Ashley Has Been Found!!

My friends daughter has been found. I know that the police have taken her to the hospital to get checked out, but I do believe that she is okay. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

This is the daughter of a friend... Any help would be appreciated .

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a 15-year-old Bel Air girl who was reported missing from her home last week.

Ashley Michelle Testerman, 15, of Bel Air, was reported missing from her home on the 400 block of Rambler Road in Bel Air by her mother and step father on Wednesday, July 20 at 8:24 p.m. She was last seen on that day at approximately 4 p.m.

Testerman is described as a fair-skinned white female, approximately 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weighing 134 pounds with hazel eyes and straight blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a t-shirt with a fluorescent “peace” sign, dark blue jeans and hot pink flip flops. She has a burn mark on her left arm of half a “peace” sign.

Sheriff’s Office officials said Testerman had been grounded over missing money that she admitted taking. Testerman’s parents reported finding the screen missing from her bedroom window after they discovered she was not in the home. Testerman has been reported as missing in the past and usually returns that same night or next morning, police said.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Ashley Testerman is encouraged to contact the Harford County Sheriff’s Office at             410-838-6600       or by dialing 911.

Article from- http://www.daggerpress.com

The World of Lor Mandela

Lor Mandela

Destruction from Twins

by

L. Carroll

Synopsis

When a selfish enchantress steals mystical powers from her twin sister, she sentences 
the far away world of Lor Mandela to an untimely death. Only one can save it--
a Child of Balance named Audril Borloc. All hope seems lost, however, when shortly after 
her fourth birthday, Audril disappears without a trace.

Desperate to save their world, a group of spies travel to Earth in search of the little girl 
with black hair and bright blue eyes, traits that on Lor Mandela are exclusive to the ruling 
Borloc family. Instead, they find sixteen-year-old Maggie Baker. While the age difference 
between the girls is obvious, Maggie has the Borloc traits--evidence enough for the 
desperate spies.

Following an earthquake that no one seems to have felt but her, Maggie's mundane 
existence is launched into a roller coaster ride of twists and turns as she finds herself 
bouncing back and forth between her hometown of Glenhill, Iowa and the mysterious 
lands of Lor Mandela. On this strange world, she must learn who to trust and who to 
fear. More importantly, she must find a way to convince the Lor Mandelans that she is 
not their missing "Child of Balance", and her family and friends in Iowa--and herself for 
that matter--that she's not going insane. 

Amid battling a ferocious two-headed beast, being captured by a lawless band of 
Shadow Dwellers, and falling head-over-heels for the enchanting son of an evil 
warlord, Maggie discovers that her blasé reality could be the real fantasy, and 
that the fate of an entire world may actually depend on her.

Review

I have to be honest, Lor Mandela- Destruction from Twins is not my normal type of read. I usually stick to romance or young adult. Honestly, I have never even read any of the Harry Potter series. 

I picked this book because L. Carroll is one of my Twitter favs and I have been wanting to read it for a while and with the second book in the series about to be released I figured it was about time. 

From the minute that I opened the cover, I found myself transported to another world. Lor Mandela is a magical place that is full of wonderful creatures and beautiful landscapes. L. Carroll has an awesome imagination and I am awe struck at her creativity.

The story starts out with a world that has been corrupted by deceit and power. A single vicious act has caused the total destruction of the planet itself. Only through a magical riddle and the chosen one, The Child of Balance, can Lor Mandela be saved. 

This is a story that will have you on the edge of your seat and keep you turning pages. It is full of action, and twists. I found my heart racing as I cheered on the heroine. It is definitely a must read. I am counting down the days until the release of the second book in the series... Four Hundred Days.

Lor Mandela

Four Hundred Days 

by 

L. Carroll

Scheduled for Release

on

July 15, 2011!

Synopsis

When Audril, the heiress to the Lor Mandelan throne, sneaks away to Earth to save one of her dearest friends, she finds that a power hungry tyrant from her own world has begun systematically obliterating towns and cities to get her to turn herself over to him. 

On Earth, she meets a wildly eccentric old lady named Teedee Venilworth whose imaginary butler/fiancé supposedly holds the key to her success. But how can someone help if he doesn't exist? Could it be that creatures who dwell in shadow are not exclusive to Lor Mandela? 

Book number two in the Lor Mandela Series, Lor Mandela – Four Hundred Days, is an action-packed whirlwind of intrigue and fantasy. Join the extraordinary characters from the first book, (both the good and the evil), as they traverse the haunted corridors of Alcatraz Penitentiary, travel via portal to an ancient castle on the cliff shores of Ireland, and meet a foreboding race of mystic warriors known as the Solom. 

Soar on the back of a large horse-like creature to the Northern High Forests and discover that on the picturesque world of Lor Mandela, your friends can become foes, your enemies your allies, and just because someone dies, it doesn’t always mean that they’re dead.

Goodreads Giveaway Winners

Congrats to my Goodreads Giveaway winners! 

Brittany Gale from Ontario, Canada

Heather Ottenschot from Syracuse, New York

Rebekka Weissbach from Cambridge, Great Britain

Karin Tobing from Arcadia, California

Megan M. from Wilson, North Carolina

A signed copy of Stay is being sent out to you!

   I would also like to thank all of the awesome Goodreads members who took the time to check out my book and to enter my contest. Stay made it to #9 under Goodreads Most Requested Giveaways. I am truly humbled. You guys are awesome!

R&R

   I just have a couple of nights of work left and then we are beach bound! I can't wait! I have been craving the surf and sand for months. I am hoping that the clear blue water will be a big inspiration and that I can sneak out on the balcony before everyone wakes up and get in a good bit of writing. 

   I don't know what it is about the beach, but I always seem to be a bit more productive when I'm there. I want to eat better, and get outside and move my body. I can relax more. Maybe it's the calming waters or the laid back lifestyle. I don't really know for sure, but I like it.

The Secret of a Spicy Jalapeno Review

The Secret of a Spicy Jalapeño

by

Charlie Courtland

Synopsis

Beyond the urban sprawl of a Pacific Northwest city lurks the peculiar little town of Providence and in it, an organic farmer named Joe Parker. Joe’s lurid story, or rather this particular piece of it, begins when Sheriff Caine fashions the big idea to grow jalapenos, albeit with questionable methods. The gritty scheme is plucked from the undercurrent of the sheriff’s self-righteous mind and carried out with the help of Joe’s skill, two local agents, and a coroner. Everything is progressing as planned. That is, until Vera Cruz, a prostitute and girlfriend of a drug dealer, is delivered late one night on Joe’s doorstep. The new houseguest suddenly complicates his routine. The woman bunking on the rear porch not only threatens to upset the jalapeno operation, but also Joe’s conviction about what is rightly just and intrinsically wrong. Will Vera save Joe or lure him further into depravity?

The creation of The Secret of A Spicy Jalapeno derives from the unequivocal influence of acclaimed Southern gothic writer, Flannery O’Connor.

“Sometimes it takes a violent and grotesque act for a character to experience a moment of grace. Perhaps, this is the truest path toward fictional redemption.” ~ Charlie Courtland(

Review

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I was a little taken back when first started reading it, but I must say that it turned out to be surprisingly entertaining. Charlie Courtland is amazing. Once I got over the immediate shock of what I was reading about, I found myself falling in love with Joe and Vera. I couldn't help but pull for them to get together throughout the entire book. Joe's quirkiness kept me smiling and the gruesome truth of his occupation kept me with my nose buried in this book. I couldn't wait to see how everything was going to turn out. One thing is for sure, I'll think twice about using any Jalapeño Chutney in the future.

I give it 5 stars.

* * * * * 

I'm giving away a copy of Stay...

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Stay

by C.C. Jackson

Giveaway ends June 20, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win