What is Life & IWSG

How are you living? And I don't mean that from a scientific standpoint.

It seems to me life is so short, shorter the older you get. So are we living to our full potential? I mean, really living? Today I have a free story for you that may get you thinking in that vein.

Read the rest HERE.

So here's the question: How are you living? In such a way where you perpetuate good feelings and the most important things in life? Or is there something you'd like to change?

As we enter the holiday season, I hope we take time to evaluate. My goal today is to make you insecure--enough to look around and decide if you're fulfilling your potential--whether through writing or everyday living. Can we do more?

 

And now for the FUN stuff.

Mark Koopmans shared with us a REVIVAL, 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.

Mark's Game:

1. Growing up in Dublin, Mark (13) was often bored. One day he saw an old mattress that someone had dumped over the side of the bridge. (The old “canal” below was now a filled-in grassy trail.) Mark thought about it for a few minutes, then he climbed over the edge of the cement bridge, and jumped about twenty feet onto what was (soon discovered to be) a very thin mattress. (No bones were broken in the making of this paragraph, but someone had to drive Mark home!)

2. Mark once worked as a manager for Planet Hollywood and would control the video clips shown on the many screens dotted around the restaurant. On this very busy day, (we’re talking 1998) he decided to show an (unedited) scene from Braveheart. Walking around the floor, he enjoyed watching people watching the clip—until he realized the scene included a series of swear words that sounded like “truck”… and they were about to go out live on the expensive, loud speaker system. (Luckily, Mark made it back to the A/V room and hit delete… just in time!)

3. Mark once kind of, er, bumped into (and woke up) Mohammad Ali, who was taking a nap while on a visit to a Cheesecake Factory Express in Chicago (now closed). Mark only hoped The Champ would forgive him and agree to take a picture with him—and he did!)

The lie: #2… the scene is correct, but Mark completely FAILED to get back in time, and all he could hear for a few moments was “F*ck this and F*ck that” ringing around the restaurant! (Luckily… none of the guests ever complained. He would have been in deep doo doo :).

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

The blogger at
ELEPHANTS CHILD

Congrats! 

And now for this week's feature... 

Sophie needs to find a way to balance the chaotic route she has been forced to walk down... a son she cannot control - diagnosed with Aspergers and PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), coinciding with the onset of raging hormones; a daughter she has to ensure gets attention so she doesn't feel left out; and an ex-husband who comes and goes as he pleases. 

At the same time, Sophie struggles to hold down her job as an interiors writer for a magazine. Her rambling house is in desperate need of upkeep - her garden is full of overgrowing plants; there's no end of laundry, cleaning and cooking and there's not nearly enough money. 

Only wine, chocolate and good friends keep Sophie from tipping over the edge. That, and the mysterious voice of her cyber love. Could he be the saviour she's been waiting for? Or has he been in front of her the whole time? 

Told from the perspective of a mother who has to battle through life on a daily basis - fighting hard to keep her son in school, dealing with her marriage breaking up, giving her daughter her attention, maintaining her job and exploring her future love life. 

Sophie's Throughway is a heartwarming read, written to inspire empathy and compassion within the reader, as well as increasing understanding for a condition that does not have enough public recognition.

Get your copy HERE.

I've read and reviewed this one, and it was a ride. See what I had to say on Goodreads.

Ready to meet the author?

Jules Smith - Local author - Nottingham

Whilst I have had many freelance roles in this field writing for tabloids, magazines and businesses, my preferred style is of a whimsical nature. I like to observe people, life and situations and find the humour within. I enjoy reaching into the deeper emotions of readers and making them feel. I write in a storytelling fashion that enables me to engage with the reader and paint a visual picture that they can relate to, or empathise with.

My personality test described me as a spontaneous idealist and I have to agree.  I am at my best and liveliest when playing with new, creative ideas.  I'm a great believer in freedom to express without restraints and being passionate about your work. If what you do doesn't bring you joy then you shouldn't be doing it; you'll never do it well.

As a pure bred English gal, my favourite cheese is Cheddar. It is delicious on digestive biscuits, toast and melted into soup. It is the most versatile cheese on the planet.  However, I visit France a lot and have a penchant for an array of fine cheeses (just not so much the smell of some of them).

Jules 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 a signed paperback of SOPHIE'S THROUGHWAY. (Open Internationally.)

You have until Tuesday, December  at 8 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on December 9.

TRUTH OR LIE

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?”

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have anything about life you want to change? Have you met Jules? Read any of her fabulous works?

Giving Away Halloween

Do you have your scary stories all loaded and ready for the holiday? If not, you're in luck. Here are a couple to get you in the spirit.

First, from me...

Read the rest HERE.

 

And now how about some giveaway action?

Last week Stephen Tremp shared with us SALEM'S DAUGHTERS, 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 $25 gift card to Amazon!

Stephen's Game:

1.    Stephen once met Los Angeles Laker basketball player Kobe Bryant.
2.    He does not like meatloaf.
3.    He still likes to color with crayons.

THE LIE: #1. Stephen wishes. ;)

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Chrys Fey!!!

Congrats, Chrys! 

And now how about our giveaway for the day?

Faerie mischief starts the fun with ghosts, vampires, and zombies bringing in the scare. If you love Halloween, being scared or delighted, there’s a story for you in this flash fiction collection.

Get your copy HERE.

Or you might like this one if you're not so much in a Halloween mood...

Missie, an American flutist, is thrust through a portal into a medieval world where her music is the key to empowering The Treasures of Carmelidrium to defeat the evil tyrant, Renwyk, Lord of the Symberveen. Immediately, her life is in danger. The Symberveen hunt her, an assassin attempts to kill her, Renwyk's men plot to kidnap her. Will she survive to accomplish the prophecy regarding her or will Renwyk take over Gil-Lael and then America too?

Buy it HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

N. R. Williams is an American grandmother who decided never to grown up. What better way to celebrate than to write epic fantasy's, children's stories and flash fiction alive with faeries, vampires, zombies and ghost, along with a few other super natural creatures? She is delighted to share these stories with readers and hopes that everyone will find something to love. 

She adores Swiss cheese because of the holes and might be discovered eating it with turkey lunch meat and crackers. 

N.R. gave me two LIEs and ONE truth to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win an eBook of your choice. 

You have until Tuesday, October 27 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on October 28.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I have almost died eight times from childhood illness, a difficult pregnancy and delivery and more recently two illnesses. I'm planning to continue living and will ignore references to cat's having nine lives.
2. I was born in Canada.
3. I love coffee. I drink it while balancing on my head and use a special straw.

So sleuths, which are the lies, and which is the truth? What are you reading for Halloween? Are you a bigger fan of faeries, vampires or zombies? Have you ever read/written flash fiction?

Free Stories and a Rabid Opossum?

A quick shout from me, I've got another piece of Flash Fiction up at Lightning Quick Reads for your reading pleasure:

Get the rest HERE.

(Leave me some comment love and I'll toss you some cheese, eh?)

 

Last week Lan Chan shared with us POISON, along with two truths and a lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win one of two copies of her eBook.

Lan's Game:

1. I was born in a refugee camp in Vietnam where I spent the first five years of my life. Whilst there I almost drowned twice by falling into rivers. Once it happened because I was trying to retrieve a flip flog that had fallen in. What a way to go!

2. As you might be able to tell from the environmental themes in Poison I am a bit of a nature geek. To that end I've been experimenting with alternatives to shampoo and conditioner because of all the nasty chemicals they contain. The most popular alternative is baking soda and apple cider vinegar. This is called the "No Poo Method." It did not end well. 

3. Right before we moved to Australia my family moved from the refugee camp to Saigon. One day whilst coming home from the fields surrounding our house, I had my brother on my shoulders but because he was a very chubby baby I tripped and we fell into a muddy field littered with buffalo dung. My mother was not happy when we came home.

THE LIE: #3. This happened to her sister. When they came home she was sitting on the porch, and as a four year old, the first thing she did was run inside and tell on them. 

Way to guess everyone! And the winners are:

...DRUM ROLL...

Ava Quinn
&
Jess

Congrats, Ava & Jess! 

And now for this week's feature... 

Is the opportunity to create the next generation of life a dream come true or a deadly nightmare? 

When seventeen year old Katherine Dennard is selected to become a "Creation Specialist" in Sector 4, the opportunity sounds like a dream come true. But Kate soon discovers the darker side of her profession - the disposal of fetal organs and destruction of human life. It makes sense, really. In a society where disease and malformations don t exist, human perfection demands that no genetic "mutants" be allowed to live. For Sector 4, "survival of the fittest" is not just a theory - it's The Institute's main mission. 

When Kate discovers that The Institute is using her DNA to create new life, her work gets personal. In order to save her unviable son, she'll have to trust Micah and his band of underground Natural Born Rebels. The problem is, if The Institute discovers her betrayal, the next body being disposed of could be hers.

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

There’s not much to do growing up in a small town in Western, NY, so J. Andersen wrote stories and won high school writing contests. But in college her writing was limited to term papers. While teaching middle school she began to read young adult books and got serious about writing. She now writes full time, volunteers at the town library, helps to run a School of the Arts at her church, and sings in the church band. She enjoys good coffee—read: home roasted by her husband—crafts, baking, and chasing after her children. You’ll rarely see J. without a book in her hands, and that’s the way she’d like to keep it. 

She ADORES white sharp cheddar. The sharper the better! A couple weeks ago she took a beach picnic with her hubbs. They stopped at a cool little deli near us and got amazing artisan sandwiches and olives stuffed with gouda. OH MY!!! So good. She was instantly hooked. Like, she's-been-eating-them-for-breakfast kind of hooked. Strange, but so yummy.

Jessie gave me two truths and one lie (story) to test your "lie detector" skills. These are a little long, but they're so fun I just had to keep reading. I hope you enjoy them as well. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win an eBook of THE BREEDING TREE. 

You have until Tuesday, September 29 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on September 30.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. FIRE, FIRE!

   When I was a kid, we vacationed at Allegany State Park. We’d rent a cabin for the week, gallivant around the trails, swim, hike, the works. It was bliss, except for the year I turned 7. 
   Mom and Dad had managed a fire and grilled hamburgers as my brothers and I worked on catching crayfish in the stream behind our campsite. Dinner was uneventful minus the fact that my brother, Matt, continuously threw clumps of dirt in my hair. I’d try to pick them out, but then they’d fall into the mac and cheese on my plate. By the time we finished dinner, it started to rain, so I ran inside to grab my rain coat. There’s nothing worse than camping in the rain, unless you’re 7 years old. Then, rain, shine, it doesn’t matter. Sun meant swimming; rain meant mud pies and puddle jumping. 
   Mom spent a few moments cleaning up while my brothers and I played. I remember holding an umbrella in my hand, probably wielding it as a sword to defend myself from my brothers. I’m sure it would have been a mighty duel if I hadn’t tripped over the fire ring and fell into the burning coals. 
   The sizzle of my skin sent a shriek to my lips and somewhere in the distance I heard two voices, “Mom!!! Mom!!! Jess fell into the fire!” 
   Mom sprinted across the porch, leaped onto the ground and pulled me up. She ripped off my raincoat, which was melting and my pants. 
   In 1986 we didn’t have cell phones, so Mom and Dad threw me in the truck and headed for the entrance of the camp. I lay face down across Mom’s lap, screaming. When we arrived, they called an ambulance. I don’t remember much after that, but Mom says they prayed over me while they waited for the ambulance. She said, I instantly stopped crying and said it didn’t hurt any more. Even when the doctors tried to give me pain medication, I didn’t need it because it didn’t hurt. 
   Today, I have a little scar from the incident, but nothing major. 

2. HOSPITAL RUN

   I woke up early, which was unlike me and as soon as my feet hit the floor, I knew it was going to be that kind of day. You see, when I stood up and stretched my back, my water broke. 
   “Um, Todd?”
   He grunted next to me. 
   “You might want to call in sick to work today.”
   “Why’s that?”
   “Because my water just broke.”
   It was a millisecond later that he was moving. 
   Whip on clothes, call the doctor, call the sister-in-law to watch our son, grab the bags. He was a whirlwind of activity. 
   “How are you?” he’d ask.
   “Fine. No contractions yet.”
   In minutes, we were on the road.
   Down the street about a mile, is the turn off for the highway. I glanced at the speedometer. 50 in a 30. “Um, you better slow down.” The moment I said it, I happened to see the big blue. “Because there’s a cop right there!”
   The hubs mumbled under his breath and pulled over. He looked at me, who had not yet started contractions and was pleasantly sitting in the passenger seat. “You better look like you’re in pain.”
   Mr. Officer approached. “License and registration, please.”
   “Um, Officer,” Hubs began, “Would you believe we’re on the way to the hospital to have a baby? My wife is in labor.”
   Mr. Officer leaned his head down to get a good look at me from the window. “Yes, sir, I would. Have a nice day and drive carefully.”
   To this day, I still regret that my hubs didn’t get a ticket to put in the baby book.

3. THE RABID OPOSSUM
   "There’s a possum in our garbage can.  I think it’s either hurt or rabid, or both,” my husband said as he stood at the back door in his shirt and tie, ready to leave for work.
   The clearly-rabid possum rested comfortably in our garbage can between left over spaghetti and a few rotten onions, hissing at our barking dogs. My husband leaning out to poke it with the end of a broom.
   One glimpse of its head wobbling and the fact that it still hadn’t tried to move told me one thing: Rabid.--Yes, I'm that observant. However, this country chick does not handle rabid animals.  I'm not THAT crazy.
   The hubs, already late for work, was not impressed that this poor creature had decided to take up residence in our garbage can. 
   “It’s a good thing you hadn’t left for work yet, Todd,” I said, hoping he’d get the hint that there was no way on earth I’d kill it myself and he better not leave this house until it was gone!
   He gave me the look.
   “What?  I can’t let the kids out the door. What if it jumps at them?"
   “What if it jumps at me?!”  He sighed. “I don’t know how to kill it.”
   “My brother used a shovel one time.”
   With a disgusted look, he trudged into the house, changed his clothes and ran to the barn to grab the shovel, all while I stayed safely inside (protecting the children!).
   A few moments later, he came inside. “I think it’s dead.  I whacked it like ten times in the head."
   I ran inside to call animal control. 
   Me: Can you send someone out to dispose of a dead rabid opossum for us? Or test it or whatever?
   Them: I’m sorry, maam. We only deal with dogs.
   Me:  Excuse me?
   Them: Perhaps you could put it in the bag and place it out for the sanitation people.
   Me: Um, a few years ago we had a rabid raccoon in our yard.  You sent someone to pick that up.
   Them: I’m sorry maam.
   WHAT THE HECK?! What do you mean you don’t dispose of rabid animals?  Why the heck are you called ANIMAL CONTROL? You aren’t called DOG control!  
   I ran to tell Todd, who was already dressed again and headed toward the car.
   Before I reached the door, I heard the dreaded words again, “Jess?!”
   “What?”
   “IT’S. NOT. DEAD!”
   “WHAT?! What do you mean, ‘It’s not dead.’?”
   “It’s still moving. Look.” He tipped the garbage can my way.
   Sure enough, it wobbled it’s head again.
   “Use the end of the spade shovel this time.”
   Once Todd left for work that fateful morning, I ran inside to call my Dad to ask for him to bring his truck down and empty our whole can into the dumpster at church.
   A few minutes later, my dad pulled up. He peeked his head inside to tell me he'd arrived… at least that’s what I thought.
   “Jess, it’s not dead.”
   "You’ve GOT to be joking. Todd hit it like 16 times in the head.”
   Sure enough, its little body was still breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Oh so slowly. But, when dealing with a rabid animal, you never really know at what point it's going to go postal, start foaming and hissing and lunge at your face with rabies-covered teeth, so we still used caution.
   Thankfully, Dad said he’d take care of it. I called him later to see how everything went. 
   “Well, I whacked it a few more times and tossed it in the dumpster.  But when I looked over the side, I saw that thing perk its head up and look around. I was going to leave it there but thought it might jump out at someone. So I climbed the snow pile and shoveled that thing back out onto the pavement, where I hit it enough times with the shovel to make sure it was really dead.
   “I then had to go tell Betty (the church custodian) that when she came outside to take out the garbage, not to freak out because there was blood spattered on the pavement.”
   Finally the opossum was really dead and I no longer have to fear the ravages of the dangerous creature or dream of mouth- foaming marsupials sneaking into my house.

So sleuths, which is the lie? True or not, which one of the stories is your favorite? Did you check out my flash fiction? What's your favorite dystopian book?

Fantasy Fling in Avenue E

...with a touch of Sci-fi to start.

How would you like a free read today? (Or two? Maybe 3 if you're a winner.)

Read the rest on LightningQuickReads! (And other amazing, free, short stories.)

Ready for the chance to win an awesome book?

Two weeks ago Kurt D. Springs shared with us PROMISE OF MERCY, 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 print book and bookmark!  

Kurt's Game:

1. Kurt holds a Bachelor of Arts in Math, a Master of Liberal Arts in Anthropology and Archaeology, a Master of Literature in Archaeology, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology.
2. Both of his parents are retired research chemists.
3. He's never published in Archaeology.

THE LIE: #3. Kurt was recently published in a multi contributor monograph in the British Archaeology Reports International series called Landscape and Identity: Archaeology and Human Geography. He is pleased to be one of seven authors in this peer reviewed work.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Tara Tyler!!!

Congrats, Tara! 

And now for this week's feature... 

Have you met Misha Gericke? I've known her for years, enjoyed her blogging, and even critiqued for her. (She's definitely one of my favorite Aussie authors.) Her fantasy world is fascinating and her protagonists' struggle? Super awesome. 

Recently she got the rights back for her first book, and with the release of her second one, she's put out book 1 again. I admit it, I geek out about one of her characters, and I'm a rather calm person when it comes to the literary world, so you know he's pretty awesome. Meet Gawain!

About the books:

The Vanished Knight

The entity living inside Callan’s soul orphaned her at age eleven. By the time she’s sixteen, it’s ensured her being shunted from one foster family to another.

Her thirteenth foster assignment should be routine. Except... it's not. A psycho in medieval armor kidnaps her and she ends up in a magical world. There, she accidentally discovers a secret her parents had kept until the day they died.

Both actually came from this magical world, but left before Callan was born. To cover their tracks, they’d lied about everything. Even who they really were.

Driven to find out where she comes from, Callan’s trapped in a race for life and death. Walking away isn’t an option, but if she stays too long, the entity will find its next victim.

In this world where secrets are sacrosanct and grudges are remembered, finding the truth will be near impossible. Especially when Callan has her own homicidal little secret to deal with.

One with a taste for destroying her life.

The Heir’s Choice

After discovering her parents had kept a whole world secret, Callan races to discover her past. Not easy to do with an increasingly agitated entity living in her soul.

Get your copy HERE.

Misha 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 BOTH eBooks.

You have until Tuesday, August 4 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on August 5.

TRUTH OR LIE

1) Misha is theoretically able to speak four languages and understand at least three more well enough to find her way home if she got dropped in the middle of countries speaking them. 
2) Through her mother's side, her family is possibly the only one in existence to have two State Heads on two sides of the same war in their genes. One's Paul Kruger, the other is Queen Victoria. (The Anglo Boer War.)
3) She owns two cats. 

So sleuths, which is the lie? Are you a sci-fi or fantasy reader? Geeked out over any books or characters lately?

Forget Me Not because Here Are Freebies!

Do you love flash fiction? I totally do. So much so that when I was invited to contribute to a FREE READS flash fiction blog, there was only one answer. 

Duh!!!

So let me introduce you to the brand new...

There are some TRULY fabulous authors from all genres contributing to this blog, and you're missing out if you don't stop in. This month has been all about goals, and February is all about--you guessed it--LOVE. 

Titles from this month:

May the Smarter Villain Win (Kai Strand)

Number One (Meradeth Houston)

Step It Up (Meg Gray)

Goals Gone Asunder (Joan C. Curtis)

Miracles (Dianne Hartsock)

Goals (Mary Waibel)

Foreign Exchange (Eric Price) 

AND 

The Call (BY ME!!!)

THE CALL: A social outcast. A window to other dimensions. A summon of fate.

There's also a facebook page if you want to follow us and get updates.

Have you read any of these fabulous authors?

Now let's give away some reading joy!

Last week Cheyanne Young shared POWDERED with us, along with two lies and one truth. Those who guessed the truth correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win a paperback and swag pack.  

Cheyanne's game: 

1. One time Cheyanne won a $10,000 lottery scratch off ticket and promptly went on a shopping spree, charging it to her credit card. Then, she lost the ticket (and has never found it).

2. She has 50% of the kidneys that a normal person has but she makes up for it by being at least 13% cooler than the average person.

3. She and her best friend once randomly accepted a dinner invitation from a guy they didn't know at a superhero convention. He ended up being the planner of the entire event and they got to spend the entire night with three of the visiting actors who were all in the Harry Potter movies.

And the lie is:

#1. Cheyanne did not experience the UBER tragedy of losing her winning lottery ticket...although that makes for a pretty fun story, eh?

Way to guess everyone who got it right! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Medeia Sharif!

Congrats Medeia! 

And now to today's feature...

Anamae is drawn into a world which shatters everything she knew to be true.

Since her mother vanished nine years ago, Anamae and her father have shared a quiet life. But when Anamae discovers a brooch identical to her mother's favorite pendant, she unknowingly invites a slew of trouble into their world. They're not just jewelry, they're part of a highly developed technology capable of cloaking the human form. 

Triggering the jewelry's power attracts the attention of a secret society determined to confiscate the device - and silence everyone who is aware of its existence. Anamae knows too much, and now she's Enemy Number One. 

She's forced to leave her father behind when she's taken in by a group determined to keep her safe. Here Anamae searches for answers about this hidden world. With her father kidnapped and her own life on the line, Anamae must decide if saving her dad is worth risking her new friends' lives. No matter what she does, somebody is going to get hurt.

Get your copy HERE.

AND for a short time only, the book is on sale for $0.99!

Stacey Nash writes adventure filled stories for Young Adults in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. She loves to read and write books that have a lot of adventure, a good dose of danger, a smattering of romance, and KISSING! Hailing from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, she loves nothing more than immersing herself in the beauty and culture of the local area. 

Author of the Collective Series; FORGET ME NOT and REMEMBER ME.

Although Stacey can't eat cheese due to allergies (I know, crocodile tears!), you will find her eating crackers and baby tomatoes as other people would eat cheese, sitting on the back porch watching the sun set.

Stacey 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 eBook of FORGET ME NOT!!!

You have until Tuesday, January 27 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on January 28.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Stacey is somehow linked with identical twins. There's always been at least one set playing a major role in her life at any given time.

2. She was once stark naked in the DMV.

3. She has more ribs than most people, and that's what makes her a mutant (or if you prefer, meta-human). It's not her super power though. That's being able to hear her name whispered from across a crowded room.

So which is the lie? Are you a flash fiction lover? Have you read any of the LQR authors? Did you check out my SUPER AWESOME dimension travel story? (And if not, what's wrong with you? Get steppin', eh?)