Friday, March 29, 2013

Celebrate!

It's time to Celebrate the Small Things hosted by the ever awesome Vikki @Scribblings of an Aspiring Author.

I almost forgot... not on purpose, but because I had the day off from work so I have been at home doing laundry and hanging out the family... oh and doing my #warriorminion duties for #atozchallenge. I can't believe that it begins Monday!

So I'm celebrating...

  • Having a 4 day weekend and being able to spend some time with the family for Easter.
  • Getting myself, my blog, and Jackie and my co-blog ready for #atozchallenge.
  • Mastering the Hyperlink Signature for commenting. Yahoo!

Hope you all have a great weekend and are ready for the first day of April AtoZ Challenge!!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Devine Temptation by Nicki Elson

So excited to share Nicki's new book!

Over at Cover Girls, Nicki is going into depth about her cover, book, and all the ways to get your hands on it. So go check it out!

Congrats Nicki!

Devine Temptation by Nicki Elson

Maggie Brock has everything under control. Even her divorce, though painful at the time, only registers as a minor blip in her carefully constructed universe. Life in Prairiw Oaks once again returned to a smooth, predictable pace... until an angel shows up in her bedroom.

The angel is just as bewildered as Maggie about why he's been sent to her, but their unsuccessful efforts to gain understanding of the mystery fade to the background as their relationship grows. Soon, Maggie's biggest problem becomes the angel himself, as her feeling for him develop into something less than saintly.

While Maggie struggles to keep her desires pure, a nefarious being lurks in the shadows of Prairie Oaks, watching and waiting for the opportunity to fulfill his ambiguous purpose. Preying on her conflicted emotions, the demon manipulates her at every opportunity, but the one to deliver Maggie directly into his hands is the last person she'd expect.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, March 25, 2013

Express Yourself - Childhood Reads

EYM is to bring our community of blogging friends closer together weekly. Jackie and I want to get to know you better and this week is no different.

I'm super excited about this question: What books did you enjoy as a child?

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen - 1987 Newbery Honor-winning young-adult wilderness survival novel about a thirteen year-old boy, Brian Robeson.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding - 1954 novel about a group of British boys stuck on an uninhabited island.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery - It recounts how Anne Shirley, a young orphan girl sent to a middle-aged brother and sister who have a farm, and who had intended to adopt a boy to help them, makes her way with the Cuthberts.

Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin (first 35 novels) and the others were ghostwritten - The series is about a group of middle school students living in Stoneybrook, Conn and run a business called the Babysitters Club that helps parents find babysitters from the club. Lots of girl drama.

Tell us what books you loved in your younger years - you know - no older than 18.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Celebrate! Woot!

Ok... so I want you to read every word of this in your best - or worst - "Bueller... Bueller... Bueller" voice you got. Why? Cause I'm typing it that way, while my head is tilted to the side in a little I-d-g-a-f way and it's not towards blogging at all. Promise. I just feel like being a total asshat.

My head is pounding, my neck feels like someone sat on it all night, I'm overly pissy, and I just wanted to share that I'm in complete "Grouchy Cat" mode today. MEOW! HISS! No, I'm not PMSing and it's nothing to celebrate.

However, I have a list of stuff that is...
  • Jackie and I are blogging away over at COVER GIRLS!
  • Top 10 Movie countdown bloghop was a huge success here and here.
  • And I totally divulged what I'm partially doing for #atozchallenge here and what Cover Girls is doing here.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

My #atozchallenge BIG REVEAL

Mina Lobo @ Some Dark Romantic and David Macaulay @ Brits in the USA are hosting THE BIG REVEAL today. It is a boghop-within-a-hop type of thingy. It consists of devulging what our plans are for #atozchallenge 2013.







I'm gonna make this as painless as possible...



I will be posting my favorite poems from Mr. Silverstein along with some other little ideas I'm throwing around but not quite sure as of yet - I don't want to load myself down with too much. You know.

Along with the other ideas (I didn't list above) I WILL be posting links to my #warriorminion sisters:

The Warrior Muse
Julie Flanders
Jeanette S. Andersen
Scribbler's Sojourn

and the 5 links below me in the A to Z linky list:

 
 
 
 
 


Stop by
Jackie's @ Bouquet of Books
& our joint blog over @ Cover Girls
and check out what will be showcased there during the Month of April!

And don't forget to venture back to Mina's or David's and finish finding out what everyone else is doing!!

Monday, March 18, 2013

NEW BLOG, Top 10 Favorite Movies, Express Yourself

Yes today is a BIG blogfest and Express Yourself Meme but first... a NEW BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT!!

I have mentioned it a few times before but today is LAUNCH DAY for...

Come on over to COVER GIRLS and see what 10 movies we have seen together. Don't forget to look around and follow.

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Now to today's BIG fest! Alex is hosting Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest. I’m going to keep it short (haha) since I know there are tons of people to visit along this hop/fest.

Troy
I LOVE mythology! Ever since we had to study it in the seventh grade I’ve been obsessed. And this movie not only tells the great story of Troy but it has some great eye candy as well!
War of the Worlds
H.G. Wells blessed us with the original story. There is just something about this movie that I love. The sound effects from the Alien machines are eerie.
Red Dawn
Yeah, yeah, this movie is old and the CGI… well… is non-existent but I adore all the 80’s actors. Talk about original dystopian drama.
Transformers
I’m a huge fan of all the Transformers movies but my favorite would have to be Dark of the Moon. Again, alien-robot-sound-effects are like music to my ears.
The Postman
Another dystopian movie which takes place in 2013; global society collapses and nuclear war has crippled civilization.
Harry Potter
I’m a Pothead, er, I mean Potterhead all the way. But if I have to pick my fave from the franchise I’d have to go with Order of the Phoenix. Second best movie… Deathly Hallows part 2. Order and Part 2 have the top 2 best fight sequences ever!
Rescue Dawn
Not to be confused with Red Dawn. I’m a huge military movie fan and this tells a story of an escape and rescue that is emotional and invigorating.
I am Legend
We all hope to be the one who is immune to a virus which overtakes the world but do you think you can survive the loneliness? – Or the vampiric zombies?
Reign of Fire
Dragons have always been something of interest to me. Are they really legend?
Dawn of the Dead
Really? You couldn’t have thought a zombie enthusiast would leave out a zombie flick did you? I was just leaving the best for last!
What top 10 movies are you a fan of?




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Express Yourself
Besides starting a new blog with Jackie we also co-host a weekly Meme and this week is no different: Do you have a lucky charm or a lucky ritual?
  • I used to play bingo a lot - yes, I know, I'm "young" and I played bingo... but I did take a troll doll and a rabbits foot.
  • I have an Angel jewelry piece that used to hang from a chain around my neck but now it hangs from a thick bracelet from my rearview mirror - a little luck while I'm driving never hurts.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Celebrate the Small Things

VikLit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author weekly Meme Celebrate the Small Things is here!
Go check her out and all the other bloggers to find out what else is going on in bloggerville.

  • I finished Drought by Pam Bachorz which hasn't gotten very great reviews (that I have read) but I LOVED it. I laughed and cried, teared up and got angry. This book had some religious aspects to it for a dystopian novel which I wasn't expecting but it was good! I highly recommend it. But don't get mad at me if the ending isn't what you wanted but I thought it was the perfect touch if you ask me.
  • Getting the finishing touches on this blog Jackie and I are co-blogging together. Alright so I have mentioned it a few times. Well here are some deets...
    • Stop by Monday, yes Monday at either Jackie's blog, Bouquet of Books, or the one you're at right now because Monday is the LAUNCH DAY for our NEW BLOG!!
    • Come Monday and you will be directed to the NEW BLOG (name and link revealed then).
    • All 3 blogs - Bouquet of Books, Entertaining Interests, and "NEW BLOG" will all be participating in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Top 10 Movie Countdown Bloghop.
  • What's going on today and next week and what is BLOG BLITZ?...
    • Just click on the badges!!
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Monday, March 11, 2013

EYM - Faux Reality

If you could be on any game show or reality show, which would you choose and why?

This is the question Jackie and I would like to know this week for Express Yourself.

Hmmm... I watch and love so many game/reality shows and it's so hard to pick... hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... hmmm.

Well there are two I would do...

SURVIVOR! I always wanted to go on survivor to see if I could Outwit, Outplay, & Outlast, er, I mean Out-lie, Out-scheme, & Out-cheat the other players. I know I can play and game, 'cause lets admit it, those players take that game way too seriously. IT'S A GAME! You're supposed to win not make friends. What does that say about me as a person? That I take a task seriously and I'm commited.

But lets be realistic here... I would LOVE to do the AMAZING RACE before anything else. And can anyone guess who I would do the race with? Anyone?
There would be lots of censor-ing due to over-usage of curse words 'cause we (Jackie and I) are part sailor when it comes to being lost, frustrated, or confused. And on this show, that happens a lot!

Ok... your turn.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Celebrating as Usual!

VikLit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author weekly Meme Celebrate the Small Things has arrived!
  • Jackie and I have been doing lots lately. Keep your eyes open for a launch party in the near future... a NEW JOINT BLOG is on the horizon!
  • Read the first two books in a popular series... umm, I thought they were really boring and dragged and don't see what all the hype was all about. So I've decided not to share the titles out of respect. You're wondering So why are you celebrating this? ... I'm celebrating that I continued on with them and finished when I really wanted to stop. Dedication!
  • Finished with my A to Z posts!
What are you celebrating this week?!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

IWSG - Supporting Friends

 
Fun commute to work on all that fluff and glossy ice!
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We as a community of writers, bloggers, and friends should, and often, support one another. We all need a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on every once in a while. In the spirit of IWSG I'm happy to bring three writers/authors and their families that would love some support right now. Talk about Overcoming Adversity.




Nick Wilford.

A few short weeks ago, He invited his blogging friends to contribute a short piece on the theme of Overcoming Adversity for a bloghop, following which he compiled them into an anthology to raise money for my stepson's college fund.

Title: Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew
 

About OVERCOMING ADVERSITY:
A collection of seventy moving and uplifting original pieces – real life, flash fiction, and poetry – about battling against the odds and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. The contributors include Amazon bestselling authors Alex J. Cavanaugh and Kyra Lennon, and the cream of upcoming talent.
The anthology is part of a fundraising effort to send the editor’s stepson, Andrew McNaughton, to a specialist college in England. Andrew has cerebral palsy, and is a remarkable young man with a promising future. However, the free further education options offered in his own country of Scotland will not challenge him and allow him to progress. In order to access the education he deserves, Andrew will have to pay exorbitant fees, thus creating a situation of discrimination.

Help us get Andrew to college by buying a book that runs the full gamut of human emotions, ultimately leaving you inspired and glad to be alive. Whatever struggles you are going through, our sincere hope is that this book will help.

 


Chad Morris.


Last Tuesday Chad and his wife Shelly took their 9 year old daughter to one of the best neurosurgeons in the nation to get a tumor removed from her brain.

Chad is in a hospital, being there for his daughter as she recovers. He can't promote his book, but we can! We can give him the book launch that he deserves. His book releases tomorrow. If you feel so inclined, think about mentioning his book on Twitter, Facebook, on your blog, on Pinterest, or on whatever other form of social media you enjoy.
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Chad Morris grew up wanting to become a professional basketball player or a rock star. (Inspired by Animal from the Muppets, he’s been banging on drums since he was eight years old.) After high school, he wrote and performed sketch comedy while going to college, and eventually he became a teacher and a curriculum writer. He lives in Utah with his wife and five kids. Chad would love to teach at Cragbridge Hall.

Unlike Oscar Cragbridge, however, he hasn’t really invented anything, though his son once sketched out blueprints for a machine that would turn celery into cookies.

About CRAGBRIDGE HALL: THE INVENTOR'S SECRET (Shadow Mountain, 3/5/13)

 
Imagine a school in the year 2074 where students don’t read history, but watch it happen around them; where running in gym class isn’t around a track, but up a virtual mountain; and where learning about animals means becoming one through an avatar.

Welcome to Cragbridge Hall, the most advanced and prestigious school in the world. Twin siblings Abby and Derick Cragbridge are excited as new students to use their famed grandfather’s inventions that make Cragbridge Hall so incredible. But when their grandfather and parents go missing, the twins begin following a trail of clues left by their grandfather. They must find out where their family is, learn who they can trust, and discover what secrets are hidden within Cragbridge Hall.

Abby and Derick soon realize they are caught in a race with a fierce adversary to discover their grandfather’s greatest secret–a dangerous discovery that could alter both history and reality.


Bridget Zinn

Bridget's debut novel, POISON, releases a week from tomorrow. Sadly, Bridget died from cancer in May of 2011, and never got to hold her book in her hands. Being published was her dream, and her husband and friends would love some help putting the finishing touches on her dream. Her husband has set up a website that talks about all the ways you can help. It's a pretty awesome thing. You can find his plea for help here: http://bridgetzinn.com/help/index.php

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Bridget grew up in Wisconsin. She went to the county fair where she met the love of her life, Barrett Dowell. They got married right before she went in for exploratory surgery which revealed she had colon cancer. They christened that summer the "summer of love" and the two celebrated with several more weddings. Bridget continued to read and write until the day she died. Her last tweet was "Sunshine and a brand new book. Perfect."

Bridget wanted to make people laugh and hoped readers would enjoy spending time with the characters she created. As a librarian/writer she loved books with strong young women with aspirations. She also felt teens needed more humorous reads. She really wanted to write a book with pockets of warmth and happiness and hoped that her readers' copies would show the watermarks of many bath time reads.

Book: POISON (Hyperion, 3/12/13) 
Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she's the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom's future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.
Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king's army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she's not alone. She's armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can't stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she's certainly no damsel-in-distress—she's the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Express Yourself - Colors

Another Monday has come upon us which means another Express Yourself question is here! Jackie and I feel as though March is all about our favorite color GREEN, what is Your Favorite Color?

And since we have revealed our favorite color already, I have decided to do something different.



Idioms and expressions
  • Having a green thumb. To be passionate about or talented at gardening.
  • Greenhorn. Someone who is inexperienced.
  • Green-eyed monster. Refers to jealousy.
  • Greenmail. A term used in finance and corporate takeovers. It refers to the practice of a company paying a high price to buy back shares of its own stock to prevent an unfriendly takeover by another company or businessman.
  • Green room. A room at a theater where actors rest when not onstage, or a room at a television studio where guests wait before going on-camera.
  • Greenwashing. Environmental activists sometimes use this term to describe the advertising of a company which promotes its positive environmental practices to cover up its environmental destruction.
  • Green around the gills. A description of a person who looks physically ill.


Aura colors:
GREEN
  • Green – is the color of the heart and of nature. This is usually found within the aura of healers, teachers and people who work for the public good.
  • Forest green – You're a natural healer.
  • Yellow-green – You're a communicator. You may be an actor, writer, musician or sales person.
  • Dark or cloudy green – You are very jealous person and full of resentment. You refuse to accept responsibility for your own actions.
  • Turquoise – The ultra aura color for a powerful healer. You help others discover their inner truths. Usually found in doctors, healers and counselors.

Green spirit orbs means = healing, fertily

Friday, March 1, 2013

Back From the Future, List of Joy, Celebrate the Small Things

G'Friday to you all!
You’re up before dawn on a Saturday when the doorbell rings. You haven’t brewed your coffee so you wonder if you imagined the sound. Plonking the half-filled carafe in the sink, you go to the front door and cautiously swing it open. No one there. As you cast your eyes to the ground, you see a parcel addressed to you … from you.
You scoop it up and haul it inside, sensing something legitimate despite the extreme oddness of the situation. Carefully, you pry it open. Inside is a shoebox — sent from ten years in the future — and it’s filled with items you have sent yourself.
What’s in it?
Reality:
·         A copy of my first published novel
·         A family picture
·         And a letter explaining how my life turned out. How I need to not worry so much. That God will take care of everything and lead me and family down the right path. That my children have turned out to be great kids and that all of my worrying was for nothing.
o   Side note: I got a little teary-eyed just thinking about it.
·         Maybe winning lotto numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 – (let's see who gets this)

Apocalyptic Future – because this is for fun right:
·         A map to a isolate location – preferably in the middle of nowhere
·         Winning numbers to the next big lottery so I can buy supplies needed for apocalypse – duh!
·         Blue Prints of compound to build
·         List of people to recruit/save
o   Family – duh
o   Engineers
o   Mechanics
o   Botanists
o   Doctor
o   A few military friends
o   Teacher
·         Supplies/food/weapons needed to procure before end of days hits.

Also, today, Kyra Lennon and Clare Dugmore are hosting The Bloghop of Joy! Post your List of Joy – with a minimum of FIVE things that put a spring back in your step!
1.       Summer Breeze by Seals and Croft
2.       Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyard Skynyard
3.       The sound of Locusts in the trees
4.       Frogs croaking – not the slang term for dying – lol
5.       My kids laughter
6.       The sound and smell of the ocean
7.       Sun-showers – when it rains while the sun is still shinning
8.       My toes in sand
9.       The sun on my skin
10.   Laughing so hard my stomach hurts

Celebrating the Small Things is also important! VikLit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author is always interested in what we have done during our busy week...
·         I listened to book 2 (audio); Fever of the Chemical Garden series by Lauren DeStefano.
·         Read Zom-B by Darren Shan
·         #amreading Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin
·         Signed up for RunForYourLife 5k zombie run in June, Urban Adventures Bike Race in July, and Color Me Rad 5k in August. So excited!!
·         I won an audio copy of Splintered and swag pack over at The Valentines blog!! Go visit the author's of 2014!
Have an awesome Friday!