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Aaron Speca - Me and My Others
This is the tale of a writer who didn't know he could write.
About Me (Us)
Progeny of Sin
The Realmwalker Prophecy
Release Day for Lisa Fox! Her Perfect Lips ...
Her Perfect Lips by Lisa Fox
Book Two of the Midnight Kiss Series, set in the dynamic world of ONE KISS…
Blurb: You have to take a risk to live an adventure.
Determined, capable, and primed to rock her first big marketing conference, Stacy Saunders is not about let to anything get in the way of her ambition. It's been a long time since she's been in New Orleans, but she has no use for beads or Bourbon Street. She built a strict itinerary for this trip – one that certainly didn't include running into the gorgeous Tennyson Landry again.
A chance reunion between the former lovers brings old feelings to the surface and the possibility of rekindling old flames. Their second time around could be the best time of all – if they can bridge the gap even wider than the thousand miles between them…
An Excerpt From: HER PERFECT LIPS
Copyright © LISA FOX, 2014
All Rights Reserved, Harper Impulse, a Division of HarperCollins Publishers
Bourbon Street was just as she remembered—loud music and neon lights, frat boys in muscle shirts and girls in crop tops, the stench of beer and pine-scented antiseptic cleaner, the sidewalks littered with garbage and puke. Their little entourage stumbled into the first club they found, which had "Play That Funky Music" blaring from the speakers. Stacy shook her head. Some things truly never changed. Bars on Bourbon Street would play that song until some ultimate, catastrophic apocalypse finally managed to wipe the city out for good.
The barker at the door proudly announced that the club was now offering their world famous three-for-one happy hour. The vodka tonic Stacy ordered was served in a plastic cup the size of which was rarely seen outside of a 7-Eleven. It contained more alcohol than any human should probably ever consume in a single serving, and she was glad to see that in addition to the bad music, the drinking culture had not changed either.
She headed toward the back of the club, outside into the little courtyard area where the music was somewhat blunted and she was less likely to have a drink spilled over her. The others followed, people in the group talking amongst themselves and goggling at the drunken antics on the dance floor. Peter had fallen back to walk alongside Melanie, and they ambled slowly, their heads close together, taking softly. Stacy sighed. So much for the whole reason to participate in this journey. Not that she could blame him. Melanie was gorgeous. Still, the rejection stung. Not that it would've worked anyway. The distance between them would have eventually become a hassle.
She sipped her cocktail, watching the dance floor light up red, then blue, then green as the strobe light pulsed over the dancers. Once again, she had a choice and none of her options were all too appealing. She could go back to the hotel and try to find a new group of people to talk with, she could go to bed, or she could stay right where she was and basically drink alone.
"Let's go someplace quieter," Peter shouted over the music and everybody agreed.
She followed them back out onto Bourbon Street, seriously considering her next move. Should I stay or should I go now? She let the chorus play out in her head and in that one millisecond pause, a drunken man wearing only jeans shorts and plastic beads lunged at her from the crowd. She sidestepped around him and almost collided with a woman exiting Pat O'Briens. The woman squealed and Stacy veered off the sidewalk into the street. A group of tourists swept her away, forcing her backward along with them. She fought against the wave of bodies, but it was a losing battle. And then, out of nowhere, a hand grabbed her arm, a lifeline in the storm.
The tourists continued on their journey, but Stacy was held in place, firmly anchored by that strong grip. The hold on her arm was a little too familiar for a stranger and she wasn't sure if she wanted to thank or berate her rescuer. She turned, and her breath caught when she recognized her savior. "Hello, Ten."
"Hey, Stacy."
He grinned and every single part of her tingled. He was as attractive as she remembered—tall and strong, with rich, chocolate-brown hair, and a twinkle of mischief in his startling green eyes. The years had changed him only slightly, taking away the softness of youth and adding hard ridges and planes to his handsome face. His hair was a little too long, and he had a two-day beard, but the scruffiness didn't take away from his almost poetic good looks. And though she would never admit it out loud, just the way his thighs filled out his well-worn blue jeans sent a thread of wicked heat trickling down her spine. Ten was the stuff of all kinds of naughty fantasies, and a few of her favorite ones instantly flashed through her mind.
Harper Impulse: http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/her-perfect-lips
Amazon: http://goo.gl/tEUlUn
Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/qw69Ma
B&N: http://goo.gl/K9Fd46
World-renowned neurosurgeon, jet fighter pilot, secret member of American royalty, seducer of legions of beautiful, outrageously sexy angels and demons and vampires and werewolves and the occasional pirate, Lisa Fox has done it all…in her own mind. In reality, she can generally be found at her desk with a cup of coffee close at hand. Or maybe a martini. It really depends on the day.
Lisa Fox is a multi-published author of contemporary, erotic, and paranormal romance novellas. Feedback, comments, opinions, words of wisdom, chocolate cake and the addresses of super hot men are always appreciated and encouraged. Please feel free to contact Lisa any time.
Website: www.lisafoxromance.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaFoxRomance
Twitter: @LisaFoxRomance
Posted by Aaron Speca at 3:00 AM No comments:
Finding Fiction Friday - Debbie Johnson
Debbie Johnson writes romance, crime, and fantasy. She lives in Liverpool, UK, with a small tribe of children and pets, in a very messy house.
Debbie, when did you first think about writing for publication?
I was a journalist for most of my adult life, so have always been a writer – but I only seriously turned my hand to fiction a few years after I left the newspaper I worked for. It freed up my mind and writing style, and allowed me to really push myself. It was also a couple of years after the birth of my third – and final! – baby, once I was finally clear of the deep, dark, energy-sucking hole that having a newborn can sometimes feel like!
Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.
I studied History at Oxford University – which always surprises people. They always look completely shocked when they discover that. I guess I must come across as being pretty dumb!
Yesterday was your big Release Day for "Cold Feet at Christmas"! Congratulations! Tell us about this book and your foray into contemporary romance.
It tells the tale of Leah Harvey, who is all set for her big fairy tale wedding at a remote Scottish castle on Christmas Eve. Sadly the festivities go slightly awry when she discovers her husband-to-be playing 'hide the sausage' with one of the bridesmaids! She runs – or drives to be precise, she's not completely brain-dead! – off into the night, and ends up stranded in a snow blizzard in the middle of nowhere. She stumbles across an isolated cottage, inhabited by an equally isolated man, Rob Cavelli. The story is really about how everything appearing to go wrong in your life can actually result in everything going right!
This is not your first book, can you tell us a little about your prior works?
I had an urban fantasy, Dark Vision, published by Del Rey earlier this year. There are Gods and vampires and all kinds of crazy stuff, but all set in modern-day Liverpool, where our heroine, Lily McCain, is a pop writer for her local newspaper. So in between reviewing gigs, she's saving the world! The follow-up, Dark Touch, is out in Spring next year, and is partly set in New York. I also have Fear No Evil out at the moment on Maze/Avon – a supernatural crime thriller featuring private eye Jayne McCartney. Plus another one for HarperImpulse sometime in 2015…
If there is one character you've written or are writing that you would really like people to meet, who would it be and why?
The positive reviews so far of Cold Feet At Christmas have all liked the lead, Leah, who is really funny. She has no filter control between what she thinks and what she says, and is always optimistic, no matter how bad things are – so she is great. But Jayne McCartney, the private detective from Fear No Evil, would probably be the one I would most like to go the pub with (always the way I judge these things!) – she's intelligent, hard-working, fun, and takes absolutely no sh*t from anybody!
What about being published with HarperImpulse and the book industry in general has most surprised you?
How much hard work the promotion side of things is – writing the book is the easy part; getting people to read it is a different matter entirely!
Is there someone you can point to as being your biggest encouragement in moving forward with writing?
In 2010 I won the Harry Bowling Prize for Writing at the Romantic Novelists Association annual event. The contest was judged by professional editors, agents and publishers, and I was so stunned to hear my name called out. Stunned, and a little tipsy to be honest, which made the walk up to the stage and the acceptance speech pretty interesting! But knowing that these experienced people thought I had something to offer did give me a boost.
Is there a particular genre you haven't written yet that you might like to try someday?
Goodness, I've done three – isn't that enough?? But seriously, possibly a young adult – I am sadly addicted to dystopian stuff, anything about survivors, whether it's post zombie-apocalypse or post killer-disease-infection.
What other things do you have bouncing around in your head for the future?
I really need to concentrate on making the current three work – and there's more copy editing etc to do on Dark Touch before that comes out, so I'm trying to prevent my brain from bouncing around any more ideas just yet!
To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one. Here they go!
What is your favorite word? Liberty
What is your least favorite word? Egg
What turns you on? Intelligence
What turns you off? Cruelty
What sound or noise do you love? Kids laughing
What sound or noise do you hate? Kids crying!
What is your favorite curse word? I couldn't possibly choose – I love them all dearly!
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Medicine
What profession would you not like to do? Accountancy
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? 'I forgive you my child – the bar is that way, and all your loved ones are waiting to buy you a drink'
What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? 'Would you like to know next week's winning Lottery numbers?'
Debbie, thanks so much for spending time with us. Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your books?
Thanks for having me! I'm on Facebook, Twitter, and my own website. All of my books are available on Amazon, the usual e-book outlets, and in the case of Dark Vision, also in paperback.
Posted by Aaron Speca at 3:00 AM 1 comment:
A Rare Post About Faith
I once took a test on spiritual gifts. It was designed to provide an idea of what kind of skills that I, as a Christian, would be best suited to use, and the most comfortable using. I was rated on a 15-point scale in different areas such as Administration, Encouragement, Leadership, etc. There were a few areas I scored over 10, and a few in the middle of the pack.
I scored a 1 out of 15 in Evangelism, which is the ability to spread the word of God and talk about my faith. So you can understand why doing so is a hard thing for me. I much prefer to just do my thing in other ways.
But when our pastor posted this blog, it hit some kind of nerve. I, of course, think you should read it, but let me try to boil part of it down.
He received a pair of communications during the week. One issue occurred when a friend of his tagged him in a photo where there was someone giving the camera the number one salute. People actually unfriended him on Facebook over this.
Another was from a person who visited our church for the first time, and that's the one that really got to me. That person, in part, wrote him this:
"The person next to me smelled like alcohol. It was unbearable. How could true leaders tolerate such things happening???? I will NEVER attend your 'gathering' and inform every person I know about the lack of following Jesus at this place. I cannot bring myself to call it a church with those kind of people in it."
There is a lot I would like to say about this. I'd like to talk about how this person shouldn't stand in judgement. About how she didn't know if perhaps the person who "offended" her might have been coming to our church for the first time. Or maybe ANY church for the first time. Maybe they had a really bad night and really needed to be there. About how that kind of attitude turned me off to church for a long time (and still does in many cases).
But as I continued to turn it over in my head, I realized that wasn't what I really wanted to say. It's this ...
I am the person who partied all night and woke up the next morning smelling of alcohol.
I am the person who flipped the bird in a photo and tagged my pastor in the picture.
I am the member of the LGBT community who would like nothing more than a little fellowship without being constantly judged.
I am the homeless man who hasn't showered in days.
I am the internet troll who gets his kicks out of getting people riled up.
I am the guy who has trouble every day prioritizing his life.
And I am also the person who sits in a church judging all of these people.
Obviously I'm not speaking literally. My point is this - there is one thing these people all have in common, that everyone in the world has in common.
There is not a single one of them, of us, that is worthy of the love of a perfect God. And He loves us anyway.
Think about that. We ALL screw up. We all fall short, and yet He still loves us as only He can.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8
I wanna heal, I wanna feel
What I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain
I've felt so long
Like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I wanted all along
- Linkin Park "Somewhere I Belong"
Posted by Aaron Speca at 5:30 PM No comments:
Cover Reveal! "We've Always Got New York" by Jill L. Knapp
Today we have the first glimpse at the cover art of HarperImpulse author, Jill Knapp's next book, "We've Always Got New York", coming out November 20th! This novel is book #2 in the "What Happens To Men..?" series, which is now available in paperback in Great Britain. The first book has gotten rave reviews, and has divided its readers into two groups. Are you on Team Michael? Or are you on Team Hayden?
COVER REVEAL!!!!
You can get a copy of book #1 here!
"We've Always Got New York" picks up after Amalia Hastings returns to Manhattan from her trip to Brazil to find that life has in fact gone on without her. Fresh off the plane, she is left feeling anxious and unresolved, left alone to pick up the pieces, and deal with the repercussions of choosing her own path over Michael. Amalia finds herself without an apartment, without a job, and starting to wonder if she's even without a best friend!
Jill can be followed on Twitter and on Facebook
Now here's a sneak peak at the first chapter of "We've Always Got New York"!!
¬¬Chapter 1- Amalia
I could tell by the look on her face that she was expecting something from me. She was expecting something to be different. For me to be, in some way, changed.
I'm Amalia Hastings, and on August 20th at 9:17 pm, I was home.
Home. The word seemed funny to me because I didn't have a home to go back to. I moved out of my apartment right before leaving for Brazil and after my friend-with-benefits, Michael, showed up at my apartment, asking me to stay. I hadn't thought it through properly; I just knew I didn't want to live in that apartment anymore. Before my trip to Brazil I packed up what little stuff I owned and put it in storage for when I returned, assuming I would deal with it then. Well, "then" has become "now". So for tonight I was staying with my best friend Cassandra. Who was currently waving at me.
I knew what she wanted. She wanted stories. Juicy ones that involved hot hookups on the sand. She wanted to see pictures. Pictures of the places I went, the food I ate, and the hot guys I met. She wanted me to run up to her in a sun dress, hair braided and skin tanned, and explain, no, to pontificate, to her how life-changing my trip was. She wanted me to playfully link her arm around mine and gush about how amazing it all was. How I was changed forever. That I had a new appreciation for life, food, and music. She wanted me to tell her that I would never be the same.
But this isn't the movies and I'm not Julia Roberts.
The florescent lights above me flickered, making the airport look dark and ominous. I looked down at my hand as I pulled my rolling suitcase across the sticky, tiled floor. Not even my hand had acquired a tan. Three months in the Brazilian sun and my skin remained as pale as ever.
Cassandra was looking right at me with wide, unblinking eyes. I walked a little slower.
For some reason I couldn't pinpoint, coming off the plane felt like a surreal experience to me. Although I was relieved to have landed, and I wouldn't have wanted to stay in Brazil any longer, I still wasn't utterly happy with being back. I wondered if it merely had to do with the fact that I had no apartment to go back to and was feeling pretty untethered from not having a proper home.
There's an old saying. I'm not really sure where it's from or who said it first. Kind of the proverb equivalent of The House of the Rising Sun. It proffers, "Wherever you go, there you are", and up until about one month ago I had no idea what it meant. But now it means everything. It rings in my ears like a scolding mother, repeating itself over and over again until I submit.
I finally stood face to face with Cassandra, who was grinning like a fool at this point. She was dressed down for the night, wearing a purple racer-back tank top that showed off her summer glow, jeans, and gold flip-flops. Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose, messy bun and her make-up was minimal, apart from the extra-shiny, coral lip-gloss she was wearing. She reeked of summer.
"Hey," I offered, looking down at my sneakers. I wished I had more energy for her, but after ten hours on a plane it was all I could muster up.
Cassandra cocked her head to the side and smiled. Her hair swung back and forth and she popped her hip out like a model in training. She looked as fierce as ever, even dressed-down in comfortable summer clothes.
"That's all I get? Get over here!" she said, pulling me in for a hug.
I hugged her back for a moment and then pulled away, overcome with exhaustion and jet-lag. I smiled at Cassandra. She smelled like a salty coconut and I realized she had probably come straight from Fire Island, a beach not too far from Long Island and just outside of the city. That explained the dressed-down attire, but not the lip-gloss. Unless, of course, we were going straight back there from JFK airport.
I looked back at the gate. Most people I knew hated airports, but I liked them. They offered a chance to escape. Get on a plane and in six hours from now you could be across the country. You could be in a different town, in a different house, with a different group of people. I think we all took that for granted.
I could go back to Brazil right now. Or I could go somewhere else. I've never been to Cincinnati; I wonder what it's like there. Or maybe Savannah. I could definitely live in Savannah! I took a step backwards, away from Cassie. Back toward the inside of the airport. She just smiled.
"Very funny, Amalia!" she said through perfectly white teeth. "Don't sneak away from me now. I'm so glad you're back, I really missed you."
Cassie threw her arm over me and smushed our faces together. She whipped out her iPhone and flipped the camera application around so the front lens could be used and snapped a picture of the two of us. Before I knew it, she uploaded the picture to Facebook with the caption "So excited, Amalia is officially home!"
Without glancing back, she walked a few feet in front of me and remained glued to her phone. The back of her Havaianas smacking onto her heels echoed throughout the now nearly empty hallway. I let out a long sigh that Cassandra didn't hear and pulled my suitcase toward the exit. Yep, it was official. I was home.
Jill Knapp, a native New Yorker, is an author with HarperImpulse, a United Kingdom division of HarperCollins Publishers, a writer of New Adult/ Women's Fiction novels, and a regular contributor to The Huffington Post. Originally called "Chase", her novel "What Happens To Men When They Move To Manhattan?" is now available!
Before publishing her first novel, she received a Masters in Psychology from the New School For Social Research in Manhattan.
Finding Fiction Friday - Eve Devon
Finding Fiction Friday returns with a visit from fellow HarperImpulse author Eve Devon fresh off of her latest release! How does she keep the mental fires burning? Let's find out!
My name's Eve Devon and I write sexy heroes, sassy heroines and happy ever afters…
I kind of secretly believe it's not too late for me to train as a professional dancer, MMA expert, or get asked to be Angelina Jolie's body-double. I know. This is why writing fiction is for me!
Eve, when did you first think about writing for publication?
I had always written some form of fiction but about six years ago I was sitting in a café with a friend, discussing what we'd be doing if it wasn't for the fear, and I had one of those weird planetary-alignment moments! Suddenly the excitement about a spot of no-holds-barred going-for-it outweighed any fear of failure. I started writing my first full-length manuscript that evening. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing but it felt so incredibly right to try, and even better, it was the most fun ever.
Because of a brain malformation I have difficulty word-finding sometimes. I'll use the right number of syllables and it will sound similar but be completely wrong. Bit challenging for a writer but makes for great entertainment… I once told a host at a party that I had to leave early to pick up some embalmed goblins. I actually meant engraved goblets!
Before we get to your new release, tell us a bit about your first two books, "The Waiting Game" and "Her Best Laid Plans".
The Waiting Game is a romantic suspense with a much darker feel than my contemporary romances and is about an alpha security specialist determined to make up for a mistake and the gritty survival of Brooke Bennet, who ten years before survived a madman who stalked her, kidnapped her and tattooed her. I've been told I write really good villains, so if you like your suspense with a side-helping of psychological thriller, then The Waiting Game is for you.
Her Best Laid Plans is a contemporary romance and the first book to feature a member of the King Family. Jared King deviated from plans set out from him at birth and it cost him big. Now life is measured; planned. Until, blindsided by news his father is gravely ill and the family business is in trouble, he misplaces his famous control and responds to his best friend's little sister. Worse, after persuading her to accompany him back to London as his P.A., instead of distracting him from the dark emotion attached to seeing his family again, she's fast becoming his main focus. Sassy go-with-the-flow Amanda Gray has a healthy fear of planning her life to the nth degree. Whenever she's tried, Life and those pesky planning gremlins have reared up to bite her on the behind! But now it's time to grow up and get her life on track—if only the delicious Jared King would stop distracting her.
Last Thursday was Release Day for "The Love List"! Congratulations! Tell us about this book and how it relates to your prior work.
Thank you. The Love List was incredible fun to write. It features Jared's sister Nora who we meet in Her Best Laid Plans when she persuades Jared to return to London to reconnect with their father before it's too late and help her save the family business KPC. KPC is everything to Nora. She eats, sleeps and breathes it and in The Love List it stands very safely and very firmly between her and her grief over losing her father. But then she meets Ethan Love, a disaster relief worker in town to ask her a very special favour and suddenly his sexy laid-back charm is crashing through her barriers, dragging her out of her self-imposed state of suspended animation and making her want to put him on her To Do List!
You have written a ton over the years, but what has drawn you to romance?
I was introduced to category romance at a young age and fell in love with different genres. I loved that you got to step into all these very different worlds (be it contemporary, historical, PNR, suspense, medical, urban fantasy—whichever) but always get that romance between the main protagonists. I think the romance genre gets some grief from readers who haven't ever read it, but far from turning happy ever afters into something unrealistic, they actually demonstrate over and over how and why you need to work at relationships.
You also speak of having written what I would certainly term "fan fiction" – taking characters from television episodes. Do you have a favorite that you've written?
Okay. I can't believe I'm about to admit this but here in the UK we used to have this series called "Dempsey and Makepeace". It starred US Michael Brandon and UK Glynis Barber. The chemistry they shared on screen was off-the-scale (so much so that they got married in real life!). Every single week I'd watch the show and stay up most of that night "re-writing" the episode so that they ended up together. At school on Mondays I could hardly keep my eyes open – but all my friends would get to read the latest installment.
What do you do to keep from burning out?
That's a really good question because it's something that easily sneaks up on you in this business. It's so hard to turn down an opportunity and so easy to think you can do ALL THE THINGS! The truth is you have to really listen to yourself. That moment where you realize it's not the first time that your mind's racing with responsibility and the writing you rely on to be there is feeling not so much slow, as completely absent? That's the time to step away and go and do something completely different. For me it's anything craft. The act of doing something different somehow soothes my frazzled brain and brings Muse back with a smile on her face.
I think it would be Brooke Bennet—the heroine in The Waiting Game. She's real, flawed, and shows incredible courage to grasp hold of life again.
I truly appreciate the support that authors freely offer each other and romance readers are honestly some of the most lovely, down-to-earth, positive people you can find.
My husband! He has always, without reservation, believed in me. I think the fact that he doesn't seem to see limits to me writing, always allows me to step forward with a touch less fear.
So I've just handed in the book that features the last King sibling—Sephy. I have a book completed that is part of a suspense continuity for next year. I'm working on my next contemporary and then I launch straight into writing my next suspense title. Oh, and I have a superhero urban fantasy I really want to get finished.
What is your favorite word? Pootle
What is your least favorite word? Can't
What turns you on? Humour and confidence.
What turns you off? Bigotry.
What sound or noise do you love? Rain on a roof.
What sound or noise do you hate? People biting into apples.
What is your favorite curse word? Crap-a-roon-spoon! I have a tendency to lengthen short words and shorten long words.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Aerialist or…forensic psychologist.
What profession would you not like to do? Door-to-door sales.
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? You've been upgraded—please collect your wings from Gabriel.
What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? I'm calling from Ben Affleck's office—he would like to know if you've found the director for your latest bestseller yet?
Eve, thanks so much for spending time with us. Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your books?
I love connecting with readers—you can find me here:
WEBSITE TWITTER FACEBOOK GOODREADS
And you can buy The Love List here:
AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE GOOGLE PLAY iBOOKS KOBO
Finding Fiction Friday - Zara Stoneley
Today we sit down to chat with Zara Stoneley!
Bestselling author Zara Stoneley lives in deepest Cheshire surrounded by horses, dogs, cats and amazing countryside. When she's not visiting wine bars, artisan markets or admiring the scenery in her sexy high heels or green wellies, she can be found in flip flops on the beach in Barcelona, or more likely sampling the tapas!
Zara writes hot romance and bonkbusters. Her latest novel, 'Stable Mates', is a fun romp through the Cheshire countryside and combines some of her greatest loves – horses, dogs, hot men and strong women (and not forgetting champagne and fast cars)!
She writes for Harper Collins and Accent Press.
Welcome to our page, Zara!
Thank you so much for having me here today Aaron!
Zara, when did you first think about writing for publication?
I've always written, and sent my first book off to a publisher when I was in my early teens. I didn't quite appreciate at the time how lucky I was to get a quite detailed, and lovely, encouraging response.
I'm a bit of an adrenalin and speed junkie, fast horses, cars… I'd love to do one of those 'driving experience' days, a Jag F-type would do nicely!
I'm fascinated by your description of where you live. Tell us about it and the animals that are part of your everyday life.
I live in a very old country cottage in a pretty part of Cheshire. It's a small market town that has great restaurants, lovely country pubs on the doorstep, artisan and street markets and several wonderful country estates and parks. It's very much a mix of traditional England and country ways, sitting alongside footballers and film stars with very different ideas on how to spend their money and how the countryside should look.
At the moment I've just got one old retired horse, although in the past I've had show and dressage horses, and horses that I've just enjoyed hacking out on. I've got two cats, but really miss having a dog around. I always loved having big dogs, like my Retriever and Samoyed, but was surprised to find how much fun (and how much larger than life) a terrier can be – there just had to be terriers in Stable Mates, they're just part and parcel of country life and, more often than not, if you spot a horse box then there is at least one inside.
It's the day after Release Day for you, congratulations! Tell us about your new release "Stable Mates".
Thank you! Stable Mates marks a change of direction for me, from erotic romance to sexy bonkbuster – Jackie Collins in the countryside!
It's a story about old money and new, tradition versus change, country pursuits vs celebrity lifestyle, and the type of scandals and secrets that are uncovered when the tranquility of a country village is threatened by outsiders… but most of all it's about the people and animals that inhabit two very different villages. As one reviewer has put it ... 'a delightful romp peppered with humour, sadness, scandal and steamy sex.'
You certainly drew on your own life for the setting of your latest book, but how much do you draw on your real life for your characters?
There are fragments of all kinds of people I've known in my characters. I love the down to earth nature of a lot of people who live in the countryside, plus their sense of humour and determination. Horse riders are like most sportsmen, extremely competitive, fit and determined, which can lead to larger than life characters who have a real enjoyment of life.
You describe your works as "hot romance and bonkbusters". I might regret asking this, but what is the definition of a "bonkbuster" for the uninitiated?
I think it's a very British term! So, from the Oxford English Dictionary (where else?) we have the definition "a type of popular novel characterized by frequent explicit sexual encounters between the characters." A play on the term 'blockbuster' and bonk, British slang for sex.
That's a tricky one – there are so many characters in this book that I love. If I had to pick one out though, I think I'd go with Pip – she's tough, more complex than people realize and very accomplished at hiding her insecurities. She's snagged a very hot guy in Stable Mates – but you'll have to read the follow up to find out if she sticks with him!
The people. The writing community is a wonderful one, I'm constantly surprised how generous, welcoming and supportive everybody involved in the industry is.
My mum! She's always encouraged me to write – and always wanted me to write the 'funny bits' down. I wouldn't let her read my erotic stories as they were a bit racy, but I've dedicated this book to her.
There is too much bouncing in there at the moment!! I've got two short stories for anthologies that I've been asked to write, then a follow up to Stable Mates that me and my editor are excited about (Country Affairs – you heard the title first here!), and then more of a 'footballer's wives' bonkbuster that I've had in mind for a while, but was left to stew when Stable Mates appeared! And then there is this much more serious story about losing your identity that has been in my head (and heart) for years and really needs to be written….
What is your favorite word? Coffee
What is your least favorite word? No
What turns you on? Humour
What sound or noise do you love? Nature – you know that almost complete peace apart from the sound of the sea, or wind in the leaves, or animals…
What sound or noise do you hate? A dentist drill. Eurghh.
What is your favorite curse word? Bugger.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? A veterinary surgeon. It was my dream job when I was at school, then somehow I ended up in IT, then teaching, then writing…
What profession would you not like to do? Dentist (see above)
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Wow, I'm so pleased you've finally got here! Cup of coffee?
What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? Will you sign a 6-figure book deal with us?
Zara, thanks so much for spending time with us. Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your books?
Find out more about Zara:
Stable Mates
Blurb -
Secrets and scandals, love and lust – when the 'Cheshire Set' are up against the 'Footballer's Wives' the only common ground is carnal…
Flirting and fun seem the perfect antidote for Lottie's battered heart, and where better to find them than back in tranquil Tippermere, home of sexy eventer Rory Steel, the smiling Irish eyes of hunky farrier Mick O'Neal, and mysterious newcomer, model Tom Strachan?
But when landowner Marcus James drops dead unexpectedly, and the threat of his waggish wife Amanda selling the heart of the village out from under them looms large, things look like they're about to heat up in and out of the saddle.
With tensions running high, and the champagne flowing as freely as the adrenalin, is it any wonder that love catches more than one of them unawares?
Buy links –
Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo Foyles Waterstones
Sainsbury's Google Play iTunes Blackwells
Posted by Aaron Speca at 3:00 AM 2 comments:
Doctor Who Season 8 Premiere!!!! Theories and Observations from "Deep Breath"
"Deep Breath", the season 8 premiere of Doctor Who, has come and gone, and now that we've all taken a collective deep breath ourselves, let's take a moment to look at some of the things that MOFFAT!!!!! set up for the season! (WARNING: SPOILERS!!!)
(DISCLAIMER: I am probably completely wrong about every single one of these ideas … I just enjoy chatting about them …)
The Face of the Doctor
Peter Capaldi wears the Doctor's face well! But, as has been discussed in the months since he was announced, he has appeared on Doctor Who before. Would Moffat try to explain this occurrence? It appears he will, as early in the episode, we have this …
"Why this one? Why did I choose this face? It's like I'm trying to tell myself something. Like I'm trying to make a point. But what is so important that I can't just tell myself what I'm thinking?" (Twelve)
I don't even have a theory for this one … yet.
Who left the newspaper ad?
Someone leaves a newspaper ad titled "Impossible Girl" which leaves a cryptic message telling where Clara should go meet the Doctor. Or is it a message telling the Doctor where to go to meet Clara? Turns out it is neither … or is it both?
My thought is that it might be another version of Clara that left the message. After all, she was scattered throughout the Doctor's timeline. Wild thought: Bad Wolf?
Did the Doctor push the robot or did the robot jump?
I think the robot jumped, because it became truly sentient and made a decision to do so, which sort of leads to where he went when he "died" …
What is Heaven?
This question, and the next one, could be the mystery of the season (and I originally thought it was going to be the search for Gallifrey). When the clockwork robot "dies", he wakes up in "Heaven", "Paradise", or "The Promised Land" – whichever you want to call it. What is this place? Well I have an idea.
I think this place is … *drum roll* … the mainframe that River Song was "saved" into in the episode "Silence in the Library". If you remember, the image of the inside of that mainframe was quite idyllic, a "paradise" of sorts. Perhaps the library mainframe has grown to no longer need a physical constraint, existing outside of time and space, and still fulfilling its programming to save whomever it can. Where else would heaven for a mechanical being be than inside a mainframe? Especially one that achieved some level of sentience. (Could Handles be in here somewhere?)
This also fits with my favorite theory that Tasha Lem might be River Song after she discovers how to download her consciousness from the mainframe into a new body. When she got out, she built a religion around the mainframe (whose real undercover purpose is to help the Doctor when needed). Tasha equals River would give a deeper meaning to a couple of the comments by Tasha in "Time of the Doctor":
"Flying the TARDIS was always easy. It was flying the Doctor I never quite mastered." (Tasha Lem to Clara)
"I died in this room screaming your name." (Tasha Lem to the Doctor)
That means, of course, that it's quite possible River is still in the mainframe somewhere. Which brings us to our next big question …
Who is Missy?
Missy is the strange woman who greets the clockwork robot when he arrives in "Paradise". She calls the Doctor her "boyfriend". She seems to be running the place, or at least acts like she does. I have heard and considered a lot of ideas on her identity, assuming she is someone we know:
A female version of The Master (The Mistress = Missy)
An older version of Clara
Missy from the episode "Nightmare in Silver"
The woman who gave Clara the Doctor's phone number
The Rani (whom I have only read about – she was a renegade female Timelord who worked with the Master against both the sixth and seventh Doctor)
None of these would seem to fit my Paradise theory, so I am going to go WAY out on a limb – I think she is River. Or at least, some part of River in the mainframe I mentioned. Perhaps River's personality has fractured within the eternity of the mainframe, and this piece of it is quite crazy. This coupled with Tasha Lem being "River reincarnate" could explain this statement by the Doctor from "Time of the Doctor":
"Listen to me, you have been fighting the psychopath inside you all your life." (The Doctor to Tasha Lem)
This of course assumes that it is indeed someone we might know and not a completely new character.
How did Eleven know when to call Clara?
This one is sort of a head scratcher. In "Time of the Doctor", Eleven clearly tells Clara that he cannot regenerate again. We have to assume that on Trenzalore, the call from Eleven to Clara in "Deep Breath" took place before he told her that. So why would he assume that Clara would be with his next regeneration, if he knew he had none left?
Because he did know he would regenerate again! Remember, the Doctor lies. He told Clara what he told her in "Time of the Doctor", because he had gotten to the point where he needed Clara to do something to convince the Timelords to give him extra regenerations.
How did he know he would regenerate again? Because he knew there was an extra TARDIS when he "saved" Gallifrey in "Day of the Doctor" (as the Timelords did). Eleven knew it, and the Timelords knew it, it was just a matter of the right event happening at the right time for Eleven to get his extra regenerations – it happened just like he planned it to.
EDIT: A friend of mine pointed out that the phone call may have happened in "Time of the Doctor" between when Eleven got the regeneration energy and destroyed the Daleks, and when he completed the regeneration in front of Clara in the TARDIS. Looking back I think she might be right! Thanks, Faith!
Vastra, Jenny, and Strax
One last observation – BBC give these three their own spinoff miniseries already!!!!
Finding Fiction Friday - Steve Peek
Welcome to the Longclaws and Alien Agenda tour, by Steve Peek.
Steve, when did you first think about writing for publication?
Technically, a neighbor gave me a toy printing press when I was seven. Using little rubber, linotype letters, I wrote and printed a neighborhood newspaper, but even then, being a smart little guy those sixty years ago, I saw the internet and knew newspapers had seen their day. From that point on wherever my imagination put me as an adult: lawyer, preacher, policeman, fireman, soldier, scientists, I always wanted to be a writer. I began writing game instructions for publication in the early 1970's. Over a forty-year career in gaming someone told me I had published over a million words. My response was, 'Where's the money." I published my first traditional book in 1982, The Game Inventors Handbook. I wrote off and own for the next twenty years. Now I write full time.
During the course of my life I accumulated more than five million frequent flyer miles. My butt still hurts.
You had a long career in the game industry. Can you tell us a bit about that? How has that influenced your writing?
Writing game instructions are a lot of work, much like any form of technical writing. The rules require levels of testing to eliminate any ambiguity. I think eliminating the ambiguous is now second nature.
First tell us about your book "Longclaws" and the premise behind it.
Longclaws combines my research into parallel universes and my love of horror novels. The basic idea is that worlds are connected and during certain times and events, and at certain places, gateways open. This thinking came from my earlier book, Otherworld, I imagined a horrid world where nothing survived many years. Everything was both predator and prey every moment; to sleep was to die. I populated it with things from various cultures universal myths and made them iconic prototypes of creatures we believe to exist today. These creatures, with their own societies and needs, cross into our world and all hell breaks loose.
Then there's your book "Alien Agenda", please tell us about that and the research that went into it.
Alien Agenda: Why they came, Why they stayed, was born from the several hundred books I read while researching Otherworld. In those days, scientist didn't talk about parallel universes for fear of losing their place on the government grant teat, the same as now with weather and such. Anyway, the idea that aliens came from parallel universes and not thousands of light-years away, led me to wonder why they came and then why did they stay. It combines known historical facts with UFO mythology in a way that makes it difficult for the reader to know where facts end and fiction begins. I call it Science Faction.
One of the main characters in Longclaws is Royce Mason. He's an old, World War Two veteran who has experienced a lot of strange things during his life and has that country way of allowing people to underestimate him. When Longclaws was finished, I missed most of the main characters, including the Longclaws.
Do you find it fun to "reimagine" historical events to match them up to the narrative you want to bring to your readers?
Of course, how can I not like playing god? It is fun, but it is much more difficult than it sounds if you do it so the combination is not only seamless, but logical to the reader.
What about being published and the book industry in general has most surprised you?
How quickly the powerful publishers have succumbed to the internet without putting up much of a fight.
My great friend, Herbie Brennan. Author of more than a hundred published books, Herbie's constant encouragement and feedback kept me working on my darkest days.
I am editing a novel called Islands. (Working title). One day everyone who lives on a coast on any land mass, wakes up and discovers new islands were none existed before. It's a little bit end of the world in a Douglas Adams sort of way.
Their world is crowded with active volcanoes, sulfur and acid rains, permanent thick clouds turn day into deep twilight. It is a violent place: moment-to-moment survival is victory, every creature is constantly predator and prey, sleep is certain death. This is home to the longclaws, beings of super-human speed, strength and senses. Their predatory skills allow them only a tenuous niche in their hellish environment. Though smart and fierce, their rank in the food chain is far below the top. One clan leader draws from ancient legends of paradise and devises a plan to escape and take his clan to the otherworld - a world filled with slow, defenseless prey. The clan activates an Indian mound deep in southern forests and enters our world -hungry for prey. Torrential rains and washed out bridges force a runaway teen, an old dowser and a Cherokee healer to face the horrors of the clan's merciless onslaught. Mankind's legends are filled with vampires, werewolves, dragons and other nightmarish. Perhaps our legend of hell is based on the world of the Longclaws.
Steve Peek grew up in a family of readers and writers. In the second grade a neighbor gave him a toy printing press and, using rubber linotype, he wrote and printed a neighborhood paper. His first short story won a competition in his third grade class. Sometimes he dreamed of being a policeman, fireman, lawyer, minister, soldier, politician, but in every dream he was also a writer. Peek loves games. He enjoyed a forty year career in the game industry which allowed him to travel the world where he was able to explore many of the ancient, mythical places he'd read about. Some legends associated with these enigmatic sites led him down a winding road to a junction where myth meets science and the hold of this magical place continues its grip. Over the decades Steve always wrote. Sometimes just here and there. Twice he managed to have books published. Now, with the precious time to write, Steve found the traditional publishing world in disarray and decided that it is more important for him to write than to sell books to the big publishing houses. The venue of the e-book makes this possible. So, for better or for worse, Steve sits at a kitchen table looking into the woods around his home in the Smokey Mountains and writes every day. Reviewers have declared his books Longclaws and Alien Agenda: Why they came, Why they stayed to be a new sub-genre, 'science faction'. Much of the books are based on history and science while the story falls under fiction. Steve's books are based on things that interest him and he works hard to make them interesting for his readers. He would like to hear from you via jstephenpeek on facebook or send him a message via his contact form.
Follow Steve on social media!
Facebook | Twitter | Add Longclaws on Goodreads | Steve's Blog | Amazon
Buy Longclaws or Alien Agenda here
Steve is on tour between 12th and 26th July - you can check in with tour central here, and please check back each day to read more fascinating thoughts by this eloquent and interesting author.
Tour arranged by The Finishing Faires
Finding Fiction Friday - Jane Linfoot
Today, fresh off of yesterday's book launch, I'm very excited to have Jane Linfoot, author of the new novel High Heels and Bicycle Wheels from HarperImpulse. First, a bit about Jane ...
Jane Linfoot writes fun, flirty fiction, with feisty heroines and a bit of an edge. She lives with her family and pets in Derbyshire UK, and loves hearts, flowers, happy endings, everything vintage, and most things French.
Jane, when did you first think about writing for publication?
I first had chance to write romance for publication when the property crash hit the UK, back in 2010. At the time I was working as an architect and property developer, and as the work slowed down I decided to get on and write that novel I'd always dreamed of.
I speak fluent French, with a specialist agricultural vocabulary, a hangover from when I was officially a French farmer.....not many French teachers know the word for combine harvester – it's moissonneuse batteuse if you want to catch them out!
You call your home a "mountain kingdom". Can you tell us a bit about it?
I live in Matlock Bath which is a Georgian Spa resort, built in the Derwent Gorge. I live in a tiny hamlet towards the top of the hill, reached by a very narrow, very steep, mile long single track road. I call it a mountain kingdom, (with a winky eye), because it does have a kind of hidden, fairy tale quality. It's not so good if you go out and forget something, or when it snows and there's a mile of road to clear, and it is quite a muddy place. But the views down the valley are lovely, and it's very quiet and rural up above the bustle down below. It's great because we can walk straight out into the woods for dog walks, and there's a local herd of dairy cows who wander past the garden on their way to their field, yet there's a station and a main road at the bottom of the hill.
Available now on Amazon UK
and Amazon US
It's the day after Release Day for you, congratulations! Tell us about your new release "High Heels & Bicycle Wheels".
I am SO excited about High Heels & Bicycle Wheels going out into the world, because it's a much longer book than my previous ones. It's sexy summer chicklit – think camper vans, beaches, long hot days....and a feisty TV production assistant Bryony, possibly the least sporty girl on the planet, who winds up on a tandem ride with a hot, hot pro cycling star called Jackson. There's heaps of fun, lots of clashes, a whole stack of emotion....oh, and it's sizzling hot too.
You definitely have a fun and flirty streak in you, even in your titles ("The Right Side of Mr. Wrong", "How to Win a Guy in 10 Dates"). Are your characters anything like you? Do you draw on experiences of yourself or others?
Well, in High Heels & Bicycle Wheels, Bryony screams when she goes downhill on a tandem, and I have been known to do the same.... And Shea, in The Right Side Of Mr. Wrong has long curly hair which refuses to be tamed, and I know how that feels.... So fragments of me and my life are implanted in my characters, but mostly they are very much themselves. Bryony has way more shoes than I do – yes, I am soooo jealous of her shoe collection – and she eats way more cupcakes than me. Am I fun and flirty? You'll have to ask my friends that!
I'd like ALL my readers to be able to meet the hero of their choice....there's quite a lot of book-boyfriend love going on out there for the guys I write about, so being able to arrange some real life meetings would be totally awesome.
I had no idea that the team at HarperImpulse would be so lovely and warm and special and endlessly helpful. Charlotte Ledger is beyond awesome, and Katie Sadler and Alex Aldern are wonderful too. I was surprised that their working relationship with authors is so close – I didn't know I'd be allowed so much input in decision making.
Joining the Mills and Boon New Voices Facebook Group, in conjunction with the 2012 competition, was my most helpful step in writing romance. This group was very active, and was made up of both published authors and hopeful writers, many of whom have had huge success since. I wasn't eligible to enter the competition, but I learned so much from the articles and information the group members shared, and it was my first experience of the brilliantly supportive romance writing community. So, this is a big shout out for all the members of that community, and the help and encouragement I received from them.
There are SO many stories in my head which are all fighting to be told, and I'm also excited that Harper Impulse will allow their authors to try new and different things.
To close the interview, I have ten questions for you. Here they go!
What is your favorite word? Oxymoron - I like the sound of the word itself, and I enjoy the contradictions it implies
What is your least favorite word? I hate anyone saying they're "bored"
What turns you on? Fabulous design and creativity, and I include stories in that.
What turns you off? I'm useless when I'm cold
What sound or noise do you love? I love to hear my cat Umberto's purring croon – he's got a huge purr, but a while back he had a head injury, when he fell off the shed roof, and he lost his purr – so it's lovely to hear it now that it's come back
What sound or noise do you hate? I hate whispering and low voices
What is your favorite curse word? Holy crap – it began tongue in cheek, and kind of stuck – holy crap to that too
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Jewelry design sounds cool, or lingerie design, or maybe working in TV might be fun.
What profession would you not like to do? Apart from decorating, I find anything to do with maintenance pretty tedious – I much prefer creating.
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? 'The library is that way, you'll find the sun loungers in the garden, your friends are waiting for you, help yourself to red wine....' or 'Yours is the house with lots of glass....'
Jane, thanks so much for spending time with us. Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your books?
You can find me here:
Facebook Page and Profile
And find buy links to all my books at HarperImpulse
Progeny of Sin: Dark Dreams
Coming August 20!!
Harper Impulse
Dawn Treadway and I are now with Harper Impulse!
Finding Fiction Friday
Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness
Currently out of print
EVERNIGHT: ROMANCE IN A WORLD OF DARKNESS VOLUME II
Top 10 Anthology of 2012 - Preditors and Editors Poll
Cover Reveal! "We've Always Got New York" by Jill ...
Doctor Who Season 8 Premiere!!!! Theories and Obs...
Aaron Speca
This is the tale of a writer ... who never knew he could write ...


text:
Q: change color of text in clickable box I want to change the color of the text (link) in a box. This is the CSS code I'm using:
.boxed-1 {
    background-color: #e8ecf4;
    border: 1px solid grey;
    padding: 15px;
    margin-top: 1px;
    margin-bottom: 10px;
    margin-right: 25px;
    margin-left: 0px;
 }

When I call for div class boxed-1, all the text displays blue. How can I change it?
I've tried a bunch of different suggestions from my google search to no avail.
My site is: http://mikediane.com

A: Links are set to the color blue by the browser, thus they do not inherit from their parent like most other elements do.
You will need to apply a color: #?????? to the a itself, like this:
.boxed-1 a {
    color: #??????;
}

See this JSFiddle for a demonstration.

A: Typically if you want to set the text in an element just apply the CSS style color.
In your case,
.boxed-1 {
   color: /*Whatever color you want*/
}

A: The problem is that your anchor tag's color is being applied to the text. If you create a rule like
.boxed-1 a { color: #hexcode; }

I'd expect this to work.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Your November 2020 New Moon Horoscope Will Show You The Way
By Roya Backlund
There's no better time to start a project and map out your goals than the new moon. This moment of the lunar cycle is when the moon is hidden beneath a shadow and the darkness acts as a blank slate upon which you can write your dreams. As the moon waxes and grows, your intentions gain strength and your goal begins to take shape, and by the full moon, a conclusion will be reached and your achievement will be ready for harvest. Your November 2020 new moon horoscope is here and it describes exactly what you should focus on when it takes place on Nov. 15 at 12:07 a.m. EST.
This new moon rises in deep, transformative, and motivated Scorpio and its energy should be taken advantage of. If you like tailoring your spiritual rituals to the lunar cycle, then take advantage of what this new moon offers. After all, it's the last new moon before eclipse season begins, and eclipse season is far too volatile and unpredictable for rituals. Eclipse season is when fate intervenes and your plans can embrace major shifts according to your destiny. But more on that later.
This new moon is bolstered by powerful energy and the experience will even feel soothing to your soul. Forming a helpful sextile with Pluto (planet of rebirth), Jupiter (planet of expansion), and Saturn (planet of long-term commitment), the energy of this new moon is heavy and serious, helping you tackle your goals like your life depends on it. As it forms a trine with spiritual and compassionate Neptune, this new moon will also help you connect with your soul purpose and let go of your ego throughout the process.
Here's what you can expect during the new moon in Scorpio, based on your sun and rising sign:
It's time to think of how you're spending your energy and investing your heart. Now is when you should begin the process of parting ways with what has long been weighing you down. Create something new in its place and don't be afraid of investing in something new. A new commitment will reward you down the line.
Take a look at your relationships and ask yourself whether they're functioning the way you would like them to. How can you improve yourself as a partner? How can you ask for what you need from a partner in return? Now's not the time to settle for an underwhelming partnership, but wait for the right person to come along.
Instead of fantasizing about how you'd feel if you kept up with positive habits, start planting the seeds for these habits to take shape in your daily life. It's a beautiful time for a new fitness or health regimen or simply settling a work-life balance that works much better for you. Watch how baby steps turn into leaps.
The world is a playground in so many ways. Are you giving yourself permission to play in it? Ask yourself whether you're living your life to the fullest and how you can incorporate more creative activities and artistic hobbies into your world. Your heart is yearning for a much purer expression of joy and romance.
You deserve to feel comfortable, cozy, and nurtured in your own sacred corner of the universe. Time to organize your living space, redesign, or simply return to your roots and spend time with family. The world can wait, because your personal life is vying for your attention. Give yourself a chance to remember where you come from.
What do you want to say? What do you want to learn? You're a constant work in progress and this new moon wants you to fill your brain with knowledge, keep yourself busy, and speak your mind when it calls for it. Make a commitment to the way you honor and replenish the part of your brain that wants to be intellectually stimulated.
How much money do you know you deserve to be making? Now's the time to set financial goals, plan to ask for that raise, and save up for that purchase you've been lusting after. By carefully building a stable foundation from the ground up, you will later be able to take so many more exciting risks.
No matter how much you think you know yourself, you're constantly evolving, especially lately. The person you're becoming might be totally different than the person you've been and that's OK. In fact, that's more than OK, because it means you're learning new things, experiencing life, and making interesting decisions. Embrace the new you.
This new moon is a lot more about letting go than it is about starting something new. You're clearing the way for something new to begin by healing past wounds, letting go of your guilt, and forgiving yourself and others. There are so many painful things you don't have to carry anymore and this new moon is liberating you from the weight.
What kind of mark do you want to leave on the world? How can your goals make the world a better place? Think of how your plans will impact others. Is the future you seek a future that benefits everyone in your community? By incorporating a philanthropic mindset into the game plan, you're making it that much more rewarding.
Tap into your inner boss and take charge, because no one is ever going to simply hand you the success you desire. You have to fight hard for it. Now's the time to speak your wins into existence and do what it takes to put your name out there and prove your worth to those in your field. You've got what it takes to have a powerful career.
Take a step out of your normal, typical perspective and open your heart to something culturally enlightening. Your mind is yearning to be expanded, so embrace new philosophies, listen to what other thinkers have to say, and set sail when adventure calls for it. It's time to explore so many enriching new experiences.
Your January 11, 2021 Weekly Horoscope Is So Motivating
Your January 18, 2021 Weekly Horoscope Is Here & So Is Aquarius Season
January 18, 2021 Will Be The Best Week For These Zodiac Signs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Just Richest – People, Net Worth and Salary
15 Famous Gay Men Of All Time Who Married Women
By Amira Daniel
The life of a celebrity may be as flashy as a spotlight but can also be as blinding as a headlight. Every day we hear different news about different famous personalities and we can't help but wonder if anything about them can actually be kept a secret. In as much as these people are public icons, it is also good to remember that they are humans as well, and can fall short of any hideous act like every other human. They smoke, they go to rehab, they turn homosexuals and some of the gays actually get attracted to women, and some had wives.
Presently, things are getting pretty very loose in the entertainment world as more people denounce their birth sex to a more preferred one. Prior to this age, announcing to the public that an actor was gay instantly ruined his career and so some of these men took to the more acceptable life – marrying women. Some, as at the time of their marriage, had not discovered the other side of their sexuality. This list highlights some gay entertainers who were once married to women.
Famous Gay Men Who Married Women
1. Cole Porter
Name: Cole Albert Porter
Date of Birth: June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964
Place of Birth: Peru, Indiana
Occupation: Composer and songwriter
Spouse: Linda Lee Thomas
Cole Porter was a famous American musical composer and is known for his Broadway hits 'Anything Goes' and 'Silk Stockings'. Although Cole was always suspected to be gay, he was married to a woman, Linda Lee Thomas, for over 34 years before she died. After her death, he had many sexual affairs with men and that brought up a controversial discuss as to if Porter was truly bisexual or if his marriage was an attempt to hide his homosexuality, because all through his many years of marriage, he and his wife never had any children.
2. Little Richard
Name: Richard Wayne Penniman
Date of Birth: December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020
Place of Birth: December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020
Occupation: Musician, singer, and songwriter
Spouse: Ernestine Campbell
Talented Little Richard is gay to the core, but he shocked his fans when he married a woman named Ernestine Campbell in 1959. The marriage lasted for only four years and Richard finally came out in 1995 and everyone continued to enjoy his music and not care about his sexuality.
3. Richard Cromwell
Name: Richard Cromwell (born LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh)
Date of Birth: January 8, 1910 – October 11, 1960
Place of Birth: Long Beach, California, U.S.
Spouse: Angela Lansbury
Richard Cromwell was a stunning American actor who shot to fame in old films like 'Jezebel.'. People who knew him then, noticed he preferred the company of gentlemen to ladies, yet he actually married actress Angela Lansbury. He was 35 then and she, 19, and they admitted that their marriage which lasted only twelve months, was a mistake.
4. Alan Cumming
Name: Alan Cumming
Date of Birth: 27 January 1965
Place of Birth: Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland
Occupation: Actor, comedian, singer, writer, filmmaker, and activist
Spouse: Hilary Lyon
Alan Cumming is a very interesting Scottish-American actor who has always had the ability to play sexually ambiguous roles, both feminine and masculine. He was married to a woman, Hilary Lyon for over 8 years, and in 1993 the marriage finally collapsed. He eventually came out as bisexual in 1998, and although he once had a relationship with actress Saffron Burrows, Alan eventually wedded his husband Grant Shaffer in 2007 and they separated five years after.
5. Anthony Perkins
Name: Anthony Perkins
Date of Birth: April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992
Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupation: Actor, director, and singer
Spouse: Berry Berenson
Beloved actor Anthony Perkins is best known for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho". In his younger days, it was quite well-known that Perkins had various male lovers, most notably famous was musical composer Stephen Sondheim. He eventually married Berry Berenson and they had two sons together. Sadly, Perkins died in 1992 from AIDS-related pneumonia.
6. Elton John
Name: Sir Elton Hercules John
Place of Birth: Pinner, Middlesex, England
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer
Spouse: Renate Blauel
World-famous musician, Elton John, never hid the fact that he was gay, although he was not in a hurry either to reveal his identity. Elton has sold over 300 million records since he first came onto the scene in the 1960s. He was engaged to his secretary, Linda Woodrow, but ended up marrying then sound engineer Renate Blauel. The media instantly called it a sham and a way to cover his homosexuality and John finally admitted he was gay in 1988. Elton John was happily married to his husband, David Furnish, from 2005 to 2014.
7. Oscar Wilde
Name: Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde
Date of Birth: 16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900
Place of Birth: Dublin, Ireland
Occupation: Poet and playwright
Spouse: Constance Lloyd
Oscar Wilde was best known for his works 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' and 'The Importance of Being Ernest.," He had numerous affairs with men while he was married to Constance Lloyd, whom he had two children with. Sadly, Wilde was imprisoned later in life for rumors of him being gay and was eventually exiled. He died of meningitis at the age of 46.
READ 32 Most Expensive Celebrity Weddings Till Date
8. James McGreevey
Name: James Edward McGreevey
Date of Birth: August 6, 1957
Place of Birth: Jersey City, New Jersey
Occupation: Politician
Spouse: Kari Schutz (1991–1997), Dina Matos (2000–2008)
Former New Jersey Governor, James McGreevey, was married to his first wife, Kari, for six years. He then married his second wife, Dina, and they were married for eight years. It must have been difficult for James to cope with the females, so he finally came out as gay, and that announcement ended his marriage and his time in office. He now lives with his husband and teaches law at Kean University in New Jersey.
9. Jonathan Plummer
Name: Jonathan Plummer
Date of Birth: Not available
Place of Birth: Not available
Occupation: Writer
Spouse: Terry McMillan (m. 1998–2005)
You may have caught the reunion between Jonathan Plummer and author Terry McMillan on the Oprah Winfrey Show. But let's start at the beginning. Terry met and married a young Jonathan. She was quite in love and he actually became the inspiration for her hit novel 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back." Eventually, Plummer came out as gay and Terry became furious at the announcement, believing that he had been out to humiliate her. She took him to court for $40 million and shockingly won the case. The two appeared on Oprah in 2010 and reconciled though it's doubtful they are now friends.
10. Jack Wrangler
Name: John Robert Stillman
Place of Birth: Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation: Gay and straight pornographic film actor, theatrical producer, and director and writer
Spouse: Margaret Whiting (m. 1994; his death 2009)
Porn star Jack Wrangler, had starred in both gay and straight porn, something that is very rare with men in the porn industry. Jack never hid his identity as a gay but said he could never be with a man long-term because he was "too competitive." So he went and married singer Margaret Whiting in 1994 and they remained married until his death in 2009.
11. Vincente Minnelli
Name: Vincente Minnelli (born Lester Anthony Minnelli)
Date of Birth: February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation: Stage director and film director
Spouse: Judy Garland (m. 1945; div. 1951), Georgette Magnani (m. 1954; div. 1958),
Denise Hale (m. 1962; div. 1971), Margaretta Lee Anderson (m. 1980)
Vincente Minnelli, 3rd from the left image source
Vincente Minnelli's bisexuality seemed to be very bicoastal. Rumor has it he would be quite gay in New York, but then straight in Los Angeles. He was married to Judy Garland for many years and had daughter Liza with her. He was also married to three other women as well, yet was always open about his gay New York lifestyle.
12. Tony Richardson
Name: Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson
Date of Birth: 5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991
Place of Birth: Shipley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Occupation: Filmmaker
Spouse: Vanessa Redgrave (m. 1962; div. 1967)
Tony Richardson was an English theater director and filmmaker who was married to actress Vanessa Redgrave from 1962-1967. The couple was known to be quite hot throughout their marriage. After they divorced, he was rumored to have numerous love affairs with both men and women though he never officially came out as bisexual until 1985 when he contracted HIV and eventually died from complications at the age of 63.
READ Breaking Down Dental Hygienists Salary And How Much They Make
13. Rock Hudson
Name: Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.)
Date of Birth: November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985
Place of Birth: Winnetka, Illinois, U.S.
Spouse: Phyllis Gates (m. 1955; div. 1958)
Rock Hudson was one of the biggest heart-throbs during the 1950s and 60s when he saw the height of his career starring in romantic comedies alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Doris Day. Although his homosexuality was well-known within Hollywood it was never made public due to his career. So, to keep up appearances he married Phyllis Gates for three years. Hudson was the first major Hollywood celebrity to die of AIDS in 1985.
14. Peter Allen
Name: Peter Allen (born Peter Richard Woolnough)
Date of Birth: 10 February 1944 – 18 June 1992
Place of Birth: Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Singer-songwriter, musician and entertainer
Spouse: Liza Minelli
Peter Allen was married to Liza Minelli for seven years and kept his homosexual status secret for many years. The once son-in-law of Vincente Minnelli, later the divorce, dated Gregory Connell and they remained together until they both died from AIDS-related illnesses.
15. Peter Marc Jacobson
Name: Peter Marc Jacobson
Date of Birth: October 27, 1957
Place of Birth: Flushing, Queens, New York, U.S.
Occupation: Writer, director, producer, actor
Spouse: Fran Drescher (m. 1978; div. 1999)
Peter Marc Jacobson is a producer and television writer who was married to Fran Drescher for 21 years before they divorced in 1999. He was actually the guy that created the hit show "The Nanny" with Fran and they reunited to develop the show "Happily Divorced" which chronicled their marriage and his coming out. The two ex-couple are doing great on the show and remain very good friends.
Below is a recap of the 15 famous gay men of all time who married women:
James McGreevey
Jonathan Plummer
Jack Wrangler
Tony Richardson
Peter Allen
Peter Marc Jacobson
Amira Daniel
Amira is a personal finance and entertainment writer by trade with several years of experience covering businesses, CEOs, and celebrity profiles, her favourite subjects include business and personal finance, entertainment, celebrities, and travel. When she's not writing, you can find her reading or catching up on any of her favourite series
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Ain Bailey recently undertook a month long residency at London's ICA. During her time there, the sound artist organised a series of events she called Congregation; a club night, a performance, and a sonic round table. Each event focused on a different approach to sharing music in a group, and explored the relationships between individual and collective listening. Here, Bailey shares a selection of her tracks from the jazz and experimental ends of her personal collection, including South London based performance artist Foxy Moron, vocal and movement artist Elaine Mitchener and singer-songwriter Zara MacFarlane.
Ain Bailey was interviewed by Frances Morgan in The Wire 420. Subscribers can access the full article via the online archive.


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text:
Mohammad Ayub Dogar (; born 13 September 1979) is a Pakistani former cricketer who played for Pakistan national cricket team.

He has represented Punjab and the Sialkot Stallions. He has selected for Test series against Sri Lanka in 2012 season.

References

External links

1979 births
People from Nankana Sahib District
Living people
Pakistani cricketers
Sheikhupura cricketers
Sialkot cricketers
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited cricketers
Water and Power Development Authority cricketers
Sialkot Stallions cricketers
Punjab (Pakistan) cricketers
Pakistan Test cricketers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This is another in the much–honored series "Scientists in the Field" that has been named an NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book. The reader learns about polar bears as seen through the eyes of the actual field biologists who gather data on this species.
One cannot stop looking at the amazing photos of the bears in their habitat as soon as you open up this book. Every page is filled with photos of scientists at work, the equipment they use, and a few maps. Through photos and text the reader can follow all aspects of the preparation, the capturing, the gathering of data, the release of the bears, and the analysis of collected data. The photos alone are really something to enjoy about this book. One great image compares the snow print of a human boot with the back paw print of a young male bear. These amazing photos are accompanied by very descriptive narrative that informs the reader about the many challenges these scientists have to overcome to do their job. It also makes the reader aware of why these people work so hard at what they do.
Relating the habits of the polar bear is important. Their decline in population is a major concern with the advent of global climate change and the loss of polar ice. Through deeper knowledge of their world, scientists might better address and hopefully reverse this decline.
Included with the narrative text are eight short, highlighted narratives. These narratives cover conversations with several scientists, the 2008 Threatened Species designation, a description about equipment needed, what is being recorded, such as biomedical impedance analysis, radio collars for the bears, and a look toward the future of polar bears. The narrative detail is very complete and there is no part of the capture process that is not described from start to finish. The book's narrative details the rewards and the challenges of the process of doing science in a very difficult and challenging field situation.
This volume is arranged in five major sections grouped into first, information about the Polar Bear Research Project, two different capture experiences, recording information, and, lastly, the section called "Searching for the Bone Pile" which describes what researchers do when the data from the radio collars stops. There is a short glossary for terms that are already explained in the text and a page of basic polar bear information. At the end of the book are two pages of suggested books, websites and quotes sources, and a final page for an index. Due to the small print in the text, the even smaller photo caption print, the higher level vocabulary, and the large quantity of details, this book would be good for secondary level students either in a classroom or a school library. For a younger child, the photos would be a good draw for learning more about this species. For those readers who are concerned with our vanishing wildlife and want to know more about what is being done to save them, especially the polar bear, this book is a must–read.


Decorated gingerbread houses always look so pretty, but I had never tried decorating one or attempted to decorate one with my children. That was until we were able to attend the Gingerbread Bash at the Deck the Halls Holiday Gift Market event at the Waco Convention Center.
When we arrived at the gingerbread event, we were greeted with smiles and a gingerbread house that was already put together along with bags of candy and icing.
Not only was it exciting to see the gingerbread ready for our creative stamp, but the atmosphere was thrilling as well. The event's Christmas decorations were beautiful, and the tables were even decorated with candy canes and example pictures of already-decorated gingerbread houses. This was a huge plus for us since we had never decorated one before.
The sweet, spicy aroma of gingerbread wafted through the building and really got us into the Christmas spirit.
We found a table and took turns piping icing onto the gingerbread house, adding candy while we talked and laughed at our messy, crazy creation. Baby brother even helped by eating some of the candy because when you have gumdrops how can you not eat them?
Not only did we get the chance to decorate a gingerbread house, but we also got to take pictures against a photo booth backdrop and dine on free drinks and Bluebell ice cream. They even bagged up our gingerbread house for us!
The Junior League of Waco, who hosts the Deck the Halls event, really knows how to throw a Gingerbread Bash. We were glad to attend and decorate our first gingerbread house as a family.
Decorating a gingerbread house was a sweet memorable activity for us, and I am sure other families would enjoy this event as well. So, this year mark your calendars to attend the Gingerbread Bash Nov. 2 from 4:30 – 6:30. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time.
Click here for more information about the Deck the Halls event and how to purchase tickets.


text:
Q: Fast way to get an 2d array with some columns and in a certain order from an original matrix I have a matrix and i desire to mount another matriz with a few columns and in a specific order of columns. See example:
Full Matrix
 0  1  2  3  4
[15 22 17 19 14]
[34 67 39 70 65]
[56 9  26 57 90]
[11 35 81 44 33]

Desired Columns
listIdsColumns = [3, 1, 0]

Resulting Matrix
 3  1  0
[19 22 15]
[70 67 34]
[57 9  56]
[44 35 11]

The following code performs the operation successfully. Someone suggest a more optimized alternative solution in relation to the running time and number of lines? Thanks.
def constructPartialMatrix(listIdsColumns):
    matrixPartial = np.array(matrixFull[:, listIdsColumns[0]])
    listIdsColumns.remove(listIdsColumns[0])
    while listIdsColumns:
        column = np.array(matrixFull[:, listIdsColumns[0]])
        listIdsColumns.remove(listIdsColumns[0])
        matrixPartial = np.column_stack((matrixPartial, column))
    return matrixPartial

A: IIUC you can simply select "interesting" columns:
In [41]: a
Out[41]:
array([[15, 22, 17, 19, 14],
       [34, 67, 39, 70, 65],
       [56,  9, 26, 57, 90],
       [11, 35, 81, 44, 33]])

In [42]: a[:,[3,1,0]]
Out[42]:
array([[19, 22, 15],
       [70, 67, 34],
       [57,  9, 56],
       [44, 35, 11]])

it should work also with matrixes:
In [44]: a
Out[44]:
matrix([[15, 22, 17, 19, 14],
        [34, 67, 39, 70, 65],
        [56,  9, 26, 57, 90],
        [11, 35, 81, 44, 33]])

In [45]: a[:,[3,1,0]]
Out[45]:
matrix([[19, 22, 15],
        [70, 67, 34],
        [57,  9, 56],
        [44, 35, 11]])


Eurocom is launching the Sky X9E Extreme Edition unlocked, high performance "desktop Laptop" with Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, 64 GB DDR4 memory and a beautiful 4K 17.3" display. Eurocom customers now have an ultra-high performance, fully upgradeable mobile platform that they have utmost freedom to control and to push it to the limits.
Equipped with the most powerful components ever assembled in a laptop form factor and now with the unlocked capability to push the performance to otherworldly levels. Eurocom provides an unlocked BIOS along with an Overclocking Seminar with overclocking expert Mr. Fox so users have a quick rundown on how to best push their new EUROCOM Sky X9E to the limits as well as setting limitations and safe guards for safe operation.
"Eurocom is all about freedom, freedom to choose the components of your upgradeable, custom built laptop and now users have the freedom to control the performance with an unlocked, Intel Core i7 6700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 equipped EUROCOM Sky X9E Desktop Laptop." Eurocom President Mark Bialic.
The EUROCOM Sky X9E is Virtual-reality ready, the beefy hardware of the Sky X9E blows away the minimum specs you will need to run the incredibly immersive experience and 360 degrees games and videos with an Oculus Rift of HTC Vive.
The EUROCOM Sky X9E is the unlocked edition of the X9 chassis and supports the latest, BIOS unlocked 6th generation Intel Core i7 processors up to 6700K due to the desktop Z170 chipset and LGA 1151 CPU socket. Four SODIMM are supported for up to 64 GB DDR4 2400 and 2133 memory to pair with a high performance, unlocked desktop i7 processor.
The EUROCOM Sky X9E is the most powerful laptop ever made. It is a completely user-upgradeable, fully customizable and extremely flexible, allowing the Sky X9E to be configured with a variety of options including NVIDIA GeForce graphics and high performance desktop socket processors. The EUROCOM Sky X9E has mission critical reliability and super computer performance with quality to last and upgradeability to improve capability along the way.
To display the exquisite graphics supported in the Sky X9E we fitted it with a high pixel density 4K Ultra HD matte IPS display with a whopping 8,294,400 pixels.
The EUROCOM Sky X9E M.2 PCIeX4 SSD storage allows enthusiast users to super-charge productivity and creativity of workflows. The Sky X9E utilizes the new NVMe protocol, designed from the ground up to take advantage of pipeline-rich, random access based storage.
"This machine (EUROCOM Sky X9E) is by no means the first example of an extreme performance notebook capable of insane overclocking, but I think it might be the best quad-core beast for the job" said Mr Fox.
EUROCOM Sky X9E is powered by desktop NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 graphics, a fully unlocked GM204 core with 2048 CUDA cores. 8 GB memory with 7 Gbps memory clock and GDDR5 memory interface is supported. The EUROCOM Sky X9E is the first laptop with upgradeable desktop graphics supported inside, another amazing innovation from Eurocom. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 is overclock-able for maximum control and performance. There are two MXM slots to allow the EUROCOM Sky X9E to support dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M cards in SLI or one NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980.
Not only does the EUROCOM Sky X9E have upgradeable NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 graphics, it also has socket based desktop Intel Skylake processors. The EUROCOM Sky X9E utilizes an Intel Z170 Chipset, socket LGA 1151 for support up to Intel Core i7-6700K processors. The Intel Core i7-6700K has 4 cores and 8 threads running at 4GHz, with turbo boost up to 4.2 GHz utilizing 14nm technology. The Intel Core i7-6700K is overclock-able for maximum control and performance.
The EUROCOM Sky X9E is full upgradeable and customizable, customers can choose between a variety of components.
Eurocom is a leading developer and innovator of long lifespan, fully upgradable notebooks, high performance mobile workstations and mobile servers since 1989. Eurocom has produced many firsts and continues to engineer solutions that inspire and enable individuals and companies to reach great possibilities. For more information on Eurocom please visit www.eurocom.com.
Since 1989, Eurocom has been a leading developer of long lifespan, fully upgradable Notebooks, High Performance Mobile Workstations and Mobile Servers.


TenneT Offshore GmbH has invited tenders for the underwater ordnance removal on the planned DolWin3 offshore submarine cable connection of approximately 42 km.
The starting point will be KP 43 north of the island of Borkum, Germany. The route is within the German EEZ and the final destination is the planned substation DolWin Gamma at approx. KP83.
The entire scope of the clearance works encompasses geophysical survey, UXO identification, removal (if deemed possible) and detonation (if required).
Geophysical survey will be conducted to identify potential UXO objects within the prescribed surveyed corridor.
Contractor will host a 'route' working group meeting to conduct re-routing as far as possible to avoid potential UXO objects within certain constraints in order to issue a final route position list, a final potential UXO object list and a route clearance certificate.
The Contractor will also be required to issue a final target clearance certificate(s) for all objects inspected and removed.
It will provide assistance with securing final approvals from the authorities for the subsequent cable installation works.
The project is expected to start on March 30, 2015, with the planned completion in December 2015.
The deadline for the submission of tenders is December 14, 2014.


Congratulations to Alexander Armstrong on being awarded the 2016 George Johnson Law Prize. The Award was presented by His Honour Deemster Doyle to Mr Armstrong who was accompanied by colleagues from Callin Wild.
His Honour Deemster Doyle said "Before I make the formal award of the George Johnson Law Prize for 2016 I would like to say a few words about the history of the prize.
The prize was established in 1943 in memory of George Sayle Johnson, a former President of the Isle of Man Law Society, with the objective of encouraging the study of law. The prize has a long and distinguished history. It is a great honour to win it. There was a lot of first class competition for the prize this year.
The prize this year goes to Alexander John Armstrong for his thought-provoking essay on "Will advocates and judges be replaced by computer-based services in the future?" which persuasively argued that human judges and advocates have a future – that's a relief. We must all make proper use of modern technology but it would appear that human beings, giving advice as advocates and making decisions as judges, will be around for some time.
The essay shows that the author has indeed studied the relevant subject in detail and that the objective of the prize has been satisfied.
Click here to read the winning entry 2016 Alexander Armstrong.