But first … thank you for all the comments/stories you shared with me about the Fairy Godmother’s in your lives. It amazes me, in more ways than you can imagine the lives we all live, how different they are and yet how similar at the same time. Some of us were blessed to have these godmothers (or angels as some of you called them) come into our lives at the exact moment we needed them. And some of us were given the strength to learn to lean on ourselves without these women in our lives. The strength, the wisdom, the love that I read in all your posts touched my heart is more way that I can express.  Thank you!

Now, onto the winners!

The big winner of the iPad mini was Linda Hendrickson. She has been contacted and her prize has been sent.

The winner of the chocolate basket is Nikki Greis (@greisn1)!  Congratulations Nikki!!! 

I’ll be in touch shortly about your chocolate basket and a small gift for your the woman you told us about – your mother, a cancer survivor and a women of amazing strength and determination!

There was also an extra gift – 10 to be exact. As part of the Celebrate Women giveaway, each author was giving away 10 books to those who entered. I’ll be contact my list of within the next few days! So be on the lookout for an email from me!

Thank you everyone who entered this giveaway! I’ll be taking part of the Celebrating Women events more throughout the year, so be on the lookout. And if you haven’t liked our Facebook Page – Her Books - please do so today! That’s where more info will be posted

On Mother’s Day – let’s help reunite those mother’s with children who are still missing! Spread the word, buy the book as a gift, tell others about the story of a little girl reunited with her family after two years…100% of the proceeds from each sale on Mother’s Day will to The Missing Children’s Society of Canada – www.mcsc.ca!

If you click on banner – it will take you to Finding Emma on Amazon. Or click here.

Thank you everyone for your support! I can’t wait to tell you how much we raised!

On one hand, I love deadlines. I thrive, flourish, write my best work all while being on a deadline. I find without one, I tend to take my time writing, I will spend time on Facebook or Twitter or creating covers or promo items for myself or other people. I’ll read more blog posts, websites, check out more books online, read more books, do some baking, do more baking, find people to do coffee dates with…in other words, I tend to procrastinate without a deadline.

But on the other hand, deadlines scare me. I panic, get stressed, can’t sleep, my brain won’t shut off, it’s all I can think about … I worry incessantly that I won’t meet my deadline and then what? What if I do meet it but the story I just crafted is a piece of garbage and my editor will send it back to me demanding a rewrite. Is that even possible? I’m sure it is.

I’m under a deadline right now and with a month left to finish this book I’m finding myself in a slight panic. When I think about my word count and how behind I am, it’s almost hard to breathe. I’m drinking way too much coffee and craving way too much chocolate (if that’s even possible after gorging myself in Belgium). Can I do it? I’m sure I can. Other’s have. And I need to. The last thing I want to do is be late with this novel. I need to have it done. It must be done … you know the feeling, right?

How do you handle deadlines? Before, the deadlines were all self imposed. Now, not so much. Before, if I didn’t make my deadline I could extend it…now, that’s not possible. Well…it may be, but at this stage of my career, I’m really not going to find out.

What’s your secret in handling the dreaded “D” word? (and don’t tell me it’s to get off all social media … it’s such a fine line we walk as writers/authors).

Indie Life

What is Indie Life?
How: Sign up on the Linky at the bottom of this page
When: Post on the second Wednesday of the month (starting 1/9/2013)
What: Write anything indie related: something that will inspire or help a fellow indie; something that celebrates a release or a milestone; something that talks about the ups and downs, joys and heartaches of Being Indie.
Grab: The banner above to include in your posts!

Love on first sight. It is real.

It’s super easy to make and tastes delicious! The only caveat I’d say is that the chocolate doesn’t set like a regular fudge – it’s a bit soft – softer than the peanut butter part – but I promise you, it won’t matter!Especially when it’s on Facebook and it’s a recipe that combines peanut butter and chocolate.

I keep this in the freezer so that I don’t eat it all at once.

Thank you to thesistersdish.blogspot.com for the recipe that was posted on Facebook. No idea who originally posted it … but keep ‘em comin’!

]]> http://www.steenaholmes.com/peanut-butter-cup-fudge/feed/ 0 http://www.steenaholmes.com/special-surprise-coming-soon/ http://www.steenaholmes.com/special-surprise-coming-soon/#comments Fri, 03 May 2013 02:45:28 +0000 Steena Holmes http://www.steenaholmes.com/?p=2744

More details to follow….

Feel free to share this image…spread the word there’s a surprise coming….

I’ve officially been home for a week. It’s hard to believe my fabulous trip is over – so hard that I’m already looking at flights to go back (shhh…don’t tell my husband). There were more streets I wanted to walk down in Paris, more patisseries I wanted to discover, more pain au chocolat’s I needed to eat! And then Brugge … seriously – I think I need to rent a flat there for a week or two or three and just soak it all in and enjoy.

I was prepared for my trip – as much as I could be. I bought good shoes (next time, I need good socks…thin ones do not like your feet so much), had the right amount of outfits, should have brought a bigger bag but ended up buying one in Paris, so that was okay, had a plan for where to go and what to buy…

But what I wasn’t prepared for was the let lag coming home.

This image you see => I’m being completely serious. There is not enough coffee in this universe to sustain me so far. I can’t seem to get enough rest and I’m hearing so many different stories on how to battle jet lag that it’s driving me bonkers (although, to be honest…I’m kind of already there.). Sleep when you need to, don’t sleep, drink lots of water, eat carbs, don’t eat carbs, stop being such a wuss….you get the idea.

Here’s what I do know about jet lag. It’s worse coming home. It makes me forget the simple things – which is really REALLY bad since I tend to forget the simple things anyways – and it makes me grumpy. You know – the really tired grumpy where people tend to stay away from you kind of thing?

I’m not one for facing obstacles that are more controlling than I am. So I have a goal – to conquer this terrible thing called jet lag for one main reason … I’ve been hit by the travel bug and I want to do more. I might not be the kind of traveler who has a set itinerary and must see everything there is to see…I’m more of an ‘enjoy the day and see where it leads us and if I want to slow down, I will’ kind of person…but that’s okay – it just means that I might need to go back a few times to get it all in. And seriously – how wrong would that be? I’ve heard of people (like the author Patricia Sands) who does House Sharing … I might not be able to do that but I could see myself renting a house for a while. Oh wait … that means I have to clean and cook … no, I take that all back …I’m the type who likes to be pampered when I travel (you did see the hotels I stayed in while in Brugge and London for my last night … right?)

Okay – so apparently I tend to ramble when I’m tired too…

Tell me … what kind of traveler are you and how do you combat the dreaded jet lag?

I’ve had a fairy godmother – haven’t you?

Actually I’ve had several – in every stage of my life. Without them, I don’t think I’d be the woman I am today.

My fairy godmothers were all older woman who took me in – as an emerging teenager, as a young woman, as a new wife, a young mother, as a pastor’s wife, and lately as a woman learning who she is.

I love these woman. They will all hold an extra special place in my heart. I met one through my mother – she’s my mom’s BFF. Another was my own BFF’s mom (I used to call her for help when I got stuck on a recipe … if I didn’t have any vegetable shorting could I use butter? One was a pastor who understood the transition I was going through becoming a pastor’s wife where another was a mother who saw me floundering with my young child. One has become a dear friend who doesn’t let me get away with the ‘easy’ answers and holds me accountable as I learn who I am as a woman and where I am going in my life.

Each woman has made an impact on my life. They’ve helped to mold me into the woman I’ve become. I’m a better baker thanks to Mrs. Moses’ advice. I’ve learned to laugh amidst the tragedy thanks to Gail ( who also fixed my wedding dress mere weeks before my wedding). I realized that I need to be my own person without wearing a mask to please others thanks to Marilyn, a very strong woman of God. I am a stronger, kinder, more forgiving mother thanks to Judy and I’m a wiser woman, who is willing to look deep inside myself and accept my strengths and weaknesses thanks to Louise.

I’m blessed to have my own special ‘fairy godmothers’. No, they don’t have a magical wand to change my life for the better – instead they have large hearts full of love that has changed not only my life but the life of others around me.

Tell me – do you have a fairy godmother in your life? Is there someone you want to ‘love’ upon right now? I’d love to hear it! Leave a comment below to win a basket of chocolates! PLUS…to help celebrate that fairy godmother in your life – I’d love to send her a little something as well.

I have a few girlfriends who are joining me in celebrating women. I’d love for you to check them out. Like myself, they are writers with wonderful books that speak to a girl’s heart and each have something special to give away as well!

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Today we are hosting a HUGE giveaway!

First of all, you can enter to win an iPad Mini or one of 60 eBooks from bestselling authors! Fill out the Rafflecopter below.

Now that you are finished with that, there is MORE!!

In addition to the iPad Mini and the eBooks, all the other authors are giving away prizes today. To enter their giveaways, follow the links below to enter to win:

Rachel Thompson, bestselling author of Broken Pieces is giving away an Amazon Gift Card to a lucky commenter

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Christine Nolfi, award winning author of Treasure Me is giving away a gift basket of Charleston treats as her giveaway

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Patricia Sands, bestselling author of the hot new release, The Promise of Provence is giving away a beautiful book on the Most Beautiful Country Towns of Provence from Amazon to a lucky commenter.

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Karla Darcy, bestselling author of 7 Regency Romances including The Divided Hearts is giving away an Amazon Gift Card to a lucky person

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Bette Lee Crosby, ten-time award-winning author of Spare Change is giving away an Amazon Gift Card for answering a question.

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Thanks for joining us today! To keep up to date on new releases and future giveaways go to Her Best Books and sign up for our newsletter.

They help keep me grounded when I’ve run out of chocolate and my hormones are out of whack.

They’ve saved my marriage more times than I could ever count.

They help me to see the beauty in myself when I get lost.

They make me feel like I’m the smartest person in the world – even if they thought of the idea first

They understand my need for chocolate, to vent, to fall apart and to share my news. They know me for who I am, they love me despite all my warts and they “get me” when I don’t even know who I am at times.

Sometimes it’s hard finding girlfriends like this. Growing up, I had two close friends that I wouldn’t have traded for the world, until the world became bigger than we’d expected. We biked the countryside together, licked ice cream while boy watching on the pier, walked down the middle of the street in the wee hours of the morning singing ‘I’m a little tea pot’ because we could (no, we were not drinking, just being silly). We talked for hours on the phone even though we’d just spent the whole day together. We were friends of the heart and at that age, we never thought we’d lose each other.

I’m a little older now, wiser and realize that as we grow, so does our needs, wants etc. Sometimes we outgrow friendships, and that’s okay – because it means we’re growing. Sometimes we have friends who come into our lives for a reason, and then they leave. The level of friendship might change…from close to distant, from distant to close, from BFF to non-existent … but that’s okay.

I now have a group of friends that I can see myself with until I grow old, need to use a can and wear purple lounge pants. These are girls from my ‘heart’. They know me, get me, understand me and love me all the more.

I hope that we will grow old together, that we will be there for each other in all walks of life … to support one another through all the times – good and bad.

Without girlfriends in our lives, we become very sad women. Women were created to have girlfriends … it fulfills a deep inner need within us, something that men/husbands/children/parents can’t fulfill. We need someone to share ourselves with in ways only another girl would understand.

I’m very thankful for my girlfriends. I’m sure you are too! Tell me about them…those girls who mean so much to you! I’d love to hear it!

Starting tomorrow I’ll be joining in with a few girlfriends to celebrate the women in our lives – whether they be grandmothers, mothers, siblings, friends, etc.

Be sure to come back tomorrow!  Like myself, they are writers with wonderful books that speak to a girl’s heart. Plus … we all have goodies to share!

One I will always remember and it’s all thanks to you – my readers! I haven’t forgotten for one moment that none of this would have been possible if you all hadn’t bought Finding Emma and fell in love with a little girl and her Papa.

This journey I’ve been on – starting in March 2012 until now – has been amazing, life changing, eye opening and jaw dropping!

Did you know that while I’ve been here in London, Finding Emma has stayed in the top 10? That’s amazing to me! I’m thrilled to discover new readers in the UK – and if you are a new reader – be sure to check out my author page on Facebook so we can chat. www.facebook.com/steenaholmes.author

I have some surprises in store for you as well – just some little ways for me to say thank you. I have 2 bags full of sweet treats I bought – some for me, some for my family and some for you. I’ll need to save some for when Emma’s Secret is released but for now … if you’ve been reading my daily posts – let me know what day was the one you enjoyed reading about the most. Don’t worry – you don’t have to give me a specific day – just let me know – it was while you were in Brugge or in Paris listening to the bells of Notre Dame or … even if it’s this post telling you about the sweet treats you could win

Leave me a comment below. I have a few prizes to give away – some are very small, some are delicious, some are fun. All were bought with you in mind. I’ll be off line for a few days … 12 days away from my family means a lot to catch up on, family time I’ve missed, a house I need to clean, clothes I need to wash….you know the drill. But I’ll be back before the end of the week!

Chat with you soon!

I had enough points to get a suite at the St. Pancreas Hotel – and let me tell you … my bedroom is larger than my living room and kitchen combined.  I have a butler service, huge bathtub that I can sink into and then access to the chambers for food and wine – all complimentary. To top it off, I’m giving my feet the royal treatment and getting a foot/leg massage and pedicure (oh my achy feet…).

But this day ‘me’ day almost didn’t happen. I made a foolish mistake and almost had a panic attack!

I didn’t sleep well last night – too excited to come home and already missing a town I fell in love with. I woke up early and decided to walk around Brugge once more. It was gorgeous. Hardly anyone was out and those that were rode bikes. Doves were flying about and there was a stillness to the air. I loved it.

I stopped and ate some Belgium waffles with strawberries and whipped cream and even added the chocolate sauce to it! I also had some hot chocolate – I’ll be the first to admit I’d rather hot chocolate over champagne for breakfast (although – I will never turn down champagne when it’s offered!)

The train from Brugge to Brussels was tranquil. The carriage was empty and I enjoyed all the tiny black and white lambs that dotted the countryside as I made my way.

But the moment I got in Brussels, I panicked. Not sure why. Maybe I was tired. Maybe it was the lack of coffee. I couldn’t find the large sculpted chocolate train I was searching for and I couldn’t find an empty seat to sit in while waiting for my train to board. Ten minutes before boarding, a hive of teenagers bombarded the sitting area but I managed to snag the last empty chair. For some reason, I took of my purse and set it down to get something out of my bag, the boarding beeps were heard and I joined the swarm as we made our way for the doors.

Leaving my purse behind!

ACK! I didn’t even notice until on the train, my bags stowed, my coat off and I’m sitting down. I reached to the floor for my purse for handcream and that’s when the panic attack hit! OMG. I rushed off the train. I had 5 min to get back to my seat and I prayed so hard that my purse would be there! I ran down the hallway and thankfully, at the door, stood a woman holding my purse. She must have seen the panic on my face … she handed me my bag and pushed me back towards my train.

ACK!

My passport, money and everything else was in that purse! I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am it wasn’t stolen. This day would not have ended has well if it had been! I’m thankful for the angel watching out for me today, let me tell you!

Tomorrow I have some fun stuff to announce…so stay tuned!