The Chipmunk and I

This Friday, again, I should be celebrating. Instead, I find myself wrapped in a bit of melancholy. You ask what a chipmunk has to do with that. Maybe it is the approaching winter and I find myself increasing the stores in my pantry, sawing gathered fallen branches for the fireplace and splitting the pieces for kindling (which in itself keeps me warm). The idea of going into a partial hibernation appeals to me.

I am coming to my point in a roundabout way: If I have been found wanting in participating in this blog-hop, it is not your blogs, but my hopping. You see, when one get's older, everything else you own does too. Hence, my trusted 2003 Dell can't quite keep up with all your fancy blogs and their moving parts. More often than not, it freezes up on me, green little dervishes appear on the task bar and the hard drive indicates a 100% usage. Sometimes, I have to pull the plug. Frustrating.

Replace it, you say. Yes, while it was easy to get a new water heater, clothes dryer, stove--changing all my files over to a new computer with Windows 8 (ugh, yikes--not writer-friendly) gives me nightmares.

Making a long story short, don't hate me for not "hopping" as much as I had hoped to - it's not you. It's me.

Hence, I'll concentrate on laying in more stories (with several in the works and even more in my head).

Actually, I would appreciate it if you could you take a quick look at my WIP (click above page for "Devil Winds"). Which one of the new covers for CATACLYSM would catch your eye as a reader?

But you, my friends, go forth and celebrate!

Celebrating Rings and Circles

The first rings that caught my attention were the Olympic Rings. You see, I happened to work for the Austrian Olympic Committee at one of the Innsbruck Winter Games. No, not the ones some of you can remember. I am talking about the earlier ones (now you are doing the math, right?). With the Sochi Games quickly approaching, I am reminded again how important a symbol those rings are as they stand for excellence, teamwork and peace.

Despite my aforementioned fondness for rings (and that includes the ones holding precious stones), there are those that baffle me. They are the Google Circles. Many nice people have “put me into their Circle.” To date, I have not reciprocated as I am hesitant to “click willy-nilly,” without understanding what all this does – for me, for them and the last thing I would want to do is to annoy “my Circle” every time I type something...

Now, I guess I better google the meaning of Google Circles.

Celebrating - Just Celebrating

Should I be glad or sad that I cannot think of anything specific to celebrate?  I choose the former of having too many little good incidences to be happy about.

I also thank all of my blogger-friends for their nice comments on my house. However, there sometimes comes a time when homeowners have to "pay the piper." Such as during this late winter ice storm a couple of years ago.

But it's all better now!

It could have been the house, rather than only the back deck and the heat pump (miraculously, it was not damaged once we heaved it back onto its slab). Although, at the time, the electricity was off for five days and I only had my fireplace to heat my large high-ceiling living room (not very well, I might add).

Celebrating My Hideaway

For today's Blog-Hop, I am celebrating that my sweet little house is getting power-washed and re-stained. As with everything around here, a good handiman is not easy to come by (nor any man, for that matter--but that's another story).

After a seven-year itch to move (again...anywhere with sun and sea), I am now quite content to be here; it is truly a writer's haven. Quiet and serene with beautiful scenery.

Authors and Their Soaring Successes

When not busy writing and reading, Author Christoph Fischer relaxes and plays with his Labradoodles. Of course, all of his dogs have to be literate enough to know when not to bother him.

Here, Molly critiques his first success: The Luck of the Weissensteiners.Of course, she gave it five stars.

Just Published - Another Soaring Success:

The Black Eagle Inn

The Black Eagle Inn is an old established Restaurant and Farm business in the sleepy Bavarian countryside outside of Heimkirchen. Childless Anna Hinterberger has fought hard to make it her own and keep it running through WWII. Religion and rivalry divide her family as one of her nephews, Markus has got her heart and another nephew, Lukas got her ear. Her husband Herbert is still missing and for the wider family life in post-war Germany also has some unexpected challenges in store.

Once again Fischer tells a family saga with war in the far background and weaves the political and religious into the personal. Being the third in the Three Nations Trilogy this book offers another perspective on war, its impact on people and the themes of nations and identity.

On Facebook: http://ow.ly/pAX3y

On Goodreads: http://ow.ly/pAX8G

On Amazon- US: http://bookshow.me/B00FSBW2L6

  

Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border, as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years he moved on to the UK where he is still resident today.

Visit Christoph Fischer’s Author Pages:

On Amazon - US: http://www.amazon.com/Christoph-Fischer/e/B00CLO9VMQ/

On Amazon - UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christoph-Fischer/e/B00CLO9VMQ/

On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer

http://www.facebook.com/WriterChristophFischer?ref=hl

http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/

http://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/

* * *

I urge you to check out Christoph’s otther novels as well as his interesting article on “Literary Self-Indulgence?” A couple of days ago, I posted this on my other blog http://devilwinds.blogspot.com/

* * *

Celebrating the Month of October

October is a time of subtle change. As Summer yields to its more colorful successor, I celebrate the cooler mornings and, from my deck, watch the leaves turn golden, one by one.

This is also the month we must celebrate but also sadly mourn a great writer. The one who gave us the “Red October,” has left us. Tom Clancy will be missed.

Celebrating Perseverance

Today, for our Friday Blog-Hop, I am celebrating Perseverance.
It is an admirable quality, I believe; moreover, it works, as my cats have taught me. If I forget the time (writing madly, of course), they begin their assault to remind me that it is "yum-yum" time.
First comes a gentle rubbing around my legs, then a not-so-gentle nibble. And if that doesn't work, they change into the sitting-on-the-keyboard mode.
 

Pasha and Lilliput know what works with unresponsive owners: Perseverance.

Celebrating the Internet

Today, I want to celebrate the Internet.

Just think about it:
We find information, readers find books, writers find readers, and -- most importantly -- I am finding FRIENDS like you.
The Internet has opened up a whole new world for me - while I sit in my peaceful little country corner dreaming and writing about exotic places.

Celebrate with me, my Friends.

Agatha – The Fussy Librarian

This is Agatha. Yes, she is indeed fussy about where she rests her head. Warm laptops are a preferred spot, as is her leather couch. She is also fussy about reading books from talented Indie writers. And so are her owners.

They just opened up a new site. There, they conduct personalized searches for their readers’ preferred genres, alerting them via e-mail of the many great writings by participating Indie authors. Of course, they’ll have to find their own favorite spot to settle down to a good read.

Authors may submit books with a prescribed number of high-starred reviews.

Check it all out here: http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/

Let’s give Agatha and The Fussy Librarian a paw for great success with this effort to bring together fussy readers and great Indie books.

Celebrating Intuition

Do not ever dismiss that feeling you get when something sounds either too good, too strange, or too ...whatever.

Luckily, I had the good sense not to fall for a pith-helmet wearing charmer (well, at least after a while when his stories became too suspect). 

See blog post below.