The Sniffle-Monster

So...I just realized that my book comes out in about a month and a half.

Suddenly, I'm almost glad I'm kind of sick (cold/flu/sniffles/sinus infection sort of thing - nothing to worry about). You know how you are when you don't feel awesome, and you have stuff to do, and your mental capacity completely focuses getting through the task ahead of you, mainly because you don't have the energy for anything else?

Yep. That's where I am.

And if I had more energy, I'd probably be wasting it on the most EPIC FREAK-OUT IN DEBUT AUTHOR HISTORY. The kind of freak-out that keeps you up in the middle of the night, wondering if anyone is out there reading an ARC of your book right at this second, and if they like it or if they hate it, or if they find it (horror of horrors) forgettable. The kind that lures you to scour the internet for reviews of your book, tempts you to sit at your computer refreshing your goodreads page over and over.

So, this sickness has strangely filled me with gratitude. Being low on energy has made me really buckle down and focus.

I honestly don't have time to freak out. I have a revision to tackle, a transcontinental flight back to Charlotte, a doctor's appointment to schedule and attend, a bridal shower to plan, author signings to set up, chapter samplers to design and order, mass mailings to conquer - and that's just by the end of next week.

I would rather be a Sniffle-Monster than a Vortex of Angst, Insecurity, and (Possibly) Despair - and to be perfectly honest, that's kind of where I was headed before I started feeling sickly.

Of course, I'm still going to try and get better. But by that time, I'll be too busy to bother freaking out. And after that, I'll hold my finished books in my hands and I'll be celebrating too much to freak out.

Really, this is a post about stress management.

Okay, I need to go back to revising. I left Lena in a workshop with a bunch of matches, and Rory needs to make sure no one accidentally lights their sleeves on fire.

This is the Sniffle-Monster, signing off....

Friday Five - the Healdsburg Edition

No, this is not Healdsburg.

This is a field I saw on the drive over, outside St. Helena, forty minutes away.

I found out recently that the yellow flowers are wild mustard.

Feel free to drool over the pretty. :-P

1. I did a vlog last week, to share two very important pieces of info with you. But I haven't edited it yet, so I can't post it. I will tell you the lesser of the two news bits: The Ever Afters 2 is in!
   
   I felt a little bereft after I sent it. After all, that book has been a major pillar in my life since July, and it feels strange to have it missing.
   
   But Courtney, my talented and savvy editor, has it now. My brain feels loose and free.
   
   
2. This recent relaxation has been nice, but I'm afraid it has resulted in a Cold to End All Colds. Seriously, it's been a while since I've been reduced to a sniffly, coughing, tissue-laden mess. (This may explain why I haven't found the time to edit that vlog.)
   
   Don't worry, my friends. I'm combating it with chicken soup, rest, and my weight in honey-sweetened lemon tea.
   
   
3. This month, I'm living in Healdsburg, CA - which is part of the Russian River wine country. You know Napa? Well, I'm kind of right above it. For cold reasons, I have not yet visited any of the wineries, but I have partaken of the awesome food.
   
   And I've visited the library. Because obviously, that's what I do. They have a cool wine library, full of books on grapes and vintages and history. And a case of old wine-making equipment.
   
   
4. I've realized something recently: I really love books.
   
   You would think that this is obvious, considering that I spend the majority of my days with them, either the reading of books or the writing of books or the revising of books, but it struck me recently, hard and sharp like walking into a ladder you didn't notice (I know exactly what that feels like; I've done it). This love has structured the fabric of my life, enriched it, and comforted it. If I was bereft when I sent The Ever Afters 2 off to Courtney, then life without books would be so much different, so much emptier. Without books, with the words on the page that become stories in the brain and characters in the heart, my life would be hollow.
   
   Is that a terrifying thing? I suppose it is a terrifying thing, to look at it that way. It might even be hyperbolic to some people. But in a weird way, I'm grateful for it. Some people live their whole lives without a passion like mine for books. It's a gift to love something so much.
   
   (Illness and reading have clearly turned me into a contemplative, tissue-laden invalid. :-P)
   
   
5. A couple books I have enjoyed recently (I'm on a YA kick):

Under the Never Sky,

by Veronica Rossi

This is the most hopeful dystopian I've read - ever, I think. It's kind of got that Romeo-and-Juliet/Savage and Sheltered Singer thing going on, but it's also about being alive. Being fully alive, and taking your own destiny back in your hands. The love story gave me tingles.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer,

by Michelle Hodkin

Paranormal + a teen with post-traumatic stress disorder = a page-turner that seriously keeps you guessing. ALL the clues are there, but you don't trust them. You don't trust them, because Mara doesn't trust her own mind. I was blown away. Like totally stunned, mouth hanging open, desperate for Book 2.

Why We Broke Up,

written by Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket),

Reading this one now, but I just found out it was a Printz Honor book. That made me smiley.

Oh, to have your heart good and thoroughly broken. This is just so gorgeously done - one of the few that depict how the bad things sting after a relationship ends, but it's the good parts you remember that fracture your heart the most. I often come across a passage, and the writing is so good I want to cut it out and keep it forever.

If you've had your heart broken recently, I recommend reading it with tissues.

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Okay, my friends - I will get that vlog up soon. I'm aiming for Tuesday, but it really depends on my poor muddled head.