It's HERE...INTERRED by Marilyn Almodovar

Happy Friday! It's FINALLY here!!!

Well, I must say, this has defnitely been a truly anticipated event and now that it's finally here...I'm beyond proud and excited! AHHHHH!  I am so very, VERY proud to present not only a debut novel but a BRILLIANT debut author, one of my dear fellow DREAM WEAVERS...Marilyn Almodovar and her debut novel, INTERRED!!! WOO-HOO!!!

 



*happy dances and hip bumps* FOR ALL!!!

Born in Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, Marilyn ("Lyn" to me) is an avid lover of words, with reading tastes that range from Victorian all the way to Stephen King.  And it has been this deeply rooted love for words, accompanied with her passion for writing, that has allowed her to escape into other worlds.  Having lived abroad, and a self-confessed citizen of the world, she is fluent in French, English, Spanish and basic knowledge of Italian. I know, I know...SHOW OFF!!! Hehe. Kidding, Lyn. Kidding!

But it has been Lyn's passion, hard work and insatiable imagination that has now led up to the debut of her novel, INTERRED, book one of her Chronicles of the Interred. CHECK IT OUT!

 

"Interred"



"Time has never been an issue for Baxter Jacobs, but then she never knew she had the ability to Bend it.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Baxter inherits a pendant that will change her life. Connected to the pendant is a dark and mysterious young man named Declan Ashdown. Trapped in a Time loop for the past 122 years, Declan needs Baxter’s help to escape. The only problem is, she has no idea how to do it.

To acquire the power she needs to free him, she’ll become one of the Interred, those whose Magical abilities emerge as they come of age. When she does, she’ll discover that Declan isn’t the only one interested in the fact that she’s a Time Bender.

As the Interment arrives, Baxter knows this will be no Sweet Sixteen. A vengeful relative and ruthless Council are determined to control her. Declan’s powerful and charming descendant, Jack Ashdown, claims he can save her. She’ll soon have to decide who she can trust, and how to master her new abilities before Time runs out."

You can purchase your copy of INTERRED today, now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

For more information on Lyn and her work you can visit her website.  You can also find Lyn on facebook and twitter (@LynAlmodovar).

Happy Writing & Happy Reading!


 

What happened to BLAIRE?!

WARNING: This is a very long blog. Turn back now or forever hold your peace.

So, being that I was absent for suuuuuuuch a long time, I thought maybe I should at least take the time to explain my sudden vanishing act.  To say the least, 2012 was a year of many downs.  But to better tell this story I think I'll Quentin Tarantino it. We'll start at the end, work our way back to the beginning, then pick up somewhere in the middle and then...HAHA! I'm kidding.

Okay, okay...I'll just tell it. 

Late 2011 I began experiencing some really intense headaches.  But these headaches weren't just a simple pain in the head, these particular headaches were beyond excruciating. I began experiencing extreme disorientation, dizziness, blackouts, nausea, vomitting...basically, I felt like a walking side effect of some black market drug that failed to get approved by the FDA. LOL!

To say the least, I was MISERABLE! *sigh*

After a trip to the emergency room, and a nice little (okay, tearful) chat with my family doctor...I was referred to a Neurologist where they took blood, gave me the old poke-poke-stab-stab treatment, scanned, and took great pleasure in prodding me.  After all was said and done I learned that I suffered from migraines. I know!! Womp womp. Not exactly the most earth shattering diagnosis.

"Migraines?! What are you, Blaire? A wimp?" Honestly, I was so glad that nothing more serious had showed up, considering how awful I felt, that I didn't care how wimpy I seemed.

But yes, ladies and gents, I definitely felt like a wimp. A sobbing, fetal position, thumb sucking wimp. But as it turned out, not only was I suffering from migraines, but a rare form called Status Migrainosus.  But I didn't care what they called it, since by this point I had sustained a consistent, non-stop migraine for three months straight...and simply wanted nothing more than to make it GO. AWAY!! I had lost more than 30 pounds (in three months) due to extreme nausea and my inability to hold down food, and the "headache" was thoroughly kicking my butt.

I was soon admitted into the doctor's care to begin treatment, with the FIRST priority being to stop the cycle (my migraine). And all I can say is, thank goodness for DRUGS! And I mean the legal kind, not the crack kills kind.

After three days of straight treatment (on some pretty powerful meds), the migraine I had sustained for three months was finally gone. HALLELUJAH! But little did I know that my journey had only just begun. The next seven months would be the darkest and most frustrating days of my life.  For what I didn't understand at the time was that stopping a cycle did not mean the end of more to come.  Now it became a race to figure out how to keep from getting them over and over again for such long periods of time.  Now you'd think this would be a simple solution (well, I certainly did)...after all, it's just a headache (of sorts), take some extra-strength Tylenol and get some sleep.

Well, by this time my insomnia was completely out of control and I was suffering from a serious case of fatigue. I was sleeping maybe two hours a night, sometimes not at all because the pain was so intense. When I was awake, I was typically immobile, disfunctional, and completely incoherent when I attempted to communicate. It was as if my mind had completely abandoned me, and I was alone in a dark room with nothing but pain for a companion.  I felt alone and completely robbed of my life. It was as if the pain and zombie-like state I was now in, due to my body having to adjust to the new drugs and reoccuring migraines, had completely taken over. And it was like a completely different person surfaced, locking the old me away.  My emotions were all over the place, and I never knew how I would feel one day to the next.  I know it must sound so dramatic to say it that way, but this had become my world, and it consumed me.  I was, to put it bluntly, a walking zombie disaster.  These months would come to be a long stretch of trial and error with the doctors, through process of elimination, trying to figure out the appropriate treatment and dosage for my particular condition and situation. I was forced to completely change my diet in order to avoid trigger foods that could spark a migraine, my whole routine changed, and I found myself taking meds just so I could perform the simple tasks of getting out of bed each day.

Yes. It would take seven months to finally find a medication that worked for me.  Meaning I was migraine free for at least six weeks at a time. HURRAY!!! It wasn't perfect, but in my mind a step forward was still a step forward. I was able to get out again, work out, I was up to my usual 5 hours of sleep and it finally seemed like I could see a light at the end of the tunnel. But my joy would be short-lived, because in early October things took turn, and I began to have seizure like symptoms.  And similar to before, I experienced extreme pains in my head (like a migraine) but now I was losing feeling in limbs, as well as experiencing muscle spasms in my face and body.

Talk about a NIGHTMARE!!

Without even hesitating I was back to my Neurologist, and it was discovered I had a condition known as Occipital Neuralgia.  SHEESH!! I just couldn't seem to catch a break.  I was once again really bummed out and completely disheartened that things weren't looking as great as I had hoped. And I'm sure, like me, you all must be wondering...WILL THIS EVER END, BLAIRE?!

Yes, yes I promise this post will end very soon. Haha!

It has now been three months since my final diagnosis and I am pleased to report that my migraines have definitely become more manageable and occur much less and far in between.  And my "episodes", for the moment, seem to be under control.  WOO-HOO!!! *HAPPY DANCES* I am still required to take daily meds at this point, and will most likely need them for the rest of my life, along with regular checkups to monitor any changes or additional symptoms that may pop up.  But I am so grateful to finally feel like I'm getting back to myself again.  The windows have been opened and my dark room is now filled with light. I will admit that I hated losing so much time, having neglected my writing and all of you for so long, and without any explanation. I'm so sorry about that. But I'm sooooooo glad to be blogging again, and hope 2013 will be a little kinder than 2012.

Any who...it's great to be back! And I hope to continue to be around in some form or fashion until I kick the bucket!

Happy Writing & Happy Reading!

 

The Great Gatsby move trailer

Okay, I couldn't resist and had to sneak this one in, too.  HEY! I have a lot of time to make up for.

As some of you know, I'm a huge movie fan. HUGE! Some would call it an unhealthy obsession, but I'm sticking with "fan."

Well, I recently went to see Les Miserables....GREAT film, by the way.  A definite B+/A grade film in my book.  Which isn't bad, considering it was nearly three hours of me having to focus and sit still in a theater seat all by myself. Haha! The music, the acting, THE STORY...well played, Victor Hugo. Well played.

But leading up the FEATURE of the day...I saw THIS, and knew I couldn't keep this gem to myself.

ONE. I'm a HUGE Baz Luhrmann fan.  Man is brilliant with a camera.  But not only that, he both writes and directs his films, and he is most known for his The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!  I also really loved AUSTRALIA. He's one of the reasons why I divide my passion of writing between screenwriting and novels.

&

TWO. F. Scott Fitzgerald is sort of my McDreamy of the literary world. Yes, I said it. Mad crush on the guy. Oh, that Zelda was one lucky doll! Hehe. ;)

But this trailer completely sold me HOOK, LINE & SINKER!

*ahem* Well, helloooooo, LEO!!! *girly giggle*

SOLD!!!

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is set to hit theaters in May of 2013 (in the US).

Happy Writing & Happy Reading!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Soooooo, wow, yeah...I'm so out of practice with this.  Part of me feels like I need a refresher course, "How to blog with the PROS." Haha! Okay, now I'm beginning to sound snarky and that was not my intent here.

So, 2012 is over and gone and all I have to say is...SAYONARA, lady!!! HAHA!

Wow, what an...interesting year.  Yeah.  Yeah, interesting is definitely a good word for it. I won't go into the long drawn out details of it all, but it's safe to say that it wasn't exactly my year, but I SURVIVED. WOO-HOO!!! And despite everything that's happened it still feels like, at this point, I have so many great opportunities/paths set before me, and at this moment all I keep telling myself is to KEEP PUSHING FORWARD.  I really hate that my writing has suffered so much because of the curve ball that life has thrown me, but it's really nice to have this to still come back to.

I'm not sure if anyone is even listening anymore...but just so you know, I'M STILL HERE.  Just a girl.  A little altered, but still trying to make her mark in the world. But you know something, LIFE is definitely a journey. And I can confidently say that I'm so glad to be in the situation where I'm still lucky enough to still have the chance to fight for and realize my dreams and passions.

For those of you who are interested as to what I've been occupying my time the past few months. Weeeeeeeeell, I've been READING! Hah. I know, pretty lackluster but I have, like an INSANE person! Just devouring novel after novel. New authors and old familiar favorites.  When I feel my brain no longer can handle the voices of my own characters, I completely dive into the stories of other writers.  It's simply a great escape and also a form of encouragement to me.

While I have been writing here and there, going to quite a few films, and overall just figuring out what comes next for me. The landscape of my life has drastically changed, so much so, it's almost unrecognizable and now I find myself having to find a way to fit into a new landscape.  It's almost like I'm starting over, having to redefine who I am and my purpose.  Which is both scary as hell and exciting all at once.

But something about this, putting my rambling thoughts into words, and those words out into the void...THAT, for some reason, always feels familiar to me.  No matter what is going on out there, this always feels right. You know...it's nice to have that one solid in your life you know you can always come back to.

And to those who have constantly reached out to me throughout this trying time, not knowing how much it meant to me...you will FOREVER be in my heart.

So, here's to 2013!!! May ALL of YOUR dreams come true. (Yeesh, I hope Disney doesn't come after me for that one.) And for those of you who know me, this should not come as a surprise...a little kick off the year tune! I know, I know.  I've posted it before...but I LOVE this song! ENJOY!

"Good Life" by One Republic

Happy Writing & Happy Reading!