Celebrate The Small Things - 26 July

feeling hot hot hot

Celebration Times Again! Yes, here we are at Celebrate The Small Things. We aren't just here for the big things in life, like an engagement or book deal, but for the small things too: the clearing out of a cupboard, or the achievement of that pose in yoga class.

Sign up on the linky list, share your celebrations, and importantly, go, celebrate with others! Don't let anybody have zero comments! :)

My celebrations for the week are:

• Eating our yummy yellow tomatoes still
• The weekend is here (nuff said about that, after my busy work week).
• I had a long walk, and took a circuits class, AND went for a run, so not bad on the exercise front. (The long walk was because the tube broke, so I am entirely trying to look on the bright side of an unexpected hour long walk on the hottest day of the year which made me late home and swear (that's curse to Americans I think?) under my breath.)

What are YOU celebrating?

What's Up Wednesday - 24 July

It's Wednesday! And that means What's Up Wednesday, with the Ready Set Write Check in. Do check out the link for more information.

How are we all doing? How was your week?

What I'm Reading:
Actually just got Leigh Ann Kopans "One" which I look forward to, as superheroes are definitely my thing!

What I'm Writing:
I achieved my five chapters close edit! Hurrah! It is SO much slower than a big picture edit though isn't it? And I only achieved that as I didn't have many plans on this weekend. So let's try for five again and see how I go... it would be great in a few weeks to be able to set it aside! So that's my Ready Set Write longer aim: 3 weeks to setting it aside?!

What Inspires Me Right Now:
This week, nothing specific inspires me, except perhaps having had that quiet weekend. A weekend without work, or busy plans meant I was able to spend time on my edits, and also with myself, if that makes any sense. (And with the boyfriend too!)

What Else I'm Up To:
Being HOT! ;)

That's hot as in 'it's hot outside' btw, not 'I've got tickets on myself hot'.

What are you up to?

Celebrate the Small Things - 19 July

Celebration time again this week! How are we all? The UK is in the middle of a heatwave and I for one am sweltering ;)

It is time to celebrate - the small things. The completed chapter or the mastered pilates stance. The flowering plants and the fun night out.

This week I am celebrating:

A weekend of no plans! I have had a series of fun times, with weddings and birthday do's and such, but it is nice to be looking forward to a restful weekend, especially when the sun is shining.

Went to a Brazilian restaurant with friends last night. Aside from fabulous food, they had 'Refrescos' on the menu - non alcoholic cocktails. All the yum factor and none of the hangover of regular cocktails - I'm a fan!

My Bedroom Fan. I wouldn't be sleeping without it. It's got a remote control. I swear it wasn't a fancy one, but it randomly comes with a remote control so I can switch the fan on and off from my bed. I don't have that big a room, so this is a completely unnecessary luxury/amusement.

What are you celebrating this week?!

What's Up Wednesday - 17 July

Time for What's Up Wednesday again, featuring the Ready Set Write check in ;) It's so helpful having this weekly catch up!

What I'm Reading:
Finished Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach and I thoroughly recommend it. It's a fresh, psychological thriller which definitely held my interest. Here's the goodreads linky.

What I'm Writing:
My aim last week was to edit 10 chapters - and I did! Hurrah! Those were big picture edits though, and am now going back through my novel with a closer edit. So let's say 5 chapters this week and see how we go...

What Inspires Me Right Now:
Gosh. The fact my sister-in-law did a triathlon. My published friends. Sunshine. Good friends. Restful Sunday afternoons.

Those might be too general, but that's how I'm feeling.

What Else I'm Up To:
Attempting to keep up with going to the gym, but work is busy so I end up working late or staying at my desk rather than popping out at lunchtime and no GYM happens! Ah well!

What about all of you?

Celebrate The Small Things - Fri 12 July

WIMBLEDON!!!

Time for another Celebrate The Small Things! What are we all celebrating?

We know the 'sign up/post celebrations/celebrate with others' rules by now don't we?

So what am I celebrating:

ANDY MURRAY WON WIMBLEDON!!!! First British Male Singles Winner in an age. So exciting.
I do like the tennis.
& I like Andy Murray ;)

That and sunshine, and a weekend off, and I'll see some friends at a wedding (not mine).

How about you?

Here's the linky! Go celebrate.

Cover Reveal: Kinetic by S.K. Anthony

I am thrilled today to be joining in the cover reveal for S.K. Anthony's "Kinetic".

Kinetic is an NA Urban Fantasy being released in September 2013.

This awesome cover design is by Mae I Design & Photography.

Here's what Kinetic is all about:

Being strong is one thing. Being an unlimited source of power is quite another.

 Genetically altered by the Organization, Annie Fox takes down criminals CIA-style with her luminary strength. With nothing to mend but her broken heart, she is relentlessly pursued by her boss Derek Lake. Just when Annie is about to give him a chance, her ex-husband unexpectedly comes out of hiding. 

A wanted man, Nick Logan is a cold-hearted murderer who is considered enemy number one, and orders are clear: kill on contact. He is more powerful than ever and threatens the lives of those she holds most dear. His plan? Get his hands on Annie and use her Kinetic energy to destroy them all. When Annie finds herself with an opportunity to end him, she pauses, horrified by the scars covering the face she once loved. A split second that will cost her everything…

There's the COVER over there on the right. Isn't it cool?

Here are the all important links:

Goodreads  /  Facebook / Twitter / Website

Let's meet the author:

S. K. Anthony is a writer, a reader and a make-stuff-up-er who lives in New York with her husband and toddler twins. She is a wine connoisseur, which just really means she knows she loves it, and a caffeine addict. When she isn’t busy with her family she finds herself being transported into the world of imagination. Well, either that or running away from spiders…she is convinced they are out to get her!

So, go, add it to your MUST READ list ;)

What's Up Wednesday - 10 July

Time for another What's Up Wednesday! I missed last week's as I was IWSG posting, apologies.

What I'm Reading:
Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach. 

Here's the amazon blurb:

Leila has never met Tess, but she now knows more about Tess than anyone in the world. She’s read all of her emails, researched her past and asked Tess for every detail about her friends and family. Tess has never met Leila. But if she wants to slip away from the world unnoticed, she needs to trust Leila with her life. At first, Leila finds it easy to assume Tess’s identity, and no one has any reason to distrust her. But as Leila is soon to discover, there is much more to a person than the facts and there are things about life you can learn only by living it . . . Original, haunting and utterly gripping, Kiss Me First is an electrifying debut from a phenomenally gifted storyteller

I can say that I am enjoying so far!

What I'm Writing:
Well 2 weeks ago my aim was 10 chapters edited, and I can say I achieved that.. in 2 weeks! So not exactly my original intention ;) I blame the distraction of the TENNIS. So 10 chapters this week now the tennis is over, that's the aim...

What Inspires Me Right Now:
ANDY MURRAY. I am going to go on about his win all week ;) But talk about hard work paying off!

What Else I'm Up To:
Working! And being too hot too sleep, but mustn't grumble, nice to have a summer...plus I've got a cover reveal up today too! Coming soon ;)

& talking to Tara Tyler over at TheWriterDiaries!

How about all of you?

Tara Tyler: Pop Travel Release Fun

Just a quick party on post because Tara Tyler's Pop Travel is out!

In a futuristic cat-and-mouse game, hard-boiled detective J.L. Cooper is chased across the world using Pop Travel teleportation, which has a deadly flaw he is determined to expose.

Doesn't that sound awesome?

I'll be hosting Tara later in her release excitement on this blog, but I had to join in being excited for its release day!

Get it on Amazon

Celebrate The Small Things - 5 July

Celebrate the Small Things is here again and we have reached JULY. How did that happen?!

Fireworks for 4th July?

The concept of 'CtST' is simple - sign up on the linky, post items you are celebrating, and then hop around and celebrate with others!

This week I am celebrating...

Summer!
Sunshine!
Andy Murray getting to the Semi's!

My friends having books coming out...Tara Tyler's Pop Travel is out on the 7th (whee!) and Ellie Phillips book Scissors, Sisters and Manic Panics is out now! It is SO exciting to have this happen for my friends.

Also we ate some of our new yellow tomatoes with dinner last night ;)

Hope my American pals had a good 4th of  July.

Do hop around the list ;)

IWSG: July

Time for the Insecure Writers Support Group, brought to you by Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Balance Balance Balance

This week I have been thinking about balance. Mostly balancing time. We all have to juggle family, friends, work, writing. It isn't always easy. We feel guilty for spending time writing and not with our other half. We have a busy week at work and so get no writing done. Etc.

I usually try and plan my time. That's how I achieve balance. This is when I'll write. This is when I'll gym. This is when I'll do laundry. But you know what they said about the best laid plans...

I have had a particularly busy month, with lots of fun life things as well as very busy work time, and so it becomes a challenge to find time to writing. I squeeze it in where I can, obviously. I make time. We all do. Because we want to do it. Because we love it.

But sometimes, I feel that one of the balls has to drop. Or might drop. If I don't juggle carefully enough. If I don't focus on balance.

How do you do it? Any tips for keeping life in balance?