Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Dumb question day!

How are you?
Good here, thanks for asking.

So, sometimes I have dumb questions and no one to ask.

This is where you come in. :)

I'm going to ask you the dumb questions.

Ready? Here goes...

--
Do you drink tea when you're sick?

Cold pizza is popular in my neck of the woods, but do you ever eat cold leftover chinese food out of the fridge?

Do you clean the roof of your car of snow before you drive?

Do you still buy lottery tickets?

If you could afford to have more/any pets, how many would you have and what kind?
--

Believe it or not, these questions are all from this week.

I really need to turn off my brain sometimes.

Thanks for playing!

***


Monday, January 26, 2015

Alphabet Fun Has BEGUN!!! - #atozchallenge

And now...for the news you alphabet lovers have all been waiting for...



The 2015 Blogging From A to Z April Challenge Announcement!

  
Please read and follow the sign-up instructions outlined below so you sign onto the list correctly!

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behavior.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. You can use a theme for the month or go random – just as long as it matches the letter of the alphabet for the day.

The A to Z Challenge is a great way to get into the blogging habit and make new friends. For more details and its history, go HERE

We recommend short posts, turn off Word Verification, and visit five blogs (or more) a day beginning with the one after yours on the list.

Blogs must be on an open platform – no Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. – and comments enabled.

To streamline legitimate blogs from advertisement blogs, the Co-Hosts will be visiting each blog on this list throughout the Challenge. Blogs on the list showing no activity once the Challenge starts or miss five days in a row will be removed.

Please note your blog name and number in all correspondences. Remember that as blogs are removed, your number will change.

There are categories for those looking for like-minded blogs. Select ONE category code and enter it after your blog’s title/name. The code applies to your blog, not your theme for the Challenge and is purely optional. See the first few blogs on the list for examples. However, if your blog has adult content, you MUST mark it (AC) or it will be removed from the list. Codes are as follows:

ANIMALS: (AN)
ART: (AR)
BOOKS/REVIEWS: (BO)
CRAFTS: (CR)
CULINARY: (CU)
EDUCATION: (ED)
FASHION: (FA)
FILM/MOVIES: (FM)
GAMING: (GA)
GARDENING: (GR)
HISTORY: (HI)
HUMOR: (HU)
LIFESTYLE: (LI )
MEMOIR: (ME)
MUSIC: (MU)
MYTHOLOGY: (MY)
PERSONAL: (PR)
PHOTOGRAPHY: (PH)
POLITICS: (PO)
SCIENCE: (SC)
SOCIAL MEDIA: (SO)
SPORTS: (SP)
TRAVEL: (TR)
WRITING/STORYTELLING: (WR)
ADULT CONTENT: (AC)

Be sure to grab the badge and display it in your sidebar so we know you are participating and link to the A to Z Challenge Blog.

For more information we recommend you follow the A to Z Challenge Blog and the hosts:

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts
Nicole Ayers @ The Madlab Post
Author Stephen Tremp
Heather M. Gardner
AJ @ Naturally Sweet
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian
Matthew MacNish @ The QQQE
Zalka Csenge VirĂ¡g @ The Multicolored Diary
S. L. Hennessy @ Pensuasion
C. Lee McKenzie @ The Write Game
Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot
Susan Gourley @ Susan Says
John Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing
Lisa Buie-Collard, Author

We also have a Facebook Page
Email address is contactatozteam@gmail.com
Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge and Twitter id is @AprilA2Z

Sign up below and join us for a month of alphabet fun!

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Alcohol isn't all bad and what's with that tin foil hat?

I thought I was going to blow a gasket last week.

I was so close to finishing my edits on One Good Catch I could almost taste it, but the amount of editor comments in those last pages had tripled.

I shouted for mercy! Called out, UNCLE! I even poured myself an adult beverage, which never ever happens. Never.



Finally. Late in the evening of MLK day, I actually finished the damn edits.

No small miracle.

Then I looked around my house. 

Ewwwww.

I'm trying to catch up on dishes and laundry. At least until the editor sends me the edits for Already Home.

Those will be more red than black, I'm sure.

I'm also working on my post for the OGC cover reveal on 2-13-2015 and just added OGC and AH to Goodreads.

It's getting a little more real, but I've been down this road before, so I guess I'll believe it when I see it.

***

A discussion I had on FB recently...

I'm wondering if there's a clinical name for the syndrome I suffer.

It's not really an earworm, but more of a temporary music obsession.

A song will grab my attention, maybe I catch part of it or its in a commercial ad, something like that. And then I HAVE to know what it is.

Then I HAVE to listen to it. A lot.
Like all day.

Its always in my head when I'm not playing it until it gets to the point that I HAVE to listen to it again.

This lasts maybe 3 or 4 days and then I'm over it. I still like the song, but I have no need to play it again and again like an addict. -- It's just me, right?

So, the good news is, it's not just me!

The bad news, we apparently all suffer from this unnamed syndrome. :)

So much so, that Nancy S. Thompson sent me this pic...

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

#atozchallenge #roadtrip - Stormy's got some new BFF's!



 Hi!
It's ME!

Stormy the Weather Gnome!

Running with Scissors!




We're changing things up a bit so you don't get bored.

Don't worry, we're still on the road to nowhere, still can't drive 55, AND still running against the wind.


I have some new friends I've met on my journey to tell you about!

Lisa Buie-Collard

Lisa is an author and traveler! A student of life!

Her 2014 A to Z theme was: "For the Love of France"! So many really wonderful photographs and lots of great history about the country! You won't be disappointed.

   

J.L. Campbell - The Character Depot
Joy is also an author with a long list of titles to her name.

Her theme was A to Z Scenarios. Each day she posted a drawing and asked her readers to explain how they would handle the situation! Very fun and inventive way to keep your visitors engaged!



Sliding to my destination!


How is your road trip going?

The 2015 A to Z Challenge sign up list opens in two weeks! Are you ready for the sixth Challenge?

Friday, January 9, 2015

The Sarcasm, Snark & Sass Blogfest!

 
It's L.G. Keltner's [Writing Off The Edge] 3rd blogging anniversary blogfest!
 
Happy blogversary!
 
The Sarcasm, Snark & Sass Blogfest!

I'm a simple girl, and I love eCards, so it was easy for me to choose a few that crack me up to share with you all today.


SARCASM




SNARK







SASS






My personal favorite




Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

2015 #IWSG - Insecure Writer's Support Group Introduction & Post!

Thanks to the known & unknown universe we have made it to 2015.

It's the first Wednesday of the first month of the year and you know what that means!



From the Ninja Founder himself...Alex J. Cavanaugh: "It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click HERE and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs."

Alex's awesome co-hosts today are Elizabeth Seckman, Lisa Buie-Collard, Chrys Fey, and Michelle Wallace!
 

They asked IWSG members to introduce themselves today. Here’s me:

My name is Heather. I'm a wife, mom, blogger, volunteer, and an author. I'm a member of IWSG and a co-host for the A to Z Challenge. I write romance and my 2nd book in the Maguire's Corner series, One Good Catch, will be out in March! The re-release of my 1st book, now called Already Home, will be out in April!


I'm steadily getting through my edits. Trying to pick up the pace now that I've hit January. Scary.

I just got back the first version of my cover for Already Home. It's really nice. Both covers have a similar look to them which my slight OCD brain appreciates. I just stared at them side by side yesterday.

I have to start planning stuff. Like cover reveals and the book releases and such. It's exciting and daunting all at once.

That sounds like a book title.

Exciting & Daunting

Hmm. That's cool.

Not as cool as BLOOD, BOOBS, & CARNAGE!

Now, that's a great title!

One day, Alex. One day I will write the feature film with that name and it will be awesome. Awe. Some. :)



How about you guys? Any insecurities you want to talk about? Any good news you want to share?

Monday, January 5, 2015

January. It's here. -- Release Day Blitz for The Angel Killer by Lisa Voisin!

Good morning.

Actually, it's been an interesting morning. Woke up late. Coffee pot acting up. Didn't pack milk money for the BOY. Dropping almost everything.

My son asked me if I picked up an unlucky penny!

I'm sure it will clear up soon. Right?

Happy January!

***

Today is InkSpell Publishing Author Lisa Voisin's Release Day Blitz for The Angel Killer!

 

We are super excited to celebrate the release of Lisa Voisin's THE ANGEL KILLER, the second book in The Watcher Saga, with an awesome excerpt from the book and a giveaway!

And if you haven't yet heard about this exciting series, there's also some information on the first book, THE WATCHER, along with its book trailer, a bit further down in this post.

First up, here's some information about THE ANGEL KILLER.

THE ANGEL KILLER


Title & Series: THE ANGEL KILLER (The Watcher Saga #2)
Author: Lisa Voisin
Release date: January 5, 2015
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing
Pages: 286
Formats: Paperback, eBook

Description

Now that she’s found him again, all Mia Crawford wants is some downtime with her fallen angel boyfriend, Michael. But the call of duty keeps him away—from school and from her—with more demons to smite than ever.

When Michael is mortally wounded by a cursed sword, Mia must perform an ancient blood ritual to save him. But the spell exacts a price. Haunted by visions of war, torture, and despair, Mia discovers the world is in more danger than she ever imagined. Behind the scenes, an evil adversary pulls all the strings.

After redemption, there’s Hell to pay.

About Lisa Voisin


A Canadian-born author, Lisa Voisin spent her childhood daydreaming and making up stories, but it was her love of reading and writing in her teens that drew her to Young Adult fiction.

Lisa is also a technical writer, a meditation teacher, and the leader of the Young Writer’s Club, a local writing group for teens in her home town. A self-proclaimed coffee lover, she can usually be found writing in a local cafĂ©. When she's not writing, you'll find her meditating or hiking in the mountains to counteract the side effects of drinking too much caffeine!

Though she’s lived in several cities across Canada, she currently lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her fiancĂ© and their two cats.


The Excerpt

I found Michael waiting on the stone path outside his basement suite. He greeted me with a brush of his lips, lacing his fingers through mine, and led me into a large back yard, bordered by evergreens. The center of the soft, moist grass featured a rocky pond, complete with a trickling stone fountain and two Adirondack chairs. Though the yard was well kept, leaves from a giant maple lay strewn about like reddish-brown confetti, glistening with raindrops in the late afternoon sun.

Michael tugged off his old, gray hoodie and slung it over one of the chairs. Underneath was the white tank top he normally wore flying. Goose bumps raced along the length of his bare arms. Turning to face me, he shook out his shoulders, the muscles rolling as he gave them a shrug.

“Ready?” he asked.

“For?”

“Combat training.” He stretched an arm across his chest and cracked his neck as though he were warming up. Was he expecting a workout?

“Combat training? Don’t you think that sounds a bit intense?” I swallowed. My voice sounded tight and high. “Violent, even?”

“What did you expect? Origami?” Stretching his other arm now, he cocked an eyebrow at me. “You wanted me to teach you, right?”

“No—yes.” I cleared my throat. “I mean no, I didn’t expect origami and yes, I want to learn.”

“Good.” He smiled. Was he enjoying my awkwardness? I tuned into his energy, attempting to get a feeling off him, but hit a wall. Was he blocking me? His expression became neutral too.

Above our heads, flyers hovered at the edges of the sigils that surrounded the yard, circling a constant threat, like giant vultures. I motioned to the sky. “Can’t they see us?”

“Not really. They can’t see or hear anything inside the protected space.” Changing the subject, he turned to me and winked. “Ready for your origami lesson? I thought we’d start with escapes.”

I folded my arms across my chest. The idea of fighting Michael felt like a joke—a David and Goliath joke. “Escapes?”

“Yeah. We’re gonna start with the basics. Teach you how to get out of that stranglehold the soldier demon had you in yesterday.” His feet shoulder-width apart, he motioned for me to come closer. “But we can’t do it if you’re all the way over there.”

I took a hesitant step toward him. Though I’d asked for this, the reality of it sounded painful. “Combat training,” I muttered disdainfully.

“I won’t hurt you.”

“I know,” I said, but I wasn’t so sure.

The Giveaway

The release day blast includes an awesome giveaway to ONE WINNER for a print copy of THE WATCHER (US/CA/UK) OR THE ANGEL KILLER (US/CA/UK) AND a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Enter in the Rafflecopter below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About The Watcher

Series: The Watcher Saga #1
Release date: March 4, 2013
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
Pages: 556
Formats: Paperback, eBook

DESCRIPTION

Millennia ago, he fell from heaven for her.

Can he face her without falling again?
Fascinated with ancient civilizations, seventeen-year-old Mia Crawford dreams of becoming an archaeologist. She also dreams of wings—soft and silent like snow—and somebody trying to steal them.
When a horrible creature appears out of thin air and attacks her, she knows Michael Fontaine is involved, though he claims to know nothing about it. Secretive and aloof, Michael evokes feelings in Mia that she doesn’t understand. Images of another time and place haunt her. She recognizes them—but not from any textbook.
In search of the truth, Mia discovers a past life of forbidden love, jealousy and revenge that tore an angel from Heaven and sent her to an early grave. Now that her soul has returned, does she have a chance at loving that angel again? Or will an age-old nemesis destroy them both? Ancient history is only the beginning.



The Trailer