Happy Holidays

Good morning,

Before I can forget I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or whatever holiday you celebrate.  In my family, we celebrate the  birth of Jesus, the christ child.  Yes, I know the date may be wrong, but everyone needs a set day to celebrate, so for us it's December 25th.

Next, I want to announce the lucky commenter who won the prize for commenting on my last blog.  This is totally unbelievable since the winner is a neighbor.  In all the years I've blogged and had contests I have never had anyone in my neighborhood win a prize.  Congratulations, Diana LM.  I'll be dropping by sometime during the week to drop it off.  Smile!  For those who don't know Diana, she writes a blog at MoJo Travel, and all you have to do is click on her name and it will take you to her blog.  Diana and her husband work together, she writes travel articles and he's a photographer.

Now, I want to address the evil in Newtown, CT., and what a sad event occurred.  We will be hearing about these killings for a long time in the news, so I won't say a lot.  Hugs and blessings go out to all the people involved.  It will be a long time before we are able to get over this event and for the families the tragedy will always be with them.  We ask why these things like these happen, but there is no clear cut answer.  We aren't the judges here, and we can only pray for all involved.  Hug your children and hold them closer to you.  We can only do so much to protect them in our present world.

I need a short break from my blog because I'm behind in all things.  Smile!  In order to catch up, I won't be blogging again until Sunday, January 6, 2013!

May all you have a better year ahead. I won't say Happy New Year because it would sound like a travesty to those who have lost so much at this holiday season. 

See you in the new year.

Sincerely,
Sandra K. Marshall
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

Kids Are Young Wonders

Hi Everyone,

If you have lost faith in our young people, here are some kids who renew that faith. I watched CNN Heroes, and along with the actual heroes there were young wonders mentioned.

One young boy couldn't bear the sight of seeing people go hungry, so he started a fundraiser for a food bank to help feed the poor and hungry.  He raised $20,000, a tremendous amount for a young kid.

A young girl of eleven with a brain tumor saw other kids with cancer having to stay in the hospital while she went home, and she wanted to do something to cheer them up.  She filled jars with all kinds of little toys that could help entertain these kids.  The name for the jars became Joy Jars.  This young girl died a year later at twelve.

Another young girl in Vermont was concerned about people in her town who were going without heat in the cold.  She combined her concern for the environment, recycling and helping others to come up with a plan for heating homes.  She used old cooking oil to help heat homes.  I don't remember exactly how she did this, but she was able to heat over 200 homes with her idea.
 
We have great kids in this country and around the world.  They play a viable part in our lives and others.  Sometimes young people put others above themselves as these have done.  I think these kids give us great hope for our future.

For those who leave a comment your name will be thrown in a bag and a name will be drawn to win a small bag with Hallmark ornaments and other goodies.  This drawing will be only for the U.S. and Canada. 

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

Sandra K. Marshall
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

CONTEST WINNERS and "JINGLE MY BELLS" CONTEST!

Winners:

1. Kathryn - a bag full of goodies

2. Joder - small basket full of goodies
3. Rhonda D. - You win three digital books: The Catalyst, Addiction and The Deceived in any of the formats Eirelander Publishing offers

4. Sarah J. McNeal - You win a digital copy of A Fool's Fool in the format of your choice at Eirelander Publishing.

Congratulations to all of you.  I hope you'll be happy with your prizes.  Kathryn and Joder, I will need your snail mail addresses. Rhonda and Sarah the formats you can choose from are: PDF, HTML and Mobi Pocket. 

Jennifer, I'm so sorry you didn't win because you were the first person to comment.  The setting was the same for all three books. 

All of you have a chance to enter the Jingle My Bells contest at Romance Books 4 Us, http://www.romancebooks4us.com.  You will love the prizes.  How to enter is below:

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, HAPPY KWANZA, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, HAPPY WINTER...or, whatever! RB4U is trying to be politically correct!

Our contest starts 1 Dec. and ends midnight EST 23 Dec. Lots of prizes for different winners. NOTE: Snail mail items only shipped to USA and Canada.

How to enter:  Find the 20 pages that have a RINGING BELL. Collect the 20 page names

(don't need the URLs) and send them in one list to our contest email: contests.RB4U@gmail.com

PRIZES:

GRAND PRIZE: $100 gift card for Amazon or Barnes & Noble - one winner.

Same winner receives dog tags from romance author, Sharon Hamilton.

Other prizes for other winners:

1. Romance Books '4' Us Tee and Tote.

2. Choice of ebook from romance author, Jean Hart Stewart.

3. Signed copy of "The Vampire Shrink" by romance author, Linda Hilburn.

4. Signed hardcover copy of "The Mercenary"  by romance author, Johanna Rae.

5. Print copy of new release "The Sin Factor" by romance author, Sandy Loyd.

6. Two print copies (two winners) of new holiday-themed book, "DEADLY HOLIDAY", by romance author, Alexa Grace.

7. T-shirt and mug with the cover art from "One Night of Need" from romance author, Ella Jade.

8. Dog tags for 5 winners and one copy of "Fallen SEAL Legacy (Kindle version) for one winner from romance author, Sharon Hamilton.  AND, visit Sharon's website for free Kindle link of short story,  "SEAL Endeavor" after 10 December.

9. Ebook copies of "The Runaway" and "Upstaged" (two winners, one book each) by romance author, Nephylim.

 

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

 

Sandra K. Marshall

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

Contest! Contest!

Hello Everyone,

The holidays are rushing in, and I'm having a contest to celebrate the season.  For those of you who like to curl up with a book and a nice warm beverage you'll love the prize I'm offering.  The winner of this contest will receive a basket or bag full of tea, coffee and chocolate beverages with some cookies or special choclates.  Whatever I can find. 

All you have to do to win is go to Eirelander Publishing at http://www.eirelander-publishing.com, click on authors, and then click on Sandra K. Marshall.  My books will pop up.  You need to read the blurbs of The Catalyst, Addiction and The Deceived to find out where the setting is for these books. 

Have fun searching.  It's easy and simple. 

Also, you might like to take a look at A Fool's Fool while you're there.  Also, if you have people on your Christmas list who like to listen to books, A Fool's Fool is in audio.  http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B00945MFMI&qid=1347906078&sr=1-1

If there is more than one correct answer, the earliest one is the winner.  The others will have a choice of one of my ebooks.  Also, this prize is only for the U.S. and Canada, but someone from another country can win one of my ebooks.

Join in the holiday spirit!  The winners will be announced next Sunday. 

Hugs,
Sandy

Do You Like to Talk On the Telephone?

At our house I won't answer the telephone.  Whenever the phone rings, my hubby has to pick it up, or it doesn't get answered.  You are probably asking yourselves why by now.  Is she crazy?  lol  I just hate to talk on the telephone.

Okay, you're still asking why, and I have an answer.  The reason I don't like to talk on the phone is because I had so many jobs where I was constantly on the phone.  In some of those positions about 50% plus of my work was answering and talking on the phone.  I, also, had to make calls to other people.  Are you starting to understand why I hate telephones?

Have any of you had jobs where you answered the phone so much that you don't like to talk on the phone?  I'll be waiting to see all of your comments. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  Enjoy your turkey dinner, but remember those who'll be going hungry this day. 

Have a safe holiday.  See you next Sunday.

Sandra K. Marshall
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

Veteran's Day

Today is the day we give tribute to our veterans.  These are the men and women who fight to keep us free.  They go to battle in order to keep our country safe.  Because of our military, we still have the right to free speech, to practice our religious beliefs and to achieve whatever goals we set for ourselves. 

Originally, Veteran's Day was called Armstice Day.  November 11, 1919 President Wilson proclaims the first Armstice Day.  It was June 1, 1954 when President Eisenhower signed legislation changing the name of the legal holiday from Armstice Day to Veteran's Day.

In 1968, Congress passes the Monday Holiday Law which established the 4th Monday in October as the new date for the observance of Veteran's Day to take effect in 1971.  From 1971 to 1975, Veteran's Day was observed by all states on the fourth Monday of October except Mississippi and South Dakota.  Other states decide to change their observances back to November 11: 1972 - Louisiana and Wisconsin; 1974 - Kentucky, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, South Carolina, West Virginia; 1975 - California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Wyoming.

In 1975 legislation passed to return the Federal observance of Veteran's Day to November 11, based on popular support throughout the nation.  The law took effect in 1978 when Veteran's Day observance reverted to November 11th. 

As you can see it took a lot of time to get things done in Congress back then, and it hasn't changed.  Smile!

For all of our military may you be blessed for giving up such a huge part of your lives and many of you your lives for the rest of us.  Never ever forget these people who go to war for us.  They never come home the same, and we must be patient and understanding of them.  God Bless all of you!

All of the historical information came from the military history army site and more info can be found at this link: http://www.army.mil/html/reference/holidays/vetsday/vetshist.html. 

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

Sandra K. Marshall
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com  

Happy Thanksgiving Contest

Happy Thanksgiving Contest at Romance Books 4 Us

November contest prizes include:

1) $50 gift card to Amazon/Barnes & Noble
2) surprise gift tote
3) Jimmy Thomas signed book poster AND Kindle ebook copy of Fallen
SEAL Legacy by romance author Sharon Hamilton.

Contest begins 5 Nov. and ends midnight EST on 28 November. NOTE: Snail
mail items only shipped to USA and Canada.

How to enter:  Go to Romance Books 4 Us, http://www.romancebooks4us.com
Find the 20 pages that have a Happy Thanksgiving sign. Collect the 20
page names and send them in one list to our contest email: contests.RB4U@gmail.com

For those of you who leave a comment this week, one person will win a chance to choose
one of any of my ebooks from my publisher in whatever format you prefer. Just visit
Eirelander Publishing, click on authors, and on the left you'll find my name.  Click on
Sandra K. Marshall to see a list of my books.

Have a great week everyone.  Don't forget to vote.  See you next Sunday!

Sandy

Happy Halloween

October 31st is Halloween.  This is a fun time for kids to go knocking on doors and saying trick or treat.  It used to be you could say, what's your trick? These days kids look at you as if you are crazy so most people just hold a bowl full of candy out and let them dig in.

Last year I don't know what possessed me, but when one group of kids said, "Trick or Treat," I asked, "What's your trick?"  I had to laugh because one little girl laid down and rolled around.  Actually, I didn't laugh at the time because I didn't want to hurt her feelings.  Instead, I said what a great trick. 

Halloween is a fun time for children to go door to door doing trick and gathering candy to take home and enjoy.  Unfortunately, there are dangers out there, so I'm hoping the adults will join in the fun and escort the kids around the neighborhoods. 

Even the older kids need to be careful and stay in groups.  Enjoy!

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

Sandra K. Marshall

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

Why Do Kids Bully Others?

We raise our kids to be mentally and physically strong; to stand up for themselves and for others. The key is we tell our children to stand up for themselves, but we must also teach them it's there duty to defend those who can't. 

It's a shame that children are bullied.  Sometimes, they are even picked on by their families.  Often these parents think this will make the child stronger, but often it becomes a form of abuse, and the kid becomes an abuser.

When I was young, I was teased but that teasing was gentle compared to what goes on these days. It has advanced to something more than verbal.  With technology, the child can't get away from the bullying because it's on social media like FB or Twitter.

What is causing this horrible trend?  Movies like Mean Girls and some shows on television glamorize bullies and make young people think this is the thing to do.  Parents don't have time to give attention to their kids. 

When I was a child there were family dinners, and we ate together and talked about what was going on in our lives.  We played games after the dishes were done, and we laughed and talked.

These days the lives of children and everyone are stressful.  What do think needs to be done to stop bullying?

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Have a wonderful week, and I'll see you next Sunday. 

Sandra K. Marshall

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

My Thoughts on Election Campaigns

Hi Everyone,

 

Okay everyone, I'm not talking about the candidates, so no bashing here.  I'm sick of listening to politicians on both sides of the fence.  I'm going to tell you what I think needs to be done during elections. 

 

1:  3 months of campaigning maximum before vote

  

2:  No Super Pac's (Has anyone thought about what the money given to super pac's might accomplish if used to pay down the debt?)

 

 3:  Candidates shouldn't have to raise money and shouldn't receive donations from anyone

 

4:  1 free add for each candidate per month for 3 months (networks donate the time)

 

5:  Three debates for presidential candidates and one debate for vice presidential candidate

 

 6:  A URL should be posted verifying the truth of all candidates so the voters can have easy access to find out the truth if they don't want to check out facts for themselves.  This is a necessity since when listening to the candidates you only get the partial truth from any of them.  Part of the reason is because 2 minutes isn't enough time to explain anything.

 

 

We should respect all of our candidates who run for any office because the jobs are not easy, and I can't imagine anyone wanting the jobs unless they love our country.  Oh sure, there is corruption everywhere, but most really want to make things better.

 

Remember folks, democracy isn't perfect but it's a lot better than many other governments. 

 

Give me your opinions of our election campaigns, but there will be no bashing of candidates here on either side.

 

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

 

Sandra K. Marshall, Author @

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

 

 

Meet Author, Robert Thornhill

Author, Robert Thornhill

Hello Everyone,

My guest today is local author, Robert Thornhill.  I connected with Robert on the professional site LinkedIn.  Although, I haven't read his Lady Justice series I was intrigued by his blurb and excerpt. 

About the Author

 

Award-winning author, Robert Thornhill, began writing at the age of sixty-six and in three short years has penned ten novels in the Lady Justice mystery/comedy series, the seven volume Rainbow Road series of chapter books for children, a cookbook and a mini-autobiography.

     Lady Justice and the Sting and Lady Justice and Dr. Death and Lady Justice and the Vigilante won the Pinnacle Award for the best new mystery novels of Fall 2011, Winter 2012 and Summer 2012 from the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs.
     Many of Walt’s adventures in the Lady Justice series are anecdotal and based on Robert’s real life.
     Robert holds a master’s in psychology, but his wit and insight come from his varied occupations, including thirty-three years as a real estate broker. He lives with his wife, Peg, in Independence, Missouri.

Visit him on the Web at: http://BooksByBob.com

 

 





The Lady Justice novels are set in Kansas City.
The main character, Walt Williams, is a 69 year old officer with the Kansas City Police Department. He started the City Retiree Action Patrol. You can see what the acronym spells.
The series is mystery/comedy in the same genre as Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. The difference is that her characters are young and sexy and mine are old geezers like me.

 

 

Blurb

          Members of the Midtown Book Club are found murdered.

          It is just the beginning of a series of deaths that lead Walt and Ox into the twisted world of a serial killer.

          In the late 1960's, the Zodiac Killer claimed to have killed 37 people and was never caught --- the perfect crime.

          Oscar Roach, dreamed of being the next serial killer to commit the perfect crime.

          He left a calling card with each of his victims --- a mystery novel, resting in their blood-soaked hands.

         The media dubbed him 'The Librarian'.

         Walt and the Kansas City Police are baffled by the cunning of this vicious killer and fear that he has indeed committed the perfect crime.

          Or did he?

          Walt and his wacky senior cohorts prove, once again, that life goes on in spite of the carnage around them.

         The perfect blend of murder, mayhem and merriment.
 

 

Excerpt:



LADY JUSTICE

AND THE
BOOK CLUB MURDERS

 

PROLOGUE

 

Monthly meeting of the Midtown Book Club at the home of Ed Weems

 

    "Idiot!" Ed Weems mumbled as he slammed the novel on the coffee table and slid his heavy black glasses with the coke-bottle lenses up the bridge of his nose.

    Larry Dunlop looked up from his own book and grinned, "They caught him, didn't they?"
   "Of course they caught him. They always do," Ed replied. "One fingerprint --- the guy forgot to wipe one fingerprint off of the light switch --- that's how they got him."

    Larry put down his novel and stretched, "I hope you weren't expecting the bad guy to get away with it. People don't want the bad guys to win --- everyone roots for the guy wearing the white hat. That's why, no matter how clever the perp is, he always gets caught in the end. That's what sells books."

    "Well I want to read a novel about someone who commits the perfect crime. Any ideas?"

    Oscar Roach had been listening to the conversation with amusement. "Exactly what is your definition of a perfect crime?"
    "Well it seems pretty obvious," Ed replied. "Someone commits a crime and gets away with it."

    "Too simplistic," Oscar said with a smirk. "There are actually three definitions of a perfect crime."
    "Please enlighten us, Master," Ed retorted sarcastically.

    "Well, first of all, there are some who believe that in order for a crime to be perfect, it must be undetectable --- that it is committed and no one ever knows about it.
     "For instance, with my job as an orderly at the hospital, I could steal one pair of latex gloves from every box in every exam room for a month and nobody would ever be the wiser --- they just don't keep track of those things.
     "Of course, if no one ever knew that the crime was ever committed, it wouldn't make for much of a story in a novel."

      Ed was beginning to show interest, "And the second kind?"
      "The second kind is the subject of most mystery novels --- a crime is committed --- the cops know about it, and it becomes a cat-and-mouse game to see whether the perpetrator was clever enough to avoid detection. Obviously your guy wasn't --- he left a fingerprint."
      "Okay, then what's the third category?"

      "The third category is when a crime is committed, the police know who did it, but they can't prove it."

      "An example please?"

      "Sure. In 2009, there was a jewel heist. The thief left behind his DNA, which led to an arrest. Unfortunately for the police, the DNA was from identical twins. Neither of them would talk, so it could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt which twin was the thief."
       Ed was impressed. "You seem to know a lot about this subject."
       "I've been looking into it."
       "Any particular reason?"
       Oscar paused before he spoke, "Because I'm going to do it."
       Ed was taken by surprise. "Do what?"
       "Commit the perfect crime."
       Ed and Larry exchanged worried glances.
      "What the hell are you talking about, Oscar?" Larry asked. "You're a middle-aged hospital orderly for chrissakes!"
      "Exactly my point," Oscar replied with resolve.
      "My life is pathetic and so are yours --- and so is this stupid club."
      "What's so bad about our club?" Ed asked indignantly.
      "Do I really have to spell it out? We started out with ten members and one-by-one they've been dropping away --- mostly because they've found something better to do with their lives --- like Liz, who moved back to Columbia to finish her degree at MU. All that's left is us losers."
      "Hey, speak for yourself, you jerk!" Larry retorted.
      "Oh please, Larry. You're a forty-year-old custodian in a middle school who spends his day cleaning up after snotty-nosed kids, and Ed, you spend your life in a cubicle doing data entry into a computer for an huge accounting firm that doesn't even know you exist.
     "When was the last time that you did something REALLY exciting --- something that made you feel like you were living on the edge?
     "When was the last time you got laid --- or even had a date?
      Neither of them responded.
     "Have I made my point?"
     "Don't you think committing a crime is a bit extreme?" Ed asked. "Wouldn't it be more logical to plan a canoe trip or maybe a weekend at Branson?"
     Oscar shook his head in disgust. "Nope, an evening with Andy Williams is not my idea of living on the edge --- it has to be a crime --- and not just any crime --- murder.
    "I'm going to commit the perfect murder!"
    Ed and Larry were speechless.
    "I'm going to do it and I want you two to do it too. Let's turn this pathetic club into something special --- something that will make our hearts race --- something that will challenge our intellect and something that will take us away from our dreary lives."
    "But --- murder!" Larry stammered. "I could never kill someone --- not on purpose anyway."
    "It's not that big of a deal," Oscar replied. "I see people die at the hospital every day. Look at the obituaries in the Kansas City Star. Dozens of people die every week.
   "I'm not talking about killing the Mayor or somebody like that. The streets are filled with the homeless and prostitutes. Their lives already suck and we would be doing them and the city a favor by getting rid of a few.
   "Think of the challenge. We each have read dozens of crime novels and watched countless TV shows. We know what we have to do to commit the perfect crime. All we have to do is create our plan and execute it.
   "We can do this --- I know we can!
    "Are you in?"

 All of Bob's book's can be found at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Bob's website. Here is a link to his special offer page, http://booksbybob.com/lady-justice-combo-special_330.html

Bob, I want to wish you the very best with your writing career.  You are a very prolific writer.  I think many people will find your website interesting. 

Thank you for visiting my blog, and have a good week.  See you next Sunday.

Sandra K. Marshall
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

 

Libraries

Quote by Barbara Kingsolver:  "Libraries are the one American institution you shouldn't rip off.

 

How important are libraries to you?  When I was a kid I had my nose in a book (not school books) all the time.  The only time I had a book of my own was when I received one as a gift at Christmas or for my birthday. 
 
The rest of the time I checked books out from the public or school library.  Reading was my escape to other places and triggered my need to travel as an adult.  Books taught me about other cultures, showed me the beauty of countries around the world and informed me that all people wanted the same things and had the same feelings. 

I'm not sure what Ms. Kingsolver meant by her quote.  I assume she was talking about stealing library books, but I'm not positive.  People do forget to return their books, or they misplace and can't find them.  I may be naive, but I don't most people intend to steal books from the library. 
 
With the economy like it is, people who read will turn to libraries to get their books.  It doesn't cost anything to check out a book.  Many libraries even have e-books.

Have a great week.  See you next Sunday.

 

Sandra K. Marshall
http://www.eirelander-publisher.com

Latest News

Happy Sunday Everyone,

You may know or be someone who can't read stories, but you like to listen to listen to stories.  This is a great opportunity for those who like to listen to audio.

I have news for you.  My short story, A Fool's Fool is out in audio at Audio.com.  You can go to this link, http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B00945MFMI&qid=1347906078&sr=1-1 to order your copy.  You can even get it free for a brief time. 

Some of my other books will be coming out in audio soon. 
I'm very proud to be a part of this new process with my publisher.  You'll also be able to grade my story, the performance, and overall.

On to another topic, I have gotten my bifocals on Friday, and I'm trying to adapt to them.  I may have made a mistake not getting the trifocals since there is a bit of difference in reading a book and working on the computer. I will see my ophthalmologist again in four months.  Hopefully, everything will be okay, and I can adjust to these glasses. 

Thank you for reading my blog, and have a nice, peaceful Sunday. 

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

Honor Killings

Hi Everyone,

My topic this week is a sober one, and I have given a lot of thought to it since I first heard about honor killings on 60 Minutes a couple of weeks ago.  I was raised to believe that there isn't any honor in killing.  In our country, we are raised to believe that to kill is a sin and is punishable by imprisonment.

On 60 Minutes, they were talking about an honor killing of a daughter by her father.  He killed his daughter because she didn't obey him and is considered to have dishonored the family.  How did she do this?  She didn't marry a man that her family picked out for her. Instead, she ran away. 

Believe it or not young people there was a time in Europe and our country's past when women weren't allowed to make a choice in the man they married.  Fortunately, this changed a long time ago and today, we do make our choices.  We fought very hard for the right to vote, to make our choices in every way we lead our lives, and we can't allow it to fall by the wayside.

It's against our laws to kill anyone, so anyone who comes to our country must obey our laws or suffer the consequences of their actions.  As shocking as honor killings are to Americans this is something that is going on in our country and more frequently than we could possibly imagine.

Since I'm allowed to express my opinion in my country, I want to say I think this is a horrendous practice and it has to be stopped.  We can't stop it around the world, but we certainly can stop it here in the good old U.S.A.  It would bring great dishonor to my family if I killed someone.

What do you think should be done about honor killings?

Thank you for listening to me this Sunday. 

In case, you have been following my blog about cataract surgery, I learned this week that my vision is 20/50.  I received a prescription for my glasses and will be getting them sometime this week.  Yay for that, as I'm tired of having a headache every day. 

Have a great week.

Hugs,
Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com 

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

This is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, but there are many cancers that need our attention.  There isn't anyone who hasn't been touched by a cancer; either you, a family member, or a friend.

Many of you may have watched, Stand Up to Cancer.  This is what we have to do stand up to cancer.  Ovarian cancer took my mother because it wasn't detected soon enough, so I have listed the symptoms below.

Many of these symptoms can be causes for other problems, and because there are no sure tests for ovarian cancer you must be vigilant, especially those who have a history of ovarian cancer. 

Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating

Pelvic discomfort or pain

Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea

Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation

Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate

Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full

Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist

A persistent lack of energy

Low back pain

Thank you for visiting my blog this Sunday, and have a wonderful week.

Best wishes,

Sandra K. Marshall
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

What Do You Consider Too High to Pay for E-books?

Just recently there has been a dispute between five publishers and consumers over the price of e-books.  Three of the publishers are paying money back to the consumers, but two others haven't settled yet, or not as of two days ago. 

It's not my intent to side with publishers, but to help inform the public about the work involved in e-publishing a book.  Most readers think the reason e-books are cheap is because there's not a lot of work to get a book out to the public in this format.

Wrong!  E-publishers receive many submissions, and they weed through them to find a story with a germ of an idea that might sell, or a story that is so well written they might not have a lot of editing to do.

Then there is the contract.  A lawyer is used to draw up contracts between the publisher and the author.  If they give all of their authors the same benefits and terms then they can use the same contract by changing titles, author names and dates.

They have more than one artist to design the covers for books.  If the e-publisher allows the author input in the decision for the cover, there will be forms sent to her/him.  Questions like what color of hair and eyes your heroine/hero has, how tall are they, and a description of something they're wearing in a scene.  These are just a few things asked in the questionnaire for your book cover.

Editors are essential for editing manuscripts before they can be published.  Most e-publishers have good editors, and many of them came from the print houses.  If you get a good editor, your work will be so much better than without one.  Nearly, all e-publishers sell well written stories because they edit, and their authors rewrite many times.  I will add that many authors hire an editor to look over their manuscripts before they self-publish, so there books can be good, too. 

Next is the formatting.  This is a toughie, and it's very time consuming.  Most formats are PDF, Mobi Pocket, HTML and print.  Any place a book is placed has a different format.  For instant, Amazon and Barnes & Noble have different formats.  A store such as Sony store is different, and there are many other places where a book can be displayed that do use the same formats.

Last but not least is marketing.  I must admit marketing is pretty much left up to the author, and it is in the author's contract that she/he must do a certain amount of promoting her/his books.  Publishers do have a website where their catalog of books are shown and can be bought in a format of your choice.

Not being a publisher, I'm sure that I have left a lot out.  I just want to let people know that e-published books can be just as good as the big print houses. 

I would love to hear what you are willing to pay for an e-book?

Thank you for reading my blog, and I hope to see you next Sunday.

Sandy

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

Head Injuries

The world is obsessed with all kinds of sports.  For me the sports I love is basketball and soccer.  We all love the olympics, and we should support those that represent our country. 

It has started to come to the attention of the world that sports can cause dangerous head injuries.  Boxing is one of the sports that is most damaging along with football.  There are other things that can happen to cause head damage.  For instance, motorcycles, bicycles (wear your helmets even if it's not a state law), car accidents, and many more.

Years ago at the age of twenty-two while riding in a car I was thrown from the vehicle when the driver lost control.  We rolled down an enbankment and up the other side (fortunately, the car didn't roll back down), and I was thrown from the car.  I landed on my right shoulder, neck and head.  I suffered for a year with horrible back pain before I found a chiropractor who was able to help me. 

This accident was the cause for my fibermyalgia and neuropathy.  It caused some damage in the brain but to what extent I don't know.  True, it could be the start of dementia or alzheimers since those diseases run in my family.  It's too soon for it to start for me, but if it is starting, I'm sure the accident I suffered in my 20's is the cause for it to start so soon.

Am I worried?  Hell yes, I am.   It's something that can't be prevented.  I have a friend named Louise Biehl who has a blog up right now titled, We All Have One, But How Are We Using It? 

http://louisebehiel.com/2012/08/20/we-all-have-one-but-how-are-you-using-it/ 

Her blog is about the brain, and she'll be doing a series on the brain.  Many of you will find her blog interesting.  Be sure to explore because she has discussed many topics that might be worth your attention.

Anyone who has wants to buy any of the books in The Odyssey Trilogy, The Catalyst, Addiction and The Deceived, need to know they have been taken down from Amazon temporarily.   I hope it won't be for long, but you never know about these things.  You can still find them at my publisher, http://www.eirelander-publishing.com.

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

Sandy AKA Sandra K. Marshall

https://www.facebook.com/sandra.marshall.98

Update On Cataract Surgery

Hi Everyone,

One of these days everything is going to get back to normal, but not quite yet.  My right eye has healed very well, and my left eye is healing.  Am I happy with the outcome?  Yes, I am. 

Will I have to wear glasses?  Yes, I will still wear glasses all the time.  Instead of trifocals, I will wear bifocals.  I knew this could happen, and it doesn't bother me.  Glasses don't have the stigmatism that they used to have, and I'm used to wearing them.

My optometrist, Dr. Queen, would tell me as a kid that I was very lucky to be born in my time period, or I would have been a blind little bird.  I believed him and was always grateful even though I had to wear glasses as thick as coke bottles back then. 

In a few weeks, after my left eye has completely healed, my ophthalmologist will give me a prescription for glasses.  Once that happens, I'll be posting more interesting blogs.  I have many topics that I want to write about.  Grin!  Some of them will be controversial as usual. 

Have a great week. 

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

Contest! Contest!

Hello Everyone,

This is going to be very brief as my eyes are still trying to adjust to my recent catract surgery.  My vision will need reading glasses for close work such as reading and computer work, but I'll have to wait for my eyes to heal.  I did try a pair of reading glasses, but for some reason they made me dizzy.

Anyway, I want to let everyone about the new contest at Romance Books 4 Us.  As always there is a $50.00 gift card to Barnes and Noble or Amazon, whichever the winner prefers.  There will be many other prizes as well.  Just go to http://www.romancebooks4us.com to learn the details for entering the contest. 

I'm hoping my eyesight will be back to normal soon, and I'll be able to post more interesting blogs. 

Good luck in the contest at RB4U. 

Have a great week. 

Sandra K. Marshall
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

Cataract Surgery

On the 25th of July, I had cataract surgery on my right eye.  This type of surgical procedure is one of the easiest to do.  They whole operation takes about fifteen minutes, and you are able to hear what's going on.  I was the exception, I was out, and that's unusual.  I believe it was because I took 5mg of Ambien the night before, so I could sleep.  It worked because I slept most of the day after the surgery.  I did forget to tell you my surgery started at 6:30 A.M.

The procedure on my left eye will be Wednesday, August 15th, at 6:30 A.M., and like I said this is easy.  Two days before the operation I have to put one drop of Ciprofloxacin and Nevanac (antibiotics) into my eye four times a day. 

The day of surgery place one drop of Ciprofloxacin and Nevanac in the operative eye.  At 11:00 A.M, I start putting in one drop each of Ciprofloxacin, Nevanac and Durezol into my eye every two hours until bed time.  One other thing to remember is these drops have to be put into the eye five minutes apart. 

The next day for a week, you have to put in Ciprofloxacin (4 x day), Nevanac (2 x day) and Durezol drops (2 x day).  The second week, you put in Nevanac (2 x day) and Durezol drops (2 x day).  The third week, you in Nevanac (1 x day) and Durezol drops (1 x day).  The third week is when you have the second surgery, so you are also doing the drops for that eye. 

You really need to keep track of the drops and times you use them, so I suggest making a list with date, right/left eye, and number of times you need to put that drop in.  Write the time you put the drop in, and remember there has to be five minutes between each drop. 

The first week there is no bending, straining, heavy lifting, or make-up around eye for 1 week.  It is okay to take a shower, but do not splash water in face.  Do not rub or bump your operative eye and you have to wear eye shield for three days while sleeping or napping.  Also, do not wash hair leaning forward. 

For me the hardest part has been trying to keep from bending over.  Do you know how many things we bend over for?  I tried to remember to stoop instead of leaning over, but it's such a natural reflex to bend over.  Snort!

Lately, I've had some trouble keeping from rubbing my eye, but that's been in the second week, so I think if I don't rub too hard I'll be okay.  My right eye is healing just fine, but I'll be feeling a little lopsided until both eyes have the operation and are healed. 

I do have astigmatism in both eyes, and although there is a chance to remove it, I elected against that procedure as I didn't fully trust it.  My ophthalmologist removed as much as she could though.  I also elected to have distance for both of my eyes, so I will need glasses of some type for close work. 

All in all, I'm very happy with my experience with this surgery.  I just can't wait to get back to normal. 

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

Sandra K. Marshall

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

Liebster Award and Warning About Photos on Social Media

Hi Everyone,

Everyone loves to win awards, and I have been given the Liebster Award by Author, Mary Jo/Casey Clifford. You may click on her name to learn more about her.  Below is what she had to say about my me and my blog:

Sandra Marshall: I knew of her first through online groups. She’s a well rounded woman and author who has done a great deal in her life. Her blog is much like her life. You never know what she’s serving in her weekly blog but it’s sure to add to your knowledge.

One of the things, I have to do for this award is give it to five other bloggers, but I have only nominated four bloggers.  I will be listing another blogger, but it's the first time I've read their blog, so I'm not giving an award yet. 

Here are some rules for the winners:

1. Link back to the person who gave it to you and thank them.

2. Post the award to your blog.

3. Give the award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you appreciate and value.  Uh, oh, another person has removed their blog.

4. Leave a comment on the blogs to let them know that they have received this award.

1.  Romance Books 4 Us is receiving an award because their blog is so diverse.  They have authors, editors, readers, models, actors and all kinds of professionals who blog and do interviews on their site. 

2.  Stacey Joy Netzel is not only one of my favorite authors, on her blog she's showing off her latest canned goods.  How many young women do you know who still can?  This is one of the reasons, I follow her blog.  Also, she loves Colorado like I do. 

3.  Judy Ridgley is an author, but I like this blog because she writes about horses.  If you need to know something about horses then this is the blog to go to. 

I'm sorry that I just don't have time to visit many blogs, and when I do it's hit and miss most days.  I regret that I only get to Casey's blog once in a great while because she's a wonderful author.

This blog URL I'm putting here because it's going to help all social media users and not just bloggers.  http://www.roniloren.com/blog/2012/7/20/bloggers-beware-you-can-get-sued-for-using-pics-on-your-blog.html

This applies to FB, Twitter, MySpace, Pintest as well as blogs and others.  You need to use only your own pictures.  I've recently heard that there is a scam going on at Pintest, but I don't know much about it yet.

Thank you for reading my blog today, and I'll see you next Sunday.

Sandra K. Marshall

http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

Colorado is a Beautiful State

Good Morning,
By my title you can tell, I'm going to talk about Colorado.  Colorado has suffered a lot lately.  First, due to fires burning eighty thousand acres of gorgeous forest around the Ft. Collins area, and then 18,000 acres around Colorado Springs.  Here are some pictures of the damage around the Springs.  This is just a small portion of the damage, and it will take years to rebuild.

The mountains are still beautiful as you'll see by these next pictures.                      

Garden of The Gods

My time in Colorado was spent with my sister and family. We not only drove to the mountains, enjoyed dinners at home and out at restaurants, we went to Denver to see the new historical museum.  This museum will have four floors when it is completed.  There are two floors almost completed, but even so it is well worth seeing. 

When you walk into the main entrance, there is a map of Colorado on the floor.  Two machines can be moved around the map to different locations of Colorado, and you'll learn the history of that spot.  It is a fun way for kids and adults to learn history. 

I took a few pictures in the museum, but I have to admit that I was so fascinated that I forgot to take photos most of  the time.  I would love to post what I have but Blogger is being very difficult tonight.  You'll just have to take my word that this museum is well worth seeing. 

All of you have heard about the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, and I want to add my sympathy and prayers for the families of the victims.  It seems the world has become very cruel.

Have a safe and happy week.  I'll see you next Sunday.

Hugs to all of you,

Sandy

http://www.amazon.com/author/sandramarshall



Our Rights

This is a topic I have been giving a lot of thought to lately.  Are we losing our rights to make our own decisions?  What do you think?

A few examples below:

There is no smoking allowed in restaurants and most public places these days.  That right has been taken away from smokers.  (I don't smoke, but that's someone's right.)

There's talk of no soda's in New York (not sure if this is for everyone or just obese people)

I've heard they want to do away with cupcakes in schools because of the sugar content.  (I do like my sweets.)

Rove Versus Wade - Abortion or not.  (If this were overturned it would take a right away from someone. Personally, I don't like the idea of abortion, but it's not my decision.  I've never had one.)

McDonald's - There are people who want to close McDonald's because of all the calories in their food.  (I like a Big Mac on occasion)

I could give more cases, but I think this is enough for you to get the idea. None of these examples have affected me, but what I'm concerned about is where does it end?

All of these instances are for our good or to save babies.  Okay, I think abortions are wrong, but at the same time I believe in the right for women to make their own choice.  The time is going to come when something you want the right to do will be taken away from you and me.  It scares me, and I think you should be scared to.

On a lighter note, Romance Books 4 Us is having their Christmas in July contest.  For details go to http://romancebooks4us.com

That's it for this week.  I won't be seeing you next Sunday because I will be on vacation.  I will be back on July 22nd with a new blog.

I hope everyone can stay cool this summer.

Hugs,
Sandra K. Marshall
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.amazon.com/author/sandramarshall