Big Reveal of Crusade Challenge and an Award

Okay...so the lie was that I had never considered going under the blade. Tis true. This challenge was so fun and I enjoyed it so much. I am still working my way around to all the blogs and reading all the posts that I am enjoying meeting all the new people. What a great opportunity.

I also got a super wonderful award from the wonderful Tanya Reimer at Life's Like That awhile back and need to pay it forward. Thank you Tanya. I did not forget, but wanted to make sure I put enough into it.

With the prestigious award you must list seven (7) about yourself and then give it away to fifteen (15) newly discovered bloggers. That should be easy peasy since I am now a crusader and there are so many new bloggers to choose from right?...right? Okay, about me.

1. I am the youngest of three sisters and have no brothers but have always wanted one. Does anyone want to be my faux bro? I could use brotherly advice from time to time. Really. I'm serious. :)

2. Music is my down fall. I listen to it at all times. Even when I am at work...it doesn't even matter what it is. Seriously. Does it make me a bad person when Flyleaf's "I'm So Sick" is like my theme song when I'm writing?

3. I can't stand it when my feet are cold. It can be 76 degrees in the house and I will still put my house slipper on because I can't stand it. Sometimes the tile floor is still cold on my feet. Murphy thinks I'm nuts. But it is just me.

4. It is true that my brain does not shut off and my muse tells me a million secrets. She is pushing me in a million different directions and she makes it hard to follow one when I am ADD most of the time. I am not dissing anyone who truly has this diagnosis. I really do too. Not diagnosed by a doctor but it is the most logical explanation. I have a son with ADHD. I know all too well how he feels. Music controls me, helps me focus.

5. I have a strong addiction to Dove chocolate of any kind. Milk, Carmel, Dark, Almond...it doesn't matter as long as it is DOVE! Oh Yeah Baby!

6. I literally read a book a day. When I am in the mood. Really. I have read over 27 so far this year. If they are novellas I can sometimes read three to four. Since I can't sleep due to not being able to shut down, I pass the time with books and my Nook. I am crazy sometimes like that.

7. I totally dig meeting new people on here doing all the blogfests...It rocks.

Now for the fun part. Worthy bloggers to pass this along to and for others to go and check out.

Christi Corbett
Catherne Russell of Composing Cat
Susan Antony of Each Head Is A World
Samatha Sepulveda of Sepulveda
Shelly Arkon of The Life of A Novice Writer
Carla White of The Waters Edge
Mary Waibel of Waibel's World
Kelley Vitollo
Lisa Vandiver
Devin Bond of Devin's Musings
Susan Fields
Michelle Merrill of Perfecting the Craft
Julie Musil
Rebecca Enzor of Sticky Note Stories
Nicole MacDonald of Damsel in a Dirty Dress

I know that there are so many more wonderful people out there that I didn't mention, but this award is going around so I know that everyone is going to have one soon! Yeah!

First Crusaders Challenge

Well, well, well…today I am participating in my first Crusader Challenged. Dum…dah…dum…dum… So we were supposed to post in 300 words or less a little bit about ourselves including:

*one secret

*one lie

*one interesting quirk

*one annoying habit

*one of your best character traits

*one of your favorite things in the whole world.

In any format of your choosing but MUST include the random words, “bloviate,”, “fuliguline”, “rabbit”, and “blade”. So here goes about me…

Did you know that time will fly and beauty will fade?

I must confess I’ve considered a time or two going under that shiny blade.

I let the darkness and silence embody me.

Can you feel it? I’m almost free.

Fear not my precious ones I should put those thoughts behind.

I think if not I will look like a friggin’ fuliguline.

I let the darkness and silence embody me.

Can you feel it? I’m almost free.

My true obsession lies with all words, either written or sung.

One I can do, the other sounds like a rabbit being hung.

I let the darkness and silence embody me.

Can you feel it? I’m almost free.

This brain never does unplug,

Causing me to give my hair a rough tug, tug, tug.

I let the darkness and silence embody me.

Can you feel it? I’m almost free.

Befriended by a muse who is wicked but true.

She gives me more ideas than I know what to do.

I let the darkness and silence embody me.

Can you feel it? I’m almost free.

I support what I believe to the very end.

With this being, I’ve made some really special friends.

I let the darkness and silence embody me.

Can you feel it? I’m almost free.

I’m scared of failure and all it entails.

If I tend to bloviate, I may have to work out those horrible details.

I let the darkness and silence embody me.

Can you feel it?

Yes, Yes…now I’m finally free.

I may have revealed something about me that isn’t strictly true; can you guess what it is?

Just KISS Already Blogfest

This is another blogfest that I am participating in being held by Stina Lindenblatt and Christina Lee for Valentine's Day. You are to post 250 words of any one of your works with a kiss instilled in it. This is a wonderful opportunity and fun way of getting to know more people in the blogosphere. So here goes. This is from a YA I'm working on called "If I'm Wrong!"

I took a step closer until I forced him to meet my eyes and flipped my hair back. “I asked different how? What is different now from then?”

“You…me.” He still couldn’t find words. His eyes bore deep into mine so deep I thought I was going to melt there on the spot. He brought his hand up and stroked it through my hair resting it on my cheek. “This.”

That’s when it happened. That’s when he kissed me. Before I had a chance to retreat, his other hand slipped up around my waist pulling me closer and the hand that once rested upon my cheek was now cradling the back of my neck, sending tingling sensations down my spine.

His lips searched mine. My lips were just as urgent as his. I slid my arms up around his neck and tangled my hands in the back tendrils of his hair pulling him to me. When he pulled away, he was breathing heavily. His eyes searching mine for approval, I felt her legs shaking a little.

“I’m sorry if that was out of line. I…I” Carter started.

“It was perfect.” I cut him off before he apologized for the best thing that ever happened to me.

“So you wouldn’t mind if I did it again?” He swallowed hard looking nervous.


HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

That's YAmore Blogfest!

I am participating in my first of many blogfests to come this year. We are to post our most swoon worthy 250 words. This is hosted by Oasis for YA. If you haven't joined the site then maybe you should go look to see what they have to offer you.

Here is my hopefully swoon worthy entry. Go over to Oasis for YA and check out some of the other entires.

I could feel his sensual breath in my ear as he leaned closer and the hair on the nape of my neck started to tingle. All of my senses were going haywire. My breath caught in my throat, stunned that he was going to kiss me.

He took a deep breath in; inhaling my scent from my hair and neck. Frozen, I couldn’t move. My arms were hanging limply at my sides like a rag doll with no will of my own.

My eyes closed as he brought his hand up and placed it on my cheek. He started to caress my face. I welcomed the warmth. He gracefully slid it around the back of my neck while his other hand slipped up around my waist.

He pulled me to him. Explosions were going off within my body in all directions and then it happened. His lips grazed mine ever so gently. Then he ran them across my cheek and tenderly down my neck. The heat of his breath seared my skin with his passion.

I became incredibly dizzy and thought for a moment that I was going to pass out. Once again I could feel his warm breath on my face. His breathing was now a little heavier and his scent was intoxicating.

“Do you trust me, Selene?” He whispered in my ear.

“Yes.” The word barely escaped my lips in a whisper.

Are you a Crusader?

I have been catching up on blogs lately since I am up and running back on the internet. I came across Rachael Harrie's post about the Crusaders and thought that would be a wonderful opportunity. So here is some information about it.

What is the Crusade? 

Basically, the Crusade is a way to link those within the writing community together with the aim of helping to build our online platforms. The Crusaders are all bloggers in a similar position, who genuinely want to pay it forward, make connections and friends within the writing community, and help build each others' online platforms while at the same time building theirs. 

Last year (my First Crusade) we had 55 Crusaders, many of whom have become great blogging friends. We saw our followers skyrocket and the comments on our posts increase, and had fun taking part in Crusade Challenges as well. 

I’ll list your names and blogs on my List of Crusaders page so you can keep in touch with the other Crusaders. And you’ll have a list of bloggers in the same position as you, who genuinely want to help you succeed. You can visit their blogs, follow along, leave comments galore, and share your highs and lows as you journey through the blogosphere and build your online platform. And they'll be doing the same for you. 

The mouse and the glucose meter.

Strange title? Okay well you just have to go with me on this one. Trust in me…oh. T-R-U-S-T in me. ( Do you feel a little like Mowgli in the Jungle Book?) Anyway, so some of you know that my mum has not been well. See, she had been through quite an ordeal several years back with a heart attack and they put stints in and the works until they had to replace a valve in her heart.

She has been on so much medication that her kidneys are pretty shot so they want to put her back on dialysis so therefore, she had to have a new fistula put in. Hence the current surgery. Well, me mum (no, I’m not British, just like to say it that way.) is also a diabetic and hasn’t been taking very good care of her self.

She has been letting her blood sugars get out of control. So my nephew who is a super genius with computers and I came up with an idea. My mom is a humongous Facebook junkie and plays Farmville like there is no tomorrow. She’s 72. I know right?!

So anyway I called her. Told her that since she is not watching her blood sugars and taking care of herself that I was going to take her computer mouse and turn it into a glucose meter and when it tested her blood, if it didn’t come out in the clear, then she couldn’t log on. Heeheehee I’m tricky like that. I am.

Mom told me I was a meanie. I said “I know, but at least you would start keeping yourself in check and taking care of yourself. If I took Facebook away you would go crazy.” She told me I was right. She would behave better. So she said that she would make sure she started taking better care of herself. Right on!!

I love me mum, but sometimes it’s just tough love. You have to take away the things they cherish to get them in line. *tisk, tisk*

So I will let you know if I get a patent on this idea in case any of you have the same issue, which I pray you don’t have any misbehaving little parents like I do.

Anyway on another highlight. I finally got MATCHED by ALLY CONDIE!! Ahhh. Can’t wait to read it. It took two months to get here. Well worth the wait I’m sure. Have a wonderful and safe weekend. Hope everyone is staying warm.