Vacation time

I'm like SO EXCITED for my Vacation! Seriously!

We did a little weekend trip during Memorial Day and it was kind of awesome. We went to an amusement park. Okay, I sort of have to say why it was kind of awesome and not completely awesome. So standing in line waiting for this completely amazing ride with my DD. There is this girl behind us and her friend. The one girl had on fake nails that needed filled but decided to rip them off. Whatever. To each their own. It was when one of those nails landed on my leg that I was like "Gross!" She spit her nail on my leg. Who does that? Then instead of saying she was sorry which a normal person with a soul would have done she laughed. WHAT THE HELL?

But you should know and be very proud of me. Instead of going on a raging fit like I really wanted to. I gave her a nasty look that completely shut her and her friend down from giggling. Then I said rather loudly to my daughter, "I hope if you do something by accident, even if it's completely gross or uncalled for you apologize to the person you may have possibly did something gross or uncalled for to." My daughter looked back at me and then at the girls behind us. "Don't worry mom I'm not rude!"

And this made me proud of my parenting skills.

Now hopefully my vacation will be relaxing, funtastic, and well, drama free. Umbrella drinks for all!

Mental notes are good for the soul

Characters running a muck in your head is weird, right? I can't remember the last time I started dinner and didn't have these thoughts following: As she stirs the pasta his arms wrap and lock her into place. His lips ... 

It's a little disturbing I know. But this is how my brain works. It's constantly going on and on. It doesn't shut off hell even when I'm about to go to bed it's still rummaging through potential scenes. When I watch movies I no longer sit there and just watch. Nope. I'm picking apart things I truly love and try to twist it into something that could be good for whatever I'm working on. Same with novels. I can't just read them. Nope. I'm sitting there thinking about how the author captured my attention. How they found my soul and destroyed it when the character I'm rooting for gets some devasting news. 

Point is I'm constantly taking mental notes. You should be too. Ideas are everywhere. 

As I'm working on two novels at one time I'm a little more aware. I've been reading and watching picking apart the best parts and pulling them into something so it ends up being great. Who do I study? Everyone. Not just the best selling authors. I study everyone. Sure, there might be some disappointing reads in there because I'm studying everyone. But even with those disappointing reads, I can still learn something. Like what I won't do because it left me unsatisfied. Rushing just to finish. Jumping about from thing to thing. Not researching things fully but putting them in there just to be there because it sounds good. 

What? People don't do that. they do though. There are some books you might pick them up and think how in the world did this garbage get published. Here's the thing though, it does. Possibly self and sometimes not. Someone buys it. Someone reads it. And here is the thing even with a book that might let you down there might be something good in it. Learn from them.

Best,

Changes

Hey ya'all.

I am currently moving things around but i wanted to let you know I have a website. Yay!

www.authornataliedecker.com

I will be uploading and changing my blog over to it soon enough.

And things just got creepy

Riddle me this, why can we not thank people anymore without the conversation to turn creepy? What kind of things make a conversation creepy? Here's one:

Person says "Mornin. I'm a new fan."
As an author I think this is awesome. So this is my typical response: "Thank you :) "
Now, please tell me if this is weird? All I did was thank the person. Because I'm really grateful for all my friends. What I'm not cool with is what happens next.
Person asks, "And your only 17?"

I realize not everyone is a super grammar snob in which I'm not cause I can over look the fact they use the wrong you're. My problem is the fact this person is asking about my age. Why would you want to know if I was ONLY 17? But to solve this question is No, I'm not 17 and haven't been for a while. This however makes me think of the worst in a person. Like the creepy people I protect my kids from.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm ranting here but I have to. I want to thank fans. I want to enjoy messages from fans not flag, or keep people from me. But I must protect my family and friends. Am I wrong here?

How would you deal?

Excerpt

Bryce releases February 23, 2016. Yes 19 days away! Wahooo. You can preorder you copy right now Here.

So while I am finishing up the final touches on Graham. Here is a small snippet of Bryce.

I’m half-tempted to drop this box and tell her good, because I don’t want to fucking help. But I catch the sad glimmer in her eyes, and damn it, it ceases all my asshole retorts. “Look. It’s clear neither of us want to be here. Let’s just get this done as quick as possible, and we can go back to doing what we love to do best.”

She stares blankly up at me.

“Ignoring each other, Smalls.”

“Okay.”

We get back to work quietly. As we head out of the basement with the boxes, I decide to try and be nice, like Graham suggested. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to be stuck with each other a lot if he’s making headway with her cousin. “So, what’s up with the ‘no one in your room’ policy? Got some secrets in there?”

“Everyone has secrets,” she shoots back.

I chuckle. “Ain’t that the truth. But you, Miss Goody Two-shoes, don’t have dark secrets. Bet your room is a picture-perfect, princess pink.” I nudge her.

She enters a room off to the right, and I follow. My jaw almost hits the floor. Her walls are not pink, they’re white. The way she kept her room off-limits, I expected shirtless guy models posted all over her walls. But there is none of that in here, just paintings. Lots of different paintings.

Feel this

This whole you only have so many hours in a day and need so much sleep to function correctly is well ... tough sometimes. Life is always changing. Kids get sick and now you have to leave work early in order to get them. Hey, what the heck can you do? Sit around and cry about it or just deal with it and move on? Life happens.

As my cover reveal for Bryce is looming near, I'm excited and overly nervous. Nervous because I LOVE this book. I seriously never had so much fun writing. These characters cracked me up. Literally I was at the computer laughing while typing. Possibly looking really really crazy but it happens. But that's not what I love most. What really got me was the feel of this. The life part of the book that was well, fun. That's why we read right? To find ourselves into someone else's life story. Cheering for them. Crying with them. Yes Feelings.

Anyways I hope you love the little snippet I left from Bryce at the bottom of this. Currently finishing up book #2 Graham again really loving these characters. Fun witty characters are always a blast to write. Back to writing and in my editing cave.

I glare out my window at her house. Graham sighs. “Oh, come on. That was kind of funny. You know she’s just getting back at you for the wet T-shirt bullshit you pulled on her at Greg’s party.”

Okay, in all fairness, that was a dick move on my part. But I’m an asshole. Everyone who knows me knows this, especially Madison. I’m not going to apologize for being me. She was wearing a white T-shirt, and I happened to stumble upon some water balloons. So, I may have run up to Greg’s balcony with a bowl of filled balloons and waited for Madison to come into view. Then I launched them in a way that got her T-shirt soaked, revealing the parts she always keeps hidden. Literally, the girl goes swimming in dark shirts.

I’m a guy. We like boobs and ass. Sorry, ladies, if this offends. Some of us aren’t as open about it. Those of us who are are pigs. We know this. We just don’t care.

Anyway, Madison’s sharp green eyes found me through the laughing crowd, and she made the slit-your-throat sign at me. Pissed off, raging mad, and blushing red, Madison is actually really hot. That’s probably why I love tormenting her so much. Plus, it amuses me.