Friday, December 30, 2011

5 on Friday - Set 100!





The 99-cent December Book Blowout Event continues!

My debut Dark Ages vampire novel SAINT SANGUINUS is proudly taking part in this exciting month-long e-book sale.

Browse through 11 genres by 100 independent authors

For more information,
CLICK HERE to visit the BOOK LOVERS BUFFET [Julia's note: link no longer live]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~









Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

As most of you know by now, 2011 has been one of the most amazing years of my life. I'm a bit verklempt to see it go, if you want to know the truth.

But 2012 beckons.

A very Happy New Year to all A Piece of My Mind readers!

1 - May Each Day - Andy Williams







2 - Counting My Blessings - Diana Krall







3 - With a Little Luck - Paul McCartney and Wings







4 - I'm Into Something Good - Herman's Hermits







5 - Theme from Ironiya sudby - Composed by Mikael Tariverdiyev

This is the theme song that runs throughout the Russian New Year's film, Ironiya sudby, which my husband, my mom and I will be watching tomorrow night. We've also ordered a few dishes from a Russian restaurant here in town - Laura's Cafe - including borscht and kinkhali (dumplings.) Plus, my mom has prepared lobster mousse (to substitute for the ruined fish aspic dish featured prominently in the farcical plot) and Russian potato salad, as we're mirroring the New Year's feast shown often in the film.

At midnight tomorrow night, I hope you'll all be raising a glass to toast the year in! Doesn't matter what's in the glass - water will do perfectly.

Of course, at my house we'll be sipping Bottega Il Vino Dei Poeti Prosecco, for which I made a special stop over at Bishop's Cellar on my way home from work. I had my first taste of this when my friends Dawn, Maureen, Shelley and I had a girls' overnight in Wolfville a few years ago. That was the start of my love affair with prosecco.

Happy New Year, everyone! May 2012 be a year where you dare to reach for the dreams you've kept alive in your heart.

CLICK HERE to watch video

 

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Thursday Thirteen - 239 - 13 of My Dad's Favorite Things
















In memory of my dad, who passed away almost five years ago, this week's Thursday Thirteen is a special present for him, as today marks his birthday.

A Piece of My Mind owes its existence to my dad, as I launched it the month before he died. I was struck by the urgency of 'it's now or never', and in a very real way this blog is my dad's legacy.

1 - Laughter

Dad laughed - a lot. These are some of the things that could really get him going:

13 Things That Made My Dad Laugh

2 - Music

He was a lifelong music enthusiast, with a special love for the blues, rhythm & blues, classic rock and cool jazz. Here's a set I posted for him awhile back:

5 on Friday

3 - Photography

At school concerts, my dad always roamed the sides of the auditorium taking pictures with his Nikon camera.

4 - Movies

He started life as a big fan of John Ford westerns and the stunts of Yakima Canutt. When I later became someone who would pay multiple times to see a movie at the theatre, he thought that was a little strange - until VCRs came out, and I caught him watching Road Warrior over again. A-ha!

5 - Dancing

Dad not only liked to dance at clubs and house parties, but he ended up teaching jive dancing lessons in his late 50's.
















6 - Christmas

When my sister and I woke up bouncing with excitement in the dark of early Christmas morning, Dad always hopped out of bed ready for Christmas, even if he'd only gotten 2 hours of sleep getting the Santa toys ready the night before.














7 - Military History

He was a Canadian who lived a good part of his life in the States, and served in the US Army, 2nd and 3rd Armored Division. He had an insatiable thirst for all things military history.

He wore his army uniform on his wedding day in 1961, as he was posted to Europe the following week.

8 - Titanic History

He was always interested in the sinking of the Titanic, owning several books about it and visiting the graveyard here in Halifax where the victims are buried. In one of the odd ways life works out, my dad is now buried in that same resting place - Fairview Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in my step-mom's family plot.

















9 - Scuba Diving

My dad owned a scuba gear shop and was a certified instructor in the 1970's.















10 - Hockey

He played hockey from boyhood, and was a lifelong Montreal Canadiens fan. This shot was taken at the Hockey Hall of Fame, during a Toronto visit with my sister and me, when we both lived there.

11 - Cars

He started his working life as a mechanic, and ended it as a car salesman. He had a special fondness for classic cars, but he pretty much loved everything to do with any kind - he loved watching car races, collecting reproduction cars, operating remote-controlled cars, and when he was in the army he taught fellow soldiers to drive the big 'deuce and a half' and five ton trucks.

12 - Beer

Beer was the go-to beverage for Norm. He also had a collection of beer steins, including the one I remember most - an engraved silver stein with a glass bottom that he brought home from Germany.












13 - Being a Dad

He loved this role in his life. And I love being his daughter.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The Serialists - Scene 81





The 99-cent December Book Blowout Event continues!

My debut Dark Ages vampire novel SAINT SANGUINUS is proudly taking part in this exciting month-long e-book sale.

Browse through 11 genres by 100 independent authors

For more information,
CLICK HERE to visit the BOOK LOVERS BUFFET

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~










I'm now posting with The Serialists which appears on Wednesdays.

To recap this dark fantasy story so far:

As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.

Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outside their cottage, but the falconer was merely a servant who must obey his own masters.

An attempt on the life of a young noble while on a hunt sent the falconer and his apprentice on abruptly different paths, bringing Scorpius into the service of Lord Thibault's noble house.

We now continue with Scorpius at age nineteen.

You can follow the progress of this story arc by clicking on the Works in Progress link just under the blog header.


If you missed last week's installment due to the holidays, you can read Scene 80 HERE

Scene 81

As he neared the head of the pass, Scorpius leaned into the saddle and pressed with his leg to guide his mount, twisting slightly to scan for signs of the expected recipient of the message tucked into his jerkin. Scorpius' mixed signals stopped the horse in its tracks, nearly sending Scorpius tumbling head over heels.

Pulling himself upright in the saddle, he barely had a chance to register the hands grabbing him by the shoulders. Dragged backwards, the breath knocked out of him as he hit the ground hard, his empty lungs holding his full attention.

Once they filled again, Scorpius hung in the grip of Sibian scouts, his mount pulling hard against his reins but stopped by one of their war band. That's all he saw.

A hood pulled roughly down over his face as he was bound and thrown over a saddle. Scorpius slipped dangerously close to falling off the mount without hands to grip anything, and the jostling made it hard to breath with the hood and the pressure of his body weight. He didn't know if it was a relief when he felt hands hauling him roughly backwards.

His feet touched the ground but he couldn't stop himself from sprawling onto his back. The hood was whisked away and a man stepped forward to gaze imperiously down upon him.

"How did you know to look for us?" he said in a gravelly voice.

Taking one moment to gather his wits, scanning the other faces who all gazed down at him, Scorpius felt that he mustn't speak from this prone position. Not among this lot.

In two quick motions, he rolled to his knees and sprang to his feet. The Sibiu surrounding him tensed as though making ready to fight, but the speaker smiled and laughed.

"Did you not call for me?" Scorpius said. He was glad he was taller than any of them.

The lead scout took two steps forward, closing the gap. He didn't seem at all cowed by being shorter than Scorpius. "You don't look like the one I was calling," the scout said.

"Do you suppose my lord comes when called?" Scorpius said, making certain to meet the gazes of all those surrounding him.

Several chuckles erupted from the men. The hair on the back of Scorpius' neck prickled.

"What does your master say then, messenger?"

"If you reach inside my clothes over my heart, you'll find a scroll."

The sharp gaze of the lead scout raked over Scorpius from head to foot. As though satisfying himself that it was worth the risk, he deftly reached into the fold beneath Scorpius' jerkin and found the scroll straightaway.

Untying the lace that held it together, the Sibian unrolled and read it, his gaze flicking up to threaten Scorpius as he did so.

What could he be warning him against? Scorpius couldn't fathom it. The men surrounded him, he was bound and he didn't know where he was. Still, if the Sibian felt he had to caution Scorpius not to consider attacking when he was outnumbered and without weapons, it only made Scorpius draw himself as tall as he could to look down upon them all.

© Julia Phillips Smith, 2011

Monday, December 26, 2011

My book was featured @ Super E-Books














Woke up on Boxing Day to find I was featured on Super E-Books!

This is an e-book titles browsing site for readers.

In the new digital commerce world, readers need to have a way to browse for books the way they would have strolled through the bricks and mortar stores. Super E-Books is one of them, featuring titles in these categories:

Nonfiction

General Fiction

Literary Fiction

Thriller

Mystery

Suspense

Romance

Romantic Suspense

Romantic Comedy

Women's Fiction

Historical

Western

Horror

Paranormal

Science Fiction

Fantasy

Young Adult

Middle Grade

Early Readers

Picture Books

Short Stories (Anthology)

Novella

Poetry

If you're an author and want to be featured at Super E-Books, contact the admins @ Super E-Books / Submit your book.

Friday, December 23, 2011

5 on Friday - Set 99





WELCOME to the 99-cent December Book Blowout Event

My debut Dark Ages vampire novel SAINT SANGUINUS is proudly taking part in this exciting month-long e-book sale.

Browse through 11 genres by 100 independent authors

For more information,
CLICK HERE to visit the BOOK LOVERS BUFFET

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~









Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Merry Almost Christmas, everyone! And here on Canada's east coast, we've got magical Christmas snow today - a BIG dumping. To celebrate the arrival of the white stuff, here are five snowy songs.

1 - It Snowed - Meaghan Smith



2 - Snow - Carolyne Mas

This is one of my husband's favorite singers. I'm glad he introduced me to this lovely song.



3 - Let it Snow - Dianna Krall

So fine.



4 - Snow - Loreena McKennitt

Truly magical.



5 - Snow - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen

My sister, my mom and I started up a new tradition a few years ago - I think actually it was in the wake of my gram's departure from this life into the next. We decided to shake up Christmas a little bit, and we began to watch White Christmas every year. This is now a big favorite of mine.



Hope you enjoy the snow, if you get some!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Thursday Thirteen - 238 - 13 Colors of Christmas




















































































































































Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Serialists - Scene 80





The 99-cent December Book Blowout Event continues!

My debut Dark Ages vampire novel SAINT SANGUINUS is proudly taking part in this exciting month-long e-book sale.

Browse through 11 genres by 100 independent authors

For more information,
CLICK HERE to visit the BOOK LOVERS BUFFET

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~










I'm now posting with The Serialists which appears on Wednesdays.

To recap this dark fantasy story so far:

As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.

Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outside their cottage, but the falconer was merely a servant who must obey his own masters.

An attempt on the life of a young noble while on a hunt sent the falconer and his apprentice on abruptly different paths, bringing Scorpius into the service of Lord Thibault's noble house.

We now continue with Scorpius at age nineteen.

You can follow the progress of this story arc by clicking on the Works in Progress link just under the blog header.


Scene 80

"I forget sometimes," his master said. "It seems odd you should be unaware of certain things."

They'd ridden hard over rough terrain. Both Lord Thibault and Scorpius worked to catch their breath as their mounts walked off the exertion.

"Do you mean to say that not even the chancellor has let you in on the rather more sensitive aspects of our glorious House?"

"He's told me some things, my lord." In truth, Scorpius could count on one hand the number of things about which the chancellor had informed him, but no matter.

"But not about the Sibiu."

Scorpius looked closely at his master. Lord Thibault showed no sign that he concealed knowledge of their own chancellor belonging to such a fierce yet captivating people. Scorpius had played enough sessions at the gaming boards with Lord Thibault to know all of his master's tells.

"And I suppose you didn't have much contact with them, out at the falconer's cottage," Lord Thibault said.

"None, my lord. Where do their lands lie?"

"No one recalls." His master sent him a look that Scorpius found puzzling. Lord Thibault's air of perpetual bemusement had dimmed since the ball which his mother, the dukessa had thrown for him and his prospective brides.

It reminded Scorpius of that moment out on the hunting field several years earlier, just before the attempt on the young noble's life. Lord Thibault had dropped his air of jovial entitlement to reveal a knife-edged sense of purpose, as well as a willingness to cross barriers of rank without blinking.

"The Sibiu are a people who live everywhere and nowhere."

When he offered nothing further, Scorpius thought back to the jewels and gold, even coins worn as adornment by these people with no homeland. "They would not be welcomed easily into a noble house such as yours, my lord."

Instead of the wry laugh he was expecting, Scorpius was pinned once more by a glance from his master, laden with dangerous longing.

For her.

"We must be clear, Scorpius. We can never speak of her. Not where even one ear could hear us."

Bowing forward in the saddle, Scorpius said, "Yes, my lord."

Lord Thibault looked up and toward the west, until he spied something. Nodding to himself, his master reached into his doublet and withdrew a thin scroll tied up in a leather sleeve.

Reaching across to take it, a heavy warning dragged at Scorpius' heart.

"Do you see that pass in the hills, there?" his master said.

"Yes,my lord."

Raising his hand to the sun, Lord Thibault flicked his wrist back and forth until the broad metal cuff he wore glinted in a rhythmic pattern. It only took a few heart beats before an answering glint appeared along the shadowy pass in the distance.

"Deliver this to the man who will be waiting for you at the head of the pass."

Scorpius secreted the scroll inside a fold of his jerkin. His senses sharpened as he made ready to strike out for the meeting place, which his mount sensed. The animal raised its head and pricked its ears, tensing to be off.

"Whatever they say or do, you must not leave until he has given you an answer. Are we clear?" Lord Thibault's face was as grim as the morning before Scorpius was delivered to his master's uncle, as a prisoner,

"As you command, my lord." Digging in his heels, Scorpius rode off before the warning in his gut could overrule his obedience to his master.

© Julia Phillips Smith, 2011

Friday, December 16, 2011

5 on Friday - Set 98





The 99-cent December Book Blowout Event continues!

My debut Dark Ages vampire novel SAINT SANGUINUS is proudly taking part in this exciting month-long e-book sale.

Browse through 11 genres by 100 independent authors

For more information,
CLICK HERE to visit the BOOK LOVERS BUFFET

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~









Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a set of music that launches with Song 1 and proceeds on a musical journey for this special 5 on Friday.

All of the 5 on Friday players are taking a look back at 2011 this week. Let's see what this year was like for me.

1 - Frankly Mr. Shankly - The Smiths

This is how I've greeted the start of every year since graduating from film school in 1995, and then working in a succession of unrelated jobs ever since.



2 - Montage from the Team America: World Police soundtrack - Trey Parker

...and then...the 16-year drought ended. I made my book trailers.



3 - New York, New York - Frank Sinatra

And went to the writers' conference in New York!



4 - Woo Hoo - The 5.6.7.8's

And released my debut novel.



5 - Celebration - Madonna

Yeah, baby.

CLICK HERE to watch the video

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Thursday Thirteen - 237 - 13 Things That Make Up My Christmas, for the 2011 Virtual Advent Tour









Welcome to A Piece of My Mind, where Thursdays are devoted to all things thirteen. I've been taking part in this meme for five years, and today's stop along the Virtual Advent Tour is my 237th list of thirteen things.













1 - The Christmas choir concert. This has been a part of my Christmas since I was a kid, and not having a concert in which to sing this year left a huge hole. I had to leave out going to choir last year in order to finish my debut novel. Something had to give, but I can tell you that during choir concert season I dearly wished it had not been that. Can't wait to go back.


















2 - The Nutcracker ballet. I'm a passionate ballet freak, and I'll never tire of this Christmas ballet, not even after having seen it live about 75 times when I worked at the theatre where the National Ballet of Canada performed.

In fact, my sister and I will be attending the live broadcast of the Bolshoi's version of The Nutcracker this Sunday, courtesy of Empire Theatres special events program.













3 - Unwrapping the decorations to put on the tree always feels so magical. This is one of the first ornaments I ever bought.


















4 - Decorating the tree. This one went up when we lived in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia for two years, keeping an eye on my late gram when she first began to need someone living in the house with her. This particular tree brings me very fond memories, as my husband and I had a very happy time decorating it that year.













5 - Wearing Christmas clothes. Now's the time, folks! Dig it out!













6 - The Sisters Annual Christmas Lights Decorating Party. We always turn the outdoor decorating into a party, accompanied by Frank Sinatra Christmas songs playing on the front deck, wine in our mugs and lots of laughing.













7 - Christmas sugar cookie decorating party. We've been having these get-togethers since my sister and I were in elementary school. That ends up being four decades of cookie masterpiece making.












8 - Christmas parties at work. I'll be at mine this afternoon, in fact. The one pictured above was a Christmas dinner at the Toronto Simpsons flagship store in the formal dining hall in the late 80s.













9 - Christmas Eve dinner - my aunt's seafood newburg. SO delicious. I literally begin looking forward to the next Christmas Eve dinner the moment I finish the current one.












10 - The musical part of Christmas Eve. I come from a musical family, and after all the catching up, eating dinner and drinking wine, we head into the music room for an enormous amount of fun. This was a piece my mom, my sister and I sang a few years ago, a version of The Night Before Christmas.













11 - Being with family. This year we'll be with my crew, so I won't see my husband's family for Christmas. I'll wave at all of them, pictured above--love you and miss you!













12 - Christmas morning breakfast. My sister is actually looking forward to this most of all. Lots and lots of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, cheese, sometimes special homemade pecan waffles. Mmm.













13 - The crazy pile of presents. Every year we say we're not going to go overboard. And every year we end up with a pile that threatens to dwarf the tree. This shot was taken in the early 90s at my sister's Scarborough, Ontario apartment.

To visit the other stops on today's tour, drop by:

Chelsea at Book Maven's Blog

Michelle at The Christmas Spirit

Nancy at Bookfoolery and Babble

Thanks to Marg at The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader and Kelly at The Written World for once again hosting one of my favorite holiday traditions.

You can read my previous Virtual Advent Tour posts here:

2010

2009

2008

The Serialists - Scene 79





The 99-cent December Book Blowout Event continues!

My debut Dark Ages vampire novel SAINT SANGUINUS is proudly taking part in this exciting month-long e-book sale.

Browse through 11 genres by 100 independent authors

For more information,
CLICK HERE to visit the BOOK LOVERS BUFFET

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~










I'm now posting with The Serialists which appears on Wednesdays.

To recap this dark fantasy story so far:

As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.

Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outside their cottage, but the falconer was merely a servant who must obey his own masters.

An attempt on the life of a young noble while on a hunt sent the falconer and his apprentice on abruptly different paths, bringing Scorpius into the service of Lord Thibault's noble house.

We now continue with Scorpius at age nineteen.

You can follow the progress of this story arc by clicking on the Works in Progress link just under the blog header.


Scene 79

"Whatever is the matter with you, Scorpius?" said Lord Thibault.

They strode down the long gallery, handing off their practise blades to a servant. Both of them were in need of fresh clothes and a bath, and struck off for their rooms.

Only their footsteps answered his master's question as Scorpius rummaged through his customary excuses. Today, however, they slipped stubbornly from his grasp.

"Perhaps you'd like to take a few hours for yourself this afternoon," the young noble said.

"With no one to guard you?" Scorpius gave a derisive laugh. "Then who should guard me from your father's displeasure?" They rounded the corner and jogged up the stairs.

"I knew there was something odd about you today," Lord Thibault said. "You know my father doesn't give the hind end of a pack horse for my amusements."

"True. Though he would find some interest in the company you've been keeping of late." He felt his master's gaze upon him.

For a moment, Scorpius doubted that he'd be able to hide his fear from Lord Thibault--fear for the safety of someone who might as well be his brother. He forced himself to glance over as he said, "Suppose the duke heard a report. What then?"

They reached the upper floor and passed by several servants and slaves, forcing his master to hold his tongue. Once they reached their rooms and began peeling away sweat-soaked tunics and breeches, his master looked up with eyes twinkling.

"You know, I've found myself dreaming of just that," Lord Thibault said. "Watching his face as I told him."

"Well?" Scorpius prodded. "What would happen, my lord? Was she not an invited guest?"

His master gazed off, his brow furrowed. Leading the way to the bath, he stepped in first and Scorpius followed, sighing as the warm water soothed tired muscles.

"We'll go riding this afternoon," Lord Thibault announced. He gazed at Scorpius with promised answers lurking behind his eyes.

"As you wish, my lord." Scorpius eased back against the smooth stone, picturing his master's forbidden lover and her striped hair unfurling from her scarf. What sort of people could carry such markings? They seemed so fierce, and yet the chancellor with his hidden allegiance to the same people carried himself with calm reserve.

Why were they enemies of his lord's house? It must have taken a great deal of work before the chancellor infiltrated the duke's inner circle. Would Scorpius pay one day for stumbling into this knowledge?

He gazed over at the slave washing Lord Thibault's shoulders. Did the slave ever worry about such things? Would Scorpius have had to wash his master if Richolf had not come for him, to raise him as a falconer's apprentice?

How bad would that have been, really? Washing lords and fetching and tidying, pressing wrinkles from tunics and polishing jewelry. This slave ate, didn't he? He had a bed. Clothes to cover him.

What had Scorpius' life come to if he dreamed of the joys of slavery?

© Julia Phillips Smith, 2011