Happy Halloween

I do have some major news to share! Major. Happiness this Halloween.

Mechele

Thursday Thirteen

13 Halloween decorations I've put up

1. inflatable snoopy! He’s dressed up for Halloween with Woodstock.

2. the skeleton coming out of the ground. He’s creepy. He glows.

3. the Halloween snoopy collection. They are stuffed.

4. ghosts and skeletons that go up in the windows. I’ve had them since…my first year at college *blinks*. That was more years ago than I care to think about.

5. couple of window decorations I got from my Mom’s collection

6. A Halloween tree with little ornaments (the ornaments are from that first year of college, the tree is new. The old one fell apart.)

7. Halloween magnets that go on the fridge door (from that first year of college)

8. pumpkin lights

9. a plastic witch that looks like it ran into my front door

10. several pumpkins. Some are plastic and one is a ceramic Jack-O-Lantern. LOL I turn them around to the non face side for Thanksgiving. We also have the jack'o'lanterns out. My snoopy dancing one especially.

11. Halloween candles. Never stick candles in a dormer. However, it did give extra creepy to the haunted house, the way it melted

12. spiderwebbing

13. LOL the creepy gravestones that my hubby made. Did you know that certain kinds of spray paint melt Styrofoam? LOL. We do now.

Check it out

My friend Melissa Lopez has a new release from Loose Id, Gamer Love!

Check it out: http://www.Melissa-lopez.com or http://www.loose-id.com

We carved pumpkins tonight

I love my hubby!

May the muses have Snoopy
Mechele

You know you're in trouble

When the IT specialist (aka your hubby) says, "Well, I've never seen something screwed up so badly..." when talking about your Word file. *sigh* thankfully it's only one file. Unfortunately, it's a HUGE file.

May the muses have computer geeks
Mechele

Thursday Thirteen

The TV line up this year

I’m into a few shows. LOL the hubby said I'd never come up with thirteen. I really don't watch a lot of TV.

1. Dexter-it so rocks!

2. Heroes—so far it hasn’t rocked this season. I like Hiro and Ando and oddly enough, Sylar. Like Parkman and Daphne. But am not impressed with the storylines of anyone else. *sigh*

3. My name is Earl—last season, it lost momentum. This season, it’s gotten it back. It has been so funny, yet so caring at the same time. I’ve been enjoying it a lot.

4. Dirty Jobs—Just when you think Mike Rowe would run out of jobs…you get sheep wrangler and *uggh* biting off sheep testicles to castrate them. *blinks*

5. Iditarod—I keep falling asleep during it, but how fascinating. They call it the toughest race on the planet.

6. Deadliest Catch—I’m waiting! I wonder what’s going to happen with Capt. Phil.

7. Torchwood—waiting for more. Can’t wait to see what they do.

8. Dr. Who--see above

9. My name is Chuck—the hubby really enjoys this show, and I must admit, it’s growing on me. Chuck is just so darn goofy yet debonair.

10. Good Eats—they made marshmallows on the last one I saw. Yeah, my youngest will want to watch and do.

11. Sponge Bob—not by choice. The girls are in love with this show right now. I hear it a lot *sigh*.

12. Stargate Atlantis—I hadn’t watched a whole lot of it but I find myself hooked when it's on

13. Jurassic Fight Club



PS. I blogged at Loose Ends today about how I like to be scared.

Blog me this, blog me that

Yesterday, I blogged at Book Worm Bags with another agent search tip.

Today, I blogged at The Romance Studio on the power of words.

I also posted an excerpt at Romance Excerpts Only's blog for their Halloween celebration.

Mechele

And I was snoopy dancing

Because I have a new release! The Sixth Cursed Halloween went live last night. LOL I tried to wait for it but got too tired. I was so happy to get up this morning and see it had released.

Deidre was probably one of my most challenging characters to write. In the Six Curses of Christmas and The Sixth Curse of Spring, she's kind of a villain. You do get to see her more vulnerable in Spring, but still. So, not only did I have to make her transformation from man hater to in love believable in the Sixth Cursed Halloween, I had to find a hero worthy of her. I think Brad fits the bill and they have a pretty good love story. Only time and my readers will tell.

By the way, each story does stand alone. I'm hoping once you read one...you'll want to read them all *grins*. But even if you haven't picked up the first two, you can follow The Sixth Cursed Halloween.

So far it's been a rocking day!

The blurb:

On Halloween night, Brad settles down to repot his Bonsai tree. After an argument with his girlfriend, he needs someone to talk to. He's not expecting the tree to talk back.

Surprise! Deirdre's cursed inside his bonsai tree. She's been curled up watching him for years. This conversation's the first she's had in centuries.

Brad tries to set her free, but at the end of the night, he loses the ability to hear the woman with the sexy brogue. He vows he'll do what it takes to get her out, wanting to know the woman behind the voice. He even has erotic dreams about the woman she might be, for the five long years he searches for the saving spell.

Deidre hates men. All of them. Or does she? Brad's such an earnest hunk, so determined to do right by her. Maybe they have some redeeming qualities - like a sexy, muscular chest.

On the sixth Halloween, a woman from Brad's life turns Deidre's world upside down. Literally. That's not a good thing for a potted tree. Now she's getting a choice: a life with Brad without her magic or back to the trees, but she can work her curses and take her revenge. What will she choose this sixth cursed Halloween?

To read an excerpt.

May the muses have curses

Mechele

Another chat

Guess I'm chatty *grins*.

Tonight, I'll be chatting with my fellow Fae from the Romantic Times Faery Court at Writerspace at 9 EST.

May the muses be chatty
Mechele

A funny Friday

Mari of Marissa Alwin posted a hilarious video on the Impotence of Proofreading. LOL It's good.

I'm 1 K into a story and getting to know some new characters. Geesh. Daphne has one strong voice. I'm hoping once I get into it, it will start rolling but I'm in the early stages.

Kitten thy name is persistence. I have to wonder, doesn't he get tired of being taken down from counters and the kithen table? And the *shudder* toilet? 50 times a day I'm pulling him off something.

May the muses have new stories to tell
Mechele

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I'm going to enjoy this Halloween


1. TJ Michaels Holiday Hotties http://www.tjmichaels.com/the-scoop/ (my prize: A Mechele Armstrong promo pack, including a tshirt)

2. Kate Hill’s Halloween page http://www.kate-hill.com/halloween/halloweenpage.php (a promo pack with some Halloween candy)

3. Romance Junkie’s Halloween contest http://www.romancejunkies.com/halloweennewsletter2/halloweenmainpage.html (a promo pack with Halloween candy)

4. My kid’s Costumes. My youngest is going as a cat. Except for her first Halloween where she went as a pumpkin and one year she went as the pink Power Ranger, she’s always been a cat. The oldest is going to be Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. She’s really excited about it. She usually goes as a witch LOL so it fits right in.

5. Pumpkins. We always have a good time both picking out pumpkins and then carving them.

6. My upcoming release! The Sixth Cursed Halloween was such a challenge to write. Deidre is as cantankerous as they come. http://www.loose-id.com/detail.aspx?ID=805

7. Seeing all the other Trick-Or-Treaters. I love viewing the costumes and seeing all the cute kids.

8. A Corn Maize. I’m going with my oldest and looking forward to it. I’ve never been to one.

9. Trunk or Treat. Unfortunately I won’t be going, but our car is the trunk for our class. My youngest is really excited and she’ll get to hang out with Dad.

10. Watching scary movies. I particularly like Lost Boys and Scream.

11. Halloween usually marks the turn for colder weather. I’m a big fall fan so I love that. Give me a clear, crisp morning any day.

12. The leaves changing. From now until November, I love watching the leaves change slowly over time. One minute they are green, the next they are vibrant red.

13. Did I mention my upcoming release, the Sixth Cursed Halloween? *Grins* http://www.loose-id.com/detail.aspx?ID=805

Chat tonight

more animals


By tonight, I will have had my coffee! I'm chatting with Mari of Marissa Alwin and Melissa Lopex (aka Mel and Rissa) at 9 PM EST. So come join us. We talk books, writing, whatever strikes our fancy. Chatroom link.


May the muses have plenty of coffee
Mechele

Many things

Yeah, I know creative title. LOL.

I blogged at Book Worm Bags with more tips on the Agent Quest.

I received and sent back edits on the Sixth Cursed Halloween. I'm so thrilled that it releases *chirps* next week! Love-love my cover.

Settler's Mine: The Wolf is off to my editor. I'm crossing fingers (and toes) she likes it. I had a lot of fun writing that one.

I had thought I knew what was next on the agenda to write...had a good curve thrown my way. I'll give you more details as I can but it's going to be a fun ride.

I am working to edit Dark Raiders: Night Warriors. It's written, just needs the tweaking. I'm working on submitting to agents. A few rejections to add to the wall so far but still hopeful. I'm realistic, too. I've already formulated some back up plans.

Once DR is tweaked, I plan to edit two novellas I've written over the last year and find homes for those as well.

Wrote a bit on Kyrand's Reward for a Melany project and sent that back.

This past weekend, went to a Girl Scout Celebration. It was so much fun! I had to leave around lunchtime due to my conference. While I enjoyed my conference, I wish I could have stayed longer at the Girl Scout thing. So many booths and crafts and swaps.

I was a Girl Scout for a long time. I went through Brownies (no Daisies back then), Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors. I even helped with a middle school troop my senior year of high school as an aide. I got the second highest award in scouting, the Silver Award. It's been exciting to see my girls getting into scouting. I'm not sure how far they will go but they enjoy it for now.

Throughout my whole Girl Scouts career, my mom was with me every step of the way. She was so proud to be a leader and co-leader at various points. It was something we shared together and spent a lot of time together doing Girl Scout activities. When we visited Savannah in 1998, one thing Mom wanted to do was visit Juliette Lowe's house (the founder of Girl Scouts).

Saturday morning, all I could think of as I watched the Girl Scout parade was that my mom would have loved the whole celebration. So would my troop leader through most of my time in Girl Scouts. Both Mom and my troop leader have passed away. I have to think they were there in spirit. Mom would have just been beaming to see my girls enjoying all the Girl Scout activities going on. Her birthday is tomorrow, she would have been 73. Sometimes I really miss her.

This turned into a book! LOL

May the muses have Girl Scouts
Mechele

Pretties and a new blog up

Aren't they gorgeous!?? Croco Designs, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. *G* I'm a happy girl. And The Sixth Cursed Halloween is coming... *insert scary music here*

I will write more on my weekend later. It was a busy one and an exciting one. I'm starting the new week tired *sigh* but inspired.

I did write about the conference I attended here at Ladies of the Club.

May the muses have wells to refill
Mechele

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Collections I have by Mechele

1. Stephen King books

2. For Better or For Worse books by Lynn Johnston, including 2 signed *swoon* and one signed print of a cartoon

3. Halloween, Christmas and Easter stuffed Snoopys

4. Julie Collins series books

5. Robin Schone books

6. postcards

7. Keychains

8. The hubby says I collect cups and mugs LOL

9. Shells

10. Reviews, comments, and all kinds of stuff on my books and writing career

11. Christmas stuff: ornaments, lights, inflatable Snoopy, polar bears, deer...

12. Christmas ornaments to commemorate the year and other things. Like have A Blues Clues and Arthur ornament from the year they were popular with the kids. Have ornaments for the current pets, except the newest one. One for when we moved into the house. One for when we got married.

13. Colds. I swear if I don't kick this one soon...

Deadline today in my state

Voting is your right. Excercise it.

Mechele

So what did I do?

We adopted a kitten three weeks ago from the Richmond SPCA! He will be six months old in just about a week and a half. He's a brown/black tabby (with some white) and a big mess. He climbs, he pounces on feet and on Diva Kitty. He tried to drag the dog's tail around, thinking it was a huge toy. To him, the whole world is a toy. LOL yeah, he's fun. Very vocal and affectionate.

So that's what I did. The hubby says we are now officially at zoo status. And as the pets outnumber the kids, he might be right.

May the muses have kittens
Mechele

How about you?

Banned Books Week--Why does it matter?

I've posted this week on banned or challenged books. Truth is, we should keep them in mind throughout the year.

When you look through the ages at people who take over a society, they usually try to supress ideas. Books are a good expression of ideas, so those people go after books right away. I know I've heard about the Nazis burning books. The best way to keep an idea down is to destroy it. Book burning is a physical demonstration of that. And it's the ultimate way of banning.

Noam Chomsky had a quote I really liked: “If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.” ALA's website

Freedom of expression isn't a right. It's something we are granted and constantly have to keep fighting to keep. Each slide down the slippery slope means a loss of freedom and an ideal. And who knows where that slope ends. Today, it's a religious book you don't agree with. Tomorrow, it could be your religion they come after.

I had a book taken out of school library when I was in high school. Salem's Lot by Stephen King. I've never forgotten it. If I didn't disagree with book banning and challenges before that, I definitely did after that.

So every day of the year, remember to celebrate freedom of speech. Read books.

Mechele

Okay this is just cool

This is a link to a picture from MY libary. I told you they had a Banned Books Dispay.

Darn it, I could have volunteered to read a banned book!

http://www.co.henrico.va.us/library/images/twMatt.JPG

Mechele

The 10 most challenged books of 2007

The 10 most challenged books of 2007 reflect a range of themes, and are:

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter ParnellReasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

2. The Chocolate War, by Robert CormierReasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence

3. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin HenkesReasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language

4. The Golden Compass, by Philip PullmanReasons: Religious Viewpoint

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark TwainReasons: Racism

6. The Color Purple, by Alice WalkerReasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,

7. TTYL, by Lauren MyracleReasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya AngelouReasons: Sexually Explicit

9. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie HarrisReasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit

10. The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen ChboskyReasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Off the list this year are two books by author Toni Morrison. The Bluest Eye and Beloved, both challenged for sexual content and offensive language.

ALA's website

Mechele

Thursday Thirteen

13 Banned books or authors I own or have read by Mechele 1. Harry Potter by JK Rowling. I’ve read them all. So has my nine year old. I own all 7. 2. Judy Blume. I read quite a bit by her when I was younger. I know I loved Are you there God, it’s me, Margaret?, Then again maybe I won’t, Tiger Eye, Blubber and Deenie, all of which have made a challenged list. I own Deenie. 3. Stephen King. I have quite a King library. And have read just about all his books. 4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, I’ve read it. It tops most people’s favorite book list. 5. The Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park, we own quite a few of them. The youngest has really gotten into reading them. She things Junie is funny. 6. The Bluest Eye and Beloved by Toni Morrison read them 7. The Color Purple by Alice Walker Own it. 8. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan read it. I loved Lois Duncan and read everything I could find. 9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Own it. I’ve never read it but the oldest has. Incidentally, she wrote Jacob have I loved which was a favorite growing up. 10. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier. Own it. Most kids come away from a field trip with knickknacks. I came away from a trip to Williamsburg with a book LOL. 11. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak Read it and what on earth? It’s a picture book *scratches head* 12. Summer of My German Solider by Bette Green. Own it. I loved that book. I had to buy a copy recently because I’d like my kids to read it one day. 13. One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest by Ken Kesey, own it. It’s a powerful book. Bonuses that’s I’ve read : Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry by Mildred Taylor, A day no Pigs would die by Robert Newton Peck, Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck read it

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Banned Authors

The 10 most Challenged Authors of 2007

1. Robert Cormier
2. Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
3. Mark Twain
4. Toni Morrison
5. Philip Pullman
6. Kevin Henkes
7. Lois Lowry
8. Chris Crutcher
9. Lauren Myracle
10. Joann Sfar


Top Ten Challenged Authors 1990-2004

1. Alvin Schwartz
2. Judy Blume
3. Robert Cormier
4. J.K. Rowling
5. Michael Willhoite
6. Katherine Paterson
7. Stephen King
8. Maya Angelou
9. R.L. Stine
10. John Steinbeck


All I can say is what a great list of authors. This is from ALA website.

I also blogged on Banned Books Week at Georgia's Crossroads Cafe.

Mechele