"One final paragraph of advice: Do not burn yourself out.
Be as I am-a reluctant enthusiast... a part time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic.
Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It
is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it.
While you can. While it is still there. So get out there and mess around with
your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz,
climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid
air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that
lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your
head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and
I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies,
over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their
eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the
bastards."
Friday, July 31, 2015
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
The Thin Person Inside
I’m
pleased to welcome author Rochelle Weber to my blog. To get to know Rochelle
and her work, I’ve put together a little question and answer segment. So, let’s
get started.
Rochelle,
Q: Tell us about
yourself, your family, where you live…
A: I live in Round
Lake Beach, Illinois—a far north suburb of Chicago, close enough to Wisconsin
to smell their dairy airs. I have two daughters, both of whom are engaged. I have four grandkids, three step-grandkids
and one step-great-grandchild. Two cats
allow me to live in their apartment and wait on them leg and paw.
Q: What is the best
thing about being a writer?
A: I get to daydream
and interact with other people who don’t think that’s a bad thing. Many of the authors I admire are now friends
of mine and some of them are making the best seller lists. How cool is that?
Q: Has your life
changed since you became a writer?
A: Not a whole
lot. I became disabled and now I have
something to do during the day. Before
when I was out of work for any length of time, I knew it was time to go back to
work when truck driving school started to look good. Since I’ve been disabled, I’ve published one
book three times (don’t ask!), and found a good home for the sequel. I’m now working on a third book that’s not
related to the other two. I also publish the Marketing for Romance Writers
Newsletter and I’ve been on staff for the upcoming World Science Fiction
Convention. I know people who’ve received
Hugo Awards and our newsletter has won a Predators & Editors Award. I’m almost as busy as I was when I was still
working my day job, but I get to wear PJs and slippers while I work.
Q: Who are your
favorite authors?
A: The list gets
longer and more eclectic every day.
Robert A. Heinlein, J.K. Rowling, Cyrus Keith (at MuseItUp Publishing,
Inc.), Elle Druskin, Heather Haven, Ginger Simpson, Marva Dasef, Roseanne
Dowell, (all fellow Musers and I’m sure I’m missing some); M.S. Spencer at
Secret Cravings; M. S. Kaye, Colleen Story, and Estee Kesler at Jupiter Gardens
Press.
Q: Who are your
favorite characters among the books you’ve written?
A: So far, I guess
I’d have to say Annie in Rock Bound. Katie and Kristen are both aspects of me and
Annie is stronger than me, I think. She
survives losing her husband, her child, her mother, her freedom, and she helps
make a home for herself and her fellow prisoners on the Moon. She’s a pretty gutsy lady.
Q: What makes a good
book?
A: You have to have
good characters. If the characters don’t
engage the reader, then nothing else matters.
The plot can have all the twists and turns in the world, but if you
don’t care about the people, you probably won’t keep reading. The plot comes next. You can have great characters, but they have
to do something. They need some sort of
conflict—some sort of obstacle to overcome.
I was at a sci-fi convention once and someone asked a best-selling
author how she overcame the mid-book doldrums.
She said, “I ask myself ‘what’s the worst thing that can happen to these
people?’ and I write it.”
Q: Where do you hope
to be five years from now?
A: I hope
I’ll have ideas for more books and not still be working on the same one I’m
working on now. I also hope I’ll have
gotten better at actually selling what I write. I’d like to be making a living
as a writer. Hear that Goddess?
Thank you Rochelle for sharing. Rochelle’s newest novel, The Thin Person Inside, was just released. Here’s more.
Blurb:
Kristen Jensen, a Navy veteran, tips the
scale at a crippling three hundred pounds. In desperation she asks her VA
therapist if she can go into addictions treatment with the guys where she meets
Sean. With black hair, blue eyes, and a perfect body she figures the reason
he’s speaking to her is that she’s the only other person in the room.
The Haystack told their lead singer,
Sean Wesley, to get clean or get out. But none of the big-name clinics worked.
Sean’s a Desert Storm vet, so they send him to a VA in the middle of nowhere.
When he meets Kristen the first day, he thinks it’s tragic such a pretty girl’s
trapped in a huge body. And her honesty, intelligence, and bravery are even
more impressing. Sean’s drawn to Kristen, but she’s had decades to build layers
of defense.
Bio:
Rochelle Weber is a Navy veteran with
a BA in Writing from Columbia College in Chicago. Her novels Rock Bound and Rock Crazy are available in both e-book and print. Her third
book, The Thin Person Inside, is available at MuseItUp Publishing, Inc. Ms.
Weber edits for Jupiter Gardens Press, The Author’s Secret, and publishes the
Marketing for Romance Writers Newsletter, winner of the 2013 Predators &
Editors Readers’ Poll for Best Writers’ Resource. She also started Roses &
Thorns Reviews and currently has two partners.
Ms. Weber battles bi-polar disorder,
quipping, “You haven’t lived until you’ve been the only woman on the locked
ward at the VA.” Her song, “It’s Not My Fault,” won a gold medal in the
National Veterans Creative Arts Competition. She has lost over a hundred pounds
and kept it off for over three years.
![]() |
Rochelle Before weight loss |
![]() |
Rochelle After weight loss |
Buy
Links:
MuseItUp
Publishing, Inc.: http://tinyurl.com/rwmusettpi
Amazon:
http://amzn.to/1MSNTf9
Author
Links:
Website:
www.rochelleweber.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/rochelle.weber2
Facebook
Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/Rochelle.Weber.Author
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/RochelleWeber
Amazon
Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/rochelleweber
Monday, July 27, 2015
Adventure Scrapbook – New Orleans Cathedral
When I first caught sight of the towering magical spires
of the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint
Louis or more commonly known as the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, I thought it was a castle. The
cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of New Orleans and is among the oldest cathedrals in the United States. It's located in the
French Quarter next to Jackson Square facing the Mississippi River. Framed by
the beautiful gardens of Jackson Square it looked like a scene from a fairy
tale.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Adventure Inspirations - Albert Einstein
“The one
who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who
walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been.”
-Albert Einstein-
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Adventure Scrapbook – Iguanas of Roatan, Honduras
Roatan,
Honduras is a small island, only about 33 miles long and four miles wide,
located about 30 miles off the north coast of mainland Honduras. It’s an
idyllic spot of unsurpassed tropical beauty and pristine waters for diving and
snorkeling. Beneath the beauty lurks one of its less attractive, but equally
fascinating inhabitants, iguanas.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Recent Release Roundup
There are
so many great new books hitting the shelves all the time, making it difficult
to single one out. So, I’ve included a
few recent releases that sounded interesting from writers I’m familiar with. For more, just
click on each title which takes you directly to the Amazon listing.

When Amanda Vanderbilt is attacked at a party, she hides in a cowboy’s horse trailer to elude the masked man suddenly stalking her relentlessly.
Bruce Palmer is on a mission to pick up horses for his boss across country in Seattle. A loner, he wants nothing to do with the pretty blonde he finds stowed away.
But like it or not, he’s been lassoed into the mess, and it’s now his duty to protect her.
Who is the masked man and why is he chasing them in a semi?
She must
choose between love and duty...
A captivating tale of love and duty as the last
princess of Meigen searches for her true purpose amidst conflict and betrayal.
It is 626AD, and the ancient Kingdom of Meigen
is left vulnerable to neighboring Saxons. To unite the kingdoms and bring
peace, Princess Alena must enter into a royal marital alliance. But when the
handsome physician, Sherwin, befalls her, matters become complicated. Torn
between obligations to her young son and country, she faces a difficult
decision. Will Alena obey the king’s orders, or choose to follow her heart?
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Adventure Scrapbook – Altun Ha, Belize
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Alaska Gold Rush Era Fiction
Just
released, Gold Nuggets, a young adult historical romance by Lynn
Lovegreen.
In the shadow of
Denali, she has a home, and he finds adventure.
Charlotte Cooper
wants to stay near her parents' home in Alaska. But her dreams of being a
writer call her away to college or work, and she has to choose her own path in
life.
Henry Reeves is a wealthy New Yorker seeking a summer
adventure when he travels to Kantishna near the proposed Mt. McKinley National
Park. He discovers two passions, one for Charlotte, and the other for keeping
Alaska wildlife from being wiped out like the buffalo.
Charlotte and Henry
find an attraction they can’t deny, but can they build a new life together
between the wilderness and high society?
Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there.
She taught English for 20 years before retiring to make more time for writing.
She enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and family, and hitting targets
with a cowboy action shooting club. Her young adult historical romances are set
in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. Visit Lynn on her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.
You can also find her on Facebook and Pinterest. Her novels include Fools Gold, Quicksilver to Gold, Golden Days, Gold Nuggets, and a novella,
Worth Her Weight in Gold.
Get your
copy of Gold Nuggets now from Amazon at
For more
books by Lynn set in the fascinating Gold Rush era in Alaska, click on any of the links below to
learn more or purchase through Amazon.
Worth Her Weight in Gold
(Novella, only $0.99)
Fools Gold
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Adventure Scrapbook – The Grandeur of Grand Teton
There
are few places on earth more spectacular than Grand Teton National Park. The
scenery alone is enough to take your breath away, but that’s only the tip of
the iceberg. The geological and human histories tell an amazing story, and
recreational opportunities abound. Grand Teton is home to an abundance of plant
and animal life including some of the West’s most iconic species such as bears,
wolves, elk, moose, pronghorn, deer, and bison. If you find yourself in the area
this summer, don’t miss out on a visit to this amazing place.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Patriot's Pride
With knowledge, he believed he could
find answers. She had only faith.
Derrick, a surgeon, is haunted by his
brother’s death. When his prayers went unanswered, he turned his faith to
science. He believes studying with an esteemed surgeon in England will return
meaning to his life.
Margaret’s fiancé died at the hands
of a doctor who bled him to death. On board the Prosperity, she meets the
arrogant Doctor Fortune who considers her no less than a milkmaid. She
considers him a butcher. Though she must journey to England to hear the reading
of the will of her grandfather, the Earl of Broadcraft, she finds herself
constantly confronting Derrick on his methods of healing. Yet, there is
something about his soulful eyes that attracts her. When a British ship presses
the Prosperity’s sailors into service, Margaret and Derrick must work together
if they are to reach England. But can they ever learn to trust each other
enough to allow love into their hearts?
Of this sequel to PATRIOT’S HEART, one reviewer said, “This
tale is filled with adventure and conflict and woven well with history. The
high seas and British society challenge both characters to grow in ways they
never imagined and a far greater gift awaits both Margaret and Derrick. Faith
is handled well and it is fun to see Margaret, a secondary character in
Patriot's Heart, get her own story and see her lost dreams redeemed in
surprising ways.”
Buy links for Patriot's Pride!
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1T32bNQ
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/patriots-pride-penelope-marzec/1056074417?ean=2940151450652
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/552029
Follow her tweets @penelopemarzec
Find her on Instagram
@marzecpenelope
Friday, July 3, 2015
Happy Independence Day
I hope
everyone has a happy, fun, and safe 4th of July holiday.
Independence Day is also a great opportunity to thank all those who are serving
and who have served, and their families, for their sacrifices for our freedom.
Thank you!
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