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.