Our Guest Today is Author Phil Hall #OurAuthorGang

Let's welcome Phil Hall to our blog today.

Born and raised in Iowa, corn-fed and happy! When I'm not writing, I'm a systems administrator/network administrator for a company in Iowa City. When I'm not working,  I'm with my lovely wife and spending time with my beautiful granddaughters. (I never thought I'd be a Grandpa!)

In my authorly persona, I'm just a guy with a simple dream: tell a story people like. I hope I've accomplished that with my first two novels: Memories of the Dead, and Minimal. For me, it's not about the reviews, it's about connection with others. There's nothing better than when someone reads my stuff and says "Wow!" I live for that. I hope they'll like my next work, too...and the one after that...and the one after that. (I have more than a dozen ideas in little folders on my computer. I can only hope to get to them all)

I'd love to visit with you, so feel free to contact me.

https://twitter.com/philhall1969
https://www.facebook.com/MemoriesoftheDead
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5623701.Phillip_R_Hall

http://a.co/bBylNTa
(for mature readers 18 yrs and older)

Lorcano, when he was a boy of sixteen, was envious of vampires: they were elusive, immortal, strong and powerful. But that was when he was foolish and young; and now, knowing what he knows, he understands that they are nothing but a plague on humanity--a disease that needs to be removed. He despises them because of the things they did, and continue to do, to the unknowing populace: treating humanity like nothing more than cattle. And, for that, they must be destroyed. This, his private journal--his memories--left for those who may find and read it, is a living record of the time when his destiny was first intertwined with unspeakable evil.

http://a.co/ePIBEDS

(for mature readers 18 yrs and older)

The Count is unleashed!  A serial killer has the police on edge. The Count's victims are identified by the tags he's left draped around their necks bearing a single designation: a number. Each removed organ was carefully wrapped in plastic, labeled, and the piecemeal corpse was left to be purposefully found. Previously, victims One and Two were located, Four has just been discovered, and pretty, young Bree Wilson has just disappeared.  Could she be next? With precious little to go on, Detective Zac Toumille and his partner, Jenny Clark, are dragged along in a media circus as the nightmare continues--all in the hope to end the reign of The Count and free the missing Bree before it's too late--before she is reduced to just parts--before she becomes--MINIMAL.

MINIMAL is free for a limited time on Kindle Unlimited (KU.)

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We Write #OurAuthorGang

Enjoy some of our book trailers and book introductions

Muffin's Ear-drops #OurAuthorGang

A short story by

Erika M Szabo

Muffin’s Eardrops

Charlie and Mary got a Labrador puppy from their friend. They never had a dog before, so they were very excited. They treated the puppy like he was their own baby. They chose the best puppy food for the little guy, and they bought lots of toys for him to play with.

Naturally, the puppy preferred to chew their slippers to shreds and ignored the squeaky toys. Mary was knitting doggy sweaters for the winter, and Charlie bought three different doggy beds for him to choose the one he liked the best.

Of course, the puppy chose to sleep on the bathroom rug.

One afternoon Charlie called me and said, “I took Muffin to the vet because he was scratching his ear and cried. The vet said that he has ear mites in his right ear and they gave him ear drops.”

“Okay…” I answered wearily because knowing Charlie, I never knew what to expect when he called. A childhood illness left him with a mild cognitive disability and Mary wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed either. “Did you put the ear drops in his ear?” I asked.

“I can’t decide which one is his right ear!” Charlie replied.

“Umm… what do you mean” I asked, feeling confused. “There is only right ear and left ear. Why is it confusing?”

“Well, when I’m facing Muffin, I touch his right ear with my right hand, so it must be his right ear. But when I stand behind him, I get confused because the ear I touched is now on the left.”

Oh, boy! - I thought - How on Earth am I going to explain this to him over the phone?

“Well, stand behind the dog and touch his right ear with your right hand.” I prompted him.

“Got it!” he answered.

“Now put the phone down and put the ear drops in his right ear.”

“Okay, but don’t hang up!”

“Don’t worry; I’ll stay on the phone.”

I heard rustling, whispering then muffled cursing, and then Charlie picked up the phone and said, “I don’t get it! I can’t put the drops in staying behind Muffin because he keeps turning his head to look me.  But when I face him, I’m confused again about which ear is the right, and which ear is the left.”

Not knowing what to say or how to explain without further confusing him, I had a brilliant idea. “You know what Charlie? Just put the drops in both ears!”

“Are you sure it’s okay? The doctor said his left ear doesn’t have mites.”

“Yes, I am sure. Just put the drops in both of his ears, it wouldn’t hurt him. My friend, Marie is coming up the driveway, Charlie. I must go now, but good luck. I’ll call you later.”

“But wait! Can you come over?"

"I can, but not right now, Charlie. I haven't seen Marie for months and I want to spend some time with her, but I'll go over later."

"Oh... okay," Charlie sighed. "I'll just do it myself. But are you sure it's okay?"

"Charlie, just put the bloody drops in both ears."

"Okay, don't shout! I'll do it."

I felt guilty saying no to the sweet guy but I missed my friend and I was eager to spend some time with her. I'll go over when Marie leaves, I thought and went out to greet her.

I thought the problem was solved and Muffin got his medicine because my phone didn't ring for about an hour. I enjoyed Marie's visit, we had a lot of catching up to do. Then the phone rang and I heard Charlie’s excited voice, “I still wasn’t sure and decided to call the vet. He tried to explain, but then he told me exactly what you said. He said ‘put the bloody drops in both ears’. I did, and Muffin was a very good boy, he let me do it.” He announced happily.

“Fantastic!” I replied feeling happy that the doctor's firm words saved me from spending time with my friend feeling guilty.

Read about me and my books: 

http://online.pubhtml5.com/ahsh/mobl/

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Guess if our blog will or will not reach 100,000 views by December 31st

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#Music, My Muse: part 1 by Toi Thomas #OurAuthorGang

From Pexels.com

I don’t like to use words out of context, but if I’m being honest with myself, I do it all the time. I’m working on not calling every cool thing ‘awesome’ and have always been diligent about not saying ‘I hate’ something that I simply don’t like or agree with… But, when it comes to things that make me happy, bring me joy, or fill me with glee, it’s difficult not to shout from the mountaintops that ‘I love it’, even when I just kind of like it.

With that said, I do, wholeheartedly, love music. I cannot imagine my life without it. If I had to live in a world without music, I can almost guarantee, that I’d be a different person than I am now. In my last series, I talked about angel lore and made the deduction that most major religions and cultures has some idea or variation of angels as part of their doctrine or theology. It’s one of those ideas, that to me, crosses cultural lines. That’s what music is as well.

Music is a movement, an idea, a form of expression that truly can cross language barriers, cultural and racial divides, and even political lines. It brings people, alike and different, together. And the best part of it all; it’s unlimited. There are so many genres and variations of music that there are musical forms that haven’t even been invented yet. Whether ancient, classical, modern, pop, or futuristic, music has and always will inspire, motivate, and convey emotion in a way that even written words can’t sometimes accomplish.

I’ll be exploring the various genres of music I listen to in the series installments to come, and with each article will explain how my work as a writer and blogger has been affected by music. I’ll talk about mood music, playlists, character and setting development, and some interesting responses from other authors when asked about their connection to music.

I hope you’ll join me.

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

Amazon | Goodreads | The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

#playlist, #moodmusic, #muse

COMMENTS

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Nikki McDonagh

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

My husband is a professional musician so your blogs will be interesting indeed.

 

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Toi Thomas via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

I'm so excited to start my new blog series on music and writing.

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Rebecca Tran via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Can music inspire one to write?

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

I believe it can.

Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Toi Thomas shares her love of music on A Small Gang of Authors today!

 

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Ruth de Jauregui

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Oh yes, I love music!! I also do my best writing when there's music in the background, stimulating my brain cells.

I am so looking forward to your posts on music!!

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

Thank you.

Rebecca Tran

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

It's funny, I can only write certain books to certain music. One book was to one album only nothing else fit.

 

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

I can relate. I have to hear certain songs to write certain characters.

Joe Bonadonna

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

This is great stuff, Toi. Looking forward to many more installments. I think music has inspired my own writing as much as any other art form, perhaps even more.

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

That's cool. I think music inspires people more than they realize.

Joe Bonadonna

1 year ago

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+Toi Thomas -- I agree. I learned that ages ago.

Joe Bonadonna via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Today on A Small Gang of Authors, Toinette Thomas​ begins her series on her love of music, and the role it plays in her life.

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Mary Anne Yarde

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

I look forward to your blogs on music!

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

Thank you.

Erika M Szabo

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

I'm looking forward to your series about music :) Without music, this world would be a sad, quiet place

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

I agree! :D

Grace Au

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Books transport our minds to different places...maybe places we only dream of, but music transports our souls, our very beings into a world that is so filled with color and excitement. I, too, love music and it's part of my daily life...every day. Looking forward to your series on this subject.

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

I agree that music is very transportive (if that's a word).

Rich Feitelberg

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Tastes in music, like writing, is subjective. I prefer certain types more than others. Sadly, I barely listen to any these days. No sure why that is.

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

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I agree. I find that there is usually some type of music out there for everyone, but there are some who simply don't care for any type of music. Of course, that's the one notion I have trouble comprehending.