Barbara's Meanderings

First of all, sorry for the late posting, but the days got crazy and I didn't get a chance to post this blog at all.

Now for the first order of business. Here is the lucky winner of the free ebook drawing:

                                      Becky

I have informed her and sent her the free book!! Thank you to all who left comments and also thank you to the people from the Campaign who visited and tagged me. I am tagged by so many people so I will try to answer these as soon as I can. I will go in the order in which I was tagged.

Chandara Writes tagged me first. So here are the answers to her questions:

Questions from Chandra Writes


1.Are you a dog or cat person?
I am definitely a dog person.

2.What is your favorite color?
I love red.

3.What is your favorite book?
This is a hard one. It used to be Alice in Wonderland, but now I’m not so sure. I read so many books now, it’s hard to choose. I love romances and intricate novels with a happy ending.

4.What do you prefer: pencil or keyboard?
Definitely, I prefer a keyboard. It’s so much easier to keep writing on a keyboard.

5.If you could have powers, what would it be?
I’d like to have the ability to literally make money. Money would come from my body whenever I needed it.

6.Who is your favorite villain? Why?
My favorite villain is The Riddler. I think I enjoyed solving the riddles, though I didn’t like his answers very much.

7.What drove you to write?
No one would listen to me when I talked, so I had to put it down in writing.

8.If you were forced to change your name, what would it be?
I’ve never thought much about it, but I do have another writing name. It’s Trudy Joyce.

9.What is your favorite place?
I love to be near the shoreline.

10.What was your favorite year? Why?
Probably my favorite year was 2010, because that is the year my book was accepted for publication.

11.What is your favorite song?
This has never changed in years: Moon River

Gina of This is not Your Blog, here are the answers to your questions:

1. What was the greatest live music experience you've ever had?
I can't choose, but any Bruce Springsteen concert and the last Rolling Stones concert at Madison Square Garden! We had floor seats and it was probably the best sound ever!!

2. What was your worst date ever?
Oh, that was so long ago, but it had to be the night I wound up with this guy I didn't care about in a hotel room, while my roommate was with her boyfriend in another room. It was probably the most uncomfortable night I ever spent. No details here, but they are totally G:)
3. If money is no object, what would your dream vacation be?
I would like to go back to Paris for a week and then travel to Italy and go up and down the coastline.

4. Would you rather live in a crowded city or small town?
I've lived in both and I will take the small town any day. At least you have a parking space all the time.

5. Would you be willing to murder one innocent person if you knew it would guarantee an end to all world hunger?
What? No! How would that possibly end world hunger unless you and that person were the only people left on earth and there was only one piece of food left!

6. When did you last cry in front of somebody (who is not your partner)?
Do your own children count? I cry in front of them all the time, but they are adults now. I would have to say last weekend.

7. Would you be willing to endure night terrors- every night- for the rest of your life if you were given vast personal wealth to use however you wish in exchange?
How does your mind work? This is very tempting, but probably I would have to say maybe.

8. If you could choose the manner of your death- but not the timing- what would you choose?
I'd like to go in my sleep without any pain. That seems the easiest.

9. Would you rather switch back to black and white TV with only five channels, or no internet?
Neither. I grew up with black and white TV and no internet. It was a very boring experience.

10. If you could use a voodoo doll to hurt somebody, would you do it?
Yes, in a second. I have so many people I would like to do that to.

11. What if the voodoo doll was only able to annoy them tremendously (for example: causes pervasive itching of genitals while in public, causes slight ringing in ears at nighttime, etc), would you do it?
Yes! These people deserve all the suffering they can get. They made me suffer for no reason at all. I would never do this to people I like, though.

I have also been tagged by amber glow - Amber Clites. Here are the answers to her questions:

1. Pantser or Planner?
I am definitely a Pantser! I have only had to go to an outline when I got stuck on my plot. Of course, I do character sketches after awhile to get to know my characters more. But when I start I only usually have one sentence.

2. Favorite book, movie, and TV show?
This is so hard. I don't really know. Probably, Harry Potter - the series, but especially Book One, anything by John Irving, Denis Lehane, Stephen King, Jane Austen. The list is endless.

3. Would you rather have free Starbucks for five years or free itunes for life?
Definitely free Starbucks! I hardly buy any music, but coffee is a daily experience.

4. What inspires you more, music or visual (ie: photography, scenery, etc)?
I think it is probably visual, but I have been inspired by exceptional music.

5. Are you also addicted to Pinterest?
I have to tell myself I'll only visit people who follow me. The first time I got on it I spent over and hour and didn't realize it.

6. The question for the ages, Edward or Jacob?
Neither for me. I am not a big Twilight fan.

7. Would you rather be able to talk to animals or to be able to speak and understand any language?
I would choose being able to speak and understand any language. That would be way more practical, I think.

8. Would you rather be kidnapped by terrorists or abducted by aliens?
Neither.

9. What is the genre(s) that you write for?
I usually write for YA. But I do have a romance book I am thinking about getting ready for publication.

10. *Warning stolen question* If money were no object, where would your dream vacation take place?
I answered this question already for that person you stole it from, but it would be a week in Paris and then on to Italy and a drive down the coastline.

11. Did you cry in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part two? Was one of the times when Dumbledore asked Severus, "After all this time?" and Severus responded, "Always. " And if not, are you sure you have a soul?
I did and I was so sad when we found out the truth.

So two other people have tagged me. One is Humpty Dumpty. Her real name is Susan, but she has to post
as Humpty Dumpty on blogger. Odd isn't it? Here are Susan's questions:

1. What is the name of the book you are currently reading?
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I'm not sure if it's YA or not.

2. What type of music do you prefer. Favourite song?
I love rock and roll, some pop music, some country like Taylor Swift. My favorite song is "Moon River".

3. If you could go anywhere in this world or a fictitious one, where would you go?
I'd like to visit Hawaii. I've never been there and it looks beautiful and warm.

4. Do you currently have any pets?
No. We lost our dog years ago and we have never replaced him.

5. When do you usually set aside time to write?
I usually write whenever I have some free time and have had plenty of time to think. That is unless i am involved in a big project. Then I write whenever I can. Most of the time it turns out to be either afternoon or late nights.

6. What is the most interesting way in which you (or some other author) has killed off a character?
I have never killed off a character, but in one book I read, which is a cozy mystery, the character was killed by a huge candle holder.

7. Have you ever written a piece of fan fiction? If so, for which show/movie?
Actually, I did write a little bit of fan fiction for The X Files, but I stopped after I realized it wasn't satisfying to write with such a tight structure.

8. Do you have a specific place in which you do most of your writing?
Lately, I have my laptop on my desk, so I write there. It's far away from the front of the house, so I'm pretty secluded.

9. What is your favourite meal?
It starts out with a really good salad and then filet mignon cooked medium rare, baked potato with butter, chives and sour cream and asparagus with a butter sauce. If that isn't available I'll take steamed lobster with the same appetizer and the same accompaniments. Have good bread available with good butter. Then for dessert, either chocolate mousse or cheesecake with whipped cream.

10. Do you have any non-writing hobbies?
I love cooking, reading and walking.

11. If you had a time machine, when would you go?
Can I go now? I would really like to escape my own reality! I would go to the future!! I know about the past.


I know I need to find 11 blogs and tag them too. So here goes:

One Writer's Journey
Christine Irene Steeves - Writer
Cynsations
Heather Haven This and That
Katie Hines - Walking on Water
Sameena Sphere's Blog
Swimming in Words
Callie Kingston
Traci Kenworth's Blog
Fresh as a Daisy
Silver Linings

My questions for all who were tagged:

1. If you could be any famous person, who would you be?
2. Why did you decide to write?
3. What is your favorite food? Why?
4. What is your favorite YA book? Why?
5. Who is your favorite author or authors? Why?
6. If you could live anywhere in the world besides where you live now, where would you live?
7. What is your favorite thing to do besides writing?
8. Are you a plotter or a "pantser"? (Do you plot or do you just start writing?)
9. Who is your favorite character of all time? Why?
10. What would you like to learn how to do?
11. What is your favorite kind of music?

Now for the main event. The one everyone is waiting for. The title said you would be seeing my book trailer and here it is. Please let me know if you think I need to change anything. You are going to be the first ones to see it. So be gentle, please. This is by the hands of C.K. Volnek, who made this for me months ago. I am just showing it to the world now!!




I hope you will post your reactions to this!

Until the next time, I apologize for the time between postings and sad that I lost a follower. I hope you will return, whoever you are and I hope that more will decide to follow this blog. I am going to be interviewing some very awesome people starting soon. They are all fabulous authors.

Also next blog post we will be talking about the new Spring Blog Fest Jan Fischer-Wade is having in May. I will be participating and the schedule will be put up soon. Many other outstanding YA authors will be opening their blogs and showing their books so teens can stock up on books for summer reading.

I am very excited to be hosting Marva Dasef, author of Midnight Oil, Book 2 of Witches of Galdorheim. I have had Marva on my blog before to talk about Book 1, Bad Spelling and I am thrilled to have her back!


Marva's Bio ( from her website)

Marva was born in Eugene, Oregon. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Technical Communications. She spent the next umpteen years working as a technical writer and programmer/analyst. In 2005, she gave up all that glamour for the solitary life of a fiction writer.

She has a dear husband, Jack, who supports her attempt at this new career. Two sons have wandered off to other parts of the country; one in Seattle and the other in Florida. Fortunately, neither one shows any sign of boomeranging back home again (yet).

She has dabbled in a variety of genres looking for the best fit. Since she has published fantasy, science fiction, romance, literary, childrens’, and historical, she’ll keep dabbling.I am so excited to be hosting Marva Dasef, author of Midnight Oil, Book 2 of Witches of Galdorheim series. Marva has been here before to talk about Book 1, Bad Spelling which introduces the quirky and adorable character of Kat.

Here is a little bit about Midnight Oil:

MIDNIGHT OIL - Book 2 of the Witches of Galdorheim
Shipwrecked on a legendary island, how can a witch rescue her boyfriend if she can’t even phone home?
Kat discovers that an evil forest spirit has kidnapped her brand-new boyfriend. She sets out with her brother, Rune, from her Arctic island home on a mission to rescue the boy. Things go wrong from the start. Kat is thrown overboard during a violent storm, while her brother and his girlfriend are captured by a mutant island tribe. The mutants hold the girlfriend hostage, demanding that the teens recover the only thing that can make the mutants human again–the magical Midnight Oil.
Mustering every bit of her Wiccan magic, Kat rises to the challenge. She invokes her magical skills, learns to fly an ultralight, meets a legendary sea serpent, rescues her boyfriend, and helps a friendly air spirit win the battle against her spiteful sibling. On top of it all, she’s able to recover the Midnight Oil and help the hapless mutants in the nick of time.


ELEMENTAL SPIRITS
Earth, Wind, and Fire. Wait for it .... Water. The four classical four elements have been part of mythologies since the first time a smarter than average Cro Magnon decided to cash in on his superstitious tribe claiming to have a direct hot line to the somewhat amorphous deities.
Deities and demons have proliferated over the intervening 20,000 years or so, with the winners being those smarties who knew how to cash in on fear.
Earth: The ground shakes and splits open. Uh oh, the earth god is ticked. If you’ll just give me your hard-won haunch of mammoth, I’ll intercede on your behalf.



     Air: Windstorm coming up. Boy, are you in trouble for holding back on my share of the cave bear hide. Ol’ Wind is mighty pissed.
     Fire: See what happens if you don’t listen to what I say. Your whole forest burns because you all are bad people. Just lay a pile of pretty shells at my feet and I’ll see if I can placate the Fire Demon.
    Water: Oopsie, a flood. Well, wasn’t I the smart one for building that big boat. Did I mention the fare? All proceeds go to the Water God, of course.
    The natural elements wreak havoc and a clever guy makes out like a bandit. As time marched on, the elementals took on different names and personalities. The shyster’s way of collecting for multiple personalities for those four basic elements.
    Before a caveman could count, um, one. The world was littered with all sorts of mythological beings lined up by the wise shaman to collect trade goods from the fearful masses.
Besides a plethora of gods and demons which I have mentioned some of already, I selected a lovely forest elemental (notice how the element population is dividing and growing) named Ajatar. She happens to be a Finnish spirit and is the main troublemaker in my second book of the Witches of Galdorheim, Midnight Oil.
     Ajatar was known as the Devil of the Woods,(http://www.paranormalknowledge.com/articles/ajatar.html ) so I set her in a magically protected forest glade. She controlled her local flora (writing tree roots, fast-growing brambles) and snakes to protect her cache of boxes, bottles, pots, a bent bicycle tire, laundry detergent, dried flowers, old tennis shoes, and Andy.
    Oh, right, Andy happens to be a changeling, a human who spent much of his life in the Troll Kingdom and is now Katya’s main squeeze. Ajatar kidnapped him to draw out her sister, Ilmatar, an air spirit who had been hiding out on Galdorheim disguised as the old witch (she prefers sorceress) Mordita.
Lots of stuff happens, but the sister finally come together in an epic battle (they’re fighting over a man, wouldn’t you know). Ajatar takes her dragon form, while Ilmatar becomes a giant white roc.


EXCERPT

     Ilmatar spun, danced, and dived. It was too many years since she had taken her true form. She was the wind, the hurricane, the tornado. Air she was, air she would be. She sighed, and a tree bent with her breath.
She rose with the heat, dropped low and sped across open fields when clouds blocked the sun’s rays. Yet, neither heat nor cold drove her. She flowed over or around as she pleased. When she was in the mood, she flattened everything in her path.
     She laughed, and earth-bound creatures cringed at the booming thunder. She smiled, and a gentle breeze danced over hills and valleys. She reveled in her freedom and then grew angry when she thought how Ajatar stole this from her. She’d almost forgotten the power and glory that was Ilmatar.
Now, she’d get payback. Ajatar, she vowed, would regret this day for the rest of her days if Ilmatar the air spirit had any say.
     But enough reveling for now. She had a job to do. Gathering free air to her as she flew, she coalesced into a cutting shaft, sharp and deadly as any arrow, and one thousand times as large. She swooped up, down, and sideways, leaving a vortex of spinning air in her wake.
Increasing her speed and the velocity of spin, she smashed through the tops of trees and touched down, a whirling cyclone in the center of Ajatar’s glade. Moss and branches whirled through the forest clearing and trees bent away from her, howling, cracking and snapping, with the thunder of rustling leaves.


     Ajatar had heard her coming; she could hardly miss Ilmatar’s roar. Ajatar grew taller, rising above the treetops, spreading her vast scaled wings. Her mouth gaped and fire roared out. With a single downward thrust of her wings, she soared upward. Ilmatar’s tornado followed close behind.

Thank you for visiting and here is where you can contact Marva.

Links:
by Marva Dasef http://marvadasef.com/
MuseItUp Buy Page: http://tinyurl.com/6wswbsf
MuseItUp Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/MIU-MarvaDasef
Blog: http://mgddasef.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/MarvaDasef
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/?tab=wX#107073845875601488093/posts
Twitter Handle: @Gurina
Book Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/MarvaDasef/videos

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a free ebook!


Until the next time, I am just too busy and I think I have to slow down, but thank you to anyone who is still following my meanderings.:)

Today I am very happy to introduce you to another Muse author. She has a couple of names, but the one I know her under is Billi Wagner. She has written, Painted Jezebel, under the name Jolie Pethtel.

Here is a little bit about her:

Bio:
Jolie Pethtel was born in Ohio, but raised in Arizona, where she met her husband Jim. Jolie has since moved to Indianapolis, Indiana where she lives with her husband and their six rambunctious children. Jolie is a Domestic Goddess by day and Writer by night.

1. When did you seriously begin to write?
High school. I’d write during class and hide it under my school work. I wrote on napkins when we went out to eat. It was and always will be my passion. I had to take a break when my kids were younger, then at thirty-five I had a revelation. Do it now or give up the dream, so I honed my craft and made the time to write.

2. What was your reason? Were you influenced by anyone or anything?
Not really. I’ve just always known it was what I was born to do, from second grade when I wrote my first short story.

3. What hobbies or interests do you have besides writing?
Reading and photography.

4. With six children, how do you manage to write at all?
It isn’t easy, that’s for sure. Mostly, I write late at night while they’re sleeping. I write all night, then sleep while they’re at school.

5. Please describe a typical writing experience for us. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
For the most part I’m a pantser, though I do my research. Something will inspire me, then I let the characters tell their own story. Sometimes they surprise me and take me in a different direction, but it always work out. I didn’t choose the killer, they did and it’s a pretty good twist. I know I didn’t see it coming.

6. In what genres do you like to write? Why?
Normally I write paranormal stories, believe it or not and I like writing young adult, though Painted Jezebel is neither of those. Jezebel and Finn decided they wanted to be heard and I had no choice but to tell their story. It’s a funny romantic mystery and just came together on its own.

7. Who are your favorite authors? Why?
Margaret Mitchell who wrote Gone With The Wind. I was forced to watch it in high school and loved Scarlett and Rhett. Scarlett was such a strong independent character and as for Rhett, who doesn’t love a bad boy? In fact, I named my first born daughter Scarlett. Milton’s Paradise Lost is another one. As for now, I read a lot of different genres. Mary Janice Davidson’s undead series is amazing and funny. Sherrilyn Kenyon is darker, but compelling. Suzanne Collins who wrote the hunger games. I also enjoy a lot of Young Adult books. My interest in those started with Christopher Pike. Remember Me is my favorite. More recently P.C. Cast. I could go on forever with my list.

This is very exciting, because two of the characters from this author's new novel, Painted Jezebel, are here and they have agreed to be interviewed! We'll start with Jezebel:

 Hi, Jezebel. I know it must be difficult for you to be out of your house this much when you were agoraphobic and haven't left your home in years.

1. How did you feel when Finn kidnapped you and brought you to writers' conference?
 Honestly, I didn’t handle it so well. I had a major panic attack, but once I could breathe again I felt like strangling him.

2. Was the fact he was gorgeous make it easier for you to be with him?
Well it didn’t hurt, but the man drives me so crazy. That Irish accent is what did me in.

3. Why did you decide to help Finn when he might have been guilty?
I didn’t really have a whole lot of choice. I was in the same bind, suspect in a murder I didn’t commit. We needed each other.

4. How will seducing a lifeguard help you prove your innocence?
It was Finn’s idea to seduce information from the lifeguard, who did have a connection to the victim, but it’s also possible he just wanted to see me in a bikini. All I can say is desperate people do desperate things.

5. Level with me, weren't you just a little attracted to Finn and will it work out?
A lot attracted, but there are definite issues there. He’s sworn off writers and I really should swear off kidnappers, but on the other hand he’s kind of irresistible.


And now a word from Finn, the gorgeous man who kidnapped Jezebel:

1. Why was it so important for you to bring Jezebel to the writing conference?
I lost my last job when I was falsely accused of sexually harassing one of my writers—my ex-lover to be more specific. My career means everything to me. This was my last chance to get back what I lost.


2. What did you hope to gain from Jezebel seducing the lifeguard?
I doubt he would have talked without a little incentive and well…it sure didn’t hurt seeing her in that bikini and heels.

3. Are you attracted to Jezebel and will you pursue that attraction? Or is she just a pawn in your game to prove your innocence of killing your ex-lover?
I’m fighting it as hard as I can. Jezebel’s a client and off limits, but a man can only take so much. As for using her, I’m not that kind of guy. Teaming up was in both our best interests. Neither one of us wanted to go to prison.

4. What is the next part of your plan?
It’s dangerous, but we have to find the killer. There’s nothing else we can do. If I don’t go along, she’ll do it without me and she needs my protection. I was responsible for dragging her into this mess after all.

5. Do you have any idea who might have killed your ex-lover?
It would be easier to tell you who didn’t want to kill her. No one. Everyone is a suspect.

You know now that I have met both of you I am interested in learning more about your story. Here is more about Painted Jezebel:

Blurb:

Publicist Finn Mackenzie has always been lucky, until an ill-fated affair with a vindictive writer leaves him one chance for redemption: a spectacular public appearance by the elusive best-selling romance author, Jezebel Jinx.

Unfortunately, the cute but kooky writer refuses to cooperate. Jezebel believes she’s cursed with bad luck. Riddled with anxieties, she never leaves her home— until the gorgeous, albeit desperate Finn whisks her away to a writer’s conference, against her will.

After the initial shock wears off, Jezebel’s dormant hormones kick into high gear around the hunky Finn.
When his ex turns up murdered and Jezebel is the prime suspect, ill-planned sexcapades are the least of their worries.

Excerpt:
     “Someone was just murdered and I’m the prime suspect. Detective Tyler has gone around smearing my good name with everyone at the conference and here I am strutting around in a bikini. Don’t you think a one piece might have been more—I dunno—respectful?” Jezebel hovered uncertainly in front of the door marked heated pool. “Maybe a black one piece to show I’m in mourning.”
     “You can’t flirt with lifeguards in a one piece. It just isn’t sexy enough. Besides, you aren’t in mourning. No one is. Did you see the celebrating going on in the bar? ‘Ding dong! The witch is dead’ is pretty much the attitude in there. If they could give you an award for killing her, they would.”
     “I didn’t kill her,” Jezebel hissed.
     “No, you didn’t, but if you want to prove your innocence you need to seduce some information out of that lifeguard.”
     “My boobs are too small to seduce anyone. My legs are really my best asset, which I could display just as well in a one piece.”
     “Rick might be a boob man. That is why you are wearing a size too small and we bought a bikini that lifts.” He mimicked cupping and lifting with his hands, without actually touching her breasts.
     “I’m going in.” Jezebel stated as she rolled her eyes, and then stepped toward the pool area entrance. “Think sex goddess,” she ordered herself, adding some strut to her walk.
     Finn insisted on the fire engine red bikini and matching strappy high heeled sandals. Who wore high heels to the swimming pool? This was wrong on so many levels.
     “You look smokin’ hot, babe,” Finn called out. His idea of encouragement. Well, that was nice to know. Jezebel added a little roll to her hips just for his benefit, before pushing open the door and disappearing from sight.
     She spotted Rick right away. He sat on his chair like a Greek Adonis, wearing nothing but snug bathing trunks, a whistle and a smile. The pool was filled with women vying for his attention. Her self-confidence slipped a notch.
     Jezebel hesitated a fraction of a second too long as she neared his chair, and then kept on walking. No way was she going to humiliate herself like this. They would just have to find another way to acquire the information.
     “Hello gorgeous,” the lifeguard drawled following it up with a whistle and not the ‘behave in the pool’ kind.
     Jezebel froze and then slowly smiled. Ah, an ass man. She attempted to spin around gracefully, but grace and spiked heels did not go hand in hand. Just as she was face to face with her target, she slipped and tottered drunkenly on the tiles. In her defense, they were black and the wet spots weren’t particularly visible. She had a brief unpleasant flash of déjà vu, and then the life guard was on his feet, catching her in proper heroic fashion.
     “Feel free to drop in anytime.”
      Ugh! Did he just say that? The man was so much hotter when he didn’t speak. All brawn, no brain. How disappointing. So what did she say now? Jezebel wasn’t particularly good at suggestive small talk with half naked strangers. She tended to fluster easily. The hidden agenda only increased her nervousness. Where were the cue cards when you needed them?
     “You saved my life! How can I ever thank you?” she gushed, fluttering her lashes.
     “Do you have something in your eye?” He frowned down at Jezebel, before setting her on her feet.
     “I was just a little—um—disoriented for a second.”
     “Are you sure? It looked like you were having a seizure there or something.”
     “I’m sure.” Jezebel was absolutely mortified. Thank God Finn wasn’t witnessing this. She would never live it down. Just then she caught a glimpse of him pulling off his T-shirt and diving into the deep end in nothing but a pair of modest swim shorts. Not fair. Not only had he overheard every embarrassing word, his smug grin left no doubt, but he was holding himself to a different standard. He should be demeaning himself for the greater good by wearing a pair of revealing swim trunks.
     The women swarmed around Finn splashing playfully and damned if he didn’t love every second of it. Jezebel wanted to strangle him. So he wanted to play it that way, then fine. She could play too.


Oh, I see you've brought along your book trailer nominated in the You Gotta Read contest for January. There is still time to vote for it!!



Now I'm sure everyone wants to know where they can find this book:

Painted Jezebel is available at Museitup Publishing and Amazon, among several others in ebook.
My website is http://www.jezebeljinx.com.
Twitter @Joliepethtel.
Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/joliepethtel and my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/joliepethtel?sk=wall&filter=12

Thank you so much to Billi Wagner/Jolie Pethtel for being my guest and bringing her very intriguing characters as well.

Until the next time when more authors will be joining me. Thank you to the people who continue to follow my meanderings. My life is heating up, because I am now tutoring three students three times a week. This does interfere with blog posting, though I have no shortage of guests.:) Soon I will be hosting the lovely women who are my friends on SheWrites. If you are a woman and a writer, this is a place for you. I am in the group, Blooming Late, which is made up of women who came to writing after 40. We are writers of all kinds. Some are published authors and others are struggling to make that happen. So I will be introducing you to as many as I can interspersed with authors from MuseItUp of course!

My Blog Talk Radio Show, RRWL Tales from the Pages will be on this Thursday at 3PM Central Time and 4PM EST with a surprise guest.

I am getting some good vibes from my 2nd Place on Preditors & Editors Poll for If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor. Thank you to all who voted and I hope you enjoyed the book! I have a post on DowntownYA talking about promotion if anyone is interested in reading that.:) Have a great week.

It's been awhile since I've posted, but real life has been interrupting my days. I'm thinking about the coming of the holidays and hoping that this year will end with some fun. I haven't been too happy about the actions of the people around me. It seems almost every day I hear about someone who has shot another person and lately it's been mostly around traffic violations. As someone who lives in Connecticut where the drivers seem to have no idea of yielding the right of way, it frightens me to see how many people are having difficulty on the road.

There was that shooting at Virginia Tech over a traffic violation and again in LA the person who got out at the intersection of Sunset and Vine and shot someone. Each of these incidents shows that there is only one problem we have in America. There are too many guns!! For years I have advocated that guns be taken away from people and that we need to regulate the sale of them much more. Yet, here we have three separate incidents in two days that show that this is not the case.Until we take guns out of the hands of private citizens there will continue to be this continuance of violence.

As I mentioned earlier the holidays are coming and the stores are buzzing with shoppers. I like to see people out shopping, since it means more money into the economy. I am drawn to stores at holiday time with their decorations and music and I find it difficult to not buy inconsequential items because they are on sale. As I walked into Target there were three rows of items priced at $1.00. When my kids were younger I would have grabbed a lot of these to fill their stockings. I saw lots of people grabbing these items. There were miniature notebooks with familiar characters like Cars and Disney princesses and puzzles and miniature calendars also with the same characters on the front. It brought me back to those days when I ran out to grab anything to throw into my kids' stockings and to find Hanukah presents.

As my daughters got older they started having envy issues, so I devised a grab bag and put all their toys into it with their names on the wrapped packages. We had a ceremony on Hanukah when we would light the candles in the menorah and afterward each girl got to put her hand into the grab bag for their present. This way if the presents were unequal they couldn't do anything about it. Then on Christmas they would way to find a big present and stockings filled to the brim! I always liked to put a stuffed animal peeking out for them.

We never failed to follow this ceremony even when we were away from home one Christmas with my younger daughter and I sick with the flu we had our Christmas morning. My daughter had a high temperature so we had to give her a tepid bath and it wasn't your usual Christmas morning in a hotel. I collapsed afterward and all of us stayed inside the room for the rest of the day. But still we did celebrate the holiday.

As a Jewish girl growing up in Brooklyn, NY, I can only remember one Christmas when my parents let me celebrate. I woke up and there were toys under my bed. I was so excited I couldn't believe it. I think I believed Santa Claus put them there. But the next year there were none and though I looked every year afterward there were never any more toys under my bed. We did celebrate Hanukah and I got little presents like a dreidel and socks. There was never the wild profusion of gaily wrapped presents or a Christmas tree. For that I had to go to my friend's house where her family gave up their living room to this giant tree covered in tinsel and fake snow and garlands and with those bubbling lights I haven't seen in awhile. It was a fairyland for me. There was the Hanukah party from my father's lodge that we went to every year that was basically eating a few cold latkes and then waiting to see if I won the drawing. When you arrived they gave you a ticket and then called out numbers to give kids presents. There were great presents that I always wished to have and never got and there were the cheap ones that I always got. I didn't realize, but corruption was going on there. The kids of the top officers got all the good presents. Their parent just picked their tickets. So they got the beautiful big dolls and I got the coloring book. My father, an honest man, was a big whig too, but he never cheated.

Enough reminiscing. I have a contest running where I am giving away a free ebook to the winner of the comment drawing. All you need to do is write a comment and you will be in the drawing. My book, If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor is about envy and what happens when you get what you wanted. What price do you have to pay? If you are looking for a gift for a girl 10 -14 this is an ideal book. However, older kids like it and several boys and men as well as older women have read and enjoyed it. If you don't win you can find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and The Muse Bookstore.

The Muse Bookstore is offering a number of holiday specials with several bundles of great books. Check it out. You might find something you want.

So please leave a comment and tell me about your holiday traditions.

Until the next time, thank you for the people who continue to come over here and read my meanderings. In the coming weeks I will be having more guest authors so keep checking.

For December, RRWL Tales from the Pages will be having my holiday show. Guests from the previous year or years will be on the show reading their holiday stories. I always enjoy this show the best!! More later. It will be on Thursday, December 23rd at 3PM Central time.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on your blessings and this year I have had many. As I sat at the table with my family and guests I could look over to the coffee table in the living room which held a pile of my print books, If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor, ready to be signed. My husband, whose health has been in question for several years, sat at my side and two of my soon-to-be-readers were seated at the same table. I am thankful for so many things this year besides the publishing of my book in both e-book and print. I am thankful to have met so many amazing authors at MuseItUp Publishing. My life has been so enhanced by becoming part of this spectacular group of people. You know I don't usually single people out on this blog unless they are being interviewed or there is another good reason. I won't do that now, but you know who you are. You are the people who keep me sane every day by reassuring me that whatever it is that has bothered me can be taken care of by a hug or a smile. You bring your own aggravations and I see that everyone goes through the same thing I do.

Writers are not like normal people. I have accepted this as I read about the same insecurities and worries we all seem to have in common. Yet on Thanksgiving many of you shared your joy and gave thanks for being in the group. I am honored to be in the presence of many of you. Meeting some of you has given me so much joy! I am thankful for that too!!

Anyway, back to the sofa and the discussion after dinner. Two of the guests were in high school and it was fun hearing about their experiences. Then the discussion came down to my book. My brother had just finished reading it and my husband and one daughter have read it too. It was fun hearing how my husband and brother enjoyed reading it. My husband said he couldn't put it down and my brother enjoyed the ending. I guess that was the moment I was truly thankful for, because I realize my book appeals to men and boys too! When a writer sees that your words affect people there is a connection that makes you feel it was all worthwhile. The hours and hours of writing and rewriting and then editing and re-editing and finally the joy of bringing your words out to the world were all worth it!!

Finally, I am thankful that people still read this blog.:) I haven't been great about posting, because I don't write unless I have a real reason to do so. On this note, I have decided to share with you a flash story I wrote. You can call it my Black Friday Special. I hope you enjoy it!!

The Carnival

“Step right up and play the game. Three shots for a quarter and you can win a prize for your girl if you hit the bulls’- eye three times.”

The carnival barker handed a gun to the teenager.

“Yes, Billy. Come on do it. Win me a panda, please!” Billy’s girlfriend said.

“Oh, what the hell. I’m a good shot.” He aimed the gun and hit the bulls” eye.

“Lucky shot, kid.”

Billy shot at the target two more times and hit it every time.

The barker handed Billy's girlfriend the panda. He came out of his booth and grabbed the boy. “You are the chosen one. Take this and wait here.” The barker handed Billy a shiny red gun that looked like a toy. “They will come. You must shoot whatever comes.”

“What’s this?” Billy said.

“It’s a ray gun. A spaceship is coming to get me and I don’t wanna go. You’re the best shot I’ve found.” The barker took Billy by the shoulders. "Listen kid, I like it here on Earth. Don’t make me go back to my planet. I’m on the run from the law.”

“Why should I do it for you?”

“I’ll give you all my prizes if you do.” The barker said.

Billy’s girlfriend jumped up and down and said, “Do it sweetie. Do it for me.” She batted her eyelashes and gave him kisses all over his face.

“What’ll this thing do?”

“You’ll see.” The barker said backing up to his booth.

The spaceship arrived and a chartreuse figure stepped out of the door. Billy aimed the ray gun and shot it. The figure vaporized and the spaceship disappeared.

“I’ll need all your stuffed animals and prizes now.” Billy looked for the barker. He was gone. Billy and his girlfriend raided the shelves and carried the stuffed animals and prizes back to their spaceship parked behind the trees.

“You were funny pretending you’d never seen a ray gun.” Billy’s girlfriend said.

“Yeah, and so were you. The travel agent was right. Earth is a great day trip.”

Billy and his girlfriend unzipped their skin and headed back to their own planet.
copyright, 2007 by Barbara Ehrentreu

Until the next time, I hope everyone who celebrated it had a great Thanksgiving. Thank you to all the people who continue to follow me and read my meanderings. If you notice I added a page for Readers/Teachers who might want to discuss the book. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need any clarification or would like to discuss the questions with me. I am also available for school visits as well.

My next Blog Talk Radio show will be on December 22nd, a little change from my usual scheduling. I hope you will join me to hear all the guests from the previous year read their holidays stories to you. This is one of my favorite shows and I hope you will join us. Don't worry, I will remind you.



.

My guest author is Pat McDermott whose new YA novel, Glancing Through the Glimmer is releasing in November. In keeping with my highlighting MuseItUp authors, Pat is also a Muse author.



Bio:



Do you write in any other genre? Which genre is your favorite? Why?

My stories include all sorts of genres, fantasy, action/adventure, sci-fi, and romance. If I had to choose, I'd say I like the action/adventure aspect of writing best. I would like to try writing a straight romance one of these days, though I'm betting it would end up romantic suspense.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Which is your favorite genre?

Depends on my mood or why I'm reading. Having just written "The End" on my current WIP, I'm rewarding myself by reading for pleasure. I'm halfway through The Mark of the Golden Dragon, the 9th and newest "Bloody Jack" book by L.A. Meyers. I love his adventure series starring Mary/Jackie Faber, a street urchin in 18th century London who dresses up as a boy and joins the British navy.

Do you have any WIP’s ready to publish?

As I mentioned earlier, MuseItUp Publishing will release my "Band of Roses" trilogy in 2012. I am currently tweaking Autumn Glimmer, the YA sequel to Glancing Through the Glimmer.

Explain why you decided to go with a small press like MuseItUp Publishing.

Not only is MuseItUp rapidly becoming known as an author-friendly company, the publisher, Lea Schizas, is an old editing friend. She and her staff are responsive to my questions, amenable to my opinions, and more interested in good stories than in genre formulas. I feel quite at home with MuseItUp.                          


Is there anything else you wanted to say about yourself?        Only to thank you, Barbara, for hosting me on your blog today. I've enjoyed visiting!


Well, I have enjoyed visiting with you too and now for a little about your book. Here is the book cover:


It looks really spooky with that castle on the hill. I can't wait to see what this book is all about!!


Blurb:


In the modern Kingdom of Ireland, few mortals believe in the fairy folk. Without that belief, the fairies are dying. Finvarra, the King of the Fairies, would rather dance than worry—but he must have a mortal dancing partner.

When Janet Gleason’s grandfather becomes the new U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, the sixteen-year-old orphan must leave Boston and her friends behind. Janet is lonely in Dublin and unused to her grandparents’ stuffy social life. An invitation to a royal ball terrifies her. She can’t even waltz and dreads embarrassment. Finvarra’s fairy witch overhears her fervent wish to learn to dance.

Seventeen-year-old Prince Liam Boru loathes the idea of escorting another spoiled American girl to a ball. In fact, he detests most of his royal duties. He dresses down to move through Dublin unnoticed and finds himself on his royal backside when Janet crashes into him. Intrigued, he asks to see her again, and she willingly agrees. Unaware of each other’s identities, they arrange to meet. When they do, the fairies steal Janet away.

Liam’s attempts to find her trigger a series of frustrating misadventures. Can he and Janet outwit a treacherous fairy king who’s been hoodwinking mortals for centuries?

Ah, it's a love story too! I hope you have brought us an excerpt too! Yes, thank you!

Excerpt:



      The first time Liam slipped and fell, he cursed the rain-damp grass. He blamed his second tumble on his haste to catch up with Janet. What on earth had possessed the girl to run off like that? She couldn’t possibly want to find music that badly.
      Music only she could hear.
     The third time he lost his balance, he’d swear someone had pushed him, but no one was there. He landed on his hands and knees and cursed again. He might not be a muscleman, but he was far from a clumsy dolt. A lifetime of sports and outdoor treks had surely left him fit enough to climb a scrubby little hillside.
      Something strange was afoot.
      I’m being ridiculous. The breeze must have kept him from hearing the music she heard. She’d likely gone after the owner of whatever was playing the tune to learn its name.
     Yet the Nose of Howth seemed deserted. How odd for a sunny Sunday morning. Even if Janet had gone off seeking the source of the music, no amount of rationalizing could explain why she’d left so abruptly. The chilling sense that she was in danger had Liam’s heart thumping high in his throat.
Should he call his cousin? If Kevin was still on the pier, it would take him a while to get here. And practical Kevin would surely think Liam astray in the head.
     Maybe he was, but something told him he had to find Janet, and fast. Keeping close to the ground as if he were dodging radar, he clambered monkey-like up the hill. This time he reached the top of the rise. Lumps in the landscape surrounded him, clumps of rock and rolling masses of heather and gorse that encircled the level spot where he stood. He knew the place well. Except for the curious lack of weekend hill walkers, nothing seemed amiss.
     “Janet!”
      He listened hard. A seagull cried in the distance. Otherwise, all was silent. No, wait! Music drifted toward him, a plucky harp tune he might have enjoyed under different circumstances. Was that what Janet had heard?
      Where was it? He turned in a circle, squinting in the sunlight, scanning, straining to hear. When he returned to the spot where he’d started, a jolt of fear set his pulse racing.
      A round stone hut had appeared on the highest part of the clearing. Its low thatched roof rose to a ridiculously high point. It resembled a roundhouse, the sort of dwelling that belonged in a prehistoric ring fort.
      Or a fairy fort.
      Liam swallowed hard. He’d seen replicas of such huts in Ireland’s folk parks. He’d also viewed ruins of the original ring forts, all that remained of the structures built by the mysterious peoples who’d lived and died in prehistoric Ireland thousands of years ago.
     Where had this one come from? Why was it on the Nose of Howth? Liam had never seen it before, nor had he heard of any gimmicky tourism plans for the cliff walk. Of course, he didn’t know everything.       Convincing himself that he’d failed to see the hut at first because the sun had blinded him, he ventured toward the structure.
      He spotted a doorway and relaxed. Janet was there, speaking to a woman wearing a period costume, medieval or older. That’s what it was, he thought: tourism come to tarnish Howth. How could Uncle Peadar have allowed such nonsense?
      Liam called Janet’s name again, but neither she nor the woman showed any sign that they’d heard him. The wind must have carried his voice away. He stalked toward the roundhouse. As he approached, the costumed woman placed a necklace over Janet’s head.
     The roundhouse flickered, faded, and reappeared. Alarmed, Liam stopped. This was no tourist gimmick. As his thoughts scrambled for an explanation, the woman grabbed Janet’s arm and pulled her into the hut.
      “Janet, no!” His ferocious roar proved useless. Unbelievably, the roundhouse began to dissolve. No longer doubting his horrified senses, he dove at the hut and charged through the disappearing door.
The world around him melted away.

Are you going to leave us wondering whether or not he finds Janet? I know I am going to want to read more to know this. Good luck with your book launch in November, Pat. It has been a pleasure having you as my guest and learning more about you. Thank you for being my guest author. Are you giving away anything to our readers?

Readers can find you on your Author Page and in The Muse Bookstore.

Until the next time, I have posted all of the reviews I have gotten for my book, If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor, which you can find on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, CoffeeTime Romance, The Muse Bookstore and a few other ebook sites. The exciting news is this will be out in print in November!!! So everyone who has wanted a copy but did not have an e-reader can enjoy it.

Also, my Blog Talk Radio Show, RRWL Tales from the Pages will have Roseanne Dowell and Nancy Bell, two other authors from MuseItUp Publishing. Nancy is also my copy editor and both of them are delightful! I hope you will tune into the show at 3PM Central Time, 4PM EST on Thursday, October 27th.

Thank you to my new followers and of course, to the people who continue to come over here to read my meanderings. I haven't been posting as much, but it isn't due to any real problems. Yay!! My husband's feet are healing and he is getting back to work again. Any of you who have followed the problems he had will understand what a big change this is. He is now on Facebook if you want to see what he looks like. Just look for Harold Ehrentreu. There is only one and even now he still doesn't understand why I can spend so much time online.:) 

One more thing before I go. I want you all to know about the Muse Retreat, which is happening on November 4th, 5th and 6th in Montreal, Canada. We are all getting together to celebrate the first anniversary of this awesome publishing company. I will have photos to let you all see. We are going to have a mass book signing at Zeller's too. Very exciting!!! I will be signing copies of my own book and as a special addition I am going to be giving away a copy to the lucky winner. More about this contest next blog post. Have fun and enjoy the fall days that are coming our way.

For the entire month of September this blog was devoted to bringing you only writers of MG/YA. Today my guest author is a very dear friend and author from MuseItUp Publishing who is on the brink of publishing her book, Erotic Deception from the MuseItHot division.

Here is her bio:




I live in a Southern California Castle with Prince Charming and a Magnificent Black Stallion.

Okay, it’s a bungalow, my husband works in a corporate environment and my horse is a small black pug with a sense of humor and a lot of attitude. But my address is Cloud 9, CA.

I grew up in a small town in Missouri sharing years of romance novels with my mother. We laughed together, cried together, and thoroughly enjoyed our favorite authors. My mother has since passed but her gift of memories will always remain through the pages of each novel I write.

Thank you, dear reader, for the precious time you will use in journeying with my heroes and heroines. May the echo of their laughter and tears create special memories within you as I have enjoyed from authors past. My gratitude to MuseItUp Publishing is one I am still trying to articulate.

Actually Karen, the gratitude should be from all of us authors at MuseItUp Publishing who you have helped in so many ways. Karen's website is very unique. Anyone who hasn't been there should go there immediately and check out its many features. When you first get on the website you are greeted by this lovely avatar of Karen








 telling you all about the places you can visit on the website. She invites other authors to come and prepares a custom made avatar for each author. I had the pleasure of being interviewed along with my character, Carolyn Samuels. She treated each of us with care and panache. Her choices for wardrobe and hair were excellent and she continues to make every author who appears on her site very special.

I'm sure Karen is now blushing, because she is not one to heap praise upon herself. On the contrary, she usually is there helping someone else and rarely thinks about herself. She is a benefactor in so many ways. For this Thanksgiving Karen has added another dimension to her website. Here she is to tell us about it in her own words:

Coffee Time Romance…Proud Sponsor For…2011 Thanksgiving Project


Hello darling Barbara. I am EXCITED to be here today and I thank you so much for the opportunity. You know, in this world of hearts, there exist few that are bigger or more generous than yours.

Okay, now I'm blushing. Can you all see it??

You’ve been a friend, role-model, and such a solid support; not only of my own endeavors but everyone who enters our Muse house or comes into contact with you. As such, I didn’t have to ponder too much about what I wanted to discuss here. Of course, it’s what you do most. Give to others.

When I first mentioned the efforts of Coffee Time Romance, (another big heart) you embraced it with that unique spirit of yours to jump in and get involved. Barbara, I’m grateful for the person you are and the platform you’ve provided to express this need.

Thank you, Karen! I feel the same way about you.

As you know, Coffee Time Romance is a sponsor for a very special project for those in need. I’ve listed all the details below and I hope anyone visiting today will join us in our efforts and step forward to nominate a family and give hope to someone who may need a helping hand in a time of need.

I actually did nominate a family and it gave me such a warm feeling to know that I was giving a family a chance to have a real Thanksgiving dinner so they could use those funds somewhere else. You shouldn't have to make the choice of paying bills or having a real Thanksgiving dinner. Many families are in situations this year they would never have imagined. Nominating a family only requires you to go the website and follow instructions. Think of their faces on Thanksgiving.

Your Part:

We need you to help us select a needy family this season.

Thanksgiving is a time for family gatherings and holiday meals - for sharing and spreading happiness. A time to be thankful for the people, experiences, and gifts we receive in our lives. Unfortunately, there are some people who have a tougher situation than we do. Regardless of the hardship in their lives, whether it's a family crisis, lost job or other unforeseen circumstances, they are unable to truly celebrate the holidays because of their financial situation.



In hopes of helping these families share in the holidays, last year, Silver Publishing donated two $500 Gift Certificates to grocery stores local to two needy winners. The recipients were nominated by family, friends and coworkers who witnessed, first-hand, the hardship these families experiences day-to-day. They nominated each family via a forum post. It was heartbreaking to pick only two families, but we chose and they were able to join others in the holiday experience.

We want to expand that further this year and try to help more families during these difficult times so we’ve joined forces with other publishers, review sites, authors, and others in order to spread the holiday message and allow others to truly enjoy the season which would otherwise be too difficult to do on their own.

This year, Silver Publishing is going to repeat the project and offer another $1000 in gifts to needy families. Additionally, we are going to add a percentage of royalties earned during a special sales week to be announced. Others joining in the sponsorship will contribute other gifts of their choosing – whether it’s food, money, gift cards, or another gift, we are getting together in a joint effort to help more families during this special time.



If you’d like to help us, please nominate a family you feel needs a little help this Thanksgiving. Let us know ‘why’ you feel they should get a sponsorship. And don’t forget to let us know how to contact YOU, the nominator. This way, if the family mentioned is selected, the sponsor can contact you for more info on how best to send them their holiday gift.

We are accepting nominations July 1, 2011- October 31, 2011.

To nominate a family, please follow the link to complete the entry form.

ENTER HERE
Thank you.

ONE MORE WAY TO GET INVOLVED…In addition to nominating a family there’s another way you can help feed a family at Thanksgiving. All you have to do is go to the following site and tell us your favorite coffee beverage or tea, if you prefer. Your preference will be logged as a comment and for each comment $1 will go toward feeding a family at Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for your caring and participation. Here’s the link to comment:

http://www.karencote.tv/coffee-time-romance-a-sponsor-for-the-thanksgiving-project-2011


Again, thank you so much, Karen, for bringing this to our attention! Now didn't I hear that you were about to publish a novel?

Yes, I will be publishing my first novel from MuseItUp  Publishing on October 14th. Look in The Muse Bookstore for more information, the cover, the blurb and an excerpt.

I am thrilled for you, Karen!! Good luck with all your ventures!!!


Until the next time. thank you to my new follower! More news about my book, If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor.  I now have three reviews on Amazon and two are 5 stars!!! I'm not sure about the rank, because it varies so much! If anyone knows about how they determine the rank on Amazon I would love to know.:)

I am still going through the various blog comments you left in September and soon will be posting the results of the drawings and the comment contest. The month of October is going to be like a vacation for me, so I will be blogging less and trying to relax before November when it all gets crazy again. I will be posting on two blogs on Saturday: DowntownYA, my usual Saturday column, and on The Muse blog where I will be talking about Halloween experiences.

My guests for RRWL Tales from the Pages on Thursday, October 27th will be Roseanne Dowell and Nancy Bell, two authors I love from MuseItUp Publishing and who just published MG/YA novels. Also we will be joined by a dear friend, Donna Marie Merritt who will be talking about her recently published book of poems written while she was taking care of her husband who has cancer:

Cancer:Poetry for Tough Times v.2: A Caregiver's Guide


Where I live it's brilliant sunshine and blue skies. I think I will venture outside and enjoy this. Also they came and painted today and I'd like to be able to breathe.:)

Sorry for the delay in posting today, but real life got in the way again!! I had to go get two shots, not one at once - my flu shot that everyone should get, and a shingles shot that they give to us old people.:)

Anyway, I am very happy to introduce to you a very unusual and beautiful woman, Lawna Mackie and her very unusual character, ThreeO.

Here is a little about Lawna:



Bio:
I have always believed in fairy tales and when I got tired of the old ones I made up my own. Each story would have a hero and heroine, but they were anything but typical.

I devoured my first romance novel when I was a teenager. I couldn’t read them fast enough. Years later I stumbled across my first paranormal romance…an injustice would be done if I tried to explain my joy when I found this genre of romance. My passion was finally in print.

Now, with the help of my bizarre dreams and crazy imagination, I have started to write and intend to share my stories with you. I hope you’ll love them as much as I do.

I am truly blessed. My husband is my inspiration and soul mate. We live on a small acreage in Didsbury, Alberta, with our most beloved companions, Dozer, Daisy and Mandarin.

Happy reading everyone and please stop by to visit me.

IMPOSSIBLE TO HOLD – December 19, 2011 released through Liquid Silver Books http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com
ENCHANTMENT – January 13, 2012 released through Muse It Up Publishing http://museituppublishing.com

Lawna, tell us about your books:


Blurb:

What not to do? Well, for starters, DON'T render yourself unconscious by falling out of your canoe while trying to grab onto a beaver dam. Secondly, don't wake up in a world that outlaws strangers, and, above all, DON'T fall for a guy whose main job is to banish you from the world.

Meeka is searching for peace, a magical reprieve from the heartbreak of her past, perhaps even a dashing hero, and she finds it all – for a moment. The world of Enchantment she blunders into is certainly peaceful, until Meeka discovers her dormant magical abilities. Furthermore, there is a gorgeous knight in shining armor – Kerrigan – but he turns out to be a part-time dragon sworn to protect the intoxicating land of Enchantment, a duty that includes removing all foreigners, the fascinating Meeka included. To further complicate matters, sparks literally fly between Meeka and Kerrigan. An undeniable attraction continually forces them together in a riptide of unleashed passion, but evil forces are determined to destroy the dragon, take control of Meeka’s newfound powers, and use her as a weapon of mass destruction.


Who is Threeo? Why is he here? Let's find out from the character himself. He is being interviewed by his author.

We have a new character for you to meet today…and a very interesting character at that.
Welcome, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself, and where do you come from?

Hello everyone. My name is Threeo and I’m a Hippo-Dog-Burrowing Owl from the world of Enchantment.

Well Threeo, that’s quite a mouthful. Exactly what is a Hippo-Dog-Burrowing Owl?
I resemble all three earthly creatures. I have a small hippopotamus body, and fluffy dog tail, and my head is the burrowing owl. I was created by magic.

I see. Can you tell us a little about your world of Enchantment?
Enchantment is a great world, or at least it was until she arrived. I have visions, so I knew she would come. Enchantment doesn’t allow foreigners of any sort. My master is the Enforcer for the world and he was supposed to get rid of her.

Oh my! That sounds harsh. How was he to “get ride of her”? And who exactly is she?
Meeka came to Enchantment from earth. She fell in the water and some how managed to cross the dimension and into Enchantment. Most creatures die. Kerrigan, my master should have sent her back, but he was scared she’d perish. What he didn’t know at that time was that she is a very powerful sorceress.

Tell us more about your life Threeo.
Okay, well, like I said Kerrigan is my master, I’ve been with him for a very long time. Oh…I also have babies. Baby Threeo’s! They are born in glass tubes and I raise them. When they are old enough they go to live with others like Kerrigan. The babies really like Meeka. Kerrigan’s parents Todd and Paddy Beaver are my favorites to visit. Paddy always has treats for Threeo.

“Beaver” you almost make that sound like they are Beavers?
Yes, they are beavers, but not like your human beavers. They adopted Kerrigan as a baby. Kerrigan is actually a dragon.

So what is happening in Enchantment these days?
{He shakes his head} It’s very scary in Enchantment. I’ve had a dream that Meeka kills Kerrigan, and she destroys the world.

Really? Is Meeka that type of person?
No, she’s not that type of person, but an evil Enchantment Counselor is going to try to capture her. If my vision is correct she will become a weapon of destruction. Kerrigan will try to protect her. They have feelings for one another.

It sounds scary Threeo. I hope your visions don’t come true. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about Enchantment?
I think everyone would like our world. It’s beautiful. We have seven moons, which are actually like your sun, but the seven moons are a different color each day, making our world change color daily. We have pixies in Pixie Field, and we also spend time at Funny Fish Lake. We have Itchits and Fur Balls…everything is magical. Thanks for talking to me I do have a tendency to talk a lot. I really hope you’ll enjoy Enchantment.

So happy to have met you, Threeo, and I am hoping your world will not be destroyed.  Thank you, Lawna, for visiting and for bringing Threeo. I believe Lawna is giving out a free copy of her soon-to-be-published YA fantasy, Enchantment to the lucky commenter who wins the drawing.

Until the next time, thank you to the people who continue to follow my meanderings. I am on various blogs for the MG/YA Blog-A-Thon and you can find where I am with this schedule.

My next guest will be Marva Dasef, who has been the person who has organized and kept this MG/YA Blog-A-Thon rolling along! Come back to see her post. You won't be sorry.

One more thing before I go. I did my book launch for If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor on Saturday and here is a couple of photos of me: