Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Robotics Smart Machines: Rovers & Vehicles Giveaway

Robotics Smart Machines: Rovers & Vehicles Giveaway [$135 RV] Ends 8/27 @SMGurusNetwork @ThamesAndKosmos

Welcome to The Robotics Smart Machines: Rovers & Vehicles Giveaway! $135 TRV!

1 winner will receive a $135 Thames & Kosmos Robotics Smart Machines: Rovers & Vehicles Engineering Kit!

This giveaway is part of our Back To School Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products. And be sure you enter. You can't win if you don't.

This contest is hosted by the Social Media Gurus Network!
 

Host that put together this giveaway is:

Deliciously Savvy

My co-hosts for this giveaway are:

Michigan Saving and More, Missy's Views And Savings Clues, My Silly Little Gang, Holiday Contest & Sweeps, and Sweet Southern Savings

 
Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide giveaways.

1 winner will receive a Thames & Kosmos Robotics Smart Machines: Rovers & Vehicles valued at $135! Transforms into 8 different machines & More!

Read My Review

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid in the United States Only and Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 8/16/18. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to mcushing7 at hotmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contests are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Melissa Cushing at mcushing7 (at)hotmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them!

Enter below and Good Luck!
 

Monday, July 30, 2018

From Frights to Flaws by Sunayna Prasad 1

Alyssa McCarthy's Magical Missions: Book 1: From Frights to Flaws

By Sunayna Prasad

Twelve-year-old Alyssa McCarthy is sick of her uncle's unfair rules and longs for a better life. After discovering the existence of magic, she finds out about a dark wizard hunting her down. An unforgettable storm occurs in Alyssa's ordinary New Jersey town before the sorcerer kidnaps her to the Fiji Islands.

On the enchanted island of Yanowic, Alyssa learns that she is unable to get out of the country due to a giant shield. She must defeat some dangerous creatures and the evil wizard in order to leave. But with sorcerers and magical technology getting in her way, can Alyssa succeed?







...........................................................................
MY REVIEW

After Alyssa’s parents died, she went to live with her aunt and uncle, and her younger cousin Hailie. Things were fine until her aunt dies, leaving her uncle to raise both girls. After that, things went downhill. Uncle Bruce became withdrawn. The girls started homeschooling and their days consisted of endless chores. And to top that off, they had the meanest babysitter ever. A few weeks before her thirteenth birthday, things around Alyssa start getting weird. Magical things. She soon discovers that a mean wizard is planning to kill her and he is the one causing trouble for her. But how can she make everyone understand what is going on if they don’t believe that magic is even real?



What pre-teen wouldn’t enjoy this story? It has magic, fantasy characters, and of course, suspense. I started off feeling sorry for Alyssa and Hailie, but then, the adventure kicked in, making me forget to feel the pity. Through it all, though, I shared the excitement of the adventure. I think the story and characters could have had more depth though. There should have been more on the reasoning for the wizard to target Alyssa. The reason given was basically a misguided blame that doesn’t really add up.
...........................................................................

**The above opinions are 100% my own, whether I purchased the book or it was given to me to review.



Sunday, July 29, 2018

Louis Sel Gourmet Sea Salt Giveaway

Louis Sel Gourmet Sea Salt Giveaway Ends 8/24

Welcome to the Louis Sel Gourmet Sea Salt Giveaway!

This giveaway is part of our Back to School Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products. Be sure to enter. You can't win if you don't.
This contest is hosted by the Social Media Gurus Network!
Host that put together this giveaway is Michigan Saving and More
Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide giveaways.
Teach Your Child As They Grow Giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This giveaway's Sponsor is:

Louis Sel

Karen Pevenstein began Louis Sel after meeting the independent paludiers (salt farmers) Gilles Morel and Matthieu Le Chantoux at a food fair in Paris. Their salt marshes are in the world famous Guérande basin in Brittany where they utilize nature's energies to manually produce sea salt. Karen now brings these meticulously crafted sea salts to the U.S. to share them with her friends, family, and food lovers who are interested in taking their culinary creations to the next level.
Louis Sel Gourmet Sea Salt Giveaway

Louis Sel Gourmet Sea Salt

See the review HERE.

~~~~~~

THE GIVEAWAY

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. You are not eligible if you have won a prize from this sponsor in the last 12 months. This giveaway form collects information that is used to contact the winner and for no other purpose. By entering you are agreeing for the hosting blogger to share your information with the sponsor of the giveaway. This Giveaway is valid in the United States Only and Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 8/24/18. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to las93063 at gmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contests are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Laura Smith at las930 (at)gmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them! Don't forget to stop by for your daily bonus entries.

Enter below and Good Luck!

Saturday, July 28, 2018

Free and Bargain Books Linkup Week 30



Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Leels Loves Books | Mother Distracted
Tuesday
First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Between the Coverz 
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this week's awesome selection!
By adding your link, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy and transmitted to Inlinkz in accordance with their Privacy Policy.

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here


Come back and check out the new selection every week x

Friday, July 27, 2018

Send Them To College With Lugz Giveaway

Send Them To College With Lugz Giveaway  

Welcome to the Send Them To College With Lugz Giveaway!

This giveaway is part of our Back to School Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products. And be sure to enter. You can't win if you don't.
This contest is hosted by the Social Media Gurus Network!
Host that put together this giveaway is Michigan Saving and More
Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide giveaways.
Teach Your Child As They Grow Giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This giveaway's Sponsor is:

Lugz

Send Them To College With Lugz Giveaway

ZEO MOC MID

$89.99 RV
See the review HERE.

~~~~~~

THE GIVEAWAY

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. By entering this giveaway you are authorizing the hosting blogger to contact you if you are a winner. This is the only time your email will be used, unless by sponsor for sending prize. You are not eligible if you have won a prize from this sponsor in the last 12 months. This Giveaway is valid in the United States Only and Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 8/20/18. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to las93063 at gmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contests are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Laura Smith at las930 (at)gmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them! Don't forget to stop by for your daily bonus entries.

Enter below and Good Luck!

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Summer Flambe Review

Summer Flambè (The Rachael O'Brien Chronicles Book 2)

By Paisley Ray

Summer Flambè (The Rachael O'Brien Chronicles Book 2) by [Ray, Paisley]
Book two of THE RACHAEL O'BRIEN CHRONICLES, a novella, details Rachael's summer back home working in the family art restoration business, where chances of hooking up with her college crush hover between slim and none. Weirded out as her father's relationship with a ditsy young aerobics instructor heats up, Rachael soon finds herself living under the same roof with both of them. But that cannot compare with the shockwave of her mom showing up with her new traveling-psychic 'partner', which sends life into warp-speed wackadoo. The theft of an eccentric client's painting throws her another mind bender by unraveling a family secret and propelling Rachael into the arms of a wanted man.

A tangled thread of personal discovery, heartache, and resiliency ignites in Paisley Ray's SUMMER FLAMBÉ.



...........................................................................
MY REVIEW

I always enjoy the Rachel O’Brien Chronicles. She seems to get herself into comical and embarrassing situations without even trying. Her sleuthing skills however are top notch. In this episode, Rachel has to contend with her mother’s return, only to discover secrets she would rather have not known.


I like Rachel’s spunkiness. It went well with her personality. I had sympathy for her relationship with her mother. I wish the ending had been resolved more but it makes for a good start to the next chapter in the Rachel O’Brien Chronicles.
...........................................................................

**The above opinions are 100% my own, whether I purchased the book or it was given to me to review.


Buy the book from...

Follow the Author



Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Pack Your Books With Lands' End Giveaway

Pack Your Books With Lands' End Giveaway

Welcome to the Pack Your Books With Lands' End Giveaway!

This giveaway is part of our Back to School Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products. And be sure to enter. You can't win if you don't.
This contest is hosted by the Social Media Gurus Network!
Host that put together this giveaway is Michigan Saving and More
Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide giveaways.
Teach Your Child As They Grow Giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This giveaway's Sponsor is:

Lands' End

Lands’ End backpacks are iconic for their durability and ability to last a lifetime. Lands’ End has a backpack for every type of shopper—bags come in different sizes from little kid to adult; come in a variety of styles from the classic ClassMate to coordinating lunch boxes to sporty cinch sacks; and every pack can be personalized with monograms or emojis.
Pack Your Books With Lands' End Giveaway

Choice of bag from this link.

See the review HERE.

up to $99.95 RV

~~~~~~

THE GIVEAWAY

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. You are not eligible if you have won a prize from this sponsor in the last 12 months. This Giveaway is valid in the United States Only and Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 8/20/18. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to las93063 at gmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contests are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Laura Smith at las930 (at)gmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them! Don't forget to stop by for your daily bonus entries.

Enter below and Good Luck!
 

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Snorg Tees Sale for the Week of July 22



**This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make 

a purchase after clicking on my links. Thank you for any and all clicks. 


Cats On The Brain



Rest In Peace

Forking Bullshirt



Monday, July 23, 2018

Sproutbrite TOTAL GARDEN Starter Kits Giveaway

Sproutbrite TOTAL GARDEN Starter Kits Giveaway ~ 1 Winner ~ Ends 8/17 @sproutbrite @SMGurusNetwork

Welcome to The Sproutbrite TOTAL GARDEN Starter Kits Giveaway!

1 winner will receive a 2 Sproutbrite TOTAL GARDEN Starter Kits Of Winners Choice!

This giveaway is part of our Back To School Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products. And be sure to enter. You can't win if you don't.
This contest is hosted by the Social Media Gurus Network!
 

Host that put together this giveaway is:

Deliciously Savvy

My co-hosts for this giveaway are:

Michigan Saving and More, Missy's Views And Savings Clues, My Silly Little Gang, Holiday Contest & Sweeps, and Sweet Southern Savings

 
Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide giveaways.

1 winner will receive a 2 Sproutbrite TOTAL GARDEN Starter Kits Of Winners Choice!

Read My Review

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid in the United States Only and Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 8/17/18. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to mcushing7 at hotmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contests are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Melissa Cushing at mcushing7 (at)hotmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them!

Enter below and Good Luck!
 

Sunday, July 22, 2018

Cricut's Christmas in July


Cricut Logo

**This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Thank you for any and all clicks. 

Flash Sale

This week, Cricut is having a Christmas in July sale! Similar to last week, this sale features 50% off supplies, $20 off machines including the Maker & BrightPad, and $70 off Explore! Take advantage of these great savings today! 



Free shipping (US & Canada) on orders of $99+ with code: JULYSHIP




Saturday, July 21, 2018

Free and Bargain Books Linkup Week 29



Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Leels Loves Books | Mother Distracted
Tuesday
First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Between the Coverz 
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this week's awesome selection!
By adding your link, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy and transmitted to Inlinkz in accordance with their Privacy Policy.

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here


Come back and check out the new selection every week x

Friday, July 20, 2018

Into the Woods Tour and Giveaway




Into the Woods is the title and theme for this assortment of short stories, poems, essays, music, and one walking meditation. Each piece is unique in tone and genre and the result is that the collection captures the fascinating, frightening, fun, healing, and fantastical wonder of time spent in the woods. The twenty-six contributors who attend Mindful Writers Retreats in the mountains of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, are donating one hundred percent of the proceeds to support the research and work of The Children’s Heart Foundation.

Available at....









Book Excerpts
Short Story
TRAIN WRECK
by Kathleen Shoop

Ellie Trumbull squinted out the window of the Uber, gripping the door handle. The car swerved and bounced up the long driveway leading to the retreat center where the courts had sent Ellie for punishment. She grabbed her stomach to stave off nausea, but when it began to launch itself she smacked the driver’s arm. He slowed and stopped. Ellie pulled the handle, and tumbled out of the door onto all fours, heaving.
She gasped for breath, dizzied. Voices sounded as she struggled to stand. She focused on the group heading toward her: two women, a man, and several children who simply bolted past her, their squealing laughter filling the air.
A graceful woman with gray, bunned hair and dark skin approached. She took Ellie’s arm and pulled her close, leading her into a building. “Welcome. I’m Vera.”
“I’m Alice.” A stout woman with platinum spiked hair followed along.
A lanky man with hair so perfect it looked plastic picked up Ellie’s duffel bag. “I’m Brandon. Your husband’ll send the rest of your luggage shortly.”
Ellie grunted. They led her upstairs. Brandon rushed ahead to open a door. Ellie shuffled inside.
“Your room,” he said. “I’ll set your bag here.”
Ellie looked over her shoulder to see him smiling, as he’d been doing since she arrived. “Thanks, Guy Smiley.”
“What?”
She ignored his question, held onto one of the top bunks and surveyed the space. Three large windows at the end of the room and three sets of bunks with plastic mattresses belted the perimeter.
Ellie collapsed onto a bed.
“Plastic makes it easy to clean,” Vera said.
“Shut those.” Ellie shook her hand at the windows.
The woman sighed, closed the curtains and lowered the blind that covered the center pane. She lifted Ellie’s feet off the floor and swung them onto the bed. “Housekeeping’ll make up the bed in a little bit.”
“Fine,” Ellie groaned.
Vera loosened Ellie’s shoelaces.
Ellie snatched her feet away. “I’m fine.”
Vera backed away, her large hands flailing for a moment before she tucked them against her belly. “Our healing circle begins in an hour.”
Ellie turned away and balled up. Leave me alone.
And a few seconds later the door clicked shut.
***
Giggling children and the sound of feet running down the hallway outside Room 2 woke Ellie. Her mouth was desert dry, so she headed downstairs to the great room where she saw a kitchen area. With the kids gone, the silence felt good.
Ellie startled at the sight of Alice, Vera, and Guy Smiley sitting around an island. Guy Smiley poured coffee. Healing circle.
“Ellie,” he said. “Welcome.”
Vera sliced banana bread. The scent threatened Ellie’s stoic facade. A smile tugged her lips, but she tucked away the fleeting happy sensation, hid it where it wouldn’t remind her how Maggie’s face would light up when she bit into her favorite treat.
Alice clomped her feet onto the coffee table. Vera batted them away and pushed the banana bread toward Ellie.
She looked away.
“I’ll take hers,” said Alice.
“I’d like to begin,” Vera said, her voice gentle and melodic. “The healing circle guides us into continued acceptance and strengthens our endurance as we grow through the pain that comes with losing a child. Each of us understands the daily shock of waking and realizing our lives will never be the same. So how do we go on?”
Guy Smiley sipped coffee. “Feels good to be with everyone.”
“Each time we meet I do better back home,” Vera said.
“Same,” Alice said.
“We hope you’ll find our group helpful, Ellie,” Vera said.
When Ellie didn’t respond the others went around describing how they lost their child. Ellie blocked out every word, rubbing her temples. Her own pain was enough. She wasn’t about to invite theirs inside. Her gaze strayed to the kids outside, the game of tag that left them breathless, rolling down the hill and out of sight. How lucky they were.
“Ellie?” Alice asked. Ellie turned her gaze back to see Alice glaring.
“It’ll help,” sweet Vera said. “To share.”
Guy Smiley slid forward in his seat, fingers steepled. “Change brings…blah, blah … comfort, healing…” He droned on and on and finally Ellie’s mind snapped back to what he first said.
Change?” Ellie said.
He nodded. They all did.
Ellie’s anger surged. She wiped spittle from her lip. “I don’twantchange. I feel Maggie more now than I ever did… before she died I couldn’t wait to get to work, or girls’ night out or go away with my husband. My daughter… difficult from the day she was born… is dead. I’ll never sit with you people thinking about change and eating stinking banana bread.”
She stood and stomped away.
“She don’t want help,” Alice said.
“But her husband…” Brandon said.
Ellie got farther away, unable to hear what they said. Her husband? He was finished with her. She jogged to her room and crashed onto the mattress that housekeeping hadn’t yet returned to make. She covered her face and held back tears. With balled fists she tried to resist.
But she couldn’t.
Up off the bed, Ellie dug through her duffel and found it. Vodka. Cap unscrewed, she gulped, washing away the scent of banana bread, the thought that she’d never again see Maggie’s smile when she took a bite of it.

***
Short Story
EIRA
by Wende Dikec

The lights went out, and Eira held her breath, waiting for the emergency generator to work. It started with a shudder and a horrific crunching noise, but at least it continued to function.
She closed her eyes, feeling the fear in her chest ease when she heard the comforting sound of the humming engine. She couldn’t bear the thought of being left cold and alone in the dark.
Tugging her pale, blond hair into a ponytail, she pulled her ragged wool cardigan tightly across her body and walked over to the window of Alexander House, a grand name for such a Spartan hunting cabin, to peek outside. She waited for the sun to come up, looking out the dirty glass pane, and continued to stare out the window long after the sun rose in the sky. She didn’t know why she bothered. She saw nothing outside except the same white expanse she’d seen every day for the last five lonely months.
Eira opened the door to grab some wood from the pile for her fire, her body flinching from the chill of the icy wind. She had enough wood to last a few more weeks, and then she’d have to make the dangerous trip into the forest to chop more. She dreaded it, but not as much as she dreaded living without the generator. If she rationed carefully, she’d have enough fuel for another month, but she wasn’t sure what she’d do after that. She hadn’t planned on being stranded for such a long time. Spring should have arrived almost two months ago.
She blinked in surprise when she saw a figure moving toward her house, struggling in the waist deep snow. Eira squinted against the harsh sunlight reflecting off the white landscape, trying to make out if the approaching form was human or animal, friend or foe, but she could see very little at this distance. She stumbled back into her warm little house, and reached for her heavy coat. She quickly slipped on her snowshoes before grabbing her gun, a nervous sense of excitement building inside her. If it was a person, it would be the first human being she’d seen in months. If it was an animal, she’d shoot it and have food for a week. And if it was one of the strange ones, the creatures that were no longer human yet not completely animal, she’d kill it without remorse and leave its carcass for the hungry bears to find.
She waited on her front porch, her gun ready as it came closer. It looked human, bundled under layers of heavy clothing, but she wasn’t taking any chances.
“Who are you?” she asked, her voice echoing in the quiet wilderness.
The figure stopped moving and looked directly at her. She could see a dark beard covering the skin exposed beneath protective ski goggles. It was a man.
“My name is Ben,” he said, his voice sounding scratchy and strange, as if it hadn’t been used in a long time. “I saw the smoke from your fire. Can I come in and warm up?”
Eira paused, considering his request. He seemed human enough, but it was a risk. He could steal her food, hurt her, or take her precious fuel. She weighed her options quickly. Loneliness won out over caution, but she wasn’t stupid. She clenched her gun as she waved him in.


***
Poem
FOREST BATHING
by Martha Swiss

I am alone in this place that is alive, anticipating the gift before me.
I open it slowly, with grateful breath, footsteps and heartbeats,
then thankfully sink into the purifying molecules of chlorophyll and humus.
I bask, now able to sense the purpose of ferns, snakeroot, noble trees and the creek that tumbles past my feet.

Crayfish pay me no mind in their muddy caverns.
Trees skyrocket overhead, on a mission.
Chipmunks skitter through leaf litter
and a kingfisher pounds its teal wings heading upstream.
I am dwarfed by the hillside vaulting from the floodplain. Boulders and saplings cling to its spine.

I am free to bathe here in clarified cells of cambium, xylem and phloem.
I wring my sponge in the generosity of flora.
The stream’s effervescence cleanses the tangled energy seeping from my pores.

I celebrate my fresh spirit with a confetti of scarlet, orange and yellow leaves that bob on the breast of the creek
as silently,
the trees disrobe.

***
Short Story
LIGHT OF THE MOON
by Ramona DeFelice Long

After three weeks in jail, Mama asked me to talk to Judge Rousseau about getting her some decent food to eat.
Mon Dieu,I am wasting away,” Mama said from her cell. Behind her, the narrow cot was covered with a quilt from home, and on top of the wooden crate she used as a table was a kerosene lamp on a doily. She’d left a half played game of solitaire spread over the doily. Where she got playing cards, I didn’t know. The Bible that had been on the pillow was nowhere to be seen.
She showed me her bowl of half-eaten stew. I think it was stew. “That old cow Lorraine Badeaux is poisoning me.”
“Hush, Mama,” I said. “Mrs. Badeaux is doing no such thing.”
Mama pressed her face between the bars. Her eyebrows and cheeks lifted up. That, plus the pounds she’d lost eating jail food and all the naps she took out of boredom, made her look as young as me. Trust Mama to turn getting arrested into getting prettier.
“Geneva,cher, just go ask him,” Mama wheedled. “That sheriff can hardly look at this slop. He passes me my plate and runs away. Or maybe he believes I’ll bewitch him, too.”
I begged her not to joke about that.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “And pour l’amour de Dieu, when you go see the judge, don’t wear what you got on. You look like a blind nun dressed you.”
“Mama—”
“Your hair’s all right, but get you some lipstick and rouge and use it. Judge Rousseau is old, but he ain’t dead.”
No, he wasn’t, but his brother-in-law was, and that’s why Mama’s bail was set high as the moon. But explaining that to her was like talking to a tree stump.
I said I had to leave. I was Mama’s only visitor, and she was bitter. Where was our family? Where were her friends? She was lonely and felt forsaken. I never told her that, at home, nobody came to visit me either, and I had not even murdered anybody.
Most days she begged me to stay, but tonight she told me to get on home. I suppose she thought I had a busy evening ahead tarting myself up before going to see the judge.
***
When the young deputy was on duty, he sat in a chair five feet away from Mama’s cell, as if he thought I’d help my mother escape by slipping a bolt cutter under my dress—a dress fit for a convent, indeed, because my teacher contract said I had to “act and keep my person modestly.” I worried every day I’d be fired over Mama’s scandal.
Sheriff Reyes usually sat in his office up front and read the newspaper. When my visiting time was over, he always asked, “Things all right, Miss Geneva?”
I answered, “Yes, Sheriff, thank you,” except for the time or two when Mama asked for a warmer shawl or the quilt off her bed.
Once, horrifyingly, I had to say I needed to come right back; when he frowned, I whispered that Mama needed some womanly things. He let me into her cell with a paper sack that he did not inspect. Had I been wily, I could have slipped her anything—a pistol, liquor, tonic from Madame Velda—but wily was Mama’s way, not mine. The sheriff trusted me. If you can’t trust a twenty-year-old spinster schoolteacher who dresses as modestly as a nun, you have faith in no one.
Tonight, Sheriff Reyes stood at the window. The kerosene lamp on his desk lit him up from behind: tall, broad-shouldered, brown hair cut short but still wavy. On one of those shoulders was the scar from a shell that blew him out of the sniper’s nest he’d sat in for three days, picking off Germans but never giving away his position. I’d read that in the Bossier City newspaper, when he’d come home a hero after the war ended.
He turned around and said, “Your mother’s right. Mrs. Badeaux can’t cook.”
I didn’t speak; he was also very handsome.


***

into the woods SQ teaser


Mindful Writers Authors 
Many of the writers who contributed to the anthology. 
The retreats happen at Ligonier camp and conference center in Ligonier, PA. Tenth retreat is coming up this fall!


Twenty-six Mindful Writers Retreat Authors contributed to Into the Woods. The group consists of bestsellers, award-winners, first-time authors, seasoned veterans, poets, memoirists, essayists, musicians, journalists, novelists, and short story writers who are traditionally, self and hybrid published. At Mindful Writers Retreats the labels don’t create a hierarchy, but instead reveal the richness of those who attend. Every single writer contributes to the magic and the fun that results from meditation, walking in the woods, and hour upon hour of mindful writing.

Authors in alphabetical order:
Lorraine Bonzelet
Wende Dikec
Teresa Futrick
Selah Gray
Hilary Hauck
Michele Zirkle
Eileen Enwright Hodgetts
Larry Ivkovich
Lori M. Jones
Kimberly Kurth-Gray
Laura Lovic-Lindsay
Ramona DeFelice Long
MaryAlice Meli
Gail Oare Sher Pensiero
Kim Pierson
Cara Reinard
James Robinson, Jr.
Larry Schardt
Linda K. Schmitmeyer
Carol Schoenig
Kathleen Shoop
Martha Swiss
Amy Walter
Madhu Bazaz Wangu
Denise Weaver

Many of the writers who contributed to the anthology. 
The retreats happen at Ligonier camp and conference center in Ligonier, PA. Tenth retreat is coming up this fall!

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