Survive and Thrive Bloghop

Survive and Thrive Bloghop

Monday, October 20, 2014

Hosted by Stephen Tremp, Alex J Cavanaugh, Michael Di Gesu, and L Diane Wolfe.

The Survive and Thrive Bloghop is meant to bring awareness of disease prevention and early detection regarding medical conditions that may be averted or treated if caught in the early stages.

Our desire is to motivate people to go in for early screening, and if a condition is caught early and treated, then our world just became a little better place to live.

The topics are wide open. You can post about a particular cause you support. Or you can share a personal or family experience that is near to your heart. What’s great about this Blogfest is you can inspire people to take care of themselves and their loved ones early enough to make a difference in their lives.

Sign up below!

On that very same day, I’ve also signed up for Joy Campbell’s Who’s Your Hero fest.

Also on October is Sherry Ellis and Susanne Drazic’s Bucket List Bloghop. I’m doing that one, too.



I think it’s raining blogfests.

Remember The Insecure Writer’s Support Group anthology is taking submissions until October 2, or you can post for IWSG day on October 1. See you then!

Underrated Treasures Blogfest

Hosted by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Everyone has a favorite movie or band that no one else has ever heard about. For whatever reason, they remain undiscovered and underrated. Now is your chance to tell the world about this obscure treasure!
On Monday, September 22, post about your favorite unknown –
MOVIE – BAND/ARTIST – TV SHOW – BOOK
Post about one or all four – dealer’s choice!

Here are my selections:

Music - Arena

From Wikipedia - “Arena was founded in 1995 by Clive Nolan keyboardist of Pendragon and Shadowland, and Mick Pointer, the original drummer of Marillion.”

While well known in Europe, most Americans have never heard of the prog rock band Arena. I discovered them in 2008 when their song “Purgatory Road” came up on my Pandora station. I fell in love with that song, and the other one I heard, “Spectre at the Feast.” I picked up a couple of their albums and really liked their solid rock sound.

“Spectre at the Feast” contains these lyrics -

“Hey don't fall asleep
Don't close your eyes and drift away to some foreign land”

Which holds a lot of meaning to me - at the same time I discovered this song, my stepbrother died of cancer. So I can’t hear that song without thinking of Shane.

Arena has over a dozen albums and several DVDs. I recommend starting with their album “Pepper’s Ghost.”

Book - Following the Whispers by Karen Walker

I’ve known Karen for many years, as we were in the same BBT class together. We share a common bond in that she moved to Albuquerque the same year I moved away. When I read her memoir though - wow. It just blew me away. I’ve read quite a few, both by famous people and average people, and Karen’s journey is by far the most powerful.

If you’ve not read it, I encourage you to pick it up.


Movie -

Since I couldn’t think of a TV show (I just never watch TV) I’m giving you two movies.

Doc Hollywood

This movie did well when it was released, but that was over 20 years ago, so many have not seen it. Starring Michael J. Fox, Julie Warner, and Woody Harrelson, it’s a sweet romantic comedy set in the South.

Outside of the romance, the humor, and the sweet innocence, the film holds a special place with my husband and I. I’ve always said we were a “When Harry Met Sally,” but he likes to think of us as “Doc Hollywood.” He says Julie Warner’s character reminds him of me, not just in sass but in looks and the way their relationship unfolds. (Yes, my husband is a sweetie!) 

I should note that my husband and I saw it before we moved to NC. We imagined that was what a real Southern town was like. (We’re still trying to find it - LOL!)

To Walk With Lions

The first movie I ever fell in love with was Born Free. I love cats, and the story of George, Joy, and Elsa is so powerful. I still to this day cannot watch it without crying.

To Walk With Lions is the true story of what happened many years later.

After the filming of Born Free, George Adamson began rehabilitating the lions used in the film. (And in Living Free.) He thus dedicated his life to the rehabilitation of many lions. The story begins when he is much older. Joy is pretty much out of the picture (she’s a bit loony) and a young protégé comes into George’s camp. The story follows this young man, who begins caring for nothing and along the way develops George’s passion for the lions.

It’s a powerful and compelling film. I recommend anyone who is looking for their purpose in life, striving for a goal, or who just loves animals, to watch it. 

Remember that submissions are open for the The Insecure Writer’s Support Group book, the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond. We are looking for more publishing and marketing submissions. Please do not include any quotes that might be a copyright violation. Thank you!





What underrated treasures would you recommend?

Hot New Releases

I want to direct you to my site, The Circle of Friends, for some hot new releases.

Flowers for Tina and The Rifters

These are my flowers for Remembering Tina Downey. I couldn’t find any real sunflowers, so made this little arrangement for her. Tina was a really sweet person, full of spunk and life. My heart goes out to her family and friends.

* * *

The Rifters

The Gold Rush trickles to a fool’s quest and a string of stagecoach heists. In 1888, Earl Blacke decides to make a new start and become a better man. He escapes into the mountains, heading north. In the wilds of Oregon, a rift inside an ancient volcano opens and sends him into the future, into the present day. It also shaves forty years off his age, forty years to live over again and atone for what he’s done.

Starting over is hard to do. In current day New York, Daelin Long’s dream job at a publishing house goes the way of the dinosaurs her sister chases. With no money and nowhere else to go, Daelin accepts the librarian position in her sister’s dinky town in the middle of Oregon. Nestled inside ancient volcanic peaks, the town of Settler holds onto many secrets. Residents roam the streets with weirdly fashioned devices, and odd lights pulse in the night skies. People whisper of a phantom outlaw and start dying, murdered and missing their heads. On top of it all, Daelin’s sister is missing, and Daelin doesn’t know who to trust.

Earl knows more than he’s saying. He shares a notorious history with the phantom, one he’ll see remains buried. Keeping Daelin’s sister’s secrets is his only chance at redemption, and the only way to keep this world safe.

The Rifters is available at an introductory price. The second book in the series, The Initiate, will be available October 20, 2014. It’s up for preorder for a special price at iTunes, Amazon, and B&N. Check HERE for links. Giveaways and events are ongoing through October 31, 2014. Check HERE for details.

Links: Amazon / AmazonUK / B&N / Smashwords /Googleplay / iTunes / Other Outlets

BIO:

M. Pax is author of the space adventure series The Backworlds, plus other novels and short stories. Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons  to her, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers as a star guide, has a cat with a crush on Mr. Spock, and is slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. Learn more at MPaxAuthor

The Insecure Writer's Support Group Anniversary

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, hosted by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh. Don’t forget to check out the Facebook IWSG, too.

Today marks three years since the very first IWSG post. Next month marks one year since the The Insecure Writer’s Support Group site and Facebook group opened. And we’d like you to help us celebrate!

The IWSG Team is putting together an eBook that will benefit all writers - The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond. And we invite all IWSG members, Facebook members, and followers to contribute.

Here are the details:

The three topics will be writing, publishing, and marketing.

Each contribution needs to be between 200 and 1000 words. Focus on one of those three aspects and give us your best tip or procedure. The essay can include bullet points, top ten lists, and recommendations. (Websites, software, books, etc.)

You can either post it for your October 1 IWSG post or email it directly. TheIWSG@gmail.com or alexjcavanaugh@earthlink.net (Since the length can go over the standard IWSG post length.) Include a one sentence byline and a link to your site. Also state that you give us permission to use it in the book and which topic it falls under. (We will only edit for misspellings and grammar mistakes.)

All submissions need to be sent or posted by October 2, 2014. We will compile them into an eBook and aim for an early December release. The book will be free and available for all eReaders.

Thank you for making the IWSG such a huge success!!

And on that note, I will be taking most of September off to work on my next book.

I’ll be back September 8th to post my sunflower for Remembering Tina Downey

And I’ll post on September 22 for Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Underrated Treasures Blogfest.

I did want to post for the Shelfie Blog Hop before then, though.

Hosted by Tara Tyler Heather M. Gardner, Christine Rains, Vikki Biram, CD Coffelt, M.J. Fifield, Elizabeth Seckman, and Rena Rocford

Although I could barely get them all on one shelf so the covers could be seen! Yes, they really are that full and overflowing.