Sue's Views

N ext week is going to be a busy week for me. I will be hosting two author blog tours on Sue’s Snippets. I am so excited!

On Monday, January 26th, Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori, authors of The Illumination, will be sharing their book with us. There will be a book give-away. So make sure you stop by and comment on Monday, January 26th on Sue’s Snippets. It is an all day event online.

Wednesday, January 28th, Phyllis Schrieber, author of Sinner’s Guide to Confession, will be on Sue’s Snippets. Make sure you stop by on Wednesday, January 28th and make a comment to have a chance in Phyllis’ book give-away. This is another online all day event.

I am looking forward to all comments and questions for these two blog tours.

Til Next Time!

Forever Friends

edited and compiled by
Shelagh Watkins

Forever Friends contains my short story “The Silence of Friendship” and other fine tales of love and friendship. Short stories and poetry for every taste, everyone is sure to enjoy it.

Have you ever written, or received an email or IM that said, “life got in the way”? I have. I never really thought a lot about that statement until I typed it in an email to a friend recently. It was like a slap to the back of my head!

Unless it is a life threating situation, a natural disaster, or something beyond our control, life does not get in the way. Many situations that we believe are out of our control can still give us choices. It is those choices that get in the way: not life itself.

I realized that I was using the phrase, life got in the way, as an excuse for not answering emails, not calling people, and not getting important work done. It wasn’t life. It was me! My choices, my LOP (List of Priorities), and my self-made situations were the basis for the excuse, life got in the way.

The next time you use that excuse phrase remember it wasn’t life. It was YOU! Maybe it is time to rearrange your priorities. You think?

Til Next time!

On Tuesday, December 9th, on my blog, Sue’s Snippets, I will be interviewing Shelagh Watkins, editor of an anthology that I was able to participate in entitled Forever Friends. She also has her own published books, The Power of Persuasion and Mr. Planemaker’s Flying Machine, a children’s novel.

This will be the first time I have done anything like this so forgive me if I don’t get it all right the first time. I am looking forward to it.

Please join us for the all-day event Sue’s Snippets.

Til Next Time!

How many people do backups before they update?

I saw that there was an update I should do. So I thought, “okay I can do that especially now that I have broadband.” Ya, right! When I clicked on the link to download the upgrade it said I should back up in case there was a problem. Again, “okay I can do that.” Again, ya, right!

I have printed out about 50 pages of instructions on backing up and updating. It all reads as gibberish to me. I can’t make heads or tails of it. So now what do I do? I can’t afford to hire someone to do it for me. If I had someone to walk me through it I might be able to do it.

So here I sit. Wondering if I should move my blog. Wondering if being a Murphy’s Law person will cause me to have problems on the upgrade or just go ahead and do it without a backup. Even the upgrade is gibberish to me too. *sigh*

I just get back on my feet healthwise and get broadband and this happens Like I said, Murphy’s Law person here.

I probably won’t upgrade unless I backup. I won’t backup in a while because (1) I don’t understand how to do it, (2) I don’t have the time to do it if I did understand it, and (3) I don’t know if I really need to do it.

I guess what I am asking is for suggestions on what to do. What would you do in this situation?

Until next time!

©2008, L. Sue Durkin

Welcome to the Bitten by Books Haunted Bloggy Carnival Spooktacular event! The carnival starts at 8:00 am Central time October 27th ALL WEEK and ends on November 2nd at 11:59 pm Pacific time. Comments will be enabled at that time so you won’t be able to post until then.

The winners will be contacted and announced sometime the week of the 3rd. You will have to give us some time to sort through all of the hundreds of entries. Thanks for your patience on this.

Hang on to your seats and keyboards because we have a line up of prize contributions like we have never seen before. Right now we have over $3726.00 in prizes up for grabs!! AND another $2330.00 in prizes at our sister site Weird Stuff In My Desk! Check those prizes out here: http://weirdstuffinmydesk.com/?p=176. If we don’t have enough prizes for your blood, remember to visit all of the other participating blogs at the main Bloggy Carnival page here.

Keep checking back here, because the list will GROW eerily larger as more companies join in on the Haunted Blog Carnival fun! If you would like to contribute a prize and promote your books or business, please email us through our CONTACT FORM.

Now I bet you are wondering just how you can win some of this spectacular loot! There are a TON of ways to win. Do to different states laws you MUST be 18 to enter. You do NOT have to have a blog to participate.

OH!! and if you like FREE STUFF, be sure to stop by our Freeibies Page!

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CONTEST INFO

Readers, here’s how to enter the contest. You can do ONE OR ALL of these things, and each one will give an additional entry and thus MORE chances to win. Check next to each contributors page to see if there are MORE ways you can get chances win.

1. Join the NEW Bitten By Books Community and start a page to talk about all things paranormal fiction! Meet authors, join in on upcoming contests an more! You can have your own blog where you can post about THIS contest (and that gets you an entry). You can start groups and chat in our forums as well as participate in live chat. Best of all it is FREE. Paranormal authors come and start fan page for yourself! Here’s the link! Sign up and join in the fun!
http://bittenbybooks.ning.com/
You get 10 additional entries for joining our community!

2. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter here on the right hand side of the site. You MUST verify your subscription via the email the site will send you. Unverified subscribers will not be entered into the contest. This option is for new subscribers only.

3. Post this blog post in it’s entirety with a link to our contest on your blog, groups, forums or websites and you will be given FIVE additional entries to win for EACH place you post. You MUST post the links where you have shared the info in one response here in this thread. The more places you post the event, the more entries you get, so spread the word! NOTE: Don’t worry if your post doesn’t show up right away or you get an error message, the spam filter on the site will catch it if there are too many links. I will approve your posts so no need to worry, if this happens please don’t post your list multiple times. Check back later in the week to see if it is up.

4. Make a purchase between 10/27-11/2 from ANY or all of the retailers / book sellers participating on our page (see list below) and send us a copy of the receipt for your purchase to: racoo.smith @ gmail.com (no spaces) for an additional FIVE entries. You get entries for every purchase you make. Be SURE to put BBB Contest Entry in the subject line so it doesn’t get lost in our spam filter. NOT valid on past purchases.

5. Check every contributor’s prize listing below for a way to gain additional entries. This is an easy way to get more chances and really increase your chances to WIN!

6. Add us as your friend on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bittenbybooks

7. Add us as your friend on Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=614064436

8. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BittenbyBooks

Be sure to mention that you are friending us for this contest so we know to enter you!

9. Stumble, Digg or share the post with any social networking sites. There is a button right at the end of this post that says “Share” that you can use.

10. Twitter the URL for this event throughout the week: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1526

11. Add Bitten by Books to your blog roll or links page: http://bittenbybooks.com if you leave our link up permanently you will always be entered into our contests automatically. Just be sure to stop by each contest we hold and leave the link to where it is.

12. Invite ALL of your friends! If your fiends come and post here and say you sent them, they get TWO entries and you get TWO entries! They have to tell us who you are so we know who to give the entries to. You can invite as many people as you want and get all the extra entries!

13. Read through the Bitten by Books blog and find your favorite review and come back here and post the LINK to it. One favorite review per contestant please.

Be sure you leave a valid email and your name AND COUNTRY when posting here so we can contact you if you are the winner. We will contact the winners and request your first/last name and a valid email which we will give to the retailer whose prize you have one. It is up to the individual retailers to award your prizes. If we do not hear back from winners within one week of contacting you, you prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be chosen. We reserve the right to delete any inappropriate or inflammatory remarks or comments. Bitten by Books is NOT liable for prizes that are not delivered, awarded or lost in the mail. It is the sole responsibility of each contributor to honor their prize obligation.

And last but certainly not least A BIG thank you to our fabulous contributors!!

Here is the list of AMAZING prizes you are trying to win!

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The GRAND PRIZE up for grabs this time around is a brand NEW Compaq iPAQ 3955 Color Pocket PC!!! Valued at $400.00!!

Been craving a way to read all of those awesome e-books out on the market? Well, enter to win this baby the week of October 27-31st, and your dreams may come true. This amazing prize has been contributed by the multi-talented author Ciana Stone. Visit her website today http://www.cianastone.com/ and be sure to sign up for her other contest. This site does contain adult content and you must be 18 to enter. Ciana is willing to ship this prize within the US and Internationally! *** For an additional contest entry go to Ciana’s site, find the book gallery. Pick a title you would like to read and then come back and post a LINK to that book’s page here. Only one book choice is necessary.

Hachette Book Group – 5 sets of the following TEN books (5 winners win all ten titles). Shipping to the US and Canada, NO P.O. Boxes please. Valued at $764.50
THE HERETIC’S DAUGHTER By Kathleen Kent
ISOLATION By Travis Thrasher
THE 13 BEST HORROR STORIES OF ALL TIME By Leslie Pockell
THE MONSTERS: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein By Dorothy Hoobler , Thomas Hoobler
THE MYRTLES PLANTATION: The True Story of America’s Most Haunted House By Frances Kermeen
GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS: True Stories of America’s Haunted Inns and Hotels By Frances Kermeen
THE TERROR By Dan Simmons
DRACULA By Bram Stoker
WHEN GHOSTS SPEAK: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits By Mary Ann Winkowski
THE HISTORIAN By Elizabeth Kostova
http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/
*** For an additional contest entry to win go to the Hachette Book Group site and pick any book you would like to read, then come back and post a LINK to that book here. Only one book choice is necessary.

Sue Durkin - An incredible prize package including a 1 hour intuitive consultation worth $80.00 and a copy of her book worth $14.95 to TWO winners. Valued at $189.90. Will ship the book internationally. I can do a long distance call 24/7 in the USA and Canada. International readings will have to be in email or messaging, unless they wish to call her.
http://rebootyourlife.suesunshine.com/
“I do intuitive readings/consultations and I am the author of Life is Like Making Chocolate Chip Cookies.”
*** For an additional contest entry go Sue’s site, find the services page. Pick a service you would like to have and then come back and post a LINK to that page here and tell us which service package you wish you could have. Only one choice is necessary.

Marr Williams – $130.00 credit towards a blog customization. International customers welcome.
http://www.13pumpkins.com/
“Web and graphic design company that specializes in small business blogs and web sites.”
*** For an additional contest entry go Marr’s site, find the portfolio page. Pick your favorite design and then come back and post a LINK to that page here. Only one choice is necessary.

For a complete list check out, http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1526

I t’s unbelievable how music can bring back so many memories. Combine music with the sunshine and breezes and many more pleasant memories surface. Sometimes those pleasant memories can bring tears to the eyes. Oft times they make you want to dance and sing. Me, I do all three: cry, sing, and dance.

Just today I was listening to a an oldies radio station that plays 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s music. The weather was just the right amount of sunshine, humidity, and breeze to bring back a time in my life that had many happy times surrounding it. It also brought the tears, singing and dancing along with it.

I could actually see the front porch, hear the sounds of the neighborhood, and feel the breeze gently touch my skin. Or was that the current breeze coming in my west window that was doing that? The memories that wafted on the breeze brought a hint of a smile to my face. The subtlety of the breeze and the memory made me want to go back to what I know now were simpler times.

Isn’t it amazing how we think we are in a bad place or time, only to later in life, see it as simpler than what we are experiencing now? Is that always the way? Does today always seem harder, more overwhelming, scarier, or just plain bad? Does the future mellow those thoughts or were they truly not as bad as we made them at the time?

As you can see it was a reflection day today. I didn’t realize it myself until I started writing this. I just thought of the day as one of pleasant, very pleasant memories. I danced to the songs of my happy years and thought of those who I loved and who loved me.

Today was a good day. A VERY good day!

Til Next Time!

©2008, L. Sue Durkin

What is it about humans that we feel we need to be right? That we always need to have the upper hand or be superior? What if we weren’t right? What is so wrong with that?

Broken friendships, murders, and even wars have occurred because of the need to be right. People are willing to suffer all types of negative consequences just to make someone else know they are right. Yelling, screaming, frightened children, and divorce are the very basic results of fighting over who is right.

Why? Does it bring satisfaction to be right? Maybe. But what about the other person or even about the consequences of being right? Isn’t that taken into consideration? To those people who need to be right, the answer is no.

A woman once asked me if her spouse won if she backed off and didn’t show him she was right. She stated he would think he was right, when in fact she knew she was right. She let him know this fact all the time. The results were a very unhappy life for both of them and lots of arguing. I asked her if she would rather be right or be happy? She said both.

If she gave up the right to be happy and keep arguing, she could be right all the time. If she chose to be happy then she would have to give up being right all the time. There is a balance in life. To have one thing you must give up something else. There is always give and take.

Did I mention that when you give up being right, it was not actually being right that you give up, but trying to convince the other person you are right? You can still be right in your own mind. You don’t have to agree with them. In fact, you may really and truly be right. What you are doing is not trying to control the other person’s thoughts or beliefs. You are giving them their space and not forcing yourself on them. By trying to force someone to your way of thinking, you are saying they are wrong and you are right. You are saying they don’t matter. In most arguments it doesn’t matter who is right or wrong. It is an ego trip for the participants as well as a control tactic. It becomes a matter of who is in power and control and who isn’t.

In the situation of the lady who wanted to be right, I gave her a clue to being happy. She doesn’t have to admit she is not right. She doesn’t even have to concede that her husband may be right. All she needs to do is not argue. She knows in her heart she is right; the same as he knows in his heart he is right. It really doesn’t matter if anyone is right. Let others have the opportunity to feel they are right, whether you think they are or not. It doesn’t hurt to do that. And… it helps keep peace in the household.

Recently this lady told me how she had started taking the comments I gave her and putting them into practice. She stated she knew she was right and it didn’t seem as important for her husband to know it. It has come down to the fact they don’t argue over that as much anymore. He is even conceding that she may be right more often than not. It has taken away the main factor of being right: to control the other person. Now there is peace in their home.

Let go of the need to be right and you let go of a piece of what makes you try to control another person. Most times a person doesn’t even realize that is what they are trying to do, control.

The next time you just have to be right, stop and think what is more important to you. Is it being right or being happy? The choice is yours.

Til Next Time!

©2008, L. Sue Durkin

The past few days I have been focused on my book signing that was held last night. My focus was split with thoughts of my Great Shift article for my newsletter, Reboot Your Life™. Therefore, no blogging. Sorry about that.

My book signing was a huge success! I started my presentation at 7pm. Usually when I start at that time the library closes an hour later and I try to be done by then or by 9pm at the latest. When I was leaving the signing the librarian mentioned that the library closed at 7pm. So the time I spent there was after hours. Every time I asked if there were any more questions and was going to quit the presentation, there were more questions. Finally at 10:30pm the presentation was over. Everyone bought books and we left the library at 10:55pm, almost 11:00! I didn’t have access to a clock all that time so I had no idea what time I had actually quit and how late it was. Those who came for the book signing didn’t want to leave!

Today I received an email from one of the women telling me how much she enjoyed the presentation and she wanted to keep in contact with me. Her sister also told me when she got back to California she was going to call me because she was dealing with some issues and she thought I could help her. She is a psychic healer and affirmed several of the things I was receiving during the presentation.

The questions they asked ranged from hours that I write, to my publishing company, doing missing person’s cases, and many other facets of my abilities. There were skeptics there but there were also supporters. Everyone got food for thought. My book signings, I am finding out, aren’t typical. That is okay with me as long as people get what they need and are happy when they leave.

Since I mentioned in my June newsletter about The Great Shift I have been inundated with information: both new and previously known. Now I have to focus on what snippets to give as I can’t type it all into my newsletter. There is just too much of it. I don’t want people to have to go out to buy books if I can get the information across to them in other ways. However, if I can find websites and information that way to help, I try to add those into my series. If you are interested in this series on The Great Shift, please subscribe to Reboot Your Life™.

The only words of wisdom I have for you today is to get fed. I am not referring to physical food. I am referring to feeding your soul, your spirit. I feed so many people and I usually don’t have anyone to feed me. Last night I got fed at the book signing. I go to workshops and meet people face to face. I try to connect on the phone with those who are of like minds and exchange energy.

In this world of fast pace, no time for ourself lifestyles, don’t forget to get fed. It will keep your energy up, keep you from getting lost, and keep you balanced.

Until Next Time!

©2008, L. Sue Durkin