N ext week is going to be a busy week for me. I will be hosting two author blog tours on Sue’s Snippets. I am so excited!

On Monday, January 26th, Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori, authors of The Illumination, will be sharing their book with us. There will be a book give-away. So make sure you stop by and comment on Monday, January 26th on Sue’s Snippets. It is an all day event online.

Wednesday, January 28th, Phyllis Schrieber, author of Sinner’s Guide to Confession, will be on Sue’s SnippetsSue’s Snippets. Make sure you stop by on Wednesday, January 28th and make a comment to have a chance in Phyllis’ book give-away. This is another online all day event.

I am looking forward to all comments and questions for these two blog tours.

Til Next Time!

Haunted Bloggy Carnival

Haunted Bloggy Carnival is Here! Over $3726.00 In Prizes! International Too!

Review by Rachel
Categories: Contests, Site News

Welcome to the Bitten by Books Haunted Bloggy Carnival Spooktacular event! The carnival starts at 8:00 am Central time October 27th ALL WEEK and ends on November 2nd at 11:59 pm Pacific time. Comments will be enabled at that time so you won’t be able to post until then.

The winners will be contacted and announced sometime the week of the 3rd. You will have to give us some time to sort through all of the hundreds of entries. Thanks for your patience on this.

Hang on to your seats and keyboards because we have a line up of prize contributions like we have never seen before. Right now we have over $3726.00 in prizes up for grabs!! AND another $2330.00 in prizes at our sister site Weird Stuff In My Desk! Check those prizes out here: http://weirdstuffinmydesk.com/?p=176. If we don’t have enough prizes for your blood, remember to visit all of the other participating blogs at the main Bloggy Carnival page here.

Keep checking back here, because the list will GROW eerily larger as more companies join in on the Haunted Blog Carnival fun! If you would like to contribute a prize and promote your books or business, please email us through our CONTACT FORM.

Now I bet you are wondering just how you can win some of this spectacular loot! There are a TON of ways to win. Do to different states laws you MUST be 18 to enter. You do NOT have to have a blog to participate.

OH!! and if you like FREE STUFF, be sure to stop by our Freeibies Page!

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CONTEST INFO

Readers, here’s how to enter the contest. You can do ONE OR ALL of these things, and each one will give an additional entry and thus MORE chances to win. Check next to each contributors page to see if there are MORE ways you can get chances win.

1. Join the NEW Bitten By Books Community and start a page to talk about all things paranormal fiction! Meet authors, join in on upcoming contests an more! You can have your own blog where you can post about THIS contest (and that gets you an entry). You can start groups and chat in our forums as well as participate in live chat. Best of all it is FREE. Paranormal authors come and start fan page for yourself! Here’s the link! Sign up and join in the fun!
http://bittenbybooks.ning.com/
You get 10 additional entries for joining our community!

2. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter here on the right hand side of the site. You MUST verify your subscription via the email the site will send you. Unverified subscribers will not be entered into the contest. This option is for new subscribers only.

3. Post this blog post in it’s entirety with a link to our contest on your blog, groups, forums or websites and you will be given FIVE additional entries to win for EACH place you post. You MUST post the links where you have shared the info in one response here in this thread. The more places you post the event, the more entries you get, so spread the word! NOTE: Don’t worry if your post doesn’t show up right away or you get an error message, the spam filter on the site will catch it if there are too many links. I will approve your posts so no need to worry, if this happens please don’t post your list multiple times. Check back later in the week to see if it is up.

4. Make a purchase between 10/27-11/2 from ANY or all of the retailers / book sellers participating on our page (see list below) and send us a copy of the receipt for your purchase to: racoo.smith @ gmail.com (no spaces) for an additional FIVE entries. You get entries for every purchase you make. Be SURE to put BBB Contest Entry in the subject line so it doesn’t get lost in our spam filter. NOT valid on past purchases.

5. Check every contributor’s prize listing below for a way to gain additional entries. This is an easy way to get more chances and really increase your chances to WIN!

6. Add us as your friend on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bittenbybooks

7. Add us as your friend on Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=614064436

8. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BittenbyBooks

Be sure to mention that you are friending us for this contest so we know to enter you!

9. Stumble, Digg or share the post with any social networking sites. There is a button right at the end of this post that says “Share” that you can use.

10. Twitter the URL for this event throughout the week: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1526

11. Add Bitten by Books to your blog roll or links page: http://bittenbybooks.com if you leave our link up permanently you will always be entered into our contests automatically. Just be sure to stop by each contest we hold and leave the link to where it is.

12. Invite ALL of your friends! If your fiends come and post here and say you sent them, they get TWO entries and you get TWO entries! They have to tell us who you are so we know who to give the entries to. You can invite as many people as you want and get all the extra entries!

13. Read through the Bitten by Books blog and find your favorite review and come back here and post the LINK to it. One favorite review per contestant please.

Be sure you leave a valid email and your name AND COUNTRY when posting here so we can contact you if you are the winner. We will contact the winners and request your first/last name and a valid email which we will give to the retailer whose prize you have one. It is up to the individual retailers to award your prizes. If we do not hear back from winners within one week of contacting you, you prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be chosen. We reserve the right to delete any inappropriate or inflammatory remarks or comments. Bitten by Books is NOT liable for prizes that are not delivered, awarded or lost in the mail. It is the sole responsibility of each contributor to honor their prize obligation.

And last but certainly not least A BIG thank you to our fabulous contributors!!

Here is the list of AMAZING prizes you are trying to win!

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The GRAND PRIZE up for grabs this time around is a brand NEW Compaq iPAQ 3955 Color Pocket PC!!! Valued at $400.00!!

Been craving a way to read all of those awesome e-books out on the market? Well, enter to win this baby the week of October 27-31st, and your dreams may come true. This amazing prize has been contributed by the multi-talented author Ciana Stone. Visit her website today http://www.cianastone.com/ and be sure to sign up for her other contest. This site does contain adult content and you must be 18 to enter. Ciana is willing to ship this prize within the US and Internationally! *** For an additional contest entry go to Ciana’s site, find the book gallery. Pick a title you would like to read and then come back and post a LINK to that book’s page here. Only one book choice is necessary.

Hachette Book Group – 5 sets of the following TEN books (5 winners win all ten titles). Shipping to the US and Canada, NO P.O. Boxes please. Valued at $764.50
THE HERETIC’S DAUGHTER By Kathleen Kent
ISOLATION By Travis Thrasher
THE 13 BEST HORROR STORIES OF ALL TIME By Leslie Pockell
THE MONSTERS: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein By Dorothy Hoobler , Thomas Hoobler
THE MYRTLES PLANTATION: The True Story of America’s Most Haunted House By Frances Kermeen
GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS: True Stories of America’s Haunted Inns and Hotels By Frances Kermeen
THE TERROR By Dan Simmons
DRACULA By Bram Stoker
WHEN GHOSTS SPEAK: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits By Mary Ann Winkowski
THE HISTORIAN By Elizabeth Kostova
http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/
*** For an additional contest entry to win go to the Hachette Book Group site and pick any book you would like to read, then come back and post a LINK to that book here. Only one book choice is necessary.

Sue Durkin - An incredible prize package including a 1 hour intuitive consultation worth $80.00 and a copy of her book worth $14.95 to TWO winners. Valued at $189.90. Will ship the book internationally. I can do a long distance call 24/7 in the USA and Canada. International readings will have to be in email or messaging, unless they wish to call her.
http://rebootyourlife.suesunshine.com/
“I do intuitive readings/consultations and I am the author of Life is Like Making Chocolate Chip Cookies.”
*** For an additional contest entry go Sue’s site, find the services page. Pick a service you would like to have and then come back and post a LINK to that page here and tell us which service package you wish you could have. Only one choice is necessary.

Marr Williams – $130.00 credit towards a blog customization. International customers welcome.
http://www.13pumpkins.com/
“Web and graphic design company that specializes in small business blogs and web sites.”
*** For an additional contest entry go Marr’s site, find the portfolio page. Pick your favorite design and then come back and post a LINK to that page here. Only one choice is necessary.

For a complete list check out, http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1526

Seeing Life in Black and White

There has been a commercial on t.v. that I has fascinated me. It is where they show the world in black and white and then add only a spot of color. It might be a flower they color or a landscape. Whatever it is shows a remarkable contrast to the black and white background of everything else. The black and white makes the color look so vivid, beautiful, and eye-catching.

As I watch this commercial I see the colors as if for the first time. That made me think about life in general. As we have all the colors on a daily basis, do we really look at them and see them? Or, do we take them for granted? What would the world look like in black and white? I guess if you lived to see the old black and white television shows you would know.

In some ways I like those shows better than the current ones. I can use my imagination to color in the spaces. I can have purple clothes and yellow hair on whom ever I want. I am able to decorate the houses with colors that I like, not what the producer or director of the program wanted. But, what would it be like to have a black and white world, totally devoid of color?

I have tried looking at my surroundings that way. It’s difficult. So I look at the scene before me, close my eyes, and try to picture it in black and white. Now that works! I then color in something. Just one thing, no more. The color I put in stands out big and bold. That color becomes so real to me! It is not obstructed by surrounding colors and getting lost in my vision. It is vibrant.

Isn’t looking at life as cut and dried the same as looking at life as black and white? I mean, people who only see the cut and dried, black and white of a situation miss out on all the hues and colors in between. True life is full of colors the same as true life is not cut and dried or black and white. Unforeseen circumstances force their way into our lives making for interesting life experiences. What would life be like without them? Some people say comforting. Others say boring.

I find that people who lead a black and white life have more problems than those who lead a life with color. They are restricted by the monotony of the same old, same old. Whereas people who live a life with color, find solutions to problems faster and enjoy life so much more. It seems more happens to them. Their life is fuller.

Are you willing to see the world and life as it is meant to be seen? You need to Reboot Your Life™ in order to change from black and white to color. Are you ready?

© 2008, L. Sue Durkin

Be Accountable with a Partner

Have you found yourself putting things off because you either forget or just don’t want to do them? Those are the things that you need to be accountable to someone in order to get them done. In the past year I discovered I do better when I am accountable to someone. That is difficult when you work at home. There is no one (except my husband) who stands over my shoulder to make sure I am doing what I need to do or how I do it. There is no one to rely on for criticism or praise. I must set the standards for myself. And what if I procrastinate? Scary question, indeed!

Work is not the only area that may need to have some sort of accountably to get accomplished. Weight Loss, exercise, watching your anger, handling finances, and so many more things get out of hand if you don’t have someone you can rely on to ‘rein you in.’ Only you know the areas that affect you.

Some of the things we need to do seem to trivial to partner-up. Those are just the things that we need the most help doing! Those are the things we tend to allow to fall by the wayside. In my life I don’t drink enough water and get dehydrated. I also forget to take pills. I have good intentions about other things and then just don’t follow through. Partnering-up with my friend helps me remember because I know that I have to tell her if I did or didn’t do it that day. Yes, I do feel guilty if I have to tell her I didn’t do something. So then I have to work on ridding myself of the guilt. But isn’t it easier to rid yourself of guilt on something simple? That teaches you how to rid yourself of guilt on major issues.

I find that partnering-up with my friend has actually opened a new door for me. I started a partner-up program with a friend of mine on remembering to take pills, drink the right amount of water, and daily exercise. We are accountable to each other everyday via email or phone. I look forward to my mini-jogging. I look forward to seeing if I can beat my water drinking goal. And it really feels good to know when I take my pills on a regular basis. Luckily her issues are the same as mine, so it is even better! However, the issues don’t need to be the same. They just need to be something you put off or forget on a regular basis.

We have done this for a week and it is working well for us. After our week is up we are going to add more goals to our accountability. I think setting a specific time to go to bed and get up would be a good one for me. I also want to change the type of foods I eat in a week. There are more but those will suffice for now. The following week I can add more.

I am sure there are areas in your life where you could Partner-Up and be accountable. So why don’t you grab a friend either on the internet or local and give it a try for a month. See what you accomplish. I would love to hear what this experience brought to your life.

Shifting Weather

Weather was something that was talked about when there was nothing else to talk about.  It has become a major topic of conversation in the past couple of years though. It has come to mean more than rain for crops or sunshine for outside activities. It has become an everyday concern.

Weather patterns have changed so much in recent years that unexpected rain, wind, and heat waves are becoming commonplace rather than surprises. People are saying they can remember when in a specific previous year they had experienced certain changes, but not for such a long period of time. Still, people are not getting the drift of what is happening.

Is it Global Warming? I am not a scientist so I can not say. However, there is something that is causing such unusual weather all over the world: tornadoes out of tornado season, higher magnitude of earthquakes where they weren’t felt before, unseasonably hot/cold, and unseasonably wet/dry.

As The Great Shift continues towards it’s end, these extremes will become even more extreme. Shifting air currents, shifting weather patterns, shifting physical earth changes, and shifting perceptions of these occurrences will take over more and more conversations. Perhaps it will be important to some people what the causes are. Some people won’t care. Some just go with the flow and tolerate what we are hit with: good or bad. Personally, I just try to enjoy whatever weather comes my way, even the tornadoes. I am in a tornado alley.

There was a time when the blustery breezes of my area kept me from going outside. I just hated being blown off the porch. Then I realized what I was missing by not being in the nature I so love. I learned how to stand my ground. I learned how to walk. I learned how to listen. I learned how to feel.

Then the torrential rains made me head for the house. Again, my life was disrupted until I saw the disruption of those displaced by tornadoes, earthquakes, and other weather tragedies. I started to embrace the rain. I actually went out and got wet, even in a downpour. As the rain beat my body it felt as though I was being cleansed, both inside and out.

The heat would keep me from walking, the only exercise I attempted. Then I decided that it was keeping me from enjoying the sunshine and seeing the flowers. So I started to walk and pace myself. Maybe I didn’t get the exercise I should have gotten. I did get the enjoyment of God’s Earth, My Earth.

Yes, the weather is changing. Yes, some people see it as doom and gloom. I see it as a new way to appreciate what we have. I see it as learning experiences for all of us. Perhaps we are to change the way we live. Perhaps not. Again, it is all a matter of perception. For me, I look forward to the shifting of the earth. It tells me it is alive, therefore I am alive. It tells me that no matter what happens that life goes on. It will always go on no matter what I think or feel.

Life goes on. We must learn to deal with it. The Great Shift is just that: moving on. I’m moving on. Are you?

Tool for Communicating: Common Ground

I saw the following quote today and it brought something to my mind.

“I hope that you at this moment will think of yourself as a human being rather than as an American, Asian, European, African, or member of any particular country. These loyalties are secondary. If you and I find common ground as human beings, we will communicate on a basic level.”

Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar, Copyright © 2006

Just recently the movie “Miracles” with Kurt Russell was on t.v.  We had seen it before on a rental dvd.  It impressed me then.  It impressed me the last time as well.  I believe the Dalai Lama quote fits it to a T.

In the movie each hockey player announced that he was from a particular college every time he was asked where he was from.  Eventually each player announced he was from the USA.  The reason behind this was they were all playing for the USA team even though they were from different colleges, different areas of the country,  and different backgrounds. In order to be team players and win, they needed to realize they were all from the same place and playing on the same team, together.

I believe that is what the Dalai Lama was saying in the above quote.  We all need to realize we are on the same earth no matter where.  We are all from the same source no matter our background.  We all need to work together to win in communicating.

I would love to know your thoughts on this as well.

Complaints or Facts: A Fine Line?

Recently I got involved in a group that is intending to be complaint free for 21 days. This was all well and good until someone in the group had to give a reason for not visiting a friend in the hospital. What was needed to be said to the patient was actual facts. Would those facts be mis-construed as complaining? Is there a fine line between facts and complaints?

The facts were:

1. The friend was in a hospital 10 miles away.
2. The car only had 3 gallons of gas in it.
3. The gas needed to be used to go 3 miles to the patient’s home twice a day to feed her animals.
4. There was NO cash at all on hand.
5. The check book was overdrawn.

These were five complaints just ripe for the taking. Any one of them could be used for days as complaints. But they were facts not complaints, weren’t they?

Let me get this straight in my head. People complain about facts, as well as non-facts. So when is talking about facts complaining? The fine line now appears. Could it be your intention?

I have heard people say, “I don’t mean to complain, but….” However, that is their intention whether consciously or sub-consciously. If they weren’t complaining then why add a preface to their statement? Why does their statement sound as though they were complaining?

Stating facts is cut and dry with no vested interest in the outcome. Complaining is stating those same facts in an emotional way to elicit sympathy: somewhat like martyr sympathy. (See Chapter 5 in my book Life is Like Making Chocolate Chip Cookies on 3 Types of Sympathy.) Your tone of voice, your body language, and your choice of words all convey the facts as complaining or as just facts.

Listen to the people around you who are talking. Can you discern if they are complaining or just speaking facts? Does it seem everyone is complaining? Perhaps human beings have been domesticated to only hear the complaining or to assume it is complaining. Have we become a society of complainers? Or, a society that has accepted complaining as commonplace? Are you a fact-giver or a complainer?

On the receiving end a complaint can be treated as just that: a complaint. It can also be treated as just facts. How do you respond to the fact-given/complainer? Do you encourage the complainer to just state the facts without the drama? Do you encourage those who state facts to elaborate and get a little bit more emotional?

Many times people complain because sub-consciously they believe it is expected in today’s society. Some people think if they don’t complain and if they only state the facts other people will think they are complaining anyway. So there the fine line appears again. Now we are into assuming.

Using the five statements given at the beginning of this article, speak each one out loud as you would say them to someone else. Take the positive of stating them as a fact. See how it sounds. How did it feel?

Then speak those same five statements as if you were complaining. How did it sound? How did it feel?

Now find someone to speak those five statements to you as in the above exercise. How did it feel as the receiver when confronted with facts versus complaining?

It has been said it takes 21 days to form a habit. So for the next 21 days don’t complain. State what you have to say as fact without all the emotional baggage. In that 21-day period if you should complain even once, you need to start over from day one. Remember 21 days to form a habit: good or bad.

Start forming a good habit today. Be free of complaints. Accept life as it is and enjoy it!

Happy 2008 !!

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $100 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!

May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.

May the problems you had forget your home address! In simple words …………

May 2008 be the best year of your life!!!

~Unknown~

Christmas is not in tinsel

Christmas is not in tinsel
and lights and outward show.
The secret lies in an inner glow.
It’s lighting a fire inside the heart.
Good will and joy a vital part.
It’s higher thought and a greater plan.
It’s glorious dream in the soul of man.
~Wilfred A. Peterson

“Life is Like…” Proof Copy

I am so excited! I received my proof copy yesterday (Thursday)! My husband said it looked really good. I didn’t like it. That is not unusual. It seems everytime I see the finished product of something I have done, I don’t like it. Everyone but me likes it. Guess it is a flaw in my character. *smile*

As I held it and looked through it I felt better and better. I really like the shade of golden yellow that was used for the cover background. It was exactly what I wanted. I think the front cover is boring. Hubby doesn’t think so. Neither does anyone else.

I found some mistakes. Not big ones and not ones that anyone would really notice except me. They were mistakes that I didn’t pick up: double quotes instead of single quotes around one word. That sort of thing. No biggie. Just bugs me. *grin*

I would love to hear from others about how they felt when they received their first proof copy.

Blessings from my spirit to your spirit!