True Heroes A to Z: : "I," as in INSPIRING

True heroes are all around us, in our every day lives, but some people stand out. During this A-Z Challenge I hope to share several of my real life heroes, and invite you to share yours in the comments.

Do you ever wish you could make a difference in the world? Let me introduce you to...

rena Sendler, a hero we don't hear nearly enough about from Poland, a woman who smuggled around 2,500 Jewish kids to safety during the Holocaust and provided them false identities. She was a nurse, a social worker, and obviously part of the underground resistance during World War II.

A fighter from early on, she was stripped of her university education because she opposed the ghetto-bench system, a segregation tactic which forced Jews to sit in designated areas.

As a nurse and social worker, she was allowed into the Ghetto to "conduct inspections of sanitary conditions," during which she smuggled babies, small children and teens away to safety in ambulances and trams, getting creative and periodically hiding them in packages. Every day she risked her life, and when she was finally arrested, she was tortured, including the breaking of her feet and legs, then sentenced to death. Friends rescued her, and she remained in hiding until the war was over, still assisting where she could to save lives.

Irena's story is awe inspiring to me. She was in a position to help people, and she did, without regard to her own safety. I have to wonder how many of us would have the gumption, vision and courage to risk everything for others.

DID YOU MISS MY ANNOUNCEMENT MONDAY? Check it out for the

release date. And to celebrate that announcement, MOONLESS is on sale for $1.99! (But only for the month of April.) Get your copy fast.

Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.

Alexia must choose safety and an arranged marriage, or true love and being hunted by the Soulless every moonless night.

Have you heard of Irene before? Do you have any WWII heroes? Have you known or heard of anyone willing to give their life for others?

Vanished Awesomeness...

What are your feelings on the elderly? 

Image courtesy of Ishai Parasol

I met a gentleman this last week at the grocery store who had to be in his seventies. He was alone and purchasing a quick meal. I got the sense he didn't have anyone to go home to. His sunken cheeks were a testament to his ill heath and his clothing bagged over him, but when he spoke there was a dignity in his words. 

I was reminded of my World War II veteran grandfather. Here was a man who had lived and worked his days to help build society. He was probably a husband and father at some point, but for whatever reason in this last season of his life, he was alone. My heart broke a little for him.

I've heard an attitude expressed by some, a fear of this older generation. That kills me. I grew up at the feet of my grandparents, listening to their stories and benefiting from their love and wisdom. Those who've experienced a full life have so much to give. Why would anyone deprive themselves of that? Do we just get so busy we forget? And what can we do to slow down and benefit from these wonderful individuals?

Well, enough with deeper thoughts. It's time for a game.

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

Last week, Cathrina Constantine shared her BRAND NEW BOOK COVER along with two truths and one lie about herself. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing to win TALLAS in eBook! --It releases Feb 1, so mark your calendars!

Cathrina's game:

1. Cathrina danced on a Vegas stage.

2. A horse fell on top of her when she was 16.

3. When an icy snowball hit her mouth, she needed 3 stitches.

And the lie is: 

#3. This actually happened to her daughter. She did actually have a horse fall on her while performing a jump. Luckily she only broke her shoulder bone. OUCH! 

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

...DRUM ROLL...

Loni Townsend!

Congrats, Loni!

Today I'm super excited. I've been bloggies with Misha Gericke for YEARS, and I adore her. SO, when I heard about her debut novel, I jumped for joy, and then I read it. And loved it. The blurb:

Since the death of her parents, Callan Blair has been shunted from one foster family to another, her dangerous secret forcing the move each time. Her latest foster family quickly ships her off to an exclusive boarding school in the Cumbrian countryside. While her foster-brother James makes it his mission to get Callan expelled, a nearby ancient castle holds the secret doorway to another land...

When Callan is forced through the doorway, she finds herself in the magical continent of Tardith, where she’s shocked to learn her schoolmates Gawain and Darrion are respected soldiers in service to the king of Nordaine, one of Tardith's realms. More than that, the two are potential heirs to the Black Knight—Nordaine's crown prince.

But when the Black Knight fails to return from a mysterious trip, the realm teeters on the brink of war. Darrion and Gawain set out to find him, while Callan discovers there is more to her family history than she thought. The elves are claiming she is their princess. 

Now with Darrion growing ever more antagonistic and her friendship with Gawain blossoming, Callan must decide whether to stay in Nordaine—where her secret grows ever more threatening—or go to the elves and uncover the truth about her family before war sets the realms afire.

Pick up your copy HERE.

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

M. Gerrick (AKA Misha Gericke) has been creating stories since she was a young child and is now creating better ones to get published. 

She now lives on a farm in the Western Cape, South Africa, featuring a two-hundred year house, awesome scenery, horses, cows, sheep, dogs and her five muses (also known as cats). 

Misha 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 of The Vanished Knight. Eek! How cool is that? You have until Tuesday, January 28, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on January 29.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Misha and her mom own about 8000 paperback books.

2. She wanted to learn how to fence and speak French after reading The Three Musketeers. She learned both, although her French is rusty.

3. Her first ever published piece of writing was a poem she wrote in Eleventh Grade

Remember to join my SUPER FUN blogfest. Details HERE. Oh, and heads up! I'm hosting a Valentines giveaway with this blogfest. If you'd like to participate by offering up a book or swag, shoot me an email before by January 29th. crystal AT crystal-collier DOT com

Okay, what is the lie? And what are your feelings about the elderly? Did you grow up with grandparents in your life? 

An Aversion to Technology

This is Alice. She found a career during World War II as a secretary. Phenomenal secretary—we’re talking the kind who makes their job an art. (120 + words a minute, pristine spelling, grammar and efficiency…) Her weapon of choice? You guessed it. (Typewriter.) She was super excited when they introduced the white-out strip.

She was not, however, excited when her son, (a medical school computer geek,) insisted on transitioning her to a computer. Reluctantly, and only at his insistence, she began using a word processor. When it dawned that she didn’t have to retype everything for a single mistake, her aversion shifted. Granted, there were phone calls, daily, sometimes hourly, sometimes sooner: “My document disappeared!” “My computer is broken.” “It just won’t work!”

She doesn’t get along with technology, but to her credit, she has overcome—even sends (dum-dum-dum) e-mails! *gasp*

Alice is my grandmother. I inherited her aversion to technology. *hanging head in shame* Having grown up in a house of techies helps, but when it comes down to it, I HATE new programs.

On my list of non-favorites:

Finale

Cakewalk Sonar

Yes, these are music composition programs. See that title—way up there at the top of the page? I write music: orchestral, vocal, choral, rock, new age, musical theater and cultural. Finale and I have a love/hate relationship, but we’ve come to a point of indifference. I avoid delving beyond the rage-inducing surface, and it promises to function the way it should, most the time. Periodically we still have one-sided scream outs (as that smirky program peers passively at me).

Sonar, it’s new. Really new. I learned Pro Tools once—which is a huge credit to me. Guess what? I even LIKE Pro Tools. It’s not the prettiest, but its functionality is acceptable, and it does not malfunction for no apparent (glitchy) reason. Sonar is arranged for guitar players or garage bands. I am not a garage band. Nor will I ever be.

So, the solution? Ah Grandma, you set a great example. Head down, pressing forward, occasionally slamming bowed head against keyboard.