SciendaQ E-zine Is Out!

Hey everyone! Hope you all enjoyed Martin Luther King Day. I apologize for breaking self-imposed protocol by not posting yesterday, and I hope to make it up to you by offering you faithful blog followers a free copy of the e-zine I'm featured in, SciendaQ! The issue already has a couple favorable reviews on Smashwords. You have until the end of the month to use this free code, so listen up, or you'll end up paying a buck. And let's face it, a buck can go a long way these days. Been to the dollar section of Target lately? Two words: Reeses pieces.

First off, you'll want to go to the following website: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/117438

Then, you'll want to use the following promo code to snag your free copy: LM52Z

Happy reading!

Fiction Friday

Wow, I'm so impressed by your entries last week! They were all very interesting, but in the end, Ginger won me over with the dog and chocolate combination. What woman doesn't love a chocolate-carrying man with a cute dog? Can you say, "Hello, Prince Charming?"

I've added Ginger's addition to the story to my first entry, and also developed our story even further. Remember that at the end of the month, one of the entrants will win a prize, so comment often to better your chances of winning!

Remember to leave your addition to the story in the comments section, and please keep it around 100-200 words (as you all did so nicely last Friday). Thanks, y'all--have a great Friday!


Jaime Rae watched as the ocean pulled back the tide, letting it reach further and further into the sand with each swell but never letting it drift too far.
If only her own life were that way.
But instead, her heart was breaking with regret as each wave rushed back into the depths of the ocean.
She crinkled her toes in the sand and looked off at the horizon as the setting sun colored the sky with brilliant shades of reds and oranges over a blanket of blue.
Just last night she was watching the sunset from a different perspective. She’d been just sure that little box peaking through his jacket pocket was ring-sized. Maybe not large enough for blue ribbon to be attached, but still. She’d happily make do with a strip mall jeweler. Heck, she’d be happy with a Cracker Jack prize.
My, how she’d been wrong.
And now she was sitting here wearing two different colors of flip flips and having only eaten popcorn all day. Dry popcorn. And that was saying a lot of her mental state, given her usual daily allowance of chocolate.
She wouldn't risk her heart again, she decided. It just wasn’t worth trying.

And that's when she saw him.

###

The perfect specimen of canine flesh. Her heart's desire - a miniature Australian Shepherd. She lifted her eyes to the magnificent creature's owner.
She sighed. George L. Peabody III. Why him?
She returned her gaze to the dog. Small, around fifteen pounds, and beautiful. A blue merle.
He hopped, skipped, and jumped around George's feet. His trimmed tail wagged in excitement as George spoke to him.
She looked up. "Hi, George. Who's this?"
"Lancaster. Lannie say hi to Jamie." The dog jumped in her lap and licked her face. "No, Lannie, down. I'm sorry, Jamie. He doesn't usually jump on people."
Jamie smiled and scratched Lannie behind the ears. "That's okay. At least someone likes me enough to greet me with enthusiasm."
"Something wrong?"

"Why would you think that?"
"Well, first your comment and I did notice that...um...your shoes don't match - like you were distracted when you came out here."
"Yeah, something's wrong, but I really don't want to talk about it."
George unfolded the towel he held beneath his arm and sat down on it. He pulled a chocolate candy bar from his pocket and handed it to her.

###

George had always been stubborn. Ever since their sixth grade prom, when she told him she didn't want to dance but he figured out the real problem: she didn't know how. Years ago, he used to tease Jamie that he'd deserve credit once she made it to Dancing with the Stars.

She took the chocolate from his outstretched hand and unwrapped the foil around it. There was something magical about Ghirardelli foil, something that chased away all the problems of the world. Well, almost all of them. She looked down at her mismatched flip flops and wiggled her toes. No use hiding them. He'd already noticed. Though, that wasn't all she'd hidden from him.

She cleared her throat. "How long have you had the dog?"

"Six months. He's still a puppy. Got him at the local animal shelter."

An animal shelter? For goodness' sake, did he really need to throw out that line? It was like he had no idea how smitten she was with him. How smitten she'd always been.

"It was that guy, wasn't it? What's the jerk's name, Tyler?"

Jamie sighed and scooped up a handful of sand, then watched it escape through the grip of her fingers. That was the funny thing about holding on too tight to things. You usually can't hold on at all.

She looked straight into George's eyes and shivered, whether from the coming night or the wind or something else entirely, she didn't know. "There's something I need to tell you, George. Something I should've told you long ago."

Lannie crawled up into Jamie's lap and rubbed his head against her arm.

George leaned back against the beach towel, resting his head on his hand. "I'm listening."

"I have a child."

And the Winner Is...

Please commence a fingers-tapping-on-the-keyboard drumroll for this moment...

The winner of my first blog giveaway, a personalized copy of Christina Berry's award-winning book, The Familiar Stranger, is none other than Karin Beery!

Congratulations, Karen! Please e-mail me your address so I can send you the book.

Hope the rest of you are having a fabulous day!

What is Voice?

Fiction Friday!

First off, EXCITING news! We just hit 50 blog followers, and you know what that means! I'll be giving away a personalized copy of Christina Berry's award-winning book, The Familiar Stranger. I'll announce the winner of that contest next week. But now for the main event, the first Fiction Friday posting! So grab a cup of tea and some cookies (or crumpets, if you're fancy) and take a seat in your favorite chair.

The way this will work is I've composed the beginning of a story for you and left it on a hook. What I want you to do, in 100-200 words, is write the next segment. I'll choose my favorite, then add to it next week, and so on, until the end of the month. Then, I'll pick my favorite story addition and send that person the earrings I made on Wednesday's vlog. Next month we'll start a whole new story. Got it?

So basically, add to the story for your chance to win a pair of earrings. Super cool, handmade earrings. With crystals.

Without further adieu....

Jaime Rae watched as the ocean pulled back the tide, letting it reach further and further into the sand with each swell but never letting it drift too far.
If only her own life were that way.
But instead, her heart was breaking with regret as each wave rushed back into the depths of the ocean.
She crinkled her toes in the sand and looked off at the horizon as the setting sun colored the sky with brilliant shades of reds and oranges over a blanket of blue.
Just last night she was watching the sunset from a different perspective. She’d been just sure that little box peaking through his jacket pocket was ring-sized. Maybe not a large for blue ribbon to be attached, but still. She’d happily make do with a strip mall jeweler. Heck, she’d be happy with a Cracker Jack prize.
My, how she’d been wrong.
And now she was sitting here wearing two different colors of flip flips and having only eaten popcorn all day. Dry popcorn. And that was saying a lot of her mental state, given her usual daily allowance of chocolate.
She wouldn't risk her heart again, she decided. It just wasn’t worth trying.
And that’s when she saw him.

How to Make Earrings in Less than 5 Minutes

Big News for a New Year!