Sacrifice covers a good chunk of time. It starts in late Spring, right before Summer starts then heads into Fall. I had to go over the timeline because I wanted to make sure what was happening could happen. The Summer is really hot and although yes, people are out and about, it’s still difficult to do a lot of things outside. The time it took to write Sacrifice was a year and a couple of months. I started it one NaNoWriMo November (I only get a novel started but never finished) and was still working on it when the next NaNoWriMo came around. It still took me another two months of heavy writing to get it done. This is the longest story I’ve ever written and also even with a well-laid outline there ended up being some major parts re-written to fit the changing plot. For several months I had no idea what the ending would be. Now I’m month deep into the blog tour for the book. I hope to come up for air in April. Whew! Time flies when you’re having fun. 
#blogflash2013 Day 9 Spring
Sacrifice starts in the spring, right before summer. Spring in the desert means something different. Sandstorms! Sandstorms that blot out the sun! Blowing sand that coats any parts of your body that is exposed. It blows in under the doors, through windows (even if they’re shut), and sends shopping carts racing away from you even haven’t finished taken your groceries out yet. But there are occasional days when the winds are calm and the pleasant temperature and blooming trees can be seen and enjoyed. That’s the best part of Spring in the desert.
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#blogflash2013 Day 8 Chocolate
There is no chocolate in Sacrifice. What was I thinking? There should always be chocolate. I’ve liked it as far back as I can remember. I don’t like just chocolate though. I like it mixed with caramel or nuts or both or sometimes fruit. I’ve even had it with chili spice and then someone thought to return chocolate to its true nature which is dark chocolate. I LOVE mole which is a spicy chocolate sauce perfect for chicken and rice. Did I at least mention mole in Sacrifice? No? Gawd, epic phail! Oh well, I’ll eat a piece of dark chocolate and get over it.
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#bookreview Surviving the Spike by Nader Elhefnawy
My Review:
Another strong urban fantasy novel. Futuristic where people are modified and when parents chose to do this to Bonnie, there are, of course, consequences. This was different with a slow build up. In this first part of the series you do get a full back drop of everything that has happened. Although I liked the read, the usual thing to do would be start in the middle of the action and then get flashbacks as to how the protagonist got to where she is. But, the writing and characterization were good and I like the ideas the author is exploring with his story.
Book Blurb:
Just before her eighteenth birthday Roberta Jennings finds out that she was born in an illegal experiment in genetic engineering. In the cover-up that follows, she gets sucked into a warped version of a witness protection program.
Roberta ends up working for a private intelligence firm which immerses her in a world defined by the ambitions of the wealthy and powerful, and the technological pursuit of transcendence. She struggles to get her old life back, but cannot escape the intrigues surrounding her, which culminate in the mystery around a Medieval sword she has been ordered to deliver to an anonymous client – while being pursued by a team of killers determined to stop her.
Author Bio:
Nader Elhefnawy holds a Ph.d in Literature from the University of Miami, and a B.A. in International Relations. He has taught English at several colleges, including the University of Miami where he was a Visiting Assistant Professor in 2007-2008, and has published scholarship in both of the fields in which he holds degrees. Dr. Elhefnawy can be found online at his blog, RARITANIA.
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#blogflash2013 Day 7 Nature
Nature vs Nurture? Man vs Nature? Nature as an element unto itself that doesn’t really care what we’re doing (because man is an arrogant lot). In Sacrifice I was just happy to try and get the descriptions of this particular place, El Paso/Juarez right. I wanted it to be real to those who live/ have lived here and accessible to those who live thousands of miles away and have never even heard of the place. I love this area, although the sandstorms have become quite fierce, the endless sunshine makes everything seem wonderful even when it’s not.
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