Meet Some #UtopYA2014 Lovelies (Unofficial): Ginny Gallagher

Please welcome an amazing blogger and friend, Ginny Gallagher of Gin’s Book Notes. You'll definitely want to check out her blog this month, because she's having an awesome Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall giveaway all month! You can also checkout the giveaways on Facebook. 

Ginny, it was so amazing to finally meet you at UtopYA in June. You were the first person to walk up and introduce yourself, and it set the tone for what would turn out to be a stellar event. First things first, I have to share two pictures from our time together.

Below is a picture of you, Jo Michaels, Toni Lesatz (My Book Addiction), and me from UtopYA taken by the lovely Victoria Faye.

And, of course I have to share this great one of our shoes from the awards night.

Now, for the fun part…

First, I know we both love animals (I have two puppies--Lab/Terrier mixes--and two rats). What do you have and how old are they? Oh, and I’d love a picture!

Ginny: I have 5 dogs and two cats so a lot of my days are spent vacuuming and cleaning. I’m a little OCD about making sure my house doesn’t smell like a kennel. Let me introduce you to my fur kids.

• ·         Henry (Pug #1. He is 13.)
• ·         Daisy (Boston Terrier. She is 11.)
• ·         Zac Morris (Pug #2. He is 8.)
• ·         Lizzy (Collie Mix. I found her running down the highway when she was 6 weeks old. She is now 5.)
• ·         Walter Bishop (Lab. He found me at the gas station, and we think he is about 3 years old.)
• ·         Abbie (Gray Cat. She is 14.)
• ·         Jr. (Cat. He is 12)

Whew that’s a lot. I’m tired just thinking about them. ;)

Right after I sent the interview, another sweetie joined her brood. Finley (an Australian Retriever, an Australian Retriever and Golden Retriever mix)...

That is just too much cuteness! 

By the way, I love your book blog. What inspired you to start it?

Ginny: I wish I could say something profound here, but honestly it was my awful memory that inspired the blog. I really expected it to be a place that I could just keep my thoughts on the books I read and help me to remember the things that I loved about them. It is still that but it’s also so much more. I had no clue that there was this whole community of people that loved books as much as I did and loved talking about them too! Eureka!!! I found my people!!!

It's an amazing feeling to find your people. Is there a common theme in your favorite books?

This is a tough one for me. I really love to read and enjoy many different genres. I guess the biggest thing I enjoy is a book with layers. You know, the ones, that make you think and look a little deeper. The ones have cleverly hidden moral or social messages that you wouldn’t notice unless you took the time to really think about what the author may have been trying to tell you with their story.

You are also a writer. Can you share some details about your current manuscript? (I already know you have a vivid imagination thanks to your ghost on the side of the road story. Wink!)

Ginny: LOL…is vivid imagination another way of saying “liar, liar, pants on fire”? J Oh boy, that imagination used to get me into a lot of trouble as a kid.  I actually have several stories that I want to tell which I suppose is a great problem to have if I want to be a writer. Right? I will admit that I’m having commitment issues on which one I want to tell first so I will have to get back to you on this question.

Can't wait to hear about it. Imaginations are a gift! We finally had a chance to meet at UtopYA. The link to your wrap-up post is  here (#1) and here (#2), but can you recap in a few words what the event meant to you?

Ginny: UtopYA was amazing. For me it meant validation. You will have to take a look at my No Fear Wrap Up post to understand but it was such a wonderful and validating experience for me and truly reminded me that with determination you can change things about yourself or at least make them better.

I came away with a lot of the same feelings. It was powerful! 

So, when you aren’t reading or writing, what is your favorite thing(s) to do?

Ginny: Oh, I’m going to need another list for this one. I have lots of things I love to do. Which I suppose is the reason I have never been bored; that and my vivid imagination. ;) I will name my top five things that I do when not reading or writing.

·        * Enter giveaways – I love to enter giveaways. I don’t win a lot but when I do I get really happy! J

·        * Sew- I love to make things. I’m teaching myself so it’s a slow process but I enjoy seeing the scraps of fabric come together into something that can be used and enjoyed.

·        * Photoshop/ Digital Scrapbooking/ Graphic Design- Another thing that I am self-taught at. I love to design book covers, quote graphics, etc. There is a lot that goes into really learning the design process and I have come a long way but still have more to learn.

·        * Organizing

·        * TV- I love to learn new things so I enjoy watching all those dorky documentaries that they have on the History, PBS, and the Discovery Channels. On the flip side of that I’m also a big kid at heart so if you popped over for a visit during the day you might find my TV on Sponge Bob Square Pants.

And now, quick Questions…

Favorite Punctuation Mark: Exclamation Mark !!!

Ocean or Mountains?  I guess I have to pick Ocean but to be fair I’ve never been to the mountains so that may change one day.

Favorite Alcoholic Beverage: LOL…I honestly don’t really enjoy alcoholic beverages. When I was at UtopYA I mentioned to Author S.M. Boyce that I hadn’t drank in five or six years, she responded with a concerned look on her face: "Oh, honey then maybe you shouldn’t have anything." I couldn’t help but bust out laughing and I let her know it wasn’t because I was a recovering alcoholic and I didn’t need to check in with my sponsor. LOL…If I do drink anything it is a Corona.  Whew…you knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my answers short. Right?

Favorite Dessert: Lemon Meringue Pie…YUM!

Shower or bath? Bath

Sweet or Sour? A little of both please. I’m complicated. ;)

Thanks so much for hanging out with me today! I can’t wait to see you again next year in Nashville. We should coordinate our kick-butt shoes next year. Hugs!

Ginny: Thank you so much for having me. Sorry I was such a motor mouth but you should know by now that short answers aren’t my thing. ;) You are so dang wonderful, fun, and just truly amazing! I can’t wait to see you in June 2015 and yes we will totally talk shoes before then. Big HUGS and puffy hearts to you and your readers! 

I love your answers! To find out more about more about Ginny, check her out on social media:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

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GoodReads

Please come back for more #UtopYA2014 Lovelies (Unofficial), and check out the announcement post to see the schedule.

Death's Call: A Spooky Halloween Story

Today, I wanted to share my spooky Halloween story that first appeared earlier this month on Gin's Book Notes. If you haven't checked out her blog, please do. And follow her on Facebook. She's a friend to authors and readers alike.

Never Answer Death's Call

Darkness was everywhere. Thud. Thud. Thud. My heartbeat, deafening as it quickened, was the only sound. As my eyes adjusted to the blackness, I realized I was in a narrow passageway. Roots and dirt surrounded me.

Cramped and terrified, I squeezed my eyes shut. “Wake up, before it’s too late.” A voice I didn’t know echoed in my head. My eyes flew open. Still, there was nothing.

Panic set in. Then, I heard it. A noise like nails on a chalkboard, and it was getting closer. An eerie voice began to chant my name.

“Don’t answer the call.” The voice from before. I moved forward, pushing away roots and spider webs to clear my path. My hand reached out just in time to keep me from running into a wall. A dead end.

Again, my name wafted toward me. This time, it was my mother’s voice.

Relief flooded through me. I turned and started to answer her. Before I could utter a sound, someone grabbed me from behind and clamped a hand over my mouth. A voice, so close to my ear I could feel the breathing, whispered, “Death is tricky. Never answer. He’ll take you.”

( ^_^ ) ( ^_^ ) ( ^_^ ) ( ^_^ ) ( ^_^ )

Many years ago, I had this dream and awoke to my mom shaking me. When I told her about it, she said her grandmother once told her that you should never answer a voice calling to you in the night because it was Death.

When my children were young, I would shiver whenever they called out to me at night. After all, Death is tricky.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I love Halloween! My middle daughter has many dangerous food allergies, so Halloween can be tricky. Years ago, someone told me about the Switch Witch. Every year, my girls pick their favorite 10-15 pieces of candy and the rest gets left out for the Switch Witch. She then comes and takes the candy and leaves a little prize in its place.

What's your favorite part of Halloween?

Oh, and there's one day left to win a signed copy of Chasing Memories on Gin's blog. Find the giveaway here.

Death's Call: Death as a Character

As part of the Something Wicked Returns event, Ginny at Gin's Book Notes asked if I would write a guest post. One of the suggestions was to write about a spooky personal story. So I shared an eerie one about Death's call: Never Answer Death's Call.

I hope you'll stop by and read it. Plus, you can enter to win a signed paperback copy of Chasing Memories while you are there.

When I was writing the piece, I got to thinking... what books have featured Death as a character?

I loved The Book Thief, but that's the only one I could think of. Curiosity got the best of me, and I scoured the Internet. I was surprised to find only a few books claiming Death as a character: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman and On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality, Book 1) by Piers Anthony. Milton's Paradise Lost was also mentioned (but someone noted Death is only mentioned once).

Death seems like such an intriguing character to me. So, what am I missing... are there other books with Death as a character?

Also, if you haven't had a chance, please stop by and listen to my YAPodcast (Episode 13). In addition to talking about the young adult genre, I answered questions about how I pick my characters' names and what inspired Chasing Memories. Plus, I read the prologue.