Here ye! Here ye! I'm back and I'm inviting all to participate in Realms Faire!

During the actual family road trip part of my absence, staying off the internet was fairly easy although I did randomly post images of our trip via instagram, twitter, and facebook. Posting things like that from my phone didn't take more than three minutes and felt like a good way to stay connected with friends and family near and far.

I could ramble on more about my ultra-packed family road trip but I'll try to sum it up in just fourteen phrases:

1. Rained out book festival blues.

2. Long drive(s).

3. Mega roller coasters for my daughter's 14th birthday at Magic Mountain.

Yes, they were making faces while waiting for the Batman coaster, but this is a part of our family fun.

4. A college campus visit.

5. Nationals opening ceremony involved a torch run at the Olympic training center in Chula Vista, CA.

6. Daughters both in medal-winning races!

7. Heat, humidity, and a spider bite caused some health concerns.

8. Our team won Nationals for the 4th year in a row!

They're holding up four fingers to celebrate winning four times in a row. We were at an Olympic Training venue and they lit the torch for the event! :)

9. A visit to old town San Diego.

My family's sense of humor on display.

10. Boogie-boarding at Huntington Beach.

We hardly ever take pictures while actually doing things, so this is afterwards . . .

11. Hiking with friends in Yosemite National Park.

12. A visit with friends in Nevada.

13. A doctor visit and antibiotics for that same horrible spider bite.

14. A decision to come home two days early, a beautiful drive, and some rain relief from the heat.

And, it took us a week to adjust to being at home as I started my "book journey" part of my blog absence.

My writing and revision felt like slogging through mud uphill into mountainous terrain with high humidity and I wanted to turn to the internet for any distraction it could offer, and I lurked just a little. Mostly though, I just wrote and revised and paced. (Plus, I celebrated a 19th anniversary with my husband and my birthday.)

Anyway, I'm back. And, I still ramble even when I'm trying not to ramble.

So, without any further distraction, I would like to invite all, near and far, to participate in the annual Realms Faire, started by the one and only M Pax, and co-hosted by several bloggers and blogs including: River Fairchild, Cassandra Webb, L. Diane Wolfe, Untethered Realms, Christine Rains, Julie Flanders, Cherie Reich, Misha Gericke, Mary Waibel, and VelociRaffle. Oh, and me, too.

I'll be hosting the Hero's Dilemma

Hero's beware! Here at the House of Hero's Dilemma, a new cliff-hanging adventure will dangle new heroes above the depths of destiny or despair. In 100 words or less, a hero will face a danger in story form.

Each day, the people of Realsmdom will decide the fate of these heroes in three sentences or less. If fateful endings are giving answer in poetic form, an extra entry for prizes will be awarded. For each Dilemma, the entries must by in by midnight, Pacific time. 

Daily e-book prizes will be awarded via random name-pulling from the entries. Winners will be announced regularly. Everyone is invited to participate in the comments section.

People of Realmsdom, you have the power of storytelling might to decide the fate of the would-be heroes. Will they die in glory or shame, live in victory or defeat? It is up to you.

And, after you have decided the fate of the Hero's Dilemma, try your hand at the other Realms Faire Events for more fun and prizes!

To find out more, visit Realms Faire!

All events have daily drop-in opportunities to participate and a few require some advance sign-ups like jousting. Check it out! Join the fun of the one and only online Realms Faire! You can dress up in your knightly wear or your nightly wear while participating.