Precy Larkins--YA Author: Round Robin Blogvel

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Chapter 15 of the Skeleton Key blogvel (blog novel)

For those of you new here, the Skeleton Key blogvel was started by my ever talented friend, Michelle Simkins, who's always full of good ideas. With a few pleas and much bribery (hehe! Not really), she got us to sign up for a chapter each week. And now it's my turn. You can check out the list of chapters here to follow this blogvel's progress.

Chapter 14 was brought to us by Kellie M. of Tighty Writie, and Chapter 16 will be up next Monday at Riley Redgate's blog In the Jungle.

Happy reading and I hope you enjoy my chapter! <3

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Chapter 15

The greenish sludge coats my throat and I resist the urge to vomit. I turn to my guide, or should I say, clown, and ask, “How do I get back to the world of the living?”

Greg guffaws and slaps his knees with his big, meaty hands. The gatekeeper smirks at me.

“What?” I run my tongue over my teeth, checking for stuck remnants of the nasty drink. These two may be dead and not the kind of guys I want to impress, but still. I haven’t lived down the spinach-on-teeth episode last year at Dex’s family Christmas party. “What’s so funny?”

“See, hon, once you get to the Underworld, there’s no elevator to take you back up.” Greg points to the ceiling. “The fastest way outta here is through the Rebirth center. Sure you’ll have to spend years growing up all over again, but hey, maybe you’ll get lucky the second time around. Maybe you won’t get acne through your teen years, or maybe you’ll get born to Paris Hilton. Who knows? Either way, it’s better than hanging around Starbucks forever.”

My hand goes to the zit under my chin. I think of my college loans and how I’ve always wanted to pursue an Art degree instead. A nice art studio, all quiet and zen-like, sounds really appealing right now. Or maybe I could be born in a supermodel body. I’ve been running for half a year and the scale hasn’t budged in my favor. Damn chocolate cupcakes with their yummy pink frosting! Well, I suppose it is partly Genevieve’s fault…

The door opens and my stomach drops.

I squeak, “Genevieve?”

There’s no mistaking those bright green eyes. Genevieve frowns and wrings her hands as she approaches. “Rebecca, I thought you’d gone back to life by now. What are you still doing here?”

“Me? What are you doing here? Did you take the meta essence too?”

Greg slicks back his hair with his palm. “Who’s the hottie?”

Genevieve ignores my guide and shakes her head at me. “Rebecca, you need to get back up there now! If you stay here too long, you’ll mimic death until you’re truly dead.”

“What?” Oh shit. This is so not cool. “Seriously, next time you guys send me on a mission to the Underworld, would you please give me an instruction manual?”

Genevieve’s frown turns into a grimace. She grabs me by the elbow and steers me into the ladies room.

“We’ll be here when you get back, love,” says Greg, wolf-whistling after us.

Genevieve locks the bathroom door. “Listen Rebecca, things are getting really bad. Right after you left, I had the vision again—the one of you and the killer—only this time, the mist had cleared and I could see his face. But then I died.”

“You’re dead?” The air seems to get sucked out of my lungs and I stagger toward the sink. The mirror shows my skin turning paler, and it’s not because of Genevieve’s news. “H-how?”

“I’m not sure. I think Mr. Harvey did it. It happened so fast…I saw the vision and the next thing I knew, I was riding some Ankou’s golf cart. I’m so sorry, Rebecca. I’m not going to be of much help to you anymore.”

It seems absurd to cry about death while in the Underworld but I hug Genevieve anyway and sob on her shoulder. “Bossman’s so going to pay for this.” I can’t believe he lost control of his needs like the others did, and turned on Genevieve like that. What was he anyway? A cat man? Do they eat people?

She pats my back. “Don’t worry about me. I’m hoping to get reborn somewhere nice and peaceful.” I let go of her. Genevieve smiles. “But you…you have a mission to finish, a world to save. Be careful, Rebecca. Mr. Harvey is not what he seems.”

I blow my nose on a two-ply sheet. “How do I get out of here?”

“Do you still have the Hummer? It’s not only a tracker but it can act as a guide. If you concentrate really hard, you’ll be able to find Hadriax’s signal. The Hummer will lead you back to him.”

Great. I remember my burnt hands and the metal sticking to my skin while tracking Ax in Tokyo. As if reading my thoughts, Genevieve says, “Not too hard. Just enough to connect you to his essence.”

His essence. Riiiight. The tips of my ears warm up.

“Good luck, Rebecca. I’m so glad to be your friend, if only for a short time. I must go now. The Rebirth Center closes at six.”

After Genevieve leaves, I hold the Hummer up and think of Ax. Of the way steam issued out of his ears the first time we met. I smile. His beautiful amber eyes used to regard me with indifference, as if I was a puny human he didn’t want to waste his time with. Oh-ho, I proved him wrong, didn’t I?

The Hummer’s not working. I shut my eyes. Concentrate! I remember the feel of Ax’s broad shoulders under my fingertips, his warm lips on mine…. I remember the gentle way his arms held me after Angelica took my sister; how mate or not, I’d always be painfully aware of his presence because now I care. My chest constricts. I do care! I’m falling for the dragon man.

I gasp. The Hummer thrums, vibrating in my hands. It glows red, like an iron poker left lying in the hearth. Oh shit! I may have overdone this essence thing. Ax’s gonna kill me when I come back with Hummer ashes. But there’s no buzzing this time and my hands do not burn. The glow transforms into blinding white light until I can no longer look at it. I turn my face away and squeeze my eyes tight.

I have this weird sensation of whirling around and being grounded at the same time. My stomach churns, and just when I think I’m about to spew out the green sludge I drank at the bar, the motion stops. My arms rendered weak from the effort, the Hummer falls with a dull clank on the stony floor. Where am I?

The cavernous room is dimly lit by torches held in brackets. Very Medieval, and yet, there’s a computer desk pushed against the stone wall. There’s even an iPod charging on a docking station. A massive bookcase spans the length of another wall, with titles written in strange characters and rune-like symbols next to Marketing Strategies manuals and Violin for Dummies. Violin?

In another corner, there’s a loveseat, a mini-bar, and a huge plasma TV mounted on the wall. The most curious thing, however, is the middle of the room where there’s…nothing. Just a great, oval rug that’s probably more expensive than my life and my college loans put together.

The ceiling rumbles above me. Bits of rock dislodge and clatter on the floor. Another rumble, this time coming from the heavy wooden door. I pick up the Hummer and back away from the source of the noise. My knees tremble.

Ax bursts in through the door, half of him encased in dragon scales, the other half still human. His golden eyes have red slits now, and they look about him wildly.

“Ax!” I run to him, but stop midway when he growls at me. “Ax, it’s me. Rebecca.”

At the sound of my name he shakes his head like a wet dog. I take a step closer and hold out a hand. Finally he says, “Rebecca?”

He winces as I throw my arms around his neck but he doesn’t hesitate when I tilt my face upwards. His kiss is hard, demanding. Hungry. As if it’s all we can afford at the moment. Or maybe it’s all we have left for the room begins to shake violently.

“Ax, what’s happening?”

He cups my face with his human hand. “Rebecca, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. Angelica…the visions…” He grimaces. “She’s gotten a lot stronger through the years. I saw you dead in my mind. And it felt so…real.”

“It’s okay. I’m here.” I touch his face. “But what’s going on? Genevieve’s dead and I saw her in the Underworld. She said…she said Mr. Harvey killed her.”

Ax swears under his breath. “I should have known. Damn traitor! But I was too busy fending off Angelica and her brother Damien. They’re here and we’ve been fighting them since you left.” He rummages through the desk. “You need to get out of here, Rebecca. They’ll be coming after you next.”

“No! I’m staying with you.”

Don’t argue with me. I’m trying to keep you safe.

Get out of my brain, Ax!

He turns around. “You can do that? In your human form?”

I shrug.

The door breaks into a million splintery pieces. Ax saves me from being turned into shish-kebab by shielding me with his body. I feel him shudder as his human part gets jabbed with wooden spikes. Greenish-blue blood drips from his arm. “Shit,” he whispers. “I thought the magical reinforcement I placed around this room was going to hold for a while. A long while.”

Mr. Harvey strolls in through the doorway.

Ax stiffens and growls. “What do you want, Gene? Why are you doing this?”

The bossman grins, his teeth elongating.

Ax’s human half begins sprouting scales until he’s covered with them, though he doesn’t resume his full dragon shape. Mr. Harvey claps his hands, his cat-like eyes beaming as if this were a regular circus show.

“My turn.” Mr. Harvey rears back his head. His smooth scalp bubbles, its surface first shifting into ridges then a series of peaks. Two black horns sprout, breaking the skin around his temples. His torso contorts and writhes. Mr. Harvey’s expensive suit breaks apart at the seams. A pair of bat-like wings unfurl behind him. His shoulders grow, expand, his obsidian skin stretched taut against bones and muscles. Mr. Harveys’s face elongates until it resembles a mash-up between a horse and a bat.

“Ohshitohshitohshitohshit,” I mutter, cowering behind Ax.

“Ba’al Azabub.” Ax’s voice quakes with anger.

Mr. Harvey, or Ba’al whats-it, roars. “I’m more popular as Beelzebub.” He points a talon at me. “Give me the key, human. Your time on Earth is over. I’ve been building the portal to Hell for decades while gathering strength. Once all of the portals are closed, Hell will open its doors for me. My children will aid me.”

Angelica enters the room, followed by her brother Damien whose mouth is clamped around the HR lady’s neck. He tosses her body away.

Ax hisses at me. “Get back, Rebecca.” I scramble away as Ax transforms into his dragon form. He opens his mouth, jetting out fire at the demon.

Beelzebub doesn’t flinch. He laughs, the sound akin to an avalanche. “You should have completed the mating ritual, then you’d be at your full strength.”

Angelica steps forward. Ax’s body writhes on the ground. His scales retract and grow again, as if he can’t keep his shape. I stare at him.

Rebecca! Ax’s thoughts enter mine. I feel his pain, each wracking spasm of his unstable body. My eyes blur with tears. I didn’t sign up for this.

Damien grabs my arm and drags me into the center of the room. He shoves me down in front of his father. Beelzebub grins at me and flicks a finger. A ring of fire encircles us, just like in Genevieve’s vision.

“You killed Margeurite,” I say.

“Yes, and I will kill your boyfriend too, if you don’t give me the skeleton key.” He sweeps his arm and the floor crumbles, widening into a chasm between us. “Look at all those souls yearning for a better kingdom.”

I gasp. Demons, monsters, and skinless things crawl along the sides of the pit, but an invisible barrier is keeping them from reaching the top. Hell’s doors.

“Give me the key.”

Ax’s voice drifts in my mind. Rebecca, no! I flinch as an image of Ax convulsing on the floor appears before me.

“He will die,” says Beelzebub. “But you can save him. Give me the key.”

My fingers curl around the skeleton key in my pocket.

Wherein My Mind Wandered and I Had To Rope It Back Into the Old Noggin

I've been such a scattterbrain lately. I really thought life would resume normality once my little kiddo goes to school, but while this week has been a success for her (she LOVES her teacher, she's gotten a NEW BESTFRIEND on the very first day, and the school lunch menu has 3 meal choices now--and "Mommy, there is cake on Thursday!"), I've been lost in the wanderings of my own mind.

So. I haven't done any real writing, haven't been reading a lot of your wonderful blogs, and I've just been in a general sort of funk. Not the sad kind, more like the "What am I going to do and Where am I going next?" kind of a thing. Sounds like a midlife crisis, but no, it's not. Besides, I'm not THAT old. :D

I guess I'm just going to ramble now. Feel free to stop reading whenever you want--I promise I won't get offended. ;) Sometimes I feel like I have to do things--for instance, I've been thinking about how I haven't even blogged about writing tips, or anything remotely helpful or thought-provoking. Then I see all the other blogs in my RSS Feed and they've pretty much covered everything else I wanted to say or write about. I stare at my WIP and the old doubts rise up to attack me: You call yourself a writer? Do you even know what you're doing? And then the ever annoying chuckle, followed by: You dish out writing advice and you can't even follow your own advice?

Sigh. Get out of my head, you miserable Mr. Doubt! And take Ms. Self-Pity with you on your way out!

If only it were that easy, right?

To pass the time (who knew I had time to pass?), I've been doing some digital art work. It's my therapy. The interesting thing I've come to realize is that when I'm creating visual art, my writing gets stoppered with a cork, and vice versa. It's like I'm only allowed one creative outlet at one time. What's up with that? Maybe this is one of those conundrums: You draw, you can't write, OR you can't write, so you draw, OR you write, and you can't do anything else at all. HAHA!

Writing this post seems to help me rope my brain back into my noggin. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get some writing done today. Crossing my fingers now.

I wish you all a fabulous, productive weekend! May the MUSE be with you. :)

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Because I'm a scatterbrain, I forgot to give you the link for this week's Skeleton Key blogvel Chapter 12 by the ever prolific writer, Michelle Simkins.

Also, J. Lea Lopez of Jello World hosted a sexy short story contest called Clothing NOT Optional. J. Lea writes romance and erotica, and her challenge was to come up with a sexy story where the characters steam up the page while keeping their clothes on. No nudity. I normally don't write sexy stories but peer pressure, and the challenge to write out of my comfort zone, made me cave in. There are four entries up on her blog, and the voting is now OPEN for readers to choose their favorite story. I won't tell you which one is my story so it will be a fair contest, as all entries are anonymous. So head over there to read and choose your favorite (hopefully, you'll like mine). You are allowed to blush, btw. It's ok, I won't tell anyone.

And The Winner Is...

I'm so glad to be home again. Vacations are fun, but there is no place like home (right, Dorothy of Kansas?) There's a lot of catching up to do and I'm sorry I haven't been able to read blogs. I'm excited to visit you guys and see what you've all been up to.

BUT before I wander around the blogosphere, the winner of the BOOK GIVEAWAY and soon-to-be proud owner of an autographed copy of THE FIFTH SPECTER by T.S. Welti is... (drumroll, please)

JEMI FRASER

Congrats, Jemi! Please email Ms. Welti so she'd know where to send you your prize at:

tswelti dot writer at gmail dot com. Thanks to all who participated and showed support to our lovely friend and writer, T.S.

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If you've been following the Skeleton Key blogvel (blog novel) my writer friends are doing, Chapter 11 is up at Ms. Cate Woods' blog Words from the Woods. To find the other chapters, see the Table of Contents for the list of chapter links.

And last but not the least... head over to A Still and Quiet Madness to read Anita Howard's EXCITING NEWS! I love this lady and I'm so happy for her. <3

See ya soon!

Monday News, Book Giveaway, and Author Feature! Woot!

Hello Monday!

We are going to have a very exciting week! My friend and writer extraordinaire, T.S. Welti, is being featured here for the whole entire week. She is an amazingly talented woman and I'm very proud to present her awesomeness to you. Her debut novel, The Fifth Specter: Book One of the Parker Chance series is OUT and ready for your reading pleasure! I had the good fortune of snagging a signed copy from Ms. Welti herself, so I'll be sharing my review soon.

So! Let's get this started.

To start off, we have a BOOK GIVEAWAY, courtesy of Ms. Welti. All you need to do is answer this simple question:

If you could have a SUPERPOWER, what would it be?

Leave your answer in the comment section below. The contest runs for a week and will end on Monday, August 15th. After the contest ends, the winner will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday, August 16th.

The prize? A COPY OF THE FIFTH SPECTER BY T.S. WELTI! So go wrack your brain for superpower ideas!

On Wednesday, I'll be posting my review of The Fifth Specter.

On Friday, Ms. Welti answers my prodding questions in an interview (ala Barbara Walters, or...possibly Rita Skeeter-style.)

So stay tuned and show some love!

Bio:

T.S. Welti is a single mother living in Southern California. She writes books for kids and teens and bakes in her spare time. In 2005, she began writing the Parker Chance series while sitting in the shade of a weeping willow on a sweltering summer day. Five years later, she lost her job and book one was still not finished. After many sleepless nights spent slaving away at her keyboard, she was finally able to finish The Fifth Specter and has never looked back. You can find out more about T.S. Welti and the Parker Chance series on her website at http://tswelti.com/.

Check out her blog The Smoking Quill. You can also follow her on Twitter: @TS_Welti.

Not a Twitterer? Check out her FB Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/tswelti.author

Also, her FB Book Page: http://www.facebook.com/TheFifthSpecter

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Chapter 10 of the Skeleton Key Round Robin Blogvel is now up by Laura of Laura's Universe.

Have a great day, everyone!

Chapter 9 of "The Skeleton Key" and A Scary, Evil Meme

NEWS FLASH! The voting is now ON for the Zombunny contest and my entry "Beware the Bunny" is a finalist! So please, if you like my story and illustrations, vote for me! Click here.

Hello Monday!

Business first. The Skeleton Key Round Robin Blogvel gets steamy with Chapter 9 by JLea Lopez of Jello World. Check it out! All previous chapters can be found in the Table of Contents.

And now for the funny: I give you a scary, evil meme.

This is my response to the Panty Meme I've been tagged with. Yes, I'm looking at you Jenny Phresh and Riley Redgate! Originally created by the Greenwoman aka Michelle Simkins who nefariously schemed this meme from tweep pressure. =)

Enjoy...or not.

Evil Panty Meme
by: writercherie

I've also been tagged in two other memes and two blog awards, but I promise I will get to them tomorrow. Thank you, Rachna Chhabria, Deirdra Edden-Coppel, Lena Roy, and Kacimari! ;D

My Short Story Has Been Published!

Hello Monday! {I know this is late, but it's still technically Monday, so there you go.}

I am sorry I don't have a funny for you today, but I have better news: My short story "The Stone House" is now up at Hogglepot.com! And it's going to stay up there for a whole ENTIRE week (July 24th-July 30th). SQUEE!!!

Hogglepot is a weekly fantasy journal that features short fiction with magical or fantastical elements. The best thing about Hogglepot is the fact that they will donate all proceeds from purchases of their quarterly issues to Reading is Fundamental, a literacy charity that supplies books to underprivileged children in the US. How awesome is that!

You can follow Hogglepot on Twitter: @thehogglepotpig
Like them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/HogglepotJournal

I'm always all for supporting anyone who is an advocate of literacy and providing books for children to foster their love of reading.

On a different note, Chapter 8 of the Skeleton Key blogvel is up at Jennifer Merritt's The Demeter Diaries. Check it out!

Monday Funnies and Chapter 7 of "Skeleton Key" blogvel

Hello Monday!

Chapter 7 of the Round Robin Blogvel is up at Kacimari's Hey Now. If you want to follow along, check out the other chapters in the Table of Contents section.

I found the (~~worst~~ ~~most brilliant~~ funniest) analogies written in a high school essay while surfing the net last week. I'm posting a few of my personal favorites. To see the rest, check out When Bad Writing Becomes Funny compiled by Macarray.

Enjoy!

"She caught your eye like one of those pointy hook latches that used to dangle from screen doors and would fly up whenever you banged the door open again."
--Rich Murphy, Fairfax Station

"McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup."
--Paul Sabourin, Silver Spring

"Her hair glistened in the rain like nose hair after a sneeze."
--Chuck Smith, Woodbridge

Have a great day, everyone!

Poetry Schmoetry And Chapter 6 of "Skeleton Key" Blogvel

Hello Monday!

First order of business we have today: the Round Robin Blogvel (blog novel) Skeleton Key Chapter 6 by the infamous Jenny Phresh of The Party Pony is up! If you want to follow the progress of this blogvel making its rounds among notable bloggers (who were crazy enough to sign up, and amazing enough to make it work), go to the Table of Contents to read the previous chapters.

Up next is the Poetry Schmoetry Blogfest hosted by the beautiful Shelly Brown of Writing with Shelly. All I'm supposed to do is post a poem of my own making, though Shelly is flexible as to what constitutes a poem (no poem snubbing here!). So if your inner poet is dying to come out, join the fun! There are also fabulous prizes and whatnot.

Here is my offering for the blogfest. Disclaimer: I'm not a poet. But I try anyway. ;)

Hello is not enough.

A heart unwoven,

its stitches torn asunder.

Tiny daggers driven into its core.

Unheard weeping,

Quiet sighing,

secrets folding in,

tucked out of sight.

Hello is not enough.

By Kr. B.

Check out the other participants by clicking on the picture. Enjoy and have a great day, my lovely peeps!

Monday Funnies and Fireworks!

Hello Monday!

Before I forget, check out Chapter 5 of the Skeleton Key Round Robin Blogvel, brought to you by Creativity Rebellion.

And now...fireworks!

Photo By bayasaa

Aren't they pretty? They look like flowers. Happy Fourth of July, everyone! May you enjoy this day with your family, friends, and fellow Americans.

Here's the funny for today:

By Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Chapter 4 of the Round Robin Blogvel and Some Sweet Blog Awards!

Hello Monday!

There's been a change in the Skeleton Key Round Robin Blogvel line-up. Chapter 4 is now up by my favorite teen, Riley Redgate over at In The Jungle,.

On other sweeter news, two awesome blogger friends were nice enough to give me blog awards. Kimberly Krey of The Write View and Carissa Elg of My Inner Stillness handed me another Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award.

These two chicas are rock n'rollers when it comes to writing and blogging. Thank you, ladies! The rules are to pick 15 other bloggers and share 7 random facts about myself. But today, I'm going to be a rebel and break the rules. Instead of picking recipients, I am giving this to anyone who wants this strawberry goodness in their side bar. Don't be shy. Come and take it. Just right-click on picture and do "Save Picture As".

I'm sharing 7 songs I like to listen to, instead of the usual random facts. Enjoy!

Monday Funnies

Hello Monday!

I hope you all had a nice Father's Day weekend. To all you daddies out there, THANK YOU.

By InaFrenzy

The Skeleton Key Round Robin Blogvel continues with Chapter 4 by E.M. Delaney. As of writing this post, the chapter is not up yet so I will update this later. UPDATE: Apparently, our Chapter 4 writer is MIA at the moment.

Check out the other chapters: Skeleton Key table of contents.

And now, enjoy the funny!

By Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Monday Funnies, News, and the Skeleton Key Blogvel

Hello Monday!

The "Skeleton Key" Round Robin Blogvel continues with Chapter 3 by Stephanie of Word by Word. This blogvel keeps getting more and more interesting as it passes from author to author. If you haven't been following and want to start at the beginning, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 are already up. So go check 'em out!

I've been scouring the web for news, contests, and workshops that you might be interested in. Here are some of my finds:

>Win Sara Gran's CLAIRE DEWITT AND THE CITY OF THE DEAD by joining Agent Janet Reid's first summer writing contest. Deets here. (This one is closing TODAY at 7:18 pm EST so hurry!)

>Michelle Simkins of Greenwoman is running a contest. The prize? A short story crit from her (she's the master of writing short fiction IMHO) so head on over and find out what you have to do to win.

> First 5 Pages Workshop (every first Saturday of the month) @ Adventures in Children's Publishing.

> First Page Shooter @ Confessions from Suite 500 (run by Agents Joanna Stampfel-Volpe and Suzie Townsend)

> First Page Critique Contest by fellow blogger Robin Weeks (she's celebrating for hitting 100 blog followers! Come join the fun and follow her cool savvy blog--you won't regret it.)

> Synopsis Critique by Chuck Sambuchino @ Guide to Literary Agents. This is cutting it close but I just barely saw this. He is teaching a webinar on June 16th, but you don't have to attend the live webinar to get crits. Just click on the link to get the full details. =)

>The Speculative Fiction group at Agent Query Connect has already started their Summer Critiquing Marathon. It runs for 12 weeks (this is the second week now), and anyone can join it at anytime, as long as you follow the rules. Chapter posting goes up every Monday, and critiquing goes from Tuesday to Saturday. You have to be a member of the Spec Fic group to participate (send a PM to Clippership, the Spec Fic moderator). The rules are easy: read other people's chapters and provide adequate feedback (no "Hey, this is great. End of critique.") then vote whether you think the chapter is good enough or if it needs revision before the author posts the next chapter. Remember, it's a give-and-take relationship, and if you want in, you have to be committed to read all the other participants' chapters. It's a lot of work, but the feedback you get is worth it.

If you have news you'd like to share, please do so. We'd all appreciate it. Thanks.

Aaaaand, here's a funny for you to enjoy!

By Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Summer! And Other Fun Things...

Yesteday I had the grandest time basking in the sun while my little ones splashed around in the pool to cool off. A week and a half ago when we were visiting graves on Memorial Day, we plowed through slushy snow and shivered in our flip-flops and short-sleeved shirts. It's amazing how a few days can bring a turnaround, but I'm glad for it because Winter was never my favorite season. (I grew up in the tropics, hello!)

I'm a sunflower who follows the light. I love going barefoot and feeling the grass tickle my toes. The sound of bees happily buzzing by as I stretch out on the lounger in the patio, a book in hand, is perfect background music. Ice pops rapidly melting, sticky rivulets running down my arm, and I don't care...I don't care.... My kids squeal and run away as I chase them in the backyard. Or in the park. The wind whistling by my ears as I swing higher, and higher still. Childhood magic visits once again.

Photo By Being There

Because summer is here, there'll be less hunkering down in the basement office typing away worlds my mind creates, and more living, experiencing the world of the here and now. My reality. That said, I won't be posting daily anymore, but rest assured I will still be here (and knowing me, I'll probably keep up with at least 3 posts per week because I love blogging and connecting with my wonderful and smart readers).

Now on to the other FUN things:

The "Writing is NOT Like a Box of Chocolates MEME" is still going strong and expanding. I will continue to update my list. So if you have free time and would like to check out what other people have come up with, find it here.

Also, Michelle Simkins of Greenwoman is hosting two cool things:

1. Round Robin Blogvel entitled Skeleton Key. The table of contents can be found under PAGES. Or just click here.

2. Summer of Bloggerly Love. I will be guest posting on her blog on the 22nd of June, and in turn, Michelle will be here to enamor us all with her wit and humor (I love this woman. She never fails to make me smile.)

I hope you will all have a great and fun summer! If you have fun and cool news you want to share with us, please do so. We're all about sharing the love here. <3

It's All Fun and Games Blogfest! Plus the Round Robin Blogvel Continues...

Hello Monday!

First off, Chapter 2 of the Round Robin Blogvel is up! Check it out at A.M. Supinger's blog. Chapter 1 can be found here.

Alex J. Cavanaugh is hosting a blogfest--this time about games that we enjoy. The rule? List 3 of your most favorite games and say why. This is probably where you'll see the geeky side of me. =)

So here we go:

1. CROSSWORD PUZZLES

*Cue nerd alert sirens.... Okay, I'm not a pro and I don't have bragging rights such as I can finish the New York Times crossword puzzle in under a minute. Ah, no. Since I didn't grow up here in the great U.S. of A., a lot of the pop culture references get lost on me. But I still try. I'm a sucker for puzzles. I love figuring things out, and I love it even more when things come together and I have that 'aha' moment. So in our household, whenever there are furniture or toys needing assembly, yep I'm the go-to guy...er, woman (psst, I have a power drill. Oh yeah!).

2. PIT

Pit is a fast-paced card game where you trade commodities with the other players to "corner" the market. There's a bull and a bear mixed in to up the challenge. The goal is to get all of your cards to match. My family loves this game. We yell and scream and trade like crazy, plus I actually learned how to bluff whenever I get the Bear card (you lose points when you have it in possession at the end of the game). The first one to have a matching suit (of nine cards) gets to ring the bell and wins.

3. LEGO STAR WARS Wii

I have a 3-year-old who's obsessed with Star Wars. On his birthday, he got the Lego Star Wars Wii game, and what was I supposed to do when he begged me one lazy afternoon to play with him (and the book I was reading at that time was chock full of boring expositions)? So we played. Do you know that the Jedis can do really cool lightsaber moves? And they can jump really high? Do you know that after every chapter you're given a True Jedi rating (for not dying so much during the game)? Do you know there are cheat codes you can find in the Internet if you know where to look, or field guides when you're stuck in a particular episode?

LucasArts Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga Nintendo Wii

Yeah. One day, the game mysteriously disappeared. My boy thinks Darth Vader took it so we wouldn't "get" him (we were in Epidode VI the last time we played). My theory is that someone in the household hid it so our normal life of chores can resume. But I like my son's explanation better.

There you have it. Check out the blogfest and what cool games people love to play by clicking the picture below. Enjoy!

Memorial Day, and The Round Robin Blogvel

Hello Monday!

In lieu of Monday Funnies, I have a poem to remember those who have gone on before us this Memorial Day.

They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it.
   Death cannot kill what never dies.
   Nor can spirits ever be divided, that love and live in the same divine principle, the root and record of their friendship.
   If absence be not death, neither is theirs.
   Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one another still.
   For they must needs be present, that love and live in that which is omnipresent.
   In this divine glass they see face to face; and their converse is free, as well as pure.
   This is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present, because immortal.

--William Penn

Photo by Beverly & Pack

On another note, the Round Robin Blogvel is starting today! Check it out at GreenWoman's blog.

Have a great day, everyone!

Monday Funnies, Contest WINNERS, and a Round Robin Blogvel

Hello Monday!

Wow, good to know we're all still here. I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend despite rumors of doomsday and the so-called rapture. ")

First things first--because I know you've been waiting for this while hunkering down in your fortified bunker-style basements for two days--we have WINNERS!

Dundundundun...(drumroll)

For the First Chapter Critique: Rachel McClellan

For the $15 iTunes giftcard: Sarah Fine

Congratulations! Email me at writercherie [at] gmail [dot] com to claim your prize. Thanks to everyone who participated. I had fun reading what made you happy. Apparently, family/kids/baby toes ranked topmost being listed 9 times by participants. Here is the breakdown:

Writing/Ideas/Agent Requests: 8        Reading/Good books: 4
Good friends: 5                                Being comfy: 5
Hot cocoa: 5                                    Food/Drinks: 5
Pets: 3                                             Weather (sunshine/rainy days): 3
Movies: 4                                        "Me" time: 2
Disneyland: 1
Personal goals (such as getting a job, getting toned, not moving): 3
Watching people fall down: 1

Er, I won't bother interpreting those data stats. I think they speak for themselves. ;)

Before we get on to the funny for today, I have a quick ~~desperate plea~~ ~~favor~~ ~~request~~ announcement: My good friend Michelle aka Green Woman is hosting a Round Robin Blogvel, and we'd like to ~~urge~~ ~~bribe~~ invite you to join us in what could be a potentially fun (if it's not disastrous) writing blogvel.

If you're like me and you went glassy-eyed at blogvel, here are the details from Michelle's own blog:

Here’s how it works:

I will write chapter one and post it on my blog.
Someone else will write chapter two, based on my beginning, and post it on his or her blog.
Someone else will write the next chapter, based on developments in previous chapters, and post it on his or her blog.
Repeat until everyone has had a turn.
I will write the concluding chapter and post it on my blog, UNLESS someone else feels a burning desire to do so.
Each person who posts a chapter will include a link to the FIRST chapter (for newcomers who want to start reading at the beginning), a link to the PREVIOUS chapter, and a link to the blog where the NEXT chapter will go up, to make it easier for readers to follow the whole story.
I will post a link to the latest chapter on my blog every week, OR I will make a Round Robin Blogvel PAGE and update it weekly.
Chapters will go up on the same day every week. Probably Monday.
The more authors who participate, the longer our blogvel will be.

I think it’ll be a great way for writers to meet other writers, and for readers to find more awesome blogs they didn’t know about. Also I think it will be very fun.
So here are the RULES:

You can write in your own style, and you can make just about anything happen. The only thing I ask is that what you write flows naturally from what came before. A hypothetical example: If Mary Sue has always been kind to animals throughout previous chapters, and you decide she is going to throw stones at a puppy in your chapter, you MUST provide a believable motivation for the sudden change. Like, you know, demon possession, or being under a spell. Or maybe a killer puppy.
Please keep chapters to 2,000 words or less
Please be sure you can do it if you sign up. It will be more difficult for everyone (but especially me) if you flake out.
Post your blog entry on MONDAY the week your chapter is scheduled. Email me a link to your chapter at michelle [dot] simkins [at] gmail [dot] com.

Now you are asking, “How do I join in on this fantastic adventure?” Lucky for you, no dwarves or wizards need mar the green paint on your door to issue an invitation. All you have to do is email me at michelle [dot] simkins [at] gmail [dot] com. When you send your email:

put “Round Robin Blogvel” in the SUBJECT line.
include a link to your blog
let me know if you want to write a chapter at the beginning, middle, or end of the blogvel. OBVIOUSLY if you start at the beginning, you will be writing your chapter sooner. If you go middle or end, you are at the mercy of the plot twists of all authors who came before you.
Get your email to me by midnight on Monday, May 23.
Please email me even if you already said you were in on Twitter or AQConnect. I need your contact info, blog link, and your beginning, middle, end preference.

After sign-ups close, I will take all of the author’s requests and assign chapter numbers to everyone. I imagine there will be a certain amount of shuffling and tweaking that has to be done. So, allowing another week for that, I believe that chapter one of this endeavor will be posted on Monday, May 30. That is, however, a TENTATIVE start date and could change depending on the number of participants. And on how fussy they are.

*************

I hope you'll consider joining us. Be warned though: we're a wacky group, but in a really, really good way. If you've seen us on Twitter, you'll know. Right, Michelle? ")

Have a fantabulous Monday everyone! Here's a funny for you to enjoy....