Paperclips, Tomatoes, and Fathers

I've got news! We're moving. Yuppers. We sold our house and are packing like maniacs to get out of here on time. Because of that, I don't have a brain left, so I invited a very special friend here to share her thoughts for Father's Day. 

Take it away Kelley Hicken!

I know a man who repaired a broken windshield wiper in the middle of a hailstorm with nothing but a paperclip. While his ingenuity earned him the title “MacGyver,” the memory that stands out most is his calm endurance. I call this man Dad, and he has taught me that I can be at peace even when life’s storms are pummeling me.

I know a man who always grew the first ripe tomato in the neighborhood. He had a sixth sense for what it means to nurture and reap a bountiful harvest. I saw it in his garden as well as his devotion to his family. I call this man Grandpa, and he taught me that what I give attention to will grow – whether that be a tomato plant, an idea or a relationship.

I know a man who impregnated his then 15-year-old girlfriend. After agonizing over the decision, he agreed to place the child for adoption. He later went on to serve in the military and continues to work to be a good example to his son. This man is my adopted son’s birth father. He taught me that being a parent means letting go of my selfish desires to provide the best opportunities for my kids, even when it hurts.

I know a boy who will someday become a father. He has an overwhelming love for all people, and has shown me what it means to love someone more than myself. Because of him, now I know how my dad feels about me. I call this boy my son, and he has awoken me to a sense of global responsibility because I want the world to be a better place for him.

I know a man who reads books on how to be a gentleman. That says everything you need to know about his values. I am eternally blessed to call this man my husband, and he teaches me that every small decision we make shapes our character. It’s never too late to be kinder, healthier, or to achieve our dreams.

To all the men out there who influence others in a positive way – thank you.

Happy Father’s Day!

 

Kelley Hicken recently published Bojo the Boogery Bugger, a picture book about a cat who is allergic to everything. However, her deepest love for writing centers on YA fantasy, and her current (never-ending) novel might actually kill her. She thrives in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids.

Do you have an wonderful memory of a father you'd like to share? Who are you celebrating today? 

Time, Trivia, and Celery?

Have you ever pondered time travel? Where would you go? What would you do?

Although the MOONLESS blog tour continues (you'll see the links below--with cheese!), it's time for WRITERLY WEDNESDAY!

Writerly Wednesdays here are for readers and writers. Get to know authors, test your human lie detector skills, and WIN books. 

This week I have the pleasure of featuring my amazing release twin and her fabulous new book. That's right, here's Pk Hrezo's Butterman Time Travel, released only November 12th and already selling off the charts! 

Welcome to Butterman Travel, Incorporated

We are a full service agency designed to meet all your exclusive time travel needs. Family-owned and operated, we offer clients one hundred years of time travel experience. A place where you can rest assured, safety and reliability always come first.

Anxious to attend a special event from the past? Or for a glimpse of what the future holds?

You’ve come to the right place. We’re a fully accredited operation, offering an array of services; including, but not limited to: customized travel plans, professionally piloted operations, and personal trip guides. *Terms and conditions do apply

Conference us directly from our Website. Our frontline reservation specialist, Bianca Butterman, will handle all your inquiries in a professional and efficient manner, offering a tentative itinerary and free fare quote, so you can make the most of your time trip.

We look forward to serving you at Butterman Travel, Inc., where time is always in your hands.

Pick up your copy today HERE.

Ready to meet Pk?

PK Hrezo is a native Floridian whose life could easily be a Jimmy Buffet song. She shares her home with her firefighter husband and their two children. When not creating characters and their worlds, PK can be found at her other job of rearranging passenger’s itineraries for a major international airline. The only hobbies she loves more than traveling, are reading, writing, and music, and when the four are combined she exists in total bliss.  

She can be found eating brie in her family room (when not in France) with some jam, a glass of pinot noir, and a good movie.

She blogs regularly at PK HREZO: FearlessFiction.

Pk gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Can you figure out the lie? Those who do will go into my magic hat for a chance to win an ebook. Eek! How cool is that? You have until Tuesday, November 26 at 1 p.m. to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on November 27th!

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Pk Hrezo loves broccoli stems, but abhors celery.
2. She adores country music.
3. She hates nail polish. 

Okay human lie detectors, which is the lie? 

AND today you have one more chance to win in the raffle below. That's right, two copies of her book up for grabs today! But before you take off, be sure to check out the...

Kelley Hicken welcomes you to Scribbleweed, an online community for writers where we discuss HOW TO SUCK YOUR READER'S SOUL INTO THE PAGE.

Have you met "drool-worthy" Kiren? He's chilling with Ellie Garratt today, and has agreed to be a little more forthcoming than in past interviews. Hm, I wonder why?  

Join Aldrea Alien and I for the TOP TEN REASONS TO EAT CHEESE. You read that right. This is going to be epic. 

That's right, I'm talking about my blog tour. NOW GO CHECK OUT THESE AWESOME POSTS! Uh, but first...

Okay human lie detectors, which is the lie? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shadow Spinner Giveaway

Friendlies! Writerly Wednesday is here!

Writerly Wednesdays here are dedicated to writers and readers. If you've published anything for Young Adults, check out the tab up there.

And now, it's time to announce the winner of a $25 giftcard from Kelley Hicken at Scribbleweed.com. Be sure to check out her writing challenge, and join the fun! Kelley shared with us two truths and one lie. Those who guessed correctly were entered into a random drawing for the win. 

The options were: 

1. Kelley got her worst scar while building a geodesic dome home in the mountains.

2. Her nickname in elementary was "Rapunzel" because she had ridiculously long hair.

3. She got fired from her first job because she called in sick within the first 30 days.

The lie is: 

#2, Kelley did not actually have long hair in elementary, though she desperately wished she had. 

Way to guess those of you who got it right! You are officially human lie detectors. And the winner is: 

...DRUM ROLL...

Melanie Crouse!!

Congrats, Melanie! 

And now for this weeks special feature...

Tiberius has always thought of himself as a normal 10-year-old boy. Maybe he's a little smarter than everyone else, but that's still normal. He's scared of shadows, but everyone's scared of something, right? His mother's completely paranoid and called the cops the one time, just one time, he went over to a friend's house after school, but, still, he's normal even if his mother is not. At least, that's what he thinks until the day his mother finally decides to tell him about his father, and she tells him things that convince him that one of them is crazy, and he's pretty sure it's not him. That is until the Man with No Eyes shows up and his father falls out of the sky.

You can find the book HERE. 

Shall we meet the author? 

Andrew Leon has often been told that he does things the wrong way. For instance, he could walk before he could crawl. His parents were also informed that he went about reading the wrong way. Already reading before kindergarten, he went on to delve into texts about dinosaurs and astronomy by 1st grade as opposed to picture books like the other kids his age. Aside from wanting to know all he could about dinosaurs, the pictures of them were more fascinating than anything other than "The Monster at the End of This Book." At least one school counselor labeled him as "delayed" because of this. Of course, this happened at the same time he was winning the school reading contest.

His favorite cheese is brie and he prefers to eat it on sourdough bread with jam--something spicy (like chipotle). You can find him hanging out on his blog. 

Andrew gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Can you figure out the lie? Those who do will go into my magic hat for a chance to win an ecopy of the Shadow Spinner Collection. Eek! How cool is that? You have until Tuesday, September 24th at 1 p.m. to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on September 25th to view the winner!

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Andrew likes peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

2. He once mistook a rabbit pellet for chocolate and didn't realize the mistake until it was in his mouth.

3. The closest he's ever been to drunk (actually tipsy) was from drinking Welch's grape juice.

Okay human lie detectors, which is the lie? 

9/11 Memorial: Learning From Tragedy, and Giveaway

Friendlies! Writerly Wednesday is here!

Writerly Wednesdays here are dedicated to writers and readers. If you've published anything for Young Adults, check out the tab up there.

And now, it's time to announce the winner of a Screwing up Time coffee mug AND coupon for a copy of the book on Smashwords. Remember, C.M. Keller also promised a coupon to anyone who guessed right, so... 

The options were: 

1. C.M. was a member of the ICSA women's sailing team that took first place for the season.

2. She has ridden a sea turtle.

3. She worked her way through college doing chromosome analysis.

This week was a HARD one, but the lie is: 

#1, She was actually asked to be part of a sailing team, but only because they were very desperate. It didn't end up fitting into her schedule. 

Way to guess Liz, Laurel, Tammy and Patti! You are officially human lie detectors. (C.M. Keller will be contacting you shortly with your coupon.) And the GRAND PRIZE winner is: 

...DRUM ROLL...

LIZ!!

Congrats, Liz! 

And now, it's been a long time since I've had a guest blogger here, but it's a special day so please welcome Kelley Hicken. She's an amazing writer who's kicking off a new critique forum with regular writing challenges, Scribbleweed.com. She has generously offered a $25 Amazon card (!!!) to the winner of today's Truth or Lie game. That's like, a boatload of books! 

But first, let's remove our hats, lower our flags, and take a moment to remember.

Learning from Tragedy

Image courtesy of Kelley Hicken

September 11, 2001 is perhaps the most influential date in the modern history of our country. The residual effect on our economy, politics and psychology of our citizens are still felt twelve years later. 

We can’t go back. 

We won’t forget.

When we watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center, it confirmed our fear. This is no accident. We are under attack. We saw the fires, the jumpers, the towers falling, lives lost, dreams destroyed, and we asked the same question echoed around the world.

“Why?”

Time gives us the distance to see the events of 9/11 from a different perspective. We are no longer characters in the story, but readers with a big-picture view. From this vantage point, it is easier to extract meaning and knowledge. From here, we have the opportunity to use real-life tragedies to strengthen our character.

Crisis reveals character. Consider why ordinary people helped the injured out of the building and then went back into the smoke and flames to find others. We act on instinct in these situations and show the coward or hero we’ve already become.

Identical beliefs can influence opposite actions. Securing a place in heaven is what motivated the suicide bombers to kill. Perhaps the same belief inspired some of our NYC heroes to save lives. They were all convinced they were doing the right thing. Be careful what you choose to believe, especially about yourself.

Fear is the opposite of freedom. These ordinary people didn’t wait for a more qualified hero to come. They fought as if the outcome depended on their efforts alone. What would happen if we all stopped imposing limits on our possibilities in response to fear? I have a hunch we would all be a bit more admirable, like the heroes we remember today.

Thanks, Kelley, for that beautiful tribute. And now, to lighten the mood a little, let me officially introduce you: 

Kelley Hicken is a YA fantasy novelist from the beautiful Pacific Northwest and creator of the brand-spankin’ new writer’s website, www.scribbleweed.com. She is currently in the "somebody kill me" editing process of her debut novel, The Halcyon. When she isn't banging her head on her keyboard she is most likely spending time with her family, hiking in a forest, or killing a plant in the garden.

Her favorite cheese (this week) is mozzarella. She may or may not eat a fistful every time she shreds it for family pizza night.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Kelley got her worst scar while building a geodesic dome home in the mountains.

2. Her nickname in elementary was "Rapunzel" because she had ridiculously long hair.

3. She got fired from her first job because she called in sick within the first 30 days.

Okay human lie detectors, which is the lie? AND be sure to check out Scribbleweed!