My second book, Beautiful Scars, is out and available for sale, and I’m sending a huge shout-out to those who have read it so far! I can’t tell you how much it means to hear so many of you say you read it in just a day or two and couldn’t put it down! It fills my heart with joy to know that my labor of love meant something to you, too.
Those of you that have read it, don’t forget to spread the word! Tell your friends! Review it on Amazon and Good Reads! Reviews and word of mouth are everything to a self-publisher like me, and I really appreciate you helping me getting the word out.
THANK YOU!
Now I’m working hard on my third book, “Building Ties.” Yes, it is written, but no, it’s not ready yet! It will be worth the wait, I promise.
Those of you that have read my books know each book adds more and more chapters written from different perspectives. The first book, Mira’s Awakening, captures Mira and Devan’s thoughts alone. Beautiful Scars adds chapters from the perspective of three additional characters: Nicolas (Devan’s brother), Phil (Mira’s father), and Wesley (Devan’s best friend).
Want a little spoiler?The third book, Building Ties, includes chapters from the point of view of Tessa (Mira’s best friend) and Ian (Mira’s 6-year-old son). You might think this sounds convoluted, but to me it makes sense. Life, after all, IS convoluted, don’t you think?
These books are love stories, it’s true. But they aren’t just about romantic love. In these books you witness family grow closer, friendships that develop from strangers, friends that become family, and so much more. What I hope to accomplish, when all is said and done, is to have built a world around this small community of characters.
Another little spoiler? I just worked on perfecting Ian’s chapter this weekend, which was an interesting challenge. Mostly because I’ve never been a hyperactive six-year-old boy. However, I do remember being little, having big secrets I kept to myself and being underestimated by most people. After all, I, too, was a cute little blond kid like our Ian (if I do say so myself). Maybe we aren’t too different after all. What is Ian’s secret? Betcha want to know…
Much love to you all!
Liz
PS: need to pick up or review Mira’s Awakening? Click Here!
PPS: Need to pick up or review Beautiful Scars? Click Here!
This is my most recent YouTube upload- the final upload before I announce the release date of Beautiful Scars. Here I get pretty personal, opening up about my experience with grief, and talk about the importance of leaning on others who have been through similar events. I hope you take the time to watch the video, like, and subscribe to the channel.
Hello, intrepid readers! I thought I’d take a moment to update you on the second book and explain why it seems like I’m slacking.
I know, I know. I thought I would get it done in March. Needless to say, I was, like, totally wrong!
Work
Work has taken a toll on my time. Thanks to the brilliance of telehealth, I have been able to work more. Why? The nature of applied behavior analysis (you know, my day job) involves a lot of in-person services. For most of my career that has involved long hours in the car, driving from client to client. Once my chronic pain started, this became arduous and painful. Not to mention the physical toll the therapy session itself took on my body. Anyhoo, enough about my woes. The point is, I had to keep my work hours low in order to keep my pain levels in control.
Enter COVID-19! Now, I can do my entire job from my office at home. No driving, no uncomfortable couches to sit on, no kids to unsuccessfully chase around. Decreased pain-inducing conditions = decreased pain = more work = yay! I qualify for medical now! 🙂
BOOM
I discovered BOOM Cards. I’m a bit obsessed with them, to be honest. I love creating them and I love how much my clients love them! Most of the stimuli I create on wow.boomlearning.com I have to do on my own time. (Check out my store, Lisneyland!) Anyhoo, I must admit, some of my editing time has been “Boomed.”
Charlie
Oh, Charlie! Our new little addition to the family has been a bit of a time-sucker. The little fur ball is just too cute to ignore!
Growth
I learned so much from the last book! I did mounds of research when editing Mira’s Awakening, and that has been more helpful than I predicted for book 2. I have made a lot of changes during my editing process, all the better for my dear readers. I promise my changes will make it worth the wait.
Feeling impatient for the release of Beautiful Scars? You are in luck! I’ll be announcing a live book reading from the new novel soon. Stay tuned!
Alright folks, I have a confession. I joined the bandwagon. My kids are making fun of me (my 12-year-old even pulled up research to contradict the research I have read on the subject). I’m very curious how everyone else feels about this. I am now drinking a gallon of water a day!
Well, OK, I’m on day 2 of drinking a gallon a day.
Here’s why.
I have chronic pain, and my docs have always said I need to drink more water than the average bear.
I love coffee. I won’t give up coffee. I don’t care what people say. I will sing fun songs in my head to block you out if you try to tell me to stop. I only have 2 cups a day, so BACK OFF, COFFEE HATERS! (Just kidding. I love you regardless.) Anyway, I know coffee is bad for hydration, so I figure I’ll just compensate for it. So there.
No joke, I’ve been so exhausted over the last month or so I’m falling asleep at my desk. Like, all the time! I’ll be working or writing and all of a sudden, I’m waking up an hour later and my neck is killing me because I have fallen asleep sitting up with my noggin lulling down on my chest. I hit rock bottom a few days ago when I fell asleep while holding…wait for it…my full cup of coffee. Guess what I woke up to? You got it! A desk covered in coffee and a drowned keyboard. RIP, Apple Magic Keyboard. You will be dearly missed.
I’ve gained an absurd amount of weight this year and it’s time to stop being stupid! Who’s with me?
So far, it’s going well. Over the past 2 days, I have felt less hungry. I feel a difference in my pain levels as well. It’s as if the water I’ve chugged all day has lubed up my joints and spine. Go figure!
We’ll see the difference it makes in my weight as time goes on, but I’m crossing my fingers.
XOXO,
Liz
P.S., I’m curious: is anyone else drinking a gallon a day? What changes have you noticed?
Charlie is a great cheerleader!Thankfully, my water bottle is pretty enough to remind myself to look at it once in a while and check my water level!
Hello friends, I hope you are enjoying the beautiful season! I’ve been loving the weather here in Foster City. I am a sweater-weather girl, and it’s been perfect lately, minus a couple hot days here and there.
I know it has been a while since I last posted, but I have been BUSY! Who knew this would become the busiest season of my life? I’ve been going nonstop: working full time, editing, making BOOM Cards, and – of course – spring cleaning around the house (And the yard. And garage).
I know what you’re thinking. Me, cleaning? But there are some organization, decorating, AND cleaning projects around the house that I’ve wanted to get to since we moved in August and it’s been so nice to see the progress being made around here. Pictures are going up on the walls, the weeds are getting pulled up, and – whew – the garage has started getting organized! My house continues to feel a little more like home. All of these projects will help the boys and I feel even more settled here in Foster City. I’m looking forward to it!
Liz
P.S. I would still love to do another Facebook Live reading of my book! Who knows? Maybe I’ll even do a sneak peek of the new book. Stay tuned for more details.
Thanks to your support and help in getting the word out, I was able to give away over 200 free ebooks this week through Amazon.com! I am hoping this will help get the book out and circulating.
Let’s keep building the buzz, shall we? If you read the book and loved it, please write a review on Amazon, post about it on social media, and tell your friends! I am self-published, so I am counting on word of mouth to get my name and the book out there. Any small thing you do might make a big difference.
Many have asked when I will be doing another Facebook Live event, and I am pleased to announce that I am planning on doing another one, mostly because it was just so much fun last time! Stay tuned for more information. And if you have any special requests, bring it on!
-Liz
P.S.,
As a thank you for your support, here are the bloopers from my photoshoot!
Charlie photo-bombed me! He wanted in on the fun and simply could stand seeing me kneeling on the floor without turning it into playtime. Eventually, I couldn’t get a single shot without him in it, so we gave up and put him in the spotlight. He’s pretty photogenic for a walking, barking mop. Or, what do you think? Ewok? Muppet? Oddly enough, I liked the last shot so much I made it my FB pic! Happy accident.
Listen up, my friends. I need to get my novel out there to the masses! Mira’s Awakening is available FOR FREE on the Amazon store from now until Wednesday, February 3 because I need YOUR HELP.
Here’s my call to action: Get your copy (it costs you nothing)! Read it! (Love it!) Review it! Tell your friends, and that’s it! Just click below or go to Amazon.com and search for Mira’s Awakening.
Want to hear Liz read an excerpt from the book? Click below!
Meet the author (that’s me!), drink some (virtual) cocktails, hear some excerpts from the book, and join in on a Q&A. Want to submit a question ahead of time? Comment below!
I am so excited to have published my first novel and want to share it with everyone I can. This story is close to my heart and I really hope you love it half as much as I do!
I am pleased to announce that my debut novel, Mira’s Awakening, is now available for purchase at Amazon! The novel can be purchased as a paperback or as an ebook. Like, share, tell your friends!
What do you get when you drop a withdrawn widow into a small community with quirky college professors, gregarious actors, brilliant electrical engineers, a sassy book editor, and a hyperactive superhero-obsessed six-year-old?
Community.
Love.
Laughter.
Family.
Fun-loving yet introverted to a fault, Mira is a college professor and widowed single mother in a constant battle with debilitating grief and depression. To make matters worse, she has been the recipient of mysterious, threatening messages since her husband’s death.
Every day is a challenge for Mira as she struggles to find the energy to teach her students and to parent her hyperactive son who is as likely to have a “World War III-worthy tantrum” as he is to charm you with his social commentary about, for example, the grossness of picking ones’ boogers.
Naturally intelligent, handsome, and confident, Devan hadn’t a care in the world until he was faced with a devastating trauma last year. After spending nine months wandering through Europe in an unsuccessful attempt to escape his nightmares, Devan returns home to face his past and the brother (Nicolas) he abandoned.
Nicolas, a colleague and long-time admirer of Mira’s, reluctantly introduces her to Devan. An awkward lunch in a stuffy college office ensues. Mira’s quirky colors (and Devan’s “Thor-like” biceps) are put on display, and that’s all it takes to ensure none of their lives will ever be the same again. Much to the dismay of Nicolas, Devan and Mira find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other.
Just as Mira begins emerging from her shell, she receives a terrifying new message from her stalker. Now that her son’s life has been threatened, Mira runs the risk of withdrawing into her head once more unless she develops the strength to rely on her friends to help her through this crisis.
From the Author:
Dear Reader,
This isn’t a flowery story about “overcoming grief.” That’s not a thing, in my experience.
It’s a story about real people emerging from a raw state of utter despair and somehow finding ways to live with grief and (most importantly) love through it. It’s about finding reasons to get out of bed, finding reasons to smile, finding the right people to love on, and rediscovering joy.
The best part? This novel is just the beginning of the story. Just you wait…
Confession. I get excited about stuff. Fascinated, actually. And when I get excited about something, I tend to dive in head-first. First, I have to research the idea. Then, of course, I need to buy stuff. Because you always need to buy stuff. Then I need to spend hours experimenting. Then I need to perfect it. Once I perfect it, I can relax. Until I get excited about the next thing.
Why do I bring this up? Because I’ve been SOOO busy spending time doing… stuff!
In love yet?
Here’s the most important thing. Our little Charlie is awesome. We only want to roast the puppy over hot coals about 5 minutes out of the day now. The other 1,435 minutes of the day, he is the sweetest and most adorable puppy that ever lived. And yes, I looked up how many minutes there are in a day. Don’t judge me.
Charlie has learned to come, sit, “request” to go outside (it’s a seriously adorable chuff), drop whatever’s in his mouth (kinda), and heel (sorta). When encountered with a stranger, he has gone from having a level 10 conniption fit to something…slightly less. We’ll go with a solid 8 for now. Though, he finally got his shots and we can take him for his first real walk outside today (wee!). This will desensitize him to people and dogs so much faster, I am sure.
He really is a smart pooch. And, look at how cute he is! I know, I know, he needs a haircut! But the groomers would not take him until after his shots, so we had to wait. (Geez, that reminds me. I need to call them again!) And, before you tell me to do this myself, my answer is NO. I am not putting my shaky hands anywhere near that adorable face with scissors in my hands!
Charlie snuggling with the boy. Yes, he has eyeballs. Somewhere.
Puppy damage so far? Let’s see. I’ve lost 3 socks (none of them a matched pair, so let’s make that 6 socks), he chewed up the bottom of his carrier, he chewed my iPhone charger (yummy), he destroyed my adorable purple laptop carrier (grr), he ate up the instructions for a light fixture we have yet to install (so that’s gonna be interesting), and countless napkins, paper towels, pieces of tape, and random bits of paper he finds God-knows-where. And bark. He loves bark. He has chewed up the corner of the laminate flooring despite our efforts of spraying bitter anti-chew spray AND hot sauce on it. (Uh, he’s really sorry Mom…)
ANYHOO… Charlie has kept me busy. And tired, thanks to his tiny bladder waking me up twice a night. That’s OK, though, because mine does, too.
What else has kept me occupied? PROJECTS! I found some sweet new artsy things to spend money on! I knew you’d be as thrilled as me.
I flipped this pot upside down, poured the paint, then blow-dried it to encourage the colors to blend. I was hoping to have these done and ready for Christmas, but I couldn’t get to sealing them on time. Oh, well.
First, I learned how to acrylic pour. Oh, my gosh, this is seriously so much fun! The best part is, you just kind of slop the paint on whatever surface you want to paint, and then voila! OK, not really. There is more to it than that, but check out these final projects! Serious fun. Plus, you get to paint with a blow dryer, which is totally awesome. (If anyone is interested in watching this done, shoot me a message.)
This was an ugly cement stepping stone. I cleaned and primed it, then poured my little heart out.
While I was at it, I figured resin art was so closely related to acrylic pouring that I might as well research that, too. After pounding the bottom of my coin purse REALLY hard (resin is expensive!), I found some resin and cute molds and got started. Did you know that resin is sticky? It’s true! Just ask my fingers that may have accidentally gone gloveless for a few minutes during a project. That was a mistake I’ll never make again. Two days later I was still dealing with sticky fingers. You could also ask my hair how sticky resin is. How I ended up with resin in my hair is completely beyond me. No clue. Probably the same way I ended up with resin on my shirt. And my sock. Oh, well! I will suffer for my art!
I made several coasters going for a geode effect. They weren’t perfect, but this one is my favorite.
Anyway, resin is fun but so much more challenging and unpredictable than the acrylic pour! Most of my projects so far have come out a bit, “meh.” But check these out!
This one is my favorite resin project so far. It was messy, but not actually that challenging with a bit of patience.
What else? Oh, yeah! So, Covid has done a strangely positive thing for me. It’s been awesome for my pain levels! Before going on, let me say I mean no disrespect to the seriousness of our world’s crisis. I know most people are not fortunate enough to work from home and they are suffering. If this applies to you, you are in my prayers.
That being said, I have been fortunate to be able to work from home. I am grateful for this (not for the virus, for goodness sake, but for the opportunity to work from home). Because I no longer travel, my pain has decreased and I have been able to take on a lot more work hours. I know how lucky I am that this has worked out for me and I am grateful for the work every day.
OH! And finally, I discovered Boom Cards. Seriously, if you are a therapist or a teacher or a homeschooler and you aren’t using Boom Cards, you are totally missing out. This website is amazing! I spent hours making tons of online mini books and flashcards sets for my amazing clients. So, even though I am not with my clients in person, I can still create individualized materials for them. This is awesome because I am a perfectionistic control freak. Just kidding about the control thing, but not about the perfectionist part. Or the freak part.
So, anyway, I found a new addiction! Making Boom Cards is serious fun, but it has been quite a time-sucker. (Don’t regret it.) Want to see my decks? Here they are! https://wow.boomlearning.com/author/lisneyland
What about the novel, you ask? Glad you did! Given my amateur status, I have done research (I know, shocking, right?) and more research about the best way to self-publish. Bottom line, because I have officially given up on going with a publisher, I created more work for myself. I have been editing and re-editing. And editing some more.
I am working on creating a book cover using Canva, but thinking about hiring someone to help with this. Still vacillating.
Lastly, I have researched how to publish my book from beginning to end. I now know how to copyright my work, get an ISBN, format for Kindle, get printed versions of my book, advertise, and promote the book.
My goal is to have the book published by (drumroll, please) the end of January! So, away I go!
