An old Facebook post but worth a re-share!

{Borrowed from Google Images}

This one's for you Betty Dillworth!!

Wanna Laugh at my expense? Every day should start off with a smile, so hopefully this gives you one: (Read Below)

So the other day, I had to testify in court, I go to the courthouse, I put my metal objects, keys, cell phone, etc. into the tray and as I'm about to go through the metal detector, I see the head security guy, Mr. Dillworth, he's from Delphos, super nice guy, so I smile at him, he smiles at me and gives me a wave as he asks how I’m doing....the younger guy manning the machine says "go ahead ma'am go on through", so I do...

and the dang thing beeps at me...I look at the guy, he says "it's ok, go ahead" he gives me an approving head nod and I begin to collect my things, shoving them into my pockets and whatnot...when here comes Mr. Dillworth, he's smiling and looks like he wants to chit chat for a moment. I'd desperately late for my hearing, so I'm a wee bit frazzled...but I'm anything but rude, so I smile at him and as he approaches, he puts his arms out like he wants to hug!

I'm like, wow! I always felt we had friendly encounters when we would see each other, but this, this was really stepping it up! So we're hugging now I guess! I thought to myself, so I did what anyone would do, I threw my arms up and moved in to throw them around him, when TO MY COMPLETE surprise, he pulls out his metal detector wand and I realize what's happening, he didn't want to HUG me, he wanted to WAND ME!!! OMG!!! I was so embarrassed, I nearly hugged the man like "c'mere you ole lug you"...(like you would a golden retriever or something where you pull their head to your chest and stroke their fur/hair! I mean, wtf is wrong with me!??!?!

Why would I think the head of security at the courthouse would want to HUG ME!?!??! Thank GOD my hugging of strangers follow-through is sluggish, because if I'd of threw my arms around him, he would of likely threw me to the ground, cuffed me and hauled me to some back room for further inspection....and I'd of missed court entirely! *shakes head at myself*....what was I thinking!?!?!? Needless to say, I was SOOOOOOO embarrassed!

So moral of the story, security guards, don't want to hug you. Just a little tip from me to you! Happy Friday Everyone!

~Heather Lynn~

I have no idea what I'm doing....

Nobody ever tells you that being your own publisher is like so not glamorous!  Yesterday, truth be told, I finally confessed that all this "book stuff" has really got me stressed out.  There were tears and don't tell anyone, but I can't deny there might have been some sobbing, blubbering and nose blowing to the point of having a raw nose! Yeah, not my finest moment.

"Dead in a Ditch" has become like it's own entity and I want so badly for it to get to where it needs to go, but I'm just not a promotions person, I'm not a salesman, I'm not an agent....and there's a reason big publishing houses don't take a chance on most authors, and that's because it is such a gamble and it's extremely time consuming and difficult.  You don't know a book's going to do great until it does!  And the only one's who can MAKE it great are the people who buy it and read it and say "HEY THAT WAS GREAT!"  Which to my absolute delight, so far everyone who's read the book and reported back to me has said just that!  So according to my readers, I think I can safely say that the book is good.  I don't go saying that by the way, I've never been so bold as to publicly announce in my own opinion that I think my books is good.  It just never seemed OK to me to put my two cents in about it.  I've only ever conveyed what others have said about 'DIAD' in hopes others might want to read it to see if they agreed.  And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I think my book isn't good, I've just always believed that the only person who has a right to judge a book, is the person who reads it.  Everyone's a critic once they open the cover and begin to read....

Book sales have been better than I'd expected and I'm so so so grateful for all of you who's purchased the book!  But what now?

And that m'friends has my stomach in knots.  I want to do my very best to ensure the success of 'DIAD', but as a average ole person, I haven't got Hollywood connections, fancy literary agents and publishing moguls to reach out to.  All I have is determination, a little spare time after work, and you guys.  If it weren't for my friends, neighbors, family and community, I'd be nowhere.

Today 'DIAD' has been featured on Goodkindles and Addicted to Ebooks .com and I'm super excited that perhaps some new readers will see it and find it worthwhile to purchase.  *crosses fingers*

I've often thought of this whole book thing like a lottery ticket.  You can't win if you don't play...and this whole publishing thing was a fun little dream-like venture me and Rachel set out to try, but I've found out, this dream is now a reality, and the reality of the publishing world is that you have to work your EVER-LUVIN-@SS off in order to make a go of your dreams.  Otherwise, you let your own dreams down...for lack of dedication to them.

You think you just write a book and viola, there's your lottery ticket.  But it isn't the case, your writing the book is frankly just a starting point in the process.  The real ticket, is not the $1 you invest to get the ticket, it's the hours and hours and blood sweat and tears you shed to make your book as successful as earthly possible.  Hard work and relentless dedication is the ticket.

Rachel (my editor) said to me last night....this venture is basically like starting your own business.  And you have to put in a whole whole lot up front, if you ever want to see the rewards down the road.  And I don't know WHY it never occurred to me that this book business would actually BE a business, but it is.  I'm opening bank accounts to keep things separate  I'm making spreadsheets and tracking numbers and ordering books and planning book functions!  So many people have said to me "OH, Isn't this Exciting!?!??!"  And mostly, all I can think is, "If exciting is like standing on the edge of a cliff....and contemplating jumping on the off chance that MAYBE you can fly and just don't know it...yet"...then yes, I suppose this is very exciting and probably the most terrifying thing I've ever done! *laughs*

{this could NOT be any more spot on...I never feel like it's SAFE to call myself a writer...or say my book is amazing....for what if I'm wrong?}

In the last couple weeks, I've had to become an accountant, a financial analyst, a small business owner, a number cruncher, a sales tax calculator, a promotions director and an Author who's got a book in the hands of at least 200 people!  I have never been so wide eyed, slack jawed or head a'swirl in all of my life.

So to those of you who know me, if you see me, hug me!  A LOT!  I need it even if my face doesn't show it. If you are an accountant, financial analyst, small business owner, number crunching, sales tax calculating promotions director....and you have some advice for me so I don't drown in the sea of all my new job titles, I'm all ears!  I'd LOVE to have and absorb any and all advice you might have for me!

This would all be so much easier if my Rolodex had George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Robert Redford, Steven Spielberg, Jerry Bruckheimer and company in it....but you know, nothing makes a story of success MORE successful than to know that you started with NOTHING....no advantages, and you make something out of it.

I believe that good things are possible...and if you believe in that too....say a quiet prayer for me to keep my head above water....and find a way to really make something, of nothing.

~HeatherLynn~

I started writing a new book this week, I've written 8 pages.  I'm happy to have it started, but a bit distracted and feel like I'm not giving it the attention and "heart" it deserves....

Every notice that some days, words don't express a sentiment quite like music does?

I started my day off today with some super strange dreams....then on my way to work, I sang...and I don't mean a little, I sang a lot!  Loud!  and with gusto!  I sang this..

...this little tune just makes my heart happy...you know...that kind of song that just gets in your blood and is like fizzy happy bubbles coursing all through your veins?!  This song does that for me.  Also it kind of reminds me of "The Notebook"...when the chorus belts out "you're my sweetheart" I could just hear "Noah" telling "Alley" she was his sweetheart.

I love how a great novel/movie, makes characters real.  Like Alley and Noah are real people, and I know them.  Their voices are familiar to me, their story a wee little bit part of my own because of how well I know it and have connected with it.

I love Nicholas Sparks for writing it.

Did you know that the very first novel I ever read by Nicholas Sparks was "Message in a Bottle"?!  Yep, I bought it, I read it and then upon completing the last page, in a rage, I threw the book across the room and into the trashcan.  I don't believe I've ever been so mad at an author in my entire life. 

*laughs to self*

(No hard feelings Nicholas Sparks, but you broke my heart that day!)

I mean, what's the point of a great love story if one of the beloved's dies and leaves the other broken hearted?  

What was the point?  

Is pain the point?

I guess for me, Nicholas Sparks points out the cold hard truth that nobody gets "forever" with their loved ones.  One day, we all die.  Some people get 50 years together, while others only get 5....while others are taken away before it even gets a chance to get started.

Just something to think about....

Squeeze your loved one a little tighter today, bet they'll love ya for it!

Enjoy the video I've posted here...I hope it makes your soul sing the way it does mine.

Happy Friday.

~HeatherLynn~

It's a dark and dreary day in Northwest Ohio today....it's pouring down rain, then going to turn to snow, and it's going to be windy, and possibly tonight, between the wind and the snow have "white-out" conditions....

Welcome to Ohio in December.  40 Degrees today, White-out tomorrow.  My sister in Wisconsin said they were calling for 16 inches and BLIZZARD conditions where she lives, all of this and the apocalypse on Friday apparently....but enough about the weather.... *smiles*

Lets kick things off with a Television recommendation:

I've found a fantastic new television show that I am loving, and am quite addicted to and that's 

Downton Abby on PBS!  

I just love how addictive this show is!

It is set in 1912, England.

The mansion depicted in the picture is Downton Abbey.

The people in the picture are the family that live there, and the caretakers of the family and the estate.

One thing I love about watching this show is that immediately following or while watching the show, I cannot help but to talk in an English Accent and my text messages are oh so proper sounding!  I love it! *laughs*  Now not everyone loves English time pieces quite like I do, but I truly believe the show has a lot to offer any type of television enthusiast.

This concludes my television recommendation.

Lets see now, I've covered the weather...

Current Events....

Now what?

Love life?

Hmmm...what can I tell you about that?

Well the good news is, I STILL think my boyfriend of 3 years, Jerimy is the greatest thing since sliced bread....and it's not because I think he's perfect, or because I've put him on a pedestal so high that if he were to fall off of it, he'd die from the impact of the height of the fall.

No..no....I think he's the greatest thing since sliced bread because he's my person, ya know?  He's the guy that no matter what comes between us, eventually....he's always willing to reach across it and pull us back together....or willing to allow me to reach across and pull him back to me.

These sorts of statements used to be really scary to me to profess to anyone, much less an audience of whomever might me reading here.  It would scare me to death to be sitting here saying how wonderful he is, and then BAM, the next day he dumps me, or I'm swooning and he's thinking of ways to get away from me? I unfortunately have had the experience of loving someone who just never loved me back....WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD IT IS!

Nobody likes to look like a complete idiot, and nothing makes you feel like a complete idiot MORE than being head over heels with someone who doesn't know you're alive! OR someone, who doesn't or is incapable of treating you with love and respect.

To profess your love for someone is a sentiment you cannot retract once it's out there.

However, one thing I learned over the past three years of being with Jerimy, is that...I have to trust and believe in him, in us, and in love that everything's gonna be OK even when the FEAR of it grabs ya by the throat and starts squeezing the life out of you.  Does fear ever do that to any of you?  Just get you by the throat and make you act a little nuts every once in awhile?  

I'd like to think I'm not alone in this phenomenon.  Am I?

As a divorce' and a child of divorce, and in world where all my favorite couples are getting divorced all around me...it's easy to be a scared-ey cat when it comes to love, and commitment, etc.

And God knows I used to be!!  

When I got divorced, wow was I sketchy! *laughs to self*

THE LAST thing I wanted was to FALL IN LOVE....

What a scary notion.

I was just never going to do that again.

I was no masochist, no way was I going to give my heart away and have it ground up in a meat grinder again!

And then years later....years of not allowing myself to be committed to ANYTHING or ANYONE....

My little old, now deceased dodge neon needed a timing belt.

Easily an $800 job, and I was a single broke girl living pay check to paycheck like most single broke girls.

So my friend Jim says to me one day...."hey, I bet my friend Beef might be able to do it for you cheaper!"

and I said "Beef?  Like the Beef I went to school with?  My classmate?"

"Yeah, that's him....I'll ask him"

One timing belt later, and oh, like 400 text messages later, yeah, I was feeling that twinge of un-explainable joy every time I got a text from him.

I'd not seen the guy in years, and when I finally went to pick my vehicle up, and I saw him for that first time after so many years had passed, yep, I was done.  Right then.  Put a fork in me, it was over for me then and there.  As crazy as that sounds!

It didn't happen over night for him though however, it took MONTHS, nearly A YEAR to finally start DATING the stubborn mule of a man, but eventually, I think I grew on him, and we've been together ever since.  THANK GOD!

We have our share of discord with each other, we've had our ups and downs, but what makes this relationship different than any other I've ever been in....I always love him MORE than whatever bothers us.

And I always ask myself in every situation, "if you did this to him, how would you want him to react to you?" That seems to really help keep me on a good track.

Plus it helps that he has THE MOST AWESOME smile in the whole world, so I do my best EVERY day to keep that smile on his face....and surprisingly, that NEVER gets exhausting to me.  Challenging sometimes, but never exhausting.

If we would break up tomorrow, I'd never regret a single moment we had together, and that's not fluff, that's the God's honest truth.

So there you have it, the weather, an apocalypse, love....what's left?

Oh, BOOKS...OMG, I nearly forgot, ya'll don't care about my love life, the weather or that we all might die tomorrow....I'm supposed to be writing about "book stuff" here....

Um, lets see..book stuff.....book stuff....

*rubs temples thinking*

Um, I don't know if you've heard,

but I wrote a book.

Yeah, no joke!

It's getting good reviews on Amazon

and

it's cold outside, good time to read probably...

So yeah, maybe uhhh....buy one today?

To Amazon we go! {just click here}

That's all I got.

I'm so not a salesman!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

~HeatherLynn~

Being an Author

BEING AN AUTHOR.....is a scary thing.  It truly is your heart and soul and sweat and tears on paper for all the world to see...and to put it out there knowing that you're opening yourself up to unknown response, well, to say the least it's frightening.

I've had people stopping by the house all this week to pick up their book orders and they all want to know "so how does it feel to be a published Author"....and somehow I feel that telling them I'm scared shitless is likely not the answer they're looking for.

Granted "Scared shitless" isn't the only feeling of course, you go through a ton of different emotions, excitement, joy, RELIEF every time someone you know is reading it tells you that they enjoyed it instead of hated it, giddiness, you have HOPE that the little novel will find itself in hands of unknown parties who also enjoy it and then pass it on to someone they know and love.  But to know that so many people have MY story in their hands and heads, well it's humbling to say the least.

My main goal, when asked by my Chief Editor what my goal for publishing the book would be, I said, I'd like to sell one book that wasn't to my mother.  She laughed.  I revised and said "ok, ok, I want to sell enough books to buy a Jack's Pizza"....again she laughed and said "seriously, what do you hope to get out of this?  Big picture?"

And honestly  I had no idea how any of this would go, so me being me, I said "seriously, I want to sell ONE book, that's not to my mother!"  And folks, I've done that.  From here on out, if I don't sell another book, I can say that I met my goal.  I accomplished what I set out to do.

Now you might say, but wait, that's not exactly a very hefty goal....ah, but yes, I assure you it is....let me explain, in order to sell ONE book to someone that wasn't my mother, I had to first write a novel, and then re-write it in some parts.  And then fix anything wrong with it story wise...check for congruentcy, edit it at least five times myself, before passing it along to my chief editor Rachel, who then edited it at least 279 times before passing it to my second Editor Deb, who then meticulously went over each and every word 421 times.  I had to come up with a concept for the cover photo, drive around on my motorcycle for miles looking for "ditchy" type locations, find the perfect location, obtain a model, have a photo cover shoot, find a make-up artist to rough her up, drive 17 miles to Bloody Bridge, throw my model on a bunch of rocks on the canal bank and then get "THE PERFECT SHOT", followed by at least 8 hours of photo editing.  Then Theresa my graphic artist spent her precious time editing my edited pictures to make them into cover quality finished products and formatted into a print ready cover!

There were approximately 3,000 emails that got exchanged, 100 hours of phone calls and meetings, 400 cups of coffee consumed, 23 hours of sleep lost, 15 panic attacks, 46 forehead bangs on desktops and walls, Rach must of lost her voice 5 times in the course of all of this, Deb lost five pounds from the stress....Mike (my IT/publishing guy) likely cursed my name and 'diad''s name 29 times over the course of 3 hours and my poor dog "Chubs" probably had 2 accidents in the house because I was so enthralled with "book stuff" that I forgot to let him out in time!  And I might as well not lie, I might of missed a couple hair shampoos in there as well!

All of that, to sell one copy.....or enough to buy one pizza. *laughs*  yeah, I wasn't expecting much when it came to sales, but if I made one sale...just one sale...I would feel like a success.

Mike, Rachel, Deborah, Theresa, Sami,...the other Rachel....we all have something to be proud of, because we did better than sell one copy...in under two weeks, we've sold close to 200 books!  Now maybe those kind of numbers will NEVER make the New York Times Best Sellers list turn and look in my direction, but who the heck cares, we have sold nearly 200 books in a week and a half!  that's not just awesome, it's miraculous!  MIRACULOUS I tell you!

The holidays are a magical time, full of love and laughter, warm houses, cold noses and the spirit of giving is everywhere...and I cannot tell you all how thankful I am for each and every one of you who purchased the book, and made not just mine, but Rachel's and Mike's and Deborah's and Theresa's and Sami's and the other Rachel's hard work....SO VERY WORTH the effort!

With warmest wishes

and the holiday spirit,

I thank you.

~HeatherLynn~

Day #2

It's 6:51 a.m. ... I cannot sleep.  Excitement and nervous happy energy is coursing through my veins.  Yesterday 23 people bought the e-book....enough to get me on the New York Times best seller list...no, who cares about best sellers lists when 23 new people are reading my heart and soul on paper!  That's just, so...., so.....well it's the kind of thing that makes a writer unable to sleep in like she wanted to, up at six in the morning, typing feverishly away to you all because if she doesn't, pacing my begin to occur.

For those of you who've left me a nice comment, or have bought or ordered a copy of the book, I want you to know that you have single handed-ly given me something to be so happy, so ecstatic about that I may not stop smiling until 2020!  I so sincerely hope you know that I take each and every one of your comments, emails, texts, whatever the form, and I cherish the kind words and encouragement you've given me.

It will be these warm words and encouragement that I will need to re-read when I get my first bad review....everyone gets bad reviews, and I must prepare myself for the first "I HATED THIS BOOK, THIS WRITER SHOULD NEVER WRITE ANYTHING AGAIN" comment that I'm bracing to receive.

In the meantime though, I'll share with you the review/text message I received on my phone this morning:

"I'm finished and the only question i have is when does book #2 come out???  I honestly don't think I've ever read an entire book in one day...def. not with two kids running around!  But I could not put it down!  Best book I've ever read and I'm not just saying that because you wrote it.  Great Job!  Love you!!!"

So yeah, after reading that, i was so giddy, there was no way I was going back to sleep when Jerimy left for work, leaving me laying in his bed, unable to control my enthusiasm.  So here I sit, writing to you, contemplating coffee.....checking email to find I have a new twitter follower and feeling sorry for him because I'm not a savvy twitter-er....I checked my amazon account and see that I sold two additional books last night!  Couldn't be happier to see that.  And in a few hours, I'm meeting nearly the entire female population of my family on my mom's side at Baked to Perfection for breakfast, where to celebrate the wondrous week I've had I'm going to order a thick wheat toast egg, colby cheese and sausage sandwich, and a tall glass of milk on the rocks!  And who knows, due to it being a celebration, I may get wild and get me a chai tea latte too!  Why the hell not!!?!? :)

Yesterday, I put the order in for all the paperback books you guys requested, and they are saying that they should arrive here to me, by December 20th!  I close my eyes and think about what it's going to be like to open that box, and see 85 of my little baby diad's bundled up in there...I'm not going to lie, I will probably cry..and then tell everyone or anyone who might witness this that my allergies are really acting up again!  That one always is a go-to excuse of choice when I get weepy around people at my job.

Last night my old classmate and friend Eric sent me a facebook message and said congrats on the book and that he hoped I was out celebrating the occasion...I said "Does sitting on the couch watching Jerimy do the dishes while also watching a dvr'ed old CMT Top Twenty Countdown count as celebrating?"

I'm kind of holding off on "celebrating" until the books arrive and I can hold one in my hand...ya know?  Like hold it, smell it, touch it, feel the paper between my fingers....perhaps THEN this will seem real to me.  As of right now, it still seems like "is this really happening?  Is my book really on Amazon?"  If someone pinched me, and POOF, I woke up to realize that this was all just a dream, it wouldn't surprise me.  Not that I'm a pessimist by any means, but seriously, how often do you dream your whole life of doing something, something that you feel is extraordinary....and far above your capabilities, and then actually just do it!??!  When I told my cousin Rachel I was writing a book, and she said, you should try and get it published, I was like all, "no....it's not good enough for that...it's just something I was messing around with for fun, I'm not Dean Koontz or Stephenie Meyer over here...."  But Rachel wouldn't take no for an answer, she assured me that it would be fun, it would be just a little project of ours that we'd use as an excuse to drink coffee together and talk book/shop, like real writers and editors do! *smiles*...

Hey Rach, um, our little project's on Amazon!!!  I know, I know, I don't believe it either! ahahhahahhah

Ok, ok, enough rambling, I think I'm going in the kitchen to make coffee now....my dog Chubs is up and sitting next to me really looking like he needs some petting...so I better hop-to!

{you cannot ignore a face like this}

It was so nice spending my morning with you, Have a great weekend everyone!!

Hugs & Luv,

~HeatherLynn~

The day Has finally arrived:

Dead in a Ditch

is

officially

for 

sale

on

Amazon

as

an

E-book!!

Click Here to go to Amazon's Order Page

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the book should you decide to read it!

And thank you thank you thank you for all of your support, love and encouragement over the last couple years of working on this project!

It means a great, great deal to me!

All my Love,
~Heather Lynn~

From the Editor's Desk:

Hello everyone!  My name is Deborah, and I am one of the editors for Dead in a Ditch.  I am somewhat new to the project, but I have been working very hard at getting the manuscript ready for publication.  Publishing a book is something I have dreamed of since I was a little girl, and I could not be more proud to have my name in Dead in a Ditch.  This fictional novel will keep you on your toes, wanting more, as it is not limited to one genre.  Readers will be engulfed in an explicit and mysterious thriller that is also entangled with a passionate love story.  The main character is not only struggling with keeping her existence but is also battling a lust/love for one of her potential killers.   

When asked to be on board, I was given orders from my boss to read the entire book first without editing anything.  That was honestly one of the hardest jobs to do, because I was so urgent to dive in on editing.  Once I finished reading, less than 24 hours later, I was finally able to get started!   Although this process has involved several days and nights of research, hours of phone calls/meetings with the author and other editor, and even talking to myself out loud to verify the sentences are perfect…I have truly enjoyed every  minute of it.  I am thrilled to be a part of the team and cannot wait for publication in December.  What a great way to kick off the holidays, so don’t miss out!

Deborah

It's Halloween....

Happy Halloween everyone!  Hope you all enjoy a spooktacular day!

This year, my thoughts are about masks.  As kiddos are out wearing their masks, I think about the masks we adults wear....that fake smile that says "Everything's ok"....when it isn't.  That look on one's face that says they aren't mad, when their insides are probably screaming....and let us not forget about pain.  Those of us who look fine on the outside, but who are suffering with every fiber of their being on the inside.

I'm not going to lie, I'm no stranger to pain, in my childhood I experienced quite a bit of it, some of it emotional, some of it physical, but nothing compares to the pain I have now after an automobile accident I endured nearly a year ago.

While I smile and appear "fine" on the outside to those around me, on the inside, the pain is sometimes all consuming.  I HATE it.  I hate the aches, the pains the overall feeling of extreme discomfort.  Short of laying down flat, there is no comfortable stance or position for me.  Sitting is uncomfortable, standing is uncomfortable, driving, thinking....it all hurts to do, yet I cannot NOT do it...I have to work, I have to continue to live a "normal" life, when NOTHING about the way I feel these days, feels normal to me.

People keep asking me, when are you going to close out your car accident insurance claim.....and I don't  know what to tell them, because I don't know if I'll EVER feel better....a stark reality that makes me scared to death, think about that for a second..."What if I never get better???" is that not one of the scariest things to realize, that perhaps this is the best you're ever going to feel again, and what you feel now is pain?

Suddenly your life isn't fun, your life revolves around heating pads and ice packs and OTC pain relievers, and physical therapy and chiropractor appointments.  Your no longer ABLE to do the things you used to, and if you DO do them, you pay for them severely in the amount of pain it causes you TO do them.

Pain is something I never truly understood, I had no idea you could look so "normal" and yet hurt so badly...every minute of every day.  Pain like nails on a chalkboard, impossible to ignore.

I could go the Dr. and ask for pain meds, but I don't want to be addicted to those, I don't want my physical status to be ruled by what drug's I've ingested.  I just want more than anything to feel BETTER, to feel like the old me who could run and skip and jump and smile without so much effort and side effects.

Most people have no idea that you have your health, until you don't.  Suddenly the thing you once took for granted is gone, and you are no longer you, you're a shell of who and what you used to be.  And it can be taken from you in an instant, just like your life, it could be gone in a mere heart pounding moment.  Poof, gone.

So for those of you who don't suffer, please, for me, appreciate that.  For those of you who do, I can sympathize.  For those of you with hidden illnesses, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, etc., you suffer behind your smiles, and I never understood that better than I do now....I pray for cures for all of those things.

There are a lot of ways to suffer in this world, and so many do so silently.

I am not here to complain, or to whine, or to beg for sympathy, "poor me" is not my thing, but just know that sometimes, just because someone looks like this:  

doesn't mean they don't actually feel like This:

  

There's a saying that goes something like this:  "Be kind to everyone you meet, for you don't know what kind of battles they are facing..."  and I think it's important to remember that, when you encounter people who are not at their best, perhaps they aren't FEELING their best.

It's tough sometimes to put your best foot forward when all you want to do is curl up in a ball, and rock back and forth, praying the pain subsides.

I know, because I feel this way myself more times than I like to admit.

~

Health.

is

Priceless

~

Cherish

it

~

Painfully Yours,

~HeatherLynn~

Dead in A Ditch has a Face!!!!

IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!!

The cover shoot for Dead in A Ditch has come.....

and here's the proof!

Let me know which is your cover of choice!

VOTE TODAY!!!

xoxoxo

Yours Excitedly,

~HeatherLynn~

IT"S ALLLLLIVVVVVEEEEEE!

Er, well, not so much "alive" as it is "WRITTEN!"  yes folks that's right, I finally, finished it!

*wipes sweat off brow*

Man this has been a long long haul.....Now lets hope it was worth all the effort!

C'mon, do the happy dance with me!  Don't just stand there!

Shake that booty!

and hollar woooohooooooooo!

Thank you for taking the time to share in my joys

and for all the times you sympathized with my lows.

Yours Truly,

~HeatherLynn~

I hadn't expected.....

....to wake up this morning and have a day sprinkled with such good thoughts and feelings....

First my day started out talking to my cousin Aaron, who I love.  He's not perfect, and some might even find him difficult to love, but he's like a brother to me.  We talked my whole way to work, venting to one another about frustrations, laughing about other things, just catching up on each other's lives and I thought to myself...."that was a nice call to get today" so happy I picked up even in the middle of my rushed frenzy to get ready for work....and by the time I hung up with him, got out of my car to go into my building to work, I was feeling pretty lucky to have had the call, and to have him in my life.

Then....at lunch time, I tried to cash a check at my bank.  Only to find out they didn't have enough money.....(this was my insurance check from the bank to cover my flood claim) mind you, it's not a small check, but it's not a big check either.  I could see if it were for  $10,000 or something, I ended up checking with 3 different banks and none of them had enough to cash my check.  Can you believe that?!  I was starting to feel less lucky....and more grumpy as I trudged around in the rain, spending my entire lunch break trying to cash a stupid check....when I finally got sent to the Allentown branch....but I had to go inside, they couldn't cash that big of a check through the drive through....*sighs*....We can jump out of Airplanes for fun in this Country, but we can't cash a check of size through a drive through....

When I arrived, and got out of my car, a little lady, probably maybe in her 40's was coming out and man she did not want to step out from under the building's awning and get all wet and cold, so I said to her "Hi, where ya headed?"

She said "I don't know yet"....

Me:  "No, i mean where are you parked?  I'll take you there and share my umbrella with ya."

Her:  "Oh, *big smile*...I'm right over there, the red SUV"

So I walked with her and kept her dry....after all, I wasted my whole lunch hour, what was another 5 minutes to help her out right?

She was so happy!  She said as we walked:  "You know, I think my luck is changing...."

Me:  ""Oh, why's that?"

Her:  "Well first, I needed a notary, and the lady in the bank did it for me free of charge!  And now, I come outside in the pouring down rain, and a total stranger shares her umbrella and walks me to my car...It's just so nice....I was having a bad day, and now it's like it's turning around!"

And I think I puffed my chest out a little bit, Like well would you look at that.....my rainy crappy, can't cash a check day...and I made a lady feel like her day was really turning around.  Made that grumpy feeling wash right outta me and down the drain in the parking lot with the rain water.  I actually saw what optimism and thankfulness look like when they spread across a human face.  How cool is that?  She, a complete stranger I'll never see again, was thankful for me!
Isn't that something?

The more I do it, the more I live it, the more I find that the best gift you can give, is a smile, a helping hand.....and your time to someone else, free of charge.  Little acts of kindness are a gift to receiver AND the giver.

So thank you lady who I helped today, your appreciation turned my day around too!

Smiling even in the Rain,

~HeatherLynn~

THE THINGS YOU DO IN THE NAME OF WRITING:

you all know how hard I've been working on book # 3, and have been for quite some time, what you don't know is that I chose a local backdrop for part of the story, and it was a place I'd never been, a dark, scary, forbidden to go place and me being me, thought, well I'll just write a very nice letter to the owner of said dark, scary forbidden place, and well, why wouldn't he/she let me have a look around.

Well that letter went unanswered.  So I did some google online research, found out what I could, even located a couple videos from inside the structure on YouTube, and I thought, well crap, I guess this is as close as I'm going to get to being able to get a feel for the setting where so many things will happen to my characters....but Ann, oh, well, she took me on what was supposed to be just a simple and innocent fall photo shoot, that somehow turned into a quest, to get me to the place that my fictional characters would find themselves.  It started out as..."I'll just show you the area it's located"...which then turned into driving around the entire premises scoping out holes in the security of the property.  I looked like the unibomber in my dark shades and hat pulled down low....Ann, she looked perfectly sweet and innocent like we'd lost our way and were just trying to get directions.

Next thing I knew, we were devising a plan to infiltrate the compound....by stealth and deception, come hell or high water, us two grown women were plotting and scheming to storm the fort.  We'll call this place "the fort" in order to protect ourselves.

It was a grand plan, one in which we had no idea what to expect.  We faced everything are area had to offer in terrain, hills, marshy swampy areas, a ravine, sticker bushes that tore at our clothing, burrs that stuck to our clothing, I was sweating up a storm as we made the 2 mile trek to our destination.  Oh, but we thought we were so sneaky, keeping to the tree lines, keeping out a watchful eye for anyone who might want to have us shot or arrested on sight.  Ann wasn't nearly as worried as I was, I just was really skiddish about the idea, knowing full well that THOUSANDS of trespassers had made similar journeys to this place....that the location was a known haunted site that many travelers were in hot pursuit to visit, but that wasn't my purpose, I wasn't there to ghost hunt or to vandalize, I just wanted to close my eyes and allow my senses to  take in all that the setting had to offer.  What did it smell like, what noises could be heard, how hard was it to get to, the lay of the land if you will.  It's much easier to write about a place you've been, and experienced for yourself than try to write about a place that you've only seen in pictures.

Well to say the least, we arrived haphazardly to our destination and my, oh my it was glorious, the sun was perfect, our journey had been a success and we'd snuck in completely undetected.  All those times I played G.I. Joe with my boy cousins had paid off!  I felt like I could storm fortresses, sneak into foreign countries ..it's a high I think boys get, but girls don't often do.  Ann and I were G.I'freak'in-Janes we were!  Minus Demi Moore and neither of us shaved our heads or had rock hard bodies trained for fighting, but you get what I mean.

And Ladies and Gentlemen, It was exactly what I needed to finish my book.  It was like my book was coming alive before my eyes when I locked eyes with complex that laid before me.  The very essence of the haunted and eerie remains of "the fort" seeped into my  very center.  I closed my eyes, I smelled.  I listened to what my characters would hear, I looked at the broken windows, and the graffiti'ed walls, and overgrown landscapes.  I saw the smoke stack that went to the incinerator that burned the bodies of those who died here.....it was truly well worth the journey and fear and worry that came with trying to get here, it was worth it by far.

We walked slowly up to the building, I got up close, real close, close enough to stick my head inside:

It was here that I stuck my head inside and heard a dead and dying building, alive with activity.  The place was resounding activity from a million different locations.  I felt my blood go cold upon getting so close to this place, and I had the distinct feeling something was watching me, taking notice of my proximity.  I was standing outside, while my head was inside the opening, and I felt like I'd crossed a line that I shouldn't cross.  I took my head out, turned to look around me and the first thing I saw was this:

Scared the ever-luvin-crap out of me it did!

Even looking at this picture now, it makes my chest get a little tight.

I decided pretty much then and there that there wasn't any way in hell that I'd step foot further into the building, that I was just a sight see'er, not an infiltrator.  I would respect the boundaries of a visitor, and keep a safe distance from crossing any more lines.

Ann and I made our way around the perimeter of the building, taking pictures, imagining the internal layout of what we could only see from a distance.

We whispered as we made our way, remaining in-stealth mode so as not to alert any nearby humans or barking dogs of our presence here.

After we made our way around the entire lot, and were back to where we started, we thanked our lucky stars for the experience, for the thrill, for the success in finding it and we bid our farewells to the object of our quest.  We walked back towards the railroad tracks from whence we had strayed and just as we were about to get away scott free....

A voice called out to me.

"Hey!"

it said from behind me.

The building was behind me and I was scared to death at what I would find when I turned around.

Who or what had called out to me.

But i faced my fear and I turned....slowly...and my heart was pounding so hard in my chest...I think Ann could hear it from 3 feet away....

I turned to see two people walking towards us.  Dressed in head to toe camo, one carrying a compound bow.  The one carrying the bow, decked out in face paint.

Again they called out to us:

"Hey, come here"

I looked at Ann, and she looked at me as both our minds were saying "so, do we run?"

I said to her "I aint' going back there....."

and Ann said "they can come to us"

so we stood still like we were frozen to the ground.

I whispered, "you don't think they'll shoot us do you?"  I mean you hear of people shooting trespassers sometimes....

that's when Ann decided to be proactive, she called out to them, "See anything?"

They remained silent.

A bad sign.

They got closer, Ann tried again, "See anything?"

The man spoke then:  "Seen two girls"

Ann: "Oh yeah..."

Him:  "you two scared off a ten point buck we were about to shoot!"

Me: (knowing this was a cardinal sin in hunting to ruin a guy's odds at getting a great buck) said:  "oh, man we're so sorry!" and then i made a face like it pained me to hear that.

Ann says "Oh, yeah, right, we did hear something go crashing through the brush, yeah, I think I know right were you're talking"

"What are you guys doing back here?"  The man asked.

Ann replied, "Oh, just taking some fall photos, the trees are just so lovely this time of year..."

I stood frozen, my lying skills were seriously rusty and out of practice.

"You know that you're trespassing and can get three days in jail and a $300 dollar fine for being back here?"

Ann said "Noooooo...didn't know that"

I shook my head, still an absolute mute.

"well you can, you aren't supposed to be back here, this is private property"

"We didn't know" Ann said.

"do you own this land?" Ann asked him.

"Yes" he said.

I again made a very dramatic "I'm so sorry....about the deer, about trespassing, about lying to you right now"...face.

{But in our defense, there weren't any "no trespassing" signs until we got up near the building.....and it was spray painted on, so It wasn't like it was official....and we'd come so far, we had to, ya know?  Sort of how like guys can't stop peeing mid stream, once you've committed to the act, you can't just stop in the middle, it's just not done!}

"Leave!" the man said with authority

"and don't come back!"

Ann and I both nodded and turned to head back the way we had come.

We'd escaped certain jail time, and were once more headed through the trees, headed back to the railroad tracks that would deliver us back from where we'd come from.

"HOLY SHIT!" I said, "I can't believe that just happened...we so almost just got arrested!"

And Ann and I talked, and laughed, and recovered our senses as we journeyed back the two miles we'd traveled to get here.

{Me and Ann after our close encounter}
{Seriously, does this shadow make my butt look big?}

WHAT A CLOSE CALL!!

So Hunter guy, if you are reading this, I'm really sorry, we didn't mean any harm, or trouble, to you or your property, and I thank you sincerely, because my book will be the better for having had the experience.

And thank you for not having us arrested, and for not shooting us with your bow, that would of sucked.

So, that's the story of how I almost got arrested, and how it was almost all Ann's fault!

*winks*

But oh, what an experience!

Awesome!

Your Law Breaking Blogger Friend,

~HeatherLynn~

to see all the photo's from the day of photography, hit me up @ my facebook page, or at Turkey42@hotmail.com and I'll get you the link where you can go see them.
Some of them are pretty good.
*smiles*

This and That - October

Mmmmm...Fall is truly upon us isn't it?  Last weekend I went out and took some fall pictures, and man, let me tell you it, it really put me in the spirit for all things fall...Pumpkins, and frothy hot drinks, apple cider, corn mazes, Halloween, and last but not least, CANDY CORN!  that crap is just crazy good.  If I wind up with Diabetes, I blame the candy corn, that's all I'm saying! *smiles*

 

Last night, a funny conversation Jerimy and I had, thought might be cute to share....so there we are, laying in bed, lamp still on, on the night stand, he and I are just talking, we were getting all cozy and he feels my body temperature and says "geesh, you're freezing!" and I laughed and said, "I know, I was outside"...so I snuggled in closer to steal his body heat, and him, being the super awesome guy HE is, he let me.

 

I told him then "don't worry, give me a second and HeatherHeater will be back in business"....see, when I was a kid, Rachel and Bek, my two little cousins would get cold while staying over night with me and my sister Brooke, and they'd get into bed with me, and snuggle into both sides of me and say "HeatherHeater, warm us up!" Apparently I've had a "hot body" since childhood!  My, that sounds all sorts of wrong doesn't it?!  Let me rephrase, I've been "hot blooded"...no, wait, that's not exactly right either...how about this, I've been "HeatherHeater" for as far back as I can remember.  Get me under the covers with you and I'll have you sweating in no time. *slaps forehead*....wow, this post is spiraling out of control here!  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, Heather get it together would ya?....perhaps I'll use pictures, since my words are coming out all wrong...

here:

 

+

=

 



 

I've rebooted, lets try this again.

 

Back to the story....

 

So Jerimy says to me, "yeah, some nights, you're so hot I'm like melting, and have to kick the covers off in the middle of the night to cool off."

"Yeah, well this winter when it's freezing you're going to be pretty darn happy to have ole HeatherHeater here keeping you warm" I said with a smile and then continued on to say the following:

 

"I guess I'm kinda like an upstairs bedroom.  In the winter, heat rises, and you're toasty warm, and you're thankful to be up there, in the summer, heat rises and you're sweating your butt off, cursing the danged heat that just a few short months ago you were thankful for...having me for a girlfriend is a blessing and a curse I guess."

 

He crinkled his nose, laughed and shook his head and said "yeah, I got nuthin" and we snuggled back up, so I could steal his heat.

 

I thought to myself then, "Seriously?  Did I just compare myself to an upstairs bedroom?  I'm really not all there, this confirms it. Who compares themselves to an upstairs bedroom?"

 

And you know who else isn't all there?

 

My Friend Ann....who nearly got me arrested on Sunday....

Great photo shoot, and story to follow.

Stay tuned.

 

 

 

Welcome to October!

 

Hugs & Luv,

~HeatherLynn~

In Book News:  I'm cruising through the ending of "Book #3"....I should have that sucker "on the books finished"...or "facebook official finished" in no time!  woohooo!  Can't wait to see how it's all going to turn out.  You'd think as the Author I'd know by now, but it's crazy, I literally don't know exactly how it will end, until about five seconds before my fingers pound the keyboard and it appears before me on the screen....
Hope it comes out worthy of being written.