Sandra Cox's Blog, page 231

Happy Friday

Have a Wondrous Weekend, Blogster Buds.

September 11, 2001

Let Us Not Forget

Wacky Wednesday: Unusual Friends

Is it just me or does the bunny look bigger than the kitty?

Release Day for Ashelyn Drake

Ashelyn Drake has two young adult novels releasing September 9th--that's today! Yes, two! The first is a YA romantic fantasy called Into the Fire. Seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman’s life is a perfectly normal one until Logan Schmidt moves to Ashlan Falls. Cara is inexplicably drawn to him, but she’s not exactly complaining. Logan’s like no boy she’s ever met, and he brings out a side of Cara that she isn’t used to. As the two get closer, everything is nearly perfect, and Cara looks forward to the future.

But Cara isn’t a normal girl. She’s a member of a small group of people descended from the mythical phoenix bird, and her time is running out. Rebirth is nearing, which means she’ll forget her life up to this point—she’ll forget Logan and everything they mean to one another.. But that may be the least of Cara’s problems.

A phoenix hunter is on the loose, and he’s determined to put an end to the lives of people like Cara and her family, once and for all.GoodreadsAmazonBarnes and Noble
The second is a young adult contemporary romance called Perfect For You.Seventeen-year-old Meg Flannigan isn’t very self-confident, but what girl would be after her sophomore-year boyfriend dumped her by making out with another girl in front of her locker? Now a senior, Meg catches the eye of not one, but two gorgeous guys at school. Sounds good, right? What girl wouldn't want to be in Meg's shoes? One cute boy happens to be her boyfriend, and the other? Well, he wants to be. And Meg? She's torn between Ash, the boy she's been with for nearly five months, and Noah who is pretty irresistible.  But Meg is playing with fire. Pitting two boys against one another, even if she doesn't intend to, could end badly if she isn't careful. GoodreadsAmazonTo celebrate the releases Ashelyn is giving away a SWAG pack that includes:·         A flame pendant from Into the Fire·         a phoenix button·         a heart bracelet from Perfect For You·         $5 Amazon Gift CardYou know you want to enter, so fill out the rafflecopter. Good luck!Rafflecopter link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YTljNDg4ZjQyZTFiMzkxYWQ3OGIxYzc5ZGU5MjE4OjM4/

Brynna Curry's Elemental Magic Series: Earth Enchanted

Earth EnchantedBrynna CurryBlurb: Writer Liv Corrigan has the worst luck with men -- her telepathy tends to make them run for the hills. When she meets widower and ex-cop Jack Roarke, she decides to keep her talent hidden. Things are looking up until their third date crashes and burns as the man who murdered Jack’s wife turns out to be after him too.
Injured, Jack retreats with Liv to his house under armed guard. But with Liv’s mysteries rapidly coming unraveled, a diamond-thief killer to stop and passion in the air, the safe house is anything but safe for their hearts!
Excerpt – contains some violence, languageNo light reached here in the bowels of the city. The air was thick with the stench of garbage, smoke, and prostitution for those lovely people who didn’t care enough to rent a room. [image error] Summer heat in northern Alabama, the thermometer had been bursting at 103 degrees by noon, made the smell walk like a living thing. Sissy passed her penlight beam over the building’s brick wall. Graffiti announced the sort of things one human being could do to another. ‘Mickey,’ Jack’s informant, always showed on the signal, but not this time. He had a gut feeling to grab his wife, turn and run as hard and fast as he could. The premonition flashed through him dark and heavy.Copper, the raw taste of fear, slid over his tongue. Both drew, half expecting to find the informant dead, definitely to find trouble. Neck deep in a suspected smuggling ring, they’d had their share of scrapes lately.Jack screamed at her and his dream self, though he knew she couldn’t hear him.“Run, baby, please.”Why? Why do I have to watch over and over again? His heart and soul cried out from the wrenching pain. Please, God, have mercy! Just let me die with her this time.He finally felt the prickles of warning on the back of his neck. The nauseating pain spread from the base of his skull to his temples and lastly in front of his eyes. Finally able to see the threat, Jack knew, the vision came far too late. Someone was watching them, unseen from high atop the neighboring building.“Get out, Sissy!” Jack screamed. “It’s a trap! Run!” He fired two shots in the direction of his unknown attacker.Three shots pealed through the dark. Two pinged off the brick. She turned toward his shouted warning and barely had time to call out before the third slammed into her chest. Dazed, she clutched her breast.Jack returned the fire instinctively, getting off another six rounds, before the gun dropped from his hand. A dark stain spread across her white silk dinner blouse. He caught her as she cried out and crumpled to the ground. He pressed his hand over hers, a futile attempt to staunch the wound.All that blood, so much gushing out of the hole in her heart. Oh, God!It pulsed and dripped across her hand where his ring rested on her slim finger. An hour ago, it had seemed they had a lifetime to live, love, but now they might have minutes only. Maybe not even that long. He’d seen men die, had killed before, but nothing compared to watching the woman he loved bleed to death in his arms. There wasn’t anything he could do.“Help us! Somebody!” He rocked her back and forth gently, and dug his cellphone out of his pocket. The alley fell silent. Her attacker had accomplished his mission.Another vision came, along with a sickening sense of loss. She would be gone before help would come. Helpless, Jack fought back the drowning tears and grief he already felt, and lied to her. “It’s going to be all right, Sissy, just hold on to me.” He stroked her hair, kissed her cheek. She shuddered in his arms as though she’d never be warm again. He dialed 9-1-1. “Detective Jackson Roarke. I need a bus at…” He rattled off the address. “Officer down, I repeat officer down. Bullet wound to the chest. Hurry, damn it!”“Don’t lie to me. I’m as good…as dead. You see it.” Her breath hitched as blood gurgled from her throat and stained her lips.“Catch them for me, Jack. Promise me.” She clutched his shirt, pleading.“I will, but you’ll help me. You’ll be there to help me.”She nodded.He looked back toward the gaping mouth of the alley. Where were the medics? He couldn’t panic, couldn’t afford to let his mind go frantic. Maybe he was wrong and what he saw wouldn’t come to pass. When he was about to give up all hope, the screaming sirens ripped the night air. Help was here. His vision had to be wrong, born of panic instead of the gift. Serena must live.“Almost here.” She was so cold. How could she be so cold already?“I love…Jack…tell…Sorry.”“Don’t say it, not now.”“Live.” She whispered, “Just live.”He felt Serena’s spirit leave her body before fingers left a trail of blood to mix with his tears. Her bright green eyes lost their spark, faded and then saw nothing. His vision had happened. Serena Roarke was dead.He shook her, rocked her, begged and pleaded. He cursed God and the devil, but she was beyond him now. Jack looked down to the bright red covering the concrete, her and him. Never again, he thought. Even though he wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. He tossed his shield on the ground, where their weapons lay in her pooling blood. Cradling his dead wife in his arms, Jack curled into a ball, rocked her lifeless body, and sobbed inconsolably.Series Buy LinksGoodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo│KensingtonAbout the Author:  Brynna Curry was born south of the Mason-Dixon Line. After living all over the southern states, she finally landed in North Alabama where she lives with her husband and their three children. Growing up, books fueled her dreams and imagination, ultimately becoming her salvation during the hardest times in her life.Writing is her passion, but she enjoys the fun of sharing those stories with others by reviewing books and working in publicity. When she isn’t writing or promoting, she’s often found haunting the library for new books to read or just spending an quiet evening at home with Jackie watching old westerns on TV. Although her wizards, shifters and vampires are as real to her as anyone, she insists love is the truest magic and with it every day is another wonderful adventure.Brynna’s Links:Website│Twitter│Facebook│Street Team│Goodreads

It's Friday!

Enjoy it, blogster buds.~*~“My father will see reason, mothers are emotional creatures,” he responded, dubious.
“Aw, you have learned at least one valuable lesson,” Furrlin answered, pleased. ~Odin Cats

Hooves In The Neighborhood

Remember my 'deer in the yard' pictures? This is what roams my sister-in-law's neighborhood in Colorado. And there was mention of a bear getting in the trash cans. Got any interesting visitors you'd like to share with the blogster buds?
~*~Fake Out: I was standing on the screened-in porch when a hummer dived bombed straight at me, grumbling for all it was worth. It made a sharp right turn at the last moment, saving it from a collision with the screen. What the? I glanced down and figured out what had attracted him. He'd seen my bright orange/red toenail polish:) The moral of the story....don't go outside barefoot if you've got bright red painted toes.

Wacky Wednesday

~*~ Here’s To Middle Age
The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends. 
Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.   
Sometimes I think I understand everything, then I regain consciousness. 
I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting my pantyhose on fire.   
Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks two sizes!     
Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like,  'You know, sometimes I just forget to eat.'  Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name, and my keys. But I've never forgotten to eat.
A friend of mine confused her valium with her birth control pills. She had 14 kids, but she doesn't really care.   
The trouble with some women is.... that they get all excited about nothing and then they marry him . 
I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are: eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That is my idea of a perfect day.     

Lookee, Lookee

Coming November 21st.Can't wait.

No Labor Day

La·bor Day
nounnoun: Labour Day; noun: Labor Daya public holiday or day of festivities held in honor of working people, in the US and Canada on the first Monday in September, in many other countries on May 1.online definitionEnjoy it boys and girls, you've earned it. And to add to the festivities, gas prices are supposed to be down.