Jul 31, 2012
Blog Hop Prizes to be Awarded
The hop ends shortly, and there will be winners! I will notify the winners of the dystopian lit contest this weekend. I hope you don't mind the short wait, but my family and I are moving tomorrow. I'll need just a little time to catch up with regards to prizes. Don't worry, I won't forget!
Jul 29, 2012
Scavenger Hunt
As part of the Summer Splash Blog Hop, I'm taking part in Melissa Smith's scavenger hunt. You can find the answer below!
Jul 28, 2012
Can You Keep the 777 Challenge Going?
Okay, my turn! The 777 Challenge is when authors showcase seven sentences from either page 7 or page 77 of their work-in-progress. I was nominated by Brad Fleming who was nominated by Joe McCoubrey who was nominated by Susan Condon. You get the idea.
I'm currently about a third of the way through the third book of my Reliance on Citizens trilogy, to be published later this year. The first book, Price of a Bounty, is free today and tomorrow and is also part of a prize package in the Summer Splash Blog Hop! (scroll down to learn more)
Here are seven sentences from page seven:
Again he said, “You always knew you were a guest in Mediterra. What was done to you, though beyond your control, is highly illegal.”
A new thought occurred to me. “Have you jeopardized relations with Terene by keeping me on for so long? Maybe you shouldn't have let me stay.”
He smiled. “Always thinking of others...President Leclair would be a fool not to notice all the good you've done."
So now I'll pass on the challenge to seven authors I admire, in no particular order:
Sarah Williams
Andrew Augustine
R.K. Ryals
Jay Merin
Rhodora M. Fitzgerald
Troy McCombs
Walter Eckland
I'm currently about a third of the way through the third book of my Reliance on Citizens trilogy, to be published later this year. The first book, Price of a Bounty, is free today and tomorrow and is also part of a prize package in the Summer Splash Blog Hop! (scroll down to learn more)
Here are seven sentences from page seven:
Again he said, “You always knew you were a guest in Mediterra. What was done to you, though beyond your control, is highly illegal.”
A new thought occurred to me. “Have you jeopardized relations with Terene by keeping me on for so long? Maybe you shouldn't have let me stay.”
He smiled. “Always thinking of others...President Leclair would be a fool not to notice all the good you've done."
So now I'll pass on the challenge to seven authors I admire, in no particular order:
Sarah Williams
Andrew Augustine
R.K. Ryals
Jay Merin
Rhodora M. Fitzgerald
Troy McCombs
Walter Eckland
Jul 24, 2012
Brief Description of Prizes
3 Lucky Winners of my Giveaway will win their choice of ebook packages. Please scroll down to the next post and add your comments about dystopian literature.
Package #1: 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Two classics of dystopian literature. "Big Brother is watching," is a common phrase that comes from 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 describes a future in which books have been banned.
Package #2: The Giver and Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
These two companion YA novels tell of a future in which some communities have chosen strict control over the citizens while others rely on survival of the fittest.
Both packages will also include ebooks of the Reliance on Citizens trilogy by S.L. Wallace: Price of a Bounty, Canvas Skies and Heart of Humanity.
My trilogy examines a future in which there is no middle class. The reader gets to experience the Divide through a variety of viewpoints offered by different characters. As the trilogy progresses, the Resistance works to close the Divide and bring everyone together. The final book, to be released later this year, examines the consequences on a variety of people of all ages.
Package #1: 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Two classics of dystopian literature. "Big Brother is watching," is a common phrase that comes from 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 describes a future in which books have been banned.
Package #2: The Giver and Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
These two companion YA novels tell of a future in which some communities have chosen strict control over the citizens while others rely on survival of the fittest.
Both packages will also include ebooks of the Reliance on Citizens trilogy by S.L. Wallace: Price of a Bounty, Canvas Skies and Heart of Humanity.
My trilogy examines a future in which there is no middle class. The reader gets to experience the Divide through a variety of viewpoints offered by different characters. As the trilogy progresses, the Resistance works to close the Divide and bring everyone together. The final book, to be released later this year, examines the consequences on a variety of people of all ages.
Jul 23, 2012
Ebook Giveaway
For my Summer Splash Blog Hop Giveaway, I'm asking visitors to explain their interest in dystopian fiction. Why do you enjoy reading dystopian fiction? What is it about dark alternate realities that thrills you? What are some of your favorite dystopian titles? Let's get a discussion started! To enter the contest, click on the Rafflecopter link on the right.
We are animals too!
Why do some people feel the need to distance themselves from life around us? I've heard people say, "I'm not an animal!" Then I have to wonder, "So what are you? A plant? A mineral? Something else?"
Thinking that humans are something else, something removed from and even better than other living things, is dangerous. Knowing that we are animals too connects us to the Earth. We are more likely to be compassionate toward others when we understand this connection.
I think birth and death are two instances when we feel the strength of this connection. People "oh" and "ah" when they see babies, whether they're baby humans, baby birds or baby crocodiles. Let's face it, babies are cute, and they entice a feeling of protection out of most of us. Death. I cannot think of any other time when I've seen animals demonstrate their feelings more clearly. When they play, when they mate, when they teach their young...we can say that all of these actions can be attributed to instinct, but I can't say the same about death.
Three instances immediately come to mind:
Driving home from the store one day, I saw a red-winged blackbird swooping away when cars drove past and then immediately return to the road. As I drew closer, I saw another red-winged blackbird dead on the road, hit by a car. I drove past and wondered, was it a mate, a child? Although I was already running late, I called my husband and told him what I had to do. I returned and removed the dead bird from the road. I didn't think I could live with myself if I let another bird get hit because it was in mourning. As I removed the now lifeless carcass to the tall grass on the side of the road, I noticed many more red-winged blackbirds watching me from perches within the grass.
Years ago, I noticed two baby raccoons on the side of the highway, waiting next to their dead mother. It was a Sunday, and I didn't know who to call. I felt helpless. Now, I know to call the non-emergency police number. Did you know they have a key to the local humane society and will drop off animals during non-work hours? I don't know that they'd do the same for a wild animal, but I'm sure they know who to contact.
Yesterday, I noticed two squirrels in the other lane of a local street. One was dead, hit by a car. The other's actions spoke clearly, "Get up! Chase me! Get out of the road!"
It concerns me when I see dead animals on the side of the road. I understand that it is not always possible to avoid an animal, but I also understand that some people think it's fun to try and hit them. Why don't they recognize their connection to other life? Why can't they see that this hurts them as well as others? What if it were two baby humans instead of raccoons, and their mother had just been struck down? Would those same people drive on by? What if it were a teenager skateboarding in the road? Would those same people try to target him with their car? I think not, but is it really so different?
Thinking that humans are something else, something removed from and even better than other living things, is dangerous. Knowing that we are animals too connects us to the Earth. We are more likely to be compassionate toward others when we understand this connection.
I think birth and death are two instances when we feel the strength of this connection. People "oh" and "ah" when they see babies, whether they're baby humans, baby birds or baby crocodiles. Let's face it, babies are cute, and they entice a feeling of protection out of most of us. Death. I cannot think of any other time when I've seen animals demonstrate their feelings more clearly. When they play, when they mate, when they teach their young...we can say that all of these actions can be attributed to instinct, but I can't say the same about death.
Three instances immediately come to mind:
Driving home from the store one day, I saw a red-winged blackbird swooping away when cars drove past and then immediately return to the road. As I drew closer, I saw another red-winged blackbird dead on the road, hit by a car. I drove past and wondered, was it a mate, a child? Although I was already running late, I called my husband and told him what I had to do. I returned and removed the dead bird from the road. I didn't think I could live with myself if I let another bird get hit because it was in mourning. As I removed the now lifeless carcass to the tall grass on the side of the road, I noticed many more red-winged blackbirds watching me from perches within the grass.
Years ago, I noticed two baby raccoons on the side of the highway, waiting next to their dead mother. It was a Sunday, and I didn't know who to call. I felt helpless. Now, I know to call the non-emergency police number. Did you know they have a key to the local humane society and will drop off animals during non-work hours? I don't know that they'd do the same for a wild animal, but I'm sure they know who to contact.
Yesterday, I noticed two squirrels in the other lane of a local street. One was dead, hit by a car. The other's actions spoke clearly, "Get up! Chase me! Get out of the road!"
It concerns me when I see dead animals on the side of the road. I understand that it is not always possible to avoid an animal, but I also understand that some people think it's fun to try and hit them. Why don't they recognize their connection to other life? Why can't they see that this hurts them as well as others? What if it were two baby humans instead of raccoons, and their mother had just been struck down? Would those same people drive on by? What if it were a teenager skateboarding in the road? Would those same people try to target him with their car? I think not, but is it really so different?
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