My Monthly Dose of Piperdraws

The World's Tallest Man-Made Waterfall

Glass skyscraper built in China with world's tallest man-made waterfall cascading from the side at 108 meters.

3D Art by Tullius Heuer

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Gotta Have My Monthly Dose of Googly Eyes

10 Plants That Survive a Zero Sunlight Bathroom

Not in the English Language - cwtch

Follow Me on Twitter for a Chance to Win This Back to School Giveaway!

It’s time to get the kiddos and college students ready to go back to school! Here's our way of saying Thank You to our readers and help with a $120 Amazon Gift Card.

Go here to enter, please press and read the terms and complete every entry listed to be qualified to win the prize...

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When You See This, and Then....

The Evolution of the Desk - 1981 to Present

Canine Heroes

Come Join the Lavish Publishing Monthly July Book Extravaganza! TONS of Giveaways!

Come join us! There are going to be TONS of giveaways!

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Please Welcome Nancy Thorne as She Tells Us About Her Paranormal, Time Travel Romance, VICTORIAN TOWN

Victorian Town

by Nancy Thorne

Genre: Paranormal Romance

with time travel and mystery elements

Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing

Date of Publication: March 28th, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-68291-639-1

ASIN: B07B65543D

Number of pages: 196

Word Count: 56,000

Cover Artist: Rae Monet

Tagline: Abby Parker has a modern life. Too bad someone in the 19th century needs it.

Book Description:

Abby Parker planned out her whole life: complete her final year of high school, go to college, get a job, move away from her insane family, stay best friends with Jessica.

But, that was before she broke into the nearby tourist attraction and unwittingly answered a call from a centuries-old spirit who dragged her into the 19th century.

Now she must solve a Victorian mystery without getting herself killed, or worse, spend a lifetime trapped in the past, leaving behind everyone she loves and altering their lives forever.

When she meets gorgeous Benjamin, the future looks a lot like wreckage.

Amazon

Excerpt

I waited for him to make the next move, to tell me how inappropriate, how forward that was of me. As I struggled to think of how best to offer an explanation, he turned to me. Gently but deliberately, he moved his hand up my arm, stopping at the nape of my neck beneath the ribbon of the bonnet.

The moment he leaned in, I closed my eyes. His lips, soft and full, touched mine with the modest pressure of an indecisive act. A warm energy coursed through my body, but the strangest thing was that everything felt unbelievably familiar, like it had all been rehearsed before that moment. I held onto this profound feeling, not wanting it to leave, until Ben removed his lips from mine.

Even with the whistled melodies from a pair of cardinals outside the church's entrance, the following silence felt awkward. It persisted, and I assumed Ben was already regretting kissing me.

"Miss Abigail−"

I brought up a hand and covered his mouth. "It's okay."

We walked down the hill without saying another word. A lot of activity was happening on Main Street: coaches lined the front of the Royal Hotel as travelers zipped in and out of the main entrance; horse carts delivered goods in dashes of haste; store merchants hurried beyond their open doors; street sellers sold goods out of baskets; helpers swept the boardwalk; ladies could be seen purchasing last minute necessities behind the windows of each shop.

Ben accompanied me up the stairs of Town Hall's entrance and stopped on the landing before we reached the front door. I peered through the window. Martha arranged long-stemmed flowers in a vase on a table at the side of the ballroom. A young man placed a candelabra on a table and then another on top of a piano. Ben had already started back to the street when I turned. He waved. I waved back. Still a chance he'll change his mind.

The gloves were easier to remove now that one was missing its button. I placed them, and the button, on the ledge of the window and took off the ring.

Jess was still sitting on my bed when the haze cleared, but her tapping fingers had moved from her chin, which now rested on her knuckles. It was obvious it had taken longer for me to return this time. It made sense to me right then that the ring held within it a finite amount of energy with which to transport me to the past and back home, like a battery depleting its energy with each use. And, I had no idea how to recharge it.

What is it about this book that makes it special?

  

What a great, thought provoking question! Well, let’s see. Even though my book is a paranormal romance, it’s special in the way that it’s totally relatable.

I tried to write it so the reader would have an authentic experience, taken back in time to 1876: the sounds, the clothes, the food, the environment and the smells. And what were personal relations like back then? How was a young woman expected to behave? How important were siblings and friends? And especially, how important was romance?

Researching the 19^th century took up an exhaustive amount of time before I even began the first draft. All this research opened my eyes to just how different social norms were in Victorian times.

In the 19^th century, the love, struggles and bonds of best friends and romantic interests were the same as it is today. When my main character, Abby, discovers a young woman in 1876, she’s immediately drawn to her in a fantastical kind of way. She experiences metaphysical reactions to the town’s blacksmith, Benjamin as well. Still, her surroundings, even though unfamiliar, are true to the 19^th century. Everything around her is exactly as it would have appeared in 1876, and that’s where I think my book becomes special for a reader.

About the Author:

Nancy Thorne is an award-winning author of fiction inspired by the romance and courage of youth.

Born and raised in a suburb of Toronto, she fostered a passion for creating stories in grade school but hid it much too well. Five years ago she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of telling them.

When she's not writing books or reading, you can find her going on road trips or cooking untested recipes for brave family members and friends.

Nancy lives outside of Toronto with her husband, two sons, and an energetic fox-red Labrador.

She loves to hear from her readers, even just to say hi. Find her online at www.nancythorne.com

http://www.nancythorne.com/blog

https://twitter.com/nthornewrites

https://www.facebook.com/NancyThorneAuthor/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17793582.Nancy_Thorne

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39085555-victorian-town

Slinkachu: Re-imagining Street Art Using Train Set Figures

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(Warning: A few photos are a bit graphic.) 

Now Available in Print! WRYNTER, a Paranormal/Contemporary Fantasy/Romantic Suspense

Now Available in Print!

WRYNTER
Paranormal/Contemporary Fantasy/Romantic Suspense
Word Count:  35.1K
$2.99 e / $9.99 p

She reaches into minds to discover the truth. But this time, what she finds could get her killed.

Wrynter Poe is both blessed and cursed with a unique ability. She can’t read minds, but she can follow a person’s memories of an event they witnessed. Which is why she works as a special agent for the FBI in helping local law enforcement agencies solve crimes. But this gift comes with a price. She cannot touch the bare skin of another person, for fear of accidentally obtaining emotional discharge or feelings from them.

Lieutenant Hammond Blake is an undercover cop who's been assigned to help this strange woman, when a homicide case she's helping with suddenly takes a dangerous turn. While that case is being investigated, he accompanies her to her next job to make sure she stays safe. All it takes is one touch, one breach of her self-imposed isolation, for the both of them to discover how much they need each other.

What neither of them realize is that the homicide has far deeper roots within the police force. Roots involving corruption and a cover-up that will put both their lives in danger, and test Wrynter's abilities beyond her own endurance.

Warning! Contains latex gloves, a special necklace, skin-to-skin contact, a four-legged snitch, a motel on wheels, a chase in the middle of nowhere, and only one chance for two people to discover if their mutual attraction is the real thing.

Excerpt and buy links.

A Field Guide to Procrastinators

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Hippopocranus

Six on Sunday - WRYNTER, a Paranormal/Contemporary Fantasy Romance

Six paragraphs from Wrynter, a paranormal, contemporary fantasy, romantic suspense.

1. “I noticed you seemed to be comfortable inside my apartment. I saw you running your bare hands over the furniture. Since I’m here with you, I take it you either know everything about me and it doesn’t bother you, or you’ve been taken by my charming personality.” He threw her that boyish grin that made his blue eyes crinkle in the corners.

2. Hammond Blake was real. A decent man with scruples. And the lack of those dark emotions meant that every time she touched him, she wouldn’t be hit with the stomach-churning sickness that took days to scrub from her soul.

3. Grabbing his wrist, she shoved it to the side. The man fired, but the bullet went harmlessly into the ceiling, as she’d planned. At the same time, she threw an arm around his neck and jerked his head downward. His nose connected with her knee, and she heard the solid crunch as the cartilage gave way.

4. His mouth did indescribable things to her. His lips and tongue were driving her senses into overload. His hands massaged, kneaded, and lifted her hips from the bed to grasp her buttocks before reaching up again to find the roundness of her breasts. And when he pulled himself up along her length, sliding taut skin along skin, she unconsciously spread her legs, wishing and wanting him to fulfill her.

5. She remained silent all the way to the police station. He couldn’t imagine what she’d witnessed inside that dog’s head, and he didn’t ask, even though he was curious to know. He’d wait until she was ready to volunteer that information on her own. In the meantime, he’d keep a close eye on her in case there were any repercussions. After all, that was part of his job, his assignment. But mostly, it was because he’d come to realize how deep his feelings were growing for this incredible, beautiful woman. 

6. If there was anything positive to be said about her imprisonment, she now knew the truth about the Mays woman’s death. At least, she knew who the killer was. Who had pulled out that knife from the butcher block, then put it back when a bigger, better blade had presented itself. Who had left that bloody footprint near the body. Who had torn the opal necklace from the old woman’s neck, severely tearing and bruising the paper-thin skin. She’d gotten the information in bits and pieces, forcing herself to sift it like precious jewels from the sludge of ugliness that was poured into her every time this woman touched her. 

Excerpt and buy links.

Locket wrist watch III by ~Pinkabsinthe on deviantART

Now Available as an Audio Book! DO WAH DIDDY ME, a Time Travel Urban Fantasy by Carolyn Gregg

Now Available as an Audio Book!

Do Wah Diddy Me
Time-Travel Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 16.6K
$1.99 e / $6.99 p / $6.95 a

Narrated by Linda Mooney
Length: 1 hr, 55 min

Hear a Sample

It all began when she found the silver charm bracelet.

As a realtor, Geraldine "Geri" Jones has been trying for years to get the property off her hands. Back in the 50s, it had been called Mabelling's, one of the first drive-in soda and burger joints in the state. But after a calamity destroyed the place and took many lives, the remaining structure had fallen into ruin.

It was while showing the location to a prospective buyer that she finds the bracelet buried between the cracks in the blackened floor tiles. What she doesn't expect is for the bracelet to transport her back to 1959. Back to the diner when it was in its heyday. There she meets Roddy "Hot Rod" Carvelle, with his tight jeans, tighter white T-shirt, and slicked back hair. A man twelve years her junior, who gives her the thrill of her life in the backseat of his baby blue Bel Air.

But the anniversary of the catastrophe that destroyed Mabelling's is fast approaching, and, knowing his fate is to die in the fire, Geri is determined to save Roddy from his final destiny. What she doesn't realize is that she and Roddy could become two more victims of the disastrous event.

Excerpt and buy links.

How to Build a Time Machine

New! WRYNTER, a Paranormal/Contemporary Fantasy/Romantic Suspense

WRYNTER
Paranormal/Contemporary Fantasy/Romantic Suspense
by Linda Mooney
Word Count:  35.1K

$2.99 e

She reaches into minds to discover the truth. But this time, what she finds could get her killed.

Wrynter Poe is both blessed and cursed with a unique ability. She can’t read minds, but she can follow a person’s memories of an event they witnessed. Which is why she works as a special agent for the FBI in helping local law enforcement agencies solve crimes. But this gift comes with a price. She cannot touch the bare skin of another person, for fear of accidentally obtaining emotional discharge or feelings from them.

Lieutenant Hammond Blake is an undercover cop who's been assigned to help this strange woman, when a homicide case she's helping with suddenly takes a dangerous turn. While that case is being investigated, he accompanies her to her next job to make sure she stays safe. All it takes is one touch, one breach of her self-imposed isolation, for the both of them to discover how much they need each other.

What neither of them realize is that the homicide has far deeper roots within the police force. Roots involving corruption and a cover-up that will put both their lives in danger, and test Wrynter's abilities beyond her own endurance. 

Warning!  Contains latex gloves, a special necklace, skin-to-skin contact, a four-legged snitch, a motel on wheels, a chase in the middle of nowhere, and only one chance for two people to discover if their mutual attraction is the real thing.

Excerpt and buy links.

Artist Yuanxing Liang Redefines the Bust Sculpture With His Intricate Fantasy Art

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Please Welcome Clara Winter as She Tells Us About Her Paranormal Romance, DEEPEST MIDNIGHT, The Immortal Kindred Series Bk. 1

Deepest Midnight

The Immortal Kindred Series

Book One

by Clara Winter

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Inkspell Publishing

Date of Publication: June 25, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-945910-64-7

Number of pages: 162

Word Count: 48,903

Tagline: True love never dies

Book Description:

True love never dies. At least it doesn’t for Millicent, a once French noblewoman turned immortal vampire. Her big problem is that the love of her life was murdered before she was granted immortality. Forever is a long time to live in despair. 240 years later, she happens upon an English actor named Jack, who happens to look exactly like her dead lover.

Trying to figure out Jack’s true soul identity becomes complicated by her own uncertainty, Jack’s mortality, and the other man in Millicent’s life. Alexandre, her maker and companion, isn’t going to make it too easy for her. Millicent must decide if she’s going to continue to be led by others or take the reins and drive the outcome of her life.

Deepest Midnight is set in modern day Savannah, Ga with occasional glimpses back to 18th century France.

Amazon     Kobo     BN

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/hitN-DZvZts

Excerpt 2:

I reach into my clutch to take out my phone. Someone may as well get lucky tonight. Before I can begin my text, Alexandre is next to me. Being psychically linked to him stinks sometimes. Ok, all the time. If I wasn’t so lazy, I would learn how to shield my thoughts.

I put my phone away. He says, “You know I hate texting.”

“Why are you whispering? Who could possibly hear us?” I ask, in my sweetest southern belle accent. Irritating him is what I do best, although he doesn’t always take the bait.

“Do you see her?” He pauses, looking around. “There she is in the back, next to the man with the copper hair. Don’t you have a thing for gingers, Mills?” He tugs on my arm, pointing with his other hand, as I look up.

Alexandre starts explaining how he is going to approach her. I roll my eyes. He thinks he can just walk up to a world-famous movie star, throw up an eyebrow, and she’ll be stripping naked. The annoying thing is, she probably will. On the last half of my eye roll, I lock eyes with a man who was murdered over two hundred years ago. All the breath leaves my body.

What is it about this book that makes it special?

               Deepest Midnight is a paranormal romance with a combination of other elements that make it unique. This story is a second chance romance and an historical romance, as much as it is paranormal. The story also contains a strong female friendship and deals with reincarnation.

                Millicent meets the love of her life in 18^th century France. This man, Julien, is murdered the same night she becomes a vampire. Millicent is now an immortal being who must live an eternity without her love. More than 200 years later she happens upon a man who looks exactly like Julien. Does this man share a soul with the love she lost long ago or is this all a coincidence?

               I was interested in the idea of reincarnation as it would relate to immortal beings. If you live long enough would you come around to people you had known before? It’s an interesting concept. Millicent learns about karmic groups; groups of souls who are attracted to each other, time and time again. This can mean that we will come back to those we love in this life, in the next life, and the life after that. What a beautiful and comforting idea. However, this can also mean we are likely to run into people we don’t like but are still somehow bound to in a cosmic way.

               The historical element is important to this story. Scenes from Millicent’s past illustrate her love for Julien and show the reader how it is that she became immortal. I had a blast researching 18^th century France, as I have a penchant for historical gowns and jewels.

               The element of a strong female friendship was important to me. For me, friendships are just as important as romantic relationships. It’s so vital to nurture friendships with women who stand by each other, support each other, and build each other up.

               Deepest Midnight is the result of a lot of interesting research. If you came across someone who loved you in a past life, do you think they would love you all over again?

About the Author:

Clara Winter grew up reading Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, and Alice in Wonderland, while watching Buck Rogers, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. Writing her own stories naturally ensued. She is a wife, mother, and former school counselor, with a Master’s Degree in Counseling. Amy is from Colorado Springs, Co and currently resides in Mission Viejo, Ca. 

https://twitter.com/ClaraWinter10

https://www.instagram.com/clara_winter_writer/

https://www.facebook.com/clarawinterwriter1/

http://clarawinterbooks.com

Enter to win 1 pair of Marie Antoinette Earrings from Dames a la Mode.

Visit Clara's Facebook Page to Enter 

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Underwater

Synchronized swimming from underwater.

Please Welcome Veronica Scott as She Talks About Her Sci-Fi Romance, DARIK, Sectors New Allies, Bk. 4

Thrilled to announce the next book in my Badari Warriors series, DARIK! The cover is another gem from the talented Fiona

The blurb:

Nicolle James is far from her home in the human Sectors, kidnapped by alien scientists to be the subject of horrifying experiments.  Her only hope might be a mysterious soldier she’d glimpsed outside the laboratory fence. She’d managed to sneak a few words of conversation with him when her captors weren’t watching but now the aliens were taking her inside the lab to begin the experiments.

Darik, a warrior of the genetically engineered Badari pack, is on a solo recon mission to check out a mysterious new lab high in the mountains. His orders are strict – do not engage. But when he has a chance meeting with the woman who might be his mate, he vows not to abandon her, orders or no orders.

Can he get inside an underground lab, find Nicolle and rescue her without getting captured himself? And when he learns the lab’s deadly secrets, can he get word to his pack about the new dangers?

Because the ruthless alien scientist running the experiments wants to get her hands on him too and will stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

The excerpt:

Darik measured the size of the huge paw print in the snow, comparing the breadth to his own generously sized hand. “Big predator, nothing we’ve ever seen before. Nothing comparable in the lowlands.” He took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air, automatically sorting the scents and savoring many new to him. Small furred creatures, towering trees, elusive woodland flowers and moss – he enjoyed all the novelties. It was still a rare luxury for him not to smell the hated disinfectants and chemicals of the Khagrish lab where his kind were created.

His metallic companion MARL12 shifted beside him, disturbing the air as the small alien device floated on an antigrav cushion. “Best to avoid an encounter with any predators.” 

Grinning, Darik rose to his feet and eyed the miniature ovoid, now positioned a few feet further away, orange and pink lights flicking across its shiny surface in rapid patterns. The one tiny patch of green on the machine which he’d noticed was consistently present blinked in the lower rear quadrant of the Alien Intelligence unit’s silver skin.

Darik dusted snow from his palms. “Nervous? I’ll protect you, don’t worry.” He kicked loose snow over the tracks contemptuously. “Big as this animal may be, he’s not going to challenge a full grown Badari male like me. My talons are twice the size of his.”

“We can’t afford to be diverted from our primary mission—”

“Give it a break, MARL12. We’re in this animal’s territory and, unless he challenges me, I’m not looking for trouble. Live and let live.”

Darik had been dropped off at a higher elevation in the mountains so he wouldn’t be spotted by the enemy based in the foothills. He’d descended thousands of feet since his arrival, taking a circuitous route to his assigned target. Neither he nor his Alpha wanted any hint of a Badari presence in the area to become known. He relished the chance to hike through the old growth forest, alone except for his annoying AI companion.

“The sun will set in thirty two minutes and twelve seconds,” MARL12 announced in a crisp tone with no resemblance to the timbre of either human or Badari voices but was uniquely his own, as if a sizable bird had been given vocal chords.

Darik glanced at the small alien AI dispatched to assist him on this reconnaissance and decided to poke its emotional responses with a little barb. “I can see in the dark perfectly well. It’s a Badari attribute. Can’t you?”

A brief silence descended as the AI floated along on its antigrav cushion, bobbing over bushes and other obstacles. MARL12 might be a miniaturized version of its parent unit but the superior attitude was full scale. “I have complete visual acuity under all circumstances. My concern was for you to have a safe base camp established before dark.”

Pausing, Darik leaned in close.

The AI retreated a foot and hovered. 

“I can take care of myself, thanks. I don’t need a minder.” Standing at his full seven foot height, Darik sampled the air again. “There’s no predator in this area capable of taking on a Badari and hoping to win.” He flashed his talons and fangs for the sheer joy of it. Leaping to the flat top of a nearby boulder, he surveyed the vistas ahead and expanded his chest with pleasure. This was the way for a man to live—free, with unlimited nature to explore. Of course, I do have a job to do. Aydarr didn’t send me here to have fun.

Buy Links:  Amazon    iBooks    Nook      Google     Kobo

Mind Blown: An Exploded View of the Human Brain

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Painted Street Carpets Connect Modern Cities to Ancient Ornamentation by Arthur-Louis Ignoré

Arthur-Louis Ignoré, also known as Ali, paints white patterned carpets on public sidewalks and passageways in cities across the world, including recent installations throughout France and Finland. The works are inspired by both geometric and botanical patterns found in ancient ornamentation from a wide range of cultural contexts. By combining the patterns into public works, he showcases the diversity found in our modern cities while providing a domestic aesthetic that contrasts the often brutalist feel of urban environments.

Currently the artist lives in Rennes, France, where a few years ago he painted his largest installation to date. The 10,000-square-foot mandala was painted on the roof of the Social Welfare Family Allowance building, and visually created links between works Ali produced in both Montreal and New York City. You can see more of his painted carpet installations on Instagram and Behance.

Click here to see more.