Sandra Cox's Blog, page 285

Sitting on my.....

If you've been to my pal Julia Barrett's blog, you've probably already seen this one.  Personally, I think its worth a repeat. I love it. And so appropriate, at least for myself.grin.

More Winged Visitors And Raining Puppies

Imperial Moth. Its population is decreasing in the North, but it's a common find in the South. Regal Moth. This poor little guys only lives a few days because it can't feed. I so would not like that. Not eating chocolate would be bad enough, but no food whatsoever? I don't think so.
CBS 5 - KPHO

Kids In Church

                           
                                                    
                            A little boy was overheard praying:
                           
                            "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy,   don't worry about it.
                           
                            I'm having a real good time like I am."
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            After the christening of his baby brother in church,
                           
                            Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.
                           
                            His father asked him three times what was wrong.
                           
                            Finally, the boy replied,
                           
                            "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,
                           
                            and I wanted to stay with you guys."
                                                                         
                                                                                
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they
                           
                            were on the way to church service,
                           
                            "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
                           
                            One bright little girl replied,
                           
                            "Because people are sleeping."
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.
                           
                            The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.
                           
                            Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.
                           
                            "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,
                           
                            'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'
                           
                            Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,
                           
                            "Ryan, you be Jesus!"
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A father was at the beach with his children
                           
                            when the four-year-old son ran up to him,
                           
                            grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore
                           
                            where a seagull lay dead in the sand.
                           
                            "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked.
                           
                            "He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied.
                           
                            The boy thought a moment and then said,
                           
                            "Did God throw him back down?"
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A wife invited some people to dinner.
                           
                            At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,
                           
                            "Would you like to say the blessing?"
                           
                            "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied.
                           
                            "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered.
                           
                            The daughter bowed her head and said,
                           
                            "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
                         

KIds In Church

                           
                                                    
                            A little boy was overheard praying:
                           
                            "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy,   don't worry about it.
                           
                            I'm having a real good time like I am."
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            After the christening of his baby brother in church,
                           
                            Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.
                           
                            His father asked him three times what was wrong.
                           
                            Finally, the boy replied,
                           
                            "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,
                           
                            and I wanted to stay with you guys."
                                                                         
                                                                                
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they
                           
                            were on the way to church service,
                           
                            "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
                           
                            One bright little girl replied,
                           
                            "Because people are sleeping."
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.
                           
                            The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.
                           
                            Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.
                           
                            "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,
                           
                            'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'
                           
                            Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,
                           
                            "Ryan, you be Jesus!"
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A father was at the beach with his children
                           
                            when the four-year-old son ran up to him,
                           
                            grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore
                           
                            where a seagull lay dead in the sand.
                           
                            "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked.
                           
                            "He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied.
                           
                            The boy thought a moment and then said,
                           
                            "Did God throw him back down?"
                           
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           
                            A wife invited some people to dinner.
                           
                            At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,
                           
                            "Would you like to say the blessing?"
                           
                            "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied.
                           
                            "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered.
                           
                            The daughter bowed her head and said,
                           
                            "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
                          

Let Yourself Go

It's The Weekend
~*~
Ebook promos this month:
https://www.museituppublishing.com/~*~ Smashwords also has all kinds of freebies, including Shardai.The rest of my books at Smashwords are half price.Smashwords.com
~*~
His Chosen Bride by Sherry Gloag is Free this month when you request it from Astraea Press FB Book Club
~*~ 


July 31st at Night Writers http://sevennightwriters.blogspot.com/

~*~
Until Next Time, The Angel Chronicles is free today at Amazon.
http://amzn.to/xOQ4eL

How To Self-Publish Your Book In Paper

Some of my books are self-pubbed. Vampire Bay is one of them. Just recently I went through Create Space to put it in paper. It took me awhile to wrap my head around the fact that they weren't going to charge me for this process.But, unless you choose a different package, it's free.

Here's a brief rundown, in case you've been thinking about turning your e into paper.

Create Space is offered by Amazon @ http://www.createspace.com/

Covers: You can purchase a cover, use your own or use Amazon's free cover creator. Amazon supplies several different cover formats and pictures to choose from.  I tried to use my original cover. The problem I encountered was that my name and the title leaked over the edge.  See how close it is in the picture? Since I hadn't built the cover myself, I had no way to correct it, so I looked through what was available and chose a cover.

Interior: Your manuscript is downloaded in doc.docx or rtf. Amazon provides the resources for formatting. I used the recommended, 6 x9 size, but next time around I'm going to try something a bit smaller. I blush to admit, I spent a day on formatting trying to get my margins lined up. Its really not as difficult as I made it.

Proof: Your interior and exterior are both proofed. I got snagged by--as previously mentioned--the bleeding of my name over the allowable edge, and on the left margin on the interior. Once these items were corrected, and the book reviewed, I could choose to do a PDF proof or have a paper proof sent to me.

 The cost of a paper proof is your cost of the book, plus postage. I went the paper route. After I proofed and made my corrections, I once again sent the book through for review. After it passed review, I proofed again, this time with a PDF copy. Shortly, thereafter my book was ready for release.

I've purchased my books through several different publishers and Create Space's cost to the author for book and postage is the cheapest Ive ever encountered. All in all an interesting experience. Will I do it again? Probably.

It's Cat Day At Night Writers

I'm blogging today on the Javenese. If you're a cat person, or even if you're not, and interested in learning more about this highly intelligent breed, pop on over. We'd love to have you.
http://sevennightwriters.blogspot.com

Shardai, the first of the Cats of Catarau Series is free this month at Smashwords. 
smashwords.com 

“For troubled shores now thee leave
Man’s imperfections to receive
With mortals weakened, faulty shell
So shall ye among them dwell...”

Christmas In July

https://www.museituppublishing.com

Win a copy of Minder along with 14 other great e books.


~*~


Enchanted Pages (enchantedpages.com) is a new website for romance readers. For a limited time, they are offering free membership for readers.

Color of Snow

Guest Post by Brenda Stanley

The Color of Snow has been described as dark or mysterious.  I feel most of my writing fits this description because I enjoy looking at the strange and unusual things in life.  My novel will definitely make some people uncomfortable.  I like to look at situations and issues and try to figure out how people will react.  For years I was a crime reporter, so I enjoy investigating stories and learning about the parts of life most people try to hide.  When I wrote The Color of Snow, I was working on a story about a young girl who went missing years ago and has never been found.  I started thinking about what would happen if she were to suddenly show up now.  I loved putting myself in Sophie’s shoes and seeing things for the first time.

Sophie’s relationship with Damien is both intense and tempered.  Her father has raised her to believe that she will destroy anyone who truly loves her, so she is torn between her love for Damien and her fear of causing him harm.

The story changes between what is going on with Sophie and what happened in her parent’s past that brought her to where she is.  I wanted readers to experience the often isolated feeling of living in a vast rural area, but also the mental confinement of a small town.

Mental illness, teen pregnancy, religious intolerance, and racism are all big parts of The Color of Snow.  I like my characters to face challenges and see them grow from them.  It is not only the conflicts with the other characters that keeps the story going, but also those within the person’s own mind.

I wanted Sophie to be unusually beautiful so that people treated her strangely and therefore made her feel even more alien when she is first discovered.  She has transformed from a tragic kidnapping victim to a mythical ghost from the past and this makes her transition into her new life even more difficult.

My ties to the Mormon Church go back to my great-great grandparents.  I was raised in the teachings of the Mormon religion and even though I am no longer a member, I have many friends and family who are still very active in the church.  My descriptions of the Mormon culture are how I view it and how I feel someone who has never been exposed to it might see it.  I think there are a lot of people who are curious about the Mormon religion and have misconceptions.  I feel I’ve been both candid and fair in my portrayal.


The Color of Snow Excerpt

Malad, Idaho, early spring 2009

Spring had spread across the fields and pastures. Cottonwood trees fluttered their newly sprouted greenery, and purple asters covered the rolling hills. The snow had melted and Stephanie and I started taking the horses on rides up the valley. It was incredibly liberating to roam and wander without fear.

There was a trail leading from the foothills up into the forest, and once we were in the midst of the wild spruce and lofty pines, the noises of cars and life around the ranch disappeared. The sound of hooves on early spring dirt was solid and steady. The breeze was still crisp, but the sun reached down and warmed our shoulders. For almost an hour we rode in silence. We both were in awe of the day and the splendor that was ours alone to enjoy.

At the top of the hill, the trail opened up to a small plateau and a blue mountain lake. I gasped at the incredible beauty of it. I smiled at Stephanie and she nodded in acknowledgement. Her eyes were bright and her freckles seemed to glow in the sunshine. The horse she rode was a black mare my grandfather was going to sell. Stephanie loved the white diamond-shaped patch on her forehead, and scolded him for even thinking about selling Black Bean. My horse was an old buckskin gelding named Clyde. He lumbered along and rarely went faster than a slow trot, but for a beginner like me he was perfect.

Stephanie turned her horse down the hill and toward the lake. “Do you want to go swimming?” she called back.

“I don’t know how,” I answered.

She giggled as she reached the water’s edge. “You don’t need to. The horses do it all.” Her hair was pulled into two short pigtails and they bounced with each step of her horse.

I waited and watched as she urged Black Bean into the water and out into the lake. As the water got deeper, the splashes became larger around its legs as it pushed forward, and soon they were floating along smoothly.

“Come on!” she yelled, waving me in. She had her legs pulled up on the sides, trying to avoid getting completely soaked. They were pale and freckled like her face, and seemed to make up most of her body. Stephanie wasn’t much taller than I, but her legs and arms were long and made her look gangly and even thinner than she was. She waved so hard she almost fell off the horse, and started laughing as she steadied herself.

It looked like fun, but I was terrified. The water was immense and dark. The largest amount of water I had ever been in was my own bathtub. I wondered what would happen if I fell off in the middle. Stephanie and Black Bean were in the center of the lake and they looked like a serene harmonious duo.

I gave Clyde a slight nudge and he walked to the shoreline. The water lapped as I waited and watched Stephanie continue to beckon. She looked like she was having a marvelous time and wasn’t worried in the least. I patted Clyde and prodded him with the heels of my sneakers. He seemed unconcerned as he clopped loudly into the water. I took a deep breath and told myself to keep looking forward and it would be okay. Clyde had no hesitation, which helped ease my fear.

The sun beat down on us and made splashes of water light up as Clyde moved forward into the water. The splatters that hit my exposed skin were freezing and made me realize how cold it would be if I did fall in. I fixed my eyes on the opposite shoreline and put my faith in Clyde. The horse had a wide back, and as we got deeper into the lake, I curled my legs back the way Stephanie did and clung to his mane. We were riding bareback that day, because Stephanie didn’t want to spend time putting on saddles.

I held my breath as we got further away from the shore and closer to the very center of the lake. At one point I looked down, staring deep into the abyss. There was no bottom, and I felt my stomach turn, knowing I would surely die if I left Clyde’s back.

As the horse rhythmically propelled us along, I began to feel a sense of buoyancy and freedom. When we crossed the center point and were on our way to the other shore, my confidence turned to elation. I started to breathe again and smiled at what I had accomplished. I sat up straight, closed my eyes and imagined I was flying, gliding along on my winged unicorn, soaring through clouds and racing the wind. When I opened my eyes, I giggled at my foolish imagination, but couldn’t help beaming at what an amazing adventure it was.

When the horse’s hooves made contact with the lake bottom and we started to emerge from the water, I wanted to burst from relief and joy. “That was the most wonderful thing ever!”


Brenda Stanley's Bio:
Brenda Stanley is the former news anchor at her NBC affiliate KPVI in Eastern Iadho. Her writing has been recognized by the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Hearst Journalism Awards, the Idaho Press Club and the Society for Professional Journalists. She is a graduate of Dixie College in St. George, Utah, and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Brenda lived for two years in Ballard, Utah, within the Fort Duchesne reservation where the novel is set. She and her husband live on a small ranch near the Snake River with their horses and dogs.


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00873ASTK?tag=tributebooks-20
 

All You Have To Do....

Is Enjoy The Weekend The beast placed one huge paw in front of the other as it lumbered along the cave’s ledge.
Hungry, it whined.~-~Minder