Blog Tour: Terra's Wrath by Meaka Kyel

  

I am honored to be a part of Meaka Kyel's blog tour for her latest release, Terra'sWrath. I'm a big fan of Meaka's, and I've been waiting for this book to come out. I mowed through it in two days because I had a hard time putting it down.

Meaka is going to be giving away a signed paperback of Terra's Wrath to a lucky winner here on my blog. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below with your email address or Twitter name, so I can contact you. That's it. I'll pick a winner on the 4/27. The giveaway is international too. For other stops on the tour, check out Meaka's blog here.

"Get on with it!" Max paled.

The shop shook with a sudden burst of lightning and the ensuing thunder.

The man looked up to the ceiling. "Your mother knows I'm talking to you. She's very upset. Max, please. You need to hide."

Freak storms, changing climates...they're all proof that global warming is starting to change our planet. It was only a matter of time before Mother Nature got upset with the damage we were causing. What we never could have anticipated, was how she was planning to get rid of her problem.

I'm happy to say, Lane, from Terra's Wrath, agreed to bend the new "no technology" rule to do an interview with me. It was approved, but if the weather gets too strange. Keep an eye out.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Lane. I know you guys have been busy since the near apocalypse. I love your relationship with Gabby. What is your favorite memory of her before all of this craziness started?

Wow. That's a hard one. Most of my memories involve Gabby. *laughs* Hmmm...I'd have to say the one that comes to mind often now that things have calmed down is the day we got Iggy. We'd just moved into our first apartment, and we went to the pet store because I wanted a cat. She saw Iggy and fell in love. I pretended to argue, but I'll admit now it was just for show. *grins* The look on her face when we put him in his tank at home was priceless. I never regretted not getting a cat.

I've had two iguanas myself, so I don't blame you. Way better than cats. Sorry about Iggy, by the way.

You are surrounded by an amazing group of young people who may not have been able to accomplish what they did in their lives without you and  Gabby. What made you want to work with troubled kids?

Without a doubt, it was because of the lives we had growing up. It was never even something we discussed. It was just a natural step in our lives. I come from a broken home. My dad left when I was young, and my mom did a fantastic job of providing for us until I was old enough to get a job and help her out. Gabby was bounced around from foster home to foster home since she was a baby. We had each other and because of that, we made out okay. Not every kid is that lucky. We just wanted to give that family, that stability, to as many as we could.

Well, I have to say, I'm very impressed. Those kids rallied together like family to help each other. You should be proud.

Now that your lives have changed so drastically, what has been the hardest to adjust to?

No cell phones, no ATMs, no real medical equipment. It's really amazing how we as a human race had come to depend on technology. It's like being stuck in an old western movie. *grins* I have to admit, though, that it's better than being stuck in a zombie movie.

Man, I hear that! Those yellow eyed freaks scared the crap out of me! Can't imagine trying to get along without technology, but I imagine it might not be as bad as we think.

If you could go back before all of this craziness started, would you change anything?

I'd have kissed Gabs on the beach when we were eighteen. It's the only thing I regret.

Yeah...that's what I would have guessed...*sigh*

Now that humans are trying to recover and rebuild, do you think they will make the same mistakes over again?

I sure hope not. The planet is on the mend and as long as we don't do any more damage, Terra has promised to leave us alone. It's actually kind of nice, really. The connection between people has seemed to strengthen even though it's harder to get a hold of people. There's no such thing as a quick text anymore. If we want to talk to Pete and Marie, we saddle up the horses and go for the day. Everyone meets in the city on Saturdays and brings whatever they want to trade. In the evening, it's a huge potluck. To make the same mistakes all over again? Well, I can only hope it never comes to that.

That actually sounds really nice. I think humans would be a lot better off if we turned off the electronic equipment and spent more face to face time.

Now that you aren't running for your life, how do you stay so fit? *shy fan girl smile*

*grins* Chopping wood, fixing fences, hand baling...the usual.

Chopping wood...that would work. Um...I have more questions,,,*awkward paper shuffling* 

*clears throat* What are your plans for the future?

Well, there will be a wedding in a few weeks. We have the cutest flower girl. You should see baby Ashley walk around now. Other than that, it's a day by day operation. :) Enjoy the sun when it's out, Stay indoors and cuddle when it storms. *wink, wink*

That doesn't sound bad at all. *winks back* Congratulations on the wedding! Be sure to tell Meaka all the details, so she can share with us!

I most definitely will. She mentioned something about following up on us in a second novel... Oops. I don't think I was supposed to say anything. That's just between us, right?

Sure. *wink wink* I won't say a word about a second novel that I already can't wait to read!

Here are a few quick questions...Favorite post apocalyptic drink?

Well, water for the most part. LOL Gabby attempted to make some dandelion wine, but, um... yeah.

Dandelion wine...would love to hear that story some time...lol. So what do you miss most?

Tim Horton's double double coffee and bagel in the mornings. *laughs then sombers* And Iggy. I miss Iggy.

Man, I didn't even think about coffee. Sigh... Aw...Iggy *cyber hugs*

Weapon of choice?

Rifle. There's less chance of getting hurt if you're far away.

Good call. Ok, last but not least...If you could have one pre-apocalyptic day, what would you do?

I'd do what I used to love doing the most in those days. I'd sit on the couch and Gabby would lay with her head on my lap and we'd watch a movie. We'd make nachos and drink a beer. But this time, when we said goodnight, I'd make sure to kiss the hell out of her.

Sounds like a perfect evening, Lane. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me. Enjoy your wedding day with Gabby and the rest of the crew! I meant what I said about keeping in touch with Meaka. I want to know how you guys are doing. Say hello to Gabby and the rest of the bunch for me!

Thanks for having me, Michelle! It was great. I'll let the crew know you say hey, and if Meaka says anything to me about the new book, I'll be sure to sneak the information over to you. *grins*

I would love that! Thank you! *big fan girl smile*

Connect with Meaka Kyel on

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And on her blog

Our Ghost Adventure at Preston Castle

Let me just say first off that I don’t believe in ghosts. However, my best friend, Shelbi, is a huge fan of Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, etc., and I have to admit, I love to watch the shows too.

The guys from Ghost Adventures (see episode here) and Ghost Hunters (see episode here) happened to investigate a place called Preston Castle, which was originally called the Preston School of Industry that opened in 1894. You can read more about the history of the school here. They took in male juvenile delinquents and orphans. Preston certainly saw its share of violence, including the brutal murders of the head housekeeper, Anna Corbin, and one of the male teachers. Several of the boys also died under suspicious circumstances, and one young man was shot trying to escape.

Preston Castle has been closed since 1994, and has been a very popular spot with paranormal investigators. It is now a California State Landmark and is undergoing repairs to the extensive damage inside the building.

Since it's within driving distance of us, Shelbi talked me and our friend Angel into going on one of the tours (they also offer and overnight ghost tour). I decided to humor her and go along for fun.

I brought my digital camera to take pictures of our tour. Oddly enough, orbs started showing up in some of the shots. The only other time an orb has appeared in one of my camera shots is when Shelbi dragged me on a ghost tour in San Francisco, and I took a picture inside a hotel that was reportedly haunted. So, that’s a little strange. Here are some of the pictures I took at Preston Castle.

There was nothing in the initial pictures I took, but at one point in the tour, we were in one of the typical employee rooms, when I took a pic and noticed an orb over the tour guide's head. From then on, I got some really weird pics.

Here is the kitchen. Through that door is the storage space where they found Anna Corbin's body in. She had been strangled and bludgeoned beyond recognition. There were three orbs in this shot.

Here are some various pics I took while we were on the tour.

Poor unsuspecting people.

I took this picture because I loved the woodwork on these doors.

These two orbs appear to be playing musical chairs.

Spooky random stairway orbs.

An orb taking a bath.

Orbs hanging out in the basement that has been converted to a wine tasting/event room. Who can blame them?

And this pic, I like to call The Gates of Heeeeeeeeeeell 

using my best epic scary demon voice.

We also saw some of the X's placed by the 

Ghost Adventures guys for the show.

At Preston, they run some of the paranormal footage while people wait for the tours to start. They had a recording from the infirmary of the gurney below moving on its own.

Ghosts? I'm still not a believer. Shelbi is trying to talk me into getting some ghost hunting equipment and doing the overnight ghost tour. I'll let you know if we decide get that crazy.

Book Signing - San Jose Fantasy Faire

I'm going to be at the San Jose Fantasy Faire selling and signing my books on April 13-14 along with several other authors. You can get more information on the faire website http://www.sjfantasy.com/. It looks like it is going to be a lot of fun. If you're going to be in the area, I would love for you to come by and say "Hi!" 

Cyber Bullying on Goodreads: Take 2

Wow…ever write a blog and accidentally kick a hornets’ nest? That’s what happened to me with my original Cyber Bullying on Goodreads post. The point of that particular article was that Goodreads didn’t really respond to my questions about how they deal with people who abuse their review policy. I have heard terrible stories about cyber bullying (against authors and reviewers/readers alike) as I’m sure most of you have. In that blog, I was trying to point out that Goodreads may not be addressing the issue as well as they should.

Now with 16 million users on Goodreads, there are bound to be a few mean people in the mix. What I wanted to do was raise awareness of cyber bullying in general, and to encourage people to be respectful towards each other and report abuse if they happened to run across it. I don’t think it is possible for the people at Goodreads to police 16 million people without some help from their users. It was never my intention to single people out, name names, or point fingers. My point was more general: cyber bullying is an issue we all need to be concerned with.

While I did mention one site that reports on alleged bullying incidents, it was never my intention to support or validate any one website or promote any one single side of this topic. Again, my focus was on my issues with Goodreads lack of response to my questions, and I was wondering aloud what effect, if any, Amazon’s purchase of Goodreads might have on the future of that site.

I really appreciated the responses to that post, and those of you who commented. It made me realize what an incredibly sensitive topic this is. I knew that before, but I was a little overwhelmed by the emotional responses I received. When things got personal between some of the people commenting, I opted to remove the post. I don’t mind respectful discussion or dissenting opinions. I love to hear what other people think. I have learned a great deal from the comments people have left on my blog, but I didn’t want my post about cyber bullying to turn into a perfect example of it.

We only have each other…play nice.

Insanity Workout Update - Insane to Ridiculous

Ok, for the few people who have been following my Insanity Workout adventure, you know I should be in the second, more challenging month by now. At least, that was the plan.

After I finished the first 30 days, I was feeling pretty proud of myself. With the exception of a conference I had to attend for work, I followed the exercise plan as directed. I even made up the conference days. Then I followed the one week of "rest" which just meant all the sweat with half the cardio. The idea is to give your body a break after the first month by doing some stretching and deep muscle work to prepare you for the second 30 days of Insanity.

On the first day of the second month, I opened the video on the schedule and the first thing I noticed was the extra time. The workout had been bumped up, so it was now almost an hour instead of approximately 40-45 minutes. Ok, I could handle that. Then the workout started. The workouts went from Insanity to straight up ridiculous. I couldn't keep up. It quickly became obvious that, while I was in the best shape I have been in in several years, I was not in their shape.

While it pained me to admit it, I wasn't ready for the second 30 days. I'm not a quitter though, so I decided to continue doing the first month video rotation until I can work out at 80-90% of the intensity Shaun T is doing. When I can do that, I'll move on to the next level. It's like Shaun T says "I don't want to hurt you. I just want to make you better."

I'm really pleased with the changes in my body. My cardio and endurance has really improved as has my flexibility. Even the hubby has noticed. The program is definitely worth it, but people do need to be aware of their limitations.

The only problem I had with the program is the amount of jumping and squatting. It did make my knees sore, which I hadn't had problems with before. It doesn't seem to be any kind of permanent damage or injury, but it is bothersome. I have scaled back a bit and that seems to have helped.

The Insanity Workout program comes with a recommended food plan that does have some really good recipes and advice as far as eating right. What it doesn't have is foods to avoid. I happen to have found some of those, so I'll share with you.

Foods to avoid eating within several hours of doing the Insanity Workout:

• Polish Sausage
• Brats
• Pizza
• Cupcakes
• Ice Cream
• Chocolate chip cookie dough

Probably safe to say that you should avoid anything with a lot of sugar. As a general rule, think of healthy crap people eat on television and go with that. You know, stuff like fish, chicken, vegetables and fruit. Crap like that. At least before the workout anyway. Happy exercising!

Guest Post - Ego/Fear by Scott Morgan, WriteHook

I am absolutely thrilled to have Scott Morgan on my blog. I have been a fan of Scott's for some time. If you haven't had a chance to check out Scott's work, you are missing out. One of his favorite sayings is "Write for the Jugular," and he does just that. He is fearless when it comes to writing, and I admire that. I recently finished his latest book, How To Be A Whiny Beeyotch: 71 Writing Excuses Meet the Back of My Hand, a humorous look at the excuses writers use and how to get around them and get back on track. I learned a few tricks that I plan to use in scheduling my own writing time. I'm currently reading (and loving) his short story collection, Stories My Evil Twin Made Up. Many thanks to Scott for this guest post.

Ego/Fear

I was nine years old and underground the day my self-esteem died. On the other hand, Jill's pre-tween glower and women's lib indignation probably cemented my sense of melodrama, and maybe the trade-off was worth it.

Need me to back up a skosh? All right, then, let's look at me a year before the Jillening. At the age of eight I was a mack with the girls, just not in the way you think. My natural tendency then, as it is now, is to just … say things. At the time, I didn't realize that the way I say things tends to come off as if I'm giving commands. Which I'm not.

Girls usually just went along with it. I would take their hands and have them follow me ‒‒ to where and for what purposes are as much your guess as mine. They would giggle and pretend to be horrified in that way little girls flirt with little boys.

I grabbed Jill's wrist during rehearsal for some god-awful stage show we were putting on in the church basement in third grade. She didn't know where she needed to be. I took it upon myself to be the hero. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her, with assurance that I knew where she needed to stand.

What stuns me most is that I still have fingers on my right hand. The force with which Jill ripped her hand from mine crackled like a sonic whip. Her admonishment not to touch her "like that" cowed me in front of a church basement full of people I didn't like but knew I had to develop underarm hair with over the next few years.

A friend of mine makes her career coaching female teams how to organize. I could put her out of business by grabbing Jill's arm in front of a roomful of women. The collective (and, I admit, justified) indignation plowed me in a surf of estrogen heretofore and since unfelt by the little mack from Trenton, New Jersey. In that moment, they saw me as I was. Shocked. Fearful of reprisal. Unable to say a word for fear of looking even more stupid. Girls, to my surprise, were not just there to stroke my ego.

I've never so much as asked a girl for her phone number since. And if you're trying to do the math, allow me to help you ‒‒ it's been 31 years.

So what the hell does any of this have to do with writing?

The short answer? Everything. With every book and every blog, with every course I teach and every presentation I give, I am taking people by the wrist and dragging them to where they need to be. And every time I do it, I await that moment someone looks at me with righteous anger and eviscerates me in front of a planet full of people I varyingly like who also have to contend with armpit hair.

Ego, you see, is a fragile thing. It's most advanced weaponry is "No, please!" while fear comes armed with spikey baseball bats and crotch-rending stiletto pumps.

What I've learned about fear is miniscule, but I do know this ‒‒ you don't stop it. You can only manage it. You can't prevent its assault, you can only duck and weave and sucker-punch. Fear, it turns out, is a lot like having to go to the bathroom on a freezing morning while you're in your warm and cozy bed. It's going to compel you to do something about it.

My only suggestion? Put it where it belongs and flush it away as fast as you can. Or wallow in the mess you let it make in your bed.

Write for the Jugular, folks.

Scott Morgan is the bestselling author of Character Development from the Inside Out, a guide for fiction writers, and How To Be A Whiny Beeyotch: 71 Writing Excuses Meet the Back of My Hand. He also is the author of Stories My Evil Twin Made Up, a collection of short fiction. A speaker, teacher, and award-winning journalist, he also is the president of WriteHook (Write for the Jugular), an editing and writing services company for fiction and creative nonfiction. 

Keep in touch with Scott:

Website: www.write-hook.com

At www.quillectiveproject.org - All proceeds go to benefit the Humane Society of Dallas Count's no-kill shelter, Dog and Kitty City.

Twitter: @write_hook

Facebook: scott.morgan.18007218

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/Mo0SZG

High School Reunions and Ear Infections

This morning, my husband reminded me that our high school reunions should be coming up sometime this year. He asked me if I had checked on mine, and I said no. He said he hadn’t checked on his either.

 

It reminded me of my ten year class reunion - the only one I ever went to. It was two weeks after we had gotten married. I was a drama geek in high school, so I had been planning on going to my class reunion and showing off my hot new husband to the mean popular girls. Yeah, it’s like we never left.

In high school, I was always sitting behind Andy (thank you alphabetical order). Andy was my raging, teenage hormone crush. He was amazing…handsome, funny, nice, social…everything I wasn’t. But I loved Andy. We hung around the same group of friends, but he didn't notice me, and but he had no idea what I was thinking about him. In hindsight, that was probably a good thing.

When we graduated from high school, Andy continued to haunt me. We went to the same junior college, then the same four year college. Every time I saw him, he walked right past me, as if I were invisible. Well, who needed Andy anyway? Right…right?

Flash forward to two weeks before my 10 year class reunion. I walked down the aisle with my amazing husband, and my dad gifted us a honeymoon in Mexico. We had a blast! The ocean water was as warm as a soothing bath. Unfortunately, that’s also the perfect temperature for cooties. I wound up getting a bladder infection and had to chance Mexican pharmaceuticals. The woman didn’t speak any English, and my high school Spanish teachers had never covered bladder infection vocabulary. With some weird gesturing on my part, she finally took me over to some boxes that started with “gyno.” I realized she thought I had a yeast infection. I finally got through to her with “hot pee.” The medicine worked wonders, by the way. But that’s not the real story.

The cooties got in my husband’s ears leaving him with a raging ear infection. Despite my insistence, he refused all medicines and doctor visits, relying on his testosterone to cure him as usual. That didn’t work so well. So by the time we were set to go to my class reunion, he had been battling the ear infection for almost two weeks. He was one sick puppy. I asked him if he wanted to stay home and rest, but he refused. He said he wanted to go with me.

The ugly truth was, I wanted him to stay home. Normally, he’s really hot, and I'm glad to have him as my arm candy. However, the ear infection had left him acting really strange. He couldn’t hear, so he kept yelling “What?! What?! I can’t hear you!!” Then he would pinch his nose and blow, trying to pop his ears which kept plugging up. He also kept turning his head sideways like a dog and shaking it while slapping the other side of his head as if he could knock the cooties out. He was quite a sight.

We got to the reunion, and I met up with some old friends. I introduced them to my husband. “What?! I can’t hear you?” Pinch nose, blow, sideways head shake, slap slap. I smiled painfully, wondering if I should have introduced him as my “special” cousin Eddie. It wasn’t like he could hear me, but then I figured the rings would give us away. My friends and I tried to catch up while my husband continued his “What?! I can’t hear you?” Pinch nose, blow, sideways head shake, slap slap routine.

Then…I saw him…across the room…Andy. He hadn't changed a bit. He was headed over to the drink table. I made some excuse about needing to get us drinks. “What?! I can’t hear you?” Pinch nose, blow, sideways head shake, slap slap. I made a cup sign with my hand and mimed drinking. He nodded and asked me to get him a diet Pepsi.

I headed to the drink table studiously ignoring Andy. Then I heard “Michelle! Oh, it’s so good to see you!” Andy was staring right at me! “Oh, Andy, hey.” Pretending like I just noticed him (Oscar worthy performance). He grabbed me up in a big hug. “It’s so good to see you. Wow, I remember how funny you were in high school. Seeing you brings back great memories.” Andy said that to me. Seriously. You could have knocked me down with a mini marshmallow. He actually noticed me in high school? He thought I was funny? I brought back great memories?

Not to be won over, I told him that I had seen him at our junior and four year colleges. He said “I wish you would have stopped me. It would have been so fun to hang out with you. I was working on my Ph.D in Marine Biology, and I was so focused, I just didn’t seem to see anything around me.” My sick mind immediately started to imagine Andy in a wet suit.

Thankfully, I saved my face palm for another time. There it was. I missed out. Andy had wanted to hang out with me and hadn’t been ignoring me at all. Well that sucked. Before I could respond, he said “Hey, you’re wearing a ring? Is your husband here?” My eyes bugged out and a chanced a quick glance at our table. Pinch nose, blow, sideways head shake, slap slap. “Ummm…he couldn’t make it. Too bad, I would have liked to introduce you. Well, Andy it was nice seeing you.” I said quickly with my best fake smile. Andy hugged me again and said “I’m really glad I had a chance to see you, Michelle.” Rub it why don't you?

I walked back to my table, kicking myself in the ass as I went. I set hubby’s diet Pepsi down. “Thanks. Who was that?” he asked. “Andy, my high school crush.” “What?! I can’t hear you?” Pinch nose, blow, sideways head shake, slap slap. Dramatic sigh from me.

When hubby recovered (after tons of antibiotics), and I told him that story, he laughed hysterically. Said he couldn’t have planned it better himself. He’s lucky he’s cute.