March 9th 2015 Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Good Morning! It’s been a few days since I have constructed a blog post, and to be honest, it’s not easy going today either, but I felt obligated. No reason, I’m just tired. It’s been a crazy few days.

On Thursday, during the blizzard, I headed up to Vermont to pick up my daughter because it was the start of her spring break. It probably would have made a world more sense to leave on Friday, after the storm had passed, but I knew doing a one day round trip would have wrecked me.

 

I did have my “Jesus take the wheel” moment while driving up. I was headed north on Route 287, a major three lane highway in New Jersey. I was in the middle lane, tootling along at 35 mph, in the two narrow tire strips of clean pavement, when I neared a truck from Alabama. It was throwing up so much slush and snow, I moved over into the fast lane so I would have an empty lane between us. Then the truck decides to move over into the middle lane. I can’t speed up because it’s not safe – I pushed it at 38 to no avail, but was not willing to go faster. I could not slow down because then I would be getting the full brunt of the slush flying off the truck. Basically, I was stuck, white-knuckled, and none too happy, just behind the cab of the truck.

That is when the rocket scientist of a truck drive decided he wanted to come into the fast lane. A) Trucks are NOT allowed in the fast lane in New Jersey, and B) The lane was OCCUPIED! He began to cross into my lane, and kicked up enough muck to completely cover my windshield, effectually blinding me. Instinctively, I began to swerve to the left, onto the unplowed left buffer, to avoid the truck, and flipped my wipers on high so I could see. The windshield cleared just in time for me to correct my trajectory and avoid hitting the cement median by inches. By the grace of God alone, I was able to maintain control of my vehicle on the icy snowy road.

The truck driver must have realized his error, because by the time I righted myself, he was several car lengths behind me, and moving over to the slow lane. Thankfully, the rest stop was only a few more miles away, and I would be able to pull over and compose myself.

Southerners, I love you, truly I do, but y’all should seriously reconsider crossing the Mason-Dixon line during the winter months. You are ill-equipped to handle the treacherous driving conditions.

It was very strange, the snow did not cross the state line. It was snowing like crazy in NJ, but when I crossed over into NY, nothing. WooHoo! Perhaps I would reach Vermont hail and whole after all.

As I was getting off the exit, I kept hearing this unusual scraping noise, and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to steer the car. I’m thinking – just what I need, car trouble, during a blizzard, and over two and a half hours away from home. Just ducky!

I maneuver my car into a spot, in the blessedly covered parking deck, and get out to have a look. I’m not mechanically inclined, however I was praying for it to be something obvious, and easily repairable. It was blatantly obvious what the problem was, and in hindsight, I wish I had snapped a picture before I corrected the problem. All four of my tires were completely encrusted with snow. It was packed solid into the wheel wells, and was scraping against the tires. I pulled a photo off the internet to show you what I mean, but my car was much worse than the photo.

For the next twenty minutes, I kicked at the bumpers and the running boards trying to displace the snow, and I managed to get about 80% of it off. There were sections under the running boards that were just solid ice, and no matter how much I kicked, it wasn’t budging, so I gave up.

When I pulled out of the Sloatsburg Rest Stop, my nerves had calmed, the car was driving well again, and the snow had stopped. Two hours later, I was cruising up Route 87, at a more road eating pace of 68mph, when a Jeep Cherokee from – you guessed it – Alabama, slams on his breaks right in front of me. I swerve into the left lane (there was very little traffic, and we were all traveling in the slow lane, so I knew there was no one on my left), and then I realize why the Cherokee driver hit his brakes – a NY state trooper, decided to swing a Uie at one of the breaks in the median. Now I’m thinking the trooper isn’t going to stop, and pull right into traffic, so I swerve back into the right lane.

Good grief! Unless you are traveling through Hazard County and Roscoe P. Coltrane is on duty, no state trooper is going to pull you over for going THREE miles over the speed limit. (My cruise control was set at exactly 68 and we had been traveling at that exact speed for over half an hour when the clown slammed on his brakes.)

I had my hand on my chest, trying to keep my heart from beating thorough my chest when the state trooper drove past me. He looked over, rolled his eyes and sped off shaking his head. I’d like to think he was referencing the guy hitting his brakes and not me, considering he didn’t pull me over.

By the time I got to Vermont – which was beautiful sunny blue skies and 17°, I had had enough. I picked up soup and sandwiches from Panara, Lys and I had an early dinner, and I was sound asleep by 9:30.

The next morning, I felt SO bad. I was exhausted, plus I have a little bit of a cold, and my daughter told me I kept her up because I was snoring. How embarrassing. I asked her why she didn’t throw something at me to make me wake up and stop. She said because she knew how tired I was. I felt terrible. She couldn’t sleep because of me, and she had two classes to go to before we could leave. It’s four days later and I still feel guilty about it.

Saturday, Lys spent twelve hours making her cousin’s birthday cake. Here’s a photo of her latest masterpiece. The child has a definite flair for cake decorating. Yesterday my maid of honor and her sister came over for brunch. We had a blast! Then yesterday afternoon we had my nephew Max’s and Lys’ combined birthday party over at my sister-in-law’s. Today, I’m whooped. Thank goodness I have nowhere I have to be, and nothing I have to do today, because honestly, I don’t have the energy.

Okay, I have rambled on long enough for one day. I hope you have a marvelous day, and happy writing!

Your Next Challenge is:

Use the following “Friends were things of the past, of his other life.” Bonus points if you either start or finish your challenge with the sentence.

Quote taken from Man Hunt by K. Edwin Fritz – available on Amazon.

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

June 10th

Hi, It’s Christina –

Today’s blog is going to be completely different than any other blog I’ve done before. This morning, before I even took my second swallow of coffee, I was issued a challenge, a gauntlet was thrown and crazy me picked it up.

The challenge was issued by my friend Keith, better known in the writing world as K. Edwin Fritz, author of stories which will keep you up at night. He just published the second installment in his Man Hunt trilogy. Keith is an amazing writer, and even though I tend to avoid horror at all cost, he has such a way with words, I tolerate being terrified so I can read his work.

Well, here’s what my friend got me into:

Meet My Main Character Blog Tour

1) What is the name of your main character? Is he/ she fictional or a historic person?

The main characters in A Second Chance are Kathryn and Graydon. They are both fictional characters in a historical setting.

2) When and where is the story set?

The story is split between rural England and London in 1804.

3) What should we know about him/her?

Kathryn is a young widow with two grown sons. Graydon is a widower, and he also has a grown son. Oh, did I mention, Graydon is an operative for the Crown?

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

The main conflict in the story is Graydon’s niece is kidnapped. During his initial attempt to rescue her, he is shot. Kathryn’s quiet life is turned upside down when she finds him and nurses him back to health.

5) What is his/her personal goal?

Graydon’s goal is to get his niece back from a ruthless unknown assailant, hell bent on revenge; and Kathryn’s goal… well she didn’t really have one. She was quite content, living her boring existence, in her tranquil country estate with her smart-alecky butler.

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

Excerpts from all of my books can be found on my website: ChristinaPaul.webs.com

7) When can we expect the book(s) to be published?

A Second Chance, the first in my Bradford Series, was published in 2012. It, as well as the second book in the series, Taking Chances, published in 2013, are available on Amazon.com, in both hard copy and on Kindle. Simply By Chance, the third in the series, will hopefully be finished by the end of the year.

And now it's my turn to pass the challenge along!

It was difficult to choose, but the following are five fabulous books by five incredible authors I have met since I embarked on this insane profession of being an author. The links will take you to their books.

Dorothy May Mercer

Linda Rawlins

Julien Ayotte

Jan Raymond

Heidi Angell

Authors, friends, tag, your it (photo stolen from Keith, but I loved it).

Okay folks, tomorrow’s blog will be back to normal. Hopefully by then, my sister in law will send over pictures from this crazy weekend we just had, and I’ll be able to get you updated. Until then, I hope you have a wonderful day, and happy writing!

March 31st

Hi, it’s Christina –

Happy Monday! First I want to start by wishing my hubby a very Happy Anniversary! We have had our ups, and we have had our downs, but I could not imagine going through this roller coaster called life without you! Love you!

Now, although I usually avoid political or religious themes here in my blog, occasionally I can’t seem to help myself. So, if you have no interest in some local town politics (and I can’t say I blame you), you can skip this section. I will not be offended. On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind comments, so I could understand a different perspective.J

So the latest thing that has our snooty town’s panties in a bunch, is there is a restaurant, which features off track betting, being proposed to go on a site in the north section of our town. This section of town has no houses close by it. There is a government depo, several businesses in an industrial park, a wholesale landscaping business, a hotel, a self-storage facility, a gas station, and a brake shop.

I just don’t get why everyone is up in arms. It’s not like a brothel is moving in, although if it were, I’m sure it would not be the first one in our town’s checkered past. Seriously folks, get a grip and think about this logically. The building has been vacant for over two years, so the town has not been able to collect any taxes from it. Any new establishment in town, which serves alcohol, would be policed more stringently. Plus it’s a well-known and reputable company who is handling the gambling portion of the restaurant. You don’t have any beef going to the Meadowlands Racetrack, do you?

Now, if betting is not your thing, and it’s definitely not mine, then just don’t go. If they don’t have patrons, they don’t have a business. Also, with this particular site, if you play the odds (pun intended); the place will not be there for very long. Think about it. In the past thirty years, this site has had at least six changes in ownership. The only place that has flipped more times is the County Line Inn location. The track record for longevity is quite dismal, so chances are, even if they do get past the planning board, their residency will be short lived. Seriously folks, aren’t there better things you could be expending your energies on?

Okay, I’m done. I just had to let it out so I wouldn’t bang my head against a wall.

Now, on a more positive note, my friend and fellow author, K. Edwin Fritz, has finally finished his long awaited sequel to ManHunt. Woman Scorned, I believe, will be release tomorrow. I shared the teaser he posted on my Facebook page, so if you’re interested, you can check it out. WARNING: it’s a horror novel.

Alright, unless I plan on pulling an all-nighter, which I don’t, I need to get back to editing. We’ll tackle the writing challenge tomorrow. I hope y’all have a wonderful day, and happy writing!

October 14th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina – 

Sorry this is late again today, I wasn’t feeling very well this morning. Feeling a little better now, so…

It’s official, I will be at Canterbury Tales again on October 26^th for a book signing and I will have two of my author friends with me, K. Edwin Fritz (aka Keith) a horror author, and Linda Rawlins a mystery author.

 

 

 

Keith’s book, Man Hunt, is a story about a matriarchal society who apprehends men who were not kind to women, bring them back to their island, and extract their own form of justice. Here’s the blurb from Amazon.com: “In the North Pacific Ocean there is an island that has been forgotten by mankind. Living there are men who have committed all manner of moral crimes. Deceived by an elaborate ruse, they wake deep within fortress walls where they are tortured, brainwashed, and then trained to physical perfection. When they are finally released to the island's hills and abandoned streets, they are told one simple rule: Survive long enough and you will be sent home. The island's only other inhabitants are women. In "Man Hunt", survival of the fittest means being literally hunted. It is "Lord of the Flies" meets hard-core feminism, because it tells both sides of the story.”

 

As far as I’m concerned, Keith is our own Stephen King; an incredibly gifted writer, but his stories would keep me up at night so I avoid them, although I do own Night Storms which is a collection of short stories. A spoonful of horror I can handle. Keith also has two other books available, Cover of Darkness – “a collection of 13 tales that promise to unsettle your brain and tease your imagination”; and Bombardier – a creepy short story, that even after reading the book teaser, I doubt I could describe it accurately.

 

You have heard me talk about Linda’s books before, but I’ll give you a quick recap. The Bench and Fatal Breach are Father Dowling meets Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. The stories are set in a picturesque town in Vermont near Burlington. The main characters are Dr. Amy, a transplant from a big Boston Hospital, and Father Michael, the local priest and therapist for other wayward priests. In the Bench they work together to solve a murder and in Fatal Breach they help unravel a cybercrime. If you want a more in depth background, you can either check out my full reviews on my website or you can go on Amazon. I was blown away by both of these books and I am chomping at the bit to get my hands number three, but it’s not out yet.

 

Anyway, all the books mentioned above are available on Amazon, and for my blog followers I have included the links. Sorry Facebook followers, I want this post to reach more than twenty-five people, so I am not including the links for you. I believe Keith will be bringing Man Hunt and Linda will be bringing Fatal Breach to the book signing, so if hard copies are what you prefer, please stop by, say “Hi” and pick up a signed copy.

 

Oh, in case you were wondering, I’ll be there too with both A Second Chance and TakingChances. Now all we need to do is keep our fingers crossed that the weather will be good.

OK, it’s now getting really late, so I should get this posted. Hope you have a wonderful day and happy writing!

 

Your Last Challenge was:

 

I’m sure many of you recognize this photo and some may even know the legend behind it of how a young man left his bike leaning against a small oak before he left for WWI. The soldier never did return from the war and over time the tree grew around the bike. What a sad yet heartwarming story, but total bologna.

In 1954 a kid, who received the bike as a charity gift after a house fire, road the bike into the woods to meet up with a bunch of friends. He was the only one who had road a bike, so when the boys were done playing, he walked off with his friends, completely forgetting he had ridden his bike. He never really cared for the bike, it was uncomfortable and too small for him, so when it was lost, he really wasn’t overly concerned. Fifty years later photos and the legend start circulating about the bike, the owner recognizes it, and sets the story straight. Well at least he tries to, but the rumors have proved far more compelling than the truth.

Granted, many rumors and legends are rooted with some truth; you just need to dig deep to weed out what is real and what is exaggeration, but then you find legends like this one that has absolutely not basis of truth whatsoever.

Another urban legend which had absolutely no basis in fact was the story of John Gilchrist, aka Mikey from the Life Cereal commercials, died from his stomach exploding after eating pop-rocks and drinking soda. You will be happy to know, John is now in his late forties, married with three children and is a tv ad exec living in New York. Obviously he is very much alive.

Which leads me to my questions, how did these rumors/legends get started? How, if they were completely false, did they take on a life of their own, so that literally people around the globe have heard them?

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

“Star Light, Star Bright, First Start I See Tonight…”

 

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.