First of all, thank you to everyone for the lovely birthday wishes and congratulations on the book publishing! It was an amazing day from start to finish, and will go down as perhaps my most favorite birthday in my remembrance. It was like living in a Disney movie for a day. The happy, montage, ‘may all your dreams come true’ part. Not the beginning part, where a parent or loved one is inexplicably killed off.
I stayed up until midnight, squeezing every bit of happiness out of the seconds that remained and went to bed on cloud of joy. Because this is how the world works for me, I woke up, not to my alarm, but to my cat Henry galloping across my face. Never in my history of knowing him, has he been want to such behavior. This was a sign of things to come.
I then turned on the television to find that America was embroiled in some kind of dress debate whose significance still fails to register to me. I really expect that this is actually some kind of social experiment and Ashton Kutcher will pop out at any moment to let us know we’ve been on an episode of “Punk’d this whole time.
Also, the news informed me that llamas had escaped some kind of captivity at an elderly residential facility. I am a huge fan of Alpacas and Llamas, and one day dream of owning two such magnificent beasts that I will christen “Westley and Buttercup.” However, to me, this also seems unimportant enough to lead the news. After the dress story.
Shortly afterward, I attempted to squeeze the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube, when my hand slipped and sliced a chunk out of my index finger, sending shockwaves of pain and a gusher of blood my way. Because today was a cleaning day, I spent the rest of the day looking like a genteel Bond villain, with one pink plastic glove on to protect my injured hand from germs.
This afternoon, Leonard Nimoy passed away, crushing the heart of millions.
Clearly, the world in which I am now a published author is completely falling apart and I want no part of this madness. 
35 Days to 35 is the series just completed by Ashley about her process of bringing her first book from rejection to publication in 35 days. It can be purchased in paperback or e-book. A portion of royalties will go toward her “Alpaca Fund.”
Ashley Raymer-Brown 