My Wish For You

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My wish for you as we move into the holidays ~

Give your loved ones a hug and let them know how much they mean to you.

Remember those less fortunate and reach out to them.

Be at peace, no matter the circumstances. Carry joy in your heart.

And stay warm.

I'll be trying to follow my own advice as well. I especially want to thank all of you who've reached out to me during this time when I've remained silent. You've given me a great gift. The gift of knowing I'm not alone.

Are you ready for the Reborn tour?

I'm pleased to be hosting fellow Untethered Realms member Cherie Reich, as part of her Reborn tour! A huge congrats to you, Cherie!

Are you ready to challenge Fate?

To save a kingdom, a prophetess must challenge Fate.

On the day of Yssa’s death and rebirth, the god Apenth chose her as the Phoenix Prophetess.

Sea serpents and gods endanger the young prophetess’s journey and sour the omens. Yssa is cursed instead of blessed, and her duties at the Temple of Apenth prove it. She spends her days reading dusty scrolls, which does nothing to help her forget Tym, the boy back home. But the annoying yet gorgeous ferryman’s son Liam proves to be a distraction she can’t predict, even though he rarely leaves her alone for two sand grains.

Her boring temple life screeches to a halt when visions of her parents’ murders consume her. Yssa races across an ocean to stop the future. If she can’t change Fate, she’ll refuse to be the Phoenix Prophetess any longer. Fate, however, has other plans for her and the kingdom.

Yssa must either accept her destiny or fight to change Fate.

Available in Ebook and Print!

To purchase: Amazon | Createspace | Google Play | Kobo | Nook | OmniLit | Smashwords | Other Retailers

Click here to add on Goodreads.

The authors of Untethered Realms and I are giving away over $50 worth of books to one lucky winner. The giveaway is open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A self-proclaimed bookworm, Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her books include the horror collection Nightmare, a space fantasy novella collection titled Gravity, and the fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. Reborn is her debut novel. She is Vice President of Valley Writers and a member of the Virginia Writers Club and Untethered Realms. For more information, please visit her website.

And now I'm in space!

Or as close to it as I'll ever get. :) Today I'm with M. Pax, fellow Untethered Realms writer and author of the Backworlds series. Come join me in the starry expanse of deep space. You'll see quite a few Browncoats sitting at the bar and, if you're really lucky, you can get Craze to mix you a drink.

Click here to catch the space launch!

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Never Give Up, Never Surrender
 



This has been a hard year for many of us but I want to end the year on a lighter note and talk about a brighter future on the horizon…and I'd like to use the movie Galaxy Quest to illustrate my point.

Now, if you haven't seen this movie, I suggest you rectify that immediately. It's a brilliant satire, poking fun at Star Trek. Beyond that, though, is a touching story about what it means to be an ordinary hero.

Like the crew of the Galaxy Quest, we can feel beaten down. Has-beens. Yesterday's news. Nothing to distinguish us from anybody else. Struggling to rise to the top and be noticed.

Are you depressed yet? Don't be. Remember the motto. Never give up. Never surrender.

At any time we could be called upon to be a hero – a hero in someone else's life or even a hero in our own – something a good friend recently reminded me to be. And like the Galaxy Quest crew, we shouldn't be afraid to accept help from others to accomplish our goals.

Remember that the people around us are willing to help. All we need to do is ask. It's the sharing which makes us strong as a people. We don't have to hide in the darkness or struggle alone.

Three things Galaxy Quest taught me:

1.      No matter how tough your circumstance, you will always meet somebody with bigger problems than you.

2.      Friends can pull you out of the worst of situations.

3.      True friendship is the most valuable thing you can possess.

During the hustle and bustle of this holiday season I hope you find your inner strength and reach out to someone who needs a hero in their life. You can make a difference.

Oh, and just to be safe, don't wear a red shirt when you go outside…

 

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And while you're here, please take a moment to check out the brand-new tab above which says: Composers for Relief. Thank you and blessings to all.

IWSG

Buck Up And Quit Your Whining

Today is the Insecure Writers Support Group, founded by our favorite ninja, Alex “no hyperlink needed” Cavanaugh. The success of this group is due to the overwhelming support of so many great people – all of you who work tirelessly to help others and give encouragement or a helping hand.

I've been dragging my feet lately, watching my puny efforts at time-management get sucked into the abyss. I think it's typical for this time of year for many of us. We are pressed for time because of the holidays, family obligations, and so on. I've been morose because my writing isn't going as swiftly as I'd like.

Then I read a post on FaceBook about Michael's sister and her patchy hair because of chemo treatments. I might add here that Michael is providing moral support and driving her to and from the doctor, staying with her during treatments, etc. He'd posted, saying he had trimmed her hair to even it out.

Reading things like that spins my perspective and tilts it on its head...or my head. I'm feeling a bit tilted now.

Anyway, I allow myself to get bogged down in trivial details, forgetting that each day is a wonderful gift in itself, one to be embraced and lived to the fullest.

With that in mind, I'd like to point you toward some others who deserve a hug or three. Please visit the following people and say hi. They've been through some trying times lately. The best way to forget about your own insecurities is to provide a welcoming smile for someone in need. I'll apologize in advance if I've forgotten to put someone on this list. It's off the top of my head and with my last brain cell dangling.

Jeff Hargett

Julie Luek

M. L. Swift

M Pax

Al Diaz

Gary Pennick

 

Elephant's Child