READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Deuteronomy 7

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Deuteronomy 6

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Deuteronomy 5

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Deuteronomy 4

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Deuteronomy Chapter 2

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Deuteronomy 1

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 36

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Numbers 35

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Numbers 34

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Numbers 33

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Numbers 32

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 30

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Numbers 29

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Numbers 28

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Numbers 27

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 26

Reading the Bible this year: Numbers 25

Reading the Bible in 1 Year - learning about the Children of Israel's history

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers Chapter 22

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers Chapter 21

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers Chapter 20 - Moses

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers Chapter 19

https://rumble.com/embed/v48d79k/?pub=275tqq

Reading the Bible in 1 Year - Join us on our Journey

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 17

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Numbers Chapter 16

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 15

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 14 - See Post Below

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 12

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 11

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers Chapter 10

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 9 - The Passover

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 8

Reading the Bible in 1 Year - Numbers Chapter 7

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers 6

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Numbers Chapter 4

People Need to Come Together - Not Fight

Reading the Bible in 1 Year - Numbers Chapter 2

Join Us as we Read Through the Bible this Year

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus 27

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus Chapter 26

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus Chapter 25

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus 24 with a NT Devotional

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus Chapter 23

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus Chapter 22

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Leviticus 21

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR - Leviticus 20

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus 18 and 19

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Leviticus Chapters 16 and 17

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus Chapter 15

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus Chapter 14

Merry Christmas - We're Reading Leviticus 13

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus 11 and 12

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Leviticus Chps 9 &10

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: Leviticus Chapters 7 & 8

READING THE BIBLE IN 1 YEAR: Leviticus Chapters 5 and 6

Reading the Bible in 1 Year: #Exodus Chapters 2, 3, and 4

Reading the Bible in 1 Year Leviticus Chapter 1

The Nation of Israel - Reading the Bible in 1 Year

Monday, August 31, 2015

Using the "F" Word



The truth is, at least here on my blog, that the "F" word is not a four-letter obscenity. Here, it's a three-letter word that's way more hurtful than it's foul-cousin. I've heard that some people think this new terminology we've been using, such as terms like "full-figured" and/or "curvy" is simply a new way to disguise an old word or a beautification of the ugly truth. Full-figured simply means FAT. Yep. people think those new-fangeled words are simply linguistic manipulations to excuse being F.A.T. at least in our minds. But I don't like using the "F" word, not ever. It's just so negative. And I'm glad to hear that celebrities are standing up to say the same thing only more artistically.

And, body shamers will find a tough match if they come up against Serena Williams. I find her so inspirational for so many women and I think you will too, if you check out this huffington post  story and see what a true role model should look (and act) like. Plus, if you take the time to listen to Serena give her interview, I'm sure this will end up being a Love-love situation.

Being a former tennis instructor myself, I have admired Serena for years but that was only for her skills, talents and abilities on the court. But today, I can say I admire her far more off the court.

Serena Williams - Star on the Court and Off






WINTER IS COMING - and so is SEPTEMBER 10th - YOU'D BETTER BE READY



Okay this isn't nearly as frightening as GOT winter...but, then again, maybe it is--at least for writers and wannabe writers who aren't used to that little blue bird sitting up above because September 10th marks the date of PitMad also known as #PitMad or Pitch Madness, hostessed by the ever wonderful and wickedly wise Brenda Drake, on Twitter.

So, if you've stumbled upon this post and you're wondering what the heck is Pitch Madness...?

Well, then, let me explain. It's a party... No. Not with wine and toasts but, then again, maybe it is ;D because this is the day that writers everywhere will be pitching their best blurb on twitter in the hopes of grabbing an agent's attention. Of course only 140 characters can be used to describe even the longest works of writing. It doesn't matter if it's War and Peace or Goodnight Moon, every story has to be pared down to a mere 140 characters (including spaces). So, just like with winter, writers everywhere had better be ready to send their pitches out into the wonderful world of Pitch Madness.

So, if I haven't given you enough to worry about and you're still wondering what Pitch Madness is all about, here's a direct quote from Brenda Drake's blog:

"#PitMad is a pitch party on Twitter where writers tweet a 140 character pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts. Have several variations of your Twitter pitch available. Twitter may not let you tweet the same pitch over within the same hour. The pitch must include the hashtag #PitMad and the category (#YA, #MG, #A, #NA, #PB and #NF) in the tweet. The “#” is important to include. It will sort the categories to make it easier for the agents/publishers.
For more information about Twitter Pitching visit this post by agent @carlywatters here and this post by #PitMad alum @DianaUrban here. And here find a post from Diana on how to filter out spam from the #PitMad feed."

And, just like for Christmas, you'd better watch out, you'd better not shout, you better not cry because I'm telling you why... PITCH MADNESS is coming to TWITTER. 

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN. 

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Dr. Horrible

Spent the night listening to young men and women sing their hearts out. It was a fun way to spend a night.


Friday, August 28, 2015

Letting Evil In - Intense story by Ellie Eden



 

 Letting Evil In

 

Sexy, Scary Romantic Suspense 

LETTING EVIL IN

by ELLIE EDEN  


When Michael goes on a photographic assignment to Brazil and fails to return, Kristi and her son fly to Rio de Janeiro, desperate to find him. Instead she finds that during the cold New Jersey winter, her husband has spent his time in steamy chat rooms with Nara, a young woman desperate for attention and involved in the Rio drug world. 

As she searches for Michael in exotic but crime-ridden Rio, Kristy finds herself way out of her league. She turns to Italian-Brazilian Federal Agent Tony Lamazzo for help. As the harsh truth of her marriage brings a dose of reality to her life, she finds the temptation of getting closer to the strong, capable—and totally hot—Tony difficult to resist. She’s in Brazil on the Day of Dead, a day when Brazilians go wild. Why shouldn’t she go wild with Tony, for just one night, before returning home to start the new life alone she’ll have to learn to make for herself? 

But when her son vanishes too, Kristi doesn’t know where to turn. Michael’s affair with drug-dealing Nara has exposed them all to the murderous wrath of a ruthless drug lord, and while she longs to trust Tony, she can’t trust his powerful and politically corrupt family. But in the dangerous slums and rainforests of Brazil, the danger mounts for both Kristi and her son, and a cold-blooded enemy has an agenda of his own. If she trusts Tony, she might save her son. Or it might just get them all killed… Available now from:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble


They wandered along the sand in the honeyed glow of evening, making their way towards the lights of the hotels. As they reached the beach steps, Kristi stumbled and felt Tony’s hand steady her. Poor guy, always saving me, she thought. He makes me feel protected. Some men are like that. She was sure women would love him. Any woman with any sense would want a man like Tony. She wondered if he was married.

Sitting down on the second step, she wiggled her toes in the warm sand.

“Tell me about yourself,” she said. “Have you always lived in Rio?”

He shook his head. “I was born in Sorrento, Italy. My father’s Italian and my mother’s Brazilian/American. They came to Brazil with me and my brother when I was ten. My father’s a rancher in Bahia. It’s a ways from the city. I went to college in Boston.”

“Oh. Why?”

“My mother wanted me to. Her parents live there. It was great, I loved it. Boston is so different from Rio.”

For some silly reason she was delighted to hear he’d been to college in a city she knew. “I grew up in Boston. Which college did you go to?”

He laughed. “You’re not going to believe this. I went to Berklee College of Music. I hoped to be lead guitarist in a famous band.”

She beamed at him. “You studied music! Josh is going to be so impressed! I can picture you. I bet you had long hair. Yeah? Curly, long hair. Did you play Hendrix?”

“Yeah. Voodoo Child. I rocked.”

“You’ll have to jam with Josh. Will you do that? Before we go? Please!”

“Sure.”

Almost unconsciously she turned her head to look at him. As he was sitting on the step below her, they were almost eye to eye. His half-smile was sweet. Sexy. It made a shiver run through her. She jerked her gaze away. Suddenly she felt lost. What was she doing on the beach on a tropical night with this good-looking stranger? It would be fun to be single, to be flirting with no worries or complications. Was Michael doing that somewhere close by? Was he having  an affair? Maybe her whole family about to be shattered, like hers had been when she was not much younger than Josh. Tears filled her eyes. Quickly, she wiped them away. Then without meaning to, she gave a loud sob. You’re not going to cry! She forced herself to stop. She hiccupped. Some tourists passed by, carefully looking the other way. Oh God. What was she doing!

“Kristi,” he said, softly. “Whatever it is, we can figure it out. My brother, Rafael, is working on finding your husband. He is Deputy Chief of Civil Police. He’ll do everything anyone possibly could do. We’ll find your husband.”

Embarrassed, she nodded.

“Come on. Let’s get you back to your hotel,” he said, sounding awkward as he helped her up.

“I’m sorry I cried like that. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay.”

“I got an email yesterday. It was from Michael. It showed him hugging a local girl. They were at the beach right here in Copacabana. Michael had on those horrible little Speedos and the girl was wearing a mini bikini. They looked as if they were having a ball. I don’t know why he sent it to me.” Again, her eyes filled with tears. She blinked hard to hide them. “I don’t know what he thinks he’s doing. How can I ever take him back? I don’t even want him back. I don’t feel the same way about him. But what about Josh and the twins?” Now she’d told him all her problems again. What was wrong with her!

He sighed. “Oh Kristi.”  Reaching out, he took her hand tentatively as if taking hands was not something he normally did. His fingers were hard and his palm callused. She liked hands like that. She felt a hot quiver run through her. She pulled her hand away. Where was she going with this? Was she crazy?

Of its own accord it seemed, her body leaned towards him. She slipped her hand back into his. The feel of his hand felt natural, comforting. Holding hands was underrated. She really, really wanted to hold his hand. She could feel the heat of his body where it touched hers. “You’ve been really nice to Josh and me,” she said. “I feel so strange. What if nothing was the way I thought it was for all these years?”

“Don’t judge anything now.”

“I didn’t know you did marriage counseling.”

He shrugged. “I only know it from the worse case scenario. If anything good happens, don’t consult me.”

“You’re married?”

“I was. She left me. It was my fault.”

She was about to ask what happened, when the first big drops of rain pelted down. “Want to make a dash for it?” he said. Fingers locked, they ran through the drizzle. As they reached the hotel foyer, he let go of her hand. They stood apart in the brightly lit elevator. Without meaning to, she again swayed closer to him, feeling her shoulder touch his warm arm. Self-consciously, she moved away, noticing the muscles of his arms and chest outlined by his damp tee-shirt. Rain pasted her wet tee-shirt to her body. Wondering if he could see her nipples, she pulled the clinging fabric away from her damp bikini top.

She unlocked the door and walked into the room. They were both wet. For a moment they just stood, looking at each. Then Tony laughed. “We’d be better on the balcony,” he said. “We’re dripping on the carpet.”

“Would you like a hot shower?”

“Not much point. I don’t have anything to change into.”

“Well, at least we can dry off a bit.” She grabbed two of the big, white towels and followed him out into the night. The air outside was balmy, much warmer than the air-conditioned room. Steam rose from the wet tiles, but the patio furniture was dry, protected from the rain by the balcony above. Tony crossed over to the railing and stood looking at the view, which Kristi noted was meltingly beautiful: white waves crashing, reflections of car lights shimmering on rain drenched Avenue Atlantica, the glittering lights of the favelas on the slopes of the mountains and hunched above it all, the dark jungle-covered morros.

She handed him a towel and stood watching he pulled off his damp shirt and began to dry himself off. He looked soooo good. He was just so indescribably hot and her husband was such an indescribable jerk. As he turned towards her, she quickly pulled her eyes away from his athletic body and found herself looking at his mouth. He had a beautiful mouth, lips tilted slightly up as if he’d never be able to look really angry. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him. There just seemed to be too much space between them and she had to close it. She moved towards him. His eyes, thick lashes still wet with raindrops, looked into hers. She closed her eyes and turned her face up to his. His lips touched hers. She knew she hadn’t left him much choice. His mouth was gentle, his lips warm and firm. She’d imagined a passionate kiss. She didn’t quite know what to do with a gentle one. His kiss was almost shy. Warmth throbbed through her. She was hot enough to melt. She longed for him to kiss her more.

He pulled away slightly, his hands holding her upper arms. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, stroking a tendril of wet hair back from her cheek. “Your husband is an idiot.” His eyes were filled with an emotion that sent a thrill through her. It was so good to feel appreciated, to feel again that someone thought she was beautiful. He looked at her quizzically. “I should leave.”

“I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay.” Unable to resist, she buried her face in the warm place between his neck and broad shoulders.

“You’d regret it tomorrow,” he said. “There are things you don’t know about me. I come from a very different world.”

“Rubbish,” she giggled. “You went to Berklee College in Boston. How different can that be?” Then she shivered, knowing the shiver was because of him and not the weather.

He took the towel and wrapped it around her shoulders, making a cocoon for her against his warm body. Without meaning to, she gave a soft moan of appreciation. She looked up quickly to see if he’d heard. What if he thought she was trying to sound sexy? He lifted her long, wet hair, using the nearest end of the towel to dry the dripping strands.

She looked up at him. “You were right. I shouldn’t have come to Rio. I’ve landed in such a mess, I...”
Before she could finish the sentence, his lips touched the corner of her mouth. For a second he hesitated, then his lips closed over hers, warm and sweet. She clung to him, kissing him passionately, drawing from his strength, escaping into the feeling of someone caring about her just for now. She pressed up close against him. Everything about him felt good: his strong arms around her, his broad shoulders, his hard, lean body. He responded by holding her tighter and kissing her with more urgency, his breath quickening. The heat of the kiss and the feel of his body chased every thought from her head. She could feel the hardness of his groin and she throbbed with wanting him.
Was she really going to do this? She pulled away. They stood for a second just looking at each other. His eyes were dark with arousal. How could she do this? Omigod, how could she not? The Moroccan-style outdoor sofa looked incredibly inviting and she sunk down into the pillows pulling him down beside her. For a second, she thought it funny that she was the proactive one here.

“You shouldn’t sleep with me,” he said, his voice sounding gruff.  Immediately she wanted him even more. She was totally hot for him. In reply she wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to continue the blissful kiss where it had left off. Her heart raced, her body throbbed. She could feel his heart thudding too.

“Kristi,” With a groan he pulled away. “This is not a good idea.” His voice was thick with desire. For some no doubt worthy reason, he was trying not to do this.

“Why isn’t it a good idea?” she said. She could hear her voice sounding petulant and rebellious and somewhat like Josh when he was thwarted. Why was she doing this? Maybe because she was hot, so hot, to sleep with him. Burning with longing to sleep with him. Totally wanting to be right down there, right now, in the bed, or on the sofa, or even on the wet tiles, making passionate love to him. 

“Don’t you want to sleep with me?”

He gave her a lopsided smile and raised his eyebrow. Then suddenly he wrapped the towel tightly around her again, kissed her lips hard and quickly, and stood up. He was leaving! “Call me if Josh isn’t back by eight,” he said.

She stood, clutching the towel. Disappointment filled her. The night had been perfect. So amazingly romantic with the rain pouring down around them, the inky ocean crashing out there, a full moon slipping in and out of dark, flying clouds.  “It felt like a dream,” she said slowly. “A super-cool dream about a dream lover in a storm.” She sighed. “You’re ruining my dream.”

“A wet dream,” he said wryly. A flash of lightning silhouetted his dark shape. Thunder crashed. 

“You’d regret it in the morning.”

“If you say so.” She knew she was pouting. How silly was that. She turned her back on him. “Why don’t you just go already?”

“Of course I want to sleep with you. I’m longing to sleep with you. Not sleep. Make love. What do you think?”

Thunder crashed again. As another flash of jagged lightning ripped the sky. She shivered.
“You’re wet. Aren’t you cold?”

“Nope,” she said.

“You better get those wet clothes off.”

She looked him in the eye. “Good idea.” Slowly she pulled off her wet tee-shirt and tossed it into the air. Then she slid out of her wet shorts. Watching his eyes as he took in her body in her new bikini and her silver sandals, she walked over to the balcony railings and stood there. She knew she was standing provocatively, her butt nicely rounded as she leaned on the railing. She was glad the rain shower suddenly stopped. To tell the truth, she was cold. But she hoped that would change soon.


Within seconds, she felt his warm, hard body behind her. “Beautiful,” he murmured. “You’re so perfectly beautiful.”

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Book Promotions

So you love to write...me too. And after finishing your novel, you're so excited. But then...you have to find an agent and/or sell your manuscript. You finally receive your contract, see your book come into print and again...you are so excited. But then you have to promote your book . . .

Most writers are shy or at least introverts. It's not in our repertoire to promote...anything.

So, if this is you, like this is me, then you might want to do a little research. Here's one place to look to find a few tips:

Marcie Brock Book Marketing Maven:

Here are a few tips in her latest blog post:

Have a goal
Have a plan
Remember to have some lead time
Do your research
 Follow specific formats and style for news releases
Plan to approach and utilize a variety of media resources
Set a budge
Create a street team
Be persistent
Be flexible
Keep updating your plan
Set someone up on your team to keep you accountable


Lastly, remember to celebrate your successes. Take time to enjoy the wins, as they will likely be hard fought and so very sweet. Remember those feelings as you move forward and hit future snags. Above all else, keep moving forward!

Monday, August 24, 2015

Portland Writers - Mark Your Calendars for 9.19

The Next Level returns on September 19th  (talk description below) and there's a great line-up of speakers on board.

The full schedule will be posted to SCBWI's website soon. The topics include everything from HarperCollins editor Abby Ranger talking about editor-writer-artist relationships with a writer and illustrator, to craft sessions on both world building and character development. And more!

Season passes are $35 for members. Individual session will be $8 if you pre-register and $10 at the door for members. For non-members, it will be $10 pre-registration, $12 at the door, and $50 for a season pass.

Here’s the scoop on September’s talk:

Topic: Pitch, Logline, Synopsis: How to write effective promo pieces for your book

A hands on workshop for writers with a story to pitch covering everything from the one sentence logline to the full pages synopsis using low stress examples from familiar stories, and practical exercises for talking about your work to a range of potential readers.

Rosanne Parry is the author of the award winning novels Heart of a Shepherd, Second Fiddle and Written in Stone and the upcoming novel The Turn of the Tide. She has taught writing at schools, conferences, Saturday Academy, an educational non-profits, and on line at the Loft Literary Center. She lives with her family in an old farmhouse in Portland, and writes in a tree house in her back yard.

The talks will be held at Taborspace again this year. All talks are on the third Saturday of the month and doors open at 2 PM. 

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Writer's - We Need to Have Diverse Books

I'm not one to judge or say I've done much to help remedy the situation that exists in our books today but I think it's worth considering.

Look around when you're out shopping...what do you see?

Look around when you're at work...who do you see?

Look around when you're outside on a walk, biking, or hiking...

We live in a world filled with diverse people, places and things and that fact should be reflected in our stories.

We need to keep a mental checklist in mind when we're writing. We should all write books that reflect the diversity in our homes, our lives and our world.

I really thought about it today when I was reading Marian Wright Edelman's article: It's Hard to Be What You Can't See

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/its-hard-to-be-what-you-c_b_8022776.html

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

STICKY SENTENCES by Aidee Ladnier





A Sticky Situation: Avoiding Sticky Sentences


So one of my favorite writing tools is ProWritingAid.com.  It picks out vague words, long sentences, lovely adjectives, and overused words. I don’t use it exclusively when I edit, but at least one early pass through ProWritingAid allows me to pick out some of the really obvious errors.
But one thing it found in my writing that I wasn’t aware of, was sticky sentences. So I had to do a little research. Sticky sentences, as you might expect, contain lots of glue words.
Glue words are the unnecessary little words you use every day. They are this, the, out, if, about, good, what, there…you get the idea. They aren’t pretty. They work hard. But they could be replaced by better, more expressive, and more poetic words—words that will make your prose shine, make your explanations easier to comprehend, and make the dialogue coming out of your character’s mouth sound eloquent.

 In a sense, they stick on your writing, slowing down a reader who’s trying to understand a wordy, padded sentence. It might make you think you sound smarter to use so many words while getting a really small point across, but you’re just making it harder for your reader.
So let’s give an example and run an experiment. I’m going to rewrite the previous four paragraphs to take out some of the sticky sentences and glue words. Currently, those paragraphs clock in at 200 words.

Revised Paragraphs (140 words):

ProWritingAid.com is a favorite writing tool of mine.  The software picks out vague and overused words, long sentences, and adjectives. I use ProWritingAid during an early editing pass to pick out obvious errors. 

One thing ProWritingAid finds is sticky sentences. Sticky sentences, as you might expect, contain lots of glue words. 

Glue words are unnecessary words you use every day. Examples are this, the, out, if, about, good, what, there…you get the idea. They aren’t pretty. They work hard. But they could be replaced by better, more expressive, and more poetic words—words that will make your prose shine, make your explanations easier to comprehend, and make your characters eloquent.

Sticky sentences are wordy and padded. Many writers believe they sound smarter by using more words, but readers need to understand your work and not just be impressed by it.

--So which paragraphs do you prefer? The rambling, sticky draft at the top or the more polished and concise version at the bottom? Do you find your sentences sticky?