THE END... Say it with CHEESE

So technically tomorrow is the end of the blog tour. It's been a blast. So many wonderful friends have helped, and I LOVE YOU ALL. I wish there was some way I could show you all how very grateful I am. Let's just say it looks something like this: 

Or this:

Or this:

(If you've missed parts of the tour, look to your right and a little bit down. Yup. All the magical links are there. Awesome, right?)

   

Here are the last 4 AWESOME stops of the tour:

November 6:

Dani Duck presents an author reading of chapter 1 in SOULLESS

November 7:

Melissa at Books Are Love reviews SOULLESS

Chrys Fey at Write With Fey interviews me about crazy stuff.

November 10:

Carol Kilgore presents the Top Ten Troubles with Twisting Time

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The happy pony has almost reached the end of the race. Can you beat him to the final stops? I bet you can. But will you? First person there gets the cheese platter waiting at the end. 

Have you checked out the tours stops? What cheese would you buy if you won? Head around to the stops of the tour and find out how many times "cheese" is used to win yourself an extra special prize, then come back here and tell me the # in the comments.

True Beauty

I teach teens. Are you a teen? Do you remember what it's like to be a teenager? 

Because of journaling, I have very vivid (and fond and embarrassing) memories of being an adolescent. One thing stands out quite clearly. I remember looking in the mirror and seeing this:

Source

When I actually looked like this:

Source

(Not actually me. Ahem.)

At some point, I think we all do that. Do you do that now? If you do, stop. You are amazing the way you are, and you need to see the beauty in yourself--especially the kind that's deeper than skin. 

   

Follow the blog tour for some amazing entertainment:

Ava Quinn at Tongue in Cheek for a sea monkey interview

S.K. Anthony shares a whole slew of amazing women characters

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This pony's happiness runs deeper than the skin, because he's been following the SOULLESS Blog Tour. Join him and add a bounce to your step!

If you could give advice to your teen self, or get yourself to actually believe something you know is true but have a hard time believing, what would it be?

Who's Your Hero?

Today's hop is hosted by J.L. Campbell and Michelle Wallace.

EVERYBODY has a hero/heroine. It can be real-life or a fictional hero/heroine.

Options...

1.  The Perfect Hero
2.  The Misfit
3.  The Grizzled Old-Timer
4.  The Everyman
5.  The Anti-Hero
6.  The Prodigy
7.  The Loner Hero
8.  The Tragic Hero

I shared a whole A to Z series about real life heroes, so today I'm going to share a fictional one--someone who has been with me a long, long time. Here we go, in 300 words or less...

I was emotionally black and blue. At the ripe old age of 10, my classmates latched onto my maiden name (Hicken...now add my first initial...) and I became the target of much bullying. (Including a group pledge to the rubber chicken.) I came home to a big brother who was also being bullied at school, so he took it out on me. At church I was the youngest girl in my age group, and in a different grade than everyone else, therefore, I was only worthy of being shunned.

Life was awesome.

It was about that time Kiri appeared. She emerged in my sketches and told me her tragic story: an orphan, alone in the world, abandoned by every decent scrap of hope. She was meant to be an heir--pampered, adored, respected--but instead ended up a foster child to an abusive man, essentially a slave who was fed for her labor. Kiri had every reason to complain. To hate her life. But she never did. 

Instead, she found people to train her with weapons. She sacrificed her nights and risked her safety to sneak out and learn. She dedicated herself to a cause--protecting and serving others who were unable to defend themselves.

Kiri didn't want the glory. She didn't want the notoriety. She didn't want the praise.

All she wanted was the family she'd lost.

Since that was impossible, she set out to keep others from losing the one thing that mattered most. 

She’s been with me since I was 12. I hope to one day share her story with the world, but until then, she remains an integral piece of my heart, a hero who helped me conquer my own dark days. 

   

Follow the blog tour for wonderful reading and (ready for this?) FUN:

Gina shares an excerpt: The Soulless are Here

Gwen Gardner introduces you to Men with Lies

Rae at A Writer's Dream shares a steamy excerpt AND me, reading chapter 1

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the pony on to the rest of the tour. He will lead you to cheese and danger...erm, I mean fun. Yes, fun. 

Do you have a literary hero? A character who carried you through some of your dark times?

Halloween

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The spooks stirred in their hallowed graves

The creatures of memory, nightmare's slaves

But I, in my lonely house did wait

For the coming dawn to the tap tap, of fate.

Hoots and shouts shook through the walls

Goulies, and shadows and death-bird caws

But I did not hear them over the scream

Shaking from my bones and up through my veins.

The door handle rattled, the thump, thump of hands

Their twisting and shaking and guttural demands

I lifted my finger and bit down on the end

Stilling myself, begging for strength, my old friend

The demons burst through the dejected door

Syrupy liquid drizzling from mouth to floor

"Don't look. It can't hurt you. This horror can't last."

Were my last sane thoughts before they started to dance

They leapt and they screamed and they bounced and they tore

Until I could bear the insanity no more.

"Bring me all candy and go to your rooms!"

I squeezed myself, holding my sanity tight 

Praying I'd live through post-Halloween night.

Happy Halloween!

   

Ready for MORE on SOULLESS (a TOTAL Halloween read):

Brooke at The Cover Contessa shares her review

Cassie at Southeast by Midwest also sounds off her thoughts on SOULLESS

Marcy at Mainewords asks about my first car, where the Maiden of Time trilogy came from, and more

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See the pony trotting off to the rest of the tour? That's because he knows where to find fun, happiness, and CHEESE. You want to find happiness too, don't you? 

Do you write poetry? Like poetry? Have you read any awesome Halloween poems this year?

Ghosts Are Real, My Friend

The following is a video of a ghost taken in a Forest in Eastern Europe. This was done using high speed cameras and slowed down for the naked eye. It's only 6 seconds, so pay attention!

Post by Tony Christie.

I don't know about you, but I laughed my guts out over this one...so of course I had to share. 

Ready to guess the lie and win a book? 

Last week, Miranda Hardy and Jay Noel shared DEATH KNOCKS 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 an eBook.  

The game: 

1. Miranda and Jay scrapped an entire manuscript and started over. 
2. They both exploited their children in the making of this book. 
3. One of them had a BEK experience while the other is a total non-believer. 

And the lie is:

#3. Neither of them has had a BEK experience, and they both remain open-minded about paranormal encounters. Other fun facts: They set aside the original manuscript because they wanted to pursue something more creepy, and literally started over from scratch after a completed first draft. There are entirely two very different Death Knocks stories stored on their computers. And yes, they did exploit their children. Miranda's daughter is on the cover and Jay's son made the book trailer.

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

...DRUM ROLL...

Hilary Melton-Butcher!

Congrats Hilary! 

And now to today's feature... IS SOULLESS!!! 

The Soulless are coming.

Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she’s forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

Get your copy HERE, or play the game.

This is not the normal truth or lie game. Why? Because I AM THE BLOG OWNER and I like change. SO, today I want you to tell me your favorite Halloween spook in the comments. That's it. Everyone who does will be entered into a drawing to win one of three eBooks of SOULLESS. (Isn't that generous?) Here's the deal though: I WANT REVIEWS. 

Ahem, so you have until Tuesday, November 4, at 1 p.m. EDT to enter and the winners will be announced on the 5th.

   

Today's AMAZING tour stops:

Stop at Christy's Cozy Corners to see me READ the first chapter of Soulless

Ken at Hogwarts Sabbatical has an intense book excerpt up

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The happy pony is lapping you! Don't eat its dust. Get to the other tour stops before he wins the race and you'll get the magical cheese at the end. That's right, magical. 

So what is your favorite Halloween spook? Are you ready for Halloween? Do you love ghosts?