Thursday, December 31, 2015

Dancing Among The Stars on New Years Eve

Earth and MoonLucy was dressed in a completely inappropriate shade of pink for this formal black tie New Years Eve party. When her sister had promised to fulfill her wish to see the world she was not expecting a trip like this and had totally not packed the right outfits. Among a glittering sea of ankle length black sparkly dresses and penguin suits the breakout actress of the year was dressed in a knee length salmon strapless number that was bound to turn heads, just not in the way she hoped.

"Don't do anything stupid!" Her manager had warned her. "I'd LIKE to be able to get you a second gig!"

Now how am I going to explain this? 

Lucy blushed and stared down at her feet which while yet another couple danced past her with mouths agape. She'd tried to tone the outfit down with a string of her grandmother's pearls and dainty black high heels. Her legs were so long though that she doubted that it even made a difference.

 She'd never wanted to disappear this badly in her whole life!

"You know the trick to pulling off a bright colored outfit?"

Lucy whirled to face the person who had snuck up on her. The man sported a three day old scruff that Lucy found terribly attractive. A black semi formal jacket with a white button down shirt untucked over a pair of black kakhis added to the look that suggested that he'd been shanghaied into coming to this party.

"The trick is to act like the party is being thrown just for you." The man answered, "You're Lucy Sumter right?"

"Yes, I am." He's handsome, my luck he's probably paparazzi. Lucy wanted so badly to hide.

"You just starred in the highest grossing film this century, You should be out there on the floor as if you owned the place!" The man cooed.

The man held out his elbow and Lucy took it wordlessly.

He led her out past the center of the dance floor. Lucy looked quizzically up at him, wondering why they had not picked a spot to dance yet.

"I thought you'd appreciate the view." He smiled at her and pointed to the great big window in front of them.

"Isn't it just stars?"

"Well, yes, and no... Look down,"

Lucy's heart gave a terrible jolt as she saw the large blue orb of the Earth hanging below their feet. She was terrified of heights!

"Awesome! I was hoping you two would get along!" Lucy's sister Nancy announced as she approached the pair of them.

Lucy looked first at her sister in complete shock and then blushed as she realized she was clutching the shirt of the man she had just met.

She peered nervously once more at the glittering swirling blue planet beneath them.

"You know, I don't think you told me your name." Lucy quickly brushed the wrinkles from his shirt.

"Um," He managed.

"Andrew. His name's Andrew," Nancy exclaimed with an impish chuckle.


#####



**Photo Credit: Mother Earth via photopin (license)
First sentence prompt: 'I was dressed in a completely inappropriate shade of pink'
Protagonist Prompt: Laurie, the famous actress
Goal Prompt: To see the world
Subject: New Years Eve
Word Limit: < 500
This one tops out right at 500 words.

My 2016 resolution is to publish one flash fiction post a week. Help encourage me in this endeavor by subscribing to be the first to receive my stories directly to your inbox!


Find The Alien Mind on Amazon!

Did you like this post? If so you might enjoy my book! Different characters than this flash fiction piece, but still just as entertaining!

For adults and teens alike, it is truly a science fiction adventure for the whole family!

If you'd prefer an autographed copy straight from the author you can buy one here as well!
Autographed Copy:$13.00 + Shipping
 

Friday, December 18, 2015

I need your help! Name that program!


I need a name for a program that checks the chemical and elemental composition of an object in space. something that would check to see if there were any lifeforms or potential for life forms... any ideas? If your idea is chosen I will be sure to add your name to the acknowledgement section of the book when it is published!



8554367793 ed17a7277f

Visionary From The Stars, sneak peak excerpt for reference: (Bare in mind that this is a non edited excerpt)


Jean realized in awe that a comet was coming slowly into her view. She spared a few seconds to peel her eyes away from the viewscreen to make sure her instruments were recording the comet’s majestic passing. Sure enough, they were all doing what they were supposed to do. Crediting the [previous to this passage] strange signal to her bored imagination, Jean welcomed the chance to observe the passing comet. 

Jean crossed over to another window to get a better view and realized the “comet” didn’t look quite right. It was round, but instead of the usual comma tail, five spire-like objects extruded from its sides bending backward to meet and produce a fiery tail. Uneasiness filled her stomach. Jean jumped as the (Insert Name Of Program) sent out an alarm. She ran around the center circle and rounded on the culprit computer console. Jean frowned as she realized what the huge load of information scrolling down the blue glowing screen was trying to tell her. Horrified and mystified, she turned to the viewscreen across the room. 

What is this thing? 

Slowly the comet’s pace slowed until it matched her own ship’s relative speed. The comet turned slowly towards her ship, beginning its approach. Confused, Jean looked back and forth between the nearest computer terminals. One of them began screaming a proximity alarm. Six others sent out computerized voice messages meant to alert Jean to the comet’s possible time to impact, probable future course, and various choices of evasive actions to choose from.

 “Impossible!” She exclaimed, aloud, to the viewscreen. 

Comets just don’t change direction like that!


##End Excerpt##


photo credit: Comet C/2011 L4 Through Telescope via photopin (license)
Photo is not intended for the book.

####


Find The Alien Mind on Amazon!
And wherever else books are sold!

Did you like this post? If so you might enjoy my first book (while you are waiting for Visionary From The Stars to be released)!

For adults and teens alike, it is truly a science fiction adventure for the whole family!

If you'd prefer an autographed copy straight from the author you can buy one here as well!
Autographed Copy:$13.00 + Shipping
 


And remember! If you liked this excerpt or any of the other flash fiction pieces on my blog... you can sign up to get them straight in your e-mail box by plugging in your e-mail in the box on the right hand side!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Meta and Og Tags for Blogger Blogs- Og Image Works!



Ok if you have been with me since the last post I put up on 'How To Share Your Friends Blog Posts To Facebook And Twitter'

I did some research and realized that MAYBE the reason my post wasn't showing properly after going through IFTTT.com was because the facebook og tags were not reading right. Sure enough, I headed over to facebook debugger and found that my description tag wasn't working right and my og:image tag wasn't working right.


***photo credit: Broadway via photopin (license)

This meant... when facebook received the url from IFTTT facebook didn't really know what to post. (now yes... the fact that facebook was showing the entire copy of the blog post was because I had used also used (entry content) and (entry image url) .... better to just use (entry author) with a bit of introduction text...

This blog post will serve as a test to see if these changes fix the way the IFTTT post looks on facebook.


Anyway... that is all neither here nor there.

If you have been searching for the code to use for facebook's og data... here's what worked on my blog. All of facebook's errors and warnings in the debugger vanished! YAHOO! (by the way- this image is NOT hosted by my blog host- it is actually from flickr via photopin! Photo credit below)

Paste this all in your blogger template below <head>

<copy and paste meta code begin>

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == &quot;item&quot;'>

<meta content='blog' property='og:type'/>
<meta expr:content='data:blog.title' property='og:site_name'/>
<meta expr:content='data:blog.pageName' property='og:title'/>
<b:if cond='data:blog.metaDescription'>
  <meta expr:content='data:blog.metaDescription' property='og:description'/></b:if>

<b:if cond='data:blog.postImageUrl'>
<meta expr:content='data:blog.postImageUrl' property='og:image'/>
  <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200"/>
  <meta property="og:image:height" content="630"/>
  </b:if>
 <b:else/>
<meta expr:content='data:blog.title' property='og:title'/>
<meta content='website' property='og:type'/>
</b:if>
<meta expr:content='&quot;en_US&quot;' property='og:locale'/>
<meta expr:content='data:blog.canonicalUrl' property='og:url'/>
<meta content='Insert your number here' property='fb:app_id'/>
<meta content='Insert your number here' property='fb:admins'/>

<copy and paste meta code end>


The Bottom of this post will tell you how to create the Fb App id and FB Admin code
http://www.technohalf.com/2015/01/how-to-add-facebook-open-graph-to-blogger-blog.html


The beginning of that above post is just ONE of the many that I was using to try to find the right og tag for the featured images. On that post they have just ONE thing wrong.

They use 'data:blog.postImageThumbnailUrl' for their og image tag!

Apparently you only need to use 'data:blog.postImageURL' for it to work right! (see line in blue above in the meta code)

I'd like to thank THIS site for helping me figure out the problem! http://unidigadv.blogspot.com/2014/09/adding-open-graph-protocol-ogp-tags-to.html







*Gimme just a moment and I will report back right here to let you know if the IFTTT post works better now!


YESSSSS!!!!! It works!!!  Here's a link to the working IFTTT post example

As you can see... I only used (entry author) in IFTTT for this particular post, simply because I don't plan on using it.

BUT! The right image comes up, and the title/ blog url.  So now... in IFTTT beside (entry author) I will type something like "A post from my friend (entry author)".

Still not too thrilled that I don't get a post description out of it but from what I can see the description is working on the Og code side ;)

Thats all folks! Thanks for bearing with me through the chaos!

How To Share Your Friends Blog Posts To Facebook and Twitter

Ripples In A Social Media Pond

Testing IFTTT.com to help share my friends RSS Feeds. Since I already share most of them anyway this should help take the 'work' out of it. Please don't judge, I'm starting school full time for my associates degree in electronics engineering technology tomorrow and really need to find ways to streamline what I already do. ;)

So to all my friends out there who I already help by sharing their blog posts because I honestly LOVE your blogs... you will not be forgotten as I get busier! Promise!

I'd love to say this brilliant idea is mine... but yeah, it is so totally NOT! Instead it comes from a friend of mine, Michelle Shaeffer. I tried hootsuite as she recommended so I could connect the rss feeds to facebook but found that hootsuite will only let you do two for free... I have a good handful of friends that I routinely try to share. :( So hunting for an answer I went. Hence the test blog post to test out IFTTT.com ;)


Hold tight... I'll update the bottom of this post if it works the way I want it to!




***photo credit: Broadway via photopin (license)



 It works!!!... er well sort of...

For those wondering... I had "entry author" "Entry content" and "Entry image url" chosen ... apparently it took me literally...

I  wanted to show the author and the description using the image on the blog post (NOT my website header banner) -.-

Back to tweaking...

The Whisker Brings The Rain- Flash Fiction


tower
Henry craned his neck to stare out the window as Fred landed their ship on Unaris, the 2nd planet in orbit around a set of binary stars. Gloria had been here once before so instead of peering out the window with her crewmates she sat going over the scans of the ruins below.

 Henry threw off his harness and patted Gloria’s shoulder he passed her on his way to the airlock. 

“Well, if we are going to get this planet ready in time then we better get moving,” Henry said with a shrug.

Gloria sighed. ‘I am not looking forward to this.’ 

Due to the lighter gravity the three of them hopped lightly over the dry grassy field towards the ruins. Unaris had oxygen so they didn’t need their suits, but the air was dry and stale. Fred stopped a moment to take a drink from his water bottle.

 “You might want to conserve as much of that as you can,” Gloria said, pausing to watch him take in another big gulp of water. “The rain system could be on the other side of the planet, by the looks of things it hasn’t rained here in a while.”

 “Isn’t that your job, Whisker? To get the rain to come back?” Fred said with a chuckle.

 Gloria narrowed her eyes at him and sighed. “It’s not that simple,”

“What does the machine feel like when it turns on Gloria?” Henry asked curiously as they walked up the dusty metallic steps into a giant metal tower.

 Whoever had lived here had long since moved on. Buildings farther down from the tower were either caved in or over grown by thick dead plants.

 Gloria gulped, she really didn’t want to think about how it felt.

 “It’s a little creepy, the machine transmits impressions from the designers. It helps you feel what the planet needs and where it needs it.” Gloria answered. 

“Man that is creepy.” Henry said shuddering.

 At the top of the tower a giant machine stood in a roofless room. The machine held huge metal prongs pointed high into the sky above them. Taking a deep breath Gloria climbed into the odd control chair. At her touch the machine lit up, recognizing a living being’s electrical impulses again after so many years. A metal band lowered around her forehead and after one last thumbs up to Henry and Fred she closed her eyes.

 In her mind images of the world around her invaded her mind. Memories of the world as it once was, as well as its current state. She could see the rain system, stalled out over the western ocean. She could see the air currents, barely moving due to the lack of convection from the suns. Something inside her felt the designer’s intentions.

 ‘Bring life back.’ 

 Gloria waved her mental hand over her spot on the globe floating in her mind. Vibrations shook the machine gently as the metal prongs came to life, stirring the air into motion.



**Photo Credit: via photopin (license)


This post was part of the 52 week flash fiction challenge on facebook (somehow I never hit publish here on my blog so it is a bit late.)
Week 9 word prompt: Whisker
Word Limit: 20- 500
This one tops out right at 500 words.

Readers: Would you like to have the whisker's job of keeping the planet's weather system going? Do you think it would be stressful or peaceful? What do you think would be your favorite weather system to control?

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

New Enemy- Flash Fiction

Submitted by A.K. Stein, a fellow author and Facebook friend, inspired by her 6 book werewolf romance series. Werewolves were supposed to be myth. Right. Now I know differently. And now I am one, too. And now we have an enemy who is much more terrible than Faris, the evil werewolf, was. Vampires. And they are invading the US.
And both my mates are out on a hunt. And thinking they might bring home deer afterwards for dinner. We were not to be werewolf. The crystal could have changed all that but for Faris. His cowardliness prevented Nathan, my mate and the alpha, from changing to human. Evan, my other mate, was changed back to human, but since Nathan couldn’t, he became werewolf again. And so then did I. And it turns out we are needed. We’re the only ones who can fight the vampires. “My lady!” One of the other werewolves has come running into the room. “What, Eric?” I say. “Nathan has ordered a lockdown. He and Evan will be back here shortly. The vampires are on the move and it looks like they’re coming here.” My stomach hit the floor. “All right. I’ll get Nathan Jr. You round up everyone else and we’ll meet in the dungeons in two minutes.” “All right.” He runs out the door as I go into the other room to get my little two-year-old son. I’ll have to wake him from his nap. He won’t be happy. “My lady!” the man yelled again as I entered the dungeon area. “The vampires are at the door. Hurry!” “Where’s Nathan and Evan?” My little son is crying. I feel like it, too. “I don’t know. They haven’t contacted me again.” Now my stomach has really hit the floor. He ushered me into the hidden room and shut the door. I flipped on the light so I can see where the bed is to lay my son down. He’s still crying. I don’t blame him. My tears are at the gates, too. I laid him down and smoothed out his beautiful blond hair. His father’s hair. And his father’s gorgeous blue eyes look up at me in fear. “Everything will be all right, sweetie.” I lie to him. But maybe not. I hope. An explosion occurred. Sounded like it was just on the other side of the house. The rumble shook the house. Was it the vampires? Trying to get in? What do they want here, aside from killing all of us before we can turn werewolf again in the next full moon? Those thoughts ran through my mind as I sat on the side of the bed, trying to comfort my son. My fear is for my son. He’s too little, and not a werewolf, to survive an encounter with the vampires. But what they evidently don’t realize is it doesn’t matter if we adults are not in the full moon phase. We are still strong enough to fight them. But where is Nathan and Evan? Running footsteps started just outside the locked door. I felt I should be out there helping them, but I’m needed here for my son. Nathan has commanded it. I listened, but I didn’t hear anything else. Wondering, I went to the door and listened again. Nothing. My urge is to open it but Nathan has told me that when I’m in here I am not to open the door until I hear the special knock. But the waiting is unbearable and I don’t know where he and Evan are. Where are you my darling mates? I need you. Need you safe. Another explosion happened. It shook the room. My son is crying again, frightened of the noise. I hurried to him, but my mind is on my mates. Where are they? Running footsteps are outside the door again. Only a few this time. Whose are they? I heard a scraping sound on the other side of the door. I watched the door handle move. The door is locked, but. . .To my amazement, the lock slowly clicked. The door handle moved again. And then the door opened. A man peered in. No one I know. But his curious look morphed into a sneer. “Well, well. What have we here? I believe it is Nathan’s wife and progeny. What good luck I am having.” I could smell him. The rancid odor of vampire. I knew what he wanted. But he had not considered the equation of me. I slowly laid my son down and rose from the bed. Faced him. I had no fear at this point. Only anger. And I knew what I intended to do. He smiled. Came into the room. Peered at my son, then grinned at me. “You are beautiful, my dear, but I’m afraid I need to eliminate you. Payback to Nathan, you see.” My brows rose. “Really?” “Yes. Now how is it going to be? Nice and easy or difficult and nasty?” “How about you tell me?” I didn’t give him time to answer. I pounced. My hands became claws seeking to rip his skin. The surprised look on his face gave me confidence. He countered, but only after I slashed his face and neck. Vampire blood spewed over my shirt and ran down his. His attack was less than I expected. I supposed it was because of his surprise. Because when he came back around, he smacked me so hard I went flying across the room. Hit hard against the wall, then tumbled to the floor. But I wasn’t done. I jumped up and sprang at him again. This time he was ready. He batted at me, but I dodged his aim and came in under his arm. Slashed at him again, across his midsection. More blood. I heard my little son crying in the background. Then the room erupted with werewolves. Nathan was in the lead. Fairly snarling as he leapt for the man. Evan was right behind him. Relief whooshed over me. I let them handle the situation now and went to my son. Grabbed him up and held him tightly. It was over within minutes. The man lay dead close by the door. The other werewolves dragged him out while Nathan came over and grabbed me up in his arms. Evan came up beside me, put his arm round me. “Well,” Nathan said. “I guess we married a powerful woman after all.” He kissed me hard. Evan rubbed my back. “I guess we did.” I smiled at that, but my insides were scrambled. I couldn’t speak for a moment for the shaking my insides were doing. But I took a deep breath, let it out, then said, “So. . .what’s for dinner?” They burst out laughing.


Ms. Peck (aka AK Stein) has written stories since she was in the 3rd grade. She started out writing about horses. She loved horses, you see. But it was during that time that she discovered science fiction and fell in love again. Literally. Has daydreamed science fiction ever since. But along the way, she discovered fantasy, with magic and myth, and so added that to her list of loves. The result of all this are her books you see today. Some being this FULL MOON werewolf series. She hopes you enjoy them.

Find out more about Ms. A.K. Stein at http://www.goldframeromance.com

Friday, August 7, 2015

So Apparently Its My Fault

Hearts Over Mind – It’s Virginia’s Fault!
By: Karina Fabian


I have a lot to thank Virginia for, and not just for hosting me today on the Mind Over All tour. It’s her fault that this trilogy actually ends with a fourth book, a novella called Hearts Over Mind, which is available free with the purchase of the Mind Over trilogy.

Mind over all trilogy!

The Mind Over Trilogy follows Deryl Stephens, a human psychic whose powers drive him insane. With the help of an intern, Joshua, he learns to control his abilities. Eventually, he recognizes the alien minds that are trying to manipulate him and breaks free of their influence. He travels to their world, falls in love with one, heals and befriends the other, and eventually saves both their worlds. Through it all, Joshua is there to guide him, advise him, and slap some sense into him as needed. They become great friends.

Joshua has his own strong storyline as he falls in love with a nurse at the asylum where he helped Deryl. He and Sachiko have a rocky relationship because of their careers and the secret she kept hidden from him for too long. In Mind Over All, Deryl is horrified to return to Earth to find them in the middle of a fight that might end their relationship. He’s had a premonition that they must be together and help him save his new homeworld or else he will fail. He recruits Joshua, hijacks Sachiko, and on Kanaan, the two are able to heal their relationship. They finally set a date for the wedding – just in time to save the world.

Virginia is not only a good friend, but also likes my books and proofs them for me. When I gave her Mind Over All, she wrote back how disappointed she was that she didn’t get to see the wedding. In truth, I had too many loose ends to wrap up that I could not fit in a wedding scene. I had long had a great idea for a disastrous bachelor party for poor Joshua, but had been content to just imagine it and giggle now and again.

Thanks to her encouragement, I decided to write a short story about the days leading up to the wedding and the wedding itself. It would start with an argument, include the failed bachelor party where Josh falls off a boat, and end with a happily-ever-after wedding and a kiss to rival Princess Bride. However, when it would not work from Joshua’s POV, another friend suggested I try it from the POV of the bride. After all, it was her big day, too. Soon that led to a deeper exploration of the issues they’d faced, her own insecurities, and a whole lot of fun as she deals with everything from a half-drowned fiancé to a wedding kimono that’s psych-ward pink. The short story became a novella, and my publisher was only too happy to produce it.

So thanks, Virginia, for making me do more than daydream about a funny scene.


My response: To let you all in on a bit of the background to this article... I signed up to help Karina with her book tour and asked her for a guest post. I had no idea that I would open this in my e-mail box when she sent her files. I was surprised! Ha-Ha! You are more than welcome Karina, I am thrilled and honored to have inspired you to continue with the story! I can't wait to read it!

Karina is right- I have read her books. I have been entertained by and loved every single one of them! I encourage every one of you to go out and get a copy of all of them! They are fun, family friendly, and an over all sci-fi roaring good time! You WON'T regret it!



Karina Fabian headshot Aug 2013Karina Fabian

By day, Karina is a mild-mannered reviewer of business software and services for TopTenReviews.com. After hours, she’s a psychic intent on saving the world; a snarky dragon who thinks he saves the world all-too regularly, a zombie exterminator who just wants her world clear of undead vermin, and nuns whose callings have taken them off our world. Needless to say, her imagination is vast, her stories legion, and her brain crowded. When she’s not converting her wild tales to stories, she’s enjoying time with her husband, Rob, their four kids, and their two dogs.    





Find Karina at:

Trying Out My New Printer

I bought a new printer from a nice lady in my local For Sale or Free Yard Sale group on Facebook just a day or so ago. Since then I have been trying it out, putting it through its paces. I'll be attending Kaboom Arts And Crafts monthly second sunday festival in Garner NC This sunday from 12:30- 5pm. (Find out more about Kaboom Arts And Crafts)

For this event and for my future events I decided to create a name tag just for the fun of it:

Author tag2

I also pulled together a flyer helping to show off all the other events I will be appearing at. I love spreading the word about these events because they are all so much fun! Come bring your whole family!
VL Jennings Flyer

Then afterwards, on their request, I took some time and whipped up some name tags for some of the other PDMI Authors. I wish paper could support clickable links... QR codes are close but only those who have smart phones AND QR readers can access those links. 
So... in the mean time, you can click on the badge pictures here- all three of these guys are wonderful authors! 



DavenclayBrian3Brian2

If you have a moment... come by for a post by Karina Fabian... Come find out what she blames me for O.o

I also have another friend that will be sharing a short story on my blog here in the next few days. While I'm at it... I really need to get back to writing some more shorts again myself! Stay tuned!

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Deleted Scene- Hades POV from Kaitlin Bevis

Today I am bringing to you a deleted scene from a Facebook friend of mine, Kaitlin Bevis, from her newly released book 'Persephone'!

But first... a little about the book:

One day Persephone is an ordinary high school senior working at her mom’s flower shop in Athens, Georgia. The next she’s fighting off Boreas, the brutal god of Winter, and learning that she’s a bonafide goddess—a rare daughter of the now-dead Zeus. Her goddess mom whisks her off to the Underworld to hide until Spring.

There she finds herself under the protection of handsome Hades, the god of the dead, and she’s automatically married to him. It’s the only way he can keep her safe. Older, wiser, and far more powerful than she, Hades isn’t interested in becoming her lover, at least not anytime soon. But every time he rescues her from another of Boreas’ schemes, they fall in love a little more. Will Hades ever admit his feelings for her?

Can she escape the grasp of Boreas’ minions? The Underworld is a very cool place, but is it worth giving up her life in the realm of the living? Her goddess powers are developing some serious, kick-butt potential. She’s going to fight back.

- If you visit http://kaitlinbevis.com/ you will find links to where you can find the book, apparently its also in audio format!


Deleted Scene- Hades Point Of View:


She was beautiful. Hades hadn’t expected that. Silly really, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter would hardly be plain. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting as he tore his way through the earth. He hadn’t taken the time to think, had only been advised of what was happening above his realm, and acted.

She held her head high as the ice retreated. Her fists clenched in defiance as her white dress swirled around her petite frame. She had to be frightened. He could almost see her pulse hammering in her throat. Still, she stood calmly facing his chariot as he drew to a halt.

He felt as though he was seeing the sun for the first time. Had she only been beautiful, he would have been able to tear his gaze away from her. He had seen no shortage of beauties in his long and lonely existence. Helen of Troy, Andromeda, even Oreithyia could not have matched this girl for beauty. It was the purity and intelligence sparkling from her cypress green eyes that held him captive. That she was still standing spoke of immeasurable bravery to say nothing of that defiantly clenched fist.

He loomed over her, in his black chariot. He was trapped in her gaze, unable to move forward. His mind kept repeating an endless refrain of thanks that he had not been too late. Another thought kept edging to the forefront of his brain. He tried to shove it back unsuccessfully.

He had to have her.

That she would complicate his life beyond measure was of no importance. Demeter would be furious. If this begat a war with the few gods left, so be it. Cassandra had warned him this would happen one day.

Gods help him; he’d thought she was kidding.


About The Author:

Kaitlin Bevis spent her childhood curled up with a book and a pen. If the ending didn’t agree with her, she rewrote it. Because she’s always wanted to be a writer, she spent high school and college learning everything she could to achieve that goal. After graduating college with a BFA and Masters in English, Kaitlin went on to write The Daughters of Zeus series.

Webpage: www.kaitlinbevis.com
Twitter: @kaitlinbevis
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaitlin-Bevis/224768864266454
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/109348246034296581186/posts 

Thursday, July 2, 2015

How To Set Up A Facebook Party- The Alien Mind VBT Post

I am honored to be featured on Writers And Authors today! Have you ever wanted to set up a Facebook party to release your book but you weren't sure how? Maybe you want to have a party to celebrate a special mile stone? Come on over to Writers&Authors and I will be happy to tell you how to do it! I've even included some game ideas to help you get started!


*Tomorrow, I'll be at Frampton Plantation at 1 Low Country Ln, Yemassee, SC 29945  from 8 till closing time signing copies of The Alien Mind! I'd love to see you there!

And... as a side note... This is also my 100th post on my blog! YAHOO!



How to set up a facebook party

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Different Worlds, Different Minds- The Alien Mind VBT post

I get to do all sorts of interesting things with my characters! Last year, for The Alien Mind's e-book release book tour I was asked if it would be ok for an alien to interview my character Rivi. What an interesting request! Turns out, the alien was actually a character in Clay Gilbert's 'Annah' 

Anyhow... Stop by and see how the two girls got along!
https://portalsandpathways.wordpress.com/2014/11/26/different-worlds-different-minds/

And please don't forget- The Alien Mind (paperback) is available for pre-order! Those who order in time to get their copy for the release party July 10th and post a picture to www.facebook.com/vljennings of them holding the book (or e-book) will be entered into a drawing for a special prize!

Pre-order your copy of The Alien Mind today! 

  Character Interview on Portals and pathways

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Writing Science In Science Fiction-The Alien Mind VBT post

Last year, the e-book release virtual tour of The Alien Mind took me to the Amazing Stories website! As a guest, I talked about how I integrate science into my science fiction. You get a sneak peek into a scene in the book as well as the science behind it, detailing how one of Rivi's abilities work. I hope you enjoy it! You can find the post here: http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2014/10/writing-science-guest-post-mg-author-v-l-jennings/

And please don't forget- The Alien Mind (paperback) is available for pre-order! Those who order in time to get their copy for the release party July 10th and post a picture to www.facebook.com/vljennings of them holding the book (or e-book) will be entered into a drawing for a special prize!

Pre-order your copy of The Alien Mind today! 

Amazing Stories guest post

Monday, June 29, 2015

The Alien Mind VBT Post: Rivi's First Abilities- Flash Fiction

Yesterday my virtual book tour for The Alien Mind took me to the site of author Skye Hegyes. I wrote up a flash fiction piece detailing Rivi's adventure in discovering her first abilities. This particular flash fiction takes place before the events in The Alien Mind. I hope you enjoy it! You can find Rivi's story here: http://skyehegyes.com/2015/06/26/3226/

And please don't forget- The Alien Mind (paperback) is available for pre-order! Those who order in time to get their copy for the release party July 10th and post a picture to www.facebook.com/vljennings of them holding the book (or e-book) will be entered into a drawing for a special prize!

Pre-order your copy of The Alien Mind today! 
  Skye 6-26-15

Friday, June 19, 2015

Jo Linsdell's Top 5 Twitter Tips for Twittering






Jo Linsdell is a best selling author and illustrator and internationally recognized marketing expert. She is also the founder and organizer of the annual online event “Promo Day” (www.PromoDay.info) and the Writers and Authors blog (www.WritersAndAuthors.info). To find out more about Jo and her projects visit her website http://www.JoLinsdell.com.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

What Lies Behind Snippit




Excerpt from What Lies Behind

Cass let her eyes wander over the fields and farms they were flying over. The air was clearer here, away from the city. Up ahead, through the bug splattered glass of the windshield, she could see a wall of white billowing up into the sky.

“What’s that?” Cass asked.

“Don’t you know?” Brandon smiled over at her. “Doesn’t your programming show you that?”

“I’m a home unit,” Cass reminded him. “Enlighten me.”

He chuckled. “That’s a cloud whitening facility,” he told her. “Back a couple decades ago, when global warming was becoming a big issue they started this kind of ecological engineering where they could change how bright or dark clouds were to help either cool the planet or warm it.”

“Strange,” Cass said. She looked around at the green fields and the towering trees off to the left of the hover car. “So, what, things were deader?”

Brandon shrugged. “More pollution I guess. I’m not really sure. I haven’t looked too much into it. I just know that this is one of the ways they’ve corrected the issue.”

They were flying closer to the mass of white clouds drifting up from giant smoke stacks and into the sky. “We’re by the ocean,” Cass said.

“Yea, that’s where they work on the clouds,” Brandon said, pointing with one hand over the ocean so she could see the clouds drifting on the wind out to sea. He pulled back on the steering wheel and they began to slow and drop to the ground.

The car alighted in a green field. The wind blew the hay like ocean waves around the car. He turned the vehicle off and stepped out. Cass could hear the wind outside rushing over the tops of the tall grass in fits and starts as if a great inhalation and exhalation of breath. Cass didn’t wait for him to help her out this time. She opened her own door and followed him out into the warm afternoon.

Brandon took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “Makes you wonder what the air was like before they started purifying it.”

Cass looked at him. She couldn’t smell what he was smelling. She could tell the quality of the air thanks to her visual overlay but she had nothing to compare it too. Cass didn’t know what the air used to be like, so she took his word for it.

“It’s so quiet here,” she commented, leaning against the hood of the hover car. “You’d expect there to be a lot of noise from those stacks, but it’s just silent.”

“Very peaceful,” Brandon said.

It was a sight that Cass could live in forever.

“So what about this android thing?” Brandon asked, turning to her.

Cass sighed. The thought made her nervous. She looked behind her as if someone might be there to hear them, be there to hear her talking about going against her owner.

“I don’t see how it’s possible,” Cass said. “I’m someone’s property, and that someone isn’t likely to give me up.”

“Right,” he said and sighed. “I want to show you something tomorrow. Natalia is working late tomorrow so we have time to sneak you out without her knowing it.”

“What is it?” Cass asked, her curiosity piqued.

“You’ll see tomorrow.” Brandon smiled and pushed away from the car. Cass turned to the passenger side door to get in. “Now, how about you take us home?” he asked.

“Me?” Cass pointed to herself. “I don’t have a license, and I’ve never flown before.” Her hand was starting to shake again.

“Yes, you, and I will be right there with you, showing you the ropes. Don’t worry about it, you can do this I’m sure. And how do you know you’ve never flown before? You don’t remember your life before coming to Natalia’s. There could be all kinds of things you’ve done that are secret to you.”

Cass looked to the clouds billowing out of the smoke stacks. “Maybe. Someday they might start coming back.”

“If Natalia keeps knocking you around they might,” Brandon said. There wasn’t any humor in his voice. “Come on, let’s get you home. Or rather, let’s have you fly us home.”

Brandon rounded the end of the vehicle and steered Cass toward the driver side with his hands firmly on her shoulders. “Alright, I can’t make you sit in the seat, so you’ll have to do that on your own,” he told her.

Her stomach in turmoil, so to speak, Cass slipped in behind the wheel. Brandon closed the door, sealing her inside.

He adjusted himself in the passenger seat and closed the door. Cass thought she flinched at the noise, as if it were a tomb sealing her fate.

“Alright, seatbelt,” he told her, buckling his own.

“Afraid I’m going to get injured?” Cass shot a smile at him, despite the nervousness she felt.

“No, I’m afraid that a cop might see that you don’t have your seatbelt on and pull us over, and then he will find out that you aren’t a human with a license, and I’m being an irresponsible adult. And then there is the robot graveyard for you, and I will have my home taken away and I will be put in prison where I will become the girlfriend of a very beefy man named Javier.”

“All that, huh?” Cass looked at him sidelong. She buckled her belt.

“Well, I’m not sure if my prison boyfriend will be Javier or Bruce. I think if I was going to be the man bitch for a prisoner I would like the name Bruce more.”

Cass smiled. “I hope he treats you right.”

“Oh yea, Bruce is a generous lover,” Brandon said.

“Lucky you. Sounds like you might enjoy prison,” Cass said.

Brandon smiled and shrugged. “If it takes a little man love to teach you to fly, I will take my lumps. Alright, start the car,” he told her, clapping his hands together.

Cass knew she’d flown before because the moment he told her to start the car, she entered the correct button sequence on the steering wheel. The hover car rumbled to life.

“Look at that,” he said. “I bet you were a captain in your past robotic life. Let’s see what else you remember. Take us home, Cass.”

Cass pushed down on the steering wheel as she’d seen Brandon do, but the way she pushed down on it, how she eased into the launch sequence was too familiar. The car shivered a couple times, but the engines engaged. The grass rippled away from their hover ports and the car listed up into the air.

“Not as gentle as the fake clouds, but pretty good,” Brandon told her.

Cass saw the green dotted path on her visual overlay that pointed the direction home. She flipped the lever up beside the steering column, and the hover car pushed forward.

“Wow, I don’t have to teach you anything,” Brandon said. “Maybe I will take a nap.”

“I’d rather you tell me what this surprise is tomorrow,” she said.

“I’m going to take you to meet Bruce,” Brandon told her.

“Oh, perfect, I’d love to meet him. Is he as beefy as you enjoy your prisoners?”

“Nah, Bruce is thinner, not so muscular. Javier can’t figure out why I prefer Bruce over him. He calls Bruce a wannabe man,” Brandon shrugged.

“Poor Bruce,” Cass said. “I hope you make it up to him.”

“Yea, I make him feel like a man,” Brandon said.

“So either you’re really nice, or you aren’t very masculine,” Cass joked.

Brandon laughed. “Is it that obvious?” he asked.

“You seem like the type,” Cass told him. “Slender hips. Small hands.”

“Seems like you’ve been getting pretty familiar with my physique while I wasn’t looking.”

The whirring in her stomach kicked up another notch and her hand jerked. The car shuddered to the side and Brandon laughed at her, placing his hand on the wheel to steady the car.

“Bruce told me,” Cass said.

“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you certainly aren’t taking us to Natalia’s,” Brandon said. “Where are you taking me? Out in the forest to kill me? You going to introduce me to your secret tribe of robots that are aiming to take over the world?”

“I didn’t know you were a conservative,” Cass told him as she frowned. “And I’m taking us home. The green dot points toward home, and I’m following that.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to argue with your green dots, but this isn’t going home,” Brandon chuckled.

Three green dotted path was starting to get lighter and steadier. They were almost there. Cass eased down on the lever, slowing the car to a halt. She pulled back on the steering column and the car drifted down easily onto an old, cracked driveway.

“Where is this?” Brandon asked sitting up straighter. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “I recognize the neighborhood, but I don’t know this place.”

Cass shook her head. “I’m not sure,” she told him.

It used to be a house, that much was certain, before it had burned. Whoever had lived here hadn’t bothered to rebuild. The two-car garage was mostly unscathed, but the house was blackened and crumbled all around the foundation.

Cass unbuckled her belt and pushed open the door. When she stepped out into the open air, it was almost as if she could hear the screams all over again.

“Cass! Save me!”

Cass looked around. “What was that?” she asked.

“I didn’t say anything,” Brandon said. All traces of his mirth were gone. He was looking at her funny again, almost like he did in the doctor’s office.

Her hand began to shake.

“I remember this place,” she said, taking a step forward, but her knees were weak and she had to lean against the car for support. “From before.” Her voice was dull, distant.

“Cass, are you okay?” Brandon asked. His voice was distant too, almost as if she were hearing him through a tunnel. He raced around the front of the car as the air around her darkened. Shadows were settling at the edges of her vision. Cass was lost to darkness before she fell into Brandon’s arms.

About Travis Simmons
Travis Simmons was kicked out of magic school for his refusal to study and his penchant for mundane activities like cooking. While selling his sword he stumbled upon dogs that he wrongly thought were magical and imagined he could commune with them. After a vicious zombie attack in which witches helped him push back the undead horde, Travis found himself apprenticed to a necromancer.


Afraid that winter was coming, Travis tucked into his magical studies, but always chased his dreams of writing tales science fiction tales and fantasy stories where he could explore his wild imagination about life on other planets. Adamant that Travis learn the esoteric ways of the occult his master made his life a horror of practice and studies. But no matter how he tried, he could never conquer Travis' questing mind.

Website/blog: http://travissimmons.net/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/What-Lies-Behind-Science-Fiction-ebook/dp/B00ZO50OM0
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authortravissimmons
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TravisSimmons5


Thursday, June 4, 2015

The Alien Mind Paperback Release Party!

release party3 copy


Yay! The books are finally here!

If you can't tell, I'm super psyched! In honor of the book's release I have decided to host a facebook party!

Where? Right on my facebook page wall for a change!

When? July 10th - all day

I will be hosting games on my facebook page. Feel free to check in through the day to enter into the games! (Entry in the games will be as simple as commenting with your answer onto the party post threads- all of which will be marked with a *****)

 In the evening, the winners of the prizes will be selected at random and announced on the facebook wall! (Winners will also be messaged privately to arrange for prize delivery)

Bring and POST a picture- to my page wall- of you holding an e-book copy (show the picture on your screen) or the paperback copy (pre- order The Alien Mind paperback before the 4th to get yours in time!) to be entered into a special prize drawing!



 For all of those who would like to make donations for game prizes you can use the contact me form on the About The Author page or you can pm me on facebook. I will be promoting all the donators here and in the party! (I may also tweet about it from time to time ;)

So- come on in and join the fun!
www.facebook.com/vljennings

  Donators/Prizes:

-Aaron Demott is donating a bookmark and bookcover magnet to the games!
"A simple diplomatic mission becomes a life and death struggle that could plunge the entire galaxy into a war...
When an alien ship lands unexpectedly in the middle of her clan's territory, Bast is sent to investigate as part of her scout trial. After an accident, she meets these new visitors. She and her senior scout Rrrark are invited to return with the aliens to their home planet to open diplomatic relations. What started out as a simple mission becomes complicated when they discover a pirate scheme that might be more than it seems. Are Bast, Rrrark, and two of the aliens called Psygens capable of stopping the pirates?"

www.aarondemott.com
Also... PLEASE (for me) like Aaron's facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAaronDemott
THANK YOU Aaron!

11330480_1057353814292680_1178825142_n[1]-Two beach sets donated by Greta King!

(unofficial bio)-> Greta is PDMI Publishing's Marketing Director and author of two children's books entitled Waiting For Santa and The Adventures of Fred and Ted. Go check out her facebook page here:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Greta-J-King/231748616840766?fref=ts

About Waiting For Santa:
Trying hard to stay awake, on Christmas Eve, a little girl begins to wonder what Santa might bring her--- and just how he gets all around the world to deliver all of those present in one night? Maybe it's not always reindeer. Wouldn't it be cool if he used a rocket, an airplane, or even skis sometimes? Or maybe he gets there different ways each year? While she's waiting to see what Santa puts under the tree for Christmas morning, she starts to dream of how he will cross the miles.....

About The Adventures Of Fred and Ted:
"Hi! My name is Ted. Fred and I are two young turtles trying hard to get to the ocean. To get there, though, we will need the help of our friends. 


Come join us as we learn about the ocean’s tide with Sam the Seagull, and explore the wonders of the ocean with Max the Whale."




-Jo Linsdell is donating an e-book copy of How To Be Twittertastic!


Are you ready to be Twittertastic?

Twitter is the most immediate of all social media and allows you to connect with readers and others from the literary industry from all over the world. The fastest growing network with a 44% growth from 2012-2013 Twitter now boosts 255 million monthly active users. How to be Twittertastic teaches you what Twitter is and how to use it to build your author brand, connect with readers, and sell more books. This easy-to-use guide will teach you strategies and tips that will help you leverage your Twitter presence and get the most out of your tweets.

(Jo has also published numerous books including; 'The Box','Fairy May', 'Out and About at the Zoo', 'Italian for tourists' and 'A Guide to Weddings in Italy', 'Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Promotion From the Comfort of Your Own Home' Run and check out Jo's page here: https://www.facebook.com/JoLinsdell?fref=ts
You can also find Jo's other social media links on her website atwww.jolinsdell.com !)


Cindy Koepp - Author is donating three books to the event! Mindstorm and Remnant are available in e-book or paperback (winner's choice!)
1 copy of Mindstorm: Parley at Ologo
1 copy of Remnant In The Stars
1 copy of Lines of Succession (e-book)
Check out her Facebook page!: https://www.facebook.com/KoeppC
Twitter: @CCKoepp
About Mindstorm: 
Psionic healing. Psionic combat. Inside the mind, there's a landscape of glass.
Thomas McCrady, a telepathic negotiator from Haidar Station in Earth orbit, is faced with his biggest challenge yet when he is sent to broker peace with only a rookie partner to help him. Worse, she's the doctor he blames for the death of his last partner.
Calla Geisman's telepathy is not the same as a standard Haidarian's. Some people think she's a waste of space. Some people want her dead. But she's assigned to go with Thomas to Ologo anyway, and must gain his respect before she can play her part in the war's end.

About Remnant In The Stars:
Two hundred years ago, the Aolanian home world exploded and a remnant of survivors escaped. As their convoy combed the galaxy looking for a new world to colonize, they discovered Earth and were given permission to establish a temporary base while they continued their search for a new home world. When an Aolanian exploration vessel goes missing after transmitting a garbled distress call, the uneasy alliance between the humans and the Aolanians is put to the test as two anti-Aolanian groups jockey to use this opportunity to press their own agendas by foiling the rescue mission.

Because his daughter was onboard the Kesha when it vanished, Calonti Sora reluctantly signs on as an astrogator with the Gyrfalcon, one of the ships in the search party. There he meets up with an old human friend, Kirsten Abbott. Together, they work to overcome prejudice and political plots as they race toward an enemy no one could expect.
About Lines Of Succession:
When Princess Elaina refuses an arranged marriage, she flees the court --and her father's fury--for school. Normally, she enjoys practicing rapier combat and training Tiercel, her chatty griffin, but troubling dreams keep her on edge.
After a warning by a prophet, she returns to court only to find her twin taken captive and her father dying. Challenging the assassin leaves her blinded. As the sightless regent of Corby, she must protect her brother’s throne as he completes his studies.
Threats thicken all around her. Her ambitious uncle, mad for the throne, pressures her to abdicate to him. Elaina must find a way to see her path when all is dark. Failure would bring death to many.
Find them all on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cindy-Koepp/e/B008QXR2QI



-Nicole Quinn- has offered to donate both of her books, The Gold Stone Girl and It's A Nightmare- both are available in audio, e-book, and paperback! Winner's choice!"



The Gold Stone Girl Series, written and narrated by Nicole Quinn, is an epic, feminist, fantasy, hero's journey, by, for, and about humans, set in the distant future.

It's a Nightmare, book 1, has been nominated for a 2015 Tiptree Award. It's a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Award, and Science Fiction - Honorable Mention, New York Book Festival. http://itsanightmare.blogspot.com/

- Author's Jack Gannon and Cyndi Barnier (also fellow PDMI Authors) have offered to donate an e-book copy of their book Murder In Two's And Threes!

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a collection of domestic crimes provoked the Joint Chiefs of Staff to implement an elite task force to eliminate any future threats. And just in time. When a once-innocent child turned adult psychopath takes his righteous revenge for nearly two decades of abuse on the citizens of Richmond, Virginia, the Task Force is sent to neutralize the threat by any means necessary. Mark Jason of Jason Enterprises is recruited for his specialized military training in an effort to challenge the emotional complexity of the killer that haunts Richmond's streets. His four-man team comes equipped with uncanny, bizarre, and ingenious specialties of their own. As the hunters become the hunted, even the most lethal men in the nation are in danger of becoming victims. This suspenseful thriller will leave the reader griping the pages, as the war of intellect over delusion wages on in a deadly time trap.

Jack and Cyndi are co-authors of six other books. You can find information about all their books on their website: http://www.jandcwordsmiths.com/

Be sure to stop by and check out their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jandcwordsmiths?fref=ts

They are also the founders of 'The Arts and Literary Festival' (formerly Annual "novel" Wine Tasting, Arts, and Literary Festival) promoting arts and literacy in the SC Lowcountry! Check out the festival's facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/artsandliteraryfestival



*****I also have a limited edition, custom prize planned for those who post pictures in the party of them with a copy of my book! (more details on this prize coming soon!)*****