Posted by Suzanne McMinn | Permalink
Whew. That was wild with the Weekend Three-Word Story! I pulled the whole family in to draw numbers. Saturday! For the PAX t-shirt: comment #69–Cheryl S! Five winners of an autographed backlist book: #25 (Carol), #207 (Elizabeth), #30 (Amber), #84 (Juanita), #150 (Teresa H). For Sunday! For the PAX tote bag: comment #312 –Robyn! Five winners of an autographed backlist book: #362 (KimW), #307 (Shari), #300 (Estella), #316 (Wanda), #404 (Marcy). (Winners: email me with addresses and backlist picks!) A special contest for today below….but first…..
As mentioned before, for those of you with your own blogs, if you read The Beast Within and I catch you talking about it on your blog, I’ll highlight your blog here and send you your pick from my backlist! Today: two catches! Lynn, who has a blog called A Jolt of Reality! “If you’ve been thinking about picking this one up, I highly recommend it. The interaction between the hero and heroine is heart-wrenching because of their history, and I found myself begging them out loud (yes, it did get me some strange looks) to find a way to deal with their inner conflicts and reunite.” Read Lynn’s entire discussion of The Beast Within here. (And Lynn–email me with your pick from my backlist!)
And! From the blog of Margery Scott: “If you’re a fan of paranormal romance, this book has it all. And even if you aren’t (I don’t usually read paranormals), if you’re in the mood for a hunky hero/werewolf, a strong heroine, action, suspense, and tons of sexual tension, walk, don’t run, to your nearest bookseller. You won’t be disappointed.” Read Margery’s entire discussion of The Beast Within here. (Margery, email me!)
Happy Fourth of July, for those of you who celebrate it! I’m not doing much today. We’ll have a barbeque in our backyard and we’re loaded up from the fireworks stand so our kids can have some fun tonight. Mostly, that’s how our holidays are…..pretty mundane. But things were different the year I was six. We lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. It was the early 1970s.
My mother wrote this memory down and it appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last year when they invited readers to send in their most memorable Fourth of July experiences. So now, in my mother’s own words…..
Washington, D.C.
We left home around five o’clock and found a good parking place at Vermont and K Streets, about a 20-minute walk from the Washington Monument where there was going to be a Bob Hope show before the fireworks. According to later reports, the crowd eventually grew to over 400,000 that night, but when we arrived there were still people sitting on the grounds, picnicking, and we were able to get a spot right up front just behind the fenced-off area for special attendees. The girls had seen Bob Hope on TV and were very excited to see him in real life.
Just as the show started, there was a huge uproar from the back of the crowd. We couldn’t see what was happening, but we did see police beginning to work their way through the crowd in increasing numbers. We could hear fireworks going off, but it wasn’t time yet for the National fireworks display. There was a lot of yelling, and then we could see cherry bombs dropping in the crowd behind us. People began pressing forward and there was no way for us to get out. Bob Hope and the other entertainers continued the show and nearby police assured us that we would be fine and that it was just some anti-Vietnam war protesters.
Then we heard people screaming and were told the protesters had thrown tear gas into the crowd. A moment later, it reached us. At first, we couldn’t move, then it was as if the entire crowd ran at once. Some people fell and couldn’t get up–people were just jumping over them. It was so hard to keep going and not stop to help, but we had two screaming little girls in our arms with their skin on fire, so we kept running. I wondered how we’d find each other, but amazingly we ended up on the same street where picnickers were passing out ice from their coolers to try to help. They only gave us two pieces and we rubbed the girls’ faces with them then let them put them in their mouths even as we wished we could have them for ourselves, and then our frightened children only wanted to go home. It was a July Fourth we would never forget.
Now for today’s giveaway……… I don’t consider myself a really patriotic person (I don’t fly a flag outside our house or anything) but I love living in the United States where there is a fast food restaurant and a bookstore on every corner. We moved to North Carolina last year (from Texas) and what I love about North Carolina are the lush trees and (mostly) mild weather and the beautiful Outer Banks beaches. I’m so happy to live here.
Leave me a comment today and one name will be drawn to receive their PICK of the PAX gear (one item: either the t-shirt, the mug, or the tote bag–Winner’s Choice!).
Where do you live and what do you love about it?
