Announcement!!!

It's official!

The Line That Divides will be available

at Deseret Book stores November 2014.

Published by Walnut Springs Press.

Procrastination: The art of not doing anything and still looking busy.

Sometimes I'm all into my writing and sometimes I don't want to write at all.

Sometimes I'm focused on reading and can finish several books in a few days and sometimes I don't want to read anything ever again.

Today...well let's just say that my Sudoku game is looking more and more appealing.

I'm in total procrastination mode now.

Grrr.

I think the behavior of some of my characters is annoying me and I'm tired of dealing with them.

Hmmm.

She's Back!!!!

I know I keep saying I'm busy, but it is definitely the truth. I have been busy writing and editing and writing some more. I'm loving flying out of Portland right now and I hope to be able to continue to do just that for a while.

Right now I'm off work because of an on the job injury. I fell out of the hotel shuttle van at the airport. Yes, I'm serious. Yes, I'm totally humiliated. Yes, I hurt. :) My foot slipped off the runner board of the van and I caught myself with my right arm. In the process I twisted my right ankle, knee, jammed my hip into the floor of the van and wrenched my right shoulder and strained my right wrist and thumb. I'm currently in physical therapy doing stretches and trying to get the muscles to chill out and relax. Hopefully I'll be back to work next week. At least that's the plan.

I've also been reading a ton. I saw the movie Beautiful Creatures and decided to read the books. Not bad.


Read all the Heroes of Olympus books and am now waiting for the last one.



Finished The Selection series and a stand alone by the same author that I loved called The Siren. I highly recommend that one.

I read the Maze Runner series,






and finally got to Inheritance. Now I'm wanting to get back to working on more writing and editing. Lots of ideas running around in my mind.







For those of you who would like to read some more of my stuff, I have been posting chapters of the first book in my fantasy trilogy, The Seeress and the Stone on my hubpages account. I have 15 chapters posted so far. Feel free to check it out.

I'm hoping in the near future to have actual published books to tell about, but we're not there quite yet. I am setting a goal to write here a little more often or at least to post things. I've been rusty with my Dear Editors and hopefully will be gaining some inspiration soon.

Have a great day!!!

A Writer's World Is Always In Upheaval

Yep, that should just about cover everything that has happened over the last few months and I'm not even talking about the insanity of the holiday season. As usual, though, with the onset of insanity comes incredible blessings and opportunities.

I have been working feverishly on the Storm books trying to get them ready for the upcoming writing conference in February and I am hoping and praying that something good will come of this conference. If not, then I am prepared to head in a different direction.

Overall, I have been very blessed during the last few months. I now have a place to live, work is going well, and my imagination doesn't seem to be running out of things to bring into existence. I look forward to the new year with satisfaction and eagerness at what lies in my path.

Happy New Year!!!

Dear Editor

Dear Fire

Well you are finished. I know the ending is not what you'd like, but what did you expect? Seriously. We all knew how this was going to end.

Grieving with you,
Storm

Dear Serial Comma,

Why oh why can't I remember to add that last comma to my list. I'm fairly certain my editor has a permanent comment for whenever she discovers you. Let's try and get it together, shall we?

Sincerely,
Writer




Dear Dryads,

I'm planning on visiting today so get ready to rock. I have finished with the Fire, but I'm a little depressed so be ready for some tough times.

Sincerely,
Magical Anticipation

Dear Editor,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are making the Storm so good. I don't even mind the painfully large number of yellow boxes that accompany each edit. You rock!

Thank you,

Dear Knights in Shining Armor,

I have to say that I totally appreciate your love and adoration of my heroins. You gentlemen really do make their lives easier, even though sometimes it is harder to love you than not. Thank you for possessing chivalry, being passionate about your feelings for my ladies, striving to work hard and be the kind of providers and protectors that they can always love, and yet still being real. You are all truly men!

Romantically Yours,
Lady in Waiting

The Windows of Heaven

So I just read and listened to this absolutely amazing talk from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints General Conference. The talk was given by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It is titled The Windows of Heaven.

This was a beautiful reminder of the value and blessings of paying tithing and a reminder that the Lord uses the tithing of his people to bless the Church, but it is used in inspired ways.

I guess what really struck me about this article is how Elder Bednar spoke of the blessings we receive from paying our tithing faithfully. We are promised if we:

 10  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11  And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

12  And all nations shall call you blesses: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 3:10-12

But Elder Bednar emphasized that though we may receive spiritual and temporal blessings they are not always in the ways that we expect.  "We may need and pray for help to find suitable employment. Eyes and ears of faith are needed, however to recognize the spiritual gift of enhanced discernment that can empower us to identify job opportunities that many other people might overlook--or the blessing of greater personal determination to search harder and longer for a position than other people may be able or willing to do. We might want and expect a job offer, but the blessing that comes to us through heavenly windows may be greater capacity to act and change our own circumstances rather than expecting our circumstances to be changed by someone or something else.

"We may appropriately desire and work to receive a pay raise in our employment to better provide the necessities of life. Eyes and ears of faith are required, however, to notice in us an increased spiritual and temporal capacity to do more with less, a keener ability to prioritize and simplify, and an enhanced ability to take proper care of the material possessions we already have acquired. We might want and expect a larger paycheck, but the blessing that comes to us through heavenly windows may be greater capacity to change our own circumstances rather than expecting our circumstances to be changed by someone or something else."

These words have struck me with such a feeling of truth and power that makes me want to change the way I look at the blessings I receive from paying my tithing. I must actively search for how the Lord has blessed me instead of focusing on what I don't have or appear to have and find the "greater capacity to change [my own] circumstances."

I encourage everyone to read this talk as it will inspire and uplift and hopefully encourage us to look for the blessings and make positive changes in our lives accordingly.

Finished!!!!

Yeah!!!! I finally finished the Fire prequel series. I feel so free and happy. It's done...obviously not thoroughly edited...but it's done. Now I can finally focus on other projects that have been begging for my attention. I can finally finish with the dryads and let their story be told.

Oh the joy that comes with finishing a book. I can hardly say. Hopefully someday soon my readers will be able to read all about the Storm and the Fire.

Happy day!!!

A Comedy of Errors Makes for an Interesting Day

This was my very interesting morning.

A Comedy of Errors Makes for an Interesting Day

The World Needs Pioneers Today

I totally love this article I read yesterday and I can't help but want to shout it to everyone I know, so the best way for me to shout it is to post it here and hope that my readers will enjoy it as much as I did and work to create a better world one step at a time.

The World Needs Pioneers Today

Dear Editor

Dear Editor,

It took me a while to not be upset and frustrated. It's good that we made it all the way to chapter 12 before this happened and of course after some serious thought, contemplation, frustration, more contemplation, and a bunch of other emotions I have come to the conclusion that you are right, mostly. Hopefully we will be on the same page after you review what I rewrote and edited and rewrote again. 

Sigh,

Author

Dear Fire,

Okay, I know pushing you aside was the right thing to do while I tried to work on other things, but I have to admit that I am thoroughly enjoying working with you right now.

Cheers,

Writer

Dear Dryads,

I'm so sorry you have been shoved aside. I will return. I promise. Just as soon as I'm done burning.

Fiery Yours,

MMason

Dear Blog,

I know you've been neglected. Don't worry, so has everything else in my life.

Crazily busy,

Blogger