Friday, January 20, 2017

A Tidal Wave of Good Reading

Thought for the day: Life cannot be classified in terms of a simple neurological ladder, with human beings at the top; it is more accurate to talk of different forms of intelligence, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. This point was well demonstrated in the minutes before last December's tsunami, when tourists grabbed their digital cameras and ran after the ebbing surf, and all the 'dumb' animals made for the hills. [Brian Reynolds Myers]

[morguefile] 

It's a pleasure to be taking part in Chrys Fey's I Survived blog fest today, where in celebration of the release of her latest book, this lovely queen of disaster stories nudged participants into imagining how they might survive a tsunami. Yeah, I know. I've survived a LOT of things in my life, but a tsunami? Talk about a scary thought. Nonetheless, let's give it a go, shall we?

Chrys, take it away...

*********************



"This is Chrys Fey reporting for Disaster 5 news. I am on Fantasy Island, where a tsunami hit yesterday morning. I have Susan Swiderski with me, a survivor of the tsunami. Susan, can you tell our viewers what happened and how you survived?"

"Guardian angels."

"Excuse me? Did you say guardian angels?"

"Yes, ma'am, I did. That's exactly what I said. Guardian angels saved me."

"You're telling us that glowing white creatures with wings and halos swooped down out of the sky and whisked you away to safety?"

"Don't be silly. None of my guardian angels have ever looked like that."

"None of them? Are you saying this isn't the first time?"

"Of course not. Otherwise, I would've been pushing up daisies years ago."

"I see. Would you mind telling us how it happened this time?"

"I will if you stop smirking."

"I'm sorry. This isn't exactly the response I expected. Please go on."

"Well, my husband and I came here to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary. We both have arthritis, so sometimes we have good days, and sometimes we have bad. Yesterday was good for him, but not so much for me, so I told him to go on the tour into the mountains without me, while I stayed at the hotel and got some rest. I took my medicine and was sound asleep when something jolted me awake."

"An angel?"

"I don't know. Maybe, or maybe it was the hand of God. All I know for sure is something or somebody woke me up and forced me out of bed. I hobbled to the window and saw a sight I'll never forget as long as I live."

"Tell us about it."

"Instead of the surf rolling gently onto shore like usual, it was barreling out to sea like a bat outta hell. Some people were standing on the shore watching it like a bunch of dummies, and others were running every which way like a bunch of ants in a crumb factory."

"What did you do?"

"To tell the truth, at first I panicked. I'd seen the tsunami evacuation signs, so I knew that's probably what was happening, and I also knew there was no time to waste. I had to get to higher ground, or at least to a higher floor. So I went to the hallway. That's where my angels were waiting for me."

"And they whisked you away?"

"Not exactly. They helped me up the steps. There were two of them this time. Beefy guys with bald heads, hoop earrings, and tattoos. Lots of tattoos. A little scary-looking."

"But you weren't afraid?"

"Oh, no, I knew right away they were guardian angels. They always show up when I need them the most. I never know what they're going to look like, but I always know they'll take care of me."

"And they helped you up the stairs?"

"All the way to the roof. I never could have made it without them. They practically carried me. Used to be, it would only have taken one of them, but just between you and me, I'm afraid I've put on a few pounds."

"Then what? Did you see them after that?"

"No. I never do. They show up, they get me to safety, and then they're gone."

"Were there any other people on the roof?"

"Maybe twenty of us in all."

"But no beefy bald guys with hooped earrings and tattoos?"

"Nary a one."

"Well thank you, Susan. We're certainly glad you and your husband made it through the tsunami. I'm sure this is an anniversary you'll never forget. And there you have it, folks. Next time you run into some scary-looking tattooed guys with hoop earrings, don't be afraid. Who knows? They just might be guardian angels."

****************************************





Title: Tsunami Crimes
Series: Disaster Crimes #3
Author: Chrys Fey
Genre: Romantic-Suspense
Page Count: 272


BLURB: Beth and Donovan have come a long way from Hurricane
Sabrina and the San Francisco earthquake. Now they are approaching their
wedding day and anxiously waiting to promise each other a lifetime of love. The
journey down the aisle isn’t smooth, though, as they receive threats from the
followers of the notorious criminal, Jackson Storm. They think they’ll be safe
in Hawaii, but distance can’t stop these killers. Not even a tsunami can.

This monstrous wave is the most devastating disaster Beth
has ever faced. It leaves her beaten, frightened. Is she a widow on her
honeymoon? As she struggles to hold herself together and find Donovan, she’s
kidnapped by Jackson's men.

Fearing her dead, Donovan searches the rubble and shelters
with no luck. The thought of her being swept out to sea is almost too much for
him to bear, but the reality is much worse. She’s being used as bait to get him
to fall into a deadly trap.


If they live through this disaster, they may never be the
same again. 




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If you haven't read any of Chrys' books yet, what are you waiting for? There's no time like the present. I mean... NINETY-NINE CENTS, people!!! Catch the wave.

                          Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.




















59 comments:

  1. More bookie temptation? Thank you both. And drat you both.
    And I am not in the slightest bit surprised that your guardian angels are not stereotypical. And suspect that there is a line of them waiting to help you out.

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    1. HA! You're very welcome, dear lady. :)

      I don't know if there's a line of guardian angels waiting to help me in the future, but a long line of them sure has helped me in the past. Between my husband and me, we've worn out a whole troop of 'em.

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  2. Loved your interview and those big, beefy guardian angels. I have a guardian angel who pops up in my dreams sometimes, I think his name is Joe. He pops into a dream when I'm having difficult times and I know I'm going to come through okay.

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    1. Thanks. I figure, with my, um, increased size, my next guardian angel had BETTER be kinda beefy. :)

      Very cool that your angel has visited you in dreams.

      Delete
  3. Hi Susan and Chrys - that header image is horrendous ... and now guardian angels ... love the thought - cheers Hilary

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    1. As adventurous as you are, I'll bet you've put guardian angels to work a time or two. :)

      Cheers!

      Delete
  4. Guess you should never judge a person by their earrings haha good that you survived the day.

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    1. Nope, appearances can be deceiving. When our daughter was a little girl, we took her to a motorcycle swap meet with us. At first, she was terrified by the way most of the people looked: lots of leather, chains, piercings, and tattoos. Big beefy guys who were a little scary-looking. Then she realized they were no different than we were... they just LOOKED different. It was a valuable lesson for her.

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  5. That graphic at the top is truly awesome. Terrifying and magnificent at the same time. Nice twist on the appearance of the guardian angels. After reading your quote, I almost expected you to be carried away by some sort of animal.

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    1. Oh, darn. Now that you mention it, having an animal carry me away to safety would have been a reeeeeally cool scenario. (Then again, some narrow-minded people DO think big beefy guys with lots of tattoos are "animals."...)

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  6. If bald guys with tattoos and earrings show up, I'll know they are guardian angels.

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  7. I think I would've been a little afraid of beefy guardian angels with earrings and tattoos. lol

    Thank you for participating in my blogfest!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Nah, you wouldn't have been afraid. They've got very kind eyes. :)

      My pleasure. Good luck with your new book.

      Delete
  8. Your guardian angels sound awesome.

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    1. Abso-doggone-lutely! Better than wings and a halo any day.

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  9. how do i get some guardian angels? sounds awesome!
    nice job =)

    happy friday!
    Tara Tyler Talks

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    1. I bet you already have them. :)

      Thanks. Happy Friday to you, too.

      Delete
  10. So lovely showing guardian angels come in many forms. I have early on set arthritis so I know how hard the bad days can be. Very glad I noticed your name in Pat's blog comments and decided to check your profile. Had no idea you were taking part in the blogfest too. :)

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    1. I'm sure our guardian angels come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. (Mine do!)

      Sorry to hear about your early onset arthritis. Mine started when I was in my twenties, but I'm still going strong. (Most days!)

      Delete
  11. Oh my goodness! I am laughing so hard right now! Thank you thank you thank you. I think I might run off to fetch a Kleenex so I don't raise too many eye brows around me with the chuckles and tears... great guardian angels and good luck Chrys! What a fun way to promote.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Cool. I'm glad my guardian angels tickled your funny bone. (Better not let THEM know you were laughing, though... HA)

      Delete
  12. How wonderful those Guardian Angels were there to help you. We never know what Angels look like but we recognize them by their actions.

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  13. This is SO rich, Susan! ... and that header image. Wow!

    I love the vision of 'your' Guardian Angels, Susan!
    It reminded me of something my former pastor said, that I shared/plagerized (lol) a few years ago: "Remember when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane? He said, my Father can summon 12 legions of angels. Now, if He was going to summon legions of angels they must be pretty tough. They weren’t exactly the lovely diaphanous creatures that we like to think of. Instead, they are a little like say, the great NFL linebacker, Lawrence Taylor. If you want an angel to go before you, don’t you want somebody like that?!"

    Thanks for making my morning!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HA! Oh, that's great. With some of the situations I've been in before, a Lawrence Taylor-like guardian angel is exactly what I needed. (Those beautiful diaphanous creatures in bright white probably wouldn't want to get dirty... )

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  14. Loved it. I believe we do have guardian angels. Great story.
    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

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    Replies
    1. Thanks. I think so, too. That's the only way to explain how my hubby and I have lasted this long. :)

      Delete
  15. Susan, this is delightful! Fantasy Island - yeah boy! Guardian angels come in any form, even if we don't always realize it ;-)

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. That's right; no telling what an angel might look like.

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  16. I love your answers, lady.

    Love,
    Janie

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  17. excellent post and congrats to Chrys. I wish her a tsunami of sales

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    1. Me, too. I bought her new book yesterday, so I'm doiong my best to help the tsunami build...

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  18. Help from guardian angels does seem to show up in the most unlikely forms sometimes. Congratulations to Chrys!

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    Replies
    1. Yep. No telling which of the "people" around you might be angels in disguise. :)

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  19. I'm not surprised at all about the way you described your guardian angels!

    Good luck to Chrys Fey with her book!

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  20. Nice crazy person Susan, Like your guardian angels !
    I need some beefy guardian angels or possibly had one yesterday when I was almost in a car accident. Yay me !

    Great sales for Chrys Fey's book.
    cheers, parsnip

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    1. Equally nice crazy person parsnip, I'm glad you like my angels, and I'm glad yours saved you from an accident yesterday.

      Cheers back atcha.

      Delete
  21. Scary header picture, but a beautiful story. And just as I suspected, Angels do come in all forms.

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  22. mid-November I found a lot of angels nesting at Sac. Metro Fire Station#50. Charged $2200 for a ride to the hospital, but that's ok --there's no economy in a cheap angel.

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    1. No sirree. We're very glad the high-dollar angels were looking after you.

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  23. A confession from my guardian angel: he told me that he avoids tsunamis at all costs because if his wings get wet he won't be able to fly.
    Should I be worried?

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  24. This story sounds like a good one Susan, I couldn't imagine having to deal with Tsunami and then being kidnapped... pretty scary either way...

    I like your story, I think we all need a few of those guarding angels... I too would need a few to get to the room due to extremely bad news... Oh and I believe in following our intuition, far too often we pho..pho... our feelings when we need to take notice of it immediately xox

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    1. Yeah, Chrys' really does sound good, doesn't it? I'm looking forward to reading it.

      I have no doubt that you have guardian angels looking out for you, Launna. :)

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  25. I'm a big fan of Chrys and of yourself so needless to say, I loved this interview. I don't think I'd normally see big, bald tattooed guys with hoop earrings as guardian angels, though. They terrify me. Not because of what you think, though. Most times I see dudes like that, they smile and wink at me and sometimes lick their lips.

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    1. HA! I can see where that might be a little terrifying... :)

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  26. Awesome. I love unconventional guardian angels. I've met a few of them myself. =) PS--sorry for being AWOL. I was on a cruise. Yay! But there are other reasons...that I'll blog about in a month or two. When I've got my head around them.

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    1. Being away on a cruise is an AWESOME reason for being AWOL. I hope you had a fantabulous time.

      Now you've gone and poked my curiosity... I'll be looking forward to finding out what those "other reasons" are. (My gut tells me THEY'RE gonna be awesome, too...)

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  27. Wow, surviving a tsunami - and we think WE have problems! I survived driving my car this week with two mice on the passenger floorboard. I know - soooo similar to a tsunami. Just checking in for the IWSG! Have a good week. www.dianeweidenbenner.com

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    1. Depends. Were the mice in a cage? :)

      You have a good week, too.

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