Grown up Christmas

I LOVE Christmas! I don't necessarily love that it's become so commercialized, but I still love the holiday and the memories that come with it. This year things have been a little different though. I guess it didn't really happen all at once, but this is the first year that it really hit home.
Somewhere along the line my kids have grown up.
All four of my children are adults now. They've gotten to that point where a barbie doll and box of Lego's aren't going to solve their problems and light up their life. They have real problems and issues in the shape of bills and responsibilities.
My oldest son and his wife have their own child. An adorable little boy who was diagnosed with Hemophilia days after his birth. My second son so busy working as a chef. He's amazing, but there are moments when I wish a new skateboard would make his life perfect again. My daughter has grown into an amazing woman and has now become a friend as well as my child. I know there is so much ahead for her and part of me wishes I could take it all on for her so she would never have to experience the bumps and bruises that life brings. My youngest son just left the nest this last year. He has so much ahead of him to experience. He is a writer and is living his own dream of someday being published. I wish I could make it all happen for him quickly and easily. 
As a parent I want to make everything perfect for them. I don't want life to bring hurt. Realistically, I know I can't. There is no gift within my means that will lighten their loads. This is the day I hope I have prepared them for.
They are adults.
If you have small children hug them extra tight and enjoy those moments when playing in the wrapping paper can bring so much joy. They won't stay little forever but they will always be our babies.

Life

So evidently I may not have moved my blog after all.
I was talking with a friend the other day about blogs and mentioned I had moved to a blog with the website and she asked if it wouldn't be easier to embed my old blog inside my website. I'd never thought of it. So I'm giving it a try. If it doesn't work then maybe I will go back to having a blog just in the website and wave farewell to Talking With Tammy.

Anyway... Life...
It happened again I guess and hugely got in the way of writing. Or I let it. Life will always be happening and I need to learn to quit letting it get in the way. If I'm going to be a writer and not be a one hit wonder, then I need to write. Every day. I thought I might get back into blogging a little because maybe it will help get the words flowing again.

So quick update before I go attempt that writing thing today. I've actually physically moved and I'm not talking about just the blog. I live in the country now. I have chickens and goats. I actually go out and collect eggs every day. Sometimes twice a day. I even have a bottle baby goat that I'm keeping in the house who wears diapers. Yes! Diapers! The picture is of my two favorite writing buddies. Moose and Nilla (the temporary house goat). Nilla is short for Vanilla. She has an outside sister named Cocoa (the one momma goat decided to actually take care of).

I'll have to share more about life with goats and chickens later. I'm trying to keep it short today. Have an awesome day. I'll be back!

Blog Move!

I've moved my blog! I have been trying to simplify my web presence a little and thought it might be easier to have my blog and website all in one place. We'll see how that goes, I guess. I loved the blogger layout and the way things look, but... I'm all for keeping things simple and easy to figure out.

My big cover reveal is coming soon, so I've uploaded all my blog posts over to my website and I'll be doing the reveal there. If you've happened across here, come check it out and check out my cover! I love it!

My website is at tammyjohnson.net. See you there!

A Killer Voice!!

Today is the day I have had marked on my calendar since back in March when I first entered the KillerVoices pitch contest. In big red letters on today's date it says  - LIS KillerVoices winners announced.  I didn't have to wait for today to know I was one of the winners, but it is so amazing to see it there on the Harlequin blog in big print. -  Tammy Johnson’s Royal Rescue will publish in April 2015  -

Happy Dancing here again.

Participating in the KillerVoices pitch contest was an amazing experience for me. I learned what I could do when I pushed myself. I learned to trust myself and write from my heart and imagination. Most importantly, I learned to trust God with my writing.

I'm working through the revisions on Royal Rescue now and learning and growing every step of the way. It's going to be a fun journey and I'm excited about it.  I can't wait to share more.

So how about you? Anyone on any interesting learning journeys?

We have a Title!!

It's way past time for a blog post!! I have so many things going on and I want to be able to share and have it all documented somehow so I can read back years from now and remember how amazing it all was.

First off - it's still real!! I really did sell to Love Inspired Suspense through the KillerVoices contest!

I found out just this morning that the story previously known as - In the Wind - will be book when it grows up and it's name will be - Royal Rescue. I'm tickled pink. I love it. How about you? Getting a title was a fun process. I brainstormed a long list which I sent off to my wonderful editor. (I love saying that) From that list, the powers that be came up with Royal Rescue. It still makes me giddy.

It's been a while since I've talked about the story, so just as a refresher - Thea James (aka Dorthea Jamison, Princess of Portase) meets and eventually falls in love with bodyguard, Ronin Parrish. Of course they have a lot of bumps in the road (literally) along the way, but they definitely have their happily ever after.

Thea

I worked a lot today on writing a thirty word teaser for the story. I finally came up with one, but I like the slightly longer version better -

After the murder of her father, Princess Thea James was hidden away for her own safety. Years later, Ronin Parrish must bring her home at any cost, for her memories hold secrets that will free his father and see justice done.

I hope that gives it that suspenseful edge that makes people want to know more about what is going on.

Ronin

Over the last several days I've been busy working on coming up with title suggestions, sending in image suggestions to help with cover design. Thankfully, I had several ready on my story board on Pinterest. I've also been working on the revisions I need to do on the story that will make it ready to read.  I'm still loving Thea and Ronin. Part of me will be sad when I'm finished with my part of the book and start to work on the next story. (which has already been waking me up at terribly early hours of the morning with ideas)

One of the many things I love about Thea is her strength. She's been through a lot, but she hasn't let her circumstances define her, instead the hardships she's faced have made her more determined to stay strong. The best part of that strength is how it surprises the hero and catches him totally off-guard from the very beginning. I love doing that to heroes.

Ronin has faced his fair share of adversity as well. It's cost him to lose faith slightly, but after only a few days with Thea, it becomes apparent to him that he'd never totally turned his back on beliefs. That is one of the best things about characters falling in love - when the realize the little bits of themselves that they find in the other person. 

Thea and Ronin have that and I can't wait to see if other people notice it in them as well. I guess I will have to wait until April, but it will be here soon enough. 

Reality Check

Happy 4th of July everyone!! 

 It's been two days since I found out that I sold to Love Inspired Suspense. Still happy dancing - literally. Every now and then I get an email or a message from someone and I think, "Wow, this is really happening." I still get up and do a little happy dance around my chair. :) I have seriously been waiting for this day for such a long time. It still amazes me. I'm so very thankful.

Reality has slowly started to set in as well. I got the revision letter back from my editor and when I first start reading through it I'm smiling away and thinking, "I can do that, easy peasy." The more I read the less confident I get about it. Also the reality that people are really going to be reading this book someday sets in.  That thought makes me both happy and panicky at the same time. Actual, REAL people are going to be reading this.

Now the pressure of making it something that I can totally be proud of sets in. I guess in the back of my mind as I was writing it, I just wanted to make it something that an editor would like. I never really thought about the people I work with, friends and family or people I might bump into at the grocery store. People are going to read this!!! I'm both thrilled and frightened at the same time.

What if they don't like it? What if it's boring?

I'm looking at my revisions and faced with the reality that my dream has come true and now I have to make this book the best that I possibly can so it will be something I can be proud of.

The reality is amazing and frightening at the same time, but it's a reality that I've dreamed of for so long, there is no way I'm going to fail now.  I know there is so much more to this journey that I have yet to discover. I hope that you will hang out with me along the way and share pieces of yours as well!

That moment when everything changes!

You know that saying - Your life can change in an instant?  It's so true!

One moment I'm doing my normal boring thing - the next minute the phone rings and everything changes. I'm a Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense Author!!

My CALL actually started with a voice mail that I listened to in the bathroom of Pizza Hut, but it was still just as amazing as I'd always imagined it would be.

This is my call story:

I was working my summer job at Pizza Hut. I'd only been working a few days and felt like I'd just spent three hours running around like a chicken with my head cut off. The lunch rush was crazy that day. My feet were killing me and I was way past ready for a break. I asked if I could have one and grabbed my cell phone and went to the one place I thought it would be okay for me to check my phone and relax a few minutes... the bathroom. I know, TMI probably, but it's the truth and it's my call story. :)

I had two missed calls. One was an 800 number that I still haven't checked back on and the other was an area code I didn't recognize. I'd asked friends before what the New York area code was, but I couldn't remember. My heart still skipped a beat. I had two voice mails. That tiny flame of hope sputtered to life as I hit the button to check. My Killer Voice story had been with the editor only a few weeks, but they'd started making calls and I was hopeful it would happen for me too, some day. When I heard the voice at the other end I think I nearly fell over. All I remember hearing was, "This is Shana Asaro from Love Inspired books..." After that everything was a blur of tears of joy and just trying to figure out how to call her back. I presumed she had good news, which thinking back on it now, was probably jumping the gun just a little bit. But, I'd heard enough call stories before to know that editors didn't usually call you unless they actually were interested in buying your book.

I asked my manager if I could get away for a few minutes to make a phone call so I could at least call her back and set up a time to talk. I was told I could leave early and go home if I wanted. And boy, did I want. On the way home I called my daughter and through the tears I was still battling, managed to tell her that my editor from the Killer Voice pitch contest had called me and I was on my way home to call her back.

I made it home within minutes. I live in a small town, it doesn't take long. :) I had to explain to my teenage son that there was going to be crying for the next few minutes. He now tells me I didn't explain the why well enough and that he had no idea what was going on until later. Somehow I managed to get it all together enough to make the call back. I think I was able to speak in mostly complete sentences. I hope so anyway. I was so excited. The call was because she wanted to offer me a contract for my Killer Voice book!!! Most of what happened after that is a blur of happiness and thankfulness and every other good emotion you can imagine. We went over some of the details and talked a little about revisions and she asked if I wanted to write under my name. I was stumped on that one. For a very long time I hadn't imagined being anyone other than Tammy Johnson. After I divorced though, it seemed odd to have that be the name associated with every book I write for the rest of my life. I spent most of last night thinking about it, and I've decided to just keep my name. It is me after all.

After that it was a blur of calling my family. I called my daughter back and told her, and my sons and sister, mother, brother ... then friends and then I finally was able to make it to the internet and share with all my online friends as well. It's totally been an amazing experience and everything I had ever hoped it would be. It was a little odd to sit home last night and do nothing after all the excitement, but the down time was probably a good thing for me.

God really has blessed me with this sale. It's been a dream for such a long time and now I can barely believe it's happening. The night before the call I was feeling really discouraged and beginning to doubt a lot of the choices I'd made. I spent some time with God talking about how hard it was for me to keep hoping and believing and that I knew I should just stay strong but I didn't know if I had it in me to keep trying. I begged for a sign that I was on the right path at least. The next day, I got the call. How's that for a sign? I am blessed and so very thankful.

So that is my call story and now the rest of my writing career begins. I'm not sure where to start, but I hope to be here, sharing it with you every step of the way.