Guest Author, Lorrie Unites-Struiff Visits

Our first guest author of the new year is talented and creative Lorrie Unites-Struiff. Perhaps you all will identify with what Lorrie believes is her biggest weakness. You're lucky to be here today because this entertaining author shares an excerpt from a story in her funny, paranormal Call on the Dead series. I think you'll get a kick out of Lorrie's unique characters and her humorous storytelling.

Welcome, Lorrie. So glad you are visiting with us.

Thanks so much for inviting me here today, J.Q.

*Looks around*

Wow, what a nice blog. I feel honored to be here.

I would like to tell you and the folks about my weakness. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I will.

You might not believe it, but I’m basically uncomfortable promoting my work.

 I can’t write that my books are great, they’re entertaining, have great plot twists, full of humor, etc. Of course, I think they do, I wrote them. *laughs* But, I have to promo to get my name and stories out there. Why does it have to be so hard for me?

The reviews I’ve received have all been good. But, taste is so subjective, especially humor. And, I write across the genre board.

For instance, Gypsy Blood and Wild Blackberries are paranormal. They are both creepy and thrillers.

HEAP OF TROUBLE is a western romance, humor, action. The readers that read it fell in love with the characters.

The COD (Call on the Dead Club) is a humor paranormal series. Winnie develops a crazy gift that she doesn’t want and gets into all sorts of trouble.

The Last Dance is a story about the 50’s, a high school first love.

I’ve written historical fiction, noir detective, even a popular, somewhat romantic, dance story. So, you see my problem.

I also find it difficult to compete with all the other good authors who you see splashed across Facebook every day.

“Come read my blog, no, read mine.”

How do I make mine stand out? I can’t write that mine is better, it might not be. There are a lot of good authors and stories out there.

I wish I could tout myself, and my stories, without feeling…uneasy…awkward. I also wonder if any other authors feel as I do. They all sound so gung-ho.

So, here I am, on your lovely blog, admitting my biggest weakness.

How do I overcome this problem? I’d sure like some suggestions.\

So, what story do I try to brag about today?

 How about my Winnie series? The COD Club (Call on the Dead)

Now, the uncomfortable brag begins.....

Wow! I think The COD Club is hysterical and so do others who have read it. This is the first story in the series. Actually, the first two stories are combined in one download. The Unwanted Gift, and Goin’ in Style. My lead character, Winnie, is a hoot. Her cohort Fat Phil is another funny character. If you readers enjoy the stories, more will follow soon.

I promise, it’s a hilarious read, a real humdinger of a comedy.

How did I do?

The COD (Call on the Dead Club) is a humor paranormal series. 

                   

                              Chapter one of the first story, The Unwanted Gift.

       I slouched as low as possible on the folding chair as ‘Fat Phil’ Phillips ambled to the makeshift podium at the front of his green-carpeted rec room.

             He cleared his throat. “This month’s meeting of the Call on the Dead Club will now come to order. We have a new member, folks.  You may remember the newspaper article about the fifty-five-year old widow who experienced a near death episode last month.”  He pointed a stubby finger at me. “Mrs. Winnie Krapski survived hugging her cherry tree when a lightning bolt split the trunk in half.”

            The wooden ridge of the chair pressed into the back of my thighs while I fidgeted and wished I could become invisible. The darn chair squeaked.  All six members turned and stared at me. Heat rushed up my neck into my face.  I used my newcomer pamphlet as a fan, pretending a hot flash.

            I glared back and fluffed my salt-and-pepper poodle curls with my fingers. “Well, I wasn’t about to let a downpour ruin my expensive new perm.” I fanned faster as a cheery chorus of “Welcome, Winnie,” resounded from the group.

            Three days ago, before this dratted meeting, I had seen a friend at the funeral parlor. My elderly Bingo buddy, Cora, had been sitting in a chair. . . next to the casket in which her body lay. 

           I fainted.

           Fat Phil had been there and revived me, then escorted me home since he lived only a few blocks from my small cottage.  He assured me I hadn’t been hallucinating. Apparently, my lightning accident had bestowed me with an unusual ability.  One I definitely did not want.  He possessed the same ability and insisted I attend this meeting with the other members who had also experienced the same phenomena. 

             At the podium, he ran his thick palm across his comb-over, then pointed to the map tacked to the wall.  Various colors portrayed sections of our fair town of Citiesville.  In the purple, my name stood out in heavy black lettering. “This will be Winnie’s target area.  Everyone okay with that?”

            A collective, “Yes,” too eagerly shouted, sent a foreboding shiver up my spine.

            We stood and repeated the pledge:

           ”I will faithfully read the daily obituary column.

            I will visit the dead in my designated area, avoiding visiting hours, and ask if they have one last request.

           I will perform said request to the best of my ability and vow to return with an honest report before the casket’s final closing, at which time their spirit must forever leave this earthly plane.”

            What had Fat Phil talked me into?

***

Buy Link for the Unwanted Gift

Now here's the "skinny" on Lorrie--

Lorrie lives in West Mifflin, PA, thirty minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. She lives at home with her favorite toy—a computer.

 Once a gold medalist teacher/manager for a big-name ballroom dance studio she has retired and now enjoys the quiet life of writing and watching TV. But she loves to have lunches with local writers to keep abreast of the challenging world of publishing.

Lorrie writes in many genres so you never know what she will come out with next. She never wants to bore her readers and enjoys the thrill of entertaining them by writing a good story.

She would love to hear from her fans at struiff@msn.com. Please put “reader” in the subject line. Thank you.

Connect with Lorrie online:

Lorrie's Blog   

FaceBook    

 Amazon Author Page  

Guest Author

Today I am delighted to be Debbie Amadei's first guest author on her site for non-fiction children's literature, The Swimmer Writer.  Come on over and take a peek after reading and commenting on Lorrie's post. See ya' there!

Debbie's review of Girls Succeed appeared on her site on December 16.

Dreams for 2013

Welcome 2013!

2013...seemed so far in the future. Heck I remember reading the book, 1984, and that seemed eons away. Then 2000 loomed ahead, but that was a date reserved only for adventures in fantasy with super rockets traveling from city to city instead of trains and planes. Lives of luxury and space age convenience were what I planned to enjoy in 2000. Instead we got a lot of hype about how the banks and governments would be demolished when the hands of the clock stood northward and the bells rang in 2000. Huh. Pretty anti-climactic, I'd say. Not much different from December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000. Oh, except remembering to write/type 2000 instead of 1999.

Now what do I picture 2013 to be? I guess I am more practical. I have pretty much given up taking a super rocket from Michigan to Florida in my lifetime. I do count a microwave, HDTV, and the Internet though as some of my space age conveniences come true. 

When I was a girl cleaning up the burnt on macaroni and cheese pan, I dreamed of having cookware that would not allow food to stick to it. That came true with Teflon.

I also dreamed of having a movie theater in my house because I love movies. And now with Netflix, that dream has come true too.

Maybe in 2013 we can work on peace on earth, stamping out hunger, knocking out diseases, and providing fresh water to all people. Now realizing those dreams could ring in a truly jubilant  new year!

Wishing you all the best in 2013!! 

E-books, Games, Squidoo, New Year's 2013

The week between Christmas and New Year's is kind of a let-down after all the preparations for the holidays. To fill your time I am sure you are downloading e-books to your new reading devices and taking time to enjoy a good book. I should add a shameless promotion for my e-books at this point--J.Q Rose Amazon page--Watch for my new cozy mystery/sweet romance, Coda to Murder, scheduled for release from Muse It Up Publishing in February. More information about that in 2013!

This week is a good time to settle in with the family and friends to play games. You may discover some for your New Year's Eve party too. I added the disc game in the right margin under the title, New Year's Fun. You can while away the hours (when you're not reading). Just grab the disc with your cursor and let it drop anywhere on the board. Warning! It's addictive..

Dominoes is a traditional favorite for youngsters and grown-ups alike. We especially like to play Mexican Train and Chicken Foot. Rules for Mexican Train here and rules for Chicken Foot here. Please remember there are as many variations of rules as there are players, so whoever supplies the game also makes the rules and lets the players know BEFORE the game begins what they are!!

So many card games. So little time. We enjoy playing Hand and Foot. Some folks say it reminds them of Canasta. You need a calculator to keep track of your points!!

Because we like to play games, I shared some of our favorites and included the rules and information on squidoo.com, a place filled with lenses on games, crafts, books, etc. 

Our neighbor taught us the Sticks Card Game. Making the game using popsicle sticks is part of the fun. AND there are no points to keep track of. Take a peek at the Sticks Card Game rules here.

Our all-time favorite game, hands down, is Pegs and Jokers. This game is full of strategy very similar to the rules of Sorry. There are a lot of variations and that's what makes it fun. Again, no scoring. Whoever gets all their pegs in home first wins. It can be played as partners or not. Pegs and Jokers game rules here.

Other games I have on Squidoo are the Hodge-Podge Card Game and Dice Games for Fun. 

What are some of your favorite games to play? Monopoly, Poker, Bridge??? Jenga, Scrabble, Clue, Checkers?

Whatever you choose, have a fantastic week and a Happy New Year 2013!!