Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Definition of Friendship

"My definition of friendship varies with the friend, but certain traits are mandatory. Friends can occupy the same room without robbing the space of solitude. They appreciate the difference between conversation and pointless noise. They don't snipe and bitch about other friends. They do their share of mundane tasks without prompting. They seldom whine, are secure in their own purpose and don't anchor themselves to an energy-sapping cloud of defeat."
Doc Ford from Randy Wayne White's Dead Silence.

Mr. White is a new author I've discovered.  I just finished Dead Silence and found it gripping. If you like a good thriller give it a go.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Call Me Maybe, Parody



Hilarious!
If you haven't seen this before take a look. It is too funny. If you can't see the guys, tap on the screen to enlarge to screen mode or  go to you tube. 

~*~

The Crystal is on sale today at Elloras Cave for seventy-five cents.

"Only the chosen ones or their mates will ever be able to see the magic contained in the Globe."
~*~
Caught in a downpour, Gabriella Bell enters a trendy little shop and discovers a crystal ball. In the globe she sees the face of a hard-eyed stranger. Drawn by a force she doesn't understand she buys the crystal, unaware she is purchasing stolen property that belongs to the aunt of a premiere cat burglar known to polite society as Christopher Saint and to the underworld as The Tiger.
She soon discovers that not only does the handsome, hard-eyed stranger want the mysterious globe but so does a beautiful ruthless jewel thief who will stop at nothing, including murder, to possess Christopher and the crystal ball…and Gabriella is standing in her way. Gabriella discovers the road to true love isn't just rocky, it's downright dangerous.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

SBB: Fate

BLURB:
Death stalks Kris in dreams and in reality. The target of a cunning serial killer, Kris must defend her life and her love. Visions prepare her for what’s coming, but is knowledge enough to change the future? Or will demented mania claim victory over fated love?

The good things in life are coming together for Kristina Collins. She’s found her ideal home, her career is on track for mega success and the man of her dreams has finally come back into her life.

In Fate, the first installment of the Timeless Trilogy, Kris Collins discovers the benefits and risks of having precognitive visions while being stalked by a serial killer. Her friends can’t help her, the FBI can’t save her; she must save herself.

The Timeless Trilogy heroines, Kristina, Veronica and Cassandra, each deal with paranormal abilities as they discover and rediscover eternal love.
Excerpt:
The edge of the blade felt like ice against her skin. One breath too deep, one movement—ever so slight—would give the knife a taste of her blood. It’s a part of the nightmare, she thought, even as she felt the breath of her attacker lightly touch her face.
    
The nightmares that had been plaguing her for weeks warned of this moment. Images, too terrifying to be real, flashed quickly across her mind’s eye in an instant replay of her recent night terrors. Running down a long, empty hallway, filled with doorways on either side, chased by some unknown monster that knew her deepest fears. Running towards a movie, scrolling incessantly with images of those she loved most trapped in a fiery hell. Sepia-toned faces, twisted in pain, were a stark contrast to the blue, red and yellow of the flames engulfing them. The echoes of their screams filled the dark, never-ending hallway. She couldn’t look away and she couldn’t stop running; her only escape was straight ahead, towards the horror show. 
  
 So far, the nightmares ended with her sitting straight up in bed, breathing hard in a cold sweat. He hadn’t caught her yet.
    
The all too real feeling of cold steel pressed against her neck gave the nightmare an alternate ending. Kris tried to control her breathing so her attacker would think she slept. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way to reach the loaded SIG waiting beneath the extra pillow beside her. She didn’t always keep a gun so handy, but recent events, including the dreams, made it a necessity.
   
“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.” The familiar voice spoke the words softly in her ear.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Tallulah Grace is an aficionado of anything paranormal, loves to read a good thriller and creates characters that become friends. Tallulah was born and raised in a small southern town located in the foothills of the vibrant Blue Ridge Mountains. When she's not developing characters and weaving stories, Tallulah enjoys antiquing and bead-weaving.
Personal Links:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TallulahSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grace.tallulah
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/tallulahgrace
 Book Trailer on You Tube: http://bit.ly/mC5UfX
Book Links
 

Tallulah will be awarding winner's choice of a backlist eBook to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop..

The tour dates can be found here:


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

My Husband the Plant Killer

He has a talent. No flower is safe for miles around. He's known for trimming back the flowers and leaving the weeds untouched. Last year in his zest to fertilizer my yellow rose bush, he nearly burned it up.  Yesterday it was my coleus. I'd just bought it. I didn't even have it out of the car before he lopped the top off with his cane. Below is pictures of the knocked off top and the rest of the poor maimed coleus. Oh yeah, and I tossed in a pic of my new gazing ball:) To the gardeners out there: Do you think it will root? I need to ask good bud Rhobin Courtright. Are any of you Courtright fans? She's an excellent author and gardener. I lust for her gardens.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Too Cute Tuesday



Rats don't rate high on my Richter scale, but this trailer really does deserve a 'too cute' mention.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Dog People VS Cat People and Oblivion Trailer


The weekend flew as weekend's tend to do. Had every intention of seeing Oblivion but didn't make it. Did you see it and if so what's your take on it?

~*~
In her excitement to see me, the hound stepped on my bare toe. OMG, it felt like an elephant with claws had stepped on it. The encounter, typical for the hound, left me with this hypothesis. 

First of all let me start by making a disclaimer to all the  cat people out there that have all kinds of patience. I'm sure there are some. Unfortunately, I'm just not one of them:)

I believe patience is what separates the dog people from the cat people. Its only a hypothesis of course. But here are my findings:

Dog people are calm. Well maybe not always, but it helps when dealing with canines.
When a dog gets on something he's not supposed to, the dog person says in a calm but firm voice, "Down."

Cat People, not so much. If the dog gets on something he's not supposed, the response is: "Get your ass down."

Dog person tells a dog, "Sit." Repeats in a calm voice,   "Sit."

Cat person tells a dog, "Sit." Dog ignores cat person. "Damn it, sit!"

Dog person tells dog to stay. "Stay." Holds up hand to indicate stay. "Stay,"He/she reiterates dragging out the word.

Cat person tells dog to stay. Dog ignores cat person.  This time cat person responds with a blasphemy in front of the stay. And also makes a hand gesture but its not the one to stay.

Dog person says "Quiet," in voice of authority to stop dog barking.

Cat person says, "Don't make me come out there."

I think dogs are wonderful, faithful creatures. I truly do. Cats are just all kinds of easier.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

VBB: A Witch Without Magic



BLURB:
When her neighbors accuse Belladonna of Satanism and making them age years to days, she must find who is behind it or face a modern day witch hunt. Her mysterious enemy knows where to strike to cause the most damage: Belladonna's only friend is losing his life-force; the garden that feeds her is dying; and her house ghost goes poltergeist. To save her neighbors and friends and prove her innocence, she must travel to the Otherworld where butterflies have razor wings and where her worst fears will come to life.
Excerpt:

The mob on the other side of the wrought iron fence wore no tri-cornered hats or starched bonnets.  They didn’t brandish pitchforks or flaming torches.  Hell, they didn’t even bring a preacher to drive the Devil out.  Still, they had come to flush out a witch and the witch was me.

They were thirty all together, gathered outside my gate under the two California live oaks that shade the sidewalk in midday.  I had to squint into the still hot mid-October sun to study their unfamiliar faces.  The mob included several dwarves.  The youngest dwarf must have been in her forties, a tiny woman that for some reason wore a yellow, red and blue Snow White dress with an appliquéd picture of Snow White on the chest.  She didn’t look like a typical dwarf: no classically high forehead and her arms and legs were proportionate.  She was holding a fluffy purple teddy bear by a front paw and sucking her thumb.

In the sun my forehead sweated under the straw hat.  A mocking bird’s harsh chirrup burst from the oak on the right, piercing as a car horn.  I flinched.

I don’t much like or trust people in large groups - doing time in Greenville State Prison for Women had taught me that.  In prison the exercise yard is the most dangerous place to be: too many inmates in one area, too many chances to be stabbed with a shiv made from a sharpened toothbrush handle or from melted and hardened Styrofoam cups.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Larisa Walk, a native Russian, lives in California with her husband and two formerly homeless cats. She writes paranormal fiction that is more often than not populated by characters from the Russian fairy world. Her short fiction appeared in several anthologies and magazines. She has published a historic fantasy novel, A Handful of Earth, and a modern paranormal novel, A Witch Without Magic. See her quirky blog posts here: http://www.larisawalk.com

Larisa will be awarding a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate to five randomly drawn commenters during the tour.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

BBT: Angel Chronicles





A Privilege:
The Angel Chronicles, Book 3

The beloved Angel/Warrior team face pure evil in their final climactic story!

The first time they were sent down, Irish lives were led. Emily, the angel, ended up embedded in murder and lost in the realm of true love. While Matthew, the warrior, took over a life that left blood on his hands and anger in his soul.

With their second coming, Emily found herself facing an oncoming war that brought her to the shores of America. While Matthew tried desperately to unveil the evil character of a young man who was intent on locking his partner in a ‘gilded’ cage.

Now...Emily and Matthew find that their lives are all their own. Yet, all the memories, hatred, longing and regret have come hand-in-hand with this newfound freedom.

In small town U.S.A., Matthew finds himself loving his new life. From his military school existence to a new, ‘odd’ friend who’s arrived in town, Matthew’s looking forward to graduation and heading off into a brilliant future with Emily by his side.

Emily wants nothing more than to hide. Although doing her best to fit in, she lives a life on the edge, wondering when her past love with reappear to either forgive or seek revenge on the angel who let him down. Battling the shadows that seem to be breaking her soul in two, Emily soon discovers that her small, quiet town has a secret that’s beyond dangerous...

As she and Matthew join forces to help a ‘haunted’ victim, they open the door on a mystery neither of them can believe. A true villain has returned from the past, and not even their heavenly family will be able to save them. This time they’re on their own, as they face a fight that could lead them straight to Hell…and end the angel/warrior team forever.


 * Nook * iBookstore

Without a word, Matthew reached out, took Emily by the hand and pulled her down beside him. He looked into her eyes and smiled. “I knew my Emily was still in there.”

Out of the blue, the room became incredibly hot, as if Gabriel had entered in order to give a lesson to his favorite students. “What?”

“That spark.” He pulled Emily’s face closer before she could push herself away. “You’ve been acting all this time like you’re just here to sit and wait it out until you’re lucky enough to go Home. But you’re still in there, Emily. You still have all that energy and belief in there and you want to do something. That’s the partner I know.”

Shaking her head, Emily listened to her own breathing intensify as she stared at his full lips and wondered why she felt so completely and utterly strange...vulnerable even. “I want to help this girl. This is a job, maybe my only job down here. She saw a ghost and she wants me to help her out, that’s all.”

“And you will.” Matthew captured Emily’s lips, and she could no longer feel the breath in her lungs. Completely different than the one kiss they’d shared up above so long ago, this one was far more demanding, as if Matthew was a young man determined to kiss his human love for the very first time.

Sitting back, Emily practically jumped off the bed.

“I’m sorry,” she heard him whisper behind her. “I guess I was just excited to see you again.”

Not trusting her voice, she remained silent.

“We have jobs, but we also have a life to live. Our own lives this time around. Maybe you should think about adding that into your angelic plans.” Matthew continued softly, “Jason isn’t here, Emily.”

The name being said out loud sent a chill down Emily’s spine. It reminded her of the vow she’d made a long time ago—a vow that an angel couldn’t break.

She cleared her throat. “It doesn’t matter if he’s here. We were sent to do a job, and maybe helping this little girl prove her story is what I need to begin.”

Standing up, Matthew looked as if he was a man who wanted nothing more than to turn back the clock and erase the name he’d spoken aloud. He walked to the open window. “Well, I hope the job goes well. Good luck with it.”

“Matthew,” Emily took a step toward him. “Don’t leave like this.”

He nodded at the book on the bed. “You have your mission, Emily...your job. Ghosts, goblins, lost souls—knock yourself out.” He took a deep breath. “I wonder when you’re going to figure out that the living souls around you would like some of your attention as well.”

Closing her eyes, Emily shed silent tears as she heard his feet hit the ground beneath her window. A friend, a partner, the one who actually listened, was now just an angry young man racing back to The Armory—a place where warriors reigned.

Emily sighed. She’d done it again. No matter how hard she tried to be good, her mouth always got her into trouble. She needed Matthew to understand. She’d made a promise to a young man a long time ago; a promise that was supposed to last for eternity. How was she to know at the time that their eternity would include death by her hand?
Had the second time around broken their vow? Emily had no idea. But whatever happened she could not and would not offer Matthew her heart if payment was still due for her past sins. Above all, Matthew was the last person who deserved to be punished for her mistakes.
Author Amy Lignor
Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico.




Books 1 and 2 are now 99 cents on Kindle!