epic Southern story, Gone with the Wind, through Sarah’s nightmares from childhood. In GWTW, Scarlett often has dreams where she’s alone in the mist and searching for something she cannot find. In RTD, Sarah’s dreams stem from the premonition of her grandfather, George Lester. He dreamed when she was just six that she was alone in the woods with evil looming around her, and upon his deathbed, he warned her that if she was ever lost and alone in the woods, she should pray to him and he would lead her out. Since his death, she experienced the dreams. Often, they foreshadow when evil is about to effect one or more of the characters. And the dreams play out in the finale to something very interesting and extraordinary.

(8). Damascus is supposed to be an Eden on earth where everyone has a good heart and are genuinely good people. It is shown in sharp contrast to city of Marietta where Jackson is from, which is riddled with drinking, whorehouses, rape, murder, and child molestation.

(7). The fictional “Damascus” in the North Georgia mountains is based on a real place. Since my childhood, I was raised on almost mythical stories of Turniptown in Ellijah, GA where my paternal grandmother’s family is from. Damascus Baptist Church is modeled after Turniptown Baptist where my paternal grandfather was once the pastor(more on him tomorrow).

(6). Because of the divine aspect of Damascus, every character from there has a biblical name. The only ones who don’t are Leigh, the Cherokee Indian woman who married Luke Nation’s brother, Andrew, and her father, Gray Son.

(5). I did borrow names from family members. My grandmother, Jewel, and her sister, Essie, are both represented since Jewel and Ester are both biblical names. Jackson’s aunt and one of my favorite characters, Gigi, is actually named, Virginia, for my Big Mama, Virginia. Jackson is a name I love since my mother’s maiden name was Jackson, and if I’m blessed to have a son, he will be named Jackson in memory of her and my aunt and grandfather. Sarah is also very special because it’s the name of my cousin, Sarah Disharoon, who I was a nanny for eighteen months, and she feels like my own!

But the name I borrowed the most would be my great-grandfather’s name, George Lester Lanning. When I first started writing the prologue, I had him only represented as “the stranger” like the Good Samaritan. But, I knew I needed a name, and I knew some aspects of this character were based off Papa Lanning’s name, so I made the character George Lester, and it stuck! This picture sits on my piano which faces the writing chair where I wrote all of RTD. I felt like he was watching over me from time to time.

(4). Leigh Nations was an amazing character to write since she is skilled in the Native American art of healing, and she is the one who saves Jackson’s life after his accident on the road to Damascus. She also uses the biblical teaching of The Power of the Blood to save Jackson, which comes from the Book of Ezekiel.

(3). I had several “woooo” moments or weird moments while writing. The first came when I was searching for scripture to put into a certain scene. I knew I wanted it to be the story of Lazarus and the rich man. I’m ashamed to say I don’t know my Bible as well as I should because I didn’t know which book that story was in. When I found it was in the book of Luke, I had goosebumps since Luke is the name of the character who would actually be saying the sermon. I had that happen on two separate occasions.

Then, I knew I wanted Damascus church to look like Turniptown, but I had nothing to base it off since the original church has been rebuilt. Then during the summer, I came across a picture of the original church, and I had ANOTHER goosebump moment because it was exactly how I saw it in my mind.

(2). At its heart, RTD is a love story—both romantic and in its relationship between people. The unlikely romance between Sarah, a preacher’s daughter from the mountains, and Jackson, a rich cotton baron’s son, is just one of the great love stories of the book.

(1). While writing RTD, I sometimes pulled all nighters, and I wrote from midnight to when the first rays of dawn stretched across the skies. Those nights were pure EXHILERATION. I sometimes felt like I was right there in the mountains with my characters.

So, there's just a bit of info on The Road to Damascus. As it comes closer to publishing time, I'll be doing more behind the scenes info stuff!

Agent Appreciation Day...or why I'm so Fond of my agent, Fonda Snyder!

Today is the 1st Agent Appreciation Day—a day to tell your agent how much you appreciate them. I’m also kicking off my own 12 Blogs of Christmas, a crash cart of sorts to resurrect my stagnant blog. My appreciation for my agent, Fonda, includes 12 reasons, and here they are!


(1). She believes in me as a person.
When entering a business partnership, you can sometimes lose your identity. But that’s not Fonda’s way at all. She sees you first and foremost as a person. She gets to know your likes, dislikes, what you feel comfortable with, etc. She integrates that information into the revision process as well as the submission process. She respects my personal belief system and code of ethics, and I’m eternally grateful for that. You never want to conform as a writer, nor do you want to have to sell out as an individual either.

(2). She believes in me as a writer
Writers are sensitive people. I, myself, am a very sensitive person who needs an occasional ego stroke and pat on the back. Okay, maybe that’s an understatement! Maybe I need a LOT of encouragement and praise for my work. I’m only human, you know! This is what impressed me with Fonda. She always gives me that extra boost of praise that I need to make it through the tough process. She always points out particulars that she liked and appreciated in my work—parts that were especially funny, serious, poignant, etc.

She’s also thrilled that I’m a writing machine, and she’s already reading my first YA and my love, The Guardians. She always talks about our long-term partnership, and that’s awesome that someone believes in you enough to be in for the long haul!

(3). She’s a fighter
Fonda was the third agent to offer representation. She totally understood the difficult decision that lay before me in decided which agent would represent me best. Because of that fact, she didn’t just throw her hat into the ring. She took the time to talk with me not once, but twice to discuss in length and detail everything I needed and wanted to know about her, the business, the submission process, etc.


(4). She always keeps me informed of what’s going on by email
(5). She always emails me back the SAME day if I have a question or concern.
(6). She’s always willing to call me as well as email me.
I’ve heard horror stories from other agented writers about the lack of communication with their agent. Maybe they would email, maybe they wouldn’t…maybe they would never hear from them again! It’s a scary prospect. It doesn’t matter when I email Fonda, I know I’ll get a response within the same day. It might be late into the night since she’s on the West Coast, and I’m on the East Coast, but I’ll still get a response. And I feel truly blessed and grateful that she is that conscientious an agent and cares about her clients that much.

(7). She listens to my thoughts and suggestions
Being able to voice my opinions and concerns was one of the greatest fears I had going into the agent relationship. You never want to feel that you’ll be so grateful you have an agent that you’ll say and do anything. But Fonda put me at ease from the very beginning. I feel not only that I can ask her anything, but I know she genuinely takes my ideas and thoughts into play before making decisions. That is a really awesome feeling!

(8). She’s multifaceted and talented
Fonda has had an amazing career in both the literary and film world. She’s a former VP of Disney Channel movies and co-owner of Storyoplis, a mixture of a bookstore, art gallery, artists' management company, development think tank and production company. Through one of her collaborations on a celebrity children’s book she worked with everyone from Madonna, John Lithgow, Harrison Ford, Maurice Sendak and Chris Van Allsburg for Steven Spielberg.

Not to mention that she secured deals with Mattel for action figures, developed a comedy cartoon series, developed a series with Martin Short, and the list goes on and on!!!

And yes, I’m still wondering why she wanted to work with little me!!!

(9). She’s always willing to talk me down from the ledge
Fonda understands how emotionally trying the submission process can be, and she’s always willing to talk with me and put me at ease. She made a point to contact me to let me know how the beginning of the process went and assured me that when we had news, I’d be the first to know!

(10). She’s got great connections
It was through her partnership with Rob Weisbach and my submission with him, that I came to be represented by Fonda. Here’s a little bit about Rob Weisbach and his company. Creative Management re-conceives the traditional literary agency as a comprehensive cross-training development company, one that provides development, representation, and strategic career management for writers, visual artists, designers, and editors.Over the course of his twenty-year career in entertainment. Rob Weisbach has developed and published a diverse list of high-caliber talent including New York Times bestselling authors Jon Stewart, Brad Meltzer, Jerry Seinfeld, Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen DeGeneres, Paul Reiser, A.J. Jacobs, Bob Schieffer, Anthony Rapp, and Kathy Freston; US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky and Pulitzer Prize-winner Lucinda Franks; literary stars A.M. Homes, Bruce Wagner, and Elissa Schappell; filmmakers Tim Burton and Ethan Coen; rights advocates Karenna Gore Schiff and Evan Wolfson; photographer Chester Higgins, Jr., painter and nature writer James Prosek, and chef Padma Lakshmi.

Pretty cool, huh?

11. She appreciates my sense of humor
You want an agent to have a sense of humor, but you also want one to get yours as well. Fonda appreciates it both in my writing and in person, and I couldn’t ask for more!

12. BUT THE NUMBER ONE, er, TWELVE REASON is: She’s been a blessing in disguise
Since I never originally queried her, I can’t really say, “Ooh, I totally wanted her!” or “She’s my dream agent!” She’s like an undiscovered gem, and I totally love and dig the fact she’s so awesome and flies under the radar. It’s like having Superman as an agent, but who goes around as Clark Kent!

The real clincher comes with this. When I was trying to decide between agents, I prayed for God to help me make the right decision. During my 2nd phone call with Fonda, I got a feeling of overwhelming peace, and I just knew—she was the one. When I told her that, I expected the usual scoff response for people or, “Isn’t that nice?” Instead, she said, “Oh wow, I just got goosebumps!” And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a divine agent/writer moment!

So, thank you Fonda! Here’s to an awesome Agent Appreciation Day!

12 Blogs of Christmas and Contest!

So as you can tell, my blog has been a little stagnant lately. Okay, maybe stagnant isn’t quite accurate. More like, “I need a crash cart, STAT!”

To put an end to that, at least for awhile, I’ve decided to do the 12 Blogs of Christmas challenge. A blog a day for the next 12 days. It's a quest of sorts much like that of the Holy Grail!

To give me motivation, I decided to make a contest of sorts. If you leave a comment for each of the twelve days or whoever makes the most comments, will win a $25.00 gift card from either Itunes or Amazon...it's Christmas, so it's your choice!!!

It’s a pretty serious challenge considering the only blogs I've done are for Teaser Tuesdays lately. I’m sure I’m going to face obstacles along the way……

Perhaps some self-doubt and loathing…maybe even some mockery about what I post….

So check back and comment to win!!!

Teaser Tuesday from Don't Hate the Player

Okay dudes, here's my opening from DHtP. Because of that fact, I'll be snipping ASAP on the stroke of Midnight...well, probably a little earlier! But here it goes!!