Expansion & Prizes

Hello all you wonderful people! I do hope that all is well. I am in beautiful, sunny California where it is hot, hot, and hot. Not that I am complaining; okay, I’m complaining. I love the South Dakota weather because it is so much easier to adapt to. None of these scorching afternoons where all you can do is lay in your underwear and pray for the sun to go down. Some would say that I should be thankful and happy that the sun is shining. I don’t disagree with that theory. However, I would just like to have some plain old eighty seven degree days and not the chart topping, record breakers that seem to follow me around. 

In Omaha, NE this past weekend I was under the veil of the humidity gods. I swear I couldn’t get out of the apartment without breaking into a full-blown sweat. Gross, I know. How do you think I felt?

Enough of the petty whining. You’re here to read about what has been happening in the Immortal world. Well, at least the Prime Immortal world.  As of today, we are thinking of increasing our staff, possibly growing our company with a new team member, who would allow us to expand our horizons in the near future. Hopefully we will have a new teammate coming on board to help us with the marketing and developing of the Prime Immortal brand.

I really can’t say at this point who it is, but hopefully he will accept my offer and join the team. Cindy is working on him now, using her extremely extensive know how to sway him our way. If she is successful, we will be announcing our new addition in the next upcoming blogs. So make sure to check in.

I do have a question for all of you readers out there. Would you be interested in seeing the faces behind the scenes? I am on the website, of course, but would you be interested in seeing the infamous Cindy? She’s the one person who keeps it all flowing so smoothly; if so, let me know here on the blog or on the Prime Immortal Facebook fanpage and we will get a new page for the website with the staff of the Prime Immortals.  I know that I like to put a face with a name, especially if you are going to be working with them.

Also, I wanted to talk about what interests you for contests. What would you be tempted by if you were to enter into a contest? What prizes would pique your interest? I know we have had a wonderful response to the Kindle giveaway, but I would like to try other gifts as well. So submit your ideas and let us know.

That’s going to be all for today. Remember to submit a word of the day for your chance to win the Kindle and give me some answers to the questions that I posed. I really am looking to widen my horizons. So let’s talk…

Read On!!!

HR Phillips

Word of the Day: Skeptical

Good Morning America!!! And Good Morning to all my wonderful readers out there in cyber land. Just wanted to make sure that I checked in again this week before I head off to give another health seminar this weekend.

As a seasoned traveler, it is still enjoyable to visit new places.  I was in Canada for the first time a couple weeks ago and it was so fun to meet new people.  Polaris 25 was held in Toronto on the 15th-17th of this month. They had a great list of guests who were signing books and autographing, so if you can make the journey, plan to make it next year.  I have included the website below in case you want to do a little investigating on who the stars will be and the location of the Polaris 25 event. www.tcon.ca/polaris/

Now that we have that business taken care of, let's move on to our word of the day. Today’s word was submitted to us by Ms. Nena Edrados out of Phoenix, AZ.  She has chosen the word skeptical.

Thank you for your submission, Nena, and I look forward to your next.  Remember people, the more words you submit, the better your odds are that you will win the Kindle giveaway in September.

Out definition comes to us from our online source at www.thefreedictionary.com

skep·ti·cal also scep·ti·cal  (skpt-kl)

adj.

1. Marked by or given to doubt; questioning: a skeptical attitude; skeptical of political promises.

2. Relating to or characteristic of skeptics or skepticism.

Another great word and one I hear often in my field of work. In fact, that is probably why Ms Edrados submitted the word.

That is all I have for today, my friends. I will be on a plane very early in the morning so I better get offline now. Until the next time, remember to Read On!!!

HR Phillips

Bookwise Blogging Event

Hello, friends!  We're meeting lots of new friends, many through the sci-fi conventions that we've been attending.  We've been in the Omaha, NE area twice, to Toronto Canada, and the next one is in Sioux Falls, SD.  Join us if you can and meet me.  I'll be happy to sign your new copy of The Immortal Lost!  I know it is hard to keep track of my schedule, but you can always check the website, www.primeimmortals.com, click on the "Appearances" page, and you'll find my schedule.  I'm always happy to schedule book signings, speaking engagements, writing workshops, etc. for my great readers!  So don't be afraid to ask!

This week we are participating in a blogging event to reach more new readers.  So if you want to check out other authors, go to http://bookwisepublishing.com/bookparty .  Today is the fiction section, and there are specialties for each day of the week.

So to celebrate this special blogging event, we will send a small gift with each book ordered through Friday.  It's always fun to get a little something extra!

Reading is a great way to expand you mind and your world.  We encourage you to share your love of reading with friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.  Children, especially, need to learn a love for reading, expecially in today's world of computers, cell phones, and other electronical gadgets.  Sit, relax, and read your way through another country or culture.

Be sure to check out our Facebook page, Prime Immortals, which is steadily gaining friends.  We announce a trivia of the day (lots of fun), update our readers on contests and games too.

One final reminder - the Youth Essay Contest ends next month on the 15th.  Be sure to enter for a chance to win $500 in cash!  See complete rules and guidelines on www.primeimmortals.com.

Remember, read on!

HR Phillips

Word of the Day: Exasperate

It is a great day today and I can feel the writing bug kicking in. I wanted to say good morning to all of my lovely readers and get to the word of the day before I dive in and start a little editing on the new book. I’ve been really busy lately with traveling and book shows but it is time to buckle down and get some work done.

So with out any further ado, lets kick this blog off with the new word of the day.

Today’s word comes to us from a very young reader and my very own daughter, Ella Phillips. She has chosen the word exasperating.  Now to fully understand how a small child, only seven years of age, would come up with that word I will need to explain the situation completely.

My daughter is very well read and has been an exceptional speller for some time now. I am lucky because her Grandma Janice comes over to our home and has a snack after school with her every day of the week and during that time they read or spell words. It has really excelled Ella’s learning ability.

When Ella hears a new word, she becomes very interested in it and is always asking for its definition. Usually she can figure it out by the context and sentence for which it was spoken. Yet this time I was walking away from my youngest son a little angry and completely exhausted when I said the words, “You really are exasperating, son.”

Needless to say, my daughter was intrigued. So immediately she asked the question what does that word mean? At the time I was a little off on my good mom behavior and nowhere in the mood to do a lesson in education. So I brushed off my daughters question and moved on to the next issue at hand.

It was later that evening that my daughter brought it up again and I had to admit that I was impressed by her will to learn. Anyhow long story short, she has finally received the answer to her question and I am submitting it as the word of the day for her.

Our definition comes to us from our online source at www.thefreedictionary.com

ex·as·per·ate  (g-zsp-rt)

tr.v. ex·as·per·at·ed, ex·as·per·at·ing, ex·as·per·ates

1. To make very angry or impatient; annoy greatly.

2. To increase the gravity or intensity of

That is going to be it for the day. Just a reminder for those of you who have not submitted a word for the day, you may want to jump on board and get it done. The drawing will be here before you know it for the Kindle reader!

Until next time, remember to Read On!!!

HR Phillips

Word of the Day: Metacognition

Good afternoon all your wonderful readers out there in cyber space. Sorry I’m a little late on posting this morning. It is Monday, after all, and my day has already started out with a huge pile of work waiting for me at my desk. So before I could chat with you wonderful people I needed to take care of a few minor catastrophes that happened over the weekend before I could get to the fun part of my day.

I do hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was filled with travels to Phoenix AZ and really hot weather. They say that you get use to the dry heat of AZ, but for me I just can’t see it. I’ll take the wind and cold of South Dakota anyday. You can always add clothing and blankets to stay warm, but with 110-degree temperatures, you can only take off so many clothes and you can be assured that this mommy of four is never going to wear bikini ever again.

So now that we have established that I like to wear clothes, let’s move on to our word of the day. Today’s word comes to us from Ms Kylie Binion one of our favorite fans and facebook followers. She has chosen the word metacognition.

Our definition comes to us from our ever-ready online source at www.dictionary.reference.com

metacognition  -n

psychol thinking about one’s own mental processes

metacognition -n

awareness and understanding one’s thinking and cognitive processes; thinking about thinking

Well, I don’t know about you folks out there in cyber space, but I can honestly say that I have done this before. Thinking about thinking? It may sound strange to do, but I have thought on several occasions about what I had been thinking during different periods of my life, uch as a bad hair color choice or outfit. I mean really, did I buy that dress on purpose? Hehehehe… Okay, maybe that is not exactly what they mean by their definition, but that is how I am going to take it today…

That’s all for now until next time.  Remember to Read On!!!

HR Phillips

Sci-Fi Conventions

Hello all of you wonderful readers and Sci-Fi Junkies… I have some great news for all of you who may be interested in Sci-Fi Conventions or what are typically called Cons.  I have decided to do more of the Fantasy and Sci-Fi Cons all over the United States and Canada.  In fact, the next Convention that I will be attending is called the Polaris25 in Toronto, Canada.  Here is the website if you are interested in checking it out. www.tcon.ca 

It should be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to meeting some of the most entertaining people there.  In fact, if you go to the website you can check out who they plan to have at the convention as guests.  Actors, such as Armin Shimerman who played Quark on the Star Trek, Deep Space 9 and Adam Baldwin of Firefly or the very handsome Ben Browder of Stargate SG-1 will all be in attendance.  I can’t wait!

Ooh-la-la Ben Browder.  Can you say yummy!!!  I have always loved the Stargate series, in fact my son, Dylan, and I have watched every single episode since it came out.  I even own the original movie starring Kurt Russell.  Great flick, but the series was what hooked me.  Richard Dean Anderson can walk me through a Stargate into the unknown anytime.  What can I say, I love the Sci-Fi world and all that goes with it, including the very hunky actors.  

Anyhow, after the Convention in Toronto I will be traveling back to the beautiful state of Nebraska.  Omaha to be exact;  the Osfest4.0 is the end of this month and I am looking forward to seeing some great costumes.

We should have a great turn out and if you are around make sure that you stop by and have me sign your copy of The Immortal Lost.

For the locations of the Polaris25 in Toronto, Canada and the Osfest4.0 in Omaha, NE all you need to do is go to the website and click on the Appearances link.  For more on upcoming events or if you would like to have me attend your book club, church group or school for a reading/signing, drop us a note here at the blog or on our Prime Immortals Facebook page. 

My best to all you in the cyberspace world.  I hope you have a great weekend and remember to sign up for the Kindle giveaway and the $500 essay contest.  You can’t win if you don’t enter. Go to the Contest link and find the official rules and regulations.

That is all I have for today.  Until next time,  Read On!!!

HR Phillips

Teenager Hangouts

Hello all you wonderful cyberspace crawlers.  I hope that your week has been eventful and maybe even a little adventurous.  I have had a very interesting start to the day.

After having a very interesting conversation with another parent in my oldest son’s homeroom class at school, I began wondering where all the younger generation hangs out.  Our little town of six hundred and fifty people is way too small for secret hideouts to exist.  So it poses the question, where do they all go?

Because my children are enrolled in a smaller school, they have a better chance to excel in both academics and sports, which, of course, tickles me pink.  I would never change that fact.  Yet living in a small town can also hinder the growth of a child, unless they have wonderful parents/role models to stimulate them on a regular basis.  I would hate for them to get bored and look in another direction for entertainment.

So when it comes to my children, of course I have a vested interest in their future and where they hang out.  It is important to me and if I am not sure where their hangout is and whom they are with, I worry.

I know when I was a kid I would hang out with my friends at the lake.  Parents usually didn’t bother us there and it was kind of like our teenage sanctuary.  It was a great place to be if you didn’t want parents around.  Not that the lake was a secret, because everyone knew that it was the local hangout.

The fact that it was a wide-open space and that you could see miles around only helped.  We could see if parents were coming and hide if need be.  For the record I never hid from my parents, but I witnessed several of the city kids do exactly that.

By the way, I am a country raised farm girl who worked hard from the day I was old enough to carry a bucket of grain.  That’s just the way life is in the county.

Anyhow, curiosity got the better of me and so I asked my son “Where is the cool hot spot for the young high school kids now?”  Of course, he laughed at me and repeated my words as if I was the oldest person in the world. “Cool Hot Spot”, really Mom?

As I watched him walk away while shaking his head and laughing at me, it dawned on me that I really do have good kids.  So, with my oldest son thinking that I am crazy and older than dirt, I resort to the only thing I know.  I will get the info that I need and it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure it out.  Time to go old school on his little butt…I would find out the old fashion way... by bribing his brother to tell me.

All right, maybe it is not that ethical, but who says you have to be ethical when you’re a mom? It’s not like I’m going to go and break up his fun.

Tell me what you think?  Could I be wrong in wanting to know where my beautiful children are? If you have something to say, drop me a note and let me know your thoughts.

Until next time, remember to Read On!!!

HR Phillips

Word of the Day: Stupendous

It’s another beautiful day outside and again I am stuck in the office.  I really am jealous of people who have jobs that allow them to leave the office and enjoy an afternoon in the beauty of the outdoors.  Its days like today that I wished I had become a teacher so that I could have my summers off.  Then again, I’m pretty sure I would miss my job. Oh, well!  I guess the good Lord takes us on the path that we will most prosper, if only we listen to his guidance.  

Well, now that I have come to some sort of conclusion to my inner turmoil on the prospect of being outside, it is time to get back to work.  Which by the way people, I am really surprised that none of my readers have submitted more words for the daily quest.  I am sure it is because you have all been so busy, but that only means that you may lose out on a good chance to win a great gift.  So don’t forget to submit your word of the day.

Today’s word of the day comes to us from the very talented and word oriented Ms. Kylie Binion. She has submitted several words in the past and the word she has chosen for us today is stupendous.

I do like the word stupendous and probably should use it in my writing more often.  Yet, I get the feeling that sometimes it is just a little over the top.

Our definition comes to us from our online source at www.thefreedictionary.com

stu·pen·dous  (st-pnds, sty-)

adj.

1. Of astounding force, volume, degree, or excellence; marvelous.

2. Amazingly large or great; huge. See Synonyms at enormous.

Well, there you have it.  I think that being over the top really sums it up completely. Let me know what you think by dropping me a note here at the blog spot or checking us out on the Prime Immortals Facebook page.

That is all I have for today.  I do hope that your day has been spectacular and would go so far as to say stupendous.

Until the next time, remember to Read On!!!

HR Phillips

Word of the Day: Effulgent

All right, I have a little bit of the indoor blues.  After spending most of my time outside this past weekend, it is very hard to get back into the swing of things.  However, I am a professional and I will press on.

How was your weekend?  I do hope that you all had a wonderful time.  For those of you who saw my post on Friday, I still don’t have a challenge winner.  Take a look at Friday’s post and see if you can use the word of the day in a sentence.  It needs to be a sentence that the readers following this blog and I will understand.  What do you have to lose?  Give it a try.

Let’s move on to today’s word of the day.  Jennifer Joseph Rodgers submitted the word effulgent.  Nice word, Jennifer.

We get our definition from our online source at www.thefreedictionary.com  I have to say I do love this website.  It always gives us great definitions to all of the words that we are seeking.

ef·ful·gent  (-fljnt, -fl-)

adj.

Shining brilliantly; resplendent.  See Synonyms at bright.

Well, I see an effulgent future for not only myself, but for that of the Prime Immortal Series as well…

I do like this word, yet I think for my writing I would still use the basic brilliant or bright.  I just like the sound of them better.  What do you think?  Can you use the word effulgent in a sentence and make me a believer?

I have another challenge for all of you out there in cyber space.  Grab your cell phones and send me a short video clip of you using the word in a sentence and I will give you a choice of any of the Prime Immortal products we have in our shop.  It could be a T-shirt, necklace, custom-made jewel bookmarker or the book itself.   

If we get several entries we may just post you on the website for the whole Prime Immortal fan club to view!

That’s all for now.  Until next time, remember to Read On!!!

HR Phillips

Word of the Day: Exceptional

Hello, hello, hello!!!  I hope that if you are reading this it is late at night and you are exhausted from all of the day’s activities.  Being that it is the 4^th of July, you should have some fun and celebrate the independence that our forefathers fought for.  I know that I am; just taking a 15 minute break to write this post.

Today’s word of the day comes to us from Dawn Schipman.  Dawn submitted two words, one of them being the word coffee.  Sorry to say Dawn, we have already defined that word in an earlier post.  However you will still get credit for the submission.  The other word that she submitted was exceptional.

I love this word.  In fact, I use it in my everyday conversations.  Such as, this coffee is exceptionally well made.  So I would have to say that along with the words wonderful, impressive, and fantastic it would be one of my favorites.

So, let us move on to the definition of this word.  We get our definition from our online source at www.thefreedictionary.com

ex·cep·tion·al  (k-spsh-nl)

adj.

1. Being an exception; uncommon.

2. Well above average; extraordinary: an exceptional memory. See Usage Note at exceptionable.

3. Deviating widely from a norm, as of physical or mental ability:

What a great word and what a fantastic choice.  Thank you, Dawn! 

I think that’s all I have time for today.  I want to get back outside in the sun and fun to enjoy what is left of my holiday weekend.  Have a great weekend and remember to be safe.  Until next time remember to Read On!

HR Phillips

Word of the Day: Agglutinative

Yeah!  It’s Friday and the week is almost over.  The 4^th of July is almost here and I can’t wait. My kids and I have planned a fun in the sun weekend to be topped off with a fireworks show with friends and family.  I do hope that all of enjoy your weekend as much as I plan to.

Now, let’s get down to business.  Today’s word of the day comes to us from Mr. Robert Todd Wilcke.  I believe he is a native of Nebraska.  Thanks for the word submission.  If I got your location wrong, make sure to let me know.

Robert has chosen the word agglutinative.  Wow!  That is a mouthful.  I can honestly say that I have absolutely no clue as to what this word means.  I can’t even break it down to give it a guess. Congrats to you Robert, you stumped me!

Let’s go to our online source at www.thefreedictionary.com to see what our definition is.

agglutinative [əˈgluːtɪnətɪv]

adj

1. tending to join or capable of joining

2. (Linguistics) Also agglomerative Linguistics denoting languages, such as Hungarian, whose morphology is characterized by agglutination Compare analytic [3] synthetic [3] polysynthetic

Okay, I’m still a little unsure of this word.  How would you use it in a sentence?  What about you?  Can you use it in a sentence and have it make sense?  Drop me a line and tell me what you think.  In fact as a challenge, anyone who can use this word in a full sentence and have it make sense to me, I will give them a custom-made bookmarker from the Prime Immortals series.   All right, there you have it: a big challenge that you cannot refuse. 

Well, that is going to be it for this writer today.  I am going to get busy and start preparing for all the fun I am going to have this weekend.  Have a safe and fun 4^th of July and we will chat again next week.  Until then remember to Read On!!!

HR Phillips