Love, in all shapes, sizes, genders, is precious

We all know that one couple, the one that endures through all adversity and comes back time and time again to prove that love still does exist. I know of such a couple, one I only know through Facebook, but I feel I know them so personally.

One is ill right now, severely ill, and even though there is great hope, great optimism of his recovery, I can't but help be scared, and I only know this person through the 0s and 1s that make up social media. I can't imagine what his fiance is going through right now. He is fortunate, as his family loves and cares for him and allows his fiance to visit, to stay in the hospital room, to be by his side.

You may wonder, oh, how nice and go on your merry way. But the thing is, this is actually very unusual because the engaged couple are men, who have absolutely NO rights in the state in which they are living. I do find hope and encouragement that eighteen states thus far have put aside their bigotry and hate toward two people in love, but alas, it may be a while until all states see the light, including the one in which these two men are living.

I know there are a lot of conservative people out there that say that homosexuality is a sin, that these two men shouldn't have the legal protections that marriage gives to heterosexual couples, that these two men should get down on their knees and pray the gay away ... but these people who think that are so small-minded, so closed off from what love actually is, I actually feel sorry for them. They will never know true love in their hearts due to the hate they've placed there for someone that is not like them.

For any two people to find love, in my opinion, is miraculous. I don't get why it matters what dangles (or not) between one's legs when it comes to who you love. For any two people to find each other in this hustle and bustle, 24/7, loud and crazy world is amazing. When I see pictures of these two men, the love between them is so obvious, so clear, so pure ... why must people degrade that by nasty language and bigotry?

I've never found love, and at this point of my life, I probably never will. I've gone my adult life without love, so when two people find each other, in my eyes, it is so precious, a thing to hold so close to your heart, your soul. So I celebrate those who find love, who cherish it, who hold on with all their might. I have just re-ordained myself through the Universal Life Church and am available to ANYONE for marriage, handfasting, healing, or just spiritual counseling.

And to Eric and TJ, I wish there was more I could do, more I could give, more anything ... The best I can do is furnish a link to the fundraiser that is helping defray costs of family hotel stays and the medical costs that will surely come down the road.

Eric Arvin Support Fund

Eric and TJ, may your love be a beacon to others, and may others emulate your love.

May this healing rose send you its healing, vibrance and warmth.

On this, the darkest of nights, may the dawn greet you and the light shine again. Happy Winter Solstice to one and all.

New Book Release!

My newest book, 'A Wolf's Bane' is now available! It's a novella, coming in at about 33,000 words. Right now it's only an ebook, available at Amazon, All Romance eBooks, and Bookstrand. Click on the links below to order!

Bookstrand Buy Link 

All Romance eBooks (has a broken link; will be fixed soon and reposted!)

Amazon Buy Link 

Here's the beautiful cover, created by Soxsational Cover Art:

 

Things that go bump in the night ... or maybe not

Welcome to 'Souls Around the World' blog hop ... I hope you enjoy the blogs linked!

Okay, mine ... things that go bump in the night. Yeah. I've been woken straight out of a deep sleep by thumps and bangs, my heart racing, my eyes straining to see in the dark. Paranoid about the corporeal beings that might be trying to break in or is it the spirits trying to communicate?

I give myself a moment and realize ... yep, the dogs have slept right through it. Sometimes I just shrug and turn over, trying to get comfortable and go back to sleep. Other times I do get out of bed, my dogs begrudgingly following me as I search the house only to find something has fallen over (usually it's the fan that's no longer in the window after a strong breeze came through). I right the item, muttering to myself for getting riled up and about unstable fans in windows, then crawl back into bed where we all try to go back to sleep.

Have there been unexplained bumps in the night? Sure. Sometimes can't figure out for the life of me what woke me up. But alas, I've never been visited by Jacob Marley or his equivalent, never had the ghosts of Christmases anything hovering at the end of the bed. Could those mysterious bumps be the other world trying to communicate? Probably not. Maybe. Who knows for sure? I try to keep an open mind, but really, it's usually the house settling or heck, the next-door neighbor hitting the wall a little too hard, or yes, the fan toppling over. 

I'd think I would be open-minded enough for a ghost or spirit to visit me, but as I sit here and laugh at the 'Ghost Hunters' show, knowing that 99% of what they are 'experiencing' is either explainable or scripted for tv, it's hard to believe. 

The truth may be out there. I'd like to say I'm more Mulder than Scully, but really, I'm more like Bill Nye the Science Guy ... everything has an explanation and it's usually a simple one. I've probably become more jaded in the past few years, but as I said, I'd like to think I'm open to the possibility.

Like there really is a Bigfoot. Really. I NEED there to be a Bigfoot.

Enough rambling. Enjoy the hops and I hope nothing goes bump in the night for you!

(Be sure to scroll all the way down to be entered in the raffle!)
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And the winner is ...

Taking out myself and Ms. Cassatta (who ran the blog hop), I had 12 people comment on my post. From the random number generator, comment number 6 has won! Congratulations to Shirley Ann! Check your email for information!

Thank you!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by. I'm doing a little better, not as pessimistic, but still not out of the woods. Working on it, I promise! So, to get any last minute stragglers, I'll wait until this evening to randomly generate a number for the winner of my ebook. Everyone have a great Saturday!

It's Back to School Time!

As part of Allison Cassatta's 'Back to School Blog Hop' I hereby present my blog. It's pessimistic and gritty, but I'm not in a funny, happy mood. If you want to enter the raffle of a $100 Amazon give card we're holding at the end of the hop, see the Rafflecopter link at the end of this blog. If you would like to win an ebook of my latest novel 'Last of the Summer Tomatoes,' leave a comment on this blog and I'll do a random number generator for the winner on the 31st.

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Wow, where did the summer go? Well, being that I'm no longer in school, it really doesn't matter. Being a grown-up sucks; there is no summer break anymore, only those precious few days off we call a 'vacation' sometime during the summer ... if we're lucky.

I remember those 'back to school' days. As I lived on a farm, I didn't see many of my classmates over any given summer when in grade/high school. Each summer I would hope and pray I'd lose weight before I went back to school ... show those popular kids that I could be pretty and popular too. Unfortunately, it never happened. I was born roly-poly, I was roly-poly as a kid and now as an adult - well, you get the idea. I would look into the mirror each August with disgust ... I was still the fat, four-eyed kid with flat, straight hair and crooked smile. I guess it was a good thing I liked to learn; only way I made it through school was because I would learn something new ... not every day mind you (sometimes it seemed I knew more than my teachers), but at least I'd learn something new eventually.

Now I'm an adult. And I want to go back to school. Not to win any popularity contests, not to fit in, but to learn. I feel so stagnant these days, drudgery day in and day out, hoping I can keep the creditors at bay. Plastering on a smiley face and telling everyone I'm okay. I want to lose myself in books, in learning, and never come up for air. I want to put all my troubles behind me and just learn. Anything. Hell, I'd even take a math class if it was offered to me and I HATE math.

So kids, enjoy the 'back to school' days. Soon enough you'll join the adult world where there is no such thing as 'breaks,' where you'll find yourself clocking in and out day after day until you die at your desk. Because face it, there isn't going to be anything even remotely close to a 'retirement' plan when you get old. You MIGHT get to work only part-time after you pay off your mortgage and that's if you manage your fiances right and the stock market doesn't crash ... again.

Sorry to the be bearer of bad news, but face it. Life sucks. The only certainties in life are taxes and death and after the government gets done reaming you ... you'll welcome death.

Happy Back To School Everyone! 

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

I've Been Nominated!!

I am excited to announce my short story "Twenty-Four Hours" has been nominated for Best Short Story by eFestival of Words Virtual Book Fair, host of the Best of the Independent eBook Awards. Please click here to vote. Winners are announced August 23rd, so please register and vote! If you haven't yet read "Twenty-Four Hours," please click here to order from Amazon. 

Thanks for your support!

The Star Trek Reboot - Movies

The muse isn't cooperating for me to write much and I can't sleep, so was thinking about the Star Trek recently. Just saw 'Into Darkness' for the second time this past Sunday and found myself moved much more this time than the first. I was still teary-eyed at the closing credits with the Original Series music; brought back so many memories of my childhood.

I remember getting a little black and white TV when I was a kid, like eight or nine. It had I think a nine- or ten-inch screen, but was still huge (back with the cathode ray tubes you know). It also had this little earpiece for one ear. Good thing I wasn't used to stereo TV! LOL

On clear Sunday evenings, late at night (well late for a nine-year-old, like 10pm) I could get the Louisville station that ran the original Star Trek reruns. Now, being nine, I had no idea what reruns where or syndication or whatever, I just knew I was mesmerized by this show about space and aliens and the unknown. I'd put a blanket over me and the TV, plug in the earpiece and hope mom or dad didn't come in to check on me as I was supposed to be sound asleep (I should have realized, even way back then, I was a night owl.)

So to hear that music, on the big screen made me very nostalgic. I adore most things Star Trek (although don't get me started on Barbie of Borg) and have enjoyed the 'reboots' of 2009 and 2013. So now I'm thinking about what the next movie should be. I'm assuming they are releasing it in 2016 to coincide with the 50th (yes FIFTIETH!) anniversary of the beginning of a cultural phenomenon.

Follow me, if you will. The 2009 movie rebooted the timeline from about the moment of Kirk's birth; thus everything that happened before in the Star Trek universe is still in play. Think about 'Star Trek: The Movie." Now I'm NOT advocating we remake that movie, but what about the V'ger aspect of it? V'ger is still out there and is trying to fulfill its mission, to give the information it has accumulated to its creator. It's been theorized that the 'world of machines' that repaired V'ger was the planet the Borg came from (I don't think this is canon, but it is an interesting theory). Now, there were more than just Khan's eugenics crew survivors out there; many were frozen like Khan and set upon the stars. What if that world of machines found some eugenics survivors and created the Borg? What if the world of machines had been inspired by V'ger to 'assimulate knowledge' but the message got corrupted and the Borg began to just 'assimulate'?

Oh, the possibilities. And can you imagine the CGI they could do these days? 

Maybe it's time I invest in the ST:TOS dvds. I miss those days long gone by where I listened to Roddenberry's messages through an earpiece in the quiet of a Sunday night.

Announcing my first novel, a Young Adult gay romance entitled 'Last of the Summer Tomatoes.' If you find the time, I'd love to have you review it, either here on my blog, on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. or on your own blog. Please let me know you've reviewed it, whether it be good or bad. I'd appreciate it! Click here to email me!

Kyle Jackowski, typical sullen emo teen, struggles to find a way to deal with his sexuality and finds himself in trouble with the law… again. But instead of being sent to a juvenile detention center like he expected, he is given a chance to commute his sentence by working on a farm for the summer. 

Enter Sam, son of the farm owners, who shows Kyle what he feels is perfectly normal and that he doesn’t have to hide from his feelings. In turn, Sam’s parents show Kyle that his abusive stepfather and battered mother are not the norm. With their love and support, Kyle finds his place in the world—by Sam’s side.

Wishing ...

Free Beauty Spell

Short Story Plug

 

Order Twenty-Four Hours

Check out my short-story, 'Twenty-Four Hours.' The sequel, 'Michael's Journey' will be available soon by XoXo Publishing!

Giveaway and News!

I'm giving away one of my ebooks: 'Evernight Volume 1,' 'Evernight Volume 2,' 'Twenty-Four Hours,' 'A Wolf's Bane,' or 'Last of the Summer Tomatoes.' Comment on my Facebook post pinned to the top of my page:

Click here for Author Sherrie Henry's Facebook Page

Comment with a number between 1 and 50; I will use the random number generator to find the winner on Wednesday (April 3rd) evening around 10:00pm CST.

Please note that 'A Wolf's Bane' and 'Last of the Summer Tomatoes' will be released later this year. Winner will receive the ebook on day of release.

Also, pleased to announce 'Michael's Journey' has been accepted by XoXo Publishing. Release date TBD. This is the sequel to 'Twenty-Four Hours.'

Accepted!

I'm very excited to announce my first novel, 'Last of the Summer Tomatoes' has been accepted for publication by Harmony Ink Press. This was definitely a labor of love; I wrote it during National Novel Writing Month (November 2012). The story came to me as I was eating the last of the tomatoes I had purchased from the summer's farmers' market.

It's the story of Kyle, an abused gay teen who gets into a bit of trouble and is sentenced to work on a farm for the summer. There he learns how to love and be loved, by both the family he's staying with, and by his first romantic love, Sam. For the first time in his life he can be himself and not hide who he is.

As soon as I have more information on a release date, I'll post it.

Also look for an announcement on the release date of my first novella, 'A Wolf's Bane', to be published by XoXo Publishing this year as well!

A convo with Author Tracey Steinbach - Third Entry of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog Series

Question for week 3:

What are your goals for the 2013 writing year and why are they important to you? Are these goals new or are you carrying over from 2012 or a previous year?

The prompt was for one goal, but I have a couple and I wanted to share. 

One of my goals for the 2013 writing year is to write a longer book than a novella. So far, the most I’ve written is a little over 20,000 words. That averages out to about 65 pages. I would love to write at least one book that is long enough to be put into print. I want to see my book on a bookshelf in the bookstore and say “Hey! That’s me!”. But more than that, I want to know I can do it. This is a new goal but something I’ve wanted to do since I started writing in 2011.

Another goal I have is to try to be more organized in my writing. Thus far, I’ve been pantsing it, but I’m wondering if my focus and quality would be better if I tried planning. I’ve never done it before but an idea for a new story, possibly a series, came to me in a dream a few nights ago and I would really like to make it great. This is a brand new goal for me, but one I’m embracing.

"Anything worth doing, is worth doing right." ~ Hunter S. Thompson

I don’t want to just be a good writer, I want to be a great author.

 

Her Christmas Tree

Gray and Harrison

Cassie's Choice

A convo with Author Amy Kessler - Second entry of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog Series

Question for week 2:

In your upcoming works in progress or new releases, what did you find most challenging to write, or what gave you the most enjoyment accomplishing, aside from finishing the writing?

By Amy Kessler

I wrote the original draft of "Midnight Symphony" when I was close to nine months pregnant, so the most challenging part was writing the sex scene. It’s hard to muster up the feeling of sexy when you aren’t feeling sexy yourself. "Midnight Symphony" was originally a NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge, so I asked the people that I NaNo with, how do I get these guys in bed together? Someone suggested, get them drunk it works in real life. So that’s what I did. Cora has some whiskey and seduces Darius and it worked out. When I originally wrote the scene I thought I would have to change it completely, not just clean it up. 

The most enjoyment from my accomplishment with "Midnight Symphony" has to be the feedback that I’ve gotten from my beta readers. Despite some of the things that needed to be fixed and polished they all loved the story. Oh and the cover! I get a sense of joy when I look at it. My talented friend Jamie Wilson did the cover; she listened to me and did an amazing job on it. There is this sense of oh my God, I’m actually doing this. This is actually happening.

For "In the Light of the Moon," the hardest part of writing was finding a coherent way for Kassity’s thought to be separate from her beast and the make sure that the supernatural creatures are set in the world in a somewhat believable way. Since Kassity has no control over her panther, the two think in different ways and don’t always agree on the choices the other makes. This plays out through the whole book, but I didn’t want to confuse the readers. With the other challenge I had, any time you write something set in the real world when it comes to supernatural creatures, you want to make it as believable as you can. (Suspending the reader’s disbelief.) In order to do that you have to make sure that other details ground the reader, I found it tough to do that in certain spots with a character who is constantly fighting against her supernatural side.

My greatest enjoyment when I finished the first draft of "In the Light of the Moon" was getting sucked into the story when I went back to read it after the ‘sit in drawer period.’ (The time I let a story stew before I come back to it. So that I’m not too close to it when I try and do first edits.) The characters have amazing chemistry and I’ve already gotten good feed back from one beta. Knowing that at least one person enjoyed the book gives me that feeling of accomplishment.

A convo with Author Johanna Rae - First entry of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog Series

Question for week 1: 

Who is the character I am most looking forward 
to my readers meeting?

By Johanna Rae

My current work in progress is book two of a shapeshifter series called Therian Secrets. There are a few new characters set to emerge, some of which tickled me as I wrote their introductions and allowed them to integrate among the existing characters. However, I believe it is the existing characters I am most looking forward to sharing with my readers.

In book one, “The Mercenary,” the story centered on Jodie Fletcher and Danny Archer, as I the author thrust her into the world of shifters he belonged to. Their romance was an underlying theme as she struggled to comprehend this new life she had stumbled upon. The connection between the two was what carried the story and brought all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together. I tossed them amongst a colourful repertoire of other characters from all over the globe and left them to fend for themselves.

Okay, perhaps that is a touch on the dramatic side. Yes I gave them many challenges but I also granted them opportunity to overcome a great deal of them. This was made possible by a large cast of supporting characters and my readers already have their favorites. Beyond Jodie and Danny the names I hear most often are Eddie and Rufus. Luke, Mark, Adam and Leon also have their loyal supporters.

In this second book, “The Fury,” I have spent a little more time allowing the reader to get familiar with some of the other characters, allowing them much more time in the spotlight. Rufus and Luke both have voices in book two. I look forward to sharing more of Luke’s journey and hope it will help the reader to bond further with him. He had a rocky start in the first book and made some terrible choices, his past catching up with him in a big way.  It is uncertain how things will fare for him in The Fury, as the reader has been left wondering if he has bitten off more than he can chew. Will he overcome what fate has put before him? Regardless of the outcome, the reader will get to know him better, this time without the alcohol that has previously clouded his judgment.

Rufus, a strong favourite from “The Mercenary,” is an integral part of the story now and will continue to be so in book three. In “The Fury,” (set to be released in a few months’ time) readers will learn more about his past and the family dynamic he has beyond the Unit. There are moments in this book where Rufus has the opportunity to shine and I can’t wait for the readers to share this with him. While all the characters in this series carry a piece of my heart, I have a soft spot for my gentle giant. A warrior by profession and a man of honor, he has never forgotten his roots. Rufus will have his own demons to face as he must find a way to balance duty, obligation and destiny.

Eddie does not have a voice in “The Fury.” Being Danny’s best friend and dating Jodie’s friend Ainsley, he will still feature a lot. His sense of humor and charm often hold things together amidst the chaos. The combination of his royal ancestry and ‘human’ girlfriend will complicate things for Eddie. Will this be too much for him to juggle in addition to what is required from him as an ISIC agent?

Another character which I’ve enjoyed exploring more in “The Fury” is Jodie’s grandmother Irene Fletcher. Though she seemed reluctant to be a part of what Jodie was going through in The Mercenary, readers will learn a lot more about her in this second book. To me at least, she is one of those characters who grow on you slowly. An acquired taste so to speak. There is reason and explanation for her hesitation and reluctance. There will be answers to some things left hanging.

In conclusion, I have to say no. There is no ‘one’ new character I am looking forward to the readers meeting in my current work in progress. What I am looking forward to is the opportunity to allow the reader to get to know my existing characters better. I can only hope that they enjoy “The Fury” as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

To read more about Johanna or to ask her a question, buy her book or just read up on the craziness of her world, check out her Facebook page: 

http://www.facebook.com/johannamrae