Register today for Supernatural Saturday

Don't miss out on this fun event! On June 16, the Mechanicsburg Mystery Book Shop will host Supernatural Saturday at the Holly Inn in Mt. Holly Springs. Don't miss your chance to attend these sessions:

11:00 a.m. - Ghosts of Gettysburg

                    Mark Nesbitt

1:00 p.m. - Werewolves, Zombies, Apparitions and The Gates of Hell

                   George Appelt, Jennifer Harlow, Larry Kerr, Cate Masters
                   Moderated by Dennis Royer

2:00 p.m. - Mysterious Pennsylvania - Patty Wilson

3:00 p.m. - The Connection Between Shadow People, ETs and Djinn

                  Rosemary Ellen Guilley 

4:00 p.m. - Book signings

It costs only $20 per person to attend this one-day conference, which includes a buffet lunch. An incredible bargain!

For more information, contact Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop at: 717/795-7470

or email mysterybooks@comcast.net
or stop in at:
6 Clouser Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 

Download the form and register today!

SSS: Jeb's in a pickle

Hey Sixers! Hope you're having a fantastic Memorial Day weekend for those in the States, and for all others, a fantastic weekend. :)

Here's another peek at my Western historical, A Midwest Summer Night's Dream. In this scene, Jeb has agreed to hire on as Winona's guide to California - if she can find a suitable horse. Now he's wishing he hadn't.

Curses flew through Jeb’s head all day, but he cut them off before they reached his tongue. Stubborn woman, she’d cornered him like a fox in a hen house. Her chances were slim, but not impossible.

The mere thought of riding beside her, wind rifling through her hair…oh, what a pickle. He sure could use the cash, but the strain of avoiding her might do him in. He’d have to ride upwind so as not to catch her lilac scent, or the constant hard-on hitting the saddle might kill him.

Aw, that pic reminds me of the horse we used to own. I miss him. And that cowboy's pretty easy on the eyes, too! Too bad we didn't have guys like him hanging around our barn, ha!

Don't forget to check out the amazing array of authors at Six Sentence Sunday. Have a great week!

 

Ripped from the headlines

Some events and news stories intrigue me so much, I incorporate them into stories. Find out how on the next tour stop at You Gotta Read.

And this weekend's the Horror Blurb Fest at TBR! Don't miss it!

A launch to remember

Last night's book launch for A Community of Writers short story anthology was an incredible success. The Fredriksen library has the most wonderful supporters! So many people came out to hear the readings, attend the signing and most importantly, buy the anthology that will help keep this program running - for free. When I attended it years ago, that was such a fantastic benefit. Instructor Ann Elia Stewart is fun and engaging, not to mention an experienced and incredible writer herself. So to see that many attendees at the book launch was really heartwarming.

Even more heartwarming was the guest of honor - Mr. Craumer himself. Below is a photo of him talking about how he wanted to honor his wife, and decided to fund the writer workshops. His wife Natalie read a book a day for most of her life. Amazing!

Below are a few pics of the authors who gave readings last night. First up is Rayne Debski.

Here's Duffy Batzer, who read an excerpt from her humorous piece. "Oops, Said God."

Margaret DeAngelis, below, read part of her story, "Take Care"

Ann gave Mr. Craumer a copy of the anthology autographed by all the attending authors.

The party then moved downstairs, where Ann kicked it off with a champagne toast.

After that - pandemonium. I wanted to snap some more pics of the other authors, but so many people wanted their books signed, it was literally nonstop.

It was so great to see Ann again, and a few of the writers I attended the workshop with. If it hadn't been for Ann's workshop, I wouldn't have connected with my crit partners. We've kept our little group going ever since, and they have been my safety net as well as crit group. I love 'em!

If you're interested in getting a copy, I'd suggest buying directly from Sunbury Press to ensure that the money goes back to the Cleve Fredricksen library. I notice some resellers already have some new and "used" copies for sale on Amazon (doesn't that just kill you? It does me!), but please don't buy from them. Support this wonderful writing program and get yours right from Sunbury Press.

Thanks!

Launch party tonight!

Come to the Cleve J. Fredricksen Library at 100 North 19th Street in Camp Hill tonight for the launch of A Community of Writers: A Collection of Short Stories.

The party starts at 7:00 p.m. Many of the contributing authors will be on hand (including me), plus readings and a champagne toast! A party not to be missed. :)

All proceeds from sales of this collection will benefit the Cleve J. Fredericksen Library in Camp Hill, Pa., which sponsored the Natalie J. Craumer Writers Workshops I attended with a really great group of authors. The library offered the workshops at no charge, thanks to the support of husband of the late Natalie J. Craumer, who instituted the workshops to honor his wife's memory.


I'm happy to give back to the workshop by contributing two stories. I hope the anthology hits the bestseller lists to keep this great program going!
 

Thin is sometimes not preferred

Thin bodies, yes. Thin blog posts, not so much. Sorry mine have been thin of late. But my time's been stretched so thin as to almost be transparent. I just have not been able to get online much. And when I do, my $#&! computer's acted wonky. I suspect last year's virus attack left my CPU a bit shaky and weak, and I fear it will collapse at some point.


But for now, the blog tour must go on! Today I'm at Simplistik, where the hero of my dark paranormal, Dead to Rights, is in the interview seat. Come over and learn what makes an angel tick - or what might tick him off. :)

SSS: Jeb's bath

Hey Sixers! Welcome back. Hope you had a great week!

Here's another look at my Western historical, A Midwest Summer Night's Dream. Jeb uses the same bath water Winona used earlier, and it has a strong effect:

I bear a charmed life – no one said it better than Shakespeare, and Jeb could live no other way. Open skies and plenty of space suited his needs, with a borrowed book now and then to help chase away loneliness, but what tomes did Miss Young have stashed in her trunk?

The flash of an image through his mind stole his breath. Miss Young—Winona—dipping her hand into this water, letting it run along the skin of her arm, mass of chestnut waves pinned atop her head, long legs leaning against the tub sides, her curving bottom in the self-same spot his now sat. The vision hardened him with uncommon force, and he slid under the water, let the scented water cover him. Better to drown in a porcelain tub than in his own foolishness.

Ah, I love a well-read guy, don't you? :)

Thanks for visiting, and don't forget to check out the other Six Sentence Sunday authors. Something there for everyone.

Dead to Rights blog tour continues!

Three more blog spots this week! Two for the Dead to Rights blog tour, and another for my latest release, A Midwest Summer Night's Dream.

Today, I'm at Romance Books R Us for the Western historical, talking about rounding up heroes for stories. Yee haw, ha ha.

On Thursday, I'm at Lia Davis' blog with the topic, Weaving Unrelated Topics into a Story, and basing fiction partially off of actual events.

Friday, I'm at spotlighted at Readers' Eden (what a great blog name, huh?)

I hope you can pop over sometime and say hi. :)

First Loves Blogfest

Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for yet another fun event! The first loves blog fest celebrates the loves that started it all:  first movie, first song/band, first book, and first person.

First movie
Remember the days when movies were special treats, something you waited and waited for to appear on TV? You had to make sure you watched at a certain time on the scheduled night because there were no recorders, no DVDs, in fact not many conveniences of any kind. (And if you don't relate to this, you're too young!)

When I was a kid, we had three channels, and every year, I waited for this movie to be aired. It has so many great elements - fantasy, an evil witch, a bumbling wanna-be wizard, a spunky heroine. So many characters to root for. Even the Wiz. How many times have you repeated the line, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"?




First song/band
Too easy. The Beatles. I was six years old, and my brothers and sisters, all older than me, could talk about nothing else but them. The night they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show changed my life. I became a rabid fan even at that young age, and from then on, I couldn't get enough of their lyrics, their songs, their movies, their pictures.




First book
Aside from The Velveteen Rabbit? :) I loved Ray Bradbury, H.P. Lovecraft and others, but when I read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit/ Lord of the Rings, I loved everything about it - the characters, the world Tolkien created, the magic and fantasy and heroism. I was so relieved when the movies didn't trivilialize the books, but brought them to vivid life.




First love
I had a few crushes in my young life, but when I met my hubby, that was it. He was first, last and forever. I was nineteen when I married him after dating for six months, and we're still hanging in there. That's us back in 1977, when he dropped me off at my surprise wedding shower. (No laughing!)

And this is us a year and a half ago, finally celebrating our 33rd anniversary (a few years late) by sailing off into the sunset on a cruise ship.

Thanks for visiting! Don't forget to visit other blogs participating in the First Loves Blog Fest!

SSS: Jeb meets Winona

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! Hope your kids bring you breakfast in bed and make your day memorable. You deserve it!

Here's another scene from A Midwest Summer Night's Dream, in which Jeb first meets Winona, who's just arrived on the stage coach. He's just finished complaining about the weight of her trunk when he gets a look at her:

Jeb rose along the bell shape of her skirt to where it curved in to her waist, jutted out to her ample bosom sadly confined behind the green fabric, along the graceful arch of her neck to her pinched rosebud mouth, flared nostrils, and dark eyes that sparkled like the clear night skies above a mountaintop. Within the bonnet, chestnut hair framed her heart-shaped face. Her stark stare and peach-blush complexion arrested him—she was no spinster. No chance of that, with her looks.

Still shielding the envelope against herself, she drew to her full height, nearly eye level with him. “The weight of civilization is well worthwhile, Mister…”

Thanks so much for visiting! And especially for your comments.

Don't forget to check out all the fantastic Six Sentence Sunday authors. Have a great week!