Things About Me You Probly Didn't Wanna Know :)

Ok, y'all, you know those silly emails that go around wanting you to forward and put your own answers in? Well, this is what this post is all about. I thought I'd post it here, just so y'all will know all those silly little things about me. In truth, I only do these questionaires for a couple of friends who would have hurt feelings if I didn't. Enjoy.

 

> 1.   What time did you get up this morning? approx 5:30 AM
> 2. Diamonds or pearls? doesn't matter
> 3. What was the last film you saw at the movie theater? I don't remember the name but it was about a mom and dad who between them had 18 kids
> 4. What is your favorite TV show? worst cooks in America followed by hell's kitchen
> 5. What do you usually have for breakfast? just whatever
> 6. What is your middle name? Nicole
> 7. What food do you dislike? tomatoes
> 8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? prefer downloadable mp3s
> 9.  What kind of car do you drive? in this reality, terry drives a 2005 aveo, but in my alternate reality, I drive a pink cattalack lol
> 10. Favorite sandwich? turkey with provolon, lettuce and Mayo
> 11. What characteristic do you despise? lying, backbighting and two--facedness

> 12. Favorite item of clothing? none

> 13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? somewhere I've never been, like Ireland
> 14.  Favorite brand of clothing? ones that last.
> 15. Where would you retire to? I don't like to think about getting that old :)
> 16.  What was your most memorable birthday? My 16th, when my eyes were bothering me real bad, my mom made me a peanut butter cake that fell and when mom fell down our front steps with baby Veronica in her arms and had to go to the ER. 
> 17.  Favorite sport to watch? none
> 18.   Furthest place you are sending this? don't know
> 19.  Person you expect to send it back first? don't know
> 20.  When is your birthday? January 3
> 21.  Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning.
> 22. Favorite Color? purple
> 23.  Pets? none
> 24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? nope not yet
> 25. What did you want to be when you were little? teacher, writer and a singer
> 26. How are you today? ok
> 27. What is your favorite candy? chocolate
> 28. What is your favorite flower? roses, as long as I don't have to grow them lol
> 29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? March 18, 10th anniversary
> 30. What are you listening to right now? window eyes and a show on nick Jr.
> 31. What was the last thing you ate? Do I have to admit that? 
> 32. Do you wish on stars? No, I trust in the Lord.
> 33. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? purple
> 34. How is the weather right now? chilly but not too bad, considering
> 35.The 1st person you spoke to on the phone today? nobody yet
> 36. Favorite soft drink? coke

> 37. Favorite restaurants? Logans, and steak escape 
> 38.  Real hair color? Brown

> 39. What was your favorite toy as a child? dolls
> 40. Summer or winter? Spring and Fall.
> 41.   Hugs or kisses? kisses

> 42.  Chocolate or Vanilla? chocolate
> 43.  Coffee or tea? both, but mostly I'll pick Tea

> 44.  Do you want your friends to email you back? if they want to
> 45. When was the last time you cried? can't remember

> 46.What is under your bed? scary things!!!
> 47. What did you do last night? went to the dentist and ate a cheeseburger after coming home. Then gave the girls a bath and went to bed.
> 48.  What are you afraid of? latex balloons

> 49.   Salty or sweet? sweet, but occasionally I'll want some salty chips

> 50.  How many keys on your key ring?don't know, and too lazy to check
> 53. How many years at your current job? been a stay at home mom since August 22 2005  6:03AM, duties doubled on December 4 2007 5:18PM

> 52.  Favorite day of the week? Friday, and I think that is because when going to school, Fridays were the last days of the week before an entire weekend of no school. can't drop the habbit

> 53. How many towns have you lived in? 7
> 54. Do you make friends easily? usually
> 55.  How many people will you send this to? I think 3 plus maybe post it to my blog
> 56. How many will respond? only those who have the patience to fool with this silly quiz lol

My Thoughts on a Sunday Morning

I suppose you all are wondering why there is no edition of Author Fridays? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First of all, I have run out of authors to interview. I still have two more, but their books aren't published fully, yet, and I like to interview those who have books ready for purchase. The second reason is that I just do not want to do them on a regular basis anymore. If you are an author and had hoped to see your interview here, then drop me an email at

ShannonNicoleWells@suddenlink.net

or simply leave a comment. Put "author interview" in the subject and I'll see what I can do, but doing them weekly has gotten to be a little more than i want to commit to. I have enjoyed writing about other authors, though, and I have learned a few things along the way. One important thing I have learned is that you can't judge an author or their book by the publisher. Just because someone has had the misfortune to be sucked in by Publish America, does not mean their book isn't any good. If you know anything about me at all, you will know I was one of those unfortunate souls who bought their load of bull. Before I leave this particular subject all together, let me just say that people won't buy your book if it costs $19.95 or higher, no matter how pretty it looks. Publish America tells you on their website and on their author forums that it isn't the price tag on a book, but they are lying. My book, "Wild Heart" looks very nice. The cover is good, the pages and printing look nice, but no matter where I go or what I do, no one except family and close friends will pay $19.95 for it. Recently, I set some books out for our local Shoneys store to sell for me. I had them to put out a sign saying, "Reduced to $12". I sold more books in three weeks than I ever did before. But, I digress, I think. I was telling you what I have learned from doing all those interviews. So, I have learned that there are as many writing styles as sand at the beach. Some work, and some do not. For instance, I had one author to begin every sentence with "I". That, my friend, gets annoying after a bit, and I sure do hope that when preparing the interview for the blog that I fixed that problem. Now, I'm not saying I'm an English or language arts major, 'cause I'm not, but I did well in English in school, and I know what sounds right and what does not. You know, I think listening to audio books has helped me in this, because I will take something that is written, be it an article, a story or whatever, and I will try to picture how it would sound if being read as an audio book. Ok, so how do you picture a sound, right? Well, I try to imagine the passage being read aloud, and usually it changes the perspective, dramatically. As a child and even today, I love to be read to. Some of my best childhood memories are mom reading aloud to me before bed. I love a good story with strong characters that have believable lives. The story doesn't have to be real, but the author must make it seem real, whether it is or it isn't. I'll never forget how surprised I was to learn the entire story of the Star Wars movies. My husband took me with him to see the last movie, #3...oh dear I can't even remember what it's called! "Revenge of the Sith"? Maybe? Anyway, the action was a little difficult to follow, because I couldn't see it, but the story line captured my imagination. I had never watched any of the movies with him, but for once, I did. I sat through all 6 movies, and while they are still not my favorites, I loved the story behind them and was touched at the very end when Vader saw Luke and acknowledged him as his son.

 

Ok, so now that I have proved to you that I need to go back to English class and learn about paragraphs, lol I'll get on with it. I can't write much more, 'cause it's almost time to get ready for Sunday School, but I did want to let you, the faithful few know why there is no author interview. I plan to post excerpts of my books, and maybe I'll even do a few book reviews. Plus, I'll fill you in on all the wild things that go on around here. I tell you, with a blind mama and a bright couple of lil girls, there's never a dull moment.

 

Speaking of reviews, just now, i am in the process of reading a book by an author I interviewed way back in the beginning. Whenever I receive an audio clip of the book, I listen avidly, so i can't give a review, yet, but when I finish reading, i will. It's "Across Time, Across Tears" by Sheridan Elaine Claude, and I wish I had the entire audio file, so that I could listen straight through. Like i said, I won't give a review until I'm finished, but so far I'm hooked. So far, it's absolutely amazing, and my heart is already involved.

 

Well, time to get ready for church, so until next time, keep safe, keep praying, and remember to read a bestseller, "THE HOLY BIBLE"!

valentine flowers Feb 12 2010

I was yackin' on the phone, yesterday, when Terry comes in, real quiet like. Kierstin was saying something, but my mouth was running, and i didn't hear her.

 

"What is it?" I asked. "Why are you home so soon?"

 

"Kierstin is ratting me out, if you'd listen to her,' he said.

 

Then, he sat something on the table and said, "Happy Valentine's Day, baby."

 

The flowers were such a surprise, and the smell so sweet that I can't stop going over to them, just to press my face against them and breathe in. He also gave me a card, and bless his heart, he recorded himself talking to me, and the card plays it, plus a song. Wasn't that sweet? I just had to share.

Author Fridays Presents...Tasha Wright!

Welcome to another edition of Author Fridays!  Sit back, get comfortable and read about this week's featured author, Tasha Wright!

 

Tasha Wright, a first-time author, has written a book that she feels everyone can relate to.  "It shows people that true love is something that can withstand all obstacles and time is not a factor," she said, when asked what makes her book so special.  The book is entitled, "Carelessness of the heart", and it is published by Publish America.

www.publishamerica.com

 

"I am a twenty-nine-year-old Texas native," Wright says.  "I know since I am publishing it may seem a little cliché but I do love to write.  This is my first book published but I do have many, many other books that I am working on and my second book is complete and the copyright is underway.  I love to read, and I have a bookcase filled with many genres.  The author who inspired and unleashed my passion for reading was actually Steven King.  Although, I do not write horror, his books were the first that I read that started that spark in me.  My favorite author would be Michael Baisden."

 

Wright never really fantasized about becoming an author. Writing started as a hobby, and she would let her sister-in-law, LaTamangela Wright read what she wrote.  Tasha wrote a short story, but her sister-in-law kept giving it back, saying, "you have to keep going.  I have to know what happens."  Before she knew it, Wright had just about written a book.  After completing the manuscript, she found writing was something she loved to do, and she hasn't stopped.

 

"When I write," Tasha says, "I have found if I can just write the first sentence my work evolves, and it pretty much creates itself. After I get the first two chapters down I pretty much know which way I would like to go with the story. I never use anything from my life experiences or others."

 

As for advice to someone wishing to become published, Wright says, "Practice patience and never get bummed out when you hear the word "NO". You will become all too familiar with the word no, because your work isn't going to be something that everyone specializes in. Stay persistent and believe in your craft."

 

Anything else that you would like to share with us?

 

"I would just like to say to anyone who purchases my book, I truly thank you, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I wish everyone the best of luck who are also on this journey of publishing and inspiring to become published as well."

 

If you are interested in learning more about Tasha's book, go to

http://www.publishamerica.net/product89303.html

 

Thank you for joining me for this week's edition of Author Fridays! Be sure to come back next week, same time same place to read about our next featured author, (To Be Announced.)

Author Fridays presents...Barry Fike!

(Author's note: this post is late because the email server I use to post entries is down.)

Welcome to another edition of Author Fridays! Sit back, relax and read about this week’s featured author, Bary Fike!

Barry Fike is a first-time author. His book, “Mikveh” was published in January 2009 by publish America.
www.publishamerica.com

Fike was born in Alabama and moved around quite a bit as a child. His father was a minister. He became interested in researching topics at the age of ten. he has a Bachelor’s in Speech Communication (Freed-Hardeman University), and a Masters in both Theology (Logos University) and Education (Pepperdine University). He is married with four grown children and one granddaughter. his hobbies are reading and researching biblical topics. “I love to read material on first century Judaism and it’s correlation to modern day Christianity,” he says. “My interest in Judaism of the first century, and the corresponding centuries, fascinate me as they give me a foundation for my belief in God and Jesus. My favorite authors are Abraham Joshua Heshel, Prof. David Flusser, Prof. Roy Blizzard, and Prof. Brad Young.”

“I first had the desire to write in ninth grade when I began to work on a novel based on “The Phantom toll Booth” that I read when in fifth grade,” he goes on to say. “From that time on I excelled in term papers in college and worked on several curriculums at schools and youth groups. I began to do research in the field of first century Judaism and the background for the belief that would later become known as Christianity. My inspiration for my writing comes primarily from my wife, Connie, whose patience and enduring qualities have helped me to evolve in both patience and scholarship.”

Fike’s second mentor is Dr. Roy Blizzard who first opened his eyes in 1988 that would lead to his current beliefs.

When it comes to ideas for his books, Barry says, “Ideas for my books come primarily from my background theologically. Since baptism is a major tenet in the group that I was raised in, the possibility for learning new information concerning baptism was fascinating. Currently I’m working on another theological problem that I’ve wrestled with most of my life: Women’s role in the church. I’ll be taking a fairly “liberal” position that my “denomination” usually doesn’t see eye to eye with me about.”

A Rabbi that recently read Barry’s book said: “Loved your book. It really (more than most Jewish books on the topic) gave me a fresh perspective on Mikveh, because you look at the topic with such fresh eyes. I would be hard-pressed to give you feedback relevant to Christian audiences -- it seems as if you are rather fearless and unflinching!”

“From reading my book,” Fike believes, “a Christian will gain a new appreciation for something that many considered a Christian innovation. Instead, they will learn about the rich history of ritual immersion beginning with the children of Israel in the wilderness and continuing until, and beyond, the time of Jesus.”

As for advice to those wishing to become published, Fike encourages, “Work hard and don’t quit sending your book to publishers. The major ones will take quite a bit of work, maybe even some money on your part since you are an unknown. Try to find publishers who will pay all expenses hoping that you’re the next Steinbeck or Hemingway. At least that way you’ll be published and can begin to show off your rhetorical skills. The problem with such publishers is that they usually don’t have editors and you’d better do a pretty good job in editing your work or it can look shoddy and ill prepared for the public to take seriously. Anyone that loves to write and research should share their material with the world. You never know who might pick up your book and it change their life or give them a new perspective.”

If you are interested in Barry Fike’s book, click on the following link for more information
http://www.amazon.com/Mikveh-Relationship-Immersion-Christian-Baptism/dp/1607037742

Thank you for joining me once again for another edition of Author Fridays! Be sure to come back next week, same time, same place to read about our next featured author, (To Be Announced).