April -- What a month!

There is nothing like April. There are so many great reasons this month happens to be one of my favorites of the whole year. Forget for a moment that this is the month when spring starts to seem like spring. We get more sunshine. Birds sing. Flowers bloom. It is all great -- but not why April is so great.

It isn't even the fact that this particular April will see the release of the second book in The Chronicles of Vlandamyuir fantasy series. Yes, Rise of the King is in the final editing phases and will be out first as an ebook within the next week. Very exciting, but not why April is so awesome. I say that only because it's not every April -- so far in my life -- that one of my books has been released. I might have to revise that in the future. We'll see what happens next April.

We're getting closer to why April is so great when I say -- Baseball! Yes, that's right. April and Opening Day for baseball go hand-in-hand. Nothing gets me more excited than realizing from now until October I'll have a baseball game to yell, cheer, scream, and cry over. Since my team -- the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants -- will be taking the field this very day, I'm on the edge of my seat. Kicking off a summer full of pitching, hitting, running, sliding, and scoring makes April awesome. I'm going to savor every day of it.

However, the reason April is the best -- well, one of the best months -- is that April also happens to hold my birthday! Ah ha, yes, that is what makes April so very special -- it's got a day dedicated just to me. How can you go wrong there? My birthday and baseball -- April is hard to top!

Do you have a favorite month?

Happy Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day I thought I'd discuss a few things that bring love and happiness into my life. I know this is supposed to be a day about lovers, partners, and significant others, but there are other things that share the love.

First, I wouldn't be anywhere without my family and friends. They have been that rock of support through all the ups and downs. If for a moment you doubt yourself, there they are ready to shore up all your doubts and launch you back onto your journey full of hope and confidence. It is a support system that I would have sunk without. Today seems to be a good day to let them all know just how special they are to me.

Next, is my writing. I'd go crazy without the ability to write. I love it. It is an outlet for my emotions. It let's me express my feelings and explore unknown desires. I'm not always brave enough in the real world to tackle things. In my writing, I am able to test the waters and experience things that I'd never do myself. I haven't yet written anything about a someone skydiving or bungee jumping, but I could. I don't know that I could do it well since I'd probably be clinging to the keyboard in fear just thinking about it, but the option is always there. Writing keeps me sane. Well, okay, as sane as I can be.

My dogs are the best at making my heart swell up with love and happiness. How can you look at their faces and not just want to hug them? They listen to all my goofy rantings, all my story plotting, and let me talk gibberish to them. The whole time I get their undivided attention and support, especially if I'm rubbing a tummy or scratching a hard to reach spot. Hey, they give to me so I give back to them. It's a win-win. Watching their antics is a constant state of joy. They do silly things and I laugh. They do crazy things and I shake my head. They all try to rush out the door at the same time and I have Three Stooges flashbacks. When I need a pick me up, there they are ready to put their head on my knee or snuggle up beside me on the bed and just be someone that cares.

Reading is the escape that takes me to places and let's me leave all my troubles behind. I'm so grateful my mom encouraged me to read. Now, there isn't anything I can't do. I can learn new things. I can explore new places. I can laugh, I can cry, I can be scared and it is all contained within the pages of a book. Reading, I'm sure, is part of why I write. It has defined who I am. I don't think I'd want to know what life was like without it.

Sports are my passion. I love sports. I wish I was talented enough to play them. My brother was the star athlete in the family. I sat in the stands and supported him. I learned to keep score, I became a sports writer and discovered just how much of an emotional swing you can have in the space of a few seconds. Baseball is the biggest love of my sporting world, but I still yell and scream at the TV for college basketball, football and of course, the Olympics.

This post started out as a quick idea to share some love on Valentine's Day and in typical fashion I've rambled forever. To bring this to an end before I write a book on it, I want to thank my family, my friends, my followers, my supporters and all of you who share this journey with me. I couldn't do it without you.