An Author’s Lesson in Failure

My Dear Future Readers:

I am going to be honest with you. You can always quote me when I try to prove that I did not say this. I

“I am human. As I a human, I have had my share of failures and successes. Yes, I fail too but I succeed too. That is what makes me human.” – Diana Rose

Yes, I admitted it.  I have had many failures in my life. But I got up and tried again. Yes, I can give you a sob story about how pitiful I am for my failures but that is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that people should learn from their mistakes and honestly, I did learn from my mistakes.

I believe that the greatest failure that I had been when I had to try to pass math for four years straight. Honestly, I am not good at math at all. But I kept trying even though it was the hardest subject throughout my years of studying.

But….that is not the only thing that I have failed at. No…there were a few others and I’m sure that there will be more but…..I also know that if I don’t try at anything, I will fail it by not trying.

However, sometimes, Failure means that you have to try harder and or make the choice to quit. Accepting failure as a part of your journey.

The Question is:

What will you choose?

I know I made mistakes and cried over my failures and especially every time I got a rejection letter about my book. But I knew that I could not give up on my dream.

I knew that I had to go forward no matter what. I have no other choice. Because I don’t want to be a nobody my entire life. I need to make something of myself and I knew that I can’t stop just because it is hard.

College? Been there, done it. I made my failure into a big success in the end. It is what I strive for and worked hard at to achieve. For me failure is not a word but a reason…A reason to try harder.

Oh….did you know that I got contracted with Whippoorwill Press? No? Well, now you know. Do you think that came easy? No, it did not. And you know what?

Life is full of hardships but it is up to you how you react to them. Crying? Moping around? Yes, I do that too but, you know I do more? I get up and keep trying. You know, not many people can get up and keep trying. It is not for everyone but I know that if I don’t keep trying I will never have anything worthy of being proud of.

“Good things come to those who wait and patiently work hard to get what they want.”- Diana Rose

Yes, I quote myself but only because this important and my point in this post is that anyone can talk about where and how they failed at something but not everyone can learn and go forward into life knowing that they made that mistake.

I’m no different. But, I choose to think that because I made that mistake, I will not make that same mistake again. It is the most important lesson I have learned. This lesson applies to everything. If you don’t do this life will keep hitting you in the face until you learn that lesson. But….failure does not mean that you can’t get up and try again.

How does a baby learn to walk?

A baby learns to walk by trying again and again to get up. Little by little the baby starts to crawl and then when it gets up it may fall but….determination keeps it from giving up. The baby will get up many more times than it falls down because the baby knows from an early age that nothing comes easy. The baby may get hurt when it falls but it will not let that stop it from trying to walk again.

That is why I wrote this post to show you that everyone fails at some point in life but we as people should not let those failures define us or we would not be able to do a lot of things that we want.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. I thank you all for your infinite support.

Yours Truly,

Diana Rose

YA Fantasy Romance Published Author

My Reflections About Co-Hosting the Release Party for An Amorous Dance by Diana Rose

My Dear Future Readers:

Today, I want to tell you about the Release Party for An Amorous Dance by Jessica Lauryn. During the Release Party that I was co-hosting with Jessica Lauryn, I got to play two games. Honestly, this has been my second Release Party with Jessica Lauryn and I love helping her out. She is very talented in what she does.

This time, my prizes for the first game, I played at the release party were to give me a title for my next Work-In-Progress Book 3 of my Power of Love Series. Yes, I haven’t finished writing Book 2 but I kind of have an idea of how it can end so that I can start on Book 3. I was hoping to start on Book 3 this year.

The first game was to guess the ages of my two main characters in Book 1: Forbidden Love. I was pleasantly surprised that Jessica Lauryn guessed the right ages of my two main characters at the beginning of the book. Indeed she is a remarkable person.

The second prize for my next game was to give me the ages for my two main characters. I asked the guests what their favorite Disney movie was and why. I ended up liking all the answers but I knew that I had to choose only one winner. So…I chose the choice of Cinderella.

Why? Because when I was a little girl, I could watch Cinderella 1,000 times and I could never get tired of watching how Cinderella had her dream wedding with Prince Charming.I used to hope that one day, I would also meet my Prince Charming. I still do hope to meet my Prince Charming.

My thoughts or rather my feelings after being invited to be a co-host again….I felt as though I have truly begun to finally become the author I always wanted to be. Conversing with already Published authors, I felt completely at home. As though, this was where I was meant to be. Since this is the second time that Ms. Lauryn has invited me I was quite elated. She always makes everyone feel truly welcomed and myself included. It feels good to be among published authors who later become friends and support me.

I am proud that I can support and participate in a Release Party and talk about my writing with authors within my genre even if they write different types of romance books.

To be honest with you, Release Parties give me hope in the future that my books will have a chance in the spotlight as well. It something that I am always ready to help with and especially to such talented authors as Jessica Lauryn. I believe that by supporting great talent, I will be able to gain more friends in the author world who support me as well. All you really need is to be nice  and support them as well. Authors are hard-working people who need to know they are appreciated for their hard work. Yes, I know first hand what that means since I became a full-time author.

So, of course being present at a release party for an author is my greatest honor and Jessica always makes her release parties really fun. I always enjoy reading that she has finished a new book. And even if I did not win a free copy of her book, I still love having fun with her and her other guest authors because this makes me feel like I am part of something special. After all, when a new book is born, I mean published, it is always a good day for the author. All the hard work finally pays off and they can finally see their nae on the beautiful cover and know that they created this.

I sincerely hope that in the near future Jessica will be published again. I love supporting her and being her friend. I hope she will invite me again to her next release party. So I will say this:

“Keep writing wonderful books, Jessica that I am happy to support.”

I look forward to hearing from you soon. I thank you all for your infinite support.

Yours Truly,

Diana Rose

YA Fantasy Romance Published Author

Does Love Have A Face? Part 2: Guest Post by Keith Kareem Williams

My Dear Future Readers:

Today, I want to continue my discussion about whether Love has a face or not. I want to say that I think that Love is very hard to find and it is hard to identify whether it is true love or not. Why? Because it may be wearing a mask to not appear vulnerable. After all, Love is a very sensitive emotion.

In discovering the reality of whether Love has a face, I wanted to interview some authors and get their view on the subject. Because, who would better explain their thoughts than authors.

So…..as promised, my first author whom I interviewed about his views on true love and whether love even has a face is Keith Kareem Williams. Here is a little bit about him. Most of these things, I did not know before so, I was pleasantly surprised to learn more about this self-published author.

Keith Kareem Williams – is the author of 11 books & currently working on his 12th. He still resides in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York where he delicately balances his time between his responsibilities as a single father as well as the challenges of being a full-time author.– Keith Kareem Williams. You can find out more about him on his website where you can also see the books he has published. His recent release was Death in the City. Keith Kareem Williams

Now that you have read a little bit about my guest, let me tell you the questions of the interview which Keith Kareem William was willing to give me answers to.

1. Do you think love can have a face?

I believe that love can definitely have a face. The problem in the world is that so many people don’t recognize true love when they see it. There are many imposters wearing the mask of love and too many people are fooled. That’s why so many people end up heartbroken and jaded.

2. Would you say that finding love, true love in today’s world as compared to a few years ago is harder or easier and why?

I think that MOST people would say that finding love in today’s world is more difficult but, I disagree. The whole world is more open and accessible than it has ever been. Because of the internet and social media, the world has become much bigger than the block or the neighborhood you grew up in. You can find someone who loves you for real in any part of the world. There’s no need to settle. A lot of times, we end up dating who’s around instead of who we want, or our better match out of laziness, easy accessibility or convenience. Love is inconvenient, usually poorly timed and takes a lot of work to find but in this modern world, you have options and wider reach to seek what you need. The great love of my life might live in Arizona, thousands of miles away. My future wife might be in Detroit, waiting for me to claim her.

3. What is your definition for true love? Now, I mean the kind of love that lasts 65+ years of marriage.

True love is when someone loves you for who you are at your core. They crave the vibe of your soul and are fascinated by the essence of you. Some people love you because you make them feel good so they use you as a balm for whatever ails them but, that kind of love never lasts. True love is when you are intrigued by all of the minute, subtle things about another person…things that only you see. True love is selfless and it doesn’t always make sense. It just is.

4. Now, about marriage and a lasting marriage, what would you say is a key element to that?

A key element to a lasting marriage is honor. I know that the more popular answer might be love, or friendship but both can be fickle platforms to build a solid, lasting foundation on. Love and friendship are parts of a good relationship but honor is the glue that will hold everything together through the rough patches that are inevitable. You might not wake up madly in love every day but, if you honor your spouse and your commitment to each other, there won’t be any room for anyone or anything to drive a wedge between you. Evolution is important as well. You also have to be able to adapt to changing circumstances without going into panic, or becoming fearful. There has to be a mutual willingness to enthusiastically work through problems together to find solutions.

5. If indeed you see that it is true love, how do you recognize that?

True love is when someone cares about your well-being, even when it’s not necessarily beneficial to them. True love is when someone would still wish all the best for you, even if you weren’t together. A person that truly loves you wants you to be happy, no matter what, even if you’re not together

6. What if…Love had a face? Would you be able to recognize it for who it is? Or would you walk past Love and not know that face you just saw was love?

I would hope that after a few decades on this earth and a bit of experience that I’d be able to recognize the face of love when I saw it. Love is a strong emotion and sometimes defies logic so it isn’t always easy to accept, or recognize. However, I do believe that true love proves itself over time, not based on what a person says but by the things a person does.

***DISCLAIMER*** these answers represent how I felt on January 16, 2017. As a man who takes pride in evolving and learning constantly, some of my feelings could change tomorrow. That’s life. If you’re not growing as an individual…you’re not really living.

To be honest with you, after the interview ended, I was filled with a sense of hope. Why? Because, Keith Kareem Williams was truthful with me. I never realized that love is not only a sentimental feeling but also honorable. He taught me that marriage…Yes, I asked about marriage….is not only based on love but also on honor because “Not everyday is the same and you may not wake up completely in love on a certain day.” That is true. But also, there was the thought in my head that this is coming from a man and that made it even more valuable to me.

I believe that the things he said about true love are somehow the same ideas that I have grown up with. But the most important part of this interview was that a person should always be growing and learning. I believe that with the beginning finding out whether or not Love has a face is a time for me to learn many things about Love. Love is not only a feeling, it is something that you give back to other people and it is shared but when you don’t share it sincerely it is then that the feeling of love becomes fake.

I do hope to continue my search for the meaning and understanding of love in the near future and I hope that more guest post authors come to talk to me about this because this blog is centered on True Love.

I want to thank Keith Kareem Williams for his honesty in this interview because I did learn a lot as an author and a person. I do hope that he will join me again in the future because it is always important to get a man’s point of view on certain subjects like love and marriage.

I look forward to hrring from you soon. I thank you all for your infinite support.

Yours Truly,

Diana Rose

YA Fantasy Romance Published Author

Does Love Have a Face?-Part 1

My Dear Future Readers,

Today, I want to  ask you a very important question: Does Love have a face?

Now, many of you might laugh at my question. Go ahead and laugh. But I’m totally serious. This blog is called The Magic of True Love and I realize that I have not talked a lot about Love in my blog as of recently.

SO….I’m here today to change that. Which is why I am going to explore the idea of love more closely. It is said that everyone whom we meet has a face. Everyone has a name and a body. Think about it. What if….Love had a face? Would you be able to recognize it for who it is? Or would you walk past Love and not know that the face you just saw was Love?

It is possible to walk past it. It is possible to not notice and be ignorant of the signs. But, it is wiser to notice and pay attention to the signs of love.

What am I saying? I have no first hand experience, do I? No. I don’t.I’m just like everyone here, looking for a mysterious stranger in hopes that he will be the face that I was meant to find. But honestly, I just wanted to write to you all today and give you some hope. Yes, hope that I rarely have myself but yet, I share it. Why? Because everything relies on hope. Especially love. It is a feeling that seeks out hope and takes it to make things happen. In the hope of finding love is why I write the types of books that I do. It is my way of exploring the idea that true love still exists in the world. It felt right to me. And so does this post.

Now, you want to know why I am so confident in the idea that true love still exists. I’ll tell you, I know that this is only my personal opinion but I saw it work. I know what two people in love look like and many of you think that it may be just me trying to persuade you to believe in love but I will do none of that. You are all smart enough to make your own conclusions.

But…..I want you to know that I write about true love because I have seen it happen around me…to other people. Not me, no. But, to other people. It is sometimes as easy as seeing someone on the street or bumping into them in the elevator of the building you live in but recently, in 2017, it is not as easy anymore. It is much harder than you might think. Which is why I wanted to know for sure if Love has a face.

In my next blog post I will be interviewing Keith Kareem Williams, a self-published author who recently published Death in the City, about this subject. I will tell you more about him in my next blog post. I look forward to this interview and honestly this is going to be my first interview of a published author. Exciting!! I’m sure that he will have some interesting insights into the subject of Love having a face or not. We will see in my next blog post. Get ready to meet him.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. I thank you all for your infinite support.

Yours Truly,

Diana Rose

YA Fantasy Romance Published Author

My Reflections After Writing for Week

My Dear Future Readers:

My year started off with writing. I absolutely love that it did. WHY? Because, writing everyday takes away all the stress I feel. I believe that starting from January 1st I was writing everyday. Writing a blog post everyday does count as writing. I feel like within this week, I have kept myself accountable for having to write everyday. Today, I want to share with you what it made me realize.

When I write everyday, I can let all my thoughts go on the page. Writing everyday for a week now made me think that I can accomplish more with every day writing then I did when I didn’t write for days.

Even if I don’t have a set subject to write about I can always find one. Like today, I didn’t know what to write about so I decided that in order to not waste my day, I would write about what I felt last week when 2017 started and I started writing every day. So, as you can see, there is always a topic or an idea that you can write about. That was my first realization after the first week of the year was over.

 As the first week of January came to a close and now it is week two, I begin to see that writing has become my main goal of the day. As they say, “No pain, no gain.” Well, I think I can identify with that phrase now. Writing is hard but once I get it started and I mean, really started, I don’t dare myself to miss a day. No. It is important to understand that the promises you give to yourself are the bones that keep you more accountable than the ones you give to others at times because you want to be proud of yourself.

During the first week there were times when I thought I would not write at all but then I sat there and thought to myself that I could not miss a day. No, I had to at least write something for the day. And that made me think l that starting with something that motivates me makes me want to write more and improve my writing.

“Be the writer of your life today and tomorrow you will see a change.”

I choose to do as much as I can each day so that no one can ever say that I was lazy and missed a day. It is important to act the way that you want other people to see you. If you want to be a success then you have to show it. And I am going to show it by writing everyday. It is what I can do. So, today, I reflect on my first week and then there will be more. Yes, I don’t write as much I could but at least I write everyday. It is my biggest accomplishment with the start of 2017.

Also, I think that this week, I found that writing everyday has improved how fast I come up with ideas to write about. That it good because I can process my thoughts faster. Even if I am just sitting down to write for the first time that day. It is important generate ideas fast in order to write faster and thereby finish what you are writing faster. I learned that if you think about the topic for a blog post as you continue to do other things, you won’t lose your train of thought when you return to the computer. Also, I have managed to learn to type faster and that is also a way to not lose your train of thought.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. I thank you all for your infinite support.

Yours Truly,

Diana Rose

YA FAntasy Romance Published Author.

My Writing Goals in 2017

My Dear Future Readers:

Today, I want to talk to you about my writing goals for….January. Because, let’s be real for a second, I can not say that the entire year will be smooth and happy. But, we can take it slow and focus on one month at a time.

I want to write everyday for a month to get back into the habit of doing it daily. I also plan to use this time to finish a few blog posts and a few chapters of a work in progress. It is at least what I want to do this month. Yes, I sometimes don’t feel like writing at all but I hope to change that because this is what keeps me  going. Yes, writing is the one thing that relaxes me so that I don’t have to think about real life.

Now, everyday for a month may seem like a lot to anyone, even me but it isn’t. Or at least I hope that it isn’t. I have a hard time with writing everyday and I admit it. It’s just that I sometimes have to force myself to do it and I don’t like doing that. Some days, I’m just tired or had a lot to do that day but I know in the back of my mind that I have not written anything that and so at the end of day when I should be getting ready for bed, I sit down and turn on my computer and start to write.

Yes, I write some days well after midnight and I am not ashamed of it. And now, about my goals….

Firstly, I want to write every day as I already said. Secondly, I want to write another few chapters and maybe get this new idea going. I hope to write at least 500 words each day that way I can get my idea developed. But the trouble is that sometimes I can write more if I am into a scene and the next day not write at all. Today, (January 5, 2017) I wanted to make sure that I finish this blog post so that tomorrow I could get back to my idea. Yes, I do write a lot and I AM an author. It is what I do best.

Anyway….My third goal is to record my word count everyday on my new word count tracker so that I stay motivated this month and I can use that motivation in February as well. January is always a beginning that is what I not always good at. Sometimes, I can stare at a blank page for hours and not know what I want to fill it with. Words, obviously! But what words and about what? I always tend to ask myself that ever since I started school and yes, I wrote what was asked of me but a blank page has too many possibilities if you know what I mean?

So , my fourth goal in relation to writing is to not stare at a blank page too long. Or, I risk not writing anything at all. My goal is to let the possible outcomes not overwhelm me at the time that I am sitting down to write. It is important that I let my ideas flow. I can fix whatever needs fixing later but I need to let my brain be free to see the blank page as an opportunity for more ideas to be written rather than freeze because I am intimated by the blank page itself.

These are my only goals for January. I’m sure that next month there will be other goals that I will with you.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. I thank you all for your infinite support.

Yours Truly,

Diana Rose

YA Fantasy Romance Published Author

Thoughts for the Year Ahead

My Dear Future Readers,

2017 has already begun and I want to share with you some of my thoughts as I start the year. I got up and turned on my computer today and my first thought was that: I have not written anything today yet. I have to find something that I can write today. So, I searched through my computer files and when I did not find anything that was worth writing, I decided to write mmy thoughts down in another blog post.

That thought surprised me though. I was always good at writing but not good at being motivated. Now, motivation has different meanings in itself. You can be motivated to achieve a high score on an exam or to run everyday or to eat healthy. But last year, I realized that I have not been really motivated to write everyday. In fact, the only time I did write everyday was in November. Which was a great achievement in itself for me.

Now, as I start my second year in being a full-time author, I realize that being motivated has a lot do with being organized. Last year, I got a word count tracker…..I LOVE THOSE THINGS!! It helps me see how much I write each day which helps me to stay organized.

Whoa!!! My SECOND YEAR as a Full-Time Author!! I can’t believe it!!!! I think to myself.

“Believe it,” the other people around me said.

“But, it’s…..like a dream,” I said. In fact, it seemed like a dream to me all this time. I can barely believe that on January 1st of 2016, I made the decision to become a full-time author. And now, I made another important decision which is to write everyday and keep myself motivated.

But, there will be days when I am unmotivated. What? I’m human! I can be unmotivated too.

“Yes, but…you made a promise just now,” my brain says.

“I realize that….but…..” I say not knowing how to justify myself for the future.

“NO buts! You always keep your promises. You are a full time author and you will act like it,” my brain says.

I sigh and nod. Yes, I suppose that is true and I should at least try it. I mean, I do have the word count tracker. I’m just being a bit doubtful right now is all. But I am writing my second blog post in a row so I guess, it isn’t so hard. I just need to take it one day at a time. Right? Right! I finally think.

This year, I want everything to be different. I learned alot of things from last year about motivation and I will try to fix all that this year. I feel better when I am writing and that I should keep doing. It is about being able to have discipline enough to do this every day even if I don’t blog every day.

Today, I know that I am more ready to be responsible for my motivation and organization and I know that this demands attention no matter which way you put it. Writing demands time and thought. It is what I love to do. This is the day that I want to do better and I know that I will respect myself for it later.

Yesterday was the start of a new year and I feel like for the first time in many years, 2017 started the way that I always wanted it to…with writing. I don’t know what anyone thinks or care but this the BEST way that a year could have ever started for me. Which is why I am so motivated this year to continue writing everyday.

2017 was exactly the push I needed and now, I can only continue what I started. I’m sure that slowly my progress will show and that is what makes me happy right now. That is why I have decided to be a full-time author to not let my creativity frizzle out and wilt. But, now more than ever, I can see that effect start to happen. That is what makes me happy even more.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. I thank you all for your infinite support.

Yours Truly,

Diana Rose

YA Fantasy  Romance Published Author

New Year Plans and Thoughts

My Dear Future Readers,

Today is New Years Day and as the tradition says, we must make plans for the year ahead. So, as I like to follow tradition, I believe that it is time for a change and therefore, I want to tell you what I want to do with in 2017.

Please stop judging me as I will put it here not only for myself but for yoyu as well. I am still learning to be a public person.

In 2017, which I hope will be a good year, I hope that I will be able to make more blog posts for you. I know that I have not been consistent with my blog posts and that is why I want to fix this injustice. You deserve to know what is going on in my life as I continue on my journey of a full-time author.

Next, I want to create a habit of writing everyday. I almost did it in November but I did not win the contest. This year, I want to write as much as I can throughout every month so that by the end of 2017 I might have another book finished. I am eager to start and I believe that writing every day will make my progress increase.

Also, I want to say that now that I can track how much I write everyday, I will be able to see more visually how I accomplished. That is what is also important. Yes, I might not write a lot but at least I can write everyday. For a full-time author who is just starting out, like myself, it is important to notice every little achievement and celebrate it as that will be what forms good habits later on. If you don’t push yourself, you will never achieve greatness.

Now, I’m not saying that I will achieve greatness in one day, what I am saying is this:

“I am going to give 2017 the a month by month try. I will put my best effort to focus on my writing as much as I can so that I can write a book by the end of this year.”

Yes, there is life and life happens but most important is to keep the promises we make to ourselves. It is time to take things slow but serious. I can no longer excuse myself for not making writing a priority. If I do, I am just neglecting my own promise. It is something that I can’t do.

My third promise to myself and to you, is that I will find a way to organize my writings so that I can write everything I need but not get overwhelmed by having to write too much in one day. Today, for example, I choose to write this blog post. It is not a lot but I did it. If I do everyday a different writing project, I will able to do everything I need.

Yes, it took me a whole year to realize this but that is not the important part. The important part is that I did realize it. Now, I can move forward in life. I can make the necessary changes I need.

I want to become a success and that starts today with how I focus on my writing goals and what I achieve every day. Yesterday, I was still learning and accepting my new life and today I am going to make a change starting from January 1st and I have a goal: to keep writing everyday no matter what. Writing is what makes me happy and I will do it everyday no matter what.

HAPPY 2017 NEW YEAR!!

I look forward to hearing from you soon. I thank you all for your infinite support.

Yours Truly,

Diana Rose

YA Fantasy Romance Published Author

The Hopes of an Author

My Dear Future Readers:

Today, I want to talk about hope.

Hope: is an optimistic attitude of mind based on an expectation of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: “expect with confidence” and “to cherish a desire with anticipation.”

We all have hope that something good will happen to us someday. We tend to hope that there are things in this world that have not happened yet but they will happen and then we will be happy.

As a full-time author, I believe that hope is very important and at times more important than everything else. Hope is what keeps every writer doing what they do best-write.  It is the hope that talks to them.

“One day you will be a famous author. You will be a best-seller like Nicholas Sparks and Danielle Steel. You will be able to stand tall and have pride in that the world is reading your books.”

 Sometimes, that hope is so quiet that you can barely hear it but it is there in the back of every person’s mind even those who are not writers. But especially writers. After all, being an author and to have your name on a book is a dream that is based on hope and luck and talent. Why do I use the word “luck“? Because, if you are not trying to achieve something, luck or no luck you won’t get what you want. I learned from a young age that people who don’t work hard, never get anywhere. But it is also true that a person who does not have hope will get discouraged very easily.

Hope is the key to going forward without stopping. It is the force that says, “Look, there! I see a light.”

At first you think, No, I still have all this long way to go. What are you talking about? It’s too far.

Then, Hope comes back to you with something positive that makes you think. “You have come this far with the belief that I will help you. Why not believe in me again and most importantly, in yourself now?” Hope asked. It seemed that Hope was trying to be reassuring of the facts that you could no longer see because you started to doubt your journey.

“But, Hope……I…..I am starting to think that this pointless…..” you say to Hope with a shrug.

“No, no, it is not at all pointless. You just need a break. It is the stress of your everyday effort talking right now. I won’t let you give up. You will find your success, I promise you that,” Hope said in a firm tone.

“When?” You question Hope.

“Soon, I promise. Just don’t give up because if I didn’t believe in your success, I would not be here. You need to let yourself calm down enough to see that I am right,” Hope said as it patted the Author’s shoulder.

The Author sighed. “Yes, you are right. I should have more hope that everything will be okay in the end. We had this conversation many times and I still have doubts sometimes,” The Author said with a frown.

“Yes, we had this conversation before and we will have it many more times. We will continue to have it until you stop doubting that things will be okay,” Hope said with tone of complete conviction.

Finally, the Author sighed and went back to writing. After all, writing was what authors were supposed to do. Perhaps, Hope was right and all this young author needed was to continue writing. After all, pen to paper or even the click of the keyboard was calming.

Hope stood there quietly over the Author’s  shoulder and watched as more words appeared on the screen. Hope was happy. At least for today the Author seemed calmer………

I look forward to hearing from you soon. I thank you all for your infinite support.

Yours Truly,

Diana Rose

YA Fantasy Romance Published Author

My First Internet Birthday Party with Author Zara West

My Dear Future Readers:

Yes, I am posting this a bit late as the party itself has been over for a few weeks now. Let me start by saying that I have not known Zara West long. I got acquainted with her after I had attended Jessica Lauryn’s Release Party for A Passionate Play, which you can read about here (Reflection After A Passionate Play’s Release Party Co-Hosted by Diana Rose). After that day, Zara West and I became friends on Facebook. I am always happy to meet more author friends.

When I heard about Zara West’s online Birthday Party, I was intrigued. I did not know what an online birthday party would be like. I only ever went to in person birthday parties and it was a long time ago. As people say, “It was a long time ago and therefore, it is not true.”  This kind of party was something new to me and I decided to attend and see what it was all about.

The party itself lasted two weeks from November 17th to November 30th. That was the first thing that was interesting to me. The second thing that was surprising but that I liked about it was that there were all kinds of different party games where you could win prizes. The prizes for each game were elaborate and diverse.

Of course, I won a few prizes myself. I won a chocolate bar, two bookmarks, and a beautiful bunny notepad magnet for my refrigerator. I received my prizes in the mail not so long ago.

Zara West’s birthday party was interesting because the different games were not all the same. Some were word unscrambles, others were more about food or rather what flavors of cake we prefer and still others were about her book. She is an author and that is only logical. I enjoyed it because every day I was trying to imagine what type of game Zara would think of today and yet, it still surprised me when I opened up my Facebook page. The party itself was exciting and not only because I won some prizes, but because I made a new friend in the process.

I even had a thought that online birthday parties are not so bad. I seem to have more friends online than I see in real life and I was thinking maybe for my next birthday to make an online birthday party. The idea sounds good. I am still going to think it over though.

Overall, the party that I attended was gave me lots of great memories. Especially for an introverted personality like I have, I think that online parties are best. Besides, the people are somehow more interesting with interesting points of view when you talk to them online. I will tell you one thing, I would very much like to participate in such online parties again. Of course, if I am invited. I love author events most because I get to meet great talented  authors. I felt honored to be a part of Zara West’s Birthday Party and I also learned a lot about the kind of person and author she is.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. I thank you all for your infinite support.

Yours Truly,

Diana Rose

YA Fantasy Romance Published Author