Carly Compass's Blog, page 5

Back To the Future II Day!

I originally wrote this post a year ago to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the movie, Back to the Future II, but now the day has arrived and in case you missed it here are some developments:

Some things have changed over the past year since I published this post: The hover board is actually here! That is absolutely amazing that we should see it in our life time…and within the parameters of the Back to the Future franchise.

To learn more about the Lexus Hover Board, Check it here

Another amazing development in the movie, Back to the Future II, is the Chicago Cubs baseball team winning the world series! They have not won a Division Playoff since 1909 and we were all thrilled when that happened…it gave us Chicago Cub fans something to hope for…but tonight if the Cubs don’t win then they are out of the World Series altogether. Zemickis predicted that they will “Win the series in 5,” against Miami. Although Miami isn’t in the world series…tonight’s game will determine if the Cubs even have a chance to be in the  World series at all. If the Cubs lose tonight it is all over.  Everyone, say a prayer, keep your fingers crossed or what ever other superstition has worked for you in the past to help this team win tonight’s game.

This post will also serve to let my readers know that Electric, Book V will not be released on October 31st, 2015 as originally planned. Please stay tuned for further updates on my new release. In the meantime let’s get people reading Books 1-4, which are available here. Please help spread the word.

Here is the original post and thank you for your patience.

A Japanese Tea Garden

Peace In Every Step, written by, Zen Master, Vietnamese Buddhist monk and poet Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us that it is our intention that colors our attitude in everything we do. Doing everything with intention, brings order and peace of mind.

One of my favorite local spots is Geneva, Illinois. Some of you might remember a post I wrote last December about a fine little shop located in the downtown area.

In our harried lives, it is important to slow down with intention and notice everything around us. In creating a ceremony of the simplest things in life, we can gain a greater appreciation for the every day things around us.

Recently I went on a garden walk in Geneva, Illinois and I thought I would share my experience with you here.

The first stop was a hundred year old Japanese Tea Garden, located in the Fabian Forest Preserve. Here a woman plays the Guzheng, calling your mind to order.  You are now on a different plane than  you were moments ago driving in traffic. Relax along with me as you look at the pictures and read the post.

With so much stress in our lives, it is easy to miss the little things that make us happy. It is important to slow down every once in a while and recharge our mind and soul.

Upon entering the garden you embark on a silent inner journey using all of your senses, leaving the secular world behind you enter the world of self reflection.

The garden reproduces nature in miniature, offering symbolic elements of life. Paths vary in textures and help the visitor think about the varying paths of life. The gravel represents everyday challenges; wood chips represent quiet meditation; stepping stones represent risks and elevations represent climbing life’s difficulties.

In life we are presented with choices and here in the garden you are presented with a choice of which path to take. You have a choice to climb the alternate path, Mt. Sumeru representing the Buddhist center of the universe. This way is arduous, as you mount life’s challenges.  Or, you can choose to take the easier path to the left and view the Mt. Sumeru’s symbol as you reflect. The path delicately leads you to a waiting bench where you wait  to be taken to the tea house for tea. It is a place to set aside world cares.

The tea house contains two windows, one square and one round to remind you that there are always two ways of looking at things to give you perspective.

You must remove your shoes before entering the tea house and place them pointing outward and away, symbolizing that your worries and cares will not follow you in. You cleanse your hands along with your mind in the water filled lotus bowl.

Upon entering the tea house you sit in a lotus position while you are served green tea in silence. The decoration and ornamentation are sparse and austere to clear your mind. Economy of movement made by the server is deliberate and meaningful.

Inside you can reflect on the sites and sounds all around you. Water elements such as the calming pond and raging waterfall remind us of life’s ebb and flow

Sitting on the meditation bench you can see two cranes. In Japan, the crane, or tsuru, is a national treasure. It is the symbol of longevity and good luck because it was thought to have a life span of a thousand years. Tsuru are also monogamous, therefore, a symbol of everlasting love.

The plants and trees are chosen for textures and shades of green, along with a few splashes or red from the Japanese maples.The half moon bridge above is very steep to test one’s religious zeal as you climb it.

Once your path is slowed, and your breathing more calm, you might begin to notice more of the little things that are around you, like the frog about to leap or the robin about to bathe.

Lastly, as you exit the garden, you will notice the snow capped Mt. Fuji, a revered landmark of Japan and a reminder that no problem is insurmountable.

I hope you enjoyed our garden walk and you are now refreshed and ready to take on all of life’s challenges with a renewed spirit of peace in every step.

I am currently working on book 5 in my series and in a few  weeks I will share some teasers with you. Electric, The Beginning, Book 1 is available for free download and books 1, 2, and 3 have been combined at a reduced price. To find your links for the books click here.

Enjoy the beauty of summer. I will share more garden pictures with you next time.

As alway, I thank you for your time and attention and I bid you peace.

There is no reality only perception!

This post is dedicated to my beautiful daughters, my lovely niece and anyone who has suffered  trauma in their lives.

Unfortunately, it is true that none of us can get through this life unscathed. They say that adversity builds character, and for the most part that is true. It is what we do with our adverse experiences that turns victims into survivors and losers into triumphant winners.

I studied the genocides of the past 20th century and what stood out for me was that there is no culture that has not been affected in some way by this devastating phenomena.  The past century will show some very harsh examples, starting with the Armenian and Jewish holocausts, reaching into Cambodian, China, The African Sudan, The Middle East and further into history, sadly there are so many others and too many to list here.  It is safe to say that man’s inhumanity to man knows no boundaries and does not discriminate.

In my Anthropology/Literature Honors Seminar on the genocides of the past century, I discovered two authors that I would like to examine briefly here:   Adeline Yen Mah author of Falling Leaves/The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter and He Liyi author of Mr. China’s Son/A Villagers Life.

In Falling Leaves, I found Adeline Yen Mah very self pitying, whereas He Liyi took the Pollyanna approach to life when faced with adversity. Mah comes from a rich and affluent family and Liyi was from a poor obscure family.

No matter what happened in Liyi’s life he took it in stride and made the best of it, whereas Mah tended to lament her misfortune, evidence that there is no reality only perception. It is your perception and your expectations that guide your attitude toward life.

Liyi didn’t have expectations, he made the best of every situation , whereas Mah, coming from affluence had very strict standards as to how her life should go. When comparing the two, Liyi suffered greater indignation upon his being than Mah, but that does not discount one trauma over the other.  They were both traumatized and felt the effects and no one can measure how trauma will effect an individual. I do not believe that one trauma should be minimized over another. Trauma is trauma, pain is pain and all needs to be handled with tender loving care.

Everything is relative, I am not saying that people from more affluent backgrounds can not cope as well as those from more obscure backgrounds. I am merely trying to illustrate that attitude and perception helps define reality.  An example is you stubbed your toe or you broke your toe. Both are painful and one takes longer to heal, but in the end we can not let pain define us.

No one on the earth has control over external forces such as their government, the weather or other cataclysmic events  on a macrocosmic level, nor do they have control as children on a microcosmic level.

People suffer traumas on a microcosmic level within their own family and when interacting in social settings. An abusive childhood  does end, and an adult can remove themselves from bad situations on a microcosmic level. We must strive and survive every single circumstance that confronts us.

When encountering the genocides throughout history or  looking at the abuse one can encounter within their own social settings, we can see that the only thing a person can control is their perception or their attitude toward the events in their lives.

One can lament over their circumstance, wring their hands and gnash their teeth, or one can rise above the situation like a phoenix out of the ashes with gratitude that the situation they were once in is now over. They are now free of it physically, but work must be done to free themselves spiritually.

Your perception is the critical component to bringing yourself out of a traumatizing event and freeing yourself spiritually. Whether those events are brought on by an individual or a random occurrence should not matter. The only thing that matters is how you perceive it and how you allow it to affect you in the future.

One cannot let traumatic events define their lives. One must take those experiences and use them as a tool to define how strong they are to be able to overcome any obstacle, to survive any injustice, and remain true to their authentic self. One must cleanse their spirit, knowing that the traumatic event had nothing to do with them and everything to do with the perpetrator.

We all have dents and chinks in our armor. Those dents and chinks should be worn with pride like a badge of honor;  we not only experienced it, but survived it.  That, that does not kill us makes us stronger. It takes strength to embrace our traumas, to accept that they happened and then to leave them behind like so many fallen leaves.

Everything is relative.  There is no reality only perception. It is your perception that will bring you through any event in your life.

“I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet” (aphorism) Sa'di
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The attitudes and opinions above can be found in my debut novel, Electric, Books, 1, 2, 3 & 4.

As always I thank you for your time and attention. I bid you peace everlasting.

Shadrach Del’Monte

One of my readers, Shadrach Del’Monte  paid me the highest compliment. After reading my books he created movie posters of how he saw the books. I was so impressed with his adaptation that I decided to share them with you here.

In the picture below I see the intensity of Mads Mikkelsen as Mikhail Vladimir and although their backs are turned on each other you can feel the chemistry and sense the vulnerability of Anne Hathaway as Gina Parrot. You can also feel the electric current and mayhem that is about to ensue. Outstanding visuals for this storyline.

https://twitter.com/shadzdelmonte/status/598606334972551168 book 1

For book 2 below, the image he chose of Mads Mikkelsen shows that Mikhail Vladimir is spurned, determined and angry; the image of Anne Hathaway shows Gina’s scars of a tough life. The entire image shows that a storm is brewing between them. It is a perfect portrayal of the books.

https://twitter.com/shadzdelmonte/status/599285208207228929 book 2

For books 3 & 4 below, the image of Ann Hathaway as Gina shows that she is trying to figure this out. Gina is looking toward the image of James Spader as the infamous Don Redmen, we see that Jessica Alba as Carlotta Vanburen is behind it all as the story unfolds. The bubbling lights all around suggests spiritual beings. Outstanding portrayal of the story in its entirety.

 

Learn more about the artist, Shadrach Del’Monte and watch his youtube videos on the links provided below:

More Images by Shadrach Del’Monte here. 

Youtube channel for Shadrach Del’Monte

Connect with him on google.  

Connect with him on twitter

Like his Facebook page.

Find him on Pinterest. 

Click here to learn more about the Electric Series. 

Thank you for you time and attention.

When we raise one, we all rise!

Have a great day everyone, I bid you peace!

Check out @shadzdelmonte here and learn more about this incredible artist!
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Electric, The Aftermath, Book IV

A recap:

Electric, The Aftermath, Book 4 has just been released on Amazon for Kindle users and Smashwords, for Nook, iBook and other users.

Electric, The Beginning, Book 1 is available for free download.

I combined all three books for people where the free download is not available and have passed those savings on to everyone.

I am hoping to release book V in October 2015!

You can check out 5 star reviews for, Electric, The Beginning, Book 1.

Here are the 5 star reviews for, Electric, The Consummation, Book 2.

Here are the 5 star reviews for Electric, The Resolution, Book 3.

You can still be the first to write a review for Electric, The Aftermath, book 4 on Amazon, Goodreads, and Smashwords, by clicking the links.

Thank you so much for you time and attention. Have an awesome day.

Carly Compass' Electric, The Aftermath, Book 4, now available in all formats!
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Happy Reading, #amwriting #amreading

 

Cover Release!

Down to the wire, only a few more days before, Electric, The Aftermath, Book 4 is released.

Since the setting is in Chicago, I worked with a few pictures I had on hand. It would be nice to hire a cover designer, but I’m still priding myself on publishing books at no cost other than the time it takes to do it. We all know time is money, I just happen to have more time than money.

I decided against having a cover reveal party on Facebook, as it is very time consuming and I get so many invitations per day, that I can’t possibly go to them all.  I won’t be doing a book release party for the same reasons. If all goes well, Electric, The Aftermath, Book 4 will be available for purchase on April 30th!

I decided I would just share my book cover options with you here. You can vote on the one you think is the best, using the numbers 1, 2, and 3.

Cover 1 shows a rather Helter Sketer movement, and the script is American Typewriter.

Cover 2 is more formal with a phosphate font. It happens to be my favorite.

Cover 3 again is more formal using Impact font.

The Electric current still sizzles in, The Aftermath, Book 4! We find the widow, Gina Parrot in over her head with a cast of suspicious characters; the stripper, Carlotta Vanburen and the mysterious businessman, Don Redmen are wining and dining her, whisking her away to the luxurious world of the rich and famous. The question is why? Detective Casey has some ideas and with the help of FBI Agent Charles, he means to solve the mystery of the Gardening Website that proves with a little digging to be anything but organic. Can Brad and Vladimir now defending their live’s in the spiritual realm, save Gina and expose the truth of how they both died, in this paranormal adventure that leads to an international crime sydicate.

Electric, The Aftermath, Book 4, the current sizzles through every page in this paranormal thriller, due out…
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Get your free download of Electric. The Beginning, Book 1 and catch up on the whole series: for Kindle users: #freebook for all other users #freebook!

Meet the characters here on my Pinterest page!

Have a great day everyone. Thank you for your time and attention. Happy Reading! #amwriting #amediting until the final hour!

Special Edition!

I am pleased to announce that I have combined all three books into one volume for you to enjoy!

After learning the in’s and out’s of Amazon, I was surprised to find that my free download of Book 1 was not available in all parts of the world. Combining the three books into one allows everyone to receive a great discount at one low price!

For ibook, Nook, and other users all over the world, go to smashwords.com.

For Kindle users in the USA, Amazon.com.

For Kindle users in Australia, Amazon.com.au

For Kindle users in Canada, Amazon.ca

For Kindle users in the United Kingdom, Amazon.uk 

For Kindle users in India, Amazon.in

For Kindle users in France, Amazon.fr

For Kindle users in Brazil, Amazon.com.br

For Kindle users in Italy, Amazon.it

For Kindle users in Germany, Amazon.de

For Kindle users in Japan, Amazon.co.jp

For Kindle users in Mexico, Amazon.mx

For Kindle users in the Netherlands, Amazon.ni 

For Kindle users in Spain, Amazon.es

I am sorry to say that I can not find my books in China. I will work on this and make an update as soon as it is available.

Thank you so much for your time and attention. I #amwriting book 4, will be released at the end of the month and wanted every one to take advantage of the savings!

Electric, Books 1, 2, & 3 combined at a great discount for everyone around the world!
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Thank you,

Merci,

धन्यवाद
dank je we


ありがとう

谢谢


grazie


Kiitos

Danke


Diolch yn fawr

tack

Terima kasih

σας ευχαριστούμε








நன்றி

Gracias

Electric, The Aftermath, Book 4!

TUESDAY’S TEASER

I am diligently working on, Electric, The Aftermath, Book IV, a paranormal psychological thriller, in my series and decided to share a chapter here with you. Each book reads well as a stand alone, but to enjoy the full flavor, read each book, so that you might savor every moment that is Electric.

CHAPTER CI
SOME EXPLAINING TO DO

 

 

Gina proceeded to make the coffee as she looked out the kitchen window at the police cars, thinking, this looks like a crime scene as she wondered how she was going to explain it to her neighbors. “I’m just so glad the kids aren’t here,” she murmured under her breath as she switched on the coffee maker.

“Seriously! What is going on?” Carlotta asked as she entered the kitchen.

“I wish I knew,” Gina said as she grabbed a few mugs out of the cabinet. “I don’t even have time to grieve with all this chaos.”

“Oh, Give me a hug, sweetie,” Carlotta mewed, as she opened her arms to embraced Gina in a hug.

“Now that you have someone with you, I am going to head home,” Officer Casey said joining the women in the kitchen.

“Okay, Thank you so much Officer Casey,” Gina said, handing him his coat.

“I’m just a phone call away if you need anything,” he added as he slipped on his coat and went outside to speak with officer Reynolds.

“So, tell me what is going on already,” Carlotta prodded as she removed her coat and hung it in the front hall closet.

“Please, coffee first.”

“Damn he’s hot. Did you sleep with him?” Carlotta asked, as she watched officer Casey walk to his squad car by the curb.

“Actually, I did just wake up in his arms. He gave me some sedatives last night. He said I was screaming in the night and asked him to stay with me. I don’t remember any of it. At least I am still wearing my flannel pajamas!” Gina shuddered as she poured two cups of coffee. After adding the milk and sugar to her mug, Gina plodded into the sunroom and plopped down in a chair at the table and said, “I think I am still under the influence of those sedatives. Everything just seems like it is in a haze.”

“Well you have been through a lot,” Carlotta said as she joined her at the table.

“I can’t believe he had cameras all over my house. He was watching all of us, in the bathroom, in the bedrooms.”

“How did you find all this out?”

“Last night, I was alone in the house, really beside myself. I just started doing laundry, anything to keep me busy. I was upstairs when I heard this loud bang at the front of the house. I came down to find a car pulling out of the driveway. I called officer Casey immediately and I don’t know how, but he was at Mikhail’s house, probably watching me from all the cameras. I don’t know. I seriously don’t know. Was the pie poisoned?”

“What pie? What are you talking about?”

“I went outside and found the house covered in that hideous red paint. I called officer Casey and he came by and told me that Mikhail Vladimir was dead, sitting in front of computer monitors with all different angles of my house. There was a piece of half eaten pie beside him. See, he gave me a fresh baked pie last Thursday and a poinsettia. He insisted in coming by my work and meeting me in the parking lot. I thanked him and got out of there quick. I was just going to throw the pie and poinsettia in the garbage when Brad pulled up and took it out of my hands and helped me carry it into the house. I just put the pie on top of the refrigerator and started to cook dinner. I got the kids to bed and went to bed myself. When I woke up Brad was dead in the chair.” Gina stopped as tears streamed down her face as she continued, “I thought he had a heart attack, but with this new information. When officer Casey told me about the pie, I ran to the refrigerator and grabbed the pie down to find a piece missing. Brad must have eaten it! Oh my God, Carlotta, was that his plan. Did Vladimir think that I would eat the pie and we would be, what, in heaven together?”

“That is a gruesome thought honey,” Carlotta said as she sipped her coffee, “I just can’t believe this all happened in such a short period of time. Where are your kids?”

“They’re at my in-laws. Thank God, they didn’t need to be here last night and see all this. God, I don’t know what to do?”

“Look, I felt so bad yesterday that I called Don and told him about what happened. He sends his condolences and wants to help you in any way that he can. I told him we would meet him for dinner tonight at an exclusive restaurant above Redheads in Chicago, La Perla. How long will the kids be gone?”

“I don’t know, I suppose I should call my in-laws and check in on the kids.”

“Okay, you do that and see if they can keep the kids for a couple of days. We need to get organized and start making plans. Did Brad have life insurance? How are you financially?”

“No, we let the premium lapse so many times due to non-payment that I don’t think there is anything there. My health insurance at my job doesn’t kick in until I become a permanent employee; right now I am a temp working out of an agency. So I don’t even have health insurance. I have bills, plenty of bills. It costs $60,000 plus just to survive, what with the kids, the mortgage, car payment and insurance. Oh God, I don’t want to think about all this! Can’t I just grieve my husband?”

“Look, why don’t you jump in the shower, no better yet, let’s run you a nice hot bath. I will raid your closet and find you something nice to wear and we will meet Don for dinner. He will be able to help you and after the stunt I pulled yesterday, I owe you that much. Don really likes you. He wants to help.”

***

“You were known as Brad Parrot in your last regeneration,” Binah said holding a clipboard in his hand. “You and I are in the physical form right now until we can reorient you.”

“What’s going on?” Brad asked laying on table as he picked up his hand to look at it. The room he was in seemed to have no walls and everything was white.

“My name is Binah. I have been your spiritual guide throughout your entire life. There was some sort of accident that has brought you here. You will have time to readjust yourself so that we can hold a debriefing and an investigation.”

“Gina, Where is Gina? And my kids? What is going on? Where am I?”

“All in good time Brad. You must rest now. You have been through a death in your mortal form. We will have all the answers for you in due time. Right now I want you to raise your hand in the air and swipe it from left to right.”

Brad raised his hand and did as he was told as a screen of images appeared before his eyes.

“This is your life. You must review it before we can proceed. I will be back in a little while to check in on you. You must not try to get up. Just review the screen and rest for now.”

Brad closed his eyes and rested.

***

Gina went upstairs to run a bath. As the water ran she grabbed some towels and a book and decided that she would just relax in the tub.

***

“Quiet, now Mikhail. You have just been through a very transformative experience. You need to rest.”

“What? Where am I?”

“Just watch the screen and I will be back to check in on you,” Haniel explained.

Mikhail closed his eyes and rested.

***

Carlotta grabbed her cell phone and put in a call to Don.

“Hi”

“How is she?”

“She just ran a bath.”

“Okay good, do you think she will be able to join us this evening.”

“Yes, I have explained that you want to help her so we will leave here at 6:00 p.m. to drive downtown.

“Okay, good. Very good, I will see you tonight.”

“Okay bye.”

“Bye.”

Don, dialed a number, “everything is ready for 6:30 p.m. tonight, so be there.”

“Okay boss,” came the voice on the other end.

Don hung up and proceeded to make more calls.

END

I am excited to take on the challenge of Angels, spooks and specters and hope it will entice you.

Electric, The Beginning, Book I is available for free download on both Amazon and Smashwords. Grab your copy today and get reading as Book IV comes out on April 30th!

Here are a few excerpts from, Electric, The Consummation, Book II!

Some ways to show support:

Become a fan on Goodreads.com

Like my Facebook Page.

Follow me on Twitter.

Follow me of Google +.

Follow me on Linkedin.

Just five weeks until Electric, The Aftermath is available on Amazon and Smashwords. Help spread the word by using social share buttons below. Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you are as excited as I am.

Check out #wip #greatread #freebook #contemporaryfiction #familysaga Electric, The Aftermath, Book IV, due out…
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Until we meet again, make it a great day!

Work in Progress (WIP)

TUESDAY’S TEASER

I am diligently working on, Electric, The Aftermath, Book IV, a paranormal psychological thriller, in my series and decided to share a chapter here with you. Each book reads well as a stand alone, but to enjoy the full flavor, read each book, so that you might savor every moment that is Electric.

 

CHAPTER C
REORIENTATION

***

“Tzadkiel, what are we to do with the new arrivals?”

“We have to investigate. It is obvious that it wasn’t their time. They will need time to reorient themselves. Let them review their lives, before we have a debriefing and get this all sorted out.”

“Thank you, Tzadkiel. I will get them started.”

“And send Matatron, to watch over Gina Parrot and the whole situation before more calamity ensues.”

“On it!”

***

Gina was in a deep, drug induced sleep, as she nuzzled her face into officer Casey’s chest of thick curly black hair. The sound of the doorbell coupled with banging, slowly entered her mind, and gently rousted her from sleep. At first she snuggled further into officer Casey, blocking out the noise, pulling him in closer with her arm extended across his rock hard abs, as she slowly opened her eyes and snapped her mouth shut to the realization that she was in bed with a man! She violently pushed him away as she pushed herself back and out of his arms, still hearing the incessant ring and bang at the front door below. She looked wildly around the room, just as Officer Casey was waking up from his deep slumber.

“What is this?” Gina shouted, “Why are you in my bed? What happened?” she asked as she looked at the bedside clock to find that it was 9:30 a.m.

“Oh,” Officer Casey groggily replied as he grabbed the side of the waterbed to hoist himself up. “You were screaming in the night and when I came up to calm you down you asked me to stay with you. Nothing happened. Just calm down,” he said as the doorbell rang again and again.

Gina got out of the bed and grabbed her robe and looked at the fine physic of officer Casey’s muscled torso and strong arms, wearing plaid boxer shorts. She quickly averter her eyes and pulled the collar of her robe more tightly around her neck. “Ah, sorry, I was just shocked to find you here. Could you please put some clothes on,” She asked as the doorbell rang yet again.

“Who can that be and at this hour. Please get your clothes on,” she repeated as she walked through the bedroom door and down the stairs. Gina peered through the peephole of her front door to find Carlotta reaching for the doorknocker yet again. “Hold on, hold on,” Gina said as she unbolted the door and pushed down the latch. “What are you doing here?” Gina asked, making no effort to hide her disdain.

“Gina, honey, I am so sorry. I am so sorry. I have no excuse. I was drinking. I was drunk. I’m sorry. Please forgive me?” Carlotta said with arms extended to hug Gina.

“In front of my kids. In front of everyone, you carried on like that! At my husband’s funeral? IN FRONT OF MY KIDS!”

“I know. I know. I know and I am sorry, please forgive me Gina!”

“Oh, just come in.” Gina said as Officer Casey made his way down the stairs.

“What’s with the cop cars and that pink sheen on the house?” Carlotta asked soon distracted by the appearance of Officer Casey descending the stairs and then added, “Who’s this?” in her flirtatious tone extending her hand in greeting.

Gina rolled her eyes saying, “Officer Casey, this is Carlotta, a friend of mine. Officer Casey stayed with me last night because someone threw paint on my door and it turns out Vladimir had my entire housed bugged. He is dead too!”

“What!” Carlotta exclaimed.

“Look, I am going to need some coffee if I am going to get through this, let’s head into the kitchen,” Gina said, as she left the room.

“So nice to meet you. Officer Casey, was it?” Carlotta asked.

“Yeah. Nice to meet you too,” Officer Casey said and grabbed her four fingers she proffered in greeting.

END

I am excited to take on the challenge of Angels, spooks and specters and hope it will entice you.

Electric, The Beginning, Book I is available for free download on both Amazon and Smashwords. Grab your copy today and get reading as Book IV comes out on April 30th!

Become a fan on Goodreads!

Feel free to comment. I always love to hear from you.

Until we meet again, make it a great day.

Don’t discount Google +

Gmail and Google + are important to your worldwide reach!
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I have heard over the years that Google + is for the employees of Google. When I am on Google I can almost hear the wind of a vast wasteland, half expecting a random tumble weed to come rolling by, but recently I have learned a few things that I would like to share with you.

First, you must have a gmail account in order to have a google + profile. Once that is established you can post, share your blog and like other peoples’ posts similar to Facebook.

Google + has you categorize people into groups: Friends, Acquaintances, Family and Following. I have 76 followers and I put them in Friends, Following and Acquaintances.

I haven’t quite figured it all out just yet. I have tried to message people and ask them questions, but I never get a reply. So, I just post my blog on there and that is about all I do. 76 people have me in their circles and I have 161 in my circles.

If you are on a desktop, you will see the buttons at the top righthand side of the page that will bring you to my Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Google pages. If you are on a phone, then you will have to scroll way down to the bottom to see these buttons. If you click the Google button, you can look at my google+ profile. Please feel free to connect with me there by clicking here.

While doing research for my latest book, Electric, The Aftermath, Book IV, I decided to pick up a Nora Roberts book, since I had never read this New York Times best selling author. At the library I  grabbed a book at random from the huge selection, that has a paranormal theme, the second book, of the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy.  The book read well as a stand alone and had me curious enough to take out the next and final book in the series.

While in the middle of the third book, I was curious about Nora Roberts and decided to do a google search on her to see what I could learn about this prolific author.

Now I don’t know if you ever googled yourself to see where you stand in the grand scheme of internet searches, but I have. Before I developed my writer platform there was not much out there. Today, one year later, I can boast that I have almost two complete pages before it starts to get bogged down with taking parts of my name and mixing it with other parts to form different categories or searches.

Imagine my surprise when I googled Nora Roberts and found my dear friend Devika Fernando on the bottom of the first page containing a blurb about Nora Roberts that she posted on Google +  in August, 2014. I was amazed at the first page placement, considering that Nora Roberts has published over 200 books in her name and about 30 more under a pseudonym. This caused me to investigate.

Devika Fernando started building her writer’s platform about six months before I did and when I met her a year ago I couldn’t find her anywhere online because she has a very popular name. But one year later when I searched for her on Google she has 12 pages of articles, books, reviews, interviews etc!

Devika Fernando published her first book in February of 2014, When I See Your Face.  And since then has published Playing with Fire and Kaleidoscope of Hope and co-authored a book with Mike Wells, Forbidden with her newest book coming out on March 4th, Saved In Sri Lanka.

When I looked at her google profile I found that she had increased from about 100 to close to 3,000 followers and 20,000 views. To me this signifies that google + is very important for your worldwide reach in conjunction to posting blogs, doing interviews, writing reviews and interviewing others.

So don’t discount Google + while developing your writers platform.

Congratulations Devika Fernando for growing leaps and bounds in the past year. I can’t wait to read her latest release, Saved In Sri Lanka and hope to one day be as prolific.

In the mean time please feel free to follow me on Google +, I will definitely follow you back and add you to my circles. Until then, Make it a great day!

Follow me on Google + and I will follow you back!…
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