Cat's Claw Giveaway

Hi guys! I hope enverything is going awesomely fantabulous out ya'll's way! Wanted to take a few minutes and chat with you guys about a little project I was brought on board with.
My pal, Jenny B, approached me a couple of weeks ago, and asked if I'd help her out on something she was working on, and you just have to understand the coolness of Jenny B to know why I said yes after knowing her for a short amount of time. She has to be one of the most warm hearted and generous people I know, and she a big Amber Benson fan, and we ALL know where I stand on that issue! YAY, Amber! Wow... I got sidetracked... imagine that... ANYWAY, so Jenny has this plan, and so of course I tell her I'll help her in whatever way I can, even though at this point I have no clue what I'm getting myself into.
The big day arrives, and finally I get the email with a description of Jenny's master plan. Here's where you guys find out the awesomeness that is her. Although she doesn't have a Twitter page or anything, she keeps up on it. She's been looking at the people that have been tweeting(yep, I checked it is OFFICIALLY in the dictionary) about wanting Amber's newest book in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series entitled Cat's Claw. For those of you not familiar with the series, the first book is called Death's Daughter, and they are TOTALLY worth reading! Jenny was seeing a lot of people wanting copies of Cat's Claw that, because of reasons which I'm sure aren't lost on any of us in the economy at the moment, haven't been able to purchase. So Jen decides she's going to obtain X amount of copies and give them away for free with no strings attached, not something you get much in this day and time. She brought me and a couple of other folks on board to help her with getting the word out since we had resources of reaching people that she did not.
I'm not sure how much of you guys keep tabs on Amber Benson, but she's a busy lady. She's one of those actresses with her head not in the clouds, and seems to be more concerned with her fans and helping other than making a buck. Her new movie DRONES, which was co directed with Adam Busch, was just screen at the Egyptian Theater in LA to benefit a phenominal charity called 826LA. For those of you not familiar with said charity, it's a WONDERFUL program they have set up out in the LA area that teaches kids how to use the creative stores of their mind with teachers that encourage them to do things such as write, which is almost a lost artform is schools nowadays. So again, Miss Benson gave her time, and the screening of a REALLY AWESOME movie, and donated the proceeds to the awesome charity. So, Jen thought a way for a few of her fans to sort of give back to her and help some more people out in the process was to do the free giveaways for Cat's Claw. Fun plan!
Anyhow, I'm going to wrap up here, but if you guys would like, or know anyone that would like a free copy of Cat's Claw, no hooks, no gimmicks, and no money out of pocket, please send an email to black93transam@yahoo.com and watch for an email from the Jedi Master of BS(edited b/c I don't know if any kiddies are reading), or if ya have any questions, feel free to tweet me @tholmes86 and I'll be happy to answer what I can! The giveaway is US ONLY so please keep it in the states! Thanks guys! Thanks to Amber Benson, just for being the coolness of you, and thanks to Jenny B for being the terriffic person you are, and for bringing me on board to assist you! Hugs my friend!
Talk to you guys next time!

Shootin' the Breeze...

Hey guys! Hope everything's going great out ya'll's way. And yes, I just gave ya'll a possessive form. :o) It's been one of those days... NOT IN A BAD WAY! Of the good this time! I've wanted to write today, and just haven't known what to say. Imagine... me... speechless! HA! Apparently, someone sneaked in and placed duct tape over the mouth of my muse, so she's not making so much with the chatty today, but I'm a trouper! I'll plow on through and hope what I say makes at least some semblance of sense!
I was playing some video games tonight, and then had a nice relaxing evening curled up with a book, one of my favorites called "Waltz Into Darkness" by Cornell Woolrich. If you guys haven't read it, I recommend! It's probably about the 6th time I've read it this year. I mean... after you finish "Death's Daughter" and "Cat's Claw" by Amber Benson, what can you do, right? Speaking of which... need to get the word out guys... only have 32 out of 200 reviews for "Cat's Claw" on Amazon for Amber to have to make good on her end of the challenge! Let's get 'er done! Anyway... I was going somewhere with this... oh yeah! So I was reading "Waltz Into Darkness" after the video gameage and just stopped reading and thought, "man I need a life!" Then, I remembered... I was too busy to HAVE a life. I wonder how that works out.
I go so much, all the time, it's like I seem to forget that THAT IS my life! And you know what? I really wouldn't trade it for anything. It's crazy, chaotic sometimes, completely random, and sometimes(to throw in some Buffy quotage) "sucks beyond the telling of it." But the crazy chaotic, random, and, yes, even the bad parts, are so worth the good. Most of you reading this know that I had a friend of mine take her life recently. That has hit me harder than I believe I thought it did originally. I just wonder how someone can come to that point in their life. I mean, I've been to that point, and I know it's easy to get to, but at the end of the day, I can't think of ANYTHING worth missing out on life for.
Okay, enough with the heavy stuff. Let's have some fun. Completely random and totally having nothing to do with this blog, other than it's my self expression, my little cousin, who's four walked into my living room today, and said he wanted to tell me a joke. I'm ALWAYS up for a joke! If you have one, lay it on me! He asked me, "Why did the chicken cross the playground?" And I KNOW I should have known the answer, but I was so dumbstruck that he asked if he could tell me a joke, I said, "I have no idea." He looked at me with the biggest Chesire cat grin you have ever seen, and says... "To get to the other slide." I busted out laughing! Couldn't help it. Yeah, it's a cheesy joke, and yeah it's a kid's joke, but the way he said it and the big grin, was just hillarious! I asked him where he heard that, and he looks at me and said, "From you! 'Member? You know everything!" The child was as serious as a heartattack! Boy, does he have a hard road ahead if he believes that! Christopher, my cousin, is autistic, and I keep him Monday through Thursday. More often than not he tones you out, and you don't think he's paying a bit of attention. Then he pulls something like that up from months before... it just amazes me. I remembered the day I'd told him that joke after a few minutes. He was sitting on the floor coloring a Buffy coloring book page... yes I had the Buffy coloring books... THEY WERE GIFTS! When I told him that joke at the time, he told me that it was "silly", I believe was the term he used. But today, it took on a whole new meaning. That is exactly what I want to try to look for in the bad and messy things of life... the whole new meaning. I love the part in any book or movie when the bad turns into good, and I truly believe that's what happens in life. Throughout all the ups and downs, and bumps and bruises, the bad always turns to good, if you hold on and wait for it.
Those are my random thoughts for the day guys! Hope you enjoyed! All over the place, I know, but that's my charm I guess! Look forward to babbling at you again soon!
OH!!!! And by the way... Buffy trivia went awesomely fantabulous! I'm still the reigning champ, and still have yet to miss a question! Peace out, folks!

Amber Benson Wows Fans with the Mad People Skills!

Hey, guys! Yeah I know; I should find a shorter title for the entry, but deal just this once.... pretty please with a cherry on top? I had the priviledge of sitting in front of my computer most of the day, the part my meds would allow me to, and think up mindless questions to ask Amber Benson. For those of you that don't know her, which she's so awesomely fantastic I can't imagine anyone that didn't, she was mostly known for her role as Tara in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". She's been in plenty of films, mostly sticking to the independant arena and made for TV movies, has had guest spots on TV series such as "Supernatural", "Private Practice", and "Cracker"(on BBC at one point in time), but has now branched out not only into directing, but writing as well, with a flourish, might I add, that I wish I had. Today, she hung out in the Bitten By Books(awesome site!) review chat room, answering questions for her fans, mainy to promote her new book "Cat's Claw", the second in Miss Benson's Calliope Reaper-Jones trilogy. It may be a trilogy anyway, hopefully it'll be more!! There's still so much Callie would be able to get into. I can think of hundreds of things just sitting here thinking about it. Back to the point. Yes, Amber Benson, answering questions. She talked everything from Sweet Valley High, to Christopher Pike, to RL Stine. Hit on the Ghost of Albion series that she co-authored with Christopher Golden, another extremely gifted writer, and a sweet guy. Threw in some talks about Buffy, because as always, inquiring minds want to know.
The thing that stuck with me the most about Amber Benson's Q & A session today is how graceful and personable she was with her fans, but hey, as she is from Alabama(my closest neighbor to the west), that's a Southern girl for ya! She didn't shorten her answers to her fans for the sake of time, and got to at least one of everyone's questions they had asked. I'd be dead tired, which I'm sure she probably is. The five minute Q & As from my parents when I was younger wore me out; I couldn't imagine 12 hours. Yep, I said it. 12 hours answering just about anything our minds came up with, even offered advice, which was very cool.
I suppose I do sing her praises a tad more than most, but you have to understand something, although I watched Buffy, when they brought Tara(Benson) on the show, I was so torn out of the frame by the break up with Oz, I was kinda angry with the whole thing. Then, from her debute episode "Hush", I could tell where Joss Whedon was going to take this new friendship between Willow and Tara. Casting spells.... yeah uh huh! Anyhow, I was a tad irritated at her being replacement gal for Oz, but by the "Family" episode, she won me over a little. Seeing the character's family, much like my own, made me sympathize with her. Yeah, it was a character role, but still, when you go through something personally, you identify more with the character, plus you get to know them week after week and you just get attached. Then, came the turning point for me, maybe a tad bit on the late side of the Buffy series, but at a good time for me. The episode "Tabula Rasa". She leaves Willow after Willow breaks a pretty important promise to her. That hit home. You see the shy, almost scared character that Amber Benson played make a decision to do something so huge and brave. It hit home for me because at the time this relationship came about, I was in a very abusive relationship, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. I had seen her go from this shy girl that would barely lift her head, to this amazingly strong character. I thought, if she could do it, I could do it. Because abuse, whether it be having your memory sucked from you by a forget spell(twice) or being hit pretty much everyday for seven years, is abuse. Both come with broken, empty promises, and things being done to you against your will. So, I drew from Tara's courage, and ran like heck out of that relationship. So, yes, I'll sing Amber Benson's praises till the cows come home! Got a little off subject, but anyway, here's the bottom line, although there are some not very pleasant people to chat with out in Hollywood world, there are still breaths of fresh air out there. So thank you to Amber Benson for being one of those, and making tonight, not only a memorable one, but a fun one! Had a blast hanging out and can't wait for the next CRJ book!
For those of you that haven't heard of them, check 'em out "Death's Daughter" and "Cat's Claw", respectively. Fun and definitely entertaining!!!! Also, pop on over to http://www.bittenbybooks.com/ and give the site a gander! Till next time!