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Showing posts from September, 2014

“Things Every Southern Woman Should Know How to Make”

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Alice clicked on the headline, mildly curious about what yet another stranger thought should be in her kitchen repertoire. Pictures of China plates mounded with crispy fried chicken, greens, cobbler, and a pile of biscuits a mile high flooded the screen, all set off with a pitcher of sweet tea beaded with condensation. The table was set; an apron draped off to the side next to a box labeled “Gramma’s Recipes” in fine calligraphy. She closed the browser and put away her tablet. She was born a Georgia peach, but she couldn’t make a cobbler to save her life. Did that mean she wasn’t southern? Or maybe just not “Southern.” For Alice, there was no recipe box full of family traditions. Her younger years were filled with rental homes in different states and her father’s voice coaxing her toward a text book rather than a cookbook. Metalworking and fabrication held more interest than learning to flambé or sauté. Did it make her less of a woman that her cooking skills consisted of fresh salads...
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Cover Reveal! THE DARK CARNIVAL Anthology

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Hello, Ladies and Gents!   Everyone gather round! Closer. Even closer.   Can you smell it? Buttered popcorn. The gossamer perfume of cotton candy, and over there, you can just make out the calliope music from the carousel.   The carnival has come to town, my friends, though the thrills you seek might be altogether different from the ones you get...   Welcome to the great Pen and Muse's DARK CARNIVAL!   In this anthology, several authors and illustrators explore the dark and hidden dangers that lie within a carnival that has come to town. But it is no ordinary carnival. It's THE DARK CARNIVAL.   And when The Dark Carnival comes to town, there's no promise that anyone can leave...alive.       A round of applause for the talented authors ready to terrify you!    Kat Daemon, Kristen Strassel, Julie Hutchings, C. Elizabeth Vescio, Mark Matthews, Brian W. Taylor, Kim Culpepper, Eli C...
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Music Ramble: TRANSMISSIONS by Starset

I don't listen to the radio much. Usually about two hours a day, on the way to work and on the way home. And usually in that two hours, I hear the same five bands over and over until I want to punch someone in their Metallica... Um, face. Lately, though, they've been playing some new bands, and I've been pretty happy. Excited, even. One song in particular, My Demons, was sticking with me, so I decided to check out the album. I'm freaking in love. TRANSMISSIONS by Starset is glorious symphonic rock, and I can't get enough of it. Especially the song Dark On Me. Not only does it give me major feels, but it's stirring story possibilities, and that's always fantastic. Let It Die has a total mad scientist feel, which is only boosted when I listen to the remix, and my writer brain is going nuts with it. The whole album is beautiful, and while I have my favorites, there's not a song on it that I don't like. So, if you like your rock with violins an...
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Cover Reveal! THE GHOST OF YOU by Amanda Burckhard

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Today, I’m incredibly excited to show you the cover for Amanda Burckhard’s THE GHOST OF YOU, coming 12/30/14 from Swoon Romance. But first, as always because I can, a look at what’s inside! Emmy has everything she’s ever wanted: a hot boyfriend she adores, great friends, a promising future, and even a well-connected family. But one night rips it all away. A car accident shatters her world, claiming the lives of her twin brother and her best friend. In the wake of the accident, her friends drift away, her family falls apart, and her boyfriend cheats. The grief is more than she can handle, so she finds escape at the bottom of a bottle of painkillers. Taking the pills makes her brother alive again, if only in her head. Seeing and talking to her brother as if he were still alive is the only thing that keeps her going. Until Logan King moves to town. Logan sees past the mask of pristine popularity she wears in public and he’s the only one who can tell she hasn’t moved on. His...
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Anime Ramble: Attack On Titan

I haven't done an anime ramble in a while, so here's a short one. If you like dark stories, then you have to check out Attack on Titan. It's horrifying, creepy, often bleak, but there's still a thread of hope and perseverance among the characters that you can't help but cheer on. I warn you, though, it's not for the faint of heart. Some scenes are pretty gruesome. The story: The last of humanity has sat behind its walls for 100 years, content in its illusion that their greatest threat, the giant, humanoid beings known as Titans, cannot reach them. But one day, an abnormal Titan breaks through their walls, and now they know: Humans are cattle. Their home, a pen. The main character is a young man by the name of Eren Yeager who swears vengeance on the Titans after one brutally murders and eats his mother. And he's the one man who might just turn the tide for humanity. I've watched around 18 episodes, and I can't get enough. The Titans are a my...
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Chopped

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A little over a week ago, I did something pretty drastic. The thought of it terrified me, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it was something I needed to do. So, with the encouragement of many friends and coworkers, I took a breath, steeled myself...   And cut my hair.   I should note that I haven't cut my hair in many, many years. Up until a couple months ago, it was past my hips. In the winter, I could wrap it around my neck like a scarf. Then I needed to get a picture taken, so I went for a trim.   A trim that took off over a foot of hair.   And it was still to the middle of my back.   A couple months later, my mom decided she wanted a pixie cut, so I took her on her birthday to a local salon. They did an excellent job, which gave me the courage to do what I'd been thinking about.   I browsed the web for days, looking for a haircut I like and thought I could manage. Some ...
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Cover Reveal! Stacey O'Neale's FRAGILE REIGN!

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Hi, everyone! I'm back from vacation, and to start September, I have for you the cover reveal for Stacey O'Neale's FRAGILE REIGN! FRAGILE REIGN is Book Two in the Mortal Enchantment series. (If you're not familiar with the series, don't worry, I've got you covered later in this post.) So, now, let's find out more about FRAGILE REIGN! It’s been a week since all hell broke loose… 

 Rumors of King Taron’s weakened powers have left the air court vulnerable. Kalin is desperate to awaken her akasha powers, except she doesn’t know how. Tension within the court is at an all-time high. Pressure is mounting for her to ascend to the throne, but a halfling has never ruled over any court. To solidify her position, the council has advised her to marry Sebastian—a high ranking air elemental she’s never met and her betrothed. 

 Will Kalin sacrifice her relationship with Rowan to strengthen her court? Rowan and Marcus return to a fire court in turmoil....
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