Sooam Biotech Research Foundation has been performing special services for those of us who have more money than brains for the last seven years. The South Korean research facility specializes in cloning beloved pooches of heart broken families.

Typically, I would scoff and walk away from this kind of news, wondering who in their right mind would want to clone Fido for about $100,000. I love my various furry companions, but not enough to give that kind of cash away. Grieving is good, in my book. the circle of life and all that.

Sooam Biotech is currently holding their first ever Dog Cloning Competition for UK residents in an attempt to widen their market. Apparently, their biggest market share is the US, go figure. They know not everyone has the kind of capital required to bring Fido back to life, so for the competition, they are ready to give a 10% discount to the winner, which translates to about £20K.

Applicant will need to submit an essay of no more than 500 words along with pictures, audio, artwork and/or video. The video is interesting, for once they cull the stack of applications, they shall upload the videos on their YouTube channel, DogCloningUK, for the world to see. I must say, I am looking forward to viewing the entries.

I don’t understand the draw and would never do it myself, no matter the price tag, but hey, to each his own.


Interested in applying? -- Go HERE


For more information on Sooam Biotech -- Go HERE

With the rise in popularity of the eReader and mobile apps, readers have an unheard of amount of works available to them across multiple platforms. New authors arrive daily, offering their blood, sweat, and tears to an increasingly discerning audience.

I’m a reader myself, and I have to pare down what I am willing to read with the precious free time I have. This is where labels and genres come in. I am as eclectic in my reading as I am in my music, but most often, I have an inkling of what I want to read.

New Adult encompasses the years after high school. Despite what teenagers think, you do not become an adult at the magical age of 18. The only thing that happens is that in the eyes of the law, you shall be treated as an adult. The characters are usually aged between 19 - 26 years old. They are often newly independent and furthering their self-discovery by questionable means. Navigating those first years of adulthood is just as interesting as surviving the teenage years.

Did we need a specific category for these stories? Likely not, but genres and labels make taking a chance on an unknown book and author a little easier. If I want to read about a twenty-something year old who moved across the country to start a new job, well by golly, I know exactly where to start.

For a list of New Adult books, click HERE.

It always seems like I am doing more than is possible in a 24 hour period. As an Indie writer, I maintain a full time job to supplement my income. After all, dreams do not pay the bills.

A working person with a dream is a busy one. It matters not what the pursuit is: musician, singer, painter, athlete, actor, actress, model, photographer, director, artist, designer, writer, chef...

There is never enough time in the day to juggle the different facets of one’s life. Screaming characters, and kids, and pets, and partners, and friends wondering where you’ve been, and professional duties requiring attention, and attention to personal goals and food - often forgotten let me tell you -

I thank the heavens some days for the fact that there is not enough time in my day. For if there was, I would wonder how I managed to pen 4 books in less than two years while maintaining a semblance of sanity.

I create because I must. There is no other way to explain the driving force behind my single-minded obsession to write. It is an utter joy to write and create and bring to life characters; it matters not how much time they take to tell their stories.

*chuckle*

At the end of the day, and artists creates for themselves, and is always surprised when others enjoy their creations. Off I go to the Realm, to settle some disputes between belligerent elves and fairies. 

Book four of the DeDe series is finished. *phew* -- It has been read and reread and edited and tossed about and scrutinized and questioned and edited a bit more and discussed and ... well, ya’ll get the gist I’m sure. It is finished. It has been available through Amazon since January 21, 2013. I didn’t want to advertise its availability until I was certain everything was as it should be.

Yet, some my observant readers found Lord Malachi anyway, *thank you guys*, and have not only read it, but have contacted me as to the eventual release of book 5, titled thus far -- Lords of the Realm. Well... it’s a bit hard to pinpoint an exact date. I am a superstitious kind of gal, guys. The best I can do today is say it shall be finished by the end of 2013.

Writing is something I do because I love to write. I love to share my world with others. Writing is akin to an addiction for me, something I must do in order to be happy. Yet, I have a 9 - 5 that requires my attendance more often than I care to acknowledge. Don’t get me wrong; I love my students, I love teaching and frankly, it pays my bills. But writing, although my first love and true passion, must be scheduled around my reality for now. I hope that one day, one of these days, I shall be able to devote every waking hour to writing. But until then, I am caught in a never-ending juggling act between real life and my dreams.

Once again, thank you all for your encouragement and emails. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or random thoughts you may have. I love receiving correspondence from my readers, keeps me focused on the end.

Sharon 

Click here for Lord Malachi on Amazon

On March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death near her home in Kew Gardens, a borough of Queens in New York. I remember reading about this case in a college class, and wondering how it was possible for a woman to be stabbed twice, scream for help with dozens of people actually hearing her cries, running around, bleeding, and falling just outside the locked door to her complex with no one reacting. I wondered how the perpetrator had the balls to stalk his victim, find her broken and bleeding, stab her a few more times before sexually assaulting her and robbing her of $49 dollars while residents continued to ignore what was happening.

The details of this case came to my mind as I read about the ongoing saga in Steubenville, Ohio. On August 11, 2012 several parties were thrown for the teenagers of Steubenville High School football team. Hours after the string of parties, Twitter posts and Instagram photos began to crop up on the web. It didn’t take long for the residents of the tight knit community to take sides.

According to some interpretations of the data, a young girl became intoxicated to the point where she was unresponsive. While in this vulnerable position, she was allegedly assaulted and raped by several members of the football team in several parties because they had been able to take the unconscious girl with them.  

Mind you, these are high school students, nowhere near the age of legally imbibing alcoholic beverages, much less being able to procure it for themselves. Please keep in mind that only a handful of students were named, even though more than two dozen people stood by and watched but did nothing. Should I even mention the adults? These kids were in HOMES with PARENTAL supervision. Yet … nothing was done.

And now the case has snowballed into the realm of unbelievable. Only two boys were charged with rape. Why? Well, it would depend on who you believe. Even though there is a YouTube video of the boys boasting over their actions, and several pictures circulating, a good portion of the town either does not believe the allegations or blames the girl for bringing it upon herself.  

Hubbard, one of the 19 coaches for the Steubenville High School football team said, “The rape was just an excuse, I think. What else are you going to tell your parents when you come home drunk like that and after a night like that? She had to make up something. Now people are trying to blow up our football program because of it.”

Yes, the alleged rape, YouTube video and pictures are all part of a conspiracy to derail their football program. All this negative publicity is hurting their beloved team, a program which has far reaching ties in the community: including ties with the county prosecutor and the judge in charge, both who recused themselves from the case because of their ties.

So I sit here, watching the drama, but not in shock. America idolizes the most bizarre people and athletes are at the top of the list. It starts early; where the boys are made to believe they can do no wrong as long as they win under the Friday Night Lights. Just read about the scandal at W.C. Mepham High School and how long it took the perpetrators to be suspended from school, much less charged with a crime.  

It continues in college, where they are given special treatment. Everything from a coach lying about a murder to boosters supplying prostitutes to false academic records so the athletes remain eligible to play. 

And of course, when these athletes make it to the big time, they truly believe they are invincible. Just think about Ben Roethlisberger and Kobe Bryant, both accused of rape. Both settled out of court. Or maybe Ray Lewis, who avoided a murder charge by testifying against his co-defendants. No one did anytime for the murder of two people. And there’s Leonard Little, who killed a woman while he was driving under the influence and did a whole 90 days in jail for her death.

If you think athletes are not given special treatment, just imagine if you were charged with some of those crimes. Do you think a rape accusation can go away just because of who you are? Can a murder charge be reduced with no imprisonment? Do you think a fatal DUI incident can go away with an apology? 

Think about that. 

For more information on the Stuebenville case, click HERE.

to view the YouTube in question, click HERE.

To learn about the scandal at W.C. Mepham, click HERE.

For the top college scandals, click HERE.

If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. It’s a popular saying, introduced by Frank Sinatra in his song New York, New York. I spent some time in New York and I can honestly say, I love the city. New York is the definition of a metropolitan. The eclectic mix of people and cultures co-exist, for the most part, in harmony. Yet, like some of our bigger cities here in the states, they have unique ways about conducting their everyday lives.

I recently read this news article about New York students and their coping mechanisms. As a high school teacher the losing battle I face every day is that of the cell phone. My students, this generation that has never lived without a cell phone and the ability to plug into the virtual world, cannot stand to part with their technological lifeline. It is how they communicate; social media outlets and texting is usually the sum of their interaction with peers. They cannot stand the thought of not being able to text / message at will. It matters not that cell phones are prohibited in school; they bring them and do what they can when they can.

New York entrepreneurs are making a small fortune because of students and their inability to part with their cell phones. As one of the most densely populated cities in America, metal detectors are part of the décor in many public schools. Which means students cannot bring their banned cell phones onto the premises. The solution? -- Valet parking for cell phones. *shaking head*

Students across the city are checking in their phones into strategically placed mobile vans, paying a dollar a day, so they can leave their banned phones close to where they will be during school hours. I was morbidly amused by this article. Why is it so hard for these kids to part with their phones for a few hours? And the kicker, their addiction is making other people a whole bunch of money; from the cell phone companies to the app creators to … individuals that see an absurd need and find a solution. Only in America.