Snapshot Meme: NANO Celebration

Posted by: Allison on: March 21, 2014

• In: Teasers
• 10 Comments

Saturday Snapshot invites bloggers to share photos. This week, I’m posting photos of all the ways my husband has recently spoiled me.

“I’m proud of you!” My husband spoke those words to me earlier this month. Why? Because I had finished writing the second draft of my novel-in-progress, a draft that is a whopping 130,000 words.

To celebrate, he took me out for a favorite entrée and a favorite dessert. At this past National Novel Writing Month, I tried a vanilla-filled, strawberry-topped French Toast meal at IHOP. Breakfast never tasted so good! Naturally, I wanted to have it again.

As for the dessert, I was hooked the first time I tried carrot cake at Village Inn. The menu describes it as: “A moist cake studded with shredded carrots, pineapple, walnuts, and raisins covered with cream cheese frosting and finished with chopped almonds.” This is no lie! Whenever I can order dessert at Village Inn, this is what I get.

However, that isn’t where the rewards ended. My husband also let me buy books by one of my favorite authors, Sara Zarr. This included three (the ones in elastic) being purchased through Kings English Bookshop so that I could have them signed. My reviews of them should appear in June, along with potentially an interview!

The last gift isn’t really an award, as much as incentive for the future. There’s nothing like chocolates to boost a writer’s energy. Pretty boxes are fun to get too. Well, for the past couple of years, after Valentine’s Day ends, my husband has hit the stores for chocolates and then come home to hide them. This year was no exception, except when he came home, he decided to be unusually devious about where he hid them. Instead of one day like last year, it took me until just last week to find all twelve boxes. Yes, I said TWELVE! (One for each month, right?) A few of the more clever locations were: under the cat bed, in the basement rafters, in the pet stroller, among my education books (that was the one with the chalkboard cover) — and, the sneakiest of all… in my collection of keepsake Valentine’s boxes.

As for my novel-in-progress, I’m enjoying a hiatus from it. That’s included reading bestsellers, browsing online writing boards, and sneaking in some naps. See you next week!

Tags: Allison's Book Bag, National Novel Writing Month, reviews of books for young people, snapshot meme, Valentine's Day chocolates