After reading my books, people say to me all the time that I make them want to read the Bible more. You see, my books show how deeply the Bible has changed my own life, and readers can see the transformation take place on the pages as they read about everything that happened to me. As they learn more about me and my life experiences, they say they can see my heart changing like they’re watching it on TV. I hope that makes sense.

It was a leap of faith to write these books because I did not like the things that I had done. I had to face them for myself and then deal with them head on before I could finish the first book. The Bible prompted me do this. It inspired me to take the risk and to tell the truth in the hopes of preventing someone else from making the same mistakes that I made.

You see, this is not a pretty story, and it is filled with my own ignorance and a lot of chaos because I constantly chose the wrong things while leaving the most important thing out.

I was like Noah on the ark—just sailing along, forgetting who got me on the ark in the first place. I will soon be 51, and I mostly regret that I spent so many years in vain without a true awareness of why I was here on earth at all.

I feel like I let God down in a lot of ways—the one who gave me everything—because I just never put him first. I thought I knew the better way, but in reality I only knew the worst. It was the Bible that brought me through this stage in my life.

That’s why I always say that the Bible influenced me more than anything else in writing Revived by Grace and all my other books. It changed my life, and then I was able to put my life into words.

About the Author:

Emma Clay is a writer who shares her own experiences about her encounters with self and her bad decisions. She shares how she transformed a life that seemed hopeless and seeks to give answers to your own questions.  She is dedicated to sharing her true stories with others, in the hopes they will avoid the same pot holes, pitfalls, and detours in their own lives.

She loves people, and her need to share this love will hopefully encourage others to find their own way.

Her latest book is the Christian inspirational memoir, Revived by Grace.

Visit her website at www.EmmaClay.com.

Connect with Emma:

GOODREADS | FACEBOOK

About the Book:

Emma Clay lived a life of rebellion, led astray by her own desires and her attraction to an indulgent life and a difficult man. This book is her memoir, telling the powerful story of her downward decline and the way God brought her back to himself through his love.

Moving between personal storytelling, Biblical reflection, and political application, Revived by Grace is a book that speaks to the wounded place in all of us that can be healed only by the grace of God.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

About the book:

The Black Shard, Victoria Simcox’s fast-paced, intricately woven sequel to The Magic Warble, takes Kristina Kingsly and her schoolmates back to Bernovem … and into a thrilling, often dangerous adventure.

Kristina’s stay at summer horse camp is horrible to say the least, and it’s all because Hester and Davina are there as well, making her life miserable. When Hester’s cruel prank goes terribly wrong, it’s actually what sends the three girls back to the magical land of Bernovem. In Bernovem, Kristina is very excited to see her former friend, Prince Werrien. When he invites her to sail with him on his ship to his homeland Tezerel, putting it simply, Kristina can’t refuse.

Reunited with her gnome, dwarf, animal, fairy friends … and best of all, Werrien, things seem like they couldn’t get any better for Kristina. But when Werrien becomes fascinated with an unusual seeing stone, the “Black Shard”, Kristina is haunted by a ghostlike old hag. Struggling against suspicion, guilt, illness, and ultimately the one who wants to possess her soul, Kristina will see it’s in her weakest moment that she will encounter more strength than she has ever known.

About the contest:

You can enter for your chance to win 1 of 3 available electronic copies of The Black Shard by Victoria Simcox. Entry instructions are simple. You get one entry for each item:

Follow Victoria’s blog at: http://www.victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/

Like her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Warble/118277634882514

Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/VictoriaSimcox

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, including your email address so I can contact you if you win. All winners will be notified by email and have 72 hours to respond accepting their prize. Instructions on how to claim your prize will be provided by the author or her representative.

About the author:

Victoriawas born inScarborough,Ontario,Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. She now lives inWestern Washingtonwith her husband, Russ and their three children, Toby, Kristina, and William. Her other family members are aChihuahua, named Pipsy and two cats, named Frodo and Fritz. Besides being an author,Victoriais a home-schooling mother of twelve years and an elementary school art teacher of eleven years. In her spare time,Victoriaenjoys managing her two older children’s Celtic band. She also loves writing, reading, painting watercolors, hiking, good movies, and just simply hanging out with her family and friends.

About Princess April Morning-Glory:

At long last, Princess April Morning-Glory emerges as a lost treasure from the golden age of Hollywood.

Written and illustrated in 1941 by Letitia Fairbanks, the niece of silent film stars Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford, the seemingly traditional children’s book is transformed into a modern-day fairy tale that will captivate child and adult readers alike.

Letitia was inspired to create portraiture for the characters of Princess April Morning-Glory from film stars of the day. John Barrymore, and Letitia’s cousin Douglas Fairbanks Jr., provided glamorous inspiration through their then-current films. The Wicked King’s (Barrymore) costume was sparked by his role as Louis XV in Irving Thalberg’s 1938 Marie Antoinette, while the hairstyle resembles his eponymous role in Archie Mayo’s 1931 Svengali. Prince Chivalry was inspired by her cousin’s (Fairbanks) sword-fighting role in David O. Selznick’s 1937 The Prisoner of Zenda.

Viewed as unconventional when it first debuted – up until then, no one had thought to meld a Disney-like moral tale with a swashbuckling adventure – the story centers on the prescient acknowledgment that we create our destinies by the choices that we make.

The main narrative is focused around the brave and courageous Princess April who must first transcend darkness and evil before she can realize her true potential. Intrigued by the Great World and its sense of adventure, a young Princess April decides to abandon the familiarity of her home in Fairyland and undertake a voyage into the unknown. Once outside the Enchanted Forest, she finds comfort and friendship in the company of various creatures who ensure her safe passage.

But returning home proves more difficult than at first she realized. In order to go back to Fairyland, a friendly wizard informs Princess April that she must first accomplish three good deeds. Can Princess April resist the temptation of darker forces and summon enough courage to continue doing good deeds? And if she dares to hold true to herself, will it someday lead her back home again?

My thoughts: This is truly a gem of a book. It’s story, which may seem mild to today’s children was ahead of it’s time. But what I (and my 9 year old daughter) loved about it were the illustrations. Not just the big colorful pictures, but how smaller illustrations were interspersed throughout the actual words, brought the story to life in a way I don’t think I’ve seen before. The hand written script and the images were a real joy to read and see. I’d recommend this book to anybody and everybody! What a treasure.

About Letitia Fairbanks:

Letitia Fairbanks, the niece of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford, lived a life guided by artistic passions. In 1939, wanting to commemorate her late uncle, Letitia began work on Princess April Morning-Glory, allowing a creative outlet for combining her lifelong loves: painting, writing, and illustration.

Holding firm to her artistic identify, Letitia gravitated toward portraiture, landscapes, and still-lifes. She was also a biographer, co-authoring Douglas Fairbanks: The Fourth Musketeer, with Ralph Hancock. Her marriage to Hal Smoot in 1966 marked the beginning of a particularly joyful and creative period. Needle points and annual Christmas cards, which featured a painting from the previous year, not to mention her role as a wife, mother, step-mother and grandmother brought her much fulfillment. After a life rich in artistic accomplishment, Letitia passed away in September of 1992.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK

About Kelley Smoot Garrett:

Kelley Smoot Garrett was born in Dallas, raised in Manhattan and has lived the life of a West Texas wildcatter as well that of an IT professional. At one time or another in her life she’s called places as diverse as Scourie, Scotland; Austin, Abilene and Midland, Texas; Singapore; Paris; and Auckland, New Zealand — home. She is proud to be the daughter of Sue Ashby and Harold Smoot and the step-daughter of Letitia Fairbanks Smoot. She currently lives with her husband Danny Garrett, three cats, and one happy only-dog, Moxie in the Texas Hill Country.

Rafflecopter Code for Kindle Fire HD Giveaway:

Click here for the giveaway!

As you write, you may have the tendency to repeat common words. We only use so many words in our day-to-day vocabulary so it makes sense that when you write the same would occur. After finishing a chapter, do a word search and try to shake things up when it comes to the common words you use often.

Tip number two: Read what you write.

After completing a section, go back and read it aloud. Make sure the words roll out of your mouth with ease and this will give you a sense of how easy it is to read your work.

Tip number three: Be careful when using auto correct.

If you use a program with auto correct or a feature, which allows you to find and change a certain word, make sure it doesn’t change something you didn’t want it to.

Tip number four: Get comfortable.

Make sure your surroundings are comfortable to you as you write. This means physically and mentally so there are no distractions. You can easily find your-self rushing the work or thinking of something else which will cause your quality to slip.

Tip number five: Use a dictionary.

Be sure that the words you are using are the ones you meant to use. Too often we make the mistake of using a word that is close but not the one we intended.

Tip number six: Set a limit.

Make sure you know how long you want to write on a given day and stick to it. When you become fatigued, you will make mistakes or you start to rush to finish up and that causes the quality to diminish.

Tip number seven: Write what you know.

Be one with your story. Remain interested in your topic and writing will be fun, making it easier to do. When you step out of the comfort zone, your head and heart won’t be in the work and this will show through the writing.

Tip number eight: Contrast and Compare.

Gain knowledge of your genre and try to compete. Don’t aim to high out of the gate because you will allow disappointment to set in if you fail. Know the market and just try to be a little better than your competitors.

Tip number nine: Set a goal.

Whether it be a goal for the day or one for your career, know where you want to end up and plan your course. Writing isn’t just about putting great words on paper and having people read them, it’s about providing a future while entertaining others.

Tip number ten: Don’t despair.

Don’t let the industry get you down. Keep plugging away and as you do, as with anything, you will get better and better. Expand your vocabulary, expand your knowledge, and expand your mind and this will help create your success.

 
Book Excerpt:

A sound normally dismissed during mid-day, the lock’s scarce clatter rang out like church bells, trespassing on a death like serenity. As tumblers aligned, Varan hoped his crouched frame went undetected on the sage’s porch. With his remaining eye, the thief peered over his right shoulder at ghostly shadows cast upon a vacant street. Choking down his heart, he ever so cautiously swung open the door and, after easing into the shop, he gently returned it to its frame. A shaft of moonlight pierced shutters flush, as the lurking thief, through dusty air, investigated a dreary interior. To his left, shelves of musty books, with their worn bindings, all stood erect by ornately carved bookends. In the near corner, to his right, a large silver‑blue sphere, dimly glowing, sat upon a heavy wooden pedestal.

Rafflecopter Code for $100 Amazon Gift Card/Paypal Cash:

Click here to enter the giveaway!

ABOUT KRAIG DAFOE

Kraig Dafoe was born in Potsdam, New York and grew up in Canton. He played high school football and joined the United States Army Reserves at the age of seventeen.

Kraig married at the age of nineteen and moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia where he worked as a Private Security officer for The Christian Broadcasting Network and also attended the Tidewater Community College for business.

After five years as a security officer, he became a Deputy Sheriff for the city of Chesapeake Virginia.

Kraig left the Sheriff’s office after nine years of service and pursued a couple of different business opportunities before he went on to publishing his debut novel.

Kraig is the father of five children and he currently resides in Kansas, raising his youngest son.

His latest book is the fantasy/adventure, Search for the Lost Realm.

Visit his website at www.kraigdafoebooks.com

Connect with Kraig: FACEBOOK

ABOUT SEARCH FOR THE LOST REALM

About the book:

The mere mention of the insanity defense guarantees a lively debate. Opponents of the defense cite the loss of criminal culpability while proponents argue just as passionately that the insanity defense is the ultimate act of compassion. The protagonists would probably be quite surprised to learn that the same basic concerns consumed Americans in the nineteenth century. One factor – The Abraham Man – sowed the seeds of confusion and controversy that united the past with the present.

Some of the most celebrated civil and criminal trials in American history were argued under the shadow of the Abraham Man. The detailed stories of long forgotten legal cases bring the antics of the Abraham Man to life. Through the process, readers will follow the careers of notable Civil War era surgeons whose post-war professional development shaped the future of modern mental health care.

Excerpt:

 Some of the most celebrated civil and criminal trials in American history were argued under the shadow of the Abraham Man. Readers will delight in the detailed stories of long forgotten legal cases which bring the antics of the Abraham Man to life. Through the process, readers will follow the careers of notable Civil War surgeons whose post-war professional development shaped the future of modern mental health care. In addition, the reader will learn about the promise of the asylum movement, prominent practitioners of the era, the politics, and eventual decline of institutional mental health care.

Both readers and libraries will find The Abraham Man a refreshing, authoritative text replete with primary source documentation. The engaging narrative deftly weaves the history of science in the 19th century with evolving trends in legal practice. Throughout this period, the budding relationship between doctors and lawyers fashioned the foundation of modern medical legal practice. At every step along the path the Abraham Man sowed confusion and controversy, paradoxically contributing to more rigorous medical practice.

The book will clearly tap into the public’s modern fascination with forensic medicine. Professional readers, such as lawyers, doctors, and psychologists, will find The Abraham Man a valuable historical reference which still rings true after 150 years. Civil War aficionados will discover a fresh perspective and “the rest of the story” about some famous soldiers. Medical history buffs will be enlightened by the devices and stratagems doctors employed to uncover malingering, in many cases the forerunners of modern diagnostic technologies.

Purchase online at: http://www.amazon.com/R.-Gregory-Lande/e/B001H9TEZ0

My thoughts:  

This is a very topical and comprehensive look at part of the history of mental health. The Abraham Man is a term used to refer to a person who would fake illness or injury for sympathy or personal gain. It was interesting to read about the truly mentally ill and how some were able to fake it so easily amidst the chaos of the Civil War.

If you’re mostly a fiction reader like I am, you might wonder if this book is for you. YES, it is for you! Dr. Lande does a fine job of making the information engaging and lacing it with fascinating stories of various mental health cases. This was a topic I knew very little about, but I learned a great deal from this book and would love to read more from this author.

About the author:

 R. Gregory Lande, DO is a physician and retired US Army Medical Corps Officer. Dr. Lande completed his medical education at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Lande was commissioned an officer in the US Army. During his career in the military, Dr. Lande was active in a wide variety of clinical, academic and administrative positions. Upon leaving the US Army as a full colonel, Dr. Lande was awarded the Legion of Merit recognizing his career contributions. The next phase of his career involved administrative positions in hospital management, research, and teaching at various civilian facilities. Dr. Lande is the author of numerous medical and historical works. He lectures widely on both subjects.

Visit Dr. Lande online at http://www.medicallegalhistory.com/

Pump Up Your Book and Tessa Stockton will be giving away a $25 Amazon GC or Paypal Cash, one autographed copy of her book, The Unspeakable, and one autographed copy of her other book, The Unforgivable! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below and good luck!

————————————————–

ABOUT THE UNSPEAKABLE

Who said forgiveness was easy?

When a furtive conflict is pitted between violent leftist guerrillas and a rightwing paramilitary group in Colombia, a North American woman mistakenly gets caught in the middle.

“I spent four months, one week and two days in a clandestine prison referred to as The Water Cave. Every day I stared hell in the face, and each day I wanted to die. I don’t want to share too much too quickly. To understand fully, you must join hands with me, fasten your heart to mine, and course through my book. Stumble over the incomprehensible human rights journey with me. I’ve pondered it to the brink of questionable sanity, and it is the only way. It’s the only way to explain. I suppose I should consider myself lucky I survived at all—for many did not—yet, perplexingly so, that’s not the premise of this narrative.

He altered my life, marked me forever.

But it’s not how you might imagine.

This is a story involving Horacio Botello, my torturer known as Puma.”

Purchase your copy:

BARNES & NOBLE | WINGS PRESS

————————————————–

ABOUT TESSA STOCKTON

A veteran of the performing arts and worldwide missions, Tessa Stockton also contributed as a writer/editor for ministry publications, ghostwriter for political content, and headed a column on the topic of forgiveness. Today she writes novels in a variety of genres, often laced with romance and intrigue. In addition to her Christian suspense/thriller, THE UNSPEAKABLE, she’s the author of the political intrigue/romance, THE UNFORGIVABLE, a fable, LOVE AND LULL, and the upcoming inspirational fantasy romance, WIND’S ARIA, with more in the works.

Visit the Author:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

————————————————–

~ ~ ~ $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD + 2 BOOK GIVEAWAY ~ ~ ~

Pump Up Your Book and Tessa Stockton are teaming up to give you a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

Here’s how it works:

This promotion will run from January 14 – February 15. The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, contacted by email and announced on February 16, 2013.

Each blogger who participates is eligible to enter and win.

Visit each blog stop below to gain more entries as the Rafflecopter widget will be placed on each blog for the duration of the tour.

The prize includes a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash, one paperback copy of The Unspeakable and one paperback copy of The Unforgiveable.

This giveaway is only open to those over the age of 18 and can accept an Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash. You must be a resident of the U.S. to win.

————————————————–

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the book:

Dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and an evil queen – all these and more can be found in The Magic Warble, an enchanting tale of adventure and friendship.

Twelve-year-old Kristina Kingsly feels like the most unpopular girl in her school. The kids all tease her, and she never seems to fit in. But when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift, she suddenly finds herself magically transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and the evil Queen Sentiz.

In Bernovem, Kristina not only fits in, she’s honored as “the chosen one” the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz’s control. But it’s not as simple as it seems. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous “Magic Warble” in its final resting place. And she must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen’s “zelbocks” before she reaches her destination. Guided by her new fairy friends, Clover and Looper and by Prince Werrien, a teenage boy, as well as an assortment of other characters, Kristina sets off on a perilous journey that not only tests her strength but her heart.

About the contest:

You can enter for your chance to win 1 of 3 available electronic copies of The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox. Entry instructions are simple. You get one entry for each item:

Follow Victoria’s blog at: http://www.victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/

Like her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Warble/118277634882514

Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/VictoriaSimcox

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, including your email address so I can contact you if you win. All winners will be notified by email and have 72 hours to respond accepting their prize. Instructions on how to claim your prize will be provided by the author or her representative. Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Sunday, January 27, 2012

About the author:

Victoria was born in Scarborough,Ontario,Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. She now lives in Western Washington with her husband, Russ and their three children, Toby, Kristina, and William. Her other family members are a Chihuahua, named Pipsy and two cats, named Frodo and Fritz. Besides being an author,Victoria is a home-schooling mother of twelve years and an elementary school art teacher of eleven years. In her spare time,Victoria enjoys managing her two older children’s Celtic band. She also loves writing, reading, painting watercolors, hiking, good movies, and just simply hanging out with her family and friends.

Okay, this is how I translate an idea into an actual novel.

Step 1 – Book concept and theme…

The idea balloon must be firmly anchored by its content. If you simply have an idea, that balloon will end up in a galaxy far, far away. But you are telling yourself that you already have the story content, no? You might have an idea, but what is the story?

Translate that idea into a possible story

Every novel must to contain a defined scope. It all depends on how complicated or simple you want your opus to be. The possibilities are endless, but you must make a firm decision at the outset and choose what the scope of the book will be, then stick to it! Nothing wrong with writing a complex novel, but the crafting gets very much more involved and there are lots of crevices to fall into for the unprepared. See how I started on my writing path: www.stefanvucak.com/on-writing.html

Step 2 – Research and character identification…

In every endeavor, to ensure success, you must research, research, research. If you are still struggling to develop that idea balloon, take a step back and review your concept and theme. If you are past that, consider what you will be writing: drama, thriller, action…

At this stage you are all excited and tempted to get stuck into the writing before all those brilliant flashes and scenes fade away. That’s a no-no. Certainly, write down snippets that give you a warm fuzzy, but tuck them for later use. Consider these gems as elements of your research. Impulse jumping on a computer and pounding away can work well for a short story, but not for a major work, no matter how good you are.

How do you do the research?

These days there are so many information sources. Your local library is a goldmine of useful material. And, of course, the Internet is a bottomless well of stuff, and you don’t even have to get up out of your chair. Not everything on the Internet is accurate. So, research from several sources and cross-reference. Don’t be fooled; this exercise can be exacting and tedious, but it is absolutely essential.

Once you have the static background all mapped out, the next and most important part of the research step, and perhaps the most demanding, is identifying your characters.

Who are your characters?

A story can be distilled into two main elements: what happens, and who does what to whom and why. You must identify:

• Who is the main story character?
• Is there more than one?
• What do they do in the story to makes them central?
• Who are the secondary characters?
• Who are the bit players?

All this effort culminates in two important outcomes that should give you a really warm feeling – I hope. The background research has provided a backdrop for the book and given you confidence that the concept is sound. The second, you now know who your characters are and basically what they will do in the story.

Step 3 – Defining your characters…

When you are writing a novel, you are writing about people. If it’s not about people, then you are writing a user manual.

In days long gone, I was more interested in the process: the how and what, not the why and by whom. Such writing is easy, as processes tend to be static – most of the time – and talking about inanimate objects or action scenes where guns blaze or starships chase each other, is fun and can be eminently readable. In any really good novel, it is people who do things, not machines. But people are quirky, unpredictable, and a general pain. They are much harder to write about if you want them to be real. Unfortunately, that’s where the story is.

How do I define my characters?

By now, you should have your cast of characters lined up against the wall with ID cards on their chests. This is the time to roll up your sleeves, put on your thinking cap, and make each one of them real. You need to:

• Define physical characteristics: height, weight, facial features, distinguishing features such as scars, limp, or whatever.
• Mannerisms: does the person twitch, scratch periodically, slouch, stoop, point with his finger…
• Dress, color, food preferences…
• Emotional makeup: cool, analytical, emotional erratic, judgmental…

You may very well ask, why bother with all that? It seems like a load of hard work I will never use in the novel and I already know what my characters are like. Perhaps, but you are fooling yourself.

Consistency!

The invaluable benefit of doing this step is that it provides consistency and an anchor for your characters. You are giving them a personality. I have read books where in one chapter the main character is six foot two, and in the next, he is five foot ten. Instead of having blue eyes, he suddenly has brown ones. There is no excuse for such sloppy writing. In a novel that spans several hundred pages, your characters must behave consistently and be real!

Step – 4 Write the story outline…

Before I put pen to paper or touch that word processor keyboard, I have to know what I am writing about. Sure, I have a book concept already defined, but a concept is not the story. Writing an outline is where the hard work really starts.

How do I write an outline?

What I do first is build my story skeleton – the wire frame. This can be done any number of ways: bullet points, a series of sentences/paragraphs, even a process flow diagram. They all work. What I do is start by jotting down the initial scene ideas and build from there. I know by now the main plot and the ending, but it’s the in between bits that need joining and filing out. An initial outline is meant to deliver a structure around which everything else is built. If you end up doing this part wrong, you shouldn’t be surprised when bits start falling off, or the agonies you will suffer during the actual writing when the thing doesn’t hang together. Writing can be an exhilarating, creative act that generates an immense high. It can also be a cause for depression and thoughts of jumping from a tall building. To avoid the latter, get the basics done right and enjoy the buzz.

Again, how do I write that outline?

Once I have my skeleton wired up, writing a detailed outline depends on the story’s complexity. The more involved the story, the greater effort must be done with the outline. If you fail to do this, then you’ll get stuck, an event called writer’s block – more depression. Sure, there are always little things that can hold me up while writing, but I never get stuck on a plot or sub-plot element, and that’s because I have thought it all through already. Warning! Don’t get carried away with your outline and start to actually write scenes in unnecessary detail! You will only be wasting energy.

Step 5 – Start writing the story…

There are certain mechanics to writing and every author is different – whatever gives you a high. For me, I use the old-fashioned pen and notebook. In so many way, that first sentence and paragraph can set the atmosphere for the whole novel, and you better get it right. It sets the mood and flavor that will be followed through the rest of the work, or should.

You are on your way!

Once that first bit is written, I’m off, my pace limited only by the need to refuel. There is nothing so satisfying than having words flow and things happen that my pen can hardly keep up. The raw process of creation can be giddying – until you hit a pothole or two, which always happens at some stage. Once in the computer, the whole process is repeated: pen to paper, paper to computer, editing. Oh, keep backup files – always – and more than one. See my article on editing: www.stefanvucak.com/author-tools—editing.html

More writing

The fun part while writing is that your characters will develop a life of their own and end up saying and doing things that could surprise you. They sure as hell always surprise me. But that’s okay, and it means the characters are real, not merely two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. However, as the author, I must control what they do or the thing could descend into irrelevancy. Everything must conform to the story outline! Read another of my brainteasers: www.stefanvucak.com/point-of-view-and-head-hopping.html

Step 6 – Finishing your opus…

The first thing I do when I finish that opus is to leave the thing alone for a little while, which is not all that hard. After many months pounding away on the keyboard, it doesn’t take much convincing not to look at the damned thing again. But to truly finish it, I go over the whole novel, first on the computer, then printing everything out and looking at it with a critical eye. Once this pass is done, you must be prepared to do it all over again at least twice more with some time between each. And every time, there are errors to pick up. As an author, I am never completely satisfied the book is perfect. Still, I must draw a line in the sand somewhere and leave it, prepared to move onto something else.

The final end

Behind every great book lies a lot of hard work, and a lot of it must be done before you even start writing. So, prepare well before you put pen to paper and you will ensure a successful outcome. If you omit the planning, research, and character development stages, don’t be surprised at what comes out the other end.

Stefan Vucak is an award-winning author of the Shadow Gods series of books. His contemporary political thriller ‘Cry of Eagles’ has won the coveted 2011 Readers Favorite silver medal award. www.stefanvucak.com/my-blog.html

About the Author:

Stefan Vucak is an award-winning author of seven techno sci-fi novels, including With Shadow and Thunder which was a 2002 EPPIE finalist. His Shadow Gods Saga books have been highly acclaimed by critics. His recent release, Cry of Eagles, won the coveted 2011 Readers Favorite silver medal award. Stefan leveraged a successful career in the Information Technology industry and applied that discipline to create realistic, highly believable storylines for his books. Born in Croatia, he now lives in Melbourne, Australia.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

About the Book:

Iran’s nuclear capability represents a clear national threat to Israel. Although concerned, the United States and Europe are reluctant to increase sanctions. Frustrated that nothing is being done, Mossad decides to force the United States into action. A black ops team sabotages a refinery complex in Galveston and plants evidence that incriminates Iran, confident that an enraged America will retaliate. Congress and the public urge the U.S. president to bomb Iran, but the administration lacks direct evidence. With carriers positioned in the Gulf ready to strike, the world waits to see if the Middle East will explode into open conflict. With tension mounting, the FBI uncovers a shocking truth. It wasn’t Iran at all, but Israel! A government falls and America forces Israel to confront the Palestinian problem.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

A new Georgia Institute of Technology and Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes (UAA) research report shows that testing Corexit mixed with BP oil on tiny sea life demonstrated increased toxicity up to 52-fold over crude alone, magnifying human and Earth rights abuses. Previous studies showed Corexit increased crude’s toxicity by 11-fold.

The lethal dispersant banned in the U.K.and Swedenwas used in BP’s oil “cleanup” with no discussion, debate, or explanation. Later, the stated rationale for using it in the Gulf Operation was to keep oil from sensitive wetlands and coastlines. It did the opposite.

Dispersants disperse or spread oil. Corexit made BP’s crude invisible from the air.

Before used in the Gulf, it was known that Corexit would slow natural bacterial decomposition of crude, making oil persist longer in the environment,(2) and that there were more effective dispersants on the market. (Deborah Dupré, Vampire of Macondo)

It was also known that Corexit’s solubilizing action makes crude more bioavailable, causing it to bio-accumulate, meaning accumulate in tissues of organisms at the bottom of the food chain, and become more concentrated as it works its way up the chain – into our children’s school lunches, onto dinner tables, and in American’s bodies.

Even BP admitted Corexit potentially bio-accumulates.(3)

“[D]ispersing the oil… is making it impossible to recover the dispersed oil at the surface while plumes of the dispersed oil remain at depth, entering the food chain at many levels where it will bio-accumulate as it moves up the food chain,” stated marine biologist Dr. David Guggenheim.(4) “Dispersing the oil means more of it will likely travel with prevailing currents to destinations downstream, including Cuba, Mexico, the Florida Keys, and the eastern seaboard of the United States.”

The new toxicity tests showed Corexit increased mortality of rotifers, microscopic animals at the base of the Gulf food web.

Since 2010, 40% of the nation’s seafood supply, the fabled multi-billion-dollar Gulf industry, has been stalled under the torrent of oil and Corexit. In 2010, Americans ate four billion pounds of seafood annually, according to physician Dr. Russell Blaylock.(5) One-third of that was from southLouisiana– heavily promoted and consumed.

This new report comes on the heels of another research report showing Corexit made BPs crude oil travel faster and further.

Corporate government ‘Safe Seafood Myth’

In its “SafeGulf” campaign, state and federal governments encourage swimming in the Gulf and buying Gulf seafood. Don’t if you value your health and longevity.

Aquatic ecotoxicologist Dr. Chris Pincetich found EPA tests counted death by dispersant only if tested fish died within the first 96 hours.(6) If the fish was still alive at 96 hours, regardless of whether or not it died later, government researchers did not tally the fish as dead. The test dismissed longer-term and sub-lethal effects. Then the “Sniff Tests” began.

“They sent us stuff around the room to smell stuff,” said Dean Blanchard, the nation’s largest seafood processor before the historic Gulf crime began. “We had to guess which one was five parts per million, which had ten parts per million, which was Corexit and which was BP oil.”(7)

“It’s ridiculous,” responded New Orleans-based environmental attorney Stuart Smith. “… the smell test is only going to tell you if that fish recently has been exposed to hydrocarbons. It’s not going to tell you if that fish has been eating contaminated shrimp or contaminated crabs.”

“The fraud is that they hire laboratories who set artificially high minimum detection levels,” Smith explains. “So when all the tests come back, they say, ‘Non-Detect. Non-Detect. Non-Detect.’”(8)

Marine scientist Scott Milroy said seafood samples he gathered in September 2010 along Mississippi’s coast showed levels hundreds times higher than government sniffers found.(9)

Poisoning American’s food chain

“Our study indicates the increase in toxicity may have been greatly underestimated following the Macondo well explosion,” said UAA’s Roberto-Rico Martinez, who led today’s newly reported study published online by the Environmental Pollution journal, due for the Feb. 2013 print edition.

The researchers used BP-wrecked Macondo oil and Corexit, “the dispersant required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for cleanup,” they state. The EPA obtains 90% of its funding from oil giants to protect industry instead of the people.(10)

“Dispersants are (EPA) preapproved to help clean up oil spills and are widely used during disasters,” Corexit researcherMartinezsaid.

Obama’s appointed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson had trouble lying consistently about that.

“If it’s on the list and they want to use it, then they are preauthorized to do so,”Jacksonsaid.(11)

A few weeks later, at a congressional hearing in August 2010,Jacksontold Senator Mukulski, “There is no permit that EPA has given to allow use of these dispersants.”(12)

Gulf coast physician Dr. Russell Blaylock in 2010 asserted about seafood contaminants, “You can’t count on government agencies like the FDA and the EPA to protect you.”

Martinezand his research collaborator,SchoolofBiologychair Professor Terry Snell, used five rotifer strains in their study to test toxicity of oil, dispersant and mixtures. Rotifers are used by ecotoxicologists to assess toxicity in marine waters due to their fast response time, ease of use in tests and sensitivity to toxicants.

“In addition to causing mortality in adult rotifers, as little as 2.6 percent of the oil-dispersant mixture inhibited rotifer egg hatching by 50 percent,” Science Daily reports about the new study.

Inhibiting rotifer egg hatching is important because they hatch each spring, reproduce in the water column, and provide food for baby fish, shrimp and crabs.

“What remains to be determined is whether the benefits of dispersing the oil by using Corexit are outweighed by the substantial increase in toxicity of the mixture,” said Snell.

It had already been determined that Corexit and crude in air, water and food pose serious health risks, particularly pregnant women, the elderly and people with health vulnerabilities, as NRDC Senior Scientist Dr. Gina Solomon warned Louisianans and other Gulf Coast residents in May 2010.

Hiding the evidence

Since the Gulf oil atrocity began, women and children have bled from all orifices, similar to dying and dead Gulf dolphins – just as Corexit is supposed to do, according to EPA whistleblower Hugh Kaufman. As early as July 2010 along the Gulf, poisoned men, women and children were coughing up blood.(13)

“’The… evidence strongly suggests that BP worked with the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, the FAA, private security contractors, and local law enforcement… to conceal the operations disposing of the animals from the media and the public,” say a team of journalists, including Charles Hambleton, Academy Award-winning documentary director of The Cove, and journalist Jerry Cope. They found the petrochemical-military-industrial-complex (PMIC) conducting Gulf animal disposal operations under cover of darkness.(15)

“Coast Guardsmen closed beaches and coastal island areas where dead Gulf animals were collected. Armed private security contractors and local law enforcement officials kept areas off limits where dead animals were dumped, mainly at Magnolia Springs landfill. The nearby weigh station where Waste Management trucks roll through with cargoes was also restricted by at least one sheriff’s deputies in a patrol car, 24/7.”

Until collapsing at work with “New Gulf Syndrome,” Robyn Hill was Beach Ambassador forGulfShores. Across from the beach, Hill “smelled an overwhelming stench,” explained Cope and Hambleton. “She… witnessed two contract workers dumping plastic bags full of dead birds and fish in a residential Waste Management dumpster, which was then protected by a security guard. Within five minutes, a Waste Management collection truck emptied the contents and the guard departed.”

Sperm whale carcasses were suspected of being destroyed atShellBeachinHopedale,Louisiana, the island’s “operational end” closed to unauthorized personnel and airspace. Cope and Hambleton provided photographic evidence of that area being prepped to receive suspected whale carcasses for disposal.(16)

“We’ve since heard many other stories from truckers who are trucking carcasses in refrigerated vans to Mexico,” Cope and Hambleton said. “Carcasses are just not showing up where they need to, which is as body counts for essentially this war on the gulf. (Emphasis added) ‘Every oil ‘spill’ related death has a cash value, animal or human.’” (Dupré, Vampire of Macondo)

Death by dispersant

Dr. Rodney Soto and marine toxicologist Dr. Ott were among the few professionals alerting the public to avoid Gulf seafood, water and air as the FDA allowed unsafe levels of seafood contaminants.

“Our findings add to a long list of evidence that FDA is overlooking risks from chemical contaminants in food,” researcher Miriam Rotkin-Ellman at NRDC has previously warned.(17) “We must not wait for people to get sick or cancer rates to rise. We need FDA to act now to protect the food supply.”

The scope of this environmental terror is unfathomable. Ott estimated 4-5 millionGulfCoastresidents are suffering or will suffer until death from the Gulf Operation human rights violations. Kaufman and Simmons both placed that number between 20 million and 40 million.

“They have oil in their bodies,” Ott said in October 2010 about her autopsies of people who’d been to the Gulf.

After only one week in Grand Isle, Louisiana, workers were poisoned. In one case, a man who worked one week in Grand Isle’s cleanup went home and dropped dead.

Ott said she knew people down to 4.7% of their lung capacity; hearts were enlarging to compensate; and GulfCoastpeople’s esophagi were dissolving. Only five months after the blowout, along with catching fish with “horrifying lesions,” fishers were finding shrimp without shells, fish with “black gill disease,” and fish with organs a different color than before April 2010. (Vampire of Macondo)

Mutations continued. By 2012, eyeless shrimp, fish with extra gills and fins and other abnormalities were commonly found. The Gulf ecosystem sustains more damage each passing day, according to Smith.

“I believe this is going to wreak havoc on people’s health for two decades unless we stop ignoring it,” Ott has said. “The longer it’s in your body, the more damage it’s going to cause.”

Even after the earlier research and warnings, Corexit carpet-bombing continued.

“We have been attacked by our own military,” a commenter writes under a video of the Air Force aerial spraying Corexit.(18)

“They’re coming in at night. They’re lying about it but they’re spraying dispersants all over our shrimping grounds,” said Blanchard.(19)

“And they were actually spraying this Corexit in the air all around where people were living, with kids and children, and continuously saying how safe it was,” another Louisianian, Clint Guidry, explained.

“The system’s broken,” shrimp king Blanchard says. “When a regulatory agency can’t regulate the people they’re supposed to watch, when they’re being bought off, we’re no better than a third-world country.”

Over 100 scientists, researchers, organization leaders, and other human rights defenders, some as distant as Norway and Greece, signed a Scientists Consensus Statement on the Use of Chemical Dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico,(20) calling on the Obama Administration to halt chemical aerial spraying in the Gulf region – to no avail.

Meanwhile, Obama claimed his “single most important responsibility as President is to keep American people safe.

“It’s the first thing that I think about when I wake up in the morning. It’s the last thing that I think about when I go to sleep at night,” Obama said, as he exposed 40 million people to Corexit carpet-bombing, referred to metaphorically in Congress as ‘Agent Orange.”

Footnotes

(1) Science News, Gulf of Mexico Clean-Up Makes 2010 Spill 52-Times More Toxic; Mixing Oil With Dispersant Increased Toxicity to Ecosystems, Science Daily, Nov. 2012
(2) Jon E. Lindstrom, Daniel M. White, Joan F. Braddock, Biodegradation of Dispersed Oil Using COREXIT 9500, A Report Produced for The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Spill Prevention and Response, Institute of Arctic Biology and Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, 30 June 1999
(3) BP says Corexit potentially bioaccumulates, (now deleted from the Internet)
(4) Ibid.
(5) Dupré, Censored Gulf survival news: Dr. exposes contaminated fish. Urgent special report, Examiner, 16 July 2010: http://tinyurl.com/83e9ruv
(6) Dupré, Censored Gulf news: Dr. Pincetich on Intel Hub Radio tonight (video), Examiner, 20 July 2010: http://tinyurl.com/874sas5
(7) Dean Blanchard, The Big Fix

(8) Stuart Smith, The Big Fix

(9) Standards for Gulf’s Catch Put to Sniff Test After Spill, Wall Street Journal,2 November 2010

(10) Josh Tickell, Fuel, Green Planet Productions, 2008
(11) Paul Quinlan, Less Toxic Dispersants Lose Out in BP Oil Spill Cleanup, The New York Times, 22 January 2006
(12) CNN, Corexit Dispersant Hearing:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk8ATfN6Xok
(13) See Dupré: 1) Censored Gulf news: People bleeding internally, millions poisoned says EPA whistleblower, Examiner, 21 July 2010; and 2) Scientists find Corexit made BP Gulf catastrophe worse is not news, Examiner, 31 May 2011
(14) Dupré, Censored Gulf News: Coughing up blood and other horror stories, Examiner, 31 July 2010: http://tiny.cc/xhp1cw
(15) Jerry Cope and Charles Hambleton, The Crime of the Century, What BP and the US Government Don’t Want You to Know, Huffington Post, 4 Aug. 2010: http://tinyurl.com/2ckra9q
(16) Ibid.
(17) Fox News, Study: FDA Allowed Unsafe Levels Chemicals in Seafood after BP Oil Spill, Fox News, 12 Oct. 2011
(18) Ibid.
(19) Blanchard, The Big Fix
(20) David E. Guggenheim, Scientists Consensus Statement on the Use of Chemical Dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico, OceanDoctor.org, 26 July 2010: http://tinyurl.com/87fjfyp

About the Author:

New Orleans native Deborah Dupré reports censored human rights news stories. With Science and Ed. Specialist Grad Degrees from U.S.and Australian universities, Dupré’s been a human and Earth rights advocate over 30 years in those countries and Vanuatu. Her unique humanitarian-based research and development work, including in some of the world’s least developed and most remote areas, led her to write articles appearing in dozens of popular print and Internet media internationally.

Her latest book is the nonfiction, Vampire of Macondo.

Visit her column at Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/user-gdeborahdupre

About the Book:

The untold story of psychopathic genocide of Americans by the petrochemical military industrial complex, of how BP’s Deepwater Horizon catastrophe has sickened and killed thousands of people on theGulf of MexicoCoastand government covered it up. Hear heart-rending cries of the victims. Read thoroughly documented evidence of crimes by Big Oil, the military, the seafood and tourism industries, health care providers, and corrupt government leaders.

See the facts backed by over 1000 references. Meet the Vampire of Macondo.

Click here to enter the giveaway.

Vampire of Macondo Tour Page:

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2012/11/23/pump-up-your-book-presents-vampire-of-macondo-virtual-book-publicity-tour/

Eight-year-old Robert is eager to share his wish list with Santa at the mall on Christmas Eve. When he meets Glenn, who has only one request for Santa, Robert is confused over what he should do. Can he cast aside what he wants and ask Santa to bring his new friend a special gift?

Inspiration Behind A Christmas Kindness

How is it that children have the ability to reach out and help others in ways adults don’t always think to do?

One year, our oldest daughter–then only eight–went door-to-door in our neighborhood collecting money for Toys for Tots. Coordinated by the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve, this program collects new, unwrapped toys each year and distributes them as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in our communities. This summer, my girls ran a lemonade stand so they could bring money to a local animal shelter.

Why don’t I think of doing such things? I guess it’s easier to write a check and send it in the mail. But what effort is involved in that? My children make it personal, and much more meaningful, by giving something of themselves.

With A Christmas Kindness, I hope to capture the generosity of a child’s heart–the way they look at the world as a place of endless opportunities to make a difference.

May you be blessed this holiday season.

Cheryl Malandrinos, writing as C. C. Gevry, is a children’s author and editor. She is a member of SCBWI. A Christmas Kindness is her first book with 4RV Publishing. Visit her online at http://ccgevry.com.

Pump Up Your Book and C. C. Gevry are teaming up to give you a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

 $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD

+ 

 1 COPY OF A CHRISTMAS KINDNESS

 +

1 COPY OF LITTLE SHEPHERD

Each person will enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway through the Rafflecopter form placed on blogs throughout the tour. If your blog isn’t set up to accept the form, then after they visit your blog, they are directed to where they can fill out the form to gain more entries.

This promotion will run from December 17th – December 21st. The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, contacted by email, and announced on December 24th.

Each blogger who participates is eligible to enter and win.

Visit each blog stop below to gain more entries as the Rafflecopter widget will be placed on each blog for the duration of the tour.

What a great way to not only win these fabulous prizes, but to gain followers and comments too! Good luck everyone!

A Christmas Kindness Book Blast Schedule

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If the form doesn’t work, you can enter at: http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2012/12/13/pump-up-your-book-presents-a-christmas-kindness-book-blast-25-amazon-gc-free-books/