Ringing in the New Year with The Heven and Hell Blog Tour: Masquerade by Cambria Hebert

A few months ago I was introduced to Cambria Hebert by fellow blogger, Heidi, over at Rainy Day Ramblings.  I am forever grateful for making Cambria’s acquaintance and for the opportunity to read Before (the enticing prequel to Masquerade) and Cambria’s new novel Masquerade. Cambria is a delight to interact with. She and I share a love of lattes, werewolves and The Vampire Diaries. I could talk with her for days about all sorts of subjects and all things book related.

Cambria is very talented as well as being loads of fun and extremely kind and gracious. She has very generously offered to give one lucky winner a free E-book of Masquerade. After the fabulous New Years post from Cambria and my review of Masquerade, be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win. Good luck!

Top Most Made New Year's Resolutions

by Cambria Hebert

 This cartoon pretty much describes how I have felt about New Year’s Resolutions in the past. I mean after a while I learned my lesson with this tricky little tradition.

Sure, I made a few resolutions in the past – many moons ago. What have I resolved to do? Pretty much what every other American resolves to do:

Many years I resolved to stop biting my nails.  – How the hay does one do this? To this day I cannot figure it out. My husband says, just stop doing it. Sure, I say, and you just stop scratching yourself. I don’t think he found the humor in that – ha ha ha. I mean how does one stop doing something that I don’t even realize I am doing until my nails are bitten so low they hurt and I have hang nails on my thumbs that require band aids.

So after several years of trying and failing I stopped resolving to stop biting my nails.

I have also resolved to lose weight. This just makes me want to eat more. I mean really you tell me NOT to do something and that just makes it all the more appealing. Just like the bad boy syndrome. Don’t even pretend that a bad boy isn’t appealing. LOL.

So after attempts at resolving to lose weight I started resolving to accept myself the way I am. That sounds all nice and pretty right? It’s a lot harder than it sounds. I still work on that every day. I will say that I think something like this comes with age. I stopped resolving this as well.

I’ve resolved to save money. Let’s all laugh now and move to the next one.

I’ve resolved to be a better person. This is very vague and wide reaching. Exactly what does this entail? I hold the doors for others at the mall, I try not to glare at people in public who annoy me (oh please like you haven’t been in line with someone behind you that is like “OMG did you hear…?” Actually, I didn’t hear but thanks to your loud voice – I have heard now!) I recycle, I try to take things in stride when I don’t like the way things go. But let’s face it. You can’t just become a “better” person because it’s your New Year’s resolution. You have to work at something like that. It doesn’t happen overnight. And invariably – I am human – and sometimes I get annoyed and tell people about it. LOL.

Eventually I looked in the mirror and realized that making a New Years Resolution was like guaranteeing myself that it wouldn’t happen.

So I gave it up. Why bother making a resolution I was destined to fail then feel like crap because I didn’t do it.  *Shrugs* Seems like a vicious cycle to me.

I became like Gerald:   

And I pretty much made fun of others who tried to make New Year’s Resolutions:

But then a year came (okay it was 2010 lol) that I felt stuck in a rut. My life was good, I considered myself fortunate but certain aspects weren’t going where I wanted them to go. And…. New Year’s was fast approaching. Suddenly, it seemed that New Year’s was the perfect time to make a change. To wipe the slate clean and start fresh. That didn’t mean I would forget about everything that had happened up to that point it just meant that I wasn’t going to dwell on that. Apprehensions be damned I was going to achieve my goal.

What was this goal? Actually there were several but the main one was to see my book in print.

Up to this point I had been pounding away at the computer and sending out query after query and getting NO after NO. I was exhausted. I was irritable and I was turning 30 the next year. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a change. I was ready to start fresh. I was determined to do what it took to stop hearing no. I began considering self publishing. I kept working, kept networking… then in Feb. I submitted my manuscript to Otherworld Publications. After 6 months I was pretty sure that I would be getting a NO if I even got a response at all. It was summer and the year seemed to be going nowhere.

I began formulating my self publishing plans and also beginning plans of my own publishing label. But then I got a YES.

The rest as you say is history. December 16, 2011 Masquerade was in print and I had managed to actually complete a New Year’s Resolution. The other ones I made as well? Yup, did those too.

It felt really good. It still does.

So now… the New Year is approaching and I am looking at quite a few changes in my life in the coming year…. I have decided to make a few more New Year’s Resolutions.

No, I won’t be resolving to lose weight or stop biting my nails. I will continue to work toward my dreams and try to achieve what I want most in my life. I think I found the secret to making New Year’s Resolutions:

You actually have to want what you resolve to do.

You see I really don’t care if I stop biting my nails. I would like to be five or ten pounds thinner but that’s not really the most important thing to me right now.

Is this the secret to everyone’s New Year’s Resolution? I doubt it.  But I do know that the next time someone tells me that they made a resolution I might not be so quick to think to myself Good luck with that buddy – it ain’t happening.

So to all of you Resolution believers out there. Keep on resolving. It’s a New Year and anything is possible!

Just for fun I googled New Year’s Resolution. I found this list of the top made NY resolutions. Have you resolved to do any of these? Has anyone NOT resolved to any of these? Lol.

Top most made New years resolutions

• Drink Less Alcohol
• Eat Healthy Food
• Get a Better Education
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Manage Stress
• Quit Smoking
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Save Money
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others

I want to say a quick Thank you to Michele for having me here today and finishing out the Heven and Hell Tour with a bang!!!!!!  

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!

Bio:

Cambria Hebert is an author, a blogger, and a latte sipper. She has an irrational fear of chickens (EWWW!) and is obsessed with werewolves. She would rather have coffee (Starbucks please!) than food, and her favorite TV show is the Vampire Diaries. You can find her stalking the YA aisles of Barnes and Noble with her iPhone glued to her hand.

You can order Masquerade here: Masquerade

Cambria's Website/Blog:  Cambria Hebert

Cambria's FB fan page:  Facebook

Twitter:   @cambriahebert

The prequel to Masquerade (titled Before) is available in Ebook where all Ebooks are sold.

Cover Design:

All three of my covers have been done by Regina Wamba at Mae I Design.