With a Little Help...

The Husbinator and I are back from mini-vacation, and it looks like the blog survived the Takeover in one piece! Yay!

In all seriousness, I'd like to say thanks to the girls for spending their weekend writing for me. I had an ulterior motive for asking them to participate in the Blog Takeover, and I'm thrilled that the girls each touched on friendship and family in some way in their posts. I wanted to introduce all of you to the amazingly talented and downright awesome people with VIP seats in my cheering section, and they've once again managed to beat me to the point. :)

I've met some of my nearest and dearest through writing, through fanfiction, through volunteerism, or through some of the weird and random things that come out of my mouth, and I couldn't be happier about it. The Tripod and the girls have gotten me through some tough times.

Last January, I got really sick, and we weren't really sure what was wrong for a long time. Because of my neuro history, I was referred to a neurosurgeon who decided to run several tests to see what was going on with my brain. He discovered a spot on my brain during an MRI/MRV that caused some concern. One thing you never want to hear is that you've got a spot on your brain, and the doctor isn't really sure what it is. When he calls you the next morning and tell you he needs you back at the hospital for bloodwork ASAP, you tend to alternate between outright panic and being numb with fear.

I spent weeks stuck in bed, ready to set it on fire while the neurosurgeon and his evil twin (my neurologist) ran tests, tried out different medications, and otherwise drove me insane, but I didn't deal with any of it alone. The girls and Accolito sent me random funny tweets or emails to make me smile, blew up The Husbinator's phone with texts to check on me, fielded inquries from readers, and were otherwise exactly the strong, caring and courageous people that I'd come to adore.

(We eventually discovered that the spot was a lesion and were able to rule out pretty much every underlying condition under the sun. I just have a weird brain that does stuff it shouldn't for mysterious reasons it hasn't felt a need to share with the class. I feel great, so no fretting.)

When it was all over, and I was trying to decide what was next, everyone had their own ideas. One recurring theme was publication. I heard it from every quarter for months, and the girls were a big driving force behind the sneak attack. When I caved and told them I would try, one of the things that stood out to me was how each of them, in their own way, told me to do it for me, because I'd earned it and I deserved it. I'd never really thought of it that way before, and it was the push I needed to step out of the bat cave and give it a go instead of diving right back into the workforce.

They've been there every step of the way since. They read Fade in its thousand different forms, logged into my email to press send on the very first query when I couldn't, celebrated with me when I signed the contract, helped me put into words and images what I had in mind for the cover, told me I was awesome when I felt anything but, and a million other things that, done alone, would have probably been overwhelming. I'm blessed to have each of these talented writers in my corner, and, more importantly, I'm blessed to call them friends.

Fade is what it is today because of their unflagging support, their eternal optimism, and their willingness to tell me "I told you so" as often as necessary. I wanted to share them with the world as part of 30 Days of Fade because they are the reason we're here today. They've made me a stronger writer, challenged me to make the tough choices, and have been absolutely amazing through all of it.

So thanks for letting me share them with you! :)

And thank you, ladies and Accolito, for being the heart of and driving force behind Fade and this crazy journey we're all taking together now. We wouldn't have if it weren't for you, you know. We'd still be hiding in the bat cave with Fade gathering another year's worth of dust.

xoxo,
A.K.M.

I will be back tomorrow with lots of pictures and the report from mini-vacation. :) 

What I Know

Blog, blog, blog.

What to write on a blog...

When Ayden first asked if I would write a guest post for her fancy blog, I hesitated. Not that I don't adore Ayden (I do), I'm just not a writer. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I often imagine that an author's brain is just full of flowery words and phrases designed to make lowly readers (me) feel something, want something, or know something. My brain, on the other hand, is full of recipes and strategies on how to keep my four year old from turning my house into rubble.

So why am I writing this blog?

Because, seriously, I adore Ayden. She's a kind of fabulous I can't even put into words. Honestly, she would not have cared if I had said no like I initially planned. However, I imagine her getting those Puss n' Boots eyes and I can't say no, even through the computer screen. I mean really, who could resist?

But I digress. What to blog? One should blog what they know, right?

Here are 10 things I know for sure.

1. Give. Give happily, wholly, and assuredly. I'm not talking about money--give someone a shoulder to cry on, food to eat, a listening ear, a helping hand. Just give.

2. Sometimes you can give something your all, and it's still not enough. And that's okay. In today's "everybody wins" society, I think that concept gets lost along the way. It's the effort, not the outcome, that matters most.

3. "No one is better than you, and you are no better than anyone else." That's a direct quote from my momma, so pay attention to that one.

4. Macaroni and cheese will always taste like home wrapped in a hug. Even bad macaroni and cheese is good eatin'.

5. Men and children do not do well on the 4th hour of a family photo session. I learned this today...the hard way. Memories to last a lifetime, right?

6. Bill Cosby was right. Kids do say the darnedest things. My kid told her preschool teacher that I made Daddy sleep in the snow. (I didn't. I gently pushed him into the snow so that he could make a proper snow angel.)

7. Those automated answering machines (like when you call 411 or something) will never, ever understand my accent.

8. Always make friends with maintenance workers, administrative assistants, and technology personnel. Those are the people who run the world.

9. I really don't know that much.

10. Some of the best secrets deserve to be shared. So here it is. An AK Morgan exclusive post. This recipe has been a well guarded secret in my family for years. Every time my mother, my sister, or I make these rolls, someone asks for the recipe. They've never gotten it. Without further ado, I give to you (with family permission, of course) my family's roll recipe.

Cook together 1 cup water, 1 stick butter, 3/4 cup Crisco, and 2/3 cup sugar until melted. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup of colder water, and let cool completely. When cool, add two well beaten eggs. In a small bowl, dissolve 2 packages of yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Combine the mixtures and mix well.

While mixing, add 7 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. After mixing well, rest the dough. Every 30 minutes, knead the dough (or just mix it well). After two hours, refrigerate the dough, allowing it to rest overnight.

The next morning, divide the dough into 5 balls. Roll each ball out into a pie shape. Cut each one as you would a pie, or pizza. Roll into crescents and butter the tops. Allow the rolls to rest for 2 hours. Bake at 425 until the tops are lightly browned.

Thanks for reading! :-)

~Leah

It's Complicated, & Secret, But We Have Wigs...

So, Ayden asked for help while she's away. She's a smart girl—she knows I can't tell her no. Before I get started, I figured I should tell you who I am and how I know our lovely Ayden. My name's Brandi, but I write Twilight fan fiction under the pen-name beegurl13. I met Ayden a couple of years ago when she wrote a story for a contest I was co-hosting. Since then, we've tweeted lots of times, emailed even more, and I've written things for charity drives that she was heading up. She knows I'm always willing to help, which is probably why she asked me to help out now. :) I write a little bit, I read a lot more than I should, I cook sub-par meals for my family, I clean only what must be cleaned, I spent hours every week talking to my bestie on the phone, I wash more laundry than any mother of four children should be legally required to wash, I spent lots of time working on newsletters, invitations, and record keeping for my particular job at church, and I sleep. Well, I try to sleep, when I can. Oh, and I also obsess over Twilight and Robert Pattinson. I can't stop, I've tried. My hubby hates it...and I don't care.

Ayden told me that I could write about anything I wanted, that there was no limit to my crazy, and I'm gonna test that theory out. That being said, I thought I'd discuss something that I was obsessed with for years, and that I feel never received the amount of love or support it should have. Something that brought me hours of joy, heartbreak, and excitement. Something that was pretty much just endured by the network it was on. Something that people ignored and turned a blind eye to, saying it was silly and young and undeserving. It's my favorite television show ever—ALIAS.

What is ALIAS, you're probably asking. It started in September 2001, just after the happenings of September 11^th. I'd seen the commercials for it during the summer. I was excited beyond any normal amount of excitement. It starred Jennifer Garner, who I love, Michael Vartan, who I adore, and Victor Garber, who I think is amazing. Plus, it had all kinds of costumes and disguises and mystery about it. I was in love from the first commercial, and I still am.

Sydney Bristow, the lead character played brilliantly by Jennifer Garner, is a spy. She's working for the US government, in a black ops division, or so she thinks. After returning from a mission, she comes home to find her fiance dead, and her world implodes. She refuses to return to work, instead opting to spend time on her college studies. Soon enough, she realizes that since she won't go back to work, she's seen as a loose end, and they want her dead. It's then that she finds out who she's really working for—the enemy. She's working for the exact people she thought she was fighting against. With that knowledge, she makes up her mind, and she returns to the agency known as SD-6. After informing them that she's back, she high tails it to the actual CIA offices, and becomes their newest double agent. It's at that point that the story gets interesting. See, that's when she meets her new handler, Michael Vaughn, played by the amazingly beautiful Michael Vartan. The sexual tension between the two of them is astounding right from their first shared moments on screen, and he becomes her most trusted confidant. Soon enough, Sydney learns that she's not the only double agent working for the CIA. There's another one...her father, Jack Bristow, played by Victor Garber. He's gruff, emotionally withdrawn, and overly protective of his daughter. The two of them must learn how to work together and trust each other, which proves to be a task easier said than done.

ALIAS ran on ABC for five seasons, during which we saw a lot of amazing costumes and wigs, heard more foreign languages than I knew existed, and felt so much sexual tension, you'd swear your TV set was melting. At this point, ten years ago, we were deep into season one, and cursing the screen each week as Sydney and Vaughn continued to battle against their growing attraction to one another. Not only are these three amazing actors in the show, but also someone else, who at the time was not very well known on the Hollywood scene yet. I'm sure no one would have any problem recognizing him now. You heard of Bradley Cooper? As in, The Hangover? Yeah...he plays Sydney's friend Will, who has a little crush on Syd. It's cute, and pretty fun when he finds out about her life. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that no one in her life knows she's a spy? I didn't say that? Oh...well, they don't. And that makes the show all the more fun.

If you can find it, give ALIAS a try. Like I said, there are five seasons of it, and we see some awesome stunts, experience some shocking moments, and suffer through some serious heartbreak. All in all? It's total win, and I couldn't love it more.

Oh yeah, and Michael Vartan is hot. Did I forget to mention that, too? Ugh...those green eyes of his. Yummy. :)

Thanks Ayden. Gotta say...I'm both curious and nervous about what you're gonna ask me to do for you next... :D

beegurl13/Brandi

Friendship

Hello *looks around nervously* Jen here, a good friend of Ayden’s, also known as Hongkongphooey on FFN and @HKP_Jen_73 on Twitter.

Bear with me for I have never posted on a blog before. Yes, I’m a blogging virgin. I confess I have no clue what I’m doing here but when Ayden asked me to help with the Blog Takeover I couldn’t resist having a go.

For those of you that don’t know me I’m a thirtymumble stay-at-home mum to two very noisy little boys who hails from the rainy west of England. When RL allows I write a little Twilight fanfiction but am mostly to be found reading or lurking on Twitter.

I first met Ayden in November 2010 when I took the plunge to contribute to her first Fandom for Preemies fundraiser. She helped support and reassure me that my first ever oneshot wasn’t total rubbish.

We’ve remained firm friends ever since and frequently spend time putting
the world to rights or just talking inane nonsense. She’s my rock, my salvation and my educator on all things sweet tea.

So what shall I do now I’m here? Well, recently, Ayden and I talked at great length about what friendship means to us. So I thought what better theme for my ramblings could there be?

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know I have a bit of a thing for quotes, so I’m just going to share some of my favourite friendship ones.

"I get by with a little help from my friends."
John Lennon

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

"A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.
Walk beside me and be my friend."
Albert Camus (also attributed to Maimonidies).

"Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend's success."
Oscar Wilde

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.
Erich Segal

I have to include some A. A. Milne quotes. Recently Ayden and I were talking and I commented on feeling a bit “Eeyore-ish”. She promised to keep a tight hold of me and make sure I “never lost my tail” which brought an immediate smile back to my face.

A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside.

A.A. Milne

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
"Pooh?" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand.

"I just wanted to be sure of you.”

A. A. Milne


“Friendship," said Christopher Robin, "is
a very comforting thing to have.”

A. A. Milne

“I might have known,” said Eeyore. “After all, one can’t complain. I have my friends. Somebody spoke to me only yesterday. And was it last week or the week before that Rabbit bumped into me and said ‘Bother!’. The Social Round. Always something going on.”

A. A. Milne


Finally I’m going to leave you with a very special quote indeed, that I keep close to my heart.

“Truth and tears clear the way to a deep and lasting friendship and she’s seen plenty of mine.”
A. K. Morgen

Those words couldn’t be more true. Thank you my wonderful friend. Here’s to you.

Six Sentence Sunday

*peeks in* Is my blog still in one piece? No one's hanging out on the roof waiting to be let in? No tigers in the bathroom or naked Chinese men in the trunk? No one needs bail money, right?!

Okay, good.

I left the Tripod and the girls in charge this weekend while I relaxed, so you know, it could happen. It's part of why I love them so. ;)

The Husbinator and I are still on mini-vacation. We're having a fabulous time. And I'm here for another round of Six Sentence Sunday. But first I have to share with you the news.

The Dean emailed me on Monday to tell me he needed to speak with me. Naturally, I panicked immediately. In my experience, it's never good when the Head Dude in Charge wants to speak to you. Trust me... I know. I got bored easily in high school, and, well, let's just say that I spent a lot of time in a tiny little cubicle in A-School after meeting with the Head Dude in Charge. But moving on!

I freaked out when I got that email, and immediately thought "holy crap!" He's going to tell me I missed a credit hour somewhere and I can't graduate, and then my entire life will be over and and and..." Yeah, it wasn't pretty.

At any rate, after flipping out, I found out it was actually good news. As of yesterday, I'm officially a graduate. And I did it in the top 2 percent of my class! Woohoo!

I just thought I'd share the happy before moving on to Six Sentence Sunday. :)

We're welcoming Arionna back this week for our six. This is from book 2 (Fall). Ari is having a bit of a tough time at this point in her journey, and so is Dace. Poor kids. Let's just say that things happen in Fade that aren't all rainbows and puppies. But then again, life is never always rainbows and puppies, is it? Sometimes it's great big, snarling dogs (or bulls, if you're me!) who chase you for blocks while you run, screaming like a girl and hoping you beat the storm clouds that are gathering overhead.

This is currently unedited, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

       “It was just a dream,” I lied, just as I always did. I tried to smile. It was watery and false, but a smile nonetheless. I couldn’t put those nightly horrors to words. I’d tried once, and his pain had nearly crippled me. I didn’t try anymore.

You can check out other fantastic additions to SSS here. Remember, not all are suitable for young readers.

See you when I get back this afternoon! And, wifey, my cookies better not be missing!

A.K.M.