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Showing posts from May, 2013

Book Review – The Seven Steps to Closure

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Hi, folks. It’s time for another book review, and this time it’s something really different. My Kindle is filled with books right now. Probably ninety percent of it is paranormal fiction. That’s what I write, and that’s what I read. But every now and then I like to branch out, because diversity is important, right? So, sprinkled among the para normal you’ll find the ab normal science fiction, mystery, thriller – even a biography, historical fiction, or travelogue. But I’ve never strayed so far from the beaten path as I have today. Today, I’m reviewing Chick Lit. First of all, I need to defend my manhood. Donna Joy Usher’s The Seven Steps to Closure comes with credentials. It was the winner of the 2012 elit Publishing Award in the humor category and a finalist in the Shirley You Jest! Book Award the same year. It’s also been reviewed favorably by bloggers I’ve come to trust. So, when it went on sale a while back on Amazon for 99 cents, I decided to take the plunge and get i

Updates and Excuses

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  Hi, folks. Yeah, I know, I’m late. For those of you who faithfully hit my blog over the weekend expecting to find something fresh and new (did you really expect that?!), my apologies. I didn’t do a post like I usually do, and I have nothing specific for today – just some updates and excuses… I’ll get the excuses out of the way first. My 14-year-old Seth and I went for a visit to Grandma’s this weekend for three days of R&R. The visit was long overdue, despite the fact that her place is only an hour’s drive away. It’s not because we don’t enjoy her company. Grandma Pat (my Mom) is fun and interesting. She feeds us (direct quote from Seth: “Grandma cooking is always best”), we get to sleep late, and love is doled out in gigantic proportions. But (you might want to sit down for this) Grandma doesn’t have wifi. I told you to sit down. This is a huge stress point for Seth, who’s life revolves around his electronic devices, but he went prepared with plenty of video games

From the Back of Old Paint

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  Hi, folks. Last week I blogged about my search for a new coffee shop, my preferred writing venue. My quest isn’t over, and whether you’re interested or not I will let you know how it ends. But today’s blog is a travelogue of sorts. I want to take you along on one of my favorite bike rides around Charlotte, and (whoopee)… I have pictures! If you fly into Charlotte, it looks like a small cluster of skyscrapers bursting out of the forest. There’s a reason for that. Those of us who pound the pavement or drive the traffic-clogged streets day in and day out forget how much green there is around here. And this time of year (early May), it is simply gorgeous. So, with a Friday off and the weather forecast rainless and warm, I decided to take my camera phone and cycle over to my favorite greenway near Pineville. The Four Mile Creek and McMullen Creek greenways are connected to form a nearly six-mile escape from reality between Rea Road and Pineville. Getting there by bicycle is a l

Quest For Coffee Part One

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  Hey, folks. Thanks for dropping by. You know, time flies when you’re having fun, and this week has certainly affirmed the saying. There has been a gratifying flurry of activity in the form of “like’s” on my Red Wolf Novels Facebook page, and I’ve been sending out a slew of books from giveaways on Julie's Book Reviews and A Page Away, and another five-star review appeared on Amazon for The Dragon of Doughton Park . Julie's Book Review                                                                       A Page Away   Also, I’ve been writing! Ooooh, have I been writing. I’m nearly done with part one of Red Wolf Rising, and I’m delighted with what my characters have gotten themselves into so far. I think you will, too. But… I’ve got a problem. A biiiiiiiig problem. My favorite coffee shop closed down a few weeks ago, victim of the mass-closings across the country by Caribou Coffee. Now, I could go on a justifiable rant about the greed of multinational