Moving my Blog back to my old Stomping Grounds & BelleBooks Linky love

Welp, yesterday my blog went bye-bye. A notice popped up that my blog was suspended and there was no explanation other than the link I clicked on that read how I could be seen as spam or did something that was against their rules.

Of course, it was a "glitch;" I wasn't spam and didn't do something against their rules, and they had my blog up again by today.

However, I've decided to return to my former blog where I don't have to worry about that happening. It felt really weird to be suddenly suspended as if I did something wrong even though I knew I hadn't, but I felt rather oogly about it, as if I had dirt on my hands or something.

My old stomping grounds used to be under the window spaces blogger and sometime about a year or so ago it was formed into wordpress- I kept that blog but rarely posted to it. Yesterday I fiddled around with it and am trying to spiff it up for my move there.

I will leave my blog here with a redirect link - I don't want to delete a couple of years of my life I've had here! Lawd no!  I may import my posts over there, if it works out all right, and in that case, I don't know if posts stay in both places.

I hope y'all will follow me on over there! I plan to make it easy as I can to follow the blog and leave comments - soon as I figure out all the whatevers and such and sos - feel free to email me if you have any problems.

Okay, y'all come on over! It's still under construction right now and I've changed the look of it several times (I may upgrade to Pro so I have more to work with), but I hope to have it 'finished' over the weekend  - lawd.

Kathryn's Wordpress Blog

And since today is linky love day, I will do as I planned and link to BelleBooks/ Bell Bridge Books and their authors. This will be my last Linky Love here on this blog.

BelleBooks/Bell Bridge books has been wonderful to me and I adore them. Their authors adore them. And, there is something for everyone to read. I want to give them a big Shout Out today.

BelleBooks/BBB page for writers

BB/BBB Authors

About BB

They made my dreams come true. Three published books and a novella later, and another book on its way in the spring (Family Graces probably will be the title of the last in the Graces Trilogy), foreign rights (Russia so far!), ebooks, print books, audio books soon to come - I just can't say enough things about them. They are a dream to work with and respect and love their authors. Go BB/BBB! Check them out, and as their site says - there really is something for everyone.

Now - y'all come on over and help me to feel at home in my new/old blog home.

Holiday Linky Love & Last Day for Sweetie deal

South Louisiana - LSU Lakes - Birds as Ornaments flocking the trees

For the holidays, here is some linky love. I'll be back to "regular links" next Friday, but for today, I am posting those I happened upon this morning that had a holiday theme. I didn't come across any with any other holidays besides Christmas, and if I had, I'd link to them as well - so if you have a different holiday tradition than Christmas, link it in the comments and I'll update my post!

Despite my Grinchy post below, today I am feeling full of holiday cheer - and no, not because of vodka *sigh* oh, I still have not received my Crystal Head Vodka -- I want that skull *laughing* to help my cheer along - dang it all! :-D

Then, there is the annual posting of the link for my Moonshine & Santy Claus - a quirky Santy and menopausal appalachian woman story, published by Vagabondage Press. And how interesting to see my bio then when I was 'in the query process' - well, dreams do come true, y'all *gratitude*

I love this blog - full of Appalachian everything and always positive: Blind Pig and the Acorn - Appalachia through my eyes - Christmas folklore

Michelle Teacress has a short video that made me tear up - *still sniffling* - it struck my heart: The Coat: A story of charity - it will warm your heart.

saw this in South Louisiana near LSU - laughing! love it -you can't see the picture of the LSU coach Miles in that shiny square:-D

Speaking of charity - Every year I do Toys for Tots, and as well, I do the Angel Tree (look for those Christmas trees with "ornaments" hanging that have information on children you can purchase clothing and toys for), and another place I like to give memorial gifts on behalf of my brother, granny, and now my father, is Heifer International - I'm linking you to Nathan Bransford site, for he information there and an incentive. These are the things that take me outside of myself and remind me what this season is about: giving and charity and loving and remembering. It's especially for the children. You may have your own charities, but if not, these are wonderful places to think about giving. But, yes, people need us all year round, no matter the season - however, during the holidays, harder times are oft-times more keenly felt.

And the Pudgy Penguin has on his santy suit  (so cute) and is having a book give-away. Even if you don't enter, just a look at that penguin makes a smile.

And, last time I'll be mentioning my book like a used car salesman (no offense to any car salesmen *laugh*), but it's the last day of the One-Week Deal at Amazon where SWEETIE is discounted for this promo. (Firefly Dance, the anthology, is on that same deal.)


Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


And now, I will leave you with an oldie but goodie - Christmas Lights Gone Wild

All those whos in whoville and their noise noise noise! Am I a Grinch?

I fear I am turning into the Grinch. You know, scowling about Christmas commercialism and all the Whos in Whoville’s noise wearing on my nerves. What’s happened to me? When Christmas was always the most perfect, most wonderful time of the year? Somewhere along the way I’ve let some kind of magic go, some kind of beauty of the season. I want it back. Lawdy be, can you help me? How? you may ask. Well . . . I’m open to suggestions. Perhaps: leave me Christmassy comments that enlighten and lighten? Email me cute Christmas cards? Post wonderful holiday thoughts and send me the link? Then my heart will grow umpteen sizes too big and I'll be full of Christmas Cheer - whoop!

 I want to look forward to decorating the tree with glee and fiddledeedee. I want to inhale the scents that come only this time of year - spices and sweet and fresh. I want to gasp at the wonders. I will have no child running in breathlessly to tear open gifts, for my son and granddaughter are many miles away in Oregon. Maybe that’s part of it, too—my friends and family are far from me. Oh, I hate whiners! Whos in Whoville and all that noise, noise, noise!

What do I want for Christmas this year? I want that spirit to come back with a big Bam-a-lammo. I can’t force it, so I’m asking you all, anyone of you at all, to help me find that Christmas-Holiday Doodledeedahday. I know it’s somewhere. I must have just misplaced it in a corner, under a pile of sweaters, in the sock drawer, in the hollowed out tree, behind the dresser, under the couch . . . somewhere, it’s here somewhere.

 There is a Christmas special on Lifetime television where this jaded book editor hates Christmas and is grumpy and yada yada the same old; but, as I watch it, I tear up a bit, as if I am seeing parts of myself in this woman. Thing is, at the end of the movie, I know she’ll have found what she is missing—will I find it along with her? Gee, I hope so.

 I think perhaps I will need to do something different, something to take me outside of myself. Yes. That's it. Outside of myself. And, I’ll keep searching those little corners and places for that old feeling—I just know it’s there. It rises up and quickly flies away just out of my grasp. Maybe you’ve seen it? Floating around, my Holiday Spirit. If you do see it, grab hold of it and bring it back to me, and for that, I’ll be filled with gratitude.

Perhaps I’ll fly like the hawk over a jeweled city of holiday shine and there I will find what I need . . . yes, right in Whoville. Yes. There it is . . . just ahead.

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Now, off with my bad elf-self, and I'll see you all on Friday with Linky Love.

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(and SWEETIE is doing well in the Amazon weekly deals - Friday is the last day to find it at this special before it goes back to its regular price - same with Firefly Dance. Thank you all for your support! Hmm, that's something to be grateful for this holiday season! - MY READERS! *heart is starting to grow* After this promo is over, I won't be mentioning it as I have been - you know how I like my "car salesman-free zone" here *laughing* :-D )

Where'd Monday go? Discombobulation abounds. No photos/videos: Bad Kat

Morning y'all. I'm late with my Monday post - I have been out of town to South Louisiana to visit family and friends. It was a quick trip, but here it is Tuesday morning and I don't have my photos/images/videos! *Bad Kat* I even woke up in my iron bed in the little log house in the cove at Killian Knob thinking this was Monday. Lawd.

So pardon my lateness and zippity do dah diggity didn't do-it-ness as I unpack and unwind and decompress. I will see you on Wednesday with my regular blog post!

By the way, SWEETIE is inching up the "Amazon Kindle Best Seller List" - she's at this moment no 29 in literary fiction. I'd love to see her head up to No 1 of course *haw!* but even the top 50 is very nice. THANK YOU for your support. She'll, Sweetie that is, will be on this "Amazon Weekly Deals" for a mere .99cents until Friday and then it's over and she's the regular price. (Firefly Dance is on that same deal.) Appreciate all of you.

See you Wednesday!

Linky Love - Blogger Community

Time for links, y'all! And today's links are from the blogger community.

And a big Thank You to blogspot Blogger for making it easy to open links to a new page - at last! yay!

Jessica Nelson BookingIt. Whenever I see her profile photo, it makes me smile. There is a sweetness about Jessica and it comes out in her blog and in her comments she leaves.

Diane Estrella "That's what I'm here for" has a fun Christmas quiz going on. She also reviews books and products, and her energy bounds off her blog page.

I have a new Blogger friend whose blog I am exploring - From Sarah, With Joy. And "joy" does describe what I've experienced stopping by her place.

Hilary Melton-Butcher has such an interesting blog "Positive Letters . . . Inspirational Stories," chock full of information on things you don't realize you longed to know until you get there, and Voila! She's told you all about something so interesting, you leave feeling smarter and more wordly.

I laughed when I watched Carolyn V's "Checkboard Squares" video on Zombie Love - and I HATE zombies . . .  ungh - but danged if I couldn't get that song out of my mind.

Reader Unboxed - it's all about books and reading and it's the sister site of Writer Unboxed. I love both of these blogs, and am a member of Writer Unboxed, for which I've linked to before.

Folks, if you haven't stopped by John Bord's Ink Spots, then slip on over there. His writings are starkly beautiful, and he's just a nice guy to boot. Sometimes he writes of social issues and whether I agree or do not, I always leave his blog thinking.

Colby Marshall Spittin' out words like a llama is quirky and fun, and, ohhh!, I do believe she has a form of synesthesia, so that makes her my new "writing interest" - I want to study her, for I have a character who will probably be in my next book who has synesthesia.

Click on over to Eryl at The Kitchen Bitch Ponders . . . because she's just cool and I like her and I love that title, too.

And finally, last one for this Friday's Linky Love is Titus the Dog - I have two of her poetry collections and have ordered the latest. The words are gorgeous and profound, yes, but, the covers are exceptional as well.

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As an aside - I am writing this on Wednesday because I have to unplug all of Thursday and perhaps into Friday. However, from what I understand, beginning on Saturday the 17th is the Amazon Kindle Promo for Sweetie (and as well for the anthology The Firefly Dance). Sweetie, and Firefly, will be priced by Amazon for $.99 for one week only - through the 23rd. After that, it goes back to regular price. So, there you go, a Christmas Kindle Book Promo. Thank you for your support - without my readers, my writing is lonely and unloved :-D .

Just found out this, apparently Amazon has Sweetie and FD at .99cents instead of what I thought! lawd! wow. Far as I know, just for the week still. Firefly is priced the same.

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See y'all on Monday!

Time for Video/Photos No/Few Words: Jingle Dogs Reunion & Secret Places & etc

Morning Y'all! Time for video/photos no/few words! Now this is just silly but it still made me laugh:-D

My Secret Place - this made it into the SWEETIE novel *shhh* very secret

What I can see on way to Secret Place and where Sweetie and Melissa sometimes ran to hide

close up

ice crystals in the grass

mushrooms on a log

wasp nest in our Christmas tree - we have "nature things" and regular ornaments - our tree is on the porch

"Not Quite Fat Dog" Jake helped decorate by looking cute

the christmas decorations made shadows which kept the frost in same pattern -at Lake Junaluska

Friday Linky Love in this wonderful Community of Bloggers we are!

bffs are wunnerful - in blogland too!

Yes, folks - I am back to three days a week posting, after months  of wailing and gnashing my teeth over my deadline I thought I'd never make (of course I will and the final in the Graces Trilogy will be out in a few months!), and after my father's illness and passing - oh how wonderful you all are and were for supporting me, and for your understanding I am appreciative.

Which takes me to how much of a community Blogger Land is, and why I have missed my thrice-weekly posting, and my visiting your  blogs. What a wonderful community of people there are out there in Blogger Land!

Friday is Linky Love day, so here are a few offerings. As always, I invite you to tell me about any gooey noughty goodness you find out there so I can share it - yes, even if it is your own site.

What brought me back to excitement over my blog? Why Kristen Lamb's blog and her book "Are you there blog, it's me, Writer." I've mentioned Kristen before, but she bears mentioning again if this whole Social Networking thang has you beating your head against the wall (as the bruises on said pea-head of mine will attest).

I was curious what would happen if I clicked on "Next Blog" - something I never think to do, and it brought me to The Simple Woman's Day Book blog - where "thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the everyday moments." Looks interesting, so I think I'll check it out further.

Jan O'Hara is one of the blogs I miss visiting regularly - she makes me laugh and think and giggle and go "hmmmmm." Miz Tart at Tartitude is wunnerful.

I have also missed the Amazing Voyages of the Turtle, Sandra Leigh's blog about her travels here there and yonder. She is amazing.

Author Jody Hedlund always has interesting and informative posts for writers. I learn a lot about myself as it pertains to my writing life from these posts and sometimes find I am writing much too long comments! lawd!

Hungry? Like to "pass a good time" with music and food and a really nice person down in the Louisiana Swampland? Then visit Marguerite at Cajun Delights. I lived in South Louisiana many years and her blog reminds me of the food and fun and people there.

Deb Shucka's blog "Catbird Scout" is another for whom I have missed reading regularly - her intimate, poignant, and beatifully-written blog never ceases to amaze me with just how lovely a person, and a writer, Deb is. She's also an editor at our Rose & Thorn journal.

Anita from Life with a Cherry on Top is one of those quiet blogs that doesn't announce itself and make a lot of noise, just as Anita herself is! But I adore Anita and her blog. Visiting her makes me feel calmed and warm and toasty.

Another of our Rose & Thorn editors is Janna Qualman over at Something She Wrote. We both stumbled upon Rod McKeun's poetry books and that makes me smile. She is also one of those quiet writers who doesn't shout out, but she should!

Terri Tiffani's blog is titled "Inspirational Writer" and that is just what she is, which is why she has such a loyal following, and I've missed reading her blog.

And there are many more - and I will be linking to those in the coming Fridays.

Ah, feels good to be back, y'all!

You all have a wonderful weekend!

The Sheldon Cooper in Me

sheldon cooper & me -okay, not me *laughing*

Sometimes when I'm watching The Big Bang Theory, I have this semi-uncomfortable feeling that I am oft-times too much like Sheldon Cooper. That I understand too much of what he says and does and it makes perfect sense to me, so that while I, and the studio audience, are laughing, I am also going, "Um . . . wait . . . we are laughing because this is a bit of the ridiculous . . . and so I am a bit of the ridiculous.” Teehee.


I know I have tics and weirdness and "ways I must do things." I know when I go into a hotel room, I first put down my luggage on a wooden surface and not on the floor in the case there are critters there hiding just so they can crawl into my luggage and snuggle in for the trip home. And then I immediately walk to the bed, lift the covers, and check out the sheets and the mattress. If I am in a Hampton Inn, which is where I try to stay because they sanitize their comforters and they are white--which shows everything!--I mostly feel I don’t have to remove the bedspread, but if I have to stay where there is one of those colorful bedspread, off it comes! Colorful bedspreads are made that way to hide stains and other icky nasty. The sheets best be white without any stains—stains will send me into apoplectic fits of EWWWWWWW. The mattress check is for signs of critters. And, to make things more weirdly embarrassing: during the middle of the night, at around 2 a.m., since that’s when an article said certain critters come out, I have to shine a light under the covers to make sure no critters have sneaked up on me and are feasting on my wittle legs. Well, so far, so good, I’ve not had to go screeching into the hotel hallway as if my hair’s on fire.

My place is at the left end of the couch. When company comes, I hurry to sit on that end, because it is My End; however, if someone beats me to it, unknowing that this is My End, then I will toss and turn upon the other end of the couch; I am displaced! I am uncomfortable –ungh! Ungh! I would never say anything to the displacer but as soon as they go home, I pounce upon My End of the couch and nestle it back to its former Me-ness. I have a few moments of, “It feels weird because someone else has been here,” which I must quickly overcome so I can enjoy My End again. Huhn.

I have rules about food. I’m not much of a meat eater, but when there is Meat Food prepared, it must be eaten within a certain amount of time. Usually about two days, preferably one. Yes, this is so. GMR will eat meat or meat-dishes a million days after it has been prepared, but not so I! I imagine it is spoiling almost immediately, growing nasty crawling critters, and souring, and I just will not eat it. Meatless food items may stay a little longer in my “I will eat this” category, but there are more Food Rules—I will not get into this right now, but they all make sense to me. erk.

When I shake a stranger’s hand, my hand tingles afterward. Because I begin to think, “I wonder where that hand’s been?” And the thought grows and grows until my hand tingles and I am just so AWARE of my hand! Sometimes this happens even if it is not a stranger and for this I can only ask for forgiveness. No one will ever know, because it is only me who can feel the critters crawling all over my hand. Ungh. Ungh. Sometimes this may be my “People Radar” going off—the radar that tells me something ain’t right about a person and I am taken aback by the force of those feelings, and sometimes it’s because I am just Weird.

Sometimes when I’m walking, I will step on a root or bump or something elevated in my path. Say I step on it with my right foot. Well, then the left foot begins to feel cheated. It wants to step on something elevated. I try to ignore it, but eventually, I give in and make sure I step on something elevated with the left foot. Sometimes, just to be mean to my left foot, I will step on something elevated numerous times with my right foot and say, “HA! THERE! Try to control ME will you! hahaha!”

Shall I go on? Well, I shall not because I’m of the belief that you must leak out your crazy a teeny bit at a time. Let people become used to it. Lull them into a sense of how they think you are quirky and slightly sweet and loveable, and then they accept all the crazy-arse stuff you throw at them without blinking an incredulous eye hardly one bit, hardly.

 What about you? Have any quirks you want to share?

PS - As an aside - whenever I find out there is going to be a "Special Promotion" for my books, I always want to let y'all know they are coming. From around December 17th until 23rd, The Firefly Dance and Sweetie will be on a special Amazon Kindle promo. I believe they are pricing them for $1.99 for just that time. A head's up - in case you are interested. You all know I get all irkity talking about my books because I want this to be a "car salesman free zone" :-D haw! But, dang, this is a deal! Later y'all.

Photos: No Words - Dupont State Park (and a few from my cove)

 

(My brother went home today *sad face* so now time to get back to work. I'll have some photos/video of our Great Smoky Mountains Train ride soon! - Loved it - I have become a true "Train Person" now :-D )

Links: Daniel Wallace Guest Author at R&T, Firefly Dance, RAP, etc

Morning y'all. Today I have general poodley-doo and links for you. I'm in the homestretch for the final Graces Saga, and after that, well, who knows what comes next. I have some thoughts, but they are wavery and hidden behind mists and are so unformed, I do not know what I'll discover.

First. The Firefly Dance anthology that I have a novella "Petey" in, along with works by Sarah Addison Allen, Augusta Trobaugh, and Phyllis Schieber, is now out in print and ebook forms. I believe that Bellebooks will be having some sort of Kindle promo, but I do not know when or how or what it will be. However, I want to pass that along. As always, I hope you will ask for books in bookstores, especially your local independent bookstore, and the library. Yes, I linked to Amazon, but I cannot deny that people buy books for kindle!

In Rose & Thorn news: if you haven't stopped by our Rose & Thorn Journal, please do before the summer issue flies away.

Our fall issue goes live October 15th, and we have a Special Guest Author: Daniel Wallace, author of BIG FISH (which was made into a movie in 2003) is our Guest Author for our fall issue. We will, from time to time, have special guest authors/poets.

We are proud of all of our gifted and talented writers and poets - Angie Ledbetter and I want to extend to you the invitation to submit to Rose & Thorn. Go in, read all of or a sampling of our stories and poetry in summer issue and in the archived issues - then submit!

Angie and I, our Managing Editor Cynthia Toups, and the wonderful staff of R&T, are known for publishing established and emerging voices. We love it when we "discover" a new voice, someone who hasn't been published before - it's exciting!

I found this on Fuel Your Writing, where people are sending in their writing spaces. I haven't yet, but I just might!



On Jane Friedman's blog: Writing on the Ether by former CNN journalist Porter Anderson. "Writing on the Ether will round up some of the best and timeliest articles related to writing and publishing that you don’t want to miss."

There was a "Random Acts of Publicity" on Facebook, where people could go in and talk about an author's book. Linda Leschak, who has been a contributor to Rose & Thorn and quite the wonderful writer herself, surprised me by talking up SWEETIE on RAP, along with a fun interview with me. Thank you, Linda! I hope y'all will stop by her blog, if not to read the blushingly wonderful things she said about Sweetie, then, most important, to come to know an interesting strong woman.

I didn't think I was going to try this, but I did try the Kindlegraph. I put the Sweetie novel only because I was curious, and because I want to stop being afraid of new things *laugh* - so, Sweetie is now on Kindlegraph, and I've "signed" a few Sweeties. Very weird and surreal thing this new world of books and publishing and interaction between readers and authors is! Still not sure what I think about it, but it is there and I will see what comes of it.

That's enough for now. Hope you all enjoy the links. Now go do the day! Have a great weekend, and I'll see you next week. And don't forget to spend some time relaxing and finding a state of gratitude! Namaste.