Oh how I miss you!

Oh, how I miss you blogfest is hosted by Andrew Leon, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and Matthew MacNish make sure to stop by their blogs and say hello!

This blogfest is all about the bloggers we really miss…and the ones we would really miss!

Do you have a couple blogger buddies who aren’t posting as often? Those who’ve pulled back and seem absent from the blogging world? Do you have blogger buddies you are grateful they are still around and would miss if they vanished? Now is your chance to show your appreciation and spotlight them! Just list one to three bloggers you really miss and one to three bloggers you would miss if they stopped blogging. Then go leave a comment on those blogs.

Our blogger friends are special – time to let them know!

Melynda Fluery had a blog called Crazy World. Her world was crazy, chaotic, fun and full of humor. She was one of my first blogging friends and my first critique partner. Unfortunatley after she lost her eyesight, the struggle of maintaining a blog became too much for her and she had to stop. Melynda, if you happen to trip over this post, I MISS YOU!

It goes without saying that everyone would miss Alex if he stopped blogging. There are two special men  that I would miss terribly if they stopped. One is my cyber brother Michael Di Gesu and the other is my spirit brother Roland Yeomans. I hope neither of you ever stop blogging, but if you do, I know you will be my friend forever no matter what. If you haven't already checked out these incredibly talented writers you will find them IN TIME and WRITING IN THE CROSSHAIRS!

So who would you miss? Hope everyone has a fantastic week-end!

You Inspire Me

Today Alex Cavanaugh, Matthew McNish, and Andrew Leon have put together a special blogfest. The Oh, how I miss you blogfest features the bloggers we really miss and the ones we would! I believe all three of these hosts would be missed if they should disappear from the blogging world. Do you have a couple blogger buddies who aren’t posting as often? Those who’ve pulled back and seem absent from the blogging world? Do you have blogger buddies you are grateful they are still around and would miss if they vanished? Now is your chance to show your appreciation and spotlight them!

Here are the rules: List one to three bloggers you really miss and one to three bloggers you would miss if they stopped blogging. Then go leave a comment on those blogs. Time to let your blogger friends know that they are special! Make sure you join the party and visit other posts as well!

Since I started blogging almost two years ago I have not seen many bloggers disappear but I have seen some cut back. When I first started blogging I was unprepared for the friendships I would form and the extended family it would bring me. The first one that comes to mind is a dear woman that has become a good friend. Melynda Fluery and her blog Crazy World has been a part of my daily life since I first connected to this cyberspace. I have followed her and her family through small tragedies and victories, each one faced head on with passion, bravery and her never ending sense of humor. Her reflections on this crazy world we all live in always bring a smile to my face. Melynda has had to cut back on blogging because she has lost her eyesight, but there is no stopping this woman, even blindness cannot stop her from writing down her words and sharing them. A true friend, a giving humanitarian, a brilliant humorist and author of Just Nonsense, More Nonsense, and True Nonsense, please check out her blog and say hi. I know that my life is and always be richer with her in it.

There are so many of my blogging friends that I would love to mention today but there are two more that I have to mention because I cannot imagine my life without them. They are my two soul brothers Michael Di Gesu and Roland Yeomans. Both of these men inspire me on a daily basis to do better and to give more. Their passion for writing is never ending and their talent for prose never seizes to amaze me or touch my heart. I love them both and OH how I would miss them if they were to disappear.

So there you have it. Three amazing people who inspire me and who I truly appreciate every single day. Who inspires you and who would you miss? 

On another note I would like to invite you to spend part of your Christmas in Norway. Everyday through the month of December until Christmas I will be opening up a window on my Advents calendar, sharing the Norwegian holiday season with you. Ever want to spend Christmas in Norway, here is your chance. Hope you stop by and visit.

Have a wonderful week-end!

IT IS NOT TOO LATE!

It is not to late. There are still two days left to get your free copy of this book and many others in Melynda Fluery's Labor Day Blogfest and Book Fair. This is also your chance to read my short story Secrets of the Ash Tree which is based on the first chapter of the book I am working on. Here is a little spoiler:

"Some secrets are like dreams, just waiting in darkness hoping to get into the light."

When her father dies Liv finds out about a secret chest that is buried underneath an Ash tree in her garden. Once she discovers how to find and open this chest, her life is changed forever. Liv discovers her father’s secrets which eventually cast her into a world full of dangerous creatures, mighty Norse warriors and perils beyond her belief. Her father’s fairy tales were to become not only her legacy, but a guide line to survival and a map to the world she was about to enter.

If you would like to download  this anthology for free go here to Amazon.com. If you do not have an e reading device, you can also download one for free on Amazon's pages.

 For this part of the hemisphere autumn has offically arrived. School has started for many and will soon start for others. I would like to wish all the students out there good luck with their studies. Some of you, like my son, may be going back to school as an adult. Whether it is to get that high school diploma, finish college or learn a new skill, it is never too late! If you dream of doing something, it is not too late too try and make that dream come true. It is amazing what you can do if you just don't give up.

On another note, this wednesday it is once again time for the Insecure Writers Support Group. This group is all about support and encouragement, not just insecurities and you can always join us. Come back again on wednesday and I will tell you something interesting, as well as give you an update on the death of my nicotine monster.

Are you starting school soon or do you have any dreams you want to share? Have you downloaded Open Doors or any other great books this week-end?

Eye Spy News

My Eye Spy post this week is going to be a bit unusual. Before I point out some of the things I have seen around the blogging scene I want to talk about change, specifically some changes in my life.

I just love this picture and the message it shares

The world keeps changing. Some of these changes are good and others not so good. Sometimes I find myself fighting change, even when I know some of those changes are good for me. Afterall, I am very stubborn and I do not like being told what to do. This year I have decided to make one of the biggest changes in my life. I am going to stop fooling myself and let go of a very dear friend who has been with me for over 35 years. Over the years this friend has left me several times, but has always returned as a big thorn in my side. I have become a slave and an addict. It has gotten to the point where I have to take this friend with me every where, and if my friend is not welcome where I am going, then I prefer not to go. My friend stinks, costs a fortune to entertain, has become anti-social and is literally making me sick. I have forgotten all the reasons why we had become friends in the first place, except for the fact that all the cool kids hung around the same crowd. I know that I have not stuck around out of loyality or misguided trust. I am just afraid as most addicts are. Afraid of the changes and afraid that living in a world without, I will wake up and no longer know who I am. It is time for me to stop being afraid and to let go. If you have ever been an addict than you know what I am talking about. Realising that this so called friend has never been anything but an enemy is the first step. I have to kill this ex-friend before it kills me. I am talking about NICOTINE. 

I have decided to quit smoking and I am going to briefly share my progress with you every Wednesday. Your support is needed, because believe me, this is not an easy thing to do! My body can not handle cold turkey so I have changed my smoking habits, and cut way down. Next week I am going over to patches, the next step towards freedom.  Having faith in myself and the will to succeed, I start a new journey towards a healthier and richer life.Wish me luck!

Now on to some other things. Do not forget the upcoming blogfest and bookfair to support Diabetes on Labor Day week-end, check it out Here and get your copy of Open Doors for free. My first short story called Secrets of the Ash Tree is being published in this anthology along with other great stories.



Ciara Knight has a new book release,  Weighted. It is all over the internett these days. Congrats Ciara!

"BREAKTHROUGH: THE ADVENTURES OF CHASE MANHATTAN by Stephen Tremp will be free for (2) days on Amazon Aug 22-23rd. Be sure to grab your copy by visiting his website!


Roland Yeomans has a new collection of short stories you have to check out!
Angela Orlowski-Peart has revealed her new book cover and  make sure to come back on Monday to join E.J.Wesley's big book cover reveal party. 

For all of you who are starting school this week and next, I wish you luck....AND to my blogging buddy who has also quite smoking I wish her the best of luck. Go ahead guys, hop on over to her blog and give her some words of encouragement, she won't bite... don't think so anyways.........LINK TO A CRAZY WORLD

Do you have an addiction or know someone that does? How do you battle it? 

Do you think I can get him to quite once I do?

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Food,Free Books and Something Unforgettable

 Today we are digesting something spicy for dinner. Chorizo Chili Dogs. You all know that I am a left over specialist. My crock pot has prepared many yummy dishes this week, including Pot Roast and Beef Stew. So what to do with the left overs? Chili and Chorizo is what I came up with. I mixed my leftovers together, added some more diced tomatoes, more onion and chili spices. I grilled the chorizo hot dogs, put them in toasted buns and topped them with the chili, cheese and raw onion. Nummy!

Now for other news, I want to tell you about a Labor Day Blogfest and Book Fair. I am letting you know now so that you have plenty of time to sign up. Mark the dates and sign up now...Sunday September 2nd -Tuesday the 4th. (Some free eBooks included!) Wayman Publishing is holding a book fair in honor of Melynda Fleury--who has bravely been fighting diabetes and almost completely lost her eyesight--Wayman Publishing is offering unlimited free downloads of their top ten bestselling books to all entrants during this event! 

 In addition, they are featuring some great books you should check out, one of which is the Fantasy Anthology "Open Doors."  My short story, "Secrets of the Ash Tree," is included in this anthology which is being released on Sept.4th. Check out the details for that blogfest and book fair HERE!


I wanted to do something special as well so I am having my own blogfest starting on Monday the 13th of this month and lasting until Wednesday the 15th. For this blogfest I want you to post about some strange and unusual place or person you have visited. A place or person that has left a lasting impression, one that you can not forget. I am curious to see where your travels have taken you and who you have met there. Come back on Monday to hear about mine. Don't forget the Unforgettable Blogfest!

Here is the banner, you know what to do with it.

Also, add your link to the tool below so others can visit you as well. Are you going to join the book fair and my blogfest? I hope you help me spread the word. Isn't that picture of our dog adorable? So what are you having for dinner? Don't forget to fill out the submission form for your free giveaways HERE. Hope you all have a wonderful week-end!

Eye Spy True Nonsense and more

Eye Spy has been making the rounds this week and has discovered some interesting news. Melynda Fluery, "Queen of Nonsense" is coming out with a new book in her series of nonsense. This one is called True Nonsense and if it is anything like her first two books you should be in for some good laughter. Check out her Crazy World HERE

As many of you probably know, Christine Rains is hosting a blogfest to celebrate the release of her book “Fearless.” Creepy childhood monsters are the theme of this blogfest which you can still enter. Check it out HERE and be prepared to have your skin crawl. You can read my entry HERE.

Karen J. Gowen’s new book “Lighting Candles in the Snow” is coming out next month. This is a special book for Karen and unlike her previous works, Candles is not autobiographical.  You can find out more by visiting her blog, “Coming down the Mountain.”

That's all my pink panther friend has for you now. Come back on Friday to see what's for dinner.

What's for Dinner Mom?

Me the Mom Bee reading "Just Nonsense" by Melynda Fluery

The week-end is here already and as you can see I am very busy reading my kindle. So if you ask me what is for dinner you are bound to be disappointed.. Mom is staying out of the kitchen today so make yourself a sandwich. That's right, I don't make dinner everyday. Tonight I am going to a summer concert to listen to my husband sing. No he is not in a band, although that would be cool. He sings in a choir. Mr tough guy, body guard, fireman also known to many as "Saw-man" sings in a choir during his free time. 


Maybe I will get lucky and get some of this on video, so if there is no video here now come back later for some entertainment. In the mean time enjoy your week-end! Tell me, what are you having for dinner tonight? Do you go out to eat a lot? Do you always make dinner? Do you wish you had a hat like mine?

Rakkestuten Blandakor-"What do you do with a drunken Sailor?" Sorry about the sound quality, but hey....Not bad for a phone...