Crispy Fried Lungs, Round Two

Heh, that's kind of an icky image but a friend of mine referred to my surgery that way and it appealed to my, admittedly odd, sense of humor. Hey, there's a reason we're friends. LOL So, if all has gone according to plan, I'll be at the hospital as you read this for the second operation in my lung re-model. As some of you know, I have severe chronic asthma that is not under control. I enrolled in a research study for a new procedure where they burn away, yes burn, some of the excessive smooth muscle in the lungs. All asthmatics have extra smooth lung muscle; the more you have, the worse the asthma. So, in theory, getting rid of it will help reduce the severity of the asthma. I certainly hope so; life would be so much simpler. Below is a pic of a 3D model from my doctor's office of normal and asthmatic lungs. Once upon a time I was normal, don't laugh I really was!, and over the years I've deteriorated into severe.

If everything proceeds smoothly, I'll be at the hospital about eight hours, then back home. Supposedly, most people go back to work the next day. After I had the first procedure, I was out for nine days, developed pneumonia and ended up in the ER. So this time, I took off the rest of the week from work. With luck, that will be all I need and will return to work next Monday.

After this procedure, I have one more. Rather than doing both lungs at one time, they do a portion each time. I don't know when that one will be but at the earliest it would be three weeks from today. I've kept the blog light this week but I've got a few posts planned and I'll likely post health updates on twitter and facebook.

So, that's it. I'll see you all when I get home. 

ETA 9/26: I'm home, coughing and wheezing but not too badly, everything considered. I'm on my couch, watching tv and surfing the net.

I found a pic of what the doctor does while inside my lung, it's from the website for the procedure.

That device you see is the specially designed catheter that "cooks" the muscle so it's thinner and thus, theoretically, less reactive which should reduce the number and severity of flares and attacks. I hope.

Dusty Reads Link Up

Dusty Reads is a meme started by Giselle at Xpresso Reads featuring a book that has been sitting unread on your shelf for some time. Books don't have to be 'x' years old. If you've had the book for a few months without reading it, it's dusty! :D You can post on any day but Giselle and I usually post or put up a linky on Tuesdays. If you don't use the button, try to link back to this post or Giselle's so others will know how/where to link up. You can use the above button, the one below or create your own if you prefer.

Blog Tour Review of Chocolate Aftertaste by Liz Grace Davis

Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: April 2, 2012

Buying Links: Amazon    Barnes & Noble   The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

At her pre-wedding dinner, Nora Darkin, the daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur, discovers her fiancé is not the man she thought he was. As her father hoists his glass to toast them, she makes an announcement: there will be no wedding to her father's right-hand man.

Due to the fresh rift driven between her and her father, Nora escapes to the quaint town of Dreara. Determined to live her life her own way, she makes new friends and pursues her lifelong desire of becoming a chef. Ethan Danes, a neighbour with his own broken heart, helps soothe hers.

Just as Nora discovers what it means to be happy, and she begins to fall in love with Ethan, a woman from his past re-enters his life.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

Not long after downloaded this book I got an email about a blog tour for it from Sizzling PR. Since I was planning on reading the book anyway, I thought "Why not?" so I signed up. "Chocolate Aftertaste" is part womens fiction and part romance. Nora spends much of the novel learning about herself and changing her life; she also re-examines her relationships with both her father and her fiance and makes new friendships. Along the way, she falls in love and also reconnects with an old flame. There's an HEA at the end, but Davis kept me on toes trying to guess who Nora would end up with.

I really enjoyed reading about Nora's life changes and her growth. I loved that instead of sitting around, whining, she recognized her contributions to her problems and set about making deliberate changes. She thought about what she wanted, took steps to make it happen, and dealt with the consequences. She was uncertain at times and still made some poor choices but overall, she moved forward while growing emotionally.

The love story part of the book was a little soap operaish at times. Over the course of the book, she is involved with three men, and is engaged to or seriously considers marrying each of them. Now, I liked Nora but she didn't strike me as a woman who would attract so many men. It felt over the top at times. Of the three men, Ethan gets the most story time. I would have liked more development of both Liam and Shane. Liam disappears from the story somewhat abruptly which surprised me. Given what we'd seen of him, I expected retaliation on his part and not just slinking away quietly. I disagreed with Nora's ultimate choice but I understand why she chose whom she did.

I enjoyed the book: it was a quick easy read, I liked Nora and could relate to her struggles, and Davis had a knack for drawing you in and keeping you reading. While I enjoyed the romance angle, my favorite part of the book was Nora's making a new life for herself; the choices she makes, the people she meets and befriends, the challenging relationship with her father, etc. I enjoyed "Chocolate Aftertaste" and will probably read it again.

I own this ebook.

Sunday Book Share #3

I'm participating in both The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Each meme allows book bloggers the chance to share books they've received, and different posts and events at their blog. 

So, I've been somewhat inactive the past few weeks. The new school year is kicking my butt; I'm exhausted every day, and every night I end up falling asleep on the couch. I've also still been recovering from my surgery; there were lingering side effects. Happily, those finally cleared up last week, just in time for surgery number 2 on Tuesday. I have some blog tours in the next few weeks but otherwise the blog will probably continue to be on the quiet side. My focus right now needs to be on my jobs and my health. 

Guest Posts: Romance Author Em Petrova    Romantic Suspense Author Trish McCallan

Excerpt: The Soul Within, an erotic paranormal romance

Review: Beneath A Rising Moon, posted at Romance at Random

Cover reveal: Forged In Ash by Trish McCallan

Spotlight: Rafael: The Santiago Brothers Book One by Victoria Chase 

Giveaway: Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs (now over)

News: Fantasy Pin Up Calendar     Lori Foster Caption Contest     Absent, Sorry

Review

I was particularly excited to receive The Purple Shroud and Alpha and Omega: Cry Wolf. The latter is a revised version of the graphic novel originally issued by Dynamite Entertainment; the new version is put out by InkLit, Berkley's new graphic novel division. The Purple Shroud is the continuation of Empress Theodora's story; I read and reviewed the first book last fall and have been anxiously waiting for this book. I'm not usually a historical fan but that book grabbed me.

Won

I have two of this book actually: I got an eGalley from the publisher and also won it at goodreads. Heh, I guess I really wanted it. :D

Library

There was a lot of talk about this series and author on twitter and I decided to give it a try. I'm reading it now and enjoying it.

Bought

It's Iron Druid, nuff said. :D

I also downloaded many kindle freebies; in one day alone I got 20 of them. Ooops. 

I'll try to get around to your blogs this week, it will depend on how I feel. Have a great week and don't forget to leave the link to your sharing post.

Meet the Hollis Boys - Hot & Sexy Ranchers: Guest Post by Em Petrova

Today it's my pleasure to have erotic romance author Em Petrova as a guest. Em and I "met" when she was the head of the editing team I was on at Astraea PRess. She's since moved on to other ventures, but when she was looking for blogs for her tour, I happily volunteered.

Em lives in backwoods Pennsylvania, where she raises four kids and a Labradoodle puppy named Daisy Hasselhoff and pays too damn much for utilities. She loves to write gritty characters with lots of heart and is well-known for scorching, panty-soaking menage a trois stories.

Today Em is going to introduce to some of the men from her series, "The Hollis Boys", so grab a cool drink and get ready for introductions. No need to be formal, the boys like to get up close and personal. :P

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When I first sat down with my hunky hero from OUTLAWS OF LOVE, I immediately knew this man was part of a big, supportive, shoot ‘em up family. This prosperous ranching family is so full of testosterone, they have their own zip code in a time when tumbleweeds defined boundaries.

Picture a spread covering miles, the finest horseflesh dotting the land. And a valley where several big homes sprawl into one big homestead. This is the Hollis Ranch, owned by four brothers, who married the perfect little ladies and produced three rugged cowboys each. Now these twelve Hollis Boys are on the prowl for trouble—and romance!

Xander Hollis stars in the first book of the series, Outlaws of Love. Xander is deemed an outlaw when he starts robbing from the rich railroad and giving back to the poor people of Texas. With the help of his smoldering sidekick James, they dig themselves deep in the trenches of trouble and find love with the railroad owner’s daughter, Annabelle.

Xander’s two brothers, twins Drew and Dam (short for Adam), are at this moment scheming up ways to disentangle themselves from a predicament of their own. I look for them to appear in the fourth Hollis Boys story!

Graham, a dark, tormented ex-soldier for the South, secretly weds a sweet country girl and invites the ire of a plotting ranch hand, as well as some ghosts from his past, in TRAIL OF LUST. His brothers Nolan and Clay—with the rest of the family—jump in to help.

Nolan’s book, WILD WILD HEARTS, releases September 4, 2012, and involves a deep secret he keeps from his family. The dedication in this book says, “For all those who long to be free.” I hope this gives you a sense of the content!

Now to meet the rest of the Hollis crew, all ripped half-dozen of them. Each makes a cameo appearance in the first three books. Calvin, Stowe, and Newlin are secretive men who haven’t yet whispered to me, but it’s only a matter of time before I crack their hard, yummy shells. And Peter, Kel, and Whitfield are ruthless businessmen who look to expand their family’s ranch by reaching across the vast territories of Texas.

I’m so excited to delve into these characters’ lives in the future and find out what makes them tick. Matching them up with the perfect leading ladies and men is going to be an adventure—one I can’t wait to embark upon! I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know my ‘boys’ too.

And thanks to Bea for allowing me to hijack her blog for a day! Happy reading!

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Wild Wild Hearts
By: Em Petrova
Publisher: Loose ID
ISBN: 978-1-62300-027-1
Genre: FICTION, ROMANCE, EROTICA, HISTORICAL
Format: EBOOK
Length: 231 KB
Release Date: September 3, 2012
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Buying Links:  Amazon    Loose Id   ARe

Book Blurb (from publisher):

Lady Sofia is one of the most sought-after women on the frontier. But her “boss” calls the shots from what she may eat to who she spends the night with. Recently he's asked too much when he demands she and her long-time lover Isaac use their charms to seduce a man she wants to tangle limbs with all too much.

With Sofia, Isaac Strong is part of a two-for-one deal known as the “Jade Pair” for the color of their eyes. When the rugged Nolan Hollis walks into their lives, Isaac's yearnings kick like a wild stallion. But will the honorable man want anything to do with them, especially once he discovers the Jade Pair's mission is to steal a prized object from the Hollis family?

Nolan must have the stunning saloon girl, even if it means she comes packaged with Isaac. Soon Nolan is equally as drawn to the quiet and handsome man. While he struggles not to lose his heart to his lovers from the wrong side of humanity, he works to hide his rendezvous from his family. But soon Nolan realizes his lovers intend to steal more than his heart...

Note:This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: anal play/intercourse, menage (m/m/f).

So, if you like your love stories smoking hot and dirty, go pick up "Wild Wild Hearts" or one of the other Hollis boys, and then come on back and share your thoughts!

Em, thanks for visiting and best of luck with the new book. :)

Win A Trip To Lori Foster's Annual Reader & Author Get Together.

Romance author Lori Foster has been publishing since January 1996, and has been a Waldenbooks, Borders, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of publishers, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette and Samhain. She is currently with Berkley/Jove.

Lori believes it’s important to give back to the community as much as possible, and for that reason she runs special contests in conjunction with a publisher, facilitating many first sales for new authors. She routinely organizes events among authors and readers to gather donations for various organizations.

Along with her good friend, Duffy Brown, Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.

Harlequin is hosting a caption contest to celebrate the release of her latest novel,"Run the Risk", where you have a chance to win a trip to West Chester, Ohio, to meet Lori Foster at her 2013 Annual Reader & Author Get Together. To enter, submit a creative caption for the cover art of "Run The Risk". You can vote once per day for your favorite entries. Click on the widget below to enter; it's also in the right-hand side bar.

The contest started Monday September 17th and runs through Monday October 1st at 11:59PM EST.

Have fun and good luck!

Excerpt from The Soul Within by Nancy Adams

Today author Nancy Adams is sharing an excerpt from her new book, a paranormal erotic romance, "The Soul Within". She's touring blogs, spreading the news about her book. Nancy’s addiction for a good trash novel began in her late-teens when her grandmother gave her a bag of Harlequin Romance books. She was hooked and spent the next few years lurking in the dark corners of used bookstores searching for her next fix. Until, one marriage and two kids later, her own ideas had her jumping up at 3 am (much to her husband’s annoyance) and typing them into her laptop. Beside her husband and children, Nancy has three passions, rearranging furniture, buying bed linens and, of course, writing. Nancy lives in Eastern Ontario with her family and two over sized lap dogs.
 

Nancy will be giving away a $20 Total-e-Bound or Amazon gift card to one random commenter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/08/book-blast-soul-within-by-nancy-adams.html

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“I can feel you touch me.” Alex raised his head, a half smile on his face.

Her eyes met his. “You do?”

He nodded. “Again.”

This time, she started at his shoulders and ran her hands down the entire length of his arms to his hands, where she made an attempt to clasp them in her own.

“How are you doing this?”

“I don’t know? How can you feel me?”

He chuckled. “I don’t know?”

Staring down at their hands she asked. “What do you feel?”

“It’s like when your foot falls asleep and you get that ‘pins and needles’ sensation, mixed with a warm tingling.”

Eve met Alex’s stare. “You’re really not dead.”

He studied her intently. “Is that why you won’t help me, because you think I’m dead?”

Embarrassed, she turned away. “I thought you might be and that you were having trouble…moving on.”

“Moving on?” he repeated. She heard him exhale in a huff but didn’t want to face him yet. “Eve?” He used her name to get her attention but she didn’t budge. “Evening.” This time her name was said with more force.

Her cheeks were warm when she faced him. She expected him to be annoyed but he only showed concern. “Do you see the dead too?”

“No. Never, just medians. My mother did, I thought maybe it had started for me too. It was the only explanation I could come up with as to why you were still hanging around me.” Her throat felt like it was beginning to close up with the thought of it, but she asked him anyway. “Have you seen…them…out there?”

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The Soul Within
By: Nancy Adams
Publisher: Total-E-Bound Publishing 
ASIN: B009ASNQ18
Genre: FICTION, ROMANCE, PARANORMAL, EROTICA
Format: EBOOK
Length: 559 KB
Release Date: June 18, 2012

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email - fancy-nancyadams@hotmail.com
Blog Tour
Buying Links:   Amazon   Total-E-Bound Publishing   ARe

Book Blurb (from author):

Alex’s body is in a coma. His soul, however, is not. Desperate to become whole, he must first convince stubborn beauty Evening Sinclair that he is not dead.

For generations, the Sinclairs have been healers. Using a gentle touch to heal the body and a soothing word to heal the soul, Evening Sinclair is no different. Yet despite her secret abilities, Eve has a somewhat normal existence. She enjoys her small physiotherapy practice, dotes on her eight-year-old daughter and occasionally helps souls get back into their bodies-that is until Alex, with his brooding good looks and glowing eyes, appears in her kitchen.

Alex is desperate to get back into his body-two innocent lives depend on it. His only obstacle is Eve and her stubborn fear. Unfortunately for Eve, Alex is ruthless and just as stubborn. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He will not 'go away' and no matter how much Eve tortures him with her lush body and perfect mouth, he will not change his mind. Eve will merge him, and if it takes him haunting her day and night, she will merge him back with a body-any body.

If you liked the excerpt, the book is available now, so go get it! And remember, at the end of the tour, Nancy will give a GC to one lucky commenter. Follow her tour for more excerpts and a chance to win: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/08/book-blast-soul-within-by-nancy-adams.html

Dusty Reads Link Up

Dusty Reads is a meme started by Giselle at Xpresso Reads featuring a book that has been sitting unread on your shelf for some time. Books don't have to be 'x' years old. If you've had the book for a few months without reading it, it's dusty! :D You can post on any day but Giselle and I usually post or put up a linky on Tuesdays. If you don't use the button, try to link back to this post or Giselle's so others will know how/where to link up.  

You can use the above button, the one below or create your own if you prefer.