tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51904513943981540972024-03-14T19:47:19.059-04:00Unwritten Don't miss a crazy moment--follow Unwritten today!
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<a href="http://buckbooks.net/3570-0-1-2.html"><img src="http://buckbooks.net/affiliates/media/banners/Buck%20Books%20Leaderboard%20Banner.jpg" width="728" height="90" alt=""></a>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.comBlogger925125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-55906536355136371812015-11-17T11:07:00.004-05:002015-11-17T11:07:45.401-05:00Book Review: Amanda Moonstone & The Missing Prince<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25010143-amanda-moonstone" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Amanda Moonstone: The Missing Prince" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424809526m/25010143.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25010143-amanda-moonstone">Amanda Moonstone: The Missing Prince</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6227729.Dan_Wright">Dan Wright</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1418890930">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Amanda Moonstone: The Missing Prince is such a fun read! It's filled with action, magic, lovable heroes and memorable villains I've come to expect from Dan Wright, whose adult novels I've been a fan of for some time. This story, however, is most appropriate for the older elementary and middle school crowd. <br />
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The book centers around Amanda Moonstone, a young sorceress with quite a sad recent past. She lost a baby, and went a bit mad. Her fiance left her, and now she's struggling to make ends meet by selling potions to the locals in the village. Trouble is, she's not always great at that job, so she ends up with irate customers. She's also behind on the rent and is on the brink of being evicted. While out hunting for potion ingredients, she stumbles upon a young boy, Daryl, whose village was destroyed by the evil king. She soon discovers a reward poster for the boy's return. That money could pay all her debts and then some. <br />
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But...Daryl is in fact a missing prince, and returning him to the king will in fact put his life in danger. Poor Amanda has quite the dilemma. The plot reveals how she struggles with this and the choices she must make. <br />
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Like Dan's other manga-inspired writings, this one has illustrations sprinkled throughout that complement the story very well. There are also ties to his adult Draconica series, along with a few innuendos that adults and those who know Dan are likely to enjoy. The characters have the over-dramatic flair of what you might expect from a Disney film, with the villain being despicable enough to hate without being so scary as to give young readers a nightmare.<br />
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While the story itself follows a rather predictable arc for adult readers, there is at least one nice twist that I particularly enjoyed. The writing is well-edited, tight, and paced well enough to hold my attention. It's definitely a story I'd recommend for youngsters or adults who enjoy a light, whimsical read.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4914123-mysti-parker">View all my reviews</a>
Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-49752052715347032382015-09-23T00:00:00.000-04:002015-09-23T00:00:06.593-04:00Guest Post & Giveaway: Stenibelle by Ren Garcia<h3>
<span style="color: blue;">I've been a fan of Ren's sci-fi/fantasy series for a long time. It's always exciting to see another installment! Ren's also offered a bit of insight with a little questionnaire. See which ones you have in common! Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom!</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><u>This or That? - Ren Garcia's on the Hotseat</u></span></h3>
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White? <span style="color: red;">Black</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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early bird? <span style="color: red;">Night Owl</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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E-book? <span style="color: red;">Print</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vanilla? <span style="color: red;">Vanilla</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Diet? <span style="color: red;">Diet :( (Diabetic)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Coke or
Pepsi? <span style="color: red;">Coke</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Romance? <span style="color: red;">Horror</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Drama? <span style="color: red;">Action</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Pizza or
Pasta? <span style="color: red;">Pizza (lllllllllovvvvvvvvve pizza)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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M&Ms? <span style="color: red;">M&M’s</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Salty? <span style="color: red;">Sweet</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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or Twilight? <span style="color: red;">Gah!!
Harry Potter</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mints? <span style="color: red;">Mints</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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or Planning Ahead? <span style="color: red;">Wing-It!!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Pool? <span style="color: red;">Um ...neither actually (Pool)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sandals? <span style="color: red;">Shoes</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Dare? <span style="color: red;">Dare</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Extrovert? <span style="color: red;">Introvert</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h5>
About The Book:</h5>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUvnqC7-UH6R0_IgA92xHdU37uVlWrnq2uafbqg8E4kuSUfZTV-MPR2KtvCtCT8w2FiFEYP83CgymJWZ_f9vvcA3Yka0-9IjQ4tZyVnHvL3iljfT_GgkwBzdrVw9aAsjJAOzMr7AFJ8Cg/s1600/Stenibelle-600x.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUvnqC7-UH6R0_IgA92xHdU37uVlWrnq2uafbqg8E4kuSUfZTV-MPR2KtvCtCT8w2FiFEYP83CgymJWZ_f9vvcA3Yka0-9IjQ4tZyVnHvL3iljfT_GgkwBzdrVw9aAsjJAOzMr7AFJ8Cg/s400/Stenibelle-600x.png" width="270" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> STENIBELLE</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> by Ren Garcia</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Pages: 184</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Date published: July 18, 2015</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Publisher: Loconeal</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> THE 3rd TURN OF THE SHADOW TECH GODDESS The quest of Paymaster Stenstrom spans the planes, taking a bizarre turn in the 3rd universe, as there he is not an affluent man but a woman in desperate circumstances. Lady Stenibelle is imprisoned for her role in the Seeker Affair, is penniless, and her House of Belmont-South Tyrol is on the verge of extinction. Her spirit broken, Stenibelle is resigned to perform her sentence without fuss, do as she is told, and fade away in obscurity. </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> However, fate is not yet finished with her. Stenibelle is in the gaze of hidden benefactors with ulterior motives. People claiming to be her dear friends come forward, yet she does not know them. The Quests of the Shadow tech Goddess proceed, and she must discover the hero that lies within or face total oblivion. The disgraced 30th daughter of the House of Belmont will either be the final stake driven into its dying heart, or the ray of light that comes to save it and all else that follows.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stenibelle-ren-garcia/1122334345?ean=9781940466309"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">B&N</span></a><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> | </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stenibelle-Turn-Shadow-Goddess-Turns/dp/194046630X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438679724&sr=8-1&keywords=Stenibelle"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Amazon</span></a><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> | </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25949685-stenibelle"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Goodreads</span></a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckueJ4VhrgRAuzQb924EX1Xg3Z1VAVHbEaiBnOtSWyC3lqaDYXVDDTEwYdRsCNdZzsBNCNWFMutnYsYuJHlfbEEkPV80A5lkW-QDn6CuuItVJz0qyHNsSnyJqyO48k8SJPp_PWSbtyp02/s1600/2015-06-25+18.47.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckueJ4VhrgRAuzQb924EX1Xg3Z1VAVHbEaiBnOtSWyC3lqaDYXVDDTEwYdRsCNdZzsBNCNWFMutnYsYuJHlfbEEkPV80A5lkW-QDn6CuuItVJz0qyHNsSnyJqyO48k8SJPp_PWSbtyp02/s400/2015-06-25+18.47.55.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Ren Garcia is a Science Fiction/Fantasy author and Texas native who grew up in western Ohio. He has been writing since before he could write, often scribbling alien lingo on any available wall or floor with assorted crayons. He attended The Ohio State University and majored in English Literature.
</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Ren has been an avid lover of anything surreal since childhood; he also has a passion for caving, urban archaeology and architecture. His books are published by Loconeal.
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</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, and their three dogs.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://thetempleoftheexplodinghead.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Website</span></a> | </span><a href="https://twitter.com/StVith"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> | </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-League-of-Elder-by-Ren-Garcia/271190559585?fref=ts"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Facebook</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face', serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"> |<a href="http://thetempleoftheexplodinghead.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Blog</span></a></span></span></blockquote>
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Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-5442741065291899952015-09-02T11:44:00.000-04:002015-09-02T11:44:03.089-04:00Coming September 8: The Business of Love by Anna JamesHiya peeps, I'm interrupting this hiatus to bring you this upcoming release by contemporary romance author Anna James. I've enjoyed her previous books, so I'm excited to check this one out! It's up for pre-order, so go ahead and reserve your copy. Here's a bit more about it:<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;"><i>The Business of Love</i></span></b></h2>
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<b><span style="color: red;">by Anna James</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sophia Hamilton can’t believe her late stepfather split the family
firm three ways. With her hard-earned master’s degree, she and her stepbrother,
Allen, are perfectly capable of running the firm. Instead, she’s forced to
share the reins with Dante Leone. The man who split her heart in two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Six years ago Sophia fell hard for Dante, but when he discovered
she was a starry-eyed nineteen to his twenty-eight, he shut her out. Worse,
Allen’s defection from the firm has left Dante with controlling interest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dante is having a tough time seeing Sophia as anything other than
the woman who lied to him. Yet her resignation isn’t the moral victory he
intended. He feels her absence deep in his heart—and the company plunges deeper
into turmoil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sophia returns on one condition: equal partnership all the way.
But their redoubled efforts aren’t working. And soon it becomes clear someone
is bent on destroying not only her stepfather’s legacy, but any chance of a
future with Dante.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p><b><span style="color: red;">Buy link:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Business-Love-Forevermore-Anna-James-ebook/dp/B013DN7T7W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1439935201&sr=8-3&keywords=the+business+of+love">http://www.amazon.com/Business-Love-Forevermore-Anna-James-ebook/dp/B013DN7T7W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1439935201&sr=8-3&keywords=the+business+of+love</a></div>
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Author Bio:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79u0Eo-uXSA2pYSwwYnBKzE1SGzhGb87DLn9kH0a60BScqC71athggYifthmoJGEqK9yb6_9JYB1BTKaznnRzWYQWPZqke-mFHAOhUjdMZVrbTYgFFMxY6x6xb2PR0wSSVlyhL28wMCM/s1600/twitterprofilepic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79u0Eo-uXSA2pYSwwYnBKzE1SGzhGb87DLn9kH0a60BScqC71athggYifthmoJGEqK9yb6_9JYB1BTKaznnRzWYQWPZqke-mFHAOhUjdMZVrbTYgFFMxY6x6xb2PR0wSSVlyhL28wMCM/s200/twitterprofilepic1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Anna James writes contemporary romance novels with strong,
confident heroes and heroines who conquer life’s trials and find their HEA. Her debut story released in 2010. Since then,
Anna has penned eleven novels/novellas. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Anna is married to a wonderful husband who spends countless
hours picking up the slack around the house so she can pursue her dream of
writing, is the proud mother of five fabulous children, and a big, loveable
rescue dog the entire family adores.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You can
learn more about Anna James at:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.authorannajames.com/" target="_blank">www.authorannajames.com</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/annajames.author" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/annajames.author</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/authorannajames" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/authorannajames</a> </div>
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or by email: <a href="mailto:authorannajames@yahoo.com" target="_blank">authorannajames@yahoo.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-42160781811938142942015-07-09T16:46:00.002-04:002015-07-09T16:48:58.429-04:00On Hiatus, and here's why...Hiya peeps! You might have been wondering if I fell off the face of the Earth. Well, kinda...I fell into my writing cave and haven't emerged for a while. I've decided to put the blogging on hiatus so I can focus on getting more books out. I may or may not return to blogging here, but I'll keep the blog live and up for everyone to access it.<br />
<br />
The only sure way for an author to make a career of writing is to keep writing and publishing, so that's my goal. I'm doing pretty good. I had a goal of 4 books published this year. I'm working on the 4th. The third was just released. Wanna see it? It's my first historical romance!<br />
<h1 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; text-align: center;">
<em> A Time for Everything</em></h1>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
Amazon: <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZFUKEC4" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZFUKEC4">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZFUKEC4</a></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
Barnes & Noble: <a data-mce-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-time-for-everything-mysti-parker/1122264090" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-time-for-everything-mysti-parker/1122264090">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-time-for-everything-mysti-parker/1122264090</a></span></h3>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
Smashwords: <a data-mce-href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/55458" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/55458">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/55458</a>6</span></h3>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
Apple iBooks: <a data-mce-href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-time-for-everything/id1014131141" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-time-for-everything/id1014131141">https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-time-for-everything/id1014131141</a></span></h3>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 24px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://mystiparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ATimeForEverything-500x750.jpg" href="http://mystiparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ATimeForEverything-500x750.jpg" style="font-size: 16px;"><img alt="" class="alignright wp-image-323 " data-mce-src="http://mystiparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ATimeForEverything-500x750.jpg" src="http://mystiparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ATimeForEverything-500x750.jpg" height="320" style="float: right;" width="212" /></a>After losing her husband and only child to the ravages of the Civil War, twenty-five-year-old Portia McAllister is drowning in grief. When she sees an ad for a live-in tutor in another town, she leaves everything behind in hopes of making a fresh start. But as a Confederate widow in a Union household, she is met with resentment from her new charge and her employer, war veteran Beau Stanford.<br />
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Despite their differences, she and Beau find common ground and the stirrings of a second chance at love until his late wife’s cousin, Lydia, arrives with her sights set on him. Burdened with a farm on the brink of bankruptcy, Beau is tempted by Lydia’s hefty dowry, though Portia has captured his heart.<br />
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In another time and another place, his choice would be easy. But love seems impossible amid the simmering chaos of Reconstruction that could boil over at any moment into an all-out battle for survival. Will Beau and Portia find their way into each other’s arms, or will they be swept away by raging forces beyond their control?</div>
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****</div>
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<strong>What readers are saying:</strong></h3>
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<i>"The book truly encapsulated the situation of the time - a Confederate living in Union territory. The mere difference of opinion between Union and Confederate...the vestiges of the war...the consequences of one's actions...the choice of who you love and how you show it." </i>~Girl of 1000 Wonders Book Blog<br />
*****</div>
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"<i>If you enjoy stories from the Civil War then you will definitely enjoy this one. Don't forget to grab the tissues before you start."</i> ~Heather, Goodreads Reviewer</div>
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*****</div>
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"<i>I love Ms. Parker's writing style. She hooked me from the beginning. She really knows how to weave a story.</i>" ~Amy, Goodreads Reviewer</div>
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*****</div>
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"<i>This could also make another great after Civil War movie, or mini TV series. Right up there with 12 yrs. a slave, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Gone With the Wind, The Help</i>." ~Tony Parsons, Goodreads Reviewer</div>
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*****</div>
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<i>"These two characters especially Po managed to keep me interested to the very last page ( to the point I was reading during class). Trust me this is not a book you should miss."</i> ~Stephanie, Goodreads Reviewer</div>
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<em><strong>Awards: </strong></em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.utahrwa.com/howfinalists.html" href="http://www.utahrwa.com/howfinalists.html">Heart of the West Contest (Utah Chapter Romance Writers) - 4th place in Historical Catego</a>ry</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://solawriters.org/2014/11/16/the-southern-louisiana-chapter-of-the-rwa-is-proud-to-announce-the-winners-in-the-2014-9th-annual-dixie-kane-memorial-contest/" href="http://solawriters.org/2014/11/16/the-southern-louisiana-chapter-of-the-rwa-is-proud-to-announce-the-winners-in-the-2014-9th-annual-dixie-kane-memorial-contest/">Dixie Kane Memorial Contest (Southern Louisiana RWA Chapter) - 3rd place in Historical Category</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://chesapeakeromancewriters.wordpress.com/finish-the-damn-book-contest/" href="https://chesapeakeromancewriters.wordpress.com/finish-the-damn-book-contest/">Finish the Damn Book Contest (Chesapeake Romance Writers) </a>- 2nd place in Historical Category</div>
Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-27578697502037822062015-05-18T19:33:00.000-04:002015-05-18T19:33:00.195-04:00NEW RELEASE: Jivin' Tango by Connie L. Smith<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Jivin’ Tango</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By Connie L. Smith</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5i8NdR3qYQDkdPZ0L20PQKPLwuP3eoO7D7Xc83zleDs9kFELOzLmlZ-gf3qEXRsOGajDbrtZGo6pfENcjHRik6PPfDOkAgv0jJyKsUe19-jeYxxftb7rSx9PmimmlCrbmcF_RB8sX0A/s1600/Jivin'%2BTango.v3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5i8NdR3qYQDkdPZ0L20PQKPLwuP3eoO7D7Xc83zleDs9kFELOzLmlZ-gf3qEXRsOGajDbrtZGo6pfENcjHRik6PPfDOkAgv0jJyKsUe19-jeYxxftb7rSx9PmimmlCrbmcF_RB8sX0A/s1600/Jivin'%2BTango.v3.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>Lila and Austin have known each
other since she befriended his younger brother when she was a toddler. In fact,
since her parents moved from her hometown, Lila’s lived with Austin’s family.
The two are friends, though more of the teasing, taunting breed than the BFF
variety.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But all it takes is one moment for
everything to change…<o:p></o:p></div>
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For Austin, that moment comes when
Lila performs a rumba in the school’s auditorium to qualify for the state dance
competition, the young woman on stage so far-removed from the little girl in
his memories.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For Lila, the moment is a
reflected image of Austin preparing for prom, the guy standing in front of his
mirror hardly resembling the child that spent so much of his youth pestering
her.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Will they find a way to admit to
themselves and their families that their feelings are deeper than friendship?
And can Lila focus on this building relationship – and deal with her unstable
ex – and still win the dance contest?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Excerpt : </span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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Austin’s gorgeous,
smart, funny, ambitious, and athletic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But he’s certainly
not a dancer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I learn that early
in our miniature lesson, though it doesn’t bother me. No aggravation surfaces
on his face if he misses a step, and his laughter when he completely botches a
move proves contagious. He’s terrible, we both know it, and it’s about the most
fun I’ve had in years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When he messes up a
particularly simple step, I cackle so much, I let go of his fingers to hold my
palms over my mouth. “How could you miss that?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Without a bit of
shame, he shrugs. “It’s actually pretty easy to do on my end.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Well, I can see
why I never picked you for a dance partner.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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He snorts. “Yeah,
Trent was definitely the right way to go with that one. Now.” He takes my hands
in his, glances down at his poorly functioning feet, then focuses on my face.
“What did I do wrong?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have to bite down
on my bottom lip to keep my amusement from showing, but I manage. Barely. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You
know how some people have two left feet?” I wait for him to nod before I let
humor take over my features. “You seem to think you only have one foot,
period.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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He scrunches his
brow. “What do you mean?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“That’s what you
did wrong.” I take a step back and drop his hands, thinking an example would be
the best way to explain the problem. “You went here.” I put my right foot in
place. “Then here.” My left foot hardly budges. “Then here.” I move my right
foot about ten inches. “You should’ve moved your left foot more. When you
didn’t, it knocked your balance off.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Something that
simple?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I roll my eyes at
the disbelief in his tone, then lace our fingers again. “Yeah. Something that
simple. Every step’s important when you’re dancing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Huh.” The song
changes, and it’s another slow number, one I recognize from Trent’s oldies
collection. Johnny Rivers, singing “Slow Dancing.” I’m tempted to glance at
Trent and his date to verify what I suspect—that he’s the one who requested the
tune—but instead, I gaze up at Austin and find him grinning at me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Now this I can
handle,” he brags.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I snicker and sink
back into his arms…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> ****</o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">About the Author:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPBsqTxSTH1kBQrUKoOqZA_FjVchjIx8x9XQw4AlfPFeTh4z69GzkEp5cTMylwg0uTBog0EW1ZoN8P_B7DQ39a4NSkt_XCROLWRm15eAz9bfgih7pw5kStGun9NY6SoGRSFuJd_dH27A/s1600/connie+smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPBsqTxSTH1kBQrUKoOqZA_FjVchjIx8x9XQw4AlfPFeTh4z69GzkEp5cTMylwg0uTBog0EW1ZoN8P_B7DQ39a4NSkt_XCROLWRm15eAz9bfgih7pw5kStGun9NY6SoGRSFuJd_dH27A/s1600/connie+smith.jpg" height="142" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
Connie L. Smith spends far too much time with her mind
wandering in fictional places. She reads too much, likes to bake, and might forever
be sad that she doesn’t have fairy wings. And that she can’t swing dance. Her
music of choice is severely outdated, and as an adult she’s kind of obsessed
with Power Rangers. She has her BA from Northern Kentucky University in Speech
Communication and History (she doesn’t totally get the connection either), and
is currently working on her MA. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/clsmithbooks">https://www.facebook.com/clsmithbooks</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pinterest: <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/conniel0194/">http://www.pinterest.com/conniel0194/</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
Blog/Main Site: <a href="http://clsmithbooks.blogspot.com/">http://clsmithbooks.blogspot.com/</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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ReadWave: <a href="http://www.readwave.com/connie.l.smith/">http://www.readwave.com/connie.l.smith/</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7257320.Connie_L_Smith">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7257320.Connie_L_Smith</a>
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Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-16719892117242016032015-03-20T11:49:00.000-04:002015-03-20T11:49:07.164-04:00New Achievement Unlocked! <div style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 0.825em;">
Yeah, I play too many video games...anywho...Guess what, y'all!! My flash fiction story "Innocent" is in this fabulous edition of Splickety Prime!!! You can grab an e-version or a print. How cool is that? It's my first story published in a printed magazine :)</div>
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<span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.7; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.7;">Clicky the pikky to get your e-version OR print copy! </strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/900198"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_VDc3bwztKzWzXLErTPAIIqMOf2F4zkqfensqaXZD0nwvjU20BwF1s-eOrlcCZodllizAYJPR3M5QTr8nTKli5Ex06gWohgCA77eXlLCVsQIO6YAvU5wI3MbRrHEAnAGbldmihVLg5Q/s1600/7f78da111b8bd441b0438f504161c551.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div>
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Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-49758170966797976302015-03-06T13:51:00.001-05:002015-03-06T13:51:17.217-05:00Author Roast & Toast: Mysti Parker celebrates The Roche Hotel<br /><br />
Giving away an audiobook and donuts!<br /><br />
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<a href="http://authorroastandtoast.blogspot.com/2015/03/mysti-parker-roche-hotel-6-march.html?spref=bl">Author Roast & Toast: Mysti Parker celebrates The Roche Hotel</a>: “Umm, are you sure you’ve got the right address, Lyn?” Mary eyes the building the taxi-cab has dropped the hostesses outside of, then swi...Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-78357805114070714972015-03-05T10:32:00.001-05:002015-03-05T10:32:14.437-05:00Chances Are Just $0.99 today!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">***Chances Are: Just $0.99 today!***</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chances-Are-Mysti-Parker-ebook/dp/B00QUJP0EG"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.amazon.com/Chances-Are-Mysti-Parker-ebook/dp/B00QUJP0EG</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I loved both characters dearly. They were truly endearing and encouraging. " -- Paranormal Trance Reviews</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"...a heartwarming romance." -- Leona Pence, author of Hemphill Towers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I'd recommend it to any intelligent reader with a weakness for love." - Georgina Young-Ellis, author of the Time Mistress series </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Entertaining, delightful." -- Ia Uaro, author of Sydney's Song</span><br />
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<br />Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-11704009363427051762015-03-01T17:01:00.000-05:002015-03-01T17:01:03.349-05:00UPDATES!!<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For those of you who don't know, I also write children's books, and my first one, <b><i>Quentin's Problem</i></b>, is currently on sale for $0.99 on Kindle!! It's all about a pirate boy who can't say "Arrr!" and is perfect for the pre-K to 2nd grade crowd. Grab a copy for your little pirates from now until March 3. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quentins-Problem-Misty-Baker-ebook/dp/B00TVVX86C/">http://www.amazon.com/Quentins-Problem-Misty-Baker-ebook/dp/B00TVVX86C/</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGp4OGxfmaJpXRwgew8ypSf4kA9LKTTPLPeQTWQNbu0CQ9SUBLfD5uE7NHhCZlKE_DdGMCqynowlgT7eJWNuJnzUdVDQw4hc1ArQ31oxaoBpYmKHuXhe2iacZun5y1_WrWUkEkH7v-XUU/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGp4OGxfmaJpXRwgew8ypSf4kA9LKTTPLPeQTWQNbu0CQ9SUBLfD5uE7NHhCZlKE_DdGMCqynowlgT7eJWNuJnzUdVDQw4hc1ArQ31oxaoBpYmKHuXhe2iacZun5y1_WrWUkEkH7v-XUU/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Congratz to <b><i>Shamona H </i></b>who won the handmade necklace from HMC by KATE for our Let's Get Scientifical blog series!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfFBiNMbGEvdC9NpEhqOy5n4LK4A6NC1oi7q4sZ_O-rfGybskP_CauQsSKG4OARMjpUzsQhGq3NC2S-9sQaiTP9yXKXsn_xVQHgx3ZrvJazyLTpi9lq9_fu3r6oBlrGDYkzcM4rE-1lU/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfFBiNMbGEvdC9NpEhqOy5n4LK4A6NC1oi7q4sZ_O-rfGybskP_CauQsSKG4OARMjpUzsQhGq3NC2S-9sQaiTP9yXKXsn_xVQHgx3ZrvJazyLTpi9lq9_fu3r6oBlrGDYkzcM4rE-1lU/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to all the authors and readers who participated in this series! Without all of you, our blog events wouldn't be possible. Unwritten has always been and will always be for authors and readers to connect through fun events, educational articles, reviews, and more. If you ever want to appear on my blog or if you have any ideas for good series topics, just give me a shout!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Next Event: A-Z Blog Challenge</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> April 1-30</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/"><img alt="" src="http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/Jeremy-iZombie/A2Z-BADGE-0002015-LifeisGood-230_zps660c38a0.jpg" title="Blogging from A to Z April Challenge" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Stay tuned for the sign-up link!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">For the rest of March, I'm taking the month off to write, write, write! See ya soon! ~Mysti </span></i></div>
Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-77853072131096897652015-02-28T08:15:00.000-05:002015-02-28T08:15:11.909-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #21: Love--The Sensible Choice or the Passionate Choice?<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to Unwritten's February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Love: The Sensible or Passionate Choice?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="sugsmall">by MJ Post</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dNJKjDNlvj8hLvJb-0TVx9OXK4qiXeHZA5UPNrHQu8fnYOL1HIn_v__XHh77-XOqE3FYxInpGSiNLAP39wt70Ab8EtoWE7bD-8n1cLRS3SeIbBFqgRu-WGsancZ8xROdbxCB4Eq8QgU/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dNJKjDNlvj8hLvJb-0TVx9OXK4qiXeHZA5UPNrHQu8fnYOL1HIn_v__XHh77-XOqE3FYxInpGSiNLAP39wt70Ab8EtoWE7bD-8n1cLRS3SeIbBFqgRu-WGsancZ8xROdbxCB4Eq8QgU/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span class="sugsmall">Old MJ says: In
romantic stories, we know who gets picked, right? The true love, the one that
makes the heart beat faster, the soul-mate. But is that realistic? Does passion
make us pick?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="sugsmall">First of all, we don't always want what
we think we want. Writes blogger </span><a href="http://bigthink.com/harpys-review/how-do-we-choose-our-mates-the-big-bang-theory-vs-the-algorithm">Pamela
Haag</a><span class="sugsmall">: "</span><a href="http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/eli-finkel/documents/InPress_EastwickFinkelEagly_JPSP_000.pdf"><span class="sugsmall"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">a new research study</span></span></a><span class="sugsmall"> …<i> </i>finds
that while we think<i> </i>we know what we want, we don’t. Researchers found
that when looking at written profiles, participants expressed more interest in
candidates who fit their 'ideals.' But in live interaction, the ideals were no
longer correlated with romantic interest."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="sugsmall">Dating services let customers make sure
they only meet people who fit preselected criteria. These criteria tend to be
sensible (similar age and education, wealth, preferred look). But the study implies that when the
screening's done and we move on to meeting in person, the sparks don’t fly. Why
not?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="sugsmall"><u>Psychology Today</u> blogger </span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201308/how-choose-mate">Dr.
Alex Lickerman</a><span class="sugsmall">:
"As with everything else, our conscious minds play second fiddle to
our </span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/unconscious" title="Psychology Today looks at unconscious"><span class="sugsmall"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">unconscious</span></span></a><span class="sugsmall"> desires…. [W]e may <i>think</i> we know what we want in a mate,
but the real qualities we find attractive—the real reasons for the choice we
ultimately make—are often quite different from what we tell ourselves they
are." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGp9sd6hq8MyyOG71isJNSUOEnFTLlWUD2fivZv1l1VjOT66a49Skf-WMpFKboDNaftcsUESlPltknv9o-Kl52PxrmMaUwMJ3Amm3jsIEzwmXgBRB_I1OQEfz4UQ22nGv5p3f_MKVUp8/s1600/ChancesAre_200x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGp9sd6hq8MyyOG71isJNSUOEnFTLlWUD2fivZv1l1VjOT66a49Skf-WMpFKboDNaftcsUESlPltknv9o-Kl52PxrmMaUwMJ3Amm3jsIEzwmXgBRB_I1OQEfz4UQ22nGv5p3f_MKVUp8/s1600/ChancesAre_200x300.jpg" /></a><span class="sugsmall">A marketing expert, Gad Saad, </span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/homo-consumericus/201404/how-do-we-choose-our-mates">tells
us</a><span class="sugsmall"> about this. There are different ways that we weigh
the characteristics of a person. If a
possible mate is being judged by some combination of looks, personality, and
status, then how these get balanced in our minds determines whether someone
becomes a mate. You could use what Saad calls the Weighted Additive Rule, in
which one criterion is multiplied in importance. After you magnify that trait, someone
becomes acceptable who might have been refused if all qualities were weighted
equally. This explains why dumb,
good-looking women get smart men -- in such cases, looks are those men's top priority.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="sugsmall">Saad also defines other methods of
selection, including Lexicographic Rule:
"I'm seeking someone who's
good in a particular category, so when I find that quality to the degree I
want, the person is a potential mate, period." Want someone rich, hot, or
funny -- if person X meets that description, you may fall in love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="sugsmall">Back to the question of whether choices
are made because of passion or good sense:
the categories are a little more complicated than two. Good sense
usually means pairing with someone of higher status than you, someone with similar education and
background, someone you can get along with. Passion has to do with just feeling
someone is right for you so strongly that you will blow past obstacles and
objections to be with that person. Based on my life experience, I think choices
are made both ways, and the odds for happiness are comparable whether you are
passionate or sensible. What matters the most is how maturely you both handle
the relationship once you are in it -- but that's a different article!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwMDjatmho8wq8uY-H95ww8OZd93f9aZ4raLMJUzR9IAK0PbOJsJX7icIUoz0E2Ss2MMFwob3WkIOmyakBSKYLZjS26BuF8qaYi6h9ZkXW6eWuqBhx_gHgsEK6BPgJdePTVqDJFB1K3s/s1600/U8DS3_KQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwMDjatmho8wq8uY-H95ww8OZd93f9aZ4raLMJUzR9IAK0PbOJsJX7icIUoz0E2Ss2MMFwob3WkIOmyakBSKYLZjS26BuF8qaYi6h9ZkXW6eWuqBhx_gHgsEK6BPgJdePTVqDJFB1K3s/s1600/U8DS3_KQ.jpeg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bio: </span></b><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">MJ Post<b> </b></span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">debuts as a romance
author with "Chances Are." Educated in creative writing in Southern
universities, MJ has ties to Florida and North Carolina but currently resides
in New York City and works in education. MJ is married and grew up in the
1970's and 1980's.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> MJ's
interests include relationships, social media, and comic books. Ask her about
any and all of them!</span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Follow MJ's
author news at </span><span style="background: white; color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Post-Author/302156203319243?sk=likes%20">https://www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Post-Author/302156203319243</a></span></div>
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/MJPostAuthor">https://twitter.com/MJPostAuthor</a></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Blog: </span><a href="http://mjpostauthor.blogspot.com/"><span style="background: white; color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://mjpostauthor.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Email
MJ: </span><u><span style="background: white; color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">MJPostAuthor@gmail.com</span></u><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">ENTER TO WIN!</span></h2>
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<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-87412122959347646562015-02-27T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-27T00:00:04.177-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #20: Is Techno-Love Real Love?<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ouxw_QW_EgBz6i01P9l1Vgnft-SnxNZwLW4XWJFRYq_ZJPQeF9NOlqD31nfEmDS3Raktrr7jEY0yNiP5k7NWXeH9ZZ9WhRi_b9hvlSUsMBKyvcGk4rfQl8ioaPuB7XBj0PMcjNATk0U/s1600/mysti+coupon+feb+15.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is Techno-Love Real Love?</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">by Eve
Francis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLW0O88o_QIKhjzmlG0nUP7mRNIPRnOnQ3BUz4vt-4m9cvfB3CE_U8LZvlK4FeJakBTf0ATIgwfRZj9S6EVN2VjDLl-GImg-Uo3J3ORDmtqJ-IqJRYH4cS8Qnijd9UZEKDjkbq9s-OYI/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLW0O88o_QIKhjzmlG0nUP7mRNIPRnOnQ3BUz4vt-4m9cvfB3CE_U8LZvlK4FeJakBTf0ATIgwfRZj9S6EVN2VjDLl-GImg-Uo3J3ORDmtqJ-IqJRYH4cS8Qnijd9UZEKDjkbq9s-OYI/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Hi readers! Thank you
to Mysti Parker for hosting me on the “Let’s Get Scientifical” blog-hop. My
story, released Feb 15 2015, is called <i>Not
About Love</i>. It's a lesbian sweet romance story, which deals with an online
relationship between two women who meet and fall in love while writing comic
book fan fiction. For me, this is a distinctly modern romance, but a not a
story everyone is used to seeing yet. <br />
<br />
So much of what we know about love, at least from a scientific perspective, has
been reduced to chemicals. Mai Nguyen, the main character in the story, is
studying to be a pharmacist and her study buddy Nathan reminds her (along with
her professors) of this fact. In order to bond with our mates, the body releases
happy hormones and chemicals—such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. These
produce the euphoric feelings of love and make us stick around long after the
thrill of sex is gone. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">There are evolutionary
reasons for this, of course. It's assumed that those we have sex with end up
being the ones we raise offspring with, and we function better when there are
more people to raise that kid. Because of birth control, however, we don't
necessarily need to be in love with the people we have sex with anymore. Most
contemporary rom-coms reflect the changing way we’re dismantling love from sex
(<i>Friends With Benefits</i> is an
example), but we seem to have a harder time thinking of love being present <i>without</i> sex. Is it possible to love
someone you’ve never had sex with? And more importantly, is it possible to love
someone you’ve never even met?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9LOkzYGZytavk7xAlNMjfdfeAMFvV1P9sm8sXmWalVt0wlR8kZdClWwT017s2PcY2wcYgygfeKWLCxBy8NP2ft7CnzEedQs3OmdLGx_IrUsmWgXGqtmmot1UNw1ifPhPK3hyphenhyphenScMGEhI/s1600/Not_About_Love_400x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9LOkzYGZytavk7xAlNMjfdfeAMFvV1P9sm8sXmWalVt0wlR8kZdClWwT017s2PcY2wcYgygfeKWLCxBy8NP2ft7CnzEedQs3OmdLGx_IrUsmWgXGqtmmot1UNw1ifPhPK3hyphenhyphenScMGEhI/s1600/Not_About_Love_400x600.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></span></a><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br />
In this story, Mai struggles to decipher whether her love is "real"
because it happened online. She and Kate have known one another for a long
time, have seen one another over Skype, and have shared many experiences. And
since they write fan fiction together, they've discussed sexuality in vivid
terms. But does that mean Mai is in love with Kate—the characters they write—or
the screen itself? What about Kate's feelings? In fandoms, where emotions
already run quite high, it can be hard to decipher if an “I love you” is a
genuine expression of romantic intent, a friendly exchange, or just excitement.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Many researchers are
already looking into the new ways in which technology influences our love life
and if it's possible to be in love through the technology itself. I'm sure
they're doing great research, and that attitudes towards love and sex will
change in time. But for now, as an author I'm figuring out these conundrums and
attempting to write a very short, but I hope also quite sweet story, about the
possibilities of love on the internet.<br />
<br />
My conclusion? It's definitely possible, chemicals or not.<span class="apple-converted-space"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;">Thank
you for having me!</span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br /><b><u>
Buy link</u></b>: http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=34_162&products_id=1378<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Find more information
on my website here: evefrancis.wordpress.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>Bio:<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">EVE FRANCIS has
appeared in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Fieldstone
Review</i>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Hyacinth Noir</i>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Plunge Magazine</i>, and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Gay Flash Fiction</i>. She has
forthcoming publications with Ylva Publishing and JMS Books. She lives in
Canada and can be found at<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: windowtext;"><a href="http://evefrancis.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://evefrancis.wordpress.com/</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ENTER TO WIN!</span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</span></i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #a64d79; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" height="320" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="180" /></a></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-35738944783728634962015-02-26T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-26T00:00:02.316-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #19: From Shakespeare to Hallmark-Just Add Chocolate<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ouxw_QW_EgBz6i01P9l1Vgnft-SnxNZwLW4XWJFRYq_ZJPQeF9NOlqD31nfEmDS3Raktrr7jEY0yNiP5k7NWXeH9ZZ9WhRi_b9hvlSUsMBKyvcGk4rfQl8ioaPuB7XBj0PMcjNATk0U/s1600/mysti+coupon+feb+15.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">From
Shakespeare To Hallmark: Just Add Chocolate</span><o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>By Alayna-Renee Vilmont<span style="font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“If making love is
an art<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And improper
courtship a crime,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The way to a true
lover’s heart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Is a mixture of
chocolate and rhyme.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">--- Alayna’s
Deservedly Unpublished Valentine Collection<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dN3O5Kn__a5kHV3dDRAYxyq8EjthAJsks62Wh0lfvzIYREj-AauqKWAnQJqptgyaLJsiE-YPzNnZWfq-2WuldZawVMIfvtx6RRrQH8CVxHZNNq9bitjn8Md6PsR3Q1I1ulg2DoOXv7Q/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dN3O5Kn__a5kHV3dDRAYxyq8EjthAJsks62Wh0lfvzIYREj-AauqKWAnQJqptgyaLJsiE-YPzNnZWfq-2WuldZawVMIfvtx6RRrQH8CVxHZNNq9bitjn8Md6PsR3Q1I1ulg2DoOXv7Q/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It may be a bit simplistic, but Hallmark has stumbled
upon something with this observation, continuing traditions that have been
around for centuries, and adding chocolate. While many have dubbed Valentine’s
Day a Hallmark holiday for this very reason, the roots of using poetry as the
ultimate romantic gesture stretch back to at least the Middle Ages. In the time
glamourized by the stories of Lancelot and Guenevere, or Isolde and Tristan, knights
and ladies were not just busy occupying themselves with liaisons that would be
honoured in poetic form years later. A love poem scrawled to the object of
one’s affections could be tucked neatly into one’s locket or hidden underneath
a suit of armour, and served as a promise of reunification in a world where the
average life span barely touched middle age. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If the fastest way to lift a woman’s skirt was to lift
her spirits, preferably while sharing a glass or two of them, it was the
Elizabethans who took romantic poetry and letters to another level and started
a trend that would last roughly 350 years and is still kept alive by greeting
card companies. In an era defined by inequality, many peasants still didn’t
know how to write well, much less compose verse. Education was often considered
wasted on women, yet a background in art, music, literature, and dancing were
talents that made upper-class women more attractive and marriageable.
Therefore, hastily scribbled verses pining over a lover were not uncommon, and
were one of the only discrete and acceptable ways to inform a potential suitor
of romantic interest in a society where arranged marriages were law of the land
and fidelity a seldom-kept promise in people of any station<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUoyii5G25-NibNe3g1X5joO9flsOY3DbYyn-mD9mp3ctA4fwvwdOUz8Pb8q9WLTMm0LbTYUP_Xf1vqTSQ38Ucq-jnqxde3NyaaQQhAKKyraS68hDn2_xLlTR_YG9nWX_wGL-kygJauA/s1600/opheliascover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUoyii5G25-NibNe3g1X5joO9flsOY3DbYyn-mD9mp3ctA4fwvwdOUz8Pb8q9WLTMm0LbTYUP_Xf1vqTSQ38Ucq-jnqxde3NyaaQQhAKKyraS68hDn2_xLlTR_YG9nWX_wGL-kygJauA/s1600/opheliascover.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, for a young man who could not rely on his
looks or station to have women competing to fall into his bed, romantic verse
was a tool in the art of seduction that did not discriminate. The idea of
becoming a talented man’s muse or a less talented man’s object of flattery was
often one not to be sneezed at, and remained that way for centuries---unless
you happened to be a pragmatic heroine in a Jane Austen novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While many of the poems in fashion throughout Europe
during the Elizabethan and Victorian eras were bawdy limericks, or thinly
veiled pick-up lines, others were true works of art. More so than any other
author, it is the love poems penned by William Shakespeare that live on.
Shakespeare’s cranky but insightful Jacques describes the phase of being a
lover as “with a woeful ballad made to his mistress’ eyebrow”. While Jacques
mocks the convention of bad rhyme as courtship, in 2015, we are still comparing
others to a summer day. Words are still sweeter when whispered in secret, in
really not-so-secret from a balcony, or in the case of Roxanne and Cyrano, recited
by a best friend who is single for a reason.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Did Romeo offer Juliet chocolates in a heart-shaped box
while offering immortal words of love? Probably not, but chances are good that
if you’ve forgotten a card with a short rhyming verse as a token of your
affection, you won’t be getting any luckier than that immortal pair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">**********************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFASU3dQGgcY15qwepaRa8imS-ZTBwh07-ziM7a-ufaGmyuW4JkSc2UkfV-yV6r4hytIAQINWVndD-aJdjyUKhhcaHl7s_vV5si-LXowXZAQSF70LplIHSh_DKdVwK_aHFOD3eZaWRpk/s1600/japaneseshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFASU3dQGgcY15qwepaRa8imS-ZTBwh07-ziM7a-ufaGmyuW4JkSc2UkfV-yV6r4hytIAQINWVndD-aJdjyUKhhcaHl7s_vV5si-LXowXZAQSF70LplIHSh_DKdVwK_aHFOD3eZaWRpk/s1600/japaneseshirt.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Alayna-Renee Vilmont is a freelance
writer, blogger, performer, and modern-day Renaissance woman currently residing
in Atlanta, Georgia. This year, she did not receive a Hallmark valentine and
penned this blog instead. Her first book, <b>“Ophelia’s Wayward Muse”</b>, is a
poetic anthology based around the many facets of human relationships and
experiences. Alayna is also the voice behind <b>Jaded Elegance: The Uninhibited
Adventures Of A Chic Web Geek, </b>which has been entertaining readers since
2000. She maintains an active presence on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and
almost every other form of social media out there. She is a frequent
contributor out in the blogosphere, and has a second book in the making---as
soon as reality television is discontinued. Alayna has previously appeared on
this site, winning last year’s flash fiction contest and contributing other
guest blogs. If you’d like to follow the adventures of this modern-day wayward
muse, please stop by and visit at </i><a href="http://www.jadedelegance.net/" title="Alayna-Renee Vilmont"><i><span style="color: blue;">www.jadedelegance.net</span></i></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #454545;">* Facebook: </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/princessalayna" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2862c5;">www.facebook.com/princessalayna</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #454545;">* Twitter: </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/princessalayna" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2862c5;">www.twitter.com/princessalayna</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #454545;">* Blog: </span><a href="http://www.jadedelegance.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2862c5;">www.jadedelegance.net</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #454545;">* Goodreads Author Page: </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6862252.Alayna_Renee_Vilmont" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2862c5;">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6862252.Alayna_Renee_Vilmont</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #454545; line-height: 107%;">* Amazon: </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2862c5; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ophelias-Wayward-Muse-Alayna-Renee-Vilmont/dp/1478218886/" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Ophelias-Wayward-Muse-Alayna-Renee-Vilmont/dp/1478218886/</a></span></span></span><br />
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<h2 style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Permanent Marker'; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; line-height: 27.2000007629395px; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">ENTER TO WIN!</span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: start;"></span><br style="font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: start;" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #a64d79; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" height="320" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="180" /></a></div>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="2c6d2f8e71" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2c6d2f8e71/" id="rcwidget_93y4fq8r" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-91547408352302084652015-02-24T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-24T12:16:19.922-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #18: From Widow to Wife<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From
Widow to Wife<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">by</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Mysti Parker</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWyLNxj7s36JdkzSA_hDpYSddaLBQM4I3QreE4Z144Fqtgex_XZNb_GM5KULoLc9iKAJW5vDTLXqbCAUFsxyF4I2o5jnf_FQYEbiBbInxw_N9dA0iTRaHF2sw7pMMee8ZIS_mn3Lekts/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWyLNxj7s36JdkzSA_hDpYSddaLBQM4I3QreE4Z144Fqtgex_XZNb_GM5KULoLc9iKAJW5vDTLXqbCAUFsxyF4I2o5jnf_FQYEbiBbInxw_N9dA0iTRaHF2sw7pMMee8ZIS_mn3Lekts/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In my upcoming historical romance, <b><i>A
Time for Everything</i></b>, Portia McAllister has to make a difficult choice.
With her husband killed in battle, her only child taken by sickness and with taxes a
poor Confederate widow cannot pay, she decides to leave home to work as a tutor
for a Union veteran’s son in Lebanon, Tennessee. Only after a great deal of
resentment do she and her employer, Beau Stanford, find common ground and eventually
love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Had it not been for the war, her progress from widow
to wife would have been much different. If Portia’s husband Jake had died of
natural causes at home instead of on a battlefield, she may have had the chance
to sit beside him in his last hours. She would have worn black mourning clothes
for a period of up to two years. Should her daughter have died—and this was
still quite likely, as child mortality rates were much higher before the rise
of vaccines and antibiotics—Portia would have worn black for at least a year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Having had no other close relations, her husband’s
brother Frank and his wife Ellen would have taken her in. Portia would have
helped take care of their children and home, while Frank would have made the
decision whether to sell his dead brother’s property or claim it as his own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Soon as the mourning period passed, Portia would have been
eligible to marry again. Her husband would most likely have resided nearby in
Brentwood or the area surrounding it. He would have to have Frank’s blessing to
marry her, as her brother-in-law was her closest male relative and would be
responsible for her </span><span style="line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">well-being</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">. Once married, she would move into her new
husband’s home and be fully integrated into his family. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFh2Iz3JM1DZA-u6NBExDjJa6pIN87BV9E5MANKhOaG9tqAPTFN4wG-YD8ZAbA-BNnhOtgFedoX-ibneteS2m_cbL5A4lh0YIMSV1exVPr9qK-55Ni7I6-_4I_IeGfqM7PS87QVHB5rQ/s1600/img-thing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFh2Iz3JM1DZA-u6NBExDjJa6pIN87BV9E5MANKhOaG9tqAPTFN4wG-YD8ZAbA-BNnhOtgFedoX-ibneteS2m_cbL5A4lh0YIMSV1exVPr9qK-55Ni7I6-_4I_IeGfqM7PS87QVHB5rQ/s1600/img-thing.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="color: blue;">A Time for Everything coming this fall<br /> from EsKape Press</span></b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But the war changed everything, especially for the
former Confederates. Many widows who were poor already like Portia were left
practically destitute. Even if they were lucky enough to have family who could take
them in, that </span><span style="line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">family</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> might be just as destitute. In Frank and Ellen’s case, it was all
they could do to keep themselves and their children fed, so they </span><span style="line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">couldn't</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> take
on the burden of a dead relative’s property or a widow. Though they begged
Portia to stay, she </span><span style="line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> want to add to their hardship. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So she did another thing most women would have never
done pre-war. She left home to live and work in a stranger’s household. A Union
household at that. She didn’t arrive wearing mourning clothes, either. Not
because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t afford to purchase or even
dye those garments herself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Before the war, Beau would have never entrusted his
son to a Confederate’s widow, nor would he have allowed himself to fall in love
with her. Yet, the war obliterated more than men and bricks and mortar. It
forced new social rules upon everyone. Former slaves were now free, but
struggling under the weight of what freedom brought with it. Veterans were left
handicapped, with missing limbs or internal scars that would never heal. And
widows were left to fend for themselves, taking on the provider role of their
late husbands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When widows finally did become wives again, they often
had to marry men who were much older or younger, or those who had once been
considered enemies. Like Beau and Portia—two people who understand the pain of
loss, let go of dead social conventions, and find comfort in each
other's arms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><b><u>Sources:</u></b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><a href="http://civilwarwomenblog.com/civil-war-widows/">http://civilwarwomenblog.com/civil-war-widows/</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><a href="http://www.essential.civilwar.vt.edu/assets/files/ECWC%20TOPIC%20Widows%20Essay.pdf">http://www.essential.civilwar.vt.edu/assets/files/ECWC%20TOPIC%20Widows%20Essay.pdf</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">****</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92cljjkY3yvqHsYEDyz3_Ppa6rQhPlCavemMxPGhpVGe9p0AEUjq4rt5Q3_MEtg56A93iQYAuhDToB1vYeQAOL8Vws5qsPckP2452x30RVRxEH9R2pwCRXnd6EmJLnLG-2fthYlfeDqU/s1600/Profile+Pic+2015+150x226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92cljjkY3yvqHsYEDyz3_Ppa6rQhPlCavemMxPGhpVGe9p0AEUjq4rt5Q3_MEtg56A93iQYAuhDToB1vYeQAOL8Vws5qsPckP2452x30RVRxEH9R2pwCRXnd6EmJLnLG-2fthYlfeDqU/s1600/Profile+Pic+2015+150x226.jpg" /></a><b><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bio</span></b><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">: Mysti Parker is a wife, mom, author,
and shameless chocoholic. She is the author of the Tallenmere standalone
fantasy romance series and The Roche Hotel romantic comedy series. Her short
writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites,
Christmas Lites II, Christmas Lites IV, The Darwin Murders, Tasteful Murders
and EveryDayFiction. Her award-winning historical romance, A Time for
Everything, will be published this summer by EsKape Press.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Other writing pursuits include serving as a
class mentor in Writers Village University's seven week online course, F2K. She
has published one children’s book, Quentin’s Problem (as Misty Baker), with
another (Fuzzy Buzzy’s Treasure) coming this spring.<br />
<br />
When she's not writing fiction, Mysti works as a freelance editor and
copywriter. She also reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication,
and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder's Top
Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three
children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Author
links</span></b><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.mystiparker.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Subscribe to Mysti’s blog, Unwritten</span></i></a><i><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Visit Mysti’s website: </span></i><a href="http://www.mystiparker.com/"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">www.mystiparker.com</span></i></a><i><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mysti-Parker/103786449704221" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">LIKE Mysti’s fan page on
Facebook! </span></i></a><i><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://twitter.com/MystiParker" target="_blank">Follow Mysti on Twitter @MystiParker</a></span></i><i><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: hyperlink;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">ENTER TO WIN!</span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="2c6d2f8e71" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2c6d2f8e71/" id="rcwidget_93y4fq8r" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-13670882109117521072015-02-22T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-23T21:16:57.069-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #17: Love at First Sight--Myth or Reality?<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4e4e4e; font-size: large; line-height: 18.8999996185303px;"><b>Love at First Sight--Myth or Reality?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4e4e4e; line-height: 18.8999996185303px;">by Tony Acree</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiAmCLXIC8tEAAy4kVVoKio3tVpVeR_5XWVkwz-i9oCVk0o7sx913oA01EorMFo9IpO298E3hAfGs01Qy_4I1sNSrbbzRByPT5z1eByiVFsY7o4ilGPdY2v6vpALVd06eAs9F0J9ANUM/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiAmCLXIC8tEAAy4kVVoKio3tVpVeR_5XWVkwz-i9oCVk0o7sx913oA01EorMFo9IpO298E3hAfGs01Qy_4I1sNSrbbzRByPT5z1eByiVFsY7o4ilGPdY2v6vpALVd06eAs9F0J9ANUM/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">n The Hand of
God, when my protagonist, Victor McCain finally finds the woman he’s sent to
find, Samantha Tyler, he falls instantly in love with her. Or perhaps,
instantly in lust. Is there a difference? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Laura Schwecherl wrote a column in the <i>Washington Post</i> discussing the
possibility that love at first sight might have a biological component,
suggesting animals may have a pre-programmed perfect mate and when you see them,
it is instantaneous. And I believe there is a case for two people to have a
chemistry which matches up. But does instant physical attraction equate to
love? When Vic and Samantha meet, the attraction is instant and hits him
physically.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOEohWEkb4A6T3xADmvRCmf4PpI3c5-mi_SQOuCAwRo682Lwk8VgQtf_2rNsjtfDoQgiE1RLSAZrZJDSIcSxVscTb1rtQ-7XxV1V0zVy17p-M7LNbNDoek803iD-BbOE_bpUrjHA4KzQ/s1600/917f8YWPQqL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOEohWEkb4A6T3xADmvRCmf4PpI3c5-mi_SQOuCAwRo682Lwk8VgQtf_2rNsjtfDoQgiE1RLSAZrZJDSIcSxVscTb1rtQ-7XxV1V0zVy17p-M7LNbNDoek803iD-BbOE_bpUrjHA4KzQ/s1600/917f8YWPQqL._SL1500_.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dr. Helen Fisher, a research professor at Rutgers
University, says, “Sexual chemistry does not always equal love, and this is
because we’ve evolved distinct brain systems for mating.” Or in other words,
just because your attracted to someone, doesn’t mean it will work out. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think there is a combination of things when it comes
to the science of love. Two people can have a quick chemical connection, that
“something in the air” moment where you meet a person and the static
electricity cranks up between the two of you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But I also believe there is a part of the equation
which science cannot explain. Humans are complex beings and I don’t think any
one formula can describe why two people hit it off. You hear couples all the
time saying, “we were meant to be.” Perhaps.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the end, Samantha also finds feelings for Victor,
but the attraction was not quite as immediate. One thing Vic knows for sure,
though, is despite only knowing her for one day, he knows he will love her for
the rest of his life. In the end, that’s all that matters, science be
damned. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl7oXpRTvKlRnLU12j9SMAX2KLWjEIu7xCDcIi2hxKL3u9KmW7AIPEa9CAMLGVIND2AUj0I7YrBWgnwXkKm8SZquMJmpVdNjZE0-MN6euoHxs7NiCNHibBGZVOo5zGKwDt4hJPAckF8c/s1600/10418438_10202978171190144_7506412482298713100_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl7oXpRTvKlRnLU12j9SMAX2KLWjEIu7xCDcIi2hxKL3u9KmW7AIPEa9CAMLGVIND2AUj0I7YrBWgnwXkKm8SZquMJmpVdNjZE0-MN6euoHxs7NiCNHibBGZVOo5zGKwDt4hJPAckF8c/s1600/10418438_10202978171190144_7506412482298713100_n.jpg" height="200" width="165" /></a></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1424552637009_65248" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon best selling author, Tony Acree,likes putting characters in situations they think they will never survive, and find out if they're right. He lives near Louisville, Kentucky with his wife, twin daughters, two female dogs, a female cat, and says the way the goldfish looks at him, he's sure she's female, too. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy links:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Amazon: </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tony+acree" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tony+acree</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Barnes and Noble: <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/tony-acree" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/tony-acree</a></span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1424552637009_65263" style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1424552637009_65262" style="line-height: 19px;">Website: Tonyacree.com</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Twitter: @Tonyacree</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1424552637009_65267" style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1424552637009_65266" style="line-height: 19px;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTonyAcree" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1424552637009_65265" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTonyAcree</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">****</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">ENTER TO WIN!</span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-50125348011597197802015-02-21T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-21T00:00:01.447-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #16: All in the Family--Goblins & Inbreeding<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px;">
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<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">All in the Family: Goblins & Inbreeding</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">by Jaq Hawkins</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrq_e1O6mYaHDmZ8s1EKPwoOCb6Iu8Xrnp2eo0x0E9gk_hwm85LTwdFVftzCmOP078viCOEHRcZZRHuX1VCJTvM3RZm3RtkJd8OI3gy_ar0ewgDxEVO7JZC2GrdtTnoRL7OZT-g47CoVk/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrq_e1O6mYaHDmZ8s1EKPwoOCb6Iu8Xrnp2eo0x0E9gk_hwm85LTwdFVftzCmOP078viCOEHRcZZRHuX1VCJTvM3RZm3RtkJd8OI3gy_ar0ewgDxEVO7JZC2GrdtTnoRL7OZT-g47CoVk/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goblins are very aware of the effects of a
limited gene pool. If a small community breeds only within its borders, the
inbreeding will result in autosomal recessive disorders, which occur in
individuals who have two copies of the same gene for a particular recessive
genetic mutation.<sup>1</sup> The alleles (versions of genes) collect a
multitude of deleterious mutations which diminish fitness in the bloodlines.<sup>2</sup>
Therefore, to mix genetic lines more broadly, goblins seek out mates from other
grottos. What's more, the tradition of the succubus; the female creature who
visits unwary males in the night and seduces them, provides outbreeding<sup>1</sup>
for more diverse genetics when a sufficiently humanoid looking female goblin is
able to conceive from such a seduction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Love is considered a separate issue to
goblins. There is no room for jealousy in a species in danger of extinction
through insufficient fertility. The fact that fewer females are born within the
goblin grottos is nature's way of reducing the inbreeding, but it also limits
the number of females that might bring new strains into the bloodlines.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goblins share common ancestors with humans,
and therefore are able to crossbreed. Genome sequences harvested from
Neanderthal bones have previously confirmed that Neanderthals (the direct
ancestors of the <i>Deep Dwellers</i>) and modern humans mated, and that about
2% of the genomes of people who descend from Europeans, Asians and other
non-Africans is Neanderthal<a href="http://www.nature.com/news/modern-human-genomes-reveal-our-inner-neanderthal-1.14615#b3" title="Green, R. E. et al. Science 328, 710–722 (2010)."></a>.<sup>3,4</sup>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In earlier times, human communities also
suffered the effects of inbreeding, before transportation developed so that
more humans could travel on a regular basis. The obvious solution to two
communities who have become inbred was of course to trade the occasional infant
so that both communities could benefit from more diverse lines. The tradition
of changelings, unfortunately, had to be abandoned some time ago. The humans
objected to the exchange and would torture the goblin infants and leave them
exposed in the woods until their own infants were returned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRb1gtgk39tqX46cWdYjkjZfmGkQychguSIm8Fp9wvgNtb4nsCTwGR9sysKdwjT9AkKR4MPUKREqgrqgd-8yCIZGVyYxxHCuRSdVwvRtA1i-w0SSV650zGsO51Yo_5iQ194SYf7Q4Atrk/s1600/Front3rdEd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRb1gtgk39tqX46cWdYjkjZfmGkQychguSIm8Fp9wvgNtb4nsCTwGR9sysKdwjT9AkKR4MPUKREqgrqgd-8yCIZGVyYxxHCuRSdVwvRtA1i-w0SSV650zGsO51Yo_5iQ194SYf7Q4Atrk/s1600/Front3rdEd.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The goblins, who treasure every birth and
could not understand the ability of humans to be cruel to innocent babes,
ceased the practice and instead seek more direct fertilisation via the
succubus, leaving the humans to deal with their inbreeding problems in their
own way. Fortunately they eventually developed long distance means of travel
and their communities began to diversify.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As for the goblins, they continue to seek
ways to diversify. Runners, the goblins who carry information from one grotto
to another, are always in demand when the females choose their mating partners
at <i>The Dance</i>. The primal seductivity of <i>The Dance</i> encourages
regular matings, though not always with the partner that the female loves most.
Exclusive partnerships are rare, but goblins do love.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goblins recognise emotional love as a unity
between two like-minded entities who share attitudes and opinions most closely.
Physical attraction may be involved as well, but the goblins recognise that
pheremones<sup>5</sup> are strongest between a male and female who are most
likely to be able to breed. It is simple biology, sensed on a subtle scent
level.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">References:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inbreeding<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2.
http://helorimer.people.ysu.edu/inbred.html<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3.
http://www.nature.com/news/modern-human-genomes-reveal-our-inner-neanderthal-1.14615<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaic_human_admixture_with_modern_humans<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_pheromone<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dance of the Goblins<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.amazon.com/Goblin-Trilogy-complete-ebook/dp/B00MGIAXE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422016805&sr=8-1&keywords=goblin+trilogy<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Smashwords<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/123080<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lulu<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/jaq-d-hawkins/dance-of-the-goblins-new-expanded-third-edition/paperback/product-21642070.html</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">****</span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<h2 style="color: black; line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
<div style="color: black; line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"></span><br />
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-56850883364952893032015-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-15T00:00:01.854-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #15: Half-Human + Half-Alien = ?<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; line-height: 18.8999996185303px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Half-Human/Half-Alien
Reproduction by Jane Novotny, MD</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-indent: 0.25in;">Transcribed by P. E. Sibley</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9wJ0ozhT_yic9MlbxDB-rYGHS3FJLrxzS50T00CPc1X8Xgxb2q3yCqwlYYNoxk__c2qfaCwH6NQO8DUblplPPAg4SwNnyHImgB5K0bKtzM4r3M1z70fr5SsSEx4Dz_fnMPuuXb8Pp9M/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9wJ0ozhT_yic9MlbxDB-rYGHS3FJLrxzS50T00CPc1X8Xgxb2q3yCqwlYYNoxk__c2qfaCwH6NQO8DUblplPPAg4SwNnyHImgB5K0bKtzM4r3M1z70fr5SsSEx4Dz_fnMPuuXb8Pp9M/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Mark Praed is the product
of interspecies breeding between a human male and an alien female from the
planet Kyree in the Steglos System. Kyreens are a humanoid race with DNA
similar to that of homo sapiens. To understand if Mr. Praed would be able to
father children, one must first understand the reproductive processes of
Kyreens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Unlike human women who,
during every twenty-eight day cycle are fertile five to six days (ovulation),
Kyreen females are fertile every day of the Kyreen solar year (which is four hundred
forty-eight days long) unless pregnant. Females reach puberty at the average
age of fifteen, and fertility begins to taper off at the age of sixty, although
there are records of the occasional female giving birth into their early
seventies. It should also be noted the average life span of Kyreen females is
one hundred twenty Kyreen years (roughly one hundred sixty Earth years).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7pboIw5YvAOCcOqJNf0SFTCA60gapO5IWNlI7Zz01QAwt_mjlPAE_DC-QYsJWDD4WWLmN2-8J6C7t_htQNdtp2iOhPCsJAl5X-K6Ma3WlyDejeINErSQuPHg2bTIx_mlZP5rb5xVpPk/s1600/book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7pboIw5YvAOCcOqJNf0SFTCA60gapO5IWNlI7Zz01QAwt_mjlPAE_DC-QYsJWDD4WWLmN2-8J6C7t_htQNdtp2iOhPCsJAl5X-K6Ma3WlyDejeINErSQuPHg2bTIx_mlZP5rb5xVpPk/s1600/book+cover.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Eggs are stored in the <i>tolaren</i>, a single organ similar in
function to human ovaries. When the female is completely sexually aroused, an
egg is released from the <i>tolaren</i> into
the <i>insolen</i> or uterus. There it waits
for spermatozoon from a male.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Given the length of time a
female is fertile, one would presume the planet of Kyree has a population
problem. However, Kyreen males are fertile only three times within their long
solar year, and only for three days at each occurrence. In the past, the males
had no idea when those days of fertility would happen, although some reported
an increase in libido just before. Only in the last one hundred Kyreen years
has testing been possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">If the egg is not
fertilized, it will pass through the uterus within three days, in the
equivalent of human menses. Kyreen females do not have regularly monthly
menstrual cycles as do human females.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The question of fertility
was raised in the case of my patient, Mark Praed. With parents of differing
species, he wondered if he might be sterile like a mule born of a donkey and a
horse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Fertility tests confirmed
that he would be able to father children year round as do human males; sperm
counts were consistent throughout the Earth solar year. However, higher counts
were observed three times during the four hundred forty-eight days of the
Kyreen year (even though testing was performed on Earth). Odds of conception
would be higher if coitus occurred with a Kyreen female at any point in time.
Procreation with a human female by traditional intercourse would be possible
during the three Kyreen periods of higher fertility. To guarantee conception, <i>in vitro</i> fertilization would be the most
efficient course of action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> ****</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEzY39TLxvT435hv_Qkg_pKAIH0diTUco2_mZMng9_L5BRmU5JFSEhQamMulLm7bkk9xicsW2kl_iUgyVMINnxtgQnKwR_RGpByv3NQZQg_hmZgdnY1KOhJZ41_w7FDHx7liKKBrSvVE/s1600/p.e.+sibley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEzY39TLxvT435hv_Qkg_pKAIH0diTUco2_mZMng9_L5BRmU5JFSEhQamMulLm7bkk9xicsW2kl_iUgyVMINnxtgQnKwR_RGpByv3NQZQg_hmZgdnY1KOhJZ41_w7FDHx7liKKBrSvVE/s1600/p.e.+sibley.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Bio:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For P. E. Sibley (a.k.a.
Pat Sibley) writing is a passion, or perhaps a compulsion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">She was born, raised, and
educated mostly in Orange County, California. A voracious reader as a child,
she became interested in writing early on. She wrote her first short story in
second grade about an ant. It ended rather abruptly when the ant was smashed by
a foot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">By the time she reached
her mid-twenties, she was living a near-gypsy existence, moving from one city
to another. She traveled to Europe several times (Scotland is the preferred
destination) and to the Middle East, and tried numerous occupations including
climbing telephone poles, picking oranges on a kibbutz in Israel, and managing
a bookstore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">She went back to school
for a Teaching Credential from Cal State University, Long Beach, doing her
student teaching in Hampshire, England.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">She moved numerous times
more—mostly eastward and northward—to San Francisco and then Sierra Nevada Mountains
and now resides in rural Eastern Washington State with her husband, a
wolf-canine mix, a cattle dog, and a cat that believes she’s a dog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Reckoning-Praed-Novel-Novels-ebook/dp/B00P5WKBJI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1422591512&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Cruel+Reckoning"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Reckoning-Praed-Novel-Novels-ebook/dp/B00P5WKBJI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1422591512&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Cruel+Reckoning</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/P.-E.-Sibley/e/B00FKMI8Z2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.amazon.com/P.-E.-Sibley/e/B00FKMI8Z2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h2 style="line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
<div style="line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-10183076208107397782015-02-14T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-14T00:00:00.752-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #14: Love = Mailed Letters > E-Mailed Letters?<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ouxw_QW_EgBz6i01P9l1Vgnft-SnxNZwLW4XWJFRYq_ZJPQeF9NOlqD31nfEmDS3Raktrr7jEY0yNiP5k7NWXeH9ZZ9WhRi_b9hvlSUsMBKyvcGk4rfQl8ioaPuB7XBj0PMcjNATk0U/s1600/mysti+coupon+feb+15.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Can
Love Come Through the Mail?</span></b></span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Proving
that Mailed Letters Create More Positive Reaction than Emailed Letters</b></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>By
D. G. Driver, author of <i>Passing Notes</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJQ4106QGyONATT42UF0LUa2Nj8Jqwbe8DAY4lx8lmUacVodQf_680Z5ZYKLwFi9LMcm4Oyutea26z1FlrVA-CpDXRENTDGAX7R6PD13MAB9562DoA56jGY3jw88p1A2qbkhFhG-1JBM/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJQ4106QGyONATT42UF0LUa2Nj8Jqwbe8DAY4lx8lmUacVodQf_680Z5ZYKLwFi9LMcm4Oyutea26z1FlrVA-CpDXRENTDGAX7R6PD13MAB9562DoA56jGY3jw88p1A2qbkhFhG-1JBM/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">“But I really want to
see her.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Handwriting'; font-size: 11.5pt;">Letter first. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">“How should I give it
to her?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Handwriting'; font-size: 11.5pt;">Mail is best. It is a thrill to receive mail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">“Mail is slow. We call
it snail mail these days for a reason. That’ll take days. Can’t I just slip it
into her locker?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Handwriting'; font-size: 11.5pt;">No. Mail it. Heed my
words and learn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">In my Young Adult novella, <i>Passing
Notes</i>, Mark is in love with a girl that is smart and beautiful and hasn’t
paid him a bit of attention in all the years he’s adored her – until now. Only,
he doesn’t have any flare for romance and all the texts and emails he sends to
her backfire. Suddenly he begins to find notes advising him on how to write a
love letter: it must be on nice stationery, in cursive, and sent through the
real mail. Why? This mysterious teacher knows it will get the best result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">It turns out that Mark’s ghostly helper is right. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Dr. Simon Moore, Chartered Psychologist at
the British Psychological Society, conducted a study on the psychological
impact of letters verses email. There wasn’t a single instance in the study
where an emailed message got a more favorable response than a hand-written,
mailed letter. Some of things discovered were that participants in the study
felt that hand-written letters were more personal and that they read the
physical letters with more attention rather than scanning an email. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">15% the participants stated they would
definitely read through all of their emails carefully, while 85% said they
would definitely read letters more carefully. Interestingly a whopping 95% of
the participants rated letters as being ‘more real’ and 80% of them thought
letters offered a better chance of persuading someone of something.” (1)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDdCkbqKJupxvnXQd3jsFn0INBkrvT7dXmrFrmUP1OujVgRIgKvKMLkonO-rDD25bP54mghWS4Pwxwy8qjdsT-kB4EcTi_WK6AJVhpbiog-W4N9ve0Ef-qvS1BZVOR9cng9HPoM0MI-k/s1600/PassingNotes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDdCkbqKJupxvnXQd3jsFn0INBkrvT7dXmrFrmUP1OujVgRIgKvKMLkonO-rDD25bP54mghWS4Pwxwy8qjdsT-kB4EcTi_WK6AJVhpbiog-W4N9ve0Ef-qvS1BZVOR9cng9HPoM0MI-k/s1600/PassingNotes.jpg" height="400" width="263" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
another study (2005), it was proven that people felt that physical letters were
more trustworthy and polite. The effort of taking time to write a note by hand,
fold it, put it in an envelope, address and stamp it and then drop it in a
mailbox was considered to be more earnest. On the other hand, the ease of email
and something called the “online disinhibition effect” seemed to make
dishonesty or rude comments more likely to occur. A study done in 2010 found
that people considered email to be more like “chatting”, which resulted in
emails coming across as less sincere. Recipients of emailed letters said they
felt “emotionally distant” as compared to physical letters. Also, emails can be
sent impulsively, preventing the author from taking the time to make sure the
words written were the words intended. Writing a letter by hand allows the
sender time to choose words more carefully and weigh the value in mailing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">And what does this mean for love letters, specifically? In an article
for <i>Psychology Today</i>, </span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/aaron-ben-ze-v-phd"><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Aaron Ben-Zeév Ph.D.</span></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">
wrote, “</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">It is often easier to describe your heart in writing… letters
can be reread again and again and thereby enhance romantic responses.”(2) So,
I’m pretty sure he’d agree with Mark’s love letter tutor in my book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">I found articles on this topic from several major
periodicals, including the <i>Wall Street
Journal</i> and <i>Forbes Magazine</i>,
leading me to believe that letter writing is still important to a lot of people
and not something to let fall away. So, here’s your homework after reading this
highly scientific and educational post: read <i>Passing Notes</i> for fun, and when you’re done, write a sweet letter
to someone (lover, friend, family) and send it by mail. See if all these
psychologists (and the ghost from my book) are correct, and enjoy the response
you get in return.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(1)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.avery.co.uk/vgnfiles/OP/en_gb/Projects%20&%20Ideas/Articles/Love%20Letters/love_letters_report.pdf"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow",sans-serif;">http://www.avery.co.uk/vgnfiles/OP/en_gb/Projects%20&%20Ideas/Articles/Love%20Letters/love_letters_report.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow",sans-serif;"> “A Study Comparing the Psychological Impact of Sending and Receiving
Letters v. Emails” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(2)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-the-name-love/201112/falling-in-love-through-writing"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow",sans-serif;">https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-the-name-love/201112/falling-in-love-through-writing</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow",sans-serif;">
</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial Narrow",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Falling in Love Through
Writing” by </span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/aaron-ben-ze-v-phd"><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial Narrow",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Aaron
Ben-Zeév Ph.D.</span></a><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial Narrow",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">, </span><i><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow",sans-serif;">Psychology
Today</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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****</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2j_4VLBBY-FJj4PpM9N0CG09m-NHZVRw58M6rcDDaXUBxFyjEGTKzA_sLwjiOPCReEW_N5ZU2IMW5gQ1JwmUUDOHJoxeyTw_MsTynyhTYZLjT85SIo-awW_bDahOJDcEQLlV6GJcQQzs/s1600/DonnaDriverBeachbest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2j_4VLBBY-FJj4PpM9N0CG09m-NHZVRw58M6rcDDaXUBxFyjEGTKzA_sLwjiOPCReEW_N5ZU2IMW5gQ1JwmUUDOHJoxeyTw_MsTynyhTYZLjT85SIo-awW_bDahOJDcEQLlV6GJcQQzs/s1600/DonnaDriverBeachbest.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">D.
G. Driver is a member of SCBWI and lives in Nashville. She sold her first story
20 years ago and is amazed at how fast time has flown since then. As Donna
Getzinger, she has had several critically acclaimed and award-winning
nonfiction books published . In 2014 she changed her name to D. G. Driver and
had her first young adult novel, <em>Cry
of the Sea</em>, published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books. She also
had a story published in the pirate anthology <em>A Tall Ship, A Star, and Plunder</em>. <em>Passing Notes </em>is her 2nd
book with Fire and Ice, and later this year her middle grade novel <em>No One Needed to Know </em>will
be published by Schoolwide Inc.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Passing-Notes-D-G-Driver-ebook/dp/B00RMZBLJK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422837356&sr=8-1&keywords=passing+notes">http://www.amazon.com/Passing-Notes-D-G-Driver-ebook/dp/B00RMZBLJK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422837356&sr=8-1&keywords=passing+notes</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Smashwords: <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/505480">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/505480</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.fireandiceya.com/authors/dgdriver/passingnotes.html">www.fireandiceya.com/authors/dgdriver/passingnotes.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.dgdriver.com/">www.dgdriver.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<h2 style="line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
<div style="line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-28892316850711720112015-02-13T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-13T00:00:01.541-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #13: Mom, Dad, and Lover Makes Three?<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ouxw_QW_EgBz6i01P9l1Vgnft-SnxNZwLW4XWJFRYq_ZJPQeF9NOlqD31nfEmDS3Raktrr7jEY0yNiP5k7NWXeH9ZZ9WhRi_b9hvlSUsMBKyvcGk4rfQl8ioaPuB7XBj0PMcjNATk0U/s1600/mysti+coupon+feb+15.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Happily Ever After, Happy For Now…</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><b>by S.S. Hampton, Sr.</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFCTRlJ-tGWx8T5p58vOdBYH0ul_YOuHiHSiyRV3rY_Eir5NfBWsNcfdYp4kgmGHbRC7fs6XD9pb8sm9-dKf7HusQnySeDlcfqn4Z_JOMd98vxaK3Uto6zIf3Z7NslOMmguPR-q_AIj4/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFCTRlJ-tGWx8T5p58vOdBYH0ul_YOuHiHSiyRV3rY_Eir5NfBWsNcfdYp4kgmGHbRC7fs6XD9pb8sm9-dKf7HusQnySeDlcfqn4Z_JOMd98vxaK3Uto6zIf3Z7NslOMmguPR-q_AIj4/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> Happy
Valentine’s Day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> You
know, the romantic song <i>Love Changes
Everything</i> (Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer; Charles Hart and Don Black,
lyrics) says it all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> It
says it all about those couples who find Happy Ever After, and even those who
find Happy For Now. And what if those couples add a third person to the mix? By
the way, we are talking about ordinary people here—not rich corporate CEOs,
beautiful college girls, or powerful politicians and sexy secretaries. Just
ordinary people who explore the world around them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> In
my novel <i>Sharing Rachel</i> (MuseItUp
Publishing, 2014), an ordinary husband and wife, small business owners in
Kansas, are left with an empty nest when their daughters go east to attend a
university. Faced with an unchanging routine that threatens to stretch far into
the future, Burt Markham has a surprising idea. But, will his wife Rachel
accept the idea? And if she does, will that threaten or strengthen their marriage?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> It
is no surprise that there are many couples (admittedly a small minority) who
explore the sexual world together, even if only one of them passionately and
intimately embraces that world—with the permission and support of their other
half.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmj1Crt5AFHY7sNZM2tKTCKTJBiF80zwe22sADwXk1WZuw5CLDnZttiu9HPgIW1Ye272wh9JZpOOpk4qK-DxhL1mpIbjeHv-gQV59DZE4-pcMm2IWpPNb6D9X19ykgafbrV0svLoHsgo/s1600/333x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmj1Crt5AFHY7sNZM2tKTCKTJBiF80zwe22sADwXk1WZuw5CLDnZttiu9HPgIW1Ye272wh9JZpOOpk4qK-DxhL1mpIbjeHv-gQV59DZE4-pcMm2IWpPNb6D9X19ykgafbrV0svLoHsgo/s1600/333x500.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> Studies
have shown that love physically impacts our bodies through releasing various
chemicals. For example, dopamine—when released it provides pleasure through a
variety of activities, including love. The chemical oxytocin is a “bonding
chemical” that reinforces the feeling among a couple of belonging to a loved
one. Testosterone is present in both men and women, especially when sex is
involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> Those
chemicals (along with many others) are also present if, for example, the wife
with her husband’s approval and support, maintains a short-term or long-term lover
outside the marriage. Or several lovers over a span of time. Of course, this
does not mean that the husband and wife love each other any less. It simply
means that the wife has the freedom to explore her sexuality with other men (or
sometimes other women).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> It
also does not mean that the woman loves her lover—though the same chemicals are
present, she may be driven more by lust than love. After all, who has not had
the experience of encountering someone attractive, feeling immediate lust,
followed by sexual gratification? That experience can be as exhilarating as
love, though lust is usually much shorter in duration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> Admittedly,
this sort of marriage, this sort of love, is not for everyone. But for those
who explore and find that a 3-person relationship works for them, then it is
just as much Happy Ever After or Happy For Now, as it is for a traditional couple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> And
so remember, it really is true that <i>Love
Changes Everything</i>. (I believe that love also makes all things possible.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> So,
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours! Or, in some cases, Happy Valentine’s
Day to you and yours, and hers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">****</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYf1wYrZkoeSyZFL3pscyuBi2JsqcqZTp3XDeRfFXxbwj7uZT4OldXxAIdSMrCU_z_UjADK_IDh1j7k20OZ5c8YMlxWR4i06kBIQi1XiHoUUWOzZaZeV8Oes9RT1OfUpPqrrnOZ_4IFM/s1600/Final_MG_0337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYf1wYrZkoeSyZFL3pscyuBi2JsqcqZTp3XDeRfFXxbwj7uZT4OldXxAIdSMrCU_z_UjADK_IDh1j7k20OZ5c8YMlxWR4i06kBIQi1XiHoUUWOzZaZeV8Oes9RT1OfUpPqrrnOZ_4IFM/s1600/Final_MG_0337.jpg" height="122" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span> Stan Hampton, Sr. is a full-blood Choctaw of the Choctaw
Nation of Oklahoma, a divorced <o:p></o:p></div>
grandfather to 13 wonderful grandchildren, and a
published photographer and photojournalist. He retired on 1 July 2013 from the
Army National Guard with the rank of Sergeant First Class; he previously served
in the active duty Army (1974-1985), the Army Individual Ready Reserve
(1985-1995) (mobilized for the Persian Gulf War), and enlisted in the Nevada Army
National Guard in October 2004, after which he was mobilized for Federal active
duty for almost three years. Hampton is a veteran of Operations Noble Eagle
(2004-2006) and Iraqi Freedom (2006-2007) with deployment to northern Kuwait
and several convoy security missions into Iraq.<br />
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His writings have appeared as stand-alone stories and in
anthologies from Dark Opus Press, Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy, Melange
Books, Musa Publishing, MuseItUp Publishing, Ravenous Romance, and as
stand-alone stories in Horror Bound Magazine, The Harrow, and River Walk
Journal, among others.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In May 2014 he graduated from the College of Southern
Nevada with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Photography – Commercial
Photography Emphasis. A future goal is to study for a degree in archaeology—hopefully
to someday work in and photograph underwater archaeology (and also learning to
paint).<o:p></o:p></div>
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After 13 years of brown desert in the Southwest and
overseas, he misses the Rocky Mountains, yellow aspens in the fall, running
rivers, and a warm fireplace during snowy winters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As of April 2014, after being in a 2-year Veterans
Administration program for Homeless Veterans, Hampton is officially no longer a
homeless Iraq War veteran, though he is still struggling to get back on his
feet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hampton can be found at:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Dark Opus Press<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.createspace.com/3685965">https://www.createspace.com/3685965</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy Publishing<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.edgewebsite.com/books/dansemacabre/dansemacabre.html">http://www.edgewebsite.com/books/dansemacabre/dansemacabre.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Melange Books<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.melange-books.com/authors/sshampton/index.html">http://www.melange-books.com/authors/sshampton/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Musa Publishing<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=50">http://www.musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=50</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>MuseItUp Publishing<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/museitup/mainstream/better-than-a-rabbit-s-foot-detail">https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/museitup/mainstream/better-than-a-rabbit-s-foot-detail</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Ravenous Romance<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.ravenousromance.com/anthologies/back-door-lover.php">http://www.ravenousromance.com/anthologies/back-door-lover.php</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.ravenousromance.com/anthologies/virgin-ass-first-times-tales-of-anal-sex.php">http://www.ravenousromance.com/anthologies/virgin-ass-first-times-tales-of-anal-sex.php</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Amazon.com Author Page<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/SS-Hampton-Sr/e/B00BJ9EVKQ">http://www.amazon.com/SS-Hampton-Sr/e/B00BJ9EVKQ</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Amazon.com. UK Author Page<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/SS-Hampton-Sr/e/B00BJ9EVKQ">http://www.amazon.co.uk/SS-Hampton-Sr/e/B00BJ9EVKQ</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Goodreads Author Page<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6888342.S_S_Hampton_Sr_">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6888342.S_S_Hampton_Sr_</a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BONUS QUESTION! </b></span></div>
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<b>Stan's offering an extra prize:</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><i><b><u>What
famous author in the 1920s wrote a novel about wife-sharing, and what is the
title?</u></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
The prize for the first person to answer correctly, is a <span style="color: red;">RED</span> spaghetti strap
top emblazoned with "Of course I'm not cheating...I let my husband
watch"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygiQY5RpJwjW9as6WWtmqjE2DvurSLyPrV18daC6fyJmAhrMCSIFb4IY8luoSPAlNognBsZLtvczAXmUWYAJ38Yy_WhB6yXq7_6IeY38SptsWlVxiHjiFeUOmvKEWtP4EQxRuQaJeX6c/s1600/10154806_820877357969712_848993170_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygiQY5RpJwjW9as6WWtmqjE2DvurSLyPrV18daC6fyJmAhrMCSIFb4IY8luoSPAlNognBsZLtvczAXmUWYAJ38Yy_WhB6yXq7_6IeY38SptsWlVxiHjiFeUOmvKEWtP4EQxRuQaJeX6c/s1600/10154806_820877357969712_848993170_n.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<h2 style="line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
<div style="line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-8730012550157775872015-02-12T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-12T09:56:30.902-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #12: Gargoyles or Bust!<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Science of Creating The Perfect Gargoyle</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">By Emma Paul<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCPjwQkLBUoyuGgDQ6bFh1vhXk8eCzHrc0EGEgZ-ooNCTYjotO2fbV5LlqqH860Je4iJHoLczg4gV18rbZky4KhL9rhHGheX9hHpt53W4MCNriwcSABGT2VguuiHjs7EoW_DZibBDCnc/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCPjwQkLBUoyuGgDQ6bFh1vhXk8eCzHrc0EGEgZ-ooNCTYjotO2fbV5LlqqH860Je4iJHoLczg4gV18rbZky4KhL9rhHGheX9hHpt53W4MCNriwcSABGT2VguuiHjs7EoW_DZibBDCnc/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Gargoyles, Demons, and Vampires oh my! As an author of paranormal erotic romance,
research on the creatures of the supernatural is paramount. Well, “paramount”
may be a bit much, but it is an important part of writing a good Vampire novel,
or a Were-something novel and of course everything else in-between. Like
Gargoyles for instance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I sat down one day to write a Vampire novel.
Problem was, there were so many Vampire novels out there already. Oh, I got
it...I'll write a Demon novel,which would be better because I've delved into
tons of research on Demonology both mythological and in religion. However, as I
perused Amazon to see just how popular Demons were, I realized, that there were
a ton of Demon books too. Worse, all my
plot outlines for potential novels seemed to have been “done” a zillion times
over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now I'm discouraged. So I do the one thing that any
author in my shoes would do, I sit down with my six year old daughter, at the
time, and watch her favorite cartoon, Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. Hey
there were Gargoyles in that movie...friendly, heroic Gargoyles...hmmmm....<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yeah, I thought, Gargoyles are perfect. I sat down
that very night and began to draw up my character charts. After researching Gargoyles, I found that,
well they really weren't that spectacular. It was then that I realized that I
had to spice up the Gargoyle persona with some creative, fantastical, yet
believable characteristics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a rule, I like to keep character charts. Most of
these charts are made up of primary, secondary and antagonist characters whom
I've interwoven with my research on the supernatural and occult. I like to call them blank slates that I
eventually personalize with emotion and back stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Flipping through my charts I pulled out a few Vampire
and Demon “blank slates” and began to try and blend the traits of these two
different creatures together. My plan was to create a Gargoyle hero who had
certain vampire-like and demonic characteristics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted a Gargoyle who had the allure and sexiness of
a Vampire, with the magic/strength of a Demon. Blending the traits was
relatively easy for me. Still, I needed to explain why Gargoyles had such
similarities to Vampires and Demons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's when it hit me. Gargoyles are the offspring of
Vampires and Demons. Now that I had my Gargoyle drawn out, I began to work on
formulating an alternate historical reality, if you will, to explain why and
how Gargoyles came about. The perfect Gargoyle was born, and the first book I
ever published, got written...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><b>To purchase <a href="http://www.amazon.com/SOULMATES-TOUCH-Emma-Paul-ebook/dp/B004ZZT26E">Soulmate's
Touch</a>, visit</b>: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/SOULMATES-TOUCH-Emma-Paul-ebook/dp/B004ZZT26E">http://www.amazon.com/SOULMATES-TOUCH-Emma-Paul-ebook/dp/B004ZZT26E</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1eP5F2ExeN2YVmEbaEwD5gyHAsTckgHsHipdoSFS54TjaQP2iG-QaFu9b7BhoqP4MZWwirE9sIpHtB_nytLA7wRMPof9Uf4fyV_fhcta7GQvcjkwWmt9rw4W6g60ty4IpsOEDvDFEUE/s1600/62aa7c7e-7265-437a-9f64-6dfcf764fa0a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1eP5F2ExeN2YVmEbaEwD5gyHAsTckgHsHipdoSFS54TjaQP2iG-QaFu9b7BhoqP4MZWwirE9sIpHtB_nytLA7wRMPof9Uf4fyV_fhcta7GQvcjkwWmt9rw4W6g60ty4IpsOEDvDFEUE/s1600/62aa7c7e-7265-437a-9f64-6dfcf764fa0a.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Emma Paul </b>Romance
and Erotic Romance Author.</span></div>
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<i>"If you like brilliantly written
fantasy and gloriously hot erotica then Emma Paul is the Author for you!"</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Emma has been writing for over
twenty years. Her writing career started by accident when she began to
incorporate her personal journals into fictional short stories. Many of her
erotica tales are published with Everynight Erotica a web based erotica
magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The overwhelming positive response to Emma's unique voice and
imaginative short stories, prompted her to write a full length novel that she
ultimately published with Renaissance E-books Inc. under their Erotic Romance
line, Sizzler Editions. Emma is known for her wildly creative writing style and
ability to transform Erotic Romance into stories more on par with something
written by leading authors in the mainstream suspense genre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Readers have taken notice of Ms. Paul, <i>"Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down. However,
despite its complexity, the storyline has a really fast pace. It is moved along
by the numerous plot twists and scene changes. Each character draws you in and
enhances the overall depth of the story. Both male and female characters are
strong, intelligent and dynamic."--</i> from a reviewer on Just Erotic
Romance Reviews.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 21.4666652679443px;"><b><u>Find Emma on Google +: </u></b></span><a data-reactid=".fp.$mid=11423712245422=23cbf6303b8b2cf7f74.2:0.0.0.0.0.0.$range0:0" href="https://plus.google.com/app/basic/117849250726942801614" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12.2880001068115px; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">https://plus.google.com/app/basic/117849250726942801614</a><span data-reactid=".fp.$mid=11423712245422=23cbf6303b8b2cf7f74.2:0.0.0.0.0.0.$end:0:$0:0" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12.2880001068115px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
<div style="line-height: 27.2000007629395px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-60506271687903101852015-02-11T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-11T19:22:24.013-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #11: Different Stokes for Different Species<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Difficulties in Making Interspecies
Children</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">by</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Tara Fox Hall</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDKWtoCP48dTSqkpNwd5H-zHfTnwbZ6pOXgHewQ4gWgq92dARHjspT8e4PVkyugihk2qpfMypQKDCXERKwzWOYPQ57vI4ccApdn_dtwXoG_eiYIdKcsfzIQYzy2FLucmudaMjQ0clti4/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDKWtoCP48dTSqkpNwd5H-zHfTnwbZ6pOXgHewQ4gWgq92dARHjspT8e4PVkyugihk2qpfMypQKDCXERKwzWOYPQ57vI4ccApdn_dtwXoG_eiYIdKcsfzIQYzy2FLucmudaMjQ0clti4/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;"> Romance
in paranormal fiction wouldn’t be complete without interspecies relationships.
The most common match being a couple with one partner a human, and the other
some type of supernatural being--</span><span style="color: #141823;">vampire, werecreature, faerie, demon, etc--</span><span style="color: #141823;">has since expanded to many more exotic
matches, bringing the possibility of interspecies children as a logical result.
To meet that question, I’m here today to talk about the fine art of mixed-species
gestation, Promise Me style.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmF9Bg026uqTu9pSInTxjBPayMP15EplWujUk8FK8RRwUhW1Ei0amMzeWqRLDCP6fzAlKzI0VnJiN-6ZwchhAMSdo8-oiQqWEQ_t6qsj8cH-apzurFdNKSRJs7H0q1b7wp7Zbg-UAMDg/s1600/PM10Eye+of+the+Stormfinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmF9Bg026uqTu9pSInTxjBPayMP15EplWujUk8FK8RRwUhW1Ei0amMzeWqRLDCP6fzAlKzI0VnJiN-6ZwchhAMSdo8-oiQqWEQ_t6qsj8cH-apzurFdNKSRJs7H0q1b7wp7Zbg-UAMDg/s1600/PM10Eye+of+the+Stormfinal.jpg" height="400" width="264" /></a><span style="line-height: 16.1pt;"> Interspecies
romance and the resulting children of those unions abound throughout the
Promise Me series, beginning with the union of a female werelion and male
werecougar to produce the werecougar Elle in </span><i style="line-height: 16.1pt;">Taken in the Night</i><span style="line-height: 16.1pt;">, Promise Me series Book 3. In subsequent books
comes the creation of the half-human, half-vampire male Theoron and female
Venus, and the half-human, half-werecougar male Devon. To add realism, these
“half-breed” beings are not without their own abnormalities, even in contrast
to their respective already “super human” parent. Both Elle’s and Devon’s mothers
experience abnormal rapid growth of the fetus in the last weeks of pregnancy,
and very difficult deliveries. The vampire-human hybrids present an even larger
host of problems, beginning with the necessity to invoke a magical potion to
make the normally sterile vampire father potent in the first place (female
vampires cannot have children, as their reproductive systems are too </span><span style="line-height: 16.1pt;">difficult
to rejuvenate with magic for the duration needed to create a viable child). The
human mother must also be both resistant to infusion of vampiric bodily fluids
necessary for impregnation, and also remain in a
partly-changed-to-vampire-yet-still-human-state to be able to become and stay
pregnant without a miscarriage, which is almost always lethal to both mother
and child. Once pregnant, a Bloodlust overcomes the pregnant human mother at
seemingly random intervals, which she experiences and channels into sexual lust.
Further, in the third trimester a heating/cooling problem presents in trying to
regulate body temperature between the mortal 98.6 degrees and the much cooler
normal temperature of a vampire. Delivery is also very difficult, with the
ready to be born child reverting to its vampire lineage in an effort to escape
the womb. Thus, most dhamphirs are planned to be born via Cesarean Section.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Also
existing as adult characters in the Promise Me series are the half-faerie, half
demon Terian, the half-werecoyote, half-werefox Serena. While the latter seems
to experience no difficulties, and only the boon of having two separate animal
forms to call her own, the former is constantly under threat of having his
demon side “take over” his faerie side, compelling him to a life of evil. This
battle for control demonstrates one of the key points of these special
children: with two “sides” so inherently different, each of these children must
find a way to be at peace with themselves, to find a balance necessary to have
a meaningful life.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxKJY4Rc8vSNaT20HYcquMC3SWpap3mTyvVNVzTQe60YDXyHJHVuId7IwYyVVYGr3bMBY7t4-EKwTWdvV_E0pCp7uE0wRIaydP3r5F0MqWH8F6lAKc55wV2_mgyOVcAXIe71Nzdq5ylI/s1600/Tara+at+Letchworth+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxKJY4Rc8vSNaT20HYcquMC3SWpap3mTyvVNVzTQe60YDXyHJHVuId7IwYyVVYGr3bMBY7t4-EKwTWdvV_E0pCp7uE0wRIaydP3r5F0MqWH8F6lAKc55wV2_mgyOVcAXIe71Nzdq5ylI/s1600/Tara+at+Letchworth+2012.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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BIO<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tara Fox Hall’s writing credits include nonfiction, erotica,
horror, suspense, action-adventure, children’s stories, and contemporary and
historical paranormal romance. She is the author of the paranormal fantasy <i>Lash </i>series and the paranormal romantic
drama <i>Promise Me </i>series. Tara divides
her free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing
firewood, caring for stray animals, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to
animal shelters, and target practice. All of her published children’s stories
to date are free reads on <a href="http://www.childrens-stories.net/">www.childrens-stories.net</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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AUTHOR LINKS<o:p></o:p></div>
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Smashwords: <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TaraFH">https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TaraFH</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Barnes
and Noble: <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/tara-fox-hall">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/tara-fox-hall</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Melange
Books: <a href="http://www.melange-books.com/authors/tarafoxhall/index.html">http://www.melange-books.com/authors/tarafoxhall/index.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5286654.Tara_Fox_Hall">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5286654.Tara_Fox_Hall</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tara-Fox-Hall/e/B005YPAA4W/">http://www.amazon.com/Tara-Fox-Hall/e/B005YPAA4W/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Website: </span><a href="http://www.tarafoxhall.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">www.tarafoxhall.com</span></a><span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Email: </span><a href="mailto:tarafoxhall@gmail.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">tarafoxhallATgmail.com</span></a><span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Blog: </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5286654.Tara_Fox_Hall/blog" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5286654.Tara_Fox_Hall/blog</span></a><span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Facebook Page:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Fox-Hall/151813374904903" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Fox-Hall/151813374904903</span></a><span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Twitter: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/TerrorFoxHall" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://twitter.com/#!/TerrorFoxHall</span></a><u><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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Google
Plus:<u><span style="color: #1155cc;"> </span></u><a href="https://plus.google.com/108597284890507251806/">https://plus.google.com/108597284890507251806/</a><u><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<b>Blurb: </b>Sar and
Theo move on from Sar’s affair with Lash, struggling to build a new life with
their werecougar son Devon. Rebuffed, Lash resumes his solitary existence,
biding his time. Ulysses lurks in the shadows launching repeated attacks on his
enemy Devlin, whose darker side emerges rampant in an effort to protect those
he loves. The vampire Danial prepares his dhamphir son Theoron for manhood,
even as Ulysses delivers a last crippling blow to Devlin in his relentless
quest for revenge.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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BUY LINKS <o:p></o:p></div>
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Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Storm-Promise-Me-Book-ebook/dp/B00NOHMX6">http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Storm-Promise-Me-Book-ebook/dp/B00NOHMX6</a>A<o:p></o:p></div>
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Amazon UK: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NOHMX6A">http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NOHMX6A</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Melange Books (PDF and HTML): <a href="http://www.melange-books.com/authors/tarafoxhall/eyeofthestorm.html">http://www.melange-books.com/authors/tarafoxhall/eyeofthestorm.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Barnes and Noble: <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eye-of-the-storm-tara-fox-hall/1120374803?ean=9781612359694">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eye-of-the-storm-tara-fox-hall/1120374803?ean=9781612359694</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Smashwords: <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/477503">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/477503</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Lulu (print copies): <a href="http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/tara-fox-hall/eye-of-the-storm/paperback/product-21808111.html">http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/tara-fox-hall/eye-of-the-storm/paperback/product-21808111.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
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<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2c6d2f8e71/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="2c6d2f8e71" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_93y4fq8r">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></div>Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-78527562662807531792015-02-10T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T00:00:02.076-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #10: When a Witch Loves a Vampire...<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ouxw_QW_EgBz6i01P9l1Vgnft-SnxNZwLW4XWJFRYq_ZJPQeF9NOlqD31nfEmDS3Raktrr7jEY0yNiP5k7NWXeH9ZZ9WhRi_b9hvlSUsMBKyvcGk4rfQl8ioaPuB7XBj0PMcjNATk0U/s1600/mysti+coupon+feb+15.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></div>
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Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #a7173a; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Vampire-Witch Hybrids in the Talbot Trilogy: Really Possible or
Just Wishful Thinking? </span></b><b><span style="color: #a7173a; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">by</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tori L. Ridgewood</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7ergCHYTpXcwpq25fFRXltW2bjvSk-9PnyH7VPe9uA6dkSu1VQGB9jKDOWwrh85ipzOGK1N3BEcHgkta9VBLooDHeymNtEA079h1kIrhPofrg6teC0QL_V0StYKX-7yh6p-njmitcqM/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7ergCHYTpXcwpq25fFRXltW2bjvSk-9PnyH7VPe9uA6dkSu1VQGB9jKDOWwrh85ipzOGK1N3BEcHgkta9VBLooDHeymNtEA079h1kIrhPofrg6teC0QL_V0StYKX-7yh6p-njmitcqM/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
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Paranormal: </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Abstract:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> In the course of tracking Subject 6606 (aka
Malcolm de Sade, vampire), it was discovered that 6606 had been attempting to
reproduce vampire-human hybrids, with no success. It has also been determined
that the subject repeated his experiment with a witch (living human with
psychic and telekinetic abilities), with some potential for success. The
outcome of the latter experiment was inconclusive, leading to the question of
whether it would be possible for a vampire and a witch to produce a viable
offspring.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The Challenge of Cross-Breeding Vampires and Witches</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The vampire Malcolm De Sade </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Subject 6606 </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">has
consistently failed in his experiments with siring offspring on human women,
yet he recently may have achieved his goal by mating with a witch. If two supernatural
creatures</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">DNA could be successfully combined, the advantages of seeing the
resultant individual</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s strengths would be as great as the opportunity to study
his/her weaknesses. The question remains whether those inherited traits would
outweigh or negate the traditionally known weaknesses, being in vampires their
mortal reaction to sunlight and need for fresh blood as sustenance, and with
witches, the limits of a normal human lifespan and physical strength. Also,
would such a being be sterile in the manner of certain hybrid mammals, or
capable of further reproduction? The potential for a human being with the
strengths of both species is great, with connections to furthering humanity</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
lifespan, contributing to deep space travel and research, and inhabiting
regions of the world which are currently inhospitable to human beings. It is
hypothesized that a vampire</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s sperm could successfully combine with a witch</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s
ovum, given the relative strengths of the paranormal energies present in the
bodies of both parents.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkq3mUODPMp8P5sbltFsgpGKNlk9Rc1p3kJ6d2MJ4G3sFx5reh_Z2N8Vl3e-bo26TzjL4u3Fr10Z3FAssP9Ok_5JoF_rQ7uyopKiizQJTAxR24IidiS1-AogZA_IRSQ8HBUaeQG2RivA/s1600/Tori+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkq3mUODPMp8P5sbltFsgpGKNlk9Rc1p3kJ6d2MJ4G3sFx5reh_Z2N8Vl3e-bo26TzjL4u3Fr10Z3FAssP9Ok_5JoF_rQ7uyopKiizQJTAxR24IidiS1-AogZA_IRSQ8HBUaeQG2RivA/s1600/Tori+book.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Method</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="Default" style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">*Please refer to the following for further details:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Secret Report 2012.Talbot.Fanning (code name <i>Mist and
Midnight</i>) </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Secret Report 2013.Talbot.Woods (code name <i>Wind and Shadow</i>)</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Secret Report 2014.Talbot.deSade (code name <i>Blood and Fire</i>)</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Results / Discussion</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">6606</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s physical body is not </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">“</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">alive</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">in
the conventional sense; lacking a heartbeat among other essential functions of
the human being, the facts that the vampire can still demonstrate strength,
erectile function, and produce bodily fluids that qualify him for paranormal
investigation. Whether the semen is truly viable is a matter of debate and
necessitates further, controlled study. It is possible that the women said to
be impregnated by the vampire Malcolm de Sade had sexual intercourse with other
men </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">human or supernatural </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">—</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">and therefore the cause
of death by miscarriage or infection cannot be said to unquestionably relate to
the effects of vampire impregnation. However, a non-paranormal human woman
might lack the necessary unknown energy (a.k.a. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">“</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">magick</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">)
needed to stabilize the connection and divisions by cellular material and DNA,
hence the need to find a living being with sufficient energy.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">A significant opportunity has recently arisen in the field:
investigators have located a witch (Rayvin Woods) who might have been
impregnated by the subject. The potential for a successful study is high. It is
the recommendation of this body that a full team be sent to take custody of
Woods and bring her to the Society for complete examination and objective study
for the duration of her pregnancy. Procedures should include analysis of the
witch</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">’</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s blood for evidence of the vampire virus, and the fetus
monitored up to and after delivery for paranormal / supernatural strength,
nourishment by plasma intake, sensitivity to sunlight, and general viability.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p> ****</o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNSMiL55OiUoyTtGhsiUajQ0_RDwA9FHhh8gB9AzhyphenhyphenxkQRlHA_xp3JmGE8lsdgZJKrlzrLOwx1CvUFh1k-lyxU2d-4aJRbOMEdiacwdmLA3dULZ1YsEbuIXU5Tf1eDUYD4BV9e0MicfI/s1600/IMG_2921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNSMiL55OiUoyTtGhsiUajQ0_RDwA9FHhh8gB9AzhyphenhyphenxkQRlHA_xp3JmGE8lsdgZJKrlzrLOwx1CvUFh1k-lyxU2d-4aJRbOMEdiacwdmLA3dULZ1YsEbuIXU5Tf1eDUYD4BV9e0MicfI/s1600/IMG_2921.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">About Tori L.
Ridgewood: </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After her first
heartbreak, Tori found solace in two things: reading romance novels and
listening to an after-dark radio program called Lovers and Other Strangers.
Throughout the summer and fall of 1990, the new kid in town found reading
fiction and writing her own short stories gave her a much needed creative
outlet. Determined to become a published author, Tori amassed stacks of
notebooks and boxes of filed-away stories, most only half-finished before
another idea would overtake her and demand to be written down. Then, while on
parental leave with her second baby, one story formed and refused to be packed
away. Between teaching full-time, parenting, and life in general, it would take
almost seven years before the first novel in her first trilogy would be completed.
In the process, Tori finally found her stride as a writer. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At present, on her
off-time, Tori not only enjoys reading, but also listening to an eclectic mix
of music as she walks the family dog (Skittles), attempts to turn her thumb
green, or makes needlework gifts for her friends and family members. She loves
to travel, collect and make miniature furniture, and a good cup of tea during a
thunderstorm or a blizzard. Under it all, she is always intrigued by history,
the supernatural, vampire and shapeshifter mythology, romance, and other
dangers.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tori lives in Kirkland Lake, Ontario,
Canada with her husband and two children. She is a full-time teacher at a local
high school. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ToriLRidgewood</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Website: </span><a href="http://torilridgewood.wordpress.com/"><span class="Hyperlink0">http://torilridgewood.wordpress.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Buy
Links:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mist
and Midnight: Prequel to the Talbot Trilogy </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kindle: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mist-Midnight-Talbot-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00HQA3MKC/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1423530496&sr=1-5&keywords=mist+and+midnight"><span class="Hyperlink1">http://www.amazon.com/Mist-Midnight-Talbot-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00HQA3MKC/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1423530496&sr=1-5&keywords=mist+and+midnight</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PDF: </span><a href="http://www.melange-books.com/authors/torilridgewood/mistandmidnight.html"><span class="Hyperlink1">http://www.melange-books.com/authors/torilridgewood/mistandmidnight.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wind
and Shadow: Book One of the Talbot Trilogy</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Blood
and Fire: Book Two of the Talbot Trilogy</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Crystal
and Wand: Book Three of the Talbot Trilogy </span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">—</span> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">COMING SOON!</span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
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<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-89692663883204624352015-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-09T00:00:09.320-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #9: To Marry Up or Down<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>To Marry Up or Down</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">by</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Patricia Kiyono</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj9ExeEsMxr-LkWimvHhjthb59bJL6m5f-7qdy8nwAZryrhomtSYN6wqsFLTY_9egcfJCTuj9QGS8yH9NyeIKn9KiAKpeISv6AU2AThrMV_PGi0ERR3fzCL4y90lTFkcJ-N926U8KbZE/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj9ExeEsMxr-LkWimvHhjthb59bJL6m5f-7qdy8nwAZryrhomtSYN6wqsFLTY_9egcfJCTuj9QGS8yH9NyeIKn9KiAKpeISv6AU2AThrMV_PGi0ERR3fzCL4y90lTFkcJ-N926U8KbZE/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
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It’s a dream most young girls have at one time or another: meeting
Prince Charming, being swept off her feet and riding on his white steed up to
his castle on the mountaintop, where she will live happily ever after. In other
words, living out a fairy tale. Later on, our dreams and expectations change,
and that ideal of Prince Charming is replaced by someone who has good hair,
nice clothes, and a nice car. For some women, that goal continues as they seek
out men who will provide them with a certain lifestyle that they would
otherwise not have. They want to “marry up.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The royals (in several European countries) actually have a
name for this kind of union: morganatic marriage. It’s when a royal marries a
commoner or someone of lower rank. Generally, the groom is of high birth. Until
World War I, when a noble married a commoner, the bride and her children had no
claim on the husband’s succession rights, titles, or property! So while a young
lady might enjoy comfort as the wife of a royal, those comforts could be taken
away if her husband died and his heir wasn’t generous enough to kick her out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Lately, we’ve seen examples of highborn women marrying men
of lower social status. Queen Elizabeth II’s granddaughter is married to a
rugby player, and a few years ago the Spanish Duchess of Alba gave away a big
chunk of her wealth to marry a civil servant twenty-four years younger. If you
think about Hollywood royalty, I suppose you could lump Elizabeth Taylor and several
other actresses in this group.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LadrP6ngPQU3xo6T8XLWo0MrKjCKgi9IlxbqQz-yUbszh_Ax4IoMrgIzlewwB0T_QQDeiZS-WUhENXjuLQvpb4ZDMG_R9TOFny_Jyyi8-XwTwFQxGFi07fQgZmskBef-EYsGp9btQYE/s1600/SearchingforLadyLuck+500x750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LadrP6ngPQU3xo6T8XLWo0MrKjCKgi9IlxbqQz-yUbszh_Ax4IoMrgIzlewwB0T_QQDeiZS-WUhENXjuLQvpb4ZDMG_R9TOFny_Jyyi8-XwTwFQxGFi07fQgZmskBef-EYsGp9btQYE/s1600/SearchingforLadyLuck+500x750.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>The desire to “marry up” in order to gain wealth, fame, and
social status is understandable, but what’s in it for the partner? Is it always
the prestige of having young and attractive arm candy? Is it a desire to feel
young by aligning yourself with someone from a different generation? Or is it
genuine love and caring? I’d dare to bet you can name examples of each.</div>
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As a romance writer, the main couples in my stories always
marry for love, whether one holds a higher station or not. They find a place where
they are on common ground, and from there they build a relationship of respect,
trust, and then love. I don’t write about royalty (at least not yet, but maybe
someday!) but in my novella <i>Searching for
Lady Luck</i>, a former heiress falls in love with an artist from a
working-class family. If they had met ten years earlier, they wouldn’t have
made a match, but the Great Depression has leveled the playing field for them. They
both care about their families, and find a common interest – helping the town
and its people by creating a popular resort destination. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> ****</o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtM6BMtnA1Wkambvtt-dQ4gMhZhytM-8M7tQILLxhwoh83J1_mqfXmOba-_YC01jZdE6wJZazqPRHg2Nt-ljAcs93qct6Kwij75ptd3jure4bWwihc6YrRMi5DIuAx-1PpBy-4-Gz0wFw/s1600/_MG_6982-57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtM6BMtnA1Wkambvtt-dQ4gMhZhytM-8M7tQILLxhwoh83J1_mqfXmOba-_YC01jZdE6wJZazqPRHg2Nt-ljAcs93qct6Kwij75ptd3jure4bWwihc6YrRMi5DIuAx-1PpBy-4-Gz0wFw/s1600/_MG_6982-57.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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<b>Bio:</b> In a
previous life, Patricia Kiyono taught elementary school students by day and
changed diapers at night. Now she teaches college students part time and
changes diapers only when she’s taking care of the youngest grandkids. She
loves to do anything that doesn’t involve exercise. Right now her favorite
activities, in addition to writing, include scrapbooking, sewing, and making
music. She and her husband live in southwest Michigan, near their five children
and nine grandchildren.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Links: </b><i>Searching for Lady Luck </i>can be purchased
at <a href="http://amzn.com/B00JZCDY3Y">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Searching-for-Lady-Luck?store=allproducts&keyword=Searching+for+Lady+Luck">Barnes
and Noble</a>, <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/432973">Smashwords</a>,
and other ebook outlets. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Patricia Kiyono</b>
can be found at her <a href="http://patriciakiyono.com/">website</a>, and on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patricia-Kiyono/149294485148710">Facebook</a>,
<a href="https://twitter.com/PatriciaKiyono">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/patriciakiyono/">Pinterest</a>, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5132660.Patricia_Kiyono">Goodreads</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEf0eqgMBd2focGeppzlOG3nUzvAD6Uadr8v71ZrANIvKeqMQCvH5XRU5jiXBNAosHRhjdD2j23bi73aWd1qPK1qZJ2zLecqG5eV0xXS_4jOPLEXrGUSUHmGe1qHmNM_CQj60eUEQJ3c/s1600/10962142_1546097338981889_1716103082_n.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-30284792754261615562015-02-08T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-08T00:00:06.750-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #8: Baby-Making in a Post-Post Apocalyptic World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s
Get Scientifical in Peter Welmerink’s Post-Post Apocalyptic TRANSPORT World<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">By
Peter Welmerink<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWvSMqdpSQdkFhESVF8hyphenhyphenDYD-HsjQnRCsXLwhrxzcVu6gqeX1bX5bYL9O-L8uhsWUeYsz7w8bixoV6ZmvzzcZsOXT5uNf39-04uej2IwaB7MzWgyahPkLaQS6KX3D6qlsEfrCHdtat0s/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWvSMqdpSQdkFhESVF8hyphenhyphenDYD-HsjQnRCsXLwhrxzcVu6gqeX1bX5bYL9O-L8uhsWUeYsz7w8bixoV6ZmvzzcZsOXT5uNf39-04uej2IwaB7MzWgyahPkLaQS6KX3D6qlsEfrCHdtat0s/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My
current book series is fictional Military Action Adventure in a post-post
zombie apocalyptic world. We’ve survived. They’ve survived. Like the history of
the world, we roll in and out of chaos. We move onward, or not. We find means
of survival, or not. We rise and fall like waves on the ocean.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What
happens when the world is turned on its head? When the undead walk the line,
not to eat brains but to survive like any other… creature? And what happens
when NEW LIFE comes into play under strange circumstances?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
included transcript is dated Monday February 8<sup>th</sup> 2027 and may shine
some light on the subject.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"># [<b>EXCERPT from TRANSPORT by Peter Welmerink]</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">LCpl
Loutonia Phelps sat within the dimly lit office of military psychologist
Captain Edwin Sparks. The man before her rested one hand on the top of his
mahogany desk, and tapped his fingers on the polished wood. Holding pen, his
other hand scribbled notes as Loutonia </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GMuWGJnscWngy02G-xYHsSzM7mfJ3wlrpEki-sVkzEtitfDwx-MjQJbRhztY241Pv5jXAmovT3dl4KKlnaSUWaqeajVKGLbWbEQCDixbo1GnEaXS6BtamJSq2sg8ORwOvm9YAjCrcDw/s1600/LCpl+Loutonia+Phelps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GMuWGJnscWngy02G-xYHsSzM7mfJ3wlrpEki-sVkzEtitfDwx-MjQJbRhztY241Pv5jXAmovT3dl4KKlnaSUWaqeajVKGLbWbEQCDixbo1GnEaXS6BtamJSq2sg8ORwOvm9YAjCrcDw/s1600/LCpl+Loutonia+Phelps.jpg" height="200" width="190" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">spoke about her pregnancy and the father
of the child.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“After
Jacob… changed, and departed,” she swallowed hard and shook her head as if
trying to expunge some awful image. “I thought it was the end of our
relationship. And then I found out I was carrying his child.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“This
pregnancy has been hard for you, both physically and emotionally. I know the
doctors had asked you a few times to terminate it due to the potential the baby
is…”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Loutonia
folded her arms across her chest, resting her arms atop the expanse of her 9-month
bulge. “We don’t need to rehash that. As
you can see, nothing has happened to me or the baby. We’re both perfectly
fine.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The
child was conceived when Jacob wasn’t quite… himself.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It
was still conceived out of love. Love we had for each other,” she said. “If
Jake was here I am sure he would’ve wanted me to push through the struggles like
I did.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“And
you’re still willing to take a chance the child will be normal. The vaccine the
military gave you when the virus ran rampant should’ve made you both sterile.
Your time working outside the city, in the wastes of society, fighting and
being wounded by diseased creatures,” Sparks explained. “And then what happened
to your captain...”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pushing
herself up onto her swollen feet, Loutonia pointed a finger at the Army
psychologist. “If this is some last ditch effort someone has put you up to, to
take this baby, it’s still a no-go. I’m carrying this child through to the
end.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9FuYXfyrhgrkkIW75IM7ScSLqqUK9iatv8vMug0A3N3WLHjWMrfITF5aLd0z3He9pif3sEpcTbn7rO9rK7l8jpfRSCr11YVI9Vyh6IYnhLcSJzdiVvQfE_gQGD_dfSQRnTx0sWIPqYs/s1600/TRANSPORT+Book+One+Frnt+Cvr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9FuYXfyrhgrkkIW75IM7ScSLqqUK9iatv8vMug0A3N3WLHjWMrfITF5aLd0z3He9pif3sEpcTbn7rO9rK7l8jpfRSCr11YVI9Vyh6IYnhLcSJzdiVvQfE_gQGD_dfSQRnTx0sWIPqYs/s1600/TRANSPORT+Book+One+Frnt+Cvr.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“To
the end of what? To the end of yourself? The end of humanity?” Sparks shook his
head, starting to become angry. “You don’t know what you carry in your belly.
The doctors have not been able to find a heartbeat in the last month yet the
creature still moves within you. Whatever you and Captain Jacob Billet
conceived during his… change… may be an abomination that evolves into the end
of us all.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s
a baby, sir.” Loutonia snarled at Sparks. “Whatever ‘abnormality’ I have that
makes it so the monitors and ultrasounds can’t detect the child… I know it
still lives and will be brought into this world naturally and with love. It’s
not going to come out with a pitchfork or handgun, or fangs and start eating
people.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sparks
took a moment to compose himself. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled. “The world
is a different place now, Miss Phelps. The Living survive in pocket colonies.
The Dead wander the lands outside our walls. Others, crazed enough to try and
survive outside, threaten our fragile existence. And you want to bring a child
into THIS world, a child who may have been dangerously mutated by, well… us.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Loutonia
relaxed, unfolded her steely arms. She dropped her hands to her belly, running
across the expanse. She hoped to feel the baby kick or move. It did not, but
her body did not reject the child or react negatively if it was no longer
alive. But something in her mind and heart said to not give up. The baby’s
father, Captain Jacob Billet, her commander, her friend, her lover, would’ve
not given up unless she said it needed to be so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I
am not going to give in or give up on this miracle within me, regardless of the
world, regardless of the things we fight every day. We continue to have hope, and
not let despair overwhelm us. We continue to fight adversity, and refuse to
give up our privileges.” She rubbed her extended abdomen lovingly. “I will not
give up on this future inside me no matter what. If this child was conceived
out of love, like it was, it can be no sin.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Our
time is up, Corporal. I will see you after the birth,” Sparks said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Thank
you, sir.” Loutonia said, saluted, and walked slowly to the office door. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
hand reached for the door knob but it turned and opened as if on its own.
Swinging open, her friends, the remaining crew of her military transport, the
HURON, greeted her: tall, lanky marksman Eddie Mulholland; stumpy, hairy as a
Silverback gorilla, Sgt. James Stokes; navigator Colter Campau scratching at his
shoulder blade where his prosthetic arm was attached.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Everything
okay?” Eddie Mulholland asked.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Perfect,”
Loutonia replied. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She
would not consider anything less.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">#<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wednesday
May 15 2075<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From
the ledger of Jacob Louis Phelps-Billet---<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1krcqJtyp3VqTKxe3p_iUxUwXYrJW912tddLFteY83UYJj-Po3GcuT-gNb_PmIdzC1kn3qJT5enjV7NKQYQObH8A44I_o-GJMDXC5d6Es04vwA3sDZKbKdMLV6WbDcbAgnoldybIVPk0/s1600/TRANSPORT+Book+Two+Frnt+Cvr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1krcqJtyp3VqTKxe3p_iUxUwXYrJW912tddLFteY83UYJj-Po3GcuT-gNb_PmIdzC1kn3qJT5enjV7NKQYQObH8A44I_o-GJMDXC5d6Es04vwA3sDZKbKdMLV6WbDcbAgnoldybIVPk0/s1600/TRANSPORT+Book+Two+Frnt+Cvr.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They
buried my mother over the weekend. She lived to the ripe old age of 82. In this
day and age, and even back when she was in her prime, it is and was a miracle
she made it this far. Going through her things I found several diaries that
date way back to when the world was turned on its head—the H7N9 viral pandemic
which caused the “zombie apocalypse.” Funny really as the only things she wrote
were about day to day activities with other soldiers, mainly her crew mates,
and my father. I did read one little section that disturbed me, when she was
pregnant with me, her doctors and even some of the military authorities had
tried to make her abort me. I am glad she didn’t and probably others are also.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
write this as we man-up for a mission to New Holland, to bring back the
lakeshore populace, as many as we can, before the lights go out and they are
left defenseless. The steam engine is readying up. Our horse-drawn trucks are
tethered and waiting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
almost wish we were going to run across the zombies of olde versus the huge
mutated creatures that stalk the outskirts of town. Zombies never would evade
you, never second guess you. They were not smart predators.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">May
the good Lord and my mother and father be watching out for me and my men. We
will need it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Major
General J.L. Phelps-Billet<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">GRCC
Commander<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">May
2075</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">#
# #<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiN7E-38QaMvDRnwi6kE1f3IGhAzyWgaw9ukefa3F87BtnFzyTdps1E7izB3t4ojCrmwaQ2prZ1YzSUZVqU7XfLtVHD_aFvxWR_G3gyivBt7sAEygDRFB-LLZZ3UDinmssN3jFiiSRaQA/s1600/2014+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiN7E-38QaMvDRnwi6kE1f3IGhAzyWgaw9ukefa3F87BtnFzyTdps1E7izB3t4ojCrmwaQ2prZ1YzSUZVqU7XfLtVHD_aFvxWR_G3gyivBt7sAEygDRFB-LLZZ3UDinmssN3jFiiSRaQA/s1600/2014+pic.jpg" height="200" width="188" /></a><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">BIO<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Peter
Welmerink can be found at </span><a href="http://www.peterwelmerink.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.peterwelmerink.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> and </span><a href="http://www.grandrapidsaltered.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.grandrapidsaltered.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">. He writes Military
Action-Adventure and Epic Fantasy. He is married and tries to quell his small
barbarian tribe of three boys when he can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">BOOK LINKS<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">TRANSPORT<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ebook
</span><a href="http://amzn.to/1khj9dY"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://amzn.to/1khj9dY</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Paperback
</span><a href="http://amzn.to/1zN0U3S"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://amzn.to/1zN0U3S</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">TRANSPORT:
HUNT FOR THE FALLEN<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ebook
</span><a href="http://amzn.to/1uREDy2"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://amzn.to/1uREDy2</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Paperback
</span><a href="http://amzn.to/1CqPvuw"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://amzn.to/1CqPvuw</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">FINAL
RIGHTS (e-Short) </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1v0RClR">http://amzn.to/1v0RClR</a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-47767894857797845932015-02-07T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-07T23:52:47.230-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #7: Love Does Not Compute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Love Does Not Compute</b></span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>by</b></div>
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<b>John Steiner</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sj7plcJESECDY5DVg1f6tGZ30KAWWKOJZWYWuBVX5R6lGHzzc0w1T2Z3UvpwJwsMMKdhw0EK8G_Kckwodf1epkVgXiXzr6jR9ReaKzJac9K3m9HKmDrY1SkzGJQZ_jiPQt3wMcrQsvU/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sj7plcJESECDY5DVg1f6tGZ30KAWWKOJZWYWuBVX5R6lGHzzc0w1T2Z3UvpwJwsMMKdhw0EK8G_Kckwodf1epkVgXiXzr6jR9ReaKzJac9K3m9HKmDrY1SkzGJQZ_jiPQt3wMcrQsvU/s1600/love+tank_0.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">It is
the passion that overrides reason and, at times, good sense. Love connects two
minds and seizes control over their bodies in a fiery moment. We recognize it
in people, and as a biologist, I can see how it affects the behavior of
animals. Two albatrosses will spend hours clacking their beaks against each
other, preening, calls of a language and a dance that is all unique to that
pair alone. Love is so strong between two birds that they spend years deciding
which partner is right for them, and the rest of their decades-long lives
committed to that one special partner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Yes,
love takes more than one conscious mind to fully grasp. Pheromones, facial
gestures, movements, all made and picked up on conscious and unconscious alike.
We see or hear our special someone and light up that instant. We can’t fathom
life without them with us. Half a world away, and they still occupy special
corners of our thoughts. Is thought all that it takes?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Maggie
is an artificial intelligence with full sentience, which is designated as
Self-Ware for legal personhood, who assists in controlling the ISS-454
Mockingbird and other hardware like Humanoid Modulated Robots [HMR] or
“Hummers” for short. Stanley Goddard is Mockingbird’s Logician, and his job is
the Flipspace Device operator, which is the technology that allows the ship to
make use of spatial rotation of tesseracts to cross any distance instantly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">“Stanley,
do you recall <i>Mockingbird</i>’s first spatial rotation,” Maggie asked at a
near-whisper.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">“Yeah,
Maggie, I do,” Stanley answered, still seeing Lonnie’s remains in his mind.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">“You
were correct about Self-Ware apprehension,” Maggie admitted.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Stanley
shook himself out of it, to be sure he heard right. Self-Ware programs didn’t
often invoke the word “I” or otherwise refer to themselves in first person. It
was a phenomenon in Self-Ware that human </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">psychologists puzzled over, though it was established that
the digital entities experienced something parallel to emotions.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">“I figured as much,” Stanley explained to Maggie, “because
Khronos wasn’t thrilled with it either. Other AI’s on the original Flipspace R
and D program exhibited the same hiccup. We later found out it was a
manifestation of anxiety, even though they weren’t </span><br />
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tasked to manage the
technology.”</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">“It is due to the risks it poses,” Maggie pointed out, though
Stanley knew already that.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">“You mean because a flip outside a quantum computer can
destroy your Planck sequence continuity,” he observed.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">“You are experiencing an analogous phenomenon,” Maggie
replied. “When the particle emission damaged the Reactor Room, the anxiety of
the spatial rotation occurred again.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">“Maggie?” Stanley stopped her there, “Are you saying you were
scared for me?”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">“That is correct, Stanley,” the Self-Ware replied.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">Stanley himself developed a tremor and cold sweat whenever he
thought about the Spectre attack and the secondary mayhem it brought to the
Reactor Room where he was.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">“Mr. Goddard,” Cob spoke over comms, “We need some help on
this hatch.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">Maggie had kept the Hummers moving, as half the group moved
onto salvage. The other half were on their way back to <i>Mockingbird</i>, with
Maggie’s patrol escorting them. However, if Stanley guessed right the AI was
too distracted to manage more than the walking and sensor sweeps of the
machines. Only now, did he realize Maggie addressed him as Stanley, not Mr.
Goddard.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">“Yeah, sorry Cob,” Stanley apologized after clearing his
throat. “I’ll get that.”</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt;">-excerpt from Flipspace 7: Shades of Jade</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; line-height: 18.8999996185303px; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>John Steiner</i></b> earned his Associate of Biology at Salt Lake Community College, where he is currently working as a tutor in math and chemistry. He exercises an avid interest in history, science, philosophy, mythology, martial arts as well as military tactics and technology. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For a listing of books by John Steiner, please visit: <a href="http://melange-books.com/authors/johnsteiner/index.html" target="_blank">http://melange-books.com/authors/johnsteiner/index.html</a><br />
<br />Author Website: <a href="http://www.walkingotherworlds.com/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.walkingotherworlds.com/index.html</a><br />
<br />
FB fan page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Steiner-Author/132904696816162">https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Steiner-Author/132904696816162</a></span></div>
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ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
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<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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Mystihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02147640629724678243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5190451394398154097.post-21069014133852048502015-02-06T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-06T07:42:57.202-05:00Let's Get Scientifical #6: For the Love of Pheromones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to <b>Unwritten's</b> February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE"><b>Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter</b>.</a> Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a <b><span style="color: blue;">10% discount</span></b> on any item from her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HMCbyKATE">Etsy store</a>. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Pheromones and Rabbits (aka the attraction)</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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by Paula Shene</div>
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The more research I did on this subject, the less I
learned. That is, the more I learned of
Pheromones in the area I wished to apply the knowledge, the less I had to use
for expounding.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“A Pheromone is a chemical produced that affects the
behavior or physiology of the individual to another within the same species.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The name Pheromone was first coined by Karlson and M.
Luscher in 1959. Early work was with insects, but scientists soon discovered
that pheromones operate in other animals, including mammals.” <a href="file:///C:/Users/Misty/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/868HN00T/(http:/www.depts.ttu.edu/animalwelfare/Research/Pheromones/)">(http://www.depts.ttu.edu/animalwelfare/Research/Pheromones/)</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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When I wrote about the attraction of my husband and me, the
resultant reasoning I was told from this investigation, was impossible. <a href="http://www.livescience.com/3233-sexual-pheromones-myth-reality.html)">http://www.livescience.com/3233-sexual-pheromones-myth-reality.html)</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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How could I have thought for fifty years in error? Surely not, my spirit cries. Must do further research. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Approximately ten years ago an experiment over a period of
two years was tested on nine rabbit farms in France using RAP aka Rabbit
Appeasing Pheromone. It found in the
controlled setting, the Does were calmer, and the Kits survival chances
increased. <a href="file:///C:/Users/Misty/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/868HN00T/(http:/world-rabbit-science.com/WRSA-Proceedings/Congress-2008-Verona/Papers/R-Bouvier.pdf)">(http://world-rabbit-science.com/WRSA-Proceedings/Congress-2008-Verona/Papers/R-Bouvier.pdf)</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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I would conclude from these studies, when the Does do not
need to compete for a safe place to deliver their Kits, stressors are down, and
production is up. Do remember, rabbits
seem to be the sex maniacs of the animal world. The Male can spray the female
from across a distance immediately after she delivers a litter, and successful
impregnate her.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My conclusions are "scientific findings in
Pheromones" is still in the infancy stage.
It was believed for twenty years after the initial tag of Pheromone was
introduced, it only applied to insects and some species. I found it amusing that scientist would put a
limit on species they felt would exhibit or possess Pheromones.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I understand the study of insects first as they would be
plentiful and easier to obtain. Mammals
were<o:p></o:p></div>
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excluded and even today, that mankind is not included or believed to
follow Pheromones, astonishes me.<br />
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Why is the perfume business thriving? The ads for these
products are seductive, mate attracting, and desirous to wear. The first recorded chemist was Tupputi, from
the 2nd Millenium BCE in Mesopotamia <a href="file:///C:/Users/Misty/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/868HN00T/(http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_perfume)">(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_perfume)</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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The conclusions about the insects studied are interesting
and amusing:<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Moth is a
pacifist willing to make love, not war, when the female exudes her enticing
Pheromones.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Butterflies are close range, in your antenna courtship
partners. Courting Pheromones tell other
males to back off, tend to your territory.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Fruit Fly is the most romantic including a courtship
song, slowly wooing his intended.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The parasitic wasps are like sperm, racing one another for a
female, and when mating, mark the female with their Pheromones, so no other
males want them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Spiders while not insects do deserve an observation
regarding their sexual preferences. Male
spiders are choosy and prefer virgin females.
Their first mating is important, as again sperm priority marks the
female making her unwanted as a potential mate to other males.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My short story diary has a list of what I wanted in a
husband, Pheromones was not on the list, but the first to engage my senses<a href="file:///C:/Users/Misty/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/868HN00T/.%20%20http:/yezallstrongheart.weebly.com/2/post/2013/07/the-ice-maiden-paula-shene.html)%20">.
http://yezallstrongheart.weebly.com/2/post/2013/07/the-ice-maiden-paula-shene.html)</a>
Years later my husband said it was the English Leather. Au Contraire.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Females are often choosy when deciding to mate with a male
and chemical communication ensures that they find a high-quality mate that
satisfies their reproduction needs.” <a href="file:///C:/Users/Misty/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/868HN00T/(http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_pheromone)">(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_pheromone)</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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****</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgM5f6BXtJ5g5fp9jPAMalsKEFm0aJiBwKHfpZfRVqVw6Lj1PMmSlkOOfrd3vETu3cHZCV0buL2z3zr-_fitF3is1gAJcad88NVnEtAACe3Es4kCM8kzXbcRqoXEHJFcPJpZC3MOXei4/s1600/paula+-+short+hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgM5f6BXtJ5g5fp9jPAMalsKEFm0aJiBwKHfpZfRVqVw6Lj1PMmSlkOOfrd3vETu3cHZCV0buL2z3zr-_fitF3is1gAJcad88NVnEtAACe3Es4kCM8kzXbcRqoXEHJFcPJpZC3MOXei4/s1600/paula+-+short+hair.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; line-height: 18.8999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Paula Louise Shene took to writing after forced retirement. A former college administrator and business owner whose hours are now filled caring for a disabled husband, and tapping away at the keys taking her into a saner reality. She writes children’s stories under Paula Shene where she also writes under the banner of The Peacock Writers, a group dedicated to charity. PC Shene is her name for Sci//Fi/Fantasy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.8999996185303px;">Website: </span><a href="http://paulandpaulasbooks.wordpress.com/">paulandpaulasbooks.wordpress.com/</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.8999996185303px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.8999996185303px;">Find Paula's books on Amazon: </span><span style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.8999996185303px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paula-Shene/e/B003U083ZG/">http://www.amazon.com/Paula-Shene/e/B003U083ZG/</a></span></span></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
ENTER TO WIN!</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE</i></b></div>
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