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in the Spotlight – Chad Ganske

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Chad Ganske

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Today, I’m happy to welcome the always fun Chad Ganske into the spotlight, with his fascinating debut novel, Idyllic Avenue.

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Chad Ganske

Chad was born in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada in 1976, relocating with his family to the small harbor town of Sidney, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island in the late eighties. After graduating from high school in 1994 he enrolled in the University of Victoria but left after one semester to enter the workforce. He slogged through a variety of entry level jobs before finally publishing his first novel, Idyllic Avenue. He presently resides in Victoria, British Columbia, where he spends a great deal of time alternating between states of elation and frustration while watching the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League.

 

Read on for Chad’s interview and more about his book!

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A to Z Challenge – Z is for Zone

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A perfectly good word to end the month. It applies to so many different things. “In the zone” is where I am when I’m writing…also sometimes when I’m listening to music. So it’s a very focused state.

Other times I might be zoned out, as in my brain has overloaded and is no longer functional in any real sense.

Or it might be the area of a city, like a residential zone. That one’s a bit boring though.

Of course, there is always that famous and best one of all: The Twilight Zone. I adored that series and it had such an impact on me as a kid. Deliciously scary at times.

The list goes on and on and I’m not going to mention them all, but I think it’s great to end with this.

To those who have stuck with me for the month, thanks for reading!

Don’t forget to visit the rest of the cool blogs in the  A to Z Challenge.

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In the Spotlight – Diane Adams Taylor

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Diane Adams Taylor

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Please join me in welcoming Diane  and her most recent novel, The Healer of Wounded Souls.

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Diane Adams Taylor is a retired school administrator with over thirty-two years in the field of education.  She is now working in her second career as a writer, author and lecturer.  She had her first novel, Circles in Time published by Tate Publishing in May 2012.  Her second novel, The Healer of Wounded Souls, isher newest release through the Bush Publishing Company.  She writes for two on-line publications; one specifically on education topics and the other as a contributor of short stories. Diane continues to write novels and she is currently working on three new manuscripts as well as a series of children’s books.

 

Read on for more about Diane and her novel.

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A to Z Challenge – Y is for Yada, Yada, Yada

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As the month draws to a close, and I have written more blog posts this month than ever before, this is the phrase that comes to mind. It’s one I use in every day talking, but rarely get to use in writing. So I had to take advantage and use it today. Although I hope the posts I’ve written have not been boring, I suspect that every one was not a bright gem adding meaning to the world.  I know some have been trivial, but hopefully fun.

However, this is a great phrase. I love the way the word sounds and the repetitive use of “yada” carries the meaning, even if you aren’t sure exactly what it means. By the way, “yadaa” is Yiddish for “to know,” which is kinda cool since it indicates you know what the person is talking about and don’t need to elaborate.

Tomorrow is the last day of the A to Z Challenge. Obviosuly the letter will be “Z.”

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

 

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A to Z – X is for Xenophile

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A xenophile is someone who is attracted to foreign people and cultures. That’s me. I love meeting new people from different countries, trying new food and learning about different places. The more exotic, the happier I am. The idea of people from other worlds is particularly appealing, which accounts for my love of fantasy and sci fi. I can totally get behind meeting elves and fairies and folks from other planets – as long as I’m not slated to be on the menu anyway.

There are so many wonderful fictional and mythological races, it would be really hard to pick only one. However, if I could choose only one, I’d pick the dragons from the Anne McCaffrey novels. I fell in love with this series years ago. Her vision of dragons is awesome and has been the ultimate image when I think of dragons. Imagine a dragon that you could communicate with and ride and be friends with.

And, yeah, this could have easily come under “wishes.”

Overall, there are tons of cultures I’d like to explore…here on Earth as well as fictional. Some day, my friend…some day.

 

What will  tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “Y” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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A to Z – W is for Wishes

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Wishes and dreams are an important part of my life. They are what let my imagination soar into new skies and worlds. Most of them are unrealistic and I think that’s okay. I know they are just daydreams and don’t expect them to come true. But without them, I think life would be boring. And without them I doubt I’d be able to write, let alone create my version of the world in my books.

When I was a kid, I had a great imagination. It led me into theatre and the arts, as I mentioned back on “I” day. These days I make it a point to wish for something silly or unrealistic – big or little doesn’t matter. It’s my way of playing pretend, but I think  we have all done this at one time or other. Planned what we would do if we won that big lottery or what our yard would look like with bright flower pots and flowers or even grass.

A yard full of grass is one of those wishes I won’t give into because I live in the desert and maintaining it is a bigger pain than it’s worth. I can always go to the park if I need to see grass, but there are days I wish had a yard of grass instead of rock. Sometimes it”s just the little things. 🙂 Of course, now if I won that lottery? A yard…definitely a yard.

 

What will  Monday’s word be? Come back for the letter “X” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

 

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A to Z Challenge – V is for Victory

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I love victories. Little ones, big ones. Accomplishing something I’ve worked hard at or gotten something I’ve wanted for a long time. Or just doing some little thing correctly that has eluded me – like when I play online games and finally succeed at something.

Today I had one of my bigger victories. For a long time I’ve been looking to rescue a small, female toy poodle. I’ve had my friends looking, too, and it’s been a futile search. But last night I heard from the breeder where I bought Chloe. And she had a perfect little girl!

Meet Cienna (CeCe), age 4.5 months, cafe toy poodle, weighs 3.5 pounds. She is already responding to her name, and has made herself right at home. Of course, I took both Tréa and Chloe to meet her before I actually bought her. Tréa even reached over and gave her a kiss – a big deal for Tréa because she tends to ignore other dogs. The three are already friends – no territorial issues.

So this is today’s victory – a tiny, soft bundle of love named Cienna.

 

Cienna settling in

 

 

What will  tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “W” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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