tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58468340323091780132024-03-05T02:17:55.364-05:00Waibel's WorldAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.comBlogger678125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-27061718392424846412017-07-03T06:02:00.000-04:002017-07-03T06:02:07.034-04:00Cover reveal~GUARDIAN'S TOUCH~ by LA Dragoni<div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today I'm thrilled to be part of LA Dragoni's cover reveal for her next book in the Touched by Afterlife series. If you read <i>Ghost Touch,</i> you are going to love <i>Guardian's Touch. </i>If you haven't read <i>Ghost Touch</i>, be sure to read through to the end for LA's special announcement. And now, here's <i>Guardian's Touch!</i></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Coming August 1, 2017</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Guardian's Touch, Touched by Afterlife, Book 2</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Life has returned to normal for Tamara and Dex after helping a horde of ghosts cross over. Their brush with the afterlife affirmed one thing: happily ever after is real.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When odd pranks around the farm escalate to destruction, Tamara fears mischievous teenagers are vandalizing the neighborhood. Then Dex starts to act out of character. Meanness slips into his usually playful disposition. One day he even ridicules a co-worker publicly. Tamara watches helplessly as he seems to lose the ability to control his own actions. When Dex's abnormal anger turns violent—toward Tamara—their happily ever after is threatened. Desperate to help Dex and herself, she sends out a silent prayer for help.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She didn’t expect Cal to come to her aid.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2skKW2f">Pre-order</a> now!</span></b></div>
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<b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mark as to read on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35527978-guardian-s-touch">Goodreads</a>: </span></b></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Follow LA Dragoni on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/LA-Dragoni/e/B013CK5IKG/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1">Amazon</a> or <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/la-dragoni">BookBub</a>.</span></b></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">***</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6EKWCKhjQuV2XwHxvzFXHn3RIFJIQ4IloilMj2Gsi4tYpiMCH0PNsXQ3IAbn3XLJ1kOnuMyhULzchbKUYOEunvvkeRc7GSYhcAEFq-IOwKa1lDq_19xAs__bvDc5ah0axeEtMDO5OiFD/s1600/Ghost+Touch+ebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6EKWCKhjQuV2XwHxvzFXHn3RIFJIQ4IloilMj2Gsi4tYpiMCH0PNsXQ3IAbn3XLJ1kOnuMyhULzchbKUYOEunvvkeRc7GSYhcAEFq-IOwKa1lDq_19xAs__bvDc5ah0axeEtMDO5OiFD/s320/Ghost+Touch+ebook.jpg" width="212" /></span></a><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Ghost Touch</i>, Touched by Afterlife Book 1 ebook</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is marked down to just $0.99 for a limited time. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For fifteen minutes each night a portal opens in Tamara’s</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">barn and a horde of ghosts spills into her yard. Their leader, Cal, a quiet, unassuming cowboy, fulfills an aching loneliness the death of Tamara’s mother left behind. Tamara can help the ghosts cross, but can she let Cal go?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Available in ebook, audiobook, and print from <a href="http://amzn.to/1G7ZpC4">Amazon</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also available on <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-touch-la-dragoni/1122871133?ean=2940152711608">Barnes and Noble</a>, <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ghost-touch-2">Kobo</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1053760714">iTunes</a>, and other e-tailers.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But hurry before the price returns to $2.99.</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPbhjbjxsWPK6izDXsSNLFMfaFBqVw9Tj2emoMHtcYluGOl5BsZ-TP-tNi46D9ZjS6HmI9owlmcolEsFEGtXAgB1403AxH0Qc3wmN1N-liR5V9ic0yNr161zFTk_Go37xnSVxGQ1QRO75/s1600/IMG_5209+-+Copy.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPbhjbjxsWPK6izDXsSNLFMfaFBqVw9Tj2emoMHtcYluGOl5BsZ-TP-tNi46D9ZjS6HmI9owlmcolEsFEGtXAgB1403AxH0Qc3wmN1N-liR5V9ic0yNr161zFTk_Go37xnSVxGQ1QRO75/s200/IMG_5209+-+Copy.JPG" /></span></a><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About the author:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">LA Dragoni isn’t too particular about who falls in love or where they fall in love. Whether it’s paranormal, mythical, or time travel, LA simply considers it her job to divine their story and share it with you. She lives in Central Oregon with her husband and children, but haunts ghost towns and cemeteries throughout the west, in search of the next adventure to sift through her storytelling brain. Learn more about LA and her work at <a href="http://ladragoni.com/">ladragoni.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eepurl.com/czuyuP" style="text-align: center;">Newsletter</a><span style="text-align: center;">| </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ladragoni/" style="text-align: center;">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: center;">| </span><a href="https://twitter.com/LA_Dragoni" style="text-align: center;">Twitter</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2skKW2f"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2skKW2f">Pre-order</a> today!</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-25737152266565287492017-05-01T18:38:00.001-04:002017-05-01T18:38:56.102-04:00#InkRipples~Fairy Tales<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This month's topic seems like it was made just for me! I love twisting fairy tales and have looked to them for inspiration for at least two of my books. (While <i>Charmed Memories </i>appears to be based on a well-known fairy tale, it happened by accident as I was working on it. I actually based it on a retelling of <i>The Prince and the Pauper.</i>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fairy tales were often used to teach morality and safety lessons to children. Take </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little Red Riding Hood </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for instance. It's a warning about talking to strangers or wandering from home and the safety of parental supervision.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of the tales we know that have been made into animated movies have been changed to reflect the social customs of the day. [Spoiler: In Hans Christian Anderson's <i>Little Mermaid, </i>the mermaid doesn't get the prince...she's turned into sea foam.) These changes are often to make the movies more appealing to a wider audience. After all, who wants to see Arielle turn into sea foam? [If you want to read the original, you can find it <a href="http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html" target="_blank">here</a>. And more of Anderson's works can be found <a href="http://hca.gilead.org.il/" target="_blank">here</a>.]</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhyphenhyphen0IivoXCAiWOSrhHGvPMDD0k36QGwK3-TvCxmyxN51NSPCLkQtWYnFuZYgNwmsdtLQvVZgjURpSTqpzKCNMhi8Uq1rdCcybX6dE6lXJQMlmScjIOnAnnWO0SYZgCY1VAdDedHdkWk_2/s1600/waves-2063757_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhyphenhyphen0IivoXCAiWOSrhHGvPMDD0k36QGwK3-TvCxmyxN51NSPCLkQtWYnFuZYgNwmsdtLQvVZgjURpSTqpzKCNMhi8Uq1rdCcybX6dE6lXJQMlmScjIOnAnnWO0SYZgCY1VAdDedHdkWk_2/s400/waves-2063757_1920.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an author, the fun with getting inspiration from fairy tales is in how you can switch things up. Most everyone will know the original tale you are basing your story on (take <i>Quest of the Hart</i>- it's based on <i>Sleeping Beauty</i>), unless you choose an obscure or tale from another nation that isn't as well know (which is a great way to get someone to check out those unknown stories!) This give you the opportunity to play with so many things. Should the princess be the damsel in distress or the rescuer? Is the hero actually the hero or the villain? Is the villain actually evil, or just misunderstood? The twists are only limited by your imagination.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, take your favorite fairy tale and create a new story! Share your favorite fairy tale retelling in the comments below (if you're the author, include a link to your website/buy page/etc.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="font-size: x-large;">Katie L. Carroll</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: x-large;">Kai Strand</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">, and me, </span><a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: x-large;">Mary Waibel</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #InkRipples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br />This year's topics are:<br /><br />June: Blurbs<br />July: Heroes/Villains<br />August: Author Options in Publishing<br />September: World Building<br />October: Career vs Hobby<br />November: Finishing that Book!<br />December: Goals</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-46148505631108341742017-04-19T06:30:00.000-04:002017-04-19T06:30:32.910-04:00Pirate Island by Katie Carroll<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
Today, Katie Carroll is here to share the cover for her new MG tale. Take it away, Katie!!!<br />
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<strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlJNonhNBJZZnJsKD_pVJDGw61O9OEvQDxG1QhnKuj5UZCZB2LNIQXDSdWOzl7mvwNbQnn0bco-vLYjxZensC4FtsLC64ggISf2YLWwYfVYWYs4k8cETooLaTBonmsGa2LFfsMMI57Sw/s1600/PirateIslandCover4Ebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlJNonhNBJZZnJsKD_pVJDGw61O9OEvQDxG1QhnKuj5UZCZB2LNIQXDSdWOzl7mvwNbQnn0bco-vLYjxZensC4FtsLC64ggISf2YLWwYfVYWYs4k8cETooLaTBonmsGa2LFfsMMI57Sw/s400/PirateIslandCover4Ebook.jpg" width="250" /></a></strong></div>
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PIRATE ISLAND<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
by Katie L. Carroll (<a data-mce-href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/" href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">katielcarroll.com</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
Cover Illustration
by Susan Tait Porcaro (<a data-mce-href="http://susantaitporcaro.com/" href="http://susantaitporcaro.com/" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491828114571_4321" shape="rect" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">susantaitporcaro.com</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Coming October 2017!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34818093-pirate-island" target="_blank"><img alt="Goodreads badge add plus" data-mce-selected="1" data-mce-src="https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/badge/goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898.png" src="https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/badge/goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898.png" style="border: none; height: auto; max-width: 100%; outline: rgb(114, 119, 124) solid 1px; padding: 0px; resize: none;" title="" /></a><span id="goog_1966099980"></span><span id="goog_1966099981"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<strong>PIRATE ISLAND blurb:<o:p></o:p></strong><br />
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<i>A thrice cursed island, a
legendary pirate treasure, and one not-so-brave boy. What could possibly go
wrong?</i></div>
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<i>For centuries, the whereabouts
of Captain William Kidd’s lost pirate treasure has remained a mystery. When
Billy’s best friend, Andy, proposes they look for it on nearby Pirate Island,
Billy thinks it’s just another one of their crazy adventures. It’s usually
Billy who ends up in trouble as a result, but he goes along for the ride…like
always. The more he delves into the life and death of Kidd, the more he thinks
the treasure is real and that it might be buried on the small island in Long
Island Sound. Billy—nope, call him William—becomes obsessed with the captain of
the same first name. He even believes he’s possessed by Kidd’s restless soul.
Now he and the spirit of a long-dead pirate are leading the crazy adventure on
Pirate Island. And what they find is far bigger than the treasure they
imagined.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVZWuIE0pxySDValoOjAfv-qHWazxRirsdT6dsu6xRY4E4ocTIefxTYNPl9QLiEHkv7IQH-pzQsDf-3tNKWpRMHiIoHNSFMljMAbzvYNv6JU608fmqPn3KK4yZbrePOp3jEsvSHhH140u/s1600/pocket-watch-1637393_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVZWuIE0pxySDValoOjAfv-qHWazxRirsdT6dsu6xRY4E4ocTIefxTYNPl9QLiEHkv7IQH-pzQsDf-3tNKWpRMHiIoHNSFMljMAbzvYNv6JU608fmqPn3KK4yZbrePOp3jEsvSHhH140u/s400/pocket-watch-1637393_1920.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>About the Author:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheO_iiQAr8i34Pt4Sf7zdF9JTv2r3PzAb3g5UX74lD-2WunmWvJVZh6a59fCcjPwQQ5D0CEmzqR1E2tYLKCut2S2uJgbsN4BgU_9XjXUxpeAX_A1ch75sW2Dw0Ng6sJirdvRcMxbz8UsI/s1600/KatieLCarroll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheO_iiQAr8i34Pt4Sf7zdF9JTv2r3PzAb3g5UX74lD-2WunmWvJVZh6a59fCcjPwQQ5D0CEmzqR1E2tYLKCut2S2uJgbsN4BgU_9XjXUxpeAX_A1ch75sW2Dw0Ng6sJirdvRcMxbz8UsI/s200/KatieLCarroll.jpg" width="146" /></a></div>
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Katie L. Carroll always says she began writing at a very sad time her life
after her sister Kylene unexpectedly passed away. The truth is Katie has been
writing her whole life, and it was only after Kylene’s death that she realized
she wanted to pursue writing for kids and teens as a career. Since then writing
has taken her to many wonderful places, real and imagined. She has had many
jobs in her lifetime, including newspaper deliverer, hardware store cashier,
physical therapy assistant, and puzzle magazine editor. She works from her home
in Connecticut that is filled with the love and laughter of her sons and
husband.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In addition to PIRATE
ISLAND, Katie is the author of the YA fantasy<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.amazon.com/Elixir-Bound-Katie-L-Carroll-ebook/dp/B0093CL4OM" href="https://www.amazon.com/Elixir-Bound-Katie-L-Carroll-ebook/dp/B0093CL4OM"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">ELIXIR BOUND</span></a>.
Find Katie on her <a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/" target="_blank">website</a>, <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/KatieLCarroll" href="https://twitter.com/KatieLCarroll" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/katielcarrollauthor" href="https://www.facebook.com/katielcarrollauthor" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Facebook</span></a>, and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6467018.Katie_L_Carroll" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6467018.Katie_L_Carroll" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Goodreads</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-2073795014974110672017-04-11T11:31:00.001-04:002017-04-11T11:31:50.979-04:00#InkRipples~Revision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXAYO5E6MTREx-8AS-11nbSqI3g6eZsRNCIvO8D6Lp40HyL992vwjFCO9syqKMNUkVZXmVAAG8mbLEmfdz4kJawIuYQywvzIbrieG8h7qBZqfclECQD3JRDfuUTpcvOjJwPN2TcQkb1sK7/s1600/InkwellHashtag2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXAYO5E6MTREx-8AS-11nbSqI3g6eZsRNCIvO8D6Lp40HyL992vwjFCO9syqKMNUkVZXmVAAG8mbLEmfdz4kJawIuYQywvzIbrieG8h7qBZqfclECQD3JRDfuUTpcvOjJwPN2TcQkb1sK7/s640/InkwellHashtag2.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am so behind this month!!! But I got it done. Here’s this month’s #InkRipples post!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Revision. For some authors, this is the best part of writing. For others, it’s worse than a trip to the dentist. But what is it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like to think of revision as the art of taking the lump of stone and polishing and cutting it until it reveal the gem that it truly is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, what does that look like?</span><br />
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<a href="https://pixabay.com/get/e034b90b2cfd1c22d9584518a33219c8b66ae3d110b0184396f6c970/pencil-918449_1920.jpg?attachment" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://pixabay.com/get/e034b90b2cfd1c22d9584518a33219c8b66ae3d110b0184396f6c970/pencil-918449_1920.jpg?attachment" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember in school, when you had to write a first draft, then a second draft, and maybe a few more drafts before creating the final copy? Well, writing a book is a little like that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You start with a first draft. Mine used to meander all over the place, as I didn't do much plotting before hand. It was fun, as I got to get a story down pretty quick, but the revision part became a nightmare. Huge sections would be removed completely as they didn’t fit with where the story ended up. In fact, some of my first drafts barely resemble the final product at all. Names changed, descriptions changed. The entire plot changed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, once you have your first draft, you go back through it and see what it needs. I usually need to add in descriptions and emotions. Once I’ve added what it needs, I go through again and see what it doesn’t need. What can I take out to make it stronger? Then I look for overused words and phrases. Then I look at my word usage to see if I’ve used the best word choices. Then I send it out to my beta readers* for their thoughts. Then I repeat the process until I think it’s ready to submit for my publisher, or ready to publish on my own, depending on what series I’ve written for. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*[I also send to my betas as I am writing, not so much for feedback, but to make sure I get my pages written. And yes, my betas, I know I owe you all pages. Hoping to have them for you next week!]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Readers: Did you know all that went into revisions?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Authors: Do you enjoy revisions?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Share your thoughts in the comments below.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdprTnlXfRS-eKoX43KpNCKEn217n8J2l0RlsnpomZa21TQQEFR5vXLEqacdH6Tej1bIBOLt1VT0KOaqanhQX3tzFMmf-gbgZdZkGRO4j-VmvD989scokS7-z0Zd8COjqRTw_c3ikN_ac/s1600/heart+flourish+black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdprTnlXfRS-eKoX43KpNCKEn217n8J2l0RlsnpomZa21TQQEFR5vXLEqacdH6Tej1bIBOLt1VT0KOaqanhQX3tzFMmf-gbgZdZkGRO4j-VmvD989scokS7-z0Zd8COjqRTw_c3ikN_ac/s200/heart+flourish+black.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="font-size: x-large;">Katie L. Carroll</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: x-large;">Kai Strand</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, and me, </span><a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: x-large;">Mary Waibel</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #InkRipples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />This year's topics are:<br /><br />May: Fairy Tales<br />June: Blurbs<br />July: Heroes/Villains<br />August: Author Options in Publishing<br />September: World Building<br />October: Career vs Hobby<br />November: Finishing that Book!<br />December: Goals</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-74746308769542986292017-03-07T16:55:00.002-05:002017-03-07T16:55:52.860-05:00#InkRipples~ Tropes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRYPLvKSvLZXi4qv9Dnfcjn2cU5hiZFVod-oxh6dUMwbdrcZ6v8RaZ5_QV787zLrJ8y6xDu_X9LwdV3sIq64PVm20gw_l-QGDR8ut0gqsLZ8XYbLCjKLVyal_h2VmyyRU_lAs6q4ZD9bq/s1600/%2523InkRipplesBlogBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRYPLvKSvLZXi4qv9Dnfcjn2cU5hiZFVod-oxh6dUMwbdrcZ6v8RaZ5_QV787zLrJ8y6xDu_X9LwdV3sIq64PVm20gw_l-QGDR8ut0gqsLZ8XYbLCjKLVyal_h2VmyyRU_lAs6q4ZD9bq/s640/%2523InkRipplesBlogBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />This month we’re taking tropes. A trope is </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">a significant or recurrent theme; a motif. For purposes of this post, it means a recurrent theme found in a genre of books.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <br />The romance genre is full of tropes. Billionaire romance. Shifter romance. Step-sibling romance. I'm sure you've picked up at least one of these tropes in your reads.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While every story in a trope is, and should be different, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">they all carry specific expectations. Billionaire romance contains a a rich guy or girl and someone barely making by on their paycheck. Shifter romances have creatures that appear human but change into something else (wolf, tiger, cheetah, bear, etc.) and the normal human (or sometime unaware shifter) that falls in love with them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of my favorite tropes it the best-friend turned lover (or romantic interest.) I've used this trope in <i>The Boyfriend Project </i>as well as the Lightning </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Quick Reads posts: <i><a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/2017/03/goals.html" target="_blank">Goals</a>, <a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-best-valentines-day-ever.html" target="_blank">The Best Valentine's Day Ever</a>, </i></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://lightningquickreads.blogspot.com/2015/06/one-last-camping-trip-by-mary-waibel.html" target="_blank">One Last Camping Trip</a> </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://lightningquickreads.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-price-of-freedom-by-mary-waibel.html" target="_blank">The Price of Freedom</a>. </i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />I'd love to know, what are your favorite tropes?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Katie L. Carroll</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Kai Strand</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, and me, </span><a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Mary Waibel</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #InkRipples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />This year's topics are:<br /><br />March: Tropes<br />April: Revision<br />May: Fairy Tales<br />June: Blurbs<br />July: Heroes/Villains<br />August: Author Options in Publishing<br />September: World Building<br />October: Career vs Hobby<br />November: Finishing that Book!<br />December: Goals</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-47946004290099663892017-03-07T16:51:00.001-05:002017-03-07T16:51:15.342-05:00The Best Valentine's Day Ever!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can a letter from the past change the worst Valentine's Day into the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Best Valentine's Day Ever</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">?</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-46f5818a-aabf-9f65-3d13-23311ab5e848" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 11pt; margin-right: 11pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="267" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Bfp633duplg-sAPLLX6VatJwlG3-r9QOg5snJGUBeFQJJsmpMM-ag6MQwzr5zqcnSz3IhMAEwd1C7C_Oc-MfiDT_sVa9bk6lgx_PudrT4DtVNAEXz4waRSy2XIdIQ9TJw5Coz4E" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="427" /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My breath puffed out and hung in the air ahead of me as I trudged up the walk to the Airensen house. The heart-shaped box of chocolates I carried under my coat dug me in the ribs, but I didn’t mind. The look of surprise and appreciation that would flow across Ainsley’s face when I gave them to her would be well worth the momentary discomfort.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I shoved a hand through my curls, oddly nervous. Ainsley and I hung out together all the time. In fact, most Saturdays we’d be heading to the movies about now. But today was Valentine’s Day. And Ainsley’s date with Chase Wainwright. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At least it wasn’t that asshat Keith. Of all the guys she could add to her list of potentials she had to go and pick a real dick of one there. And, whether she liked it or not, I was having a say in this one. He was not coming anywhere near her. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fortunately, he was still dating Samantha Jones, so I didn’t have to worry too much. Yet. But, once he was free, which rumor had it would be soon, I’d be paying him a visit and offering him some physical encouragement to stay away from Ains.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I rapped my knuckles against the wood door, turning the knob when I heard a muffled, “Come in.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A wave of heat enveloped me as I stepped inside, and beads of sweat broke out on my forehead. A fire roared in the fireplace, making the room a sweltering eighty-something degrees, a shocking change from the ten degree air I’d been walking in.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I undid my jacket, tucking the chocolates out of sight, and wandered over to Ainsley. She looked so cute sitting on the loveseat angled as close to the table lamp as she could get. As I watched her, she reached up and tucked a lock of her honey-blond hair behind her ear. My gaze drifted over her face, taking in the deep blue eyes that were damp and swollen, and the cheeks that held blotchy streaks of red.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What happened?” I clenched my fists, wanting to slam them in to whoever had hurt her. When I found them, they were going to regret making her cry.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ainsley jumped and the yellowed paper she’d held in her hand fluttered to the floor.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“God, Jesse,” she set a hand to her chest, “you scared the crap out of me.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I crouched down in front of her, picked up the paper, and handed it back to her. “Sorry. I thought you heard me knock.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She gave me a watery grin. “I did.” She sniffled. “I just didn’t hear you come in, is all.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I arched a brow. “What happened?”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Nothing.” Ains wiped the sleeve of her sweatshirt across her nose.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Come on, Ains. You’re sitting here crying. Something happened.” I reached out and played with the string dangling from the hood. “Wait. Why aren’t you dressed up? You’re supposed to be going out with Chase.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She gave a weak laugh. “Yeah. About that. He cancelled. Said he was really sorry, but a game or practice or something got scheduled and he had to be there.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“See, I told you hockey was his one and only love.” Ains punched me in the arm and I smiled. “Is that what the tears are about?”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“No.” She let out a long sigh. “Chase is a nice guy, but after talking to him this week I realized that we really don’t have that much in common.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I grunted. I’d known that when she first mentioned his name. Ainsley wasn’t one to sit in the stands and cheer her guy on. She wanted to be at his side, competing with him. Like she did with me every time we entered a 5K.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“So, why the tears?” I tugged the string I still held.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Oh, Mom and I found these old letters from Grandma and Grandpa up in the attic. I’ve been reading them, and…well, reading about how they fell in love during the war made me cry.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I tugged the fragile paper from her fingers and looked at the faded writing. Squinting, I read a few of the lines.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My Dearest Love,</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> All day I thought of you, fearing I might never see you again. Never touch your</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> silky hair. Never stare into your sapphire eyes. Never feel the joy seeing your</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> smile brings me. I thank God for every minute we had before I left. I thank Him</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for every memory that carries me through the day. And, I thank Him that I made</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it through today and am one day closer to seeing you again.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br /></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Isn’t that the most lovely thing you’ve ever read?” Ains asked, her words coated with emotion.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yeah.” I cleared my throat, surprised by how gravelly my voice sounded. Her Grandfather had captured my very thoughts about Ainsley. When I left for college in the fall, those were the words I want to write to her. The things I want to tell her. The things I haven’t found the way to say. Yet.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“So,” Ains poked me in the shoulder, “if you thought I’d be out with Chase, why’d you come over?”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I reached into my jacket and pulled out the chocolates. “To give you your Valentine’s gift.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She took the box, a mixture of surprise and something I couldn’t define racing across her face. “Thank you.” She jumped to her feet. “Wait here a sec, okay?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I nodded and she ran from the room. A minute later she returned and handed me a familiar, rectangular shaped box wrapped in heart paper.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What’s this?” I shook it gently, hearing a quiet rattle.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Duh. Your Valentine’s Day gift.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I lifted the paper and smiled. She’d found the war game I’d been looking for. I held up the box and arched a brow. “Wanna play?”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She grabbed it from my hands and headed toward television. “You really have to ask?”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I shrugged out of my jacket and sat on the loveseat, marveling at the twist my night had taken. When I left my house earlier I thought this would be the worst Valentine’s Day ever. But now, with Ainsley at my side, I found myself enjoying the best Valentine’s Day ever.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 11pt; margin-right: 11pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="267" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/hCZHkC8VbDe_BXD3WOY-PfSva37mIHBG5CKRUp9WScjZPplwIbgRSh8E0INaTQwLV_qATb0c-ba_-bmD7A7X0vvZmLWOEC2XuW0oQuRhR2dF8XHP80MfTsqgQ3gtVfcudlmPRdY" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="263" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twisting tales one story at a time. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YA author Mary Waibel’s love for fairytales and happy-ever fill the pages of her works. Whether penning stories in a medieval setting or a modern day school, magic and romance weave their way inside every tale. Strong female characters use both brain and brawn to save the day and win the heart of their men. Mary enjoys connecting with her readers through her website: </span><a href="http://marywaibel.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">marywaibel.blogspot.com</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-50714538577154352642017-03-07T16:50:00.002-05:002017-03-07T16:50:27.393-05:00Goals<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Ainsely's search for love leads to her best friend, she'll need more than </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goals </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to land a boyfriend.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-e9ec1402-aabe-a3a3-2551-7ebb7b4a738c" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 11pt; margin-right: 11pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5vYn6ecVqxYe7rZXWiNd7oofubu4XW3gi5sz067_GGqLeCju17VBRt-Ogl198Op30nJVHOxp-mS09gtQEAaSNJjLF_SpvnzTYEW2p41VzIHD9YZhG6DZXddrzG0bFJGwLLd2jbI" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="427" /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goal oriented. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s me. Ainsley Airensen. Give me a goal and a checklist, and there’s nothing I can’t do. Keep my grades up so I’m top five in my class? Check. Participate in clubs and service groups to pad my resume? Check. Get accepted at my top choices of colleges? Check.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See, all I need is a list and a goal and I can conquer anything. Except for one thing. A boyfriend. Not for lack of trying, mind you. I have lists galore on the subject, as well as goals, but it doesn't matter. I can't check it off as a success.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“It doesn’t work that way, Ainsley,” Jesse O’Connor, my best friend since we could walk, said as we jogged around the track talking about my single status and what I planned to do about it.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesse had never given me bad advice, and with him being a guy, I always got a different perspective. Like now.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Of course it does. How do you think those online dating sites work? They use a list.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He chuckled. “Yeah, of things the two people have in common.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, I could make a list for that.” I started thinking about what I’d include. Running, watching movies―action flicks more than chick flicks―swimming in the warm months and skiing in the cold ones. All the things I loved. All the things I did with Jesse.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What you need to do it make a list of guys you think you want to date, and I’ll help you narrow it down to your perfect choice.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I brushed strands of my dark blond hair from my face. “Right. I’m pretty sure you won't let me put a single name on the list.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He slowed to a stop and drew an ‘x’ across his heart. “I swear I will let you make a list and help you find the best guy for you.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wow. He totally meant it. Jesse never swore oaths unless he meant to keep them.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Okay.” I bent over, stretching out my muscles as we talked. “How many guys do I need to list?”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He stretched a leg back and shoved his fingers into his chocolate colored curls. “Let’s go with five. Think you can pick five stellar candidates from the population of Roosevelt High?”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I grinned. “Easy. Chase Wainwright.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Why him?” Jesse cocked a brow, green eyes questioning.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Who wouldn’t want him? I mean, he’s gorgeous, and he’s not conceited about it.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“No. But he’s obsessed with hockey.” He switched legs.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I sighed as I stretched to the other side. It was true. Chase spent mega hours at the rink. “You told me I could make the list.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I did, but you need to be realistic here, Ains. He’s not the right guy for the list.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“He’s going on the list. And so is Jordan Kingsley.” I tipped my head down, my ponytail falling down to swing across the track.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Two hockey players? You want to be a rink bunny?”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I flicked my hair back as I stood and shrugged. “It can’t be that bad.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He snorted. “Ask Samantha how it is. She practically lives there.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I will. But I’m not taking them off my list.” I glared, daring him to make a comment. Wisely, he kept silent. “For the third name, I’ll add Keith Lattimer.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’m seriously questioning your taste in men. He’s an ass. One that happens to be dating Samantha.” Jesse shook his head and started walking toward his car in the student lot on the other side of the fence. “I just don’t see what you girls see in him.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesse opened my door and I scooted inside, waiting for him to get behind the wheel before I answered. “He’s taller than me and older than me. What more do I need?”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“How about someone who will treat you right? Or, someone with a personality more outgoing than a bump on a log?” He shook his head. “Geez, Ains. You should read a romance novel or take in a chick flick once in a while. Your idea of romance and love is worse than a guys.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Like you’d know what to do on a date.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He backed out of the parking spot then flashed a grin at me. “Add me to your list and see.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I stared at him, my stomach doing funny flips. If Jesse wasn’t my best friend, he’d make the perfect boyfriend. Hell, most guys already thought he was my boyfriend. But he was my best friend. If we dated, what would happen to our friendship? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His grin faded, and he looked away, watching where he was driving. “Guess that’s a no.” He cleared his throat. I thought I saw a flash of pain in his eyes, but he blinked and it disappeared.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“No.” I set my hand on his arm, pulling his gaze back to mine briefly. “It’s not a no. You just surprised me with the suggestion, is all. ” I looked up at him, praying I wasn’t making the biggest mistake of my life. “I’ll add you to the list.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Great. Now you just need one more.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Right. I couldn’t come up with another name. I’d barely been able to name three. And now that Jesse’s name was on the list, I didn’t want anyone else’s there. How had that happened? I’d never thought of Jesse that way before.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Let’s just go with four.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Then four it is. And may the best man win.” He grinned and my stomach swirled with excitement and fear. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What was wrong with me? I never should have added him to my list. I studied him as we drove down the road, seeing him in a new light. Dark brown hair curled around his ears and neck, begging me to tangle my fingers into each strand and see if they were as soft as they looked. His spring green eyes held mysteries and wonders I’d never noticed before, but now I wanted to discover each and every one.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And just like that, I knew what my goal would be. It wasn’t just to get a boyfriend. No, it was so much more than that. My new goal was to make Jesse fall for me like I was falling for him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="267" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/DvWqC7ca_YphyH8y_1M2wdMCyGZcWHWmLRdAovVdToiyGaBRhgJ4xtMvMr2VkmsvMxbZ37JWFH1deV3XkXxfL7X70W9uQsqjav39GDLOIDyo1tgePKf1UXD13OB8dZPJGpOxajs" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="263" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twisting tales one story at a time. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YA author Mary Waibel’s love for fairytales and happy-ever fill the pages of her works. Whether penning stories in a medieval setting or a modern day school, magic and romance weave their way inside every tale. Strong female characters use both brain and brawn to save the day and win the heart of their men. Mary enjoys connecting with her readers through her website: </span><a href="http://marywaibel.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">marywaibel.blogspot.com</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We invite you to return on January 17th for a GOALS inspired story from Eric Price</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-67828698947031946792017-02-28T19:44:00.000-05:002017-02-28T19:44:12.053-05:00#InkRipples~ Genres ~ FANTASY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PoLmuwBlyT7mJsVUBXyEwXq-DcchSwJA4ef1X9BOJV_iT3K0h-CBlSX7zmiDiQZROeqdl7o67I1-xb_5GpktdwWSzTU3sFMIFg-JxB3IQ12iDtd15yWdij8KCrN78ZtBw52zxIG5Ce7G/s1600/%2523InkRipplesgreen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PoLmuwBlyT7mJsVUBXyEwXq-DcchSwJA4ef1X9BOJV_iT3K0h-CBlSX7zmiDiQZROeqdl7o67I1-xb_5GpktdwWSzTU3sFMIFg-JxB3IQ12iDtd15yWdij8KCrN78ZtBw52zxIG5Ce7G/s640/%2523InkRipplesgreen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sorry for the delay in getting this week's blog up, but if I'd been thinking about it, this would have been perfect last week when I talked about mysteries. Just look at the suspense I've been building while you wait for me to post this week's thoughts!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This week I'm talking fantasy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Magic. Fantastical creatures. Sword and sorcery. All of these elements are things you'd find in a fantasy. Can there be romance? Of course! Mystery? Certainly. But, like in romances and mysteries, these are not the main plot of the story. They are sub plots.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For me, if the story's focus is the magic, or the quest for fantastic beasts or amulets, or trying to stop an evil wizard from ruling the world, the book is a fantasy. And while many fantasies have romantic elements, not all romance readers like the world building that is found in a fantasy.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGmUgku15abrJ7tsz4jX2u-KFz3ZwbEDm2fenX37LnI6ltnzpA5HUnVPJB5pOEv-n9HsFBrGwsvjEEHUm0t4V4-988REdXk_arJKvsfToa5A5l2y96ZudhtQ-WL_8XF0CkLr_DxqEYjLO/s1600/Fantasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGmUgku15abrJ7tsz4jX2u-KFz3ZwbEDm2fenX37LnI6ltnzpA5HUnVPJB5pOEv-n9HsFBrGwsvjEEHUm0t4V4-988REdXk_arJKvsfToa5A5l2y96ZudhtQ-WL_8XF0CkLr_DxqEYjLO/s640/Fantasy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, what does this tell us about genres? </span><br />
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<li>Often books have elements of more than one genre.</li>
<li>There are great disagreements about how to classify the genre of a book. </li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what's an author/reader to do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you're an author, know your target audience and craft your book blurb to entice them to read your book. Don't get so hung up on the genre, but don't mislead readers by labeling your book something it might not really be. (ie: a romance when there's barely any romantic plot line, but there's a guy and girl, and they kiss...you get the idea.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And if you're a reader, look at the covers. Does it match others in the genre you're looking for? (If you want a mystery and the cover shows a couple embracing, that could be a sign that this might not be the book you are looking for.) Also, does the book blurb set up the type of story you're looking for? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the end, sometimes it's worth it to take a gamble with something new. After all, you might find a new favorite author or a new audience.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P78VumED81RYriu7h05YRdw9UD8HramtLxv6HuDVFoocOusQa_hpWc0PeVPJQkzCaC6i4yUFp7K4Aspdk7HWD3LFhxxYqLhSNv6Zw4ygHXnAoJKEpnDU25IvAah-mOUannii3BcXQJNY/s1600/heart+flourish+black.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P78VumED81RYriu7h05YRdw9UD8HramtLxv6HuDVFoocOusQa_hpWc0PeVPJQkzCaC6i4yUFp7K4Aspdk7HWD3LFhxxYqLhSNv6Zw4ygHXnAoJKEpnDU25IvAah-mOUannii3BcXQJNY/s640/heart+flourish+black.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hope you've enjoyed my thoughts on genre and that you'll come back next week when I share a few of my favorite tropes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the meantime, I'd love to hear some of your preferred genres to read, so leave me a comment!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRYPLvKSvLZXi4qv9Dnfcjn2cU5hiZFVod-oxh6dUMwbdrcZ6v8RaZ5_QV787zLrJ8y6xDu_X9LwdV3sIq64PVm20gw_l-QGDR8ut0gqsLZ8XYbLCjKLVyal_h2VmyyRU_lAs6q4ZD9bq/s1600/%2523InkRipplesBlogBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRYPLvKSvLZXi4qv9Dnfcjn2cU5hiZFVod-oxh6dUMwbdrcZ6v8RaZ5_QV787zLrJ8y6xDu_X9LwdV3sIq64PVm20gw_l-QGDR8ut0gqsLZ8XYbLCjKLVyal_h2VmyyRU_lAs6q4ZD9bq/s640/%2523InkRipplesBlogBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Katie L. Carroll</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Kai Strand</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, and me, </span><a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Mary Waibel</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #InkRipples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />This year's topics are:<br /><br />March: Tropes<br />April: Revision<br />May: Fairy Tales<br />June: Blurbs<br />July: Heroes/Villains<br />August: Author Options in Publishing<br />September: World Building<br />October: Career vs Hobby<br />November: Finishing that Book!<br />December: Goals</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-32980151563909857632017-02-20T06:30:00.000-05:002017-02-20T06:30:00.943-05:00#InkRipples Genres- MYSTERY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGU68hr5DEbPDlRcwhbcW0QV85YxI-B0O8i-TcNH2-yVQPyxjcF5mjnS7K9GFQFDnyNbhrRRr_x5BtdxJn5exd3i70UhED7QDbUnSbyyZumKJbsLcwW2FfiZ9TLXLL5VUbqlbk7045CU8i/s1600/%2523InkRipplesblueandgreen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGU68hr5DEbPDlRcwhbcW0QV85YxI-B0O8i-TcNH2-yVQPyxjcF5mjnS7K9GFQFDnyNbhrRRr_x5BtdxJn5exd3i70UhED7QDbUnSbyyZumKJbsLcwW2FfiZ9TLXLL5VUbqlbk7045CU8i/s640/%2523InkRipplesblueandgreen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This month #InkRipples is focusing on genre, and today I will be taking a look at mystery.</span></div>
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<br />To me, mystery is one of the easier genres to identify. Does your main story line center around answering "Who done it?" Then you've got yourself a mystery.<br /><br />Like romance, mystery has several sub genres including:<br /><ul>
<li>Cozy</li>
<li>Police Procedural</li>
<li>Suspense</li>
<li>Noir</li>
<li>Legal Thriller</li>
<li>Medical Thriller</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCNNOsZb5-MWc7Tubt-mKfiiPOwlxliJ4OpXuhvu-0FHadXSonsUhQ2ccN5CYF80-gfI0-lXm5EGCPD0Mmz8Ot07W28x1wZN_hnhdlQMh8sgfrnfuLkU0_nxCs-TWFPojnkPf4-RYDjEd/s1600/Mystery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCNNOsZb5-MWc7Tubt-mKfiiPOwlxliJ4OpXuhvu-0FHadXSonsUhQ2ccN5CYF80-gfI0-lXm5EGCPD0Mmz8Ot07W28x1wZN_hnhdlQMh8sgfrnfuLkU0_nxCs-TWFPojnkPf4-RYDjEd/s400/Mystery.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There can be romance in a mystery, but it isn't the driving plot of the story. Take cozy mysteries for example. The ones I've read have been a series where the heroine has a normal day job (baker, teacher, librarian, etc.) and stumbles across a murder that she helps the hero, usually a detective, solve. The heroine usually belongs to some kind of club (knitting, book, etc.) that is involved in helping to solve the mystery. During the course of the books, the heroine and hero develop a relationship. So, while there is romance, the main point of the story is to solve the murder, making this a mystery and not a romance.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />All that being said, it doesn't mean a reader of romance wouldn't enjoy a cozy mystery (or any other mystery for that matter), but you don't want to mislead your reader into thinking they are getting a romance when, to them, it might not be.<br /><br />What are your favorite types of mysteries? Who are some of your favorite mystery authors? Share in the comments below!<br /><br />Next week we'll wrap things up with a look at Fantasy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRYPLvKSvLZXi4qv9Dnfcjn2cU5hiZFVod-oxh6dUMwbdrcZ6v8RaZ5_QV787zLrJ8y6xDu_X9LwdV3sIq64PVm20gw_l-QGDR8ut0gqsLZ8XYbLCjKLVyal_h2VmyyRU_lAs6q4ZD9bq/s1600/%2523InkRipplesBlogBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRYPLvKSvLZXi4qv9Dnfcjn2cU5hiZFVod-oxh6dUMwbdrcZ6v8RaZ5_QV787zLrJ8y6xDu_X9LwdV3sIq64PVm20gw_l-QGDR8ut0gqsLZ8XYbLCjKLVyal_h2VmyyRU_lAs6q4ZD9bq/s640/%2523InkRipplesBlogBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Katie L. Carroll</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Kai Strand</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, and me, </span><a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Mary Waibel</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #InkRipples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />This year's topics are:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">February: Genres</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">March: Tropes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">April: Revision</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">May: Fairy Tales</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">June: Blurbs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">July: Heroes/Villains</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">August: Author Options in Publishing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">September: World Building</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">October: Career vs Hobby</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">November: Finishing that Book!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">December: Goals</span></li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-59872128071979518692017-02-13T06:30:00.000-05:002017-02-13T06:30:00.170-05:00#InkRipples~Genres~ ROMANCE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Welcome back to another week of #InkRipples. This month, we’re talking genres, and with Valentine’s Day tomorrow, what better genre to start with than Romance?</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When you pick up a romance novel, you know that when you get to the end of the book, no matter what challenges the couple faces throughout the story, that they will end up together (at least for now.) Romances are all about the relationship. Even the sub genres, and there are many, have the relationship as the main plot line. <br /><br />Romantic mystery, romantic suspense, romantic intrigue, contemporary romance, historical romance are all sub genres of the romance category. The key is that first word—</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />Sure, there could be a mystery to solve, a plot to foil, a king to save, or a store to open, but those all take a back seat to the relationship building between the two main characters. If the relationship is not the main story line, then it isn’t actually a romance…even if there is a relationship component to the story.<br /><br />Nora Roberts is a romance author, but her books written as JD Robb, while they contain relationship components you would find in a romance, are not romances. They are actually suspense, or if you want to put in a sub genre, suspense romance (notice that romance is now the second word, meaning the suspense part takes the main storyline.)<br /><br />This is how I knew that <i>The Boyfriend Project</i> was a romance, and that <i>Faery Marked</i> belonged in fantasy. Both contain romantic story lines, but the main story line in <i>Faery Marked</i> wasn’t the relationship, it was magic and the Faery realm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What are your thoughts? Is this too simple a way to look at genre? Share in the comments below. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Katie L. Carroll</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Kai Strand</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, and me, </span><a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Mary Waibel</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #InkRipples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />This year's topics are:<br /><br />February: Genres<br />March: Tropes<br />April: Revision<br />May: Fairy Tales<br />June: Blurbs<br />July: Heroes/Villains<br />August: Author Options in Publishing<br />September: World Building<br />October: Career vs Hobby<br />November: Finishing that Book!<br />December: Goals</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-20457135321089847412017-02-08T06:30:00.000-05:002017-02-08T06:30:07.792-05:00GHOST TOUCH Exclusive!!<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoK18CxdzDGsI5pAkVCswGKlYOVTN0auwQ10RGBRH8ch7VaaEoPD2SO23aAsgjJlJiqRrloLQWbGuu3DS7C2htt9FNX9-5sqK5fnZgb4Ki30oX1nrtb3z_gUUs767UTIKNUj0uQaZAG1rz/s1600/special-edition-1656245_1920.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoK18CxdzDGsI5pAkVCswGKlYOVTN0auwQ10RGBRH8ch7VaaEoPD2SO23aAsgjJlJiqRrloLQWbGuu3DS7C2htt9FNX9-5sqK5fnZgb4Ki30oX1nrtb3z_gUUs767UTIKNUj0uQaZAG1rz/s640/special-edition-1656245_1920.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today is a special day on the blog. I have been asked to host an exclusive, sneak peek at the new cover for LA Dragoni's </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Ghost Touch.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you love romance, especially with a ghostly paranormal bent, then this is the book for you. Scroll on past the curtain for the gorgeous cover and an excerpt to whet your appetite for more!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhy9oZ7HmK9YEeV_dKUR190TN8mN5aK20vjzNAAjXv47BiLAOtECg5E228OdmftUGH8BFKz16pK99NquSdjIDzWeFPvBGyFfLC4K6BAGqmEpHxawhDT1TobSb81rrx-Q4Xwml8V5O4YO2/s1600/Ghost+Touch+ebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhy9oZ7HmK9YEeV_dKUR190TN8mN5aK20vjzNAAjXv47BiLAOtECg5E228OdmftUGH8BFKz16pK99NquSdjIDzWeFPvBGyFfLC4K6BAGqmEpHxawhDT1TobSb81rrx-Q4Xwml8V5O4YO2/s400/Ghost+Touch+ebook.jpg" width="266" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For fifteen minutes each night a portal opens in Tamara’s
barn and a horde of ghosts spills into her yard. She and Dex work together to
find a way to help Cal and the thousands of spirits stuck in the void to cross
over. When she learns she has the ghost touch—the ability to touch the ghosts
as if they were corporeal—and she accidentally helps a little boy cross, she
believes it might be possible. But not all the spirits play nice and when they
learn they can sip energy from her ghost touch, they become greedy putting her
life at risk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Each time Cal has to pull her from the mass of ghosts, her
touch restores him more and more until he is at danger of being stuck on
earth—forever, which is very enticing to Tamara the better she knows him. Will
she and Dex figure out how to help the spirits cross and if they do, will she
be able to let Cal go?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>This new adult paranormal romance is available in ebook, and audiobook
from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://amzn.to/1G7ZpC4" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, and now available in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/152052157X?ref_=pe_870760_150889320">print</a>!
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Also available on <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-touch-la-dragoni/1122871133?ean=2940152711608">Barnes
and Noble</a>, <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ghost-touch-2">Kobo</a>,
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1053760714">iTunes</a>, and other
e-tailers.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><b>Excerpt:</b></span><div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /> The newest face in Tamara’s latest nightmare was about to be revealed when a loud <i>SLAM</i> woke her. Still anxious from the events of the night before, Tamara had slept lightly all night. She pulled the shotgun from where she’d tucked it under her bed, slipped into a pair of sneakers and headed out to the barn. The hairs on the back of her neck rose when she found Ruff cowering and whimpering in front of the doors where he’d sat menacingly the night before. She hesitated as she drew up next to him. A faint blue light seeped through the crack between the large doors. There were no windows on the front of the building, so there was no way she could know who was in there or where they were. Even though it would be embarrassing, she decided to call the police again.<br /> As she turned toward the house, the large barn doors swung open. Her heart kicked into high gear. She leveled the shotgun, pointing it straight at the doors as they glided open on their own accord, hoping the sight of the gun would be enough to scare the intruder away. <br /> An unnatural blue-white light spilled outward, making her squint. Blinding bright in the center, it faded to murky shadows in the corners. Tamara’s heart all but stopped when shapes developed within the bright center. A crowd of people surged forward, scattering in all directions across her yard. <br /> There were so many. Panic filled Tamara while she tried to figure out what to do, how to defend herself against so many. Who were all these people? Why had they been in her barn? Why is that man digging? <br /> “Hey, stop!” she yelled.<br /> A woman in a torn red dress stumbled up the hill reminding Tamara of herself in last night’s dream. The woman’s long blond hair streamed behind her in the windless night. She continually glanced over her shoulder, a terrified expression gnarling her beautiful face, though no one pursued her. <br /> Then a single man sauntered forward, his attention intent on Tamara. The bright light behind him made it impossible for her to make out any detail, but his manner seemed equal parts commanding and relaxed. Her heart fluttered madly, and she felt the muzzle of the rifle dip toward the ground as she considered fleeing. A flat, wide-brimmed cowboy hat sat straight on his head. Well-worn leather chaps covered his bowed legs. Strange clicking noises accompanied him across the lawn. As he drew closer his image sharpened. When Tamara saw his face, she lowered the gun barrel. “Sheesh, I am dreaming.” <br /> She looked into the skinless face of her latest nightmare.<br /> “Ma’am, I can assure you, this is no dream.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Reviews:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span class="mhrhead" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">LA Dragoni weaves several interesting
and unique premises about the afterlife into this story -- and the love
triangle is only two parts living! The story has eerie, vivid descriptions of
the ghosts, and the emotional turmoil of all three of the main characters is
very well defined. Dragoni provides an awesome villain to hate and then
masterfully manages to change the reader's opinion of the villain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="mhrhead" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are several twists and surprises
in the plot, and the ending is satisfying but absolutely leaves questions that
hopefully will be answered in a subsequent novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>-Hall Ways blog</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUsj5JYJHFUGVzmF8v6YTeBeHlkvvs2dkUipd9u3iLfb-LfzqqOe1On1cnjlqBCUQ5z_rcj_tAegUtA4iwW5uKnWZX2QFB1sZUgYb39DvarGSWXyC6EZrDINNGc4BOa5EyxvrVKlTDKdT/s1600/Decorative_text_divider_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="8" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUsj5JYJHFUGVzmF8v6YTeBeHlkvvs2dkUipd9u3iLfb-LfzqqOe1On1cnjlqBCUQ5z_rcj_tAegUtA4iwW5uKnWZX2QFB1sZUgYb39DvarGSWXyC6EZrDINNGc4BOa5EyxvrVKlTDKdT/s400/Decorative_text_divider_5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvm1g_gMXifBB7QuwIJsUcaYsgpXfmmmAPCqhF4PFuMpa1ICic_zQTzgH5uIzzmy2H79gt_llO558o0Y9SV9zGXYMMe1ys6OKVRFvA1F6o2nnn0qs3AZwURyaEzF_viMTdGu6CcsuDvqp/s1600/IMG_5209+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvm1g_gMXifBB7QuwIJsUcaYsgpXfmmmAPCqhF4PFuMpa1ICic_zQTzgH5uIzzmy2H79gt_llO558o0Y9SV9zGXYMMe1ys6OKVRFvA1F6o2nnn0qs3AZwURyaEzF_viMTdGu6CcsuDvqp/s200/IMG_5209+-+Copy.JPG" width="169" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">About the author: <b>LA
Dragoni</b> isn’t too particular about who falls in love or where they fall in
love. She simply considers it her job to capture the story about their love.
Whether it’s paranormal, mythical, or time travel, LA will be there to divine
their story for you. She lives in Central Oregon with her husband and children,
but haunts ghost towns and cemeteries up and down the west, in search of the
next adventure to sift through her storytelling brain. Follow LA on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ladragoni/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/LA_Dragoni" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Subscribe to her <a href="http://eepurl.com/czuyuP" target="_blank">mailing list</a> and learn more about LA and
her work at <a href="http://www.ladragoni.com/">www.ladragoni.com</a></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-11529458840182380302017-02-06T06:30:00.000-05:002017-02-06T06:30:08.567-05:00#InkRipples~Genres<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">This month #InkRipples is tackling the topic of genres. After an author has written their novel, they need to decide what genre it belongs in.<br /><br />Sometimes choosing the correct genre can seem confusing, especially if the story contains elements from more than one genre. Let’s take a look at the genre possibilities.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">According to </span><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_writing_genres#Major_genres" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Wikipedia</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, the main classical genres of writing are:</span><br />
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiss1Yr1LBc4b8qhhjjvGqbHnXlHOHhNK3t4stcAFFJSEmMYptc5fKHa8FNwLYmFDLF5lehisnUfpKaYJPE1M5fgeNM8rMzi-S9cjnVkcgFPcGk96NBWTH6sK7UPK6eO1heO5EX2sdRO18A/s1600/Genres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiss1Yr1LBc4b8qhhjjvGqbHnXlHOHhNK3t4stcAFFJSEmMYptc5fKHa8FNwLYmFDLF5lehisnUfpKaYJPE1M5fgeNM8rMzi-S9cjnVkcgFPcGk96NBWTH6sK7UPK6eO1heO5EX2sdRO18A/s400/Genres.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Fiction</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Comedy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Drama</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Horror</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Non-fiction</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Realistic fiction</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Romance </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Satire</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Tragedy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Tragicomedy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Fantasy</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s quite a list!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />My writing and reading preferences tend to fall into three genres. They are:</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Romance</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Mystery</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Fantasy</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, how do I know where my story belongs? Throughout the month, we’ll take a look at these three genres to see why a story belongs there. Come join me next week for a look at romance!!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't forget to check out </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Katie L. Carroll</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Kai Strand</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> and the other #InkRipples posters (follow the tag on Twitter and Facebook!) Want to join in? Keep reading for more information.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ripples in the Inkwell is a themed meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Katie L. Carroll</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Kai Strand</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, and me, </span><a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Mary Waibel</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #InkRipples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />This year's topics are:<br /><br />February: Genres<br />March: Tropes<br />April: Revision<br />May: Fairy Tales<br />June: Blurbs<br />July: Heroes/Villains<br />August: Author Options in Publishing<br />September: World Building<br />October: Career vs Hobby<br />November: Finishing that Book!<br />December: Goals</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-15621218041940405122017-01-02T06:00:00.000-05:002017-01-02T06:00:23.007-05:00#InkRipples~Book covers<div class="gmail_msg" id="m_-7162431462326515643yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1481557273158_5264" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; word-spacing: 1px;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy New Year!!!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I drifted away from posting during 2016, but am back and looking forward to sharing my thoughts again in 2017.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And what better post for the first of the year than an #Inkripples post.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRYPLvKSvLZXi4qv9Dnfcjn2cU5hiZFVod-oxh6dUMwbdrcZ6v8RaZ5_QV787zLrJ8y6xDu_X9LwdV3sIq64PVm20gw_l-QGDR8ut0gqsLZ8XYbLCjKLVyal_h2VmyyRU_lAs6q4ZD9bq/s1600/%2523InkRipplesBlogBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRYPLvKSvLZXi4qv9Dnfcjn2cU5hiZFVod-oxh6dUMwbdrcZ6v8RaZ5_QV787zLrJ8y6xDu_X9LwdV3sIq64PVm20gw_l-QGDR8ut0gqsLZ8XYbLCjKLVyal_h2VmyyRU_lAs6q4ZD9bq/s1600/%2523InkRipplesBlogBanner.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today's topic: Book covers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Book covers are more complicated than you may realize. After all, one glance must not only catch the eye of a prospective reader and entice them to pick up the book to read, but it must also reveal the genre and a subtle hint of the story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you're looking for a thriller, you aren't going to pick up a book with flowery script and a picture of a man in a suit and top hat with a woman in a belle of the ball gown, are you? No, because the cover is revealing that you're holding a romance (and most likely, a period romance.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Color, font, and images are all used to help a reader know at a glance what the book they are looking at is going to be about. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was an important thing for me to learn when I worked with the cover artist for my first book. I answered a series of questions about my book, about what I'd like to see on the cover, and some covers that I liked that were in the same genre as I was writing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had always thought that book covers needed to represent a specific scene from the story, but that isn't true. A great book cover will capture the essence of the story through the colors, font, and images the cover artist uses. And it is much harder to do this than you think!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you agree that book covers are more complicated than they first appear? What are some of your favorite covers and why? Share in the comments below! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong style="font-family: -webkit-standard; word-spacing: 0px;">Ripples in the Inkwell is a themed meme hosted b</strong><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; word-spacing: 0px;">y </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong>Katie L. Carroll</strong></a><strong style="font-family: -webkit-standard; word-spacing: 0px;">, <a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kai Strand</a></strong><strong style="font-family: -webkit-standard; word-spacing: 0px;">, and me, <a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mary Waibel</a></strong><strong style="font-family: -webkit-standard; word-spacing: 0px;">. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</strong></span><br />
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<strong style="font-family: -webkit-standard; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">This year's topics are:</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>January: Book covers<br />February: Genres<br />March: Tropes<br />April: Revision<br />May: Fairy Tales<br />June: Blurbs<br />July: Heroes/Villains<br />August: Author Options in Publishing<br />September: World Building<br />October: Career vs Hobby<br />November: Finishing that Book!<br />December: Goals</b></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-6977916696148487122016-12-05T21:11:00.000-05:002016-12-05T21:11:01.445-05:00#InkRipples~Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow! It's hard to believe I've been away from the blog for FOUR MONTHS!!! What have I been doing? Spending lots of time with my family and doing a lot of nothing. Catching up on some TV shows, a little reading, and lots of just hanging around. In other words, I was taking a much needed break. But, now it's time to get back into the swing of things.<br />
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Katie, Kai, and I have been talking about #Inkripples topics for 2017, and I realized how much I've missed posting these last few months. I'm very excited about the upcoming topics, and hope you will be too!<br />
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But, before we get there, we have the last 2016 topic to tackle. Cookies.<br />
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Cookies are great! In fact, I indulged in two at work today (a wonderful and unexpected gift from a hockey-mom friend). Another great thing about cookies? Recipe swaps. One of the things I always enjoyed on my early twenties was getting the holiday themed romance book collection (3-5 stories in one book) with recipes from the authors. And if the food (cookie or pie or cake) was worked into the story, even better.<br />
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While I haven't worked a cookie recipe into a book (although there is a loose mac and cheese recipe in <em>The Boyfriend Project</em>) I thought I'd share a couple of holiday go to's for me.<br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Buckeyes:</strong></span><br />
This recipe has been passed down through my family and are a yearly favorite. You may know them better as Peanut Butter Balls.<br />
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1/4 cup margerine<br />
2 cups confectioner's sugar<br />
2 cups peanut butter<br />
2 cups rice crispies<br />
Almond bark (or chocolate chips and wax), melted<br />
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Cream first three ingredients. Add rice crispies. Mix well. Roll into balls. Refrigerate 2 hours. Dip in melted chocolate and set on wax paper. Store in refrigerator.
Notes: When dipping them in the chocolate, we always stab the peanut butter ball in the center with a toothpick and dip it in the chocolate, leaving a small circular area uncovered- it makes it kind of look like an eye (hence the name).<br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Snickerdoodles</strong></span><br />
My son recently mentioned that this is his favorite cookie, so I see a batch of these in the near future! This recipe is from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book.<br />
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1 cup shortening (part butter or margarine) <br />
2 tsp. cream of tartar<br />
1 1/2 cups sugar <br />
1 tsp. baking soda<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/4 tsp. salt <br />
2 3/4 cups flour<br />
2 Tbsp. sugar
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2 tsp. cinnamon<br />
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Heat oven to 400. Mix shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and eggs thoroughly. Blend flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in. Shape dough in 1" balls. Roll in mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. These cookies puff up at first, then flatten out. Makes 6 dozen cookies.<br />
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What are your favorite cookie recipes? Share in the comments below!! Be sure to check out <a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/" target="_blank">Katie</a> and <a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kai's</a> posts.
And stay tuned for the 2017 #Inkripple topics!!<br />
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<strong>Ripples in the Inkwell is a themed meme hosted b</strong>y <a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/"><strong>Katie L. Carroll</strong></a><strong>, <a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kai Strand</a></strong><strong>, and me, <a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mary Waibel</a></strong><strong>. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</strong>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-20527423015813798542016-08-01T06:30:00.000-04:002016-08-01T06:30:32.376-04:00#InkRipples~Inspiration and Guilty Pleasures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
[Wipes away the cobwebs hanging everywhere and shakes the dust from the curtains.]<br />
<br />
Hi! I bet you thought I'd abandoned this place, didn't you? Well, I just took a short leave of absence. And now I'm back.<br />
<br />
Because I missed last month's topic, I thought I'd give you a quick post on where I get inspiration before diving into this month's topic. I find inspiration everywhere. In a song. In a lyric. In an image. I once had a book idea come to me from a name in the credits at the end of a movie. I just need to find the time (and focus!) to develop the ideas I find.<br />
<br />
Now, on to guilty pleasures. Here's a couple of mine!<br />
<br />
First...Anime. I love to watch Anime. In fact, I just finished re-watching <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_Knight" target="_blank">Vampire Knight</a> for the somethingth time (yeah, I've lost count.) I don't know what it is about that show, but I can binge watch all 26 episodes in 2 days. <br />
<br />
I also love <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist:_Brotherhood" target="_blank">Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.</a> While I enjoyed Fullmetal Alchemist, it was almost like reading a draft of a finished novel when compared to Brotherhood. They share a similar story line, but Brotherhood was much more developed. I highly recommend Brotherhood to anyone new to Anime. It's an amazing story you don't want to miss.<br />
<br />
Second...Movies. Recently I've been obsessed with watching Pride and Prejudice (the one with Keira Knightly). I've been waiting for it to come back on Netflix, and in the meantime I watched Pride and Prejudice the mini-series with Colin Firth. While this had more character development, I still find myself partial to the Matthew MacFadyen's Mr. Darcy. (He's good to watch in Ripper Street, too!)<br />
<br />
<br />
What are some of your guilty pleasures?<br />
<br />
Don't forget to stop by <a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" target="_blank">Katie</a> and <a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kai's</a> blogs to see their guilty pleasures!<br />
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<b>Ripples in the Inkwell is a themed meme hosted by <a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/">Katie L. Carroll</a>, <a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/">Kai Strand</a>, and me, <a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/">Mary Waibel</a>. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-85004722050022896682016-06-06T16:45:00.002-04:002016-06-06T16:45:43.204-04:00#INKRIPPLES~Movies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Wow! It's hard to believe an entire month has gone by already. Don't look, but we're almost halfway through the year. Didn't it just start a few weeks ago???<br />
<br />
As Katie and Kai pointed out on twitter...I've been slacking. But, not with my #InkRipples posts (although this one is going up later in the day than usual.)<br />
<br />
This month, we're talking movies.<br />
<br />
I love movies. Truth be told, I prefer to watch them at home, but I've made it out to the theater for three flicks so far this year. What have I watched?<br />
<br />
Deadpool. Superman vs. Batman. Captain America: Civil War.<br />
<br />
Okay, so I have a thing for comic book/action movies. But, those aren't the only movies I've watched this year. I also watched Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFayden one) on Netflix. If I'd see the movie first, I'd probably have liked the book better as I really like this movie (and may have rewatched it a couple times).<br />
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The hubby and I watched I'll Follow You Down on Amazon. This is a time travel/sci-fi movie. And, while I'm really hit and miss with Sci-fi, I really enjoyed this movie.<br />
<br />
Of course, having been out to the movies, I've made an "I want to see" list that contains the following:<br />
<br />
X-Men: Apacalypse<br />
Star Trek: Beyond<br />
Suicide Squad<br />
Jason Bourne<br />
Doctor Strange<br />
Rogue One<br />
<br />
What movies have you seen this year? What are you looking forward to seeing? What's the one movie you have to stop and watch when you find it on TV (or Netflix or Amazon)?<br />
<br />
<b>Ripples in the Inkwell is a themed meme hosted by <a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/">Katie L. Carroll</a>, <a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/">Kai Strand</a>, and me, <a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/">Mary Waibel</a>. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-78355865839982674042016-05-02T06:00:00.000-04:002016-05-02T20:22:41.351-04:00#InkRipples - Memories <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Memories. I've been thinking about memories a lot lately. Especially how they can change as we age.<br />
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A few weeks ago I began to wonder if one of my memories from my childhood had been made up, and it made me realize just how fragile our memories are. Fortunately my memories weren't made up, but the sad truth is that the memories of someone close to me are fading and changing.<br />
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Memories, like time, are fleeting. Snippets of our past that slip through our fingers like sand. The tighter we try to hold on to them, the faster they seem to race away. Still, I treasure the memories I have...even when I question the truth of them.<br />
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I'm no stranger to thinking about memories. Lost memories play an important part in <i>Charmed Memories, </i>the second novel of my Princess of Valendria series. Imagine what you would do if suddenly you had no memory of your past, not even your name. Would you search until you learned who you were or would you turn your back on the past and create a new life? No spoilers here...you'll have to read <i>Charmed Memories</i> to see what Bri does.<br />
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Do you treasure your memories? Have you ever doubted yours? Have you ever lost yours? What would you do if you did lose your memories? Share in the comments below.<br />
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In closing, last month's topic of poetry must have intrigued my muse, as I felt inclined to try my hand at writing a poem. So, here is my attempt at a poem on memories.<br />
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<br />
<i>Memories</i><br />
<br />
Inscribe on my soul the deeds of my youth,<br />
so when I am old I can recall their truths. <br />
<br />
Etch on my heart the joys and the sorrows<br />
I shared with family and friends<br />
for me to savor when my time is near end.<br />
<br />
Allow not time to mar these marks on my soul and heart,<br />
for if they are damaged what shall I recall of my past<br />
before I depart? <br />
<br />
<b><br />Ripples in the Inkwell is a themed meme hosted by <a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/">Katie L. Carroll</a>, <a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/">Kai Strand</a>, and me, <a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/">Mary Waibel</a>. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</b><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-39764289723853991122016-04-11T06:00:00.000-04:002016-04-11T06:00:19.567-04:00Happily Ever After~ Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImCBD97tK18nLkyyJoqmabR7NHBZPcNDI1b7gDNFpxKlT9uNZH9_sIiVorkbPg3vfYSC6K7CVYrbiYC75UtULoqIBa8cGkt_1XF-4lvAxrj4lAf-J9JJ5n10cffcDVP1Fz-C2ZwUa7BXE/s1600/Flights+of+Fantasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImCBD97tK18nLkyyJoqmabR7NHBZPcNDI1b7gDNFpxKlT9uNZH9_sIiVorkbPg3vfYSC6K7CVYrbiYC75UtULoqIBa8cGkt_1XF-4lvAxrj4lAf-J9JJ5n10cffcDVP1Fz-C2ZwUa7BXE/s640/Flights+of+Fantasy.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's time to see if Princess Aurora (AKA Sleeping Beauty) and Prince Phillip would make a good couple. Using my less than scientific scale of points from the following categories:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Decision Making Skills</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Respect of Others</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sense of Responsibility</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Compassion Towards Others</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and the assigned point values (0-5) let's see if this couple can get within five points of each other, my litmus test for the perfect couple. If you recall from my post on Snow White and the Prince, the close the points, the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">better the relationship balance, and in my opinion, the better chance for happy ever after.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uFxDvpN0bVvAIoREHlvSXs2mHBmila7u2MEF6OkqnuiRtZ0dXo1IF_WSfDf_73u6-wPWbN5nKFZwsLEDKcNlnSMDLaAb8GTeI2-vh5VcQnCmt55nLy6AfYbPfGpfcHBklyfJlIG3675d/s1600/Brewtnall_-_Sleeping_Beauty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uFxDvpN0bVvAIoREHlvSXs2mHBmila7u2MEF6OkqnuiRtZ0dXo1IF_WSfDf_73u6-wPWbN5nKFZwsLEDKcNlnSMDLaAb8GTeI2-vh5VcQnCmt55nLy6AfYbPfGpfcHBklyfJlIG3675d/s640/Brewtnall_-_Sleeping_Beauty.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edward Frederick Brewtnall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Princess Aurora: 15/20</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While Princess Aurora is on screen more than the Prince (from Snow White), you don't see enough of her interactions with others to make a good judge of her character. In fact, while watching the movie, I found that it seemed to be more about the fairies than Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip...but maybe that was just me :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Decision Making Skills 3/5</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aurora, like Snow White, makes some poor choices that cause her to risk her life (and those of her people) to the evil fairy's plan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Respect of Others 4/5 </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We don't get to see much interaction between Aurora and others in the movie, but what we do see shows that she has great respect for those in her life (human, fairy, and animal).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sense of Responsibility 3/5</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While we see that Aurora has no problem with the chores assigned to her, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">we get a glimpse that she would forsake all of her responsibilities as a princess for the man she met in the woods. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Compassion Towards Others 4/5</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aurora seems to have compassion toward the fairies that guard her and her animal friends from the forest. She also accepts her true identity with little question or fuss, accepting that her years of living in the forest were for her safety. (hmmm...I feel a story brewing here :-) )</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Prince Phillip: 18/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For me, Prince Phillip is the man that all princes should be compared to. He is the prince of all princes, the one to compare all future Disney (and other company) princes to. After looking at his scores, I'm sure you can see why I think this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Decision Making Skills 4/5</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Prince Phillip shows excellent decision making skills. Even though he longs to go and find the girl from the woods, and break off the engagement his parents made when he was a boy, he chooses to risk his life to save Aurora's kingdom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Respect of Others 5/5</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Phillip shows great respect for others. From the respect he shows Briar Rose (AKA Princess Aurora) while dancing, to his treatment of Sampson (his horse) and the way he respectfully disagrees with his father, he treats all with great respect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sense of Responsibility 4/5</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Prince Phillip knows what is expected of him as a prince, and he's willing to risk all to save Aurora. Yet, he would give it all up for the peasant girl he met in the woods. Fortunately for him, Briar Rose and Princess Aurora are one and the same. But one can't help but wonder what he would have chosen were they two different people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Compassion Towards Others 5/5</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Phillip has great compassion towards others. He dances with a stranger in the woods. Fights a dragon for the woman he loves. What more could he do to show his compassion for others?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My un-scientific review shows that Aurora and Phillip have a high percentage of obtaining happy ever after. Being older, Phillip should have better decision making skills, and I believe that his strength there, as well as with his sense of responsibility, will help balance out Aurora, making them a good couple.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comments below.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-77066338082548017742016-04-04T06:00:00.000-04:002016-04-04T06:00:02.820-04:00#InkRipples-Poetry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Poetry. The art of using as few words as possible to create a a feeling in the reader. An art that can create powerful feelings that last a lifetime.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." </i><br />
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<i>"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."</i><br />
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These two famous poems are the first to come to mind when I think of poetry. The first, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, has always spoken to the romantic in me. Who wouldn't want to be told all the ways that someone loved them?<br />
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The second, by Robert Frost, is the poem that most defines poetry for me. The imagery used by Mr. Frost painted a pictured of the road in the woods, and the two different paths he could choose from. With just one hundred and fort-four words, Mr. Frost painted an image within my mind that has stayed with me since the first time I heard this poem.<br />
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I am not a poet. I cannot seem to find the way to paint my pictures with so few words. Those who have the ability to craft such powerful images with so few words amaze and humble me.<br />
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How about you? Do you have a favorite poem or poet? Share who/what in the comments. Do you write poetry? Share a few lines for us to enjoy.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ripples in the Inkwell</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a themed meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #f58ce0; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Katie L. Carroll</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #f58ce0; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kai Strand</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and me, </span><a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: magenta; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mary Waibel</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-28577680162845249682016-03-21T06:00:00.000-04:002016-03-21T06:00:06.281-04:00Sleeping Beauty and the Working Women of 1959<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImCBD97tK18nLkyyJoqmabR7NHBZPcNDI1b7gDNFpxKlT9uNZH9_sIiVorkbPg3vfYSC6K7CVYrbiYC75UtULoqIBa8cGkt_1XF-4lvAxrj4lAf-J9JJ5n10cffcDVP1Fz-C2ZwUa7BXE/s1600/Flights+of+Fantasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImCBD97tK18nLkyyJoqmabR7NHBZPcNDI1b7gDNFpxKlT9uNZH9_sIiVorkbPg3vfYSC6K7CVYrbiYC75UtULoqIBa8cGkt_1XF-4lvAxrj4lAf-J9JJ5n10cffcDVP1Fz-C2ZwUa7BXE/s640/Flights+of+Fantasy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The 1950's is often cited as one of the best decades to have lived and/or grown up in. Who hasn't watched <i>Happy Days</i> or <i>Grease</i> and felt the nostalgia of life in the '50's? Disney released <i>Sleeping Beauty </i>in 1959, near the end of this iconic decade. So, how well does Princess Aurora represent the women of 1959?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLzLWaP8DWA2t-20oRJQNjOJ6yw6qHr8Ld9bTye90UQvmyOTaGOYPmcvhrLmwx_vJhUd_86ukRfY1g6ElXISvwxrSIDgN1G8P3fs5ojkJKzxjkou7mjxnoEUckKGSTTb7w0tFa9Bc2O0l/s1600/nypl.digitalcollections.693fd07a-98dd-0262-e040-e00a18061c98.001.w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLzLWaP8DWA2t-20oRJQNjOJ6yw6qHr8Ld9bTye90UQvmyOTaGOYPmcvhrLmwx_vJhUd_86ukRfY1g6ElXISvwxrSIDgN1G8P3fs5ojkJKzxjkou7mjxnoEUckKGSTTb7w0tFa9Bc2O0l/s640/nypl.digitalcollections.693fd07a-98dd-0262-e040-e00a18061c98.001.w.jpg" width="435" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?filters%5BnamePart_mtxt_s%5D%5B%5D=Vogel,%20H.%20(Hermann)%20(1856-1918)&keywords=&layout=false" style="background-color: white; color: #0171a1; font-family: 'Kievit Web', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;">Vogel, H. (Hermann) (1856-1918)</a></td></tr>
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While many women entered the workforce during World War II, the most common job held by a woman in 1959 was that of housewife and mother. Women did work outside the home, including as nurses and teachers, but they didn't have the same job choices as the women of today have. Few were doctors, professors, or business executives--positions many women hold in today's society.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M (Flickr: Data Processing Machine) </td></tr>
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Keeping these norms in mind, I think Aurora is a good representation of the women of this decade. Her parents' goal is to marry her off so she can raise a family of her own. Now, being royal, Aurora lives a privileged life and doesn't have to work. But, while hiding away with the fairies in the woods, we see her performing the more traditional housekeeping role that has become associated with women from this time period.<br />
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If Disney's was making this film today, I don't see where there would be many differences to the tale. They didn't change much of Aurora's role from the story told by Perrault, so unless you recast the roles so that the princess saves the prince, Aurora would remain pretty much as she is.<br />
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Do you think Aurora was a good representation of women in 1959? What changes do you see being made if the movie release today? Share your thoughts in the comments below.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-64373342385142926292016-03-17T06:00:00.000-04:002016-03-17T06:00:04.930-04:00Happy Book Birthday, FINDING THOR!!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can't believe it's been one year since this amazing book released. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you found your Thor? Kai wants to help with that. Be sure to check out the giveaway below my interview with the fun and talented Kai Strand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>International intrigue hits small-town America.</i><br /><br /><i>Tragedy has left Cara Cassidy broken and the only thing keeping her from giving in completely is her guilt. Until Nik Rock.</i><br /><br /><i>Nik stirs up feelings in degrees she has never experienced, and causes her to do things that most assuredly give him the wrong impression – like kiss him before their first date. Somehow, he breaks down the walls around her emotions until she has no choice but to forgive herself and feel again. </i><br /><br /><i>But a mysterious, troubled past follows Nik, and Cara may prove to be his weakest link.</i><br /><br /><i>When a royal princess shows up looking for Nik, and an international gang arrives looking for missing jewels, Cara lands in mortal danger. Will she be able to save herself? What will happen to her newly repaired psyche if she loses Nik? </i><br /><br /><i>Romance, mystery, and high stakes – just another day in high school.</i><br /><br /><b>Mary:</b> Congratulations on the one-year anniversary of <i>Finding Thor’s </i>publication!!!<br /><br /><b>Kai:</b> Thanks, Mary. These milestones in an author’s career are fun to celebrate. In December I celebrated five years as a published author. Five years already! Wow.<br /><br />Mary:Wow! That's great! Speaking of great, <i>Finding Thor </i>is a great romance. And, since we’re talking about celebrating, what is your favorite wedding anniversary celebration?<br /><br /><b>Kai:</b> So far my favorite celebration was for our 20th wedding anniversary. We went on an Alaskan cruise and it was amazing! Very romantic, too. We used the formal dinner night as our official celebration. It was fun to be all decked out with my hunky hubby on a fancy cruise ship. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What about you?<br /><br /><b>Mary:</b> Aww, what a cute couple! We went to Pittsburgh for our 15th anniversary, and stayed at this really cool B&B in the Mexican War district. We had fun walking around the city, and had a romantic dinner on the hill overlooking Point State Park. We’re talking about going to Vegas in a few years for our 25th, but so far Pittsburgh is the one to top.<br /><br />I noticed in F<i>inding Thor</i> that Cara and Nik don’t really seem to get a chance to celebrate much. I bet Nick would pull out all the stops for a romantic evening with Cara.<br /><br /><b>Kai:</b> You’re right on both counts. They’re too busy with car chases and kidnappings to go out for a romantic dinner. But Nik is pretty old fashioned and downright swoony, so I know he has it in him. <br /><br /><b>Mary:</b> I see you’re giving away a super cool Thor cap as part of the <i>Finding Thor</i> swag pack. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve always wondered, out of all the superheroes, why Thor?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNZ0E7FZo2tvQl6bb421KbLJX2-SN-1pw5TfthBzf5junH8hKmMx-xPehHi91RX46CYG7D7Q49_CGKrRutsG1GN2DPbeKhiJgGrB_Q33IElOUlDVMTOTjE8Q6UkpEpE5o7rZGmUN6gey1/s1600/IMG_3218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNZ0E7FZo2tvQl6bb421KbLJX2-SN-1pw5TfthBzf5junH8hKmMx-xPehHi91RX46CYG7D7Q49_CGKrRutsG1GN2DPbeKhiJgGrB_Q33IElOUlDVMTOTjE8Q6UkpEpE5o7rZGmUN6gey1/s320/IMG_3218.JPG" width="205" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Kai:</b> Really, Mary? You have to ask? It’s Thor! I might have a bit of a thing for Marvel’s Thor. And that thing might have gotten even more manic when Chris Hemsworth started to portray him. I’m a puddle. <br /><br />But as far as my main character Cara is concerned, she has always been obsessed with comic books – Thor being her favorite, too. She always envisioned love as Thor, slamming his hammer into the earth, and the vibration resonating within her for a lifetime. She never expected love would be a thousand tiny actions from a normal boy. It was kind of like that for me IRL. My husband and I were friends before we started dating. He went out of his way to do things for me (fix a flat tire, drive me two hours to the airport, etc) that I always assumed were friendship things, but other people always took as signs that he had a thing for me. I was totally oblivious – until I wasn’t. <br /><br /><b>Mary:</b> I love that image of the vibrations of love. I met my husband on a blind date, but like with Cara, it was the little things over time that made me fall in love.<br /><br />Come fall in love with Cara and Nik. Mystery, love, car chases, and everyday superheroes. What more do you need? Check out the excerpt below, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!!!<br /><br />Thanks so much for stopping in to share your anniversary celebration with us, Kai. Congratulations on <i>Finding Thor</i>’s first birthday!<br /> <br /><b>Kai:</b> Thanks for hosting me. And good luck to your readers in the giveaway!<br /><br /><b>Excerpt:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The veil dropped over Nik’s expression so fast, it told her exactly what she didn’t want to know. Nik had indeed seen her mom. Cara turned away from him again intending to trudge back into the classroom. <br /><br />“By the crown, will you stop already?” Nik begged. <br /><br />The exasperation in his tone and the odd choice of words piqued her curiosity. Cocking her head, she asked, “By the crown?” <br /><br />The frustration melted away and Nik pursed his lips, which almost distracted Cara enough to forget the thread of conversation, but she tore her eyes away and asked, “Is that what they say in Seattle?” <br /><br />Nik’s eyes lit with appreciation. “Aren’t you clever?” <br /><br />“Am I?” <br /><br />He nodded. His appreciative appraisal and half smile wreaked havoc with her supposed cleverness. <br /><br />“Nik?” she breathed. <br /><br />“Yes?” He tilted toward her giving her the impression he hung on her every word. His eyes were glued to her lips, which she realized were parted and ever so slightly panting. <br /><br />She gulped. “Can we perhaps do this after school?” <br /><br />When he raised his gaze to meet hers she almost liquefied under the heat of it. “Can I trust you?” <br /><br />“Trust me to do what?” Cara asked. She was losing the ability to think. <br /><br />“Show up.” He slid closer and she held her breath hoping he would take her in his arms. <br /><br />“Show up where?” she asked. <br /><br />A full-blown grin curved across his face and she thrilled with the knowledge she’d put it there. Then she realized she couldn’t remember how. <br /><br />“Actually, I was going to ask you that,” Nik said. His eyes roved her face. <br /><br />“Wait. What?” Cara’s voice was so breathy she wasn’t sure if she spoke or gasped. <br /><br />“Where should we meet? After school.” <br /><br />She itched to rise up on tiptoe and kiss that stellar grin off his mouth. <br /><br />A low chuckle rumbled through him. “Why don’t you tell me in gym class?” <br /><br />She nodded slowly. Was he a drug? Or maybe the male version of a siren. Did they have those? <br /><br />He tipped further forward and she caught her breath. Then he sighed. <br /><br />“See you next period.” <br /><br />Her mouth fell open as he walked away. He hadn’t even touched her and she was burning with need. <br /><br />At the end of the hall, he glanced over his shoulder and grinned when he saw her still gaping after him. When he walked out of view she let out the breath she’d been holding. It stuttered and shook, but was relieved to escape her burning lungs. How long had she been holding her breath? <br /><br />By the crown, Nik Rock was dangerous!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Finding Thor </i>is available in print or electronic format from the following:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TSPRNVM">Amazon</a>| <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-thor-kai-strand/1121250955?ean=2940151511711">Barnes & Noble</a>| <a href="http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1295">Whiskey Creek Press</a>| <a href="https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-findingthor-1753512-152.html">All Romance</a>| <a href="http://www.bookstrand.com/finding-thor">BookStrand</a>|<br /><br />Add <i>Finding Thor </i>to your to-read shelf on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24330601-finding-thor">Goodreads</a><br /><br /><b><br /></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>About the author:</b><br /><br />When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, <a href="http://www.kaistrand.com/">www.kaistrand.com</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://eepurl.com/n8lCT">Mailing List</a>| <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KaiStrandAuthor">Facebook</a>| <a href="https://twitter.com/KaiStrand">Twitter</a>| <a href="https://instagram.com/kstrand82/">Instagram</a>|<br /><br /> <br /><br />Swag alert! Looking for your Thor? Look no further, Kai’s got you covered. Enter to win a custom tote bag for all of those books you like to carry with you, and a Thor baseball cap. Easy entry for those in a hurry, or many other ways to earn more entries for contest junkies. FT swag pack can only be shipped in the United States. If first winner is International, an Amazon gift card will be substituted and another winner will be chosen.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-31858505211370279962016-03-07T09:46:00.003-05:002016-03-07T09:46:45.376-05:00#InkRipples~Feminism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiCaPMB-cxsWAU2Pm5HnNQsyQwuvez_F_IHBxjUrHm4FY9Xe9v_TZ31B_ir-Or6U3vLWlTvsGbB4T3nWHa-RenNSeQ1RHwH9kHhaxmb9zzgwVZ4NhhpPstn82LgKymBKjtJJP_LdU2yfe/s1600/%2523InkRipplesgreen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiCaPMB-cxsWAU2Pm5HnNQsyQwuvez_F_IHBxjUrHm4FY9Xe9v_TZ31B_ir-Or6U3vLWlTvsGbB4T3nWHa-RenNSeQ1RHwH9kHhaxmb9zzgwVZ4NhhpPstn82LgKymBKjtJJP_LdU2yfe/s640/%2523InkRipplesgreen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm late putting my post up today because I had a difficult time figuring out what I wanted to say about this month's topic: Feminism.<br />
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In fact, I skimmed through <a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/march-inkripples-feminism-title-ix-and-aging/" target="_blank">Katie</a> and <a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/2016/03/march-inkripples-feminism.html" target="_blank">Kai's</a> posts before sitting down to write my own. (And yes, I'll go back and read them thoroughly, and suggest you do as well. They both have a great take on the topic.)<br />
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I write stories with strong female leads, so it seems like the topic of feminism would be easy for me to discuss. But, this is a controversial issue, and while I'd like to blame my dislike of conflict for my avoidance of the topic, it's more that I'm not sure how to get my thoughts across, but I'll do my best.<br />
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When I sat down to write this post, I looked up the definition of feminism, hoping something there would give me that "ah-ha" moment and I'd know what to say. <br />
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<a href="http://dictionary.com/">Dictionary.com</a> defines feminism as the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.<br />
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A pretty straight forward definition. Equality for all. It reminds me of when I was in high school and we had an assembly where we were shown how orchestra members were chosen. A blackout screen was set up and musicians stood behind it and played, being judged on their merits of performance, not appearance. To me, it was a demonstration of the best way to choose someone for any job. Based solely on their abilities. Something I still believe in to this day.<br />
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But something else happened that stuck with me. I remember as one person approached, and the sound of their heels clicked through the room, the conductor commented that the person should have worn flats, or something quieter so as not to give away their gender. And I wondered why the sound of the shoes should make any difference to the quality of the performance. Honestly, it shouldn't, but there probably are some people who would judge them different for being a woman. Some would use it as a reason to add an inferior performance, giving exceptions because they were a woman and wanted to reward them for that. And others might find an excellent performance lacking, because they perceived that a man could perform it better.<br />
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Both of these actions are wrong, and I think the reason that the feminist movement is such a controversial topic. I think many people see feminism being used to further women into positions that they might not earn on their own merits. As a woman, I'm offended when another woman is given something (job, title, bonus, etc.) just because she's a woman. It's wrong and doesn't further equality between genders, in fact, in my opinion, it only widens the gap.<br />
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The other issue I have with feminism, is that to me it doesn't seem to apply to all women world wide. There are places on the globe where women are still treated as little more than property, and yet some of the loudest proponents of women's rights in this country turn a blind eye to the inequality of their situation. It makes me question why it's alright for those women to be treated in a manner that most of the free world abolished two centuries ago. Why do those women deserve to be left so far behind the rest of us? That doesn't seem very equal to me.<br />
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I guess all this is my way of saying that we treat people as a whole different (men/women, rich/poor, insert comparison here), and I believe it's because we spend so much time focusing on our differences rather than on the things we have in common. And that the focus on these differences serves to divide us further, rather than help us unite toward a common goal.<br />
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What do you think? Do you think things would improve if we worked at focusing on our commonalities more than our differences? If we shared our strengths, merging our weak and strong points together to make a united front? I know in the fiction I write, this is what I try to do with my characters. Balance them out so each fulfills a need the others has and becomes the best version of themselves.<br />
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They save fiction imitates life. So, do you think we could work on imitating that and leave all the labels that mark our differences behind?<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ripples in the Inkwell</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a themed meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.katielcarroll.com/blog/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #f58ce0; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Katie L. Carroll</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #f58ce0; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kai Strand</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and me, </span><a href="http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: magenta; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mary Waibel</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on this page, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-66543593501577351602016-02-29T16:31:00.001-05:002016-02-29T16:31:17.168-05:00Sleeping Beauty: Disney vs Perrault<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TyIY10ZkNApZ0qWsSIWLX1g5-L_pkZtD-lOI7VpUHEHsuOCX3ghmPRXVlaUCfmpegF1uwLIy6RT_fJtvWtPkXKmdltMqvHkaeSzT5jFOeBPH4VGPA_NvcJjtccHegUa9wEEbTZDzPySS/s1600/Flights+of+Fantasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TyIY10ZkNApZ0qWsSIWLX1g5-L_pkZtD-lOI7VpUHEHsuOCX3ghmPRXVlaUCfmpegF1uwLIy6RT_fJtvWtPkXKmdltMqvHkaeSzT5jFOeBPH4VGPA_NvcJjtccHegUa9wEEbTZDzPySS/s640/Flights+of+Fantasy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This month I'm focusing on <i>Sleeping Beauty. </i>So let's dive in and look at the differences in the tales by Charles Perrault and the Grimm brothers and the 1959 Disney animated movie.<br />
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Both the Perrault and Grimm story versions contain more fairies (8 and 13 respectively), whereas Disney chose to focus on four: three good and one evil. And while both Perrault and the Grimms chose to mention how the King and Queen struggled to conceive a child, this is left out of the animated version.<br />
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The story of how the fairies were invited vary in the print versions, but the "evil" fairy always bestows her curse before the final fairy has given her blessing. Disney leaves out the invitation part, but the gift bestowing seems to match well with Perrault and Grimm.<br />
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Disney lets us see Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora's first meeting (he as a young boy and she a baby), using the traditional promising of marriage to form an alliance, something neither text makes mention of.<br />
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The pricking of the finger on the spindle is the same in all stories, but Disney sets up a unique villainess in Maleficent. Neither of these tales mention a dragon or have the prince slay any creatures to rescue the princess. Instead, the tales penned by Perrault and the Grimm brothers, have one hundred years pass before a prince from a foreign land finds the princess and wakes her. There are some other versions where the prince/king who finds the Sleeping Beauty behave very dishonorably, but that is not the case in these two tales.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDYVVmdVwvytVSHTdRSWFK8IJvnvrqB3QOc12XCdqRIhPjHO-MYI540WIUVM7r1JRhlf1_j4E-jDqJvKVvVc9W1fCrtvF5oUS7HYSLu0EMrAgWVet9FHcxg1WnrSLwqUBb-X5Snz3OwcO/s1600/Henry_Meynell_Rheam_-_Sleeping_Beauty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDYVVmdVwvytVSHTdRSWFK8IJvnvrqB3QOc12XCdqRIhPjHO-MYI540WIUVM7r1JRhlf1_j4E-jDqJvKVvVc9W1fCrtvF5oUS7HYSLu0EMrAgWVet9FHcxg1WnrSLwqUBb-X5Snz3OwcO/s640/Henry_Meynell_Rheam_-_Sleeping_Beauty.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Meynell Rheam</td></tr>
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Disney's version of things after the finger pricking creates a completely new version of the tale. Prince Phillip, Aurora's betrothed and her mystery man from the woods, slays the dragon and saves the girl he loves.<br />
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For me, while quite different than the original tales, the addition of defeating the dragon and the nod to the "true love conquers all" theme make for a wonderful change (one I played off of in <i>Quest of the Hart). </i><br />
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Disney gives a nice nod to the Grimm Brother's by having Aurora use the name Briar Rose while in hiding (this is the name the Grimm's used after the spell took place.)<br />
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The biggest difference I noticed was in the ending. Disney's ending followed the Grimm brother's ending more than Perrault's. In the Perrault tale, the prince and princess spend time getting to know each other before marrying and reaching their happy-ever-after.<br />
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What differences did you notice in the stories and film adaptation? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget to stop back next week to see what I learned about women in the workplace in 1959.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-80410232673550837582016-02-25T08:23:00.000-05:002016-02-25T08:23:23.423-05:00A Great Weekend Read!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking for a book for the weekend? How about one with two hot guys to choose from and a story line that involves pirates and a biblical prophecy? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYwaFV69QC9iZ3j5IHWLwR_uAzZVeYxPGtlr7-chqS-7Y9re_7WI5PJimgzji0y1K18F6PQCgUcsbMi114lxhrH9Wv_MfVtlrt-5RxkB18ARi8dhLfJL2GFwXDz_og_8gDcX9n6AxTP2x/s1600/The+Bone+Treaty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYwaFV69QC9iZ3j5IHWLwR_uAzZVeYxPGtlr7-chqS-7Y9re_7WI5PJimgzji0y1K18F6PQCgUcsbMi114lxhrH9Wv_MfVtlrt-5RxkB18ARi8dhLfJL2GFwXDz_og_8gDcX9n6AxTP2x/s1600/The+Bone+Treaty.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A power as old as King Solomon awakens when a seventeen-year-old girl marks the brooding hot abductor ordered to seize her. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Addie Heaton’s not your average high school student. Orphaned at two, she’s spent most of her life reading the emotions of others. It’s a little trick she likes to call color-vision. But lately, a stranger has been trailing her, putting off shades of black and red—colors Addie hasn’t seen since the night her parents were killed—colors Addie never wanted to see again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But when Addie comes face to face with Conal Reed, owner of the terrifying shades, she learns her stranger’s a little different too. He’s brooding hot, mysterious, and all too elusive. Conal loves to materialize, and then vanish at all the wrong times. Nice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After years of keeping her ability a secret, Addie’s found another person with gifts, someone who may know what she really is. But Conal’s not talking. He’s having more fun showing up uninvited, teasing her senses, and disappearing at all the wrong times. Instead of finding answers, Addie finds herself reconsidering ever being alone and naked again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't miss <i>The Bone Treaty</i>, by TC McKee. On sale at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bone-Treaty-Seal-Solomon-Book-ebook/dp/B00MLN4KQE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430501313&sr=8-1&keywords=the+bone+treaty" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> for $0.99!!!!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5846834032309178013.post-51239865316989557782016-02-22T06:00:00.000-05:002016-02-22T06:00:02.280-05:00Once Upon a Time ~ Sleeping Beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TyIY10ZkNApZ0qWsSIWLX1g5-L_pkZtD-lOI7VpUHEHsuOCX3ghmPRXVlaUCfmpegF1uwLIy6RT_fJtvWtPkXKmdltMqvHkaeSzT5jFOeBPH4VGPA_NvcJjtccHegUa9wEEbTZDzPySS/s1600/Flights+of+Fantasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TyIY10ZkNApZ0qWsSIWLX1g5-L_pkZtD-lOI7VpUHEHsuOCX3ghmPRXVlaUCfmpegF1uwLIy6RT_fJtvWtPkXKmdltMqvHkaeSzT5jFOeBPH4VGPA_NvcJjtccHegUa9wEEbTZDzPySS/s640/Flights+of+Fantasy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Up next in my study of fairy tales turned animated films is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty_(1959_film)">Sleeping Beauty</a>. The 1959 Disney film is based on <i>La Belle au Boir Dormant</i> by Charles Perrault that can be found <a href="https://archive.org/details/sleepingbeautyin00perriala">here</a>.<br /><br />It also has some elements from the Grimm Brother's <i>Briar Rose</i>, which can be found <a href="http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/sleepingbeauty/stories/littlebriarose.html">here</a>. <br /><br />There are many other variants to the story, including ones that are very dark. You can find more on them <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty">here</a>.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Come back next week to compare the written tales and the animated film.</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09179338199224761532noreply@blogger.com0