Check out the website for more!

Sorry guys, I always forget about this blog. I now have a blog on my website where I post most often, so do follow me over there: www.stellawilkinson.com

Dr Watson puts his paw in

Hi folks, Dr Watson, the tabby cat, here. My turn to do a blog take-over. Sherlock is out howling at the moon or something (it's full-moon here), so I'm master of the lap and trying to help my mistress come up with a snazzy line to encapsulate the power of the Spear of Destiny for the second book in the Vampires and the Holy Relics Series. 

Have you seen the movie Constantine? I have, at least three times, because the humans in this house seem keen on Urban Fantasy. There's a line in the film that says "He who possesses the Spear of Destiny holds the fate of the world in his hands." So we need something just like that, but not the same obviously.

Any ideas? I have a few but they are being ignored as they all contain prophesies about cats taking over the planet. 

Maybe something like: He who holds the spear hold destiny in his palm

Except I think it should be paw not palm.

Apparently there's a free Stella Wilkinson signed paperback of your choice in the offering if you can come up with the one that gets used in the book. Like a competition thing... So please do leave your thoughts in the comment box or on the website www.stellawilkinson.com , Oh and if you do go to the site, check out the cover for this book in the "Coming Soon" section, the designer did a pretty fab job of it.

That's all for now, I've got some cheese to steal (I love cheese)
Dr W

 

The cats take over the blog -

It's official, I'm hopeless at blogging, my cats on the other hand, seem pretty determined to use the computer, so I've decided that from now on they can make sure that a blog goes out a little more regularly. I've checked with them and both Sherlock and Dr. Watson are very interested in having a go. So let's see how they do! Over to the cats:


Dr. Watson: I don't want to go outside, it's cold and wet, I don't like spring!

Sherlock: But at least Mistress keeps the heating on when she's working.

Dr. Watson: She should work more and spend less time doing laundry, the washing machine is disturbing my sleep. I notice that she procrastinates when she has a deadline.

Sherlock: I concur with your observation. Perhaps if we moved off the keyboard she would get more work done?

Dr. Watson: Oh, very well, I'm certainly looking forward to the new Vampire books, do you think I'll be in one of them this time?

Sherlock: Probably not, cats don't like Vampires do they? I was thinking of running a competition to see if anyone could find the book that has me in it? Perhaps for a free paperback copy of the box set edition, let's see if anyone comments with an answer.

Dr. Watson: Now you're just showing off, move over. Hey, where's my picture?

Sherlock: You can be the star of the next one.

Dr. Watson: Oh, alright then. Ooh the heating has just come on, she must be about to start work at last! Last one to the radiator is a cotton-tail...

Important Update from Stella Wilkinson

Hi Readers. Due to a change in my contract with Amazon, I'm afraid that none of my non-free titles are available any longer on all platforms. The good news is that you can download the free kindle reading app on any device, and that all my books are available at either the same price or less on Amazon, or completely free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Competition! Win the necklace that Leo gives Rose in More Flirting Games!

 

In More Flirting Games (Book Two of The Flirting Games Series) Leo gives Rose an antique silver winged horse necklace. 

 

Would you like to win that necklace? All you have to do is go to the mailing list sign up and answer the related question you will be asked. (All current subscribers are automatically entered). The competition closes on 1 September 2015 and the winner will be notified by email.

Click on the picture to enter

Not read More Flirting Games yet? Get it now:

 

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One Star Reviews to make you giggle

I found this on the Ploughshares Blog, and found it so funny that I just had to share it! I'm afraid that none of these reviews are for any of my books (though I wish they were as they are hilarious), but I thought you might enjoy them ... See if you can work out which famous books they come from!

Oh, where to even start? I wanted so badly to like this book. The New York Times called it “a trenchant masterpiece,” and it has blurbs from three Nobel Prize winners. So I had sky-high expectations. I anticipated a book that would change my world, that would help me lose twelve pounds and make clear the meaning of life and cure my husband’s erectile dysfunction. This book, while excellent, did none of those things. Threw it across the room on page 20. Ugh. Will not be reading this author again.

The paper was rough to the touch, and after just three weeks the back cover ripped. Also, the book was “like new,” not “new.” Regret ordering from vendor BookXPress314. Do not recommend!!

The author, a known Liberal, has a clear agenda here in including an African-American neighbor and a “lesbian” boss. I read to be entertained, not to have someone’s politics shoved down my throat. I was going to pass this on to my sister, but instead I recycled the book.

I expected this book, which won the Story Prize and the PEN Malamud award, to be a new favorite. Apparently one of the chapters won an O. Henry award, and O. Henry is a highly respected author. But each chapter started off with a completely new set of characters and even a new title! I didn’t see any connection at all between the various chapters. One took place in 1873, and one was set on a distant planet in the future. I worked so hard to find the connections between the chapters, and just couldn’t find one. Too much work, gave up.

This book
a blur in August sky
empty words, chalk on chalkboard
white as the walls of my mother’s basement
puffs of nothing
footnote to literature.
(check out more of my poetry at burnreviewpoet.com!)

If you like highbrow, “well-written” stuff, this might be for you. It seems very “finely wrought” with lots of “fascinating characters” and a “satisfying conclusion,” but ultimately it just wasn’t for me.

I bought this book because there was a cute, sad puppy on the cover. But it turned out to be a literary novel about a puppy mill in a depressed part of Georgia. I don’t read to be bummed out! Next time I guess I’ll have to go that extra mile and read the back of the book before I purchase something. Lesson learned.

This book was not formatted properly for the Kindle 2… You will get a headache trying to read it. Spend the extra money and get the $10 version!

I am an asbestos inspector. As such, I’d expect a novel about an asbestos inspector to get the facts right. And for 345 out of 346 pages it did. But on page 273 was this glaring error: Jake gets paid $2,300 to inspect an office building for asbestos. In 2013, when this novel is set, I was charging $2,450 for an identical inspection. That’s a $150 difference. This book does not reflect my personal experience, and thus I can’t, in good conscience, recommend it.

If there were an option for 3.7 stars, that’s what I’d give this, but since there isn’t, I’m giving it one star.

This will be a short review, because I only read the first paragraph. But in that time, I just couldn’t latch on to any of the characters or any real sense of plot. There was nothing at stake, and no development. I was completely unsatisfied. Burned the book, and have spent the past two hours reviewing it on all my favorite sites. Save yourself from this one, folks!

I consider myself a connesir of fiction novels but this book was a definate waist of time, it had no morale, it’s writing was poor, I had a hard time following the mane plot, terrible.

It would be a five-star review, but on page 128 the author used the F-word, which is something I simply cannot condone. I finished the book and I loved it, but I have to give it one star. I hope this teaches the author a lesson.

I did not read this book, but I saw the movie. I felt that Matthew McConaughey’s character was completely unbelievable. He’s supposed to be playing a college student? He’s at least twenty years too old, and I’ve never been able to stand that cocky twang he has going. One star.

Not uplifting.

I couldn’t find the symbols. I think maybe the bird on page 22 was a symbol? But I don’t know what of.

I would imagine this author would be the kind of person who, if you took a college writing workshop with her, would tell you that your characters were flat when actually it was her characters who were flat, and she’d probably also flirt with your boyfriend at the Sigma Chi winter formal, and then she’d go and become this really successful writer when you’re stuck as a paralegal, which is never what you even wanted to do. Just my guess, but this author probably only deserves one star for this book, which I refuse to buy.





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21 June is the Summer Solstice

That's right people, tomorrow is the Solstice, the very same as in my book - Solstice Magic & Mayhem.

Tonight thousands of people are gathering at Stone Henge in Wiltshire, England, and camping over night ready to welcome the Solstice sunrise. In fact I just heard a news report that there are over 30,000 people there right now and more are expected.
You might think there would be trouble at a gathering that large, but no. People meet there every year, to celebrate in one way or another (religiously or just to party) and it is always a joyous and peaceful event.
I wish I had the time to write a long post on both the significance of the Solstice and of the particular significance of Stone Henge (only one of many many amazing stone circles in the UK, I myself live only a couple of miles from one that is a mere 4000 years old) but you can easily look up the details. So I shall simply add in the words of an email I was sent by a reader.
So, thank you Linda for your outline of the Solstice (see below) and I will send you free paperback copies of my relevant books: Halloween Magic & Mayhem, Werewolf Magic & Mayhem and, of course, Solstice Magic & Mayhem. And if anyone else would like to send me anything to add to my blog then please don't forget to include your address so that I can send you a paperback or two too! Stella!

The Summer Solstice

Not written by me! Article supplied to me written by Linda Wright:

Summer solstice is a ritual of Celtic origin. This tradition dates back to thousands of years. The specific place where this biannual ritual takes place is at Salisbury Plains and the particular stone formation is called Stonehenge. Every year on the twenty first of June and on the first day of winter marks as the day of summer solstice and winter solstice. It is celebrated by the pagans and druids who in the modern day are also known as neo-pagans and neo-druids. Every year, thousands of people head towards Salisbury plains a day before the set date and they spend the whole night over there. Meanwhile, the groups of people either hangout separately or share parties together.

It is a universal cycle when the sun has such a setting that it aligns with the central stone of the Stonehenge as it rises at dawn. Along with this, two other stones perfectly align with the sun and the central stone and this repeats every year. The difference between winter and summer solstice is that in summer solstice sun is at its highest while in winter solstice, it is the exact opposite. Summer solstice also marks the beginning of the harvest season. According to pagans, this is done in order to thank to all the major forces, sun being the most powerful of all, because of which is the harvest was made possible. In winter, however, the solstice has a whole new meaning.

A lot of people of pagan and druid community consider it a good omen to start a new cultivating season, while other consider it a good opportunity to get married and even get united with their older folks in solidarity. There is folk music to brighten up the atmosphere as well as cultural costumes of pagan and druid origins.

Apart from the believers of Stonehenge solstice, there are general public as well in the audience. At times their attendance is more than the followers of solstice. The celebrations start at dusk and last till dawn when the sun rises and lights up the world with its first rays. At the time of dawn there is pin drop silence as sun approached the horizon. The first ray of sun is followed by a specific prayer that the pagans chant in order to pay tribute. These chants become louder and louder and so is the specific of drum. And when the sun is perfectly aligned, the ritual attendees kiss it and hug it in order to than for the previous years.

It is a great opportunity for the people who do not believe in solstice as well. They get to know more people and interact with them. While all this is going on, in the central area of Stonehenge, celebratory events keep on happening from time to time which keeps the attendees not only interested in the ritual but also their culture. This has been an going process for ages to come now and it takes place twice a year which actually supports the consistency of summer solstice in the Salisbury plains of England.