Mastodon The Writing Desk: January 2013

26 January 2013

William Shakespeare ~ Sonnet 149


Canst thou, O cruel! say I love thee not,
When I against myself with thee partake?
Do I not think on thee, when I forgot
Am of myself, all tyrant, for thy sake?
Who hateth thee that I do call my friend?
On whom frown'st thou that I do fawn upon?
Nay, if thou lour'st on me, do I not spend
Revenge upon myself with present moan?
What merit do I in myself respect,
That is so proud thy service to despise,
When all my best doth worship thy defect,
Commanded by the motion of thine eyes?
But, love, hate on, for now I know thy mind;
Those that can see thou lovest, and I am blind.

&



PS As far as I know this is the only time WS ever uses the term lour'st (meaning scowl?) have you ever seen it used elsewhere?

25 January 2013

Book Launch Guest Post: Barbed-Wire Butterflies by Jessica Kristie



Ignoring the Whispers

Unexpected opportunities were brought my way in 2012. I was pulled towards serious social issues that stole my heart. I had every intention of taking a side road away from my poetry and writing a novel, what I didn’t expect was to have it revolve around the very serious and worldwide issue of human trafficking. 

There were times when I had to overcome the negative voices that told me I couldn’t pull it off; that I wasn’t good enough to tackle not only a novel, but the issue of human trafficking with sensitivity and tact. The last thing I wanted was to sensationalize something that needed an abundance of positive attention and a serious movement to take place. 

The best thing I ever did was ignore the whispers of no’s and follow the yes’s. Taking on a positive attitude allowed me to finish my novel with pride. Almost immediately, wonderful people appeared to help support the book and cause. Once my attitude changed, the pieces fell into place. I partnered with the international non-profit organization Courage Worldwide, who rescues children out of sex trafficking. I volunteer at Courage Worldwide and will also be donating 100% of my print royalties to them.  

I’ve discovered that this venture is not about me, but about giving freedom to the caged and a voice to the voiceless. I will use Barbed-Wire Butterflies to evoke conversation, educate, and free slaves around the world. This is only the beginning of my advocacy and I hope you will join me in this very important movement. 

Jessica Kristie

Barbed-Wire Butterflies on Amazon US and Amazon UK


Jessica Kristie is an award winning author, a writer, and a lover of poetry. She is an advocate for art, an activist against human trafficking, and a soulful contributor to the strengthening of our creative communities.
Barbed-Wire Butterflies, her first novel, released January 2013, is a fiction account of a young girl faced with the atrocities of human trafficking and her struggle to find freedom. Jessica has committed 100% of all print royalties and a percentage of digital copies and merchandise to Courage Worldwide, an international non-profit organization that is building homes around the world for children rescued out of sex trafficking.
Dreaming in Darkness, Jessica’s first volume of poetry, was the winner of the 2011 Sharp Writ Award and was nominated for a 2011 Pushcart Prize. Jessica’s second collection, Threads of Life, published through Winter Goose Publishingalong with her eBook offering to writers, Weekly Inspirations for Writers & Creators, are available through all major retailers. She is also the co-creator of the art and poetry collaboration Inspiration Speaks Volume 1.
You can find her fusion of poetry and music with the collaboration, KRISTIE & CLOVERFIELD, released through Ultrasonic Music Germany, and available everywhere.
Jessica has been published in several online and print magazines such as Zouch, Muse, and The Huffington Post. You can find all of Jessica’s appearances under her Press Page at JessicaKristie.com.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jessica Kristie discovered her passion for writing as a child. Along with her creative side, she works in the publishing industry, is an avid supporter of all creative souls, and hopes to draw readers into her world through shared emotion. She inspires to forgive, remember, and heal, while continuing to dedicate herself to the eradication of all forms of human trafficking.
Follow Jessica at Jessicakristie.com 
on Facebook: facebook.com/JessKristie and Twitter: @jesskristie

Courage Worldwide: http://courageworldwide.org/

19 January 2013

Authors Register Free at AUTHORSdB

I was recently invited to register on an interesting new site AUTHORSdB, a well thought out free database of authors, including social media, book listings and much more, for aspiring and established writers.  The registration process is simple, as you just copy and paste links to your blog and bio, where readers can find your books and social media links.

AUHORSdB aims to become a place where information is available on all your favorite authors and where readers can learn more about up-and-coming authors.  If you provide author services these can also be registered for free.

A useful feature is that you can also add links to your promo videos - and I have already made some useful new contacts and picked up a number of interesting writers as twitter followers.

My listing is HERE  take a look and see what you think?


Follow AUTHORSdB on twitter and 'like' AUTHORSdB on facebook

11 January 2013

Book Launch Guest Post - The Ice Captain’s Daughter by S. G. Rogers


Who Is The Ice Captain?   Did you know 19th century England used to import their ice?  An enterprising New England businessman, Frederick Tudor, started the frozen water trade in the early part of the century.  Ice was harvested from the New England area, and shipped to locales such as the southern U.S., South America, the Caribbean, and India.  Mid-century, Eric Landor formed the Wenham Lake Ice Company (Massachusetts). This Wenham Lake Ice was much prized in England as being exceptionally pure and clean. Ice was much less expensive to import from Norway, however.  In the ‘60’s, a lake in Norway was renamed Wenham Lake, and imports of “Wenham Lake Ice” into England resumed. 

This ice trade is the backdrop for my new Victorian romance, The Ice Captain’s Daughter. Jillian Roring is the daughter of an ice merchant nicknamed the Ice Captain.  The year is 1899, and she’s en route to her first Season in London.  Jillian is determined to marry for love, but a failed kidnapping sends her into the arms of the most jaded bachelor in England.  When Logan and Jillian unwittingly violate the rigid rules of propriety in Victorian-era England, he is obliged to make her an offer of marriage.  Because she aspires to be more than an obligation, Jillian refuses the match. Logan follows her to London to woo her properly, but his scheming ex-fiancĂ©e has other plans.  

Can Logan convince Jillian that his love for her is real or will the cruel gossip and sharp tongues of London society tear their budding relationship apart?

Excerpt from The Ice Captain’s Daughter:


“We are not in agreement, sir. I refuse to enter into an engagement with a man in love with someone else!” Jillian exclaimed.

“Have you lost your mind?” Aunt Letty exclaimed. “Love has nothing to do with marriage, on the whole.”

“I… I have no objection, Miss Roring,” Logan said.

Jillian gave him a searching look. “Forgive me, sir. Your offer is honorable, but motivated by obligation. I aspire to enter into more than an unobjectionable union.”

“If these events between you and Mr. Logan become known, Jillian, this may be the only offer of marriage you will ever receive,” Sir William said.

“So be it,” Jillian said. “I will not marry unless the man has a true and abiding affection for me and I for him in return. My mind is made up on the matter and I won’t discuss it further.”

Suzanne G Rogers
Thank you for having me on your blog, Tony!

****
The Ice Captain’s Daughter is available for the Kindle
 at Amazon US and Amazon UK.  

Originally from Southern California, S.G. Rogers has also lived in Asheville, North Carolina and Laurel, Mississippi. She earned her first black belt in taekwondo from martial arts champion Billy Blanks. Currently residing in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, S.G. Rogers writes historical romance, fantasy and romantic fantasy stories.  She’s owned by two hairless cats, Houdini and Nikita, and lives on an island populated by exotic birds, deer and the occasional gator. Tab is her beverage of choice, but when she imbibes, a cranberry vodka martini doesn’t go amiss.

To learn more about author S.G. Rogers, visit her blog
or follow her on Facebook and Twitter

4 January 2013

Book Launch: The Earth Shifter by Lada Ray



Join the epic quest as THE EARTH SHIFTER 

journey begins! 


Mankind would never know how close it came to annihilation on June 30, 1908. Somewhere in the murky depths of the Cosmos, the Comet of Karma is born. When all hope fades, it is sent to planet Earth, its sole mission to wipe out a failing civilization. It has happened before, and it can happen again. Except this time, the Earth Keepers would not interfere.

The Comet of Karma tasked with destroying a failing civilization… The Earth Keepers endowed with supreme powers over the planet and agonizing over the ultimate decision… The Protectors risking their lives to keep the world intact… A beautiful brunette with hidden agenda, who is infinitely more than anyone knows… Two ambitious and unscrupulous men, who’ll stop at nothing… Global secret society bent on usurping power on Earth… A woman, ready to betray in order to save her son… Old spy organization with a secret human weapon… The Shifters, with power over mind, matter, time and space…

And three teenagers, two of whom are destined to become mankind’s salvation—the all-powerful KEY of DESTINY. They will open a new era for Humanity, if they succeed in keeping their souls uncorrupted… 
And if they manage to come together before it’s too late…

This is Book One of The Earth Shifter Trilogy. Book Two - anticipated release, Holiday Season, 2013!

Preview THE EARTH SHIFTER ebook at:
Smashwords   Amazon US   UK   CA   DE   ES   IT   FR   JP   BR  

Lada Ray is a writer, internationally certified feng shui master practitioner, world traveler, linguist, financial consultant and investor, nature/animal lover and spirituality and metaphysics researcher. Born in Russia, Lada always wanted to write cool stories, which she’d been imagining in her head ever since she can remember. 

Lada holds a Master’s Degree in comparative linguistics, is fluent in several languages and has traveled to over twenty six countries in Europe, Asia, North and South America, as well as Africa. She had worked in Havana, Cuba as an interpreter for the Russian educational exchange delegations, including a couple of interviews with the man himself – Fidel Castro.

Follow Lada Ray at LadaRay.com  and  Lada Ray Blog

on Goodreads and twitter