It is a cliché that our childhoods are filled with memories of warm summer days, rarely marred by bad weather. The summer of 1947 epitomises that notion for me and is one reason why I set my novel Summer Day in that particular summer.
In England the year began with heavy snow and bitter cold. I had turned five the previous November and should have started school at the end of the Christmas break.
Snow drifts had piled up against the ground floor windows of our cottage. Travelling the 3 miles to the village school was impossible. The thaw did not come until March. I entered school after the Easter break.
That exceptionally cold winter was followed by an equally exceptional summer. One not repeated until global warming began to make such summers common place in the UK.
But 1947 was extraordinary in other ways. The post-war Labour government had…
Val Tobin, formerly a software/web developer, now spends her time writing. She is also a Reiki Master/Teacher and Angel Therapy Practitioner® with advanced training, certified by Doreen Virtue in Kona, Hawaii. She has written numerous novels and some short stories, available on Amazon and at other retailers. In April 2016, Val received her master’s degree in parapsychology.
Hunched into a crouch, Dylan shoved the kayak off the dock and into the water and then tilted back on his heels to catch his breath. The simple act of lugging the craft down the rocks and to the water had sapped what little energy he had. His muscles were still weak, his limbs scrawny.
Check out my short story, The Phone Call, in Mom’s Favorite Reads: A man determined to recover his physical strength after battling cancer pits himself against nature.
Please welcome Val Tobin to the Clog Blog! Val, tell us a little about yourself and your background?
Thank you, Tina, for giving me this opportunity to share about myself and my work.
I grew up in Willowdale, Ontario. That seemed like the big city to me, but for those who lived in Toronto, it was the boonies. I went to elementary and high school in Willowdale, and graduated from Earl Haig Secondary School after grade thirteen, which they offered at the time.
After a semester of Book Editing and Design at Centennial College, I studied general arts at the University of Waterloo, then went to DeVry Toronto and got a diploma in Computer Information Systems. I worked in the computer industry as a software and Web developer for over ten years.
In October 2004, I became a certified Reiki Master/Teacher. I acquired ATP® certification in March 2008, in Kona…
Dreams can draw your attention to existing worries or problems, and they can also help you to recognize hidden talents and untapped potential. Recurring themes in dreams alert you to what is most important to you during a specific period in your life.
I edit a lot of erotica and romance, some of it fairly mild, some of it less so. Sometimes I’ll be sitting at my desk on a Tuesday afternoon with a cup of tea and a digestive, deleting unnecessary adjectives from a raunchy scene and I’ll think to myself how strange my job sometimes is!
But it’s not just erotica and romance that calls for X-rated scenes. If you’re a writer, the chances are that one day you’re going to have to tackle a scene of this type. This is something that worries a lot of authors. So here are some tips on how to write a sex scene that won’t make you or your readers cringe.
Skip the euphemisms. Show your reader some respect. If you need some awful examples to avoid read 50 Shades (Down there? Really? What are we, eleven?)
Make it consensual. Obviously consensual. Non-consensual sex…
Complications arise when an accounting tech is assigned her former lover as a client and his company's previous financial controller is found dead.
The Hunted
A monster hunter confronts her terrifying past while helping a reporter uncover the origins of Storm Lake's creatures.
About Three Authors: Poison Pen
Three wannabe authors suffering from various mental disorders find themselves on a killer's radar when they interfere in the investigation of a colleague’s murder.
The Valiant Chronicles
The Valiant Chronicles three-volume set includes The Experiencers, A Ring of Truth, and Earthbound. Three books for the price of two.
Earthbound
A spirit refuses to cross over and becomes earthbound when she discovers the shocking details behind her death.
Walk-In
A young psychic woman fights an attraction to a handsome but skeptical novelist while she battles a power-hungry sorcerer determined to make her his next conquest.
Gillian’s Island
Gillian's Island
Injury
A young actress at the height of her career has her personal life turned upside down when a horrifying family secret makes front-page news.
The Experiencers
A black-ops assassin atones for his brutal past by trying to help an alien abductee escape her fate.
A Ring of Truth
A rogue assassin returns from the dead to rescue alien abductees and triggers Armageddon.
