Debra Anastasia's Blog, page 65

Thankfulness

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I have a lot of it. I have been on the receiving end of such tremendous kindness after my house was destroyed by hurricane Irene that I don't even know where to start. I have to show you, I guess. The thoughtful contents of two boxes that arrived for me from friends:












These are gorgeous knit socks for my kids










Hand knit socks for my horrible feet.










Spicy meet for my man








Yarn dyed after one of my crazy stories (Sticky Dick Mitten) vagina colored. God I love it so much.


 Little bathroom themed knit markers. Are you kidding me? So special.


The most obvious inside joke in the world. The Wiener mobile. (Cute that the vagina yarn is trying to get with it in the pic)










A Petco gift card for my silly pets that I love so much. In the hurricane, they were turned upside down a million times. Living with us at a neighbors, at a hotel and now, in our rented apartment. Sometime in the next year they will move back into a new house on the same property.










And Chocolate and candy yum! (some from France!)










This is the gorgeous shawl that my friend knit for me using yarn my other friend dyed for me. Amazing right? But wait. The title of the yarn is F*@K Irene and that shawl? It was done to resemble the hurricane's satellite picture. 


It's a masterpiece and makes me have hope and remember the outpouring of love that I received.




Isn't that amazing? I really can't stop thanking my brilliant talented buddies.


And that same day I got a package from another dear friend. As the holidays approached, I knew things were going to be different. Edited. I did not have time to make it what it usually was.


But that's when my friend decided to give me a bit of her home holidays to add to mine:












I set up the most ridiculously awesome plate of baked goods. I love to make cookies with the kids at this time of year and we just simply ran out of time. But thanks to my sweet friend, they felt like it was a more normal Christmas and Hanukkah.


I'm so fortunate any of these lovely souls put up with me, but to help me and my people in this way? I can't stop smiling.

BECKETT TAYLOR

Is everywhere to day and tits blowing my mind. 


How awesome can one day be? This whole week has been amazing. Between Poughkeepsie being listed as a few of my favorite bloggers' Favs Of Twenty Eleven and now Beckett being featured as The Unread Reader's book boyfriend coupled with his interview with Rhonda, Elena, and Sam being posted, he's totally getting a lot of love today.


 He's such a favorite character for me. I adored him when I wrote him. His voice was sooooo unfiltered. Can I just give a shout out to my publisher, Omnific Publishing, for having the balls to let Beckett be as raw as he needed to be? I'm still grateful. 


Beckett, for me, is like the most dedicated version of love. Sometimes, for love, you have to do something that you'd never picture yourself doing. I remember my sister had choreographed a dance in college. To support her, my whole family went along with a handful of friends. It was the weirdest damn thing. Don't get me wrong, the piece my sister was involved in was so fantastic. Gorgeous. 

But the rest? So, so strange. It was experimental theater where they played with the lines between the audience and the performers.  Even if you didn't want to. 


At one point every single audience member had to be "born" by crawling under a moaning actress dressed in nude spandex. 

Even my Dad. 


But dammit, we did it because it was my sister's thing.  We wanted to support her. And boy, did we. 


I still have nightmares about seeing my parents "born."


But that's the essence of Beckett for me, standing there --no matter what-- for the ones you love.


So check out Beck: Unread Reader


And Sam, E and R's Awesomness!

Embrace Release Blog Party!

When I was writing Poughkeepsie, I was lucky enough to get feedback from readers. Some really connected with the story, letting it become part of their imaginations and sometimes, their souls. I've never cried as much as when I wrote this story, so when a reader can somehow feel the emotion and love put behind the words, that's a success for me.
The readers below did something amazing. They actually got the tattoo that the brothers and Mouse have in the book on their bodies! They put the tattoo right where it belonged, on their arms.
Today, I'm celebrating my friend and fellow author Cherie Colyer's release of her book titled Embrace. I needed to write an Embrace themed-post and I couldn't get the picture of the girl's forearms out of my mind. They embraced my book, but more importantly, they literally embrace people with an image from Poughkeepsie. So I asked if I could interview them, and they graciously accepted. Below you will get to meet Nise, Patti, and Alicia  and found out a little about them.
 1)   You must be an exceptionally sensitive souls to allow words to so thoroughly touch you! What does your new tattoo signify for you?
~Nise- Well, for starters, I didn't just jump into it. I fell in love with the temporary tattoos you sent us, especially the one that included Mouse. Mouse is probably my favorite character. I love Blake, but Mouse was so selfless... Is snot-sobbed when we had to let him go. When the girls decided that they were going to do it (they had another very special tatt done that day to signify their special sisterly relationship that, ironically, started at two days old in a hospital nursery on 4-29-87, 22 years to the day you published Pough) I had already decided I was going to do it as well, but not necessarily that day. As the clock ticked and I sat there and thought about it and thought about it... yeah. I was the last one in the chair, but when I saw the girl's, I couldn't leave without it.
I have been telling anyone who will listen, about Pough, from the day I read the first chapter. Poughkeepsie and my beloved friend, MTK (yeah, I still call you that) came into my life at a very sad, dark time for us. It was (you were someone) something I could count on for a tiny bit of normalcy or consistency when the rest of my life was in chaos. I came to really connect with your characters, and having this tattoo is a tangible expression of what I've been telling my friends and family about this story from the very first days. When someone sees it, they want to know what a dagger, a cross, a G clef  and 'are those knitting needles?' have in common and why in the world are they on my wrist... I, in turn, get to tell them about Poughkeepsie. It's pretty much putting on the outside, what's been on the inside all this time.
~Pat~ Getting the poughkeepsie tattoo wasn't an easy decision to make, but I will never regret it and I adore it. When Pough was being updated it came at a time where I was living my life by the day and treasured my sleep when I had the chance to shut my eyes. My nights were filled with caring for my elderly grandparents, the only thing I had to keep myself awake was reading, and it became my own lil refuge. When Pough would update my mom (Nise) would stop everything (including the payroll) just to read an update and would rave about how wonderful the chapter was and told me how I needed to read it. I would say that I would once it was finished, when I could read the whole thing at once. When I was about to start Poughkeepsie was not available. :-(  Alicia was lucky enough to read the unpublished version before. When the temp tats came she saw them and had to have it done. I didn't know that I was getting the Pough tat until the book came out, 2 days before going to the tattoo parlor. I fell in love and was kicking myself for not reading it sooner. The Poughkeepsie tattoo to me is more of a reminder of where I was mentally; the life I was living, and that I dropped everything to take care of my family that needed it because there was nobody else.

~Alicia~ Strength and Courage. Love can be so strong that it can see through the imperfections we all have. It's the courage to stand up and shout out to the world that no matter what or who you are, love will conquer.
2)   What are your favorite things to Embrace?
~Nise- My family- I couldn't get through one day without them. My friends- I can't live without them either. My fur babies- they never ever turn me away, they never get angry, and they are always... always happy to see me.
~Pat~ Aside from the typical friends family and pets that my mom already mentioned I embrace music. It is such a big part of my life and it's hard to function on a daily basis without it.
~nise- ditto, her answer. LOL

~Alicia~ My life. It's a blessing to wake up every morning and see my son smiling. My family, they mean the world to me. My friendship with Patti and Denise. If I didn't have them I don't think that I could survive outside of my house. They are my saviors. They mean the world to me.
3)   Tell me about your tattoo parlor experience. I'm considering one myself (go Pough!) so I'd love to know how it went?
~nise- Okay, I'm an admitted needle-phobe, so this didn't come without a LOT of consideration. But, that being said, it wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated. You should so do it. Because we all know these characters are such a huge part of your soul too.
 ~Pat~ Pough is my 3rd tattoo. So, I know and trust the artist that was doing the artwork. My 1st tattoo, a lion with a butterfly on his nose was done at the artist's home. After searching for an artist to do my custom tattoo Alicia told me I needed to meet Moon. After meeting him and seeing his work I knew he was the artist I wanted to work with. Not knowing what to expect though was nerve racking. However, once the needle touched my skin I was fine, with the sensation of scratching a sunburn it was more annoying than anything. With Pough being such a simple tattoo it was only 30 minutes before it was done, unlike the two and a half hours it took for the first. All of my tattoos have a special meaning to them. The lion, fierce yet gentle, is for a person that has touched my life when I was hard to do more than function. The lion is my inspiration. The scroll of parchment with delicate ink is for my twin (BFF) Alicia I know she will always have my back no matter what, like Blake, Cole, & Beckett. 

~Alicia~ Haha. Well this isn't my first time. I have many tattoo's but I think this time was more special. As soon as I saw the design, I knew that I wanted it forever. There was no thinking about it, it wasn't a choice. I have two of the most loving and incredible best friends that I can share the experience with. I was nervous about getting the Poughkeepsie tattoo done at first. I kept thinking  that it wouldn't look right. I was wrong. It turned out beautifully. A part of me was scared that you wouldn't like it. I was wrong again. I will always have a piece of your characters on me, and it's a blessing. It was so overwhelming when it was finished, it made me feel complete in a way. So Thank You for allowing us to do it. It's an honor to share it with everybody. (Note- Are you kidding? I'm honored!)
4)   How does it feel to be so freaking awesome?
 ~nise-  (Looks around)Awesome? Who? Not me. I'm just an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life.
~Pat~ Me? Awesome? I don't think I am but I'm sure different people will argue with me on that point... or agree.    


~Alicia~ It feels awesome. Just to have the opportunity to have the tat is just incredible. To see peoples reaction to it makes me so proud. I am grateful to you for giving us the chance to have a piece of Pough with us forever.
5)   What is your favorite song, color, and holiday?
~nise- Fav song- Definitely What a Wonderful World with Louie Armstrong on vocals. That song pretty much says it all. Color- I'm an artist, so I tend to think very visually, I love all colors, I'm an earthy kind of person though. I love the autumn palette- oranges, browns, golds... Holiday- Christmas, always Christmas.
~Pat~ Fav song would have to be Never Let Go by Hanson its an unreleased song but it can be found on youtube. Fav color is Green, just about any shade of green as long as it isn't neon... Fav holiday is Christmas. I have ADD so... everything is so bright, shiny and eye catching I love it... j/k It's the only time of year that the entire family gets together for a good reason... even though we may want to kill each other from all the stress.

~Alicia~Oh so many to choose from, I think my favorite song would have to be "Avenged Sevenfold's So Far Away" it is just an amazing song that touches every aspect of life. Favorite Color, PINK! I am a pink fanatic! Holiday would have to be Christmas. I love to see my son's eyes light up when he see's that Santa brought him presents. It's an amazing sight and feeling.
 
Here are some pictures that 'Nise took and her explanations.

 The stained glass window with the stone cross in front of it was just beautiful. I'm a stained glass artist, and this church has some of the most exquisite gothic glasswork and architecture. I was looking for something to represent Cole, in a very sad attempt at banner making. (I disagree ;))
The steeple amidst the autumn foliage... I really love the architecture of this church too, and it's an old friend of sorts... as a nursing student, we watched that clock out the window during clinic, because if we got caught watching the clock on the wall, we had to stay late. Wonder if the instructor ever figured it out.
But seriously, the autumn foliage in that pic reminds me of Pough... the autumn palette you used on that first blogspot all those years ago, and the strains of A Drop In The Ocean as the page loaded. Those things are Poughkeepsie to me. I immediately think of Pough anytime I hear Ron's voice.
The picture looking up through the tree... I dunno, I see our Blake laying in the grass in his meadow watching the sky and re-counting those smiles in his head ;-) Again, it was autumn, and I was thinking Pough/fall colors...
Finally, the cooler... After I made the Pough letters in nature, as I was cleaning up, I needed something to carry everything outside in and inspiration struck. I always loved that part of the story. He spent his day finding a way to repay the favor in the only way he could, and she almost missed it... almost. I have a hubby who works in the forest, some days he's Smokey Bear (for reals) I can't tell you how many interesting things have come out of his lunch cooler at the end of the day. I loved the cooler tale. It was sort of personal for me in that way.



 So that's my three very sweet readers. They embrace things like champions and I'm proud of each of them. Please check out all the Embrace excitement below! Even a copy of her book and bracelets! Congrats, Cherie! Have an amazing release day. 
~Debra  


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Embrace  Launch Party Guest Posts!Jennifer DeLucy Blog: Writing Embrace - From Idea to Release Kym's Quips: The Research Behind to Story  Once Upon A *Spark*: Mythology Behind Madison's WorldNicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts: Bring on the Romance Jennifer Lane Books Blog: Facing Change     
Embrace  Launch Party Posts!Susan Kaye Quinn, Conjuring Tales for Young Minds           Kim Winters, Kat's Eye Journal          Carole, the life of fiction Mina Burrows, books for paranormal & mystic mindsJoseph Rinaldo, Read RinaldoAngela Brown, in a Pursuit of PublishnessDebra Anastasia, Tell me a StoryColleen Wagner, London Relocation               **************************Embracea novel by Cherie Colyer
Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It's responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve. 
Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he's a guy harboring a secret, but she's willing to risk the unknown to be with him. 
Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren't there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can't find the answers, Madison seeks her own. 
Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover. 
AUTHOR INFOWebsite | Blog | Facebook | Twitter
**************************Prizes: To celebrate the release of her debut novel, Cherie is giving away an eCopy of EMBRACE and 5-Embrace Hemp Bracelets today. There are three ways to win:
1) Leave a comment here or at any of the Party Posts.
2) Tweet about the Virtual Party or any of the Party Posts with tag #EMBRACEnovels
Example: Nothing could have prepared her for what she's about to discover. #EMBRACEnovels @CherieColyer #YA avail NOW www.cheriecolyer.blogspot.com
Example: Celebrate the launch of EMBRACE by @CherieColyer #EMBRACEnovels #paranormal #YA avail NOW www.cheriecolyer.blogspot.com
3) Facebook (tag Cherie Colyer, author) about the Virtual Party.
Example: Celebrate the launch of teen paranormal thriller/romance novel EMBRACE by Cherie Colyer, author and enter for a chance to win Embrace prizes! http://www.cheriecolyer.blogspot.com
Do all three and you will have three times the chances to win! Leave a comment at each stop of the tour for a chance to win the Grand Prize.
If you haven't already, remember to stop back by Cherie's blog or click here to fill out the form to ensure your entry is counted.
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More Poughkeepsie

Hey guys! 




Have you read Poughkeepsie and want a few more scenes? I'm totally going to hook you up. If you sign up for my newsletter, it will arrive in your email on 12.22.11 with a code. That code will let you access the Secret Page on my website. On the website you can read more Poughkeepsie!


 This month's scene will be an engagement.







 Please fill out this form: HERE (if you already signed up, no worries, you are already on the list)









Want more convincing? Here's a teaser ;)



"He chuckled into her kiss, reprimanding himself for ever wondering what words to say to her. He knew exactly where to speak from: the part of his chest that warmed at the sight of her."

Writing about Satan Jack

Today, this guy is fighting in my head. Interesting.

Merchandise and a Chance to Win!

So just a quick update, my publisher opened a merchandise shop that has my cover art available as a design.

 Check out Crushed Seraphim:



And Poughkeepsie:



So if you like Hands or Feathers, you can totally rock them.

 Also, if you happened to buy an Omnific Book from December 10th through today read the information HERE on how you can enter to win a $100 Amazing gift card! Today is the last day, so get on that horse and ride it.

Plus, you can win the FRIGGIN" hell out of Poughkeepsie, Crushed Seraphim and a Kindle Fire with BOTH books preloaded! Check it out HERE (Last day for the Fire!)


So that's the Author Blog Hop for Thursday!

Jason for Rachel.

On Book Boyfriends

So, Missie from the Unread Reader started the coolest meme called "My Book Boyfriend"





It is too much fun to see who the bloggers that participate use to portray the character they pick each week as a boyfriend.


I'm so freaking proud that some of my characters have been featured as Missie's boyfriend and picked by another blogger as well.


 First, there was Satan from Crushed Seraphim:


 Jack  for Missie included this crazy hot picture:




Then Jess from Book Passion for Life picked Jack. And she picked this picture:






And now with the release of Poughkeepsie some of the characters have been doing their duty as Book Boyfriends!


 First up was Missie from Unread Reader who chose Blake Harrt, my homeless hero, to take her on a very romantic date. She even altered her special graphic for the occasion.












And Book Passion for Life had sweet Jess take on all three brothers. At once. Ahem. Jess used the following pictures to represent the boys:












 Beckett




Cole












And Blake












So how fun was that? My favorite part, besides seeing the pictures the girls selected, is knowing that they are keeping the characters in their hearts. I feel that way about reading --once I've found a book that touches me, the characters become mine. So as a writer, that's really exciting, to have my boys stake their claim on readers.


 Please check out these two bloggers (well, three BPFL has another awesome blogger too, Donna) they rock my face off. Also, Omnific Publishing is having a .99 cent sale on some really great books, so check that out too! 

Want to win the freaking Hell out of Poughkeepsie and in some cases Crushed Seraphim? Here's allllll the links! 

Win the Friggin' Hell out of Poughkeepsie!!

Here's where there are still copies of Poughkeepsie up for grabs!
 
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Book Chick City 1 Print copy Poughkeepsie
                            1 Poughkeepsie themed bracelet
                            1 Train Schedule
                            1 eCopy of Poughkeepsie and Crushed Seraphim to two winners

                            2 Temporary brother's tattoos
                            1 Print copy Crushed Seraphim
                            1 Crushed Seraphim Handmade Book Bling 






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 Book Passion For Life 2 eCopies of Poughkeepsie

 
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Nicole About Town...All I Ever Read 2 eCopies of Poughkeepsie




         All I Ever Read...


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Hannah Downing 2 eCopies of Poughkeepsie




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Jennifer DeLucy 2 eCopies of Poughkeepsie


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Lisa Sanchez 2 eCopies of Poughkeepsie 

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 Cherie Colyer 2 eCopies of Poughkeepsie ends 12.7.11




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Killian McRae 1 eCopy of Poughkeepsie and 1 eCopy of Crushed Seraphim and free Kindle Fire!


 
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Jennifer Lane 2 eCopies of Poughkeepsie






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Blogger Reviews for Poughkeepsie!

Jess from Book Passion for Life said:

"I highly suggest you pick this book up. I will only recommend this to older YA from 17+ due to scenes of intense violence and some pretty steamy sex scenes from all three brothers. But definitely, definitely read this!! Go, little readers, Go!"

Read the rest HERE



Autumn from OPEN BOOK SOCIETY said:


"Every reader has an author that they will read no matter what genre they venture into.  For me, Debra Anastasia is one of those authors. She takes her readers on a journey of the heart and you know you will never look at the world in the same way again.


Read the rest HERE


Tamie from Bookish Temptations said:


"I have one more passage to share and then you need to read Poughkeepsie and share some of your favorites with me. Deal?!? Alrighty then…

Blake- "Livia, you make the rest of the beautiful things in the world cry for even trying at all. You make it hard for me to breathe."

YOWZA! If that doesn't make you just *THUD* then you're not human."

Read the rest HERE