Hey! Listen Up!

Today, I'm going to give you all a great big treat! No, it's not one of CoCo's cousins. But don't be too disappointed, this treat is even better!

Charlie, from Notice Your World has written a novel. That's right! A NOVEL! It is currently available for eBook purchase through Kindle and Nook. It's also available in paperback through Amazon.

Charlie has graciously agreed to give you all some additional information about his book, so enjoy! (And then go buy his book. I've read a few scraps of it, and from what I've read it promises to be a great story!)

Title of the book: The Crystal Bridge

A basic description of the key characters and the storyline:

Kaden is a typical teenage boy who can open wormholes to worlds only he can see.

Aren is far from a typical teenage girl, seeing into the memories of other people as though they were her own.

When they meet, their gifts will send them to a planet torn by war, where a dark creature seeks to free itself from the cold spaces between universes. Their adventure may destroy two worlds. Or, they may just save us all.

What inspired you to write this story?

I have weird dreams. The novel originally came into my head as two separate dreams.

Dream one was about a boy who could open wormholes to other worlds. Nobody else could see them and he always returned to the same moment he left, unchanged. So, no one believed him.

Dream two was about a lab creating holographic simulations that began reaching into alternate worlds with some odd side effects.

My wife suggested I combine them, so I did.

Any surprises along the way?

I think it surprised me how much I've come to love the characters, like they're old friends. I miss them now that I'm not immersed in their lives. I wonder how they're holding up, how the experience changed them, and if their children and grandchildren will know how important and heroic they were.

I know they aren't real, but they are in some small way to me and hopefully to anyone else who reads this book. It was harder, definitely harder than I ever suspected, but so worth it, even if I never see a dime. I had to tell this story.

Thank you so much for letting me share this. It means more than you know.

The Crystal Bridge is available here:

Kindle Version

Print Version

Nook Version



Thanks for sharing, Charlie! Remember all of us when you're a world famous, best-selling author! Good luck! :)

The Best Big Brother Ever...

Our son is an amazing older brother. I don't think I can say that enough. He's 4 1/2 years older than his sister, but he's kind, protective, and helpful. He takes good care of AJ, and she adores him.

Tonight, after spending the evening with my family at my parent's house, Ty and I were starting to get ready to go home so we could get the kids ready for bed.

AJ was playing a sort of hide-and-seek game in Mom's coat closet with my brother, MC. In the kaffuffle of trying to get ready to leave, I missed seeing exactly how everything unfolded, but the next thing I knew, AJ was crying. Not in that fussy, whiney, "I'm just tired and crabby" kind of way. She was hurt. Badly.

I rescued her and found out that while AJ was hiding in the coat closet with her uncle and one of her cousins, a slightly older cousin had started pushing on the door, trying to close it. When it wouldn't close, he pushed harder.

Little did anyone know that AJ's tiny little fingers were stuck in the door frame, next to the hinges, preventing the door from closing all the way.

While she wailed in my arms, I looked at her fingers, three of them had been severely smashed by that door. There a deep crease running along them where the corner of the door had practically folded them in on themselves. She was hysterical, and in a lot of pain. I held her, rocked her, did everything in my power to console her, but she would just get all worked up and start crying even harder.

My mom got her a little sippy cup of water, and I sat down in a chair while she buried her face in my neck and cried. All the while, CT was choking back tears watching his little sister suffer so much.

He finally came over and wrapped an arm around AJ, hugging her and talking to her in a soothing voice. She was calming down a little, but when she saw her big brother, she was able to stop crying and listen to him:

"AJ, do you want to sleep with DJ tonight? And my monkey too?" (Just so you know, "DJ" is CT's FAVORITE stuffed animal--a penguin. He can't sleep without it. And here he was, offering it to his little sister without hesitation, just to make her happy.)

At this offer, AJ nodded, took a few shuddering breaths, and drank her water. CT continued talking to her quietly until she was calm enough to allow me to stand up and then we said our goodbyes to everyone and went home.

True to his word, CT brought DJ and his stuffed monkey into AJ's room for her as soon as we got home. AJ, while happy to hold onto DJ and Monkey for a little while, soon decided that she would rather hold on to her own favorite stuffed animals instead.

So CT got DJ and the monkey back, being fully rewarded for his kindness. Not only had he helped his little sister to feel better, he got DJ back as a bonus.

He and AJ are both dreaming happily now. I love those two little chiddlers!

Gone Too Soon...

Tonight I witnessed a true tragedy. I was doing the dishes--loading the dishwasher-- and then...and then...

*Sob* I can't go on...Give me a moment...

I guess I need to back up. Here, near my home, there is a wonderful grocercy store that has the best bakery in the universe. Seriously, they're second only to my grandmother. They make the best breads, rolls, cookies and...cake.

The other night, at my request, Ty brought home one of their single layer chocolate cakes. (It's a weakness, I know. But it's such a very, VERY enjoyable weakness.) We've been thoroughly enjoying this cake all week. Today, when Ty left for work, there was one slice of it left. It was sitting in its protective plastic dome, looking oh so tempting and delicious.

This afternoon, when I was loading the dishwasher, I needed to move this precious piece of cake to a newer, secure location so I could clean the counter top underneath it.

I know it was unwise, I know I should have been more careful, I just...thought the lid was on. I swear!

Anyway, I picked it up by its plastic dome, but the lid wasn't securely on so the cake it...it...well it fell into the dishwasher.

In. To. The. Dishwasher.

Here's the crime scene photo that I took. (I warn you, the picture you're about to see is extremely graphic.)

Now's your chance to turn away.

Seriously, once you see it, you won't be able to forget it.

Are you sure?

Okay then...



OH THE HUMANITY!!! Horrible, isn't it? I did try to warn you.

Such a waste of perfectly, divinely wonderful cake. Do you have any idea how many Raisinets I've had to eat to get over this horrific trauma? I think I've overdosed.

Sigh...Rest in Peace CoCo the Chocolate Cake Slice. You will be missed.

Taking a Vacation...

If you're looking for me today, I'm not here.

The fabulous, lovable, and oh so clever Nicki has been gracious enough to allow me to take up space on her blog with a Guest Post. This is to celebrate her 100th post!

For those of you that don't know Nicki, get over there and visit her. You won't regret it. You're welcome. :)

Just follow this link to see my guest post.

Have a nice day! :)

Sweet Relief!

So, the last couple of days have been a little strange. Every time I've stepped outside since September started, I've been a little disoriented because I DIDN'T immediately begin melting in a sweltering, miserable heat that can only be compared with the fiery pits of Hell. It's been...well...PLEASANT outside, and I've liked it. A lot. Fall is my most favorite time of year, hands down.

I especially love the beginning of September. You know, that time of the year when the Fever of Summertime seems to break, and the air has a little edge to it that promises colored leaves and chilly breezes being mere weeks away. Sigh...I love it.

Anyway, poetic musings on the weather are over now. Moving on...

I had to drop one of my classes for this semester. It was for a few reasons, including the following: It was on Monday nights, and then I had two classes on Tuesday mornings. It was going to get pretty tough dealing with a schedule like that.

However, the most important reason I dropped the class: I didn't want to take it in the first place. I registered for the class just to make sure that I would have a full-time schedule this semester, even though it wasn't something I was interested in.

So I went to the first night of class, and it was NOT what I was expecting, it was ever so much worse. Then I tried doing the reading assignment, and the textbook was just a bunch of drivel that did NOT interest me at all. I knew I'd be miserable for the entire semester if I forced myself through that class, so I saved myself the stress and dropped it. Now I only have 3 classes to worry about, and I'm oh so much happier. Yay Candice!

We got the digital copies of our family pictures back. Leesh acually managed to capture some really good pictures, despite the fact that the young kids in the group had a hard time staying still and looking at the camera at the appropriate times. (Except for CT, of course. He's always had this supernatural ability to be awesome in situations like that).

Anyway, have a good day!