Salute! Cheer! Become Immortal?

Happy Veteran's Day, Diwali, Remembrance Day, etc!

A year ago, we visited my grandfather (98) and interviewed him about his WWII experiences as a pilot. He told us about a tropical storm in the Philippines where all he and his fellow soldiers could do was lay on the ground with ponchos over their heads for 3 days, army-crawling across the ground.

He lived off salted pork for months. (To this day, he despises pork.) That's the only ration he had consistently and they lived off just pork for more than 3 weeks at a time. Potatoes or carrots were a miracle.

He talked about flying blindly when his instruments went out and praying he would make it safely to the next stop, or the one time their gas tank was so dry that the only thing keeping them in the air was God.

One of my most memorable stories, one he's told time and time again through the years was how he sat on a hill in that very foreign country, wondering if he would ever have the opportunity to marry, to have a family. After relating that experience, he'd look around and say with a humble wag of the head, "And look at this amazing family!"

When offered free tickets to attend an honor ceremony in DC, he refused. "Everyone had to go to war. I can't be honored for doing something we were required to do." 

It's men and women like him whom I honor today.

 

Last week S.K. Anthony shared with us a STATIC, along with two truths and a lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win an eBook.

S.K.'s Game:

1. My nickname is Macaroni. And to live up to my name, I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen trying out different Mac and Cheese recipes. I must make only the very best ones . . . oh, the sacrifice I put my cheese-loving family through! 

2. I got arrested in Italy. My passport was once stolen while visiting and I had to travel around by myself without the tour group I’d gone with. I communicated the whole way in Spanish, between that and their Italian I got from Venice to Florence in trains then back to Rome, but then one thing led to another, miscommunication happened, and I ended up arrested. 

3. A few years back I wanted to invest in a MacBook Pro, but hubby said the price was too outrageous. We were on vacation at the time, and were on our way to the casino. I said, okay, if I win the money I’m getting it. I won $800 in one slot machine and $980 in another. Both were penny machines, and I didn’t play over $10 . . . so I got my beloved MacBook for free.

The lie: #2. She did go. Her passport did get stolen. She traveled around without a tour group and communicated in Spanish . . . didn’t get arrested. She has pics with two cops when she was filing the police report. On top of that, they wouldn’t let her come back to NY. In fact, they thought she was faking not being Italian, which did almost get her arrested for real.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Jules Smith!!!

Congrats, Jules! 

And now for this week's feature... 

Claire is sassy, human, and an outcast of society―who only wants to know where she belongs. 

Alex is arrogant, selfish, and an immortal warrior―who thinks he’s prepared for everything. 

Claire knows the world of immortals is where she belongs. As her guide and guardian, Alex finds it hard to resist Claire’s subtle charm. Can the two overcome their differences and embrace their passion for each other, or will the possibility of true love be lost to both forever?

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

Murees Dupé was born and still lives in South Africa. When she is not thinking up new stories, she is spending time with her family, playing with her three dogs and cat, watching TV, or overindulging on desserts.

Her favorite cheese is brie. The first time she tried brie she was a little apprehensive, because of the white exterior. It blew her mind. It was soft and silky, with a slight hint of mushroom. Delicious. 

Murees 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 THE AMARANTHINE.

You have until Tuesday, November 17 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on November 18.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I studied to be a vet.

2. I had to stick my hand up the rear end of a ewe as she was giving birth, to help turn the lamb that was in distress. 

3. In my student days I used to work with cattle that weighed over 800 kg each.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Are you celebrating a holiday/hero today? Do you believe in true love?

Thorns in Your Side (IWSG)

Do you ever feel like the awful parts of life are a blessing? 

This month, most Americans reflect on their blessings. I penned out the "gratitude" introduction for LightningQuickReads theme this month (a free flash fiction blog). The opportunity to post monthly on that blog has been both a blessing and a thorn in my side. It means having at least one piece of fiction available every month.

EVERY month. 

(Now take into account that I had a baby this year, and the fact that I'm an UBER perfectionist...)

Initially I was WAY ahead on the deadlines, but this last month I finished with only 4 days to spare. Talk about stress. One or two of those pieces made me want to slam my head against the wall. Repeatedly. For weeks.

At the same time, every month I've had to produce a piece of flash fiction. EVERY MONTH. Can you imagine how fabulous my flash fiction skills have become? And more than that. I used to struggle with short stories BIG time, but they're just longer pieces of flash fiction. I can literally write to any theme, any length, and do it in a reasonable amount of time. 

But it hurt to get here. To this point. This magical place. 

I think often we get stuck in the pain and forget that every ounce of suffering can become a blessing. When we're called, invited, required to pass through hard things, they have the potential to make us better. Every experience can be a blessing. We just have to step back, take a breath, and see the big picture.

 

Last week Cortney Pearson shared with us PHOBIC, 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 book.

Cortney's Game:

1. I met my husband while cleaning toilets as a student custodian.
2. I nearly drowned in the ocean when I got trapped beneath a boogie board. 
3. I sang in a band in high school.

The lie: #3. Cortney's friends were in a band in high school, however, one time she played the bass part on a keyboard because their bass player was unavailable. She totally rocked the bass line for Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" on the keyboard.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Jess!!! (AKA DMS)

Congrats, Jess!

And now for this week's feature... 

Kevin Pierce is a teleporter, a ladies’ man, and a loyal friend . . . or so he thought.

As a genetically altered Luminary, he helps the government bring down some of the most dangerous criminals. Not very challenging if you have his special abilities. But when a group of rebel Luminaries attacks his Organization the fight for survival begins.

One shattering event after another tests the depth of his relationships, his sanity, and his powers. Emotionally torn, Kevin must choose carefully where his loyalty lies. In the middle of all the unexpected chaos he gets the biggest shock of his life when he’s faced by a betrayal he never saw coming. Angry, injured, and ready to even the score, Kevin goes Static . . .

Get your copy HERE.

Ready to meet the author?

S. K. Anthony is a writer, a reader and a make-stuff-up-er who lives in New York with her husband and toddler twins. She is a wine connoisseur, which just really means she knows she loves it, and a caffeine addict. When she isn’t busy with her family, she finds herself being transported into the world of imagination. Well, either that or running away from spiders . . . she is convinced they are out to get her!

She adores mozzarella, but also gets lots of odd looks from waiters/waitresses at Italian restaurants because when eating pasta, she always begs for MORE fresh Parmesan cheese. The cheesier, the better!

S.K. 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 STATIC.

You have until Tuesday, November 10 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answers on November 11.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. My nickname is Macaroni. And to live up to my name, I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen trying out different Mac and Cheese recipes. I must make only the very best ones . . . oh, the sacrifice I put my cheese-loving family through! 

2. I got arrested in Italy. My passport was once stolen while visiting and I had to travel around by myself without the tour group I’d gone with. I communicated the whole way in Spanish, between that and their Italian I got from Venice to Florence in trains then back to Rome, but then one thing led to another, miscommunication happened, and I ended up arrested. 

3. A few years back I wanted to invest in a MacBook Pro, but hubby said the price was too outrageous. We were on vacation at the time, and were on our way to the casino. I said, okay, if I win the money I’m getting it. I won $800 in one slot machine and $980 in another. Both were penny machines, and I didn’t play over $10 . . . so I got my beloved MacBook for free.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have you been working through any thorns lately? How you do feel about genetic engineering?  

Crazy Uncle Henry: Getting to Know Your Characters

The debate goes on: which came first, the characters or the story? This of course depends on what kind of writer you are. Do you come across a stellar story idea and plot until Agatha Christie would be jealous, or do you meet someone (in reality, in a dream, etc) and suddenly realize, they have one heck of a story to tell?

I lean to the latter, or a combination, but have done both. Regardless of the method, one thing is obvious early on: there is no story without heartrending, bizarre, loveable, or otherwise stellar characters. In that vein I’m getting to know one of mine—one who is taking me by surprise, and I'd like to bring you along for the journey. Meet Crazy Uncle Henry.

Me: Say Hello Henry.

Henry: (stares squinty-eyed at me)

Me: I hear you are as diabolical as you are talented.

Henry: Who sent you here?

Me: (clearing throat) Says here you live in Lakeland, Florida, on an island, in the middle of a lake. How may I ask, did you come to own this particular piece of property? And why would you wish to live so far from civilization?

Henry: You don’t have any chocolate chip cookies, do you? The milk chocolate kind?

Me: No, Henry.

Henry: Oh good. Proceed then.

Me: You don’t like cookies?

Henry: Nasty things. Did you know on New Years Eve in 1984, the Toll House Inn—original birth place of the chocolate chip cookie, burned down? Mischievous things. And Massachusetts had the audacity to name the chocolate chip cookie its state cookie! Disaster, heart attacks, and coconuts thefts. All because of that *3$^ cookie!

Me: Interesting.

Henry: But I suppose they are no worse than the lizards.

Me: The lizards?

Henry: Well yes. That’s why I went into hiding. They never leave the coconuts alone!

Me: Wow. So, tell me, do you have any family?

Henry: (giving me a suspicious frown) Why?

Me: Because people have family…usually.

Henry: Posh. Electric charge, now that’s something everyone has. Static, I believe you call it. Build up enough of that and you could permanently damage your optic nerves. Quite unsafe I tell you, all this “static”.

Me: I’ll have to keep that in mind. I hear you made your fortune at a very young age. Would you like to tell us about that?

Henry: I am a scientist, madam. My work is for my-eyes-only.

Me: Sorry for prying.

Henry: Rightly so.

Me: Is there anything you would like to tell our readers, Henry?

Henry: Never wear rubber shoes.

Me: Okay. Thank you. That concludes our…one and a half minutes. Now um, security?