It's My Birthday! Want to Help Me Celebrate?

It’s my birthday! *cue the confetti*

Today I turn 36. I had a lot of plans for 35; a whole list, in fact. The top item on my list: go to Scotland. I was so sure 35/2019 would finally be my year to visit Scotland. It didn’t happen and while I’m disappointed, I feel like I know why it didn’t happen (it’s a whole big internal, personal thing that gets a bit woowoo...maybe a topic for another day?).

There were a few other things on my list I didn’t do (like get another tattoo - I just can’t find any local artists whose work I’m interested in/trust), but there were many I did accomplish, and that’s what I want to focus on. I’m also focusing on the now and what 36 and 2020 will bring. With that being said, I’ve been working hard at getting back on track with my writing career. One of the goals I accomplished this year was writing and publishing my contemporary romance, Maybe You, in June. I also revised an old shelved manuscript, Hung Up on You, which will be coming out on January 14th (four weeks from tomorrow, aah!). I’m already working on my next project, and have several others lined up. My goal is to end 2019 strong and start the new year even stronger.

But...truth time here: my book sales are abysmal. I’m basically an unknown author, even after eight years of publishing. I’m incredibly grateful for every sale, for the people who spread the word about my books, and for the people who have been so supportive. In a way, my crappy sales numbers this year are my own fault because I slacked big time when it came to actually marketing my books until recently. I was inconsistent, but I’m working hard to change that. I want people to find my books and read them, I want to build a following of loyal fans, I want people to recommend my books to their friends, and I know I need to put in the work in order for any of that to happen. I feel like the people who do know me in the book community know me more as a bookstagrammer and someone who recommends other people’s books. Every time I post about my own books on bookstagram, I inevitably get people - even people who have been following me for awhile - saying they had no idea I was an author.

So for my birthday, I’m asking for a bit of help. If you’ve been curious about my books but haven’t read any of them, maybe you could buy one today? You can find the complete list of them here - they’re all $2.99 or less, and all of them are available on Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, and Nook. Or if you have read them and enjoyed them, maybe you’d consider gifting one to a friend? If you can’t spare the money (believe me, I get that!), maybe you could share one of my book-related tweets or Facebook posts? Or one of the Instagram posts I’ve shared about my books? There are so many things you can do to help, and not just me, but for all other authors too.

If you’d really like to make my day, the thing that’d make me happiest is pre-ordering my upcoming contemporary romance, Hung Up on You. I have a goal in mind (a modest number that some people would probably laugh at, but that would mean a lot to me), and it would be incredible to meet that goal today. Think you could help me out? Hung Up on You is just 99 cents to pre-order!   

Amazon US

Amazon Canada

Amazon UK

Kobo

iBooks

Nook

If you're reading this, thank you for sticking around and thank you for your support. Here's to an amazing year ahead for all of us.

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Fantastic Friday #2

Fantastic Friday is a new feature here on Ramblings of a Daydreamer. Each Friday I'll showcase fantastic things from the past week - could be things I've done, places I've gone, a new song I like, a movie I've seen, books I've read, blog posts from around the blogosphere - anything at all!

• I hit 60,000 words in my current WIP, Something in the Air! I've been writing this book on and off for almost two years now and there are times when I feel like I'll never finish, but after hitting that milestone, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

• Tuesday was my mum's birthday. One of our favourite restaurants does a promo for a free meal on your birthday, so Mum, my sister-in-law, and I went for a girls' lunch. The restaurant is right by the bay, and we usually sit outside, but it was too cold, so the waitress took us to the back where we had a great view of the water from two sides. Mum ordered escargot for us to share (before you get grossed out, yes, they're snails, but no, it's not a big deal, at least not to me. My dad was French, so I grew up eating them and they're delicious) and we all got the restaurant's specialty, fish and chips. YUM. We usually have my almost-2-year-old niece with us, which makes meals out loud, chaotic, and rushed, so it was nice to relax, talk, laugh, and take our time. We had a great time. That night, my brother, sister-in-law, nephews, and niece came for dinner and cake (the birthday girl is so special, she got two cakes). It was a great day, and my mum felt really special and loved, which she is!

• Weekly Europe Countdown: 8 more weeks! Time is going so fast, it's unreal. I had a bunch of banking to do this week and the Euro was down a bit, so I got a bit of cash for the trip. The British pound is still a bit higher than I'd like (well, a lot higher, at $1.90), so I'm going to continue to keep an eye on it and hope it goes down even a few more cents before I get some pounds.

• I finally joined Pottermore and got sorted, and I'm in Ravenclaw! I guess I always thought I'd be Gryffindor, but really only because Harry, Ron, and Hermione were. Ravenclaw actually makes more sense since they're known for being clever and quirky, which is accurate for me. I wanted to know before I go to London, because when you visit Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross, you can wear a scarf to have your picture taken, plus there's a gift shop and I'd like to buy something with my house emblem, so now I know! I told my friend Krista (who I'm going to Europe with) to join and get sorted and she was Ravenclaw too, which didn't surprise either of us since we're pretty much brain twins.

• I saw my first spring flowers this week! Last week was gorgeous - sunny and warm - but this week has been cold and windy, and it even snowed a bit yesterday. *gag* Spring is taking her sweet time coming, so when I saw these lovely, sunny daffodils I squealed and got unreasonably excited. I'm so ready for buds and blossoms and blooms.

So that's my fantastic week. What did you find fantastic this week? Tell  me in the comments below, chat with me on Twitter, or feel free to link me to blog posts, articles, pictures, songs, videos, or whatever you thought was fantastic that you want to share! Don't forget to enter to win a personalized 16x20" canvas from CanvasPop! I love my canvas, and I'm excited to share the love to one other lucky person.

   
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Marie's Birthday Celebration!

Today is my birthday! *hands out cupcakes* It's a big one too...today I turn...*chokes on words*...I turn 30. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah!! It's okay. Really. It's not that bad. I'm not having a meltdown, I swear. I'm determined that this year I will embody the phrase '30, flirty, and thriving'. This year is going to be all kinds of awesome, because I'm going to make it all kinds of awesome.  How's that for optimism?

So as I say goodbye to my 20s *wipes away a nostalgic tear* I'd like to celebrate with you, my lovely, oh-so-wonderful bloggy friends. I've been at this whole book blogging thing for three years now and there have been a lot of ups and downs but I wouldn't trade a minute of it. I've made some incredible friends, had a chance to work with authors and publishers, and I've read a boatload of books, many of which touched my heart and left me changed. 

Despite my love of books, if it weren't for this amazing community, I don't think I would keep blogging. You guys - your passion and love and humour and insanity and support - make it worthwhile. I cherish each and every comment left on this blog, every follower, and every new friend I make.

And because I love you guys so much, I figured what better way to celebrate my birthday than by celebrating with you? How am I doing that? GIVEAWAYS! All year long I've been trying to come up with something fun...my #1 choice would have been to have 30 prizes, but alas, I can't afford that. So I came up with a few different things, and hopefully there'll be something for everyone. 

~Giveaway #1~

Signed, personalized Waiting for the Storm postcard, plus signed sticker (not shown) from yours truly

Scarlet bookmark signed by AC Gaughen 

The Archived bookmarked signed by Victoria Schwab

The Secret Diamond Sisters bookmark signed by Michelle Madow

Undeadly bookmark signed by Michele Vail

*Open internationally*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Giveaway #2~

Winner's choice of one (1) of the ebooks pictured here (the top four books are mine and the rest are books by friends and/or books I've read and loved)

Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry {GoodReads}

The Game Changer by Marie Landry {GoodReads}

Waiting for the Storm by Marie Landry {GoodReads}

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Marie Landry {GoodReads}

The Boys of Summer by CJ Duggan {GoodReads}

An Endless Summer by CJ Duggan {GoodReads}

That One Summer by CJ Duggan {GoodReads}

If Only We by Jessica Sankiewicz {GoodReads}

A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers {GoodReads}

Scotland by Starlight by Nancy Volkers {GoodReads}

Being Human by Patricia Lynne {GoodReads}

The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers by Angie Fox {GoodReads}

*Open internationally*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Giveaway #3~

Last week I did an 'If we were having coffee...' post and I shared my mixed feelings about turning 30. My friend Suz told me I should watch Sex and the City because it's the best cure for the 'Turning 30 Blues'. I immediately got out my copy of season 1 and popped it in the DVD player. Later my mum told me she was going to get me the series set for Christmas, so I wondered what I should do with my barely used season 1...then I decided I might as well pass it along to a friend. This set is used, but I've only watched the first few episodes, the case is in great condition, and the discs are pristine. Sex and the City is one of my favourite shows ever, so I want to spread the love!

*Open Canada and US ~ must be 18+ to enter this one!*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~*~*~*~*~

  While I have your attention, I just want to talk about the very first year-long challenge I'll be hosting in 2014: the Historic Fiction Reading Challenge. It starts January 1st, 2014 and runs until December 31st, 2014. Love historic fiction? Never really read it but want to give it a try? Consider signing up for the challenge!

Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me! 

What was your favourite birthday? What's the best gift you've ever gotten? What do you hope to do for your next birthday?

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Update Thursday #16

I got the idea for Update Thursday from the amazingly wonderful Jessica from Thoughts at One in the Morning. Every Thursday, I’ll be posting an update on my reading, writing, what’s going on at the blog, and anything else I think is worth mentioning.

FINISHED READING:

Naughty or Nice? by Stephanie Bond from the Under the Mistletoe collection {GoodReads}
Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland {GoodReads}

 Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi {GoodReads}

CURRENTLY READING:

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins {GoodReads}

ON THE BLOG:

On the weekend I posted my Stacking the Shelves - it was my birthday edition #1 because I showcased the books I bought for myself for my birthday. This weekend I'll show you guys what I got as gifts for my birthday!

I reviewed Splintered by AG Howard and gave it 5 stars. This book...you guys...if you're a fan of Alice in Wonderland, and/or enjoy books with action, romance, amazing characters, beautiful writing, and incredible world-building, you need to pre-order this book. It comes out January 1st! 

As you can see above, I've been on a Christmas book kick, so I dedicated the first half of this week to Christmas reviews. On Monday, I reviewed Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (4 stars), The Christmas Strike by Nikki Rivers (4 stars), and I did three mini reviews: Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland (4 stars), Naughty or Nice? by Stephanie Bond (4 stars), and Christmas Kisses by HM Ward (3 stars).

WRITING:

Well, I said I was going to take December off writing after a very stressful writing month in November, but a week or so ago I got an idea for a Christmas story, and I started writing it on Tuesday. I've finished 2 chapters - a little over 5,000 words. I'm thinking it will likely be novella length, but I'm just going to go with it and see where it takes me. I have almost a year to write and revise it - I figure I'll publish it next November. I'm really excited about it and I'm having fun writing it, so I'm hoping I can finish it this month or next while I'm feeling the holiday spirit.

ALL THE REST:

It's been a busy week. Sunday was my birthday, Monday I got a bunch of work done, Tuesday I went shopping for everything I'd need for Christmas dinner, and then went to see Breaking Dawn Part 2 at night with my childhood bff, and Wednesday I got some blog stuff done and wrote a chapter of the Christmas story I just mentioned. 

For my birthday, my sister-in-law and nephews came over for the afternoon and we had lunch, cake, presents, and watched The Santa Clause 3. It was a lot of fun. We took a ton of pictures; it's usually a nightmare trying to get the boys to pose for pictures - they're 10 and 2, so you can imagine how difficult it is to get them both looking at the camera at the same time, let alone both smiling or not making faces. We ended up with some hilarious candid shots and also some fantastic posed shots that I was really happy with. I'm hoping we can do more at Christmas, but I think I may be pushing my luck hoping for two good 'photo shoots' in a row lol. 

Breaking Dawn...I know what some of you are thinking: "Why, Marie, WHY?!" And I say: don't judge!! lol I personally loved the books...mind you, I read them before I became a blogger and became more...'discerning' I guess you could say. The thing is, for the most part I'm really easy to please when it comes to books. I don't have the issues that a lot of other people have (love triangles, instalove, etc) - for instance, the people who thought Edward was a stalker and that Bella was a whiny little bitch...I didn't notice that/feel that. The movies on the other hand...I've had a love/hate relationship with the movies. I think the casting was done poorly, and the acting in the first movie was so bad, it was almost painful to watch. It's so awkward that I find myself squirming or groaning at times just because it's SO BAD. However - and this is just my opinion - each movie has gotten better (even if the acting at times is still cringe-worthy), and I really enjoyed Breaking Dawn Part 2. I've seen every single movie in the theatre with my childhood best friend, and I couldn't not see this one. I actually even cried at the end, although I cry super easily - during commercials, TV shows, movie trailers, you name it. It's actually kind of a joke in my family...my sister-in-law picked out two beautiful cards for my birthday - one for Sister and one for Aunt - and she purposely picked ones she hoped would make me cry and then she sat there with my camera and waited for me to cry lol. But yeah, I really enjoyed it, and it was strange knowing it was the last one. Now all I can wonder is what will be the next big thing? Beautiful Creatures? The Mortal Instruments? Something different? What do you think?

How has your week been so far? What have you been up to? Any blog posts you're particularly proud of that you think I should come see? What have you been reading? Watching? Have you seen Breaking Dawn Part 2?

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Stacking the Shelves Birthday Edition #1

My birthday is this weekend, so this is Birthday Edition #1 because it's basically the books I bought as 'to me from me' presents. Next week in Birthday Edition #2, I'll show you the books I get this weekend as gifts and next week in the mail. :-)

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Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews

FOR REVIEW:
Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown {GoodReads}
Swimming at Night by Lucy Clarke {GoodReads}
WON:
Mystic City by Theo Lawrence {GoodReads}

GIFTED:
A Royal Pain by Megan Mulry {GoodReads}

LIBRARY:
Poison Princess by Kresley Cole {GoodReads}
Embrace by Jessica Shirvington {GoodReads}

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr {GoodReads}
The Diviners by Libba Bray {GoodReads}
Clarity by Kim Harrington {GoodReads}
The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts {GoodReads}
Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio {GoodReads}
One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern {GoodReads}

BOUGHT:
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor {GoodReads}
Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins {GoodReads}
Fateful by Claudia Gray {GoodReads}
Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson {GoodReads}

Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland {GoodReads}
Christmas Kisses by HM Ward {GoodReads}

 
A huge thank you to Margie from Bumbles and Fairy-Tales, Simon and Schuster Canada, NetGalley, and Random House

What books did you get this week? Tell me in the comments below or post a link to your Stacking the Shelves/Book Haul/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday, etc. Happy reading! <3

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In My Mailbox Week 19 - December 18th - The Birthday Edition

In My Mailbox is weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.  The idea is to share books you've acquired during the week, whether you've won them, bought them, picked them up at the library, received them for review, whatever.  It's a great way to bring attention to books and authors and share the love!

 Books mentioned:

Gifts:
All That Glitters - VC Andrews {GoodReads}
Melody - VC Andrews {GoodReads}
Ruby - VC Andrews {GoodReads}
Dawn - VC Andrews {GoodReads}
Midnight Whispers - VC Andrews {GoodReads}
Twilight's Child - VC Andrews {GoodReads}
Tarnished Gold - VC Andrews {GoodReads}
Web of Dreams - VC Andrews {GoodReads}
Hidden Jewel - VC Andrews {GoodReads}

Library:
The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton {GoodReads || Purchase}

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Follow Friday Fun (22) & TGIF @ GReads (18)

Weekly recap - what's been going on at Ramblings of a Daydreamer:

Reviews:

Hushed by Kelley York

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Memes:

In My Mailbox Week 18 - December 11th - The Secret Santa Edition

Other:

Flame of Surrender Trailer

Today's my birthday!!! I usually freak out a little over birthdays, but I'm not this year...at least not yet...hopefully it doesn't happen later today lol. I just have a feeling that this year is going to be great. :-) Today's the last day to enter my 400 follower/birthday celebration giveaway - the link is at the top of the blog and in the sidebar if you haven't entered already!

Follow Friday Fun Week 22: This weekly meme is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  Check out their blogs for details/rules, and to join!  Also, be sure to check out this week's featured bloggers on each of the girls' sites!

This week's question: When you've read a book, what do you do with it? (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it..?)  

 

Well, most of my books come from the library, so I obviously return them. I’ve just recently started buying books again, but I try to only buy books I’m pretty sure I’ll love and want to keep. Same with books I win…I only enter for books I really, really want. Right now, I have a big pile of review books I’ve read that I’m going to donate to my library or the Diabetes Association for their next pick-up. I’ve also sold books to the used bookstore for credit and then bought new (used) books with the credit. I’d love to do giveaways for books I don’t want to keep, but can’t really afford the cost of shipping. Hopefully next year that'll change!

 

What do you do with your books once you've read them?

 

 

TGIF at GReads Week 18: TGIF is hosted by Ginger at GReads - be sure to check out her blog and join in the fun!

This week's question: Most Popular: What blog post has gotten the most comments/activity on your blog this year?

 

That would be the post about the 2011 Spooktacular October Paranormal Reading Challenge. I had 74 comments on that one, and an unbelievable turnout for the challenge (270 paranormal reviews in the month of October). I was so thrilled. I can’t wait to do it again in 2012 and hopefully have more in the way of activities and giveaways!

What was your most popular blog entry?

 

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you all had a terrific week!

SweetMarie83's 400 Follower + Birthday Celebration Giveaway!

I can’t believe I’ve reached 400 followers! When I first started this blog, I honestly didn’t know if anyone would even read it. Now I have people who visit regularly, leave the sweetest comments, and share bits of their lives with me. I feel so blessed. :-) ♥

I’m so incredibly grateful for my followers. You guys encourage me to keep reading, keep writing, and keep posting. I’ve also had such overwhelming support from people when it comes to my upcoming debut novel, Blue Sky Days (yeah, ok, that was a little bit of a plug lol), and I wanted to express my gratitude in some small way. Also, my 28th birthday is coming up on December 16th, so I thought I’d celebrate that with you guys, too! What birthday party is complete without favors, right? ;-)

This giveaway will run from today (November 16th) until my birthday on December 16th. I’m letting it run so long because I’m hoping to collect more swag and have an extra winner or two.

What you can win:

A book of your choice from the selection below. I’ve got a really random selection of books here. Some are old favorites, some are newer favorites, some are books on my TBR pile or wish list, and I threw in a couple of new-ish releases for good measure. They’re mostly YA, but I added a few adult books so there would hopefully be something for everyone. 

Swag! I’ve been very slowly collecting swag over the last couple months. A few highlights include a signed Faerie Ring bookmark from Kiki Hamilton, signed Being Human bookmarks from Patricia Lynne, signed Flame of Surrender bookmarks from Rhiannon Paille, The Rising Moon bookmark and pin from Nilsa Rodriguez, and a few other things. I’m also expecting a bit more swag in the mail, so I’ll update this as I include more goodies, and will hopefully have a picture to post by the end of the week. (If anyone has a bunch of extra swag they’d be interested in donating, or if any authors see this and would like to donate some swag, please let me know, I’d be super grateful! The more swag I have the more winners there will be.) Also, if I can get my bookmarks for Blue Sky Days ordered and delivered before the end of the giveaway, I'll include some of those, too! :-)

<br /><a href="http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.com/2011/11/sweetmarie83s-400-follower-birthday.html" target="_blank"><img src=" http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g167/irishstar83/Blog%20Buttons/Giveaways/SweetMarie83-400-Follower-Bday-Giveaway-sm.png" alt="Ramblings of a Daydreamer " alt="Ramblings of a Daydreamer" /></a>

The only mandatory entry is that you must be a public GFC follower of the blog – after all, it is a follower appreciate giveaway! I’m adding in a ton of other things for those people who want a whole bunch of extra chances, but you don’t have to do any of them. I know these giveaways are often self-serving in a way for the hosts because you can gain extra entries by doing stuff for the host (as is the case with this giveaway, as you will see lol), but it gets you extra entries and you don’t have to do them if you don’t want to! If you do, it's win-win! ;-)

This giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to your country.

Thank you again to everyone who has been so wonderful and supportive over the last few months. The friendships I've made through the blogosphere mean more to me than you can imagine. ♥ ♥ ♥

This is my first time using Rafflecopter for a giveaway, so please let me know if there are any issues. If the Rafflecopter form doesn't show up, just refresh the page. ;-)

What I've been up to

I haven't blogged as much as I'd like to lately, but I have a good excuse!  I've been doing more freelance writing - I'm now writing for Xomba, Suite 101 and Demand Media Studios.  I'm also continuing to do short stories on the side and sell them to online magazines, but unfortunately I can't post the links because they're "adult" sites and I don't want to get in trouble with Google or Blogger! haha

For my other writing, I've started a list along the right-hand side in the box titled "Some of My Online Articles" (very original, I know).  I'm not going to post them all, but chances are, I'll post most of them.  I feel like I'm spending as much time, if not more, marketing my writing as actually writing, but I've discovered networking isn't so bad and it's actually paying off, which thrills me.  If you're interested, you can find my Xomba profile HERE, which has a list and links to all my articles and bookmarks, and my Suite101 profile HERE, which again has a list and link to my articles.  I'm just getting started, so there's not much to read, I had been concentrating on short stories up until a couple weeks ago when I decided to branch out into articles.  I'm dedicating myself to this full time though, so keep an eye out in the coming weeks and months and there will be a lot of articles to read! :-)

Other than that, I've been busy planning birthday parties for two of my favorite people, my brother Jamie, and my grama.  My brother's birthday is the 26th, and my sister-in-law Amanda (who also happens to be one of my closest friends) came up with this great idea to take him away.  I had mentioned to her how I'd love to be a travel writer (combining two of my passions, writing and traveling, what could be better?) and she sympathized (probably because she'd be my travel buddy and wants to travel too!) and then said how she'd love to take Jamie away.  By the end of the day, we'd made travel arrangements, booked a hotel and basically had the whole trip planned.  We're going away Friday the 26th - Amanda, Jamie, my oldest friend in the world Suleena, and me - but I can't tell you where because Jamie doesn't know!  I think that's my favorite part - we're not telling him where we're going, but he knows we're going somewhere.  Is it bad that that elicits an evil cackle from me whenever I think about it?  Anyway, I am super excited, not only to be getting away with three of my favorite people, but also the fact that because it's off season, we got the hotel for...wait for it....$27!!!  I didn't know it was possible to get a hotel that cheap, anywhere, ever.  I honestly thought there was a mistake and Suleena asked me what kind of place it was, probably assuming it was a dive for that price, but it looks like a nice place and it's within walking distance of all the main attractions of the city.

So, we're leaving the 26th, coming back the 27th, and my grama's birthday party is the 28th.  This should be very interesting.  Amanda and I are going to do a bunch of baking for the party, so we've got to squeeze that in somewhere between coming home Saturday after a 4-hour drive and Sunday afternoon at 1 o'clock.  Good thing I love a challenge!