Cherie Reich has a new release with a blurb that makes me want to stop what I'm doing and read it now. Check out Men of Foxwich, leave a comment for Cherie, and enter my June giveaway. You'll find the book is available now. The Rafflecopeter is at the bottom and includes a link for giveaway Terms and Conditions.

 
Men of Foxwick by Cherie Reich is now available! This fantasy short story collection features five men from the Kingdom of Foxwick.

A blind teen seeks a place in the kingdom. A dragon seer journeys to Wintermill to spy on the queen. A sword master’s worst fear comes true when he fails to protect the royal family. A king falls in love with an herb witch, but will she feel the same way? A hunter will rise to the challenge to hunt down a man-eating monster.

Short stories in this collection: Blind Scribe, Dragon Spy, Sword Master, Courting Magic, and Monster Hunter

To purchase: Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Kobo / Nook

Click here to add on Goodreads.

About the Author: A self-proclaimed bookworm, Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction writer, freelance editor, book blogger, and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her books include the horror series Nightmare, a space fantasy trilogy titled Gravity, and a fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles. She is Vice President of Valley Writers and a member of the Virginia Writers Club and Untethered Realms.

Her debut YA Epic Fantasy novel Reborn, book one in The Fate Challenges, will be released on May 23, 2014.

For more information, please visit Cherie’s website and blog.

Also, Cherie has a special announcement for her email newsletter subscribers. Click here to sign up for her updates and receive a coupon for a free copy of Women of Foxwick.

Summer is a busy time for everyone. I'm lucky to have a guest today. The lovely Sherry Isaac is here talking about her recent release, Crowning Glory. Also, I'm posting in two other places that you can visit, both with videos. The first is at the Diamond State Romance Authors blog with a video I did to  promote our organization.Watch Who Are We at this link.  The other post is my first vlog at Readerlicious.com.  Watch A Timeless and Twisty Tale at this link. 

 You can enter my June giveaway while you're here. Enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post. I'm giving away a $10 gift certificate at the end of the month.  There is a link at the bottom of the Rafflecopter forTerms and Conditions to this giveaway.

Now, I'd like to introduce Sherry Isaac. In the past several months, Sherry has released a series of short stories. I own them and reviewed What You Wish For on Amazon HERE.

A home is a roof over your head, a place to entertain guests and receive your mail. More than that, a home is independence, self-respect, dignity.

Last month, I released my third short story, Crowning Glory, on Amazon. As part of the launch, I pledged my release day proceeds to Habitat for Humanity, an organization that builds affordable housing in 30 countries all over the world. Habitat builds more than houses, they build homes and rebuild lives, not with a hand-out, but with a helping hand.

I like that.

I'd like to say my sales numbers were swept away with the tornado that overwhelmed Oklahoma, but that would be a fib. Whether we are building a relationship, a career, a reputation, or a home, you’ve got to hit the nail on the head. Sometimes we miss the target, only a bruised thumb, or ego, to show for our efforts.

Building anything worthwhile is no simple, over-night task, and involves the dedication of many. Like the survivors in Oklahoma, when the wind knocks us down, we do not give up and we do not give in. We gather our tools and start again.

Crowning Glory relates the final hour of a woman living on the street with little more than a blanket to shield her from regret’s cold haunt. I’ve entrusted Glory with the awesome task of illustrating that there is no price on dignity, and to show that every person’s story is as unique as the individual to whom the story belongs.

I’ve extended the sales benefit for the full first month of Crowning Glory’s release. You may show your support for Habitat for Humanity by purchasing a copy, or you may send your support directly by clicking to donate to Habitat for Humanity Canada, or Habitat for Humanity USA.

The great thing about these options is, you don't have to choose just one.

To learn more about what Habitat helps build, check the video, here.

~*~

BLURB: Believer in fairy tales, admirer of art, Glory shared these pleasures with her grandchildren. The downtown art gallery, with its angular peaks and pitched roof, had become their sanctuary, an imagined castle where they’d once daydreamed away many lazy afternoons.

Life is different now. Glory’s cart is stolen while she sleeps. Teetering on a tightrope between reality and fantasy, Glory has nothing left to lose. She retreats to the gallery for refuge, triggering a memory too terrible to contemplate. Short Story.

~*~

BIO: Raised by Nancy Drew and Miss Marple, Sherry Isaac’s rich storytelling is laced with a pinch of mystery, spiced with a dash of the unexpected, and served with a dollop of suspense. Her novels and short stories feature heroines who, like wildflowers, appear fragile, yet thrive in the harshest conditions. Sherry weaves love, life and forgiveness into tales that transcend all obstacles, including the grave.

The Forgetting earned the Alice Munro Short Story Award in 2009. In 2010, her novel, Homecoming, earned Honorable Mention in the Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie. That same year, the Heart of Denver’s Molly contest declared her heroine, Hannah Marsh, ‘Unsinkable’.

Sherry believes in romance, identity, and the depth of the human soul.

Follow Sherry on Twitter and Facebook, become a fan on Goodreads, or subscribe to her blog, Psychological Sizzle.

This month, I'm giving away a $10 Amazon or B & N gift card. To enter the June giveaway, please enter in the widget for every blog post. There is a link for Terms and Conditions to this giveaway.

Summer makes me think about vacations and fun. I'm going to reflect on some past vacations and why I would or wouldn't do them all over again. Last week's post was about Disney World. Most of my blog visitors said they have been to Disney or would like to visit.

This week, I'm talking about Destin, Florida. I've visited this beautiful coastal town in the Florida Panhandle at least ten times. 

Advice:
1. Crystal Sands Beach Area: Stay in a condo that is near the beach. We always stay in one that is within a block or two from the beach. Actually, we stay in one that is considerably less expensive because you must walk across a very tame road (Old Scenic Hwy 98). Staying in a condo allows you to save money (and calories) by cooking some meals. Use an online search for a condo or rental home in the Crystal Beach area: www.vrbo.com
2. Rent or bring an umbrella. It's easy to get too much sun before you know it. This is not instead of using sunscreen. 
3. Use sunscreen. Period. Please don't argue. 
4. Embrace your inner child. Make sandcastles, float in an innertube, take a nap everyday.


My Favorites:
1. Restaurants: 

• Another Broken Egg - breakfast
  
• Marina Cafe - elegant dinner
  
• The Back Porch - beachside casual dining
  
• Fat Clemenza's pizza
  

2. Shopping:
Destin Commons. This isn't the outlet mall, but I'm not sure that outlet prices are not that much less.
3.  Beautiful white sand and sunshine

Do you like beach vacations? Have you been to Destin, Florida? Suggestions for my readers?

Many times, I've said, "It's either laugh or cry."  Ever feel that way? I thought so. It's past my bedtime, and I'm not finished with most of the items on my writer's to-do list.  There's a suitcase in the corner of the room that I should be packing for an upcoming trip. My clothes are still in the dryer and won't be folded tonight. 

Put some humor into your day. 

Here are some humorous books. David Sedaris is one of my favorite humorists. This week during the commute, I'm listening to his latest book, Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls.  

After you check out the list, be sure to enter my giveaway in the Rafflecopter below. One winner will receive a $10 Amazon or B & N gift card. The widget will select the winner at midnight at the end of the month. Legal guidelines can be found in the widget as well.  Thanks for visiting!

Today's post is a regular one that you see the first Wednesday of each month. It's part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group founded by Alex Cavanaugh. If you'd like to find out more about joining, click HERE to visit Alex's blog. He's the author of Cassa Star and Cassa Fire as well as being a super-nice blogger. 

My May winner for a $10 GC from B & N or Amazon is Tammy Theriault. Congrats, Tammy. I've emailed you!

I had 115 entries for the month of May. To help me keep track of the entries, I'll be using my Rafflecopter this month for the $10 Amazon or B & N gift card giveaway. To enter the June giveaway, please enter in the widget for every blog post. 

Summer makes me think about vacations and fun. I'm going to reflect on some past vacations and why I would or wouldn't do them all over again. I'll start this post with our first vacation I took with my family.

Disney World in Orlando, Florida

Love or hate it, you must admit that you know about it.  I've been to Disney World four times. I'd go tomorrow if someone would go with me. 

As for my husband...he's done with Disney. Finished. Kaput. He  didn't want to do the first time or the second. He didn't accompany me for trips #3 and #4.

Advice: 

1. Choose June for travel. Avoid July and August unless you like to swelter.
   
2. Learn about the FastPass for those long lines. Bring phones or mobile game devices for something to do while in line.
3. Visit the Disney website and make meal reservations for the nicer restaurants. Do this as soon as you make your plans. The good restaurants will book up quickly.
4. Wear comfortable sandals or tennis shoes, sunscreen, and hat.
5. Accept that it will not be cheap. Bring lots of $$$.
6. Don't try to see/do everything. It isn't worth the stress.
7. Stay at one of the budget Disney resort hotels and use their transportation system (buses and monorail).

My Favorites:

1. Epcot
2. Magic Kingdom
3. Fireworks and parades
4. Candy shops
5. Downtown Disney restaurants

Have you visited Disney World? Did you like it? Advice to others? 

Have you ever started one teeny-weeny task that might take a half hour and find yourself immersed in connected tasks? Forty-billion hours later, you stand gaping at the amount of work you created for yourself. Yes, you did it TO YOURSELF. 

This, my friends, is what I call the snowball effect. Or sometimes I call this the "Give a Mouse a Cookie" effect.

Here's how it went down at my house over the weekend: 

1. I decided to move my summer shoes to my closet and boots into a Rubbermaid box in the attic.
2. The organization bug hit me and I decided to throw away some stuff from the attic. I had a dehumidifier from 1989. To be clear, it hasn't been used since that year.
3. Now that I was able to step inside my spare room closet, I decided to file some paperwork in a cabinet. 
4. Then it crossed my mind to organize some computer files.
5. ...which led to making a video due on Friday evening for a writer's conference. All the photos for the presentation were in a neat little computer folder, so why not?
6. I saw my book covers in this frenzy of photo organizing and remembered that I needed to make them into 3D images.
7. And that was fun. So much fun that I chose to tackle a WordPress problem I've been having. I get sent to spam folders whenever I comment on a WordPress blog. This may be because I was a group member and not the primary owner of a WordPress blog.  So, I made a WordPress blog and marked it primary for me in the settings. 
8. It was U.G.L.Y...so I had to dress it up. Also, I don't want to blog in two places. Therefore, I needed links so people can get here. I ended up with https://brindaberryauthor.wordpress.com/. 
9. This all started with SHOES.  How was your weekend?

Tip: My May giveaway to one lucky commenter is a $10 Amazon or B & N gift card. I'll draw at the end of the month from all commenters on posts during May.  

My main character in the young adult Whispering Woods series, Mia Taylor,  is a synesthete. Synesthesia is a neurological condition that doesn't impede normal activities. As a matter of fact, it enhances rather than detracts from  life. There are very specific kinds of synesthesia and my character experiences multiple types of sensory perception. 

In a nutshell, Mia has several sensory perceptions that are crossed so she experiences the world in a different way. In the beginning of the series, she kept this medical condition a secret for many reasons. Her older brother had been tested for many "disorders" as a child, so she reasoned that she didn't want to be different or labeled as dysfunctional.

I read a book last week with the most unique hero I've ever come across. The hero experienced his world very different from the rest of us.

In Jennifer Ashley's first book in her Highland Pleasures series, Lord Ian MacKenzie has been an outcast from most social circles and considered mad. His brother rescued him from a life in an asylum. The older brother recognized Ian's ability to memorize lengthy documents after one reading and  to recite conversations verbatim. 

In the book, Lord Ian cannot look people in the eye, doesn't understand social expectations, has difficulty engaging in long conversations, and can become lost in the study of a visual detail. Passages in the book explain his study of pattern and shape. He's a collector of Ming pottery and obsessively acquires pieces. 

He's blunt in conversation. The heroine in the book, Beth, is at first fascinated by his blunt mannerisms. The author does a fantastic job of revealing Ian MacKenzie's character, layer by layer. He's become one of my favorite book characters. 

If you follow my blog, you know that I love Ted Talk videos. Here is one of a synesthete named Daniel Tammet. If you must skip ahead, begin at the 4:00 min. mark to see an explanation of how Tammet perceives numbers.

My May giveaway to one lucky commenter is a $10 Amazon or B & N gift card. I'll draw at the end of the month from all commenters on posts during May.  

Congrats to Lacey Wolfe on her new release, Bidding Wars. 

A sheriff, plus a nurse, plus a house, equals trouble.

Molly Harper has had a tough year. Realizing enough is enough, she decides to regain control of her life – starting with buying the house of her dreams.

Luke Logan is also looking to buy a home and when one pops up near his street, he decides to check it out. Getting out of the renting game will help in the custody battle for his son.

Finding a house and falling in love with it—that’s the easy part. But learning that someone else wants it too, and is willing to fight for it, heralds the start of a desperate bidding war. The offers are on the table, but when the bidders come face to face, and love strikes, the price of happiness suddenly becomes higher than ever.

The more Nurse Molly and Sheriff Luke get to know each other, the more they wonder if their feud over the house is really worth it. As their bids increase, so does their affection for one another. But with the settlement date fast approaching, doubts begin to creep in. With only one set of keys, and so much at stake, could a risky twist on the bidding process hold the answer? 


Find Bidding Wars at the following book retailers. Click a button to get your copy.

About Lacey Wolfe

Lacey Wolfe has always had a passion for words, whether it’s getting lost in a book or writing her own. From the time she was a child she would slip away to write short stories about people she knew and fantasies she wished would happen. It has always been her dream to be a published author and with her two children now of school age, she finally has the time to work on making her dream come true.

Lacey lives in Georgia with her husband, son and daughter, their six cats and one black lab who rules the house.

You can find Lacey at the following places:
Website / Facebook / Facebook Page / Twitter / Pinterest 

A couple of weeks ago, I embarked on a reading frenzy. I lost sleep, skipped meals, and obsessed over one author's books.  Okay, maybe I didn't actually skip meals, because I rarely do that. I did read while eating. All this occurred because of Nyrae Dawn.

Her books are like reader crack. I'd finish one book and think I could wait a while to buy the next. And then I'd begin planning the one I'd read. It couldn't hurt to purchase and download where I'd be ready. Right? What about reading just one page? One little page....

And so it began. It consumed my life for a week as I read a book a day.

I haven't read Freeing Carter by Nyrae Dawn and plan to wait for the audio book. I chatted with the author on Twitter and discovered all her books are coming out in audio next month.




Have you ever inhaled all the books from one author?

Tara Tyler has a cover reveal today!  Drop by her place and congratulate her on the awesome cover at http://taratylertalks.blogspot.com/2013/05/trumpets-blare.html.