Ashlyn Chase | Entertainment
April 21, 2016
This winter has been unusually mild, but most years the power goes out here in
snowy, rainy, windy New England. Hundreds of thousands of homes lose
electricity, ours being one of them. I learned something during the ice storm
that crippled our area for over a week. My mother-in-law lives a couple of towns away...alone. So we had her come over
right away. My daughter and her boyfriend called to say they were at his
mother's house, so they were safe! But as soon as they heard that we had
ENTERTAINMENT, they came right over. It was fun to have everyone "camping" in
our home. I have a gas stove, so I was able to cook. We have a gas fireplace, so there was
ambiance and plenty of heat to the living room. Our generator provided heat and
hot water to the rest of the house. We have an electricity cleaner. (The "dirty electricity" coming from the
generator can't power electronics which are too apt to be damaged by energy with
surges.) So, we had to decide on one electronic item to use with the electricity
cleaner. It's funny what you decide you value when you have to pick and choose
what to turn on and what to live without. The choice was easy! My husband powered up the movie room and suddenly we had
stories. We watched one comedy and one drama. Before we knew it, the day had
flown by and we were that much closer to having normalcy restored. What is it about stories we love so much? I remember what Michael Creighton said several years ago. He believed that no
matter how bad things got, people would still need entertainment. During WWII,
dance halls sprung up all over Europe. Native Americans from before written
history would sit around a campfire and tell stories. The travelling bard in
medieval times was valued for the entertainment he brought and was fed for the
price of his gift. (That's where the term 'singing for your supper' came from.) So, the point of this rambling post (and I did have one) is to highlight just
how important storytellers are. Without us pulling new ideas from our
imaginations and experiences, the world would be a boring place. I hope all
authors realize their value. Sometimes I think we forget how much we're needed.
We're more apt to judge brain surgeons or research scientists as important
people--but even they need entertainment. I’d love it if you’d check out my books. I have mass market paperbacks, trade
paperbacks, and everything I write is also available in ebook. Keep your reading
device charged, if you have a lit screen and can read in the dark! And if you prefer paperbacks by candlelight, may I suggest any of my Sourcebooks
mass market paperbacks-on the shelves at Barnes and Noble in the Romance
section. My latest is I
DREAM OF DRAGONS. It’s book 1 in the Boston Dragons
series…which is a spin-off of HOW TO DATE A DRAGON. Love Dragons? Love everything Irish? Love love? Don’t miss I DREAM OF DRAGONS, on
bookshelves April 5, 2016. Giveaway
What do you do when the storms knock out your power? Three commenters will
each win a copy of I DREAM
OF DRAGONS
Where there’s fire, there’s Ash
Ashlyn Chase describes herself as an Almond Joy bar. A little nutty, a
little flaky, but basically sweet, wanting only to give her readers a
satisfying,entertaining experience. She holds a degree in behavioral
sciences, worked as a psychiatric RN for several years and spent a few more
years working for the American Red Cross. She credits her sense of humor to her
former careers since comedy helped preserve whatever was left of her sanity. She
is a multi-published, award-winning author of humorous erotic and mainstream
romances. She lives in beautiful New Hampshire with her true-life hero
husband who looks like Hugh Jackman with a salt and pepper dye job, and they’re
owned by a spoiled brat cat.
THE HEAT IS ON When Rory Arish and his two fiery dragon
siblings are run out of their ancestral Irish home, it seems their luck has run
out-until they arrive in Boston and find a paranormal-friendly apartment
building. Finally, Rory has a place to call home. There's only one problem:
Rory's new lair has simultaneously been rented to an infuriating woman who is as
stubborn as she is beautiful and will not leave 'her' apartment matter how
steamed he may be... AND SPARKS FLY Amber McNally is a
down-on-her-luck flight attendant. She needs this apartment, and not even a
fire-breathing dragon with his Irish charm and scorching good looks is going to
scare her away. Holing up in their respective corners, a battle of wills ensues.
Who will be the first to blink...or give in to their off-the-charts chemistry
and decide to make this unorthodox living arrangement a little more permanent?
Comments
27 comments posted.
Re: Ashlyn Chase | Entertainment
I light some candles and either read or turn on a portable radio. (Colleen Conklin 12:35pm April 21, 2016)
I take advantage of the opportunity to read a lot! I've got a book light that I can use (and lots of batteries) if/when my electronic devices run out of power. (Janie McGaugh 3:22pm April 21, 2016)
I have the opportunity to relax, and read with candles which is soothing. (Sharon Berger 4:35pm April 21, 2016)
This is a book blog so it's no surprise that I read in down time, lol. I also play with my cat :-) Thanks for the giveaway! Much success with the release (Lenna Hendershott 5:10pm April 21, 2016)
We made hot chocolate and popcorn on the camp store. Neighbors came over and we played board games by candle light. (Cynthia Gaertner 5:24pm April 21, 2016)
Light some candles! (Alison Mckearney 4:15pm April 22, 2016)
Go on a scavenger hunt looking for flashlights and candles (Richard Burr 11:44pm April 22, 2016)
We play games by candlelight. It keeps everyone busy and happy. (Debra Guyette 7:51am April 23, 2016)
I try and read by our Coleman light and relax! Nothing gets in the way of me and my books!! HA (Bonnie Capuano 9:02am April 23, 2016)
In the year of January 2000 ,we had a terrible ice storm here . We stayed home the first night and I froze so that was it for me. We went to a daughters house were she had the gas cook-stove and gas fireplace .We stayed till we could find a generator to buy . It was so nice to be back home and get our house warm again . Now we have the generator and I also have the battery candles throughout the house . That will do until the electricity comes back on .The lights are dimmer with the generator but so thankful that we have it . My husband watches a small TV and I do a lot of reading . I hope to read your book soon . Thanks for the chance to win it . (Joan Thrasher 11:14am April 23, 2016)
Most of the time we only lose our power for maybe an hour or so when an idjit hits the power pole. I usually find an extra hour or sleepy just fine. (Judy Gregory 4:36pm April 23, 2016)
We pull out some lanterns and battery powered lights, and start a fire in the fireplace for a little heat. Just got a small generator, so that will help in the future, but really want one for the whole house! (Marshelle Burkhead 4:56pm April 23, 2016)
Well, losing power is not actually a bad thing. I must say tha I have 2 beautiful daughters because we lost power a couple of times. Reading by candlelight is great also though! (Laura Sebastian 7:26am April 24, 2016)
I turn on a portable radio. If the sun is out or it isight enough I read. (Melinda Marks 9:08pm April 24, 2016)
Read or when there are enough people around, we play games. (Glenda Martillotti 9:15pm April 24, 2016)
Our power is never out for long so we light up all the candles and listen to a wind up radio or read a few books. (Maureen Davidson 9:16pm April 24, 2016)
Advantage to power outages: flashlights/candles and perfect reading time! (Hope Burden 10:40pm April 24, 2016)
No problem. I always keep my Kindle charged so I can read anytime, day or night even when storms take out the electricity. Thanks. (Sharon Extine 1:54am April 25, 2016)
I found that I could rig a fair amount of light with a candle and largish cardboard panels covered in aluminum foil. Spent the evenings reading and had a decent time. (G. Bisbjerg 11:37am April 25, 2016)
READ!!! we bought two camping lights or tell scary stories!!! (Jennifer Beck 1:17pm April 25, 2016)
I have a full house generator since we lose power often and I am not a happy camper when I can't flush a toilet ;). We don't have the TV or computers hooked up so I tend to cuddle up with tea and a book :). (Victoria Sloboda 4:08pm April 25, 2016)
Use our battery coleman lantern and read! (Bonnie Capuano 9:47am April 26, 2016)
I figure out some way to read--probably under a couple of quilts (at least when it happens in the winter). (Carol Gowett 2:44pm April 26, 2016)
I go outside with the neighbors and we talk about things that are going on and how we have to adapt to not having power. (Leni Kaye 6:30pm April 26, 2016)
I light some candles and spend time with my family. (Carrie Edmunds 2:36am April 27, 2016)
I find our flashlights, listen to the radio, and read on my Kindle. (Bonnie H 9:10pm April 27, 2016)
Thank you so much for picking me to win (Lenna Hendershott 5:53pm May 2, 2016)
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