Surviving Heart Surgery

Well, I haven’t blogged for a few weeks.  Two and a half weeks ago my beautiful husband had a heart attack and had a quadruple heart bypass.  It went extremely well and he came home five days later.  They do amazing things these days with surgery.  Although his chest was cracked open and his heart stopped he is doing really well, even managing to walk up our steep driveway – although slowly – on our daily walks.

One of the interesting things it showed us was the wonderful friends who stepped up to help us out.  Particularly helping me through it all.  All the calls from our friends who checked in about my husband but were also aware to see that I was ok.

There were of course some who showed their true colours, but I think in times of crisis this is what you find in life.

To all those who were there for us I send a heart felt thank you.  Bless you for being there.

Blessed Be!

Donating to Cancer Care Centres – Adam Byrn Tritt

Most of you would not know that a year ago I had major surgery for a little known about form of cancer.  They say it is the type that re-occurs.  My reaction was ‘I don’t think so’.  I have been doing as much as I can alternatively, herbs, vitamins, meditation etc to make sure it does not come back, and I have to be checked regularly.  And last week I saw my Oncologist and was given another all clear, so I have been ‘cancer free’ for a whole year now.  Cause for celebration.  I have way too much to live for.  To that end I am promoting a book by author Adam Bryn Tritt.  He is donating 100% of his profits to cancer care, so please support him.

Songs from the Well: A Memior of Love and Grief, from award-winning poet and author Adam Byrn Tritt, is the remarkable chronicle of his love for his wife, Lee, his sudden and heartbreaking loss of her to brain cancer, and his struggle to find a way back to life. It is based on essays, blog postings, and poetry that he created throughout his relationship with her and in the time since her passing. His hope is that his experiences will help others grappling with a loved one’s serious illness or loss, as well as their friends and families.

100% of the author’s proceeds from the book are being donated to the Cancer Care Centers Foundation, which directly helps patients and families dealing with cancer.

“You would think this book would be dedicated to Lee,” the author writes. “To her life. Her bravery. Her love of those she was leaving. But it isn’t. It is dedicated to those left behind. Parents who outlive their children. Spouses who promised forever, and would have kept that promise with a glad heart, but found that forever ended much too soon. For those who fell and got back up again. And those who fell and could not get up. Could not come out of the well. For them, too. But let’s give her the last word anyway: ‘I would do it all over again. Remember, no one gets left behind. Now, go and be happy.’ I’m trying.”

Adam Byrn Tritt, MEd, CH, LMT, is an internationally bestselling author, a poet, essayist, screenwriter, teacher, social activist, and humorist. In 2012 his hilarious children’s book, Bud the Spud, was published by Axios Press. In addition to Songs from the Well, Tritt is the author of The Phoenix and the Dragon: Poems of the Alchemical Transformation, a collection of his poetry, as well as several works of nonfiction including the bestselling Tellstones: Runic Divination in the Welsh Tradition.

Tritt won the 2006 EPPIE Award for Poetry in an Anthology. In 1995 he was awarded an honorary doctorate for his work in religious tolerance and for the creation of TurningPoint, a nonprofit program providing alternative medicine to low-income individuals. He continues that passion today in the healthcare clinic he and his wife dreamed of and created together—the Wellness Center.

Author Spotlight – Ayla Page

Ayla Page was born in West Yorkshire, England on the only snowy day of the year. She moved to Bournemouth on the south coast of England, in 2007 at the age of eighteen to ‘seek her fortune’. There she married and had a daughter before moving back up to Yorkshire in 2010.
Now a divorced single mother, Ayla is reading Psychology at university with her eye on a distinguished writing career and the esteemed prizes that accompany such.

Rowan in the Oak Tree

A bestselling short drama about love and family

Rowan isn’t your average child dreaming of rainbows and unicorns; her dreams are much simpler and yet hardly achievable… she wants to be loved.
Peyton, her dog, is her loyal companion and shows his little madam what unconditional love is all about.
Her mother believes in tough love; heavy on the tough, not so much on the love.
Will Rowan find a way to escape the things that go bump in the night or will she surrender to the darkness?

http://www.amazon.com/Rowan-The-Oak-Tree-ebook/dp/B00CF63M1G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1366709536&sr=8-4&keywords=ayla+page

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rowan-The-Oak-Tree-ebook/dp/B00CF63M1G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366709775&sr=1-1&keywords=rowan+in+the+oak+tree

The Guardians by Linell Jeppsen & J Bryden Lloyd

An alien race flee their dying world…

Welcomed by the hails and emissaries of the League of Eight, The Crulla instead make their way through the systems they come across, seeking worlds not to live on, but where they can harvest the blood of the inhabitants.

After their advance leads them to a League outpost, where they decimate the population, the League are forced to act; going to war against the rampaging alien species, who are making their way slowly to the unprotected Sollus system, and it’s one occupied planet… Earth!

The race begins, as the scattered forces of the League try to reach Earth before the Crulla begin their extermination of the human race…

The Guardians Episode 3

While the Crulla royalty begin to fracture over their plans, Amy meets Hal: a witness to the Crulla landing site; a place known as ‘The Hole’.Howard Wells is a civilian tracker working for the military, and he has data that points to the Crulla landing site. With illusions of making First Contact, he heads north.
Meanwhile the League fleet has reached the deadly Nezzatu System and Captain Orta is desperate not to lose time amongst the lethal asteroid fields.

Back on Earth, a hunt is beginning…

Linell Jeppsen & J Bryden Lloyd

Linell Jeppsen is a writer of science fiction and fantasy. Her vampire novel, Detour to Dusk and her post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel, Story Time have both received multiple four and five star reviews, with Story Time being nominated as the best new read of 2011 by the PRG!
Her dark fantasy novel, Onio, was released in December 2012 and won 3rd place as the best fantasy romance of 2012 by the PRG reviewers guild!

J Bryden Lloyd is primarily a writer of Science Fiction, but has current projects spanning several other genres. His widely acclaimed YA Science Fiction series, The Chronicles of Jenson Quest, is an ongoing series which is due to continue over the next few years. The Zubot Master is a short children’s sci-fi series, and amongst all his other projects, he has written three Meet My Shorts! short story collections in mixed genres.
This is the first work he has released working alongside another author, though there are several collaborations presently underway.

Author Interview – Jessica O’Gorek

Today I am pleased to bring you Jessica O’Gorek speaking about her book – Gemini Rising Etheral Fury.

 Short author bio: I was born in Chesapeake, Virginia on April 19th, 1979. I was raised within the American Indian religion and was taught great respect for the earth and all its living beings. Powwows, sweat lodges, vision quests, you name it, I’ve done it. I was the weird kid who would confront kids on the playground in elementary school when they squished a bug. I would very sincerely tell them what they were doing was morally wrong and then I would pray for the bug to come back as a butterfly in its next life.

 

Contact information:

Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/Gemini-Rising-Ethereal-Jessica-OGorek/dp/0925776254/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365964132&sr=8-1&keywords=gemini+rising+ogorek

Website / Blog: http://geminirising1.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-OGorek/306913389429972

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeminiRising1

Book Synopsis: Angry at the human race and its methodical destruction of her resources, Mother Earth recruits souls who have just left their bodies to serve Her, and turns them against humanity.

Gemini, a clan of paranormal beings, picked from the possessed humans, emerges.  A powerful, rising force proceeds to carry out Mother Nature’s plan to systematically destroy towns, cities, states… and eventually, the world.

Amidst the chaos, a forbidden relationship a human girl, Violette, and Onyx, a lead Gemini, begins. They will both find themselves in the middle of a revolutionary war that will either save, or destroy our world.

Tell us a little about your book.

My book will paint a picture of humanity, our shortcomings, our faults and how all of these things are effecting the earth. It will also show us what could happen if we don’t wisen up. Mother earth can only take so much!

What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to take the YA genre and add some spice to it by inserting a deeper concept they can hopefully relate to. Instead of just a love triangle and some supernatural creatures, we have an earth element; one that I hope will instill in them the importance of protecting our planet.

How are your story ideas born?

I saw the Twilight Saga films, I read the books and then I read the Host. I took all of those books and went into a different universe. I was riding back from my in-law’s house, after Thanksgiving dinner 2010 and I told my husband and my then 11 year old that I was going to write a book. I told them all about it and they said it sounded amazing. Onyx and Violette were born. It’s a series. I am not sure how long it’s going to be yet, but I’m on book # 4. I guess the why of my project is really simple. I enjoy writing.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Yes. The message is loud and clear. We aren’t taking care of the earth and in case anyone hasn’t noticed, things are changing! (Polar ice caps, see level rising, super storms) I hope to create awareness that global warming is real and that we have to rapidly change our ways or suffer the consequences. I don’t think we are doing enough and I think the damage we have done is at this point irreversible.

What is your writing process?

I write by the seat of my pants and my characters seem to lead the plot in the right direction. I always try to create an outline but it never goes how I plan it. Onyx and Violette have distinct ideas as to how they wants things to go.

What are the future plans for you and this book?

I am on book four on the Gemini Rising series and still going strong. One thing I was never good at was ending a book. In fact, I have yet to do so.

What are you doing to market your book?

I blog, I Tweet, I’ve designed my own website, I joined Goodreads and Book Blogs, I attended numerous Like events and created my own Facebook page.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

Yes! I alternate between editing, writing and marketing. It’s crazy for me because I am on book 4.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

Recite the serenity prayer and if you want it bad enough, make it happen. No one will ever do it for you. “God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Stephanie Meyer. The series stuck with me because I absolutely love Edward and because of Bella’s transition from girl to vampire. I watched the first movie then read the series and just couldn’t get enough of it. The funny thing is, Meyer really isn’t a stunning writer, not compared to James Patterson or King, but she still sucked me into the story and had me reeling with Edward’s innocent sweetness. He was a killer but also a gentle soul. This concept fascinates me and has translated into Onyx, my main character.

AUTHORSdB – FREE Author & Book Promotion – reblogged from www.msfowle.wordpress.com

AUTHORSdB – Free Author & Book Promotion

An author’s primary goal after publishing a book is selling said book to as many readers as humanly possible. One way to promote your work is through author listing sites. Unfortunately, some of them want you to pay for such a service, some even having the gall to ask for hundreds of dollars. Now, I suppose if the site is run or backed by some Fortune 500 company of some sort, then it might be worth the coin. But we’ve got bills to pay. What’s the point of selling books if you end up putting all your profits into trying to sell more books?

Free… is a fantabulous thing. So, my author friends, I invite you to join AUTHORSdB.com!

It’s a quickly growing database of authors and their books. You can list all your available books and their descriptions, and you can even quote reviews from Amazon, Goodreads, etc. Oh–and no need to upload each and every book cover, or even copy and paste a link for every book. Simply provide a link to your author profile (like on Amazon or Smashwords) and they do the rest for you! They even find and add your author photo to your profile.

In addition, they provide listings of various author services, such as editing, formatting, & book covers. (Melchelle Designs was just recently added to the roster.)

And on top of all that, they host a wonderful Book Cover Contest! Once you’ve listed yourself in their database, you can check out the contest and add your book cover to the appropriate category to be voted on. (I just added the cover for The Sire to the Science Fiction/Fantasy category, if you feel so inclined to vote on it. You can do so if you just CLICK HERE. But I believe you need to register on the site first.)

And don’t forget, I am more than happy to share your new, old, or upcoming book right here on my website. Just click on the Author Services tab above to get started. And yes–it’s totally free.

Daughter of Light & Dark – 5 star review

What a nice surprise I received this morning with another 5 star review for my book Daughter of Light & Dark

5.0 out of 5 stars A great new fantasy quest, April 14, 2013

By Morgaine – See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

This review is from: Daughter of Light & Dark (Prophecy of Nitesh) (Volume 1) (Paperback)

I am a big fan of the fantasy quest – the coming together of different characters with their own personalities and skills to work together to achieve something that none may achieve alone. In this case the main character is Montayna – a freed slave girl who discovers her magikal abilities as she gathers together those people both human and fae who will aid her on her quest.

She must discover why she is the Chosen One from the prophecy and what she must do to eventually fight the darkness that is threatening the land. She is guided by the ancient wizard Gilcune, who interprets the Prophecy as they travel. As well as the mysterious young girl Kaya who at times seems wise beyond her years.

As the story progresses, some of her companions split off on their own journeys from time to time, which is another wonderful part of the fantasy quest.

The story has been told so well through the characters that it kept me enthralled throughout.
Although there were no battles and fighting as such, Montayna had to tap into her dark side in order to survive.

I look forward to book two with anticipation of what further adventures are to come for Montayna and her companions.