I have been struggling with files for four anthologies. Trying to get it all to shine. I have been fighting my own self doubt. I have been working on trying not to feel like I have to do it all.
That is probably the worst thing about me, that feeling like I have to do it all, like I can’t lean on anyone else or I will burden them. Because I am, in my own mind, never good enough. I work extra hard to attempt to be seen as even half of the capable as the others around me. And then I end up intimidating the ones that I admire. Intimidating and hurting, because they end up feeling that they cannot possibly do as much as I do. While I am feeling that I am a screw up because I am dropping balls that I should have never tried to carry at all.
Balls bounce, and I can often grab them in rebound, but the hurt… I regret that. I try to be a good person. I try to do everything right… Even though I often do not have a clue what right actually is. So sometimes all that I can do is see the balls drop, and apologize for causing the hurt.
I read somewhere that the truest apology was changed behavior. This is where I truly fail. I try. But in some ways it is like an addiction. I have to put myself in that mess. I have to try to be the one that is doing the overwhelming of myself. It is my toxic trait.
Because I want to be seen as amazing… And there is the voice in the back of my head that is always going to tell me I am not.
That voice we all have. It’s mean. It bullies us into believing the lie… AND it is a lie. I am not worthless. I am talented and I am loved. I have been improving at art, writing, cover design, and publishing. I have been improving with all of my skills that have been a struggle… Except for dealing with interpersonal relationships.
I am sorry for those who I hurt when I am dropping the balls. I am sorry for the heartache that I cause in those who love me. I am not going to say that I will try to do better, because I should not lie, even to myself. However I will say that when I am struggling with the mental gremlins, and fighting for the strength to share the load… I am so very grateful that I have you all in my life.
You are amazing. You all keep me going. And I only hope that my own stubborn nature will not end up pushing you away.
People constantly learn throughout their lives. It creates history. It defines the future.
Is the grass greener on the other side? Do the ends justify the means?
Eleven authors have come together to bring you tales of adventure and romance, loss and gain, family, friends, and everything in between. From arranged marriages to dates in haunted houses to androids infused with human memories. Fairy tales, dystopians, apocalyptic worlds.
Join the authors of the anthology and several guest authors all day as they share about their books, play games, and do some giveaways! There will be a big grand prize with a gift card and around a dozen ebooks as well! The event is taking place in Cait’s Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caits.inner.circle
For Bree, the lifestyle in New York City is like a person hyperventilating—there is never a moment of silence or rest. Bree’s boss forced her to take the two weeks of vacation she had earned. All she had to do was figure out where she wanted to go. Bree coiled her shoulder-length brown curls into […]
For the first eleven years of their lives, neighbors Lila and Gavin were inseparable best friends. They did everything together. Until they didn’t. Every detail of Lila’s life has been meticulously planned out since she was a child. To the point where she forgot one vital thing: to live. When she receives news that drastically alters the path of her future, she realizes she has one last chance to create memories and make the most of her summer. Gavin, on the other hand, is known for his carefree attitude. He has lived a charmed life for almost eighteen years. He’s never short on friends or a good time, he has a supportive family, and he’s all set to go off to college and follow his dreams. The one thing he doesn’t have is the girl. He doesn’t know why Lila pushed him away all those years ago, but when Gavin finds her summer bucket list, he’s determined to help his goody-two-shoes neighbor cross off every item and hopefully mend their friendship in the process. Even if that’s not all he wants from her. He just hopes it’s not too late
Cait Marie has been obsessed with books her entire life, but the love of writing didn’t truly hit until 2017. Since then, she has held multiple positions within Coffee House Writers, including C.O.O., Editor, and Writer. In 2018, she used her passion for reading to create Functionally Fictional. In 2019, she joined the indie staff of YA Books Central as a reviewer and then Indie Assistant Blogger. Cait graduated with honors in 2019 from Southern New Hampshire University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, and she is currently enrolled in their Master of Fine Arts program. She lives in Indiana, where she freelance edits and provides a variety of other author services. When she’s not writing or reading, she can usually be found watching Disney movies or Brooklyn Nine-Nine, creating bullet journal spreads, or singing along to various soundtracks and showtunes.
Ok… There’s all the information for this book… Now I want to tell you my opinion. I was lucky enough to be one of the arc (advance reader copy – usually given for an honest review) group. This is a sweet story. Quite a refreshing read. The characters are well written and it is a worthy read. I really enjoyed it, and it is likely to be one I reread again and again.
Okay so I have my own view on life. I am fairly open minded and will always accept that I might be wrong. That is… I don’t believe that I am wrong, but I am not infallible. That being said… I saw a post that I shared… And immediately regretted.
Not because of comments… Or the like… But because it made me think. Don’t we all hate being made to think? What is it that makes a good person? Is it a certain set of views on politics? I know that I am adamant on my view on abortion. A good friend who is usually seen as a good man… He has a differing opinion. So does that make me the bad person?
How do we determine if someone is good or bad… If it is easy to determine? I don’t know that it is. I think that the current events are enough to put division between neighbors… In religion we are taught to love our neighbors.. Doesn’t matter if they are good people or not… However it never says that we have to expose ourselves to their beliefs. Or them.
So I pose the question… Do you think that you have a good person?
Hello my lovely readers. I don’t know if you missed me yesterday… I was terribly ill. My daughter had it (a stomach bug)… And apparently decided to share. So I spent yesterday in illness. Today I am doing much better, though I am still being careful with food.
This week has been a slow one for news. The preorder for Through The Sunshine and Poetic Reminders are still going. Fae Corps still has 2 anthologies that they are taking submissions for.
Now… Here’s something that I rarely do. I have many writers as friends on Facebook. I don’t promote Facebook off of there much… It just feels pushy most of the time. However… This is a story worth sharing. This is part of why I have gone almost completely to draft2digital. I only use my kdp account for when Amazon gets too picky and refuses something that I know should be publishable.
Hopefully this finds you all well. Tell me what is new in your world?
I missed two days. I was supposed to be posting something poetry related and then Saturday was also supposed to see the link post. My boyfriend was called to assist with a friends hot water tank. I went with. We spent two days fixing the tank (see here replacing). Her home is sweet and inherited…. Including the fact that it was built by her grandfather. A lot of slapped together with duct tape, hope, and just prayer. So replacing the tank took a lot of cuss words and more than a little sweat.
That being said, I don’t want to do three more posts… I will make sure that the link post goes up. I may do a couple of exra posts through the week to make up to y’all
I have been struggling this year to keep up. I know that many of you are as well. Thank you for your patience.
Oh and before you yell at me for going to her house… We practiced social distance. It is definitely a dark time…. But I don’t see myself or my boyfriend turning our back on a friend in need. We were not going to party. We were not “visiting”…we were lending a hand to good friends.
Cait is a friend and fellow Coffee House Writer. I was tickled when she agreed to let me be part of the blog tour for her new book. I was so disorganized and panicked… Then her very professional email comes in with the entire interview and everything I would need. I was supposed to post this yesterday, but I was crippled by migraine and unable. Please do show her love, and look into her work. The new book is nothing short of amazing. I was in the ARC readership and I preordered the ebook because I enjoyed it so much.
Have you always wanted to be an author? No. I never wrote outside of school, which I hated. I’ve always loved books, I just never thought of writing myself. I started my first fiction story in the fall of 2015, but I didn’t start writing seriously until 2017.
Is writing your full-time profession? No, I’m a freelance editor, and I offer a variety of other author services. I also own and manage Functionally Fictional, work for Coffee House Writers, and am part of the indie staff at YA Books Central.
What are some things you like to do unrelated to books or writing? I love creating pages in my bullet journal, singing along to a huge variety of music when home alone, watching Disney movies… Most of my life revolves around books anymore though.
What are your daily writing habits like? They’re nonexistent for the most part. I have a tendency to write a lot within a couple days, then nothing for a while. I need to work on that actually.
Are you a plotter or pantser? A little bit of both. I write out a vague outline and any ideas I have, then I start writing for a bit before plotting more thoroughly. Once I plot out the chapter-by-chapter outline, I jump around and kind of let the inspiration direct the writing. Things change as I go, but the ending and big plot points stay put usually.
What’s something you could eat every day and not get sick of it? Probably pizza… or peanut butter.
How do you work on more than one book at a time? I say I have a lot of books started, but I’m not actively working on them all at once. Remember, I’m still new to all this. So far, I typically have one fantasy and one contemporary going. The Last Summer is a YA contemporary romance coming out in June, and I’ve been writing it while promoting The Lost Legends. While I’m promoting The Last Summer, I’ll be writing book two in The Nihryst series. I like working one step ahead at all times. I also write based on mood and inspiration. For example, if I get really inspired for a scene in the next fantasy book while I’m technically supposed to be working on the contemporary, I will switch for a day or two.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? England and Wales. I’ve been obsessed with British history for as long as I can remember.
What music do you listen to while writing? I have different playlists for different books and moods. For fantasy, I listen to a lot of Ruelle, Florence + the Machine, The Lumineers, and movie/tv show scores. For contemporary romance, it’s a lot more upbeat pop like Taylor Swift, Paramore, Parachute, Jonas Brothers, and Khalid.
Favorites time… Movie: The Wizard of Oz TV Show: Brooklyn Nine-Nine Song: Where We Come Alive by Ruelle Book: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare or A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas Color: Coral Animal: Flamingos
What can we look forward to in the future? I am working on The Last Summer, which is coming out in June if I can get it finished. Book two in The Nihryst series will hopefully be out in the fall, and another contemporary or two will be out in the winter. Book three in The Nihryst series will likely be out next spring. I also have a fae duology in the works that I’m really excited for. I wrote half of the first one like a year and half ago, so I need to get back to it. OH! And I may or may not have a sci-fi retelling series planned… with The Lion King being one of the stories, but with humans and cyborgs…
Cait Marie has been obsessed with books her entire life. The love of writing didn’t hit until 2017. Since then, she has held multiple positions within Coffee House Writers, including C.O.O., Advertising Supervisor, Editor, and Writer. In 2018, she used her passion for reading to create Functionally Fictional. In 2019, she joined the indie staff of YA Books Central as a reviewer and then Indie Assistant Blogger. Cait graduated with honors in 2019 from Southern New Hampshire University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, and she is currently enrolled in their Master of Fine Arts program. She lives in Indiana, where she freelance edits and provides a variety of other author services. When she’s not writing or reading, she can usually be found watching Disney movies or Brooklyn Nine-Nine, creating bullet journal spreads, or singing along to various soundtracks and showtunes.
👑⚔️A plague. A prophecy. A centuries-long curse.⚔️👑
The Lost Legends by Cait Marie is now available!!
✨Blurb✨
All her life, Princess Adalina heard tales of the legendary, immortal warriors known as the Nihryst. Cursed and bound to a deck of tarot cards by her ancestors, the Nihryst were stranded on a remote island nearly a century and a half earlier.
Her brother, Prince Shane, is destined to rule the kingdom of Detmarya. Though preparing for this role has encompassed his entire life, control of the kingdom may come sooner than expected due to their father’s sporadic behavior.
Discovering the king’s plan to set a war in motion with a mass assassination, Ada unwittingly joins a crew of pirates in search of the only beings powerful enough to stop him: The Nihryst. Meanwhile, Shane and a group of underground rebels make a haunting discovery of a plague infecting the streets of Detmarya.
With a looming deadline to save multiple kingdoms and thousands of innocent lives, both royal siblings join quests worthy of Ada’s beloved fairy tales.
Pattimouse 