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 https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Magic-Ghosts-Diane-Moat-ebook/dp/B0845YPMDD/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=Hand+of+magic+diane+moat&qid=1579882427&s=books&sr=1-5 Join me in continuing the steamy adventure with Madison and Alex. This time they battle ghosts and a traitor within their Pack. Check out #4 in the series at https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Magic-Ghosts-Diane-Moat-ebook/dp/B0845YPMDD/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=Hand+of+magic+diane+moat&qid=1579882427&s=books&sr=1-5
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12/7/2019 0 Comments Draft cover While everyone else worries about holiday shopping, all I can think about is ghosts. Spooky, cold-breath-on-your-neck ghosts! Madison and her Hand may just have met their match. After all, how do you kill someone who is already dead? Watch for number four in the Hand of Magic series, set for release in January. Stay tuned for updates, and turn on all the lights in the house!
11/10/2019 1 Comment Early Thanksgiving A few days ago, I saw a FB post from our local sandwich shop. They planned on taking sandwiches to the homeless this afternoon and they asked for additional volunteers. I thought, "Sure, why not?" So after lunch today, I filled up a backpack with baggies of dog food and headed to the shop. The shopkeepers are lovely people, and thirty simple sandwiches later, we headed to the underpass of the Jefferson Street Bridge. The sun shone and I patted myself on the back for helping those less fortunate than most. Today happened to be "shower day." Minutes after we arrived at the empty parking lot, it filled with people and activity. A huge truck pulled up with portable showers. Two young girls, not quite in their teens, assisted their family by ordering strangers around with more skill than a battlefield general. Clean towels, bars of soap, and toothbrushes were handed out to those on the list for hot showers. People appeared from tents, cars, and under tarps. Our sandwiches - and the dog food - vanished in five minutes. Someone else drove up with donuts and coffee, both of which were gone faster than the sandwiches. Cheese and peanut butter crackers came next and were eaten in a flash. No one took the food or coffee and left with it - everything was consumed right there as if no one wanted to risk waiting an additional five minutes to eat. I did not see one cellphone. No one asked me my name or introduced themselves to me. No one cared where I worked, what I drove, or whether I voted red or blue. Some people met my eyes, others did not. Everyone was polite. I had thought I would feel good about myself when I left, but instead I felt unsettled. I should have brought more dog food, blankets, something. Do I do enough to help others? Probably not. The reasons for homelessness go beyond politics, religion, or any simple explanation I can put in writing. I hope my experience today will make me more open to helping others in the future. Maybe tomorrow when you and I go into work and complain about traffic, we can try to be a little kinder to those around us. The distance between myself and the people I helped today is frighteningly short. In the meantime, I will dress my dog in a ridiculous Halloween costume. I will celebrate peppermint-flavored coffee. I will be grateful that I can do these things, while I work on being better about donating time and money when I can. Thank goodness putting my dog in a dress and donating to people - or animals - are not exclusive. Tell me, how do you work toward making a difference? 10/22/2019 1 Comment A history lesson... You can not go anywhere without seeing them: Halloween costumes and decorations. Candy, masks, and pumpkin candles abound on work-desks, advertisements, and front porches. Since I live out in the country and do not get trick-or-treaters, I am amused by how many items can be turned into ghost shapes and sold with an already-discounted price.
Like so many holidays and celebrations, most of us enjoy a reason to party and eat candy, but do you know the history of Halloween and how it began? Did you know the original Halloween began two thousand years ago? The first mention of the importance of October 31 to November 1st, is the Celtic festival, Samhain. A time to welcome the harvest and acknowledge entry into the “dark half” of the year, people dressed in animal costumes to ward off evil spirits. When Rome conquered Celtic territory, they combined the Celtic tradition with the Roman day Feralia, which honored the dead, and their day of honoring Pomona, goddess of fruit and trees. Her symbol was the apple - I wonder if that is where bobbing for apples began? In the eighth century, the Pope designated November 1st as All Saints Day, and October 31st as All Hallows Eve, attempting to turn a pagan ritual into a church-accepted event. Halloween almost bit the dust during the early puritanical settlers in America. It was not until the Irish immigrated during the potato famine that the holiday found a new popularity. Of course, the holiday is now completely commercialized. Children (and adults) have no idea why they are dressing up as Wonder Woman except that they receive candy for their troubles. It is fascinating to me how our celebrations have both changed and stayed the same over centuries. What other traditions do you know of that originated for a different reason and have adapted over time? |
An IntroductionWho am I, and what makes my blog different? I believe that animal rescue, as hard as it is, can also be uplifting. Every tale I have ever written has animals as central characters. My goal is to provide practical, positive information for animal lovers, interspersed with helpful tips for writers (and writers-to-be). I will also share updates on upcoming books and my canine family. We all have stories to tell - let's get started! Archives
September 2020
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