Lee Ryder's Blog, page 27

A true story....

This is a true story, I wanted to share with you all: 
I step out onto the stage, my heart doing flip flops in my chest. As the theater darkens and my cast mates take their places I hear the strains of the guitar begin to play. I take a deep breath and think of how I got here, the endless hours of music lessons the grief and aggravation I endured as I worked on my craft. I think of the daily rehearsals that left little time for homework, the injuries, the late nights, the choir rehearsals, the dance lessons where I showed I had two left feet; and the nerves always the nerves. I take another deep breath filling my lungs and slowing the erratic beat of my heart. In my mind I'm not here, I'm somewhere else completely different, alone in a quiet hall. The only people there are me, and my grandfather. I look at him, his bright face shining at me with an incandescent smile. He's beaming, and his eyes are full of pride. I begin to sing, to him…only to him. The song I've been practicing for months, in the rehearsal studio, on this stage, in the apartment I share with my friend Sara. It's a song I've heard others sing before, so it sounds foreign coming out of my throat and filling the room with a sound I can hardly believe is coming from me. The nerves creep up again, I push them back. No one and nothing can take this special moment away from my grandfather and I. My body takes over; it feels as if I always meant to sing this song. Muscle memory from a previous life perhaps? I feel myself moving to the music, but I'm not conscious of any of it. I'm drawn on note by note, my voice climbing higher and higher as the music crescendos.I launch into the refrain; suddenly Sara is beside me singing the beautiful alto part to the song.  I take her hand feeling her love and friendship flow into me, chasing away the ever present nerves. I look at my grandfather and see tears on his face, his joy flowing over me like a warm rain. I lose myself in the music and the comfort of the joy I see radiating from my grandfather's eyes. The second chorus begins, now all my cast mates are singing. The world reappears and my grandfather is still there in the back of the auditorium watching me. He mouths the words "I love you." In my head I say "I love you too." Then Ben takes my hand as we've been directed to do and we move on from my song as the sound of applause crescendos in the auditorium. I look back but the auditorium has gone dark and I can no longer see my grandfather's face. The second chorus begins, now all my cast mates are singing. The world reappears and my grandfather is still there in the back of the auditorium watching me. He mouths the words "I love you." In my head I say "I love you too." Then Ben takes my hand as we've been directed to do and we move on from my song as the sound of applause crescendos in the auditorium. I look back but the auditorium has gone dark and I can no longer see my grandfather's face.The musical goes on song by song, skit by skit. I cannot see Grandpa, but I can feel him there watching us, laughing when we play the funny parts, crying when the finale is near. After we take our bows I return to the dressing room and pick up the small card I have on my dressing room table among the pots of makeup and hair pins. It has a picture of a field on it, a reminder of life. I flip it over and gently run my finger over the name printed on the card. I've already committed it to memory:  Herman Dabb…my grandfather. He was buried a few days before opening night, and this performance was for him. Tonight I got the chance to do what I'd never done before; I got to sing for my grandfather and for that one special moment in time, it was only us. It was only my grandfather, me and the music. Tears sting my eyes as I raise them heavenward, "I love you Grandpa." I whisper. 

Lose that excess weight and keep it off for good—even wit...

Lose that excess weight and keep it off for good—even with your hectic lifestyle! Executives face extraordinary stress and challenges to maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. Frequent travel, dinner meetings, and high pressure jobs combine to create a difficult environment, both outside and inside the body, for sustaining healthy habits.   Buy on Amazon     Now an internationally successful financial executive who overcame these hurdles shares her secrets to: * Lose the extra weight without having to buy expensive diet products or go to weekly meetings * Regain energy and stamina * Look younger * Feel healthier * Never have to diet again The methods outlined in The Busy Executive Diet are proven ways of building better eating habits for sustained health that happen to also slim your waistline and give you a more youthful appearance.  About the author:
Gabriella Kindert (MBA, MA) is a finance executive who has worked in numerous countries for leading organizations. Over the years, she has attributed her success to hard work, diligence, and dedication. In addition to her job, she is a founding partner of several successful companies. Despite her busy schedule, she is a mother of two children and a devoted wife. During her career she realised the importance of balance, nutrition, physical activity for better control of every aspect of life. She has established an organization called One Life, which actively promotes a healthier lifestyle. You can also follow her on Facebook.      

Fears and Scars Release!

✮✩✮Fears and Scars Release #Giveaway Hop✮✩✮
34 Stops on Author and Blog's FB pages with amazing prizes to win!
'Fears and Scars' by Emily Krat is #LIVE and available at a special release price for a limited time or ‪#‎FREE on Kindle Unlimited.• Amazon US ➜ http://amzn.to/1OY0uxF• Amazon UK ➜ http://amzn.to/1WNfvHM• Amazon AU ➜ http://bit.ly/1WNfymN• Amazon CA ➜ http://amzn.to/1KEaVo9
I'm giving away an ecopy of my newest release The First Time All you have to do is go to my blog, follow it, and add yourself to my mailing list! The next stop on the HOP is — https://www.facebook.com/glchapple.You can find all 34 Hop stops with giveaways here - http://bit.ly/1QshJJS.
Facebook is not responsible for this giveaway.

EXCLUSIVE iBOOKS EARLY RELEASE!Steamforged, Book Two...

EXCLUSIVE iBOOKS EARLY RELEASE!

Steamforged, 
Book Two in The Steamborn Seriesby Eric R. Asher
There are old wounds in the forgotten places of the world, and some are soaked in blood.

Jacob and his allies flee into the Deadlands after the fall of Ancora. Charles, the enigmatic smith, hopes to find answers in the desert city of Bollwerk that could prevent a war.


Their enemies are many, and here Jacob will learn the cost of life in the Deadlands.

http://apple.co/1jyRre0 
Releases to other platforms on February 2nd.Pre-order from Smashwords -http://bit.ly/1QPb8Zv 


Steamborn,Book One in The Steamborn Series Available now
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B018RK2RC8Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1lF8XOy iBooks: http://apple.co/1hQrAwi 


Steamsworn,
Book Three in The Steamborn Series
Exclusive iBooks release date of March 22nd, 2016.Pre-order: http://apple.co/1NlSZSf 

Meet the author, Eric R. Asher


Eric is a former bookseller, guitarist, and comic seller currently living in Saint Louis, Missouri. A lifelong enthusiast of books, music, toys, and games, he discovered a love for the written word after being dragged to the library by his parents at a young age. When he is not writing, you can usually find him reading, gaming, or buried beneath a small avalanche of Transformers.
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Title: A Beholden HeartAuthor: M.L. SteinbrunnGenre: YA/N...

Title: A Beholden HeartAuthor: M.L. SteinbrunnGenre: YA/NA RomanceRelease Date: January 15, 2016Have you ever looked around at your life and thought to yourself, this can’t be what the universe had planned for me?This thought enters my brain…Every. Single. Day.I have no clue what I’m supposed to be doing, but this isn’t it.I don’t want extraordinary. I’ve never wanted extraordinary. I just want normal…whatever that is.When I enrolled in Middleton High School, I was just looking to find some resemblance to the typical high school experience.Then I met Matt Rhodes. He lives the life of envy: popular, athletic, top of his class. Yet he wants none of it; he would gladly give it all up to gain back everything that he’s lost.Together we will redefine normal.

"This is my first book of 2016 and the bar has been set high indeed for those that follow. As I write this at 430AM with tears streaming down my face, I know that this book has taken my heart and changed it."- 5 Star Goodreads Review

“Thanks so much for sharing the book with me ML Steinbrunn. Thank you for the laughs, friendships and living life to the fullest. This book truly was a real inspiration …” - 4.5 Star Review Four Chicks Flipping Pages

(Special thanks to Four Chicks Flipping Pages)
(Special thanks to Dani Rene Author)
My name is M.L. Steinbrunn and I am a young adult and contemporary romance author. My work includes the popular Redemption Series and a young adult series, which includes my new release, A Beholden Heart. In addition to writing, I work full-time as a high school educator and coach in rural Colorado where my husband and I are raising our four young children. Through education I have enjoyed guiding others on their paths and helping students build their own stories. After countless evenings of discussing story ideas, it was my husband who encouraged me to follow my own path of self-publishing.I want to send a huge thank you to those who have been overwhelmingly supportive of this journey. --M.L. Steinbrunn a Rafflecopter giveaway HOSTED BY:

Title: Shots FiredAuthor: Stacy GreenSeries: Delta Detect...

Title: Shots FiredAuthor: Stacy GreenSeries: Delta Detectives Release date: January 18Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Cage Foster is finishing up a long shift as a criminal investigator for the Adams County, Mississippi's Sheriff department. He's eager to go home to his fiancé and new baby when a report of shots fired at a friend's historical antebellum home changes everything.
When Cage arrives at Magnolia House, he discovers a victim on the front lawn and realizes his friends are still trapped inside. A domestic dispute between two guests has gone horribly wrong, and the hostage negotiation team won't arrive before the situation explodes.
With time running out, Cage must sneak into the house through the long forgotten tunnel once used to shuttle slaves back and forth. Once inside, his only hope is a surprise attack, but the old house has tricks of its own. 
Will Cage be able to save his friends, or will he become yet another victim of a furious husband hellbent on punishment?
**The Shots Fired novella was originally a part of the Protect and Serve anthology.  The Re-release of this book includes new added scenes. ** 





Stacy Green is the author of the Lucy Kendall thriller series and the Delta Crossroads mystery trilogy. ALL GOOD DEEDS (Lucy Kendall #1) won a bronze medal for mystery and thriller at the 2015 IPPY Awards. TIN GOD (Delta Crossroads #1) was runner-up for best mystery/thriller at the 2013 Kindle Book Awards. Stacy has a love of thrillers and crime fiction, and she is always looking for the next dark and twisted novel to enjoy. She started her career in journalism before becoming a stay at home mother and rediscovering her love of writing. She lives in Iowa with her husband and daughter and their three spoiled fur babies. Stacy loves to hear from readers! Visit her website at stacygreenauthor.com, or Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StacyGreenAuthor



Stacy Green, Award Winning and Best Selling Mystery and Suspense Author
All Good Deeds  2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards Bronze Medalist for Best Mystery/Thriller (Ebook)
Join Stacy's Mailing List

www.stacygreen.net

Spotlight on Paul Alan

Spotlight on 
Paul Alan
Rules only squash the creative writing process for this PLOTTER.

I need the freedom to write in a narrative that will make an entertaining read. And while writing, I visually TRY to play out the story in my head as if I were planning to make a movie. Maybe this has something to do with my days back in film school.
Felt like a zombie typing in the darkness when I wrote Giants of Mars. And while posing in front of my keyboard in the middle of the night, mostly in a veil of sleep deprivation and insomnia, I kept reminding myself to carpe noctem.  (seize the night)
Regarding rule breaking, playing ball is not something my feisty rebellious nature can easily do.
Albeit, the righteousness streak running through my veins, I bear the weight of a heavy devil character whispering in my ear. This is what defines me as human; I am plagued with the duality of mankind.
Maybe I shouldn't care.
Society is full of sleepwalkers, hypnotized by their smart phones; the smart phone was the biggest social pacifier ever invented. I feel nobody really cares much about anything but kittens on Youtube. I feel people should read more books.

I AM FROM THE THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN
AUTHOR NAME: PAUL ALANBORN: 1970’SRACE: Human with Possible Genetic Alien Hybridization in DNARESIDENCE: Chicago, the USA’s Middle CoastSTATUS:  MARRIEDCHILDREN: 1GRANDCHILDREN: 3
EMAIL: Ipaulalan@gmail.comWEB:  www.paulalan.infoFACE BOOK: https://www.facebook.com/paul.t.goberTWITTER: @1paulalan 

Don't forget to check out his webpage! http://www.paulalan.info/about.html
And Don't forget to check out his Awesome books!

Rebel Lexis:  http://goo.gl/0Zz1eTSynopsis: Jason Bjorn just wants to do his job and captain his ship, but when his employer—The Polaris Corporation—sends him on a trek across the wastelands of Earth where he encounters treachery, an ancient cult, and secrets that strike at the heart of Polaris’ control over the planet. Soon, fighting to stay alive is the least of his worries as he finds himself at the center of a conflict that could change everything with nobody on his side but SOFIA, the seductively independent operating system that runs his ship. 

             Giants of Mars: http://goo.gl/4m7q8o  

Synopsis: 

Giants of Mars: Science Fiction/Dystopian Masterpiece Pits Maverick Spaceship Captain against Seductive, Alluring & Possibly Deadly AI Computer System. Masterfully crafted by Paul Alan, the second volume in the celebrated new ‘Rings of Polaris’ series fuses sci-fi, dystopian fiction, action and erotica – in an adventure giving Arthur C. Clarke a run for his money.

Star Child: http://goo.gl/kpk5dD
Synopsis:Jason and Lexi, his SYN and lover, have become separated. Lexi is an AI computer system with human emotions. Jason is battling to escape his enemies and believes Lexi has been destroyed. Lexi thinks part of her brain isn’t functioning right since she can’t locate him, but suspects he has been killed. Jason’s child is growing inside her. She is on Mars in the Chameleon, Jason’s spaceship, and deadly giants are roaming around. In order to protect the child inside her, she takes control and enlists robots to guard the ship. Then a strange event occurs, and she must make dangerous decisions if part of Jason is to live on. 

There is also an AWESOME interview with this  amazing man here:
http://www.allyshields.com/7/post/2015/10/coffee-chat-author-interview-paul-alan.html

                                                

The First Time

The rings are exchanged, loving toasts were joyfully made, and they danced until dawn. Now alone in their hotel room, Annalise awaits a different rite of passage...her first time.
Coming soon on Amazon! 

RELEASE DAY BLITZ for The Mystery HouseThe Mystery H...

RELEASE DAY BLITZ for The Mystery House


The Mystery Houseby Eva PohlerThe Mystery Book Collection
Ellen and her two best friends share a mid-life crisis by hatching a plan to renovate an 1860's Greek revival in the nearby historic district of San Antonio. Although Ellen isn’t one to believe in ghosts, she comes face to face with something inexplicable in the attic. Her ghost-enthusiast friends convince her that they must help the spirit find closure, and as they dig deeper into the past, they uncover a shocking history that someone in the neighborhood doesn’t want exposed. But Ellen and her friends don't give up easily. They realize they've been called to give voice to the invisible women who suffered behind the walls of the house for decades.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Z6HLGRSmashwords: http://bit.ly/1lGEPTd

The Mystery Book CollectionA series of stand-alone psychological thrillers.

Want a FREE copy of The Mystery Box?Get it here.

Meet the author:
Eva Pohler

Eva Pohler teaches writing and literature at a university in San Antonio, where she lives with her husband Eva Author Pic 1and three kids. She’s the author of several novels for teens based on Greek mythology, including her bestselling six-book Gatekeeper’s Saga and three-book Vampires of Athens Series. She’s also the author of spine-chilling psychological suspense, including her Mystery Book Collection and The Purgatorium Series. The first is for mature audiences and consists of two books that are already out–The Mystery Box and The Mystery Tomb–and two others soon to be released–The Mystery House and The Mystery Daughter. Her other suspense series, The Purgatorium, is a trilogy for both the young and mature reader. Her books have been described as “thrilling” and “addictive.” A Kirkus reviewer said of The Gatekeeper’s Sons that it was “sure to thrill Hunger Games fans.”

A reader herself, Eva writes in multiple genres, but all of her stories blur the line between reality and fantasy, truth and delusion, and draw from Eva’s personal philosophy that a reader must be lured and abducted into complete captivity in order to enjoy the reading experience.

FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | TWITTER | AMAZON

Book: Beautiful ImperfectionAuthor: Hayley OakesGenre: Co...

Book: Beautiful ImperfectionAuthor: Hayley OakesGenre: Contemporary Romance Hosted By: Francessca’s Romance Reviews
Synopsis

Failure wasn’t what Cassidy Sinclair expected when she got married … but that’s exactly what she got. 
Instead of getting her happy ever after she is struggling to adjust to living back with her unconventional parents and the chatter of small town gossip. 
Desi Cardwell was never known for his interpersonal skills and being back in small town Tolvey, sending the rumour mill into overdrive, was not what he wanted for himself.
Both forced home after a decade away, Cassidy and Desi begin an unlikely alliance when she agrees to train with him at his newly opened gym.
Desi is mysterious, guarded and borderline rude but what he lacks in charm he more than makes up for with his hard body and devilish good looks.
Desi does not need anything to keep him in Tolvey longer than necessary.
Cassidy needs something mind-numbing to help her forget her ex.
Both beautifully broken can they find in each other a light in the dark?
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What others are saying 
Hayley Oakes again writes a beautiful story with characters that you'll find are easily loved even with all of their dark spots. I highly recommend this to everyone! ~ Amazon USA review
The twists and turns along the way made sure this wasn't your run of the mill romance novel. Highly recommended. ~ Amazon UK ReviewYou put these two together and they fit perfectly - they're two beautiful persons just a little broke. Add in an average new age family including a wacky sibling, some fun friends and your set for a great story and I have to say loved callain!Beautiful writing and a story that will keep you turning pages ? ~ Goodreads Review
It tugged at my heartstrings, made me smile, made angry and made me cry. A enjoyable roller coaster read - just simply amazing! Highly recommended. ~ Amazon UK Review

About The Author

Hayley Oakes is a wife to a Manchester United fan and a mother to a young daughter both require patience and a sense of humour. She enjoys reading angst ridden romance and writing stories that she would love to read. She loves post-apocalyptic movies, TV and anything 80’s.
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