Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Primary Elections Decoded

2016 has proven to be the most entertaining presidential election in American history.  I am glued to the news, but there are parts to this primary election process that are very confusing.  I thought I'd share some newly acquired knowledge.

Delegate: A person who is elected or chosen at the state or local level that will support a certain candidate.  (Usually go with the popular vote.)

Superdelegate: Members of Congress, former presidents, governors, and other party leaders.  These people are not bound to popular vote of a candidate within a region.

Caucus: Speeches are made in a town meeting format and votes are cast for candidates by registered voters if a political party.

Primary election: Voters cast votes for favorite candidates before the general election.

In the Democratic Party, there 5083 deleegates with 715 of them being superdelegates.  The Democrats use a proportional system to give candidates their earned number of delegates.  For example, if a candidate earns 25% of the popular vote within a state, then the candidate earns 25% of the state's delegates.  A candidate must earn at least 15% of the popular vote to qualify for any of the delegate votes.  The winning candidate for the Democratic Party must win a simple majority.
Republican Party: Does not require the 15% and each state determines the rules.  For example, one state may use a winner-takes-all delegates where another state will use the proportional system like the Democratic Party.  Reupublicans have no superdelegates, but have unpledged delegates which serve the same purpose as the superdelegates.  Their count is 2472 delegates with 437 unpledged delegates.  Of the 437, 168 of these unpledged delegates are members of the Republican National Committee (RNC).  

Are you with me so far?  Does any of this seem to mumble the word 'fixed'?

For example, Hilary Clinton has a 'loose' total of 439 superdelegate votes of party leaders, governors, senators, representatives, and DNC members.  They can change their minds, but that is the count according to latest Wikipedia entry.  Bernie Sanders has 16.  Bernie beat Hilary by 22 points in New Hampshire, but they won about the same number of delegates.  He is very popular, but does not have the delegates in his pocket.  She won Iowa and parts of Nevada by coin tosses and cards.  Fair?

The Republican candidate needs 1237 votes to win the primary.  If no one can obtain that number, then candidate is decided by the RNC.  The unpledged delegates could easily go for Rubio or Cruz since they supposedly do not like Trump.  Experts easily analyze how the party could keep him out, but Trump could also run on an independent ticket in retaliation.  Again, fair?

Super Tuesday: March 1st, 2016
Republicans-595 delegates to gain
Democrats-1004 delegates to gain
Alabama
Alaska
American Samoa
Arkansas
Colorado
Massachusetts
Georgia
Minnesota
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Wyoming

Who will you be voting for?  Leave a comment.





Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Goddess Fish Presents: Fueled by Lust by Celeste Prater

Fueled by Lust: Sotarios
by Celeste Prater
$20 Rafflecopter-Enter to Win!

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GENRE: Erotic Romance Sci Fi Urban Fantasy

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BLURB:

With an ex from hell haunting his dreams, Sotarios Numida can’t catch a break. Thinking a trip to Earth to seek offspring of the Unfortunate One Hundred might clear his head—he thought wrong. Instead, destiny leads him right to the one woman that forces him to face his past and a secret he’s horrified to admit.

Raine Holter is tough, focused, and dealing with a secret of her own. The last thing she expected to find during her usual daily grind was her soulmate. Especially one that can’t seem to make his mind up on whether to grip her close or shove her away. Undaunted, this little spitfire plans to thaw Sotarios’s frozen heart even if hers has to take a few beatings before he sees the truth.

Book 8 in the Fueled By Lust Series yanks you right back into the lives of the sinfully sexy Insedi. One fast paced, jaw dropping, breath stealing, hell of a ride.

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Excerpt

Mild

Flinching at the stab of light to her retina, Raine looked up and spotted a gleaming-black SUV parking by the stairwell. Leaning closer she peered through the glass, unable to trust her eyes.

“Is that him? Oh, man. It is.” Heart thudding, she scrambled to finish cleaning up the blob of hair she’d been slowly moving around the room and threw the broom behind the counter. Assured she didn’t have any remnants clinging to her T-shirt or jeans, Raine felt confident enough to approach the door again. He was still sitting in the car.

“Good grief. How is it possible for him to be more gorgeous than he was last night?” Hands pressed against her belly, Raine realized she hadn’t been this nervous in years. She couldn’t get over how quickly he caused her internal organs to start flipping all over the place. As soon as she’d gotten a good look at his beautiful sapphire-colored eyes, she’d thought her skin was going to buzz right off her body. Five minutes into speaking with him and she knew she was a goner. Especially when he’d gotten all growly from spotting her injuries. That was so freaking sweet. From just the little interaction she’d had with him last night, she could tell he wasn’t a dumb jock. Far from it. She whispered, “Been around enough of them to know the difference, that’s for sure,” and discovered how close her nose was to the glass. Quickly passing a palm across the oval mist, she backed up a few steps and tried to act civilized.

Skin tingling as she watched him step out of the car, Raine tried to keep from blinking. She didn’t want to miss one single frame.

“Damn, would you look at that?” His powerful body was clad in a dark-blue muscle shirt, faded jeans, and the killer biker boots he’d had on last night. The sun twinkled off the silver chain circling his thick neck and cast a warm glow against his tanned skin. “Oh, just kill me now. That’s way too much perfection.”


Excerpt Two:

Hot


Broad hands stabbed into her hair, clasping her tightly. He expertly sucked, licked, and nipped until she thought she might pass out from the sublime overload to her senses. She couldn’t get enough of his taste and the feel of him against her body, but she knew it was time to slow down and savor this miracle in her arms. Pulling back, Raine pressed her forehead against his, enjoying the mingling of their panting breath.

“I want to see you, Sotarios. All of you.” Lifting up, Raine tugged gently at the bottom of his shirt. Within seconds, he had it yanked over his head and thrown to the floor. Taking her time, she trailed her fingers over every inch of his perfect golden skin and spectacular muscles until his belly was trembling. He reached up and gripped the pillows above his head, biceps turning into hard, rounded boulders. As the large muscles extending along his sides flared out like wings, she sucked in a breath. Goddamn, he’s massive.

After a few rounds of sweet touching torture, Raine could tell he particularly liked the sensation of her thumb rubbing slowly over his beaded nipples. His breath ratcheted up several notches as her hands traced along the muscles capping his narrow hips and arrowing down to his crotch, pointing her toward nirvana.

Sotarios’s glittering sapphire eyes remained locked onto hers, and she could see his jaw clenching. She couldn’t wait until he finally decided to release whatever beast he was fighting to hold back. That’s okay, sweetie. I’ll just take my time worshipping you until you find the courage.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I was born and raised in a small town between Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin. Wanting to see more than her small Texas town, I joined the Marines, which satisfied my craving to see more of the U.S. and my drive to see if I could be one of the few and the proud.
A firm believer in educating the mind, I’ve achieved several advanced degrees, the latest being a master’s of science.
My true love is writing erotic romance, especially about alien hunks that know how to treat their females. Drusus, Severus, Cato, Lucien, Caelius, Maxim and many more have swirled in my dreams until I had to bring them to life and allow them to find love within the pages of the Fueled by Lust book series.
Book 1 DRUSUS was nominated as Top 5 Finalist and placed 3rd in the 2014 RWA Passionate Ink’s 9th Annual Passionate Plume Book Contest in Erotic SciFi/Fantasy Category, Book 2 SEVERUS achieved BEST BOOK review rating and won April 2014 BOOK OF THE MONTH Reader Poll at LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS, Book 3 CATO won the May/June 2014 BOOK OF THE MONTH, LUCIEN won the September 2014 BOOK OF THE MONTH, and MAKAR AND BARUCH the SEPTEMBER 2015 BOOK OF THE MONTH Reader Poll at LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS. All currently released books in the series have made it into the Top 5 Bestseller Lists at Bookstrand.com within days of release as well as making it into the Top 10 Hottest New Releases in Erotic Science Fiction on Amazon.
I would like to give a big shout out to my gorgeous model, George Lukashevsky, the 2013 IFBB Arnold Classic first place winner, and the awesome cover photographer, Felix Mizioznikov. You can catch George on Instagram @georgewinner2013 and Facebook at George “Bear” Lukashevsky.


Buy Links for Books:
Bookstrand http://www.bookstrand.com/celeste-prater
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Celeste-Prater/e/B00H5Y36N2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1410962247&sr=1-2-ent
Barnes & Noble  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/celeste-prater?store=allproducts&keyword=celeste+prater
KOBO  http://prod-www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=celeste+prater
ITUNES  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/fueled-by-lust-drusus/id826723786?mt=11

You can find Celeste at:

Website  http://www.celesteprater-romanceauthor.com/
Twitter  https://twitter.com/Celeste_Prater
Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Celeste-Prater-Erotic-Romance-Author/181230038723758
Instagram  http://instagram.com/celestepraterauthor
Pinterest   https://www.pinterest.com/celesteprater/
YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCudyD1KXoknydE443MWe5mA
Google+   https://plus.google.com/118162420222320764665/posts
Tumblr   http://celesteprater-author.tumblr.com/


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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, February 15, 2016

Goddess Fish Presents: From the Ashes of Ruin Series by Matthew D. Ryan

From the Ashes of Ruin Series
by Matthew D. Ryan


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GENRE: Fantasy

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BLURB:


We vampires do not make easy prey. Our weaknesses are few, our strengths many. Fear is something we do not know, and death but a distant memory. So tread softly, pray to your god, and gird yourself with silver when the moons arise and night’s dark prince awakens. We fear not the wizard, nor the warrior, neither rogue, nor priest; our strength is timeless, drawn from darkness and we know no master save the hot lust of our unending hunger. We long for blood, your blood and no blade, nor spell, nor clever artifice, can keep us long from our prize. Feel our teeth at your throat, your life ebb from you, and know as darkness comes to claim you that the price of your folly is your everlasting soul.


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Excerpt from The Children of Lubrochius

Several hours later, Gaelan stood at attention in the Fire Hawk Sparring Arena in the Western Guard Barracks of the city of Drisdak. Prinson and Retlin, the two other young guild guardsmen from his earlier assignment were with him. Each of them still wore his chain mail armor and the now sweaty undercoat, but had relinquished his steel sword at the entrance to the arena. Anduri stood in front of them with several wooden practice swords lying at his feet. Behind them, about thirty city guards busily worked on a calisthenic routine.

Gaelan watched Anduri unclasp the real sword at his side, place it on the floor behind him, and then bend to pick up one of the wooden ones.

Gaelan stood at attention. I’m ready, he thought. Finally, I’m going to learn to fight … to kill. The thought lodged in his breast, hard and solid like a chicken bone in his throat. He knew what he wanted. He wanted this. But …

Better to die a peaceful man, than live with the stains of murder. His father had taught him that. It was the last line of the Aspallan peace oath. Aspalla of the White Palm, Lord of Healing and Counsel, was one of the most revered gods of the Paradisian Circle. He was the father of the goddess Auraria and the personal counselor of Mardikkar Evilbane, King of the Gods. He was also Gaelan’s patron deity, the deity he’d worshipped his whole life.




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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Matthew D. Ryan lives in northeastern New York on the shores of Lake Champlain. He has been deeply involved in the fantasy genre for most of his life as a reader, writer, and game designer. His writing has been featured at Aphelion.com and YesteryearFiction.com. He is the operator of the web-site matthewdryan.com which features his blog, “A Toast to Dragons,” (http://matthewdryan.com/a-toast-to-dragons-the-blog/) a blog dedicated to fantasy literature, and, to a lesser extent, sci-fi. He is the author of the dark fantasy novels “Drasmyr,” “The Children of Lubrochius,” and “The Sceptre of Morgulan,” as well as a growing number of fantasy short stories including: “Haladryn and the Minotaur,” “The River’s Eye,” and “Escape.”

Drasmyr:


The Children of Lubrochius:


The Sceptre of Morgulan:


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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE


Matthew D. Ryan will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, February 12, 2016

Goddess Fish Presents: Commander Henry Gallant-H. Peter Alesso is Back!

Commander Henry Gallant
by H. Peter Alesso

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GENRE:  Sci-fi
Leave a comment to win Amazon GC!


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BLURB:


He thought Alaina loved him, but now she’s found someone else. A tidal wave of loss and grief swept over Henry Gallant, leaving him undecided about what to do next, or how to move forward.

Despite his sorrow, he goes on a dangerous mission to an invading aliens’ home world in the Gliese-581 star system. There he uses a neural interface to penetrate their communication network and steal a high ranking alien’s identity. Through this artifice he learns about their history and society, and discovers a way to hinder and possibly defeat them.

A side-effect of linking into the alien network—which was created for autistic savants—is that Gallant’s mind was stimulated and enhanced to the point where he begins to experience superintelligence abilities.

Upon returning from his mission, there is concern that Gallant might pose an even more serious threat than the aliens. While he struggles to fend off those who doubt his loyalty, he fights to win back Alaina.

This is the fourth book of The Henry Gallant Saga, but it can be read as a standalone story.

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EXCERPT


Alaina Hepburn strolled across the walkway, smack-dab in the middle of Halo’s well-trimmed verdant garden park, lavish with diverse foliage and a flowing water fountain glistening under a brilliant summer sun. Several bronzed statues adorned the area attracting a glanced from pedestrians as they passed while an occasional car flew overhead. However, it was Alaina’s eye-catching outfit and radiant youthful vitality that captured the most attention of those around her, not merely because she was attractive—though her blond hair, blue eyes, and well-tanned skin accented her appealing figure—and not because her behavior was so unusual so as to stir excitement. Everyone who passed offered her a warm greeting—for she was well-known to the people of Elysium. No, what attracted the curiosity of those nearby was her bearing—with shoulders back and head held high, she led one to wonder what adventure she was just returning from—or, better yet, was just about to embark upon.

When Gallant entered the park on his way to a meeting at the town hall, the impact of seeing Alaina again struck him like a shock wave. His reaction was unlike what might be expected from the methodical logical captain who so recently fought a battle from the bridge of the Warrior. Now he was simply a man rediscovering his lover—filled with the joy of her presence, the relief of her safety, and the sensuality of her being—the emotional tizzy seething beneath the surface was enough to cause the fringes of his vision to grow hazy, excluding all others from sight. He felt a sense of well-being flood over him, creating the desire to seize and hold her. Despite his wish to run—he walked toward her along the intersecting walkway.

When she noticed him, she came to an abrupt stop and turned to face him. The surprise on her face couldn’t have been more pronounced. He could only guess that her emotional state was as heighten as his own.

Any passerby might have assumed that they were two old acquaintances meeting casually to exchange friendly greetings, but his heart was pounding and his palms were moist. A gust of wind blew a tangled lock of his hair across his forehead causing him to swipe it away mindlessly.

“Henry!” she said, biting her lower lip.

Her exclamation was short and sharp, giving Gallant a start. As it invariably happened, he was mesmerized by her. He stammered, “I . . . I said, ‘I’d be back.’”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


As a scientist and author specializing in technology innovation, H. Peter Alesso has over twenty years research experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As Engineering Group Leader at LLNL he led a team of scientists and engineers in innovative applications across a wide range of supercomputers, workstations, and networks. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. and served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines before completing an M.S. and an advanced Engineering Degree at M.I.T. He has published several software titles and numerous scientific journal and conference articles, and he is the author/co-author of seven books.

You can visit his Web site at: http://www.hpeteralesso.com/Default.aspx
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Author Social Media:

Author Web site at: http://www.hpeteralesso.com/Default.aspx

Goodreads Address: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/413852.H_Peter_Alesso

YouTube trailer for Henry Gallant Saga: http://youtu.be/2eciKOBFBSM

 Facebook for Henry Gallant Saga: https://www.facebook.com/TheHenryGallantSaga/


Amazon link for the Henry Gallant Saga: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011M9O9RC/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, February 11, 2016


Valentine's Day Grammar 2016 Infographic
GRAMMARLY ROCKS:  https://www.grammarly.com/spell-check
Grammarly teamed up with Eharmony for these results.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

End of Days: Is This the Beginning of One World Religion?

This was a crazy week of news that most of the general population did not get.  My mother, Frank Fontaine, and the highlights of the Jack Van Impe Show prompted me to write this post.  As a Christian, I pay attention to prophecy that matches the politics of the day.  As most Christians believe, New World Order (a one world government) will set the stage for the anti-Christ to take over.  He will not be alone.  A side kick of sorts, the false prophet, will help him reign.  Most believe this side kick will be in charge of a one world religion.  So how in the world can there ever be a one world religion, especially with ISIS's zero tolerance for other religions?

Wheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois): Billy Graham went to this college.  He has a museum inside of it that displays his amazing life dedicated to God.  No one has ever claimed that Billy Graham tried to rewrite the Bible.  No one has ever claimed that Wheaton College tried to rewrite the Bible...until now.
Political Science Professor Larycia Hawkins used Facebook to post that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.  She stands in religious "solidarity" with other Christians and Muslims in her belief in God.  She claims she gets this from the Pope who said late in 2015 that Christians and Muslims were brothers and sisters.  Hawkins did not get fired, but she is leaving the college.

Hawkins isn't inventing this idea that God is also the same God in the Koran.  Unfortunately, Pope Francis is making favorable comparisons.  He validates the Koran, putting it equal to the Bible while preaching religious tolerance.  In a controversial quote below, he states that both faiths should merge.
"We can accomplish miraculous things in the world by merging our faiths, and the time for such a movement is now. No longer shall we slaughter our neighbors over differences in reference to their God.”
The Pope is meeting with Muslim leaders later this month in the name of religious tolerance.  Will all of the murders and beheadings be mentioned?  The pope is also meeting with the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church in Cuba to mend fences that caused the split centuries ago.  This pope spends a lot of time sucking up to other religions instead of preaching the Bible.Why is he so interested in 'getting along with other religions?  It's all part of the big picture-End of Days.  I wrote about this four years ago in my novel  The Last Degree.

Pope Francis was predicted to be the last pope by Malachi hundreds of years ago.  This Irish monk has a near perfect record in picking his pontiff predictions.  Is Francis really the last pope?  Does he want to form a one world religion?  

Thoughts and comment welcome!









Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Goddess Fish Presents: Still Counting by Phil Fragasso

Still Counting
by Phil Fragasso


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GENRE: Chick-lit, bittersweet romance

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BLURB:

Adam Donatello and Nina Morales share an immediate and powerful attraction, and their future together seems assured. But love is difficult enough without adding complications – real or imagined – to the mix. Nina sees life as a thousand shades of gray, while Adam tends towards black-and-white. He wants to move fast; she needs time. Nina sees her past liaisons with women as immaterial to their relationship, while her disclosure drives Adam to a state of irrational jealousy. He doesn't know how he could compete with a woman; and his suspicions – which Nina views as hypocritical – lead them both to make decisions they may live to regret.

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EXCERPT:


Nina sipped her chai and looked around the room. “There are fewer assholes here than most Starbucks.”

I took a quick glance around the room and shrugged. It looked to me like the usual assortment of Cambridgians replete with self-conscious undergrads, millennial professionals, aging hippies, autistic-spectrum bohemians, and a sprinkling of the genuinely homeless. Nina seemed to be waiting for a more explicit sign of agreement so I nodded and smiled.

“You know what I mean?” asked Nina. “Maybe because it’s late and the regulars have gone home to sip their decaf Keurigs, work out on their Concept2 rowers, and watch PBS while scanning porn on their iPads.”

This chick wasn’t just the queen of non sequiturs, she was the queen of non sequitur stereotypes.

“Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought,” I said.

“I give everything a lot of thought. Thought—and I mean real thought, not the vapid musings of cable television and political hacks—is the one thing that separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom. And if that sounds a little self-congratulatory, I’m okay with it.”

“Do I detect a certain bitterness?” I asked. “Perhaps a fiendishly misanthropic streak?”

One of the best things about being an English teacher is that I have a world-class vocabulary. The average college-educated American can recognize and understand about twenty thousand words. In all humility, my personal vocabulary approaches that of the great Bard himself, some thirty thousand words. And there was no restraining me with the raven-haired beauty in front of me. So I continued.

“Am I indeed being graced with the presence of a comely curmudgeon? A cynical soul of sardonic sassiness? A jaded jewel?”

Nina sipped her chai, carefully placed the cup on the table between us, and patted her lips dry with slow and deliberate precision. “And might I be in the presumed presence of an alliterative asshole, a punctilious prick, a swaggering simpleton, or all of the above?”

“Well played,” I said. “Perhaps I misjudged you. Maybe you’re simply a spunky savant.”

“Spoken like a true equivocating egotistical egalitarian,” she said.

“Is there even such a thing?” I asked.

“There is now.”

She had me at hello, but “equivocating egotistical egalitarian” sealed the deal. I was smitten.


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Phil Fragasso sold his first article at the age of 16. Since then he has written and published a wide variety of books, articles and essays. After many years as a corporate marketer, he left to pursue endeavors that were more fulfilling personally and more contributory on a societal level. Today he focuses his time on writing and teaching.

VIDEO:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2fsj7_0uZw
AMAZON:  http://www.amazon.com/Still-Counting-Phil-Fragasso-ebook/dp/B019G1FY6I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452100215&sr=8-1&keywords=STILL+COUNTING+Phil+Fragasso
TWRP:  http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=6604

Buy links:

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Still-Counting-Phil-Fragasso-ebook/dp/B019G1FY6I/

iBook:
https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/still-counting/id1067616977?mt=11

B&N:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/still-counting-phil-fragasso/1123145489?ean=2940158066603

Kobo
https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=Still%20Counting%20%28Phil%20Fragasso%29&ac=1&acp=still%20coun


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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Phil will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of Universal Studios and Fright Night

Last October, I went to Universal Studios (Hollywood) and Fright Night with my two young adult daughters. Below is a summary and review of t...