Tuesday, December 31, 2013

New Year's Eve Ramblings and Ramblings and Ramblings ...

Yes, it's that time of year again when we all look back and wonder if we've done enough to justify our presence on Planet Earth and start to make plans for the next year that will hopefully make up for everything we didn't get done the year before. It's New Year's Resolution time!

And yes, I used to be just as cynical about it as I sounded in that first paragraph. But somewhere along the line - I forget exactly when it was - I made the most amazing discovery. We really do have power to change our lives. We don't have to wait for life to happen to us - we can go out there and create it. This doesn't mean that I can make someone else do something I'd like them to do - I can't set a goal that someone else will do something. That's up to them. But I can decide what I'm going to do, and I'm the only one who controls whether or not I succeed.

It's true that there are some things I want in my life that I don't currently have. Those aren't short-term goals anyway - they take time and planning, and so I'm planning and preparing. I have no doubt that those things will happen eventually as I plug away at them. They might not happen exactly the way I anticipate, but they will happen. The trick is to keep plugging away and not give up.

Another trick is to honor what progress I have made instead of berating myself for what I didn't accomplish. 2012 was an awesome year for me, writing wise. I published seven books of varying lengths and topics, and I did a lot of work for my freelance editing clients. Did I accomplish my other goals in the areas of getting my house totally clean and organized, losing the rest of my weight, etc? Nope. But here's the thing - I wasn't expecting to get hit by a semi in December of 2011 and to spend a long time recovering. That recovery time was perfect for writing and not so perfect for the other stuff. I can't beat myself up for what I didn't get done - I need to focus on what I did accomplish, which was quite a lot.

(And I hope you realize that although I'm talking about me, I want you to apply this to yourself as well and not feel guilty for things you couldn't cross off your list.)

In 2013, I was more physically active, so I was able to get more done along those lines. I also did some publishing of my own books, although not as many as in 2012, and I started a publishing company and produced two books for Jenni James, an author friend. Did I accomplish everything on my list? No, but I got a whole heapin' ton of stuff done, and I feel pretty fantastic about it.

Now this brings me up to 2014. I've spent the last month on a journey of self-discovery, really thinking about who I am and why I do the things I do. A lot of the goals I've set for 2014 revolve around that journey.

And I'd like to invite you to follow me on that journey and to take one of your own. I'm blocking out my year month by month, deciding what I'd like to accomplish most within those months. However, I'm taking the last day of each month to re-evaluate and decide if my goals really are what's right for the next thirty days, or if I need to make some changes. Part of success is knowing you're working toward the right goals.

I'll be charting out this journey over on my Tristi's Challenges blog. Check it out tomorrow morning for my January goal list. If you'd like to set some goals and follow along with me, I'd love to have you - share your goals in the comment thread, and let's take some serious action to make 2014 amazing for all of us.


Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Introducing Stolen Luck by Jaclyn Weist

One of the most fun things about being in a critique group is seeing a book go from the first stages of concept and rough draft to polishing and revising and then on to publication. Jaclyn Weist is a member of my critique group, and Stolen Luck was the first book she brought. Now it's a real-live actual book, and I'm thrilled to help Jaclyn celebrate the release.


Megan is a sixteen-year-old girl who has been blessed with abnormally high amounts of luck. When a rascally leprechaun named Louie comes to her house and offers to sell her some luck, she turns him down - she has all the luck she needs. Well, he doesn't care for that too much, and steals all her good luck away. Suddenly she's an accident-prone klutz, breaking everything and tripping over everything and basically making a right mess everywhere she goes. The only way to get her luck back is to find Louie - but where did he go?

You'll enjoy this highly imaginative YA contemporary fantasy. It's considered a YA because the main character is sixteen, but younger readers and older readers alike will appreciate this story.

As part of this celebration, I asked Jaclyn some leprechaun-themed questions. Okay, not all of them are leprechaun-themed, but most of them are.  Here we go:

Q. How frequently do you wear green?


A. Not very often. I wear blacks, blues, reds, and yellows. In that order. :)


Q. On a scale of 1-10, where do you rate your liking for Skittles, corned beef and cabbage, and Lucky Charms? And have you ever noticed that cabbage is green?

A: Skittles: 8
Corned beef: 3 (too salty)
Cabbage: 6
Lucky Charms: 10

And, depending on the cabbage, it's green or red. I prefer the green.


Q. Since you started writing the book, have you had any leprechaun-themed dreams?

A. Surprisingly, no. But the word "luck" will never be the same to me. Ever again.


Q. Do you have any redheads in your family, and are they all of normal height?

A. I actually have a sister and two nieces that have red hair (and 2nd cousins, etc). They're all normal-sized. As far as I know.

Q. Is Megan based on anyone you know?

A. Hubby says Megan's personality is totally me. If only I had the natural luck she had, instead of her unlucky side.

Congratulations on this book release, Jaclyn, and for those of you who would like to check out this fun book, click here!

And while you're at it, enter to win a copy!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, December 01, 2013

Tristi's Christmas Tips

Sometimes things get so crazy around Christmas that it's difficult to relax and concentrate on all the real joys of the season. I'd like to share some little things I do that help keep things somewhat - note, I said somewhat - more organized and peaceful during this chaotic time of year.

1. Instead of having one wild, crazy present-wrapping day (or middle of the night), wrap the gifts as you purchase them. That way, you're only wrapping a portion of your gifts at a time - unless you've got mad skills and get 100% of your shopping done in one trip.

2. Make a list or chart or spreadsheet of what you've gotten for each person. That way, you can be sure at a glance that you didn't get Johnny three presents while Betsy only got one. I used to drag everything out and count it over a million times to make sure things were even, and now I just consult my list. Plus, having a list goes well with wrapping everything as soon as I buy it - even though they're wrapped and I can't see them, I know what's in them, so I don't have to worry about that.

3. Let each child choose their own pattern of wrapping paper so that there's no confusion over which gift is whose. They see their paper, they know that's their present.

4. If you have children who like to peel back the wrapping and peek at their presents before the big day, keep the gifts out of sight until Christmas morning instead of putting them under the tree. We started doing this when I had toddlers who couldn't understand the concept of "no touch," and I liked it so well we keep doing it.

5. Place each child's gifts in their own spot rather than mixing them up. Again, it solves present confusion and takes care of chaos. Because I don't bring gifts out until Christmas morning, what I do is create little piles on the couch and love seat, one pile for each child, and then I put their sock on top of the pile as a marker of what belongs to which kid.

6. Keep in mind that the most meaningful gifts are often not the most expensive. You don't have to spend a lot of money to touch someone's heart. Get them something that represents what they mean to you, or reminds you both of a fun experience you had together. Listen to them when they talk and remember little things that they say about their likes and dislikes. My favorite gifts ever are when someone says, "I remembered how one day you were talking about ..." That shows me that I matter to them, I have their attention, and they care enough about me to remember my saying that I liked something.

7. Ask your family members which Christmas traditions mean the most to them, and dump the ones that haven't seemed to create an impact. You never know what might be an important part of Christmas to someone. Our artificial tree is starting to become a problem child. I got it the day after Christmas thirteen years ago. I paid ten dollars for it (how's that for awesome?) and we've lost some branches. I made the comment while putting it up this year that we'd look into getting a new one next Christmas. My kids immediately began to protest. "Mom, this is one of my favorite parts of Christmas," my teenage son told me. "I love helping put together the tree and finding all the pieces." Huh. Who knew? On the other hand, I've been spending time on traditions that probably don't even matter. Trim it back to the events that are creating the most positive memories.

8. Find someone to help. Between the shopping and the wrapping and the parties, it's so easy to get overwhelmed and lose sight of why we do this in the first place. Look around and find someone you can help. Whether it's pushing their car out of the snow or slipping a twenty into their mailbox or taking over a sack of toys, whether it's inviting a lonely person to share Christmas dinner or shoveling someone's walk - find a way to be a blessing in someone else's life. That is the best and most sure way to feel the Christmas spirit. It seems that every year, I struggle to find the joy in the season until I go a little out of my comfort zone and help someone who's worse off than I am. Not only will this keep you focused, but it will set a great example for your kids.
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