Random Stuff #4

We went away this past long weekend had a wonderful, relaxing time.  We stayed on a farm owned by a friend – he transformed one of the houses into a little guesthouse and a group of us went to re-charge our batteries.

Off course Friday was National Braai (barbeque) day in South Africa, so breakfast started with a braai (bacon, sausages and eggs :)  For supper we had two legs of lamb on a spit.  Yummy!

          

Rain has been very scarce in the area, so we though we would take my Jeep for a little spin in the dry riverbed.  Oops . . . look out!  Mud!!

 

 

Before we knew what happened, my Jeep sank up to the doors into the mud. 

 

 

 

Then the digging started.  If you look closely, you will also see the Landrover in front of us that also got stuck trying to pull us out :) 

By this time we sent some of the children to fetch the farmer and the tractor – lol

After about two hours, we were out and it didn’t stop hubby to want to go and play further in the dunes (which we did).  Luckily we did not get stuck again.  He thought that the getting stuck part was the best part!  :)

A very fun weekend!

Blogger Interview: Edgy Inspirational Romance

Please meet Joy from Edgy Inspirational Romance.  Joy, thank you for letting us be nosey and asking you a few questions :)

Why did you start blogging?  And how long has it been? 
I am still a newbie at this blogging business.  I launched mid May and I've been at it only four months.  I started my book blog because I'm an aspiring Christian romance author who needs a web presence.  Authors need to begin building a platform (that's a fancy word for a fan base) about a year before their book releases. Do I have a book on the horizon?  Unfortunately, no.  But since I also love to read Christian romance,  I'll build a community of fans around that genre, and keep my fingers crossed that one day I'll have something for my followers to read other than my blog. 

How much time and energy do you put into your blog? 
If I had to guess, I'd say I put in about ten hours a week.  But this past summer while I was off from work (I teach elementary school) I put in much more time.  It was a great opportunity to learn the ins and out of Blogger.

Do you enjoy doing memes?  Which ones can be found on your blog?
I do like memes, but I don't do them every week. On occasion I'll do In My Mailbox/Mailbox Mondays, On My Wishlist, It's Monday, what are you reading?, Thursday Thirteen, and Top Ten Tuesday.  I also do the Friday book blog hops.

How would you describe your review style? 
I spend a couple of paragraphs talking about one important aspect of the book.  I don't do a sweeping overview of the story.  I usually pick one element or impression I had and focus on that.  Then I add the back cover blurb and my rating scale.  I also lead with my review and put the story summary at the end, because when I'm reading book reviews I always scroll past the summary anyway.

What advice would you give new book bloggers out there? 
Be consistent with your posting, even if it's only a couple of times a week, and respond to your comments. 

This has been fun! Thanks for interviewing me! :)

THANK YOU, Joy for being the first of my blogger interviews. I love your blog and feel honored that you allowed me this interview. For more on Edgy Inspirational Romance, you can click on the blog button featured at the top of this post.

Welcoming the Fall Giveaway

Welcome to this awesome blog hopping giveaway event hosted by Good Choice Reading.  A whopping 58 blogs are joining in the fun, so be sure to check them all out.  There is lots of prize to be won!  (I have added the list below to make it easy to find everyone.) 
All the giveaways will run from September 22nd – 29th September 2010.  I will draw a winner and let him/her know by email shortly thereafter. 
My giveaway is open worldwide.  I thought long and hard and have come to the conclusion that that the easiest way to allow everyone to enter, is to give away a gift card, so . . .

I will be giving away an $10 Amazon Gift card.

It is easy to enter.  Here’s the steps:

Leave a comment below and be sure the following are included:
- FULL NAME
- Google Friend Connect NAME (you must be a follower)
- e-mail

Extra Entries (Not a Must) +1 for each (no links, no extra entries)
- Follow me on Twitter (please leave your username)
- Blog post (please leave link)
- Shared on Twitter (please leave link)

It’s that easy.  Good luck!

EDIT:  Thank you to everyone for participating - this giveaway is now closed.

Things to be happy about #2

I got the inspiration for this blog post from the book called14,000 Things to be Happy About.: Revised and Updated edition by Babara Ann Kipfer.  I will be doing a regular post adding things from my everything life.  Here is some of the things that make me smile. (You can click here to see my previous post)

• 11.  You can only receive bad news once.
  
• 12.  Cupcakes
  
• 13. Lazy weekends just for myself
  
• 14.  Little puppy snores and big jaw-breaking yawns when she wakes up.
  
• 15.  Having helpful and friendly blogger buddies.

You might also wanna look at the website called Things to be happy about.  Some more things to be smiling about.

Totally off topic

I found this on a new blog I am following, called List of the Day, and since this is one of my all time golden oldie favourites . . . I can just see Rocky running up those steps.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the winners!!

 

  Congratulations to our three winners!  Emails have been sent, please respond with your mailing  addresses as soon as you can.

Edit:  Jill, Candace and Charlie responded to my email and I have sent their addresses to the publisher. Congratulations again girls!

If you were not one of the winners but would like to read the book, it is available from Amazon.  Here is a link:

                                                            

Review: Fire burn and Cauldron Bubble by HP Mallory

1.  

 

Title:  Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
Series:  Jolie Wilkins #1
Author: HP Mallory
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication date:  July 2010

 

 

 Blurb:
A self-deprecating witch with the unique ability to reanimate the dead. A dangerously handsome warlock torn between being her boss and her would-be lover. A six hundred year old English vampire with his own agenda; one that includes an appetite for witches. The Underworld in a state of chaos. Let the games begin.

My thoughts:
This is the first book in the Jolie Wilkins series.  We are introduced to Jolie, a psychic who owns a small shop together with her best friend, Christine.  She lives a quite life outside of the spotlight.  But what Jolie doesn’t know yet, is that she is also a very powerful witch. 
When the handsome Rand walks into her store, Jolie is immediately attracted to him (although she has sworn off men for the last six months).  After a few sessions, she accepts a job from him and this is where her whole life changes. 
We are quickly introduced to the magical world Rand lives in, including all the different creatures – vampires, werewolves and fairies.  We are also introduced to the evil Bella and her associates that are setting up the war between herself and her allies and Rand and his.  

This was a light, fun and easy read, ideal for when you need a break between those heavy and involved storylines.  I enjoyed the humour and the romantic tension between Rand and Jolie.  Jolie is a likeable character and easy to identify with.  I would recommend this book for the urban fantasy lover.

 I received this book for review from the author.  The opinions expressed are my own and I wasn't compensated or influenced in any way.  This review was also added to GOODREADS, BOOK BLOGS and AMAZON.com.