Thursday Thirteen - The View Outside My Window

1. Snow - it's falling as I type, though it might not be by the time I post this

2. Squirrels - tails fluffed up against the cold

3. One stubborn leaf clinging to the neighbor's tree

4. A tiny, shabby motel - I often wonder what type of people stay there

5. Life size concrete animals - oddly, the neighbor has deer and cows lined up in a row

6. Grey skies - I don't really mind since we're getting the snow

7. Minivans and SUVs - doesn't anyone drive a sedan around here but me? At least I'm not looking at a parking lot, just a few vehicles

8. The road out of town - it's surprisingly quiet for the time of day

9. A mysterious evergreen tree - I've left the volunteer plant because the shape reminds me of something out of Dr. Seuss

10. No vultures - I really miss our summertime flock

11. The neighbor's shed, barn, and carport - really, how much stuff does one family need?

12. A dense line of bare winter trees - we live near a river that hides just out of sight of the vegetation

13. A cardinal - his plumage is a welcome splash of color

Supernaturally Charged - Tatiana Caldwell's "The Summoning"

NEW RELEASE: The Summoning by Tatiana Caldwell, from Liquid Silver Books.

Everything comes with a price …

Gailyn Bridges is a psychic who is ready to end her troublesome career as a private investigator. For the last time, she summons a powerful spirit to help her close a final case.

However, the mysterious entity who answers, Malak, is no ordinary spirit. He’s more than willing to help Gailyn save the would-be victim of a violent crime.

But who’s going to save Gailyn when Malak returns to collect payment for lending her his power?

Read a free excerpt and buy the book here.

A Sensual Read by Portia Da Costa ~ "Far From Perfect"

FAR FROM PERFECT - Portia Da Costa

Enduring passion, turbulent emotions, and an engagement of convenience…

Anna Felgate and Nick Lisitano shared a night of passion together four long years ago, and even though the sex was perfect, the emotional aftermath and the estrangement that followed were about as far from perfect as it's possible to be. Both strong willed individualists, they've been keeping their distance ever since - even though they both secretly admit that they're still hot for each other. But the best laid plans of estranged lovers never run smoothly, and a crisis in Nick's family brings the two of them back together again. For the sake of his ailing father, Nick proposes a daring plan - a temporary engagement - and even though she knows she's playing with fire and putting her heart in deep peril, Anna is compelled to agree to it.

Can these two former lovers pull off their deception without tearing each other apart in the process?  And will they manage to resist their mutual desire and keep their hands off one another... or will they plunge headlong into an affair, perfect or otherwise?

Read an excerpt

Read a longer excerpt at Google Books

Read an excerpt and BUY from Samhain

Thursday Thirteen - Childhood Memories

Thursday Thirteen – Childhood Memories

1. There once existed lists of my stuffed animals so I could rotate weekly which ones slept in my bed. We wouldn’t want unfair treatment!

2. Same said stuffed animals were often the imperfect ones found at the store. I wanted to make sure they got a home.

3. I remember having a fit in anger during which I threw a favorite book across the room. Then I cried over the broken binding.

4. In all kinds of weather I used to join our dog on the roof of her doghouse for gentle companionship. She never did like being inside.

5. During my teens, my fingernail polish matched each and every new day’s outfit. I still wish I could get that time back for something more productive.

6. When little, a favorite play spot was the staircase of my grandparents’ home.

7. Eating walnuts in my grandfather’s woodworking shop is another favorite memory from that era. He used to sit and talk with me for hours.

8. Squirrels running around in the trees and power lines entertained me for hours. My grandfather taught me patience to the point we could feed some of the squirrels on the porch.

9. Winters at my other grandparents’ country home displayed a vast array of wild birds visiting for a free feed. The background noise of adults chatting as I stared out the window was a soothing sound.

10. A great flood once allowed us kids to use pool floats in the neighborhood streets. Mom was a dear to let us get away with that.

11. My brother used to drive me around in his car and I still remember the neat park road that dipped below the level of a creek. It became impossible to traverse after a particularly heavy rain.

12. Caring for houseplants and gardening with my grandmother taught me a lot, and not all just about vegetation.

13. Snuggling with my dad on the couch, we would often snooze on Sunday afternoons while watching NASCAR. I never saw the checkered flag as often as the start of the races.

Advice from Author Ann Somerville

I decided to share something I think is really interesting to aspiring authors. Now I need to go back to reading it myself!

Publication, self-publication, and getting yourself out there

~~~~~

Key to My Heart - Chapter One

Kyle surprised me by running out of the apartment building at my heels. He actually panted lightly from the strain of running. Then he held up his hand and I saw what made him chase me.

Interview with ZA Maxfield and Contest for Her Book

Click here and comment on Nightlight for a chance to win!

Thursday Thirteen - Japanese Snow Monsters

Once again, the website Pink Tentacle offered some spectacular Asian flavored images for me to share. Here are some of the amazing snow and ice sculptures formed around trees in the northern mountainous regions of Japan: