It's GAME Day, Baby!

Instead of Monday's Book Spotlight, I'm just going to talk. Today is a busy, but super exciting day! What's happening today, you ask?

Well…

1. I pre-register for spring semester today. I'm tackling another seven classes, but that will leave only five to take my final semester. Unfortunately, I have to sign up for biology. Bleh. I'm not a fan of science. I am looking forward to my History of Rock Music class though. Should be interesting. 
2. It's hockey night in Raleigh! The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming down to play the Carolina Hurricanes and I'm going to be there! I'm super excited for many reasons, but one is because my dad is going with me. He's never been to a hockey game before, so I'm excited to take him and show him all there is to love about hockey!
3. That's all I got. Yeah, those two things are pretty much it for me today. I just wanted to have a #3.

I'll wrap this up with a question. History of Rock Music is one of my electives. In college, which class was your favorite elective?

6 Months Left as a Teenager

OH MY GOSH! WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?

In exactly six months, I will no longer be a teenager. It's a little scary, to be honest. I've been a teenager for a long time and on my next birthday, I will be in my twenties. O_O That has to be the scariest thing I've said in a while. It's exciting, sure, but it's a little intimidating too. 

I mean, I'll be twenty. I have a hard time remembering to say I'm 19 and not 18. Then there's the thought that if there's something I haven't accomplished yet, I'll think, "You're twenty now. You should be doing that already." Or something like that.

Anyway, I thought that this pre-milestone in my life needed to be talked about. I will be leaving my teenage years behind and entering a new phase. My twenties. I can't get over it! If I'm like this now, I'm going to be in a tizzy when I actually have my birthday.

This is a big deal for me! Does everyone think that turning twenty is a big deal or is it just me? I mean, you don't start saying mid-age group until the twenties. No one says, "She's in her mid-teenage years." Entering the twenties means that a few years down the road, someone may say, "She's in her mid-twenties." That's going to be new. I will then be closer to the legal drinking age. I'll enter a career during this time. The twenties are huge and I'm about to start at the beginning!

Okay, enough of my ramblings. I still have six months to go until my twentieth birthday. I'll ramble more about this then. :) Plus, it's my first official day of school. Wish me luck!

I Use "Um" Instead of Names

I don't know why or how I came to realize this, but here's a post where you can learn something about me that you didn't know. When I'm around people that I've just met or that I'm not around all the time, I avoid saying their name. I will start my sentence with "um" to keep from saying their name. Why? Well, I have this irrational fear that I may either say the wrong name or mispronounce the name. It's crazy, I know, but it doesn't stop me from doing it.

For example, my BFF has been my BFF for almost 11 years. I've never said her grandparents name in front of her grandparents or to her grandparents. Being friends for 11 years means that I've been around her family quite a bit, especially with how I almost always go with her to visit them. It never fails though. I'll say their name or her and the rest of her family, but if I have to ask them a question or anything, I'll say, "Um, can I...?"

Yes, I know what their name is. Yes, I can easily pronounce it. No, I won't say their name out loud around them. I even do this for a period of time when I get new teachers. It's weird, right? I worry about the oddest things, I swear. There are a couple of other stuff that I have weird reactions too, but I won't get into that today. One admission is good for now, don't you think?

That's my story on how I use "um" instead of names. Do you have irrational, seemingly silly fears? Do you have a way of getting around it? Let's hear it!

Because It's Too Long For a Facebook Status

Any time I go to unlock my phone, I have the pleasure of having a shirtless guy (who shall remain nameless) for my background. Makes me smile every single time.

Part of me thinks, "Lindsay, you shouldn't have that up there! What would your mother think if she saw that?"

The other part of me thinks, "Hey, it's MY phone and my mother would probably appreciate his good looks too. And it's not like it's what anyone would consider an inappropriate image. He just doesn't have a shirt on. Simple as that."

The first part then thinks, "And what if your nosey nephews grab a hold of your phone and demand to know who that it?"

The other part thinks, "Since when do I answer to them and what would they be doing with my phone? Plus, it only shows up when I go to enter my passcode. Not my phone background. That's a picture of the beach. And I would say who it was. No biggie."

The first part sighs with defeat, knowing it's pointless.

The point of this post besides the fact that there isn't a point? It was too long to put on Facebook because it turns out that I pretty much have conversations with myself and I'm completely okay with that. Keeps things interesting if you ask me. And if you don't ask, no worries. I may ask myself just so I can answer the question. ;)

All About Nicknames

For whatever reason, I got to thinking about nicknames today. Over my nineteen years, I've gathered quite a few. Some have stuck, some haven't. Mostly depends on the person. Anyway, back to the point, I have noticed that I use nicknames in most of my books as well. That thought process led me to this post.

In the Bold as Love series, Jake calls Emily Sweetness or Sweets (as shown below in an excerpt from Always)

I'm in a light slumber when someone jumps on the bed. That someone is Jake.

“Sweetness, wake up!”

“I'm awake!” I grumble.

“Sweets, guess what that phone call was about?”

“Sweets? What the hell? Jake, I was almost asleep.”

“I like Sweets. And I'm in an extremely good mood. Don't you want to know why?”

Mike will say honey and Emily will refer to Jake as love. For example of the latter, here's two more lines from Always:

“When are we getting cable and internet, love?” she asks before even saying hello.

“Yeah, when are we, love,” Drake teases.

Even in my new project with Mary, Levi will sometimes call Presley Smarty. 

Then I started wondering, do a lot of people use nicknames as much as I apparently do? I sometimes refer to the BFF with the nickname my sister somehow came up with: Angelitiki, pronounced An-gel-a-tiki. Mostly, I call her Ang, though. I'll call my sister Bobs and my other sister Bec. We'll shortened my brother's name to his initials. 

I have a list of nicknames for myself: Linds (only the BFF can get away with that one and that depends on my mood,) Lulu, Lindsay Lu, Lindsay Lulu, Eloise, Ellie, LP, and my full initials. My sister came up with the Eloise/Ellie combo after she watched Eloise At Christmas. I don't know why, but that's how that nickname came about.

The point of this mostly pointless post is that I wanted to ask a few questions: What nicknames do you have? Any you can't stand? Any unusual/funny/off the wall nicknames? Tell me all about it!

Let the Madness Begin!

There is so much happening this month and the next! Between my personal life and my author life, I'm overwhelmed by the mere thought of what these two months will bring. To feel organized in my mind, I made a list, of course!

July
Oh, July. You are definitely the calm before the storm in this situation. There are only a few things happening in July compared to the overload of August. (At least that's what it feels like.) In July, this is what is happening:

Always Cover Reveal was yesterday and there is a giveaway/teaser too!

I'm going to see 3 Doors Down and Daughtry in concert tomorrow!

Colleen Hoover's Losing Hope will release!!!!

Ordering tickets for the Shinedown concert in September.

Jessica Park's Left Drowning will release!!!

Always will release!!!

Mary and I will be getting ready for the release of Breakaway, book one in The Penalty Kill Trilogy.

I may be making a trip with the BFF up north.

August
This is when all hell breaks loose. This is the month that worries because because I'm wondering how I will get it all done!

This is the start of when Mary & I will be running around to finalize everything for the release of Breakaway.

I have orientation for school!

Breakaway will release!!!!

The BFF, my dad, and my brother all have birthdays during the same week.

I start school!!!!! Both nervous and excited about this.

Hoping to have the first draft of book five in the Bold as Love series complete. Already have a tentative title, but not announcing anything until I'm sure.

Somewhere in either July or August, Mary and I will begin working on the second book in the trilogy as well. I feel like a chicken running around with it's head cut off. I mean, look at all that is going on! Nonetheless, I'm very excited about all of it.

Lately

I wasn't going to have a third post this week, but then I got to thinking. Lately, I have been reading strictly ebooks. I haven't wanted to read a paperback at all. (Hopeless by Colleen Hoover is the exception and that was only after I read it in Kindle first.) Anyway, the urge to hold a book in my hands, smell that wonderful scent it has, and read a physical copy has been missing. I wondered if it would return because it has been that long since I've read that way. All I wanted to read was ebooks.

Until today.

I don't know what changed. Maybe it was the fact that I'm reading another book that I wish I was reading by paperback instead of Kindle. (I'm currently reading Delayed Penalty.) Maybe it was that I've finally grown tired of staring at a screen instead of paper. Maybe, and I'm pretty sure this is the true reason, but maybe it was because ebooks don't hold the same emotional attachment as paperbacks.