Teresa D'Amario

Thank you for visiting my stop on the 1RomanceEbooks.com One year Anniversary Blog Tour!  Happy Birthday 1RomanceEbooks.com!  I am stop number three.  Your last stop should have been #2, Aspen Mountain Press!  And a happy Anniversary to you and your wife.  What a wonderful pair you two make!

It’s a celebration! So settle in and party!!!!

What better way to party than to talk about my favorite type of books.  Shapeshifters.  No, I don’t write Jacob Black type shifters.  Mine are much…. Older? LOL.  And I can tell you I loved shifters long before I saw the Young Taylor’s “hawt abs”.  But I can honestly say that when I first read my first shifter, I really didn’t believe I’d like it.  After all, how sexy can something that turns into an animal be?   How wrong I was.  And the next thing I knew they were coming out of my fingers as I typed, telling me just how hot they could be.

During my career as a writer, I’ve had a lot of reviews try to explain what it is that makes my books different, and what makes them so hot.  Some say it’s my alpha males.  And it’s true, in every book I write there’s a super hot, masculine male.  He’s confident.  He’s powerful, and he doesn’t take shit from anyone.  Except his mate, of course.

Some say it’s their love of family.  For inside every shifter is the desire to procreate.  They also are willing to protect any child with their life.  Who doesn’t love the man who loves and adores children?

Some say it’s the true animal-like qualities I give my shifters.  Whether wolf, tiger, lion or leopard, there’s always something very “animalistic” in my characters.  I study the beasts I model them after, from their movement to their actions.  From the low edged snarl of the wolf to the vicious stealth of the tiger, the characteristics of the animal inside is more than something they change into.  It’s a part of them.  It’s their true nature.

But I think it’s the love.  Yep, every one of my shifters has this special connection with their mates.  Yes, it’s instantaneous.  It’s almost like “love at first sight”, with a lot of “Fate” thrown in.  Some say they don’t like a “fated mate’s” scenario.  But there’s nothing sweet an innocent about these pairings.  There’s danger.  There’s fire.  And there’s passion.

Mix in a lot of wildly violent danger, and you have my shifters.  There’s a reason I tell people to think Underworld, without the vampires.   Sometimes there’s magic.  Sometimes there’s murder and mayhem, but through it all, there’s love and respect between a couple who come from far different worlds.

It’s the ultimate Cinderella story – the poor little girl who marries the prince.  Only in my world, Cinderella may be human, or she may be filled with animalistic strength herself.  And Prince charming?  Well, he’s a little special himself.   He’s everything a man was before civilization tamed him.  He’s wild, and passionate, and dangerous to his enemies.  He comes from a world where to show weakness is death.

In my world, an unknown war has been fought in the city streets, and Man is no longer the strongest predator.

I’ll be giving away a prize!  To win, you have to do TWO Things:  First, head on over to 1RomanceEbooks.com to register!   Then, head back here and leave a comment – tell me what you think about shapeshifters, and who is the hottest shifter out there?  Don’t forget, the more comments you leave along the entire 1RomanceEbooks.com tour (One comment per blog is counted), the better chance for you to win the Sony Ebook Reader giveaway!  But just cuz only one comment is counted, doesn’t mean you can’t come back and ask more questions.  I’ll be happy to chat with you!  I’ll be giving away one e-copy of Dark Succession!

And dont’ forget to head over to today’s next stop, #4 William Maltese

Okay, completely lame Sixth Sense rip-off but I do! I don’t believe death means the end. In JINXED, I had Jinx’s first love return to him in a dream, giving her blessing for him to move on. In MYLA BY MOONLIGHT, Queen Tarsha plays a pivotal role in the climax of the story, even though she died in the prolgue. Even in my new release, SALOME AT SUNRISE, the dead people just won’t stay dead.

Bryton is a widower who deeply and desperately loved his wife. Ya know, that really put a crimp in writing the turd a new love interest. He refused to let go of his love for Katina. Rather than force him to (which never works), I let it ride and let Salome find her own place in his heart. I can’t tell you she didn’t have a few jealous twinges, she did, but Katina’s love helped make Bryton the man he was. Salome couldn’t and didn’t want to change that.

Enter the Ghost of Love Passed. (yes, passed as in passed on). Katina in death loves Bryton just as much as she did in life, loves him enough to want him to live, even without her. Her love doesn’t STOP because she is dead. Love never dies, it simply changes form. She promises to never leave him, to live in his heart and through their daughter but he must live in the now. And his now means with Salome.

Yeah, my dead people have as much to add to the story as my live characters. Which is kind of nice with as many characters as I kill off.  

 SALOME AT SUNRISE excerpt:

“I am called for you. I come to soothe the ache inside. I come to give you peace.”

Bright in the satin sky, the moon shone full with a throng of stars twinkling like torches. Bryton scanned the heavens but could see nothing but light and dark. An outcrop jutted over a vale. The funneled wind pushed at him until he stood at the precipice, the forest tops silvered below him. Icy-green leaves frosted by moonlight didn’t move, though his tunic snapped like a sail.

“I am called for you.”

“Who are you?” he yelled into the night. “Who sent you?”

“I am called to heal your wounds.”

His ragged breath battling the gale, he fisted his hands. “Show yourself to me then.”

The wind calmed but his pulse pounded with a vicious thud. His bones quivered, not from chill but anger. He only knew one person with the power to call a magic spirit—his beloved pain-in-the-ass queen. A dark spot grew larger in the moon’s circle. It flapped powerful wings once and then glided to descent. A fragile second before the owl landed beside him, a swirl of lilac shimmered along the golden brown feathers. A woman stepped off the air and stood before him.

Moonglow dazzled on long hair the shades of the owl’s feathers. A thin gold braid secured it low on her nape, but full waves fought the hold. Wide gray eyes scrutinized him and a tiny smile bowed her pink lips. Her chin was a touch too pointed to be beautiful but it elongated the graceful column of her throat, and his gaze slid down to her one bared shoulder. The delicate exposed curve glistened like cream. Myla’s chiton had been a draped length of ruby red silk affixed at both shoulders. This woman’s chiton shone like blazing fire, sunrise against an ebony sky.

With her hands clasped lightly before her, she bowed her head. “I am Salome. I am called for you, Bryton Haruk.”

“I don’t need a guardian,” he snapped.

“I am not a guardian.”

“Then what are you?”

“I am a peacemaker.”

Snorting, he shook his head. “Yeah, well, you’re shit out of luck then, because I don’t want peace. I want bloodshed and a lot of it. So just fly back to wherever you came from and leave me alone.”

“I cannot do that. I am called for you and am bound to you until you find respite.”

The formality of her words reminded him of Myla when he’d first met her. And that irritated him even more. She’d been a pain in the ass and this one could be no different. Frustration tore through him with a growl. He spun and stomped away from the crag edge only to return and point a finger at her. “I don’t like birds. Go migrate or something.”

“I cannot.”

“Myla needs to keep her magic nose the hell out of my life. Go tell her that I sent you away.”

“I cannot.”

“Cannot! Cannot! What can you do? Besides be a bird and a lullaby in the wind.”

Her smile transformed her face, rounding rosy cheeks and crinkling her eyes. The pretty but unremarkable features turned to glorious beauty and his breath caught. “I can help you lay your pain to rest.”

Arms spread wide, he glared at her. “So do it, birdie. Do your damnedest so you can fly into the night.”

Like petals dropping from a full blooming rose, her smile fell. Her head shake spread her hair along her back in ripples of maple cream. “Peace does not come like a ship on the water. You must open your heart and be ready to accept it.”

He crossed his arms and shifted his jaw. “My heart is dead. I have no use for pretty words or pretty women unless their legs are spread. Are you offering?”

“Is that what you require? ’Tis an easy enough request.” Salome slid her feet apart, widening her stance on the rocky outcrop.

Her naive compliance with his brash proposition ripped a grunted laugh from him. “Go away, Salome.”

The scent of wild honey assaulted him as she stepped closer. The elegance in her movement melted her gown to her skin, caressing curves hidden beneath silk. His thighs tightened and his gaze dropped to her throat. His body responded but that was easy to ignore. He’d always liked beautiful women, admired their form even when he had no intentions of acting on those thoughts. She was small, tiny compared to him, barely reaching his Adam’s apple. A long-fingered hand moved toward him and his knees locked to prevent stepping away. Her touch, light as a feather, landed above his heart.

“Your heart is not dead, only wounded. Only you have the true power to let go of your anger, your hate, your pain. I am but a tool to aid you.”

“I have enough tools. I have this.” Metal rasped against the scabbard as he drew his sword. The leather-wrapped grip felt right in his hand, familiar and soothing. He refused to think about her palm pressed to his chest feeling the same way. “I don’t need anything else.”

Starlight danced along the blade, highlighting the sheen, the scratches, the lethal edge, the etched word Salvation.

Her gaze traced from tip to hilt then returned to his face. Twilight-gray, her eyes held infinity and he fought against getting lost in them. They stared with never-ending patience. “You need me.”

~~~~

Salome at Sunrise

http://inezkelley.com/

Teresa:  Just so you all know, I’ve read this awesome book and it is absolutely awesome.  I love books that make me cry or makes me feel something, and this book does just that.  It’s a totally new look at both shapeshifters and fantasy.

So, now for what you’ve been waiting for.  For your chance to win a copy of Salome at Sunrise, leave a message and tell us what you think about ghosts, dead people, or even a combination of both!  The contest will run until Monday!

For those who aren’t familiar with Carina Press, they offer some of the most amazing and most unusual stories published today.  These are some of their first authors visiting here with us, and I have to say, if this is what they have to offer, I’ll be going back for more Carina books.  Carina has single handedly brought back not only amazing fantasy romance, but also some great westerns as we saw earlier this week, and now, Native American tales. 

So join with me and welcome

Liz Fichera, the Author of Captive Spirit.

I believe that we can thank Stephenie Meyer and the mega-popularity of her TWILIGHT SAGA for the growing popularity of Native Americans in mainstream books and film.  And unless you’ve been hiding underneath a rock, you’ve probably heard of the very talented and supremely hawt, Taylor Lautner (aka Jacob Black), who claims some Native American ancestry (specifically Ottawa and Potawatomi) through his mother.  Definitely add me to the ranks of Team Jacob!

I adore books with Native American characters, legends, epic themes, rugged settings and, of course, a love story.  These are also the type of books that I love to write. 

CAPTIVE SPIRIT is my historical romance debut from Carina Press.  It’s very much a modern-day love story set in the Sonoran Desert at the dawn of the sixteenth century among people known as the Hohokam Indians.  The Hohokam also vanished from the desert around 1500 and no one knows why.  Cool, huh?  This is the little piece of intriguing history that inspired me to write CAPTIVE SPIRIT. 

Here’s a tease:

Aiyana isn’t like the other girls of the White Ant Clan. Instead of keeping house, she longs to compete on the Ball Court with her best friend Honovi and the other boys. Instead of marriage, she daydreams of traveling beyond the mountains that surround her small village. Only Honovi knows and shares her forbidden wish, though Aiyana doesn’t realize her friend has a secret wish of his own…

 When Aiyana’s father arranges her marriage to a man she hardly knows, she takes the advice of a tribal elder: Run! In fleeing, she falls into the hands of Spanish raiders and finds herself being taken over the mountains against her will. Now Aiyana’s on a quest to return to the very place she once dreamed of escaping. And she’ll do whatever it takes to survive and find her way back to the people she loves.

When I wrote CAPTIVE SPIRIT, for some reason I saw Adam Beach in my head when I wrote Honovi’s character, probably because I’ve had a super major crush on him since his SMOKE SIGNALS days, which also happened to be written by a fav Native American author of mine, Sherman Alexie.  If Taylor Lautner had been a little older when I started writing CAPTIVE SPIRIT, who knows? I may have channeled him instead.  J

I still think Adam Beach is all sorts of hot, especially in this photo of him decked in deerskins, and he happens to be an incredibly gifted actor.  I didn’t have a specific girl in my head when I wrote Aiyana’s character, but I must say that the Carina Press artists nailed her perfectly on my book cover, right down to her unusual green eyes. 

I keep the first chapter and book trailer for CAPTIVE SPIRIT on my web site. 

Today, I’m also giving away one free digital copy of CAPTIVE SPIRIT to someone brave enough to leave a comment or ask a question.  The winner will be announced on this blog tomorrow morning.  Don’t be shy. I don’t bite.

***

Liz Fichera is an author from the American Southwest by way of Chicago.  She likes to write stories about ordinary people who do extraordinary things, oftentimes against the backdrop of Native American legends.  When she’s not plotting her next novel, you can find her on Facebook or her blog, discussing writing, books, hunks du jour, LOST reruns or the best brands of chocolate.  Please visit her web site because it can get real lonely in the desert: http://www.lizfichera.com/.

CAPTIVE SPIRIT is available through Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever digital books are sold.

Hi everyone!  I decided to spend a little time this week visiting with some awesome authors.  First is Elise Wagner, with Scene Stealer, from Carina Press.

Welcome Elise!

Hello: I’m Elise Warner, the author of Scene Stealer and Id like to thank Teresa D’Amario for inviting me to blog on her site.

I’d like to introduce you to a few of my favorite people. The men and women who live in the pages of my cozy mystery have taken over but I’m still enormously fond of them. First, I’d like you to meet Miss Augusta Weidenmaier, a retired schoolteacher and an indomitable woman who understands children and is determined to find Kevin Corcoran. Kevin is the kidnapped nine-year old spokesperson for the Cowboy Bob’s Big, Bad Burger commercials. Kevin’s agent is Abner T. Bean (Abner is a sweet man, too sweet to be an agent.)

Then, there’s my villain. I’ve become rather fond of my villain. His name is Lawrence Dunn and he is a faded Shakespearean actor who believes he is America’s answer to Laurence Olivier.

I mustn’t forget Lieutenant Brown, the police officer in charge of this fast food caper who not only has to find Kevin and his kidnapper, he has to put up with Miss Weidenmaier’s interference. The action takes place in New York City from Greenwich Village to Lincoln Center. Central Park to a television studio where a talk show host named Norman Bottoms will say anything to reach an audience that’s bigger than Letterman’s, Leno’s or Oprah’s.

I’d like to share an excerpt from my cozy, here are the thoughts of Kevin Corcoran, the nine year old boy who has been kidnapped and is locked in the cold basement of an Off-Off- Broadway theatre. A noise wakes Kevin up. The child is cold and frightened.

Could it be a ghost? Ghosts of dead actors wandered around theatres. If this theatre was haunted, he might bump into John Barrymore or Edmund Kean. Would they still be walking around? Maybe they would appear and help him. Probably not. Old actors didn’t like children. Didn’t like dogs either. Called them scene stealers. Ghosts were silly anyway. “I’m too old to believe in ghosts,” he whispered. “Besides ghosts don’t wear shoes. Ghosts glide everywhere—through walls and windows and trees—everywhere.”

I hope you’ll enjoy reading Scene Stealer as much as I enjoyed writing it with the help of my associates – Miss Weidenmaier, Kevin Corcoran, Lawrence Dunn and their friends and adversaries.

Before becoming enthused about writing, I worked in the theatre. I began writing plays – one titled Small Time won the Guinny presented by Theatre Guinevere. Short stories and articles followed and now my cozy. To learn more about Scene Stealer, please check out the following addresses. Scene Stealer may be purchased at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Carina Press and wherever eBooks are sold. A complimentary copy of Scene Stealer will be given to the person who submits the most interesting comment.

Web: www.elisewarner.com

www.Facebook.com/elisewarnerb

Blog: www.elisewarner.wordpress.com

www.twitter.com/elisewarner

Happy Birthday to me Teresa, Happy Birthday to me Teresa, Happy Birthday dear meeeee Teresaaaaa, Happy Birthday to me Teresa!

Oh yes, strategically placed candles ALWAYS make my day.  Woohoo! (Any orange comments belong to Teresa)

 

Hi everyone!  

My name is JoJos from JoJosBookCorner. And Today Teresa and I are celebrating our Birthdays together!!! How kewl is that! We have the same Birthday! *throws Confetti* So for our Birthdays we have decided to swap blogs for the day.

And to Start off we are going to share our book boyfriends! *evil grin* cause you know we cannot get enough eye candy! So for mine I would like to introduce you to my fav book boyfriend. And he Rhevenge from the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Is he not delicious! What you ask is so important about Rhevenge? Wellllll first of all he is HAWT *wipes drool* I mean seriously….look at this yummie! He’s a Vampire….A Plus in my book anyday! And he’s part Sympath. Mind control……Oh the things he can make you do with that! *evil Grin

Now heres a couple more yummie pics of my man candy!

What type of romance do you prefer to read?

Anything Romance! Paranormal romance, Erotica, M/M, M/F/M, and ANYTHING Highlanders!

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Jodie, but every calls me JoJo. I have been happily married for 5 years now (as of June 11th). I am a full time Welder/Fabricator. My husband and I live on a 24 acre farm. We have 5 dogs, 5 cows, and 1 horse. A 4 1/2 acre lake,and a 1 acre breeding pond. I am a deer hunter, and one day i hope to be a famous metal art artist! Oh…and i collect frogs!

Ok, what IS it about frogs?  I mean, come on!  LOL.  I got other friends who collect frogs.  But give her a real one and she squeals like a girl.  Ok, she IS a girl, but still.

 

 

 

Fav color - Green Mine too!  This gets wierder by the moment.

Fav Scent – Vanilla (all different mixes of it!)

Fav Flavor – Coffee, and creamer….together in my mug!

Fav movies – Labryinth, The Dark Crystal, The Last Unicorn

What are you reading at the moment? Lover Mine of course!  ** You are slow, girl!  I read that last weekend.**

Do you have any websites:

Of course!

Blog : http://jojosbookcorner.blogspot.com

Twitter : www.twitter.com/jojosbookcorner

Group Blog http://Book-Lovers-Inc.blogspot.com I’m the Cornered Lover

Ok…..and Teresa asked me to share 1 deep…dark….secret about myself. *bites nails….takes a deep breath* Ok here we go!

I am a gay man, trapped in a womens body! *snickers*

**Now see, somehow I knew that.  I just knew it!**

Quickies

Pizza or burger – Pizza

Dress or jeans – Jeans, dress….whats that?

Highlander or vampire Highlander …..a Highlander Vampire!

Fire or water - Fire

Up or down  – Up

Black &white or color – Black and White

Half full or half empty - Half full

Day or night - Night

Star trek or star wars Harry Potter :0)

Sword or gun – sword, long or short

Eyes or mouth – Eyes

Strawberry or cherry – Apple

Old or new – Old

High or low - Low

Shower or bath – Bath, if i ever find the time to sit and relax

Paperback or hardback - Paperback

Desktop or laptop – Laptop

Coke or pepsi – coffee Coffee COFFEE

Winter or summer – Summer…I like it HAWT!

Dog or cat – I lurve all 5 of my Doggies!!!

Movie theatre or movies at home – At home…pottie breaks, all the food i want, Pause button!

Thank you so much Teresa for letting me be part of your Birthday Also!!!!

You are so welcome, JoJo!  This has been SO much fun!  Don’t forget to pop over to JoJo’s blog, we’re gonna be doing a few giveways over there, so make sure you stop in and say hi! 

Hey Folks!  I had to share this.  It’s an early birthday present. :w00t:   Okay, I don’t think the artist new my birthday was this month.  So that makes this even more special.  The artist is Tricia Pickney Schmitt, and you can find her here on facebook.  And what is the gift?

I bring you:  Ryland!

Happy Memorial day everyone!  It’s time for my annual post to clarify the purpose behind memorial day.  As retired military, I find it my duty to make sure everyone understand’s it’s purpose, and not get it mixed up with other holidays. 

I love when local businesses offer special discounts to military and retirees on Memorial Day, but at the same time, I feel guilty.  Memorial Day is not about me.  Instead, it’s about the thousand (or thousand and seven, according to another report).

There are three major military events marked on our calendars.  There’s Armed Forces Day, Memorial day and Veteran’s day. 

Armed Forces day slipped past, quietly uncelebrated, on May 15.    This holiday is designed to remember all those who are serving in the US Military.  So for all those who missed their Armed Forces day thank you – THANK YOU.  Your sacrifice is not forgotten by everyone.

Veteran’s day.  Originally replacing Armistice day on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th Month.  This is the day designed to commemorate all those who have served in the Armed forces in the past.  In other words, The veterans.  I’ma  veteran.  And on the days the stores offer specials to veterans to say thank you – there is no guilt.  I run to those stores and take advantage, and offer those stores my business at other times as well.  If you appreciate your freedom, Thank a Vet.

Memorial Day.  The oldest and most well known of all three military holidays, created after the civil war.  It is the day we honor our fallen, the ones who didn’t come back to hug and kiss their families. 

Someone once told me in England they try to forget their military dead, because well, they’re dead, and that means they didn’t survive the war, which means they aren’t heroes. 

I disagree.  It doesn’t matter how these men and women died.  Whether they did so crying in pain, or never saw it coming.  What matters is they were there, providing a shield between Americans, and whatever threatens us.  They gave their lives so we could continue on our own chosen path.  They gave us freedom and they gave us our lives. 

So this year, we have new honored dead to remember.  Those who have died in this long and bloody war against terror.  Whether you believe in the war or not, these people still deserve their just dues.  So today, just before you light the grill and have fun at your picnics, give every member of your family a hug, and remember that someone gave their lives for this moment.  And, Take a moment to review the casualties list of soldiers, airmen and sailors who have lost their lives in the current war.  List of Casualties for Afghanistan.  I couldn’t find a list of those who lost their lives in Iraq, but they too should be remembered.

So raise your American Flag on this greatest of American holidays.  Not for the Veterans.  Not for the Active Duty, but to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.  Their lives. 

May they rest in peace.

I just couldn’t resist posting this awesome video for those of us who are true wolf lovers.  This video was put together by a young girl in Europe.  I think you may recognize her work, from what she did for Tigress By The Tail.

Ok, not really. I’m not the one fired. But there are people out there getting fired for what they put on twitter and facebook and even myspace. There are also people out there who are getting their homes broken into by people who are on their “Friends’” lists.

Why?  Because they are announcing their woes, good, bad and ugly, to the entire world.

Yes. To the World.

I remember a time when preparing for a vacation included such things as stopping mail service and stopping the newspaper, so each didn’t pile up. I remember a time when you put an automatic light switch on one of your lights in your home, so when you were out of town, the whole neighborhood didn’t know. You then locked your doors and begged your neighbors to keep an eye on your home and report any suspicious behavior.

Enter 2010, where we stop our mail and don’t know what a newspaper is. We may have that automatic light switch, but it doesn’t do any good because before going on vacation, we plastered all over twitter and facebook:

“I’m going to Disney!”

Ok, I’m saying Disney because I’ll be heading there soon. But luckily I can say that, because my home will not be empty. See, I’m leaving hubby behind.

But if I wasn’t, I would be more careful of what I post online.

Last month I read an article about a woman who posted on facebook how she was going to a concert of some kind, with a friend. When she got home, her home had been robbed. Interestingly, she’d had the forethought to set up a video camera inside her home. Who does that, I ask you? But either way, the burglars were caught on tape, and later found to be friends from her “Friends list” on Facebook.

Yesterday I read an article about a young woman who worked at a pizza joint. She had a bad day. We all have them from time to time. On her facebook, prominent for all to see, was the name of the pizza joint where she worked. She then went online and bashed a certain customer who had irritated her. She didn’t mention the names, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the rant was posted in close proximity to the name of the business in question.

Should she be fired? 51% of respondents said NO.

I say YES.

The same can be said for the authors, agents, editors, etc, who badmouth without thinking. We all do it with our friends. “Did you hear what Joe Blow did to me?” It’s so danged easy to do. We are raised in such an insular manner, if you don’t personally know Joe Blow, it’s very easy to badmouth him. Joe could be a perfectly nice man, but he didn’t like my book. Therefore he’s just plain evil. Look at this horrid review. Or, Joe Blow hated my manuscript and therefore he must be a jerk. Did you see what that author did? She wrote the most horrible thing in the world!

See how easy it is?

Funny thing is, that’s not a big deal. What’s a big deal is when we do it on a public forum. I keep hearing complaints how Facebook is violating our privacy, letting our bosses see our posts, sharing information with people we don’t know. Next it will be twitter who’s in trouble with that, I’m sure.

But here’s my point: THESE ARE PUBLIC FORUMS. Despite having a password to access them, it does not mean they are private. For example, we can all see Ashton Kutcher’s twitter if we should so desire. We can all see Teresa D’Amario’s facebook if we should so desire. So it wouldn’t be smart for me to badmouth anyone! On the same token, it would be very dangerous for me to say “I’m home alone. I’m so bored”. That’s tantamount to saying “I’m the perfect victim. There are no witnesses.”

Well, I refuse to be a victim. When I’m going out of town, I don’t announce it. So, my dear, sweet followers, if I get quiet and you don’t know why, I may be out of town. Or, I might have the flu and be staring at the boob tube instead of the equally hypnotizing computer monitor.

I think it’s time for our safety and security to step into 2010. It’s time to remember,

#1, if you talk bad about your company, that means you are making said company look bad. I bet, if you check the employee manual, that means you’re fired. It doesn’t matter if you were just blowing off steam.  A company is no better than the employees who work there, and your bosses know that.

#2: If you announce to the world your house is empty, someone is watching.  And that someone may not be quite as honest as you, and covet that awesome wide screen plasma TV you just bought and announced so happily on Facebook.  It would probably be easier on your front door if you just wrapped the TV in a pretty red bow and sat it on your doorstep.  Then they wouldn’t have to come inside for it.

So remember common sense, folks.

If you like your job and want to keep it, don’t badmouth customers or employees, the boss or the company.

If you are online, stop and think how many MILLIONS of people can see what you post BEFORE you touch that keyboard.  What would happen if one of those MILLIONS isn’t as honest as you are?  There are some downright evil people in this world.  They do quite well on their own finding their perfect victims.  Don’t make yourself a victim.  Fight back.  Don’t share personal information on the web!  Then it won’t matter who Facebook shares your information with.  If they have nothing more than your name, state, and email address, there’s not too much damage which can be done.  Unless if your name is something Stephanopolis and you are the only one in the state of Tatooine that has that name.

Then you just might be in trouble!

Ok, off my soapbox now. LOL

Oldest Mesoamerican pyramid tomb found in Mexico