Adelita's Secret by Christopher Cloud

Adelita's Secret

By: Christopher Cloud

Lost in a superficial world of materialism and social status—and ashamed of her Latino heritage—seventeen-year-old Adelita Noé is loved by two men, two men separated by a hundred years and vastly different stations in life. One man owns little more than the shirt on his back. The other, a poet at heart, is heir to a vast fortune. Their love for Adelita serves as the backdrop for the Latino girl’s quest to better understand herself and her Mexican roots. 

Come back Friday for your chance to win a copy of Adelita's Secret. Can't wait 'til then? Adelita's Secret is currently available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Spotlight on....

This week the spotlight is on....
(Drum roll please...)

Christopher Cloud

His current works include:

Adelita's Secret

Be sure to come back later this week for a special guest post from Christopher AND a chance to win a copy of his book!

My Adventures in Weight Loss @ Weight Watchers Week 31

Again, no pics. Sorry. My phones been messing up this week.

But I did lose some of what I gained last week. I really wish I had been able to. I think I mainly forgot because I started my first round of cortizon shots in my back this week. So I'm kinda recovering from that.

Weight: 183.6 lbs.

Interview with Marilyn Horowitz (& A Giveaway!)

Where did you come up with your idea for The Book of Zev?

The opening quote is what inspired me to want to write this story: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women) to do nothing.”

Was there a person that was your inspiration for The Book of Zev? 

I was returning on a train from a screenwriting conference where I’d conducted a workshop on creating great characters using my trademarked writing system, and met a man, a religious Jew, who was having a crisis of faith. We talked for three hours and the next thing I knew, I was writing a book. 

Who would you like to thank for getting you where you are today?

 Wow, that is probably at least a novella!

 I would have to start with God, followed by my maternal grandparents, who wrote a book together, Faith through Reason, an attempt to reconcile Judaism and Christianity. I would thank the real person that the character of Sylvie is based on. Then there were my parents, who had a vast library, which I read almost in its entirety. I also thank my first grade teacher, Mrs. Rank, who produced my first play when I was in first grade, and Lou Stanek, a writing teacher who guided me through my first attempts at writing fiction. And finally, I must thank Mrs. Wallace, my third grade teacher, who published my short stories in the school magazine. Then there’s my ex, who helped me develop my writing system, and Michael Zam, who inspired me to write my first nonfiction book on my writing method.

If I had to thank one person above others, it would be my mother, who helped me put together that first play and even made my costume for the play. My mother also edited part of The Book of Zev before she died, and was always my toughest critic.

Tell us how you got yourself to where you are today?

I wrote my first play at six, my first “book” when I was eight, and kept going until I went to film school, where I began to write films.  A friend asked me to take over her screenwriting class, and after that I began working as a script doctor, producer, and a private writing coach. Years went by and then one day I realized I’d forgotten my dream. My mother was terminally ill, and I suddenly became aware that life is very short. Soon after, I met the man on the train, and three years later, here I am, a soon-to-be- published novelist!

More About Marilyn Horowitz:

Marilyn Ida Horowitz is a producer, writing coach, and award-winning professor of screenwriting at New York University. From her books on her trademarked writing system—now standard reading at NYU—to her appearances at Screenwriters World and The Great American Screenwriting Conference & PitchFest, Marilyn has guided the careers of literally hundreds of writers. She is currently featured in the Now Write! Screenwriting Anthology (Tarcher/Penguin) and in the upcoming The Expert Success Solution (Morgan James). Her production credits include And Then Came Love (2007), starring Vanessa Williams.

Where else you can find Marilyn around the web:

Facebook

Her Website

Twitter

***** Now onto the giveaway! Marilyn is being kind enough to offer a print copy of The Book of Zev to one lucky U.S. winner or an e-copy if the winner is located internationally!     *****

Here are the rules! 

To become eligible to win, all you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter form below! 

·     The winner of the contest will be announced on this blog

·     The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only for the physical copy or kindle version and international winners will receive only the kindle version

·     You will receive your choice of a physical copy or kindle version, if that is what you prefer in and are located in the U.S., of the book The Book of Zev. If you are located outside the U.S. you will receive an e-copy. The winner will receive the book within two weeks after the winner is announced

Remember to please leave your email address in the Rafflecopter so we have a way to contact and verify the winner's information! This is important. If you do not leave an email addy then I won't be able to contact you and therefore you won't be able to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt from The Book of Zev

What a fool she had been to fall in love with a man, any man. For a brief time the way Michael had made her feel thwarted her chronic nihilism. He had filled her with that most evil thing—hope. Michael resembled Clark Kent from Superman. He was tall and muscular. Dark, curly hair fell forward on his high forehead, framing an intelligent face with a cleft chin. Horn-rimmed glasses topped off his profile. Sarah had hoped the marriage vows would be kept, and furthermore that the two of them would always inhabit that euphoric state known as “being in love.” It had lasted for a year or two, and then somehow, the connection had slipped away. Sarah found herself living with a man who would do anything for her except the one thing she needed. In short, he had stopped making love to her for over a year before the end. Once she saw that the magic was gone forever, she ended the marriage although her married friends all seemed to have accepted that it was natural for the romance to end, and that a descent into a comfortable sort of brother-sister arrangement was fine. They didn’t understand why she would give up such a good and decent man and risk being alone. Was it “good and decent” not to try to meet the other half of a relationship halfway? She wanted a life filled with romance—and she had never felt as alone as she did on those sexless mornings. The worst was knowing that he hadn’t wanted to try. He kept saying that he couldn’t, but a book she read to try to understand his behavior stated bluntly that “couldn’t” meant “wouldn’t.” She keenly remembered the dreadful recognition when she’d read those words.

Today was the worst so far. Well, it was a Sunday. She felt like the Little Match Girl in the fairytale, who is not allowed to come in out of the snowstorm until all of her matches are sold. The child dies, unloved and unnoticed. Sarah felt the Little Match Girl’s pain and could not comfort herself. She just had to wait it out, and usually this agony would pass into her unconscious because she was too busy prepping a new cooking job. Thanksgiving was the beginning of one of her busy seasons.

*****Want to get to know  Marilyn Horowitz? Want a chance to win your own copy of The Book of Zev? Come back Friday for your chance to win!*****

The Book of Zev by Marilyn Horowitz

The Book of Zev

by: Marilyn Horowitz

The Book of Zev is a political thriller that tells the story of two gentle people who change the course of history. Zev Bronfman, a strapping 32-year old-virgin, angry atheist, refugee from a religious Jewish life, and former engineer for the U.S. Patent Office in Alexandria, Virginia, drives a cab and sleeps around in New York City. After a bitter divorce, Sarah Hirshbaum, a beautiful, redheaded, depressed, God-hating kosher chef, seesaws between yoga and too much red wine. Independently, the two consult the same psychic who inadvertently sends Sarah Zev’s session tape. When Sarah contacts Zev to pick up the recording, a series of events forces them to connect with a powerful terrorist in order to thwart his plans to destroy the UN and Israel.

Come back Friday for your chance to win a copy of The Book of Zev. Can't wait 'til then? The Book of Zev is currently available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Spotlight on...

This week the spotlight is on....
(Drum roll please...)

Marilyn Horowitz!

Her current work includes:

The Book of Zev

Be sure to come back later this week for a special guest post from Marilyn AND a chance to win a copy of her book!

My Adventures in Weight Loss @ Weight Watchers Week 30

Again I forgot to take pics! I have no idea what's wrong with me...

Unfortunately, I gained 3 lbs. back that I had lost last week.


Weight: 185.8

Guest post Spotlight from Paul DeBlassie III (& a giveaway! ends 12/30/14)

Let's give a warm welcome to Paul DeBlassie III the author of The Unholy! He was kind enough to join us today for and interview and to share his plans for the holidays and a few of his favorite things! So without further ado may I introduce Paul DeBlassie III!

How Do You Celebrate the Holidays?

As a writer of what some have referred to as pagan literature, I celebrate the holidays by attuning myself to nature. My family and I, celebrate the seasons and important facets of human life such as gratitude and good will. In writing The Unholy, the medicine women listen to natural forces such as this and find that they are able to live their lives much better, more harmoniously, and attuned to healing forces. There is so much in the course of one day to fill my life that I have to make sure and get time to heal myself, to relax, sink into marriage and family life. Ultimately, it’s the wonder of marriage and family life that grounds and heals me, keeps my feet on the ground, keeps me real and keeps me going!

What is your favorite season?

Spring is my favorite season especially here in Aztlan,(New Mexico)as the high-mountain desert teems with budding life and the turquoise skies are crystalline clear.

What was your favorite subject in school?

Psychology, religious studies, and English were favorite subjects of mine, all of them coming together as a thriller writer who explores the dark side of religion as is dramatized in The Unholy.

What is your favorite heartbreak song?

Willie Nelson’s rendition of You Were Always on my Mind is a cautionary tale to me of the need for love and to express it with a full heart and sincerity lest the moment pass and leave us with regret, something best to avoid for the sake of truth to self and a loving relationship.

What is your favorite movie?

I have lots of favorite movies, but I was recently impressed by the tragic tale of Philomena in which the protagonist can be seen as having been permanently damaged by the dark side of religion.

What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy weekend?

Rainy days are for curling into self and reading good books and spinning tales of intrigue.

What is your favorite breakfast food?

Red chile breakfast burritos served up piping hot in the land of Aztlan is my favorite food to start off on the path of an enlightening day!

What is your favorite dessert?

In Aztlan we have a specialty desert called natillas, a chilled custard with whipped egg white, nutmeg, and cinnamon…a real soul warmer!

Do you prefer rain or snow?

Here in Aztlan, the high mountain desert, we are grateful for all form of precipitation of both the snowy and purely liquid variety.

If your personality was a color, what would it be?

I’m a blue guy, the color of the unconscious mind as deep calls unto deep and color vibrates with a soulful resonance.

Paule DeBlassie III, PhD, is a psychologist and writer living in his native New Mexico. A member of the Depth Psychology Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association, and the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, he has for over thirty years treated survivors of the dark side of religion.  

***** Now onto the giveaway! Paul is being kind enough to offer a print copy of The Unholy to one lucky U.S. winner or an e-copy if the winner is located internationally!     *****

Here are the rules! 

To become eligible to win, all you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter form below! 

·     The giveaway will start on Dec 18, 2014 and end on Dec 30, 2014

·     A winner will be picked on Dec 30, 2014 and will be notified by email

·     The winner of the contest will be announced on this blog

·     The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only for the physical copy or kindle version and international winners will receive only the kindle version

·     You will receive your choice of a physical copy or kindle version, if that is what you prefer in and are located in the U.S., of the book The Unholy. If you are located outside the U.S. you will receive an e-copy. The winner will receive the book within two weeks after the winner is announced

Remember to please leave your email address in the Rafflecopter so we have a way to contact and verify the winner's information! This is important. If you do not leave an email addy then I won't be able to contact you and therefore you won't be able to win.


Where else you can find Paul around the web:


Twitter
Facebook
The Unholy on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Paul DeBlassie III on Amazon


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt from The Unholy

“Hush now, child,” said a voice she recognized as that of her mother’s closest friend. “The man cannot harm you, mijita, as long as you are with us. We will make him think you are dead. But you must be very quiet. “Ya no llores,” the woman warned, raising a finger to her lips.

The woman then carried her into a dark cave illuminated by the light of a single candle. The cave was frightening, with shadows of what appeared to be goblins and demons dancing on the red sandstone walls. “I will return for you soon. You will be safe here,” the woman said. The girl watched the woman walk away, shivering as a breeze blew through the cave’s narrow passages.

Closing her eyes, she rocked back and forth—imagining herself safe in her mother’s arms—then opened her eyes to the light of the full moon shining through the mouth of the cave. The shadows on the walls were just shadows now, no longer goblins and demons. As she slipped into a trance, images flickered in her mind. She saw the woman who had brought her to this place scattering pieces of raw meat around the open mesa where her mother had struggled, helped by two other women the girl could not identify.

Suddenly, the scene shifted to a stone ledge jutting over the mesa, and she heard the pounding footsteps of a man running toward the women. The girl felt her heart race and her breathing quicken, afraid that the bad man would spot them and kill them. Then the image shifted again, and she now saw on the mesa three gray wolves circling the raw meat and the man walking away from the granite ledge. As he left, she heard his thought: The child is dead.

*****Want to find out more about Paul DeBlassie III? Want a chance to win your own copy of The Unholy? Come back Friday for your chance to win!*****

The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III

The Unholy

by Paul DeBlassie III

 "A young curandera, a medicine woman, intent on uncovering the secrets of her past is forced into a life-and-death battle against an evil Archbishop. Set in the mystic land of Aztlan, the Unholy is a novel of destiny as healer and slayer. native lore of dreams and visions, shape changing, and natural magic work to spin a neo-gothic web in which sadness and mystery lure the unsuspecting into a twilight realm of discovery and decision."

Come back Friday for your chance to win a copy of The Unholy. Can't wait 'til then? The Unholy is currently available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Spotlight on...

This week the spotlight is on.....
(drum roll please....)

Paul DeBlassie III!

His current work includes:

The Unholy

Be sure to come back later this week for a special guest post by Paul AND a chance to win a copy of his book!

My Adventures in Weight Loss @ Weight Watchers Week 29

Sorry forgot to get a pic this week!

But I lost this week! And I lost BIG! 3.2 lbs!! Yay me!


Weight: 182.8 lbs.

My Adventures in Weight Loss @ Weight Watchers Week 28

Well I was doing so well. Then I gained this week. 

12/6/13

12/6/13

Weight: 186 lbs.