I Once Had a Farm . . . Guest Siggy Buckley

My family always had a garden when I was a child.  Nothing beat my dad’s home grown corn, vine ripened tomatoes or the fresh green peas in the spring.  It’s also a great way to  save on the grocery bill while providing fresh nutritious foods for your family.

We never had livestock, but we raised poultry. At one time my father raised chickens, turkeys, pheasant, and quail.  By the time I was in grade school we only had chickens and I was terrified of the rooster we had – a big Rhode Island red named Charlie.

I enjoyed the garden much more than the chickens, specifically the strawberry patch.

My guest today has experienced the full farm life. Something I don’t ever wish to go back to, but see the value in.  Please welcome  my guest today,  Ms Siggy Buckley.

About the book:

A wheelbarrow, a cable drum, gardening tools, and a pickaxe are unusual items on a wedding registry. They are what Mac and Siggy, a German professional couple, need to fulfill their dream of organic gardening. When Chernobyl blows up a few years later, they are scared enough to undertake fundamental changes in the lives of their young family to seek a simpler and healthier lifestyle in an unspoiled country.

They buy a farm in Tipperary, Ireland. They give up their jobs, friends and home to raise their children in an unpolluted environment. Although Siggy shares her husband’s environmental convictions, she would prefer a warmer climate, maybe an olive farm in Tuscany.

A period of intense learning and acquiring new skills follows: how to raise chickens, pluck geese, breed cattle and sheep, and how to grow all kinds of vegetables. Soon they find out that farming means a never ending workload. They almost kill themselves ─and each other─ to produce healthy food.

I Once Had a Farm in Ireland not only gives advice for budding organic gardeners but it is also the story of a woman who sacrifices her own ideals for the sake of her family until she discovers her own dreams.

Endorsement:

“As the descendant of central Virginia agricultural families, I relate to the candor of Siggy Buckley’s words – “For almost ten years, we nearly killed ourselves — and each other! — producing healthy food.” Buckley’s book I Once Had a Farm in Ireland: Living the Organic Lifestyle is a ‘must read’ for any one who considers or views modern day homesteading as idyllic. For, enabling an organic life-style as Siggy found, can be an all consuming life altering experience.

Sylvia Hoehns Wright, an eco-advocate, challenges all to ‘Move from eco-weak to eco-chic – green life’s garden, one scoop at a time!” Sylvia Hoehns Wright is a nationally recognized eco-advocate, contributing writer and communications specialist; in her spare time she is a passionate historian and member of the American League of Pen Women.(www.NLAPW.org).

To learn more about Wright’s eco-legacy: Wright’s eco advocacy, visit web site http://www.TheWrightScoop.com

Review:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Magnificent Story, Straight From The Heart

May 28, 2015 Excerpt:”So what was I doing on an Irish farm? I was a German city girl and a high school teacher. My then husband — let’s call him Mac — was a CPA and accountant with a legal background and also German. We had strong leanings towards the Green party, sympathized with most environmental movements; we were both scared by news of deteriorating environmental conditions all around us at a time when we started a family. We cared about what was in our food, worried about the poison of the day, food additives, E-numbers, growth promoters, and chemicals — you name it, the whole shebang. That’s what a lot of German people did at the time, in the eighties. Like so many others, our awareness about the environment had been given a jumpstart by the nuclear disaster around Chernobyl and we were downwind. We had gone green as far as we possibly could. We had been members of Greenpeace and environmental activists for years. How much more can you do as an individual to achieve your goal of a healthy lifestyle? Escape to a remote island?”

 

Siggy Buckley, Hernibs1@comcast.net, http://www.SiggyBuckley.blogspot.com

Educated in Germany with a Master’s Degree in English, Siggy Buckley lived in Ireland for over 15 years, first teaching at the University of Limerick as an adjunct professor, while building up an organic farm. She later ran her own businesses in Dublin before coming to the USA in 2003. In 2005, Siggy married an American and pursued her life-long dream of writing.

Contact Information:

Website/Blog: www.NextTimeLucky.com;www

SiggyBuckley.blogspot.com

Email: Hernibs1@comcast.net (for contact purposes only)

Amazon author page

Facebook

Twitter: @Hernibs

Goodreads

Publication History

Memoirs:

Next Time Lucky: Lessons of a Matchmaker (self-published with Createspace 2011)

Next Time Lucky: How to Find your Mr. Right, 2 nd extended edition (self-published with Lightning source/Ingram) 2014

I Once had a farm in Ireland: Living the Organic Lifestyle (self-published May/June 2015, Lightning Source) and all books are on Kindle too.

Short Stories There is No Going Back (Selfpublished 2014) Kindle edition Mother Knows Best (Selfpublished 2014) Kindle edition Poems Special K, published on Akashicbooks.com

In the media:

My interview with Sylvia Hoehns Wright on Blog Talk Radio Book trailer on Next Time Lucky Book Trailer for I Once had a Farm in Ireland On YouTube

Interview with IT Matters Radio On TV on Dating advice; on Home Swapping Spreecast blog talk radio:

It Matters: on Home Swapping Siggy Buckley appeared several times on local NPR with Melissa Ross’ First Coast Connect and On First Coast Living (Local TV ─ NBC) and had numerous interviews on blog talk radio. Her experience as a former Irish matchmaker makes her a welcome guest for local paper interviews.

She also wrote articles for http://www.Opednews.com and http://www.Americanchronicles.com.

I Once had a Farm in Ireland: Living the Organic Lifestyle Author: Siggy Buckley Cover: Tayyana Bano Genre: Memoir ASIN: B00WVMQ3G0 Ebook $2.99 ISBN: 9781943274659 ; tradepaper pp.2 40 ; 5.5.X 8.25 List price: $12.80 Available from Amazon.com

 

If you have any interest in hobby farming or on a larger scale,  you should check this out.

Write on my friends,  write on!

 

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENT!

So . . . this just happened.

Eclectic Bard Books

Now I have a REAL deadline,  not just a self imposed deadline.  As my  sprinting buddy would say –  I need to get crack-a-lacking!

I’m willing to bet that there is no way in this world that you could possibly be having as good of a day as I am!  Not meaning to rub it in,  I’m sure by Monday I will be the one envious of your day.

I am going to celebrate by working all day then working through the weekend, occasionally stopping for nourishment, or some sort of sustenance –  can’t really guarantee it will be healthy.

I can guarantee there will be cake.  OR brownies,  I like brownies. . . . and ice cream.  I believe this calls for Toasted ravioli (Toasted Ravioli – invented in 1943 or 1944 at Oldani’s on “The Hill” by chef Terry Lane and served to (or more likely by) Martin “Mickey” Garagiola (Joe’s brother), though others also claim the invention.) and St. Louis famous Ted Drewes.

Toasted Ravioli

Ted Drewes

 

Write on my friends, write on! You know where to find me. —->

Foul Is Fair – A Fairy Folk Chronicle

Jeffrey Cook has been quite busy! In addition to the previous featured book: Sound & Fury, Foul is Fair has also been released this year!

Foul is Fair (Book I in the Fair Folk Chronicles) is a Young Adult contemporary fantasy novel.

Blurb:

Lots of girls play Fairy Princess when they’re little. Megan O’Reilly had no idea the real thing was like playing chess, guitar, and hockey all at once.

Megan had known for a long time that she wasn’t an entirely typical girl. But living with ADHD—and her mother’s obsessions—was a very different thing from finding out she wasn’t entirely human. Somewhere out there, in a completely different world, her father needs help. There’s a conflict, revolving around Faerie seasonal rituals, that could have consequences for humanity—and if Megan’s getting the terminology straight, it sounds like her family aren’t even supposed to be the good guys. As she’s further and further swept up in trying to save her father, Megan may be getting too good at not being human.

Buy Link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XDPIA7O/

 

Excerpt (PG):

“So…” Megan asked, finishing a bite of the sandwich Lani made her and occasionally wincing at the disinfectant being applied to her arm. “My dad is what, ’80s David Bowie? glammed up, stealing babies, turning into owls?”

Lani frowned. “Sort of, but don’t get me started on owls.”

“What is your problem with owls?”

“I’m not scared of them, to be clear. I’m a big girl. I just think they’re up to something”

“Okay, okay, forget the owls.”

“Gladly.”

“So aside from something about attachment issues with the father I’ve never met, exactly what’s going on? Why would someone want to kill me?”

“I’ll take this one,” Cassia said. “Faerie is all about politics and schemes. Bad blood can last a lot of centuries, and your dad is one of the major players. He’s done a hell of a job hiding you all these years, particularly after he managed to spend four years with your mom. The people who knew were either actual allies, or weren’t willing to cross him. Now that he’s missing, somebody also leaked word on who you are and where you are. As word gets out, plenty of people want to meet you—and at least a few others are just as interested in making sure you’re not around to meet. The redcap may just be the start.”

Despite the threat to her life, Megan fixated on another part of the explanation. “My dad is missing? Like, missing from, uhm, Faerie, missing?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Lani said. “I got some advance notice from Ashling, but not much. I knew it wouldn’t take long for more people to find out.”

“How did Ashling find out?”

“After the thing with her wings,” Cassia said, “Riocard took her in. She’s been his hunting guide for a while, when he’s not sending her to keep an eye on you.”

Megan scratched her head. “I’m having trouble keeping track of who is on what team here.”

Lani applied a little more disinfectant and started bandaging Megan’s arm. “It’s not always about teams. My dad might disagree with him a lot of the time, but it’s absolutely critical that we find your dad before Halloween and get him back where he’s supposed to be.”

“So he’s … he’s not even on your team. You’re just worried because he’s my dad?”

“Not just. I want you in on this because it’s important, and you deserve to know. But just because we’re not affiliated with the Unseelie doesn’t mean they’re not important. If I’ve learned anything from Neil deGrasse Tyson, it’s that without Autumn, we’d all freeze to death.”

“How are you trying to use science geek stuff to explain to me that… that we’re faeries?”

“Well, we’re only half.”

 

Jeffrey Cook

About the Authors:

Jeffrey Cook lives in Maple Valley, Washington, with his wife and three large dogs. He was born in Boulder, Colorado, but has lived all over the United States. He’s the author of the Dawn of Steam trilogy of alternate-history/emergent Steampunk epistolary novels and of the YA Sci-fi thriller Mina Cortez: From Bouquets to Bullets. He’s a founding contributing author of Writerpunk Press and has also contributed to a number of role-playing game books for Deep7 Press out of Seattle. When not reading, researching, or writing, Jeffrey enjoys role-playing games and watching football.

 

 

Katherine Perkins lives in Coralville, Iowa, with her husband and one extremely skittish cat. She was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and will defend its cuisine on any field of honor. She is the editor of the Dawn of Steam series and serves as Jeff’s co-author of various short stories, including those for the charity anthologies of Writerpunk Press. When not reading, researching, writing, or editing, she tries to remember what she was supposed to be doing.

 

Links:

http://www.facebook.com/dawnofsteamtrilogy

http://www.amazon.com/Jeffrey-Cook/e/B00IRMC3H6/

http://http://www.authorjeffreycook.com

@jeffreycook74

Enjoy this fascinating story this summer!

Write on my friends,  write on!

A Fresh Look at Writer’s Block

In a previous post,  I discussed a theory I had about writer’s block:  the idea that the creative’s inner child is in essence being a rebellious child against your editor conscious.(I’m mobile – will find link for previous post at a later time.)

The more I  think about this the more validity this theory seems to hold.

For example, today I felt inspired to expound on this theory, to discuss how  the two aspects of our psyche conflict and how that is like an armistice – a peace agreement between two political powers.  I encountered the  tyrannical ruler of my conscious mind.

Logical practicality and function are important aspects of the adult conscious mind.  Those characteristics keep us on task and help us to set priorities and aid us in time management, which keep things moving.

A reasonable and practical habit of cleaning up after mealtime, getting the left over food put away, the dishes cleaned by hand or in the dishwasher and the counters wiped down are good habits to have.  When mealtime comes around again as it does three times a day, it makes it simpler to prepare the next meal.  This is a common sense practical thing to do that only makes sense, right?

I picked up my writer’s magazine flipping through it while I finished my cup of coffee.  I had the idea – ‘I think I’ll write a follow-up post about the writer’s block that I mentioned before.’  My tyrannical self-editing logical thinking conscience said “First, you need to finish the breakfast dishes and clean up the counter top.”

I glanced over to the counter, breakfast dishes stacked, the dirty skillet still on the stove and sighed.   I know it’s part of my routine.  It’s part of what I do as  a “domestic engineer” or as I prefer to call it ” domestic goddess extraordinaire”.  As I moved to tackle this clean up business that inner part, that rebellious creative toddler was screaming at me “I want to play!  I want to write right NOW! You NEVER let me play.  You ALWAYS put me off.”

* Insert inner child scowl, pouting lip and foot stomping here.*

Adulthood is not getting to play every day.  We have work that needs to be done.  We have responsibilities to fulfill. Parenting shelves our own ambition for what has to be done. So where is the treatise between the all work and no play sensible conscious and the creative playful inner child? What if we don’t want to adult today?

I firmly am convinced that the answer lies in the area of self-love.

When I moved into that role of mom, I became a more responsible person. That is a good thing! Really, it is!  Being responsible for the care and nurturing of our children does tend to grow you up pretty fast.  I would never dream of being the tyrannical mom that was more akin to the head school mistress with my children.  I always gave my children rewards for doing their chores, for completing their work, and doing well at school.  I allowed them time to just be kids and PLAY!

Somewhere along the line though, I quit allowing myself the same  privileges.

I didn’t get to play?  I don’t get rewards?

 No wonder my creative child has been a sullen rebellious brat!

While I mentally prepared my blog post, I tackled the dishes and counter top.  Then I started on this post.  Funny how you have one thing in mind then something entirely different comes out.  Or maybe I’ll  just have to write another one that addresses what I had in mind originally.

That post will come later – with a link.

When I am at my desk. Really.

Write on my friends, write on!

May the (Creative) Force be with You!

 

 

Truly Organic

My guest today is no stranger to the Mack studio,  he’s been my guest in the past for  a previous novel.  It’s my pleasure to have Angus H. Day as my guest today,  science fiction author.  I don’t know how he cranks them out, but he does consistently.

 

Truly Organic A Next You Novel

Science Fiction Space Opera

 Angus H. Day

 

Aaron Prekel rescues his family through Pizza and a Micro-brewery.  Did he realize he would open up the stars for a segment of the human race in danger of being destroyed?  Large forces on Planet Earth move in to thwart his efforts and keep space to themselves.  Intrigue, assassination, espionage and risking global nuclear war are just the hors d’oeurves served hot in the first portion of this tale.

I’m pretty sure Aaron had no concept of Cyborg aliens and a planet where anything mechanical would be attacked by flora.  He watches from orbit as the colony he seeded takes root and begins to thrive until the day when a sentient creature takes possession of the colony and shoves him and others into a camp.

A couple of centuries later the Interstellar Alliance begins to come under attack in odd places and they have no idea why or from where.  Why is my salad attacking me?  How come my Next You prosthetics stop working?  Who wants ice cream anyway?  Finish the story to find out why you really don’t want to be what you eat.

Excerpts:  PG

The four rescued persons exited the Trauma Center at the rear entrance.  Mary and Munson set off as one pair jogging lightly into the night west of the Center while Abramowitz and Crewman Ortega headed south.  North was the ocean.  Roughly three kilometers from the center Mary felt her features change and she paused to look her reflection in a shop window.  She had been a brunette with hazel eyes and now she was bleach blond with striking green eyes.  Munson who was one point eight meters and showing signs of a beer gut now stood two meters and seemed to be chiseled from granite, he was so ripped.

Mary gasped in surprise and noticed Munson do a double take.

Munson “I know there is something odd about this but I’m enjoying it.  How about you?”

Mary laughed “Yes, I’m enjoying being hot, getting interested responses from hot guys and not being the mousy-brainiac-research scientist with no looks for a change.  Oh dear, was that an overshare?”

Munson laughed this time.  “No, glad you did it.  Shall we pay for this?”

Mary’s smile took on a maniacal gleam “Yes indeed.  Then maybe we can start addressing more of our…want list.”  She moved to step past Munson but stopped just long enough to cup his manhood with her right hand sending a wave of ecstasy through him.  Munson almost fell over backwards but was saved by Mary grabbing his lapels.  “Not yet buddy.  Work first.”

Munson moaned and smiled “Okay by me.”

They started walking again, embraced, looking like other couples on the street out for an evening stroll.

Buy Links:

Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/Truly-Organic-Next-Universe-Novel-ebook/dp/B00TUIP7KQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432944033&sr=1-2&keywords=Truly+Organic+in+Books

Smachwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/521323

 

Angus H. Day

Author Bio:

 Angus H Day is a manufacturing chemist for a pharmaceutical contract manufacturer.  He lives in Fort Collins with his wife and son.  Hiking, kayaking, lots of reading exist in his environment.

When not writing Science Fiction he enjoys podcasting, trail running/walking, and various geek pastimes. He can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and GoodReads.

I love to meet new friends and fans!

Write on my friends,  and read a good book!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk

I have a special treat for  my readers today – a double feature of sorts.  One book – two authors.

My guests today are the bookends of this PUNK anthology.  Carol Gyzander, author of Mac and Jeffrey Cook, author of From the Winter Tale.

Fury & Sound

Airships and sky pirates! Brain Modification chips! Technologically enhanced nymphs! Shakespeare goes punk in this first volume of stories from Writerpunk Press (www.punkwriters.com). Profits to go to PAWS Lynwood (www.paws.org), an animal shelter and wildlife rescue.

What happens when you ask a bunch of eclectic writers to write stories inspired by one of the greatest dramatists of all time? And cast the stories in various punk genres: Cyberpunk, Teslapunk, Dieselpunk, Steampunk, Clockpunk.

Result: an innovative collection of stories inspired by the Bard, with a twist! Punk stories show the path not taken or the path that shouldn’t be taken. Let us reshape your world.

We are a small, somewhat anarchic writers’ collective. Sound and Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk is our first anthology of stories based on the Bard’s work. We have taken the plays that audiences have enjoyed for hundreds of years and reinvented them as punk tales. Featuring comedies and tragedies as well as a wide variety of punk genres, this collection has something for everyone. A spirit of subversive fun is strongly encouraged!

About the Authors:

Stories by Jeffrey Cook, H. James Lopez, Warren C. Bennett, Katherine Perkins, S.A. Cosby and Carol Gyzander.

 

 

 “Mac” by Carol Gyzander in Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk

Blurb:

In a cyberpunk version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, we find Mac living in a post-apocalyptic world with a moddy chip controlling his human emotions — including his ambition. What will happen when this control is lifted? Will his wife push him on, or will he decide his own fate? Or, perhaps he will set in motion the events that will lead him to a future more grim than even he can imagine.

CHAPTER ONE

Fair is foul, and foul is fair

 The Precision Castings Factory Manager, Cawdor, stepped into the darkened production bay, his footsteps echoing down the empty hallway behind him. Stopping just inside, the FM frowned and looked around the empty room for the source of the blue glow he thought he had seen. The hulking machines of the production line stood still and silent. The area was lit only by the safety lights at the perimeter of the bay and the yellow work lights of the cleaning bots. He had no idea these would be the last things he would ever see.

FM Cawdor shook his head; the shift time was not complete, yet there was no one working on Mac’s assembly line. Again. Raising his arm, he consulted the data display linked to the moddy chip at the base of his skull, and his frown deepened. He just didn’t get it. Moving to the transport area at the end of the production bay, he saw twelve pallets of completed product snugly stacked and bound, ready for transport at the end of the shift.

He looked up at the short, spiky black hair and piercing eyes of Mac, the day Shift Supervisor of this production line, shown in the group of photographs hanging on the wall. He didn’t understand why Mac kept changing things.

He shook his head again and shrugged. Mac had instituted procedural changes that made things more efficient, and Mac’s workers left before the end of the shift when they had attained their quotas. No other production lines in the factory even met their quotas, much less finished early. FM Cawdor didn’t get the point.

The faint whirring sound of the pair of cleanup bots approached from the other side of the pallets. Bots were ubiquitous, always present; his conscious mind did not even register the faint sound as he walked around the row of pallets with his pocket light, idly double checking the count. One bot swept the floor, and the other scooped up the pile of debris and extended its scoop to dump into the refuse bin on its back.

Coming around the corner of the stack of pallets, Factory Manager Cawdor startled when he finally noticed the bots; he tripped over his own feet and fell directly into the path of the scooper bot that towered above him.  It stopped abruptly when it detected the presence of a human within its perimeter, but the unbalanced weight of its extended scooping arm caused it to topple forward and fall onto the Factory Manager, trapping him beneath it.

His cry rang out and echoed across the empty production bay, abruptly silenced as his head struck the floor. No people were nearby to hear, but the scooper bot’s emergency beacon came on immediately, sending a signal to the Corporation’s home system that was passed through the factory network.

The last thing FM Cawdor saw was a series of bots coming towards him out of the storage bay, drawn by the emergency beacon. The sweeper bot extended its squeegee to trap the blood that pooled across the floor from his head.

When they no longer detected his pulse, the bots paused momentarily then continued their cleanup activity. Two bots extended arms with cutting tools on them, and proceeded to dismantle the scooper bot that had been responsible for the death of the Factory Manager. Another one scooped up the man’s dead body onto a rolling cart, straightening his arms and legs with gentle care. He looked as though he was sleeping.

A specialized bot with a red emblem on its side rolled down the hall into the factory bay and stopped by the body. Extending a narrow arm, it felt along the back of the dead man’s skull and inserted a thin probe into the back of his neck. Pulling out the small moddy chip, it inserted the chip into a slot on its own console and sent a signal to the home computer.

Within a matter of minutes, the entire scene had been cleaned and scoured. The bot responsible for the forbidden death of a human had been dismantled, the Factory Manager’s family had been notified of his death and a message sent to the home office. The body of Factory Manager Cawdor was rolling down the hall on the makeshift gurney. The room looked as though he had never entered it.

Moments later, a blue glow shone through the darkness. Three women were standing in a circle in the production bay. A rumbling sounded, like thunder.

“When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” asked the first.

“When all the change has come,” replied the second.

“That’ll be before the day is done,” said the third.

“Then, to the Fringe.” This from the second woman.

“There to meet with Mac.”

All three joined hands and threw back their heads as they laughed. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Let us away through the smog and filthy air.” They disappeared, and the blue glow faded.

  

Carol Gyzander

Author Bio:

Carol Gyzander writes under her own name, even though few can spell or pronounce it (think “GUYS and her”). She was a prolific reader of classic science fiction and Agatha Christie mysteries in her early days; since they moved every two years, she had lots of time on her hands as the perpetual new kid. But she became adept at people-watching in order to fit in at each new school, and followed this up by studying anthropology – the study of people and their culture – and lots and lots of English literature at Bryn Mawr College. Now that her kids have flown the coop, she has gone back to her early loves with an amateur detective novel and more science fiction in the works.

Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk is a charity anthology.

 

Excerpt (PG):

From The Winter’s Tale by Jeffrey Cook

“Not like that,” Olivier corrected sternly, parrying Treveur’s blade to the side.

“What went wrong that time?” Treveur inquired earnestly.

“You leave yourself open to the riposte,” he replied, demonstrating the maneuver.

“Oh, go easy on the boy,” called Isaac from where he rested in the wings.

“Would you like to take over his lessons, then?” asked Olivier without looking back.

“I daresay I would love to take over his lessons, but we’d start somewhere other than swordplay. He’s already the fourth-best swordsman in a hundred miles.”

“Pray tell, then, where would you begin?” asked Rene, not glancing up from his book. “Drinking, wenching, or fleeing?”

“Fleeing is a highly underrated skill, I’ll have you know. Once upon a time, any real man would accept a duel. Now it’s all firing pistols wildly and angry mobs. What’s a man to do?”

“Perhaps not sleep with wives of men who keep angry mobs within shouting distance?” Rene responded, still without looking up from his book.

“Well how am I to know which those are? Perhaps with more practice, I’ll develop a more discerning eye.”

Olivier shook his head. “Too easily distracted, that’s your problem.” Seeing Treveur’s grin, he rapped him lightly upside the head with the basket hilt of his sword. “And you too. Focus.” Another glance back to the audience. “Besides, the Marquis would have your head if he heard you even suggesting teaching the boy wenching or drinking.”

“He’d have to catch me first,” Isaac countered, not losing his grin. “Fleeing. Very underrated skill.”

 

 

Jeffrey Cook

Jeffrey Cook lives in Maple Valley, Washington, with his wife and three large dogs. He was born in Boulder, Colorado, but has lived all over the United States. He’s the author of the Dawn of Steam trilogy of alternate-history/emergent Steampunk epistolary novels and of the YA Sci-fi thriller Mina Cortez: From Bouquets to Bullets. He’s a founding contributing author of Writerpunk Press and has also contributed to a number of role-playing game books for Deep7 Press out of Seattle. When not reading, researching, or writing, Jeffrey enjoys role-playing games and watching football.

Katherine Perkins lives in Coralville, Iowa, with her husband and one extremely skittish cat. She was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and will defend its cuisine on any field of honor. She is Jeff’s editor and sometime co-author on a number of novels and short stories. When not reading, researching, writing, or editing, she tries to remember what she was supposed to be doing.

 

Links:

Amazon

Punk Writers Site

www.punkwriters.com

@punkwriters

Write on my friends, write on!

A Contemporary Romance

Since I write romance, I think most of my readers will appreciate my guest today,  Linda Bolton  – author of Take 2 and  Incantation.  I’ve had the privelege of knowing Linda for  three years now, and it’s amazing how many similarities  we share. In some aspects we are very much soul sistas.

Here’s a little teaser to get you interested in her latest release – Incantation.

Blurb:

Is the hand quicker than the heart?

Christina is a Dallas entertainment reporter wanting to do a story with more substance, when she is sent to Las Vegas to write a promotional article for a magician. Her love life is as dry as the Vegas desert.

Tristen is more than a magician, he’s an entertainer. He’s handsome and can get any woman he wants. Vegas hasn’t seen magical talent like Tristen’s before, no one has. He has Las Vegas under his spell, will Christina fall under his spell too?

From Master Koda Select Publishing

  

 

Where Do I Get My Ideas

I’m often asked where my ideas for books, my answer is everywhere! Contemporary romance affords me the ability to look at the people around me and embellish a story. The series I’m working on lets each book stand alone or can be read together. Incantation is the story of a magician and a journalist. Tristen, the magician, is based off a famous magician where I’ve taken true life and gave it a twist. Christina, the journalist, is based off one of my closest friends. (Yes, she knows she’s a character.) I’ve taken some of her experiences and put them in a new setting. If you’d like to be a character in a book, be friends with an author. I have friends and co-workers asking to be in my books. Their wish is my command, although it’s anyone’s guess whether they’ll end up heroes or villains. The voices in my head make that decision.

Linda Bolton

 

Excerpt:

At five fifteen, Christina walked in to Barney’s, the blinds closed to keep out the glaring setting sun. She stopped just a few feet in to let her eyes adjust and see where her small crowd would be sitting. In a few seconds she heard her name and arms waving at the end of the bar.

“Christina! Here!”

Nancy had managed to get eight of their girlfriends together for a good-bye.

“So tell us about this new job! Nancy said there was a guy?” Glenda asked.

Karen made it but was fashionably late. She was redhead, petite and could get any man she wanted. At forty-four she’d been married twice and was working on a third. Out of all of her husbands, number three was the best catch: wealthy, good looking, doted on Karen and all her whims. Christina had known Karen from college, briefly being roommates for part of a semester. Karen spent the better part of her dating time stealing everyone else’s boyfriends. When Christina moved to Dallas, Karen saw her byline in D Magazine and contacted her.

They had always gotten along well but since reconnecting in Dallas, Christina had noticed there was something off in their relationship. When Christina had invited Karen to meet up, Karen only came when she had news to share. If nothing special was going on with her, she would find an excuse not to meet. Christina had been surprised she showed up to happy hour since this evening was clearly about her and no one would be particularly interested in anything happening with Karen.

Christina enjoyed her cranberry vodka drink as she told her friends about her new job and Tristen. The gals were all gathered at a table and some were on their second drink by the time Karen arrived. Christina had been in the middle of her story about the night she saw blood for the first time on Tristen when Karen walked up.

“Hi everyone, sorry I’m late. Ted wanted to give me a present ‘just cuz’ before I left. See?!” She announced as she waved her right hand for everyone to see. A large pink diamond jutted out of a cocktail setting on her right ring finger.

As if it had been planned, the women all commented, ‘Oh’ at the same time and then Nancy quickly added, “Christina, finish the story!” All eyes were back on Christina.

The night continued on with Karen trying to cut in to each tale Christina told. By the end of the evening, a couple of the women finally gave in and let Karen tell them about her new jewelry and her wonderful husband, all the while feigning attention. She was finally glad to have someone’s attention and held them captive as long as she could.

Christina drank her last cranberry vodka for the night and listened to her friends congratulate her on her new beginnings. She felt like it was happening to someone else. Nothing like this had ever happened to her. It felt so surreal.

Meeting Karen

 Karen, this excerpt doesn’t show you in a favorable light. Is this really how you are?

Oh, of course not. I’m a nice person and care about my friends but, let’s face it, my ring is beautiful. Don’t you think? (she waves her hand at me, flaunting the rather large pink diamond)

Aren’t you happy for Christina and her new life?

Oh yes, I am. If it’s really true. You see, I think its a bit exaggerated. I plan to drop by and check it all out. It’s going to be a surprise. (she winks at me mischievously)

Oh, well, I’m sure Christina and Tristen will be glad to see you.

I know he’ll be glad to see me. Look at all this (she points to her figure), who wouldn’t be?

So, Karen, this is your third marriage?

Yes, the other two just couldn’t keep up with me. I need certain things to keep up this look (she smiles and bats her eyelashes). It’s not free, you know.

Karen, will we see more of you after your surprise visit to Vegas?

Oh, you never know. I may pop by Christina’s again….you’ll have to read and see.

 

Buy Links:

 Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Incantation-Linda-Bolton-ebook/dp/B00L8A3DF0

http://www.amazon.com/Take-2-Linda-Bolton/dp/0985983833/ref=sr_tc_2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432157144&sr=1-2-ent

 

 Website http://authorlindabolton.com

 

 

About Linda Bolton

 Incantation is Linda Bolton’s second novel. She is currently working on additional romance novels, as well as dabbling in other genres, to be released in the near future. When she’s not writing, Linda is GiGi to her granddaughter Z, and working full-time. She spends everyday with a cup or three of coffee and tossing ideas around.

 

Where else you can find Linda Bolton

 Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/pub/linda-bolton/7/a16/70b

 Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/lindambolton

 Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lindaboltonauthor

 Twitter http://twitter.com/!#/lindalou42

I want to know more!  Does a boyfriend stealing friend get your blood boiling as well?  Surely Tristan won’t fall for Karen’s  charm.

Write on my friends, write on and enjoy your summer reads!

 

 

Once Upon a Playboy

Bodacious Author Discussion And Spotlight Summer  guest today is author Mo Kenyan.  She has a way with romantic intrigue and strong leading males. You get a sneak peak of her latest work, Once Upon A Playboy. I know it will whet your appetite for more.

Please leave her a comment at the end – let her know what you think!

Karma’s a bitch. Life is too, and DJ found that out the hard way, but his alter-ego provides the perfect place to hide. In his playboy persona, he can escape the betrayal, the wounds, and the guilt of his past—after all, life in the fast lane leaves little time for anything other than women, drink and the high life of self-gratification. For the first time in his life, DJ is living free and loving every minute of his emotionless existence.

Then he meets Eve—sweet, perfect Eve, the most unlikely stalker imaginable. Innocence is a powerful weapon in the right hands, and love is a broadside guaranteed to bring down even the most hardened playboy. It has all the makings of a happy ending, right?

But Karma’s a bitch, with a vindictive knack of twisting to past to destroy the future. With DJ and Eve torn apart, victims of revenge and their own weaknesses, Karma wins again. Or so it seems…

 Excerpt:

DJ had never run away from anything in his life, until this moment. He couldn’t explain it, but his heart had kicked into gear when he looked into those deep, emerald eyes. She was trouble, and DJ couldn’t afford that kind of trouble at the moment. He was here trying to find himself, not his heart. He took out his phone and called Ava. “Change of plans. Meet me at my cabin instead.”

DJ gave one backward glance and instantly regretted it. Now he knew why they said once you decide to move on never look back. Eve, that was her name, it had to be creational. She was standing at the window, watching him with a look in her eyes that he hoped didn’t mean more than a normal crush. DJ knew how to handle girls with crushes. He gave them a kiss, a night of sex, a piece of jewelry and it was ci vediamo mai, as they said in his mother’s language. And for those who didn’t understand, see you never. However, emerald didn’t look like the type a man had fun in the sack with and waved goodbye to. Not without taking a serious blow to the heart. That was damage he couldn’t take at the moment. Falling in love was definitely not an option.

Then walk away. Stop staring at her. Don’t notice how perfectly the sun illuminates her glowing face. Look away from her thick hair that you would love to bury your fingers in as you kiss her. And, for the love of God, do not look into her enchanting emerald eyes.

“Mio Dio, don’t do this to me now.” DJ wasn’t a religious man, but when he came across a woman like Eve, it was hard not to believe in divine intervention. He put on his sunglasses and half-ran, half-walked away.

A night with Ava, followed by a binge of sex with a few willing names he had in his phone directory, and in a few days he wouldn’t remember Eve. Deciding never to go back to the coffee shop was also an added advantage. If he didn’t see the object of his…desire…no, torture, he wouldn’t think about her. Out of sight, out of mind.

DJ walked down the path that led to his beach cabin. It didn’t help that it was only a hundred yards from the café. He would have to look into moving. DJ stopped in his tracks and laughed at himself. He couldn’t believe that he was willing to go through so much to avoid an attraction… that’s what it was. Love at first sight was saved for little children and their fairy tales. This was real life. Kono knew that, so did Reno and now Rayne. He needed to focus his attention on helping his big brother with their sisters. Thinking about the love he had for two of the most important girls in his life was bound to overturn the…fascination, for want of a better word, he had with Eve.

For the moment, burying himself deep into a vivacious redhead with the talent of making a man buck in bed like a fish out of water would have to do. DJ stepped into his cottage and stripped off his shirt and jeans. He poured himself a glass of whisky and sat by the window, waiting. The moment he looked at his watch there was a knock on the door. Even though Ava regularly dropped by for sex, he never gave her a key. A key symbolized more than he was willing to give. It meant walk into…no, invade…my life when the need arises. Come snoop in my things. Put my drawers in disarray as you arrange yours. And in DJ’s bathroom there was definitely no room for two toothbrushes.

DJ opened the door and Ava greeted him with a smile and a bikini top that showed more than it should. Her bare legs peeked from under the sarong she was wearing. With one sweep of his gaze he took her all in. That was the moment he knew he was fucked, screwed, done for. Instead of pulling Ava into his arms and devouring her sexy body, he got the urge to shut the door in her face. His survival instincts kept him from doing it. Instead, he stepped back and let her walk in.

“Hallo, darling.” The sway of her hips seemed more exaggerated with each step she took. “I had to change my outfit since you changed our rendezvous place. I thought you liked the coffee there. It is morning.”

Ava swirled around and, by the frown on her face, DJ knew they were about to get into it.

“Whisky, this early in the morning? I know it is happy hour somewhere, but that somewhere is not here.” She looked down at her watch. “It’s barely ten o’clock, for Christ’s sake. I will not have an alcoholic for a beau.”

“Then it’s a good thing I am not your beau.” DJ threw back the contents of his glass and sat back in an arm chair. “Take your clothes off.”

“I see you got a head start.”

“Stop talking and start stripping.”

 

Author Mo Kenyan

 

Bio:

I’m just a girl who loves to dream. – Mo

LINKS:

amazon; http://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Playboy-Yorker-Book-ebook/dp/B00W8ADTWQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432848234&sr=8-1&keywords=m.o.+kenyan

B&N;  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/once-upon-a-playboy-mo-kenyan/1121754071?ean=2940151899192

FB;  https://www.facebook.com/MokAuthor?ref=hl

 

SECRET CRAVINGS BACKLIST BOOKS

1. Denouement
2. Red tears Blue Blood
3. Hunted; The Awakening Trilogy (Kenyan Knight)
4. Betrayed; the New Yorker 1
5. On Call; The New Yorker 2
6. One Night Stand; The New Yorker 3

I think I may have to go check out the backlist as well.  write on my friends, write on!

Out of the Comfort Zone

My guest today is Catherine Banks.  We may do an interview later, but today I’m  handing over the  platform to her.  Catherine  has  touched on something that is near and dear to my heart – motivation.  Encouraging words that build you up not tear you down, words that inspire, words that lift you out of the miry muck – words of excellence!  Dare to dream!

Leave her a comment at the end – let her know what you think!

 

Step out of your Comfort Zone

and Achieve your Goals

by

Catherine Banks

 Since I was four years old I have been a storyteller. My first recorded short story was when I was five and I told my grandmother a story as she typed it out for me. That desire never left and I continued to write stories or daydream a story throughout the day. As a freshman I was introduced to the world of fantasy via The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien and since then I have been obsessed with fantasy. At the end of my sophomore year I finished my first full length young adult fantasy novel. I had never felt more accomplished. After rewriting the novel a few years later it was suggested that I try to get an agent for publishing. I sent out one query which I received a generic rejection email from one day later. I was crushed and I decided that I would no longer try to get an agent.

In 2010 I discovered Createspace and Smashwords, which are free online self-publishing websites. The fear of rejection was almost overpowering. Most especially the thought of putting my work out there for the world to see, but despite my fear, and with a lot of convincing from my husband who offered to draw my book covers, I self-published my first novel. I set a modest book sales goal and not only did I meet my goal, I crushed it. It was amazing! Since then I have published six other novels and one short story. It still hurts when I receive a 1/5 star rating, but what I’ve learned from this extremely out of my comfort zone adventure is that you cannot please everyone and despite those one stars I also have many five stars and I even have fans! That is still so weird to say.

Never give up on your dreams. I talk with so many people who tell me that they wish they could write a novel. My advice to them: DO IT! Write a novel or poem or play. It doesn’t matter if it’s short, silly, or serious. What matters is that you take the time to do something that you want to do. Writing is your choice and it is complete and total freedom. One thing I recommend to everyone is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It takes place annually in November and is a free online event. You are challenged to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Sounds insane, right? If you break it down that comes out to 1,667 words a day. I went into my first NaNoWriMo thinking there was absolutely no possible way that I could finish it. You know what? I did it in 6 days. Even with my self-doubt and negative thoughts in those first few days I was still able to accomplish something I had previously thought unachievable.

Writing and self-publishing novels has given me more confidence in my writing and personally that has helped me even in my professional life. Now I know that if I receive a negative comment, there are still those positive comments and events at work that out shadow it. My advice is to constantly work on improving yourself. Step outside of your comfort zone and take on new and challenging tasks! Before gaining this confidence I would not have asked for new or challenging work. Step outside of the box you put yourself in and strive to improve yourself in ways seemingly beyond your reach.

If you try and fail, know that at least you tried because that is more than most can say. Set goals and write them somewhere you can see them every day. Once you achieve one, cross it off and then set a new one. It’s a fantastic feeling to see the goals you have achieved and to see the new ones that you want to push yourself to do. If you have questions about writing or the free services that I use please feel free to contact me and I will gladly help you.

About Catherine:

I’m just your average nerdy bibliophile. I love books, video games, music and movies. I spend my days off work writing one of my novels or with my husband and children. I love writing stories and they seem to flow out of me constantly. I just want people to read my stories and enjoy them.

Connect with Catherine

www.catherinebanks.com

www.goodreads.com/catherine_banks

www.amazon.com/Catherine-Banks/e/B003P50PXE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To participate in NaNoWriMo go to: www.nanowrimo.org this is absolutely free and really is fun to participate in! Once you’re signed up be sure to add me as a buddy http://nanowrimo.org/participants/cbanks/

Write on my friends, write on!

David Alvin – Stealth Writer

My Bodacious Author Discussion And Spotlight Summer continues with author David Alvin.

Author styles vary as widely as the genres.  David writes devotionals, Bible studies, and fictional works as well.  David is one of those rare authors that doesn’t spend much of his time bragging about  his work.  He quietly plugs away, diligently working day by day not making a big fuss, sharing details when asked but most of the time –  you have to ask to get any information.  Hence I’ve dubbed him the Stealth Writer. With a wry sense of humor and strength under pressure, he inspires those around him as well as giving  his time to children’s ministry.

On this rare occasion,  I was able to extract a bit of information from him – hope you enjoy!

What inspired you to write A Sign Unto You?

Well, the devotions written about the Nativity would easily fill the room you’re in; whether I have any unique insights is for the reader to decide. But sometimes we’re so familiar with a story — or think we are — that we overlook tiny, essential details. For example, do you realize nearly every Nativity scene you see in a public place is wrong because it includes both the wise men AND the shepherds at the stable; the shepherds were there, but the wise men didn’t show up until about a year and a half later when Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were at a house in Bethlehem. By breaking this down verse by verse, the story of Jesus’ birth told in Luke gains not only some realization of the impact this event had (on Jews especially, but the rest of the world too) on individuals, but also on groups like the shepherds and even the heavenly host! It ‘s like having time stop and then start again …

Chapter 19 of my Nativity devotional, “A Sign Unto You”, is the one I choose to give as a sample — as I say in the piece, it’s the one that when I read the verse inspired me to do the study.

http://heroesdontkill.blogspot.com/2015/05/whos-mom.html

Tell me a little about your writing process for this. 

As for the writing process, I set myself a limit of three paragraphs with eight typed lines each. I want to maybe make you think, but I don’t want it long and drawn out in the process!

What novel do you feel that you had the most fun with? 

• Possibly the novel I had the most fun writing, based on the second half of the Old Testament Book of Numbers — not just a mass migration to the Promised Land with all its successes and failures, but also highlighting family matters among Moses, his brother Aaron the high priest, and sister Miriam the prophetess, and how those tensions got subsumed for the greater good of the Hebrew people.

  http://www.amazon.com/Book-Numbers-David-Alvin/dp/1449934307/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432752147&sr=8-1&keywords=the+book+of+numbers+david+alvin

  

  The Book of Numbers

  The story everybody knows. The story nobody knows. More than three thousand years ago in the center of the world, an army of slaves escaped from Egypt. Sustained by the provision and promises of the LORD their God, and led by Moses the lawgiver and Aaron the high priest, the children of Israel wi…

  amazon.com

  Can you share briefly about some of your other works for my readers? 

  My first novel, where the big day of super-powered heroes and villains was the day before yesterday . Now the heroes are needed again and they have to come together …

  http://www.amazon.com/Progeny-David-Alvin/dp/1418499455/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432752374&sr=8-1&keywords=progeny+david+alvin

  

  Progeny

  Zenia escaped from a concentration camp where super humans were tested to destruction. With her power of teleportation, Zenia became a reluctant participant with other heroes opposed to the legions led by the enigmatic Empress.Across this changed, hostile world, Zenia and her companions met other…

  amazon.com

  AND to top it off, the first bound Bible study I wrote, the one on Second Kings that chapter by chapter details prophecies, ministries, healings, and the fall of the kingdom of Israel and then of Judah (with an interesting analogy to Mount Rushmore!)

  http://www.amazon.com/Chariot-Israel-Horsemen-Thereof-Second/dp/1442147458/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432752499&sr=8-1&keywords=the+chariots+of+israel+david+alvin

  

  The Chariot Of Israel, And The Horsemen Thereof: A Study of Second Kings

  Our longing for a closer relationship with God often makes us paint people in the past as purer in heart and greater in accomplishment than ourselves. But there’s no great difference between the prophets, kings, and common people then and now. The same God Who wants us to walk in His ways walks t…

  amazon.com