Lilly Gayle- Author of paranormal and historical romance.

2012-03-16T05:29:00.001-04:00

Welcome Guest Mimi Barbour who is part of a free e-book give away party 3/14-3/18. Link to party is at the bottom of the page.

My Cheeky Angel

(1st book in the Angels with Attitudes series)

Mimi Barbour

Annie is naïve and love-starved, she’ll soon to be celebrating her big 3-0. Something needs to be done! Celi, her ‘down-to-earth’ guardian angel appears to help kick-start Annie’s big change—her looks, her job, her whole life. By taking a managerial position with a sophisticated shoe manufacturer, Annie becomes embroiled with her new associates and hooked on the power of big business. Unfortunately, her exhaustion from overwork forces her to ignore old friends, and her lapse places someone she cares about in terrible danger.

Tyler, a Social Worker and a woman-hater previously hurt in two relationships, only wants Annie in his life as a good buddy. Oh yeah! And to help with his mixed-up street kids. Perversely, once her life alters, he misses her like hell. In one sweet night of loving everything changes. But, due to an overabundance of nightcaps, she doesn’t remember the night he can’t forget.

Excerpt:

Every time he closed his eyes, a strange image of Annie in trouble took on such realistic tendencies it seemed surreal. Sick of his own company, Tyler decided a walk would do him a world of good, clear his head, and help to get his mind off his tomboy gone rogue.

Once the idea appeared, it became a fixation. No choice, no dragging his feet, he had to get out of his apartment. Either he needed hallucination treatments or a curt, gravelly female had taken up residence in his brain and urged him to hurry and get his butt moving.

The elevator, not ever on his floor, awaited him with the door open and no one else inside. He shivered. Strange and stranger! The ride down lasted only seconds. When it slowly opened, a nightmare unfolded. One look at his Annie clinging to her evening’s escort and his rage superseded common sense. Without thought, he ripped her from the scumbag’s groping fingers and shoved the conceited-looking, puffed-up character against the wall. All Tyler’s six feet two inches of anger intimidated. He watched the coward evaluate, then shrink back.

Within seconds the smooth prick spoke. “Anna had a bit too much to drink. I was seeing her safely home.”

“Not a problem. I’ll take her up,” he growled. By this time, Tyler had a supportive arm around the wobbly woman. He looked down at her. “Say bye-bye to your date...Anna.” His spitting out her newly chosen name would have set worry bells ringing, if she’d been in her normal state of mind. Blitzed out of her head, she just jiggled her fingers and said, “Bye-bye, date.”

With everything happening so fast, Tyler knew Annie hadn’t had a chance to fully appreciate the change in her situation. One minute she was leaning drunkenly against the slimy character whose hands were all over her body, while her unfocused eyes gazed at him adoringly. The next minute, Tyler had taken over.

As the elevator doors closed, leaving Sergio shrugging off his disappointment, a fuming Tyler lifted Annie into his arms.

At ease, Annie wrapped her arms around him, snuggled her face into his neck, and then sighed. His familiar expensive cologne, one of her gifts that he regularly used, seemed to soothe her. “I love how you smell.”

His anger fled the moment he became aware that she sniffed at him like a small kitten. His legs almost buckled when he felt the tip of her tongue lick him, and then press a tiny kiss over the wet spot.

The groan started deep, frustration forcing it out, chasing away his righteous snit. At her door, he lowered her to her unsteady feet, but she refused to unwind her arms from around his neck. They clung, her body glued to his.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_15?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=my+cheeky+angel&sprefix=my+cheeky+angel%2Caps%2C189

Announcing

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Romance from sweet to HOT, suspense, paranormal, humorous, historical...we have an awesome range.

If Mysteries and Thrillers are your thing you can't go wrong. Police action, murderous mayhem, amateur sleuths and more.

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Some Examples

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Great Books Available

You like Romance? Find them here.

Don’t miss Mimi Barbour’s “My Cheeky Angel” or Virna DePaul’s “Chosen by Sin.” Rita Herron will make you smile with “Marry Me Maddie.” Stephanie Bond’s “I think I Love You” and Denise Domning’s “Almost Perfect” are perfect for the addicted romance reader. Debra Burroughs “Three Days in Seattle” and Nina Bruhns’s “The French Detective’s Woman” add a splash of mystery and suspense to their romance.

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“Liquid Lies” By Lois Lavrisa dives into secrets, lies and murder, while Shannon Mayer will lead you through ten Horrifying stories in “Ingredients of a Caldron.” Nathan Yocum investigates a post-apocalyptic future in "The Zona" and Katherine Owen digs deep in a story of love and loss in "Seeing Julia."

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Standing the Broom

2012-03-09T05:32:00.150-05:00

No, it's not the white man's equivalent to Jumping the Broom. Not even close. Jumping the Broom is a uniquely African/African-American wedding tradition. It's also a funny, heartwarming romantic comedy from writer, producer/director, Tyler Perry. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

Standing the broom doesn't have anything to do with weddings or cool wedding traditions. It's an urban legend I hadn't even heard of until my writer friend, Lori Keizer https://www.facebook.com/readLoriHayes mentioned it on Facebook. But once I saw her post, I had to find out more about this supposed scientific "phenomenon."

Oddly enough, the information I found on the internet was written to debunk the urban legend. But from what I understand, a couple of weeks before and after the spring and fall equinox, March 20 and September 22, the planets and gravitational pull of the earth align in such a way that a broom can stand on its on when balanced facing south.

It sounded like a hoax to me and most experts agree.

According to Joe Ross, a professor at Texas A&M university, it's just a balancing act. He claims anyone with patience and a broom can stand a broom on its bristles any time of the year. The broom he used is a straight broom, so I don't know how he could tell if it was facing south or not, but he did stand the broom straight up. According to Ross, it had nothing to do with the equinox.http://verenettawarner.com/vernal-equinox-brooms-eggs-standing-alone-gravity/

It doesn't have anything to do with gremlins, elves, or some funky phenomenon caused by a planetary alignment. It's just a well-balanced broom.

Yeah, that's kind of what I thought. Not that I sit around thinking much about brooms. I don't even like to think about them when it's time to sweep. I prefer my Swiffer. Or the vacuum. But Facebook and the internet have been abuzz with stories of standing brooms. And yet, in all my internet research, I found nothing to support the claims. All of the websites, blog posts, and such, declared the standing broom myth as nonsense. "If a broom stands alone today, it will stand alone tomorrow, next week, and next year."

That's what I thought too. But those who believe say it's true, especially this year because of the recent alignment of Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter. Skeptics say it's hogwash: "the bristles on a broom can be spread apart in such a way that all straight brooms will stand. Astronomers say neither planetary alignments or equinoxes have any physical impact on earthly objects."

http://www.journaldemocrat.com/features/x1785618618/Urban-legend-tested-broom-stands-by-itself-in-hospital-basement-as-vernal-equinox-approaches

The broom I used wasn't straight. It's angled, not just the bristles, but the handle. And the only way I could get it to stand on its own was to point the handle south. Hey, my dog was impressed. She's all but bowing down to the magic broom. lol!

Does this mean I believe the equinox is responsible? IDK. Maybe it's like author Stuart Chase says: "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible."

I'm not saying I believe, but it was a fun experiment, and you can bet I'll be trying this trick again--after the equinox. Think the broom will stand up then?

Only time will tell...

Running With The Angels

2012-03-02T10:48:00.001-05:00

My big sister is gone. She had been so close to death so many times, only to pull through and defeat it. So, when the call came Tuesday, February 28 that she'd simply stopped breathing and was no longer with us, it came as quite a shock. But she's in a better place and no longer suffering from the limitations of her failing body.

Cindy was born in 1957 and seemed perfectly normal until she reached puberty. She began stumbling and had some difficulty with hand-eye coordination. Then my parents noticed a curvature of her spine. She was diagnosed with scoliosis. A visit to the neurosurgeon at Duke revealed a more devastating diagnosis. Cindy also had Fredericks Ataxia. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002384/. There is no cure and Cindy was told she'd never walk again after the surgery to straighten her spine.

Cindy on right. I'm on the left.

Cindy had the surgery at age 13 and she proved the doctors wrong. She did walk again. She walked unaided at first, then by holding on to walls and rails. She graduated from high school and completed one and half years of college before the disease progressed to the point where she needed assistance getting around. By age 22, she was confined to a wheelchair, although for a few more years, she was still able to stand and transfer in and out of the chair with assistance.

She lived at home and struggled for a normal life. Then about seven years ago, the disease's progression accelerated. She could no longer bathe herself or hold a spoon and fork. So, she moved into a group home where she continued her fight. But in the last two years, she seemed to tire. The light faded from her eyes as her mind began to fail along with her body.

She'd lost total control her body. She could barely lift her chin and her speech deteriorated until she could no longer communicate with words. The loss of motor control made it impossible to communicate with her hands or via a computer. And finally,she started showing signs of dementia.

She gave up the fight this week and God called her home.

Now, Cindy no longer needs her wheelchair. She's running with the Angels and talking God's ear off. She was my big sister and I will miss her dearly.

My aunt wrote this beautiful tribute to her.

“CINDY”

November 3, 1957 – February 28, 2012

Though this is a time of sadness, it is also a time of joy. Cindy has transcended to a place where she can once again walk and talk and do all the things she had been unable to do for so very long. I was seven years old when Cindy was born, and I thought she was my very own real doll baby. I remember her laying on my Mama and Daddy’s bed asleep and I knew I wasn’t suppose to bother her, but I’d go and pull her toes to wake her up and run to proudly announce “she’s awake now so I can play with her”. I was so proud of her!!! I watched her in her role as oldest child. She made sure the younger ones knew who was boss!!!

One thing is certain and that is that through all her years, she remained determined and yes, quite often stubborn. As a small child, she would hold her breath until she turned blue. One motto for her would have to be “Never Give Up”, and she didn’t. She wore a body cast for about a year following surgery for scoliosis, only to find out after the cast was removed that she had Freidrich’s Ataxia. While still in high school, she faced tremendous obstacles as her body began to fail her, but she never gave up. The high school year book was dedicated to her in her senior year and she inspired more people than she ever knew. Through it all, she continued with her stubborn and determined attitude.

I can remember when she was still walking and several of us were in a store. Her gait had gotten unsteady and people would look at her as if they thought she were intoxicated. She just kept on going. She continued on to college for a while. She fought to continue walking on her own; she fought to continue talking and trying to communicate. Her family always supported Cindy’s independence, and in so doing, they made her resolve to never give up even stronger.

For years, she did beautiful needlepoint projects. She collected dolls and Christmas Village pieces. She continued to eat a regular diet, even though it became difficult, but we all know food was always on her favorite things list!

She absolutely adored her nieces and nephews and then her younger cousins when they came into her life. They were the highlight of her Christmas, Easter, and other times of family togetherness. In later years, her eyes literally sparkled when she would see them. She was happy just watching them play. Sometimes, when I would watch Cindy as she watched the kids, I would wonder if she ever held any resentment for what they could do that she no longer could. Well, to see her joy as she watched them and to hear her laughter when they would do something funny let me know she held no resentment, but a heart full of love for each one of them.

When you think of Cindy, please don’t think of what might have been. For whatever reason, she was just the way she was meant to be. And in so being, she was an inspiration to a lot of people. And she was a blessing to the children she loved so much. From being around her, they learned at an early age that we are not all blessed with perfect health. They learned how to push a wheelchair and how to help someone else. They learned that people with disabilities are just that…they are people and they deserve respect.

Even death can be viewed in a positive manner. As a quote from Henry Scott Holland, professor at Oxford University goes:

“Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room. I am I, and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way you always used. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without the ghost of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant…There is absolutely unbroken continuity.

What is death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you-for an interval-somewhere near just around the corner.

All is well.

Cindy, we all love you, and we will miss you. But you will always be in our minds and hearts. We know we now have a stubborn and determined angel watching over us.

From Books to Movies-The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2012-02-24T09:51:00.004-05:00

Some people prefer reading over watching a movie. Others prefer movies. My husband's motto is, "I'll wait until it comes out on DVD." Me? I love both. I love to watch a movie after I've read the book. I like comparing the two. Most of time, the movie isn’t nearly as good as the book, mainly because it's difficult to portray inner emotions and turmoil on film. But in some cases, the movie version of a good book sucks.

One of my favorite Dean Koontz’s books is Watchers. In the novel, a top secret government laboratory creates two genetically altered life forms. One is a golden retriever with the IQ of a human. The other is a vicious, hideous monster who hates humans for creating him and the dog, Einstein because his creators loved him. The book combines a man, a woman, and a dog with action, suspense, horror and romance. What could be better than that?

In the first movie version, the man is a sixteen year old boy and Nora is his mother. There is no romance, precious little suspense or action, and cheesy horror. So, Hollywood created Watchers II, a second version loosely based on Koontz’s novel. The second movie more closely resembles the first. There’s a man, a woman, and a dog but the horror isn’t scary, the suspense is poorly written, and the action is over-acted. Still, better than the first movie version.

Hollywood did a pretty good job with the movie version of John Grisham’s A Time to Kill. Although in the book, I don’t remember the lawyer’s law student getting so much “face time.” Then again, Sandra Bullock played the part so I guess that’s why the movie version gave her a stronger role than the character in the book had. Still, the movie was well done and IMHO, more closely followed the book than just about any I’ve ever seen.

The movie Cujo, based on Stephen King’s horror novel was good, but not nearly as good as the book. In the book, King gets into the dog’s head. That seems a bit hard to do on film, and the director of the movie didn’t even attempt it. But if you like horror movies, this one is a lot better than Pet Cemetery and no cute little children die and become blood thirsty zombies.

Jeffery Deaver’s The Bone Collector was an awesome book. In the movie, Denzel Washington portrays the paralyzed former detective, Lincoln Rhyme. In one scene, the killer comes into Rhyme’s home. Rhyme’s is lying in bed, paralyzed except for one twitching finger. Washington did such a good job portraying Rhyme’s character that for a moment, I actually believed Washington was paralyzed. IMHO, he deserved an Oscar for that role. And yet, he wins an Oscar for his role in Training Day.

Washington did a fine job portraying a dirty cop, but other actors have played similar roles just as well. And Denzel Washington has had much stronger performances in much better movies. In Malcolm X, Denzel Washington seemed to become his character. And his acting in A Man on Fire was phenomenal. That movie had me biting my nails and balling like a baby at the end.

Ken Follett’s Eye of the Needle made a pretty good movie. In my opinion, it was one of Donald Southerland’s best performances.

The movie version of Somewhere in Time, based on Richard Matheson’s novel was enjoyable as well. Then again, I love Jane Seymour and thought she was nicely paired with Christopher Reeve—may he rest in peace.

And I can’t compare books to movies without comparing Gone with the Wind. Both the book and the movie are classics. In the movie, however, Scarlet O’Hara has only one child and if I remember correctly, she had four or five in the book. I remember liking this movie when I watched it way back in the 70’s. I tried to watch again years later when my daughters were younger. They were bored and laughed at the special effects. I cringed at the bad accents and horrible acting. In my opinion, Clark Gable and Butterfly McQueen (who played Prissy,) were the only actors in that film who didn’t over act or do a horrible job faking a Southern accent.

Debbie Macomber’s This Matter of Marriage made a pretty good Lifetime movie. So have several of Nora Robert’s books. I didn’t like the ending of the book or the movie Message in a Bottle. I loved the movie version of The Notebook. The end was sad, but satisfying. I heard the book ends differently. I haven’t read it. My favorite Nicholas Sparks’ books are The Choice and The Guardian. Both end happily. So, I bet they’re never made into a movie.

The coast guard movie, The Guardian, is one of my favorite Kevin Costner movies. It was not based on Spark’s book.

Since my reading tastes run toward romance, thrillers, and suspense, there are many more books that have been made into movies that I haven’t seen. I’ve seen many movies based on books but haven’t read the book so I can’t really compare them. And I’ve read countless books that will never be made into a movie.

I enjoyed the movie Sense and Sensibility but I can’t for the life of me remember if I’ve read the book or Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. There are some books I’ve heard so much about, I can’t remember if I’ve actually read them or not.

Then there are the books/movies on my TBR (to be read) list and TBW (to be watched) list. I own a copy of The Secret Life of Bees. I’ve yet to read it or see the movie. Nor, have I read or watched The Help. I seldom go out to the movies anymore and my reading time is severely limited by everything else on my TDL (to do list.)

I can’t end this post without mentioning one of my favorite books: Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. The book ends with Dante’ finding a new life and love with Haydee, but I always wished Dumas’ had ended it differently. In the 2002 movie version, I got my wish. Dante’ and Mercedes live happily ever after, which is my favorite kind of ending and the main reason that in this instance, I prefer the movie to the book.

Love Lines

2012-02-14T05:38:00.000-05:00

February is the month of lovers, and tomorrow is Valentines Day. Are you feeling romantic? If not, maybe some of these romantic lines will get you in the mood.

So sit back, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy some great love lines from some great books. Maybe one will strike your fancy and you’ll want to read the whole book. Don’t worry. Buy links are included with every line.

From Lilly Gayle’s 2011 release Wholesale Husband:

“Aye, Clarissa,” he said, his face now serious,

“you can do whatever you want, have as many

children as you want, be anything you want, just as

long as you love me.”

Wholesale Husband is available from http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_135&products_id=4631 and http://www.amazon.com/Wholesale-Husband-Lilly-Gayle/dp/1601549768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325870062&sr=8-1

From Bianca Swan's Celestial Sin:

Cam-ael stroked her cheek, shook his head. “As I told Heaven’s General, the choice was mine. No regrets, my love, none at all.” An angel’s soft lips caressed hers. “How beautiful you are. I’d risk anything to be with you. I love you.”

Celestial Sin available from: http://www.wilderroses.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=87&products_id=826

From Katherine Grey's 2011 release Impetuous:

Mateo took her in his arms. "Your heart is a priceless treasure
second to none." A brilliant smile curved his lips.
"And I would know. After all, I am a thief like no other."

Impetuous is available from http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=905 and http://www.amazon.com/Impetuous-ebook/dp/B005J7K52M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325970919&sr=1-1

From Brenda Whiteside’s 2011 Release

HONEY ON WHITE BREAD

“You know what honey does to plain white bread?” He kissed my cheek softly, his lips like the touch of a butterfly wing. “You dribble it on, slow…and…thick. The bread soaks the honey in and changes.” His lips caressed my earlobe. “Well, I’m white bread to your honey.”

Hone On White Bread available from:

http://www.melange-books.com/authors/brendawhiteside/honey.html

From Lilly Gayle’s Slightly Tarnished:

“You make me

forget there was anyone before you.”

Available from: http://www.amazon.com/Slightly-Tarnished-Lilly-Gayle/dp/1601549237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325879639&sr=8-1 and http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_138&products_id=4516

From Mimi Barbour’s 2011 release: My Cheeky Angel

Tyler grinned. “I know you’re the cutest thing I’ve seen today, and I just walked past the puppies in the pet store window.”

My Cheeky Angel available from:
http://amzn.to/sItpZJ

From Brenda Whiteside’s 2010 release SLEEPING WITH THE LIGHTS ON

He leaned across the table to rub the back of my hand with his. “What I said is exactly what I meant.” He lowered his voice, and I lost my peripheral vision to the point that we were the only two people in the restaurant. “Sandra, when a gal’s figure fills in the spaces to make it a woman’s body, a man can lose all common sense just lookin’.”

Sleeping with the Lights On available from: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/brenda-whiteside-m-726.html?zenid=df2623a0f03265ec26b02f245944e12a

From Leigh D’Ansey’s 2011 release: The Duke's Blackmailed Bride:

'She had not even reached the gates when she brought a gloved hand shakily to her mouth and pressed it against lips that still savored the taste of Northbridge.'

The Dukes Blackmailed Bride available from: http://tinyurl.com/6nxch9y

From Darcy Lundeen's Find You Again:

“You responded to me. You were afraid to, but you finally let yourself go. That’s one of the nicest things you could have done for me.”

Finding You Again available from:

Wild Rose Press Page: http://bit.ly/yTRLZR

Amazon: http://amzn.to/Am85si

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/vZKcF3

And, we have two great lines from A.Y Stratton's Buried Heart:

1- "I want you to reach for my hair at least once a day and tell me what a slob I am. I want to hear your thoughts. I want to share mine with you. I even want you to correct my grammar."

"You're amazing. Before I met you I never knew that word."

Buried Heart is available from: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=A.Y.+Stratton+&x=23&y=12

http://www.amazon.com/Buried-Heart-Y-Stratton/dp/160154572X/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329100781&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Unexpected Journey

2012-02-10T09:47:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month, I made an unexpected trip to Germany to visit my daughter. She was having some minor surgery and needed her mom. So, off to Europe I went.

I flew out of RDU in Raleigh, NC the last Friday in January for a week-long vist. It was 70 degrees that day, which is unusual, even for North Carolina. But we've been having a mild winter. It's not uncommon to have wild temperature swings in February and March. During those months, it can be sunny and 70 one week and below freezing and snowing the next. But I've never gone from 70 to 17 degrees in less than twenty-four hours before. I did that day.

My connecting flight was in Philadelphia where I expected it to be much colder than in NC. Apparently, Philly is having a mild winter this year too. I arrived at the airport in the City of Brotherly Love late in the afternoon and the temp was still hovering around 58 degrees. Not bad. I had on a sweater so I didn't even put on my coat when I stepped off the plane and rushed through the airport to make my connecting flight to Munich. But when I arrived in Germany nine hours later, I was in for a real surprise. It was snowing.

As we circled the runway, the pilot announced the current time and weather. The time was 8:00 a.m. and the temperature outside was 17 degrees Fahrenheit with snow flurries.

Flying over Munich

Munich Airport

Flurries? I could see the snow covered fields from the sky.
I about froze the moment I stepped off the plane.

Luckily, my daughter had warned me about the bitter cold so I was prepared. And my son-in-law's car has heated seats.

It's 193 kilometers or approximately 120 miles from Munich to Weiden, where my daughter was recovering from surgery at the hospital there. But thanks to the autobahn and no speed limits in sections, my son-in-law made the trip in just under two hours, despite the snow. Than again, the snow plows and brine trucks had started clearing the snow the moment it started falling. Despite the somewhat scary speed at which we traveled, I was able to enjoy the beauty of the Bavarian countryside.

(Left)Hops field covered in snow.Windmill in background.(Right) German Village outside Munich.

I've been to Germany twice before but this trip was different. It wasn't a vacation, and I hadn't planned for it. I'd gone to be with my daughter after her surgery, which turned out to be less invasive than originally expected and with a much better outcome. While I was there, I got to visit a German hospital which isn't something I'd normally do on a visit to another country. But it was educational.

In the US, I work in a hospital, but it's nothing like the one I visited in Weiden. For starters, US hospitals don't sell beer in the hospital cafeteria. The hospital in Weiden did!

The rooms look similar, but the beds looked more like glorified stretchers. Some of the equipment looked the same as in the States but in the US, most hospitals use IV bags. My daughter's IV was in a plastic bottle the hospital recycles.

Thank God, my daughter's hospital visit was brief and she recovered quickly--more quickly than anticipated. So, what started out as a visit to take care of her turned into something fun. We got to spend quality time together without her having to stay in bed.

near my daughter's neighborhood.

View of Rauher Kulm from Eschenbach

By the middle of the week, we were able to get out and take a walk through her neighborhood and town.

Downtown Eschenbach

We ate at a nice Chinese restaurant where I enjoyed a nice, dark Dunkelweizen. We visited some of my daughter's friends, went to a German deli, and on the last day of my visit, we went shopping in Weiden.

Although this wasn't my first trip to Germany, it was the first time I'd every traveled alone. I was a bit intimidated at first, but on my international flight to Munich, I slept with a handsome 31 year old man. Just kidding!

My "seat mate" on the plane was a cutie from Texas and we did sleep a bit on the plane. He was traveling to Munich on business. He'd previously spent two years in Germany while working for the same management firm. The woman who'd taken his place when his work Visa expired was taking some time off for maternity leave and my handsome seat mate was going back to Germany to fill in for her.

Although we never exchanged names, he was a nice young man. He was also quite handsome. Standing well over six feet tall, he reminded me of Matthew Perry from the Friends TV series. We had a nice chat and I thought of several ideas for a possible romance novel that could start on a plane. Imagine falling in love on an international flight and getting separated in the airport only to realize you'd never exchanged names or information to help you find that person again.

I was intrigued by the concept of writing such a story. But I write historical and paranormal romance. Perhaps I could change the plane to a coach. Or, my handsome Matthew Perry look-a-like could be a werewolf returning to Germany in search of a cure. Since the first recorded Werewolf sighting was around the countryside of German town Colonge and Bedbur in 1591, I could incorporate some of the sites I've seen in Germany. Or, maybe I'll have to try my hand at writing romantic suspense.

What do you think?

Politics-Ug!

2012-01-20T10:42:00.000-05:00

In John F. Kennedy’s 1961 presidential inaugural speech, he said, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”

Today’s politicians seem more interested in using America—or the American media—to propagate political smear campaigns against their opponents. In the last several elections, I’ve learned very little about what each candidate thinks he/she can do for the country. I haven’t heard a lot about the candidate’s credentials or political views. Instead, each candidate seems more focused on defending themselves against attack or slinging mud at the other candidates. These campaigns have been so effective, many candidates are defeated before we learn much about them.

Herman Cain seemed to be a fine candidate for president. He’s a pro-business family man who had a lot to offer to the Republican campaign—until rumors of infidelity and sexual harassment surfaced, and the media went on the attack.

Television, radio, and more recently, the internet, have increased the speed at which political rumors fly. If a candidate steps out of a cab at midnight in New York with lipstick on his collar and his fly open, there’ll be a video on You Tube before dawn and a news broadcast at noon.

The term “living in a fishbowl” has never been more true than in today’s media hungry society.

But political smear campaigns are nothing new. The mid eighteen hundreds was a time of anti-Catholic sentiment in the America. During Abraham Lincoln's political campaign, his opponents spread rumors that he was a Catholic.

And in 1884, Grover Cleveland’s political opponents insisted the presidential candidate had an illegitimate child. Their rally cry became: "Ma, ma, where's my pa? Off to the White House, ha ha ha!"

Woodrow Wilson was a brilliant student, teacher, and statesman. He led the nation through the First World War. And yet, he wasn’t immune to nasty political rumors. First Lady, Ellen Axon Wilson died just one year after her husband was elected president. When Wilson remarried a year later, rumor mongers claimed he murdered his first wife so he could marry his true love.

The rumors didn’t stop him from getting re-elected.

Rumors that President Obama is a Muslim and not a US citizen didn’t prevent him from getting elected either.

Now it’s election time again. The old rumors are resurfacing and the President has the added burden of defending his presidency. But he’s not alone in the political hot seat.

Newt Gingrich’s ex-wife accused him of asking for an open marriage while he was already engaged in an affair with his current wife. And according to some other political rumors, Mitch Romney is Mexican.

So, what’s fact and what’s fiction? Is there a single candidate running for office who doesn't have a ghost in his/her closet?

This election, Americans will have to vote for the candidate whose "ghosts" are least likely to affect his/her ability to lead a nation. Either that, or flip a coin.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T22:18:00.000-05:00

New Year’s Day—January 1—is a time to forget the past and make a clean start. For many in the south, the year begins with a traditional meal of black-eyed peas with stewed tomatoes and greens. According to Southern folklore, the first food to be eaten on New Year's Day for luck and prosperity throughout the year is black-eyed peas with stewed tomatoes. According to Southern tradition, eating black-eyed peas and stewed tomatoes on New Year's Day brings good luck for the coming year. And eating cooked greens like cabbage, collards, and spinach represents money. In the south, the more greens consumed on the first day of the year, the greater the increase in wealth.

And it’s not just a southern tradition in the south either. The Danish eat stewed kale sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and the Germans consume sauerkraut.

When my grandmother was alive, I ate black-eyed peas with stewed tomatoes. I’m not fond of collards, so I never ate those. I guess that’s why I’ve never amassed a great fortune. But now that my grandmother has passed, I no longer eat those traditional foods. In fact, I spent New Year’s at the beach. My husband and I ate supper at Texas Steak House and ate leftovers for lunch.

Sadly, there were no greens. So, I don’t suppose I’ll be winning the lottery. I also failed to follow any of the other typical, New Year’s Day traditions.

Although, I did wear new clothes…

Superstition dictates that people should wear new clothes on New Year's Day. Wearing new clothes will ensure new garments and prosperity for the coming year.

Crying is a bad idea on New Years as it could indicate a continued pattern of sadness for the coming year. Lucky for me, I didn’t cry.

One should also avoid letting money leave the house on the first day of the year. I’m not sure what that means. I didn’t know it was possible to go an entire day without spending money. And since we went to the coast for New Year’s, we had to spend money on gas. Good thing I didn’t buy lunch. We at left overs.

But I didn’t pay any bills today, which is good. It’s bad luck to pay bills or lend things to anyone on the first day of the year. Some folks extend this superstition to not taking out the garbage or dusting their carpets on this day to ensure that nothing goes out of home during the year. If you must take something out of the house, let someone come inside the home first.

Another superstition? Open all the doors and windows at midnight to allow the old year to escape unimpeded. I wonder if a person would want to do this if the old year was awesome? If I had a really awesome, prosperous year, I don’t think I’d want it to escape.

It is also believed that cupboards stockpiled with food and wallets filled with money on the first day of the year will bring prosperity throughout the New Year while empty pockets or empty cupboards on New Years Eve are portent of poverty for the coming year.

My cupboards were semi-stocked and my wallet contained more money than usual. Then again, I rely heavily on my ATM card and don’t normally carry much cash. So, I’m not sure how to interpret that one!

In some cultures, washing dishes and doing laundry on New Year's day will lead to a death in the family during the year. Some people don’t even wash their hair on New Years day.

I didn’t wash clothes but I had to wash my hair and the dishes. My head was itchy and we were at our camper at the beach. I wasn’t about to leave unwashed dishes until the next chance we got to go to the coast.

Doing a small amount of work New Year's Day is said to ensure advancement in career, but beginning serious work project is unlucky—I hope washing dishes counts as work!

Making noise on New Years will scare away evil. That’s why some religions ring the church bells at midnight. I sat by a firebox with my husband at midnight, watching fireworks over the inter-coastal waterway. I didn’t make much noise at all, but maybe the fireworks scared those evil spirits away.

It’s also a good idea to pay off loans and debts before New Years Eve, but I have car loans and a mortgage, not to mention a credit card. Guess I’ll be in debt forever!

It is also believed that a kiss midnight will ensure affections and ties will continue throughout the New Year. I think I’m good here. ;-)

To dance in the open air, especially round a tree, on New Year's Day ensures love, prosperity and health. I didn’t dance this year. But I did ride a bicycle with my husband so my feet were moving.

And lastly, by draining the last dregs from a bottle of drink on New Years Eve, you ensure good fortune. Hubby and I had a couple of beers sitting by the fire pit. I hope that means we’ll have good fortune in 2012.

I hope you all have good luck, great love, and good fortune in the year to come.

Now, if someone could just tell me what it means to see a woodpecker on New Years…

Happy New Year!

Changing Traditions

2011-12-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

The tree is up, the gifts are wrapped, and I'm finally ready for Christmas. Now, I sit here reflecting and thinking of past Christmases when traditions seemed so important.

When I was a child, my dad always cut down a fresh tree and we decorated a week before Christmas. When I got older, my younger sister and I trudged into the woods with him to help pick out a tree. Nowadays, I have an artificial tree and I decorate the Friday after Thanksgiving. Decorating is a lot of work and I put up quite a few. I'm just lazy enough to want to leave them up as long as possible before I have to go to all the trouble of un-decorating.

My artificial tree used to be fat and tall, like the trees from my childhood. Nowadays, my tree is still tall, but not so fat. I got a pencil tree so it'd take up less room--and I needed to make a space for all the presents. Now that Santa doesn't visit my house any more, everything gets wrapped and shoved under the tree--another tradition bites the dust.

We used to go to my grandparent's house for Christmas Eve supper too. My dad's entire family would be there: Uncles, aunts, cousins, even some great aunts and uncles and cousins. The next morning, we'd go back for brunch. As my cousins married and started families of their own, fewer and fewer cousins were able to make it to my grandparent's house. After my younger sister and I got married and had children of our own, we started having Christmas Eve supper at my parents' house and going to my grandparent's the next morning. Even that changed as my children got older. Then my grandparents died, and the family stopped gathering.

Grandparents have a way of holding a family together for the holidays--until the grandchildren start having children of their own. Then a new generation of grandparents begin new traditions. Or so it seems in my family. I don't have grandchildren yet, but my oldest daughter lives in Germany.

Because of the six-hour time difference we now exchange gifts on Christmas Eve morning via SKYPE. After the gift exchange, my daughter runs off with her boyfriend to spend time with his family. My husband and I go to my cousin's house, where I once again see those aunts, uncles and cousins. And we go to my parents' house after lunch on Christmas Day. These days, I work a lot of Christmas mornings for half a day to allow those with children to be home for Santa Claus.

For years now, we've celebrated Christmas with my husband's family the week before Christmas in an effort to eliminate the stress of so many families trying to divide Christmas day into rushed visits. But now that my sister in law lives in Utah, we seldom see her any more.

As I grow older, I find my life changing and those Christmas traditions I cherished as a child must change as well or the meaning of the holiday will get lost. My tree is no longer real, but I have the same ornaments. From the two turtle doves, now slightly mangled by a troublesome cat, to the first ornament I bought as a married woman and my daughters' "My First Christmas" ornaments, the tree still holds some traditions. And while we we no longer rise at the crack of dawn to see what Santa brought, I still get up early on Christmas morning to go to work. And we still go to my parents' house on Christmas Day. But these days, we have our traditional oyster stew for a late lunch or early supper rather than at brunch.

Life changes and it's sometimes stressful. But Christmas isn't about the gifts or the dinners. It's about family and finding time to be with them and remember why we celebrate. So, no matter if your Christmas involves following time-honored traditions, creating new traditions of your own, or just trying to fit as many people into your plans as possible, take time to remember the reason we celebrate.

2011-12-16T05:42:00.005-05:00

I have fellow HCRW and TWRP author Laura Browning with me today. Welcome to my blog, Laura and congrats on your new release, Santa's Helper.

Thanks.

In the midst of edits on an upcoming release, trying to finish another WIP and promoting Santa’s Helper, catching the Christmas spirit has been a challenge this year.

It really wasn’t until last night that it dawned on me why decorating the tree is one of my favorite activities. My teenager, for whom high-tech is a watchword, looked at the tree and said, “Why do you keep all of these old ornaments? Why don’t you get some new ones?”

To which I replied, “Each one of those ornaments holds a memory.”

Sure, I have the requisite number of store-bought decorative balls, the ones that come in the packs of six or twelve, but along with that is the stuffed elf that’s nestled amidst the branches because its hanger has long since disappeared—the very first ornament I received at the age of five. In another spot is a small black horse with a “real” mane and tail. I purchased that during a trip to a botanical garden and zoo when I was six. There are ornaments to commemorate pets, and ornaments that my son made in elementary school. There is an angel my father-in-law gave me that has a tag proclaiming “Class of 1937.” Each year when I put it in a prominent spot near the top of the tree, I remember the man who would slip me “a spot of money, just in case you want to make a pie and need to buy some apples.”

I still smile when I think about that.

My tree might not look like an interior decorator designed it. It certainly doesn’t have any “theme” to it—unless you count the memories of loved ones past and present—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

So last year, when I decided to write a Christmas story, I wanted to touch on themes that matter to me. In this case, a man raising money for charity for all the wrong reasons, and a woman scrambling for money for all the right reasons. That’s how Santa’s Helper, my holiday release from The Wild Rose Press, evolved.

Jack and Merry meet while he’s ringing the bell outside a mall after losing a bet, and she’s rushing in to a part-time job as a Santa’s elf, trying to provide some kind of Christmas for her young son.

Here’s an excerpt from Santa’s Helper:

Merry sipped her coffee and angled her head at him. “You know, the first night I saw you, you didn’t look like the bell ringer type. And even though you’ve changed out of the fancy clothes, you still don’t look the type. How did you end up doing it…and doing it every night?”

Jack laughed. “I lost a bet with my employees and had to take over all their shifts.”

He watched in fascination as color stained her creamy cheeks. “Well, I’m glad. I’ve liked being able to bring you coffee and getting to know you.”

“I have another week, Merry.”

Her eyes widened. Was that hope he saw there? Gladness? “You do?”

He nodded before touching the delicate skin inside her wrist. “I want to kiss you. Will you let me?”

He watched her hesitate, and then she nodded. He smiled and scooped the last bit of brownie and ice

cream. “Here. It’s yours.” Her eyes held his as she slid the sweet from the spoon. Jack dropped the spoon into the bowl. “Let’s go,” he growled.

Santa’s Helper is available from The Wild Rose Press. You can also find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

I’d love to hear some of your holiday memories. Leave a comment. You can also check out my website: www.laurabrowningbooks.com for a look at some of my other releases. Most of all – I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

Somewhere--Beth Trissel

2011-12-02T05:09:00.001-05:00

Beth Trissel, cyber friend and fellow Wild Rose Press author lives in the mountains of Virgina where she pens amazing stories of love rich in history. Her time travel romance, Somewhere My Love earned it's place on my keeper shelf.

So, please help me welcome Beth as she shares a bit about her latest book in the Somewhere series...

My fascination with the past and those who have gone before me is the ongoing inspiration behind my historical and light paranormal, time travel romances. I’ve done a great deal of research into family genealogy and come from well-documented English/Scots-Irish folk with a smidgen of French in the meld, a Norman knight who sailed with William the Conqueror. One family line goes directly back to Geoffrey Chaucer. And there’s a puritan line with involvement in the Salem Witch Trials—my apologies to Susannah Martin’s descendants--but that’s another story. In my recent light paranormal release, Somewhere the Bells Ring, I more deeply explored my Virginia roots.

Somewhere the Bells Ring is book three in my Somewhere’ series (not necessary to read these in order) with a Christmas theme. Set in the old family homeplace where my father was born and raised, a beautiful plantation home from the early 19th century, the story opens in 1968 during the tumultuous age of hippies, Vietnam, and some of the best darn rock music ever written. From that nostalgic year, the story flashes back to an earlier era, 1918 and the end of World War One. Having a Marine Corps Captain Grandfather who distinguished himself in France in the thick of the fighting during The Great War and then tragically died when my father was only three definitely influenced this story.

If you enjoy an intriguing mystery set in vintage America with Gothic overtones and heart-tugging romance then Somewhere the Bells Ring is for you. And did I mention the ghost?

Blurb: Caught with pot in her dorm room, Bailey Randolph is exiled to a relative's ancestral home in Virginia to straighten herself out. Banishment to Maple Hill is dismal, until a ghost appears requesting her help. Bailey is frightened but intrigued. Then her girlhood crush, Eric Burke, arrives and suddenly Maple Hill isn't so bad.

To Eric, wounded in Vietnam, his military career shattered, this homecoming feels no less like exile. But when he finds Bailey at Maple Hill, her fairy-like beauty gives him reason to hope--until she tells him about the ghost haunting the house. Then he wonders if her one experiment with pot has made her crazy.

As Bailey and Eric draw closer, he agrees to help her find a long-forgotten Christmas gift the ghost wants. But will the magic of Christmas be enough to make Eric believe--in Bailey and the ghost--before the Christmas bells ring?~

Excerpt:

“Bailey.” He spoke softly, so as not to startle her.

She turned toward him. In her long, white nightgown, hair tumbled down around her, wearing that lost look, she bore an unnerving resemblance to the mysterious woman in Wilkie Collins’ classic mystery, The Woman in White. Eric fervently hoped the similarity ended there. As he recalled from the novel, that unfortunate lady had been unhinged.

Leaving the door ajar, he stepped inside. “We missed you at breakfast.”

She answered distractedly. “I wasn’t hungry.”

He limped to where she stood, the hitch in his leg a little less pronounced today. Maybe he was getting stronger. “Why are you here, looking for ghosts?”

“Or a door to the past.”

He tried to coax a smile to her trembling lips. “Did you check inside the wardrobe?”

“Eric, I’m being serious.”

“That’s what worries me.” Leaning on his cane with one arm, he closed his other around her shoulders and drew her against him. Such a natural act, and she accepted his embrace without pulling back. She smelled of flowers from her perfume and wood smoke. “Mercy, child,” he said in his best imitation of Ella, “it’s as cold as a tomb in here.”

“It wasn’t last night.”~

***Available in various eBook formats from The Wild Rose Press, Amazon Kindle, All Romance Ebooks, Barnes & Noble’s Nookbook and other online booksellers.

When did Thanksgiving become a National Holiday?

2011-11-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

The first Thanksgiving occurred in 1621 when the Pilgrims and Indians broke bread together to give thanks to the creator for a successful harvest. Most Americans are taught that this incident was the first Thanksgiving celebration. In reality, that one meal didn’t lead to a traditional holiday. It wasn’t a national celebration either because the colonies were still part of England at the time. No offense to our English ancestors, but most Brits didn’t much care what happened in the colonies.

As the years passed, however, more people celebrated Thanksgiving and remembered that first meal of Thanks between the Pilgrims and Indians. Still, no one celebrated an official Thanksgiving until America won its independence from England. In 1789, George Washington recommended and assigned Thursday, November 26^th as a day to be devoted by the People “to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be…”

Despite the proclamation, Thanksgiving wasn’t a national holiday.

Thanksgiving didn’t become a national holiday until Abraham Lincoln took office prior to the Civil War. In an effort to pull the country together, in 1863, he declared the last Thursday of November Thanksgiving Day. The country gave thanks to those who gave their lives in the Noble cause. And it gave thanks to those who yet survived the war that threatened to divide America.

Since that day in 1863, every president since Lincoln recognized Thanksgiving. But recognizing a holiday doesn’t make it a national holiday.

In 1939, in an effort to extend the Christmas shopping season, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the third Thursday in November as a day to give thanks. His declaration was met with controversy. Then in 1941 Congress set the national holiday of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of every November. And it has been a holiday ever since.

It is a day celebrated as the kick off to the Christmas season. A day spent in celebration with friends and family. A day to give thanks to God for his many blessings. And a day to thank the men and women serving in our armed forces for their tireless dedication and sacrifice to this great nation.

So…

Thank you God for all the good in my life. Thank you for my family, my life, my health, and my home. Keep my family safe and healthy. And please watch over the men and women of our military. Hold them in your loving arms. Protect them. And keep them safe until they can return to their families.
Amen.

Real Life Heroes Fart

2011-11-18T09:08:00.003-05:00

Heroes are basically the same, especially romantic heroes. They may vary in size, coloring and ethnicity, but they are nearly always physically fit and nicely toned. Every woman wants him and every man wants to be him. It’s not just the romance hero either. Action heroes exhibit these same characteristics—and more often than not, action and suspense books/movies have a hint of romance.

In the Bourne Identify, Jason Bourne has Marie St. Jacques. Jack Ryan "Clear and Present Danger" and "Patriot Games" has his wife.

In the Indiana Jones films, “Indie” successfully pursues an artifact and a woman. There’s even a romantic subplot in the Terminator movies.

And while James Bond isn’t monogamous, he always gets the girl. Or girls. He even gets married in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service.” He falls so madly in love with his wife, Tracy, he’s willing to give up his career and his free-loving bachelor ways.

Whether our hero is from a romance novel or an action movie, he’s going to come out on top no matter what the villain or life throws at him. Oh, they may lose a skirmish, but our hero is always the victor.

Heroes are never lazy, and they’re never slobs. They may get dirty in the jungle or after a brawl, but they clean up nicely afterwards and they never have morning breath. They don’t procrastinate or whine and although they may have an odd quirk, a hero has good manners and is never rude.

In real life, heroes fart. And morning sex usually requires turned heads or a quick dash to the bathroom for a rinse or a brush—especially if your real life hero ate oysters and drank beer the night before. Otherwise, that sour smell coming from both your mouths could ruin the moment.

Trust me, there’s nothing romantic about morning breath. Or farting. I know. Woman pass gas too. But it’s not usually a source of amusement for them. Fictional heroes would never fart in the bed just before his lover joins him.

My real life hero not only passes gas in bed, he once had the bright idea to fart beneath the covers and then pull them over my head. OMG! I thought I was going to die. He laughed uncontrollably. I threatened to vomit on his crotch.

It wasn’t his finest moment. But he’s still my hero, even after thirty-one years of marriage.

My husband with our youngest when she was7

He’s not rich, powerful, or titled. He doesn’t own his own business and he’s not a CEO. But he’s a dedicated, hardworking, responsible man who puts his family first.

Hubby with oldest when she
was 3

He’s a wonderful father and supportive husband.

He stood by me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. He never hesitated to lift my handicapped sister from her wheelchair and carry her to the car or the sofa when she still had the muscle control to sit alone.

He didn’t complain when I wanted to take her on a family beach trip either. He even pushed her chair through the sand so she could sit on the beach.

And since I became a published author, he does the laundry more often than I do. He’s not the role model for any of my romance heroes, but Devin Flannery from Wholesale Husband reminds me of him.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T13:27:00.000-05:00

Today is 11-11-11. Veterans Day--a day to commemorate those who fought with honor and heroism in the service of their country.

On June 28, 1919 World War I – known at the time as “The Great War”- officially ended and the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting had ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

Today, we Americans still celebrate Armistice Day, better known as Veterans Day. It is a day to give thanks to those who are serving or have served in our Nation’s military. It is a day to thank them for their sacrifice. A day to remember the fallen.

Although the French and Indian War was fought between the British and the Native Americans and French, it took place on what is now American soil. The French and Indian War lasted from 1754 to 1763. Less than ten years later, the colonist revolted and the American Revolution began.

The American Revolution was the war for America’s independence from England, fought between 1775-1783. Colonist fought and died to make America and country, and their sacrifice can never be forgotten. But winning the war didn’t mean the end of war. America became a new nation fighting for its own ideals and freedoms.

After the revolution, there were The Indian Wars, fought between 1775-1890. Then there was The War of 1812, fought until 1815 against the British. The Mexican-American War followed, lasting from 1846 to 1848.

Preceding the Civil War, there were many battles fought over the issue of slavery and states’ rights. Border states like Kansas began fighting six years prior to the start of the Civil War, which began in 1861 and lasted until 1865.

In 1893, American military intervened in the Hawaiian Revolution, and our soldiers fought in The Spanish-American War of 1898. We also sent troops to the Samoan Civil War between
1898-1899 and the U.S.-Philippine War between 1899-1902.

In 1914, the world went to war after a long and difficult series of diplomatic clashes between Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain, Austria-Hungarian Empire and Russia over European and colonial issues in the decade before 1914. The catalyst for the war occurred on June 28, 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. America joined the Allies in 1917, believing the Great War to be the war to end all wars, but the world wasn’t at peace.

Unresolved issues from WWI lead to greater conflict. War officially began on September 1, 1939, when Germany attacked Poland. Germany then crushed six countries in three months — Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and France — and proceeded to conquer Yugoslavia and Greece.

Japan's plans for expansion in the Far East led it to attack Pearl Harbor in December 1941, bringing the United States into the war. By early 1942, all major countries of the world were involved in the most destructive war in history. More than 50 countries took part in the war, and The number of people killed, wounded, or missing between September 1939 and September 1945 can never be calculated, but it is estimated that more than 55 million people perished.

America fought in The Korean War from1950-1953 and the Vietnam War lasted from 1956-1975. The brutality and lack of national support during the Vietnam War led to a disheartening lack of support for the military and an appalling lack of appreciation for those who served in that conflict.

American conflicts in the middle east began in 1980 during the Iranian Hostage situation. "Desert One" or "Operation Eagle Claw" rescued the hostages but the conflicts were not resolved.

Between 1981 and 1986, the US was involved in the Libyan Conflict, although Gaddafi remained in power until his death at the hand of his own people in October of this year.

U.S. Intervention in Lebanon employed US troops between 1982-1984. And in 1983, the US invaded Grenada to rescue US citizens trapped in that country.

In 19819, the US invaded Panama, Then in 1991, Operation Desert Storm began. The war was short but the hostilities were never resolved.

U.S. intervention in Somalia lasted from 1992-1994 and the NATO Intervention in Bosnia (Operation Deliberate Force) utilized US troops from 1994-1995.

In 1994, the US occupied Haiti, protecting that country’s citizens from rebels. After the U.S. Embassy bombings and strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan (The bin Laden War) began in August, 1998 and continued until his capture and death on May 1, 2011.

"Desert Fox" Campaign (part of U.S./Iraq Conflict) occurred in December, 1998 and the war in
Kosovo involved the US in 1999.

After the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the war on terror began.

In Afghanistan, there was Operation Enduring Freedom, which began on October 7, 2001and continues today. Operation Iraqi Freedom, began March 19, 2003 and is still part of America’s war against terror.

Wars come and go, but the sacrifice of those who serve should never be forgotten.

The Importance of Cancer Support Groups

2011-11-04T05:57:00.004-04:00

Please welcome today's guest blogger, David Haas.

The Importance of Cancer Support Groups

Cancer is one of the scariest words in any language. Even with a support network of friends and family, fighting cancer can feel like one of the loneliest battles a person can undertake. This is in part because only someone who has had cancer can truly relate. Cancer survivor networks allow the person with cancer to talk to someone who understands what they are going through.
Although friends and family mean well, people with cancer often feel a need to discuss what they are going through and what they will be going through with someone who knows. Cancer survivor networks offer that information from people who have been there. There are many ways for people with cancer to find a support group. For those who feel like getting out and meeting people face to face, many cities and towns have groups not only for people with cancer, but for their families too. Doctors often know of support groups and can recommend a group.

For those who either cannot or choose to not get out and meet people, there are many discussion boards and websites that offer support. These websites usually have a place for family members so that they can get support for the fears and feelings they have, as well as learning what they can do to support the patient. The American Cancer Society hosts a website that has discussion boards for nearly every kind of cancer. If a patient is suffering from breast cancer, there are many different links that offer guidance and support for patients going through treatment. The American Cancer Society website lists support groups for cancers whether it is a common cancer like breast cancer or a rare disease like mesothelioma.

Support groups can be an important part of fighting cancer. Support groups can help patients make it through the physical trials, such as pain and fatigue. Support groups can also help deal with the psychological aspects of dealing with cancer by offering emotional and stress support. Studies have found the belonging to a support group can reduce anxiety and depression. These groups can also help the patient while undergoing treatment, and patients tend to cope better with all of the issues of treatment by understanding they are not the only ones to go through those issues.

Belonging to a cancer support group can be instrumental in fighting cancer. These support groups give the patient a sense that they are not alone in their battle, and it gives them a belief that the battle can be won.

David,

Thanks so much for sharing this valuable information. As a breast cancer survivor, I know the importance of not just family support, but support from other survivors. After I was diagnosed, the mother of one of my daughter's friends volunteered to go with me for my first chemo treatment. Before that day, we were merely acquaintances. But we shared a common bond. Cancer. She'd come through the other side of the same dark tunnel I was about to enter. And she knew what I was feeling while my family knew only what I was willing to share.

If you're fighting cancer, remember you don't have to fight alone. There are support groups out there.

The Romance Reviews Year End Party

2011-11-03T22:49:00.000-04:00

The Romance Reviews is celebrating with games and prizes and I'm part of the fun. Check out their awesome site and play to win! It's going to be fun!

http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php

The Power of the Mask

2011-10-31T05:30:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween my fellow bloggers and blog followers. Today I have guest blogger Elizabeth Means talking about The Power of the Mask--and her new release, Dangerous Charade.

Welcome Elizabeth!

All Hallows Eve…the night ghosts of the dead return to earth to wreak havoc upon us mere mortals. That’s what the Celts believed some 2000 years ago. They also believed if one absolutely had to go out on this most treacherous of all evenings a mask should be worn for protection. The theory being the wicked spirits would be unable to identify anyone wearing a mask and therefore would pass them by without causing harm.

Perhaps the dead can easily be fooled by something as simple as a mask but I don’t believe the living can be. It seems to me, rather than hiding our identity masks only serve to better reveal the true personality of the one who wears it. It is liberating to shed our everyday persona and pretend to be someone we’re not. Do things we normally wouldn’t dream of doing. All without the fear of judgment or repercussions thanks to the anonymity of a mask. Who among us doesn’t find the notion at least a teensy bit tempting?

No doubt this is why masquerade balls have been popular social events for centuries. And why they’re still wildly popular today in many historical romance novels. They provide the perfect setting for flirtatious banter, coquettish games and the intricate dance of seduction. They also provide the ideal backdrop for mystery and dare I say…murder.

So what are you doing on this evening of opportunity? Chances are you plan to hand-out candy at the door. Then around nine o’clock you’ll see there are only a few Snickers left so you’ll turn out the light, eat them and go on about your normal routine.

Live a little. Go get a mask, put it on…and play. Seduce your lover in a way that blows their mind, fool your neighbors, play tricks on little goblins that come to your door. Throw restraint to the wind, just for one evening.

It’s Halloween! What are you waiting for?

BLURB: Dangerous Charade

To escape an arranged marriage Gabrielle Broussard flees her home to become an undercover investigator with an elite, all-female investigative agency. Her first assignment, as governess at Westford castle to investigate the suspicious death of the Countess of Westford, quickly becomes complicated when she finds herself attracted to her number one suspect.

Lord Julian Blackwell is a survivor. After his father’s bankruptcy, he becomes a self-made man in Victorian England’s booming industrial era. Trapped into a loveless marriage, he has survived the shock of his wife’s sudden death. But now he must survive rumors and outright accusations. Hiring a private agency to investigate and prove his innocence seems like a good idea…until desire threatens to compromise both the case and the life of the investigator.

EXCERPT: Dangerous Charade

Gabrielle raced across the lawn toward a side entrance most often used by the servants at Westford. Dawn was breaking and she needed to move fast. If anyone saw her, she would be hard-pressed to explain why she was returning from a ride at this time of day, in the dark. And carrying a fancy parasol, no less.

She’d almost reached the door when Julian’s voice cut through the still morning air like a knife.

“Gabrielle.”

“Oh!” Her free hand flew to her mouth as she whirled toward the sound of his voice. He stood close to the building, hidden in the shadows. “My lord, you nearly scared me to death! I didn’t see you there.”

“Clearly.”

“Just what are you doing out here, lurking about in the shadows?” she demanded, adrenaline pumping.

“What am I doing?” He stared at her incredulously. “Not that I owe you any explanation for my actions while on my own estate, but I came out to watch the sunrise. What the devil are you doing?”

“I was…checking on Buttercup. I’m told she’s been acting strangely.” Gabrielle took a few more steps toward the building. “But—good news—it appears she’s doing fine.”

In a flash Julian was between her and the door. He regarded her closely. “That doesn’t explain why you’re lugging a parasol around in the dark.”

Gabrielle swallowed hard. She saw his green eyes narrow. “One never knows what one might encounter lurking about in the shadows. I may have needed it to defend myself from something. Or someone,” she added pointedly.

Julian stepped closer to her; they were less than an arm’s length apart. “Do you think you need it now?” The suggestive tone in his voice was unmistakable.

Her breathing quickened, and she averted her gaze. “What I think is that you are most unnerving.”

Julian reached out and tilted her chin up with his fingers. “What kind of game are you playing, Gabrielle?”

She didn’t answer. And he didn’t ask again. Instead he brought his head down very slowly and claimed her mouth with his own.

Thanks Elizabeth for joining us today. Hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween. And be sure to stop by Elizabeth's website www.elizabeth-means.com to learn more about this amazing new author. And if you're looking for a good read, check out Dangerous Charade. http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=4629

Toni V. Sweeney's Breast Cancer Message

2011-10-28T00:55:00.002-04:00

It's still breast cancer awareness week and today's message to women is from fellow author and breast cancer survivor, Toni V. Sweeney.

Good to Go for Another Year

Dear Ms. Sweeney:

The radiologist has interpreted your recent mammogram and/or breast imaging study, and we are pleased to inform you that the results are normal or benign (no evidence of cancer).

As you know, early detection of cancer is important…

Okay, so I can breathe easier for another year. Had my yearly oncology check, my mammo, and I’m A-OK and good to go.

It’s been ten years now since I had the mammogram that wasn’t benign, or normal. Ten years since I detected that small lump during a self-exam. Ten years since I sat in an exam room, waiting for the confirmation of what I was afraid I was going to hear.

When I found what I thought was a lump, I didn’t delay making an appointment and going to a doctor. I’m usually a wait-and-see person but this time, I decided to meet the problem head-on. Surprisingly, it was my doctor who dilly-dallied around. Perhaps it was because I was unemployed and uninsured at the time, I don’t know, but after the biopsy confirming his diagnosis, I was told to “go home and wait,” that he’d call me with a referral to a surgeon.

Four weeks later, I was still waiting, and becoming panicky. After several phone calls which weren’t returned, I tried to think what to do. I was a stranger in a strange city in a new state, so I turned to the only place I could think of: the American Cancer Society. Three days after speaking to someone on the phone, I was on a gurney, being wheeled into surgery for a lumpectomy. I didn’t know that a few hours later, as soon as I walked through the door of my apartment, in fact, I would get a phone call asking me to come back—right then!—because they needed to do a second one.

Everything went well. I proceeded through radiation therapy, driving myself to the sessions each morning for six weeks. Then, I was started on Tamoxifen therapy instead of the traditional chemo. I gained 60 pounds on that route, going from a svelte 109 to a lumpy 165. Never going to lose it, they tell me, but—hey! You’re alive, so stop your complaining that you’re not attractive any more. (Forgive my sarcasm here. That has been, and always will be, a source of psychological upset to me.)

As to the rest of that letter…”early detection…is very important.”

Don’t I know it!

The year before I was diagnosed, I saw an ad on TV, stating that very thing, and the man I loved made me promise I’d do those self-exams and have a mammogram each year. I assured him I was already doing that. Soon afterward, he died, but my promised stayed in place.

The point of all this rambling is that, no matter what the AMA or any other medical association says, I personally think self-exams are important. Early detection counts. Train yourself to do the exam at the same time every month. After your period is a good time, because then the breasts are sensitive to touch and you’re able to find lumps easier. Some women prefer to do them in the shower, using soap and water to aid sliding fingers over surfaces; some prefer to lie prone; some stand in front of a mirror…but all do them, and that’s what counts. Even if you find what you think is a lump and it turns out to be simply a swollen gland…well, that’s good, too, because you found something and you had it checked.

Keep doing just that, and let’s head off breast cancer at the pass!

Toni, your story is similar to so many stories I hear as a mammogapher. I'm so glad you did NOT ignore the lump. Too often, women ignore those lumps and the warning bells in their heads. They justify not going to the doctor because they assume it's just another cyst or feel secure because they don't have a family history of breast cancer. I didn't have a lump or a family history but I was diagnosed with stage 1 (sneaking into the stage 2 category) invasive carcinoma and DCIS (ductal carcinoma insitu) on a screening mammogram.

So, please ladies, don't ignore ANY changes in your breasts. Do self breast exams. Know your breasts. If you feel a lump, see your doctor. If you are under 35, he may not order a mammogram because of your breast density, but please insist on a breast ultrasound. Breast cancer in women under 40 isn't common. But it happens. EVERY day. So be aware. Get informed. And if you're over 40, schedule an annual mammogram.

And now a bit about Toni~

AUTHOR BIO:

Toni V. Sweeney was born some time between the War Between the States and the Gulf War. She has lived 30 years in the South, a score in the Middle West, and a decade on the Pacific Coast and now she’s trying for her second 30 on the Great Plains. Her first novel was published in 1989. An accomplished artist as well as writer, she has a degree in Fine Art and a diploma in Graphic Art. Toni maintains a website for herself and her pseudonym Icy Snow Blackstone, and has been associated with the South Coast Writer's Association, the Pink Fuzzy Slipper Writers, several other writer’s loops, myspace, Facebook, and YouTube. Her latest novel is Runaway Brother (Class Act Books, http://www.classactbooks.com/Runaway-Brother-by-Icy-Snow-Blackstone-Trade_p_308.html) and her next book, due for released November 15, is Blood Bay, a thriller, also to be released by Class Act Books. It will be her 27th novel.

Breast Cancer Screening Update

2011-10-26T07:35:00.001-04:00

In 2009, the US Prevention Service Task Force (USPSTF) a government agency, issued new recommendations for mammograms and breast cancer screenings. This controversial new recommendation suggested women younger than 50 without a family history of breast cancer didn't need an annual mammogram. They also recommended that screening exams for women between 50 and 74 were needed every OTHER year, not annually. This reversed the USPSTF's 2002 recommendations and went against the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology, both of which recommend baseline mammograms at age 35 and annual screenings of ALL women after age 40. There's also no cut off age, as healthy women in their early to mid 80's should still have mammograms.

The USPTF's recommendations to NOT screen before age 50 was based on a study that showed screening 1,330 women over age 50 saved one life but it took 1,904 screening mammograms to save the life of one woman in the 40-50 age group. Hmm. I'm betting that one woman was damn glad she got screened!

The agency also suggested that screening led to false positives which then led to negative biopsies. They implied the biopsies were unnecessary. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have 4 negative biopsies than 1 positive one. Oh. Wait. I've had one of each. And let me tell you, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, I was relieved my 2008 biopsy was negative.

The thing is, doctors are not going to biopsy women willy nilly. If a doctor recommends a biopsy, it's because the radiologist saw something suspicious in the breast. It may turn out to be a cyst, lipoma, fibroadenoma, inflammation, or fibrocystic changes. But it could also be cancer. I'm not willing to bet my life on it and I don't think most informed women would either.

The truth is, doctors have been ordering mammograms since the 1940's but it wasn't until the 1990's that the government (and insurance companies) recognized the need for early detection and the need for screening mammograms. From 1940 to 1990, the death rate from breast cancer remained unchanged. From 1990 to present day, more women are getting screening mammograms and the death rates from breast cancer have decreased by 30%. That in itself says a lot about the need for early detection. Also, breast cancer is usually more aggressive in women younger than 50.

Honestly, I think extending the life expectancy of everyone is a good idea, but it is an especially good idea for women under 50. Early detection saves lives and women in a breast cancer screening program who are diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to be diagnosed in stage one than women who find a palpable lump. Any woman who has annual clinical breast exams and a mammogram is in a breast screening program. And the program works better if the patient has their mammogram at the same facility each year.
If you decide to change facilities, remember to have your prior mammograms sent to the new facility.

Many doctors have chosen to ignore the US Prevention Service Task Force's mammogram recommendation. Unfortunately, the task force recently denounced self-breast exams. The agency claimed women didn't know how to do them and would therefore, stress needlessly if they found a lump that was actually normal glandular tissue. Now imagine how much more stress those women would undergo if they followed the government guidelines and stopped doing self-breast exams and were later diagnosed with breast cancer after the doctor found a palpable lump on clinical breast exam. I'm betting most women would rather find a lump that wasn't a lump than not find a lump that was cancer.

So please, follow the recommendations of The American Cancer Society, The American College of Radiology, The FDA, and a mammogapher who happens to be a breast cancer survivor. If you are older than 20, do self breast exams. If you are older than 25, have your doctor or medical health provider do a clinical breast exam each year. If you are 35, have a baseline mammogram and then once you turn 40, have a mammogram every year. If you find a lump, have unilateral nipple discharge that is bloody or green, see your doctor. If you have a mother diagnosed with cancer before age 50, subtract 10 years from her age and that is when you should have your first mammogram.

Know your breast. Be informed. And get screened!

Conquering the Abyss by Mackenzie Crowne

2011-10-21T05:11:00.000-04:00

Today's blog needs little introduction. So, I will just say thank you to my new cyber friend and fellow TWRP author, Mackenzie Crowne.

Cancer.

Though it’s not a four-letter word, it sure conjures up a lot of them. Fear, sick, pain, loss, hell, dead, you get the drift. I can’t tell you the first four-letter word that popped into my mind when I got the call diagnosing me with stage-three breast cancer. My mother would wash out my mouth with soap.

At the time I was a healthy forty-seven years old. I’d been married to a great guy — since about the end of the bronze age — we’d raised two wonderful boys to special men, and I’d just become a grandmother.

It was October. You know — Breast cancer awareness month. Suddenly everywhere I looked there were pink ribbons, and survivors were coming out of the woodwork like members of a secret society, calling to me to enter into the fold. But I didn’t feel I belonged. I wasn’t anything like those women. They danced, victorious on the other side of an abyss, while I staggered under quiet disbelief.

I’m normally a, the glass is half-full, kind of woman, but these circumstances weren’t normal. My glass had dropped to the floor, shattering into a thousand different pieces, a thousand different emotions. I was overwhelmed, and no amount of superglue, or duct tape, was going to put my glass back together.

Some wise person once said, ‘Life happens. It’s time to pull on your big girl panties and deal with it.’

Big girl panties in place, I took those first, staggering steps toward survival. Three life-altering years later, I have somehow found my way from cancer patient to survivor. I didn’t do it alone.

My family and friends were there for me as I went through double mastectomies, chemotherapy, radiation, and numerous reconstructive surgeries. They were there for me when I was scared, when I hurt so badly I cried, when I lost my hair, and when I was too sick to stand. I can’t express how blessed I am to have them all in my life.

Having said that, the one thing they couldn’t do was fight the battle for me. I had to do that on my own. In an effort to remain sane in the midst of insanity, I relied on many different internal forces. There are too many to mention here. The following are the top three on my list of lifesavers.

Number one is my faith.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to belittle the many doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals I’ve become acquainted with in the past three years. I’ve met some very talented, very dedicated people. But even as well-trained as they all are, what they do is not an exact science. They couldn’t give me assurances. The best they could do was increase the odds of my survival. I needed those assurances. I found them in my faith.

I can’t tell you how many times I climbed into God’s lap, spiritually speaking, to rest in the confidence of His love. I think of the practice as slipping into Scarlett O’Hara mode.

‘I can't think about that right now,’ Scarlett said. ‘If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.’

Scarlett, I know the feeling.

I was Scarlett so often during the past three years, I may as well have been wearing a dress made out of drapes. I think I even started to speak with a southern accent. As long as I didn’t have any cancer related appointments on my calendar that day, I handed future stresses to God, and considered myself on cancer vacation.

Thank you, God, and thank you, Scarlett.

Number two is remembering to laugh.

Chemo days- Mac with her granddaughter.

Many of the things I heard during my battle were ridiculous. Like the day I was asked, ‘When would you like to start chemo?’ Um, let me think. Never? Others things were downright funny. Believe it or not, I am a woman who was once asked the question, ‘Where would you like your nipple?’

Then there was the day I was changing clothes in front of a mirror and noticed a dime sized blood-blister at the center of one of the incisions from reconstructive surgery. It was on the side where I’d had radiation, and my first thought was, Oh crap, what now?

My daughter-in-law took one look, and said, ‘Mac, that isn’t a blood blister. That’s your implant!”

By ten that morning, I was booked for emergency surgery. I’d already spoken to the doctor, the hospital, and my insurance company when the phone rang. The call was from my plastic surgeon’s office assistant.

‘We have a problem,’ he said.

‘What’s that?’

He went on to explain that the implant contact at the hospital was on vacation, so he hadn’t been able to procure the new implant I would need. They had implants on hand at the office, but with the doc in surgery all day, he wouldn’t be returning there before he was to meet me later that afternoon. A courier could be called, but we’d be cutting it close, time wise.

‘So, you want me to come get the implant?’ I asked.

‘I can’t believe I’m asking this, but yes. Would you mind?’

I could have said no, and let a courier deliver it, but hey, how many woman can say they’ve driven across town with their boobs in the passenger seat? So, I walked into the hospital with my new boob, and two spares, in a box.

‘What have you got there?’ the registering nurse asked as he led me back into pre-op.

‘I picked up the new implant from the doc’s office,’ I explained.

He opened the box and looked inside, the looked up, confused. ‘There are three in here.’

“Yeah, well,’ I said. ‘I think the doc is planning to make me into a Picasso.’

Remember to laugh.

Number three is the keeping of a journal.

As a writer, I suppose writing down my thoughts was a natural thing for me to do, but I’d never actually kept a journal before. The daily focus helped me deal with the wild swing of emotions I was experiencing. It also had an unexpected benefit.

Shortly before I began chemotherapy, I read back over my entries from those first few weeks. I was concerned at what I found. The entries documented my nearly complete absorption in the diagnosis. It was as if my real life, the one that had come to a screeching halt with that fateful phone call, had all but disappeared.

My words described the thoughts and fears of a victim. I had become a woman with a dark present, and a bleak future. Externally, I was waging battle. I had chosen the most invasive of surgeries, and the most aggressive of treatments, but internally, I seemed to be embracing defeat.

In contrast, interspersed throughout the dark entries in my journal, were a handful of positive memories that stood out like bright beacons of light. I was drawn to them. They were glimpses into the soul of the woman I used to be, before the diagnosis had left me paralyzed.

Disgusted, I made an effort to find more of those moments; like my wonder at the rainbow off my back patio one morning, or the beauty of the hummingbird that visited the feeder several times a day, or my laughter at some silly comment my granddaughter had made.

If you’ve received a similar diagnosis, I know what you’re thinking. Really, lady? You’re telling me to look for rainbows, hummingbirds, and silly comments from a toddler? I’m facing having a chunk of my breast removed, or the whole of it, and having toxic chemicals shot through my veins until I’m so ill I can hardly stand.

Yes, you are, and I’m the first one to agree, that sucks. But if you’re going to beat breast cancer, treatment is an inescapable fact. There’s no getting around it, and no matter what protocol is prescribed, some of it won’t be pleasant.

The next year, at least, is going to be jammed full of cancer related appointments, constantly reminding you of your diagnosis. The cancer battle can easily become a vortex, sucking you in, until nothing else exists. It’s debilitating and demoralizing, and human nature being what it is, it’s very easy to let yourself come to be defined by your cancer.

But by definition, fighting cancer is a battle. I didn’t want it to be my cancer. I wanted to defeat it. I wanted it gone.

It may seem insignificant to focus on the flight of a hummingbird in the midst of mastectomies and toxic treatments, but amazingly, focusing on the world beyond the vortex reminded me there was a whole existence out there that had nothing to do with cancer. It was a turning point for me. Thanks to those little blips of joy life delivered, I began to claw my way back from the dark, and I was able to take those first tentative steps toward the other side of the abyss. Toward victory.

As I write this, it has been almost four years since I found the lump that changed my life. It’s been a long and arduous adventure. I’ve experienced a range and intensity of emotions I never expected, and if you’ve received a similar diagnosis, you will as well. If you’re like me, you’ll know disbelief and fear, anger and frustration, but you’ll also know humor and hope.

Yes, being diagnosed with breast cancer is devastating. Yes, it’s frightening, and the treatment is horrendous. And yes, my life has changed. So will yours.

Keep in mind that not all changes are bad. Facing this kind of illness strips you down to the bare bones of life, and forces you to focus on what is important. In my case, that change has been a positive development on so many levels.

It goes without saying that family and friends come first, but since my diagnosis, I’ve also learned to allow myself my dreams. These days, I treat my love of writing with more respect. Five manuscripts later, six actually, as I finished another just this week, I’m seeing results. GIFT OF THE REALM, my first published novel, will be available this spring through The Wild Rose Press, with more to come.

I’ve met many women who have gone before me, and many of them faced this disease without the incredible medical and technical advances that we have at our disposal today. If there is one common characteristic I’ve seen in all the survivors I have met, it would be strength.

If you are just beginning your walk through this frightening disease, you probably don’t feel strong. Don’t beat yourself up if that is the case. You’ll get there.

Remember that everything they throw at you is doable. Take cancer vacations as often as possible. Allow yourself to take things one-step at a time, and try not to stress over what comes next. It will come whether you stress over it or not.

Remember to laugh, and try Scarlett on for size. She not only dressed well, she was a smart woman. Lastly, whether you know Him or not, God knows and loves you, and hears your pleas. His lap is always available.

Mac today, posing with a good friend.

So, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and take that first step toward conquering the abyss. I’m dancing on the other side. I’ll see you there.

Mac
You can find Mackensze on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002947742754

Or on her blog at http://macsmadmania.blogspot.com/

And coming this spring, her first published novel,

Gift of the Realm will be available from The Wild Rose Press.

Sarah Grimm- Rocking Romance

2011-10-14T05:27:00.003-04:00

Today I'm interviewing romance author, Sara Grimm, whose hot romance featuring a former rock star and wounded piano player is earning rave reviews. I've asked Sara a few questions about herself and her new release.

1- 1- When do you do your best writing? Morning? Evening? Or mid-day? And how do you organize your writing time?

I do my best writing in the morning when the rest of the house is still asleep. I wake up around 4:30 seven days a week. Not necessarily by choice, my internal alarm clock just goes off at that time. If I don’t sit down and write in the morning, chances are good I won’t get any writing done that day. I’m too easily distracted by the million other things I need to get done – grocery shopping, the day job, orthodontist appointments, or house cleaning.

Ug. Housework!

2- 2- Are you a reader as well as a writer? What have you read lately?

I love to read! The only problem is that lately I’ve been working 55+ hour weeks so that doesn’t leave me much time. My To-Be-Read shelf is literally overflowing with books. Just because I haven’t had time to read doesn’t mean my purchasing has slowed one bit! My list has grown considerably longer since I began participating in Six Sentence Sunday – an event where every Sunday writers, published or not, post six sentences from one of their books. It’s a great way to find new books, and as an author, this has really helped me tighten my writing. Looking for six sentences to draw the reader in, forces an author to look closely at their writing.

I don’t get online much on the weekends. But I have seen your Six Sentence Sunday and love it. I don’t have as much time to read any more as I’d like either. But my Nook has twenty new books waiting for me to make time and After Midnight is one of them.

3- 3- How do you spend your free time when not reading or writing? Do you even have free time?

I have very little free time, but the time I do have I prefer to spend with my husband. Whether we go out to dinner, a movie, or just sit at home together, as long as the time is spent with him, it doesn’t matter to me what we do.

I hear you. My husband and I enjoy going to Emerald Isle, NC and walking on the beach, even in the winter.

4- 4- Since I love to travel and seldom do, I like to hear about other places. It’s one reason I love to read and write. I get to travel in my head. Much cheaper that way. Lol! So, where do you live? What’s the climate and topography like?

I live in Michigan, home of Detroit – car capital of the world; the Mackinac Bridge – one of the longest suspension bridges in the world; and the longest freshwater shoreline in the world. Specifically, I live in West Michigan, in a small city that sits right on Lake Michigan. It’s a truly beautiful area surrounded by rivers and lakes, full of trees, greenery and sandy beaches.

This is our Pier. Beautiful, isn’t it?

Although, at least three months out of the year, it looks more like this:

Gorgeous pictures. Thanks for sharing. I love lighthouses. Not so fond of all that snow. Wow!

5- Where is the most exotic place you’ve ever visited?

As a child my parents took us camping in nearly all of the 50 states, so I’ve seen the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore, I’ve visited Niagara Falls, and I even walked the mighty Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day. Outside of the United States, I’ve only been to Canada - Stratford, Ontario, specifically - for their Shakespeare Festival.

6- Was it vacation, business, or research? And, have you ever combined travel and research?

The places listed above were all for vacations. Unfortunately, I don’t get much vacation time, and I haven’t had a chance to combine travel and research. Perhaps, now that my sons are older, I’ll get some time away from home. I’d love to visit England and Scotland!

Scotland and England are on my list too. My daughter is actually visiting Scotland over Thanksgiving. Can’t wait to see the pictures.

8- Where is your most recent release set?

AFTER MIDNIGHT is set in Long Island City, the westernmost borough of Queens, New York. Known for its waterfront parks and high concentration of art galleries – and also the famous Silvercup Studios sign (which I will forever equate with the movie Highlander) – this area just felt like the ideal place to set both a private recording studio and Izzy’s bar. My heroine, Isabeau Montgomery, has been hiding from her past for years, and while most of the book takes place in either her bar or her apartment one floor above, there is a quick jaunt to London, England, hometown of my hero, Noah Clark.

9- Tell us something about the book

She wants to forget her past.

He wants to reclaim his.

Sometimes the moment that changes everything comes After Midnight.

AFTER MIDNIGHT is a story that is near and dear to me. The story of Isabeau, owner of Izzy’s Bar, child prodigy, piano phenom—a woman who is hiding behind a lie of her own making. Here is the official blurb:

Thirteen years—that's how long Isabeau Montgomery has been living a lie. After an automobile accident took her mother's life, Izzy hid herself away, surviving the only way she knew how. Now she is happy in her carefully reconstructed life. That is until he walks through the door of her bar...

Black Phoenix singer/front man Noah Clark came to Long Island City with a goal--one that doesn't include an instant, electric attraction to the dark-haired beauty behind the bar. Coaxing her into his bed won't be easy, but he can't get her pale, haunted eyes nor her skill on the piano out of his head.

Can Noah help Isabeau overcome the past? Or will her need to protect her secret force her back into hiding and destroy their chance at happiness?

The fantastic Amie Louellen made a book trailer for me. You can see it here:
http://youtu.be/IaUOaC7pTC4

10- Lastly, what are you working on now?

While writing After Midnight, one of the secondary characters kept telling me he needed his own story, so I’m writing that one now. Midnight Heat is a reunion romance, and although I had no plans to give Dominic his own book, about half-way through writing After Midnight, I fell so in love with his character I had to make sure he got his own happily-ever- after.

I routinely post snippets from all of my books on my blog: http://www.authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com

You can get your own copy of After Midnight here: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=175_133&products_id=4633 or here: http://www.amazon.com/After-Midnight-Sarah-Grimm/dp/1601549725/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318499992&sr=8-1

Beating Breast Cancer- My Story

2011-10-07T10:48:00.002-04:00

October is breast cancer awareness month. And I am a breast cancer survivor. My journey began when I was 47 and had a screening mammogram that showed a lesion in my right breast.

The radiologist ordered a diagnostic mammogram for additional views. On Thursday June 28, I had a breast needle localization. On July 3, the day before leaving for the beach for an extended holiday weekend, I got the news. I had breast cancer--DCIS-ductal carcinoma insitu AND invasive ductal carcinoma.

Because there was an invasive component to the cancer, I had to have a second surgery--a lumpectomy. Even though I'm a mammographer and for some strange reason, had mentally thought of what I'd do in the event of such a diagnosis for years, I still wasn't prepared. I just knew I wanted to survive--and survive with dignity. I documented my journey in a blog on My Space. Below are some excerpts from that blog--edited for content.

July 10, 2007
Today I had my first oncology appointment with this 12 year old oncologist who looks like Doogie Howser's little sister. They have the rest of my path report back. My hormone receptors were negative.That means I can't take tomoxofin. I can't do the hormone therapy in conjunction with the radiation. What that means is, my ass is going to be bald...okay, maybe not my ass, but possibly my head! I'm going to have to have chemo! That little tiny, less than 1cm tumor was an aggressive little bastard with high proliferation margins and no hormone receptors, so if I want to decrease my chances of a relapse ten years down the road, then I'm going to have to take chemo.

July 11, 2007
I feel just fine....for now...until the damn chemo starts! Just goes to show you that health isn't everything. You can feel like crap and be perfectly healthy OR feel great and be dying and not know it. There's some paranoid food for thought.

July 12, 2007 Today is Thursday. The day before my second surgery and the day I realized what tomorrow is. I arrived at work just fine. Friday the 13. That's when it hit me. I'm having a biopsy on freaking Friday the 13th!

July 13, 2007

Had my second lumpectomy, sentinel node biopsy, and port-a-cath placement.
I went to bed really late last night talking to my husband, Johnny. But I woke up this morning at 6:30 and it's Friday the 13th and I'm in my own body. It's in God's hands.

Clean nodes and clean margins, God. Okay? Thanks.

July 14, 2007
Yesterday was my surgery. The nuke study was a bit embarassing. Dr. Stoll had to stick a needle in just above the aerola. He and Anthony were both in there, and I'll see them both and have to look them in the face when I go back to work on Wednesday. So of course, I had to crack a joke. They stuck the needle in, which felt like one hell of a bee sting. As they were watching the radition uptake flow from the injection site into the nodes, watching to see where the concentration was highest, and talking as if I wasn't there, and I said, "Gee, if I'd ever had fantasies about being with two men, this wasn't it."

Yep. I'm the queen of corny.
Around 3:30, they took me into OR. I was doing good until the anesthesiologist put that mask over my face. I freaked. I'm mildly claustraphobic, but it honest to God felt like she was putting a plastic bag over my head and telling me to take a deep breath. I remember crying and saying, "I can't breath!" But the next thing I knew, I was in the recovery room and the surgeon was telling me the surgery was over and all 4 nodes had come back clear.

I have never known relief so profound.

July 16, 2007
Is it normal to worry about being too calm? Since finding out the nodes came back negative, it's like this peace has come over me, as if I know everything is going to be all right. I'm putting everything in my blog because I have to get these thoughts down while they're fresh because with all the drugs that have been pumped into my system, my memory isn't exactly reliable.

My mother reads my blog and feels it's of best seller quality. Trust me. I have no dreams of grandeur. Though I would love to publish a romance novel one day, and I do have an agent who will be submitting two separate manuscripts in the near future. I don't get excited over these things any more. I have a drawer filled with rejection letters.

July 17, 2007

Adriamycin and Cyclophosphamide. (Cytoxin for short)The combo is called AC. My chemo drugs.

The oncologist gave me the choice of taking a 12 week regimen every three weeks or an 8 week regimen every other week. I'm going for the gold. Beginning Tuesday July 31, I will start my first round of chemo--once a week, every other week for eight weeks.

AC blocks DNA production in cells and inhibits enzyme replication so cancer cells can't repair themselves. Since cancer cells reproduce faster than other cells, if there are any cancer cells left in my body, the chemo drug will stop them from reproducing or repairing themselves so they will die. That's 8 weeks of chemo. Two months. I can survive anything for two months. Soldiers put up with a hell of a lot worse for a hell of a lot longer. I can do this!!

July 20, 2007
I cut my hair short so going bald won't be such a drastic change.

July 31, 2007
My first chemo treatment.
First, they sterilized my skin and stuck a needle directly into my port, which was weird. I felt the prick go into my skin, but not the port, which is a disc under my skin that has a catheter that goes into my subclavian vein. Then they drew my blood to make sure my blood count was good, and checked my hemoglobin. Then we waited for the lab to mix my poison. Literally.

AC chemo drugs are so caustic the lab techs have to wear rubber protective gear and mix it under a hood with an exhaust. And I had to have a full 5ml drip of saline and a slowly pushed dose of decadron (steroids) a half hour before they could even start the chemo. The purpose of the steroid is so I don't lose my appetite during chemo. Number one myth of chemo. Most patients do NOT lose weight on chemo. They gain it.

I got home at one thirty and took two nausea pills. I don't feel sick, just very tired. My eyes are gritty as if I haven't slept in days, but I'm good.My last thoughts before closing my eyes last night were, "Dear God, let me get through this first day of chemo without getting sick." And he got me through it just fine. Thank you.

Aug 1, 2007
Well, I made it to work today and even put in a bit of overtime.
I went to bed exhausted, feeling hung over and woke up with a bad case of reflux that was a bit productive. but I didn't really throw up. After poping a couple of nausea pills and my Prilosec, I felt well enough to go to work. I'm not bald, I'm not throwing up, but if the tingling sensation in my scalp is a harbinger of things to come, I expect that after my next treatment, I will have a few less folicles. Because I haven't been making Selsin Blue commercials.

Aug 2, 2007
Everyone warned me, but did I listen? No. I'm hardheaded. Stubborn. All those other names I've been called on occasion. But putting in ten and half hours my first day after chemo was a bit too much because I didn't last four hours today. It wasn't nausea that did me in, it was exhaustion. And diarrhea.

Everything I ate the night before made a grand exit starting at about 2:00 a.m. I was wiped out before I ever got to work and for some reason, my teeth have started aching. Especially, my molars.Am I going to have to add losing my teeth to my list of worries? Will I then be overweight, middle-aged, bald, and toothless when this is done? Hell, as long as I beat the cancer I can always get dentures. At least my teeth will be straight.
But I'd sure like to keep my teeth.

Aug 5, 2007
The beach was just what I needed. But the trip was a beast. I get carsick now. We arrived at the camper late Friday night and I felt like hurling.
We spent Saturday afternoon on the beach. Me, set up under the umbrella with a hat and book like an old woman. Johnny sat in the sun a few feet away. But when I got hot, I waded into the surf to cool down and like to wore myself out just getting back to the chair. Later in the evening, I took a shower and a nap. After the sun went down, we walked back out on the beach and sat in the sand.
I felt grounded and centered. I felt the power of God Almighty surrounding me. And so I prayed. I prayed for strength and courage and then I let go and sat there with an open heart and soul and mind and didn't pray. I just opened up for whatever God wanted to give back to me. And I felt at peace.

Aug 6, 2007
Learned a new word today. Nadiring. Sounds like Ralph Nadar only it has nothing to do with money. Wish it did. Nadir is the chemo killing my normal blood cells, specifically, my white blood cells (WBC's) and making me feel tired and worn out. My Red Blood Cells (RBC's) hematocrit, hemoglobin and platelet counts were acceptable. So, that's good. At least I'm not anemic.Nadir occurs seven to ten days after a chemo treatment. The condition ends about the time they juice me up again. Oh, joy!

Aug 13, 2007
Around four o'clock today I was washing my hands and just happened to notice a lot of hair on my scrubs. I brushed it off and looked in the mirror and noticed that my hair was looking rather flat. I ran my fingers through it and strands came out in my fingers. Lots of strands. I ran my fingers through again and pulled out handfuls. I didn't think it would start falling out until after the second chemo treatment. But apparently, for me, it has started falling out just thirteen days after the first treatment.

So, what is it with me and the number thirteen?

Aug 14, 2007
After supper, I took a shower and washed my hair, but it all started coming out in clumps and grossing me out. There was hair everywhere. Running down my back. Pooling at my feet. Piling up on the drain. It was nasty. As soon as I got out of the shower, I asked Johnny to shave my head. He swallowed hard and grabbed the clippers. My daughter Lauren looked as if she were about to cry. I didn't shed a tear. It felt like taking control. I decided when I was going to go bald. And I did it that night.

Aug. 15, 2007
I wore the wig to work today but the thing is hot and mashes against my ears.I pulled that blasted thing on and off, showing my co-workers my shaved head, trying to get used to it myself--and giving my itchy scalp a chance to breathe. Not a single person made me feel uncomfortable. Had I worked anywhere else, I probably could have gone bald or worn a scarf. But women getting mammograms do not want to be reminded of the reason they were there: to screen for cancer. And I was a walking example of a not-so-good outcome. At work, it wasn't about me. It was about my patients. I kept the wig on.

Aug. 16, 2007
An old high school friend took me for my second round of chemo. Johnny would have taken me to any of my appointments but I told him not too. He needed to work, stay occupied. We needed the money.

The Cytoxan drip tickled my throat and I got a little swimmy headed. When the nurse began pushing the adriamicin in, I got a burning sensation in the back of my throat but this time, I didn't get the pain or sudden tightness in my chest.

Aug 17, 2007
The day after my second chemo treatment, I didn't work. It was my scheduled day off and I took it. I did go to the oncology clinic for my neulasta shot, only to learn I'd gained three pounds since yesterday. Must be the rock that's been sitting in my stomach since last night. I don't feel nauseated exactly, but there is this weight in the pit of my stomach and I feel bloated and just all around "blah."

Aug 20, 2007- Monday
I know what I'm supposed to do. I'm supposed to make myself get up and move around. I'm supposed to exercise, go to work, blah, blah, blah. Whatever. I just didn't have the energy today to put on my wig and my happy face and go to work, so for the first time since all this started, I called in sick.

Last night, I even threw up. Not chunks, mind you, just wet nasty that grossed me out.

Aug. 30,2007
Finished my third chemo treatment. My daughter took me. She carried her book bag filled with books, convinced she would study. She didn't.We talked.When we got home, I had reflux and felt tired. There just isn't a drug in the world that's going to make me feel good after being poisoned. But I'm not going to whine.

We don't always know God's plan and though I refuse to believe he "gave" me breast cancer, He knew it was coming a long time ago. Therefore, other things have fallen into place the way they have for a reason.

Yep. Things don't always work out the way we want but sometimes they work out the way we need them to.

Sept. 7, 2007
I'm still tired and bit and I think I have an electrolyte imbalance.I'm waking up during the night with killer cramps in my calf muscles. I feel queasy if I don't eat. Heavy, bloated, and uncomfortable if I do eat. Not true nausea so my pills don't really help. I don't feel good.

Sept. 13, 2007
Today was my last day of chemo. Mom took me. I got a little sick while the nurse was pushing in the adriamycin. I couldn't tell if I was queasy from the chemo or sick from hunger. I can't ever tell any more.

Sept. 16, 2007
Things I learned from Chemo:
1-Stay hydrated. Even when I went to bed, I kept a bottle of water nearby. Chemo burns the back of the throat like acid and without warning. And if the fire isn't put out quickly, nausea soon follows. Then lightheadedness.
2-Don't lie flat after chemo. For five days after a chemo treatment, I slept on the reclining end of the sofa. I learned that lesson after rushing to the sink with a bad case of early morning productive reflux after my first treatment.
3-Weight gain is inevitable. They give you fluids. They give you steroids. You don't get much exercise. Bread becomes your best friend because it is one of the few foods that do not upset your stomach.
4-You feel sick if you don't eat and sick if you do. But feeling sick on an empty stomach feels a lot worse. Take Prilosec if your doctor allows it.
5- Tastes change. Since those first two treatments when I had to sip a diet Coke because of the burning in the back of my throat, I haven't been able to drink a soft drink/soda since. Carbonated beverages just don't taste right to me any more, which is sad because I really love Diet Pepsi.
6- Stay positive. Keep a sense of humor, crack jokes, and pray. God didn't do this to you. He is not testing you to see if you pass or fail. Sometimes bad things just happen. But God is interested in how you handle things in your life. Ask for his help getting through it, but don't wallow in misery. That probably gets on his nerves.

No one knows at what hour death will come so we have to make the best of the time God has given us. I think that is the true test of God.

Sept. 19, 2007
I'm almost a week out from my last chemo and it's still kicking my butt. I have a bad cough, my back hurts, and I'm short of breath. The doctor ordered a chest x-ray. I don't have pneumonia but my immune system is vulnerable. They sent me home to rest.

Sept. 20, 2007
Tried to work, but got my lab results at lunchtime. My white blood cell count is Dangerously low and I have an infection. That same day, I was scheduled for my first radiation oncology appointment at Duke.

Sept. 25, 2007
Another lingering threat. The radiation oncologist didn't like the results of my second excision biopsy. The medical oncologist believed chemo would destroy any remaining DCIS in the breast and did not think it was a problem. Apparently, my radiation oncologist didn’t agree. In the frozen slides from the second biopsy, there was DCIS in five of eight slides less than 1 mm from the surgical margin. There was only one DCIS on one slide in the original surgery. There shouldn’t have been any DCIS in the second biopsy. The possibility existed that my breast was potentially riddled with DCIS. And doctors usually recommend a mastectomy in a case like that.

I’d already had chemo to destroy any remaining DCIS in the breast. Lots of women have DCIS and never develop breast cancer, and I didn't want mastectomy to be a knee jerk reaction to fear. The pathology report said DCIS in five of eight specimens but the oncologist didn’t know if it was a speck or a boat load.
He scheduled a breast MRI. And I waited, but I felt as if I were juggling knives.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."- John 14:1
Trusting in God would help me juggle those knives.

October 8, 2007
Dodged a bullet. The MRI was negative. I didn't need a mastectomy. The decision was mine. I chose to keep my breast and to start radiation treatments.

October 10, 2007
Had my treatment planning at Duke. First they made a mold and shaped it to my body. When it hardened, my left ear was stuck inside the mold, my head slightly turned away from my body so that when the treatments begin, my body will be in the exact same position every time.
Next, they marked off areas on my breast with strips of radiopaque markers and put me in the CT scanner. Once the oncologist and dosimetrist mapped out my treatment plan,they marked me, covered the marks with tape, and I was able to pry myself out of the mold and get dressed.

Radiation was going to be five days a week for six weeks. At least I wasn't having a mastectomy. And I could have the actual treatment at a local hospital.

Oct. 15, 2007
I don't expect everyone to understand why I post a blog. I don't do it for others or to see how many people read it. I do it for me. It's cathartic. It keeps me from getting depressed or upset or from losing my sense of humor. I'm just trying to survive breast cancer. It doesn't just go away. I don't think it's going to kill me. I have to believe that. But cancer is unpredictable and I just started radiation today. It will last for 6 weeks.

Oct. 16, 2007
My second radiation treatment didn't take very long but afterward, I met with my new radiation oncologist.
The good news is that without even trying, I have lost four pounds since getting off chemo. The bad news is my lungs still haven't fully recovered and the radiation could possibly do more damage. But at least I'm alive.

Oct. 24, 2007
Johnny and I went to the beach this weekend. We held hands and walked on the beach. I got very emotional and had a good cry and wonderful conversation with my husband. If I didn't love him already, I would have fallen in love with him all over again. It's nice to have a man say he loves you. Nicer still when he tells you he's proud of you or that he admires your strength and courage.
Then again, the feeling is so very mutual.

Oct 28, 2007
I am so tired of looking in the mirror and seeing just my face and shiny bald head.

Oct. 31, 2007

Halloween. My brother brought my nephews by to trick or treat. And made my week.

Nov. 14, 2007
Nine treatments left to go. I have radiation burns to the chest from mid line of the sternum to the center of my right breast and from the nipple to about six inches below the clavicle (collar bone.). I am also burned to a lesser degree on the lateral side of my right breast. The burn is red like a sunburn, but the skin is raised and feels like sandpaper. It hurts. But Silvadene cream is a miracle drug!

Nov 15, 2007
Had my first booster treatment today. Concentrated, directed radiation to the tumor bed. I have eight more and I'm Done.
Maybe then, my life can get back on track and I won't feel so tired all the time.

Nov. 22, 2007
I have a bad radiation burn under my arm. And it's my first Thanksgiving without Jennifer--my married daughter who lives in Germany. I missed her so much today I cried. But I'm thankful I had my mammogram when I did. I'm thankful I didn't have a mastectomy. I'm thankful I did as well as I did with chemo. I'm thankful my lymph nodes were negative. I'm thankful for my husband and how incredibly supportive he's been. I'm thankful for the love and support of Lauren and Jennifer. I'm thankfulmy cancer has made me closer to my mother. I'm thankful my cancer is curable. I'm thankful I'm almost finished with radiation. I'm thankful for the support and encouragement of family and friends both on and off line. And I'm thankful to God for giving me the courage and strength I need to fight and win the battle against breast cancer.

Nov. 27, 2007- Tuesday
My next to the last radiation treatment. I breathed a sigh of relief. After tomorrow, I’d be done. Unless the cancer came back before five years was up. Then I’d have no choice but to have a mastectomy. Possibly bilateral, depending on how quickly it came back. But when the doctor told me I was finished with treatments, I broke down and cried. I hadn’t really let go and now that it was over, the emotions came in a flood. I’d been such a control freak about it and now that it was almost over, it hit me. I’d made it through chemo and radiation. I beat cancer.

October 14, 2011
My last treatment was anti-climatic. But my battle isn't over. Since that day in 2007, I've had multiple oncology appointments with both the radiation and medical oncologist. I had mammograms every six months from June 2007 until February 2011. I've had two more MRI's and a brief scare with the left breast. But a subsequent MRI guided biopsy proved it wasn't cancer. Still, I sometimes wonder if I made the right choice by not having a mastectomy. Sure, I can still have mammograms to check for breast cancer. But if I didn't have breasts, I wouldn't worry. Then again, without breasts, the cancer could come back in my chest, bones, or other organs. So, there is no right choice. There's just the choice I could handle when I needed to make the decision.

As bad as all this was for me, I think it was worse for my husband. I knew what I was thinking and feeling. He could only guess. And he was never sure if I told him the things I did because it's really how I felt or if I was just trying to save him from worry. To be honest, I don't know either.
Today, I no longer see my oncologist. But I see my primary physician at least every six months. And this February will be my first screening mammogram since June 2007. My cancer was a triple negative. It could come back. But I've been through the fire and survived the burns. And I kept my faith.

Book Signing and Blogging

2011-09-30T09:13:00.000-04:00

Me with my mom at Stovall's last year when OTD was released.

On Saturday October 1, 2011, I will be signing books at Stovall's Gifts: 101 Main St. Oxford, NC.
I'll have at least 10 copies of Wholesale Husband, my American historical, 6 copies of Slightly Tarnished, my British-set historical, and 3 copies of my paranormal vampire romance, Out of the Darkness.

If you live in the area, please stop by. I'd love to see some friendly faces and meet some new folks.

I'm also blogging at Caroline Clemmons' blog today. http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/2011/09/lilly-gayle-discusses-her-writing-plus.html Stop by and comment for a chance to win an e-copy of one of my books!

Release Day is Today!

2011-09-28T05:12:00.000-04:00

Today is release day for my American historical, Wholesale Husband.

Blurb:

She needs his name. He needs her money. But can a rich New York socialite and a poor Irish immigrant find true love in the gilded age?

Betrayed by her fiancé and heart sick over her father’s death, Clarissa Burdick is further devastated when she learns she can’t inherit her father’s company—the company she loves—until she’s twenty-five or married. And Clarissa is neither. So she sets out to find a husband strong enough to protect her from her uncle’s thugs, too uneducated to run the company himself, and poor enough to marry a woman in name only. But Irish immigrant Devin Flannery is smarter than he seems and more educated than Clarissa expects. Her Wholesale Husband soon proves a greater risk to her heart than her company.

Excerpt:

“This is a serious proposal,” she insisted, gnawing her lip.

“Who are you codding?” He leaned forward, stretching his leg, ready to descend from the suffocating confinement of the hansom cab.

Again, she stayed him with a touch and again, his body reacted to the contact in a most unwanted way. He narrowed his eyes and pried her hand from his wrist.

“Surely, you’ve heard of marriages of convenience,” she insisted rather desperately as she rubbed her wrist. “Well, this is an honest proposal. If you come with me to Mr. Tate’s office, I can give you a copy of the contract outlining a proposed marriage agreement between us. If you don’t trust my word or that of my attorney’s, then you can find someone to read the documents to you before you sign them.”

She rubbed her wrist again. He considered apologizing for his rough handling but after her last comment, he thought better of it. Even after he’d confessed to some schooling, she still thought him too stupid to read.

Well, if she wanted a dumb Irishman, he’d give her one.

“Aye, lassie. I’ll not be taking yer word for it and that’s fer sure.”

“Then you’ll come with us?”

There must be something seriously wrong with me. But he’d play along, just to see how far Miss Burdick would take this dangerous game she played.

“Aye,” he all but snarled. “I’ll go with you to the lawyer’s office, but I ain’t signing nothing until someone I trust has a look at those papers.”

Miss Burdick’s luminous smile shone like the sun bursting through the clouds on a stormy day. Devin’s heart dropped to his stomach. Fiona would smile like that if he had the money to send her to that fancy boarding school.

Damn if he wasn’t actually considering her proposal.

The book is available through the publisher at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=4651

Or from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wholesale-Husband-Lilly-Gayle/dp/1601549768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317161945&sr=8-1

Or, you can come to Stovall's Gifts in Oxford, NC on Saturday October 1st where I'll be autographing copies of Wholesale Husband and Slightly Tarnished. Hope to see some new faces there!

Blogging at KMN Books

2011-09-26T05:17:00.001-04:00

Fall is here. Halloween is coming. Check out the great
selection of other wordly books at KMN Books, including
my vampire tale from last year, Out of the Darkness.

http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com

Meet British Author, Rachel Brimble

2011-09-23T05:43:00.002-04:00

British author Rachel Brimble was kind enough to drop by today to answer some questions.

Thanks for visiting Rachel!

1- When do you do your best writing? Morning? Evening? Or mid-day? And how do you organize your writing time?

Morning, definitely – I tend to start my writing day at 9am and do an hour of interviews/blogs/emails and then spend the next four hours creatively with a ¾ hour dog walk in between. Then it’s the school run and chores…often with sneaks to and from the laptop until 7.30pm ;)

Chores sure do cut into a writer's valuable time. Huh? lol!

2- Are you a reader as well as a writer? What have you read lately?

Can you be a writer if you don’t read?? I read as much as possible and tend to have two or three books on the go at any one time. Currently reading Iris & Ruby by Rosie Thomas which is fantastic, Remember Me? By Sophie Kinsella, hilarious & Highland Arms by Cathie Dunn, fabulous Scottish romance from a lovely fellow Wild Rose Press writer.

I've met writers who no longer read for lack of time. I admit, I don't read as much as I used to or as much as I'd like. But I'm trying to fit more pleasure reading into my life.

3- How do you spend your free time when not reading or writing? Do you even have free time?

My evenings are usually spent in front of the TV with hubby and my two young daughters. On the weekend, we walk a lot. We spend hours walking our Labrador around the fantastic English countryside especially Wiltshire and the Cotswolds.

Visiting England is definitely on my bucket list!

Biddestone Box

4- Since I love to travel and seldom do, I like to hear about other places. It’s one reason I love to read and write. I get to travel in my head. Much cheaper that way. Lol! So, where do you live? What’s the climate and topography like?

See previous question, lol! I live in Wiltshire in South West England. It is full of surrounding fields and countryside steeped in history. I am attaching some pics of the surrounding villages, beautiful!

Bourton

Who needs to go on vacation with such beauty right at your back door? Gorgeous!

5- Where is the most exotic place you’ve ever visited?

I haven’t really visited anywhere exotic yet although it is on the ‘to do’ list once the kids are grown. We’ve been to Zante and Fuerteventura which are beautiful places to holiday for sun, sea and sand.

Fuerteventura

I've never heard of Zante and Fuerteventura. I'll have to Google them. I love the sea and sand too. But I usually visit the NC coast since it's only about a 3-4 hour drive.

6- Was it vacation, business, or research? And, have you ever combined travel and research?

Holiday – although most of the places I visit usually end up in one story or another. I think us writers just can’t help ourselves. We have to glean every idea possible from wherever we go and experience

I agree. I also find myself taking pictures of random places and things in case I ever need it for a blog or inspiration for a story.

7- Where is your most recent release set?

In a bustling town in South West England – I based it on my own town but gave it a fictional name. Even though Paying The Piper is novel number six for me, I haven’t used my own town as a setting before so this one was quite easy to imagine, lol!

8- Tell us something about the book.

Sure. Paying The Piper is a great romance about two people fighting their demons in order to be together, set against the darker world of nightclubs.

Here’s the blurb:

Nightclub manager Grace Butler is on a mission to buy the pub where her

mother's ashes are scattered but the owner wants to sell to anyone but her. And that owner happens to be her father...who has a secret she

will do anything to discover.

Social worker and all around good guy Jimmy Betts needs funds to buy a house

for three special kids before their care home closes. Time is running out

and he's desperate for cash. He agrees to to a one-time 'job' for bad-man

Karl Butler. But in a sudden turn of events, Jimmy finds himself employed by

Karl's beautiful, funny and incredibly sexy daughter, Grace. Their lives

couldn't be more different, yet one thread binds them: they're both trying

to escape the bonds of their fathers. Maybe the only way they'll be free is

by being together, instead of alone.

Sounds like a great read!

9- Lastly, what are you working on now?

I am currently writing a sexy contemporary romance that will be shorter than I usually write at around 65,000 words rather than the usual 85,000. This one is more category than single title and revolves around a heroine who wants to move her sexy lingerie and toy store next door to a single dad with four-year-old twins. Say no more… ;)

Talk about conflict. lol! That's going to be a fun read when it's done.

You can find Rachel's Paying the Piper at:

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=81&products_id=424

Other books by this author can be found on her website:
http://www.rachelbrimble.com/books.html

Dissecting a Dream

2011-09-16T00:13:00.001-04:00

“A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you’re fast asleep,” or so sings Cinderella in the 1950’s Disney version of the classic fairytale. But what do those dreams mean? Are they just random bits of data rambling around incoherently in our head when we turn out the lights and switch off our brains? Are they mental images of our deepest desires and darkest fears? Or perhaps psychic warnings?

According to Wikipedia, Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.^[1] It also states the content and purpose of dreams isn’t fully understood. But there is a lot of research and speculation.

When a person falls asleep, the body begins a cycle of sleep known as Non Rapid Eye Movement or NREM sleep. There are four cycles of NREM- which last between 5-15 minutes, followed by a brief period of Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep. That’s the stage where the body twitches, the eyes move rapidly behind closed lids and the dreams begin. REM sleep lasts five minutes or less. Then the body begins a new cycle of NREM.

In stage one of NREM, the mind is drifting between sleep and wakefulness. The eyes are closed, the brain starts to slow down. Some people experience a falling sensation and will often twitch or jump and briefly awaken. This isn’t a deep sleep and it usually lasts 5 to 10 minutes.

Stage 2 is another brief period of light sleep, the time when muscles relax, body temperature decreases, and the heart slows.

In stage 3, sleep deepens until the body reaches Stage 4, the deepest stage where it is difficult to wake up. Stage 4 is also known as delta, sleep. Waking someone up during this time can cause them to feel confused and disoriented.

In Stages 3 and 4, healing occurs. The body repairs and regenerates tissue damage, builds bones and muscle, and strengthens the immune system. Research shows that getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night can help prevent cancer and prolong life. But the older we get, the less deeply we sleep.

As a person comes out of Stage 4 NREM sleep he/she passes into REM sleep and the dreams begin. This stage lasts about five minutes before the body begins the nest NREM cycle. If a person is awoken during or soon after REM sleep, he/she is much more likely to remember the dream--which is what happened to me the other day.

When my alarm went off, I was in the middle of a strange dream…

I was in my bathroom. I was dressed but barefoot. I flushed the commode. The water started to rise and not go down. I knew I had to get a plunger. So, I turned to leave and before I could step out of the bathroom and into my bedroom, I saw water coming into my room. I turned toward the toilet but the water hadn’t spilled over the rim. But the water was coming in from the bedroom and starting to rise. It was knee deep and something was floating in the water.

At first, I thought it was feces. I backed away as they floated toward me. But when I looked down, I saw chicken nuggets. Then I woke up.

Weird. And vivid. But what did it mean?

Dream interpretation is fascinating and while mine was still fresh in my mind, I decided to look up the key elements on this website: http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/t.htm

And this is what I pieced together.

Toilet

To see a toilet in your dream symbolizes a release of emotions. You need to get rid of something in your life that is useless. Seeing a toilet in your dream may also be a physical manifestation brought about by a full bladder. The dream is attempting to get you up and to the bathroom.

To see an overflowing or flooded toilet in your dream denotes your desires to fully express your emotions.

I wake up during the night to pee and I always have to pee when I wake up. But it wasn't an emergency. So, I don't think my bladder was trying to tell me anything. But I do have a lot of useless crap--like the junk in my garage I need to get rid of. I also have some useless emotions that could use some purging. I don’t normally have trouble expressing myself but words and emotions are two different things. I often keep my true emotions to myself.

Water

To see water in your dream, symbolizes your unconscious and your emotional state of mind. Water is the living essence of the psyche and the flow of life energy. It is also symbolic of spirituality, knowledge, healing and refreshment.

To dream that water is rising up in your house, suggests that you are becoming overwhelmed by your emotions.

Could be on to something here. Things at the day job are stressing me out. Short staffed. Increased workload and being told I have to pull some weekend shifts. That’s stressing me out along with my current WIP. Just can't seem to finish it.

To hear running water in your dream, denotes meditation and reflection. You are reflecting on your thoughts and emotions. (I heard the water flowing and the toilet running in my dream.) And I have been thinking about a LOT of things lately.

There was nothing about floating food/objects on chicken nuggets on the website, but--

To see food in your dream represents physical and emotional nourishment and energies.

Generally speaking, food in dream usually refers to food for thoughts, ideas, new beliefs, etc. They are ideas you take in and digest mentally.

This is encouraging. It could mean I’m digesting new ideas for the WIP. But obviously, I have emotional issues. Guess I need to finish this damn book so I’ll stop stressing and having these weird dreams.

So, what have you dreamed about lately?