This is not a drill.
After three long years of waiting (and that’s all I’m going to say about that), my historical fiction novel, Anything You Ask of Me is finally being released in paperback on July 26, 2016!
I know.
I am equal parts excited and terrified.  This was the first book I ever finished writing, so that in its own is a huge accomplishment.  However, this was the first book I ever finished writing and my writing has grown since then.  And I write a lot of paranormal now.
Despite my imminent panic, I’m pretty darn psyched this book will see the light of day.  The main character, Elizabeth, is flawed.  She makes bad decisions.
And she has to pay for them.
Here’s the blurb:

Although her home state of Maryland hasn’t sworn allegiance to either Union or Confederacy, twenty-two-year-old Elizabeth Archer’s life is shattered.  Her father has fled North, abandoning the household.  The man she loved―and who married her sister instead― is killed in battle.  Elizabeth’s life of parties and societal obligations dwindles down to isolation and too many empty hours; hours to mourn the man who gave her up to chase an inheritance.
She meets Confederate general Jeb Stuart by chance and, in an instant, she’s the center of his attention.
As commander of the Army of Northern Virginia’s cavalry division, General Stuart doesn’t ask, he orders.  The attraction seems mutual and, flattered by his affection, Elizabeth agrees to spy for the Confederacy.  She’s Stuart’s La Belle Rebelle, the Beautiful Rebel; the siren of the south.  She’s notorious in the Union and lauded in the Confederacy.  And she’s falling in love with him.
Notoriety, however, is a spy’s worst enemy.  Now pursued by a Federal officer tasked to stop her at any cost, Elizabeth faces the sentence of hanging if she’s convicted of treason against the Union.  Devoted to a cause she doesn’t believe in and with Federal blood on her hands, Elizabeth must save herself―or die a traitor.
Time is running out.  And no one, not even La Belle Rebelle, can outrun the war.

You can pre-order Anything You Ask of Me by clicking here.  In July, we’ll have some crazy fun book release shenanigans.

Meanwhile, back in the non-writing world, The Hubs and I flexed our 5k muscles and participated in the 2nd Annual Roller Coaster Race at Kennywood Park, outside of Pittsburgh.  It.  Was.  Amazing!
And I got a personal record!  39.24–I finished one second behind The Hubs.  I ran with some pretty cool kids: The Hubs, my friend Candy (we’ve been friends for almost twenty years!!), my friend Renee, and some cool cats I met that day.  We’re a darn good looking team.
I wasn’t actually a happy camper as we got close to the finish line because the humidity was so oppressive, it felt like I was carrying a toddler around my neck as we ran.  Then some random guy in the crowd waved his arms and yelled, “Do it for Dad!”  I know he wasn’t talking to me, but it was a pretty awesome feeling.
So I did.
After the race was over, The Hubs and I changed into our Roller Coaster Ride shirts.  Because I registered like, two seconds after I got the email about the race, we got the Ride free: Ride 5K worth of roller coaster track and get a medal.  Game on!
Unfortunately, the weather decided at that moment that now was a great time to start the monsoon season.  Have you ever ridden a roller coaster in the rain?  Going like, idk, 70 miles per hour (yeah, I’m too tired to actually Google how fast the Phantom’s Revenge goes, but it seemed fast)?  Yeah, it’s basically liked getting pelted in the face with marbles.
We rode it with our hands over our faces.  In the pouring rain.  Three times in a row.
The need for self preservation was significantly dwarfed by the need for a medal.
But, we got them!  Three rides on The Phantom’s Revenge, two on the Exterminator, one on the Racer, one on the Sky Rocket.  And then, just because it’s tradition, The Jack Rabbit.
And then before we left the park, I threw up on Garfield’s Nightmare: a slowing moving, 3D boat ride.  Classy.
That was my third 5K race of the year, which is the total number of races I ran last year.  That’s darn exciting!  Next up is the Color Run!  I’ll be running that on my birthday.  I’ve never been that old before, so we’ll see what happens.