Giving Thanks

Here in the U.S., today is Thanksgiving.

There are many things I'm thankful for. So many in fact, this blog doesn't have space for all of them. I'll try to list some that are at the top of my list.

1. My man. He's the best.
2. My son. He's amazing.
3. My friends. They add layers of love and laughter to my life.
4. Being published. It's a long held dream come true.
5. My writer friends. They understand like no one else can.

Top five is good, eh? Don't want you snoozing before turkey. Speaking of turkeys, our friends from Denver are arriving later today to spend the holiday weekend with us. And I'm cooking. Yipes!!

At the end of the day, I'll be thankful if the food is edible and the house doesn't burn down.

Have a great day everyone!

Minxy Fun!

I've been interviewed by the Minxes of Romance. They rock!

Come on over and join the fun. :)

Pondering

It's Monday. It's a holiday week. With all the shopping, cleaning, cooking, etc., I'll take my smiles where I can get 'em. Political correctness be damned.

Personally, I like six and seven. Not that one actually would, but sometimes, don't you want to?

Ten Thoughts to Ponder

Number 10

Life is sexually transmitted.

Number 9

Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Number 8

Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny.
If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich .

Number 7

Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day,
teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

Number 6

Some people are like a Slinky ...
not really good for anything,
but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.

Number 5

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.

Number 4

All of us could take a lesson from the weather.
It pays no attention to criticism.

Number 3

Why does a slight tax increase cost you $200.00, and a substantial tax cut save you $30.00?

Number 2

In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird.
Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

And The Number 1 Thought

Life is like a jar of Jalapeno peppers; what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.

Aloha!

I've been interviewed at the SOS Aloha Blog. There are prizes to be had. And possibly a historic re-enactment.

Okay, just kidding about that last one, but stop on by. And when you've finished reading, have yourself a great weekend!

EPIC Ariana Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED

2011 EPIC ARIANA ART COMPETITION™ is OPEN!

In its 12th year, the ARIANA honors the finest selection of cover art for electronically published books.

Art, in its endless variety, forms the solid core of EPIC, the Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition™, an organization consisting of industry professionals from outstanding authors, publishers, and editors to those imaginative artists who give eBooks eye-catching covers.

As a well-respected, award-winning artist and dedicated EPIC™ member, Ariana Overton is remembered and honored by EPIC's ARIANA Art Award ™. This prestigious award promotes superlative ePublishing artwork, applauding the best of the best in eBook publishing. Finalists and the winner are selected on the basis of the appropriateness of artwork to genre, the artist's attention to detail (including style and/or method), and the effectiveness of presentation (i.e. that book title, author’s name, publisher logo/information (if included), etc. are clearly viewed).

This global competition has grown rapidly over the past ten years. The genre categories often duplicate EPIC's current eBook Competition line-up. EPIC’s ARIANA Art Competition™ Guidelines may be found at http://www.epicauthors.com/ariana2011.html.

Rules Overview:

~ Cover art must be original and appear on an e-book published between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010. (Send to ariana@epicauthors.com)

~ Entries will be accepted from November 8, 2010 and closes 10 PM CST (U.S), December 5, 2010. (Go to http://bit.ly/ArianaEntryForm).

~ The entry fee is $15.00 (U.S. Funds) per entry/work and payments must be received by 10 PM, CST, December 6, 2010. (Send to treasurer@epicauthors.com)

~ Entries are peer-judged by active EPIC Members.

~ The 2011 ARIANA Award™ will be presented in historical Williamsburg, Virginia, during EPIC’s annual EPICon, March 10-13, 2011.

~ Questions may be address to Epic.competition.chair@gmail.com

EPICon Conference (March 10 – March 13, 2011 in Williamsburg, Virginia)

All awards for the Ariana will be presented during EPIC’s 2011 EPICon conference's gala award ceremony March 13, 2011 in Williamsburg, Virginia.

EPICon is a popular gathering for industry professionals to share the latest industry information, hone writing and editing skills, and explore new markets and promotional ideas. Featured this year is Saturday Keynote Speaker Debra Dixon, Saturday workshops for both adults and young writers, Saturday’s Awards gala and Sunday’s farewell breakfast. Find more information about this conference and workshop events at http://www.epicon-conference.com/.
# # #

EPIC – Electronically Published Internet Coalition™ was established in 1997 and is a non-profit, professional organization for published and contracted eBook and print authors. EPIC’s goal is to provide a strong voice for electronic publishing—the major publishing marketplace of the future.

Release Day!

A month or so ago, I mentioned placing first runner-up in a writing contest for Gypsy Shadow Publishing. The prize was to have your work published by them. Yay!

This story is a little bit different from what I usually write, but just in time for the holidays. I’ve always been a fan of Dickens A Christmas Carol, and Scrooged is always up for regular review. My favorite part is the ghosts. Don’t you wonder who they are? How they came to be? I did.

Without further ado, here’s the cover and blurb for my short story, Christmas Holly.

A gallery owner living in the past collides with a beautiful ghost from the future. Is it life, death, or love, which will imitate art?

Young, beautiful, and certain of her future, Holly Clark fully expected to have a wonderful time attending her mother’s annual Christmas Eve bash. The one thing she didn’t expect—was her own untimely death.

Gallery owner and world renowned artist, Greg Marshall is desperate to relive his past. Until he receives a startling visit from a woman he believed to be the love of his life. Her sudden appearance has the power to change everything.

Love doesn’t mean what it used to. Can the past really affect the future, or can the future transform the past?

Buy It Here

Stretching The Rules - If You Live In America

Ask anybody who really knows me, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people use whatever public platform they may have to push their personal views on you. Yep, that’s a big ‘ol button pusher for me.

You know, when you’ve paid good money to go to a concert, then you have to listen to a fifteen minute diatribe on why the artist believes one person is right for us, and another is not. I thoroughly agree that you are entitled to have an opinion, and to voice it. The tiny detail is that I paid to hear a concert. If I was going to pay to hear your political views, you should have told me. Now if I met or listened to you at a political rally or fundraiser, how awesome would that be? Totally, in my book.

Today, I’m not breaking my rule, because I’m not going to tell you my political views or make any suggestions. I’m just stretching it, to encourage you, whatever political party you belong to, please, go and vote. It’s your right as an American. And whether you approve or not, a lot of good people died to ensure you’d have that right. If you don’t use it, eventually you’ll lose it. The bottom line is, we’re all Americans. It’s a cop-out to say your vote doesn’t matter. Get off your lazy butt and get to the polls.

Please, vote.

And just so you know, if we are having a personal conversation about the results, and I find out you didn’t vote, that will be the end of the conversation. If you don’t participate, I don’t want to hear you bitch.