Let the Birthday Celebration Commence!

Is it a little narcissistic that I'm devoting an entire month to celebrating my birthday? Well, not just my birthday, but the one-year anniversary of two of my books: Never Forgotten (my debut novel, released on 7/1/14) and Current Impressions (Never Forgotten #2, release on 7/18/14). In any case, birthdays have always been special to me, and I've always enjoyed mine. I'm really looking forward to the fun we're going to have this month!

What a journey it has been...
This adventure all started nearly 7 years ago. I had always wanted to write a book, but never took the time to do it. When I finally started writing, the first half of the story came to me quickly, but then I got stuck. I had no idea how to develop a story arc to finish the manuscript! I ended up taking a novel writing workshop, which was a lifesaver. It got me on track, kept me disciplined, and led me through the process of several revisions. Fast forward 5 years, and that initial story idea was accepted for publication by Clean Teen Publishing.

At first, I really had no idea what I was doing. What? I needed a webpage? What? I needed a Facebook author page? What? I needed to actually USE my Twitter account? You get the idea. It took me a few months to get my "sea legs", but in no time, I was up and sailing in the whirling ocean that is social media. I also started making connections with other authors, and with readers and bloggers, and I attended my first author signing event (*nerves*). I have nothing but positive things to say. Readers rock. Authors rock. The book community is a loving place to reside.

I'm not going to go on and on because I COULD (writer, remember?), but I do want to thank you for celebrating with me. I appreciate each and every one of you. Have fun, play along. I'm planning to share a lot about me, and I hope you'll do the same because that's what friends do.

You'll find videos on my YouTube channel (it's shockingly bare right now, but I have plans to grow it, especially this month), images on Instagram, and updates on Facebook and Twitter. Like, comment and share to your hearts content. Spread the love and you might just win a prize in the process.

Now to the fun stuff...
The first thing I'm going to share is where I write. Well, this is where I write MOST of the time. I also have a super tiny Netbook, and sometimes after sitting at my desk all day at work (yes, I do have a day job), I just cannot sit in another desk chair. On those nights, I curl up on the couch, squint at the little screen, and type away. Occasionally, I resort to pen and paper, but my preference is to type. I have a better chance of keeping up with my thoughts that way. So, here it is, my desk. Read the caption, and see if you can figure me out. ;-)

Last, but not least, the giveaway.
This will run all month long, so feel free to come back. Many things can be entered more than once. There will be three grand prizes, which I announced in my first video here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway