And release

Hello  wonders. 

I'm on vacation this week. Interesting enough, I seem to still be working. The other day however, I read. I forgot how relaxing reading can really be. Not that I don't read or anything, I do all the time for work but I think work reading and enjoyment reading is two different things. Yes, I read MS's at work but, to be honest if the MS is boring or lacks elements spice or just something holding my interest then I don't consider it very pleasurable. Just like books I buy, some could seem very appealing but they end up being so boring I just want to cry for buying such a book. Then I want to cry for wasting about 10 to 15 minutes of my life. Yes, that's how long it takes me to decide whether a book is worth the whole read through or not.

Currently though, I've read the Divergent series by Veronice Roth. I've been meaning to buy the book for a while: Divergent. Heard great things about the book. Over the holidays my dad asked me what I wanted and since he was with me I just picked out the book and thought it's just time to read it. I've been saying it for a while and it's just time to buy it and read it. So I did. Well, he did but I read it that night. Loved it. Got the other books the following days, read Insurgent a few nights ago all in one sitting. Neighbor Borrowed books one and two after I was finished with them. I just started Book three Allegiant and I must say it's quite interesting. For those of you who have read it please no spoilers. Those of you who haven't you should really look into these books. 

What have you been reading lately? What books are you going to be reading over the holidays?

Happy Holidays!

I'm not really a fan of the holidays. Not that I'm all Oh kiss it Christmas or all scrooge like about it. I'm just always overly stressed. If you ever met my family you'd know why. 

My father is always reminding me of how old my grandmother is. I know how old my grandma is by the way. Then he tells me I have to see her. Now if my grandma was old and brittle sure, I can see this as necessary to see her as often as possible. My grandmother is not this way though. To give you an insight of how my grandma is and acts, she hates people who drives slow. That woman puts the race in racing. Not kidding. She told me the other day a guy was driving 55 and the speed limit is 70 so she's having a fit. "Who does that? So you know what I did? I passed him beeped my horn and flipped him off while I passed him for being a jackass!" Yeah 80 years old and she acts like this while driving. She's about as fragile as a nail.

Then there is the getting the gifts. Packing up my vehicle with not only my luggage but gifts, children's luggage and then traveling in the long holiday traffic. Yeah, I'm not up for idiots on the road. Or being cramped with gifts. And do you know what bothers me the most, how my family never considers how many damn gifts they bought for me and so when we return, we have stuff the luggage back in with a crap load of gifts. And hope we all fit without getting a uhaul to strap and drive with. 

I know I shouldn't complain. I should be grateful for getting anything and being blessed, but being in a vehicle for 8 or more hours with no leg room doesn't make you feel grateful. It's more of the opposite like why couldn't they come out here?

Honestly, for once I want to stay in my house and not travel to see anyone. (This is completely selfish I know) But I've been traveling every holiday since I was little. Going to this person's house, that person's house. Scheduled meal times. I'm just tired of it. I thought when I had my own family this non-sense would stop and people would visit you instead.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday and a Wonderful New Year! 

Really?

I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving. (For those who celebrate) Wednesday I got a free Galaxy 4 from Best Buy! Sweet!!! I needed a new phone. Anyways same day had to call and get a plumber to fix my drain where my washing machine is, because the drain was like Old Faithful, spraying water everywhere. I was like HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP! It was super bad. 

Plumber fixed it ... or at least it was temporary because Sunday I'm doing Laundry cleaning up after the guest, while watching football. (That's how I roll on Sunday's) And the washing machine started spraying all over. Flooded my entire kitchen. It was AWESOME! (Not really) But I was shaking my head saying Really?

So today I tried calling plumber he isn't answering. Great! 

Let me back my story up a bit though on Thursday I did all the cooking, had an alright thanksgiving, and then went on to some shopping. Scored a couple of laptops for super cheap at Best Buy. Oh but there was this dude in front of us who was farting in line. But he was trying to act like he's not passing gas like right in front of us. He's just carrying on a conversation with his friend, farting, meantime I'm laughing so hard because okay I'm not mature farts make me laugh. So I;m laughing and this dude actually gives me a dirty look. I'm thinking the whole time, oh my goodness you're the one crapping your pants and you give me a look like I'm messed up. Anyways, I can actually say all I need to buy is giftcards and I'm done. Done. Done with shopping. Well, I might get some things for myself but for the most part I'm done.

Oh and onto writing the sequel to a book. As well as rewriting Runaways. Oh, before I forget how did everyone do for the NaNoWriMo?

I actually banked 40k. Not bad. I guess.

Eeek

Ack! I'm so sorry for not posting something sooner. With me working on rewrites. Working. Holidays. and Christmas shopping I've been super swamped.

I will tell you some things that just irk me though. Ready ... Rewriting and thinking about it while I am cleaning, working, or driving and NOT being able to stop and write whatever is jogging around in my head. Then there is wanting so badly to read books but not being able to because I've got to write or do the other things. Oh, and don't get me started on holiday shopping.

I've been searching for this robotic fishbowl thing since my five year old wants fish but here's the thing. I made this mistake with my daughter and she decided the fish weren't swimming fast enough. So she stuck her hand into the tank and chased them around until they died. After that lesson, I decided my five year old is getting robotic fish. They only die when the batteries do. But they can come back to like frankinstein as soon as you get some fresh batteries. Yay!

Other than that, enjoy Thanksgiving if I don't blog sooner.

Rewrites ... and the mess

After Four yes, Four requests to revise and resubmit, with two fulls still pending, I decided to NOT sit around and wait for other responses and started rewriting. Because this process is long enough as it is. Which means waiting leads to wasted time. Wasted time that could have been spent on revising, while the idea is still fresh.

So, I'm covered either way. If the people who have my fulls like it as is, Awesome! If not, well, I've already set this ball into motion, fixing whatever needs fixing. And although I'm happy about getting some revise and resubmits, it's also kind of depressing to be so darn close and being shot down again. It's like Shit! Really? Shit! Then there is that whole it's still an IF factor. Meaning I can go through and correct all this stuff but ... they might still end up not feeling it. Which will really suck.

This comes with the territory though. Rejections, revisions, and the mess in between.

Happy writing

When did it come down to this????

So my daughter and I were talking. As we do every morning I'm packing her lunch because it makes it 100 times easier to know what she wants and doesn't want in her lunch. Anyways she gets on a conversation about lunch. "There's this red light and when it's on we can't talk." - Excuse me? Red lights? Why the hell can't you socialize in lunch?

This is for the entire lunch period that the light is on by the way. So yeah, no talking at lunch. Oh my god, my daughter is attending a prison not a school. Or one of those reformed places. That's what you think, but it's a public school. Yeah.

Then she says, "Oh and now we have to sit in number order at the table." NOT WITH YOUR FRIENDS. By the number assigned to you. WTF!!! If this is public education, what's private school like? When did it come down to form and codes and being all no speaking or anything? I almost told my daughter about the constitution and all the rights we as people have but then that's probably not a wise idea since that would be considered acting out and rebelling but for real this is her childhood. Rules should apply but not that much.


On another note ... I'm happy to report that I'm at 25K in Runaways. YAY! And 5K on another book that just wouldn't leave my skull. I felt like a person with voices screaming in their brain mapping out situations for entire week until sunday I said that's it! And then I started typing and low and behold I ended up with 5K. Muses are the devil sometimes.

Happy writing.

Haunting tales

I'm here to warn you about cemeteries. Yes, they're the perfect resting spot for your loved one. They're also the perfect spot to see a ghost. That's what I want to warn you about. Ghosts.

They don't always appear as ghosts. They like to trick you. They aren't transparent and floaty. At least, the ghost I saw wasn't. 

She did have on old-fashioned clothes. I thought that was strange, but I let it go. I shouldn't have, so learn from my mistakes. People don't usually dress up in old-fashioned clothes to visit a loved one's grave. At least, not that many people in my experience. 

Another thing to watch out for is when this stranger you met in the cemetery wants you to do something for them. I'm not talking about running down the grocery store for a bottle of milk. I'm talking about digging up the attic floorboards to find an antique diary. That kind of request isn't so average, huh?

Next thing you know, you're caught up in this old mystery and feeling compelled to help the ghost. I'm not saying you shouldn't help ghosts. I'm just saying ... well ... be careful. Watch out for ghosts in cemeteries.

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In the short story Amity, the main character should’ve taken her own advice.  While staying at her sister’s house, she wanders to the cemetery down the street, where she meets a woman dressed in old-fashioned clothing.  The stranger explains that a diary hidden in the attic will shed light on a mystery from the early 1900s.  She just

needs to find the diary … and figure out what to do with it. Amity is included in 13 Haunted Tales, a ghost story anthology edited by Terri Karsten. You can get your copy on the Wagonbridge Publishing website, http://wagonbridgepublishing.com/, in October.

Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, represented by Belcastro Agency, is the author of three short stories in the anthology: Amity, Yankee Inn, and Candlestick Guilt.  You can find more of her stories on her WattPad page, http://wattpad.com/JordanMierek.  If you’re looking to contact her, you can find her (not just her stories) on Facebook  and Twitter. You can also connect with her on her blog, http://kissedbyliterature.blogspot.com/, where she discusses her life as a writer, reviews books, and some really weird experiences.

Cemetery photographs taken by Ashlee Mierek.