Wicked Winter Read-A-Thon Update

CMash February 4, 2012 Leave a Comment

HUGE FAVOR TO ASK: Due to the move to WordPress, I had to re-register my account with NetWorkedBlogs. If you are interested in following me in that manner, please join (right sidebar). And if had been following me via NetWorkedBlog in the past, you will need to rejoin as it is a new feed. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

The hosts for the wickedly wonderful weekend of reading are
Rebecca From Kindle Fire
and
April of My Shelf Confessions.

Progress: Friday Subtotal (approx 6 hours)

Yesterday I did get some reading done and since I am determined to read more this year, these mini read-a-thon challanges are perfect for me. So if you hear of any that are being held, I would greatly appreciate if you would let me know. Last year was such an awful year for me that some months I was lucky if I even finished one book a month and I did really miss escaping into a book.

This weekend I am reading an ARC from Meryl L. Moss Media, The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy, who will be a guest on February 20th. You may want to stop by as there will also be a giveaway. So far this book is a good one.

Good Luck to those who are participating and thank you Rebecca and April for hosting!!!!

Giveaway, Winners

And the winners are…..

CMash February 3, 2012 4 Comments

……..of GIRL LAND by Caitlin Flanagan

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

3 10 6

Timestamp: 2012-02-04 11:25:02 UTC

I follow publicly and google I believe – marceblogspot

I would like to win this book for my daughter, she has a 10 year old girl..I follow by google reader as Marjorie/cenya2

They can be bullied on the internet…mce1011

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

Guest Author

Guest Author William F. Brown

CMash February 3, 2012 Leave a Comment

Don’t you just love it when a friend calls and asks if they can stop by and visit for a while? You know, that type of visit where you have some coffee catch up on what’s been going on? Well today’s visitor hasn’t been here since July and I am looking forward to hearing about this latest novel and hope you are too. So please help me welcome back Bill Brown.

ABOUT WILLIAM F. BROWN

I live in Ohio. As a Vice President of the real estate subsidiary of a Fortune 500 corporation, I traveled widely in the US and abroad. A native of Chicago, I earned a BA in History and Russian Area Studies and a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Illinois. (Go Illini!) I’ve been active in politics (I had the stupidity to run and the misfortune to win a -year seat on a County Board of Supervisors) (more hard time than you’d get for armed robbery, car theft, or embezzlement in most states!) and active in numerous civic organizations. I served in the US Army and was a company commander and drug counselor. (The only two places in the country that teach leadership and organizational management are the Boy Scouts and the Army) When I’m not writing, I like to play golf (usually poorly) paint landscapes in oil or acrylics and running 5Ks. (slower every year) .

My wife and I have traveled widely in Russia,Germany, the Caribbean, England, Ireland, Scotland, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Holland, Egypt, and Israel.

You can visit Bill at is website here.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Synopsis (from author’s website):

Amongst My Enemies is a fast-paced story of action and international suspense that plumbs the depths of brotherhood, honor, a debt that can never be repaid, and one man’s revenge. Beginning in the closing days of WW II, it deals with horde of stolen Nazi gold and art, a missing German U-boat, Russian spies, Nazi hit men, and a secret that could shatter NATO. In February 1945, two young Americans, Mike Randall and Eddie Hodge, door gunners on an American B-24, are shot down on an ill-fated bombing mission over Berlin. Instead of a Nazi POW camp, however, they find themselves in a forced labor battalion in the frozen hell of Konigsberg in East Prussia. With the SS inside and the rampaging Red Army outside, the old port city and everyone in it are doomed. When Hodge dies in his arms, Randall swears he will have his revenge. Assigned to a work detail loading mysterious crates into a German U-boat, Randall manages to hide in the hold as the SS. massacre the other laborers. In the end, he owes his life to Eric Bruckner, the U-boat Kapitan, and perhaps the last honorable man left inGermany. When Bruckner to set Randall free on the coast of Sweden, he pays the ultimate price when a British bomber catches him on the surface. He and his U-boat are destroyed, leaving Randall an emotional cripple overcome by exhaustion and guilt. For the next six years, Randall remains inSweden, working as an anonymous deck hand on fishing boats, trying to forget and to heal; but it is no use. He knows he must return to US and confess his role in Hodge’s death to his father and sister. While there, he learns the impossible . . . Eric Bruckner is alive! Somehow, he survived the air attack and is now a West German Admiral in charge of NATO plans and operations, visiting east coast ports on a good will mission. Randall hurries toNew Yorkto see him and to thank him; but when they come face to face in a Manhattan hotel lobby, he immediately sees that the Admiral is not Eric Bruckner. He is a phony, but whose phony is he? Randall knows the truth, and he knows what he saw inside the wooden crates in that U-boat . . . a fortune in gold, stolen art and jewels, Nazi records, and a dead hero. No one wants to believe Randall, so he returns to Sweden, to the Baltic coast, with a ragtag group consisting of Hodge’s little sister, a retired NY cop, and an old Swedish fishing captain, and two Israeli salvage experts to find that U-Boat and prove them all wrong. Equally determined to stop him are the Soviet KGB, the Russian Navy, and the underground Nazi network of Martin Bormann and his ‘strong right arm’, Heinz Kruger. The truth lies three-hundred feet down on the bottom of the Baltic. Some want the gold. Some want to know the truth. Some want to destroy it and kill everyone involved.

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF BILL BROWN,
HE IS OFFERING , TO GIVE ONE OF MY FOLLOWERS,
THE CHANCE TO WIN AN EBOOK EDITION OF BOTH HIS BOOKS,
AMONGST MY ENEMIES AND THE UNDERTAKER.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

DISCLAIMER

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners

via publisher, agent and/or author. This blog hosts

the giveaway on behalf of the above.

No items that I receive

are ever sold…they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

Book Giveaway, Giveaway

INTERNATIONAL—EBOOK—GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “AMONGST MY ENEMIES” and “THE UNDERTAKER” by William F. Brown ENDED

CMash February 3, 2012 4 Comments

FEBRUARY 3rd to FEBRUARY 17th, 2012

AMONGST MY ENEMIES

and THE UNDERTAKER

by WILLIAM F. BROWN

SYNOPSIS: AMONGST MY ENEMIES

Amongst My Enemies is a fast-paced story of action and international suspense that plumbs the depths of brotherhood, honor, a debt that can never be repaid, and one man’s revenge. Beginning in the closing days of WW II, it deals with horde of stolen Nazi gold and art, a missing German U-boat, Russian spies, Nazi hit men, and a secret that could shatter NATO. In February 1945, two young Americans, Mike Randall and Eddie Hodge, door gunners on an American B-24, are shot down on an ill-fated bombing mission over Berlin. Instead of a Nazi POW camp, however, they find themselves in a forced labor battalion in the frozen hell of Konigsberg in East Prussia. With the SS inside and the rampaging Red Army outside, the old port city and everyone in it are doomed. When Hodge dies in his arms, Randall swears he will have his revenge. Assigned to a work detail loading mysterious crates into a German U-boat, Randall manages to hide in the hold as the SS. massacre the other laborers. In the end, he owes his life to Eric Bruckner, the U-boat Kapitan, and perhaps the last honorable man left inGermany. When Bruckner to set Randall free on the coast of Sweden, he pays the ultimate price when a British bomber catches him on the surface. He and his U-boat are destroyed, leaving Randall an emotional cripple overcome by exhaustion and guilt. For the next six years, Randall remains inSweden, working as an anonymous deck hand on fishing boats, trying to forget and to heal; but it is no use. He knows he must return to US and confess his role in Hodge’s death to his father and sister. While there, he learns the impossible . . . Eric Bruckner is alive! Somehow, he survived the air attack and is now a West German Admiral in charge of NATO plans and operations, visiting east coast ports on a good will mission. Randall hurries toNew Yorkto see him and to thank him; but when they come face to face in a Manhattan hotel lobby, he immediately sees that the Admiral is not Eric Bruckner. He is a phony, but whose phony is he? Randall knows the truth, and he knows what he saw inside the wooden crates in that U-boat . . . a fortune in gold, stolen art and jewels, Nazi records, and a dead hero. No one wants to believe Randall, so he returns to Sweden, to the Baltic coast, with a ragtag group consisting of Hodge’s little sister, a retired NY cop, and an old Swedish fishing captain, and two Israeli salvage experts to find that U-Boat and prove them all wrong. Equally determined to stop him are the Soviet KGB, the Russian Navy, and the underground Nazi network of Martin Bormann and his ‘strong right arm’, Heinz Kruger. The truth lies three-hundred feet down on the bottom of the Baltic. Some want the gold. Some want to know the truth. Some want to destroy it and kill everyone involved.

THANKS TO AUTHOR, BILL BROWN,

I HAVE ONE ( 1 ) EBOOK EDITION OF
EACH BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN.

*ALL COMMENTS AND ENTRIES TO BE

MADE ON RAFFLECOPTER FOM BELOW*
AND INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: IF YOU ARE THE WINNER,
WHICH BOOK WILL YOU START READING FIRST?*

*EXTRA ENTRIES*
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU PUBLICLY FOLLOW THIS

BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.
*REMEMBER TO INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ALL ENTRIES.

*EBOOK EDITION*
*INTERNATIONAL*
**HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

*GIVEAWAY ENDS FEBRUARY 17th AT 6PM EST*

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

DISCLAIMER / RULES

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
the giveaway on behalf of the
above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in
exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are
ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.

I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed

Continue reading “INTERNATIONAL—EBOOK—GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “AMONGST MY ENEMIES” and “THE UNDERTAKER” by William F. Brown ENDED“ →

2012 Challenges, Aloha Friday, Challenge

Aloha Friday

CMash February 3, 2012 13 Comments

HUGE FAVOR TO ASK: Due to the move to WordPress, I had to re-register my account with NetWorkedBlogs. If you are interested in following me in that manner, please join (right sidebar). If you had followed me this way in the past, you will have to rejoin due to a new feed. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

Hosted by An Island Life

From An Island Life:

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

QUESTION:
What book are you reading?
Answer:
Killer Bytes: A Novella of Intrigue by Alan Williams then on to The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davey. I signed up for a weekend Read-A-Thon so hopefully will get a lot of reading done these next couple of days.

The hosts for the wickedly wonderful weekend of reading are
Rebecca From Kindle Fire
and
April of My Shelf Confessions.

I have signed up for another Read-A-Thon starting today. And it’s perfect timing. I am a bit under the weather with bronchitis, so I plan to get nice and comfy with my fleece blanket, my hot coffee and read. There is still time to join up, just click above. Good Luck to those that are participating. I will be checking in to see what’s going on in the neighborhood but if I don’t respond right away, I’ve gone to where my book has taken me.

Guest Author

Guest Author Pesi Dinnerstein

CMash February 2, 2012 1 Comment

Robyn and Jodi, the ladies at WOW, have done it again! They are introducing us to another inspirational writer today. So without further ado, please welcome Ms. Pesi Dinnerstein!

ABOUT PESI DINNERSTEIN

Pesi Dinnerstein (a.k.a. Paulette Plonchak) has written selections for the best-selling series Small Miracles, by Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal, and has contributed to several textbooks and an anthology of short stories.

Dinnerstein recently retired as a full-time faculty member of the City University of New York, where she taught language skills for close to thirty years. She has been an aspiring author and self-acknowledged clutterer for many years, and has spent the better part of her life trying to get organized and out from under. Despite heroic efforts, she has not yet succeeded; but she continues to push onward, and hopes that her journey will inspire others to keep trying as well.

Author’s websites:

www.aclutteredlife.com

www.sealpress.com

GUEST POST

I’M IN HERE SOMEWHERE:

Finding Me in My Mess

by Pesi Dinnerstein

I ran into my old friend Ruth the other day as I was rushing down the street between errands.

“How are you?” she asked, pausing briefly after each word. This was not a casual greeting to be met with a “Great!—And how are you?” response. We hadn’t seen each other in quite a while, and she obviously wanted to know how I was feeling on a deep and honest level.

But, for some reason, I couldn’t seem to come up with an answer.

“How am I?” I repeated out loud. “I don’t know, Ruth. It’s been so long since I’ve thought about it . . . I really don’t know.”

I promised to call her when I had more time to talk. But her simple question continued to disturb me for quite a while.

How did I feel? . . . and why didn’t I know?

The first part was a bit more complicated—I wasn’t quite sure how I felt. But it didn’t take much to figure out the second part. The reason I didn’t know is that I had clearly lost touch with myself. And, sadly, this was not an uncommon occurrence in my life.

Things slipped away from me all the time—my keys, my ATM card, the phone number I had just scribbled on a piece of paper . . . . There seemed to be an endless stream of items lost or misplaced or put in the wrong pile—a common side effect, no doubt, of living with a mess.

But, still, to lose myself . . .

I decided it was time to step back and look at the situation from a broader perspective.

I had just finished writing A Cluttered Life; and after years of reflecting on the subject, I had no shortage of insights. I had even managed to acquire some pretty effective techniques for creating order. Why, then, I wondered, had I become so overwhelmed once again that I didn’t even know how I was feeling?

Suddenly, it came to me that it’s not about insight or action; it’s about being present. I may now understand many of the psychological and spiritual dimensions of my relationship with clutter and even do what I should to keep my life under control; but until I’m actually living in the moment—and paying attention to what I experience in that moment—losing myself is still just as easy as losing my keys.

Just A Thought …

If you’re approaching the New Year with plans to finally ____(fill in the blank), this book will give you a good dose of humor before you set to task!

Author’s Websites:
www.aclutteredlife.com

www.sealpress.com

ABOUT THE BOOK

Synopsis:

A Cluttered Life: Searching for God, Serenity, and My Missing Keys tells the story of Pesi Dinnerstein’s touching, quirky, and often comic search for order and simplicity amid an onslaught of relentless interruptions. When a chance encounter with an old acquaintance opens her eyes to the extent to which disorder has crept into every corner of her existence, she begins a quest to free herself of the excess baggage she carries with her and finds—to her great surprise—that the answers she has spent a lifetime searching for lie within her own piles of clutter.

Dinnerstein’s battle with chaos takes her on an odyssey of self-discovery that leads from the mess spilling out of her closets and the backseat of her car to the more subtle forms of disorder in her everyday life and, finally, to the most hidden expressions deep within herself. In the end—with the help of devoted friends, a twelve-step recovery program, and a bit of Kabbalistic wisdom—her struggle with the things of this world is transformed from a distraction along the way into its own journey of healing and personal growth. At turns insightful, unsettling, and wildly funny, A Cluttered Life describes how one woman found her true self—and spiritual clarity—while trying to make sense of her muddled world.

THANKS TO THE AUTHOR, PESI DINNERSTEIN
I HAVE ONE BOOK OF HER MEMOIR TO GIVE AWAY

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE

DISCLAIMER

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,

in exchange for my honest review.

No items that I receive

are ever sold…they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

Book Giveaway, Giveaway

GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “A CLUTTERED LIFE by PESI DINNERSTEIN ENDED

CMash February 2, 2012 24 Comments

FEBRUARY 2nd to FEBRUARY 16th, 2012

A CLUTTERED LIFE

by PESI DINNERSTEIN

SYNOPSIS:

A Cluttered Life: Searching for God, Serenity, and My Missing Keys tells the story of Pesi Dinnerstein’s touching, quirky, and often comic search for order and simplicity amid an onslaught of relentless interruptions. When a chance encounter with an old acquaintance opens her eyes to the extent to which disorder has crept into every corner of her existence, she begins a quest to free herself of the excess baggage she carries with her and finds—to her great surprise—that the answers she has spent a lifetime searching for lie within her own piles of clutter.

Dinnerstein’s battle with chaos takes her on an odyssey of self-discovery that leads from the mess spilling out of her closets and the backseat of her car to the more subtle forms of disorder in her everyday life and, finally, to the most hidden expressions deep within herself. In the end—with the help of devoted friends, a twelve-step recovery program, and a bit of Kabbalistic wisdom—her struggle with the things of this world is transformed from a distraction along the way into its own journey of healing and personal growth. At turns insightful, unsettling, and wildly funny, A Cluttered Life describes how one woman found her true self—and spiritual clarity—while trying to make sense of her muddled world.

THANKS TO AUTHOR, PESI DINNERSTEIN

I HAVE ONE ( 1 ) COPY OF THIS
MEMOIR TO GIVE AWAY.
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN.

*ALL COMMENTS TO BE SEPARATE*
AND INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: DO YOU FEEL THAT

YOU HAVE A CLUTTERED LIFE?*

*EXTRA ENTRIES*

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU PUBLICLY FOLLOW THIS

BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.

*REMEMBER TO INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ALL ENTRIES.

*U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY*
*NO P.O. BOXES*
**HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

*GIVEAWAY ENDS FEBRUARY 16th AT 6PM EST*

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RANDOM.ORG AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

DISCLAIMER / RULES

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
the giveaway on behalf of the
above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in
exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are
ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.

I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed

Continue reading “GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “A CLUTTERED LIFE by PESI DINNERSTEIN ENDED“ →

Booking Thru Thursday

Booking Through Thursday

CMash February 2, 2012 3 Comments

HUGE FAVOR TO ASK: Due to the move to WordPress, I had to re-register my account with NetWorkedBlogs. If you are interested in following me in that manner, please join (right sidebar). Especially since GFC, from what I hear will be no longer, within the coming months. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

http://btt2.wordpress.com

Today’s question
A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.
heidenkind asks:
Have you ever read a random book left in a waiting room or on a park bench, etc., and did you like it?

My answer:
Great question. However, I can’t say that this has ever happened to me, at least that I remember.