Lisa G. Riley's Blog, page 9

Inspiration

Almost swept out to sea, uh…lake. When I took my run this morning along the lakefront, this is what I found. The lake was so alive and wild that I just had to stop and marvel at nature. I love being able to spend time along the lakefront because I’m often inspired by what I see. This morning’s sightings helped me to compose a raucous, almost violent, scene in my latest novel when I got home. Below are more pictures from my morning’s adventure.

August and Everything*

When I was a child, the month of August always managed to make me feel just a teeny bit of dread. Of course it was because the first day of the month reminded me that summer, that great time of freedom that had entered my life with a huge bang, was also about to leave with a big bang (Damn. School’s about to start already? Better get to the park, draw that hopscotch square, figure out a way to get a trip to Great America…Funtown…Old Chicago — ANYWHERE!)…and an ignominious whimper (I don’t wanna go to schooLLL. Oh, pleeeeese don’t make me go to schoolll.)

August meant that summer was speeding toward an unfairly quick end and that pretty soon I’d be stuffed back in a classroom with 25 to 30 other hapless individuals — all of us looking around with what-the-hell-happened? expressions on our faces. And of course always with August came the ensuing panic regarding things like whether or not you remembered last year’s math; if the new teacher would be a meanie, and if you could keep up with the new playground politics that some big bully spent the entire summer making up.

August was also one of the many months my mother took stock; it was probably the most important one. She needed to know: Who can fit what…who needs new jeans…how many skirts do I need to buy…who needs new socks and under– oh, never mind everyone gets new socks and underwear…why would you all use up all of the paper playing school when you couldn’t wait to get out of school two months ago…she did what with her crayons?

I am my mother’s daughter, and like her, I will be taking stock this month, but of my life. And I’ll be doing it alfresco at the tea shop with mint chocolate iced tea.

Later

*August and Everything After was the title of the Counting Crows’ awesome debut album. I’m borrowing a sliver of it.

Dark and Dashing Contest

To celebrate our first forays into self-publishing, Roslyn Holcomb and I thought we'd share a little of our joy by offering an absolutely FANTABULOUS contest that will reward not just one, but TWO, winners! We will randomly pick two people who answer the following questions correctly and who subscribe (or are already subscribers) to both Ros's and my blogs to win a Kindle Touch and one copy each of Ros's and my co-authored e-books together, Given and Stolen. If the winners so choose, they may have a $100 Amazon or B&N gift certificate instead of the Kindle Touch.

Didn't I tell you that this contest is fantabulous?

Find out more at my blog.

Enter to Win a Kindle!

In honor of the release of my latest title, After the Morning After , I’m offering the chance to win a Kindle! All you have to do is answer the questions below correctly and do two of the following:

Subscribe to my blog (right sidebar)
Friend me on Face Book
Like my Face Book Page (right sidebar on blog)
Follow me on Twitter (right sidebar on blog)

Here are the questions:

What are the names of Victoria‘s two best friends?
Why wouldn’t Victoria‘s parents like the idea of her dating Sanjay?
What is Sanjay’s religion?
For what event are Sanjay’s parents coming to town?
Name one of the owners of the company where Victoria and Sanjay worked.

The contest ends September 12th at 12:01 a.m. and the book came out on August 9th from Loose Id!

Email your answers to lisa@lisagriley.com.

Good luck to all who decide to enter!