Christmas Drawing!

Since this is Christmas week, I wanted to have a giveaway! If you're interested in winning one of FIVE ecopies of The Rapture of Avery Maye, it's on my Facbook Author page! https://www.facebook.com/emavolfauthor

Also, several author friends of mine (including my amazing boss-lady, Cat Miller) had a special surprise for everyone! Check it out!

Tragedies

The big talk right now is about the tragedy at Sandy Hook in Newton, Connecticut. This is one of those things that we will probably remember for most of our lives. Unfortunately, the shooter is the one that will be remembered most. In situations like these, the killers usually are remembered for being monsters. Personally, these are the ones that I will be remembering, as I believe we should hold onto love instead of hate:

I've seen countless posts around the internet about this event. Gun control, mainly. Politics. I don't believe that these are what we should be focusing on right now. Sure, we should look at the political side (gun control, mental health, etc). But we need to wait until the smoke clears some. We need to focus on other things instead.

There are 27 innocent victims who will never take another breath. Their lives were cut far too short. These are the dead we need to put in our prayers and memories.

There are husbands, who waited for their wives to come home. Boyfriends, who had amazing dates planned. Those wives and girlfriends can never show up. There are sisters and brothers, who will never be able to hug their siblings again. There are parents who saved up for weeks and months for that all the toys that their little angels wanted for Christmas. Those kids won't ever come home to open them. There are friends and coworkers that lost people they care very deeply about. Just as tragic, but less frequently thought or cared about, there is a whole family that lost two of their family members. They now have to learn to cope with the fact that one of those family members killed the other before killing twenty VERY young children and six more adults, and the whole world is now looking on them (both their deceased family members and the family itself) with little but contempt and blame. All of these people now have funerals to plan and attend. These are the living that we should be focusing on.

On December 14, when this happened, I was sitting at my son's school. I was waiting for his teachers to get back from lunch, so we could discuss his test results and his IEP for the school year. It took every ounce of restraint I had to not go visit his classroom just to reassure myself that he was okay and give him a huge hug. I knew that a change in routine could throw off his whole day, and I needed time to calm down, anyways.

I saved that hug for the moment he stepped off the bus. Later that night, we had a talk about what happened. I believe he should be aware of what's going on in the world around him, good and bad. I think he should be aware of steps he could take, should (God forbid) this sort of thing happen at his own school. As much as I would love to shelter him from everything, I think he needs to be prepared for that day when I'm not there to shelter him anymore. Right now, I don't think he understands much more than the fact that there are little kids who won't see their mommies and daddies. But for a seven-year-old, that's still pretty good.

As he gets older and understands more the bigger picture of these tragedies, I want him to remember those lost. I want him to remember that those who took lives had families too, and those families deserve the same respect as the families of the victims. I want him to know that there is a time and place for everything, and not all politics need to be brought up immediately after the fact. It's okay to give people time to grieve.

It's that time of year again!

It's the time of year when we break out the pretty decorations! I have my own girly Christmas tree for my bedroom, and a large family tree in the living room.

Our whole family bought new ornaments last year. I chose purple. My husband chose blue. My son chose silver. The random odd-colored ornaments are personal ornaments. We have a tradition in the house where each member of the family picks out one new ornament a year. The black one in the center near the top with the white snowman is an ornament my son finger-painted in therapy last year.

My cat has assumed her usual position underneath it, where she will remain until whenever it is that we take it down. She will leave only to eat and use her box.

My son's Elf on the Shelf (oddly named Ps [pronounced "peas"]) has been moving around our living room. I'm pretty sure the little bugger feeds on souls (I mean seriously ... Just look at that face!), but my son seems to enjoy him. Although, I have to admit that he's pretty cute. I like old-looking dolls for some reason. They're almost always a bit creepy, but there's a certain lovable aspect to them that's hard to place. Perhaps it's because their design is so simple, when everything else seems to get more complicated as I age. *Shrugs*

Unexpected Writing Lessons

Sometimes, when you're stuck when writing in Word or similar program, you can pick up a good, old-fashioned pen and paper and have better results.

Breed of Love - A Prequel Novelette by Jason Ellis

So, I was given the opportunity to read Breed of Love by Jason Ellis. It's a prequel to And the Statue Cried with Sadness, which hasn't been released yet, but I'll make sure to let you know when it does..

First, I would like to say that this is very, VERY different for Jason Ellis. Generally, his books are lighter and happier. This one is pretty dark.

Next, I'd like to say that it's definitely not a bad thing. I think I like this darker side of his. Though I'd be afraid to wade around in it too long ...

In this short novelette, we're given a fascinating take on what happens after death, that really catches your attention. It's different and refreshing ... and a bit terrifying ... It certainly makes you wonder what's really hiding in the shadows ...

This is a fantastic prequel that has me wishing the next book were out already. I can already tell it's going to be fantastic, and I need to see more.