PHANTASM FRIDAY

I've contracted the first book in my The Road to Hell Series!!! I have no release date on Pandora's Box, but am working on book cover information and author information. I'm so dang excited!! I thought this would be a hard sell, but I'm pleased that it wasn't!!!

October is my favorite month because I get to express my inner-darkness by decorating my home and wearing my voodoo doll stick pin. Yeah, no one thinks I'm weird one month out of the year. ;-) Last year, my book Elfin Blood was released and this year I contracted my book. Oh, and my birthday is the first week of October...so, yeah, great things happen in October! lol

We have many great authors scheduled this month and on October 31st, I'm going to post something the authors and I have worked on together. It's a special treat for our reading audience and I hope you all enjoy the effort that's been put into it. So, make sure to mark your calendar on October 31st to come back and check us out!!

PHANTASM FRIDAY

October 1st!!!!!! Today starts a month long celebration of Halloween for me and I'm putting up all my Halloween houses! Can't wait to get neck deep in decorating my house with them. I enjoy putting them up more than I do my Christmas houses. I also love that now I can wear all my skull jewelry and voodoo doll jewelry without anyone thinking I'm into demonic worship or something equally evil.

So, to kick off the month of October and my 31 days of Halloween celebration, I’m going to talk about Haunted Houses…

*insert evil laugh*

Bwhahahaha….

We’ve all grown up with stories of haunted houses, haunted dormitories or haunted areas—something haunted anyway. The city I grew up in had a local legend about a bridge. If one went to it at night, the ghosts of those that had driven off the bridge would haunt the place. Personally, I went necking down there with my boyfriend and I didn’t see anything. Nope, nothing! So much for a legend, huh? Or maybe I was too consumed with kissing the boyfriend to notice any ghosts had they been haunting the place. =)

The term “haunted houses” brings to mind my personal experiences. I grew up in a house that, while not necessarily haunted, it had a spirit of some sort living with us in perfect harmony. I often felt protected and loved by that spirit. I've mentioned before that I believe my great-grandfather haunts my father’s house, as I’ve seen his spirit more than once. The comparison between my great-grandfather and the spirit I grew up with is startling. When I saw my great-grandfather the feeling was so intense, so vile and aggressive, and he wanted us gone. Or that was the way I interpreted it.



I have a girlfriend, Nicole, who bought a home with her husband. It was a beautiful piece of property, twenty-five acres, with an older fixer-up home. The home was so old it had a well built on the corner of the front porch. It was cool, a neat little piece of history. I can’t even imagine having to draw my water out of it just to meet the basic necessary needs. But after having kids I see the danger in it too. The place had oodles of potential and best of all it was away from the big city. It was so quiet and peaceful.

My first visit there, I came home telling my husband the place had a ghost. Everywhere I went, I felt like I was being watched. I never felt any hostility, but more curiosity. Daytime or nighttime, it didn’t matter, some unseen presence watched. From inside the home to the shed in the backyard, something always watched. The only time I could truly get away from the presence was when we would ride the four-wheelers across the back part of the property and woods.

I didn’t realize until we visited for a Halloween party a couple of months later that Nicole had purchased the home from an estate after the previous owner, an elderly woman, passed away in it. It was like the light-bulb went off in my head—a smack my forehead V8 moment!—where I thought ‘that is why I’m feeling those hidden eyes’.

Another weekend I was there goofing off with Nicole and her mother, Jill, when Jill started talking about her conversations with the spirit of the woman who once owned the house! I got chills!! I teared up! To have my feelings and thoughts confirmed was exciting. The only thing that would have made this haunted house perfect would have been for it to have a cemetery sitting on the property! LOL


I went home that night and told my husband about Jill knowing there was a ghost there too and couldn’t resist saying, “I told you so!” His reply was that I wasn’t the only crazy person in the world. ;-)

I’d love to hear your comments...do you believe in hauntings or spirits (ghosts)? Have you had an experience you'd like to share with us? If so, leave me a comment! We'd love to hear your tale.

Scary photo of the week…


I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! And a safe 31 days of Halloween celebration!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

All photos were taken from Photobucket and no copyright infringement was intended!

PHANTASM FRIDAY

REMINDER: I'm holding a contest at Shelby M. Summers blogspot. Click HERE if you wish to enter. Winner will be drawn on Monday, August 30th.

~~~~~

KICK-STARTING MY MUSE

(Previously posted elsewhere, just not here...I'm neck deep in edits and I didn't have time to write a post...I'm such a loser. LOL)

I’ve had it! *plants inconspicuous bombs around my prickly muse* Consider this war, buddy-boy! WAR!!! Think you can keep me from writing? Think again! Even if it is gobble-d-goop, I’m still going to write without you! *mumbles about the fickleness of muses*

With a recent run of bad luck lately, instead of DM (an anagram for the name of my muse) going on a temporary vacation, I do believe he’s retired instead. As I lay siege to DM’s iron-clad fortress known as writer’s block, I thought I’d contemplate a few ways that would cajole him back to his post and help me write. Here are my five favorite bribes…erm...enticements to encourage him to return to his job:

5 – Chocolate! Chocolate cures all in large quantities, right? LOL Well, it should! *pouts over the injustice of life* Unfortunately, I’ve gone on the B12/B6 shots to help me drop a few pounds (honestly, quite a bit more than a “few pounds”) since diet and exercise haven’t worked, but only kept me stalled at the same weight for a year so that my cardiologist could fuss at my yearly checkup. And now that I’ve eliminated 22 pounds in 4 months, I have no desire to splurge in one of my favorite pastimes—eating chocolate. Strangely, I haven’t even craved the stuff. Hmm…ponders the disturbing thought that the real me has been transplanted by aliens with a cloned me. ;-) Or maybe, the B shots hardwire your brain for healthy food! *blink, blink*

4 – A weekend (or a week, whichever is needed…most likely a week is on the agenda) alone, without drama, family chatter, housework, taxiing sons between sporting practices, and juggling paralegal work! Just a weekend (or week) to rest, relax and reboot my brain so that it can process all the stuff the muse normally throws at it. Being a realist, I realize that’s not going to happen anytime soon. I leave for vacation with my family soon, so I’m stressing pretty big. Yikes! Too much to get done before the vacation trip!! And then when the vacation starts, there won’t be any alone time forthcoming until school starts up in August. *whimpers at the feeling of muse doom*

3 – Taking a defibrillator to DM’s cold, cruel, fickle heart! *shudders* Yeah, not a good option for the obvious reason that DM is in my head!

2 – Meditating! Actually, this is probably the best idea yet. My meditation is informal, but it does help spark DM into action. When I meditate, I pick the storyline I want to focus on, crawl beneath the covers of my bed and let the world drop away as the focal point transitions into a stream of information and ideas. Sometimes I’ll hover in limbo between waking and sleep, BUT it always works! And, best of all, it doesn’t require chocolate, a weekend of aloneness or painful electrical shocks!

1 – Telling DM I will write whatever he wants without any interference or complaints on my end! LOL That should perk him up fast since we war often over the direction of a storyline. A dangerous promise though. :-/ But one, I’m almost willing to make if DM will return to me and permanently remove ‘grumpy me’ from existence!


So, tell me what’s your cure all for a muse hiatus? Or are you one of the lucky ones that doesn’t suffer from writer’s block? If you don't write, give me some suggestions for kickstarting my muse back into action!

~huggles~

G

PHANTASM FRIDAY

Sorry for not posting today. Today is the second day in a row I've gotten up with a splitting headache. So, I don't feel much like sitting here typing up a blog post. If I start to feel better, I'll come back later. Otherwise, I'll be back next Friday...hopefully with something interesting and fun this time.

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend.

~huggles~
Gracen

PHANTASM FRIDAY

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!!

Did you know what "Triskaidekaphobia" means? It's a fear of the number 13.

I had a boss once that wouldn't leave the house on Friday the 13th for fear of what would happen. I guess he had "Triskaidekaphobia".

Ever notice that many hotels don't have a 13th floor, but skip the 13th floor and have a 14th floor? Why does the numbering make a difference? Even if it's named 14, it is still 13 regardless of what number it is assigned.

I don't get the superstition and in likelihood I adore Friday the 13th just because it's given a bad rap. I tend to cheer for the underdog team too...if I don't have a vested interest in the game or don't really much care either way. ;-)

Here's a small look into "Triskaidekaphobia" from http://www.dictionary.com/: http://hotword.dictionary.com/?p=1340 Is there a really good reason the fear of the number 13 was given such a tongue twister name? I mean, seriously!!!

How do you feel about Friday the 13th? Are you a "Triskaidekaphobia" or do you love the supersitious date?

PHANTASM FRIDAY

What a week!

I finished my book, Where the Road to Hell Begins, Part One Pandora's Box! *cheers and dances* Nothing is more satisfying than that accomplishment. I think I glowed and grinned for two days. I have a slight problem though; it is a romance without a sex scene. The intimacy will come in book two. Book one is about them building a strong bond, becoming best friends and growing a love to withstand anything the denizens of hell can throw at them. But where do I send a book like this? And will any romance lovers read it without the sex?

Last Friday we had a sleep over birthday party for my almost 13 year old. He'll officially turn 13 this Sunday, August 8th. Those five boys were angels. Seriously! They didn't fuss or fight, but got along fantastically. They were loud and boisterous, but boys are always like that!

My husband is still busy painting the house, but he's almost finished—finally! All he has left is for us to figure out the color of the shutters and to paint them. But it's so hot, I prefer he wait until fall starts setting in and the weather is a tad cooler. As it is, when he climbs the ladder to paint, he's been having mini-black out spells. That does NOT make me feel comfortable! So far, he's not listening to me, which shouldn't surprise me because he never listens to me. Men!

My 82 year old grandmother was hospitalized last week. She's been released back home now, but she still sounds terrible. I worry about her because since Thanksgiving of last year she can't get over things the way she used to. =( She lives three hours away, so I can't just hop in the car and run across town and see her. So, she's been talking to me almost daily by phone. Realistically, I realize she's not going to live forever, but I'd like to have her another 10-20 years old. Although, she's content to meet God—she's a very religious woman, but not a pushy in your face Christian—I'm not ready to let her go. She told me yesterday during a conversation that she never expected to live to be 80, so each day she has past 80, she's happy and feels like God gave her more than she ever deserved.

I've been working on a legal brief that is due August 12th, so I've focused on nothing but that lately. I've not been cooking dinner, but been shoving hotdogs and sandwiches at my family. They're getting very grumpy over that because they're used to getting home cooked meals every night. I told them they were spoiled and was informed it was my fault. LOL Yesterday was the first day I've done any laundry and everyone was starting to complain that they didn't have clean clothes. And cleaning up the house….Ha! The only cleaning I've done is picking up after myself, which is more than my husband and boys are doing. I have to keep telling my boys to pick up their crap and their daddy's crap! I find it extremely rude that no one helps when I'm in a legal crunch! But…I really don't want anyone helping with the laundry. My husband has turned too many things pink or gray by throwing a red or dark in with the whites. The idea of him doing laundry stresses me out more than him not helping out.

So….that's been my week in a nutshell. If you've emailed me, I'm not ignoring you; I've just not checked my emails! As soon as my brief is complete, I'll start catching up on everything in the world. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

~huggles~
Gracen

PHANTASM FRIDAY

I'm eat up prepping for my son's 13th birthday party today. I've vaccumed, swept, mopped, put a load of dishes in the dishwasher, a load of laundry in the washing machine, a load of laundry in the dryer and I've ran my errands. It's 2:30 and I'm already ready for bed. By 5 o'clock tonight my house will be running over with boys. I just love teenage testosterone! ;-) Maybe I'll get to write tonight when I lock myself in my bedroom to escape bedlam and pray for sanity to return. Or...I guess I could just feed my insanity into my book. =)

The winner of Keta Diablo's drawing is SHERRY! I'll e-mail Keta offline with your e-mail address, Sherry! Hope you enjoy reading the book you won!

Hope everyone has an amazing weekend! Stay safe and cool!

~huggles~
Gracen

PHANTASM FRIDAY

What's the value of a review?

I've been pondering this question a lot lately. I write reviews and I'm always ecstatic to receive a great review. I've received a lot of great reviews (click HERE to read the good reviews), but recently I received a horrid review. I don't have permission from this particular reader to reprint their review, but here's the link if you're curious to read it HERE.

Maybe you're thinking I'm crazy for sharing a bad review, but I'm realistic not everyone will enjoy what I write. I don't enjoy every book I read. Even the bestselling authors get bad reviews. I've read some books that made me wonder why on earth any publisher would take the chance on the author and their book. But, even then, I would never give a review like this one because I don't see the point in belittling another author, but that's just my opinion. Not everyone shares my opinion. AND I am NOT belittling the reviewer for writing his/her opinion. Everyone's opinions are valid, including this reviewer.

What bothered me the most about the review was that the reviewer said he/she was "disappointed" in Elfin Blood and that the storyline was weak. Wow. Tough words for any author to hear. Right? There were some inaccuracies in the review about the storyline, but that was how the reader interpreted my book. So, maybe I didn't make particulars clear enough in the book. Or maybe she/he was so bored they couldn't concentrate on the content enough to discern the real aspects of the book. I'll never know.

On the heels of receiving this terrible review, I received a direct message from a reader who raved about Elfin Blood. She gave me permission to use her review, so here is a part of it:

"It is impossible not to fall in love with Gracen Miller's turn-of-phrase and excellent descriptive passages, making it easy for the reader to imagine themselves in the story experiencing what the characters themselves are seeing/feeling. A VERY dangerous talent when the reader gets to the erotic scenes.....sorry, mind wandered to Landau making love to me...again and again! Where was I? Oh yes....A definite must read for any lover of the paranormal erotic genre. The narrative sweeps you up, dialogue is snarky and sassy, the characters are so realistic it's easy to forget they are preternatural beings. In the end you WILL believe in the existence of sexy, hot vampires, elves and that jewels can sing!" (I will post full review on my website in a few days.)

Fabulous words, exciting words…but, in the back of my mind is the other review, the one that said my story was a disappointment and that the storyline was weak. And that got me to thinking, what's the value of a review? How do you—as a reader—decide if a review is relevant and when to purchase a book or not purchase a book based upon a review?

I know I have bought a book because it received a bad review just so I could form my own opinion. Sometimes I look to see how many people have reviewed it, but there are times reading one negative review skews my entire opinion of a book. Fair? No! But true.

So, tell me, how do you value a review and decide which review is the most accurate for you when deciding which books to purchase?

PHANTASM FRIDAY

I'm sorry for the delay in posting. I had problems with my eye this morning, burning, throbbing and watering to the point I could barely see to drive to the eye doctor. So, I had a foreign object in my eye that scratched the pupil of my eye. Lovely feeling! So, I've just returned from the eye doctor and I will post the winner of the final Caribbean giveaway in a little bit.

Hope everyone has a fabulous day! I'll return shortly....

Sorry it took me so long to return. Been a long day and I'm about to head to bed, but I wanted to announce the winner before heading off to erotic dreamland. =D

Like always I plugged everyone's names into Random.org and let it do the shuffling and picking. And the winner is.....

RIE MCGAHA!!

Congratulations, Rie! I have your e-mail address, so I'll send you an e-mail to get your mailing address.

Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting each week oo my virtual vacation. Now, I gotta think of something to blog about next week. LOL

PHANTASM FRIDAY

The winner from last week's Caribbean Giveaway is: She! She, please contact me at gracen.miller@yahoo.com with your mailing address so I can send you your prize! For something fun, a Cozumel towel and a maraca are next week's giveaway. Leave me a comment today, for your chance to win on Friday, July 9th. Photo attached below! The drawing for this prize will be done a little differently. I will plug ALL the commenters from each of the prior 3 weeks into the drawing. If you commented all 3 weeks, then your name will be entered that many times. So, if you commented all 4 weeks of the Caribbean giveaway, your name will be entered into this one 4 times.

Our last and final stop on our cruise was Cozumel, Mexico. For those unfamiliar with Cozumel, it is an island off the mainland of Mexico and considered the safest place in Mexico because it is separated from the mainland. In all seriousness, with the drug war that is going on in Mexico, if our stop had of been on the mainland, I doubt I would have left the ship with my children. Taking risks with my life is one thing, but with theirs, I doubt I would have.

Welcome to Cozumel, Mexico. (picture taken from ship)

In Cozumel we boarded a bus and drove a twenty minute drive to a secluded beach cove where we swam with stingrays. I would have called it a roped off area, but I've learned in other countries what they sell you isn't necessarily what you "think" you're getting. What matters is that you have fun! The area was ridden with coral, so we were required to wear swim shoes and watch our step. Easy to say, but not so easy when you're try to walk on the slippery stuff! Not only did we swim with the stingrays, we got to hold them, touch them and feed them. At first I was a little tentative because of the Steve Erwin accidental death was going through my head. Maybe we all looked hesitant because they were quick to show us where the barbs were and that they were trimmed twice a year, so the stingrays were unable to harm any of us intentionally or accidentally. On the flip side of that, I wondered if that wasn't considered inhumane. I'm still struggling with that issue.

The "cove" where we swam with the stingrays.

It was loads of fun swimming and interacting with them. They were friendly creatures with extremely soft skin…if what they have can be called skin. I felt a shark once at the Atlanta Aquarium and the stingrays feel much the same way, soft, wet and almost slimy, but without the slime. These stingrays were so people friendly, they would bump up beside your legs begging for food. As we held bait into the water to feed them, the most aggressive stingray—who turned out to be a female—would jump out of the water over smaller stingrays and steal the food out of our hands. It was hysterical. I wish I had that on video.

Some of the stingrays in the "cove".

After feeding them, we each held the "jumping" female stingray that was approximately five years old and a baby stingray that was a year old and smiled for the camera. In the Caribbean and on the ship, we were always smiling for the camera. Then we were released into the private cove to swim with the stingrays and snorkel as we pleased.

For my sons who are 12 and 8, this was their favorite excursion and the one they have talked about the most. I enjoyed the entire trip, but the stingray adventure was the highlight of the cruise.

Our last night on the cruise and I was ready to smash the next camera that someone put in my face. LOL

That was my journey to the Caribbean and back. I hope you enjoyed the virtual tour. If you ever get a chance to go, the Caribbean isn't to be missed!

Friday, July 9th giveaway items!

DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE ME A MESSAGE IF YOU WANT TO BE ENTERED TO WIN THIS WEEK'S CARIBBEAN GIVEAWAY. (PHOTO ABOVE OF TOWEL AND MARACA)

PHANTASM FRIDAY

Hello, Moonlighters! I hope you had a great week. Sandra Sookoo interviewed me at her site today and one commenter will receive a free copy of Elfin Blood! So, come leave mea comment for a chance to win: http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/elfin-blood-by-gracen-miller/

I announced the winner from last week's contest in the comment section of last week, but just to make sure everyone knows, the winner is MOLLY DANIELS! And BOTH Molly Daniels and Amber Skyze (the only two who participated in last week's contest) will receive something for my 100+ followers celebration. I’ll contact you both by e-mail.

This weeks giveaway is something VERY different from the other two weeks. It is a “Tombstone of the Sarcophagus in the Temples of the Inscriptions at Palenque”. (Picture is below). On the back it states that the real sculpture is carved on a monolith 12.43 feet x 7.21 feet x 9.84 inches in width and it depects the descent of the ruler Hanab Pakal II to the Underworld. The Mayans believed in three world, The Sky (Upper world), the Living World (Intermediate Level) and the World of the Dead (Underworld). It’s an interesting piece of art and I wish I’d bought myself one. *sigh*

Today's topic is the Isla Roatan, Honduras and Belize City, Belize.

We docked at Mahogany Bay in Honduras. Isla Roatan, Honduras is a beautiful island where we went snorkeling over reefs that were so huge your belly would scrub them when you swam over them. There wasn’t much to do on Honduras other than snorkel, hang out at their beach (Magogany Beach) or zip line through the forest. Zip lining through the forest would have been hours of fun for my husband and my dare devil oldest son, but for me and my youngest son it would have been hours of torture. I’m terrified of heights and just riding the Magical Chair across the island to get to the beach and snorkeling area was bad enough. Yes, I’m a weenie! LOL I’ll post pictures of the Island from the Magical Chair ride. And NO I wasn’t taking any of the photos, I was too busy death clenching the handrail of the seat! =)

Coming into Mahogany Bay in Isla Roatan, Honduras.

The scene docked in port at Mahogany Bay in Isla Roatan, Honduras.

My husband and me (at my UNbest) in Honduras before the Magical Chair ride!
A view from the Magical Chair ride!

Another beautiful view from the Magical Chair ride!
Mahogany Beach on Isla Roatan, Honduras

We didn’t do much in Belize, mostly because we were all so terribly tired by day three and the excursions in Belize were very pricy. I would have loved to have gone cave tubing, but that was out of the option with my 8 year old son and he just barely made the height requirement anyway. We did mull over going cave tubing, but ultimately, we elected not to cave tube for fear that the darkness of the caves would terrify our youngest son. He’s terrified of the dark and it was a five hour excursion, so it wasn’t something we could simply walk away from if he did become scared.

Coming into Belize on our 25 minute ferry ride!

So, in a nut shell that was our trip to Isla Roatan, Honduras and Belize City, Belize. Getting bored with our trip yet? Now for the giveaway photo…

Giveaway prize!

DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE ME A COMMENT TO BE ENTERED TO WIN THIS PLAQUE NEXT FRIDAY WHEN I DRAW A WINNER!!

PHANTASM FRIDAY

Hello, Moonlighters! I hope you had a great week. I'll announce the winner from last week's contest in a few moments. This week, I'll be giving away another Mahogany book mark and a Mayan calendar. (Pictures below.) Don’t forget to check back next week, to see what I’m giving away. Next week is something different than these past two weeks!

Today's topic is the Grand Cayman Islands. Our stop was the capital, George Town, and it's a beautiful city, very clean and the bluest waters I've ever seen. We went snorkeling here, saw some beautiful coral reefs and fish as big as my 8 year old son. No kidding!!

Our guide said that the Grand Cayman's once were a haven for pirates. I thought this interesting because to look at the city now, I’d have never thought it once harbored pirates. She also told us that the Caymans were known for three things (the three B's) and I asked you that question last week. So, here are the answers:

1. Banking ~ Some of you got this one. From my understanding, this is a popular banking institution for money laundering.

2. Black Coral ~ I don't remember if anyone mentioned this one or not.

3. Booze ~ I do remember someone mentioning Rum. And the Caymans make some fabulous Rum and a Rum Cake that is to die for!

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Don’t forget to leave me a comment for a chance to win this week’s Caribbean giveaway!

Now, to this week’s winner. I entered everyone’s name into Random.org and allowed it to draw a winner. And the winner is…..AMBER SKYZE!

George Town, Grand Cayman - coming in on the ferry from the ship.

Amazing Blue waters of Grand Cayman!

Gifts winner will receive next week.

SINCE WE HAVE REACHED 100 FOLLOWERS (WOOHOO!!!!), IN CELEBRATION, I'LL BE GIVING AWAY A SECRET SECOND GIFT TO ONE PERSON THAT POSTS A COMMENT. (This gift will be totally unrelated to the Caribbean Giveaway, so the item will not come from the Caribbean.)

PHANTASM FRIDAY

CARIBBEAN GIVEAWAY!!

Howdy, Moonlight, Lace & Mayhem readers! I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was going on vacation. My husband and I took our two sons on a Caribbean cruise. Wouldn’t it have been fun if all the MLM readers and bloggers could have gone too! We traveled to Grand Cayman Islands, Honduras, Belize and Mexico. So, beginning today and continuing the next three weeks, I’m throwing a CARIBBEAN GIVEAWAY! Everything I’m giving away came from one of our Caribbean stops.

All you have to do to be entered to win is leave me a comment, something as simple as “Boo!”, “Yo!”, “Hey, Mon!” OR take a stab at answering the TRIVIA QUESTION posted below and you’ll be entered to win that week’s Caribbean giveaway! Best of luck! This week’s winner will receive 1) a handmade Mahogany Belize bookmark and 2) a ceramic plaque of Ixchel, who was the jaguar goddess of medicine and midwifery in the Maya culture and was referred to as the “the goddess of making children”. (Photo of both are at the end of today’s blog). To learn more about the goddess, Ixchel, visit Wikipedia.

Now, strap in and get ready to take a virtual trip of the first two days of our Cruise…

Miami from the ship.

The top of the ship, where my sons spent many hours dividing their time between the waterslide and eating ice cream cones.

My husband and I at the front of the ship before sailing.

Miami Marina directly across the street from the Port of Miami.

This was a beautiful sight to me and would make a beautiful postcard!


Our ship leaving port.


Sunset at Sea!

Isn't it beautiful?!?

Me the first formal night on ship.

BOTH personal photos posted against my will! My husband thought I should post them to keep my blog personal. Am I the only person that hates photos of myself? *grumbles...grumbles*

Belize Bookmark and Ixchel Plaque winner will receive!

DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE ME A COMMENT TO BE ENTERED TO WIN THIS WEEK'S CARIBBEAN GIVEAWAY!! A WINNER WILL BE DRAWN NEXT FRIDAY, JUNE 18th.

Next week, I'll start talking about each stop and will post pictures. First up is George Town, Grand Cayman Islands. A very beautiful, clean, safe and mega rich Island.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Does anyone know what three things the Grand Cayman Islands is known for? If not, come back next week and I'll tell you!

PHANTASM FRIDAY

PEN NAMES...

Pen names seem to be used in the writing industry as often as real names are. There are some valid reasons for pen names. Maybe your pen name is snazzier than your real name? Others use different pen names depending upon their genre.

Using an alias can be liberating too. I can let loose and give free reign to my wild side, write wicked things and none of my family and friends know it’s me so they can’t judge. This is the main reason I chose to use a pen name. I live in what’s referred to as the Bible Belt and the things I write aren’t biblically approved. At all. Heck, I have family that believes I’m going to hell for writing about vampires…forget the sex, just the vampire writing is getting me a one-way direct ticket to the pit. *rolls eyes* But, even though I don’t have a problem with folks knowing what I write, I didn’t think it fair to subject my children to the scrutiny and judgment they’d receive if certain judgmental people learned what I write. Keeping my pen name a deep dark secret is becoming more difficult, however, thanks to my eldest son. He tells everyone that’ll listen that I’m an author. He even told his principal I was a published author. At least I know he’s proud of me.

The alias Gracen Miller gives me anonymity also and none of the psychos can track me down and stalk me as easily either. Right? LOL Yeah, that might be a tad drastic, especially since a good hacker could probably still find me. But I admit I’ve met a couple of folks on the internet that make me really, really, really happy that I decided to use a pen name. I feel safer knowing that only a trusted few know my true identity. There are some crazy folks out there!

So, do you use a pen name? Why or why not? What was your reason for using one?

I’ll blog about our cruise next Friday! I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

~huggles~
Gracen

PHANTASM FRIDAY

I’m at Naughty Novelists and I’m giving away a copy of Elfin Blood to one commenter, so come visit me and leave a message for a chance to win. Click here: http://www.cheriedesues2.com/naughty-novelists.html

~~~~~

5 THINGS MY CHILDREN TAUGHT ME

I’m kind of knocking off the theme “All I need to know I learned in Kindergarten”, but I thought I’d talk about the 5 things I’ve learned from my children…

5 – They’re money pits! And I've been broke since the first one was born. I thought I’d stop bleeding money when they were out of diapers and stopped drinking formula, but sheesh I wish I’d known it only gets worse. Now they five dollar me to death for this thing at school, or that thing at karate, or that special they "need" at Walmart and Game Stop…it never ends! And I fear it will get worse as the teenage years loom closer.

4 – A two year old learns curse words faster than one syllable words!! And knows how to use them with proper sentence structure. Yikes! I learned how to curb my foul mouth quicker than I could teach them to curb theirs! I used to love the word “damn-it” until I heard it uttered from my two-year-old’s mouth when one of his toys was frustrating him. Boy, was that an eye opener…er, ear opener. ;-)

3 – It doesn’t take a quivering bottom lip for them to get their way, but a sweet look and the words “I love you” will crush my resolve almost instantly! I had no idea I was such a sucker until I had children of my own! Who knew the joke would be on me and that they’d wrap me around their little fingers and lead me around like a dog on a leash.

2 – Children see the world with innocent glee. I’ve lost the wonder and joy of going to the beach, but watching the wonder and joy on my child’s face for the first time was priceless! We’re leaving Sunday for a cruise, the first my boys will take, and I can’t wait to see the excitement on their faces as they get to experience the adventure for the first time. When I get back, I’ll blog about the cruise and post pictures.

1 – How to love unselfishly! This is nothing they taught me. But the love I felt at the moment of their birth is unexplainable unless you have children of your own. I didn’t know I could love so intensely until my boys were born. Suddenly I had humans I’d suffer everything for and give everything up for them. But, they make life worth every sacrifice. And…most of the time I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing anything. =)

So, what are some of the things you’ve learned from your child/children?

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.

~huggles~
Gracen

PHANTASM FRIDAY

Yikes! I almost forgot today is Friday. Between getting ready to leave for vacation next week and birthdays today for my brother and best friend, I'd forgotten today was my blog day! So, a big huge YIKES!

So, I thought instead of boring you with some trivial blog, I'd hold a contest in celebration of the coming summer. I'll give away a Gracen Miller tote bag (beach bag) to one lucky winner.

All you have to do is leave me a comment and you'll be entered to win. I'll pick a winner this coming Sunday, May 23rd.

Due to cost of postage, this contest is open to all US residents only.

Good luck to all entrants!

PHANTASM FRIDAY

Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers!! We hope you have a very special day!

Mother’s Day seems to be as commercialized as Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas. And I get asked every year by my husband and two sons, “What do you want for Mother’s Day.” Typically my response is “nothing” because I seriously don’t need anything. This year, I gave them something and got three scrunched up faces! *throws hands in the air* What I learned, they don’t what to buy me what I want, but only what they want me to have. How screwed up is that?!? And I wasn’t even asking for anything expensive. Sheesh!

Mostly, I’d rather have a gift that comes from the heart, like something homemade. Homemade gifts can be found littering my home until they practically rot to dust in their spot. Those are the gifts I cherish. Some of the favorites I’ve received so far are book marks with their fingerprints on them, little ceramic dogs and cats painted with enthusiasm for me, cards with their misspelled words of love, but most of all, I’ll remember the smiles of pride when they hand me those gifts and their big hugs when I exclaim over them. They are as proud of those gifts as I am!

So, this is an early Happy Mother’s Day to all of you! Tell me your favorite Mother’s Day gift, or just your favorite Mother’s Day event. Or tell me your fondest memory of your Mother or an Aunt or someone that was like a mother to you. Let’s celebrate early and thank all the mothers for kissing our scrapes and cuts by praising all of them today!

PHANTASM FRIDAY

Wow! It's Friday already, huh? I wish I had something witty prepared for today, but I don't. My life has been turned upside down this week. My father-in-law is terribly sick and they can't figure out what's wrong with him. And if that wasn't enough, my little brother--very little, he turns 18 next month--overdosed and nearly died. He's fine now, out of ICU and they placed him in a Rehab Clinic today. My 8 and 12 year old boys were stunned that the young man they look up to and adore would do something so foolish. That's two of their heroes to disappoint them this year.

I did receive an awesome review of my book, Elfin Blood, this week. Thanks to the reviewer, Violet Harper, for the awesome review and the comment, "I strongly advise readers to carve out several uninterrupted hours before sitting down with Elfin Blood because this story is impossible to put down." For the full review, click on the book title above or here.

So, I'm sorry for having nothing today. But if you want to read something fun and thought-provoking, visit yesterday's blog with Angela Nichelle and the 5 Things you Shouldn't Say to a Romance Writer. That is worth reading!

Now, I really need to figure out a witty topic, write it up and send it off for an upcoming guest blog next week! Nearly impossible since I'm brain-dead!! Grr...

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

~huggles~
Signed,
Emotionally drained and physically exhausted.

PHANTASM FRIDAY

Happy Anniversary To Us!!!

I'm tickled pink that one year ago I posted my first blog here at Moonlight, Lace & Mayhem. We're all a year older, a year wiser, and we've met lots of new internet friends.

In a year, we've introduced you to a lot of newcomers and some established authors as well. MLM has changed a lot in a year, also. We have an established YA room, and we've just recently opened Reaper's Door and Station Portal. And we have almost 100 followers! Hopefully, we'll keep growing and keep bringing you great authors.

So, in honor of our anniversary week, I'm giving away a Pink Third Rail Criss-cross Guitar Necklace pictured below. If you're interested in winning this necklace, leave me a comment. I'll draw a winner late tonight! Good luck to all entrants!

PHANTASM FRIDAY

This has been one of those weeks where I’m unsure what day of the week it is, just a long week of one up and one down and lots of physical therapy appointments. So, if you want something exciting to read, scroll down to Cherie De Sues's interview...that's much more entertaining than anything I have to say today.

My husband had shoulder surgery last Thursday and he’s been out of work all this week, so instead of being a chauffeur for our two boys, I was also his chauffer as well. And boy, oh boy, is he distracting! I’ve gotten little writing completed, no books read, no reviews written, my interviews have fallen by the wayside, absolutely no housework accomplished and very little laundry done. In other words, I’m a week behind on everything! *whimpers*

I DVR’d Supernatural tonight and was sitting and watching it when I realized, hey, it’s Thursday and I have to come up with something to post for tomorrow. Yikes! I still haven’t come up with a witty topic. I think my brain is too fried to think too coherently. LOL

The heroine name contest ends today, so if you haven’t voted, make sure you vote today! I’ll announce the winner tomorrow at Wicked, Thorn & Roses. Genevieve has a strong lead, so unless a bunch of folks vote within the next 24 hours, it looks as if Genevieve will become the winning heroine name. So, if you have an opinion, locate the poll in the upper right-hand corner and vote for your favorite name!

I’d love to hear what everyone did for Easter…if you celebrated. If not, what did you do on Sunday? At my house, we hid Easter eggs and hunted them. And we took a long walk around the neighborhood while the boys rode their bicycles. Basically, it was a lazy day of family time, which is always an awesome day to me!

Have an awesome weekend and next Friday, I’ll make sure I have something planned!