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About Me Official Beta Tester Lyrics Writer mdog02Male/United States Recent Activity Deviant for 7 Years
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“Get Spunky!” Promo IV: Mike

Journal Entry: Fri Oct 9, 2009, 1:49 AM
mdog

enter


maddog


Greetings friends and fellow deviants,
”...such learning must needs be, by its own nature, hard-fought...”

As I have stated in previous journals, our dear friend author L. Diane Wolfe (known to us here at deviantART as =SpunkOnAStick) has rewritten the first four novels in her excellent “Circle of Friends” series. The Circle of Friends, Book IV…Mike, currently in release via Dancing Lemur Press, continues Diane's tradition of strong characterization coupled with a message that reaches out to us all. Read, learn, and enjoy.

Scroll down for information on how to win a free copy of Mike. How can you not love a title like that, eh? I must admit that although our hero and I are in no way related save for by way of our common designation, I felt a little extra tug as I shared his trials. Ms. Wolfe's stories will inevitably grab you where you live: it's impossible to not take them personally in one way or another.

Below is the author's answer to a question I posed to her, as well as a review I wrote some time back for the original first edition of Mike: The Circle OF Friends, Book IV. While Diane has since smoothed the story line for style and some content, I'm confident that my humble words will have lost none of their relevance ...

Guilt is a Hard Master
Guilt is a hard master, and no one is more aware of that harsh truth than Mike Taylor, the protagonist of Book IV in L. Diane Wolfe's "The Circle of Friends" series. Tormented by lingering remorse over a past decision, haunted by his long-suppressed desire for his friend and former roommate Sarah, Mike's life is, in large part, a lonely and unhappy one.

After graduating from Georgia Tech, Mike finds himself transplanted from the familiar surroundings of Greensboro to a new life in Albuquerque, having secured a position there at Sandia Labs. Alone in a strange city, separated from his family and lifelong friends, he feels enclosed and overwhelmed by circumstances past and present. It is in this environment that Mike meets Danielle, a beautiful and effervescent coworker who befriends him one day in the break room. The two form an immediate bond, and are soon married. The union is a happy one at the onset, as Danielle's loving support helps Mike to overcome his guilt and insecurities, freeing him from the dark cloud that has shadowed him for the latter part of his young life. There eventually comes a point, however, where unexpected difficulties begin to arise.

Over the course of the first three books in "The Circle Of Friends," author Wolfe has emphasized the accomplishment of goals through perseverance, mature decision making, and emotional reinforcement from family and friends. "Mike" presents her with her biggest challenge to date. After all, the central character is separated from the circle by distance and culture, and even his deep-seated Christian faith threatens to slip away after a sequence of disastrous events shakes his marriage to its foundation. Danielle brings with her an unconditional love and a built-in support group, but will they be enough to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles?

I'll leave the answer to that question for you to discover. I'll tell you this, though: new readers and series veterans alike will find this book to be challenging, uplifting, and engaging in a very personal way. You'll be overjoyed at times, you'll experience frustration (I wanted to reach into the pages and shake my namesake by his shoulders more than once), you'll be encouraged ... you will become an integral part of the lives of these youthful friends, and they of yours as they enfold you into their ever-widening circle. This is the thread L. Diane Wolfe weaves through the fabric of her work; "Mike" continues the tradition well, and I guarantee you that "The Circle of Friends Book IV" will grab you where you live, and will not leave you disappointed.

As always, your faithful servant,
mdog
"snakes on the brain ..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Want to win a free copy?! Any Deviant who leaves a comment here in this journal will be entered in the drawing for a copy of “The Circle of Friends, Book IV…Mike.” Follow SpunkOnAStick’s :iconspunkonastick: entire DA tour for several chances to win!
Contest open from October 4 – 11th.



:bulletpurple: How do other authors you know personally (Morgan Mandel, etc.) influence your craft?
:bulletorange:Those authors force me to stretch! I hear what they are trying and accomplishing, and it spurs me to do more. Morgan or Trish will post about a successful event and it motivates me to try that venue as well. Plus we share our experiences and offer suggestions to one another. I also see what genres and areas are more successful, and that affects my writing. I want to write what I love, but I also want to be successful doing it, too! And many authors offer tips on grammar, characters, storytelling, etc. I learn far more from other authors than I’ve ever learned from books!

THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
BOOK IV … MIKE
BY L. DIANE WOLFE

A prisoner of guilt for so long…

Mike Taylor is the epitome of stability. His family is proud of his academic and athletic achievements at Georgia Tech, and despite the temptations of college life, he has maintained his moral standards.
Yet beneath the peaceful surface, Mike is consumed with guilt, fearing condemnation and rejection. A former girlfriend’s abortion and the intense love he feels for his roommate’s wife constantly remind Mike of his failures. Unable to forget and full of shame, he refuses to forgive himself.
When Danielle enters his life, he realizes he can no longer hide the past. Will she be able to reach him or is Mike past the point of redemption?

$19.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 300 pages, Fiction/YA
ISBN 978-0-9816210-4-3 / 0-9816210-4-X
Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. [link]


“Book IV…Mike is such a powerful, engrossing, incredible, beautiful novel. But it still manages to be light hearted, funny and heart felt. There is real emotion and real people in these pages…”
- The Book Pedler

“Book IV will grab you where you live, and will not leave you disappointed.”
-Michael Douglas


L. Diane Wolfe, Professional Speaker & Author
Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” to her fans, the author is a member of the National Speakers Association. “Overcoming Obstacles With SPUNK! The Keys to Leadership & Goal-Setting”, ties all of Wolfe’s goal-setting and leadership seminar’s information together into one complete, enthusiastic package. The author’s young adult series, The Circle of Friends, is a Southern-based series portrays love and friendship overcoming all obstacles. Described as “encouragement personified”, this series will uplift as well as entertain. Ten years associating with a motivation training system and her experience as a foster parent gave her the in-depth knowledge of relationships, personality traits and success principles. Wolfe travels the East Coast extensively for media interviews and speaking engagements. She averages over one hundred appearances each year, maintains a dozen websites & blogs, manages :iconthewritersmeow:, and contribute articles for several other sites. She also does characterization sessions for schools and speaks to writer’s groups. “With a positive attitude, any goal can be achieved!”

:iconspunkonastick:


Author Sites:
The Circle of Friends - [link]
Book Trailer on YouTube - [link]
Diane’s Blog - [link]
Spunk on A Stick - [link]

Book IV online-
Amazon - [link]
B&N - [link];pos=-1&EAN=9780981621043
The Circle of Friends – [link]

Book I - [link] & [link]
Book II- [link] & [link]
Book III - [link]

************

the fair sex

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why i'm not a good american

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a most embarrassing moment

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revealed at last!: my dirty little secret

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support artists!

************
my dA nightmare

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member of:
:iconhippies: :iconthe-mask-club: :iconthewritersmeow: :iconvisual-poetry-club: :iconsherlock-holmes:
************


  • Mood: Wow!
  • Listening to: Nuke the Whales!
  • Reading: Kay Scarpetta series
  • Watching: True Blood
  • Playing: pocket pool
  • Eating: deep fried twinkies
  • Drinking: in your eyes

deviantID

I am Maddog The Second, First Son of Ernest, a scion of the House of Douglas -- known to allies and enemies alike as Canis Insanus. I have conquered empires, I have destroyed or enslaved all who have opposed me, I am master of a thousand concubines who writhe at my feet, begging to bear my progeny ...

... I sit atop this lonely pinnacle, glaring down at the pitiful cowering humanity cringing below me, and yet ... try as I might, I cannot escape the horrid, insidious pull of this awful place: this last hellish bastion of resistance to the awesome power I command. I ... cannot ...

... Please ... ... Help ... ... Me ...

Devious Info

  • Current Residence: Arcata CA USA
  • Favourite movie: Lord of the Rings Trilogy
  • Favourite band or musician: Roy Loney and the Phantom Movers
  • Favourite genre of music: eclectic
  • Favourite poet or writer: curio
  • Favourite photographer: annie, gabbie, adam, diane
  • Favourite style of art: scary
  • Operating System: XP, Vista
  • MP3 player of choice: winamp
  • Shell of choice: mac 'n cheese
  • Skin of choice: anything I can easily crawl out of
  • Favourite game: basketball
  • Favourite gaming platform: basketball court
  • Favourite cartoon character: Helga Pataki, Jane Lane, Bullwinkle J. Moose
  • Personal Quote: Quick, Watson! The needle!
  • Tools of the Trade: gimpphotoshopbryceposerphotogenicscoreldrawsuitexvpspimagemagick

Comments


:iconpeacockmask:
:wave: Hello Mike,

How are you doing?
Oh my goodness I have been so busy.
I updated the club and fixed the journal.
Have a wonderful day! :love:
:blowkiss: :hug:

--
Heidi S. Voss :frail:
♥ My stock ~peacockmaskstock
♥ My traditional art ~1000visions
♥ Join my club *The-Mask-Club
:iconmdog02:
:wave: Hey Heidi, it's great to see you! Thanks for the work you did on the club - it needed your tender loving care. =D
:hug:

--
my mom's page

support artists! I mean it!

“i wish coke was still cola
and a joint was a bad place to be”
-merle haggard
:iconpeacockmask:
:wave: Helloooooooooo Mike!

It is so great to hear from you!
How are you doing?
You are so welcome!
Thank you also for all the work you did on the club! The gallery looks great!

Take care! :hug: :smooch:

--
Heidi S. Voss :frail:
♥ My stock ~peacockmaskstock
♥ My traditional art ~1000visions
♥ Join my club *The-Mask-Club
:iconmdog02:
I'm doing okay - a little off the deviantART beaten path lately. I'm so glad you're back! *The-Mask-Club needs you! I can hold down the fort for a while, but ... =D
:hug:

--
my mom's page

support artists! I mean it!

“i wish coke was still cola
and a joint was a bad place to be”
-merle haggard
:iconmdog02:
:toaster:

--
my mom's page

support artists! I mean it!

“i wish coke was still cola
and a joint was a bad place to be”
-merle haggard
:iconsis:
:omfg:

Kill it Kill it!! :faint:
:iconmdog02:
:iconkiss-me:

--
my mom's page

support artists! I mean it!

“i wish coke was still cola
and a joint was a bad place to be”
-merle haggard
:iconapfeistrudel:
thanks for the :+fav: ^^

greetings from vienna

--
make tea, not war!
:iconmdog02:
My pleasure! "Christopher Lee" is terrific work.

greetings back fro Arcata CA USA. =D

--
my mom's page

support artists! I mean it!

“i wish coke was still cola
and a joint was a bad place to be”
-merle haggard
:iconmdog02:
:blowkiss: :heart: :hug:

--
my mom's page

support artists! I mean it!

“i wish coke was still cola
and a joint was a bad place to be”
-merle haggard
:iconwitchofnature:
:icondbthx1::icondbthx2::icondbthx3::iconkimberely:

--
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the places and moments that take our breath away! ~Anonymous~ :heart:
:floating:
I am loving my inner self - what about you?
:iconmdog02:
Thank you for making art that appeals to the darker side of my nature. :skull: That doesn't happen too often - kind of like me and with romantic poetry. =D

--
my mom's page

support artists! I mean it!

“i wish coke was still cola
and a joint was a bad place to be”
-merle haggard
:iconwitchofnature:
:D :devilish:

--
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the places and moments that take our breath away! ~Anonymous~ :heart:
:floating:
I am loving my inner self - what about you?
:icondystatic-studio:
Thanks for the visit.
:iconmdog02:
My pleasure. :)

--
my mom's page

support artists! I mean it!

“i wish coke was still cola
and a joint was a bad place to be”
-merle haggard
:iconhippies:
I use to live in Arcata. It was back in 1986 and it was just a quiet little nothing town. Had to go to Eureka to see a movie. Don't know how it's changed since then as I've only been through it a few years ago since I left there. It seemed to have grown.

I'm from the Silicon Valley. Seven years after coming back to the Valley from Arcata I moved to Wa. state, then to Florida and then back here to Calif. I know live in Redding. I hate everything about it except the beauty and plan to move back to the mountains and beach. Been thinking about Crescent City. :)


I remember Motel Hell. :lol: Wasn't that the one made in the 80's?


:butterfly:Cindee


--

Peace and love! :peace::thanks:
-Deviant Hippies
:iconmdog02:
You surely get around, don't you? =D I don't have much use for Redding: it's a beautiful area but it's way too hot for my taste. I've been in Arcata for some time, and I absolutely love it. My ex-wife and I moved up here from Oakland to escape the urban mean streets, and needless to say the contrast is considerable. When I first visited Arcata I thought it was like Berkeley with its college town culture, but smaller, cleaner, friendlier, and far less dangerous. The place never changes much - there's a no-growth policy – and I find that very appealing. After all, you don't have to go far for things you can't do here.

haha … “Motel Hell” isn't one of the great cinematic efforts, but it has a great sense of humor.- kind of a parody of the genre. It's not really my favorite movie (that honor goes to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which I consider to be all one movie), I must have been in a weird mood when I put it in there. I really need to update that profile. *chuckle*

--
my mom's page

support artists! I mean it!

“i wish coke was still cola
and a joint was a bad place to be”
-merle haggard
:iconhippies:
Indeed I do! Lived in 6 states and at least 16 cities and traveled all over the U.S. countless times in all my years. Something about here [link] I think.

California born, also lived in Indiana, Illinois, Utah, Washington, Florida and different cities in all of them. :blush:

I'd have left Oakland too. Never like it there. And yes, Redding is WAY TOO HOT. We hate it. Can't wait to live in cooler climate. :faint: I will miss the beauty though. If you look at my nature shots at =CindeeRoo they're mostly all here. Except for Redwood Morning and Exposed. They clearly show why I want to move up that way. :love:

What are rent prices like there? Is there a health food store? )


Yeah, my friends and I would make it a point to watch "Motel Hell" everytime it was on cable. It was a quite entertaining. LorR is my favorite movie too I wish I could live in Middle-earth. My nickname in my LotR group on Yahoo is DaiseeBaggins. :giggle:


--

Peace and love! :peace::thanks:
-Deviant Hippies
:iconmdog02:
I'm not sure about the rent prices here - about average I guess - less than in the larger areas. Many of the renters are college students, so there's quite a bit of movement. For health foods there are the two Co-Ops, Wildberries, and a GNC in Eureka,

--
my mom's page

support artists! I mean it!

“i wish coke was still cola
and a joint was a bad place to be”
-merle haggard
:iconhippies:
Sounds like something I'll be researching on the net. ;) Thanks for the info :hug:

:peace::thanks:
:butterfly:Cindee


--

Peace and love! :peace::thanks:
-Deviant Hippies
:iconrumoresdenuvens:
hellloooooo!
just dropping by to know how are you :D
:hug:

--
* opportunities always look bigger going than coming *

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