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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Guest Post, Teaser and Giveaway Fragile Brilliance (Shifters & Seers #1) by Tammy Blackwell

Published November 26th, 2013

Description:


Maggie McCray has worked her whole life for the opportunity to attend Sanders College. It’s her one chance at becoming a world-renowned artist, and she’s determined nothing will get in her way. But when a murder brings Maggie and her powers to the attention of the Alpha Pack and the tragically handsome Charlie Hagan, her carefully planned future hangs in jeopardy.

Charlie Hagan isn’t happy when the Alpha Female assigns him as Maggie McCray’s personal bodyguard. Just being near the Thaumaturgic threatens to unleash the primal instincts he’s been suppressing for so long. Charlie knows if the coyote is uncaged, then the person he’ll most need to protect Maggie from is himself.

GUEST POST
Holiday Survival Guide: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
by Maggie McCray

I love the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I’ve watched it religiously every year, even going so far as to hang out with Weird Carl the year our television broke. But I understand that not everyone has a heart or sense of holiday spirit, and for those of you who suffer from this horrid condition (like my grandfather), I have developed a game to help you survive three-hour explosion of so-bad-it’s-awesome entertainment.

Part 1: Point Collection
The object is to gain as many points as possible. If you live in one of those idyllic families with siblings and/or cousins who may be around the morning of The Big Show, you can have a little competition to see who can score the most points. (I don’t have siblings or cousins, so I’ve never done it this way, but I think you would need to make a rule about how only the first person who calls the point gets it. And if there is a tie… I don’t know. Thumb wrestle for it?) If you’re on your own, just count points for the sake of counting points. With any luck, it’ll take your mind off the crippling loneliness of hanging out by yourself on Thanksgiving morning.

You get one point for each time the following occurs:

• Someone says, “Time Square”
• Anytime Announcer Voice says, “Coming up next,” and whatever he promised doesn’t pop up for another two or three commercial breaks.
• A semi-celebrity is forced to hock their NBC show with a “special live appearance” instead of being home with their family
• Al Rocker attempts to make a joke
• Any of the Today Show hosts look like they want to kill someone, double points if it is another Today Show employee
• Every time someone mentions Macy’s
• Every time you see the Macy’s logo
• Every time you hear the word “iconic” mentioned.

Part 2: The Best of the Worst
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a beautiful exercise in ridiculousness. Your job is to watch the entire parade to determine what floats/balloons/performers prove to be the most absurd in the following categories:

• Giant balloon most likely to give children nightmares
• Most unexplainable float mash-up (Will Miley Cyrus twerk with Sid the Science Kid on the Chiquita Banana float this year? It’s the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! Who knows? You’ll have to watch to find out!)
• Most obvious lip-syncing
• Best performance by someone you thought was dead
• Broadway number that makes the least sense when performed in the middle of the street.
• Worst high school marching band performance
• Best display of fake enthusiasm
• Best performance by a fake turkey

And that’s the game. Remember, play fair, and play responsibly. And don’t give up until the real Macy’s Santa Claus comes gliding through Times Square to herald in the official beginning of the Christmas season!

Maggie McCray is a college freshman, a ceramicist, and a maybe-or-maybe-not witch. You can find out more about her (and her maybe-or-maybe-not witch-like abilities) in Fragile Brilliance, the first book in the new Shifters and Seers series by Tammy Blackwell. 

Teaser

With every breath they were drawing closer and closer together. Maggie’s entire body buzzed and tingled in anticipation.
“Who am I, Maggie?”
“You’re Charlie Hagan. Stratego of the Alpha Pack.” She breathed in the scent of him. Cinnamon and male. “You’re a fighter of demons and protector of innocents.” Unable to stop herself, she finally did what she’d been dreaming of since she first met him and placed her lips against his. It was just a fleeting caress, but she felt it deep in her soul. “You’re beautiful,” she said, knowing it wasn’t a strong enough word to describe him.
About the author:
Tammy Blackwell is a Young Adult Services Coordinator for a public library system in Kentucky. When she’s not reading, writing, cataloging, or talking about books, she’s sleeping. 

Graduate of the University of Kentucky with a degree in Integrated Strategic Communications. Don’t worry. She doesn’t know what that means either. 

Has a day job at a library. Yes, you should be jealous.

Author's Giveaway
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