Nicole Zoltack's Blog, page 53

Winner!

Drumroll please!



And the winner is....



Susan Gourley/Kelley!



Congratulations Susan! I hope you enjoy Seeing for the First Time!



For those of you who didn't win, I still have something for you. If you agree to post a review of Seeing for the First Time, I'll send you a coupon code for a free copy. You can post the review on your blog, on Goodreads, on Amazon, anywhere. The first five people that agree to this will receive the coupon.



Congrats again Susan! Happy reading!

Creature Mondays

Credit for picture


The Undines are elementals of water. They look like women though they sometimes take the form of a fish or a snake. They have cold, soft skin and their beautiful voices can be heard over a rushing waterfall. They live in forest pools, lakes, and streams.



Undines can take on a completely human form to marry a human man. In some stories, they are motivated to do this to gain a human soul. They are notoriously vengeful against a human lover who betrays them. For instance, a German myth said that an "Ondine" fell in love with a knight who swore to be faithful to her with every waking breath. When she found him asleep in the arms of another woman, she cursed him so that if he ever fell asleep again, his breath would be taken from him and he would die.

Read an EBook Week Giveaway!

In  honor of this week being Read an eBook Week, I'm holding a contest.





The prize?



An eBook of course!



I'm giving away a copy of my newest release, Seeing for the First Time. It's a paranormal YA short story.



Let's see... how to enter



Must be a follower.

Leave a comment.



Bonus entries:

+1 follow me on twitter

+1 fan my facebook page

+3 blog/tweet/fb/somehow get the word out (leave the link in your comment)



I'll draw the winner on the 15th.



Have you read an ebook this week?

Editing

I'm busy lurking in my editing cave between edits for Champion of Valor (I hope to have the cover soon!) and my edits for MuseItUp so this lame post is all you get today. Sorry! But be sure tocome back tomorrow.



Here's a hint why - this week is read an ebook week so that just might mean contest time!

Classic Insults

A list of real insults, insults that had meaning instead of four letters or finger gestures.





The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison," and he said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."



A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "on whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."



"He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr



"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill



"A modest little person, with much to be modest about." - Winston Churchill



"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." - Clarence Darrow



"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).



"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" - Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)



"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas



"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." - Abraham Lincoln



"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain



"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar Wilde



"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill



"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.



"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop



"He is a self-made man and worships his creator."- John Bright



"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb



"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others." - Samuel Johnson



"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating



"There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure." Jack E. Leonard



"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt." - Robert Redford (one flash & it's gone. ha)



"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge." - Thomas Brackett Reed



"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand



"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." - Forrest Tucker



"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain



"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West



"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde



"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)



"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder



"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx

New Release! Seeing for the First Time

Seeing for the First Time is released today from Echelon Press.





Blurb:



For the last ten years, Ana has spent summers with her Gram. With nothing to do, the closest beach two hours away, and Gram, who Ana is convinced is crazy, always in her garden talking to things that aren't there, Ana is bored out of her mind.



One day, Ana sees strange colors floating around Gram as she works in her garden. Gram says they're fairies. She can "See" them, and there are others who can see things. Ana's a Seer, too.



When Gram gives Ana a book that explains about the many different creatures, like selkies, unicorns, vampires, and others, Ana gets curious. She is shocked when she comes across the entry about famous werewolf hunting parents.



Determined to learn where she fits in, Ana's summer gets a lot more exciting as she sets off to find out what she can "see." Only problem is, she's not sure what to do when she finally discovers the truth. And she's not sure she'll live to tell anyone.



Excerpt:



Ana's Gram was crazy. Like certifiably crazy. And she'd spent every summer since she'd turned six at her Gram's, with a front row seat to her Gram's descent into madness.



Year number ten with Gram and she still had nothing to do. Ana exited the small cottage. "Gram, I'm bored. Can I borrow your car?"



No answer. Ana headed to her Gram's favorite location, the garden out back.



Sure enough, she found her mom's mother covered in more dirt than her potted plants. With her long white hair in a tight bun, dressed in a T-shirt and black pants, Gram wore a relaxed as she pulled out weeds. "You're getting lax, Arianna."



Arianna? Who's that? Ana cleared her throat. "Gram, can I go to the beach?"



Gram patted her hands and wiped her forehead, leaving behind a streak of dirt. "You arrived yesterday and spent all day with your friends. Now you want to leave me all alone while you drive the two hours to the beach?"



Ana pouted. "Please, Gram? There's nothing to do here."



Gram sighed. "You could help me with my garden."



Ana grimaced and glanced down at her pale pink tank top and white mini skirt. Hardly working in the dirt clothes. "Can't Arianna help?" Ana muttered so her Gram couldn't hear.



"What's that, dear?" Gram had already gone back to work.



Ana cringed and felt guilty. "Let me change my clothes and then you can tell me what you need help with."



Gram beamed, and Ana felt even guiltier. Just because Gram saw and heard things no one else did, didn't mean Ana shouldn't spend time with her. After all, that's why she'd come to North Carolina while her parents traveled through Europe.



Ana ran into the cottage and changed into a T-shirt and jeans. She stood at the back screen door, wrestling her long curly blonde hair into a ponytail when she saw small red, purple, and blue lights flying around her Gram.



Ana rubbed her eyes and looked again. The lights were still there.



She gulped. Maybe being crazy ran in the family.



Ana opened the door and slowly walked over to Gram.



Gram looked up. "Is something wrong, dear?"



Ana shook her head.



Gram pushed back on her thighs. "Your face says differently. If you really want to go to the beach that badly, go ahead."



A small red speck landed on Gram's hand. Ana stared at it, afraid to speak, not wanting to draw attention to her craziness.



"Oh," Gram said with understanding in her soft voice. Her face broke into a wide smile that eased many wrinkles. "You can see the fairies, too."



Ana shook her head again. "N-no."

Keep reading for only 0.99!





Buy Now at OmniLit

Creature Mondays and Short Story

Credit for picture
Today's creature is the harpy. Yet another offspring from Echidna and Typhon, harpies are usually depicted as ugly, hideous creatures with bird bodies and a woman's face. They suffer from a hunger that can never be satisfied.



According to Greek mythology, Phineas angered Zeus by revealing too much about the future with his gift of prophecy. As his punishment, Phineas was sent to a land where a huge banquet was always set. But whenever he sat down to eat, harpies would swoop down and steal his food and spoil the rest. This continued until Jason and the Argonauts came. Two of the Argonauts could fly as they were sons of Boreas, the North Wind. They chased away the harpies, but did not kill them at the request of their sister Iris the rainbow goddess after she promised that the harpies would not plague Phineas anymore.



Most pictures of the harpies are much uglier than this one, but I liked this one so much that I posted this one.



If you have time, why don't you stop by the Raven and the Writing Desk blog? I wrote a short story for you all to enjoy called Too Much Luck. I hope you enjoy it!

Fool for Romance Contest - Win a Kindle!

I know I don't usually post on Sunday's but I'm part of the Fool for Romance Contest! Visit here for the full list of authors and prizes, including a Kindle! To be entered, leave a comment on my blog. It would be great if you could follow me, if you don't already, and feel free to friend me on FB (or become my fan) and goodreads and follow me on twitter.



Good luck!

New Job!

I am now a junior editor at MuseItUp Publishing!



I'm very excited about this although it is definitely going to test my time management skills so that I can still get done everything I want to as far as my own writing is concerned.

"Light of the Heart" By Regina Andrews

Blurb:





A stained-glass artist based in Boston, Cascade Preston's world is a kaleidoscope of color and beauty. She has overcome a dark childhood, deeply shadowed by domestic violence, in the town of Sterling Lakes. When she is approached to design new windows for a refurbished church in Sterling Lakes, she ignores the request. But when the no-nonsense Project Manager Dan McQuay appears looking for the window plans, the project takes on a whole new light. Will Cascade be able to keep the dark, protective cocoon she has built around herself intact, or will McQuay break through and shine new light into her heart? Is it possible that God's plan for Cascade will lead her to forgive the town that ignored the situation in her family?



Excerpt:





The afternoon class at Tanglewood Women's Prison was a spectrum of tension, as separated and splintered as a beam of light refracted through a prism. Cascade Preston held her student's template assignment up to the light overhead, and spoke carefully on the quality of the stained glass project. "With two lights, or openings, Brenda, I would say your idea of a church window for this one would be correct." Sighing, the student replied, "So you think I'm making progress?""Of course." She tossed her honey-colored curls behind her shoulders. "Don't you?"Brenda snorted. "Heck, no. I'm in here for domestic assault. What do I know about progress? My life is over."This stopped Cascade in her tracks. "Look, we all make mistakes. God has told us that sinners should flock to him. What do you think? "Brenda shrugged. "God has his own agenda. We'll see what the parole board says about mine in two weeks.""For now, let's focus on next week's class. Bring me a flower for that one.""Where are we supposed to get a flower?" someone muttered. "Draw one, stupid," Brenda answered. "Bye, ladies. Take care.""See you." Sad-eyed, Brenda gave her a high-five as Cascade walked past her. Cascade's heels clicked efficiently with her every crisp step, and she made sure to shuttle as closely as possible alongside the beefy guard who escorted her from the holding room. Getting into her Corolla, she whispered a prayer. "I don't think I'm doing any good here, Lord, but I feel you telling me to stick with it. So I will. Maybe this is the kind of thing that saved my mother." She tried to block the images of her mother's bruises from her mind, but they wouldn't go away. They never did.The drive back into Boston passed by quickly, without too much traffic. "Lean on Me" blasted from her audio system, and she sang along with all her heart. At twenty-seven, she knew it was technically an oldie, but to her, it was fresh and filled with meaning. Cascade wondered as she sang what it would feel like to have someone to lean on, because she had always been alone."There's only one thing that could make tonight perfect," she mused as she pulled into the parking area for her condo complex, "and that's not going to happen, for sure."Images of her long-gone fiancé, Kevin, came into her mind and heart. Where was he this fine June evening? More importantly, why were things so much better for him without her in his life? A form crossing her path brought her back to reality. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed someone walking towards her car. A guy -- a big guy she did not recognize. She shaded her eyes from the late day sun. Dark hair and outdoorsy looks. Work boots. "Nope," she murmured to herself, "I don't know him."Hopping from her car, she said, "Can I help you?""If you're Cascade Preston, you sure can."He folded his arms across his chest. With all those muscles moving, Cascade could only imagine the stress put on the seams of his light blue cotton shirt. "And you are...""Dan McQuay." He extended his arm towards her. "From the site.""Hi." Cascade pumped his strong hand, lost in his sky blue eyes. "What site?"He tilted his head. "The construction site." "I'm not following you."He looked at her steadily. "I'm project manager for the retrofit on the church in Sterling Lakes. The one that you're doing the windows for."Cascade's heartbeat quickened. Just hearing the name of the town where she grew up made her anxious and tense. "It seems there's been a misunderstanding. No way am I working on anything in Sterling Lakes." She started to bustle past him. "Now if you'll excuse me?""Don't run away, Ms. Preston. There's a problem here."His tone of voice got her attention. He sounded like he cared... about her. That was crazy. She was a total stranger to him.She nodded. "Apparently there is a problem, you're right. I don't know what you're talking about. Like I said, I'm not doing any work in Sterling Lakes, and I never will. That's the last place in the world I ever would go."He gave a slow whistle. "Well, that's a loaded speech if I ever heard one."In spite of herself, she smiled. "I didn't mean to get all hot and huffy, but it is how I feel, and I have my good reasons."He eyed her intently before he finally spoke. "Understood. The thing is, your name is on the plans that I have, and my crew is ready to get going. We haven't heard from you, and we need to have a job meeting. Mostly, we need your specs."                 Cascade noticed the strong line of his jaw when he spoke, and oh, those bluer than blue eyes of his were so easy to get lost in. She swallowed. "I don't know what to tell you. I'm not contracted for that job. Your project executive should be able to answer your questions." She toyed with the zipper on her oversized leather shoulder bag as she watched thunderclouds roll across his handsome face. "Look, why don't you give me his name? I'll check things out at my studio in the morning and get in touch with him. Maybe I can get to the bottom of this.""Yup." He took his hands out of his pockets. "Here's my business card, and here's his. Try and remember, every day is money to me.""Okay, I know. I'm in business, too, so I get it. I know every job I'm on, and this one is not on my list. Let me see if I can find out why I'm on the list of subcontractors... if I really am.""You are.""I shouldn't be, so there's a mistake. I never even sent in a bid.""At least we found out something tonight," he said with a shrug. "Other than you being a whole lot prettier in person than in the pictures all those magazine articles and newspaper stories print about you."Cascade's face warmed up at his compliment. "Now you're trying to butter me up.""Just stating the truth, plain and simple like I always do, Ms. Preston. That's my way. Thank you for your time.""You're welcome."He started walking over to his truck. "Talk to you tomorrow.""Right. And there's one more thing." He questioned her with a wondering look.          "Please call me Cascade." Her smile lingered as she watched him drive off into the Boston twilight. Too bad this job was in Sterling Lakes. It might not be that bad to do a job with Dan McQuay. Not bad at all.



Bio:





A resident of Providence, RI, Regina grew up in nearby Barrington. After graduating from Providence College she attended the University of Delaware, eventually earning her Master's Degree in American Civilization from Brown University. She is inspired by anything to do with nature, and she and her husband enjoy visiting nearby Cape Cod.

Regina's hobbies include Travel, Museums, Theater, Classical Music, Choral Singing and Gardening. She is a radio host for In-Sight, an association dedicated to providing services to the visually impaired of all ages.