Friday, May 28, 2010

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

      First, I'd like to honor those who are and have fought for our freedoms that we enjoy here in America. A special thanks, even though it comes from the heart, still cannot compare to the sacrifices they have given for those living here. There a many who are also waiting for their orders to ship out and head over to the battle that still rages in other countries and our thanks goes to all of you as well. We honor all of you this weekend! Thank you!

      Second, I'd like to thank Sharon Donovan for being my guest on Thursday. For those of you who haven't stopped in at her blog or website yet, don't miss the opportunity to do that. Her latest release is a great read. Sharon, I wish you the best of luck and hope you hear from many new readers!

     Do all of you have wonderful plans for this weekend? Leave me a comment and tell me about YOUR plans. I'm hoping the rain stays away at least until Tuesday so I can get out in the yard for a day or two as well as have a few friends over for fun and conversation! The barbie doesn't work well in the rain so here's to sunny skies everywhere!



     I'd also like to share a website with those of you who have small children. The site is owned by a friend of mine and she loved producing these. The site is called Picture Box Kids, has a video to show you the educational DVDs produced for kids and they are wonderful, colorful, and will have your children singing along with Fox! Explore the site as it also has a page to print out the words to the songs in the DVDs and color book pages. I'd love to hear your thoughts after you've visited there. Please take a look at them and order your copies!

Thanks for stopping in, yet again, to visit with me and I hope I've given you a few more places to visit on the net. Enjoy your surfing and stop back again soon!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Meet Sharon Donovan!




And the WINNER IS:  
Linda Swift - Congratulations Linda!!


     I'd like to welcome everyone and thank you so much for joining us! Today I'm proud to introduce you to Sharon Donovan and her new psychological thriller. She and I have become close friends even though we are fifty states apart! I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Sharon on her blog site yesterday and the interview is still up for those who'd like to pop over and read it. Sharon, you are a delight to know and talk with; I'd like my visitors to know you as well. Thank you for taking the time to be with us today.
 
Sharon: Thank you for having me on your blog today, Deanna! It’s a pleasure to be here.

Deanna: Tell us a bit about you as a person that our readers might not know.

Sharon: I’m blind. I lost my vision ten years ago after a long battle with diabetic retinopathy.

Deanna: What happened in your life that made you want to become a writer?

Sharon: Prior to the loss of my vision, painting was my passion, my life. Devastated when I could no longer pursue this dream, I needed to channel my creative muse elsewhere. Here’s a brief background. I began hearing the frightening phrase diabetic retinopathy at the age of six when I was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic. During a routine visit to Children’s Hospital when I was twelve, a doctor predicted I would be blind by time I was twenty-five. His harsh words echoed in my head to the point of obsession, affecting every major decision I made for years to come. But even though these words haunted my subconscious, I never spoke them aloud. Then they might come true. The closer I got to twenty-five, the tighter the noose around my neck, sucking the life out of me like a garrotte. I worked as a legal secretary at the Court of Common Pleas where I prepared cases for judges in Family Court. But painting was my passion. I spent my weekends painting picturesque scenery, the ruins of ancient Rome and reflections on the water. Through my artwork, I escaped to a place of peace and tranquility. No more heartache. No more pain. But one day while painting a Tuscan landscape, I had the first bout of blindness. And for the next two decades, my vision came and went. Now you see it—now you don’t. And after a rocky road, ten years ago, I lost the battle, losing all hope and my will to live. But through an organization for the blind and visually impaired, I found the courage to face a sighted world I was once part of. Some of the curriculum I endured for eight grueling hours every day for sixteen weeks was mobility training with a white cane, group therapy to deal with anger issues and the use of a computer with adaptive software. It was a heart-wrenching journey filled with endless challenge. Part of the reason I was reluctant to enroll in a program for the blind and visually impaired was because I thought clients would be uneducated. I was a professional, after all. What could I possibly have in common with “Those people?” I was wrong. I met doctors and nurses, teachers and engineers, all with one common thread. We were all facing vision loss due to circumstances beyond our control. Some had the extra burden of facing a marital problem because a spouse could not or would not accept the blindness. We laughed and we cried. We connected in a way words could never express. I was one of the lucky ones. What didn’t kill me made me stronger. And after a long and winding road, a new dream resurrected. Today, instead of painting my pictures on canvas, I paint my pictures with words.

Deanna: Is there a certain type of character that is easier to write than another?

Sharon: First of all, let me explain to the readers that I write in two completely different genres: Sweet Inspirationals and Suspense. Given all I’ve been through in my life, I feel the need to inspire others through my writing by offering hope. I live by this motto: “Never give up on a dream”. Go after your passion with both barrels blazing. On days when I’m feeling Less than inspirational, I simply run out and kill someone in the wonderful world of fiction. LOL To answer your question, Deanna, I find romantic heros the easiest to write about. What woman doesn’t want to be swept into a happily-ever-after? We all love a good romantic read and I’m no exception.

Deanna: Do you have a favorite type of character that you enjoy writing about?

Sharon: Indeed, yes! I love to write about characters with psychological disorders. I took psychology classes for this very reason, to study the complexity of the mind. It can bend. It can break. It can snap. Why? This inquiry mind wants to know. I have the insatiable need to dig deep and uncover the layers that would cause a person’s psyche to crack and unravel to such extremes.

Deanna: Can you tell us about one such character?

Sharon: I’ll be happy too. In my newly released psychological thriller, Mask of the Betrayer, Michael DeVeccio is the most complex character I’ve written about to date. He’s a cold-blooded serial killer and has been getting away with murder for years. Outwardly, Michael is devastatingly handsome, 180 pounds of raw, sexual energy with brilliant blue eyes that have a hypnotic affect. He is suave and debonair and is sole beneficiary to a billion dollar enterprise that builds luxury resorts all over the world. He manipulates and controls people by zeroing in on their Achilles heel and using it for his own gain. In a word, Michael is a sociopath. Even though he is highly intelligent and charismatic, he has a chronic inability to feel guilt, remorse or anxiety for any of his actions. The end will always justify the means because he is  a master at the game.

Deanna: Why would such a character interest you?

Sharon: I’m a huge fan of profiling. What is it about some of the serial killers of our time that fascinate us? Take Ted Bundy, for instance. Or Charles Manson or Jeffrey Dahmer. What could have happened in their lives to make them do such heinous crimes with no remorse or regret? According to psychologists, something so dark happened in their childhood, causing them to dissociate in order to block out the incident. But the inner demon continues to peck away at the subconscious, causing the victim to strike back in unspeakable ways. But even though I like to explore these inner demons in my books, never fear. I always have a romantic hero come to the rescue to save the heroine of the book. In Mask of the Betrayer, Margot is the heroine and Diego Santiago is the hero.

Deanna: Tell us a bit about the heroine and hero of Mask of the Betrayer?

Sharon: Margot Montgomery is head curator of a art museum in Chicago. She is pretty, with high moral standings. When she meets Michael, she is swept away in a heartbeat. She marries Michael after a whirlwind romance. But shortly after a romantic Tuscan honeymoon, Michael shows his true colors. He demands she give him a son to propagate his family name and business. And if she doesn’t, she may become the next victim. Margot realizes a little too late, she has just married the serial killer stalking the foothills of Red Rock Canyon. Diego Santiago, a streety homicide cop with a “don’t mess with me attitude,” is the officer investigating the case. As he and Margot work together in close contact to trap a killer, they fall in love. But before they can find their happily-ever-after, Margot must face the man behind the mask. Will Diego save her in time? Well, I guess you’ll just have to read my book; Mask of the Betrayer is on sale for the entire month of May at Whimsical Publications:  www.whimsicalpublications.com

Deanna: What are your hobbies?

Sharon: I love to collect things, including legends and superstitions from different cultures. Being a wee bit Irish, I’m extremely superstitious. For instance, I wear a pink tourmaline gemstone ring because it is said to stir the creative muse of the writer. Laugh if you will, but one week after I bought it and rubbed the stone, I got my first contract with Wild Rose Press.
Another passion of mine is collecting face masks. Masquerades fascinate me. I have a Cleopatra mask, a red feathered mask, a purple peacock, a gold butterfly, and a black and white pearl face to name a few. I also have a full feathered headdress. I love masquerades so much that I wrote one into Mask of the Betrayer, and a lot of my masks are featured in the chapter. Zoro is a big part of the suspense, and you guessed it! There is a murder at the masquerade and Zorro is found dead in a makeshift coffin in an upper wing. Who did it? The serial killer, of course. The woman portraying Zorro is Michael’s ex-wife.

Deanna: Where can readers find you?

Sharon: My website where you can sign up for my newsletter. Right now, I have a Zorro Contest running. I’m giving away a deluxe Zorro cape and jeweled clip to one lucky winner:
www.sharonadonovan.com

My blog where I do author interviews on Wednesday Spotlight. If you haven’t met my sexy cyber butler Oliver, you are in for a real treat. Talk about eye candy!
http://sharondonovan.blogspot.com

Or write to me. I love hearing from readers!
sharonad@comcast.net

Deanna: And once more, where can we purchase Mask of the Betrayer?

Sharon: Mask of the Betrayer is on sale for the entire month of May at Whimsical Publications. Now is your chance to purchase it at a discount.


Thank you so much for having me as your guest today, Deanna!

I'd like to let our guests know that by leaving me a comment on today's interview or my book, will put them into the drawing for a print copy of  Mask of the Betrayer! The drawing will be Friday or Saturday and I'll email the winner so be sure to leave your email addy. Thank you all and good luck. I look forward to answering all the comments I can.

Deanna:   Sharon, it's been a true delight having you here and again, thank you so much for talking with us today. Readers, if you'd like to leave a comment for Sharon, she is still around to answer questions today. Thank you to each one of you for joining us today! Remember, by leaving a comment and your email address, you'll be entered in the drawing for Sharon's new book!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Author Interviews! Come back and check them out!

Thank you for stopping in. I'm excited to begin my author interviews. These are a new addition to my blog and I hope you return each Thursday to meet a new author and hopefully add them to your own author list of to-be-read books.

The schedule is on the left; take a look, write them down, mark your calendar or just book mark my blog for ease of returning. I hope you learn about new authors and a bit of what makes them tick.


Have your own blog site? Scroll down to the blog hop area at the bottom, add your blog site, then grab the code, as per the directions, and add the html to your own site so the hop shows up for you so others can add to it too.


See you Thursday!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Spring Fever

Can you feel it? The fresh smell of Spring in the air has pulled me out to the weed beds for some sprucing up! Oops, I mean the flower beds, yet I can't see them for all the weeds. I know I'm not the only one with the problem, am I? If I were more disciplined in the fall, I'm sure I wouldn't have such an overgrowth in the early spring because things just get away from me in the Spring and before I know, voila - a full blown weed bed where my flowers are!

So, I have been out there pulling the weeds, sprinkling the granules of weed prevention in hopes it will help even a little. We purchased a few flowers yesterday, ok....a lot of flowers! LOL  I've changed to impatients this year rather than the petunias to see if those tolerate our heat a little better, because I know it couldn't have had anything to do with ME that the petunias didn't thrive last summer - no way!

I have some new trailing plants for a few hanging baskets and I'm anxious to see how those do so I'm headed outside today for sprucing things up and making the areas more pleasing to the eye when we're on our deck in the shade with our favorite beverages!

Happy Spring to all of you and I do hope you have a better handle on your weeds than I do! How are your flower beds doing and what's growing where you're at?

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Thank you Blog Jog Day hoppers!

I hope everyone had a great time this weekend and none of you got too worn out hopping all over. There are some great sites out there and I hope you found some to follow or revisit.


I have drawn my winner using random.org and the winner is MissV - Congratulations! I'll be emailing her to find out just where I'm taking her to dinner!

Stay tuned in because on Thursday, May 27th, I will be starting the first of my author interviews and will get the schedule of those up asap.

I'll be changing the background here. I've had this for a while now and though I love it, I'm one of those who have to change the wallpaper every now and then so I hope you like what is soon to be seen here.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Blog Day


Thank you for stopping by my Blog today! I hope you're enjoying the day. Please explore all this Blog has to offer, then jog on over to www.shereedalbowers.blogspot.com. If you would like to visit a different Blog in the jog, go to http://blogjogday.blogspot.com

My prize giveaway for May 9th-Blog Jog Day:   
                                        
                                       Dinner on ME!
                   $25 Gift Card for your choice of Restaurant

Prize Rules: 
       - Follow my blog or fan page
       - Leave a comment here with your email addy
       - not a requirement, but my newsletter sign up is here on the left!


I'm proud to be a part of the Blog Jog Day and hope you're book marking several pages so you can return to those you liked most. I write romance novels and until recently, thought I wrote historical and time travel, but am finding my current 'work in progress' is a contemporary. So, now I'll have to change many of my sites to reflect the new me, right? LOL

We all have to be open to change and not all of the changes are something we can control. The stories in my head don't ask my opinion, they just begin and take over until I have written down all their information for you to read. Yes, that is exactly how it is. The characters don't care that they are contemporary and I'm a writer of historicals so I will just take down their information and add to their story in hopes it will be something you'll not be able to put down once you've started turning my pages. I'll do my best to keep it exciting so you don't dog ear too many pages and I'll apologize now for the housework you might not get done, or the dinners that may be late or sleep you might lose.

I hope I've peaked your interest so you will book mark MY page and come back later, or please feel free to wander around now. My website has lots of goodies on it, too, and that will lead you to even more websites of wonderful writers. I thank you for the time you've spent here and the time you WILL spend later when you pop back in to find out what I'm up to next....thank you so much! I appreciate your time.

Need more blogs to visit?  Look below and add YOUR blog to the 'Deanna's Friends' blog hop just below my site counter, then GRAB the code and add it to YOUR blog site. Have a fantastic day in the Blog Jog!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Guest Author Interviews Coming Soon!

Upcoming events:  

Author Interviews:  I've decided to add a few author interviews to my site and that will happen on Thursdays beginning May 27 so you'll want to mark your calendars and book mark my blog so you can come back and read about them! I hope you enjoy them and their books!

Blog Jog Day:  This is a blog hopper event that will start on May 9th. I know, it's Mother's Day but hopefully some of you will be able to join in. My site will be taking comment entries for a $25 gift card; other sites may be giving away packages too.


Blogmania:  The next event will be Sept 15th and 16th so mark your calendars! So far there are 175 blogs participating and each blog will giving away $100 prize packages!! Mark your calendar now so you don't miss out and....plan for a full 48 hours! I tried on the 30th to hit each participating blog and fell short. I was surprised that I couldn't get to each one so on that day, have your beverages and foods ready so you can grab them and continue hopping! Info links are on the left.

Monday Night Chats: Join me on Monday nights at 6 PM West coast time, 8 PM Central time and 9 PM East coast time at my Manic Readers site (on the left) so we can chat and get caught up. There is so much happening and I love it! Talk to you Monday night!

      

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Blog Hops....come check it out!

I just have to share with you something I picked up and joined from another website during the Blogmania event on Friday. It's the Blog Hop link that stays on your site as a gadget. Check it out at the bottom of my blog page. I put it there because it does take up a lot of space with each link being shown so make sure you post your hop in an easy location. I also have my blog showing a limit of two blog postings so it isn't so long and my visitors can find the blog hop.

When you visit my site to check out the hop, add your own blog site to the link, then click on 'copy code' and go back to your own customize section, add a new gadget, I put mine at the bottom, then paste that code into the html box and that's it!! You will now see the blog hop on YOUR blog and all visitors can add their blog to the listing.

The listing of blogs that are included in this blog hop is a variety of blogs, not just those of writers so your blog will get out to hundreds of bloggers who are readers and visitors. I visited so many sites on Friday that I can't remember which site I grabbed the link from but what a great way to add more fun for our blog visitors.

I hope I've helped you add to your site even a little and best of luck with the new hits your site will receive with this little link!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Blogmania participants - thank you so much!!

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the blog crawl and I look forward to Sept 15th for the next one.  I will be posting my winner this weekend and will also email the winner. You have all made this a huge success and I hope you found new books, authors, and blog/websites out there! There certainly was something for everyone. I had a great time and no, I didn't make it to all the sites but bookmarked a slew of them so I could return.

If you enjoyed this event, please check my main website for info on the Blog Jog Day taking place on May 9th...I know it's Mother's Day but I hope some of you can still find time to participate with us. It should still be fun. Not all sites will be offering prizes but mine will, so I look forward to seeing you here so You can see what I have in store for that event. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Again, thank you all for joining us yesterday!