The News!

Hi everyone, once again I apologize for the brief hiatus but I have been so busy wrapping up Skeletons that I seem to have forgotten about space, time, showering, combing my hair and brushing my teeth so just imagine what spot on my totem pole that blogging has been.

Nevertheless I finish what I set out to finish when I was just a wide-eyed twelve-year old in the sixth grade: writing and publishing my first book.  It has been a long journey, but part of any journey is walking the road and let me tell you the road to becoming a self-published author is not a smooth one.  I read a blog from another self-published author who said that writing the book was the easy part and that is the truth!  Being that I am a creative thinker the writing part came easy, the ideas and words poured out of me like the salt poured out the the container from the Mortin salt girl. Dumb analogy, but you get my point I'm sure.
After finishing Skeletons, I had to set out on the journey of sending it to  a few unbiased people to read it over just to ensure that it made sense and that it kept their attention; after all who wants to read a book that makes no sense and you lose interest after the fifth page?  I also wanted to know their honest opinions on what they thought of the story.  So needless to say my dad did not get a copy of the book because he is kind of partial to his little Princess.  After five honest reviews of the unedited draft of Skeletons, I took some of their thoughts and opinions into consideration, revised, then off to the editor it went.
Waiting on the editor to finish editing my book was such a long process so while he worked his dreaded red pen I began the task of setting up my very own publishing company, Six Kids & A Pen Publishing.  After all to be considered an actually self-publisher you kind of have to have some sort of a publishing entity in the publishing world.  When people ask me if it was hard to set my company I tell them that it was easy as pie, but you had to have the right information so that you can know exactly what you need.  First I obtained my ISBN numbers and bar code, then I established my LCCN number from the Library of Congress, I also had to get a tax ID number and last but not least I had to register with my state in order to do business in the state of Illinois.  I wanted to make sure that I dotted all of my i's and crossed all of my t's.
While I was doing that I contacted a graphic designer to design my cover which I am proud to unveil for the first time on my blog:

After one one or two revisions we finally got it right and I have to say for my first book cover it is pretty snazzy.
Once the editor handed me my baby back I began the fun task of another round of revisions (yeah!!!!!) which took like a week because it is hard to revise accurately with a one year-old stuck to your hip.  Then came the task of finding someone to handle the interior layout of my book (who knew that people actually designed book interiors?).  Since I'd rather put my money elsewhere, I'm pretty computer literate and I have inDesign and Photoshop I decided to tackle this task myself.  Let me tell you book design isn't for the lazy or the people who lack attention to detail.  While designing the interior of my book there were times that I wanted to rip part of my afro out while running out of the room screaming.  IT WAS DIFFICULT, but I stayed task and I didn't give up.  I also learned a lot from www.youtube.com and www.thebookdesigner.com which is a blog that I follow religiously.  I was very proud when I finally saved my book as a Pdf file.
Once I finished that I finally uploaded my baby to the outlets that I am using for printing and distribution.  While I waited for those to be approved and for my proofs to be sent out to me I set up my facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/skeletons2011 (if you have facebook be sure to click the like button to follow my page).  

Now it is time for me to sit back and relax, right?  WRONG! No relaxing, while I wait for the proofs to get here, I have to market and promote my book!  It was a sweltering 105 degrees outside while my husband an myself distributed postcards throughout our community then we went to another state to distribute to their communities.  Whew!  Promotion is very important because how can someone know that my book exists if they don't know that it exists?  While I promote my book, school is set to begin on August 17th so I have a slew of doctor and dentist appointments as well as school shopping, school registrations and meet and greeting the teachers for this year.
I haven't forgotten about my blog, but I have just been so busy that I have no time to do anything for myself (I swear if you saw my toes, they have been begging for a pedicure for weeks).   So thanks for following me through my journey, it has been a long, but exciting one and I hope that you stick around for the second part after Skeletons goes into publication on 09/18/2011.  Don't forget to visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/skeletons2011 and click Like with the tumbs up and stop by my Twitter page at www.twitter.com/sixkids_pen or just click one of the follow buttons on the right!

TTFN!

What's Not Being Said

Good morning, I haven't blogged in the past few days because I've been busy living!  My favorite artist, Maxwell, was once asked why he was gone from the music industry for so long only to return after 7 years and he said that he was busy traveling, exploring and living his life because it is life which inspires him.  That is what I've been doing, living and I actually got out of the house! My husband and I have a dilemma, with six kids it is hard getting them out of the house on family outings.  Not only because of the time and money, but also because the older 3, which we call the three amigos, are too old to do the things that they younger 3, the three stooges, like to do.  For example, we took them all to The Magic House last year and while the younger 2 (Januari was still in my belly) had a blast running and playing, the older 3 were giving us the bored teenager looks.  Then we took them all to The City Museum and while the teens were having a blast, the younger 2 couldn't do as much because the City Museum is aimed at kids over the age of 8 (in my opinion).
What to do? So this weekend we decided to try something different.  We took the three amigos out to dinner, we had a blast. It was different because we didn't have the distractions of wiping Boston's mouth, feeding Januari mashed potatoes, keeping Javier quiet or cleaning up spilled juice.  We actually enjoyed ourselves with the older three because they are funny and we got to talk and connect with them and it was great. Today we will be taking the 3 stooges to the zoo which is boring to the amigos, at the zoo they can run, jump, play and be loud and since we are going on a Monday we missed the crowds...even better.   We will still do things together as a family, but this is just a way that makes things a little easier on us and more fun for the kids.

My husband and I got into an argument the other day and it was not good so when I talked to my friend about it she said that it is unhealthy to argue with your mate as it causes tension and discomfort around the house.  Wow.  I think the opposite, I believe that arguing is healthy it is when you don't argue that you have an issue.  My husband and I are two different people with different interests and different ways of doing things and sometimes those differences causes us to butt heads.  For example, I am a neat freak, I don't like a bunch of mess and clutter all over the place however, my husband is more laid-back and can be a bit messy.  I have a pretty wicker clothes hamper behind our bedroom door that is meant for dirty clothes and all that I ask is that he put his dirty clothes  in the hamper.  My husband confuses our bedroom floor with hamper so when I get up in the morning I have to step on a pile of dirty clothes.  Not cool and that is a huge pet peeve of mine.  Now this isn't a cause of arguments, but it is a the cause of a dirty look or two.  Some people think that by not rocking the boat in a relationship that means that there is smooth sailing; however, that is not the case.  

Rock The Boat To Keep It Afloat

Some people think that by not rocking the boat in their relationship then they will have smooth sailings; however that is not the case.  By not discussing your thoughts and feelings with your partner you keep a lot of hurt, anger and resentment inside and over time that hurt, anger and resentment can not only harm your emotional and mental well-being, but it can also cause you physical pain and even cause you your relationship.  For example, imagine that you ride the bus to work everyday and everyday a man gets on the bus and steps on your toe, but you never say anything.  Instead you silently work your way through the pain and agony of your hurt toe and eventually you will begin to hate the man who steps on your toe, you agonize over your next bus ride and you think about it all of the time.  Now just think that if you said something to the man the first time he steps on your toe, "excuse me sir, you got my toe." I would like that unless he was socially inept he would say sorry and be more careful the next time.  That is the same way that a relationship works, if your mate does something to hurt or upset you instead of sitting back and taking it in silence, say something to him/her.  
Not being able to communicate with your partner has to be the most important aspect of your relationship. By not communicating with your partner you invalidate your feelings and you carry around those negative feelings the entire time of your relationship and soon those pent up feelings cause resentment towards your partner. That resentment may not come out verbally, but it will come out by how you relate toward your partner.  By not rocking the boat you are actually tipping the boat over in your relationship. 

Be Careful Of What You DON'T Say

By not effectively communicating with your partner you are not saying what is bothering you.  It is what's not being said that hurts a relationship. When you are walking around with resentment and ill-feelings towards your partner you tend to take it out on your partner in other ways.  Instead of communicating and facing the issue head on you nit-pick about unrelated issues that blow up into larger issues.  Walking around with resentment towards your partner can also cause you to speak negatively about your partner to other people and your unhappiness shows.  I always tell my husband that if I say or do anything that offends you please let me know immediately, don't keep it in.  I am not suggesting that you fuss and fight with your partner, but I do suggest that you talk to him/her about your issues so that instead of working through them alone you are working on them together.  A relationship is a partnership and the issues in a partnership have to be worked out with both parties so that you are both on the same page.  

Confrontation is not comfortable, but sometimes it is necessary in order for you to be happy and have an effective relationship with your mate. My husband was upset that I was spending so much time working on my book, but instead of telling me he withdrew in other areas and that withdrawal only lead to a big blow up.  In the end I asked him why didn't he just tell me how he was feeling in the first place and all of this could have been avoided.    In my upcoming book, Skeletons, Santana didn't want to confront her husband, Mike, about their issues so instead she internalized them, harbored resentment towards Mike then acted out in other ways that was detrimental to their marriage. 

Bottom line, in a relationship you have to be able to communicate with your partner to work through your issues that way no one will have to remain silent. 

You Wanna Put That Banana Where! Unleashing Your Inner Freak

Does the rubber duckie make you blush? Or does the sight of a rubber gag ball and latex turn you on? Let's face it we all have a little bit of freak lurking inside of us somewhere and there isn't anything wrong with that!  However, what happens when you cannot unleash the beast dwelling within and it affects your sex life?  What happens when your inability to turn your mate out turns your mate off?
There is nothing wrong with a little bit or a whole lot of freak in a relationship; in fact, I conducted my own survey of how kinkiness helps a relationship and most people say that they love it when their mates pulls out Pandora's box from time-to-time.  Some people love to be dressed in latex, tied up, rubber-balled and whipped while wearing nipple clamps.  Who are we to judge that is their thing.

Prudes Are Rude!

I am a strong believer in whatever someone else does in their room is their own business, but there are some who think that kink is wrong.  These prudes are the ones who I see protesting the sex shops in your local small town, they shun porn and will throw stones at you for saying that you enjoy the occasional anal probe.  It is rude to come into my home and tell me what to do in my bedroom so notice to all prudes stay the hell out!  Kink may not be for everyone so if it isn't for you thats fine just leave those who enjoy it alone to do their own kinky little thing. 

Underneath That Suit Lies A Super Freak!

Bringing out the kink isn't easy though, you have to judge when is the right time to ask your partner to put the banana in their ass, you have to wait until the right moment to show them the pink furry handcuffs and studded paddle.  Showing someone your other side takes time and finesse so don't go breaking out the animal costumes on your first date!  However, when you have been with someone for years and sex feels more like a chore than an adventure that maybe the time to take off the prude suit and show him/her the rubber thong. In my upcoming book, Skeletons, Mike and Santana have hit a plateau in their twelve-year marriage and she is feeling that after being together for so long and giving birth to two children that Mike is no longer sexually attractive to her.  This is not uncommon that after such a long relationship things start to feel stale and that is when it is time to ignite the flame once again.  

Bondage isn't for everyone, however there are other ways to keep things fresh in the bedroom.  Try a new position, watch a XXX flick with each other, break out the can of whipped cream or bottle of Nesquik, or if you both are game pour hot candle wax on each other.  The point is do something don't just let your sex life go down the drain because you are to lazy to do anything about it.  Sex is a major part of any marriage and it is important to keep things hot with your mate.  Let go of your inhibitions this is the person that you share a bed and a life with for Christ's sake!  There is nothing to be ashamed of and if you buy a stripper pole and decided to tantalize your mate with a reenactment of Playa's Club and you fall and hit your head, dust yourself off and laugh then laugh some more.  My husband and I aren't really kinky but we have done somethings that make us laugh to this day because sex is about fun and relaxation.  Sex should not be a chore. 

 Go ahead, let loose, grab the dog chain, hang the sex swing up (just take it down when the kids wake up) but most importantly have fun with one another. Oh and If you find a can of whipped cream under my bed trust me we weren't making ice cream sundaes.

TTFN!

Being A Puppet Master is Hard Work

Hello, the weekend I went tot he park with my children and I saw that some kids looked as if they were in an ad for GAP Kids instead of a place riddled with mud, dirt, grass and rocks.   Some parents take pride in dressing their children in the best clothes, matching socks and shoes and accessories.  I've seen kids at the playground who look like they belong on a GAP Kids billboard.  These same GAP kids are at the playground, but they can't really play because their parents don't want them to get dirty or scuff their perfect shoes.  Yes, its cute to dress your six year-old like a mini James Dean or Usher, but how practical is that? How much fun is that?  Then you have the kids whose parents know better, those are the kids who have on jogging pants, t-shirts, hoodies and whatever shoe matches on, but those are also the kids who are sliding down the slide, climbing on the jungle gym and just running around enjoying being kids.  Children have a lifetime to play dress up and yes there are some days when dressing your child nicely is necessary, but don't put too much pressure on yourself or on your child because after all they are just children.

Are You Geppetto? 

By definition a puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life.  Sometimes in relationships people tend to become puppet masters by manipulating their partner into doing what is necessary in order to maintain the relationship. For example, if a woman has to not only tell her husband that she expects flowers or whatever for her birthday, but also goes out of her way to make sure that he has the money freed up in order for him to be able to buy the flowers, then that is her playing the puppet master.  Another example, if a man feels that in order for his lady to cook a nice dinner for him he has to not only tell her what he wants to eat, but also go to the grocery store, pick out and purchase the ingredients and make sure she has everything necessary for the meal then he too is playing puppet master.
The puppet master of the relationship is selling him/herself in illusion that the person is doing something special for them when in fact they have not only ordered the steps and even carried out a few in order for their lover to do whatever it is that they desire.  Is it the same if you have to tell your partner what to do for you rather then them having their own desire to? I want my husband to remember my birthday and make it special in his own way rather than me having to tell him how to make it special for me.  If he doesn't feel the need to make it special then I know how he really feels.  In my book Skeletons, Mike thinking that he can save his marriage by manipulating certain situations he can keep Santana in love with him, but if the person has no want nor desire to, then his attempts are futile.

But What Happens When Carpel Tunnel Hits?

Carpel tunnel is a condition that is the result of a person conducting repeated tasks for an extended period of time; can you imagine how a puppeteer would get carpel tunnel from repeatedly working the strings of his/her puppet over time?  Just think about how a person who is playing the puppet master in a relationship,  constantly ordering the steps in order for your loved one to show you their love gets kind of tiring and in a sense depressing.  Being a puppet master is hard work, it requires one to overlook his/her own objectives in life in order to tend to manipulating the steps of another person.

What's a Puppet With No Strings?

If you cut the strings of a puppet it will fall, right?  Or could it do like Pinnocco whose desire to become a real boy were so strong that he was able to maintain without the strings?  If you are playing puppet master with your mate and you cut the strings will your relationship fall or is it strong enough that your mate will thrive without you pulling the strings?  I'd prefer the puppet with no strings, please...

I've got no strings

to hold me down

to make me fret, or make me frown

I once had strings, but now I'm free

There are no strings on me

Hi-ho-the-me-ri-o

Some Secrets Are Necessary

Good afternoon!  My six-year-old son Javier learned about tornado safety at school and has since been obsessed with tornado's.  Every time it rains he asks the question, "Mommy is there going to be a tornado?" Today my mother-in-law and I were watching the devastation that occurred down South in terror and amazement.  My son, he watched the video footage of the tornado and was not afraid, he said, "mommy the people were suppose to run and get into their bathtub with a blanket not drive their car because tornado's are dangerous!" We weren't even thinking about about the guy driving the car while filming we were too busy looking that the dark, monstrous funnel cloud while it ripped through the town.  Children are very observant, they tend to pick up on the small things that we as adults seem to overlook.

What Happens In Vegas.....

Someone asked me if my husband and I kept secrets from one another her theory is that in a marriage there should be no secrets.  To an extent I agree, in a marriage there should not be any profound secrets, he should know almost everything there is to know about me and vice versa.  However, are there times when letting your mate know something about you detrimental to the relationship?  I think about the character Jovanna in my book Skeletons, Jovanna is about to marry the man of her dreams and they were heading towards a blissful future. However, Jovanna has a secret that could ruin her chance at being happy as well  as endanger the life of her fiancée.   If a person has a secret and they know that if this skeleton were to come out of their closet it would damage their life should they tell their mate or should they keep it well-hidden?  Does it depend upon what type of secret it is and what kind of damage it could cause in the long run?  Would it be easier to just continue the lie in hopes that your loved one never finds out?  But what if they did find out, was the lie worth loss of trust that your loved one once had for you?  Sometimes what happens in Vegas is better left in Vegas, but sometimes we need to bring home souvenirs to let our loved ones know what was hidden in our closets.

Running From your Past Can Slow You Down

In Skeletons, Jovanna is running from her past, but what she fails to realize is that she was running on a slow moving treadmill on a path to nowhere.  No matter where you run your past stays with you and no matter how much you think that you have changed your past stays the same.  Jovanna finds out the hard way that the past cannot be changed with a new name, new hairdo and designer clothes because you cannot change what was, but by facing what was head-on you can change what is or what could be.  By running from your past and covering up things about you, one only slows down the progress of their current life.  Instead of focusing on what is ahead of you; you are too busy trying to cover up what is behind you.  What happens when you run a race by looking behind you?  Do you run faster or does your pace get thrown off slowing you down until you either trip or stop? 

Lets Face It

Everyone has a secret or two that they are keeping from their mate; rather it be the fact that you went shopping last week and spent the car note money or that you fart in the bed while they are asleep.  Everyone has something hidden in their closet that they'd rather not tell their mate about, but when that skeleton in your closet is holding a knife or a secret child it is only fair that you tell your mate about it.  Letting the big things out of your closet from the beginning will prevent a lot of broken hearts in the long run.  

TTFN!!!

The 7 Year Itch

I am going off of 2 hours sleep, 4 dinosaur chicken nuggets, a whole lot of Kool-Aid and cramps that would make a MMA fighter fall to his knees.  After putting the kids to bed I settled into my room and began to watch The Seven Year Itch starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell (I'm a sucker for old movies).
This is such a cute movie because Richard Sherman sends his wife and child away for the summer and instead of cheating the some of his other friends he stays home where his imaginatin runs wild when his sexy neighbor move in upstairs.

Dr. Brubaker: When something itches my dear sir, the natural tendency is to scratch.

Richard Sherman: Last night I scratched.

This movie leave me wondering about my character, Santana, in my upcoming book, Skeletons and what she and her husband are going through.  The itch that dare you scratch.   When I think of the seven year itch I think of after seven years of a long-term relationship or of a marriage, men and women tend to re-evaluate the relationship and rather or it is what they really want.  After seven years of being with the same person one find his/her eye wandering in the direction of the cutie next door and all of a sudden they start to itch.  This is no ordinary itch either, this itch is profound and the person has to have willpower and a whole lot of love for their mate not to scratch this itch.  But some lack that willpower and love so they scratch.

According to a statistic the average marriage lasts....7 years. I wonder if this seven year itch is a not a myth after all but more of a reality.  Santana finds herself bored in her marriage to Mike, the son of a preacher man, and she feels the itch coming on, but does she have the willpower to resist scratching?  Is her love for Mike strong enough to stop the itch?

Lost Without You

I have been married for 8 years and to some that may not seem like that long while to others it seems like a long time, but I do know that being married is very difficult and I have found myself itching from time-to-time.  I am human.  My husband has also itched.  He is human as well.  The problem with the seven year itch is that it isn't about the itch after all, it is about what a couple can do it avoid scratching.  Santana feels lost in her marriage, she and Mike have been together for so long that she feels as if she has lost herself and that she doesn't know who she is without Mike's last name.  Santana wants to branch off and scratch her itch, but at what cost?

Put some ointment on it and move on already!

We all itch from time-to-time and sometimes that itch is aggressive, but in life we have to learn how to make good choices; choices that won't leave our loved ones hurt, confused and leave our homes torn apart.  So if you are married and if you find that annoying itch coming on by all means put some ointment on it and find ways to ignite that spark with your mate once again!

TTFN

DID I REALLY DO THAT? Living with Regret

Hey everyone, I woke up this morning with a headache, I can't remember much of what happened last night all that I know is that I did something that I regret. I am a person who has a great deal of self-control and restraint, but I must have really been in a mood yesterday because I did the unthinkable...

Hangs Head in Shame....
I allowed my inner editor get inside of my head she forced me to re-think the direction of Skeletons and delete one of the characters completely from the book! Mind you I have been writing this book for five years, this book is older than two of my children, this book is my baby and yet I allowed some unknown force to tamper with my mind and delete a character from the entire book. I don't even know why I did it, but at the time it did make some sort of sense to me, but now I regret it because this one character and her story that made the idea of Skeletons possible.  Not only did I delete her, but I also saved it on my laptop.  Madonna is one of the people that I idolize and she once said live your life without regrets and I have always done that...lived without regret, but now as I sit here thinking about what I did, I now know what regret feels like.

Is That  Light At The End of This Lonely Dark Tunnel?

Thank God I remember that I saved a copy of Skeletons not only on this laptop, but also on my other laptop and they are networked together! Also, I have a backup copy on a flash drive that I brought for $9.99 at Target!  The only thing that I have to do is update what is on my flash drive and I'm good to go.

Lesson Learned

Think before I delete, sleep on it and finally but most importantly, don't listen to my inner editor wait until my real editor gives me suggestions.

Why Skeletons

Good Palm Sunday!
I'm going to get right into the topic of today's blog because my mother-in-law wants us to join her for church this morning.  While I'm not a religious person my spirit is leading me to the service because I think that there is a message there for me.

Anywho....

Why Skeletons? This is a question that was posed to me about a month ago and the reason that I chose to write about this topic is because nearly everyone that I know has some sort of skeleton in their closet.  Some skeletons are as small as a snakes such as a co-worker who that regularly steals paper clips from the office.  Now some skeletons can be super-sized such as a man living on the down low and endangering not only his own life but also the lives of his wife and children.  The point is that we all have some sort of secret that we don't want anyone to know for one reason or another.

While researching for Skeletons I was wondering what were some of the most dangerous secrets that women keep, what are the reasons that they keep those skeletons hidden in their closets behind Christian Louboutin shoes and Gucci purses and how far would we go to keep those secrets hidden.  I thought about what would happen if those skeletons started banging on the doors trying to escape and how that revelation would change the lives of so many people.    The skeletons that my characters, Jovanna, Santana and Phoenix are trying to hide are secrets that are too deep and damaging that if these skeletons escape they would ruin everything that these ladies have built their lives around.  Skeletons also tells a story of how far these women would go to keep their secrets cloaked in darkness rather than to face them head on and how keeping secrets from loved ones can cause not only pain and distrust but also could cost someone their life.

We all keep some sort of skeleton in our closet, I have secrets that I don't want anyone to know about (such as Gephyrophobia) but my skeletons are not going to cause havoc in my life or hurt the ones that I love.  My secrets are just things that I'd rather not scream out to the world, but yet they are there. What are some skeletons that are in your closet, deeply hidden beneath piles of clothing, behind old shoe boxes and shopping bags.  What would you do if those skeletons started banging on your door? 

Snot,Snot and more Snot

Januari is sick, AGAIN, being how it is that she just got over RSV last month I'm wondering if she has allergies and if this carpet that is lining the entire house needs to come up.  I'm going off of zero sleep and a lot of impatience.  I woke up at 2:00am and didn't fall back to sleep until 5:30am then back up at 9:00am to hit the gym.  I love working out, the only thing that drives me insane is when people talk on their cellphones LOUDLY while on the gym equipment. How can you get an effective workout while running your yap? When my heart rate gets up I'm barely able to breathe let alone hold a conversation!  Cell phones should be banned from the workout area of the gym, its distracting.
I took Javier, Boston and their cousins Kameron, Karisma and Tyrell Jr. to the park while I sat underneath a tree with my laptop and worked on Skeletons.  I'm really excited about getting this book published, there are still a few kinks that I have to work on and I have to find someone to edit the final manuscript before I can say that I'm officially ready to print, but its is so close that I can taste it.  Skeletons is my seventh baby, I've been nursing her for over five years and now that it is almost time for my baby to leave the nest (sad face).  I often wonder what it would be like for me to finally be a published author, to finally have my dream come true and to have my very own book sitting in my bookcase instead of the works of other authors. After Skeletons is published I'm not finished yet, I have at least three more books that I'm working on, but they all get the backseat when it comes to this one.
In the meantime, I have to put the kids in the shower and give Januari her medication then its bedtime for the kiddos and writing time for me.

TTYL

Skeletons Chapter Sample

This is an excerpt from chapter 4 of Skeletons, I hope that you enjoy!

Keith has the body of a Greek God, from his rock hard six pack of muscles to his legs that were as thick as

 tree trunks.  It was well after midnight as I lay naked across my king-sized bed watching him dress.

“Baby are you sure that you can’t stay the night?” I pouted, “Trust me there is more of what you just got to 

come.” I spread my thighs.

Glancing my way he smiled, “Not tonight Phoenix, I have to get home.”

Huffing I got out of bed and slid a t-shirt over my naked body, “Why is she tripping again?”

He put on his black Timberland boots in silence.

“I’m getting tired of this Keith; I’m tired of giving, giving and giving yet feeling empty in return.”

“Phoenix, why do we always have to go through this when I can’t spend the night with you?” He asked, “You know my situation better than anyone else.”

Running my hand through my tangled hair I continued to pout, but softened when he came towards me; Keith was at least one foot taller than me so I had to strain my neck to look up at him.

“I promise that I will make it up to you real soon.” He said as his full lips covered mine.

Kissing him felt so right, I know that Keith and I were destined to be together if only he weren’t someone else’s man.  As we embraced I ran my hand along the tight muscles on his back until his phone vibrated.

Looking at the display on his phone he looked at me with regret in his eyes, “I’ve got to…”

“Go.” I said as I opened my bedroom door for him to make his usual late night exit.

Standing in the window I watched my midnight lover’s truck pull out of my driveway, he was on his phone, most likely with her telling her how he was out with the boys and he lost track of time.  She was a fool, how many times I’d heard him use that same tired ass line on her while he was lying in bed with me in his arms.  How foolish she was for allowing him to come home with the smell of another woman’s pussy on his dick and lips, while she stay home with their son he lay in the bed of his other baby mother and her very own sister.

My first blog, so does that mean I’m a writer?

After extensive research and reading countless pages of many different “how to be a successful writer” blogs, I noticed the one piece of advices that they all had in common: YOU NEED A BLOG.  So today I sat down to start my very own blog so that I can officially start of journey of being a writer.  Well, actually it was not that easy for me.   My plans were to wake up bright and early this morning, go to the gym with my husband for an hour and a half, come home start laundry then start the process of building my first blog.  In my life nothing goes as planned.  We didn’t get to bed until well after midnight, since our three year-old and six year-old boys took a late nap they didn’t go to sleep until around that time.  Needless to say, after getting our ten month old baby girl and the three and six year olds dressed, baby bag packed and our gym clothes out of the dryer, we didn’t get to the gym until around eleven…the gym’s daycare closes at noon.  So we rushed through twenty minutes of cardio and twenty minutes of weight training we grabbed the kids and rushed out of the door to get them down for their naps at twelve-thirty.

People always say “write while the kids are napping.” Great advice for people who have an organized life and perfect children who fall asleep at the drop of a dime and a refrigerator that is capable of refilling itself.  Off to the grocery store I went and after almost two hours of navigating the always crowded grocery store I then had to drop my thirteen yea-old son off at the skateboard park, drop my eleven year-old daughter off at my sister’s house and our sixteen year-old daughter wanted to a friend’s house.  Finally after playing taxi, putting the groceries away, putting a load of clothes in the washing machine and eating something I sat down to start my blog.

Six Kids & A Pen

I have been writing since I was in the 5^th grade, I love writing; I live and breathe in a world that I create within my own mind.  Writing about other people’s perfect imperfect worlds is my escape.  I’m often asked the question, “how do you come up with your ideas?” and that is a question that I don’t know the answer to because there is no process to my writing.  I just write.  Now after 23 years of writing for myself, I have decided to write for other people.   Five years ago a friend asked to read one of my stories and she not only loved it, but she encouraged me to get it published.  I had never taken my writing serious, I always did it as a hobby, but with her words of encouragement and a lot of research I have decided to try my hand at becoming a published author. 

Skeletons is my seventh child (well eight if you want to count my husband), I have been with this book for over five years and this book has also been a part of me.  I have been writing other works in the mean time because a writer always has a story to tell, but I always come back to Skeletons.  This book is about three friends who think they know each other like the back of their own hands, but comes to find out that they are hiding things in their closets.  Think about it, as women we have a lot that we know about our friends and our friends know a lot about us too, but think about something about you that you wouldn’t dare tell your girl? Skeletons does not deal with your average run of the mill secrets either, some secrets are jaw dropping and will end families while other secrets are downright deadly.   I’m really excited about this book and I cannot wait to see it in print.

My family life consists of my husband and myself and our six beautiful children from the ages of 17 years old to 10 months old. Yeah, we are done, he got clipped in December.  Having one child is hard; imagine having six children pulling you in six different directions all day long, it can be strenuous.  For what we lack in space and privacy in our home, we make up for it with love.  Yes we are busy, yes we are tired, but we wouldn’t trade any of our half-dozen for anything in this world.  My husband works full-time as a cook and I am a stay-at-home mom and we live in a small town around all of our family so we have a great support system. 

Now follow me as I navigate the ups and downs and the ins and outs of raising my children while attempting to become a bestselling author.