I really can't believe that we are at the end of the A-Z Challenge. My last day of this bloghop is dedicated to an activity that I wish I could do more often. Zumba is one big dance party that some mistake for exercise. My sister is a Zumba instructor. She rocks a classroom. I love to dance, and this is one way to fool myself into thinking that exercise is fun. If you'd like to see what it's all about, here is a video of my sis practicing a routine. You can dance along with it. I won't tell anybody. (Plus I can't see you.) Enjoy!

BTW: In case you are wondering, I look EXACTLY like this when I'm doing Zumba. NOT. The girl has some moves. My favorite part in this is the Sat. Night Fever/Naploeon Dynamite move. You'll recognize it. 

Z Is for Zumba has been a post in the A-Z Challenge. Click here to read posts written by other participants.    

I've spent my A-Z Challenge talking about topics that are dear to me. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that food rates high on my list of priorities. I appreciate good food. I love looking at food photos (aka food porn) in cookbooks and on television shows. I have an addiction to cookbooks. Do I cook that much? Not really. 

I was that skinny kid who couldn't wear slim sizes without taking in the waist. I could eat a dozen tacos/egg rolls/pizza slices/cookies by myself.  Oh...those were the days.

Now, I have to watch my diet. When I want to look at food, I try to steer clear of Paula Deen, Giada, and the Neelys.I love them, but they don't always consider the calories in a meal.

Please check out this blog called SkinnyTaste.com. It's super-cool. She has 133,000 readers.  This crock pot chicken taco chili is the bomb. I also like the Munchin with Munchkin blog for healthy recipes.


Do you enjoy food recipes,  photos and television cooking shows or I am just weird.? Okay...don't answer the last part.

Y Is for Yummy has been a post in the A-Z Challenge. Click here to read posts written by other participants.    

X Is for Xenologist has been a post in the A-Z Challenge. Click here to read posts written by other participants.    

FYI... Like FREE EBOOKS?

Rise From Darkness by Ciara Knight will be a FREE download on Amazon Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th.  

Alexander Lorre gives new meaning to the term “tormented teen”. He’s a newly fallen angel, which means he has the self-control of a three-year-old, the hormones of a teenager and the strength of an angel. When he rescues Gaby Moore from drowning, the chemistry between them is undeniable. With a local demon threatening Gaby’s life, he struggles to find a balance between remaining close enough to protect her but distant enough to control his desires.

 

As danger draws closer, Gaby uncovers shattering secrets that will lead to an ultimate choice. Will she fight alongside her father, an earthbound hunter killing fallen angels and demons, give into the demon blood coursing through her veins and join the demon world, or save the man she loves from both? The first two choices damn her, but the last one could destroy them all.

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Darkness-Battle-Souls-ebook/dp/B007M4JOQI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335297921&sr=8-1  

Thanks, Brinda, for hosting me on your blog today. Since April is the “Blogging from A to Z Challenge,” I’ll play along. So, what did I pick for W? Drumroll please…

Words as in Words With Friends. Yes, perhaps I am a late bloomer.  Shhh…I only got a smartphone a month ago and shortly after that, I downloaded Words With Friends.  Hey, if the game can get Alec Baldwin kicked off a plane, I had to check it out.  Soon I had multiple games going with high school friends I haven’t seen in twenty years, a former co-worker, “mom” friends, my sister, and my pre-teen daughter.

Initially, the only one I consistently beat was my daughter. (Is it bad that I didn’t let her win?) But after I told her how to strategize—you know, use the TW and DW spaces—it’s anyone’s game. I learned something from my daughter, too. She strings together what seems to be random letters, but she often accidently hits on acceptable words. Go figure. So now I try various letter combinations and score major points. I love having this connection with my daughter. She’s beaten me a few times, too. 

Oops, got to go, I think it’s my move.

And if you get a chance, check out my debut Random Acts. It was released on Tuesday by Samhain Publishing. It has fast-paced suspense and a “sweet” romance. 

Author Bio:

Alison Stone graduated with a degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech. After working in Corporate America for a number of years, she retired to raise her young family. Soon the writing bug bit. After years of conferences, critique groups and writing, Alison sold two manuscripts that will be released in 2012. She claims it was easier to earn her engineering degree. Random Acts is her debut novel. To learn more about Alison Stone please visit www.AlisonStone.com. She’s also chatty on Twitter (@Alison_Stone). 

Blurb of Random Acts (available NOW!):

Second chances can have a terrible sense of timing. 

As a child, watching her mother always pick the wrong man left Danielle Carson wary of opening her heart to anyone—except Patrick Kingsley. But circumstances came between them and left Danielle with a broken heart. Now she buries the pain of what might have been by channeling all her energy into her career. When a family crisis brings her back to her hometown, she is forced to face the past—and the disturbing fact that her sister’s car accident was staged to mask a brutal beating. 

A police officer and widower, Patrick guards his heart as fiercely as he guards his beloved daughter. Seeing Danielle again unexpectedly reignites their old flame, but no way will he introduce a woman into his daughter’s life. Certainly not one whose values on faith and family are so different from his own. 

Despite their best intentions, they are drawn together—until Danielle learns Patrick had a hand in putting her sister in harm’s way. Her fragile trust is crushed, but Patrick is the only man who can help her stop the villain before everything they both love is destroyed. Faith, family…and their second chance at forever. 

Random Acts available at:

                         Samhain Publishing                       Amazon                         Barnes & Noble

We didn't take a family vacation until my son was almost six years old. There were financial reasons and a different list of priorities back then. Since taking that first one so long ago, I am a firm believer in taking time off from work to get away and have fun. We've taken a trip every year. The nature of the trips changed along with my son's age at the time. 

V Is for Vacation has been a post in the A-Z Challenge. Click here to read posts written by other participants.    

I have traveled a lot in my jobs and enjoyed seeing other states. I've also traveled on vacations.The map below shows the places I have visited. I didn't highlight the state if I only drove through it to reach another destination. I've also been to Puerto Rico, but territories didn't make it onto this map. After I finished the map, I realized that I've vacationed in Gulf Shores, AL, but I'm not fixing it. ;)


If I'm trying to visit them all, I have quite a few to go. I really want to visit New York, NY; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Chicago, IL. Have you visited all the states? Do you have a recommendation?

U Is for United States Travel has been a post in the A-Z Challenge. Click here to read posts written by other participants.  

Cairn Terrier facts:

• Most famous is Toto from the Wizard of Oz
  
• Working breed dog originally from island of Skye
• Double-coated with a wiry outercoat and soft undercoat
• Low shedding, high energy dog
• Cairns may be any color except white. Can change colors because of the brindle gene.  Brindle means the coat is striped (like a tiger). Variations in color are natural.
• Some experts say the cairn is the forerunner of all Scottish terriers.
• James Patterson cast a talking cairn named Total in his Maximum Ride series.
• The cairn in the Whispering Woods series is Biscuit. He doesn't form actual words, but he's pretty vocal.

There is a review up today for my release, Whisper of Memory. Autumn has given it 4 out of 5 stars. Read more here.  
T Is for Terrier has been a post in the A-Z Challenge. Click here to read posts written by other participants.  

Java, cup o' joe, coffee, mud, go juice, mojo, day-starter

My A-Z Challenge posts have been a mixture of topics. They all revolve around things that make me happy. Technology, music, reading, my dogs,  and ...coffee. I am an addict. No doubt. I have several cups every day. I love it.  I have a regular coffee pot that starts my day. Then I move on to a French Press carafe in my office. If you don't know what a French Press is and you're a coffee lover, you are missing out. Later in the evening, my Christmas present Keurig completes my life. It's a pricey addiction.

I don't like it black. I can get by with a little skim milk. My favorite is coffee with some flavored liquid creamer like Nestle CoffeeMate Peppermint Mocha. Sometimes I use some sugar-free Peppermint syrup to keep the calories down. I'm one cranky lady without my morning cup.

Do you drink coffee and if so, how do you like it?

J Is for Java has been a post in the A-Z Challenge. Click here to read posts written by other participants.     

I'm also blogging today at the Diamond State Romance Authors blog . Drop by if you want to see photos of "My Writing Space Essentials."

I like a challenge and the month of April will be all about seeing if I can admonish, beg, cajole, and demand my brain to come up with topics for every letter of the alphabet. 

Last time I checked, there were 1259 bloggers on board for this exercise in creativity. Want to see if you can measure up? Want to make blogger friends and discover new words for your crossword puzzles?

Sign up HERE.

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