This is going to be a rant about day to day uses of English.

Call me crabby.

No, don’t call me that, images of a thousand tiny dependants running about those nether regions is not what I really want to be called.

Call me crotchety.

I can’t believe my spellchecker sees that as a real word. But this brings out the images above, yet again. Don’t call me crotchety.

Call me anything you want, just don’t say it out loud…

What has me all bunched up?

I hear it on news interviews, court shows, sometimes even in the newspaper and from the real humans in my life.

  • “The agreement was between me and her.”
  • “I bought this at the store and it only costed five dollars.”
  • “I was out on the back porch when I seen this guy come rollin’ up on my neighbor’s grill.” I can handle the slang here but the word ‘seen’ in the wrong context drives me right into the zone some people would call the scratching on the chalk board sound.

I have been known to ask my DH what his first language might have been. I know, I am not a nice person when the chalkboard emits a shrieking sound. He also makes noise when he eats, it is like being in a hardware store rifling through the nail drawer, but that is off topic. And this inability to listen to eating sounds is a real syndrome.

Sigh. Most of these English Offenders are American born and this is their first language. Folks like the ELI Students from long ago spoke very good English. Idioms, however, kept them stumped for more than a semester.

So, who teaches people how to use basic English?

First off, nannys, daycare workers and parents teach them. Siblings also teach them.

  • Dan, aged 3, “Eat it up. Drink it up. Sarah said so at Poppy’s house.” This quote resurfaced a lot during those days of post toddlerhood.
  • “Shi t Weasel,” my granddaughter used to say. I taught her that because it was just naughty enough to make us laugh. She has apraxia of speech and back then if she said anything at all we had a party.

We through money at our schools like candy at a parade. More and more and more goes into the schools and our graduates say “It was me and her over at the quick trip.” What do they learn during the advanced placement courses? Who is teaching and insisting on using good, excellent, perfect grammar?

I want to thank you all for hearing me out on this rant about day to day uses of English.

Did you settle on calling me crabby? Crotchety?

Whatever you call me, come back tomorrow for Fiction Friday and don’t touch anything sharp!

 

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Sally | Leave a comment

Writerly Wednesday Welcomes Melissa Abramovitz

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Sally

Writerly Wednesday Welcomes Melissa Abramovitz

Welcome back readers.  This week Melissa Abramovitz is submitting to the Writerly Wednesday Interview.  Her Bio, book info, cover art and links will appear as you read this post.

I have a new Writerly Wednesday Guest each week.  Submission Guidelines are on this site if you’d like to secure a place on my calendar.

You are also welcome to my Fiction Friday area and general Life is a Story Posts that can also be accessed on this site.

You Came here to visit with our Guest, so I’ll get on with it!

 Interview

1.            What is your favorite marketing task that has resulted in a sale? I like displaying my books at writer’s conferences and school visits and having people ask questions about the books. I enjoy the real-life interactions, especially since so much promotion is done electronically these days. Not that e-marketing is bad; it does allow us to reach so many people. But I especially like the face-to-face stuff.
2.            What do you like about your publisher or why did you decide to Self Publish? I deal with lots of publishers, since I write educational books and magazine articles as well as picture books and the book I wrote for writers. One of the most important qualities I look for in a publisher or editor is a willingness to respond fairly promptly to any questions or concerns I may have. I’m not talking about responding to a manuscript submission – it takes most editors/publishers forever to respond to those. I’m talking about responding to questions etc. after a book is under contract. I know editors and publishers are very busy, but I do not want to work with those who ignore Emails or phone calls. I’m not a pesky author who bombards a publisher with lots of questions and insists on frequent updates. When I do ask about something, there is a good reason. So I like to be treated respectfully enough to merit an answer.
3.            What do you have under your bed? Nothing except carpet! I’m pretty compulsive about keeping everything clean, neat, and in its place. If I kept things like books or clothing under my bed, it would be difficult to keep taking those things out so the area could be vacuumed. I also believe that books belong in a bookshelf and clothes belong in dresser drawers or closets. Sometimes I hate myself for being so well organized, but I must say that this trait allows me to accomplish a great deal (my daily schedule is well-organized on my desk calendar). This nit-picking trait also makes me good at proofreading my manuscripts – only rarely do typos or other mistakes get by me! One editor with whom I work frequently found a typo in one of my manuscripts and immediately called to ask if I was okay. He had never before found a mistake in my work!
4.            Are you a plotter or a pantser when you are writing? Most of the time, I’m definitely a plotter. I usually write nonfiction, so this entails sticking to an outline. However, in the rare instances when I write fiction, I tend to be a pantser. I know, this is not consistent with being compulsively organized, but there are exceptions to every rule, and writing fiction without a clue about what’s coming next is my exception.
5.            Do you write in a bubble or do you prefer critique groups, writing buddies or other companionship during the process? I’ve always written and edited on my own and have never been part of a critique group. This is mostly because the majority of my work is nonfiction assignments, and I know what each publisher is looking for. I would love to find a good critique group for the picture books and the one novel I’ve written and want to market to publishers. I know I could benefit from other writers’ ideas and opinions, and I also enjoy helping other authors improve their work.
6.            When do ideas come to you and how do you capture them? Ideas come to me at all hours of the day or night. Some of the best ones appear during the night, so I keep a pad of paper and a pen on the nightstand next to my bed to scribble notes. Otherwise, I’d never get back to sleep! Other than that, I often get ideas while reading news articles, books, and magazines and while out and about. When this happens, I write down the idea and put it in my overstuffed “Ideas” folder for possible use. This way, I never run out of story or article ideas. One thing I emphasize in my “Treasure Trove” book for writers is that story ideas are everywhere, no matter where you go and what you do. You just have to train yourself to notice these ideas with a writer’s “eye.”
7. What is your favorite word processing program and what other tools do you use, pen, notebooks, white board, index cards, finger on fogged bathroom mirrors? I have used Word for many years and like it a lot. Other than typing my manuscripts, keeping up my website, doing Email and Facebook, and doing some of my research on the computer, however, I am basically a low-tech dinosaur. I prefer taking all my research notes on 8×11 lined paper and writing my first drafts on the same kind of paper before typing up a manuscript. Then I do editing and revisions on the computer, of course. I also keep all my business records about queries, submissions, sales, and compensation in old-fashioned looseleaf notebooks, and I have an old-fashioned desk calendar with my schedule. I find it easier to turn pages and to have a list in front of me rather than having to constantly consult a calendar on my phone or computer or to keep updating a zillion computer files. I also like having a hard copy of everything in case of computer failure. Don’t get me wrong – I think computers are great, and I know I would never want to have to use an old-fashioned typewriter. But I also do not want to do everything on a phone or computer.

Bio

a photo of a woman with dark hair and red top

A Photo of our Guest

I  have been a freelance writer for over 25 years and I specialize in writing nonfiction magazine articles and books for all age groups. I’ve published hundreds of magazine articles, more than 30 educational books for children and teenagers, numerous poems and short stories, and several children’s picture books. My book for writers, A Treasure Trove of Opportunity: How to Write and Sell Articles for Children’s Magazines, has been widely acclaimed since its publication in 2012. I’m a member of SCBWI and The Working Writer’s Club and I enjoy sharing my expertise through teaching teleclasses and workshops on writing. Visit my website at http://www.melissaabramovitz.com/

Email, FB, Twitter links or addresses here…   http://www.melissaabramovitz.com/
Treasure Trove Cover Art

Treasure Trove Cover Art

A Treasure Trove of Opportunity: How to Write and Sell Articles for Children’s Magazines (E&E Publishing)

Many people dream of becoming a published author, and some submit manuscripts for many years with no success. This accessible, comprehensive guide provides the keys to breaking into print or enhancing an already successful career publishing magazine nonfiction for children and teenagers. From finding ideas to doing research to crafting query letters to writing and marketing exciting, age-appropriate articles, this book explains it all clearly and completely for aspiring and established authors. www.amazon.com/Melissa-Abramovitz/e/B001HOWGMI
__
Excerpt

__Treasure Trove excerpt: If you are not a published writer, writing nonfiction for children and teens is an accessible and ideal method of breaking into print. It also provides a reliable, ongoing source of assignments and markets for experienced, widely published authors. Children and teen magazine editors are hungry for well-researched, well-written nonfiction, and the chances of selling magazine nonfiction are far greater than those of selling fiction.  

ABCs of Health and Safety picture book excerpt:

ABC's of Health Cover Art

ABC’s of Health Cover Art

A is for ACTIVE AEROBICS

Such as soccer or hiking.
Swimming or basketball
Might be more to your liking.
B is for BEACH BEHAVIOR
Nobody should swim alone!
Be sure to have a buddy
And stay in a safe swim zone.
Health and safety are important for children, and it’s never too early for them to learn about these topics. In this picture book delightful rhymes take kids on an A-Z journey through everyday health and safety habits. From active aerobics to heart-healthy-habits to zoo zone zeal, this ABC book introduces health and safety basics in a fun way.
__
Finally, here is a question our Guest wished I would have asked.  Her wish is granted by the Great and Powerful Sally… :)
 I wish you had asked what I like best about being a writer. I like lots of things about it, but I’d have to say that what I like best is knowing that I am making a tiny positive difference in the world by making learning fun for children and teenagers in the educational books and articles I write. Knowing that what I write might influence people to do good things in the world is also very rewarding.

Thank you Melissa for doing this for me.  :)  I hope you’ll come back and share news of your next title.

Remember – all of the Writerly Wedneday posts that ever were can be found at http://writerlywednesday.com .

Come back on Friday for Fiction Friday at http://fiction-friday.com .

Until Then, don’t touch anything sharp and look me up on FB and Twitter.

 

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An Open Letter to Spam Patrol

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Sally

This post is a little longer than most.  It is a side of me that may make you blink.  Beware you Spam Haters… this is for you…

An open letter to the Spam Patrol;

This whole ordeal reminds me of the Neighborhood Watch fellow and the poor guy sporting an iced tea and Skittles.

I have a few websites, blogs, FaceBook and Twitter Accounts.  It is hard to watch them all.  I had one site that I set up as a blog and then let it go while I immersed myself in learning HTML and CSS.  I intended to get back to the site and build the best website you ever saw.

Someone came across the blog that had accumulated comments.  Comments that I thought had been turned off.

The comments were from spammers selling little blue pills, shoes, handbags, personal part extenders and other ludicrous things.  Shoot, they probably weren’t even people who left the links.

 Anyway, I checked my mail and found a very URGENT Suspension Notice from my webhost.

What?  Me?  I’ve been suspended?  Gosh, I don’t even use that site.. Everyone knows I am still learning to write code.  You knew, didn’t you?  I had to take swift action to keep this from becoming permanent.  

At that point I did not know what had caused me to be snatched out of the classroom and brought before the judge.  I thought I’d been hacked.  I plead my case.

Eventually I figured it out.  My site was accepting comments.  It wasn’t me spamming.

I was just holding the can and tea and bag of candy.

While I am pleased to know there is such a place as SpamCop.net, I am a little twisted up about being reported instead of approached directly by email.

Here comes my rant…

If the SpamCop was so into protecting the internet community, why on earth did he or she report me when any dote could see it was the people or bots who left the messages?  What is up with you?  You know who you are!

Go to the little blue pill, fake handbag, penile enlarger and whatever other offending site is and report them.

If I sound bitter, you bet your sit-apon, I’m bitter.  You got me suspended.  A mark on my behavior file.

You didn’t bother to email me.  But then why would you, you were too lazy to report the real spammers who were right there on the page waiting for you to confront them.

You could have knocked the tea and candy out of their hands, not mine.

Stopping to breathe for a moment…

Did I say I am angry?  I have been unsuspended and learned a lesson about not checking a site on a regular basis and I also learned what just a tiny bit of power in a lazy complainer’s hands can do.

The next time you are tempted to tell on a person and get Big Brother on his or her case, step away from the keyboard.  Did the site manager leave that post?  She probably didn’t.  Do you have the time it is going to take to report the real spammer or bot?  You probably do. 

Until I post again, in a much better mood, don’t touch anything sharp. I’m taking my tea and Skittles and I’m going back to learn some more code.

And, yes, I am wearing a hoodie.  What are you wearing?

Posted in Sally Heavy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Silence – A Fiction Friday Post

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Sally

Silence is Golden. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Echo the Sounds of Silence.

__

“What do you think’s goin’ on over there?”

Another thud followed by the sound of glass breaking raised Matty’s curiosity.

“I don’t know, a little foreplay, maybe.”

Matty snapped Lucy with her dishtowel. “He is probably drunk. From the sound of it he’s going to lose his damage deposit.”

“Do you think we should call someone?” Lucy pulled a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator.

“Like 911? He never has company, so what would we say?” Matty retrieved two wine glasses from the hutch. “Hello, 911, yes, we want to report a neighbor guy who’s having a domestic dispute with his reflection.”

“You’re right, he never has anyone over and no one around here even tries to say hello to him anymore.”

__ Hear no evil

 

“Shhh. Dad’s drinking again. Don’t let him know we’re awake.”

Darnell pulled his covers up tighter and tried to lay thinner in his bed. “I hate it that he does that.”

“Mom ‘ll be okay. She always is. Last time she told the lady at the store she had a tooth worked on.” Emery traced a glow in the dark Saturn under his brother’s bunk. “She hid the gun, really good this time.”

Unsteady thumps sounded in the hallway. “Shhh. Be asleep.” Emery rolled to face his wall.

 __ Echo

__

 

“What’s gonna happen when he finally goes too far and kills her?” Brady asked.

Mike didn’t answer. Brady didn’t expect him to. “When it happens the cops ‘ll be crawlin’ all over this place. They’ll come to the door, ask us what we know, what we heard, what we did.”

Mike rolled over onto his side so he could see his beloved. He traced an errant curl across her forehead. “You know we can’t do nothin’. I’ve got a warrant out on my ass, maybe two of ‘em. I just got this job, Baby, it’s our chance to get out.”

“We ain’t never gonna get out and you know it. And some day he’s gonna kill that woman.” Brady rolled away from her troubled husband.

“You know, Baby, I’ll never do that to you.”

 __Speak no evil

“Ramsey,” Scott whispered. “Look at that.”

Ramsey crept up beside Scott and both boys stared into the window.

“What’s he doing? It looks like he has a woman in there.”

“Get down a minute, he’s coming out the back door.”

An electronic beep made both boy’s startle. “It’s just his trunk, he has a key thingie.” Ramsey crept forward just a little to see what was happening.

“Oh shit, he’s putting that woman in the trunk.”

“He killed her.” Ramsey said. “We have to get out of here before he sees us.”

“We need to tell our moms.” Scott said as the two nimbly crouch-sprinted back into Ramsey’s yard.

“We’d both be grounded for life if they found out we were out looking in people’s windows. We aren’t saying a word.”

 __See no evil

Come back next week for more Fiction Friday and Writerly Wednesday Posts.

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Do You Know this Person?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Sally

Do you know this person?

I have tried just about forever to get this file to show up as a photo embedded on the page.  Click on the Link to see the poster. It would be really cool if you saved it and printed a few copies.  I enclose copies in bill envelopes and when I go to the cell phone company, I leave one for the break room.  Grocery stores have cork boards and I am sure other places have them, too.

SDispatch C12022815230

Her image is included in the back of my book, e-copy and print.  Milk Carton People.

If you think you know this woman please use the contact information included on the poster.

Tomorrow is Fiction Friday, so come back.  Until then, don’t touch anything sharp!

Sally

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Writerly Wednesday Welcomes Jolene Poole

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Sally

Writerly Wednesday Welcomes Jolene Poole.

Jolene Poole our brave guest has submitted to an interview.

Interview

1. What is your favorite marketing task that has resulted in a sale?

I don’t really know. I’m not sure there’s anything I do that specifically results in sales. But, the internet is a huge help. It’s easy to spread the word depending on what websites you’re active on; I’m on several myself. I recently started to do giveaways just to get the word out there. I’d like to think that getting reviews helps!

 

2. What do you like about your publisher or why did you decide to Self Publish?

I like how easy Damnation Books is to work with. I feel very comfortable there. And, I love that they have an option for print books! I’ve always wanted to see my work in hard copy, and most publishers I looked at didn’t have that option.

 

3. What do you have under your bed?

My movie collection. I’m a huge lover of films. I think I have the largest collection of anyone I know, and I’m running out of room under there!

 

4. Are you a plotter or a pantser when you are writing?

I guess I’m more of a panster. I don’t do any planning until I’m into the story, and I see where it’s heading. I’ll make an outline to follow so that I know where it’s all leading up to, but I think I would get bored if I tried to plan out every little detail.

 

5. Do you write in a bubble or do you prefer critique groups, writing buddies or other companionship during the process?

No one is allowed to see my work until the story is finished. I want people’s opinions on the entire book. That’s usually how I judge things myself. I like to look at the characters, the plot and the ending before I make an overall decision about whether I liked it or not. So I want people to be able to see the completed work before they tell me what they think.

 

6. When do ideas come to you and how do you capture them?

They usually come to me when I’m watching TV or listening to music. I’ll get fragments of plots and characters, and when I think there’s an idea that I can expand on, I write it down and build on it later. It sometimes takes me weeks to get started on a story after I get an idea. I have to be sure about the characters and that the plot can carry the whole book.

 

7. What is your favorite word processing program and what other tools do you use, pen, notebooks, white board, index cards, finger on fogged bathroom mirrors?

I use Microsoft Word. I’ve tried to use other programs but I don’t like them as much. I write everything on my laptop these days. I used to fill up notebook after notebook. Then, I discovered computers! Keyboards are definitely easier when I’m trying to get an idea out as quickly as possible. The words come to me faster than I can write by hand, so typing is the easier thing for me. I’ll only use a notebook now when I’m in a jam. It’s a matter of patience, and when it comes to writing, I have none!

 

Bio

Mug Shot er photo of the Author

Jolene Poole

I was born and raised (with the exception of a few years in Canada) in Michigan. I’ve had a notebook in my hand since I was old enough to write. Becoming a published author has been a dream of mine for years, and I will continue to write books and hopefully entertain the world of readers.

Contact Info:

Email: jolenepoole@ymail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/actress777

Blog: http://authorlaurenciahoffman.tumblr.com/

Side Note: What’s the story behind your pen name?

I thought it would look better in publication than my real name! Laurencia is my middle name. I’ve always loved it. It’s so unique. I don’t think I’ve heard that name anywhere else. Hoffman is my mother’s maiden name and Laurenica was also my great-grandmother’s middle name, so the pen name is a tribute to my great-grandparents.

 

Blurb for Casting Stones

Cover Art for Casting Stones by Jolene Poole

Casting Stones by Jolene Poole

Avery Stone was a normal guy who never did anything important in his life. After a tragic childhood, he found a family ready and willing to take him in. Though he never really felt that he belonged there, he knew that it was better than being alone. When someone starts murdering random werewolf families Avery finds himself fighting to keep his loved ones safe.

Buy Link(s)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Casting-Stones-ebook/dp/B006K1M8F8/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/casting-stones-laurencia-hoffman/1108037147?ean=9781615725458

Damnation Books: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615725441

Excerpt from Casting Stones

Chance got to his feet, waiting for everyone to say something. Charlie ran her hand through her long blonde hair, clearing her throat uncomfortably. “Well…that wasn’t very nice.”

Chance clenched his fists. He had just been waiting for someone to speak so that he could tell them off. “No, it wasn’t. The truth is never easy to hear. You all treated him like he didn’t matter. Most of you tried to pretend that he didn’t exist. I don’t consider any of you my family, not after this. I will never forgive you for taking away the only brother I had.”

“That’s not fair,” Rain said quietly, “We didn’t kill him.”

“You may not have pulled the trigger, but you might as well have. If you had tried to develop a relationship with him, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“They’re right,” Darius said. “Avery and Chance are both…right.”

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Casting-Stones-ebook/dp/B006K1M8F8/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/casting-stones-laurencia-hoffman/1108037147?ean=9781615725458

Damnation Books: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615725441

Contact:

Email: jolenepoole@ymail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/actress777

Blog: http://authorlaurenciahoffman.tumblr.com/

 

Thank you for having me as your guest, Sally!

Thank You Jolene and I wish you a Best Seller.

Come back next week when our Writerly Wednesday Guest will be Melissa Abramovitz. And don’t touch anything sharp.

Posted in Writerly Wednesdays | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A Wedding Story – Fiction Friday – All Bets are Off

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Sally
graphic of bride and groom

Every Breath you Take

A Wedding Story

The Bride’s Side *

“Have you seen the dress?”

“No, do you think she’ll have the nerve to wear white?”

“I did.”

“Time for a subject change – did you see what the Millers did to the outside of their house?”

“You mean the blue paint. Yes, I saw it.”

“Aren’t there some kind of codes against to stop people from painting their houses blue?”

“Look, here comes Bree.”

“Would you look at that, she’s as big as a bus.”

The Groom’s Side **

“Where’d he meet this girl, again? I forgot.”

“I’m not really sure. Cloe, do you remember where he found this one?”

“All I know is the groomsmen are out back taking bets on how long this is going to last.”

“Well, I hope he got a pre-nup.”

Cloe elbowed him in the ribs. “Watch it.”

“Here come the guys with the bride’s maids, you think Harry forgot the rings?”

“I just hope everyone can keep a straight face when the Minister uses ‘Pell’s’ birth name.”

Everyone is in place up front. Pretty as a picture.  The audience goes quiet.  The music starts.

The Stalker’s Song… Every Breath You Take, by the Police….

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A Wedding Story has been brought to you as an installment of Fiction Friday.  

Come back next week and don’t touch anything sharp.

*as a part time Rent-a-Rev who has married many couples, including her daughter and son-in-law, some bits of conversation in this story were real.  The replies have been changed to protect the friends and the couple.

** No, I did not place any bets.  A few years back I was at a baby shower where I had married three of the women in attendance.  Two of the three had gotten a divorce.

A Wedding Story

 

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Writerly Wednesday Welcomes Leanna Harrow

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Sally

 

Writerly Wednesday Welcomes  Leanna Harrow.

Interview Questions

1.  What is your favorite marketing task that has resulted in a sale?
Facebook!
2.  What do you like about your publisher or why did you decide to Self Publish?
I love everything about my publisher, Eternal Press from the support from the CEO, the AWESOME graphic artists, marketing department to the wonderful group of authors I get to work with.
3.  What do you have under your bed?
Absolutely nothing!
4.  Are you a plotter or a pantser when you are writing?
Panster! I have one of those minds that cannot focus one one task at a time. I have to be able to do what my head tells me to. When it says “write”, I write. When it says “cook”, I cook. When it says “COFFEE” I have coffee ;) You could say I’m kind of a butterfly when it comes to how I work.
5.   Do you write in a bubble or do you prefer critique groups, writing buddies or other companionship during the process?
I’m in a bubble…all the time. An idea comes to me, I put on my headphones and I write.
6.   When do ideas come to you and how do you capture them?
They just come to me and I write, it’s as simple as that. I have no structure in life, at all lol
7.   What is your favorite word processing program and what other tools do you use, pen, notebooks, white board, index cards, finger on fogged bathroom mirrors?
My son-in-law got me Dragon Naturally Speaking this past Christmas and I love it. I have Rhumethoid Arthritis and it get progressively bad each year. He watches me struggle and it was really, a thoughtful gift. My awesome kids have taught him well! Post it notes are also a great tool!
8. What do you do for fun? (here is an example of text size I wanted to change.)
I love to play on my blog http://authorteasereadings.wordpress.com/ where I have been promoting other authors and people in the publishing industry! There are a lot of talented people out there! When I do drag myself away from my keyboard, I go out and shoot a few games of pool until someone yells “shark” ;)

 

Bio  
Leanna Glamour shot

Leanna Harrow

Leanna Harrow grew up on the Central Coast of California where the beaches were pristine and the sunsets were spectacular. She attended the school of hard knocks as traditional schools had too many rules and regulations. She raised four children who turned out happy, healthy, productive members of society. Each of her children grew up to possess her independent spirit and headstrong ways but are all awesome people.

For all of her love, time, and devotion, Leanna’s children have repaid her with the ultimate gift of grandchildren. They are her favorite past time and at present, she has four of them. Leanna’s sure that the future holds more of them.

Her hobbies include cooking huge meals for her extended family, a good game of billiards every now and then, reading a good book—as well as writing one, writing poems that pop into her head at the most inopportune times, listening to music as many hours a day as possible and people watching, especially men!

Leanna lives in North Carolina and is very single

A Beautiful Liar Cover Art

A Beautiful Liar Cover Art

A Beautiful Liar by Leanna Harrow
ISBN 9781615729234
Ratings: Heat – 5
Genre: Erotica Sub Genre: Romance
Blurb: Book One of the Maggie West SeriesHow Many Lies Can One Man Tell?Maggie West has endured the worst luck: abusive relationships, cheating husbands, an emotionally-destructive mother, a daughter’s bout with cancer, and a slew of last-resort jobs. A natural giver, she loses herself in others to the brink of numbness, isolation, and disillusion. However, when she joins a social network to fight her loneliness, Maggie encounters a beautiful man— who is full of lies. As a game, she allows herself to be willfully deceived, and in the process, gets wrapped into an experience that awakens her mind, body, and sexuality in ways she never imagined possible.
Excerpt

 

Killing the Desire Cover Art

Killing the Desire Cover Art

Killing the Desire by Leanna Harrow
ISBN 9781615728626
Ratings: Heat – 4
Genre: Erotica Sub Genre: Mystery
Blurb: Is the man she loves…her mother’s killer?Rose never believed in love—her mother’s words in her head saw to that. Becks Harlow wanted Rose to protect her heart from the pain of love. When her mother is brutally murdered, Rose turns to the one man she thought could help, Detective Dave Mason. He was in charge of her mother’s case. Little did Rose know, Detective Mason would soon be in charge of her body, heart, and soul. She also suspects he killed her mother!Excerpt

Maggie West grew up believing in fairy tales which is perhaps why she got into the mess she did. Her poor, misguided mother told her the same, bullshit story all of her life. You know the one. You meet a man, get married, have his children, and live happily ever after. Ah, yes. Every little girl’s fantasy.
By adulthood, Maggie had concluded it was a total and complete crock of shit. After her third marriage failed, Maggie moved in with her youngest daughter to wait for the ink on the divorce papers to dry, yet again, so she could pick up the pieces of her pathetic, shattered excuse of a life—eking out a living as a freelance contractor while watching the days turn into weeks, months, and years. Every little girl’s fantasy. Yes, it was a total, fucking crock of shit.
Maggie had four children by two different men. She had two girls and two boys. She was passionate about her kids. You didn’t fuck with Maggie’s kids. Maggie felt bad that she’d affected her youngest one by marrying her latest mistake and moving out of town. She married him after a long relationship had gone south and decided—after just six weeks of knowing him—to marry him. This decision was in spite of the fact that he couldn’t get it up and keep it up, no matter how hard he tried. He eventually quit trying.
Maggie didn’t even care after a while, which was really sad. Maggie had always cared about sex—a lot—but she’d never really been stable when it came to choosing men. She always seemed to choose the bad guys. They were the ones who would abuse her, mistreat her, and use her.
Her first husband was a drunken skirt-chaser. So was her second, as well as most of her boyfriends. She was only seventeen when she married her first husband after having only known him a month or so. Her motive? She desperately wanted to get out of her mother’s house. She didn’t have time to get to know him, either. All she cared about was getting away from her negative, sad sack of a mother. She didn’t know that pills and alcohol were his first love. She didn’t know that he was looking for a way out, too. She didn’t know how abused and broken he was. She didn’t know he liked strange pussy better than hers. She didn’t know that twenty-five years later, those pills and alcohol would be his last love.

Leanna Harrow has been an awesome guest and I hope she forgives my formatting issues.  I did a bit of editing.  

Unless this fellow is getting a rooster ready to show at the fair, I have to warn you the following is rated R+.

He stood over her, smiling, cock in hand. As he gently stroked it, he looked into her beautiful, deep, dark blue eyes. The kind of blue you only find in the ocean waters of the Bahamas. They were blue but sprinkled with tiny specks of green and gold.
My God, they are beautiful eyes, he thought as he got close
to cumming again. Those gorgeous eyes fixed on him. Those gorgeous,
brilliant, blue eyes! They were deep, soulful, kind eyes. They were mesmerizing and captivating eyes. They were also dead eyes. He saw to that when he choked the life out of her with his bare hands fifteen minutes beforehand.

Excerpt

No time to reminisce, he thought to himself as he shook off the image. It was time to clean up his mess. As good as jacking himself off felt, he had work to do. He knew that his ultimate release would come later, at home, when he replayed the scene of the actual moment he snuffed the life out of her over and over in his head. It would feel better than actually fucking her had.He picked up her lifeless body and carried her into the bathroom. He placed her into the tub of hot water that he ran while he went into the laundry room to get the bleach. As he left the bedroom to go to the laundry room, he picked up the condom he used and its wrapper and placed them into the plastic baggie he’d brought with him. He placed the baggie in his pocket to take with him. He returned to the bathroom and poured the bleach into the tub to make sure he hadn’t left any evidence behind. As he watched the tub fill with more water, he thought about the mundane dinner they’d shared and the boring stories she told him about her “wonderful” children. She did mention the fact she had a couple of daughters. He wondered what it would be like to fuck them proper too, and then choke the life out of each one of them as well.He also wondered if she’d known she was eating her last meal at that very moment, would she have gone ahead and ordered the dessert? The dumb bitch, what did she expect meeting strange men off the internet? He scanned the bathroom and bedroom to make sure he hadn’t left any other evidence behind before he returned the bleach to the laundry room and left. He was meticulous like that. He left her there, in the tub full of bleach water, eyes open, blank stare on her face, a smile on his, just like he’d left the others.

Thanks Leanna for being my guest and thanks readers for coming back.

First I mixed up the excerpts, then I tried poking around in code.  Then I put the excerpts in, wanted to change the text size and messed up the code.  Finally I fussed with something at un-formatted the interview questions.  I have no idea if I got this post in shape or not.  I decided to step away from the keyboard.
Don’t touch anything sharp.  And don’t mess around in the code.

 

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Fiction Friday – Stalking Part Two

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Sally

Welcome Back to Fiction Friday 

Last Friday’s post was entitle Fiction Friday – Stalking Part One.  This is really the third part.  The beginning of the story was a post called Snippet.   

This post has some harsh language.  Nothing you wouldn’t hear at your local grade school.  

Getting her stalker to the park was like a pedophile giving candy to a grade school kid. Selina felt a rush.

She took the simple approach, direct, slow and obvious. She had everything in place and it was time to stop drawing it out. The stalker sat on a bench and played with his cell phone. The park had emptied. Dog walkers and lovers had moved on. Just the two of them.

Selina jogged down the path close enough for the stalker to smell her sweat. Then she stopped and pretended to tie her shoe. He was playing it cool. She doubled back the few strides she had taken and sat down on the bench beside the stalker. She shrugged off her small back pack and pretended to go through it.

Selina pressed the hard cold muzzle against the stalker’s ribs. She wished she had a camera. The look on the stalkers face was pure gold. He sat stock still looking ahead into the darkened park.

“Yes, I know you. You mother fucker. You’ve been following me almost a week. I’m getting quite tired of it.”

“What? I don’t know you.” The stalker said in a very convincing voice. “I don’t have any money, if that is what you want. Here, take my cell phone.”

“I don’t want your stupid cell phone. What you think I’m out here for your stupid cell phone!” Selina jabbed at him again.

The stalker drew a quick breath.

“Did I say you could breathe? I don’t think I did. Why are you stalking me? Do I know you from somewhere? Did I offend you?” Selina kept her voice even and low. Calm and in control. Never let them see you sweat..

The stalker looked straight ahead. So she jabbed him again. He wasn’t going to look her in the eye so she didn’t have to put energy into a poker face.

“I asked you a question. Did I offend you?”

“Okay, play bashful. Did I do something that turned you on? Were you watching me and having a hard on the whole week? Cuz, if that is true you are really sick.”

The stalker said nothing.

“I’ll tell you what I think. At the risk of hurting your feelings and I know you have them. A guy doesn’t get as sick as you without having feelings. I think, and I’m no expert, I think you should learn better ways to socialize.”

The stalker had begun to sweat and this encouraged Selina.

“Here is what I want you to do.” She poked at him again. “I want you to stand up and take your clothes off.” She waited two beats. “Now, she shouted. “Off.” It was the first time she had raised her voice and the stalker did a full body flinch.

The stalker had an athletic body. She thought he was on the low side of 30. He pulled his shirt over his head. ” Now, lose the pants.”

He sat the phone down on the bench and toed his shoes off. Then came his pants and his briefs.

“You can keep the underwear and the shoes. You’ll need the shoes.”

His pants lay crumpled on top of his shirt and he busied himself pulling his underwear back on.

“You don’t think I’m a pervert. Keep the undies”. The waist band of his undies snapped and he scrunched his feet back into his shoes.

“Take your stupid phone. I said I didn’t want it. Take it and walk that way down the trail. She pointed with her handgun.

As he walked away, Selina let off a round that hit the dirt just beside his right foot. Perfect. He did the full body flinch again and took off at a dead run.

She rifled through his pockets and there wasn’t anything. No ID, not even coins or his car keys. As soon as she was sure he was out of the park, Selina stuffed his clothes into a trash bin and continued jogging one more lap around the park.

 Come back next week for Fiction Friday.  Till then, don’t touch anything sharp.

Posted in Fiction Friday | Tagged , | 1 Comment

I just want to give all of the Eternal Press Authors, Editors, Cover Artists and Kim Richards Gilchrist a round of applause for yesterday’s releases.  You all rock.

  • For the Love of His Life  by Fiona McGier   

  • A Beautiful Liar…Book One of the Maggie West Series by Leanna Harrow     

  • Lotris’ Blood: A Carpathian Blood Novella (book 2) by Michelle Hoefle

  • All of Me, a McRaidy Son  by Em Epe   

  • Future Past by Robin Winter   

  • Born to Trouble                  by Rob Mancebo   

  • Midland by Scott Alan Wade     

  • Deadly Sin (Cassandra Farbanks Series) by Sonnet O’Dell

  • Silent Blood (Sequel to Silent Madness) by Roberta Hoffer    

  • A Sharp Dressed Man by Lawrence Montgomery     

  • Thereafter (Afterlife #2)  by Terri Bruce   

  • Lokians Book 3 For War and Glory by Aaron Dennis    

  • Weather by Isobelle Winter   

  • Berlina’s Quest by James Hartley    

  • The Last Time by Elodie Parkes   

  • Fairest by Beth Bishop   

  • Halo of the Nephilim (sequel to Halo of the Damned) by Dina Rae   

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Sally | Comments Off