First, the wins: TWO signed BOOKS in the recent Spread the Awesome Book Blogging Extravaganza hosted by the wonderbar ElanaJ.
Which ones you ask?
Given away by Christina Farley
Given away by Suzette Saxton
Winning 2 books! Fabulous, right? And the great thing about these is that both my son and I will enjoy them as he’s big into any type of survival or war story. It’s like it was meant to be. Karma.
Which, if I’m honest, I thought I screwed up royally on after Saturday’s hot tub incident.
You see, I’m the kind of person who my hubby shakes his head at because if there’s a bug in the house, I take it outside. If there’s an earthworm exposed to the sun as I garden, I make sure it’s re-covered in dirt to prevent flash frying.
And if there’s a spider in the cup holder of our hot tub, yes, I WILL help it out and over the side so it doesn’t get trapped beneath the hot tub lid and die. And it just so happens that on Saturday, this EXACT scenario happened.
Naturally, I attempted a transport.
That’s the important thing to remember here, folks: ANGELA HAD GOOD INTENTIONS.
But, well…it fell out of my palm and landed in the water.
Images of lobsters and crabs boiling in hot water flitted through my head as I tried to grab him out from behind a jetted headrest. Sadly, by the time I got him in hand, he was a goner.
I felt pretty awful about it. Murder wasn’t in the plan for my Saturday, I swear.
My husband had great fun with this, giving me a squeaky-voiced impersonation of the dead spider, regaling the story of how he was the way home, crossing vast yards and climbing over houses in an effort see his mother on Mother’s Day, and the poignant account of growing up an orphan only wanting a mother, and the discovery a week ago that she was alive after all.
Husband dear continued to channel the dead spider, informing me that his mother was ill/had cancer/two prosthetic legs/was about to be kicked out of the spider web for not paying the rent/drank too much from grief/etc and only wanted one last visit from her long-lost spiderling son before dying/becoming homeless/selling legs to pay rent/drinking herself into oblivion.
Ah, darling husband. Nothing like being reminded you’re a killer on the eve before Mother’s Day.
So, needless to say after my well intentioned spider relocation-turned-murder, I didn’t expect Karma to treat me so well, much less award me 2 fantastic books. I guess good intentions must count in the big scheme of things, huh?
Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.
I’m on your site all the time, but I think this is my first comment. the problem is, I’m an idiot, and had you bookmarked under the wrong link, so I never actually realized this was an ongoing blog.
This site is amazing. you must have put so much work into it. One of my all time faves. It’s so professional that I never even considered it being a regular person’s site, it’s like going to the dictionary or something. lol.
Anyway, now that I finally found the actual blog section, I thought I’d comment. LOVED the spider story. Sounds exactly like something my husband would do–I save bugs as well. 🙂
Congrats on your book win. thanks for the best site ever!! If you want to stop by my site, we’re having a cool contest right now with awesome prizes. 🙂
LOL! I think your husband needs to write books too! :o)
You are definitely a person that deserves good Karma. Cheers and congrats on the book wins!
Sounds like your husband has quite an imagination. When does HIS book come out?
I always feel bad when I accidentally kill a bug. If I squash it on purpose, there’s not nearly as much guilt.
This runs the gamut of emotions for me. But hilarity wins out!
I’m envisioning a series children’s books starring insect detectives… (I was going to write insecticide detectives, but that can’t be right, can it?)
yay! I’m so glad someone understands me. I, too, rescue bugs.
Your husband sounds pretty creative lol. Congrats on the book wins!!
Aw, the ladybug death makes me sad. I hate that about painting tho. Murhy’s law that something will fly in the wet paint.
Mary, this is me too. I’m forever resuing bugs and bees from the pool water. I mean, if they’re alive and I can help, why wouldn’t I? That’s how I look at it. Then again, I don’t have any bug phobias. I can understand those who do.
Thanks for all the comments, guys! I hope everyone is haveing a productive writing week 🙂
I can’t stand seeing beetles on their backs, spiders trapped in windowsills, or earthworms drying out on the sidewalk, so good for you! And although I would definitely burn a hornets’ nest if I found one near the house, last night I rescued five wasps from the local swimming pool, partly because I didn’t much want them in the water with me, but also because it wasn’t their time…
I have a sister in murder! I was painting last week and a ladybug landed in the paint. I tried getting it out, but ended up dunking it instead. Awww. Awesome getting those books, good for you!
Good intentions surely dooooo count. Your heart was in the right place….even if the spider wasn’t.
Haha, saving a spider from purgatory! I like it!!
ROFL! I am the same way with everything EXCEPT spiders. I let my husband handle those.
Your intentions were pure. Perhaps the spider was attempting suicide, and by murdering him, you saved his soul from spiderly damnation.
Fear not, karma won in the end. Spiders are killers… 😉
Hah! I get so traumatized over anything dying on my watch, too. Glad the books evened everything out! By the way, your hubby sounds like a master storyteller in his own right–maybe he can come over and help me with my plot problems? =)
Angela, your husband makes me laugh out loud. Mine does the same thing as I’m like you, I rescue bugs and critters and put them back in their place, safely outdoors. I always rationalize it too. “Well you know, spiders kill annoying bugs like flies and mosquitoes, so really, it’s win-win.” Which is true, but to my husband, who a Ron Weasley and deathly afraid of spiders, I seem psychotic.
And Congrats on the books!
mmm channeling a spider. I must try that. Do I need eight legs or can I improvise?? How does it feel to be a killer of tiny creatures..feel bad yet……lol
Congrats on your book wins. Happy reading!
I have to say that I don’t like spiders. If hubby or son aren’t around to kill them, then I have to do it myself. I’m sorry, but they give me the willies!
That’s hilarious! Sorry, if you’re grieving. I mean no offense. 🙂
One of my best friends (also an Angela) does the same thing…transports unwanted critters outside.
I admire your intentions. You’re so much nicer that I am. I am definitely the serial killer of the critter world.
Girl, it is Karma. Paybacks for having such a rocking site!
Congrats on the wins, such fine reading ahead for you. I’m quite sure you are not a murderer. It was the spider’s Time and the Fates intervened. I know about these things. Trust me.
Congrats on your wins. I won a couple of book, too, last week. 😀 None sighed, though. But that’s okay. I’m just excited to win them. 😀
And I got another surprise in the mail–a copy of the much-coveted The Cinderella Society from winning another contest at Danyelle Leafty’s blog!!
It’s sure been a great week, and it’s only monday. 🙂
Congrats on the books! How sad, about the spider! 🙁 I would have done the same thing with him except, er, drop him in the hot tub.
Aw! You’re nice. I’m a bit of an arachnophobe (I have no idea if I spelled that right), so I have to kill spiders on sight. (sorry).
But yay on your wins! 🙂
I envy you the signed Gary Paulsen – that’s a real woo-hoo prize! 🙂
Congratulations! (to you AND your son) 🙂