Ava Mallory

  I don't know who, what, where, or why, but somewhere along my almost 7-year journey into this writing gig, I received the distinction of uber-productive writer. Cue maniacal laughter. Daily, I invite authors to write with me. I post a daily writing post on my Facebook page and cheer authors on as they write. It's my thing. People look for those posts and enjoy "playing along".  I'm a reluctant early riser. Lupus, an aging bladder, a brain that never relaxes are to blame. I have the most energy right after I wake up. IF I work out, I can count on my energy level remaining steady throughout the day. When I don't work out, I move slower than the slowest sloth. I spend most of my fighting to keep my head upright. So, when people applaud my productivity and discipline, I always look behind me because surely they're not talking to me. I'm lazy and mostly unmotivated. You're probably wondering why I'm writing this blog post. I mean, I just admitted

  Did someone say reading goals? Anyone who knows me knows how much I'm obsessed with making and hitting goals. Do I always hit them?  Nah. Let's be honest. Goal setting is the easy part. We all think we're so much more disciplined and productive than we actually are. When we sit down to write out our goals, we envision having hours upon hours to sit with our thoughts, muse about how productive we are, and check off every item on our to-do lists with broad smiles on our faces and songs in our hearts. Then reality hits. The kids are whining. The pets are running amok. The husband/wife/partner/roommate is having a bad year and must detail every last second to you. The boss is on your back. Your BFF is blowing up your phone. You know the drill. You're pulled in different directions and that stack of books on your nightstand or all the books you've downloaded to your e-reader eagerly await your attention. So, what do you do to fix that problem? You create a manageable r

  Almost seven years ago, my life fell apart. It wasn't a perfect life. We (my ex-husband and I) weren't even pretending we were happy. We went through the motions. Correction. I went through the motions. He disconnected more and more every day. I saw it. I knew it was happening. I cried, yelled, begged, pretended it wasn't happening. But that's not what this post is about. That's old news. It happened. He left. No forwarding address. No phone number. (In a rage, I had his phone shut off.) He left and didn't look back. I, on the other hand, wallowed, and continue to wallow, in the pain. I don't like it. I try to ignore it, pretend I'm over it, live life as if none of what happened matters. But night after night, day after day, it's there. It festers under the service. It's behind the smile. It's masked by jubilant social media posts. That's my fault. I let that happen to me. I let that pain become as much a part of me as my curly hair and

  I love the new year! New to me means a second chance, a do-over, an opportunity to reverse course or ramp up something good that you're doing. It's time to start with a clean slate. And speaking of clean... Wink. Wink. If you haven't already, this is a good time to organize and - wait for it - CLEAN! Listen, I'm a keep-it-simple kind of girl. I don't have time for weeklong cleaning projects. Who does, right? So, if the thought of cleaning makes you cringe, this is the cleaning checklist you need. I promise it won't hurt a bit. For those of you who are everyday cleaners (Who are you and when can I expect you to, you know, clean my house?) 1. Make your bed as soon as you wake up. You can do it. It's a great motivator. If you accomplish nothing else, at least you made your bed. 2. After you make the coffee or tea, clean the coffee pot/maker or the tea kettle. Why? So it will be ready for you tomorrow morning. 3.  Sanitize all surfaces you use daily like the k

  Happy New Year! And the world breathes a sigh of relief! There's no looking back because looking back is equal parts heartbreaking and infuriating. I won't do it. I won't forget what we've been through, but I will do my darndest not to dwell on it. Not today Satan, as the saying goes. I'm not good at resolutions, so I'm definitely not going down that route again. This year is all about one step at a time. I want my eyes forward, my head in the game, and my energy going to what makes me happy and what helps me achieve my quarterly goals. Yep, I said it. I'm only loosely planning one quarter at a time. That's a nice bite-sized chunk of this year. Because I'm a firm believer in manifesting my dreams (with hard work, dedication, a little luck, & a lot of heart), I will share my Q1 goals with the world (or the one or two people who read this blog). Here are my Q1 Goals, world. Let's make them happen! 1. I will fast draft three books in Q1. Fast

  Buy Now! My contribution to Christmas Cookie Cozies introduces brand-new characters in a brand-new cozy mystery world. The title is Christmas Cookie Catastrophe. Here's the blurb: Blurb: Consuelo “Cookie” Alvarez is great at a lot of things, but baking isn’t one of them. When she inherits a bakery from her favorite aunt, she’s dead-set on closing the business so she can pursue her dream of becoming a citizen detective and true-crime blogger. What she doesn’t expect is a letter from her late aunt asking her to take her place in the county-wide Christmas Cookie Bake-Off. Now she has two weeks to perfect the super-secret award-winning recipe before the competition, but there are major obstacles in her way: she can’t bake, the recipe is missing, and her competitors are a who's who of shady characters with sticky fingers. Can she fulfill Aunt Birdie’s wishes, or is this where the award-winning cookie crumbles? Want to read an excerpt? Scroll down. “That’s a first.” The baritone vo