Teaser Tuesday ~ Cyber Solace

* Author Amy Romine writing as Rebecca Gailen from Serenity Lost

So I need an outlet, and you are it oh vast cyberspace. Why, do I need such an outlet? Well, let's just say I find myself in a hell of a mess and those people I usually talk to. I can't. I have a secret. Something only one other person knows, and that is because he was there. 

I would assume you are now shaking your head, wondering, "what the hell am I reading?" Well, I can tell you if you have come to witness a horror story in the making you have come to the right place!

Am I overly dramatic? Definitely! 

Do I care? Not really. Well, yes and no.  

The truth is...I have silently begged the heavens to grant me this one little wish. I just wanted to see him again. I wanted to know for sure that it wasn't a beautiful dream. That his eyes are a deep blue. His embrace is warm and encompassing. Then...there he was.  

I couldn't believe it. The experience of seeing Eric again couldn't have been more awful. I was exhausted and reeling from a horrid day filled with decomposing teddy bears and drowned rats (don't ask). 

Okay fine, if you MUST know, someone has taken an interest in me. Don't panic! I have spoken to the police. Detective Lugow (if you saw him, you would know his name describes his looks perfectly!)stated he is all over it. I didn't want to go see him at all, but Charlie insisted, and I did promise him I would talk to the police if things got 'weird.' I will admit we have reached that point.

 

I finished with Detective Lugow, and I just wanted to go home and sleep. I had to review and sign my statement. Once that was done, I grabbed my jacket and headed out to the waiting area. I took a few steps and saw him. He looked as shocked as I felt, and I wanted to crumble. It took everything in me to not just completely let go...

I think my brain froze. I could not move from the place I had stopped. My feet were glued to the floor. Just as I am about to lose it, Charlie walks up beside me and says...this is my brother, Eric.

His brother, Eric.

Charlie's brother.

Eric.

I still can't say it aloud, it is too much to comprehend. How could this have happened? Oh my God, this man...the image that has gotten me through the past few awful weeks... he is Charlie's brother...and I don't know what to do!

Neither of us has spoken a word of it to anyone. I am trying to forget. To push it out of my mind. It was one night. It shouldn't mean anything. The problem is, it does, and I don't know how to undo that...

So Mr. or Mrs. Cyberspace, whichever you are, you are my new best friend. As long and this secret remains a secret, you are the only one I can talk to. If you have any pull with the powers that be, tell them to cut me a break, okay? A girl can only take so much.

Until next time,  

Beccs 

Their brief heated meeting one fateful night had singed itself into their minds. Not knowing of the other's identity, but unable to forget, had sealed their fate. The fire smoldered quietly in each of them as they tried to move on with their lives. Eric Stiles was in the middle of chaos, searching for a killer. Hunted by an obsessed psychopath, Rebecca Gailen was trying to be strong. The world stopped for a moment as they looked up and saw the other standing just feet away. His heart lurched, her armor shattered and the world started again as Eric's brother, Charlie, appeared to take her hand. Family loyalty isn't a choice. When Rebecca's stalker rages out of control, Eric's decision haunts him and he struggles to stay away. Can he remain loyal to his brother, even if it means abandoning Rebecca when she may need him the most?

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Movie Monday ~ Don’t Let the Love of Classic B&W Films Die! – Part One

In 2019 we are looking to the future, and the horizon is bright! One of the wonders of our world is the ability to enjoy the old with the new and share it with future generations. 

This holiday break I was able to share several B&W films with my 25 year old son. This is a yearly tradition in our household.  Not just B&W films, but the classics. I have four children, their ages are spread out (14 to 25) so I only subject them to a few at a time so it isn’t torturous. Surprisingly, while they object at first, they usually get into the movie after the first 30 minutes or so. Some of you may have noticed from my tweets (@AmyJRomine), this year I shared Abbott and Costello with the two younger kids and the Thin Man series with the eldest. 

Liking the idea of revisiting the classics? Here are the first five in a list of 10 B&W films I highly suggest for 2019. Most can be found on Amazon or TCM (Turner Classic Movies). These are in no particular order as I love them all. 

The Philadelphia Story (1940) – (Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart) When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.  One of the first dramedys out there this light-hearted romantic film is witty and full of spunk!

The Thin Man Series – (William Powell and Myrna Loy) - Former detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it. This is the first of six films (Thin Man, After the Thin Man, Another Thin Man, Shadow of the Thin Man, The Thin Man Goes Home, and Song of the Thin Man), centering around Nick and Nora Charles. Snappy, fun and intelligent they were blockbusters back in the day and still hold up! 

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein  – (Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, and Glenn Strange) - Two hapless freight handlers find themselves encountering Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster and the Wolf Man. Just one of the many Abbott and Costello movies this is a family favorite. Having the original ‘monster’ actors interacting with the comedians was considered a huge risk at the time by Universal Studios, but ended up being such a hot they followed up with other mash-ups like Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, and Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – (Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur and Claude Rains) - A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn't back down. A look at the inner working of politics from an optimistic point of view. I love how the arguments and dialog still ring true in today’s world.

These are the first five, and part one of my classic movie series. Almost can be found on Amazon and shown regularly on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Also IMDB (the links are used in this blog) usually has a list of places you can purchase and or rent movies. I would love to hear your feedback, suggestions you have for the list!

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Saturday Seven ~ June 1st 2019

Happy Saturday, what have you been up to this week? Here is a rundown of highlights for the week. I hope you find them useful in your life! My goal as a person and a writer are to always Pay-It-Forward, so please let me know how I can help you. YES, YOU!
Enjoy your weekend & this post! Amazing things to come!
~Amy

What am I Reading? -  Quick read this week – not a lot of time – Meet Meredith by Dee Vious. This is a horror story and took about an hour. I thoroughly enjoyed it. So many books, so little time!

What am I Listening to? –   This week my son has been on an Attack on Titan kick. For those who do not know, this is an Anime television serious. So I have been inadvertently forced to listen to the show from the adjoining room. I usually make him use the Bluetooth sound, so I do not have to endure the distraction, but it is temporarily out of order, so thus I am enduring. The story for the show is actually pretty interesting. It revolves around a set of characters trying to defend their lives against this monstrous human-like creatures. From a writing perspective, it is actually pretty layered and magnificently written. The overly dramatic music and screaming dialog is a little annoying but overall pretty enthralling.

All of my kids are into Anime. Most people think it is silly or for kids. Two things – NOT for kids. The topics are very adult-focused, and the story-telling is usually pretty imaginative and engaging.  #2 Anime is the Japanese mainstream. It is their prime time television, so if you look at it from an entertainment perspective, it is hugely successful. It is just different.

Different is good. We should all try to be open to experiencing new cultures and ideas.

What Quote am I pondering? –  Everything Happens for a Reason ~ this is my life mantra. The single sentence that runs through my head at any given moment. I firmly believe every interaction, every emotion, feeling, introduction, and conversation influences how we move forward with our lives. So I discount nothing. Looking back over my life, they are stepping stones on the path. Signals sometimes of what we have learned and where we are headed. Good and bad. Take heed to them and learn from them.

What am I Researching? –  Marketing. I am always researching marketing. As an author, I am constantly looking for new ways to get noticed and rise above the masses. We are all right? As a human being, we are all looking to get seen somehow. Especially in the age of social media. Likes and comments are food for our egos.

For me, rising above the masses equates to readers looking and buying my books. This is a fact. I knew to go into this business no one is going to sell my book except me. So how do you do that exactly? The book industry has changed so much in the past ten years, and everyone is still trying to figure it out. Somethings work and some things do not.  It is literally a try and fail scenario. Succeed or fail you have to get up and try again.

Pretty much life.

Yummy Meal of the Week – Chicken Rice – so very easy! I love my pressure cooker so much. Take rice, and replace the water you would typically use with chicken stock, add 2 cans of cream of chicken soup. Cook it on the Rice setting. Add in some shredded chicken and voila! YUM!

What did I Learn? -  Referencing my pondering quote, everything happens for a reason, this week was all about reflection and the realization that people and experiences come in and out of our lives for a reason. The reasons are not always what we think at the time. Sometimes they are not even about us, they are about someone else. There are times we enter people’s lives for them. While we will also learn and grow from the engagement, the focus is on them. When we realize this, our perspective changes. It is all about growth. Acknowledging this fact is growth in itself. We have to be continually moving forward, not backward. Learning from our lives, our mistakes, our successes, and our failures. This is how we live full and fulfilling lives.

What am I Watching? –  The Man in High Castle ~ I know I am long overdue for this Amazon series. Season four is about to be released, and I am just starting season two. *sigh* This series, loosely based Philip K. Dick's novel of the same name, takes a look at what the world might look like had the outcome of World War II turned out differently. In this dystopian scenario, the Axis powers won the war, leading to the United States being divided into three parts, an area controlled by the Japanese, a Nazi-controlled section, and a buffer zone between the two. Despite the oppression, a new hope emerges when films turn up that seem to show a different world. A woman believes the films contain the key to freedom and is determined to find their mysterious guardian. – Google

I am absolutely hooked. So well written, acting is fantastic and the drama-good lord. The thing I like most about it is there are no good guys or bad guys. It is all gray. All of the characters are inherently good people coping with their lives and the situations they find themselves in the best they can.  Do not wait to watch this series. You will be missing out.

*BONUS Content ~

Today is the beginning of PRIDE month! Look for my blog posts this month about my engagement in the Tulsa LGBTQ community and my experiences volunteering at TULSA PRIDE!

Have any thoughts on my week’s activity or want to make a recommendation? Drop me a line or a tweet. One lucky commenter will win a free Romine book of their choice! Never want to miss a blog post or a Saturday Seven? Join my mailing list, and I will be happy to send it straight to your inbox!

Check out a recent Podcast I was interviewed on ~ Write Away Podcast - https://tinyurl.com/y6e7q4d3

Special Treat! ~ If you haven’t seen it yet, please check it out my teaser trailer for Finders is out! https://tinyurl.com/y4zkjugu

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