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 |  It's about adventure! Life, Scouting, Family, writing what else is there? |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 25 OCT 2021: Just a little about me. I've been married for 30 years in NOV this year!! and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys in their teens. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. I love to write, but since I've been so involved with the Boy Scouts program since 2015 (now Scouts BSA since girls were invited to come on board) I haven't written much. I hope to get back to more writing soon, as I'm scaling back my BSA commitment. Update on this: I was able to get out 2 stories that were previously published. The update/publishing is going slow. I like to get out in nature, take walks around Castaic Lake, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bi about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there.  Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." |
| As usual, I'm behind. Here's a "GREAT" review *eyeroll* I just got from someone: Meh-diocre at best. unnessesary adverbs, passive writing, and moments of pure cheesiness are my main complaints about this piece of writing "She yawned a big yawn" Redundancy is an issue too. Let's just say this is NOT how to review on WDC. I just wanted to share that with you and vent a little. The story in question is this one:
****** This week's newsletter merit badge is for: billwilcox for an outstanding Action/Adventure Newsletter. Conrats, Bill!! ****** Yes, I know I have to update my costicom. Sigh... I have to find the time. I have no time. Writing wise, I am working on my Paranormal Romance, "The Wolf's Kiss." I've got some editing/writing done on it, but I have to find the time to type it up on the computer. Today we were supposed to go to Disneyland but it's rainy and drizzly over here so I think we're not going. It's good in a way because I'm using the time to catch up on my madness, but I really wanted to take my boys to D-land for the holidays and see it all decorated up. Tomorrow is the Children's XMas Party at work and on Sunday is my Ornament Exchange with the family. Wheww... the holidays have me hoping! I have to wait to 19 DEC to shop for gifts for the boys since that's my next payday. Sigh... I have a couple of gifts to mail - and I still have to work on my marketing for my book. That said, I ordered some cool pens for my book, The Wolf's Torment. The first three to ask, gets a couple of pens free. Next, I'm working on magnets. hehe. And maybe some more coffee mugs. I'll update my official website messageboard soon. I just want to thank everyone for their patience with me. Hopefully, I'll have more soon on the writing front. |
| It's not easy finding Review sites for books, but I've found a few I'd like to share: Reader Views: http://www.readerviews.com The Best Reviews http://thebestreviews.com Here's an interesting list that encourages feedback and critiques of an author's working novel. It's called THE FRONT LIST The Front List - http://thefrontlist.com Writers, upon signing up to The Frontlist, will be able to submit sample chapters of work that they are looking to publish. They will then be invited to provide detailed critiques on several pieces of work. Once they have finished this, their own work will go up for critique. Work that achieves a score above a threshold will be fast-tracked to the desk of a respected agent or publisher who specialises in the work's genre. MidWest Book reviews - http://midwestbookreviews.com I hope this helps. Has anyone used any of these sites? I've used Reader Views and I was quite pleased with their review and services they offer to help promote my book online. |
| I just wanted to give a shout to this week's Newsletter Merit Badge Awardees - spidey   did a fabulous job with her CONTEST & ACTIVITES newsletter talking about the WDC Product Review and larryp did a fine job explaining how important setting is in the ACTION/ADVENTURE newsletter. Both were dated for 21 NOV. Good job guys! If you get a chance, take a peek at those newsletters. Smiles, Steph |
| Just wanted to get caught up. TURKEY DAY This Thanksgiving was very nice. I didn't have to cook. We went up to Brent's aunt's house in Lake County on Clear Lake which is just north of Napa County. Teet and Brent helped to cook the turkey. Anyway it was me, Brent, Andrew (who was soooo good) Joseph (he was also very good) Teet, MaryAnn, Mike, Tony & Cassie. Carmy and Richard showed up at 2 on Thanksgiving. The trip is about 7 hours for Brent. There was a nice crowd, not too many people. We left at 4 in the morning and had traveled a good distance before the boys woke up. The trip is 454 miles. We arrived at 12 on Weds, after taking the scenic 101 through the wine counties of Sonoma and Napa. We got a hotel in town because it would have been too much to stay at MaryAnn's. I Turkey Day was fun. Andrew helped Mike make non-alocholic drinks. Haha! I bought Marie Callendar pies, a pecan, blueberry and french apple. On Friday, Brent, me, the boys, Carmy & Richard, and Tony & Cassie went to Napa, to Calistoga where we visited the Sterling winery and then the Beringer one. Sterling had a gondola ride which Andrew liked. Joseph slept through it! haha. Saturday we traveled back home, leaving at 4 in the morning again and I went back to work that night. I wanted to take some scenic pics ones but we forgot to bring the battery charger and the digital camera died. ENT I went to the ENT yesterday because I was feeling some pressure near my old surgery, near the temple. He said I might have allergies and gave me some XYZAL and Dermamist to take for a month. XYZAL makes me drowsy as it's an antihistmine. I was very tired at work last night. It seems to work because I am feeling much better. PreView Reader Views did a "preview" of my book. If you get a chance, check out my book's internet commerical. I'm dying to get your feedback. Here's a link: http://www.readerviews.com/reviews_PreViews.html |
| So I've been trying to catch up on my email that has sadly been neglected, and I just caught the Fantasy Newsletter for 7 NOV 2007. It was fantastic! I loved the list of definations and EE once again gave a good overview of a Fantasy publisher. Feywriter  is my Newsletter Merit Badge winner of the week. If you get a chance, subscribe to the Fantasy letter. All of the editors do a fantastic job with it!Steph |
| It's been a very busy, hectic two weeks, so please forgive my absence. My internet book signing went well. Thanks to everyone who popped on over to my official messageboard and supported it. I'll be hosting another Internet book signing toward the end of January for my book, ACROSS THE FICKLE WINDS OF HISTORY. As soon as I establish a date, I'll post it here and get the word out. Sundays are usually busy for me. I teach Little Church at 10:30 in the morning for an hour at my church and I've been helping out at the babysitting co op too. That said, I'm usually not around on Sundays. Our F150 we bought in March 2005 needed some repairs that warranty didn't cover. Brent blew a fuel line and it needed new brakes and rotors. All I can say is 'Ouch!' On 14 Nov, I celebrated my 16th wedding anniversary. Brent and I got a babysitter and we went to our favorite French restaurant and had a nice dinner, just us. I ordered the filet mignon of course! haha. It's been over a year since we've had a date and we were really glad for the opportunity. We tried to take family pictures for our Christmas greeting card but Joseph is at that age where's he's a fussbudget and it was hard for him to sit still. We did manage to salvage the session with a little cut and pasting though. I've got new hours at work - 0600 pm to 0200 am. I'm getting the min. amount of sleep I can to function, but that's it. I've been hard at work on my RHF stuff because it was our 4 year anniversary this year. RHF stands for "The Roger Howarth Factor." Roger Howarth is an actor on "As The World Turns." I remember as a young teen, back in 1984, I quickly got hooked on "As The World Turns," because my friend AlyM  said Craig was a bad guy but really kinda cool (or something like that.) I was hooked and it developed my soap opera. I watched ATWT for YEARS until 1997 when I discovered "Todd Manning" over on "One Life to Live." ATWT was getting boring at that time, and I started channel flipping until I discovered the awkward "Todd Manning," played by Roger. Todd was a former rapist who didn't feel comfortable in his own skin. At the time, "Todd" was married to a character named "Tea" and while it was a marriage of convienance, the characters were slowly in their own way, falling in love. Roger was phenomianal in this role. Not many actors can grab my attention right away, but Roger's acting did. He's very good with non verbal gestures. I was hooked. He left OLTL in 2003 and joined ATWT. I switched back to ATWT, happy to watch it again. Anyway, a bunch of us loyal Roger fans put together the RHF. It's an internet website that stresses positive support for Roger's acting career and I'm proud to say I'm a lady knight. It's really a cool, spiffy little website and if you get a chance, check it out at: http://www.therhfactor.net Anyhow, that's a little of how soap operas have influenced me and my life. If you've got a favorite soap, character, or actor sign in. I'd love to hear from you.  I've been trying to get ahead for the holidays because I know they'll go fast. I got cards & candies for work, and I've been bought a few Christmas gifts. First though, we've got to make it through Thanksgiving. We're planning on going up north to California wine country - the Napa/Somona counties and visiting one of Brent's aunts for the holiday. The trip will be a bear - about eight hours. Andrew will probably be good for it, but Joseph is 14 months so I'm sure he'll get carseat butt. We've got one of those DVD players in the 4Runner so I'm hoping that will help. It will be nice to get out of town for a little bit. After we get back, then it's time to gear up for Christmas.  One of my favorite times of the year.I got a great, favorable review back for "THE WOLF'S TORMENT" so I thought I'd share a little bit of it with you: November 4th, 2007 by Andrew Ian Dodge The Wolf’s Torment by S. G. Cardin I am fan of gothic horror novels, having written a few tales myself in the genre, but I do have a low tolerance for derivative novels that add nothing new to the genre. This is not one of those. Despite the fact the author has never been to places in the book; she has been in the region however, she evokes the feeling of that part of Central Europe oh so well. The novel includes a pack of wolves, some witches and a bunch of vampires thrown in for good measure. For this story she has come up with a few legends and “facts” about supernaturals which is a nice touch. The legends of all intertwine in that part of the world; so the method used in this novel is accurate. It reads well and does not hang around too long. There is none of the bloat that you find in modern gothic horror novels. While its plain to see that the author is a woman; from the romance aspects of the novel, there is none of the soap opera like plodding that can affect some novels in this genre. I found this far more enjoyable than the last few Anne Rice and Anita Blake novels. The fact several of the main characters start out in London is a nice touch. The spoiled upper class girl who gets more than she bargained for is most amusing as well. Might be a lesson to some of those in the UK/US who marry Eastern Europeans without finding out who they really are first. But I digress. Only one criticism and this is personal taste. Why does it always have to be the werewolf that is the evil one in the end? That said the author was keen to make sure her werewolves were not one-dimensional knuckle-dragging beasts. I hope that she decided to publish this via iUniverse and its not because publishers rejected her novel. Because any publisher who rejected this novel needs to seriously have their head examined. I enjoyed the novel immensely and was pleased to see that there will be a sequel in future. I hope that they author will include me on her review list once again. But please next time give the poor lycanthrope’s a break? The fact I stayed up past midnight two days before a scheduled operation to finish this novel speaks volumes. Thanks, Andrew. Well, I hope I've got you all caught up. Hopefully, I'll be able to update a lot sooner in the future. ((hugs)) Steph |
| Just wanted to pop and say yeah, I know, I've been pimping my Internet book signing his past week, and today's the day. Here's my gratitutious ad blurb: Pop on over to my official board and check out the fun to be had at my official board. I'll be hosting an internet book signing for my book, THE WOLF'S TORMENT. The book is on sale today for 17.50, 5.00 shipping and handling fee. I have a buy it now button up through PayPal. If you buy it today from the site, I'll autograph it and include a bookmark as well as some promotion material. There's lots of posts. Looking foward to seeing you over there! Steph Here's a link: http://p219.ezboard.com/ftherogerhowarthphotogallerycommunityfrm5 Please, if you get a chance, pop on over and say hi. I'll be posting my winners for my OFFICIAL Halloween poetry contest and putting up a contest for November. All winners will be mentioned in my official newsletter so if you get a chance, sign up for that too! Looking forward to seeing you over there. Steph |
SHERRI GIBSON  for her MYSTERY newsletter this week. Sherri took a look the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew mysteries. I remember growing up and reading both series. They really encouraged my reading. Good mysteries for kids & teenagers. Thanks for reminding me of their love, Sweetie. |
| Just wanted to let you know I'll be hosting an internet book signing on my official messageboard tomorrow, Friday 2 NOV. I'll be popping onto the board at around 1000 am PST and I'll be hanging out there all day. The signing is for my book, THE WOLF'S TORMENT. I'll be offering a discount of $17.50 for the book and $5.00 shipping and handling USPS. The book comes with an autograph and a bookmark. I'll be taking paypal and money orders. I hope to see you there! Here's a link to the page on my board talking about it. Steph http://p219.ezboard.com/Internet-Book-Signing-Save-the-date-2-NOV-2007/ftheroger... |
Well, I've been tagged again! Thanks to fyn  and intuey of House Lannister  I'll list my 8 little known facts, but I think just about everyone on this site has been tagged so I'll just let it rest there for now. 1. I was stationed in Germany over 7 years total, I've visited Hungary, The Netherlands, Beligum, Denmark, France, Austria, and Poland! 2. I completed 1 year of law school, but sadly, I didn't make the grade and flunked out after the first year. 3. While in the military I qualified with the following weapons: M16 assault rifle, the M60 Machine gun, the 50 Caliber machine gun, the M203 grenade launcher, .45 pistol, and the 9mm pistol 4. I earned a Gold Schenzensar from the German Army. (It's a marksmanship medal, gold is the highest you can earn) 5. My favorite Beatle is George Harrison. 6. My favorite all time movie is "The Sound of Music." 7. I love Jean Plaidy's books. 8. I have two boys, Andrew is 5 and Joseph is 13 months. |
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I love gyros. We have a Greek church and restaurant in town and a festival. But... I'm not there. 
