Thursday, November 29, 2012

Coming Unglued: A Mother's Journey into Hell

Norma Budden contacted me just a few minutes ago to let me know that her book, Coming Unglued: A Mother's Journey into Hell has finally been released on Amazon (Kindle) and Smashwords. I'm told the print will likely be coming soon. I know she and I have discussed this book previously, and it's one I've been looking forward to. It deals with a very, VERY tough subject: abuse.

I haven't read it yet, but I picked it up. I will definitely be taking a look. Naturally, I'll let you guys know what I think when I'm finished. In the meantime, you guys should take a look.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AF5EHHM
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/260179
So last night's disaster was mildly averted. My awesome, amazing, spectacular husband managed to fix the drive that Blood of Eirny was on. I did lose a few files, but nothing that can't be replaced. Most importantly, the Blood of Eirny file was restored, as was a non-Avery story that I've been working on. I was up very late last night backing everything up to three different places, so this mess doesn't happen again.

On the positive side, my risk for heart attack is very, VERY low. If there were a way to jump-start one, that whole mess would have done it.

Today's mail contained the copyright certificate for The Rapture of Avery Maye! It was a very exciting moment for me! I want to frame it!

In other news, I have a song stuck in my head.



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Short Letter to Avery

Dear Avery,

I'm writing you to tell you that I am extremely sorry. My USB drive died, and I lost at LEAST 4 of the chapters to Blood of Eirny, because I haven't backed them up yet. I will reread what I have to find out where I am and what you want me to tell people about your life. I will also make another copy and save it somewhere safe. This I promise. In the meantime, I think I'm going to have myself a little cry.

Sincerely,

Ema Volf
Your Beloved Author Friend

Friday, November 23, 2012

Here we go!

I have two pieces of big news!

The first piece: I am starting a new story! I'm not sure if it's a new series or just a separate book. I might even eventually tie it into Avery's world somehow. I haven't fully decided. Either way, it's going to be fun and I'm excited about it! It will be dealing more with demons than angels. It's still in the planning stages, but it won't take long for me to get started!

The second piece: I will be going to UtopYA next year! I won't have a booth or anything. I will be going as a fan. But I'm SO excited! I bought my ticket as soon as they became available tonight! I hope to see some of you there!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Melancholia: Inspiration for a difficult post.

I know I don't generally do reviews of movies. But this isn't quite a review, so you should read anyways. ;-)

I've watched Melancholia several times over the last few days. In fact, it's on as I write this. If you haven't heard about this movie, it's definitely worth a watch. It's definitely not the kind of movie that we see very often. Well, I don't anyways.

Despite what I'm going to tell you after this paragraph, I want to say that I really do love this movie. It's very different (as I said before), and it's fascinating. It mainly focuses on two sisters and their life just before (and during) a world-ending event. Literally. A rogue planet passing by and then eventually looping around and hitting Earth. It's obviously not a happy movie, but it's a beautiful and well-done movie. It has a fantastic cast (Helloooo Alexander Skarsgard ♥), and despite chunks of general inactivity, the story was great.

Now for the harder stuff.

This movie was extremely difficult for me to watch. Some movies are really uncomfortable at times, but this one really got to me and made me squirm in my chair.

The first reason for this is that I've had nightmares that involved me watching some planet/giant asteroid/etc smashing into Earth. Sometimes, that's where I woke up. Others, I couldn't wake up. Those were the most horrifying to be trapped in.

The second? This movie is one of the most honest portrayals of what heavy depression is like. One sister is "normal." The other has extreme melancholic depression.

Do you what it's like to have heavy depression? I'm not meaning there are days/weeks that you're just abnormally sad. I'm meaning full-blown debilitating depression. I have struggled with depression for most of my memorable life. Sometimes it's not so bad and I feel like I can handle it. Others ... Well ...

If you answered "no" to the above question, let me tell you what it's like, from my experience. Naturally, every case is different. But these are what I know for sure.

On good days, you're seemingly normal. On the outside. On the inside, you want to scream. You might have an excellent day, where you feel perfect and awesome. Those days are pretty few and far-between.

On bad days, you want to scream even louder. You might try to hide, but you do your best to pretend to be normal. Usually, you fail.

On the worst days ... Well, those are intense. These are days where you go through periods where you are unable to function. You can't eat, sleep, talk, get out of bed, or bathe yourself.

You go through days where it seems that no one understands what's going on. And most of them don't. "Cheer up emo kid." "It's not that bad." "You shouldn't let yourself get so upset." "There's nothing for you to cry about." "You're just making things harder on yourself." Any of these sound familiar? You will hear them constantly on your bad days. They make you want to go even further into hiding before you lash out. People think they're trying to help by saying these. Unfortunately, you won't see it that way. They really unintentionally make things worse on you. You'll either be angry at their words or you'll feel like a failure of a human being. Both of which are counter-productive feelings.

You try to find something that'll cheer you up. Usually, the more simplistic things help. Reading a book. Writing. Building things with Legos. Playing with modeling clay. Climbing a tree. Hanging out with a trusted friend. Spending time with your kids.

These don't always work. Some days are beyond the help of those.

Some days, it's hard to even function. Some days it's difficult or impossible to eat, sleep, talk, get out of bed, or even bathe.

Some days, everything is too intense for you to handle. Others, you feel so numb, you're not sure if you're still even alive. This is why some people start cutting. The bite of the blade feels less painful than your inner pain. And if you're bleeding then surely, you're still living. At least that's how you'll see it.

Socially ...

Well, some days it's hard to talk to anyone. You learn early on how to pick the friends who will stand by you even on the worst days. It's extremely important if you don't want to become completely anti-social, which might just make your depression worse.

Most days, things will be fine with your friends. But when you argue with them (as friends eventually do), you will take it worse than you otherwise would. Or you will drop them completely, because it's easier on you. But that inevitably makes your small circle that much smaller.

That's just what you think of other people. Would you like to hear what people think of you?

Usually they think you're bitchy and self-centered. They think you're lazy and unreliable. Most think you're weird, and very few think of "weird" as a complimentary term. Sometimes you're told that you're irritating and hated. A few of your own family members think you're on drugs. Even when you're not and have never used any in your life.

Some things will make you cry so easily. Some things will upset you to no end, but you won't be able to shed a single tear. People don't like either response. They think you're childish or uncaring.

You might seem extremely quiet and reserved. Everyone around you will think you just know everything, sometimes before it happens. You don't. You're just extremely observant. You watch everything around you so often that everything develops a pattern. People think it's weird for you to notice.

How do you think of yourself?

Well, that varies from person to person and day to day. You might contemplate suicide. You might not. You might have to fight with yourself to avoid committing homicide. You might not. As I said, it varies from person to person and day to day.

Generally speaking, you don't fear death. You might wish for it. You might just see it as a part of life and something that can't be avoided. You will cry at very few funerals, increasing that outside view of you being self-centered and heartless.

There will be times where you think that the moment you're in, if that were your last, it would be okay. They might be happy moments. They might be intense or painful moments.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. This is the type of depression portrayed in Melancholia.

So why am I telling you guys all about this? Awareness, really. Depression in its many forms is frighteningly common. Sometimes it's temporary. Sometimes, like mine, it's a lifelong struggle.

The likelihood that you can tell just by looking at someone? Pretty slim. Unless you know them extremely well. Even then, only that person knows how severe it is for them. It's different for everyone. Perhaps you shouldn't be so quick to judge.


A few links for both the movie and melancholic depression:
http://www.melancholiathemovie.com/ 
http://www.magpictures.com/melancholia 
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/the-different-faces-depression
http://www.livestrong.com/article/94893-melancholic-depression-symptoms/

A few small updates and things

So I've been busy with life lately, and haven't done nearly the updating that I had hoped. Sorry. :-(

I have also been doing some thinking on Blood of Eirny, book 2 in the Chronicles of Eirny. I will be adding another chapter when I go through my edits soon. I'm almost done with the first draft of the book! It's really exciting for me!

I was told (Yes, you read that correctly. LOL!) that I'm going to Utopya next year! I can't wait! Expect LOTS of pictures and things from there.

Blog updates ...

I added a few pages to the bar above. One of which contains the short story that I wrote for R&M's blog. I'm pretty proud of it and I want to show it off. :-)

I also have been trying REALLY hard to keep the progress meter on the right side of this page up to date. If you wonder where I'm at or what I'm working on writing, that would be a good place to check.

In other news ...

Jay Ellis is still running this contest! Also all the Amelia Maylock and Holly Silverstone books are currently 99 cents for Kindle! Make sure to check those out! He also just finished a novella called Breed of Love! It's on my to-read list for tomorrow, but expect a review soon!

Also, in tragedy of tragedies, Hostess is going out of business. And because my brain is incredibly messed up sometimes, this is the first thing I thought of. But I'm pleased to know that I'm not the only one.


I also got to mark "Buy a homeless guy a snack" off my bucket list the other day. He cried. I will be doing this again in the near future. It felt good to know that he had something to eat that day. I got nothing in return other than that knowledge. And I didn't care. Sometimes it's the little things that we take for granted that could really make someone else's day. There's a lot of hate going around after the elections. Lately, I wonder what it would be like if we spread random acts of kindness instead. Just a thought.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Waffles & Pancakes by Cindy Springsteen

I would like to post about two books by Cindy Springsteen today! They're both ADORABLE books with fantastic stories for children! My son and I both loved them!



This is a fantastic story about two boys and their hamsters! The illustrations are adorable and the story is cute! And it's a lesson about what friendship really means!



The adventures with the boys and their hamsters continues! It's a fantastic lesson about bullies for kids! The illustrations are just as adorable as the previous book, and the story is great!

Friday, November 9, 2012

R&M Guest Post!

Today, several of my characters and me took over R&M's blog! I hope you enjoy it! I had way more fun with it than I probably should have!

http://rmfabbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/ema-volfs-guest-post-interview-of.html

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Humbling Moments & Relief

Today was a HUGE day for the United States on so many levels. Today, President Obama was reelected for a second term. Colorado and Washington were the first states ever to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. Also, Maine and Maryland voted to allow and recognize gay marriage. Whether or not you agree with them or support them, you have to admit that they are HUGE.

Election Days are important to me.

Today, I waited almost 2 hours in line at my precinct. When it was my turn to head into the booth, one of the men helping explain the touch screens told me that I am awfully young, and he was surprised to see me there. His statement caught me a bit off-guard. I'm not sure he meant to sound this way, but it made me feel as if he questioned whether I really should be there.

First off, I'm getting far too close to 30 for comfort. I might look young, but I am old enough to be able to vote. It's not my fault that women in my family tend to look 10-20 years younger than they really are.

Second, it bothered me that it sounded as if he believed I should want be home (or anywhere else) doing other things, instead of waiting in line to voice my political opinion.

I told this man that countless men and women not only fought, but DIED, so that I could stand in that booth to make sure that my voice is heard in Washington. I feel like I owe it to them to be there. I want to make sure that their efforts were not wasted.

I told him that the 2 hours I spent in line, I spoke to the people around me. We didn't discuss the candidates, but we DID discuss the reasons we were there. The woman behind me was elderly. She could have been my grandmother. Her mother was part of the women's suffrage movement. Her mother made a stand in an attempt to change the country so that her daughter would be able to vote. The man in front of me was originally from India. He came over here as a small boy. He believes that as a US citizen, it is his duty to participate, and he felt privileged to be able to do it.

The man didn't say anything further.

But can you imagine being in the shoes of that man who stood in front of me or that woman who stood behind me? Or even that woman's mother? What a humbling moment for me! Hours in line, feet aching, boredom setting in ... It didn't seem to matter anymore. Just thinking about the people on either side of me and their stories really put it into perspective why I was there. It's also something that I'll be remembering from now on, especially every Election Day.

However, I have to admit that I am incredibly relieved that elections are over. I am ready to have non-political posts on my Facebook news feed. I am ready for my friends in opposing parties to stop bickering over important and not-so-important things. I am ready for plain old boring life.

I have to say, though, that the most important thing I've done today and this year is this:

Monday, November 5, 2012

Would you like a Kindle for your child's school?

I have some exciting news for you guys! Jason Ellis is an amazing author of books for teens and children! He is also having a drawing for one lucky US school's library to receive a kindle and one lucky kid to receive some awesome book goodies! If you would like to help your children enter, check the information below! I also have a flyer, if you would like to print one! Contact me (emavolfauthor@gmail.com or message my Facebook author page) or any of Jason's pages if you want the flyer or if you have any questions!

~*~   ~*~   ~*~   ~*~   ~*~   ~*~   ~*~   ~*~   ~*~

WIN A KINDLE FOR YOUR
SCHOOL LIBRARY!
( ... and some book goodies for yourself, as well! )



Hi, I'm Jason Ellis, an author from the UK. I write the Amelia Maylock & Holly Silverstone books.

I am going to gift 1 school library a KINDLE!! :)

Visit either of these pages; www.facebook.com/ameliamaylockbooks ... www.facebook.com/hollysilverstonebooks, or www.facebook.com/jayellisauthor & message the admin team with the name of your school. IT'S THAT EASY :D (you  might need to ask an adult for help/supervision).

The closing date for nominations is the 14th of December, 2012. The winning school will be randomly drawn and notified on the 11th of January, 2013. I'll also announce the name of the lucky winner who will receive some of my books, signed, as well as some surprise gifts as well :)

GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR SCHOOL!! :D

**US schools only** The UK/European version of this giveaway/competition are being planned for 2013.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Last day!

Tomorrow is the last day that The Rapture of Avery Maye will be on sale for 99¢! Grab it at the super low sales price while you can!


Orphaned at thirteen, Avery Maye spent most of her life keeping her head down and blending into the shadows, trying to survive in a world bent on self-destruction through warfare and a never-ending quest for power. Unable to trust any but herself, her only friend was an apparition named Alec.
Ten years later, she fell asleep in the home she’d always known, only to wake in a new world, galaxies away. She soon discovered that her imaginary friend, Alec, was not an apparition at all, but very much real, as were the creatures from her best dreams and the monsters from her worst nightmares.
Overnight, she gains everything she ever wanted and more: a new home, new friends, and powers beyond her imagination. On a new path to self-discovery, while learning lessons in love and loss, Avery is finally given the opportunity to do more than simply survive. She can finally start living.
But in every paradise lurks a snake. Her newfound peace is rattled by the arrival of a pair of mysterious visitors from the world she has been fighting to forget. Will they bring the fate of Earth down on her new refuge?