Why Shouldn't We Rejoice?

There's a predominant ideology floating around that we should keep religion to ourselves. It's not popular to believe. It's not cool to adhere to morals and principles that have long been treasured or to hold ourselves accountable to a higher deity.

It breaks my heart.

I see this mentality reflected in the popular music on the radio. Even what's considered "Christmas music" rarely reflects the reason for the season. It's all about partying, shopping, and being with loved ones. Yes, that's how we celebrate, but what are we celebrating?

This is my last post for the year. I'll be busy rejoicing in the reason for the season, giving my time to bless others, and teaching my children why.

Whether you celebrate or not, I wish you a merry CHRISTmas.

 

And what is Christmas without a giveaway?

Last week Jules Smith shared with us a SOPHIE'S THROUGHWAY, along with two truths and a lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win a signed paperback.

Jules' Game:

1. I have broken my nose 5 times.
2. I once shaved my head for charity.
3. I once met Duane Eddy (famous American guitarist) and asked him who he was. He said, “Duane Eddy,” and I said, “And what do you do?

The lie: #2. Jules would never mess with her hair as sexy hair has made her what she is.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Deniz Bevan!

Congrats, Deniz! 

And now for this week's feature... 

Eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow is less than thrilled that her family is moving thousands of miles from civilization to the quiet country town of Ashpot, Connecticut, where she’s absolutely certain she’ll die of boredom. 

As if leaving Manhatten and her best friend, Lizzy, the only other member of the elite Detective Mystery Squad, weren’t bad enough, Fairday is stuck living in the infamous Begonia House, a creepy old Victorian with dark passageways, a gigantic dead willow tree, and a mysterious past. 

Before she can even unpack, strange music coming from behind a padlocked door leads Fairday up a spiral staircase and into a secret room, where she finds an ancient mirror, a brass key, and a curious  portrait of a red-haired lady. These seemingly unrelated items prove to be the first in a series of clues that takes Fairday, the visiting Lizzy, and their new squad member, Marcus, on an amazing adventure. 

Can the members of the Detective Mystery Squad piece together the puzzle before it’s too late? Or will whatever’s causing trouble find Fairday and her friends first?

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet the authors?

Jessica Haight is a true New Englander, with a deep desire to be near the ocean and a love of the four seasons. She enjoys drawing while standing up and cultivating magic in her garden. She easily floats away in the pages of a good story and is still waiting for her owl from Hogwarts. Jessica lives in Connecticut with her charming fiancé, James; dog, Jack; cat, Bill; and a very entitled bunny named Alice.

Stephanie Robinson lives with her husband in a quiet town, though not as quaint as Ashpot. After teaching fifth grade for almost fifteen years, she is now enjoying her role as a school media specialist. One of the many benefits of her job is that she learns something new every day. When Stephanie isn't working, she spends her time creating stories, getting lost in books, and traveling to new places.

These ladies both gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out EITHER lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win a signed, hardcover of THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW. (Open Internationally.)

You have until Tuesday, January 5 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on January 6.

TRUTH OR LIE

Jess:

1. I do not have a cell phone, nor do I want one. 
2. I love the feel of flannel, and I like to have flannel sheets even in the summer. 
3. I am a fan of graphic novels, and someday I plan to write one of my own.

Stephanie:

1. I’ve never eaten a Big Mac or Whopper.
2. I love hot dogs with baked beans and coleslaw. The perfect easy meal and delicious too! 
3. Sardines with or without crackers are a delectable treat that I can’t resist.

So sleuths, which are the lies? Do you celebrate Christmas, and if so, what are you doing to celebrate this year? Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition? Do you like mysteries?

Out of this World Announcement, Writerly Wednesday, and a Laugh

HUGE NEWS!!!! 
(At the end of the post, but first...)

Kiren is being interviewed at Kimber Leigh Wheaton's place.

And...

A laugh for you today--if you get into a dry and somewhat sadistic sense of humor: Portal 2, the most hilarious game I've ever seen. You wake up in testing center where humanity is dead and all that's left are the machines running the place, one of which is arguably evil. This is the song from the end credits, and it totally cracks me up. (The lyrics, oh the lyrics...)

Have you played/seen any video games that make you chuckle?

Are you ready to meet a new author and enter to win an out of this world book? 

Last week, the fabulous Medeia Sharif shared SNIP, SNIP, REVENGE with us, along with two truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win a Kindle copy of her awesome new book.

Medeia's game:

1. Medeia used to be terrified of the Wicked Witch of the West. 

2. Her favorite number is eight and she counts everything in eights. 

3. Her first unfinished drawer manuscript was about a magical Rubik's cube. 

And the lie is: 

#2. As cool as counting 8's would be, it's just not true. 

Way to guess those of you who got it right! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Mason T Matchak!

Congrats Mason! 

And now to today's feature:

What is the Price of Vengeance? One could understand why Liam was angry. He was orphaned at a the age of two by a group of giant carnivorous insects called the chitin. Taken in by High Councilor Marcus and his wife, Lidia, Liam was raised with their older son, Randolf in New Olympia, the last remaining city on the planet Etrusci. As an adult, Liam becomes a soldier. After being cut off from the city, Liam finds that there is an alien intelligence behind the chitin. To defeat it, he must discover who he is and how to use his powers. Then, Liam discovers that a traitor, responsible for his birth parents’ deaths, had murdered his beloved foster parents. Will the price he has to pay in his quest for vengeance prove to be an even more unbeatable foe?

Pick up your copy HERE.

I had the opportunity to review this book, and I really really enjoyed it. See my review HERE. Now let me introduce you to the wonderful and genuinely nice author: 

Kurt D. Springs is presently an adjunct professor of anthropology and archaeology in New Hampshire. He holds a PhD. in anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, as well as a Master of Literature in archaeology from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and a Master of Liberal Arts in anthropology and archaeology from the Harvard University Extension School. His main area of interest is megalithic landscapes in prehistoric Ireland.

Kurt also writes reviews on Kurt's Frontier for Invincible Love of Reading.

Professor Springs currently lives in Manchester, New Hampshire, where you might run across him consuming mass quantities of Kerrygold Dubliner while tucked discretely away in his kitchen. 

Kurt 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 a chance to win a $5 gift card to Amazon. You have until Tuesday, May 20, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on May 21.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Kurt originally wrote a fantasy novel entitled the Queen of Thieves. 

2. He doesn't like beer, but not for a lack of trying. 

3. He loves tequila.

ANNOUNCEMENT!!! 

The day has come. It's time to break out the cover reveal for

(This is just a logo.)

book 2 in the Maiden of Time Trilogy, 

and I'd love your help! Sign up HERE for any day the week of July 14-19.

The post will be prewritten in HTML and easy to adapt, but it's more than a "cover reveal." Each participant will receive an exclusive FUN FACT, SINGLE LINER, or UNEXPECTED DETAIL at the end of their post. Revealers will also have first dibs on ARC's as soon as they're available, and one lucky participant will win their choice of $10 to Amazon or a signed copy of MOONLESS. 

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up! (After you guess the lie.)

Which is the lie? Have you played any laugh out loud games? Are you going to help with the cover reveal? What do you think makes a really great cover? Any favorites? Do you like Sci-fi?

We all need encouragement, right? 

It's so easy to make mistakes. My hubby gave a talk about this recently, about how we can get so trapped in the quagmire of our past. If we don't make a concerted effort to forgive ourselves and move on, we will never reach our goals, never become better. We'll always be bogged down by the guilt we've strapped to our backs and unable to soar to our true potential. It's like the monkey trap. 

Image courtesy of The Business Muse

Yup, that one. ---->

We have to give ourselves permission to fail sometimes, even (for writers) to write crap. My favorite choir teacher always said if you were going to make a mistake, make a bold one.

So here's my challenge today: let go of something in your past--something you can't change that brings you bad memories or feelings. Forgive yourself. Move on. Free those wings to reach new heights!

In honor of that message, here's a song to help us remember.

Now that you're charged to conquer the world, who's ready to win a game and a book?

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

Last week, Nicole Zoltack shared with us her Superhero suspense, Black Hellebore, along with two truths and one lie about herself. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing to win an eBook!

Nicole's game:

1. Nicole hasn't gone horseback riding in over six years.

2. She hates talking on the phone and begs her hubby to make phone calls for her.

3. She's training for a marathon this fall.

And the lie is: 

#3. Nicole says she includes horseback riding in her bio because it's a promise to herself that she'll go back to it eventually. On the marathon thing, while she loves working out and exercising, she's not a runner. Growing up, running was the only thing that set off her exercise-induced asthma. (ME TOO, NICOLE.) She might train for a race someday, that's not in the cards right now.

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

...DRUM ROLL...

Christine Rains!

Congrats, Christine!

Today I have the privilege of sharing a wonderful self-proclaimed procrastinator, Elizabeth Seckman. She's a romance author, and with one of the warmest smiles I've ever seen, she cracks me up. You HAVE to check out all her works...

Past Due: The price of happily ever after may be too steep to pay once the past comes due. 


Healing Summer: Maybe it's love, not time, that heals all wounds.

Fate Intended is the third book in the Coulter Men Series. 

Trip is the last of the Coulter sons to find love. He’s a handsome man with all the skills a young spy needs to succeed. But when it comes to love, he misses the target. Jane is a sweet beauty who may or may not be wanted for murder. She’s hiding out as a cleaning lady when chance brings her and Trip together. It looks like a happily ever after is in the cross hairs until reality tries to destroy what fate has intended.

Pick up your copy HERE.

And now, let me introduce you to the wonderful author: 

Elizabeth Seckman is a simple chick with a simple dream…to write stories people want to read.

After complaining loudly about me making her pick, she confessed her favorite cheese is mozarella because you can put anything with it. (The black dress of cheeses.)

Elizabeth 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 ALL THREE eBooks. Eek! THREE! Seriously, can we get a better Valentines gift in here? (I don't think so!) You have until Tuesday, February 11, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on February 12.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Elizabeth failed kindergarten and didn't know how to read until second grade.

2. She was named the Tyler County Fair Cow Queen.

3. She asked, or rather told her husband he was going to marry her. 

_________________________________________________

Remember to join my SUPER FUN blogfest on Monday. Details HERE. Oh, and enter to win a free PHYSICAL copy of my book today on Goodreads (open to US, CA, GB, and AU) or here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

______________________________________________________

And lastly, I need to mention, my buddy Samantha has an AWESOME something going up today. You should check it out--just as soon as you've commented. =D
__________________________________________________

Okay, what is the lie? Do you have any awesome books to read this Valentines Day? Are you struggling with letting go? Are you SO excited about my print book coming out? (*serious face* The answer is yes, by the way.) ;)