tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10412475809796138352024-03-12T23:25:56.253-07:00T. R. Stoddard's Writing RefugeNovels, Short Stories, Rants and Raves, Poetry, and Fellow Authors. Enjoy!T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-74615656901436095892014-06-03T12:50:00.001-07:002014-06-03T12:50:40.818-07:00Eternity by Catherine Stovall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">With Soborgne in the hands of the Dracul, the vampires prepare to annihilate the demons, take over the Earth, and unseat God from his throne. However, Andras and his demon horde have their own designs, and the demon prince wishes to rule both in Heaven and on Earth.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The Clan and the Coven, a faction of witches and vampires against the destruction of humankind, would see Sobornge dead in order to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled, and Jenda is once again determined to save her childhood friend. It’s a game of winner-take-all as a great battle unfolds, but death comes in threes and no one is safe. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Trapped in the center of a vicious war between vampires, demons, and angels, Jenda and Soborgne have reached the final leg of their journey. Friendships are tested, lines are crossed, new allies and enemies surface, and the fate of the world lies in the balance between betrayal and love.</span></span><div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Review:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eternity, the final installment in the Requiem of Humanity series, by Catherine Stovall was SUCH a bittersweet read for me. I couldn’t wait to finish this epic series that breathes freshness into a supernatural creature that is getting rather stale, but on the other hand I didn’t want to see it end. How could I say goodbye to Jenda, Sobo, Matteo and the others?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">As the third and final in the series there isn’t much I can say without giving away vital information for books one and two. What I can say, is get ready to clear your schedule because you won’t want to put this one down for anything.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">If you’ve yet to read Stolen and Reborn, do yourself a favor and get them now. Or, go on over and get all three books in a convenient ebook or print package.</span></span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Bio: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Catherine is a fearless creature who surrounds herself with the joys of life both in and out of her fictional worlds. She lives in Southeast Missouri with her husband, three children, and pets. When not writing, she spends her time riding motorcycles, wearing elaborate hats, and genuinely enjoying the oddities in life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Get Your Copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B00H2A2SUQ" target="_blank">Here!</a></span></div>
T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-34452136211123885262014-01-01T09:16:00.000-08:002014-01-01T09:16:56.642-08:002014 A Story A Week<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Okay, so here's the deal. I've decided to participate in the #AStoryAWeek challenge. I just got a new laptop and a rockin' leather tree journal that are both dying to be filled with new stories. This means, in 2014 I will aim to write one story a week. Pretty straight forward. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will keep you all updated. Some weeks it may be elaborate pieces, others it might be fifty word flash fiction. Either way, I feel like I can complete this challenge!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you want to participate in it, or see other people who are participating, head on over to Jessica McHugh's blog post <a href="http://mcnito.blogspot.com/p/a-story-week.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>!</span>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-38993611371159837582013-09-13T09:35:00.000-07:002013-09-13T09:35:11.598-07:00Chile Relleno Casserole<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="e1d5df78-7b61-4f71-8b65-23d95c92b53b" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="34bdf570-067b-4a15-830a-eb365458ffa9" grcontextid="Good:0">Good</span> Chile Rellenos can be hard to find. With the exception of this little hole in the restaurant that my family has been going to for over thirty years, no one can come close to a Paco's chile relleno. One evening I was eating at a different Mexican place and their <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="e0f29928-68c0-45ca-b4b0-97cdb974cee7" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="bba6dbce-87a0-491b-b797-964c79880f3c" grcontextid="relleno:0">relleno</span> <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="64408818-f4c1-4f5f-986c-0d3c8373a5e2" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="bba6dbce-87a0-491b-b797-964c79880f3c" grcontextid="was:1">was</span> just no good. They left the tail on it and it was greasy and fried. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzwOpHyspPgfeA-VPheph-vgztrTKqA9KzAtJ3XM9PNsCaHbgYr2BvIOjLqzNSlhXGTj6OOyK2Phj1-pdCEUcNuoPVWNfCMnpi8Wk-RMBnLtC7s4ElcQj8hcb_JnUDncX-FD7ZTVIRv8/s1600/2013-09-13+12.21.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzwOpHyspPgfeA-VPheph-vgztrTKqA9KzAtJ3XM9PNsCaHbgYr2BvIOjLqzNSlhXGTj6OOyK2Phj1-pdCEUcNuoPVWNfCMnpi8Wk-RMBnLtC7s4ElcQj8hcb_JnUDncX-FD7ZTVIRv8/s320/2013-09-13+12.21.56.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pacos bakes theirs and gets rid of those inedible tails. I began brainstorming how to make a really good chile relleno and it hit me. It would lend itself perfectly to a casserole. I scoured <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="8b49be9b-c19f-4b89-88d3-045f490b3f0f" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="d63f5916-35a7-44c1-a37c-280124fb5d92" grcontextid="Pinterest:0">Pinterest</span> and found a few possibilities but they all included ingredients or methods I didn't want to use. Meat, condensed milk, and so on. So, the other night I decided to try it out and oh my gosh it was delicious. In taste, it was nearly identical to the original and the crispy cheese on top gave it a great texture. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ingredients:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">6 eggs, I use Egglands Best</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Half + Half, but <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="91b2d19f-1990-41cf-8e96-eb4fff2a4890" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="ef21e534-e43e-4eab-a0c2-312a8d1a9c85" grcontextid="milk:0">milk</span> would work just fine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cheese, cheddar or <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="30903ef9-8d19-407d-a2d1-72bc67f83c18" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="d0ebba9f-2fb6-4b1c-8fc5-bf37af0a8849" grcontextid="colby:0">colby</span> would be best...but it is very customizable</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">8-10 <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="f161fa65-bf3d-42ef-82a0-74c7fe36986a" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="a941141c-fb73-48cd-b8b1-8eb4abe220bc" grcontextid="oz:0">oz</span> of whole green chiles, canned </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Salt, Pepper, and Red Chile Flakes<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="27ea2e52-019f-4e03-9190-0c25e01dc253" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="28de756b-3f96-4a61-88d4-ee9d60fa5f8f" grcontextid="(:0">(</span>Optional)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM07Cud-OwaOen0NrTSgd8PnvQPhvel_Dc8cC1QZn2kORV_JmWsr2sBqYtfKUjvkpwCtclXNbAbouSAIhlI22F9bgNoceot7D6AMg7AabEsu2vinFuyrPCOHLq1Bp66pXukyGOvICfnI/s1600/2013-09-13+11.02.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM07Cud-OwaOen0NrTSgd8PnvQPhvel_Dc8cC1QZn2kORV_JmWsr2sBqYtfKUjvkpwCtclXNbAbouSAIhlI22F9bgNoceot7D6AMg7AabEsu2vinFuyrPCOHLq1Bp66pXukyGOvICfnI/s320/2013-09-13+11.02.46.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Preheat oven to 400</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2SjpIPaxjfqlLLsUHZWeIAn9auaoOvG0sXPbErllfcBWRYn315LqmyXwz59sBxwDAqBmJQOVSmF27gKZXwqZj4zx70C-SbkZrZHK4GizsnDAx50sY5MhFjt13xL0SWFHB-push2eLek/s1600/2013-09-13+11.04.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2SjpIPaxjfqlLLsUHZWeIAn9auaoOvG0sXPbErllfcBWRYn315LqmyXwz59sBxwDAqBmJQOVSmF27gKZXwqZj4zx70C-SbkZrZHK4GizsnDAx50sY5MhFjt13xL0SWFHB-push2eLek/s320/2013-09-13+11.04.48.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Arrange slightly damp chiles in the bottom of an 8x8 pan. If you don't dry them, it isn't necessary to grease the pan. The moisture from the eggs and chiles and the grease from the cheese will have you covered.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjpktFTc1yaRcZa_N2O2zyuWvFzZ_-ad4lkUFHl4Hbvj2T4B2Srn2ZW6ST4NthFf_-risOqYPkUyrF-tk2heAp6EKFz0pOb4gDiACGgAXmmWGkdH6Etfwq2tr03v8CAksFVDbHCfYznI/s1600/2013-09-13+11.07.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjpktFTc1yaRcZa_N2O2zyuWvFzZ_-ad4lkUFHl4Hbvj2T4B2Srn2ZW6ST4NthFf_-risOqYPkUyrF-tk2heAp6EKFz0pOb4gDiACGgAXmmWGkdH6Etfwq2tr03v8CAksFVDbHCfYznI/s320/2013-09-13+11.07.25.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sprinkle generously with cheese.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzed-qCvc_Tg-0nY1dCo1NIxucc6pv7MvDiLyPFct6DvDFYA4MNjV1jgBDbU5xKG8UM6V5VspIJN8-gZunHO1NcdiSdY-BybcWz8zoidkmqebQy9R4EPhRW5koNHfQZN6rshQf-jm66A/s1600/2013-09-13+11.07.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzed-qCvc_Tg-0nY1dCo1NIxucc6pv7MvDiLyPFct6DvDFYA4MNjV1jgBDbU5xKG8UM6V5VspIJN8-gZunHO1NcdiSdY-BybcWz8zoidkmqebQy9R4EPhRW5koNHfQZN6rshQf-jm66A/s320/2013-09-13+11.07.34.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I added one extra egg, as I started out with five. Now is the time to add salt, pepper, and chile flakes to your preference. If you don't like spicy you can omit the flakes. Pour a splash of half and half or milk into the bowl.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJ9fxDKs5CyaKYWsp4YxC3n0-bFR92dJtF186XJTb4XonwPs7OMYQyAvYAajQPTZ1RFpi0TU-3hn1MseBpekpGXhkiz-iCyJGPRkRIdlK82CVN9KDOB4CNYAdxNCliXvkSPNhjm-Dars/s1600/2013-09-13+11.08.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJ9fxDKs5CyaKYWsp4YxC3n0-bFR92dJtF186XJTb4XonwPs7OMYQyAvYAajQPTZ1RFpi0TU-3hn1MseBpekpGXhkiz-iCyJGPRkRIdlK82CVN9KDOB4CNYAdxNCliXvkSPNhjm-Dars/s320/2013-09-13+11.08.08.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whisk it all together.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LqbvhZ8ACYYAf8fjl2MTWL57d9LQ275U6IgIA0wXbtlmWRv_f13kH8srHQCfxtWRW89iYUbxGqRs1kMEpPM0jRzkz0oG3lJbhcz2iNX_lNHfuTEHiUcTNeTDjD_Gaw7mJBe3bejFzZk/s1600/2013-09-13+11.08.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LqbvhZ8ACYYAf8fjl2MTWL57d9LQ275U6IgIA0wXbtlmWRv_f13kH8srHQCfxtWRW89iYUbxGqRs1kMEpPM0jRzkz0oG3lJbhcz2iNX_lNHfuTEHiUcTNeTDjD_Gaw7mJBe3bejFzZk/s320/2013-09-13+11.08.56.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pour egg mixture into the pan. I added the extra egg after this picture.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uzQoXGcfhwavyXtv7Tj5r11Mk3c-pVSW02H5nta74SD98wA6ovGJ2YJ7Qf90r3LUax5jw_-UN_GcAUXbbFqWpJe8tTLFHkuMTh3Fpsh1mLvb-d8yPydjcbZW2Z38M5Dr4IpgIdePt1g/s1600/2013-09-13+11.09.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uzQoXGcfhwavyXtv7Tj5r11Mk3c-pVSW02H5nta74SD98wA6ovGJ2YJ7Qf90r3LUax5jw_-UN_GcAUXbbFqWpJe8tTLFHkuMTh3Fpsh1mLvb-d8yPydjcbZW2Z38M5Dr4IpgIdePt1g/s320/2013-09-13+11.09.35.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Add more cheese. Yum!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bake in the 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Enjoy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Eat as is, or top with all of your favorite Mexican toppings. </span></div>
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T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-89696510659381289342013-07-18T06:43:00.000-07:002013-07-18T06:43:02.275-07:00100th post MUSE HUNT by Catherine Stovall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-14891742570103958572013-07-03T02:00:00.000-07:002013-07-03T02:00:07.919-07:00Dianne Gardner Guest Post
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Today I have Dianne Gardner here on my blog talking about the creation of an album based off of her novel. How cool is that? Since music is such an integral part of my writing process, I think it would be awesome to have an album based off of any one of my novels. But since I don't, let's learn a little about someone who does.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I’ve always written poetry, ever
since I can remember. Poetry to me has been a sort of abstract
language that soothes my soul and digs deep inside, excreting thought
that I don’t normally expose. So it’s no wonder that I included
poems in my Ian’s Realm Sage.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Deception Peak is a story about a young
boy who, with his father a widower, enters a portal through their
computer into a magical land. The first experiences they share are
brought to them with a haunting song sung by a voice on the wind
warning of the consequences of their trepass.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><i>You come, you come to lands unknown</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><i>You venture farther than you think</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><i>You write your purpose on the stones</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><i>You can’t go back until you’ve grown </i></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><i>Your ways are marked; your steps are forged</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><i>Beware, be strong; be now alarmed</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><i>For duty beckons, honor calls</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><i>Your fate is written on the walls</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><i>This cup of valor you must drink, </i></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><i>This cup of valor you must drink.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Throughout
the story Ian learns that the songs on the wind are known as the
Songs of Wisdom, and entity that the native people trust as their
counselor. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">It’s
a little wonder that when I made the trailer for The Dragon Shield,
book 2 in the series, that I felt compelled to find someone that
could help me put a song or two to music. When I asked my
videographer, Alex Chandler if he knew of a vocalist he referred me
to Lexa Rose. She was so excited to accommodate my request that she
called me that evening and in a day had recorded, with four part
harmony the Ballad of The Dragon Shield, using the lyrics from the
book and her talents to create a hauntingly beautiful piece of music.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Well,
needless to say the story continued and we agreed to create an album
with all the songs, and some bonus pieces, one which will be Abbi’s
Song (for those who know the story, they’re going to love it. It
was originally titled My Shit Love Life). All done in Lexa’
wonderful Enya style. The album will have 10 tracks at least and will
sell for $10 on bandwidth and our websites. But we’re currently
doing a RocketHub fundraiser to pay for sleeves and discs.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
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</span><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">
Some of what we’re offering besides the CD are posters of
Stenhjaert the Dragon, the donor’s name on the label, an ebook, and
the entire series for the really generous donors. If you want to hear
Lexa, watch the trailer. She’s an extremely talented young lady and
I’m thrilled to work with her!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Dragon Shield Trailer
<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c2rm6mGBrM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c2rm6mGBrM</a></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My Website with links to all my books
and trailers <span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://gardnersart.com/">http://gardnersart.com</a></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lexa Rose’s Website Facebook Page</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lexa-Rose/394413013978493?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lexa-Rose/394413013978493?fref=ts</a></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rocket Hub Crowd fund fundraiser for
Songs of the Saga
<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.rockethub.com/projects/27787-songs-for-the-saga-lexa-rose-and-author-d-l-gardner">http://www.rockethub.com/projects/27787-songs-for-the-saga-lexa-rose-and-author-d-l-gardner</a></u></span></span></div>
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T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-62170189245993934012013-07-01T22:03:00.002-07:002013-07-01T22:03:45.900-07:00Brenda Perlin Home Wrecker Guest Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoOLKb0TxchKN9q2eyVL56C7E4oi-S3DBVu_XQ76vS0qd0HbBw-Zw8GPaVFrucA78FoyBZB6gYw9P2ss95guaBawiG7CACRv5ZoJD8KpVx_9Sginvia9Un-g6DjgW29q3jVRQfklF700/s1600/DSCN0927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoOLKb0TxchKN9q2eyVL56C7E4oi-S3DBVu_XQ76vS0qd0HbBw-Zw8GPaVFrucA78FoyBZB6gYw9P2ss95guaBawiG7CACRv5ZoJD8KpVx_9Sginvia9Un-g6DjgW29q3jVRQfklF700/s320/DSCN0927.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Brenda Perlin is an author with Master Koda Select Publishing and she is here today to give you a little insight into her novel, Home Wrecker.In the future I will be reading and reviewing her novel, so check back later for my opinion.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;">“He was also very jealous and had trust issues; traits I did not possess. In fact, I trusted to a fault”</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;">I have always been very trusting. Maybe trusting to a fault. I always believed that if someone wanted to be with me, then I could rest assured he would be with me, solely. In the past, I have always been someone you could trust. Sometimes I trusted when I shouldn’t have. I believe if you don’t trust someone, the results will come out in negative ways. Even though I never gave my husband reason not to trust me he always had fears and doubts. He saw me as naive and thought every guy I came in contact with had an ulterior motive. I always had to reassure him of my loyalty. Now that I have been caught as a Home Wrecker my reputation as a cheater follows me around. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;">“It is amazing that no matter what age we are, we are still children.”</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #00364a; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;"> <span style="color: red;">I thought there came a time when we actually grew up? I am now realizing that we really don’t change much. We might have more life experience and even some wisdom but we are still the child that we once were. My childhood still plays a big role as to who I am. Whatever my parents did right or wrong I will always be a product of them. Fortunately, I am not left with too many scars. My parents did the best they could do. For some, they were not as lucky. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;">Hopefully I have grown and learned a few things along the way. I just thought I would feel more mature at this age. At times I still feel like a child. I am as sensitive as ever and worry about what people think. Call me a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Home Wrecker<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>and my feelings get hurt. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #00364a; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"> While approaching mid life, I am recognizing that we all stay childlike to some extent. It is just our bodies that age. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Home Wrecker Blurb:</span></span></b> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">MKSP is proud to have acquired this project and is presenting this improved and edited, Second Edition of Home Wrecker for the public to enjoy.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">When Brooklyn meets Bo, their lives are instantly turned upside down.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Brooklyn and Bo, each unhappily married to someone else, have to decide whether to stay with their spouses or give up everything for each other. Find out what Brooklyn's husband and Bo's soon-to-be ex-wife do to break them up.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Home Wrecker is the first book in a three part series that follows the main character, Brooklyn throughout her childhood, adult life and then what seems like an “endless” journey towards redemption.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Grab your copy today for only .99 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B00CKBWWIU">http://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B00CKBWWIU</a></span></span>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-28458398690470862702013-06-25T09:04:00.002-07:002013-06-25T09:04:55.395-07:00Dark Hearts Brings Danger Back Online<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygrfqbq96fY29SgKF5CykE4UkiIW6XvqruMETi8TBpngCGwgtJyxEi17mLbncMw_m1A95gwbaCKFXRw-Vpra2NLYXIgDq5qFYWqzJbcS0H5Xh3XTOtdZgRbNizwEAyIH26obUyfvWSIg/s1600/DARK+HEARTS+PROMO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygrfqbq96fY29SgKF5CykE4UkiIW6XvqruMETi8TBpngCGwgtJyxEi17mLbncMw_m1A95gwbaCKFXRw-Vpra2NLYXIgDq5qFYWqzJbcS0H5Xh3XTOtdZgRbNizwEAyIH26obUyfvWSIg/s320/DARK+HEARTS+PROMO.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The new adult novel, Dark Hearts, is taking the internet by storm. In this day and age, it is safe to say we meet many of our friends and romantic partners online. Dateline specials and horror stories of meetings gone wrong have faded into the background in this age built on technology. Friendship, love, or danger are only a click away. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJGC5UA">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJGC5UA</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">If you are an angst-ridden teenager with illusions of romantic death, there is a place for you to call home. A chat room full of bleeding brains and bleeding veins, Dark Hearts, offers a place for damaged souls to find others who share their misery. Unfortunately, on the fringes of the suicidal society, a killer lurks.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Six young souls that fall in love with death, the lure of blood, and the search of release find themselves drawn into a twisted killer’s game in the anonymity of the Dark Heart’s chat room.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The Players:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Kara (aka Bloody_butterfly) ~ 15/f/VA ~ The sad product of an absent father, a drunken mother, a life full of torment, seeks a reason to end it. Weapon of choice: Razor blade.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Sara (aka Decaying_rose) ~ 17/f/FL ~ Abandoned by her perfect family, aims to drown in her own misery, yearns for a pact that ends in forever. Weapon of choice: Narcotics and alcohol.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Lucy (aka Lifelexx) ~ 17/f/VA ~ Trailer trash country girl with a pension for sexual compulsion and blood. Weapon of choice: Anything sharp.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Sammy (aka StarryBlade) ~ 18/f/CA ~ Writer, dreamer, college girl, and unlucky enough to land where she doesn’t belong.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Cherry (aka LifeBlood) ~ 25/f/CA ~ Sexually abused, gun packing, revenge junky.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Adam (aka Shadows_of_my_soul, aka DarkDreamer) ~ 21/m/anywhere ~ Artist, creep, procurer of broken beauties, searching for the one to heal the hole death left behind.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18075795-dark-hearts#other_reviews">http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18075795-dark-hearts#other_reviews</a></span></span></div>
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<br />T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-28517416876932861202013-03-17T08:57:00.001-07:002013-03-17T08:57:15.504-07:00Finding Sanity Paperback Pre-order<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have spent the last week formatting my psychological thriller novel, Finding Sanity, for paperback. If you want a signed copy, I would love to make that happen. The price will be $13.95 plus shipping. For a signed copy, we will need to do a paypal transaction. My email is theresa.renee.stoddard@gmail.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis</b><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><b>: </b>Waking up in solitary confinement is never fun for anyone, and Randall is no exception. He is subjected to relive crucial moments from his past until he finds himself out on his own, free. Deciphering what is real vs. fantasy is half the fun. He finds new love, but as always an old flame complicates things. His reality and fantasy worlds collide putting him in a very compromising position. Can he make it out with his relationships intact?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reviews:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I was one of a small fraction of lucky people to have read parts of this novel as it was in progress, and to see the final result is wonderful. This story will keep you on the edge of your seat as Randall goes about his day-to-day life and the crazy things meandering through his mind. Sorting out what is real and what is a figment of Randall's imagination keeps you guessing until the very end."-Jason (Amazon)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"T.R. Stoddard takes the reader on a maddening ride in Finding Sanity. Randall and Amanda's story unfold in a vivid tale like no other I have read. In a flash of movie-like scenes that play inside Randall's head, the reader learns how a quietly tormented man can find himself in solitary confinement awaiting death. Not for the light at heart or the weak stomached, this book will awaken your senses and keep you up turning pages."-Catherine (Amazon)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Reading this book I was reminded of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis -- The protagonist has that element of complete whack-job crazy about him. Also, the violence, in particular the sexual violence, is similarly detailed. T.R. Stoddard provides an imaginative and genuinely creepy view from within the mind of a homicidal maniac. Sometimes, the action comes so thick and fast it nails you to the chair, other times you're almost scared to read on, knowing that at any second, her nutcase going to go from an everyday activity like feeding his cat to being a bloodthirsty psychopath. This book is not for the faint-hearted (had it been released twenty years ago, it'd probably have been banned, just like American Psycho was) and that makes it a must read in my book."-SJBgilmour (Amazon)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"What an amazing twist of events in this book. Just when you think you have it figured out, it throws you for another loop. Intense, gory, sexual..I'm ready for more!"-Amanda J (Amazon)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I remember reading Stephen King's book "IT", and being so scared and creeped out that I had to put it down, take a breather, and continue again...It's been a LONG time since a book has done that to me~ until "Finding Sanity". I really really wanted to hate Randall, and I did in the beginning. I was cursing at Ms. Stoddard for her brilliant way of making me feel sorry for him! And Allison, wow....I didn't see THAT coming! And the ending!!! Omg...perhaps a sequel in the works!!???"-Tonya (Amazon)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"With a prose so intense you feel as though the words are engraving themselves onto your soul, T.R. Stoddard has captured my interest as well as a deep dark secret side of me within the first few pages of Finding Sanity. As the pages turn, I grow more and more infatuated with the characters Randall and Amanda. I have reached the point in the book where I want to continue reading as fast as I can, but at the same time don't want to because that means the story will end. Truly a page-turning, edge-of-your-seat read. Intense, mind-blowing, and ground-breaking are all terms I'd use to describe Finding Sanity."- EffinNikktastic (Amazon)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"After I decided to pick up this book I honestly couldn't put it down, from the detailed descriptions that made you feel like you were a part of Randall's world that was turning upside down to the suspense you felt with every turn of the page. At moments I could feel myself cringing at the grotesque scenes but I feel that is one of the things that make this book truly amazing. The title truly fits the book because through out it all you're left guessing to if he really does find his sanity or if it's just another figment of his imagination. As you continue on you are left with many questions that leave you hoping for a sequel to come. All in all this book is really worth your time and I would certainly recommend it."- Ginny (Amazon)</span></span></div>
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T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-9122666771296259622013-01-26T07:27:00.000-08:002013-01-26T07:27:08.725-08:00Music is My Muse: Catherine Stovall Blog Tour<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Catherine Stovall is a great author and friend, so keep track of her on the haunted blog tour. Things go wrong, almost to the point where it seems sinister. So if you dare, read on and enter to win a copy of Reborn. You won't regret it. Leave a comment stating how music inspires you for another chance to win.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6cc1d20/" target="_blank">GIVEAWAY HERE!</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Catherine Stovall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Other than Hatter, the voice of insanity inside my head,
music is my muse. I couldn’t carry a tune in a five gallon bucket, the list of
my musical instrument capabilities consists of dashboard drummer, and I would
fail miserably if I was asked to keep time to anything. Now that I have made it
clear that I am by no means a music expert, I can share with you the music that
has guided me through the creation of the Requiem of Humanity Series. Here is a
sneak peek into some of the songs that helped build scenes in both Stolen and
Reborn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> In the opening pages of Stolen, you will find Jenda in the
midst of a struggle with the mysterious and frightening vampire Matteo. As I
wrote this particular piece, the forlorn sound of <i>Falls Apart</i> by Hurt played on my iPod. Something about the raw
emotion of the song speaks to me about the battle waging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Excerpt: The intruder stood inches from her, his black eyes
boring into her as if the entire world depended on this very moment in time. He
stood almost a full foot taller than Jenda. His broad shoulders tapered down to
a trim waist. He appeared to be well muscled but not overly large. He was
almost handsome except that his presence sent tremors of pure undiluted terror
screaming to every brain cell and nerve ending inside her. All of her senses
told her to wake up, to run, and to escape as quickly as she could.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Link to Falls Apart by Hurt: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLXbEx1Jlcs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLXbEx1Jlcs</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Another great moment in Stolen features Jenda’s change from
frightened human girl to vampire fledgling. As every ounce of torture and fear
compounds around her, Jenda is brought to the finality of her life. For me this
moment was sad. To see Jenda robbed of her humanity tore at my heart and no
other song could express that sadness better than <i>Hurt</i> by Johnny Cash. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Excerpt: “Oh my God! No, no, no!” Was all Jenda could think.
This wasn’t death. This was being changed. Belle was making her a vampire, a
monster, an inhuman soulless being. She could feel the pin prick of Belle’s
teeth now, could feel the pulling on her veins from the same spot. They were
sharing blood! Jenda tried desperately to regain control of her body. She
fought through the fog so hard that it did start to clear. Trying to ignore the
painful burning, Jenda struggled to find the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Link to <i>Hurt by Johnny
Cash</i>: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aF9AJm0RFc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aF9AJm0RFc</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> One of my favorite parts of Stolen is when Soborgne loses
her mind and starts hunting the streets for blood. She finds her victim, a
depraved and morally corrupt monster, lingering near an alley. The pure evil
that pumps through Sobo as she stalks her prey surprised even me. The upbeat,
dark tempo of <i>This is the New S**t</i> by
Marilyn Manson captures the heat of the moment perfectly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Excerpt: At first, he was confused and then recognition
dawned on him. He began to cry, to blubber like a baby. Soborgne dropped him to
the ground in front of her and in a cold and passionless voice, she continued.
“Beg. Beg as you made them beg. Scream for your mother and your father. Better
yet, scream for your god. Bargain for your life. Promise anything so I will
spare your pathetic existence.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Link to This is the New S**t by Marilyn Manson: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQMDSw3Aqo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQMDSw3Aqo</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Reborn took on a personality all its own and along with it,
came several new playlists. One of the most powerful scenes for me was Jenda’s
first feed from a living human. It was a moment of self-discovery and of
understanding for her. The melancholy and melodic song <i>Blood</i> by The Pierces swayed me through this section so well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Excerpt: Jenda’s mind raced, her body felt as if her nerve
endings were coming to life for the first time. The blood poured into her and
she wandered how it could ever be wrong to do this act. Only moments before she
was afraid and now, she was in pure ecstasy. As her mind locked in on the
rhythm of Dominique’s heart, the images came.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Link to <i>Blood </i>by
the Pierces: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBg9wpLqboA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBg9wpLqboA</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Soborgne may be reckless but without her, the Requiem of
Humanity Series would be just the good guys against the bad. I always have had
a soft spot for the grey area. Letting herself slide into the dark side,
Soborgne learns how the other half live as she finds her prey within a
chemically enhanced club, deep within the 8<sup>th</sup> District of Budapest
to the sound of <i>Blood</i> by In This
Moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Excerpt: She could taste a hint of the cheap whiskey in his
blood but it only gave it a heady spice. She did not fear the alcohol. She did
not fear anything. The darkness came into her with his blood. It danced and
dipped through her mind. It told her to follow the heartbeat down into the
abyss. It guided her to the boys’ death. It told her she was doing what she
meant to do. Its reasoning was winning her over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Link to <i>Blood</i> by
in this Moment: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZF5m-vmDzM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZF5m-vmDzM</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I try to avoid the love stuff as much as possible but
without it, The Requiem of Humanity just wouldn’t be complete. Matteo and Jenda
are overcoming many obstacles to love each other and one moment brings them
together so completely, the reader will believe nothing would ever come between
them. As they declare their intentions and bare their hearts, I could hear the
song <i>Stolen</i> by Dashboard Confessional
in my mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Excerpt: <span style="line-height: 115%;">They stared lovingly into each other’s eyes for a
moment before he kissed her. Soon she was lost in the kisses and vows of love
so thoroughly, nothing, not even Soborgne mattered. Somewhere off in the
distance she thought she heard someone weeping and a strange image of an angel
flashed through her mind. Jenda didn’t care.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Link to Stolen by Dashboard Confessional: </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j82FBbgpUy4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j82FBbgpUy4</a></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I hope you have enjoyed this musical journey. In closing, I would just
like to say thank you to the music makers of this world. You inspire, uplift,
and give the gift of joy to so many. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bio:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFFWeXFDvZkTzftuBMa9fXeE12KxpXmI7AuYO4gb9hhUOHNdaQWtmsS84pqqIMKoenCFN-7O2BpjHkLoA9MccQW3oeXd3v_SH9DMNHFwWtrHB2jdnn5cCFu3MNdsCjCDRZBu-VYla5ck/s1600/565992_10151423813893013_898947526_n-300x199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFFWeXFDvZkTzftuBMa9fXeE12KxpXmI7AuYO4gb9hhUOHNdaQWtmsS84pqqIMKoenCFN-7O2BpjHkLoA9MccQW3oeXd3v_SH9DMNHFwWtrHB2jdnn5cCFu3MNdsCjCDRZBu-VYla5ck/s1600/565992_10151423813893013_898947526_n-300x199.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Catherine Stovall is the author of The Requiem of Humanity
Series and the short story Fearful Day. Catherine received her Associates of
Science from Colorado Technical University. After working in the Criminal
Justice field for several years, she has decided to dedicate her life to her
true passion, creating captivating works of fiction. She lives in Southeast
Missouri with her husband, three children, and pets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stalk Me:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Website: </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><a href="http://www.catherinestovall.webs.com/">www.catherinestovall.webs.com</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Facebook Fan Page: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/catherinestovall/"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/catherinestovall/</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Twitter: @CathStovall<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Publisher: Untreed Reads<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Where to Buy:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Stolen and Reborn at the Untreed Reads Store: </span><a href="http://store.untreedreads.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_202"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">http://store.untreedreads.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_202</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Stolen, Reborn, and Fearful Day on Amazon: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Stovall/e/B005LET560/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Stovall/e/B005LET560/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1</span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-79690064494398978542013-01-14T18:20:00.000-08:002013-01-14T18:20:06.047-08:00Author Friendships<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><u><em>Author Friendships</em></u></strong></div>
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Guest post by Jason E. Maurer</div>
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The bond between true friends can never be broken. You may fight over something trivial or monumental, but eventually find your way back to each other because you’ve come so far in your relationship. So what if he slept with your brother behind your back? It’s just water under the bridge, right?</div>
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Maintaining a steady relationship with those we care about is part of who we are as a species. Most of us do not like being alone, and strive to create connections with everyone, lovers and friends alike.</div>
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Take my friends, for example. They are classified into two distinct groups: Those I can hang out with in real-life, and those I know online but have yet to meet.</div>
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My close circle of real-life friends is mainly the same people I knew in high school, with a few new faces added over the years.</div>
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The same can be said about my online friends. There are not many, but a few of the people I’m friends with through the vast expanse of web space seem as much a part of my inner circle as do the friends I have in person. Some online friends have been in my life for a decade or more.</div>
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Does knowing someone that you’ve never met make them any less of a true friend? No, because we know each other’s secrets and are supportive of one another in spite of the vast distance between us.</div>
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Humans, as a whole, can have support in many ways, but in my personal experience friends are the ones who will stand by each other, through thick and thin.</div>
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If you are an author and have a friend who is also an author, this is equally important because they are your true supporters, the ones who tell you to push forward even when you think you will NEVER get that damn novel finished. They understand what it’s like to feel pressured.</div>
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You can talk to each other about your craft, and understand when she tells you the reason she didn’t clean her house today was because she just needed to get these thoughts out on paper. You accept this statement, because you know exactly how she feels.</div>
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Writing is a fickle thing, at least for me. I can wake up in the morning, have breakfast, sit down at my laptop and write a few thousand words in what seems like a few seconds. Other times, I can stare at a blank screen for HOURS and not write a single sentence. Our author friends know how it is, and can relate because they’ve been in the same boat. No matter how little we write, our friends are the ones sitting on the sidelines, pumping their fists in the air and screaming for us to reach the finish line.</div>
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One of my favorite quotes of all time found online many years ago pokes fun at the sincerity of friendship: “<em>If you and I were together on a sinking ship and there was only one life jacket, I’d miss you heaps and think of you often</em>.”</div>
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What kind of friend would throw the other one ‘under the bus’, so to speak? Or in this case, out of the boat? A true friend would share the lifejacket, in the hopes of being rescued before you both drowned.</div>
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Why should the friends of an author be any different? If you have written something that another author friend doesn’t like, should she tell you truth or keep her mouth shut and allow you to shoot yourself in the foot, thereby pushing you out of the proverbial boat?</div>
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The simple answer is: She should tell you how she feels. A true friend will be honest, at all times. But, there is a difference between being honest and being cruel. You can be constructive in your criticism, judgmental without being harsh.</div>
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True friends are not afraid to tell you what they think. If you arrive dressed for a night on the town in a mumu and stilettos, your friend should laugh his ass off and tell you that you need to change your clothes because he will absolutely NOT be seen out in public next to you while you’re wearing such a ridiculous outfit!</div>
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Just because you are friends does not mean they need to coddle you and gush over how amazing your novel is. In fact, your author friends should use their trained eyes and be the first to point out the flaws.</div>
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Remember that you cannot please every person, all of the time. Roll with the criticism, and strive to perfect your work. As authors, we need this validation and analysis of ourselves, for without it we are simply gliding along in a world of loneliness. We need friends who will hold our hands and keep us grounded when shit gets crazy.</div>
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Also, expect some good-natured jealousy. If your novel sells a hundred copies, while your friend’s novel sells only ten, they may become envious. However, just because they have turned an ugly shade of green does not mean they want you to fail.</div>
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The important thing to remember is that true friends support each other, through the good AND the bad. We want the best for our comrades-in-arms, and to see our names in lights, side by side on the New York Times Bestseller list.</div>
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If she becomes successful while you are still struggling to get noticed, you simply need to try harder, push yourself more and work with a new outlook. And by all means, support each other!</div>
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Hold your friends close to your heart. This is important, because without them, we are alone. And no one likes or deserves to be without a companion, in love or otherwise. Be proud and treat each other with respect and honesty, and above all remain loyal and treasure them. With enough hard work, friendships can last a lifetime.</div>
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“<em>From quiet homes and first beginnings<br />Out to the undiscovered ends<br />There’s nothing worth the wear of winning<br />But laughter and the love of friends</em>.”<br />---Hilaire Belloc</div>
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<br />~*~*~*~*~*~*~</div>
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<strong><u>Author Bio</u></strong>:</div>
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Jason E. Maurer is the author of several short stories and novels that range in genre from romance to mystery, and everything in between. The work he produces is the result of a mind that can only be defined as ‘eclectic’.</div>
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His latest novel “Trust and Love” is a gay story that centers around the hope for a better future by advocating the “It Gets Better” Campaign, a cause that helps prevent teen suicide.</div>
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Jason lives in central Pennsylvania, and has chosen to dedicate his spare time [which at this point is anytime he is not sleeping] to the pursuit of the American dream on the road to happiness.</div>
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You can find him at <a href="http://jasonemaurer.blogspot.com/">http://jasonemaurer.blogspot.com</a></div>
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The links to his extensive list of social media can be found on the “About Me/Links” page of his website.</div>
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Where To Buy “Trust and Love”:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trust-and-Love-ebook/dp/B00AS5AEBM/ref=la_B0080HHLPC_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358216282&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/267924" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></div>
T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-46869230099699592872013-01-01T20:18:00.001-08:002013-01-01T20:25:01.952-08:00Reborn (Requiem of Humanity book two) by Catherine Stovall<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>5 out of 5 stars!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrkMiddVA7bs8-QjbzDvh-j_iAF8TXVorKZLh6WvVVPcNk6_ySKKGeEIhrnP8404ytYgDi_T4h6l2KyveHBfihLU_b2xGc2Cb6f-XOrT-huYMD4Zg-8Q_zEIq1ekyoBPXZFcY19UOui4/s1600/untreedreads+Reborn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrkMiddVA7bs8-QjbzDvh-j_iAF8TXVorKZLh6WvVVPcNk6_ySKKGeEIhrnP8404ytYgDi_T4h6l2KyveHBfihLU_b2xGc2Cb6f-XOrT-huYMD4Zg-8Q_zEIq1ekyoBPXZFcY19UOui4/s1600/untreedreads+Reborn.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Synopsis</b>: <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Jenda, Matteo, and Soborgne have escaped to Budapest in search of a safe hiding place from the Dracul. Knowing their future is unsure and danger surrounds them, they seek out the help of Matteo’s old friend, Celeste, at the Castle Vajdahunyad. When Matteo confesses all his secrets, the girls learn their part in an ancient prophecy that foretells the destruction of humanity.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">After a deadly attack on the castle, Soborgne disappears with the strange man from her dreams and Jenda is left trying to convince the others of her friend’s innocence. While Soborgne is busy relishing the life of a vampire unrestrained and learning the dark secrets of her own life, Celeste calls together a meeting of the Coven and the Clan--a group of vampires and witches--to prepare for war against the Dracul.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Trying to save her and Soborgne from certain death, Jenda works to unravel the mystery of the prophecy. Driven by unanswered questions, she ventures back into the astral world where she comes face to face with an enemy they all thought could never hurt them again. Jenda learns the key to finding Soborgne and preventing the prophecy, but it comes at a steep price.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Review</b>: Reborn, the second installment in the Requiem of Humanity series, by Catherine Stovall starts and ends with a bang. The action doesn't let up from the first to last page and does sequels everywhere a favor. I enjoyed Reborn even more than Stolen, and I enjoyed Stolen quite a bit. They are different in the fact that Stolen builds slowly and envelopes the reader in back-story and lore, and by the time Reborn comes around you pretty much know it all and can get right into the meat of the story. Holding true to her writing style, Stovall keeps the emotions raw, the scenes mystical and enchanting, and the characters convincing.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Reborn doesn't read like a vampire novel. It is more like the hero's journey that just so happens to be about vampires. She is keeping the series fresh and away from the tired vampire cliches. Faraway places, rich culture, witches, vampires, and demons await you in this enthralling read. I can now say for certain that the Requiem of Humanity series(so far Stolen and Reborn) are the best vampire books I've read in I don't know how long. I honestly can't think of one that I've enjoyed as much or more than this(especially one that doesn't rely on sex, profanity, and over-the-top-violence).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">If you haven't read Stolen, make sure to do so you can enjoy this stellar read.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">You can get your copy of Stolen <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Requiem-for-Humanity-ebook/dp/B005LE98GM/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1" target="_blank">HERE</a>, and Reborn <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AM83EXU/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img" target="_blank">HERE</a> Happy reading!</span>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-34180869315357196302012-12-17T09:08:00.000-08:002012-12-17T09:08:24.027-08:00Finding Sanity<div style="text-align: center;">
Finding Sanity FREE today!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Waking up in solitary confinement is never fun for anyone, and Randall is no exception. He is subjected to relive crucial moments from his past until he finds himself out on his own, free. Deciphering what is real vs. fantasy is half the fun. He finds new love, but as always an old flame complicates things. His reality and fantasy worlds collide putting him in a very compromising position. Can he make it out with his relationships intact?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AHHFT52/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_ask_ovlnE.0EK4E8Q" target="_blank">Download it HERE</a></span></div>
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Also, show proof of download(by providing your order number) and enter for a chance to win a swag bag, or a couple ebooks <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/461843887206905/" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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I hope you all enjoy Finding Sanity. Have a nice day. </div>
T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-1671643189426902852012-09-13T11:07:00.001-07:002012-09-13T11:07:26.082-07:00Missing: Catherine Stovall's Muse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-5SATTEQjZjGjmh74ee8WueP6tMyeC4RfkPZmRF5h8TKugku7QmgcHZq3zwLSO-vdmdCb1DIhlOeOLbj_DJdkqAfc5ThR3esctOOfwD_cy-_xmo_myr758GDCioF0rdub3tGF5SxjWc/s1600/musemusemuse+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-5SATTEQjZjGjmh74ee8WueP6tMyeC4RfkPZmRF5h8TKugku7QmgcHZq3zwLSO-vdmdCb1DIhlOeOLbj_DJdkqAfc5ThR3esctOOfwD_cy-_xmo_myr758GDCioF0rdub3tGF5SxjWc/s1600/musemusemuse+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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Hatter has been running all over my blog. When you find the riddle you will see his prints all over it. We need to get this guy back to Catherine Stovall so she can continue to churn out fabulous reads. If you help, you get to be in one of her published works. Pretty freaking cool, right? There's really no telling where he'll show up, so make sure to be on the lookout. In two days this thing will be over so there's still plenty of time.<br />
<br />T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-34949994960637496872012-09-12T12:48:00.000-07:002012-09-12T12:48:38.733-07:00Missing Muse<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, word on the street is that a friend's muse has gone missing. Mine better stay right where it is, I don't want it running rampant through other people's blogs and pages. Catherine Stovall is on the lookout for her muse Hatter. I have a feeling he may be lurking around this blog in the very near future. If you want to help her out and have the chance to be a character in an upcoming published work, keep your eyes peeled.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is the schedule of pages to look out for. You can still go back and look for clues if you've missed out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">On 09/10/12 visit Images Vinyl Lettering & Graphics</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Images/304587836239231" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>pages/Images/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>304587836239231</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">On 09/11/12 visit Lissette E. Manning</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplistik.org%2Flissetteemanning%2F&h=uAQG9t4Nz&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.simplistik.org/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>lissetteemanning/</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">On 09/12/12 visit Catrina Taylor</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><a href="http://thewritingnetwork.com/" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>thewritingnetwork.com/</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">On 09/13/12 visit T.R. Stoddard</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ft-r-stoddard.blogspot.com%2F&h=TAQGm8RCf&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>t-r-stoddard.blogspot.com/</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">On 09/14/12 visit Sinead MacDughlas</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><a href="http://www.author.sinmacd.ca/blogging.html" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>www.author.sinmacd.ca/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>blogging.html</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">On 09/15/12 visit Live, Love, & Create</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;" /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catherinestovall.webs.com&h=pAQF0jxAL&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.catherinestovall.webs.<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>com</a></span>
T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-1342029462320727622012-08-14T07:17:00.000-07:002012-08-14T07:17:21.269-07:00Author Interview with Nikolas P Robinson<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today's author interview is with a great friend and author, Nikolas P. Robinson</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white;">Welcome to the blog, and all of that. Has writing always been a passion of yours,
or did you discover it at a later age?</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
actually have copies (if I can track them down) of little illustrated stories
that I was writing back in first and second grade, some poems as well. I always
enjoyed reading, and I suppose that writing just came along as a natural
extension of that first passion. The problem is that I forgot that for a long
time, somehow I lost sight of my passion for writing for a number of years.
Thankfully I pulled my head out of my ass, and everything is back on track
again.<br />
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<b><span style="background: white;">Do you outline or write as you go? </span></b><br />
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It depends on the piece…or where I happen to be in the creative process.
Sometimes I write as I go all along, sometimes I begin with an outline, and
sometimes I write along at a steady clip for a period of time before deciding
that an outline might be in order so as to provide myself with a bit of
structure and some markers that I can really feel myself working towards.<br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">What inspires you?</span></b><span style="background: white;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Snippets of song, random little bits of
conversation that I’ve happened to share with friends, elements of things that
I have read, thought experiments, a snapshot memory of one location or
another…there are numerous things that I happen to find inspirational, so many
that I wouldn’t be able to stop if I really opted to go into any sort of real
detail.<br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">Do you get inspired by a certain element
(Water? Fire? Air? Etc.):<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Yes, I happen to find bohrium quite
inspirational. Seeing as how fire, air, and the like aren’t elements of any
sort, I don’t really know how to answer the question with any sincerity. I do
happen to find wildfires quite lovely though.</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">Do you listen to music or multitask while
writing? </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I frequently have music or the television on while writing,
though silence is admittedly more conducive to the process for me. Strangely
enough, as antisocial as I happen to be, I used to find relatively busy coffee
shops and diners to be excellent environments for writing. I suppose that it
ultimately depends on timing, different moods require different environments in
order to really get me into the right state of mind for creativity to arise.<br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">What is your favorite genre, and least
favorite? </span></b><br />
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<span style="background: white;">I can’t say that I actually have a least
favorite genre; since there are works within every conceivable genre that I do
very much enjoy (even romance, since I happen to be a fan of The Notebook and
The Time Traveler’s Wife). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">My favorite genres would unsurprisingly be horror and hard
science fiction.<br />
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<b><span style="background: white;">Who are among your favorite authors? </span></b><span style="background: white;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Well, I happen to love Ayn Rand’s capacity to interlace
genuine philosophical thought into well-composed fictional narratives (at least
I always found them to be well-composed, though I have heard numerous other
people complaining about her writing over the years). Frank Herbert and
Alastair Reynolds are my heroes when it comes to science fiction. Both authors
are (or “were” in the case of Herbert) brilliant when it involves crafting
immersive, expansive new universes into which they projected their creative
vision.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white;">What is your favorite piece you’ve written,
and what is it about? </span></b><span style="background: white;"> </span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
haven’t written my favorite piece yet, or not completely. It is still rattling
around in my head and slowly being put down on paper and the like…but I do have
a favorite. Granted, it will depend on how different things turn out, which of
those pieces in progress happens to ultimately be my favorite…but since they’re
only partially written, I can’t say for sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">Let’s change things up: </span></b><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">What is a hidden talent of yours? </span></b><br />
<b><br />
</b><span style="background: white;">I used to be able to sing fairly well…used
to be a musician as well. Now and again I consider going back to making music,
and I love the idea of doing so…but the practical application isn’t as pleasant
as it might seem, since I don’t do well with being in front of people as a
focus of their attention.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, I can roll my penis up into the loose skin at the base
of the shaft so that it appears that I have a massive scrotum with three
testicles and no penis. I refer to it as the mollusk, though I can’t really
explain why that particular name was chosen. Should I provide a picture…or even
just an ink sketch diagram of the process that is involved?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">Do you have any animals? </span></b><span style="background: white;"> </span><br />
<br />
I have a beagle, an unwanted nuisance of a cat, and two ferrets…as well as
children, do they count? I’ll assume that children count as animals, since they
do happen to be primates.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="background: white;">Favorites: </span></b><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">TV shows</span></b><span style="background: white;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are far too many to list them all, but I suppose that I
will provide the Letterman list of my top ten favorites in no particular order
(as of this particular moment, in a second or two my list might be slightly
different, depending on mood): Farscape, Firefly, The Walking Dead, Game of
Thrones, Dexter, Battlestar Galactica, House, Supernatural, Fringe, and Castle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">Movies</span></b><span style="background: white;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">This is another one with far too large of a list to really go
into, but here’s a brief list of my favorites: Dune, Serenity, Frequency, The
Salton Sea, Romeo Is Bleeding, The Fifth Element, Night of the Living Dead, The
Evil Dead, The Machinist, and Vertigo.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="background: white;">Books</span></b><span style="background: white;"> </span><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As
with the other media-related queries, I will try and answer with a top ten
list, without any numerical values assigned: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Dune
by Frank Herbert, The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan, Hater by David Moody,
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, Beggars In Spain by Nancy Kress,
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, World War Z by Max Brooks, Snow Crash by
Neal Stephenson, and Starfish by Peter Watts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">Animal </span></b><span style="background: white;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I don’t believe that I have a favorite animal. If asked
whether I happen to be a dog or a cat person, I am definitely a dog
person...unless “dog” happens to include one of those abominations that are
more like hamsters or gerbils than anything of the canine species.<br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">Color</span></b><span style="background: white;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br />
I would have to say that gray or black are my favorites, but they aren’t colors
so much as shades…where colors are concerned, I happen to prefer deep, rich
varieties of blue, black, and red.<br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="background: white;">And last but not least, tell us all about
your upcoming novel.</span></b><span style="background: white;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
actually have two novels in progress that are in contention for the title of
“upcoming” since they’re plodding along at approximately the same pace, in
addition to another one or two that are coming along a bit more slowly. I’d
love to tell you about them, but I wouldn’t know which one(s) to focus on…so,
it’ll be as much a surprise for you as it is for me, I suppose. Two are horror,
one is science fiction, and the other is something akin to the urban fantasy
genre in a sense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MeltdownMessiah" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/MeltdownMessiah</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/MeltdownMessiah" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/#!/MeltdownMessiah</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Blog: <a href="http://necroambulant.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://necroambulant.blogspot.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nikolas-Robinson/e/B00588YNP2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Nikolas-Robinson/e/B00588YNP2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Email: <a href="mailto:MeltdownMessiah@gmail.com" target="_blank">MeltdownMessiah@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
following is a brief excerpt from my novel The Dead (working title), which I
initially started writing a few years ago, only to put it on hiatus until quite
recently:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was sluggish that morning, it was
too damned hot in my trailer, and the stifling temperatures of late spring
always caused me to be rather lethargic. The air conditioner had stopped
working the fall before, and I hadn’t bothered to purchase a new one since
then. Money had been pretty tight for a while now, by my estimations at least,
too many of my customers had gotten arrested or had found better deals
elsewhere over the past couple of months. Besides, heroin was a dying trade. I
understood that fact, hell, there was absolutely no way that anyone could have
gotten me to inject that filthy shit into my own body. I had seen the scum that
got strung out on junk for far too many years to ever actually have any desire
to emulate them. But the money was good, it beat the hell out of actually
showing up to work at some dead end job for a living. And if these fucking
wastes of flesh weren’t getting their fixes from me, the money would just end
up padding someone else’s pocket, probably some strung out piece of shit
themselves. So I found it to be a far better thing that I be raking it in than
the alternative.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The
day was bright, despite the clouds coming in and I slapped at the blinds for a
couple of minutes before they finally fell closed. I’d had too much to drink
the night before, the throbbing behind my eyes served as a testament to that. I
could barely remember if I’d been drinking alone, or if there’d been company
along for the bender, but I believed that I’d been flying solo. There wasn’t a
woman or another man, an occasional option, in my bed with me, so it stood to
reason that I could assume that I hadn’t gotten laid. No great tragedy there,
I’d probably had enough of the mindless fuck puppets at the bars around here.
And that left only my customers as the remaining option, and I’d sooner take a
straight razor to my cock than shove it into one of those degenerates. I
wouldn’t be surprised if half of those sallow, scrawny shits were infected with
A.I.D.S or something equally as bad. Nothing could make me that desperate for
flesh.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I
was going to piss myself if I didn’t get up though, so I stood up on unsteady
legs and made my laborious way to the bathroom down the hall. Not that it would
have been the first time that I’d been intoxicated enough to just let loose in
my sleep. However, on these nights I’d had so much to drink that my sweat and
urine were functionally impossible to differentiate from one another due to the
high alcohol content of both, so I only presume that I’d pissed my sheets like
some snotty little brat. At least I know for certain that my bowels had never
released while I was in slumber, so I hadn’t reached that degree of alcoholic
decline. However, anything was possible with time, and I was well on my way
down the road that would eventually and inevitably lead to regularly soiled
linens on par with those found in convalescent or nursing homes. The worst part
about all of this was that I really couldn’t care less.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The
yellow light in the bathroom made me appear jaundiced in the mirror, but I knew
that it wasn’t all the light, that my pallor couldn’t have been a whole lot
better. I lay my .45 on the counter and removed my penis from the open flap of
my boxers and pissed standing up into the sink. It wasn’t because there was a
problem with my plumbing; it was simply more convenient to relieve myself in
this way with an erection, less painful bending of the instrument in question.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> After
I was finished I ran some water into the basin in order to clean it out. There
was a slight pinkish red tint to my urine, so I had definitely had far too much
to drink. Perhaps I should have checked myself into some manner of AA class or
another, sought treatment for what was quite obviously a serious problem, but
to me more an error in judgment, a lifestyle choice. Hemmingway had been no
better, but he’d also been a successful author, who ultimately self-terminated
after putting himself into seemingly endless situations that should have probably
led to his death anyhow. I was nobody, a nonentity, so I suppose that I didn’t
have the leeway that certain others of more redeeming social value might have
regarding their behaviour. Fucking artists, like somehow being artistically
inclined could excuse being a drunk or a madman. Shit like that sort of
arbitrary double standard drove me nuts my whole life and it still does.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I
was well educated though, I’m not just some shit from a trailer park, white
trash to the core, not that it really matters in the real world. I had
graduated two years before with a degree in economics from UCLA, but contrary
to popular belief, college doesn’t change your life…it does absolutely shit for
a person like myself. Sure, I could have taken some shitty job at some accounting
firm or some business or another, but I had no motivation to waste my life in
such a way. What fun would there be in living like that? Besides, my trailer
and the lot have been paid off for years, my car is paid in full, and I found
that I could make a better living with a less savory use of my understanding of
economics. Sure, there are risks in the life that I’d chosen, but the benefits
are there as well. I can sleep in about as late as I might want, I can afford
to go out drinking every night without having to worry about losing my job for
showing up half tanked. I’ve never been arrested, hell, so far as I knew, I’d
never even crossed by the police radar. According to my cost-benefit analysis,
I had made precisely the right choices as far as my chosen occupation was
concerned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> There
were messages waiting for me on the machine when I made it out to the living
room, a bright flashing red dot informing me that the outside world does indeed
exist regardless of how much better for me life would be if it did not. Fuck
them I figured, if it was important, they could wait until I felt like
returning their calls. I hate those god damned machines, always flashing,
people always calling me. It was like a fucking nightmare, the constant
irritant that the phone could be, connecting me with the trash outside who
always wanted something from me, the dealers wanting money, the junkies wanting
their fixes. Why did I have my number published in the first place? What the
fuck could I have been thinking? I should have just picked up a pager like
every other drug dealer out there, that way these assholes wouldn’t be able to
intrude on the comfort of my home when I didn’t want them to.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> It
was only eleven in the morning…I hadn’t slept in nearly so long as I had
figured originally, but who ever knows what time it actually is when they wake
up with a hangover and a bladder full of piss? It’s a good thing that I’d woken
up though; I needed to avoid pissing myself at all costs if it could be
avoided. After all, I still retained some small sense of decency, dignity, and
self respect; perhaps not much, but there was some remnant of those things left
inside of me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I
felt like a fucking cripple, stumbling around like some kind of defective. I
wandered down the hall into the kitchen and moved shit around almost blindly in
the cupboard for an indeterminate amount of time before I finally found the
bottle that I was looking for, darvocet, the perfect quick cure for the
constant thrumming in my skull. How I could continue living like this is as
mysterious and alien of a concept for me as it would be to nearly anyone else,
but it was habitual now, ingrained into the fabric of my personality. I was an
alcoholic, an addict, the exact same breed of scum that my father had been, and
likely his father before him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I
rooted around in the fridge for a short while, finally determining that I
should go ahead and wash the pill down with milk, because it was close enough
for food, and about as close to solid material that I could ingest and keep down
for any small period of time. I twisted off the plastic cap and tipped the
gallon back into my mouth. I spit a mouthful of the rancid shit out into the
sink; the fucking milk was spoiled. Damn eyes inability to focus, I should have
noticed by sight, the shit was nearly transparent in the clear plastic bottle,
the curdled chunks floating at the top. My nose was also far too stuffed up to
possibly allow me to smell the fetid odor of the disgusting crap that I’d just
tried to force down my gullet. What a fucking morning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Tossing
the gallon jug into the garbage, I walked over to the liquor cabinet and
quickly yanked out a bottle of tequila, something guaranteed to wash the rotten
taste out of my suffering mouth. The bitter flavour washed down my throat, a
catalyst necessary to wake me up properly. It probably wasn’t the wisest
decision to be mixing hard liquor with my pain medication on an empty stomach,
but this type of behaviour hadn’t killed me yet, so I figured that it wasn’t
such a big deal as doctors always made it out to be. And what would it really
matter if something did happen? Worst case scenario being that I would kick the
bucket, and what a fucking tragedy that would be. I had no family left, never
really had any friends. The only people who would miss me would be a handful of
needle freaks, and they’d miss me the same way that a child misses Santa Claus
when they finally reach the age of disillusionment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> My
mother died when I was 13, unlucky year indeed. My father quickly thereafter
lost himself in his work and booze, and I couldn’t really blame him. My mother
had been a wonderful woman, holding our damaged little family together. And,
all Freudian psychology aside, I wasn’t willing to settle for anyone less than
her for myself. Good luck there, my father hadn’t degenerated to my degree of
decadence and disrepair until they’d been married for a couple of years.
Finding a woman patient and saintly enough to put up with my manner of bullshit
from the beginning may as well be impossible for how probable it would be.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-59992158068104899882012-08-13T15:17:00.000-07:002012-08-13T15:18:37.159-07:00The Kid's Interview<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THE KID’S INTERVIEW<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3NCABOhxcbt-SssPSMRoQzL_Rsn1hrWmq5Dst5irB54GC5XcLz1prqzQmGX8ntcIzW2fLFHiG0rkDG8yyrQddwkQjjDUZ9kQnqaLIFjs9tYqFRfuYfBUzO6aRJaY4PQlertietqlV6A/s1600/Phone+pictures+439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3NCABOhxcbt-SssPSMRoQzL_Rsn1hrWmq5Dst5irB54GC5XcLz1prqzQmGX8ntcIzW2fLFHiG0rkDG8yyrQddwkQjjDUZ9kQnqaLIFjs9tYqFRfuYfBUzO6aRJaY4PQlertietqlV6A/s320/Phone+pictures+439.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I don't have a kid, I will be interviewing Pepe.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pepe, age 28 double-yellow-headed amazon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q.Will you do an author interview with me, Pepe? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>: Come here. Hello. Hi.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q. Can you name all
your Mom’s books?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>:Come here baby<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q. Which is your
favorite, and why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>: Duhhhh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q. When does your Mom
write? Where in the house? Describe her writing area. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>: Cracker cracker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q. What are you doing
when Mom is writing? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>: Hi Pepe<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q. If Mom got rich
and famous, what would you want her to do with the money?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>: It’s alright. Go away<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q. Do you read your
Mom’s books?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>: Give me a kiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q. Do you think you
do better in school because Mom is a writer?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>:Awwwwwww<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q. Do your friends
know what your Mom writes? Do you tell
them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>:*laughs* Hi Pep, come here,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q.
Do you want to be a writer when you grow up? If not, what do you want to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>:*bobs his head*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q. If you could
dedicate a book to your Mom, what would you say?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Pepe</b>:Come here. Mom. Mom.
Mom. Mom. Mom It’s alriiiiight. Whore. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-64694116385147582112012-08-03T11:35:00.003-07:002012-09-13T11:10:10.085-07:00Don't Ask, Don't Tell Available on Kindle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KB7TOLdVqRgKnkyT-k2BUHtPe9Jl8MQ88O2KUjhy1ifogYPaG6TzgrK5PzdqC5lrm3uQDwIi1beAcRzNVHiVN3IGoWzK8X69xWTQsMEZ_c8_Q-_QjaCNJ6BYnNx2etEAAdz4eZBnizI/s1600/TRmuse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KB7TOLdVqRgKnkyT-k2BUHtPe9Jl8MQ88O2KUjhy1ifogYPaG6TzgrK5PzdqC5lrm3uQDwIi1beAcRzNVHiVN3IGoWzK8X69xWTQsMEZ_c8_Q-_QjaCNJ6BYnNx2etEAAdz4eZBnizI/s320/TRmuse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To all of you who have been anticipating the release of Don't Ask, Don't Tell--it is finally here. I am very excited to have it out for people to finally read. I feel this book is very special. Not because I wrote it, okay, maybe a little bit because I wrote it. But that's not the point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are in a gay-hating time, it seems. Especially as of late. For a while there it looked like things were simmering down and turning in the right direction. But then, Chik Fil A and Boy Scouts reaffirm their anti-gay policies. In my opinion, the place I get food shouldn't have a say in anything but the food. Since when do you need to discriminate against someone to run a business that has absolutely nothing to do with gay anything. Are there gay chicken nuggets running around? I don't think so. And even if there were, I would eat them just as readily as I would the straight chicken nuggets. People are people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I wrote Don't Ask, Don't Tell in fiction, it seems if things don't change, it isn't that far from reality. I hope it never comes to that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, ranting tangent over now or I'll never stop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008ROSPQW/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk" target="_blank">You can get your copy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell here.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While you are there feel free to like, tag, and share Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I am glad to finally share it with the world. </span>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-34999324036343383172012-08-01T05:33:00.002-07:002012-08-01T05:33:34.222-07:00Change Can Be a Good Thing<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is funny how much can change in just a few hours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After working the day job I was grocery shopping and got an email on my phone. As per usual, I check it right away. What it said on the top was Publishing Contract. That didn't look ominous, right? Wrong. I open the email and it is a breakup letter from my publisher. That I am not a right fit for the company. It caught me off guard to say the least. Also, I was devastated and trying to hide my hurt from the people around me. Well, that didn't go well. So I go where I always go to vent on facebook. Just expecting to whine and moan to get it out of my system. Well, I got messaged by a publisher, and a few emails later I had a contract for Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The following morning I signed a contract for both Don't Ask, Don't Tell AND Sunny With a Chance of Homicide. The middle of the day and then end of the day were polar opposites. The lowest of lows, and the highest of highs. I cannot wait to get things off to a great start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is my new cover for Don't Ask, Don't Tell:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzesghnQHJexF8LPztfPyIuEnh6mSBEWYKvWqkeL2HstqnDtRBl_PXQO1n3nz6qDrGXDopkP5TRBADeaF9cTJVqP7RORvzC64KlFceZuHL-uaklJz7LbuCSrKb5y1i-_sbd0RIt-cE2o/s1600/don_t+ask+don_t+tell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzesghnQHJexF8LPztfPyIuEnh6mSBEWYKvWqkeL2HstqnDtRBl_PXQO1n3nz6qDrGXDopkP5TRBADeaF9cTJVqP7RORvzC64KlFceZuHL-uaklJz7LbuCSrKb5y1i-_sbd0RIt-cE2o/s320/don_t+ask+don_t+tell.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Synopsis(in case anyone has missed it): </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is an anti-gay policy sweeping the Bible Belt portion of the nation. Freshman journalism student Rachael Ainsley goes undercover as a high school senior named Cassie Rae for a tell-all exposé, hoping to drastically alter the Gay Rights Movement. She instantly befriends the gayest boy in school. Imagine his surprise when he finds out who she really is. Can she stick to her deadline, or will she be discovered before she has a chance to change the lives of the students attending Mooreville High?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can add it on goodreads <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15779944-don-t-ask-don-t-tell" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The release date is slated for early September, so keep your eyes out. </span></span>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-85337763713843067592012-07-22T12:30:00.000-07:002012-07-22T12:30:03.780-07:00Marissa Carmel Guest Post and Giveaway<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hello everyone, I would like to welcome Marissa Carmel, author of iFeel and fellow Great Minds Think Aloud author to my blog. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You plan, God
laughs. This is the story of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Marissa Carmel</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jg3_36XyYwbouiUYCokVkV0zGASvqGDiB7wEx8mFfWhF3RyY6RMSbEYnnBpXqLvP0Jmi9MVWgUeZONS-wWv81lL9cZYOdb9PPiPBRMVccnNvCwBUv-TcgLpuKHIWp92uh8a40Bwf4Uc/s1600/MARISSA+CARMEL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jg3_36XyYwbouiUYCokVkV0zGASvqGDiB7wEx8mFfWhF3RyY6RMSbEYnnBpXqLvP0Jmi9MVWgUeZONS-wWv81lL9cZYOdb9PPiPBRMVccnNvCwBUv-TcgLpuKHIWp92uh8a40Bwf4Uc/s1600/MARISSA+CARMEL.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are ideals and
expectations I assume everyone has; whom you will marry, what your career
will be like, where you will raise your kids. And yes, I had all those
ideologies in my head, except mine were more like, have a career, don't get
married and absolutely no kids. Boy was I
wrong. Today I am married with two kids, and living in a state I
only passed through on occasion. And my career? Well let’s just say, I
have more than one, and I never saw that coming. Who needs more than
one career? <i>Apparently me.</i> To make a long story short, I
started my first career as a logistician, yawn, I won’t bore you with the
details. The second career came shortly after.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've always loved to
write. Always. My imagination constantly runs away with itself, and I am
without doubt following it. My best subject was creative
writing. So when I would write, it was primarily for me (or a good
grade). As time went on though, I found myself imagining more and
more and wanting to create, but my life was so busy, and what would it get me
anyway? Until one day my mother- in- law dropped a bomb that would change my
life. She was talking to one of my husband’s cousins who was
complaining about getting her college degree (she was already married with 4
kids. <i>Yikes.</i> I’d be complaining too.) And my MIL, the
wise woman that she is simply said, honey, time is going to go by anyway,
so you might as well do it. Well, it felt like the sky fell on me. The
advice wasn’t even directed at me, but it resonated. I started writing that
night. And never stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My husband once asked
where my creativity comes from, and in return I asked him if he ever heard
voices in his head. His reply, I needed to see a shrink. I told him
a keyboard and a curser is the best therapy. I have always loved the supernatural,
thanks in part to my mom; Charmed was one of our favorite shows to watch
together and still is. So when I started writing, it only felt natural
that it took on a paranormal feel. But I didn't want to write about
vampires or werewolves or really anything that had been done. I'm like
that; I always tend to steer towards the opposite of popular and then
proceed to make fun of it. So I started researching, and
brainstorming, and concocting my mix of love, humor and emotion. Liv
was already an entity in my head, festering. I'd often imagine a dark
haired girl with amethyst eyes, suffering and alone.
When I finally established who she really was, and what kind of
supernatural elements she would possess, (an Empath-someone who can feel
the emotions of others- with active abilities) I asked myself,
what would it be like for someone like that to carry the world's emotions?
Torrential I thought. What would it be like for her to fall in love? <i>Even
worse than torrential.</i> The story evolved rather quickly after
that, but I didn't rush it. It took me a little over a year to
write, over two years to edit. I learned a lot about my writing style
during that time, developed my voice and really tried to give it
a life-like feel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here I am almost
four years later, a husband, 2 kids, and a home in what feels like
a foreign country; a daytime career and a nighttime career, all
jumbling together, fighting for a piece of my time. Go hard or go home, my
husband and I always joke, if we have a story, it needs a theme and that is
it. I wouldn't change it though, not for anything. Life is nothing, if
not a venture - (I have no idea who said that).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bibliography-</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marissa Carmel has been writing since a young age and
although it has always been for personal enjoyment, she finally decided to
breakout and share her imagination with the world. She hopes that her universe
is as fun and intriguing to her readers as it is to her. Marissa Carmel is
originally from NJ but moved to Maryland several years ago, she enjoys reading,
writing, and catching up on her DVR library. She is currently working on the
sequel to iFeel, Gravitational Pull, which she hopes to release sometime in
2012. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Book Blurb- <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lust. Anger. Hate. Desire. Love. Happiness. Joy. iFeel. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Liv Christianni is isolated, alone, tortured and withdrawn, saddled with the
torrential downpour of the world’s emotions. Accepting of her providence Liv
has lost all hope, until one day fate steps in and spins the course of her life
like a spiraling top. Hunted by a Spirit Stalker, Liv is forced to gain control
of herself and her surroundings, threatened by the touch of her immortal love;
she must find a way to survive both physically and emotionally as her reality
is shaken up like dice on a Craps table. Can she find the courage to accept her
true self? Can she love unconditionally cognizant of the condemning
consequences? Can she rise from the ashes to become the person she was always
meant to be? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Funny, witty, real, and poignant, iFeel rips into your soul, and sets your
emotions on fire.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">If you are a fan of Charmed or Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries or The Secret
Circle this series is for you!</span></div>
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Excerpt- <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I direct my anger towards the mocking bottles of crazy pills
settled in the cabinet. I attack them; clearing all the glass shelves in one
angered fit. Tiny orange bottles fly all around my white tiled bathroom,
exploding an array of colored pills against the walls and floor. It feels like
I am bombing my past; liberating my future and releasing myself from whatever
binds me. I want to be free, and if that means destroying my whole apartment in
the process to get there, I am willing to do that.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">I can feel the rage course through my veins; my head throbs and my throat burns
as I thrash at my tiny bathroom. All I can hear are the voices of people who
mean the most to me, those who encourage me, those who support me. To my
surprise, the loudest voice is the one who is farthest away. Justice’s words
echo against the tiled surface, telling me to let go, to accept my fate, to be
magical and not mental. It makes me miss him all the more, but what he said
finally makes sense.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">My breaths pulse quickly in my lungs, as if the air is thinning. I have worked
myself up into a crazed frenzy to expel my true self. My enraged fit has
resulted in a bathroom bloodbath, me versus myself.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">And I won.</span></div>
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reviews- <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I Feel great, on fire, changed, content about this book. This
book is indeed a different kind of writing. I enjoyed the story very much.
Extreme beings combust with contact. One that hides from all public life simply
to keep from feeling every emotion from everyone around her. Destined to spend
her life in lock up inside her own apartment. The other one an angel sent to
protect all that is good and to keep evil from harming this "feeler".
Seraphs and empaths ignite and paint the town in flames in this story.
Characters that will open your heart can make you laugh, show anger in large
amounts and also open your eyes on things we take for granted. Good read for
sure. Loved the flow and design of details.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Great for all YA, Angels & Demons, and Fantasy fans alike. Will recommend
to all. KUDOS AUTHOR Marissa Carmel. Happy Reading </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">from Tammy @ GREATMINDSTHINKALOUD</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This author finds a way to make this story
relatable to the reader, suspending your disbelief and extracting your empathy
for what the characters endure.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">An absolute page turner. The character of Liv has been through so much in her
short years. Her friends and family attribute her strange and overtly keen
behavior as having a mental imbalance. Depressed and loaded on a colossal
cocktail of mood stabilizers, her friends stage an intervention and drag her to
one of the many clubs at the shore. Lost in a sea of bodies, music pounding,
she dances with fate and comes face to face with her destiny. As if awaking
from a hazy dream, Liv finds herself without her rose color classes. Now
confronted with a sudden life and death situation, she must find a way to tap
into her strength and new found power.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">When this book was finished you can't help but to feel enveloped in the tail so
much you don't want it to end. I hope this author produces a sequel. This
literary journey is just simply too good to be finished! - Amazon.com</span></div>
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This book is available at Createspace and
on Amazon.com. As a reviewer I highly recommend it because it is unique and
pleasurably entertaining to read. As a reader it tugs at the heart as the
author explores the human heart and soul from the highs to the lows of forever
love and has charming mysterious Justice protecting her against all evil, it
has endearing qualities of bonding and breaking down the barriers of truth and
the unknown discovering a powerful bond between a man and a woman that comes
once in a lifetime. - Amazon.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Contact Info-<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:MarissaCarmel@aol.com">MarissaCarmel@aol.com</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Twitter- @MarissaCarmel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Facebook- Marissa Carmel <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Goodreads.com <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.marissacarmel.moonfruit.com/">www.Marissacarmel.moonfruit.com</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Purchase Links-<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amazon.com- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/iFeel-ebook/dp/B008AM5KBY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1340055387&sr=8-2&keywords=iFeel">http://www.amazon.com/iFeel-ebook/dp/B008AM5KBY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1340055387&sr=8-2&keywords=iFeel</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.greatmindsindependentpublishing.com/">http://www.greatmindsindependentpublishing.com/</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To enter to win one of two copies of iFeel comment on this post, I will be randomly selecting two winners. </span></div>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-67633791167525140802012-07-12T10:42:00.002-07:002012-07-12T10:42:33.900-07:00Sunny With a Chance of Homicide still FREE<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today is the last day to get Sunny With a Chance of Homicide for FREE.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Do you want to read a book that has been called more graphic than scenes from both Jeff Lindsay and Val McDermid books? Well, for the rest of today you can grab that book for FREE.</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sunny-With-Chance-Homicide-ebook/dp/B0089AB188/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Sunny-With-Chance-Homicide-ebook/dp/B0089AB188/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top</a></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can you make it past the beginning? </span>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-18374199034502748292012-07-11T05:23:00.001-07:002012-07-11T05:24:36.054-07:00Sunny With a Chance of Homicide FREE on Amazon<br />
<div style="padding-bottom: 22px;">
<span class="fl" style="display: block; float: left; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“</span></span><span class="block" id="advice-quote-0" style="display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="block" style="display: block; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R2LVFHV893JK4M/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_0?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0089AB188&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R2LVFHV893JK4M-2-285-111" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R2LVFHV893JK4M-2-285-111" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by Jason M."><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 20px;">Sorting out what is real and what is a figment of Randall's imagination keeps you guessing until the very </span></a><span class="inlineblock" style="display: inline-block; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R2LVFHV893JK4M/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_0?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0089AB188&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R2LVFHV893JK4M-2-285-111" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R2LVFHV893JK4M-2-285-111" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by Jason M.">end. </a><span style="margin-right: 2px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;">”</span></span></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span id="advice-quote-author-0"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 36px;">Jason M.</span><span style="line-height: 36px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 36px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="fl" style="display: block; float: left; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“</span></span><span class="block" id="advice-quote-1" style="display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="block" style="display: block; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R1NL6NGHG07KVU/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_1?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0089AB188&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R1NL6NGHG07KVU-2-56-86" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R1NL6NGHG07KVU-2-56-86" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by Kureo"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 20px;">You'll fall in love with the characters and the writing is nothing short but </span></a><span class="inlineblock" style="display: inline-block; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R1NL6NGHG07KVU/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_1?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0089AB188&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R1NL6NGHG07KVU-2-56-86" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R1NL6NGHG07KVU-2-56-86" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by Kureo">amazing. </a><span style="margin-right: 2px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;">”</span></span></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span id="advice-quote-author-1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 36px;">Kureo</span><span style="line-height: 36px;"> | </span><span style="line-height: 36px;">1 reviewer made a similar statement</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="fl" style="display: block; float: left; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“</span></span><span class="block" id="advice-quote-2" style="display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="block" style="display: block; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R2T944IKLMQ3MO/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_2?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1477612149&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R2T944IKLMQ3MO-2-491-47" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R2T944IKLMQ3MO-2-491-47" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by EffinNikktastic"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 20px;">Truly a page-turning, edge-of-your-seat </span></a><span class="inlineblock" style="display: inline-block; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R2T944IKLMQ3MO/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_2?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1477612149&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R2T944IKLMQ3MO-2-491-47" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B0089AB188-R2T944IKLMQ3MO-2-491-47" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by EffinNikktastic">read. </a><span style="margin-right: 2px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;">”</span></span></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span id="advice-quote-author-2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 36px;">EffinNikktastic</span><span style="line-height: 36px;"> | </span><span style="line-height: 36px;">1 reviewer made a similar statement</span></span></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span style="line-height: 36px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 36px;">These are just a few excerpts from three of my nine reviews on Amazon. Make sure to grab your free copy today.</span></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 36px;">Randall's crazy world awaits you.</span></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 36px;"><br /></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="block" id="advice-quote-2" style="display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0px 12px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaer5VvjeAC5OONGhCuSyAPB_LcpsRaDK9iJ2tOO2cS_hFpLKFoGX5k1EMrvpT5xuvgw0jeYezZm_WHuR8x8tDDc15wlhNUvgviCNBgR7jgwyYh5P4JJ9WeaFbfac-gssVmzv3bPkjswY/s1600/SunnyCoverResized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaer5VvjeAC5OONGhCuSyAPB_LcpsRaDK9iJ2tOO2cS_hFpLKFoGX5k1EMrvpT5xuvgw0jeYezZm_WHuR8x8tDDc15wlhNUvgviCNBgR7jgwyYh5P4JJ9WeaFbfac-gssVmzv3bPkjswY/s320/SunnyCoverResized.jpg" width="224" /></a></span></div>
<span class="block" id="advice-quote-2" style="display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0px 12px;">
<span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 36px;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 36px;">Synopsis:</span></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Waking up in solitary confinement is never fun for anyone, and Randall is no exception. He is subjected to relive crucial moments from his past until he finds himself out on his own, free. He finds new love, but as always an old flame complicates things. His reality and fantasy worlds collide putting him in a very compromising position. Can he make it out with his relationships intact?
</span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fun Fact: Sunny With a Chance of Homicide was nicknamed "torture novel" until I was nearly finished with it. With that in mind there is a lot of torture, violence, and profanity. </span></span></span></div>
<span class="block" id="advice-quote-0" style="display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><br /></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><br /></span><span class="block" style="display: block; margin-top: -5px;"><a href="http://t-r-stoddard.blogspot.com/2012/07/sunny-with-chance-of-homicide-free-on.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Click HERE to get you copy.</span></a></span></span>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-88259417694440231482012-07-10T13:15:00.002-07:002012-07-10T13:15:50.756-07:00Cover Reveal: Memories (Closure Series Omnibus Edition)- Lissette E. Manning<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hi Everyone.</span></span><div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just wanted to share with you all the cover
reveal for Memories (Closure Series Omnibus Edition)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's release date is slated for July 25, 2012.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Below you'll find the book blurb and a short
excerpt from Closure.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Genre</b>: Drama, Romance, Short Stories</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQQg6Yz7ynnq6KUK_BsrD3r2Za1VOvliaqvugroI0twuDUS_6EXHnB6XqoB-h8wMajJhGFYKqXbnTEflgosbNwHZC2ZghzAgGms1Fu0DqFl_HJnRHks9p2C30kMMT61jWuz6Fv7xIBHo/s1600/MemoriesBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQQg6Yz7ynnq6KUK_BsrD3r2Za1VOvliaqvugroI0twuDUS_6EXHnB6XqoB-h8wMajJhGFYKqXbnTEflgosbNwHZC2ZghzAgGms1Fu0DqFl_HJnRHks9p2C30kMMT61jWuz6Fv7xIBHo/s320/MemoriesBC.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Book Blurb</b>: </span></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He
wanted to remember. She would rather forget.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Memories is a compilation for the Closure series
which includes the first two books, Closure and Broken.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Follow Ben and Ellie Morgan as they recall pieces of
their past and deal with the pain and heartache that ensues because of the
decisions they've taken, decisions that will change their lives forever. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A
heart-felt and bittersweet journey, it's one anyone can relate to.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Excerpt:</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m
leaving, Ben.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="CSP-ChapterBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ellie’s
words still rang with crystal clarity within my head. For the life of me, I
could not brush them off. The devastation my wife had wrought upon me still
resonates with each passing day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
tried to make sense of what she’d said to me, but my mind refused to
acknowledge every word that had spilled from her lips. We’d spent so much time
together, building a life that had spoken volumes. Everything had seemed so
perfect. And yet it was not. With those three words, she had shattered the very
world I’d built around her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="CSP-ChapterBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Taking
a deep breath, I walked throughout the house she and I had shared. Everywhere I
looked, I saw something that reminded me of her. <i>The Prince of Tides</i>, a
book she had always meant to read, lay forgotten upon the coffee table. A
misplaced pen lay haphazardly on the mantle. A pair of worn slippers were
tucked discreetly underneath the edge of her desk. Seeing these things brought
forth a wave of heartache so deep that it suffocated me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Leaning
across the doorjamb as I surveyed the contents of my living room, I brought to
mind the day she had told me she was leaving. The memory of it was still so
vivid it left a sour taste within my mouth.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVw-woUMYDVn9pQqP2_GNWu6SaSf4MMezR-elqC3Hg3PRy1rHqBzkyF0Q9rc7LIBvxFuHdiASv31tUw_zVVTlyAgQhyphenhyphenp7cjMn0pW_765rfUn1u0jc-1ifZ5ipe0KZ_oD7107N8swguRZI/s1600/LEM-MK-Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVw-woUMYDVn9pQqP2_GNWu6SaSf4MMezR-elqC3Hg3PRy1rHqBzkyF0Q9rc7LIBvxFuHdiASv31tUw_zVVTlyAgQhyphenhyphenp7cjMn0pW_765rfUn1u0jc-1ifZ5ipe0KZ_oD7107N8swguRZI/s1600/LEM-MK-Photo.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lissette
E. Manning is an author from Connecticut. She has been writing since she was six-years-old
and spends most of her time trying to place her thoughts into order and giving
life to the stories that are always brewing inside her head. <br />
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She enjoys reading books, listening to music, playing the occasional video
game, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family. She's also a
bit of a computer geek. <br />
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Her writing genres of choice are Science-Fiction/Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal,
Short Stories, as well as Poetry. She's currently working on several projects
due out sometime this year such as The Secret Keeper, Tales of Velosia: The
Prophecy, The Corsicanth Princess, and many more.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where you can find Lissette E. Manning:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Website:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://www.simplistik.org/">http://www.simplistik.org</a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Blog:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://www.simplistik.org/lissetteemanning">http://www.simplistik.org/lissetteemanning</a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Facebook: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/LissetteElizabethManning">http://www.facebook.com/LissetteElizabethManning</a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Twitter:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/xLizzieBethx">http://www.twitter.com/xLizzieBethx</a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4867044.Lissette_E_Manning">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4867044.Lissette_E_Manning</a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Amazon Author Page:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lissette-E.-Manning/e/B00535P6O2">http://www.amazon.com/Lissette-E.-Manning/e/B00535P6O2</a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Google +:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="https://plus.google.com/b/108975492094713089871/108975492094713089871">https://plus.google.com/b/108975492094713089871/108975492094713089871</a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Email:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="mailto:lizziebeth1095@sbcglobal.net">LizzieBeth1095@sbcglobal.net</a>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-50307725528296625792012-07-07T11:08:00.001-07:002012-07-07T11:19:59.886-07:00Thieves Only Gain Momentary Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtrOWAZsbHbw66de8BZCC0W0i1WWhMQyMJjmThN7QK8DlRasMlbKJd_iy_TlqVfECAqU3moe7uR1J9tgsW0xCF_HZRxCqNrXkHowmSd7vNto4xhlJHWKiwI86OI7E7UDgSr7XRO2JAhM/s1600/sandcastle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtrOWAZsbHbw66de8BZCC0W0i1WWhMQyMJjmThN7QK8DlRasMlbKJd_iy_TlqVfECAqU3moe7uR1J9tgsW0xCF_HZRxCqNrXkHowmSd7vNto4xhlJHWKiwI86OI7E7UDgSr7XRO2JAhM/s320/sandcastle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If someone builds a sandcastle and asks you to watch it, and walks off for a second it isn't your sandcastle. It is theirs. They took the time, care, and effort to build it. You are just someone they trust to watch it for a bit. Maybe you can add on a few shells to pretty it up, but you wouldn't build a fence around it and keep the original builders out. Okay, so this post isn't actually about sandcastles. But the premise is similar.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The facebook group Great Minds Think Aloud was taken over by someone promoted to admin status. You presented yourself as an ASSET to a respected page, and then tore it down. If you think that will stand in the Indie Author community you are sadly mistaken. Real authors work hard, too hard to gain a following. That isn't taking actual writing in to consideration. So how dare you steal someone's hard work. If you think we are going to buy "My cat changed administration status" bullshit, you are wrong. How daft do you think we are? Just so you know, writers are pretty intelligent people by nature.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Also, we stick together. Author Karma is the basis for a lot of these groups. You are probably the same slime that tears down others to feel better about yourself. Here's an idea. WORK HARD AND MAKE YOUR OWN SUCCESS. Oh, right. It is easier to lie and steal and cheat. You have just set an entire community against you. Good luck living this one down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Giving it back is the right thing to do, but it doesn't absolve you of your blame. That's like stealing someone's child and then giving it back and expecting no repercussions...</span><br />
<br />T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-73050748169957963312012-06-30T13:04:00.001-07:002012-06-30T13:04:23.777-07:00Jason's Writing Corner: The First Edition Writing Contest<a href="http://jasonemaurer.blogspot.com/2012/06/first-edition-writng-contest.html?spref=bl">Jason's Writing Corner: The First Edition Writing Contest</a>:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">The rules can be found on "The First Edition Writing Contest" tab at the top of this page.</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Basically, all you need in order to enter is write an original story [up to 7,500 words in length], centered around [and including] the phrase: "Listen closely to the unspoken words."</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">The contest will run from July 1 - 15, and the winner will be determind by yours truly. The winner will be announced on or before August 1, 2012.</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">The winner will have his or her choice of one of the following three FIRST EDITION, Hardcover novels:</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> - "Tom Sawyer Abroad" by Mark Twain</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> - "The American Claimant" by Mark Twain</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> - "Frenchman's Creek" by Daphne du Maurier</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Please refer to the Rules for all other information.</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Happy writing, and good luck to all who enter!</div>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041247580979613835.post-43011499805179434972012-06-29T16:45:00.001-07:002012-06-29T16:45:53.811-07:00Defining Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.0758446091786027" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How does one go about defining life? There are no black and white lines in said subject. The outcome is never as simple as yes, or no. These lines are a muddled grey, marred by tears in some places and worn by time in others. Is one alive if blood is coursing through their veins? What if this was not the result of their biology, but of a machine? A machine meant to save lives that thereafter, feigns life. Would this person be considered living, or deceased? Retaining body heat and pumping blood are vital aspects of our existence ,but can such processes really define life? If we were to define life by amending the person must be cognizant, we would then automatically be forced to rule out comas and other vegetative states; and unless we are counting on resurrections when coming out of a coma, would they not be considered living? Though without the aid of machines the person will pass on in both cases. Perhaps the distinction between life and death is one of life’s most universal holons. Is it possible to be alive and dead simultaneously? Part of you functioning while the rest of you slowly fades away? Before one begins contemplating the meaning of life, it is vital to outline the parameters, to construct your own definition for what it means to be living…</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was something I wrote when Papa died.</span></b>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">What are your thoughts on this? Have you experienced something like this?</span></span></b>T. R. Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524593059194832789noreply@blogger.com1