52 Fun Thing To To In 52 Weeks: #3

Fun Thing #3: Enjoy Warthog Piglets!

I bet you didn’t anticipate that one! With Mother’s Day almost upon us, my thoughts turned to mothers and babies. What could be more fun than baby animals?

My friend Judy, an ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) volunteer, was in town, so we decided to check out the wildlife at The Living Desert and Gardens in Palm Desert. We discovered adorable Warthog piglets (cue the Lion King soundtrack) and shy baby giraffes. The Africa area of the park reminded me of my own mother (sending a hug up to northern California), who lived in Kenya and worked in a bush hospital for three years. The Living Desert also has a North America section, where we spotted (thanks to our tram driver, Carmen) a young Bighorn sheep.

What I Loved:

Animal welfare is a priority for me. Can the animals retreat from the prying eyes of the public? Is their habitat comfortable, clean, large enough, and natural? Are they well fed? Can they escape the heat? If they are herd or pack animals, are they alone? I am happy to report that the only stressed animals I saw were the wolves. Signs at their enclosure explained there was a fly problem, and that the park was working on solving it. The wolves did have a pack, water misters to cool them, and a habitat designed with roaming and privacy in mind.

Tips if You Go:

Plan to arrive close to opening. The animals are most visible in the morning. By the time the desert heat sets in, many animals disappear into their caves, dens, or under shady trees where they are difficult to see.

Spring for an all day tram pass ($6.00). You’ll get a comfortable overview of the park, and the tram operators will help you spot the animals. After years of visiting the Living Desert, I finally saw some Bighorn sheep, but as I mentioned above, only because Carmen, our tram driver, told me exactly where to look. Animals are experts at camouflage!

52 Fun Thing To Do In 52 Weeks – The List So Far:

   1.     Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

   2.     Experience a Bamboo Forest.

   3.     Enjoy Warthog Piglets.

Now back to revising The Viking Mist, Book Two, The Two Realms Trilogy. If you haven’t read Book, One, The Beltane Escape, you can read an excerpt here. 

I hope your day is magical!

~Ariella

Some of my most magical adventures began with a book. #LibrariesRock

Copyright © 2016 Ariella Moon

Eerie, A Mature YA Paranormal Romance from C. M. McCoy

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Today's spotlight is on Eerie. Don't you love the cover?

Be sure to scroll down and enter the Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card Giveaway!

Eerie

by C.M. McCoy

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BLURB:

As seen in People Magazine…

Hailey's dreams have always been, well...vivid. As in monsters from her nightmares follow her into her waking life vivid. When her big sister goes missing, eighteen-year-old Hailey finds the only thing keeping her safe from a murderous 3,000-year-old beast is an equally terrifying creature who has fallen "madly" in love with her. Competing to win her affection, the Dream Creature, Asher, lures her to the one place that offers safety--a ParaScience university in Alaska he calls home. There, she studies the science of the supernatural and must learn to live with a roommate from Hell, survive her ParaScience classes, and hope the only creature who can save her from an evil immortal doesn't decide to kill her himself.

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Excerpt:

Nowhere to Hide

“Judge of your natural character by what you do in your dreams.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Hailey plunked her head on the desk and groaned. Why, why…why couldn’t she just tell Asher that she wanted out, that she was afraid—afraid of the others, afraid of dying, and even afraid of…of him. After all, he was planning to kill her. Only temporarily, but still.

She couldn’t believe she was even considering it, but she had no choice. If Asher didn’t kill her, one of the others would.

Permanently.

And Asher protected her. He cared about her. He loved her, right? Asher—an emotionless creature. Hailey wasn’t sure if he was even capable of love.

Oh, this made absolutely no sense. Kill her to save her? Was that love?

Freshman year at her dream college was turning into nightmare, and as she rolled her forehead on the desk, the library’s impossibly large ceiling clock echoed a thump with her heart. She simply had to pull on her big girl pants and tell Asher she was done.

That’s all.

She squeezed her eyes shut as a swarm of butterflies took flight in her stomach.

Lately, she felt an awful lot like Jekyll and Hyde: logical, rational ParaScience student by day—emotional monstrosity at night. Come to think of it, this was more like The Phantom of the Opera, and she was the naïve student who didn’t realize the secret and strange angel she’d come to know was actually a homicidal maniac…

“I’m not a maniac.”

Hailey jumped up. She didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Asher slid behind her, putting his lips next to her ear. “But I suppose I am homicidal,” he whispered, his breath on her skin sending goose bumps down her arms and legs.

She leaned into him and sighed.

So much for steadfast resolve.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer.

 “How did you know I was here?” she whispered.

“You were dreaming, Hailey,” he murmured. “I’ll always find you when you’re dreaming.”

   

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

C.M. McCoy is an Irish dancer and former Air Force officer living in the Great White North. Though B.S.'d in Chemical Engineering and German, she’s far happier writing stories involving Alaska and a body bag (with an awkward kiss in the mix.) While working emergency dispatch for Alaska State Troopers, she learned to speak in 10-codes, which she still does...but only to annoy her family.

Social Media Links

★ Watch the awesome book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPx4FELVxH4

Website: http://www.cmmccoy.com/

Blog: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eeriesaga

Twitter: https://twitter.com/eerie_o

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27274308-eerie


Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0176M19RM

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eerie-C-M-McCoy-ebook/dp/B0176M6MA6

Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/Eerie-C-M-McCoy-ebook/dp/B0176M19RM

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781623422332

Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/eerie/id1052918810

BAM: http://www.booksamillion.com/search?query=9781623422332

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/eerie-17

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/C_M_McCoy_Eerie?id=yfDPCgAAQBAJ

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GIVEAWAY 

C.M. McCoy will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chance of winning. Other tour stops can be found here.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1646/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="28e4345f1646" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_s7bnm67s">a Rafflecopter giveaway

52 Fun Things To Do In 52 Weeks

I can’t remember how I got conned into this.

                              Evie O’Reilly in Spell Check

Did you know dying your hair purple changes your brain waves? I wouldn’t have believed it either, but how else can I explain this sudden urge to crawl out of my writing cave? Could it be Milestone Birthday Madness? Or the fact that I woke up this morning as Evie from The Teen Wytche Saga, when it is Beltane Eve and I am supposed to be revising the sequel to The Beltane Escape?

Has the world gone mad?

Here is my Milestone Birthday Challenge: Find

52 Fun Things To Do In 52 Weeks.

From April 2016 to April 2017 I will zip line out of my comfort zone/writing cave/hermit existence and enjoy, explore, and create fun moments and events. You can follow my progress here, and check out the more magical fun things on my Shaman Blog.

What? April is, like, over? Well, let’s catch up!

Fun Thing #1: Visit the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter.

A Harry Potter World just opened in California, but the Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, Universal Studios, in Orlando is twice the size. More importantly, Orlando has Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts™. We went on the ride twice. Does that count as two fun things?

What I Loved:

 My daughter grew up on the Harry Potter books, and I loved that this trip celebrated our shared love of J.K. Rowling’s brilliant world building.

 It was also heartening to see so many children and teens at the park embodying characters from the books. Many dressed in Hogwarts school uniforms and had a stuffed dragon or owl on their shoulders. And the wands…

 When was the last time you saw children with sticks in their hands, and no one pretended they were weapons? The wands from Ollivander’s Wand Shop came with a map of places where, if a person waved their wand just right, magic happened. Items in a shop window moved, or rain fell from an umbrella. Brilliant!

Don't Miss: 

The Cookie Cookie Sundae at Schwab's Pharmacy.

Tips For If You Go:

Express passes can’t be used on the major Harry Potter rides. But lines are long all over Universal Studios, so the passes are still worth the cost, especially if you are traveling with younger children who may not have the patience or stamina for long lines.

 If possible, get a pass that allows you early admission to the park. Once in, sprint for Diagon Alley™ and the Gringotts ride.

 Several rides require you to store your purses, backpacks, water bottles, etc. in free lockers. Access to the lockers and to gain admission to the park, requires a fingerprint. Thousands of fingers touch these machines every day. Germ city! Wash your hands frequently to avoid getting sick.


Fun Thing #2

This one is magical, mystical, and free. Read about it on my Shaman Blog.

Available in Print and Digital

http://amzn.to/1OQMyp3

Back to revising The Viking Mist, Book Two, 

The Two Realms Trilogy. Happy Beltane!

Copyright ©2016, Ariella Moon