Long time, no see!

It's been over a year since I last attempted to update this blog, but I'm going to give it another go. Since the baby was born in September 2008, my life has been insane. Work, kids, work, housekeeping, etc. I rarely get time to just sit and do "me" things. I long to be able to jot down thoughts here, to pick up (and finish!) a cross stitch project, and to be able to take a bubble bath without someone walking into the bathroom and chucking a Barbie doll into the water.

Let's see, what has happened since I last posted? 

The biggest was that I wrote a book! Well, I actually wrote it in 2008 when I was on bedrest with the baby. I polished it, let some friends read it, then polished it again. But I kept it close by, unwilling to let too many people read it. "It's like tossing your child on stage and watching people judge her." 

But, I took a chance and entered it into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest in January. I was sure that it'd be cut in the first round. Afterall there were 9,999 other people vying for the prize, too! The pools were divided into two categories: General Fiction and Young Adult Fiction. Out of 5,000 entrants, "Redeeming Kinsley" made it all the way to the quarterfinal round (top 250) before being cut. Top 5% on her first flight isn't too bad. I've been working with some people and am hoping to have it published by the end of the year. 

Here's the back cover teaser:

“I woke up in a drab little room. A stuffy room. A haunted room. The bed was hard and the temperature a little too warm for my taste. I sat up, not remembering how or when I had gotten there.”

After taking a boning knife to her wrists, 21-year-old Kinsley Mullen finds herself in a dank and dreary facility with a quirky counselor. After everyone she has hurt – her father, her beloved friend Tim, and that innocent child – she figures she deserves to be institutionalized.

Suicide had seemed like the only way she could escape the pain of her past. But now she was stuck in limbo, in a room where the ghosts of her past haunt her, pecking at her as she hides under the covers. In limbo, where the therapy makes her relive memories and leaves her feeling like she’s been boiled alive. In limbo, where personal redemption doesn’t come easily.

With the help of her grandfatherly counselor, Espy, and her stoic benefactor, Christopher, Kinsley starts to uncover the roots of her depression and downfall. From her feelings of being unwanted to the domestically violent tug-of-war relationship with Mike Piros, her life had been fraught with brutality, heartache, and unspeakable choices.

Can Espy help her overcome her past or her unexplainable infatuation with Mike? Can she find a way to get past the guilt she feels over the death of her child? Can Espy or the love of her life-long best friend save her before it's truly too late?

¨Redeeming Kinsley¨ is a story that has the ability to open up dialogues about the effects of partner violence, rape, abortion, depression, and the redeeming qualities of true love. 

I'll post here when it goes live. 

I was also excited about the releases of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" last year and "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" back in June. I rarely get to go see "adult" movies, so being able to be in the theater at midnight for each of these was wonderful. I'm already making plans for the midnight opening of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" in November. Long live Harry Potter!

Well, before I get too carried away, I better close it down for the night. It's nearly 2 a.m. and I need to get to bed, but I'll make sure that I pop in here at least once a week for an update.  Maybe I'll go and try to get a hot bath since the kids are asleep and I'm not in danger of flying Barbies.

Have a wonderful, blessed week!