Tuesday 24 September 2013

Follow fest



Today, I am taking part in the Follow Fest. Hosted by Melissa Maygrove, it's a chance for us lovely bloggers, who love to write, to meet and get to know each other a little better. The idea is quite simple. Jump blog to blog via a linky link that you can see if you go here and read each author's post, then connect up to them by as many forms as you want; be it facebook, twitter, or whatever. 

So, let me tell you about me :) 

Name: Jossie Marie Solheim

Fiction or non-fiction?  Fiction, always fiction; my imagination couldn't cope with me putting it aside, in order to do a non-fiction novel, lol. 

What genres do you write?  I'm a bit of a mixed bag. My published novel, Insane Reno, is a thriller / mystery, but I am currently working on a prequel to that, as well as a fantasy/scifi, and another book that could be classed as Christian fiction. Really, when it comes to my writing, anything goes, and it's really just a case of what is inspiring me at the time. 




Are you published? Yes, my first book Insane Reno is published and available in both Kindle and paperback from Amazon. I was published by the lovely Dave at Raven Crest books. There are some amazing authors at Raven Crest, take a look here. I also have a story in the overcoming adversity anthology; an amazing book that was created to raise money for an amazing guy. Please check it out. 

Do you do anything in addition to writing?  I like playing around with photo art and because of this, I actually did my own cover for Insane Reno. I am also a mum and wife, which are, of course, full-time jobs, lol. 

Where can people connect with you?
 
Facebook personal page: By far the best way to connect with me and keep up to date with my day to day life. 
Facebook author page: specifically for information about my books. 
Goodreads: I'm an avid reader and use Goodreads to record all my latest reads; so, if you want to see what I am reading, then be sure to check it out.  
Amazon: Check out my books and reviews on Amazon and maybe buy a copy of Insane Reno if it tickles your fancy. 
Blogger: My lovely blog, There is always something going on here, at my blog, so why not follow me and get chatting here, too. 
Twitter: I have a twitter account but I must confess, I don't really use it. I know I should, but twitter just goes over my head. You can follow, if you like, and who knows, maybe one day I will get the hang of it. No promises, though. 
email: jossie.marie@gmail.com. Email is a great way to get hold of me quickly, as my messages go right to my phone and get checked regularly; so, feel free to contact me in this way, also. 

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
 
Writing is my life. I started writing as a child, when I was dealing with abuse, and it became a form of escape from my pain. Through words, I could write myself all kinds of happy endings and it just grew and grew until it was all I wanted to do. 
 
There were a few speed bumps along the way; my biggest coming in the form of my Dyslexia, but I was determined and have worked really hard to overcome this, still am, in fact. I have a wonderful editor, who clears up any mistakes and through working with him, I am constantly improving in the areas that my Dyslexia still effects; primarily my Grammar, now. 

In the last Ten years, since meeting and marrying my husband, my life has slowly changed for the better. We started out living with my mother in a small flat, then moved to a beautiful farm conversion that we were renting, before being hit by a difficult period, where money was very tight; the result of which was that we ended up in a field with a very basic camp site in a tiny, leaky caravan for several years. Now; however, we own our own home, which we are slowly renovating and have more security than either of us have ever known, as well as our beautiful son, Kye, who turns seven this Friday. 

 
We live in Cornwall, in a beautiful little village, with our three dogs, two cats, guinea pig, and two goldfish. My husband Dan is 32 years old and I am 29. Dan works for a local window fitting firm and you already know what I do. Our dream is to one day have our own small holding and for Dan to be able to retire from work early. Throughout our marriage, he has worked like crazy to keep us afloat, determined as he was to ensure that the  only work I should do was following my dreams to become a writer, at least till our beautiful son arrived, at which point I had the even more important task of caring for him. We are a small, but very happy little family of three; more, if you count our pets, and we've learned to take each day as it comes.

I recently became a Christian, but Dan sees himself as more eclectic, when it comes to faith; choosing to agree with and accept whatever he feels makes sense, regardless of the religion, and I respect him for that. 

The only other area of my life you should probably know about is my disability. I have very limited mobility after an epidural, when I had my son, left my back badly damaged. I now use a wheelchair, when in the kitchen, and a mobility scooter or wheelchair, when out of the home, as I can only walk very short distances, sometimes no further than our bathroom, and can stand for only a short while, also. If I try to stand or walk for too long, I get agonising lower back pain and my legs turn to jelly. It's not fun, but I have learned to cope with it and adapt. 

My son also has a less than pleasant health related condition, in the form of Asthma. He is my inspiration for staying strong, because, even at his most poorly, he always has a smile on his face. He is such a brave little boy and has a way of making everyone fall in love with him. When in hospital, he wraps the nurses round his little finger in an instant and loves to follow them around the ward, helping them with their work. He is truly amazing. 

So, this is me, my life, my family. I'd really love to get to know you, so please add me on facebook, follow my blog, email me, whatever you fancy, and lets get to know each other. 

Love and hugs, 
Joss xx








60 comments:

  1. Hey Joss! Wow, you've been through some rough stuff. Just keep thinking of your son's smile and continue to power through.
    Science fiction and Christian fiction? Excellent!

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  2. Yeah, but it's all worth it, as it has gotten us where we are today.

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  3. Nice to meet you Joss. Hopefully your son will outgrow his asthma as I did. The pets should help immunize him more and more each day.

    God has blessed you with the life you've led to share your story in written form. Good to see you following that path.

    Take Care.
    M.L. Swift, Writer

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    1. Thank you, his asthma is already improving so fingers crossed :)

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  4. Hi Joss, thank you for such an honest and heartfelt post for Follow Fest! It really does give all of us a chance to know you, and to get involved with and care about your story. It's great to meet you.

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    1. It's great to meet you too Liz, and thank you so much for stopping by xx

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  5. Great to meet you Joss, and hear about your journey in life so far. I write YA Christian fiction, in part to encourage kids going through hard times. I do hope to experiment with other genres at some point, like you do.

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    1. It's great to meet you too Laurel. I will be sure to pop over to your blog and check out more of what is on offer there, thank you so much for stopping by.

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  6. Hi Joss, nice meeting you! Thanks for sharing your story with us. I look forward to visiting your blog in the future.

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  7. Wow - what a life's story--and it's still unfolding!

    I'm glad you joined Follow Fest. I've enjoyed meeting you and getting to know you. I hope we'll see each other again around the blogosphere. Thanks for participating. :)

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    1. Awww thank you for stopping by Melissa and thank you so much for hosting such a great blog fest :)

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  8. Wow, you sure have lived a lot for only being 29. I hope your son outgrows his asthma like my nephew did. And I also hope your back doesn't prevent you from writing everyday. I have a twitter account, but I'm so bad about keeping up with it that I didn't realize until last night that my version of Tweetdeck doesn't even work anymore.

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    1. Hi Ken, I am terrible with twitter too. I keep trying but it just goes over my head. I like to talk to much, that's my problem and trying to condense what I want to say into that tiny space is so hard :) I hope he outgrows it too, it is improving so fingers crossed. thank you so much for stopping by I really appreciate it :)

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  9. Nice to meet you! It sounds like you've been through some tough stuff! I'm glad writing helped you get through it.

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    1. Awww thank you Sherry it's nice to meet you too :)

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  10. You've seen a lot of adversity, but have triumphed. I can relate to some degree. My younger son not only has asthma, but is in a wheelchair and has numerous health and cognitive issues. Yet, he has an awesome life! So wonderful to meet you. I've tried my hand at graphic art, but think I need some classes down the line to really make a go of it.

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    1. Awww your sons sounds amazingly brave, it is so tough when our kids are poorly. It's amazing how upbeat they stay, they are such big inspirations. Thank you so much for stopping by and its great to meet you too. If you want an easy way to play around with graphic art that's really fun and you have a smart fun, you should try some of the apps they have for it. You can get some amazing results and really easily.

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  11. Oh wow. I guess you're one of the "one in a million" epidural patients I've heard about. How terrible. :/ Make me want to avoid one even more...

    BUT, it's lovely to meet you. Wish I had any talent in photoart!

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    1. I got unlucky, but if anything as silly as this sounds it's made my life better. It's really helped me to grow as a person and appreciate what I have a lot more.

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  12. Hi Joss! I love your positive attitude despite all you've been through. You are truly an inspiration. So great to meet you!

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    1. Awwww thank you Rebecca it is great to meet you too. As crazy as it seems what I've been through has really helped me to appreciate what I have. So it has not all been bad, at least good things came from it. :)

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  13. Hi Jossie!

    Good luck with Follow Fest! My, what an inspiration you are!

    I am host of WRITERLY WISDOM WEDNESDAYS on my blog where authors, agents, and illustrators provide guest posts on everything regarding the writing and publishing industry. Come by some time and join the fun!

    Take care,

    Donna L Martin

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    1. Awww thank you Donna, I will def stop by and take a look it sounds amazing. :)

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  14. Hi, Joss,
    So nice to meet you. I like the fact that though you've had some hard times and do have challenges still, you're such a trooper. I look forward to following along.

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    1. Awww thank you, and thank you so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it.

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  15. It's great to have this chance to get to know you better. Take care!

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  16. Great to meet you through Follow Fest! Inspiring to read about your triumphs over adversity. Looking forward to reading more of your blog posts. Best of luck with your current WIPs!

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    1. Awww thank you sara and thank you so much for stopping by :)

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  17. Hello there! Nice to meet you!
    I'm glad you share some rough pieces of your life with us - the way you overcome it all and now has a big smile (because while reading, I saw your smile!) it's inspiring!

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    1. awww thank you Juliana, I am really enjoying life now and try to stay positive and upbeat as much as possible.

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  18. Great to "meet" you -- inspiring stuff, mos def. Following you on Twitter (Tweetdeck helped me sort it out; I was ready to delete my account prior to that!), FB, and Goodreads.

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    1. I will have to see if I can figure out that tweetdeck. I really need to find a better way with dealing with Twitter :)

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  19. Thanks for stopping by my blog, Joss! I do count my pets as family!

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    1. Awww you're welcome and thank you for returning the favour :)

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  20. Great to meet you and thank you for your kind comment on my blog. After reading your posts I see how strong and courageous you are, having to face so many difficulties, but your attitude and outlook on life is inspiring. I wish you and your family the very best and I'm glad to connect with you via the bloggosphere! :)

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    1. Awww thank you Elise, and thank you for returning the favour and visiting my blog too xx

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    2. Awww thank you Elise, and thank you for returning the favour and visiting my blog too xx

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  21. Nice to meet you...and thanks for sharing your story! You are truly an overcomer :-)

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    1. it's nice to meet you too and thank you so much for stopping by :)

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  22. I'm so glad to meet you through this Fest, Joss!! Thanks for sharing your story, you are an inspiration. And your service dog Ludo is gorgeous!! I adopted my dog from a service dog organization that also runs a rescue - my dog wasn't cut out for service but he's just perfect as my lazy hound. :D

    Your book looks awesome - congratulations!! I am anxious to check that out and also to connect with you on other sites. So nice again to meet you, and thanks for visiting my blog as well. :)

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    1. Awww I'm really happy to meet you too. Ludo is still in training despite being nearly 2 now. He is such an excitable boy that we are waiting for him to calm down a little before really getting him to do much in the way of work. He already does things like taking the washing out of the machine and putting it in, but he does it and pretty much everything at a hundred miles and hour and hasn't quite grasped the fact that once he has taken out the clean washing, we don't really need it to all get pushed back in again ;) We are seeing the first signs of him starting to lose his puppyish enthusiasm's, so are hoping he will soon be able to carry on with his training.
      Ultimately he is our pet/family first and foremost, so even if he never calms enough will love him to pieces, he is a real sweet heart.
      Awww your dog sounds amazing, I have two other dogs, Harley and hooch who are both much older boys now. They prefer to relax and sleep the day away too.

      It's great to meet you too Julie and I really look forward to getting to know you better :) Thank you so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it. :)

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  23. Your blog is so cute!And your book seems awesome! I noticed you stopped by our blog and i was killing myself to find you on the hop,lol.Well i finally found and and just gotta say, your blog is awesome.Looking forward to getting to know you as an author!

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    1. Awww thank you, I am glad you managed to find me and that you like my blog. I am also really looking forward to getting to know both you and your sister. :)

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  24. Hi Joss! Congratulations on your book and WOW! A cover artist too? I really like the cover you created for Insane Reno.

    I'm glad I got the chance to find out about you through this fest!

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    1. Awww thank you Ava and thank you so much for stopping by. I've met so many nice people through follow fest and I'm so pleased to meet you too. :)

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  25. Hi Joss, it's great to hear some of your trials and trails that brought you to where you are. It's also great to hear of another non-traditional Christian writer. Gladly following you in each arena. :) Writer’s Mark

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    1. :) thank you Nancy and thank you for stopping by.

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  26. Hello, Joss, so nice to meet you, again. Becoming a Christian is your power, your strength. Believe! Good Luck with your writing career.

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    1. Awww thank you Cathrina it's great to meet you

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  27. Hi Joss! Glad to meet you through Follow Fest. You're such an inspiration with the things you've gone through and how you've remained on top of it. Feel fortunate to have connected with you.

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    1. Hi Anne, it's lovely to meet you and thank you for your kind words.

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  28. Hey Joss! Glad to meet you. Following now, and looking forward to get to know you better. :-)

    P.S. as a person with a brother who is dyslexic, I totally admire your determination to write.

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    1. Awww thank you Misha and it is lovely too meet you too.

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  29. It's nice to meet you, Joss! You've overcome so much in your life! I love reading stories like yours.

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    1. awww thank you Ashley and it's great to meet you too.

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  30. Hi Joss. It's great to meet you!
    Well, I know that I'm rather late over here, because the Follow Fest is done and dusted. Over.
    But I'm the one who didn't get to sign up for the fest. I missed the boat. And I won't bore you with the details as to why...
    With regards to my writing? I'm a fairly new writer... only writing fiction for under 3 years now...
    I'd like to think that my genre is mystery/suspense/thriller. Recently I placed second in a blogfest that required participants to write a kissing scene. It was my very first piece of romantic writing. So I'm not sure to which genre I belong. Maybe multi-genre? Who knows... I'm still trying to work it out myself. LOL
    So I'm off to check out your "follow" options.
    Nice to meet you!
    Writer In Transit

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  31. Hi Jossie. I'm catching up from follow fest--nice to meet you!
    ~Skye

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  32. Sorry that you've suffered what you have - but as you say it has brought you where you are today, and it seems you have a good home life with your husband and little boy.

    I'm also a bit late in catching up on all the FF blogs. :)

    I love reading thrillers but haven't written one. I did recently write a mystery-esque YA contemp. And also I love fantasy and sci-fi.

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