Yesterday saw this double rainbow in Georgia
Category: stinewriting
Beautiful visit from “a friend” while walking the dog today. I’ve heard all dragonflies are celestial visitors.
Simply 6 Minutes—Welcome To The Challenge: 09/21/2021
Welcome to the 6 minute challenge!
*****For any participants that do NOT like restrictions, please feel free to participate in any way you would like. It is great to read the contributions!****
- Set up a timer or sit near a clock so you can keep track of the six minutes you will be writing.
- You can either use one of the prompts (photo or written) or you can free-write.
- Get ready and write for 6 minutes, that is it! Can you write a complete story? Can you think of a new Sonnet? Can you write 400 words? 400? 500? There are no restrictions on what kind of writing you do, but you should try to be actively writing for six minutes.
- After you are done writing, include your word count and then post back to this page #Simply6Minutes or include your link in the comments section. Pingbacks are enabled.
- *Feel free to leave your work completely unedited. I believe it is good to see, especially for new writers, that even very seasoned writers don’t write a perfect first draft.*
- Have fun, challenge yourself if you’d like, read and respond to others’ posts.
Thank you for participating!
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Book Blitz! Dog Park
How cute is this book! Read on for more info about Dog Park by Kathryn Kazoleas!
Dog Park
Publication Date: May 30th, 2021
Genre: Middle Grade/ Chapter Book
Gibson the labradoodle is about to begin her first day of training to become a dog park ambassador, something she has been dreaming about her entire life. Dog park ambassadors hold a very high honour within the dog park community and have many important roles to make sure the dog park is a fun and safe place to be. She has so many great ideas and cannot wait to get started.
While Gibson is training alongside lead ambassador and trainer, Meistro the bulldog, things don’t go as planned. Gibson meets challenge after challenge and isn’t allowed to introduce any of her new ideas. Being a dog park ambassador isn’t what she thought it would be so she starts to question whether the role is really for her.
At the end of her very first training shift, and just as she’s about to give up and tell Meistro she isn’t cut out to be a dog park ambassador after all, there’s an emergency at the river. One of the dog park’s new puppies, Clover, has swam too far out and cannot get back to shore. Gibson’s best friend and greatest supporter Stretch the dachshund, convinces her she has to go help. Gibson springs into action, with Stretch at her side and encouraging her the entire time. Gibson saves the day…almost!
Having been swept downstream and far away from the dog park, Gibson is forced to lead the trio back to safety. There’s only one way back and it’s through a dark forest with strange sounds and smells. The sun is starting to go down and everybody is tired and scared. But, Gibson knows she has to get her friends back home, despite what, or who, gets in her way.
Excerpt
Tyler didn’t know it, but today was an important day and one that she had been looking forward to for a very long time. Each week, the regular pack at the dog park delegated a dog park ambassador. It was a job that held a very high honour within the dog park community. Dog park ambassadors were to make sure all the dogs at the park got along, and that all the humans felt welcomed so they would bring their dogs back. As ambassadors, they were to intervene in any disagreements between dogs, explain the rules to the new dogs and puppies, and were to greet the humans to welcome them to the park.
Gibson had been asking to get involved for months now, but the committee always told her they didn’t need any more ambassadors. But finally, her persistence paid off and they agreed to let her start training. Today was her first day.
About the Author
Kathryn is from Alberta, Canada where she lives with her dog Koa and her cat Keeva. In her free time, she can be found playing ball with Koa, enjoying the outdoors, reading or writing.
Kathryn Kazoleas | Twitter | Instagram
Book Blitz Organized By:
Book Tour! The Awakening of Artemis
There’s a new book coming out this month and if you enjoy science or speculative fiction, you’re going to love it! Check out The Awakening of Artemis by John Calia!
The Awakening of Artemis
Expected Publication Date: September 29th, 2021
Genre: Science Fiction/ Speculative Fiction
Orphaned by war and disillusioned about her life, Diana Gutierrez-Adams is on a routine military assignment when she and her team are kidnapped by a domestic militia. She learns from her captors that her cryogenically-frozen grandfather is at the center of a high-stakes plan to steal technology that will change the world for greed and great fortune.
Challenged by the conspiracy and pulled by emotions she doesn’t fully understand, Diana’s rescue mission will change her life. What happens to her is unexpected, perhaps miraculous – an adventure that embraces all her hopes for finding her true self and her place in a world dominated by powerful elites and even more powerful artificial intelligence.
Add to Goodreads
Excerpt
Diana knew that everyone who lived in the pods as well as anyone officially connected to the government had an embedded chip that enabled monitoring technology to identify where every individual was at any time. The chips also measured the secretion of enzymes and hormones. Algorithms had been developed to predict everyone’s wants and needs based upon those secretions. Over time, the algorithms learned from human response and adjusted their predictions accordingly – without human intervention.
Pre-Order on Amazon
About the Author
A Brooklyn-born, second generation American and the eldest of three boys, writing is his third career and the one about which he is most passionate. Following graduation from the US Naval Academy and active duty in the Navy, he embarked on a career in business. He began writing his blog “Who Will Lead?” in 2010 attracting over 115,000 readers. It inspired him to write his first book, an Amazon five-star rated business fable titled “The Reluctant CEO.” Currently he makes his home in Fairport, NY, a village on the Erie Canal.
John Calia | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Twitter Tags: @johncalia @RRBookTours1 #RRBookTour #ScifiBooks
IG Tags: @johncalia @shannon_rrbooktours #rrbooktours #theawakeningofartemis #scifibooks
Blog Tour Organized By:
Blogging Insights – New Format # 10
Check it out here: https://saltedcaramel670.wordpress.com/2021/09/20/blogging-insights-new-format-10/
I know that everyone has typos and legitimate mistakes but come on…if you are writing to publish or make it somehow for the public, reread your writing before you send it out to the world. I have seen some blogs that the grammar is so off that I won’t visit it again. It seems like it is a lack of effort.
Share Your World 9/20
Melanie gives us Share Your World questions every Monday. Today the questions come from blogger Evil Squirrel.
1) If you were to be cast as part of a comedy double act, which part would you play: the straight man or the funny one, and why? I would probably start of as the straight woman but then end up being the funny one once I got into it. Once I get on a roll I’m good…
2) If you were to be reincarnated on Earth as any non-living/inanimate object of your choosing, what would you come back as and why? Hmmm….I guess maybe I would like to be a freezer…people like to put things in there to save and a lot of times they fill it with good stuff like ice cream. Who doesn’t like a little extra freezer space?
3) We all know how dogs mark their territory. How do you mark your territory? I make miniature things that are very detailed. People have come to see miniature things and think of me.
4) If you were on a trivia show and had to correctly answer ten questions in one subject to win a million dollars (or whatever currency is used in your locale), what would you hope the category would be? Potpourri – a little of everything
5) In democratic societies, do you believe that the right to vote is merely a privilege or a duty for all citizens? This should not be thought of as an “Americans only” question. ANY ONE is welcome to answer. I think it is sort of both. I think that it is a privilege that can be lost, like if you commit a crime but I also think it a duty so that the system works properly. The way the government seems to want to make new rules about voting so I don’t really believe in its truth-aspect. I mean, if you vote but the decision is based on a bunch of other factors, what’s the point?
Book Tour! The Shepherd’s Burden
Welcome to the book tour for award-winning novel, The Shepherd’s Burden by Ryan Young. Read on for more info and a chance to win a signed copy of the book (North America) or a digital edition if you’re international!
The Shepherd’s Burden
Publication Date: June 18th, 2020
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
1st Place Winner, 2020 Chanticleer International Book Awards, Paranormal Awards for Supernatural Fiction Category
Staff Sergeant Daniel Jefferies has returned home to upstate NY after nearly being killed in an ambush in Iraq. Plagued by the trauma of war, he struggles to find his place in a world that he no longer recognizes. He feels disconnected from his family and friends. But, none of his burdens are heavier than the terrifying secret that he has kept about a mysterious encounter from his youth. When a suspicious murder occurs, he will discover that he has been chosen for a purpose that transcends life and death, forcing him to confront his past. In order to stop the killer, he will have to make choices that will change the fate of the people he loves the most. Can Daniel summon the strength of mind and body, that he once had as a soldier, to face the most profound and consequential challenge of his life?
Excerpt
Daniel took the main route out of town. It took them through the city center and back to the site of Nella’s murder. As they approached the site, they saw a man and his young son crossing the road with their donkey. The donkey was towing a wooden cart full of produce. There was an open-air market in the city center. People traveled there to sell their goods. For many of them, it was their only source of income. The boy was four or five years old and the cart was fully loaded, so they were moving slowly. Daniel pulled to a complete stop to allow them to cross.
“Keep an eye out,” Keith yelled up to Aashirya.
It was always dangerous to be stopped in the middle of a road in Iraq. Instead of the vehicle being a moving target, which could be hard to hit, it became a stationary target, which was much easier to hit. The chances of an ambush greatly increased.
It was Keith’s job to keep his team on alert, but the heightened state of awareness didn’t change his demeanor. He was perfectly calm. He pulled out another cigarette and lit it while they waited for the man and his son to cross the road. He offered one to Daniel, but he turned it down.
“I can’t understand how nothing seems to bother you. I’ve been doing this just as long as you have. No matter how many times I’m out here, I still get nervous. I wish I knew your secret,” Daniel said.
Keith laughed it off.
“There is no secret, Danny. I told you before, nothing lasts forever. Everyone dies at some point. It’s a foregone conclusion. It’s not a question of if, but when. What’s the difference if we die now or fifty years from now? We shouldn’t fear death. We should embrace it.”
“I think you have been out here too long. You are really starting to trip me out. I think you need a long nap and a cold beer. After that, you need to get laid and seriously rethink that no-fear, embrace death bullshit. Personally, I would much rather be afraid and alive than calm and dead.”
Daniel turned his attention back towards the road. The man and his son were now directly in front of the vehicle. The boy stopped walking and turned to look at him. When they made eye contact, Daniel got an eerie feeling that something was wrong. Before he could react, a large explosion went off underneath the Humvee. The blast tossed the vehicle fifteen feet into the air, landing it on its side.
About the Author
Ryan Young is a former Army Captain and Iraq War Veteran. He is a lover of all things fantasy and sci-fi. A native of Utica, NY, he now calls New England home.
Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Amazon
Giveaway: Signed Copy for North American Winner or Digital Copy for International Winner!
Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0e7c6a8f292/?
Book Tour Organized By:
New Book Coming!
To celebrate the release of The Storm of Storms, book #3 in her YA Dystopian saga, Juche, Adria Carmichael is giving the first two installments away for FREE! From September 14th to the 18th, you can download The Demon of Yodok and The Weeping Masses on Amazon for zero dollars!
The Storm of Storms (Juche #3)
Publication Date: September 15th, 2021
Genre: YA Dystopian/ Survival
A highly addictive Young Adult Dystopian Survival Saga that will keep you glued to the pages.
Nari’s shocking revelation in the watermill changes everything in an instant, and Areum is once more faced with an impossible decision. Will she betray her sister in order to save her life, or support her and let her die? In the midst of this struggle, the storm of the century hits the camp, and life goes from hard to impossible overnight. Areum slowly comes to realize there is only one way to ensure their survival.
To escape!
But how can they escape from an escape-proof prison camp? And even if they would get past the ferocious dog patrols, the machine gun-equipped guard towers and the electrified barbed wire fence… will she be willing to condemn everyone they’re leaving behind to an inescapable end through torture and death?
The Demon of Yodok (Juche #1)
JUCHE [dʒuːtʃe]
Just when Areum, daughter of a privileged family in the totalitarian state of Choson, thought she was free from her personal prison, her world collapses around her as her family are taken away in the middle of the night to a hell-like camp in the mountains where people who have strayed from the righteous path are brutally re-educated through blood, sweat, tears and starvation.
There she has to fight for survival together with the family she hates and is forced to re-evaluate every aspect of her life until then – her deep resentment toward her twin sister; her view of her father in face of the mounting evidence he is a traitor with the blood of millions of fellow countrymen on his hands; and even her love and affection for the Great General – the eternal savior and protector of Choson, whom she had always considered her true father.
The Weeping Masses (Juche #2)
Areum’s hopes to be set free from the brutal political prison camp holding them is crushed, and the heinous assault on her sister plunges her into a state of shock and horror… and puts her on a collision course with her family. All hope seems to be lost. Just when she is about to give up, however, a disturbing revelation is made… and as the evil of the camp is given a face, Areum finds a new purpose to keep fighting.
Revenge!
But first they need to survive, and with the constantly harshening conditions and her family being targeted from all directions, daily life in Yodok turns into a never-ceasing fight to evade imminent doom.
On top of everything, an impossible tragedy strikes Choson, and the unquestionable truth Areum has built her life around is challenged to its very core.
About the Author
Adria Carmichael is a writer of Young Adult Dystopian fiction with a twist. When she is not devouring dystopian and post-apocalyptic content in any format – books, movies, TV-series and PlayStation games – she is crafting the epic and highly-addictive Juche saga, her 2020 debut novel series that takes place in the brutal, totalitarian nation of Choson. When the limit of doom and gloom is reached, a 10K run on a sunny day or binging a silly sitcom on a rainy day is her go-to way to unwind.
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Book Blitz Organized By:
FOTD – September 16 – How Many Bud are There.
So many beautiful flowers in the world! Check out many more here: https://viewfromtheback.com/2021/09/14/cees-flower-of-the-day-160/
