This is the LAST WEEK to enter the Indie YA Books Selfie Pet contest!. If you haven't done so, yet, now would be a great time to enter your picture. We'll be voting on them beginning June 1, so get your entry in now. Here's the link: http://indieyabooks.com/competition/.
Be sure to enter, and don't forget to tell your friends!
1 Comment
Hi, hello and howdy! I am Petunia Parks and I am a cybergirl blogger who loves chocolate, kittens, traveling and shopping! At my site we share pictures, recipes and stories. Here is my Space Needle adventure from last summer.
I was told the weather in July is ideal in Seattle. Upon arriving I found out the “ideal” in western Washington State was cool, overcast and misty rain. I mentally inventoried the contents of my suitcase I realized my first task would be shopping. My visit was starting on a high note. After a morning of looking, trying on and purchasing, I found myself exploring the waterfront in a new outfit and a pair of pumps to die for with a matching purse and belt. Shopping is hungry work, so next I enjoyed sampling the wares at Fisherman’s Warf. The fried calamari was wonderful and the clam chowder was nirvana. Filled to the brim, it was time to visit the location of the 1962 World’s Fair, the Seattle Center. Girls, negotiating the slick city streets in a new pair of pumps is more than a challenge. I have not encountered this steep of streets since San Francisco and every step I was in fear of landing on my ass. After two blocks of the bent knee shuffle, I flagged down a cab! The world famous site has changed in fifty years, but is still a joy to visit. As I wandered to the Space Needle I started to notice that something I ate was not quite agreeing with me. Creamy chowder, heavily buttered sour dough bread and greasy calamari might not have been the perfect choice of menu for touring the sights. At the Needle you have a choice of the restaurant, free, or the observation deck, not free. Feeling food was not the best choice, I decided on the observation platform and when the car arrived a group of us filed inside. In front of me is a large angry biker gently holding the hand of a young woman who babbled on about the history of the fair. Just as the door started to close I felt my stomach give a rumble and that all too familiar pressure start to build in my abdomen. The sweat beadied on my forehead as the car started to rise. The next ten seconds felt like minutes as the vapor demanded exit. Ladies, I used the raised left hip method successfully and the relief was complete as the gas escaped without a sound. For as quiet as it was, it was deadly. I swear you could see a purple haze as the worst stench that had ever left my body filled the car. I feared for my life as the already pissed off biker started to turn. To my great relief he stopped half way around and glared down at a tiny, trembling, blue haired lady. Why she was shaking I had no idea, I mean it was my crime after all. As he stared down, her trembling continued to increase until the concert began. At first it started low but as she tried to retain control the pitch rose. While the poor thing puckered, her backside reached notes a trumpet player would be proud of. Her inconsistent squeezes provided lively melody and I glanced around at the red faces. I know I was not the only one trying to hold back laughter and my breath at the same time. There was a blast at the crescendo and the last of the gas exited with the sound of an emptying balloon. Following the longest forty-three seconds of my life, the doors finally opened. The occupants of the car fell out into the Sky City Restaurant gasping for air. Remaining in the elevator, the little old lady stared at her shoes, no longer trembling. As I watched the doors close, I wondered if she was the only one of us actually going to the restaurant. If you would like to join the fun, please come for a visit at www.petuniaparks.com In honor of my good friend, J. J. DiBenedetto's 7th (you got that right 7th) release, I'm posting a blurb about one of my other fave's - Dream Doctor. I really love all of these books, and this one is no exception. Dream Doctor continues the story of Sara Barnes after she and Brian get married and she attends medical school. There are some awesome twists and turns, but I'll let the book speak for itself with this little taste. Excerpt: I open my eyes, and they’re full of tears. I was – I remember it all, I remember it exactly. I was talking to Janet’s mother. And then she died. Brian is just waking up, and I clutch myself to him. His eyes open slowly, they take a while to focus on me. He sees I’m crying, he sees I’m a mess. I can see in his eyes; he already knows I had a dream. “Margaret died. Just – just now. Just a few minutes ago.” “How do you know?” he asks, but he already knows. “I was with her. I was – I talked to her.” He knows it’s possible. In a way it’s how we met, after all. “She saw you?” I feel myself calming down a little. “Yes. I – I don’t know how to feel. She – she knew. She was – God, she was so brave. She knew, and she wasn’t crying or fighting or anything. And she’s not – not suffering anymore.” But then the real cruelty of what I saw hits me. “It’s - damnit! This is the worst – it’s all unfair, but this is the worst thing.” Brian has no idea what I’m talking about. “It should have been Janet!” He looks at me now as though I’ve completely lost my mind. “Just now! It shouldn’t have been me. If she knew she was going to die, if it was the last time she ever talked to anyone, it should have been Janet. Not me.” Realization dawns on his face – now he gets it. Even though it would make me feel a thousand times better right now, I’m glad Brian doesn’t lie to me and say something like “you might be wrong” or “maybe she’s still alive” or any of that. I know what happened, and he knows that there’s no chance I’m wrong about it. He just holds me, and very gently wipes the tears from my face. And then he asks me the question I’ve been dreading. “Do you think she knows yet?” He doesn’t ask the rest of it, though: if she hasn’t, if they haven’t called her yet, and she’s downstairs waiting for me to walk together to class, what will I do? “I don’t know,” and that’s my answer for both questions. If she doesn’t know, how can I tell her? What can I possibly say? --- Read about J.J.'s writing: www.writingdreams.net What if you could see everyone else's dreams? Find out with the Dream Series! Available at amazon.com orsmashwords Synopsis: During a time of celebration for The Chosen, a mysterious force appears on Phantasma, threatening to destroy Nature and all of her creatures. Will The Chosen find and defeat this force and save Nature before it’s too late? Excerpt: Suddenly, as if someone had cast a freeze spell, everything stopped. As everyone looked around, they saw the shamans and druids gather together nervously and look up at the sky. Everyone else’s eyes focused upwards to see what was going on; chatter and screams could be heard as the sky suddenly darkened out of nowhere. Day became night in an instant. Now in a near panic, everyone shouted out assumptions. “It’s Gastle! He’s back!” “That’s impossible! This must be a new monster.” “Perhaps it’s Gastle’s descendants seeking revenge for his death.” “Or an old enemy trying to replace him on the throne.” “Everyone, please, stay calm,” Striker spoke up. As the head of The Chosen, he normally took command, and it was accepted by those around him. “Let’s try to get some answers before we make assumptions.” He turned to the druids and shamans, who talked animatedly with each other while they pointed to the dark sky. “Red, any idea what this is?” “It’s definitely not Gastle, or any other creature in Phantasma. There’s something off with the elements. Whatever caused this is a natural entity, and comes directly from Nature herself. There is a definite shift, and it’s unbalanced. We can all sense it.” “Any idea what it could be?” “No, but the strongest feelings we received are coming from the North, in the Polard region. We need to go there and see the situation for ourselves.” Halli glanced at Queen Laurali who stood nearby and listened to the conversation between Striker and Red. The queen came toward the group, and Halli knew what she would say. “I know this is a day of great celebration,” the Queen said, “but under the circumstances, I think it would be best if The Chosen headed out at once to seek some answers.” She turned toward the bride and groom. “Halli and Silvor, I will send a replacement healer and mage, of course, so you two can start your honeymoon. Until we know more, there’s no reason for you to cancel your plans.” But Halli and Silvor wouldn’t hear of it. “We go with our family,” Silvor said. Halli nodded in agreement. “We can celebrate our honeymoon once we know what’s happened.” Queen Laurali bowed her respect to them. “Very well,” she said. “The Chosen, in its entirety, will head out right away toward Polard to see what you can find out. You may change in my tower while your horses are prepared.” Coming soon from Amazon Andrea Buginsky is a freelance writer and author. The Chosen, a middle-grade fantasy novelette was her first book, and was followed by My Open Heart, an autobiography about growing up with heart disease. Andrea released Destiny, the first book of her New Avalon series, in 2013. She is currently working on more books in both series. You can find Andrea on her website. Her books are available at Amazon. Remember to sign up for Andrea’s newsletter to stay up-to-date on all of her exciting events. |
AuthorThat's me. Wife, mom, former teen, and writer. Free Reader's Rock MagazineArchives
July 2016
Categories
All
Other Great Sites |