Though I love writing stories set in historical time lines, there are a few things that make such a venture difficult—namely the clothes.

Imagine your daily routine now: wake up to the alarm, stumble out of bed and into a nice, warm shower, blow dry your hair, put on makeup, get dressed in barely-there panties, a bra, some sort of shirt and pants then slide your feet into some sort of shoes. That’s it.

Now imagine yourself living back during the Civil War era, circa 1863. You wake up to no alarm. There were no electronic devices—or electricity. Most likely there are chickens around, roosters too that herald the dawn. No shower either, though running water was around in some parts more advanced parts of America, there wasn’t water heaters or the aforementioned electricity, and that running water wasn’t what we’ve become accustomed to. Mostly just a pump in the kitchen area. Sometimes women had a bath but those usually came at the end of the day and not every day at that, with sharing the bath water a common occurrence. Only loose women wore makeup during this time, so you’d go bare in the face department. Oh, and the hair? Most of the time it was put up. Why? All that hanging hair would get in the way of work and it would get dirty so it was pinned up.

Undergarments? Well, depending on your station in life you’d wear a camisole and drawers, petticoats, a corset, garters and hose, either a skirt and blouse or a dress, gloves, bonnet/hat and button-up boots (or slippers for evening) as well as a crinoline for party functions. Now imagine how much that extra fabric would weigh let alone try to move around (or climb into and out of carriages) with the corset and crinoline.

Imagine you’re locked in an embrace with your beau. Too many clothes are…well too many clothes. I wonder how many girls changed their minds during the fight with the fabric? LOL

Tough, huh?

Bet your life doesn’t seem so bad right about now.

Now that you’re grinning, I brought a blurb and a scandalous excerpt from my latest book A WOLFISH SCANDAL. It’s a Civil War-era historical with paranormal elements.

Here’s the blurb:

He has nothing to live for. She has nothing to lose. Together, they have everything to gain.

Lyndal Carson’s life is at a premium. Afflicted with a heart ailment wherein she can drop dead at any time, she makes a pact with herself to create one scandal and to really live before she dies. Tired of being a handmaiden to her family, she writes the letter that will change her destiny.

Grey Rutledge, a werewolf who is hounded by a reporter and haunted by memories, endeavors to provide a diversion large enough that the paper will forget its interest. He invites twelve women to his estate on the premise of choosing one of them for his mate. After the loss of his family, the only thing he wants is heirs and a woman by his side.

As the days go on, both Lyndal and Grey find that elusive piece missing from their lives. When their respective secrets are revealed, they both run the risk of losing everything. Danger catches them unaware during an innocent afternoon but it’s what is decided as life hangs in the balance that will change their lives forever.

 Excerpt:

 With a tiny sigh, Lyndal proceeded on her journey. She clutched the strings of her reticule in one hand. Feeling a tad parched from the hot May sun and dust, she ducked into a café on the corner ofWashington Street. After being led to a table near one of the windows and placing her order for a pot of Earl Grey and a plate of tea cakes, she arranged her full skirts over her crinoline and gazed again at the street traffic.

Somehow, she needed to affect a change in her life. If I want to matter to someone, if I want to make a difference—leave a memory behind—I need to stop waiting around for excitement and find it myself.

 Perhaps it was interference from Providence; perhaps fate had one more trick up her sleeve, or perhaps it was merely a careless gust of wind when the front door opened, but a page from the Indianapolis Journal on an empty table nearby fluttered and took flight. It came to rest against her skirts. Lyndal bent slightly and plucked the errant paper from the floor then gaped as a headline from a personal advertisement caught her eye.

Wealthy land owner in Noblesville, Indiana hosting a house party—including Independence Day festivities—for the express purpose of finding a mate. Marriage could be an eventuality but the certainty of that outcome is not a definite. Companionship is the more immediate necessity. Experience in sensual bedroom arts is preferred but not required.

 Inquires collected through the 30th of the month. Please indicate physical characteristics, flaws and any special talents. Also include a brief history and a short essay of why you would like to be considered.

 Responses should be addressed to Mr. Franklin Garrett care of Rutledge Estates, Route 5. If you are chosen as one of the twelve candidates, further instructions will be sent no later than June 15th. As a footnote, ladies’ maids or attendants will not be needed and are definitely not desired. Rutledge Estates boasts more than enough staff.

 Shock ricocheted through her insides at the audacity of a man blatantly asking self-respecting women to reply to such an inquiry. Just think of the scandal! What kind of gentleman would proposition one woman let alone ask for a dozen to reside in his house without a proper chaperone? She crumpled the paper in her fists. A man who was not a gentleman. A man who cared not for conventions or rules. A man who wished to live life on his own terms. Her skin prickled. He must be quite powerful to thwart the proprieties and make it a public spectacle—or very daring.

“Is there a problem, miss?” A young woman in a black dress and white frilled apron asked as she set out the items for tea.

“Oh, no, but thank you. This looks lovely.” Only when the woman moved on to attend to other diners did Lyndal smooth the paper out on her lap once more.

Experience in the bedroom arts? Surely the person who wrote this missive didn’t mean to take the women he selected into his bed. Her cheeks heated at the thought. She swallowed around the lump in her throat. Was it a lark, a practical joke played on the newspaper office to take readers’ minds off the war, a political stunt, a personal statement? What arrogance was at play to even pen such a request, what bold confidence that anyone would respond. Searching through the society section, her gaze landed on a grainy black-and-white photograph of the man in question.

Too blurry to do him justice, the one feature that seemed to jump off the page was his eyes. Intense, dark and focused, as if he watched her from the paper, they demanded her attention and subsequent submission. Her heart beat a little faster. Dark hair, heavy brows and a strong jaw that spoke of determination and an unwavering will. Yet her focus returned to his eyes. In her imagination, she could easily invent a tale of wounded vulnerability or maybe basic human need. Would his lips be firm or supple against hers? Was he a man of gentle caresses or did he demand women yield fully to him in the bedroom?

A blush heated her whole body and again, her heart raced with excitement or fear. Nonsense, Lyndal. You would never succumb to such temptation for the express reason you will not respond to this advertisement. Yet she couldn’t look away from his eyes. As a whole, the picture portrayed a man of power, a man of magnetism. What would he be like? Was he as terrible as she thought based solely on his advertisement? Would she want to be judged on so little?

I hope you’ll snag your own copy of A WOLFISH SCANDAL. You can find it here:

ARe–http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-awolfishscandal-719824-139.html

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/A-Wolfish-Scandal-ebook/dp/B0078IIV44/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329135698&sr=8-1

Liquid Silver Books: http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&product_name=A+Wolfish+Scandal&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact

Prize for this post: A reproduction bar of Civil War-style soap plus book swag. Winner will be chosen tomorrow so please be sure to leave your contact information.

If you’d like to connect with me on social media, you can do so here:

Website: http://www.sandrasookoo.com

Believing is Seeing blog: http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/sandrasookoo

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sandra.sookoo

 Thanks so much for dropping by!

Why I Write

Hi Y’all, I’m Stephy Smith and I want to share why I write with y’all.

When I first started writing four years ago, I did it to relieve stress and entertain my friends. I never thought of becoming a published author. My goal wasn’t to win a Pulitzer, number one on any chart or any other award.

After my friends read some of my work, they told me I needed to submit to a publisher. My thoughts were ‘yea right’ and I rolled it over in my mind for two years before I got up enough courage to send the first manuscript in. I received a nice rejection letter telling me what I needed to change. The main thing at the time was head hopping. Did you know you cannot have three different points of views in the same paragraph! Even though the editor finished the story and loved it, she asked me to fix it and resubmit. (I’m still working on this one.)

I had no idea how to fix it. So, I kept writing and entered a contest where Lizzie and the Rebel took Honorable Mention. I pulled that baby out and edited, edited, edited until I was ready to toss it in the trash bin. Then something happened.

One of the groups had a ‘pitch day’. I had no idea what was to come or how to pitch for that matter. At this point, I wanted to know how I could improve my stories so I pitched. To my surprise, Stephanie Taylor, with Astraea Press asked for a full submission. If you could’ve seen this fifty plus grandma acting as if her Prince Charming had finally arrived and was going to pass her by, had to chase him down and jump on the back of his white steed it was me.

The next thing I knew, I was signing a contract. This was the beginning of a wonderful year with Astraea Press.

At the time of this writing, I have six published books and would like to say ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ Astraea Press. Without Stephanie Taylor and all of the wonderful editors, cover artist and fantastic authors, we wouldn’t be where we are today. I’m proud to be a part of this team.

The Soundtrack:

Here are some songs that made my “Book Soundtrack”. Some have to do with a specific character, while others a certain moment or theme. The score would be a darker, new age, kind of feel too it, possibly done by Delerium of Juno Reactor. The other half of it represents the high school, young adult, aspects of the story and is more pop/dance in genre, which matches the story since the characters like to go out and do that often. Enjoy!

The Heroine (Cheyene’s Song):

“Flowers Become Screens” – Delerium – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OibJ4F7xZJY

The Antagonist (Denver’s Song):

“Pretty When you Cry” – VAST (explicit lyrics) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNkm-U3oRJY

The Ambiance (Score, Setting, Mood):

“Terra Firma” – Delerium – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKUxE8UE7S0

“Silence” – Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5S8yU9e8Mg

“Conga Fury” – Juno Reactor – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q4GGxDjTUQ

“Furious Angels” – Rob Dougan – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wdf3_YtwL8

The Romance (All pairings, not going to spoil it sorry!):

“Chemicals React” – Aly and AJ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgU3aLaJa-s

“Uninvited” – Alanis Morissette – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvgi7P97lu0

“Say OK” – Vanessa Hudgens – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjOEFMDC2P4

“Kings and Queens” – Luna Halo – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no9wMzzqWR4

“Love Me, Love Me” – Big Time Rush – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjgc2wl_-a0

The Song That Plays When Everything Bad Happens:

“Lie to Me” – RED – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YegliDIdWtg

Buy Links for AGENDAS

http://www.amazon.com/Vala-Agendas-ebook/dp/B005WNXJRG

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vala-jf-jenkins/1106742651

http://www.astraeapress.com/#ecwid:category=662250&mode=product&product=5907223

Thank you, Lindsay, for inviting me to join you today to share about my new release, Sacred Ring, a young adult adventure story about three kids who go on a quest to find the Sacred Ring of Saint Valentine.

With Valentine’s Day coming tomorrow, I thought a bit of Saint Valentine trivia was in order:

Did you know Saint Valentine was the name of fourteen different martyrs who died in Rome?

Did you know the saint in question was believed to be martyred around A.D. 270?

Did you know holiday commemorating Saint Valentine was first instituted in A.D. 496?

Saint Valentine plays a historical role in Sacred Ring, his story and the legends surrounding his death are a large part of the foundation of the story. The real stimulus of the plot, however, is the characters: Kynan, Michael and Brianna. They make it what it is and drive the story through to the end.

Characters are real.

Ask any avid reader. Better yet, ask almost any teenage girl if Edward is real, and I promise you they will first jump up and down in excitement; second, clap their hands with glee, and third scream, “Oh my gosh, he is gorgeous! I’m so going to marry him!”

Is he real?

Absolutely not.

But try explaining that to a room full of middle school girls, and you may just get scalped.

What makes characters so real and loveable in a story? How do you develop a character that is so real, so amazing, so memorable that people wish it were actually true?

It isn’t always easy, but writers have to think about all the time. How would my hero react in this situation? Is this going to make the heroine angry? Sad? Happy? Will readers be able to identify with what this person is going through? Or will they hate him and want to cause him physical pain?

A good character is one developed enough for readers to identify with. I like to write flawed characters, people who seem normal to the reader but have redeeming qualities. You can tell when you’ve developed your character well when readers have emotional reactions to them. Love him or hate him. The point is, you need to find a character you know you can easily write about, name that character, and then begin to build him.

What are his defining features? Eye color? Achilles’ heel? Personality traits? Etc.

The characters in Sacred Ring feel real to me. And don’t laugh, but one of my middle school students looks and acts so much like Brianna, I’ve actually called her by that name on more than one occasion. You kind of get attached after spending so much time with your characters. Hopefully you will like them as much as I do.

Cover Blurb:

Nothing in Kynan Murphy’s life is going right. His grades are horrible, he’s always in trouble, and the girl he likes doesn’t know he exists. But things go from bad to worse when his parents tell him they have decided to split up. Angry and confused, he wants nothing more than to lash out against the world. The closest thing he can find, however, is the Saint Valentine shrine during a school field trip. Armed with some fireworks and encouraged by his best friend, Michael Connell, he’s all set to vent his frustration with life.

His best laid plans fail when a mysterious priest confronts him, sharing an ancient secret about a hidden ring with special powers. Kynan believes the answer to all his problems and the only way to fix his parents’ broken marriage is to find the ring — a task he won’t be able to accomplish on his own.

It was easy enough to convince his friend Michael to join him, but the irritating Brianna Collins insists on tagging along. Fortunately, her knack for language and interest in history is a valuable asset in the search. Their quest leads them to the northern coast and into dangerous territory where, in spite of their good intentions, they may lose their own lives.

Amazon Buy Link

Barnes and Noble Buy Link

I had written Spellbound, my YA paranormal opening to what will be a three book series, mostly as an answer to my youngest daughter.  She had a mad passion for a certain vampire and I wanted to give her a role model, less inhuman and more, um, available.  When I finished it, my son wanted to know if I could write a book he liked.  He apologized, but shyly admitted witches weren’t his thing.  What do you want Momma to write about, honey?  Can you write something I can read? he asked.  Like what?  I like Goosebumps, he said.  Okay, let me see what I can do.  I didn’t promise anything, just hoped the Muse would make an appearance.

She did.  In a most unusual way.  Son had a bad day at school and he and another kid got detention.  That was pretty much all it took.  Muse grabbed me by the hair, dragged me to the computer, and the story took only a week to bang out.  The rest is ATYPICAL of how it should go.  I submitted it to a publishing company that was less than a month away from imploding.  Senior staff walked among rumors of owner fraud, which shortly became far less than a rumor.  That staff created a brand new publishing company and I, along with many, patiently waited out a horribly long and difficult period until our books, held captive and nearly hostage by the closing publisher, became our own again.

When the new publishing company, I am proud to say is Musa Publishing (www.musapublishing.com) opened their submissions, I sent in The Detention Demon to the same editor who had accepted it before, Celina Summers, now the Head Editor at Musa.  I was thrilled, for a second time, when it was accepted.  And for the really good news, I was fast-tracked.  Because my manuscript had been fully edited before (by the rock-star- cool Erica Mills) it only needed a little tweaking.

The cover artist also exceeded my expectations.  Thank you Kelley Shorten!  So, this Friday I am unveiling a project that is probably the closest to my heart thus far.  This little manuscript refused to die.  The other publishing company tried to kill it, and like the Little Engine That Could, it kept on chugging up the hill.  Please take a read and let me know a couple things.  Did you like it?  Do you think your kid will?  I wrote it for a boy I know and love, and for the many other kids who need just that one book to hook them on the reading habit for life.  I hope The Detention Demon is that one book.

About the Author:  Samantha Combs is the Global Ebook Award-winning author of Spellbound, and book two in the series, Everspell.  An additional YA ghost story, Ghostly is her third publication, as well as a short horror story collection, Teeth and Talons, A Horror Anthology, her fourth.  She writes for Astraea Press and Musa Publishing and for the sheer love of it.  Following the release of The Detention Demon, her fifth published book, look for Waterdancer, a new YA paranormal from Musa Publishing coming in September of 2012.

A raggedy group of delinquents, thrown together by circumstance, get the opportunity to prove if rumors about the detention teacher being less than human are true and discover it doesn’t take years of friendship to bond together and overcome evil.

Wayne is a Junior High school boy who just got detention for fighting in school to protect his longtime best friend, Gumby.  But recently, there have been stories about detention.  Kids have mysteriously disappeared, creating creepy rumors about detention class. Now, Wayne finds himself trapped in there with school bully Bubba Dugan.  Keeping his distance from Bubba won’t be Wayne’s only problem.  In fact, those rumors about the detention teacher don’t seem like stories at all.

With his best friend Gumby, a crew of delinquents and a surprising late addition, a pretty cheerleader harboring a secret crush, Wayne and his group of misfits will have to band together to outwit the detention teacher.  He’s protected his best friend from harm his whole life…..but, can he protect him and everyone else against something that might not even be human?

CONNECT WITH ME!

Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Samantha-Combs-Fan-Page/205186202866933

Email:  samanthacombswrites@gmail.com

Blog: http://www.samanthacombswrites.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/samanthacombs1

WRITE, PUBLISH, AND BE INFORMED!

I am so excited about my third novella, which is now available at Astraea Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.  It takes place in Greece, on the beautiful island of Paros. I had the pleasure of staying on this island during the summer of 2008 and was fascinated by the beauty as well as the history of the country. My friend and I shopped in tiny shops lining ancient stone streets, and soaked in the sunshine on pristine white beaches. We listened to traditional Greek music and enjoyed tasty dishes prepared with fresh vegetables and savory spices. And then I came home and started writing.

This story is a bit of a departure for me. I’ve always loved both contemporary and historical fiction but this story takes place in the present and has a character who “lives” in the past. She studies it through the artifacts she uncovers. Francie is an archaeologist who looks for items left behind by the people in ancient civilizations.

Sometimes I wonder what people in the future will find from our lives. What will they derive about us?  If my home were to be uncovered by future archaeologists, would they understand anything about our way of life, our goals, our habits? In my house there are lots of books and magazines. There are lots of CDs and a few DVDs. Right now I have tons of fabric and assorted craft projects. And pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. They’re in frames and scrapbooks, and I’ve got boxes of them that I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to doing something with. What kind of conclusion would they draw about me?

I’m hoping that future generations will find that I’m a romantic at heart and a family centered person who has more ambition than time.

Blurb for Aegean Intrigue:

Someone has been stealing priceless Greek artifacts and it’s Alex Leonidis’ job to uncover the thief. His prime suspect is beautiful archaeological graduate student, Francie Vasileiou. His plan is to join in an archaeological dig and catch her in the act. All he has to do is keep his mind on his job, and not on the way his lovely suspect warms his heart. He’s learned the hard way not to trust fragile-looking women who seem to need his help.

Francie wants to get her PhD and become an archaeologist, like her famous father. The sudden invitation to participate in a dig on the beautiful Greek island of Paros is a wonderful opportunity. She has no time for distractions like Alex, the handsome Project Director. Experience has taught her to stay clear of handsome, charismatic Greek men. On the shores of the Aegean Sea, Alex and Francie work together, searching for treasures from Greece’s past. While pursuing their goals, they discover some of the truths they had believed to be carved in stone may have been flawed.

Buy links:

Astraea Press:

Amazon:

Barnes and Noble:

The Key to Love

Valentine’s Day will be upon us soon, with the message that love never fails… to stir us into buying chocolate, at least! And after skirting contemporary romance for years, I have to confess that I answered the “siren call” to write a novella with the theme of love for February.

 The Key to Love is out this month by Astraea Press, my second book, and I had a blast writing it! While I’m a historical writer at heart, with a deep love of research, I discovered that writing a modern setting also takes research. What cars do the heroine and hero drive? Google that. What special dress will the heroine wear on a date? Google that. And what about where the hero’s office might be located, or his business? Thank goodness for Google!

Back up to Thanksgiving/pre-Christmas, when that call went out for Valentine’s Day novellas. Valentine’s Day? My head was firmly into wrapping, cards, the tree, etc. But being a collage artist, the inspiration for The Key to Love came when I was finishing a clock-themed piece. What if my heroine found a piece of metal and used it in her collage? And later realized someone had lost it? That spurred me on to name my heroine, hero and some minor characters. So right after Christmas, for the first time ever, I started writing. Cold.

Without a character sketch, without a plot arc, without any clue of the setting, I wrote down what popped in my head. I kept writing, on and on, until my ideas ran dry. Now, this is not my usual style of writing. I have never been a “pantser” – which is writing by the seat of your pants. I’m a total “plotter” – which means I spend several weeks (usually) lining up the “pieces” before the game even begins. The plot map/outline/setting plus the characters and everything relevant to their lives – birthdays, Chinese and Astrological signs, backgrounds from birth order to quirks and hobbies, their looks (celebrity photos are great for this), you name it.

Not this time. Granted, I knew I wasn’t writing a full novel. But there’s only so much “pantsing” you can do. So once the well ran dry, I had to think. What’s the best thing to do while thinking? Cleaning house, especially vacuuming. That soothing sound got the wheels in my brain rolling again, and I was back on the racetrack and running. I admit, the deadline helped. But I did have to backtrack and come up with a “hook” because the beginning fell flat. And I had holes to “plug” and scenes to re-order. Once I “finished” the novella, it still didn’t have that “polished” feel to it. I set it aside, took another art class, and let the cows chew their cuds in my brain’s pasture. I needed conflict – what was there didn’t seem strong enough.

And so, my heroine Jennette Jacobson had to deal with a family crisis as well as her personal dilemma – what should she do about the piece of metal she found? Will the hero, Steve Harmon, convince her that it really is important to him? And in researching the cars they drive, the clothes they wear and other items, I noticed a theme – the color red. Very fitting for Valentine’s Day!

While researching my story’s timeline, I ran across a major fact that totally sailed over my head like a snowball in a winter fight. The infamous Midwest’s Groundhog Day blizzard of 2011! Oh my. Some things you just have to use. And it fit perfectly. Enjoy reading The Key to Love!

Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Astraea Press

The other day, while browsing a new site, I came across an article about numerology and the impact it has on your life.

Is it possible that numbers can, like the pull of the moon, have an impact on circumstances surrounding you and your life?

That led me to wondering whether the same influence impacts on the names of our novels, so— now well and truly distracted from the original purpose of my research, I hit Google and came up with this site http://www.paulsadowski.com/ and had a wonderful time, my original intent well and truly forgotten.

First I put in Sherry Gloag…no you really don’t want to know…

…but I was impressed enough to scroll down again  to ‘What your name means’ again and entered the title of my latest release, From Now Until Forever, the first book in a series of four, published in December by Astraea Press in December 2011.

Melanie Babcot is Prince Liam’s security guard… Prince Liam seeks personal freedom and finds it and his destiny in the arms of his protector.

This is what the numerology site came up with-
Your number is: 8
The characteristics of #8 are: Practical endeavors, status oriented, power-seeking, high-material goals.
The expression or destiny for #8:
Your Expression is represented by the number 8. The 8 Expression is well-equipped in a managerial sense. You have outstanding organizational and administrative capabilities. You have the potential for considerable achievement in business or other powerful positions. You can expect to receive the financial and material rewards. You have the skill and abilities to establish or operate a business with great efficiency…
Your Soul Urge number is: 4
A Soul Urge number of 4 means:

… You are responsible, reliable and in the final analysis, practical. Highly analytical, you can see your way through all sorts of situations and generally have a clear understanding of the issues. You are a very honest, sincere, and conscientious individual.

The negative side of the 4 is rigid, stubborn and somewhat narrow-minded. There is a tendency to hide feelings…
Your Inner Dream number is: 4
An Inner Dream number of 4 means:
You dream of being a very solid citizen that people can depend upon. You strive for organization and predictable order. You want to be recognized as a person with a plan and the discipline to make that plan work like clockwork.

I then decided to add the title of the upcoming release of my Valentine story, His Chosen Bride, the second book in the Gasquet Princes series, also to be published by Astraea Press.

In this book Henri, heir, to his father’s throne, meets Monica Latimer, an empath a teacher and runs a riding school for disabled children and teaches them how to overcome –even temporally- their disabilities, While Henri is prepared to marry a bride chosen by his parents, until he meets Monica

And the site cam e up with -
Your number is: 3
The characteristics of #3 are: Expression, verbalization, socialization, the arts, the joy of living. The expression or destiny for #3:
An Expression of 3 produces a quest for destiny with words along a variety of lines that may include writing, speaking, singing, acting or teaching; our entertainers, writers, litigators, teachers, salesmen, and composers.
Your Soul Urge number is: 7
A Soul Urge number of 7 means:
With a number 7 Soul Urge you are very fond of … retreating to periods of being alone and away from the disruptions of the outer world. You like to dream and develop you idealistic understandings, to study and analyze, to gain knowledge and wisdom.
The negative traits of the 7 include becoming too much the introvert and isolated from others.
Your Inner Dream number is: 5
An Inner Dream number of 5 means:
You dream of being totally free and unrestrained by responsibility. You see yourself conversing and mingling with the natives in many nations, living for adventure and life experiences. You imagine what you might accomplished.
This describes my heroine, Monica, to a ‘T’.  She has some BIG decisions to make before the end of His Chosen Bride.

Utterly intrigued by now, I decided to follow these with my debut novel The Brat, published by The Wild Rose Press in October 2010and have to say I was blown away with the content.

The Brat is family orientated.  Family influences, past and present feature heavily throughout The Brat and the numerology interpretation gives pause for thought.

Here is some of it and it is surprisingly accurate.
Your number is: 11 The number 11 is the first of the master numbers. It is associated with idealistic concepts… Your thinking is long term, and you are able to grasp the far-reaching effects of actions and plans. You are disappointed by the short-sighted views of many of your contemporaries. You are deeply concerned and supportive of art, music, or of beauty in any form.
A Soul Urge number of 6 means:
With a number 6 Soul Urge, you would like to be appreciated for your ability to handle responsibility. Your home and family are likely to be a strong focus for you, perhaps the strongest focus of your life.
The person with too much 6 energy often finds that people tend to take advantage of this very giving spirit. You may tend to repress your own needs so that you can cater to the demands from others. At times, there may be a tendency in this, for becoming over-loaded with such demands, and as a result become resentful.

Next I entered the title on my second full-length novel, Duty Calls, published by Black Opal Books, in February 2011. This is about the consequences of turning your back on love in favour of duty, and whether by letting love into your life, duty becomes a gift rather than a burden.
Before I share a little of what the site came up with, I have to say the accuracy ‘seriously spooked’ me
Your number is: 9
The characteristics of #9 are: Humanitarian, giving nature, selflessness, obligations, creative expression.
The expression or destiny for #9:
The expression that you exhibit is represented by the number 9. Your talents center in humanistic interests and approaches. You like to help others as you were intended to be the ‘big brother or big sister’ type. You operate best when you follow your feelings and sense of compassion, and allow yourself to be sensitive to the needs of others. You work well with people, and have the potential to inspire.
Undeveloped or ignored, the negative side of the 9 expression can be very selfish and self-centered. If you do not actively involve yourself with work that benefits others, you may tend to express just the opposite characteristics.
Your Soul Urge number is: 4
A Soul Urge number of 4 means:
With the Soul Urge or Motivation number of 4 you are likely to strive for a stable life. You tend to follow a rather orderly pattern and systematic approach in your endeavors. You have an inner desire to serve others in a methodical and diligent manner. You want to be in solid, conventional, and well-regulated activities, and you are somewhat disturbed by innovation and erratic or sudden changes.

Thoroughly disconcerted by the accuracy so far, I finally entered the title for my Valentine novella in 2011, The Wrong Target, published by eTreasures in January 2011.

This is about business tycoon Ryan Thomas who, based on wrong information, insists on the dismissal of Tina Blackberry, headmistress of a prestigious private girls’ school and the journey they take – with cupid’s interference- before they reach their HEA.
Your number is: 1
The characteristics of #1 are: Initiating action, pioneering, leading, independent, attaining, individual.
The expression or destiny for #1:
A number 1 Expression denotes the skilled executive with keen administrative capabilities. You must develop the capacity to be a fine leader, sales executive, or promoter. You have the tools to become an original person with a creative approach to problem solving, and a penchant for initiating action. Someone may have to follow behind you to handle the details, but you know how to get things going and make things happen. You have a good mind and the ability to use it for your advancement.
Your Soul Urge number is: 8
A Soul Urge number of 8 means:
With an 8 soul urge, you have a natural flair for big business and the challenges imposed by the commercial world. Power, status and success are very important to you. You have strong urges to supervise, organize and lead.
Your Inner Dream number is: 11
An Inner Dream number of 11 means:
You dream of casting the light of illumination; of being the true idealist. You secretly believe there is more to life than we can know or prove…

As I said at the beginning, the trouble with research is… the temptation to give into distractions!

Multi-published author, Sherry Gloag is a transplanted Scot now living in the beautiful coastal countryside of Norfolk, England.  She considers the surrounding countryside as extension of her own garden, to which she escapes when she needs “thinking time” and solitude to work out the plots for her next novel.  While out walking she enjoys talking to her characters, as long as there are no other walkers close by.

Apart from writing, Sherry enjoys gardening, walking, reading and cheerfully admits her books tend to take over most of the shelf and floor space in her workroom-cum-office.  She also finds crystal craft work therapeutic.

Blurb

For Prince Liam, families meant bad news, unwanted commitments, and the loss of his personal freedom.  Love spawned white picket fences, slippers at the hearth with a wife and kids making demands, so why did those images disappear when he met Melanie Babcot?

Melanie Babcot fought hard to escape the horrors of her youth and vowed to remain single and free, so when paid to protect Prince Liam from insurgents why did her personal pledge fly out the window?

 ****

EXCERPT:
Liam Fitzwilliam Gasquet stared in amazement at the blooming patch of red milliseconds before the pain exploded in his arm. Some trigger-happy idiot had fired in his direction. Indignation didn’t have time to take root before another bullet kicked the dust at his feet.
Not ‘trigger-happy’.
Intentional.
The rebels had found the fourth and youngest son of Jean-Phillipe Gasquet, ruler of the tiny kingdom adjacent to the Swiss border. When had they discovered his whereabouts?
With a reluctant sigh, he faced the truth of it. They hadn’t ‘found’ him at all. They’d followed him.

Author of “Beyond Evidence” a YA Paranormal Crime Thriller

My writing journey- so far…

I was in Primary six, which means I was around nine years old when I wrote my first book. I cannot remember what it was called but I do know that it was about seven sisters who hated each other. I laugh when I think about it now but I will say that I have always wanted to be an author. I always enjoyed writing little stories when I was younger whether it was in school or at home and I would always create scenarios when I was playing with my dolls.

When I moved on to High School, I lost my ambition to write and became more interested in art and growing up too quickly (as I am sure many other teenagers do) but as I grew and got to know myself more and more I found a passion for English. I had a fantastic English teacher in second year called Mrs Grant and she was one of the most patient high school teachers I can remember. I think she was partly why I developed a passion for English, even though I didn’t show it much. I always got good marks in English and enjoyed writing essays. I ended up leaving school at the age of sixteen with eight standard grades and one higher (in Scotland the exam board is called SQA – Scottish Qualifications Authority and in fourth year you are required to sit Standard Grade examinations in English, Maths and a Language- either French or German and then a further five subjects of your choice. The standard grade exams were graded 1-7 with 1 being the highest grade and 7 being a fail. I received a 2 for English which I was so pleased about and a 3 for my Art. The rest were 3’s and 4’s which I was satisfied with. In 5^th year I chose to do English, Art, Computing and Media Studies. I passed my Art- gaining an intermediate 2 grade A) and went straight into fulltime employment in Childcare. I literally left school on the Tuesday and started work on Wednesday, having time off for my higher exams. I then went on to study Childcare and gained an SVQ (Scottish Vocational Qualifications) 2 and 3 in Early Years Care and Education and Higher HIV, Hep C and other related illnesses (required to work in a local authority setting). I absolutely loved the job and I still do. I have been working in childcare coming up ten years and I am now based in a Maria Montessori nursery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the best job in the world and I wouldn’t change my career choice, however I did begin thinking about writing again in June 2010. The reason being that a colleague of mine has a partner who has apparently been writing his first novel for eight years although he is very secretive about it and does not share it with anyone. My colleague and I discussed our love for reading and I just decided there and then that I would put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) so I went out and purchased a book named “Your Writing Coach” by Jurgen Wolff and began my research.

I absolutely love all things paranormal, especially since my Grampa died in June 2002. I was absolutely devastated about his death and to this day I still am. He was an amazing Grampa who worked as an engineer (which my Dad followed) and he travelled the world for years, living in places like Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Australia. I remember him being away a lot and when I was little he would always bring back these huge dolls for me and I would be as happy as a child at Christmas. Anytime I saw an aeroplane I would say to my parents “Gampa on the giminey” (that was my word for aeroplane till I was about four years old!) and sometimes when a plane flies over my house I think about him. I know he would be very proud of what I was doing if he was here today.

I decided a few years later that I was going to see a psychic medium just to see if they could give me any accurate information. I sat down with the man who’s name was Fraser and he instantly began talking about my Grampa. How could he know? All I had said was hello! He told me about his love for Whiskey, his bad health and his involvement in Scottish pipe bands. I know what you might be thinking- “All typical information on an old Scottish man!” – but there was something about the way he spoke that made me feel comfortable. Also, there were other things that he said that only I could confirm, things that I had never told anyone before! That’s pretty solid evidence if you ask me!

I was so pleased with my reading that I kept going back to the same place, once per month on a Wednesday evening, with my mum. There was another lady there, Anne and she was every bit as great, if not better, than Fraser. She gave me a private reading and it was from there on in I was totally convinced that after death, there is more.

You probably have me pictured as some crazy woman who worships the dead – but I am just your average twenty six year old woman who lives at home with her boyfriend and two cats.

Anyway, after I decided to write my book and purchased my help material, I asked Anne for some advice. She gave me tips on how to make my character (Patrick, a psychic medium from Glasgow) authentic and believable, even to a sceptic.

And so my novel began, based in Glasgow (my home city) and in the middle of a triple murder inquiry my character and his life grew and grew.

I am on the last few chapters and as the story is coming to a harrowing climax, I cannot imagine my life now without writing. I have made some amazing friends along the way and some of them are so supportive and encouraging. I was encouraged to start up a Facebook page to promote myself and my work and I now have 166 followers and I recently began my own blog, which has 10 followers. For an unpublished author, I think that is pretty amazing. Not only have I had amazing support from my new online friends but my family and friends at home too. My best friend Donna is an artist and she has agreed to design the cover, which I am thrilled about.

I have amazed myself by getting this far, and I am not going to stop until I am holding a copy of “Beyond Evidence” in my hands and whenever I cannot get to my laptop to write, for reasons such as laundry or cooking, my fingers itch and my brain overloads with scenes I am desperate to type up.

I already have an idea for my next novel, I think it is going to be a series, or maybe just a second to the first book. But whatever I do, I can be sure that there will be a laptop and an internet connection nearby. I mean, Google has been my source of research so I am definitely going to need it for my next project.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, I hope you have enjoyed it and maybe one day soon you will see my book for sale, if you do, grab a copy. You never no, if you’re a sceptic, I may change your mind! J

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 9,200 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.