Happy Thanksgiving! Giveaway Re-drawing!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Before I get started on my Thanksgiving post, I have a lucky winner to notify! Since one of our winners from the Romance Gone Goblin Giveaway never responded with their mailing address, I've drawn another winner using random.org.

The re-drawn winner of the Romance Gone Goblin Giveaway and a brand new copy of Kristina Douglas' The Fallen: Raziel is.......................................*drum roll*...........................................Arianne Cruz! Congratulations, Arianne! You will receive a notification email today. Please respond within three days time or a new winner will be drawn.

Now, onto the Thanksgiving post!

I have A LOT to be thankful for this year. A WHOLE LOT. Honestly, I would call the best year of my life thus far. It's hard to even know where to begin in saying what I'm thankful for. So many things have changed for me this year--most for the better. I got engaged to the man of my dreams and I'm getting married exactly 106 days from now (yay! xoxo). I was offered representation by a fantastic agent. My book is now sitting on editors' desks, waiting to be read. I graduated from Stetson and started grad school. I'm getting paid to bellydance again. I'm making more money now than I ever have before, not that it's very much lol. And so many other wonderful things. I'm going to have to break them down by category!

Since this blog is primarily about reading and writing, I'll start with some writerly thanks ;-)

I am very thankful for:

--My wonderful, dedicated, and hard-working agent, Nicole Resciniti. She has absolutely AMAZING editorial skills and is a great business woman to boot! She put my paranormal romance novel, Skinwalkers, through the ringer and helped me whip that manuscript into tip top shape. Now, it is currently on submission and we're playing the waiting game. Fingers crossed!
--My awesome critique partners: Britt Marczak and Lisa Sanchez. Britt, Skinwalkers would not exist without you and it never would've been nearly as successful without all your input. Lisa, you've been with me since the very beginning and I can't thank you enough for all your friendship. I don't know if I ever would've had the courage to keep writing through those difficult times if I hadn't had you by my side. I will always be willing to enjoy a good Demetrius and Quinn sandwich with you! Lol! ;-)
--My professors at Spalding and my new writing friends, Rebecca, Melissa, and Genissa. I am looking forward to growing into a better writer along with all of you.
--My sisters at the Seymour Agency for being supportive and welcoming. You ladies, rock!

As a worker, I am thankful for:

--The fact that I have not one, but three jobs to sustain me. While I don't make much and still only work part-time, I feel fortunate.
--The residents at the SH for all the times they make me smile and even all the times they drive me up a wall. You've taught me the meaning of patience, compassion, and understanding. Despite any confusion, I learn new things from your wisdom every time I'm with you.
--VERY thankful for changes in management ;-)
--The tips I receive from the customers at Ali Baba and the renovations my bosses are doing to the restaurant.
--My dance instructor, Hollie, for being a great mentor.

And finally, just as plain ol' me, I am extremely thankful for:

--My soon-to-be husband, Jonathan Ballenger. You are the love of my life and the center of my universe. You bring out the best in me and make me the happiest woman alive. I thank God every day that I am lucky enough to be yours. You've been a great friend to me for years, and I know that you'll be both a great friend and a great husband for many many years to come. I can't wait to share my life with you. I learn new things from you all the time. You've taught me that love without passion isn't love at all and that when you love someone, you'll do anything or give anything to be with them, even if that means enduring the pain of being only a loyal friend, when deep down you want so much more. I love you. Kocham cie.
--My family for their non-stop, unconditional support. You guys are my supportive backbone whenever I need you, and I know you'll always be there when I need someone to hold me up.
--My best friends: Laura and Britt. You girls are my lifeline whenever I need it. You boost me up when I need the lift and put me in my place if I get too big-headed lol ;-) I couldn't ask for better friends. Thank you for being there for me. Laura, we've been through a lot this year, girl. Both of us have been chewed up, spit out and had to rebuild our lives from the ground up. But I think we've done a damn good job, don't you? And we both came out all the better for it. I am honored to call you my friend. You know I have your back and I'll always be your friend.
--My baby, Sookie, for loving me more than anyone else in existence. You're the best dog ever and all the goodies and foxy-squirrels in the world wouldn't be enough to show you how much I love you. Every time I feel at the lowest of the low and like no one could possibly understand, you lick the tears right off my face and lay your head in my lap, you whimper as I cry until I know that you do understand more than anyone else. Your empathy amazes me.
--For our family dog, Mr. Pugsley Q. Magoo Esquire the 3rd. You were a great and loyal friend. We miss you every day. It still saddens me that I will never see your happy face again when I come home. But I am forever grateful for all the times you stood by my side. You were a great dog. We all miss you, including Cookie and Crumb. I love you. R.I.P Puggy.

So what are you thankful for this year? I think all of us have at least a little something to be thankful for. Why not share it with us? Also, any plans for Black Friday? Share them with us!

Happy Thanksgiving! Til Monday ;-)

ThankFUL Friday

Happy Black Friday, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a good day of bargain hunting for Black Friday. I think often the great thing about Thanksgiving, what we're thankful for, seems to be forgotten on Black Friday. We're so concerned with what wonderful things we want or need that we stop focusing on the great things we actually have. So in the spirit of both Woohoo Wednesday, I'd like to make today ThankFUL Friday.

While we're all still full of good holiday food, let's recap what we're full of thanks for in our lives.

I am thankful for:
--My family for how much they love and care for me, and support me in everything I do
--Sookie and Kiki for being the greatest dog and cat a girl could ever ask for
--My friends for always sticking by my side and cheering me up when I'm down
--My school for providing me with an excellent education and giving me something to keep me busy, even though it may be a little too busy at times.
--My job for despite little pay it, it is the best job I could have at the moment
--My health
--Our financial stability, so unlike many others, we can fully participate this holiday season.
--My writing and characters for literally keeping me sane.
--Winter break--you're almost here, just two weeks more.

What are all of you ThankFUL for this lovely Black Friday? I'd also love to hear how your thanksgiving went. Don't forget to participate in this weekend's blog hop! The answers to the hop's questions are posted below their icon links. Til Monday! ;-)

What is your favorite book cover?

For sheer artistic sake, I love the cover of Obsidian Butterfly by Laurel K. Hamilton. However, the cover of the first Harry Potter book will always have a special place in my heart since it is such a magical novel.

ThankFUL Friday/ Blog Hop

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all found the last post on e-readers to be interesting or informational, or hopefully both lol.

To be honest, the beginning of my week started out like complete crap. But so far (*knocks on wood*) it's ending quite well. As a result of my uplifted mood, I thought a ThankFUL Friday was in store. I'm thankful for:

--All my family members and pets, Sookie and Kiki, and all of our health
--My good friends: Laura, Britt, and Lisa
--The partial request I received yesterday morning! Yay!
--My dance classes start up again this Sunday. I can't wait to unwind.
--The premiere of Boardwalk Empire, because it was good and I'm looking forward to it again.
--The Supernatural season premiere comes back on tonight! Woo hoo! Heeelllloooo Dean Winchester--one of my top five fictional hotties, aka Jensen Ackles. *starts panting like a dog in heat* lmao
--The play my sister and I saw tonight; it was good.
--That I got to sleep in this morning!

So what are you thankFUL for? I'd like to hear the good stuff that's going on in your life.

Also we have two wonderful blog hops to participate in today, courtesy of Crazy-for-Books and Parajunkee's View. Here they are:

The question for the Crazy-for-Books blog hop is: "when you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?"

I always wait until I've read the entire book to write a review. The ending is crucial, and it can make or break a novel. I think about what I would say in a review as I read though. I'm constantly noting my initial impressions and seeing how they change.


The question for Parajunkee's Follow Friday is: "What is your high fashion book--translation: best book cover ever?"

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, because it symbolizes the beginning of some of the greatest literature written within my lifetime. Seriously. Do you think I'm kidding? Because I'm really not lol. But to be fair, I only adore the cover because of what it means to me. A particularly beautiful book cover that I admire is Laurel K Hamilton's Obsidian Butterfly. Her books usually have very good covers, and I love their titles too.

Thankful Thursday

Hey there, everyone! So I know I don't usually post on Thursdays, but I was just SO beyond busy yesterday that I didn't have time to post.

I know we usually have either ThankFUL Friday's or Woo hoo Wednesdays (courtesy and inspiration of Cali Cheer Mom), but today we're going to have a Thankful Thursday.

Here are the things I'm thankful for:

--My fiance, David, my family members, and my pets, Kiki and Sookie
--My loyal girl friends: Laura, Britt, and Lisa
--The awesome gifts I got for my birthday: a Barnes and Noble Nook from David, a Buddha statue for my office from my mama, money from my aunt, and a stuffed Fluffy from Laura (that's Fluffy the 3 headed dog from Harry Potter for you non-HP geeks).
--That the new season of Supernatural and SVU is starting up soon. That Sons of Anarchy has already started, and that even though Trueblood is ending Boardwalk Empire is starting.
--That even though I didn't really enjoy the Trueblood finale, Alexander Skarsgard still managed to look amazingly, beyond hot even when he was covered in cement. He's my one true vice. Sorry David lol. *Sigh*
--That this is my last difficult semester and there are only eight more weeks til the semester ends, even though that seems like forever.
--All my blog followers and supporters
--Finally, that yesterday is finished lol.

I find voicing what I'm thankful for helps me de-stress. So how about it, what are you thankful for?

On Friday, we'll be talking more in depth about the finale of Trueblood. Winners of a 100 Follower Challenge (Angelatarantula and Andrea I said), remember you have to claim your prizes by midnight on Friday or I will draw two new winners! Til then! ;-)

ThankFUL Friday/ Blog Hop

Hey everyone! Happy Friday!

So in the spirit of our buddies over at Cali Cheer Mom and their Woo Hoo Wednesdays, I decided to do one ThankFUL Friday!

I am thankful for:

-My fiance, my family, my dog and my cat who all give me so much love every day ;-)
-My closest girlfriends: Laura, Britt, and Lisa who always give me continuous support
-All the submission requests I've received
-The elderly residents at my work for keeping a smile on my face and giving me something meaningful to do
-My talented bellydance sisters
-The opportunities and education Stetson presents me
-All of you followers out there who are doing a great job recruiting
-The muse that makes my writing flow =)


What are you ThankFUL for? I'd like to get some positive energy flowing here.

Also, don't forget this week's Blog Hop thank to Crazy for Books!



The Book Blogger hop was created for Book bloggers and readers to connect and share their love of the written word. This is a weekly event that lasts Friday- Monday. Rules are as follows:

• Grab the logo
• Spread the word by posting about the hop on your blog. In your post, make sure and answer the weekly question. This weeks question is- Do you use a rating system for your reviews, and if so, what is it and why?

Yes, I use different moon phases: full moon, three quarter moon, half moon, crescent moon, and eclipse. I use them because it's an easy, cute, nocturnal *wink* visual for everyone to see the rating if they don't have time to read the whole review.