A New Career is Calling

I’m thinking about becoming a Social Media “Influencer.” I mean, how hard could it be? Make money by taking something you know and love and convince people to buy and/or do it. I endorse this already!

Been wracking my brain, figuring out what to influence the public in… food, cosmetics, clothes, sports, healthy living (<–okay, the last one is a joke…  not happening). So many choices!

It occurred to me that I should choose something closer to the real me, something I possess vast knowledge of…

The Art of Procrastination. (i.e., I’m procrastinating right now writing this instead of my book.  See how good I am!)

Can you imagine the boatload of cash Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram would make off my Social Media influencing?   They’re the Holy Trinity of time wasting. Bless them. Dare I say, I’m quite the expert at dillydallying on those sites for hours on end. I can post video shorts of me cursing at my Twitter feed. It’ll make you want to hop on the Twitter train and curse along with AC. We all win.

I could push the sale of sofas for couch potato basics. Length and hardness don’t only reference sex scenes.  No one wants an unsatisfying softy. This is important stuff, folks.

The snack industry could potentially rake in billions as I post pictures of the crap I inhale while fighting boredom and doing anything but what I’m supposed to be doing.

AC Netzel is no more… going forward call me, AC Nachos.

All it takes is a hashtag and a dream.

I’ll get around to that… someday.

My writing is all about you

It’s the beginning of the year and I’m feeling particularly sappy today… you can skip all this mumbo-jumbo or indulge me and read on.

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I work with a woman who is half-way through reading my second book. It’s always a little strange when someone I know in my “real-life” reads my stuff.

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I expected to hear good feedback because A) she knows me and has to see me on a daily basis and B) She’s polite and a genuinely nice woman.

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Today she told me that she loves it (she loved the Casual Rule and went right into book two, The New Rule). I thanked her… because I’m polite too and —well— it’s nice to hear good things about something you worked hard for.

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But then she started talking to me about the book… really talking to me and I realized— She got it. She was picking up on small details… things that she related to in her own life to the point that she was tearing up as we spoke.

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If you read my books, you know there’s nothing over-the-top. It’s real life. These characters are real. Their experiences are real. They’re alive in my head and heart.

To see her reaction, in front of me, was humbling.

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It’s moments like this… when you tap deep into someone’s soul and they FEEL your words, the emotions to the point where  it touches them… that remind me how proud I am to be an author.

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To anyone who has sent me a private message, a facebook comment,  blog comment, or a review for anything I’ve written… THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

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It’s YOUR words that make me want to be a better writer.

Random things I learned and thought about while taking a social media break:

My kid loves his college… and that makes me love his college.

Self-doubt sucks. I seriously considered not writing anymore. It wasn’t until my husband said “So don’t write anymore” that got my head back into it. Sometimes you need permission to stop in order to go. (Or I just like to do the opposite of what my husband says. That’s always a possibility. … More like a probability)

Joe Manganiello and Scott Eastwood do nothing for me…. even with their shirts off. But Beto Malfacini … that’s a man full of yum. Look at him … Delicious.
(It’s okay…my eyes went there first too.)

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I love the characters in my book. I wish they were real. I would hang out with them. Drink a few beers, eat a few cupcakes. One of the best compliments I ever received was that they were so “normal.” Julia knows who she is… she knows she’s flawed and she owns up to it. She’s a slob and has broken makeup at the bottom of her handbag…. she’s human. She never settles for anything less than what she knows she deserves. I think it’s a great message. Allie may seem  off-the- wall and flaky… but damn, she’s fun and fiercely loyal. And Ben…. Someone once asked me why Ben wasn’t written as one of those Uber Edgy Alphas that’s so popular now. My answer was simple… Julia would never have fallen in love with him. Ben may have his flaws but he’s always truthful, patient and a good man. I love that they feel real to the readers, because to me… they are real.

I can’t curb my Big Brother spoilers’ addiction.

I’m a crappy gardener, but I’m going to do it again next year.

Pinterest is a time sucker… and I’m a sucker for Pinterest.

My fanfiction Late Night Thoughts was featured in an online magazine based in Paris (complete with the English version and French version links to the story). My original intention was to take it down a few weeks after I completed the story, but two years later, I’m still receiving positive and often times, very touching messages about it. So it stays.

I’m excellent at making long lists of things I’m going to accomplish for the day… I’m even better at ignoring those lists.

I should blog more often because I enjoy writing them.

I need to diet and exercise again… as soon as the bag of Pepperidge Farm cookies and the Party Cake Ice cream are gone, I swear.

I plan on prettying up this website and adding a proper mailing list, when I… and by “I”, I mean my husband… has the time.  I’d like to give the illusion that I’m legit and Authory <— yes, I can create words at will. Please subscribe to this blog for the unveiling… in oh, let’s say eight or nine years.

This brief break has shown me that I’m too easily distracted. I want to give The Casual Rule 3 the attention it deserves.  Although I’m not taking another break (I know me too well), I am dwindling my time online. So forgive me if I’m slow to wish you a Happy Anything or answer a PM (which gets lost in my mailbox half the time anyway).

Enough of my babbling. (See how easily distracted I get?) I have a book to finish. Back to the cave I go.

Thanks again to all who have supported me and my writing. Thank you for reading.  Thank you for reviewing.  Thank you for your private messages. Thank you for asking for more Julia and Ben.  If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be doing this.

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Click on for links to the Books.  The Casual Rule should be read first.