Where Have I Been?/A Little Rant/Football

Facebook Overload

I was a bad blogger last week. But I had a good excuse. I was hosting the Sizzle and Sass page on Facebook which kind of takes over my brain (and time). Although, that doesn’t usually stop me from blogging. But hey, what can I say? I got lazy.

But… Even when I’m lazy I blog on Wednesday because READING. But I hadn’t finished reading the book yet (also due to FB).

I only host the page once every quarter, so it’s not a hardship otherwise. I know where my time will be spent and I do enjoy trying to figure out how to get people to comment. I don’t spend near that amount of time on my own page, and for good reason. It takes too much time!

But FB is over (for now) and life is almost back to normal. Of course, what is normal nowadays?

Loyalty vs. Rewards

Being on FB most of the week (doing other FB stuff besides S&S, of course), I ended up reading a lot of posts. One post in particular kind of irked me and it had to do with the loyalty program with Carnival Cruise Lines, pretty much hinting that things might change (perk-wise). Because why mention it at all, right?

Hubby and I belong with a lot of reward programs: Marriott, Buffalo Wild Wings, TGI Fridays, Fazzolis, Kroger, and Visa (to name the ones off the top of my head). We are rewarded for spending money at these places and receive goodies in return. That’s what I see as a rewards program. I’m not rewarded for my visit, but the amount of money I spend.

Loyalty programs are different, though. At least we think so. Carnival Cruise Lines calls their program a loyalty program (not a reward program). Each level (Gold, Platinum, Diamond) has perks (i.e. separate line for boarding, free laundry, free or reduced upgrades) and your level is based on number of days sailed (FYI – we’re Platinum). The levels used to be based on number of cruises, but those people who cruised a 3-day cruise got the same credit as someone who cruised a 7-day cruise. I guess CCL realized that wasn’t treating their customers fairly (or maybe they were getting too many Platinum and Diamond members that way) and they changed it. And while it hurt us in the beginning, we now see it as being the best and fairest way to reward loyalty.

So no matter what type of room we book, or how many excursions we go on, or how much money we spend, we get credit for 1 day sailed for each day of the cruise.

This one guy on FB, though, thinks these levels are classes (because Platinum and Diamond are treated differently). Then went on to say that CCL should award more points if more money is spent on a room (balcony vs inside cabin sort of thing). What? How is THAT not a class system? How is that fair to everyone? How is that rewarding LOYALTY? CCL does not have a REWARD program. They have a LOYALTY program. And there’s NOTHING stopping that guy from reaching those levels but him. But there was no getting through to him (some people are just plain pig-headed).

Anyway, I just wanted to rant about that. Do you see a difference between a reward program and a loyalty program?

So…Football (and baseball)

Remember when I said that Wayne didn’t have any chance for the playoffs? Yeah, I was wrong. Last Friday’s game was a wet, freezing mess (don’t ask me why we went to this rain-fest when we don’t have kids playing—the last one graduated in 2003) and went into overtime no less, but we came out the winners (yes, it was an exciting game and I might have enjoyed it more if I weren’t so wet and cold). And that win, combined with a couple of losses by other schools, put us in at seed 8 of 8. I’m hoping this Friday is not raining. It has rained during the last three games. We could use some dry games! I also hope Wayne plays better than they have or they aren’t getting past round 1.

Ohio State was on a bye week (meant we could work in our garage—haha!), but USC Trojans lost. L

The Steelers won handily against Cleveland (finally!). Although, what was with that free kick fiasco? Are they high school students? Yikes! At least it seems they don’t need Le’veon Bell. I hope he never returns.

And the Rams are now 8-0! Whoo hoo!! They scared me there at first, but so glad the team decided to show up toward the end of the 2^nd quarter.  Whew!

As for baseball…  Since I write and post this the night before, I hope I haven’t watched my last World Series game this year. And yes, I probably stayed up late watching it. I have for most of the others (could only make it through the 15^th inning (of an 18 inning game) on Friday’s game—it was after 2:30am!). So if the game didn’t go the way I wanted, please don’t blame me for being grumpy.

So… How’d your week go?

Happy Monday!

Stacy

It's a Lot of Little Things

Last Friday I talked about having to get with it. And then I do nothing. No writing. No reading. No blogging. And if it didn’t hurt so much to lie in bed, I’d probably stay in it a good portion of the day.

I’m beginning to wonder if my medication is starting to affect me. Of course, it could be the hot weather, too. I just don’t feel like doing anything. And I have way to much stuff to do!

I’m hosting Sizzle and Sass this week, which has kind of taken over my life, like it does every time I’m host. Thank goodness I only do this 3-4 times a year. But man, my time seems to come up quicker each time. But that’s a symptom of old age, right?

I’m still cleaning out the old house. Made two trips to Goodwill this week, today will mark a third and hopefully Saturday a fourth (and final) trip. Hubby is determined to finish cleaning out that house this weekend. And with the weather turning cooler (low 80s instead of mid 90s), that might actually happen. We might not feel so exhausted so soon.

I’m still putting stuff away in the new house. Got my white board up (yay!) and bought some new hangers for my sweatshirts and sweaters (I lost my shelves from our old closet, which we may remedy…some day). But there are still boxes to go through (have no idea where to put the stuff!) and then there’s still more stuff from the old house (if it doesn’t end up in the trash—I’m hoping trash). And we have all these pictures that need to go on the wall (instead of leaning up against it). I just have to figure out WHERE I want them to go.

And right now, my brain doesn’t want to cooperate. It’s like it’s going on strike, saying, “Enough!” Heck, even my body says that after a day at the old house.

Every little thing is piling up. That’s why I’m having trouble determining whether it’s just stuff going on or if my medication is making that stuff harder to deal with. Are my joints sore because I’m moving stuff or sore because of the medication? Am I slightly depressed because of the weather making moving more difficult or slightly depressed from the medication?

At least I haven’t wanted to chew anyone’s head off. But I’m not feeling myself and I don’t know why. Hopefully our upcoming vacation will fix what’s wrong. If it doesn’t, then I’ll know it’s the medication. And then I’ll probably cry. Because I really don’t want to try something else. It might be worse!

Fighting cancer sucks, you know?

So does getting old, but for some reason I can deal with that easier.

Hey, if you’re interested, Smashwords is currently having an e-book sale through July 31st. My Sunny Vampire and Ghostly Liaison are FREE there and the Bitten by Love Box Set is 25% off. You can find the buy links on the book tab (or click on the corresponding cover over on the side bar).

So… Did you have a nice 4th of July? We went to the Dragons game (they won!) and watched fireworks after. It was stinkin’ hot out there, though. I was drenched in sweat. But the fireworks were fun (and so was the game), so I guess it was worth it.

Happy Friday!

Stacy

One Down, One to Go!

One down: I finally, FINALLY, released my box set of Books 1-3 of the Bitten by Love series. Now I just have to wait for it to appear in the stores (which means, I don’t have any buy links yet). But whew, glad that’s over with.

One to go: I also finally, FINALLY, have Ghostly Interlude ready to go. Just have to look over the formatting (because yes, it’s actually formatted!). And I have selected a release date: February 27. Don’t know how much I’ll get done between then and now, but hey, I’ll give it a go. I’ve never done pre-orders before. I can’t imagine it’d be any worse than if I just published it right away. We’ll see…

So I expect I’ll have BUY LINKS for both books by Wednesday. Which is good. I’ve got a newsletter to write and send out this month!

Aaack! I guess I better get crackin’!

I did pretty good with the Sizzle & Sass Facebook page last week. All the data (reach, interaction) was up quite a bit from the previous week. Although at times it didn’t feel like I was doing anything worthwhile. When no one comments (and after asking questions, too), it can get a person down. But I did my best. That’s all I can do, right?

So… Did you watch the Grammy’s last night? They don’t announce all that many awards anymore, huh? But they still give out a lot. Have to say, I listen to the radio (mostly alternate rock), but didn’t know a lot of the singers on stage. Then again, I don’t listen to the R&B station. That might be why. Oh, but I do like Bruno Mars and happy he won a few of the awards.

Happy Monday!

Stacy

Well, That Was Awful

Neither football team I rooted for yesterday won. Ugh. And I bet that when the Eagles play the horrible patriots in the SuperBowl, they’ll get skunked. Because that’s how it always seems to go. I have hopes someone, ANYONE will beat those horrible patriots and they never do.

I posted on Facebook and will repeat here: I don’t think I’ve hated the Cowboys as much as I hate the patriots.

And I really, really hate the Cowboys.

And yes, I’m intentionally not capitalizing the team name. That shows you how much MORE I hate them.

I suppose that’s how some people feel about the Penguins, although I don’t think the Penguins have ever been caught cheating. And maybe the patriots didn’t cheat THIS year, but they have before, so I’ll never EVER like them. Never. Ever.

As if the football games didn’t make yesterday crappy enough, I remembered (too late!) that I started hosting duties for the Sizzle and Sass page (Facebook). Oops! But when I went to post on my PC, I discovered I couldn’t. I could do it from my phone, but it’s kind of hard to post the pictures I have on my laptop from my phone. Plus, I type better on my laptop than I do on the phone (why can’t Apple have a BACK SPACE key anywhere??).

I tried everything, checked everything, and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I finally contacted Facebook (with a screen shot, even).

And while I was going through all that, we were constantly losing the internet (an issue we’ve been experiencing lately). Last weekend Spectrum came out to check our router and we were told the signal was too high, causing it to short out. They supposedly fixed that problem and left the router alone.

When the internet/wifi went out yesterday (after having gone out a few times on Friday), Hubby called them again. They sent someone out again. Seems the router was going bad (no, really?). Technician replaced it, and after Hubby got the wifi up and running, guess what? I could post to the Sizzle and Sass page.

I can’t imagine our router was the cause, and I’ve never known Facebook to react so quickly, but hey, whatever. I almost thought I wasn’t going to be able to host this week.

I certainly hope the week goes better than yesterday did. I don’t like feeling grumpy!

So… What sports team (any sport) do you hate the most? Or are you the type of sports fan that just likes watching the game with no emotion whatsoever? I can’t imagine ever doing that. Why watch if you’re not going to get emotional?

Happy Monday!

Stacy

45 Degrees? Hello, October!

The house felt a little cooler than usual when I woke up yesterday. There was a good reason for that, too. Seemed it got a bit chilly out side: 45 degrees! Well, that’s what it was at 8:30am. Might have been colder before then.

Boy, October struck quickly!

I like walking in the morning, but not when it’s that cold. I foresee future walks at the fitness center. Which is just as well. I kind of need to exercise, too. But not this week. Probably not next week, either. But I can keep walking (doctor said so), I just hope it’s outside and not at the fitness center. I really hate walking on the treadmill.

Although, I tend to read more when I do. Hmmm…

I’m hosting Sizzle and Sass (over on Facebook) this week. If you have a Facebook account, come on over and say hi. It gets lonely there sometimes. Okay, most times. Not many people see my posts. Which is kind of ironic when Facebook keeps telling me I need to post more. If they want me to post more, they should share my posts with more people! Or at least the people who have liked my page. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so.

The Steelers won yesterday! Yay! So did the Rams! Super yay! It was a good football day yesterday. It wasn’t so good Friday night. Wayne (HS) got their butts kicked. As did USC (Trojans). Ouch.

So… Are you a fan of fall? Do you like the colder temps? Fall never bothered me so much when I grew up in California. Now it does. I don’t like being reminded that summer is over and winter isn’t far ahead.

Plus, all those leaves! Ugh.

Happy Monday!

Stacy

Smart-Me? Not so Much

Sometimes I think I’m smart, only to find out I’m not.

I wanted to watch the men’s volleyball bronze medal game (since the US was playing). Smart-me looked for it on line. Site said it started on Sunday at 9:30 am local time. Not-smart-me calculated that to mean 10:30 am EDT (I added instead of subtracted). After looking all over NBC for the game (they showed all the other volleyball games, so why not the bronze medal game???), I eventually found it on USA.

I was getting ready to leave for breakfast with Hubby, so smart-me turned on USA to set up to record. The game was already in progress. D’oh! (this is when I realized my time mistake). Okay, not a total loss. US was losing 2 sets to none, but anything could happen. Smart-me hit RECORD.

Now, if I were TRULY smart, I would have adjusted the end time, or recorded the show after. But not-smart-me didn’t do any of that. As the US won set 3, then set 4, I realized my recording time was running out. During the fifth set the recording stopped when the score reached 7-7.

Damn it!

I thought I was so smart. But there is no such thing when it comes to recording live events, huh? It was such a good game, too! I had to look up the score on line to see who won. I would have been happier to have SEEN us win, but I was still happy. Because at the beginning of the volleyball games, I wasn’t sure US would even MAKE the medal round!

Oh wait!! NBC showed the final set later on. I got to watch it. Yay! What a game. Did you see it?

Hey, if you’re on Facebook anytime this week, come on over to Sizzle and Sass and say hi. I’m hosting through the 27th (Saturday). Yeah, I thought this week would go back to normal, but I completely forgot about hosting S&S. At least that won’t be as time-consuming as the Olympics were.

So… Is there something you thought you were smart about only to find out you weren’t?

Happy Monday!

Stacy

 

Busy, Busy

I’m hosting the Sizzle and Sass page on Facebook this week. I’m totally unprepared for my duties because I procrastinated too long. If you want to see what I can do on the fly, stop on by. While there, you’ll notice we’re having a huge giveaway (which is keeping the page quite busy). Go ahead and enter (information post is pinned to the top). That’s if you’re interested in some gift cards and a bundle of romance books. But if you’re not interested and you know someone who is, then please let them know. We really want to spread the word.

Now, if Facebook wasn’t enough to keep me busy, I’m also starting a month-long class this week. A month-long. With homework. I sure hope it’s not hard (or taxing on my poor brain). I think it's supposed to help me get motivated to work. Kind of funny when I think about it now. 

On top of all that, I still want to finish the edits to Blind Temptation. I sure hope I find TIME.

About Blind Temptation… I decided to reveal the cover this Wednesday. If anyone wants to share in the reveal, let me know and I’ll send you a copy of the cover and blurb. You don’t have to share it on Wednesday. You can do it any day you want. Any help would be appreciated.

I’m still a little grumpy with my new computer. But not as bad as I was on Friday. Once I was able to transfer my e-mails over, my attitude picked up a little. Now I just have to get used to the keyboard. Can’t rely on touch anymore for awhile. I keep hitting the wrong keys!

That’s about all I have for now. NFL Playoff games sucked big time. Guess I can just enjoy hockey now. Oh, and the big NCAA Championship game on the 12th.

So… how long does it take you to get used to something new? I hope it doesn’t take long for me. I’m too busy to have to THINK about what I used to just do, you know?

Hope your Monday is uneventful! I have a feeling mine won’t be. J

Stacy

Weekend Recap and the Week Ahead

Four days, four Dragons games! We had tickets for Thursday through Sunday. I’ve never been to four games in a row, it was quite an experience. Especially sitting in temps that rivaled a football game in November! Ah, but we still stuck it out and the Dragons split the series with West Michigan Whitecaps.

Even with all those games, I managed to get some editing done AND critique a short story for a friend. Am I good or what? Hmmm...maybe the what. Haha! J

I’m hosting the Sizzle and Sass page on Facebook this week. Sometimes I wonder what the hell I’m doing there. I’m mostly just winging it. Can you tell? J Stop by if you get a chance.

Tomorrow I have a guest spot on Susannah Sandlin’s/SuzanneJohnson’s Preternatural Blog. I love her Penton Vampire series and jumped at the chance to do a guest spot when she asked for volunteers (we both belong with the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal on-line chapter of RWA). Man, if I can interest some of her fans in my vampire book that would be awesome!! I’ll be sure to post something tomorrow once I get the URL. One lucky commenter will win a copy of My Sunny Vampire.

So…did you have a nice weekend?

Stacy

 

Wednesday Reads

Sizzle and Sass is keeping me busy this week. My writing is suffering a bit from it, too. Well, maybe I should say my project is suffering. I am writing on the page, what with the interactive story and all. It’s certainly making me think quickly (not a trait I thought I owned). And if you’re curious about the story, you can always come over and check it out! If you have a Facebook account, that is.

Anyway, here’s what I read during the last week:

Oct 30: “Possession” by J.R. Ward. This is the fifth book of the Fallen Angel Series, a paranormal romance. Blurb on book: When Cait Douglass resolves to get over her broken heart, throw off her inhibitions, and start really living, she’s unprepared for the two sensual men who cross her path. Torn between them, she doesn’t know which to choose--or what kind of dire consequences could follow. Jim Heron, fallen angel and reluctant savior, is ahead in the war, but he puts everything at risk when he seeks to make a deal with the devil--literally. As yet another soul is unwittingly caught in the battle between him and the demon Devina, his fixation on an innocent trapped in Hell threatens to sidetrack him from his sacred duty… Can good still prevail if true love makes a savior weak? And will a woman’s future be the key, or the curse, for all of humanity? Only time, and hearts, will tell. When this series started, it wasn’t near as good as the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, but then those are kind of hard to top. With this fifth installment, I think it’s getting really close. I would have read it faster if I didn’t have any writing (or other obligations) to do, that’s how much I liked it. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.

Have you adjusted to the time change? I don’t think I have. I almost went to bed at nine the other night, which is unusual for me. I refuse to blame it on getting older, that’s for sure. I say, do away with DST! What do you say?

Happy reading!

Stacy

My Facebook Page Debut

I’m performing hosting duties at Sizzle and Sass, the Facebook page I share with some Lyrical Press sisters. If you haven’t liked the page before and WANT to, or you’ve already liked the page, come on over and say hi.

One of the events that started on the page last week was build-a-story. Amy Burgess started it on Halloween, thinking it would only last a night, and then it took off and she didn’t finish it (more like didn’t want to finish it) on her last day, so now it looks like I’ll be continuing with the story, not that I mind (I need all the ammo I can gather).

What are we doing? The hostess writes a scene and then gives three possible outcomes in which the readers vote. Amy was doing multiple scenes a day. I may stick with one scene a day and see how it goes. Although, it is kind of fun, so who knows…

Do you like this kind of interaction on a Facebook page? Do you think it’s helpful getting noticed? I can only hope it helps me capture the attention of some future readers!

Stacy

 

I’m a Guest Poster and Other Exciting Tidbits

Today I’m featured at The Unpublished Writers’ Guide to Survival where I tell how I got to where I am, publishing-wise, that is. Which isn’t much, but hey, I’m still new. So come on over and say hello or boo or laugh at me and maybe you’ll find a new blog to follow. J Here’s the LINK.

I’ve got big news! I’ve mentioned before that I’m one of thirteen authors involved with a Facebook page, Sizzle and Sass. It’s been up and running for awhile now, pretty much available to any of us that want to post under the Sizzle and Sass name. Starting this week, one author will take over hostess duties each week for the next 13 weeks (my week is November 3-9). So what’s the big news? Starting tomorrow, Sizzle and Sass will be holding a sweepstakes.

 

My cover is on this - see? Far right. Yahoo!

 

One lucky follower will win a Kindle and a book from each of us. Now, my book isn’t available until January 6, but I will either send an ARC or gift a copy when it comes out. So…Like the page. Enter the sweepstakes. Spread the word. Here's the LINK.

Soon-to-be self-published author, Laura Stephenson asked if I would help get the word out regarding her Kickstarter project. I don’t how much my word will mean, I don’t even have 100 followers (that I know about, anyway). I’m lucky to get 75 hits a day (and who knows how many of those are my own - haha!). But hey, if putting the word out here helps her, then I’m all for it. So here’s the LINK to her blog, which has the link to her project (if you care to help her out).

 

That is all! Well, until Wednesday, that is. J

Happy Monday!

 

Stacy

 

No Wednesday Reads, Just Miscellaneous Stuff

Oh no! What happened? I’m back home, that’s what. AND I’m reading a longer-than-usual book. That means no books finished in the past week. Good thing I’m six books ahead in my Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge.

I also got some bad news, which didn’t help in the reading or writing. Bite Me was rejected. L To say the news stung is an understatement. Oh well, I must press onward. I have other options, so it’s not a dead project. Just not the route I wished to take.

In my effort to figure out how to promote myself (because, let’s face it, books don’t always sell themselves, do they?), I joined some Lyrical Press “sisters” on a Facebook page--Sizzle and Sass. The main kick-off starts on Oct 1 and each author (there are 13 of us - is that lucky or what?) has control of the page for a week (my first week is Nov 3-9), but if you wish to LIKE the page now, we won’t object. I did send out some invites, but tried to be selective. In that instance, I could have missed some people (like you!). It’s all about having a good time (we don’t want to bombard the fans with sales, but yeah, our books will be mentioned at times). So if you’re interested, or know someone who loves to read romance, let them know about our page! Here’s the link (I hope it works!): https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sizzle-and-Sass/213212842173895

The anthology my local RWA chapter is putting together (which includes two of my short stories) apparently hit a snag (or communications error). The book was planned to be released in August. I have no idea when it’ll be out now, but I’m guessing the theme, Summer Reads, won’t fit so much now. Hmmm… I’ll let you know more when I learn more.

So, what do you do when you get bad news? I usually reach for some comfort food, which in my case is a spoonful of Skippy creamy peanut butter. But did I have any in the house when I wanted it? Of course not! My husband had finished off the jar while I was at Dragon*Con. Talk about depressing! I’m good now, though. J

Happy reading! I should have at least one book to list next Wednesday.

Stacy