P.G. Shriver's Blog, page 8

Good Time for a Sale!

Good Time for a Sale!Who?Me! I'm doing it! Me! I'm having a sale for a special reason! What?The Gifted Ones The Fairytale is going on sale for $3.99, and so is the newly released second book, The Gifted Ones The Dream !When?Between October 5, 2014 and December 31, 2014
Where?Amazon Kindle Store
Why?To boost the totals in the Young Scholars' Contest before the new year!
Blurb from The Gifted Ones The Fairytale:Cheater--bounced from foster home to foster home since a fire at age five--runs away in search of the endless fairytale destination emphasized by her late mother. The young girl's picture dawns every post in every city and the law seeks her for murder. She has nothing left to lose on her search, except her freedom.

Jazz--good-boy-gone-bad--turns to crime after his mother is hospitalized and his seventeen-year-old sister dies at the hands of his stepfather. Longing to free himself of the Beast, he struggles with the bitter taste of defeat as his mother's life balances between his world and the next.

When Cheater encounters Jazz in the midst of mugging a ten year old boy, Jazz's hopeless perspective changes. Cheater has that affect on people; she just doesn't realize why. But Jazz knows why. He's been the recipient of her unusual "power," so he tails her, forcing her to comprehend that their connection reaches farther back than the twenty-four hours they've been acquainted.

In spite of deadly doubts, Cheater welcomes her new companion on their journey for truth and their search for Paradise.

Bonded by familiarity, fate and fairytale, an evil awaits their arrival--the menacing, faceless monster who haunts Cheater's dream. The end is coming, and The Gifted Ones will write the path.

Check out The Gifted Ones The Dream, the second book in the trilogy, which is also part of the royalty donation in the Young Scholars' Contest sponsored by this author.

New Experiences

As a writer, I love new experiences. Sometimes, I go out of my way to have one.

This week, my new experience was going to... you'll never guess! When you see where I went, you'll say, "Big deal! I go there every week!"

For me, it is a big deal for several reasons:
A mildly prejudice act, directed toward me, took place in the chain store I visited last week.Grasshoppers have been a pestilence in our area for so long, that I haven't been able to have a garden.I like knowing that I am supporting local farmers, ranchers in the area.I love fresh food grown right here in the good old U.S.A.! No preservatives, no crap, just good ol' homegrown food!If you haven't guessed yet, I went to the local Farmer's Market. I grew up tagging behind my mother in grocery stores, so my first trip to an outdoor Farmer's Market had to be documented and it couldn't have happened on a better day. October 4, 2004, we buried my sister, age 39, who died from cancer. Eating fresh could help prevent that in my life, so making this change is a really big deal.

I'm looking forward to shopping this way. I spent about the same amount as I do at the store, but I was slightly disappointed in the prices of grass fed pork/ beef. Very highly priced considering growers don't invest in feed for those animals. I think I'm ready to start raising my own, and figuring out a way to keep those pesky grasshoppers from eating my veggies next year!

One thing I will miss is not having to go to several different places to purchase what I need, but then, I did it before the big chain super stores opened. It just takes a little longer, and it makes for a nice Saturday outing.

Can't wait to try some of the new organic super foods I purchased. Feeling better already!

Top Ten Reasons to Pay it Forward this Friday

Update # 3: The top ten reasons you should think about backing this project today:

10. You're one of the wealthiest people in the U.S. because you have a $10 bill in your pocket and no debt.

9.   You're feeling very generous today, but don't want to donate that $10 to your boss's birthday lunch fund.

8.   Secretly, you really do want to be acknowledged in the front matter of a potential bestselling series ;).

7.   You were late for work this morning, going ten mph over the speed limit, and that highway patrol two car lengths behind you with his lights on? Yeah, he decided to pass you.

6.   You had your finger in your nose at a stop light this morning when a car stopped next to you. You glanced over, and she was doing the same thing.

5.   You have a spandex secret you've never told anyone. Not even your best friend or soul mate.

4.   You just missed the twelve car pile up this morning by a bumper bounce because the car to your right exited the highway.

3.   You got a free car wash this morning.

2.   On weekends, you put on your spandex costume and hide in the closet waiting for your call to heroism. Yeah, and your children have not disowned you.

1.   You were a Comic Con cos player by day and a hot barfly by night, until that one Saturday when you forgot to remove your cos play makeup... It became a trend.

And those are the top ten reasons you should choose to back this publishing project today! :D

Have a pay-it-forward kind of day and keep a smile on your face!

Contestant #8

Contestant #8 Joins the Fun! Welcome Hanna S. from TX to the contest! I've had an interesting conversation with Hanna regarding Challenge One. There is still no winner, so it must be difficult. Keep trying contestants! You'll figure it out!

Texas Ties OhioWith the addition of Hanna in the contest, Texas ties the Buckeye State for registrants. Will it hold? We'll see!

Read the BooksThe Gifted Ones: The Fairytale and The Gifted Ones: The Dream will soon be available through other modes. Keep your eyes open for them. When you buy the books, the scholarship totals go up!

Why this Project is ImportantSee that beautiful little frog on the right? She loved frogs. That's my niece, Jennelle. Jennelle is one of the reason's for The Gifted Ones's series, and the main reason for the Young Scholars' Contest scholarship connected to the series. Jennelle was my first niece. At age 11, she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. At age 20, two months after she married, Jennelle died from the disease. Jennelle dreamed of going to college to become a juvenile diabetes nurse, but she never got the chance.

In honor of her, I want to give others the chance she didn't have. It just seems right.

Help OutSpread the word about the contest. Let teenagers know about it and get them to register. 

Living My Dream, Are You?

Four days of travel and exposure are over, and I am now recuperated which means back to work!
TWWF News Texas Word Wranglers Book Festival was fun, as usual. I sold some copies of The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale and The Gifted Ones: The Dream, which helped boost the Young Scholars' Contest scholarship fund.

I also collected autographs from the kids and donated $.25 for each autograph on the donations page.

Due to lack of student participation in the contest, I may have to build the fund, advertise the scholarship, and then set up challenges for summer '15. I've also decided to add sales channels, which will make some price changes, but I need to reach more people to make this project a success in honor of the lovely ladies from my past who were instrumental in the inspiration behind the series. My family lost all three of them from 2003-2011. 
I'm the one in red. My mom, first niece and sister (top left) have all passed away.During TWWBF, I discovered that next year will be the 10th anniversary. Though I've only been to three, last year I was inspired to create a picture book honoring the festival. I wrote the rough draft yesterday and am ready to send it to an illustrator, who happens to be my bestie, Chris, to see what she can do for pictures. This is a time sensitive project with a deadline of June 30, 2015. That will give me plenty of time to submit it to the TWWBF committee and have it ready for the 10th anniversary. I'm also thinking a percentage of the royalties will go to the Giddings Library for hosting this fine event!

HOTCON Shout Outs!Loved my first Comic Con at HOTCON! The costumes of cosplayers were fantastic. Shout out to these lovely cosplayers!


Shout Out to Tracy Watkins! I also met a fabulous artist named Tracy Watkins, my neighbor at HOTCON.  He is an absolutely wonderful person to visit with and he has such a great personality, positive attitude, and talent for creating beautiful artwork. Visit his Facebook page to connect with him! You won't be disappointed.

Looking forward to working with you, Tracy, on character sketches for the third Gifted Ones book cover! You'll be hearing from me soon...

Shout Out to Bryan Gifford! Author Bryan Gifford from Waco, Texas--an exceptionally nice young man with a series called The Atonement Trilogy--was one of my visitors at HOTCON, and we had a nice chat about publishing, Comic Con, and books.

Shout out to Bryan, a new friend in this crazy world of writing!

Hooked on Comic Con You know it! Now that I've been to one Comic Con, I am hooked. I would love to go to all of them. The only side effect I had from this experience can be summed up in this little story:

After leaving Comic Con, my husband and I went to the grocery store--we hadn't eaten at home in four days and had no groceries in the house.

While leaving the parking lot, I noticed a black truck with the hood up a couple rows to our left. It appeared to have a giant striped worm hanging out of the motor, kind of like a worm from MIB. I thought, well, there's someone else that just left HOTCON! I started to point it out to my husband as we approached the vehicle, and then I burst into fits of laughter. 

What I thought was a giant worm representation sticking out from under the hood was actually a guy in a horizontally striped shirt doing some mechanical work.

Yes, well, sorry I thought you were a worm, dude! Chalk it up to the residuals of COSEYES.

If you've never been to a Comic Con, take the chance and go. I even saw a Cosplay of Sheldon from Big Bang. Too funny!

Onward I go to more writing and exposure. Have a blessed day! And, in the words of my new friend, Tracy Watkins, "If you aren't living your dream, you're just taking up space!"

Living my dream.

Are you?

Two Places at Once

HOTCON, Here I Come!This past weekend, I was incredibly busy preparing for...

In fact, I was so busy yesterday that I began to wonder how I let my daughter and her brilliant boyfriend talk me into going to a Comic Con.  When they first brought it up, I thought they were nuts. Aren't I a little old for cosplay? Then the two connivers reminded me that my fantasy series, The Gifted Ones , has a superhero theme, and that the first book somewhat fit the "Con of the Living Dead" theme.

Okay, okay, it could be fun. I am a Whovian, and I love Supernatural and Smallville. I have always loved superheroes and I have been wanting to go to a Comic Con, so... what the heck! I registered for an artist booth.

I didn't have much time to prepare this past week, so the three of us met Saturday, brainstormed ideas, researched and dedicated the entire day to shopping and planning for HOTCON.

By end of day, I was wiped out.

Sunday, I spent the day cutting, sewing, gluing, printing--wait, I still hear the printer running--and studying. Finally, I'm down to cutting bookmarks and making T-shirts.

Here are the ideas my highly intelligent, remarkably creative, and quick-thinking team came up with:

The backdrop is shiny, black (and super-on-sale) material, discovered by my theater/ marketing expert (my daughter's boyfriend. I'm adopting him if they break up). The PVC frame was my husband's handy work... a three hour job for him. As the series is incomplete at this time, I left plenty of room for additions later. Besides, with the table in front of it, heads won't block the view from across the room.

The table setup, minus the books and candy.                  Some brilliant guy's idea for The Gifted Ones 
                                                                                     scholarship contest I'm running.


And, bookmarks are still rolling out of the printer. It appears that I will be cutting bookmarks while I am sitting at the table and speaking to fans. I have to remember to make those QR code shirts, too...

Two Places at Once?
Then there is the ultimate mix-up. I made arrangements for TWWF, which I attend every year on September 11 and 12, only to discover I need to set up for HOTCON September 11 and 12.

Uh, oh!
For a day or two, I entertained thoughts of not attending TWWF this year. After all, it is a free event sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the only money it costs me is travel expenses. They feed us and bring in classes of school children from surrounding communities to meet the authors. It's pretty special, but I hadn't had to pay for a booth or table like I did with HOTCON.

"No, no, you can't skip that!" My husband adamantly refused claiming TWWF involves school children and that my scholarship contest focuses on 13-18 year old students.

He's right. I can't miss out on that kind of exposure. So, what do I do?

Hey, teammates, I have a problem!
My very energetic, intelligent, helpful, wants-to-go-to-ComicCon team found the solution, even though we all have full time jobs.


Daughter and boyfriend are setting up at HOTCON on Thursday night. Daughter is manning the booth on Friday until we return from TWWF, in which case I will go straight to HOTCON.

This week is going to leave my head spinning.
And I thought I was tired after making my decor yesterday.

That is the life of a busy writer with a full time job... speaking of which, what day is it?

Well, those bookmarks and T-shirts may just have to wait.

Contestant #7

Shout OutWelcome Noah R. from Texas to the Young Scholars' Contest! I have to say, it's about time Texas jumped into the game!

Today the first challenge begins at 12:00 pm CST. I welcome readers/viewers to take a look at how the game will be played by starting on my website. See if you can figure it out! The first one is relatively easy. I didn't want to scare off those seven contestants.

Good luck in the contest, Noah!

One thing is certain, if those seven contestants who have registered complete the challenge, they will have a jump in the point accumulation towards the goal in May!

Students can register at any time, and anything can happen. I can't wait to see who comes out on top!

Build Three DreamsHelp three students go to college by buying copies of The Gifted Ones The Fairytale and The Gifted Ones The Dream! Read them and donate them to a library or student. It's that simple. Purchase the kindle copy or the paperback copy, which is only available through Amazon in order to lower the price for the contest.

Due to the difficult economic times we are in, so many strong minded, intelligent, creative students will not be able to afford a college education next year. Many argue that what it is is what it is, but do their lives, their educations, have to be that way? My point is, what if I am supposed to help them? What if this contest is my what it is? My goal is to help at least three students live their dream of college. Please help if you can. I will be reaching out on Kickstarter after my events in Giddings and HOTCON are over next week, so see if you can help out for those participating students!

Well, off I go to prepare to upload that scavenger hunt challenge, sew and decorate my backdrop screen and tablecloth for HOTCON, do laundry and dishes, and generally wear myself out before bed!

Happy Sunday! Be generous to someone today!

Inspired by Corruption

Funny, when inspiration grabbed me for my young adult series The Gifted Ones, I didn't realize that the setting would parallel the corruption of modern society so well. Money rules the world, and those with money accuse those without of being lazy, or not having ambition, or not managing resources better. Instead of helping the less fortunate achieve their fortune, the money hungry take and take and take from the less fortunate. Instead of guiding the less fortunate, the greedy charge the less fortunate for services that won't really help them end their pay check to pay check struggle, but only make the struggle worse.

In a certain business I will not name, those who draw a six figure income accept raises that should be given to those less fortunate who haven't had a decent raise in years. I don't see how that helps the less fortunate manage their money better in an ever increasing cost of living society.

Do you?

Money breeds guilt and contempt toward those less fortunate.

Money breeds contempt from the less fortunate toward those in positions of power and corruption where misappropriation of funds is a commonality.

Cheater, the main character in The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale ,  is poor and concerned about living minute to minute, day to day. She has ambition to fulfill a purpose beyond her needs. She is about to battle a corruption far greater than she has known. Jazz is poor. His step father is corrupt. Jazz hasn't known the kind of corruption he will witness in the end. Nathan, Cai, Rebecca, Thad--the main characters in The Gifted Ones: The Dream--all come from different backgrounds, ethnicity, and the tragedy of corruption has touched their lives, bringing them together. They have unique ways to battle that corruption.

I wish I had a power... an ability... a gift that would open the eyes of the money hungry, corrupt administrators and CEOs in this world and allow them to see what they do every time they accept a raise without the backbone of the business receiving a raise, too. I wish I were like Cheater, whose innocent ability to change the minds of the corrupt opens the eyes of those afflicted by greed. I would open the eyes of our corrupt administrators--some of which happen to worry that their hardworking minions are trying to think of ways to make more money instead of seeing to it that they do make more money. If I had a power that would allow corrupt administrators to recognize the division they are building between haves and have-nots in the business world, I would use it.

Corruption rules and shame falls where it will. There are those who feel shame by this unfair distribution, by the corruption of money, yet their high class lifestyle and future retirement become more important than the guilt they carry or what soul they have left. They won't look the minions in the eye anymore, won't speak to them in passing because they know they were wrong for accepting a raise--once they were a minion and they still happen to slightly care about those who are the backbone of the business. Still, that extra money each month really helps build that huge retirement fund that will ensure they continue to enjoy the six figure lifestyle they've come to know.

The Gifted Ones may right the wrong of corruption in their world... or they may die. Whichever way the series unfolds, The Gifted Ones are good and compassionate and kind and helpful to the all.

The Gifted Ones are sought out and marked for death by the corrupt. Good versus evil... look around you.

The Gifted Ones change people; they change lives; they've lived on the receiving end of corruption. Of course, here's the fantasy in this tale of youth righting wrongs in their world: changing the corrupt.

The real world demands that once corrupted by money, those inflicted would sooner die than give up a dollar, or $3,000. The inflicted will suffer the shame of a raise and become greedy as the shame builds. The inflicted will desire more and more and more without a thought to where they started in the business and who took their places.

Greedy corruption of administrators does not make a happy work environment.

Will good, hardworking, people ever receive their just rewards for honest labor?

Will The Gifted Ones set their world right by removing corruption?

The answers will come when minions get a raise and the series ends.

I fear good will win in one case, but not the other.

Contestant #6

Blog Shout!Welcome Brittany C. from Arkansas to the Young Scholars' Contest! Brittany adds Arkansas to the list of scholarship hunters which is growing slowly day by day! Now we're down to 119 contestants to make it worth these readers' while! If you know anyone who may be interested in participating in reading and treasure hunting for a scholarship, pass the word. It would be great to have all of the states participating in the hunt!

Bad News vs Good News!Bad news: the contest is in danger of not happening. Good news: There's still time to register before the first challenge in September.

It would be so nice to give three students a full scholarship in May '15!

The world is so full of bad news, and the media seems to feed the world that bad news each day.  So little good news is seen or heard. Even Facebook posts are filled with bad news. To me, it's depressing.

A great piece of good news is in the works-- seeing this contest relieve the financial burden that college can have on the rest of a young person's life, and helping three young people would make that news even better!

If you are interested in helping shed some good news in May '15, here are some ways you can do so:
Tell everyone you know about the contest! Share it on all of your social media. If you see a post from me about #YoungScholarsContest, mention it or share it in some way. I'm giving away two of my children's books for mentioning #YoungScholarsContest on Twitter on 8/30 and for following my Facebook author page. Help me spread the word by sharing the contest on your social media!Purchase the two books, The Gifted Ones The Fairytale and The Gifted Ones The Dream for yourself, a contestant, or a U.S. school library. Those purchases help increase the scholarship amount, and if you donate them, they count as a charitable donation on your taxes! Why? Some readers may be asking why they should do anything t help. That's okay. I would ask, too. Let me tell you why I am doing this and maybe that will help you answer the question why you should help:
Discouragement for AccomplishmentStudents who work hard to achieve high performance in high school, especially in economically disadvantaged areas, should be rewarded with a chance at college, but some don't get that. They work hard and think they'll get a scholarship to the school of their choice, but can't afford the entrance fees, or don't get enough financial aid to cover their tuition. Their hopes of a future so very different from their past and present are destroyed! What happens to them? That young man who can't get out of a drug riddled neighborhood? That young woman who's lived with neglect and abuse but strives to break free of the circle? They become discouraged and fall into the patter they know. Now that's sad news.The Student Loan TrapIt's a vicious cycle! Parents take out student loans to get through college, then wind up at jobs with mediocre pay--like teaching, which doesn't pay well where I am. What happens? The money they used to pay off their student loans took money away from their children's college education, which brought them around full circle to taking out student loans for their children. So, as soon as parents pay off their loans, they start all over. It's a trap that some parents/ students can't get out of today. Generosity I don't have much, but I like to share what I get. Little things like sending an anonymous $20 bill to someone I don't know, leaving a larger tip than the ticket, passing a $5 bill to the guy on the corner who's been left homeless, buying somebody gas so they get home for a special event: those are little things, but who knows what those little things will do for that person? It's not about making me feel better. It's not about making me look better than I am. It's not about getting more for me. It's about the potential for changing lives. It's about a little good news in a bad news world. It's about watching out for each other and passing along some kindness, instead of indifference.So, there you have my three reasons for creating and pushing this contest. No matter what your mind is telling you or what reasons you are inventing for not helping out, I will keep trying, for my reasons.

Ohio Takes the Lead Early

Shout Out! With the first days of school upon us, Ohio has taken the lead! Welcome Dean H from Ohio, who has joined the contest and will be searching his way to one of the three top scholarships in my Young Scholars' Contest based on the two books The Gifed Ones: The Fairytale and The Gifted Ones: The Dream.

The ChallengesThe unique, puzzling challenges begin on September 7. Each challenge earns the contestants points based on timely submission and correctness. The first contestant to correctly complete the challenge will earn 125 points, and the points go down from there. Up to 125 contestants will earn points each month. In May, the top scorer will walk away with 70% of the prize.

Growing PrizeWith the sale of each digital or paperback book in the series, two bits will be added to the scholarship fund. For example, if 100,000 copies combined sell, the fund will equal $50,000. The fund could be higher or lower based on the sales.

Which State Will Top It? Keep your state on top by spreading the word! Check the totals for entrants from each state here.

Help OutSpread the word, donate the books, root for your state!