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…

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books

Here's where you can fine her!!  Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

GIVEAWAY: a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Random Wednesday Blog: My Collections . . . or What Kind of DSA Should I Get Rid Of????

Hey! Welcome back to the Random Wednesday blog and today's topic is all about my collections. Or, as my sister and I lovingly call them, DSA -- Damn Sit Arounds. Oh!! Before we get started I need to show you male hotness:

I wish I could tell you that I collect nothing, but that would be a fat lie. I can admit that I don't collect as much as I used to . . . or as much as my Mom thought I should. For some reason, she thought I should collect things so she would buy me things as gifts. For instance, I have a series of wolf plates, dragon figurines, and Boyds Bears figurines--all of these were gifts from my mom. Now that she's passed these items are priceless to me and I will never give them up. But at the time, I had no clue what to do with them.

I actually do collect dolls, but not your normal run of the mill Madame Alexander or whatever. Nope, I collect Begoths. I'm sure most of you are thinking, "What the what??" Here are images of some of the dolls I own (they're from the Internet and not my actual dolls).

Here are some of the other dolls I own. They are part of the Barbie collection.

As you can see, I don't collect every day dolls.

Another thing I collect is music. I'm sure if you've been here before you know how much I looooooove music. So I have pretty big collection.

Books are another thing I collect. I have boxes and boxes and boxes out in my garage, stacks in my closet, and 2 huge stacks on my night stand. I also have a Nook with  . . . a lot of books on it. I will admit I've purged. Over the last maybe 15 years I've probably gotten rid of 50 or more boxes of books. But I just buy more since I love to read.

Knitting patterns and yarn are another thing I collect. I love to knit. I'm not great at it, but it's so relaxing so I'm always hunting for my next project.

Jewelry supplies!! I love to make jewelry so I have tons of beads, findings, charms . .  you name it. I haven't had much time lately, but I plan on getting back to it soon. I have some gifts to make for people. :-) And no, I'm not telling.

To go along with jewelry supplies, I collect earrings. I love earrings and I always get myself things I can't make. My sister is an awesome gift-giver so I've gotten some beautiful earrings from her.

I think, that's about it. Jeez, it's more than enough really. Check out the other Blogger Girlz and see what they collect. And if you want to tell us what you collect we'd love to know. Maybe you'll start a trend. 

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris


See y'all next week! --GC

Cover Reveal!! Mated by Gwendolyn Cease . . .. Hey! That's me!!!! Woo hooo!!!!

Mated

by Gwendolyn Cease

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Tour Organizer: N K Author Services

Laira Marshall had to admit—getting kidnapped wasn’t something she’d expected. Discovering her kidnappers were aliens who planned on selling her into sexual slavery, definitely tipped the scales into the truly bizarre. But she’s determined to fight her way through this—until their slave ship is attacked, and Laira’s faced with an entirely new problem.

Rakin and Dev were the leaders of the Sandaki—a race genetically engineered to fight. Using their enhanced traits, they’ve freed their people and have devoted their lives to seeking out those who enslaved them. They never considered the concept of love—or that one woman could bring them to their knees.

With unknown enemies working against them, the three lovers must come together not only to save themselves, but the Sandaki race itself.

Gwendolyn Cease has been writing ever since she was old enough to pick up a pen. From the very beginning, her stories involved handsome heroes, tough heroines, and happily ever after. Even as she slogged through two undergraduate degrees and a master’s in education, writing remained top priority. 

Currently, Gwendolyn lives in Kentucky with her sister and their 4 incredibly spoiled cats. If you’d like to contact her, she’d love to hear from you. She loves to hear from anyone who enjoys a good book, especially the ones she’s written. You can email her at gwendolyncease@twc.com.

Website – http://www.gwendolyncease.com
Blog – http://gwendolyncease.blogspot.com
Twitter - @GwendolynCease
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gwendolyn.cease?fref=ts
Tumblr – http://gwendolyncease.tumblr.com/

Cover Reveal!!!!!!! Ricochet by Kris Norris

Ricochet
by Kris Norris
Genre: Erotic Romance
Tour Organizer: N K Author Services

A moment he can’t take back…

An unlucky rebound has left US Marshal Ashton Kane broken. His partner’s dead and, consumed by guilt, he’s walked out on the only woman he’ll ever love.

A love she can’t forget…

Cassidy Ryan has tried to move on. Losing the love of her life cut deep, but she vowed she wouldn’t let it break her. And she’s finally taking back her life—until she stumbles upon a deadly encounter that threatens to destroy everything and everyone around her.

One last chance at redemption…

Ash has fooled himself into believing Cassidy’s better off without him—until she puts her life on the line, forcing him to face the demons that still whisper in the dark—or risk losing her. Again. Only this time, it’ll be no one’s fault, but his.

Author, single mother, slave to chaos—she’s a jack-of-all-trades who’s constantly looking for her ever elusive clone.

Kris started writing some years back, and it took her a while to realize she wasn’t destined for the padded room, and that the voices chattering away in her head were really other characters trying to take shape—and since they weren’t telling her to conquer the human race, she went with it. Though she supposes if they had...insert evil laugh.

Kris loves writing erotic novels. She loves heroines who kick butt, heroes who are larger than life and sizzling sex scenes that leave you feeling just a bit breathless.

Website – http://www.krisnorris.ca

Blog – http://krisnorris.blogspot.com

Twitter - @kris_norris

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kris.norris.731?fref=ts

Cover Reveal!! Albion's Circle: In My Veins by Jessica Jarman

ALBION’S CIRCLE: IN MY VEINS 
by Jessica Jarman
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
Tour Organizer: N K Author Services

Blurb: 

Anna is his. Merlin has failed. The Circle is broken. After being defeated in every lifetime, Mordred believes he’s finally won.

Even though Anna has little hope of gaining Merlin’s forgiveness for believing Mordred over him and the rest of the Circle, she isn’t giving up and vows to set things right. When an offer of help comes from an unlikely ally, Anna must trust her instincts—the very thing that got her into this mess in the first place.

Because more than just her survival hangs in the balance. Mordred took her for a reason. Anna is the key. The key to completing the Circle. The key to preventing unthinkable death and destruction at Mordred’s hand. They key to destroying the heart of a wizard whose love has followed her through the ages.

But Mordred has forgotten exactly what’s he’s up against—Arthur and his Knights. The most powerful Magical to ever walk the Earth. And a love a thousand years in the making. 

Meet Jessica Jarman

Jessica Jarman is an author, blogger, and rather obsessive fangirl. Having grown up in Upper Michigan and currently living in Minnesota, she is a Midwestern girl through and through. And wouldn’t have it any other way.

When she’s not working to get words on the page, Jessica passes the time with her amazing husband and four children, attempting to be crafty (and failing miserably), squeeing uncontrollably over her favorite shows or curling up with a good book.

Website 

Blog 

Twitter 

Facebook

Tumblr 

Random Wednesday Blog: Favorite Songs

Hey! Welcome to the randomness that is the Wednesday Blog. So this week is all about our favorite songs. Oh! Before I even talk about that let me toss out gratuitous male hotness:

Aaaaand you're welcome! So favorite songs. Jeez, this is a hard one because I have so many. I'm sure I've mentioned before that I love music. I've loved it since I was a kid. In fact, when I was probably 11 I wanted to play the guitar like Jimmy Page. If you don't know who he is *weeping softly* then please go check him out. He's only the most amazing guitarist in the known universe. 

Jimmy being amazing

So first on my list of favorite songs is anything Led Zeppelin has done. They were the first group that I fell head-over-heels in love with. I had a brief fling with Kiss, but out grew them super fast. Led Zeppelin has remained my main love ever since. After Zep I have a vast list of songs I love to hear, but I'll give you the short list of the ones that consistently stay on my list. Does that make sense??? Anyway, these are in no particular order.

1. Down With the Sickness - Disturbed  I love this group. They are so loud and wrong and just amazing. And this song is the one that I first fell in love with.  David Draiman has a voice that can just go there. If you've never head it shame on you! Go check them out.
2. Break Stuff - Limp Bizkit  You are more than welcome to make fun of me for the group, but this song is kickin. It perfectly matches my mood when I'm feeling . . . awesomely pissed. :-) I've exercised to this song and kickboxed to this song and just kicked stuff to this song.
3. Dark Horse - Katy Perry  Love it!!
4. If - Janet Jackson I've written some hot sex scenes to this song.
5. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepson This song makes me smile
6. Shake it Off - Taylor Swift  Ditto with this one
7. Secrets and She Keeps Me Warm - Mary Lambert
Love, love, love these songs
8.Bodies - Drowning Pool  This is my sister's ring tone. LOL
9. E.T. - Katy Perry
10. Sincerely - The McGuire Sisters  This song was part of my mom's vast record collection and my sister and I loved it! I remember we would pretend to sing and dance to it.
11. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy -- The Andrew Sisters
Another song from my mom's collection. She was much older when she had kids so her collection was filled with amazing songs that nobody but my sister and I even knew.
12. Big Pimpin - JayZ  I know this song and can sing all of it. LOL
13. Party People - Nelly
14. Wishing Well - Cheyenne Marie Mize  She's a local artist and is amazing
15. You'll Never Leave Harland Alive - Ruby Friedman  I love this song and sent it to Bron, Jenny and Jessica when they got lost in the "hollers" on their way to AAD in Charlotte.
   
And there it is! These are, right now, my favorite songs. LOL! Not to say this won't change by the time you read it, sorry. Now run and check out the other Blogger Girlz favorite songs.

Jessica
Bronwyn
Kris
Jenny
Kayleigh
Kellie


See you next week!!  --GC