Heather's Blog: Survived the 12th Birthday Party- barely!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Survived the 12th Birthday Party- barely!

With some intense planning and preparation, I survived Laci's 12th birthday party, which included 6 boys and 8 sixth grade girls! Homemade caramel apples, dinner, music, laughter, and lots of crazy! Games: marshmallow toss, battle of the lemons, M&M hunt, name that tune, candy relay, and an improv game. Boys left at 8:30 pm and girls slept over. Oh wait...did I say sleep, I mean laughed, giggled, and bounced around all night. Laci does not have a phone yet, so it wasn't until 2 am when I realized the root of the problem...texting! Needless to say, I confiscated all phones, and things quieted down about 10 minutes later.

Most valuable lesson learned: when Laci gets a phone, she turns it into Dan or I before she goes to bed each night! I know, I know...what a mean mom! Technology requires a whole new set of parenting skills! :)

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My Amazing Family

Laci WWU Sophomore

Laci is my hero! Besides taking walks, painting rocks, and hanging out with her mom, she is a member of the Honors Program at college. She also works in produce at Haggen. The young lady is always busy and running around, and I love just hanging out with her, talking about books, movies, and the future. She is an amazing singer too!

Dawson UW senior:

Love that he is pursuing his dream of a BS in Mechanical Engineering. After trying to explain his statics homework to me, I felt like my brain was going to explode. I don't know how he maintains his high grades and stays on the Dean's List. When he's not studying, he spends most of his time disc golfing, creating and building things, and gaming with his friends.

Dan:

How has he worked for Haggen for 49 years? This man is Amazing and just retired this year! I love hanging out with him, cooking, talking books, watching movies, going for hikes, or just beating him at Fantasy Football.

I absolutely love that he is reading one of my favorite series: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.

Following a Dream: Writing and Publishing a trilogy - Amethyst; Linked; and Dentelle

Amethyst, my first novel, and the first in the Guardian Series, is a spell-binding, young adult, urban fantasy. One that wouldn't be complete without a love triangle at the heart of the story. This novel is finally complete at 81,000 words (260 pages) and is free for all to download

FREE at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, i-books, Smashwords
Amazon link:http://www.amazon.com/Amethyst-paranormal-romance-Guardian-ebook/dp/B009TKS6ZS
Barnes & Noble link:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/amethyst-a-ya-paranormal-romance-fantasy-heather-bowhay/1114041690?ean=2940045035569

A brief synopsis for Amethyst:

College-bound Lexi Adams leads no ordinary life. Premonitions dictate her every move,compelling her to rescue strangers day and night. After years of self-sacrifice, she decides to ignore one, but innocent people die. So, when the next premonition depicts her own death, she’s not surprised. The math is simple; death equals retribution. As if an ill-fated future isn’t enough to deal with, a series of strange illnesses and murders devastate her small town, and co-worker Jessica Nelson insists Lexi can help.

According to Jessica, everyone is born with an inner energy called Essence. Only a select few, Amethysts, can control Essence and heal people. Jessica claims to be an Amethyst and asks Lexi to join her and a group of her friends as they track the murderers. Despite her personal plight, Lexi considers joining them. She feels connected with Jessica because of their unique abilities. And, it doesn’t hurt when inscrutable Jason Walker enters the equation and captures her heart.

Then again, Lexi discovers secrets run deep among Jessica’s friends. Not only do they have a hidden agenda, but they also harbor extraordinary abilities. Even more unsettling, they
have connections with the Ray-pacs – the sadistic killers who are preying on human Essence. Ultimately, Lexi must decide if life, not death, equals salvation. And if so, is she willing to make certain sacrifices and join her friends in eradicating the Ray-pacs?

Writing is relaxing, and I love every minute of it, even the countless revisions. I tried my luck at querying for an agent and even got a couple partial requests, but nothing panned out. Hooking an agent takes time and dedication, but I've decided I don't want to spend that much time fishing. :)

SPOILER ALERT! You may not want to read the following syopsis until you've read book 1, Amethyst!

A brief synopsis for LINKED:

Leading a double life as an Amethyst and a Dentelle is difficult, loving two men is tragic, but for Lexi Adams, planning her own death is totally insane. After narrowly escaping the Ray-Pacs in Amethyst, Lexi and Jason are now headed to the safe haven on Towhead Island. Heart-broken, she understands why a Guardian-Amethyst relationship is forbidden, but that won’t stop her from trying. Unfortunately, another problem demands her attention – one which could destroy her standing among the Bellingham Circle of Guardians.

They do not know about her premonitions; if they did, they would realize she was a Dentelle – destined to die at linking. Telling the truth is not an option, because her friends need to be focused on annihilating the Ray-pacs, not worrying about her rendezvous with death. Buried in deceptions of her own making, Lexi doesn’t think she can sink any deeper, until a shocking confession from Ash forces her to take sides. Choosing to protect Ash, she betrays the Guardians, again.

As Lexi and Ash grow closer, they devise their own plan for infiltrating and destroying the Ray-pacs. Even though Lexi will die too, her Guardian friends will be safe. In an epic battle against the Ray-pacs, Lexi discovers she has awesome powers and a chance at love after all. But her lies, regardless of her good intentions, are about to destroy everyone she has worked so hard to protect. Is it too late to live and love?

A brief synopsis for Dentelle!

Lexi Adams cheated death when she successfully linked and became the only living Dentelle. And while she’s ecstatic to be alive, her troubles are just beginning. She’d hoped to keep her Dentelle status a secret, but that didn’t happen. Once the Guardian Senior Council learns she’s a Dentelle, they begin interfering in all her affairs. Imposing new rules, they even dictate where she’ll live and who she’ll date. As an Amethyst, Lexi was forbidden from dating Guardians, and as a Dentelle she still is, but the Senior Council makes one exception: they are allowing, and even promoting, a relationship between her
and Ash. The question is why?

While dealing with the nuances of being a Dentelle, warring with the Senior Council, and trying to keep her relationship with Jason – the man she loves and hopes to link with – a secret, a series of harrowing events take precedence. An Amethyst friend is abducted, a person very close to her heart
goes missing, and the Ray-pacs resurface, namely, her arch nemesis, Kieran. In order to save someone she loves, Lexi embarks on a perilous, solo journey. Personal
sacrifice is her only option, but she hasn’t considered her heart and soul may be in jeopardy, too. Refusing to give up hope, Lexi vows to fight to the end. But can she win the biggest battle of her life and defeat Kieran once and for all?