Tempeste O'Riley's Blog, page 37
October 16, 2013
Guest Author Wednesdays ♥ Garrett Leigh
Hello everyone. Today I’m thrilled to have Romance Author Garrett Leigh stop by. She’s sharing some about music and her new book, Slide! Don’t forget to leave her a little love below!
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Garrett Leigh is a British writer with a special interest in using the arts as catharsis in mental illness. Currently writing for Dreamspinner Press, Loose ID and Extasy Books, she has a passion for darkly troubled heroes, tattoos and tales of true love that triumphs against the odds…not necessarily in that order. Expect angst, passion and red hot attraction that won’t be denied.
♥ Site ♥ Tumblr ♥ EMail ♥ DSP ♥ Twitter ♥
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The inspiration of…music.
Hmm, what can I say about music that hasn’t already been said? Not much, probably, but with the playlist for Slide finally uploaded to YouTube (see below) I’ll give it a go.
For me, music is a conflicting inspiration. Often, when I’m working, you’ll find me glued to my laptop with my earbuds jammed in my ears, but the genre of music varies depending on what I’m doing. Cover art — anything goes. Editing — something familiar and calming, like my Wild Beasts album. But when it comes to writing, I have to be careful. Music with lyrics is too distracting, especially if I’m writing dialogue. I go back to edit and revise, and find I’ve written in words and phrases that are not only not mine to write, but also completely out of context!
No. When I’m writing, it’s gotta be some kind of classical. A rousing film soundtrack if I’m writing action. A tranquil piano piece if I’m plotting my way through some exposition. Yeah, classical all the way. Unless I’m writing some plotless, scorching sex, in which case some dark, durrty dubstep does the trick.
So, with all that in mind, you might ask why the soundtrack to Slide (Roads #1) is full of songs…songs with lyrics, and my answer to that is simple. These are the songs that made me feel when I was writing this heartbreaking book. The lyrics don’t always match up with the story, but the details don’t matter. Sometimes, just a single line or sentence is enough to inspire you, and that’s what I think is special about music. You don’t need the sweeping prose, or artfully crafted sentences. Just a bassline that shakes your soul, or a melody that rips your heart in two.
Enjoy the playlist. Turn it up loud, and think of Pete and Ash.
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SLIDE
Roads #1
Don’t look back. Don’t you ever look back…
Shy tattoo artist Ash has a troubled past. Years of neglect, drug abuse, and life on the streets have taken their toll, and sometimes it seems the deep, unspoken bond with his lover is the only balm for wounds he doesn’t quite understand.
Chicago paramedic Pete is warmth, love, and strength—things Ash never knew he could have, and never even knew he wanted until Pete showed him. But fate is a cruel, cruel mistress, and when nightmares collide with the present, their tentatively built world comes crashing down.
Traumatic events in Pete’s work life distance him from home, and he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that Ash has slipped away. Betrayal, secrets, and lies unfold, and when a devastating coincidence takes hold, Pete must fight with all he has to save the love of his life.
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MARKED
Roads #1.5 – Missing Moments from Slide
It’s been six months since Ash shuffled into Pete’s life and turned his world upside down, and six months since they sat in an all-night diner plotting Ash’s theoretical solution for Pete’s faded, botched tattoo. Pete has just about given up hope of Ash ever fulfilling his promise when one day the end of a long shift finds Ash waiting for him.
Tonight is the night.
Ash is ready, and it seems the time has come for him to leave his mark on Pete in more ways than he ever imagined.
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October 10, 2013
25% Off Contemporary, Paranormal, & BDSM books @Dreamspinners
In honor of the translation contracts we signed today at the Frankfurt Book Fair, all contemporary, paranormal, and BDSM eBooks are 25% off through Monday morning. Watch this space, because if we sign more contracts, we’ll put more books on sale!
Title: Designs of Desire
Series: Desires Entwined, Book #1
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance (BDSM elements)
Length: Novel / 200 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: July 29th 2013
Artist James Bryant has forearm crutches in every color from rainbow for fun to sleek black for business. He even has a pair with more paint splatters than metal. After his family’s rejection and abuse from a man he thought loved him, James only just gets through the day by painting. He lives in constant fear that he’s not worthy of anything, let alone love.
As CEO of his company, Carrington Enterprises, Seth Burns is a take-charge kind of guy, and he is instantly smitten by the artist helping with his newest project. When he witnesses James suffer a panic attack, a protective instinct he never knew he had kicks in. He truly believes nothing is unobtainable—including James—if he’s willing to put in the time and effort.
James is shy and confused by Seth’s interest in him as a person. With Seth’s support, can he work through his fears to finally find the true love he deserves, or will someone finally land the crushing blow he won’t survive?
October 8, 2013
Guest Author Wednesdays ♥ Shae Connor
Hello everyone. Today I’m thrilled to have Romance Author Shae Connor stop by. She’s sharing some about her recent Anthology—one she did with Kate McMurray, Marguerite Labbe, and Kerry Freeman! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway and leave her a little love below!
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Shae Connor lives in Atlanta, where she works for the government by day and reads and writes about people falling in love by night. She’s been making up stories for as long as she can remember, but it took her a long time to figure out that maybe she should start writing them down. Now, she usually has far too many stories in progress, but when she does manage to tear herself away from her laptop, she enjoys watching baseball, hiking, cooking, and traveling, not necessarily in that order. A proud geek girl, Shae works on volunteer staff for Dragon Con and is a regular guest at Outlantacon.
Shae writes primarily gay contemporary romance and is published with Dreamspinner Press, MLR Press, and Wilde City Press. Her most recent publications have been “Fringes,” a scifi ménage erotica short story released as part of Wilde City’s Charlie Harding Presents line, and “What to Expect When Your Boyfriend Is Expecting,” a scifi short story as part of the tongue-in-cheek Butt Pirates in Space anthology.
♥ Site ♥ Facebook ♥ EMail ♥ DSP ♥ Twitter ♥
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Playing Ball
by Shae Connor, Kate McMurray, Kerry Freeman, Marguerite Labbe
Baseball—America’s favorite pastime—provides a field wide open for romance.
Home Field Advantage by Shae Connor
Toby MacMillan, grandson of Atlanta Braves owner Ray MacMillan, lives for baseball and loves his team. When he meets new team member Caleb Browning, an innocent welcome-to-the-big-leagues dinner leads to a not-so-innocent night together. Toby quickly calls things off, afraid of the ramifications of their tryst, but the two men develop a friendship that soon becomes more. After Caleb takes a fastball to the head, their budding romance hits the news—and Toby’s grandfather hits the roof. When Ray MacMillan demands Toby deny the relationship, Toby must choose between the team he’s loved all his life and the man he could love for the rest of it.
One Man to Remember by Kate McMurray
It’s 1927, and in New York City, Babe Ruth and the Yankees’ unstoppable batting lineup, Murderers’ Row, is all anyone can talk about. Across town, the Giants’ rookie infielder Skip Littlefield racks up hits, creating a streak to rival the Babe’s. Worried his secrets could get out, he avoids the spotlight, but he catches the attention of lauded sports reporter Walter Selby, a notorious dandy whose sexuality is an open secret. Skip reluctantly agrees to an interview, and mutual attraction is sparked. Skip can only hope the more charismatic stars will draw attention away from his romance with Walt. Otherwise, his career and everything he loves is at stake.
Wild Pitch by Marguerite Labbe
Ruben Martell fell in love with Alan Hartner during their years playing baseball. They stepped over the foul line once, but the encounter left them struggling with heartache and guilt, turning away from each other to focus on their families. Now retired from the majors, they run a batting cage together and coach rival Little League teams as they juggle fatherhood and being single again. Though Ruben has never given up hope that Alan might look at him as more than a friend, Alan seems determined to keep things the way they’ve always been. But long-buried feelings and desires have a way of resurfacing, and Ruben can’t wait forever.
One Last Road Trip by Kerry Freeman
With the last game of his Major League Baseball career behind him, Jake Wilson hits the road. Years have passed, but he never got over the romance he shared with Mikko Niemi back in college. Finally, he’s ready to do something about it. He starts with some crucial visits to his ex-wife in New Mexico, his son in Oklahoma, and his daughter in Tennessee. But his true destination is Mikko’s home in Georgia, where he’s hoping to get a second chance at love.
Dreamspinner Press
Amazon
All Romance
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Growing Up With Baseball
By Shae Connor
I love hearing stories of how women became sports fans. I know, it’s a little sexist of me, but our society still operates under the assumption that men are sports fans and women just don’t understand. Every woman who disproves that stereotype is a win in my book.
Well, here I am, dispelling that notion once again. I became a baseball fan because of my mother. (My dad is decidedly NOT a sport fan. He’s happy when the Braves win, listens to the local high school football games on the radio, and watches the Super Bowl for the ads. Otherwise, he only cares when games postpone or delay his prime time shows.)
My mom grew up in south Georgia in the middle of the last century. At the time, the South had not one single major league professional sports team: no football, basketball, hockey, or baseball. The closest Major League Baseball team to Georgia was the Cincinnati Reds—“close” being a relative term in the days before hourly commercial flights and the interstate highway system.
The biggest market back in those days was New York City, something that hasn’t changed to this day. With the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants heading to California and the Mets yet to be born, that left the Yankees as the team with the most national media coverage. Television was still a relative rarity in the rural South of the late 1950s and early 1960s, but everyone had a radio. And so, my mother became a Yankees fan. Yes, really.
Mom has told me this story so many times that I can picture it as if I were there. She was at school in the fall of 1960, her senior year, while the Yankees were playing the Pittsburgh Pirates in a World Series for which the Yankees were heavy favorites. In fact, they ended up outscoring the Pirates 55–27, but the Pirates fought hard, making it all the way to Game 7 at old Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, and a tied game at 9-9 going to the bottom of the 9th.
Then Bill Mazeroski came to the plate. Mom and her friend were huddled around the transistor radio one of the boys had smuggled in to school, holding their breath. Mazeroski wasn’t considered a home run threat; he hit only 138 in his entire career. But he sure picked the perfect time for this one: he hit the second pitch over the left field fence, instantly making his name a dirty word for Yankees fans.
Thankfully for me, by the time I came into the world in 1968, the Braves had moved to Atlanta, so I wasn’t stuck being a Yankees fan. Still, it wasn’t until the mid-1970s that Ted Turner bought them and started broadcasting the games on what would become his “Super-Station.” Suddenly, we had baseball on TV nearly every day. I learned the game quickly, with Mom as my tutor. Naturally, because they were right there, the Braves were my team.
I never gave up on them, not even when they were the worst team in baseball through most of the 1980s. And I’ve been rewarded for my loyalty, since for more than 20 years, they’ve been one of the top franchises in all of professional sports. This year, the Braves won their division for the first time since 2005, and I’m looking forward to the postseason with great expectations. I won’t have children of my own to pass along my love for baseball, but for my own enjoyment, I’m hoping for several more decades of success. 
One thing that is winding down is our blog tour, but you can still enter our giveaway! We’re offering two prizes. The grand prize is a print copy of Playing Ball signed by all four authors, a unisex BBQ apron featuring hot athletes from Originals by Lauren (https://www.etsy.com/shop/OriginalsbyLauren), and swag from all four authors. The runner-up will get an ebook copy of Playing Ball and swag from all four authors.
The giveaway will run from 12 AM Central on September 21, 2013, to 12 AM Central on October 11, 2013. To give an opportunity for the authors to get together to sign the book and gather swag, the winners will be picked and the prizes shipped after the end of GayRomLit 2013.
Rules: You must be a resident of Earth, 18 years or older, who lives in a place where the viewing of adult material is legal. By entering the giveaway, you are indicating your agreement to the rules. Winners must provide a physical mailing address to receive their prizes. If a winner does not respond to the prize notification within 48 hours, the prize will be re-awarded.
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October 1, 2013
Guest Author Wednesdays ♥ JoAnne Myers
Hello everyone. Today I’m thrilled to have Paranormal and Fantasy Author and Painting enthusiast, JoAnne Myers stop by. She’s sharing some about paranormal romance and her soon-to-be released book “Wicked Intentions”. Don’t forget to leave her a little love below!
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I hail from the famous Hocking Hills region of southeastern Ohio. I have worked in the blue-collar industry most of my life. Besides having several novels under my belt, I also canvass paint.
When not busy with hobbies or working outside the home, I spend time with relatives, my dogs Jasmine and Scooter, and volunteer my time within the community. I am a member of the Hocking Hill’s Arts and Craftsmen Association, The Hocking County Historical Society and Museum, and the Hocking Hills Regional Welcome Center. I believe in family values and following your dreams.
♥ Site ♥ Facebook ♥ EMail ♥ Blog ♥ Smashwords ♥
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Wicked Intentions
by JoAnne Myers
BLOOD TIES- word count 15, 902
After the mysterious disappearance of twenty-six year old wife and mother Lisa Smalley, her twin, Attorney Audra Roper, begins having dark and disturbing visions of Lisa’s disappearance. Trying to survive while looking for Lisa, Audra’s life becomes a roller coaster of risks, heartbreak, and intrigue.
THE HAUNTING OF BARB MARIE- word count 9,845
Even as a child, Barb Marie saw dead people. This took an unhealthy toil on her throughout her childhood and young adulthood.
SUMMER WIND-word count 13,039
When twenty-nine year old Ginger discovers the old mansion Summer Wind, she is mysteriously drawn to it. . Immediately, the haunting’s have a negative and profound effect on the family.
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE LIES-
Laying the Norfolk ghost to rest Solving the brutal murder of American born Ruthie Geil becomes a gauntlet of attacks and more murders for Federal Police Inspector Ian Christian. Between the victims family, ex-lovers, and ghostly occurrences on Norfolk Island, the killer is closer than anyone realizes.
THE LEGEND OF LAKE MANOR-word count 8,297
For the young psychic Cassandra Lopez, coming to the infamous and haunted mansion Lake Manor, was more like a mission.
THE APARTMENT-word count 5,188
When young newlyweds Bill and Gayle move into their new apartment, their lives are plagued with sightings of evil ghosts that threaten their marriage and lives.
DARK VISIONS-word count 5,170
When Carrie Reynold’s starts having nightmares on her twenty-sixth birthday, she believes her “dark visions” can solve the twenty year disappearance of her father.
Due out October 2013
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Writing Paranormal
When it comes to fiction writing, almost anything goes. That is why I love writing paranormal and fantasy stories. The author can go completely over the edge and make something unbelievable seem believable. When it comes to ghost stories, I get a lot of my inspiration from real life experiences. Not necessarily my own either. I watch television programs that partake of the supernatural and paranormal flare. Programs from ordinary people who claim they experienced either an afterlife experience, or a haunting.
Some of my stories from my upcoming release “Wicked Intentions” are based on actual hauntings. Some stories I read about in the newspaper, and others I watched on true life experience programs. So the next time you get “writer’s block” try switching on the television. You might find something to jolt your inspiration.
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September 30, 2013
Review Day Tuesday: Inherit the Sky by Ariel Tachna
“I’m sorry you stutter because I know it makes you uncomfortable, but I’m not sorry I can make you so aroused that you can’t control it the way you usually do.”
Title: Inherit the Sky
Series: Lang Downs #1
Author: Ariel Tachna
Cover Artist: Anne Cain
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pub Date: February 20, 2012
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Length: 210 pages
Add to: Goodreads
Caine Neiheisel is stuck in a dead-end job at the end of a dead-end relationship when the chance of a lifetime falls in his lap. His mother inherits her uncle’s sheep station in New South Wales, Australia, and Caine sees it as the opportunity to start over, out on the range where his stutter won’t hold him back and his willingness to work will surely make up for his lack of knowledge.
Unfortunately, Macklin Armstrong, the foreman of Lang Downs who should be Caine’s biggest ally, alternates between being cool and downright dismissive, and the other hands are more amused by Caine’s American accent than they are moved by his plight… until they find out he’s gay and their amusement turns to scorn. It will take all of Caine’s determination—and an act of cruel sabotage by a hostile neighbor—to bring the men of Lang Downs together and give Caine and Macklin a chance at love.
♥ Dreamspinner Press ♥ Amazon ♥ All Romance ♥ B&N ♥ iBooks ♥
Review:
Let me start by saying how much I loved this story. LOOOOVED it. Caine Neiheisel is a bright man with a lot of love to give and the heart of gold hidden beneath is sadly hidden by a speech impediment. He’s living a life that most would consider dead or at least stagnant until his mothers inherits a sheep station in the Outback. Macklin Armstrong is the foreman of the station and a hard man to get to know, truly know, but Caine is smitten both with the man and his new home/life.
Some of what I loved was getting to see how not only these two men come together, but how the station changes Caine AND Caine changes the station. Both men have problems seeing themselves as they truly are, but they compliment one another perfectly. Oh, and how can you go wrong when a snake leads to a devastating first kiss?
The writing is vivid, the characters deep and true, and the details are both wonderfully accurate and truly enhance the story. I wholeheartedly recommend book one of Lang Downs, Inherit the Sky, to any that love sexy men, western style romances, and lasting HEAs.
About the Author:
Ariel Tachna lives outside of Houston with her husband, her daughter and son, and their cat. Before moving there, she traveled all over the world, having fallen in love with both France, where she found her husband, and India, where she dreams of retiring some day. She’s bilingual with snippets of four other languages to her credit, and is as in love with languages as she is with writing.
September 17, 2013
“A Beautiful Tale” says Rainbow Book Reviews…
Reblogged from Rainbow Book Reviews:
I have read a few novels that feature artists and their muses, and I have found that this theme works well enough for me to want to read it as soon as it came up for review. It must be my mothering instinct kicking in as I liked it from the book blurb I got sent; the mere thought of a man injured by another’s misuse of his emotions just made me want to give him a great big hug. Even if it doesn’t always happen in real life, but in this novel two unlikely men get together in a deep and loving relationship that can only happen if one lets the other into his private world.
… I found it a beautiful tale of unhappiness changed to romance and then love with a happy ending.
#bookreview: Designs of Desire by @TempesteO at @dreamspinners, rev'd by @sandrareviewer – http://t.co/FDflkpjdRj "beautiful tale"
— RainbowBookReviews (@RainbowReviews) September 18, 2013
September 10, 2013
Guest Author Wednesdays ♥ H. Lewis-Foster
Hello everyone. Today I’m thrilled to have Romance Author H. Lewis-Foster stop by. She’s sharing some about time travel and men in kilts *swoon*. Don’t forget to leave her a little love below!
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H. Lewis-Foster has worked with books, in one form or another, since leaving university. As a keen reader of gay fiction, she decided to try writing herself, and is now the proud author of several short stories and an upcoming debut novel.
H. has lived in various parts of the UK and has recently moved to the north of England. She’s enjoying city life, especially the theatres and cinemas, and also likes visiting the beautiful villages in the surrounding countryside. In her spare time, H. loves cooking and discovering the many fabulous local food shops. She tries not to watch too much television, but is a big fan of Downton Abbey, and while she’s writing, she loves listening to Test Match Special (where they spend far more time talking about cakes than cricket!)
♥ Site ♥ Twitter ♥ EMail ♥ Dreamspinner ♥ JMS Books ♥
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To Protect The Heir
by H. Lewis-Foster
In 16th Century Scotland, the clans are in a state of relative peace, but the younger sons of the Strathyre clan are still expected to serve two years of military service. Mackie isn’t a keen soldier, but his duties have been made more bearable by highly pleasurable encounters with his fellow conscripts. With their green kilts hoisted round their hips, the men find ways of staying warm in the inhospitable Scottish climate.
Mackie’s least favourite task is lookout duty in the woods outside the chieftain’s castle, where he’s forced into action when he spies an intruder among the trees. As a result of the incident, he’s assigned to accompany the chieftain’s eldest son Alexander to his uncle’s castle in Braelen. The trip should be short and uneventful, but when disaster strikes, Mackie’s strength and bravery are put to the test. He soon finds himself in an even more risky situation, as it becomes clear that Alexander wants more from Mackie than simply his protection.
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Travelling in Time
(or Men in Kilts)
My writing has taken an unexpected turn recently. It appears to have taken a step backwards – in time, that is. While characters delve into the past in one of my earlier stories Secret of the Code, I hadn’t written a real historical piece before. Now I seem to be travelling through time with each story I start. I have stories coming up in Regency London and an Edwardian stately home, while my new short story To Protect the Heir is set in 16th century Scotland. I’d like to say I have an academic interest in Celtic history, but I’m afraid it’s more down to the fact that I just love a man in a kilt!
Before you start thinking how very shallow I am, there is a good reason for this particular predilection. For a man to wear a kilt, he has to be pretty damn confident. Most men would feel highly exposed in a kilt when they’re used to being covered up most of the time. And unless he’s in similarly attired company, he’s probably going to get some serious stick from his friends. So if a man has (if you’ll excuse the expression) the balls to wear a kilt, I find his confidence and individuality extremely appealing.
The kilt also plays a significant role in the plot of To Protect the Heir. Soldier Mackie uses the colour of a stranger’s kilt to differentiate between friend and foe, and its thick tartan cloth provides welcome warmth in the bleak northern climate. On occasion, it’s also a cosy blanket to wrap around himself and his lover as they lie beside a campfire.
It was great fun writing this story, and I especially enjoyed its sheer physicality. It’s about soldiers who battle against their enemies and their harsh surroundings. They fight for their lives and for each other, with no time to think or plan ahead. They act instinctively in all they do, whether in the field of war or love. They have no idea what dangers might be lurking in the darkness, so they make the most of every minute they have. This sense of urgency brings with it a definite freedom for the characters, which is also typified by the unhindered nature of their clothing.
I loved writing about historical characters in kilts and I love to see a man in a kilt today. For me, that piece of tartan cloth represents confidence and individuality, freedom and physicality. (Or maybe I just like a strong pair of calves and a tempting glimpse of thigh – I’ll let you decide!)
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Secret of the Code
by H. Lewis-Foster
Seth is a librarian in an English university, whose love life consists of clandestine assignations with charming academic, Martin Burnell. Knowing there’s no future in the relationship, Seth concentrates his efforts on his work. When he’s not issuing books to students, Seth sorts through boxes of papers bequeathed by the late Professor Lanyard, among which he finds a page of indecipherable code.
Finding himself hopelessly behind with the project, Seth accepts the help of postgrad student, Tim Sellors. Seth enjoys every minute of their work together as Tim becomes a good friend, and he knows he’ll be sad to see Tim go when he leaves at the end of the year. But as Seth lifts the lid on the final Lanyard box, he could never imagine what secrets might be revealed, both in the past and the present.
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September 7, 2013
Suicide Prevention Week BlogHop
*This hop is part of the National Suicide Prevention Week 2013 campaign.
Let’s start with some sobering information about Suicide from WHO:
Suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally for all ages. Every year, nearly one million people die from suicide.
In the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide. Suicide is among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-44 years in some countries, and the second leading cause of death in the 10-24 years age group; these figures do not include suicide attempts which are up to 20 times more frequent than completed suicide.
Although traditionally suicide rates have been highest among the male elderly, rates among young people have been increasing to such an extent that they are now the group at highest risk in a third of countries, in both developed and developing countries.
Every year, almost 1 million people commit suicide, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death globally. Every 40 seconds another family loses a loved one to suicide.
As a mother, wife to a Vet, and friend these statistics are frightening. The fact that my two of my children have suffered bullying, depression, etc. terrifies me. As the wife of a Vet, I have seen too many people return home from service NOT get the help and love they need to deal with the horrors they have seen and endured. As a friend I have nearly lost more than one person to attempted suicide.
None of these things are acceptable to me, and I hope not to you either. There is so much that can be done to help those suffering. To help those abused and bullied until they no longer see any hope in a happy or positive future. To help and support those that are too afraid to seem ‘cowardly’, ‘whiny’, or ‘needy’ and shut themselves off from the very people that would and could help them. (I have heard these reasons for why someone didn’t speak up. I personally do not believe that asking for help is anything less than showing strength and courage!)
I do know how hard loss can be. How hard shunning and hate, even from your own family, can be. And hanging in there is not always something you can imagine, but I can promise that there are people that care, people that want to help, and people that will miss you. There are so many better ways of dealing with pain, loss, and darkness.
Life is a precious gift. Love is a blessing. And with a little care and selflessness we could all reach out to those around us that need a shoulder, a defender, HOPE.
Take a moment to be the HELP the world around you needs! Be the compass of HOPE in the darkness surrounding your loved ones. Be the LOVE others seek to help them find the STRENGTH and PASSION we all need in life.
Suicide prevention is a realistic goal, and governments worldwide should work together to find solutions to this growing public health problem.
The Trevor Project
GLSEN
It Gets Better
Matthew Shepard Foundation
You Will Rise Project
Also, I wanted to also share what happened when I told my eldest (he’s 17) what I was writing. He responded with the following ;
Suicide is in the back of the mind of so many people across the world, from all walks of life, from all religions and ideologies. It is a fact of both life and death to most people. Not all people see how much worth they can have even in there failure.
Sometimes the greatest failures of life are the true inspirations and leaders of the world. We all should strive to be inspirations in our personal worlds and make each other feel like they are worth something, even when they technically aren’t. It is still our duty as living beings of sentients to ensure that all of the wonderful beings of the world are loved and understand their worth.
GRAND PRIZE:
One (1) $50 gift certificate to Amazon. Winner will be chosen randomly from Rafflecopter entries on Sunday, 9/15/13.
SITE PRIZE: Tempe is offering a $10.00 Gift Card to DreamSpinner Press!
Please visit each of the blogs, read the messages, leave comments and remember to leave your e-mail address on each post.
Each author/blogger will be hosting their own giveaway on their blogs and offering their own prizes in addition to the grand prize.
September 5, 2013
Guest Author: Tempeste O’Riley – the Story & the Reader
Reblogged from The Purple Tea House
Well good morning everyone. I’d like to thank Charlie here at The Purple Rose Tea House for hosting me and my debut novel, Designs of Desire.
It takes two to tango, or so the saying goes. In my experience it actually takes a lot more than that to turn a story into a novel. When you add in disabilities that number gets skewed even more, or so it seems.
In Designs of Desire Chase conspires with Seth to help Seth and James find their HEA, but as readers, you are part of the story too. While I was the biographer for the characters, once the book is written and sold, their story becomes yours.
September 4, 2013
Designs of Desire Release Tour WINNERS
Congratulations to the Winners
eBook copy of Designs of Desire – Judi P
eBook copy of Designs of Desire – Colleen C.
$10 Amazon, ARe, or Rainbow eBooks Gift Card – Michelle Bauer
$5 Amazon or Rainbow eBooks Gift Card – Marissa
*Winners have been emailed privately. Each has 72 hours to respond before I will pick a new winner. Thank you.
