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Escaflowne







We’ve been watching this old anime series with the kids now that they are old enough for something like this. When they were little, we waited for them to go to bed before we watched Escaflowne.


There's both a movie and a TV series. The movie is only a condensed version of the TV series, so if you want the full affect, find the TV series.


It’s a really magical story, and the world is so well developed. One Japanese girl (Hitomi) has been transported from her home to this magical dimension called Gaia where Earth is the mystical moon hanging in their sky. War has erupted as a mad man wants to create a utopian future.


The whole story is an intense ride. What I love most about it is the important life lessons Hitomi learns along the way. Like you need to believe in the people you love. Like you can't look to the future with dread and fear or you'll choose a future full of everything you're afraid of.


And when the credits scrolled on the last episode on the last disk, my little Ro (age 9) waited for her sisters to go upstairs and then came up to me to tell me a secret. She said, “I love Van, mom. I really do. I hope I can marry someone like him when I grow up.”


You should have seen the sincerity in her eyes. Her first fictional boyfriend. And can you blame her? He's got wings!



Cover Reveal: Erasing: Shadows by KD Rose



Title: Erasing: Shadows
Author: KD Rose     
Genre: Mature YA, Paranormal Romance
Expected Release Date: December 18th, 2013
Reveal Host: Lady Amber's Tours


Synopsis:

Mira is a girl outside of time. She has experienced every mother’s nightmare—your child disappearing right before your eyes.
But, this isn’t at all what it seems. This isn’t a tale of kidnapping. Mira’s child doesn’t get snatched. He literally disappears—fading from her grasp—right before her eyes.
Mira and her gang of friends are forced to once again travel to the ‘other world’. A reality made of dreams—and nightmares—with dangers none of them expected. Things aren’t at all what they appear to be.
This isn’t the first loss Mira has experienced, and when her husband and friends travel to the ‘other world’ to find her, they find more than they bargained for in a world made of dreams and shadows…and danger.
Join the High Five Gang as a group of ‘adults’ move into a world where they are now teenagers again. Can they save Mira from her own worst nightmares before it’s too late?

First in the Erasing Series, Erasing: Shadows recounts the beginning of an exciting and dangerous adventure- one that has repercussions far beyond imagination.


Author. Bleeding Edge. Will not fit into your mold.
K.D. Rose is an author and poet and currently has "Heavy Bags of Soul", "Inside Sorrow" and “I AM” on sale at Amazon.com. Look for The Erasing Series, Book 1-“Erasing: Shadows” on sale in December, 2013! Erasing: Shadows is the first of a Seven Book Series for New Adults in the Paranormal Genre.
K.D. Rose is now also an author with Lycaon Press, a subsidiary of Breathless Press. K.D.’s book, Inside Sorrow won the Readers Favorite 2013 international Silver Medal for Poetry. Just like her books, KD Rose is edgy, hits you in the gut and gives you the education you never knew you needed. Writing with irony, truth, and a spiked pen, she takes you past the self into self-evolution.
K.D. has an eclectic mind and loves language, physics, philosophy, photography, design, art of all kinds, writing of all kinds, symbolism, semiotics, spirituality, and Dr. Who.
K.D. Rose values the question more than the answer and loves creativity and innovation. K.D. is also a sucker for cutting edge thought and has been known to bring some into reality herself.   
KD Rose is an avid supporter of music, the arts, cutting edge science, technology, and
creativity in all forms that encourage us to expand and explore past the artificial limits we often set for ourselves in order to see the everyday connections that exist among all things.
Join K D Rose on the following social media sites:

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00830RFC0
Blog: http://www.kdroseauthortales.com
Email: kd.rose@aol.com
Twitter: @kdrose1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kdroseauthor
https://www.facebook.com/K.D.RoseWriter?skip_nax_wizard=true
Artist, Authors and other creatives, feel free to friend my personal page. You can also "like" my official facebook author page to receive updates on my books, interviews, blog tours, release parties, contests, and release dates.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6038789.K_D_Rose
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=184204909&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Website for the Erasing Series: http://kdroseworld.com/




Cover Reveal: Found in You by KL Ruse



Title: Found in You
Author: KL Ruse     
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Expected Release Date: January 6, 2014
Reveal Host: Lady Amber's Tours

Synopsis:

Twenty-three-year-old Camryn Singer never imagined that she would return to the place
where she lost everything. To grant a dying wish, she moves back to the small Jersey beach
town where she grew up, hoping to somehow find the missing pieces of her life. Determined to
keep her wounds unopened and her heart guarded, she instead slams head-first into Cole Stevens.

Sexy surfer Cole has always used the waves to numb the pain of his past. But when he
runs into Camryn on the beach one day, he wants nothing more than for her to heal his scars and light the spark back in his life. 

Will Camryn and Cole be ripped apart when the ghosts from their pasts come back to life, or will they discover that it’s not until you’re lost, that you can be found?

 
I am a middle school teacher who recently traded in my chalk for a laptop to follow my dream of writing contemporary romance novels. I live with my husband and two daughters in the suburbs of Philadelphia. When I'm not writing, I spend my time reading and relaxing with my family at my home-away-from-home, the Jersey shore.

After I graduated from Villanova University in 2003, I never imagined my path would lead me in this direction. Writing was a hobby, an outlet for me to live in a world of happily ever afters. Now as I watch my dream become a reality, I believe that happy endings do exist.

Links:
Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/klruse
Twitter Page: twitter.com/KLRuse
Email: authorklruse@hotmail.com



I pulled his mouth back to mine, and ran my hands through his hair, weaving the ends through my fingers. Although lust was pumping through my veins, I pushed it aside, taking this moment to just feel his mouth against mine. We had time for the rest, and for the first time in over five years, I was finally living in the present.

We stayed in each other’s arms for a long time, watching the waves ripple across the rocks, and the seagulls touch down to peck the water for fish. I could feel our bodies finally surrender to a sense of calmness. Although we still had so much to learn about each other, and many more fears to face, we found a way to take that first step, and would journey the rest of the way together.

This feeling of contentment and satisfaction was so new and refreshing. I finally saw a beginning, rather than an end. Everyone started walking toward the back deck, while I took one more look out toward the vast stretch of sand. This beach town has held the origin of my fears and the depth of my heartache. But today, it represented the birth of my new life, one that included Cole. However, looking toward the water’s edge, my elation was stripped from me, as I stood staring into the aqua-colored eyes of my greatest fear.


Release Day Blitz: Extracted: The Lost Imperials by Sherry Ficklin & Tyler Jolley

 

Title: Extracted: The Lost Imperials
Author: Sherry Ficklin & Tyler Jolley
Genre: Young Adult
Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours


Synopsis:
Welcome to the war.

The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it.

The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens--their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream.

Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war.

When Lex’s girlfriend dies during a mission, the only way he can save her is to retrieve the Dox, a piece of tech which allows Rifters to re-enter their own timeline without collapsing the time stream. But the Dox is hidden deep within the Telsa Institute, which means Lex must go into the enemy camp. It’s there he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them both comes flooding back.

Now armed with the truth of who they are, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them both…again.


Sherry Ficklin
Sherry is a full time writer from Colorado where she lives with her husband, four kids, two dogs, and a fluctuating number of chickens and house guests. A former military brat, she loves to travel and meet new
people. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she's on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is often only seen in blurry photographs.
She is the author of The Gods of Fate Trilogy. Book 1, Foresight, book 2, Second Sight, and Book 3, Hindsight, are now available. She is also the author of the adult paranormal novels, The Palmetto Moon series. Book 1, Born of Blood and book 2, Grave Secrets are now available.
Her newest YA steampunk novel, EXTRACTED: The Lost Imperials book 1, co-written with Tyler H. Jolley is undercontract with Spencer Hill Press. Book 1, EXTRACTED, is due for release 11.12.13. It is now available for pre-order.

 Sherry D. Ficklin, Author Links:
www.sherryficklin.com
http://about.me/sherrydficklin



Tyler Jolley
Tyler was born in Vernal, UT. He's an author, orthodontist, periodonist, and farmer. His wife and four kids
keep him very busy.
 



Buy Links for  Extracted:
USA Buy Links:
 International Buy Link (free worldwide shipping)



Release Day Blitz: A Long Time Coming by Heather Van Fleet





Title: A Long Time Coming  (Perfect Timing Series #2)
Author: Heather Van Fleet
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Day: November 12th, 2013
Publisher: Sunshine Press
Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours

Blurb:

Abigail Orson has a problem. A love problem to be precise; and she has absolutely no idea how to go about fixing it.
For years now, she has been chasing her best friend’s brother—demanding things from him that he’s never wanted to give. For one? A real relationship that surpasses well beyond that dreaded ‘just friends’ zone. You see, David Anderson is her idea of perfection to a T. The one and only guy who has ever had the ability to make her heart beat faster; make her toes curl with the simple blink of his long, girly lashes. But David is also a recovering amputee, and the only thing he really wants from Abigail is to be left alone. Abigail is a fighter though, and losing the one guy who has ruined her for every other is no longer an option.
A guy with one leg who has lost his motivation to live—to love—to actually be a man. David believes he’s a waste of space. If only the beautiful girl of his unattainable dreams would get that through her perfect, blonde, stubborn head! He’s not the right guy for Abigail. He’ll never be worthy of what she deserves. However, staying away is almost impossible, especially when he’s just as in love with her as she is with him. But Abigail has a life ahead of her, one that’s definitely livable without a nineteen–year–old gimp like him holding her down. What makes her want to stick around is beyond questionable to David’s mind.
Choices will be made. Lines will be drawn. And together, they will face challenges that nobody saw coming. David and Abigail may have had almost fourteen years to fall in love, but the thing is, timing and love have never exactly worked in their favor.
It has been years in the making, and definitely A Long Time Coming for David and Abigail. Let’s hope they don’t screw it up before they actually have the chance to get it right…
  







Heather Van Fleet currently reside in northern Illinois, with her three little ladies, and fabulous hubby, and high school sweetheart, Chris. She’s a stay at home mom by day, and an avid and completely obsessive writer and reader by night.
She’s always had a soft spot in her heart for books, and has been creating her own little stories since the age of seven. But she never really had the confidence or the time to actually sit down and really do something about it until her youngest daughter Isabella was born just two years ago. Bella, as well as her older sisters Kelsey and Emma, are and always will be her greatest inspirations.
Links:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authorheatherpowell
Twitter: @HLVanFleet
Website:
www.heathervanfleet.com

Buy links:




Title: A Long Time Coming  (Perfect Timing Series #2)
Author: Heather Van Fleet
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Day: November 12th, 2013
Publisher: Sunshine Press
Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours

Blurb:

Abigail Orson has a problem. A love problem to be precise; and she has absolutely no idea how to go about fixing it.
For years now, she has been chasing her best friend’s brother—demanding things from him that he’s never wanted to give. For one? A real relationship that surpasses well beyond that dreaded ‘just friends’ zone. You see, David Anderson is her idea of perfection to a T. The one and only guy who has ever had the ability to make her heart beat faster; make her toes curl with the simple blink of his long, girly lashes. But David is also a recovering amputee, and the only thing he really wants from Abigail is to be left alone. Abigail is a fighter though, and losing the one guy who has ruined her for every other is no longer an option.
A guy with one leg who has lost his motivation to live—to love—to actually be a man. David believes he’s a waste of space. If only the beautiful girl of his unattainable dreams would get that through her perfect, blonde, stubborn head! He’s not the right guy for Abigail. He’ll never be worthy of what she deserves. However, staying away is almost impossible, especially when he’s just as in love with her as she is with him. But Abigail has a life ahead of her, one that’s definitely livable without a nineteen–year–old gimp like him holding her down. What makes her want to stick around is beyond questionable to David’s mind.
Choices will be made. Lines will be drawn. And together, they will face challenges that nobody saw coming. David and Abigail may have had almost fourteen years to fall in love, but the thing is, timing and love have never exactly worked in their favor.
It has been years in the making, and definitely A Long Time Coming for David and Abigail. Let’s hope they don’t screw it up before they actually have the chance to get it right…
  







Heather Van Fleet currently reside in northern Illinois, with her three little ladies, and fabulous hubby, and high school sweetheart, Chris. She’s a stay at home mom by day, and an avid and completely obsessive writer and reader by night.
She’s always had a soft spot in her heart for books, and has been creating her own little stories since the age of seven. But she never really had the confidence or the time to actually sit down and really do something about it until her youngest daughter Isabella was born just two years ago. Bella, as well as her older sisters Kelsey and Emma, are and always will be her greatest inspirations.


She spun around, nibbling on her lip, grabbing both of his hands as she pulled him slowly along with her. Her eyes were so focused and shiny that he barely remembered his own name, let alone what he was about to say.
“No crutches, David.”
They made it to the edge of the floor, just as the tempo of the music slowed, to that of a seductive, rhythmic beat. She pulled his hands towards her, and he took that non–verbal command, wrapping his arms around her waist. His fingers knew just what to do, settling into the curves of her body right above her perfect ass. Those damn traitorous body parts had a

mind of their own.
“I won’t let you fall…” she whispered in his ear, running her fingers through the back of his hair like a vixen who he wanted to steal away forever, only, though, so he could lock her up with him in the backseat of her car again.
Shit …it wasn’t the fear of falling that worried him. Oh no…it was the fear of never wanting to let her go again.




She spun around, nibbling on her lip, grabbing both of his hands as she pulled him slowly along with her. Her eyes were so focused and shiny that he barely remembered his own name, let alone what he was about to say.
“No crutches, David.”
They made it to the edge of the floor, just as the tempo of the music slowed, to that of a seductive, rhythmic beat. She pulled his hands towards her, and he took that non–verbal command, wrapping his arms around her waist. His fingers knew just what to do, settling into the curves of her body right above her perfect ass. Those damn traitorous body parts had a mind of their own.
“I won’t let you fall…” she whispered in his ear, running her fingers through the back of his hair like a vixen who he wanted to steal away forever, only, though, so he could lock her up with him in the backseat of her car again.
Shit …it wasn’t the fear of falling that worried him. Oh no…it was the fear of never wanting to let her go again.


Our Halloween Fun






The best part about homeschooling is the time we get for extra-curricular activities. My kids aren’t just learning math, science, history, and language arts. They also get sewing, knitting, drawing, music, acting, and dance classes through the YMCA, church, That Music Place, and our local dance studio MVDA.




I feel so blessed to have the chance for all this fun stuff with my kids. Even more, I’m blessed for the two grandmothers in my girls’ lives. This summer, my mom came to visit for a week, and while she was here, she taught all three of them how to use the sewing machine, how to follow a pattern, and how to make clothes.


But one project my mom didn’t get the chance to make with Mak (age 11) before she left to go home to Wisconsin: the sheep costume for Halloween.


So Mak took the material to her OTHER grandmother, and she learned how to make her own patterns. Using pajamas as an outline, she made a zebra outfit for little Ro (age 9) and a sheep costume for littlest Kay (age 7). Though TJ and I helped her a little bit here and there, she did this pretty much by herself.


Mak ran out of time to make her own costume, so she went as an Elf Archer, Princess of the Animals.


Over all, Halloween was loads of fun!