Carrot Ranch Rodeo Contest #2: Memoir – The Winning Entries and My Flash #Rollercoasters

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Well done to all the winners and to all the participants for joining in.

Here is the link to the winning entries: https://carrotranch.com/2018/11/16/rodeo-2-memoir-winners/

Here’s my entry which was inspired by a true life event – overcoming my fear of rollercoasters and taking my one and only ride with my two young daughters. I’ve never been on a rollercoaster since (and have no intention of so doing,) but the memory has stayed firmly in my mind as a massive accomplishment.

A true triumph over fear!

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It’s a gut-wrenching fear of mine: Roller-coasters, a grim holding on, tempting death. Sometimes you have to face your fears and deal with them. I’m proud of the ride in Portugal. I was with my family, my two daughters and my husband. I had to be brave, and I was. I’ve got the photo to prove it but never ask me to do it again! Not now, not ever. It was a once in a lifetime moment, one I’ll treasure forever. But I still imagine what could have happened and an author’s imagination is the most dangerous, evil ride.

 

It’s no wonder that wicked old roller-coasters feature in my writing. You’ll have to read the second novel in The Curse of Time series to see what I am talking about! I’m still working on that.. I’m around the 70,000 word mark!

 

Buying link: http://mybook.to/TheCurseofTime
Unique Selling Point: Unique, Imaginative, ‘Charming, enchanting and richly layered this is purely delightful.’

“This delightful book will appeal to teens and young adults who love stories filled with magical crystals, dark family curses, and mysteries waiting to be solved around every corner. Each chapter leads you on a journey of discovery where Amelina earns the right to use three wizard stones to reset the balance of time and finally break the curse that holds her family hostage. A captivating tale!” – Colleen M. Chesebro (Editor)

Social Media:

Authors Website: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com
Collaborative blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
Facebook Authors/Bloggers Support Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1829166787333493/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
Tumblr: http://mjmallonauthor.tumblr.com/

Sponsor of Carrot Ranch Literary Community 

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Buying Link: http://mybook.to/TheCurseofTime

M J Mallon _ YA Author

 

 

It’s a Book Birthday!

Amy Reads and her new book The Worst Noel.

amreade's avatarReade and Write

Today’s the day! The Worst Noel is out for the whole world to read (and hopefully they will)!

If you subscribe to my (mostly) monthly newsletter, you may remember that I promised a behind-the-scenes look at the book, and I’ve chosen to share a couple things about the book that most people won’t know.

First, the book is dedicated to Nana. I don’t usually explain my dedications unless someone asks, but for this one I’ve decided to tell you a little bit about Nana.

My maternal grandmother, Nana passed away in 2008. She was married for almost 65 years to my grandfather (whom I posted about in 2016–you can read that post here). Christmas was her favorite holiday and so it seemed natural to dedicate this book to her. The angel who sits atop our Christmas tree every year was a gift from Nana, so it’s nice to have…

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Rememberance

A beautiful tribute to Remembrance day from my dear friend Willow.

willowdot21's avatarwillowdot21

Major John McCrae .

Poppy photographed on the First World War battlefield of the Somme near the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Flanders Poppy on the First World War battlefields.

Inspiration for “In Flanders Fields”

During the early days of the Second Battle of Ypres a young Canadian artillery officer, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2nd May, 1915 in the gun positions near Ypres. He was a friend of…

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For UK Authors With an Interest in Getting Their Books into Bricks and Mortar Stores.

Very useful post about how to get your books in UK stores from Stevie Turner.

Stevie Turner's avatarStevie Turner

Recently some good news: My local branch of Waterstones on the Isle of Wight is going to add 3 of my books to their Local Interest shelf in January.  I had taken copies of Revenge, Lily: A Short Story, and The Donor in to the manager earlier in October to enquire as to whether he would be interested in displaying them, as all 3 feature the Island in some way.

Getting an agreement from a store manager to display your books is also the hardest part, and you’re on your own there I’m afraid.  If you take a look at Waterstones’ own application form, it’ll say for authors not to bring their books into the stores as they only work through buyers, but I hadn’t read this when I took mine in as I didn’t go via this route!

I found that books with local interest fare rather…

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#BlogBattle Stories: Cave

Have you read all the #BlogBattle stories? There’s such a variety including flash fiction, stories, totally imaginative takes and my own entry a poem.

Rachael Ritchey's avatarBlogBattle

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October 2018 Blog Battle Entries

“Dreaming” by Anita Dawes

“The Time Paradox” by Gary Jefferies

“Cave Trip” by The Dark Netizen

“A Meditative Journey into the Cave of Fear” by Sha’Tara

“Cave” by Amelia

“Cave” by OnlineGirl

“La Puerta de Siempre” by Rachael Ritchey

“Grotto in the Gulf” by Joy E. Rancatore

“The Celestial Temple” by Simon Farnell

“Under Pressure” by Fiction FanAddict

“The Deadline” by B @ Becoming the Muse

“My Heart is a Cave” by M. J. Mallon

“Cave” by Intentergy

It’s not too late! Get your story written and posted! Leave a link in the comments here, and we’ll add you to the list. 🙂


Updated Tuesdays & the 30th

Click here for the Rules

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Ghostly Writes Anthology 2018

I’m thrilled to announce that I am one of the participating authors in Plaisted Publishing House’s Ghostly Writes Anthology 2018.

There is a #Giveaway – $20 Amazon Gift Card:  https://gleam.io/vYVi3/plaisted-publishing-house-2018-ghostly-writes-anthology-giveaway

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A compilation to haunt, intrigue and scare you – it releases on Halloween!

Here is the Youtube video with all the teasers from authors:

Look at these amazing titles…. Don’t they just make you want to find out more…
Monster At My Door by Karen J Mossman – https://www.facebook.com/karensmagicofstories/
At Midnight by Chandra Trulove Fry
Not Only Clothes Hang in Your Closet by Donna Walo Clancy
Primrose Point Part 2 by Mara Reitsma  http://itybityqt.wixsite.com/marareitsma
God’s Pebbles by Dan McAteer
The Gift by Jane Risdon https://janerisdon.wordpress.com/
A Heart of Gold by Michael Lynes
Necropoli by Adam C. Mitchell
The Basement by Wendy Steele:  https://wendysteele.com/
The Thinning Veil by K. M. McFarland: https://www.kmmcfarland.com/
Wingreen Possessions by C L Williamshttps://writer434.wordpress.com/
Ghostly Goodbye by M J Mallon (Me!)

The Ghostly Goodbye by M J Mallon
The Ghostly Goodbye is a paranormal love story about a young woman called Iris who can’t get over her husband’s death. She is mourning him so much that she feels dead inside. Her husband Ed sends her a ghostly message from beyond the grave via an old forgotten garment in her wardrobe. She responds by dragging herself from her tomb-like bed and he draws back the curtain of death to visit her in a most unusual way.

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Raemkai’s Stairs by Mary R. Woldering:

https://www.maryrwoldering.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ChildrenofStoneNovels/

Iris by R. M Demeester
Soul Man by Claire Plaisted:

https://plaistedpublishinghouse.com/

https://claireplaisted.wordpress.com/

 

The Eyes of The Apple Tree by C A Keith:

https://virgodragonwritersblog.wordpress.com

Facebook books: @ca.keithwebstories

The Black Cat Bookstore by Pamela Silva
A Cat For Christmas by Eve Merrick-Williams
Detour by M. E Hembroff
Dead Man’s Divorcee Club by J G Clay
Funhouse of Horror by Cassandra Jones
Underneath The Mirrors Surface by Adele Marie Park: https://firefly465.wordpress.com/
Haunted North Street by Michelle Hughes

and a poem – Midnight Moon by Kyrena Lynch

WE HOPE TO HAVE THE BOOK FREE WITHIN A WEEK OF PUBLISHING ON AMAZON.
THE ANTHOLOGY WILL BE FREE ON THE 31ST OCTOBER ON NOOK, KOBO, APPLE etc. The link below is the pre-order ebook.  The ebook will be priced at 99p/99c until Amazon agree to make it FREE as on other sites.

Amazon UK:

 

The anthology is also available on Amazon.com…

Hope you will enjoy!

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M J Mallon _ YA Author

Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime

Social Media Links
Authors Website: https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com
Collaborative Blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
#ABRSC: Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1829166787333493/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/

 

The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody is Now Available on Amazon

A huge welcome to my dear friend, fellow author Marcia Meara…

It’s lovely to be here with you today, Marje, and I thank you for inviting me over. I’m really excited to share a little about The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody with you and your readers.

To Love Somebody is the middle book of The Emissary Trilogy, and like Book 1, it was a lot of fun to write. This little series of novellas is my first foray into what I call Urban Fantasy Lite, and it features a ginormous, white-winged archangel named Azrael. Popular books today often involve romances between heavenly beings and beautiful women here on earth, but this angel keeps his robe on at all times. In fact, Azrael can get downright snippy when questioned about such dubious affairs, and believe me, making the archangel angry is never a good idea.

I hope the blurb and short excerpt below will tempt some of your followers to check out these novellas. Both Book 1 and Book 2 of the trilogy are quick, easy reads, which are definitely not meant to be taken as serious religious dogma. Rather, they are merely excursions into a bit of “what-if-ery,” with a few nuggets of universal truths scattered throughout.

Note: I do need to point out that this middle book of the Emissary Trilogy is not a stand-alone novella. With that in mind, Book 1, The Emissary, can be downloaded HERE.

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BLURB

They’re back!

Jake and Dodger, the first (and so far, only) Emissaries to the Angels, are on the road again.

They’re looking for mortals about to take a wrong turn. You know the ones—the kid thinking about stealing from a corner market or the man planning to lie about a coworker and destroy her career. Yeah, them. People on the brink of making a mistake that could send them down that wrong road and jeopardize their mortal souls.

Of course, there are rules by which the emissaries must play, and the archangel Azrael stands ready to enforce them. First and foremost, a person’s free will must never be compromised. Emissaries are allowed to use only the smallest of mental nudges. Thankfully, a whispered suggestion here or images of a better course of action there is usually all it takes. The potential mugger walks on by. The thief drops the wallet back into the unattended purse. But whether the results are obvious or not, Jake and Dodger are fully committed to making a positive difference, even as they struggle with issues of their own.

Will Dodger get over losing his chance to learn what true love is all about? Will Jake survive the grueling angelic equivalent of Boot Camp? Will Azrael ever finish the Official Emissarial Guidebook—including the chapter titled Do Not Even Think About It?

One thing’s for sure—Jake’s and Dodger’s strengths are growing daily, as they help more and more people make better choices. But is the price for so much power higher than they’re willing to pay?

EXCERPT

(Jake and Dodger)

“You know, there’s a lot more to Florida than just sand and waves. I’m thinking we’re overdue for a change of scenery. Maybe when we finish our loop through Key West, we could head to the center of the state again.”

Dodger stared at the floor a long minute before answering. “That didn’t work out so well last time.”

“That doesn’t mean it won’t ever work out again, does it?”

Silence.

“Come on now, Dodge. There are people living in non-coastal areas who could use our help, too, you know.” The memory of a lost young man from the little town of Riverbend came to mind, and he hoped yet again that all was well with him, then focused on Dodger once more. “We shouldn’t ignore them, in spite of what happened in Clewiston. If we can’t ever return to places where we weren’t able to save someone, we might end up someday with nowhere left to go.”

Reluctantly, Dodger nodded. “Okay. I get that. But we don’t have to go back to that exact spot yet, do we?”

“Definitely not. I’m considering a couple of places more scenic.”

“Scenic? You mean there are places away from the ocean where I can still enjoy girls in bikinis?”

“Probably, since Florida has plenty of lakes, rivers, and swimming pools. But I was thinking more along the lines of wildlife.”

Dodger cocked his head. “Yeah? I didn’t think emissaries were allowed to have any kind of wild life at all.”

“One word, kid. Wildlife.”

“Oooh,” Dodger drawled, eyes twinkling. “You mean like lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!”

“More like birds, and alligators, and snakes.”

The boy grimaced. “I was afraid you were gonna say that.”

Jake had to give Dodger his due, though–he accepted the new plans with very little grumbling. After they’d spent a few productive days in Key West, they said goodbye to the emerald waters of the Gulf, and hello to the darker beauty of places with names like Big Cypress Preserve, Corkscrew Swamp, and the Fakahatchee Strand.

And if the boy wondered whether they’d really find themselves needed in these relatively quiet, remote places, he soon found out Trouble never does a head count before showing up to cause misery.

~~~

Buy The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody HERE


Author Marcia Meara

Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years, four big cats, and two small dachshunds. When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. At the age of five, Marcia declared she wanted to be an author, and is ecstatic that at age 69, she finally began pursuing that dream. Her belief in the redemptive power of love is a unifying factor in both of her popular series and her poetry. Today, she’s still going strong, and plans to keep on writing until she falls face down on the keyboard, which she figures would be a pretty good way to go!

Marcia has published six novels, one novella, and one book of poetry to date, all of which are available on Amazon:

Wake-Robin Ridge
A Boy Named Rabbit: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2
Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3

Swamp Ghosts: A Riverbend Novel
Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2
That Darkest Place: Riverbend Book 3

The Emissary: A Riverbend Spinoff Novella

Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love

Marcia’s Amazon Author Page

You can reach Marcia via email at marciameara16@gmail.com or on the following social media sites:

The Write Stuff: http://marciamearawrites.com/
Twitter: @marciameara
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marcia.meara.writer
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marciameara/

It’s been such a pleasure having you visiting my blog Marcia. You are such a lovely, friendly lady who I admire so much and your new book sounds fascinating. Love that excerpt! Wishing you much happiness and continued success. xxx

Bye for now,

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Social Media Links
Authors Website: https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com
Collaborative Blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
#ABRSC: Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
Tumblr: http://mjmallonauthor.tumblr.com/

 

M J Mallon _ YA Author

4th Halloween Poem Contest – 2nd Group Of Submitted Poems —

Some more wonderful Halloween poetry via Aurora Alexander’s Halloween contest including mine!

aurorajeanalexander's avatarWriter's Treasure Chest

Picture courtesy of: http://preventioncdnndg.org/


Please respect each authors’ and poets’ copyright. The rights remain with the writers. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from each of the poems author’s is strictly prohibited and violates copyright laws in the country you are reading this work in as well as in the country you are trying to re-publish this work in. – Aurora Jean Alexander


Halloween Humor – by Joelle Legendre (Floridaborne)

The cat rug lies, with squiggly tail
on concrete floor, with sharpened nail
quietly waiting to impale
the witless human walking by.
.
Do not be fooled, his innocence
is but a ruse with ill intent,
for those not wary will lament
the loss of both their thighs.
.
Do not presume you’ll walk away,
without a severed limb today
and if his mood is foul, he may
scratch out an errant eye.
.

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The Curse of Time

Thank you so much to Donna for this lovely blog post and review of my Curse of Time and Teagan’s The Glowing Pig. What can I say? Dr Who, Teagan I are glowing with the praise like a bunch of very pink, jolly time travelling piggies. 🙂 x

D. Parker's avataryadadarcyyada

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Time shambles forward, clumsy, cumbersome cogs crushing us beneath its graceless bulk. At least that’s what it feels some days. Other days it feels like “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.” (Groucho Marx?). We just have to hope for the best as the big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff (thank you Doctor Who, you always have right wordsies for every situation) drags us along on its universal joyride.

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

Spending time reading M.J. Mallon’s first book in the series, “The Curse of Time: Bloodstone”, I must warn you, could fill you with magic and mystery, intrigue and imagination, romance and possible fear of ruination and the worst part, you may not be able to put it down. Start reading only when you have time (hint: make time).

https://yadadarcyyada.com/2018/10/17/the-curse-of-time/

I started following Marje’s (M.J. Mallon) blog https://mjmallon.com ages ago (a great choice if…

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Cecil and Miranda’s Young Reviewers

Free library books via Elouise. Grab while you can!

eloisedesousa's avatarE. De Sousa

Working as a junior school librarian has given me the opportunity to see first-hand, how my books affect their readers. Young readers don’t get an opportunity to write book reviews for titles they’ve enjoyed unless it is in-house, that is, in their classroom or school library. I like to encourage my students to share their views with each other by offering up a suggestion box in our library which is filled with book titles chosen by my young readers. I’m happy to add Spoilt Miranda and Cecil the Bully have made the cut!

When discussing books, I get a lot of feedback from my younger readers that Spoilt Miranda is strange and takes the younger reviewer on a confusing journey of dreams before she resolves her situation. My older customers get it though and enjoy the ride. Sometimes scary, sometimes thrilling, the idea of Spoilt Miranda is controversial and encourages…

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