What's Going On in 2015?

   Hello lovelies,

   So here we are. It's officially three days into 2015 and it still feels unreal. (It's also my birthday month so there's that). But anyway, I thought I'd take a minute and just do an overview of my year for you. Here's the thing. I'm not big on resolutions and such, but I am big on goals. Especially writing and reading goals. I always try to push myself a little bit farther, and last year I definitely did that by publishing 3 books. 3 BOOKS! That's insane (at least to me). But this year, I want to do better. Not just for myself, but for my readers.

   Now, this is just a tentative list of goals and ideas of goals. Not all of these will be met, but that is okay. I shall try.

   Reading:

       100 books!

   I failed last year by only reading 86. Writing more books this year it will be harder for me to read more, but I shall try.

   Writing:

        Falling, Book 3 - yes, you all have been patiently waiting for Jackson's story and it will happen this year.

        Titanium, Book 2 - this one will probably be the first one to be published, but that still won't be till a bit later.

        Titanium, Book 3 - right now, it's a trilogy. So book 3 should be out by the end of the year.

        New UF YA series, Book 1 - I have a huge plan for this new series and I will have, at least, information on it by the middle of the year.

Holy Batman and Robin, right? 

  Art/Photography:
 
       I will be posting a lot more artwork and photos this year, because I want to be better at documenting my life through pictures.

   Well, I think that's it. At least for now. I have some other goals as well, but these are my priority, so it's the ones I'm sharing with you.

I might later on tho...

    Before I go, I wanted to take a moment and thank each and every single one of you who have supported me this last year (and years before). You are what allows me to continue on this journey and I am truly blessed to have such awesome fans!

   I would to hear what you have planned for this year, so let me know!

   Happy New Year!

   Much love,
   Valia

The Little Things: Breakfast & Writing

   Hello lovelies,

   Well, it's April. Do you know what that means? It means that I am deep in my writing cave, trying to finish up secret things, so that I can share them with you. If you've been following me for any length of time, you'd know that I get a little forgetful when I write. And one of the main things I forget is eating.

   I know, I know. This is not a healthy habit to have. Sometimes, it's just hard for me to walk away when I'm in the middle of a flow and when I finally think about eating, it's been a day. Anyway, I'm trying to do better. Really. I am.

   Here's where breakfast comes in. You see, I love breakfast foods. I just don't love breakfast. I'm not a morning person, so actually getting up and making myself something to eat in the morning is a serious chore. But, I do need more than just coffee in my life, so today, I woke up and I made myself some breakfast.
   And I have pictures as proof!

   Basically, I decided to treat myself a little better and that means being better about taking care of my body.
   I liked oatmeal when I was younger, then I didn't, but now, I'm learning to love it again. It's the best kind of a breakfast because it's fast and it gives you the right amount of energy.
  So below is my 3 minute breakfast! In pictures. Enjoy!

Oatmeal is great and you don't have to eat a lot of it.

I love milk in my oatmeal. I know some people prefer water. I also decided to add some Raspberry Jam to my meal. Good choice. 

While my breakfast was in the microwave, I took my dog outside and found some blooming roses in the backyard. How pretty are these? 

So obviously, I had to make my breakfast table all pretty and bring some flowers inside :)

What is breakfast without coffee? 

Yum!

My puppy decided to get in on all the pictures :) 

   I know this may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me it is. I had breakfast! At breakfast! And it was delicious and nutritious.
   I'm going to start posting more pictures on my blog that have to do with my every day life. I've missed photography and this is a good reminder to take pictures. I'll call this little feature "The Little Things" because I think we all need to take more time to appreciate the little things in our lives.

   What do you think? What kind of things would you like to see on my blog (besides all the writing)? Any favorite breakfast foods you'd like to share with me? 

   Much love,

   Valia

March Favorites 2014

   Hey lovelies, 

   So, it's almost April. Wow. I can't believe that my book has been out for 20 days. What and what? This month has been a crazy thrill of a ride. Not only did my book come out this month, but I went on a dream vacation to Ireland (in case you guys missed that hehe). 
   Since I've been laying in bed sick the last three days, I've been reading a lot of blog posts. I love all the favorite posts going up, so I decided to post some of mine from this month. 

Favorite book: 

Oh goodness, I flew through this book. So good. I'll read pretty much anything by Jennifer.

Favorite Office Items: 

My friend got me this organizer for my birthday and I love it. My planner fits right in. I'm slightly obsessed with organization right now and it's perfect.

Favorite Song:

Can't Remember to Forget You by Shakira. I'm seriously obsessed with this melody.  It's so catchy.

Favorite Purchase:

I'm in LOVE with these two pieces. We found this little station in the middle of Grafton Street full of beautiful Irish jewelry and I picked these two. I just want to wear them all the time. The necklace is so inspiring!

Favorite View:

Sorry, you know I had to add some Ireland to my list of Favorites. 

Favorite Quote:

Found this on Pinterest. Loved it. Such a great reminder for every day. 

   I'm excited to see what April has in store for me. I have lots going on so it's going to be a good busy month. 

   What about you? What are some of your favorites this month? 

   Much love, 

   Valia 

Ireland 2014!!!

   Hello lovelies, 

   I'm baaaack! Seriously, I cannot believe that my Ireland vacation has come and gone. It was amazing and wonderful and just everything I hoped it would be. Since a lot of you have been asking, I'm posting lots of pictures. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? 

Blarney Castle!

Blarney Castle and Gardens 

I believe this is us after we kissed the Blarney Stone!

They decided to explore the tiny tower

Like my castle? 

View from the top of the Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle Gardens

Blarney House (Sadly, wasn't open to go inside. But it looked like people lived there!) 

View of Dublin front the top of Guinness Factory

Dublin, Ireland

Enniskerry, Ireland. This is the little town five minutes from where we stayed.

Delicious coffee at Cup (yes, that's the name of the cafe)

Dublin Castle in the heart of Dublin

Gelato from this little place on Grafton Street

Us at the St. Stephen's Gardens right outside of Grafton Street in Dublin

Us by the Malahide Castle in Malahide, Ireland

Malahide Castle (one of the oldest occupied castles in Ireland)

Excitement at the Waterfall

Jacob's Ladder. Yes, it was as painful as it looks.

Driving around Small Towns, Ireland

Powerscourt Waterfall

Us at Powerscourt Waterfall

Powerscourt Waterfall

Another view of St. Stephen's Gardens in Dublin

Roads in Ireland

Trinity College Campus

The "We're going on an adventure" face

   I can pretty much go on and on posting pictures, but this is all I can manage for now. If you guys follow me on Instagram, be prepared to get a lot of picture flashbacks of my trip. 

   I loved everything about Ireland. I loved the country, the people, the weather, the food, the EVERYTHING. I seriously think my body is protesting about being back because I got sick as soon as I set foot back in the states (while still on the plane). 

   Ireland is a beautiful country, full of beautiful people and history. As a writer, I gleamed so much inspiration from walking those streets. I even came up with a new book idea while riding the Dart. Once I finish my current WIP, I'll be jumping into that one and I can't wait. The back of the book has been written out and everything. That's what Ireland did to me. 

   I'm saddened to be back. I would've liked to stay longer just so I could find myself in these little cafe's, working on my book. 

   Much love, 

   Valia 

Writer Recharge Update 4.0!

   

Hello darlings!

   Can you believe it? It's March 3rd. Already. Which means it's Falling by Design birthday month!!! I'm not exactly where February has gone, but I need more time. I'm not ready! 
Seriously. I'm not sure one is ever ready.

   But enough about that. Let's talk about February. I had some doable goals this months and while I didn't hit all of them, I hit a few. 

   1. My goal was to hit 25% on two of the projects I am working on. Sadly, I didn't hit this goal, but I did manage to hit about 20% on one. This was a huge success for me, considering how busy I was outside of writing. 

   2. Writing at ALL was a huge success for me. You know I suffered a personal lost in February, so even though I ended up being a week behind, I still managed to succeed in my eyes. 

   3. I had a lot of Falling by Design promotional stuff to do and I'm happy to say, much of this was accomplished. I had a successful cover reveal, I have figured out my formatting (for all the platforms) and I managed to get my book ready for paperback release at the same time. I'm so excited my book will be available in ebook and print. And at the same time!! SQUEE!!!
   You can add my book on goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20871808-falling-by-design

   So while I might've not hit my writing goals, I really had a productive month. I also really enjoyed writing these updates every week. It helped with my blogging as well. I'm sad to see Writer Recharge 2014 go, but I've made some good friends during the month so prepare to have your blogs stalked anyway :)

   If you're interested to know, I've got big things planned for March! My book is only 9 days away from being let out into the world and I'm planning a big giveaway for the release week. I also have a blog tour coming up and more teasers coming your way. So stay tuned!!

   How about you? How was your February? What have you got in store for March? I'm excited for all the great things!

   Much love, 

   Valia