Guestblogging Goodness!

Today I have for you a guest blogger. Welcome Pembroke Sinclare.

You can catch her full rantings at her blog. Click it! You know you want to!


Evil Games

I would like to thank Tonia for letting me be a guest blogger.  I am tainting her somewhat coherent blogs with nonsensical gibberish.

Hollywood has perpetuated a myth (what, just one?).  They have made the Ouija board evil and scary.  Even the religious community thinks they should be burned.  I remember one time I was in high school, and a friend and I went to Bible camp.  I packed it in my bag and took it out to play in the cabin.  One of the girls FREAKED when she saw it and told the counselors.  My board got confiscated, and we were regaled with stories of how the counselor knew this girl who played with a Ouija and then got possessed (yeah, right).  It was all I could do to keep from rolling my eyes.  I was just happy I got my board back when we left.
I bought my first Ouija board when I was in junior high.  At a toy store.  It is made by Parker Brothers.  Do any of those sentences make you think of hell and demons and possession?  I used to play with it all the time.  My spirit’s name was G (yes, just the letter) and he was my guardian angel.  As I got older, I realized I wasn’t talking to a spirit.  It was more than likely my subconscious (think Pat!).  If my mind was unclear, or I didn’t know how to answer a question, neither did my spirit.  The indicator would sit on the board and just slide back and forth, like a crazy person rocking back and forth, muttering under his breath.  We would even ask to talk to other spirits, but the indicator always ended up sliding back and forth and not answering questions.  It got boring real fast.
Even though I knew it was just my subconscious moving it, I still had some pretty freaky occurrences.  The best thing to do was to ask the spirit if it was in the room.  If it said yes, we’d ask it for a sign.  Sometimes things would happen, sometimes they wouldn’t.  There was one time we asked for a sign, and a plant that had been hanging over a window crashed to the floor.  There were also dirty handprints on the blinds (could it have happened when the plant was hung over the window, more than likely).  Another time, it pointed to a spider (a spider!  They aren’t common!  They never show up unless a spirit is in the room).  Another time, a transformer on the top of a power line blew up (I have no explanation for that).
Do I honestly think the spirits caused this?  Probably not.  They were just freaky weird occurrences.  Or do I tell myself that because I don’t want to believe the alternative?  Even though the Ouija board is a crock, I still believe in ghosts.  I’ve had experiences, but I don’t think they talk to us through a board.  And I definitely don’t think you are going to get possessed if you play with one.  I’ve played with it numerous times and I’m all right (well, in the sense that I’m not possessed).  I’m pretty sure if a demon wants to possess you, it’s just going to possess you.  It’s not going to wait around until you play with a game. 
I haven’t played with my board in years.  It’s in my closet, along with all the other board games I don’t have time to play with anymore.  One day I would like to take it out again.  Just for sentimental sake.

Railroad!

So, I have jumped on the web serial band wagon.

http://steampunktrain.blogspot.com/

Yup, I went and penned a steampunk serial and am putting it out on the internets. It starts, well, sort of now. I hope you guys like it. The story is called Railroad! (the exclamation is important. Don't ask why, 'cause I don't really know.) Here is a summary of it:


Railroad is a fast pace story of gadgetry, gunplay and grit.

Join us as we follow the strange stand-alone train known as the Sleipnir (pronounced Schlipnear); eight cars of free traveling steam powered might. Able to lay her own tracks, as well as pick them up again, the train is a marvelous feat of engineering, and as an unbound entity she can travel anywhere her master desires. The only trouble is the trouble she attracts. Her owner and creator, one Professor Hieronymus J. Dittmeyer, can’t seem to help but catch the attention of all manner of unwanted and odd characters. From run of the mill out laws to world-class super villains, the crew of the Sleipnir needs protecting and they need it fast!

Enter Rodger Dodger, deadeye marksman and all around vexed soul. Dodger finds he is inexplicably drawn to the Sleipnir and her crazy crew, though he is reluctant to return to the work of a gunslinger after a dreadful history of bloodshed and violence. At the request of a restless spirit, Dodger takes on the work, straps on the biggest guns this side of the Mississippi and soon finds his life will never be the same again. (Which is just fine with him because he didn't like the one he had anyways.)

On a train that can go anywhere, anything is bound to happen!
*****************************************
Go one now and read the first chapter. Chapter One

Tell me whatcha think. I am super sexcited about it. I really hope you folks like it.
If you are interested in posting a link to it on your page or spreading the word about it, here is my banner for it.

Evil Asskicking!

Author Sean Cummings (and yes I just love his last name!) is giving away a bunch of stuff including some of his books. Wanna win a butt-ton of stuff? Stuff like this:
(3) copy of UNSEEN WORLD
(1) copy of SHADE FRIGHT
(1) copy of FUNERAL PALLOR
(1) 1st Season of FARSCAPE DVD
(1) WATCHMEN BLU RAY DVD

AND a GRAND PRIZE of a KINDLE or a KOBO e-reader (your choice)! 


Well entering is very easy. Just click the pic below and it will take you to a Face Book page with instructions on how to enter. (And you can grab the titles of Sean's very cool books too! So you win no matter what you do!)




Well I guess that completes my court mandated public service. Phew, that was easy. What? What are you saying? The mic is still on? *tap tap* Oops...

(Seriously, go buy Sean's books! Enter his contest! Doooo eeeeet!)

Me Love You Long Time

(Get out your galoshes folks, this is gonna be a gushy entry.)

I am in love. Yup.

Now, don't get all excited for me, 'cause this is kind of old news. You see, I've been in love for over 15 years now. I know, I know. That sounds like the beginning of some jeweler's ad, doesn't it? But it's true. Love is a many splendored thing, and I have seen it's splendor.

Tony Brown makes loving too easy. Sometimes I wonder what we are doing wrong because I hear so many people talk about how hard marriage is. For us it's not. Sure we have our tifts, but nothing so dramatic as other folks. (If he would just learn to pick up his shoes from the middle of the floor so I don't break my neck on them every damned day, I'd be complete.) What do others fight about? Money? Fidelity? Sex?

When asked what makes our marriage work, I always give two answers:

First, communication. We talk about everything. I do mean EVERYTHING. Sometimes it isn't easy. Sometimes there are tears and such (I tend to cry at the drop of a hat so no surprise there) but in the end talking things out saves a whole lot of heartache later on. Talk to your sweetheart. Tell them what bugs you now, no matter how small. The way you hate how she flips on the lights when she wakes you up for work might seem like a petty issue now, but ten years from now when you pile it up against the hundreds of other little things she does that annoys you, the dam will bust and it will all come flooding out in a barking torrent of hate. Some say to get over the little things. I say settle them now before they become big things. Talk about everything and then nothing can stand in your way.

My second piece of advice is share a hobby. I know this sounds lame, but if you share something you both love, then it will bring you closer together. I've seen a marriage saved by racing. Yes, racing brought a couple back from the brink of divorce. Tony and I share many hobbies. He listens to me ramble on about writing, and gives me wonderful plot advice and great character ideas. Likewise, I have spent countless hours scrubbing bottles and mashing fruit for his wine makings. If you share a hobby then you share time, and when you share time together you get closer, you love deeper, you love longer. Believe it.

Well enough rambling. I know I'm not an expert on relationships, I'm just a woman in love. I have also decided to celebrate Valentine's Day by posting a poem I wrote for my husband many moons ago. I wrote it just after we married, if it's not obvious. I suspect that most of you will make faces and want to barf. Sorry if it makes you sick, but I'm in love. I can't help it!
For those who haven't lost faith in love I say enjoy.
And for those who have lost faith, I say keep your eyes open or it will take you by surprise.

Two Rings

Two circles perched, one in, one out
Two hollow rings of gold
Two bands have led me to my rout
Within their symbols old

I never dreamed I would behold
The change that they would bring
Or let my heart as well enfold
The songs of joy they sing

The first a jeweled and finer thing
A loop of golden hue
Of promise wrapped around a ring
A question asked of few

The second brought my answer true
A vow that changed my life
Then took its place with diamond view
Betrothing man and wife

Two rings bring love and now I’m rife
With happiness devout,
And when I’m weak in times of strife
Two rings remove all doubt.

Puppy Bowl!

I have to admit that I am not much of a sports fan. If pressed for a preference I do enjoy baseball, but more along the Triple-A lines than professional. So when the Super Bowl rolls around I really couldn't care less. I know some folks are very into the whole football scene.
Our family always makes alternative plans on Super Bowl day. Instead of watching football, we watch the Puppy Bowl!
This year is Puppy Bowl VII, and the third year we have had a little gathering for it. The concept is simple: they get a bunch of pups, all from rescue facilities, and set them out into a little football field and film them playing. It is so much fun to watch the puppies play and wrestle! There is also a kitty half time show, and lots of other really neat things featuring other animals.

Here is a bit more from the official site:
Featuring fan favorites like the Water Bowl Cam, tail-gating fans, and the Ice Breakers blimp and its hamster crew, this year's big game is sure to be a tail-wagger. For the first time ever, viewers can watch the action from the puppy's point-of-view with the new Puppy Cam. And be on the lookout for the "chicks" on the sidelines with the addition of chicken cheerleaders. Also, don't miss the debut of the Kiss Cam, which is sure to keep the crowd on its feet. From barking beagles and spunky spaniels to everything in between, we've got the cutest players taking the field on the most action-packed Sunday of the year. Plus, back for another year is the popular Bissel Kitten Halftime Show, guaranteed to bring the house down! 
 

Puppy Bowl is fun and funny. We here at Chez Brown really enjoy watching the cute little pups run about nipping at one another and scoring 'touch downs' and the likes. In this year's starting lineup I favor CB, the shih tzu/beagle mix. Soooooooooo cute! I hope he makes a touchdown!
This year we are having hamburgers, and various other yummy party foods like (sugar free) brownies and a nice fruit salad. (Speaking of which, I gotta run so I can get stuff made. Folks should be here soon.)
Have a good Puppy Bowl day! WOOT!

The official site: http://animal.discovery.com/tv/puppy-bowl/about.html