Recent Reads - The Cairo Curse

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The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham - Frederick and Grace (Lord and Lady Astley) leave England for a belated honeymoon that begins with a trip to Egypt, where Frederick's cousins are involved in an archaeological expedition. Frederick guesses correctly that his imaginative and adventure-loving wife will delight in seeing the land of Pharoahs. Grace immediately begins reading everything she can find about ancient Egypt, pyramids and mummies, and hopes to ride a camel (and maybe wear pants instead of a skirt!).

No sooner do they arrive, but Grace recklessly rescues a street child accused of stealing, and they discover that all is not well with Frederick's cousin Georgia. Georgia's awful husband is financing the dig, which has been unsuccessful so far, and he is threatening to cut short the expedition to the dismay of the other leaders of the endeavor. Georgia's brother wants to get her out of her unhappy marriage and to help that along, he invites her first love to join the expedition. 

Under these tense conditions, Grace and Frederick are still determined to enjoy their adventure, but missing jewelry, suspicious accidents, and then a possible murder put them on high alert for all the danger around them. Grace applies her extensive knowledge of literary detectives in her signature imaginative way to try to figure out which of their party are the most likely suspects and villains. Frederick wants to see his cousins safe and justice done, but more importantly, he wants to keep Grace safe, but her adventuresome spirit and courageous attempts to help others lead her into danger time and again. As evidence mounts of nefarious antiquities dealings and one of their number being a cold-hearted killer, can Frederick and Grace untangle the mystery and keep from becoming victims themselves?

I haven't yet read the first in this series, but didn't find that to be a problem as I got to know Freddie and Grace as newlyweds. There are plenty of references to how they met and married (in The Mistletoe Countess) to give the reader an idea of what's gone before. Frederick is a proper and gallant English gentleman and Grace is his young American-born bride who loves to read and has a quick and creative mind. Grace's penchant for seeing literary references in everything and viewing everything as a grand adventure just like in the books drives the storyline, because she can quickly imagine how things would happen if real life was a book, and she wants everyone to have a happy ever after. Her impulsive behavior seems childlike at times but she is such an endearing and goodhearted character that she is extremely likeable. The characters are all exaggerated in their behaviors just enough to make the story interesting and dramatic, but not beyond believability. I found myself rooting for Freddie and Grace from the beginning, of course, and also for Frederick's trusted valet Elliott, who turns out to be quite the heroic figure himself. As this story wraps up, the honeymoon is continuing to Venice, which I hope means another adventure in the series! While I wait, I will definitely be backtracking to the first in the series to get some more background.

From the publisher:

Clue meets Indiana Jones with a fiction-loving twist only Grace Percy can provide.

Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley have already experienced their fair share of suspense within their young marriage, but nothing quite prepares them for Egypt. As a gift to his bride, Frederick takes their honeymoon on a detour to the land of Pharoahs where Frederick's cousins are involved in an archaeological expedition. But soon the trip turns more dangerous than even Grace with her fiction-loving mind could predict. From an assortment of untrustworthy adventure-seekers to a series of "suspicious deaths" to a newly discovered tomb with a murderous secret, Freddie and Grace must lean on each other to navigate their hazardous surroundings and even less predictable cast of characters. As the suspects mount in an antiquities heist of novel-worthy proportions, will Freddie and Grace's attempts to solve the mystery lead to another death among the sands?

The Cairo Curse is a delightful sequel to The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham in the Freddie and Grace Mystery series.

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

By the same author:  The Heart of the Mountains, Hope Between the Pages; The Red Ribbon; My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream

This is a book with a city or country name in the title (#7) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Walking the Bible (DVD)

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Walking the Bible: A Journey By Land Through the Five Books of Moses (DVD) - A couple of months ago, I read a review of the book by the same name, and thought it sounded interesting. I was able to find the DVD through my library and decided to watch instead of read about the author's journey.

Bruce Feiler, a best-selling New York Times author, set out on a quest to see the places where the first five books of the Bible took place. The trip is both a journalistic search for information and insight, and a personal faith journey for him. The journey is in three episodes spanning many locations in the Middle East and Egypt, and includes interactions with the local people and with various experts.

He begins in Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, and traces the creation story, the early accounts of humans in Genesis including the flood of Noah's day, up to the time of Abraham. His guide takes him to Turkey to climb Mount Ararat, traditionally viewed as the site where the ark came to rest. The scenery is varied and breathtaking, whether desert, lakes, or mountains.

In the second episode, Feiler focuses more on the Biblical accounts of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. He explores locations in Egypt and how the culture of ancient Egypt intersected with the stories of these Biblical patriarchs. And in the third episode, Feiler traces a route out of Egypt and to the land of Canaan, or present-day Israel. He speculates on the possible locations of the Red Sea crossing and the forty years of wilderness wanderings. The highlight in this episode, in my opinion, was his stay at Saint Catherine's Monastery at the traditional site of Mount Sinai. The beautiful monastery and church have been here for about seventeen centuries. 

Throughout the series, Feiler provides commentary of his own personal reflections and questions, and his emotional and faith connections to the places and experiences are significant and often thought-provoking. The insights of the local people he encounters are interesting as well, as they reveal the historical and cultural connections and traditions of these people to the land and to the stories of Abraham and Moses. 

Personally, I didn't care for Feiler's narration, finding his commentary repetitive and his voice rather uninteresting to listen to. The landmark places he visited - Mount Ararat and Mount Sinai - were the traditional sites, for which there is little evidence other than tradition, so if you're hoping for new archaeological discoveries or tangible evidence, you'll be disappointed. That isn't to say that visiting these locations isn't valuable or insightful, of course, but it's the context of seeing the land and the connections of the local people to the land and history that is striking. At least to me.

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Connect Five Friday - Novels of the Exodus

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The Friday Five Link Up is a List Link Up hosted by The Book Date. It can be five connections of any kind. Books can have been read last year or any year. Books can be used more than once. They may not have been read yet. . . It can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Maybe it's not a list of actual books, but things connected to books - e.g. favourite book shops, recipes etc. It might even be five movies related to books or five poems or five poets or five bookish moments, five thoughts about reading - be creative! The link-up will be open each Friday and will close on Thursday. Use the hashtag #connect5books

It's been awhile since I've done one of these, and I've been wanting to but just haven't managed to get myself organized quite well enough on Fridays. I had a bit of time to plan ahead this time. Here are five novels (or series) that focus on the Exodus of the Hebrews out of Egypt.

Counted With the Stars (Out From Egypt) by Connilyn Cossette (and the rest of the Out From Egypt series) - The first novel in this series tells of the plagues that led up to the exodus from a rather unusual point of view. Kiya is an Egyptian sold into slavery and trying to protect her mother and her disabled brother. While enduring the plagues, she meets a Hebrew slave named Shira and her curiosity about the God of the Hebrews grows until she decides to believe what Shira says about the plague to come next - the one that will kill all the firstborns. She joins the Hebrews in hopes of saving her brother and escaping slavery. (Read my full review HERE.)

The next two novels in the series are Shadow of the Storm (Out From Egypt) and Wings of the Wind (Out From Egypt). Shadow tells Shira's story (my review is HERE) and Wings introduces the characters Alanah and Moriyah, whose adventures provide a bridge to the next novel series. (My full review is HERE.)

     

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Miriam: A Treasures of the Nile Novel by Mesu Andrews - A historical novel of the Biblical character Miriam that tells the story of Moses' sister starting about the time Moses returns from exile. At the time Miriam about in her eighties, so it's a bit unusual to have a heroine that age! Miriam is a prophetess in her own right, and a leader among the people, but she struggles in finding her new role when Moses and Aaron rise to prominent leadership and the Hebrews leave Egypt. (Read my full review HERE)

The Pharaoh's Daughter: A Treasures of the Nile Novel by Mesu Andrews tells the story of the Egyptian princess who rescued baby Moses and was his adoptive mother. (Read my full review HERE)

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Slender Reeds: Jochebed's Hope by Texie Susan Gregory tells the story of Moses' birth mother, Jochebed. This novel imagines how young Jochebed grows in her faith and learns to trust God through the very dark and difficult experiences of life. (Read my full review HERE.)

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The Priest: Aaron (Sons of Encouragement Book 1) by Francine Rivers is part of a series I read many years ago and really enjoyed. It's a short novel that tells the events of the Exodus - including the infamous golden calf - from the point of view of Moses' brother Aaron. (My brief review is HERE.)

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Dreamers (Legacies of the Ancient River Book 1) by Angela Hunt is on my to-read list. I've enjoyed quite a few of Hunt's other books, and this one tells about a young slave girl in Egypt who becomes acquainted with a Hebrew slave named Joseph. This same Joseph eventually rises to power in Egypt after interpreting Pharoah's dreams. The second book in the series is called Brothers and it takes up the story of Joseph's brothers back in Canaan and their journeys to Egypt in search of food during the famine. And the third, Journey, jumps to Joseph's two sons and the blessings given them by the patriarch Jacob. It's this migration of Jacob and all his sons into Egypt that puts the Hebrews in the position of becoming slaves, and eventually leads up to the Exodus.

   

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus (Review and Giveaway)

This post contains affiliate links.

Patterns of Evidence: the Exodus is a fascinating DVD that invites viewers along on Director Tim Mahoney's quest to find out if there is archaeological evidence to back up the Bible's account of the Hebrew exodus from Egypt. 

We seem to hear a lot of reports saying the Old Testament stories are not real historical events, that they couldn't be because there's no evidence. Yet if the events recorded in the Bible are only myth and legend, then the foundational principles of both Judaism and Christianity are open to skepticism as well. Personally, I believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, and that the events recorded in Biblical history actually took place, and that the Bible's account is accurate and true. So there must be evidence somewhere - especially for something as monumental as the exodus from Egypt.  

Tim Mahoney's documentary explores the questions, with a scientific investigation of archaeology that looks for patterns of evidence that may match the Biblical account. It presents differing viewpoints, but overall the conclusions and evidence presented may challenge conventional thinking on the Egyptian timeline. If one is looking for evidence of a specific event in the wrong time or the wrong place, it won't be found - but if the patterns and evidence do show up, but at a different point on the timeline than historians have been claiming, should we be willing to adjust the dates that have been assigned to these events? 

Along with Mahoney, visit with rabbis, scholars, historians, and other experts about their views on the historical timeline and the meanings of various archaeological finds. See the evidence found in places like Avaris and Jericho, and consider the opinions and interpretations of the scholars as they all explore the evidence. I was fascinated by the presentation of archaeological finds and the logical conclusions that could be drawn.

I heartily recommend this DVD for all viewers interested in exploring the Biblical stories that form the groundwork for our traditions and theology. I'm so glad that FlyBy Promotions has made it possible for me to offer a giveaway for this DVD - please keep scrolling to the end of this post to enter!

Visit the website Patterns of Exodus for more info. When purchasing the DVD through the website's store, you can use the coupon code MK1 for $3 off the price of $19.95.

About the author/filmmaker/producer:

Tim Mahoney founded Mahoney Media Group, Inc. (MMG) in 1989. MMG focused its business on television and video production for regional and national companies. In 2014 Tim founded Thinking Man Films & Media as an international documentary and publishing company with a focus on education and the Bible. Tim produced numerous productions for Christian organizations including the Billy Graham Association, World Wide Pictures, and Compassion International. Tim also served as the President of the board for the International Christian Visual Media Association. Tim's first full feature documentary film, "Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus", released in January 2015. The film took 12 years to develop and takes a scientific approach to investigate the events of the biblical Exodus. The overall vision for his film company is to explore "patterns of evidence" that support the biblical narrative and engages the world in a conversation. The film takes a balanced approach and leaves the audience to decide for themselves if the Bible is real history or myth.

 Won 13 awards on the film festival circuit in 2014, including a Gold Remi Award winner

for Best Director at the Worldfest Houston Intl. Film Festival, the Gold Crown Award for

Best Picture and Best Documentary at ICVM 2014, and Official Selection at the Soho

International Film Festival in New York.

 Supplemental resources associated with the film include a nearly 400-page hardcover

book, small group Bible study, Movie Event kit, youth version (called Young Explorers),

homeschool curriculum and others.

 It includes powerful interviews with some of the top experts in the fields of archaeology

and Egyptology as well as people of influence in the Middle East.

 The film has an objective, fair-minded and balanced approach. It allows viewpoints from

all sides to be heard in a respectful way while asking honest questions of the Bible and

scholars’ views. It does not preach and lets the evidence speak for itself. This allows the

film to be very shareable with those of different viewpoints.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):   Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Recent Reads - Egypt's Sister

This post contains affiliate links.

Egypt's Sister: A Novel of Cleopatra by Angela Hunt - Chava's father is the tutor to the royal children in Alexandria, so she has been brought up as the dearest friend of the princess Urbi. The two share a close bond, and vow to always be together, but when Urbi unexpectedly ascends the throne and becomes Queen Cleopatra, their friendship is tested. Tumultuous events force them apart, but Chava believes their bond will endure. And it does, at least until Chava must politely decline Cleopatra's offer of Roman citizenship for herself and her family. Chava and her family are Hebrews and will not agree to worship other gods, which is Cleopatra's condition of citizenship. To Chava's horror, she and her father are imprisoned because of this, and seemingly forgotten and dismissed by Cleopatra. Eventually they are sold into slavery, and Chava's last hope of being reunited with her family is shattered when she is put on a slave ship bound for Rome.

Chava endures the cruelty of the slave ship, and finds herself sold as a laborer on a farm estate in the country. She is determined to find a way to escape or earn her freedom so she can find her father and brother, and to confront Cleopatra. It turns out that she is on the estate of Octavian's mother, and after Octavian is named Caesar Chava is moved to Rome where she works hard to become a skilled midwife. She finds an unexpected friend among the powerful advisors to Caesar, and at long last has a way to return to Alexandria. After fifteen years away, will she be able to find her father, or her brother who escaped to Jerusalem? What has happened to the young scholar who once wanted to marry her? And will she have the chance to meet Urbi again face to face, and fulfill the promise that God had given her?

This was such a powerful story, weaving the imaginary character of Chava into the history of Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and other real figures. Chava's belief that God had spoken to her about her friendship with Urbi, and her maturing and growth in her faith was very real and compelling. It certainly isn't a feel-good "happy ever after" story in the sense that we know that Marc Antony and Cleopatra had a tragic ending, but with the focus on Chava and her experience, there is an underlying message of hope and of God's faithfulness.

From the publisher:

You Don't Know Her Name. The World Remembers Only Her Greatest Friend: Cleopatra.

Raised together in the Alexandrian palace, Chava, the Hebrew daughter of the royal tutor, and Urbi, and Egyptian princess, become as close as sisters--and rivals with their dreams of greatness. When Urbi unexpectedly ascends the throne as Queen Cleopatra, Chava believes their bond is strong enough to survive. But absolute power has a way of changing everything.

The ultimate betrayal rips Chava from everything she's ever known and sends her to the lowest rung of Roman society where she must choose between love and honor, between her own desires and God's will for her life, if she hopes to rise again.

By the same author: Bathesheba: Reluctant Beauty

Visit the Baker Publishing Group for info on where to buy.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - Egypt's Sister

This post contains affiliate links. 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers! 

 My shock yielded quickly to fury. How dare Cleopatra leave me and my father in prison for so long! Did all our years of friendship count for nothing?
~Egypt's Sister: A Novel of Cleopatra by Angela Hunt, page 153

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading.

CHAPTER ONE

Though I was as close as a shadow to many of the greatest men and women in human history, no historian ever recorded my name. Though I walked down marble hallways and dined regularly with princes and princesses, no one ever thought my presence significant. And though I influenced a woman who molded the hearts of formidable men, I am never mentioned in their biographies.

But I have a story.

Here's the blurb:

You don't know her name. The world remembers only her greatest friend: Cleopatra.

Raised together in the Alexandrian palace, Chava, the Hebrew daughter of the royal tutor, and Urbi, an Egyptian princess, become as close as sisters -- and rivals with their dreams of greatness. When Urbi unexpectedly ascends the throne as Queen Cleopatra, Chava believes their bond is strong enough to survive. But absolute power has a way of changing everything.

The ultimate betrayal rips Chava from everything she's ever known and send her to the lowest rung of Roman society where she must choose between love and honor, between her own desires and God's will for her life, if she hopes to rise again.

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - Slender Reeds: Jochebed's Hope

This post contains affiliate links. 

Slender Reeds: Jochebed's Hope by Texie Susan Gregory - The Biblical story of the Exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt is a popular theme for novels, and for whatever reason, I've been reading several of them recently. This one is a little different because it focuses on the mother of Moses, a woman that we know little about, but who mothered one of the greatest leaders of Israel. The story begins with Jochebed as a young teenager coming of age, and imagines details about her character and family; and the circumstances that led her to place her baby boy in a basket in the Nile.

Jochebed is being raised by her widowed mother; they are slaves in Egypt, but her mother continually shares the stories of their people's history and reminds Jochebed that God is faithful and will keep his promises. The phrase "while it is still dark, God is at work" is a repeated theme. Jochebed struggles with her own doubts about God, but rarely speaks of them. She and her cousin Lili become great friends with a half-Egyptian girl, Shiphrah, rescued from the river, and the three are very close until jealousy and mistrust starts to pry them apart. Jochebed and Shiphrah are the two main characters in the book, along with the Pharaoh Ramses, and his fears and suspicion that eventually lead to his orders to kill Hebrew baby boys. Jochebed discovers that she is pregnant with a third child about the same time that Amram is among the Hebrew men sent away to slave on Pharaoh's latest building project, and the Egyptian guards pay their first visit to the village to murder baby boys. Grief leads to even more suspicion against the midwife Shiphrah, and Jochebed spends her entire pregnancy and the early weeks after her son is born wrestling with her faith and her fears. Eventually she comes to the decision to trust her baby to God by putting him in a basket in the Nile.

Overall I enjoyed this imagining of who Jochebed was and how her character was developed. She and Shiphrah were interesting characters in this story, although very different from what I would have pictured. I was disappointed that Amram is little more than a name in the story, and his relationship with Jochebed is barely hinted at. In fact, he is absent through the majority of the story, even before he is sent away. It's in his absence that Jochebed matures and learns to trust and obey God even though she doesn't understand him or see how he is working.

From the publisher:

Trapped beneath 400 years of Egypt's injustices, the Hebrew people await deliverance from generations of Egyptian slavery. But while it is still dark, God is at work. Young Jochebed is unaware the Master Weaver is preparing her to mother three formidable leaders: Miriam, Aaron, and Moses. Shiphrah, the half-Egyptian midwife tasked to kill Hebrew male newborns, remembers childhood stories of a merciful God and cannot resist His call on her life.

Two women, each following the dangerous path God has set before them - this is their story.

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - Shadow of the Storm

This post contains affiliate links. 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn at Books and Beat. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers! 

Without preamble, I spoke out. "I want to become a midwife." The release of saying the words aloud rushed like a cool stream through my veins, even as indecision swelled in my gut.

~Shadow of the Storm (Out From Egypt)by Connilyn Cossette, page 68

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading.

SHIRA

17 Tammuz

4th Month Out from Egypt

  Wild drumbeats rumbled through the ground like distant thunder, pulsing in defiant rhythms and vibrating the hollows of my chest. My fingertips echoed the beat against my knee until a glare from my mother across the tent stilled their dance.

   "Shira, finish your work." Her bone needle resumed its skillful motion as she bent her head to peer at her embroidery. The dim oil lamp highlighted the silvery strands that seemed to thread her dark hair more each day - a trend that had begun a few years ago, when my father died against an Egyptian whipping post.

   I plucked at the black goat's wool in my lap, picking out thorny burrs, specks, and shards of leaves. The fibers snagged against my thirsty palms. Unable to latch my attention on the tedious chore, I had been cleaning the same batch for most of the afternoon while my mind wandered up the rugged mountain path that Mosheh, our leader, had climbed forty days ago.

Here's the blurb:

In the darkness of the storm's shadow, only truth can light her way.

Having escaped Egypt with the other Hebrews during the Exodus, Shira is now living in freedom at the foot of Mount Sinai. When the people rebel by worshipping a golden idol, the ensuing chaos gives Shira an unexpected opportunity to assist a midwife. When the experience awakens a new desire in her, she defies her mother's wish for her to continue in the family weaving trade and pursues her heart's calling as an apprentice midwife.

But when a delivery goes horribly wrong, Shira finds herself in an impossible situation and bound to a man who betrayed her. As contention between the Hebrew tribes and foreigners fans the flames of another dangerous rebellion, Shira comes face to face with the long-hidden pain of her past. Can she let go of all that has defined her to embrace who she truly is and believe in a hopeful future?

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/