The South Will Be Warm Again......

Snow man we built

From Lower Alabama on the Gulf Coast:
What a crazy week!!  Winter Storm Leon just reeked havoc on the entire south for two days.  Those from the north are just laughing and shaking their heads but they don't realize what it's like to live in the south with ice and snow.  

For one--most  of those living in the south have never really dealt with ice and snow.  And even the best of those from the north can't navigate in a car through ice which is what mostly fell for 10 hours straight.  There were cars slipping all over the place on all the roads. Even the major interstates had cars in the ditches because it was just too slippery.  The traffic got so bad in Birmingham that people were abandoning their cars to walk home.  Unbelievable. Some people stayed in their cars all night because they were just too far to walk home. What a mess.

Ice hanging off a chair

Two-We aren't prepared with snow plows and sand as the north is because we just don't see this kind of weather very often.  Cities don't have the extra cash to stash snow plows and salt away for a snowy day, so we have to do the best we can when this does happened every 10 years.

Among all the terrible traffic and weather good things were happening too: 
A baby girl was born in a car in Atlanta.
A Chick-Filet Restaurant manager started feeding people food and water for free so they won't starve or dehydrate.

Front of our house

Several schools had to keep children overnight for safety and fed and entertained them while at school.          
Out door winter activities were taking place unlike any time before: sledding, making snow angels, snow man building.
Everyone from schools to banks got a mid-winter break to stay home and just snuggle.
I have to add this one:  A 62 year-old doctor walks from one hospital in Birmingham during the storm to another hospital to save a person's life in brain surgery.... see below link.

Frozen leaves from our bush

That's the blessing of living in the South....there are still such good people who care about everyone's well being.  It is truly a blessing to live here.



But never fear.... the South will be warm again.  Just wait a few days and this whole episode will not even be noticed as it will be back in the 60's by the weekend. We can get back to barbequing, 4-wheeling, going to church and living our lives in the warmer weather.

Link to article about Doctor walking in storm in Birmingham
                                               

Indie Author Celebration January 2014!

Happy New Year Everyone and we are starting the year off with a bang!!!

A writer friend of mine is sponsoring a book giveaway through Amazon's Kindle program. So for a week Andrea Pearson is giving away her first book of this Six book series.

Here is what she says:

It's time to celebrate the release of The Golden Symbol, Kilenya Series Book Six, the last in my series!

As part of the celebration, we're giving away a Kindle Fire. Enter at the bottom of this post, after you check out the fantastic eBooks I've chosen to showcase here. All of them were hand-selected based on the fact that they're well-edited and really good. I loved them!

Please note that on January 18, 2014, my first book, The Key of Kilenya, will no longer be available for free. Pick up your copy while you can!

Have fun browsing. I know you'll love these books. :-)

The Key of Kilenya

Author: Andrea Pearson
Original and discounted price: $3.99 to Free
Discounted until January 18
Genre and target audience: Fantasy for readers 10 and older
If this book were a movie, what would it be rated? PG
Download it from: Kindle, Nook, Smashwords

Book Description:

We all have a choice—but we can’t choose the consequences.

Jacob Clark is chased down a path that takes him to another world—a world where he is a wanted young man. The Lorkon want to control him and the special powers he possesses. The people of the new world want him to save them from the destruction of the Lorkon. All Jacob wants is to go home, but even that choice has consequences. He doesn’t know what to do and if he waits too long the new world and the one he came from will be destroyed. As Jacob looks for people he can trust, he finds himself in the center of the fight for freedom—both for himself and the people he’s come to know.

Jacob has no idea where the path he chooses will take him, but once the choice has been made—bring on the consequences.


The Ember Gods

 Author: Andrea Pearson

Original and discounted price: $3.99 to $0.99

Discounted until January 18

Genre and target audience: Fantasy for readers 10 and older

If this book were a movie, what would it be rated? PG

Download it from: Kindle, Nook

Book description:

Jacob Clark’s new abilities are a blessing and a curse. He’s a hero for returning the magical Key of Kilenya to its rightful owners, but at school he's starting to get noticed for something other than his basketball skills. And the attention is freaking him out.

Balancing both worlds is tricky enough, but Jacob has tasked himself with saving Aloren who’s trapped in Maivoryl City by the Ember Gods. He doesn't want to wait for the potion that will protect his team from the corrosive influence of the Lorkon, but the desire to prove himself to the high school basketball coach conflicts with his plans to rescue her.

Feeling pulled by both sides, Jacob must walk a tightrope of warring worlds with lives on the line. Lives that will be lost if he doesn’t figure out how to complete his quest and balance his abilities. Fast.


Those were the first two books to get you started.  Now for the introduction of book 6......





                                                       The Golden Symbol

Author: Andrea Pearson
Original and discounted price: $4.99 to $2.99
Discounted until January 18
Genre and target audience: Fantasy for readers 10 and older
If this book were a movie, what would it be rated? PG
Download it from: Kindle, Nook, Smashwords

Book description:

In the final installment of the Kilenya Series, Jacob Clark and his friends only have two months to prepare for their enemy’s return—an event which is sure to bring war—and to discover the recipe for the special antidote that will cure the Lorkon. As things become more and more dangerous, Jacob is surprised to find help in the most unlikely people and places. Things look up briefly when Azuriah agrees to share the well-guarded secret of the Golden Symbol. With its help, Jacob may have a chance against the Lorkon, but even so, he and his friends are greatly outnumbered.

Will they be able to find the recipe and create the antidote before the Lorkon arrive, or will Eklaron—and Earth—fall into the hands of the evil empire for good?