Showing posts with label BE YOURSELF. Show all posts
Friday, July 15, 2016
Becoming Strategic: DIY Literacy #cyberPD Ch 3-4
Becoming Strategic and Developing Automaticity
In chapters 3-4 there is much talk about remembering and rigor. I often find when students "don't remember" something it is more likely they don't have the strategies to work through what I'm asking them to do. When students don't appear to be working at the edge of their learning, I often find I need to help show them what is next. Both remembering and vigorous work come from understanding, strategic action, and authentic learning opportunities.
These two chapters show us how to use micro progressions (as well as charts, demonstration notebooks and bookmarks) to make teaching more explicit and help students discover the next steps in their learning. Katie and Maggie remind us (p. 62), "We encounter trouble when we teach too much to hold onto, too much to remember." They share the way tools can help students prioritize, choose essential skills, and be accountable for new learning. As we read we are reminded that adjusting our language, working together, differentiating instruction, making goals explicit, and providing authentic learning opportunities can help students work toward independence. Through these opportunities we can say to students, I "hope that you will fold some of [these] lessons into your reading forever, that some of these strategies will become a part of you (p. 58)." It's the side by side time with our community, in daily conferring, in small groups, that help us to listen and adjust our teaching.
DIY Literacy
I've been trying to think through how this might look for our students in communities of inquiry. I used Lucid Charts to try to show the way tools might fit into a cycle of learning. (It's a work in progress, but I think it begins to show the way tools might fit into a unit of study and support student learning.)
This post is part of the #cyberPD book talk taking place this July. Stop by the community to read more reflections of participants.
Dear Pinterest, Stop Promoting
Then came Pinterest promotion! This morning, of my first 10 pins suggested by others, 6 are either promoted or picked for me. As a scroll through Pinterest, my feed it is filled with pins Pinterest is sure I want to see, but here's the thing: I don't. As a teacher who uses Pinterest to keep track of thoughtful articles, digital writing mentors, and ways to improve my practice, I don't want to see Teachers Pay Teachers posts, free forms and worksheets, or other educational make and take ideas Pinterest is sure I want. I don't want to see the posts Pinterest apparently thinks I want to see. Instead, I want to see the pins my friends are selecting.
Since Pinterest has made this change, I spend very little time looking at my feed. I find it frustrating to sort through the promotions to find what I am looking for when I visit. Now I just use it to pin. If it wasn't so perfectly organized and visual I probably would have left long ago.
Dear Pinterest, please stop promoting in my feed. Let me enjoy your site for what it was meant to be, a social bookmarking site. If you really need to promote - which I get that you need income to keep your site going - I'd like a way to move between tabs that take the promotion and picked pins out of my way. This would allow me to see what I want to see. Facebook places advertising on the side, Instagram puts one image in the first few pictures of your feed, Twitter adds one tweet to the top of your page. I can live with all of these. I've tried to get used to Pinterest's promoted pins, but it really has taken the interaction away from this site.
I'm hoping at some point this post makes it to the decision makers and creators of Pinterest. I'd love to hear your comments....and if you have a bookmarking site that's visual I'd love to hear more about it. I may need to pack my pins and go.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
THE SOUND OF SILENCE - George Dalton - One Free Book
Probably very little. My characters may reflect the man I would like to be more than the man I am.
What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
Rode a bull, flew an old airplane with no working instruments from Mobile , Alabama , to Dallas , Texas
When did you first discover that you were a writer?
That is a fun story it actually started about forty years ago. I decided I would like to write short stories for magazines. Back then we had no computes. I wrote a fabulous story and gave it to my darling little wife to type up for me. She mailed it in with a stamped self-addressed envelope so I could get the check. I got back my envelope a few weeks later but no check. They sent back my story with a rejection letter. I wrote the story as we speak in Texas . I left the �r�s� off the words. Workin instead of working etc.
When I read what they sent back she had corrected all my spelling. So you see my career would have started 40 years sooner except or the R that got put back in. That has been joke between her and I ever since.
Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I love Terri Blackstone, Louis laMour, Mary Higgins Clark, anything that is clean and fast paced.
How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?
My family keeps me grounded, I end every day by praying for each member by name and ask God�s blessing on them, then I expand my request to include any person or entity that comes to mind. I also pray for each book I am working on.
How do you choose your characters� names?
I look for names that were popular in the time period I am writing about.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Being a dad, a grandfather, and now a great grandfather, and being married to the same wife for sixty years.
If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
A horse or maybe a muleWhat is your favorite food?
Mexican
What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
Time management, I am still working on it.
Tell us about the featured book.
I am a pilot. I have flow small airplanes for almost sixty years. This book is about a small town airport and the people who interact there. It also shows how greed can cause devastating results in people�s lives.
A young engineer discovers that the company he works for is producing engines that are unsafe. He approaches the C.E.O to get a recall started. He discovers corruption in high places
How can readers find you on the Internet?
I have about 2000 friends on Facebook. My books are all available on Amazon, I am on twitter, and I have a web page that is under construction hopefully finished soon.Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you�ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you�re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here�s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
Making sense of ISA 2016
The International Sociological Association hosted its third major forum in Vienna this month. (ISA forums are organized every four years; previous forums took place in Buenos Aires and Barcelona.) Nearly five thousand sociologists (and researchers in cognate disciplines) came together from countries all over the world, contributing to over 700 sessions in five days. So one might look at this as a great opportunity for distilling a map of the topics that are the most urgent for social researchers in many countries today. The program provides a first-hand exposure to a point Gabriel Abend makes about national differences in the practice of sociology (link); attendance at multiple sessions makes it apparent that there are substantial differences in topics, methods, and vocabularies across national and cultural research communities in sociology.
There are 56 research committees represented in the ISA, and most of the five-day program was put together by these research groups. An overall theme of global crisis emerges from the gestalt of panels and papers -- refugees, radicalization, international terrorism, racial conflict, and environmental collapse, along with the conviction that public sociology can help lead to a better world. Topics of aging, youth, the body, race, and protest are also prominent. There are relatively few quantitative research projects on display. (It would be interesting to compare the frequencies of papers using qualitative, comparative, and quantitative methods at this conference to that found at the ASA.)
It would be fascinating to see a network graph of citation clusters or keywords from the full list of papers to identify central topics. (The 829-page PDF book of abstracts might allow for some initial topic analysis along these lines.) What methods emerges as particularly compelling? What theoretical approaches and concepts are favored?
The demographics of attendance would also be very interesting to study. What countries are represented? What is the gender composition of the attendees and panelists? What about age and rank in the profession? The ISA has provided a country breakdown for previous forums; I assume it will do so after the close of this event as well. Perhaps most difficult to assess, why did these individuals choose to participate? Is there a sense of deep engagement in a set of intellectual issues in the disciplines? Or is the dominant motivation one of career competition and progress? It would have been very interesting if ISA had organized an "ethnographic corps" of volunteers who did short interviews with attendees to learn a little more about their interests and reasons for attending.
My non-scientific impression, based on assessing the audiences in several small sessions and a large common session, is that the attendance is skewed to a younger set of scholars, relative to attendance at the ASA. There are a good number of senior scholars (>60 years), but this segment seems to be less than 15% of a typical audience. In sessions I have attended the gender ratio is about 2:1 male:female and sometimes much more skewed. The age distribution of panel participants is more difficult to assess, but my impression is that panel participants tend to be more senior than the audiences. Gender representation among speakers appears to be substantially lower than the 33% female audience would suggest.
Studying this extensive conference in sociology seems like a good topic for investigation by researchers in the new sociology of ideas (link). I'm sure that Neil Gross, Michelle Lamont, or Andrew Abbott would have dozens of interesting questions to pose about this assemblage of the field of sociology in the process of renewing itself (as of course every discipline does on a continuing basis). The concept of "field" is particularly relevant here; many of the topic areas are actively engaged in contesting the various fields and institutions that constitute the sociology knowledge industry today. And of course the disastrous state of the academic marketplace in almost all of European universities is relevant; young scholars face almost impossible odds in seeking continuing faculty positions in their fields of expertise.
Studying this extensive conference in sociology seems like a good topic for investigation by researchers in the new sociology of ideas (link). I'm sure that Neil Gross, Michelle Lamont, or Andrew Abbott would have dozens of interesting questions to pose about this assemblage of the field of sociology in the process of renewing itself (as of course every discipline does on a continuing basis). The concept of "field" is particularly relevant here; many of the topic areas are actively engaged in contesting the various fields and institutions that constitute the sociology knowledge industry today. And of course the disastrous state of the academic marketplace in almost all of European universities is relevant; young scholars face almost impossible odds in seeking continuing faculty positions in their fields of expertise.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Fallout retrospective pt 2
Wherein I continue my rant. New Vegas gets a post all to itself, by virtue of leaving me with more conflicted feelings than any other installment in the franchise!
Fallout New Vegas + DLC
In a sense New Vegas was Fallout 3.5. Released just two years after part 3, using the same engine and systems but in a different setting; similar to the quick succession of Fallout 1 and 2.
In another sense it was entirely its own beast; sadly, it ended up being a mutant, unwholesome beast. New Vegas was developed by a different studio, Obsidian, which among it numbered some former Black Isle employees. A sense of nostalgia hangs over the game, evidenced not just in the location it takes place (the Mojave, adjacent to the core region) and the numerous references to part 2 in particular; but a general nostalgia for a bygone age of deep, sprawling crpgs. Seven years earlier, about five years after the release of Fallout 2, Black Isle was working on their version of Fallout 3, now only known by its project name �Van Buren�. Elements of that game were eventually incorporated into New Vegas. Perhaps they would have worked better in Van Buren, and Obsidian didn�t have the time or resources to recreate their vision of Fallout 3 in New Vegas.
Some of it worked, some of it didn�t. The general consensus seems to be that Obsidian did the best it could, given the creative limitations it was placed under by Bethesda and by the constraints of the engine. While I don�t deny that�s part of the game�s flaws, I think it went deeper than that and part of the problem is simply that it�s just not a very compelling story.
Again I can be brief about the underlying mechanics and engine: very much the same as Fallout 3. New Vegas did bring back the wasteland feeling a bit more with a heavier emphasis on crafting items and even a realism mode of sorts. The engine felt awkward in part 3 and it continues to do so here.
New Vegas was the first game to introduce a branching story line, where you eventually have to choose to work exclusively for one of three factions and thus decide the fate of the region.
So what�s my gripe with the story of New Vegas? The plot for once does not revolve around a clear-cut end-of-the-world/destroy-all-humans scenario. What Obsidian tried to achieve is a world with no obvious black/white division. The idea is you can choose for either a) an independent, autocratically ruled Mojave, b) ruled by a brutal regime, but one that will impose law and order, c) go for annexation by a democratic, if ineffectual state, or the megalomaniac d) I�ll rule this place myself option. The final confrontation concerns taking control of Hoover Dam. Perhaps not the most exciting staging ground, but it makes sense in a post-apocalyptic world where a massive, intact power station would be immensely valuable.
So all of this sounds good in theory, where did it go wrong? Basically none of the factions make sense or are sufficiently fleshed out for any of the above to work. The game is still burdened with a good/evil karma system that makes nuance impossible. Caesar�s Legion is meant to represent the rule of the strongest, the harsh justice of the wasteland. Instead they are clearly the villains: crucifying villagers, keeping slaves, eschewing technology. We are told they bring a fair rule to the lands they�ve conquered and keep it safe from raiders, but nowhere in the game do we actually see this. All we�re left with is a laughably themed faction, that�s basically as silly as the hockey mask gang from Fallout 3. The NCR on the other hand is supposedly a well-meaning, but corrupt, bureaucratic, and in a way, equally imperialist modern nation state. How does this translate? Slightly higher taxes in one town and a caravan stuck at a checkpoint. I�ll take that over the crucifixions, please. Other factions are equally one note (Boomers, Vegas families). With the Black Isle crew unfortunately also Fallout 2�s sense of humor resurfaced: this time we get to look for a sex-robot named Fisto. Groan.
Further wasted potential: the player character itself. The Courier is the only non-vault Dweller/Vault Dweller descendant protagonist to date. But nothing's done with this conceit. No backgrounds to choose from, nothing to reflect your character is a seasoned wastelander rather than a clueless rookie from the Vaults. This is hand-waved through the most clich� of crpgs plot devices: amnesia. This can be made to work (think Planescape Torment), but in New Vegas it just leaves us with a blank, bland canvas. The only time the Courier's past really comes into play (though poorly at that) is in the DLC, which I'll expand on when I discuss Lonesome Road. But since it's still Fallout, your character must be given a Pipboy, which is handled offhandedly in the intro: here, have this priceless piece of tech for absolutely no reason! This kicks off an unmotivated, dangerous journey to get back a mystery package from the people who tried to kill you. I suppose post-apocalyptic FedEx pays a hell of a lot better than it does now to inspire such loyalty.
Now it may seem I'm being extra critical of New Vegas, only because it was more ambitious than Fallout 3, but didn't quite achieve its goals. But to do a morally ambiguous, complex story justice, you actually need to deliver in the writing department. The Mojave just feels shallow and self-important at times (and seriously, screw Cazadores). To be clear, I think New Vegas is the superior game. Somehow I find it more frustrating to play, because at times you can catch a glimpse of a great game, but most of the time it's just decent.
OK, from all the whining it's clear I was disappointed by the game, but let's leave on a high note and mention the good bits: consistently high quality DLC; great atmosphere, not necessarily post-apocalyptic but a retrofuturistic wild west sort of vibe. Many of the smaller locations were well designed, the greater emphasis on crafting/collecting helped sell the survival mode; New Vegas itself was a great location and some of its denizens (I like the Kings, Mr House should have had more screen time) were interesting. The companions are the best in any Fallout game, with actual personalities and usually a personal quest of sorts, exploring their background.
Fallout New Vegas DLC
Dead Money
Together with Old World Blues and Lonesome Road, Dead Money is part of three DLCs which are loosely interconnected through certain shared characters/mentioned events. The arc kicked off with Dead Money, an Ocean's Eleven type of heist story. You get abducted, stripped of your gear and forced to work for a fanatical BoS elder who wants to get inside the vault of a creepy abandoned casino. You get some interesting new companions (for the duration of the DLC unfortunately), look for some MacGuffins and then break into the vault. Sadly the DLC ends just as it seems to be getting started. I suppose the ending was aspiring to be meaningful/deep, but I can't say it worked out that way. It also introduced some questionable lore elements (holograms, matter transformers). The more high-tech stuff gets retconned into the setting, the more dubious the claim becomes that this world went to nuclear war over oil reserves.
Honest Hearts
A standalone DLC, perhaps my favorite New Vegas DLC, through virtue of its original location more than through its plot. The story is a ho-hum sort of revenge/redemption plot. We get to meet Joshua Graham aka the Burned Man aka a possible companion from Van Buren-that-never-was. He wants your help to protect a peaceful group of tribals from a hostile group of tribals. You agree of course, get to run through beautiful Zion National Park for a few hours, a nice break from the monotonous desert, collecting various odds and ends and enjoy some of the best examples of environmental story telling in the franchise.
Old World Blues
Again very different in tone and atmosphere than the previous DLC and the main game. Old World Blues is basically a very silly romp through a so-bad-it's-good 50s sci-fi movie. Expect to fight giant mechanical scorpions and such. You find a gun that has a dog's brain in it and sniffs out enemies. The Big Empty is another original location but I think it would have been a more substantial experience if it had been integrated into the plot of the main game. Now it's just a lightweight if fun diversion.
Lonesome Road
The last of the DLC which wraps up the arc and finally provided us with more info on the character Ulysses, mentioned in the main game as the person who got us into the whole mess in the first place. You get to trek through the Divide, a more-than-usually radiated place (Fallout sure does have a lot of those), filled with bullet sponge enemies. At the end of it all waits Ulysses, with the rather disappointing conclusion to the story. Apparently he wanted revenge for something the protagonist did in the past, that as a player you a) had no choice in or b) even knew about. Again this is not great storytelling. (A better example: The Walking Dead season 1 and your decision to rob the car or not). I found it impossible to sympathize with Ulysses� plight, especially as we are never shown why we should care about the destruction of the Divide in the first place. Instead of character drama we get unconvincing histrionics. A lackluster ending to the tale.
AT LIBERTY TO LOVE - Caryl McAdoo - One Free Book
Dear Readers, Caryl and I have been good friends for several years now. We met at ACFW national conference and really connected because we�re both Texans and we both write historical novels. I will be a speaker at a mini-conference she�s directing in August in Southlake , Texas
Welcome back, Caryl. How did you come up with the idea for this story?
This is a fun story as it was the title that spoke to me while finishing up book six in the series JUST KIN. In a very poignant conversation between Charley and the Texas Ranger Wallace Rusk, the elder tries to explain why he will absolutely not saddle his beloved Rebecca with a cripple who can never give her children.
He knows that she married him because he wore her down. She�d been the love of his life even before he ever met her in person (in book two HEARTS STOLEN), but though she surely loved him, he always knew he was not the love of her life. Now, he told Charley, �She will be at liberty to love.�
This phrase so spoke to my spirit, that I knew Rebecca�s book�her romance�had to be written, and its title would be AT LIBERTY TO LOVE. So basically, I wrote the book for its title! JFrom there, knowing Rebecca so well�since she was a nine-year-old in book one VOW UNBROKEN�I started with what she would do upon becoming a widow, and started chapter one.
If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?
What a great question! Contemporary, huh? Well, let me see�of course every book I�ve read that�s coming to my brain are historicals! Well, there�s Holly Michael, a Missouri author who I love with my heart. She wrote CROOKED LINES that I so enjoyed and has its sequel coming out this summer, TRUE PATHS. She�s the wife of a dear Anglican bishop and loves the Lord!
I�d invite DiAne Gates, a fellow Texan who wrote ROPED, a great contemporary book for young adults�I love reading books for the younger set. DiAne is a lovely and wise lady and I enjoy her company as I know all would.
This would be so easy if we were talking historical Christian authors!
So�oh, I know! Tanara McCauley! Her first book is written and sure to come out soon! She is the dearest woman and smart as a whip. A delight to visit and worship with, and I�d know if she came to my party, everyone would enjoy her. She�s that kind of lady.
And speaking of enjoying someone�s company, Amy Lillard! She�s a good friend, and I get a big dose of laughter every chance I get to spend time with her. Amy writes Amish and contemporary novels that make you giggle all the way through. So that�s four.
I know I have so many author friends who write contemporary, yet my mind is drawing such a blank. Plus I know so many more than six, so I�m concerned of hurting someone�s feelings! I want to invite them all. That�s what I�ll do�if it�s alright with you. I�ll just issue an open invitation and make room for everyone!
Ask and ye shall receive. Now let�s do that for a party for Christian authors of historical fiction, what six people would you invite and why?
Whew! Thank you! But will this really be easier or harder?
I�d invite you right off, Lena Dooley because I admire your McKenna�s Daughters series and would love to get to spend an evening socializing and picking your brain! And my good Virginian friend, Carrie Fancett Pagels would get an invitation. She is a wonderful lady who loves the Lord, too. I enjoyed her Civil War books, and the lumberjack series, too.
Sandy Mauck would certainly get an invitation. She�s written her debut novel, MORE THAN SHE DREAMT and will be following it with a sequel this fall I believe. We share a likemindedness in our love of God and praising and worshiping Him. It would be my delight to finally meet Sandy in person and hug her neck and sing with her!
Mimi Milan, who wrote REBEL IN JERICHO, I met at my first ACFW Conference�met Carrie and you there, too, come to think of it. Anyway, Mimi, a.k.a. Michele Claudio and I were roommates there, and I haven�t got to see her since. She has a sequel coming out soon, and a portion of her books goes to stop human trafficking.
I�d like to meet Cathy Gohlke after recently finishing her novel SECRETS SHE KEPT. I thoroughly enjoyed it, so I�d invite her to come. I�d love discussing how she wove Corrie Ten Boom into the story...what a dear surprise that was for me. Lastly, I�d invite Bodie Thoene because she�s one of my all-time favorite authors of those I�ve read and never met, and it�d be awesome to meet and visit with her, let her take me back to Jerusalem with her stories. I know I could learn a thing or four.
Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?
I think that would be the juggling required of an Indie author�or hybrid�to market as well as write. Some authors who come out of the gate selling a million books may not have to market, but the majority of us do. I truly thought I had arrived when I sold VOW UNBROKEN to Simon and Schuster, but I still had to do almost all the marketing.
So the biggest problem is that I�m not twins! With the wee bit of success that has come my way, I find it hard making enough time for keeping up with dear readers who mean so much to me�they are the life of my career. I�d hate to think any one of them felt I�d neglected them in any manner.
Then there must be time to market. An author is always marketing to acquire new readers. Writing then is forced to vie with my life for its fair share or when will the new book come out? And all the readers want the next book, right? J
Tell us about the featured book.
AT LIBERTY TO LOVE is a book of surprise and obedience. It�s indicative of how we so often face many of the same things our parents did, a scriptural principle that it happens in real life. Rebecca never dreamed she�d #1 be a widow like her mother, #2 meet another man who was the one�that special one made for her by God to be her soul mate or that, #3 be in the same position as her mother when it came to unequally yoking herself.
When stubbornness made her a widow, Rebecca Baylor Buckmeyer Rusk didn�t know what to do with her life, but the Holy Ghost placed the seed of desire in her heart�the natural longing to be a mother�and an idea of how she might save a parentless child while adding a rich full love to hers again. And what a boon that her sisters in San Francisco happened to have the Mercy House Orphanage!
The plan worked itself out, and against her daddy�s advice and her brothers� counsel, she decided to make the long journey alone. She�d go to California and adopt herself a baby�or maybe even two. Have a nice visit with her sisters then return to Texas to share her life with her children.
Never did she ever consider another man would be any part of that plan.
But as often happens, God�s plans turn out higher than our own. And who wants to miss Him? I mean really, who among us wants to miss anything He has in store?
Marcus Ford was as shocked as she was, too! He�d heard aplenty about the beautiful wife of his bunk partner in the War, serving under General Buckmeyer. And more of her personality and intelligence from the Major Levi Baylor, a good friend and the woman�s brother.
But he never ever either.
Yet there they were, and she wasn�t anything like any woman he�d ever known. Only he blames God and is uninterested in any relationship with a big man in the sky who let his wife and baby girl die in the yellow fever plague of New Orleans . He gives Him no credit for being on the same stage as Rebecca, but at the port, she goes south then west, and his plans to work as a professor will take him east.
No breaks for the widower or the widow.
I enjoyed this being a �mature� romance as both my heroine and hero are in their forties. Haven�t had one of those since book three HOPE REBORN.
Please give us the first page of the book.
�Are you sure about this?�
Rebecca nodded. �Yes, Daddy. I�ve considered every angle and studied long and hard on it. I�m certain, and my mind is made up.�
He closed his eyes as though he couldn�t stand watching her leave. �I hate it.�
A chuckle threatened, but he was being so pathetic. She swallowed the giggle. �I know, but don�t worry. I�ll be back before you know it.�
His lids lifted, then he leaned in a bit and lowered his voice. �You�ve got both Derringers?�
�Yes, sir.�
�And you�re wearing the petticoat Laura made you?�
Mother May punched his arm. �Henry, leave her be. She�s a grown woman.�
�Mercy, baby. I hate this.�
�You�ve already said that, Daddy.�
Movement caught her eye. The driver hustled from the stage�s boot up to the front then climbed aboard next to the guard. �Looks like he�s ready to go, and that I�m his only hold-up.�
�Don�t mind him.�
She reached up and kissed his cheek then hugged Mother May. �I love you both.�
More hugs and kisses followed. One each for her to pass along to all the west coast clan. She thought they might never stop, but soon found herself waving from her window until the dust cloud blocked her view.
Hard even for her to believe it, but there she was. Really doing it. A big part of her heart remained on the boardwalk in front of the Donoho with her parents.
Except they weren�t, not really. Neither one of them.
Another wonderful start to one of your books, Caryl. How can readers find you on the Internet?
All Books: http://tinyurl.com/CarylsAmazonPage
At Liberty to Love: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EQC60E2
Author Pages: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/caryl-mcadoo
Website: http://www.CarylMcAdoo.com (All First Chapters are offered here)
Newsletter: http://carylmcadoo.com/sign-up-to-the-caryler/ (Get all the latest news FREE books and sales!)
Reviewer?: http://carylmcadoo.com/christian-evaluaters/(Join Caryl�s Street Team!)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1hQx6UZbWi3OYwmKKxh6Q(hear Caryl sing new songs the Lord gave her! J)
GoodReads: http://tinyurl.com/GoodReadsCaryl
Google+: http://tinyurl.com/CarylsGooglePlus
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CarylMcAdoo
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/CarylMcAdoo
Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you�ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you�re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here�s a link:
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
A SAINT IN THE ETERNAL CITY - Rosanne Croft - One Free Book
Welcome back, Rosanne. Why do you write the kind of books you do?
If I didn�t write, I�d burst from lack of creativity and living a real life. Jesus freed me from legalistic religion, and I want others to know they can be free, too.
Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
It really would have to be my wedding day. We had a fast romance, and between being scared and happy and grateful and disheveled all at once, I�d say that day was the happiest of my life. Falling in love is life-changing.
James and I met each other 3 months and 3 days before we married, and we will celebrate 52 years in November. How has being published changed your life?
It boosted my confidence tremendously. I owe a great debt to my first publisher because I think I�d have given up if I�d had to wait much longer.
It took 8 years to get my first book published, and it was 10 years between book 1 and book 2, but look what�s happened since. What are you reading right now?
I read a variety. I started �25 Books Every Christian Should Read,� and though I�ve read a few of them, these are scholarly books, so I�m grateful for the �Cliff�s Notes� contained in the book. Also, I have an autobiography by Vladimir Putin called First Person; An Astonishingly Frank Self-Portrait on my nightstand. I love Russian history and I�m curious about Putin. I just picked up a children�s copy of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight retold by Michael Morpurgo at the library. Because children�s versions are more attractive that adult ones, I love them. They�re more understandable, too.
What is your current work in progress?
It excites me to say that I�m finishing the Believe in Love Series with Book 3, For Time and Eternity. I also resurrected an old manuscript of a children�s fantasy (now called speculative fiction) and I�m having fun re-writing it. The working title is Here There Be Dragons.
What would be your dream vacation?
I�d love to go back to Italy , which happens to be where A Saint in the Eternal City takes place. I would drive around the island of Sicily Oxford , England
How do you choose your settings for each book?
I�m familiar with my settings, Utah and Italy . I lived in both for a time. I wanted to juxtapose the two cultures, one in the New World , the other far more ancient. Contrasting the cultures helped my book.
If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
I�d spend the evening with Peter Jackson, talking about how he was able to write a screenplay like The Lord of the Rings so well; how he chose elements to include in the plot and how he achieved such good acting from his actors.
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
Film watching, gardening, cooking, and sewing. If I don�t sew for a few months, I�m itching to make something. I like to do quilted landscapes. I�m a homebody, very domestic, much like a hobbit.
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Disciplining my time. I used to think I needed long blocks of time to write, and that�s still what I prefer. But now I take what segments of time I can, between grandchildren, cooking, and running the household. Prayer helps calm my heart to write, and the drive to get it done returns. Also, once I start, hours go by ... so starting is key.
What advice would you give to a beginning author?
Learn to self-edit; it helps your writing in a way that nothing else can. Be teachable; learn from others and be humble about it. Believe in yourself, and in the Lord who gave you the gift. Never give up.
Tell us about the featured book.
A Saint in the Eternal City continues the love story in A Gentile in Deseret; a romance between a born-again Christ follower and a Latter-day Saint. The conflict is obvious�their worldviews are different, their cultures are at odds. But they love each other and pursue the relationship even though they have so much against them. God intervenes and their story becomes one of a spiritual journey for truth.
Please give us the first page of the book.
Chapter One
Missing Utah
Alex Campanaro sank deep into his garden chair, brooding over a cup of dark roast coffee. Outside Rome , his family�s villa reflected the sienna color of the sky this August morning, but the beauty of the ancient house and courtyard had little effect on his mood. Turmoil swept through him like splashing water in the nearby fountain, scattering chaotic drops in every direction. A sudden breeze ruffled the violet flowers climbing the pergola, as well as his wild curly hair. Pumping with energy, he jumped up to pace the cobblestones.
His heart was back in Utah with the girl he loved. How he missed his blue-eyed blonde, Jennalee Young. Their goodbyes at high school graduation resounded in his mind whenever he glanced at her senior picture on his new cellphone. The loss of her pervaded his mind.
She�d told him, �I guess we set ourselves up for hurt like this when we started going out. It�s all so impossible.� I�ll say impossible. Jennalee was right; dating a Mormon girl when he was a sold-out born-again Christian meant obstacles, lots of them. After she�d said it, he�d made a vain effort to quiet her crying.
�Don�t look at it like that. One year, remember? We�ll be back together in a year. I�ll email you, I promise.� A promise he couldn�t keep since all their plans to communicate were a tangled mess. The pact to meet in a year fractured. Would he ever see her again? Had she totally forgotten what they�d studied in the Bible and gone back to her LDS roots? Maybe she didn�t want him to find her.
On impulse before leaving for Italy , he�d sold his expensive smart phone to buy a plane ticket, unaware he couldn�t relay his new number to her, since her number had also changed. Her parents succeeded in taking over her Facebook account, which she hadn�t seen in three months as far as he could tell. All emails had gone unanswered. The Young family circled the wagons around their daughter, blocking him out.
He had to find her, talk to her, but how could he leave his demanding new job in Italy to go back to Utah ? Just then his younger brother Gabe popped outside in his bathrobe, interrupting his worries.
�Hey bro, have you seen my camera?� he asked, squinting in the rich light. �I have to pack it for the trip back to Utah tomorrow.�
How can readers find you on the Internet?
I�m on Facebook, Twitter, and on my website, RosanneCroft.com, which I�m currently building. Recently, I joined LinkedIn. Thanks, Lena , for the opportunity to share with your readers.
I enjoyed the opportunity to feature your new book. I know my readers are interested in reading it.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
A Saint in the Eternal City (Believe in Love) (Volume 2)
- paperbackA Saint in the Eternal City (Believe in Love Book 2) - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you�ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you�re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here�s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
Monday, July 11, 2016
Fallout retrospective
While it has been quiet on the pen & paper role playing front (still have not managed to get a new group together to continue the SW game), luckily I've been able to get my fix from Fallout 4 and its DLC. I've just finished Far Harbor and it inspired me to do a short retrospective, and since I can't help myself, to look ahead where the series may be headed. All of this is my opinion of course, feel free to comment and disagree. :) Naturally, spoilers ahead!
Fallout 1
First and still the best Fallout game. Sure, the graphics are dated by today's standards (and already were in 97 when it came out), which may turn off people new to the series, but I find the isometric view and sprite art have an enduring charm about them; that is partially nostalgia speaking, to be sure, but now, 20 years later, the retro graphics fit perfectly with the retro-futuristic aesthetic of the setting, however unintentionally.
Turn-based combat was a staple of crpgs at the time and is in full swing in this game and its sequel. It works fine, I think, and again it holds up to the test of time. It's there to serve a purpose, to have enjoyable combat within the limitations of the game engine. I'm however not a purist who believes the new games should mimic this ancient system just for the sake of it. It's not realistic to expect this from a triple A game these days. Many of the design choices which are now 'vintage Fallout' were often less deliberate decision than necessity. Combat being one of them; the lack of any pilotable vehicles another, quite unusual for a post-apocalyptic setting (the engine couldn't handle it). Again this is something that usually puts newcomers off. I have to admit it takes getting used to, and if I'm overall happy with the system, that's in part since I've replayed these first games so often. The inventory system was quite poor, but since you didn�t yet have to worry about picking up a billion items, it was still manageable.
So what makes the first installment the best one? It introduced of course the setting, a post-apocalyptic America which diverges from our history around the 1950s, where robots, nuclear fission and advanced weapons abound, but computers are big and clunky and wireless is something unheard of. It's a future as envisioned by the optimistic 50s, a Jetsons-light, bombed to smithereens and left to accumulate dust for a hundred years.
All the classic Fallout elements are here: the iconic enemies (Deathclaws, Ghouls, Super Mutants), the power armor, factions like the BoS, Followers and NCR, Vaults (before the rest of the series ruined them). Little of the story and dialogue was voiced, but this did mean you have more dialogue options to choose from, and you can actually play widely different characters based on Intelligence scores, something that has sadly fallen by the wayside in recent installments. You could also have multiple companions rather than being arbitrarily limited to one, though in truth the companions had little dialogue or personality (except maybe gung-ho Ian. Screw you Ian.)
Now Fallout 1 was the shortest game by far, but that works to its benefit. You don't get a plethora of side quests that are just filler; most of them work to enhance the main story. You have a creepy, believable antagonist in the Children of the Cathedral and the Master, and a final boss fight where you can talk the boss to death and it actually makes sense (I'm looking at you, Lanius).
Fallout 1 for me was also the only game to really nail the right level of humor in the series. Pop culture references and generally juvenile content got out of control in the next game, which brings me to�
Fallout 2
The favorite of many, Fallout 2 always leaves me with mixed feelings. It introduced some great concepts, and it featured the dumbest stuff of any of the games.
Regarding the mechanics, I can be brief, since almost nothing changed from the first game. Fallout 2 was released just a year later, and does feel like a giant expansion pack at times.
So what�s my beef with Fallout 2? Let�s start with the good things: some of my favorite locations are introduced here (Vault City, The Den, NCR). The game introduced great new villains in the Enclave (who unfortunately stuck around too long). A greatly improved assortment of armor and weaponry provided more options for different playstyles. Companions have a bit more personality (notably Sulik, who gets his own talking head) and use, since you can order them around and outfit them properly.
So where did they go wrong? They made a game at least twice to thrice the size of the first, and boy does it feel padded at times. Sure the first game had some dungeon/shooting galleries as well (Necropolis, Mariposa come to mind) but they overstay their welcome in part 2. Raider caves, gecko sewers, the military base again, Vault 15 again; sometimes less is more. The lower levels of the tanker are filled with wanamingos for no other reason than to have something there. The result of the increased size of the game is that the quality varies dramatically in places. While the Hubologists are an obvious reference to Scientology, they have been given enough background and attention to actually work as a believable faction, and not just a one note joke. The same I cannot say for the Shi, pretty much all of Reno and some of the horrendous stuff in Broken Hills. Talking plants and chess playing scorpions? Keeping Deathclaws like chickens? No thanks. Finding a sex doll for a lecherous Ghoul in the old Ghouls home? Great stuff. Oh, you can act in a porno now. (Reno feels like it was designed by a horny 15-year old who just binge-watched 90s gangster movies). Fallout 2 is also guilty of coming up with Project Safehouse, which, while it didn�t feature prominently in part 2 itself, would ruins the Vaults in all following games.
Oh, and after the morally gray, cerebral Master we get bullet sponge Frank Horrigan as our adversary. I think it stops being a reference if you literally copy/paste.
So while Fallout 2 in places expanded on what made Fallout 1 great, it brought with it too much chaff for me to consider it the best entry in the series. If they had cut 50% of the game, spend the available time and money on polishing what remained and released it as an expansion for Fallout 1, it could have been so much more.
Fallout 3 + DLC
We had to wait 10 years for the next game, and you immediately feel (and see) that much had changed in the intervening years. As I said before, a major studio in 2008 would not have released a turn-based, isometric game. Fallout 3 was the first 3D Fallout game for PC and set us on the path to Fallout 4, a scenic, slightly regressive detour through New Vegas not withstanding.
Fallout 3 is easily the least favorably received by die hard fans, and while I don't agree with their assessments on all accounts, it's easy to see why it's often reviled. the TLDR version is: Bethesda tried to do something (partially) new, thereby getting rid of mechanics people liked and generally following a (depending on who you ask) simplified/dumbed down design philosophy. I say partially new, because at the same time it kept (too) many things from the first games, which didn't make a whole lot of sense in the new setting (East vs West Coast, the 'core region' of Fallout).
Fallout 3's graphics by now fall in that unfortunate uncanny valley area, not good enough to convincingly portray the game world as realistically as it would like, and thus ending up looking worse than the more 'abstracted' graphics of the 2D era. Combat is real time, with VATS picking up the slack of the turn-based mechanics; though the gunplay is rather subpar. Inventory management took a turn for the abysmal. Hope you enjoy hours of sorting through lists to drop random junk because you've once again hit your encumbrance limit.
Fallout 3 and following games wouldn't feature a world map anymore, instead having one big open world, for the most part taken up by a big city (DC, Las Vegas, Boston). This put a greater emphasis on exploration, but also forced the designers to put something interesting on the map every few minutes. As a result the world feels packed to the gills with loot and untouched marvels for a world which by now has gone two centuries since the apocalypse. The advancing timeline is a weak point of Fallout 3. At which point does the post-apocalypse setting become unsustainable? Personally, I very much doubt there would still be food to be found in every supermarket and vending machine. Nitpicks, perhaps, but in an RPG this matters.
Another lore rant: I complained earlier about the implications of Project Safehouse: in Fallout 3 it really kicked in. Sorry, but I find it impossible to believe that in wartime the government would have spent hundreds of trillions of dollars to basically run a bunch of social experiments not fit for a junior science fair. Six hundred billion to study the effects of a white-noise machine? Perhaps information that would have a) been more relevant during the actual war rather than after it and b) easily tested with a few subjects for a fraction of the cost in some military site? If there's one thing in the Fallout universe that I'd like to see changed, it's this. Just make the Vaults normal fallout shelters again, I'll close my eyes to the retcon, I swear.
In a way, Fallout 3 stuck too close to the original game's template. You are again a Vault Dweller, forced to leave your home. Raiders, Ghouls and Super Mutants abound. The Brotherhood are there, and so are the Enclave. The game contributed little original material to the series. I liked the Children of Atom, who featured more prominently in Fallout 4 (and who would make a great main villain I believe). Liberty Prime was visually impressive and felt right at home, a nice The Iron Man/Giant homage. Running through DC was impressive, though it was broken up into too many isolated sections, separated by (annoying) loading screens and (horrible) Ghoul infested subways. Some inspiring moments on the Mall, Washington Monument and Science Museum could in the end not save the grey and dreary city from becoming too repetitive. Rivet City, while an interesting locale in theory, lacked scale to really sell me on the idea. This is my main complaint about the game: it all feels a bit samey. There's only so many ruined factories, supermarkets, disposal sites, etc. you can explore before you get the been-there-done-that feeling. The lack in enemy variety made itself felt acutely. The game also had its dumb moments (the fighting superheroes anyone?), but nothing stooped as low as Fallout 2.
Fallout 3 uncomfortably straddled its past as an RPG and its future as a FPS/action adventure. New Vegas would suffer from this problem even more, trying to reconnect with its roots but constrained by the Gamebryo engine. Fallout 4 resolutely chose the latter option and in the end became a better game for it.
Fallout 3 DLC
Operation Anchorage
Squandered opportunity. You take part in a simulation of the reclamation of Alaska, an important event in the setting's divergent history. Unfortunately it's a 2 hour underwhelming slog, involving little more than shooting a steady trickle of Chinese troops. If it had the sense of scale and visceral gameplay of your triple A FPS game, your CoDs, MoHs or whatnot, it may have worked, but now when it's over, you'll just feel disappointed. I guess its main selling point is that you got a T51b out of it. Neat.
The Pitt
You get to go to Pittsburgh, which is a hellhole, but not as bad as it used to be (kidding). You are taken prisoner and all your gear is confiscated, an old, annoying trick of FPS games, but it works as for the first time in a long while you're actually somewhat vulnerable again (Fallout notoriously suffers from reversed difficulty curves). The setting feels properly post apocalyptic, some fun new weapons and enemies, but it's over in a few hours and you have no reason to go back. Could have been more.
Broken Steel
Continues the main story, addressing some of the inanity of the original ending (why not send the impervious mutant into the reactor, huh?). I remember little of this DLC, which I guess is not a good sign. You blow up more Enclave, then some more, look for some MacGuffins, then make the Enclaves base, a giant crawler, which was cool I guess, 'splode. Little more than some action set pieces which Fallout 4 would go on to do better.
Point Lookout
You take a boat to a faraway location, work for different factions, fight some unique local monsters and go on a psychedelic trip. Perhaps the best DLC for Fallout 3; Bethesda must have thought so too because the same synopsis can be used verbatim for Fallout 4's most recent DLC, Far Harbor. Anyhow. The desolate coastal town was atmospheric, the swamp provided some variety. However it also continued the annoying habit of substituting intelligent AI for enemies with more hit points. I don't mind if a mutant monstrosity survives a rocket barrage. But unarmored swamp folk shouldn't take ten shotgun blasts to the face to bring down. Bullet sponges do not equal challenge, they just pad the game's running time artificially.
Mothership Zeta
Like Operation Anchorage, but on a UFO. Many didn't like the 'official' addition of the aliens to the setting, as they had before always been limited to hidden encounters. Personally I don't mind, the flying saucers and bug eyed aliens fit in with the 50s theme. Unfortunately this DLC did little with the fact that you're in space or an a strange, technologically advanced ship. You shoot your way through a few new enemy types with a few new weapons, have an uneventful spacewalk and you get to shoot a deathray at Earth. Hasn't she suffered enough?
As this is turning out to be a longer rant than I thought, I'll finish up the remainder at a later time!
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE - Beth Wiseman - One Free Book
Bio: Beth Wiseman is best known for her Daughters of the Promise series and the Land of Canaan Amish series. Having sold over 1.5 million books, her novels have held spots on multiple bestseller lists, and she has been the recipient of many prestigious literary awards. Beth is contracted with HarperCollins Christian Publishing into the year 2019, and she has published fourteen novels and sixteen novellas to date.
Beth has a deep affection for the Amish and their simpler way of life, and while she plans to continue writing Amish love stories, she is also branching out into other areas including Christian contemporary romance novels and novellas. Need You Now, The House that Love Built, The Promise and A Tide Worth Turning are some of these recent releases.
Beth and her husband are empty nesters enjoying the country life in Texas with three dogs and a rooster. When she�s not writing, Beth loves to travel, paint, and enjoy time with friends and family.
I�m fortunate to be able to alternate between Amish fiction and women�s fiction. I enjoy both of those genres, but with each book�Amish or otherwise�I see my stories growing a little bit edgier and filled with more twists and turns. It makes for more complex revisions and edits, but it�s fun to up the ante for the reader.
If you didn�t live in the part of the country where you do, where would you live?
Ha! My husband and I have been having this conversation on a regular basis, and the honest answer is � I don�t know! We�ve talked about visiting places we haven�t been so we could possibly try living somewhere new. But at the end of the day, we are born and raised Texans, and I don�t see that changing. J
What foreign country would you like to visit and why?
Describe what you think would be the most romantic vacation you could take.
Does my romance with food count? ;) If so, I�d combine a romantic vacation with my husband and a trip to Positano , Italy
Sounds yummy in more ways than one. Where would you like to set a story that you haven�t done yet?
See the answer to the last question above. I think that would be a perfect setting for one of my Surf�s Up novellas.
What is the main theme of this novella?
Kyle is faced with a seemingly impossible situation. I�ve tried to convey that even in the worst of times, God has a plan, often better than anything we could have dreamed up on our own.
Tell us about the story.
Here is the back cover copy:
One man. Two women. A child desperate for medical treatment.
Morgan Calhoun and her parents are whisked away in the middle of the night, something Morgan always knew was a possibility because of her father's CIA job. But she'd always thought if such a scenario played out that she would have time to say goodbye to those she loved�particularly her boyfriend, Kyle. Adding to her unbearable situation, several weeks after the move, Morgan finds out that she's pregnant.
Kyle Brossmann doesn't even get a break-up letter from Morgan. She's just gone, along with her parents. His heart broken, Kyle continues with his plans. He graduates from high school and attends college, where he meets his fianc�e, Lexie. But two men visit Kyle and encourage him to travel to an undisclosed location, where he will meet his five-year-old daughter. Rocked by the news that he has a child, Kyle learns he is the only person who might be able to save his daughter's life.
Will Kyle choose his first love and his daughter? Or will he stay with Lexie and live the life they�ve been planning?
Each Surf�s Up novella takes the reader to a beach locale, weaving romance and adventure into a soul-soothing journey of hope.
Please give us the first page of the book.
Prologue
Kyle stretched tape across another box, then lifted it from the floor and piled it on top of the others that he had ready to go.
�I can�t believe all this stuff was stashed in this small room.� Lexie lowered a stack of file folders into a box. �I don�t think I had nearly this much in my dorm room.� She grinned as she slung long brown hair over her shoulders. �And I�m a girl. We keep everything.�
Kyle eyed the organized mess in the place he�d called home over the past four years. �Some of it probably needs to be trashed, but I�ll take a closer look at everything once I get settled in my apartment.� He handed Lexie the tape. �Just think, you�ll be right downstairs from me. No curfews or rules. We can eat pizza at three in the morning, and we won�t have to deal with crazy roommates.�
Lexie closed the distance between them and pressed her soft lips gently against his. Kyle eased his arms around her and basked in the scent of her flowery perfume. The feel of her mouth on his was a welcome distraction. They�d briefly considered moving in together, but Kyle�s Catholic upbringing kept him from choosing that option. They�d done the next best thing: rented apartments close to each other.
�Maybe we should take a break from packing,� Kyle whispered in her ear, trailing kisses down her neck.
She wiggled out of his arms. �Behave. We�ve got to get this done. You�ve got to be out of here by the end of the day.� She walked to the built-in drawers in Kyle�s room and tugged the bottom one until it inched open. �Good grief. What is all this?�
Yes, what is in that drawer? I can�t wait to find out. How can readers find you on the Internet?
On my website BethWiseman.com
Fans of Beth Wiseman on Facebook where I interacts with readers
On Twitter at https://twitter.com/bethwisemanThank you, Beth, for sharing this book with us. I'm eager to read it.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Message In A Bottle: A Surf's Up Novella
- paperbackMessage In A Bottle: A Surf's Up Novella - Kindle
This novella is also available in a volume with book one of her Surf's Up novellas.
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if not in the US. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you�ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you�re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here�s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
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