CASTLES AND MAGIC AND KNIGHTS...OH MY!!

Today I'm participating in my first cover reveal, for Donna Hosie's book: 

(cue drum roll)

THE FIRE OF MERLIN

And, if you haven't read Book One, Search for Arthur, I have some awesome news!!

        

To celebrate the release of FIRE OF MERLIN on NOVEMBER 30th, Donna is offering a FREE download of SEARCHING FOR ARTHUR, for the first five days of the month!!! I am having some trouble with my blog not allowing me to post links. Sorry about that, but you can just go to Amazon to get your FREE copy! :) I have to admit, I haven't read these books yet, but I think they sound like a ton of fun. As soon as I post this blog, I'm off to download mine.

And, when you're done with book one, you won't have long to wait, because on NOVEMBER 30th, Natasha and friends are back in:
THE FIRE OF MERLIN

     Seventeen-year-old Natasha Roth and her older brother, Arthur, are reunited once more with the Knights of the Round Table. Unfortunately their joy is not shared by Arthur’s girlfriend, “Slurpy” Samantha, whose hatred of Natasha has not been lessened by time or distance since the Roth family relocated to London.

      But Natasha’s happiness is short-lived. 

      The knights come with ill news from Logres: a magical darkness has fallen over the land. The Lady of the Lake, Nimue, is battling against her former lover, Merlin, whom she imprisoned before the enchanted sleep. He has been freed and Natasha soon discovers that her own actions the previous year unlocked more than just a gateway between the past and the present. When “Slurpy” disappears, a frantic Arthur decides they must leave the 21^st century once more and return to Camelot. 

      With her beloved Sir Bedivere at her side, Natasha follows the sound of the bells and leads Arthur and the knights back into Logres. But there are more than bells ringing in her head. Natasha starts to suffer from terrifying visions in which she sees the destruction of Logres.

      As the darkness continues to infect the living, the people start turning on each other, accusing outsiders of witchcraft. Terrified that Natasha will be hurt, Sir Bedivere takes her, the dwarf Byron and Byron’s sister, Guinevere, into the safety of his father’s castle. Yet nowhere in Logres is free from fear and suspicion, and Sir Bedivere unwittingly leads Natasha into a terrifying chain of events in which time itself is manipulated.

      Natasha must uncover the truth about the danger to Logres and those she loves. Who is the real threat to Arthur? Can myth and legend become fact? What is the secret that “Slurpy” is now hiding?

      And for the love of all things holy, when will Logres invent saddles?

So, if you love  magic, romance and legends that turn out to be true, check out Searching for Arthur and Fire of Merlin!!! I hope you guys like them! 

If you have any questions for Donna Hosie about her publishing process or the books themselves, feel free to leave them in my comments. :)

Halloween Blog Hop...

Hi guys! So, here is my entry for the  SCARE ME BLOGFEST. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out very scary. haha. It is what is is though--one of those stories that just sort of takes on a life of it's own.

So, sorry if I don't frighten anyone, but I hope you like it anyway. Happy Halloween!!

One Step Closer…

I sit on the bed, staring blankly at the wall as the doorbell rings. Again. Nobody answers. Nobody here wants to  to give out treats or admire the bevy of witches, vampires and superheroes that haunt our doorstep.

Downstairs, my mother shrieks “I wouldn’t care if you died, you know that James? If you had another heart attack right in front of me, I’d laugh. I wouldn’t even bother to pick up the phone. You’re not worth it.”

I put my hands over my ears, missing my father’s bellowed reply. My parents don't wait for Halloween to turn into monsters. They do it on a daily basis—using the magic formula contained in a bottle of gin.  I flinch as a plate smashes against the wall. After awhile, it gets easy to tell what’s being thrown. Plates hit with a shattering snap. Glasses are more high pitched, almost like wind chimes ringing all at once.  Coffee mugs have a hollow thump that cracks into pieces.

You’d think that, for this one night a year, they’d remember my little sister. But they don’t, even though Daisy loved Halloween more than any other time--but not for the trick or treating. Not for the candy. Not for the costumes. No, my little sister loved this night because of the gift it gave her. 

She’d ask me to take her places every Halloween—hospitals, nursing homes, hospice centers. I’d drive her and walk her in. She’d give me the name of some stranger and I’d find out  where their room was.  Then she’d sit on their bed, making them laugh, holding their hands.   On Halloween, even though death was hovering on the doorstep of every person we visited, Daisy could keep it from coming in. A touch of her hand, and every one of those strangers found a miraculous cure.

So, that’s how I spent my last five Halloweens--watching my little sister heal people.  Last Halloween was like the others--until the morning after. That morning, when I went to get Daisy up for school, she wasn't breathing. She was gone, just like that.

 I never asked her how she knew people were close to death. Her abilities were just part of who she was. We never discussed them. Now I wish I had. I wish I knew if she’d be waiting on the other side. I glance at the bottle of ambien on my nightstand as the cyclone of drunken destruction continues downstairs.

I’m reaching for them when I sense…something. My head jerks up and turns to the mirrored door of my closet. All I see is my own face. Grey eyes, messy dark hair, clothes that look like I got them out of a dumpster. But then, a shadow flits behind my mirror. I startle and turn. Nothing’s behind me. Until I look back in the mirror. My breath rushes from my lungs in a short scream. Thick fog runs its smoky fingers along the glass. Out of it, a pair of bright blue eyes emerge. Eyes I’d know anywhere.

My heart jackhammers as I look behind me again. Nothing. But, in the mirror, Daisy rises out of the fog. It drips down her shoulders like she’s breaking through water. Her golden curls are as bright as I remember, her smile as full of love. She beckons me closer. My heart booms in my ears like a thousand bass drums as I get slowly off the bed and creep towards her. Behind Daisy, light slides into darkness and then back into light. I crouch in front of the mirror and put my hand to the glass.

Daisy puts her hand on the other side. I let out a low gasp when her childish scrawl appears on the mirror. “Take this.”

For a split second, I feel her small hand—warm and alive-- pressed against mine. Then it’s gone but—when I look down—I’m holding the locket I gave her for her fifth birthday. 

The writing appears again. “Open it.”

She smiles at me, her eyes bright with happiness. I can’t help but smile back. I open the locket to find one golden curl tucked inside.

I know what to do without her telling me. She nods as I remove the locket, slide it on my black cord necklace and clasp it around my neck. Heat explodes through my veins. My blood rushes as every cell in my body blazes into something…more. They expand, pushing outward until I’m sure I’ll splinter into a thousand shards of light. I collapse onto the musty carpet as everything goes black.

When I open my eyes, Daisy is gone. One last message awaits me. “You’re older. Stronger than me. Use it well, Thomas."

And, suddenly, the answers to all my questions are inside me. I know she cured those people by taking on their deaths. She took as many as she could, before it caught up to her. We visited at least five people, each Halloween, from the time she was four until she died at nine. Twenty lives were saved because of her gift. Now it’s mine.  

And, because of the locket I wear—her locket that came through from the other side-- I won’t have to wait until the one night of the year when the veil between the living and the dead is thinner. For me, every day will be Halloween. I even know where to start. In the children’s hospital downtown, there’s a five year old boy who’s supposed to die of leukemia tomorrow.

I move quickly, throwing my clothes and toiletries in a bag, grabbing the wad of money I was saving up for a car before Daisy died.  My parents are still fighting as I take their keys and leave. Neither of them notice, but it’s okay. I understand that neither Daisy nor I was put on this world to be noticed. We were put here to do a job, until we can’t do it any longer.

Now each life I save will bring me one step closer to death. To peace. To my little sister.  I’m smiling as I start the car. 

Teaser Tuesday

Hi Guys,

HERE is my entry if you're here for Spooktoberfest. And HERE is my interview with Jessa Russo, debut author of EVER. If you haven't read it yet, please check it out!

In the meantime, it's Teaser Tuesday, hosted at SHOULD BE READING. Anyone can play along. All you have to do is: 

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that
 page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure 
that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t 
want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants 
can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 I thought my teaser for this week should be

Halloween-like, so I picked a teaser from one of my

faves that I'm re-reading, ANNA DRESSED

IN BLOOD.

Move. hunt. Kill. Like later, rinse and repeat. My life, stretched out in a simple routine. It feels empty and heavy at the same time. 

Seriously, guys--if you haven't read this yet--you should check it out. Cas is one of the best characters ever, I guarantee you'll love him! And Anna is awesome too!


My husband just
bought me the sequel, so that will be going up next week! 

Yay! It's time for the Spooktoberfest Blog Hop

If you haven't already signed up, Jackie at Bouquet of Books and Dani at Entertaining Interests are co-hosting the SPOOKTOBERFEST flash-fiction blog hop. Make sure you stop by their sites and check it out! 

Also, don't forget to check out my interview with debut author, JESSA RUSSO, author of EVER. Click HERE. 

Here's my entry...hope you guys like it!

Veil Hill

Cobwebs shroud the trees, the ground stinks like rot. Rumor says the “veil” is thinner here on Veil Hill. I’ve never cared. Until tonight.

Tonight, instead of staying home teasing my wrist with a razor, I went to a bonfire with my buddy, Rick. Then I bitched until he drove me here. I don’t know why.

I’d actually been having fun. For once, I hadn’t been thinking of how Callie always smelled like strawberries. I hadn’t been thinking about how we talked the night it happened. I hadn’t texted her that night, cause I’d lost my cell. I’d called on my home phone. Callie had said she was tired.   

 At the campfire, I wasn’t wondering why she’d decided to go out, or when they’d find her killer. I’d been having fun, until—suddenly—I felt compelled to come here.

Rick asks, “Now what?”

I glance down the hill. Cheerful jack-o-lanterns dot the town.  I glimpse a huge blow-up caldron. And I’m torn. I need to stay, but I wanna run.

Seeing my face, Rick laughs. “Finn O’Malley’s scared! Chickenshit!”

I ignore him. The scent of strawberries wafts past.  Then my feet are moving backwards--like I’m possessed.  Something bad is coming. But Rick is unaware. I grab for him… as the hill caves in. And Rick’s being drug through it. I’m screaming, reaching...

She whispers. “Finn.”

Soft hair brushes my cheek. Another whisper. “Rick texted on your phone that night, pretending to be you, asking to meet. He always wanted me…it was him…”

Rick’s shrieking--frozen by some force. He claws at me, desperate.

I step away.

Rick’s body folds through the hill like human origami.

Callie’s touch fades. But I feel peace. In her. In me. A ghost of her whisper, “Thank you for bringing him.”

“You’re welcome.”

Glad to be back and Interview with Jessa Russo!!

Hi guys!!

Wow. I'm so glad to be back!! I'm happy to say that everything is good again--crisis averted. Thanks to all for your understanding. It was a tough time, but also the kind of thing that gives me  perspective. 

I've decided, no matter how frustrating a rejection (or twenty) can be, I'm SO lucky to be a writer. So many people don't find the thing that they are meant to do. Whether I ever get published or not, I want to remember to be grateful. Nobody can ever replace the years I've spent discovering myself in the minds and hearts of the characters I write. 

 I'm also extremely lucky to have found so many other wonderful people who are taking this amazing journey with me. I missed all you guys!!  

I also have an awesome "back to blogging" post today--my first author interview!  *Cue cheering crowd!!*

My interview is with debut author, JESSA RUSSO, who recently released her first book, EVER. (How gorgeous is this cover?)

EVER is for any fan of paranormal romances. Before we begin, let me say that I was lucky enough to come across a  couple great posts where Jessa chose a cast of characters. One was by by YA author, GWEN GARDNER, the other by NA author JULIANA HAYGERT. I hope Gwen and Juliana don't mind me including a couple of Jessa's casting choices to give you guys a visual while I tell you a bit about the book. Also, when you're done reading this, Juliana and Gwen both have really great blogs, so make sure to check them out! 

So, without further ado—let’s talk about the characters and their crazy love lives. :)  We have the somewhat innocent, yet spunky and endearing main character, Ever. I think any teenage girl could relate to Ever's thought process and I found myself laughing at her snark throughout the book. Ever has an impossible choice to make between her two love interests.

First, there is the mysterious, yet insanely-sexy-bad-boy, Toby. I had a lot of fun reading Toby's scenes. He's exactly the guy I'd have fallen for at seventeen. And really, what girl can resist the misunderstood tough guy who hides his heart under a smirking exterior?

Then, rounding out our love triangle, is my personal favorite, Frankie--The best friend/boy next door who is always there for Ever. The boy who makes her smile, who holds her hand through every bad situation, who  always has a shoulder to cry on. The boy Ever has been in love with as long as she can remember, but who she'll never be with Why you ask? Oh—did I forget to mention that Frankie is a ghost?  

And there you have a sturdy base to build from! Throw in a tablespoon of mystery, a quarter-cup excitement, a few dashes of danger, some pinches of snark, a teaspoon of tragedy and a couple cups of hot romance and stir. Let bake for a few stormy afternoons under the blankets and you have a recipe for pure fun!!! 

And, now that you know a bit about EVER, allow me to present my interview with the amazing Jessa Russo. (Drum Roll)

Do you know what the next book in your EVER series will be called and about when it will be released?

I wish I knew! Unfortunately, the titles I had in my mind have been used recently. I had wanted to go with all singular “e” words, with the next book being EMBRACE. Since that title has been taken, I am back to the drawing board. The current title is EVER TWO. J

I am hoping to have release dates six months apart, so that’s my current goal. If all goes as planned, that will put EVER TWO releasing around the end of March 2013. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

Describe Ever in five words.

Ever the character, or EVER the book? (Oops! My bad, I meant to qualify that I was talking about the character, but--luckily--Jessa guessed correctly) 

I’m going to assume Ever the character.

Loving, trusting, intelligent, strong … and snarky. I don’t know many teen girls who don’t have a little snark. Do you?

Which one of your boys are you more attached to? Frankie or Toby? And why?

Toby. I don’t know why, really, but I think it’s more the idea of him, an idea I’ve always loved – the dark, “bad boy” that really isn’t all that bad, and just needs a good girl to break through the walls. I’ve always been a fixer – the kind of girl who thought she could get to the root of the problem by loving someone enough. Unfortunately, after many bad relationships, a heart that’s been broken a million times, and even an abusive relationship, I found that you can’t fix the broken boys. But I do still love the idea of it. So I think that’s where Toby came from, and that’s why he’s my favorite of the two guys.

But truthfully, they are both examples of what I love in guys; the “bad boy” in Toby, and the loyalty in Frankie, and both equally hot in different ways. Ideally, I’d combine the two into one perfect guy, but we’ll save that for another story.

Do you have a favorite scene (non-spoiler) from Ever?

I love Ever and Toby’s first kiss. I think that is something I miss about my youth, and I love that YA books let us feel all those feelings again. The excitement and butterflies that go with kissing someone for the first time are something I don’t have anymore – I’ve been with my husband for 10 years! Being able to feel that anticipation while writing (or reading) a good first kiss scene is one of my favorite parts of the experience.

What inspired the idea for EVER?

I have no idea. ACK! I know that’s not the answer people want to see, but it is the truth. EVER began as a story about a lot of ghosts. The MC (Ever) lived in a home that was almost like a stop-over point for the dead, though a few of the ghosts were sort of stuck there. One of those ghosts was an eighteen-year-old from the 50’s, which is where Frankie’s demeanor, pet name for Ever, and smoking habit originated. (Back in the 50’s, smoking wasn’t quite so frowned upon.) Eventually, through many revisions and changes, EVER became the story it is today – a girl in love with her best friend, who happens to also be a ghost stuck in her home. The car accident that caused Frankie’s death came into play because of one of my all-time favorite songs – Last Kiss by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, though most of us are more familiar with the Pearl Jam version. I was listening to it one day and pictured Frankie and Ever. Their last moments together played out in my mind, and I knew that was the way their story was supposed to end. (Or start, depending on how you look at it.)

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever had a ghostly experience?

Yes and yes. Though I can’t really explain what I believe exactly. I’ve had too many strange situations to not believe. Like thinking I see our cat walking through the kitchen, or smelling cigarettes in a home where no one has ever been a smoker. My friend’s house used to get this citrusy smell from time to time, and she could find nothing to blame it on. Little things like that, that a cynical non-believer would try to explain away, but I tend to believe it’s something we just don’t fully understand. Does that make sense?

I know that you are the acquisitions editor at Curiosity Quills. Is it hard to balance that with writing your own books?

Yes, lately it has been hard to balance. But I am not willing to quit either aspect of my life, so I will find a way. I’ve never been very good with managing my time, so I am learning as I go and trying to make it all work. And hey, if life would slow down around me, I might actually stand a chance! Lol

If you could pick one song as a theme song for EVER, what would it be?

There would be three. I can’t pick just one! I’m sorry!  

Toby’s is probably These Days by The Black Keys.

Ever’s song is Dark Paradise by Lana del Rey.

Frankie’s song is Last Kiss by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers.

I know that you like to paint. Do you have a picture of anything you’ve painted that you could share with us? Do you ever paint scenes from your book? 

I don’t really paint scenes – from my book or otherwise. I wish I could. I don’t feel like I have that kind of talent. What I do paint is children’s room décor. I used to have a company called Bella Inspired, a little home-based business run by me and me only. I enjoyed it until it became overwhelming. It was kind of a catch 22 – I wasn’t making enough money when work was slow, but when work picked up, and my customer base grew, I didn’t have the time to do all the orders I was getting. So I finally had a lot of orders, and some of the income I’d been hoping for, but with all of that came so much stress it made me hate painting.

Jessa was kind enough to include a couple of her recent paintings, thereby showing that she's talented in many areas. (I'm just a little jealous) ;)

And there you have it!! So, tell me-- how cool does Jessa sound?? I LOVE that she's open--minded enough to believe in ghosts. I too am a believer!! I actually once lived in a haunted house. Laugh if you will, but I swear it is true. However, that's a story for a whole other day!  I also think it's really cool that she works at Curiosity Quills. I'm actually a little sad that I didn't get a chance to learn more about that, but I had too many questions about it to fit into one interview, so maybe some other time. haha. Anyhow, I hope you guys had as much fun learning more about Jessa and EVER as I did!!

Meanwhile, have any of you read EVER or anything by the other authors over at Curiosity Quills? What did you think of it?

If you haven't stopped by, make sure to check out their website. They have a ton of cool books and they're taking submissions.

And, if you have any questions for Jessa (or me) feel free to ask!!

Out of Town

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you guys know that I won't be around a lot during the next week or so. I have a family crisis and I'm out of town. I'm currently participating in the blogfest and I've had a lot of comments because of that. I'll try to visit everyone's blog who stopped by mine as soon as I can--but for now I need to focus on taking care of the family.

Thanks for understanding. I wish everyone luck with all the contests going on and I hope to be back fairly soon. I'll miss you guys!

Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest!!!

So, for today's awesome blogfest, sponsored by Ninja Captain Alex Cavenaugh and Ciara Knight I chose a book that I haven't actually read yet, but I'm really looking forward to. I "found" my book when I won it in a contest. 

 Wilde's Fire~Darkness Falls: Book One

by: Krystal Wade

The first thing that caught my eye and made me want to immediately look up the book description was the absolutely gorgeous cover!

I hope, someday, I have a cover that is even half this cool. Then I went and read about the book. This synopsis is copy and pasted directly from Goodreads:

"There is no pain in this death, only peace, knowing I am going to die with the one I love the most." - Katriona Wilde. 

Katriona Wilde has never wondered what it would feel like to have everything she's ever known and loved ripped away, but she is about to find out. When she inadvertently leads her sister and best friend through a portal into a world she's dreamed of for six years, she finds herself faced with more than just the frightening creatures in front of her. Kate's forced to accept a new truth: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her. What's worse, she has no control over her new future, and it's full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made. Will Kate discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost. 

Since I love YA stuff with magic/other worlds, this sounds like the book for me. I'm super-excited to read it. I will be tweeting about the book/author and this blogfest and I'll ask you guys to do the same. I'll be sure to visit your sites and return the favor! 

Special thanks to Alex and Ciara for hosting such an awesome blogfest! 

Teaser Tuesday and Good News...

Hey guys,

It's Teaser Tuesday again, sponsored by Should Be Reading  Anyone can play along. Just grab your current read, open to a random page, and share two teaser sentences from somewhere on the page. Be careful not to include spoilers!! Share the title and author too, so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they want.

 Today's excerpt is from a book I just finished, that I totally fell in love with.

I paused at the sound of Frankie sucking in a quick breath. The noise registered in my mind as odd because I was well aware that ghosts don't actually need to breathe. I turned to look at him, my eyebrows drawn together and my head tilted in confusion--only to realize my lack of clothing was the cause of his sudden intake of breath. 

 If you love a good paranormal romance, this is the one for you. The MC, Ever, is awesome. She's funny and likable, but her best friend (who happens to be a ghost) Frankie is one of my favorite swoon-worthy guys ever. Hehe...get it? And isn't that a beautiful cover?

Plus, speaking of EVER and Jessa Russo...that actually leads into my good news. Some of you may remembered that Jessa sponsored a Ghostly Blog Hop about a month ago. Everyone had to write a flash-fiction story that incorporated some kind of ghostly romance. There were a ton of amazing entries and I was totally shocked when I ended up being one of the finalists. I was even more shocked today when I found out that....I WON!!

There was a panel of seven judges that included authors, agents and editors. They chose my entry, BEYOND, almost unanimously. I was all like, "Whaaaat? No way!"

 I won a critique of my query by Krystal Wade--an author and editor at Curiosity Quills, a critique of the first three chapters of my manuscript by an agent--Julia A. Weber, a signed copy of Ever by Jessa Russo and a signed copy of Unraveling by Liz Norris, plus a TON of other e-books that I am SO excited to read. It was a really generous giveaway and Jessa is amazing!!!

I am ecstatic about winning this contest. I honestly never once considered that I might win it, because I'd never written flash-fiction before and there were so many excellent entries. I was SO shocked. I just sat there for like five minutes, going, "I won? I actually won?" Then it sunk in and this is what I spent the rest of the day doing....

So, that's my awesome news, but I have a little bit more that I am really pumped about. Jessa has very graciously agreed to be my first author interview on my blog!! *Cue more happy dancing on my part.* I'll keep you guys posted on the details, but I'm super-excited about this and I can't wait to see what she has to say. I'm going to include my full review of EVER with the interview, so if you're still on the fence about reading it, hopefully I can convince you.

I also made it into the finals round at Pitch Live. I'll be on Leigh Ann Kopans Blog. GO TEAM LEIGH ANN!!! I'm having a VERY good day today--can you tell??

CONGRATULATIONS to all the other finalists. I haven't gotten a chance to see all the pitches, but I watched a bunch and everyone did such a great job! If anyone wants to check out my pitch, click HERE.

I'm off to get some work done now. Talk to you guys soon...

Pitch Live...and Express Yourself Weekly Meme

Hi guys!

HERE IS MY PITCH LIVE ENTRY  If you want to vote for me, I'm #38. Just leave a vote in the comment section HERE

So, I did it. I pulled up my bootstraps and entered Pitch Live. Honestly, this last couple weeks has been crazy. I just got back in from my nephew's wedding on Thurs. morning. Coming off the seventeen-hour car ride, I slept all day Thurs.  On top of that, I caught the stomach flu while in PA (did I mention I missed the wedding I drove seventeen hours to see?). That's a cartoon of me, and YES, I do vomit rainbows. So, I was still recovering from all of that when I ended up watching my two-year old grandson the entire weekend.

So, why did I enter Pitch Live on top everything else? haha. Pretty much just cause I'd made up my mind I was going to and I'm ridiculously stubborn. I'm not gonna lie. Because of the crap I already named, I ended up with hardly any time to work on this.  In the end, I just did the best I could. I don't think I'm going to win any Oscars, but I hope you guys like it! :)

Just in case anyone is wondering what I'm sitting in front of in the video, it' supposed to be Trillua.  I actually picked weeds from my yard, painted them blue (the grass in Trillua is blue) and glue-gunned all of them to the purple "sky"" behind me. I also painted the ThriceMoon on my sky but, unfortunately, my camcorder broke--which meant I had to film this with an iPHone, so I wasn't able to pan out and get a cool shot of my ThriceMoon. Sniff.

I figure since you can't really tell in the video that I actually took a lot of time putting it together, I'd at least write about it. haha. And, lastly, sorry the video keeps brightening and fading. My poor husband tried SO hard to figure out how to fix that, but the video editing software was screwing up and it was after four am and I made him stop and come to bed with me. So, that's my story of Pitch Live...

And, really quickly before I go, it's time for the Express Yourself Weekly Meme. This weeks question is:

What language do you want to speak and why?

The answer to this is so obvious I'm not sure why anyone is asking. What is the one language everyone wants to learn? I'll give you some hints. Knowing it makes you seem way more:

1.) intelligent.
2.) poetic
3.) enlightened
4.) inspired
5.) visionary

What's the one language you could speak that can do all that????

    If you answered correctly, I'm proud to call you my friend

Liebster Award....

So, Tammy Theriault presented me with the Liebster Blog Award, which you can only get if you have less than 200 followers. :) That's me! Make sure you check her blog out guys!! And thanks, Tammy!

So, the Liebster Blog Award Rules are

Answer the blogger's eleven questions. 

Think of eleven questions of your own

Choose eleven worthy bloggers (with fewer than 200 followers) to pay it forward. 

Now, onto the questions she asked...

1. If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be and why? I would want a pegasus pony, because who doesn't want a flying horse.

2. Where would you travel to just so you could use it as a location in a story? Ever since reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I fell in love with Prague. I think it would be awesome to set a story there. 

3. Before you start writing, do you have a routine you do? Yes. I need my frappe beside me, which means I bug my husband until he makes it for me. Then I'm happy. 

4. If you could interview one person, dead or alive, who would it be? Walt Disney. 

5. If you could design anything what would it be? Ummm...counterfeit money that would pass as real? haha...just kidding. Maybe. 

6. Pretend you won 1 million dollars and you were giving half to charity--which would you pick? If I had half a million dollars I'd start my own charity. I'd buy a big huge house out in the country on a bunch of acres with a barn. And then I'd take in foster kids and abused dogs, cats and horses. The kids would have to care for the animals. I'd also have a small cafe on the property where we sold homemade goods, crafts, etc...I'd do my best to help the kids become self-sufficient. When they got old enough to "age out" of the foster system, they'd be welcome to stay as long as they worked. Sorry for the long answer. This was a dream of mine forever until I realized I wasn't a millionaire. 

7. What was your favorite subject in school and why? Language Arts because we got to do a lot of reading and writing--but I HATED the grammar part. Sentences are for enjoying, NOT dissecting. 

8. If you had to pick a person that impacted or changed you perspective, who would it be and what was it that they said or did?  This one is easy. When I met my husband, we were both very troubled kids. We pulled each other out of it and went on to become functioning (somewhat) adults. He's impacted my life more than anyone, and I'm grateful for him every day. 

9. Do you have a favorite line from a movie that you tend to use? Everyone in my house quotes movies all the time. I tend to yell, "MARC! THE MEATLOAF" whenever I want something. (Will Farrell--Wedding Crashers) But, that being said, my favorite all time line in a movie (even though I never say it) is: The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.~Moulin Rouge

10. Remember boardgames? Which were you the best at? I was never a board game person but I like Disney Trivial Pursuit. 

11. What is your favorite music video...you know, when they used to be popular? Hmmmm...tough one. I haven't watched these in ages, but my daughter shows me all of Taylor Swifts. Love Story is adorable and so is You Belong with Me. 

Okay...now I have to think of eleven questions for the next people. 

What is your favorite month of the year? 

What's the number one most played song on your iPod?

Name three writers you admire and tell us why. 

If you were reincarnated as an animal, what would you want to be? 

What is one of your favorite quotes? 

What chore do you hate doing? 

If you could throw any kind of party (money is no object) what would it be? And for who?

If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would you stay?

If you could have any talent in the whole world, which one would you choose?

Which superpower would you pick if they were up for grabs? 

If you had to change your first name, what name would you want? 

And now, for the blogs I'm awarding it to...you guys should check these out and drop by to say hi! 

http://rhiannwynnnolet.blogspot.com

http://missjacklewisbaillot.blogspot.com

http://www.johnkrissilas.com

http://beyondthehourglassbridge.blogspot.com

http://letsgetnerdy.blogspot.com

http://authorscornerpaulakouman.blogspot.com

http://merejoyce.blogspot.com

http://otherawesomewords.blogspot.com

http://susreviews.blogspot.com

http://karendenise72.blogspot.com

Express Yourself Meme

Oops. Sneaking in on the last day of the Express Yourself Meme. Sorry for being so late!! So, the question for this week is:

List five movies/books that cause the hair on the back of your neck to stand up.

Easy enough...

Books:

One: Bag of Bones by Stephen King. Some seriously disturbing stuff in here, but an awesome book nonetheless.

Two: Gerald's Game by Stephen King. Creepy ass book, but amazing.

Three: Carrie by Stephen King Hmmmm...are we noticing a pattern here? haha

Movies: 

Nightmare on Elm Street  The thought of a killer who could get to you in your sleep always thoroughly freaked me out, cause then there would be no way to escape him.

The Exorcist Uncut Version This has to be one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen in my life. Totally scarred me. I did not like it, but then I don't generally like horror so I don't know what I was doing watching it to begin with. haha