J is for...

J is for... just in time.

J is for... the Jacaranda trees blooming in the desert.

J is for... the journey.

J is for... the juiciest pineapple and the hottest jalapeno.

J is for... can I join you?

J is... getting the joke.
J is... for peanut butter sandwiches with grape jam.
J is... for the jet.
J is... keeping a journal.
And borrowing his jacket on a cool night.



J is also for my favorite music by Joaquin Rodrigo

A Desert Luau-Drinks-Party Favors-Music!!

Hi, please feel free to look around and if you've already been here this week, well thanks for stopping in again! The virtual Mai Tais are still available and the parting gift will be available April 1st!

ALOHA

WE’RE HAVIN’ A LUAU!!!

Party Time here at The Desert Rocks where we are officially launching Eve Gaal’s new book Penniless Hearts!

 Join the conga line and make sure you share invitations
with all your friends and relatives because the party is just getting started!

Feel the breeze? Kick off your shoes and imagine the warm sand between your toes! Ahhhhhhhhhh! Take a break from all the creepy vampire and macabre zombie stories. It’s time to take a journey to Hawaii and find out what happens to Penny! She works hard and deserves a romantic holiday, but it’s almost Christmas and she needs to design some festive ads for the newspaper. Too bad, she'll be in Kauai for dinner and they’ll simply have to live without her. Or can they? Will the spontaneous dream vacation turn into a nightmare? The twists and turns will make you turn the pages quickly because this is one heck of a trip!

A short excerpt from Chapter 16:

     Undaunted he continued, “My favorite shirt has surfboards with martini glasses

interspersed in a medley of tropical flowers.” Seemingly oblivious to her

obvious lack of interest, he started describing almost every one of his shirts

in what sounded like a five hundred shirt library of best sellers.

     “That’s cool, but I thought you said your favorite one had cigars, champagne

bottles and a fancy deck of cards?” She said, trying to follow along.

     “Right, that’s a bitchin’ shirt,” he said, smiling from ear to ear. “The queen

of hearts is dressed in a grass skirt. It’s really nice but the martini glass shirt is

kind of rare.”

Yes, he’s a narcissistic idiot, but find out what happens by reading more!      
Now let’s have a Mai Tai!
 (Just one—they’re very strong)

 Did you know Mai Tai means ‘good’ in Tahitian?

You’ll need what’s normally called a highball or a rocks glass. That’s right rocks just like in The Desert Rocks except ice is somewhat hard to find around here. Anyway, while you’re shopping for some ice—get some triple sec, almond flavored syrup which is also called orgeat, limes, pineapple juice and don’t forget the rum. Most recipes for this cocktail suggest blending dark and light rum. Anyway, put some of the rocks in the rocks glass. Add an ounce of rum and half that amount of triple sec. If you don’t have triple sec, use Grand Marnier or orange curacao. Then add the almond flavored syrup and squeeze the juice of half a lime into your glass. Fill it up with orange juice or pineapple juice. I think both sounds even better. Finally, garnish it with a cherry and a slice of pineapple. Those little umbrellas would be cute too! By the way, this cocktail was featured in the Elvis Film Blue Hawaii!

Yes, Elvis has left the building but that doesn't mean you can't Tweet about this post on Twitter!

Now for an excerpt from Chapter : 28

     Birds of Paradise, plumeria, orange colored African tulip trees, lavender

jacarandas, pink orchids, yellow hibiscus and long stemmed deep red anthuriums

surrounded Penny while she slept. Someone had put green banana leaves over her to

protect her from the light misting rain. A little goat chewed on the leaves or maybe

the edge of her muumuu, while it whined like a child waiting to be changed. The sound woke her, but the after effects of the Mai Tai’s made getting up difficult. Waiting for the fog to clear from her hazy mind, she stretched and inhaled the divine scent of the natural paradise around her. The sound of someone approaching made her sit up.

Total chapters? If you've ever been out near The Desert Rocks in the lovely Coachella Valley, you already know that the coolest, longest, widest and biggest street in the entire California desert is Highway 111. I didn't intend to have 111 chapters but that’s how it worked out. Most of the chapters are short so it’s fun to read.

The last excerpt before you pass out—I said one Mai Tai but they are pretty tasty aren't they? Chapter 102:

When she didn’t answer, he left her a message. “Anne, it’s Glenn,” his voice

shook like aspen trees in autumn. “I’ve been injured over at the Martin dealership.

Some creeps tied me up and put explosives in the men’s room. Do you think you could send the cameraman out here?”

Party Favors!!!! Get Penniless Hearts for your Kindle Reader on April 1^st and 2^nd for FREEEEEEEE! That’s right this is not an April fool’s joke but a gift for reading my blog! Please tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter so that Penniless Hearts can become a bestseller too!
 Thanks for stopping by The Desert Rocks and I hope you enjoy Penniless Hearts. *Hiccup*

Wasn't this fun?? 
Stop by tomorrow when I start the A to Z Challenge and blog every day of the month! Mahalo!

Gifts for Readers

Still looking for gifts? Well I’m still looking too but I do have three great recommendations. I also think Amazon has ways of getting these packages to you in time.

My twisted little story about Snow White called Mirror, Mirror miraculously found its way into this lovely anthology called Open Doors-Fractured Fairy Tales. While of course I like my story, wait until you read the other hilarious renditions of childhood favorites. I keeled over from laughing at the very adult tales told from the unique perspective of humor writers from all over the world. This is the book you need when you’re feeling down in the dumps and want to smile. If you know anyone home recuperating with a broken leg from a skiing accident or from simply too much holiday excess-- bring him or her a copy of this book and you’ll make their day or if they read slowly their week. On top of all the other good news is that once the publisher pays for printing and shipping the rest of the profit is going to a children’s hospital. 

                                  Click here for cool fairy tales:

Just this week, my non-fiction story about Fiona and how she changed my life appeared in Not Your Mother’s Book on Dogs. This is the perfect book for anyone who loves puppies, man’s best friend and all the fun they seem to bring into our lives. My story called Life is Good, will make you want to rescue a little dog too! If you’re a writer, this publisher is seeking submissions for other anthologies such as an upcoming one on home improvement. I recently ordered my copy of Not Your Mother’s Book on Dogs and I know many of you have friends who would enjoy these true stories about our four legged friends. So click right here and order some gifts today.

Click here for dogs.

Any of you with iPhones and iPads might also want to check out Wit and Humor Magazine on iTunes. More laughs, cute little skits and clean jokes make for a real nice way to spend time while waiting for someone to return stuff at the mall. Look for that little red, yellow and green  button on the right:

The Seekers

Just wanting to spread some joy with two songs I happen to love by The Seekers

When visiting your blog and making comments, I hope you know the main reason for my visit is to try and  spread some of my enthusiasm. As writers we spend many hours alone, thinking and doing research. I get so excited about our potential, our possibilities and the new publishing opportunities available to those who self-edit, hire editors or go all out Indie. That being said, you must forgive me for not being able to read all of your books. There are more books in the world than ever before and I have more online friends who write than ever before. I'm working through as many as I can while also working on my own book. If only I could download all of your information into my brain like a zip disc or something, but unfortunately I'm just a regular human being who makes grammatical errors and enjoys reading exciting books with great plots. Hopefully, I'm radiating positive energy to all my followers and if you leave a comment or share your email, I'm very good at following up.  Also if you have a specific question please feel free to ask me anything, because I love offering my humble advice.