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 |  Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 28 MAY 2024: Just a little about me. I've been married for 32 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, travels, random thoughts, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there.  Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." |
| Book Review for: The Woman Beyond the Attic, The VC Andrews Story B0984242H9 Author: Andrew Neiderman Published by: Gallery Books Overall rating: 3.5 Stars PLOT: (3.5 Stars) This is a biography of VC Andrews, a popular author in the 1980’s. After finding success in her 50’s-60’s, it was short lived as she passed away from cancer in 1986. She was born in 1923 to a middle-class family and lived a normal life until she had an accident in her teenage years on a staircase that would eventually making walking difficult. She was considered disabled, she used a wheelchair, and was dependent on family. The book talks about her early years, her influences, her struggles, and her desires to be a painter and an author. The author takes you through her life, to her success with Flowers in the Attic, and how she responded to that success. The end has a rough draft of a story she was working on when she died which is a real treat. CATAYLIST: (5 Stars) Growing up in the 1980’s, I was big fan of VC Andrews and her books. I loved Flowers in the Attic. Why? Because it dealt with topics that people just didn’t talk about. Her books were suspenseful, psychological, gothic, and blended all those elements equally. I heard she had died in the 1980’s and her stories were being ghost written, but didn’t know much else. When I heard this book was coming out, I wanted to read it to discover more about one of my favorite authors. THOUGHTS: (3.5 Stars) I loved learning about her background, what her influences were and about the accident that crippled her. There was a lot of referenced material which was shared, but the writing comes off a bit stilted, and not conversational. The writing style, while understandable, is lacking that familiar intimacy which Andrews’ books all shared. Yes, I learned about her life, but it felt mechanical. I did enjoy the rough draft that was shared after the biographical story. It was reflective of all her work, how she could draw you into that novel’s world, ease you into her rooting for the main character, and unfold a story that is suspenseful and unnerving at the same time. WHAT WORKS: (4 Stars) I learned information about Andrews that I didn’t know before, and for me, that was a treat. WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME (WHAT WAS ‘OFF’): (2 Stars) What was off for me was the writing style of the material. The biographical story lacked a certain intimacy that her books had. WHY 3.5 STARS: The book is put together and presented well. Just because the biographical chapters are dry, they do reveal a lot about VC Andrews. There are pictures which are shared, and I liked learning that Virginia did get a chance to enjoy her fame, even if it was for a little bit. She was determined to accomplish certain things, paint and write, and be successful, and that was certainly inspirational, especially knowing her limitations. EXTRA: COVER SIDE NOTE: The cover is VC Andrews in a pose with a cover that is reflective of her Dollanganger series. It’s the perfect cover for this style of biography. |
| Well, today I've notched another Birthday in the book. I can't believe I hit 56. Where did the time go? haha. I suppose my most memorable birthday was in my 20's. I turned 22 and was celebrating with friends in Berlin. We went up one side of the Kurfsterdam and down the other. The goal was to pop into a bar, have 1 drink and then head on out to the other bar. Heck, it was fun and I was young. I can't say I really remember any other birthdays like I remember that one. When I was in my 40's, the hubby and boys would take an early June vacay and we'd go camping, so I had a couple of birthdays while camping. When the boys were real young, probably my late 30's I remember the hubby and I going up to the Solvang area and camping up there, just us. Los Olivos had an olive oil festival up there. I found the Olive Hill Farm which I like to buy olive oil from. I like their garlic olive oil and their cilantro olive oil. Olive Hill Farm: https://olivehillfarm.com/ Honestly, if I can buy local, I will. When I turned 40 I had a birthday at Gordon Bierch in Burbank which I loved. All my local friends showed up. Great beer and yummy garlic fries. When I turned 50, I had my birthday at Gordon Bierch, but it was just family. Even though I'm a spring birthday, it feels like summer. I've had to share my birthday with D-Day, but I don't mind. I think it's important to honor our military. My Uncle Harold was an Engineer and participated in D-Day. I wish I would have talked to him more about his experience. His experience is in a book called "The Fighting 30th Division." I'm reading it next. You know who else also shares my birthday and I just recently found out? VC Andrews. I discovered her in the 1980's. I loved Flowers in the Attic. It was a little of everything - secrets, suspenseful, children becoming young adults facing adult problems and yes, incest. Still, there was a pull, an allure to the writing - I couldn't put it down. I read all her original work and some by the ghost writer, but the ghost writer wasn't as good as VC. She could really paint a picture with works. I'll have a full book review of her biography, "The Woman in the Attic: the VC Andrew's story" up on my "Romance Under the Moonlight" Blog tomorrow. You can find my Romance Under the Moonlight Blog here: https://sgcardin.blogspot.com I did a Product Review which you can find here:
Anyhoo... I'd leave you with this question: Do you buy local? What do you buy local? |
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| I've been meaning to pop in sooner and share more about my Alaska adventures, but I've been busy. -- Funny isn't it -- I remember when I was a kid, the days would just dragggg on. I usually went to spend the summers with my grandmother who we called "Bopshie" or "Bopie" for short, (it's Polish) and again, it was just a drag. The days were slow. Sometimes we'd play cards. Bopie would cook and knit. I usually went to the post office to pick up her mail. Aunt Mary lived in the house next door so she'd come over. I'd go outside and make up adventures, play in a busted old fort, climb trees and hunt for recycling in the woods. If Uncle Charlie brought over some used comics, I'd read them. Sometimes I'd dig into Uncle Bill's old stash and read those, too. The nextdoor neighbor, Guy, who was my age, taught me how to ride a bike. The highlight of the week was meeting up with Aunt Kathy and going shopping in Brattleboro, VT. That was exciting and Aunt Kathy was so nice. Again, at the time, I thought the days just dragged on. Looking back, they're good, wistful memories, when time was much simpler. There was no cell phones. No computers. Letters were hand written. No remotes for the TVs. Things were more personable. I suppose now, reflecting on those memories, perhaps I didn't have an appreciation of the experiences I had - at the time. It wasn't a perfect childhood or growing up period, but it built character. *** Nowadays, I find my days flying by. There's just not enough hours. My boys went from being in Elementary School to being graduated and Eagle scouts. Where did the time go? -- Same for wanting to write. Where does the time go? Yesterday, I spent a good bulk of my online time updating the Bee Hive. Today I hope to review for the Bard's Hall and work on other projects, like my Romance Newsletter coming up. We'll see how much I can accomplish. I'm stil on vacation this week. Tomorrow I go in to work, but it's a Special Detail day for me and I'll be doing Station Fund duties, which I enjoy. Then 3 more days of Vacay and I go back to work Saturday night for Sunday. **** Anyhoo... hope you enjoyed my musings about time and how fast - or slow - it goes. I'll try to get some more Alaska adventures up soon. |
#1. Hunting for a Hiccup Hi all ! This Busy Bee is off to Seattle! On Saturday we catch our cruise to Alaska! It's a 7 day cruise but I'll be in and out all week cos I wanna try and maintain some of my 7 day streaks. See you next to the glaciers! ------ I have a couple of minutes here before it gets busy so I thought I'd check in. Aside from a small hiccup with our driver who was suppose to take us to Burbank, (he got his wires crossed and went to Burbank instead of picking us up at the house) everything went smoothly. No issues with the flights. Hotel in Seattle was nice. Transfer to the boat went smooth. We had all our paperwork in order so it was a smooth transition onto the ship. We're on the Discovery Princess. Our stateroom is nice. We have a balcony view and it's roomy enough. The boys have an interior room and it's compact but it's good for them. -- Sat and Sun we were basically figuring out the boat. We bought the premier package so we get unlimited drinks, desserts, and lots of food. haha. We are now on Alaska Daylight Time which is an hour behind Pacific time. It's kinda cloudy up here so I don't know if we will see any Auroras because you need a clear night. It's 40-50 degrees and a bit nippy but we packed warm. We will be arriving in Juneau at 1 pm. We are in the inside passage right now. Hope to have Juneau pics soon. --------- #2 Finding Juneau Juneau was definitely low-key. And I mean that, Juneau, itself, as a city, surprised me as being low key. We arrived in Juneau at 1 pm and my husband and #1 son, (Brent and Andy) had an excursion right away. They were going kayaking near the Mendenhall Glacier. After a brief expectations and safety meeting in the theatre, they were off. After a drive up to the inlet, they donned on their kayaking gear and had a great time. They got wet and saw a lot of bald eagles. Kayaking Juneau  Brent and Andrew kayaking Brent and Andrew kayaking (Note: while doable, there's no way I can post all my pictures of this adventure on WDC so I will select and post some of the BEST. lol. I will post more pictures on a future blog. My blog can be found here: http://sgcardin.blogspot.com. Currently, it hasn't be updated in a while, but I will be updating it soon.) They went into the city after their kayaking, bought some souvenirs and enjoyed the scenery. Son #2, Joey, and I went into Juneau about 3 pm and walked around. It was Memorial Day so a lot of places we wanted to see where closed. We shopped for souvenirs on the main tourist/cruise ship drag, and then walked around. We found the Juneau city hall, the Alaska Federal building and the State bldg. After that, we hopped on the "Salmon Bake" Bus and went out on our excursion. It was a short drive. The area was in the woods and the woods were vibrant! Lush green, clean smell, clear water and lots of wood. The salmon was cooked over wood. It was delicious! Joey even tried a piece and liked it. (He's a very picky eater) We went to back to the ship and relaxed. Today we're in Skagway. More adventures to come!   |
| Gosh, really? It's been since 21 July 2023 since I updated this blog? Ugh. I've found the older I get, the quicker life passes me by. My intent is to update my blog more frequently. I do have some pluses on my sides. The boys have graduated (College & High School) and both are Eagle Scouts. And since JAN 2024, I've been much more active on WDC with the Bee Hive & Bard's Hall. I participated in 3 official WDC contests this year, as well as Game of Thrones.
I've gotten 2 books published since Arrow Through the Heart -- A Polish Heart and The Wolf's Torment. I've started work on Gifts, but it's been slow and I'm preparing for Twilight Over Moldavia. Since January, I've been kinda low key. I've attended a Badlands Media Seminar in Irvine, California. As far as politics, I lean Libertarian, but I'm a registered Republican in the state of California. I attended the Little House on the Prairie 50th anniversary reunion in Simi Valley and enjoyed myself more than I thought I would. I went to Vegas with my bowling league and had a blast, so I joined another Vegas league. I even found the Pinball Hall of Fame in Vegas. haha. Both the boys graduated and now we're on a celebratory graduation cruise to Alaska. Alaska is really awesome. The nature is fresh, alive, and awe-inspiring. Crossing my fingers I'm a bit more timely. I'll be updating my Alaska adventures here. I'm also updating on my newsfeed. See you soon! Smiles Steph |
 The Duke and I Author: Julia Quinn Published by: Avon Books, 2000 Overall rating: 3 Stars PLOT: (3 Stars) Daphne Bridgerton is a young lady in Regency England. The ton dictates society’s norms and it’s her turn to traverse the rumors and innuendos of the season along with Lady Whistledown’s gossip column. Daphne is well liked, heck, she’s everyone friend, so when it comes to finding a potential mate, he’s got to be something special because ordinary won’t do. Simon Basset is young, handsome, and the new Duke of Hastings upon his father’s death, only Simon never cared much for his father. In fact, Simon’s father abandoned him as a young boy when he discovered Simon had a stutter. Simon vowed to be opposite of his father – never to fall in love, never to marry, and never have children. When Daphne and Simon meet, the incident is memorable for both. Friendship grows into attraction, but Daphne and Simon have opposite goals in life. Daphne wants to be married and have children. Simon doesn’t want any of marriage and children. When the couple is caught by Daphne’s brother in a compromised position, will a forced marriage bring happiness or misery? CATAYLIST: (3 Stars) I was shopping at Costco and found the book. I liked the blurb, but thought the cover was ‘off’ – and it was reading the cover that I discovered Netflix made a series out of the book. The actress on the cover was ‘Daphne’ – she totally captured the character. The actor on the cover seemed off for ‘Simon’ – oh, he was handsome, but as I read the book, and developed my own inner visual for Simon, I found the disconnect a bit disconcerting. Still, I was intrigued enough to buy the book and read it. THOUGHTS: (3.5 Stars) Daphne is easy to like. She’s honest, forthright, brave and knows her mind. Her family is easy to like, too – even Anthony, who can be a little rough, but it’s understandable why he is, and his love for his siblings always shines though. Simon is the more complicated character. He’s had a hard time of it, having to overcome a stutter and the abandonment of his father. Simon hides his background and challenges well in society, but when confronted with uncharacteristic emotions, he buckles down on what he knows – avoidance. Daphne brings out the best and worst in Simon as she challenges him to confront his complicated emotions. WHAT WORKS: (4 Stars) The banter is witty. The plot moves at a nice clip until a certain scene. The characters are appealing. WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME (WHAT WAS ‘OFF’): (2 Stars) I don’t mind sexually graphic scenes. The romance genre varies from sweet to heavy charged graphic scenes. There are such scenes here in this novel. However, there’s a point in the novel where Daphne has sex with a drunk Simon and he’s barely aware of his surroundings. He’s in no condition to really give his consent to the encounter. That said, Simon’s been firm about his wishes – he does not wish to have children. The scene ends with the opportunity for Daphne to conceive and yet, it’s not something that Simon wanted. Simon’s character development is not fleshed out to the point in this novel, when this encounter happens, where he willingly consents to Daphne’s desires. For me, a romance reader, consent is a must. Not drunken consent, not implied consent, consent given willingly and freely. WHY 3 STARS: I liked the setting, the time period, and the escapism of the novel. I liked Daphne as a heroine. I appreciated the complicated character that Simon was, I just didn’t think the author took the time to develop the character to the point where he was in an emotional place to share Daphne’s desires when he has drunken sex with her. WILL I WATCH THE NETFLIX SERIES? Not at this time. I love a good escapism series and Bridgerton could very well be that, but I appreciate more the realism of the escapism then the reimagining of it. The series itself would stand much stronger on its own if it was its own world and not a reimagined world of the ton. |
 Happy 247th Birthday to the USA. Boy, that’s a lot of candles! It’s challenging birthday as well. Gas prices are up, Food prices are up. Home prices are up. And there are more controversial topics as well, but this 4th I wanted to strike a patriotic note. Yes, we live in challenging times and if we don’t stick up for the values the founding fathers fought for, we may loose some of those of those things that make America unique. That said, If you love this country, own it. Be proud. Fly your flag. Sing those songs – God Bless America! Be proud of the patriots who have fought in past wars and the patriots now who fight for freedom. Never forget what makes this country special and step up. Never be afraid to say “God Bless America.” Fun Facts: The 13 original colonies are: New Hampshire Massachusetts Connecticut Rhode Island New York New Jersey Pennsylvania Delware Maryland Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Georgia There were 2.5 million Americans in July 1776. 56 people signed the Declaration of Independence. The first 4th of July parade was in Bristol, Rhode Island in 1785. In 1941, the US Government declared the 4th of July a Federal holiday. In 1776 Dunlap printing printed 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence Only 26 remain. Blue Fireworks are the hardest to make because the balance in chemicals has to be just right. This Independence day is low-key for me. We’re heading out to Ventura to enjoy a picnic dinner before watching the fireworks at the college.  Past traditions including visit Catalina Island and watching the 4th of July golf cart parade and the USC Marching band. Baking a blueberry pie and decorating it like a flag has been something we’ve done before. Buying 4th of July flowers and flying the flag has been something we’ve done. We’ve visited Pismo Beach and Cayucos California because there’s nothing like fireworks over the coast. In 2021 we traveled to New Hampshire and had a warmhearted friends & family get together complete with BBQ and pie! How do you spend your 4th? From the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. References: https://wallethub.com/blog/4th-of-july-facts/22075 https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-declaration-o... https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript https://selecthealth.org/blog/2016/06/7-things-about-fireworks https://www.energy.gov/articles/5-facts-about-fireworks From my Summer 4th of July story, Arrow Through the Heart  BLURB: Summer vacation and the Fourth of July brings Ella to New Hampshire while participating in a tennis competition. Logan is an innkeeper's son who bumps into Ella and invites her for an ice cream. Attraction flares and they enjoy spending time together, but each has their own plans for their life. Then disaster strikes Ella. Can a summer attraction truly become a lasting relationship? EXCERPT: They finished their meal and he collected their trash. Glancing at his watch, he discovered it was eight-thirty. Logan frowned, knowing he had to leave. "Thank you again for everything. I had a nice day, despite finding my room trashed." The corners of Ella's lips tipped upward. God, that smile was like an arrow through his heart. "I had a nice day, too." He paused, looked away for a second, suddenly nervous, then back at Ella. "I'm busy tomorrow at the inn, but I plan on watching your meet." "You don't have to, if you're busy—" "I want to." He drew in a breath. "Maybe we can spend the evening together? Go for a boat ride? I'll show you some of the islands in the lake. We could have a picnic dinner and watch the sun set." "All right." Her voice was soft and low, and her emerald eyes sparkled in the subdued room light. He stood and walked over to the door. She followed him. His jaw tensed when he turned to look at her. He wanted to kiss her, but it was way too soon. "I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered. "Good night," he said. "Good night." BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Arrow-Through-Heart-Stephanie-Burkhart-ebook/dp/B0C5ZWD28...  |
 I love collecting hand knitted critters. Why? I suppose what I love about my little critters is that each one is made with love. Today's critter is "Octo." Octo's maker is my sister, Christine, who usually makes octos for her kitties to play with. Here, Octo has joined on vacay in April 2022. Octo can't wait to try the Wahlburgers. I liked my visit to visit Wahlburgers. It's not a chain that I see here on the West Coast, though I believe there's one in Los Angeles (kinda out of my way) . I had the tots and the "Our" burger. What's in an "Our" Burger: Beef Burger Government Cheese Lettuce Tomato Onion Pickles and Paul's signature Wahl Sauce I can honestly say Wahlburgers was a hit and I would go there again. Now, I've never seen the show, but I do appreciate a good Wahl burger. **** FOR YOUR SUMMER READING:  jThis is a retro cover and not the current cover of the book on Amazon Journey of the Heart is available on Amazon as an Ebook for .99 cents. BLURB: James DiMera returns to his home in California after World War II, only to find out he's lost his farm. His way of life gone, James becomes a journeyman, selling Bibles, looking for a sense of purpose. But after the loss of his dream, what can there be for him? Rachel Santori's family winery is in trouble. She's looking for someone to trust. When Rachel meets James, she can't deny how he touches her lonely heart and soul with his kindness and the way comes to her aid. How long has it been since she had someone to depend on? Can James find a place of belonging in Rachel’s life? Can love mend both their weary hearts? EXCERPT: "Wait a minute, Sir," James interrupted, and peered at Rachel's spellbinding eyes for a second before looking at Mr. Smith. "You've tasted this vintage before?" "I have." "So you know how much it's worth?" "I do." "You seem like a fair man, Mr. Smith. At least you were with me. I believe if you offer miss Rachel one thousand dollars, you'll recoup your investment and more." "Now young man, how much do you know about wine?" "Not much, but I do know human nature. You respected her father, and he, you, enough to share an expensive bottle of wine. Honor that respect now. I suspect if Miss Rachel didn't have to make this offer to you, she wouldn't have. She knew you and her father had a good relationship. Honor that like you honored my service." "You're good, Son. I'll give you that. I'll offer you nine hundred dollars for the wine," he paused. "I know I've been hard on you Miss Rachel. You should consider hiring a young man who can help you manage the estate." "Thank you, Mr. Smith. I'll accept your offer and take your advice to heart." Mr. Smith grabbed his ledger, wrote a check, and presented it to her. "Do you have someone to carry in the cases? It's just Vito and I." She tucked the check into the purse. "Well --" "I'll do it," said James. "Grab my stock boy from the back, Son." Rachel offered her hand to James. "Thank you, Sir. I appreciate your assistance. I'm Rachel Santori." "James DiMera." BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Heart-Stephanie-Burkhart-ebook/dp/B07S1VL7JZ/ref=... |
 The Valley Greek Festival in Los Angeles was back, and I was happy to visit. Opa! It took place at St. Nicholas Church on Plummer and Balboa. I grew up in a city with a prominent Greek community, so I’ve always had an affinity for Greek culture. In Germany, I loved visiting the authentic Greek restaurants. My favorites were the Gyros and Ouzo. Lol!! And Ouzo has a black licorice taste to it, which, generally, I don't care for, but it’s so smooth, it’s worth the shot for me. First thing we did was check out the food. They had a big food tent, but the line was forever! So, we had to pass. My son and I visited the drink tent. Ouzo and Kona for us! We found some pork souvlaki, zucchini sticks, and calamari as well as fried cheese which was remarkably good. Hidden secret there. Next, we explored the Greek Church, St. Nicholas. For me, I found a lot of things in common with a Catholic church. The vestments and ornaments seemed very ornate. There were differences, too. For me, I felt the reverence. My spiritual beliefs have been evolving as late, as I’ve been working on God/Source and that he is the vine and we are the branches. We are all one and yet separate. The reverence in church was humbling.  Next we watched some dancing, but the line for the Loukoumades was far too long to wait in so we headed over to the Arts and Crafts and found a Greek coffee booth. The coffee was smooth. The most impressive Arts and Crafts booth was the wood carving. It was advertised the carvings were from olive tree wood from the holy land. I was very impressed with the intricate carvings.  Overall, it was a fun day and nice to get out. A bit overcast in Los Angeles, but still nice weather. What are your favorite Greek things? Drop me a line. My story, Arrow Through the Heart is now avail on Kindle Unlimited. EXCERPT: Ella paused next to her room's door. "This is it." Her voice was soft, yet had a hint of awkwardness to it. Logan drew in a small, nervous breath and jammed his hands into his pockets, trying to appear casual. "Did you have fun today?" "I did." She cast her eyes downward for a second, and then glanced back up at him. Her gaze smoldered. His heart skipped a beat. "Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked. "I'd like that." She pulled out her cell phone and typed in his number. Logan did the same. "On the Fourth, would you like to spend the day with me?" he asked. "I—" Ella placed her hand on the door and it swung open. She glanced at him, surprise on her face. "Was your door latched?" Logan asked. "I thought it was." "Let me." A sudden urge to protect her swelled in him and he stepped in front of her, entering the room. The sheets on the bed were crumpled, bureau drawers were spread across the floor, and her clothes were tossed about. A rope had been tied to her tennis racket and it hung from the ceiling fan with a note attached to it. Find me at: FIND ME AT: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor/ AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stephanie-Burkhart/author/B003R00R5I?ref=ap_rdr&st... 4RV PUBLISHING PAGE: https://www.4rvpublishingcatalog.com/burkhart.php YOUTUBE BOOK TEASER PAGE: https://www.youtube.com/@botrina |
| Well, I was looking around for something to inspire me and I glanced at my water bottle. It's nothing special. Just a 24 oz water bottle, plastic, Crystal Geyser with a blue flip top. So, I thought I'd riff on it. Why am I drinking water out of a water bottle? Well, I live in California and you learn pretty quick you don't drink the tap water. Straight up, the tap water in Cali tastes AWFUL. The tap is okay to brush your teeth and take a shower but you don't want want to drink it. Not all bottled water is created equal. There's filtered from local water supplies and spring water. Dasani is filtered from local water supplies. I suppose the filtering "saves" it, but it doesn't tastes great either. I prefer spring water. Out here it's Crystal Geyser and Arrowhead. Arrowhead doesn't taste all that great, but Crystal Geyser is good. Mind you I'm a sucker for alkaline water like they sell at Costco. That's plain water, but has a hint of flavor. Mind you, I put Crystal light ice tea in all my water because that makes it easier for me to drink. What's your favorite water? Tap? Spring? Alkaline? |
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I also want to self-publish a book of poems for my mother in the next couple years. Looking forward to the info! Thanks!
. Wait until I get to the stalking tidbit!!
