Random Wednesday: Goals for 2015

Happy Almost New Year!! I can't believe 2014 is almost gone. The year went so fast and, I'm sure, I say that every year. But it's true! Oh, yes, I must give you the last man hotness for 2014.

Once again, you're welcome! Anyway, I can't say this past year has been great, but it wasn't too horrible either. So, for that, I am quite thankful. So my goals for this coming year, in no particular order:

1. Write way more books. Yes, yes, I know, how vague, but I don't have a particular number in my head. I just want it to be more than the 2 I put out this year. Right now, I have like 5 or 6 ideas stewing around in my head. If I can get those all on paper and out, then I'm doing excellent.

2. Get healthier. I need to start walking or something. Some kind of exercise must be done this year. It's not that I long to lose weight, though that would be great, but I think it would help my depression. I've fought clinical depression all my life and the meds just aren't doing the job right now. But I think exercise would help so much.

3. Write every day . . . no matter what. This goes back to the depression. It is a constant struggle to get anything done. When I sit down to write, it just doesn't happen. Then I get distracted and then I nap. I nap a lot. That's the depression. But I plan on forcing myself to write. I think once I get into the habit, it will stick. 

4. Do work around the house. We have rooms that haven't seen paint since the contractors painted the walls 12 years ago. My sister and I are both sick of the boring color so I plan on painting. 

Hmmm, I think that's about it. Writing, getting healthier, writing, painting. :-) And writing. I can always do more writing.

So there you have it. Those are my goals for the new year. What about you? Do you have goals? Do you even make them? If so, just comment down below and maybe we can cheerlead each other. Also, go check out the other Blogger Girlz and see what they plan on getting up to in the new year.

Bronwyn
Jessica
Kris

See you later! Gwen

Random Wednesday: All I Want For Christmas . . . or Sit Back and Tell Me How Much Time Do You Have???

OMG! Can you believe the holidays are almost here??? Everything went so fast. One minute it was Halloween and the next thing you know it's almost the end of December! Oh first let me give you a holiday gift:

And, you're welcome! See I am a kind and benevolent goddess. ;-)

Okay, so our topic this week is about what we want for Christmas. First, I'm pagan so I celebrate Yule (winter solstice) and that is December 21, which is this Sunday. But I also celebrate Christmas, because my sister does so I kind of get a two-fer. Aren't I awesome??

I have all kinds of wishes so right now I'm going to tell you what they are and toss them out to the universe all at the same time. I think some of them will catch.

My first wish is for there to be peace. I don't even watch the news anymore since it's filled with constant bad news. But I don't want peace just in our world, but peace in everyone's heart, mind and soul. I think it really does start with each individual. If every single one of us could just feel peaceful and positive and awesome the world would be so much better. 

My next wish is for the people nearest and dearest to my heart. I want them to get whatever their secret desire is and I will star that with the idea that their desire won't hurt anyone else. So wish away loved ones and let's see what happens.

My next wish is for me. I have been searching for a job since July and so far, nothing. So I really wish a fabulous job will come my way. One that I will love and will give me the time to write. Now, if the fabulous job, is writing for a living. Then I would so, so love that. If I could make a solid living from writing I am jumping on that horse and riding it to the finish . . . or something like that. 

My final wish is to all you readers out there. May your holiday be filled with nothing but fun, love, and magic. 

Now go check out what the other Blogger Girlz want for Christmas. I'm going to bet it has nothing to do with teeth. 

Bronwyn
Jessica
Kris
Kellie

Happy Yule, Merry Christmas, and Season's Greetings!! Gwen

My Favorite Holiday Memory . . . or The Time My Sister and I Got So Scared We Actually Stayed in Bed Christmas Morning

My sister and I love the holidays and when we were little our family did it up big. We had multiple trees ( the huge one in the family room and the smaller one in the living room) and tons of decorations all over the house. This was probably the only time of the year we actually got along and loved sharing a room.

Me and Jude

We would try to get up and see what Santa brought us starting probably around 4am. My poor parents never got any sleep because they spent all the time yelling at us to "go back to bed." I think they'd finally give up around 5:30 or 6 and just let us go.

Let me back up a bit, we had a fairly small house. It was only 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom and, of course, our bedroom was right next door to Mom and Dad's room. The living room was kind of diagonal from our room and that's where the little tree was. The main tree, and where Santa left us gifts, was out in the family room and you had to go through the kitchen to get there.

Okay now you know that, I can tell you about the Christmas I was 9 and my sister was 6. I remember it like it was yesterday and so does Jude. Whether you have us together or apart we will tell you the same story.

At this point we had bunkbeds. I had the top bunk and obviously she had the bottom.  OMG, we were so excited Christmas Eve, like always. I'm not sure which one of us decided it was Go Time, but we decided it was time to make our first foray out to the tree to see if Santa had visited us. Now it was dark, so I imagine it wasn't even 4am yet, but we had a window in our room that let in quite a bit of light from the street lights. We put our house slippers on and eased to the door.

We knew we had to be quiet, like ninjas, so our parents wouldn't hear us. So we slowly, so slowly turned the door knob and eased the door open. I remember peeking out the door, Jude below me doing the same, so our eyes could adjust to the dark. And that's when we saw it . . . or should I say HIM!

He was in shadow, since it was dark, leaning over another large dark object, like he was putting something down. And it was HIM, Santa, right there. Even in the darkness, I could see his hat and coat, and how he was "chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf." But believe me, we didn't laugh at the sight of him. Oh hell no, my sister and I almost wet ourselves we were so scared.

We probably looked like this

or maybe more like this

Whatever we looked like, I remember easing the door closed and we raced to Jude's small bed. That's where we both climbed in, slippers and all, pulled the covers up over and our heads and lay there. Scared to death. I don't even remember the thoughts rolling through my head, I just know I was scared. I mean you have this whole idea of Santa Claus, you know he some how gets into your house and leaves you gifts, you find the gifts in the morning. But you don't see him. Ever. But we had.

We stayed in bed that morning until it was light. I bet it had to be 7am or later. I know neither my sister or I wanted to go out there until it was light and we were sure he had gone. 

When we told the story later, Mom thought we'd been imagining things. As we got older and told the story, she finally realized we were serious. I remember her saying, "You actually think you saw Santa?" And we answered, "No, we KNOW we saw him." Mom's reply, "I have no idea what you saw."

Other people have suggested that perhaps our dad dressed up and I laugh at this. I loved my dad, but he there was no way he was going to buy a full Santa suit, dress all the way up, make himself look fat and jolly, just in case we happened to get up and saw him putting gifts out. That wasn't him. 

The gift Santa was leaning over was an organ left for us in the living room. Another odd thing since no gifts were ever left in Mom's good living room. That was a room to be admired from afar, but never entered. That's where the "good furniture" was and where children weren't allowed. We also never got gifts in there again. 

So there you have it, my favorite holiday memory. You can say all you want that Santa doesn't exist, but I will tell you I saw him and so did Jude. We stand by our story 100%.

If you've ever had a close encounter of the Santa kind leave your story in the comments below. I'd love to hear about them!!

Happy Holidays -- Gwen

Random Wednesday: 5 Biggest Writing Distractions . . . or Really Here's Why I Can't Write . . . Really

Unfortunately, distractions are something we all have to deal with, no matter what career path you follow. But, if you're a writer, they're especially difficult since it's so hard sometimes to get back into the story once you have to leave it. I'm sure there are people out there who will claim nothing distracts them . . . whatevs, they're either fibbing or they're Nora Roberts. 

Wait, before I jump in I need to post a pic of male hotness.

For me, these are my top 5 distractions . . . Oh, I'm sure they're are many many more, but right now these are the ones that instantly come to mind.

1. The Cats - We have 4 of them and man oh man are they are distraction. I have The Wine Drinker running around getting into the tree, Disgruntled Kitty wanting to be on my lap ALL THE TIME, Abby just being generally cute, and then there's Olivia. My sister calls her "little assface" and she is, but she's also utterly adorbs. She does the cutest thing when she wants you to blow bubbles for her. Here it is:

See what I mean??? You'd blow bubbles for her too!

2. Facebook & Twitter - I get on both of these in the morning to check in with my readers and post stuff. But then it's like a black hole and I fall in. At first, I'm all like, I'll just post one thing then the next thing you know I'm taking quizzes and looking at knitting patterns. O_O OMG!! Make it stop.

3. Computer Games - I'm not a series gamer. I don't play Worlds of War Craft or whatever. I play things like Bejeweled and hidden object games, but they suck me in and I just keep playing. I think I'll play one game, then 1 game turns into an hour or two. 

4. Knitting - I love to knit and right now I'm working on this scarf for someone. It's not a gift, just something I said I'd do. But sometimes the yarn calls and I find myself out there just knitting along pretending to watch TV or listen to music. It's a sickness and I'm going to bet this will be on Bronwyn's list too. 

5. Books - I saved this for last because this is the worst distraction of them all. I have huge stack of books sitting on my nightstand and 4 or 5 more in my closet. I love to read. I don't care if the book is actually paper or on my Nook, it doesn't matter. I just love to

 read. Right now I'm reading 1776 and it's so good. I read a lot of non-fiction and the Revolutionary War is one of my fav periods.  

Huh, so that's 5 already? Wow, I still had more distractions to talk about. Okay, well go check out the other Blogger Girlz and see what pulls them away from writing. Oh, and if you want, share with me what your distractions are. Maybe I can find some new hobbies. :-)  

Bronwyn

Jessica
Kris

Kellie

Kayleigh

See you next week!! --GC

Random Wednesday: Favorite Things - Holiday Traditions

I love the holidays! Starting on September 1, I begin to decorate my house first with Halloween, then Thanksgiving, ending with Yule. I suppose, for me, this is a tradition. I didn't start it until I was an adult and moved to this house, but I love it.

As you can see, the Blogger Girlz are talking about holiday traditions this week. Before I leap in and tell you any more I must share the fantastic pic of the week.

And, you're welcome!

Okay, so when I was a kid a huge tradition we had was going out to get the tree. We were a real tree family. So early in December, my dad would pack me and my sister up and we'd go to find the tree. There were certain lots we knew had the best trees. So we'd go and usually my sister and I picked the tree. My dad was along as driver, payer, and carrier. One year though, my dad picked the tree. It was so cold that year and I guess, looking back now, he didn't want to keep us out. So went to the place we knew had awesome trees and he picked one that hadn't been unwrapped yet (still had the twine around it from the journey from the farm). My sister and I were glad to get it and go. When we got home, he trimmed about 2 inches off the bottom and put it in a bucket of water outside on our patio. We would get the tree one weekend and put it up the next. Let me tell you that over the week this tree expanded and expanded and expanded!!! It was ginormous!! It was the biggest tree I'd ever seen. The branches spread so far I couldn't get out the back door to feed the dog, I had to go around from the side door. 

When he finally got it trimmed up and in the house there was enough left over branches that one of my cousins made wreathes for 4 or 5 families. It was insane. But daggone that was the best tree ever!!

When my dad died when I was 19 the tradition changed. My sister and I went out and got our own tree and did the deal for two more years and then we just couldn't do it anymore. She was going away to college and I wasn't doing it on my own so Mom and I bought a fake tree. Yay! I loved, loved that tree. When we decorate our tree we always talk about where the ornaments came from (who gave them to us, reason, whatever). My sister and I still do this. None of our ornaments match and all of them have stories to go with. 

One in particular is really old. It's a small blue ball with Minnie Mouse on it. I have no idea where it came from, but this ornament meant something when we were kids. Each year my sister and I would take turns hanging Minnie on the tree. Hanging the ornament meant the holidays were here.

Now, my sister hangs it each year since I did it for so many years on my own. It's a nice tradition we both love. And as she hangs it she announces, "I'm hanging Minnie now." We both laugh.

When our Mom died in 2010, that changed things again for us. That first holiday sucked! But what made it so, so, so much better was our best friends Mary and Susan. They drove up from Memphis and we spend the holiday together. I can't even tell you how much better they made the holiday for us. Last year was the first year we didn't all get together and after it was all over we all said, "Never again." It just stunk being apart. So this year they are driving up and Jude and I have already gotten the house all decorated. We're talking menus and desserts and drinks. So much fun!

Anyway, those are some of our holiday traditions. Remind me and I'll tell you about the time my sister and I saw Santa Claus. Not at the mall or whatever, but in our house on Christmas eve. In the meantime, go check out the other Blogger Girlz and their traditions. Oh and in the comments below share some of your holiday traditions. Maybe my sister and I will adopt them. 

Bronwyn
Jessica
Kris
Kellie
Happy Holidays!! --GC

Random Wednesday: I'm Thankful For . . .

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving! I still can't believe the time is flying by so quickly. So as the Random Wednesday Blog reaches this time of year we are all reflecting on things we're thankful for. You know, it's so easy to talk about how crummy things are. I think as a group people are really more apt to look at the bad stuff than the good. Oh wait, speaking of good stuff:

Anyway, onto what I'm thankful for. 

First and foremost, I am way thankful for my sister, Judith. This woman is amazing, but don't tell her I said that. :-) She is always there for me, no matter what. She supports me and loves me and I can't imagine my life with out her.

Me and Jude

I am very thankful for my incredible friends. They have been there for me through the crappy hard times as well as the amazing times. I know I can call them anytime and they're there for me. Most of them live in other cities, but it doesn't matter. I know they are only a phone call, IM, text or email away.

I'm very thankful for my sweet kitties. Though right now I'm less thankful since one is sitting on me and the other is sitting beside me. Helping don't you know. But I love them. They are my fur-babies and I can't imagine not going to bed or waking up without them.

Max

Warlock

I'm thankful for the house we live in and the food we eat. 

I'm way thankful for my writing ability. I can't imagine what I would do if I couldn't write. I'm also thankful for incredible friends who also write. It's so nice to be able to talk to people about writing who totally get it and don't think I'm crazy. 

I know there's probably other things, but this is my main list. In the comments tell me what you're thankful for. Also, go check out what the other Random Blogger Girlz are thankful for. 

Browyn

Jessica

Kris

Kellie

Happy Thanksgiving!!! --GC

Random Wednesday Blog: My 3 Writing Wishes . . . or Do You Have a Genie Handy?

Wow! I cannot believe Thanksgiving is next week already?? Time is flying by so fast. And I'm sure you're wondering why I'm rambling about the time and blah, blah, blah. Yeah, this leads me into my 3 writing wishes. Okay, first I really want more than 3, but Jess and Bronwyn came up with the number and I gotta stick with it. Oh!! First I gotta show you manly hotness. And this pic actually has a purpose. I'm basing the character of Lochlan in the new book I'm writing on this hot, hot man.

Okay, writing wishes. So if a hot man genie popped up and would grant my 3 writing wishes here's what I would want. Oh, let's stick a pic in of a genie just for fun.

Wow, alrighty so my first wish would be that I could make a true living from my writing. I would love to write full time and do nothing else and be able to make good money at it. Right now, I'm writing full time, but I'm unemployed so that part sucks. But if I could be like . . . oh I don't know Nora Roberts then I could stay home and write.

My second wish would be that my procrastination tendencies would disappear. I'm way awesome at being distracted. I think I'm like the cats in that the slightest thing will make me lose focus. You know, one minute I'm writing along and then next I'm wandering around the house for some reason. 

My last wish would be that my ideas would never dry up. I love writing. I really do love the entire process though you couldn't tell it on the days that I'm cursing because the characters aren't doing what I wanted or planned. But the feeling of working on a book, honing it, fixing it, and finally getting it published is magic. There's nothing like getting emails from people telling me how much they loved one of my books. 

So there you go, my 3 big wishes. Now I have to go and get back to Lochlan because the man is impatient in a big way. But you should go check out the other Blogger Girlz and see what their wishes are. Also, if you could have wishes what would they be. Tell me about them in the comments.

Bronwyn
Jessica
Kris

See you next week!! --GC

Southern Etiquette for Difficult Situations Episode 2

Gwen and Max

Hello!! Welcome once again to Southern Etiquette for Difficult Situations. This is where you learn that there's a right way, a wrong way, and a Southern way to get out of any situation you might find yourself in.

This situation was brought up by my friend Bronwyn and, I'm sure as the holidays approach, you're going to find yourself in similar straits. 

Now, let's discuss what not to do:

Here's the Southern way to handle this situation:

If you all have any situations you think need a Southern solution, let me know! I'd be happy to give you all kinds of advice. I'm really good a bossing people.

Until next time! Stay Southern -- GC

Random Wednesday Blog: I Have Mad Skills . . . Mad, Crazy, Scary Skills

Huh, mad skills? I so wish I could tell you all that I'm like a secret ninja. Leaping out of the darkness to wreak vengeance on evil-doers . . . or whatever. But yeah, that's not me.

I do have loads of pics of hot men. Is that a mad skill??

Okay, let's just say I may have some skills, but they're so not very mad, bad, or dangerous. I can knit . . . fairly well. But I will admit that the project I'm currently working on I've already ripped out and started over on it. AND, I've made this particular item twice before. AND I just realized that I screwed up the pattern both times. LOL So yeah I'm okay at knitting.

Huh, I also make jewelry, but I wouldn't say I'm awesome at it. I think my pieces look good, but you wouldn't find them in a boutique. So, no, no mad jewelry making skills.

I'm Southern and if you consider that a mad skill well then scooter I am all over that. I can bless your heart, say, "I swanee I haven't seen you in a coon's age." Then make you some incredible sweet tea all while being semi-polite. 

I do consider my writing a type of mad skill, but I think my agility to procrastinate is even more ah-mazing! Jeez Louise, I can find ten other things I should do other than the job I NEED to do, like write. Then by the time I do all those things, fiddle around, knit, stare at the TV and talk to my sister it's time to go to bed since the day's over. Yep, procrastinators you've found your Empress. 

I have a really good sense of direction, so maybe that's my mad skill. I rarely if never get lost and if I've been someplace once then I can usually find it again. Bam! It's like magic!! 

Yeah, maybe you should go check out the other Blogger Girlz and see what kind of game they have. If I figure out my official mad skill I'll give you a holler and let you know. 

Bronwyn
Jessica
Kris

See you all next week!! --GC

Random Wednesday Blog: Favorite Things - Actors and Actresses

Hey! Welcome back to the randomness that is Wednesday or, as we refer to it around these parts, Gwensday. Today we are all talking about our favorite actors and actresses. Oh, but before I jump in let's get in male hotness

I know I've mentioned before that I don't watch much TV. I have a few shows that I won't miss, but beyond that I'm just not interested. So my list of favs is fairly short and in no particular order.

1. Viggo Mortenson - yeah if you know me well you had to have seen this coming. I love him! I think he is way hot and way talented.

2. Tom Mison - I love the show Sleepy Hollow. The character of Ichabod Crane is such a great one and Mison plays him so well. Also, the man is way easy on the eyes.

3. Lauren Bacall - this woman has it all. She's sexy, talented, sexy,and was married to Bogart. Oh and did I mention she's sexy???

4. Mark Harmon - (sigh) I've been watching NCIS since the beginning and mostly because of Mark Harmon's character Gibbs.

5. Tom Hiddleston - I fell in love with Loki because of who played him. Loki isn't a likable character by any stretch of the imagination, but there's just something about the way Tom H plays him that makes you love the trickster god.

6. Katherine Hepburn - the woman is so talented and, I think, beautiful, but not in the classical sense. She was an amazing talent and so ahead of her time in her attitude.

And that's my very small list of my fav actors and actresses. If you'd like, tell me who your favorites are. I'd love to compare notes. Also, run over to the other Blogger Girlz blogs and see who they love. I can already tell you Jarman has put Merlin and Arthur on her list. LOL!

Bronwyn
Jessica
Kris
Kellie

See you next week! --GC

Random Wednesday: Best Halloween Memories . . . or Let the Spooky Times Roll!!

Hello! Welcome to Random Wednesday Spooky Halloween edition. Today we're talking about our favorite Halloween memories or traditions. But before we do, let me give you some hot guyness, man I got some shit last week for not including one.

And . . . yeah, wow, okay. So memories of Halloween. When I was a kid my all time favorite costume was Bella LaGhostly of the Groovy Ghoulies (70s kids Saturday morning cartoon). I wore it a couple of years in a row

Bella LaGhostly

My sister had a black cat costume she wore for umpteen years. It wasn't the cheap plastic pants she cared about, but the mask. The mask was totally awesome as was my Bella mask. 

Anyway, the neighborhood we lived in was built right after WWII and was fairly self-contained. It seemed like my Mom and aunt knew everyone. So when we went around on Halloween night we didn't get crappy drug store candy, but homemade candy and cookies, and cupcakes. Some of the houses had parties going on so when you got there you went in and they gave you punch and cookies and still gave you candy in the sack. I remember one lady made the best caramel apples. Yum! 

Then it all stopped when some asshole somewhere put a razor blade in an apple. No more homemade anything. :-( Then it was the nasty peanut butter candies wrapped in the orange and black paper. Bleck! I think I only went out another year or so then my sister and I decided to stay home and hand out candy.

We decorated the living room all scary and I dressed as a witch (very appropriate) and my sister wore her black cat costume. We had black lights and scary music going. We were having a ball. Our cousins came to the door and we were handing them candy, laughing and talking. I remember one of them, getting huge eyes and starting to scream and point. I turned around and out of the darkness lurches this huge, headless figure.

OMG! I think all of us about shit. There was running and screaming and flailing around like muppets.  

It turns out my dad had created this rig he put on his shoulders and then draped his huge black coat over it. I thought he and my mom were going to bust a gut laughing once all of the kids calmed down and quit running for the next state. I'd love to say he didn't fool me, but I was running and flailing with the rest of them.

So there you have it. My very favorite Halloween memories. Go check out the other Blogger Girlz and see what's up with them and share you memories down in the comments. I'd love to read them.

Bronwyn

Jessica

Kris

See you next week! --GC

The Current Insanity of Blogger vs. Author . . . or What the fuck? Grow up and Grow a Pair!

I've been a silent observer over the last couple weeks of the whole Kathleen Hale insanity. Now an author named Deborah Smith has jumped into the fray. I also read a post about another author, male this time, who stalked and physically assaulted a woman who reviewed his book. All I can say about all this is What the Fuck????  Have you all lost your freaking minds?? I can't even roll out any southern "Bless Your Hearts" because you're all too fucking out of it for that. 

So, let me see if I have the story straight. A publisher (whoever) sends an author's book to be reviewed. Bloggers willingly accept the book with the knowledge that they are going to give an HONEST review of the book. The review will be posted hither and yon and tons of people will see the review. From what I can gather, no money exchanges hands, no guarantees are given that the blogger will like the book. The whole idea is that the book gets out to the public.

For those of you confused about why this situation is a positive for an author, let me spell it out for you. The posting of the review is what is called free publicity for the author. FREE publicity is a good thing.Authors like FREE publicity because that gets our name and book titles out to the public . . . for FREE!

No where in any of this exchange is an author guaranteed anything but a review. From where I sit, Kathleen Hale received a review as did the male author. They weren't promised a good review, but an HONEST review. This is where the problem lies and where the confusion has obviously set in.

I have been a published author for over 10 years. I've got a bunch of books out and I appreciate every single person who takes an interest in my books. If you are an author who has yet to be published or is being published for the first time let me give you some awesome advice. Stick with me this might hurt, but I swear once you read this you will not become crazy stalker chick.

1. A book is just a book. Even if you write it. Once you finish it, it's over. As Elsa says in Frozen "Let It Go!" You finished it, it's finished, there's nothing you can do about it.

2. If your mom and dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle tell you what an amazing writer you are that's so wonderful. But they're not good judges. They love you and want to encourage you. You need to hook up with REAL authors and editors who will help you grow in your craft. If you cannot stand criticism and will not take criticism STOP NOW! You are not ready to be a real author. Real authors accept criticism and grow from it. 

3. When you see a review of your book remember it's just someone's opinion of your book. They are not judging you. They are talking about the book. It is their OPINION and everyone has a right to theirs. 

4. No one has positive book reviews all the time. Everyone, even Nora Roberts, has been dinged by someone. Shrug it off and move on. Or better yet, don't go looking for a review. If you do see a review and it hurts your feelings, you're allowed to get a bit mad. BUT and this is a big BUT once you see it remember Elsa and "LET IT GO." 

5. If you decide you want to talk to the person who reviewed your book to explain or complain or whatever. DON'T!!!  This is not healthy behavior. Remember, it's a book. Believe me, in about two or so years you may reread what you consider a masterpiece and cringe because it's so horrible. If that happens, pat yourself on the back, because you're probably a better author. 

Was Kathleen Hale wrong for stalking the blogger who reviewed her book. Hell yes!!!  It was wrong. No normal person does something like that. I was diagnosed with clinical depression many years ago and take meds each day. If what Hale did sounds crazy to me, then it's crazy, take my word for it. Let's not even get into the male author who stalked and physically attacked the female blogger who reviewed his book. That is total what the fuckery. 

If you're an author and think what Hale and the other dude did is an okay thing, I'm going going to tell you now YOU'RE WRONG! Bloggers are out there to help authors. They don't get paid, they do what they do because they love books. If you can't stand to have your tiny feelings hurt then my advice to you is go away. Do not attempt to be a published author. Go sit in your room and write stories to share with your family who will love them. But if you long to have the world read your stories grow a pair, accept criticism, and be thankful you can get anyone to read your books. If someone buys your books, even better!!

--GC

Interview with Christine Allen-Riley author of EVENTIDE!!

First of all, I'm going to say upfront that I loved this book!!! It was amazing and if you haven't read it you need to. So go out and get it right now. No, wait, not right now. Read the interview with Chris first then go out and read it. 

Chris and a sweet friend

Q: Where did you get the idea for Eventide?

CAR: Well, I've always loved the fairy tale, Tam Lin, and a portion of Eventide's plot is very loosely based on that. Basically, rescuing someone from the faeries. 

Q: How much research did you have to do for it?

CAR: Not a ton...I did do some research into Native American tales particularly Ojibwe, and honestly, I'm a giant nerd, so most of the Celtic faery lore, I already knew. 

Q: How many books are you planning for the series?

CAR: At this point, unless something goes terribly awry, there will be three. 

Q: What else are you working on?

CAR: Well, I'm working on the next Iron Falls books and also another YA series. And I'm also working on some stand alone romances. 

Q: You’ve been writing adult romance so why YA?

CAR: It's my favorite thing to read, and this story just wouldn't leave me alone.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

CAR: I like to do ALL THE THINGS! Okay, that's a lie - I love to spend time with my family and friends, knit, cross stitch, sew, read (of course), work with clay, spend time by Lakes Michigan and Superior, binge watch Netflix, and one of my favorite things to do is sleep.

Q: How long have you been writing?

CAR: It seems like forever, but I was first published in 2007. 

Q: What made you decide to make writing a career?

CAR: There's the obvious aspect of loving writing. And there's the less obvious part of being an introvert. I genuinely like people, I even like being around them - like at conferences or retreats. But to work with people day in and day out exhausts me emotionally.  I'm just not equipped for that kind of intensity - lol!

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would your career be?

CAR: I'd probably go back to what I was doing before - which is child care. I know that sounds like I'm contradicting myself, but I really love kids of all ages. Kids have a completely different energy and there's none of that passive/aggressive backstabbing bullshit that you get with adults. 

I want to thank Christine Allen-Riley for stopping by. Like I've said, if you haven't read her book Eventide you are missing out.

The driver in a tragic car accident that killed her best friend, Devon Greer is consumed by guilt. When powerful hallucinations convince her that she’s seeing Rachael everywhere, Devon thinks she’s going crazy. But her friend isn’t truly gone.

To save Rachael from the faeries who stole her, Devon must pit herself against the Court of the Sidhe. Once she witnesses the true form of the fey, Devon’s life is in danger—and so are the lives of everyone she loves.

Now, Devon must not only protect herself, but also Jonah Seafort, Rachael’s cousin and the only person Devon can trust to help her. While the Sidhe walk among them, no one is safe…

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Random Wednesday: Do You Believe In Ghosts? or . . . If You See A Ghost, Don't Call Me Call the GhostBusters

Hello! And welcome to the Randomness that is the Wednesday Blog. As we close in on Halloween our topic today is all about ghosts. Bwahahahahaha!!! 

So if you have any ghosts, you need to call the above guys

because I don't handle that kind of crap. 

First off, I do believe in ghosts. I can't say I've had tons of encounters or anything. But I have had some odd things happen that affirmed to me that they exist.

So, my Mom had a massive stroke and lived for a week. It was utterly miserable and I was so stressed out as my sister and I tried to make decisions for her. Not something I would ever wish on my worst enemy. Anyway, after she passed of course my sister and I did the "What If" dance. You know the one. What if we would have done this or that. Totally worthless, but that's how we roll. 

It was probably . . . a month after she died and I was in bed, middle of the night, on my side kind of drifting. But a noise made me open my eyes and my mom is squatting by my bed. Now, she hadn't been able to squat in forever, because before the stroke, she was on a walker due to injuries from osteoporosis. So there she is squatting by my bed and I know I should be freaking out, but I don't. Because it's my mom and I missed her so much (still do). 

She tells me that my sister and I did the right thing and she's fine. She wants me to knock off the worrying. She calls me "love" like she always did and she smiled. She looked so good, young and just amazing. A second later, I blink and she's gone. This is the part that I roll over, sit up and freak out for about five seconds. 

Then, I realize, the guilt and stress I carried is gone. I felt so much better. She's been gone a little over 4 years and I still miss her like crazy, but I know she's okay.

And that's my "ghost" story. So tell me down in the comments if you believe. Do you have an encounter? Oh and check out the other Blogger Girlz to see what they think about ghosties. 

Bronwyn
Kris
Jessica

See you next week--GC

Random Wednesday Blog: Crushing on Fictional Characters

Hello and welcome back to the Random Wednesday Blog! This week we are talking about crushes on fictional characters. Oh, first, let me share this with you:

And you're welcome. Anyway . . . I can't even think what I was going to say. Fictional characters, right. So there's not many I have a crush on, but I will share with you my main men. And these are in no particular order.

1. Ichabod Crane from Sleepy Hollow. Wow, he is handsome, debonair and a totally snappy dresser. 

2. Aragorn from LOTR . . . what else is there to say, but oh yeah.

3. When I was much younger, maybe around 19 or so, I had a huge crush on Kid Curry as played by Ben Murphy in the show Alias Smith & Jones. Of course, I only saw the show in reruns since it went off when I was 6. 

4. Roarke from the In Death series. That man is utterly amazing, romantic, and just plain hot. I love how he is with Eve and it's a damn shame he's not real.

5. Kaleb Krychek from the Psy/Changeling series. *fanning* That man is a billion kinds of dangerous, but he is so loyal and willing to do whatever it takes for the woman he adores. 

And finally, from one of my own books, Caleb Sinclair from Be Mine. The man is utterly hot and I had a lot of people think he was real. Uhhh, I wish. No, he is totally made up, mores the pity, but I can put the official claim on him since I made him up. 

And there you have it. Now check who the other Blogger Girlz have crushes on and share with us who you crush on. 

Jessica
Bronwyn
Jenny
Kris
Kayleigh
Kellie


See you next week! --GC

Southern Etiquette for Difficult Situations

Hello! And welcome to the first installment of "Southern Etiquette for Difficult Situations." I want to thank my friend Bronwyn Green for the snazzy title and my fabulous host Max for the purrs and snuggles.

We're your hosts Gwen and Max

(notice the fancy bowtie, he likes to dress up)

Anyway . . . if you didn't know I'm from the south. Now my sister, for some unknown reason, swears we're in the north. Bless her heart, but she's wrong. And I'll tell you why, you can get sweet tea here all the time, we are so friendly and say hello to everyone, and we certainly bless hearts, which often leads to a small insult . . . or two. 

In my book, this means we are southern. And because we are, we have a lot of different skills to fall back on when a situation goes wrong. So I'm going to teach you what to say and what to do if you find yourself between that proverbial rock and a hard place.

This first situation was brought to me by my fellow Random Wednesday Blogger Kellie.

Okay, now that we have the situation, let's discuss what NOT to do.

And finally, let's talk about what to finally do if you find yourself in a situation such as the one Kellie did. 

Thank you so much and we hope this has helped you if you find yourself in a similar situation.

If you have a situation you wish us to cover please either email Max and me at gwendolyncease@twc.com or leave a comment down below. 

Thank you, Gwen and Max