Sheik's Rule - Release Day!

Today the first book in the Desert Justice series is being released.  Sheik's Rule is on store shelves, online and brick and mortar, wherever Harlequin Intrigue are sold.

He's an investigator on a mission, but it's impossible to ignore the brilliant woman helping him complete it… 

His sister's life is at stake, and despite his wealth and power, Sheik Emir Al-Nassar feels helpless. At least heading his family's security agency provides him with resources to track down her kidnappers. But when the ace profiler he's sent turns out to be K. J.—Kate—Gelinsky, Emir is furious. Finding the kidnappers' desert hideout is dangerous enough without the distraction of a beautiful woman. 

But K.J. is unlike any woman he's ever known. Her fearlessness and incisive mind inspires Emir's admiration. And her compassion breaches his guarded heart. Still, rescuing his sister is a perilous mission. And allowing desire to cloud his focus could endanger them all. 

I'm excited to have Emir tell his story.  He's the oldest of the Al-Nassar siblings and for years he and his twin have shouldered the responsibility of keeping his family together since his parents tragic passing when he was in his early twenties.  In fact, being too serious is what gets him into trouble with his heroine, Kate.  When his sister is kidnapped he recruits help and when he discovers she's female he reacts in a way that puts him immediately at odds with her.  But the two of them together prove to be a powerful combination as they race the clock to find Emir's sister before it's too late.

Setting plays a large role in any story and can be a character in its own rite.  It can act as an antagonist or protagonist as it helps or hinders the hero.  Morocco I found was a powerful setting that really affected the direction of the story.

I loved the setting of Morocco, roaming the streets of Marrakech - exploring the Medina and heading into the Sahara.  It's an amazing place that I visited once a long time ago but would love to explore again.   Memory only takes you so far because after all, the characters needed today's Morocco not yesteryears.  But research found some interesting sites and great information, and found me a new site to follow on Twitter - Magical Morocco.

So, the paperback version is out (e-book comes out April 1).  Copies are available at most bookstores and, of course online at:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ITunes and Kobo.

And, there's more...

Mark your calendars and follow the by clicking here.  That will take you to the Goddess Fish site, scroll down for a list of the participating blogs.  Drop by, enter a comment, ask a question or just say hi.  I'll be hopping from blog to blog all day.  And there's a prize to one reader at the end of the day,  a $20 Amazon gift certificate.

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There's always lots going on and while I don't cover all of it here on the blog, most of it is in the newsletter that gets mailed out whenever there's news.  Plus, there's usually an exclusive contest and really, I do try to be a bit entertaining.  So, if you haven't signed up for my newsletter, The Walkabout - now is the time to stop missing out, sign up here:  Signup to The Walkabout 


Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

Coming soon; Book 2, 3 and 4 of the Desert Justice Series.

Going Against Type

Welcome Sharon Black 

with her latest release

A romantic comedy published by Tirearr Publishing, 

Going Against Type

Sharon will be giving away an e-copy of Going Against Type.
Check out the rafflecopter draw below:

Going against Type is set against the backdrop of the Dublin newspapers.  It's the story of two rival newspaper columnists, who write anonymously, meet and fall in love.  They each have an important reason to guard their alter egos from each other.  So, their relationship develops, as they continue to attack each other, week after week, through their columns.

The story came about partly because I worked as a journalist myself, and even wrote a newspaper column for a short while.  So I knew the idea of the newspaper columnist would be fun.  But the real inspiration came from something else.

When I was growing up, I loved the old Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s.  They were always showing them on TV.  And two of my favourite stars were Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey.  They made a number of films together, and they had such a wonderful on-screen chemistry.

One of my favourite films was Woman of the Year.  In it, Tracey plays a stereotypical sports reporter, and Hepburn plays a high-brow pundit, who has no time for sport.  She publicly dismisses sport as a waste of time, and Tracey leaps to its defense and attacks her views.  When they meet, they spar, but then fall in love.  Later in the film, Tracey finds it hard to cope with the fact that Hepburn has won a prize and her career is flourishing, apparently to the detriment of their marriage!  It's of its time, but it's a great film!

What I did for Going Against Type, was to turn the stereotypes on their head.  Charlotte Regan is a sports reporter, and a girl who has always lived for her sport.  Derry Cullinane is a fashion writer and is quick to dismiss sport in his column.  Because the columns are written under pen names, I was able to build up suspense.  And keep it going longer!



Some would say Charlotte "Charlie" Regan has it all.  Beautiful, smart, athletic and a great job working as a journalist - in the almost exclusively male sports department.  But Charlotte is not quite as sure as she seems.  Recently split from her overbearing boyfriend, she escapes for weekends,surfing in the Atlantic, and spends her free nights watching sports, roaring at the TV.

Derry Cullinane is a fashion writer, gossip columnist and sophisticated man-about-town.  The go-to-guy for any woman seeking expert advice on what fabulous outfit to wear for any given occasion.  He's also tall, dark, good looking - and straight!  So what's the snag?  He has a track record of dating glamorous, vain and shallow women.

Charlie gets an opportunity to write a new column under the pen name Side Swipe, but is soon drawn into a war of words and wit with a rival paper's columnist The Squire - and their verbal fireworks get readers and editors talking.  Yet neither Charlie nor Derry knows just whom the opponent is.

When Charlotte and Derry meet at the Races, the attraction is instant.  As their relationship develops, so much more proves at stake then protecting their alter egos.  But a blunder puts Charlotte's job in jeopardy just as Derry's past makes front page, and Charlotte begins to doubt her feelings.

When Side Swipe and The Squire are finally forced to reveal themselves, will they revert to type--or confound everyone's expectations?

 

 

Sharon's Bio:

Sharon Black grew up in Dublin.  She studied history and politics at University College Dublin and Then did post-graduate in
journalism at Dublin City University.  She has worked for national newspapers, including The Evening Herald and The Irish Examiner.  She had short stories published in U Magazine and the 2010 Drommineer Library Festival short story competition.

When she is not writing, she reads, walks and sees friends.  She co-founded a local book club 14 years ago.  She loves theatre, old Hollywood films, science fiction and good stand-up comedy.

She lives in Sandymount, Dublin, with her husband and their three children.

Visit Sharon at her author page.
Read more about Going Against Type at
most online bookstores.  Here's a link to Going Against Type on Amazon.com or visit her publisher's page:  Tirgearr Publishing


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Blog Hop - Meet The Authors

Lisa McManus Lange invited me to participate in a blog hop.  Today it's a different kind of blog hop.  Not a reader hop, nor a book hop, nor even a review hop.  Today it's an author hop.  How did this happen?  Or more aptly, what is this?

Well it's a hop that passes the torch from one author to another.

But first, a little more about how I got here.  As I said, Lisa McManus Lange invited me.  I met Lisa ages ago when I stumbled on her blog and was intrigued by a fellow Canadian author and by what she had to say.  So I'd leave a comment from time to time and one thing led to another and soon I found us in the "ultimate" of friendship moments "facebook friends".  Seriously, Lisa is one of those go-to girls you can always count on to cheer you on or help you out.  Not only that, but she just published her young-adult book Newbie Nick, the release date coming up soon!

The purpose of all this is so that you can find out a little more about the authors participating in this hop, starting out with me and moving on to the two authors I've tagged - and of course going backwards and checking out what Lisa had to say in her post.  So without further ado - here are the four questions that tell you a little more about me.


1.  What am I working on?
I am in that lull between projects.  The latest romantic suspense was just completed and I've agreed to do a romantic suspense series.  And the lull?  I'm not sure if you can call "thinking about the next stories" a lull.  But the action is all going on in my head right now and not on the computer.  Sorry, to scare some of you folks but yes, that's the way it is - there are voices in my head.  In my world, we writers call them characters.

2.  How does my work differ from others in my genre?
My work differs from others in my genre I think in one word, as with other authors, voice.  Each of us views the world in a different way and that transposes to our writing.  For me, I love exotic locations but I've also learned that one doesn't have to travel too far from home to discover  something that is strange and different and right in your corner of the world.  I like to find the differences and show how very much the same we all are - even in the face of difference.

3.  Why do I write what I do?

-->I write romantic suspense and women's fiction.  The latter is because I love to delve into the human condition, explore how life impacts women and give each story hope too, with a thread of romance weaving through whatever issue they are dealing with. And suspense?  I suppose writing romantic suspense was inevitable.  I grew up a cop's daughter and while other children were told not to talk to strangers, I was told to get a good description of the suspect and report home.   Now, that exchange in an airport or at a temple or the library or...  I think what if that's not just an innocent discussion, what if that's not just a pen, what if it's something more sinister? 

4.  How does my writing process work?
I usually think of an idea - sparked by something I see, hear - might be just a line someone says.  After that I need a setting, once I have that I begin to think of scenarios and then characters - what do they do, who are they?  This is where a lot of the research occurs, making sure I have the facts to make the setting and the characters' motivations real.  Once I have that I begin to write a synopsis and from there I write as close to three final chapters as I can get.  Once I've done that, I start writing.  That's when the organization stops, I write freestyle from there to the end, stopping only for the occasional fact finding mission or sometimes I just mark the trouble spot and worry about all of the remaining "reality" checks when I finish the first draft.

And the authors I've tagged? - Laura Whiskens and Annette Bower.

Laura Whiskens is a writer I met online in a writers' group.  She's one of a number of writers from "across the pond" whose work I've had the pleasure of reading lately.  I stumbled on her when I read her short story Danny Boy and knew I wanted to read more.  If you haven't read this story, I'd highly recommend it. 

Laura J. Whiskens is a British writer who published her first short story in July 2013.  Since Danny Boy was released she has written a further 3 short stories and published a paperback collection of her work, Telling Tales.  She has received 5 * reviews worldwide and is currently working on a new novel, two childrens' books and a further short story in The Hunter collection.

You can view her online blog here:   laurawhiskenswriter.weebly.com/blog.html

Like me, Annette Bower is a Saskatchewan romance writer.  I don't remember the exact time and place that we met but Saskatchewan romance writers are relatively rare, so it was inevitable that we would bump into each other.   Annette's recent Woman of Substance is a thought provoking story that takes us to the heart of what it might be like to live as a morbidly obese woman. 

Annette Bower writes 100 word stories, and short stories that are published in anthologies and magazines.

Annette Bower writes novels, Woman of Substance, and soon to be      re-released, Moving On.

Annette Bower writes with a view of her city 

@ www.annettebower.com/blog and her home is www.annettebower.com.  

She loves company.

Mark your calendars and on June 16, hop on over to Laura's blog and on June 23 hop to Annette's and see how they both answered these same four questions and what authors they've tagged to do the same.  I'm betting that you'll stumble on a few books to add to that "To Be Read" pile.

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Rules Are Made to Be Broken...

 

Rules are made to be broken...

Or are they?

Today I headed to the local rehabilitation hospital to deliver a couple of books for their donation book cart.  It's a quaint little setup that consists of a few carts against a wall in their spacious hallway.  It's basically self-serve with a note to put in a donation if you take a book and a few instructions about leaving books.

Today there was what appeared to be additional instruction, so I hung on to my donation books while I read the rules.  The usual suspects, no beaten or soiled books, large donations needed alternate arrangements and last but not least, deposit the books in the bottom basket where I assumed they'd be sorted out and arranged neatly on the carts later.  So, as instructed, I placed my two books in the bottom basket.

And that's when I realized I was no longer alone.

"I've been watching you."

Great, I think.  Why?

"Organizing the books is my job," the tall, middle-aged woman said.  "And no one puts the books anywhere but there."  She pointed to the second cart where books were organized in a row, spines neatly lined up and level with the next.  "No one reads the sign.  So I watched you standing there to see what you would do.  If you really read the sign."

I look to where she's pointing and glance at the sign.

"You're one of the few that put them where they're supposed to be."

Shall we have a collective sigh of relief?

 

So a few minutes of chit chat later, I left feeling like I'd just gotten a huge pat on the back for being a rules girl.  But was I?

I never thought of being much of one before.  I mean I'll follow rules enough not to cause a ruckus.  If the meeting starts at 9, I'll be there in plenty of time.  The obvious moments when rules matter aside, I don't like following the crowd or the unwritten rules of the crowd.  Of course, sometimes I must out of necessity.  But if the majority are taking the escalator and doing the usual standing in place, I'll be the one walking the escalator, passing the non-walkers or taking the stairs.  I know, small example and there's probably a zillion that are the opposite like living a house, driving a car - having a dog.  But was I following some sort of unwritten rule or just exploring similar interests?

Rules Girl?

I've been mislabeled and there's no better place to look then in a book and my reading habits.  My reading is eclectic and I don't tend to read to trends or what I think of as crowd rule.  And as a writer to be organized and efficient it is said that we should write an outline or at the least, a synopsis - and I try but in the end, the best I have ever written is a synopsis that I can guarantee will hold true for the first three chapters - after that all bets are off.  In the end I've had to tweak that synopsis here and there, and then here again.  Some people write better with an outline but forcing yourself to do something in a way that doesn't come naturally I suspect doesn't deliver the best product.  

Follow the rules, is it a good thing or does it just set us up for mediocrity?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
on Facebook
on Twitter
at Goodreads

Intent to Kill

A ruthless band of smugglers will stop at nothing to strip Cambodia of its priceless ancient artifacts, even if it means using and killing female tourists.  Journalist Claire Linton knows she's on the story of a lifetime.  But for Claire, it's personal too: long before her "Uncle Jack" came to the U.S., he was held captive in the nightmarish killing fields of Cambodia, and Claire senses there might be a connection between that long-ago bloody history and the dark crimes plaguing the country today.


Simon Trent is a burnt-out Interpol agent who disappeared after his last case turned fatal.  But with the resurgence in smuggling and all signs pointing to the man who once escaped his grasp, he comes out of hiding to finish the job that's haunted him for years.  What he doesn't see coming is Claire, the beautiful and headstrong reporter who may be a threat to his case - and to his heart.


As Claire and Simon reluctantly join forces to unravel a mystery that reaches deep into her family history and may be his only chance at redemption, they must fight to stay one step ahead of a brutal killer - and one step away from the dangerous feelings building between them.


My latest romantic suspense, Intent to Kill, was released this week and is now available at online bookstores including: 

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo


Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Suspense and Sass - Meet Author J. M. Griffin And The Esposito Series

Today, I'm happy to welcome J. M. Griffin with her boxed set of mysteries led by a sleuth by the name of Vinnie who caught my attention in the first page.  So read on... I suspect, that like me, you might not want to stop.

As a humorous, cozy mystery writer, J. M. adds a touch of romance to every story.  She believes in fairies, doesn't believe in coincidence, and feels life is what you make it.  Believe in yourself and look at the positive, not the negative, to bring about success.  AND... never stop trying. 

J. M. lives in rural New England with her husband and two very mysterious cats.

Now you can own the first three books in the sassy and suspenseful Esposito Series by J. M. Griffin!

By day, Lavinia (Vinnie) Esposito is a criminal justice instructor at a college in Rhode Island.  By night Vinnie is an amateur sleuth, solving murders while trying to avoid getting yelled at by her Italian father, her hunky protective boyfriend Marcus Richmond, and her sexy upstairs tenant, the mysterious Aaron Grant.

For Love of Livvy (Book 1)

Vinnie investigates the death of her beloved aunt, and a mysterious box is left on her doorstep.

Dirty Trouble (Book 2)

Someone is stalking Vinnie and that's just the beginning of her troubles.

Dead Wrong (Book 3)

Vinnie is out to save her brother from being framed after a valuable painting is stolen.

  Excerpt from Book 1 (For Love of Livvy):

The front door knocker rapped twice after the door bell rang.  I hustled from the rear deck of the gargantuan house to answer the summons.  Someone seemed impatient, and I was curious as to who it was.  My watch read just after eight o'clock.  I swung the heavy door open to find my prospective visitor absent.

It was so quiet, the town ghostly in its seemingly deserted state.  Sundays were always lazy days in Scituate, once church was over.  With a glance up and down the street of the small historic Rhode Island village, neat colonial homes stretched along the sides of the road in both directions.  No one came into view.

On the doorstep, a package addressed to my recently deceased Aunt Livvy sat wrapped in brown paper.  Again, I gawked up and down the street, but only empty sidewalks and barren roadway appeared in the waning light.  The idea of a jaunt along the main drag entered my mind.  I figured it would be senseless since the street was visible for about two hundred yards in either direction.  Whoever had left the package was gone, long gone.

An eternity passed, or so it seemed, while my gaze locked onto the square, little box.  Reluctant to touch it, I decided to call the local fire company to come take a gander.  Call me paranoid, but as a criminal justice instructor, a recent audit of a class on bomb components remained fresh in my mind.  

I quickly stepped into the living room and grabbed the phone.  I dialed the private number of the fire station up the street.  A grunt came across the phone line that could only be Bill MacNert.

"Hey Nerd, its Vinnie," I said.  "A package was just left on my doorstep, could you come down and check it out for me?"


"Sure, you got a secret admirer or somethin?" he cackled, as only senior men can.

"Not likely, but you never know.  This package is addressed to Lavinia Ciano, not Lavinia Esposito and is wrapped in brown paper.  Nobody's here to accompany this little surprise either."

"I'll be right down.  Vinnie, don't touch it."  He warned.

"Okay."

Anxious, I paced back and forth across gleaming hard wood floors in the spacious living room of my newly acquired colonial.    My fingernails tapped the enamel on my teeth as I wandered to and fro.  As irrational as it seemed, I finally leaned against the door jamb inside the entry to wait MacNert to arrive.

It wasn't long before the limber old guy came into view as he hot footed down the street with a stethoscope in his hand.  This particular piece of equipment wasn't quite what I'd expected, but then he wasn't a bomb expert either.

When he arrived on the doorstep slightly out of breath, he glanced at the parcel, and then turned toward me.

"This was just delivered, you say?"  MacNert squinted toward me with wizened brown eyes that twinkled all the time.  It was as though there was a private joke going on inside his head.

"Yeah, someone just knocked on the door, and when I went to answer, there was nobody around.  It didn't seem prudent to mess with it, so I called you."

"You just finished that bomb class, eh?"  He chuckled and then sobered quickly.  Since 9/11, everyone took stuff like this with a serious attitude.  While he chuckled, I knew MacNert was no different.

The stethoscope ends plugged into his ears, Bill laid his diaphragm on top of the package.  Removing  it, he gingerly set it against the sides and listened again.  I didn't make a sound as he stood and glanced up.

"There's no tickin but that doesn't mean it's not explosive.  You should probably call the state police barracks up the road.  Have them send their bomb guys down for a lookie see, just to be on the safe side."

"Geez, I hate to do that.  I'll feel stupid if it's a joke," I whined.

"It's up to you, but if you were nervous enough to call me, then you should call them.  It's just my opinion, Vin."  He stepped over the box and wandered into the entryway.  "Got anythin to eat?  Wifey's out of town visitin her sister and I'm starved."

Bill didn't seem concerned, but then again, he hadn't recently taken a bomb class either.  My eyes never left the box as I answered him.  "There's food in the fridge, help yourself."

I'd known the homely man and his family for years and respected his opinion.  Tapping my fingers against my lips, I called after him, "You're right.  I'll ring the police now, but stick around okay?"

Unwilling to be nailed as over-dramatic by the staties, I reluctantly punched in the numbers.  It was bad enough that the local cops had bugged the shit out of me for the first month after Aunt Livvy's death.  They still stopped by now and then, annoying me even more with stupid questions.  Questions for which I had no answers.

The box set of this trio of J.M. Griffin's novels can be purchased here:

www.lachesispublishing.com/proddetails.asp?prod=EspositoBoxSet1-3E

Find more on J. M. Griffin at:

On Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/JM-Griffin/246751368685078
Her blog:  mycozymysteries.blogspot.com
On Twitter:  mycozymystery

The Difference A Day Makes

Today I'm hosting  Barbara Longley with her latest release The Difference A Day Makes.

Welcome Barbara

And, to start things off - here's a little bit about Barbara:

As a child, Barbara Longley moved frequently, learning early on how to entertain herself with stories.  Adulthood didn't tame her peripatetic ways:  she has lived on an Appalachian commune, taught on an Indian reservation, and traveled the country from coast to coast.  After having children of her own, she decided to try staying put, choosing Minnesota as her home.  By day, she puts her master's degree in special education to use teaching elementary school.   By night, she explores all thing mythical, paranormal, and newsworthy, channeling what she learns into her writing.


Blurb for The Difference A Day Makes

Ryan Malloy has lost it all.  After his fiancee dies in a tragic accident, he enlists in the army, only to lose his best friend in a roadside bombing.  Wracked with guilt and grief, Ryan finds his life unbearable--until a job offer from his former commander gives him a glimmer of hope.  And in the tiny town of Perfect, Indiana, the man who thought he had nothing left to live for meets the only woman who can tempt him into risking his battered heart one last time...

Paige Langford has it all:  wealth, beauty, and ambition.  But when her boyfriend's betrayal leads to the loss of her job and her reputation, she retreats to her brother's rural Indiana home to regroup.  There she meets Ryan Malloy, a gruff, hard-drinking loner whose surly temper can't hide the haunted misery in his eyes.  He is everything Paige never wanted, yet he may be exactly what she needs--if only they can overcome their personal demons to forge a love strong enough to save them both.  

Excerpt from The Difference A Day Makes

Throwing her shoulders back, Paige knocked on Mr. Weil's door.

"Come in," he barked from inside.

Smoothing her face into a professional mien, she opened the door and strode in.  One look at his expression, and she faltered.  He looked serious.  Seriously unhappy.  What the hell?

"Have a seat, Langford."  He moved a pile of folders aside.

She took one of the chairs in front of his huge, imported desk.  "You wanted to see me?"

"Hmmm."  He scowled her way.  "Meyer Construction needed our bid five business days ago.  They never got it.  They've gone with another supplier."

An adrenaline shock shook her system, and her heart leaped in her throat.  She gripped the arms of her chair.  "That's impossible!  I sent that bid with a same-day courier two days before it was due."

"Like I said--they never got it."  He leaned back in his expensive leather chair and fixed her with a baleful scowl.  "I've also had two other accounts you handled complain that their bids were late, holding them up and delaying their contractors.  If it weren't for Anthony Ruger's intervention, we would've lost those accounts as well."

"Anthony's... intervention?"  Her mind spun with the implications.  Anthony?

Her mind flew back to the day the courier had come to the lobby for the Meyer bid.  She'd been in the middle of a phone call, and Anthony had offered to take the envelope down to the lobby for her.  At the time, she'd thought it was sweet.  Come to think of it, he'd also offered to put a few of her bids into the office's outgoing mail bin for her.  No, he wouldn't purposely sabotage her.  Would he?  They were a couple.

Heat filled her face.  "I'm sorry.  It won't happen again."

"Damn straight it won't.  You're fired."

"Oh, no.  There's been a mistake.  I had somebody else put the bids in the mail for me.  They must've forgotten, or..."  Shit.  Shit.  Shit.  She glanced around the office as the reality of Anthony's betrayal sank in.  "I won't let it happen again, Mr. Weil.  I'll get the Meyer Account back somehow."  She sucked in a breath.  "From now on, I will personally put things in the out bin myself, and--"

"Miss Langford, you're done here."

To find out more or to contact Barbara, you can find her online at: 

www.barabaralongley.com

I'm Drowning - And I Won't Put My Feet Down!

2013 started with a bang, the wrong kind of bang.  You know those years when if it could go wrong it did, when worst case scenario became the common denominator?  The first few months of 2013 knocked me on my butt and sent me skidding across the floor.  It was kind of like when my niece was small she wanted to paddle around in our pool but as soon as she got in the water she clung to my neck and refused to let go.  I kept assuring her that the water wasn't over her head, she only needed to put her feet down.  Took a while but she finally put her feet down and after that it was an afternoon love affair with the pool.  Now I know how she felt.  For a while the floor looked safe, after all, once you've landed you can't fall again.

But I got up.  And the first thing I turned to was books.  I've turned into a reading machine but worse, I'm reading books at a time.  Not, that this is abnormal for me - I tend to read three books at once.  But when I sheepishly added book four on my Goodreads list of currently reading and the system really only shows three, well I knew I was heading into the "bad reader" corner.  And then when I made the mistake of going to the library to make copies of the last remnants of what is "owed Caesar' I found myself drawn to the aisles of books where I found not one but two more.  And they were the short-loan books too.

April in Saskatchewan

So I have more to add to the list of four on the go.  That's a little over the top even for me.  So when the librarian also alerted me to the fact that there's a hold on my facebook marketing book, I knew it was all over.  I'd put that book to the side and already double renewed.  Now, I had to either invest in a pair of reading glasses, okay not ready for that, but I needed to get my nose in some books and quickly. 

Hmmm - maybe all this reading is just a way to get out of the winter blahs and into the excitement of spring.  Or maybe, like my mother threatened to do just this afternoon, I should follow her example and just go out and buy a new outfit, preferably something in lime green, brilliant yellow or laughing red.

Seriously, reading is critical to writers and maybe I'm just playing catchup after a few months of drought.

And on other fronts, Monday I'll be over at You Gotta Read Reviews with Fatal Intent.  Stop by leave a comment and if you haven't started already, follow the remainder of the tour or pop by and leave a comment.  There's prizes for comments throughout ending in a grand prize at the end. 

And you, what book has your attention.  Is it fact or is it fiction?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
Ryshia's Goodreads
Ryshia's Facebook

You Won What? - The Liebster Award

Today I was considering what I would write about.  There's been a lot of gloom this year  from weather to that of the more bad news variety and just one too many funerals.  But, unfortunately, that's life.  Still, I was striving for motivation today, struggling with it actually.  I thought maybe I'd give my blog a new face and with fingers poised over the keyboard to begin that, I was waylaid when I found I'd been awarded the Liebster Award!  Now that was motivation!  The blahs slid right off like a cheap coat as I discovered my award all decked out in loveable pink.

 So thank you Murees Depree who is the face behind the fantastic blog Daily Drama of An Aspiring Writer, for awarding me with the Liebster Award.  

What is the Liebster Award?  It's an award given to up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers to show recognition and support.

The Liebster Award Rules

1. Thank the blogger who presented you with the Liebster Award, and link back to his or her blog.

2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator; list 11 random facts about yourself, and create 11 questions for your nominees.

3. Present the Liebster Award to 11 bloggers, who have blogs with 200 followers or less, whom you feel deserve to be noticed. Leave a comment on the blogs letting the owners know they have been chosen. (No tag backs.)

4. Upload the Liebster Award image to your blog.  

Congratulations and Happy Blogging!

And before I collect my award I must answer the questions that Murees provided below:

1. What is the worst job you ever had?  In high school I had a job in the kitchen of a hospital.  It was hot, gloomy and clean up was disgusting.  I lasted a grand total of three days before throwing in the tea towel.
2.  What is your favourite snack?  Theater popcorn - not the kind you get at the grocery store but the popcorn that can only be bought at the theater.
3. What is your favourite TV series?  I honestly don't have one. 
4. Who would you like to meet? (Person could be dead or alive)  My paternal grandfather
5. If you could be any animal, which would it be?  A dog but only if I could be my dog.  I don't know if there's a more spoiled dog on the planet.
6. What are you most grateful for?  I'm grateful for my health and for the health of everyone I care about.
7. What do you hate?  I hate petty people.  Maybe not so much hate as dislike.
8. Do you include exercise into your daily routine?  I walk every day and in the summer I ride my bike and sometimes roller blade.
9. Do you like animals?  I love animals, well most animals.  I admit I'm leery of the ones that might consider me a light snack.
10. What is your favourite season?  Summer
11. What is your favourite food?  ice cream

Eleven random things about myself:
1.  I'm usually awake before sunrise
2.  Halloween trumps Christmas
3.  I make fantastic dog biscuits
4.  I walk at least a mile a day
5.  I love dogs
6.  I don't like rice pudding or tapioca
7.  I love a warm rain
8.  I read two or three books at once
9.  I love being on the road - whether by plane, car, etc.
10. When at a loss for what to do - I'll go to the library
11. I've never ridden on a skidoo

And here are the bloggers I've nominated for the Liebster Award:
Lisa McManus Lange - lisamcmanuslange.blogspot.ca
Tiffany T Cole - tiffanyrambles.blogspot.ca
La Gradiva - postitletterario.blogspot.it
Cerian - rookieromance.blogspot.co.uk
Amy Jo Ehman - homefordinner.blogspot.ca
Rebecca J Clark - shywriters.blogspot.ca
Shelley Banks  - latitudedrifts.blogspot.ca
Trish Jackson - romanticreviewramble.blogspot.ca
JeffO  - doubtingwriter.blogspot.ca
Lee - leezamloch.blogspot.ca
Marcia Colette - marciacolette.wordpress.com

 And the award winners questions:
1)  If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
2)  What are you reading right now?
3)  What do you love about blogging?
4)  What would you rather have, a dog or a cat?
5)  Have you ever been lost?
6)  What's your favourite colour?
7)  Coke or pepsi?
8)  How long have you been blogging?
9)  What's the worst thing a stylist has ever done to your hair?
10) Would you ever jump from a plane?
11) There's a storm coming in - which would you prefer, rain or snow?


Blog Tour Alert - Today's Monday and I'm out visiting again.  My blog tour with Fatal Intent continues with a stop today, Monday, March 11 at Wicked Readings by Tawania.   I'd love to see you there, the more the merrier.  The prizes continue and every stop leads up to the grand prize at the tour's end.   So stop by and leave a comment.

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Escape It All

Well, last night we were hit with a winter storm.  Highways were closed after a spate of vehicles hitting the ditch.  This morning I woke to a world whose blanket of snow just settled a few inches deeper.  Winter isn't ready to give up its stranglehold on the prairies just yet.  So, I was kind of anxious to leave the snow world behind to go visiting.  I'm on tour today with Fatal Intent.  So if you're in the mood to escape the weather, or anything else in your life - or maybe you just want to talk books, come on over to Lisa Haselton's blog where I'm spending the day.  Visit, hang out and get entered to win a prize or two. 

In the meantime let's head somewhere warm and without snow, deep in the pages of Fatal Intent. 
 

Somewhere in the Borneo jungle:

Aidan moved vines back, exposing his face.  They only had to look in his direction.

He was so close he could have reached out and touched her.  She was delicate, out of place here in the midst of this wilderness.  Her skin, even beneath the sweat and exertion-stained flush, was fair.  She wasn't built to be here, she was too slight to survive, too weak, too...

She glanced up.  A frown immediately seared her face.

"Who the hell are you?" she snarled.

He bit back a smile.  She should have screamed.  She hadn't.  All tiny limbs and fragile beauty, and yet she attacked first.

He let his gaze rove over the group, refusing to be corralled by her attack.  

One of the men looked panicked, the others seriously stressed.  He shifted his spear to his other hand and waited, taking the warrior advantage of time and observation.  The silent often learned much about the enemy.

"Put that down."  She gestured to his spear.

His fingers loosened for a millisecond before gripping the spear tighter.  Was she out of her mind?  Green, innocent, and totally forest-illiterate, but she was feisty.

Feisty?  She was seething, hot, absolutely pissed--about what, he wasn't sure.  Her anger didn't make much sense.  Nothing about this afternoon made much sense.

Hope you enjoyed that little diversion from the real world.

Now I'm off to dig a path in a snowbank or two.   

And you - any snowbanks standing in your way?

Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

Passport to Edmonton

Edmonton skyline.

A few months ago I was dusting off the passport but life has a strange way of derailing plans.  So while the passport simmers it was a trip over the border - provincial that is.  Edmonton, Alberta is not exactly international travel but it's a beautiful city to visit despite unseasonably cold weather, that I'll say I griped about - a lot.  

My friend claims no responsibility?

The fire exit that started it all.

If you want to really see a place sight see a little outside the norm.  So we did.  First off there was the fire exit - always know your way outside the hotel in case of emergency.  However, note to self, if there's a sensor box on the top of the door and no sign - don't open the door unless there's a fire.  Unfortunately, I opened the door.  So with a siren wailing, I had to admit my error to the hotel concierge.

A bus window view of things.

With a bad start behind us it was off to the bus stop.  I rarely travel by bus but my friend insisted that it was the way to go.  Unfortunately on Saturday the buses only run every half hour.  We found that out as our toes began to curl trying to preserve what heat there was left in our feet.

The bus is a whole other world and you're only getting a brief glimpse.  Who is the young man that keeps hiding behind the hood of his hoodie?  Who is the older woman who is chatting up the young man with the heavy accent?  Are they lovers or...   Then there's the girl with the sad eyes and the bleached blonde hair with the heavy swathe of blue cutting across one side - what's her story?  Overhead are the signs warning against bad behavior on the buses.  I glance warily around the bus for the culprit that may have instigated such persistent warnings - for the signs are everywhere.  But the ride turned out uneventful.  Instead we soon discovered that like foreign travel, even when English is the first language of everyone involved, there can be communication break down.  This time it meant a six block walk in the cold.

Musicians, Edmonton Farmers Market

Edmonton's Farmers Market

It was then that we discovered a real find - a farmers market.  Again, not something I'd usually tour while in Edmonton.  I'm glad we did.  It was fantastic.   A group of musicians greeted us at the entry with a variety of warm and vibrant down-home music.  They set the tone for the visit.  We nibbled our way through the displays that ranged from the usual vegetables and meats to homemade cotton candy and designer hats, while we listened to lively music and chatted with local merchants. 

Edmonton was cold!!

By the time we reached the West Edmonton Mall it was near the end of the day and the beginning of sore feet.  As a result, I walked out of a store I have mentioned more times then my hubbie wants to remember with no bags in hand.  How could I go there and buy nothing after all that hype, he'll ask later - I'm sure of it.  But a cold beer and a warm Irish Pub just seemed like a nicer ending to a busy day than one more shopping bag.  And it was only one more bus ride away!

There's a world out there, outside the norm.  And this weekend I found it.  As a seatmate said on the return flight, "it was a change from what we were used to".  By this she referred to emigrating from the UK and coming to Canada.  Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone!  A trip to the West Edmonton Mall hardly seems worth mentioning.  But in the end it all makes for a good story - big or small a story is just a step outside the norm.


Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com