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Possess Me at Midnight by Shayla Black

Doomsday Brethren Series, Book 3 — Ice’s story
Publisher: Pocket Books
ISBN-10: 1416578463
ISBN-13: 9781416578468
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance
Release Date: October 27, 2009

From Shayla Black's Web Log
As a mysterious dark cloud drains the life of her beloved brother, Doomsday Brethren leader Bram, Sabelle Rion can think of little else. Still, every time she meets Ice Rykard’s intense green gaze, her body aches with need for the sexy warrior. Their attraction is explosive, incredible—and forbidden. As dangerous as he is unpredictable, Ice is her brother’s sworn enemy. But as Bram weakens, a more sinister force is gaining power. Evil Mathias and his ruthless Anarki army are on a bloodthirsty hunt for the Doomsday Diary. Sabelle must guard the potent book with her life—and Ice vows to protect the beautiful witch with his. Duty demands that Sabelle deny her lover’s fiery call of possession and mate with a man who can sway the magical Council against the impending rebellion. With the fate of magickind hanging in the balance, will she forsake the burning desires she can’t ignore or turn her back on her people for the courageous man she can’t resist?

Spread the word about the release of Possess Me at Midnight (blog, twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc) & be entered to win TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS and SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW, plus free reads from some favorite authors including Maya Banks, Gena Showalter, Sabrina Jeffries and others. 10 books in all!Comment here with link & be entered to win. Winner drawn 11/3.

Books, Movies, & A Fuzzy Little Spider

Today was the library's bi-annual book sale. 4 (reusable) bags of books, for only 5 dollars (I Paid double for the biggest bag, just cuz it seemed fair). I'm not sure how many books in all, but Kitten got her own bag of books, so at least Mommy & Baby (Even though she's NOT a baby, just ask, she'll tell you) are happy. Mohawk Man & Daddy, not so much. Oh, well. And I bought "30 Days of Night", a REAL vampire movie. Hmm, vampires who are pure evil with no redeeming qualities what-so-ever. Awesome. I miss monsters in my movies & my fiction. Now if I can just get a chance to watch it. Plus,(and this is only one of the reasons I love Halloween) I found the cutest little plush spider. Purple, big eyed, and oh, so cute!


Isn't she adorable? And, yes, it's mine. For now. Kitten may have other plans.

For The Twilight Not-A-Fan Club

This is funny, but only if you're not a fan of Twilight. The Private Diary of Bella Swan at Keeping Up.

A Special Post

Cookie Sheet Blanket Contest

Not sure what the prize is; but I think it doesn't really matter in this case.
At Irisheyes Knitting Blog, Kathy B. is putting out a call for home-made preemie blankets. She originally asked for knitters, but it looks like she'll take crocheted & quilted blankets, too.
This small kindness from you, a stranger, means a great deal to these parents struggling through a difficult time. If you crochet, knit, or quilt, please take a few hours out of your busy schedule to contribute to this call for kindness. A blanket 9X13 takes very little time.
If you don't knit, crochet, or quilt, pass this information along to someone who does. Thanks.

Another Award

This one from J. Kaye's Book Blog & CC Chronicles

This award is designed with one purpose in mind. Pass this on to other bloggers who have awarded you in the past.


I will honestly make an effort to pass all over-due awards around soon.

Award

Sorry I'm Soooo late in getting these up. The first is "One Lovely Blog Award" from Amanda's Fun Stuff.
The rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award" are:

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Just messing Around

Got These off of BestSmileys.com.

Stephen King/ Richard Bachman Challenge

I found this on Cerebral Girl In A Redneck World & just couldn't resist playing along.
Book Geek 2.0 is hosting this challenge. She is a recent addition to the Constant Reader club.

The object of this perpetual challenge is to read EVERY SINGLE book by Stephen King or his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. A complete list can be found here.
* It's not Required to reread books you've already read
* Watch the movies in addition, but not in place of, if you want
* Review the books, if it floats your boat

It's a perpetual challenge, so no time limits.

Here's my list. * is unread, + is read.

* 1960 - People, Places, And Things - Volume 1 (limited edition with Chris Chelsey)
* 1964 - The Star Invaders (limited edition)
+ 1974 - Carrie
+ 1975 - Salem's Lot
+ 1977 - The Shining
+ 1978 - Night Shift (stories)
+ 1978 - The Stand
+ 1979 - The Dead Zone
* 1980 - Firestarter
* 1981 - Cujo
* 1981 - Danse Macabre (nonfiction about horror)
+ 1981 - Roadwork
* 1982 - Creepshow (comic book, illustrated by Bernie Wrightson)
+ 1982 - The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
+ 1982 - Different Seasons (novellas)
+ 1983 - Christine
+ 1983 - Pet Sematary
+ 1983 - Cycle of the Werewolf
+ 1984 - The Talisman (written with Peter Straub)
+ 1985 - Skeleton Crew (stories)
+ 1985 - The Bachman Books (novel collection)
+ 1986 - It
+ 1987 - The Eyes of the Dragon
+ 1987 - Misery
+ 1987 - The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
+ 1988 - The Tommyknockers
+ 1988 - Nightmares in the Sky (Photo book with text by King)
+ 1988 - Dark Visions
+ 1989 - The Dark Half
* 1989 - Dolan's Cadillac (limited edition)
* 1989 - My Pretty Pony (limited edition)
+ 1990 - The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition
+ 1990 - Four Past Midnight (stories)
+ 1991 - Needful Things
+ 1991 - The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
+ 1992 - Gerald's Game
+ 1993 - Dolores Claiborne
+ 1993 - Nightmares & Dreamscapes (stories)
+ 1994 - Insomnia
+ 1995 - Rose Madder
+ 1995 - Umney's Last Case
+ 1996 - The Green Mile (originally published as a monthly serial consisting of six parts: The Two Dead Girls, The Mouse on the Mile, Coffey's Hands, The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix, Night Journey, and Coffey on the Mile)
+ 1996 - Desperation
? 1997 - Six Stories (stories)
+ 1997 - The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
+ 1998 - Bag of Bones
* 1999 - Storm of the Century
+ 1999 - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
* 1999 - The New Lieutenant's Rap (limited edition)
+ 1999 - Hearts in Atlantis
* 1999 - Blood and Smoke (audio book)
+ 2000 - Riding the Bullet (electronically published novella)
* 2000 - The Plant(electronically published)
* 2000 - Secret Windows
+ 2000 - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (nonfiction autobiography)
+ 2000 - Dreamcatcher
+ 2001 - Black House (written with Peter Straub)
+ 2002 - From a Buick 8
+ 2002 - Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales
+ 2003 - The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (revised edition)
+ 2003 - The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
+ 2004 - The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
+ 2004 - The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
+ 2004 - Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season
* 2005 - The Colorado Kid
* 2006 - The Secretary of Dreams
+ 2006 - Cell
+ 2006 - Lisey's Story
+ 2008 - Duma Key
* 2008 - Just After Sunset
* 2009 - Stephen King Goes to the Movies
+ 2009 - The Little Sisters of Eluria (limited edition)
* 2009 - "Graduation Afternoon" (in PostScripts)
* 2009 - "Throttle" (in He is Legend)
* 2009 - UR (e-novella available only on Amazon.com's Kindle)

As Richard Bachman

+ 1977 - Rage
+ 1979 - The Long Walk
+ 1981 - Road Work
+ 1982 - The Running Man
+ 1984 - Thinner
+ 1996 - The Regulators
+ 2007 - Blaze

& I'm SO NOT listing the unfinished ones.

So. 20 unread Stephen King works, 61 read. (I think, I may have miscounted) And of the 20 unread, there are 13 I have either A) No intention of ever reading. Or B) Will probably never read because they are limited editions.

I own quite a few of these books & have seen every single Stephen King movie ever made up until today. Yup, I'm a fan.

I'm Very Busy

In the past 24 hours I have

-Read 2 Books (Dark Hunger & The Murder of King Tut)
-Almost cleaned Kitten's room (a huge task since she likes to throw everything she owns on the floor)
-Wrote 6 new post on Just Contest Stuff
-Spent an hour just playing with Kitten
-Read 4 Books to Kitten
-Did some knittin'
-Almost caught up with the laundry
-Entered a bunch of giveaways

And yes, I did sleep. 5 1/2 hours. And on top of that, in the past two weeks I have actually removed from my home 5 full bags (large bags) of useless, broken, or outgrown things. YAY!!!
However, the weight loss thing is not going well. I have actually managed to gain 4 pounds. I blame it on the Chinese Restaurant. All you can eat & the best food on the planet, seriously. All that MSG will take ages to get out of my system.

Over The Top Award

Henrietta at A Hen's Nest and Amanda from Amanda's Fun Stuff gave me this award for my other blog, Just Contest Stuff. (Yes, I know I should post 'em for where I get 'em, but THAT blog is Just For Lists. 'Kay?) So, big thanks to Henrietta & here are the rules:


Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s quite tricky to use only one-word answers! Once you have filled it out be sure to pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers. Alert them that they have been awarded! Have fun!



1. Where is your cell phone? Somewhere?
2. Your hair? difficult
3. Your mother? Nope
4. Your father? Marine
5. Your favorite food? Not
6. Your dream last night? Gone
7. Your favorite drink? Coffee
8. Your dream/goal? Nope
9. What room are you in? Livingroom
10. Your hobby? Yes
11. Your fear? Zombies
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Somewhere
13. Where were you last night? Here
14. Something that you aren’t? Normal
15. Muffins? Banana
16. Wish list item? House
17. Where did you grow up? EVERYWHERE
18. Last thing you did? ^
19. What are you wearing? sweats
20. Your TV? old
21. Your pets? five
22. Friends? weird
23. Your life? chaotic
24. Your mood? optimistic
25. Missing someone? yup
26. Vehicle? works
27. Something you’re not wearing? guess
28. Your favorite store? Not
29. Your favorite color? Not
30. When was the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? Nope
32. Your best friend? Nope
33. One place that I go to over and over? Not
34. One person who emails me regularly? Bea
35. Favorite place to eat? Not

OK. I totally cheated on some of these. "Not" because I don't have "FAVORITES"(I really don't) & "Nope" because these are issues that are either so incredibly personal that I can't manage to be flip about them or so complicated that there is no way I can post an answer in one word. Sorry. Is The Way I Is.
I am also supposed to pass this along to six other bloggers. I will have to get back to you on that one.

Catching Up

Running seriously behind the last couple days. Just a quick note to say, I'll post the 3 awards (Amanda's Fun Stuff, A Hen's Nest, & J. Kaye's Book Blog) at some point this week & attempt to get an update on the weekly goals either later tonight or tomorrow.

Bad Day

I am in pain. Took 3 tylenol, & though it helps a little, it also makes me slow & stupid. Will be 2 or 3 days before this problem corrects itself. The lists are late, my reader is over-flowing, I'm cranky, tired & cold. Days like this suck.

Are You A Zombie?

Are you a zombie? So many people are. They go through their day without thinking. They don't see the beauty around them, don't hear the words being said, don't feel the great & glorious joy that could be theirs. They go through the motions doing the things they always do because they always have.
When was the last time you literally couldn't breathe because you were overcome by awe? Or felt such overwhelming love for some one that you were just sure your heart would break from it? Have you ever felt connected to the incredible boundlessness of the entire universe? How about the last time you saw something from somebody else's point of view, not just in your head, but in your heart & soul? Do you really see the people in you life, as they really are, or are you seeing them through a filter you've defined them with?
No one can feel these things all the time; it would be too overwhelming. That's why children need naps, why they get frustrated & frightened & cranky. Because each moment is so bright, so filled with something new. Stimulus overloafd.
But as we grow older, those moments become rarer, life becomes everyday. Mundane. Unless we actively seek out the beauty & joy & love in life, we loose them.
I am becoming a zombie. My heart has grown callouses where it has been hurt. My soul is folding in on itself. Anger is replacing love; fear is replacing joy. Obsessive Compulsive behavior has become a poor replacement for passion. But I am aware, and that is the first step.
So here's the thing. For the next year, I'll be setting goals for myself. Each Sunday I'll set a new goal or set of goals. I'll give myself a certain amount of time to reach each one. I'll share my progress, and along the way I'll tell you some of the things that helped to contribute to who I am right now.

Sunday #1
I'm overweight. Oh, not terribly. About 20-25 pounds. But it terrifies me. There is a history of diabetes on both sides of my family. A large number of my family members are very large people. And my eldest sister died at the age of 31 from a massive heart attack. She weighed over 500 pounds. Her death left 3 children motherless & a husband without a wife. These are the things of which real nightmares are made.
So, for my first goal, a relatively easy one. I am giving myself 6 weeks to loose 17 pounds. My scale said 157 pounds this morning, so my plan is to get down to 140, which puts me within 5 to 10 pounds of my ideal weight. Any less than 130 I have a tendency to bare a striking resemblance to a prepubescent anorexic boy.
Sunday goal #2
Slightly more difficult, as this one involves a small amount of cooperation from others. Get my house clean. I live with packrats, people who can't get rid of anything. Ever. So we live in clutter. I hate it. I hate clutter. I have some sort of genetic imparetive that requires me to get rid of things every 3-4 months. I need clean, uncluttered spaces for good mental health. It's time to let the garbage go. If we don't need it/use it, it goes. Alright, this one may be very very difficult. I will let this one run for 4 weeks.

Well, those are enough for now. It's a small start, but a start none the less.

My Reader is Empty!!!

I've finally caught up. Read, emailed, or posted everything backed up in my reader. Woo Hoo me!
It was getting a little clogged because yesterday I spend three incredibly productive hours reading I Can Has Cheezburgers & Failblog. OK. Perhaps "productive" is a bit of a a stretch. Maybe "a complete waste of time but at least it was funny" would be a better description. Plus, Kitten really enjoys the LOL Cats. And on Wednesdsay I actually watched a movie. Oh, yeah. Doesn't happen very often. In fact, X-Men Origins was so good, I watched it twice. {And as an aside, in my personal opinion any movie with Hugh Jackman AND Liev Schrieber should be labeled "porn for women" and sold in a plain brown wrapper.}

Blog Addict Award

From Rachy at ParaJunkee's View, another award for my blog, Just Contest Stuff. Thank you, Rachy!
Blog Addict - the award goes to the blogs that fosters my addiction.
Thanks for all your hard work! It pays off - I read your posts. Great blog design and content! You can pass this one on if you want, but no obligation. Make it worth it!

Another post I'll have to think about & get back to. I will do so.

Where Have All The Followers Gone?

If your Google Friend Connect widget (followers) has gone blank, please go to Missing Followers?
and Complain. Get all of your blogger friends to complain. Re-post this link on your blog. Perhaps if Blogger hears from enough people, they will make an attempt to fix what is obviously a problem that has been going on for some time. There is also a form to fill out to help Blogger "debug" the issue. Thanks!

My Second Award!

Another award for my blog, Just Contest Stuff! Thank You to CC Chronicles for this award. (and as an aside, doesn't she do lovely work?)


The Heart of a Dragon Award is a very special award for the blogger who inspires you and/or others to go above and beyond or the blogger who helps keep us all connected.

Here are the rules:
1. Post the award on your site with a link to the person who gave it to you.
2. Pass it on to the blogger(s) who inspire you and list why they are receiving the award.
3. Post a comment on their blog.




1.Henrietta at A Hen's Nest, because she's the one who got me into blogging in the first place.
2. Trisha at Trisha's Book Blog, because she's a really nice person, helping out other beginning bloggers & holding out and holding on against the few *brats* out there.
3. Lady Hightower at Psychic Mama*Indigo Child, because she helped (technologically challenged) me out with a few things I had no idea how to do when I first started.

OK. I've been thinking about this for about 9 hours, and I just can't come up with anyone else right now. Not because there aren't great blogs out there, but because CC already gave this to SEVERAL of they blogs I would have chosen! So I'm sticking with these 3.

My First Award!!!

Thanks So Much to CC Chronicles for my first award for my other blog, Just Contest Stuff.

The Dragon's Loyalty Award is an award for the loyal fan/commenter, whether the recipient is a fellow blogger or just a someone who follows and comments regularly.

Here are the rules:

* If you have a blog, post it on your blog with a link back to the site who gave it to you.

* Leave them a comment on their site, email, etc. to let them know.

* If you don't have a blog but have a website, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or other type account, post there with a link back.

* Pass this on to 3-10 loyal fans.

OK. So... I only have 8 followers as of this morning, so I'll be passing this along to each of them

Shelley at Book Fanatic
Carter at CC Chronicles (yup, I'm shootin' it back at ya!)
Rachy at ParaJunkee's View
Michelle at red headed book child
J Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog
Amanda at Amanda's Fun Stuff
Henrietta at A Hen's Nest
hayden392 (if anyone has any idea how to get in touch with hayden392, let me know?)

OK. Off to notify people of this beautiful award. Thanks again to CC Chronicles for not only giving me this award, but designing it as well.

A Trip To The ER

SO...I was just about ready to make dinner when Kitten comes in & tells me, "I put a rock in my nose." Then she shoves her finger in there & pushes it deeper!!! Almost all the way to the bridge; I couldn't see it but I could feel it. Well, off to the Emergency room. But, of course, she's starving, so a rare trip to McDonald's Drive-Thru first. We get to the ER, and who knew? Those jokes about having to wait f-o-r-e-v-e-r in the waiting rooms are NOT jokes. 2 hours later & the (Very small) stone I couldn't see when we left the house is an eighth of an inch from the outside world. It had worked it's way out! The doctor was in the room with us, no kidding, maybe two minutes. Plucked it right out. He asked me if I wanted it for a souvenir. Um, no? Any way. The stone is gone, Kitten is sleeping, & I am so glad I have children. And how was your day?

Much Love, Henrietta

This is just a quick Thanks Much to Henrietta from A Hen's Nest for offering to design a button for my other blog, Just Contest Stuff. Thanks!!!!

A Win Today

I was starting to get a little discouraged, as it's been a week since I've gotten a win. Today, thanks much, I received an email informing me I'd won a copy of Dark Hunger by Rita Herron from Found Not Lost. Go check it out, there's a few book contests up. Go ahead, enter them, you know you want to. I like competition. Good Luck, and watch for a coming review of Dark Hunger.

The Manhattan Prophet

From the cover:
Set in the near future in New York City, The Manhattan Prophet picks up in a world where the doomsayers predictions have come true,where a limited nuclear exchange between the West and radical Islam has traumatized society and left civilization in a new Dark Age.

Salem Jones is the Manhattan Prophet, emerging from his life long imprisonment in Rikers Island Prison. His message is one of hope & faith for the survivors. Maria Primera is the beautiful, privileged journalist slated to be the first person to interview him. And Herbie Lipton is the surprising key to humanity's salvation.

This is, without a doubt, the best new book I've read this summer. The story is one of spiritual redemption, rather than one of religious dictates. All of the main plot points are definitely well within the realms of possibility. Terrorists attacking with nuclear devices? Easily believable in this day & age. An over reaction in the Middle East which causes localized nuclear war? Yup. A mutated AIDS virus? Not really a stretch. Even Herbie's family history is completely believable, given the hippy culture of the sixties. Oh, yes, the story IS GOOD!

Now, let's talk about the writing. In a few places in this book, the author stumbles just a little & the writing goes a little down hill. However, over all I'd have to say the writing is very good. I like that the author wrote this book on the presupposition that the reader had access to a higher than fifth grade education. Details & back story are deftly woven in with the action. The author obviously understands the writers' adage "show, don't tell."

This book will stick in my head, and I will be rereading it soon.

The Manhattan Prophet is Jake Packard's first novel. For more information about the book & it's author, visit www.themanhattanprophet.com.

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