USA Today Recommended Must-See Book Trailer!

So far for me, this has been a wild ride.  I've talked for years and year (and years and years...) about how I was going to be an author.  Blah, blah, blah.  It wasn't until I was asked to be a part of an anthology by an incredibly group of women that I've had the privilege of watching come into their own and become amazing authors, that I was finally brave enough to do something about it.  

Writing with two young kids isn't easy. I've screwed up so many times with deadlines, and sending out information and fumbled all over the place as I learned the ropes of being an indie author. Marketing, promotions, who to contact, what to say, the actually process of writing, getting my first round of edits (and thinking I was going to die), and so on...  

There's a hilarious meme I'd love to share about this, but I can't find it. Should I come across it, I'll come back and add it later.  ;) 

All of this has been amazing and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  

Today, we made the USA Today Recommended Must-See Book Trailer list. USA Today. Y'all.  I don't know whether to fan-girl, scream, cry, pop a bottle of champagne, or what.  This. Is. Incredible.

If you haven't seen our trailer, you should watch it.  Now. It's fabulous. I don't care to admit how many times I've watched it.  Haha! 

Enjoy! 

Love Least Expected Trailer!!

As our release day nears -- February 3 y'all -- we will be releasing fun new things to tease our fabulous anthology.  

For pre-order links, visit here.  Squee!!! 

Anyway -- I'm so exited to share this trailer with y'all.  Enjoy! 

Exciting News!!

I've been MIA for awhile, but here's the thing.  I've been busy.  Besides starting my own fitness business this year, I've been getting my writing act together.  I was blessed enough to be asked to join this anthology with some fabulous ladies -- and let me tell you -- this thing rocks.  I mean, really.  

We are officially available for pre-order on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and All Romance -- how awesome is that y'all?! Official release will be February 2015.  If you'd like to host us on our blog tour, sign up here.  We'd appreciate it ever so much! 

About Love Least Expected: 

When love drops in unexpected, the strangest things can happen. Nine short stories from sweet to sultry, full of romance, magic and love from award winning and USA Today recommended authors.

Under The Mango Tree: (Historical Romance) ~ by Meredith Bond

Lakshmi is a good 18th c. Indian girl who should not be hiding among the branches of the mango tree avoiding her chores. She truly should not be seen by a man who is not a member of her family--an Englishman, no less. And she absolutely should not even contemplate speaking with this man. But Lakshmi has never been one to follow the rules.


Rolf's Quest: (Historical Romance) ~ by Aubrey Wynne

Time is running out for the royal wizard of Henry II. Rolf's quest: find genuine love and lift the enchantment that has imprisoned his ancestor, Merlin, for centuries. Now he must win Melissa's heart without the use of magic. She desires him, but will she defy her family and refuse her betrothed? Or will Rolf be doomed to a life of bitterness like his ancestors before him.


Fall Into Darkness: (Paranormal Romance) ~ by Valerie Twombly

Eli, bounty hunter for the Tribunal, is sentenced to earth to find his humanity. But when temptation is thrown in the angel's path in the form of the soft curvy Ashley, he is unable to resist. Fate may bring them together, but desire could bond them for eternity.


Alphabetical Disorder: (Fantasy Romance) ~ by Katie Stephens

When a trick horseback rider gets caught up in a dangerous prophecy that jeopardizes the circus, she believes she can solve the problem by dating alphabetically. Now all she has to do is figure out how to manipulate her flawed interpretation so she can be with the man she loves.


Roses Are Wrong, Violets Taboo: (Southern Romance) ~ by Kris Calvert

When Alexander Chase Tabeau and Rose Westwood meet by chance, neither planned on stumbling into the best night of their life. But timing is everything and fate has a cruel sense of humor. With love on the line and nothing to lose, will one night together change their destiny forever?


Love's Not Viral: (Contemporary Romance) ~ by Nessie Strange

When a crazed Hollywood star puts Aster Sanderson in the media crosshairs, her home becomes a prison. With her life out of control, the last person she expects to rescue her is her captor's brother, James. Is their attraction a result of circumstance...or could it be something more?


Taking The Plunge: (Contemporary Romance) ~ by Kishan Paul

When Pete, Eve's high school crush, shows up in her life, she pepper sprays him. Despite her efforts to push him away, Pete finds himself drawn to the red haired beauty. When logic and emotion don't agree, which path should she follow?


The Trouble With Never: (Southern Romance) ~ by Isabella Harper

When Summer and Caleb run into each other after a long absence, sparks fly. Her painful past makes it hard for her to open up, but he's more than willing to help. He's loved her most of their lives. Can she learn to love and trust him, or will her fears push him away?


Keep Calm And Eat Chocolate: (Contemporary Romance) ~ by Michaela Miles

When institution residents Elle and Chris meet, their personalities clash. During a quiet moment in the garden together, secrets are shared and a bond is formed. Will their connection be their downfall or lead to the fresh start they deserve?

New Year, New Blog!

2013 was a huge year for me.  A real roller coaster.  One full of lessons and experiences that have further shaped me, but I'm glad to be moving forward from. 

I got fired from my first job.  We bought our first house.  We had our second child.  And there was a whole bunch of other "little" stuff mixed in there as well.

At the end of 2012 we moved in with my mom to try to get our finances under control.  It's been a priority to my hubby and I for me to be a stay at home mom, and that means making sacrifices.  I was working in a MDO program to bring in some extra money, but also get our then one year old some exposure to other kids.  Well that got us exposure alright, to every disease known to man.  We ended 2012 with the flu, and started 2013 with another round of the flu.

In February, I found out I was pregnant, and about two weeks later had the worst case of bronchitis I think I've ever had.  Like 103 temperature.  Not fun.  We continued battling disease in our house until April, when I found out I was having complications with my pregnancy - it was the day after the Boston Marathon explosion actually - and I got fired by voicemail from my job for being a better mother than I was a teacher.  All I can say now is that things work out the way that they need to... the stress in our lives lessened considerably when I no longer had a 45 minute commute to work {only 2 days a week for minimal pay}.  Our son started sleeping better, stopped being sick, and my pregnancy got smoother.  Go figure!

We found out we were having a girl in May {yay!} and started looking for houses in June.  By the end of July we'd put in several offers on houses only to have them rejected for various reasons.  My mom also got married at the tail-end of a whirlwind romance with a childhood friend, and moved several states away.

Can you see what I mean by 2013 being a huge, topsy-turvy year???

By the end of August we'd bought her house - hey, at least we technically didn't have to move since we were here already - and had finished renovations on the master bath, started a complete overhaul on the rest of the master suite, and were closing in baby girls due date.  We moved into our "suite" the night before she was born in October.  Her room wasn't finished until November, haha!!

December rounded out a crazy year with discovered our daughter has an intolerance to milk/soy proteins so we had to completely overhaul how we eat {which has turned out to be a blessing in disguise}.  There was also a celebration of two families being merged together, and I'm so thankful to say it all ended beautifully.  I am so lucky and so blessed that all the family drama smoothed itself out, I have an amazing step-dad and two step-siblings, I have two miracles that remind me daily what life is about, a hot hubby that encourages me to pursue each and every one of my dreams, and a roof over our heads.

I'm looking forward to everything that 2014 had to offer, including getting my book published!!! {of course, I need to finish it first...} 

Happy 2014 y'all!!! May it be full of awesome and wonderful experiences!!!!

Beau or Bow?

For those of you that don't know, I'm expecting our second bundle of joy in October.  We find out tomorrow, May 15, what the baby will be - so long as baby cooperates of course.  Our first, wasn't shy and had no qualms about sharing his manhood, haha! It will be interesting to see how things go in the morning with this little one.

If you're interested, I'm going to post a poll on here - or you are also welcome to leave a comment - about what your guess is for Baby Harper #2...  Before you vote though, I thought I'd share some fun little tidbits about my pregnancy {based on old wives tales} to aide you in your educated guess.  :)

Is baby's heartbeat above or below 140?   above 140 {supposedly this means girl, but this wasn't true for our first!!} 
Do you crave salty/sour or sweet?   both      {sweet means girl, salty/sour means boy - supposedly it also means boy if you're craving meat or dairy, which I can't get enough of!!!}
Do you have morning sickness? yes or no   no   {yes means girl, no means boy} 
Are you moody or happy?    moody    {moody means girl, happy means boy}  
**I'm not putting any stock in this one because we have some extra things going on at our house so I'm beyond stressed... when I get outside that situation, I'm actually very happy!! lol! 
Is you skin soft or dry?     dry          {dry means boy, soft means girl}
Do you sleep on your right or left side?   left   {left means boy, right means girl} 
Do you have headaches? yes or no  yes   {headaches mean boy...}
Hair: thin and dull or full bodied and glossy?  it was thin and dull before I got it done and used better hair products, haha! now it's thin and glossy! ;)     {thin and dull means girl, full bodied and glossy means boy}

Where have you gained weight? My weight gain {as with my first} has been almost entirely in the middle!    {the old wives tales goes that in the middle means boy, butt and hips means girl}   My hubby hasn't gained any weight, which according to the old wives tale means boy...

The Chinese Birth Chart uses your age at conception + month of conception to "determine" the gender... according to mine, it's a BOY! We will see how true this ends up being.  It was actually right with our son, but of course it's a 50/50 chance.  :)

The Mayans looked at age of conception and year of conception.  If both are even, it's a girl.  If one's even and the other is odd, it's a boy.  If this holds any water {haha!} then it's a BOY! Again, we'll see!

The ring test: tie your wedding ring to a string and hold it over your belly.  If it's swings in a circle, it's a boy.  If it sways back and forth, it's a girl!   Mine swung in a circle, so... chalk another one up for BOY!

Other random things:
If your hands are dry {which mine are}, it means boy.
If your skin breaks out, it means girl.  <<--My skin broke up in the first trimester both pregnancies, but cleared up when I hit the second trimester and I switched my face wash!!
Do you look better while pregnant? If yes, it means boy because girls steal all your good looks!
If your feet get colder than before pregnancy, it means boy. If not, it means girl.  

Soooo.... 

Boy - 10            Girl - 5   

Guess we will find out for sure tomorrow!!! :)  Announcement won't be until Sunday though when we have our gender reveal with our families!! <3

Day 7: The Thing(s) I'm Most Afraid Of...

Well obviously I've already fallen behind on blogging every day in May {I'm a pregnant mom to a toddler, I stay busy!}, but I'm still going to keep up with the series because she has some really thought provoking prompts.  ;)

Of course I have the things that scare the crap out of me that are everyday {and not so everyday}, like: spiders.  I'm terrified of spiders.  I literally go Jello-kneed when I see one.  There is something truly terrifying about anything with that many legs and being able to kill you at that size.  It's just not OK.

Deep water: I really can't tell you exactly what it is, but I think it's mostly how vast it is {I'm thinking ocean here} and there are some really terrifying things that lurk there.  I.e. Sharks.  I'm fascinated but absolutely terrified of them.

Not watching my son grow up: yes, I realize this is a more serious fear... but it really scares me.  It wasn't ever something I thought about before having kids, and now it crosses my mind probably once a day.  It could be anything: horrific accident, cancer, aneurysm, etc... but it just scares me that I could miss out on my child's life.

Failure/Not truly being good at anything: This is probably the one that has stuck around the longest.  Being a teacher, a mother, a wife... these are all thankless jobs.  You do them to fulfill yourself and have to be ok with not getting a pat on the shoulder as often as you'd like.  But sometimes, you just really need somebody to tell you that you're doing a great job at something.  Now that I've factored in writing as something I'm seriously pursuing vs a hobby, I wrestle with self-doubt daily.  What if nobody wants to publish my book? What if nobody buys my book?? What if people that buy my book think it's terrible?? My friends tell me this isn't true... but it's still there.  Doesn't everyone wrestle with self-doubt at one point or another?

What are you afraid of??

Day 2: Reminding Those You Love, They Matter

Today's blog is going to be harder for me... I'm supposed to educate you on something that I know a lot about or am good at.  Well, that could be any number of things.  I was a teacher for 5 years, so I could educate your ears off about education, but that would be more like jumping on a soapbox, which I don't think should be the intent of this blog post. ;)  I'm a huge history nerd, especially when it comes to the South and my great state of Texas, so I've thought about that too.  And of course, I spend my days trying to be the best momma and wife that I can possibly be.  Which I spend almost all of my time doing.  <3

So I'm going to just start typing and see what's easiest for me to educate you in.  *wiggles eyebrows*

My husband and I have been married for 7 years, dated for 3ish before that, and were best friends for 3 years prior to that.  To say that I knew what I was getting myself into {as far as who my husband is} would be the understatement of the century.  ;)  We had a very rocky start to our relationship, since we basically skipped the dating part and jumped right into super serious mode {we basically already knew everything about each other}and to be honest, it scared the hell out of me.  I couldn't even begin to fathom that what I'd looked for in every boyfriend prior had been standing right in front of my face the entire time and I had been completely blind to this fact. Because of some poor choices I made in my little *freak out mode* the first few months of our relationship, I basically spent the next year reassuring him of my feelings.  It's something that's always stuck with me: you don't ever let the ones you love doubt your feelings for them, ever.    In our second year of marriage, my dad left my mom and our family without any explanation, the night before the first Thanksgiving we hosted at our house.  It was another important lesson in never taking the things you love for granted, because one day they could be gone.  Luckily, things have worked out that my father is now back in my life, five years later, but I definitely try not to ever give him any doubt that I want him there.

I say all this to say that I've learned, without a doubt, that it's the little things in your relationships/marriage that matter most. There's no excuse to not take a few minutes out of your day to remind the ones you love that you're thinking about them.

               I write my hubby little notes and leave them in random places.  He saves all of them.  <3

My hubby and dad both love chocolate chip cookies.  {I found a fabulous recipe off Pinterest that I've tailored and dabbled with and they looove.}  If I bake some, I made sure both have them to munch on.  

I send both men in my life random texts to let them know I'm thinking about them.  

I'll post things on my hubby's FB wall that remind me of him.  

He always comments on how it brings a smile to his face.  :)  

I'll make my hubby a playlist for his car ride to work.  

I know his favorite foods, and try to cook one of them once a week.

{Being preggo chasing a toddler hinders this at times, but luckily he's super understanding, haha!}

I try to make far more encouraging comments than negative/worrisome ones.  

{This is especially hard for me since I'm a natural worry wart...}

I encourage him to go out for a couple of drinks with the guys when he needs to, which isn't often {he'd rather be home with us...}.  

I give him time to himself every night to wind down and do his "guy stuff": watch Spartacus play his video games, whatever he wants to do to have some alone time and relax.

I surprise him with sweet projects from our son for his office. 

I always have a pitcher of sweet tea made and in the fridge so he never has to ask. ;)  

I always say thank you.  It's never not necessary.  

I tell him I love him a ridiculous amount of times a day.  <3

We find shows we enjoy watching together, and carve out time to watch them.  Luckily, we have pretty similar tastes so it's easy! 

OK, so I guess this turned into a 'how to remind those important in your life that they matter' kind of post... but that's what happens when you just go with the flow. ;)  Mostly it's the men in my life, but both are extremely important to me.  One fathered me, and the other is the father to our kids. Both pretty important in my book! 

On a side note, here a few of the many things he does for me:  <3

{When I could drink, before I was preggo again...} He'd bring home my favorite beer, wine, or even a yummy frozen concoction he'd discovered at the store.

He makes us breakfast every Sunday morning.

He puts our son in bed every night.

He will surprise me with a favorite food: this is a big deal when you're pregnant and have cravings!

He says the sweetest corniest things to me at the most random of times, and I love every time he does it!

He lets me sleep in one day on the weekends {we take turns}.

He steps up and takes care of things for my family, without me ever asking him to.

He sends me texts/emails/pictures that reminds him of me.

He will randomly call me during his busy day to tell me he loves me.  <3

Don't forget to do a little something extra for the important people in your life!