Monday Memos: ROYAL PROCLAMATION: BONUS EDITION - TAMARA HART HEINER!!!

OMG! Have you seen this yet?

Have you bought this yet? Is it on your shelf? Have you downloaded the ebook? Are you reading it right now? NO? WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR...Oh, wait, some of you have not heard about it yet...well step into the Courtyard and lend me an ear...er...eye... ;o)

The Kingdom would like to welcome Tamara Hart Heiner to its lovely garden. (Isn't she just darl'n?) PERILOUS (released November 16, 2010 by WiDo Publishing)

Amazon's snippet: Jaci Rivera has plans for her sophomore year: go to regionals with the track team, make the honor roll, and eat too much pizza with her best friends, Callie and Sara. Her biggest concern is Amanda, the pushy girl who moved in a few months ago.What she doesn't plan for is catching a robber red-handed, or being kidnapped. The desperate thief drags her and her friends 2,000 miles across the Canadian border. They escape from his lair, only to find that he has spies and agents watching their path home, waiting to intercept them and take them back.Then Jaci finds something out about her family. Something which irrevocably connects her to their kidnapper, and makes her question their chances of escape.
Are you still with us or did you already grab your keys and head for the nearest bookstore? Still here? Good.

I was not sure what I was going to encounter when I was privileged to read this book before it hit the shelves. My reading selections are in no way predictable and Perilous fell right between finishing up a sci-fi fantasy and beginning a young adult paranormal romance. From the first few pages I was hooked. Jaci and her friends are much like the teens that I encounter with my own nieces. Their verbage and banter is believable in a way that sucks you back into days of your own youth. As you are introduced to the family you find a deeper tone. There are layers here that do not disappoint.

Tamara was able to weave a tale that at once excites and terrifies the reader. It could happen any time, anywhere, to anyone. The fact that it is teenage girls in situations that parents NEVER want to even imagine breathes life into the story - because it COULD happen and sadly as the news proclaims; it does.

I happily handed my own 16 year old niece this book and she gobbled it up in a day. After discussing the action, the twists, the turns, the surprises we discussed the dynamics of the girls. A chord that rang loudly is strength & perseverance. The friends discover a strength that pulls them through the trauma and propels them toward safer ground.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and happily flew through it in an evening. It is a quick read that takes the reader on an emotional journey, desperately wanting all clues, all secrets, all puzzle pieces tied up neatly by the final page...does it deliver that perfectly wrapped ending?...you'll have to find out.... ;o)

In case you are still too curious to slip out into the chill and head to the store, perhaps this link will provide something that will get you moving...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-Tq3Rrj7uI

Well have I whet your appetite? Are you at the door, one eye on the screen reading this - the other on the doorknob ready to break free to the bookstore? Don't close those fingers around the knob just yet...there might be a few ways to snuggle up with Perilous...

The wonderful & sweet Tamara is hosting the following, awesome, amazing contests:

Any person who comments on any post during the blog tour will be entered into
a random drawing for a book. Which she can autograph, if you want. The
contest ends on Dec. 15.

Kindle giveaway: This contest is point-based and ends
Dec. 15. Whoever has the most points wins the Kindle. There will only be
one Kindle given away. Here are the points:
1 point: blog comment (can comment on all the blogs, multiple times, on
the tour)
1 point: follow my blog (http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com/)
1 point: retweet
2 points: blog about the blog tour
5 points: purchase the book (ebook or paperback, must email me the
confirmation email) if they actually buy the book in the store they can
mail me a copy of the receipt.
Add up all your points as well as your proof (links, etc) and
email it to Tamara at the end of the blog tour (tamara at tamarahartheiner dot
com)
People can earn an infinite number of points!

In addition to her contest, I also have purchased a copy of Perilous to place in someone's stocking! Yep so um that is like so many things to win, to enter..to tabulate (thank goodness Tamara must be good at math..;o) ) For my contest all you have to do is share this review (blog/Tweet/scream it out the window/skywrite it/whatever) this review and place a comment HERE on this post of how you did it! I will be using the honor system and on December 8 (hubby's birthday) will announce the randomly drawn winner! So go, get, spread the word and enjoy this edge of your seat debut!

HAVE A MARVELOUS MONDAY!!!

p.s there is a sequel... I know...I want it now too! ;o)

Feeling like a gopher...

Good Tuesday before Turkey Day everyone!

I feel like a gopher peeking out to see what's going on in the land above. These last few weeks have been C-R-A-Z-Y! Seriously.

NaNo, holiday preparations...family...friends...teenagers...is it possible to find a nice ruby red candy apple, a coconut & peach sno cone and a chocolate iced yellow cake anywhere all at once? If so, PUHLEASE draw me a map! Those are the foods I am craving while writing, working & wondering about my To Do list!

BUT! I decided to poke my head out of the ground for 3 reasons:

1. My hair is beginning to take on a life of its own and sunshine might be necessary for its survival.

2. It's almost Turkey Day & well I am getting antsy for the family time & wonderful foods.

3. For a Royal Decree. Yep you read it right a Royal Decree!...

On MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2010 be sure to wander by the Kingdom...as you recuperate from Black Friday madness and read about a wonderful writer, blogger & person:

TAMARA HART HEINER!

Oh yeah she's gonna be here - yep right here, on the steps of the Southern Tower, speaking to the masses and telling all about a tale that you DO NOT WANT TO MISS!!! If you don't know who she is then you are in for a real treat!

So please stop by, learn about a wonderful new book, a great author, watch a video and enter to win!

Now I must crawl back down the hole, my poor hair...all this dirt and such...ah well the characters need me... (at least I tell them they do ;o) )

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK EVERYONE!!

10 days in...Can you feel your fingertips?

"Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish..."

-John Jakes

***

My fingertips are beginning to rub the letters from the keys, to know the words before my mind even processes the scene, they are moving quickly then finding a slow ease to the lines that appear on the screen above them. They stretch languidly as my eyes dance along the pages...my heart speeds up as excitement turns to thrilling anticipation of the next paragraph.

My eyes dart to the clock and realize that I have to pause, to calm my heart and attend to the dayjob. I check the wordcount and smile. I have met my daily goal. I realize that I have not updated the site and chastise myself...but wait...the site is there to help me remain disciplined, to remind me of why this magical month is so wonderful, I know that updating is good but what is important is the words on the screen...the flow of the story...the discovery of the character and the passion that pours through the worn keys from heart, head & fingers....yes...I wink at the screen, sharing secrets and suppressing a smile. It is me on the screen, a part of me that knows danger, thrills at adventure, fears the unknown, loves with all its soul and defies the laws of nature...

My mind flickers to thoughts of you, dear Royal Court, and I frown. You are not forgotten, not put aside due to dayjobs, family time, or even lack of internet - you are actually my support group, my silent section of the stadium that waits patiently for the scoring drive, your faces are beautiful, your words are my comfort. I look forward to your posts even if I must visit while being invisible, must read quickly and take in your sage advice and humorous anecdotes.

Good Wednesday everyone...

it is 10 days into NaNoWriMo...

my fingertips are still tingling from the sheer joy of this month...

How are yours doing?

Monday Memos - Da Vinci...NaNo...Art...

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art..."

Leonardo da Vinci

***

My fingers have been hovering lately...not touching the keys nearly as much yet itching to feel the smooth motion as they press against the base. Twitching when they must only use the action for dayjob searches and nighttime vehicular research. They seemed to sing last week as I discovered the new car and quickly pressed print. They held the paper, featherlight between the tips and could feel my excitement.

.....

They curled around the steering wheel and flexed as my toes pressed the new gas pedal. They fluttered as I waved to my niece; she now enjoys my old Jeep as her own...My fingers tapped against the wheel, a motion so natural that I almost do not notice it. Glancing at their dark nail polish I cannot contain the sigh....for the first time in weeks they can sense the freedom again. A surge of excitement rolls through my mind and out through their ends; the electrical sensation is more than I can handle. I must now give in and let them reunite with their artistic lover.

.....

Once home I climb the stairs, tossing my keys on the table - their loud clang against the marble does not cause me to pause; I continue to the bedroom. Placing the laptop onto my knees evokes a broad grin. I lift the lid as I have for weeks but in this moment I feel the difference - there are no searches for vehicles to feel out, no histories to find about owners & mileage; there is only the never ending abilities of a white background, a black font, and my own mind as it guides the fingers that so desperately yearn for contentment.

.....

It is late, my eyes blur from the black on white beauty before them. The fingers are still able to continue, but they must accept that rest will aide in their quest. Smiling I select the blue disk icon and save my work...yes my work...it is work that we call it, yet it is art in the end...appreciated by those who will love it for all its flaws and imperfections - hated by those who find disconnect with its subject...for me it is the result of a spirit in waiting, of fingers who needed to flex and find their groove and a heart that has been absent from their tasks....

.....

NaNoWriMo is around the corner.....my fingers know it...they ache for it and I smile knowing that I will give them the pleasure of 30 blissful days to work on their art...

What about you? Have you signed up?

friend me if you'd like: southrnprincess

***

Have you heard about Nightshade by Andrea Cremer? If not you need to, I was blessed to get a very early copy & let me tell you - I LOVE IT! It releases tomorrow!Andrea has a blog - follow it!

PJ Hoover is having a wonderful contest about her Forgotten Worlds Trilogy - you should definitely enter - these books are wonderful!

Janette Rallison makes you think golf balls, danger & the wonderful protection of writing without an audience...

Shannon M. is giving away a copy of the Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan...yep...wait are you still here? Go enter!

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Why do you judge me?

"Why do you judge me?" they ask softly "Did I do something to offend you? Did I not tell it correctly? Was I out of line? Does it matter that I am not widely accepted but there are a few who appreciate me? Are those few out of line for loving me? Who is to say whether they cherish or hate me?"

Their questions are all at once.

Their voices are tones of all dialects, all worlds, all times, all nations, all vernacular.

They speak with earnest and wish only to be heard.

They understand that not everyone will like them all, that more than likely only a few will love them.

Their lives are determined by a select few and they understand the prejudice of those few - in fact they support their right to have an opinion.

They only wish the few allowed everyone else to make their own choices - for within their voices we can discover great things about ourselves, about life, and about dreams...

"Curiosity is not a sin...But we should exercise caution with our curiosity...yes indeed." Albus Dumbledore - Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire -the amazing JK Rowling.

"Language is man's way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone that separates him from the lower animals." - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - the beautiful Maya Angelou

Suddenly two coiled arms of twisting hair shot out of Wedgie Woman's head and grabbed George and Harold by the back of their underwear, yanking them high into the air.

"You know," said George "this isn't as funny as I thought it would be."

-Captain Underpants - the hilarious Dav Pilkey

"You know when you see a gorgeous boy on the street and you say to your friend, "Look at him!" and then your friend makes a face like, ugly? We all have such totally varied tastes that someone is going to look at you and think, yum-yum dee-lish, no matter what you think you look like. You just have to learn to see what they see." - Because I'm Worth It - Gossip Girl - the witty & utterly hip Cecily von Ziegesar

"Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. I just told my mother I want a bra. Please help me grow God. You know where. I want to be like everyone else." - Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. - the honest & unfiltered at any age Judy Blume.

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther....And then one fine morning --

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." - The Great Gatsby - the moving and melancholy tones of F. Scott Fitzgerald

"It was that kind of a crazy afternoon, terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything and you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road." - The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

Make them more popular by putting them on a list - making them forbidden and ever so tempting.

Yes, judge them - we won't judge you for the list.

Because a list is just words & who better than the reader or writer understands words? That as a list they are just...a column of opinion...we have the freedom to look at the list, to ignore it, to accept it, to follow it and to laugh at it...

We educate ourselves in order to know that hidden within the list are lessons..that those of us who laugh at the list AND those of us who support it should always remember..

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

-To Kill A Mockingbird - the ever reclusive yet embraced Harper Lee

Pick that last one up sometime, banned/schmanned - its worth the time and the consideration to forget that its banned....

Happy Banned Books Week

For the list & more information about Banned Books Week

click Here

Oh the awesome and fun you may discover! Have a Fun Filled Friday!

A girl with red hair & love that shines through the ages...

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."

-Martin Buber

***

Well, hello everyone! *shakes head with a smile & waves* Have we all been enjoying the ending of summer and getting ready for those Fall colors that mimic the summer sun? I have been...at least I think I have. :o)

My dayjob has sent me to a few locations lately that have hindered my time visiting many of you except through Google Reader. This makes me sad but also appreciate the ease of Google Reader - though not being able to comment is a real bust!

I am again getting back into the swing of things and have discovered the above quote while flipping through a magazine. I laughed when I read it, could not help it. You see lately I have seen some crazy airports, met some unique people, shopped incessantly for a car, discovered a love for feta & red pepper mashed potatoes, decided Chicago has the BEST popcorn, found Mt. Washington in PA to be one of the most scenic cityscape viewing ever, enjoyed Maryland crab cakes, pontificated over the number of rude store clerks, shopped some amazing stores and fell exhausted many nights in some wonderful hotels...all due to the dayjob. Each trip, each location is technically where I am supposed to go. But it's the roads that I take sporadically in each town, the little eateries that have me whipping the rental around and popping in for a bite, the store windows with their items glowing - pulling me in, the airport travelers, the hidden bookstores and the discovery of a new story that make this quote perfect for me.

I am always amazed at the wonderful surprises that await me when I travel. Those little gems that you take home and ponder over: the young woman with light red hair that fell in waves down her back. She wore dark black tights, tall boots and a striped dolman sweater. Her eyes were red from tears and her hand shook slightly as she sat beside me in Chicago. I did not speak for she seemed to be trying to fold into the chair, to disappear from the strangers around her. She could not have been older than twenty. From the corner of my eye I worried for her. Hoping that whatever was wrong/sad/disturbing would not plague her as she continued her journey. She carried only a purse and held an iPod tightly between her fingers.

Then in Baltimore I watched an older couple, a man no younger than seventy and a wife the same walk hand in hand down the skyway. He held her purse as she entered a restroom and I enjoyed the simple gesture with sheer pleasure. We smiled to one another across the way and later as I stood near a monitor he was there again, she stood beside him reading the scrolling flight times. Slipping another smile towards him he began to speak. "You have a lovely smile my dear. It is so rare to see young people really smile anymore." Grinning I thanked him, told him I thought it kind that he still held his wife's purse and even more wonderful that they held hands. He made a light joke that they would both get lost if they did not and we shared a laugh. I turned to see my gate and wished them a safe flight.

Random encounters give us so much to think about. I felt sadness and a deep need to want to help the young girl, but allowed her the space she seemed to crave. The couple had me tearing up and thinking how wonderful it is to have someone who already will hold my purse and my hand whenever I need it. Those secret destinations that I discovered along Blvd of the Allies, Grandview Ave, Clark Street, Charles Street and along William Penn Highway/US -22 are wonderful, memorable and worth the time; but it is the vision of red hair falling over slim shoulders, head bowed and that of the soft clasp of hands that cling to each other as they pass through the later years of life - those images, those unexpected distractions are what stay burned into my mind and lay upon my heart.

They may become characters in a story I later write, perhaps I will forget about them as time passes... but no matter what, they are dynamic within their own stories and for a moment they captured this traveler's attention completely unaware....

Have a merry Tuesday with a Twist!

P.S.

Oh yeah - just heard about this AWESOME contest: Enter Carol's SPEAK about Banned Books by 9-26-2010

Monday Memos: Car Shopping & Writing...

"If you've never bought a car, you don't know anything about maintaining a car. Young buyers don't figure out how much the car is going to cost them the whole year..."

-Jeff Oseroff

***

Car shopping is a lot of fun...when you can window shop & dream about owning the vehicle or when your funds are unlimited... Not so much fun when you have a budget you must maintain, a teenager who truly is not sure what she wants - and is still developing exactly what style even appeals to her, a husband who just wants to find a good deal and an insurance company to deal with as well. Now, I'm no saint in this equation - I have my own list of requirements and rules for her first vehicle. Overall its just an experience that is exciting, tiring, fun & overwhelming at times. (By the way - thank you mom & dad for a patience that I am now beginning to truly appreciate)

The big details of all of this are no different than any household big purchase but it is the little conversations that appeal to me the most. Discussing the costs that will go into it and informing a 16 year old she will be responsible for gas and that where it goes/who drives it are details that we are seriously discussing at dinner & while running errands. As maintenance & care becomes more & more the subject of the search I realized this is much like writing a manuscript.

You have an idea, a concept of what you want your end result to be. You are not positive that it will be that exact story but you are pointed in a certain direction. The big details: story arc, main character and genre is much like the body, make & model of a vehicle. But it doesn't stop there - interior colors/textures are like setting/time. The miles per gallon/gas prices are much like the relevance of your story/your want for completion: does it get you from A to B at a cost that will allow you to have extra cash - is the story one that you believe in and are ready to put everything you have into it? The engine is your characters. All those parts, those tiny pieces that get the story running & keep the driver going where they need to go...Such details that we sometimes labor over and other times we just dive right in. For us, we are researching, trying to make smart decisions, safe decisions yet also make it something fun. For me, I am still maintaining - working at getting the interior details & maintaining flow. We just don't always realize how much goes into maintenance. The revising, the changes, the aggravation, the excitement, the stress, the lack of sleep, the joy, the tears...the brake pads, the oil, the gas prices, the balance & rotation, the insurance, the cleaning...

The best part about all of this is that with both cars & writing, sometimes all we need to do is trade in or maybe, just maybe, we only need a fresh coat of paint, a weekend joy ride or an appraisal to remind us that we have a classic on our hands.

We need to be patient and enjoy the fact that over time our value will be retained, even if its only by a select few - we can be proud of the end result and enjoy those Sunday afternoon drives...

***

Hello Monday! How is everyone today?

Do you have to tell yourself to say "no" so that you can focus on writing?Roni Griffin tackles this issue & as a fellow Southern gal, I feel her pain...

So Blaze or Dry Rot? Don't know? well wander over to Book Dreaming..I can promise you Shannon is always blazing!

Frankie met Sara Shepard! Yep - are you a Pretty Little Liars fan? If not, well shame on you - the books rock and the show is fun! Scoot over to her blog and you just might win a signed copy - or don't more chances for me... ;o)

Have a Magical Monday!

Wednesday's Written Word: Delivered

He looks at me...knowing it has been too long...

My fingers are ready but scared to dive back in...

The words are so few, such tiny scraps of paper...

So terrifying with their unknown letters...

I inhale and release the breath, accepting I must return to the habit...

to the sanctuary of the words...

***

DELIVERED

***

This cannot be happening! Air! I need air...p-pllleeease...air!

The whimper escapes before I can stop it. Inhaling burns my lungs and I wait for the pain to ease before running my hands along the rough wall, frantically searching for an opening. I pound against the wood, ignoring the pain, wanting only to be heard by someone. It has been at least four days since I was placed in the first box and hours since the second.

Splinters pull at my skin with every inch I cover. The wood's tiny spikes scratch my bare legs and back. The cold has long since left body, replaced by the warmth of my own blood scattered across my skin. The journey was rough over the last days and the box had been thrown around. But none of the pain of travel compared to before.

My jaw aches from the lashes. Even if I wanted to speak it would be difficult. My teeth chattered for so long when they first loaded my crate that I bit the edges of my tongue, my cheek and my lips.

Wooden walls encase me; walls so tight that I cannot turn around. Every movement has my body aching. It has been hours since I last heard voices and now it seems they have placed me in another box; only this one appears to be airtight.

Please, God, please if you can hear me...please don't let me die...please...I don't understand.

My hands rest on my knees and I feel a splinter dig into my index finger - the pain is dull, no longer so sharp. Breathing hurts. Every inhale is peppered with a quiet rasp that has begun to grow louder with every passing minute.

Tears flow freely down my cheeks. Sweet salty drops fall against my lips and I taste my own fear. Hope is a fickle mystery that lingers in my mind, skirting along a thin line of sanity. My soul seems to remind me to relax, to wait...so I sit back against the coarse boards.

Closing my eyes I sit still and listen to the crackling rasp of my own breath.

My thoughts are of before, when once I knew the feeling of the safety. I had not known that things could change so quickly. They had come before I could learn the ways of the lost and taken me, stripped me of my belongings and handed me over... to him.

He hates me. I disgust him.

In my heart I believe he fears me but I do not know why. What could a girl of eighteen do to a man of such power? A man who ruled so many.

I anger him. His power tore at my face and hands but I did not weep. He wanted me to cry out, to beg and my soul would not let me. It told me to be patient and to be strong.

Why did I not cry?

It hurt so badly, yet tears would not come. Now they run freely and there is no one here to see them.

A noise in the distance has me jumping, my shoulder scrapes against the wall. Biting my lip from the pain I listen.

Footsteps. I pull my knees close to my chest, the rasps are faster now and the sound coming from my mouth cannot be silenced.

"Which one is she in?" A voice hard and gritty fills my ears.

"The one with the mark - the mark of the stone." The words are spoken in a whisper with a reverence that startles me. "They said she would arrive within the week."

Stone?

The odd shaped mark on my ankle has always resembled a jewel. I have no idea if I was born with it, only that it had been of interest to him.

The footsteps are closer now, I can hear their breathing.

Loud creaking fills my ears as they open the outer box. Light peeks through the slats of wood and I fight the urge to weep.

"I can hear her breathing! She's alive. The Gelders will be so happy!"

The words have me cowering. Who are the Gelders? Dear God, please don't let it be like before. Please.

"How has she survived?" The whispering voice speaks so soft that I almost do not hear it.

The wood shakes as they try to open the box that has surrounded me for days. The panel beside me begins to loosen from the corners and I lean away from it.

Light spills over me as it is removed. I duck my head from the stark white brightness.

"Oh my...what did he - " the question dies on his lips as I slowly try to move. My limbs are sore and cut, my skin is covered in patches of blood. At first I do not think that I can even unfold myself, but I look to see his hand outstretched toward me.

Slowly I reach out for the large hand, feeling the callouses on his upturned palm as our skin meets and sensing the strength within it. I should be scared but a feeling of comfort washes over me at the human touch.

I allow them to pull me out and help me to stand. My nakedness has them blushing but I have learned in a short time that modesty is the least of my worries. The two men look me over as I adjust to the air and the light. Their cheeks are pink as their gaze travels my body but I see the light in their eyes when they find the mark on my ankle. The one who held my hand reaches for a cloak and covers me as his companion hits his knees.

Then he also kneels and bows his head.

In unison they speak and I begin to tremble.

"We bow to you, and promise to serve you. You bear the mark and we are blessed to have been chosen to be your guides."

***

Have a Wacky & Whimsical Wednesday!

To read past Wednesday's Written Words please feel free to use the sidebar menu on the right or visit my Original Works page!

P.S. Scoot over to CJREDWINE's Blog and donate to a worthy cause - one of the most amazing reasons to enter a contest - a family can be made a reality...THE LAST WORD