E-book freebies and prizes

Here's a chance to read and review free books and win prizes - explicit language, very steamy love scenes…and lots of emotion!

The Prizes:
* iPad Mini
* Kindle Fire
* Nook Color
* Kobo eReader
* $100 Amazon gift cards (7 prizes)
* $50 Amazon gift cards (2 prizes)
* $25 Amazon gift cards (8 prizes)
* $20 iTunes gift cards (10 prizes)

* Custom prize baskets for EACH of the 7 books–including items such as wine gift set, silver bracelets, romantic photo books and photo frames, eReader and smart phone skins, and MUCH, MUCH more!

…and we’ve got special prizes just for participating bloggers

Go on - you know you want to click on the link and find out more

http://www.novelpublicity.com/2012/12/7-reasons-to-spoil-yourself-with-the-sullivans-awesome-reads-and-crazy-awesome-prizes/

Why not share this opportunity with your book loving friends?

Home sweet home...

I think I say this every time I come home from being away. I love going away, I love seeing my family - but boy-o-boy do I love coming home. My bed always holds a special appeal on that first night back in it.

Five adults, three teenagers and three children aged 4, 18 months and 5 months all in one house for 4 days is just unconstrained chaos.

It's fun and hectic all at the same time. It's also a lot different from when I go to Renmark on my own and have pure uninterrupted peace and quiet.

My nephew is a hundred miles an hour of action and talking, he's exhausting to be around.  I love him dearly, but with the boys and I all lobbing in the house at once he doesn't know which way to turn.

My niece is just the most gorgeous baby in the world and smiles and laughs constantly. She whinges to go to bed and that's so minor it's barely worth mentioning. She sleeps till 9 -10 am and then just lies in bed smiling and making sounds rather than crying until you go and get her - where do you get babies like this?

My grandson has several new words, 'wow' I heard at least a hundred times over the four days, I'm certain this was probably said to him a lot on Christmas day. I told him to sit at one stage because he gets all klutzy when he's tired and then he spent the next hour telling everyone in sight to 'sit',only sometimes it doesn't quite sound like 'sit' either.

He's not a baby any more

My sister in law is always prepared for kids

Dad and his boy in the river

This holidaying stuff is tiring work

A day on the river - family, dogs, kids, friends

Four generations

He had an absolute ball with his uncles, he ran around non-stop and his energy levels are amazing. He played with my nephew and was in awe of my niece (what does that make them, I'm not sure - it all gets too confusing) It was just a great four days of kids and action.

Now I need some rest...

Tomorrow night, for New Years, hubby and I are going to a show with friends - it's an illusionists show, 7 of the best apparently, a cocktail party with the stars after the show and then we have a hotel room booked in the city. This is our treat, my quiet time away from the chaos of children. You forget once your kids are teenagers how exhausting little ones can be.

So what's everyone doing for New Years, grand plans, a night with friends or a quiet one at home? This is the first time ever that we've had big plans for New Years, normally we're with friends and swimming on New Years Eve when it's hot. Looking forward to a night out actually.

Then I have the rest of the week to get my head down, bum up and get some writing done and also get some plans in place to ensure 2013 is sensational.

Hope your New Years Eve is all you want it to be, with a marvelous 2013 ahead for all of us.

Things to be grateful for...

I've scheduled this to post because all being well, as you read this I should be sunning myself on the river in Renmark. I found this information a while ago and it seemed quite fitting at this time of the year to remember how much we have to be grateful for.

1. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep… you are richer than 75% of the world’s population.
2. If you have a little money in the bank or spare change in a dish someplace…you are among the top of 8% of the world’s wealthy.
3. If you can drink from your kitchen faucet whenever you want… you are more fortunate by far than 1.5 billion people who have no access to clean water at all. 
4. If you can attend a church or a political rally without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death… you have the kind of freedom denied to more than three billion people in the world. 
5. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than two billion people who cannot read at all. 
6. If your everyday problems are weighing you down, there are millions of people on Earth who would gladly trade places with you right now - problems and all - and feel they have been royally blessed. 

I have my family, my health, food in my cupboards, a means to pay for the necessities in life and a roof over my head - that means I am truly grateful that I have the things that matter most.

How 'bout you? Do you have plenty to be grateful for?

Have a good week everyone.

Visualise - my word for 2013

Hope you all had a sensational Christmas, mine was peaceful and enjoyable. One thing I discovered though was that Christmas lunch at a restaurant / hotel is not all it's cracked up to be. Why is it the more money you pay for a meal, the smaller the serving size is?

No matter, it tasted okay and we had a good time.

Now for words - I love the idea of choosing a word to define what you want to achieve for the coming year, I found that I like it better than making New Years resolutions. In 2012, the word I chose was 'belief' and I finally found the belief in myself to publish my first book that had been sitting idle on my computer hard drive for over a year.

For 2013, I want to choose a word that sits with creating the life that I want to live, not necessarily just the life that I have. There's so many more things that I want to do, see and achieve.

So after much dithering and considering I've chosen the word 'visualise'. My idea is that I need to visualise the life that I want, take the steps necessary to achieve it, and also trust that it will happen. 

Believe it or not, but what you think – and picture – can have a big effect on the way you live your life. This is known as visualisation and it’s a power we all have inside us. In other words, what your subconscious mind believes may help you get what you want. ~ Better Homes & Gardens.

So do you set resolutions, have a special word, or do you do something else entirely?

I also think I'm going to do some re-vamping of my blog over the break and not just cosmetic like I've done today. I plan on using this as my 'visualise' platform, I'm just not too sure how I want to do it yet. Any ideas will be willingly accepted.

Twas the day before Christmas...

The remaining presents are all wrapped and under the tree, the house is all clean and the world didn't end on the 21st like they said it would. Life is pretty good.

We did our family Christmas last night with all of our boys because Christmas Day sees us all in different places.

Youngest son will be with me, Middle son will be staying at his girlfriends tonight and waking up Christmas morning with her family, Oldest will be with his dad's family for Christmas lunch, Stepson is moving to Victoria today and hubby will be working.

Yesterday we laughed, we ate and my grandson kept us all amused with his babbling and laughing. That's Christmas - family and laughter.

Thursday morning I will load up the car and the boys and I will make the four hour trek to Renmark to see my family for Christmas, I can't wait. This is truly my favourite time of the year and will be even more special because my grandson is coming with us too. I love that his mum is letting us take him with us.

All of my boys, my niece, nephew and my grandson - now that's Christmas. Relaxing days on the river with sunshine and swimming. What's not to love?

Funny though (and not the ha-ha funny either), today I listened to a friend of my husband describe their early Christmas gathering yesterday and the stress and arguments they endured and I can't begin to imagine Christmas being like that. It's sad that some people's Christmas aren't what they should be.

I also personally know of three families who will be spending this Christmas without a loved one and I am truly saddened. Hugs to all of you, my love and thoughts are with you.

My posts may be few and far between over the next week or so, but I'm sure you all have much more exciting things to do anyway. I plan on enjoying the sunshine and the great outdoors. Already I'm seeing it's a little quiet in the blogosphere at the moment - as it should be.

Here's wishing you and your families all an absolutely sensational Christmas filled with love, laughter and good times.

You have to take the good with the bad

The bad in this case was a kick in the guts. Today I read my first bad review of my book. This is perhaps the hardest part of writing - the potential for rejection and / or the criticism.

But I take the comments on board with a big frown on my face and manfully (womanfully?) move forward, but only after I've whinged a little bit first.

So in two and a half months I've had 5677 downloads of my book and 9 copies returned. Does that make it bad? Only 7 of those people have left a review on Amazon and 1 of those 7 was a bad review based on my punctuation. Are the rest not reviewing because it is bad, or they simply haven't finished reading it?

I have to plead the fifth here because I've downloaded at least 70 books since I got my Kindle in May and I've only left one review. Bad me, doing one thing and expecting something different from others.

Mind you, the bad ones I've never returned - .99 cents does not break the bank after all. Frankly I'm more fanatical about poor grammar or spelling. We each have our crosses to bare, but unless the storyline is totally and utterly shite I will continue reading.

Egads - should I even care? Of course this is me dissecting everything and trying to understand the why. As you can guess I'm not very good with criticism - not many people are I guess.

How do others deal with criticism?

Okay, I'm done whinging now. Only one and a half more days till Christmas break - not that I'm counting. Don't you hate how weeks go forever when you're counting down the days till something?

A large portion of my Christmas shopping is now done, curse the commercialism of Christmas. Give me good food, fun and laughter with friends and family and that's my kind of Christmas (and no restaurants for that good food either). I'm still adjusting to the idea of Christmas lunch at a restaurant this year.

I get the reasons why, but the cost and the formality of it all - not so much. I think one year real soon I might boycott Christmas and head off overseas.

There comes a time when you know enough is enough and that the only one who can make changes is yourself. Courage is another thing entirely. But it's coming, my break free moment can't be far away.

I'm off now to write some more poorly punctuated sentences - I'm laughing, really I am.

Today my heart aches...

Yesterday I moaned about my bah humbug moments because I would not be spending Christmas Day with all of my family. Today I read of the shootings in America with tears rolling down my face and I realise how petty and selfish my words may seem.

The families, friends and community of 28 loved individuals will not have the option of spending the day with their loved ones either and not because they live too far away, but because they have been taken from them in tragic circumstances.

I realise how much I truly have to be thankful for.

Every day I am also thankful for John Howard's strong stance on anti gun laws in Australia and that my children are fortunate enough to live in a country where such unthinkable acts are so much less likely.

Hold your loved ones close today and be thankful xxx

6WS - Fanfare, because I finally got started...

... on my Christmas preparation that is. I've had a little bit of the bah humbug the last few weeks. Possibly could have had something to do with with feeling like a truck had driven over my face and obliterated my nose as well.

I finally went back to work on Thursday, it was the longest day of my life - well one of them anyway. Friday was better as I got back into the swing of getting up and going to work again. Fourteen days away from work and I probably slept most of them.

Pause here for a long moment of envy for those who don't have to go to a daily job (by choice that is)

Back to the original subject and the fact that finally it's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas. I put up the Christmas tree last weekend, I actually wasn't going to bother this year. I told you I had the bah humbugs didn't I?

I have teenage boys and young male adults to buy for, do you feel sorry for me yet? Males 15, 17, 21 and 24, plus hubby. Christmas shopping is impossible for any of them. I did buy a present for the son's girlfriend and my niece, plus several for my grandson. Easy shopping these ones. But big boy presents - egads, damn near impossible to buy for them.

I've been feeling a little bit sombre about Christmas day because hubby is working and all my extended side of the family is four hours away. I'd originally decided not to go to Renmark these holidays and then this morning made the decision that I would go up for a few days between Christmas and New Year. It's a girls prerogative to change her mind after all.

An hour long conversation with my sister-in-law tonight and now I'm looking forward to my 'late' Christmas, plus I have my fingers crossed that I can take my son and grandson up with me as well. Just have to talk the younger two boys into coming too and perhaps the son's girlfriend if she's not working. Hubby has to stay home and work unfortunately.

It's hard when your kids get older and you don't have that excitement and lead up to Christmas with school Christmas activities and advent calendars and wrapping all their presents and them not caring what they get.

Anyway, how's Christmas starting to look in your part of the world? Do you look forward to it or do you wish you could hide away from it all?