My parents used to take my brother and I camping a lot when we were kids.  We grew up pitching tents and cooking on a camp stove or over the fire.  I remember riding my bike around campgrounds and swimming until it got too chilly at night then heading to the warmth of the campfire.  One of the last great memories I have with my own grandfather was a camping trip we took.

Somewhere along the way I stopped going.  Not because I didn't want to, or because I didn't have that desire burning deep within my soul, but because I had no one to share it with.  My husband of 13 years never wanted to go and wouldn't get excited about anything, so it was hard to talk my children into wanting to go pitch a tent in the woods somewhere.  It's a devastating thing to a person's soul to lose something that you identify as a part of your life.  It's worse knowing that I couldn't share those memories with my own children, because the memories I have camping with my family are some of the greatest from my childhood.

And so it was that I started making plans to take my kids camping during their spring break.  My dad, being a camping enthusiast, put forth a huge effort in making this endeavor happen.  Having someone else get excited about it makes it a little easier to get the kiddos involved.  So, my children, who were used to being camping naysayers, headed with us into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with a tent, some supplies, marshmallows to roast, and a bit of  a sour disposition.

Before the first night was out those same naysayers were begging to stay longer and begging to go again long before they ever had to leave.  How do you know a camping trip is successful?  When your techie kids say "who needs video games when you have all this fun out here!"  

Unfortunately, some bad weather cut our trip short by a day and the hiking, waterfall viewing, and peddleboat ride on the lake that were on our list of things to do ended up not happening.  Sad faces emerged, but were short lived when I promised future trips to make up for what the weather ruined.

While we were there I realized we weren't the only ones in the camping spirit.  Oconee State Park in South Carolina was packed.  It reminded me of when I was a kid and there were always people camping, kids running about, and laughter filtering through the trees.  If ever there was an upside to a downed economy, it's that people rediscover nature and the simple pleasures in life.  

The other amazing thing I re-discovered is that campers are some of the nicest people out there.  I have never been on a camping trip where everyone didn't wave, ask about your day, join in random banter as they pass by, or come to your aid if needed.  I had forgotten that people could be like that - you know - genuinely nice and caring.  When your own neighbors don't even know your names in a lot of places, it's somewhat disarming to have our fellow campers ask if my daughter was alright when she was crying.  It wasn't that could you shut your kid up thing you get while walking through places like WalMart, it was a genuine inquiry.  It was a pleasant change of pace to be able to strike a random conversation with a man about a his St. Bernard/Great Dane mix dog because the animal was so beautiful.  He didn't look as if I were invading his personal space as so many people on the street would.  We stood and talked about our animals for a bit.  Two people exchanging pleasantries on a whim - it made me wonder when basic human goodness stopped being the norm.  That's another blog for another day though, for now, I'm happy to see courtesy making a comeback.


So now that camping is back in fashion, grab your tent, and come join us by the fire for some marshamallowy, outdoorsy goodness!

How do you know when you reach that moment of success that you've been dreaming about for so long?  For some of us, namely me, it involves getting a homemade card from your daughter featuring a vampire on the front! I'll have to scan it in later to show it off, but that card came with a congratulations that can't be topped by anyone else.

The reason for the congratulations: Last week Jennifer and I published our first book, Birthrights, the first in a trilogy.  It went on sale Friday evening and I vowed from that time that the minute we got our first 10 sales I would blog about it and every milestone thereafter.  Well, we have surpassed 10.  We surpassed that in the first 24 hours which was fantastic.  Unfortunately, I was a little preoccupied with writing Revelations, the second book in the trilogy, to get my blog out.  It's a little be-lated, though no less exciting.  

For those of you who have already purchased our book - you have our thanks and we sincerely hope you enjoy it.  We would love to get your feedback, so e-mail us and/or leave feedback on Amazon, because that's important too.

Our book will also be releasing soon in several other markets, including the iBookstore.  We will keep you informed as those new release dates are available.  

Revelations will be out in e-book format as well by Sept. 2011.  We are actually very excited about this book as it dives into a darker part of Jaxon and Caislyn's world.  For now, you will have to be content with getting to know them in the first book because we aren't ready to give away too much from the second book just yet.

Until then:  Thanks for your support!  Thanks for getting us to our first milestone!  We hope you stick around for many more to come!

I have proclaimed that I was a writer before I could write.  I have humored people with the tales of me writing on the blank pages at the end of my books when I would run out of paper as a kid.  My parents still laugh about the notes I used to send them whenever I couldn't express my feelings out loud.  Writing is the one form of communication that I am good at.  I can only talk to people I really know, which makes getting to know people a daunting task.  I am awkward when meeting new people, which believe me, never bodes well for job interviews.  When I am passionate about something,  I will ramble through random thoughts and not make much sense unless I can sit down and work the words out in written form.  That's always been my way - socially retarded in a way - and proud of it!  

Besides being a lifelong writer, I am an avid reader.  I can devour books in hours and hunger for more.  Since I am also a writer, I delve a little further past the books themselves and check out the authors.  I look at their websites, read about them, and shuffle through blogs.  I do this to find that connection, that thing that makes sense of my awkward verbal skills.  These people, after all, are motivated to put word to print, as am I.  So, I was astounded today when I was looking at Amazon.com's e-book selection and these awesome book covers kept catching my eye.  I finally opened up one of the links and found the author's page.  I will state here that I have not read any of her books yet, although they are next on my to-read list.  While I have yet to read her books, Heather Killough-Walden's blog made my jaw drop.  Her answer to the question: "What made you want to become a writer in the first place" could have been written by me!  Her first two paragraphs are exactly how I would describe things to others, how I have described myself and why I do what I do.  

So the thought occurred to me, perhaps, we writers really are all the same!  Sure, we all have our own stories to tell, but there is a special characteristic that makes you want to tell it on the page.  For many, it's not about the money.  Of course, we'd all like to make money doing the thing we love the most, don't get me wrong, but the act of writing - initially - is about the release.  I go to bed some nights and have to get right back up because an idea is so compelling that it won't allow me to rest until I have at least the basics written down for later.  I often wonder about my creative brain's timing, but the best ideas usually come during those quiet times.  Just before I go to bed and just when I wake up the ideas start flowing.  I suppose that's because the rest of the day is bogged down with requests for my time, whether it be the current story I am working on, demands from my kids, or other aspects of life.  I am thankful for my phone during those busy moments.  There are times when I have been sitting in the doctors office, for instance, and had an idea, but nothing to write on.  The "notes" section of my phone has become my haven when I am out and about for that reason.  I apologize to those people who  I put on hold while I jot a thought down. I know it seems rude, but honestly, I won't really pay attention until I get those ideas out of my head.  Yes, I realize it's a personal flaw - again - so sorry!

There are many people out there who don't understand me.  As I said, I was always that socially awkward person.  Once I get to know someone, it's much easier, but those initial contacts are painful.  I thank my friends who stuck around through those phases!  I thank those of my friends and family who have been patient as I stopped conversations to jot down a new idea, or turned down movie nights so I could work on a book.  Of course, they know me well enough by now to understand, it's nothing personal.  It's just me being my unusual self.  And now, I understand that I am not alone in my uniqueness.  There are others out there just like me, plugging away at their latest and greatest creations to the detriment of their own social lives at times.

Thank you Heather for posting about your alarmingly similar beginnings. I can't wait to dive into your books!