Happy Holidays!

Hi Everyone,

This will be my last blog for the year. My next blog will January 1, 2011.

This time of the year is extremely hectic, but I'm going to take a little time to think of my blessings. Things, I'm grateful for: my husband's continued eyesight, the food we eat, the roof over our heads, our families and our friends.

All of these things remind me of all the ones who don't have these things.

Tell me what you are most grateful for.

Also, for those still shopping for Christmas or gifts for the new year remember the Kris Kringle Kontest. You can click on the Santa Claus icon on the side of my blog to enter the contest.

I wish all of you a wonderful, peaceful holiday season.
A blessed Christmas to all, and a happy 2011!

Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.skaymarshall.com

Pumpkin Bread

Hi Everyone,

My blog is going to be short and sweet because all I have for you today is a pumpkin bread recipe that I just love.

Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 cups flour 3 cups sugar

3 t soda 1 cup crisco oil

1 1/2 t salt 4 eggs

1 t cinnamon 1/3 cup water

1 t nutmeg 1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)

1 t ginger 2 t vanilla

1 t cloves 1 cup black walnuts

Use 3 1 pd. orange or coffee cans, grease and fill half full. Makes three loaves. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until done. I have also used bread pans for cooking.

Have a great week, and I'll try to get here next Sunday.

Sandy

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

http://www.skaymarshall.com

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=14954556

Miscellaneous Tidbits

Dear Readers,



Today, I'm just going to ramble. I have a horrible headache and my neck has been stiff and hard to turn for five or six days, so I'm not feeling up to my best. That being said, I'll attempt to write a blog for those who are my faithful followers.

On Friday, my dear hubby celebrated his 75th birthday, and I had a surprise party for him, which didn't turn out to be a surprise. lol One of his old friends called to talk to me. My hubby answered the phone and this friend asked to talk to me immediately instead of talking to my dh. Of course, dh recognized this old co-worker's voice and became suspicious when he didn't visit with dh. lol Sorry, Glassy, just had to tell on you. Grin.

Later when dh questioned me about why this friend wanted to talk to me and not to him, I tried to distract him with the information that another friend of theirs had Parkinson's. Dh said he didn't remember said friend (it's true the memory is the first to go. lol) Without thinking (something else that goes) I said I hope you don't say that to him when you see him. Oh yeah! He was suspicious then for sure. This was about three days before the party and the next day another old friend not realizing it was a surprise called to say he was going to be at the party with his wife. lol The cat was out of the bag for sure then. Ha! Ha! David got you.

Who was to blame for this fiasco? Me! I sent email invitations to everyone and for the RSVP I put our telephone number instead of my email address. Yep, I'm still kicking myself over it. In spite of everything, the party turned out great and hubby had a surprisingly good time. He doesn't like crowds but he enjoyed this bunch.

Saturday, I went to my RWA chapter, MARA's Christmas party and had a fun time. We had plenty of food and camaraderie. Everyone brings a $20.00 gift, and pick numbers for the order in which we get to select a gift. If someone has a gift you would like to have you can take their gift or select a new one to open. Once a gift has been taken three times the third person gets to keep it. It's a lot of fun. I selected a Jim Shore Christmas ornament of a snowman with cat. For those of you familiar with Jim Shore's work you know how excited I was to get it.

One last little tidbit for you. Did you know that the only people in the Bible who celebrated birthdays were the pagans? Oh, you're going to say, what about Christ? There's not a word about Christ celebrating his birth in the Bible. Instead, the wisemen came from afar to celebrate their king and no one really knows the actual date he came, nor how old was the Christ child. We have made it about his birth. I'll be eager to hear what kind of responses I get about this info. lol

I'm still suffering, and now I've made all of you endure my ramblings. Hopefully, next Sunday will be back to normal. Have a great week, while I go off to a trigger point therapist.

Oops, I almost forgot to mention that one of my readers read my romantic suspense, Addiction, and she really liked it. She shared it with her whole family, and they all liked it. Thanks, Bev. That's the best present of all.

See you soon,
Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/
http://www.skaymarshall.com/

Contest! Contest!

Don't you just love contests? Here's a biggie with lots of wonderful prizes.

Kris Kringle's Kindle (& More) Kontest! Contest starts 1 Dec. and ends midnight ET 31 December. Sorry, but we only ship to US and Canadian residents. We're giving away a new Kindle and other goodies from Santa's bag of surprises! Totes, hats, tee-shirts, ornaments and more could be yours! To enter, you need to do TWO things:

1. Join "Romance Books R Us" at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus. If you're already a member, great! PLEASE NOTE: WE'RE NOT ACCEPTING MORE PUBLISHED AUTHORS FOR MEMBERSHIP AT THIS TIME. The contest is open to ALL our current RBRU members and any readers/industry reps/unpublished writers who join NOW.

2. Visit the the participating authors and their URLs listed on our blog under the Kris Kringle KINDLE (and more) Kontest message at: http://romancebooksrus.blogspot.com/ , and answer their questions. SEND A LIST OF ALL PARTICIPATING AUTHORS AND ANSWERS TO THEIR QUESTIONS IN ONE EMAIL TO: _contests.rbrus@gmail.com_

Here's my question: What does Melanie Dubois detest? Hint: Books

Thanks for visiting today. Remember you can't until the 1st, or your answers will be deleted. Be sure to get your answers in by December 31st. Have a great day and see you next Sunday.

Sandy

http://eirelander-publishing.com/

Interview With New Author, Amy Atwell

Hi Everyone,

Today, I want to introduce you to a dear friend, Amy Atwell. We have shared the journey to publication together, and I'm so happy for her because her first published ebook, Lying Eyes, was released from Carina Press this month. This wonderful woman has more energy than ten people, and I'm so jealous of her. lol I belong to one of her GIAM groups and it's a fantastic place to be if you're a serious writer.

Amy's Bio:

Amy Atwell worked in professional theater for 15 years before turning from the stage to the page to write fiction. She wrote non-fiction projects for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the National Park Service, Virginia Tech and Georgia Shakespeare Festival and has had two plays commissioned and produced. She now gives her imagination free rein in both contemporary and historical stories that combine adventure and romance. An Ohio native, Amy has lived all across the country and now resides on a barrier island in Florida with her husband and two Russian Blues. Her debut romantic suspense novel, Lying Eyes, is available at Carina Press.

Briefly take us on the journey with you – when did you start writing and what hurdles did you have to overcome to get published?

I wrote stories, songs and poetry from a very young age. In high school, I took creative writing instead of composition. But I started seriously contemplating writing with an eye on publication in graduate school. Of course, thinking it and doing it were very different things. In 2000, I finished my first manuscript. By 2005, I’d written two more and had a dozen others started. My mom died very suddenly that year, and that set my writing back. I finished a book a few months later, but then all but stopped writing for nearly 18 months. It wasn’t until late in 2007 that I got serious about it again.

What’s been the greatest contributing factor to achieving your goal of publication?

Honestly, knowing I was never alone in this quest to be published. I’m so fortunate to have made dozens of friends with other writers around the globe. So many have helped me, and I’ve been proud to do what I can to pay it forward. In 2004 I started a writing community for goal-oriented writers. (http://www.writinggiam.com) Not only have I watched many others (including Sandy here!) sell, but the group helped hold me together during the dark times.

What has surprised you the most about being a published author?

How much time everything takes! Many authors who are print-published have a year or more between when they sell the story and when the book comes out. I’ve had a 5-month turnaround. Suddenly, my website seemed old-school, and I’ve been engulfed in “social networking.” Add in three rounds of edits, extra scenes to be written for the book, cover art and copy for marketing, and I realize I’m not just an author, I’m an entrepreneur. I can only hope one day I’ll have a staff, but so far, the cats don’t seem willing to help.

How do you come up with your story ideas?

That’s the easy part for me. I come up with ideas all the time. I keep a document saved on my computer with character names, situations, locations, impressions of anything I’ve seen or heard and general conflicts. I love all types of stories, so I’ve written historicals and contemporary comedies as well as suspense. I got the idea for Lying Eyes from the Eagles’ song title. I thought it would make a fun name for a high end costume jewelry shop. Then I added a jewelry designer, a thief with a secret, set it in Las Vegas, and then Cosmo the magician showed up and, well, you get the idea.
Do you have a favorite author?

I have a bunch. Georgette Heyer, Dick Francis, Tom Clancy, E.B. White, Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne, Susan Wiggs, Jill Barnett and Elswyth Thane.

What did you want to be when you grew up at the ages of 6, 13 and 24?

Hmmm, at the age of 6 I probably wanted to be a veterinarian. At 13 I longed to own a horse farm and train horses. At 24, I was planning a career in professional theater stage and production management. I can safely say I never aspired to “grow up.”

Tell us a little bit about your next book? Will it be a romantic suspense or some other genre?

I’m working on another Vegas romantic suspense/comedy titled Cheating Hearts, which is the sequel to Lying Eyes. I even have a trip to Las Vegas planned to attend the National Finals Rodeo as part of my research for Stealing Kisses, which will wrap up the trilogy. But my other project is a mainstream historical set during the Wars of the Roses. It borders on “creative nonfiction” since it features mostly real characters and events from history.

What did you do when you got the call? You know the one saying they wanted it. Grin.

I have the dullest Call Story imaginable. My agent called to let me know we had the offer. I was thrilled to know that Carina wanted the story, but we also still had two other submissions out. Eventually, we opted not to wait on both those responses before accepting the Carina Press offer. But it always felt like there was another step in the process. The contract, the edits, the marketing questionnaire. Honestly, the day it all came together for me was the day I saw my cover art for the first time. I cried tears of joy. It’s a great cover.

I can certainly see why you love this cover, it's gorgeous.

Would you like to tell us about your release, Lying Eyes? How did you come up with the idea?

In Lying Eyes, a Las Vegas costume jewelry designer discovers her illusions of a satisfying life can't hold a candle to true love when she forges a dangerous alliance with a hot thief to try and rescue her aging father Cosmo, a tricky magician who's disappeared and left behind nothing but a mystery of stolen gems, a carload of Russian relatives, an overfed rabbit, a hired gunman, and two sisters she never knew she had. You can also check out the full back cover “blurb” on my Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/amyatwell.author under the Discussions tab.

I mentioned some of the ideas above, but once I settled on the notion of the title, and then came up with the other two titles, and then Cosmo the crazy magician appeared, I started threading it all together into one trilogy. The original concept was based loosely on Charlie’s Angels. I wanted three women characters who didn’t know each other that well to have to work together to find Cosmo. Like Charlie, Cosmo wasn’t intended to be seen “onstage.” Well, Cosmo changed that theory when he showed up in the first scene.

Here is a blurb from Amy's story, Lying Eyes:

Her jewels were real, but her life was fake.

No-nonsense jewelry designer Iris Fortune yearns for a normal life. But life as Vegas magician Cosmo Fortune’s daughter is anything but normal, especially since dear old Dad is also a scam artist. When Cosmo’s latest scheme goes awry and he pulls a real-life disappearing act, Iris is left holding the bag.

Now Iris must be a master of illusion—play the poised partner to her politician fiancé while trying to save her father and stay out of reach of Mickey Kincaid, the sexy thief who claims he's only after her jewels.

Detective Kincaid is deep undercover and seeks Iris out because of her connection to Cosmo—he never expected to be so drawn to her. While working with Iris to find the elusive conman, Mickey learns a killer has Iris in his sights, and he must do everything he can to save her, without blowing his cover.

Mickey's put his life on the line before, but never his heart—and now he’s not sure which is more dangerous…

Could you give us an excerpt of Lying Eyes? I'm sure my readers would love to read a little of your story.

from Chapter Two

Releasing a frustrated huff, Iris pushed her work lamp out of the way and climbed off her stool. Her fingers ached as she slid the magnifying goggles from her face and blinked a few times to bring her vision back to real-world size. Wow, she’d been at it for over an hour. Usually focusing her energy on her work relaxed her, took her to another place. Today was a lost cause—this latest Cosmo crisis was a nightmare.
Worst of all, she couldn’t reach him. Cosmo always answered his calls or returned them as soon as possible. She’d left a message last night when she got home and another this morning after that detective had left the store.
“Iris, telephone!” Ginny, her perpetually cute assistant, stuck her head in the doorway of the store’s design studio. Seeing Iris free, she brought the cordless phone, her hand over the mouthpiece. “Someone named Mickey, and he sounds positively sinful.”
“Give me that.”
Ginny handed over the phone and waited until Iris pointed her to the door. With a laugh like some invisible fairy tickled her, she shot back out to the sales floor.
Iris waited until she was sure she was alone. Not that she had anything to hide. “Iris Fortune.”
“I hear the police visited you this morning. Guess your dad’s really MIA, huh?”
Her heart fluttered at the rich timbre of his voice. “What do you want?”
“What did he say when he called you last night?”
“Who?”
“Don’t play dumb. Cosmo called you on your cell at the party last night.”
She recalled the glass of red wine and Mickey’s intense dark eyes watching her from the shadows. Squaring her shoulders, she perched on her stool. “You were spying on me.”
He laughed. “Don’t sound so outraged. Every guy in town would be spying on you if he had the chance. Now, what did he tell you?”
“He didn’t call, and I have no idea where he is. And if you keep harassing me, I’m going to tell the police about our little conversation last night.”
“No chance. If you were going to spill it about me, you would have done it already.” He sounded too cocksure of himself for her taste.
“How do you know I haven’t?”
“You wouldn’t be threatening to if you’d already done it.”
She pursed her lips, but said nothing.
“And you won’t give me up because—” Mickey’s voice dropped low. “Because, Iris Fortune, deep down, you’re worried about your dad. He may not be much, but he’s all the family you’ve got. You want him back, but you’re afraid he’s gotten himself into something so bad, the police won’t help him. You’re already thinking you might need ol’ Mickey here to help you out.”
“I am not.”
“No? Then think about it some more. I’ll look in on you later.”
“Later? Like tonight? I don’t know where I’ll be.” Recognizing the quickening of her pulse, Iris aligned her design tools into a neat row on the worktable.
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll find you.” The phone clicked and went dead.
“Damn.” Iris set the phone down with more force than she intended. She wasn’t sure whether her frustration stemmed from his threat to ruin her evening again or that he’d ended their conversation so abruptly. Neither reason was a good sign.

Amy, your blurb and excerpt sounds great. I'm dying to read Lying Eyes and the whole trilogy. I bought it the first day it was released. I haven't time to read it yet, but I've moved it to the top of my to read list. I wish you huge success in your writing career. Thank you for coming to visit me on my blog today.

Thanks so much for all your help--and inspiration along the way. Truly, it's been a joy watching other GIAMers get published. I'm pleased to be joining the ranks.

If you would like to learn more about Amy feel free to visit MWF every week at her blog, What's the Story?: http://www.amyatwell.com/blog and every other Tuesday at Magical Musings: http://www.magicalmusings.com/.

Here are the buy links:
Carina Press
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/F4545497-9153-490F-887E-A67BFD5A31C5/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=%7B71CE2B73-9576-4C3A-A7C7-54DBDED4EB7A%7D

Barnes & Noble
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Lying-Eyes/Amy-Atwell/e/9781426890765/?itm=2&USRI=lying+eyes

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Lying-Eyes-ebook/dp/B004774YO0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1288704344&sr=1-1

I hope you voracious readers out there read Amy's book, Lying Eyes, and add her to your list of favorite authors. Smile.

Until next Sunday, have a great week and a Happy Thanksgiving.

Sandy

http://www.skaymarshall.com/

http://eirelander-publishing.com/

Interview With Melanie Dubois

Hi Everyone,

Today, I'm interviewing Melanie Dubois, the heroine in my latest release, The Deceived.

Question: Melanie, you are a 5' 4" blonde with blue eyes, is there anything you wish different about yourself?

Answer: Yes, I would like to be more like my sister, Jolene, especially her height (6 feet) with brown hair and eyes. I hate being short.

Question: But your sister is a recovering alcoholic why would you want to be like her?

Answer: I just want her appearance and her mellow temperament not her addictions.

Question: What is all this mess with your mother?

Answer: I'm trying to figure it all out. Not sure where it will lead.

Question: Is it true that your mother had an affair, and you are a product of that liaison?

Answer: I don't know, but I'm going to have a DNA test to find out the truth of the matter.

Question: Didn't your father tell you that your mother had an affair?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Do you believe he told you the truth?

Answer: I did when he told me as a teenager, but I don't know anymore.

Question: How will you feel if your father lied to you?

Answer: Hurt! Very hurt.

Question: How did you get involved with the group picketing the casinos?

Answer: I talked to the leader and decided their goals matched mine, so I asked to join.

Question: Are you afraid of the scar faced man?

Answer: I wouldn't want to be caught alone with him.

Question: What do think of that hunky board member, Mike Mercer?

Answer: Hmm. I wouldn't mind losing my virginity to him. Laughs! He's so hot.

Melanie, thank you for letting me interview you today. I hope everything turns out well between you and your mother now that your father is gone. It would be nice to see you find some happiness.

Thank you. I hope so, too.

If you wish to learn more about Melanie visit my website, http://www.skaymarshall.com/books Buy link for The Deceived

Until next Sunday have a great week.

Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.skaymarshall.com

Factor V Leiden: Blood Clots

Hi Everyone,

You may think there isn’t a problem discovering blood clots, but you’re wrong. If you don’t read my story someone in your family or a friend could develop this problem and the doctor’s might never find out what caused it.

Here’s my story: I was in my late fifties when I started having blackouts or drop attacks as many doctors call it. What would happen is that I would black out hitting the floor, and come to a few seconds later. I went to my primary care doctor, the one who’d found out I had fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathy, and didn’t think I was crazy every time I had some new health issue develop.

The very first thing she thought of was blood clots, and I was sent to a cardiologist, who ran the usual tests on me. You know the ones, EKG, Stress test, checked my arteries, blood tests, etc. Nothing showed up. Everything was just fine. My doctor didn’t give up. She kept trying other things, but nothing was found.

A bit of time went by, and I had three blackouts in one night. I had gotten up in the middle of the night and coming back into the bedroom I dropped like a ton of bricks and scared my husband to death. I thought I had just bumped into the door and fell because I came to so fast.

Hubby didn’t have time to get back into bed before I hit the floor again. This time he made me lie still for a few minutes before getting up, and then he helped me up. We went into the bathroom to see if anything was bruised or broken. While looking me over I dropped again, but he caught me before I hit the floor this time and laid me down gently.

It didn’t happen again that night. The next morning I got into my primary care doctor and my husband was able to give her more details about what happened. All along she’d been thinking it had something to do with clots, but she wanted me to see an eye specialist at K.U. Med Center to eliminate one more thing. They both decided I should have a test for Factor V Leiden.

Factor V Leiden is inherited from your parents, it can come from both or just one. There are two forms of Factor V Leiden, one is Heterozygous factor V Leiden and it’s found in 5 % of the white population and is most common in people of Northern European descent and in some Middle Eastern populations. The homozygous form is found in fewer than 1%. Factor V Leiden is less common in the Hispanic population and is rare in Asian, African, and Native American populations. However, remember rare doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Factor V Leiden is treated with blood thinners or anticoagulants but not for long periods of time. In my case, I take three milligrams of folic acid and one aspirin a day, which was decided by both my primary care doctor and the blood specialist she sent me to. Since I started that regimen I haven’t had one black out.


I wasn’t the first person in my family who had these blackouts; my mom’s sister, Aunt Lucille, had these, and her doctor never found out what caused the problem. It took away her independence. Even I wasn’t able to drive for one year because of the fear of blacking out at the wheel.

What was happening to me is that little pieces of blood would form together in the artery blocking the blood flow to the brain, and I drop to the floor. It only lasted a few minutes because the blood flow coming behind it would force those pieces through.

The reason I’m blogging about this issue is because I have learned of another person outside of my family who is having blackouts and her doctor has not been able to find the reason for it. I believe this is a common occurrence. I was lucky that my doctor was a true detective, and she never gave up looking for the cause. I'm hoping with all my heart that this blog will help someone.

My information has come from the American Heart Association and my own experiences. I not only want to thank my doctor, Dr. Karladine Graves, but I want to thank my hubby for helping me so much during that time.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week, and I’ll see you next Sunday.

Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com/
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/
http://www.twitter/SandraKMarshall

Cat Superstitions

Happy Halloween Everyone,

We all know there are many black cat superstitions. Many people believe it's bad luck when a black cat crosses their path but there are some who believe it's good fortune. lol What do you think?

Some people in Germany believe a black cat crossing their path from right to left is a bad omen while from left to right, and the cat is granting favorable times to you. In Italy some believe if a inky feline lays on a sick person's bed, death will follow. In China, some believe black cats are harbingers of famine and poverty. Lavtvian farmers that find black kitties in their grain silos dance with joy because they believe these felines are the spirit of Rungis, a god of harvests.

In Japan, black cats crossing your path will probably make you smile, and think that good fortune is on its way. In Scotland folks believe finding black kittens sitting on their porch is a sure sign of riches and happiness to come.

Some people around the world believe that there is a single white hair to be found on a black cat and you pull it without getting scratched you'll be in a long, happy and prosperous marriage.

There are superstitions surrounding cats of other colors, too. For instance, dream of a tortoise shell cat and you will be lucky in love, dream of a ginger cat and you will be lucky in money and business and dream of a black and white cat you'll have luck with children. There are many others.

In ancient Egypt, where cats were first domesticated about 3,000 years ago, cats were considered sacred. One Egyptian god in particular, Pashe, was not only cat-headed but was attended by cats. Some believed that the life-giving rays of the sun were kept in a cat's eyes at night for safekeeping.

Ancient Hebrew folklore tells of an incident in the Ark that resulted in the creation of the first cats. Apparently, before the flood there were no cats but there was a pair of lions and there was fear the shaggy beasts would attack the other animals, so Noah prayed to God for a solution. God answered by putting the lions into a deep sleep. When one problem was solved, another arose. The Ark was overrun with mice. Noah knelt and prayed for a solution. God suggested that Noah whack the sleeping male lion on the nose. He did, the lion sneezed, and out of his nostrils came the first pair of cats. The rodent problem was solved.

Another version of the creation of cats comes from the Christian tradition. Apparently the devil, in one of his periodic attempts at creation, was trying to make a man. As usual he failed miserably and, through his bungling, ended up creating the first cat. (Unfortunately, the poor animal was hairless. One cold day St. Peter happened upon the poor animal shivering in a doorway. He had pity on it and gave it a fur coat.)
I used to dislike cats intensely and the reason I did is because I saw a cat kill a pigeon when I was young. Yes, I was a bird lover and still am, but now I understand why that poor cat did what he did. He was a stray cat without a home, and he was trying to survive.

No matter the mystique surrounding cats and black cats in particular, most owners of black cats consider themselves lucky and blessed to have one. It's a blessing to own a cat, black or not. Smile.

Some information on cat superstitions found at Essortment and at Maxellah.tripod. There is so much more out there so don't be afraid to Google cat superstitions. Also, I blogged about black cats at Romance Books R Us on the 29th at http://www.romancebooksrus.blogspot.com and at Paranormal Romantic at Noon on the 30th, http://www.paranormalromantics.blogspot.com

A gentle reminder to get out and vote.

Have a great week, and I'll see you next Sunday.

Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.skaymarshall.com
http://sandramarshallblog.blogspot.com

CONTEST JUDGING

Hello Everyone,

For the last month, I have been judging contest entries for my local RWA chapter. Three times a year, I judge in contests. Soon, I'll be judging the Golden Heart contest, which will be coming up soon. It's the most prestigious contest for unpublished writers along with the Rita's contest for published authors. Both are contests offered by RWA, Romance Writer's of America, an organization with over ten thousand members world wide.

Judging is a job that takes time and patience if you are going to do it right. I'm only going to tell you about my local chapter contest (MARA), although, I'm also a member of the Wisconsin chapter. Contest entries send in a manuscript with a synopsis of no more than thirty-five pages. The contest coordinator sends the entries along with a score sheet to our members. I received nine this year because we had 97 entries and all of mine were sent through email to the contest coordinator, so I read mine on the computer.

While reading the manuscript, I make comments directly in the content of the manuscript using blue font, and I also mark words in yellow if they are overused. Another thing I start marking my score sheet for the different things, I'm looking for, such as beginning hook, pacing, characterization, emotion, dialogue, narrative, action, and how they pertain to the characters and story.

Every item on the score sheet may receive a score of one to five (1-5) with a possible total point score of 250, which I didn't give this year. There were a couple who came close, and they may very well be finalists in our contest. I hope so anyway. When I judge entries I'm routing for them all the way, and I am so sad when they can't make it.

After reading, commenting and scoring our entries, we write a one to two page critique for the author. In this instance, I pick the biggest problems (two or three at most) to write about. I like to give examples how to correct these trouble areas if I feel this will help the entrant understand what I'm telling them. The reason I do this is because reading the terminology is not always enough for beginning writers.

Most of all, we encourage these budding authors to continue writing and learning their craft. It takes time to learn even the basics. Even published authors continue learning more of their craft.

To all those authors out there who aren't published yet I have three words to say to you: Don't Give Up.

Until next Sunday, have a great week.

Sincerely,
Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com; http://www.skaymarshall.com; http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall

The Name Stephen

Hi Everyone,

Today, we are going to have a bit of fun. I'm going to tell you all about the name, Stephen. lol You might wonder why I picked this name. Well, it's because every Sunday when I send out a message about my blog I find more first names of Stephen for men in my addresses than any other male name.

Stephen comes from the Greek word 'stephanos', meaning 'garland; crown'. Stephen is also the name of the first Christian Martyr whose feast is celebrated on December 26th. Namesakes include Stephen Fry (comedian), Stephen Hawking (physicist), Stephen King (author).

In my dictionary it says Stephen ca 1097 - 1154 king of England (1135 - 54), so I'm not sure just how far the name Stephen goes back. It is recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, book of Acts that St. Steven died a martyr.

Do you have a Stephen in your life? Do you like the name Stephen for a male name? Do you think Stephen represents a hero in your life? Is he handsome, strong and tender; a take charge kind of guy?

Tell me about your Stephen. I have known Stephen's, Steve's of all types. Some are dark-haired and brown-eyed, and others were blond and blue-eyed. All were great guys, but I don't have a Stephen in my family, so tell me about yours.

Have a great week until next Sunday.

Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.skaymarshall.com
http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn-marshall

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Hi Everyone,

I know, you're saying she wrote about ovarian cancer last month and now breast cancer. This is serious folks, and I intend to write about it. The Big C has been around a long time, and it's way past time to eradicate it. The whole shebang, all of the different kinds of cancer should be erased from our lives.

Why can't the researchers find a way to prevent cancer then they won't have to find ways to treat people once they have the Big C. Preventive measures should be developed as well as ways to kill the cancer after it's in your body. I know the researchers have come a long way, but isn't there a way to remove a cancer gene from our bodies stopping the chance of cancer? Obviously not since in my research I found nothing. They say diet is important in preventing cancer. Oh, and if you're overweight you're a candidate for breast cancer. Bummer! I've gained a lot of weight.

This is one disease that I want eradicated more than any other. I have had so many friends and family members suffer from these diseases that I'm just sick of it. There is no rhyme or reason to why a person may get breast cancer or any other cancer. Most times there isn't a family history of cancer, although the risk is even greater if you have a history of cancer in your family. Then again, many people with a history never get cancer. It's no wonder the research community is stymied.

Thank you for listening to my rant on this subject. For all of you who are battling breast cancer, I pray a cure is found in time for you, or that you will go into remission without fear of it returning.

Until next Sunday, have a great week.

Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com; http://www.eirelander-publishing.com; http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall

What Do You Want In an eReader?

Hello Everyone,

Do you know what you want in an eReader? I don't have one yet, but I do know what I want.

My eReader is for reading only. I don't want to do anything else but read with my eReader. When I read it's escape time. I don't want an Ipad where I can get the news, internet, music, email, etc. Leave me alone, I want to read. Do you understand?

Something else I want is an eReader for under a hundred dollars or less (preferably around $50.00) with wonderful formatting that will not mess up when it's downloaded. I don't want the battery to die and take away all the books I paid good money for when I bought and downloaded them.

Next, I want an eReader where I can buy my books anywhere I want to. I don't want Kindle because I have to buy all my books at Amazon. I don't want a Sony where I have to buy a book at the Sony store, and I don't want a Nook, so I must buy books at B&N. I don't want my choice taken away from me. I want to go anywhere to buy a novel. It's my right.

Okay folks, what do you want?

Until next Sunday, have a great week.

Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.skaymarshall.com
http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall

September is Ovarian Cancer Month

Hello Everyone,

For those of you who may not know it September is Ovarian Cancer Month. Some of you will remember that my mother past away April 4, 1998 from ovarian cancer, and you'll know this is a subject near and dear to my heart.

Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer for a very good reason. The disease is not usually caught in the early stages due to the fact that most symptoms can be attributed to other causes.

The types of ovarian cancer are 1. Epithelial ovarian tumors; 2. Germ cell tumors; and 3. Stromal tumors, but within this group are other types of cancer. One of these is called primary peritoneal carcinoma and the reason I'm mentioning it is because it looks like epithelial ovarian cancer and it can be found in women without their ovaries.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail here about ovarian cancer, but I do know anyone who has a family history of colon cancer, breast cancer can also get ovarian cancer. I could go on forever about this cancer and others, but I'm not going to. You can go to the American Cancer Society for any information you like to find.

Here are some signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer: 1. Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating; 2. Pelvic discomfort or pain; 3. Trouble eating or feeling full quickly; and 4. Urinary symptoms such as urgency (always feeling like you have to go) or frequency (having to go often).

Other symptoms of ovarian cancer can include:

1. Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
2. Unexplained changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
3. Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
4. Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
5. Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
6. Pain during intercourse
7. A permanent lack of energy
8. Low back pain
9. Changes in menstruation

These symptoms can be caused by other conditions than ovarian cancer.

My niece, Kristin, has been walking in the Susan G. Koman cure for breast cancer for several years. Her mother-in-law died of breast cancer after a battle of five years or more. In many cases cancer can be cured if caught early enough, so I recommend that all men, women and children be diligent in working to stop all cancers.

Much of this information has come from the American Cancer Society and Mayo Clinic except for the personal comments I have made. My title September is Ovarian Cancer month is linked to the Mayo Clinic for those of you who wish to learn more about this disease.

Thank you for your time. Enjoy today and tell those you love that you love them. See you next Sunday.

Sandy

http://www.skaymarshall.com/

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/

Do You Watch Advertisements and Do You Have a Favorite? Plus Blogmania Winners Announced.

Hi Everyone,

First, I'm going to name the winners of my Blogmania contest, and then we'll get to my question.

Drum Roll Folks, here is the list everyone has been waiting for:

1st prize: Amber in Canada

2nd prize: Tracy P

3rd prize: Sabrina Shields

4th prize: Ginn7

5th prize: Allana 890

Congratulations to all the winners. I have sent out emails to all of you and all you have to do is reply back with your snail mail addresses.

Back to my question, I know a lot of you guys watch the commercials during the New Year's Day games, so your favorite is probably from that day.

Usually, I switch channels during commercials but there's one that I have been watching lately. Why does this commercial fascinate me? First of it's an airline commercial with lots of class. It reminds me of the old days when people used to dress up for flights around the world. It's the Korean Airline commercial, it tells a romantic story, dreams of a far-off land and it is first class all the way even on the wings of a plane. Smile. It's quality advertising, which we don't see a lot of anymore.

I'll be waiting eagerly to learn about your favorite.

Have a great week, and I'll see you next Sunday.

Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/
http://www.skaymarshall.com/
http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall

Blogmania

WELCOME To BLOGMANIA !
My Blog is #125 out of 169 Blogs

You've arrived at exactly the right time to explore lots of new blogs, all of which, ARE HOSTING A VERY SPECIAL BLOGMANIA GIVEAWAY (For Two Days Only--September 15th and 16th)

These numbers will allow you to keep track of which blogs you've visited and how many are left to visit. Why not take a moment to make a list of numbers 1-169, and check off the blogs as you go.

Here are my prizes and rules for my blog. 1. Anyone who enters my contest needs to become a follower. 2. Leave a comment with some way for me to get in touch with you if you win.

Here are some of my prizes:

1. Christmas Basket ( can be used to decorate as well)
a. Large snowman
b. Two magnetic backed message pads
c. Several snow capped pine cones
d. Snow men tree ornaments
e. Candle and holder
f. Other candles and ornaments

2. Fall Basket
a. Three scented candles


3. Thanksgiving Basket
a. Large pumpkin
b. Pumpkin scented candle
c. Spice scented Candle
d. Small Turkey decoration
e. One magnetic backed message pad

4. Beverage basket
a. Mug
b. Fair Trade Coffee
c. Fair Trade Organic Earl Grey Tea
d. French Vanilla Purple Mountain Coffee
e. Hazelnut, Raspberry and Mint hot chocolate
f. One magnetic backed message pad

5. A bag full of goodies heehee
a. Emergency Signal (multi-function lantern)
b. jewelry (earrings and matching necklace)
c. note cards

After you enter this giveaway , don't forget to hop on to the next one - there are over $38,000 in prizes to enter to win!

Use this link:

http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=8fc84dfc-d47d-4984-b945-54251c21bf73"

Have fun shopping and good luck everyone.

Sandy

http://www.skaymarshall.com/

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/

http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall

Winner of Labor Day Contest

Yay! Cathy M. is the winner of my Labor Day Contest, and she won Rebecca's contest too. Cathy decided on The Deceived from my list of prizes.

Congratulations, Cathy.

Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.skaymarshall.com
http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall/

Labor Day and a Chance to Win Books

Hello Everyone,

We are celebrating our Labor Day weekend here in the States. This nationwide holiday is a tribute to the American worker. There is a dispute over who the founder of Labor Day is, but at this time many believe Peter J. McGuire was first in suggesting the idea. Recent research supports that Matthew Maguire proposed the idea. I know it is important to historians to know who actually started the campaign for Labor Day, but I'm not going to focus on the founder here.

We as Americans have come a very long way, and I believe Labor Day is a celebration of what we have accomplished. Today, we celebrate the American worker.

***

Now, I want to talk about a trip I took to the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. Specifically, I want to tell you about the return trip.

When we left the U.S. Virgin Islands we had engine problems and had to land in St. Croix (another island in the U.S. Virgin Islands) for repairs. We were told to stay onboard because there was unrest on the island and people were being killed. Right before we were to leave a young woman came rushing on the plane, and she sat beside me. She was crying.

This was back in the late 60's or early 70's when there was a lot of racial tension. The young girl was a teacher, and she'd just gotten out of the hospital after surgery, and she was afraid to go back to her apartment. She was afraid she was next to be killed. She'd seen a friend of hers killed, and she was terrified so she'd left everything behind in order to return to her family in Florida.

We were on an Eastern flight (a small plane not a jet) over the Caribbean and lightening was striking our plane. Everyone was crying and praying. My mother sat across the aisle from me, and I wanted to talk to her but I was listening and trying to calm this young woman down who had just escaped one terror for another. I did manage to hold my mother's hand once and tell her I loved her but the rest of the time I spent reassuring the young teacher that we would be okay.

Rebecca Royce, a friend and author is also blogging today. For a chance to win a copy of her new stories, Screw Superman or Banging Batman go to her blog at you have to answer this question: What did I eat for dinner when I saw La Cage Aux Folles? To find the answer go to http://www.rebeccaroyce.blogspot.com.

On Ms. Royce's site you'll find the question you'll need to win either an ebook or a print copy of Addiction in celebration of the release of my new book, The Deceived on September 10th.

Have a great Labor Day.

See you next week.

Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

There will be no blog today

For those of you stopping in today there won't be a blog today. Instead, I'll be blogging tomorrow on Labor Day.

Thank you.
Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/
http://www.skaymarshall.com/

Do You Think Man is Making New Diseases? and Blogmania

Hi Everyone,

Today, I have two topics to discuss. First, I want to tell you about Blogmania, which is coming September 15th & 16th, Wednesday and Thursday. On those days, my blog will turn into a eclectic buffet. What better way to get Christmas presents for your loved ones and friends? All you have to do is browse around the blogs participating at Blogmania to find the goodies you need without leaving your home.

On top of not having to go shopping, the things you win will be free. Just to give you a taste of what I have to offer here's a list: 1. A Christmas basket; 2. A fall basket think Halloween/Thanksgiving, which may divided between two baskets if there's too much for one; 3. A hot beverage basket with cup, and there's more. Actually, I need to start putting the baskets together because I can't remember everything I have. lol

Now onto the question I'm asking, Do You Think Man is Making New Diseases? I will be dying to hear your comments.

I think diseases have been here all along, but I do believe with the use of antibiotics that the strains of our present diseases are becoming stronger. This is a very simplistic answer to this question, and I'm sure people who are more knowledgeable will give far better answers.

Until next Sunday, have another great week.

Sandy

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

http://www.skaymarshall.com

Do You Believe in Global Warming?

Hi Everyone,

We have all listened to the pros and cons on global warming from the scientists, the news media and the politicians. My question is do you believe in global warming?

To get everyone started I will give you my opinion, which I'm very good at doing. Wink!

I do believe in global warming.

There are things going on underneath our earth, in our oceans and outerspace that we are not totally aware of. The things we are aware are also causing global warming such as gas emissions spewing from our vehicles and plants. Some of these things we see but can't visually see the damage being done. For instance, what is happening in our oceans and fresh water lakes.

Just a few weeks ago, ice broke apart in Greenland. Is this due to global warming or to natural circumstances. Would this have happened without the help of man or is it happening because of man? I could go on more on this topic, but I'm eager to hear your opinions.

Reminder: There is no bashing anyone for giving their opinion.

One other thing I want to say is that the TWA reunion at the Aviation Museum in Kansas City at the Charles Wheeler airport was terrific. I enjoyed seeing everyone even though I was about to pass out from the heat. Smile.

Until next Sunday. Have a great week.

Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com/
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/
http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall

What Genre Do You Like to Read?

Hi Everyone,

I have a question for all you readers out there. What genre do you like to read best? I admit I've read nearly everything but my favorite will always be mystery with a mix of romance in the story. When my birthday or Christmas rolled around I could always depend on receiving one book or more, which guaranteed I would sit in a corner reading said book.

Those were the days when I grew up reading Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and more then graduated to Agatha Christie plus whatever I could find in my grandmother's library at the top of the stairs. Oh, the memories of the wholesome stories I found there to read and the hours spent deciding what to read next. I'm a reader, and I'm proud of it.

What is your favorite genre? Do you like mysteries, romantic suspense, inspiratonal, historical, time travel, paranormals, urban fantasy, horror, erotica romance, or do you like a mixture of several of these? I'll eagerly await your comments.

Have a great week until next Sunday.

Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall

New Book Cover

Good Morning Everyone,

This is going to be very short and sweet because I have a lot of work to do this week. My new bookcover for The Deceived is posted on my blog underneath the cover for Addiction.

I'm also re-posting the blurb for The Deceived.

Blurb for The Deceived

The games they play can lead them to love or ruin.

Melanie Dubois detests her family’s casino business. The way this addiction destroys people has her on a tear of magnificent proportions. Then again, this young lady has been put through a train wreck of her own design. She distrusts everybody except for the people who are determined to use Melanie as a poster-child for zealots.

Mike Mercer has spent nearly a year in a deep cover mission for the FBI. The one fly in the ointment of completing his objective to take down a group of dangerous anti-gambling zealots is a fiery-tempered, blonde-haired woman named Melanie DuBois. Worse than that, she’s got a passion brewing just beneath the surface that’s an even deadlier attraction.

Fighting for your life is never easy when the odds are stacked against you.

Also, this week I'll be trying to get this book cover up on my website along with the blurb. Being untechie it may take awhile.

Until next Sunday keep cool.

Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com/
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/

Fantastic News

Good Morning Everyone,

It's early, and I'm at work while drinking my first cup of coffee to wake up. Today, I'm thrilled to tell you fantastic news. It's been hard to keep quiet about this news, but I wanted to blog about it. This past week I learned my book, The Deceived, will be released from Eirelander Publishing in digital format on September 10th It will be the last one in the trilogy.

I'm trying to update my website to get an excerpt of The Deceived there, but until then, I'll leave you with a blurb as a teaser. I'm not always serious, I do like to tease once in a while. Smile.

Blurb for The Deceived

The games they play can lead them to love or ruin.

Melanie Dubois detests her family’s casino business. The way this addiction destroys people has her on a tear of magnificent proportions. Then again, this young lady has been put through a train wreck of her own design. She distrusts everybody except for the people who are determined to use Melanie as a poster-child for zealots.

Mike Mercer has spent nearly a year in a deep cover mission for the FBI. The one fly in the ointment of completing his objective to take down a group of dangerous anti-gambling zealots is a fiery-tempered, blonde-haired woman named Melanie DuBois. Worse than that, she’s got a passion brewing just beneath the surface that’s an even deadlier attraction.

Fighting for your life is never easy when the odds are stacked against you.

Have a wonderful week, and I'll see you next Sunday.

Hugs,
Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall

Jumbled Thoughts

Hello Everyone,

Today, I'm going to tell you about some of the thoughts tumbling through my mind this past week. Those of you who know me well know that I sometime lose focus while talking and writing. My thoughts can blow around like the leaves on a tree. My goal for this blog is to center on one subject in each paragraph. lol

To start with I'm going to talk about insomnia. There are many things that can cause people not to sleep. For my hubby the reason is his sleep apnea and having to sleep with a mask over his face. He takes a half an Ambien (5mg) every night and sometimes a whole one if the half doesn't work. Hubby can get by on 4 to 6 hours a night, so if he gets that deep sleep he's good.

Okay, this is extending to two paragraphs because I'm going to tell you why I can't rest. I have fibormyalgia and peripheral neuropathy, both are nerve diseases. I just want to talk about the fibormyalgia because it causes me the most problem both day and night. There are times I can't bear to brush against or to have anything touch me. This is the reason I can't sleep at night. There's no way you can lay in bed without touching the mattress. All night long I may toss and turn trying to find a comfortable spot, which also make the fibromyalgia worse. Sometimes I can get up and work, but usually my mind is mush so I can only mindless games on the computer until I'm so tired I don't feel the pain for a few hours.

Next I'm going to talk a bit about book royalties. This is a topic I've thought about this week because I'm trying to decide if it's worth my while to continue writing other than for my enjoyment. I've talked about this subject a bit before, so I'm going to skim this. We aren't allowed to talk about our contracts so this is only going to be general. I will say this that digital royalties are larger than the print royalties. Everyone knows, Grisham, Patterson, Roberts and others have made huge bucks from their book sales but these authors sold millions of books before they did.

This topic is taking two paragraphs too. Smile. Most authors start as low as $30.00 for their first royalty check. Some even lower. Royalties will grow if they can keep selling books, and if they improve with each book. Many authors who make $5,000 to $35,000 or less have day jobs or a husband to support them. Authors who make $50,000 to $100,000 a year are able to support themselves without a day job. Okay, this is enough on this topic for today.

Did I tell you that repetition is my downfall? When I edit I have to remove one third of my words just because of replicating words (called echo's in the publishing world) and sentences that have already been written. Not exact usage but they mean the same thing. This is a common fault among authors.

I'm going to end on a brighter note. My very good friend, Linda B., called me on Thursday to tell me she'd read my book, ADDICTION, and she really liked it and saw improvement in my writing.

For those of you attending the Romance Writers of America Conference in Orlando this year be sure to stop by Mid-America Romance Author's booth to buy your Dammit Doll.

Mid-America Romance Authors (MARA) is selling Writer/Author/Industry Rep Dammit Dolls at Moonlight Madness on 29 July at RWA in Orlando. These dolls can be whacked against a table, wall, whatever, whenever you need to de-stress from the romance writing world! Each doll comes with an appropriate poem and you yell, "Dammit, dammit, dammit" while taking out your frustration.MARA Links for Dammit Doll Episodes this month:
5th - http://jackiebannon.blogspot.com
9th - http://authorlyncash.blogspot.com
11th -http://web.me.com/elisabethburke/ElisabethBurke/Blog/Blog.html
13th -http://heathersonowbooks.blogspot.com
18th - http://carlacassidy.wordpress.com
20th - http://romancebooksrus.blogspot.com
25th - http://www.romancebooksrus.blogspot.com
27th - http://gretchenjones.com
Read different Dammit Doll adventures and get one for yourself!

Until next Sunday, have a great week.

Sandy
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

My Vacation in Colorado

White water rafters in Royal Gorge and picture of Royal Gorge from the bridge

My brother at Garden of the Gods

Hello Everyone,

We arrived back home from Colorado this past week. To say it was a wonderful vacation is an understatement. Nothing is better than spending time with family, eating, laughing and playing.

Normally, I fly to Colorado but this year I droveout so my brother would go with me. It's a

long tedious drive, especially in western Kansas where the landscape is mostly flat. Our destination was Colorado Springs. Once a small town this metropolis has grown and is affectionately nicknamed, The Springs.

The first time I visited Colorado Springs was in 1969 when my brother-in-law's National Guard unit was activated during the Vietnam war. The Springs was a military town then and now. My brother-in-law was stationed at Ft. Carson, and who would believe that 30 plus years later they would return to Colorado.

In the Springs the humidity is low and the winters are mostly mild. My brother-in-law says he can golf there year round. For those of you who think of Colorado as having horrible winters think again. The snows that Colorado gets in the mountains and on the western side of Denver most often fly across The Springs and settle on the eastern plains of Kansas.

By this time you are wondering when I'm going to tell you about my trip. We didn't do a lot of sightseeing, but we did see The Garden of the Gods and The Royal Gorge, both very beautiful spots. You can see the pictures above but they don't do either area justice.

I played bunko with my sister's Bunko group, watched my youngest niece's (5 years old soon to be 6) soccer tournament (four of them in one day), went to cookout for nephew-in-law's birthday celebration and visited oldest niece and family near Denver. We played games like Mexican Train Dominoes with kids and grownups. Every day we looked out across the patio and park at the mountains. It was a great way to start the day.

There is much more I could tell you about the sights in Colorado, but I'm keeping this short today.

Have a great week everyone, and I'll see you next Sunday.

Sandy

http://www.skaymarshall.com/

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/

Happy July 4th

Hello Everyone,

I want to wish everyone a happy and safe fourth of July. For those of you celebrating other holidays enjoy yourself. In the states, we celebrate the 4th as our independence day from Great Britain and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Flags are flown at half-staff today to honor those who have died in the service of our country and others. President Dwight Eisenhower proclaimed this standard for flying the American flag on March 1, 1954. This year our flag is celebrating it's fiftieth birthday.

Here is a tidbit telling you how the flag should be raised at half-staff. When placing the United States flag into the half-staff position, the flag should be raised quickly to the top of the pole first and then slowly lowered to the position in which it flies halfway between the top and bottom of the pole. When lowering the flag to be taken off the pole, it should first be raised briskly to the top of the pole and then slowly lowered to waiting arms and then properly folded.

Please remember our men and women who are still fighting for freedom here at home and across the world. Pray for their safety.

Next week, there will not be a blog post because I'll be in Colorado where the humidity isn't as high as it is here. Smile.

For those who may look at the TAPPS magazine, my book, ADDICTION is being advertised in it. Sorry but the magazine can only be found in a book store.

Enjoy your weekend and stay safe. See you again on the 18th.

Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com/
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/addiction.htm

Contest, Contest, Contest

Hello Everyone,

No one wants to wait for Christmas to celebrate the holidays...so...we're having a Christmas in July Event! Great Prizes, to include a new Sony Touch eReader, hats, totes, tee-shirts, gift cards, and more!

To enter our BIG contest:

1. Join our yahoo group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus (Sorry - we're not approving authors for membership at this time, only READERS and INDUSTRY
REPS). WHEN YOU JOIN, PLEASE GIVE YOUR FULL NAME AND IF YOU'RE
A READER, PRE-PUBBED WRITER, OR INDUSTRY REP. Your information will
not appear on a membership list at our group site as that is not shown for privacy reasons.

2. Become a Follower at our blog: http://romancebooksrus.blogspot.com .
Click on FOLLOW and follow directions. If you have a problem with this,
contact april@aprilash.net (aprilATaprilashDOTnet).

3. There are 20 RBRU Bloggers' Websites/Blogs listed on the right
sidebar at the blog. Click on each one. Send a list of 20 authors' names
and one book title for each one to: contests.rbrus@gmail.com
(contest.rbrusATgmailDOT.com) . If an author has two pen names, you only
need to click on one. You'll need a total of 20 author names and 20 book titles.

Contest runs from 1-midnight ET 31 July. Sorry...we'll ship big prizes
to US and Canadian residents only. Others may receive an emailed gift
card/certificate. Winners will be announced on our Yahoo group and blog
during the first week in August.

Please note: If you join just to enter the contest and then leave the
group, you won't be permitted to rejoin when we do another BIG contest.
Like Santa, I'm "making a list and checking it twice" so will keep track
of those who join and leave. ALSO...going NO MAIL sometimes happens to
everyone...but please don't make this permanent. We want you to be a
part of our group and hear all our news...and join in! I also check this
"list".

MORE AUTHORS WILL SPONSOR ADDITIONAL CONTESTS DURING JULY...SO...KEEP CHECKING OUR YAHOO GROUP!
http://www.mariannestephens.net/
http://www.aprilash.net/

“ROMANCE BOOKS R US” NEW YAHOO GROUP & BLOG!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus

“Anything You Can Do” by Marianne Stephens at:
http://www.breathlesspress.com
5 STAR REVIEW by Diana Coyle, NOR, REVIEWER’S TOP PICK!

Other Books at: Ellora’s Cave, Cerridwen Press

The leader of Romance Books R Us is Marianne Stephens, and I'm reading her book, Gone to the Dogs, right now. I laughed out loud last night while I was reading. There's humor galore and mystery to boot.

Good luck to all of those who enter this contest.

Also, remember ADDICTION comes out in print July 1st at Eirelander Publishing, http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/addiction.htm

Until next Sunday, have a great week.

Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com/

Gulf Coast Castastrophe

Hello Everyone,

Not all of you will agree with me on what's going on in the gulf coast, but this is my blog, and I'm going to give my opinion. Many of you have probably watched the senate and listened to the testimony from them and the BP CEO, Tony Hayward. Of course, he said very little on the advice of lawyers.

Anyone who knows me knows I like everyone. I do not hate Tony Hayward, he's only as greedy as everyone else on this earth. That includes you and me. Do I think he thought of the bottom line and his stockholders before he thought of ordinary folks who make a living in the region. Most definitely. Do I believe he was sincere when he said he was sorry. Humph. No way. The only thing I think he's sorry for is that he was CEO when the catastrophe happened. He meant it when he said, he wanted his life back. Well, Mr. Hayward, so do the people in the gulf.

There is one person I dislike immensely, and his name is Joe Barton, Republican representative from Texas. If I lived in Texas, and I voted for him I would be asking him to step down immediately. For a man in our congress to apologize for his country for asking for money to help the people and businesses in the Gulf area and call it a shakedown is apprehensible. He's not a patriot, and he's in bed with the oil companies. How would his constituents feel if this had been off the beaches of Galveston? Maybe, he wouldn't have said those words to appease BP then.

Everyone is pointing fingers at someone. The President is being condemned because he didn't act faster. We have a President who is analytical (remember my blog last week about are you analytical), and he tries not to jump in and start doing things without considering all possibilities before acting. We had a President who jumped to action, and he went after the wrong target. No matter whether we act slow or fast there are bound to be mistakes. We all make them.

Here's a group I point fingers at and that is whoever was supposed to be inspecting every detail while the rigs were built and the maintenance of them. Who was being bought off? Someone knew there was a problem. Certainly, the workers did but they didn't speak up for fear of losing their jobs. Instead they lost their lives. These inspectors definitely need to be held accountable for allowing BP to continue drilling.

Those people who are yelling about their jobs, I say: Are you willing to risk your lives that this won't happen to you? Wouldn't you rather the drills are inspected thoroughly before going back to work? I know that's easy for me to say when it's you with the bills you can't pay. Just ask yourself who will pay them if you're dead. I understand very well what is happening even if I'm not there. Keep reading and you'll see why I think I understand.

BP wants to make it right but unfortunately they can't undo what has happened. There's no way to make it right now, but only help make it better. BP is burning off oil now. It's keeping the oil from the shores, but what is the fire doing to the fish in that area? The fire may keep the oil from going inland, but how much oil has already made it from the gulf into the ocean? I bet no one has thought of that. What kind of damage has this oil spill done long range to the sea life in the gulf and oceans?

Now to get back to blame. We are all to blame for this problem because of our dependence on oil. Will this catastrophe teach us anything? I hope so, but I doubt it. Why do I say that? It's because of the 'me factor'. We all think of me and what we want. I'm not excluding myself either.

To those people who think they aren't effected by this drill spill, well guess again. You'll start feeling it in your pockets as gas prices go up. You'll notice it as your food choices decline and the price goes up for sea food.

For those of you not concerned about any of this and who think nothing like this can happen to them. Guess again. There are volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes just to name a few nature made disasters but the man made ones can be just as bad. Do you have a nuclear plant near you? We have one not too far from us. Do we know how well they are inspected? Could something like what happened in the gulf happen at a nuclear plant?

Damn right it could and may if the inspectors are bought off. I can understand how the people in the gulf are feeling because something very similar or even worse could happen here.

Most corporations are greedy, and so are there stockholders. They want more and more. Those stockholders may be you. I know I own stock, and I want my dividend every quarter. I can remember a time when companies were happy with a 10% profit, and now they want a 300% or more profit. Where does it end? BP was one of those greedy company's. They are suspending their dividend to set aside the $20 billion to help those effected by the oil spill. Will the stockholders sell their shares because they aren't making any dividend and the stock is going down. They could. Will BP decide to declare bankruptcy and therefore no one would get any money. All of these things could happen.

All of this could have been prevented if only someone had listened to the workers. On my blog all of you are allowed an opinion and you can voice it here even if you don't agree with me. One word of warning, respect everyone's right to say what they think and don't put anyone down for their opinion.

I could say a lot more, but I think by now everyone is tired of hearing me rant. lol

Have a good week. I'll see you next week.

Hugs,
Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/addiction.htm