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Showing posts from October, 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

Waiting…

Waiting sucks.   When something excites me, I usually want it RIGHT NOW. Like when the PS4 came out. I wanted one really bad, and my brain was screaming, “GET IT NOW!” However, my sensible side said, “Wait. Let them work out any bugs. At least wait until they have game you actually want to play.” So…I’m still waiting. Waiting for writing things makes me twitchy. I squirm when I’m waiting for feedback, contest results, or replies to emails. Especially the last one because waiting on anything to do with publishing is torture. I obsessively refresh like everyone else when I’m dying to see a query response or edit note in my inbox. And when my inbox remains frustratingly empty? I mentally whine and wait some more. If I’ve learned anything since deciding I really wanted to slog through the query trenches, it’s patience. No matter what level you’re at, there’s waiting to be done. A writer waits on an agent to scoop them up. An agent waits for an editor to sa

Waiting on Wednesday: A.R. Kahler's MARTYR

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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly awaiting! Title: MARTYR (The Hunted: Book One) Author: A.R. Kahler Publisher: Spencer Hill Press Expected Publication Date: October 28, 2014 Three years have passed since magic destroyed the world. Those who remain struggle to survive the monsters roaming the streets, fighting back with steel and magic—the very weapons that birthed the Howls in the first place. Tenn is one such Hunter, a boy with the ability to harness the elements through ancient runes. For years, the Hunters have used this magic to keep the monsters at bay, but it's never been enough to truly win the war. Humans are losing. When Tenn falls prey to an incubus named Tomás and his terrifying Kin, Tenn learns there's more to this than a fight for survival. He's a pawn in a bigger game, one with devastating consequence

THE DARK CARNIVAL WELCOMES YOU

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          Step right up, folks! The show is soon to begin. But while you wait in line, enjoy your fritters and this sample of the terror to come...         And over here--yes, this way--you can see the entrance to the Tunnel of Love. Don't be shy, folks! Cozy up to your loved one and take a peek!     And the Tunnel of Love loomed ahead of us. I didn’t think they even made those things anymore. I hadn’t seen one at one of these fairs—well, my whole life. It was something you’d only see in a fifties movie, or some old black and white photo. And like anything classy, none of the loudmouth teenagers that frequented the fair were anywhere near it. The shadows around the Tunnel of Love were empty. I wrapped my arms around her and headed towards the dark entryway. The tunnel seemed even more like it was dropped out of another time as we got closer to it. Two giant cutout swans with chipping white paint formed a heart with their great n