Wednesday, November 29, 2017

HOLIDAY STRESS RELIEF E-BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Not sure if you noticed, but we have a week between the turkey-and-stuffing coma and the holiday-sh!t-show this year. 

A whole seven days before December 1st mows us down and screams 'you ONLY have 24 days to get your act together'! (Okay, that's probably just me. I am a procrastinator.)

24 days to buy gifts for everyone from the mailman to my mother-in-law.

Crap.

That week's half over now, because I've been busy cleaning up after 45 people popped in for dinner on Thanksgiving. 

It was magical as always, despite the fact that my mom came down with the stomach flu at the last minute. (Did I mention she usually does a lot of the cooking?) 

One of the tweens that visited left us with a lovely concoction in their plastic cup of milk that involved ketchup and some form of food that floats, which left the rest of us ready to be sick, too.

But really, it was a good time. There were 20 people drinking and telling stories in my mudroom, a room off the kitchen that my husband built when we bought this house. (The room is decorated with shiplap and everyone raves about it. Thanks, Fixer Upper.)

Anyway, the house is almost back to normal, on December 1st, my third book baby "Fall" will have it's one month release birthday, and now the chaos of the Christmas season descends upon us.

What's going to be thrown at you? 

Forty of your closest relatives? 

Kid going to be the lead in the school 'holiday' play and needs a costume made out of rare bird feathers? 

Dreaded office party listening to Elsie from accounting drone on about her thirty-pound cat Fluffy chasing Christmas ornaments?

Whatever it is, it's okay. 

I'm here to save you.

For very little effort, you can have three full length novels to distract you from holiday stress.

If you win, I will GIFT you ALL THREE books in THE AMPED SERIES!
(Your choice of: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks or KOBO) 
Nightcap at our local Small Business Saturday Event "Night Market"

Using your favorite e-book provider, you can download The Amped Series to your device and get lost in the world of my characters anytime you need a break from reality this holiday season. (If you can make them last that long - my readers have a hard time stopping once they start!)*

TO ENTER:

SIGN UP at www.mjwoodsbooks.com to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

That's it.

BONUS ENTRY OPTIONS:
Add The Amped Series trilogy to your TBR on Goodreads 
...and email mj@mjwoodsbooks.com to let me know you completed bonus entries!

TWO WINNERS will be drawn at random on Sunday, 12/03/2017!

*NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR RESULTING BOOK HANGOVERS

Not sure about these books?
Here's the latest review for Book 1 in the series, "Balance":

Alexis Greene has lost her husband. She is a widow and still in her twenties. She is bitter and lost, out of balance. Aidan Pierce's life has been an elevator ride, starting out as low as one can be with a meteoric rise to both fame and fortune. He is bored, unsatisfied and troubled with night terrors born of his abused childhood."Life is a big bag of suck," for both of them and when opposite ends of a business deal bring them together it's a slow, sexy sizzle to the finish line. Alexis is no weak and submissive female, and Aidan is well...perfect. MJ Woods writes grown up romance with a real story. Told in alternating chapters in the first person, she captures two distinct voices and manages to develop characters that are not cliché. Balance is what both characters need and it will be interesting to see where the next book takes them in their journey together. - Carole Roman, Award-Winning Author







Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Indie Author Goes Rogue on Release Day

Hey everyone.

I'm releasing a new book today, but I'm not going to blah-blah-blah to you about that.

Yep, I'm doing it all wrong as a newbie author. Instead, I'm gonna get real.

Things around here have been a bit chaotic and stressful.

You know that feeling like, "how am I ever gonna get all this sh!t done and not drop the ball on SOMETHING?!"

That's me right about now.

I've been panicking about my book release, that I've forgotten something major. (Too late now. It's live.)

NaNoWriMo starts today. I signed up...I think. Signed up or not, I'm attempting a first draft of my next book by month end.

I barely made it through Halloween with my two littles under age 10, who were hopped up on sugar and fighting about who gets what from their neighborhood begging spree. (We fared okay. Only one skinned knee and two lost costume pieces during trick-or-treat.)

Thanksgiving is coming, when we'll host 50 of our closest family members at our home (we truly LOVE doing it), but it's MADNESS...before, during and after.

Don't even get me started on the chaos of the Christmas season...which Hallmark Channel insists began last week. (My Golden Girls are on hiatus until January. Sigh.)

And as my latest novel is born today, it's also my husband's birthday. He's turning...(nevermind).

I've been stressing about what to do for him, because it is a big one. It ends in a zero, and he's not a spring chicken anymore. I didn't plan a surprise party for him (heart attack risk?), or buy him a big ticket item (I wanted to...but what?)

Truthfully, I think he'd rather let this one slip under the radar, and I get that. I wasn't too happy about my last milestone birthday, either - and he's got a few (okay, 9!) years on me.

But we started celebrating Saturday night, because who wants to do it up if their actual birthday is on a Wednesday?

I planned a surprise day trip to a Classic Car Museum (he loved it), and then a stop at a local brewery we'd never been to (big hit!). The party ended in the wee hours of Sunday morning after too many beers (maybe a couple shots, too). We kicked ass at a karaoke bar with one of our best friends, and she drove us home.

We are just recovering from this outing...and it's Wednesday.

The actual birthday-day.

I'm making a big dinner for the family coming to celebrate, and I hope he knows that even though I didn't get him a fancy gift or throw him a party with a thousand of his close friends, I could not do this life without him.

He designs my covers, and navigates me through technology, and is honest with me when my hair looks bad or I have zits on my face that happen to be symmetrical. (Thank you, stress!) He's also an amazing dad and sings Sinatra like nobody's business.

Happy Birthday, hubs! Thank your lucky stars no one believes you look the age you are, including me. And if all else fails, remember the sign my great-grandfather kept at camp:

Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.

MJW

Friday, September 22, 2017

Thank F* It's Friday (TFIF)

It's Fri-yay!

The weather has turned back to summer here in the 315. Meanwhile, hurricanes and earthquakes and all kinds of crazy weather shit go on elsewhere. Mother Nature is more than drunk. She's on a bender.

But we go on as usual here, because we don't have snow yet. This is the year you're glad to have a pool in September while you were thinking of filling it in with cement in July.

Welcome to CNY.

So what's new?

A lot.

UPCOMING RELEASE of the THIRD Book of The Amped Series 

Book Three is being published a bit differently, and I hope you'll like the result. If all goes well, I'll have even more control, and be able to publish my work a lot faster from here on out.

Book Three is the conclusion of A&A's story...for now. I'm letting you guys catch your breath. 

No cliffhanger this time.

But in order to get there, you've gotta be patient. Because this book is over 450 pages.

I promise you, you're going to love it. 

It's fast paced. It's emotional. It's funny. 

Our characters are experiencing the ride of all rides.

The title and cover reveal are coming SOON, and the book will be available for pre-order before official release date.

Also, with the release of this last book, I'm giving a shout out to someone - a very special long-distance mentor whom I absolutely adore, and without whom I'd never have gotten this far. She's an amazing author with thousands of fans, she's a USA Today Bestseller and Amazon top ranking author, and her books are also selling like hotcakes internationally. Like, in SEVERAL languages. 

And (in my opinion), she's about to become a household name, at least in those households where any romance reading is going on.

She's written a book featured in the Misadventures Series headlined by NYT Bestselling Authors, and I just know people are going to absolutely LOVE it. Her writing style is unique, and HOT, and she and I have a lot of weird shit in common, hence our author friendship. 

As it happens, as I was writing Book Three, I realized my hero is friendly with some of her characters...so her characters just might have an honorable mention in Book Three of The Amped Series, with their creator's kind permission.

If you want to know more, you'll just have to read and keep paying attention, won't you?!

EVENTS

I'll be attending a couple local events this fall. I can't wait to share them with you. Keep checking the events page on my website!

SPECIAL PROMOTION

I'll be starting a special promotion soon for "Balance", in order to find more of you awesome readers! Keep an eye out and let your reader friends know there's an upcoming offer from MJ Woods Books to #getamped...for free.

CALL ME MAYBE

If you're reading either of my existing titles, or any in the future, tag me or post on social media with #getamped and share with me! I love getting emails, messages and seeing posts from readers. 

It makes an author's day when this happens, trust me. Writing is a lonely business! 

I'll give you an example here. This reader is doing it right. (See the wine?!) Her college-student-daughter snapped this when she had a hard time getting Mom's attention. ;-)



Happy Fall.

xoxo
MJW






Friday, September 1, 2017

Starting Over

Feels like autumn is in the air here in New York!

Our temps dropped to the forties last night. Brr.

I'm taking a last minute trip to Florida in an attempt to hold onto summer, so this blog is overdue as I've been busy preparing for this after my first Barnes & Noble signing last weekend - which I'm told by the store was a success. I've been asked back for the release of Book Three of The Amped Series in November.

I can't wait to release this, the final book of The Amped Series trilogy.

It is long.

It is my first HEA.

And I hope you'll love it as much as I do.

Pencils and crayons and folders in varying colors are strewn about my dining room, so that means back to school next week. What is it about September that brings about the feeling of new beginnings?

Typically, when this time of year comes around, I need a new beginning.

Last year at this time, my Dad and I suffered a devastating loss from a fire that brought down his three-story historical building. Up with it went forty years of history where he practiced law. Before he became a solo practitioner in the late nineties, we'd also worked in that building with my uncle and, before that, they both shared that office with their grandfather.

The circa 1800s building had many lives before this.

We have spent the last year starting over, and reminiscing, and missing the gentleman tenant we lost in that fire. With the help of our community and our family and friends, we recovered. We were lucky enough to rescue some very important client documents along with some random artifacts, like my post office key that dangles from an old Egyptian coin. I never thought I'd find that in a huge pile of rubble.

A year later, I also never could have imagined I would be on the verge of having three full-length novels in print.

I wanted to take a quick moment to shout out to my amazing family and friends for their support and encouragement because, without them, The Amped Series would never exist. My signing last week would have flopped. And my books would not be what they are.

So THANK YOU all. This is turning into quite the ride and I'm forever grateful to have you all with me!


Monday, August 21, 2017

Procrastinations and Excuses

Fiction Can be Fun! Real Life Can Be Funnier.

Ten Reasons I’m Not Writing Right Now
Supported by Instagram Evidence

1.   The dog is scratching at the door to go out, and I’m the only one here with  thumbs to make it happen.

2.    The cat has stolen my pen, or chewed through the cord of my laptop. (Proof.)

3.   The kids are here to let the dog out, but they're also begging for a snack, asking to play a game with me, and wanting to know where they last put the charger for their tablet – or the actual tablet. (How do I know this?! I do not know this.) This happens right next to my ‘office’ – the dining room table.

4.   The dog is scratching to come back in. (And then, within seconds, to go back out. Yes, immediately.) But who can be mad at this face?!

 5.    It’s possible it’s Saturday morning, and I am still sleeping. (Read:
        Yesterday was Fridaya/k/a Too Much Tanqueray)

6.   The Sonos won’t connect, because sometimes the Internet Gods in my house hate me. (Music a must for this girl to write. Silence can be disrupting.)

7.   I’ve fallen into time-sucking twilight zones. Facebook. Instagram. Pinterest. Real estate listings. Another author’s book that’s too good to put down. Yet another episode of Fixer Upper (because that Chip is so damn funny). 

8.   I’m traveling to research an upcoming release. (Or to see someone in my extended family get married. Those parties are freaking nuts. Justified FOMO if you’re the only one not going.)

9.   The internet is still not working = No answers available to my research question on Google. Since my encyclopedias are hiding in some dark corner of my parents’ basement, Happy Hour is an acceptable alternative. If before noon, more COFFEE. (Side Bar: Angered Internet Gods again. Remember to beg ‘IT’ for help, and put out a cold beer for said ‘IT’ as payment.)
10. See numbers one and four. Seriously. This never ends.
Bonus Points if you know the name of the movie "Fiction Can Be Fun!" is quoted from.
Don't bother with the encyclopedia. The movie didn't exist then.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Update (Or, Lost On a Monday)


The Amped Series is a complete trilogy!

The first read with my editor is done, and we'll be in the thick of it for the next couple weeks as we get this baby ready to accompany her sisters, "Balance" and "Sway".

I've never been so happy with a first draft.

I even received a compliment on comma placement this time around. (See? You can teach an old dog new tricks.)

My main characters have been on another crazy ride, and their last stop is (finally) an HEA that could not be more fitting for them.

The cover design came to me during conversation with hubs on Saturday, so of course I left him hanging mid-sentence so I could search stock photos. We collaborated yesterday, and after being sucked into it for a few hours (I'm not sure my kids ever had lunch...), we have a cover (though also in its infancy, with a lot of prep before it's final).

I felt such a weight lifted having the book draft done, and with the cover concept finally showing up on the doorstep of my brain. (Took you long enough. I was definitely sweating.)

Book Three release is anticipated for November, which means I will have released three full length novels in one year's time. Not written, mind you - because "Balance" started its journey onto paper in 2012. It was shoved into a drawer until my infant daughter no longer needed diapers.

It was only then I was ready to listen to myself and stop procrastinating.

I'm still shocked I'm capable of any of this.

I'm proud of all the work, and the amazing people that helped me accomplish my goals.

The Downside

Last night I wandered around my kitchen at ten p.m. with nothing pressing.

There was no urgency.

The story is written. The cover is well on its way. The editing will begin this week.

And without the writing process, I am lost.

I need this to be my work.

I need this because I'm not me without it.

Without the process, I am lost.

I need...

                            ...to write another book.

But not a trilogy. No thanks.

(Not yet, anyway. Because holy shit is that exhausting.)

I just need to listen, and see which set of characters screams the loudest for their story to be heard.

While that's going on, I'll be wrapping Book Three up in a pretty package to head out into the world, and I'll be signing Books One and Two at Barnes and Noble in my home city next week.

With all the madness of reality (especially these days when I cringe every time I see or hear about current events), I'm so thankful for the life I have, and the opportunity to get lost in creating books. I'm so grateful for any of you that have read them, and I hope you take away more than just the story. There are underlying themes that matter to me in there, and one of them is very simple.

The greater good, always.

Play nice out there.

xo
MJ

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Independence and Fear

The Sirius is tuned in to Frank.

It's Sinatra Sunday here.

Windows are open. The music is accompanied by birds singing and the sound of the fountain in our backyard pond.

As Oates would say, nature an' shit.

Skies are overcast after a beautiful sunrise this morning, and I'm taking a break from completing Book Three of The Amped Series to write this, because the scenes I've just written and revised are intense.

The theme of the weekend is Independence and Fear (yes, capitalized!), and for various reasons.

My characters are asserting themselves in this last book - and surprising me, too. This is exactly what I hope for when I sit down to write, because it's worked for me so far. I'm so proud of my independent heroine, and the hero that loves her even though it scares the shit out of him.

Yesterday, I received my first check for book sales. It was a long wait, but what a feeling. The idea that sending my words out into the world might earn me even a single dollar blows my mind.

My oldest daughter is heading off to summer camp for a week without her parents. She's taking lots of excitement, sunblock and bug spray - and maybe just a little fear in her heart. Mom's got a canoe-full of fear, too. My girl is old enough to make herself a bowl of cereal, but not old enough to drive. At the thought of her being without me for this long, I'm still an over-protective mama bear.

What if she doesn't brush her teeth...like, at all

But she'll get to have the experience of writing a letter home and mailing it, and I'll be the lucky recipient. She won't plant her face in front of a screen for five whole days, and I won't have to hear the sibling bickering for that many days, either.

So all in all, worth the separation.

At the end of August, Barnes and Noble has invited me for a book signing for both "Balance" and "Sway".

Of course, I said yes. *blushing*

Oh, hello again Fear.

Thanks for bringing Independence with you.

The keys call. You can follow progress here or here, or sometimes here.

M.J.









Sunday, July 9, 2017

The Amped Series: Book Two - THE RELEASE

It's been pretty crazy over here at MJ Woods Books lately.

While I'm knee deep in finishing Book Three, Book TWO is releasing this week!
I'm so excited, I've decided to give away more digital copies of Balance (Book One). Limited copies available. Just click this link: FREE COPY OF Balance *CLOSES JULY 21ST*

In the meantime, here is a peek at the front (and back!) cover of Sway (The Amped Series: Book Two)
Warning: It's pretty damn sexy.

I hope you enjoy the continuing ride with these characters. From writing to revising (and revising some more), these characters still make me so happy.

Website is under construction to be updated this week, so check back for a whole new look!

Also on the horizon are a double signing at Barnes and Noble for Balance and Sway and, by the end of summer, Book Three will be complete! Then it's on to the next book. There are some characters from this series begging for their own stories. I'm not sure who will win the battle to be written first, but when I know, you'll know.

To keep up with happenings, sign up for the newsletter here! Emails do NOT go out very often because, if you're like me, you hate sifting through your inbox deleting junk mail. But, when there is big news, you'll know first!

I am accepting ARC readers for Book Two for a limited time.
If you are interested, email: mj@mjwoodsbooks.com

Meanwhile it's Sunday, and I've just returned from my cousin's wedding in Virginia surrounded by love and laughter and my crazy-amazing family. It's possible I went to bed at 4am on one night of that road trip, leaving me feeling like Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon. "I'm too old for this shit."

Now time to get back to work. The dog is happy I'm home. The cat, not so much.

Thank you for your ongoing love and support.

Ciao,
MJ

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

The End Is Near

I am passing off Book Two to the publisher in a matter of days.

So what, right? All two of you reading this are wondering what the big deal is.

The big deal is this: my second book baby is going out into the world, and all I can do is hope he isn't rejected by his peers, shoved around in the hallways until his 'kick me' sign flaps in the wind while he charters a bus home to Mama.

But good, bad or ugly, it's time to be at peace with Book Two and let it go out on it's own, because Book Three is suddenly begging to be completed. When this happens, scenes pour out without my consent, begging to be noticed like cleavage on Dancing With The Stars.

They're in your face so often, you just can't ignore them.

So I'm in the writing zone once again, and it's so good to be back. I missed me. In case you were wondering, I got back here simply by diving back into Book Two for a thorough edit.

I'd put the second book away for months before I went back to it, and I think it was the best thing I could have done.

I have put as much effort into this as I did "Balance", but in less time and with a far more critical eye. There are things in that published manuscript I can't read now without cringing. But I'm hoping I can read the published version of Book Two in all it's hardcover glory without needing a shot or two of brown liquor to get through it.

I can't wait for you to see the cover and learn what the title of Book Two is.
...and see the new playlist.
...and fall in love with these characters all over again.

Once I went back to them, I sure as hell did.

Spoiler Alert: Book Two will end leaving you wanting to know what happens next, the same way "Balance" did. But Book Three is on it's way, I promise - and that might be it for this band of characters.

With the end of this series, I know I will experience my first true heartache as a writer that's actually written something. I hope ending the love affair I have with these made-up people isn't as bad as a real break-up, because boy, those have been known to fuck me up. I may need therapy once this series is complete.

Second Spoiler Alert: Book Two is a lot more heated than the first one.

You know what I mean, right?

*whispers
          *There's a lot more s-e-x.

Hold on to your fuck-me shoes. It's gonna be one hell of a ride.

Ciao,
MJ








Friday, March 31, 2017

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: How A New Author Deals With Reviews

As a new author, navigating the world of publishing is a daunting task. I thought I'd accomplished the hard part by writing the book.

I was wrong. (I'm wrong a lot.) 

Even though it took umpteen pots of coffee, neglecting my children for hours (okay, weeks) at a time, and every ounce of soul and courage I could muster to type those words into that order to create that book - writing was easier than publication. 

In hindsight, writing "Balance" was not so bad. Sometimes it was downright awesome, in the word's truest sense.

Then to publish, you either wait and wait and wait...or take the reigns and do it yourself.

I chose the latter.

I'm still learning the do's and don'ts, the jargon of the industry, the costs that come with being a self-published author. There are amazing writers I admire that have paved the way, even best-selling authors that have given me advice, the best of it being: "Don't worry. Write the books. The rest will come. We're all in this together!"

I still feel like I'm showing up late to the party and without any idea what kind of party it is. It's also possible I haven't been invited and I've left my pants elsewhere.

The stuff nightmares are made of, if you will.

But I laid my best efforts between a gorgeous cover and put out my "product" to the best of my newbie ability. There are things I'd go back and change, but anyone who releases their first book will likely tell you the same thing. 

Now the book is out there. It's alive, living and breathing on gadgets and hiding between dust-jackets and slick paperback covers on people's nightstands (or on the floor in the backseat of their SUV). 

Whatever. Same thing, right?

My point is, people are actually reading it. Many are loving it, but someone said it's a yawn-fest. 

How can this be? How can two people read the same book and have such varying opinions?

Because that's life. That's every book. I'll never write something that pleases everyone. I knew this going in.  

Still, I thought reading reviews was going to be the next hardest part of this process. Open myself up to criticism? Yikes! But this was not the hardest part, either. (I'll tell you what the hardest part is at the end, so keep reading.)

I read a poor review and instead of wanting to crawl into a hole and hide for eternity, I found myself wanting to email the person immediately to thank them.

For the longest time no one told me they were hating the book. No one said "Meh, these characters suck. I wouldn't hang out with them if you paid me!" 

Instead, people I'd never met told me "This is a quality piece of fiction!" "I can't wait to read the next book!" "Can you quit your job and just do this?" I thought all of my early, excellent feedback was lip-service, but it wasn't. These readers were completely genuine.

That meant surely someone, at some point in time, would genuinely dislike it. I was petrified of that day.

But then it happened.

The first poor review came from someone that was nice about it. She found something to compliment me on anyway, and her feedback was helpful. With this first poor review I got lucky, because it eased me into the one-star review that eventually came along. That reviewer said some things I consider just plain mean, but this is reality. Not everyone makes nice.

The moral of the story is, does it matter?

I did not put "Balance" out there to please every single person that will ever read it. I did it because there was a story within me that busted its way out over the course of years. Through the process of sharing it, I became convinced that hey, some people might like this.

Another common theme in my reviews is that Book One ends on a cliffhanger. Some people were kind of ticked about that.

For this, I do apologize.

I wish I could have laid out the entire story in one book. It would have saved me a ton of gray hair and time. But that isn't the way this particular story unfolds. I'm not lengthening the story as a ploy to sell more books. (Yes, one person said that.) 

For me, the writing process doesn't work that way. I write to write, and let the story go where it may. If Book Two also ends on a cliffhanger (it does), it's because it seemed a good place to stop that would make sense but still create some drama while moving into Book Three. Does it make you want to read more, to know where the story goes? I damn well hope so. But it is not a preconceived attempt to sell more books and inadvertently piss people off.

I never thought I'd sell a single book in my life, beyond maybe my parents and immediate family. Do I want people to buy it now? Of course! Because that means I can contribute to my household doing something I love - writing books.

But marketing myself is not something I enjoy. Many writers feel this way, especially those of us with an introvert's tendencies. Yet to sell, you have to market yourself as much - if not more - than you market your blood, sweat and pencil lead. You have to show up, pants or not, and with the knowledge that you aren't going to be invited in. You have to snatch an invite, or create the party that everyone else wants to go to.

I get it, though. We're living in a 'give-it-to-me-now' society. I'd want to know how it all ends, too - and all at once. But Daniel was forced to be patient in The Karate Kid, and look what it did for him! Wax on, wax off, people. I am going somewhere with this series.

Everything about the writing of "Balance" - from the plot to the characters - has happened in a kind of crazy, fated manner that no one would believe.

When I finished Book Two, it ended with the same number of chapters as Book One. In draft form it was the EXACT same number of pages. Insignificant details? Sure. But this demonstrates how the process works for me. I could not plan it this way if I tried.

Months after I finished writing Balance, I stumbled on a random article in a magazine I don't even subscribe to. The article was about a relationship that mirrors the one between Alexis and her husband Ben. This confirmed for me that my characters were about as real as they could get.

These are the kinds of coincidences and signals the Universe sends to let you know you're doing something right, and I've had them raining down on me through the process, from writing word one to publication. This part you can't make up.

It just happens.

This does not mean I'm fooling myself here. I know this is not The Great American Novel, some tome that will be of a great importance on a literary scale. I aim for my stories to balance an ease of reading and entertainment, and I know my audience.

I love my audience. They're my people.

However, let's be real. My people are damn busy. There are children to cart around, there's laundry, there's other books to read by their all-time favorite author...and oh look! A giraffe is about to give birth! (Just kidding. Right now, she's still pregnant.)

As I promised to let you in on, the hardest part is getting people to stop what they're doing to read something I wrote and then tell people what they think about it.

But it is happening.

That is amazing. 

And I could not be more grateful to the people that have read "Balance" and spoken up about it - good, bad or ugly.