Dealing with Autoimmune Disorders

by Grace Augustine, Author

www.graceaugustine.weebly.com

Chief Mountain, Montana

I was born and raised in Northern Montana. Upon graduation from high school, I moved into my own place with a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains...more specifically, Chief Mountain. 

    Many mornings, and early evenings, I spent on the deck of my mobile home watching the ever changing mountain. Some days it would be clouded over, some days it was clear as ever. The mountain never changed, but the appearance did.

    I was a fairly active young adult: going to the local bars for music and drinks with friends on Friday evenings, weekend outings to Glacier National Park, and house parties with friends.

    My young adult years took me from Montana to Portland, Oregon. Thirty-six years ago, I moved from Portland to Iowa, married, and the rest is history.

    In 2003 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system. I no longer could walk long distances, had headaches, terrible fatigue...and knew I had to find new normals. 

    It hasn't been an easy road...but one I wouldn't trade for anything. Because, you see, many people have crossed my path that never would have had I not been diagnosed with this disease.  

    Today, I have moved into the secondary progressive stage of this disease. While I may have it, it does not have me!  Each day I count my blessings that I can still see, hear, and get out of bed and hopefully affect the lives of those on  my path in a positive way.

If you'd like to know more about me and my journey with MS, and about the disease itself, please have a look at the above book. http://a.co/dlZfTQj

Far Away Fruits #OurAuthorGang

FAR AWAY FRUITS

by

Rick Haynes

Have you ever felt the need to write something completely alien to your normal, modus operandi? Something way out of your comfort zone?
Frustrated with the speed at which my novel was proceeding, I needed a break from all writing activities. I took a holiday. On returning, I needed a quick tune-up, to get the literary juices flowing once more, paddling in the shallows rather than diving into the deep end.
I saw a picture of fruit and nuts in a bowl, and Far Away Fruits was born.
Here is an extract. I would be grateful to receive your comments, as well as telling me – be gentle, even though I’m a fruit and nut-case – what I should do with my zany tale.

FAR AWAY FRUITS 
The news had finally come through on the grapevine, causing a tremendous ripple over a multitude of excited skins.
Planning and constant arguments had taken up the best part of fifty years, but at last the act had been enshrined in the law of the land, and with the decree issued, the voyage of discovery could begin.
The Fruity-Etonians and their friends, the Notorious Nuts, would finally be allowed to undertake the most difficult and dangerous journey that their races had ever attempted.
They would invade Planet London.
To a fanfare from the Royal Gala ensemble of Apples, the selection of luscious fruits and hard nuts entered their Space Tractor of the void. Taking their assigned places in the heart of the mighty vessel, they settled down for the long voyage that lay ahead.
Asleep in their refrigerated containers the dreams of the Fruity-Etonians wandered like seeds in the wind. Sunshine and rain, the dry and the wet, the seasons swept through their minds as they slumbered in contented bliss.
Eventually the temperature rose inside the cabin and the occupants stirred. After so much time in space destiny awaited them, and, eager to embrace it, they rushed to the port holes to watch the mightiest space ship of their race descend on a sparkling beam of gold and red. Many sought the comfort of others, some stood in silence, yet all felt the sap rising inside them. Whilst their Space Tractor left the dark sky afire with its wake, the Fruity-Etonians looked downwards in trepidation. Speculating about their arrival, some huddled close together, asking questions, the noise growing into one incoherent din. Elsewhere the Nuts cracked a few jokes, wondering what all the fuss was about.
Landing in Trafalgar Square proved easier than anticipated, as only the few remaining pigeons greeted them. Flying in disgust over the gleaming Space Tractor, now covered in poo, the birds soared upwards to the top of Nelson’s Column and looked down on the unwelcome visitors with disinterest.
As the first light of a new dawn appeared over the horizon, the doors opened, the gangway shot down and the proud banner of the Fruity-Etonians was unfurled. Out they came, slipping and sliding behind their flag of a hundred colours, as proud as the day they first budded on a tree.
Juicy Tangerine, tightly enclosed in her amber coloured onesie led the way, soon followed by her close friend Monsieur Orange. Back home every fruit wanted to be like them. Many of the unripe had even dyed their skins fluorescent orange, whilst others had spent hours under their idols colourful tree house awaiting autographs. With sales of their merchandise climbing ever higher, the succulent pair had made plans for even more public appearances on their return.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK46CpCUi0IA-mSjTYEf1bw                                            
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rick-Haynes/e/B00CK8IXFO/
http://www.rickhaynesauthor.com/

Maps, maps, and more maps

by Rich Feitelberg

feitelberg.net

Let's talk about maps and their role is the world building process.

Wait a minute! Why do I need a map? I don't write about fantasy stories. 

Well, first of all maps aren't just for fantasy stories. And second, most stories will benefit from thinking about the locations featured in them and placing them in the larger context of the world in which they exist. You may not need many maps and you may not even have to create them yourself but even a short story about a single location could benefit from a map. It can be a simple floor plan where the action takes but it's a good idea to plan a little so the story can flow naturally around and through the location. 

Of course, some genres scream for maps more than others. Fantasy stories pretty much requires a fair bit of world building and lots of maps. You need maps of towns and the surrounding area and you need area/world maps showing typography, vegetation, resources, political boundaries, wind currents, ocean currents, latitude, roads and, trade routes. You don't need all this all at once and if you apply Tenet 1, then you’ll only build want you need as you need it.

Space faring stories may need maps of planets and star systems.

Period places and historical fiction may benefit from maps of the period.

And if you write some other genre you may find a map here or there beneficial because it helps you describe a location.

Obviously depending on the needs of your story, you may be able to find the maps you need as you research for information about your world. This is most likely for historical fiction and stories involving real life locations. But others genres require you to create your own maps.

How do you do that? Well, you need a graphics program like Photoshop so you can create them. Another option to investigate is random generators. They can create world or area maps quickly if you don't care about the shape or typography of the world. If you do, you need to roll up your sleeves and draw something yourself.

I use Photoshop for my map of Thalacia because the roads are in one layer, the vegetation is in other, and so on. I use a trick from wargaming and place a hex grid on the map so and figure out where to place trees, coastlines, cities,and other objects. Hex grids are used to simulate natural boundaries. The grid is in its own layer so I can hide it easily.

To create town maps, I’m using a new program I found called Cityographer. It does some of the work for you and then I export the map and edit it in Photoshop.

For floor plans I use Dungeonographer and draw what I need.

As you can see there's a lot to do, which why Tenet 1 is so important, only create what you need.

So with a few maps and some general notes on the world, you’re ready to take a deep dive. Actually you'll need several. We'll look at one those next time.

Happy world building!

Research – How it can change a story #OurAuthorGang

Research – How it can change a story

While a fair amount of research can be done via the web, I find that the most effective understandings come from real world experiences.

In 2014, I was researching the suspense novel Dot to Dot and finagled an invite to a wheat farm in northern Michigan. I wanted to see and touch the seeding and harvesting equipment. After climbing about and inside the massive thresher and other heavy duty vehicles, I turned my questions about the crop seasons to the farm owner, who said, “I can tell you about the spring planting, but to get a sense of the size, how about we go up in the sky and take a look?”

Five minutes later, I was in the back seat of a paper thin, fragile crop duster, roaring across a clearing the size of a football field, then aloft, skimming the farm lands at about sixty feet above. No airport, no flight plan, just the owner and I going out for a little spin. In the sky.

We were up for an hour, covering miles of fields, lifting only for power lines and the taller trees. My seat in this paper mache aircraft was made of rattling aluminum and the tail fin cables worked back and forth at my elbows. When we turned, and we made many of those, the wingtip appeared to be inches off the dirt.

Needless to say, this was a delightful experience that changed the focus of a section of the novel. The road trip I had sketched for Pierce Danser then became a flight; a brave and terrifying new experience for him.

Have your own research adventures that you would like to share? Send them along!

All the best,

Greg Jolley

The Danser Novels

Links:

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8261931.Greg_Jolley\

FB – author page: https://www.facebook.com/gfjolle/

Twitter: @gfjolle

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gfjolle/

Website: www.gregjolley.net

Email: gfjolle@sbcglobal.net

 A Small Gang of Authors

https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com

All the Danser novels are available at select bookstores and:

http://amzn.to/2o4tIob

Love's an Adventure at Any Age Part 2 #OurAuthorGang

     by Grace Augustine

As a high school student, I fell in love with the idea of falling in love. I read Harlequins when Harlequins were sweet with nothing more than a kiss or thought. My favorite books were from authors Janet Dailey, Anne Mather, and Grace Livingston Hill.

    In my early 20's, I gravitated toward self-help books. I think that was because I was the Administrative Assistant to the Offices of Student Services at Western States Chiropractic College. (Say that ten times really fast!)
    Soon marriage and children came along and the only books I read were Dr. Seuss and Good Night, Moon...over and over and over.

     Now that my life is void of children or grandchildren who need my undivided attention,  I've come full circle and am embracing romance/love again.
     The thing about love...it is timeless. It has no boundaries except those we put on it.
     The tag-line for my Acorn Hills series... "Acorn Hills--Where Love is Ageless and Dreams are Reality" sums up the feel of this series. You can be in love and be loved at any age. We don't have to put numbers on it--you don't have to be 25, 35 or 40. My characters are in their 60's by the time the books end and still very much in love.
     An excerpt from Mystic Capers, Book 2 of the Acorn Hills Series.
http://a.co/9RatJc2

    "Charles pulled away from his daughter and looked down at her. He still saw the younger version of his wife in her. Her eyes, her hair, her spirit were all Kathleen O'Reilly Farnsworth. He smiled and pulled Ginger back to him, resting his chin on her head.

        “That’s another thing, are you sure that you are doing the right thing by moving in with Jordan, that you aren’t just doing this because you don’t have the apartment any longer?”

        “Daddy, I’m hopelessly in love with Jordan. I don’t know if he’s there yet, but my heart is his. Yes, I’m confident that what I’m doing is the right thing for me. I love him, Daddy,” Ginger confessed.

        “Then, honey, that’s all that matters. Jordan seems a good, responsible man. He’s the type that will take care of you. Trust me, dear girl, I see in his eyes when he looks at you the love I felt for your mother when I first laid eyes on her. You’ll be happy with this man, Ginger. Just be open and honest. Be you and ‘love the stuffin’ oot o’ him’ as your mother would say.” They both chuckled at that."

Author Confession: I Broke Two Cardinal Writing Rules and I’m Glad #OurAuthorGang #POTL

I Broke Two Cardinal Writing Rules and I’m Glad

by

N. N. Light

I admit it, guilty as charged. My name is Mrs. N, one-half of the bestselling N. N. Light, and I broke the first rule in writing: never write about yourself or real life in a novel. The truth is I am happy I did both and here's why. I was inspired to write Princess of the Light through a chance encounter with a homeless man.

I first got the idea for our debut novel one chilly morning back in 2012. It was a cold wintry morning and I was walking to the grocery store. I happened to look across the street and what I saw made me stop in my tracks. A homeless man was sitting on a curb next to the gas station. He wasn't holding a sign or asking for money. His eyes were closed and his head was uplifted to the sky. There was such a contented and happy look in his weathered face. It took my breath away.

I wondered how he became homeless and if there was some way I could help him. I continued on with my day but my thoughts were filled with him and his plight. Who is he? Could I help him?

As the days and months passed, I saw him every day. He kept to himself and never begged for money. Instead, he walked the length of our town. Yes, he walked the length of the town. Every time I saw him, I nodded and said good morning. The simple act of kindness didn't seem like a big deal to me but to him, it was as if I had given him the sun. I started leaving food and clothing for him. The more kindness I showed, the happier he appeared.

Rule #1: Never write about real life in fiction

I knew in my heart it was my calling to tell his story. He isn't some nameless face; he's someone's son, brother, grandson, uncle, father, husband, and/or friend. If I had the power, I would be his protector and free him from the darkness keeping him prisoner. He would no longer be the forgotten man.

I made a promise to myself to donate part of the proceeds to food banks if our book got published. I am keeping my promise and through our marketing, people are donating to food banks on their own.

My motto for our book and for my life is spread the Light. It doesn't matter to me what your spiritual beliefs are for everyone has the Light inside them. Spreading the Light comes in many forms but it starts with being kind.

Rule #2: Never write about yourself, especially when it comes to love and romance.

I wrote about my own love story with Mr. N. Gasp! I know you’re in shock and hoping I brought smelling salts. Stick with me for a moment and let me explain. The romantic story between Mary and Joe is simply based on my own love story.

I met Mr. N back in 2001. We actually met online in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer yahoo group and hit it off right away. We both adore Buffy and it was one of many things we had in common. We started out as friends but soon it blossomed into love. Through some uphill battles and insecurities on my part, I broke his heart not once but twice. It pains me to admit it but the second time around, I was truly cruel.

I thought it was over and I had moved on. I joined another Buffy yahoo group in 2003 and as fate would have it, Mr. N was there. Is the Universe trying to tell me something? He and I got to talking one night off-list. I asked for forgiveness and he granted it. We took it turtle-slow and before I knew what happened, I was in love with him. I mean, true love (the hills are alive with the sound of music) and my walls came tumbling down.

Long story short, I moved up north and married him in 2004. A few weeks ago, we celebrated our thirteenth wedding anniversary. Every day, I thank my lucky stars he forgave me and loves me unconditionally. This is my love story and every time I tell it (or Mr. N tells it), people swoon and say how utterly romantic it is. So I incorporated our love story into Princess of the Light.

Giving the rules a heave-ho allows writers the freedom to create irresistible stories.

Sometimes breaking the rules is needed to tell a really great story. I hope you will see how weaving real life with fantasy makes for an irresistible book. More writers should rebel like me and add dashes of real life into their stories.

Title: Princess of the Light

Author: N. N. Light

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Supernatural, Spiritual Romance

Tagline: Mary's the Princess of the Light but her only hope is to make a pact with her enemy.

Blurb: Mary Miller receives a startling visitation from Gabriel, the Messenger of God. The Archangel reveals an astounding truth--Mary is the Princess of the Light and even more amazing, her destiny is to battle Lucifer's army of demons and restore the balance of good and evil on Earth. It's getting harder to fulfill her new role and keep her identity secret while juggling her personal life, and when Than, Lucifer's second in command, amps up the attacks on her, she knows she needs help. Joe Deacons is everything she's ever wanted in a man. And as providence would have it, in a moment of great need, he's the Warrior of Light--the one who can help her defeat the forces of darkness. Not so simple when they confront Lisbeth, a demon hell-bent on usurping Than and Lucifer himself. When Lisbeth wages war and several innocent people die, Mary must form an alliance with her enemy in order to destroy her. But will this be a grave error or the choice that saves their world?

Excerpt:
Marie furrowed her brow and softly interrupted, "André is the Walking Man?" I looked at Marie and asked, "You've heard of him?"

Marie nodded. "Of course. He is a staple of the Downtown area. There are a few groups I'm affiliated with that hand out food and clothing to those in need. He never comes to these events so I leave them by the area where he sleeps." She paused, thoughtfully. "I just can't believe that it is André."

Joe cleared his throat and looked at his father. "What happened to André?"

Alfred sighed and after a moment said, "It really was the fault of that witch he was married to. She and her family treated him horribly. She was a gold digger and all she cared about was money and the prestige."

Marie interrupted Alfred by saying, "I remember her. She was so mean to André and all she cared about was looking rich. Wealth is a gift—she just wanted it for a toy. She treated André so badly... and his mother-in-law was the worst. She would put him down all the time. In front of other people, no less."

Alfred continued, "André was a good man and worked hard. He was working on a big project for the city. He worked night and day on the project and told me it was going to put Golden Lake on the map. "He absolutely adored his daughter, too. I remember that clearly. She was his everything."

Alfred paused, apparently lost in his thoughts. With a sigh he said, "There was a scandal with the project, though, and André got fired. Soon after, Dara left him, took Katherine with her and André fell apart. He started drinking heavily and, without his daughter, his life fell apart."

Joe looked at me and I fought to keep from throwing my hand over my mouth. There was purple fire in his eyes and I felt his anger. I already knew the story of André and I tried to smile at him. I smelled burning flesh. Joe flashed in full armor fighting demons with a golden sword. I gasped at the vision and brought my hand to my chest in shock feeling the key necklace, before I could stop the physical reaction. The necklace weighed heavily as did my heart. He would be fighting at my side soon.

Marie asked, "Are you okay, dear?"

Joe turned to look at his mother. He nodded and only said, "I never knew any of this."

Alfred continued, "I am sorry, son, but you asked for the truth. This is what I know. André was sleeping at the office and drinking all the time. He was supposed to give a presentation to a client and was drunk. He got into a scuffle with his boss and rumor has it, André punched him."

I feigned shock and said, "Oh my!" Than is to blame. I don't know how I know or what happened but I vow to the Lord that I will make Than pay, thought Joe. I choked and almost spit out my drink. I just heard Joe's thoughts! I had to set him straight and right away. I cleared my throat and said awkwardly, "Joe, I think I left something in the car."

Joe looked at me with eyebrows raised. "Excuse me, we'll be right back," I said with a smile.

I walked outside and knew that Joe was right behind me. When I reached the car, I whirled and said in a stern tone, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Joe stopped mid-step and said, "What are you talking about, Mary?"

I ran into his arms and whispered, "You cannot take on Than by yourself! I heard your thoughts in there. Now, I don't know how you know that it was Than who drove André to punching his boss but please promise me that you will not get revenge." I paused to catch my breath and remembered what Gabriel told me. "Joe, in order to defeat the darkness and not become dark ourselves, we need to have a pure heart. We are filled with the Light and our motives must always be to speak the Truth and spread the Light."

Joe took several deep breaths while he held me. He stroked my hair and whispered, "I'm sorry, my angel. I didn't mean to frighten you and you are right. It was just a momentary thought."

I lifted my head and locked eyes with Joe. Tears filled my eyes but I was determined. I bit at my top lip and then whispered, "Promise me you won't put yourself in harm's way."

Hot tears spilled down my cheeks. Joe wiped at them and said in a deep, reassuring tone, "I promise, Mary. I promise I won't be a hothead and I won't be rash." Then, he laid his forehead on mine and whispered, "Please don't cry, darling. Please."

I nodded and whispered, "I would die if I lost you. Than will use you to try to get to me. You are my love, my everything." My voice cracked. "I would die if I lost you," I repeated.

Joe shook my shoulders a little and looked deep into my eyes. "Listen to me, Mary, you will never lose me! Do you hear me? I am by your side now and forever." Overcome with emotion, Joe kissed me.

Buy Links:
Free on Kindle Unlimited
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Light-N-ebook/dp/B00N19FDKO
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/Princess-Light-N-ebook/dp/B00N19FDKO
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Princess-Light-N-ebook/dp/B00N19FDKO
Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/5008419
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23009005-princess-of-the-light

Author Bio: N. N. Light is the husband-wife writing team, commonly known as Mr. N and Mrs. N. Mrs. N. has been creating stories ever since she was little. Her grandfather remembers when she was two years old, she would stand at the top of the stairs and tell him a story filled with emotion (and in a language foreign to him) with her hands on her hips. Let’s just say she was a born storyteller. They’re blissfully happy and love all things chocolate, books, music, movies, art, sports, trains, history, cooking and baking. Their mantra is to spread the Light. Most of the time you can find them on Twitter or getting new ideas on how to spread the Light on Pinterest. They’re a proud member of ASMSG and Independent Author Network. Sign up for their author newsletter and get exclusive content and prizes ow.ly/jWec308TabL In addition to being authors, they’re also book promoters/reviewers, social media marketers/influencers and the owners of N. N. Light Author Promotions. They both love books, have ever since they were young. Matching up books and readers is something that gives them great pleasure.

50% of the proceeds of Princess of the Light go directly to food banks (US and Canada) in order to feed the hungry and help those in need. With only 7,500 books sold, N. N. Light will be able to set up a monthly endowment for the local food bank. They’d love to connect with you either via email or via these various social media sites:

Website: http://princessofthelight.com Blog: http://princessofthelight.wordpress.com Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/nnlight Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-n-light Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NNP_W_Light Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/nnlight LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/n-n-light/90/1a7/902 Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/118060034268079734144/posts Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/nnlight Independent Author Network: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/n-n-light.html iAuthor: http://www.iauthor.uk.com/princess-of-the-light:10294

Footnote: All photos (with the exception of Princess of the Light cover and N. N. Light author picture) are from Pixaby.