Heather Hobbs's Blog, page 8

I am not usually one to make New Year’s resolutions. This is mainly because, like most people, I don’t stick to them. I always have good intentions but then…life gets in the way.

This year, however, I am making the most cliche resolution there is: exercise more and eat healthy.

2015 was an incredibly busy year for me. With traveling, writing, selling a house, buying a house, and a whole bunch of other things, worrying about working out and eating right was the last thing on my mind.

But when you have to jump up and down to get your jeans on, maybe it’s time to change priorities.

My mom got my husband and I FitBits (thanks, mom!) and that has been really eye-opening so far. I walk WAY less than I thought I did and get less sleep as well.

I’m not necessarily trying to lose weight but if I can feel healthy and good about myself, then I’ll be happy. (And if I can put my jeans on without it looking like a Cirque du Soleil act, then that’s even better.)

Are you making any New Year’s Resolutions? Do you find them hard to stick to?

…to pre-order The Trouble with Family!

It’s really surreal to see my book on Amazon (and also mildly terrifying.) I’ve read a few blog posts/opinions stating that placing a book for pre-order really only makes a difference if you are an established author but I’m trying it anyway – can’t hurt, right?

If interested, it’s only $0.99 during the pre-order period. It’ll jump up to $2.99 on March 3, when it’s officially released.

Here’s the Amazon link (it is also available at B&N, Apple, etc):  http://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Family-Molly-Anderson-Book-ebook/dp/B019HRROSM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450647469&sr=8-1&keywords=the+trouble+with+family

Yay!

The fact that we are 1 day away from 2016 is kind of blowing my mind right now.

Most of the people I know fall into one of two categories when it comes to New Year’s Eve. Group one goes out and parties all night, stumbling home after a night of drinking; and group two stays home watching Ryan Seacrest tell bad jokes before the ball drops. Typically I have high hopes to be part of group one but end up in group two.

This year we’ll be making lots of junk food and watching the various countdowns on TV. Boring? Maybe to some. But for me it’s fun to chill in my PJ’s and reflect on the past year while binging on TV.

I live in the Mountain Time Zone so I’m two hours behind the Eastern Time I grew up with. So the ball dropping at 10 p.m. here is pretty lame but it’s fun for my niece and nephew to actually watch the ball drop in New York; there is no way they could stay up until midnight.

Maybe one of these years I’ll actually go out for NYE but this year I’m looking forward to an evening on my couch.

Do you have any fun NYE plans?

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

This year was the first time we hosted Christmas at our house and, I must say, it was a success! I didn’t burn the food, the dogs didn’t eat the gifts, and a fun time was had by all (phew!) On top of that, I got a ton of book-related gifts and thought it would be fun to share.

First, I received a Kindle Fire. I’d been using a Nexus but it’s a few years old and was so slow it became impossible to use. So far, I really like it!

Next, I received some fun stuff from Out of Print Clothing, one of my favorite book-related stores. I got a Great Gatsby t-shirt, Alice in Wonderland socks, and Card Catalog socks (which is appropriate, since I work in a library!)

Finally, I received a book-themed iPhone case. Last year I got a fun Harry Potter case but it didn’t last too long. This one seems nice and sturdy though.

So basically my  in-laws know me pretty well! How about you all? Did you have a nice Christmas? Did you get any fun book-themed gifts?

 

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Earlier I posted about Out of Print Clothing as a fun book-related gift idea. Well, I’ve got another one – Frostbeard Candles!

I personally love candles and have at least one in each room of my house. So when I can buy candles that are also book-related that is a huge win! Frostbeard has a Book Lovers Collection that includes scents with tiles such as “Bookwork,” “Gatsby’s Mansion,” “Reading at the Cafe,” and “Pumpkin Juice.” They sell through Etsy and, along with buying a book-related candle, you are supporting a small business!

Have you tried Frostbeard candles? What did you think?

*I should note that I am posting about these products because I honestly enjoy them and think they would make fun gifts, nothing more*

I finally have a book cover for The Trouble with Family and wanted to share. That is all :) 

My book, The Trouble with Family, is available for pre-order on Amazon! Yay! So very exciting :)

Amazon Link to The Trouble with Family

It's also available through Apple, Barnes & Noble, etc.

And it is only $.99, can't beat that. (It will jump to $2.99 once it's released).

Also, I'd like to note that the page count listed will significantly increase upon actual release. I had to put in a draft as a placeholder.

I hope you enjoy!

Every winter I have to make a Christmas list and send it to my family. I would be perfectly happy with Amazon gift cards so I can buy a bunch of eBooks. However, that’s not exactly thrilling for the gift purchaser so I have to come up other ideas.

One of my favorite go-to websites is Out of Print Clothing (outofprintclothing.com). I first learned about them when we started selling their t-shirts at the Borders Books where I worked. (We were a test store and got a lot of fun stuff!)

If you haven’t checked them out, all of the items on their website are book-related and super fun (I am partial to the t-shirts.) On top of that, for each item sold, they donate a book through Books for Africa.

So if you are looking for items to add to your Christmas list (or looking for a gift for a book lover), I recommend them!

Have you purchased through this company? What did you think?

I’ll be posting a few more book-related gift ideas through December as well!

 

I thought I’d post the first few lines from The Trouble with Family just for fun :)

Here is the Goodreads page for the book, if interested: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27855978-the-trouble-with-family

My dad is getting married. He made the announcement at dinner last night. Gram had just finished passing the tuna casserole to my brother, and I had a forkful of noodles mid-air, when he said it.

“I’m marrying Susan. We’re in love and that’s that.”

I assume he added the “that’s that” because he thought we were going to protest. But we didn’t protest at all. We just stared at him open-mouthed, no one saying a word. I was completely stunned. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Gram pushed her chair back and slowly stood up. I thought she was going to say the words my brother and I couldn’t seem to formulate but instead she picked up her plate and slammed it down hard onto the table, everyone ducking for cover as food flew through the air. Then she quietly walked into her bedroom and slammed the door, which shook my dinner plate like a tiny earthquake.