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

Does Your Family Suck?

Is that a question you've ever considered?

SOURCE

The future doctors, teachers, and politicians of this world are in school, developing and growing. I often wonder what it is they're learning and who it is that's filling their minds. Is it the system? The parents? Peers? Social media?

As a mother, I'm pretty sure I think about my little ones more than myself. I agonize over their struggles. I plan for their futures. I hope and pray what we're doing for them with our limited capacity will prepare them for the life ahead and that they will become strong, kind, successful individuals. Because they know someone loves and is 100% invested in them, they will hopefully have the confidence to reach their full potential. They have someone always available to hear what's on their mind or to ask questions. I am their first source of information.

BUT.

But, but, but...

SOURCE

We live in a world where everyone thinks both parents need to hold down a 40 hr or more work week. Why? For stuff. Stuff like daycare, sports, an extra car, evening programs and activities, music lessons, etc. Add in the HOURS OF HOMEWORK, parties, events... Who is raising these children? How much time do they actually spend with their parents? How can they have a decent conversation with the people who gave them life if they never have a quiet hour together? Who is shaping their character?

Let us ask instead, "Can I do without this?" "Is this just cluttering our lives?" Sometimes less is more. In the case of children and valuable time, less is definitely more.

Let's be wise. Let's raise the future.

This month I'm highlighting fellow authors from:

BUY NOW 

(Because waiting until later would just be silly.)

Last week we met the thrilling Hart Johnson and had an opportunity win her medical thriller, A SHOT IN THE LIGHT. Everyone who guessed her Truth or Lie game correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win their choice of an eBook or print copy.

The Game:

1. I began writing with Fan Fiction. In fact I wrote a Harry Potter alternative book seven prior to the release of Deathly Hallows that had such uncanny commonalities as Nagini turning into a woman, breaking into Gringotts to steal the Hufflepuff cup from a vault, and Snape's tears having magic powers that were central to the climax. I will never beat the last line of that story: “So spank me.” (Narcissa to Lucius as they finally made peace, having been estranged during the war).

2. When I was a senior in high school my best friend got a wild hair... or decided my mom was the only mom of one of her friends who could be talked into signing the permission form—one of those things—and we signed up for a skydiving lesson. We spent a full afternoon jumping off progressively higher things and rolling out of the fall so we didn't break an ankle or a leg, then we went up in a perfectly good airplane and jumped out.

3. In 2008 I had a conference in London. Through my early online interactions and writing experiences I was part of a writing group, a couple of my fellow members decided to travel at the same time so we could all meet our friend Tara who lives in Wales and we could travel a bit together after the conference, taking advantage of some of the things we had in common (mostly writing, Harry Potter, and Monty Python). The highlight of our trip was making our way to Doune Castle in Scotland and doing a few rounds of the French taunting...

The lie: #3. The conference was really in Glasgow and the Castle they did the French taunting from was Cardiff Castle in Wales.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Stephen Tremp!

Congrats, Stephen!

And now meet the author of WIN in the Parallels anthology and check out the short story she has up for grabs in the Truth or Lie game today:

Jake Martin stops to rest at Sarah's farm. Her circumstances stir up memories for Jake, and force him to consider the type of life he lives. Can he change his ways or is he permanently broken?

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

Sylvia Ney is a freelance writer, editor, and speaker. She regularly contributes to newspapers, magazines, and other anthologies. Some of her recurring publications include Southeast Texas Family magazine, Houston Family magazine, Southern Writer's magazine, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Sylvia is a member of the Texas Gulf Coast Writers and the Bayou Writers Group of Louisiana. 

You will find her madly munching on any cheese that comes with Mexican food.

To learn more, visit:  www.sylviacney.com

Sylvia 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 Sylvia's short story in eBook.

You have until Tuesday, May 17, at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on May 18, 8 a.m EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

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.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Who do you think has the most influence on kids these days? Did you have devoted parents who spent time with you? Do you have a favorite heartwarming story? Have you met Sylvia?

Love or Hate Anthologies?

Do you like short stories?

When it comes to writers, it seems like they either go long, or go short. It's rare you have someone who's mastered the art of the short story and the full length novel.

I was always a long distance writer, but could totally appreciate the short story. About 8 years ago I was introduced to flash fiction. (Stories that are 100 to 1000 words long--a paragraph to 2.5 pages.) I was fascinated. It was also my gateway drug to the short story realm.

Fast forward a bit... This year I'm contributing to my 7th and 8th anthologies--one of which I'm super excited to introduce today! (Click on the BOOKS to see the other publications.)

Anthology #7 is one most of you have probably seen about the interwebs, but if not, here it is:

The competition was stiff to get into this anthology, and only 10 pieces were accepted. We (the 10 authors) have started a blog all about the awesomeness of speculative fiction. (Check it out!) We'll be participating in the A to Z Challenge there and may just blow your mind. (In a good way.)

For fun, I thought I'd share a teaser here today from my contribution:

The Mirror People

We think no one is watching behind closed doors, but what if they are? Meet the Mirror People. 

Excerpt:

Every day I look into the eyes of a stone-cold killer. Sometimes he’s straightening his tux bowtie before a fancy shin-dig. Sometimes he’s grinning madly while brandishing a knife. Sometimes he’s spattered in blood.

The point is, it’s my job to look into his eyes, day after day, unable to raise the alarm or warn his victims—like the middle aged woman he’s just finished off—because I inhabit the world on the other side of the mirror.

I’m Jak Ralston’s reverse identity, also known as Jak Ralston. His prisoner.

He wipes his blade clean having already sheared off his trophy, a finger, and turns away from the mirror to the mess of a hotel room. I relax. My shoulders ache from the tension. He is always intense. Always serious. Always angry. But not the explosive kind of angry, the cool, I’m-going-to-rip-your-eyeballs-out-in-your-sleep kind of angry (while he tells you how lovely you look in gray). He’s calculating. Terrifying.

I stand on the other side of the mirror, mimicking his movements like my life depends on it, because it does. Mr. Murder is my twid (twin identity), me in another realm, and if I break from being his reflection while anyone is watching (including him), we’ll both keel over and die. No matter how much I despise him, I’m not ready to die—like Susan, the mirror woman he’s just murdered in my realm. Facing her now, it’s all I can do not to slam my fists into the mirror and scream, but destroying myself won’t bring her back...

Coming May 3, 2016

Preorder HERE

 

Now let's award a WINNER!

Last week Alysia S. Knight shared with us AURORA RISING, along with two truths and a lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win an eBook AND a super cool bookmark.

The Game:

1. I’ve climbed to the top of the Sidney Australia Bridge.
2. Took my son on his first deer hunt. He shot a big buck and I did a controlled slide with a rope to lower the big deer over a 40 foot shale drop off because my son was afraid the antlers would break if we let it roll.

3. I’m preparing to climb Denali.  

The lie: #3. Alysia likes hiking but prefers warm weather--and she doesn't want to hike anything that steep.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Christine Rains!

Congrats, Christine!

And that's it for this week. There will be another fun Truth or Lie game next week for super cool prizes. Go check out the Parellels blog eh? Or order yourself an awesome anthology.

Do you read short stories? When was the last time you read an anthology?