Out With the Old, In With the New-ish

About two years ago I began the process of switching rooms with my son. He had a small room in the front of the house, while my office was in the largest bedroom in the back of the house. About half way through the process our kitchen flooded and the whole thing was put on hold, leaving both rooms disorganized and barely functional.

Not long after the kitchen was fixed (which took three months), I got sick and the last thing I wanted to do was heft boxes around and move furniture. With my husband's help, my son's room was finally finished a few months before he moved out on his own (figures). But it's taken me quite some time to feel like diving back into my office project, which looked and felt like an overcrowded storage room with a hole cut into the center for my computer. 

That is until I saw this little piece of inspiration for sale at a nearby boutique. It's a rescued piano that's been made into a desk. YES, a DESK!!  Who wouldn't want to write the great American novel while surrounded by such beauty and ambiance?

So, I put it on layaway and began carving out room for it in my cluttered excuse for an office. That was the plan. Just a space for the new desk. But once I started, I couldn't stop, and now the whole space is organized and WONDERFUL.

It took me three months to pay it off and a pretty penny to hire a couple guys to deliver it (still has the cast iron harp in it and weighs a ton). It took them over an hour to get it out of the trailer, up three steps and onto my deck. Then they had to turn it on it's side to get it through my office door. 

Here is, in all it's glory, right where it was always meant to be. Just seeing this picture brings tears to my eyes. It's SOOO ME, right down to the little white tiger watching over it. 

And I'm all ready to write. That's the best part.

ME.

WRITING.

So, what do you think??? Do you like it?

Know Your Value

As I watched the season finale of Marvel's Agent Carter, the main character, Peggy, said something that made me think about how we see ourselves and how we often let others devalue us by their words and actions.

After Peggy saved millions of people from death, someone else was given the credit and her colleague thought she should set things straight. Peggy turned to him and said, "I know my value. Everyone else's opinion doesn't matter."

How wonderful to have such confidence. That is my goal--to know my own value. To be able to say, "I am of great worth." And mean it. To not let others influence me and my life's work because they may think I'm less than I should be or that I'm not good enough.

I don't need to be a best selling author to know I am a great storyteller and that others enjoy my books. I don't need friends and family to stroke my ego to know that I have God given talents that make me unique and that I have every right to share those talents with others.  And I certainly don't need to be a size 4 to love my body and not let the number on a scale define me. I am a daughter of God and he created me for a purpose. That alone should give me the strength to stand tall and confident in the storm of criticism and negativity.

I truly believe that each one of us can overcome anything that is thrown at us if we just remember who we are and that we have value. Be strong, my friends. YOU are of GREAT WORTH!!!

Take a Breath

Several of my author friends have expressed their disappointment in book sales lately. Some have considered giving up on their career as an author. At the very least, they want a break from the stress caused from putting all their energy, time and money into marketing that doesn't pay off.

I totally get that.

There have been times when I considered quitting, especially in the beginning. But because I love being a story teller and writing about characters that live and breathe in my warped little brain, it's not in me to throw it all away.

That's not to say that we, as published authors, can't take a break once in a while. It's necessary to refill our cups and heal our spirits.

I took almost a year off in 2013-14 because of my health. Getting my physical health back was a priority for me and I had to put everything else on the back burner, regardless of promised release dates. Day by day, I've worked to get back into the habit of writing. It wasn't easy, and sometimes I lapse into a few days of ignoring my muse. But that's okay because this week I could finally see the old me returning and it feels great.

I guess what I'm saying is . . . it's okay to take a break. In fact, it's necessary. We all need to stop, take a breath and heal our emotional and spiritual selves. But that doesn't mean we need to quit. If you're anything like me, writing is in your blood. It's part of you. Killing it will kill a part of you that you may never get back.

Christmas Special

Feed Your Kindle for Christmas!!!

The entire collection of 

The Crystor Series 

is now available for only

$ 2.99

For KINDLE Lovers

For NOOK Lovers

ENJOY!!! 

 Have a Very Merry Christmas!!!

 The Bryant Family

Back to Writing!

Whew!  It's been a crazy 3-4 weeks. After school let out, I spent several days getting my son ready to move out on his own. He has autism and severe behaviors--meltdowns that were getting harder and harder to deal with--so we decided it was time to get more help. We found a wonderful agency that is providing him place to stay with two other boys his age who have similar problems. They have 24 hour staff to help them and make sure they are happy and safe. It's been such a relief to know he is doing well there.

AND, for the first time in 28 plus years of marriage, my husband and I are a COUPLE again. We have so enjoyed the past couple weeks, even took an overnight trip to Utah to see friends and go to a food show. We've never been able to do that without a kid in tow so it was nice.

I've also been taking a much needed break from writing to let my muse rest, but now it's time to get back in the saddle.  My next project is to finish Aquatara. It's about 1/3 of the way finished so I hope it won't take me too long to get it done. *Fingers Crossed*

Anyone up for a giveaway????  I need to think about what I want to offer and such. Maybe next week, so check back.