WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?



My Dad

 My dad was a stickler for proper speech. He said, and I believe rightfully so, that people judge you by your speech. If you’ve lived in one area most of your life, you can spot a newcomer not only by the sound of his or her voice, but also by the phrases and words used. In Texas, which is where I grew up and currently live, we have a lot of, um, I’ll say unusual phrases and words.

We never say “Forgetaboutit” unless we’ve been around someone from the Northeast—or watched one of the movies like “Mickey Blue Eyes” that use the phrase. Texas is part of the Southwest but also part of the South. We don’t use the F or S word as freely as those in some parts of the country—at least the people with whom I socialize don’t use them.

Friend

Texas, or tejas, is the Native American word (borrowed from the Spanish) for friendly, as in the now disappeared Tejas Indians. Guess it doesn't pay to be too friendly to Anglos if you have all that nice land. Like most Southerners, we Texans value smiles and good manners. Oh, we may stab you in the back, but we will do so graciously and with a polite smile. Note: You've been warned.

I digress. This weekend, I was reminded of some of our unusual words by another author critiquing my work. I’ll share that one and others with you now.

Helping my plate – taking a serving of food and placing it on my plate.


Fixin’ to – I will in a minute.


Fixin’ to get ready to start – I’m not feeling peppy, but I’ll get it done as soon as I can force myself out of this chair.

Bless Your Heart!


Bless your heart – usually means you are simply too stupid to live and I feel so sorry for you.

Bless you – means the literal bless your heart


Nothing but a barbed wire fence between here and the North Pole – that north wind is freezing me


Gonna – going to


Gotta – I have to


Hafta – same as gotta

Lookee yonder. That
fella's come a fur piece

Fur piece – a long way


Yonder – not a long way, you can probably see it from here

Those are only a few of our peculiar colloquialisms. For true western slang, see Marin Thomas’ post at http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/2010/10/cowboy-slang.html


By the way, my November newsletter will be sent out on November 15th. One lucky subscriber will receive a $10.00 Amazon gift certificate. Others will receive a newsletter containing a FREE read, recipe, news, and miscellaneous information. The sign up form is at the right on my sidebar just under my photo.

Thanks for stopping by!

BOBBYE TERRY'S DUAL PERSONALITY!

Bobbye Terry and
Daryn Cross

She has a dual personality, but she's not bipolar. Like many authors she has two names. Please welcome my friend, Bobbye Terry, who writes mysteries under her name, and all her new fantasies as Daryn Cross. Bobbye is an eclectic and very talented writer who is multi-published on her own as Bobbye Terry, as Daryn Cross, and with a cowriter.

Caroline: Readers love to get to know authors. Please tell us about growing up. Siblings? Locale? Were you the shy kid or the tomboy? Share anything that lets readers get to know the real you. Pets? Spouse?


Bobbye: My dad was a college professor and we moved a lot so he could keep going back to school for another degree. He had to teach in between to pay for more years of education. I think all the moves taught me how to make friends easily. My sister is fourteen years younger than I am, so I grew up essentially as an only-child. My upbringing wasn’t remarkable, wonderfully normal, and I was a studious kid. In high school, I planned to be a chemist, and won all sorts of science awards. Then I went to college, and decided that was not for me. I double-majored in Religion and Sociology with the equivalent of a minor in Psychology (my college didn’t recognize minors). I had one dog growing up, a collie named Bootsie, and have had three precious Labs during the years of my marriage. Number three is alive and well, three years old and a full-grown puppy. I am married to a cantankerous yet loveable Vietnam Vet with the heart of a hippie. Thus, we live in the country.

Caroline:  I’m married to a cantakerous but lovable aerospace electrical engineer with the heart of a hermit and that’s why we live in the country. LOL Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?


Bobbye: I have very eclectic tastes. I grew up reading a lot of sci-fi. Now I primarily read romance and fantasy but also love nonfiction. Authors: Caroline Clemmons (of course!) Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Lori Wilde, Christie Craig, Nalini Singh, Annette McCleave (a relative newcomer, but, oh so good), Linnea Sinclair. There are so many, how do I name them all?

Caroline: Thank you for including me in your list! How many books do you read a month? What are you reading now?

From Crescent Moon Press

Bobbye: I used to read at least two to three a week. Now, I’m fortunate to read one a week. I’m all about Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard (BICHOK).

Caroline: Writing does interfere with our reading, doesn't it? When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?


Bobbye: I read or spend time outside with a little meditation. I also like to fish, though I refuse to take my own fish off the hook. That’s what husbands are for.

Caroline: I love riding in the boat, but hate fishing. Would you like to share any guilty pleasures that feed our muse?


Bobbye: Red wine, dark chocolate and old romance movies. And then there are massages…

Caroline: Massages...Sigh...Wait, where was I? Oh, yes, back to our interview. Share some unusual things readers may not know about you.


Bobbye: I used to play competitive amateur tennis and won a few awards, mostly in team tennis. I have a CTM in Toastmasters and love to speak in public (Very unusual, so I’m told). I interned in a state psychiatric hospital which gave me a lot of insight into the human psyche, also often discovering the relatives of the patients were far more unstable.

Caroline: No wonder your characters are so fleshed out. How long have you been writing?


Bobbye: Seriously for fifteen years though I’ve written pieces since I was in high school.

Caroline: Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?


Bobbye: I always write in my office which is part of a spare bedroom looking outside a window over the open fields of the country. I don’t usually play music, which is odd, because I used to have either a T.V. or stereo on when I was in college. Times change. My writing is done totally on laptop, and I have a mobile modem, so I could move if I wanted to.

Caroline: Your books are very complex. Are you a plotter or a panzer?


Bobbye: I’m a hybrid, but a higher percentage would have to go to panzer. I prefer character profiles and major plot points only. Then I fly and usually put in all my story twists to ramp up the tension as I go.

Caroline: Some people are calling that a plotzer. Do you use real events or persons in your stories?

From iUniverse

Bobbye: Not usually, though I use pieces of real events to craft mine. Exceptions would be CRAIG LEGACY where Linda and I set the story against the backdrop of the Civil War and the one I’m plotting now that would send my hero and heroine to late 1963 America just after the assassination of President Kennedy.

Caroline: Do you research before you begin a new project, or as you go along?


Bobbye: Oh, heavens yes. Readers are amazingly perceptive and sometimes a bit OCD. I don’t want my facts to be wrong. Once, a reader wrote Linda Campbell (my co-writer for my current book using the pen name, L.J. DeLeon) and me and told us that one of our scenes was wrong because there wasn’t a full moon on that day in 1864. Won’t do that again. IT’S MAGIC didn’t require a lot of  research because it takes place primarily in Richmond, Virginia were I lived for fifteen years. However I did research the make of Tom’s car and also the snake he purchases. Some books/series take a lot longer, such as the series premise I just dreamed up. It’s already taken two full days of research, and I’m not even writing it until two books from now.

Caroline: You are so correct about readers catching the tiniest error. Tell us about your writing schedule. Do you set goals? Do you write daily?


Bobbye: I normally start around eight in the morning and usually write throughout the day until at least six at night, though I have written well into the night hours. Writing anywhere from fifteen hundred to five thousand words in a day, I try to at least average eighteen hundred. I do edit as I go—can’t stop with just getting it on paper. There are some days I just can’t write, but thankfully they’re few and far between. Belonging to one particular group where I report my numbers daily helps keep me honest, and I also participate on regular scrimmages and boot camps on Savvy Authors. Those are not for the weak of heart, but I get a lot done.

Caroline: I know you’re not working outside the home right now. Will you remain a full-time writer? 


Bobbye: Right now I’m laid off from my job so I’m writing fulltime; however, I need a job if I want to eat much longer. Now, if three of my books go for big bucks to a major publisher…

Caroline: Fingers crossed for you! I believe you'll make your goal. What do you hope your writing brings to readers?


Bobbye: Pleasure, escapism, a smile. Even my books that have thriller scenes also contain a huge amount of humor, so I hope I make readers laugh.

Caroline: What advice would you give to pre-published authors?


Bobbye: First, I would strongly suggest they not call themselves pre-published unless they have a contract and are awaiting publication of their first fiction title. I know many use it loosely these days, but, in my opinion, our trade is one that is learned through the old journeyman model. That should be honored by the newcomer and the old timer as well. Each needs to share what they have. You apprentice when you first begin to learn your craft and how to construct a rudimentary novel, then actually write it, gaining PRO status (for those who are not familiar with the vernacular, that’s a Romance Writers of America designation for romance writers requiring certain standards, including a finished book). Then once, you are contracted you’re pre-published and have made journeyman. Once published several times, you may gain master craftsman status. Now, I’ll get off my soap-box.

Further, I suggest you take advantage of all opportunities to learn from writers who have been working at their craft for many years. They have knowledge you don’t, and even if you consider their skills to be inferior to yours, realize what you don’t know and be humble. Their history alone can help open doors for you.

Finally, never verbally accept a contract or sign one without seeking assistance. If the publishing house is a large one, for crying out loud, send out that information to a handful of agents and see if one won’t represent you.

Caroline: Very good advice. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself?

Bobbye: Gee, let’s see…I like to dance and can do a great shag and jitterbug (no flips, please). For those who haven’t the foggiest what a shag is, it’s similar to the jitterbug and was very prominent in the Carolinas during the original beach music craze. Once I mentioned the shag to my hairdresser and she thought I was talking about a haircut. I’m also an amateur photographer and have formerly won a best in category and best in show for the same shot. Due to my day jobs over the years, I can interpret federal and state legislation and regulation extremely well, especially in healthcare.

Texas sunrise photo by Bobbye

Caroline: I’m glad you mentioned your photography. I love the sunrise and the moon photos you gave me. Tell us about your latest release.


Bobbye: IT’S MAGIC is a romantic fantasy. Santa Claus, operating under his real name, Maxwell Magic, works off-season. Each year, he pairs two lonely people in a love-match that will last forever. Magic has an assistant who intervenes from time-to-time to make sure the two have every opportunity to fall deeply in love.

Blurb:


Can true love exist between a man who believes a woman is capable of sticking a shive in his heart while making love and a woman who is convinced men think with only one head? Maxwell Magic, an eccentric mysterious matchmaker swears it can and he’s the man to provide the stimulus to make it happen. Kasey Bell, feminist writer, and Guy McLane, radio’s famous chauvinistic psychiatrist, are his targets. Even with carefully executed plans, the road to true love is strewn with mishaps, mirth and money-hungry nighttime talk show hosts. Will Kasey and Guy risk their reputations by exposing secrets buried beneath layers of shame and self-doubt for a desperately needed big money pay-off? Or, will they claim what has evaded them their entire lives—a love that lasts forever?

Excerpt, PG Rating:


As Kasey followed the stagehand, Guy grimaced. Damn. Why’d she have to have sea-green eyes and be a natural, sun-streaked blonde? He was a sucker for natural blondes, and she appeared to be one. Unlike his ex, Helen, he suspected Kasey Bell’s blonde hair wasn’t found just on her head.


His gaze took in her tight ass and long legs. God, what legs Some men were turned-on by big breasts. Others by asses. Not him. He was a leg man through and through.


And Kasey had the best set he’d seen in years.


Her dress clung in all the right places and was designed to make a man forget his own name. Not that it had a chance with him.


Guy studied her the way a connoisseur would a fine wine. Vintage seventy-three. He took another long, slow perusal and shook his head. He was wrong. The body on this Cabernet Sauvignon came from a perfect year. More likely a seventy-eight or if he were lucky, a classic seventy-five.


He grinned as she smoothed the sides of her dress while continuing to cross the stage on her perfectly toned legs.


Definitely still corked. She hadn’t had a chance to breathe, yet. He inhaled sharply. There was no mistaking a good mellow grape when he saw one. And when squeezed just right, the grape was memorable. One to be savored, never gulped.


No question about it, Ms. Kasey Bell was premium sipping quality. First, he’d give her time to breathe. Then he’d taste her, a little at a time, a gentle swirl over the tongue, a teasing of the taste buds.


As he continued to examine her, Guy swallowed hard. From the way her dress moved and the lack of lines, she wore a thong and thigh-high hose. Her derriere was the perfect size for his hands to cup each cheek as he pulled her flush against him. He could feel her long legs wrapping around him. And then there were her delicate ankles. They were so slim his fingers could circle them.


The whole package was enough to bring a grown man to his knees. Especially one like him who’d been alone for last three years. God, help him. Because if He didn’t, Guy knew there was no way he’d maintain his cool while seated next to her on stage.


“Dr. McLane?”


Guy snapped to attention. Standing before him were two lanky young men. “Yes.”


“I’m Josh Bell. This is my younger brother Jacob.”


Guy thrust out his hand and greeted each boy. “I understand you want to take some photos.”


“Yes, sir,” Josh answered.


“You’re our hero.”


Jacob frowned at Josh’s sharp jab to his ribs and Guy laughed. “What does your mother think of that?” He grinned as the two boys looked at each other, shrugged, then turned back to him.


“She hates it,” they said together.


“Dr. McLane, you’ve got two minutes.”


“Thanks, Al.” He turned to the boys. “We’d better get those photos taken.”


Guy started to move, then grimaced, again. Damn. He hadn’t reacted to a female this rapidly since adolescence. Back then, much to his embarrassment, all it’d taken was a slight breeze to get a reaction out of him. And at thirty-eight, the last thing he wanted was to look like a coat rack in some kids’ photos. “Both of you stand here,” he said, positioning the boys in front of him.


As Al Mack took more than a dozen photos, Guy wondered what it was about Kasey Bell that rang his chimes. They’d never met, yet he’d swear he’d seen her before.


Ah, well, he’d remember eventually. He never forgot a pair of legs, especially ones as spectacular as Kasey’s.

Full Moon by Bobbye Terry

Caroline: What a great excerpt. Where can readers find your books?


Bobbye: They can buy them though the usual avenues including Amazon and Barnes & Noble online.

Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?


Bobbye: They can take their pick of locations.
Websites at http://www.daryncross.com/, http://www.crossanddeleon.com/, http://www.terrycampbell.com/
Blogs at http://www.daryncross.blogspot.com/, http://www.bobbyeterry.blogspot.com/ (the last one being my suspense novel blog).

Thanks so much for being with us today, Bobbye. Best of luck in the future.

Author Joyce Henderson On How To CAPTURE AN EAGLE!

Joyce Henderson

Joyce: Thank you for having me, Caroline.

Caroline: Tell readers about your life growing up and now.

Joyce: That's a loooong story. I was born in Texas and my mother hauled me out a window to escape her bad marriage when I was three, and took me to Southern California. Had to be spring or summer when I was three because I was enrolled in kindergarten the September I was four, turned five on December 28th. I have an aunt who was "such" a good girl. I was "Denise" the Menace. She and I would be twins if we had the same mother (mother and grandma pregnant @ same time). I'm actually 20 minutes older than she.

I married 11 days out of high school, and 58 years later we are still living our adventure. I've worn many "business" hats during my life and began writing fiction @ age 49, when I asked myself the not-too-bright question, "How hard can it be?" It is by far the most difficult job I've ever had…and the most rewarding.


Caroline:  So when you write about true, lasting love, you speak from experience!  When and why did you begin writing?


Joyce: One of my "hats" was as a cosmetics consultant and manager in an international company. When I moved to Florida in 1983, I decided I didn't want to do that anymore. I really no longer cared about problem skin.


Caroline: What inspired you to write your first book?


Joyce: We had moved from Southern California to Central Florida for my husband's work, and I knew not a soul, so I haunted the library and discovered Shanna, by Kathleen Woodiwiss, and devoured all of Bertrice Small's work, as well. I was hooked, and asked myself that, what turned out to be life-change, question.


Caroline: Describe your perfect writing "habitat" (the place you do your best writing). How do you block out the rest of the world when you're writing? What do you do to get into the writing zone?


Joyce:  Mostly I write in my office, and my husband is directly behind me at his computer doing his job. When I write, when I read, I can block out the rest of the world. How? Beats me. I just do it. I'm not sure what getting into a zone is. Writing is a business. It's what I do. So I just plunk the derriere in the chair and work. Is all the prose I write golden? Nah. I do a lot of revision.


Caroline: My husband and I tried sharing an office, but now we're across the hall from one another. If you had to pick just one, which do you think is the most important in a good story: character, voice, or plot?


Joyce: While all are integral to a good story, I think character is most important for me. From character I hope the reader sees what kind of person I've created. What drives the emotions of that character and all the others I build to tell my story. Without emotion, stories fall flat. At least I think they do. It's not unheard of for me to start reading a book and after 50 pages or less close the cover or zap it from my Nook if the main characters are one dimensional, shallow emotion or none there.


Caroline: When is your next book due out, and what’s it about?


Joyce: I just turned in 2nd round edits for the first book in my Grandees trilogy, which is a bit of a departure from other books of mine. Heretofore, my work has been set in Central Texas, with a Comanche hero and a white heroine. My hero is a Mexican-American, a horseman. He's also part of the beginnings of the citrus and avocado agricultural orchard development in Southern California @ the Turn of the Century, 1898. Our ranch in North San Diego County was on a portion of an old land grant, Rancho Monserate. Imposed taxes once California became part of the U.S. left many cash-poor Mexicans without their heritage.


Caroline:  That sounds intriguing. Have you experienced writer’s block? And if so, how did you cure it?


Joyce: By writing. And brainstorming with my critique partners is an invaluable way to get my story on track.


Caroline: Yes, good critique partners are gold. What do you find most rewarding about writing?


Joyce: Exercising my imagination.


Caroline: How much of the book is realistic?


Joyce:  My settings are taken from my history, either where I've actually lived and worked or where my ancestors lived. There are many scenes in my stories that actually happened to someone in my family or something I witnessed. Or something I actually did, farming, learn how to care for horses, ride, etc.


Caroline: What is the hardest scene you have had to write (published or not)? Why?


Joyce: All scenes are important to my stories. That's what I see in my head when my story begins to unfold.


Caroline: Don't you love that movie in our heads? What is your favorite character you’ve written (published or not)?


Joyce:  I fall in love with every hero I write.


Caroline: What book are you reading now?


Joyce: I'm an eclectic reader. Presently I'm reading a Nora Roberts contemporary. I just finished a paranormal, vampires, story written by Lara Adrian.


Caroline: I'm an eclectic reader also. Do you see writing as a career?


Joyce:  You betcha!


Caroline: Who is your favourite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?


Joyce:  I admire many writers but I can't say I have one favourite. I thoroughly enjoy reading Lynnette Hallberg contemporaries. But I'm prejudiced. She's one of my critique partners.


Caroline: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? What do you want them to take away from your books?


Joyce: It is my hope that my readers will love my characters as much as I do. That they will live the moments of my characters' lives as I do when I write.


Caroline: Well said. What do you like to do when you're not writing?


Joyce: Read, and visit with friends.


Caroline: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?


Joyce: How difficult it is to create believable characters. In other words, get out of the way and allow the characters to experience everything. I think the reader can enjoy a story more if s/he can see, hear, touch, smell, feel scenes through the Point of View character.


Caroline: Yeah, it sounds so easy until you do it. How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?


Joyce:  Oh boy, I've written 15 or more, but not all are published, And not all "should be" published. I have some contemporaries that I may drag forth one day. As for my favorite, it's usually the one I'm writing at the moment. However, Promise the Moon, the one I'm presently working on…as I said, just returned 2nd round edits…is one I've wanted to see published forever! It's gone through many rewrites.


Caroline: What advice do you offer to new writers?


Joyce: Learn your craft and something about the business of writing. Don't ever forget fiction writing is a business. Work. Work hard. If you seek help from published authors, accept constructive criticism. I entered contests and took the advice from judges. Judges like Leigh Greenwood, Alicia Rasley, Marilyn Campbell, and many others who remained anonymous. I.E: Promise the Moon was once judged by three judges in a contest. Two of the three told me to axe the first two and a half pages. Their suggestions came within a sentence or two of the same spot to actually start the story. Hey! Two out of three? You can bet your sweet-bippy I took that advice!


Caroline: Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers?


Joyce: If you are a reader, I hope you will enjoy my stories. I hope you will tell me what you like about them. There's nothing an author enjoys more than to hear from a reader. My email address is on my web site: http://www.joycehendersonauthor.com/ Just buzz over and drop me a note.

If you are a writer, find people to help you and be sure to return the favour. I'm fortunate to have two critique partners I've worked with for a donkey's age; one published, one working to be published. Both are priceless. Both offer honest critiques. This is a tough business. Write and submit, write and submit. It took 20 years to see my first publication but I persevered. You'll never fail unless you give up.


Caroline: Please tell us about your latest release.

From The Wild Rose Press

Joyce: Two years in an Eastern boarding school haven't tamed Mariah Kelly. She returns home to Texas as tempestuous as ever, still clinging to a forbidden desire for her brother's best friend. But the insufferably rude man doesn't know she cares for him, and she's not about to tell him.

Silver Eagle has longed for Mariah half his life, but if her father knew, he'd banish the young brave from working at the Broken Spur. Mariah can never know he yearns to possess her as his own.

When Silver Eagle is faced with possible prison for a crime he didn't commit, can he and Mariah find true love in a society that believes a union between a white woman and an Indian man can never be?

Or will Mariah risk all to have her heart's desire and…CAPTURE AN EAGLE.


Caroline: Thank you so much for sharing with us today. Best of luck with CAPTURE AN EAGLE!
Joyce: Thanks for having me.

Caroline: Please check Joyce Henderson's website at http://www.joycehendersonauthor.com/. Buy CAPTURE AN EAGLE at www.thewildrosepress.com/joyce-henderson-m-750.html  

Please welcome Joyce Henderson to the blog.

All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Dia de los Muertos, Samhain

What do All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Dia de Los Muertos, and Samhain have in common? Each is a celebration of the dead.

I’m Protestant, but I love the first three celebrations because they are about respect for those who’ve gone before us. How could anyone who loves history and family history as much as I do fail to feel that way? Different Christian traditions define, remember, and respond to the departed in different ways. All Souls' Day is celebrated the first Sunday in November in the church to which I belong. In the morning church service, a candle is lighted for each person of the congregation who has died during the past year as that person’s name is read aloud. Following immediately, a minister offers a prayer of remembrance.


All Saints

 According to Wikipedia, All Saints' Day (in the Roman Catholic Church officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated in honor of all the saints, both known and unknown. In Western Christianity the celebration is on November 1st. In Eastern Christianity, the observance is on the first Sunday after Pentecost. In many countries, All Saints Day is a federal holiday. 



"Day of the Dead" by
William Bougereau

All Souls' Day commemorates the faithful departed. In Western Christianity, this day is observed principally in the Catholic Church, although some churches of the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches also celebrate it. The Eastern Orthodox churches observe several All Souls' Days during the year. When they died, the souls had not yet attained full sanctification and moral perfection, a requirement for entrance into Heaven. This sanctification is carried out posthumously in Purgatory.

Catrinas

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday celebrated by many in Mexico and by some Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 2 in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. Due to occurring shortly after Halloween, the Day of the Dead is sometimes thought to be a similar holiday, although the two actually have little in common. The Day of the Dead is a time of celebration, where partying and eating is common.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. In Brazil, Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and, at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

End Of The Harvest

Samhain ( /ˈsɑːwɪn/, /ˈsaʊ.ɪn/, or /ˈsaʊn/) is a Gaelic festival held on October 31–November 1. The Irish name Samhain is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end". A harvest festival with ancient roots in Celtic polytheism, it was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and continued to be celebrated in late medieval times. Due to its date it became associated with the Christian festival All Saints Day, and greatly influenced modern celebration of Halloween. Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the lighter half of the year and beginning of the darker half. It was traditionally celebrated over the course of several days. Many scholars believe that it was the beginning of the Celtic year. It has some elements of a festival of the dead.

Witch at Samhain

Because so many plants and animals were dying, the Gaels believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain. This it allowed the dead to reach back through the veil that separated them from the living. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. People and their livestock would often walk between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual, and the bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames. The Gaelic custom of wearing costumes and masks, was an attempt to copy the spirits or placate them.  I've no idea why Samhain became a time linked to Wicca, but I suppose (personal opinion only) it was linked because of Wicca's ties to nature.

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

Look for the button
on this site!

Happy Hallowe’en! This is the time for spooks, goblins, tricks and treats. One of the treats is the scavenger hunt for valuable prizes from Long and Short Reviews. The trick is to find their symbol  hidden on this site--not the one like that to the left, but a different one. Keep looking--it's here. Really, it is.

And while you're here, why not Follow me? Also please sign up for my newsletter! Painless, I promise. No salesman will call, no surcharges or hidden fees. Monthly FREE reads, recipes, news, and miscellaneous truly great stuff in the newsletter. Okay, maybe that's a hard sell (maybe?), but I'd love for you to sign up on the sidebar.

Call me morbid but I like visiting old cemeteries, the kind with upright monuments in every conceivable shape. Since I love history as well as writing, perhaps that’s why I read the epitaphs, dates, and names as if they were stories. They are! Sometimes epitaphs are funny, sometimes sad, sometimes bleak. What annoys me is when the wife’s tombstone has only something like “Mrs. John Jones,” as if her life were whittled down to being a wife with no experience anywhere else or value in any other capacity.

My scare for you is a trip through the local cemetery. Here are some weird tales.  Whoo-ha-ha-ha! That's supposed to resemble a blood-curdling laugh.  Scared yet? Didn't think so.




Witch-real or
only in her mind?

Our community had a local couple who were, um, shall we say eccentric? Having little to do with genuine witches or warlocks, this couple called themselves a witch and warlock, dressed in Goth style, were heavy into the drug scene, and drove a black car decorated with white polka dots. Unfortunately, they had several followers. The local Justice of the Peace was asked to perform their marriage ceremony at midnight on Hallowe'en in the largest local cemetery. Because he was a good public servant, he agreed and showed up. After the ceremony, when he said, “You may kiss the bride,” the bride and groom slapped each other. Hard! That’s when the JP made his escape. Sadly, about a year later, the bride was found in the cemetery dead of a drug overdose. Friends who are real Wicca tell me that Wiccan practicioners do no harm to themselves or others, which makes this poor victim's life and death even sadder.



Crypt similar to that 
of the"white witch"

Sometimes rumors are so much more interesting than the truth. The same cemetery has what supposedly is “the white witch’s” grave. No one knows where this incorrect label originated. Actually, the grave is a white marble crypt built for a man who had no family. No one visits the grave-—except those searching for a sensational story.

Nearby is the statue of the “weeping” angel. Many visitors believe that name means the statue weeps actual tears. Sorry, the sculptor portrayed a weeping angel, not nearly as interesting as a statue that sheds real tears, right? Still, it's a beautiful statue.

Chased by a ghost?

In a town where I once lived, some teens went to the cemetery to share beers they weren’t supposed to have. When they realized the owner of the car had already been drinking before he picked them up, they argued with him about whether he was sober enough to drive them home from the cemetery. He beligerantly insisted, so the other teens reluctantly climbed into the car with him to go home. Can you hear your mom telling you never to ride with a driver who's been drinking?  Here's why.  Shortly after they left the cemetery, they had a wreck that killed the driver and a couple of the passengers and badly injured the others. A few months later, the greatly altered story appeared in one of those sensational press newspapers one sees at the checkout stand. In the account, supposedly a ghost had chased the teens from the cemetery and caused the wreck. Not true, but that sort of thing sells newspapers. I hate to refer to that sort of publication as a newspaper, don't you?


What’s your favorite Hallowe’en tale?



I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS!

Rie McGaha, Author

Welcome to Rie McGaha, our guest author for today. Rie is a wife, mother, and grandmother who lives in Southeast Oklahoma and writes for Champagne Books and for Silver Publishing. She's the author of several books in various genres. Here's her post:

             I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS!

On July 18, 2010 our house burned down reducing everything in it to ashes. After nearly two months, the insurance company finally settled with us and we have been trying to get our lives together, the house rebuilt, and get back on track. In July our youngest daughter, Rocky, went into labor at twenty-eight weeks. She spent the next couple of months in the hospital while the doctors tried to stave off labor until the baby was big enough to survive on his own without medical intervention. She delivered a baby boy she named Cruz on September 6, 2010 at thirty-four weeks. Cruz is small but healthy and went home just four days later. We are still working on the house. On September 20, 2010 a family friend, Kori, whom we have known for nearly fifteen years and has been my daughter Lisa's best friend since they first met, lost her seven-year-old daughter to Rhett's Syndrome. We are still working on the house.


But such is life, I suppose. No matter what is going on in your life that is stressful, life rolls on for everyone else as if your little problem doesn't even exist. That is both the beauty and the dark side of life. No matter what you're going through it can always get worse. And it usually does. I spent quite a while being upset that my whole summer was ruined. I was supposed to pick up several of my grandchildren and bring them out to our house in Oklahoma for a couple of weeks and we were going to hit all the water parks and amusement parks. Then life got in the way and just upended all my well-laid plans.

Really the only way to deal with life's ups and downs is to be flexible and willing to change, make a new plan and move on. So that is what I have done. And I try to see the good things in spite of the bad. My grandson is healthy. Kori is going to survive and Maybl is free of a body that refused to obey her commands. My grandchildren managed to have a great summer without me and we have time planned in November to be together. And all this happened while we were still working on the house…which might actually get finished after all!

And now a blurb from CLOSURE:

From Champagne Books
A Spicy Romantic
Thriller!

High in the hills above Albuquerque, New Mexico Detective Zachariah Ellison arrives at the scene of a murder, and not just any murder, but one that definitely falls into the “gruesome” category even for a seasoned cop like Zach. When another body is found murdered in much the same fashion, Zach knows he’s got a serial killer on his hands, and to top it off he’s got an assistant district attorney hounding him about the case. As Zach tries to investigate the crimes while sidestepping nosey Amy Logan, a third body is found and Zach hasn’t a clue as to whom the perpetrator might be.


Amy Logan has worked hard to put herself through school and pay for law school on her own and now that she’s secured a position as assistant district attorney in Albuquerque, she’s determined to do everything she can to be the best prosecutor this office has ever seen. And as if luck was following her, she’s been assigned to the biggest homicide case the city has ever seen. The only problem she’s having is the homicide detective who’s leading the investigation—Zach Ellison.


And here's an excerpt:


She tilted her head back, looked up at him, felt her heart thud in her chest, and then his mouth was on hers and she was climbing all over him. All those years alone, all those nights of wishing she had someone to hold her, all those weeks working with Zach. The wanting of him, the needing of him, the denying of what she had been feeling—it all came pouring out of her at that moment of contact.

Her arms wound around his neck, her fingers worked furiously through his hair, over his shoulders, kneading his neck. She could feel his hands on her face, his fingers burning into her skin, his lips sizzling against hers as his tongue probed deep inside her mouth, encouraging her to take more of him, to give more to him.


She couldn't think for the blood pounding in her head, couldn't breathe because her breath had caught in her chest.


She could only feel. She could feel his hands moving from her face, trailing down her neck, felt them move over her shoulders and down her back. She could feel her body pressed against his, and then was suddenly very aware of the size of her breasts, aware that they were crushed against him. She had never been so aware of her own body in her life, had never been so aware of another person.


Then he was pulling away from her, took a step back from her, and dropped his hands to his sides. He was panting, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.


They stood there looking at each other for a long moment, neither speaking. Zach raked his hands through his hair, took a deep breath and blew it out. He stepped toward her, took her hands in his and brought them both to his mouth, and kissed them gently.


“I—” He paused and took another breath. “I haven't been with a woman since my wife died. I haven't wanted a woman since my wife died. Not until I met you. Still, I didn't expect to feel what I just felt when we kissed. So I'm going to give you the chance right now, Amy. If you don't plan on staying, tell me now and I'll take you home. But if you come back inside with me, don't ask me to stop and don't ask me to take you home, because I won't.”


He dropped her hands and looked into her eyes and waited.


She took a deep breath, fixed her gaze on a distant spot in the semi-darkness, chewed on her bottom lip as both fear and desire warred within her. Then she took his hand in hers and led him back to the house.

From Silver Publishing

Whew! Rie, what a great excerpt and blurb! I can hardly wait to read CLOSURE. And COMES AND OUTLAW soungs very good, too. Excerpts of all of Rie's books are available on her website http://www.riemcgaha.com/.


For more stops on Rie's book release blog tour, check out her schedule at  www.godessfish.com

Hope you'll sign up for my monthly newsletter while you're here. The form's on the sidebar. Thanks for stopping by!

What Do You Think About This Title?

Fall foliage at Lost Maples

Glorious fall has finally arrived to North Central Texas. When I go out today, I can actually layer with my favorite cardigan. This is my favorite time of year. I love the cool weather, the lovely colored trees, even though--achoo!--fall brings allergy problems here in the allergy capital of the U.S. 

It's time to purchase pumpkins, start making holiday lists, and planning for the last quarter of 2010. Imagine that, who knew when the sequel to 2001 Space Odyssey came out that we'd be living in a 2010 not that much different from last century--except for electronics. Yes, I love my Kindle.

So, how do we accomplish in three months all we've left undone from our January to-do-this-year list? Here's what I've accomplished. Two books, OUT OF THE BLUE and THE TEXAN'S IRISH BRIDE have been released to great reviews. I finished a novella, SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME, and just learned I'll be offered a contract for it. My sweet contemporary, HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME, is in edits. I submitted a cozy mystery, I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE, to an agent. I'm working on a second cozy, GOIN' CRUISIN' IN MY PINK CADILLAC, and a time travel romance, TEXAS SHOWDOWN. It's a busy time for me.

Okay, here's my question: When you hear my cozy title, GOIN' CRUISIN' IN MY PINK CADILLAC, do you think of Aretha Franklin's great song, Elvis Presley, or  Mary Kay cosmetics? Please leave your comment. I need your help as I've had mixed answers from my critique partners.

Thanks and have a great day!

Welcome Author Rhonda Lee Carver

Rhonda Lee Carver

Please help me welcome author, Rhonda Lee Carver. Rhonda is a full-time romance author and a freelance editor. She enjoys writing contemporary, paranormal, suspense, and erotica. Her specialty is bad-ass heroes (charcoal hair, copper eyes, and heart of gold) and smart and sassy heroines. And her favorite subject is…men in military uniform. They make the perfect hero.


Reading her first romance novel at age thirteen, Rhonda was hooked. Her talent of bringing interesting characters to print and shaping happy endings are not only a passion of hers, but a dream career. She thinks the love between hero and heroine should be so steamy that it melts the ink off the pages.


If she’s not at her computer crafting a story, Rhonda enjoys reading romance, hanging out with her loved ones, or watching a movie that either pushes her to tears or has her rolling with laughter…and  preferably both.  She lives in Ohio where she is a mother by day and a sensual writer by night. She has too many pets to name but has a place in her heart for each of them. She believes everyone deserves romance in their life—one page at a time.


Caroline: Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

Rhonda: My fave author is Nora Roberts. I also have a soft spot for new authors Tracey Jackson and Lisbon Ferrao.

Caroline: I love Nora, too, but I'm not familiar with the other two. What are you reading now?


Rhonda: Nothing at the moment, but I did just finish Lisbon Ferrao’s KAIHAN.


Caroline: When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to relax and recharge?

Rhonda: I like to relax with a glass of wine in hand, the fireplace blazing, and watching a good movie.

Caroline: Sounds relaxing all right. Would you like to share any guilty pleasures that feed your muse?

Rhonda: Nutella. I love chocolate.


Caroline: How long have you been writing?


Rhonda: All my life. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t jotting down a story or creating characters.


Caroline: Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?


Rhonda: I couldn’t manage without my laptop. It has become as precious as a limb. I need peace and quiet while I write. No tv, no music, no interruptions. And that is difficult considering I have young children and animals.


Caroline: Are you a plotter or a panzer?


Rhonda: A panzer through and through.


Caroline: Do you use real events or persons in your stories?


Rhonda: I like to take the spark of real life and add layers of fantasy, conflict, and passion.


Caroline: Do you research before you begin a new project, or as you go along?


Rhonda: I used to rush into a story but now I have found that spending a little time researching a subject saves time later. And researching also gives me a more creative sense to my story.


Caroline: Tell us about your writing schedule. Do you set goals? Do you write daily?


Rhonda: I write daily. I must write daily, like a chocolate fix. I do set goals, but unfortunately, I don’t always reach them. I try not to be too hard on myself. Working as an editor and raising kids takes a lot of time.


Caroline: Do you write full time or do you have a day job.


Rhonda: I consider myself a full-time writer, and a part-time editor for a publishing house.


Caroline: Positive Thinking! What do you hope your writing brings to readers?


Rhonda: I hope they are filled with a mixture of tears, laughter, intrigue, fascination, and left with a desire to go and buy my other books.


Caroline: What advice would you give to pre-published authors?


Rhonda: Read, read, read. And join a reputable critique group. The feedback you get from published and unpublished writers is priceless.


Caroline: Tell us about your latest release.



From Lyrical Press, Inc.

 SECOND CHANCE COWBOY will be released on November 8, 2010. I am very excited about this story because I think it is my best yet. I fell in love with the hero and women can relate to the heroine.


Blurb: A tumble down the stairs lands Carly back in the arms of her ex-husband.


After the loss of a child tears her marriage apart, Carly vows she’ll never speak to her soon-to-be ex-husband Chance again. On the eve of their divorce, however, Carly takes a stroll down memory lane and calls Chance.


A passionate one-night stand between the two is shattered by cruel light of morning. With reality having set back in, Carly admits to Chance she made a mistake, forcing him to come to grips that there is no hope left for their marriage.


Fate has other plans for them. Carly’s fall down some stairs leaves her with amnesia…but that’s only the start of it.


Can deception bring a second chance at love or will it forever destroy an already broken marriage?

From The Wild Rose Press

Excerpt: G rated


Carly froze. She knew that voice. Knew it well. Husky, rich, laced with a Texas drawl. Her heart pounded and her stomach did somersaults.


What had she done?


Last night’s events wriggled into her consciousness, plowing through her anesthetized, hungover brain. She forced her mind to face last night’s actions, one-by-grueling-one.


Somewhere along her journey to oblivion, she’d made a phone call. She hadn’t intended it as a booty-call, yet that’s how it seemed to have turned out.


Another whisper tickled her ear and all she could do was gulp a mouthful of air.


“Cat got your tongue?”


He should have just licked her from thigh to shoulder, because each time he spoke, it evoked the same slice of heaven.


Stay on track, Carly.


She couldn’t muster up the gumption to turn around and face the imp. She counted to ten...backward, forward, upside down. No help.


Out of all the men in Shelby, how could she have picked him, her husband, to sleep with!




From Lyrical Press

 Caroline: Where can readers find your books?

Rhonda:  http://www.lyricalpress.com/  and http://www.thewildrosepress.com/


Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?

Rhonda: By visiting, www.rhondaleecarver.com friending me on Facebook and following me on twitter under Leeferrao


Thanks for visiting with us, Rhonda. Continued good luck with your writing.