Party on the Blog!

I'm so sorry I haven't blogged like I promised--literally as soon as I wrote my vacation post last week, I was thrown up on by my 3 year old. Then my husband and I both got sick. My 4 year old had strep throat. It was not the vacation we had dreamed of...and I had to miss two days of work, because we were supposed to come home last Wednesday. Since we were in absolutely no condition to drive, we ended up staying in Tennessee until Saturday. Let me tell you, I have never, ever been so excited to see my house.

But all of that is in the past now, and I'm hoping and praying the four of us can stay healthy for a while! Today, I want to throw a little blog party for my friend Angela. She is one of my best friends, and I've never even met her (that will change in May. Yippee!)

Angela and I met online on Absolute Write, the writing forum I joined when I decided to learn about the publishing world. Then I joined Twitter, and she was my very first friend there. We began e-mailing each other, and swapping chapters of our books. She'd crit mine, and I'd do the same.

But our friendship grew from there. We grew so close, talking through e-mail almost every single day and confiding in one another about everything--relationships, children, growing up, losing friends, our parents...just everything you could ever imagine. I always knew I could open up my computer and shoot her an e-mail or a tweet, or a message on fb (she's actually the reason I re-joined, so we could connect on a more personal level), and she would be there almost instantly.

Ang has helped me through not only personal things, but writing things as well. She has a keen eye and a sharp wit, and she's honest, which I love. She'll tell me if something sucks, but she'll do it in a loving and helpful way. She's just an all around great person, too. Full of sass and fun, and she has such a strong and everlasting faith. She and her husband Josh are part of a wonderful Christian band called Particle Blue--check them out on ITunes. They live in Tampa and perform at churches in Florida, and are incredible!

So, why am I throwing this blog party for Angela? She's recently been signed with a literary agent! She has been querying her wonderful book, Cinderella's Glass Stilletto, and has signed with an agent at the prestigious Larsen Pomada Literary Agency. It's sort of a big deal. It is a HUGE deal. I'm so proud of her. And I'm happy that I can say I've read that book in every stage, and two of her amazing books before it.

Ang can create a character and make you feel like you know them like nobody I've ever seen. Her dialouge is intriguing and real, her worlds sparkle, her scenes draw you in and make you want to live there. She has an amazing talent, and I'm overjoyed that someone in the industry has picked up on that and will be her champion in what can be a tough business.

So, here's to you, Angela. My friend, my soul sister, one of the best writers I know. I'm throwing confetti and blowing bubbles in your honor. You deserve it, you rockstar you.