Archive | December 2013

Virtual Vision Board

First things first:

2013-07-25 15.05.41

These Foolish Things e-book is on sale for another 27 hours for $.99.

January 1? Back up to $5.99 (despite the bitch – and yes, she was – who told me it wasn’t worth that much and should be $3.99. It SOLD at the higher prices. Rosalind, if you’re reading this, your free and unsolicited advice is worth exactly what it costs: nothing. Feel free to mind your own damned business in the future). At Last will remain at $2.99

AtLast131022_bookcoverCVR6

The covers are spectacular.

2013 has been a decided mixed bag: good things, bad things, new ventures, and stress, stress, stress. Many people I know would like to give it a swift kick in the ass on the way out the door.

bye bye 2013

2014? To be better that 2013 (except for the Red Sox win), the bar is set pretty low. However, the bar IS set and we do expect you to rise above it. There are always more years where you came from.

I am a Spiritual Pyromaniac. I will burn things (in a socially acceptable manner) to bring about a change in energy. I will light candles and build bonfires (extinguishers standing by) and burn little pieces of paper with my wishes on them to put it out to the Universe what I want and need. 

candles burning

I have candles going as I write this (around Exhibit A’s fuzzy butt).

You’ve just got to have this much faith that it’ll work.

faith the size of a mustard seed

And even Mr. Spock says nothing is impossible. He’s very logical.

Some people make vision boards to keep in front of their desks so they see their goals all day. This will be a vision board for me for 2014.

book sales

I want my book sales to sky rocket.

ellen

Hey, Ellen. May I come on your show?

katy_perry_roar

I want you to hear me roar.

paid_bills

Sick and tired of financial stress. I am ready and I am grateful for it to be behind me forever.

 

Power to change story

And I am saying that the story continues on my terms.

Authors Under the Lights – March 22, 2014

autl banner

 

I am part of this signing event on March 22. 2014

Bestselling authors Tess Oliver, Michael Siemsen, Renee Carlino, C.D. Reiss, Melissa Schroeder, P.G. Forte, Shayne McClendon, T.K. Leigh, and many up and coming Indie authors, hosted by author S.C. Ellington and Dani Hart supporting the Hope for Hazel charity.

On Saturday, March 22nd, S.C. Ellington and Dani Hart will present the first annual Authors Under the Lights, a multi-genre book signing event designed to bring indie authors and readers together to support a charitable cause. This year is devoted to Hope for Hazel. Hazel is a local three year old girl who was diagnosed in the last year with stage 3 Neuroblastoma. You can read about her and her family’s heartbreaking and touching story and make donations at www.ourlittlehazelnut.blogspot.com. More information on the event can be found at www.authorsunderthelights.blogspot.com.
“We started this amazing annual event to celebrate the hard work and struggles of authors in the self- publishing world and to give back to the community at the same time. We chose this particular charity because I know the family and wanted to be able to help in any way I could. While raising money seems so inadequate in comparison to what they are going through it’s something,” states Dani Hart, a self-published indie author. Dani can be found at www.authordanihart.blogspot.com. S.C. Ellington can be found at www.scellington.com.

 

At the book signing readers and fans will get the chance to meet and take pictures with their favorite indie authors, get their books signed, as well as take pictures with many of the cover models featured on and in the books. There will also be a raffle giveaway with amazing prizes donated by the authors and sponsors to raise money for the charity. A silent Model Auction will be featured at the book signing where bidders get the chance to bid on attending a VIP dinner with the models and their authors after the book signing to raise money for the charity. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.authorsunderthelights.blogspot.com/p/ticket-sales.html.

What I Want for Christmas…

It’s that time of year (and feels like it has been since August with the Christmas creep that has now caused ornaments to go on sale prior to Halloween. How soon do we see Uncle Sam and Santa Claus duking it out for Fourth of July attention?)

december-fat-boy-this-month-is-for-my-holiday

My sentiments exactly.

It is, in fact, actually December (which is zipping by like the Little Old Lady From Pasadena driving a Shelby Mustang) and winter and within 3 days of Christmas (7 days of 2014. From what I’m hearing, 2013 will not be widely mourned when it leaves), therefore, it is the right and proper time to discuss Christmas.

I would like a few things for Christmas (if anyone is reading):

1) If you read and liked them, please leave reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Shelfari (Amazon version of Goodreads), Barnes & Noble, Powells, Alibris, Vromans, Smashwords. (If you didn’t like them, say nothing. Here’s 20 bucks)

2) Please recommend these books to your friends. And have them recommend it.

3) If you have the paperback(s) and are on Facebook, please go post a picture of you with them on my author page (Susan Thatcher Author Page) and tell me where you live.

mandi's copy

This little fellow traveled to the wildest reaches of Washington State. May have been ordered by a bear for something to read before hibernation. Or by a sasquatch.

4) If you got an ebook, post a picture of it  on Fracebook and request an autograph (yes, there is a way) through Authorgraph.

5) Ask me questions; let’s get a discussion going. There are threads started on Goodreads and Amazon asking how readers would cast movie versions.

6) In a book club? If I can figure out Skype (or Google Hangouts), let’s talk (Warning: I will periodically be removing cat butt from in front of the screen)

sphinx pose.

If you’re in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino or Ventura Counties (all California), I’ll even come visit and sign copies (and/or sell them). The listed counties are day trip range.  Let’s talk.

The bottom line is: the best Christmas gift I could receive is knowing that I have made a connection to you, my readers.

Cheers and to all, a good night.

Pep Talk

I am stressed out right now about a bunch of different things.

(I’m still selling books through the Buy Now up topside. If you use it, that will help not only alleviate my stress, but it will also get you some quality reading material. I promise).

This is not going to be a terribly organized blog post (and let’s face it; I know zippity doo dah about layout, coding, embedding, all the things that make a web page sing and dance. I work in words. I am good with words. So, you get…words) because it is a collection of things to buck me up and keep me going.

strong women

This is me. (And this is also Elizabeth Gardner in my books. She stands. She deals)

imgres

Sara Evans Born to Fly

This song was put on a mix CD for me about my great ambitions for myself. The CD also included “Rainbow Connection,” “Chasing that Neon Rainbow,” “The Eagle and the Hawk” (because I like eagles and hawks), lot of country. I remind myself; I was born to fly.

killing-stronger

Kelly-Clarkson-Stronger-Mr.-Know-It-All-400x300

Kelly Clarkson Stronger

I swiped the post for my Facebook page. Someone who’s been through hell posted Ms. Clarkson as a response.

whedon wisdom

I WANT the big moments. I can see, feel, taste, touch, and hear them (not so much out of the right ear. The ACA will make it affordable for me to get that fixed, but I digress)

I listen to psychics, people who talk about the Law of Attraction (Yes, “The Secret” but not in its slick form. Deride it all you want, I got a different takeaway from it). One of them is “Abraham” through Esther Hicks. On one of her CDs, “Money and the Law of Attraction,” she (or Abraham) says that if you don’t like the way things are in your life, tell a different story. So, I literally (and that is not a word I toss around) sat down with my medium of choice, words, and re-wrote my current story as  I want to see things happen. That was two days ago. The things in that story? They’ve started happening.

Yeah, You’re Gonna Hear Me Roar

katy_perry_roar

As for the sense that I may be going nowhere in a hurry and even losing ground:

arrow

You’re gonna hear me roar.