Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Beyond Jerusalem

Today, I'm hosting the virtual book blast tour of Beyond Jerusalem by Yvonne Crowe, a Thriller available now. The Book Blast Tour will take place January 29, 2018 to February 2, 2018.


Yvonne will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2574

Blurb

Nicolina Fabiani and David Baron team up once again to save Jerusalem from itself.

Now David is faced with an impossible choice.
Duty on the one hand, love on the other.
What choice will he make?

In the Eternal struggle for Palestine, David wages war, and Lina the journalist, covers it.


Excerpt

“I need you here in Tel Aviv now,” the voice barked in his ear.

“When?”

“Today.”

“This will play havoc with my lectures.”

“Tough, get here.”

David sighed and disconnected. His Unit Commander in the Operations Branch of The Institute, the Israeli Intelligence Agency, was of the opinion that his agents had no personal life. They belonged to him body and soul. Any other commitment was an inconvenience.  

“What is it?” Lina sat up and scooted across the bed towards him. 

“Avron. Wants me in Tel Aviv today.” He ran his hand through his hair.

Author bio and links

In the words of the author:


I am a successful writer who enjoys writing provocative mystery/thriller novels including the popular Nicolina Fabiani series.
When I am not living out little princesses' fantasies and puzzling over teenage boys' take on life I create fantasies for adults, armed with nothing more than an active imagination, a great deal of research and a burning interest in other people's cultures and their countries
Living in New Zealand, which is about as far away from the world's hubs as one can get, I love travelling to places to find ideas and characters for my novels.
Please open your minds and hearts to events we don't understand and are currently overwhelming us. Check out my latest topical novel: BEYOND JERUSALEM http://amzn.to/2u9Q0uu
 HELP SOMEONE WITH CANCER. Check out my story of how I beat this dreadful disease which kills hundreds of thousands of women worldwide every year:  http://amzn.to/2yJdAlg
 I had a run in with Stage 4 breast cancer, but chose to treat this successfully with a natural therapy. No surgery and no chemotherapy. I have been cancer free now for five years.
Link to Amazon Book Sale Page:  http://amzn.to/2u9Q0uu
Link to Twitter:   https://twitter.com/YVONNECROWE

https://www.amazon.com/Yvonne-Crowe/e/B00AH2JACK

A ray of sunshine

The sun is out this morning! What a change to the grey days we've been having for weeks at en end. It's quite unusual that such long periods don't have a bit of sunshine.

And the sun is just wellness for our body (if you don't exaggerate)! Right now, I don't mind going outside. I'll take my bike and head into the city, riding around and fetching some errands. But the past weeks... they were so depressing.

I really need some sunshine every now and then. The last time we saw sun galore was during our city trip to Madrid, Spain in August. Since then we've seen clouds pass by, had rain (and in the Alps this was snow - they haven't had so much snow for ages there), got stuck in the mist, ...

Is this due to climate change? I don't know. Some people say in their time their used to be 4 seasons. But memories can play a trick on you. I also remember winters with snow, and there are some pictures in the old albums to prove it, but I really can't say if it was only a couple of days or a longer period.

Anyway, I intend to enjoy that sunny day. Tomorrow they say it's going to rain once more!

Friday, January 26, 2018

For travellers

Some people like to travel, others don't. I surely belong to those who do. It's only natural, too. When I was just a toddler, my grandma was telling me about Rome and Milan or the south of Germany. She and my granddad loved to make trips abroad (which was not very common in those days, but then they were rather well-off). Also my own parents loved to travel and as soon as my sister and I were old enough (I believe 6 years was the mark) we could accompany them. As kids we went skiing in the Alps, went to Spain and other southern countries in Europe.

When we grew up, Chris and I wanted to see more of the world. For us, travelling is about discovering new places, get into contact with other cultures, tasting the local food and drinks. In our twenties, we jetted to Peru and Bolivia, Kenya and Thailand already. Or went skiing in the Rockies (both the US and Canada).

During the past ten years, we did more city trips. We came to the conclusion we hadn't seen that much in Europe yet. So we went to different towns in various countries and spent a couple of days there - Madrid, La Rochelle, Hamburg, Budapest, Vienna, Venice, Rome, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Stockholm, Oslo, Bukarest, Athens, ....

Today, we've visited 30 countries in four continents - and we're still counting. I hope to reach at least 40 (keep my fingers crossed). This year we should reach 33 and perhaps 34, depending on future plans.

Not mentioning our own country Belgium, we've been to Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Greece, Great-Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Rumenia, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Tunesia, Turkey, USA, Sweden and Switzerland.

I'd be interesting to hear from people who've travelled a lot as well. Where have you been? Which countries, cities?


Tuesday, January 23, 2018

For This Moment

Please welcome author Holly Bush today. Holly is doing a virtual cover reveal book blast tour for For This Moment, a historical romance available March 13th, 2018.


Holly will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

Blurb

1871 Born to privilege and duty, Olivia Gentry comes of age as women begin to find their social and political independence. The youngest child, and only daughter, of a successful Virginia horse breeding family, she has been raised and educated to carry on the family business with her brothers. Having been deceived in love as a young woman and unsure of her instincts, she is wary to commit to a marriage, but she cannot deny her long-buried feelings for a family friend.

Jim Somerset has been in love with Olivia Gentry from the moment she gazed up at him as a young girl. A farrier by trade like his father before him, he and his business’s future are inexorably entwined with the Gentry family. He has watched her be courted by statesmen, and considers her and her goals out of the reach of a common workman.  But he is fearful that he will never purge Olivia from his mind and his heart. Has the moment come for him to reveal his passions for her? Find out in the third installment of the Gentrys of Paradise.


Author bio and links

Holly Bush writes historical romance set in the U.S.in the late 1800’s, in Victorian England, and and occasional Women’s Fiction title. Her books are described as emotional, with heartfelt, sexy
romance. She makes her home with her husband in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Connect with Holly at www.hollybushbooks.com and on Twitter @hollybushbooks and on Facebook at Holly Bush (https://www.facebook.com/hollybushbooks/)


Social media:
www.hollybushbooks.com
@hollybushbooks
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Holly-Bush/247399131941435
http://www.amazon.com/Holly-Bush/e/B006ZDTQ1A/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Buy links:
https://www.amazon.com/This-Moment-Gentrys-Paradise-Book-ebook/dp/B0795BC3Z1/ref=sr_1_75?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1516573322&sr=1-75&keywords=for+this+moment

Monday, January 22, 2018

Elise Mertens

We can't complain about finding tennis talent in Belgium. There was a gap between the time of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, but right now we have a couple of good tennis players that could do well in the tournaments.

First there was David Goffin, a young guy from Wallony, who's ready to win his first Grand Slam. And lately, in the women's listings, there is Elise Mertens. Last year she was only number 100 or so, and now she's shooting to become number 24. Tonight she'll be playing the quarter finals at the Australian Open - and for being the outsider, she has a chance of winning this match.


Elise is 22 years old and comes from a village not far away from where Kim Clijsters was born. Kim is her big example, and she trains at her academy. The strenght of Elise is that she is a fighter. She can keep calm under all circumstances and that's a plus as well. She doesn't make a lot of mistakes. All of this explains why she is doing so well Down Under. She won in Hobart and also did well in the Hopman Cup.

I suppose we'll see more of this player!

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Teachers wanted

Flanders has a shortage of teachers nowadays. It's something that has been going on for years, but now the shortage becomes very evident.


Lots of elementary schools and high schools don't find a replacement anymore for a teacher who's sick. And with the flu going around, lots of people need to stay home for at least a week.

I'm not surprised it has come to this. The profession of teacher is not very attractive anymore. You need to work longer to have a full time job and the young ones will get a lot less pension than we older ones got, thanks to the new pension rules of the present government. And the youngsters aren't the same too. They are well-aware of themselves and their rights (most forget about their duties). I don't say that's all wrong, but it takes another attitude from the teacher.

Now the minister of education announces they'll need to make the profession of teacher more attractive...

Well, let them start by making it easier to work. All the administration that has burdened the load could be reduced. Why is it necessary to keep a file on every pupil? When I started, this didn't exist and we also knew what was going on in our classes. And all those meetings with colleagues and headmaster. Teaching is a very straining job. Those who claim it's easy (you only work like 22 hours a week, and have lots of vacations - that's their mantra) should be put in a class and let them teach for a week or two. I bet most of them would run out of it after only a hour or so. You are not only a teacher, but also often a psychologist, a doctor or nurse, a parent, a friend. Gaining the trust of young ones can be difficult. This is where some younger teachers go wrong. They are way too familiar with their classes. I.m.o. it's wrong to let you address as 'Tina' or 'Leo' - they have to call you Mrs. or Mr. After all, you are the boss! And you have to let them know you have rules. They only can go so far. When they cross the line, they'll be punished.

Well, I wish our minister a lot of luck!

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Stormy weather

This has quite been some morning! Yesterday, we already got a warning that a heavy storm would pass our region. Now we have code orange, which means there can be damage to buildings and people. The wind has a speed over 100 km/hour.

There have been casualties already. A tree fell on a car, and the driver didn't make it. Roofs have gone, trees were uprooted.

The hazelnut tree at the back of our garden sweeps from left to right. Luckily it's a strong one, more than 30 years old. My sister planted it when she was a kid.

People who live near the railway tracks also got the warning they should remove everything that can fly away. So I put our waste bin in the shed. The green PMD carrier (in which we put our kitchen waste, also leaves and grass) I've left, because it's too heavy. It can move around a bit, but it won't take flight.

The same weather in Holland and parts of Germany. We got more storms these past year, and they do more damage.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Ground Effect

Today my guest is Mike Fuller, one of my fellow authors at Rogue Phoenix Press. Mike's doing a book tour for the release of his latest Sam Deland novel, Ground Effect.


If you leave a comment, you'll stand a chance of winning a digital copy of this novel.

Blurb

Terrorists strike a deadly blow and the chase leads a Texas Ranger across the country to the hills of Pennsylvania to join Lieutenant Sam Deland and his troopers in a desperate search before terror hits again.


Excerpt

Walid’s running shoes were almost dry. The ride from Del Rio had gone well, so far, but when he glanced to his left, he saw Ghali’s eyelids drooping. They’d been awake for almost two days and had more than a hundred miles to go. The propane tanks in the bed of the stake body truck jingled when they touched as the truck passed over bumps in the road. It was early in the morning and, after crossing the border in the night, they found the truck where their instructions foretold it would be. Now, on the desolate highway moving east into the rising sun, Walid squished his toes inside the shoes and felt the coolness of the Rio Grande’s muddy remains, wishing he could get an American hamburger to fill his growling stomach.
In halting English Walid said, “Wake up. Do you need coffee?” The prospect of finding anything but scrub bushes and dust in this flat near desert seemed remote. The small town they just passed through was still waking up and the only place to eat was crowded with vehicles and men in broad hats and coveralls moving in and out. They had not dared to stop. The long straight road was carrying Ghali to dreamland.
Walid rolled down the widow and let in a greater volume of cool air. It would soon warm in the desert sun and the truck seemed to lack air conditioning. Even the beat up cars back in Benghazi usually had working air conditioning, when they could find petrol.
The truck hummed and jingled and Walid looked up to see the first curve in miles just ahead. He started to look over again at the driver when the truck drifted into the curve, but rather than follow the road to the right, it moved over the yellow center lines.
Bulis!” came out in Arabic from the startled Walid as he looked straight into the front grill of a Texas state trooper car sliding to the side to avoid smacking head on into the truck.

~ * ~

The morning sun sent a glimmer from the gold bar on Ken’s left shoulder. Sam felt the shafts of sunlight warming the front of his trousers and pushing the chill away. It was going to be another beautiful day and Sam snuck a glimpse upward to the wisps of white beginning to form in the blue sky.
“Then, by the authority vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. Ken, you may kiss your bride.” The Chaplain smiled and closed his booklet. The small group sighed collectively as the blue uniformed Air Force 2nd lieutenant swept the beautiful black haired bride into his arms and found her lips. Her white dress crinkled as she moved into him and the applause rose with shouts of joy and congratulations filling the air.
Sam couldn’t stop the big fat tear that ran out of his right eye and rolled into plain sight down his cheek. His nose was running too. His son was married and he was happy and sad at the same time.
“Hey, boss, you got a hankie?” Sgt. Walter Stanislaus Ozliewski, Sr. looked very uncomfortable in his state police uniform. Pieces of Ozzie’s 6’3”, 235 pound frame seemed ready to exit the fabric at several places. The brand new sergeant stripes on his grey sleeve covered nicely the spot where just last week corporal stripes were in place.
Sam reached into his dress uniform jacket and came out with two white handkerchiefs and handed one to Ozzie, “Here, I need one too. I guess you never get too old to cry.”
“Weddings and funerals. Every time.” Ozzie slipped his Smokey Bear hat up and mopped his forehead too.
Second Lieutenant Ken Deland and his new wife, the former Grace Echaverria, made their way from the wisteria covered Eisenhower Arch toward the banquet hall of Varnum Military Academy just off the Main Line of suburban Philadelphia. The two lines of guests wore state and local police uniforms and were mixed in with Army and Marine dress blues. Civilians in suits and dresses joined in and applauded the couple.
State police Lieutenant Sam Deland took off his cap and watched the couple walk up the slight hill. He put out his arm and took the baby from Eileen and left her the hat. He hated the thing. The hat, not the baby. The dark haired eighteen-month old boy was asleep, for now. Sam snugged him into his shoulder and took his wife’s hand.
“Now we can feed Ozzie. He was making noises.” Sam grinned and Eileen Matthews Deland walked beside her husband, leaning her head into his unoccupied shoulder. His own gleaming silver lieutenant’s bar was there above her dark hair. She had on a dark blue silk suit with flared pants and shoes that had a heel. Unusual for her. She wore soft leather cowgirl boots most of the time but sacrificed for this day.
“God, she’s beautiful. Her mom too. They’re gonna make great grandbabies,” Eileen said.
Sam had heard that before. A little over four years ago when Ken and Grace met. How they managed to wait until Ken graduated from the Air Force Academy was a wonder. But they had and now they were soon off to Texas for his flight training.
Ozzie was just ahead walking with his whole tribe. Marie and Ozzie had six kids and if she hadn’t lost the last one…
Grace’s mom, Katrina, was a trim, blonde forty-five year old that looked like a movie star. She managed to slide up next to Trooper Calvin Livingston as they moved along the sidewalk. Calvin wore one stripe on his uniform sleeve of a Senior Trooper. Calvin was tall and trim and just one of several black faces in the small crowd. He also was still single and very happy about that.
Katrina was too, happy and single. She met Calvin at the rehearsal dinner and managed to keep him out much later than was good for either of them. Katrina sold real estate in Florida and was enjoying the crisp Pennsylvania air. It was hotter than blazes in Sarasota this first week of June.
“Later?” She said quietly as she passed Calvin. He gave her his million dollar smile and she felt that certain tingle in just the right place.

~ * ~

Not many were left. The heaps of black and grey tailings discarded and piled high from the now closed mines got picked over and hauled off. New technology producing power from the bits of coal left between the rocks and dirt. “Lemme see.” Normy Hansen reached out and tried to take the cheap binoculars from Darrell sitting next to him atop the pile.
“Wait, she went back in,” Darrell Pickford said and lowered the field glasses from his eyes and rubbed them with his dirty hand. “She’ll leave now.”
Normy leaned forward and pulled the round tin of “smokeless tobacco” from the hip pocket of his jeans. The tin would be replaced with another as soon as it was emptied and the succession of the habit had worn a lighter blue ring on the outside of the pocket.
“Kay.” Normy was big and fat with stringy yellow hair and pimples. The stench from the snuff only cut his sweat smell slightly and Darrell shifted a few inches away to a kneeling position and brought the glasses up again.
Darrell could see the woman come out of the nice house in the subdivision below them and slide into her already running BMW. Normy watched but had to squint a bit to even see the car from the distance.
“Give it a while, then we’ll go down and see,” Darrell said.
Normy peeled off his flannel shirt. The sun was up over the hills that ringed this part of Wilkes Barre. The roar of trucks on I-81 was echoing off the rocky slopes and the piles of tailings in the creases between them and the six-inch H&R .22 pistol was digging into his ample backside.

~ * ~

Ghali tried hard to keep the old truck from rolling onto its side and scatter them and the propane tanks into the ditch. The noise of the screaming tires mixed with the music of the bottles of explosive gas bashing into each other as the truck rocked back onto its wheels and went across the road pointed eastbound.
This was the first big thing Ghali had ever driven. A Mercedes van had been the only other commercial sized vehicle and that was just for a short run from Rabat into the deserts of Morocco to deliver it to the training camp. And the Mercedes had power steering and stability control. He’d been selected for this task because of his language abilities, not his driving skill and it almost cost them an early defeat. But now he had the brake lights of the police car in his rear view mirror and they would have to deal with it before the sixty-seven pounds of Semtex was discovered in the backpacks nestled between the propane tanks.
“Get ready, the police are turning after us,” Ghali said between gasps of air. Walid spun in the seat and tried to look out of the back window and between the tanks. Even though the sun was coming up now he could still see the headlights of the patrol car center up on the road and come after them. They were supposed to drive at the speed limit and stop at all the stop signs to avoid drawing attention to themselves. The plans for dealing with the police had been minimal. Stay invisible. Avoid. The mission is primary, evasion and escape secondary. Walid did not intend to martyr himself today. That was for the dirt Arabs with nothing but angry dreams in their heads.
The big heavy wrench clipped to the inside of the driver door was meant to twist open reluctant valves but was the only weapon they had. Ghali jerked it free from its metal clasps and handed it across to Walid.

“They are stopping us,” Ghali said as the overhead flashers lit up. “As we have trained.”

Author bio and links

After writing professional documents for many years, Mike has finally devoted time to his true passion, writing fiction where the story and characters come alive in the reader’s mind. While his days were filled with authoring hundreds of detailed crime reports, arrest affidavits, search warrants and grand jury presentments, he took some of his own time and devoured books by the dozens. Reading not only was a rewarding diversion, it provided him with the added education he needed to function at a high level in his profession.

This has led to the creation of Mike’s crime/suspense/detective novels Sink Rate, Rope Break and Side Slip, the first three in the Sam Deland Crime Novel series. All were published in 2015 and 2016 by Rogue Phoenix Press.

Mike writes with the real life experience that many years of law enforcement shaped and influenced. The stories may be fiction but are based on how things happen in the real world. His books are honest and captivating novels written with a unique voice that will both chill and charm.


Mike is a veteran police detective. He did it all from rookie patrolman to Senior Special Agent. His life has been enriched by a wonderful marriage, parenting, work, flying, sailing and good books. Mike is a lifelong outdoorsman, an experienced tactical firearms instructor, champion sailplane pilot and the captain of his own sailboat. All of these skills have made his novels vivid, exciting and real. Now retired after a career with three law enforcement agencies, Mike enjoys winters writing in Naples, Florida and summers sailing, writing and researching the next novel at his rural Pennsylvania home.

Links:

Web/Blog: http://mikefullerauthor.com
On facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mikefullerauthor

On Twitter: @mikefullerwrite

Blue Monday?

Definitely not for me! I'm still in a good mood after the wonderful weekend we spent in London, UK.

We took the Eurostar early on Saturday morning, that way arriving in London around 10 a.m. Which left us a whole day to spend. We had a small hotel on the Southbank - well, actually it was a pub which had rooms above. Very neat and tidy, and the food was alright too. Both my sister and I love to take walks along the Thames banks, especially the Southbank.


Hard to imagine that it used to be the red light district of the old London. Nothing but whorehouses, pubs, thieves and beggars there. Not it's one new building next to the other and lots of attractions, such as the London Eye, the Shard, etc. Shops and good restaurants abound. We lunched at the Oxo Tower on Saturday. The brasserie on top of this building belongs the the Harvey Nichols group and we had a wonderful lunch, at a very reasonable price. We took lamb rump and for dessert cheese cake. To drink red wine and mineral water.



And in the evening we walked to the Royal Festival Hall to see Ramin Karimloo's concert. As always, it was more than worth the money spent on tickets. Ramin's voice gets better with age (he's now 39) and he also brought some new songs to the set.

Yesterday then we had to return home - my sister is still working and needed to be at work this morning.

Friday, January 12, 2018

Ramin Karimloo - Back from Broadway

I like several genres of music, but my favorite one is musical theater. Whoever wants to sing and act in one of those big WestEnd or Broadway shows, has to know how to sing! That's why it is no wonder you can find great voices in this world.

There are many good ones. Michael Ball and Alfie Boe are likely the most popular now. Their shows are always sold-out. And then there are John Owen-Jones, Hadley Fraser, Ruben van Keer (to name a Belgian guy who is succesful in England too), ... And among the women Sierra Boggess, Nicolette Sheridan, Ruthie Henshall, ...

I've seen all of the above mentioned perform, in shows in Great-Britain, the US and Belgium itself, but I do have one favorite: Ramin Karimloo. That guy, who was born in Iran but moved to Canada with his parents when he was very young, is truly someone worth listening to. The best thing is, he doesn't have a specific training in classical song. He went to see Phantom of the Opera in Toronto when he was a kid, and was very much impressed by the music. Backstage, he waited to meet Colm Wilkinson, who sang the part of Phantom then, and told him he'd liked to sing like him.


Well, now you should hear him! He landed the leading role in Phantom later on, as well as in Love Never Dies, Les Miserables, Anastasia... I often get goosebumps when he sings one of those famous aria's.

Tomorrow we'e heading back to London (yes, we did only get back last weekend) to be present at his performance Back from Broadway. He sometims does this, along with a band of frsiends. They bring new songs, but of course he also sing some classics from the musicals.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Belgian Bachelor students take longer to finish their studies

It's official now: about half of the Belgian students who take a Bachelor degree don't finish their studies in the course of three years.

In my days (oh yes, I'm becoming an oldie) it was practically a shame if you weren't able to get good grades and couldn't receive your degree (whether it was a Bachelor's or a Master's) in due course. IN those days (late 1970's) it was 2 years and 4 yea

But now students often take 5-6 years before they even have a Bachelor's. What's the reason?

I can see some. Having been a teacher until my pension, I have seen how education at high school isn't the same as it was when I was a school kid. For instance, if you are a teacher of languages, it's only natural your students should have a chance to learn about literature, grammar. But in the guidelines from government nowadays the teacher is forbidden to teach this! Now, how can you really learn a language that way?

There is also a shortage of teacher right now. Small wonder, with all the measures government took. More and more administration, more work after the hours, pension postponed until you're 67, .... just name it. When I started, we only had to work 20 hours a week, we always had one day off during the week. And when you were a language teacher, you only had to do 18 hours because you needed the other two to make corrections. And of course, we could take our pension at 60. I can't imagine being in a class full of youngsters when you're older.

Another reason for failing your studies has to be found in the use of social media. We didn't have a computer, so there wasn't Facebook, Instagram or whatever. Which doesn't mean we didn't take leisure time, it just was different. Now lots of young people study with their smartphone next to them. Very hard not to look at it!

What do you think?

Monday, January 8, 2018

Relatively Crazy

Today we welcome author Ellen Dye, who's doing a blurb blitz tour for Relatively Crazy, a Women's Fiction/Romance available December 6 from The Wild Rose Press. The tour will run December 11 - January 12.


Ellen Dye will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2536

Blurb

On her fortieth birthday housewife Wanda Jo Ashton is expecting her husband's standard gift of an E and E from T-that being Elegant and Expensive from Tiffany's. However, what she gets is the news that her formerly successful, dependable corporate attorney husband is leaving her to pursue the rich life of a kept man. Left with nothing she has no choice but to escape the San Francisco area, with her sixteen-year-old daughter in tow and head toward the mountains of West Virginia and the quirky family she left behind twenty years ago. Here Wanda Jo must carve out a future, complete with career and home in the midst of family feuds, computer phobias and the occasional homebrewing explosion before she finally figures out life can indeed being again at forty.

Excerpt

Okay, there is was. Looking no different than twenty-two years ago. A small opening in the woods marked by a gray, metal, utilitarian mailbox and a graveled trail that passed for a driveway in these parts.

I was home. Oh God help me. Please.

I depressed the brake pedal, leaving behind the paved surface and tried not to wince as what sounded like millions of tiny gravel bits pinged against the underside of my car.

The azaleas lining the drive still looked the same. The one at the very end caught my attention, I could have sworn it jiggled. Oh no, it couldn’t be. Surely it was impossible now.

Suddenly the bush jumped in front of the car.

I slammed on the brakes, pinning Olivia to the seat with my outstretched arm. In the fashion of mothers everywhere I was protecting my offspring from flying through the windshield by crushing her windpipe while invoking the Maternal Arm.

I looked toward the hood and the half-dozen bobbing azalea twigs in front. I sat resolved as they rose and wre followed by an old pith helmet and a face which looked a bit older than I’d remembered, although it was hard to tell precisely, given the layers of green and black greasepaint. A body followed, dressed in a set of ancient Army –issued fatigues.

“Gun,” Olivia croaked, pointing.

I simply nodded, there would be plenty of time later for my daughter to find out exactly what was swimming around in the waters of the gene pool from whence she’d sprung.

Author bio and links

At the age of nine Ellen Dye decided she was going to be a writer when she found her Aunt Nettie’s trunk of True Confessions magazines and spent untold hours reading the lot, a bag of Munchos potato chips and a frosty RC Cola at her side. Then, being nine, she promptly forgot all about it as she got lost in the pesky business of growing up, And then one very lucky day she spotted a confession magazine on the grocery store shelf and began to tap out her own stories which were a delight to see published. Now she spends her days tapping out her characters’ happily-ever-afters for The Wild Rose Press.

Visit anytime at www.ellendye.com
Ellen is always up for meeting new friends at Ellen Dye Author on Facebook
Amazon sale link: https://www.amazon.com/Relatively-Crazy-Ellen-Dye-ebook/dp/B076GNYR8X/

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Busy, busy!

These past few days - and the next ones - have been and will be pretty busy!

On Tuesdays we took the Eurostar train to St. Pancras, London, where we stayed at a hotel in Islington (not far from St. Pancras, by foot about 15 minutes, but tube to Angel only 3). We went mainly to see some shows, as usual, but also took in some of the 'couleur locale' as they say in French.

We visited Camden, where they have a nice market (more about this in my travel blog) - and also did a bit of shopping. I was able to buy a very nice skirt from Ralph Lauren for 3/4 of the retail price! That's a sale in my opinion.

But the main reason were the shows we went to see. The first one was Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre. Quite funny, about the friendship of a shoemaker and a drag queen. And the next evening we went to see ballet. At Sadler Wells they performed Cinderella by the company of Matthew Bourne. Always a special choreography, and oh so beautiful! The classic fairy tale was set against the background of the London Blitz in 1941, mainly because Prokoviev wrote the music in this period.

Tomorrow we're off to Antwerp to see another musical show - Mozart. And next week it's once again to London, because Ramin Karimloo (one of the best voices in musical theatre) gives a solo performance in the Soutbank Centre.