How Frogs Can Inspire You

It's been a serious and busy week around here. Are you in need of a laugh as much as I am? Today's chuckles brought to you by frogs:

source

This month I'm highlighting fellow authors from:

BUY NOW 

(Because waiting until later would just be silly.)

Last week we met the fabulous Sylvia Ney and had an opportunity win her contemporary short story, BROKEN ANGEL. Everyone who guessed her Truth or Lie game correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win an eBook.

The Game:

1. Sylvia almost died as an infant, but became one of the first survivors of a rare birth defect.

2. Sylvia has ghost written for Nora Roberts.

3. Sylvia has held and played with a baby lion.

The lie: #2. Sylvia WISHES this were true! While she has ghost written for others, none of them are nearly as famous as the talented Ms. Roberts aka JD Robb.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Tamara Narayan!

Congrats, Tamara!

And now meet the author of FOLDS IN LIFE AND DEATH in the Parallels anthology, Cherie Reich (and for your reading pleasure, a quick excerpt): 

She grabbed a pen and wrote the magic words along the unfinished paper frog’s legs. After she creased the legs up, the frog hopped.

She smiled. The first paper magic her mother had taught her included paper frogs. The Paperist gene skipped Charlie, but their older brother George and she had the gift. George had been a Paperist in the army, but his skills didn’t save him when an enemy sniper’s bullet killed him.

Her smile faltered.

The news hadn’t reported any new information about what happened to the President and his family. The longer the world waited for an announcement, the more speculation swirled among the journalists. Allyson shared their curiosity. What was taking so long? The President should make a speech—either in front of the reporters camped out as close to the White House as possible or from a secure location. No member of the White House staff had spoken to anyone.

“Damn it, Charlie. Where are you?” She kicked out and knocked into a paper frog under her desk. “Oops, sorry.”

The frog limped.

A firm knock sounded upon the front door, followed a few seconds later by the bell ringing.

“I’m…” The coming didn’t leave her lips. She hastened to the foyer and peered out the door’s side glass. Two military men, dressed in sharp and crisp uniforms, stood outside. She understood what their arrival meant. Her family experienced the same news when the army men came about George. Her knees weakened. She opened the door and clutched the frame.

Sounds awesome, right? It is. Today Cherie is offering her fantasy novel, REBORN, to the winner of her truth and lie game: 

On the day of Yssa’s death and rebirth, the god Apenth chose her as the Phoenix Prophetess. Sea serpents and gods endanger the young prophetess’s journey and sour the omens. Yssa is cursed instead of blessed, and her duties at the Temple of Apenth prove it. She spends her days reading dusty scrolls, which does nothing to help her forget Tym, the boy back home. But the annoying yet gorgeous ferryman’s son Liam proves to be a distraction she can’t predict, even though he rarely leaves her alone for two sand grains.

Her boring temple life screeches to a halt when visions of her parents’ murders consume her. Yssa races across an ocean to stop the future. If she can’t change Fate, she’ll refuse to be the Phoenix Prophetess any longer. Fate, however, has other plans for her and the kingdom.

Yssa must either accept her destiny or fight to change Fate.

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

Cherie Reich owns more books than she can ever read and thinks up more ideas than she can ever write, but that doesn’t stop this bookworm from trying to complete her goals, even if it means curbing her TV addiction. A library assistant living in Virginia, she writes speculative fiction. Her books include the paranormal horror collection Once upon a Nightmare and the fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. She is a member of the Virginia Writers Club, Valley Writers, and Untethered Realms. Visit her website at http://smarturl.it/CReichWebsite.

You might run across Cherie munching on cheddars, smoked Gouda, brie, goat cheese, feta cheese… And so many more. Recently she discovered there was such a thing as a cheese librarian. Unfortunately it requires a Masters in Library and Information Science.  It’s just her luck that she's a mere library assistant and doesn’t have her MLIS.

Cherie gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win REBORN in eBook.

You have until Tuesday, May 24, at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on May 25, 8 a.m EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. From a span of one August to another, Cherie performed in seven theatrical productions.

2. Cherie changed her major four times while in college.

3. Cherie has studied six languages. Unfortunately, she’s only proficient in one.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Are you a fan of frogs? Do you read fantasy or speculative fiction? Have you met Cherie?

OH! A quick heads up. I will be online LIVE and answering questions on Twitter tomorrow night  at 9 p.m. EDT. Join us @ #leafypages