Something Amazing Happened! Now What? (Hint: a small giveaway!)

If you've been around awhile, you know the title is a reference to my What If Something Amazing Happens? post which is still, oddly enough, the most popular blog post I've ever written.  So yeah, I kept pulling that old rope and kept getting water dumped on my head until one day, I didn't.  Instead of water, I got a publishing contract.  Can't say WOOOO HOOOO enough!  Thank you again, Sapphire Star Publishing! 

(Incidentally, I found out today that the Doodlebops have not disbanded and are, in fact, coming to a venue near me which means I will be required to go.  Not to worry, I've rounded up a group of reluctant adults who will have to bear the torture, um I mean musical talents of the Doodlebops along with me.  I'm hoping they'll have a rope just for adults to pull at said concert that dispenses large quantities of wine.  I'll let you know.)

Mainly, the purpose of this post is to apologize to my fellow bloggers.  I've been just terrible at keeping up with all your posts, especially with the A to Z Challenge going on (the number of posts I want to read has increased exponentially this month!  Too many great posts, too little time!)  Just please know that I am trying.  Sometimes I don't comment but I have been trying to stop by the blogs I regularly follow as much as possible. 

So what's been going on since I signed my contract?  Well it has been busy.  The health issue we are dealing with at home is slowly coming under some sort of control but we're still battling every day.  There is a lot of reading and research for me to do on that front.  Work is very busy.  The writing muse and I are circling each other warily, me demanding that she get her ass back in gear on the WIP and her saying, in an exasperated tone:  "Just a minute, just a minute" and that minute has gone on for 2 months so far.  Oddly, said muse sounds a lot like my four year old when she is trying to avoid anything that is not playing!

I'm also trying to get really and truly acquainted with Twitter, which as I understand it, is all the rage and great for promoting books.  It's taking me quite awhile to get the hang of it and I'm still not entirely sure what some things mean.  It's taking up a tremendous amount of time but once I settle into a routine of some sort, I'm sure I'll have more time for other things.

But I've already been properly "dissed" as they say around my way.  I followed an author whose many promo tweets about her book were good enough to get me to check it out. It sounded really good and I had some dollars left on Amazon gift cards I had gotten for my birthday so I bought it.  I tweeted her to let her know and she immediately unfollowed me.  I don't know about Twitter-quette but I know that that's pretty sh*tty etiquette!  Unfortunately, I cannot return the book.

Anyway, speaking of which, if you are on Twitter, you can follow me:  @lisalregan and I'll be launching Claire Fletcher's Twitter diary on 5/6/12 which you can follow: @IClaireFletcher.

I have a new website without the L in the middle of my name: http://www.lisaregan.com/ although the other one is still up as well!

And finally, in celebration of my BIG, BIG NEWS and in apology for neglecting my blogging duties, I'm giving away a $15.00 Amazon gift card to one lucky blog follower!  All you have to do is two things:

1.  Like my Facebook fan page (if you're on Facebook)
2.  Comment on this blog (tell me anything: how are you?  How's it going with your WIP?  With the rope-pulling?  Ever been the victim of bad Twitter-quette?)

And I will use random.org to choose a winner on Monday, April 23, 2012!