Vacay-brain

Not gonna lie.

I'm still mentally in Mexico.

So today? Yeah. Today is a short post day. But it's good, because I get to ask YOU something.

Where's the last place you took a vacation? 

Here's a picture of mine!

With Cambria Dillon in Puerto Vallarta! 

Well hello, stranger. (With pictures!) (And winners!)

Holy guacamole, you guys. I feel like it's still early November. HOW is it that Christmas is basically knocking at the door? Jeez. Seriously.

Wait.

I mean...

YAY!

Because I love Christmas. I love this entire season. It's just . . . it's flown by! I haven't updated here in forever. (Which, okay, is really only twenty days. But STILL. I've missed you.) The past few months have been jam-packed. Don't get me wrong, I've been having fun. BUT I'm still sitting here scratching my head, wondering where all the time went.

So. Here are the things I've been up to:

1. WRITING. This WIP. Ohmygoshiloveitsomuch. But it. is. killing. me. My characters are a little out of control, and they keep forcing me in directions I didn't want to go in. But, you know, I follow them just to see what they think will make this story good. And usually they're right. Except I keep having to make changes and cut away HUGE chunks and rewrite. And I'm only drafting at this stage. But seriously? I'm LOVING EVERY SECOND. Because these characters are just. so. special to me.

2. I went to Jamaica for Thanksgiving!! I got bronchitis while there (ugh it lasted FIVE days), but it was still the best vacay I've ever been on. (Plus, the bronchitis helped me to quit smoking. Three weeks down and going strong, baby!)

Swimming with dolphins? Freaking awesome experience.

We saw this nurse shark while snorkeling. Honestly. Scared the &%^$ out of me.

The sunsets? Yeah, pretty much out of this world. 

This is just for the few of you who don't believe I have naturally curly hair :)

3. I had my 3 year wedding anniversary! And with my vast three years of marriage knowledge, I can say this: Marriage is amazing and difficult and complete happiness and always evolving with high highs and low lows and takes a ridiculous amount of work. And it is the most fun I've ever had in my entire life. Especially these days.

The past three years have been a crazy, stomach-dropping, exhilarating ride.
I can't catch my breath, and I love it.

4. WORK. I've been working a lot at my (usually part-time) day job. It's an awesome place to work, everyone there is for serious awesomesauce. But dang does a full day's work take toll on my creativity. Mad props (oh yeah, I totally did just use that expression) to everyone who writes and works full-time. Respect.

ALSO. I need to pick winners for my Tangled Tides giveaway! I'm so sorry I dropped the ball on this. In fact, to make it up to you guys, I'm going to give away three copies instead of two.

Aaaaaand the winners are:

Katie

Krispy

Linda G

Congratulations! You should have an email from me asking for your mailing address, so send it to me, and I'll get the FABULOUS books out to you ASAP!

I hope everyone's doing well and enjoying the holiday season! Or the winter season. Or whatever! I'll be back soon(ish). 

xo

ALA: A Post in Pictures

Okay, so, yet again ALA was a phenomenal time. I swear it gets better and better every year.

So, here's what went down in New Orleans:

I ate my FIRST EVER beignet. Holy delicious.

Seriously, are you drooling yet?

I got to hang with some of my favorite writing friends!
Cristin Terrill, Alexandra Shostack, PJ Hoover,
Jessica Lee Anderson, & Carolina Valdez Miller

And Shannon Messenger

And Tere Kirkland, whose NOLA knowledge was invaluable!

I also got to meet some AWESOME authors!
Here, with Franny Billingsly, who wrote Chime, which I can NOT wait to read.

With Lisa Desrochers, author of Personal Demons and
the recently released Original Sin!

With JAY ASHER! I heart his books. A lot.

With the HI-larious Jonathan Auxier, author of
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

With Kimberley Griffiths Little
Author of many books including recently released
The Healing Spell

With Elana Johnson (Possession), Jenny Han (The Summer I Turned Pretty),
Jessi Kirby (Moonglass), and Corey Whaley (Where Things Come Back) 

I mean... Who could resist?

And then we ate some more beignets. 

The End.

Sike, not really. 

It's not the end. Not yet. 

Because first I have to give you a little heads up (twss) to visit again on Thursday for a giveaway in which I share some of my ALA spoils with you. 

ARCs. 

That you want. 

Like, a lot. 

Trust.

xoxo

Photos and Math and My Quasi-Cross Country Trip Part II

So, we start with the total of my previous post on this. (HERE if you missed it.) And then...

PLUS
One beautiful sunset over the Rocky Mountains

PLUS
The Chapel at The Air Force Academy

PLUS
The absolutely breathtaking Garden of the Gods

Pike's Peak in the distance

PLUS
My favesies part of the trip: The Manitou Cliff Dwellings

Authentic Anasazi cliff dwellings, dating 800-1000 years old 

This was a storage bin made of sandstone slabs and used for storing corn, beans, and squash. The openings at the top and in the front were covered with thin stones, then sealed with adobe to prevent rats, mice, and weevils from entering. 

The area behind the rooms was used for a trash area. They also kept some of their turkeys penned up in it, to feed from the refuse areas. Also, in the winter, burials were made in the the trash piles, which were easy to dig in. When a body was buried there it was surrounded by perfectly dry material, such as ashes, dust, corn cobs and tassels and turkey droppings. The chill of winter prevented decay and the body simply dried out and became mummified. As long as no moisture reached it, it would remain unchanged for centuries. 

This circular pit was the sacred kiva and was used by the men as a ceremonial chamber. Sacred articles were placed in the square openings built into the wall. The small hole in the floor is a symbolic opening in the earth called the Sipapu, and served as a passage way for the spirit of the person to enter and exit at birth and death.
100% chance I'm writing this into a story someday . . . 

This structure was a four family, four room home. The large rectangular openings are doors, the smaller is a window. (The window is closed with a window stone--the doors were closed with door stones.) The small pegs sticking out from the top of the structure were used to hang meat and vegetables to dry in the sun. 

"Their history disappears suddenly from the archeological record in the late 1100 AMD. No Pueblo Indian group living today can trace their lineage back to the Mimbres Indians."
FASCINATES ME.

PLUS
Approximately ONE MILLION shots of me trying to capture scenery in the shades.
Because I'm deep like that.

cloudsies

treeeeeees

PLUS
3 free beers at the Coors Brewery

My personal fave...  

PLUS
14,110 feet up on PIKE'S PEAK, baby
My pictures don't do it justice.
Not even close.
Also, I couldn't breathe that high up and got dizzy.

It was fun.

PLUS
6,626 feet above The Royal Gorge.
Whom I lovingly refer to as George.

Yep. I totes walked across this. 

EQUALS
One amazeballs trip. I can't wait to go back to Colorado. I'll def be doing Nashville and Memphis again someday.

You should too.

Let's go together.

*reaches out hand*