Just A Little Red

The Stanley Hotel: Ghost Tours And Getting Our Inner Stephen King On

Posted on October 9, 2014 by DMW

Have you ever heard of the Stanley Hotel? You may have, and just didn’t realize it. If you’re not sure, answer the following questions: Are you a fan of Stephen King? Have you ever seen the movie, “The Shining”? Do you like watching shows like “Ghost Hunters”? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you have heard of the Stanley.

The Stanley Hotel is an old (opened in 1909) and beautiful hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Roy (my husband) and I visited the property during our romantic escape to Estes Park. Roy wanted to do the Night Ghost Tour and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was intrigued and Roy was excited (he would never admit to this, but the man is chronically late and yet this was the one thing he kept worrying about being late to – you do the math), but I don’t think either of us knew what to expect.

The tour was interesting, and what I heard of it (listening devices and Bluetooth are not necessarily an exact science) made me wonder how much of what we were being told on the tour was ‘real’ (fact versus legend) and how much was complete bull. Three weeks later, and I am not entirely sure which individual stories are fact-based and which are entirely fictional, but I’m not sure any of that really matters.

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Posted in Entertainment, Inspiration, Personal, travel, Writing | Tagged "Estes Park", "ghost tour", "Stanley Hotel", "Stephen King", "The Shining", ghosts, haunted, history, ideas, Thriller | 1 Comment

Confessions Of A Bookaholic – Guilty Pleasures Edition #40 – Sweet Valley High Super Thriller #2 – On The Run

Posted on October 6, 2014 by DMW

I am so excited to share this Super Thriller with the world. It was the FIRST Sweet Valley book that I EVER read. Seriously. To think that this book started it all (for me)… 😉

“On The Run” (Super Thriller)

Sweet Valley Scale: 4.5 out of 5 Twins

After a chilling encounter with murder, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are ready for a calm summer in Sweet Valley – until Eric Hankman appears. Like Elizabeth, Eric is a quiet and sensitive writer, and the two of them become fast friends. But Jessica is not convinced that Eric is as perfect as he seems. Her suspicions are aroused when her new friend, Darcy Kaymen, thinks that she recognizes Eric as a boy from her hometown who has as mysterious past. Jessica knows that Elizabeth won’t believe a word of Darcy’s story without any evidence, but by the time Jessica has the proof she needs, it may be too late to save her sister.

It’s summer in Sweet Valley again, or really it is later that same summer that the first Super Thriller “Double Jeopardy” took place. Even if three books were supposed to take place between these two Super Thrillers and occurred during the school year… Anyway, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are still interns at The Sweet Valley News. The big thing going on in this book is a mobster ‘s (Frank DeLucca) trial back in New York. I understand national news, but Liz seems to be taking the trial to heart more than she should. No one wants to testify so DeLucca could go free but she believes the fate of humanity and all of its goodness depends on someone coming forward, and then someone does (a Dr. Ryan) and she is terrified for his and his family’s safety. Liz, dear, get a grip.

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Posted in Book Reviews, Books, fiction, Guilty Pleasures, Reviews | Tagged "book review", "mistaken identity", "reading list", "super thriller", "sweet valley high", “love triangle”, dark past, entertainment, fiction, guilty pleasure, mean girl, reading, secrets, sweet valley, the mob, trial, witness, witness protection | Leave a comment

It Is Hard To Do (Be) Brainless – Blogging Blah

Posted on October 5, 2014 by DMW

Have you ever felt burned out on kind of everything? I have. I’m tired, and I find myself lagging in everything the last two weeks. No real reason, except my body is not allowing me to get as much sleep as it used to (I don’t know why and it isn’t insomnia – I just get up a lot earlier, and going to bed earlier doesn’t help). And the burnout is kind of with everything, too. I am behind in blog posts, a book that takes me a few hours to read will take a few days, writing something I think is of substance for my manuscript or brainstorming new projects… hah! And I am on cruise control with the house and work deadlines. No, I am not depressed or ill or have any reason to be slowing down as of late, but it makes me feel like an airhead at times. And lazy. Actually, the two are kind of the same thing to me.

Brainless A

I had a blog post all ready for today. I wrote it, and loved it a little too much. You see, Sundays are a slower day for me (I think, honestly it has been difficult to get any set pattern on popular versus unpopular days) so I wanted to save it for next week. Then I had an idea on something else to write that would be perfect for today, but when I sat down and tried to write it – nothing. I have learned not to force such things. Obviously, this perfect fit, convenient and supposedly easy idea just wasn’t going to happen today. And then I wrote another blog post. I loved it, and had no problem letting it be a Sunday post, except it felt similar in tone to something I posted recently, so I thought more time should pass before posting it.

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Posted in Blog, Thoughts, Writing | Tagged "burned out", "true to the moment", "what to write", blah, blogging, burnout, joke, reflection, thinking, thought, tired, wit | Leave a comment

Confessions Of A Bookaholic – A Divergent Conclusion: Allegiant

Posted on October 4, 2014 by DMW

I can’t believe I have finished the ‘Divergent’ trilogy. I already started missing the characters I love and the world I have come to know through Veronica Roth’s superb storytelling, before I even finished this book. So, now is the time to give the ‘Divergent’ series a proper send off.

“Allegiant”

by Veronica Roth (October 22, 2013)

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered – fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by betrayal and loss. So when she is offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a new and simple life together free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties and painful memories. But Tris’s new reality is even more troubling than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless and explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. Once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature – and of herself – while facing impossible choices about courage, sacrifice, love and allegiance.

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Posted in Book Reviews, Books, fiction, Reviews | Tagged "book review", "dual perspective", "strong female protagonist", "Veronica Roth", Allegiant, choices, Divergent, dystopian fiction, novel, revelations, review, revolution, trilogy, Tris | 1 Comment

September 30 – The Best Date Of The Year!

Posted on October 2, 2014 by DMW

Some days have a reputation for being better than others… I’m not superstitious or anything, but for years I was convinced my birthday was cursed. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that I realized that on my birthday something terrible happened to me or someone that I cared about. Here’s a small sample: I was mugged (20), robbed (21), assaulted (16), friend died (22), earthquake (23), relative died (11), helicopter crash killing four friends of friends (26) oh and I actually died on my birthday (25). I don’t think anyone could blame me that this particular date was/is one that I like to stay in, keep my head down and acknowledge once I, and the people that I love, have survived it. But just like that particular day seems to bring on the badness (I hardly think this could be a self-fulfilling prophecy… I mean I like to believe I am powerful but I can’t claim like earthquakes and multiple deaths, so it is not just in my head) there is a day that seems to radiate fantastic things every year (at least for the last five years). That magical day is September 30, and it is probably my favorite day out of the entire year!

The first time I celebrated September 30, was in 2010. I didn’t celebrate the day for being September 30; this would be the first year I would come to think about September 30 in a special way. I was celebrating because after more than ten grueling months of chemo – it was my first day chemo free. I was flipping ecstatic! I didn’t stop to think that September 30 would be a special day in the future, but I did know it would always be an important anniversary.

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