On Laurel’s 68th birthday

This lovely human being, my stepmom Laurel, would have been 68 years old today. She passed away just over 2 years ago. I was going to dedicate my monthly newsletter to her today (since I inadvertently scheduled it for the same day as her birthday) but I became a blubbering mess when I tried to write it.

Instead, I shall post one of my favourite pictures of Laurel, celebrating her birthday at the family cabin she loved so much a few years before she left us.

I miss you terribly, Laurel. Even two years later. My world remains diminished. Lovely, kind-hearted people should never leave … the world is already severely underpopulated by such souls.

Love and light, Laurel.

iBooks Giveaway – 25 MCD ebooks

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. ALL WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.

I’m feeling exceedingly blessed today. As I was writing away in my tiny shed and gazing out at my lovely view, I decided I’d like to randomly share a sliver of my contentment. At first I thought about doing a giveaway for a paperback or gifting a couple of books off someone’s Amazon wish list (I may still do this later on), then I thought about doing something … more expansive. When I run giveaways I always end up wishing I could give something to everyone but obviously I can’t afford to do so …

Except!

I remembered that I have download codes for iBooks that I never think to use. So let use some of them up, eh?

You can read iBooks on your iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Apple computer with the free iBooks App. Also remember that Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic is permafree (and here on iBooks). Detailed info on all the books can be found by clicking on the individual cover image on the right hand side of my blog.

How to enter: 

1. Pick any book listed above that you haven’t had a chance to read yet and comment below with the title.

I will randomly select TWENTY-FIVE people and gift them the book of their choice.

Yep, TWENTY-FIVE.

Have you already read all my books? No worries! Nominate a friend who reads with iBooks and I’d be happy to gift a book to him or her instead. Or, even better, suggest that your friend comment below for a chance to win.

Notes/Rules: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. Each comment will be assigned an entry number. 25 winning entries will then be selected via random number generator. One entry per person. Please make sure to fill out a valid email address in the comment form. Email addresses are not collected for any purpose other than notifying the contest winner.

If you haven’t commented on the blog before, or you comment from a different IP address, the comments are moderated. So don’t worry if you don’t see your entry right away. I will approve it, then assign it an entry number.

Contest closes TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 at 8 p.m. PDT.

[But 25 is a lot of entries so I may start randomly selecting winners today through Tuesday.]

  

SHARES AND LIKES ARE WELCOMED AND APPRECIATED.

 

hispaniola by Hummingbird Chocolate

I blogged about Hummingbird Chocolate last week.

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hispaniola – tasting notes:

First taste: definitely fruity. On the edge of dry. Smooth. Creamy. Golden raisin. Slight after taste, but pleasant.  Michael called it a “bright fruitiness.”

Second taste: pleasant chocolate scent. Fruit is again very upfront. Cherry through and through. Aftertaste is stronger and lingered longer the second time. Mouth coating but not unpleasant.

Definitely a quality bar. Grade A.

Then I tried the Fleur de Sel a few days later. This award winning bar is made with the hispaniola chocolate and sprinkled with hand-harvested Fleur de Sel from the Vancouver Island Salt Co. As much as I liked the hispaniola on its own, it was INSANELY good with the added salt. And I usually loathe anything added to my chocolate.

I only have two pieces of the Fleur de Sel left. I had to force myself to not eat it all in one go … it was that good. Grade A++

I’m exceedingly pleased with this new discovery. 😀

Oracle 3: milking the moment

Life is hard. You have to milk your moments … like Beau does. 😀

In Today’s Mail: Hummingbird Chocolate

At the end of May Sue mentioned an article about an award winning chocolatier on my Facebook Page. It turned out that the small batch chocolate maker, Hummingbird Chocolate, was Canadian and had won a bunch of awards when up against a bunch of big names that I mention around here often, including Amedei.

So, of course, I instantly had to track down this new-to-me chocolate and see what I could score. Thankfully, I discovered that they had an online store and I ordered the three bars that appealed to me the most (including their award winning bars).

I’ll taste them separately and make notes, but I wanted to share these pretties right away.

Dowser 1: Autographed Paperback Giveaway

CONTEST CLOSED. LUCKY #32 has been emailed.

I’m publishing my first monthly newsletter today (about 30 minutes after this post goes live). And each newsletter will feature a giveaway, along some exclusive content (a recipe, Q&A, etc). So here is the first of the newsletter giveaways.

Sign up for my monthly newsletter

Sign up for my new release mailing list

The bracelet seen above – one of my favourite ‘trinkets’ – is my version of a white-picket fence. I commissioned it years ago from a silversmith on Etsy.

To enter the paperback giveaway comment below and let me know:

1. What is your favourite ‘trinket’? And why?

ETA: I removed the bonus entry because it was too confusing as to what ‘newsletter’ I meant. And I was spending too much time ‘verifying’ it. Time I should be spending writing Oracle 3. 🙂  I just wanted to add a bonus to everyone signed up for MONTHLY newsletter. I’ll try to figure out something else exclusive next month. My apologies.

Notes/Rules: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. Each comment will be assigned an entry number. ONE winning entry will then be selected via random number generator. One entry per person (plus bonus). Please make sure to fill out a valid email address in the comment form. Email addresses are not collected for any purpose other than notifying the contest winner.

If you haven’t commented on the blog before, or you comment from a different IP address, the comments are moderated. So don’t worry if you don’t see your entry right away. I will approve it, then assign it an entry number.

Contest closes FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2016 at 8 p.m. PDT.

❤ ❤ ❤

SHARES AND LIKES ARE WELCOMED AND APPRECIATED.

Dowser 6: iBooks Bestseller list

I’m slightly late with this share but Artifacts, Dragons, and Other Lethal Magic (Dowser 6) made a bunch of bestseller and hot new release lists in May including #13 on the iBooks Sci-Fi & Fantasy list.

Whoot!

Thank you to everyone who preordered or bought the book in the first month of its release and therefore made these rankings possible. You all rock!

MCD’s Monthly Newsletter

I’m starting a monthly newsletter that will contain a recipe, a giveaway, and some exclusive content in the form of character bios, Q&As, excerpts, etc. Some of the content will link back to this blog, but some will only be published in the newsletter (and eventually a series bible).

This list is separate from my new release mailing list (which only goes out 3 – 4 times a year).

The first newsletter will be sent on June 7, 2016 and followed by new content on the first Tuesday of every month. Each month will have a [loose] theme and highlight a separate novel/WIP/etc.

You can sign up here. It’s a double opt-in, so you’ll get a confirmation email after you fill out the form.

I’m looking forward to it!

 

Giveaway: Carol Ann Newsome

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. Winner TBA 

I had great fun in Chicago and sharing a booth at The Bookcon 2016 with Carol Ann Newsome who writes the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries. So, of course, I bought all her paperbacks and had her autograph them for me.

Pretty paperbacks from C.A. Newsome

Then I convinced her to give away her first two paperbacks – A Shot in the Bark and Drool Baby – to a lucky reader of this blog. Whoot!

FYI – The ebook for A Shot in the Bark is also available for free on Amazon, iTunes, B&N, and Kobo. Then, if you sign up for Carol Ann’s mailing list, she will send you the second book for free as well!!

***

C. A. (Carol Ann) Newsome writes the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries, a series of fun, romantic suspense/mystery novels inspired by and centered around her mornings at the Mount Airy Dog Park with two former street urchins named Shadda and Chewy (Chewbacca Wonderpup, Master of Confusion), along with a furry piranha named Gypsy Foo la Beenz (see picture at left).

A life-long lover of fiction, Carol turned to books and audiobooks during her decade-long recovery from a head injury. Years of immersing herself in popular fiction lead to imagining the book she wanted to read, and wondering if she could  write it. The result was the first book in her mystery series. You can find out more about Carol on her website or Facebook page.

***

GIVEAWAY

To enter to win the two gorgeous paperbacks pictured above all you need to do is comment below and let me know:

1. What is your favourite breed of dog and why?
2. Bonus entry: share a picture of your dog on Carol Ann Newsome’s Facebook Page (mention that you’ve done so in your comment below, along with your username if it’s different). Tag the photo with these hashtags: #dogparkmysteries #liaandersonmysteries #MCDgiveaway

Notes/Rules: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. Each comment will be assigned an entry number. ONE winning entry will then be selected via random number generator. One entry per person (plus bonus entry if applicable). Please make sure to fill out a valid email address in the comment form. Email addresses are not collected for any purpose other than notifying the contest winner.

If you haven’t commented on the blog before, or you comment from a different IP address, the comments are moderated. So don’t worry if you don’t see your entry right away. I will approve it, then assign it an entry number.

Contest closes SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2016 at 8 p.m. PDT.

Dowser Series: recipe card giveaway

CONTEST CLOSED. WINNER TBA

I had six different recipe cards, all representing a different Dowser book, test baked, proofed, and printed for The Bookcon 2016. Then I shipped a bunch back from Chicago for giveaways and such. They showed up today.

I’ll probably be doing random flash giveaways with the postcards over the next few months on this blog, twitter, and Facebook but I’ll hold this one open for 36 hours so everyone gets a chance to win right away.

Would you like a set of all six recipes? To enter all you need to do is comment below and let me know:

1. Of the six recipes featured here – Lust in a Cup, Cozy in a Cup, Sunshine in a Cup, Sass in a Cup, Buzz in a Cup, or Lift in a Cup – which cupcake are you most looking forward to baking?

Notes/Rules: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. Each comment will be assigned an entry number. ONE winning entry will then be selected via random number generator. One entry per person. Please make sure to fill out a valid email address in the comment form. Email addresses are not collected for any purpose other than notifying the contest winner.

If you haven’t commented on the blog before, or you comment from a different IP address, the comments are moderated. So don’t worry if you don’t see your entry right away. I will approve it, then assign it an entry number.

Contest closes WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016 at 8 p.m. PDT.