My Mascot for Shadows of Valor!

The historical backdrop for my novel, Shadows of Valor, touches on the illegal practice of smuggling wool from England in 1300 A.D. after King Edward I levied a heavy tax on it. I was at a local thrift store the other day and found the cutest little sheep buried among other second hand stuffed animals. I thought, "Hey, I could use that little guy!" And so I did. He is now my unofficial mascot for Shadows of Valor, sporting a sign picketing against smugglers by stating "HARK YE:  Say 'NO' to smuggling wool (it's ba-a-a-a-d)". What a cutie!

FAIRY GODMOTHERS, INC.

In a world where fairy tale situations are as much a fact of life as death and taxes, everyone knows hiring Fairy Godmothers, Inc. is the best way to assure that your beautiful daughter or enchanted frog of a grandson will get the happily-ever-after he or she deserves. Sure, sometimes a little love potion is required to make sure those quotas stay up, but what Prince Charming doesn't know won't hurt him. Kate, an experienced Fairy Godmother, who's enough of a romantic to frustrate her rigidly rule-bound boss, has just received a specialty assignment from one of the company's board of directors. Cinderella—Rellie for short—was placed with an appropriately wicked stepfamily years before, and now needs the dress, ball, and handsome prince to complete her happily-ever-after. The fact that Rellie isn't sure this is her dream come true—balls are fun, but princes tend to be less interesting than fluffy bunnies—isn't something management considers a problem. Complicating things a bit is Jon, the youngest son of the royal family, who meets Kate, and is smitten, but isn't quite ready yet to reveal his true identity. After all, it's his older brother Rupert who's supposed to marry Rellie, which means pretending to be a lowly civil servant will give him the chance to spend more time with Kate. (As long as he can get the ball arranged, and stop Rupert from getting himself into trouble over his "self-actualization" business, he should have the perfect opportunity to explain everything and get started on making a little magic with the Fairy Godmother of his dreams.) But, of course, things never ever happen as planned. (preceding synopsis by Jolly Fish Press)

Fairy Godmothers, Inc., a hilarious and witty debut novel from Jenniffer Wardell, was released April 27, 2013. Wardell uses her experience in journalism and theater to create a perfectly flawed and (hopelessly) romantic adaptation of an age-old fairy tale. Topped with Wardell's unprecedented knack for sarcastic humor, Fairy Godmothers, Inc. will leave readers desperate for more, while theater and movie producers clamber for production rights.


For more details on Fairy Godmothers, Inc., or to review the novel, contact Kirk Cunningham at kirk@jollyfishpress.com.


Publication Date: April 27, 2013
Jennifer Wardell is the arts, entertainment, and lifestyle reporter for the Davis Clipper. She's won several awards from the Utah Press Association and the Utah Headliners Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She currently lives in Layton, Utah.

Fairy Godmothers, Inc. is Wardell's first novel.



Find her online here:
Facebook: facebook.com/JennifferWardell
Twitter: @wardellwriter
Website: jennifferwardell.blogspot.com

Below is a link to the giveaway for the tour, which will go live April 22nd to May 4th. 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDQ4NmY1MmY0NmFkNjI0NTc2NDI1MTIxMWYxNTE4OjQ=/

PITCH GREEN book review

In this story, young children have turned up missing without a trace for over 50 years in Trona. Cal and Camm, friends since childhood, set out to discover why. Their investigation leads them to an abandoned mansion next to the chemical plant. But there's more to the old building than its dark halls. A sinister presence inhabits the place and has set it's sights on the interloping duo as they cross into its territory. 

Pitch Green, a young adult suspense/horror by The BrothersWashburn (published by Jolly Fish Press) is a 277-page mystery that reminded me of the good old Hardy Boys (a childhood favorite of mine), though with a little more blood and guts. I finished the story in two days. It would have been one had I started it earlier in the day and not had chores and children to look after *smile*. The book gripped me from the first chapter and continued to hold my eager interest from page to page until the bitter end.

I liked the characters because they were realistic and made their decisions with logical and intelligent thought (something I really appreciate). It was neat to see the small desert town of Trona, California, through the eyes of the characters (and thus though the eyes of the authors, as well, since they grew up there). Because of this story, I can see Trona, a location previously unknown and uninteresting to most, becoming the next “fascinating landmark to visit” on vacation routes through California to see where this creepy story took place.

Pitch Green is a good read for both young adults and adults, especially for those who enjoy a great suspenseful mystery without major bad language and sex, though "son of a b----" appears twice in the story, and there is some violence and blood as expected from any story in the horror genre.

Well done, Berk and Andy Washburn! I await your second book with bated breath. And I love the picture on the back cover. Your expressions seem to say, “We dare you to read our story in the middle of the night when you’re all alone.” *big grin*

Pitch Green is available to order at any bookstore, online and on e-readers.

Note: There are scenes with sculls, rotting flesh, blood, broken bones and torn limbs in this story, but as Pitch Green is a young adult novel, the images are tastefully reined in to give the reader a sense of the action and danger without overdoing the gruesome factor.

Composing a Musical Score for SHADOWS OF VALOR Book Trailer

I mentioned some months ago that my publisher asked if I would take some of the music in my story, Shadows of Valor, and compile a 2-minute musical score for my book trailer. I had never done anything beyond writing music for piano, so I was in for an education about other instruments and how well they went together (or how they didn’t go together in some instances). Thank goodness my Finale Print Music computer program had the option to add different instruments to the score and to separate them out into different staffs, keeping everything in order. I fiddled with the violin, cello, contra bass strings, several drums, flute, recorder, piano of course, and the acoustic guitar.

Through the help of my way awesome and very patient brother-in-law, Michael Park, I learned how to save my files into “midi” form so he could easily transfer them into his amazing program that contained hundreds of instruments and great mixing capabilities. Through many hours of work and using up Mike and his wife’s free time, we got the first version ready for approval, sending it off to Christopher Loke at Jolly Fish Press (my publisher). Well, he had some issues with a few notes, the speed and instrument choices not being quite right and not synchronizing with what Chris had in mind.

Soooo, back to the drawing board.

We slowed things down a bit, took out some instruments, added others, even put in some choir voices, a tambourine and jazzed up the drums a bit. We sent it to Chris and . . . yeah . . . not a go this time either. We’d added TOO MUCH “fluff” and needed to drastically simply it. The problem with having a TON of instruments at your fingertips is that it’s too easy to go crazy and use too many of them *smile*.

To make sure we caught the vision this time, Chris played music for me over the phone and sent me samples on my e-mail, allowing me hear the particular sounds he envisioned in his head. He even hummed, awed, and sang samples until I finally felt we were on the same page.

With renewed confidence that I hadn’t gotten in over my head in this new venture, my brother-in-law and I began working on the third version. We cut the instruments down to the bare minimum, abridging to the point of the music sounding uncomplicated and almost raw in its simplicity. The 2-minute arrangement had two parts, the first representing my female heroine in a melodic tune taken from my song “May’s Good Day” and brought out by only right treble clef piano and bass clef cello. The second part, taken from my song “One Brave Knight” represents my male hero with a darker, almost war-like refrain that’s beat out with the cello, contra bass strings, bass drum and timpani drum.

With bated breath, I sent this third version to Chris and waited on his phone call, which, with the previous versions, had come within minutes of his receiving it. But this time, no call, no e-mail response . . . nothing! CRAP! Was he completely fed up with my incompetence that he didn’t call back because he didn’t know what to tell me this time? Had he not received the e-mail with attached mp3? Was he just at lunch? Was he super busy and didn’t have time to respond yet (the most likely of all the possibilities). I tried doing other things, checking my e-mail for a response every 30 seconds, but when four hours or so went by without anything, I decided to call, Chris. I HAD TO KNOW what he thought of this version.

Well, turned out he was way busy and even in a meeting at the time I called, but awesome boss that he is, he answered my call instead of making me wait until later when he actually had the time to talk *smile*.

And the verdict . . . THE ARRANGEMENT WAS JUST WHAT HE WANTED!!! YEA!!! Aside from a few minor mixing issues to clean up, it was a go. I WAS SO RELIEVED!!! We cleaned up the score and saved it to a “wav” format before sending the final version to Chris.

I can’t WAIT to see how my music goes with the visual trailer.

Shadows of Valor will be released and also be available on e-readers September 7, 2013!

This is the simple piano version of my score (click to enlarge):

My Review of Adrienne Monson's "Dissension"

Dissension by Adrienne Monson, book one in The Blood Inheritance trilogy.

Though not for those squeamish about blood, Dissension takes the reader on a journey unlike any other vampire story I've heard. This is an interesting and fast-paced telling of an age-old war between vampires and immortals which commenced from the day of their origin thousands of years before. A difficult romance between two main characters who hope for unification accompanies the story as an underlying dilemma to overcome. Prophecy is told of a child who will affect the war as each division races to find the child first, each hoping to utilize him for their own purposes.

Monson executes her scenes with an effective hand, allowing the reader to picture exactly what needs to be seen and experienced. Dissension introduces an interesting take on vampire and immortal origins that no other book or movie have ever touched as far as I know (though I’m no authority on vampire lore). Monson establishes an interesting and intricate romance between her main characters, adding an intriguing twist at the end concerning a particular association. Monson also integrates multicultural characters throughout the book, appealing to readers of all ethnicities.

There’s no harsh language in her story (though I think “hell” or “damn” might have appeared once or twice). There are, however, quite a few violent images, including plenty of blood, breaking bones and fighting with knives and guns, as the aggressive and even sadistic lives of the vampires influence the content.

Overall, the story is fast-paced and keeps the reader interested to the end. Monson wraps up many events in the first book, while others remain open, leaving the reader curious about how the next two books will continue the war between vampires and immortals. How will the prophecy child appear and what role will he play in the entire event?

NOTE: This book is not for young readers or adults sensitive to brutal imagery as there is a violent overtone about the book (similar to what one might see and hear on CSI shows). Though Monson doesn't describe explicitly, she insinuates about sadistic sex, torture, murder and even the disturbing implication of vampires feeding on a mother and her newborn babe, all of which make this a read one for a strong and mature mind.

Go to the Jolly Fish Press site for links on where to purchase Dissension.

BAKED SCOTCH EGGS

I was first introduced to the Scotch egg at a Scottish Festival in Payson, Utah some years ago, and I have been hooked on them ever since. Although the history and year of origin are debated and obscure (circa 1700s England), there's no disputing that Scotch eggs are a delightful and savory dish. A Scotch egg consists of a hard-boiled egg (with shell removed) wrapped completely in raw sausage meat and then rolled in fine bread crumbs before being deep fried or baked. Here is a simple recipe for baked Scotch eggs.

Ingredients
16-ounces sausage meat (or ground turkey for a healthier, albeit, non-traditional option)
8 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
8-10 Tablespoons fine dried breadcrumbs (or finely crushed buttery crackers)
1 egg, beaten

Directions
Divide sausage (or ground turkey) into 8 equal portions. Pat out each portion to about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick rounds. Wrap sausage completely around each hard-boiled egg. Seal by pressing meat around the egg. Dip meat-covered eggs in beaten egg, and then roll to coat in breadcrumbs (or cracker crumbs). Place on baking tray and bake in oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 Celsius) for about 25-30 minutes (45 minutes if there are a lot in the pan) until outside is lightly browned and meat is done inside.

ENJOY!

Note - although the sausage and egg yolk reheats well in the microwave after freezing, the egg white tends to separate and have a rubbery texture near inedible. They are best eaten fresh from the oven the first time. :) 

Good diet and exercise regimen!

So I’ve tried and failed to lose fat so many times, my resolve deflating faster than a balloon let loose in the air. I didn’t even lose the weight after posting a blog article almost a year ago stating that I was “sure to do it this time”. I started out strong (too strong), adhering to a really strict diet and rigorous exercise routine, loosing 10 pounds the first two weeks. But I got burned out and quit. Over the following months, I gained the weight back and then some. I didn’t get my resolve back to try again until the end of January 2013.

My new approach was to try eating healthy FIRST (always the hardest part for me) and then add a daily exercise routine. I knew that no amount of exercise could truly compensate for unhealthy and over eating. I didn’t do any crazy diet or take pills. I just made healthy choices with veggies, high anti-oxidant fruits, healthy fats, oatmeal and cutting down on my glutinous grains. I kept the toasted English muffin and tortilla in my diet, however. They filled my stomach, helping me feel satisfied. They gave substance to my proteins and veggies, like when I made a fat-free turkey or black bean, stewed tomato and leafy veggie tortilla wrap. 

And guess what happened when I chose water instead of other drinks and ate healthy, keeping my daily caloric intake between 1,300 and 1,500? Combined with my usual daily chores, running the kids around, laundry, dishes and cleaning, I lost 3 pounds the first week and 3 the next – JUST by eating healthier. After two weeks of this, I felt confident enough to incorporate an exercise routine without the risk of sabotaging my efforts through bad eating.

I did 45 minutes to an hour of sweating exercise 6 days a week (taking every Sunday off). I jogged on a Planet Fitness treadmill or outside as weather permitted or I did aerobics in my home. I did all my exercising in the morning after dropping my first-grader off at school and before the younger ones got up for the day. It was sometimes hard when I felt like I needed more sleep, but I forced myself to stay up and just do it.

http://www.culinarycolleen.com/green-smoothie-beginners/

Back to my diet, the reason I’ve failed in the past is because I’ve always felt lacking in a full tummy and satisfied taste buds. I actually DON’T enjoy green salads. Eating large salads as a meal take time to prepare and even longer to consume. I thought, if I could only drink my salad, that would be something. Well, green smoothies were the answer to that. I mixed frozen berries and other fruits, a banana to add creaminess, a large handful of raw spinach leaves (you don’t even taste the spinach when it’s all mixed in), and a little water or almond milk for desired viscosity. The result was an enjoyable drink that went down fast and smooth.  

I also rediscovered the avocado. Some people shy away from this fruit because they either dislike the taste or know that one avocado contains 30 grams of fat, albeit good fat. Well I LOVE the avocado with a little salt and pepper, but only allow myself a quarter each day because of the fat content. I actually spread it on my toasted English muffin. Finding foods that I like, and are healthy, have made all the difference in sticking to healthy eating. I don’t have to JUST eat salads or raw nuts (nuts give me canker sores) or tofu (never cared much for tofu). There are SO MANY good foods out there that I can eat and enjoy that help me stick to a healthy diet, have energy to workout and still lose weight and not feel deprived at the end of the day.

HOWEVER, not being perfect by any means, once in a while, if I’m having a rough day and the thought of sweets won’t leave, I’ll grab either a fun size Three Musketeers candy bar (regular or mint), a mini peppermint patty, or I pop about 15 M&Ms into my mouth. As long as I have the restraint to stop there (and I do), my craving is satisfied and my diet is still on track (but I’m sure to jot down the calories and fat from the extra treat). I write down ALL my calories.

So there you go. This is what presently works for me. I’ve lost 20 pounds in the two months since I began, and I am working on the next 10. I have my brother’s wedding coming up as well as publicity pictures in preparation for the release of my debut novel, Shadows of Valor. I want to feel and look good for those occasions.

I’d love to hear what works for you.

YA Horror/Suspense by The Brothers Washburn

PITCH GREEN is the first installment in the Dimensions in Death series and is set for release March 16^th, 2013. This impressive novel successfully reinvigorates the horror genre for YA and Adult readers. With a pinch of humor and dash of romance, the Brothers Washburn's impressive writing styles have combined to create a magnificently fresh, and horrifying, debut novel.

SYNOPSIS:

Trona is a small, smoggy, mostly insignificant town in California. Besides a booming chemical plant, the only thing that characterizes this dismal town is dirt, sagebrush, and an enormous abandoned mansion. The mansion is, admittedly, the only notable addition to Trona, but it's something everyone tries to avoid due to its creepy facade. Everyone except for Camm Smith, who is obsessed with the need to get inside. Seven years earlier, as Camm herded a pack of little trick-or-treaters past the mansion, her young neighbor, Hughie, disappeared, becoming one of the many children who have vanished from Trona over the years without a trace. Now a senior in high school, Camm is still haunted by the old tragedy, and is sure the answer to the mysterious disappearances lies hidden somewhere in the decaying mansion. Joining forces with her best friend, Cal, who also happens to be Hughie's older brother, Camm naively begins a perilous search for the truth. As things spiral quickly out of control, and others die, Camm and Cal discover it will take all their combined ingenuity to stay alive. An unseen evil lurking deep within the bowels of the mansion is now hunting them. To make matters worse, they become entangled with hostile federal agents, who will do all they can to keep old secrets permanently hidden. Left with only their wit and seemingly ineffective firearms, Camm and Cal know time is running out. Unless they can make sense of the few pieces of the puzzle they manage to unearth, their lives are in danger, and like so many others before them, they may also disappear without a trace.

Synopsis by Jolly Fish Press - http://www.jollyfishpress.com/press%20release/010913_Pitch_Green_PR.html

There is a giveaway created for this tour located at: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDQ4NmY1MmY0NmFkNjI0NTc2NDI1MTIxMWYxNTE4OjM=/

Berk and Andy Washburn are lawyers by profession, writers at heart. They are the co-authors of Pitch Green.

Blog - http://thebrotherswashburn.blogspot.com/

Twitter – @BrosWashburn

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/TheBrothersWashburn

 

Computer up and running and BACKED UP!

http://nexusconsultancy.co.uk/system-administrator-appreciation-day/

Okay, HAPPY DAY everyone! In a nutshell, after my computer wouldn't boot up yesterday, claiming to have a ton of corrupt files, my computer is up and running again and nothing was lost. Chris spent seven hours working on my computer. He hooked my hard drive into his computer and transferred all my files onto his computer. He then put the hard drive back into mine and after working out quite a few bugs, trip-ups and launch failures he was able to reformat and reinstall Windows (which was the main problem with corrupt files - still don't know if I had a virus or if it was just a fluke) - scared the CRAP out of me, though, I can tell you. I bought a 16-GB thumb drive and backed up ALL my files onto that before copying them onto my reformatted computer. All seems to be well again. I owe my husband BIG!!! He's my hero!

Balancing Writing and Social Media

I had planned on posting a few paragraphs on this subject, but this morning my computer decided to crash, taking with it my post files, my journal entries, my musical compositions, all the pages I'd typed in my new novel, my research notes, contact information for friends, family, fellow authors and so much more. And nothing was backed up because I had no available thumb drive and my floppy disk drive was broken on my hand-me-down computer.

So, that being said, I had previously sent a paragraph of my thoughts on writing and social media to my fellow author, Ann Marie Meyers, who is posting hers, mine and several other authors' paragraphs on the subject. I'm just going to send you to Ann Marie's blog address and let you read my words there.

I'm still hoping to extract my computer files from my hard drive somehow, but this may take days to figure out.