Four For Friday--Mariah Deitrick

Four For Friday is a weekly feature where guest authors choose one of their own characters to complete four sentences. 

Please be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could be the lucky winner of a Kindle copy! AND if we get 50 or more entries, Mariah is also offering some SWAG! That's right, TWO prizes. So tell your friends to enter. The more, the merrier!

This week's post is by Mariah Deitrick from her novel, THE FORGOTTEN

You could win this Awesome SWAG!

My name is Addaline Walker. I’m sixteen, a student, I work in the gardens, and I’m a participant in Crawford City’s annual Judgment Day. Not fun! That’s when I’ll find out if all my hard work has paid off and I’m worthy to live in the city. If not, I die. Wish me luck! I’ll need it.

1. The best part about Spring is…

The weather. It’s kind of nice not having to worry about heat stroke or frostbite while working outside.

2. I used to believe in the Easter bunny, but then…

Xander and I ate him. Well, we ate a bunny. I’m not sure if it was an Easter bunny or not, but I don’t know the different species of rabbits. Do they have black fur?

3. Most of the clothes in my closet are…

T-shirts and jeans.

4. My favorite social media site is…

Social media site? Is that the places where people gather for celebrations?

I can’t say I have a favorite. The only place we have in Crawford City for stuff like that is where hundreds of children were sentenced to death. It’s not really a good place for parties and chit chat.

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If you'd like to learn more about Mariah and her books, please visit her on Facebook, Twitter, or at her Website.

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UNEXPECTING--We Have a Winner!!

There were 10 entries for a Kindle copy of UNEXPECTED

 Thank you to everyone who participated. 


And now, what you've all been waiting for....Drum roll, please...

SHEILA DEETH!!

Didn't win? There will be a giveaway every week. Make sure you stay connected so you will know when to enter.

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Behind The Keyboard--Ideas

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.~Napoleon Hill  

Ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes they smack you in the head and other times they start as small as an inchworm, niggling at the back of your mind and getting bigger and bigger until there's no more room and it HAS to get out. Eww. You get the idea.

You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it. ~Neil Gaiman 

I usually get my ideas when I'm not looking for one. A pouty model in a magazine ad, an animated couple in the car next to mine while sitting in traffic, or an interesting customer who walks into our repair shop can prompt a character profile. A bit of dialogue or a phrase in a book or movie could become a story line. A photo may conjure a tale all by itself. Even sweeping can spark ideas.

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Well, I guess I would fail the first-rate-intelligence test. When an idea takes root, I can't concentrate on anything until I get that idea, dialogue, or first sentence in writing. I need to write it down or else it dissipates into the air faster than fog on a sunny day. I have a box full of slips of paper, and notebooks full of partial dialogue and character profiles. 

One can resist the invasion of an army but one cannot resist the invasion of ideas.Victor Hugo 

Once I start writing, don't bother me with work, food or conversation. I don't want to stop until my mind is emptied. Then, until I can see the next scene clearly in my mind, I wash dishes, do laundry, dust, vacuum, and file paperwork in a zombie-like trance with a far-away look in my eyes.

Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.~Jim Rohn 

And that is why I never let an idea get away. I save all of them. I never know when I might need one.

Where do you get your ideas? What do you do with them?

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Four For Friday--Lori Verni-Fogarsi

Four For Friday is a weekly feature where guest authors choose one of their own characters to complete four sentences. Please be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could be the lucky winner of a Kindle copy!

This week's post is by Lori Verni-Fogarsi from her just-released novel, UNEXPECTING

Hi! My name is Tiny and while my name may sound otherwise, I'm actually a big, giant goofball of a dog. You know, one of those giant, slobbery, brindle dogs like in that 1980s movie with Tom Hanks?

Anyhow, it's been fun being a character in Lori Verni-Fogarsi's novel, "Unexpecting." Alexandra brought me with her after our mom died and she packed up all our things. Shelley and David were kind of surprised when we showed up at the front door and Alexandra announced that we're the daughter and dog that they never knew they had, but they've been really nice to me. Plus, they have this really cute cat named Frick, and even though he's old, he likes to snuggle a lot, just like me. Oh, and he rarely hisses when I slobber on him, which is also a nice bonus!

You can get to know me more in Lori Verni-Fogarsi's new novel, "Unexpecting." 

Denise from A Room To Write asked me some interesting questions, and here are my replies:

Denise: The best part about spring is...

Tiny: Going on more walks! I just love walks, even if people do sometimes mistake me for a pony on a leash. Plus, there are lots of things growing, which I love to pee on, and David takes me to the dog park (even though he doesn't feel so macho when I'm afraid of the other big dogs and prefer to play with the small ones).


Denise: I used to believe in the Easter bunny, but then...

Tiny: I was sniffing around the kitchen on the night before Easter and figured out that there was a BONE in the CABINET! I couldn't believe it! It was right there on the other side of the cabinet door and I couldn't even eat it. But then, they gave me a bone the very next day and said that the Easter bunny brought it... but I could smell that it was the VERY SAME BONE! I don't mind though, I'm just happy I got a bone!


Denise: Most of the clothes in my closet are...

Tiny: Bandanas! Shelley bought them for me in an attempt to keep my slime strings under control, but I still sometimes get slobber on things... especially Shelley's legs for some reason!


Denise: My favorite social media site is...

Tiny: LoriTheAuthor's Facebook page! Because even though she writes novels, she has also written a dog training book and often posts funny and cute pictures of dogs, and interesting articles for dogs to become well-behaved pets. Which is a good thing because then we get more treats! 

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Did you know there's a party going on? Lori is having a book release celebration for UNEXPECTING! Stop by her website, enter to win either a Kindle Fire or $100 Amazon cash, and find out how to join in on the fun! 

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The Chosen--We Have a Winner!

There were 14 entries for a Kindle copy of 

THE CHOSEN

 Thank you to everyone who participated. 

And now, what you've all been waiting for....Drum roll, please...

Sheila Deeth!

Didn't win? There will be a giveaway every week. Make sure you stay connected so you will know when to enter.

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There Are No Words

Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.~Thomas More 

Four For Friday--Andrea Buginsky

Four For Friday is a weekly feature where guest authors choose one of their own characters to complete four sentences. Please be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could be the lucky winner of a Kindle copy!

This week's post is by Andrea Buginsky from her novel, The Chosen

Halli

When Queen Laurali of the elves first told me I am a holy paladin with the power to heal, I was shocked. I’ve read about mystical beings and monsters in my fables all my life, but never thought it was possible that they could be real, and that I was a part of that mystical world. All my life, I thought I was just a plain, shy dwarf. But now, here I am, part of The Chosen, riding around Phantasma, and keeping The Chosen alive while we rid our world of the vermin that is trying to wreak havoc on us.

I’ve come a long way since the day I met Queen Laurali. I am proud to be a holy paladin and a member of The Chosen. They are my family, and I cannot imagine not having them in my life. Especially my beloved Silvor.

1. The best part about Spring is…

 Watching nature come alive.

2. I used to believe in the Easter bunny, but then…

 What do you mean, “But then?”

3. Most of the clothes in my closet are…

 Comfortable and casual.

4. My favorite social media site is…

Facebook. I’m sorry to say I don’t even have a clever twitter handle. I use my name so people recognize that it’s me. I know, boring, but it works.

You can find out more about Andrea by visiting her Website

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The Last Supper Catering Company--We Have a Winner!!

There were 23 entries for a Kindle copy of THE LAST SUPPER CATERING COMPANY by Michaelene McElroy.

 Thank you to everyone who participated. 

And now, what you've all been waiting for....Drum roll, please...

Mishael Austin Witty!

Didn't win? There will be a giveaway every week. Make sure you stay connected so you will know when to enter.

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Four For Friday--Michaelene McElroy

Four For Friday is a weekly feature where guest authors choose one of their own characters to complete four sentences. Please be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could be the lucky winner of a Kindle copy!

This week's post is by Michaelene McElroy from her novel, 

The Last Supper Catering Company

The Last Supper Catering Company is the heartwarming story of B. Thankful Childe-Lucknow. Turned out with red corkscrew hair, one eye brown, the other green, and gifted with the power to hear the voices of the departed, B. Thankful is cast aside by the town, and lives an isolated upbringing in the woods with Big G, Little G, and Tyler Lucknow.

Tragedy, followed by the discovery of a long-forgotten paint-by-number picture of the Last Supper, thrusts B. Thankful from the safety of everything she has ever known.

Beyond the boundary of her sheltered life, B. Thankful discovers the world's hard edges as well as its beauty. More importantly, with the help of a cast of quirky and tenderhearted souls (both earthly and heavenly), she discovers why God made her special.

1. The best part about Spring is... everything turns green, green, green here in the woods. Flowers spring forth like a bright idea that's bein' lyin' in wait all the winter long, and just needed a little sunshine to bloom.  And I'm free to run wild in the woods, out from under the constant stare and bossiness of my Little G.  I love her more than I can say, but spending the winter indoors side-by-side, day-after-day, takes it out of me. 

2. I used to believe in the Easter bunny, but then...To be true to you, I had never heard of the Easter bunny until I got your note. When I turned to Little G and asked what an Easter bunny was, she said, "Dinner."  

3. Most of the clothes in my closet are... just right for working on the property -- boots, overalls, two pairs of socks, two pairs of underpants, two t-shirts (I don't wear a brassiere like my Big G and Little G 'cuz my breasts are small, whereas Little G's breasts are knocking at her waistline, and Big G has a special bra to accommodate her vestigial third tit. Best not tell my Gs I told you something so very personal or I will be in the d-o-g house.)  Oh, and a straw hat to keep the sun from turning me lightheaded.  I own a few simple dresses that Little G stitched up for me, but I save them for really special occasions, like Daddy's coming home after a long time gone, or our Sunday services we hold down by the river, just the four of us. 

4. My favorite social media site is... Boy, you are full of ideas I've never even heard of until you wrote to me. Social media?  What in the heck is that?  We don't own a phone or Teevee, so the only social we know is if someone drops by, and that's unlikely given how the town feels about me, but that's a whole other story; one that some lady wrote all about me.

You can find out more about Michaelene by visiting her Website

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READ ME DEAD--We Have a Winner!

There were 25 entries for a Kindle copy of READ ME DEAD.

 Thank you to everyone who participated. 

And now, what you've all been waiting for....Drum roll, please...

Caitlyn Renee Minor!

Didn't win? There will be a giveaway every week. Make sure you stay connected so you will know when to enter.

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Chaos, Crises & Crabs

So you may or may not have noticed that there wasn't a Fun Facts post about Easter. I apologize to anyone who was disappointed. Lately, there has been way too much chaos and way too many crises in my life, and I can't seem to remember what day it is.

My mother has decided that she doesn't like where she is living. Her and my sister are moving, and of course, I'm helping them. My back is killing me. They have accumulated an awful lot of stuff. The details are the most exhausting thing about the move.

Wrong paint. The color in the middle is Imperial Sand. The color on the wall is more like fleshy pink.

John and I needed to do some major renovations to the downstairs apartment in our house. It has been an expensive and very frustrating venture. If you've ever done work in your house, you know that nothing EVER goes as planned.

My daughter Amanda goes to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. We had given her a car to drive while she's down there. The day before I was to fly down and spend some quality Spring Break time with her, someone had stolen her car. Not only did they take her car, but they also took everything in the interior and trunk, to the tune of $3,300.00 in aircraft tools. Oy. Needless to say, our quality Spring Break time was spent doing a bunch of running around and wondering what kind of people steal from other working-class schmucks like us.

They stole the car right from under her nose and her balcony!

The good news is that ten days later, the car was recovered about a mile from her apartment complex. The bad news is that the police did not catch anyone because they didn't wait for the culprits to come back to the car. Three days later, the thief attempted to steal the car again, but broke one of the windows instead. There are still no leads, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

I like to think positively, and remember that there are people who have bigger problems than us.

In the midst of all this chaos and crises, I am querying agents for representation. My nerves are shot and I'm not even halfway through my list.

When I'm feeling like I just want to cry, I remember how delicious the crabs tasted at Joe's Crab Shack on the pier in Daytona Beach, and that makes me smile.

That's me--Queen Crab!