H.M. Shander's Blog, page 6

Ever Wonder ...

Have you ever wonder what the inside of an inhaler looks like?

My youngest has been using Advair brand inhaler for the better part of the year. My oldest, ever the curious one about how things work, wanted to take it apart when it was finished.  He's brought home a multitude of electronics and devices curious about their inner workings. This, with no electric parts inside, the temptation to see how it worked intrigued him (and me too!)



So, why not take it apart? We always take them back to the pharmacy for proper disposal, in case there is extra medication still inside and we have a few to return. Big deal if we're short one. So we studied it to determine the best way to start the de-construction phase.

The cover and mouthpiece came off easily enough. 

With a couple of lego swords (because why not?) we were able to separate the two halves and let our true adventure and investigation begin. 

It was neat to see how the medication rolled through the mechanisms. 

Each one of those blister packs contains one dose. As it rolls through, the covering is peeled back from it (and rolled around another wheel) and the medication is breathed up through the mouthpiece.
It was fascinating to pull out the strip of dosed powder and count. In a 60 dose package, there are in fact 60 doses, plus a starter near the beginning. We thought there maybe a dose or two more. Considering we pay over $100 per inhaler, I guess they won't give any away.



With the strip of medication disposed of--there was nothing left on the strip and thus, we're not harming our waste by tossing it in--my oldest enjoyed playing with the empty container and resetting the counter back to zero. Now he's really curious how his brother's new and different inhalers work, so when he's finished with that one, we'll take that apart and compare. :) There's always a science lesson in our house.

Have you ever taken anything apart?

Thanks for reading!

Magical Orbs

My son and I love to do crafts - the messier, the better.
Today we decided to make Magical Orbs.

We got the idea from a blog I bookmarked called How To DIY: Yarn Orbs

We gathered up our supplies
-Dollar Store Yarn
-End of the school year glue, which wouldn't likely see September
-balloons
-Cornstarch
-Water
-Small container
-Scissors
-well protected area (the messier the kid, the larger the area)

We mixed:
2 ounces of white glue
1/4 Cup of cornstarch
1/2 Cup of water

Blew up the balloons into the sizes we wanted. Then we let the FUN begin.
Dipped in our cut yarn into the milky substance and wrapped away.

Figuring out what to do with them while they dried proved to be a challenge.

So...
I found some old chopsticks and binder clips. I clipped the neck of the balloons onto the chopsticks and took them outside to hang off the side of our BBQ. Hey, it worked. The sun and breeze dried them out.

After supper, we were ready to slowly deflate the balloons. <- This I HIGHLY recommend you do outside. As the balloons shrunk, flakes of dried glue went everywhere and my son exclaimed it looked like a snowstorm (not in June, kid! At least, not this year!) Almost more mess than the creating of orbs.

When all was blown away, he gasped in surprise. He loved them - and wants to make more.






Time to run to the Dollar Store!

My Soul to Give by Magali A. Frechette

BLURB:When Celina Leviet escapes the brutal home invasion that kills her husband, she’s left with a bullet in her gut and vengeance in her heart. An alluring demon, Mekaisto, offers an irresistible deal—in exchange for her soul, he’ll let her live long enough to get her revenge, but she must hunt and kill the murderers herself.After sealing the contract, Celina digs into her husband’s past for clues about his murder, and what she uncovers makes her question everything she thought she knew about him.His company never existed.
His family history was a lie.And he was involved with The Lumen, a shadowy religious order whose members know too much about demons. As the life she thought she knew crumbles around her, Mekaisto's charms become harder to resist. Forced to face a horrible truth, Celina struggles against her late husband’s betrayal and the dark seduction of the devil she knows. 
Short ExcerptHer breath came faster, and he could smell what she wanted before she even knew what it was. “Please, Kai—I’m yours. I want more. I want everything you can give me.”The wave of lust heating his body could have burned a city to the ground. “Well, now,” he whispered in her ear as he stood, lifting her up with him, “I need to oblige such begging with a reward.”

Want it? Need it? Buy HERE.  See the BOOK TRAILER 
BIO I’m passionate about writing, reading, photo manipulation artwork, animals, anime/manga, video games, the fandom world of TV shows and movies, and stuff like that. I’m a proud Ravenclaw: I’ve always been sorted into this house, but the recent Pottermore sorting placed me in Gryffindor―I don’t care since the Sorting Hat couldn’t consider my choice, so I identify with Ravenclaw, and that’s where I’ll remain!
I have two main hobbies: writing and creating book covers. I’m also a gamer (Diablo, Zelda, Final Fantasy), enjoy listening to music (and always singing along to Disney), have a passion for Japanese culture, and adore reading. I love anime/manga, Japanese Dramas and consider myself a proud fan of many different TV shows including Buffy, Supernatural, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Merlin, Game of Thrones, Outlander, etc.
I wrote my first story when I was 12 years old (and we’ll never talk about that story), but started writing three years later. Since then, I always write, and this particular novel is my 19th story. It’s always been a dream to be a published author, and I can happily say I’ve reached that goal―I plan on continuing writing and publishing for the rest of my days.
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Excerpt(This story has two points of view )“I am a demon, Celina, and above all else, demons love the hunt.” He smirked when her eyes widened.“So, you see having sex with someone as a hunt?”He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “By your expression, I would say you still do not quite understand.”“It’s your twisted logic.”Interesting…“I take my time, stalk my prey first, count the number of breaths she takes, imagine her screams…”She arched an eyebrow. “That’s not at all creepy.”Kai ignored her. “I am a creature of infinite time; the world creeps by, yet an intimate moment is so fleeting, it feels as though it is gone in less than a second.” He stopped, expecting an interruption again, but she stayed silent. “The pleasure is heightened by the danger, and in the throes of passion, I could lose my control and revert to the form least likely to be found pleasurable by my … partner?” He lost himself in the images in his mind, pinning down Celina’s body, taking her in a way she would never be able to recreate with a mere mortal man. “Hunting is simple. There is always one in the crowd that stands out—rarely is it the one searching for the one-night stand—no…” Kai locked his eyes with hers and goose bumps rose on her arms and legs. “No, the one unsure of what society wants her to be, the one who is desperate to be loved and appreciated. She is the one I seek.”
“So, social outcasts are your type?”His eyes pierced her until he could see through her mind again, to all those curious little fantasies.He smiled. “It’s about finesse, Celina. I listen to her, and as she speaks more confidently, I brush a hand over her skin”—his hand skimmed Celina’s neck as he brushed her back—“just enough so she shivers with anticipation of what my lips would feel like in the same spot.” He delved into Celina’s mind as his words worked against her disdain for him. “Then I caress her in a way she won’t notice, but her subconscious will let her lean into, let her mind take over and her body will beg for more.”“She’d notice if…” She followed his gaze to his hand on her knee.“Are you certain?” He’d worked his own body into a sensual frenzy as he’d drawn her into his web.She stared at him, her cheeks flushing. “I—”“Eventually, I suggest a night filled with pleasure.” He couldn’t contain his smile as he moved closer. “I keep touching her in small ways—maintaining physical contact at all times.” His hand inched up her side, until he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She sucked in a breath and he cupped her cheek.He sat close to her and her scent calmed and excited him at the same time.“Kai?” Her voice wavered.“Sex is fleeting.” He took her chin and drew her close. “But intimacy is endless, a continuous moment of gentle touches”—his hand dropped back to her knee, and then made its way up her thigh until she let out a small gasp—“personal boundaries broken, and pleasures that go beyond sex.”She sat as if frozen. “It’s still a one-night stand.”“Mine last longer—and you reveal not only your body.” His hand moved to the middle of her chest. “When you are intimate with a demon, you reveal your soul. You make yourself vulnerable and open.”“Considering you’ll have my soul sometime soon, I’m not giving you a free sample.” She drew away from him and stood. “I won’t be your prey tonight.”Another surge of heat rushed through him, but he pushed it down with a long, deep breath. “You would set me loose on another human?”She glared at him. “I wasn’t aware I had a choice about what you do outside of our deal. This would be on you, not me.”“You think you control what I do within our deal?”She rubbed her arms when he stood. “Not when you say it like that.”“Celina…” He stopped in front of her and leaned into her personal space, drawing a lungful of a scent he would only ever associate with her.He wrapped his arms around her, swallowing the shiver that shook her body. “What are you—?”“Let’s play, Celina. I can assure you, you will not regret a night in my arms.”I want you… Against all my instincts, I need you close.Celina pushed him as hard as she could, and he withdrew as disappointment withered his gaze.“Let me go, Mekaisto.”You are trembling again, my dove… Is it because you are scared you will give in? How far can I push you until you bend?“What if I say no?”She glared at him, but Kai’s smile widened. He could feel, even smell, the pulsing between her legs begging him to take her.“Isn’t it enough you’re getting my life and my soul? Now you need my body, too?” She pushed against him again, but he only held tighter, unable to let her go. “Why are you doing this? I just lost my husband, found out things that break my heart. I can’t sit and flirt with you.”“I am offering you the chance to forget.”“No!” Her hands clenched to fists as she shoved even harder against his chest. “No! You want to take everything I have left.”He grabbed her wrists, pushed her back on the sofa, and pinned her down, his body hovering over her. “What is your life without your body?” He tilted his head and flicked his tongue across his lips. “You never asked what selling your life and soul meant specifically. Allow me to enlighten you now.” He moved until his face loomed only an inch or so from her face and her breath caught. He let go of her wrists, but his gaze pinned her to the spot.“What?” Her voice ached just above a whisper.“I own every inch of you … body and soul.”Her face flushed and her lips trembled. “I never agreed to that!”“You agreed to living. The details did not matter to you.”“I was dying! You told me I didn’t have much time left, so it—”His smile widened. “Even if you had all the time in the world, it would not have made a difference. Humans never read the fine print.”

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New Covers - Aren't They BEAUTIFUL!

I published Run Away Charlotte & Ask Me Again back at the very end of 2014 and the end of 2015. I used the same designer for both, but as a newbie in the business, there were some glaring mistakes to the cover that should have been corrected. However, funds prevented me from making those changes.

Until now. 
The original covers still hold a lot of love from me, but now they are new and improved, fitting within the correct looking genre. This is uber important because a lot of people believed I placed the book into the wrong category (for those wondering, in an anonymous survey respondents overwhelming thought the book cover indicated a SCI-FI story).  Run Away Charlotte and Ask Me Again were listed in the right category but the cover simply did not reflect that.

So now we go from original to new and improved:

            Oh WoW right?? Check out the difference with Ask Me Again: 


              
Completely different looking, isn't it?? And the best thing, the thing either the original designer or myself should have caught, was to make them look similar, as they are a set. Now, thanks to the utterly brilliant work of Judi Perkins and Concierge Literary Design  they look as if they belong together! 
What do you think?? Do they feel more romantic to you?If you are a romance reader, does this cover grab you and make you want to find out what it's about?

BONUSFor a limited time, you can get a copy of each from SMASHWORDS for only $0.99 US using the following link and coupon code. 
RUN AWAY CHARLOTTE coupon code: DZ26HASK ME AGAIN coupon code: SSW50

There are limited quantities of each - so don't delay.Share with a friend and please RT.

Thanks so much for reading.

A Blast from MY Past...

Yesterday's #WIPRevelations asked :
What is the first story you remember writing? 
I couldn't wait to answer. Tucked away in a safe spot in my house are the only copies of my first two official novels. The pink one I wrote at 14, the green one according to the copyright date inside, I was 17. I call them official because they had been handwritten (oh the days before we could afford a typewriter or even a computer!). 

The covers were designed from the best stock photos out of a Sears catalogue. They were complete with reviews from Readers Digest and STAR Magazine (don't ask, I can't remember why specifically that magazine... heheh) They had copyright notices and a biography on my author-pen name. Even back then, I never used my real name, Oh, apparently my 'looks' changed drastically in a couple of year, from short blond to long brunette. Hahah!! 


Thankfully, my epilogues are MUCH better. 
My penmanship was pretty terrible, but it reads: Shawni and Joe had a great date that night. They found out alot of their differences. Shawni realized her dream had betrayed her by distorting her future. Her future was not like that in her dream but different and that is another story. 
OMG - I'm dying of laughter here. 
They're amazingly funny. But it's fun to see how far I've come since then. Thanks for reading, and hope you got a giggle. If nothing else you got an insight into my 14 year old brain. 

Can you help me choose?

I'm working on re-blurbing a novel. I've come up with two and I like them both, but for different reasons.

Which one do you prefer?? Help me decide which one to use. (#1 or #2; This one or That one).



Charlotte doesn't think she deserves happily ever after... And she's determined to prove it. She believes in true love about as much as she believes there is life on Jupiter. After all she’s dealt with in her nineteen years, she’s unwilling to further expose her soul to more heartache and surrenders the idea of ever finding eternal happiness.
Until she meets him.
Andrew Wagner challenges everything Charlotte ever thought she knew about love. Taken by his charm and patience, she becomes drawn to him in a way she’s never known and doesn’t understand. However comfortable and at peace with him she is, she struggles with her intensifying feelings. 
But Andrew wants more than secrets and stories. He wants a piece of her heart.
With every assurance he’s different, she allows her heart to run away with her strengthening emotions. For the first time in her life, she believes in a happy ever after. With him. However, Andrew’s not ready, and his admission has devastating consequences. Crushed by a broken heart, her emotional stability spirals out of control and in her weakness, another man sweeps in.

Now Charlotte must prove if she really believes she’s deserving of a happily ever after or not? She needs to decide if she can forgive Andrew, or if she should give away what’s left of her heart to another?

Nineteen year old Charlotte Cooper knows she’s unworthy of happily ever after. Her troubled childhood leads to her inability to trust people, and without trust, how can she ever love?
Until Andrew Wagner walks into her life.
His charm and patience make her question if love might be possible after all. Despite the intoxicating pull to him, she pushes him away, believing he won’t handle her past shadows when he sees her for who she really is. When he doesn’t bolt at the first sign of trouble, her walls come crashing down. In it’s wake, she gives him the key to her heart.
He is her forever.
However, Andrew struggles balancing the needs of family and school, and tries to be everything he wants to be for Charlotte. When he admits to a mistake, Charlotte gives him an all or nothing ultimatum, and he begs for something in the middle.
Devastated, Charlotte runs into the arms of Jack, an older man who can successfully balance what Andrew failed to do. He gives her everything... except Andrew.
Now, Charlotte must decide between the man her head tells her she needs, and the man her heart tells her she wants. 

So I did something today...

 For quite some time, I've wanted to cut my hair. Not just an inch or two, but LOTS. My hair (when straight, because I have naturally springy curls) is long. To the crook in my elbow long - which for me is really super long. Aside from regular maintenance trims, it hasn't really been shorter than shoulder length since just after the birth of my second child -- about 10 years ago. After deciding I wanted to make the cut, I started shopping around for a place to donate my hair to. If it's going to get chopped off, I'd be happier knowing it's going to go to good use.

Commence Operation Hair Donation.

A quick Google search yielded several options.
The first was the Brain Tumour Foundation - which listed several organizations. Sweet - so many choices.
The Canadian Cancer Society, Pantene Beautiful Lengths and others popped up in cross referenced searches. However, as I checked out their requirements, I started crossing them each off my list. And each had different length requirements - the majority being 10 inches. That's a fair amount of hair -- maybe not on the receiving end, but for the person with the donation. But it's hair - I'd be able to grow more (with any luck) and maybe that drastic a change would be good. I continue reading the requirements.
Damn - another roadblock.
NO COLOURED or PROCESSED hair.
Well, double damn. My hair's coloured.

Crossed many off my list due to that restriction.
Posted on Twitter and Facebook for recommendations.

Familiar names came in, and a few I hadn't checked out. As my list narrowed down, I found two I could donate to, where both our requirements could be met (length for me, and coloured hair for them). Then to be sure, I contacted both.
My top choice (shorter hair length - 8 inches) never got back to me (I tried Twitter, Facebook and email.) My second choice, was a longer donation - could I handle that? So I measured. Which is hard to do with curly hair. LOL.
Yep, decided I could handle 10 inches - which was probably closer to 11 by time the hairstylist cleaned up the cut.
Gulp!


 I took my kids for their haircuts and inquired with my own stylist. Could've saved myself so much agony. She explained how much they needed (9 inches) and they totally accept coloured hair.

No point in delaying what I wanted done. Booked my appointment for the very next day (and brought my kids along for the fun.) Why not? I've sat through enough of theirs.

Been awhile...

I checked. It's been 6 weeks or so since my last post.

What have I been up to?

For starters, I've finished the last book in Aurora's story. Two beta readers got a copy yesterday, and I'm waiting a couple of weeks before I hear back from them. Then I will know where things lag and sag, or where something more is needed. If I'm being optimistic, I'd like to see a September/October release, but for sure before the end of the year. While I wait to hear back from my betas, I'm shopping! Checking out cover ideas, but something in line with Duly Noted and That Summer. Should book 3 be darker or lighter? So much fun to decide.


And I'm about to make some changes - some major, some minor - to the first two books I released.
Run Away Charlotte & Ask Me Again are going through the process of something new and fun. Stay tuned.

Other than that, not much professionally has been going on. My author friends have released some amazing books, some are revamping, and some I just finished beta-reading/critiquing, so it's been keeping me busy.

Until next time...

Vapour Pucks

Had to try this out. I suck at making bath bombs, but these are for the shower. Perfect for colds, and a nice, hot, steamy shower. I wish I could give credit to the owner but I found my chickenscratched note under a pile of books.

Books I've read in 2017

This is a list of the books I've read so far in 2017.
My rating system