IWSG, Ghost Buying, and Body Snatching

Do you hate or love birthdays?

They're a huge deal in my house. Growing up there were 8 kids, so your b-day was YOUR day to shine. Everyone was extra nice, you got decorations and a boatload of gifts, Grandpa and Grandma would come visit, and let's not forget being sung to over a cake in both English and Portuguese. It was epic.

These days we take a family holiday when someone has a birthday, meaning no work, no school, just play and spoiling for that one day. Everyone stops and recognizes that person as the star. While that's lovely and all, I'd like to stop aging. I used to keep all my story files in my head. Believe it or not, they even stayed where I put them and could be retrieved on demand. Four kids later, not so much. Heck, I can't even keep track of all the appointments, errands, and demands of a single day. (Thank you calendar. I'd be dead without you!) For the first time, I find myself forgetting or missing commitments. What's with that?

I guess what this boils down to is that I like birthdays. I really do. But aging? Not so much. Here's hoping someone can give me a brain upgrade in about 5 years, because this one might be down to steam and gears.

How do you feel about birthdays?

IWSG is a monthly hop for writers seeking support and an awesome community. Join our hosts this month: TB Markinson,   
Tamara Narayan, Eva E. Solar, Shannon Lawrence, and     
Stephanie Faris.      

 

Speaking of birthdays, I missed a book birthday, but it's not too late to celebrate, right?

Last week Sandra Cox shared with us GHOST FOR SALE, along with two truths and a lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win her eBook, THE CRYSTAL (in honor of guess who?)!

Sandra's Game:

1. I got the idea for Ghost For Sale when I heard on the news a ghost was up for sale on eBay.
2. I was born in Ky, my husband in IL, my daughter in OH and my son in WI.
3. I broke a leg trying to climb Mt. Everest.

THE LIE: #3. Yeah, we saw that one coming, right? 

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Mary Pax!!!

Congrats, Mary! 

And now for this week's feature (which I've been SOOOOO exited to about FOR YEARS)... 

Meet Morgan Dey, one of the top teen Reducers at The Body Institute.

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, Morgan can temporarily take over another girl’s body, get her in shape, and then return to her own body—leaving her client slimmer, more toned, and feeling great. Only there are a few catches…

For one, Morgan won’t remember what happens in her “Loaner” body. Once she’s done, she won’t recall walks with her new friend Matt, conversations with the super-cute Reducer she’s been text-flirting with, or the uneasy feeling she has that the director of The Body Institute is hiding something. Still, it’s all worth it in the name of science. Until the glitches start…

Suddenly, residual memories from her Loaner are cropping up in Morgan’s mind. She’s feeling less like herself and more like someone else. And when protests from an anti–Body Institute organization threaten her safety, she’ll have to decide if being a Reducer is worth the cost of her body and soul…

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

Carol Riggs is a YA author who lives in the beautiful green state of Oregon, USA. She enjoys reading, drawing and painting, writing conferences, walking with her husband, and enjoying music and dance of all kinds. You will usually find her in her writing cave, surrounded by her dragon collection and the characters in her head.

She adores swiss cheese on Reuben sandwiches. Yum!

Carol 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 an SIGNED PAPERBACK with a BOOKMARK (US only). 

You have until Tuesday, October 13 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on October 14. 

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Carol once met singer Harry Chapin, got his autograph, and kissed him on the lips.
2. Carol’s family owned a Mexican restaurant when she was 13, in which she washed dishes and reluctantly played waitress. 
3. Carol lived on an island once, in Sitka, Alaska. 

So sleuths, which is the lie?  How do you feel about birthdays? Do anything special for them? What do you think of that concept for Carol's book? (Epic, right?) 

Geeky Imagination

Are you ready to geek out with me? Here we go.

First off, Stephen Tremp's new book, Escalation is finally out! Yay for Stephen (and all us readers)! As part of that, today I'm participating in the...

2014 Annual National Wormhole Week (or 2014 Wormfest) hosted by Stephen Tremp, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and L. Diane Wolf: For 2014, the theme is to name one thing where science advances mankind, and one where the same technology with unforeseen consequences will go too far and set mankind back.

If you've been around here long, you might have heard me chatting about the scientists locked in my Floridian basement. (Think about that one for a second.) They create all kinds of amazing gadgets--like a teleportation device I had to break after they started escaping testing it. Ahem. They're very close on a cloning device, and we've even discussed a weather modifier... BUT my favorite invention is the Time Stopper.

On the plus side, you never have to stop working because you can just hit pause on time and freeze the world around you. SUPER convenient when writing or reading. Or, if you need a break, you just hit pause and take a nap.

On the not so plus side, your memory may end up like this.

If you forget your anti-aging elixir, you may end up like this:

You'd lose all urgency to do anything, and take ten years to clean the bathroom rather than a week. SO, while I love this technology, I'll be keeping it to myself, and ensuring that my scientists remain happily placated in their prison laboratory.

Are you ready to meet a new author and enter to win an awesome book? 

Last week, Katharina Gerlach shared Scotlands Guardians with us, along with two truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for one of three chances to win her eBook!

Cat's game:

1. Cat loves to go shopping, especially for shoes.

2. She's married to the love of her life, whom she met at the ripe old age of 16.

3. She sold her first story when she was ten.

And the lie is: 

#1. Cat is SO not a shoe person. 

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

...DRUM ROLL...

Jess
Susan Gourley/Kelley
Carrie Butler

Congrats, ladies!

Do you love mazes? I've always been fascinated by them. Today I have the privilege of introducing a wonderful friend who wrote an entire book about a labyrinth. Oooh! Check it out:

Araina’s isolated teenage life is forever altered when she witnesses a man emerge through a rippling wall into the dark labyrinth she calls home. As a result of the stranger’s arrival, Araina’s Creators have unleashed a series of magical attacks using the labyrinth against its inhabitants. Now Araina must decide if she will trust potentially deceitful allies in order to reach safety on the other side of the labyrinth wall.

Will the walls that confine her be the walls that set her free? 

Pick up your copy HERE.

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

Though she was born in Germany and raised in Turkey until the age of five, Emilyann Girdner spent the majority of her grade school years in Tallahassee, Florida. She discovered early she had a love for stories. Reading books, watching movies and then acting them out with friends or toys gave living an extra flavor. This is likely why she spent the first part of her college career studying Creative Writing, before switching to Graphic Design and then graduating with a BFA in Digital Art (2011) from Missouri State University. Her novel The Labyrinth Wall is an Amazon Best-Seller and the first installment of the Obsidian Series.

Given her three focus transitions as an undergraduate, it isn't a shock that she is a multi-medium lover, exploring writing, digital art, photography and design. She finds that her creativity is most fluent when given the opportunity to bounce between artistic outlets.

To truly understand this Author, there are two things to know. Emilyann hopes to share a love for others and God in all she does. She believes that imagination sparks beauty in the soul.

You might run across her eating Mexican cheese dip at the El Jimador restaurant in Missouri.  Yummmyyy!!

Emilyann 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 The Labyrinth Wall (eBook). Awesome, right? You have until Tuesday, March 18, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on March 19.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. A brown recluse spider bit her forehead and nearly killed Emilyann when she was three years old.

2. She met Drew Barrymore when she visited a friend at her Sony Pictures job in L.A. a couple years ago.

3. Her first language was Turkish.

So, friendlies, which is the lie? Do you have a technology hiding your basement that may or may not destroy the world? What is your favorite/least favorite technological advancement of the last century?