Tuesday, September 20, 2011

New Release for Decadent Publishing - Kybernatia



Available from Decadent Publishing
Buy link

Kybernatia by Clare Dargin



Kybernatia was supposed to be humanity’s newest paradise but that dream is all but gone. Ruined in an horrible terra forming accident, the planet was deemed no longer fit for humanity. Gabrielle Burle, project manager for the development of the planet, was forced out of her job as a veil of secrecy suddenly shrouded the planet.

Determined to find out why or how it could happen, Gabrielle goes on a journey of discovery that leads her two one man who she knows has all the answers.


Excerpt


“What do you now? May I ask? Your file didn‟t say,” she asked, walking beside him. Her heels ground into the soil just beneath the soft grass.

“It didn‟t? How much of my file did you read?”

“Most of it,” she smiled.

“What is it again that you wanted?” he asked, eyeing the gear piled at the door. Gathering up an armful, he headed toward the garage.

“I wanted to ask you why you left,” she responded thoughtfully.

“Ms—?”

“Burle, but you can call me Gabrielle.”

“Ms. Burle, that is an immensely private question and we‟ve only just met. And as you can see, I have much to do. And I have to get it done before my wife comes back. So if you will excuse me?”

“Mr. Mezey, please. I need to speak with you.”

“Listen Ms.—”

“Call me Gabrielle.”

“Gabrielle, I‟m not telling you. First, as I stated earlier, that‟s an immensely private question. Aside from my wife, I owe no one any explanations. Besides, how do I know you are who you say are?”

“Do you have an Ident-screen?”

“That can be faked. I‟ve seen the latest news.”

“Call them. Call Washington. Call anybody you know.”

“You don‟t seem to understand. I don‟t know anyone in Washington anymore. That‟s what happens when you lose your job. It‟s also what happens when the president loses his job. But that‟s another topic.”

“Call Secretary Tillbury.”

“The head of the Department of Non-Human Relations? Do you think I actually have his number?”

“He has yours. I‟ll have him verify who I am.” She pulled out a signal-link messenger.

“No, that won‟t be necessary. And I‟m still not going to tell you.” Glancing skyward, Gabrielle sighed. “Mr. Mezey, please.”

Stopping in front of the porch next to his patio, James sighed, paused, and shook his head. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because I‟ll be starting your old job soon and I want to know why they forced you out.”

“Why? So it won‟t happen to you?”

She looked away.

“I suppose I ought to be flattered, really, that somebody still cares about what I think.” Pausing for a moment, he glanced at the pile at the boat house and then at Gabrielle. “I didn‟t feel like cleaning out the boathouse anyway. Come on. Let‟s go inside. This is not a conversation for the neighbors.”

Clare Dargin
WEBSITE

Friday, September 16, 2011

Made in America . . . Does it Matter?

----I’m depressed. And shocked. And appalled.
----Why? I’ve been watching the news, and I have to admit that all the Doom and Gloom is really starting to freak me out. Earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, snowstorms, floods…the list goes on and on. And after the newscasters finish talking about the weather, they move on to the government and our economy. Now, please know that I’m not trying to start a discussion on party lines or who’s doing what or who won’t do whatever. No way! Everyone has their own opinion, as it should be.
"Hey, Buddy. Can ya
spare me a dime?"
----No, the thing that alarms me is hearing about the unemployment rate, the loss of jobs, the companies who are closing branches and franchises. It seems all across America everyone is tightening the ol’ belt another notch. And it’s not just companies. Individual Americans are battening down the hatches to weather the economic storm that’s blowing across our country…heck, it’s blowing around the world. And the devastation left behind is as horrible as any tornado or fire. People are unemployed, scraping by on what little savings they might have, and many are losing their homes. Losing everything.
----Seems that if we quit spending money, company profits will continue to plummet, more stores and businesses will be closed, and more people will lose their jobs. A vicious circle indeed.
----So, what are we doing as a nation? Well, from what I see on the news, it appears we’re standing around looking to the government to fix things…sad to say, there is no quick fix, so we might be waiting for a while.
----But should we? Hmmm…
----Yes, the news depresses me, so imagine my shock when one evening I found myself motivated! World News with Dianne Sawyer did a special on Made in America. A story that did my patriotic heart some good.
----Did you know that if we all spent just $3.33 a year on American made goods that it would create 10,000 jobs? Yep. But wait, take it just step further. What if we spent $3.33 a month? Well, that would create over 100,000 jobs. Double that to $65 a YEAR and there would be 200,000 new jobs created.
What’s the catch? The tag or stamp has to say Made In USA.
----Did you know that 98% of clothing here in the U.S. is made overseas? Computers, televisions, light fixtures, linens… Have you been through your house, checking labels? I did…
----Dishes – Malaysia. Sneakers – Mexico. Coffee pot – China. Throw Pillows – China. Towels – Mexico. Bra – China. Panties – China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Bangladesh. The list goes on and on. Ack!
----So, here I am, throwing down the gauntlet to all you fab readers. Buy local whenever possible, support the stores in your area to keep them from closing and all those wonderful people from losing their jobs. But take it a step further. Check the label for those three words: Made in USA.
----Don’t get me wrong. I am sooo a bargain shopper, and those overseas products have great prices. Variety is the spice of life and all that. We all want or need different things, and with the Internet, we’ve evolved into a global community, too, after all.
----But when you do go shop, try to spend at least $3.33 this year on durable American made goods and help create new jobs. I know the Americans who are out there every day beating the bushes for employment will appreciate your help.
----And last…email me: mail at lj-garland dot com. Tell me what you bought and where you got it. I’d love to hear from you. And in a few months, I’ll post another blog listing what everyone bought.
----Together, I truly believe we can make a difference.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Decadent Publishing - New Line





Decadent Publishing

Decadent Publishing is actively seeking stories that fit our new Honor Guard line.

The Honor Guard line is composed of contemporary multi-national romance stories with a heat level of 3-5 and word count between 10k-30k.

Setting: US embassies around the world. The hero can be any alpha male having to do with embassy operations: Marines, MP, CIA, Homeland Security, NSA, etc.

The heroine can be an American or foreign national. Her age should be 25+ (can be Late Escape--romance between couples age 50+--as well). If your setting is in India, Australia, Norway or wherever, we need "local flavor". Tap your travel experiences!

If you write about the military, make sure it's accurate. Give us fun, adventure, romance, interesting settings, strong characters and hot lovin' combined with cultural insights. HEA is mandatory.

Decadent is also taking submissions in our popular 1Night Stand line and is open for general sunmissions in the following catagories. Please keep word count between 5-50k at this time.
See SUBMISSIONS page on the website for details. http://www.decadentpublishing.com/index.php?osCsid=084930d6cc456d4ae1915b6958c5a3e5&content=submissions

Historical paranormal romance
Late Escape romance (couples who are 50 years of age or older)
May-December romance
Comedy (romance or mainstream fiction)
Time travel (romance or mainstream fiction)
Erotic Romance
GLBT (especially F/F)
Non-Fiction (Biography, historical, memoirs, autobiography)

Friday, September 2, 2011

A Hurricane Hit Where????

Okay, so by the time Irene got to Vermont she was a tropical storm, but since when is Vermont considered the Tropics?

I think Miss Irene forgot to bring along her Garmin.

Other than some annoying power outages and, gasp, days without internet, my little town got away relatively unscathed. The river behind my house, usually more what people would call a stream, could have rivaled the mighty Hudson, but other than having to move our boat to higher ground, it didn’t affect us.

Sunday night we were kind of landlocked. No way out of town due to flooding in the roads, but, it receded by Monday morning and left no major damage. Not the same story for neighboring towns and the rest of Vermont.

In the town just five miles away, a handful of families have lost their entire homes. The local car dealership lost 130 cars. Farmers were chasing cows down the river and lost entire crops of corn and hay. Those are just the people I know personally.

Entire towns were cut off when roads gave way. Not back roads, I’m talking major routes. 400 people were stuck on Killington Mountain. The national Guard is still dropping in supplies by helicopter. This is Killington Mountain. The ski resort. Who would have ever thought that a mountain would be affect so badly by a flood from a TROPICAL storm? They lost their entire base lodge.

The towns cut off from everyone pulled together. They opened their thawing freezers and had town wide cookouts. Yesterday, the news said that every town had access now, even if it was only a ATV path, and power had been restored to all but 4,900 customers.

Vermonters pulled together like they always do. Neighbors helping neighbors, digging in and doing what needed to be done with little complaining about things that couldn’t be changed. I love Vermont!

Still all the hardships suffered compares nothing to the lives lost due to Irene, in Vermont and down the East Coast. My heart and prayers go out to their families.
I want to thank all the Author and reader friends that expressed concern. You guys are priceless to me.

I live in Rutland County. Follow this link to see some of the damage.

Below are some pictures from a Facebook page dedicated to Vermont Flooding.