Sandra Cox's Blog, page 237

Tuesday's Tip

Thanks, Janet.
http://www.bestyummyrecipes.com/category/recipes/

Hmm, I think I could manage this. Now if I could just find someone to make some homemade chocolate chip cookies to fill it with.

It's Monday

Why can't the weekend be five days and the work week two? Just saying...

Thanks for the pic, Rye.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything mega exciting. Me...still working on edits.

Did you see the story about the widow who lost her $280,000 home because she owed six dollars in back taxes? Six dollars. Really? If you haven't read the story and wish to read more here's the link: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/north/2014/04/29/She-lost-her-home-again-because-she-owed-6-30/stories/201404290111

Vanessa Morgan is giving away a copy of Akasha and cat toys for the winner's cat @ her Traveling Cats Blog. Ever  been there? If you're a cat person, I recommend it. It's a fun blog to visit.
http://travelling-cats.blogspot.be/2014/05/cat-from-statesville-usa.html Thanks, Vanessa.  
Don't forget to check out the contest page on the right for current contests.

I should have bought a lottery ticket. This was my lucky weekend. Deer came in the backyard. They were close enough, you could see the spots on the fawn. A red cardinal in a nearby tree added to the view. Apologies for the poor quality of the picture. It was nearly dark and taken with my phone through the screened in porch. Sunday, I saw a barn owl.( Also taken with my phone. I've got to get a decent camera!) We've lived here fourteen years and hear them nightly, but this was the first sighting. He really blends. If you don't see him at just the right angle, you don't see him at all. And...I saw a bluebird!


 

Weekend

Kiss Me Baby, It's The Weekend Enjoy yours, blogster buds.
Thanks for sharing the pic, Rye. 

Fox Domestication

Did you see the article on the abandoned puppy that turned out to be an abandoned black fox? It reminded me of an article I'd read in National Geographic. For years, there has been a scientific experiment running in Russia to domesticate foxes. These researchers started in the 1950s and have almost managed what it took thousands of years to do with dogs: full domestication. Their foxes crave attention from humans. When held, they lick your face and wag their tail. The problem: there is little to no money for the research. The foxes are being sold to fur farms or euthanized. A handful are being sold as pets to the US and Russia. Is  it right? Is it wrong? Personally, I find the study fascinating, but bottom line: I'm against any type of animal experimentation that's detrimental to the animal.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/03/domesticated_foxes_in_siberia_an_experiment_in_peril_.html

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Just Because It's Cute....Cookie The Penguin

Fillers

Greetings, blogsters. Hope you had a great weekend. Last week we talked about filters this week: fillers. Fillers are words that take up space without necessarily adding to the story. Sometimes you need them sometimes you don't. Rule of thumb: if it's necessary to the meaning of the sentence leave it in, if not take it out. There's all kinds of fillers.At the head of my list is that. When I was doing a word check on my manuscript I found I'd used really 38 times, while 32, had 75, and that...over 500. Even when I cut it I still had 400 left. Do you find there's a word that shows up frequently in your manuscripts? Is it a filler?
Below are some examples of fillers and when you can do without them.

June said THAT she was sick.
June said she was sick.

It's not REALLY your secret to share.
It's not your secret to share.

SO are you going out with me on the boat?
Are you going out with me on the boat?

I muster what LITTLE patience I have left.
I muster what patience I have left.

WHICH to be perfectly honest, spending time with you doesn't help.
To be perfectly honest, spending time with you doesn't help.

She WAS a bright girl.
She is a bright girl.

His craggy features harden AND the hand on his iced tea glass tightens.
His craggy features harden. The hand on his iced tea glass tightens.

You can go BUT call me when you get there.
You can go. Call me when you get there.

He grabs me BY the shoulder and yanks.
He grabs my shoulder and yanks.

I look INTO the mirror
I look toward the mirror.

That's ABOUT as clear as I can make it.
That's as clear as I can make it.

I go straight down FOR several feet
I go straight down several feet.

Why can't he JUST leave me alone?
Why can't he leave me alone?

It's The Weekend

WooHoo, It's The Weekend and Five O'Clock Somewhere.

To enter the Mom's Day Contest, just click on Contest on the right sidebar and enter the rafflecopter.

Thursday's Quote and My News

It's about time for more Doc Ford quotes.

'I can tolerate pompous a_ _ holes in short doses. Fakes and pretenders are a different story.' ~*~From Randy Wayne White's EVERGLADES
and...
'I'd rather be precisely wrong than approximately right about almost anything'.
~*~From Randy Wayne White's EVERGLADES

And here's my news: I'm very pleased to mention that I have a contract with Lyrical Press.
What about you? What's newsworthy in your world?

SBB: Kiss The Enemy

BLURB:Her only hope is in the hands of her enemy.
Slye Temp operative Margaux Duke is chasing an international terrorist who murdered the last of her family. But her plans go up in smoke when her agency is in the crosshairs of the dangerous killer, forcing her to turn rogue to protect the only family she has left - her team. This is no time to get involved, especially with an enemy who steps between her and the terrorist she has to stop.
Logan Baklanov has been known by many names in the underbelly of international terrorism and will do whatever it takes to shield those he loves from the treacherous world he lives in. When his brother’s life is in jeopardy, Logan takes on a role that places him at the top of the most-wanted lists of government security agencies in every country. He accepts the no-win situation, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice until a long legged beauty draws the attention of his deadly target and screws Logan’s carefully planned mission.
Margaux and Logan must join forces in a dangerous game to save a major city from a powerful psychopath, but their ruse escalates out of control when the heat smoldering between them threatens to explode.Margaux gazed around the elegant room, taking in the mundane, wealthy men shopping for an expensive party girl for the night. All of the clients here were middle aged and ordinary.
On the other hand, Dragan’s bodyguard was anything but uninteresting.
He stood off to her right, with Secret-Service-looking eyewear and a coal-black designer suit that had to be custom-tailored to fit shoulders as wide as his.
That was one big man.
Just her flavor, if she had any interest in a taste.
Surprisingly, he still managed to blend into the shadows, motionless as a tiger waiting for his dinner to stroll by. Power rolled off him in silent waves. She couldn’t tell much about his face with that thick, but neat, black beard and his eyes hidden.
Handsome was too simple a word to describe him, too civilized. Like admiring a wolf for its lush coat or a shark for its grace in the water, a woman would find this man attractive in a deadly way.
A woman who enjoyed playing with fire or dancing with lightning.
A woman who was a fool. 
Nothing about that man invited sexual banter, which she found even more appealing. No, he was not one to play with and that presented a problem.
Because right now she had to get to Dragan and that bodyguard was her only route.AUTHOR Bio and Links:

New York Times bestseller Dianna Love once dangled over a hundred feet in the air to create unusual marketing projects for Fortune 500 companies. She now writes high-octane romantic suspense, thrillers and urban fantasy. Her new Slye Temp romantic suspense series launched its first four books in 2013 to rave reviews and more will follow in 2014. Her books are available in print and ebook.  On the rare days she’s not in her writing cave, Dianna enjoys touring the country on her BMW motorcycle. She lives in the Atlanta, GA area with her motorcycle-instructor husband and a tank full of unruly saltwater critters. Read excerpts of her books at www.authordiannalove.com or join her Dianna Love Street Team on Facebook and get in on the fun!Links Website---- https://www.authordiannalove.comStreet team ---- https://www.facebook.com/groups/456015887852513/Like her on Facebook at--- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dianna-Love-Fan-Page/144494875593699Follow her on Twitter at -- https://twitter.com/diannaloveBuy Links for KISS THE ENEMY:Amazon Kindle-- http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Enemy-Slye-Temp-ebook/dp/B00FZ0YGI2/ref=la_B001HMUWBC_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382305603&sr=1-18Nook--  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kiss-the-enemy-dianna-love/1117191697?ean=2940148678243&isbn=2940148678243Kobo—http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/kiss-the-enemy/huP1vBESdEC7Je-9gUUWDQ?MixID=huP1vBESdEC7Je-9gUUWDQ&PageNumber=1iTunes— https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id728889359Google Books-- https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Dianna_Love_KISS_THE_ENEMY?id=hi_EAgAAQBAJ&hl=enFor other buy links, to read an excerpt, or to purchase an autographed copy, visit  the KISS THE ENEMY page on Dianna’s website:  http://www.authordiannalove.com/bookshelf/77/kiss-the-enemy---book-4 http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e4be886/ Dianna will be awarding EITHER the ebook box set of the first 3 Slye Temp OR a signed copy of ONE of the first 4 Slye Temp books. (Print Books are Continental US Only - Amazon/iTunes/Nook ebook equivalent for international) to one randomly drawn commenter at each stop during the tour, and a GRAND PRIZE of Signed copies of all 4 Slye Temp books – LAST CHANCE TO RUN, NOWHERE SAFE, HONEYMOON TO DIE FOR – plus a MONOGRAMMED SLING BACKPACK, and swag pack of surprise goodies. (Continental US only for print books - Amazon/iTunes/Nook 3 ebook box set for international) will be awarded to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Tour dates can be found: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/03/virtual-super-book-blast-kiss-enemy-by.html