True Heroes from A to Z: J

Quickly, I'm guest posting over at Annalisa Crawfords place to help celebrate her reaching the big 40! Pop in and stretch your creative muscles with us.

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.

Heroes can be on a large scale, or on a personal and close one. Today I'd like to share one dear to my heart:

ohnson, Sofe Christen Wasden, AKA Great Grandma Johnson. Once or twice a year we'd hop in the van and drive 8 hours to go visit Grandma and Great Grandma. Grandpa passed away when I was 8, and since then, they'd lived together.

The best part about spending time with Grandma Johnson was talking. We'd sit and chat for hours. I remember interviewing her once. She told me about owning only two dresses growing up, and how a Native American stopped into her parent's home and offered to take her away and make her an Indian princess.

She learned to play piano by listening to her older brother's lessons. Her parents could only afford to have one child taught, so she'd wait until he was done practicing, then slip in to the piano and repeat everything she'd heard. It made him so mad.

When she learned about my love for music composition, she gifted me a sheet music notebook with a single inscription on the inside cover: "Music is poetry of the soul."

She passed away when I was 16 (she was 96), and it was a hard death for me. I had seen many loved ones pass away, but I wouldn't get anymore of those quiet conversations. I thought I'd lost her, but I swear Great Grandma Johnson has been my "musical" guardian angel ever since. Her influence is still with me long, long after her passing.

These are some old gems I composed years ago, part of a musical we hope to see on stage in the distant future (and yes, I'm singing the female portions while 5 flippin' months prego):

Listen HERE

Or HERE

The release date for

has been announced! To celebrate, MOONLESS is on sale now for $1.99! (But only for the month of April.) Find out what the big deal is behind Moonless nights.

Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.

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

Do you have anyone who has encouraged you in a budding talent? Your own guardian angel? A relative you adore who has passed away?

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?