Free Print book giveaways! First up, The Ulfric's Mate

 

 

 

Hi!! Well, guess what? I've been a busy girl! I've done loads of things, from finishing a fancy dress that needs a fitting, 

 

 

 to finishing a super secret painting job,

(no, this is not the secret painting job. Just how thick do you think I am?!) *the above is painted with left over paints from the super secret job*, to putting out new books, to dealing with the over 100 degree heat with no air conditioner, and trying to replant my container garden which a neighbor kid destroyed, on top of health issues and physical therapy, let's just say my brain is a massive puddle of icky, sticky goo! Honestly, I'm trying to write! I had planned to have three shorts and panthers finished last month. Now it looks as if I'll have to do a major push to get it finished this month! Also, I had planned to do more blogging. Does it count that I did a few in my head? It's more than I was doing before LOL

Now, for the big deal. You have two days left to enter the Goodreads giveaway! This is for a print book, people! And, better yet, this one is open to GB, US, and CA!!!! So fly, my pretties! Add your name to the drop!

As you can see, although my amount of words have not been gratifying, I have been busy finding review quotes, getting print covers, setting up blog tours, marketing, etc for my writing. While all of this is a necessary evil (except getting the covers!! I love getting covers :D), and has to do with writing even, it does not fill the part of me that wants to be writing grand adventures and getting the world to read! Nor does it provide my brain with the outlet for the million and one worlds and people floating through it's head. I must get back to writing. I have it on my list now. Oh, what lists? Well see, I've started making lists. And they helped me through the horrific health issues this time. And though I still had bad side effects, I did much better! It also took less time to recover and become productive! I am a list making fool now! Watch out ;) World Domination in progress.

Now, since I haven't quite accomplished that bit, will you please enter and/or go buy your copy of the paperback, or, for the price of a good mocha, get your ebook here.

Anyway, time for me to go! Good luck :)

My repertoire of online presence :)

Time to update all the ways you can stalk follow me :) I have a website where I post some free writing (I know! I'm behind. Haven't posted free stuff in a while and not enough posts!) and updates. It's more formal than my blog as I go on and on adnaseum on my blog :D LOL but then it is about the road to publishing (and after!) as a wife and mother :D so, ANYWAYS.

Here is my FB author page to follow me as an author and I have a bookmark giveaway. Have spent last few days with SOMEBODY, including me, sick. Hopefully will get the bookmarks made :D Or could give them the ones I already have made...

I have my artwork here. It's how I make a little money to try and support my family, especially with all of our medical bills. It's also a great compliment to my writing as I've mentioned a few times... :P

And soon, very very soon, I'll be on this website :D It's my publisher and they have some awesome talent there! Writers, editors, artists, it's amazing. They're wonderful people who really care about their authors. They have m/m and f/f and interracial romances as well. And more than a token selection. Go support them. And trust me, when my book comes, you'll see it :D
Also, on twitter @L_Bushman you'll find me bitching, witching, and stitching. :D I go on about EVERYTHING on there LOL

Whew. I think that about covers it...oh wait. I'm on Goodreads, LinkedIn and Tumbler too. Idk where or how to get to those though :P LOL I finally caved and did them cuz too many of my peeps were on there, but it's just too much trying to keep up with all the sites.

Ta ta for now ;D

So, started running just over two weeks ago. My first run was for 1.2 miles in 32 minutes. I was quite pleased :) I didn't think I could go a mile! It's actually run/walk couch potato to 5k in 8 weeks program. My CP Partner, and now my running partner :D, and I are doing it in 16 weeks. I caught her at the tail end of week one so mine will be 15 weeks. But this gives me time to strengthen my lungs, which is working!

Yesterday, I did 2.4 miles in 30.34 minutes :)) I thought I'd plateaued at 2.2 which I'd done by 3rd run (I've done 7 runs, 3 of them 2.2 miles) Quite pleased. I also dragged my 11yo along. He did about 1.3 miles :) I run about 1/2 mile from house and back, then run the rest on the block next to my house. Drives the dogs crazy :)

I've been supplementing my running with walks, sometimes at places like costco, sometimes at a park with the kids, whatever it takes, to get a little walking in. I'm also doing pretty hard core yard work. I have to move and condition my soil before planting. So, on top of the planting, I have to shovel dirt, carry heavy bags, rototill, etc. After planting, there's the upkeep of weeding, watering, fertilizing, and squeeing over the seedlings popping through :D

I'm digging a fire pit (one of the places I'm getting dirt from for the low areas) and taking ashes off of old fire area which has built up to a hill, which I'm using to help condition the soil as well. In some places in my yard, not even weeds are growing. Sawdust and ash and potting soil :) Wish I could afford peat moss. Sigh. But it's a start and it's what I've been doing and the area that has gotten treatment both years, was rich this year :D I'm getting somewhere YAY!!

My 8yo is my garden partner, although lately, he's more interested in playing games, but he helped plant the garlic :) and he's helped in other areas. It's so much fun seeing all the plants in our yard :) It's the most I've seen in this yard in years. There were some major flooding of the canal near us about 7 years ago? I'm not sure of the exact time, but it destroyed the grass. Ever since, the yard has slowly deterioated. But now, NOW, I've taken it back! LOL with the help of my kids. My husband, with my help and some from Patrick when I'm busy, (and even a little from Josh when it was first started ') is putting up our fence! He did like 50 ft yesterday  :) The hardest part is digging holes (which the neighbor helped do one yesterday LOL) which I've been helping with the most. We're over halway done. It's hard cuz we can only do it on Nate's days off. But it looks incredible!!

I just had an epiphany. One of my sick boys called me (yes, this will round it out to all three, the 3yo having passed it along and sharing so nice ;P) as I left the room, one of my almost finished paintings caught my eye. As I was writing the post, I'd intended on mentioning how I'm editing since my writing creativity has been hard to find lately. I don't let that stop me, hence the editing. It's actually a good time to edit for grammar.

However, as I stared at that unfinished painting my brain went, "Doh!" See, I've not been paying attention to the painter in me SCREAMING for release. I've only a few canvases and I'm afraid of being out completely. An artist friend, awesome painter Russ Potak, told me that is the wrong way! Paint, paint, paint. Use paper, etc. I'd listened and thought I would soon as I could. Instead, I need to just do it. It's what's holding up my writing side. I've already discovered that the one suffers if I don't do the other. Today would be good day to paint as I'm not feeling great and the boys aren't feeling great. No hardwork allowed today. We'll see if I can get things set up.

Maybe I'll just draw. Oil paints doesn't lend itself well to paper. At. All. Whatever. I need to do something for that part of me so I can replenish and refuel. I know better. Grrr. Wonder how many thousands of words have been balled up because I didn't release my screaming painter? LOL

How many of you do that? Know you need to do something for best results (ie rest, sleep, etc) but don't cuz you have too much to do? We all need to remember to rest our brains the way they need it or our creativity suffers for it :)

Days 22&23

I know, I know were at day 25. I've been trying to avoid my blog.

We hatez the new google look. We hatez it precious.

But I knew the pics I was going to take. The same day it said plant a veg, I had planted lettuce in pot for indoors. The night before it said last t hing you bought, I'd actually bought something purty, instead of food.

 I earned a little money from Mary Kay. Most went to food and gas, but I did pull some out for beading needles I needed to finish a couple projects, then these items were clearanced out! The earrings I made, but the fleur de lis parts I bought with the other items, did a little bead drop, put them on fish hooks and voila! LOL I'll wear them for author photos. I keep calling them author photos cuz I need them for everything for official bios, etc. :) The crown piece I'm trying to make into a necklace with metal crochet & beads and stuff. I'm not so sure about it. We'll see what it looks like when done. I may have to start over.

The last three are from my lettuce I've planted in a pot indoors. I really like these photos. In fact, may have to paint them...with what money, I don't know. I don't need them for my writing...unless I get a commission for them? LOL

But part of why I like them is they were a gift. The other part, is they are life. I love seeing spring burst forth from the ground. I love growing things. Love even more the growing of things that will provide sustenance for my family. My yard is AWESOME. Compared to last year when I was uber busy elsewhere during this time, it's a freaking show place LOL I have little gardens all over the place, but mostly in front and back of the short ends of our double wide mobil home :D
I have lettuce/peas, etc in place that is shaded from afternoon sun and corn and toms where they'll get the afternoon sun.

Also, our fence is more than halfway done!! Well, length wise. I think we're going to have a little bit of a snafu when we put the driveway gate in. I know we need to buy hinges. or something LOL But it looks so good! I planted a couple beef steak toms and a corn stalk in one corner and will add a few other edible items as well. Trying to make that corner pleasing to the eye. We aren't going to have money to landscape much, but I'm trying to keep the weeds down and raise food for canning, etc.

As for writing, I finished my sort of secret project and am awaiting, biting nails, for the result. And did I mention I finished first round edits on the anthology submission for Breathless Press? I'm pretty sure I did, but just in case :)

I've had a VERY bad weekend. I had a bait and switch type thing pulled on me. A couple of people I know that were/are friends of my elder children came over. One asked to use the bathroom. I said no (he lives about a block away). He asked if Patrick (10yo) was here, I said no. Then he left suppsoedly to go to the bathroom at his house and the girl talked to me. About 15 min later she gets calls from male and leaves. Nate comes home less than 5 min after they leave. Told me he had said hi to them ( had pictured drive by hi's, turned out they were in the guy's yard and Nate said hi, after he said he was leaving to get pop, they hightail it to my house? Ask to use the bathroom? What the F ever) A couple hours later go to use the xbox and controllers and all our games are gone. My husband had set the controllers up when he put on his shoes to leave. This guy is still trying to deny it? Seriously? We went to pawn shops and through some miscommunication on my and Nate's part didn't get the sheriff's report filed. Which is fine, cuz we've discovered movies missing out of back bedroom where he likely climbed in the window, then out the back door which had previously been locked but was onlocked later despite our not using it. (there are no steps--another thing we need to build--so it rarely gets used by us.) Be better to have the list complete. I can't remember which movies had been out and which ones were on the same shelf as the games or were mixed in with the games or in Patrick's room where he watches movies sometimes. So hopefully, we've got a closer list now and can take it to police.

Then some other personal family stuff has come up and I'm tired of people accusing me of the things they spent their lifetime doing to me. So, I've had to let a couple family members go. The one doing it and the ones believing it. Honestly, if they knew me at all, they would know better. I am who I am. I don't pretend to be someone else in front of people. I yell, I bitch, I curse, I defend myself, I don't care who's around. I mean, I do use some discretion. I don't walk into a library and start yelling, or visit a church and start cursing, but that's called respect and decorum.

But, if someone's in my house, or I'm in a store, and my child is disrescpectful, she's going to get called on it. And the people who know me, should know, I don't play BS games. I don't do the manipulation cards, etc. If they don't see that by now, I can spend no more energy on them.

I'm writing (yay!) gardening, and soon, will paint more. On top of that, I have 3 boys still at home who need my attention and not to be sending it out to people who are like that anyway. I love my boys and they bring smiles to my face even as I'm exasperated. All this happened at a really bad time as today is the 2nd anniversary of my brother's death. Maybe that's why I'm ready to let go of people who are willing to treat me bad? Maybe.

So, focusing on happier, healthier things, and spring cleaning in all areas of life! I miss my Timmy Luke, but he taught me to live life to the fullest. I plan on doing just that!

Day 16

I know. Where's 15. Lord knows. LOL The 15th was sunset day and I STILL HAVEN'T GOT A SUNSET even though I thought that day was like DAYS ago LOL Just to prove I have taken a picture of a sunset, which is kind of an entry ritual into becoming even an amateur photogropher, I'm posting an old one:

Ocean Shores, WA

 My husband and I went to Mercer Island for a work thing for me and we decided, hey, let's go to Ocean Shores...we arrived just about sunset. It was beautiful. I don't have all of the pics I took then posted here. A couple I don't plan on selling as prints, but may end up painting. We'll see. I offer one of the other one's for sale from my Etsy shop. Which reminds me, I'd better check if it's still listed. :/

A painting by me.

Well, today's assignment was a flower. So I took a pic of the first O'keefe inspired painting I ever did. :D We had just finished a section which included O'keefe in art class. That was when I made a big jump in my art skills. She speaks to me. Apparently it was noticeable, since my professor asked, "So, how long you been channeling Georgia?" LOL He'd taught me off and on over the years as I could afford the class. I'd like to take another class from him. Indepnedent Study. Le sigh.

Anyway, I love this style of painting. I'm not sure why, but I do. This was done with a pallette knife exclusively. My first for that as well. I'd used it in bits and pieces before this. But not exclusively. Tomorrow's assignment is easy--too easy. There's going to be too many choices and I'll end up freezing not sure what to choose.

I'm writing. *thunderous applause* yay!! got over my uncertainty, then lost my rhythm, but found my rythym again!! Yay!! so, between yardwork and backpain, I'll be plugging away and getting not only edits, but writing done!! Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. :D I love finding my writing groove!

I know, I forgot.

I forgot to blog yesterday. However, my goal is 3-5x a week, so I'm still good. I finished the first installment of the Traincoach of Death series (a mystery). It'll need editing, I'm sure, but I love the new world. Imagine if Great Britian won the Revolutionary War, or it would be known as the American Rebellion :D or some such thing. things would progress similarly as they took over this part, but maybe they would have conquered Mexico? I don't know. I haven't decided how far reaching they are in my alternate world. But one thing that's changed...We never made cars. It's all by rail or horses. But we have personal rail cars, called Traincoaches, which work much like our vehicles of today, except they run on rails.

I've been quite fascinated with it, ever since I had a dream set in such a world. I hope others are as fascinated as I am :D Now, I'm getting down and serious on finishing up Dangerous Journey (fantasy set in the world of Splintered Lands, as I've mentioned ad naseum lol)  :D Hopefully before the next set of edits on my paranormal romance, The Ulfric's Mate, get's back to me, or the Barely There edits from the anthology Ravaged, comes back to me.

Oh dear, have I confused you yet? LOL Yes, I have a TON of writing going on, and the best part? ALL of it is paid writing gigs :D *dances* *looks around* Ahem, excuse me, I'm just a bit excited over the whole thing! lol However, this pantster had to put her foot in the door of a plotter (I used to work in an office, I do know HOW to organize) and make files for everything (thank God we have a filing cabinet in the house now!) and make character cards, labeling the series and books each character has appeared in. *Shudder*

It was necessary.

In other news, we've been rearranging things and I'm going to have a painting space again :) I'm so excited I can barely keep the squeees from coming out LOL I've said it before, but I need to paint AND write. One helps the other. They are simbiotic with me. If I don't do both, they both suffer for it. I've been living vicariously through my good artist friend Russ Potak (who really is amazing. I may try to get him to interview here for me someday. I'm in love with his work. I can't get enough of it :) and looking at other art things when I can. As my old professor used to say: YOU CANNOT CREATE IN A VACCUUM!

Okay, soap box done for the day. I won't even go on about how that applies to writers as well and the need to READ...Oh wait, I just did *G* Consider it my PSA for the day.

Now, off to do more writing, reading, and organizing while dreaming about painting!

Nano

LOL well, days 3, 4, 5, 6 went really well! Since I'd only done 400 the first day, it took some doing to get my average over 3k!! but I did it :) Day 7 now, and I've finished 800 of the 3k I wanted, but my total word count is 22,351!! A personal best, I think! I worked today so I'm fighting brain-stuck-on-dead-tired disease. I'm losing :P

Had really good write in via twitter with some pubwrite friends!! Loads of fun. ;)

Now trying to find gumption fo finish my minimums for today. Work seems to just take it all out of me. But I won't let work win!!!

I also need to figure out how to work some art time in...getting a hankering to do more than a little...these are the kind of moods that produce three to four paintings at a time :)

I also have to find a couch or two, an electric or wood fireplace and a car...we'll have like -$400 so pbbbttt lol

So back to writing and painting.and being a parent.

Happy Day

Happy Day! I'm having a day off of the day job! not even working from home :D yeah! so today is cleaning, painting, writing, editing day. And planning for NaNoWriMo. Yep, it's that time of year again!

I'll be pushing my post from last year regarding Nano and ways to prepare. This year, with no fudge room cuz of my day job, I'm going to have to really do as I say! No slacking for this girl. I've got a couple of ideas now. One is a sequel, but problem is, I've lost my mojo for that one. Part of it's the romance. See what happened, when I planned the series, one of the characters were supposed to fall in love with x, then y came along and screwed everything up! I haven't adjusted for it yet.

Then there's this sci-fi sequel I need to do for Piza Seven, then there's these 2 other sci-fi books I've started/written down based on dreams of mine (that's how Rebellion on Piza 7 started! Which, incidently, you can get here at Barnes and Noble in hardback.)

Then there's this other story creeping around in my mind, in the dark, the cold, that wants to see the light. Even though all those other stories are more thought out with definitive boundries and goals in mind, I know me. I'll be willing to bet it's this creepy one running through my head that gets written. I've never written a full length true horror before. I've written horrific elements, mostly ones that I delete out of my books, but, not a horror story. Although, I did write a short that's available on my website. I started a full length novel, lost it, and now this other one is brushing at my consciousness. Maybe it'll take form, maybe it won't. But needless to say, I have plenty of ideas going into NaNoWriMo!

and in other news, we were able to go to the fair. I think it's the first fun tangible thing we've been able to do as a direct result of the extra income I've brought in. We got away with 10 hours of fun and food for five people for under 200! With the prices of the fair food, I find this nothing short of amazing. :P

I missed the demotion derby because my 2yo was cranky. So I put him back in the stroller and left. We went to the building with all the quilts and crossstitch and crochet and he fell asleep. I then went to the ag building which is where they have the art and photos. Next year, I'm getting my arse of the ground and getting my pics in. Biggest problem is the artwork has to be framed. In the amateur category I fall in, I have a really good chance of winning AND it gives us free tickets into the fair. So over the next year I'm going to take advantage of any huge framing sales if the stuff at work pans out.

In the meantime, I have to get back to my painting, writing, cleaning :D

Camping, mostly personal stuff

Well, an overnight camp stay with inlaws turned into four days. Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. It was quite eventful. A second cousin, niece, something or other relation wasn't feeling well, so Sunday my MIL and I take them back in her beautiful wonderful 25 mpg suv type vehicle.

We drop off girls, stop at my house to get medicine bag we'd forgotten to put in the car, fed the dogs more food as the neighbor dogs keep eating all my dogs' food, and went to safeway to get creamer. My MIL went in by herself and I put my nearly dead phone in my backpack regretting that I still hadn't found the charger when we'd stopped at the house.

She comes out, throws the creamer in the trunk and heads back to the driver's side. She collapses out of my sight with a sudden short "ah" and I jump out of the car and head to the driver's side. She was down. She'd hurt her ankle, twisting it when she'd tried to walk along the curb of the manicured little bark garden area. She'd scraped her leg on the other side. I looked around, but no one was in sight. I walk briskly into the store, (no running. My MIL and I often joke how I could be her natural daughter) and the first person I see is a Safeway worker, presumably on break as he's buying lotto tickets, and tell him my mom's been injured and I need ice and first aid kit. (Former EMT. I'm making my wishes known politely but with no nonsense.) I saw the words on his tongue, almost literally as he starts to tell me he's on break then processes what I've said and heads straight to a manager.

Anyways, the manager hands me a first aid kit, then comes out a few minutes later with the requested ice. I do a quick clean with the antiseptic wipe, put on the antibiotic cream, and applied the gauze with minimal tape because according to her she was fine. We were still heading to her house so she could shower, where I'd re-apply it more tightly.

Anyways, after much info gathering by manager and one more stop, she finally tells me she thought she heard a snap and we needed to go to hospital. I told her what for and drove to the hospital. Looking at it I was pretty sure it was broken. The nurse and doctor also thought it was broken. It's not, thank goodness. Unless the radiologist looks at it and overrides the ER info. Anyway, I was really glad I hadn't stayed home like I'd been thinking about. I'd changed my mind and am still grateful for that. So many factors had come into play to make that possible.

First, we went up one day early, second I decided to go with her because I'd forgotten the mediciane bag, plus I didn't feel well, and third, I chose not to stay home.

While in the ER she hands me her debit card and told me to do the rest of the errands because she was going camping. period. We were going back up. So I left, turned on my nearly dead phone to keep contact with her. I went home to get the hot dogs and buns my husband requested and find my darn charger. I found the charger and put the phone on it while I gathered other stuff, bread, nutella, odds and ends and put it in the car. took the charger and phone, gave the dogs more food since I was there, and went to do the other errands.

By the time I got back to the hospital, she was nearly finished. Her leg was in an air cast and I was relieved it wasn't broke. You should've seen it. Malformed and purple and very painful looking.

Anyways, I finally get her back to camp where we all waited on her hand and foot. And during the down time, I look up my emails. I have facebook message from my daughter re her bf and my tweets. I haven't said much of anything in weeks. She's bipolar and her bf was diagnosed with bipolar, but he's in denial. Needless to say, drama ensued. I finally had to tell her, I wouldn't be responding to any tweets, comments, messages regarding her bf nor any attacks on me. He has her convinced that her dad, stepdad and I are all lying and turned against her bf for no reason and doesn't believe us regarding his actions while she was on her death bed. I've pretty much kept the info on that down to a minimum to keep the drama down, but all that did was open it up for him to continue to lie to her. She chose to believe him.

The whole time I'm trying to talk to her, I'm holding the charger in my phone cuz it's not charging. IN the middle of a conversation with her, it dies. I try to get the charger to work and while I was taking it out, the main piece of it broke in half. The weirdest thing ever. So I had to wait a full day. I messaged her. Hopefully, it'll be the end of the drama. I can hope.

I have so much going on. I spent a month and a half practically living at the hospital for her and I have a lot to make up even now, a month later. I'm behind in my writing, I have painting, etsy, kids, homeschooling (yes, due to the thing with my daughter, we were a little bahind on hours. Doing school until August, I think) and more writing and artwork for zombie things, photoshop to learn more of, etc. I have too much to do to give a rats, uh, yeah, you get my point. I don't have time for the drama.

We stayed an extra night than we'd planned cuz I wanted to make sure mom felt better and came home so my husband could go to rehearsal. Now, I've caught up with my networking sans the blog reading. I'll probably never get caught up completely, did some writing, and wrote on my website, made some executive decisions, and now, posting the blog :) Hopefully, I'll be able to get more done when Husband gets home and eats.

That about updates the mom/wife part of the recent journey in writing :) A little teaser, I shall be self wpublishing soon. I've even decided which one to do first. Maybe. LOL I have too that are very close to ready, it'll be a hard call. After I finish the paranormal rewrite, I'll decide.

So, hopefully, you all are getting caught up/ahead and are able to find some balance with your home and writing/artist life :D Off I go to make Stroganoff...mmmmm

Help, please.

As you all know, April really sucked. Mays looking to head that way. I have started an Etsy shop to help defer costs and to help my family.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LBushmanStudios?ref=pr_shop_more

If there's something there you want a smaller size of or any of them in laminated ACEO's etc. then email or twitter me and I'll be happy to accomadate you. Thanks.

Ashley has another clot in her other leg. it's running from her ankle to her knees. They don't know what to do about preventing it and the Vascular surgeon is being called back in. The blood thinners caused the brain bleed before her blood was at the right levels and without them, she clots up. They used the forced massages on her legs and she still clotted up.

They are talking of sending her to seattle again. It's a long trip from here and can't be made on a daily basis.

so any help is good. Thanks for all your support and prayers.

New design-sort of :D

There, I managed to pretty-fy my blog. This is a pic, digitally remastered *snicker* to undo the "white spot" from the camera's flash lol.

It is pretty close to the actual painting, which is huge. i have to get out my measuring tape and measure it next time I go visit my daughter who has claimed it :D

I write. I have made it my career. But I also paint. It is my stress release. It is how I meditate. How I center myself. Speaking of, it is WAY past time for a painting binge. *G*

I will be adding bits and pieces of artwork to blog over next couple of weeks, trying to make my blog a little more visually interesting.

Feel free to comment on any artwork you see. Or on any excerpt from my writing that I put up. I put it out there, that makes it fair game, from my POV.

What do you do to help you relax?