……….of ARE YOU SMART ENOUGH TO WORK AT GOOGLE?

by William Poundstone

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

8     43     53

Timestamp: 2012-01-31 11:31:44 UTC

beth….The happy woman has just won the lottery, and her friends are secretly envious, but don’t want her to know

jim lynam…THEY ARE IN THE MISS AMERICA PAGENT.

Gigi Ann…They are in the Miss American contest.

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.

Hosted by Michelle from The True Book Addict

Progress:  22.5 hours

Congratulations and WTG!! to those that participated and accomplished their goals during this Winter Respite Read-A-Thon.  And a HUGE thank you goes out to Michelle for hosting it.  She did a WONDERFUL job!!

For myself, I am pleased with the amount of hours I put in.  I would have been happier with more but whenever I sign up for one, it never fails, RL always interferes.  But these past few days I was able to put in more hours than I expected to.   Yesterday in and out of my reading chair, I put in 8 hours of reading.   The fact that the book that I am reading, Love Thy Neighbor by Mark Gilleo, has turned out to be a page turner, was another reason I didn’t leave my reading spot.

Another good day yesterday!!  Two days in a row!!  That never ever happens when I sign up for a read-a-thon.

………of LIFTING THE WHEEL OF KARMA by Paul H. Magid

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

13    10     4

Timestamp: 2012-01-30 14:27:13 UTC

annettekz2…..email subscriber

brc668…..Sent a fb friend request

mce1011…. I follow on GFC

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to those that entered.

Hosted by Michelle from The True Book Addict

Progress:   Sub Total  14 1/2 hours

Yesterday was a good day for reading.   With a combination of bronchitis and pain from working on my mother’s house the other day, I spent a good amount of time in the recliner reading….6 1/2 hours.  Hoping to get more hours in today.

I remember a few, many, ok, eons ago, when I was in college and studying to be a nurse, I had to put in so many “required” practical hours working on different units of the hospitals.  And I remember thinking how  kind the patients were when asked by the instructor if they minded if they had a “student nurse” for the day to take care of them.  Do you know that to this day, I still remember some of those patients, but I digress.    It was because of those patients, that had the confidence in me,  so that I gained the experience I needed to obtain my license.

So even though it is in different fields, I feel that I am paying it forward.  When a debut author contacts me, asks if I would review their book, share sites, etc., etc., I remember those days of old.  Even though I can’t read every book, I can offer them a platform to share their work with others.  And today, we have such a guest stopping by.  So please help me welcome Ms. Denise Baer!!

ABOUT DENISE BAER 

Denise Baer wrote her novel, Net Switch, while working as a LAN Administrator and has published a poetry e-book, Sipping a Mix of Verse. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, and recently lived in Germany, writing and traveling throughout Europe. She currently lives in Chicago learning German to prepare for another journey to Europe.

A native of the South Side of Chicago, Denise Baer is a published poet and author. She currently splits her time between the United States and Europe.
You can visit Denise at her website here.

GUEST POST

I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. After I graduated from Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, I worked full-time while bartending and going to college part-time. As the years past, I thought I’d never finish college, but I finally graduated from DePaul University in Chicago, IL with a Bachelor of Arts in English.

During my last trimester in college I came up with an idea for a novel. I sat down and wrote it within a matter of a few weeks…but it wasn’t an entire book, more like the core of it. It was a romance novel, and after trying to refine it, I decided to put it in a drawer and let it sleep. I continued to write, learn the craft, and read plenty of books.

In 2008, I began writing poetry, and decided to publish a poetry e-book last year, Sipping a Mix of Verse, which is a collection of poetry arranged by traditional forms and free verse.

You can visit “Sipping a Mix of Verse Book Trailer” on Youtube: http://youtu.be/RuLIB5zizoU

In 2008, I entered the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and completed a novel in a month. I was ecstatic, but I had no plans to publish it. That same year, I met the love of my life, who convinced me to publish it. In 2010, I left my IT job, moved to Germany to concentrate on editing and revising my novel. Of course, I took the opportunity to travel through Europe and find inspiration for my writings.

My debut novel, Net Switch, a dark, psychological suspense, is available on Createspace (subsidiary of Amazon) and Amazon in paperback, and Kindle and Nook.

You can visit “Net Switch Book Trailer” on Youtube: http://youtu.be/2TYUzwkgaz8

For now I am currently living in Illinois, focusing on the success of my book, and looking forward to living in Germany for a few years with the love of my life.

Website: http://www.authordenisebaer.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeniseBaer8

ABOUT THE BOOK

Synopsis (from the author):

“In the dead of winter, Sydney Hayes finds herself in an internet chat room in hopes of expelling her loneliness. Enchanted by a stranger, she soon finds herself caught up in an affair that spills over into her everyday life. Within a short period of time, the stranger captures her mind, her body and eventually her heart, but excitement turns to terror and Sydney must abandon the life she built in Chicago and assume a new identity.

A fragile woman in a new city, Sydney tries to put it all behind her as she makes a fresh start in Seattle, but her troubles follow her and she is running out of time. Feeling as though she has no other choice, Sydney is determined to destroy him before he destroys her—unaware that her journal holds the key.

Will she discover the secret before it’s too late?”

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF DENISE BAER,
I HAVE ONE (1) SIGNED COPY OF HER BOOK
TO GIVE AWAY– OPEN TO ALL–INTERNATIONAL

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE

……….of ALL I WANT IS YOU by Sherrill Bodine and

SANCTUARY COVE by Rochelle Alers

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

11     8      4

Timestamp: 2012-01-27 13:52:51 UTC

GFC Follower   nancyecdavis

Molly…I follow you via Twitter

I follow you on Facebook.  iowagramma.ann

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.   Thank you to those that entered.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ELIZABETH FROM SILVER’S REVIEW

Elizabeth has been selected as a nominee for the Top Writing Blogs Award!  If you aren’t a visitor of her blog, you may remember her when she was showcased one Sunday as a Shining Star. (which I hope to eventually bring back).  Elizabeth and I met online and seriously think we may be distant cousins, so much so, that we call each other “Cuz”.  Voting started yesterday and I would love it if she won as she is definitely deserving of this award.  So I ask if you could take a few minutes out of your days and do the following:

http://blog.ecollegefinder.org/writing-blog-award/

Thank you, from both my cousin and I.  I’m off to vote, once, twice, , ok a few times, I really want her to win!!!!!

http://btt2.wordpress.com

Today’s question:
What’s more important: Good writing? Or a good story?
(Of course, a book should have BOTH, but…)

My answer:
This took quite a bit of thinking, and yes, both are needed.  But I think if the story or the premise is not there to grip you, no matter how well it is written, it won’t make for an enjoyable read.

Hosted by Michelle from The True Book Addict

Progress To Date:  7 1/2
Wednesday’s:  2 1/2 hrs
Previous Days’ Hours:  5  hrs

Oh well..another not s0 good reading day.  Yesterday was an appointment with a lady who assists with liquidations of houses which I am still in the process of with my Mom’s house.  Not an easy task for those who don’t know and for those who do know, understand.  Both physically and emotionally draining as you go through memories of your life.