Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 14

2022 So Far; #Snow + Creativity With #Music & #Crafting + #AmWriting

I got two Christmas cards too late to get them in my post about the holidays.  Both cards came from online friends.  So, before I tell you what's been going on in 2022 so far, here's a photo of the two cards:
 

*~*

 

It tried to snow late on the evening of January 4th.  But it was more sleet than snow, and didn't come to anything.

 

They promised it would try again over the following few days though, so I was hopeful for snow to enjoy.  It was certainly cold enough for snow... 

Finally, on January 7th, all my hoping and wishing paid off, because we got some actual snow!

 

Which, unfortunately, we forgot to grab a photo of.

 

Admittedly there wasn't much, and the ground having been rained on so recently when the snow fell meant most of it was gone as fast as it fell.  But there was enough so I could go catch some snowflakes as they fell, and I managed to scrape together a small snowball.  So at least it was snow worth mentioning.

 

Of course, I'd have liked more.  And it would have been nice if it hadn't warmed up just enough that what I woke to the following morning was rain rather than more snow.  But you can never have enough snow in my opinion, so I'd be telling you I wish we'd had more even if we had a foot of snow.  LOL!

 

Besides, the rainstorm we had next day was awesome to listen to.

 

*~*

I've used most of my Christmas money to get a few craft supplies I want for spacific projects.  In particular wool in certain colours to knit a cosy for my new teapot.  My old teapot has a purple and blue cosy to match the fact it's purple, so I want to make a black and orange one to go with my black "Witches Brew" teapot.  I thought those colours would be appropriate for it.

 

I haven't started making the cosy yet, but it's right near the top of my crafty to-do list.

Well, I don't actually have a to-do list exactly.  I've not bothered to make a list of the projects I want to get done.  Though several times I've wondered if maybe I should.  But there are a lot of them, and this tea cosy would be right near the top of the list if I did sit down and make one.

*~*

I've been learning to play the keyboard since some time in December.

 

I'm not all that good yet - in fact, far from it.  And half of what I can play is only the start of various songs.  But I'm slowly making progress, and trying counts.  So, here's a clip I did at the start of January of me playing the only things I can play in full (though hesitantly, and far from perfectly).

*~*

Another new thing I've started doing is learning to loom knit.

 

They do it on one of the crafty calls via the ACB, so I decided I'd go along and see if it sounded like something I'd like to have a go at.  It did, so I used the birthday money I hadn't spent yet to buy myself a little set of knitting looms (since it was one of the few things I didn't inherit from my Nan when I got her craft stuff).

 

The knitting Zoom classes/sessions are usually held on Thursdays (needle knitting one week, loom knitting the next) but they had a special beginner loom knitting class planned for the second Saturday in January (so, this past Saturday) and I was able to get my loom in time to join that.

 

During the class we did a small piece with just a couple of rows to learn how to cast on, knit the basic "E wrap" loom stitch, and cast off.  Now I'm attempting to make a scarf with the loom.  It's one of those that will be double thickness, because I'm knitting a tube, and will darn the ends closed when I'm done.  Since scarves were what I did first for both needle knitting and crochet, it felt appropriate.  Only this time the scarf will be for me, rather than for my doll, Jo (who no longer has the multiple scarves I knitted for him growing up, but is currently sporting the crochet scarf I made last year)

*~*

I'm also working on two crochet projects.

 

~

 

One is a crochet blanket, which I started working on at the end of last year.

 

Originally I was going to do several squares and stitch them together, but then decided to do it differently.  If I just keep going with my square so it gets bigger and bigger until I'm happy with the size of it, I won't have to worry about sewing the squares together, so I'm doing it as one solid piece instead, because I liked the idea of avoiding needing to sew the squares together later.  LOL!

 

It's coming along slowly, partially because I'm working on so many other things, partially because I'm very slow with crochet, and partially because I forgot which way around the differences worked when it came to US vs UK terms for the crochet stitches, so am doing UK double crochet, which is US single crochet, instead of US double crochet, which is UK triple crochet, which makes the stitches more tightly woven (if you know what I mean) and the rate it grows at a little slower.  Oh well, never mind.

 

~

 

The other is a mug hug, which - for anyone who doesn't know and would like to - is essentially a mug cosy.

 

That's about half finished, even though I only started it on Tuesday with the ACB crafters in the most recent crocheters call, because it's a much smaller project so obviously takes a lot less time to complete.

 

*~*

 

In other crafty news: I finished the pillow cover I was making out of the tortoise print fabric I got for my birthday.

 

Well, one side is tortoise print.  The other side is plain purple.  Either way, here it is:

By the time you're reading this post, it should be among the throw pillows on my sofa.

*~*

Another thing I finished is this baby cardigan (sweater to those of you outside the UK).

 

 

The cardigan was among the partially done projects I inherited from my Nan along with her craft supplies, so I wanted to finish it anyhow, because I’m trying to finish up some of the partially completed projects – Nan’s ones, as well as my own – in between working on new craft projects.  But, on top of that, a family friend is having a baby in a couple of months, so I wanted to finish it to give to that person for the baby.  I won’t name them, since – though chances of them doing so are slim – there is a chance the friend in question might see this, and I don’t want them to know for sure it’s for their baby until I’m ready to give it to them.

 

Anyway, Nan had knitted most of the cardigan, but I finished it off and put the buttons on it.

 

*~*

 

I made a decorative round dishcloth/doily thing too, which I haven't had a chance to get a photo of yet.

 

 It was one of the projects the ACB Crafters knitting group was working on, and it sounded like it would be a fun one to do, so I decided to make one with them.  It’s a really simple pattern, so was quick to knit up (even for the beginners in the group).

 

It’s officially actually supposed to be a round decorative dishcloth, but because of the type of wool I used it’s better as a doily than a dishcloth - something I was aware of when I started, but decided I didn’t care about.  I could have gone and fetched a ball of my cotton yarn so it would actually be a dishcloth, but decided to just use the first kind that came to hand for my first time doing it, and use it as a decorative doily this time instead.  I can always make another using cotton yarn at a later date if I want one to be an actual dishcloth.

 

Anyway, I'll get you a photo of that soon.

 

*~*

 

And, yes, I've also been writing from time to time, though admitedly not a lot.

 

I'm not sure what to say about that though, because there's not really anything to report other than the fact a bit of writing has been happening here and there.  I'm slowly moving writing projects closer to completion, but nothing is at the point where I really have much to share with you about it yet.

*~*

Other than reading (I'm on my third book of the year, and so far enjoying what I've read this year) the general day to day tasks, playtime with the petkids (Lilie was almost as excited we got snow as I was) and the other ACB calls I've been attending (which include Saturday night kareoke) that's pretty much what's been going on around here since the start of the year.  So, 2022 is off to a great start for me.

 

I hope you can say the same, and have been enjoying plenty of the things that make you happy.

Looking Back At 2021 And Ahead To A #Hygge 2022 - #AmReading #Blogging #AmWriting #PersonalGoals

WOW! We're already a week in to the new year.  Can you believe it?

 

Since this is my first post for 2022: Happy New Year!

 

~

 

I actually did something to ring in the new year this time, since I participated in the ACB community athon, which ran from 3:00pm EST on December 31st 2021 to 3:00am EST on January 1st 2022.  I stayed up for almost all of it too (apart from a quick power nap during one of the hours I knew I'd have nothing to contribute) despite me being five hours ahead of that timezone.  And I'm glad I did, because it was awesome! They did it the year before too, and I hope will do it this year as well, because I'm already looking forward to it.  That's right.  Me.  The person who doesn't usually care about staying up to see in the new year.  Not only did I see in the new year properly awake, but I did so twice.

 

~

 

Anyway, now it's 2022, and I hope the year is treating you well so far.

 

But, before we get too carried away with looking ahead, let's take a look back at 2021 though, shall we? And then we can start looking ahead to 2022, and hoping it will be a good year for us all.

 

~

 

First of all, let me just say: I'm not going in to the way the year was for the country or world as a whole.  We all know there have been, and still are, a lot of awful things going on in this world - including, but not limited to, the continuing threat of Covid - so you don't need me to talk about them, and I don't really want to.  So I'm just going to focus on how 2021 was for me on a personal level.

 

It was a year of ups and downs.  For me 2021 was better than 2020 in some ways.  We didn't have to move, which was a nice thing for a start.  However, the year certainly wasn't one of the best I can remember either, and in many ways 2021 was worse and harder to deal with than 2020 - perhaps not helped by the fact we'd just gone through the mess that was 2020.  I know I'm not the only one who felt that way, because several people mentioned it to me throughout the year.  Of course, all  years have their ups and downs - that's just how life goes.  But I spent 2021 trying to deal with mentally processing the things I hadn't had time to process with all that 2020 had thrown at me, while at the same time dealing with constant health issues, along with a few other things the year decided to throw at me, and let me tell you it's been an uphill struggle.  Some days more so than others.  And, quite frankly, I'm incredibly glad 2021 is over, despite the positive aspects of it.

 

And there were positives, even if they felt like they were overshadowed by the negatives.  So, let's leve the bad stuff from 2021 alone for now, and focus on the good points of the year, like how we're glad to be living back in Wales (I am especially) and how I finally got to visit Dan Yr Ogof National Showcaves, which I've wanted to visit since I was a child.  Not to mention all the awesome things I've been doing with the ACB (American Council of the Blind) and the friendships I've formed via the calls I've attended with them- getting involved with the ACB community was definitely the highlight of my year, even though it's something I wouldn't have imagined this time last year I'd even want to be a part of, let alone enjoy as much as I am.

~

Anyway, I had six goals for 2021.  You can read full details of my 2021 goals here, but I'll give you the short version, and tell you how I did with them, in this post.  So, let's take a look, shall we?

 

Reading:

I had just one reading goal for 2021, which was to read at least 104 books.  But I only ended up reading 75 books - you can see my year in books ohre on Goodreads by clicking here (you don't need to be a Goodreads member to check out my year in books).  But, as you're likely thinking when seeing that number, that's a lot of books anyhow,, so that's OK.  I mean, sure, I didn't quite make my reading goal this year, but I did enjoy most of what I read, and that's the main thing.  As I always say: it's not about how many books you read, but about whether you enjoy the process of reading them.

 

Blogging:

My blogging goal was to blog once a week (on Fridays).  Not only did I do this, but I also ended up blogging on a few other days too sometimes due to having a lot of things I wanted to get posted at times.  So this one was a definite success.

 

Writing:

My writing goals were to publish the poetry collection I've been working on, as well as to finish writing, and then publish, a story.  Well, I ended up doing that and more.  I published two poetry collections ("Pawfect Pet Poems" and "Born From Stardust And Other Poems") as well as having three of my poems appear in an anthology ("Poetry Treasures").  I also finished and published two stories ("Tedi And The Soothing Snow" and "Jelena").  So another definitely successful completion of a goal, despite health issues, life, and procrastination - because I do admit there was some of that too - trying to get in the way.  I even have two of the books I published this year available in all formats I publish my books in (eBook, paperback, and audio).  It would have been three, but there have been production issues with the audio version of one of the poetry collections, so that one still isn't available yet.

 

 Personal:

The first of my two personal goals was to finish unpacking, and settle in to our new home.  Besides some books and DVDs that still need organizing properly on their shelves, I can say with confidence that we achieved this.  It took much more of the year to unpack than I thought it would (at least partially due to health issues getting in the way) but we did it, and things in boxes now are in them for storage because they need to be, not because we haven't unpacked them.  Something I haven't been able to say for about a decade.  LOL! And, as I said near the top of the post, we're glad we made the decision to return to Wales when we were forced to move the second time in 2020, since we're loving being back here.  Don't get me wrong, Hastings was great, but it's wonderful to be back home.

 

My other personal goal was to practice better self care.  It was the goal I wanted most to achieve, and yet the one I failed at most spectacularly.  I was doing great at first; the first couple of months of the year went wonderfully as regards self care.  I even had a self care plan, which I was doing a reasonably good job of following.  Then I shut my hand in a car door twice in as many months (breaking my middle finger the first time, and badly bruising my thumb the second time) and soon after doing that the first time had a bad reaction to the Covid jab that irritated existing health issues (which have stayed irritated) and brought others to light.  And after that I just haven't been able to get back on track with my self care.  I've had several hygge moments throughout the year, but my plan for better self care went out of the window, and somehow never found its way back in.

 

 

~

 

As for this year...

 

 Other than the Goodreads reading challenge – which I’m doing mainly because it would feel weird not to considering I’ve done so each year since I’ve been on there – which I’ve set to 52 books (a nice low goal to me) I’m not setting any goals for 2022.

 

Sure, there are some things I’d like to do this year.  But I feel like the right thing for me in 2022 is to enjoy the process of doing them rather than worrying about tracking them on a list, or the pressure of completing them on time to meet a deadline.  I think that's what I need this year: pleasure in the experiences rather than pressure.  Does that make sense? I hope it does.

 

Like I said, there are some things I'd like to do.  I'll also still be writing, blogging, getting involved with the ACB, crafting, etc – hopefully plenty of all those things.  And I’ll share any news on projects I’m working on, as well as random stuff from my daily life, throughout the year in blog posts as and when it’s appropriate.  But beyond that I have no plans or goals for 2022, so no goal list to share.

 

I’m looking forward to 2022 with a hopeful heart.  But what it will hold in store for me is anyone’s guess right now, and remains to be seen.  So, I’m just going to try and enjoy the ride as best as I can, and see where I end up by the time this year is over.  Hopefully I’ll have plenty of happy memories and hygge moments to look back on, which I can enjoy both at the end of this year and further in the future.

 

I don't usually pick a word for the year, but perhaps that should be my word for the year: Hygge.  Yes.  I need the cosy comfort of Hygge this year for sure, so I'm going to have Hygge be my word for 2022.

 

~

 

 How about you? Did you do anything fun - or at all - to ring in the new year? And how was your 2021? Did you have any resolutions or goals for it? If yes, how did you do with them? Also, do you have any goals or resolutions for 2022? Or maybe you pick a word for the year? Or, perhaps, you're just looking forward to the year with hope, and crossing your fingers it's a better one than the last couple have been? Whatever the case, I'd love to hear about it in the comments, whether directly on this blog post, or via whatever social media platform you're reading this through, or even via eMail, so please share.

Mam's Birthday + The #WinterSolstice & #Christmas 2021 + Wishing You A Happy #NewYear

It was my Mam's birthday on December 19th.  She wanted a birthday cake I could have some of, so I made her a vegan one. It's a two layer ginger cake with vanilla buttercream icing between the layers, and pink icing in various shades on the top and sides, some of which spells out the words, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAM" with a couple of little hearts below the writing.  Here's a photo:

*~*

I forgot to have Kelly take a photo of the fake mistletoe hanging above our living room doorway when he did our holiday decoration photos, so here's a photo of that:

Also, we got a pine reef for the door, so here's a photo of that too:

*~*

As you may or may not know, Kelly and I celebrate the Winter Solstice, so for us the holidays kick off a couple of days early.  But the rest of the family celebrates Christmas, so most years we end up doing both.  This year was one of those years.  We had our own celebration on the 21st of December, exchanged gifts with my Mam Christmas Eve, and exchanged gifts with my Dad and Wayne (one of my brothers) on Boxing Day.  In between those things I was involved in various festive calls with the ACB, including a virtual tree lighting on Christmas Eve, which was great fun.

~

Lilie was really excited when she realized Santa Paws had been, and eager to get hold of whatever treats he'd left for her.  Logan was rather confused by the whole thing, but eager to accept any treats and toys on offer.  Logan's always happy to be involved if there's something in it for him, even if he's not sure what's going on - especially if that something involves treats.

Anyway, here are our stockings and gift bags all set out on the chair and sofa ready for us to open.  There's a gift bag and stocking each for me and Kelly, and a gift bag and two stockings between the petkids (one stocking is for Lilie and Logan, one is for Mollie and Artemis, and the bag is for all of them).

 

 

 

And here's a clip we took when Lilie realized Santa Paws had been:

The dogs also got some tennis balls, and some squeaky snowballs...

As well as a toy goose each that's a cross between a cuddly toy with a squeaker in it and a rope tuggy toy, which I'm giving to them in this next photo:

Plus a honking pig toy each, which I didn't get photos of them with, and a load of treats, including the rawhide candy canes I'm giving them in the first of these next photos, which they're each enjoying in the two following it (at least, that's how it will be if these post in the order I'm uploading them).

Mollie and Artemis got some raisins and some dried rosepetals to share.  Mollie also got a willow reef to gnaw on.  I didn't end up getting photos of Mollie and Artemis though.

~

As for me...

I got a potter's wheel and some clay to use with it, bath/shower stuff, plenty of vegan friendly treats, a whole load of Burrows & Badgers figures to add to my collection, a snuggly blanket, a bird sounds CD, two pairs of Disney socks (Dumbo and Eeyore) and some money.

I also got this Discworld themed bookmark and cuddly toy of "The Luggage" (a character from the series that's basically a magical trunk with loads of legs on its underside that gets in to mischief)...

A black "Witches Brew" teapot...

A wooden ornamental Hogwarts Express...

An oil/wax melts burner with oils and wax melts to use with it.  Plus the dragon shaped incense holder in this next photo, with some incense cones and sticks to use with it.

And some cards from a few of my family and friends...

Speaking of cards: if you didn't get one from me, that's because I only ended up doing them for immediate family, because I left it too late and didn't have the time or energy to even get them made before the holidays in the end.  I'll try to do better next year.

*~*

Whatever you did to celebrate them, how were your holidays? Did you get anything nice?

 

Also, since it's New Year's Eve, I'd like to wish you a happy New Year! Stay safe while doing whatever you might be doing to ring in the new year - if you are doing anything, I mean.  See you in 2022!

A Reminder About The 2021 #Smashwords End Of Year #EBook #Sale - Grab Some Bargain #Poetry & #KidLit Today!

Don't forget: the Smashwords end of year sale is happening right now, and runs through January 1st 2022.

 

All my books are currently $1.49 or less!

 

It's a perfect oppertunity for fans of poetry and children's stories to grab some discounted eBooks.

 

And, yes, my latest release "Jelena" is included in the sale.

 

~

 

In case you don't know...

 

Smashwords offers multiple eBook formats, and I always make my books available in all formats they offer, which means there will be a format that works for you, regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks.  In fact, since one of the formats is HTML, if you can read this post, you can read my books.

 

~

So, head over to my Smashwords author page, pick your books, and grab your eBook bargains today!

But hurry, because the sale ends this coming Saturday!

A #Holiday #Pet Photoshoot + The Writer's Grapevine Holiday Edition + Festive #Poetry & #Music Clips

It's Christmas Eve, so I think it's about time I shared the holiday photos for this year for my petkids.

 

First, here's Lilie the Westie in her elf outfit, complete with an elf doggy shirt, a bandana that says, "let it snow," on it, and a Santa hat.  There should have been snowflake legwarmers too, but she wasn't willing to wear those, so they got left off... I wasn't going to force her to wear them if she wasn't happy to do so.  There's only the one shot of her, because she was rather excited by the whole thing, so wouldn't stay still for long, which meant this was the only successful photo.

~

Next, here are the photos we got of Logan, who was much easier to get photos of, since he was willing to sit quietly at least some of the time, hence there being more photos of him.

These two are of him wearing a festive bow tie and a bandana with "I believe in Santa Paws" on it.

And here he is wearing his gingerbread man outfit, which consists of a gingerbread man doggy sweater, his festive bowtie, and a Santa hat.  One of the photos is just a shot of him dressed up, but in the other he also has a reindeer ornament in the photo with him.

~

 

Finally, here's Artemis the tortoise among a selection of holiday ornaments we used to set up a sort of festive scene, which include a reindeer, a tiny snowman, an elf, and some fake snow and tinsel.  Don't worry, we were watching her closely to make sure the fake snow and bit of tinsel didn't end up in her mouth.  Mostly though she just wanted to see if she could dig in somewhere for a nap... She wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea of having photos taken that day.

 

 ~

Mollie wasn't included, since she doesn't do photoshoots.

 

*~*

 

Want something fun to read this Christmas Eve?

 

Then head over to Patty's blog and check out the holiday edition of The Writer's Grapevine Magazine.  There's loads of awesome stuff in it, including a story of mine.  You can read it by clicking here.

 

*~*

 

I also have some new festive clips to share with you.

 

First, here are a couple of clips of me reading two of my holiday themed poems:

~

Finally, here are some clips of me singing some holiday songs:

#Audiobook Now Available For "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" -A #Children'sBook About #Death, #Depression, And #Grief

 

Cover art composite by UPB

Set vector clip art illustrations of bored teddy bears(c)vectorpocket/Depositphoto

After losing his best friend, Arth, Tedi is so sad it feels like his heart is torn up inside of him. Now Tedi just sits by the window and cries, no longer caring about anything but how much he misses his friend, and seeing nothing of the beauty outside.

Mama Bear insists it will get easier in time, but Tedi’s not so sure; Tedi’s sure he’ll never be happy again. And, as Summer turns to Autumn, and then Autumn turns to Winter, it’s starting to look like Tedi might be right.

But is Tedi really right, or is it Mama Bear who’s right after all?

Unless you somehow missed seeing the posts about the original release of this book, you'll already know you can buy "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" as an eBook in multiple formats from a variety of online retailers.  I won't list all the links in this post - if you'd like to buy an eBook of "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" you can check out the post I just linked to for purchase links.  You can also buy paperback versions of "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" via Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, many other Amazon sites, and all the places Amazon distributes their paperbacks to.

 

But, I do have news: if eBooks and paperbacks aren't for you, you'll be interested to know that "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" is now available in audio, narrated byRaymond Pental, and can be purchased via Audible, iTunes, and the various Amazon sites.

 

~

 

Regardless of your prefered format though, if you're on Goodreads and would like to add the book to your shelves, you can find the book's Goodreads page here.

 

No matter the format, if you buy and read the book, please consider leaving a review, whether on Goodreads, your blog, or the retailer you purchased the book from.  And don't forget to tell anyone you think might be interested in the book all about it.  Remember: reviews and word of mouth help authors sell books.  And I appreciate all reviews - whether short, long, or somewhere in between.

The #Smashwords #EBook #Sale + #BodhiDay + #Holiday Decorations + A #Tortoise On The Loose + Freshly Groomed #Dogs + #Poetry Reading

The Smashwords end of year sale kicks off today (December 17th 2021) and runs through January 1st 2022.

 

I've enrolled all my books that are usually priced higher than $0.99, so that many of my other titles are currenly $0.99, and the more expensive titles of mine are $1.24 or $1.49 throughout this sale.

 

In other words, all my titles are $1.49 or less today through January 1st 2022.

 

Smashwords sells books in multiple formats, and I enable them all, so there will be a format that works for you regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks, whether you need an epub, a mobi, a pdf, or a html document.  Basically, if you can read this post, you can read my books.

 

So, head over to my Smashwords Author Page, and grab your book bargains. 

*~*

 

Bodhi Day - the Buddhist day of enlightenment - was on December 8th.  I'm not Buddhist, but I do incorperate some of the Buddhist beliefs in to my own, so try to acknowledge Bodhi Day.  This year I went one better and celebrated it by putting up my holiday decorations and making rice pudding that day.

 

Something to bear in mind: you can make rice pudding in a slowcooker.  However, if you do,, be aware of how much it expands, or you'll have quite a mess to clean up.  Yes, that's the voice of experience speaking.

Anyway, here are my holiday decorations for this year:

*~*

A couple of days later Lilie and Logan had a grooming session.  While they were gone, I had Artemis having some peaceful free-roaming time in the livingroom, and took these photos of her:

~

I had Mollie out for a while too, but didn't get any photos of her.

~

And here's a photo of Lilie and Logan after their grooming session:

 

*~*

 

finally, here are some clips of me reading a couple of my poems.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

#Holiday #KidLit #BookRelease - "Jelena"

 

Coniferous tree macro. for branch close up. evergreen tree in park

© kle1njke@gmail.com/depositphoto

Forest dryads and their magic

© A_Petruk/depositphoto

 

 

Humans have forgotten the old ways, and no longer respect nature as they once did, or ask before taking what they want.  They’ve forgotten about nature spirits, and the strength of the bond a dryad shares with their tree.

 

When an excited family come to the woods to choose their Christmas tree, and end up choosing the Frazer Fir to which Jelena is bonded, they make no attempt to warn her to find herself a new tree.  Now all Jelena can do is watch in tearful dismay as her tree is cut down and taken away; feeling its pain through their shared bond as though it were her own.

 

Distraught and in pain, Jelena can do nothing to save her bonded tree.  But she doesn’t have to share its fate; there’s a chance she can save herself.  Will Jelena find the inner strength to survive the experience, and bond with a new tree before it’s too late? Or will she follow her bonded tree to the place where spirits are reborn?

 

*NOTE: this story – while not overly violent or graphic in nature – is not your average cheerful holiday story, so may not be suitable for younger or more sensitive readers.

 

Today is the official release date for "Jelena" - my latest book, which is now available in eBook.

 

You can now buy "Jelena" from Smashwords.  Bearing in mind, Smashwords offers multiple formats, and I enable all the ones they allow me to, which means there's a way you can read the book regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks.  In fact, if you can read this post, you can read the book.

 

The eBook is also available to purchase via other online retailers such as Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Amazon US, other Amazon sites, and a few other places my books get distributed to,.  So, look for it at your favourite eBook retailer.

For those who aren't fans of eBooks: I haven't forgotten you.  I hope to have the book available in paperback and audio early in the new year.  So, watch for me announcing those.

~

Regardless of your format of choice, if you're on Goodreads and would like to add the book to your shelves, you can find the book's Goodreads page here, where all available formats will be listed.

If you buy a copy, I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review somewhere - either where you brought it, on your blog, on the book's Goodreads page, or anywhere else you happen to review books - and tell your friends, family, or book club members about it.  Remember: reviews and word of mouth help authors sell books, and I appreciate any review, no matter how long or short it may be.

#Petkid #Holiday Posts: Lilie The #Westie Writes To #SantaPaws

Hi everyone.  This is Lilie the Westie.

Mummy's had so much to tell you that me and Logan haven't really been able to have a turn on here, and neither have Mollie and Artemis.  Although, at least she has included us sometimes when she's done posts, so that's something.  We might have to consider sending her for some retraining though, since she's clearly forgotten the most important rule of all: we come first and are in charge around here.  I really don't know how humans find that so hard to remember, but there it is.

Anyway, I'm writing to Santa Paws for everyone this year, and thought I'd share the letter with all of you.

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Dear Santa Paws,

I've been a very good Westie girl this year.  But I'm always a good girl.  At least, I try to be, and Mummy always says trying counts, so I hope you agree with her that trying is enough.  Anyway, since I've been such a good girl, can you please bring me some toys and treats? Thanks! I don't mind what, though balls and cuddly toys with squeakers in them are my favourite kinds of toys, and I love anything chicken flavoured.

~

My little Cavapoo brother, Logan, can be annoying sometimes, but he's done his best to be good too.  He gets confused easy, so sometimes he doesn't understand what he's meant to do, so does the wrong thing by accident.  But he tries so hard, and is so proud of himself when he figures out what he's meant to do to make Mummy happy.  So, can you bring him something too? He loves any kind of treat, and his favourite toys are anything he can play tuggy with Mummy with. though he also loves those cuddly toys with squeakers in them that I love so much, and manages to play tuggy with her with those too.

~

Mollie's been a very good chinchilla, even if she won't play with me.  I don't know why she won't come out of her cage to play with me (no matter how many times I ask her to) but I wish she would.  Anyway, since she's been good other than that, I expect that means she's on the nice list too, so can you bring her something as well? I don't know what chinchillas like, but she seems to like to chew on things, so maybe something she can chew on? Mummy says she likes fruit flavoured nibbles too, so maybe she'd like some of those? Anyway, I'm sure you can figure it out.

~

Artemis won't come out and play with me either, but she's quiet and doesn't cause any trouble, so she definitely has been good this year.  I don't really know what a tortoise might like, but I hope you can figure out something to bring her, because I don't want her to get left out.

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Can you bring something for Mummy and Daddy too? I don't know the kinds of things humans like, but I expect you can figure it out, and I hope you do.  I mean, Mummy and Daddy need some retraining, but they haven't been bad as humans go.  They give us good things to eat, play with us, and sleep in our bed with us at night (they say it's the other way around, but we both know they're wrong, don't we Santa?)

~

I hope I get to see you when you bring our presents this year.

Lots of licks,

Lilie

#Vampire #Fantasy #BookRelease - "War of Nytefall: Eulogy" by @cyallowitz - Only $0.99!

On the eve of Clyde's dream becoming reality, his life will be torn asunder.[caption id="attachment_37587" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Cover Art by Alison Hunt[/caption] As his dream of peace becomes a reality, Clyde faces his darkest challenge. With the Dawn Fangs’ existence exposed, the time for negotiations has begun. Mortal rulers and the council of Nytefall gather to discuss terms, but chaos is already stirring. It does not take long for Clyde’s dream to become a nightmare as villages are slaughtered by a Dawn Fang who is rumored to be the newly crowned Vampire King. Bodies of friends and enemies pile up as this mysterious imposter reveals why mortals should fear Clyde. Will Clyde’s final adventure see his dream of peace fail before it is realized? The truth is more horrifying than the Dawn Fangs ever imagined.

*****

Curiosity piqued? Check out this teaser!

The Truth?

Coming to the windmill, Magrus coats his body in a protective shell and carefully climbs to the top of the broken structure. Slowly turning in a circle, he scans the area to get a full sense of the remaining magic. He ignores the auras of the guards, who are sifting through the wreckage to find more bodies. Those who have been located have already been moved to the outskirts where they are being prepared for transport. Peering down the narrow road, he can see an oxen-driven cart is getting closer and sighs at how it will not be enough to collect all of the dead. Magrus considers warning the lieutenant, but he fears it will lead to a long conversation and waste more of his precious time. He turns to where the man is helping to prop up a wall, which has crushed a family of four. Shaking his head, the Zarian climbs down from his perch and uses his staff to help him navigate his way out of town. Nothing catches his interest, but he stops momentarily to send a few more lost souls to the afterlife. “Let us see what really happened,” Magrus whispers as he reaches the woods. Turning back to the village, the man plunges his staff into the earth and grips it tightly to prevent himself from falling over. His eyes develop a rainbow shimmer over the gold as he wavers on his feet. Fighting through the looming fatigue, the priest lets his magical vision change from what is in front of him to revealing phantoms of the past. Transparent buildings rise back into place and ghostly figures go about their lives even though he can still sense a little of what is truly there. Magrus scowls at the sight of a black-haired figure landing a few feet away, the puff of dirt revealing an illusion covering the small crater. Within seconds of appearing, the man rushes at the town and begins destroying everything in sight. Using only his fists and feet, he breaks houses and shatters people. The attacker’s speed is almost too much for the Zarian to follow, so he focuses on examining the phantasmal carnage for clues. He spots bite marks on several necks and sees the chickens were devoured in the blink of an eye. Torches and candles are knocked over to start the fires, which explode into an inferno connected to the illusionary plume of smoke. Magrus is not sure what caused the sudden blast since the attacker had been tearing the local blacksmith in half at the time. Deciding he has seen enough, the man freezes the vision before falling to his knees from the exertion. He is able to hold the image for another second before it disappears, but it still gives him a clear view of the rampaging figure. “This cannot be shared,” Magrus says as he takes out a piece of paper. He mutters a spell to transfer the image of a black-haired man with a corn-shaped necklace from his brain to the parchment. “It would appear that Clyde of Nytefall is not as big a fan of peace as one would believe. Yet, I still see mysteries here. The fires grew without his influence and I see no reason why he would want this place discovered. I have many questions, Lady Zaria, so I cannot purify the Vampire King until I have answers. There has never been a man or monster who has escaped my thorough investigations. This one will be no different. I swear on my goddess’s crimson hair that Clyde and the Dawn Fangs will be judged. Then, if necessary, they will be punished.” Click here for your copy of the Dawn Fangs' final battle for99 cents on Amazon! Help spread the word by adding it to your Goodreads 'To Read' List!

*****

New to War of Nytefall?Grab all 8 Volumes for 99 cents each ($8 total)![caption id="attachment_37574" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Cover Art by Alison Hunt[/caption] Interested in more Windemere? Then don't forget to check out Charles E. Yallowitz's first series: Legends of Windemere Cover Art by Jason PedersenAbout the Author: Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After spending many years fiddling with his thoughts and notebooks, he decided that it was time to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house with only pizza and seltzer to sustain him, Charles brings you tales from the world of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you and drawing you into a world of magic. Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.comTwitter: @cyallowitzFacebook: Charles YallowitzInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyallowitz/Enjoy Clyde's final adventure by clicking here!