The Lost Colony of the Bird World. Beauty and The Beast. And More.

I haven't seen the bluebirds in days so I had the HH check the nest.  It's empty. Either they managed  solo flights while I wasn't looking or it's the lost colony of the bird world.

Heads up on Independence Day Resurgence. This may not be one that you like but  I loved it.  All kinds of action.  I went into it with no expectations and, as often happens, really enjoyed it.

After watching Resurgence, we rented The Finest Hours. The HH thought it was slow in parts, but I enjoyed it. And the fact that it's a true story added to my appreciation.
I'm a Chris Pine fan. I think he's a great actor, whether as cocky Captain Kirk or in this case a humble hero.


This is another movie I can't wait to see.




Good-bye, June.

You.I.Us.

With us today is our very own Annalisa Crawford.  I was allowed to ask her one question and this was it: What have you found to be your most successful means of marketing?

Ah, now… this is where I fall down, Sandra. Sorry to disappoint you, if you were expecting some good ideas. Marketing is hard, and I still don’t know how to do it properly.

My most successful marketing so far has been coming third in the Costa Short Story Award at the beginning of the year. Because of that, I was featured on my local TV news programme, a couple of local radio stations, my town’s magazine, and I was contacted by a book fair organizer and have two fairs lined up.

Now, I’m not claiming that had anything to do with me—all competition wins are a matter of luck—but if I hadn’t entered, I wouldn’t have even had the chance.

I’m trying my best to build on that level of notice in my local area, and I hope it’ll give me the confidence to go further afield.

My advice to people is just get out there, and talk about yourself. Most of the people I know have only just realised I’m a writer, and I’m on my fourth book! In retrospect, that’s not good. My other tip is to say ‘yes’ to offers, and be open to people who want to help you.

~*~

You. I. Us. is a collection of vignettes, small scenes which hint at the story beneath.

Annalisa has taken that idea to another level, because she asked 15 bloggers to ask her one question each, creating small insights into her life and writing.

You. I. Us.

Publication date: June 10, 2016
Genre: Short Stories (Single Author)

Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Book Depository // Kobo // iBooks // Nook

In You. I. Us., Annalisa Crawford captures everyday people during  poignant defining moments in their lives: An artist puts his heart into his latest sketch, an elderly couple endures scrutiny by a fellow diner, an ex-student attempts to make amends with a girl she bullied at school, a teenager holds vigil at his friend’s hospital bedside, long distance lovers promise complete devotion, a broken-hearted widow stares into the sea from the edge of a cliff where her husband died, a grieving son contacts the only person he can rely on in a moment of crisis, a group of middle-aged friends inspire each other to live remarkable lives.

Day after day, we make the same choices. But after reading You. I. Us., you’ll ask yourself, “What if we didn’t?”

About the author

Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of moorland and beaches to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, two sons, a dog and a cat. Annalisa writes dark contemporary, character-driven stories. She has been winning competitions and publishing short stories in small press journals for many years, and is the author of Cat & The Dreamer and Our Beautiful Child.

www.annalisacrawford.com

 

Annalisa's TV interview

Empty Nesters

The babies have spread their wings and flown...at least a short distance:)
Baby robins:

Baby wren:

And a bird of a different feather.  I won this at MagicLoveCrow, my very own Vampire Crow.
Thanks, Stacy. Love it!

Cheesecake the Capybara Fosters Puppies

Star Treck: Beyond

I can't wait!

Baby Birds

We got 'em.
Robin babies:

There are actually three.
Carolina Wrens:
We were going to put up the swing then I noticed some serious squawking coming from inside the post. I can't get a picture of the babies but have a couple of Mamma.  She flies in one opening and out the other.  Needless to say, the swing isn't going up for a few weeks.

Do you see her? I believe the nest is just underneath her.
The first batch of baby blue birds died:(  I think with all the rains, the parents couldn't get enough food.  So I set up a feeder with disgusting mealy worms in it, which the birds don't seem to have any interest in.  Not that I blame them. Even though the worms have passed on to their next cycle of life I keep expecting them to wriggle.  They really look alive.   Anyhoo, the blues started rebuilding the day after we cleaned the nest out.  And now both Mr and Mrs are flying in and out on a regular basis, so I think the newbies have hatched.
And the rest of the pictures are just toss ins:)
Did you have a good weekend, buds?

Captain Stubby Snoozing on the Porch

Friends: Some are big. Some are small.

Thanks, Rye.

BAF

This is the first year I've had blooming hydrangeas. I had no idea how large the flowers are.  I've included a pic of my hand in front of the flower to show its size.

I'm also tossing in a pic of my hibiscus and the robin's nest near the back porch.

Six Months For Rape

I'm assuming you've all seen this on the news. Do you believe it?  What kind of message does this send? The same one that we've been getting for years. Money talks.
http://www.someecards.com/life/school/brock-allen-turner-campus-rape-lenient-sentence/
Do you think the judge should be removed?

But on a much more exciting note.  The United States has its first female nominee for the President of the United States. Regardless of political leanings, we've broken through a barrier.

Dog and Owner Rescue Hummingbird

Thanks, Rye.

How Did You Spend Your Weekend?

So, blogster buds, how did you spend your weekend?  Did you have a good one?

Saturday we rented Gods of Egypt, which we enjoyed. It was fun. Didn't take itself too seriously.


Sunday we went to the ConCarolinas, a Sci-fi conference in Concord. We didn't have an opportunity to take in a lot of the workshops but we did attend the Ghostbusters vs Ghost hunters, which except for bad acoustics, was quite good. I found out Charlotte has a paranormal society that I wasn't aware of. I did have to chuckle when they started talking about ghosts, whether real or not, for sale on ebay, which is what Ghost For Sale is based on:)  And I bought a pretty fairy necklace.  All in all a good afternoon.  Now what about you? What did you do?



Vampire Island is on sale this week for .99¢ at Amazon.

IWSG Wednesday

It's not only the first of the month, but the first Wednesday of the month.  You know what that means.

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Members post about their  doubts and fears, discuss struggles and triumphs, and offer words of encouragement to others who are struggling. 

This month I'd like to pass on some information  about an author app I recently learned about. Some of you may already be aware of it. There's a Free Facebook Author App out there that you can add to your facebook page. It 's a READ MY BOOK icon that let's folks sign up for your newsletter, tell of your upcoming events, allows you to add your covers and links to your buy pages at Amazon.  Pretty cool huh? Here's the link: https://apps.facebook.com/authorapp/.   

On the home front:

                              Love, Lattes and Mutants is on sale for .99¢ this month.
                                    Love is tough.  Especially if you're a mutant.

Moon Watchers .99¢ at Amazon June 1 - 8.

Some people find it odd that I hunt werewolves. What I find unsettling is my attraction to Brandon Knight. Why? I think he's a vampire.

                                                                         And........

Sunset is now available at Amazon.
On the surface, Gillian Stone has it all: wealth, beauty, and the freedom to come and go as she pleases...at least from sunset till dawn. From dawn till dusk, she's entrapped in several hundred pounds of marble. And if that's not bad enough, her life expectancy is preordained to be short. Unless, she can find a certain genie and reverse the wish-spell.
I started with this cover:

Really, really didn't care for it and ended up with this.  What do you think?