#church life - again just stating how my dad and aunt are different. not judging it just surprises me

[echo-s-land]

The way my father and aunt are both religious but in a total opposite way is insane

[darkling-er]

Piety Knob || Chapter 1

Summary: In 2017 Juniper Blackwood moves into a small town with her aunt because of a job opportunity thanks to distant family. Juniper was always homeschooled so she's unfamiliar with everything at her new town, and a new school to fit in with strangers. With noone to really talk to, she dwells in the mysteries of the town, while finding out secrets about her family and herself as well..

Parts: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 coming soon

Characters: Piety Knob OCS (see under Piety Knob intros tag)

The car ride from the airport is longer than expected. It's not like I didn't google the whole trip and count how long it would take, but actually experiencing a 16 hour long car ride is way different from theory. Perry, my aunt, is being cheerful without a stop since we packed our things in Chicago to move to the distant little town in Oregon, Detroit.

"We should be near to family, Juniper, you'll see how good it will be for you!" she said when she announced that she got a job in my hometown. I was excited for her, truly, she had such an awful job back in Chicago, her boss was mean to her all the time and she recieved a way too low paycheck after the plus hours she was working.

Finally she got a chance to start over in a small town, with people she already knew and liked so I guessed why not. Why not leave behind the town I grew up in and mostly loved to a place I hardly even remembered other than from my aunt's tales when I was little. At the age of four when people only remember insignificant events like there was a time when a butterfly flew on my mom's shoulder and my dad tried to catch it. Or when I hurt my knee in the backyard and my aunt scolded me for being so wild when playing. Not Perry, mind you, my other aunt, from my mother's side, Primrose.

And here I am in the overheated backseat of my aunt's old station wagon. It smells old, mixed with smells of used leather, overheated plastic and the burgers we ate a couple hours ago for lunch.

It's close to noon, which I can tell from the direction of the sun in the sky - I had to rely on such primitive modes since both my and my aunt's phone died due to lack of charge - which greets us sometimes when it reaches over the tall pine trees that sorround the main road to Detroit.

Perry promised to take me on many trips after we moved in to the Stantiam State Forest.

I look from the phenomenal view to the front seat and ask Perry:

"How is Church doing?" I look to our old tabby, who sleeps peacefully in her carriage.

"Wonderful, after he puked on my best traveling shoe back at the drivers' parkinglot."

Perry says sarcastically but looks lovingly at the cat for a second before turning her attention back to the road.

"How are you darling?" she asks looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"Good." I smile and I believe I manage to convince her because she smiles back and drives happily towards that hellhole.

I practiced smiling like that for a long time before talking to aunt Periwinkle about moving to Oregon. It's not the nature I have the problem with, the lack of city noise. I actually love the idea of being somewhere quiet and nice. Somewhere I can actually breath clear air.

But the thought of leaving my home and the place I was so used to terrified me in a way I never thought it could.

Maybe a repressed childhood fear, I reckoned. Moving meaning to lose something I love, just when I was four. Losing both my parents than having to move to my aunt Perry, who was my closest next to kin. Meanwhile my sister stayed there with Primrose. I never understood why was that, and truly Perry couldn't explain it either, it was some mix up with my father's and mother's last will. That's why I've barely met my sister, Betty or my other aunt. I got a card and some cash for my birthday from them always, with some petty excuse of not being able to visit me and meet. On Christmas it was our turn to go to them, but Perry having terrible pay at her work made that difficult as well.

I'm not saying it's all their fault. We could have called or texted any time, it's 2017 for God's sake. But it was too awkward and forced so we stopped trying to connect with my sister.

Now that we'll move there, I don't really know what to expect from this sudden change. I would prefer to skip any small talk with them, but if Perry will persist, which I know she will, I will try for her sake.

She always put me in first in her life since my parent's accident, it's only fair I try and make it up for her.

Doing all this thinking I only realize that Perry was talking as she calls my name probably for not the first time:

"Juniiii? Earth to Juniper, is anyone home?"

I roll my eyes and smile.

"Of course, sorry I was daydreaming."

She dismisses it with a smirk.

"I was only saying now that you'll attend high school maybe you'll get a chance to meet a boy."

I make an annoyed sound and bury my head in my hand.

"What? Stooop, no!"

She shrugs in reply.

"Or a girl, I don't judge, you know me."

I shake my head and look out the window again.

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't say any of that."

Perry chuckles with amusement then turns her attention to the road.

"Whatever."

The rest of the trip is boring, we almost hit a deer at one point, which freaks Perry out the most, then Church, who acts wild in her special carriage 'cage'. I on the other hand just want to catch some sleep and recharge my phone so I can return to socialization. Jeez, I'm really one of those people who can't live without their phone for a longer period. Longer meaning hours, it's ridiculous.

I would read something, but all my books are in the new house, we sent the moving truck way ahead so at least when we arrive in the new house all our things will be there.

After what seems like ages I notice an old, mossy sing with the usual welcome messeage. 'Welcome to Detroit, Oregon. Stay for a while.'

"Well that sounds like what a desperate husband would say to her wife when they are having a divorce." I let the comment slip out of my mouth and Perry shushes me but I see her trying not to let out a chuckle.

When we finally reach the house it's already dark and I feel terribly tired after the long drive.

"I want to sleep for a month." i comment as Perry parks the car in the driveway. She nods in agreement and we step outside the old station wagon.

I breath in deeply the summer warm but fresh air and let my body to be free from sitting all day long. I strech my arms and legs with a low growl, then take out Church's cage from the front seat.

Perry is already at the door, all fast and excited even after the trip, like it was nothing to her, just a five minute trip to the store or something.

She lets out an excited squel searching for the right keyes in her hand as I close the car with an exhausted sigh and join her at the doorway.

She looks at me with a grin excited for both of us.

"This is gonna be so great, sweetie! I'm going to make you something for dinner, maybe you can unpack a little in your room?"

"Sure thing, Captain."

She doesn't mind my sarcastic tone as she lets the front door fling open so our new home can greet us.

Periwinkle steps in first and I follow her inside, locking the door behind me.

It's a two story building, all wooden and bricks. It looks cozy, it's definitely bigger than our flat in Chicago.

It has a half-deck to the front door. A garage and an attic. Basically the attic is the second store to the house. My room as Perry told me. Two bathrooms, one downstairs next to Perry's room and one upstairs next to mine.

The living room is open and is connected to the kitchen. Other than that it looks pretty simple, no guest rooms or a cellar. We don't need them anyway.

I like the style of the house. It's like the one from Oregon Trail. The window shutters and doors are painted to a deep green, like the color of the pines around the house.

The moving company did a great job with the furniture, though we mostly left everything behind. We only brought the old couch and the Perry's wardrobe with us. I didn't need anything in my room, all my stuff could fit in three boxes and that was pretty much all I really cared about. Things are just things, the people around us is what matters. My mom used to say that, according to Perry. I like that thought.

I set down Church in the living room and let her out of the carrier. As soon as she knows it's freedom for her she runs to Perry in the kitchen.

I hear my aunt chuckle from next to the stove as I go upstairs towards my room.

It's a narrow stair, followed by a similarly narrow hall which ends in two doors. First I assume is to my room and next to it is the bathroom.

I open up the door which creaks with an eery sound. From the pictures Perry showed me it looked a lot smaller but now stepping into it I immediately smile. It's small alright, but looks cozy with the two windows looking down to the small town and lake, somewhat covered by the pine trees.

My bed is right under those windows, and it has a wardrobe, a desk and a small bookshelf.

I can already imagine stacking up the walls with polaroid pictures I took ages ago in Chicago with the posters of movies I always watch with uncle Gabe. He lives in Salem, so I'm also excited to meet with him more often.

He couldn't help us to move from the airport because he was out on a job, but he called us and said he would visit next thing tomorrow.

I look at the boxes that the moving company put down in the middle of my new room and I start to open the up and unpack my things. Just some clothes, I never was really that into fashion and having a lot of clothes to wear. My books are the next, which I immediately put on the bookshelf above my desk, and some other trinkets, such as my laptop and charger. I search for a place to plug it in my phone.

"Arise!" I say dramatically and put it down to charge on it's own.

Now my main goal is to put on something comfortable and go down and eat whatever is smelling so good downstairs.

I put on a button up shirt which is way too baggy for me, I got it from my dad. Well I found it in a box that had my dad's belongings in it. My mom's stuff stayed with my sister and aunt Primrose.

It covers the short I'm having on and in this summer heat it's perfect and comfy. I run down the stairs towards the kitchen and meet my aunt with a new sense of energy.

"What are we eating, I'm starving!"

She looks at me with a smile and holds up the plates.

"Bacon and eggs.. Right from the locals."

"My precious..." I make a lame impression and we eat our food in less then a couple of minutes.

"I'm gonna go wash up. You should too, and get ready to bed. We have to go into town tomorrow, I have to meet with my new boss and we have to sing you into high school before august starts!"

With no time to argue she heads into the bathroom downstairs and I hear the water starting. I sigh and look at Church who is already licking up our empty plates. I pet her and say to her.

"You are very lucky to not have to go to work or school."

With no response other than some purring I fill up the washer with the dishes. Just as I would head back upstairs to have a quick shower then hit the sack there's a knock coming from the door.

I look toward Perry's bathroom then I sigh and put on a tired smile before going to answer the door.

As the front door swings open the cool air comes inside the house making me have goosebumps all over my body. I hear the sound of crickets and I look upwards to meet the eyes of a stranger.

He looks to be in his late thirties, with slicked back short hair and a small mustache above his mouth. He wears a suitjacket with a v neck grey shirt and some very 'important looking shoes'.

His salesman smile falters for a moment when he looks me up and down and I realize I look like a girl with only a shirt on. I immediately feel uncomfortable for multiple reasons.

"Umm... Can I help you?" I ask because he hasn't said a word yet and I want to close the door on his face already.

"I hope you can. I'm Damian Forrester, mayor of the town. And hereby welcome you and your lovely family to our community."

I nod but I find it extremely odd that he came all the way up here to just introduce himself in the middle of the night.

"I see..." I say clearly uncomfortable under his eyes. It's like he's a robot, his smile never fades or changes on his face.

I'm seemingly being rude as he raises his eyebrows.

"And you are.."

I try to conjure some politeness up, even though I'm feeling grumpy and tired by late night smalltalk. You never see the mayor of Chicago knock at your door to introduce himself and welcome you to town.

"Juniper Blackwood." i say standoffishly.

"Ah. Yes! Rose talked a lot about you coming to town... And your other aunt of course."

I look at him weirdly before asking.

"Then why did you ask my name if you already knew it?"

There's a moment of awkwardness and his unfaltering smile starts to scare me. I can almost see a twitch in his eye like I made him mad, but it's gone before I could interpret it like it was never there.

I hold the door awkwardly and I can't stand his gaze any longer so I look behind him. It's only then when I notice the very expensive looking car and next to it the presumed driver. He looks out of place, wearing similar clothing to a car mechanic, with a name tag on it. I try to read it from the distance but it only has a handdrawn smiley face on it. The wearer himself looks in his thirties, his hair buzzed at the sides, but letting it grow longer. Like he regretted the hairstyle and wants to regrow it. The rest is slicked back, but not like Mr. Mayor here, but more messier, like he used the product on his hair days ago and it's use is growing weaker.

He leans on the car door, looking bored and off to the distance.

Mr. Creepy smile notices my sudden change of attention and looks back at the driver as well.

"Don't mind Marcus, he doesn't have any manners."

At the mention of his name he lazily looks at the mayor and then at me. He doesn't come up to introduce himself or even just to break a smile, he just stands there looking.

Okay, this is getting creepy, it's like looking at Frankenstein and Igor. I think.

As if I had said the joke out loud Igor 'Marcus' shakes his head with a chuckle and looks at his wrist to check the time. Yeah, I would like you two to leave as well.

"So.. You need anything, Mr. Mayor?"

I turn my attention back to Creepy Smiles. He looks surprised at the title.

"No, I just wanted to welcome you to town... Is your aunt in?"

He tries to look inside the house and I know he wants to get invited in, but I am not going to do that. Even if I get a scolding for it later from Perry.

"She's having a shower. We are both very tired actually. We have to do some paperwork tomorrow and unpack as well, so.."

He looks from the house to me again, not forgetting the salesman grin.

"Of course, I'm sorry for the late intrusion. I'm sure we'll meet soon again. My wife is inviting you two to the ball we are having this weekend. Please come, have a laugh. I'm sure you would like my son, he's similar to your age."

I fake a smile, in my head already planning to forget to mention this invite to Perry.

"I surely will." I lie. "Goodnight."

He's ready to leave the porch as he waves goodbye and gets inside the car. The driver looks at me again before entering the vehicle.

"Nice legs." He says with a cheeky grin and I can't help but make a face and shut the door.

Who the fuck... I think angrily and go up to my bathroom. Who the hell invites people to a ball in the 21st century anyways.

With those thoughts I lay in my bed after the quick shower and I quickly fall asleep.

tags: @onl-you

A/N: hope anyone who sees this likes it even just remotely. 😂💕 SORRY ITS ON MOBILE I COULDNT ADD KEEP READING LINK

[theseer519]

Who I am

Who I Am

my real name is not Freya rose but a name I've chosen for myself. It's the name I fashioned for me but it's not real. the Freya rose that everyone meets online is a person I'm not, cause the real me has a crazy life that is hard to control. I suffer from depression and anxiety and have a few other health problems. The moment I become Freya rose online it's like a breath of fresh air cause for a moment I can escape my life even if it's just for a moment but it's worth it.

in the real world I'm a CNA in this world I'm a writer and hope one day that I can write a good book that could get published but right now my main stuff I write is fanfiction. I have one story I wrote 6 years ago while I was in high school. I went back and reread my book and cringed a bit while reading it. Sometimes I've thought of rewriting it but haven't yet caused My mind is a mess and cant organize my thoughts. I'm hoping to fix that soon so I can get my life straightened out. I live in a small town of  1,934 people. we have one stoplight in our town. to get to a Walmart you have to drive 30 miles. we have a few fast food places, we have a McDonald's a sonic and Caseys general store we have small business restaurants too. Captin Ds just moved into our town so it's slowly growing. My aunt youse to tell me different things about this town when she lived here in the 80's she left this town in 99 but came back 6 years ago in like 2015. I left this town in 99 also but only returned in the last 3 years I came back in 2017. I live with my aunt now and take care of her the best I can cause she was like a mom to me since she pretty much raised me since mine left when I was 5 then came back when I was 7 then left again.

I sometimes hide who I am cause I am afraid of what people would think. I act like I don't give a damn but I really do. I suck at relationships with both genders. yes, this chick right here is bisexual. I remember at one point I tried going to a church when I was a senior and a preacher was bashing people like me and I stood up to defend them and was demanded to leave. I later that same year had to go to that church to have the red cord to my graduation gown blessed cause it was tradition. He refused to bless it so a bishop that was in that church blessed it for me. The preacher that didn't want me there was so red-faced, because of how he acted I hid who I was for a while abut 2 years ago I finally came back out of the closet and tod my family that I was bi and they accepted it. my oldest cousin said she had known since I was little and tried telling my dad but he didn't believe her and here I am.

I've also spent 7 years in foster care and let me tell you when you are the ward of the state you are judged in school. but ill talk more about that in a later post.

💙💚💛💜💗 Freya Rose

[dazzledbybooks]

I am so excited that MISCHIEF & MAYHEM by L.E. Rico is ON SALE for .99 today that I wanted to share the news! If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author L.E. Rico, be sure to check out all the details below. This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card, International, courtesy of L.E. and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post. About the Book: Title: MISCHIEF & MAYHEM Author: L.E. Rico Pub. Date: July 9, 2018 Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Bliss) Formats: Paperback, eBook Pages: 315 Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo Welcome to Mayhem, Minnesota, home of the Knitty Kitty, The Little Slice of Heaven Pie Shop, and O’Halloran’s Pub—owned by the four young women known as The Whiskey Sisters. In the wake of her divorce, Jameson O’Halloran has gone man-vegan. And this is one diet she’s determined to stick with. Even when her long-lost ex-brother-in-law shows up looking like two scoops of double dutch dipped in chocolate… She’s not giving in. Been there and still wearing the messy T-shirt. It’s been a decade since Scott Clarke left his family and his hometown, never to return. But when tragedy strikes, he finds himself dragged back to the land of gossip, judgment, and the one woman he absolutely, positively, without a doubt can never have. His brother’s ex is off-limits. He just needs to keep repeating that to himself until it sinks in. Excerpt: The shelf is a little too high for my short self, and I’m only able to brush the dishes with my fingertips. “Oh, here, let me help you with that…” Before I can object, he’s standing behind me, reaching over me to get the dishes. For a brief second, his front is pressed against my back. His broad, muscled, perfectly sculpted front. I feel a wave of unwelcome warmth beginning under my collar and creeping up my neck. “Thanks…” I murmur awkwardly, keeping my back to him for a moment longer in an attempt to quash my blush.  “Okay. I’m just going to grab a shower before my brother gets here, if you don’t mind.” “Nope. Not at all,” I say quickly. “You go right ahead.” Once he disappears around the corner, I silently smack my palm to my forehead. What was that, Jameson? Why the blush? He’s just your ex-husband’s brother, that’s all. This is insane. I’ve got to stop this childish behavior. No. More. Men. Remember? No thinking about men. No looking at men. No fantasizing about men. Especially not that man! I’m still shaking my head and silently berating myself when I hear him behind me. “Hey, Jameson, do you happen to know if my dad keeps an extra toothbrush around? I dropped mine in the toilet and…” I don’t hear the end of his sentence because, when I turn to face him, I suddenly can’t hear anything. I’m too entranced by the sight of him wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Oh, crap, oh crap, oh crap… I am in so much trouble here. No men. No men. No men… I repeat the mantra over and over again in my head, but clearly the rest of my body isn’t getting the memo. Q&A With L.E. How did you pick Minnesota to be the location of the Story? L.E. (Lauren): My primary career is as a classical music radio DJ and when I was in my late twenties, I had the chance to work for a nationally syndicated service called Classical24—which happened to be based in St. Paul, MN. Even though I’d lived all over the east coast, I knew the Midwest was a whole other world, so I was pretty scared when I got there. But the Minnesotans welcomed me with open arms and helped me weather (pun totally intended) my first winters, buying and maintaining my first house and my ongoing struggle with depression. I had friends almost immediately and was totally enamored of the quirky, cool community around me. The polka mass at the local Catholic church, the obsession with hotdish, and the state fair—where everything is on a stick and Princess Kay of the Milky Way reigns supreme, were some of my favorites. Honestly, had I not met my husband and moved back to New York, I’d probably still be there now! Was it always your intention with this book to do it about a sister and then two brothers? L.E. (Lauren): Yes. We first see Jameson in book one, Blame it on the Bet and it’s clear that her marriage to Win is in trouble. Knowing that her book would be next, I was already concocting scenarios for her to find love after divorce and by having someone who’s been away for so long, I was able to use him to reintroduce the readers —who may or may not have read Blame it on the Bet—to the whacky town of Mayhem and its quirky residents. Plus, I knew it would make Win craaaazy! And that’s always a bonus :^) Was it always your idea to have different issues like stroke, adoption, working in foreign countries a part of the story or it just came as the story flowed? L.E. (Lauren): It all came as the story unraveled under my fingers. My characters often tell me what their stories are, believe it or not! I start off with a very basic idea of who they are and then the events just kind of unfold.  Adoption played into this story. Was that something you researched or did you know someone who went through that? L.E. (Lauren): I have two uncles who were adopted—the youngest of whom is two years younger than me. He and I grew up more like brother and sister and we’re still very, very close today. And, while I didn’t purposely set out to write a story about adoption, it was easy to paint that kind of attitude that we were raised with—family is family is family, blood or not. In the case of my elder uncle, my grandparents had to fight for him when, mid-adoption, a “white” family was interested in taking him (my grandparents are Latino). Those were totally different times—even though it was just in 1961—and it was a battle but they never backed down. So this idea that Big Win and Marjorie would do whatever they had to do to adopt that child and keep him—and his identity—safe wasn’t foreign to me. Was the county fair always part of your original story? L.E. (Lauren): Ohhhhhh yeah… I’ve never seen anything like the Minnesota State fair. The food is all deep-fried and on a stick, the rides are amazing, there are people walking around in bee costumes for the honey judging. And, of course, there’s Princess Kay of the Milky Way and her royal court— the inspiration for my Princess Mary of Midwestern Dairy. They really do make a butter bust of her! How could I NOT include that?! Although, I have to admit that the float catastrophe was all mine. Do you have a process that you come up with when you are choosing names and personalities of your characters? L.E. (Lauren): I’ve run through most of the guy names I like so I sometimes use a name generator for help with that. I’ve got a ton of girl names, though. Sometimes I consult a baby names book. The personalities just kind of unfold as I write. I had a good idea of who Jameson, Win and Big Win were based on Blame it on the Bet. Scott was a mystery to me—I had to figure out what it was about him that kept him from coming home and confronting his past for a full decade. Oh, and then there’s little Jackson…God help us all. He was the most fun of all! I’m at a loss for what I’ll do with him as he gets older in the upcoming books! Do you use daily events sometimes as your inspirations? L.E. (Lauren): Oh, sure, all the time! The character of Bryan, Hennessy’s boyfriend, is basically me when I first moved to Minnesota. I was the fish out of water—especially when it came to things like winter preparedness and regional foods like lutefisk (yuck!) and cheese curds (yum!). But more than events it’s people I know who inspire my characters. Janet Lahti, the pie-making mystic is actually an aunt of mine. She’s a bit of a psychic and has had some really spooky occurrences over the years. Julie Freddino, aka The Knitty Kitty, is a girlfriend of mine who took up knitting and gave me a pussyhat last year. It gave me the idea for her business and she picked out her own purple hair. Did you always have big Win getting sick at the beginning in your draft? L.E. (Lauren): Oh, yeah. In the absence of the late “Pops” O’Halloran, Big Win is the paternal figure here. So when his life is in serious jeopardy, it’s a crisis that sucks them all in—the sisters, Win Jr, Scott—even Jackson is effected by the fall of his “goppa.” So it’s a good thread to bring them all together in shared fear and stress and grief. And with his life on the line, it was an opportunity for me to explore the kind of man he’d been when he was younger—when Scott and Win came along. It was also a chance to really see his incredible strength and the love that comes with that. Was that scene considered the hook to the story? L.E. (Lauren): I’m big on starting things right smack in the middle so that the reader is immediately thrown into the deep end. And that image of Big Win on the floor with Jameson giving him CPR and little Jackson wailing in the background—well, it doesn’t get a whole lot more high-stakes than that. When you began to write this book did you know it was going to be a romance and a mystery? L.E. (Lauren): Bringing Scott home was easy—his father’s health crisis put him in an impossible position. He had to come back. But that begs the question—if he’s such a great guy, why did he leave in the first place? So, yeah, it was kind of a mystery for me as well while I sorted out what kind of demons might make someone run away from their family—from their life—for a decade. When do you know that the time in the story calls for humor, like the float scene at the fair? L.E. (Lauren): Honestly, I didn’t even know I was funny until the reviews came in for book number one—Blame it on the Bet. So it was pretty scary approaching Mischief and Mayhem thinking I HAD to be funny. But I found my way. There were a couple of early drafts that were just way too dark and my editor helped me find my way back to a more lighthearted, funnier place—like Princess Mary showing up at the pub and the iguana on the plane. Of course, there’s always going to be something around the Knitty Kitty. But, yeah, that float scene—it was totally organic and it STILL cracks me up! If your book was made into a movie who would you have play… L.E. (Lauren): Yikes! This is always tough for me… Jameson: Rose Leslie Scott: Theo James Win Jr.:  Alex Pettyfer Win Sr.:  Treat Williams What song or songs best describes your couple or book as a whole? L.E. (Lauren): It’s the theme song from the prologue through to the epilogue—with a generation in between: “Make You Feel My Love” – Garth Brooks  “Make You Feel My Love” – Adele What is your next project and when is due out? L.E. (Lauren): I’ve just released a new, non-Whiskey novel, Counterpoint about two concert pianists who bond over a tragic past, a dismal future, and their love for one another. 2019 will also see books for the remaining two sisters, Walker and Bailey. About L.E: Award-Winning author Lauren Rico also happens to be  one of the top classical music broadcasters in the country. Her voice is heard nationally on SiriusXM’s Symphony Hall channel, as well as on radio stations in New York City, Charlotte, and Tampa. She’s even been known to accompany travelers as they fly the skies over Thailand, Oman, and China as part of the in-flight entertainment on several airlines. Her love and passion for classical music have allowed her to breathe new life into the stories of the great composers. And now Lauren is telling some stories of her own… Beginning with her erotic thriller, Reverie (Harmony House Productions, 2016), she set out to “put the sexy back in Bach,” creating a riveting tale of passion, deception and redemption set against the backdrop of an international music competition. She rounded out the trilogy with Rhapsody (Harmony House Productions, 2016) and Requiem (Harmony House Productions, 2017). From there, Lauren partnered with Entangled Publishing, LLC, to create the first in her Symphony Hall series of romance novels, Solo (Entangled Publishing 2017). Her most recent release, Mistletoe in Mayhem, is the third in the five-book Whiskey Sisters series (Entangled 2018). Upcoming projects include two more Whiskey Sisters romances, a follow-up to Solo and a super-secret, as-of-yet-unnamed thriller. Lauren hopes to bring classical music to a new audience by showcasing it in twisty, steamy stories that grab the reader and keep them turning pages — and YouTubing the music — into the wee hours. When she’s not on talking on the radio or typing on her laptop, Lauren enjoys time with her husband and spectacularly spoiled mini-schnauzer. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Book Bub Giveaway Details: 1 winner will win a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card, International. a Rafflecopter giveaway The symbol of the Gallows Saint. About S.A.: S.A. Klopfenstein grew up on a steady dose of Tolkien and Star Wars. As a child, he wrote his first story about a sleepwalking killer who was executed by lethal injection. He lives in the American West with his wife and their dog, Iorek Byrnison. He can be found exploring the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, or daring the halls of the middle school where he teaches Language Arts. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads Giveaway Details: 1 lucky winner will win a finished copy of THE SHADOW WATCH & THE RAGE OF SAINTS, US Only. a Rafflecopter giveaway

http://www.dazzledbybooks.com/2019/04/mischief-and-mayhem-book-blitz.html

[rolandfontana]

Lifestyle Law Firm Interview with Otis Landerholm of Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C.

Otis Landerholm of Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C.

This interview was originally published in January 2017.  At the end of that year, Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C. was named to the Law Firm 500 list of America’s Fastest Growing Law Firms, ranking #50 out of 200 U.S. law firms, with an annual percentage growth rate of 217%.  Recently, the firm made the Law Firm 500 list again with an annual percentage growth rate of 178% for 2018.  How did they do it?  Read on….

The Rainmaker Institute’s Director of Sales, Adam Reiman, sat down with Otis Landerholm of Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C., an immigration law firm in Oakland, California. They had a frank discussion on how improving his intake process has transformed Otis’ law firm and his life:

Adam: To begin, please give us a 30,000-foot view how things are going in your law firm. It’s been a rocket ship ride for you as you have become this force in Northern California immigration law. So, give us your state of the union.

Otis: Well, I guess I’m happy to report that last month was our law firm’s best month ever as far as profit and gross revenue. It was the first month that we broke what they call the million-dollar barrier, $83,300. We actually hit about $85,000 for the month.

Adam: Congratulations.

Otis: I’m excited about that and a lot of that is due to the really great work that my staff is doing as well as to the improved systems for bringing clients inside, which the Rainmaker Institute helped us implement. Right now I have seven full time employees and I’m looking to bring in three more in the first quarter of next year. (Update: the firm now has 15 employees.) So I guess the 30,000-foot view is one of growth, one of optimism for the future, and of real gratitude for how far we’ve come.

Adam: It must be such a great feeling for you and really makes you feel good about the future.

Otis: I’d like to give the financial piece a little bit of perspective because it was 2013 or so where I had one associate and one staff member and we were struggling. And I remember coming home and my wife was in tears and we were like, you know, it just wasn’t working. We were losing money every single month, we were struggling to hit $11,000 a month, and it just completely wasn’t working.

At that point a decision was made to really start focusing not so much on the day-to-day, but really to start focusing on the business and start treating it like a business and start figuring out what can be done to help the firm start functioning and to be financially sustainable and to actually meet our income needs.

After making that decision, one of the first hard things we had to do is increase our prices and we had to take a good honest look at the amount of time that we were putting into different things. We had to get serious about our efforts to bring clients into the firm and what we were doing and what we weren’t doing to kind of systematize the acquisition of clients.

Adam: Since we went back in time, let’s talk about your inspiration for hanging your own shingle starting your own law firm and why you decided to specialize in immigration?

Otis: I was a Linguistics major and a Philosophy major in college. I was studying Spanish, French, and Russian and got the travel bug. I lived in five different countries and traveled in 22 different countries and basically became a serial immigrant.

I really enjoyed meeting people from different parts of the world and connecting with them, learning their language and learning what makes them tick.

And so, it was that experience then that led me to law school as well as my family background in the legal industry. My grandfather was a very successful and well-respected attorney in the Pacific Northwest. He was the founder of the Landerholm Law Firm, which is the largest law firm in Vancouver, Washington. My older brother is an attorney in Portland, Oregon. I’ve got an aunt who’s a judge in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve got lots of family who are lawyers.

But I really wanted to kind of branch out on my own too and found my passion for immigration law after having lived in so many other places and also seeing the complete contrast between how easy it was for someone like me to travel to so many places, but to see how many people, struggle and even die every year trying to come into this country. It was so simple for me to travel to so many countries and yet it’s so ridiculously difficult for so many millions of people in other countries to do the same. And I just think that it’s a messed up system and that’s really what my office is here to help change.

Adam: Let’s talk about what makes your law firm unique in comparison to some of your competitors and what makes you guys stand out above the rest of the crowd?

Otis: I really like to have a client-centered law firm. I really don’t want to just focus on a client’s legal issue, I want to focus on what other aspects are holding them back in their lives and really address the whole person. That also helps us produce very good results on our cases. So, we have developed a very strong reputation and have had a lot of success on some very complex cases and I’m just very proud of that.

One other thing that we do is we’re organized now within the legal team so that for every case, I appoint one attorney and one paralegal to help me prepare the case as well as possible. I know that a lot of firms do that as well, but we hold legal team meetings every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM and we always are going over any new thing that’s happening on our cases, we’re right there to address it.

We do a quarterly case audit where we’re sending information to our clients proactively instead of waiting for them to call us. I think that it’s these small touches and attention to detail that sets our firm apart and it really helps us produce the results that our clients deserve.

Adam: Is there a particular client experience or result that you can think of that you are especially proud of?

Otis: There’s a case that we won recently that had been in litigation for four years and the father who was the principle person who is in immigration court really had no case. The way to strategize his case meant first getting a visa for his minor daughter who after really going into depth with his whole family and getting the picture of the whole scenario, you know, other law firms may have said that this guy is just not eligible, right?

But, because he wasn’t eligible at first, we had to win a visa for his daughter who happens to be eligible based on some atrocious issue that happened in her life when she was seven years old. She was a victim of sexual assault when she was seven years old and it made her eligible for a visa. And so first, we applied for her and it was a long two-year process just getting her that visa and then once we had her paperwork, we could have her file a petition for her father that ended up winning the dad’s removal case and he was facing deportation throughout this whole process.

So the ability to kind of work with the whole family and look into the whole fact in order to strategize the best way to keep a client on U.S. soil is something that I love doing. It becomes like a big puzzle. You know, how can we maybe delay a case right now long enough so that we can fix somebody else’s immigration status so that now we can go back and fix our client’s status.

Adam: You’re in a totally unique and special group in immigration law. You all have sort of this servant’s heart that we don’t see every day. And I’m sure you probably go to bed at night thinking, man, I wish I could take more. But there’s only one Otis.

Otis: My dad was pastor of a church and a psychologist, and I grew up with this idea that we’re here to serve our fellow human beings. And so that is really fundamental to who I am and what I believe. But at the same time, you’re not really helping anyone if you’re taking so many cases and not sleeping and you’re so overwhelmed.

So I’ve gotten more serious about what it means to give good service, what it means to handle a case really well. It means making sure you have enough time to do it properly and that means limiting the number of matters that you’re taking and also means charging what you need to charge for it.

Adam: Right.

Otis: So, there is this fine balance and it’s a tension you know, it’s a happy tension, but it’s a tension.

Adam: What sort of pushed you to make a decision to join forces with Rainmaker and how are we helping you grow your business?

Otis: The first thing that I added when I joined the Rainmaker Institute was the lead conversion system. And I want to explain how beneficial this has been to the functioning of our office.

In 2014, our process was when a potential client would call our firm they would be given a 15-minute case evaluation with me. And I would jot down notes on a little slip of paper. And I would write down their name, e-mail address, their physical address and a little bit about which type of cases that they had and a few notes. And then I would take that slip of paper and hand it to my office manager. She would pick up her stack of my notes once a week, input the data into a spreadsheet and send a thank-you note to the clients I had spoken with.

This took hours of her time, not to mention being completely inefficient for being able to track this stuff. She had to keep a spreadsheet, lick envelopes, and do all of this silly stuff and then, once a week she scanned in all of these little slips to have a record of who called us. Completely ridiculous.

The lead conversion system we have now is so state of the art, it’s a billion times better from where we were. Now when a prospect calls, I have two or three people on the call and they know exactly what questions to ask to predetermine, prequalify, prescreen who is a potential good fit for our office and who isn’t.

Then, they put that information right into the system and if the person books an appointment, that’s right in there. They are automatically sent a whole series of e-mails thanking them for booking their appointment and explaining the benefits of working with our firm so that no envelope needs to get licked, no stamp needs to get put on there. And it’s just done and simple and the result has gone from having maybe four or five consultations a week, to having about 100 consultations a month, or 20 a week.

So having an intake process in place has had the effect of quadrupling our business.

Adam: That is just amazing. 

Otis: You quadruple your business and you increase your fees so that you can afford good staff, and all of a sudden you have to hire an associate and paralegals. You get to hire good people and train them and now you have meetings and now you’re rocking and rolling, whereas before you’re just struggling to bring in enough cases to even make it. So, yeah, it’s a huge difference.

Adam: Wow. 

Otis: And we’re constantly tweaking it. One thing I love about working with the Rainmaker Institute is that every month we’re on the phone and we’re discussing things that should be optimized this way or let’s try a new approach like this with that area of the business.

The other great thing about the system is that my intake folks are automatically tasked with who they need to follow up with. If there’s a priority on a specific task, they follow up, they know which task has a certain priority because there are certain cases in our work that are more urgent than others. I mean it really automates so much and it’s helped us move forward tremendously.

So, that’s where we started with the Rainmaker Institute and that was working so well that then we’re like, man, what else can you do for us? And we wanted help with the social media work of our firm. If you have a social media manager right now, that’s great, but I still encourage you to just go to a Rainmaker Retreat or get on the phone because they can do so much more than what your average social media person does that just goes into Facebook and makes a few posts every now and then.

Adam: Right.

Otis: We now have 20 blogs happening for our firm every single month and every one of them is posted in seven different places — on all the social media websites and on our website. And we’ve got them in English and in Spanish. It’s just like a massive system that is shouting out to Google and to potential clients online that here we are, this is what we do, and this is how we can help you.

I published my first book and that has gone out everywhere. We have a free version of it that’s downloadable on our website and you can find it on social media and you can find it with Google search. And all of that is thanks to the social media and blogging efforts that the Rainmaker Institute does for us.

Adam: Wow. We just we love seeing good things happen to good people because at the end of the day, what you represent is more than what we see every day. And that’s because of your focus and your dedication and your willingness to try new things and clearly the results are speaking for themselves.

Otis: The direction that our office is going has allowed me to really look at my goals and really look at what do I want to do in this life, as a lawyer and a human being. And I’m able to dream a lot bigger than I used to dream and that’s the best part of it.

Lifestyle Law Firm Interview with Otis Landerholm of Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C. syndicated from https://immigrationattorneyto.wordpress.com/

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Does It Get Easier?

}{Post 2}{ I’m not perfect, nor do I ever wish to be. Perfect, is like my family, living a happy life, going to church every Sunday, having a really good job, going to a big fancy paid private school then some top university. Perfect is having a loving husband that is your high school sweetheart, then having two kids and a black lab. I’m not perfect, my family is. I’m a misfit, I never belonged. My fate was already decided before I was even born. Some say I shouldn’t let my mother’s actions defy who I am today. Which is true, but I don’t let them defy me. I am who I am. I’m imperfect, but what many people don’t understand. There is a beauty to imperfections. My life is a train wreck, and I’ll be the first to admit it. I may not be perfect, but I’m nothing like my mother. Last I told you, was how abusive she was, how her boyfriends took advantage on her and her daughter. Now I’m going to tell you what happened to little ol’ me. Well, after a while of misery, the state finally caught on to what she was doing. Me and my sister was taken from her and put into foster care. We stayed at my grandparents for a while. Mind you, I was used to going to a ‘ghetto’ school. As soon as I moved in with my grandparents I went into a school full of one race, I’m mixed. Racism is still alive, no matter who says what, people still quietly judge, and it’ll always be that way. But coming from having nothing to a school where everyone had it all, I was the outcast. I found my love for books, it was the only place I found freedom. I was the nerd in school. I got picked on quiet a bit. My grandparents loved me and my sister. It wasn’t their fault I was a troubled kid. Through them, I learned discipline. My step dad that I knew sense I was two years of age, fought for me and my sister and he gained custody, but not only a year later I go back into the system but this time I was by myself. He had gotten married to a female only a couple years older then me. Then from there I hopped foster home to foster home. I was scared. So, picture this, having your biological father abandon you, then having the man you looked up to as a father figure abandon you as well… kind of messed up huh? Thrown into a home full of strangers. I went through five different high schools in one year. That was the time I learned to stick up for myself. I was done getting bullied, I started finding other rejects, ones I could consider friends. I started skipping school and just not caring any more. I suppose I came close to be like my mother but at the time I really didn’t care. I stopped trying. In foster care you learn one thing for sure… there is always that one kid that is always to blame, I did my best to not be that kid. I stayed to myself, did what I was told till I was place somewhere else. Being alone started feeling easier as days went by. I was separated from my sister, at first it was very hard…. I couldn’t protect her, I couldn’t do anything. But I had to accept it as it was. I was on my own. My grandparents couldn’t take me in again because I was a trouble maker in their eyes. So, my aunt was the first choice before I went to the other homes. There was where I found out that there was a such thing of ‘choosing favorites’ Her son was always perfect in their eyes. I didn’t get anything, while he was spoiled rotten. All I did was write in a diary of how I was being treated, my caseworker gotten ahold of it and then I was thrown out into the foster care world full of strangers. I guess that is where I picked up my skill to lie, to fake being happy, to act like I’m okay. I’ve been in mental hospitals when people thought something was wrong with me they’d shove pills down my throat before they even asked how I truly felt. Why open to someone when they are just going to pass you to the next, right? I wear scars inside and out. I know I’m not the only one that has felt the pain of not belonging, I know I’m not the only one that fits in. To all of those that know this feeling, I know it sucks. But I praise you for being strong, for not giving up even if you’ve came so close to it. You’re warriors, true warriors. The greatest enemy was myself. I was a danger to myself, I fell into a very deep hole at a young age. If it wasn’t for writing, I would be lost. But there is one thing I wanted more then anything in the world, it was to get my voice heard, to make a difference in this sickened world. A world that doesn’t see me. I’m beautifully damaged. Can you see me now? Do you hear my screams? You wouldn’t understand unless you’ve walked my shoes. When I was young I smoked marijuana before, but it wasn’t till I was put into foster care that I smoked often. Yes I’ve done other drugs, if you really want to consider marijuana as a drug. I’ve gotten shot up with helium when I was younger, maybe only a couple years old, my mother wanted to test it on me, and I almost overdosed because of it. I’ve also done meth, to impress a boy. I was very stupid, I lived a life where acceptance didn’t come easy with me. I would of done everything to fit in… I did a lot of stupid things to fit in, but I’ll get into that on another post. For now I’ll end this post with a question. How many times does saying it’ll get easier take to actually start believing it yourself?

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What makes a mother?

What makes a mother? I have thought about this countless times over my 22 years of life. Is it a woman that teaches you how to braid your hair for the first day of school? Or how about she is the one that talks to you first about boys and periods? Maybe it’s just someone who sees you and loves you unconditionally (while still reminding you to clean your room and not to forget about your homework). At least, that’s what I imagine it like.

I have zero knowledge about what makes a mother. Mine decided she didn’t want the job and left in the middle of the night when I was almost 4 years old. I spent years going between anger, relief, emptiness, and finally landed on apathy. I understood as I got older that she had to leave and it was probably for the best. She is bi-polar and after my little sister was born, she battled intense postpartum depression. But after a while I just didn’t know any different. Now never get me wrong, I love my dad. He’s a great, strong man for raising me and my sisters alone after she left. But a relationship with your father isn’t the same as one with a mother. He taught me to climb trees, play softball, be curious about the world, make solid friendships and don’t take them for granted, and to always speak my mind (even if I don’t like talking to people). 

But over the last few years, my mother has tried to wiggle herself back into our lives. Lots of things have happened, good and bad, but at the end of the day there are plenty of rumors and negative thoughts going around about individuals I care deeply about. I need my voice to finally be heard. 

She left when I was 4 and moved to Texas. I have very few memories of her for the following 8 years. I remember spending weekends at my Aunts’ house, where she occasionally showed up. I was a kid and didn’t really know much of what was going on, and I still don’t. But I remember two times in particular. Once I guess she was taking a class at the local community college, and she taught me sign language, and then one year she came up during the summer and I watched my first olympics. I remember being memorized by the gymnasts and wanting to be that talented in something someday.

That’s it. For 8 years I remember 2 weekends with her. There may have been more, I’m sure there was, but I have no memory of them. Then around 12 she moved back. Got out of a bad relationship, and very quickly found herself with another guy. They got married and she was living only 20 minutes away from my house. A part of me was extremely excited. Mostly over the fact that I now had brothers. But also, tentatively, that I might get to see her more often and start to have a relationship with her. 

Fast forward another 4 years. I’m 16. Despite being 20 minutes away, I didn’t see her much more often than I had all those years she was out of state. When I did see her, it was mostly because my brother had driven out to get me and wanted to hang out with me. But there I am, sitting in my youth group, talking about forgiveness. These talks come up a lot, such as is the case at many churches, especially around angsty teens, but this night was different. I felt God pulling at my heart. I had to let go of my anger and bitterness for all the pain she had caused me over my life. I had to let go, not for her, but for myself. Part of the exercise that night was to write a note, so I did. And I sent it to her. After that I made an effort to get to know her better. I had my license and a car, so I would drive over. For a few years things were good. We would rent movies and get pizza and my younger brother, myself, my mom, and her husband would hang out.

When I left for college everything was as good as it had ever been for me. My whole family was getting along for the first time ever. I even remember after about a month and half at college my mom just called to say ‘hi’ one day and I broke down crying and confessing I was having a really hard time making friends. She listened and talked me through it and I actually felt better. I thought ‘this is what having a mom is like’. But then a year and a half later, she left her husband and moved in with my older sister. My brothers have since practically fallen off the face of the planet. I guess we aren’t siblings anymore. That alone tore my heart to pieces. 

Halfway through my junior year at college, she decides to take a weekend trip to California and see an old friend. I’m at school, trying to focus hard on organic chemistry and genetics, and all the other pre-med crazy courses, so I don’t notice anything unusual. Until I get a call from my older sister. My mom had written her and my younger sister letters, telling them she is going to be staying in California and moving in with this old boyfriend of hers. She never wrote to me. I found out a week after everyone else knew, through someone else. Easy to say, my grades that year suffered.

A while after that I got back into counseling. It helped. I was able to work through all those old feelings of abandonment, anger, resentment, etc. all over again. This time though, I had someone along the way to help me. 

My (now husband) and I had been dating for 6 years and he had asked me to marry him. I was ecstatic. Right up until we had to start planning the wedding guest list. Being the the amazing, kind man he is, he convinced me to be the better person and send one to my mother. After a lot of conversing, praying, and arguing, I finally agreed. 

Fast forward one last time to 2 weeks before my wedding. She shows up acting all happy and excited I’m getting married. Until she gets me alone and asks to go for a walk. Here I am expecting some kind of apology for her leaving once again and not telling me and having years go by without us speaking. Instead, she turns to me and asks if this was what I really wanted. She then told me the story of her first marriage and how her dad had asked her that, but being stubborn she had gone through with her marriage, even though she didn’t want it. 

I guess in her own twisted way, she thought she was doing me a favor. That just maybe after almost 7 years with this great guy, I would decide to take the out just because she offered it. I was fuming, but politely smiled and said this was definitely what I wanted, and if I didn’t want to get married, I wouldn’t be. She seemed to accept my answer and we walked back to the rest of the family.

2 days before my wedding she gets in a fight with my older sister. My mother then tells her that she thinks all 3 of her daughters are in unhealthy relationships and are throwing their lives away. I instantly started sobbing when I heard that. How could she judge my relationship, when she didn’t even know me as a person? She refused to go to the rehearsal dinner the next night, and I was beyond relieved. I thought maybe she knew she was being crazy and that wasn’t welcome. It’s my wedding, the happiest time of my life, surely everyone could hold their drama until later. But she couldn’t.

it was my wedding day, nothing was going to bring me down. Or so I thought. The afternoon of my wedding came the photographer called us all together to get some pictures. She called for the bride’s family and as my dad, my sisters, my husband and myself go walking down, my mom decides to join. It was extremely uncomfortable. Not just emotionally, she was pinching my husband during the picture. But I figured it wasn’t the end of the world, so nobody said anything. But when my grandmother (my mom’s mom) asked to get a picture with herself, me and my husband, my dad, and my sisters, the drama exploded. My mom was beyond upset she wasn’t invited in the picture, but honestly, my grandma understood that they are divorced. And who takes a family picture with a divorced couple in it? She was going to have one with my dad and then one with my mom. But before the second picture could get taken, my mom stormed out of the reception and locked herself in her car in the parking lot. Luckily my younger sister is a master at controlling drama, and never let this get to me until after I came back from the honeymoon. At that point, my mom had not only been telling everyone that would listen that we were terrible daughters who ignored her for no reason, but she called CPS on my older sister. The allegations were completely unfounded and the police (of course) found nothing and dismissed the whole thing, but my mom continues to tell her side of the family my sister is an unfit mother, the police are still conducting an investigation, etc. It’s all lies. So then for the third time in my life, she vanished without telling us she was leaving, and went to Virginia. Last I heard she was living in her car, not working, and disowning her sister who called the police for a wellness check on her.

Now there are lots and lots of people in my life that have never heard this story. I don’t like to start drama or talk poorly about anybody, especially behind their backs, but my family that isn’t talking to me or my sisters because of what my mother has said is a shame. The truth needs to be told. So to answer my original question, this isn’t a mother. A mother helps, and doesn’t hurt. In which case, I’ve had a lot of real mothers over the years. Amazing women that, related or not, have taken me in. Women that have taught me how to cook, how to be in a healthy relationship, how to care about myself and others around me, how to never let anything stop me from reaching my goals, but most importantly, how to be a kind, considerate, compassionate, strong, successful, loving person. Those are the women I’m proud to call my moms. Those are the ones I reach out to every mothers day and say thank you.