tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58909856600348585212024-02-19T09:07:41.511-05:00Pages to Chapters to CoversQuality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.comBlogger744125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-12288014248438607282014-12-31T08:00:00.000-05:002014-12-31T08:00:05.838-05:00All About Moxie from MOXIE'S PROBLEM by Hank Quense @hanque99 #Humor #Camelot #SciFi <br />
<b>What inspired me to write Moxie’s Problem</b><br />
<br />
I
first developed a version of the Moxie character more than ten years
ago. Originally, she was the protagonist in a short story. The story
never sold, nevertheless I loved her character and I was determined to
get her to star in a story.<br />
<br />
I developed Moxie’s character for a novel that would include Moxie’s development from a spoiled brat to a formidable woman.<br />
<br />
While
I was writing Moxie’s Problem, it occurred to me why I couldn’t sell
the short story. The problem with the short story was that Moxie was a
whiney, obnoxious, teenage brat. Not a good choice for a protagonist.
The difference between Moxie in a short story and Moxie in a novel is
this: in the novel there is room for Moxie to grow, to learn important
lessons and to change. These changes can’t be pulled off in a short
story, there simply isn’t room for such complicated issues. So, Moxie’s
Problem really is about Moxie growing up and facing a reality that is
quite different from life in her father’s castle. Part of Moxie’s
learning experiences occur when she is escorted by three apprentice
Knights of the Round Table. The knights don’t care about her nobel
birth, a shocking revelation to Moxie, and they ignore her commands.
This forces Moxie to reflect that people outside the castle think
differently that the nobles who attend her father’s court. Once she
starts to examine issues like this, there is no stopping her from
observing other facets of life outside the castle. This leads her to
realize she isn’t trained to do anything except exist and possible give
birth, but always under the supervision of an adult male, either her
father or a husband. Moxie finds this situation repugnant and she
develops a plan to become independent.<br />
<br />
That last
sentence is a recap of the novel from Moxie’s perspective. Another main
theme is the development of Percivale, one of the apprentice knights.
And then there are the subplots that revolve around Camelot. The
struggle between King Artie and the Saxon warlord Hengist for domination
in British football is one such delightful subplot. Another is the
Knights of the Round Table (KRT Inc.) a for profit organization that
has money problems. Still another is Merlin delving into the Magic of
the Mind using ink blots on pieces of parchment.<br />
<br />
With all these unique subplots going on, Moxie’s Problem really was a joy to write.<br />
<br />
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Moxies-Problem.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Moxies-Problem.jpg"><img alt="Moxie's Problem" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-42271" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Moxies-Problem.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Moxies-Problem.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Do
you enjoy untypical coming-of-age stories? Well, you won’t find one
more untypical than Moxie’s Problem. Moxie is an obnoxious, teen-age
princess who has never been outsider her father’s castle. Until now. The
real world is quite different and she struggles to come to grips with
reality. The story takes place against a backdrop of Camelot. But it
isn’t the Camelot of legends. It’s Camelot in a parallel universe. So,
all bets are off!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Moxies-Problem-Hank-Quense-ebook/dp/B00MK5UA80/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1409836365&sr=1-1&keywords=hank+quense" href="http://www.amazon.com/Moxies-Problem-Hank-Quense-ebook/dp/B00MK5UA80/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1409836365&sr=1-1&keywords=hank+quense" target="_blank">Amazon</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/448914" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/448914" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Genre – Fantasy, Sci-fi</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Hank-Quense/e/B002BM76IE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Hank-Quense/e/B002BM76IE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Connect with Hank Quense through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/StrangeWorldsOnline" href="https://www.facebook.com/StrangeWorldsOnline" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>&<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/hanque99" href="https://twitter.com/hanque99" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: bold !important;">Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hank-quense.com/wp/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29hrxwzFyEMQY_AGYyT9ew6gPqByA" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hank-quense.com/wp/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29hrxwzFyEMQY_AGYyT9ew6gPqByA" target="_blank">http://hank-quense.com/wp/</a></b></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-60183562929143496262014-12-11T09:00:00.000-05:002014-12-11T09:00:01.972-05:00Erin Sands on Being a Woman, Change & Waiting to Live Again @TheDunesBook #Motivation #SelfHelp<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In my early forties, I began
going through what is culturally referred to as “the change”. It is a
time in a woman’s life when her hormones rebel against the norm and
fluctuate, causing considerable emotional and physical discomfort. It is
followed by my all-time favorite, the mind-boggling hormonal weight
gain, which is not precipitated by bad eating habits or a lack of
exercise. It just appears on your body uninvited. Yeah, it’s a fun time
all around and to put it bluntly, I was not happy. My stomach, which had
once been flat, was now a pudgy soft playground of goo. My vocabulary,
which had once been vast, was now caught up in a perpetual hormonal
brain fog, and I despised every moment of it. I hated the weight gain, I
loathed the lack of clarity and I detested the private summers. All I
wanted was my old body back, immediately.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My
husband and I love live music, so we are often out and about supporting
local or touring bands. Such was the case the night we found ourselves
at The House of Blues in Hollywood, jamming to The Gap Band in concert. I
would love to tell you that I was completely present for every glorious
moment of that night, but I wasn’t. I spent the bulk of the evening
inside my head, hating my body, hating perimenopause and lamenting about
how things used to be. Every woman who walked in with the waist I used
to have fueled the conversation in my mind of all I had lost, as well as
musings of what I could possibly do to get it back again. I felt like
it would not be until I somehow got things back to the way they used to
be that I could enjoy my life and fully live again.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
here’s the thing, while I was waiting to “live again”…life was
happening. Around me, joy was flowing through the air like oxygen. But
instead of partaking in it, I chose to fixate on something that, in that
moment, I had no control of. I was standing next to my husband, a man
who loves me and my body just the way it is: we were surrounded by good
friends and perfect strangers, all cheering, singing and dancing to The
Gap Band’s old-school hit “Party Train” and I missed it. Life was
happening, and I wasn’t there! I was in my head preoccupied with
self-pity.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was so focused on a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>tomorrow</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that is not promised that I let the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>now</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that was given slip away unappreciated.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dunesfinalSB.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dunesfinalSB.jpg"><img alt="5DmkII_2226" class="aligncenter wp-image-40866" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/5DmkII_2226-198x300.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/5DmkII_2226-198x300.jpg" height="193" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="127" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Born
in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in the Bay Area of Northern California,
Erin grew up with an innate love for dance, theatre and the written
word. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Erin began her career
in the arts as an actress and choreographer. After booking several
notable roles in television and film, Erin began to use her gift of
writing in blogs featuring political and social commentary, as well as
developing content for theatrical use.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Dunes</i>,
is a divine departure from Erin’s previous writings it is by far her
most cherished work to date. “I wrote The Dunes initially as self
therapy because I needed to release some painful experiences and
disappointments from my past. I had this thirst to walk in the complete
fullness of life with joy as my constant companion. I had no idea what
effect it would have on other people. But when I saw people read it and
be released from fears that had held them back for years…when I saw
people forgive and be able to walk in the freedom forgiveness
brings…when I saw people commit and serve and how those things opened up
new opportunities in their life, I was just humbled. Humbled by the
awesome power of God and humbled that I had been allowed to go along for
the ride”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When asked<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>why</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>she
writes, Erin pauses and reflects on the truth of her heart. “I write
because although I am only now beginning to truly love the process, I
have always loved the outcome. Like a composer, words become my notes. I
string them together in song eliciting the response of my reader,
grafting a picture of my soul. Where besides the written word can you
effect change so utterly and so succinctly? What besides the written
word can pierce the universal collective mind? Everything begins with a
thought, but it isn’t until that thought is articulated in written word
and those words passed down can life changing movement happen. It must
be written, it must be expressed on tablet, and when it is, we all
become greater, whether the writing be genius or fatuity, it has evoked
thought and debate. Why wouldn’t I want to be apart of that phenomenon?
Why wouldn’t I want to share my story, give my testimony…add my paradigm
to the mix? Whether it is a novel, a poem, an essay or an article, it
is humanity visited. An insight into a new or sometimes shared truth.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>And with that I live my life”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dunesfinalSB.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dunesfinalSB.jpg"><br /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dune.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dune.jpg"><img alt="Dune" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40719" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dune.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dune.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If there was a journey that could masterfully change your life in seven revelations...would you take it? <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />In
life, sometimes the kernels of wisdom and the richness of revelation
can be found in the most innocent of stories; and so it is with The
Dunes. Join one man and one woman in an exquisitely simple yet
remarkably profound journey as you discover with them that the mountain
you must climb in order to live the abundant life of your dreams is
located squarely within your heart. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Illuminated
in seven revelations; The Dunes carries the reader on a journey to not
only examine the obstacles that are holding them back in life but to
conquer and over come them as well. With each revelation The Dunes
intimately calls on the reader as the journey companion to face a
challenge…a dare if you will that requires an uncompromising commitment
to change. In the family of faith-based self help books, The Dunes
stands alone, simultaneously taking the reader from fiction to life and
back again, equipped with a tailor made journal for the readers inner
most secrets and reflections. The Dunes is part allegory, part testimony
and part journal, but the best part is the healing it offers your
heart. When you’re ready to step out of your comfort zone and step into
the miracle of your life…The Dunes awaits. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />CAUTION:
Readers of this book are subject to significant changes for the better.
Side effects may include frequent smiling and enjoying life in every
season.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Dunes-Release-Fears-Restore-Renew-ebook/dp/B00KO43L2Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1403131233" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dunes-Release-Fears-Restore-Renew-ebook/dp/B00KO43L2Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1403131233" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Non-fiction</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Erin-Sands/e/B00M5ZWIM6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Erin-Sands/e/B00M5ZWIM6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Erin Sands on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/thedunesbook" href="https://www.facebook.com/thedunesbook" target="_blank">Facebook</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.twitter.com/thedunesbook" href="http://www.twitter.com/thedunesbook" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thedunesbook.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29-Z7bqviUDISeSGG7sYWToCfcGIg" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thedunesbook.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29-Z7bqviUDISeSGG7sYWToCfcGIg" target="_blank">www.thedunesbook.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-15263209124114755152014-12-10T12:00:00.000-05:002014-12-10T12:00:02.789-05:00Loni Flowers Opens Up About Past, Present & All Else @LoniFlowers #Romance #AmWriting #TBR<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Things You Didn’t Know About Author Loni Flowers</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is it about me that you probably don't know already? I'm a very open person, so I really had to dig deep for these.<br /><b><br /><i>I'm the only one in my family to have Asthma.</i></b><br />I
grew up with severe asthma when I was a child, but every time I had an
attack and my parents took me to the hospital, I was be fully recovered
by the time we arrived. We could never show them proof asthma attacks.
It turned out the calmness of the car ride was a good trick to relieving
an attack. It wasn't until my teenage years that a car ride wouldn't
fix my problems and I was finally able to prove to a doctor my lungs
weren't "normal." And worse, the seasonal weather changes are usually
the main cause of an attack. Sucks!</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br /><i><b>I'm allergic to most dogs and house dust.</b></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Weird
right?! When I was five, my mother became obsessed with birds. At one
point we had 20 different types. I know that sounds like a zoo or
something, but it never felt like we were "the crazy cat lady" type.
Most were small birds, but we had a couple really large birds too. Among
the asthma flare ups, I would also break out in hives around my eyes
and they would spread all over my body. My eyes would swell shut and
itch like crazy. Test results confirmed I was allergic to dogs and house
dust. This basically included any animal that didn't have hair similar
to a human (like a Poodle or a Yorkie). I could still pet them and be
around them, but I always had to wash my hands afterwards or else the
eyes would swell shut and hives would spread. Fun times! We ended up
getting rid of all of the birds but a few.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b><br /> </b></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>I had plastic surgery on my ears when I was about 7 years old.</b></i><br />Yep,
cosmetic surgery to be exact. My ears stuck out like Dumbo the flying
Elephant. Go ahead. Laugh. I know you want to, and it’s alright. It is
funny...now. But even in elementary school, children are cruel and I was
picked on for it. So my parents took me to a wonderful doctor, William
P. Magee Jr. who had just started a charity while I was in his care. You
may have heard of it: Operation Smile. Their charity has done more than
200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults who suffer from
cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. So I pretty much
got worked on by a rock star surgeon and have the best, most beautiful
ears ever!</span></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>I competed professionally in horse shows when I was about 10 years old.</b></i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My
family are animal lovers, if you can't already tell from the previous
facts. At one point in my childhood, we owned seven horse. They are
loving, friendly, beautiful animals. I was a natural, or so my parents
and trainer said, when it came to riding and the ease of the sport
allowed me to compete effortlessly in Equestrian riding. I entered basic
classes, but I will never forget my first horse show. There were about
twenty other competitors and all were adults except for about three
children, including me. During one show you compete in three rounds and
can win a ribbon and points for each round. Points are added up after
the three rounds and a overall winner is names. I walked out of my first
show with 2- first place ribbons and 1- second place ribbon earning me a
Champion ribbon for my overall class. My mom was so excited and I was
like, "What the heck does all this mean?!" I learned pretty quickly and
by the time the showing season was over for the year, I earned Reserve
Champion (2nd place overall) in point standing for the entire show year.
Pretty awesome for a first-timer!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I know, I know. I’m so dang
interesting it’s a bit hard to handle. Just kidding. I think most people
find the whole ear surgery thing the most interesting. And despite my
asthma and allergies, I will always have pets. I don’t ride horses
anymore, but it was a part of my childhood I will always remember. I had
so many great times when it was just me and my pony, Coco, enjoying a
Big Mac and fries. Yes, she ate what I ate.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />So that’s a bit about me. What is something not many people know about you? Please share!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Witness-to-my-Heart.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Witness-to-my-Heart.jpg"><img alt="Witness to my Heart" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41881" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Witness-to-my-Heart.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Witness-to-my-Heart.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Keep
a low profile. That's what Abigale Peterson was supposed to do,
especially when the person she was being protected from was one of the
world's worst crime lords. After seven years in the Witness Protection
Program, she felt no safer now than she did when she was seventeen.
Revenge was rarely forgotten when it came to a professional criminal
like Zerilli.<br />
<br />
Low profiles meant no social life and definitely no love life.<br />
<br />
Paranoia
and lies became daily habits, going against everything Abigale believed
in, but they kept her safe. They kept everyone safe.<br />
<br />
Until
a house fire puts her out of that safety and into the arms of a
stranger. Max Smith is sexy, smart, and has major attitude. He’s the
only one who seems to get her. He calms her fears and comforts her from
her nightmares. But he also sees right through her lies.<br />
<br />
Before
Abigale can stop, she’s in too deep; confiding too much and breaking
the one rule she promised herself to uphold: Never fall in love.<br />
<br />
Bu<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">y Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Witness-my-Heart-Loni-Flowers-ebook/dp/B00MLN4IFW" href="http://www.amazon.com/Witness-my-Heart-Loni-Flowers-ebook/dp/B00MLN4IFW" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Contemporary Romance</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Loni-Flowers/e/B00JOF1XYO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Loni-Flowers/e/B00JOF1XYO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Connect with Loni Flowers through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoniFlowers" href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoniFlowers" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>&<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/LoniFlowers" href="https://twitter.com/LoniFlowers" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-86955417406106030572014-12-05T10:00:00.000-05:002014-12-08T03:07:59.439-05:00#Excerpt from WHERE HAVE I BEEN ALL MY LIFE? by Cheryl Rice @RiceonLife #NonFiction #MemoirI knew something was up when I found Jane already sitting
on Jean’s family-room couch, coffee mug in hand. They each took a turn
sharing their concerns and offering up evidence of my “disordered
eating” as if they were reenacting a scene from an ABC Afterschool.
Though I knew their hearts were in the right place, I was furious. They
just don’t get it, I thought. If they did, they wouldn’t ask me to eat.
They would know how much aliveness there is in hunger—how light and
strong it makes me feel. If they got it, they would understand how
connected this was to my mom and, more specifically, to not having my
mom; in fact, they should applaud me for finding such an elegant outlet
for my grief.<br />
<br />
I pleaded, “I’m fine.” (I’m not.) “Back
off.” (Please don’t.) I assured them I had it under control, but I
didn’t. And, though I couldn’t admit it, I was starting to get scared.
Every time I reached my stated goal weight, I set a new one before I
stepped off the scale. I had reached ninety-nine pounds and was now
going for ninety-five, maybe ninety. Yes—ninety sounded better.<br />
<br />
My
friends gave me an ultimatum: either I would tell David what I was
doing or I would go to an eating-disorders clinic within the next week;
otherwise, Jane would call David herself. A voice inside me cried out,
Please don’t make me eat. Being hungry is all that is feeding me.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Where-Have-I-Been-All-My-Life.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Where-Have-I-Been-All-My-Life.jpg"><img alt="Where Have I Been All My Life" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41809" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Where-Have-I-Been-All-My-Life.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Where-Have-I-Been-All-My-Life.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Where
Have I Been All My Life? is a compelling memoir recounting one woman’s
journey through grief and a profound feeling of unworthiness to
wholeness and healing. It begins with the chillingly sudden death of
Rice’s mother, and is followed by her foray into the center of
mourning. <br />
<br />
With wisdom, grace, and humor, Rice recounts the grief games she plays in an
effort to resurrect her mother; her efforts to get her therapist, who
she falls desperately in love with, to run away with her; and the
transformation of her husband from fantasy man to ordinary guy to
superhero. In the process, she experiences aching revelations about her
family and her past—and realizes what she must leave behind, and what
she can carry forward with her.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Bu<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">y Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-Have-Been-All-Life/dp/163152917X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405965204&sr=8-1&keywords=where+have+i+been+all+my+life%3F" href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-Have-Been-All-Life/dp/163152917X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405965204&sr=8-1&keywords=where+have+i+been+all+my+life%3F" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Memoir</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Cheryl-Rice/e/B00J5OWIGQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Cheryl-Rice/e/B00J5OWIGQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Connect with Cheryl Rice through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="%20https://www.facebook.com/yourvoiceyourvision " href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-admin/%20https://www.facebook.com/yourvoiceyourvision" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>&<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/RiceOnLife" href="https://twitter.com/RiceOnLife" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.yourvoiceyourvision.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-KsIroKPbTLpqZOg7K5rhGXAchzg" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.yourvoiceyourvision.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-KsIroKPbTLpqZOg7K5rhGXAchzg" target="_blank">www.yourvoiceyourvision.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-78300927958756117502014-11-28T08:30:00.000-05:002014-12-04T08:57:41.837-05:00K S Ferguson on Authenticity Being the Writer's Watch Word #WriteTip #UrbanFantasy #AmWritingAuthenticity is the writer's watch word. If you're describing a
location like Chicago or Los Angeles, you'd better get the Starbucks at
the right corner of the intersection. Intend to sink a nuclear sub? Make
sure you mention all the right switches and buttons on the control
panel. If you don't, readers will let you know that you screwed it up.<br />
<br />
David
Morrell, author of Rambo and over thirty other bestselling thriller
novels knows this rule. That's why he's attended the FBI defensive
driving course, knife-fighting school, and spent months learning to sail
a boat.<br />
<br />
Of course, David Morrell can afford to spend
the time and money on research to ensure that his details are authentic.
The rest of us merely mortal authors aim a little lower.<br />
<br />
In
my contemporary fantasy, Touching Madness, hapless hero River Madden is
both schizophrenic and a dedicated pacifist. (Think about it—would you
give a deadly weapon to someone who hallucinates?) But being a pacifist
doesn't excuse River from facing physical danger.<br />
<br />
River
needs to 'get the goods' on a local mob boss and his drug lord
supplier. He convinces the criminals to rendezvous with him in an
abandoned factory under the pretext of making a drug buy. River's plans
never go quite like he intends. I needed a contingency plan that would
allow him to escape without turning to violence once things started to
go wrong.<br />
<br />
That's when I thought about smoke bombs
(possibly because my brother got suspended from high school for a few
days for lobbing one onto the football field at half-time). According to
dozens of YouTube videos, they're dead simple to make, requiring only
stump remover, newspaper, string, and an empty soda can. It was exactly
the kind of home-made solution River would use. For the sake of
authenticity, I thought I better try it out.<br />
<br />
Really
good smoke bombs aren't as simple as they seem. To get the necessary
billowing clouds of smoke I wanted, I needed to get the air holes just
right. And I needed a mass of bombs all going off at the same time.
Fuses were an issue. Cotton string just isn't that flammable. Throwing
them was a joke. I could barely get ignition when they were sitting on
the ground in ideal conditions. In the end, I ditched the smoke bombs.<br />
<br />
But
all was not lost. I had a very authentic experience convincing the fire
department and my neighbors that I was only a harmless writer and not a
terrorist. I'm sure I'll use that conversation in a book someday.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Touching-Madness.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Touching-Madness.jpg"><img alt="Touching Madness" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41637" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Touching-Madness.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Touching-Madness.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Light
bulbs talk to River Madden; God doesn't. When the homeless
schizophrenic unintentionally fractures a dimensional barrier and
accidentally steals a gym bag containing a million dollars, everyone
from the multiverse police to the local crime boss—and an eight-foot
tall demon—are after him. Can he dodge them long enough to correct his
mistakes and prevent the destruction of three separate dimensions? If he
succeeds, will the light bulbs stop singing off-key?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H9QPLA" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H9QPLA" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Contemporary, Urban fantasy</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=K%20S%20Ferguson&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=K%20S%20Ferguson&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.ksferguson.net&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28uYLnWK2puPbkhz-G_C7dYRTpoBw" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.ksferguson.net&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28uYLnWK2puPbkhz-G_C7dYRTpoBw" target="_blank">http://www.ksferguson.net</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-88421393722292643262014-11-26T12:30:00.000-05:002015-02-06T02:06:51.044-05:00#Excerpt from JOHN SMITH : Last Known Survivor of the #Microsoft Wars by Roland Hughes #Dystopian <div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US">SK: I ask again, what was the truth according to John Smith?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">JS:
Later in life, when people were counting the number of wells and
starting to not buy the “dead Dino” story, scientists made an even more
ludicrous claim. They claimed the jungle and forest, which covered all
of the land during the age of the dinosaur, was also decomposing and
creating large pools of oil.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US">SK: Why was this so ludicrous?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">JS: Admittedly, plant and animal life will share <i>some</i> mineral content, and all things will create <i>some</i> kind
of goo when they reach that liquefying stage of decomposition.
However, I do find it a stretch that both would end up creating crude
oil, no matter how much heat and time were applied, unless crude is a
very tiny subset of minerals that survive decomposition. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">Eventually,
scientists started claiming crude was caused by decaying plant and
animal life. I guess fish never played into the formula. Scientists
really had no choice. They had to explain to an increasingly skeptical
public why some crude was yellow and some black. Some crude was
fast-flowing liquid and other crude was a solid brick.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US">SK: I ask again, what was the truth according to John Smith?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">JS:
Crude oil is decomposing humans from earlier cycles. Each cycle lasts
an unbelievably long time, as far as human life is concerned. Humans,
by and large, have a need to build communities. As the cycle
progresses, these communities become cities of a massive scale. When
the earth shifts and heaves its continents around, these cities are
buried deep in a matter of hours, if not seconds. They are buried deep
without air or the nutrients needed for bacterial decomposition.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">The
steel eventually reverts back to iron and carbon; the concrete, to
limestone and sand. I’m not certain what happens to the glass other
than the fact it is crushed into pieces so tiny one wouldn’t notice them
coming up with the drilling mud. The humans and their pets,
though—they are crushed and eventually, the heat of the earth cooks them
into crude.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US">SK:
That is a disgusting thing to say. We have one of those oil sites
oozing stuff out of the ground near our city! People use it for all
kinds of things.</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">JS:
Humans are useful in a variety of forms. Have they invented a product
called petroleum jelly yet? It’s kind of greasy, helps cuts heal and
looks a lot like animal fat.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US">SK: Oh! I cannot believe I’m being forced to sit here and listen to this!</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">JS: Do you think I’m the first to point something like this out? I suppose you have never heard of cannibalism either?</span></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US">SK: Another disgusting tale to frighten children!</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">JS:
Oh no. It was real and existed in various forms around the globe.
Even in large cities, where everybody claimed it never happened, you
would see the occasional news report that someone had been arrested with
pieces of humans in their fridge or freezer. There was even a movie
about the earth running out of food and governments taking it upon
themselves to make cannibalism palatable to the masses.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US">SK: I simply cannot accept the premise anybody would believe such a story.</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">JS:
The story became a legend. They would simply herd people to different
areas of each city. One area would be selected for recycling. The
people would be processed and turned into little food squares of
“Soylent Green.” There were lots of different colors of food squares
made from the various forms of food still available but there wasn’t
enough to go around.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="TextBodySingle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/johnSmith.jpg" /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“John
Smith: Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars” is one big interview.
It is a transcript of a dialogue between “John Smith” (who, as the
title of the book implies is the last known survivor of the Microsoft
wars) and the interviewer for a prominent news organization.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/John-Smith-Known-Survivor-Microsoft/dp/193973200X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> & <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/john-smith-roland-hughes/1102176003?ean=9781939732002" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Dystopian Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Roland+Hughes&search-alias=books&text=Roland+Hughes&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://johnsmith-book.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-70oxuHXvWgcvombsi9GJmpfL5eA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://johnsmith-book.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-24149849620105161592014-11-25T11:30:00.000-05:002014-12-30T03:51:20.413-05:00Madi Brown on Readers Being Visual & Book Covers @Madithe1brown #Wwed #AmReading #ChickLit<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Why Book Covers Are So Important</b></span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Unless
you don't have eyes, people are visual. If there's a handsome guy
sitting across from me during my daily commute on the train, I'm going
to look. If I'm away on vacation, I'm going to appreciate the beautiful
sights around me, because I know that I'm there to relax. If my mom
bakes one of her yummy peach cobblers, I'm going to feast on it with my
eyes first, and then I'm going to devour it. In the world of books, book
covers work in the same way. There are probably millions of them out
there, but most readers are only looking for one title. Just think, your
book cover is going to be the very first thing that a buyer will see.
If you're suddenly feeling the pressure of of just how important a book
cover really might be, then continue to read on.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">“I've
penned a stellar novel. People are going to love me once they read what
I've written.” Plenty of authors are probably thinking the exact same
thing. But how are you going to let people know about this stellar body
of work that you've just created? I'll tell you how. You're going to
have a fabulous book cover that will make your book stand out from the
rest. And don’t worry, I get it. Writers aren't book designers, but
here's where you bring in someone to help with bringing your vision to
life. Outsourcing can be your new best friend.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>How to Find a Book Cover Designer That Fits Your Needs</b></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I'm pretty infatuated with the book cover for my debut novel,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>The Truth About Emily</b>,
but it wasn't a one step process of knowing what I wanted straight
away. It started with me doing research. Think about your storyline or
nonfiction topic. Jot down some ideas so that you have a place of
reference to pull from. Do you have a title already? Great. If you do,
then keep that in mind too, because it's another source. Now go online
and begin looking at other people's book covers. Are they popular
authors? Ask yourself what it is, if anything, that's drawing your eyes
to it. How do you feel about the colors, the images, the font style, and
the font size? Also, check out some of the books that you've previously
purchased; specifically on the strength of its book cover. What caused
you to click on buying it? Next up, what you want to do, is take all of
that information and keep it somewhere safe. We'll come back to it.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Now
you'll need to find yourself a competent book cover designer. Fiverr
(an online company that will do almost any task for you for $5.00) has
loads of people on there who can assist you for a bargain, but just
remember that most of those people specialize in quantity over quality.
By this, I mean that you might end up with a book cover identical to
someone else or it may have an appearance that looks manufactured. This
isn’t to say that there aren’t some gems on there, but you'll have to
diligently seek them out. As for myself, I chose to go with a
freelancer. I was drawn to the element of selection in having access to a
host of talented designers with exceptional portfolios and being able
to make a choice based on a price that I’ve set. My final winning pick
was Gavin Pledger, Creative Soutions King).</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">By
now ,you’ve found yourself a book cover designer (as far as the work
contract is concerned, make sure that you add in how many times they’re
willing to revise. Negotiate a flat fee). The first thing that they’ll
want to know is what creative direction you’d like them to go in. This
is when you whip out the notes that you’ve been compiling for your
project. It’s your starting point. Don't be afraid to let them know what
works for you, and what doesn’t. A really good book cover designer will
be as excited as you are in getting right!</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/truthaboutemily.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/truthaboutemily.jpg"><img alt="truthaboutemily" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41632" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/truthaboutemily.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/truthaboutemily.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"If you LOVE New York, if you’re a
name-dropping, fashion fiend careerist; fed up with serial dating,
plagued with a thirst for sex, then you’ll totally stalk me for what
I've penned.” - Author, Madi Brown</span></span></h2>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Description</i></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">29-year-old
Emily Greene looks the part, but she’s still working on becoming a
modern-day woman. Not that she’s one to back down from a challenge, but
living as an eternal work-in-progress wasn't exactly the goal that she
had in mind. It’s a harsh but true realization---the idea that that time
isn't on her side, and the notion that wanting to have it all, doesn't
mean getting it. The verdict is in; with zero prospects for a
relationship and a stalled blogging career, Emily has every reason to
believe that she’s been living a life too humdrum for her own good.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Making
the change won’t be easy. She’ll have to do whatever it takes; start
dating like a man, become more selective about which RSVP's she accepts,
and work even harder at getting her dream job.The payoff’s huge; a
modern twist on a storybook ending, but gains don’t often come without
risks. In the here and now Emily just may be forced to choose...It’s got
to be one or the other----the profession that she’s always wanted, or
the love that she’s never had.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">˃˃˃ Praise for Madi Brown &</span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">her debut novel, The Truth About Emily</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The
added depth of character promises complexity but wraps everything in
the saucy cloak of Emily's evolving personality and newfound beliefs
about life, love, and the real nature of happiness. And this is where
The Truth About Emily outshines many competitors, making it a
recommended read for those seeking more than a standard romance novel." <i>- D. Donovan, eBook Reviewer, Midwest Book Reviews</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"This
book has just about anything a girl would love to read about. If
there's anything Emily Greene has is ISH and lots of it, oh the
ending... This book is a total keeper, just anything about fashion to
relationships to friends and family." <i>- Y. Sanchez, Goodreads</i></span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Emily-Madi-Brown-ebook/dp/B00MNIL5TW" href="http://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Emily-Madi-Brown-ebook/dp/B00MNIL5TW" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Genre – Contemporary Women's Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rating – PG18</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Madi-Brown/e/B00MNMD2ZS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Madi-Brown/e/B00MNMD2ZS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Connect</b> with Madi Brown on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/Madibrown.combooksandblog" href="https://www.facebook.com/Madibrown.combooksandblog" target="_blank">Facebook</a> &amp; <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/Madithe1brown" href="https://twitter.com/Madithe1brown" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-8439447092702345402014-11-22T07:00:00.000-05:002014-11-29T07:32:25.315-05:00#Excerpt from BIRTH OF AN ASSASSIN by Rik Stone @Stone_Rik #Suspense #Thriller #Mystery <div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adrik
waited in the guard’s room a couple of corridors along from Kornfeld’s
cell. There was only one way out, so the Jew had to pass this room. He
spun a Makarov on his finger, aimed at imaginary targets and thrilled at
the thought of using it. The gun was standard issue, but he would’ve
chosen it anyway. Totally reliable, pull the trigger and out pop the
bullets. The blowback design expels the spent case to the right and
loads the next cartridge into the chamber – easy. And fully armed with
eight rounds, he would use them all.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This
wouldn’t be his first killing and sure as hell wouldn’t be his last.
Kornfeld was a pain, and it was Otto who mattered. He would do anything
for him. Why should he care about some Jew who got in the way?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
time dragged, and Kornfeld hadn’t yet made a show. For one horrible
minute he thought there might be another way out – but no, that isn’t
even possible. Calm down, be patient… Try as he might, he couldn’t, and
the idea ran around his head, irritating him beyond measure.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He
left the guardroom and paced the corridor outside. At first a short
distance and then a bit further into the next passageway. No good – he
had to find out what had happened. With gun in hand and footsteps
stealthy he reached the cell door – it was slightly open. Oh shit, did
that mean there was another way out? Or maybe Kornfeld had gone deeper
into the prison block. Or maybe he was in the cell hoping the element of
surprise would be with him.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Possibilities
ganged up. Kornfeld knew Lubyanka well. What if there was another way
out and that little bastard knew it? If so, Otto would kill him, never
mind the Jew. He kicked the door fully open, slammed it against the cell
wall, stood back and then moved in, pointing the gun around to make
sure Kornfeld wasn’t hidden on either side of the opening. The cell was
dimly lit and he found it difficult to see. He would stay put until his
eyes got accustomed to the light. A body, he saw a body. It was covered
with a greatcoat, on the bunk facing the wall.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He
was clearly supposed to think it was Kornfeld. In that case he’d be
under the bunk waiting… But then that’s obvious too, so he might be on
top with the guard pushed underneath. That made more sense – it would be
easier for him to make an attack from on top – but, shit, wouldn’t that
be what he wanted him to think?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To
be sure of the kill, Adrik wanted to shoot above and below – but he
couldn’t. How would he explain the soldier’s death? Oh, Otto, if only
Otto was there to tell him what to do. But he wasn’t, he had to make up
his own mind. The Jew was on top – yes, definitely on top.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cautiously,
he edged forward, pointed the pistol to the back of the person’s head
and pulled the body towards him with gun steady and ready to fire. As
quickly as his huge form allowed, he pulled the greatcoat away.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fuck!
The guard! No time to react. A leg came from under the bunk with
incredible speed and wrapped around the back of his. At the same time,
the Jew’s other foot came against his knees and pushed. Adrik had
brought his legs together when he tore the coat away and Kornfeld used
the imbalance to his advantage. Adrik’s arms went out. He hovered
awkwardly, then almost regained control, but Kornfeld pushed harder and
Adrik went flying backwards with his legs in the air. A sense of
suspension ended and he fell heavily, striking the hard stone floor. His
head bounced, shudders chased through his brain and he found himself
staring at the ceiling, wavering between conscious and unconscious.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
pain pierced his skull and he noticed his head had rested in a pool of
warm liquid. He hadn’t seen that when he came in. Numbness consumed his
body; he couldn’t move. But then his blurred vision saw the bleary
outline of the Jew. Awareness came that his body was being rolled over.
He was paralyzed, but it didn’t stop the surge of fear that ran through
every fibre of his being.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Birth-of-an-Assassin.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Set
against the backdrop of Soviet, post-war Russia, Birth of an Assassin
follows the transformation of Jez Kornfeld from wide-eyed recruit to
avenging outlaw. Amidst a murky underworld of flesh-trafficking,
prostitution and institutionalized corruption, the elite Jewish soldier
is thrown into a world where nothing is what it seems, nobody can be
trusted, and everything can be violently torn from him.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Birth-of-an-Assassin-ebook/dp/B00DIFVC3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382547441&sr=8-1&keywords=rik+stone" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/birth-of-an-assassin-rik-stone/1115953870?ean=9781783010998" style="text-decoration: none;">B&N</a>, <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-gb/books/birth-of-an-assassin/-ykZ9LomEEqWVVtGlJrG-A" style="text-decoration: none;">Kobo</a> & <a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/rik+stone/birth+of+an+assassin+28ebook29/9960214/" style="text-decoration: none;">Waterstones</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Thriller, Crime, Suspense</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rik-Stone/e/B00DP4R3OY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Rik Stone on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rik-Stone/602289653148840" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/stone_rik" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a href="http://rik-stone.simdif.com/" itemprop="url" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://rik-stone.simdif.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-65284725990671675832014-11-21T12:00:00.000-05:002014-12-05T10:19:34.224-05:00Glimpses of Heaven on Earth and Its Impact on Readers by John E. Wade #AmReading #NonFiction<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">While
I know this size of this small book indicates that it will be a quick
and easy read—and does not take long to read—its impact on the reader
will be much deeper than they might anticipate. As billed, the book
indeed contains “inspiring quotations and insightful essays.” The
chapters are organized by topics, which are the ten elements of heaven
on earth which I have identified: peace and security, freedom,
democracies, prosperity, gender harmony, racial harmony, spiritual
harmony, ecological harmony, health, and moral purpose and meaning.
There is also a chapter entitled, “Individual Paths to Heaven on Earth,”
which includes some well-known quotations, as well as quotes from
“regular people” who state what heaven on earth would feel like for
them.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">I previously published<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth</i>, and the four other co-authors of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Glimpses of Heaven on Earth<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>each
contributed an essay to this first book. I think readers will be
interested in reading about the different backgrounds of each of the
co-authors, as I am a retired CPA who now devotes my time to investing
and writing. I have several active blogs which can be found on<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.JohnEWadeII.com" href="http://www.johnewadeii.com/"><span class="s3">www.JohnEWadeII.com</span></a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.HeavenOnEarth.org" href="http://www.heavenonearth.org/"><span class="s3">www.HeavenOnEarth.org</span></a>, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.HonestJohnWade.com" href="http://www.honestjohnwade.com/"><span class="s3">www.HonestJohnWade.com</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(which focuses on politics). </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">Charlotte
L. Piotrowski spent ten years litigating complex cases before she
turned her attention to writing, editing, and content creation for
websites and blogs on a freelance basis. Charlotte and I both live in
New Orleans, and work closely together on my many creative projects.
Daniel Agatino practices law and teaches in New Jersey, while Michael
Nagler founded the Metta Center for Nonviolence (<a data-mce-href="http://www.mettacenter.org" href="http://www.mettacenter.org/"><span class="s3">www.mettacenter.org</span></a>) and Martin Rutte is the founder of Project Heaven on Earth (<a data-mce-href="http://www.projectheavenonearth.com" href="http://www.projectheavenonearth.com/"><span class="s3">www.projectheavenonearth.com</span></a>)
and is a popular inspirational speaker. I think this diversity is what
really brings this book alive and makes it so relatable to any reader.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">Not
to brag too much, but I think we did an excellent job locating and
including wonderfully inspiring quotations that truly relate to each of
the ten elements. Here are some examples:</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson</span></span></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“Prosperity is only an instrument to be used, not a deity to be worshipped.” - Calvin Coolidge</span></span></span></i></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“Prejudice is the child of ignorance.” - William Hazlitt</span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“I
expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any
kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let
me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way
again.” - William Penn</span></span></span></i></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">There
are many lesser-known quotations included as well, and as should be
evident, the more you really contemplate the quotes, the more impactful
they become. I expect each reader will have her or his own favorite
portions of the book, to which they will want to return time and time
again. For this reason, I believe this book is destined to become a
classic. It can truly help to start some much-needed and interesting
dialog. So I cannot help but to highly recommend this book, and hope you
enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg"><img alt="Glimpses of Heaven on Earth" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-42087" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Editor
and author John E. Wade II has compiled a spiritual guide of invaluable
insight for finding peace and meaning in life while making the world a
better place for all. Along with co-authors Charlotte Livingston
Piotrowski, Daniel Agatino, Michael Nagler, and Martin Rutte, this
collection of enlightening essays and inspirational quotes from renowned
thinkers and leade</span></span>rs throughout history provides the intellectual tools needed to live a more harmonious life.<br />
<br />
Buy <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/GLIMPSES-HEAVEN-EARTH-Quotations-Insightful-ebook/dp/B00LOYGN3O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1405439205" href="http://www.amazon.com/GLIMPSES-HEAVEN-EARTH-Quotations-Insightful-ebook/dp/B00LOYGN3O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1405439205" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Inspirational</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=John%20E.%20Wade%20II&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=John%20E.%20Wade%20II&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with John E. Wade II on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/jwadeii?ref_type=bookmark" href="https://www.facebook.com/jwadeii?ref_type=bookmark" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-90841047565598572672014-11-21T07:00:00.000-05:002015-01-18T01:34:36.361-05:00@MargaretWestlie on the Story that Caught Her Imagination - "Anna's Secret" #AmReading #HistFic<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
have been steeped in the stories about my ancestors since my birth.
They may have even seeped into me through the walls of the womb. <i>Anna’s Secret</i> is
a story I’ve heard many times from various people. The latest version
was from my Uncle Harold. He said that one of our own people was
suspected of the crime of murdering Anne Beaton with a turnip hoe. It
was said that she was no better than she should be and was doing a
little marital wandering with someone in the community. For a long time
the smithy was suspected. He was in custody for a period but was
finally exonerated and left Prince Edward Island for good. Ultimately
the authorities decided that the crime was perpetrated by a woman and
was in fact, a crime of passion. This last was pronounced with great
relish. They never found the person responsible. It seems that Anne
had greatly riled a wronged wife, and probably several.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
story caught my imagination and I began to wonder: what if she wasn’t
who they thought she was? What if the reason for her murder was entirely
different? What if the murderer was discovered? Who would it be? Her
husband? The wronged woman? The man she was said to be involved
with? There was a lot to play with here. In a technical sense, how
close to reality could I be without offending descendents? Not too
close, I decided. Anyway, it’s more fun to write what pops into my mind
and see how it plays out.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
I wrote, the narrative opened like a flower as I examined the
individuals who I decided were involved. Who were they? What
relationship did they hold to Anna and to her family and to each other?
How did Old Annie figure into it? After all she was a daft old woman
who had to be transported to gatherings in a wheelbarrow because she
couldn’t be left alone. Most of the time she didn’t know anyone and
lived in her mind very far in the past with people she knew in her
youth. What did she have to do with Anna’s murder? After all, she and
Anna had been life-long friends.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And
what did it do to the community? Their sense of safety was shattered
and people took to locking their doors, some even in the daytime. This
was in a community that never locked its doors even in my grandmother’s
time. I remember this from my childhood. The only time the door was
locked was if they were going to be away for an extended period because,
what if someone needed something and they weren’t home to give it to
them? I remember my own mother telling me a story about an old man who
peddled goods and trinkets door-to-door. He was a little simple as they
say here. They woke up one morning and discovered him asleep on the
lounge with a blazing fire in the stove. After the murder, people were
afraid to walk out alone at night.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
the story progressed it took awhile for me to realize who the real
perpetrator was and the denouement was almost as much a surprise to me
as it will be to you.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/annasSecret.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anna
Gillis, the midwife and neighbour in Mattie’s Story, has been found
killed. The close-knit community is deeply shaken by this eruption of
violence, and neighbours come together to help one another and to
discover the perpetrator. But the answer lies Anna’s secret, long
guarded by Old Annie, the last of the original Selkirk Settlers, and the
protagonist of An Irregular Marriage. Join the community! Read Anna’s
Secret and other novels by Margaret A. Westlie.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IEEXUMO" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> & <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/418795" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Fiction, mystery, historical</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Westlie/e/B00HZRKK10" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Margaret Westlie on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/margaretwestlienovelist" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/MargaretWestlie" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.margaretwestlie.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29ilE1Iu2yMnk-3FJ1ZhE-qq3C3Qg" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.margaretwestlie.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-83805821771548503202014-11-06T08:30:00.000-05:002014-11-06T13:28:44.019-05:00Behind the Scenes of Saga of the Nine: #Area38 by Mikey D.B. @mikeydbii #Dystopian #Thriller <div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ten things you didn’t know about<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Saga of the Nine: Area 38</i></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) It was originally going to be a musical. The album that inspired it,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>This is War</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>by
30 Seconds to Mars, was intended not only as the frame work of the
story, but the bulk of the songs as well. I thought about seeking out
Jared Leto’s help/permission to use his music and possibly add more, but
things ended up turning a different direction. It really came down to
the fact that I didn’t think a musical would do the story justice. I
still listened to the album probably a couple hundred times while
writing it, but the story is much different now than the original
musical.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2)
Mica and the USA Division were inspired by a date I took a girl on. My
date and I doubled with my roommate and his date, each got some
masquerade masks, and then went to dinner at a fancy restaurant while we
wore them. Like I said, bizarre, but hey, something worked because my
date that night is now my wife.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3) Area 38 is actually a reference to the 38<sup>th</sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>state of the United States of America.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4)
The opening setting was inspired by the cold winter mornings in Utah.
I’ve been working the six am shift for as long as I can remember, and
one of the joys about having to wake up so early in order to get to work
on time, is it’s around the time that the sun rises. The fog that
covered the fields outside the industrial park were some of the most
beautiful mornings I’ve seen.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5) Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor who played Sherlock Holmes in BBC’s<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Sherlock</i>,
is the person I pictured as I wrote and fine tuned Christopher Stone,
the sadistic Area Leader of Area 38. If he reads this, I hope he
doesn’t get offended. The way he talks in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Star Trek: Into Darkness<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>as Kahn is exactly how I imagine Christopher saying his lines.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6)
I wrote the entire novel on the floor of my 500 square foot
apartment--right at the foot of my bed. I could only right for a few
hours at a time though. Any longer than three and my butt and legs
would begin to go numb.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Saga of the Nine: Area 38<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>is
actually a hybrid. The entire plot began as two different stories.
Both of them were going nowhere, and one day I had the epiphany to
combine the two.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8) Most, if not all, of my research for<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Area 38<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>came from listening to history podcasts I would listen to at my day job in the warehouse.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9)
The flag on the cover was the brain child of my cousin, the cover
designer. The entire premise is that anything that is evil and corrupt
usually isn’t original. Evil simply takes originality and tweaks it.
That’s what the Nine did with the U.S. flag.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10) The foreign language in the novel is based off of Tahitian, which I picked up on my LDS mission in French Polynesia.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Saga-of-the-Nine.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Saga-of-the-Nine.jpg"><img alt="Saga of the Nine" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41059" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Saga-of-the-Nine.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Saga-of-the-Nine.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Change
affects everyone and it is no different for Jackson. Living in Area 38
for as long as he can remember, he knows of no better way to exist than
under the tyrannical rule of Christopher Stone, son of Stewart Stone
from The Nine of The United Governmental Areas, aka The UGA. This all
takes a dramatic turn when Jackson finds a red, metal box buried in his
yard, filled with illegal artifacts—journals, a Bible, CDs, etc.—that
are from a man of whom he has no recollection of: Mica Rouge.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> The
year is 2036 and Mica, unlike Jackson, does know of a better way of
life but is torn apart as he sees his country, The United States of
America, crumbling from within by group known as The Political Mafia.
The Mafia has infiltrated levels upon levels of governmental resources
and it is up to Mica and a vigilante group known as The USA Division to
stop them and their dark Utopian vision. To their demise, and at the
country's expense, The Division fails and has no choice but to watch The
Constitution dissolve and transform into The UGA.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
a final stand, having not given up hope, Mica and what is left of The
Division, give one final fight in Colorado, or better known as Area 38.
However, all is lost as The Division is betrayed by one of their own,
Stewart Stone. Mica is left with no choice but to hide in exile, leaving
what little history he can of himself and the great United States of
America, with his wife, long time friends, and newly born son in hopes
that they will one day finish what he could not.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jackson,
having found this legacy twenty-seven years later, decides to start the
war that will end The Nine, and he with an outcast group known as The
Raiders, begins his fight with Christopher Stone in Area 38. Filled with
betrayal, unity, despair, hope, hate and love Area 38 follows both Mica
and Jackson in their attempts to restore what they believe to be true
freedom, and where one fails, the other rises to the seemingly
impossible challenge.</span></span></div>
</div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Saga-Nine-Mikey-D-B-ebook/dp/B00I3I8R9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1391036693&sr=1-1&keywords=mikey+d.+b." href="http://www.amazon.com/Saga-Nine-Mikey-D-B-ebook/dp/B00I3I8R9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1391036693&sr=1-1&keywords=mikey+d.+b." target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Dystopian Thriller</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Mikey%20D.%20B.&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Mikey%20D.%20B.&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Mikey D. B. on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikey-D-B/193122724228568?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikey-D-B/193122724228568?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/mikeydbii" href="https://twitter.com/mikeydbii" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.mikeydb.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29rFXKoKCy5nHRPTeDOI1JD41dROQ" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.mikeydb.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29rFXKoKCy5nHRPTeDOI1JD41dROQ" target="_blank">www.mikeydb.com</a></b></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-89587670524999471022014-10-31T07:30:00.000-04:002014-10-31T12:14:50.294-04:00ACROSS WORLDS : COLLISION by S. A. Snow @BooksBySnow #AmReading #Erotica #SciFi <div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stepping
out into the hall, Usnavi started in the opposite direction that Jane
had been facing. While they walked, Jane reached over and grabbed zher
arm, both her hands wrapping around the leathery flesh of the alien.
Usnavi shivered. Zhe tried to shake the hold by pointing out different
places on the ship, hoping to get Jane excited about something other
than zhim, but each time she saw something new, her grip tightened.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shockwaves
rolled down zher spine, pooling in the backs of zher legs with each
passing step. Once they reached the observation room, where Jane would
be able to sit and wait with a view of the passing stars, Usnavi shook
her off and stepped back out of her reach.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I will return quickly,” zhe stated.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Wait,” Jane whined.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I will be back in a short period of time. However, I must speak with my superiors about your exploits on the ship.”</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jane
lifted one delicate red eyebrow as Usnavi backed out of the observation
room, staring at Jane until the doors shut. She waited thirty seconds
for zhim to return before she set about exploring the newest room she
had to herself—luckily this one was much larger than the last. The
windows were huge and made up three walls of the room, and a half dozen
chairs identical to the one in her room were placed carefully in the
middle of the open space. On the last wall without windows, there was
the door and a computer station, which sat unattended.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unable
to help herself, she darted across the room to the computer. She
reached out hesitantly and touched the keyboard filled with unfamiliar
symbols. The screen went from black to white and a box appeared with a
blinking cursor inside it. She didn’t have to speak the language to know
it was asking for a password, which she didn’t have.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She
sighed deeply and went back to the window. Hesitantly, she lifted her
hand and touched it. Instead of glass, she discovered it was a
plastic-rubbery material that had a slight give when she pressed on it.
Curiosity piqued, she extended one finger and poked it.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
finger moved the material nearly an inch before it pushed back. Her
brows knit in confusion, and she studied it carefully. Definitely not
any sort of glass available on Earth. She made a mental note to ask
Usnavi about it when zhe returned. She smiled softly—there were a lot of
things on that list.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pressing
her face to the moveable glass, she tried to find any constellations
she was familiar with. Her eyes searched for the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia,
or Orion, anything that she would recognize. When she couldn’t even
figure out which one was the North Star, she amused herself by finding
new shapes in the inky sky. She found what looked to be a teddy bear, a
dragon, and a sunflower before the door opened with a slight noise and
her alien entered.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AcrossWorldsCollision.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AcrossWorldsCollision.jpg"><img alt="AcrossWorldsCollision" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40725" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AcrossWorldsCollision.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AcrossWorldsCollision.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jane expected six months undercover to be hard; she expected it to be lonely and bleak. She didn’t expect to find love. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Jane
Butler, a CIA operative, is assigned the task of infiltrating the
Xanthians and determining if they’re a threat to humanity. Going
undercover as a Xanthian mate, she boards the transport ship and meets
Usnavi—her new mate. After spending six days traveling through space,
Jane is ecstatic to explore the Xanthian station and soon sets out to
complete her mission. The only problem? Usnavi—and the feelings she is
quickly developing. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Fumbling
their way through varying sexual expectations, cooking catastrophes,
and cultural differences, they soon discover life together is never
boring. As Jane and Usnavi careen into a relationship neither of them
expected, Jane uncovers dark secrets about the Xanthians and realizes
she may no longer be safe. When it becomes clear she’s on her own, Jane
is forced to trust and rely on Usnavi. Simultaneously struggling with
her mission, her feelings for Usnavi, and homesickness, Jane faces
questions she never imagined she would have to answer.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Across-Worlds-Collision-S-Snow-ebook/dp/B00MANJM2M" href="http://www.amazon.com/Across-Worlds-Collision-S-Snow-ebook/dp/B00MANJM2M" target="_blank">Amazon</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/435337" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/435337" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Blended Science Fiction, Erotica</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – NC17</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/S.-A.-Snow/e/B00MARDKL2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/S.-A.-Snow/e/B00MARDKL2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with S. A. Snow on <a data-mce-href="http://www.facebook.com/booksbysnow" href="http://www.facebook.com/booksbysnow" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
<br />Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-20951105041847626312014-10-28T10:30:00.000-04:002014-10-30T05:25:04.136-04:00Pushing Forward Into Idealistic Writing with PM Pillon #Fantasy #SciFi #Goodreads <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">We
are sometimes inordinately affected by a statement we read by D.H.
Lawrence, Mark Twain, Aldous Huxley, J.R. Tolken et al, and a single
sentence or phrase can set us into ideas that may remain stamped in us
even if they never lead to a definitive work. Decades ago, I read a
single 12-word sentence by Friedrich Nietzsche in a printed work that
was so devastating, I never repeated to anyone and was gratified when I
Googled and didn’t find a digital version of it; I implore it to remain
obscure.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;" /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">These
are among the parts that sum us up, and in some cases define our
direction. If we are an idealist, we may ask ourselves, was Mother
Teresa correct when she said we should see every person we meet as Jesus
Christ, or was Lord Shiva correct when he said that when we see someone
we should be so emphatic we become that person? Although they seem to
present two different concepts, could they both be correct? In other
words, can we see every person as Jesus Christ and also become that
Jesus Christ? Or does what Michael Stipe said, that “all these fantasies
come flailing around” apply to these Teresa and Shiva statements,
draining them of their real-world veridical legitimacy? Do we need to
resolve such questions to push forward into idealistic writing?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;" /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">A
scrupulous use of quotes from famous writers can spice up our writing
because they seem more credible than the same statement from an unknown
person, but we have to be scrupulous and not just assume a source and
credibility. Recently while lunching with my honey she quoted Gandhi
about “blind and toothless” and I quoted Oscar Wilde about declaring his
genius at customs, but later I Googled both quotes and we may have both
been misinformed. The citing of “blind and toothless” was first uttered
as early as 1914 before Gandhi before he returned to India and became a
philosophical giant, and there’s no proof that Wilde said this at New
York customs as is reported. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;" /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">None
of this does a writer any good who hasn’t read widely and found out
what these personalities have to offer, nor is it necessary to know
about them in all cases. William Faulkner was well versed in the great
writers of times past but ultimately produced his own signature prose
that was compelling without references to works by Monstesquieu, Whitman
or Plath or idealism of any sort. He chose instead of focus on
characters that he invented who were based on life around him in a
Southern state.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/TheRealityMaster.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="outer_postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div id="postBodyPS">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">His celestial companion was waiting for him</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Precariously
climbing a sea-side cliff near Big Sur, ten-year-old Joey Blake was as
yet unaware that near his grasp was an object, so odd, mysterious and
alien to earth that it would change his life forever and the lives of
countless others in the next few astonishing days. Reaching up as far as
he could for a handhold it was just there; it had subconsciously lured
him, occupied his mind, and made him find it. It was like he was meant
to see and discover this object of unimaginable power … the power to
change reality.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Time travel and more</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This
young adult series of sci-fi fantasy novels begins with The Reality
Master and continues through four other exciting and amazing stories
about time travel and mysterious alien devices. Joey and the reader will
face dangerous shadowy criminal organizations, agents of the NSA,
bizarre travelers from other times and even renegade California bikers
and scar-faced walking dead.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Vol 1 The Reality Master</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Vol 2 Threat To The World</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Vol 3 Travel Beyond</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Vol 4 Missions Through Time</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Vol 5 The Return Home</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Reality-Master-PM-Pillon-ebook/dp/B00GTWX4CO" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Science fiction, Fantasy, Young adult</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/PM-Pillon/e/B00ASAMQVI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with PM Pillon on <a href="https://facebook.com/pmpillon" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/pmpillon" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-89630361805408587552014-10-25T12:00:00.000-04:002014-12-08T11:31:38.228-05:00Jenny Hayworth Shares an #Excerpt from INSIDE/OUTSIDE by @JennyHayworth1 #Memoir<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
2004 I had commenced studying for my bachelor of nursing degree at
university. I completed nine units over a twelve-month period and then
decided it was not for me. When considering other careers, I decided to
transfer to social work as I was allowed to do eight subjects of another
discipline as part of the degree, so I wouldn’t have wasted a year of
study. However, the university had closed the midyear intake, and I did
not wish to wait until March the following year to commence studying. I
looked at psychology and transferred my nine subjects over to that
degree and commenced straightaway. I was living in a small town and
working part time at the local hospital as well as studying.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
read an advertisement in the local paper asking for volunteers. I had
not forgotten in the past years how many times the Lifeline counsellors
had been there for me in my darkest hours, and I was determined to give
back for all I had taken. It was an inner force driving me. I had always
known, from the first time I had been encouraged by the mental-health
support nurse to enrol and do the course, that I would return one day
and work on the phones. Now, looking at the advertisement in the paper, I
decided it was time.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
applied to do the telephone-counselling course and was accepted. During
the following three months, I completed 120 hours of role play
education and learnt the art of reflective listening. My journey of
personal growth at that time was extraordinary. Once again I felt in awe
of this agency, set up to help normal, everyday people help other
everyday people in distress. I loved the fact that it didn’t matter what
faith or belief you had; as long as you agreed with the foundation
principles, you could be trained to be a telephone counsellor.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
completed the course and loved every minute of it. I found much of it
challenging, as we had to learn to listen actively and reflectively and
support people who were suicidal, self-harming, or in dire need of a
listening ear for all different reasons. People who had been victims of
domestic violence or sexual assault, or who suffered from mental
illnesses, came and spoke to us, which personally challenged any
preconceptions and biases we might have held. I learnt so much from the
role playing and having a group reflect back to me about how I
performed. The feedback from others, on such things as tone of voice and
my effectiveness in how I used each of the skills we needed to learn,
was invaluable.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
learnt how I had to put aside my own experiences, background, and
preconceptions even if I had experienced some of the issues that clients
raised on the phone. I had to truly listen and be there with people, by
their sides, as they poured out their personal pain. I learnt so much
about myself and more importantly, about how to truly be with someone
else who was going through personal crises or was in emotional pain.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
passed the course and was approved to move on to practical experience
on the telephones. There were plenty of support people on hand to sit
with me for as long as I required. I found that knowing what had helped <i>me</i> the
most when I had been the one calling helped me now to a certain degree,
but the most important thing was to be fully available emotionally to
the person on the other end. The Egan method of counselling, which is
the basis of Lifeline training, is a person-centred therapy. The tools
they taught us in regard to how to listen and guide another actively
through the maze of often-conflicting options and emotions were
invaluable.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
encountered every situation you could think of in these few months.
Most who were suicidal had attempted suicide before and been in
hospital, or they felt suicidal and were in extreme emotional pain that
they didn’t feel they could share with their families or friends. Some
had actual suicidal plans, and yet something had made them ring instead
of carrying through with them at that particular time.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many
were just plain lonely to the bone and had no one to listen to them or
to talk with. I was surprised that just a hearing ear was what most
people wished for. Nearly all who phoned had no trouble talking, and
they let me know when they had talked enough, felt better and more able
to cope, and could carry on.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many
people said they had told secrets they had kept for years—things they
had done they were ashamed of and didn’t feel they could live with if
anyone found out, conflicted emotions about partners and children and
parents. They spoke about things they were scared to voice out loud to
those around them but needed to be heard and to say. They needed to have
a chance, in a safe place with a safe person they couldn’t see, to say
the words and work out their own path in the telling.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone had a story.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One
particular night I went on my shift as usual. From the time the phone
rang and I picked up the call, I knew I had a young woman on the line
that was serious about taking her life.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Hello, Lifeline. How can I help you?” I answered.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At
first there was only silence. I sat quietly listening as I had been
taught, and I could hear music in the background, and the soft sounds of
someone breathing.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s okay, take your time. I am right here when you want to start talking.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
heard the sound of a deep intake of breath. Gulping, ragged sobs filled
the earpiece of my phone, and the sound of someone trying to suck back
in all the pain echoed in my ear. I could identify it was a female
crying although no words had been spoken by her yet.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I allowed about fifteen more seconds to go by whilst I listened to her crying.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You
don’t have to start at the beginning. Sometimes it’s too hard to know
where to start. It’s okay not to know,” I said. Sounds of more crying
filled my ear, louder now and less controlled. It was the sort of crying
that occurs when someone is absolutely bereft, exhausted, and in
despair. The wailing was coming from the depths of someone’s soul, the
sound of someone who had lost everything and had nothing remaining.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
allowed a few more seconds to go by until I heard a lull in the crying
as the person struggled to get their breath. “I am right here with you.
You are not alone,” I said. The wailing was less intense, and I could
tell she was listening to me. “I can hear you are in enormous emotional
pain. It is okay to cry. You’re not alone anymore.” I stayed quiet for a
few seconds. “What is your name?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Karen.” Sobs started slowly building up intensity again.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Karen, can you tell me what is happening for you right now? What made you pick up the phone and ring me tonight?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I
just want to die. I just want to die.” The female voice wailed loud and
high, frantic and nearly shouting. “I can’t do it anymore. It’s just
too hard. I just want to die. I can’t take anymore. It’s too much. It’s
all too much.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
identified exhaustion, slurring, lack of hope, and the clink of what
sounded like a glass. I pushed the “alert” button and, at the same time,
dialled the number for my supervisor on the mobile phone I had next to
me. I left the phone on the bench and kept talking.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Where are you right now? Are you at home?” I asked.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Where is home, Karen?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It doesn’t matter. I want to die. I just want to die.” Her voice rose again to a crescendo.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Karen, have you been drinking?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Vodka.
It is my favourite drink. I’ve nearly finished the bottle.” Her voice
was slurring, and my concern elevated another notch as her ability to
self-moderate and respond to reasoning would be compromised. Suddenly
her voice slipped into the hushed sing-song tones of a little girl. It
was so soft, and her words so slurred, I was finding it hard to pick up
the meaning of what she was saying.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m touching me. I’m touching me. Oh, there’s blood all over everywhere. I can taste it.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Soft
moaning filled the air. The strains of music in the background muffled
her voice. “Daddy, Daddy. Oh, I am so turned on. Why are you doing this
to me? Why?” Her moans changed to a high-pitched sob, and her gulp for
breath filled my ear.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Karen, are you cutting yourself?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes. There is blood everywhere. I am going to die. I want to die.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Karen,
can you please put the knife or razor down whilst you are talking to
me? Karen, have you put down what you are cutting yourself with? I need
you to put it down whilst you talk to me.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Karen,
I hear that you want to die. I believe you. But part of you picked up
the phone and rang me tonight. Part of you must want to live, as you
rang me tonight. I need to talk to that part of you that wants to live.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“No,
I want to die.” Her voice suddenly changed back to that of an adult.
“All of me wants to die. I can’t take it anymore. My daughters will be
better off with me dead. I’m no good to them. They should stay with
their father all the time. They would be better off. I am useless to
them.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I
hear you say you believe your daughters will be better off with you
dead. I hear you say you want to die.” I allowed a few seconds’ silence.
Her breathing was noisy and raspy. “Why did you ring me tonight, Karen?
Why did you ring me on the night you want to die?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
voice, interlaced with sobs, shouted down the phone at me. “Because I’m
scared. I don’t want to be alone when I die. I want someone with me.” I
waited a few seconds until her loud, frantic sobs started to die down.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I
hear you’re scared, Karen. Karen, if I could wave a magic wand and take
all your emotional pain away, would you still want to die? If all the
emotional pain was gone, would you still want to die?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“No,
but you can’t. No one can. I’ve tried. I’ve tried everything, and
nothing works. This is going to work. It is all going to end tonight.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Tell me about your emotional pain, Karen. Tell me why it feels so bad.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everything
else in the room and in my life ceased to exist except for her voice,
her words, her story, and the phone against my ear. I tried to stay with
her as she went to some dark places and took me with her.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She
was currently separated and had two young daughters. They lived with
her full time, but this weekend they were staying with their father. She
said he was a good father, and her daughters enjoyed going. She
sometimes spoke in a normal-sounding voice and then would switch to a
voice that sounded like a little girl’s as she regressed in time and was
living a reality back from when she was a child. She was drinking vodka
as we spoke and sometimes masturbating. She kept on picking up the
razor and cutting herself. She was in her bedroom with loud music
playing whilst she was cutting the top of her leg deep down to her
femoral artery.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She wanted to die.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She
had made up her mind that it would happen this weekend, and her
ex-husband would find her on the Monday morning after he had dropped
their daughters at school and come around to drop off their gear. She
was a victim of long and sustained childhood sexual abuse by her father.
She kept drifting in and out of consciousness toward the end of the
call. She was in an altered reality because of emotional pain,
intoxication, and sedatives and was cutting and masturbating to try to
alleviate some of her tension while stating she wanted to die. Her
memories of childhood and adult emotional pain intermingled.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My
supervisor had come in and had called the police in the caller’s area
twice already. Unfortunately, as police had taken her suicidal to
hospital some months previously, they were in no hurry to get to her.
They were prioritising other calls, not realising the seriousness of the
situation. This was not an unusual situation for us on the phones. Many
police were escorts for the mentally ill and suicidal, taking them to
hospital, and most had regulars in their areas that they got to know
well. This sometimes made them act with less urgency.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">However,
my supervisor kept ringing and conveying to them that I was an
experienced counsellor, and she trusted my instinct that this girl was
actively attempting to suicide and would bleed to death if no one
reached her soon. All my gut instinct was screaming out to me that this
was so. I channelled all my energy and every fibre of my being down that
phone to her; I was a hundred percent focused on trying to say the
right words to convey to her to live and not to die, and that I was
there for her.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
appealed to her as a fellow human being, through her daughters, through
the young self she kept slipping into, that there was hope, there was a
reason to live, there was a way out of this pain, there was a way to
have the emotional pain stop and end without her having to die. She
wanted the emotional pain to end, but that didn’t mean her life had to
end. Her daughters would not be better off with her dead. When she
didn’t have the emotional pain to deal with, she could be there for
them. She could be the mother she wanted to be. She could build a new
life once the pain was gone. She could trust people again.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
asked her what had happened this particular weekend that was the final
straw that had made her decide to kill herself. She had received a bill
in the mail that she said she could not pay. It was added to the other
bills, and it was the breaking point for her.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
was all too much. She had no one to share her pain with or to support
her through her marriage breakup, being a mother, or her own abuse
memories that were flooding her now that she was on her own. She did not
feel she could cope as an adult in this world any longer. She did not
feel she could be an adequate parent and role model for her daughters
when she could barely get out of bed each day. She didn’t want them to
see her like this. She didn’t want to frighten them. She was starting to
behave in ways she did not like. She felt they would be better off
without her.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
tried to ask her what had helped her get through these times in the
past, when she had previously been this distressed and suicidal. But it
was nearly impossible to reason as an adult with her when her
rationality was not in charge, and her younger, seemingly emotional self
was in charge.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
therefore said that Karen the adult needed to look after Karen the
child. Her child self didn’t need to be cut and hurt. Her child self
didn’t need sexual stimulation when she was drunk and scared. Her child
self needed the adult Karen who had rung Lifeline to put down the razor,
put down the alcohol, and just let her sleep, let her lie down and
rest, as she had been through enough.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She
stopped talking, and I no longer knew if she was conscious. I just kept
talking and talking, hoping she could hear me and hoping something I
was saying in a calm, soothing, nonjudgmental voice was getting through
to her.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
police arrived at the house; I could hear through the phone that they
were breaking down the door. One of the police picked up the phone and
started talking to me. He said she had cut down to the artery, and it
looked like she had nicked it. There was blood everywhere. She was
unconscious, but the paramedics had arrived, and they were taking her to
the hospital.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was so relieved.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He
hung up the phone, and suddenly there was just silence where there had
been intense energy and focus. All the energy just drained out of me,
and I felt myself start to shake. She was alive. She was going to make
it—for that night anyway. I prayed and hoped someone at the hospital
would relate to her and help her. That she would find a doctor or
therapist who could help her find a way out of the maze and trap she had
found herself in with no hope.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On
the way home, in the dark and quiet, I suddenly had to pull my car
over. I thanked the whole universe for letting me be the one to sit with
Karen during her pain, for the police and paramedics who had gone to
her assistance, and for the doctors and nurses who would be attending to
her. I had intensely related to her. I understood her switching between
her child self and adult self. I understood her use of masturbation and
alcohol to try to alleviate the intense aloneness and emotional pain. I
understood the cutting and thumping music for the same reasons.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then
I just sat in the dark, in the stillness and the silence, and with my
whole heart wished and prayed she would find a way in the coming weeks
and months through her emotional pain so she could find a reason to live
again and be wholly there for her daughters as she grew older. As
people had been there for me when I was at my lowest.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
felt something click together in my head and heart. It was a physical
sensation and a feeling of completeness that washed over me. Something
closed up in me that I had not realised until then had still been open. A
feeling of fullness and wholeness filled me.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
prayed to the universe to watch over the young woman, and in my mind’s
eye I handed over the responsibility for her healing and destiny to the
universe. I trusted that her journey and mine had collided for a reason,
but that reason was completed now. I let go of her figurative hand. I
felt the anxiety connected to what might have been happening with her
leave me.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
started the car again and drove home. I felt deep within my bones that I
had fulfilled a karmic debt, and the circle was complete.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was released.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/insideOutside.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">***Award winning book (finalist) in 2014 Beverley Hills International Book Awards***</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jenny
Hayworth grew up within the construct of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, which
she describes as a fundamentalist cult-like religion. She devoted her
life to it for over thirty years. Then she left it. The church
“unfellowshipped” her-rendering her dead to those family and friends
still committed to the church.Hayworth is a sexual abuse survivor. The
trauma changed her self-perception, emotional development, trust, and
every interaction with the world.</span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Inside/Outside
is her exploration of sexual abuse, religious fundamentalism, and
recovery. Her childhood circumstances and tragedies forced her to live
“inside.” This memoir chronicles her journey from experiencing comfort
and emotional satisfaction only within her fantasy world to developing
the ability to feel and express real life emotion on the “outside.”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
is a story that begins with tragic multigenerational abuse, within an
oppressive society, and ends with hope and rebirth into a life where she
experiences real connections and satisfaction with the outside world.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Those
who have ever felt trapped by trauma or circumstances will find
Inside/Outside a dramatic reassurance that they are not alone in the
world, and they have the ability to have a fulfilling life, both inside
and out.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Foreward
Clarion Review – “What keeps the pages of Hayworth’s life story turning
is her honesty, tenacity, and sheer will to survive through an
astounding number of setbacks. Inside/Outside proves the resilience of
the human spirit and shows that the cycle of abuse can indeed be broken”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kirkus
Review – “A harrowing memoir of one woman’s struggle to cope with
sexual abuse and depression while living in – and eventually leaving –
the Jehovah’s Witnesses”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Readers Favourite 5 Star Review – “The book is an inspiring story for those who are going through traumatic times…”</span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Outside-Womans-Recovery-Religious-ebook/dp/B00I08IY3E/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-3&qid=1390284848&tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Memoir</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jenny-Hayworth/e/B00HWV6K8Q/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Jenny Hayworth on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-Hayworth/201860833330961" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="http://twitter.com/JennyHayworth1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-41969792235609603882014-10-16T14:00:00.000-04:002014-11-09T08:11:29.412-05:00@Lord_Ra_Krishna on Being Happy by Making Other People Happy #AmReading #Philsophy #Poetry<b><br />How do you work through self-doubts and fear?</b><br />
Excellent
question. First of all I turn to the most simplest action, to breathe.
Concentrating on deep breaths and then meditation. Once I find balance
within myself I utilize what is known in Hermetic philosophy and
alchemy, as mental transmutation. All that basically means is to focus
your attention from a negative point to a positive. For example if I’m
feeling fear, instead of attempting to erase the fear I focus on courage
and allow the courage to transmute the fear. The courage comes from my
desire to inspire people.<br />
<b><br />What scares you the most? </b><br />
Not being myself, and not being the self I have “evolved” into. Also not for filing my destiny. <br />
<b><br />What makes you happiest? </b><br />
I
am already happy, you have to be happy from within first. Also making
other people happy, seeing my children smile, seeing other people smile,
seeing people happy when they “get it” or have an “AH-HA “ moment.
Beautiful music, the ocean and some good “legal” medical marijuana. <br />
<b><br />What’s your greatest character strength</b>?<br />
Giving<br />
<b><br />What’s your weakest character trait?</b><br />
Patience <br />
<br />
<b>Why do you write? </b><br />
I actually just like to create with words, in itself. However, the point of my writing is to share new ideas and create doubt. <br />
<b><br />What are you most proud of in your personal life? </b><br />
My children <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Lucifertheindigokids.jpg"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Lucifertheindigokids.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
"This
“new age” book of poetry reflects the diverse views and philosophies of
it’s author Ra Krishna EL. It’s an intimate, humorous and thought
provoking group of poems intended to evoke strong emotion. To quote the
German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, this style of poetry can be
called “Zukunfts poesie“ which translates into “Poetry of the future”,
where truly original ideas are presented thru poetry. Also known as post
Nietzschean poetry.<br />
<br />
It’s subjects include society, pop
culture, love, religious dogma, God and the new age of Aquarius. This
book was written and published during the false incarceration of its
author in Chicago’s notorious Cook County Jail, the largest jail in the
country."<br />
<br />
Bu<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">y Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-indigo-kids-Last-Prophet-ebook/dp/B00L3VL7E8/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406567843&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifer+and+the+indigo+kids" href="http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-indigo-kids-Last-Prophet-ebook/dp/B00L3VL7E8/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406567843&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifer+and+the+indigo+kids" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Poetry, Philosophy</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Lord%20Ra%20Krishna%20EL&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Lord%20Ra%20Krishna%20EL&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with Lord Ra Krishna EL on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-Ra-Krishna-El/729737850380185?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-Ra-Krishna-El/729737850380185?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/Lord_Ra_Krishna" href="https://twitter.com/Lord_Ra_Krishna" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<br />Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-86954559379115079142014-10-11T07:00:00.000-04:002015-02-28T23:37:56.711-05:00Pendelton Wallace on Blogging for Authors & Book Sales #WriteTip #AmWriting #Blogger<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Why Blogging is Important </b><br /><br />I
don’t know if blogging works or not. I have been told it takes five
years to build a viable book selling business. I’m in year one. I’m
taking on faith that some of these things are going to pay off someday.<br /><br />For
me, blogging is important because it builds your reader base. I started
out with blogs about my adventures sailing down the coast to Mexico. I
got about two hundred hits per post and was pretty happy. Then I hit the
jack pot.<br /><br />I live with my girlfriend and her Great Dane on my
56-foot sailboat. People always ask “How do you live on a boat with such
a big dog?” I decided to write a blog post about living with a Great
Dane.<br /><br />One post became three. Then Odin, the Great Dane in
question, took exception to what I was writing about him and wanted to
set the record straight. He wrote about three blogs, to which I had to
respond.<br /><br />During this blog debate, readers started flocking to my
blog. Dawn, my significant other, posted the blogs to her Great Dane
Facebook groups, I posted to my sailing/cruising groups and people just
appeared from nowhere. Suddenly, thousands of people were reading my
blogs.<br /><br />Has it done any good? Not a lot. My book sales are still
pretty low, but I get email from readers saying things like “I really
liked your blog, so I decided to buy your book.” Now I just need to get
more people to follow suit.</span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/hacker.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If Clive Cussler had written Ugly Betty, it would be Hacker for Hire. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hacker for Hire, a suspense novel
about corporate greed and industrial espionage, is the second book in a
series about Latino computer security analyst Ted Higuera and his best
friend, para-legal Chris Hardwick. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The goofy, off-beat Ted Higuera, son
of Mexican immigrants, grew up in East LA. An unlikely football
scholarship brought him to Seattle. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chris, Ted’s college roommate, grew
up with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father is the head of one of
Seattle’s most prestigious law firms. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ted’s first job out of college leads
him into the world of organized crime where he faces a brutal beating.
After being rescued by beautiful private investigator Catrina Flaherty,
Ted decides to go to work for her. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Catrina is hired by a large computer
corporation to find a leak in their corporate boardroom when the
previous consultant is found floating in Elliot Bay. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ted discovers that Chris’s firm has
been retained by their prime suspect. Now he and Chris are working
opposite sides of the same case. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ted and Catrina are led deep into
Seattle’s Hi-Tech world as they stalk the killer. But the killer is also
hunting them. Can Ted find the killer before the killer finds him? </span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hacker-Hire-Ted-Higuera-Book-ebook/dp/B00KH3Z53W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1405401192&sr=1-1&keywords=Hacker+for+Hire" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Mystery, Thriller</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Pendelton%20Wallace&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Pendelton Wallace on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/penn.wallace" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.pennwallace.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-lvi4hquGvTx3TTco7IMaVQe7wYA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.pennwallace.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-82338938122006359272014-10-04T07:00:00.000-04:002015-02-28T23:35:29.313-05:00James Rada Jr. Managing Deadlines & Staying Sane @JimRada #GoodReads #HistFic #AmReading<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How to Meet Deadlines and Remain Sane</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m
a full-time freelance writer. That means that I have two or three
articles due each week and I work with a variety of editors who don’t
really care that I have other deadlines. They are only concerned that I
meet their deadlines.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Trying to do this week after week can be daunting if you don’t develop coping mechanisms and prepare yourself.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some tips that I use to meet my deadlines without losing my mind.</span></span></div>
<ol style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Break down each project to smaller pieces.</i> For
instance, when I’m writing an article, there’s research, interviewing,
writing and final preparation that needs to be done. I use daily “to do”
lists, so I can list a small piece of each article on the list and
accomplish something for each project daily. It keeps each project
moving forward.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Set mini-deadlines.</i> Using
the smaller pieces for each article, I set dates to have each piece
completed by so that I can complete the entire project with time to
spare before the entire project is due.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Build in extra time.</i> When
setting those mini-deadlines, I plan it out so that I am finished the
project a few days before the entire project. This buffer time allows me
time to fine tune a project or deal with any unexpected delays such as
not being able to get a hold of someone I need to interview.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Don’t take on too much.</i> As
Dirty Harry used to say, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” Know
what you have due around the same time each new projects you might take
on would be due. Know how productive you are and what your general
schedule is. There’s only so much you can do no matter how prepared you
are so make sure you know how much you can handle before you take on a
project.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Go with the flow.</i> While
having little deadlines is nice organizational tool, if you find
yourself in the zone with a project, don’t worry about the deadline.
Just keep writing. You can adjust your deadlines later.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Juggling
multiple deadlines can be tiring, but it can be done. The more
deadlines you have, though, the more organized you will need to be.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/lockready.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
Civil War split the United States and now it has split the Fitzgerald
Family. Although George Fitzgerald has returned from the war, his sister
Elizabeth Fitzgerald has chosen to remain in Washington to volunteer as
a nurse. The ex-Confederate spy, David Windover, has given up on his
dream of being with Alice Fitzgerald and is trying to move on with his
life in Cumberland, Md. Alice and her sons continue to haul coal along
the 184.5-mile-long C&O Canal. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
is dangerous work, though, during war time because the canal runs along
the Potomac River and between the North and South. Having had to
endured death and loss already, Alice wonders whether remaining on the
canal is worth the cost. She wants her family reunited and safe, but she
can’t reconcile her feelings between David and her dead husband. Her
adopted son, Tony, has his own questions that he is trying to answer. He
wants to know who he is and if his birth mother ever loved him. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
he tries to find out more about his birth mother and father, he
stumbles onto a plan by Confederate sympathizers to sabotage the canal
and burn dozens of canal boats. He enlists David’s help to try and
disrupt the plot before it endangers his new family, but first they will
have find out who is behind the plot.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Ready-A-Canawlers-Novel/dp/0692211454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400758482&sr=8-1&keywords=lock+ready+rada" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Historical Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=James+Rada+Jr.&search-alias=books&text=James+Rada+Jr.&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with James Rada Jr. on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jim.rada" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/jimrada" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://jamesrada.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28d4iaix3UBtVx6pNwPpNkw3GcEKA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">jamesrada.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-88918564565862591792014-10-03T10:00:00.000-04:002014-10-03T10:00:02.249-04:00Forty 2 Days (The Billionaire Banker) by Georgia LeCarre #GoodReads #Erotic #Romance<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘Dishonest
little Lana,’ he murmurs, his breath hot against my skin. He runs his
hands down the smoothness of my neck into the collar of my blouse.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
begin to tremble. He watches his own fingers slip a button out of its
hole and then another. He spreads apart the joined material so my
throat, chest and the lacy tops of my bra are exposed. His cold furious
eyes return to mine. The breaths that escape my lips are suddenly
shallow and quick. He smiles possessively. He knows the effect he has
on me.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘You
were by far more when you squeezed into that little orange dress and
your fuck-me shoes, and went looking for money. Look at you now; you’re
flapping around inside a man’s jacket. Two hundred thousand and you
don’t even buy yourself a nice suit.’</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He
tuts. ‘And this…’ He raises his hand to my hair. ‘This ugly bun.
What were you thinking of?’ he asks softly, as he plucks the pins out of
my hair and drops them on the blue carpet. Bit by bit my hair falls
around my shoulders. Without moving his feet he reaches back to a box
of tissues on the table. Takes one and starts wiping away my lipstick.
Meticulously. From the outside in. He throws the stained tissue on
the ground.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘That’s better,’ he pronounces.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
stare wordlessly up at him. He looks as if he wants to devour me. All
the time we have been apart is wiped away. It is like we have never
been away from each other. This is the man I belong to heart and soul.
Without him I have been an empty shell going through the motions.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘Lick your lips,’ he orders.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘What?’ I am horrified by the cold command, and yet electrified by the sexual heat his order arouses in me. My nerves scream.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">His jaw hardens; his eyes are steely. ‘You heard me.’</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
tension in his body communicates itself to me. It simmers between us.
Desire ripples through me. My thighs clench tight with excitement and
my heart flutters like a crazy thing. This is how he is in my recurring
fantasies. Demanding, possessive, taking, raging with sexual need.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I lick my lips slowly.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He eyes the journey my tongue undertakes avidly. ‘That’s more like it. That’s the mercenary bitch I know.’</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One
moment he is standing there cold and insulting, and the next he has
thrust a rough hand into my hair and pulled my head back. I gasp with
shock, my eyes wide, his dark. Like a desert storm he descends on my
parted mouth. There is no time even to pull one’s cloak about oneself.
So sudden. So unexpected. He tastes wild, the way the first drops of
rain in the desert taste. Full of minerals. Bringing life to all it
touches.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He
kisses me, as he has never done. Roughly, painfully, violently,
purposely bruising my lips, his mouth so savage that I utter a
strangled, soundless cry. The change, the extent of his anger, is
impossible to comprehend. He is different. There is no longing. Only
an intense desire to hurt and have his revenge. This is not the same
man. My actions have unleashed something uncontrollable. Something
that wants to hurt me. Alarm bells go off in my head. It occurs to my
fevered brain that he is ravenous, starving. Then for some strange
reason an image of him eating thin, almost transparent slices of cheese
on biscuits flashes into my mind. How civilized he was. Then. Before I
betrayed him.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I taste the fury in his kiss: blood.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And
my mind screams—this is abuse. A moan gets caught in my throat,
struggles vainly, and then escapes. My hands reach up to push him away,
but my palms meet the stone wall of his chest, and as if with minds of
their own, push aside the lapels of his jacket and grip his shirt. I
know what once lived beneath the shirt and I want it. I have always
wanted this man. As if my hands splayed across his chest have
communicated my total submission, the kiss changes. His tongue gentles,
but demands more surrender.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
fingers grasping my hair hurt my scalp. I feel the pain vaguely, but
more than that I feel myself begin to drown in that vortex of sexual
desire. The violent, throbbing need between my legs finds its way into
my veins and flesh. Every cell in me wants him inside me. I am on fire.
One year of waiting has made me hungry for him. I want him. I want
him thrusting that enormous dick of his deep inside me. For a year I
have dreamed of him inside me, filling me. I know how good he can make
me feel. My body tries to burrow closer to him, but I cannot get
closer; his grip on my hair is relentless. Desperately I push my hips
towards him towards what I know will be delicious hardness.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
if that is some silent signal he puts me casually away from me. And I
am thrust back in a shitty back office in Kilburn High Street. What the
fuck am I doing? He casually props himself against the desk, folds
his arms across his chest, and looks at me calmly.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
cannot return the insult. I am a mess. I stand there frustrated
beyond belief, breathing hard, the blood pounding like an African drum
in my head. My knickers are wet and between my legs I ache and pulse
for him. With every weak and trembling part of me I want him to finish
what he started. I want him so bad it is shocking. I clench my hands
at my sides and try to get myself under control. I look at him, how
cool and collected he is, as he watches me struggle to regain some
measure of composure.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then
he smiles. Oh! Cocky. He shouldn’t have done that. I feel maddened
by the taunting smile. How dare he? He just wanted to humiliate me.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then I see it. Not so fast, Mr. Blake Law Barrington.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
take two steps forward, reach my hand out and put a finger on that
madly beating pulse in his throat. It drums into my skin. The frantic
beat is carried away by my blood up into my arm, my heart and into my
brain. Years later I will remember this moment when we are connected by
his beating pulse. We never break eye contact. His eyes darken. Now
he knows that I know—my need may be obvious and easy to exploit, but he
is not as unaffected as he pretends to be. He was testing his own
limits of control, but it hasn’t been as easy as he expected.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘Is it sex when I want to see you come apart?’ he asks bitterly.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A breath dies in my chest. I take my finger away from his throat. ‘What do you want, Blake?’</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">‘I want you to finish your contract.’</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/42Days.jpg" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Beyond the seductive power of immense wealth lies… Dark Secrets</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Devastatingly
handsome billionaire, Blake Law Barrington was Lana Blooms first and
only love. From the moment they touched his power was overwhelming.
Their arrangement quickly developed into a passionate romance that
captivated her heart and took her on an incredible sexual journey she
never wanted to end.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The future together looked bright until Lana made a terrible mistake. So, she did the only thing she could… she ran.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Away
from her incredible life, away from the man of her dreams, but she
should have known a man such as Blake Law Barrington was impossible to
escape. Now, he’s back in her life and determined that she should taste
the bitterness of his pain.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shocked
at how rough the sex has become and humiliated that she is actually
participating so willingly in her punishment, she despairs if she will
ever feel the warmth of his touch–the solidity of his trust again? And
even if she can win his trust, loyalties are yet to be decided, and
secrets to be revealed–secrets that will test them both to their limits.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will Lana be able to tear down the walls that surround Blake’s heart, and break him free of the brutal power of immense wealth?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can Blake hold on to Lana’s heart when she discovers the enormity of the dark secrets that inhabit the Barrington family?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lana has always believed that love conquers all. She is about to test that belief…</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forty-2-Days-Billionaire-Banker-ebook/dp/B00HWKW7K2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1392551191&sr=1-1&keywords=Georgia+Le+Carre" style="text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Erotic Romance</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-18</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Georgia-Le-Carre/e/B00FXN8N0S/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Georgia Le Carre on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/georgia.lecarre" style="text-decoration: none;">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgiaLeCarre" style="text-decoration: none;">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-30624651827115163172014-10-03T07:30:00.000-04:002014-10-24T14:34:20.952-04:00Mike Hartner on Why He Writes & More @MHartnerAuthor #AmWriting #Historical #Romance <div class="normal" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Tell us a bit about your family.</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA"> I have a wife of more than 24 years, and a son who just turned 13</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">How do you work through self-doubts and fear? </span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Day by day.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">What scares you the most? </span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Anything negative happening to my family</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA"><b>What makes you happiest?</b> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Watching people close to me, including my son and wife, succeed.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">What’s your greatest character strength?</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">My loyalty to family and friends.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">What’s your weakest character trait?</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">My loyalty to family and friends.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Why do you write? </span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">For the rest, relaxation and enjoyment</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg"><img alt="IJames" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41780" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">James Crofter was ripped from his family at age 11. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Within a year the prince was a pauper in a foreign land. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Is nature stronger than nurture? And even if it is, can James find the happiness he so richly desires? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/I-James-Eternity-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00MQHIG0Q/ref=la_B009VJQBEA_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409891856&sr=1-5" href="http://www.amazon.com/I-James-Eternity-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00MQHIG0Q/ref=la_B009VJQBEA_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409891856&sr=1-5" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Historical Fiction, Romance</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Hartner/e/B009VJQBEA/" href="http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Hartner/e/B009VJQBEA/" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Mike Hartner on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Hartner-Author/368690356556759" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Hartner-Author/368690356556759" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/MHartnerAuthor" href="https://twitter.com/MHartnerAuthor" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-41311047349305242032014-09-25T09:00:00.000-04:002014-11-04T10:58:57.308-05:00Kirsten Mortensen on Finding Time to Read & Writing Success @KirstenWriter #Suspense #Authors <br />
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<a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/91/c6/b4cbc5c613c80ac1d1887d.L._V141023053_SY470_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/91/c6/b4cbc5c613c80ac1d1887d.L._V141023053_SY470_.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
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<i>Kirsten Mortensen has been writing fiction ever since she picked up her first crayon. And no, her illustrated picture book "Mic and Mac the Bunnies" will never be a best seller, but it hinted at two of her future lifelong loves: writing and animals.<br /><br />Today, Mortensen's plots are a bit more involved than the adventures of Mic and Mac. And her novels also span a number of categories including comedy ("Can Job" and the novella "BJs on the Roof"), light literary romance ("Loose Dogs" and "When Libby Met the Fairies"), and, with her latest title, romantic suspense ("Dark Chemistry").<br /><br />Her non-fiction books include "Dog of Your Dreams: How to Pick a Companion Dog Who Will Fit Into Your Home and Your Life" (a Kindle book), "Outwitting Dogs" (co-written with professional dog trainer Terry Ryan; Lyons Press), and "101 Dog Training Tips" (Lyons Press).</i><b> </b><b>Do you find the time to read?</b><br />
Absolutely. I read topical material on a daily basis, during the daylight hours: blog posts, news pieces both online and in print, and magazine articles on culture, pop culture, media, and politics. Evenings, I read books. I almost always read from either an ebook or a print book for an hour or so before bedtime. It’s not a huge amount of time, but I manage to finish a fair number of books every year.<br />
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<b>Last book you purchased? Tell us about it.</b><br />
It’s a non-fiction book titled Dreamways of the Iroquois by Robert Moss. Moss was born in Australia, and has always had intense, vivid dreams (as I do). Then, in one dream, he “met” a native American woman who began speaking to him in a language he didn’t understand. He did some research afterward and learned it was an archaic form of Mohawk (one of the tribes of the Haudenosaunee [Iroquois]). The book is about what this dream woman taught Moss, and relates many other extraordinary experiences he’s had as he works to teach people how to use their dreams to connect with spirit and find healing.<br />
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<b>What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel?</b><br />
By far, it’s building a world and holding it in your head—as an intact, coherent world—for as long as it takes to complete the novel. The effort this requires is extraordinary. And you can’t mess it up. You can’t have a character’s eyes be blue in one spot and then brown in another, to cite a simple example. You have to somehow imagine a character with blue eyes, and those blue eyes have to remain real to you from the day you first start to write until the day you put your novel into the hands of your readers. And eye color is only one element: it has to be everything, from the layout of buildings and streets, to characters’ speech patterns and histories and quirks and motivations.<br />
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<b>Have you developed a specific writing style?</b><br />
I think I have. People tell me my writing has something of a noir feel. That’s not something I set out to do, but I greatly admired Hemingway when I was a teenager, and I’ve retained an admiration for what I guess you’d call “stripped down” writing. Hemingway intentionally left things out: he communicated as much by what he left out as what he said. I like that as a reader, because I enjoy the process of discovery. It’s like real life.<br />
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Do you ever play a game, say in a restaurant, where you try to figure out peoples’ stories? I love to do this. I was in a restaurant the other day, and I watched a family: an older couple, a middle-aged couple, and two kids. And I don’t think the middle-aged couple was married. The kids were her kids, but I’m not sure he was their father. He might have been her brother. He might have been her boyfriend. And of course it’s all speculation on my part. But there were little clues. So if these people were characters in a novel I wrote, I wouldn’t come right out and tell you the middle-aged couple wasn’t married. But I might find a way to let you know there was no wedding ring on the woman’s finger. Or that she asked the man, twice, if he wanted to sit next to her—something that suggested that they didn’t have established habits about who would sit where. I’d drop clues, and let you slowly figure out that the man was a boyfriend, not a husband. Like with life.<br />
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<b>What is your greatest strength as a writer?</b><br />
My insight into the human heart. Like a lot of writers, I’m a great “reader” of people. Sometimes, it feels like I can meet someone, and in a very short time know an awful lot about them. I have a great deal of agility when it comes to using words, and that’s a strength as well, but knowing people and being able to tell my characters stories is what I think means the most for me as a writer.<br />
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<b>Have you always enjoyed writing?</b><br />
Absolutely, and it’s always been a central part of my life. I’ve kept journals my entire life—by the time I hit my early 20s, I started keeping them in 5-subject, college ruled spiral notebooks, and I now have a huge box of them (someday I will go through them for material for a memoir!) For many years, now, I’ve earned money by writing articles for corporate clients, and even within the constraints you have to deal with for those types of projects—you’re writing to satisfy the needs of marketing programs, not your Muse—I enjoy the challenge of articulating complex ideas simply and clearly. And when I’m writing for myself—my novels, short stories, and essays—it’s pure heaven.<br />
<b><br />What do you hope your obituary will say about you?</b><br />
That my novels were read and enjoyed by millions—and that I died peacefully, and surrounded by my family and loved ones. If my obit includes those comments, I’ll know that I lived the life I was born to live.<br />
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<b>How did you develop your writing?</b><br />
Like a lot of writers, I did it by reading a lot, and writing a lot. There’s really no substitute for practicing, even though when you first start working within a given form—whether it’s a novel, an essay, a press release or a non-fiction article—it’s sometimes really hard to know how awful you are. It’s a matter, I think, of “you don’t know what you don’t know.” I’ll illustrate with a story. Back in the early 2000s, I submitted a novel to an agent I’d met at a conference. She was my dream agent, and I was so excited she was interested in my book. To my deep disappointment, however, she rejected it with a note saying that she didn’t think my plotting was up to snuff. And—this makes me smile, today—I had NO idea what she was talking about. The story had a beginning, a middle, and an end. Stuff happened in it. My characters did things. Wasn’t that plot? Objects moving around in imaginary space—wasn’t that plot?<br />
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But once I’d recovered from my disappointment, I set my jaw and began teaching myself about plotting novels. I read books, I read articles, and today, one of the things you’ll see people praise about my novels is the plotting.<br />
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I was a lousy plotter. I didn’t know how to plot. But I didn’t know that I didn’t know how to plot. It took writing and showing my writing to people with experience in the industry for me to learn what I didn’t know, so that I could fix it.<br />
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<b>Do you find it hard to share your work?</b><br />
Not when it’s done. But I never show partially-finished work to anyone—not ever. And frankly, I think that’s some advice all writers should consider. There’s a period, when you’re writing, when it’s really important to keep the “judger” side of your brain cordoned off. When you’re drafting a piece, you don’t want to interrupt the process by wondering whether what you’re writing is “any good.” You just want to keep the words flowing. If you show your work to someone too soon, and he or she makes comments about it, the judger steps in, and that can torpedo the entire project. You end up second-guessing yourself and that’s simply not appropriate when you’re in the early draft stage.<br />
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Mind you, it’s always hard to expose your writing to others, in some respects, because all writing is personal. It’s your words, your thoughts. We’re all vulnerable when we share our writing with other people. But generally speaking, when I’ve finished working on a piece, I’m confident that readers—at least, most readers—will like it. So in that respect, I don’t find sharing my work difficult.<br />
<b><br />Do you plan to publish more books?</b><br />
I sure do. I plan to keep writing and publishing until I drop dead. Right now, I’m working on my next project, which will be a paranormal series. I have two other novels that are partially written that I’ll finish at some point, and one day I’ll publish a memoir. I also have outlines of a half dozen non-fiction books in the works.<br />
<br />
<b>Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you?</b><br />
For me, there is an inward success and an outward success. Inward success means that I’ve written the best possible piece—no matter what it is, a novel, an essay, a non-fiction article—that I can possibly write. The more I learn about the craft of novel-writing, for example, the better I become as a novelist. When I finish a novel and feel that I’ve brought the best of what I know, as a writer, to that book, then to me I’ve succeeded at that piece of my career.<br />
<br />
Outward success is measurable by the effect my writing has on others. When I get positive feedback and reviews by readers, for example, that definitely represents success to me.<br />
<br />
Reach is another measure that’s important to me. I hope my novels get read by a lot of people. This has to do with how I view myself. I think of myself as a novelist—it’s my place in the world. Being read by large numbers of people is therefore important to me.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg"><img alt="darkChemistry" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41412" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A woman's worst nightmare</span></span></h1>
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Drugged by something...that makes her think she's fallen in love.</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All Haley Dubose has ever known is beaches and malls, clubs and cocktail dresses.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>But now her father is dead.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And if she wants to inherit her father's fortune, she has to leave sunny Southern California<br />for a backwater little town near Syracuse, New York. She has to run RMB, the multimillion dollar<br />chemical company her father founded. And she has to run it well.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Keep
RMB on track, and she'll be rich. Grow it, and she'll be even richer.
But mess it up, and her inheritance will shrink away before she gets a
chance to spend a dime.</span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Donavon Todde is her true love. But is it too late?</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He's RMB's head of sales – and the more Donavon sees of Haley, the more he's smitten.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure,
she comes across at first as naïve and superficial. But Donavon knew
Haley's father. He can see the man's better qualities stirring to life
in her eyes. And Donavon senses something else: Haley's father left her a
legacy more important than money. He left her the chance to discover
her true self.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Donavon has demons of his own.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b><br />He's
reeling from a heartbreak that's taking far too long to heal. But he's
captivated by this blond Californian, and not only because of her
beauty.<i> It's chemistry.</i> They're right for each other. But has
Donavon waited too long to woo this woman of his dreams? Because to his
horror, his beautiful Haley falls under another spell.<i> Gerad's spell.</i></span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A web of evil.</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gerad
Picket was second-in-command at RMB when Haley's father was alive. And
with Haley on the scene, he's in charge of her training. But there are
things about RMB that Gerad doesn't want Haley to know.</span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And he must control her. Any way he can.</span></span></h2>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Romantic suspense for your Kindle</span></span></h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will Haley realize that her feelings are not her TRUE feelings?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does Donavon have the strength left to fight for the woman he loves?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will the two of them uncover Gerad's plot to use RMB pheromones to enslave the world?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And even if they do – can they stop it?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Chemistry-Kirsten-Mortensen-ebook/dp/B00KEYP3QI/" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Chemistry-Kirsten-Mortensen-ebook/dp/B00KEYP3QI/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/422146" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/422146" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Romantic suspense</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Kirsten-Mortensen/e/B001JP7X50/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Kirsten-Mortensen/e/B001JP7X50/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Kirsten Mortensen through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsten-Mortensen-Writer/195344590544496?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsten-Mortensen-Writer/195344590544496?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>& <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/Kirstenwriter" href="https://twitter.com/Kirstenwriter" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://kirstenmortensen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29OlqrTvuWJGs0Xbb3RDK_7VviC8A" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://kirstenmortensen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29OlqrTvuWJGs0Xbb3RDK_7VviC8A" target="_blank">http://kirstenmortensen.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-9696501959665197822014-09-18T12:30:00.000-04:002014-09-19T13:21:15.343-04:00Write But Don't Give Too Much Away, Says Lori Lesko @LeskoLori #PubTip #AmWriting #Thriller <div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How to write without giving too much away</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One
of the main tricks to writing is to know when to reveal things and when
to keep them hidden. Otherwise, all books would be about two pages.
Masking and unveiling is an art form in of itself. A character's
background can be hidden while the action of the story takes place or
vice versa. On the other hand, there may be certain little clues for you
to follow left by the author, but you have to be paying attention to
the foreshadowing. It's a literary device by which an author explains
certain plot developments that may come later in the story. Also, you
must not forget we writers like to lead you off course as well. All of
the above is what I attempted to do with my novel COPYRIGHT. Whether I
was successful or not, will be determined in April.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Character:
</b>I never like knowing everything about a character right away in a book.
I want to see the way they move into the story first. I want them to
slowly reveal themselves as the story progresses. For me personally, I
don't even need to like the character. I've never stopped reading a book
because I didn't like the character, case in point Gone Girl. Many
people didn't like it because the characters were not likable, or they
didn't like the ending of the story. That wasn't the case for me. I
loved how blatantly unlovable they were. Why? Because, it went right
along with the story.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Story: </b>The
job of a writer is to build tension. How? We do this by keeping things
hidden to the very last excruciating moment. Think of it as a 'reader's
need to know basis'. When you're about to reveal something important,
consider does the reader really need to know it right then and there? Or
can they wait until later? If the answer is No, they don't need to know
it, then hold off. Remember the TV show LOST? They were geniuses at
doing this, almost to the point of driving their fans nuts. Waiting,
anticipating, trying to guess what's going to happen next-that's my
favorite part of reading. It doesn't matter the genre. Always leave a
little misty fog until the very end, your readers will thank you for it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/copyright.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/copyright.jpg"><img alt="copyright" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-39015" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/copyright.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/copyright.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amber
Tyler is living every author’s dream: her books are all best sellers
and she writes full time. She has worked hard and is well-accomplished
in her career, and she has the support and love of her beautiful
children and girlfriend. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />But
the dream soon turns into a terrible nightmare when her latest
manuscript is stolen. She decides to fight for what is rightfully hers,
only to find that the harder she tries, the easier it all slips through
her fingers, putting her career, her family, and her life in jeopardy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://mybook.to/Copyright_A_Novel" href="http://mybook.to/Copyright_A_Novel" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Thriller</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Lori-Lesko/e/B009HQ7T98" href="http://www.amazon.com/Lori-Lesko/e/B009HQ7T98" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Lori Lesko on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/lori.lesko.7" href="https://www.facebook.com/lori.lesko.7" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/LeskoLori" href="https://twitter.com/LeskoLori" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-63774741681271114982014-09-17T12:30:00.000-04:002014-09-20T05:50:59.224-04:00@KentBurden on Dealing with 'Sitting Disease' from Writing #NonFiction #Fitness #AmWriting<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
a writer you know that it takes long hours at your computer or at your
writing desk to complete your master piece. Whether you’re a New York
Times bestselling author or a first time novelist your chair and you
have probably become very well acquainted. Of course these days it’s not
just writers who spend a lot of time in the seated position.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
desk job has become the norm in America and across most of the Western
world. Many of us are virtually chained to our desks, working on our
computers, answering emails, teleconferencing and doing Skype meetings.
For most, the only reason to get up out of our chairs is to take a quick
bathroom break, and then it’s back to the desk to type up that report
or send out that follow-up e-mail. According to a poll of 6,300 people
by the Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Americans spend an
average of 56 hours each week just sitting. That’s up by eight percent
in the last twenty years. We are also contending with longer commutes to
work, leaving us sitting in our car fighting traffic for longer periods
of time each day, and causing us to be more sedentary than ever
before. But it’s not just our jobs that encourage all this sedentary
behavior; it’s also what we do when we are off work.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If
you’re a writer working on that breakout novel that will get you out of
that dead end job, coming home after a hard day’s work often means
sitting back down in front of your computer for three or four more
hours. While this is clearly admirable and absolutely necessary to bring
your dreams to life it may be playing havoc with your health.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even
if you’re not working on that novel your down time may be problematic
to your activity levels. Television, or as my father so fondly called
it, the “boob tube,” has been a favorite after-work pastime since the
1950s. Today, Americans spend 151 hours every month watching television,
and most of that time is spent sitting down. Each year the
entertainment industry is coming up with more and more reasons for us to
have a seat and enjoy an ever-widening variety of entertainment
options. My satellite provider boasts more than 250 channels including
music, sports and movies along with all the network and cable offerings.
That’s more than enough to keep the average American glued to the couch
almost every night of the week. With websites like Hulu you can stream
current and past TV shows at your convenience; add to that video games,
social networking sites like Facebook, My Space, Twitter and LinkedIn,
and you can see why many of us seem to be growing roots from our butts
deep into the couch.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What’s
the big deal you say? So we spend a little more time sitting around. It
can’t be that bad for us can it? The answer to that question is <i>yes it can</i>.
Is your chair killing you? All the latest research says yes. According
new studies from places like the Mayo clinic, Harvard University,
Louisiana State Universities Pennington Biomedical research Center,
University of Sydney in Australia and the University of Hong Kong in
China point to increased health risks to people who sit for extended
periods of time. By simply sitting too much you significantly raise your
risk of getting lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, kidney
disease, stroke, obesity and certain forms of cancer. Even worse doing
30-60 minutes of exercise a day won’t undo the damage that too much
sitting causes.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All
this might seem like very bad news. I mean, if sitting for long periods
of time is deadly and exercise won’t save us then we’re doomed, <i>doomed</i> I tell you!</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whoa…dial
it back my pessimistic friend, because the solution is actually
incredibly simple. In my book Is Your Chair Killing You? I show you just
how to combat sitting disease and improve your health and help you lose
weight. Best of all the cure is actually super easy, can be done almost
anywhere and takes as little as 8 minutes a day. In this ground
breaking book you will learn how to stay active all day long and still
be productive and actually improve creativity. So buy Is Your Chair
Killing You? and you can finish that novel and still live long enough to
enjoy the fruits of your labors.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Chair.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sitting
for extended periods of time is as bad for your health as smoking
cigarettes. And exercising for 30-60 minutes a day isn’t enough to undo
the damage from extended periods of sitting. Is Your Chair Killing You
reveals shocking new research showing that sitting for long periods
greatly increases your risk of developing obesity, heart disease,
diabetes, stroke and cancer. Our bodies were designed to move constantly
over the course of the day, but most of us sit for hours a day at work
and at home! Fitness and wellness expert and award-winning author Kent
Burden has created brief, simple movements you can incorporate into your
daily life to combat the damaging effects of sitting. These simple
movements, done standing for 1-5 minutes each hour will burn calories,
energize and refresh you, and you won’t even break a sweat; you’ll even
improve your back pain. This book is a how-to for weight loss and
disease prevention. Read this book–you’ll be healthier in as little as 8
minutes a day.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Nominated for the Dan Poynter Global Ebook Awards and won honorable mention at the Los Angeles Book Festival</b></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Your-Chair-Killing-You-ebook/dp/B007OLYMZW/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Non-Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kent-Burden/e/B001K8U9HA/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Kent Burden on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kent.burden.3" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/kentburden" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website </b><a href="http://www.kentburden.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.kentburden.com/</a></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-47940313240103937532014-09-17T12:00:00.000-04:002014-12-04T06:52:14.786-05:00PEGASUS #Excerpt by Marilyn Holdsworth @M_Holdsworth #Contemporary #AmReading<b>Pegasus by Marilyn Holdsworth </b><br />
<br />
SATURDAY WAS A WARM, sunny day, just as Win had predicted,
and the drive out of Los Angeles was a welcome change from the heavy
work schedule Hannah had been demanding of herself for the last few
days. Sitting next to Win, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans with her hair
pulled back and fastened with a barrette at the nape of her neck,
Hannah looked young and vulnerable. The miles sped by, and they chatted
easily together, but Win made no further mention of what was so
important for her to see at the ranch.<br />
<br />
“I’m looking forward to riding today. I haven’t been on a horse for ages. Hope I haven’t forgotten how,” she worried.<br />
<br />
“Like riding a bicycle,” he laughed. “Once you learn, you never forget. You’ll do fine.”<br />
<br />
Win
turned the sleek, midnight-blue Jaguar into a long, narrow drive
flanked by split-rail fencing. On either side, rolling green pastures
spread as far as she could see. An arched gateway marked the entrance to
the ranch. Mounted at the top of the crescent was an imposing round
emblem emblazoned with a large metal sculpture of Pegasus at its center.<br />
<br />
“Pegasus, the winged horse,” she exclaimed. “What a wonderful name for a horse ranch. Do all your horses fly?”<br />
<br />
He
smiled. “I’m sure when my dad was so into racing, he wished they could.
But it was my grandfather who founded the ranch and named it Pegasus.
He named it after the Greek mythological horse in hopes of pleasing my
grandmother. She was a very scholarly lady of Greek heritage, very
interested in the arts, especially the Greek classics. Grandfather spent
his entire lifetime trying to please her, but I’m afraid to no avail.
I’m told she detested the West and the ranch, preferring Eastern city
life and its more sophisticated offerings. They separated shortly after
my father was born. She kept her Eastern townhouse, attending operas and
grand parties while he built his empire out here.”<br />
“Sad she
couldn’t have enjoyed it with him,” Hannah said. “It’s so wonderfully
tranquil here, a truly rare and beautiful setting with the mountains in
the background and the rolling green hillsides. Didn’t she ever see the
horses race? Not even when the ranch’s prize winners were entered in all
the country’s grandest races?”<br />
<br />
“No, she never did. And
it was a great sorrow to my grandfather. But, oddly enough, he never
divorced her. He always hoped she’d change her mind, come back to him,
and learn to love the land as he did. My father was raised by Mary
Little Deer’s mother here at the ranch. He was an only child, of course,
and the lifestyle Grandmother lived in the East was not meant for a
boisterous little boy. So he grew up at Pegasus and loved the ranch
until his dying day. Now it’s mine, and I must say, I share his deep
love for the place.”<br />
<br />
They had pulled up to a sprawling
Spanish hacienda with a red tiled roof and thick adobe-brick walls.
Built around a central courtyard, the house had the look of an early
California mission.<br />
<br />
“It’s really the picture of the Old West, Win. I can see why you love it here,” she said as he helped her out of the car.<br />
<br />
The
house’s thick walls and Mexican tile flooring made it cool and
inviting. He ushered her through wide carved doors adorned by large
bronze knockers shaped like horse heads. As they stood together in the
dimly lit hall, Hannah blinked to adjust her eyes. From a stained-glass
window at the end, a prism of light slanted across the floor,
illuminating a majestic bronze sculpture of Pegasus standing like a
sentinel in the massive entry. She stared at the beautiful sculpture.
“It looks like it would take flight at any moment, leave its marble
pedestal for the heavens.”<br />
<br />
“My grandfather had it made in Europe,” Win explained as she continued to study the art piece.<br />
<br />
“Another
futile attempt to win back Athena’s heart, I suppose. The artist who
did the piece has become quite famous. Perhaps you know of him—P. J.
Mene. He did some smaller renditions of the same subject for him. One is
in the garden, but I’m not sure where the others are now.”<br />
<br />
Hannah
walked closer to the exquisitely detailed bronze statue, gently
touching its flowing mane and extended wings. “He certainly captured the
spirit of the horse.”<br />
<br />
“I thought you might like it.”<br />
<br />
“And is this what you wanted so much for me to see?”<br />
<br />
“No,
it isn’t,” he said, smiling mysteriously. “You’ll have to wait for
that,” he teased. “Now let’s see if Mary Little Deer left us a snack in
the library.” He led her through wide double-oak doors into a large
high-ceilinged room with open carved beams. At the far end was a massive
stone fireplace surrounded by walls lined with bookshelves.<br />
<br />
“What a lovely room, and such a collection of fine books,” Hannah said, scanning the leather-bound volumes.<br />
<br />
“Another
of Grandfather’s attempts to please Athena. All the classics are there,
with a very special collection of Greek literature and ancient
mythology. I’m afraid the architecture he chose when he built the ranch
and its name do seem a bit incongruous, but when you know the history of
the place, it fits together after all. I’m rattling on about the past
too much,” Win said, suddenly glancing across the room. “Sure hope
you’re hungry, Mary Little Deer’s done her usual I see. Light snack just
isn’t in her vocabulary. Unless she hears the legs groan the table
isn’t set, “ he laughed. A tray of assorted sandwiches , a large fruit
bowl and a plate of freshly baked cookies with a pot of coffee stood
waiting on a long, low knotty-pine table in front of a deep saddle-brown
leather sofa.<br />
<br />
“It all looks delicious, “ Hannah said. “And actually I’m starved.”<br />
<br />
When
lunch was finished and cleared away by the silently efficient Mary
Little Deer, they went in search of the stables. Once again, Winston
Caughfield III was right; it was like riding a bicycle. Hannah settled
easily into the saddle on a bay mare. Riding next to her, astride his
favorite horse, Alabaster, Win guided them around the barns, past the
corrals and the training track, and toward the gently rolling hills.
They rode for more than an hour, enjoying the sunny afternoon and clear,
fresh air. The bay mare responded eagerly when Hannah nudged her into a
canter. Although spirited, the horse was smooth-gaited and perfectly
trained, and Alabaster pranced, tossing his head to show off for them
both. Win rode with the grace and skill of an accomplished rider. It was
obvious how much he loved the horse as he reached over to pat his
arched neck when they pulled up after galloping across an open meadow.<br />
<br />
He
called to Hannah as she reined in beside him. “Over there,” he said,
pointing to the ridge. “Just over that crest is where we’re going.” He
urged Alabaster into a trot, beckoning for her to follow. At the top of
the rise, they pulled the horses up, and Hannah gazed down into a small
valley. Several corrals dotted the landscape, each with its own
enclosure and hay bin. A feed storage shed stood close by, and a barn
was under construction at the far end.<br />
<br />
Hannah looked
questioningly at Win, but he said nothing, just guided his horse down
the slope; she fell in behind him. Hannah’s mare picked her way down the
hillside and came up next to Alabaster at the base of the hill. “Well,
this is it,” he said, spreading his arm wide to indicate the corrals and
structures.<br />
<br />
Hannah looked at him blankly. The corrals were empty, and there seemed to be no one around.<br />
<br />
“Come
on,” Win said. “I want to show you something.” They dismounted, tied
the horses, and walked toward the newly erected barn. He swung the door
wide for her to enter.<br />
<br />
“Almost finished. Some work inside and some paint outside left to do,” he said with satisfaction.<br />
<br />
“This week will do it, and then we’ll be ready for occupancy. Don’t you think?” He turned to a very puzzled Hannah.<br />
<br />
“Yes,
it does seem to be almost finished,” she responded. “Are you planning
on moving some of your horses here from outlying pastures or the main
barn?”<br />
<br />
“No,” he said. “I’m not. This is where I thought we could put your adoptees.” His eyes were twinkling with delight now.<br />
<br />
“My adoptees?”<br />
<br />
“I
read those articles you gave me last month,” he said soberly. “And I
know how you feel about what’s happening to the American wild horses,
the mustangs. You told me yourself about wanting to do a series of
stories on the Adopt-a-Horse Program sponsored by the Bureau of Land
Management and all the problems plaguing the plan. I thought if you had
some space to save a few yourself, it might ease the pain I know you
feel for those animals. And we do have room here at the ranch to take in
a few.” He looked at her hopefully, wanting so much to please her and
let her know he understood how seriously she took this cause.<br />
<br />
“Win,
I can’t let you do this for me,” she said. “Even if I wanted to, it’s
not right. And besides, I could never afford it. At best, I might scrape
up the money for the initial adoption fees.”<br />
<br />
“Who says
it isn’t right?” he broke in quickly. “We can make it strictly a
business deal. You can rent the space at a price you can afford, and
I’ll give you the feed to start you off. Simple as that. Now it’s
settled. How soon do you want to see about the adoption? I’ll even throw
in a little assistance in the training program if you’ll settle for one
old trainer, me. We’ll turn them into trail mounts and find homes for
them. When you begin to turn a profit, you can start buying the feed,
stock, and all that. I know there must be good homes to be found for
well-schooled riding horses.”<br />
<br />
She hugged him. “Oh, Win, it’s perfect.”<br />
<br />
“One
stipulation,” he cautioned her sternly. “You do your articles on saving
the horses, but leave all the corruption, especially Vincent Rossi, out
of it. He’s major trouble.”<br />
<br />
Her brow furrowed, “Well, if he’s involved in any way, that will be hard to do. But I’ll try. I give you my word on that.”<br />
<br />
“Good.
Then let’s get down to business. As I understand it, all you need is a
$125.00 adoption fee and a horse trailer to haul the animal. Do you have
any idea where to go to get these horses? Are they rounded up out in
Montana, Wyoming, or where?”<br />
<br />
“I’ve gotten some information, Win, but I’ll get more next week. I think a lot are in Nevada. I’ll find out.”<br />
<br />
“Good.
I’ll wait to hear from you about it in a few days,” he said. “Now we
better get back to the ranch and to the city. I have an early-morning
deposition to prepare for if I’m going to continue to have any law
practice.”<br />
<br />
All the way back to the ranch house, she
chattered excitedly about the mustangs, the Adopt-a-Horse Program, and
their plans. Win smiled happily at her, knowing the project was sure to
bring her closer to him. The idea had come to him almost immediately
after she had shown him the tiny newspaper clipping about the BLM’s
horse adoption program. Her passion and love for her work involving the
humane treatment of animals really did impress him. She was dedicated
and tireless in her efforts to expose animal abuse and exploitation. He
was really looking forward to helping her, but mostly, he had to admit,
he just wanted to be important in her life. He’d known that much after
their first date.<br />
They had met so unexpectedly. She was seated
with friends in the box next to his on the opening day of the Penbrook
Park Races. Quite by accident, they were introduced by his friend Neil
Jacobs, whose thoroughbreds were running that day. She immediately
impressed him with her quiet, unassuming manner. Neil had spoken of her
articles and told him she was sure to be a candidate for the Pulitzer
Prize one day.<br />
<br />
Long ago, after losing his first wife to
cancer, Win had resigned himself to a solitary life. But looking at
Hannah’s young, eager face today, he felt how much he wanted her near
him. At forty-five, Winston Caughfield III was a handsome, distinguished
man, and he was very aware that he was fifteen years her senior. But
when they were together, the age difference seemed of no importance to
either of them. In many ways, she seemed mature far beyond her years,
perhaps because of her total commitment to her work and the tragedy of
her young husband’s death. She seldom spoke of her loss; only once had
she mentioned that ill-fated Chicago flight. She was very courageous. He
looked over at her now, long stands of hair loosened from the barrette
streaming in the wind as she rode. He never would have suspected that
there was such strength in that delicate figure riding beside him, but
more than once he had seen her face her adversaries with determination.
Some secret source of energy seemed to well up and spill out of her.
He’d known when she started her investigation into this horse thing that
she would be relentless. He looked forward to sharing in it, but at the
same time he felt a foreboding sense of fear for her. Above all, he
wanted to protect her and keep her near him.<br />
<br />
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/15/97/44078a95157c0ad8986cb6.L._V393916356_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/15/97/44078a95157c0ad8986cb6.L._V393916356_.jpg" /></a></span></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">As a novelist, I draw on many real life experiences to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">provide
background for my books. After completing studies in Literature and
History at Occidental College, I became a staff writer on a travel
magazine, and throughout my career I have traveled extensively all over
the world. </span><span data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Because
I love horses, I owned and trained them. I support horse rescue and
wild mustang preservation. Based on my experience with horses and my
research on abuse issues, I wrote Pegasus.</span></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">As
a descendant of James Monroe, I did extensive research at the James
Monroe Museum in Virginia about him and his wife Elizabeth Kortright
Monroe. I also visited their home, Ashlawn/Highland in Albemarle County.
This resulted in my novel, The Beautiful American. </span><span data-mce-style="color: #222222;" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Making Wishes, was based partly on my experiences as creator, owner and operator of a greeting card company.</span></span></span></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="49398"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="END"></a><br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Making-Wishes.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Elloree
Prince is an attractive, creative young woman who marries a wealthy
businessman, Tom Randall. After courting his bride with unrelenting
determination, Tom moves her into old-moneyed Oak View, where
generations of Randalls have lived for years. Outwardly, Elloree appears
to settle into raising their two sons within Oak View’s stifling social
structure, but inwardly, she yearns for her artistic work. An
unexpected phone call from Mark Williams, her former employer, offers
her the career opportunity of a lifetime, and she must make a choice.
She is torn between her devotion to her sons and her love for her work.
Her decision to return to Wishes, Inc. brings dramatic life changes to
her and the people she loves.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Making-Wishes-Marilyn-Holdsworth/dp/1481707523/ref=sr_1_3_title_2_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369262924&sr=1-3&keywords=Marilyn.+Holdsworth" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Women’s fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/beautifulAmerican.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div id="outer_postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Abby
Long is thrilled when she offers the winning bid for an antique desk at
an auction. With its intricately inlaid woods and elegant style, the
desk is perfect for Abby; it is the gift she promised herself to finally
celebrate her thriving antique business. She has no idea that the
antique desk holds a secret that will lead her on a fascinating,
life-changing journey back in time.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Abby discovers a hidden diary
stuffed inside a secret compartment in the desk, she can hardly wait to
read the spidery, faded script. As she carefully turns the tattered
pages, she reads the captivating story of two remarkable women from
opposite backgrounds who somehow manage to form an unforgettable bond
against the backdrop of a fledgling America struggling to find its place
in the world. Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, the wife of James Monroe, and
Jasmine, a young slave girl, develop an extraordinary relationship as
they are united by pivotal historic events, political intrigues, and
personal tragedies.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From
a bucolic Virginia plantation to the bloodied, starving streets of
post-revolutionary Paris, this powerful tale follows the lives of two
courageous women from the past as they quietly influence—and inspire—a
woman of today’s world.”</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-American-Marilyn-Holdsworth-ebook/dp/B0080D41BI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-4&qid=1402430694" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Historical fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/pegasus.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div id="outer_postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Widowed
at thirty, Hannah Bradley is a successful journalist focusing on animal
abuse issues. An accidental meeting introduces her to lawyer, Winston
Caughfield III. Drawn to Hannah’s gentle beauty and fierce commitment to
her work, Win joins her in a fight to save wild mustangs from
slaughter. Together they rescue a badly injured horse with a mysterious
background. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hannah’s search to discover the animal’s true identity leads
them into a web of black marketeering and international intrigue.
Action packed with crisp colorful dialogue the story propels the reader
to a race against time conclusion. Marilyn Holdsworth delivers a
gripping tale of mystery, adventure and romance guaranteed to hold the
interest and capture the heart. She brings true-life characters together
with real-life issues to create a fast-paced irresistible story.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pegasus-Marilyn-Holdsworth-ebook/dp/B004S2LVYA/ref=la_B006LTHMZK_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405682556&sr=1-2" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Contemporary fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Holdsworth/e/B006LTHMZK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Marilyn Holdsworth on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.holdsworth.7" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="http://twitter.com/m_holdsworth" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><b>Website </b> </b><a href="http://marilynholdsworth.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://marilynholdsworth.com/</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Blog</b> <a href="http://marilynholdsworth.com/blog/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://marilynholdsworth.com/blog/</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-35929674191345615582014-09-16T12:00:00.000-04:002014-10-01T11:51:32.553-04:00Amy Lewis on Fear, Self-Doubt & Happiness @AmyLewisAuthor #NonFiction #Memoir <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/ec/cd/e7097384afc40a90048444.L._V336233064_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/ec/cd/e7097384afc40a90048444.L._V336233064_.jpg" height="320" width="263" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How do you work through self-doubts and fear?</b><br /><br />When
I’m writing I am very intentional in creating a safe, creative zone to
work from. I come from a theater background, and I remember learning
early on that the stage was a place of safety and creative freedom where
there was no room for self-doubt or judgment. I try to mimic that in my
writing space. I do not think with a critic’s mind when I’m in that
zone. It feels amazing and free – no editing allowed. This helps a great
deal with keeping my fears from creeping into my work. When the work is
ready to go out, well, then I must say I do have to contend with those
fears. I have not found a way to get rid of self-doubt at that stage,
but I think that’s part of being a creative artist. <br /><br /><b>What scares you the most?</b><br /><br />What
scares me most is not leading the life I was meant to live. I do
believe we all have a purpose, certain gifts that we are meant to
express in this life. The universe wants to see our own unique flower
blossom, and while that sounds beautiful, I’m keenly aware of how hard
it can be to allow yourself to bloom. Your flower might not look
anything like what you thought it would, or what you wanted it to look
like, or what your family or town or community wants it to look like.
The courage to first discover and then be who you really are is no small
thing. <br /><b><br />What makes you happiest?</b><br /><br />Stillness makes
me happy. Slowing down makes me happy. Watching my daughter sleep and
hearing her howl with laughter when I tickle her. Sitting under the
stars with my best friend and feeling immense gratitude for his presence
in my life. Dancing makes me insanely happy, Expressing emotions that
have no words but come out in movement. Spending time with people that
get me. Being around boldness and creative energy. <br /><br /><b>What’s your greatest character strength?</b><br /><br />This
one is not so easy and clear as my weakest trait. I’ve been told by
many people that I have a great deal of courage – I’m ballsy. I’m an
Aries so I have that strong, I’ll go first and I’m not afraid of
anything energy. I can definitely see that trait in me, but I can also
be very timid so it almost feels like a toggle switch that is either on
or off. I also have a very strong awareness of my emotions and what I’m
going through at any given moment (thanks to years of therapy, acting
classes and a masters in spiritual psychology). <br /><br /><b>What’s your weakest character trait?</b><br />I
have very little patience. In fact, I don’t even have the patience for
this question. It’s been like this all my life. I blame it on the stars.
Seriously. So many tasks, challenges, and goals I gave up on too soon
because I didn’t see any early success. I would like to say I’m working
on this but I’m not. I don’t know even know where to begin. Perhaps
there’s a support group?<br /><br /><b>Why do you write?</b><br /><br />I write
for many reasons. Pure selfish self-expression is one reason. I write
sometimes to discover where I am at psychologically speaking. I feel
like I can move energy when I write and in doing so heal. I write
stories to perform on stage. I write to tell people’s stories who might
not have been heard. I write because it feels alive to be living in a
story and not know where it will take me. <br /><br /><b>What motivates you to write?</b><br /><br />Creativity
equates to aliveness. It’s where anything is possible. And when I
write, I feel alive. The irony is that my mind is necessary for me to
write but I prefer to write as if I’m out of my mind. And by mind I mean
my inner-critic, the judging, non-life affirming part of me. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg"><img alt="whatFreedomSmellsLike" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41176" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Diagnosed
with Borderline Personality disorder, Amy struggled with depression and
an addiction to sharp objects. Even hospitalization didn't help to heal
her destructive tendencies. It took a tumultuous relationship with a
man named Truth to bring her back from the depths of her own self-made
hell.Amy's marriage to dark, intriguing Truth was both passionate and
stormy. She was a fair-skinned southern girl from New Orleans. He was a
charming black man with tribal tattoos, piercings, and a mysterious
past. They made an unlikely pair, but something clicked. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">During
their early marriage, they pulled themselves out of abject poverty into
wealth and financial security practically overnight. Then things began
to fall apart.Passionate and protective, Truth also proved violent and
abusive. Amy’s own self-destructive tendencies created a powerful
symmetry. His sudden death left Amy with an intense and warring set of
emotions: grief for the loss of the man she loved, relief she was no
longer a target for his aggressi</span></span>on.<br />
<br />
Conflicted and grieving, Amy found herself at a spiritual and emotional crossr<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">oads, only to receive help from an unlikely source: Truth himself.
Feeling his otherworldly presence in her dreams, Amy seeks help from a
famous medium.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
spiritual encounters change Amy forever. Through Truth, she learns her
soul is eternal and indestructible, a knowledge that gives Amy the
courage to pursue her own dreams and transform herself both physically
and emotionally. Her supernatural encounters help Amy resolve the
internal anger and self-destructive tendencies standing between her and
happiness, culminating in a sense of spiritual fulfillment she never
dreamed possible.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An amazing true story, What Freedom Smells Like is told with courage, honesty, and a devilishly dark sense of h</span></span>umor.<br />
<br />
Buy <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Freedom-Smells-Like-Memoir-ebook/dp/B00JTHDCSC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Freedom-Smells-Like-Memoir-ebook/dp/B00JTHDCSC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Memoir</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Lewis/e/B00KERPYYQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Lewis/e/B00KERPYYQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Amy Lewis through <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/AmyLewisAuthor" href="https://twitter.com/AmyLewisAuthor" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-u-DEq6B2o3ZSLOwj9JWZOYB9gHA" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-u-DEq6B2o3ZSLOwj9JWZOYB9gHA" target="_blank">www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com</a></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5890985660034858521.post-30035231366868086462014-09-16T11:00:00.000-04:002014-11-19T03:01:20.106-05:00Finding the Answers to Writer's Block with John W. Mefford @JWMefford #Suspense #Thriller <div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A
blank screen morphs into a visual version of white noise. You begin to
hear your heartbeat thumping, wondering if it will match the cadence of
the blinking cursor. Before you know it, thirty minutes have drifted by,
then an hour. You awake from your mental stupor and ponder how you can
ever re-capture time wasted, your mind grasping for a coherent thought.
Not just any coherent thought, but the next great sentence of the
greatest novel in the twenty first century.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We’ve all been there. So, how do you cope with<i> it</i>?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Writer’s
block. Okay, I said it. The elephant in the room. Honestly, I rarely
use the term. Because I just don’t give in to suffering from it. Ever.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why?
For the most part—this is my own personal way of addressing life’s ups
and downs—I think it’s more of a crutch. If I allowed myself to go
there, I could find many excuses to not write. We’re not robots or a
manufacturing plant. We’re eating, breathing, mind-straying humans, who,
at times, can lose our focus, or our groove. That’s okay. Don’t beat
yourself up. Don’t pound your fist in frustration, or dig a trench in
the floor from pacing yourself to death. It’s counter-productive.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For
starters, I’m a believer that we’re all as unique as snowflakes. Many
of us are writers in some form or fashion, while a few of us create in
other ways, music, painting, sculpture. But we’re all going to respond
to bumps in our journey to share our creative endeavors in different
manners.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Back
in the day, I cranked out story after story as a newspaper reporter. At
times, I’d have no more than thirty minutes to whip out a twenty-inch
story. Early on in my journalism career, I’d let the pressure get to me.
Finally, in an attempt to free myself from the mental torture and
inevitable stress, I thought through the deadline scenario while I was
jogging one day. There was a correlation, I could see, to my running
workouts. If I was tense, my breath was shortened, I’d have a miserable
run, my time would suck and I simply wasn’t going to get better.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
learned to prepare myself for those deadline stories. I quickly
understood that you perform your best when your mind is calm, free of
clutter, and your body relaxed. Focused, yes, tense, not so much.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
realized I didn’t want to be my own worst enemy. Countless other things
in life either purposely or coincidentally create hurdles for us to
overcome. I was determined—and still am—to not let my mental psyche be
on the enemy side of the ledger. In other words, I want my stride over
the hurdle to be as smooth as I can make it. And I will make it. Every
time.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Expressing
your creative self is one of life’s greatest gifts. You deserve an
honest, but encouraging signal from within your own mind. Be real, be
productive. Be true to yourself. But if you have a brief period of time
when you’re not feeling the mojo, don’t sweat it. Let confidence flow
through your bloodstream, cut yourself a break and come back to it
refreshed and ready to establish yourself as the greatest author of this
decade. Just don’t blame…you know, <i>it</i>.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/FatalGreed.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Behind
the façade of every corporate takeover executives pull levers this way
and that, squeezing the last profitable nickel out of the deal. But no
one knows the true intent of every so-called merger. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No one knows the secret bonds that exist. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An Indian technology giant swallows
up another private company that has deep roots in North Texas. For one
unassuming man the thought of layoffs, of losing his own job to a bunch
of arrogant assholes feels like a kick to the jewels. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Until the day Michael’s life changes forever. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Perverse alliances. An affair of the
heart. A grisly murder. A spiraling string of events thrusts Michael
into a life-or-death fight to save a tortured soul and hunt down a
brutal killer…one who lurks closer than he ever imagined. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Greed knows no boundaries.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/FATAL-GREED-Greed-John-Mefford-ebook/dp/B00KP3TUQW/ref=la_B0062PGVP0_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402330476&sr=1-1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Suspense, Thriller</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/John-W.-Mefford/e/B00KPIA8AE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with John W. Mefford on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JohnWMeffordAuthor" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/jwmefford" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.johnwmefford.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_KrtKBwV_do8k5j4dKlWUQF6WR9A" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.johnwmefford.com</a></b></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0