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Giveaway – Vintage Indiana {That’s WINE, people}

Written by Sarah on May 18, 2012 · 3 Comments

I’m not a drinker.

On any normal day you won’t find a wine or a beer in my hand. When the neighbors celebrate I may have a drink or two, but I just don’t tend to gravitate to alcohol.

BUT. (You had to know I was going somewhere with that)

I love a good wine.

By good, I mean sweet, fruity and doesn’t taste much like alcohol. My husband on the other hand, likes it dry as the desert. Lip puckering dry.

My 45X45 list had “Attend a wine tasting” on it – and it was the first thing I checked off. Let’s just say I’m new to this wine stuff. I can’t tell you about a bouquet, or how to properly ‘taste’ a wine. I can just tell you what I like.

Vintage Indiana

One thing I didn’t realize when I first started learning how to enjoy wine is that Indiana has more than its fair share of wineries (63 in case you didn’t know).

And on June 2, in Military Park, 26 of them will be there with their delectable wines for you to sample. From 11AM-7PM you can answer all those burning questions, or just delight in yummy samples.

Not just wine to sample, either.

There will be live music (including a former American Idol – I kid you not!), and food! Yay food! Me? I need it – I can’t enjoy any alcohol without food in my belly. This way I can truly enjoy my day.

The thing that surprised me? This isn’t just for the adults! They have set up a whole KidZone for the tykes so the whole family can enjoy the day without the need for a sitter!!

So how can you get in on this great day? It’s simple:

1. Head on over to a Marsh Supermarket – where the advance tickets are going for just $22
2. If you want to wait, at the door tickets are $25. Bonus? Designated Driver tickets are only $10, and Kids 6-20 are only $5 (under 5 is free!!)
3. Go for FREE – Enter my giveaway right here…where you can win 2 tickets!!

That’s right, I said FREE because thanks to Indiana Family of Farmers, I’ve got 2 tickets to giveaway!

Entering is so very easy. You can get three entry points:
1. Comment here telling me whether you’re a fruity or you like to pucker (sweet wine or dry?) {Mandatory}
2. Tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment w/ the tweet URL
3. Share this page on Facebook and leave a comment w/ saying you did!

Details: The giveaway will end on Tuesday, May 22nd at 11PMEST. I will pick & contact the winner on Wednesday the 23rd. The winner will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Psssst….want more chances to enter? Go over to my good friend Katie’s blog and enter her contest, or head on over to the effervescent Michelle’s blog & enter HER contest. Oh look, Crystal’s blog has more chances to enter, too . Keep checking back here over the next few days, I’ll keep linking up to blogs running contests!

This is an amazing deal, and I’d ask you to share some social media love w/ the event and its sponsors…

Vintage Indiana: @vintageindiana & #VintageIN ~ Facebook: Vintage Indiana Winefest
Indiana’s Family of Farmers: @FamilyofFarmers ~ Facebook: Family of Farmers
Indiana Wine Grape Council: @indianawinebabe & @indianawines
Marsh Supermarkets: @MarshGrocery
Clark Appliance: @ClarkAppliance
WFMS/WJJK: @WFMS & @ClassicHits1045
WISH/WNDY: @WISH_TV
Indiana’s Turkey Farmers: Gotta give them real love
Indiana’s Dairy Farmers: @INDairy
NUVO: @NUVO_net

Disclosure: As an IFOF Ambassador, I received two tickets to attend Vintage Indiana and two tickets for this giveaway. This is a sponsored post, but all the opinions within it are mine, and I stand by them.

The First, Most Terrible Time

Written by Sarah on May 17, 2012 · 1 Comment

It has been barely a year since the diagnosis. It has been almost a year and a half since we started the journey – all because of another round of pneumonia.

Since the diagnosis illness has kept its clammy hands away.

For the first time since the diagnosis, Denver is sick.

It started as what appeared like an allergy but quickly devolved. A mild fever, and an ugly cough. More coughing. Then more.

In a wonderful coincidence there was already an appointment scheduled. So yesterday he went. At the hospital all day running standard yearly tests. Waiting, still coughing, still sniffling, until he could see the doctor.

Within two minutes of her walking in the room she heard the cough. The look on her face said it all – it was ugly.

There is crackling in his lungs (the mucous) and it’s visible on the x-ray.

For now he is home on heavy doses of steroids and antibiotics. The instructions we are used to for the little one now apply to him. “Call if there’s any change” and “Come back in a month” have been said. Unlike her he can take full on pills (HUGE pills, blech), and most of his care is in his own hands. I mean, what teen wants their mom snuggling and coddling them?

There is nothing to panic about. He intends to go out and go through his “Ordeal” for the Order of the Arrow in Scouts despite his illness with his drugs in hand. Just like the diagnosis he’s not letting it slow him down (Did I mention he kicked butt in Track & Field this year? No? Well…he DID).

Still there’s that part of me that always panics. Deep down where I keep it hidden I wonder how/if this will affect the strength of his lungs. If it will change the depth of his illness (currently he’s ‘atypical’ and we like to keep it that way). His lung functions yesterday were horribly bad, so how will he get through his “Ordeal” this weekend…and forcing myself to not be ‘that mom’…especially given the name and motto of this blog (living life beyond our labels gets really damn hard sometimes).

Part of me wonders if he has that internal panic too. Wishes that if he did he would talk to me about it.

But he is a teen. He is stubborn. He keeps things close to the breast.

And he laughs in the face of CF (when laughing doesn’t throw him into a fit of coughing, that is…).

I Suck At Titles

Written by Sarah on May 15, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Thanks to some incredible luck, one beautiful person, and my attempt at a sparkling personality…I have a real editor critiquing my baby right now.

That frees up a lot of time for my muse to alternately panic (OMG will she like it?), and decide to plot up 5,000,000 more books.

Or maybe just two. ~insert the ominous for now here~

On top of the one book I’m in mid-rewrites of, and the other that she dreamed up a few weeks back.

She is insane (but we covered that already).

The problem is, that I now have 3 title-less stories wandering around in the realm of my imagination.

One of those stories has its blurb ready, I have the page built for it even – but no title to gift it with.

Changing Tracks took a long time to come up with – and the train isn’t even a huge part of the story, but the entire series titles revolve around the train. Of course those weren’t the original titles either.

I suck at titles.

Which sucks because I don’t feel like I can get much of anywhere without a title to round out the story.

Now just don’t get me started on the dreaded query…

In The Eyes Of The Young

Written by Sarah on May 14, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Mother’s Day happens when the kids are still in school. So, through similar sheets of papers from the school I got to see what I look like in the eyes of my little ones.

Molly says so many things that are accurate (thankfully she was not asked my age ~ahem~).

1. My favorite drink is “Casey’s drink” (I get many fountain pops from Casey’s)
2. My favorite TV show is Big Bang. (Why yes, yes it is)
3. For fun I play on the computer. (Who? Me?)
4. Around the house I “wash jeans and chlothes” (I’m afraid she is very very correct on this one. All. The. Time.)
5. My favorite thing is…..the computer. (It is in the top…of “things”.)
6. The best thing is “she is good to do exercise” (not lately b/c I’m injured, but I’m surprised the girls put this in there)
7. No, the best thing is “she hugs me,” or “she kisses me good night”, no, the absolute best thing is “she loves me.” (No, baby…the best thing is that you KNOW that and love me back in your own special way)
8. If she was a mom she would “go on comter, and wash dishes, and cook dinner. I’d be a super nice mom like you!”
9. Last, but not least, she says what makes me special is I’m “pretty”.

All so very sweet and special…seeing what she sees. (For the record she did fill out one of these for Erik too…let’s just say there was a lot of mention of “Family Guy” on it ~giggle~ She’s a perceptive little beast).

Kennedy had a couple of similar, but different questions. Unfortunately she was asked my age…

1. My age appeared twice. Once I was listed as “93″ the other time “30″. Truthfully, I’m somewhere between…MUCH closer to 30.
2. I like to “mac cake”, and my favorite food it “lettuce”. (A sign I’ve been dieting, perhaps? I like to make cake, but eat lettuce…)
3. To relax I “lay on the bed”, “watch TV” (2 different times)
4. I like to shop “at Casey’s” (I think I go there too much…O.o)
5. What she loves most is that I “love flowers”
6. If she could buy me anything it would be “a pet dog.” (awww)
7. What I do while she’s at school? Why, I “go running”.
8. I’m really good at “working on the computer”
9. My mom is as pretty as ”a flower”, sweet as “a butterfly”, smart as “a heart” (??), most of all, special as “a rose”
10. And my favorite…and the most accurate statement is that what makes me so special is that “I love her” (Yes, Kennedy…the fact that you love me, and your sister loves me, is what makes me so special)

*~*~*

I have to say that I loved reading these…seeing how their minds work, and how they see me. one of the best gifts ever.

And Then I Became a Professional School Chaperone – For Free

Written by Sarah on May 11, 2012 · Leave a Comment

It’s never a good thing when in the middle of a class ‘event’ with many parents present – the teacher singles you out and pulls you aside before you can leave.

“Just for a moment.”

Last week the class had a field trip.

Field Trip = Change in Routine.

Change in Routine = Over-Stimulated Molly.

The teacher let us know that on the trip Molly had a bit of trouble. She never stopped. Once. Nearly running into the street at one point. If Teacher had to pull her attention away or let go of Molly’s hand for even a second, Molly used that to run off.

Eventually one of the parents caught on and became Molly’s ‘keeper’ for the rest of the field trip – but it was a bit of a hectic day.

So now it’s been decided that going forward Molly will need a ‘keeper’ on any field trips. It’s not something that’s likely to end up on the IEP, but it’s something the teachers will be aware of.

It is our decision to also make them aware that I will be her ‘keeper’.

So I will be the official Molly-Chaperone for all future field trips.

Even the ones I usually avoid.

Fun.

The Song Remembers…

Written by Sarah on May 10, 2012 · 3 Comments

A couple of years ago I decided to try the C25k program.

Me? So not a runner.

Still, I did fairly well. I made it three weeks in – but since I had started in September the cold weather hit and gave me a marvelous excuse to quit.

Back during that time I didn’t have a smart phone, or an iPod or anything to download that handy app and listen to what I want. I found a couple of sites that created a download with the “run now” and “Walk now” instructions built into a set playlist.

I don’t remember any of the songs on the playlist save for one.

Viva la Vida by Coldplay.

I don’t know why this one sticks out, maybe because it met my pace perfectly, or because it was one song that I really liked.

Either way – any time I hear it now I remember running through the streets of my town. It is all I can think of – and I actually get the urge to go running.

I’ve recently started exercising again. Hubby bought an elliptical, I’ve been using Jillian DVD’s (I love to hate her)…and once in a while I go for a C25k run.

I want to get back into it, and I plan on it. Part of me wants to be a runner (the major part is a scared, screaming little girl that HATES running, HATES track and field, HATES sports…let me DANCE).

Once school is out. Where I can run at 7:30AM once hubs is off to work in the school parking lot across the street.

Unless I can run around the empty high school parking lot where it is flat, I am faced with running downhill first, uphill second. That about killed me first time I tried to do this LOL.

I have a feeling that when I start running again, I’ll be seeking out Coldplay on my Pandora and starting my daily run w/ it.

Rachel Firasek – Why I Almost Dressed My Hero In Panties

Written by Sarah on May 9, 2012 · 33 Comments

I cannot begin to tell you all how excited I am to have Rachel Firasek here today. I stumbled upon one of her books on Goodreads, and instantly became a fan. Then I ‘met’ her on twitter and I adore her even more. Please enjoy this post as much as I did and give her lots of comment-love.

Why I Almost Dressed My Hero In Panties

Hello, everyone! Before I get started, I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Sarah for letting me come play on her blog today. I’ve met her through Twitter and Goodreads reviews, and she’s just plain good people!

So, while devising a plan for this blog, I wanted to write about something light and funny. Then, the title just came to me. I bet you saw that and thought, What the heck?

I did, too.

And, according the Sarah’s reply email when I pitched it to her, it is snortastic.

Here’s the story behind the title. I’ve been working on an Indie Pub project with several other published authors and we created this series about the Greek Fates. In my story, I’m sharing Chloe’s (Clotho) tale of love and heartache. Well, she falls for an undercover agent. Long story short, our hunky-hero Dane is hiding out with Chloe in a motel. Their clothes are wet and dirty. While they wait for them to dry, I have a wicked hot love scene that never completely gets fulfilled—at the time—and Dane’s left with all kinds of needs.

He decides to sleep off his body’s demands in the bathroom, but all of their clothes are wet and the driest thing in there is Chloe’s panties.

*Rubs evil hands together* I almost…for a fraction of a moment…took the path of having him shrug on these little wisps of lace and satin. Almost. But, I know that in order to make my hero really hero-worthy, I’d have to keep him all masculine and hard. *snickers*

So, I gave him a delicious alone scene instead to fill his time when he should have been sleeping or making love to Chloe. But, you’ll have to read the book when it comes out to see it. J

Why didn’t you go there?

I’m so glad you asked. I didn’t, because for some reason, even though I would think this the funniest thing ever, other readers aren’t so excited about a cross-dressing hero—even if it is innocent.

But, I’ll let you weigh in. Do you like to keep your heroes alpha? Hard? Hawt? Or, would you see the humor in this situation and continue to read without feeling like your hunk was emasculated?

I look forward to reading your comments.

*~*~*~*

The Fates are said to control our destinies. From our first breath to our dying gasp, these creatures of legend weave the courses of our lives. Even the gods are subject to their decrees. Spinners of dark secrets, the Fates have been feared for the tragedies they weave. No man dared confront the Relentless Ones . . . until now.

Title: Creating Fate

(An Unspun Novella, #1)

Author: Rachel Firasek
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella
Release Date: July 10, 2012

Book 2 coming July 24, 2012!

She gave away her heart…

Giving her heart to a mortal wasn’t something the First Fate planned. Losing him nearly shattered her soul. Upon his death, Clothos swore never to love—or weave life—again.Hoping she’ll change her mind before it’s too late, Zeus commands the spinner of life to take a much needed vacation from her immortal responsibilities.

He had to hide his…

Dane is close to cracking the drug ring he’s spent the last two years infiltrating, but needs to perform one last heist to meet the head man and prevent an impending war. An undercover agent, he’s now on the run from drug lords, thieves and with the very woman whose tears make him forget his purpose.

Together they’ll find a way back from the dark.

Chloe will have to put her trust in the man she believes may have killed her fiance, or face an eternity on Earth. Without the desire for life, hope could slip through the cracks of time if he doesn’t love away her sorrow.

ADD TO CREATING FATE TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR HERE!

About the Author:

Rachel Firasek grew up in the south and despite the gentle pace, she harassed life at full steam. Her curiosity about mythology, human nature, and the chemical imbalance we call love led her to writing. Her stories began with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairytales, before she settled on a blending of the two.

Today you’ll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded by bleating sheep and barking dogs, with her husband and children. She entertains them all with her wacky sense of humor or animated reenactments of bad 80’s dance moves.

She’s intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this crazy thing we call life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and lights the shadows… or atwww.rachelfirasek.com .

*~*~*~

If you can’t wait for Creating Fate to be released (I hardly can) to read more humor and wit from Rachel, check out one of her other books. I adore her Phoenix series and you will too. Check out The Last Rising, The Last Awakening, and The Last Beginning. They’re short, fun, quick reads that will have you terminally hooked on Rachel’s writing.

The Limbo – Only Fun As A Party Game

Written by Sarah on May 8, 2012 · 2 Comments

When I was young I used to love the Limbo. I was really good at it and always won.

As an adult, as a parent of special needs kids, as a human being – limbo has taken on a new meaning.

It’s the in-between.

The period of nothing.

No answers.

Some Days I Suck At This

Written by Sarah on May 5, 2012 · 5 Comments

This mothering thing.

Some days I excel at it. I feel proud of myself, of my kids and their accomplishments, of the things I’ve done around the house to make it a home.

Those days are few and far between.

Most days I suck at this.

I’m not a clean freak, and with five people in a tiny house I really should be.

Sometimes my girls go a full week between baths.

Some days I make the girls play for several hours in their bedroom so that I have some semblance of quiet.

Most days me and ‘patience’ are total strangers.

But damn do I love them, and although some days that’s all I can give them…

Every time, it’s enough.

The Writer’s Voice – Submission

Written by Sarah on May 3, 2012 · 23 Comments

I was made aware of this competition through some friends. My novel is complete, and with a gentle (or not) shove from them I decided to give it a try. I was thrilled to make their narrow signup window and get my piece into the fray.

Changing Tracks has been a labor of love – and I’m very proud of this book and what it has become.

This contest is a wonderful chance for writers, so please make sure you click that picture over there and go visit some of the other talented people in this competition!

Many thanks to those running this amazing contest: Cupid, Monica, Brenda, and Krista.

Now, without further ado, my submission to the Cupid’s Literary Writer’s Voice post.

My novel is a 94k Historical Western Romance called Changing Tracks. It’s set in the Colorado Territory, 1871.

*~*~*~*

The Query:

There is nothing simple about forgetting your past.

Cole Mitchell runs the busiest saloon and brothel in DominionFalls. He makes time with his women, makes a killing gambling, and exerts his power how he pleases. One thing he never does is let anyone in.

Until the day she falls into his saloon bleeding and near death. He saves her from the pine box, and finds he can’t walk away. The problem is, if he lets her get close he could relive his past – and he worked too hard to forget it.

She wakes with no memory, only the firm belief that someone wanted her dead. With no name she keeps ‘Jane Doe’ and tries to carve out a life. She finds herself drawn to Cole, and they start a fiery relationship that sets the whole town talking. Their pasts – her lack of, and his buried – keep them from admitting the depth of their feelings, but they find they only trust each other.

Through the chaos of renegade Indian raids, an abandoned husband and her recurring nightmares they fight to find the truth of what happened to her. She soon learns that sometimes the truth is the last thing you want to learn, and she starts to think it may be best to leave the past where it is.

That past isn’t that willing to let go. A stranger proves that he’s willing to kill to keep his secrets safe. If Jane doesn’t remember soon, everyone she loves will be in danger.

*~*~*~*

First 250 Words of the Manuscript:

Drip. Drop. Drip.

A drop of scarlet hung from the ragged ridge of flesh. White bone poked out, muscle red and oozing around it. The red drip shivered before falling in slow motion into the growing pool of crimson.

White snow cradled the hand like a pillow in the middle of the tracks. Bile rose in her throat, threatening to spill over when a finger twitched.

Her eyes remained glued to the sight, knowing if she looked up she’d see him – the rest of him. Murmurs around her started to sink in, saying she’d pushed him. In an instant time raced forward.

With a gulp she lifted her eyes to the mangled mass of man left over, his blank stare ripping her heart out through her gut. A cold sweat broke on her forehead and she unleashed a terrified scream.

Wrenched deep from her soul, pulling on seven years of horror, suffering, anger, regret, and intense fear – a scream unlike one she’d ever heard. She wanted them to worry, to fear, to take her away and hide her from the continuing evil. They could kill her and it would be less painful than this never ending torment.

The murder had been her undoing and she welcomed the end, letting her screams echo until her voice grew hoarse and not ceasing even then. The sharp sting of a syringe followed by the burning heat of medicine is the only thing that brought silence. That ended the tortured scream.