Thank you for visiting my stop on the Rave Reviews Book Club’s BOOK, BLOG & TRAILER BLOCK PARTY!

Here’s what I’m giving away today:
$10 Amazon gift card

1 ebook – Zombie Dawn

1 ebook – Megamax

Number of winners for this stop – 3

Please Like my post and leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway. Good luck!

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Since this party has a Halloween theme, I thought I would share an excerpt from my short story, Zombie Dawn.

Catherine’s house, including the treacherous back steps and the spooky alley, was my house for seventeen years, and Silme was my sweet baby boy for sixteen of those years.

The neighborhood in the story is the one I live in now, and I get a little exercise by walking those streets at least four nights a week, always between ten p. m. and midnight.

Many of the houses are dark by the time I waddle by, and working pole lamps are few and far between.

I have to admit that the little road where the character Bobby dies (not in this excerpt) between my street and the block behind us, is a bit unsettling. There is only one light, and it is often out. My poor vision prevents me from seeing into the alley after dark, so walking that road always gives me a bit of a chill.

One of the side roads on the street behind mine leads to Blueberry Park, the site of a homeless camp and not a safe place to be near after dark.

Sometimes, I see other people on the road, and I wonder what brings them out so late at night.

These figures, shrouded in shadows and mist, add to the overall creep factor of my walks and send my writer’s mind to some pretty ghoulish places.

It was during one of these walks that Zombie Dawn was born.

I hope you enjoy the following excerpt.

* * *

“Toby!” Catherine Peterson’s voice reached the shrill note necessary to be heard through both the bedroom door and the raucous din that currently passed for music. “Why are you still up? Turn that music off and go to bed! Did you take the garbage out?”

The music stopped, and she heard Toby’s door creak open.

“No,” was the shouted reply. “I forgot.”

Catherine rolled her eyes, knowing that it was foolish to expect a ten-year-old boy to do anything that even remotely resembled a chore.

“It has to go out tonight,” she shouted back. “They come early.”

“I’ll set my alarm for six and take it out then.” It was clear from Toby’s voice that he had no intention of doing either of those things.

“Never mind.” Catherine was too tired to argue. “I’ll take it out this time, but you owe me!”

“Thanks mom!” The door closed, and the music began to pound almost immediately.

Catherine rolled her eyes again as she headed for the kitchen to grab the trash bag.

Silme, the family cat, appeared from nowhere and escorted her, somehow managing to be exactly where she planned to put each foot as she walked.

“Silme, you’re not helping.”

The cat meowed his response, letting her know that he didn’t care if he wasn’t being particularly helpful.

He followed her to the back door, hoping to slide beneath the bag that she held and escape into the backyard as soon as the screen door opened. It was Silme’s standard routine, and Catherine was ready for him.

“That’s not happening, dude.” Once the inner door was open, Catherine turned her back to the screen and lowered the bag so that it was between her feet and the cat.

“Stay back,” she instructed automatically. But, as usual, Silme wasn’t listening.

Eyes wide, he gazed past her into the unlit yard. Growling softly, he flattened his ears.

“Don’t look at the possum,” Catherine told him with a smile. It had become another automatic statement when a possum had taken up residence in the plastic tub that had been outfitted as a refuge for stray cats.

Silme growled again, then turned and ran when Catherine opened the latch and backed through the doorway.
She had just a second or two to wonder what the heck was wrong with her cat before a pair of hands closed over her shoulders with fingers that gripped like talons.

Screaming, she dropped the garbage bag and tried to pull away. But the outer step that she stood on was small, and the quickness of her movements caused her to lose her balance.

She tried to recover but fell into the arms of the man who held her.

She had just enough time to recognize Mr. Duncan, who lived across the street, before his teeth sank into the flesh at the side of her throat and tore a mouthful away.

Blood spurted, spattering Catherine’s jaw like drops of rain. Mr. Duncan’s lips pressed against the wound, his teeth chewing at the flesh around it.

He’s eating me! The thought was almost too insane for Catherine’s mind to process. Dear Lord, he’s eating me!

She shrieked, the sound a keening cry born from a combination of pain and gut-wrenching terror.

She managed to put her palms against Mr. Duncan’s bony chest, pushing as hard as she could in an attempt to break free.

Mr. Duncan took two stumbling steps backward, and Catherine grabbed at the door handle with the hand that wasn’t pressed against the wound.

But two steps weren’t enough. Mr. Duncan’s hands grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her into his vicious embrace.

Catherine voiced a scream that barely seemed human, while Mr. Duncan’s jaws closed on the nape of her neck.

The curtain opened at the window to her left, and she saw Toby’s terrified face watching through the glass.

The window slid open, and she screamed hysterically for him to close it. “Shut it! Shut it tight!”

He hesitated, and she felt a fresh surge of panic. What if he came out to try to help her?

“Call the cops! Now! ”

The window slammed shut, and though she couldn’t hear the latch sliding into place, she knew it had been done.

She felt herself weakening and realized that, as crazy as it seemed, she was being killed by a sweet old man who had every intention of devouring her.

Stay in the house! Her last thought was for the safety of her son. Please, baby, stay in the house…

* * *

Zombie Dawn

In the late hours of a warm summer night, the residents of a quiet little street discover that things aren’t so quiet, after all.

You can get your copy here: Zombie Dawn

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Thanks again for stopping by today. If you would like to visit the other stops along the tour, you can do that by clicking here:

#RRBC October-ween

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Contact

Email: rhanidchae@gmail.com

Twitter: @rhanidchae

My Books

Shadow of the Drill

I apologize for not being active with my blog over the last few weeks. I had a hectic holiday season, and I’m also trying to finish up #WinterOfTheDrill. Not that any of this is an excuse, it’s just what happened.

As some of you know, I have been doing a Podcast with my friend,
GE Upshaw.
Tonight, at 7:30 PST, we will be adding a new show, Rhani and friends. This will be my time to talk with writers and other artists about what makes them tick. My first guest will be newly published poet, Forrest Stepnowski.

We would love it if you would tune in and hear his thoughts on writing and publishing his first book. 😃

bit.ly/RhaniAndFriends

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. Now that the holidays are over, I plan to be more active with my blog.

Contact Info

Email: rhanidchae@gmail.com

Twitter: @rhanidchae @rhanidchaaebooks

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/rhanidchaeauthor/

 

Book Blurb: 

People come into our lives for a day, a season, or a reason…

 

This novel contains profanity and adult situations.

I don’t know about you, but I have zero skill at creating a decent book cover for my books. Less than zero, actually. So I am constantly on the lookout for great covers at a decent price.

I met Ellie Douglas on Twitter, and fell in love with the cover for her book, Hounded. Okay, let’s be real. I love zombies and this is a zombie book. I probably would have loved the cover had it been nothing more than some blood-dripping stick figures. But, as you can see below, this is a pretty awesome cover!

While retweeting Ellie, I saw pictures of the covers that she has created, and I was quite impressed. So much so that I decided to do this blog post and introduce her to those of you who might be looking for a cover designer..

She has stock covers available at a reasonable price, and can also do custom work if requested.

Below is the cover for her novel Hounded 2, which I’m adding because I like it and so that you can see a great example of what she does with the horror genre.

Here are a few more examples of Ellie’s covers.

And a few more.

You can follow Ellie on Twitter, @authorellie. She’s a light-hearted, fun loving person and I think you will enjoy her tweets.

You can also visit her website at authorellie.com and check out the covers that she has available.

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Thank you so much for stopping by today. Please take a couple of seconds to leave a comment, because I value your feedback.

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Book info

Shadow of the Drill
Born of Circumstance, Bred for Revenge.
https://t.co/QzD2ODjvKk

A Perilous Thirst
A different kind of vampire story.
http://goo.gl/4HSpxu

One Dyke Cozy
“HAVE A NICE DAY”
Mr. Happy
goo.gl/QTS6Xq

Contact Info

Email: rhanidchae@gmail.com

Twitter: @rhanidchae@rhanidchaaebooks

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/rhanidchaeauthor/

If you’re like me, you’ve probably tried one book promotional program after another. I don’t know how it has all turned out for you, but 98% of them have done absolutely nothing for me.

I met Mark Schultz, @wordrefiner, on Twitter, and was intrigued by what he offered. I went ahead and booked a promotional package for Shadow of the Drill, paid his incredibly reasonable fee, then sat back and waited for more…nothing.

Surprisingly, that’s not what I got. I’m not going to say that dozens of copies were downloaded, because they weren’t, and I’m not going to exaggerate the results. However, I will say that working with Mark yielded more book sales then any other marketing program I’ve tried. In fact, even though  this happened almost a year ago, I am still hearing from readers that they became aware of my book through Mark’s website and then added it to their TBR lists.

So, I can tell you from experience that Mark’s program works. He loves what he does, and works hard to make sure that the books he represents get the attention they deserve. If you are looking for an inexpensive marketing program that might actually sell a few copies of your book, please talk to Mark.

I see that I have been overly chatty, and I apologize for that. I’m just such a fan of Mark Schultz. But I will now turn the rest of this post over to him. Please read on and see what Mark has to say. I think you’ll be glad that you did.

* * *

I love authors because they write books. I love to read and almost anything in print interests me, except for erotica, graphic sex, or torture. I read many different genres and a well-written, smooth-reading book is pure pleasure for me. I actually haven’t found a genre I don’t like, yet.
I enjoy helping authors promote their books, that’s why I review and promote a book every week.

My Promotion and Review Package offer consists of the following: 

I will read the Kindle version of your book, that you provide for free or If you wish my review to be a Verified Purchase on Ama-zon add the cost of your book to my promotional fee, which is listed on my website, and send it to my PayPal account. I will buy your book and read it. Yes, I do read the book. During the read through, if I find errors I will provide you a list of those at no extra charge. The errors will be generally mentioned at the end of the review and the score will reflect that. I will not post a score lower than 3 out of 5 stars without trying to discuss it with you first. Almost all of my book reviews score between 4 and 5 stars.

Promoting your book means the review will be posted on my website, wordrefiner.com. I have a daily average of 300 to 340 unique visitors, generating 1800 to 2200 pageviews every day on wordrefiner.com, as of this writing. My book reviews average 600 to 1000 pageviews a week. The Book Review page is one of the top 3 pages visited consistently.  The review will go up on my American Ama-zon page, if the book is available there, and up to two other websites of your choosing. Most authors choose Kobo and Good-reads as the other two websites. The review will also be linked from the Word Refiner Facebook page and LinkedIn.  The review will be tweeted multiple times a day for one week. Your book will be seen by thousands of people not including all the exposure on Amazon, et cetera. I have over 19,000 followers on Twitter and many faithful friends who retweet and like many of my tweets.
​If you are interested, we can also do an interview on the book review page. After I publish the review, you go on the page and leave a comment about your book, the writing process or most anything else about the book review. I will reply and ask you questions focused on you and your book. I have many questions to draw from but if you want to provide me some questions to use in the interview I am fine with that. You can invite people to come on the website and make comments and ask you questions also. I will respond to them as appropriate. We will have fun and people will get to know you and your book all the better. This has proven to be a very popular feature.

​I charge a reasonable fee in US dollars for the week-long promotion, unless you wish a Verified Purchase as already discussed. Please visit my website to view the current rate.

You can view my current book reviews on the Book Review page. All the reviews can be easily located on the Previous Book Reviews page.

Proofreading is the other thing I do to help authors. I am very good at finding the spelling errors that computer spellcheckers miss. Anyone who completely relies on a spellchecker is making a big mistake. Do you remember that I read a lot, nearly 60 books a year? I find spelling errors in over 95% of the published books I read. On average, I find one book a year without spelling errors. The funny thing is, I don’t have to look for them, they find me and jump up and slap me in the face. That sort of thing really spoils a good story. Do you know what I mean? All the information is on my website for all my services.

I have a page devoted to the books I have proofread, fiction and non-fiction alike. I know a little about a lot of things, sometimes it even comes in handy for something besides a trivia question or contest.

I blog about homophones and groups of words that are easy to mix up, creating invisible spelling errors. Invisible to the spellchecker, that is.

I also have a fabulous bunch of guest bloggers and book reviewers. Many of these are writers themselves and are sharing valuable knowledge.

Lastly, I have many pages of word and grammar jokes on my humor page. Many examples of the need for proofreading in many different places.

* * *

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today and visiting with Mark Schultz, @wordrefiner. Please follow and chat with him on Twitter, or swing by his site at wordrefiner.com.

I’ll be back in a couple of days with a post that will be of interest to those of you who might be looking for an awesome cover designer.

* * *

 

Shadow of the Drill
Born of Circumstance, Bred for Revenge.
https://t.co/QzD2ODjvKk

A Perilous Thirst
A different kind of vampire story.
http://goo.gl/4HSpxu

One Dyke Cozy
“HAVE A NICE DAY”
Mr. Happy
goo.gl/QTS6Xq

Contact Info

Email: rhanidchae@gmail.com

Twitter: @rhanidchae @rhanidchaaebooks

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/rhanidchaeauthor/

This fun little recipe is perfect for brunch, but also delicious anytime you want a sweet treat.

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Start with two tubes of cinnamon roll dough.

For the filling you will need:

8 oz of cream cheese. I’ve used both soft and firm, and the little blocks seem to work better.

1/4 cp sugar (+/- depending on how sweet you like it)

1/2 cp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

You can also add finely chopped walnuts and raisins, if you like. I’ve used both from time to time and they’re a great addition.

Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together in a bowl until blended. Add the milk and stir until it’s smooth, with no lumps.

Stir in additional ingredients now, if you’re going to use them.

Put the bowl in the freezer until the mixture is frozen, but not too hard. In my freezer, it’s roughly 45 minutes.

Once the filling is ready, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Take the cinnamon rolls out of the tubes and press them out until they are flat.

Place a large dollop of the filling in the center of a cinnamon roll and bring the edges up over the sides of the filling.

Place a second roll over the top and tuck the edges underneath to make a ball. Sometimes, I use a small spatula to help with this.

Do the same with the remaining cinnamon rolls and filling.

Place the balls upside down in a baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are golden brown and puffy.

Turn them right side up, drizzle the cinnamon roll icing over the tops, and serve while warm.

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Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

* * *

Books

Shadow of the Drill
Born of Circumstance, Bred for Revenge.
https://t.co/QzD2ODjvKk

A Perilous Thirst
A different kind of vampire story.
http://goo.gl/4HSpxu

One Dyke Cozy
“HAVE A NICE DAY”
Mr. Happy
goo.gl/QTS6Xq

Contact Info

Email: rhanidchae@gmail.com

Twitter: @rhanidchae @rhanidchaaebooks

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/rhanidchaeauthor/

This past weekend was time for my friend John to make his monthly visit up to Tacoma. We both love movies and spent a great deal of time at our local Regal.

We saw a total of 7 films, and I thought I would share our opinions with you.

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The first movie we saw was Truth or Dare, which starred a talented young cast that I’ve never heard of before. Lol The three main roles went to Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, and Violet Beane. The film was very reminiscent of the Final Destination franchise.

A group of kids played a game of Truth or Dare, not knowing that there was an ancient demon involved. They had to continue the game in the order that they originally played.

There are some twists in the film, and some revelations that are rather surprising. All in all, it got 5 stars from both of us.

* * *

A Quiet Place was a different kind of concept, and a pretty good film. And not a lot of action, and only a couple of times when the giant bugs interacted with the human cast. It was a bit slow on more than one occasion, so from us, it gets 4 stars.

* * *

The third movie we saw was Pacific Rim Uprising. It was a good movie, with lots of action, but John had a hard time following everything that was going on. I have to say that casting Jon Boyega in the lead was a good choice.

I gave this movie 4 stars, and John gave it 3 stars.

* * *

The last movie that we saw on Friday was Acrimony, which was an incredible look at a woman’s descent into Crazyville. Everything that I knew about the movie before we went told me that she was a woman who was burdened by a lying, cheating husband. And I’m not saying that the man was perfect, but it was interesting to see him through her wildly distorted viewpoint. Taraji P Henson was absolutely phenomenal as Melinda, and Lyriq Bent was equally amazing as her husband, Robert.

This film was an easy 5 stars from both of us, and I highly recommend it.

* * *

We started Saturday with Chappaquiddick. It was interesting, but it didn’t do much to really hold my attention. I’m not saying it wasn’t good, because it was, but it just seemed very dry and slow. Jason Clarke was excellent as Ted Kennedy, but I just felt there was something missing. I may have to see it again.

Chappaquiddick gets 3 stars from me and 4 from John.

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Or second movie on Saturday was Ready, Player One. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but wow, what a thrill ride it was! A great ensemble cast came together to make this probably my favorite film of the weekend. If you have the time, you should absolutely go see it. This is one you just don’t want to miss. 5 stars from me, and 4 from John, because he got lost and couldn’t find his way back. 😃

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The last film we saw was Rampage, and I was hesitant about going. I never played the video game, and had never even heard of it until this movie was made. I just didn’t know what to expect.

I needn’t have worried because this movie is fantastic! Dwayne Johnson heads a phenomenal cast which includes Jeffrey Dean Morgan and a few minutes with Joe Manganiello. And, of course, George. There was a lot of humor between Dwayne Johnson’s character and George. Yes, there were some sad moments, but overall it was a great film and was probably my second favorite of the weekend. John and I both give it 5 stars.

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I hope you enjoyed these movie reviews. I can honestly say there were no bad ones, but some were definitely better than others.

I plan to be back on Wednesday with another great recipe, so I hope you will join me then. In the meantime, enjoy your Sunday. 😃

* * *

Books

Shadow of the Drill

Born of Circumstance, Bred for Revenge
https://t.co/QzD2ODjvKk

A Perilous Thirst
A different kind of vampire story.

http://goo.gl/4HSpxu

One Dyke Cozy

“HAVE A NICE DAY”
Mr. Happy
goo.gl/QTS6Xq

Contact Info

Email: rhanidchae@gmail.com

Twitter: @rhanidchae @rhanidchaaebooks

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/rhanidchaeauthorhor/

This is an easy-to-make, versatile pizza bread that’s a favorite at my house. Hmmm…easy and versatile. That’s right up my alley!

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 tins of biscuit dough

2 or 3 cups of finely shredded cheese. I usually use mozzarella and/ or Colby-Jack, but any cheese is fine.

1 cup of finely shredded parmesan

Assorted pizza toppings. Ground beef, small pieces of pepperoni, vegetable pieces – pretty much anything that will hold up to being baked.

1 or 2 tbs of Italian seasoning

1 tsp each of salt and pepper

1/3 to 1/2 extra virgin olive oil. The amount depends on how many ingredients are used, because they need to be fairly evenly coated.

Preheat the oven to 350

Cut the biscuits into quarters

Put all ingredients into large bowl and stir together. Add the biscuit pieces and toss until everything is mixed and coated with olive oil and seasoning.

Spoon it into a greased bundt pan, and top with more cheese, if desired.

Bake for about a half hour, until dough is cooked & cheese has melted.

When done, invert the pan while the bread is hot.

Serve with marinara, ranch, or any other dipping sauce.

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Thank you for stopping by my blog on recipe day. I hope you enjoy this pizza bread. I hope to be back on Sunday with something fun to read.

* * *

Books

Shadow of the Drill
Born of Circumstance, Bred for Revenge.
https://t.co/QzD2ODjvKk

A Perilous Thirst
A different kind of vampire story.
http://goo.gl/4HSpxu

One Dyke Cozy
“HAVE A NICE DAY”
Mr. Happy
goo.gl/QTS6Xq

Contact Info

Email: rhanidchae@gmail.com

Twitter: @rhanidchae @rhanidchaaebooks

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/rhanidchaeauthor/

We sure do! So today, I’m sharing a fun and easy way to bake potatoes to accompany a meal, or as a snack.

Start with a fairly large potato, and slice it across the top from side side to side, without cutting all the way through. Make the cuts as close or as far apart as you like, depending on how thick you want the potato slices.

Drizzle the top with melted butter, a little olive oil, some sea salt, and pepper. We have also topped it with things like bacon bits and cheese.

Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes at 425 degrees.

Sometimes, I bake the potato with just the butter, oil, and salt. Then, when it’s done, I top it with ketchup and goat cheese. This may sound a little strange, but it tastes fantastic!

This is another very simple and versatile recipe. You can do whatever you like with it, which is what makes it so much fun.

* * *

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog on recipe day. I plan to be back on Sunday with another post, although I’m not sure yet what it will be. Hopefully, it will be something fun. 😃

* * *

Books

Shadow of the Drill
Born of Circumstance, Bred for Revenge.
https://t.co/QzD2ODjvKk

A Perilous Thirst
A different kind of vampire story.
http://goo.gl/4HSpxu

One Dyke Cozy
“HAVE A NICE DAY”
Mr. Happy
goo.gl/QTS6Xq

Contact Info

Email: rhanidchae@gmail.com

Twitter: @rhanidchae @rhanidchaaebooks

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/rhanidchaeauthor/

I’m sorry this post is a couple of days late, but I’ve been sick and just haven’t wanted to do anything more than I absolutely had to. Lol

I don’t know about you, but I love cobbler. Especially blackberry or apple cobbler. I also love this recipe because it gives me my cobbler without a lot of work. Don’t get me wrong, I love to bake. I just never seem to have the time to do much of it.

* * *

Start by melting 1 stick of butter and pouring it into a baking pan. I use the standard cake pan, but you can divide it between two square pans, if you want to make two different kinds.

In a bowl, stir together 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Add 1 tsp baking powder, and a little bit of salt. Once it’s all mixed up, pour it into the pan on top of the butter.

Now comes the fun part. Dump 3 or 4 cups of sweetened fruit, whatever kind you like, evenly over the top of the batter without stirring it in. If I’m doing apple cobbler, I like to throw some oatmeal and brown sugar on top of the apples.

Bake for about an hour at 350 degrees. Top with ice cream or whipped cream. I like it warm, but it’s also good right out of the fridge.

* * *

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. I will be back on Sunday with another peek into the Drill series.

Books

Shadow of the Drill
Born of Circumstance, Bred for Revenge.
https://t.co/QzD2ODjvKk

A Perilous Thirst
A different kind of vampire story.
http://goo.gl/4HSpxu

One Dyke Cozy
“HAVE A NICE DAY”
Mr. Happy
goo.gl/QTS6Xq

Contact Info

Email: rhanidchae@gmail.com

Twitter: @rhanidchae @rhanidchaaebooks