Who areYou on Halloween?

Everything imaginable comes to my door on All Hallows Eve. Children in every age group from newborn to nonagenarian trick-or-treat my house.





A national survey conducted by The Hershey Company, revealed that personal candy preferences may provide insight into Halloween costume choices. According to the survey:

• About 30 percent of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Kit Kat Wafer Bar and Hershey's Milk Chocolate lovers will dress as a vampire, witch or monster.
• More than 41 percent of Twizzlers Twists fans stated they plan to dress-up in period piece costumes from different eras of the 20^th century.
• Twenty-three percent of Jolly Rancher lovers plan to costume themselves as their favorite superhero.       

 

Halloween isn't just about the costumes and the candy, Charlie Brown. It's not about the Great Pumpkin rising from the pumpkin patch. Halloween is about making sure my children bring home a bucketful of chocolate and avoid the houses that give away those hard nougat chunks wrapped in orange wax paper. And good gracious, Granny, who wants a penny? I need the good stuff.

Thanks to the Hershey's, company I can plan a route for my children that is certain to ensure they bring home the mother load:

• Houses with black shutters are 77% more likely to hand out Kit Kat Bars. 
• Ranch houses are 37% more likely to give out Kit Kat Bars.
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup lovers should skip ranch houses and run from 2-story house to 2-story house, where they’ll have a 26 percent greater chance of receiving Reeses Cups.
• Houses with brown doors are 32% more likely to hand out Hershey's milk chocolate bars.

Now hit the sidewalks kids and re-stock mama's

chocolate stash!

Meet Young Author, Stephanie Campbell

Stephanie Campbell is quite an ambitious 20 year-old. She published her first book, Until We Meet Again, at the age of 17, while still in high school.  She's now in the process of getting seven books out in the next couple of months (Whoo!). All of the books she wrote in high school have successfully found homes with publishers.

Stephanie says, "I've got really big dreams. I know that I sound crazy, but I want to be a New York Times bestseller, a USA Today bestseller, and I want to be on the Today Show." Actually, that doesn't sound so crazy at all. Stephanie sees where she wants to go and what she desires to achieve and she's working hard to get there.

Get sucked into another world with Stephanie Campbell's latest tome, Poachers:
Ronnie Toll has never played with other kids. He's never slept soundly throughout the night, turned a corner without checking first, or laughed for the sake of laughing. All Ronnie knows is a world of shadows and monsters. His mother and father, Marion and Leon, are the only ones by his side. But all that is about to change when his mother is murdered by the monsters that only he can see. With his only safe haven crumbling around him, Ronnie becomes a poacher for the other side to help protect human civilization as he knows it. The problem is, he’s taking on more than he bargained for when he tangles with creatures that are larger than life—and himself.

Queen of the Castle(s)

Today, the Tuck Your Skirt 2011 Blog Tour  is royally hosted by Queen of the Castle(s). Read a short but entertaining bio of me. But better than that, you can watch a video book excerpt by clicking on the first links (either Lucy Adams or Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run). You will never think about good cholesterol and bad cholesterol the same way again.

While you're there, enter to win the drawing for a Tuck Your Skirt tote:

Through the end of November, I'm visiting blogs around the country, participating in Q&A, sharing excerpts from Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run, and giving folks a chance to listen to podcasts and watch videos about me and Tuck Your Skirt. Some bloggers will be hosting giveaways so you'll definitely want to stop by.

I hope to see you along the virtual book tour trail. Meet the blog tour hosts.

I'd love to visit your blog, too. Email me if you're interested or check here for more details.

Peas and Drumsticks

Good mothers, I always believed, feed their children a well-rounded, well-balanced diet that includes a variety of foods. I've prided myself on limiting sweets but not creating desire via complete stringent denial of sugary foods. As a mother, I make a point to stock my refrigerator and pantry with a wide range of nutritious snacks so that my children feel like they have choices.

But when I find my teenage son eating a satisfying meal of peas and a Drumstick, I'm not sure if I have achieved "good" mother status. Though I'm sure, if asked, the word "perfect" would enter into the description of this self-selected culinary delight. 

Rebel Belle

Tuck Self at Rebel Belle is hosting the Tuck Your Skirt 2011 Blog Tour today with a very special treat. Tune in to the Tuck Talk radio program to listen to a recorded interview with moi.

As you've probably already guessed, a Rebel Belle is no ordinary southern lady. She's "A southern voice for bold self-expression." After enjoying the podcast, you really must take a peek under the Human Design tab. Then scoot to the Coaching tab and grab some inspiration for living your best life.

Over the next few weeks. I'm visiting more blogs around the country, participating in Q&A, sharing excerpts from Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run, and giving folks a chance to listen to podcasts and watch videos about me and Tuck Your Skirt. Some bloggers will be hosting giveaways so you'll definitely want to stop by.

I hope to see you along the virtual book tour trail. Meet the blog tour hosts.

I'd love to visit your blog, too. Email me if you're interested or check here for more details.

Spare Change

Wow! I've met so many wonderful people on my Tuck Your Skirt 2011 Blog Tour. My social network has expanded as much as my web-reach. One of the new friends I've made is Bette Lee Crosby, author of Spare Change.

Spare Change is the story of Olivia Westerly who believes children weigh a woman down like a pocket full of stones—after avoiding marriage for over fifty years, she finally relents and ends up with a foul-mouthed grandson who’s got a murderer in hot pursuit. Written in a Southern voice – it’s a murder mystery with heart and humor.  To read the first chapter, visit the Bent Pine Publishing blog  http://wp.me/P1HSgW-N

Back cover copy for Spare Change:

Olivia Westerly was woman whose father disowned her when she tossed her nose in the air and left home in pursuit of a job he considered scandalous. He’d expected her to marry and settle into having babies as her friends had done; but Olivia simply couldn’t tolerate the thought. Why just the mere mention of children sent chills up her spine!

 Believing that children weigh a woman down like a pocket full of stones, Olivia avoids such entanglements for almost forty years…then she meets Charlie Doyle and everything changes. Even though Charlie has a son, and a grandson he’s supposedly never seen, Olivia is blinded by love and happily says “I do.”

That happiness is cut short when Charlie dies on their honeymoon and Olivia returns home to find eleven year old Ethan Allen Doyle sitting on her doorstep. The boy’s parents are dead and only two people know the truth of what happened—Ethan Allen isn’t talking and the murderer wants to make certain he never does. Olivia is the only one who can stop it from happening.  

Spare Change officially released yesterday and is available from Amazon, Kindle and Nook.

On Amazon, readers can download a free sample, or read part of the book for free. The introductory price on Kindle is only $2.99.

Get to know Bette Lee Crosby better. Visit her personal blog:  http://betteleecrosby.wordpress.com

Simply Southern Girl

Simply Southern Girl is hosting the Tuck Your Skirt 2011 Blog Tour  today. A Q&A with Britain, THE Simply Southern Girl, reveals my biggest struggles with writing, tips for aspiring writers and bloggers, and a few things more. She's also hosting a giveaway.

Enter to win a Tuck Your Skirt tote

and a copy of Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run.

Over the next few weeks. I'm visiting more blogs around the country, participating in Q&A, sharing excerpts from Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run, and giving folks a chance to listen to podcasts and watch videos about me and Tuck Your Skirt. Some bloggers will be hosting giveaways so you'll definitely want to stop by.

I hope to see you along the virtual book tour trail. Meet the blog tour hosts.

I'd love to visit your blog, too. Email me if you're interested or check here for more details.