I saw this quiz and just thought it was too cool to pass up, plus I don’t have anything to talk about this week. :*) Take a minute or two and tell me what are your chances of surviving a zombie apocalypse!

69%
OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

I’m so excited today. Tananarive Due’s novel, BLOOD COLONY is the third installment of her Blood series. Her first “blood” book, MY SOUL TO KEEP, was published in 1997, and the sequel, THE LIVING BLOOD, was published in 2001. This is truly some of the most eloquently written horror and she is such a nice person to boot! :*)

The books center around a group of Ethiopian immortals who have healing blood that can redeem or destroy humanity. The main characters, David (Dawit) Wolde and his wife, Jessica Wolde, have run the gamut of love, loss, and everything in between. BLOOD COLONY is the story of a teenage Fana Wolde, the daugther of David and Jessica, and the only immortal born with the blood. Fana left the confines of the immortals’ U.S. compound and is being sought after by a group of false priests who want to use her power for malicious reasons. The movie version of MY SOUL TO KEEP has been in production for quite sometime and I cannot wait for it to hit the big screen. I have been waiting for it for a really long time.

Ms. Due is also the author of several other novels: CASANEGRA (written with her husband, science fiction writer, Steve Barnes and actor Blair Underwood), JOPLIN’S GHOST, THE GOOD HOUSE (which she has sold a screenplay for), FREEDOM IN THE FAMILY: A MOTHER-DAUGHTER MEMOIR OF THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS (with her mother, Patricia Stephens Due), and THE BETWEEN.

If you’ve never read anything by Ms. Due, you really should because you just don’t comprehend what you’re missing! :*)

As most people know, I love books. I have a to-be-read pile, as most writers do. I read mostly horror, but I also love any book that is just a good read—no matter the genre.

Reading Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King as a young teenager, definitely fostered my love of reading and writing.

What are some of your favorite books and/or authors to read? Why are they your favorite? What was it about the writing that transported you into another world?

Today is the anniversary of the end of Miss Snark’s blog. I have been thinking about a tribute ever since she left her blog black. Writers (including me) all over the web were left feeling bereft and sad. And if you’re a writer and you don’t know who Miss Snark is, then shame on you. I am a very proud Snarkling who realized that her writing and publishing advice was/is invaluable.

Author Patricia Wood has posted a tribute to Miss Snark on her blog. Feel free to leave Miss Snark a message and let her know she’s appreciated. Also, go visit her blog and learn a great deal if you’ve never been or if you just need a refresher. We love you, Miss Snark, and miss you and Killer Yapp terribly. :*)

Most people know that I am not very fond of remakes, but I have been pleasantly surprised with the remakes of the Dead Trilogy. Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead have both been remade, and were actually pretty good. Since both of those remakes made it onto the “big screen,” I was kind of apprehensive to pick this Day of the Dead remake off the shelf.

When I watched it later that evening, I was quite pleased with what I saw. It did start out a little slow, but when it picked up—it was great! :*) I won’t add any spoilers, but it’s worth a rental.

Mena Suvari, Nick Cannon, and Ving Rhames (who starred in the Dawn of the Dead remake) star in this movie.

Do you like the remakes of the Dead series? If you’ve never seen them, rent them all! :*)

I’ve been tagged by VerbalVixen and here are the rules:

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules in your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1.) When reading a really horrible book, I still like to finish it. I don’t know why, I just feel the need to finish it even though it’s terrible. There is one book in particular that I have been trying to finish for two years, and I’ve been trying my best to just give it up, but it seems that I will try to finish it anyway. :*/

2.) I collect pens. I suppose it’s because I always need one.

3.) I have to have lotion in my purse at all times. I don’t like it when my hands are dry.

4.) I am a staunch believer in personal space. No one needs to breath on me in order to talk to me. The most annoying people? The ones who come closer after you’ve already backed away because they’re too close. I guess I’m like this because I’ve been spat on way too many times.

5.) My clothes have to match—they just do.

6.) It’s difficult for me to talk to someone with “magic nose goblins” making an appearance every– single–time they breath. All I can think about is that booger flying on my face or my clothes, and it grosses me out to no end. It’s usually the folks who are violators of #4, (see above) which makes it even more likely that it will fly out of their nose and onto me. I can’t take it so I just usually tell them it’s there. Ewww!

Okay, those are 6 quirks of mine. I’m not tagging anyone because most folks I know have already participated. If you have some quirks you’d like to share, do so in the comments. :*)

Hi everyone. Most folks know that I work with the Mentally Retarded/Related Disability/Autistic/Asperger’s populations. I have learned a great deal about all of the aforementioned conditions and I love to teach others about them as well. April is Autism Awareness Month.

Here is my interview with my friend, Kim Stagliano:
1.) Demon Hunter: When did you first hear the word Autism? What kind of impact did that word have on your life and your family’s life?

Kim Stagliano: Wow, you just jolted a memory from the back corner of my mind. My sister hurled the word “autistic” at me like a grenade when Mia (our oldest, she’s now 13) was two and a half. Over the telephone! My husband and I went on a three day vacation to Charlotte NC. My sister and Mom were watching Mia and her younger sister Gianna. I called home to check on the girls and my sister sort of yelled at me, “Mia is autistic!” I wasn’t angry with her because I knew it in my gut and heart. I would have preferred a gentler approach, but she was afraid for Mia and I knew that’s where the anger was seated. Not at me. At the autism. My husband went golfing and I walked to the nearby mall to Barnes and Noble where I pulled every book I could find on autism off the shelves and sat, cried and read. Then we started Early Intervention and never looked back. I knew I had to do everything in my power to help Mia. I’m still working 24/7 for her, and her sisters, who also have the ASD diagnosis.






2.) DH: When were your daughters diagnosed with Autism?

KS: Mia and Gianna were formally diagnosed in November of 1999 after a rather pathetic evaluation at University Hospital of Cleveland. I remember telling the neurologist that other hospitals had a much more extensive evaluation process. She agreed. Their efforts were far behind the times. They probaby still are. Bella was diagnosed before preschool. Mia is currently 13, Gianna is 11 and Bella, my little love, is 7.






3.) DH: How have your daughters’ lives improved?

KS: Well, I credit the non-stop biomedical interventions, starting with changing their diet for greatly improving their behavior and how they feel. We removed gluten and casein (wheat and dairy protein) and their lives got better. Plus numerous supplements and other medical care. Add finally getting into a good school district and the girls are in a very good place in 2008. I think that if we’d had better schools for the first several years of their lives my girls would be even further along. Many districts have very poor autism programming. It’s a shame.












4.) DH: What do you want people to know about Autism?
KS: It’s treatable. It’s treatable. It’s treatable. Did I mention it’s treatable? And for goodness sake, don’t rely on the schools to do all the work. Therapy and teaching alone are often not enough. You need to get to the internal issues your child has too. Like GI problems. Rampant in our population, but most docs ignore the fact. Mom and Dad are the first and very best therapists and caretakers.
5.) DH: Do you have a theory as to why the cases of Autism continue to rise at such an alarming rate?
KS: I do. I think our toxic environment is part of the problem. I think the over zealous vaccination program is a part of the problem. Dozens of vaccines by age three! I think having had hundreds of micrograms of mercury in childhood vaccines for over a decade was disgustingly naive and stupid. I think injecting mercury into pregnant women via the flu shot even today is insane, as is giving a flu vaccine to an infant or child. I also think better awareness and diagnosis are part of the increase in numbers. But let’s face it, docs did not see dozens of patients in their practice who could not speak, flapped and spun in circles in 1980. It would be hard NOT to diagnose them today.
DH: Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview, Kim! There are so many people that know nothing of folks with special needs. Knowledge is power. :*)
KS: Thank you! To learn more please do come by www.ageofautism.com and check out our sponsors. There are parents like me who are ready to help families navigate the autism world. Use us. And come on over to my own blog, www.kimstagliano.blogspot.com You can read more about our life with the girls in my chapter in Embracing Autism.

Barbara Walters had a special air a few nights ago concerning aging. She asked the question, “Could You Live To Be 150?” I actually pondered that. I’m not sure I’d want to live that long. I questioned the quality of life, my health, and my overall mental health.

Yes, she mentioned that organs were being grown and that scientists had found wonderful anti-aging components in red wine. Okay, that takes care of the inside, but what about the outside?

Can you imagine what you would look like at 150 with the same exact body? I’m not sure if I would want to know or not. Would the skin remain intact? Or would your body start to deteriorate? I’m not sure how I feel about the entire ordeal. When it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go—no matter how much you fight it, IMHO.

What do you think?

I think Queen said it best—“Who Wants to Live Forever?” Watch the video below. God, I miss Freddy Mercury…

Barbara Walters had a special air a few nights ago concerning aging. She asked the question, “Could You Live To Be 150?” I actually pondered that. I’m not sure I’d want to live that long. I questioned the quality of life, my health, and my overall mental health.

Yes, she mentioned that organs were being grown and that scientists had found wonderful anti-aging components in red wine. Okay, that takes care of the inside, but what about the outside?

Can you imagine what you would look like at 150 with the same exact body? I’m not sure if I would want to know or not. Would the skin remain intact? Or would your body start to deteriorate? I’m not sure how I feel about the entire ordeal. When it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go—no matter how much you fight it, IMHO.

What do you think?

I think Queen said it best—“Who Wants to Live Forever?” Watch the video below. God, I miss Freddy Mercury…

A new book, Personal Demons, is coming out on April 1, 2008 by my friend, December Quinn/Stacia Kane. You can go to her blog, which is listed on the sidebar, but you can also go here. She writes paranormal romance under the name December Quinn, and urban fantasy under the name Stacia Kane.

I am sooo looking forward to reading this book. You can pre-order Personal Demons from Amazon or buy it when it comes out on April 1, 2008. You can also read Chapter One.