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Giveaway+ Guest Post THE ART OF BEING (sort of) ORGANZIZED by JULIE KENNER @JulieKenner

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The Bliss of Being (Sort of) Organized
Sunday was an exciting day in the Kenner household because — yes! — we’re headed to The Container Store to meet with one of their specialists to figure out how to organize our very, very, very, very, very disorganized bedroom closet.
They’re installing it next weekend.
I am giddy.
For years, I wasn’t particularly organized.  For that matter, I see a lot of my younger self in my oldest daughter, whose tornado of a room now drives me nuts.  And when the family empties the dishwasher and puts things in the wrong place … well, it’s almost enough to make me throw up my hands and shout that I’ll  just do the unloading, thank you very much.  (Note that I said “almost” — some irritations I’m learning to live with.)
In idle moments I can’t help but wonder why I’ve become more organized.  Is it a product of getting older?  Of having kids (who are, apparently, a mirror)? The result of basic necessity-because if I don’t know where I keep the extra toilet paper I will be forever buying more toilet paper?
Or maybe that tendency was always there, latent under the surface? 
Hmmm.
Yes, folks, I think I’m on to something.  I had no trouble being organized back when I practiced law (judges and clients tend to get touchy if you’re not).  And even when I was just starting out writing, I tended to keep the stories pretty organized by laying out the basic map in synopsis form.  (Actually, maybe that’s another sign that I have an innate organizational core.  I mean, I actually like writing synopses.   In my experience, that makes me odd…)
I like knowing where a book is going … though I’m more than happy to change the path once I’m on the way.  I’ll happily veer off the synopsis in the middle of the writing process—and when I do, I usually find wonderful gems about story or characters.  But without that basic structure—that underpinning of organized thought—I go a little crazy with the process.
Hmmm.  Maybe I’m a little of both?  Organized and disorganized? Both working together in harmony?  And maybe that means I should just let my daughter’s messy room slide by without comment; that it’s her way of finding her own Life System.  And maybe I shouldn’t bug the family when things get out of place.  Because sometimes disorganization works, and sometimes you find cool things inside the mess…
(picture my daughter sitting on the edge of her chair … waiting … waiting … waiting for my answer …)
But, no.  Books, yes.  Scarily messy bedrooms, no.
I’m shooting for organized in life and semi-random-from-an organized foundation in my writing.
Hey.  It works for me.
How about you?  Are you organized or not? Does a messy room drive you crazy or feel warm and welcoming?

One lucky commenter will win a copy of Claim Me! (print for US winners, digital for international winners!)

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J. Kenner has written over 40 books under multiple names including Julie Kenner and J.K. Beck.  Her newest release, CLAIM ME (April 23, 2013), debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list.  Claim Me is the second book in the bestselling Stark Trilogy, which began with RELEASE ME, continues with CLAIM ME, and which will conclude in July with COMPLETE ME.
You can learn more about her at her website (http://www.juliekenner.com) or connect with her on Twitter (@juliekenner) or on Facebook (http://juliekenner.com/facebook/)

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes an erotic, emotionally charged romance between a powerful man who’s never heard “no” and a fiery woman who says “yes” on her own terms.

He was the one man I couldn’t avoid. And the one man I couldn’t resist.

Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident, and commanding: Anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me.
Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressures of his demands. Submitting to Damien meant I had to bare the darkest truth about my past—and risk breaking us apart.
But Damien was haunted, too. And as our passion came to obsess us both, his secrets threatened to destroy him—and us—forever.
Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

For Damien, our obsession is a game. For me, it is fiercely, blindingly, real.
I have agreed to be his alone, and now I want him to be fully mine. I want us to possess each other beyond the sweetest edge of our ecstasy, into the deepest desires of our souls. To let the fire that burns between us consume us both.
But there are dark places within Damien that not even our wildest passion can touch. I yearn to know his secrets, yearn for him to surrender to me as I have surrendered to him. But our troubled pasts will either bind us close . . . or shatter us completely.

Damien Stark’s need is palpable—his need for pleasure, his need for control, his need for me. Beautiful and brilliant yet tortured at his core, he is in every way my match.

This sexy, emotionally charged romance continues the story of Damien Stark, the powerful multimillionaire who’s never had to take “no” for an answer, and Nikki Fairchild, the Southern belle who only says “yes” on her own terms.
Our desire runs deep. But our secrets cut close. Beautiful, strong, and commanding, Damien Stark fills a void in me that no other man can touch. His fierce cravings push me beyond the brink of bliss—and unleash a wild passion that utterly consumes us both.
Yet beneath his need for dominance, he carries the wounds of a painful past. Haunted by a legacy of dark secrets and broken trust, he seeks release in our shared ecstasy, the heat between us burning stronger each day.
Our attraction is undeniable, our obsession inevitable. Yet not even Damien can run from his ghosts, or shield us from the dangers yet to come.







WANT TO WIN A COPY OF CLAIM ME?  

COMMENT BELOW with  your answer to Julie’s question:

How about you?  Are you organized or not? Does a messy room drive you crazy or feel warm and welcoming?

That is it…

But please leave a way for me to contact you.

Contest is open to anyone over 18 years old. Void where prohibited.Print – US only – no PO BoxeseBook – International
Contest ends on 5.24.13 Winner will be chosen by Random.org Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.Only one winner per mailing address.  Multiple entries will be deleted. This giveaway is sponsored by the author and ONE book is available.

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Comments

  1. I am very organized as far as putting clutter and things away but I don’t label things or anything too detailed, I just hate clutter and it will bother me until I get up and put it away, lol.

  2. Clutter doesn’t bother me in the slightest. My workspace might look a mess, but I know where everything is without having to look. I try to rein myself with regard to common areas as other members of my household do not feel the same! kateivan (at) aol (dot) com

  3. Clutter does not bother me at all! I seem to know right where to find everything amongst all the mess lol!
    ag_girl76 at yahoo dot com

  7. I need organization! Anytime I find myself getting annoyed or angry, I clean and it instantly calms me. 🙂 momlovesdeals at gmail dot com

  8. Yes, I am organized and always have been. I don’t like to accumulate a mess and start by decluttering. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

  9. I am very organized. Clutter is something I cannot live with so each season I start to clear our anything which is not used or necessary. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

  10. I am very organized. Clutter drives me crazy. I am always organizing my closets and drawers to keep them neat so I can find things when I need them.
    asdidonato77(at)yahoo(dot)com

  12. I think there is a fine line between organize and clutter because I can put something in away in my own form of classification and my kids can never find it and vice versa

  13. My house is organized except for my crafting space. To anyone else it looks like a big mess, but I know where everything is. I like to say it is an organized mess!

  14. I am forever not organized, except when I’m going on a trip. I have everything I need in a folder. I make lists of everything.

    Thanks for the interview and the giveaway,

    Elizabeth Gray

  16. I don’t like messy at all but I’m not overly organized either. 🙂 When my 7 kids were still at home there had to be some kind of organization or I’d have lost it. 🙂 Complete order was out of the question with 7 kids but as I’ve gotten older things are usually in their place and no more messes. 🙂
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

  18. I guess it really depends on how messy it is. If I know where everything is, I can live with a small mess. If everything is scattered so much that I have no idea where things are, it’s time to clean up.

    bookaholicholly at gmail . com

  20. Well, I used to be very organized but since marriage and kids, I am not quite the same. I find more comfort in an organized neat room though.

    esined615 at yahoo.com

  21. I’m just dandy! 🙂
    I am somewhat organized, and a messy room is fine to me. I don’t feel like cleaning it but it isn’t my favorite thing in the world.

    jannettanrobinson at yahoo dot com

  22. I am a somewhat disorgazined person with an organized person inside and she wants out! More than once I actually offered my organized daughter-in-law money to help me with my “pantry.”

  23. I am not organized at all. Actually I’m kind of messy, not dirty just messy. Picking up is not my strong point, I have magazines and books all over the place. Thanks for having the giveaway.

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

  24. Im really a mix, to organized and I go crazy too messy the same way. I lean more towards messy but have to have some organization.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

  28. Unfortunately, I am not nearly as organized as I need to be! And yet, the clutter drives me absolutely crazy! I need someone to come in and help me figure out how/where to store all this stuff…..

    Thank you for the opportunity to win this FABULOUS book!

    Karen(dot)arrowood)at(sbcglobal(dot)net

  30. I’m organized, but I’m not crazy. Things can get a little cluttered, but I still know where everything is. When everything gets too piled up, then I go back to square one and start all over again.

  31. I am very organized but don’t go over board about it. It’s not possible with two kids running around the house!

    Thanks so much!
    mmafsmith AT gmail DOT com

  32. I can’t say that I am totally organized but I do like a straightened room, not one that’s messy and cluttered.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

  34. I am super organized in my life as far as staying organized and always making a “plan” for things but my house and car are full of clutter. Its as if my home and car need to make up for the organization in my life with their mess lol

    Danielle @ Coffee and Characters

  35. I am usually very organized but there are times when I am very lazy. It kinda bothers me when my room is messy, my skin is also very sensitive to dust so I *have* to clean up my room or I’d end up feeling itchy and red all over! 🙂

    ellezorhearts13 @ yahoo . com

  39. WINNER!

    Well, I used to be very organized but since marriage and kids, I am not quite the same. I find more comfort in an organized neat room though.

    esined615 at yahoo.com