Battle of the Bands, Migraine City, and Death Knocks

I totally forgot to post the results for the 7/15 edition of Battle of the Bands. Once again, you surprised me. Since the original recording tends to garner the most votes, I thought most of you "older" folks would have voted for Old Crow Medicine Show. I have this theory that we tend to like the familiar. I had never heard the original before, but it was just a bit before my time. Turns out I was wrong about the familiarity factor OR this song just wasn't as popular as I thought for Old Crow Medicine Show... and my "older" voters heard it for the first time here. I am taking the long way around to say that Darius Rucker ran away with this one. Darius got 19 of your votes (add mine to that total) and Old Crow Medicine Show only got three votes. I thank all three of you who voted for them. So glad it wasn't a shut-out. Anyway, there will be something new and different on the 1st for Battle of the Bands -- no idea what yet... but it will be fun!

I also want to take a minute to apologize for not getting round to reading your blogs as well as I would have liked. It has been Migraine City here and just flat-out difficult to do anything. Hence, there is no HERE'S TO YOU post this week. I hope to do better (and feel better) this upcoming week. So, look for it next week. ::crossing fingers::

If you follow Jay Noel's blog, then you are already aware that one of his favorite topics is anything science related. He particularly likes Weird Science. Yeah, I now have that song by Oingo Boingo playing in my head. If you want to hear it, too...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm-upHSP9KU

Anyway, that wasn't really where this was going. A while back Jay wrote a fascinating blog bit about kids with black eyes. It was creepy. I loved it. Turns out that his blogging about these kids brought about a collaboration between Jay and Miranda Hardy to write a novel with this premise. How cool is that???? If you didn't read the original post on these creepy kids, I encourage you to do so by clicking HERE.

And now for the ACTUAL BOOK...

Who knew a knock at the door could rupture your entire world? They don’t demand money or possessions…they want much more than that, they want your life.

Maverick is preparing for senior year: he’s no longer stuck in the “friend-zone” with the girl of his dreams, he’s looking forward to choosing the right college and being on his own, and he plans to have a blast along the way.

But a knock on the door changes all of that forever.

Maverick begins a mind-altering, life-changing journey to discover the truth—a truth that certain individuals will do anything to keep hidden.

Death Knocks is a Young Adult paranormal thriller about the strange global phenomenon known as the Black-Eyed Kids. Take a creepy and exciting ride in a world where myth meets reality.
Death Knocks is scheduled for publication on September 26, 2014 by Quixotic Publishing.

Quixotic Publishing
Miranda Hardy
Jay Noel

A Taste of Steampunk

It is time for another post related to All Things Writing.  My blogger buddy, Jay Noel, has experienced many ups and downs in his journey to getting published.  However, at long last, that moment of gratification has arrived.  I encourage you to visit him at his site for even more insight on the characters in his book Dragonfly Warrior.  Isn't this cover amazing????

Dragonfly Warrior Blurb:

The Mechanica Wars: Savage Machines Are Afoot...

At the age of twenty, Kanze Zenjiro's bloody footprints mark the bodies of those who stood in his way to protect the throne of Nihon. Now, the tyrannical Iberian Empire is bent on destroying his kingdom, and they send their steam-powered giants and iron spiders against him.
Zen embarks on a quest that takes him on the most dangerous journey of his life. To succeed, Zen must live up to his nickname, the Dragonfly Warrior, and kill all his enemies with only a sword and a pair of six-guns. He is called upon to somehow survive a test of faith and loyalty in a world so cruel and merciless, it borders on madness.

Book Information: Dragonfly Warrior is a steampunk adventure like no other. It's a dynamic mix of Asian and European mythology, the Wild West, martial arts, traditional fantasy, and high powered steam action that will keep you turning the pages.

Dragonfly Warrior is the first book of The Mechanica Wars, and will debut on January 6, 2014.

Author Bio:

After doing some freelance writing and editing for more than a dozen years, Jay decided to stop procrastinating and pursue his dream of being a novelist. He's been blogging for over eight years, and even had a comedy podcast syndicated all over the internet. All of that was fun, but all the steampunk-inspired stories in his head just wouldn't leave him alone. Jay spends his days working in medical sales, but he can be found toiling over his laptop late at night when all is quiet.
He draws inspiration from all over: H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Shakespeare, Ray Bradbury, Douglas Adams, and Isaac Asimov.

And Jay loves cookies.

Jay Noel's website: www.jaynoel.com

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