What is Value?

How do you place value on things?

When my husband and I were first married, he informed me that when buying things, he was a quality vs quantity type person. I scratched my head and responded, "As long as it's cheap." (In true poor college student fashion.)

Over the years, I've come to value his initial stand. Value for me means something holds its worth over time and through whatever difficulty or abuse may come. If it's a great waffle iron, it can take a licking and keep on producing crispy deliciousness. If it's a written work, it can stand the test of years and criticism (even the negative kind) and still remain a shining beacon of thought.

More importantly, I think that applies to how people live. The values we hold will prove themselves over time to be faulty, or pillars of truth. If you look at how people are living--their level of happiness, their mental state, their relationships--you can assess how true their value system is. Apply the scientific method by observing the experiments that are already in progress. What they/we believe is either a true principal, or it's not. So then the challenge becomes to find the examples of success in the areas that matter most and emulate their way of living.

Speaking of change... This year I'll be in a couple AMAZING anthologies and I wanted to introduce the first one:

Awesome, right?

Lastly, I'm giving away books!!!! Check it out and enter to win.

ENTER HERE

 

Now how about ANOTHER giveaway?

Last week Anna Simpson shared with us WHITE LIGHT, along with two truths and a lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win signed bookmarks and an awesome charm bracelet.

The Game:

1. I have stood exactly where I was born and it is in the middle of the produce section of our local grocery store.
2. I was given a tarot deck from a complete stranger.
3. I overcame my fear of spiders when my son mimicked my jumping around like a lunatic when he was two years old.

The lie: #3. Alas, Anna has never overcome her fear of spiders. Beware the eight-leggers!

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Shannon Lawrence!

Congrats, Shannon! 

And now for this week's feature... 

Leon Garber has his reasons for ridding the world of abusive people, call it justifiable homicide.

Opportunity comes knocking from Like-Minded Individuals, Inc., a global company fulfilling the needs of clients: new identities, security, and even lists of potential “projects.” But let’s not call it “serial killing” (such a nasty term). For Leon, it’s a dream come true. However, LMI’s put a target on Leon’s back, with no indication of why. 

LMI, the police, sanctioned hit men, and a vicious psychopath are after Leon. He collides with other Like-Minded Individuals: The Good Samaritan Killer, The Mad Doctor, Donnie and Marie (don’t ask). Heads are chopped, dropped, and swapped as Leon fights for his life. But nothing will keep him from finishing his current project. Not even the chance to fall in love.

Sometimes a killer business idea is just that. Killer.

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

Stuart R. West is a lifelong resident of Kansas, which he considers both a curse and a blessing. It's a curse because...well, it's Kansas. But it's great because…well, it’s Kansas. Lots of cool, strange and creepy things happen in the Midwest, and Stuart takes advantage of them in his work. Call it “Kansas Noir”. Stuart writes thrillers tinged with horror and horror tinged with humor, both for adult and young adult audiences. Secret Society is the second of his novels to be published by Books We Love Ltd. He's also the author of the acclaimed Tex, the Witch Boy series published by MuseItUp Publishing. His first novel from Samhain Publishing, Demon with a Comb-Over, comes out March 1st. He’s married to a professor of pharmacy and has a 22 year old daughter who’s still deciding what to do with her life.

You might find him enjoying Jalapeno Havarti cheese (A little fire with your cheese, what could be nicer?) while watching Hitchcock films with his wife.

Stuart 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 SECRET SOCIETY! (Open Internationally.)

You have until Tuesday, January 26 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on January 27.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I had over 50,000 movies on videotape in my basement. Due to mold and obsolete equipment, my wife and I recently rented a huge dumpster just to haul the tapes away.

2. Fifteen years ago I was in an alternative/rock/country-funk/performance art/comedy band. I wore pajamas and slippers for every show. My character was a sort of demented hillbilly who toted around a saxophone, but rarely played it.

3. I have webbed toes. But it's a bonus, because in high school gym, I was a championship swimmer. Shoes are hard to fit, though. I have to have them special ordered from WebsRUs.

So sleuths, which is the lie? What's something you value? Do you read anthologies? Do you like thrillers? Have you met Stuart before?

Fire! Yeah, Yeah!

Are you a Pyro?

If you don't know what that means, the answer is "no." What is a Pyro? A pyromaniac, or someone who plays with fire.

I'm a Pyro.

My dad dragged us kids up, through, and into the heart of the outdoors. Knowing how to build a fire was MANDATORY. (Like knowing how to tie your shoes.) I spent way too much time poking at the flames, learning the fine art of marshmallow roasting, and warming myself, mesmerized by the flickers of light. BUT, I also learned to be cautious of this hungry beauty. Part of our education included knowing where it was safe to build a fire so we didn't accidentally set the forest aflame, the proper tools to use, how to douse the coals so it would die, and recognizing when it was safe to walk away.

I think relationships are like a fire. They have to be built, and when first started, the flame is tenuous and needs to be sheltered. The fire grows only if it's fed, and you can't feed it too much an once, or you'll smother it. Eventually you'll have a roaring bonfire, but it too will die if not continuously fed. It provides incredible warmth, beauty and can be utilized to help you survive. Unlike a physical fire, there may never be a need to walk away, but if there is, those coals stay warm long after the flame has disappeared.

With that said, today I have the privilege of sharing my good friend, Julie Musil's brand spakin' new cover!

Manny O’Donnell revels in his status at the top of his high school food chain. He and his friends party in the mountains on a blustery night, sharing liquor and lame ghost stories around a campfire. The next morning, as a wild fire rages in those same mountains, Manny experiences doubt. He was the last of the drunken crew to leave the cave, and he’s uncertain if he extinguished the flames. Within hours, he becomes the number one arson suspect.

Santa Ana winds + matches = disaster. You’d think he would've learned that the first time he started a fire.

As he evades a determined arson investigator, Manny, a modern-day Scrooge, is visited by ghosts of the past, present, and future. He’s forced to witness the fate of his inadvertent victims, including Abigail, the scarred beauty who softens his heart. Manny must choose between turning around his callous, self-centered attitude, or protecting his own skin at the expense of anyone who gets in his way.

Julie Musil, author of YA fiction, is a chocoholic and obsessive reader. As the mother of three teen boys, she’s immersed in teen speak, drama, and gym socks. She loves to chat! Connect with her on her blog, Twitter, or Facebook. 

Awesome, right? I'm looking forward to this book sometime in early 2014. So are you a Pyro? Do you spaz out about flames? Have you ever accidentally set something on fire? 

How to Find Happiness A-Z: F

Mom stopped her 2 year old daughter at the door, the girl's fingers on the knob. "Crystal, where are you going?"

The little girl turned around. "Mom!" She threw both hands down, exhasperated. "I have to play with my friends!" 

FRIENDS!!!!

Can we talk too much about the importance of good friends? The best ones inspire us to do better, to be better, to reach for our greatest potential. The bad ones drag us into a pit of failure.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

I have been blessed with an overabundance of amazing friends. Many of you are on the blog-o-sphere with me. Some of you aren't. I can't say too much good about the awe-inspiring people who've stood by my side through difficulty and joy: my incredible husband, my children, my parents, brothers and sisters, inlaws, my Holy Cheesers, Melanie, Valerie, Jen-Jen, Eliza, Amy, Krista... The list might never end. I count each and every one of them as a special godsend.

The more people I come to love, the more my heart expands. In their successes, I find happiness. In their sorrows, I find a place of deep and abiding compassion. Mom thought me a little over-dramatic at two years old, but I think as a child, I understood something quite paramount: happiness comes from being invested in other's lives. Joy comes from the relationships we develop.

Are you that friend--the one who lifts others up and helps them to see the good they're accomplishing? What fabulous friends have you found through the years, and have you told them how much you appreciate them lately?