May 23, 2013

Reading Rainbow turned me into a geek...and I'm glad!




Science fiction was not a big thing in my house as a young kid. Sure, we had all seen the Superman and Star Wars movies, but they were spread out over the years and the only science fictiony thing I watched on TV at the time was old Batman reruns and Land of the Lost.

In 1989, my freshman year in High School...everything changed.

My history teacher had a historical mini-series to show us one week in school. Ugh. Usually those things were boring and horrible. This one, however, was Roots. I was pleasantly surprised to see LeVar Burton, someone who I knew from watching Reading Rainbow on PBS was the title character Kunta Kinte. Okay, I was interested. The series was amazing and something every school kid should definitely watch...and although it had a profound impact on me, it lead to something much more interesting.

One day a few months afterward, I'm watching some Reading Rainbow reruns from the previous season and lo and behold, LeVar is on the USS Enterprise. It's a behind the scenes show. Cool! I'm watching, I chuckle at the actor who plays Worf. I watch LeVar put a banana clip over his eyes "Ha, ha, I used to wear those!". I'm watching...then I see the kid from Stand By Me! Ooh, of course I didn't remember his name, I had only seen the movie once at that point, and we didn't have the geek bible IMDB yet. I was intrigued. Looked up Star Trek: The Next Generation in the TV guide and made sure to watch the next episode.

I don't remember which one I first saw, but it didn't matter. I was hooked. Wil Wheaton was around my age. So cool, he's in space! I watch every rerun episode I could find. Secluded myself in the basement with the rabbit eared TV when it was on because no one else was interested. I started reading the books, of which I still have all of them, branched out into more Science Fiction like Quantum Leap, Roswell, Deep Space 9, The X-Files, Buffy, The Highlander, The Tomorrow People (on Nick, and CW is bringing it back!!) Sliders. Then eventually shows like Smallville, Medium, Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, and LOST, but then I REALLY got into it with  Futurama, Jericho, The 4400, Firefly, Farscape, Dark Angel, Warehouse 13, Fringe, Voyager,  Doctor Who, Torchwood, Primeval, Lost Girl.

When Prime Time TV started doing some Sci-fi I was so excited! Flash Forward-canceled. The Event-canceled. Terra Nova-canceled. Terminator Chronicles-canceled. No Ordinary Family-canceled. WTF!!

I really didn't understand. All of those shows were pretty damn good, some were just on the cusp of becoming awesome. Grrr. Fine. It's okay, I've got a crap ton of movies now to feed my geekness. I won't even start to list them, I'm sure you get the idea.

All throughout this time of Sci-Fi absorption  I delved even deeper in some areas. I love anime. Have seen a bunch of movies, series', and OVA's. I've picked up a healthy appetite for Fantasy too. My new love of Science Fiction even helped me to seek out documentaries to better understand science in general.

So now that the 2013-2014 is chock full of yet another round of awesome looking Science Fiction shows, I'm both excited and worried. I hate the thought of watching one or two shows for 16+ episodes only to have the show canceled...it really is becoming a crappy trend in the TV industry. And despite my promise not to pick up anything new, I did watch get hooked on Arrow, Elementary and Beauty and the Beast this year. It could have been more, but I stopped myself. :-)

Do you like Sci-fi? What are your favorites??




May 22, 2013

Special Blog Guest, Terri Talley Venters




Today's special guest is Author Terri Talley Venters. She's sharing her short story Magnesium with us today and a short blurb of her upcoming release Copper Cauldron!

MAGNESIUM

By: Terri Talley Venters

“We must be getting close, I see the magnesium veins in the rock walls,” Victoria said. She led her boyfriend/colleague down a labyrinth cave system outside of Paris, France.
“Let’s be careful, we don’t want to ignite this mine,” Tommy said. His sandy-blonde hair glowed in the beam of light from Victoria’s headlight. His untamed curls framed his handsome, green-eyed face.
“We’re fine, we’re using battery powered lights, not gasoline lanterns,” Victoria said. She pointed to the light on her headband covering her long dark hair.
They came to a mining tunnel and stared incredulously at the low height.
“Why would they make such short tunnels? We’re going to have to crawl through on our hands and knees,” Tommy said.
“I thought you liked me on my knees,” Victoria smiled, teasing her man.
“You owe me a back rub later for making me hunch over like Quasimodo to get down here,” Tommy said. He smiled suggestively at Victoria, winking at the recollection of prior rub downs and where they often led.
Tommy stared into Victoria’s ice-blue eyes and couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be, than cave exploring with his beautiful girlfriend and fellow archaeologist.
They crawled through the shaft for a hundred yards. Just as Victoria felt claustrophobic, the tunnel opened up to a large cavern. Victoria stood upright again and brushed the debris off of her toned limbs.
The cavern appeared as is if someone currently mined it. The scaffolding and ladders went from the floor to the fifty-foot ceiling.
Tommy shined his flashlight along the cavern walls, its beams bounced off of its treasure like tiny prisms.
“Are those?” Victoria asked.
“Diamonds,” Tommy said, finishing her sentence. He retrieved a small chisel from his excavation kit and tapped at the rock surrounding the precious gem. A diamond as big as his fist dropped into his eager hands.
“Incredible, look at all of them. The diamonds I can see in the room alone must be worth a billion Euros,” Victoria said.
“I never knew such an abundant supply existed, and in France,” Tommy said.
“I wonder who owns all of this? They must be withholding to avoid flooding the market and deflating the price of diamonds,” Victoria said.
“You know, I think I know who owns this, assuming the land owners above also own the mineral rights. Look at what is located directly above us,” Tommy said.  He handed Victoria his hand-held, techie-nerd GPS device.
“We’re right below Euro Disney,” Victoria said. 
“I feel bad for stealing from a mouse. But this will fund our digs for the rest of our lives,” Tommy said as he pocketed the diamond.
“Shhh, I hear something,” Victoria said. She ducked behind a mining cart and hid from the intruder. She grabbed Tommy’s strong bicep and yanked him down beside her.
“Oh, crap! Who are these men? They look like, no, it can’t be,” Tommy said. His chiseled-jaw dropped to the floor, along side Victoria’s.
They stared incredulously as a group of miners entered the gem mine. Their short stature and bearded faces made them look comical, yet familiar. They sang a catchy tune as they started their work shift.
“They’re dwarves,” Tommy said, without taking his eyes off of the unique, yet unmistakable workers before him.
“This explains the short height of the mining tunnels and scaffolding. They look just like…” Victoria said, cut off by Tommy’s words.
“I know, only there’s more than seven working here today,” Tommy said.
Victoria and Tommy watched the dutiful dwarves arrive to start their shift. They grabbed their pickaxes and prepared for their day digging diamonds and precious gems out of the rocks beneath Euro Disney outside of Paris, France.
They continued singing the familiar song in unison “Hi Ho….”


Copper Cauldron
Penelope Manchester, a good witch with one green and one blue eye, awaits her destiny: a warrior of God with the face of an angel, the heart of a saint, and eyes which match her own. St. Michael the Archangel flies into her life and sweeps her off her feet. Meanwhile, an evil sorcerer captures witches, steals their powers and most of their nine lives, and shrinks them to the size of a doll--a Nürnberg, doll. But when he turns two of the Manchester witches into dolls, the Manchester clan fights back with St. Michael and divine intervention. Armed with the legendary copper cauldron, a fire breathing dragon, and an arsenal of spells, good battles evil. 

Terri Talley Venters,
Author of Carbon Copy, Tin Roof, Body Of Gold, and Copper Cauldron

Terri received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Master’s degree in Taxation from the University of Florida. She is a licensed CPA and a Second Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida, with her husband, Garrison, and their two sons.
Carbon Copy, currently available from Wild Child Publishing, is the 1st thrilling novel in the Elements of Mystery Series. The title of each novel will contain an element from the Periodic Table of Elements. Tin Roof, the sequel to Carbon Copy, coming soon from Wild Child Publishing. And Terri’s romantic/suspense novel, Body of Gold, is coming soon from Freya’s Bower. Terri just finished writing, Silver Lining, the final book in the Carbon Copy trilogy. For more about Terri’s upcoming releases, please visit her website http://www.elementsofmystery.com/ Terri is the daughter of Leslie S. Talley, author of Make Old Bones which is also available from Wild Child Publishing.







May 21, 2013

Teaser Tuesday with Dawn Marie Hamilton

Today's Teaser Tuesday is with Author Dawn Marie Hamilton!

Enjoy & Comment

Just Beyond the Garden Gate
A Highland Gardens Novel

The Scottish Highlands—a place where faeries and brownies and other fae creatures dance through time. On occasion, so do mere mortals.

Determined to regain her royal status, a banished faerie princess accepts a challenge from the High-Queen of the Fae to unite an unlikely couple while the clan brownie attempts to thwart her.

Passion ignites when a faerie-shove propels burned-out business consultant Laurie Bernard through the garden gate, back through time, and into the embrace of Patrick MacLachlan. The arrogant clan chief doesn’t know what to make of the lass in his arms, especially when he recognizes the brooch she wears as the one his stepmother wore when she and his father disappeared.

With the fae interfering at every opportunity, the couple must learn to trust one another while they battle an enemy clan, expose a traitor within their midst and discover the true fate of the missing parents. Can they learn the most important truth—love transcends time?

Journey from the lush gardens of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to the Scottish Highlands of 1509 with Just Beyond the Garden Gate.


Excerpt:

Laurie opened her eyes a crack. Her head pounded, her pulse raced. This wasn’t good. Those couldn’t be two, huge, leather-clad feet inches from her face.

She opened her eyes wider. Raised her gaze higher.

Those feet—the ones that couldn’t be there—was it possible they were attached to two muscular calves wrapped in soft napped animal skins?

Higher still. Bare knees. Plaid wool and saffron linen.

Farther up, she took in all of the man who towered over her. Piercing blue eyes blinked. Crinkles appeared in the corners. He was grinning. Not outwardly. The perfectly shaped lips remained tight and straight, but something within this gorgeous man was pleased.

She gasped with recognition. This was her man, the one from her heated dreams and visions. The man she didn’t believe existed. The man who made her insides flip-flop.

Unsure what had just happened, she gave her head a firm shake. Mistake. Dizziness hit in waves. She swallowed hard. When the nausea passed, she pushed her palms against the ground and rose to her feet. Unsteady, she swayed. The stranger’s image blurred.

Large calloused hands gripped her arms. A strange though familiar jolt of energy coursed through her, causing her heart to beat too fast.

He quickly released her. He must have felt it too.

Again, she swayed. She reached for his support at the same time he took hold of her upper arms.

She blinked to clear her vision and moistened dry lips. The flash of desire in his eyes made her shiver. He smiled for real this time, leaned forward, placed a hand behind her head, and brushed her lips with his. Gentle at first, then with vigor, his tongue delved into her mouth.

Instinct insisted she struggle. Holding her body rigid, she fisted her hands, which he’d trapped within his embrace. She forced her fingers open and pressed her palms against his hard chest—a vain attempt to push him away.

The current flowing between them became overpoweringly seductive. No man had made her feel this way before. For several moments, she wavered between fighting him—a familiar stranger—and succumbing to the delicious sensations swamping her. He deepened the kiss, and the internal battle ended. Desire won. She clasped hold of the front of his shirt with shaky hands and kissed him back with pent-up passion.

Satiny lips anchored her in a storm of unfamiliar sensation. Pleasure vibrated along her body. She opened her eyes a slit. The intensity of the man’s shocking kiss matched the masculine power burning in his startling blue eyes.

His grip tightened. His fingers burned through her clothing, searing her skin. She closed misty eyes and sank into the reality of her dream lover’s embrace.


Dawn Marie Hamilton dares you to dream. She is a 2013 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist who pens Scottish-inspired fantasy and paranormal romance. Some of her tales are rife with mischief-making faeries, brownies, and other fae creatures. More tormented souls—shape shifters, vampires, and maybe a zombie or two—stalk across the pages of other stories. She is a member of The Golden Network, Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal, Celtic Hearts, and From the Heart chapters of RWA. When not writing, she’s cooking, gardening, or paddling the local creeks with her husband.


Buy at Amazon:
Amazon Author Page:

May 8, 2013

Do you have a book in you? by Irene Peterson

There's an old saying that goes something like, "Everybody has one book in them."

I don't know who started it, but the older I get, the more realistic this becomes because the world of publishing has changed so drastically.

Anybody who can string together enough words can put their words up on Amazon and the other easy-pub places. It's a hell of a lot easier than going through the pain and suffering of locating an agent then an editor and going through the motions of sending and getting rejected repeatedly until someone decides to agree with you that your words have great meaning and should be shared with others. You get offered a contract, sign it and you're off as a published author after numerous rewrites and editorial discussions.

Now, this very minute, if you have enough words, you don't need the editor/agent thing. All you need is someone to format the book correctly, come up with some kind of attractive cover and submit it to anywhere that takes these submissions and makes them into books. Heck, you can even get print on demand for your precious words and buyers can get a paperback book to hold while they read those golden words!

Such a difference in the world.

But, I have digressed.

I wanted to write about the idea that everybody has at least one book in them.

I believe it.

I've listened to people at book signings and street fairs and libraries and bookstores. So many of them start out with "I have a story you should write" and then the proceed to tell me, at length, their story idea.
It's usually supposed to be true. Their uncle or aunt or mother or father or cousin or the guy down the street had this adventure that I "wouldn't believe". And usually, there is some kernel of a great idea within the tale, but I tell them it is not for me to write. They should write it as it is their story.

I wonder if anybody ever has.

Yes. That family story that has everybody laughing around the table at Thanksgiving is probably one that lots of people would laugh at. But they need to see it in print. They need to know it happened and it is up to someone to write down the words.

If you say you can't write, well, writing is something that can be learned. Take a night school class. Join a writing group. Go to conferences where published authors do their best to give workshops that teach just what you want to know...how to write well. Sit down at your computer or grab a pencil and notebook and put down the words. Your words.

Tell that story, that tragedy, that mystery, that romance, that farce, that unbelievable turn of events that's burning inside you to be written.

But don't tell me I should write it. I have enough ideas of my own.


Author Irene Peterson has had a strange life that included being a high school English teacher, truck driver, WAC and mother. She used to be psychic but gave it up after seeing too many dead people. Her most recent book deals with both the psychic and ghosts, and, oh, yeah, a physicist with ADHD.

Check out Irene's latest ebook novel: When a noted physicist and pessimist meets a positive psychic, sparks--and accusations--fly. He has ADHD and doesn't know it. She's fancied him forever...but can't admit it. And then there are the ghosts who just want the living to leave everything just the way it was. Can an unhappy couple of sneaky specters give them a ghost of a chance at falling in love?

http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-My-Ectoplasm-ebook/dp/B009XW6B68







May 2, 2013

Looking for Blog Guests!

Tax Time is now over and I have time to breathe again! So, I'd like to invite authors, artists, AND readers to come guest post on my blog. 

I have an idea for a reader interview, so we'll see if there is interest our there.

For authors, I have Teaser Tuesday (Blurb, Cover, Bio & links) and Q&A Thursday (Interview, Bio, Cover & links) you can be pre-published...I have special interview questions for you as well.

Artists are welcome, too! 

email jenn @ jennnixon.com and let me know which set of questions you want.