Weekend

Have a relaxing weekend.

~*~

https://museituppublishing.com

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope your day is filled with family, great friends and good food.

Dreams, Catching Fire and Other Stuff

You know how dreams are normally scary or just plain weird? I had a good one the other night. I dreamed my daughter made an unexpected trip home and I won ten thousand dollars. Of course, I woke up before I had a chance to spend it, but still a pretty good dream.  The night before I dreamed someone thought he was a vampire and kept trying to bite me. That's more like the dreams I normally have:) What about you, got monsters after you or people giving you money?

~*~

Did you go see Catching Fire? Did you like it? I thought the beginning was a little bit jerky but once it got going I was hooked. Unfortunately, we had rowdies on both sides of us, the downside of going to an opening. We usually wait a week or so when a film comes out we want to see, that way the theaters not so packed and you can avoid some of that. I'd also recommend reading the books before seeing the movies.

 

Why Cats and Dogs Don't Get Along

Thanks, Rye.

This is the last day of my work week. Hope it is for you too.

Book Blast:: The Sydney Rye Series

BLURB:

Books 1-3, The complete Series Box Set (Value Pack)

The Sydney Rye series of mysteries features a strong female protagonist and her rescue dog, Blue. This series is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!

This box set includes all three of the Sydney Rye Books.

UNLEASHED (A Sydney Rye Novel, #1)

When the series begins Sydney Rye is named Joy Humbolt. She does not like people telling her what to do, so it comes as no surprise that she was just fired from her last job. When she buys Charlene Miller's dog-walking business on Manhattan's exclusive upper east side, it seems like the perfect fit: Quiet environment, minimal contact with people.

But then one of her clients turns up dead, and Charlene disappears. Rumors say Charlene was having an affair with the victim--and of course, everyone assumes Joy must know where she is. Joy begins to look into the crime, first out of curiosity then out of anger when there is another murder and threats start to come her way.

When police detective Mulberry is assigned to the case, Joy finds a kindred spirit--cynical and none-too-fond of the human race. As they dig deep into the secrets of Manhattan's elite, they not only get closer to the killer but also to a point of no return. One last murder sends Joy Humbolt hurtling over the edge. Her only chance of survival is to become Sydney Rye.

DEATH IN THE DARK (A Sydney Rye Novella, #2)

At the beginning of Death in the Dark we find Joy Humbolt hiding, not only from the law, but also from her past and the mistakes she's made. Living this isolated life doesn't last long though when a visit from Mulberry brings Joy to accept her new identity as the Private Detective, Sydney Rye. To complete the transformation, Joy must learn to control her emotions as well as her giant aggressive dog, Blue. With the help of an expert trainer, Joy learns to fight with her mind as well as her body. However, when the daughter of a close friend is brutally murdered in the desert, Rye turns away from her mentor to seek revenge. Sydney's quick temper and deadly intentions lead her into a trap that she will need all of her new skills to survive.

INSATIABLE (A Sydney Rye Novel, #3)

The third book in the series begins with private detective Sydney Rye living a simple, disciplined life in London, but when a dangerous man from her past calls, Rye finds she cannot turn him away. Robert Maxim explains that the daughter of a powerful friend has gone missing and he wants Rye to find her. In exchange he offers her something she had given up hope of ever having; freedom from her past.

With her dog, Blue, at her side, Rye meets up with her new partner, a handsome man she's not sure she can trust. Heading for Mexico City, they go undercover, posing as husband and wife. After meeting with the bereaved parents, Rye starts to sense that there is more going on than just a missing girl. But it isn't until they arrive in the Yucatan Peninsula, hot on the girl's trail in Paradise, that all hell breaks loose. Sydney has to reach out for help from old friends and deal with the consequences of her past, if she's going to find the girl and keep them all alive.

New release!  STRINGS OF GLASS (A Sydney Rye Novel, #4)

STRINGS OF GLASS is the fourth novel in Emily Kimelman's Sydney Rye Series of dark murder mystery novels. This series features a strong female protagonist and her rescue dog, Blue. It is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!

Sydney Rye is hanging out in India with her boyfriend, Dan, reading paperbacks and sipping beer. No violence and no reminders of her past. But when she and Blue, are attacked by a pact of wild dogs, Sydney starts to feel that old itch again; to do good by being bad.

Trouble finds Rye when she stops the attempted rape and murder of Anita, a reporter working on a story of corruption and human trafficking. The atrocities Anita describes send Sydney, Blue and Dan on a quest that takes them across India after a dangerous and, up until now, untouchable, figure. While Sydney struggles to accept her true nature she realizes that it is the only way to end decades of abuse and exploitation. But Rye fears that she will lose herself, becoming no better than the monster she fights against.

From UNLEASHED (A Sydney Rye Novel, #1)

EXCERPT:

The sun was slipping behind the brownstones across the street and turning the sky pink when I left for Nancy’s. “Hey,” said the guy on the corner who always said hey. I ignored him. “Hey, pretty lady, you got a beautiful ass,” he tried again. I watched the concrete and power-walked away.

Ten minutes later I was at Nancy’s, a low-key lesbian bar with a nice backyard. If you wanted to talk to a stranger you could, but there was no pressure. If you wanted to take someone home you could, but again there was no pressure.

“Tequila gimlet, straight up,” I said. The bartender, whose name I was pretty sure was Diane, nodded and moved off to make my drink. My face, reflected in the mirror behind the bar, peered from between a bottle of Blue Curacao and Midori. I needed a haircut. My fashionable bangs had grown out, and now I just pushed them behind my ears. Last night’s fight with Marcus and my early-morning journey to the pound had left puffy, blue-tinted circles under my eyes. All those tears had left the white around my gray irises streaked with red and—I leaned forward a little to make sure—my upper eyelids a bizarre orange.

Diane placed a martini glass brimming with sheer red liquid on the bar, and I handed her a ten. I moved toward the backyard, trying not to spill my drink all over my hand while spilling my drink all over my hand.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Emily Kimelman lives on a boat in the Hudson Valley with her husband, Sean and their dog Kinsey (named after Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone). Kimelman has a passion for traveling and spends as much time as possible in the pursuit of adventure.

Her "Sydney Rye Series" are dark murder mystery novels which features a strong female protagonist and her rescue dog, Blue. This series is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!

ejkimelman@gmail.com

http://emilykimelman.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/EmilyKimelman

@ejkimelman

“Unleashed” is free through the end of summer!

http://www.amazon.com/Emily-Kimelman/e/B004YG4PPC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/emily-kimelman

Emily will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e43422/" >Win a $25 Amazon GC in this Rafflecopter Giveaway

It's Here!

I have been waiting forever. Will I see you at the theater? Have a good weekend. Let me know Monday whether you liked it or not.

~*~

On a more somber note

Nov 16 - 24 is Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week

Myths about hunger:

http://www.hungernwnc.org/about-hunger/hunger-myths.html

https://www.thefoodeffect.org/

A Cat's Perception

This has got to be my cat. Grin.

Southern Christmas Show

We went to the Southern Christmas Show. It was amazing. Decorated Christmas rooms. Christmas dollhouse displays. Performers.  Vendors, from all over the South,  for everything you could possibly want or not realize you wanted:)
If you are thinking about going let me tell you what not to do. Don't pick one of the busiest days and get a late start. Even though I'd been warned I couldn't believe the number of people. It was like being at a popular amusement park, wall to wall people. But it was all kinds of fun.

~*~

Did you see this article about the little boy who helped save his family from the tornado?

http://news.yahoo.com/boy-s-tornado-warnings-helped-save-family-145430893.html

SBB: Nymrod Resurrection

BLURB:  

Investigating an unlikely murder, Ex-SEAL and part time PI Craige Ingram discovers an officially sanctioned assassination.  His investigation quickly stirs beyond the dirty backrooms of the nation’s capital with more killings across Europe and the Middle East.  The dead woman is somehow connected to stolen artifacts from a time before Babylon.  As he probes apparently unconnected clues, he locks horns with an enigmatic enticing secret agent with her own agenda and her own way of doing things.  Craige faces train wrecks and deadly assassins doing business with a rich mercenary selling biotoxins, rare stamps, deadly nerve gases, and smuggled nuclear material to the highest bidder. As Craige peels away at the shadowy Operation Nymrod, he finds an elusive power-hungry dead-set mind – a driven obsession with a frightful arsenal of bioweapons ready to fulfill ancient prophecies with a very personal Armageddon that makes the monstrous last day of the twin towers of the World Trade Center pale in possibilities.

EXCERPT:

            For years I'd used the old house for everything from a hay barn to a tractor shed.  The split shake roof was next to nonexistent.  Rafters and studs rotten and termite honeycombed from subflooring up.  Termites long gone, courtesy of nearby mounds of fire ants.  The hackberry tree off its back porch looked solid until that hail and windstorm.  A blue-white crack of lightening split through its rotted heartwood, toppling the trunk across what was left of the wobbly canted bricks of the chimney.  The storm cleared leaving the shaky stump of the fireplace and knobby chimney jutting up out of a tumbled pile of bricks.  Bright sunshine slashed across pearly teeth in a decomposing skull; the neat bullet hole bull’s-eyed just below the hair line.

            It wasn’t long before Lucky was pawing at the back door.  Yelping that peculiar excited bark I've learned not to ignore.  The last time it was a possum with her litter.  "Okay, come on...show me what you found."

            He gave a sharp high-pitched yip.  Pulled away for a few yards.  Stopped, looked back, made sure I was following.  Then took off across the soy bean field toward the airstrip.  Stopped ever so often.  Looked back, checked to make sure I was still coming with him.  He disappeared over the top of the low rises behind the hangar.  When I topped the rise, I saw the storm damage to the old house with Lucky up on the tumbled chimney’s pile of bricks—tail wagging, looking down.  Getting closer, I spotted what had gotten him so riled.  Pieces of field mouse chewed cloth poked out from under the bricks.  After pulling back several, it didn't take an expert to recognize the mildewed remnants of clothing sunk against desiccated skin gnawed down to gleaming cheek bones.  I left Lucky to guard.  Hurried back to the house.  Brought back my digital camera.  Photoed the body, the surrounding area, the smears of hydraulic fluid on the runway and grass with the matching set of wheel marks.  Each set in landing gear positions, adding up to a pair of choppers.  We'd stumbled into the muck of someone's cockamamie conspiracy, and someone was already on my case.  I called Gray before I called the local sheriff.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

With postgraduate degrees and faculty appointments in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk has authored several works of fiction.

Hawk began writing mysteries for his school newspaper. His works of fiction, historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers are not genre-centered, but plot-character driven, and reflect his southwest upbringing in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his serial protagonist in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series… murder and mayhem with a touch of romance. Vault of Secrets, the first book in the Ingram series, was followed by Nymrod Resurrection, Blood and Gold, and The Lady of Corpsewood Manor. All have received national attention.  Hawk’s latest release in the Ingram series is due out this fall with another mystery-thriller work out in 2014. The Bleikovat Event, the first volume in The Cairns of Sainctuarie science fiction series, was released in 2012.

"Without question, Hawk is one of the most gifted and imaginative writers I have had the pleasure to represent. His reading fans have something special to look forward to in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series. Intrigue, murder, deception and conspiracy--these are the things that take Hawk's main character, Navy ex-SEAL/part-time private investigator Craige Ingram, from his South Carolina ancestral home of Moccasin Hollow to the dirty backrooms of the nation's capital and across Europe and the Middle East."

Barbara Casey, President

Barbara Casey Literary Agency

www.hawkmackinney.net

www.amazon.com

www.barnesandnoble.com

One randomly drawn commenter will win a $20 Amazon gift card.

The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/10/super-book-blast-nymrod-resurrection-by.html

My Editor Is A Zombie

My Editor is a Zombie

Thank you to the lovely Sandra Cox for asking me to tell my story! And to think I tell the authors I work with that I don’t bite…

The time: A cold, wet evening on the first of November, perilously close to Hallowe’en, the night when all manner of spooks and psychos and undead monsters stalk the streets. The place: Leicester, England, at the headquarters of Zombie Earth: Apocalypse (http://www.zombieearth.co.uk/). The person: Rebecca Hill, Ellora’s Cave editor and, for one night only, blood-thirsty ghoul with a craving for human flesh.*

Zombie Earth: Apocalypse is something like a computer game come to life – a mixture of urban orienteering, finding clues to the next location, and fending off hordes of slavering zombies, some of whom can move surprisingly fast for dead people.

My fellow zombies and I assembled at HQ for professional makeup, plenty of fake blood made of syrup and food colouring, and a stern reminder that we should not actually attempt to bite anyone. Being on the diminutive side, I was dressed as a little girl, in a fluffy pink dressing gown and clutching a teddy bear. Once teddy and I had been thoroughly zombified, we were led off to our location, a pub (not open to the public), where the weary participants were tantalised with the promise of a drink and a wee before the “landlord and landlady” (Zombie Earth actors) opened the door to reveal yours truly, lurching and moaning.

I’ve never seen anyone move so fast! In dim lighting and to adrenaline-addled people, I’m told that I did indeed look like a child, which added an unsettling element to the shock of a zombie attack. The majority of people left needing the toilet rather more urgently than they had when they came in. One quite large, tough-looking young man left on the verge of tears of fright after I cornered him and offered him my cuddly toy, and it was hilarious to see people pushing their friends out of the way in order to get back out of the pub door! Be warned: in the event of a zombie uprising, your friends and family will almost certainly sacrifice you to save themselves.

It was a surprisingly exhausting evening but tremendous fun, and I’d recommend it to anyone who has a theatrical streak, or likes to see grown men cry. Although I still smell faintly of syrup – that’s stuff is hell to get out of your hair.

Now, how I came to become a zombie is a story for another day…

* Any suggestion on Sandra’s part that this is a normal state of affairs should be ignored.

 Note Zombie Contacts

~*~

Curious about the difference between a labyrinth and a maze? Find out more at CJ's Blog:

http://ponyexpressgraphics.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-labyrinth.html?showComment=1384816076644

It's Friday

It's Friday. It's also the HH's bday, so we'll be partying down...sedately.

Blogsters, have a perfect weekend. I hope to hear all about it Monday. And speaking of Monday, my editor, the zombie, will be posting.

Why, When and Will

1. Why do some books sell better at Barnes and Noble than Amazon and vice - versa?

2. Why was the government allowed to shut down the country without being held accountable?

3. When is lab grown meat going to be available? (Okay, I know those of you who are meat eaters really don't care about this one:)

4. When will there be an Alzheimer's break through? (Hope they hurry on this one, my memory's not getting any better.)

5. Why don't we ban together and boycott over-priced, stale popcorn at the theater?

6.  Why is Monday the first day of the week. It's a nasty day. Why not start with Tuesday?

7. Why do CEO's get raises when there's 'no money' for the laborers?

8. When is the car that can be programmed to drive itself going to be available for sale? Will we be able to afford it?

9.Why do some people call you while they're using the facilities?

What's on your why and when list?

~*~

Why Moms Yell

Friends

"We'll be friends till we're old and senile. Then we'll be new friends."

Title:  Reclaim My Heart
Author: Donna Fasano
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Pages: 282
Formats: Paperback, eBook, AudioCD
ISBN: 978-1477817988
Purchase Now: Paperback § eBook  § AudioCD

About the Book:
Sixteen years ago, Tyne Whitlock cut all ties to her past and left town under the shameful shadow of a teenage pregnancy. Now her fifteen-year-old son is in trouble with the law, and she is desperate for help. But reaching out to high-powered attorney Lucas Silver Hawk will tear open the heart-wrenching past in ways Tyne never imagined.

Forced to return to the Delaware Indian community where Lucas was raised, Tyne and Lucas are tempted by the heated passion that consumed them as teens. Tyne rediscovers all the reasons she found this man irresistible, but there are scandalous secrets waiting to be revealed, disgraceful choices made in the past that cannot be denied. Love is a powerful force that could heal them both—if the truth doesn't rip them apart.

A note from the author:
On becoming a Montlake Author:

Let me tell you about my wonderful publishing experience! I have to back up a little bit… to this past spring. I self-published a romance titled Reclaim My Heart. The book received great reviews immediately, and it sold well from the beginning. Very well. In fact, during the first week of August I was enjoying a mug of coffee while perusing the USA Today Bestseller's List (my usual Thursday morning routine), and I nearly choked when I saw that Reclaim My Heart was sitting at #123 on the list. A couple of days later I was contacted by an editor from Montlake. She told me she'd read one of my books months before and had been keeping an eye on me. She said she'd read Reclaim My Heart and loved it. Now, what author doesn't love to hear that? She made an offer I couldn't refuse.

The Montlake editor and the design team loved the cover that was on the indie version of the book; however, Amazon had trouble licensing the rights to the image. So we searched for weeks before finding the picture that's on the current cover. I love it! And I hope my readers do, too.

I'm happy to be writing romance novels for Montlake. I feel wanted and appreciated, and it can't get much better than that in the publishing industry!

~Donna

Bio:
Donna Fasano is a three time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, and  a Golden Heart finalist. Her books have sold over 3.6 million copies worldwide and have been published in nearly two dozen languages. Her books have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #17.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

Excerpt: 

"Please, Lucas."

He couldn't dismiss the tone of those two small words, nor could he ignore the magnitude of emotion clouding her expression. He had no choice but to relent.

"Sit down," he murmured. He closed the door of his office and then returned to perch himself on the corner of his desk. He steeled himself before asking, "What's on your mind?"

She seemed to shrink a little as a thousand thoughts ran though her head. Seconds passed, and still she didn't speak.

Lucas witnessed the phenomenon almost on a daily basis. The people who wound up in his office often felt as if they were carrying the world on their shoulders. He knew her anxiety would eventually discharge, and from the looks of it, he wouldn't have to wait long.

Finally, she pressed her hand to her chest. "I can't breathe."

"Relax. Do you want some water?"

She shook her head, a lock of her long, platinum hair falling over her forearm. "No. I need to get this out. I promised you I'd hurry."

He couldn't keep his brows from arching a fraction. She hadn't kept her promises in the past. Why would he expect her to now?

Tyne ran her tongue along her full bottom lip, hesitated another moment, then blurted, "I need a lawyer."

Lucas closed his eyes and stifled a sigh. He could have guessed as much, of course. He'd worked hard to get himself into the privileged position of being able to pick and choose his clients. The last person he wanted to represent was Tyne Whitlock.

"A good lawyer, Lucas."

Common sense told him Tyne wasn't attempting to flatter him. She was speaking purely out of desperation.

"Look, Tyne—" Something made him stop. He sighed, and then he stood, taking his time rounding his desk and sitting down. The leather-upholstered arms of the chair were cool and smooth under his fingertips.

"I know some of the best attorneys in the city." He plucked a pen from the cup on his desktop. "And many of them owe me a favor or two." He reached into his inside jacket pocket, pulled out one of the business cards he always kept handy, and turned it over, poised to write. "Let me give you some names and numbers—"

"I don't want just any attorney." Her chin lifted. "I want you. Why else would I have come here?"

His gaze lowered to the small white card in his hand. With much deliberation, he set down the pen and the card, and then he looked her directly in the eyes.

Every muscle in her body appeared board-stiff.

"Listen to me—" he kept his tone calm "—when people find themselves in trouble with the law, or victimized, or wrongfully sued, or unjustly accused, they tend to get lost in a strange, I don't know, franticness. A recklessness that they almost always regret. Believe me when I tell you that no situation is hopeless, and circumstances are rarely as desperate as they might be perceived. Whatever trouble you're in, don't let panic and fear haze your thinking."

"You don't understand."

"I think I do," he rushed to assure her. "I see it every day. Honest, hardworking people finding themselves in dire straits. And this unfamiliar territory throws them. They grasp at help from the first source that comes to mind."

"But—"

"Just like that old adage warning that only a fool acts as his own lawyer, it's also foolish to choose an attorney in haste. You and I have a past, Tyne, and even though all of that took place years and years ago, the fact remains that we have a history. I don't believe I would be the best person to represent you in a court of law. You need someone who'll be totally unbiased. Let me give you some names. I'll make some calls for you myself—"

"Stop!" She lifted her hands and scooted to the edge of the seat. "You don't understand. And I can't make you understand if you won't shut up for a minute."

His eyebrows arched and the frustration in her statement had him leaning back a bit.

She frowned. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. I had to stew all day yesterday." She fisted her hands in her lap. "I didn't expect to reach anyone on a Sunday, but do you know that your firm doesn't offer an emergency number on the answering machine?" She exhaled with force. "I'm a nervous wreck just being here. Seeing you. But all that aside, I shouldn't have snapped at you. Please accept my apology."

He didn't react, didn't move. He just waited for her to continue.

"The thing is… what you need to know…"

Once again, she grew terribly cautious, and Lucas found that extremely curious. What the hell was it she found so hard to tell him? What kind of trouble was she in?

She blanched, but then her spine straightened. "I'm not the one who needs a lawyer. I want to hire you, yes. But I'm not the one needing representation. It's my son who's in trouble." A nerve at the corner of her eye ticked, but her gaze never veered from his as she added, "Our son, Lucas."

Tour list can be found at http://iam-indeed.com/archives/7735