I think the universe is trying to tell me something...

So...okay, I have not had the greatest 2015.  It's true.  The year started out with my having to have minor surgery, then there was the construction in my house that led to a severe case of asthmatic bronchitis which led to just plain asthma.  I've had this cough for MONTHS now and just when it was starting to calm down, I noticed something - it gets worse with certain foods.

But wait...not just ANY certain foods, but some of my FAVORITE certain foods.

Like chocolate.

I don't even know if I can go on.  I mean...chocolate.  CHOCOLATE!!  How in the world am I supposed to move forward in my life if I am allergic to chocolate???  It's like...one of my main food groups!!

I'm seriously distressed right now. 

See these cupcakes?  This is what my editor sent me when I was stressed about deadlines.  They were amazing!!  I did share them with my husband and son - I let them have one.  They had to share it.  LOL!!  They were mine!!  I was the one who was doing all the work and stressing out!  That seemed fair, right???  If I ate one of those now?  I'd cough for and hour and feel like my airway was closing.

It doesn't seem right.  It doesn't seem fair.  How am I supposed to get through edits?  Or fights with my husband?  Or days ending in "y"???  I don't know.  Maybe I have a problem.  Not the allergy, but the addiction.  Although, if you think about it, chocolate is fairly harmless.  If you have to be addicted to something, chocolate is pretty tame.

Sigh.

Breathing is highly over-rated. 

Observations of a Writer...

In my mind, I've been a writer my entire life.  Well, maybe not my ENTIRE life, but pretty darn close.  The reality is that I've been recognized as a writer only within the last four years.  Since that time, I've witnessed a lot of weird, unusual and sometimes offensive behavior from people around me - and only some of it have I used in a book!

Here's just my top ten:

- Everyone you know or are related to will automatically assume that someone in your book is them.  This happens particularly when the character is heinous in some way.  And they won't come right out and ask me, but they'll speculate amongst themselves until someone just comes out and asks.

- Everyone is suddenly an aspiring author.  Only they don't want to actually write.  They have ideas.  Oh, boy, do they have ideas.  They just want to tell them to me and have me write them down and make them into something.

- Most people who are supposed to love you, will not buy your book.  They want it for free or they find excuses not to buy them.

- They won't write reviews either.

- And the ones who are SUPER excited for you and tell you they love you 47 times a day start to creep you out with their affection.  And believe it or not, sometimes they just want to actually BE you.  Trust me.  It's happened.

 - I honestly don't talk about my books to my family or friends while I'm writing them.  And to be fair, hardly anyone asks.  All I say is "I'm working on a book" and they're like, "Okay". 

- It's super cool when readers love your characters as much as you do.

- My husband still smirks (and occasionally chuckle) when he reads the blurbs or the tag lines on any and all of my books.  Such a boy!

- Some of the most generous people who encourage and support me are people I've never met.

-  Everyone - and I mean everyone - thinks that they are an editor.  And I don't mean that in a good way.