Sandra Cox's Blog, page 329
January 12, 2011
Winter
The memory of autumn's rage
Lies crumpled and spent
Under the echo of the honking of the last goose.
A young woman, walking alone in a winter garden,
Feels an icy grip seize her back.
She convinces herself it is only the breath of a dying white iris.
An elderly couple, carefully measuring each step,
Pause in their constitutional long enough
To reassure each other of their own reflections.
The cardinals are perched in the evergreen.
A sharp-shinned hawk waits on a barren limb.
Only the wind dances.
One man sat by the river's edge marking time in the creeping ice.
Another man, walking on the muddy bank, foresaw his own ruination.
"What are these to me?" scoffed the snowman.
One must have a mind of winter to find comfort in
The cracked limbs and crusted hills
And the blue stars swirling overhead.
Mike Cox
Don't forget the blogs at: Amarinda Jones', Julia Barrett's, Molly Daniel's, and Anny Cook's. Links on the bottom right.
January 11, 2011
Moon Watchers
Moon Watchers will be released Saturday, the 15th at www.classactbooks.com in paper and e. Moon Watchers centers around Jolene Sayer, Zoe Tempest's cousin and is the 2nd in the Hunter Series.
Intro.
Being a Werewolf hunter leaves little time for estrogen or emotion.
Why do I say this? Because I'm currently in a very odd situation, odder than normal.
My name is Jolene Sayer. I've hunted Were's with my father since I was thirteen. He's a good dad, just a bit distracted. His first and foremost responsibility, as he see's it, is hunting Were's. Same goes for me.
Some people think being a Were hunter is weird. For me it's perfectly normal. What I see as odd is my attraction to the hunkalicious Braden Knight. Why? I think he's a vampire.
There's always something entertaining going on at: Amarinda Jones', Julia Barrett's and Anny Cook's blog. Addie's on right.
January 10, 2011
Galleys Finished
My galleys are finished!
January 9, 2011
Regrets, I've Had a Few
I, of course, regretted leaving family and friends. But what was the hardest s
hock to absorb was reaching the South and finding there were no Fannie May Candy Stores. No one had even heard of it. Woe was me. Woe was me.Now if you're from the Midwest, especially Illinois, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Fannie Mae candies has the best chocolate--to my mind--in this world or any other. Its smooth without being heavy, rich without overpowering, and compared to other fine chocolates, reasonably priced.
Easter in the Midwest found people lined up at the Fannie Mae stores to get their specialty Easter Eggs, items that could only be bought once a year: pink fruit and nut eggs and chocolate fudge eggs rolled in caramel and pecans. I kid you not, their chocolate can make you weak in the knees.
After serious withdrawals in the South when I no longer found Fannie Mae in my stocking and Easter Basket, I finally convinced the Easter Bunny how serious this situation was and he went on line to order it, only to discover they'd cut back their line and no longer carried their specialty items. Woe was me. Woe was me.
So there I was still stuck with no Fannie Mae. A few more years went by and the company saw the error of their ways and brought back their specialty Easter Eggs. Life was once again good. Santa and the Easter Bunny delivered via UPS.
So I've been in the South for ten years with no one having a clue what I'm talking about. I look at them pityingly. They have no idea what they're messing.
Then like a miracle, I walk into Walgreens about a month before Christmas and of course hit the chocolate aisle. And there they were: Fannie Mae Pixies and Meltaways individually packaged at a $1.49 per candy. I scoop up a handful and raced to the counter where the clerk informs me that a woman was in just a bit ago and bought a whole boxful. I laugh and say, "She had to have been from Illinois."
~*~
There's always something entertaining going on at Amarinda Jones', Julia Barrett's or Anny Cook's blog. Addies on the right.
January 8, 2011
Down for the Count
My DS brought me something from NY....the flu
January 5, 2011
Cosmic Anecdote
The whole universe is singing!
The rhythm of its movements
Multiplies measure upon measure,
Exploding the silence of the deep,
Then tumbles back
Into a syncopate refrain,
Only to break free again
In a kaleidoscopic twist.
Parts of a part
Burst forth in the heat of the day,
Cool in the sea breezes
And fall back to earth
Under an evening star,
Only to rise again,
Under a different sky,
Did you think
You were not
A part
Of the pattern?
Mike Cox
January 4, 2011
Strange Happenings
Five thousand red-winged black birds died in Arkansas, recently. The cause of death: internal trauma and bleeding.
Eighty-three thousand fish died in Arkansas, recently.
They say the two are not related.....Hmmm.
Another five hundred black birds and starlings in Louisiana died.
Reasons suggested for the mass deaths:
Storms
Fireworks
Aerial Spraying
And the coming of 2012
I found the red-winged black bird story especially sad. I grew up in the mid-west where red-wings were a common sight. Seeing them always made me smile with pleasure.
Lets hope there are no more mass deaths of our wildlife.
There's always something interesting going on at Amarinda Jones', Anny Cook's and Julia Barrett's blog.
January 2, 2011
Julia Barrett
With us today is my good friend and extraordinarily talented author, Julia Barrett. Welcome, Julia please tell us about your current release, Come Back to Me.
Come Back To Me…a descent into darkness.
This was not an easy book to write. Come Back To Me didn't begin as a work for publication; it began as an exercise or rather, an exorcism. I had a few demons buried inside and they needed to see the light of day. I was fascinated by how easily the words flowed from my brain to my fingers to my computer screen. I expected the process to be much more difficult; I assumed I'd have to pry the words out, as the work is more or less autobiographical, but I didn't.
Once I completed this unusual, emotional memoir, I decided to re-write and edit, make it a bit more commercial. After two re-writes, I sent if off, only to be rejected, twice, by publishers who told me that while they loved the story, readers will not buy a dark tale in dark times. Evernight Publishing picked the book up without hesitation. While Come Back To Me has a happy ending, which is real and true to life, the main theme of the book is personal growth, not a heroic rescue. Where does a woman, abused from childhood, find the strength to stand on her own two feet? How far will she allow herself to be pushed until she fights back for the sake of herself and her unborn child?
You can find Come Back To Me here: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/products/Come-Back-to-Me-by-Julia-Rachel-Barrett.html
Blurb:
Sometimes the safest path is to keep people at a distance…especially men.
Cara's life has been one nightmare after another. Abused as a child and neglected by her parents, she's quick to blame herself for every cruel thing that happens to her. And then there's James, the only man capable of making her forget her misgivings and learn to love again.
James, a young doctor in training, is aware of Cara's history. He's determined to break through her barriers and build a life with her…and fails. Cara runs away in an attempt to reinvent herself and James fears he's lost her for good. When she falls into the hands of a drug dealer and mob boss, life as they know it is about to get a whole lot worse.
Can their love withstand the demons of her past and present?
Read more on my website: http://juliarachelbarrett.net
~*~
And don't forget to visit Amarinda Jones and Molly Daniels.
January 1, 2011
December 30, 2010
Puppy Love
What do we want from relationships?
I think most of us want someone or something that make us feel good about ourselves, that make us feel like we are the center of someone's universe. Do you have someone that makes you feel that way?That you are their center, their core. A significant other? A daughter? A son? A parent? A sib? A friend? Often times relationships start that way, but somewhere along the line they fizzle out. The newness wears off. The effort is no longer put forth. Budgetary concerns, time and distance strain it. Too often we end up feeling secondary to almost everything, other people, sports, jobs, etc. I think that's why animals are so important in our lives. They give us unconditional love. It doesn't matter to them if we aren't at our best, have gained a few pounds, aren't sterling conversationalist or dress to impress.
Maybe there's something to be said for puppy love after all.
