Michelle Lowrey Combs- A Friend at first read! You had me at, "Genie"?

My time in Jacksonville wasn't always so simplistic or enjoyable. I made friends at college, yet it still seemed like a difficult task to fit in or even feel as though I had a place in this world. Well that changed very quickly whenever I heard about how the Jacksonville Public Library had their own writers club that met twice a month to discuss pieces of fiction that flowed from the mind of the group members. I felt reluctant to go because I thought for some reason that it'd be filled with judgmental people that would tear one apart from limb to limb. That was every bit as false! I have come to grow and love everyone that comes to the meetings because they are all so unique, wonderful, and full of life! I appreciate every single one of them because they made me feel like I actually had a home!


One day, I heard that there was a lady who was an actual, published author that would be returning to the meetings... So what did I do? I went straight to Amazon and purchased her book! When it came in the mail, I was so happy to read it then get her to sign it for me! I'm also very blessed to call her my friend!







There are many books out there that need to be read, but I know of one that must be read to your hearts content! It called, "Heir to the Lamp, Genie Chronicles book 1" and it's by my friend Michelle Lowery Combs! It's a must read for any person who enjoys a great book, laughter, and mysteries revolving around Genies! It's such a fantastic book that I must tell you it's one of my favorite! As her assistant, I wasn't forced to share the world of this perfect piece of fiction, I simply asked to be it because I fell "In love" with the world she created... Sorry Michelle, I have alas confessed that I'm attached to the wondrous world that you created!

















Publication Date: July 12, 2013


Length: 189 Pages









Here is the true story behind a beautiful 13 year old girl named Ginn! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!






Here is a brief summary to entice your magical cravings:


A family secret, a mysterious lamp, a dangerous Order with the mad desire to possess both. Ginn thinks she knows all there is to know about how she became adopted by her parents who number one priority is to embarrass her with public display of affection, but that changes when a single wish stats a never-ending parade of weirdness marching through her door the day she turns thirteen.




Gifted with a mysterious lamp and the missing pieces from her adoption story, Ginn tries to discover who... or what... she really is. That should be strange enough, but to top it off Ginn's being hunted by the Order of the Grimoire, a secret society who'll stop at nothing to harness the power of a real genie. Ginn struggles to stay one step ahead of the Grimms with the help of Rashmere, Guardian of the lamp and the most loyal friend a girl never knew she had. The Grimms are being helped, too - but by whom? As much as she doesn't want to, Ginn's beginning to question the motives of her long-time crush Caleb Scott and his connection to her newest, most dangerous enemy.


Links:


Facebook Page:


Blog:


http://michelle-lowery-combs.blogspot.com


Paperback: $10


http://www.amazon.com/Heir-Lamp-Genie-C…/…/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2…


E-book: $3.99


http://www.amazon.com/Heir-Lamp-Genie-Chronic…/…/ref=sr_1_1












As her biggest fan (minus her family of course), I was able to get a local t-shirt press to create what I thought would really show how much I enjoyed it! I came up with the Slogan "Come to the Genie Side, WE have wishes" and thus... here it is! Here's a picture below! In the future, I will be ordering more t-shirts as well as other trinkets... I hope!! =D











We have had many adventures like "The Geek Gathering 2014" which is a convention where cosplayers, readers, and authors alike congregate to share the many things "geek"! There is more to come on our list of events in the year 2015! I can't wait for this year to show it's head because I know it will be filled with enjoyable memories to cherish! Here are some photos from the con!






Michelle and I at her wonderful Table!




















Here are several wonderful cosplayers along with myself in the "Collectable" box... Michelle had to keep me because she lost the receipt!











Here is the black suit Spider-Man along with Deadpool, Deadpool Bacon, and myself.






I will be doing an interview with her on January 23rd. The giveaway will start then and end on the 6th of February. Please spread the word! Comment your favorite work of fiction on my blog to be entered for a chance to win an e-book copy of "Heir to the Lamp"! Please leave her a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and any other website that lets you do so!








The second installment titled "Solomon's Bell" will hopefully be released sometime soon! Head over to Amazon and grab a copy of the first book while you wait! Thanks for reading and I'll see you all soon!

Erica M. Christensen

I wasn't going to start hosting authors until the first Friday of the new year, but I decided to showcase a very magnificent one that should be shared! I never said I couldn't do a random book(s) review. ;) 

Hello everyone, today I am going to talk about a fairly new author by the name of Erica M. Christensen. The past three weeks in two separate settings, I was able to read both of her works.

Do you want to start off the New Year right? Well, I have the perfect book for you! It's called "The Kiss" (The Addison Series Book 1) by Erica M. Christensen, and it's available through Amazon in e-book and paperback format. I must say that it is one of my favorite books that I was able to read this year. It is filled with laughter, heated romance and the occasional "WHAT THE HECK" moment. There're so many things that I would like to say about this book although I think that it'd be best for you to read it yourself. Then you too will believe in the powers of "The Kiss".

MORE BY ERICA M. CHRISTENSEN:

"Scattered Sheets" is an e-book that has Roughly 59 poems that consist of heart felt, life events that tug and rip at your heart strings. I highly recommend that any and everyone read this! It's so sad, yet it truly shows that life isn't always as it seems. I know that it was hard to make such a book, but I hope that a happy ending comes along. =D This is a work of art in itself. I love every poem in here more than the last. When something bad happens, we as human beings should turn it into a work of positive energy that is exactly what this is.

They are both available through most e-reader devices such as Kindle, Nook, Kobo and more. Head over to Amazon and pick up your copies today!

Release Date:                         Price:

November 25, 2014    The Kiss: e-book $2.99

paperback $9.99

July 16th, 2014   Scattered Sheets (Spilled Ink): e-book $2.99

Next month, I will be releasing an interview along with a giveaway opportunity. All you have to do it like her Facebook page, comment on my blog as to why you'd want to win, and what your favorite book is of all time. I'll be hosting her on January 9th, and the giveaway entry ends on the 23rd whenever I will choose the winners. I look forward to seeing you all there! Have a wonderful and safe New Years! 

Links:

Facebook: 

Scattered Sheets Spilled Ink: 

http://www.amazon.com/Scattered-Sheets-Spilled-Erica-Christensen-ebook/dp/B00LVAK58A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419978652&sr=8-2&keywords=Erica+Christensen

The Kiss: ebook:  

http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Addison-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00OCAG7I8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419978499&sr=8-1&keywords=Erica+Christensen

paperback: 

http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Addison-Erica-M-Christensen/dp/1502709201/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1419978700&sr=8-3&keywords=Erica+Christensen

The title "Candy Hearts" will be coming soon to readers in 2015! 

Adolescence: Stage 1: Operation Creativity

Parents tell you from the time you're a child that you can be anything you decide. Children have so many options to choose. Whether it's an astronaut, veterinarian, doctor, nurse, policeman, firefighter or teacher. However, they don't tell you the hard labor it'll take to achieve these goals. Being in adolescence, one doesn't think about the mechanics of how to put an animal under anesthesia, or that they're teaching the younger sibling wrong, they just use their imagination. It's so entertaining to be able to observe their interactions and see just how creative and innovative they truly are. We just see that they're having a blast, but to them, they are living it.

As adults, some of us don't ever really think about the child's viewpoint of the world. Our perception of reality views their drawings, which consist of a swirly crayon mass, as a simple line blob, yet to them, those creations are monsters manifested from their wondrous minds. Parents are so receptive to their kids creations not because they see what the child does, but they are proud that something was manifested. Some may not be able to tell what the picture is although they are proud nonetheless. I love it when a child draws, plays music, or acts out scenes of pure randomness because they need to be tuned to their child side. If someone ever tells you to stop having fun, that you'll never be good enough or that you'll never measure up to anything then just ignore them and LET YOUR CREATIVE FLAG FLY!

In reality, most adults still have a certain percentage of child-like wonder in their bones; they may just not know how to let it be free flowing. It's not hard to harness this power nor is it to tap into for creative measures. You may or may not know someone who is creative, but if you do then admire them for what they've achieved because they need to know that they are doing a fantastic job! I know plenty of friends who are published authors of which have creative stories that inspired me to start writing. I one day hope to achieve my dream of becoming an author!

Growing up, I thought I had a grasp of what I wanted to be. I told myself from the ripe young age of 11 that I wished to explore the world as a Marine Biologist. Dolphins were the aquatic animal that I loved the most because of their fluid-like movements underwater. I fell in love with their whole aspect of existence. It's intriguing to know that they as a whole are known as a "School" or "Pod", like fish. They can tell when trouble is at hand(fin) and aren't afraid to forcefully gang up to protect one of their kin. The way they communicate like bats with sonar was by far the most interesting.

Throughout high school and into my Sophomore year of college, I wanted to be a computer science major because I loved tinkering with computers and gadgets. So what'd I do? Well, I set out for the degree until I ran into a wall.. a rather difficult one to climb at that. It's called, MATH and its a monstrous beast. I don't know if you're a wizard who can do calculus in your head, but for me, math didn't come with ease. They say you shouldn't change your major due to a difficult class, but I wasn't going to have five more difficult classes lined up to take. So I changed major once again. I remember freshman year taking a Psychology course and how I loved taking it. I signed up for a course that dealt mechanical psychology as well as what it'd take to be in the field. There stood another menacing wall... most jobs in the field that were better-paying jobs required a Ph.D. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love learning, but I'd rather not be in school for ten more years. So I started taking English classes that dove into the literary world, I immediately fell in love with english as a whole. It was a brand new world that I wanted to be a part of and couldn't wait to be on my journey towards an english based degree. I hope to become a better writer on this grand voyage.

One may think that I've gotten off topic in discussing dolphins or my school major, sadly enough I'm right on target point. We each choose something that betters our future toward what we want to become, and in my future, I want to one day be a published author like so many of my friends that I cherish wholely. All of them are so creative and still hold close to their inner child. Anytime I bump into one of them, I can see the youthful sense of creativity just waiting to burst out. Steve Jobs had this to say, " Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel guilty because they didn't do it; they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things". What Mr. Jobs said is very true about writing and how it just flows out of the writer's mind. I am blessed to know all my author friends, and I am happy that they all have kept their inner child which summoned them to produce their works.