The Tattered Flag

HAPPY FOURTH of JULY, Everyone! Author friend Dusty Crabtree is here to share a few words about the holiday.

What do you get when you cross a patriotic idealist and writer like myself with the sad vision of a tattered flag? A sad, patriotic poem about a tattered flag, of course. Through the sadness I hope I can spark some pride in our country and the flag that represents it.



“The Tattered Flag”

It flaps in the wind limply at one corner. The other is ripped to shreds, caught, hanging on a wire, dejectedly. Unable to break free.

It’s been windy. It’s raining. It’s nobody’s fault.

And yet…it just feels wrong. The moment I see it from my car, a whimper escapes my lips. A pain shoots through my chest. It aches. I want to cry. I might as well have witnessed a young kid being pushed down by a bully. How could someone treat the flag this way? A sense of injustice burns inside so strong that my world turns upside down.

Such a strong emotion for such a simple inanimate object. But it’s not simple, is it? It represents our country’s life. Our freedom. Us. So, I guess...in a way...it isn’t just an object treated with disrespect. It’s a living and breathing representation of hope. And if that’s torn and tattered, then what do we have left?

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Now that I've got you all warm and fuzzy, how about another riddle. What do you get when you cross an idealist writer like myself with a passion for teenagers and young adults? A YA urban fantasy called Shadow Eyes. For those of you (teens and adults alike) who love a good hope-filled, inspirational read but also love paranormal, romance, suspense, and mystery, check out Shadow Eyes this summer.

Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil. But she is the only one who can see them. She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier.

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters. First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend.

As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.

Check out Dusty's blog. Find her on facebook and follow her on twitter.

Buy Shadow Eyes and/or read its reviews at Musa Publishing or Amazon. The book is also available at all major online bookstores.

View the book trailer.

Have a happy and safe holiday. I'll be back Monday with Sara Daniel. Until then...

Party On but take at least a minute to remember what today is all about.

Sloane

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DUSTY CRABTREE!

In case you haven't seen it on Facebook, Dusty Crabtree is throwing a huge party for Shadow Eyes's one-year anniversary - a one-month blog tour!

To top it all off, Dusty is giving away a KINDLE FIRE along with other prizes!

It all began on her blog with a list of tour stops and a link at the bottom to Rafflecopter. Below are the links to all the stops.

Let the games begin! And may the odds be ever in your favor…

February 24th – The Paperback Princess (Why Young Adult Urban Fantasy?)

February 25 – Little Hyuts (Shadow Eyes Behind the Scenes Excerpt)

February 26th – Nomi’s Paranormal Palace (Author Interview)

February 27th – More Than a Review (Review)

February 28th – Tina’s Book Reviews (Writing about Teen Issues from a Moral Perspective)

March 1 – YA Book Addict (Review)

March 2 – Living Fictitiously (Personal Experience in Shadow Eyes)

March 3 – Colorimetry (Author Interview)

March 4 – Melissa’s Bookshelf (The Story of My Cover Art)

March 5 – Becky’s Barmy Book Blog (Writerly Tips and Tricks)

March 6 – A Reading Daydreamer (Inspiration Behind Shadow Eyes)

March 7 - Ja citam, a ti? (Review)

March 8 – Urban Fantasy Reviews (The Theme of Hope in Shadow Eyes)

March 9 – Deborah’s Books (Review)

March 10 – Sharon Ledwith (5 Truths and 3 Lies)

March 11 – Coffee, Books, and Me (Cast for Hypothetical Shadow Eyes Movie)

March 12 - Blkosiner Book Blog (My Soundtrack for Shadow Eyes)

March 13 – Heart of a Bookworm (Review)

March 14 – Books are Sanity (My Journey in Becoming an Author)

March 15 – Buried in Books (Top 10 Ways I Shape a Character)

March 16 – For What It’s Worth (Top 10 Favorite Quotes from Shadow Eyes)

March 17 – Sarah Daniel (Character Interview with Patrick)

March 18 – Helen Katsnis (Author Interview)

March 19 – Anatea’s Bookshelf (My Top 5 Favorite Book Series)

March 20 – Reading Under the Stars (Review)

March 21 – Leisure Reads (Inspiration for the Main Character Iris)

March 22 – Books, Books, and More Books (Review)

March 23 – Book Briefs (Review)

Click the Rafflecopter image below to take you to the Rafflecopter giveaway where you can enter all sorts of different ways! Don’t forget you can post a comment on all the

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Have a wonderful week. I'll be back Monday with regency author Susan Lodge. Until then...

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

A Tasty Treat is Berry Dark Chocolate Pie

Dusty Crabtree dropped in today to help me out while I conquer edits on soon to be released novels. Her book and recipe are both awesome. Take it away, Dusty. :)

I've been an overly creative person, my mind constantly swimming with artistic things and creative ideas. Before I started writing, that creativity often found an outlet in cooking. I started with intricate recipes, then added my own spin on them, and turned some of them into my own.

This is one of my favorite creations, mainly because I absolutely love berries and chocolate together! It's tart and fruity with the intense dark sweetness of chocolate.

Also, seeing as how Iris, the main character in my YA urban fantasy Shadow Eyes, has violet eyes and her favorite color is naturally purple, I thought this strikingly dark purple pie would definitely be fitting. I hope it wins you over like it would Iris.


Berry Dark Chocolate Pie
2 chocolate piecrusts
16 oz. package frozen blackberries, thawed and drained or 2 cups fresh
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
½ cup blackberry jam
3-4 tbsp. or ½ package of Jell-O sugar-free chocolate fudge pudding mix
1/3 cup lemon juice
½ tsp. almond extract or vanilla extract if preferred
1 container 8 or 9 oz whipped topping
1-2 oz. dark chocolate squares, grated or shaved or use chips

Combine blackberries, sweetened condensed milk, blackberry jam, pudding mix, lemon juice, and almond extract. Beat on medium high speed until well blended and thick, about 2 minutes.

Spoon blackberry cream mixture over 2 chocolate crusts evenly. Refrigerate for a total of 4 hours.

After about 1 hour, top with whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings. Continue to refrigerate for another 3 hours or until set.

Serves 16

While the pie is chilling, pour yourself a lovely glass of wine and curl up with Shadow Eyes.

Iris thought she could ignore the shadows...until they went after everyone she loved.

BLURB:
Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil. But she is the only one who can see them. She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier.

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters. First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend.

As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.

EXCERPT:
I meandered slowly to my locker. Even though I didn’t need anything, I rummaged through it as if I were searching for a tool on a job that paid by the hour. The longer I waited, the less people and, therefore, shadows would be waiting for me when I stepped into the parking lot.

I hated crowds and tried to avoid them as much as possible. Three years of dealing with the visions had taught me how to cope in various ways, but I’d never gotten used to walking among herds of people that were ignorant of the truth I was forced to see. It was like being the only one wearing ultraviolet glasses that unveiled every germ and bacteria around me and having to constantly witness unsuspecting people touching things and getting into things that are disgusting and potentially dangerous. Some people would feel lucky to have such insight. Me? I felt trapped, helpless, and exposed.

Luckily, since it was Friday, everyone wanted to get away from school as quickly as possible. By the time I stepped outside, the parking lot was basically empty. Only a few cars belonging to football players remained.

I began to trek the long distance to my car, which was at the end of the lot due to my near tardiness every day for the same reason I always left late. However, even though the lot was void of people, a couple of dark figures loomed over and around a yellow Camaro to my right. I recognized it as Marcus Beaman’s new car. He was a well-known football player and had been bragging about the birthday present for three months since he got it in June.

Why were these shadows out in the parking lot without any humans around? The bizarreness of it made me pause, and my mind began fabricating all possible explanations—none of which I could do anything about. Lost in my thoughts, I must have peered at them with critical eyes just a tad longer than was safe. One of them stopped, inclined its head to glare at me, and flashed an evil grin. I shuddered, closing my eyes tightly in an attempt to erase the image and pretend the scene away as I cowered toward my car like a timid little girl.

I threw open the driver’s side door, jumped in, tossing my backpack on the passenger seat, buckled my seatbelt, and locked the doors. As if that would help.

Watch Shadow Eyes book trailer on YouTube.

BUY LINK

Learn more about Dusty Crabtree on her blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

I'll be back Monday with the Queen of Hot Jan Springer. Until then...

Happy Reading!

Sloane Taylor
Twitter
Amazon Author Page