Authors and Giveaways

Today I'm using my blog to promote a great way to meet authors and win some fabulous prizes--like Amazon gift cards, Kindles, books, etc. From today through August 29, The Long & Short Reviews is celebrating its 7th Anniversary as a book review site. There are many, many, many guest authors appearing on the site (including me) throughout the four days, and they expect more than a thousand people to stop by and check out the offerings.

So, if you're looking for some great books to read, trying to discover new authors, or want to win a prize just by commenting, please go to their website and check them out.

And I will be appearing on the site as well. I'm talking about summer reading and I'm giving away a copy of The Seduction of Esther--it's a great way to catch up before the release of the next book in the series, Miriam's Surrender, on September 10.

Hope you'll stop by!

Cover Reveal for Miriam's Surrender

I have a cover! I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting to tell you, and now I finally can. I have a cover for Miriam’s Surrender and I love it! Here it is:

What do you think?

It’s funny because whenever it’s time to work on the covers for my books, I always laugh. My publisher sends me a cover sheet that I’m supposed to fill out with information about my book—title, summary, character information, setting. I’m also supposed to suggest photos that I like and the type of cover I’d like—do I want people or not, is there a particular item or symbol I want to show, etc. And the best part is the section that asks, “What DON’T you want on the cover.”

Now, writers often compare their books to babies. We create the book and know our characters as if they were real people. That’s true. But having had babies—two of them—I see a big difference between what I create and whom I birth. While I’m partial to my own writing, I recognize that my book is a thing. It’s not my baby. Therefore, while I definitely give parameters, I don’t usually have too many “must haves” or “must not haves.”

Miriam’s Surrender is my fourth book. It is also the fourth cover that, while maybe didn’t completely ignore my suggestions, used the judgment of the art department more than mine. And it’s the fourth cover that I completely loved from the moment I saw it.

Even though I’m not a fan of split covers.

Even though I’m not a fan of people on my covers (yes, every single one of mine has had a person on it—go figure).

Even though it doesn’t have anything to do with the first cover in the series.

I love this cover!

To all my current and future publishers out there, please continue to listen to your art department, rather than me, when making my covers. I love them!

I just finished working with a graphics designer on promo material for Miriam’s Surrender, which releases on September 10. If you’d like me to send it to you, leave a comment on the blog and I’ll do so.

Trying To Find The Happy

I was looking through old pictures this weekend, helping my husband put together a photomontage for Banana Girl’s Bat Mitzvah. I love looking at my kids when they were babies. I love remembering them when they were young.

But what I noticed this time was me. Photos of me from back then show me looking happy, and I haven’t been happy in a long time.

No, I’m not unhappy right now, but happy is not exactly a word I’d use to describe myself at this moment in time.

I’m snarky and I like making people laugh, and I even join in with the laughter, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy. It’s actually pretty easy to make others laugh when I’m miserable.

There are specific things and people that make me happy at particular moments in time, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy. They provide me a respite, but I’d like it to last longer.

I’ve achieved certain things that satisfy me and make me feel good about myself, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy.

The pictures of me holding my children, posing with my husband, doing things with my family show how happy I was back then.

And I’m trying to get to that point again now.

I’ve made some changes already and I’m headed in the right direction. I’m spending more time with my family and less time with people who upset me. I’m spending more time getting my own things done and less time working on things that used to bring me satisfaction but now bring me frustration.

I’m trying to picture my life doing less stressful things, yet still being filled with meaningful things. I’m writing more and feeling more satisfied than I have in a long time.

I’m not sure what other changes I’ll be making, or where I’m going from here. It may be that I just needed a break and I’ll jump back into things in a few weeks and be fine. On the other hand, I may need to make some major changes going forward. I haven’t yet decided.

I just know things can’t stay the same. I’ve been reminded of the happy me and I miss her.