Long time no posty!

Hey all! It's been awhile! I sure do miss all my writer friends, I miss writing in fact! It's been too long! Life happens and it has become a distant, far away dream.....but someday, I will pick up that pen (not in a literal sense, more like the laptop) and I will write that novel that gets published! So, I thought I would take a moment to share a few things.....I don't write anymore, I do however still read, A LOT! But, there are other things that have changed me recently and I want to share my story, in case you are interested or more, my hope is that it will help someone who needs it! In August of this year, I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. Yep, that big scary "C" word!!! Now, thyroid cancer is the best kind to get (although, I still say no cancer is my favorite!) the most easily treated, the slowest growing, the best outcome. But, all my life my biggest fear has been that word, and when the doctor called to tell me I had cancer, my world crumbled. I couldn't hear everyone saying how good my chances were, I could only think about my children and how I didn't want to leave them. This is how it all transpired: My boss at work suggested I have my thyroid tested after a year of working out, with not a whole lot of results. I will forever be grateful to her!!! The doctor said my thyroid was enlarged, but all blood work came back normal. She sent me for an ultrasound, which showed a small nodule, just over 2 cm. Usually, when they are that small, they are not a problem, but she sent me for a biopsy anyway. Now, I will tell you, that biopsy was the worst experience, far worse than the surgery that followed or anything else! It was horrible and painful! Moving on! The results came back cancerous. Within the week, I went in to have my thyroid removed and they found that the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes behind the thyroid so they removed those also. But, my surgeon failed to tell us this part until almost 2 weeks later when I thought everything had been fine! This was upsetting, to say the least! They also removed one of my parathyroid glands, cut it into little pieces and implanted it in my neck muscle. WEIRD! Fast forward through weeks of recovery, weeks of being on meds that were not doing much for me to when I finally went to see the Endocronologist. He couldn't believe I was functioning and still working 2 jobs with the small amount of thyroid medicine I had been taking! But I was, and I guess that's what matters! Enter 2 weeks of low iodine diet and NO meds! YIKES! I am a strong person, I know this. I have been through a lot and I do a very good job of pulling through, but those 2 weeks could have been some of the hardest of my life. I couldn't eat anything. I was under 1000 calories a day, yet I gained 7 pounds in a week! I cried all the time. I was so tired some days that I honestly, could hardly get out of bed. And, that is not me! I am active and busy and on the go all the time! But, during this time, I tried not to complain too much. Everyone asked how I was, but I felt like they all wanted me to say "I'm doing good!" so I did! Over and over! No one wanted to hear how I really felt: exhausted, overwhelmed, weak, hungry, scared out of my freaking mind! Don't get me wrong, I had amazing family and friends supporting me and helping me out, but whenever I tried to talk about it, I felt like people shut off and didn't want to hear it. Maybe it was the lack of medication, maybe I was just overly sensative, I don't know, but it was rough. After 2 weeks, I had radioactive iodine treatment. A little gray pill that I swallowed and it turned me radioactive! No, I did not glow! This is meant to find any remaining thyroid tissue left and find any thyroid cancer in my body and kill it off. My family had to leave for 7 days and I was stuck in my house, alone! Which honestly, wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be! I had a full body scan a week later which showed the cancer had not spread and everything was on it's way out! GREAT NEWS!!!! I started new medicine, though the doctor says it will probably take 3 month to build everything back up, I will probably never feel like I used to. That's ok though. I feel like I can put a few things into prespective now. I'm alive and I am almost cancer free. I have time to spend with my children, even when they are irritating me, I am thankful for every second. I never realized how caring and thoughtful people can be until this tragedy happened. I have never been so thankful for my family in all my life and friends who weren't close before have been so important to me now and other friends I realized were never really friends at all! I guess the whole point of this is to share this experience and hope it helps someone! GET YOUR THYROID CHECKED! Thyroid cancer is on the rise, in men as well as women! Get it checked even if there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. I had no symptoms. I also want people to know how scary it is when the doctor says those words to you. It's ok to be terrified. It's ok to worry, even if everyone is telling you to not worry and not stress. Even if it's "the best cancer" it's still scary! it's ok to be mad and terrified and feel hopeless!!! IT'S OK!!! I want other people going through this to know that even if it doesn't feel like it right now, there is hope and it will get better! I'm getting there. It's a long process. It's slow and it's hard, but there is an end in sight! I will fight because I can! I will be here for my children and that is enough for me to keep going!

More good reads

Hello all! I thought I'd pass on 2 more great, wonderful, fabulous books to read! I read both of these in 2 days! I guess that's one way to kill the days and nights when you're sick!

Numero uno: Haven by Kristi Cook

LOVED IT!!!

And two: Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

Again...LOVED IT!

That's all folks!

Contest at Nathan Bransford's Blog!

I entered the contest over at Nathan Bransford's blog tonight!



Oh what fun! I haven't even been doing anything related to writing lately and I just happened to see he had a first paragraph contest going...so I ENTERED! Heehee!

Here's my submission:

If there was ever a time in my short life I felt normal, I couldn’t remember. This was my normal, sitting beneath the window of this dark, abandoned house. Unknown creatures scurried across the broken glass littering the floor as I waited for him to emerge from the house next door. I peeked through the blinds hanging haphazardly on the busted window frame. His red aura lit the room around him, casting an eerie glow across the distance of the two yards. I couldn’t see him, but at least I could track the glow. I could have just barged into that house and taken him out. I’d done it before, many times in fact, but hopefully tonight would be the last time. I was getting tired of these games. It was exhausting being the only Demon Hunter in the greater Portland area.

Book Lovers Unite!!!

I thought I'd take a moment to talk about a few things!

First, I pulled out of book tonight, after a few long months, and...yeah it isn't so great. I think I am very sad about this! There are pieces that are like "Wow! I can't believe I wrote that!" good. AND THEN...there is absolute, horrific CRAP with a capital C! anyhoo, is it saveable? I'm not so sure :'(

Ok, but the real point of this post was to pass on to all of you book lovers a series I just recently read! TO DIE FOR! OMG! It's call the Mortal Insturments by Cassandra Clare. As of right now there are 3 in the series and then she has a prequel called Clockwork Angel. There will be 3 more in the original series with 2 more added to the prequel series, called Infernal Devices. And....(insert drum roll here)...I read on her website there is talks of a movie....




The next Twilight???? Me thinks so! That is honestly how much I enjoyed this series. It's got a little bit of every kind of paranormal, lots of humor and some seriously crazy twists! Keeps you hanging in a way I have never really encountered. LOVE IT! Much praise for Cassandra Clare!

Need I say more? GO GET THE BOOKS ALREADY!!!

Hellos and Happy Holidays from a writer turned photographer!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all that jazz! How are you all doing? I wish I could say all these months that I have been hiding out were spent in the depth of a fabulous new novel...but sadly, I have not been anywhere near either of my manuscripts or a new one for that matter! Maybe the real reason behind the name of this blog was not after the intended trilogy The Forever Series, but after howe long it was actually going to take me to finish it! :)

I somehow found myself with 4 jobs! Yes count them FOUR!!!! YIKES! Plus add the 2 kiddos into the mix and I was crazy busy! I have got it down to just 2 now, so lucky for me I now have a moment (however brief it may be) to say a quick hello and update you on a new and exciting twist my life has taken!

Some of you may know that I have spent the last 17 years working for a wonderful couple at a photography studio. They have decided to retire to Mexico (SO JEALOUS!) and they have very kindly, pretty much handed me the business. So it appears that I am suddenly a professional photographer, with a very well-known photography studio! I am so excited (and petrified!) I have started with a few senior portraits this year, but as the weather turns cold and rainy (or rainier here in Oregon) it will most likely be put on hold until the spring, but I look forward to starting the next year of seniors and hopefully by then I will have found the perfect location!

Wish me luck! As I wish you luck and love on all your endevours next year, whether they be in writing or not!

Great reads

I have been sadly amiss from my blog and all of yours. I think my creativity went an extended holiday, maybe even to a different planet! So all I have been doing is reading, reading and more reading. Oh and that pasky little thing called work! I have gone through a gazillion books(Pretty sure that's a real measurement). I thought I'd pass on a few of my recommendations in case anyone is interested.

First and foremost (After Twilight of course) is the Shiver series by Maggie Stiefvater. I believe it's actually called the Wolves of Mercy Falls. I instantly fell in love with the love story between Grace and her part-time wolf boyfriend Sam. Shiver is followed by Linger, a much anticipated sequel where Grace and Sam's love is tested by a surprising turn of events. Soon to follow will be Forever due out in Summer of 2011. I cannot recommend these books enough nor can I hardly contain the yearning for the third one!!!

Second on my list is Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, soon to be followed by Crescendo, in October of this year. Fallen angel meets great MC with lots of twists and turns that keep you hanging!

Next is Uninvited by Justine Musk. I must say I wasn't sure how I would like this book when I first opened it up but it sucked me right in and I finished it in the hours of my second night of reading it!

And for a fourth and final, I recommend Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. You will cry so be prepared, but it was such a new and different story line I just loved it!!!

I miss all of you and our friendly little chats. I will return someday, I hope!

Old and new and a hello to you!

Hello all of my lovely ladies! How is everyone? I have been too long gone from my blog and I feel like I am missing all my friends! :) I have nothing important to talk about, just wanted to catch up!

I have taken a break from Chasing Forever. I'm not feeling it anymore. I feel like it's not where I want it to be and I'm not sure how to get it there. So, I have done nothing. Nada. Zero. I have been reading up a storm though! Wowzers! I have finished 3 books recently and am halfway through the 4th. They were all good so let me know if you are in need of reading material!! I haven't updated my reading list on here, I will soon!

Good news though, last night in the middle of reading, I was hit with a story idea. It was totally random, and I just started writing away...and away...and away, but I literally mean "writing" the hubby was hogging my laptop and I had to actually use a pen and paper! EEK! My hand was cramping so bad! Anyhow, I'm really excited about it and it just flowed, it was so great. I have no plan, no outline, but once it got going it was just coming out! LOVE those moments and I can hardly wait to see where this one goes, now having learned so much more than I knew when I started Chasing, maybe there is hope! Can't wait to share some of it with you!!

See you all real soon ;) (In cyperspace) MUAH!

12 steps to writing your first novel

As most of you have read by now, I am oh-so-very close to finishing my third rewrite. It's there, I can see the end, but I don't like the original ending so I am now hanging in limbo, unsure how I want to proceed...

But I have to admit that in re-reading my first draft (and second) that it is absolute crap!!! I mean, not just haha, this is SO bad, but truly, horribly CRAP!!! (and I am so not exaggerating) Along with the bit of disappointment that comes with realizing this, I have to say I am also feeling a twinge of pride!

Pride?!?! Yes, pride because darn I have come a LONG way since writing those horrific words! I still love the idea of the book and I still adore my characters and I will make it happen! But really, I can't believe how far I have come in just a short year. At least I can now recognize that it wasn't any good, but I know I still need to work on the how to get it to be better. It's like a twelve steps program!

Step 1: Wow, I just had this really great idea for a book. This is going to be SO easy!

Step 2: Man, this is going great! I have 5 chapters down and my fingers are just flying off the keyboard, double checking word count every two seconds.

Step 3: HALFWAY!!!

Step 4: I am SO going to be a published author! LOOK OUT STEPHENIE MEYER!

Step 5: FINISHED!!!

Step 6: Send it to every agent you can find!

Step 7: Receive rejection letters from every single one of those agents.

Step 8: Find a writing website such as Agent Query Connect and meet lots of other aspiring writers who very nicely (Most of the time) tell you your work is not so great.

Step 9: Want to crumple up all 400 printed and reprinted pages of the first draft, maybe even stomp on them, definetly light them on fire!

Step 10: Start rewriting...and rewriting....and more rewriting.

Step 11: Get out the red pen and do lots of crossing out!!!

Step 12: Realize that this is the hardest, funnest, best thing you have done in your life!!!