Happy Halloween Eve! Are you ready for the boo-tiful ghosts and goblins to visit? Have you prepared so not to anger the spirits? Ha! I’m stocked with chocolate and ready to watch scary movies, eat pumpkin pie and gorge on Hershey bars. My inner kid is looking forward to The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and then some delicious version of Dracula.

My childhood memories are so tender and precious about Halloween. I looked forward to the changing leaves (in Illinois) and the cooler nights. We dressed warmly under our costumes and dashed out in the twilight to threaten our neighbors into surrendering their candy. “Trick or Treat, smell my feet, gimme something good to eat!”  (The implied threat was if you don’t, we’ll be mean to you.) Then the neighbors would either recoil in mock fear and pass out candy OR first insist that we perform a trick, which meant do a dance, sing a song, tell a joke or some such thing, and then handed over the candy. How we lived for this one night of uninhibited wild joy. We could be anyone and anything we wished.

And when the night was over and we’d robbed  visited every house, we gathered at my house (or someone’s) where parents watched us dump our haul and trade as parental watchful eyes looked out for anything strange in our goodies. 

I miss those days when we could play in masks without drug dealers, pedophiles, drive by shootings or kidnappings, gang’s on corners or any fear whatsoever other than would we miss out on the best candy at Mrs-so and so’s house. 

But I still enjoy the holiday and I decorate and remember, share little goodies with friends and act just as crazy this time of year as convention will allow. I am, after all, a Halloween lover and I think it influenced my stories and books. And speaking of books…..

So now to your treats! On my monthly live Facebook chat Oct 28, I reminded watchers of some upcoming events. First, my vampire poetry, By Light Betrayed, is on the last days of its sale. You can get this in ebook for 99 CENTS! And the book has color photography. On Nov 1, the ebook returns to $3.99 and will NEVER EVER go on sale again. So now is the time. My treat to you.

Next, my new book, Time and Blood is available to pre-order. This is the first book in my new paranormal romance series, Evening Bower.  The prequel was The Gypsy Thorn and sets up the events in the new book. You can pre-order TIME AND BLOOD and be sure of the sale price of 99 cents.

And here’s my treat — the first five people who comment (with more than just a hi) can receive A FREE Time and Blood ebook!!!!!  But you have to comment today, Oct 30!

I also promised some drink recipes. So let the spirits soar!  Here you go:

**Vampire’s Kiss (a personal favorite)**

3 oz Cranberry juice (unsweetened)
2 oz. Chambord
2 oz Raspberry Vodka (Cherry works too)

Shake gently, add a couple ice cubes and pour into a martini glass.

 **Dracula’s Brew (men like this one especially)**

 2 oz Applejack
1 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz red grenadine syrup

Combine in a shaker, add ice, shake, pour!

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Books! During my chat I mentioned some good Halloween reference books for authors looking for references of extra, unique info. Here are four links.

The Deluxe Transitive Vampire.  Gypsy Magic.  Wicked Plants.  Tarot for Writers.

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There you have it. FREE ebooks! Great drinks. Cool books to add to your library.  And More ——

AUTHOR SIGNING:  I will be in Columbia, SC for Authors Invade Columbia book event/signing on Nov 11. COME OUT/COME DOWN. I’m looking forward to seeing you. Tickets are $12 but I may be able to get a free couple tickets if you comment and tell me you’re coming and you need one. Do it FAST.

AUTHOR RADIO Appearance! I’ll be on Yvonne Mason’s OFF THE CHAIN blogtalk radio on Nov 2 at 8pm. Tune in for the hour as I talk with Yvonne about the new book, the prequel, and anything else that makes us laugh or strikes our fancy. She is the best and you’ll love listening to her. Call in to ask questions too!

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Don’t forget, November is National Novel Writing Month – if you want to follow along with me, I will be reporting my DAILY progress on my Facebook Author page. And I will give you my weekly progress here on the blog, every Monday. Or buddy up with me on the website and I’m poetphoenix. I hope you’ll join me on this adventure in writing.

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Now, go out and enjoy the Halloween season. Listen to the leaves as they whisper the secrets of Autumn. Listen as the wind whispers to the trees. Let your inner child laugh and play. 

Happy Halloween, readers. I’m blowing candy kisses!
I remain, Yours Between the Lines,
Sherry

November brings a delightful sensory overload of autumn colors as the landscape trades green for crimson and burnt umber. Delicious aromas tempt our palates with hints of apple and pumpkin pie. And leaves skitter across pavements as winter winds whisper of cooler nights and the approaching holidays. But November for me, and for many millions of other writers, heralds the beginning of something else…something wicked this way comes! National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo.

So, exactly what is this thing that has social media buzzing and writers around the globe stocking up on chocolate, coffee, wine and notebooks?

NaNoWriMo (nanowrimo.org) is a writing challenge: complete a novel of 50,000 words during the month of November. It sounds daunting, right? Novice writers, journalists, bloggers, and established authors from around the world accept this gauntlet toss. “Time to write your novel!” is the cry that echoes from libraries, coffee houses, living rooms, dorm rooms, church basements, kitchen tables, and park benches. I answer the call again this year with classic excitement and this will be my sixth consecutive year.

Today, my hope is to help you feel this same enthusiasm and why you should join me.

Whether you are an author with several books, a studying writer, or just someone who thinks they might like to try writing a novel, there are several lessons and takeaways from this month of self-torture.

First, by participating in NaNoWriMo, you announce to the world that you have a voice needing expression. Perhaps you like telling short stories or children’s tales. Maybe you prefer sitting up late and thinking of spine chilling ghost stories. Does heart-palpitating romance get your blood racing? Or would you rather be a cop on a beat in 2250 fighting off dangerous robot robbers. Vampire hunters anyone? Or maybe now is the time to tell your grandmother’s story, the one she has shied away from because she’s too humble to recount her youthful exploits. Whatever your genre or reason, whatever your experience or lack of it, NaNo offers everyone a chance to attempt storytelling.

Another joy of NaNo is no one has to see what you write. This isn’t a show and tell. You only need to share your work if you wish. Though the fun of the process is sometimes reading pieces of your work to others (who also read theirs to you) and laughing over particularly funny or out of context moments. After all, you must produce 50,000 words and they don’t always make sense. And they probably are hard won. Because NaNo teaches you to swallow your inner editor and just write. A valuable lesson to learn and carry into your future.

Most writers and participants fear the word count. That’s 1,667 words a day. Although it may not sound very daunting, you soon discover how tricky it is. There are days when you write like crazy. And other days when you can barely find ten good words. Don’t forget your life will keep interrupting you. Kids, family, job, neighbors, your pets, sleep – all things that will be roadblocks. NaNo is nothing if not challenging. To add to the confusion we have holidays and school breaks at the end of the month so better plan for those, too.

Truthfully, I never focus too long on the word count. It’s a goal, and there are rewards and prizes if you achieve it. However, that’s not really the point of NaNo. What you learn is that where there is a will, you make a way. You learn to make time to write. You establish a writing habit, a daily, butt-in-chair attitude. Surprisingly, writing daily gradually becomes a craving and a need, like breathing. It only takes two weeks to make a habit and three weeks to make that habit stick. We’re going to have four weeks to perfect our compulsion. We’re golden!

Most of all, NaNoWriMo provides a chance to interact with other writers, people like you who feel the need to stretch their inky nibs and see what tale sleeps just beneath the muse’s surface.

I mentioned that even established writers participate in NaNoWriMo. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern (took her two NaNo’s) were products of this crazy, writing month. My novels (Midnight Assassin, Breaking the Glass Slipper, The Gypsy Thorn, and Time and Blood) all began from an outline and 30 days of NaNoWriMo!

NaNo gives you the chance to discover the writer sleeping in you and the stories you have waiting to explode. You may discover there’s more to you than you ever imagined because you gave yourself a chance to find out. A leap of faith in your storytelling ability.

That’s why I NaNo and why you should, too.

Join me at nanowrimo.org, my username is poetphoenix. I’ll gladly be your writing buddy even if you aren’t in my region (Charlotte, NC). C’mon, we’ll do this together and have some fun! And don’t worry about being alone — millions others, just like us, will be doing it too. 

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REMINDERS:  Time and Blood is available for pre-order here. If you’ve read The Gypsy Thorn, then you are ready for this new paranormal romance series, Evening Bower. Going to be quite a ride folks, so come with me.

ALSO:  The ebook version of By Light Betrayed-Poetry of the Vampires, is only ON SALE for 99cents during OCTOBER. On Nov 1 it goes back up to $3.99. So get a copy now and enjoy some seductive and creepy vampire poems. Just…leave the light on. There is also a preview of Midnight Assassin – A Tale of Lust and Revenge in the back! So 99cents is a great value.

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Finally, please join me for my monthly Fireside with the Phoenix Facebook LIVE chat on Saturday, October 28 at 11 a.m. EDT. I’ll be talking NaNo, show you some books to help you with your scary writing, and I’m going to make a Vampire’s Kiss LIVE (that’s a drink). So come for the fun – it’s only about 15 minutes. I will answer questions live, too.

Okay I’m off to stock up on coffee, cream, chocolate, snacks, pencils and paper for the printer. See you next week as we celebrate Halloween with some creepy good fun.(Now go register for NaNo).

As always thank you for dropping by.
I remain, Yours Between the Lines,
Sherry

Happy Monday! Happy May!

I’m a little remiss on my poetry but today I want to present the winning poems of April’s Poetry Contest. Congratulations to them again and I hope you enjoy reading these as much as we judges enjoyed reading them

1st Place 
INSPIRED INSANITY by Coralie Rowe

Inspiration does come
And it also does go
What inspires me to write
I really don’t know

Sometimes it is
The whisper of a word
Other times it is a thought
That’s really quite absurd

I dream of oceans
Being kissed by the moon
I envision creepy specters
That would make you swoon

I paint visions in my mind
Using words as my art
Some are dark and spooky
While others are from my heart

Just little random words
I write as they come to me
A joyous culmination
Of inspiration and insanity
***

2nd Place
Words Expressed by David Jacks

I don’t always find my words
too easily expressed.
So if I were to speak them,
sometimes they are suppressed.

But if pen touches paper,
such worlds I can create.
It then frees me from my own,
as if lifting a weight.

Cut the strings that hold me down.
Please tie me up no more.
Let loose feelings once secret
and open wide the door.

I can’t do this on my own.
Writing helps me to find,
all the things that were once sealed
somewhere deep in my mind.

For all the thoughts left behind,
I must pour out my soul.
Forever searching for them,
just to make myself whole.
***

3rd Place
A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS by James Matthews Byers

The subtle sound of soothing calm-
A bumblebee in flight;
Anointed treasure in my palm-
Considerate delight;
Amazement on a newborn’s face-
Transitions, foot to mouth;
Impressions of a living space-
The springtime in the South;
Combustion of a beating heart-
Removed from single life;
Conditioning a humble start-
A husband and a wife;
Perplexing rhythm of a song-
Commanding vocal cord;
The distance, short or ever long-
The pen, a mighty sword;
Forever in a lover’s eyes-
The sigh of falling fast;
Chameleons in their disguise-
The colors floating past;
Commencement of a wild parade-
An alter full of hope;
The jester and his vast charade-
The hangman and his rope;
Surrender to the burning fire-
Intrinsic is the fuse;
And so these many things inspire-
Combined, they are my Muse …
***

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Thank you to everyone who participated but a huge Congratulations to the winners! And a big thank you to the judges as well to the authors who contributed their work for prizes!

Speaking of poetry and awards, my poetry book, THE BOOK OF NOW, just won it’s second award! First I won a Silver Award for Poetry in the 2017 eLit Book Awards and now I’m the winner of —- drum roll —————-

2017 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite, Book Cover Non-Fiction

I must say I had an idea for my book cover and I knew how I wanted it to look. BUT I am NOT a designer and I am pleased that Marisa-rose Shor of Cover Me Darling created the most fabulous book cover for me. She translated my wishes perfectly and designed a beautiful custom cover (from scratch, no stock pictures photographs). Thank you, Marisa! I share this award with you.

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NOW– NEW BOOK COVER REVEAL!! I’m so excited! My newest book is about to be released. Now I can share the book cover with you (also designed by Marisa-rose Shor) and with model Haleyy Loan. I’m delighted to present the new book, THE GYPSY THORN.

Isn’t it awesome?? Stay tuned because the release will be this month. And you will want to get your copy. This is a prequel novel that sets up the Evening Bower series. The first book is projected for October 2017. That’s right. THIS YEAR.

So, read my Midnight Assassin – A Tale of Lust and Revenge and follow that one up with The Gypsy Thorn. Then you will be ready for the first in the new series.

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Thank you everyone for your continued support of my books and for checking in here. Please feel free to leave comments (I moderate them but they go up the same day in most cases). And also continue to send me questions via my contact sheet or on my Facebook Author Page. I love hearing from you and I will answer your questions on my next live chat, this month.

Yours Between the Lines,
Sherry