Monday, April 28, 2008
Week of (Mostly) Freebies
Tomorrow, April 29: Free Scoop Day at Ben & Jerry's.
Wednesday, April 30: 31-cent Night at Baskin-Robbins.
Saturday, May 3: Free Comic Book Day at fine comic retailers everywhere.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 30: 31-cent Night at Baskin-Robbins.
Saturday, May 3: Free Comic Book Day at fine comic retailers everywhere.
Enjoy!
Labels: Freebies
Friday, April 25, 2008
CFBA: Winter Haven
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Winter Haven
(Bethany House April 1, 2008)
by
Athol Dickson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Athol Dickson's university-level training in painting, sculpture, and architecture was followed by a long career as an architect then his decision several years ago to devote full time to writing.
Athol Dickson’s writing has been favorably compared to the work of Octavia Butler
(Publisher’s Weekly), Daphne du Maurier (Cindy Crosby, FaithfulReader.com) and Flannery O’Connor (The New York Times).
His They Shall See God was a Christy Award finalist and his River Rising was a Christy Award winner, selected as one of the Booklist Top Ten Christian Novels of 2006 and a finalist for Christianity Today's Best Novel of 2006.
He and his wife, Sue, live in Southern California. Visit AtholDickson.com for more information.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Boys who never age, giants lost in time, mist that never rises, questions never asked...on the most remote of islands off the coast of Maine, history haunts the present and Vera Gamble wrestles with a past that will not yield. Will she find refuge there, or will her ghosts prevail on...Winter Haven
Eleven years ago, Vera Gamble's brother left their house never to be seen again. Until the day Vera gets a phone call that his body has been found...washed ashore in the tiny island town of Winter Haven, Maine. His only surviving kin, Vera travels north to claim the body...and finds herself tumbling into a tangled mystery. Her brother hasn't aged a day since last she saw him.
Determined to uncover what happened in those lost years, Vera soon discovers there are other secrets lurking in this isolated town. But Winter Haven's murky past now seems bound to come to light as one woman seeks the undeniable and flooding light of truth.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Haunted Hotel
Yesterday afternoon the family headed over to Mineral Wells to check out the Baker Hotel (among other things). Didn't see any ghosts, but while we were skulking around the rear courtyard a window upstairs (or some other source of glass) broke. Ooooh ... spooky.
Took a bunch of pix, and since they're spookier in black and white, I tweaked them slightly (but only slightly) in Photoshop.
Interior Pix
(There were enough holes in the ground-level windows to sneak some peeks inside without the hassle of trespassing.)
More spooky pix (and haunted history) here.
We also saw car dealer after car dealer with cars, trucks, and vans that had their windows and windshields shattered. Not abandoned car dealerships. Or poltergeist-infested ones. Just hail damage from a recent storm. Still, kinda hinky to see, though.
Took a bunch of pix, and since they're spookier in black and white, I tweaked them slightly (but only slightly) in Photoshop.
- Front entrance
- Lamps by entrance
- Another lamp from the entrance
- Side wall with spooky tree
- Bridge from the pool
- Side entrance
- Portico of side entrance
- Side wall
- Windows: 1, 2
(I like the counterweights in #2) - Crumbling pillar
- Roof from back of hotel
Interior Pix
(There were enough holes in the ground-level windows to sneak some peeks inside without the hassle of trespassing.)
More spooky pix (and haunted history) here.
We also saw car dealer after car dealer with cars, trucks, and vans that had their windows and windshields shattered. Not abandoned car dealerships. Or poltergeist-infested ones. Just hail damage from a recent storm. Still, kinda hinky to see, though.
Easter Revisited
Just downloaded a bunch of pictures from the digital camera, including a couple way back on Easter.
Here's good-lookin' Phil
and slighly goofy-lookin' Phil.
We now return you to your previously-scheduled day, already in progress...
Here's good-lookin' Phil
and slighly goofy-lookin' Phil.
We now return you to your previously-scheduled day, already in progress...
Labels: Philpix
Party Like It's 1999
I finally finished my iPod A to Z odyssey yesterday. Prince's 1999 was the final track (numbered songs come after lettered ones). Yeah, Bowling for Soup's 1985 would've been cooler, but that missed out by being the song before last.
The adventure that began back in September ended seven months later (to the day for the A-Z songs). The playlist swelled from 4,991 to 5,200, so it's not surprising that it took a bit longer than expected.
I think it's time to play with books on tape for a while....
The adventure that began back in September ended seven months later (to the day for the A-Z songs). The playlist swelled from 4,991 to 5,200, so it's not surprising that it took a bit longer than expected.
I think it's time to play with books on tape for a while....
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
CFBA: Amber Morn
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Amber Morn
(Zondervan Publishing Company - April 2008)
by
Brandilyn Collins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense™. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline“Don’t forget to b r e a t h e …®”
Brandilyn writes for Zondervan, the Christian division of HarperCollins Publishers, and is currently at work on her 19th book. Her first, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows.
She’s also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons), and often teaches at writers conferences.
Brandilyn blogs at Forensics and Faith. Visit her website to read the first chapters of all her books.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The whole thing couldn’t have taken more than sixty seconds.Bailey hung on to the counter, dazed. If she let go, she’d collapse—and the twitching fingers of the gunman would pull the trigger. The rest of her group huddled in frozen shock.
Dear God, help us! Tell me this is a dream . . .
The shooter’s teeth clenched. “ Anybody who moves is dead.”
On a beautiful Saturday morning the nationally read “Scenes and Beans” bloggers gather at Java Joint for a special celebration. Chaos erupts when three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage. One person is shot and dumped outside.
Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio. The gunmen insist on communicating through the “comments” section of the blog—so all the world can hear their story. What they demand, Vince can’t possibly provide. But if he doesn’t, over a dozen beloved Kanner Lake citizens will die...
Amber Morn is the climactic finale to Collins’ widely read Kanner Lake series. All first three titles in the series, Violet Dawn, Coral Moon, and Crimson Eve, were bestsellers. Library Journal placed Crimson Eve on its Best Books of 2007 list, and hailed it the “Best Christian suspense of 2007.”
A few early reviews of Amber Morn:
“… essential reading … a harrowing hostage drama.” – Library Journal
“… heart-pounding … breakneck pace … satisfying and meaningful ending.” – RT Bookreviews
“This cataclysmic ending left me breathless … Kanner Lake is the Best Suspense Series of 2007/2008.” – deenasbooks.blogspot.com
“Collins has saved the best for a last .. a powerful ensemble performance.” -- BookshelfReview.com
“… a staccato tempo … Sometimes you just have to close the book in order to come up for air.” – Dale Lewis
“…a masterpiece of page-turning suspense with a cast of dozens.” – Peg Phifer
* * * * *
What do I say? Great book. As one of the original Wilburs, it's sad to see the series come to an end. (Great Wilbur moments, though!) I take credit for half the bad guys' last name. OK, no I don't. (Really, though, I do...)
Congrats on another faboo novel, Brandilyn.
The rest of youse, go get a copy.
Labels: Books, Brandilyn Collins, CFBA
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Dueling Billie Jeans
Chatting with fellow Misfit/writer Angie the other evening, and she mentioned I should check out David Cook's rendition of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" from the Idol show. Having already displayed my vast knowledge on the topics of fashion and interior decorating, there wasn't really any point in butching it up and saying "that's not how I roll."
Tracked it down on the YouTube. Not bad, Maynard.
Still, not my fave version of the song. Well, the video, at any rate. Checked for the Steve Martin/New Show vid from the mid-80s. Surprise. Surprise. Surprise. It was up! Now that's talent.
Tracked it down on the YouTube. Not bad, Maynard.
Still, not my fave version of the song. Well, the video, at any rate. Checked for the Steve Martin/New Show vid from the mid-80s. Surprise. Surprise. Surprise. It was up! Now that's talent.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Coming Soon: "Larry King and the Angel"
Yeah, it's a Wittenburg Door story.
Pull-quote from the magazine Table of Contents:
Hmmmmmmmm....
Subscribe. You know you want to.
Pull-quote from the magazine Table of Contents:
“Gosh darn” or “dang it” don’t generate the same kind of paperwork.
Hmmmmmmmm....
Subscribe. You know you want to.
Labels: In Print, Wittenburg Door, Writing
