FREE FREE FREE Download

It's here!!!!!!!!!!! Angelina's Friend, a short prequel to Angelina's Secret is available here http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/Angelina_s_Friend.php
as a free download.
I'd love to know what you guys think about it.

Everyday Haunting

            As you all know, the resident ghosts at my house make their presence known so often that I hardly think about it anymore. But occasionally something happens that I think is worth mentioning.

           

            I watch my infant grandson a few days a week, and I have no doubt that I can’t see all of his playmates. Frequently I’ll catch him laughing at something above my head, or staring intently down an empty hall. But since they don’t seem to bother him, I don’t mind the ghosts playing with him. In fact, I appreciate it. Entertaining a small child by myself is exhausting!

            My grandson is at the age where he is discovering cabinet doors. Pulling open a door and then letting it bounce closed can keep him entertained for quite a while. One day last week I’d just put him down for a nap and tiptoed off to catch up on some housework when I heard the unmistakable sound of a cabinet door bouncing closed. Since one of my grandson’s favorite cabinet doors is just within his reach from his crib, I assumed he’d decided that nap time was over. But when I walked in the room, he was still asleep, exactly where I’d laid him down.

            Not long after I’d returned to my dishes, I heard the door bouncing again. Returning to his crib, I could see that my grandson was still sound asleep. Then I figured it out. My grandson hadn’t been over in several days, and the ghosts missed him. “Okay,” I said aloud. “I know you want to play, but the baby needs to sleep. Please don’t wake him up.” I left the room, and the sounds did not continue.

           

            However, after about an hour, I went to get my grandson up from his nap. As soon as I walked in the room, I noticed that something was off. His crib had been slid about two feet away from the wall. Being a proud grandma, I believe that my grandbaby is the strongest little boy in the world, but I know he didn’t move that crib, especially since he was in it. And since I was the only other person in the house, the only logical conclusion is that the ghosts moved it; perhaps so that they could continue to open the cabinet door without waking the baby, like I’d asked.

What do you think?

I Want These!

Every once in a while, something awesome comes along. What do you think of these?

I think I stepped in something...

I'd like to thank the little people.

Why, yes. I do love my heels

NaNoWriMo

It has begun. What is “it,” you ask? National Novel Writing Month. Apparently, I’ve been living under a rock, because I’d never heard of this most awesome event until yesterday. But it was started in 1999, and last year over 200,000 writers participated! The goal is to write 50,000 words (around 175 pages) between November 1^st and November 30^th.

As I have discovered, sometimes the hardest part of writing a novel is actually putting words on the page. I’m a bit OCD, and if I can’t think of the perfect word, I’ll simply stare at the blank screen, accomplishing nothing. For hours. But participants in NaNoWriMo don’t have time for that. Simply getting ideas on paper is a huge step in the right direction for any aspiring author. After all, when you do think of the *perfect* word, you can always go back and delete the mediocre word you’d used earlier. If you’d like to participate in NaNoWriMo, sign up at http://www.nanowrimo.org/ for support, feedback, and an official word count. I can’t guarantee I’ll reach 50k, (That’s a lot of words people!) but I am hard at work on my next novel, and I promise I’m trying to mend my wicked OCD writing ways.   

Happy Day of the Dead!

Today is Dia de los Inocentes or Day of the Innocents, part one of a two day Mexican holiday honoring the dead. Today and tomorrow, people will visit cemeteries where loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with Marigolds, the “Flower of the Dead.” They will also build alters containing the favorite foods, beverages, and items belonging to deceased loved ones at the cemetery and in their homes in hopes of encouraging the souls of the departed to visit them. Toys are commonly purchased for children who have passed away, and bottles of tequila are left for adults. (If that isn’t a bribe, I don’t know what is!)  

Unlike the somber American Memorial Day, Day of the Dead is often a festive event. The streets are decorated with skeletons, candies shaped like skulls, and picnics at the cemetery are common. It is viewed as a time of happiness and celebration because loved ones who have passed away can come back to visit their families.

Although I don’t celebrate this holiday myself, I love the idea of a time when spirits, or ghosts, are encouraged to come back and visit us. What do you think?