Trip Back To The South

Y'all, I've been wanting to write this blog post for a while, but Christmas and other responsibilities kept me from it. Today, I shall write it!! LOL!

If you know my story with Deek, you know I moved across the country to be with him (in a few years, he will reciprocate and move back to the South with me--we have a two-way street relationship like that)! ;) Anyhoo, we traveled back to see my family and friends in November. It was my first time on a plane since I was 13 years old, and I hated it as much this time as I did then. LOL! I was born and raised, for my entire life, in the same state, in the same area even! So, moving across the country and coming back felt strange. I'd never done anything like that before. I cried when I saw my home state from the air. I cried again when we touched down on Southern soil. 

There are no direct flights from where we live now to where I used to live in the South. So, we had to switch flights. On the flight over, we caught a connecting flight in Salt Lake City, Utah. When we stepped out of the bridgeway and into the airport, Deek and I stopped and stared in awe at the gorgeous mountains of Utah. The picture doesn't do it justice, but the sight was breathtaking!

I can't reiterate enough how much I hate to fly. Anyhoo, moving on...

We got to hang out with a lot of friends and family while we were there! We are so thankful to all the people that put us up for the night. We didn't even have to get a hotel, except by choice on Deek's birthday, because of the hospitality of our friends and family! 

 Holdin' babies!

 Went to see Mockingjay with my soul sister and Dream Team member, Dawn

Ice cream date with my friend and Realtor, Heather! Her phone had some uber cool face smoothing app on it! LOL!

Yvonne joined us for the ice cream date! 

Triple threat right here!! These ladies put us up for several nights! Love them!

 Going to see Christmas lights! 

Coffee and book talking with Dream Team Member, Danielle! 

 My grandpa's (PaPa) birthday celebration. He's always called me his Babydoll! <3

Hanging out with my grandma (Mema) and her twin sister! Woot! 

We got to hold babies, go to movies, visit with friends and family, see the Christmas light displays that went up, eat tons of great food, and I even met some fans and had some book signings! #AuthorDream

Christmas lights--so pretty, especially to the ADD folks in this picture! ;) 

Sweet fans!!

Signing books at the local Starbucks! 

While we were there, we celebrated Deek's birthday. We had one of our favorite meals--apparently only found in the South since we haven't been able to locate any in the PNW--cheese dip/queso and then headed out for the date portion! A long time ago, we played a random question game to get to know one another better. The challenge--to design a fun, non-traditional date. As a part of the date he created, Deek said he'd give me $5 to spend in a store. We'd spend time wandering around discussing the merits of each choice and finally settle on the purchase. But we've never actually done this date. So, I decided to turn it around and do that for him for his birthday. It was SO super fun! We also had a great time cutting up in the store as we searched for "THE" gift. Hahaha!

Cheese dip!!!

With sadness to leave but a joy for the time spent, we headed to the airport to fly back. BUT our first flight got delayed, which meant we couldn't get our connecting flight. After much juggling, the sweet lady at the desk managed to get us a flight to NYC on a different airline. From there, we would pick up a plane that would take us to the Pacific Northwest. Well...no one told me we would be flying in a pencil. A PENCIL! People, I had to duck (I'm 5' 2") to enter the plane. I have never been so scared in my life. In fact, I sent an "If I don't see you ever again, I love you" to my family and friends on FB. Here's the pic...

Have I mentioned I HATE flying?

Thankfully, the pencil got us safely to New York where we booked it Home Alone-style from one airline's terminal to the other. 

 The Big Apple!

Gotta catch our flight!!

We had a 2.5 hour layover, and it took us 2 hours to get from the gate at which we landed to the next gate. We had to take a bus and a train, and we had to go through security again! UGH! But we made our connecting flight and took the 5.5 hour flight back home. 5.5 HOURS, people! That time frame is so much longer when you hate what you're doing. I wanted to kiss the ground when we landed. 

Next time we travel to the South, I'd like to drive or take a train. I'm so serious. LOL! But despite my fear of flying, we had a marvelous time! In fact, wherever I go, I have a blast because Deek is by my side!! 

I love him so much! He always makes me laugh!!

All I Want For Christmas Is You!

Deek and I are the last stop on this year's 12 Indies of Christmas Blog Hop and Giveaway!! In case you missed the rest of our peeps, here they are! Be sure to check out their awesome posts all along the way for fun stories, ideas, and information! Oh, and be sure to stay tuned for the rockin' giveaway at the end of this blog post!!

December 12th - Zane Sachs

December 13th - Kira Adams

December 14th - Chess Desalls

December 15th - Kai Strand

December 16th - Zoe Dawson

December 17th - A.G. Porter

December 18th - Joy Penny

December 19th - Mary Waibel

December 20th - Cynthia Witherspoon

December 21st - K.K. Allen

December 22nd - Ann Everett

December 23rd - Erin Rhew & Deek Rhew

Long Distance Christmas Ideas

Have you ever heard that song "All I Want For Christmas Is You?" How about "Please Come Home For Christmas?" Well, if you've ever been in a long distance relationship or been away from your family at Christmas, you understand the sentiment! 

If you know our story, you know Deek and I dated long distance--across the country in fact! Though we missed one another all the time, the holidays were just a little more intense. So, we came up with some ways to share the holidays from across the country, and we thought we'd share them with you. In fact, I'll be implementing some of them again this year with my family since I'm now across the country from them. 

1) FaceTime: Deek and I just can't say enough good things about FaceTime. In fact, this tool helped us fall more deeply in love with one another. There is something to be said for talking to your romantic partner every night on the phone for hours. BUT even more can be said for seeing and talking to your romantic partner for hours every night. My dad said Deek and I "courted" in the old fashioned sense of the word since all we could do was talk and get to know each other. Anyhoo...for Christmas, FaceTime is a great way to feel connected despite the distance. We used it to wrap presents, watch Christmas movies, and open Christmas presents. Being able to see one another's faces as we revealed the gifts we'd created or found for one another was almost as good as being together...almost.

2) TeamViewer; Deek and I used this computer sharing mechanism to see one another's screens for making gifts and watching movies. We tried synchronizing our TVs together, but watching the same movie over TeamViewer worked a lot better. 

3) GoogleDocs: This program allows you to share documents and even work within the same document. Deek and I were able to plan Christmas lists together, create gifts for others, and keep track of our Christmas budget using this amazing tool. 

4) Text: Texting is always great for that in-the-store-oh-my-gosh-what-color-My-Little-Pony-did-your-niece-want situation. Just snap a picture, text it, get confirmation, and purchase. Unless you're in Target. They seem to have a 3G death trap or something. Try to hook up to their free wifi, but be aware it drops you like a hotcake after only a few minutes. Sigh...

5) A shared Amazon account: Deek and I share an Amazon account. One of us would put together a cart for family members, and the other would go in and check it. Even though we are married and live in the same house, we still use this option. It's a great way to stay within budget, get two day shipping (we are Prime members), and keep the other person in the loop. Just remember to add both addresses and make sure you're shipping to the right house if you're apart. ;) 

Being away from your loved ones during the holidays is a special kind of longing and special kind of pain. That's why so many Christmas songs are dedicated to the topic. Hopefully these tools will help you plan, budget, organize, and enjoy the season together despite the miles while you keep on hoping for that day when you can be together for good. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, y'all! 

Keep dreaming, hoping, and believing, and one day you'll get to spend Christmas with your special people as Deek and I have this Christmas. Here are some of our moments...

 Deek and Erin ride the Christmas train!

 Deek enjoying the lights in the pouring down rain!

Erin sneaking a selfie while watching Christmas movies!

Being silly elves! 

 Deek in a Santa hat holding Baby Jesus in Walmart

Erin doing her best "psycho Santa"

Christmas shopping date in this beautiful city! 

Don't forget the awesome giveaway!!

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AND check out Deek's blog post. He's always funnier and sweeter than I am, so you'll enjoy it even more! ;) 

Deek's post

Alliances by S. Usher Evans (Razia, Volume 2) Cover Reveal and Giveaway!

Today, I am pleased to welcome my friend S. Usher Evans to the site! Her first book, Double Life, is available now! But today we're talking about her second book, sequel to this one, Alliances! Take it away...

Back Cover

Piracy is a Game. Whom do you trust?

Lyssa Peate has found a tenuous balance between her double lives - the planet-discovering scientist and space pirate bounty hunter named Razia. No longer on probation, Razia still struggles to be thought of as more than a chocolate-fetching joke, and Lyssa can’t be truthful to those closest to her.

But both lives are turned upside-down when feisty government investigator Lizbeth Carter shows up to capture the same pirate Razia is after.

Lizbeth’s not interested in taking Razia’s thunder; rather, she convinces the caustic bounty hunter to help solve a mystery. Somebody’s hiring pirates to target government ships, and there’s a money trail that doesn’t make any sense. From the desert planet of D-882 to the capital city on S-864, the investigation leads them deeper and deeper into a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of the Universal Government - and to one of the most painful chapters in Lyssa’s past.

Pre-orders for Alliances will be available on Amazon Kindle begin January 1, 2015. 

While You Wait...

You can read Double Life! 

Double Life, Book 1 in the Razia Series, is available now on the following stores:

http://www.amazon.com/Double-Life-Razia-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00KXCR422/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/double-life-s-usher-evans/1119269005?ean=2940045836302

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/double-life/id864156016?mt=11

Alliance Chapter 1 Teaser!

The room was dark, with a single, dingy lamp hanging over a table where three men sat, each holding a hand of cards. They said little, except for the occasional grunt or movement to tap their grungy mini-computers to up their ante. The first sighed and rubbed the scruff around his chin. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter.

"You hear that Llendo is running for re-election?" he said, cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"What else is new?" The short, squatty man and whose toes barely brushed the floor, threw a few chips into the virtual pile using his mini-computer. "The guy’s a puppet. There ain’t nothin’ that comes out of his mouth that ain’t been sent through the ringer about a million times."

The other two men chuckled and shuffled around their cards. The third man, with a long face and sallow complexion, pulled two more cards for his own hand and shuffled them together and apart again.

"But who else is there to vote for?" he asked, counting his cards and stacking them together again.    

"That general? You know that buffoon Peate works for him. He ain't getting my vote until I know he's gonna play along."

The second shrugged and said, "Nobody’d vote for him in a million years."

"You and your millions." The third rolled his eyes. "Everything you say has been done a million times."

"Bah, can it," the first barked. "And hurry up and make your move."

"I'm taking my time. Don't want to get fleeced again," the third said. "You're all a bunch of crooks."

"Takes one to know one." The second man peered at his cards through a pair of thick glasses, hunched over.

"I am retired," the first man said, sitting back and taking a long drag of his cigarette. "None of that piracy crap for me anymore. Getting too dangerous for me."

"Gonna break a nail?" the second snorted. "Bad enough you got that girl. Whatsherface."

"I hear she's doing all right," the third said. "Kidnapped Jukin Peate's brother and held him for ransom last year."

"And what's she done since then?" the second said.

"More than you've done."

"I'm just saying, it's unnatural to have a woman out with the men," the first said. He paused for a moment and began to smile. "Although I can't say I hate seeing her scamper around '882."

"Shame she doesn't wear tighter pants," the second said. "I seen pictures. She wears these baggy things. I bet if she wore something that made her look like a girl, she wouldn't even have to fight nobody."

"She could come capture me any day of the week. I don't care what she looks like," the third said. "I'd lay down and let her do whatever she wanted to me."

"Care to test that theory?"

The three looked up sharply at the sound of a distinctly female voice in the doorway.

"Hey, hey," the first man said, standing up. "We don't want no trouble. We're retired here, lady."

"You are," Razia said, stepping into the light with a smirk on her face. She turned her eyes on the third man in the room. "He isn't."

Enter to WIN!

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12 Indies of Christmas Blog Hop and Giveaway

Deek and I will be participating in the 12 Indies of Christmas blog hop and giveaway! Each day, you can read a Christmas themed blog post from the amazing authors listed below and enter to win FREE books! What an awesome way to get into the Christmas spirit!! Deek and I have a very special blog post planned for our day, so be sure you check back to get the scoop! ;)

The fun starts TOMORROW!!

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December 12th - Zane Sachs

December 13th - Kira Adams

December 14th - Chess Desalls

December 15th - Kai Strand

December 16th - Zoe Dawson

December 17th - A.G. Porter

December 18th - Joy Penny

December 19th - Mary Waibel

December 20th - Cynthia Witherspoon

December 21st - K.K. Allen

December 22nd - Ann Everett

December 23rd - Erin Rhew & Deek Rhew

Happy Birthday, Deek!!!

Hey y'all! It's Deek's birthday!! Please stop by his social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Google +) and wish him the happiest of birthdays!!

My love, I can't even begin to express how much you mean to me. You are the culmination of all my dreams and then some. I am incredibly grateful and honored to be your wife and to share this life with you. I love you beyond words, beyond measure. Happy Birthday, Deek!!!!

Walking Shadow by Emma Adams!!

When you have a connection to the Darkworld, nowhere is truly safe.

Ashlyn has found a new home in Blackstone, but when a spate of grave robberies across the country spark fears that someone is practicing illegal sorcery, she comes under the radar of the Venantium, the protectors of the Barrier between her world and the Darkworld, who are suspicious of any sorcerer unaware of their origins.

The trouble is, what Ash does know might just get her killed.

Sufferers of the dangerous condition known as the vampire’s curse are being brutally killed, and the latest victim is Leo’s guardian, the ex-head of the Venantium. Ash determines to help Leo find out what’s really going on, but it isn’t long before events are spiralling out of control. The dead are rising from their graves, and the barriers around Blackstone are threatened by a demon which looks exactly like Ash herself…

Amazon   Barnes and Noble

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And here's more information on the first in the series, Darkness Watching  (Darkworld #1)

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Eighteen-year-old Ashlyn is one interview away from her future when she first sees the demons. She thinks she's losing her mind, but the truth is far more frightening: she can see into the Darkworld, the home of spirits– and the darkness is staring back.

Desperate to escape the demons, Ash accepts a place at a university in the small town of Blackstone  - little knowing that it isn't coincidence that led her there but the pull of the Venantium, the sorcerers who maintain the barrier keeping demons from crossing from the Darkworld into our own world.

All-night parties, new friendships and a life without rules or limits are all part of the package of student life - but demons never give up, and their focus on Ash has attracted the attention of every sorcerer in the area. Ash is soon caught between her new life and a group of other students with a connection to the Darkworld, who could offer the answers she's looking for. The demons want something from her, and someone is determined to kill her before she can find out what it is.

In a world where darkness lurks beneath the surface, not everyone is what they appear to be...
 

Add on Goodreads
Read Chapter One.

Reviews

“In the vein of Buffy and Supernatural, DARKNESS WATCHING found that perfect balance between the freaky and the fun.” - YA author Jen Estes

"Demons, Sorcerers, evil, and secrets. Could you ask for a better supernatural suspense set-up?...It's full of suspense, danger, evil and dark humor. The plot is original, and completely gripping. From the first page, this book had me hooked." - Rose at Desert Rose Reviews

"A suspenseful first part to an intriguing new fantasy series." - Sharon Stevenson, supernatural author

“The story is extremely well-written with effortless, flowing prose, and the original magic-user mythology and Darkworld creatures are very entertaining. The author took what might have been over-done premise and twisted it into something very fresh and exciting.” - Lexa Cain, author of Soul Cutter

"This is a wildly different story than any I have read about demons...I loved it!" - Kathy at Bookmarks, Spoilers, and Happily-Ever-Afters

Fear's Touch: A Darkworld Novella is also available now!

Amazon

This is a standalone novella, intended as a prequel to the Darkworld series. As it takes place one year before the events of Darkness Watching, it doesn’t contain any spoilers (although it does hint at things which will come into play later in the series).

Freakish powers and staring demon eyes aren’t part of Claudia’s plans for the future – and neither is ending up stuck at the gloomy, isolated University of Blackstone. But bad life decisions are the least of her problems, when a split-second decision to help out another magic-user puts her in the crossfire of both the shadow-beasts and the creepy organisation which hunt them down.

Claudia’s never had to worry about making the right choice before, but every decision matters when you have a Darkworld connection. Soon, she’s going to have to make a choice: turn her back on the crazy and try to live a normal life, or take the monsters down.

But in a world where everyone seems to have secrets, can she really trust her fellow magic-users – or even herself?

Goodreads

Emma spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing bizarre, fantastical stories. She was born in Birmingham, UK, which she fled at the first opportunity to study English Literature at Lancaster University. In her three years at Lancaster, she hiked up mountains, skydived in Australia, and endured a traumatic episode involving a swarm of bees in the Costa Rican jungle. She also entertained her creative writing group and baffled her tutors by submitting strange fantasy tales featuring dragons and supernatural monsters to workshops. These included her first publication, a rather bleak dystopian piece, and a disturbing story about a homicidal duck (which she hopes will never see the light of day).

Now a reluctant graduate, Emma refuses to settle down and be normal. When not embarking on wild excursions, she edits and proofreads novels for various publishing houses and reads an insane number of books. At the age of 21, she signed a publishing contract with Curiosity Quills Press for the first book in her creepy urban fantasy Darkworld series. DARKNESS WATCHING was published in October 2013, the first in a five-book series. Emma’s books tend to contain monsters, magic, and wildly inappropriate humour.

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