WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

That is the question I ask a lot of people and a lot of people ask me the same thing.

This week I am doing a lot. So I decided to give you a run down of what my week normally looks like.

Sunday: Today I sat down with the committee of the #MDC3Con and talked about the final preparations for the amazing conference in Hunt Valley Maryland. Then I will have a meeting with my stylist, my personal assistant and also my publishers. Yes, although Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, I'm not resting.

Monday: I will work a full 8 hours, then put in another five hours at my office of Intrigue Publishing. Then I have a networking event to attend at 6:30 and then hopefully it is off to bed by at least 11pm.

Tuesday: I have a production meeting for my show on Wednesday. That is only after I work eight hours at the middle school and five hours at the office of I.P and then hopefully I will get home before 11pm but somehow I don't think that will happen.

Wednesday: I have a radio show to do at 4pm. But before that I have to work eight hours and then prepare my guests and intern for the show. I will be on the air until 5 pm at +WLVS Radio and then at 6 pm I will need to meet some fans to drop off their signed novels and then meet a great group of readers for an impromptu book club meeting. Home by 11 pm. (again, fingers crossed)

Thursday: I recover from the show and then prepare for next week's show. I will then head to Baltimore for a meal prepared by a very special chef and then I will prepare the bags, gifts and questions for my assignment at the +MdC3Con

Friday: The #MdC3con begins and I am one of the members who need to be there at 9 am. Then I will moderate a few panels, talk about social media and then network at the bar afterwards. The day will end sometime around 11 pm or until I finish up my last drink.

Saturday: I am still at the conference and the day will start pretty early. While you sleep at 7 am I will be up and making sure the panelists and rooms are set up for the second day of the conference. I will then moderate and be on panels.

Now, that is a normal week. Except that the conference is probably replaced by the book club event, special speaking event and/or Reading Diva's event.

So now that you know what I am doing; what are YOU doing this week?

GETTING WHAT YOU DESERVE

Today I am just writing; after all the blog is about books, shoes and writing. But just wait until you see the cute little shoes/boots I have gotten for the fall...but that is for next week.

I feel like I need to purge myself. No, not like ridiculous movie where all bets are off and you can do whatever you want for 24 hours!

First the most frustrating thing you can do to me is take everything that I say as an opportunity to say why I am wrong and why you are right. OK, am I not entitled to an OPINION? Am I supposed to continue to agree with everything that everyone ever says? Am I supposed to never change my mind about anything? Geez people!

Secondly, my dreams are live and in living color! I dream big and I think big so it only beckons that I would want big things, right? Well, my dream of being a 'talk show host' has come true. My dream of being an author; yep came true and now my dream of having someone in my life that I can share everything with is, OK, well I'm still working on that but I know now that I am in a position to change that as well.

Third, I want to thank all of you for being on my journey for the past six months. It seems like this life has taken a turn down the path that I was trying to get to years ago but for some reason was not able to get there.

Suddenly, I find myself on the path that I wanted to be on years ago. I now know that the reason I am on the path now is because I was not READY for the journey years ago. I had a lot going on in my life that would not have allowed me to appreciate the path and journey that I am on now.

See sometimes we just have to wait because what is for us will be for us; as long as we wait for it.

So as I right this, I smile and know that what is for me, is for me and that no matter what you may say, I know I am right where I need to be.

Have you started the journey to being the best you possible and if not, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself, why?

NOT ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY

There is never enough time in the day for me to do everything that I want.

For instance; today is Tuesday and already I have gotten behind in things that I need to have done.
I need to prep for tomorrows radio show on +WLVS Radio and then I need to get at least 20 pages of edits done for +B Swangin Webster novel. I then need to finish up reading my girl +Lindsay Errington pre-novel and then I need to take care of mailing out some ARC copies of novels for +Austin Camacho and +Jeff Markowitz after which I need to finish mailing out the copies of novels for +Annie Rose Alexander all this while wanting to spend time with my cute grandson, Isaiah and then I must walk the dog.

Before all that can happen, I must finish work on my 'day' job. Yes, I actually have a day job, working at a middle school in Waldorf, Maryland.

+Mattawoman Middle School is where I spend almost ten hours every day doing things that help pay my bills. Don't get me wrong; I love my job! I love the students I come into contact with every day but some days like today; I'm so ready to quit because I'd rather be writing.

Which brings me to the 'not enough time in the day' theme. Since there is NEVER enough time, I never get to get my hair done, or my nails done or take a spa day. I squeezed in three days of vacation with my kids and my family because I was determined to relax. I loved the time away, at the beach and spending time with my honey and kids but I began to feel guilty about it afterwards. So I did what any workaholic would do. I started working longer hours.

Today I received a jolt. My blood pressure spiked so high that the blood vessels in my eyes burst. Not a good look, so the doctor said, "slow down, relax or risk having a heart attack or stroke". Ok, I am going to listen so today, I am not going to worry about if everything gets done. I am going to do what I can and then I'm going to stop working after 7pm. If it doesn't get done, there is always tomorrow, right? Because there really is never enough time in the day to do EVERYTHING that you want to do.

But it beats laying in the hospital or worse. So for those of you that are workaholics; please slow down; your life depends on it. There isn't enough time in the day to do everything and there never will be.

CATS, DOGS AND FISH....

My house has turned into Wild Kingdom.

First we only had a +Cat

The cat strutted around the house acting like a PRINCESS, hence her name (Princess) and she ruled the household.

Not only did she have her owners trained to jump whenever she started to whine but she climbs all over them while they are watching TV, whining if she can't get her way and finally hiding if they left her alone for longer than what "Princess" felt was acceptable.

I finally had enough of this behavior and proclaimed that I wanted a +Dogs

This wasn't going to be easy since my dog of choice is and has always been a +Rottweiler Fans or +PitBull however they are against the law in the county I reside in so the hunt was on for a dog that caught my fancy.

Little did I know that the dog that would melt my heart would be at the local +HumaneSociety of +CharlesCounty. Mocha was a little scruffy dog who had been abandoned and needed a home. He put on quite the show for me and of course I had to take him home. It's been four months and we all love him except for Princess.

She totally ignores him; well that is what we thought until one day she decided to set her foot (paws) down and scare Mocha have to death. She came at him, standing on her back legs, paws raised high in the air and making some kind of noise that would have scared any other animal senseless but not Mocha. He sat there, un-amused and turned his back to her.

Princes thought bubble
"I will not be filmed with him"

However, the dynamics are such that now whenever Princess comes around Mocha dare not move! It's almost like she has telepathically told him to keep still and he does. Normally lying there like a slug with his eyes wide open and breathing very slowly as if not to make the "princess' angry.

This is such foolishness that now even the +FISH , yes all four of them barely swim around their tank. Secretly I think Princess has gotten on top of the fish tank and hovered over them just far enough that the KNOW they better not mess with her or she will yank them from their watery homes and eat them or at the very least let them lie on the floor flopping around like...well fish out of water.

So you see, my house has become animal kingdom and now I feel like I need a REAL dog to come in and put Princess in her place or at the very least, protect Mocha from her.