Sylvia Shults's Blog, page 82

Happy Birthday To Me?

So this morning, I did not, unfortunately, get woken up with a breakfast tray served in bed, with waffles and a mimosa and scrambled eggs and a long-stem red rose in a clear glass vase.

I got woken up by my wonderful husband going, “Honey, I hate to wake you up like this, but the basement’s flooding and there’s mud all over the floor.” (Could have been worse. It was just muddy groundwater, not, you know, sewage-y stuff.)

At one point, as we were sopping up muddy water with bath towels and wringing them out in the mop bucket, Husband sent me out to rent a pump. But by the time I got to the rental place, he called me and said, “The water’s stopped coming in — we don’t need the pump, you can come home.”

So I headed back home — but I did think to myself, “Boy, if this was some elaborate plan they concocted to get me out of the house to set up an early-morning surprise birthday party, I’m not impressed…”

Get ‘Em Before the Greedy People Do!

Hey, guess what? I know just enough about technology now to make myself dangerous. I’ve managed to set up 44 Years in Darkness as a Kindle book, all by me onesie! And it’s available for preorder. Just follow the link to Amazon, and the ebook will be delivered to your device on October 10, the same day the tree book comes out. https://www.amazon.com/44-Years-Darkness-Madness-Shattered-ebook/dp/B01KRGSX4Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472320852&sr=8-2&keywords=44+years+in+darkness

Thanks in advance — I appreciate your support!

Holy Cats, You Guys!

Wow.

Um, so I just went over to Goodreads, to make sure I had the right link to tell you about. There’s one day left of the giveaway for 44 Years in Darkness, and I have been remiss in pimping it, so I did want to remind you that it’s still going on for the next twelve hours.

That’s when I saw it. Over five hundred people have entered the giveaway! Wow, guys! That … thanks. That really means a lot to me, that so many people want to hear Rhoda’s story. Just … wow.

And that’s not all! I scrolled down to the bottom of the page, and saw that some people have put it on their “To-read” shelf. The bottom of the page was pretty full — thirty people on a page. Then I realized that there were TEN PAGES of people! Nearly three hundred people want to read this book! Yowza!

I am humbled by the thought of so many people reading Rhoda’s story. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

As I mentioned, there’s still time to get in on the giveaway for one of twenty advance copies (autographed, even!) of the book. Just follow this link, and click on Enter Giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30900793-44-years-in-darkness?ac=1&from_search=true

Again, thank you so very much.

Hooray for UPS!

Look what showed up in the mail!!!

Mystery Plant

So about three weeks ago, I was getting ready to mow the yard, and I discovered that a new plant had colonized my lawn. I have zero idea where this plant came from — I’m not even quite sure what it is. It looks almost like a canna lily, but when I dug it up and potted it (because I wanted to keep it!), there was no corm underneath, just a little root system. It also sort of looks like a hosta, but it was growing in full sun, not shade. To top it all off, I have no idea where either a canna or a hosta would have come from! If anyone recognizes this plant, could you please help me out and identify it for me! (I live in the Midwest, if that helps.) I repotted it successfully, and it has survived. I plan to overwinter it in the house. Next spring, I might try to find a place for it in my (teensy) yard, or I might just keep it outdoors during the summer as a potted plant, like I do with my rosemary plants.

Goodreads Giveaway

Good morning all! Hey, there’s a giveaway going on right now at Goodreads. I’m giving away 20 advance copies of 44 Years in Darkness — that’s right, these will go out as soon as the giveaway ends August 27. You won’t have to wait for the October 10 release date.

How do I enter? I hear you cry. It’s easy — just follow this link and click on the Enter Giveaway button. https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Good luck!

Taking Responsibility

When I was a kid, I’d hear stuff on television about terrorism, and the announcer would solemnly say, “Such-and-such group has claimed responsibility for the attack.” As a child, I was truly baffled by this. If you admitted to causing trouble, or making a mess, or smacking the paste out of your little sister, YOU GOT IN TROUBLE.  I mean really, who would admit to something huge like terrorism? If you admitted that you were the one who left a glass half-full of milk on the floor of the closet for several weeks, you were likely to get a spanking. How much MORE trouble would you get in if you admitted to blowing up a train station?

Let’s Go … Lights Out!

Let’s start the week off with something fun, shall we?

It’s time for another episode of Lights Out, your virtual campfire. Do you believe in ghosts? This episode of Lights Out takes a listen to the experiences of several seasoned investigators. They tell the stories of the encounters they had with the supernatural that had them saying for the first time, “Okay, I believe.”

Enjoy the episode! https://youtu.be/nLKJQs9iOqg

Fireside Chat

autistsix

Another well written but disturbing short story from my deceptively gentle soul-mate:

FIRESIDE CHAT

I love a good fire. From the early licking flames on the kindling, to the

great heat thrown as a good roaring one meets its climax, then down to the

final crescendo as the glowing embers slowly grey out and fade away.

Mmmm. Cosy. That’s what fires are, cosy. Families gathered around the hearth

sipping cocoa and wiling away the time. And of course what would Christmas be

without eggnog and a fire.

My mother would always have to light our fire at home. Dad was hopeless, and

by the time he was on his fourth try Mum would grab the matches, rearrange the

kindling and 2 minutes later warm and cosy. Oh and don’t get me started on

the BBQ. It may be the man’s domain to burn the food on top, but it was…

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mySestina’s blogging secrets

mySestina

Could I share my secrets for the stats in the picture above?

Could you please share this post as much as possible in order to help the existing members and the new comers to the blogging community.

I complete 4 months in the blogging world today and believe me, I have relished every second of my time that I spent on WordPress.

As a newcomer, we all have our questions, hesitations and we strive to learn, to grow, to have more followers, to have more likes and visibililty for our blogs.

Let me share my understanding of how to achieve a little extra on your blog.

Enjoy blogging. Writing must only be done when you enjoy it to the core. We must not write forcefully as the forced writing has no charm and beauty in it.
Speak your heart out and let the world know how you feel through your…

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