Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Ebook Bargains and Food for Thought...


The ebook of By a Thread is on sale for this month!

By A Thread
by Jennifer Estep
Series: Elemental Assassin #6
When killing people is your job, there’s no such thing as a vacation. 
Then again, how often does an assassin live long enough to enjoy her retirement? In this line of work, you either get lucky or you get dead. And since I destroyed my nemesis Mab Monroe a few weeks ago, all of Ashland’s lowlifes are gunning to make a name for themselves by taking out the lethal Spider—me, Gin Blanco. So I’m leaving behind my beloved barbecue joint and heading south with my baby sister, Bria, to cool my heels in a swanky beach town. Call it a weekend of fun in the sun. But when a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic threatens an old friend of Bria’s, it looks like I’ll have to dig my silver stone knives out of my suitcase after all. Complicating matters further is the reappearance of Detective Donovan Caine, my old lover. But Donovan is the least of my problems. Because this time, the danger is hot on my trail, and not even my elemental Ice and Stone magic may be enough to save me from getting buried in the sand—permanently.

A few of the Hollow series ebooks by Kim Harrison are also on sale.
Black Magic Sanction #8
Pale Demon #9
A Perfect Blood #10
Holiday's are Hell #5.5
are all $1.99 at Amazon and Barnes and Noble

A freebie!
Hotter on the Edge
Three novellas of science fiction romance 
On the edge of space...
On the edge of danger...
On the edge of desire...
 
All That Glitters by Erin Kellison 
Cheated out of a fortune by the Sol royal family, lowborn Simon Miner will do anything to get his revenge, no matter how ruthless. When Princess Mica Sol, a terraforming expert, is shot out of the sky on the way to her sister’s lavish wedding, she fears the worst—scavengers—and flees into an alien jungle to avoid capture. But the man who pursues and captures her is none other than Simon, her former lover. Passions reignite as violence rocks Sol City, and Simon and Mica must fight for love, family, and their world… or lose everything. 
To Buy a Wife by KC Klein 
In a harsh land where corruption rules and women are few, cold realist Hudson Land must purchase a wife to save his farm. Instead of an auction, he witnesses the start of an execution. With his first look at a beautiful woman in years, Hudson knows he has to have her—no matter the cost. Lake, a chemist and a rebel fighter, is resigned to her death, but when some back-hill farmer rescues her from the chopping block she has no intention of simply becoming his wife. She’s pledged her life to the Rebellion and being bought for some stranger’s bed doesn’t change a thing, though his soft caresses have her longing for more. As lies and secrets build between them, are the quiet moments during the nights they’ve shared enough to stand against two warring factions in a world where only the strong survive? 
Enslaved by Starlight by Jessa Slade 
Transformed by empathic crystals into the perfect paramour, Benedetta Galil is the last treasure of her fading world. When raiders attack—seeking to corrupt the crystals and conquer all of charted space—she gives herself as a prize to the one man in the universe who values freedom over power. Mercenary sheership Captain Corso Deynah left oppression behind him on a burning planet and has no use for a sex slave, even one as seductive as Benedetta. But while he stubbornly resists her body, her fierce spirit tempts him, and he will risk everything—his ship, his seclusion, the very stars—to win not just her passion but her love.
Get it at Amazon

Also...
I recently reviewed Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine. I enjoyed the retelling. I was not a huge fan of Romeo and Juliet, but I do love retellings (here is the link to the review if you missed it...). Anyhoo... I recently came across this article that totally had me thinking... It is an article by Glen Tickle: You're Reading Romeo and Juliet Wrong. You are supposed to hate Romeo (link in the title). It totally changed my perspective on the play. It actually made me like it a bit more too! LOL He breaks down why he sees Romeo as a villain especially during that time period. It actually makes more sense to me than what I had be taught about them being such great lovers. Oh so those of you who have read it... what do you think? Did it change how you now see the play? 

Also if you have more deals you would like to share, do share those as well! 
Happy Tuesday... 

oh and...
Will always be a Bronco fan!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Winner!

The winner for a backlist ebook by Felicity Heaton is...
Angela!
(confirmed)

Also... I leave you this for your weekend earworm...
:D Now go hug a kitty or a puppy.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Nightingale (Bigtime #4) by Jennifer Estep

Anxious brides. Drunken businessmen. Panicked partygoers. As Bigtime, New York’s premiere event planner, Abby Appleby is capable of handling almost any crisis, but even she’s not prepared when she finds herself in the middle of a fight between superhero Talon and his ubervillain nemesis Bandit. Abby manages to save Talon, but the superhero is temporarily blinded, so she takes him back to her loft, where the two wait out a snowstorm. During a blizzard that shuts down the city, Abby and Talon grow close, and he starts calling her Nightingale because of her love of music and singing. 
But Abby is afraid of what Talon will think when he can see the real her, so she conceals her identity from the sexy superhero, and they go their separate ways. However, Abby discovers that Talon is looking for Nightingale, looking for her—and so is Bandit. The mercenary ubervillain thinks that Abby has information that belongs to his boss, the mysterious Tycoon. Abby knows that she’s in serious trouble and that not even Talon—or the Fearless Five—may be able to save her…
This is Jennifer Estep's Bigtime series. Karma Girl, Hot Momma, and Jinx are the 3 novels prior to this one as well as the novella, A Karma Girl Christmas. You don't have to read them in order, but I do recommend it only because you get a better feel for the characters (some who were former main characters in the other books) appear as secondary characters in this book.

This book, like the others, is just full of fun. It has enough cheesy-ness in the names to make me smile and enough adventure and romance to make it interesting. In this one we have Abby who has super-senses and yet does not want to be a superhero and Talon, a superhero without any super powers (think Batman). They get together in an unusual way and find themselves drawn to each other. I admit I had a bit of a problem with them falling into bed so easily and quickly, but it didn't bug me enough to lose my enjoyment of the whole story.

There was also Abby's self-esteem problem that at times you wanted to shake her and tell her to stop it, but we have all been there and it isn't an easy thing to overcome. Still, would have loved to see her gain confidence a bit earlier in the story. Even so, it made me like "Talon" more when this forced him to be completely straight with Abby about his feelings. This made the romance so much sweeter.

I give this book 4 stars. It's a fun book about superheros and I recommend it to anyone who loves to just sit back and enjoy a story. If you like Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin series I think you'll love this one too. The writing is much lighter in tone, but it still has that same sense of adventure. It's very adult and a lot of fun. All the novels run about $3.99 at your favorite ebook seller.
I received this ebook from the author and no compensation for my review was given.

Where to get the Bigtime series:
Smashwords
And guess what? Well, guess! Okay, I'll just tell you... Jennifer Estep is going to be on the blog tomorrow with a post and giveaway!

Friday, June 1, 2012

You're Invited to the Fair!




Okay, I gotta go. I have to get me a unicorn ride! Anyone else coming with me?

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Tough Man Candy

I've been taking the weekends off, but thought I'd leave you with some needed man candy for the weekend. I had a craptastic week IRL (was pretty good blog wise though) so I need it. So, if you also felt the same way I figured you could use it. Heck, if you didn't... what the hell... you deserve it anyway.

So, I'll give you a sneak peak of the man candy coming on Wed...

Ah... how I felt but it looks better on him...

Much calmer, but I still has that don't mess with me look...

and two more, because we just need it. :D
Thanks Jason Momoa
Happy Weekend!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Anne Rice


Yesterday I posted a review of a book by Anne Rice. A lot of you surprised me by saying that you haven't read her books or had only read one or two. The reason I was surprised is that she is what introduced me into reading the genre. I was a huge fan of paranormals in the movies and tv (as long as it wasn't too scary), but rarely read them if at all. Of course I knew many people out there hadn't read her books. I mean now the market is filled with paranormals of all kinds to try. However, at one time that was not true. I knew there were good paranormal books out there, but they were hard to find. Most were labeled under horror and I didn't go near horror. So, I relied on my friends to tell me what was out there. They knew what a chicken I was at that time. :) So often when an Anne Rice paranormal wasn't out there and there was no other suggestions, I read fantasy. 

Specifically speaking for Anne Rice, I know that her books tend to be hit or miss with most people. It is with me. One favorite book for me by her is Ramses the Damned. It was how I was introduced to her. It was an adult book (I was still very young... *giggles*) but it wasn't her vamp books. I actually refused to read those for another year. I was too much of a wimp and didn't like the horror genre. My imagination takes off and THAT is what usually scares the beegebus out of me. However, finally I caved since I enjoyed Ramses so much and I devoured her vamp books as I had money to buy them (I knew I'd be reading them again and the library has such a LONG waiting list for her books). 

Now really what is this all about? Well, I got to thinking about all the big authors I have yet to read... especially in the genre most of us paranormal book bloggers talk about. One for me is Stephen King. Yes, I know. Don't faint. ;) I can handle horror books much better than I was younger, but still don't actually like to be scared. Everyone I talked to that has tried to get me to read his books has said that he is a visual writer. Usually that is enough to get me to try a book, but in this case with me being such a chicken... it made me not really want to try him. Like I said... it's my imagination that usually gets to me. What I think about after I read or watch a scary movie. Add more visuals to that, and I'm still a chicken when it comes to this genre. :D

So here is my question to you... are their any authors that you have yet to try? Why haven't you taken that extra step to read something by that author (other than having a huge review tbr)? I'm curious as to what (or who) everyone out there hasn't tried yet. Any author you'd hope people have read at least one book of?

PS... those who aren't interested in her paranormals, but would still like to try Anne Rice, can I suggest The Feast of All Saints? It is my fave non-paranormal book of hers. It is more of a historical fiction type of book.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Meme tagged!


Yes, Animewookie from My Gallery of Worlds has tagged me in a meme and since I had a space available and I was procrastinating from something I should have been doing *snicker* I thought it might be fun to do!

Rules:
1. Answer the eleven questions that were asked of you by the person who tagged you
2. Make up eleven new questions and tag eleven new people to do the meme! 
3. Let them know you tagged them!

My questions:
1. If you could describe your life in a color, what would it be and why?
I'd say midnight blue because it is mysterious. Oh wait... that is what I wish it could be... other than beige. Too boring. LOL

2. Do you have any pets? If so, what are they, their name/s and why do they fit your personality?
I have 2 dogs currently. One is a total goof and is the doberman. My alaskan malamute loves to be the audience to the doberman's goofyness. She also likes ruling the doberman. Although that sounds appealing... I think I'm probably more like my dobe. LOL

3. Where did you fit in in high school...jock, band geek, popular crowd...etc?
Seriously? I don't know. I had a lot of different friends. Many didn't even know I was friends with others. It wasn't anything strange or dramatic... it was just that they didn't have things in common with the other and so didn't hang out. I pretty much would hang with anyone and had fun.

4.How do you react in an emergency...fight or flight, go get help, the calm one???
Depends on the situation. Usually fight or calm.

5. If they were making a movie of your life, who would you chose to play you... why?
Angelina Jolie. Why? Who wouldn't want to look like that even in fantasy? LOL

6. Why is your best friend your best friend, what makes them so special?
She was someone I could talk to about things I couldn't normally with anyone else. I hope she felt the same. I miss her and I consider her a true angel now. :)

7. If money was no object, and you were going to buy yourself soothing completely frivolous, what would it be, and why?
No object? A vacation!

7. Three words that describe your personality?
Passionate, Goofy, and Strange... and loving that this is #7 twice. ;D

8. Who was your favorite teacher and how did they influence you?
Oh I had several. Most were in grade school. Usually it was just the encouragement in learning on your own and being creative with it.

9. What do you consider true strength?
Well, it has nothing to do with exercise weights. I say if you grunt when you pick it up... put it down!

10. What is your favorite game? (video, board, card...any kind)
Don't have a fave at the moment, but I loved Plants Vs. Zombies for a while. :)

11.What season do you love the most, why?
Depends. I love all the seasons for different reasons. Yes, even the dead of winter has it's promise when it is silent and calm.

Now I saw Blodeuedd do this one and didn't tag anyone. I think I'll do the same since schedules are so tight and many don't do awards (which this is like). So, I'm not tagging anyone but would LOVE to see how you answer the following (please let me know if you do it so I can see it):

1. If you had written a book of your life, what would be the title.
2. In the vein of a 6 word story... tell me about yourself.
3. Who would be your top choices in your book boyfriend harem?
4. Which character in a book would you like to be?
5. Which character in a book are you most like?
6. Do you have pets? Tell us about them?
7. Would you like to have a mythological pet? What would it be?
8. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
9. If you could dump a heroine in a book and take her place, what book and who would that be?
10. What is at the top of your bucket list?
11. What do you want most in your life right at this moment?

Have fun! You can even answer a few in the comments if you wish. :)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

I've been Interviewed!

I'm at Paranormal Haven! So, if you want to know how strange I am, just click HERE

What? You already knew I was strange? Well, visit the site anyway and take a look around. It's a great website! ;D

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Oops! Forgot...





 


   


      2011 Reading Challenge
   


         
     
       
   
          2011 Reading Challenge
       

     
     

        Melissa has    
       
         
             read 30 books toward her goal of 100 books.
         
               
     

     

       
hide

     

     

        30 of 100 (30%)
     

           
     
       
 
          view books
       

     
   
   
 
 
 
   
 


I didn't do my end of the year reading challenge. Yes! I rocked it. When I was at about 120 books, I upped my amount from 100 to 150 and even blew that one away! Yep, I need to get a life. ;D At least I did so much better than I did last year. I didn't quite get to 100 read/reviews.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy 2012!


Hope everyone is having a great start to the new year. I'm playing on my new toy and I'm even posting his from an app. :) In fact, I have done the whole post from this app! Guess I won't have excuses to not post, but wait for the funny autocorrects! ;) 

My new years resolution may seem like a funny one to some. I plan on blogging a bit less and reviewing less. Now, I'm not answering for my other reviewers, so there may be plenty of reviews. It's just honestly, it has totally taken over more than I had intended. I guess I'll see if I keep this one. First I have to reduce the tbr review pile. :) 

Now, this dosen't mean I'm abandoning the community. Actually, I may be able to be more social! Hey! No groans!

Well, what I would like to know now is what are your new years goals and do you keep them? Honestly, my typical goals for the new year typically consisted of resolving to make no more resolutions (after that one) and yeah, I could keep that one. ;)

Your turn! Remember, the Mayans say this is our last one! Make it a good resolution. ;)

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Puppies Happy Birthday Giveaway!!

My baby is going to have a birthday. Felicia's baby, and co-conspirator, from the Geeky Blogger is also having a December b-day! I've done different giveaways in the past, but this time I decided to do something different. With the economy the way it is around the world, puppies all over are having a hard time. In fact many are abandoned to fend for themselves. Several organizations are trying to help, but of course all need support of the public. 

This time Felicia's pup and my pup will have you do something for animals (not just dogs or domestic animals) but any animal you feel connected. It can be a national organization like the National Wildlife Federation, something more specific, but still national like Veterinarians Without Borders who do help animals all over the world... or something local. In fact, they encourage the local since it would have an impact on where you live. For example, my local vet has a drive every year. They collect money, objects and food for the shelters. Usually there is a wish list of items they need. If you don't have money, but perhaps some stuff to give, you can do that. It's as easy as calling your local shelter to see what they need. All have a list.

So, no... as you can see, they're not just talking about giving money. You may not have that to give. No problem. They are also crediting any type of service you can provide. For example, walking a neighbor's dog who is elderly and cannot get out. Pet sitting during an emergency. Volunteering some time at a shelter. All options are open.
Service can and often is more important than money. Remember this is an entry as well!

To make this easy here are the rules:
  1. You must do something for animals. It can be giving money, volunteering, or supporting them in some major way this month (yes, you could have done something at the beginning of the month before the giveaway started... just as long as it is in Dec.).
  2. You must tell me what you did or where you donated (do not tell me the amount if it is money) in the comments. That way people can also find out what to do or where to donate.
  3. Fill out the Rafflecopter form which also has prompts to remind you to do this.
Any and all tweets, FB posts, Google +, etc are greatly appreciated. You should also have plenty of time to do something. The giveaway ends at the end of the month.



<a href="http://melissawatercolor.blogspot.com/search/label/dog"> <img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6474085267_09b3f4a6cd_m.jpg"width="200"></a>


The prizes (donated by myself and Felica of the Geeky Blogger):
2 Winners!!
$20 from either Amazon in the form of a G/C or same amount from the Book Depository
$15 from either Amazon in the form of a G/C or same amount from the Book Depository

Now, I do hear that my dog's partner in crime for this giveaway, Felicia's dog, has said that December dogs rule and their owners drool! I maintain that isn't true... well, unless you count Book Boyfriend Day or Top off Tuesdays or... oh hush! ;)

Make our puppies proud! Make sure you tell the truth OR I'll be forced to find all Sarah McLachlan's ASPCA videos and make you watch them until you ball your eyes out! 
Seriously, don't lie...

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Winners!

Oh I almost forgot to announce my winners. *shame face* 

So...
Winner of 
is:
White Wolf Reads!
(confirmed)

Winner of:
(this was the book she picked)
is...
Mariee
(confirmed)

I hope you both enjoy your great reads!!

Btw, still going on is the puppy birthday giveaway. Even if you aren't participating, please help advertise it around the blogoverse. That way the more people who participate the more animals are helped. Also, just check out the comments. These people ROCK MY FACE OFF! :D
I'm currently working on another series and then I'll get my mini reviews up. 

Hope the holidays aren't kicking your @ss! ;) ❤!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Announcements...

First... I'll announce a winner for:
Cindy R.
(confirmed)

Also...
Felicia at the Geeky Blogger is having a HUGE giveaway this month to celebrate her young self! Go check it out! Just click on the pic above to go to her blog!

Oh and while I have you here, Missie at the Unread Reader is having a bookmark exchange! How fun! Get ready to get rid of the scrap paper holding your place and use something pretty! Go HERE to the post to get the deets and sign up.

I'm also going to do a reading challenge for next year. I usually only chose one and I thought this one would work for me:


Challenge Details
• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012
• Rules: There are FOUR (4) LEVELS to choose from:
- One Chomp: Read 6 Zombie books in 2012
- Two Chomps: Read 12 Zombie books in 2012
- Three Chomps: Read 18 Zombie books in 2012
- Four Chomps: Read 24 Zombie books in 2012

I'm going to go for at least 2 chomps.
Click on the pic for the rest of the deets. 
I do have to laugh at this one requirement though...
• Only fiction, no non-fiction.
hee hee... could you imagine a non-fiction zombie book? Eep!

My huge announcement:
(well, medium at best...)
If you have been around the blog for a few, you know that I do a puppy giveaway each year to celebrate by teeny puppy's b-day. Well, this year I will do it a bit differently...
This year, I'm going to give away either a $20 gc to Amazon or $20 in books from the Book Depository! That way it will be international. What is different about this one is that I will require you to do something for animals. Doesn't have to be domestic animals and I encourage you to make it local. All deets will be coming up the week of the 11th! If you have any ideas about this giveaway (good, bad, indifferent, suggestions...) please let me know!

Also, don't forget the giveaways going on now! Still time to win Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep (US only) and a choice of Darkness Dawns or Night Reigns by Diane Duvall (international)!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

What are you doing here???

Well, unless you are reading other posts or entering the contest listed above...otherwise...
Look what is brewing at the Bookish Brunette:
Bookish Brunette
Now you know I wuvs you but...
SHOO!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Trick or Treat for Books

It's brain week. Uh oh... I hope I can still participate. Do zombies like fried brains? Well, I think this week might play out like this:

Ashley's partner played by her book boyfriend, Seth.

Hurry GO to the Bookish Brunette's site! Before the zombies take over!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Trick or Treat for Books: TEAM GHOST!!

It's the team with spirit!
The one so powerful that we walk through walls!
Wait... what's that? You think ghosts are scary?
Seriously?
Okay, I can see you may run from Beetlejuice but not before you were entertained. As far as pig pen? Who was with me and always wanted to share your treats with him because he always got rocks (I also wanted to let those people know how rude that was...)? Now really scary? Please!

I have to admit one thing... I don't like scary stories (especially movies). No, really... stop looking at the paranormal books, I'm serious. I think my dislike for scary stories came from my childhood. Ever hear a story about La Llorona, the weeping woman? I think that was one that stuck with me. Mostly because I lived by a nearby arroyo where she was said to weep and look for her children. Don't go out at night or she may catch you and make her one of her own. It was a few months before I'd want to be out at dusk in my own yard after that was told to me by those all knowing older kids (like 3rd-5th grade).

I do however, love true ghost stories. It is more about mystery than horror to me. Oh and I'll explain more at the end. First, some stories from fellow bloggers:
~~~~~~
First up: StephanieD!

Just past midnight, I was fast succumbing to deep slumber when I felt some thing enter the room. With only the tiniest sliver of consciousness, I felt that thing pad across the floor and jump on my feet, then slowly travel on top of my prone, blanket-covered body with the sinuous, feline movement of a cat. But it was no living being. It was darkness shaped like a cat and it sat on top of my terrified heart with a malevolence even I could feel, almost-asleep.

My mind screamed inside my sleeping body, struggling to wake it up. The thing on top of me was ancient and hungry, with an inhuman, unliving maw of sharp teeth. It did not feed on meat and it had been waiting for that moment when its prey was most vulnerable. But it was too eager; it had come for me before I had fallen completely asleep. I knew all this without knowing how I knew.

I thought of my son sleeping in the other room. I knew that thing would come for him too once it was done with me. Suddenly my body jerked awake and I was able to say out loud, "I want you to leave. Stay away from me. Stay away from my son. Leave and never come back. Now!"

With my last word, the thing made out of the dark snarled in a sound not made for my human ears and jumped off of me and out of my room. I could feel it outside the door for the rest of the night, waiting, still hungry, but unable to come closer because of my command.

Knowing that it lurked somewhere near, I took the advice of a friend to prevent its return. Some nights later, I lit some dried sage leaves and wandered around the house with it, letting its smoke permeate each room, every entrance and shadowy corner, and especially my unaware son. "Potpourri," I said as he played his video games, barely paying attention to me.

That thing has not come back since, but I have my holy water, bundle of dried sage leaves and a match at the ready. And if that doesn't work, a wooden stake within arm's reach.
~~~~~~~~~

Photobucket"

It is a true story; maybe not exactly about ghosts but certainly about the paranormal because I suppose it can’t be explained using scientific methods.

Some time ago I had a dog. A shi-tzu. It was my little sweetheart. I fell in love with him at first sight - literally. When I saw that little fluffy puppy barely alive, being exposed too long to scorching sun in the marketplace, I bought it without thinking twice just to end his sufferings. I had to borrow money but I bought it. You should never follow my example and buy a weakling – the smallest puppy in the litter – from an unknown seller (I doubt it was the actual breeder). My dog had health issues all his life. He was half blind for starters and his list of allergies was really long. I didn’t mind. I took care of him as well as I could, being helped by my parents and a friendly vet.

One day I was sitting with my friend having coffee and a nice chat when I felt cold without any reason. It was a nice, sunny spring day, rather warm and we were indoors so there was no reason whatsoever for such chills. Then I felt a wave of depression. Really I’ve never experienced anything like that before and I can’t call it otherwise – all of a sudden, like in one second top, I went from cheerful to sad as if somebody poured some icy water on me. Feeling very uneasy, I looked at my watch, excused myself and decided to go home, wondering all the way what was wrong with me and where this unexpected change of mood came from. I even had a fit of remorse that I shortened such a friendly meeting just because of being moody. When I got home I found out that there was a reason after all. My mum told me that my dog had died – exactly at the same time I had my depression attack. Call it what you want, I think there was a strong connection between me and that poor darling and, with his last breath, he let me know it was over. He said goodbye. Even now I have tears in my eyes, thinking about it. It was slightly spooky but also very, very sad.
~~~~~~~~~

Now for AimeeKay!

My boyfriend used to live across the street from me in this house that wasn't too old, it's only about 30 years old or so, but weird stuff was always happening in it. People were seeing stuff, etc. I used to get really weird feelings every once in a while, and I hated being left alone in the house, but generally it was okay. One night all the kids were laying down to go to bed and he was outside with his buddies, I'd had trouble finding the cough medicine for his son and was agitated with him. When he came in the house I was trying to stay calm and explain to him I couldn't find the medicine. I turned around and all of the cabinet doors started to rattle for no reason. We live inCalifornia so it could have been written off as an earthquake but nothing else was shaking, just the doors. Even when that happened though I really wasn't scared or didn't get one of the creepy feelings that I sometimes got. I even remember telling him that whatever was in the house agreed with me and was annoyed at him too. But that's not the part that made me never want to go to his house again. The weirder part was yet to come.
 
A few months later we were finishing packing up the house. It was being put on the market, and his brothers wanted to do some renovating before people came to start seeing it. We were in the kitchen and it had gotten dark quick. His buddies had just left and we were still looking around to make sure there was nothing else we could do for the night. All of the sudden I got a real bad feeling and told him we had to leave. Immediately! He kept telling me he had lived there forever and that I just needed to relax. All of the sudden the kitchen light flickered on and off. I grabbed him and basically pulled him out of the house. I finally told him that if he really wanted to go back in I would go. I wouldn't let him go in alone, but we weren't going back in there that night. Why you ask? Lights flicker all the time. Yeah, they do. But NOT when the electricity has been turned off, and it hadn't been on for at least 2 or 3 days. To this day I don't know if it was his house, or the ghosts, or whatever they were, trying to say good-bye or what. All I know is that the feeling I got was not a pleasant one, and I feel sorry for the new owners.

That's my story. I've had other weird stuff happen. But that was the most recent and the one that there was actually someone there with me to see it.

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The high school I went to was an old Queen Anne mansion house (about 400 yearss old) which was coverted into a school in victorian times. However, there were continual rumours about the old building...Before it was a school, it was the local area major manor house - called Carshalton House. In those days the lord of the house had many servants who worked for him. One young impressionable maid fell in love with the butler. He was cruel and mean so he used her so when she found out she was pregnant, he was worried that he would loose his position in the house. Desperate to keep the status quo, he pushed her down the stairs hoping she would loose the baby. But she lost more that just her child. By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs her neck was broken in two. I don't know what happened to the butler but ever since the main stairs in the house has been haunted by a weeping woman in grey. They say she searches for her lost child. I never saw her, but every couple of years a school girl would swear she heard weeping at the bottom of the stairs, but there would never be anyone. Occasionally some one would see a grey shape falling down the stairs but never saw anything at the bottom...

No idea how true it is but I always liked the idea that my school was haunted!
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Missie from The Unread Reader!

When I was in college, some new friends took me to The "Ghost Tracks" of San Antonio, Texas. The legend says that,

Back in the 1930s or 1940s, a school bus full of children was making its way down the road and toward the intersection when it stalled on the railroad tracks. A speeding train smashed into the bus, killing 10 of the children and the bus driver. Since that dreadful accident many years ago, any car stopped near the railroad tracks will be pushed by unseen hands across the tracks to safety. It is the spirits of the children, they say, who push the cars across the tracks to prevent a tragedy and fate like their own.

Well, we went to the tracks (at night) and sprinkled some baby powder on the truck and the back rim of the car. We parked over the tracks, which is on a flat road, and put the car in neutral, and...the car MOVED! It totally freaked me out! Afterwards, we checked for hand prints and I could swear I saw some, but it could have been that I was just so freaked out from the experience. LOL
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I've been thinking on personal ghost stories that I've experienced, and not had any luck with coming up with a scary one. Oh, I'm sure there is one from when I was younger but I'm not remembering it. The only story I've come up with is one that happened on my wedding day... and I think was kind of happy.

One of my bridesmaids was already at my home with me and we where chatting at the table passing time until we would get ready. As she talked away to me I got up to get turn the curling iron on or do something in the bathroom. I was listening to her, but then all the sudden I couldn't make out what she was saying. Almost like she was drowned out by rushing water, but it sounded like someone was talking over her or using her sound to talk to me. At the same time my head instantly turned to the corner of the room. There was a fuzzy spot there for a moment then when the buzzing stopped the haze disappeared as well. As the buzzing was in my ear and the fuzzy spot was visible my mind raced to one person. I know who was there that day and he was there to give me blessings on the wedding. He told me so, but not in a way as we tell each other, he left the feeling strongly in me. Who was it? ....My Grandfather.
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Love these stories! As to why I like stories like this? It's something I don't talk about, but it's no secret either. Well, I grew up in a haunted house. I knew there were 3 ghosts. There was a female that hung around me mostly. I wasn't afraid of her and I believed that she kept the other 2 away. All I knew was the other two were mean and I never encountered them in my room or the part of the house I mostly stayed. The other two did hang where my parents were in the back of the house. You'd NEVER catch me back there at night by myself. I guess that could be a good thing for parents. LOL

What was odd and might make you think it was something else than a child's overactive imagination is that my parents NEVER talked about the ghosts to me. I would sometimes mention the lady but they never commented on it. It was like they were just indulging me. I didn't talk about it much anyway. When we moved out of the house when I was a teen we all started to talk about the ghosts. Even my father (Mr. show me or I dont' believe it) had a couple of scary experiences. He said he didn't want to freak us out. Well, we were a bit freaked out because all of our stories were corroborated by the other. Even neighbors who had moved started talking about their experiences. It was funny in an eerie way. We had never discussed any of this while we lived there.

So, that brings me to why I like these stories. I think in a way it gives me comfort that I am not alone in experiencing something otherworldly. :)
So, any ghost stories of your own?

Monday, October 10, 2011

Trick or Treat for Books


Hm... feel like stirring a pot? Into herbs (no, not that kind) and black cats? Want to remind people that it's not ALL about the brooms? Tired of that nosey neighbor looking out the window (Gladys!)?

Well...
It's Trick or Treat for Books time again! This time go to that bewitching place called The Geeky Blogger's Blog! You will have a chance to win your choice of the following:


What an amazing mini giveaway! Yes, it's international!
ALSO, don't forget... you can also enter to win the grand prize:
What are you still doing here? Get the hex over to the Geeky Blogger!
Go back EVERY DAY to her blog as she will have something planned the WHOLE WEEK!
She is the wart on the nose? Na...
The fly in the broom? Na...
The magic to the spell? Um... better...
Fine! She is just awesomesauce so GO!

Oh hurry twitch that nose! Have a cackling good time!
PS... Team Ghostie! ;D