Friday's Odds and Ends - Pretty Presents and More

One of my publishers, Untreed Reads,  just let me know that all the books at the online bookstore, Kobo, will be 50% off through December 31st, so readers can load books into their new electronic reading devices at a huge savings. The code can be used over and over through the end of this month. How cool is that. I may have to go check out some books for myself. Some of my favorite authors have some books there, so this is a great time to pick up some new ones.

If you are interested, here is the code to use - 50DEC - and here is the link to the Kobo site. I am pleased to have several of my titles available at Kobo: One Small Victory and Play it Again, Sam,  and the short stories: Making it Home, SAHM, I Am, The Visitor, and The Last Dollar. With the discount the short stories are under a dollar, and the two novels are well below $5.

Christmas was bittersweet this year, considering the big empty spot in our family, but we did manage to do some of the normal Miller traditions: Christmas Eve lasagna and White Elephant gift exchange, then dinner on Christmas Day followed by a movie.

In addition to the fun gift exchange, we do exchange other gifts, and my main gift from my kids was this beautiful stained glass artwork. I actually got it back in October, as my youngest daughter, Dany, saw it at an art fair where I was offering my books. She went around visiting all the other artists there - yes, writers are artists - and she saw this piece. She contacted her siblings to see if they wanted to chip in, and the vote was unanimous. 

This was taken with the picture leaning against the window where it will eventually hang.

This picture was taken with the glass leaning against the drawers in my desk. I thought the changes to the colors was interesting.

I also got another lovely piece of glass art from my oldest grandchildren. Owls and horses adorn many of my walls and shelves. Not literally, of course, but you know what I mean. (smile) I've heard that owls are a sign of good luck in many Asian cultures. I think horses are just a source of joy. 

This is a serving tray that I may just leave on my table for a while so I can enjoy it.

Finally, let's end on a fun note with a joke from Pearls Before Swine: 

Pig is sitting behind a desk and he says, "Hey, Rat. What you doing here?"

Rat replies, "Goat said you got an office job. I told him I had to see it for myself."

Pig says, "It's true. I go to meetings, read reports, write memos."

Rat says, "What? You don't know how to do any of that stuff."

Pig says, "No but I can learn."

Rat says. "Learn? These corporate types will eat you alive. What are you going to do the first time some boss comes in here to chew your head off about some stupid memo?"

"I've got a Time-to-Duck hole."

Rat says, "You're gonna duck?"

The Guard Duck pops up out of a hole on the desk, aiming a missile and says, "We're gonna tell him to write his own blankety-blank memo."

Pig says, "Everyone needs a Time-to-Duck hole," and from inside the hole the Guard Duck says, "Can someone bring me a doughnut?"

No Book Review Today

Since I thoroughly messed up my blogging schedule by posting a review on Friday, I thought I would just skip it for today. Remember, I said "sometimes a review on Sunday." (smile)

Instead, I want to let you know that this coming Wednesday I have a guest coming, the "Retro" guy, Jeremy Hawkins, who is on the "It's Time" tour to introduce his new books and his new site "Being Retro" where he shares all things retro, and may include a zombie now and then. He is a terrific writer, musician, and artist and has promotional materials available for folks who are trying to spread the word about their business, book, film, music, or whatever. Plus he's just a heck of a nice guy.

I first met Jeremy via the annual Blogging From A to Z Challenge, and even though I don't care for zombies, he let me be on his Minion Team last April. It was fun working with him, and I am so excited for his new venture. Plus I like his website better with fewer zombies on it. (smile)

He sent me some pictures from his books, and they are terrific. Not all are my style, but he already knows my taste in art, music and books is more traditional. However, I can appreciate his talent, and he does have some lovely pictures that satisfy this traditional soul. I do love the covers of the first two books. Here is book one, and you can see book two cover on Wednesday. And the book titles, as well as the name of this tour will all make perfect sense. I'll admit I wondered about the titles.

Please do come back on Wednesday to see what he has ready to share with us. In the meantime, you can catch up with his tour schedule on his Being Retro site.

I also wanted to mention a terrific Labor Day sale going on at Untreed Reads. Many of the books and short stories there, including some of mine, are discounted 40% through Monday. No special codes needed. Just go pick out the book of your choice and get it for the lower price. You can get any of my short stories, including the popular retelling of the Goldilocks story, The Visitor.

Special Sale for the Fourth of July

If you stopped by to meet Wednesday's Guest, you might want to check yesterday's post for a guest who could not make it today and get to know Ellen Harger. I am over at the Blood Red Pencil today where we are discussing authors writing book reviews. It is a discussion that started on Kristen Lamb's blog a week or so ago, and there are lots of pros and cons being tossed around. You might want to toss an opinion into the mix.

On another note, Untreed Reads is having a special sale to celebrate Independence Day! 

Now through July 4th, you can pick any four short stories (priced at $0.99 or less) and add them to your cart. During checkout, enter coupon code FIREWORKS and you'll get those four stories for only a dollar!

Even better news! You can use this coupon over and over, so come back and pick any other four short stories and get those for only $1.00 as well. We've even improved The Untreed Reads Store so that for many titles you can send the EPUB version directly to your Nook from your bookshelf, or send the MOBI version straight to your Kindle.

Click HERE for mystery short stories.
Click HERE for horror short stories.
Click HERE for romance short stories.
Click HERE for science fiction and fantasy short stories.
Click HERE for literary short stories.
Click HERE for experimental fiction short stories.

So many books - How can I choose?

I have four short stories with Untreed Reads - Making it Home - The Last Dollar - The Visitor - SAHM I Am . They are all included in the sale, so this is a great time to sample them. I have also decided to offer them as a special gift on July Fourth. Since that is my birthday, I thought I would give gifts as well as receive them. So I will give the short stories to one of my visitors who comment on any blog post starting with today's and continuing through the Fourth. Names will be put in a hat and one of my cats will use a very sharp claw to draw one out.

Don't forget to leave an e-mail so I can contact you.

Monday Morning Musings

First, let me join the thousands of others who HATE Daylight Saving's Time. I struggle to wake up every day at a reasonable hour so I can get my chores done outside and get to work in my office before noon.

I used to think that adjusting was just a matter of convenience, but apparently the difficulty we have in adjusting has some other risks. I came across this article by Doctor Joseph Mercola who outlined some of the specific health issues caused by our observance of Daylight Saving's Time. He noted some results of scientific research:  

• Heart Attacks: A 2012 University of Alabama study found that heart attacks increased by 10 percent on the Monday and Tuesday following the time change to DST. Heart attacks decreased by 10 percent on the first Monday and Tuesday after clocks are switched back in the fall.

• Heart Attacks: A 2008 Swedish study found your chances of having a heart attack increase in the first three weekdays after the switch to DST, and decrease after you set your clock back to standard time in the fall. Heart attacks increase by five percent the first Monday after the time change, and 10 percent on Tuesday.

• Suicides: Suicide rates for males rise in the weeks following the start of DST.

• Automobile Accidents: Traffic accidents increase by eight percent on the Monday following the changeover to DST. And fatal alcohol-related traffic accidents increase for the first week after setting the clocks ahead. Workplace accidents and injuries increase by 5.7 percent, and 67.6 percent more workdays are lost as a result of injuries following the change to DST.

• Productivity and Quality of Life: People are less productive once DST is implemented. Till Roenneberg, a Russian chronobiologist, reports that most people show “drastically decreased productivity,” decreased quality of life, increased illness, and are “just plain tired.”

When told the reason for daylight savings time the Old Indian said, “Only the government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom, and have a longer blanket.”

 Let's hear it for the Indian.

Last week was exciting for Read an E-Book Week, and there were lots of contests and free books offered by a number of authors. I was pleased that so many people were able to get my short story, The Visitor, and my new historical mystery, Boxes for Beds, free. I look forward to hearing from some of those readers after they finish the stories.

Boxing Day

All I got for Christmas was an iPad and the flu. No, seriously, I did get a number of other lovely gifts, which I have not been able to enjoy because of the aches and chills, and fever and coughing, and wanting to sleep for hours.  Therefore I failed to get this posted yesterday, which would have been perfect because yesterday was Boxing Day. Boxing day is a holiday unique to the British Commonwealth  wherein people of means would box up gently used items and share with those less fortunate. At churches, the alms boxes would also get special attention on Boxing Day. 

I like the idea of sharing, so I will probably be boxing up some things to take to our local church-sponsored thrift store, but I won't give them my iPad.

While you consider what you might give away for Boxing Day, enjoy this take on the holiday by Slim Randles. His explanation is a lot more fun. 

  ‘Twas the morning after Christmas, and all through the Mule Barn truck stop’s philosophy counter …

  “Happy Boxing Day!” said Herb, settling in and flipping his cup to the upright and fillable position.

  “Boxing Day?” said Steve.

  “It certainly is,” Herb said. He’s like that … a lot.

  We looked at each other. Doc put down the crossword puzzle he was working on.

  “You think there’ll ever be another Mohammed Ali?” said Dud.

  “The best,” Doc said.

  “How about Sugar Ray Robinson?” Steve said. “A toast to the great ones!”

  Cups were raised.

  “Guys?” said Herb. “Boxing Day isn’t about … boxing.”

  “I knew this was coming,” Dud said.

  “Boxing Day goes back to medieval times …”

  “Like Doc?”

  “Seriously,” Herb said. “It was the day after Christmas, and the masters of the castles and manor houses would give the servants the day off to go see their families …”

  “Because on Christmas they had to stay in the castle and feed the duke?” Steve asked.

  “Precisely. So the lord and master would give each servant a box with goodies in it for the servant’s kiddies and send them on their way for a day.”

  “Is this what started the Boxer Rebellion?” Dud asked. Dud collected strange knowledge.

  “No, no!” Herb said, “That was in China …”

  “Don’t they make boxer shorts in China?”

  We watched Herb. “I don’t even know why I bother …”

  Neither do we.

  “You guys ever see Mike Tyson’s uppercut?”

  “I know he’s hard on ears.”

  “I heard about the War of Jenkins’ Ear,” Dud said. “Maybe that was hooked up with the Boxer Rebellion?”

  We finally got Herb to groan.
-----
Brought to you by  Home Country,  the best of the first six years. Read a sample at www.slimrandles.com. 

SPECIAL NEWS
Free for today and tomorrow, The Visitor, a charming short story that is a retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Just who is the strange visitor to Amanda and her family in their Colorado mountain cabin? 

Merry Christmas

I know the politically correct thing to say at this time is Happy Holidays, lest we offend someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas, but I feel like being a rebel today. Besides that, I don't get the least bit offended when someone says Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa.

Those wishes mean something special to the folks who celebrate those holidays, the same way Merry Christmas means something special to me, and it doesn't take anything away from me for people to express their good wishes the way they want to.

If we all spent more time living up to the inherent meaning in all these holidays and expressions of good will, there could be no offense taken at the words used. There wouldn't be a "we" and "them" mentality that pushes us apart and makes us sensitive and defensive. There would just be "us". Mankind. Humankind. However you want to label us.

So my hope for all of us is to have a season of peace and a sense of inclusion instead of exclusion.

I will probably take most of the next two weeks off from blogging so I can celebrate Christmas and New Years with family and friends. I hope that all of you have many opportunities to likewise share the Holiday cheer, and I will see you in the New Year.

Even though I already gave you a Christmas gift with my free short story, The Last Dollar, a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't resist the impulse to give another free story. From December 24 through December 28, another short story, The Visitor, will be free for Kindle. Enjoy. 

Having a Bit of Fun at a Yard Sale

Before we get into the fun part of today's post, I just want to mention that my short story, The Visitor, is free today then tomorrow, One Small Victory goes free for five days. This will be the last time One Small Victory will be free, but I will occasionally put a short story free again for Kindle. With so many other reading devices out there now, I just don't see the wisdom in keeping the novel limited to Amazon.

If you do download the stories and are so inclined, I would love it if you could leave a short review on Amazon. It is amazing how those reviews can help an author.

And now please welcome my frequent Wednesday's Guest, Slim Randles, with a bit of country humor. 

The hassled, red-faced man cruising the neighborhood Saturday morning in the pickup truck is good ol’ Bert, of course. It’s a Saturday in summer, which means only one thing in our part of the country – yard sales. That’s why the charming lady riding next to him, his wife, Maizie, was wearing a big grin.

“There’s one Bert,” she said. “On the right. Pull over and park.”

Not exactly Maizie's, but Close

It took Maizie almost 20 minutes to work her way up the driveway. There were three boxes of paperback books to go through first, then a shelf full of various knobs.

After getting two paperback books that she hadn’t read in several years, there was a little stack of doilies to go through.

“We don’t need doilies,” Bert said.

“Hush!” said Maizie. “People will think you aren’t friendly.”

Then she spotted the lamp.

It was only five bucks, and it was a golden brown like a big fat vase and had a nice amber shade on it.

“Oh Bert,” Maizie said. “It’s a lot like the one we used to have. Remember that one? It used to sit on the end table closest to the door to your den. I really miss that lamp. Let’s get this one, Bert. It’ll remind us of the one we used to have, OK?”

“It is kinda nice,” Bert said.

Maizie bought it and Bert loaded it in the pickup, along with the new ironing board, game cartridge for the grandkids, plant pots for the geraniums, dishes for Maizie’s dish collection, a serving spoon holder from Niagara Falls, and a five-gallon milk can to put magazines on.

When they got home and were unloading, Bert noticed Maizie’s initials on the bottom of the new table lamp. Didn’t the Johnson’s buy this from them in their yard sale about 10 years ago?

Oh well, nothing shines like a new lamp, and Bert might be tired of yard saling, but he is still gentleman enough not to spoil it for Maizie.
------
Brought to you by the new book Home Country ,at www.slimrandles.com 

New Stories

 The Wisdom of Ages - A Short Story Collection,  my new short story collection was just released by Books We Love Publishing Partners.

Three stories; four men whose lives take unexpected turns. Meet Samson who wonders what is down that country road that draws people so. Should he get in that old truck and go see? Mel and Rube have been having dinner at the Leavenworth Grill every Wednesday for years. One day the menu changes and so does life for Mel. Tom would give anything for his life to change. Can he beat back the effects of a crippling stroke by sheer force of determination? Growing old is not for the faint of heart.

"These three gems will make you think about time and how you use it. Maryann Miller has a rare gift for taking the pulse of ordinary lives and spinning that into extraordinary tales." -- Craig Lancaster, author of 600 Hours of Edward"and The Summer Son

"Miller shares her skills as a writer and her humanity in this inspiring glimpse into the realities of aging and the heartbreak of letting go." Paula Stallings Yost Editor/Author, What Wildness is This: Women Write About the Southwest

"Sometimes the best stories come at the end of our lives, and so do the strongest lessons. Read Maryann Miller's poignant vignettes about aging and let them tug at your heart-strings. They capture the very essence of our tender humanity." ~ Dani Greer, author, editor and Special Projects Coordinator for Little Pickle Press,

 I like working with a publisher who does all the work of getting a cover, ISBN number, and getting that all up on Amazon and other sites for e-readers. But I have also been experimenting with putting my own content up. That can be very time consuming for someone like me who has a steep learning curve when it comes to new technology, but I am learning.

Last Friday I announced that I have two new short stories up on Amazon for the Kindle. SAHM I Am and The Visitor  They are both priced at 99cents and make a good, quick read.

SAHM I Am is a humorous sci-fi story. Technology may be on the verge of having sophisticated home computers that run an entire household, but have the scientists taken into consideration the human factor? When SAHM, a Sensor Activated Home Manager, is field tested at the O'Neal home, he's up against the biggest challenge a computer has ever faced; one Shanna O'Neal.


The Visitor was first written as an assignment in a writing class to adapt a classic fairy tale, and I chose Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A camping trip in the Rockies becomes most interesting when a stranger shows up and the Cantrell family has to find out who has been sneaking into their cabin.