Continue reading »]]> This just in from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing:

“Eric Blehm, author of Fearless, will be sitting down with another New York Times bestselling author, Chris Kyle, on September 10th at 3:30 ET. Chris’ book, American Sniper, chronicles his life as a U.S. Navy SEAL and one of the most lethal snipers in U.S. military history.

Chris and Eric will be discussing their memories and recollections from 9/11 and talking about their books. Most importantly, Eric will be talking with Chris about the life of Adam Brown. Eric will recall how Adam reached the top level of the U.S. Navy SEALs in spite of injuries many would consider career-enders, including losing sight in one of his eyes and a Humvee crash that nearly severed the fingers on his dominant hand. Through struggles with addiction and physical challenges, Adam became a hero to his family and a hero to those he served and to his country. Adam achieved all this, not through some rare internal drive… but through his faith in Christ.”

You can watch this broadcast by visiting FearlessNavySeal.com. You can also come here and watch it below.

Again, that’s September 10 at 3:30pm EST. You don’t want to miss this!

Continue reading »]]> The Lit Schmo is making a comeback, and so is John Reeves. Not familiar with him? Then you need to head to Amazon and pick up The Fall of Billy Hitchings by Kirkus MacGowan, because…

The day of WRATH is almost here!

To celebrate his upcoming release on the 28th, Kirkus MacGowan is giving away 20 FREE copies of Wrath (A John Reeves Novel), follow up to his debut and Amazon Mystery bestseller, The Fall of Billy Hitchings. I’m helping him out today by giving YOU a chance to win a free eBook copy, or a $25 (£15.92 in the UK) Amazon gift card!

Wrath Contest Details

The best part? It’s so easy! Just leave a comment on this blog post. Multiple comments will not gain you extra entries. However, you may gain extra entries by commenting on other blogs participating in the Wrath giveaway.

Kirkus is giving away twenty FREE eBook copies of Wrath (A John Reeves Novel) in a format of your choice, and a $25 gift card to a random commenter. If we have a huge outpouring of support, he will increase the number of free copies accordingly.

The contest ends at midnight, August 26th, EST. This allows Kirkus time to post the winners on his blog on the 27th along with the blog they commented on. On that post, he’ll tell the winners how to contact him for their winnings.

Not sure if you want a copy of Wrath?

Cover Design by www.ethinkgraphics.com, Copyright 2012

Tom Stronach, an avid reader and book reviewer, agreed to check out an advanced reading copy of Wrath. Head on over to his blog Is It Me? to check out the review. Click here.

If you prefer to read a sample of Wrath, click here to read the first chapter on Kirkus’ blog, Diapers, Bookmarks and Pipe Dreams.

What readers are saying about Wrath

A few other readers checked out Wrath as well. Here’s what they’re saying:

“I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!! The only problem I have with your books is that I can’t put them down!”

“Wrath will stick with you for days after you finish reading.”

“In my opinion it was even better than the first one!!”

“Like Criminal Minds on paper!”

Giveaway Summary

1. Leave a comment on this post! That’s all it takes to enter. If you’re not sure what to write, how about telling us what book you’re reading right now or maybe your favorite book this year.

2. Head over to Kirkus’ blog on August 27th and see if your name is on the list of winners. Diapers, Bookmarks, and Pipe Dreams.

If you’re not one of the lucky winners, you’ll still be able to grab an eBook copy for less than $5! Kirkus sends you his thanks for the support.

Good luck!

Continue reading »]]> For everything you are
For everything you’ve done
For watching out for me
For letting me have fun

For comfort when I’m down
For laughter and sunshine
For putting up with me
When I pushed and crossed the line

For encouraging me to write
And sing a heartfelt song
For not saying “told you so”
When everything went wrong

For knowing when to hold my hand
And when you should go
For giving me a place to live
When I had nowhere else to go

Despite all I’ve put you through
You’ve always stood by me
The problem’s never been with you
It’s always been with me

We’ve had our ups and downs
But you’ve loved me the whole time
I haven’t always showed my love
But I’m trying with this rhyme

To say the things I should have said
A long long time ago
I love you Mom and I’m so grateful
More than you can know

For knowing when to stand back
And knowing when to stay
You mean so very much to me
Happy Mother’s Day

Continue reading »]]> Everyone has a past. Some have a good one; others, not so much. Marianna couldn’t escape hers if her life depended on it.

As her bad luck would have it, her life did indeed depend on it. She just didn’t know it yet.

Marianna was a quiet girl, living in her small hometown in the same house she had grown up in. Her parents, who had died months after her high school graduation, had left it to her in their will. That was the family tradition: dying young, passing on the house to the young and unprepared offspring. It had been that way for generations, so many that no one remembered exactly how many anymore. Mari didn’t mind much. She knew that was just the way it was. There wasn’t any sense in trying to change it, so she went along. At least she didn’t have to worry about finding a new place to live.

Her life was as quiet as she was, maybe quieter even. She worked as a librarian’s assistant, attended church every Sunday, and spent most evenings at home. She enjoyed reading and crotcheting. When she wanted a little excitement, she did crossword puzzles. She had a cat, who never minded the silence and always loved the yarn. They had a happy life.

Some of the church ladies, prone to gossip and meddling, would not-so-subtly try to play matchmaker for Mari. She knew they meant well, but she just wasn’t interested in experiencing the turmoil of dating and applying makeup and eating in front of someone else. She was perfectly happy to sit home with her cat and their yarn. It was a quiet, simple life, and that’s how Mari liked it.

Despite her introvertedness, or perhaps because of it, she had experienced many a rough patch, mostly alone. When her parents passed away, they’d left a lot of debt along with the house. Mari’s job, although steady, didn’t pay nearly enough to cover the cost of her parent’s interrment. She barely covered her daily expenses. Of course, she was too shy to tell anyone what was wrong, let alone ask for help. And of course, the church gossips found out somehow anyway and told Pastor Michaels. He wasn’t an intrusive man, but he knew Marianna would never come to him about the situation. Luckily for her, his generosity and compassion were greater than his loathing for meddling, so he took her aside and offered to chip in. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Knowing how indebted she would feel, he simply told her she could volunteer for events and cleanup duty a few extra times a month.

Unfortunately, this was only one of many hardships Mari had endured. Her parents had been good ones, but their early deaths had left her a bit unprepared for adult life. They’d insisted that she focus on her education rather than get a job. They hadn’t been rich but they had been well enough off that she didn’t have to worry about saving up for college. Despite the debt they left, she’d decided to enroll in the local community college and take courses toward an Associate’s in art. She lasted a semester before her shyness got the best of her. She couldn’t handle the bustle of the campus and the scrutiny over her work. Her professors loved her artwork and told her she had tons of potential, but all that positive attention was almost as hard for her to take as criticism would have been.

So she had dropped out, ashamed of her failure and the fact that her introverted nature had kept her from pursuing something she loved. She resolved to never paint again.

Despite all the negatives in her life, she remained a positive person. She had trouble connecting with people, but she was always happy to lend a helping hand any time she could. Her church’s congregation adored her and always appreciated her contributions. Her neighbors were grateful for her volunteerism when it came time for Neighborhood Watch, and the schoolkids always stopped at her house with fundraising brochures. No one could’ve asked for a better member of a community.

And no one would’ve guessed that Marianna, of all people, would be the one responsible for the rash of break-ins, prank calls, and acts of vandalism that would ultimately end with an explosion.

This is part one of a series of short stories, which will be part of a full-length novel. I don’t know yet if I will write the rest only for Indie Ink challenges, but you will be able to find the whole story under the category Writing>Novel>House of Cards or the tag “Marianna” on http://theschmorgasboard.com. Check back soon for part two!
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For the IndieInk Writing Challenge this week, Mediocre Wayne challenged me with “The only way to preserve our future is to destroy the past.” and I challenged Kat with “There was no way I could have known then, but my decision would later shake the very foundation of the entire world’s beliefs to the core.”

Continue reading »]]> I don’t want to wake up. I still feel exhausted and my head is pounding. But I don’t have much of a choice. My bed feels like it’s made of metal.

Ok. . . It is made of metal. What the -? I’m laying on metal surrounded by bars. I’m in a cage? What is going on? I hear barking. I see more cages stacked all over the place. Some of them have dogs in them. These cages aren’t that big. How did I get in here?

Whoa. This- this can’t be happening. Somebody glued fur all over me. I don’t remember going to a party so I couldn’t have committed a party foul. If this is a prank, it’s a really messed up one.

Now that I think of it, I can’t remember what I did last night at all. Even everything before that is kind of hazy. I remember talking to my ex. . . Oh my God! She has to be behind this!

We dated for a couple months but she was a total prude so I dumped her. She called me a dog. Pfft whatever. She was just mad ’cause she got dumped by me. And I’m awesome.

There’s no way she’s behind this. I must be dreaming. This isn’t possible. I mean, she is a genetic physicist but even she couldn’t pull this off. Could she?
—–
“Hey, we have a new dog, Michelle!” Doug leaned close and peered into the cage. “Hey there fella. Man, you’re an ugly sucker. Wait, what’s that in your collar?” He reached in and pulled out a piece of paper. It read, “This dog was found humping a lot of girls’ legs. He’s up to date on his shots but needs to be put down. P. S. I cut off a little too much when I neutered him. Oops!”
————————————————————
For the IndieInk Writing Challenge this week, SAM challenged me with “You awake and you realize you are no longer human, you’re an animal. You are surrounded by cages filled with more animals. You are in a kennel. A man wearing a white coat walks past your cage but you are unable to move, Your eyes follow him, and when he turns, you recognize him. What animal are you, who is this man, and why did he do this to you? You have 500 words, and you must write it from the point of view (first person) of the animal you became.” and I challenged Nimue with “You deserve much better than me.”

Continue reading »]]>

Image by Phototropy via Flickr

In support of the blackout protesting SOPA/PIPA, I am joining the cause by marking all posts private. I have contacted my local representatives and hope that you will do the same. On January 24, 2012, a vote will be made and the future of our freedom hangs in the balance. Join me and millions of others as we stand up for what we believe to be wrong, against those who would rather take the easy way out and suppress our freedom of speech, of expression, of creation. Below are some links you can visit for more information about SOPA/PIPA, the blackout, and contacting your local government. Thank you.

http://fightforthefuture.org/pipa/
https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Continue reading »]]> Today, Rafflecopter opened to the public. And to celebrate, they’re giving away an iPad2 and two – count ‘em, TWO! – Kindle Fires!

Nine months ago, we set out to create an app that makes it super simple to manage the process of running a giveaway on your blog. In 2012, with your continued support, we’re looking forward to making Rafflecopter even awesome-r

Many of you have asked how you can give back. We’ve had emails sent to us asking if we accept donations. We’ve even had folks send us food and yes, someone even ordered us a pizza! We sincerely appreciate the support. Nothing makes us happier We believe in keeping Rafflecopter free and strive to keep it that way.

So if you love Rafflecopter and want to give back, simply help us spread the word! Not enough motivation? Then how about this for an incentive: If you refer the winner, you win a Kindle Fire for yourself. BOOM! Look out – It’s raining prizes!

I haven’t used Rafflecopter for my own giveaway yet, but I’ve used it many times to enter contests. I absolutely love it. It’s so simple to use, for hosting a giveaway and for entering one, and it’s simple, clean layout looks good with just about every site. And they’ve just improved upon the design even more. It’s beautiful.

Go check it out and get more info about Rafflecopter and the giveaway at Rafflecopter’s blog. And look below to enter to win! Please tell them I referred you – Diane Mclaughlin. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Continue reading »]]> She paints her nails
She paints her face
But all the paint
Can’t erase
The pain she feels
The scars she bears
She dresses well
She coifs her hair
She smiles a smile
That hides the pain
All she does
Can’t keep her sane
Her inner wounds
Hidden from all
They cut her deep
Make her feel small
She tries to climb
Out of the gloom
But every night
She sits in her room
And stares into
Her reflected face
And bleeds out
What she can’t erase
A little nick
A bigger scar
Until one night
She’s gone too far
They find her there
At peace at last
Finally free
From her past
Now scars won’t heal
It’s far too late
To save her from
Her loved one’s fate
It wasn’t her
Who was abused
She carried guilt
Of another used
She knew the name
But couldn’t tell
Another’s blood
On her hands as well
Another died
She let it be
She couldn’t admit
What others could see
But couldn’t prove
Only she could
Testify
And she knew she should
But she couldn’t stand
To let her world fall
He was her husband
After all
The house is still
Silent as the grave
Two lives he took
Only one she gave

Continue reading »]]> “You really thought you could get away with it, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” the old man hissed. “And I would’ve, too, if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids. And that slimy little frog of theirs!”

The police took the old man away as the sleuthing friends climbed into their Secret Sedan.

“Another crime busted, another secret revealed. Great work, gang!” Freda beamed at her friends from the passenger seat.

“Yup, we’re really on a roll. Aren’t we, Scuba?” Scraggly pet the frog on the head, then grimaced and wiped his hand on the seat’s upholstery.

“Ribbity ribbity roo,” croaked Scuba.

“Well, I suggest we retire to our humble abode and create a cellular communication with a flat dough and tomato sauce eatery. We can request that they create one of their round specialities and transport it to our abode.”

“Oh Wilma, can’t you just talk like a normal person? We’re all well aware of your insanely high IQ.” Dabney rolled her eyes as she pulled out her compact and reapplied her flawless makeup.

“I simply can’t comprehend why you find my intellectual conversationalism to be so irritating to your psyche, Dabney. I’m merely forming my speech in such a way that is natural to me.” Wilma pushed her glasses up her nose and smiled smugly.

Scraggly sighed. “Here we go again, huh Scoob?”

“Ruh-roh Raggly.”

“You can say that again.”

“Ruh-roh Raggly.”
————————————————————
This is a response to this week’s Indie Ink Writing Challenges. My prompt came from Sarah Cass: “You really thought you could get away with it. If it wasn’t for that slimy little. . .”
Author’s note: Again, I have no clue what this is. I just thought it would be fun to write a spoofy epilogue of a Scooby Doo story. (And yes, the title is from My Friends Tigger and Pooh.) Please don’t have me committed. =)
I issued a prompt to Kurt: “. . . And that’s why there’s a Christmas Day.”