THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL

National Today * National Pet Day – April 11, 2024 U.S. *

OTHER NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL APRIL 11 DAYS

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club April_21

National Pet Day is April 11, although if you’re a pet owner, you know there’s not a day that goes by that you don’t celebrate your animal companion! So hug your hedgehog, bond with your bunny, and cut your kitty some catnip! That critter makes you happy — and that’s not all. Over the past 10 years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been a partner in research to determine the physical and mental benefits of having a pet. It turns out that not only can pets steal our hearts, but they also contribute to overall cardiovascular health by lowering cortisol, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels.

WHEN IS NATIONAL PET DAY 2024?

Cats, dogs, birds, and even tigers, our furry friends are celebrated on National Pet Day on April 11.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL PET DAY

Colleen Paige, animal welfare advocate and pet and family lifestyle expert, founded National Pet Day in 2006 to celebrate the joy pets can bring to us. But she also wanted to bring attention to the ongoing needs of many pets of all kinds waiting in shelters to be adopted. She encouraged people who want purebred dogs and cats to contact rescue organizations instead of going to a breeder. “Don’t shop! Adopt!” has become the holiday motto.
In 1973, the Humane Society of the United States estimated that 13 million cats and dogs enter shelters every year. Some were strays, some were surrendered by owners who could no longer care for them, some were seized in legal actions. Today, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter shelters nationwide. And 1.6 million cats and 1.6 million dogs find their furever homes.
Colleen’s holiday got its start in the U.S., but it soon expanded internationally. Pet lovers now mark the day in the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Spain, Guam, Scotland, and many more nations.
Celebrities have also taken up the cause. National Pet Day has been promoted by Taylor Swift, Ellen De Generes, Ricky Gervais, Cee Lo Green, Jimmy Fallon, Willy Nelson, Kevin Bacon, Seth Myers, and Carrie Underwood, among others.
And social media has helped spread the celebration and promote Colleen’s cause. When President Barack Obama was in office, he warmed political hearts on both sides of the aisle with his posted pic of Bo, one of the two Portuguese water dogs who shared the White House with him. Bo was rehomed when he couldn’t get along with an older dog owned by a family in Texas.

NATIONAL PET DAY RELATED CONTENT

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Hero-Image-3-1

The Best Dog & Cat Cone for 2023
Getting the best dog & cat cone seems like an easy task. But not all pet cones are created equal; here are some of our top favorites.
See More

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Apet_110

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Apet_210

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Apet_310

Additional Findings

FULL RANKING OF THE MOST POPULAR PETS
#1: Dog (45%)
#2: Cat (30%)
#3: Fish (9%)
#4: Bird (e.g. parakeet, cockatiel, parrot, etc.) (5%)
#5: Hamster/gerbil/mouse (2%)
#6: Horse (2%)
#7: Snake (2%)
#8: Guinea pig (1%)
#9: Lizard (e.g. iguana, chameleon, gecko, etc.) (1%)
#10: Tarantula (1%)

NATIONAL PET DAY AROUND THE WORLD

National Pet Day Around the World[th]Country[/th][th]Holiday[/th][th]Occasion[/th][th]Date[/th]

TRADITIONS FOR NATIONAL PET DAY 2021

Furry babies are spoiled to the fullest on National Pet Day. Owners go all out to lavish their pets with the adoration and care they deserve (well, more than on any other day). Taking them out for a walk or a drive, buying their favorite treats, or getting them a new toy to play with are just some of the ways that pets are spoiled just a little extra on this day.
National Pet Day is also one of the best days for kids to convince their parents to adopt a pet, so new additions to the family, with adoptions from shelters or purchased pedigrees, are common on this day. Everyone is part of the celebration, as every other post on social media features fancy portraits or cute candids of pets.

BY THE NUMBERS

36% – the percentage by which owning a dog decreases the risk of death by heart disease.
10% – the percentage of owners allergic to their pets.
57% – of American households owned at least one pet according to Pet Ownership Statistics.
5000–7000 – the number of tigers kept as pets in the U.S.
94% – the percentage of families with an autistic child who benefited from having a pet.
44% – the percentage of people who’d rather cuddle with their pet than their partner.
200 million – the number of stray dogs in the world.
2 million – the number of animals who die in shelters every year.
9% – the percentage of healthy dogs euthanized in Canadian shelters in 2017.
90% – the percentage of pets found within a day when the owner was looking for them.
29% – the percentage of people who have to part with their pets due to residential restrictions.

NATIONAL PET DAY FAQS

What day is National Pet Day?

National Pet Day is April 11.

Is there a Pet Appreciation Day?

There are many holidays on which pets are appreciated, including National Dog Day on August 26, National Cat Day on August 8, and National Puppy Day on March 23.

Why do we also have National Dog Day and National Cat Day?

Those days are intended to honor our most popular, best-loved pets and again, to encourage adopting a dog or cat who needs a home. National Pet Day reinforces the importance of pets in our lives and reminds us that we can care for ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, rats, mice, fish, reptiles and other critters, too.

NATIONAL PET DAY ACTIVITIES

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-celebrate"][*]

Adopt a pet

And remember, you're not limited to dogs and cats. House rabbits are easily litter trained. Reptiles are quiet. Some birds will talk to you.

[*]

Launch the next digital diva

Convince your cutie cat to pose, pounce, primp, pout, or play the piano. Post the video on the kitty's account. Pray for viral volume.

[*]

Pamper your pooch

What does your furry friend like? A mallard tuggy toy? A nice belly rub? Get down on the floor and give that pup some love!

[/list]

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club O1aax5etmtbj8hbzybar

5 FACTS ABOUT EGYPTIANS AND THEIR PETS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

[list=holiday-listicle__list][*]

The Egyptians grieved their pets publicly

When a family cat died, the Egyptians shaved their eyebrows; they shaved the rest of their bodies for a dog.

[*]

The Egyptians prized and protected cats

The penalty for killing a cat, even by accident, was death.

[*]

The Egyptians were inconsistent with pet names

The Egyptians named their dogs, but did not commonly name their cats.

[*]

The Egyptians kept many animals as pets

According to scholars, the Egyptians also had baboons, monkeys, fish, gazelles, birds, (especially falcons), lions, mongooses, and hippos as pets.

[*]

The Egyptians sacrificed their country for cats

In 525 B.C., refusing to offend their goddess by fighting, the Egyptian army surrendered to the Persians, who had painted the image of the Egyptian cat deity, Bastet, on their shields.

[/list]

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL PET DAY

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-loveit"][*]

Most of us have a pet

In the U.S., 67% of households have a pet. We spend approximately $75 billion a year on pet care and products.

[*]

Pets are part of the family

A 2016 Harris poll showed that 95% of pet owners say their pets are part of the family. That's an increase of seven points from 2007.

[*]

Pets are fun

Only a pet will chase a ball for you, pounce on a laser point, or nibble carrots from your hand. Enjoy watching your hamster stuff its cheeks, your guinea pig chew up a TP tube, or your ferret frolic in its hammock. Your guinea pig will probably pee in your lap — but it's so cute!

[/list]

National Today * April Fools' Day – April 1, 2024 U.S. *

OTHER NATIONAL TODAY NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL APRIL 1 DAYS ( click )

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club April_10

April Fools’ Day on April 1 is a day where many of us unleash our most creative sides, all in a hilarious – sometimes over the top – attempt at bamboozling those around us.
Why do we do this, and where did it start? Well there surprisingly isn’t a concrete conclusion by historians. We’ll explore the possibilities below, but nevertheless, every spring we all put on our pranking caps to plan out the most devious and diabolical, yet safe and playful pranks we can think of, making this 24 hours possibly the most fun, exciting, and anxiety-filled day of the year!

WHEN IS APRIL FOOLS' DAY 2024?

April Fools’ Day is celebrated every year on April 1. The day is all about being neutral and serious about everything, and… HA! APRIL FOOLS!

HISTORY OF APRIL FOOLS' DAY

Today, pranking on April Fools’ Day has transcended the confinements of the first day of April to become a year-round internet phenomenon. Thousands of videos on the most popular internet sites emerge everyday, pushing the pranking limit to sometimes dangerous territories. We do NOT condone this and below we’ll illustrate how to allow this holiday to remain true to what it was meant to be – safe, and well, hilarious!
There’s no consensus on how it all began, but a popular theory is that while nowadays, January 1 is when we start the new year, this wasn’t the case before 1592. We used a calendar called the Julian calendar – created by Julius Caesar in 45 BC – which saw every new year begin on April 1! Crazy, we know.
Pope Gregory the 8th created a new method for keeping track of days, which was the start of the calendar we all know and love – the Gregorian calendar. When he moved the date of New Year’s Eve it obviously took some time for everyone to catch on to it. Those who were a bit behind the times still celebrated on April 1, and were considered fools for doing so.
One lesser known, often argued explanation for our beloved prank day is buried in a 1392 book called “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer. One line in this publication simply references “March 32”, and the debate to its meaning was born. Without much context and being dated so far back, the interpretation remains a mystery. Some believe it to be a joke, dawning this annual tradition, while some say it’s none other than a misprint.
Whether we have Gregory the 8th or Geoffrey Chaucer to thank for April Fools’ Day, it has existed for centuries and will continue to cause a flurry of creativity and excitement in the first few weeks of spring.

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Fools_10

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Folls_10

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Fools_11

Additional Findings

FULL RANKING OF PRANKS AMERICANS PLAN TO PLAY ON APRIL FOOLS’ DAY
#1: Mind game prank (e.g. gradually moving someone’s desk until it’s far from its original spot) (17%)
#2: Scare tactics (e.g. rubber snake in a chair) (17%)
#3: Lying prank (e.g. saying you’re pregnant (17%)
#4: Prank phone call (13%)
#5: Food-related prank (e.g. toothpaste in an Oreo)
#6: Make it inaccessible prank (e.g. fridge taped up, phone in Jello) (11%)
#7: Elaborate, well-thought-out prank that I film on camera and post to YouTube (7%)
#8: Toilet-related prank (e.g. fake poop in coffee cup) (6%)

FULL RANKING OF PEOPLE AMERICANS PLAN TO PRANK ON APRIL FOOLS’ DAY
#1: Spouse/significant other (20%)
#2: Friend (20%)
#3: My kid(s) (15%)
#4: Co-worker (12%)
#5: Mom (9%)
#6: Boss (5%)
#7: Dad (5%)
#8: Neighbor (5%)
#9: Roommate (4%)
#10: Pet (3%)
#11: Teacher (2%)
#12: Enemy (2%)

FULL RANKING OF MOST POPULAR REACTIONS TO PRANKING
#1: Smile and say, “That was a good one” (45%)
#2: Prank them back (31%)
#3: Get mad but get over it (10%)
#4: No reaction (poker face) (7%)
#5: Quietly fume (5%)
#6: Terminate friendship and never talk to that person again (2%)

APRIL FOOLS' DAY AROUND THE WORLD

April Fools' Day Around the World
[th]Country[/th][th]Holiday[/th][th]Occasion[/th][th]Date[/th]

TRADITIONS OF THE DAY

April Fools’ Day traditions are all about practical jokes, playing pranks, and having fun. It can be minor like a verbal joke, or something that you have been plotting for the past few months. Either way, usually the gag ends with the yelling of “April Fools’!” to signify the end of the prank.
In modern times, prank videos have become a category of their own on video hosting platforms. So, naturally, April Fools’ Day pranks have become quite elaborate in recent years. Small businesses, large corporations, and TV networks have also started to participate in this annual tradition, advertising and promoting fictitious claims to fool their audiences. The mild-mannered trickster always has the classic switching-of-sugar-with-salt gag up their sleeve.

APRIL FOOLS' DAY FAQS

What is the most common prank on April Fools' Day?

From the combination of life experience and extensive research on this holiday, we find the most common pranks involve safe food swaps and the classic “tying someone’s shoes together” gag.

Is April Fools' Day celebrated world-wide?

Yes, it is celebrated across the globe! Although the names, goals, and rules for the day vary from country to country.

What if I don’t want to participate on April 1?

April Fools’ is a fairly harmless day that is meant to add fun and excitement. If you do not wish to partake, we recommend an inner-circle email or text to those around you in the weeks leading up. Just know that it’s a bad look to prank after asking not to be pranked!

APRIL FOOLS' DAY ACTIVITIES

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-celebrate"][*]

Plan ahead

Start early! Some YouTubers and internet stars have dedicated entire careers to pranking, so your inspiration can begin here. Some ideas get extreme, so be sure to choose ones that are safe but will still garner a great response!

[*]

Practice your straight face

Play it cool! You may not be a world-class poker player, but nothing ruins a good prank more than uncontrollably chuckling as you encourage a colleague to sit down at their desk after lunch. If they still don’t suspect that whoopee cushion, they really are an April Fool!

[*]

Give them a not-so-sweet surprise

Sour their sweets! This April Fools' staple never gets old. Swapping out some sugar for salt will have them questioning their choice for that second afternoon coffee.

[/list]

5 FACTS ABOUT APRIL FOOLS' DAY AROUND THE WORLD

[list=holiday-listicle__list][*]

“Lie Day” for the Portuguese

In Brazil, this day is referred to as “Lie Day” or Dia da Mentira.

[*]

France’s “Fools”

In France and some of the UK, they pin a paper fish to their prankee’s backs.

[*]

Scotland’s “Suckers”

The Scottish prank their friends by pinning a tail on them or a “kick me” sign.

[*]

Ancient Foolers

Some ancient European’s celebrated by trading status, age or gender roles for the day.

[*]

Fooled by the bell

Taco Bell had residents of Philadelphia fooled when it playfully announced its acquisition and rebrand of the Liberty Bell.

[/list]

WHY WE LOVE APRIL FOOLS' DAY

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-loveit"][*]

It’s an excuse to act a fool

It’s not every day you can play tricks on those around you and have a national excuse to get away with it! April Fools' Day is a chance for some – hopefully harmless – fun, and a great opportunity to show your creative side while getting a few laughs at the same time.

[*]

It gives us something to do in that no-man’s land between winter and spring

With spring sprung just a few weeks before, the weather is warming up and all that vitamin D can jumpstart your creativity in time for prank day. Go find a patio with some friends, and – responsibly – plot your targets!

[*]

Groups can get in on the fun

More minds are better than one! Gather up a team at the office, or choose sides at home. Your pranks will be more creative with more people working towards it. Just, remember that this leaves more people to keep the secret and not get busted!

[/list]

National Today * National Chili Day – February 22, 2024 *

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Feb_2210

On February 22, we celebrate National Chili Day — a moment to pay homage to the legendary dish that brings people together, and can tear them apart. Chili is the ultimate people-pleaser, but it’s also the ultimate cook-off dish. Family recipes are guarded like crown jewels, and secret ingredients are never spoken of above a whisper. And the debates about what makes true chili — beans or no beans? —are fierce! But these are all part of what makes chili such an experience. When chili is being served — perhaps with some chopped onions and shredded cheese on top — everyone comes to the table.

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Chili_10

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Chili_11

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Chili_12

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Chili_13

FULL RANKING OF THE MOST POPULAR CHILI ACCOMPANIMENTS #1: Cheese (31%) #2: Crackers (15%) #3: Cornbread (15%) #4: Sour cream (12%) #5: Tortilla chips (9%) #6: Diced onions (5%) #7: Hot sauce (4%) #8: Avocado (3%) #9: Salsa (3%) #10: Black olives (1%) #11: Cilantro (1%) FULL RANKING OF THE MOST POPULAR WAYS TO EAT CHILI #1: In a bowl (52%) #2: On a hot dog (12%) #3: In a Frito chili pie (9%) #4: On top of fries (8%) #5: Over rice (6%) #6: On a baked potato (4%) #7: On garlic bread (3%) #8: Over spaghetti (2%) #9: With mac & cheese (2%) #10: On a sloppy joe (2%)

NATIONAL CHILI DAY ACTIVITIES

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-celebrate"][*]

Cook up your favorite chili

Maybe your go-to recipe is in your head, or maybe it’s earmarked in your favorite cookbook. Maybe you need to call your mom and have her give your step-by-step instructions. However the chili gets on the stove, get it there, and then enjoy a piping hot bowl of the good stuff.

[*]

Host a chili cook-off

Everyone, and we mean everyone, has a chili recipe. So invite everyone over and have a chili throw down. Competition will be fierce, but so will your appetites.

[*]

Go on chili tour

We mean it when we say that everyone has a chili recipe — that includes the chefs at your favorite restaurants. Find out which spots in your town have chili on the menu, and do your own version of a progressive dinner to find your favorite. Then next year on National Chili Day, you’ll know where to head.

[/list]

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CHILI DAY

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-loveit"][*]

It's hearty

Some soups are barely an appetizer, but chili is a meal unto itself. A big bowl of steaming chili can warm you up and satisfy you like few other foods can. It sticks to your bones and keeps you full.

[*]

Everyone has an opinion

Secret chili recipes are the stuff of legend — and of deliciousness. The variety in the dish is mind-boggling, and means you’ll never get sick of showing up at a friend’s house and hearing that chili being served. And chili has sprung one of the fiercest food debates there is: do beans belong in chili?

[*]

It brings people together

Chili is the ultimate comfort food. You start feeling good the minute you open the door, its spicy aroma wafting through the air. Hold a steaming bowl of the stuff in your hands and you’re on your way to perfect culinary experience. No one misses chili night. It’s informal, cozy, and a time for people to be together.

[/list]

National Today National Love Your Pet Day – February 20, 2024

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Feb_2010

On February 20, we celebrate National Love Your Pet Day, a day to embrace one special trait that makes us human: our love of our pets! There are many things that differentiate humans from the rest of the animal kingdom, but one of the more unusual behaviors is our longstanding tendency to keep other animals as pets. According to Wisevoter’s Pet Ownership Statistics, in 2019 about 57% of American households owned at least one pet. It only makes sense to commemorate something that’s so important to so many people, so on February 20, we celebrate our pets with National Love Your Pet Day!

WHEN IS NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY 2024?

National Love Your Pet Day is celebrated on February 20. Whether cats, dogs, birds, or even tigers, our furry friends are showered with love and affection on this day!

HISTORY OF NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY

Pets have been a part of human life for thousands of years. Ever since we’ve made our first steps into civilization, animals have been right there alongside us. And look at those faces! Who could blame us?
Nobody really knows exactly what animal the very first pet was. But, one animal, the wolf, lived alongside early humans for centuries. Even as far back as 12,000 years ago, dogs and cats were buried in their human counterparts’ graves. It seems that even early humans had a deep attachment to their furry friends.
Meanwhile, European royalty began keeping toy dog breeds in the 1600s. And in modern day Spain, pet bird markets were popular among all classes in southern cities such as Seville well into the 1960s.
Most recently, groups such as the American Kennel Club have only increased our love for our pets. With events such as the annual Westminster Dog Show, humankind has only grown its affection for our non-human friends. Pets are ingrained into our own species, and National Love Your Pet Day gives us a reason to celebrate them!

NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY - SURVEY RESULTS

Data insights generated by a top Pet Marketing Agency:
FULL RANKING OF THE MOST POPULAR PETS IN AMERICA
#1: Dog (40%)
#2: Cat (25%)
#3: Fish (8%)
#4: Bird (e.g. parakeet, cockatiel, parrot, etc.) (4%)
#5: Hamster/gerbil/mouse (2%)
#6: Snake (2%)
#7: Horse (2%)
#8: Guinea pig (1%)
#9: Lizard (e.g. iguana, chameleon, gecko, etc.) (1%)
#10: Tarantula (1%)
HOW DO YOU SHOW AFFECTION TO YOUR PET?
#1: I play with my pet (15%)
#2: I give my pet treats and gifts (13%)
#3: I cuddle with my pet (12%)
#4: I tell my pet, “I love you” (10%)
#5: I hang out with my pet (e.g. watch TV, read books, etc.) (10%)
#6: I let my pet sleep in my bed with me (9%)
#7: I carry on conversations with my pet (9%)
#8: I kiss my pet (9%)
#9: I go places with my pet (e.g. the beach, on road trips, etc.) (5%)
#10: I dress my pet up in costume (2%)
WHICH PET-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE IN YOUR DREAM GIRL OR GUY?
#1: Someone who treats their pet like a family member (22%)
#2: Someone who expresses outward affection to animals (19%)
#3: Someone who is a pet parent (12%)
#4: Someone who greets other people’s pets at the park (9%)
#5: Someone who lets their pet sleep in their bed with them (9%)
#6: Someone who purchases gifts for their pet (7%)
#7: Someone who talks to their pet in a special voice (6%)
#8: Someone who modifies their schedule to spend time with their pet (5%)
CATS ARE MORE POPULAR AMONG WOMEN THAN MEN
26% of women have a pet cat, compared to 22% of men.

NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY AROUND THE WORLD

National Love Your Pet Day Around the World

[th]Country[/th][th]Holiday[/th][th]Occasion[/th][th]Date[/th]

NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY FAQS

Is National Love Your Pet Day a nationally recognized holiday?

The banks probably won’t close, but that doesn’t stop you from giving your animals some extra ear scratches, squeaky toys, or special treats.

Who can celebrate National Love Your Pet Day?

The beauty of the holiday is that anybody can celebrate, regardless of whether their animal has fur, scales, or wings. Even if you don’t have a pet of your own, anybody can donate extra tennis balls to the dog park or give their friend’s cat an extra long ear rub.

What are the benefits to celebrating National Love Your Pet Day?

There’s no doubt that it will grow and improve the relationship between you and your furry friend. Spending time with them in any capacity can create a lifelong bond.

NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY ACTIVITIES

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-celebrate"][*]

Show your pet something new

Just like us, our pets love seeing new places! Has your dog ever been to the beach? If not, consider taking a road trip to celebrate National Love Your Pet Day. Change up the location of your fish’s bowl, take your guinea pig on a tour of the house, or take your chameleon on a field trip to the porch to feel the breeze on his face.

[*]

Spoil them

Let’s face it: spoiling our pets is a lot of fun. So do it! Birthdays might only come once a year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have more special days with your pets. Celebrate National Love Your Pet Day by bringing home a new treat or toy, whipping up a beloved meal, or simply spend some extra quality time with your pet (we suggest pet-themed movies as an especially nice activity).

[*]

Adopt a pet

The ultimate way to celebrate Love Your Pet Day is to get a pet of your own to love! If it’s within your means, consider adopting a pet in need of a home. Explore local organizations that rescue and re-home animals in your area. It’ll change your life in ways you never expected.

[/list]

5 ANIMAL FACTS TO MAKE YOUR DAY LESS RUFF

[list=holiday-listicle__list][*]

Dogs have over 100 million facial expressions!

With ears and eyebrows like that, it’s no wonder they’re so easy to love.

[*]

You can change a life by adopting.

If you’re looking to celebrate but don’t have a pet of your own, check in with the ASPCA — where 2.7 million animals are adopted every year.

[*]

A Pack of Cats is different than a pack of kittens

A pack of kittens is called a kindle, while a pack of adult cats is called a chowder.

[*]

Plan a furry friend party!

Since more than 80 million US households have dogs, with 42% of those households having more than one, you’ll have no trouble making a guest list.

[*]

Parrots need love, too.

As the 4th most popular pet and with vocal cords louder than an ambulance, they’ll let you know if they’re not getting attention come February 20.

[/list]

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-loveit"][*]

They're great listeners

It’s not often that we can find a companion willing to sit through all of our complaints, but our pets never get sick of hearing our grievances. They are also delighted to listen to our favorite anecdotes (like say, that time we adopted our cat) and will never roll their eyes when we repeat a favorite story.

[*]

They make you feel good

That warm feeling you get after rolling around with your dog or that sense of peace you feel when you have a cat in your lap? It’s not just a feeling, it’s science. Spending time with animals is a great way to get a boost in feel-good hormones and has even been shown to improve blood pressure.

[*]

They're adorable

Just like children, everyone thinks that they’ve got the most adorable pet. It’s easy to see why, though — they’re all pretty darn cute! Lizards, hermit crabs, gerbils, cats, dogs, birds — we all need someone to love, and when that someone is a living thing that needs our care, looks don’t matter, just that they love us back.

[/list]

National Today * National Pizza Day – February 9, 2024 *

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Feb_811

Join us on February 9 as we celebrate National Pizza Day! It’s hard to imagine that before World War II, pizza was little known outside of Italy or Italian immigrant communities. This cheesy disc went from a niche cultural meal to the star of the show anywhere it turns up! Let’s hear it for pizza!

HISTORY OF NATIONAL PIZZA DAY

Though flatbreads with toppings were consumed by ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, the modern birthplace of the pizza is southwestern Italy’s Campania region, home to Naples. Founded around 600 BC as a Greek settlement, Naples in the 1700s and early 1800s was a thriving waterfront city. Technically an independent kingdom, it was notorious for its throngs of working poor, or lazzaroni. These Neapolitans required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. Pizza — flatbreads with toppings that can be eaten for every meal — fulfilled this need. These early pizzas featured tasty toppings such as tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies, and garlic. More well off Italian authors judged Naples’ innovation, often calling their eating habits disgusting.
In 1861, Italy finally unified, and King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889. Legend says that the traveling pair became bored with their steady diet of French cuisine and asked for an assortment of pizzas from the city’s Pizzeria Brandi, founded in 1760. The variety the queen enjoyed the most was called pizza mozzarella, a pie topped with the soft white cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil — much resembling the Italian flag. Since then, this particular choice of toppings has been dubbed the Margherita pizza.
However, even with the Queen’s love for the dish, pizza would remain little known in Italy beyond Naples’ borders until the 1940s. Across the sea, immigrants to the United States from Naples were replicating their flatbreads in New York and other American cities. They were coming for factory jobs, but accidentally made a culinary statement. Relatively quickly, the flavors and aromas of pizza began to intrigue non-Neapolitans and non-Italians alike.

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Pizza111

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Pizza211

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Pizza311

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Pizza411

Additional Survey Findings

SOME AMERICANS TAKE THEIR PIZZA LOVE TO NEW EXTREMES
According to the survey, 3% of Americans would rather eat pizza than have a boyfriend or girlfriend. The response among females was slightly higher—4% would rather eat pizza than have a boyfriend, compared to 3% of males who say the same.
FULL RANKING OF AMERICA’S FAVORITE PIZZA BRANDS
#1: Pizza Hut (31%)
#2: Papa John’s (22%)
#3: Domino’s (17%)
#4: Papa Murphy’s (10%)
#5: Little Caesar’s (8%)
#6: Sbarro (3%)
#7: Cici’s Pizza (2.8%)
#8: California Pizza Kitchen (2.8%)
#9: Round Table (2.6%)
#10: Chuck E. Cheese’s (1%)
OTHER INTERESTING INSIGHTS ABOUT PIZZA
#1: Pizza ranks the #2 most popular fast food in America behind hamburgers. (43% of Americans rank pizza as their favorite.)
#2: Pizza is my favorite food. (18%)
#3: I like to have a glass of wine with my pizza. (10%)
#4: My idea of a perfect Valentine’s Day is sharing a pizza. (9%)
#5: I don’t like pizza. (2%)

NATIONAL PIZZA DAY AROUND THE WORLD

Here are some other food-related holidays celebrated throughout the world.
National Pizza Day Around the World

[th]Country[/th][th]Holiday[/th][th]Occasion[/th][th]Date[/th]

NATIONAL PIZZA DAY TRADITIONS

A lot of us don’t go many days without having pizza. So on National Pizza Day, head over to your favorite pizzeria and enjoy a feast. You can get creative and host a pizza party at work or for friends, or simply buy a frozen pizza. Food marketers also love National Pizza Day which means there are a lot of great deals going around, so make sure to keep your eye out.

NATIONAL PIZZA DAY STATS

350 slices
That’s how many slices of pizza are sold in the U.S. every second. Roughly 120 of those slices per second are delivered to the National Today offices.
17% are pizzerias
17% of all restaurants in the U.S. are pizzerias and more than 10% of those are located in New York City.
251.7 million pounds
This is how many pounds of pepperoni are consumed in the U.S. every year. Most of which ends up on a pizza.

NATIONAL PIZZA DAY FAQS

Is there a National Pizza Day?

There is indeed! Celebrate your favorite greasy food on National Pizza Day every February 9!

What day is National Pepperoni Pizza Day?

National Pepperoni Pizza Day, the most popular variety of pizza topping, comes around annually on September 20.

What day is National Pizza Day 2020?

In 2020, National Pizza Day was celebrated on Sunday, February 9.

NATIONAL PIZZA DAY ACTIVITIES

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-celebrate"][*]

Pizza Paar-tay!

I mean, why mess with a good thing? No matter what age you are, the words “pizza party” are guaranteed to delight and put a smile on everyone’s face.

[*]

Dare to Pizza All the Time

Pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Yes—that is the kind of perfect world we live in today. Crack an egg on it in the morning. Toss that salad on top for lunch. And why not go for the meat-lovers’ dinner?

[*]

Rediscover Pizza For the First Time

Chances are, you know your perfect slice down to the finest details. (Mine includes corn, pasilla chiles and feta cheese). But why not break out of the routine on National Pizza Day? We know you’ve been curious about that artichoke pesto pie at the place around the corner.

[/list]

National Today * National Spouse Day – January 26, 2024 *

National Spouse Day
A chance to celebrate your spouse and show your better half how much you love them.

National Spouse Day is finally here! Other than Valentine’s Day, this is the only worldwide holiday that gives couples a chance to spoil each other, to take time out of their busy schedules, and to tend to their love. It’s a chance to celebrate your spouse and show your better half that they are indeed appreciated. Let’s admit, sometimes married couples need reminders to leave the hamster wheel that is everyday life. January 26 however is the remedy to all couples’ woes. Though the day is named National Spouses Day and seemingly refers to married couples only, nowadays, this day can also be linked to many people who are not married. What’s better than feeling appreciated by your soulmate? So, let’s celebrate happiness on this love filled day.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL SPOUSE DAY

The origin of National Spouse Day is unknown, but it is assumed that a married person came up with the idea. Some say it originated from the establishment of Military Spouses Day which was created in 1984, but only started becoming popular around the millennium. The day is celebrated as a national holiday on January 26 officially in the USA and UK, but many other countries celebrate it too.
The foundation of this day derives from the idea of showing thanks to your partner. Some workplaces even encourage couples to go on leave to celebrate the day and spend some quality time with their spouses.
Unlike Valentine’s day, this is a day created for giving time rather than gifts and celebrating your spouse. Due to this, couples are encouraged to spend alone time and to reflect on their journey so far. Scientific research has shown that twenty minutes of holding hands with your partner or cuddling even, can release hormones that leaves you both happier and feeling good. In turn, this relieves stress and makes you feel closer to one another.
National Spouse Day has become well known for igniting many media sources to survey couples’ behaviors and relationships and has managed to find out many interesting facts. This includes the fact that two million people get married every year in the U.S alone. Also, that 17% of them have previously been married.
Many couples have expressed feeling as though life can get too busy, and so a day like National Spouse Day is key to revitalizing relationships at the start of the new year. Others feel that your spouse should be celebrated everyday, but that an official day to commemorate your husband or wife is also seen as an honor.

NATIONAL SPOUSE DAY - SURVEY RESULTS

Data was gathered by a top Millennial Marketing Agency as they surveyed 1,035 married Americans about their spouses. Here are the full results:
TOP 10 THINGS THAT ANNOY US ABOUT OUR SPOUSES
#1: My spouse has selective listening (40%)
#2: My spouse snores (39%)
#3: My spouse can be a control freak sometimes (26%)
#4: My spouse is not as financially responsible as I am (20%)
#5: My spouse has bodily quirks (e.g. nose picking, farting, burping, etc.) (19%)
#6: My spouse doesn’t contribute enough to household chores (18%)
#7: My spouse is a slob (e.g. doesn’t wash dishes, leaves dirty clothes on floor, etc.) (17%)
#8: My spouse works too much (16%)
#9: My spouse doesn’t get along with his/her in-laws (8%)
#10: My spouse always forgets our anniversary (5%)
TOP 10 REASONS AMERICANS APPRECIATE THEIR SPOUSES
#1: My spouse is a hard worker (60%)
#2: I can be myself around my spouse (56%)
#3: My spouse makes me laugh (56%)
#4: My spouse is smart (52%)
#5: My spouse is supportive of my goals and desires (48%)
#6: My spouse is a great parent (45%)
#7: My spouse is sexy (44%)
#8: My spouse is good with money (31%)
#9: My spouse does the dishes (29%)
#10: My spouse buys me things (28%)
TOP 10 MOST SURPRISING SPOUSE INSIGHTS
#1: My spouse and I celebrate Valentine’s Day (45%)
#2: My spouse gets on my nerves sometimes (44%)
#3: My spouse and I evenly split the household chores (32%)
#4: Valentine’s Day was a way bigger deal before I got married (19%)
#5: My spouse is a slob (e.g. doesn’t wash dishes, leaves dirty clothes on floor, etc.) (17%)
#6: My spouse and I argue on a regular basis (16%)
#7: I wear the pants in the relationship with my spouse (13%)
#8: I love my spouse, but sometimes I wish I were single so I could experience dating again (10%)
#9: Between the two of us, I’m better-looking than my spouse (9%)
#10: In my marriage, I’m always the one who walks the dog (9%)
HUSBANDS THINK THEY’RE MORE HELPFUL THAN THEY ACTUALLY ARE
While 44% of husbands say they evenly split the household chores with their wives, only 26% of wives say the same.

NATIONAL SPOUSE DAY FAQS

What other fun things can you do on National Spouse Day?

You can share loving quotes with your spouse by text, you can make heart shaped treats through recipes online, or try playing the Newlywed game which tests your knowledge on your spouse.

How do we share what we are up to on Nations Spouse Day social media?

You can take photos and share on Instagram or twitter with the hashtag #NationalSpouseday.

What day will National Spouse Day fall on in 2020?

This year, National Spouse Day on January 26 will land on a Sunday.

NATIONAL SPOUSE DAY ACTIVITIES

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-celebrate"][*]

Visit the place you first met

Revisit the location of the first place you met. It’s something about the nostalgia that can help recreate how you used to feel. There’s nothing wrong with reminding each other of your history together, and where it all began.

[*]

Cook for your spouse

Food has a way of making anyone happy. Surprise your partner by cooking a classy meal and eat at the table if you’re a couple who doesn’t usually. Use cookbooks or YouTube to find recipes, or simply think of your spouse’s favorite meal and do your best to make it.

[*]

Look back on your wedding day

This game is all the more fun if you're not a newlywed. You may live together, but how well do you and your spouse actually know each other? If you don't have the board game, find some Newlywed Game questions online.

[/list]

5 FACTS ABOUT SPOUSES THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

[list=holiday-listicle__list][*]

Eat, drink and be married

Research shows that year three of marriage is usually the happiest for the majority of couples.

[*]

Marriage has a nice ring to it

300 couples get married in Las Vegas every day.

[*]

Bride and gone to heaven

In France, it's actually legal to marry a dead person.

[*]

Divorce of habit

100 couples are said to be getting a divorce in the U.S every hour.

[*]

A love date relationship

There is a phobia known as ‘Gamophobia’ which is a fear of commitment.

[/list]

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL SPOUSE DAY

[list="holiday-list holiday-list-loveit"][*]

It’s a reminder of your love

The reason behind this day should allow for special quality time that many couples crave. It can ignite memories of your first date, your wedding, your first vacation, and even possibly the birth of your child. All of this reminds you of why you chose your partner in the first place and why you are so compatible.

[*]

It’s inclusive

This day is inclusive to boyfriends, girlfriends, fiancés, and newlyweds. It does not discriminate and is not just for married couples. National Spouse Day is devoted to all types of couples. Therefore, you get to celebrate your best friend or your soon to be legal partner and you can spend quality time honoring each other.

[*]

It slows down our busy lives

In this day and age, we sometimes don’t have time to stop and show appreciation for our partner or to slow down. This day works across the board for people in differing situations. Those away from their partners, those working a lot, mothers on maternity leave maybe. This day is for them, to get the chance to be appreciated.

[/list]

JASON HALSTEAD BOOK LIST

Authoring Like a Boss

[size=11]May 9, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

I just finished The Vault, a book I wrote that takes place in a post-apocalyptic North America (New York, to be precise). I intended it to be a novella but it got away from me and turned into something bigger, longer, and better. It was a book full of lessons for me too, as it detoured away from areas I am more comfortable with (science fiction / fantasy), and yet I could not use a lot of modern conveniences in it (no running water, electricity, etc.).
In fact, The Vault is set a year after a very impressive asteroid falls out of the sky and lands in the Atlantic Ocean, just west of the Bahamas. People around the world are wiped out, either right away or over the next several months as the sun is blotted out by debris, acid rain scours the planet, and the food chain is wiped out. All in all, it’s a pretty grim time, but there are survivors – otherwise how boring would it be to write about a barren rock we used to call home?
But that’s another story that’s already been told. It’s in my editor’s hands and when she’s finished with it, I’ll make it available. A week or two is my guess. I was inspired to write it by the success of my second book I ever released, Wanted. That book (and the series it spawned) has arguably been my most successful book. My hope is that I can recapture some of the magic in Wanted in the post-apocalyptic setting, although this one is very different both in setting and in the amount of people remaining. If it does well, who knows where it might lead later on?
That’s for later, this is now. And now it is time for me to once again take up the glowing crystal spear and knife and revisit the universe of Vitalis. When I last left Vitalis there was a group of bad-asses on Vitalis that were training and developing themselves. They have their orders now, and they are ready to return to Earth. Their mission: become the enemy so they can defeat the enemy. Pity the name “Suicide Squad” has already been taken, it might have made a great title.
At this point, after I finish up Vitalis #9 I’ll finally move back to Voidhawk and finish the rather epic storyline that was unearthed in Fallen Goddess. Not to mention addressing the hole that I left in the hearts of both the Voidhawk’s crew and myself when Jenna was lost. Finishing that story is going to require the third and final book in the Serpent’s War trilogy to be written as well.
Somewhere in there I need another Dark Universe book and another Terminus book. Good thing it’s only May – I have a lot planned for this year still!
As a special note, I’ve been doing a lot of research on character development and interaction recently and I really hope it begins to show in Vitalis and beyond (not that the characters haven’t developed and grown already, it’s just some new things I want to introduce).

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:aliens, character development, fantasy, post apocalypse, science fiction, space fantasy, space opera[/size]

Writing the Right Fiction

[size=11]April 18, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

I’m working on a story I’m calling “The Vault.” It’s a post-apocalyptic story exploring what happens to a group of people that are the first to emerge from a government vault designed to help a tiny portion of humanity survive an asteroid striking the earth. Trust me, when big, fast rock hits the earth lots of bad things happen. It’s happened before and it will happen again, but hopefully not for hundreds of thousands of years (or millions).
Researching what would happen for an asteroid strike is some pretty freaky stuff. Impressive, to say the least. Or maybe terrifying, if you’re the type that lets you worry about things you have zero control over (um, sorry, if that’s the case). In my scenario I’ve got a rock roughly 8kilometers (5ish miles) in size, fairly dense, traveling around 30 meters a second striking just off the Bahamas. Secondary problems involve fault lines shifting and causing earthquakes around the world, including an early release of a lot of stored up magma and pressure in the Yellowstone Caldera. It is, for all intents and purposes, an extinction level event.
Yet, people are resilient. Worse (or better) than cockroaches even. Survivors are trying to find a way to bring life back to the planet and rebuild. And that’s the gist of the story without giving anything away. I’ve got a core group of characters I’m focusing on and making them deal with one natural disaster after another. Fun, in its own way, but I’m afraid I went and made a terrible mistake.
I accidentally saw a snippet of a series on Netflix called Orange is the New Black. That tiny snippet was enough to hook me. That lead to the necessity of binge watching the first three seasons whenever I could. And now I’m waiting for the fourth season to come out this summer. Wait – what the heck does that have to do with my writing?
Good question. The characters in Orange is the New Black are outstanding. Even the ones I don’t really care much for have such rich backstories and lives I’m left shocked and impressed. My only complaint is that the series has expanded so much on so many of the other characters that I feel like the original heroines of the story, Piper Chapmin and Alex Vause, aren’t getting as much focus as they should. Their story, after all, is the one that hooked me and made me want to know more. I’m not happy with how the 3^rd season ended, regarding those two, but I have my own hidden theories about what might happen to / for them.
Now then, back to writing. As I said all of these characters are so rich and thought out that it’s really opened up an itch in my to write something new and different. I’m struggling to stay focused on The Vault, and I’m happy that I only planned this story to be a novella instead of a full length novel. I’m halfway done by my guess, and I’m anxious to get it done as soon as I can so I can explore my new ideas.
What does that mean, as far as what comes next? Well, there are many options. I was thinking my next book would be a Vitalis story, and I could see myself trying to incorporate some of these ideas into Vitalis. After all, Vitalis has a history of having many characters with their own backgrounds and stories, so it might be a natural fit. Conversely, I could very easily find a way to slide these new ideas into a new Lost Girls book, although Katalina and Skylar would not be the main characters anymore. Instead it would follow their daughters and their desire to grow up and make their mark on the world.
Or maybe something else completely new? Naw, probably not. I’m probably going to end up focusing on Vitalis, but the appeal of a Lost Girls spin off is growing. I still need to write more Dark Universe, Voidhawk, and The Serpent’s War too (and countless many others). Come to think of it, maybe some of these new ideas could end up working out in an extension of my Wanted series too…
The positive take-away from this is that inspiration can come from anywhere. On the flip side, it can be damn irritating too, because it’s messing with my current focus. That makes me mad though, and anger I can use to drive me forward. Scorched earth be damned, I will have these stories out as soon as I can!

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:character development, fantasy, orange is the new black, post apocalypse, science fiction, scorched earth[/size]

Lucky Star

[size=11]April 14, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

Brindal and Ellena are Terrans lured to an alien world with the promise of a new way of life and equality among the races. Potential for all, regardless of race, gender, or belief. The reality was far from the truth, especially when Ellena showed her first signs of mutation.
Mutated beings- those whose latent powers are awakened with the resurgence of alien energy brought about by the return of the Ampythean race- are hunted and taken away. Their fate is unknown, but nobody has heard from them since.
As Ellena’s powers grow and she fails to control them, they are left with no choices but to throw away their lives and run. They have to find a way with no weapons and no friends to get off the planet before the Vagnosian army catches them. If they can manage that, then they can hope for a better future among the stars.

You just read the blurb for Lucky Star, book 6 in my Dark Universe setting. I’m sharing it because it’s out there now, waiting for eager readers to devour. Longtime fans of the series might not recognize the names in the blurb, which might be confusing. Well, there’s a reason for that. These are new characters.
Brindal and Ellena are the kind of heroes that are made, not born. Except there’s nothing heroic about them. Brin is an eighteen year old young man trying to figure out what to do with his life and his growing skills in robotics. Ellena is fifteen and has nothing going for her except her talent as a track star and the fact that she’s a female on a Vagnosian world. Oh, and then there’s Ellena’s strange new powers that has her afraid of her own shadow.
But rest assured, there’s no way I’d completely abandon the old crew! I love those guys and gals. The problem is, they live a hard and dangerous life. Some of them aren’t what they used to be— or even at all. Brindal and Ellena need to get off of Marloon, the world they live on, but they can’t do it alone. They need help. And that’s where some old friends come in.
[/size]

Into the Dark (book 1)	Out of the Dark (book 2)	Chasing the Dark (book 3)
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster

Dark Star (book 4)	Shades of Dark (book 5)	Lucky Star (book 6)
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera

[size]

Next up is something completely different. No, not a Monty Python skit (hopefully that jokes not lost on most of you), but a new book I’m trying out. It’s unrelated to anything / everything else I’ve done so far. The Vault, a story in a post-apocalyptic America that takes place after a disaster destroys almost everything on the planet. I’m talking about an extinction level event, except humanity has the technology, resources, and blind luck to insure a tiny percentage survives. Or, as Michael Crichton put it in Jurassic Park: Life finds a way.
As always (and forever), thank you for keeping up to date on my ramblings and for enjoying my books. Spread the word, the world could use more readers!

-Jason Halstead

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:aliens, coming of age, Dark Universe, exploration, magic, mercenary, military, science fiction, soldier of fortune[/size]

Now What?

[size=11]April 5, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

Last night I finished Lucky Star, the 6^th book in my Dark Universe setting. That book had a lot of surprises in it, especially for me. The end, for example, was something I was stressing over. And then suddenly it happened and I realized I’d missed it. I had to backtrack a little bit and rephrase a few things. Once that was done it was a magical moment that wrapped things up and set the stage for the next adventure of Brindal and Ellena, siblings that are trying to find their way in the awakened universe with the help of the crew of the Uma. It will be a few weeks until it’s available, what with editing and cover art.
After that I moved on to a book I wrote for a secret project due out later this year. Shh, I can’t speak of it. But I am, just not anything useful. I’d already written the book but I hadn’t gone back over it since I sent it out to my team. Last night I did that, and I was happy to see far fewer screw-ups than I’d realized. I had to make some other continuity changes to make it work with the rest of the project, but once again, that was easily handled. I may touch a few more things up with it yet, but I’ve got plenty of time.
So now I’m back to needing something to keep my fingers busy. I know I need to continue several of my series (Vitalis, Serpent’s War, Voidhawk, Terminus, and Homeland), but I really want to branch out and try something new. A post-apocalyptic story, except I haven’t figured out what the deal is with it. I also don’t intend to turn that one into a series, although I might enjoy doing several one off post-apoc stories that are unrelated (different disaster situations, for example).
What’s driving this? My need to explore. And my need to sell books. My second series I ever released, Wanted, was post-apocalyptic and is arguably my strongest one to date, and it only has 4 books in it. Yet over 6 or 7 years it has sold more copies, per book, than anything else I’ve written. But I don’t have any more for those characters that would do them justice. So why not try to recreate the magic with someone else?
So the questions I have to answer is what caused the breakdown of society? Disease? War? Aliens? Economic collapse? Terrorism? Climate change? Massive power Outages? Rise of Artificial Intelligence? A global shortage of coffee?
Next is the characters. Who are they and why are they? Are they young, middle aged, old, or something else? I’m planning on a romance element, but how is that going to play out? Then there’s the heat level, which is writer-speak for how hot and heavy do things get in the story (aka if the book were a show, would it be rated G, PG, PG13, R, NC17, or higher)?
And after I figure all that out, then I have to come up with a plot. What drives the characters and what do they need to try and accomplish? This is often called the trope, and to be honest I mostly let this question resolve itself as I write the story, but I usually have an idea what’s supposed to happen too. So far I’m fumbling with a blank slate. I’ve got a concept that I explained, but no idea how to fill in the blanks yet. Hopefully organizing my thoughts in this post will pour enough gas on the fire to help me figure it out and get started.
Feel free to toss some ideas at the wall too. I’m happy to take any feedback I can get and see if I can work with it. As I said, I might like to do several of these stories so the more raw material I’ve got to fit in, the better!
Oh, and if you just want more Dark Universe, Vitalis, Voidhawk, etc. hang in there, it’s still coming – I promise!

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:brainstorming, fantasy, heat level, new fiction, plot, post apocalyptic, ratings, sicence fiction, trope, writing[/size]

When Writing Sucks

[size=11]March 12, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

That’s a strong title. Perhaps too strong. Nonetheless, I’ve noticed something as I near my 100th published story. A pattern or a trend, if you will. Almost every book suffers from parts where it becomes almost a chore (or in some cases it is a chore) to continue on. And that, my friends, sucks.
When I start a new story, no matter the premise, setting, or characters, I’m excited. It’s a blank book full of possibilities and potential. Anything can happen. And, invariably, it soon does. Beginnings are a mystery waiting to be explored. Action and adventure and excitement and even romance. Yes, I can appreciate romance even considering I may not be plumbed for it.
The end of the book is another fast paced and very exciting time. The characters and sub plots are coming together. Questions are being answered and good things (usually) are happening. It’s fun and vindicating. All that time spent crafting the story and exploring the ups and downs of the characters is about to be rewarded.
The part that can suck? That’s in the middle. That’s when I’ve got different characters doing different things and I start to doubt what’s going on. The end seems so far away and I often wonder if the people I’m writing about will ever make it there. It’s not writer’s block – I don’t believe that exists – it’s a matter of complexities and low points in the story that are necessary. Truth be told, they aren’t even that low, they just aren’t the emotional build up and pending release that other points in the story hold.
Several months ago I read something that I believe R.A. Salvatore posted on Facebook where felt a very similar thing. I shared my empathy with him, but my comment was no doubt lost among the masses. After all, Mr. Salvatore is a NY Times Bestseller and has achieved exceptional success with his writing and sales. I may have the NY Times bestseller title under my belt, but sales these days are in the gutter, so I remain a little fish in an ever expanding pond.
The point is, for budding writers out there or those that feel they get stuck mid way through their book: take heart, it happens to most (if not all) of us. The fear that we’ve overstepped our bounds and that the end we envisioned can’t possibly happen because of what we just did. Well, the good news is, you’re in charge (or the characters are). Either way, the book can and will go on. If the ending changes, then change it. Just keep writing and finding the words to reach that point. It’s like putting one foot in front of the other until you reach your destination. It may seem like a long walk, but no matter how long it is, you can only get there one step at a time.
My current project, Lucky Star, is the 6th book in my Dark Universe series and I’m suffering a minor spell of this sort. I love the new and old characters and I love the story, I’m just troubled about how I’m going to connect where I’m at with where I want it to go. The characters will show me the way, they always do, but that doesn’t stop the frustration of wondering just how, exactly, that’s going to happen.
The answer, as always, is to write on.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www[/size]

JASON HALSTEAD BOOK LIST

Science Fiction and Space Fantasy Lovers Rejoice!

[size=11]July 5, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

First the really good news: Cover art for Vitalis: Valkyries is almost done. Any day now and it’s going to be ready to go – maybe even today. My fingers are crossed and so far I’m loving the concept art and mock ups going into it.
Outside of Vitalis, I’ve been working on helping Dawn Michelle with her Continuum series. The last two novelettes we wrote featured a character I came up with so we flew through them. Her next novelette in the series is switching back to her character, Selena, so it’s a little bit more of her work and less of mine. That means it goes slower (she’s a super-busy lady), and I can turn some of my attention back to my books. Specifically, my next project which I’ll be starting today.
Let’s see, Vitalis is science fiction, so that leaves space fantasy… what books do I write that fall under that classification? Well, it all started with my first published book seven years ago, and now my next entry into the series will mark my 9^th novel. Of course I’m talking about Voidhawk, my fantasy series that puts humans, elves, dwarves, and every other fantasy race harnessing solar winds to sail through space (the void) on magical ships.
It has taken me a really long time to get back to Voidhawk after my last entry into that series (Fallen Goddess). If the reason why isn’t evident, it’s because of what happened in that book. The loss of a major character and the impact that had on the crew. And, to be honest, the impact it had on me. I don’t want to give out any spoilers for those who haven’t read it though.
Suffice to say, I’ve had a really hard time figuring out where to go next. Oh, I knew a general plot line and story idea, the problem was that it was too soon. I wasn’t sure how to deal with the characters and what they’ll be feeling and facing. There’s a hole on the deck of the Voidhawk and a hole in the hearts of the crew, it’s a spot that nobody wants to fill, and I’m not sure how to handle it either. Life must go on, and I’m finally prepared to find a way to make that happen.
I know, they’re fictional characters – they aren’t real – so wtf is wrong with me, right? Well, I’m talking to readers and book lovers, so you probably know where I’m coming from. There are characters that get inside of you. People you identify with because they feel real, even if you now they aren’t. Outside of a couple of books I’ve written (Voidhawk – Fallen Goddess in particular), I can think of one book that really hit me hard in the feels. Odd Thomas, by Dean Koontz. Phew, that book was… intense. Regular readers of my blog will note I’ve talked about Dean Koontz in the past though. I consider him to be the best I’ve ever read when it comes to telling a story. His plots and ideas aren’t always absolute top shelf, but I’d read anything he wrote regardless of whether it was original or not.
Anyhow, the point is, the characters might be made up, but their just names and faces for concepts and emotions that are real. Maybe part of them is part of me, or maybe it’s someone else I can associate with in real life. That’s the beauty and the magic of writing. Experiencing something new, or not new, in a way that makes me feel it.
I have no title yet for the new Voidhawk book, but it will definitely revolve around the recovery from what happened, as well as the need to fix what went wrong in the universe in Fallen Goddess. That means a lot of time exploring the new incarnation of Volera and understanding what, and who, exactly she is.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:character building, character death, dean koontz, demons, fantasy, goddess, gods, odd thomas, science fiction
[/size]

An Update on… stuff

[size]
June 30, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

I really don’t have any single points of interest to focus on or talk about. Instead, this is a mini-grab bag of items to share. I’m trying to blog a little more frequently to fill in the blank space and make sure everyone knows I’m still hard at work. So, without further delay, on to the stuff!
First up, Vitalis: Valkyries. It’s ready and waiting on cover art. I thought I’d have something by the end of the month, but we’re not quite there yet. Soon! The story is edited and ready to roll out and I’ve got the blurb written up for when the cover art is ready.
Now current events: I’ve been helping the lovely and talented Dawn Michelle with her Continuum series, which is a deviation from her paranormal romance roots, but a continuation of the world she’s crafted. Here there be dragons, my friends, and all sorts of other wonderful people and monsters. This particular series explores some ancient civilizations that have survived to present day as secret societies working behind the scenes… and as often as not against each other as for each other. The main characters are caught up in all of this and come to discover their own surprising legacies left to them down the generations. That includes a hero who can’t seem to keep his pants on and a heroine who is torn between who she wants and who she needs. Since I’m helping her write this series, I expect everyone to enjoy it just as much as you would any of my books. Not only that, but I’m quite taken with it and enjoying it immensely as we near the end of the third novelette in the series.
Let’s see, what else can I share? I’m a little stiff and sore today, but in a good way. Great workout last night picking up heavy weights for lots of reps. Measured myself at 11.5% bodyfat this morning thanks to the weights too, just in time for a 4^th of July weekend spent getting sunburned and hanging out with friends at a pool.
Hmm, in other news, I just got a promotion at my day job too. Sort of. 95% of it is what I already do, but I get a fancy new title – System Architect – that sounds nice. Not to worry, I don’t expect the new responsibilities to cut into my writing time much, if any.
Speaking of promotions and my lovely wife, Dawn Michelle, she deserves some props in writing as well. After only working at her new job teaching pre-school kids she got a promotion to a lead teacher there. I’m not sure anyone there has ever been bumped up as fast as she was, which is a testament to her dedication, commitment, and professionalism. Her job, however, is cutting into her writing time – but given the downturn in the book sales market it also pays better.
Not sure what else to touch on. Brexit seems popular these days – personally I have no opinion on it other than the hit to the exchange rate is another kick in the pants on top of decreasing book sales. I do like a little chaos and pandemonium, I admit. I think it shakes things up and forces people to innovate and improve. So I guess I’m for it, but only in the most uneducated way possible.
To hit closer to home I could discuss the impending US election… but I’d almost rather become an ex-patriot than be forced to choose between the individuals presented to us this time around. Personally, I think that America should change our voting system to include a no-vote cast, and if that wins, we ditch the chosen candidates and start over. The presiding president would remain a lame duck until another election round occurs with new candidates. Perhaps better the devil we know than the one we don’t.
And how about Michael Phelps? He qualified for his fifth Olympics. That’s pretty freaking amazing. Sure, he’s made some mistakes along the way but haven’t we all? I don’t know what kind of person he is, but athletically speaking, this guy is something special. I wish him the best of luck and hope he can snag a couple more medals this year to round out what has already been an amazing career.
Well, how’s that for a sampling of topics? I promised a grab bag and there it is. Enough randomness, now back to your day for you and my day for me. There’s work to be done and words to be written!

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:bestseller, brexit, clinton, election, ny times, paranormal, romance, science fiction, trump
[/size]

Why Cardio Disappoints

[size]
June 20, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

This post isn’t about books! It’s about another passion of mine – and one shared by few people: fitness. So you have been warned, read on at your own peril.
Longtime friends and readers (one and the same, as far as I’m concerned) know that I’m a weightlifting junky. A former competitive powerlifter, in fact. Not one of the super heavyweights that crammed anything and everything into their mouths either. I was a fairly lean powerlifter when I competed – and I was in the 242lb weight class (my highest competition weight was 232, usually I was 229 or lower).
Sadly, my competing days are over, courtesy of an injury caused by overtraining for a meet and not being as safe as I knew I should have been. Some major surgery to reattach torn tendons and muscle to a bone and I’m back in business, but never like I once was. These days I still lift heavy 3 – 4 times a week, but I don’t push myself as hard as I used to. That means I have to make up for the lack of work to keep myself looking decent with other activities. And that means including some cardio elements in my routine.
I read a few studies and educated opinion pieces long ago stating how weightlifting was better in every way for a body than cardio. Since I agreed with it out of principal, I took it as gospel and moved on. Many years later, I still believe that way and happily share such information when asked (no, I’m not the kind of guy who offers it unasked and pesters people). As I get older and my routine is changing to more health and maintenance based instead of trying to amass raw strength, I’m finding more and proof that supports what I’ve believed to be true.
I measure my progress in many ways. How much I can lift, how many times I can lift it, what the dude in the mirror looks like, what the calipers figure my bodyfat is, and what the scale reads. I hit the scale almost every morning and every night because what gets measured gets done. It’s those measurements that leads me to posting this blog and supporting my belief of why cardio is disappointing.
First a mild info dump, here’s a typical week for me:
Monday: Heavy Bench Press, Heavy Cable Rows, supportive exercises (curls, tricep extension, etc.)
Tuesday: HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training – Clean and Presses supersetted with running on a treadmill)
Wednesday: Deadlifts / Squats / Rack Pulls (only one exercise, it varies by month), Declined situps, more arm and shoulder work
Thursday: rest
Friday: Volume bench press, volume lat pulldowns, supportive exercises (arm stuff)
Saturday: HIIT (same as Tuesday)
Sunday: rest

Every day, if possible, I try to get in some rollerblading or low impact cardio around my subdivision, typically 10 – 20 minute’s worth. I’ve ramped that up recently, leading to this post.

So Sunday, father’s day, my wife decided she wanted to start doing my 2 mile cardio with me. For me that means rollerblading around our subdivision several times (rather fast, I push myself and keep my heart rate in the 140 – 150 range). I’d also mowed my lawn today in the 91 degree sunshine, which takes about an hour with my push mower thanks to a couple of short but steep hills. So no weights on Sunday, just cardio…

On virtually any weightlifting night I will lose 1.5 – 2 pounds overnight while I’m sleeping. Doesn’t matter the exercise, as long as I work myself hard. Without fail I wake up lighter in the AM, although if I strain my lower body too much it can cause some inflammation in the muscles that takes a couple of days to wear off – the weight comes off over those couple of days though. On any day where I do cardio only I will lose .4 – .8 pounds overnight. Less than half what I lose when I lift weights.

Weightlifting works the muscle, breaking it down and building it back up. The building part takes time though, and also requires calories. That means burning calories, both to do the repair work and to strengthen the muscles. A workout will continue to burn calories for 1 – 2 days afterwards. Cardio, on the other hand, only burns calories while you’re doing it and, unless you bust your hump for more than 20 minutes, you’re only burning the calories in your bloodstream and not any stored fat. With weights, it’s a constant slow burn happening behind the scenes, which takes care of the calories in the bloodstream and then moves on to stored fat. My two mile rollerblading only takes around 10 minutes, so the only gain I get out of it is an improvement to my energy systems (heart, lungs, cardiovascular, and flushing water out via sweat).

So why not do long term cardio – 30+ minutes? Even if there weren’t studies showing the damage it can do to joints and muscle fibers, it’s f***ing boring! I’ve got way too many things to do to spend that kind of time. I’ll never run a marathon, and I’m okay with that. I ran a 5k once, by myself, and that was enough. I much prefer more intense focused training to keep my energy systems where I need them or close enough that I can ramp up sport specific training as needed (e.g. if I ever joined another hockey league). For those that do it and, somehow, enjoy it, I salute you. You do what works for you and godspeed, just as I’ll do what works for me.

If you’re wondering what HIIT is, it’s weight training done aerobically, for lack of a better term. In my case I do a set of 6 – 135lb clean and presses (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_OGoQ94mPQ, except I make sure I go all the way to the floor on each rep). After that set I hit the treadmill and run for 2 minutes. Ideally there should be next to no rest between exercises. For me I rest 30 seconds or lest just to catch my breath. My heart after the clean and press is in the 150s, typically, and then in the 140s after the run. Five sets of that and I’m done. Any compound exercise can be used – I’ve done squats, front squats, and bench pressing as alternatives from time to time, but I really like what clean and presses do for the body – it’s a full body workout and helps support every other exercise as well as general strength and conditioning.

So there it is, my rare workout post. Social media is a funny place – people get upset about others posting about working out, which baffles me. I encourage it, but I don’t want to upset anybody either (unless they deserve it, and even then I’d typically rather just save my time and walk away). Still, I got some great feedback on my workout posts a couple years ago, so maybe somebody can learn something from this and use it for their own good.

These days I’m floating in the 225 – 230 range, depending on whether it was a bad weekend or not. Last night I was 226.4 and this morning I was 226 (remember the cardio only yesterday). My bodyfat is in the 11% – 12% range and I can still bench 315+ and deadlift 500+. I figure I’m doing okay for a dude in his 40’s.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:Self Help, Weight LiftingTags:aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, body building, cardio, fitness, olmypic lifting, power lifting, roller blooding, weight lifting[/size]

The Universe is Going to be a Scary Place

[size=11]June 8, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

I don’t blog enough. I’d like to, but I don’t. I think about bloggable topics all the time, but thinking and finding the time to write those thoughts down are few are far between. When I do blog, I try to keep it as on topic as possible for the majority of people interested in my blog. Books. My books, in particular. So, with that said, here’s the latest on what’s happening.
Vitalis: Valkyries is what’s happening. It’s book #9 in the Vitalis series and I’m happy to announce it went out to my editor last night. I anticipate releasing it late this month or possible very early next month. I apologize for the delay, I didn’t remember to schedule time with my cover artist and editor in a timely manner.
So what’s Valkyries about? Well, it picks up a few weeks after Commandos finishes. It includes those characters as well, focusing on Lieutenant Simms and Corporal Mendez primarily. There are plenty of new and old characters too though. Astra and Leona are back, for example, and there are four new people joining the story (Pandora, Shannon, Evan, and Faramor). The story takes place back on Earth and not only explores what’s happening there, but it opens up a whole lot of other opportunities down the road.
That’s a quick hint of what’s coming in a couple of weeks. Now for my next project. I was inspired by something I read recently, a story by an amateur writer that explored a man trapped in an Amazon culture. I liked it so much, it made me want to write something similar. Not about Amazons though. My problem was, should I start another story that would possibly become a series, or could I fit it into one of my existing settings? Dark Earth seemed a natural, but there were a lot of reasons I didn’t want to do that.
Enter Dawn Michelle (my wife). I was talking to her about it and discussing my protagonist. She fell in love with him right away (in a sort of platonic way…I think. He’s fictional, so at least I’ve got that going for me). She demanded that I stop ignoring her and help her finish up her Continuum series that was first exposed in Claimed by the Dragon King (part of the recent Christmas anthology she took place in that landed her another spot on the USA Today bestsellers list). This character, you see, would fit perfectly into that series. Book 2, in fact, would focus on him.
So what was my idea became ours (come on guys, you know that’s how marriage works, and no, ladies, I’m not complaining). I’m okay with it though, because we’ve been working on the concept and it sounds extremely cool. It’ll be a joint effort between us, but with her name on the cover since it’s her series. Fast paced and action packed fun, with the main character being somewhat of a cross between a playboy and a hero straight out of Greek and Roman mythology. And let’s not forget the gargoyles, wyverns, dragons, and other mythical creatures that are coming out to play. After all, this guy is the first full blooded heir to the Kingdom of Atlantis in thousands of years.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:Writing
[/size]

Mother Nature’s a Witch

[size]
May 14, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

Believe it or not, I’m not writing to complain about the crappy weather in Michigan. We’ve had summer here, at least one or two days of it in between the cold and the rain. No, I’m referring to the awesome power of nature and just what it can do. Especially when we extend natural phenomena beyond our own planet and into the solar system and universe that surrounds us.
A great example of one such possibility can be found in my latest release, The Vault. The book takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting, but yet it’s not the typical war torn world with enemies lurking in every shattered building. The Vault is our present day Earth after a perfectly natural catastrophe has occurred. The kind that wipes out nearly all life on a planet: an asteroid. Not even Bruce Willis can save us this time, and the governments of the earth know it. They know it, and they keep it a secret to themselves.
For millions of people, life is over after a brief but beautiful show of fire and light in the sky. For the billions that remains it takes days, weeks, and for some months for the horrible winter that settles over the planet to kill them. By the time a year has passed only a privileged few remain tucked away inside vaults hidden deep in the ground. The Vault is the story of a group of survivors that return to the surface to discover what remains of the world above.
Rather than give any spoilers away, I’m going to end the description there. I will say that before doing research for this story and writing it, I had no idea just how scary rocks can be. Especially when they fall from the sky at 20 – 30 kilometers per second and rival the size of a city. There’s really not anywhere to hide if that were to happen. And the scariest part is that it’s happened before to the Earth and it will happen again. Hopefully by the time it does we’ll be ready to find a way to save as many people as we can.
[/size]

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Thevault_small

Page Foundry / Inktera

[size]

Now it’s time to chase away the grim chill running down my spine and talk about something else. My next book! I’m working on the next Vitalis book and it has been a pure joy to write so far. I’m nearly a quarter done with it already, and I’ve only been working on it a few days so far. Like most Vitalis books, this mixes in some new characters with some old ones. It is a return to Earth (asteroid free, thankfully). Although in place of asteroids there are plenty of other threats that exist, pitting people against not only each other, but they must also struggle to survive against a wild and savage nature influenced by Vitalis. And, hopefully along the way, a couple of them might even find each other. After all, extreme situations can lead to some very intense romantic relationships.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:asteroid, colonization, military, new release, post apocalyptic, romance, science fiction, scorched earth, special ops[/size]

JASON HALSTEAD BOOK LIST

Queen of Spiders

[size=11]September 23, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

Voidhawk #9, Queen of Spiders, is still in progress. Steady progress, although not as fast as I’d like. It’s nearly the length of a full novel though and I’ve got a bit to get yet, so that’s great news I think. Sure, I wish I had it finished already, but only because I want to see how it’s going to end.
I started this book out with some ideas and a plan on how I needed to help Volera discover more about herself, as well as help everyone find a way to deal with the restless spirits that are plaguing the void. Yet, as usually happens, things took a twist on me as I was writing. Something that seemed insignificant took on a greater priority and, before I knew it, my story had changed. A minor sojourn at a port has turned into an entire adventure by itself!
When they’re done with this they won’t be nearly as far as I’d hoped, but that’s okay because it sets everything up for the next book. Assuming, of course, that no more surprises come my way.
And because I like to think ahead, what’s going to come next after I finish this book? I don’t know for certain, but I have a lot of ideas. Dark Universe has been silent for a while now, but Vitalis is nagging away in the back of my head. Believe it or not, I’ve had some really exciting ideas to continue my Wanted series into a 5^th book as well. The ideas and concepts don’t stop there though, I have other things I’d love to do, but I’m not sure if I can justify the time spent on them. These days I have to focus on what’s going to deliver the most and please the most people, versus writing for the sake and love of writing. Kind of a sad day, but fortunately as long as I’m writing something I’m still having a good time.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:space fantasy, space opera, Voidhawk, work in progress[/size]

Racing Snails

[size=11]September 6, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

Nothing like a summer cold to bless the end of summer. And bring progress to a standstill on my projects. The three day weekend was nice – until it ended, of course. Sadly, that’s when I broke my cold over Friday and Saturday. Getting back to normal now, but I spent labor day laboring (had to frame out more walls in my basement).
The good news is, the worst is past and now I can get back to working on Voidhawk! I’ve got a sweet new idea to incorporate into a book that’s already got a lot of possibilities I really want to work into it. Voidhawk – Queen of Spiders is a little under halfway written, what with my current half baked plans. Love to say I can crank out the rest of it over the next couple of weeks, but we’ll see how that works out.
In other news – there really isn’t much for other news. I’ve been delighted to notice that my non-Amazon sales are higher than ever and even outpacing Amazon this month. Too many issues with Amazon lately has me happy to see another venue outpacing them. The downside of that is my Amazon sales have also been terrible so far this month. Labor day weekend has always tanked for me though, so hopefully they’ll pick up and run neck and neck (Amazon vs. non-Amazon).
If you’re a reader looking for one of my books, if at all possible pick it up from iTunes / iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble (Nook Press), or someplace else. Not that I’ll snub a sale on Amazon, I just like to see healthy competition.

Categories:WritingTags:fantasy, home renovation, queen, sinus cold, spiders, Voidhawk
[/size]

Symbols – Another New Release!

[size]
August 19, 2016Jason Halstead2 comments

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Symbols_small

I mentioned it before, but it happened faster than I expected. Beautiful cover art, thanks to Willsin Rowe, and it’s ready to roll out. Due to my ongoing frustrations with Amazon, Symbols is available everywhere in e-book format.
So what is Symbols? It’s not like my other books, for starters. Symbols is the inspiration I received while camping with my family in Silver Lake, Michigan. The area is beautiful and a lot of fun, and it quickly brought to mind a new story idea thanks to the shifting sands of the sands dunes there. Symbols is a supernatural thriller / horror story with a few scenes intended for mature audiences only (so if you’re under 18 don’t read this book. Or don’t tell me or your parents you read it, if you just can’t stop yourself because it’s just too awesome to pass up).
At first glance it seems like a pretty typical story line – unsuspecting hero finds a cursed treasure. The thing is, I never considered that trope at all while writing it. Not only that, but I twist things around so much in this story that there’s a whole lot more depth to it than it has any right to contain. As a matter of fact, while I was rereading it and doing my final content edit I noticed two things – first: I was caught up in it again and not paying attention to what I should be focusing on (changes that needed to be made) and second: how deep and well done it was. Yes, that’s right, I patted myself on the back. Hey, I’m biased, what can I say?
I’ll include the blurb for a bit more of a teaser, and you’ve already seen the cover. Finally the links where it’s available at (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and the list goes on.).

Alan is a man in need. Forty years old with a wife and two kids, he’d resigned himself to a life of middle class mediocrity. His only escape was the adventures he’d take hoping to learn and experience something – anything – new.
The Silver Lake sand dunes gave him that opportunity. A twist of fate led him to a treasure buried for hundreds of years beneath the shifting sands. A treasure that he can’t turn away from. A treasure that is guarded by powers beyond his understanding.
Alan’s life isn’t the only one at risk. His family has already been changed and soon the rest of the world will suffer. Setting things right means more than embracing the darkness hunting him and fighting back, it means defeating a being as old as human civilization itself.
[/size]

Amazon

Amazon UK

Everyone Else

[size]

What’s next? Well, I’m back working on my 9^th Voidhawk book. I’m either going to call it Voidhawk – Queen of Spiders, or Voidhawk – Spider Queen. I encourage feedback on either title – so don’t hesitate to reach out and tell me which one you like more!

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:curse, god, hieroglyphs, horror, king, lake michigan, Master, Michigan, mind control, mythology, power, sand dunes, silver lake, sumeria, sunken treasure, symbols, thriller
[/size]

Another Grab Bag – and Why Facebook Disappoints

[size]
August 18, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

First off, the clickbait explained – Facebook. For any content provider (or at least for us writers), Facebook has become less and less useful. Oh sure, some might argue Facebook ads bring in lots of sales for them. Good for you – I haven’t seen it. I’ve tried, believe me. I’ve spent hundreds and even thousands of dollars on Facebook ads, but the return wasn’t as much as I invested. That’s bad business (for me, not for Facebook).
But the ads are only one reason Facebook leaves a sour taste in my mouth. It’s all the content I’m missing from people I elected to be my friends. That’s what irks me. That, and the pages I’ve liked that I don’t see updates from because I didn’t drill down into the menus on their page and notify Facebook that yes, I really do want to see their content. Didn’t I already do that when I clicked “like?” Stupid Facebook.
So, that segues into the reason for this blog post. Not to bitch about Facebook, but as means of me (hopefully) blogging more. Instead of posting updates only on my Facebook page, I’ll post them here on my blog. The blog posts go to Facebook (for now – I’m sure they’ll try to limit or monetize that in the future too), my website, my Twitter feed, and my blog (who knew?). Hopefully this way I can reach the extra people who are missing out on Facebook, even if it ends up being only a handful.
This wouldn’t be much of an update if that’s all I shared though, now would it? How about I share the three books that were just released under Dawn Michelle’s name (I’m on the books as an author now too). Claimed by the Dragon King (rewritten from the original release in a winter anthology), Flight of the Dragon King, and Defending the Dragon King. My wife and I teamed up on those books (part of an ongoing series called The Continuum) creatively, so I earned partial credit. They were released last week and are available all over the place (see below for links).
I also JUST clicked the submit button on my latest project, a book called Symbols inspired by my recent vacation in Silver Lake. It’s a bit different from what I usually do – this is a supernatural thriller / horror story. I admit, I was worried I’d lost my way at one point, but then everything came in together for a beautiful ending that I’m still thrilled about. Then again, it’s not uncommon (for me, at least) to start to wonder if I can really pull together everything I’ve been working on in a book and bring it to a proper close. No links for that one yet, but hopefully tomorrow I can share them.
So, until I get around to that, go check out The Continuum books!

[/size]

Claimed by the Dragon King	Flight of the Dragon King	Defending the Dragon King
Amazon Amazon UK Everyone Else	Amazon Amazon UK Everyone Else	Amazon Amazon UK Everyone Else

[size]

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:ads, advertising, dragons, Facebook, paranormal romance, social networking, supernatural
[/size]

Sailing the Stars in Exclusivity

[size]
August 5, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Voidhawk-final-small

Today’s blog title is a bit of a play on words. While sailing the stars is a bit of an allusion that could be used for any starship or space travel, I mean it literally. As in using a solar sail, of sorts, to ply the solar winds and travel from star to star and world to world. Using modern science (or even future science, perhaps), it’s a viable means of transportation, but slow. Using fantasy, it opens up all sorts of possibilities!
So, since I abhor reality and enjoy escaping into my imagination, I’m talking about Voidhawk. Voidhawk is the name of the series and of the wooden ship that sails through the void (space) under the command of Dexter Silvercloud. He’s part scoundrel and part knight, among many other things. The Voidhawk is a ship that has been through a lot since he found it and rebuilt it. They’ve faced off against Elven Armadas, chased demons, travelled outside the void to a place without time, and hunted dragons that could not be killed. And they’ve paid the price for their boldness many times over. But they keep doing it.
The exclusivity? Well, that’s because I just put my entire Voidhawk series into KDP Select, which means it’s available on Kindle Unlimited. It’s exclusive because that means, for the ebooks, at least, I cannot sell them anywhere other than Amazon for the next 3 months. Since they weren’t selling anywhere but Amazon for the past several months, I figure this isn’t much of a sacrifice.
Better yet though is the news that Voidhawk, the first book in the series, is free on Amazon today (8/3) and tomorrow (8/4)! Then it goes back to its regular price of $0.99. Or, if you’re a member of Kindle Unlimited, you can read all 8 books in the series without paying a dime.
As for 8 books in the series, I’m working on book number 9 right now, although I have to finish up another one first, I hope to have that out of the way very quickly.
Oh, and lest I forget, Voidhawk becomes intertwined with another fantasy setting I have, the World of Kroth. The Blades of Leander trilogy (Child of Fate, Victim of Fate, and Silver Dragon) is already part of Kindle Unlimited. The next series, Order of the Dragon (4 books in that one), is not in KU yet. Nor is The Serpent’s War trilogy a part of it (and for the record, I haven’t written the 3^rd book in that trilogy yet either). Voidhawk and Kroth cross paths in Voidhawk #7 (Broken Shards), Voidhawk #8 (Fallen Goddess), and soon to be in Voidhawk #9 (untitled). As for the World of Kroth books, the action happens between the end of Order of the Dragon and the beginning of The Serpent’s War, although there should be some interaction in the upcoming 3^rd book in the Serpent’s War trilogy.
Phew, if that was confusing to you as a reader, imagine how tricky it is for me, the author, to keep it all together! Don’t worry though, I’ll take on the burden of keeping it straight. All you have to do is enjoy the books – and don’t forget to snag Voidhawk while it’s free.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:champion, demon, fantasy, kdp, kindle unlimited, knight, ku, magic, sailing, solar wind, space, space fantasy, space opera, void, warrior, witch, wizard
[/size]

Back to Books

[size]
July 25, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

Back to writing about books! Any fellow writers out there know that book sales have crapped the bed across the board. Anybody who says they aren’t is lying – or they’d better have evidence to back it up they’re willing to present. In spite of that, a fellow fantasy author and a hell of a guy named Michael Mathias just recently sold his one millionth book. That, I think is one hell of a milestone. A milestone I hope one day to reach, although at the rate things are going that might take a lot longer than I expected.
Amidst congratulating him on his success he admitted that book sales were down for him too, but KU was keeping him going. KU (Kindle Unlimited), which I’ve blogged about in the past, is a system where people pay $9.95 a month and get access to pretty much any book in the KU catalog at no additional cost. I think there’s a tie in to Amazon Prime Members too, but I forget exactly what it is.
My past blogs have discussed how I’ve been shying away from KU after trying it out here and there. The price per word paid to authors keeps going down and I felt I made more by going abroad with my books. You see, to be in KU a book has to be exclusive to Amazon (in digital format). I ran my tests and did my research and it seemed to me I could make 30% – 50% of my net royalties off of non-Amazon retailers if I could get my books out to said retailers, whereas leaving them exclusive to Amazon did not earn me enough extra money to offset the loss on other sales channels.
After talking to Mike, it occurred to me that I might need to look at things again.
About the same time I got an email from Smashwords. Smashwords distributes books enrolled to them to other sales outlets (iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, etc.). I used to put all my books through them as well as Amazon direct. Then Draft2Digital came along and I tried them out – much easier, faster, and a far better system. I highly recommend and praise D2D. Smashwords… not so much. Especially after I received an email from them letting me know that several of my books that had been in their premium catalog and doing just fine for years were suddenly no longer eligible because the covers weren’t sized properly.
What. The. ****.
Those two unrelated events came together and made me decide to try another experiment. My fantasy trilogy, Blades of Leander, had once been incredible popular. They were stories in a knights, wizards, and dragons kind of setting. Typical fantasy fare with my spin on things that put the characters first. Anyhow, they did awesome a couple of years ago but then they dropped off the charts. Dropped off as in now they are practically non-existent on said charts. When it comes to non-Amazon outlets, they were completely non-existent.
Well, Child of Fate, Victim of Fate, and Silver Dragon are now exclusive to Amazon and available to KU members at no cost! Not only that, but Child of Fate is free as of this morning and tomorrow to anyone on Amazon that wants to grab it.
I’m switching more things over too in the near future, so keep checking to see what comes up on special next!

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:barbarians, bestselling, Blades of Leander, borrows, child of fate, coming of age, dragons, epic fantasy, free books, goblins, kindle unlimited, knights, michael mathias, Silver Dragon, Victim of Fate, wardstone trilogy, warriors, witches, wizards
[/size]

The Not-So-Good Kind of Hurt

[size]
July 13, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

First a warning, this post is about something I like and most people don’t – exercise. Lifting weights, in particular. If fitness isn’t your thing, no harm done. You may move along with no guilt on your conscience. For the two people still reading, let’s talk about squats.
I’ve been seriously lifting weights for thirteen or fourteen years now. Sure, I worked out before that, but not with any clear understanding of how best to do it. I dabbled and saw some results, but then would get pulled away by life and lose them. These days it’s a part of my life and not something I’m capable of abandoning.
In all that time I’ve worked up to some impressive weights and accomplishments, including a peak in my home gym of 475lbs while squatting. That was years ago, probably between 2009 and 2012. I’ve squatted up to and over 400 since then, but squats and I never really got along. I suspect it has to do with my body mechanics. Leg to torso ratio and whatnot. I’m a lot better at other lower body exercises than any sort of squats – deadlifts in particular. And don’t get my started on front squats!
Last night I stretched and warmed up, then went for a light squat workout with 225lbs. Like always, I felt the pain instantly in my quads. It’s a jabbing and stabbing kind of pain, or maybe there’s a pinch or two in there too. Whatever the case, every rep at the bottom of my range of motion (I go as far below parallel as possible without falling over or sitting on the ground) my quadriceps yelp and squeal like baby pigs about to be turned into bacon. It’s not just unpleasant, it hurts.
So last night I went for a wider stance after my first set. A wider stance calls in more hamstring activation. I’ve got great hammies, strength-wise, so it should be a no brainer. Except my intent is to work my quads. In any event, the experiment was a minor success – my thighs didn’t hurt as much. They still hurt, but not as badly. It’s a problem and one I haven’t been able to solve in more than a decade – I just sucked it up and dealt with it. Power through, that’s always been my mantra. Even the times when I ended up injuring myself – but I’m getting wise enough to learn that maybe pain is a warning and powering through isn’t the best option every time. Maybe.
I’ll keep squatting for a few more weeks. Typically I go through a circuit of squats until they hurt so damn much I can’t do them anymore, than I switch to deadlifts or something else for my lower body. That will probably be the case this time too, but I’m not sure how invested I’ll be down the road to doing this kind of exercise again. Focusing on a wider stance the entire circuit might make a difference too, only time and hard work will tell.
After the squats I did a few sets of clean and presses. Only 135lbs, but I really enjoy doing power cleans and clean and presses. I can’t lift as much, but the explosive movement is fun. Not to mention the whole body exercise does great things for, you guessed it, my whole body. The only downside is the day after a lower body day has me wiped out and ready to take a nap at a moment’s notice.
Is there a message to be shared and learned here? Nothing obvious, only me willing to share some data for other exercise junkies out there. I like to think that somebody, somewhere, can learn from my trials and mistakes without feeling to consequences of poor decisions. I like to learn my lessons the hard way, it seems, but somebody out there has to be smarter than me!

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:Weight LiftingTags:clean and press, deadlift, exercise, fitness, learning, lower body, power clean, squats, working out
[/size]

They Sent Their Worst and Expected the Best

[size]
July 6, 2016Jason Halstead2 comments

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Vitalisvalkyries_small

“They” is the Terran Coalition military command. Not men in black suits and sunglasses, but close to it. The Terran Coalition of Systems is the government in the Vitalis universe, my series of books that now officially numbers 9 full novels (with the first being a collection of 7 novellas). Yes, that’s right, my latest books, Vitalis: Valkyries, is now available.
Valkyries picks up where Commandos left off, although there have been a few weeks of time spent for the Commandos both on Vitalis and on their transport ship flying through space on their new mission. What new mission? Why, return to Earth. People are in trouble there, after all. The Biological contagion that is Vitalis has spread throughout the planet. The entire world has been quarantined and nobody is allowed off of it.
The survivors band together in small groups, some of them clinging to civilization and doing their best to help each other out. Others form groups as well, but their purpose is not to protect each other so much as to protect themselves. Strength can be found in numbers, after all, and they use that strength to prey on the weak.
Amidst the chaos the Commandos have been sent to restore a semblance of peace and order. Doing so means they need to enlist the aid of locals and find out where the true enemies lie. Corporal Carmen Mendez and her fire team are more than up for the task. They call themselves the Valkyries. Like the warrior women of legend, they are fierce and merciless. Once on the verge of being discharged or imprisoned for their behavior, they’ve found a second chance at life. Vitalis threw its best against them and came up short.
Earth, on the other hand, is a different planet. A different world, with new challenges they have to adapt to understand if they hope to complete their mission.
[/size]

Vitalis	Vitalis: Resurrection	Vitalis: Provenance
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera

Vitalis: Genesis	Vitalis: Invasion	Vitalis: Chrysalis
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera
Vitalis: Communion	Vitalis: Commandos	Vitalis: Valkyries
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo [url=http://365tfs:8080/tfs/DefaultCollection/Technology/Smart Shop - Troy/_backlogs/board/Backlog itemshttps:/www.scribd.com/book/249570683/Communion-Vitalis-7]Scribd[/url] Page Foundry / Inktera	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo [url=http://365tfs:8080/tfs/DefaultCollection/Technology/Smart Shop - Troy/_backlogs/board/Backlog items]Scribd[/url] Page Foundry / Inktera	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera

[size]

Now, in other news, I’ve been helping Dawn Michelle with some of her books this summer. Her Continuum series is 3 books in now, although none have yet been released. Well, book 1 was part of a USA Today bestselling anthology at the end of 2015, but she’s gone through and made several revisions to it already in preparation for re-releasing it late this summer / fall with the rest of that series.
That’s not all I’ve been up to though – Just yesterday I started the 9^th book in my Voidhawk series. Although by starting it I mean I got the rough draft ready to begin and though about it, as well as re-reading Voidhawk – Fallen Goddess. Every damn time I get to the end of that book something gets in my eye. Dust or dirt or something. Whatever the case, I decided the end wasn’t as polished as it should be, so I revised it. What happened still happened, I just improved the writing. I will update the book at its various retail locations in the very near future for anything wishing to re-download it (it doesn’t cost anything if you’ve already bought it). I’m also strongly considering posting the last chapter on my blog as well. The last chapter?! Yeah, I know… it’s weird. Weird is good though, it’s how I roll.
Keep an eye out on my Facebook page and my blog (more likely my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/booksbyjason) for updates on Voidhawk and everything else!

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:aliens, amazon, DNA, First Contact, Inktera, itunes, kobo, Marines, military, new release, police, science fiction, scorched earth, Scribd, Space Marines[/size]

JASON HALSTEAD BOOK LIST

Confession Time

[size=11]December 8, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

We all have our private guilty pleasures. I’m no different in that regard, except mine might not be what you expect – at least not the ones I’m willing to admit to. For example, I’m an avid fan of a couple of television shows (that I watch in the early hours thanks to streaming services). Chief among them is Marvel’s Agents of Shield (and the mid-winter break Agent Carter). Followed almost as closely by Supergirl, which moved to the CW.
Now, between you and me, I never had any interest in the CW as a network. I’m definitely not in their target market and I saw little value in the fluff I thought they produced. Yet when Supergirl went there, I had no choice. But still, Supergirl was it, the hell with those other shows.
Then they did something dastardly. Earlier this year they did a crossover with Barry Allen, aka The Flash. From the show, The Flash (convenient, eh?). Now he showed back up and requested Supergirl’s help…. But her help was to be continued on his show. Damn it! I had to watch The Flash now. Grr… and that meant getting caught up. Double grr.
So I did it. I watched it. All of season 2, in fact. And once I got past the cheesiness so inherent in the DC universe, I found myself enjoying it. Not quite as hooked as Supergirl, but it’s made my mornings more difficult because once a week I have to squeeze in time to catch up on that show too. Unfortunately for me, the CW went another deeper level into hell and at the end of the combined show with Flash and Supergirl, they continued it on next night’s Arrow show. WTF?!
This time I drew the line. No way, no how, was I going to catch up on Arrow. There’s nothing about Arrow that interests me. I’m a bow hunter and I love shooting bows and arrows (and guns), so I can only suspend my disbelief so far. That and the characters don’t really interest me very much. Nonetheless, I had to continue the combined storyline, so I did by watching the single show that has multiple characters mingled together – and discovered that the story arc would continue into DC’s Legends of Tomorrow the following night. #$%$%^@!!
Legends of Tomorrow, I quickly discovered, is very addicting. The eclectic cast is superb. Sure, there’s cheesiness in the extreme – they travel through time to stop aberrations that would screw up the timeline, after all – but the cast of characters is so well rounded and each character so full, it’s impossible not to get sucked in. Characters I thought deserved a red shirt exposed vulnerabilities and interesting traits that changed my mind completely. And, most interesting of all, is Mick. He’s the jerk / muscle of the group. A former criminal with questionable moral character. And I love him! He is the Jayne Cobb of the show. And if you don’t know Jayne Cobb is, go watch Firefly right now. That’s an order.
Legends of Tomorrow has some of that same Firefly flavor to it, which is maybe why I’m so drawn to it. Not as good, but nothing else on television ever has been. But the point here isn’t to wax on the injustice of Fox cancelling Firefly, but to talk about the CW story arc among superhero shoes. And to that end, Legends of Tomorrow ended the story arc and everybody went back to their own shows – except now I have four shows to watch each week instead of only two (Agents of Shield, Supergirl, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow).
I ask myself what makes these shows so interesting? Complex characters with a lot of quirks has a lot to do with it. Cool concepts and premises as well, as far as the show is concerned. Admittedly, The Flash is the weakest on these things, but it makes up for it by exploring a lot more what-if type scenarios.
Speaking of characters, I’m a sucker for a strong female character. They do such a better job of showing how well balanced they are between strength and weakness than male characters do. I’m exposing a double standard there, I admit, because when I see a male lead get soft and emotional I scowl and mutter bad things about them. I’m certain I’m not alone in that, but it doesn’t make it right.
Well, I can work on sensitivity training for myself, but those who know my best don’t hold out much hope there. On the flip side, I can continue to enjoy kick-ass female leads without reservation. And I can promote a few and share their stories as they appear to me. For example, in a couple of days I have a new book coming out that’s part of a shared universe (not unlike what the CW did with their DC superhero shows). Character’s interact between books written by myself and multiple other authors – and they are all being released on December 10^th, this Saturday.
Mine is called Arrested in Peace and you can pre-order it now. It follows the main character, Valerie (Val) Washburn) as she attempts to put the horrors of her past behind her on an alien planet while trying to decide which of the metahumans she’s dealing with are friends, and which are foes. For now that’s all I’ll share – look for more in a couple of days!

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:Writing[/size]

Check Please

[size=11]November 11, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

I’m done. At least for a while. I’ve been avoiding Facebook for weeks, if not months, due to all the crap I’ve been seeing. Fear, hate, and outright bullying in the form of political bullshit. Sadly, it was mirrored on the television. Fortunately for me, I don’t watch much television and what I do watch is either a hockey game or something I can block the commercials out with.
And now it’s over. Sweet, blessed relief. Normalcy can return. Except it hasn’t. If anything, the fear and hate mongering on Facebook has escalated. Most Trump supporters are getting sick and tired of it, even though the vast majority seem to have stayed quiet about it up until now. Hillary supporters are angry and bitter because she gave them a holy crusade to believe in and convinced them to take up the pitchfork and torch for her cause – only to find out her plan didn’t work out the way they thought it would.
Personally, I’m glad. I hate to admit it, but I’m glad on as spiritual a level as I’ll ever get that the American people did not condone her past and present actions by electing her into office. The evidence is irrefutable and, had it been anyone else who would have broken the agreements and laws that she did, a harsh sentence would be quick in coming. For her it did not, much as her husband was acquitted during his tenure as president when he was investigated. This, if nothing else, has served as an example of how corrupted and broken our system has become. To perpetuate that would be a crime. The government has too much influence and power.
Look at almost every science fiction story or movie out there. Utopian societies exist because of some hidden evil beneath. Some great corruption that allows the socialist regime to flourish and remain in power. Civilizations are disarmed and kept powerless. They are subjugated, perhaps even drugged, to perpetuate the illusion of a perfect world. Until some rebel with a bow and arrow or a bizarre way of thinking rises up and makes people realize that roses aren’t supposed to stink like decay.
More government is not the answer. More government means more rules and more restriction. Less freedom. Less ability to choose. Less human rights. In my stories I strive to keep government at reasonable levels and let the characters flourish and achieve what they are meant to achieve. Out here in the real world I struggle to do the same thing, because I believe it’s people that can, and do, make a difference. Not institutions or organizations. People.
America made me proud on November 8^th when they said we want a real change. We don’t like what’s happening to us – what we’ve allowed to happen to us. We want something different. Is President Trump going to bring it? I’ll be damned if I know. I am convinced that he is extremely intelligent and very persuasive. His skills at business are exceptional. He’s not going to be the despot so many people believe in, but only time will tell that. Whether he can chart a new, and better, course for America will be a subject for historians. All we can do is work together and try to help each other through the bumps along the way.
Will there one day be a woman president? Absolutely. Will she be as enslaved by her ambitions and willing to broker any deal or tell any lie necessary to achieve that title? I sure as hell hope not. In my mind I argue that electing Hillary wouldn’t have been a proper way to shatter the glass ceiling – it would have been a lesson to our youth that it’s okay to do whatever is necessary to win, regardless of the consequences. That, to me, is just bad parenting on a national scale.
And I’ve gone on far longer than I intended to. My intent was just to say that I can’t stomach Facebook right now, so I’m taking a break from. Any abusive or defamatory comments on this will be removed. I’m not inciting a discussion, I’m stating my mind and moving on after months of doing my best to remain neutral only become involved when something amused me.
I’m not taking a break from writing though. Medic has broken the 20k word barrier and is coming fast and furious. Not as fast as I’d like, but I’m still slapping the keys as much as I can. It will definitely be done this year, and as long as editing and cover art are available in time, it will be published this year as well.
After that? Maybe a political thriller? That’s a joke. I hate politics and what they do to people. Next up could be a lot of things, but to be honest I have no idea which one it will be. I’ve had character ideas and story ideas – we’ll just have to wait and see which one makes the most sense.
Oh! There will be a release in early December. It’s called Arrested in Peace, and it’s my secret project I’ve been working on all year. This book is part of a multi-book project releasing at the same time. It’s science fiction and fantasy mixed in a cool new concept. I can’t say much more about it yet, but I do plan on getting up for pre-order soon so it can launch the same time the others do. Stay tuned for more info on that.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:Self Help, WritingTags:clinton, common sense, dystopia, election, fantasy, hillary, science fiction, trump, utopia, Wanted[/size]

Wanted: The Blog

[size=11]October 27, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

It’s way too soon for another blog update, given my infrequent posts, but I just couldn’t help it. I’m up to chapter 5 on Medic already and I just wanted to share that it’s coming along so smooth and easy. I’m really loving this story and re-connecting with these characters. Carl is awesome and uncompromising as ever. Jessie is bubbly, unstoppable, outrageous, and she just won’t shut up. Ally is a little bit of both – thoughtful and determined, but with a fun and sexy attitude. And the new guy? He’s so over his head he doesn’t even know how much trouble he’s in trying to hang out with these guys!
I’m going to have an absolute blast with this one, I know it!

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:army, funeral, military, ptsd, science fiction, scorched earth, series[/size]

Arachnophobia in Space

[size=11]October 27, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

Thinking about that title sends shivers down my spine, and I’m not really afraid of spiders. Creepy things, sure, but I’ve only had one close call with a Black Widow and I came out on top… of the shovel I used to smash it into paste after I stopped with less than two inches between the spider and my belly. My brother, on the other hand, would have probably burnt the house to the ground and called in an airstrike just to make sure.
But this post isn’t about spiders, it’s about my new release! Voidhawk – Queen of Spiders. Yes, there are spiders in it, lots of them. And they’re huge – bodies the size of a cheetah and legs that stretch for miles (or maybe a few feet, it’s still creepy). And they serve their queen and only their queen – whoever that happens to be.
On top of spiders the different people of void are still dealing with the problem of the dead not wanting to stay dead. So spiders and zombies… it’s only natural a few zombie spiders join the story as well, right?
And that’s just only the tip of everything that’s happening in this book. Rosh and Volera reconnecting. Bekka finding more about her own talents and abilities. Jianna and Dexter supporting each other as best they can after the loss of Jenna. And there’s so much more I don’t want to give away. It’s a full book, to say the least!
And it’s available now – everywhere ebooks are sold (or as close to everywhere as I can get – see the links below). Check it out, you won’t be disappointed!

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Voidhawkqueenofspiders_small

[/size]

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble / Nook, Kobo, iTunes / iBooks, Scribd, Pagefoundry

[size]

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:Writing[/size]

Took Me Long Enough!

[size=11]October 21, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

Just a quick update because it’s late already (and the Redwings are playing an intense game against Nashville). Tonight, rather late, I finally got my next Wanted book scoped out and planned. Or as planned as I do with any of these. I squirreled away the time to put a name and face to my new characters. That’s what started this idea, the concept of a character that I want to put through the grinder and, maybe, help out (before it’s too late).
Of course, it’s a Wanted book, so you can bet your ass that Carl, Jessie, and Ally will be back. I’m sure Tanya will play a part too. Who knows, maybe Sarah or some other favorites from past books might show up too – I sure don’t have a clue at this point!
The point is, the 5^th Wanted book is officially underway. Working title so far: Medic.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:detroit redwings, end of the world as we know it, federal marshal, new science fiction, ptsd, scorched earth[/size]

The Ship has Sailed

[size=11]October 19, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

Voidhawk – Queen of Shadows, has sailed! To the editor, at least. I have cover art already so I just need that to be finished when it can dock a port near you for reading.
What took so long? An incredibly busy and crazy life lately, for one. The book itself was a joy to write and never stalled for lack of ideas of interest. In fact, it took on a life of its own and went in a direction I didn’t intend. Along the way a few characters really dug deep and really showed some amazing things to me. All in all, it was a good time and one I wish I could have gotten done sooner, only so that I can share it with the Voidhawk fans out there.
What’s next, you ask? Well, I have a couple of awesome character ideas, but unfortunately they won’t fit in the next Serpent’s War book, so they have to wait a bit for me to finish that. Another character I’ve been dying to write is a soldier who is living with PTSD, and a lot of ideas I have around it would fit in wonderfully with my Wanted setting. Think anybody’s up for an unexpected 5th book in the Wanted series?
Then there’s The Continuum, my joint venture with Dawn Michelle. That one needs more books written as well. Argh! So many options and so little time – and don’t think for a moment I’ve forgotten about Dark Universe or Vitalis.
So that doesn’t really tell you anything about what comes next, other than to say sooner or later, they’ll all be new books waiting to be read! Until then, hold tight for Voidhawk and stay tuned for more updates on what I settle on.
Oh, and my updates were pretty sparse lately. For that I apologize. I kept saying I need to write one down and share it… or I could spend the time writing the book and get it that much closer. I knew I was near the end, I just didn’t realize it would extend out another 6 or 7 chapters until I reached it. Next time, update first. These are short and quick, so why not make the time to do it?

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Categories:WritingTags:arachnophobia, champion, demons, driders, fantasy, knight, magic, naval battles, sailing, ships, space fantasy, space opera, spiders, succubus, sword and sorcery, warrior[/size]

Please Hold…

[size=11]September 28, 2016Jason HalsteadLeave a comment

For fans of the Voidhawk series, I imagine you’re getting plenty frustrated. First I started #9 and then I took a break to work on something else (Symbols). Now I’m back on it, but it’s taking forever to write. Entirely my fault, but not due to lack of interest or desire. Just increasing demands and, arguably, less than optimal time management. But damn it, I am working on it! Just last night I finished off another 4000 words in fact. The end is near, my friends, but still a week or so out.
And that brings me to my next discussion point. I’m 99% sure I know what my next project is. This wasn’t what I had planned, but for these characters and this series, it’s usually how it works. I’m returning to my Wanted series for another installment. No idea about the title, but I’ve got some wicked-cool ideas on plot and an even more amazing idea for a new character to introduce.
This character has been rattling around in the back of my head for a while, but they never real took on a lot of substance. Some reading I’ve been doing has reestablished the need for this character though, and that in turn helped me flesh them out. Originally I was thinking it would be a woman because that’s a little less common / mainstream, but then I realized poor Carl is surrounded by women and he could really use another guy on his side. Once that decision was made, the character more or less popped into life.
I’d spend time writing more about it, but I need to get back to working on Voidhawk (amongst other things). So consider this a teaser!
Oh, and not to worry, Vitalis and Dark Universe are not abandoned, and neither is my wife’s latest series, Continuum.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.[/size]

National Today Tuesday September 12 * National Video Games Day *

National Video Games Day
No reason to feel bad about not even seeing the light of day today

No reason to feel bad about not even seeing the light of day on September 12, because it’s National Video Games Day! Video games originated around 1940, but today, the video game industry is an 18 billion dollar industry that constantly churns out new fun favorites for all ages. The term “video game” encompasses all kinds of digital games, from old-school Mario games to hot new VR ones like “Beat Saber.” The huge array of video games means there will be something for everyone to play today — whether it’s an old arcade game or Fortnite. If a day alone doesn’t appeal to you, round up some friends for a multiplayer game! Follow these Top Video Game Journalists if you want to learn more about video games.

When is National Video Games Day 2023?

The digital realm of video games is celebrated on National Video Games Day on September 12.

History of National Video Games Day

These days, everyone can find a video game that gets them hooked. Not only does it depend on the gameplay style you like — strategy or combat? — you might have a particular penchant for games from a specific age. Some love old-timey arcade games, while others are excited by cutting-edge VR.

Surprisingly, the origin story of your favorite video game app in your pocket is actually in research labs. The earliest video games began in the 1950s in universities like the University of Cambridge and MIT. Some games that came out of these were virtual tic tac toe, and “Spacewar!”

When the first home console, designed in 1967 by the “Father of Video Games” Ralph Baer, hit the market, it inspired the classic Atari game “Pong.” Though there was a copyright infringement lawsuit, Atari still took off with the public when they released the Atari 2600. Some of the best games of the ensuing era include “Space Invaders” and “Donkey Kong” — sound familiar?

After the video game market crash in 1983, Japanese company Nintendo burst onto the scene. Nintendo is responsible for some of the most important franchises around — Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid. Nintendo found a challenger in Sega, driving the market into the 3D Gaming world.

The modern era of gaming was truly kicked off in the early 21st century with the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and the Wii. Video games then invaded media platforms and video game apps flooded the app stores. Lucrative competitions for skilled gamers have begun to spring up worldwide. These days, big video game console companies like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, have their sights set on VR — the exciting future of video gaming gets more and more lifelike every day!

National Video Games Day related content
National Video Games Day - Survey Results

NATIONALTODAY NATIONAL VIDEO GAMES DAY SURVEY

Survey according to one of the top Market Research Agencies (Survey of 1,000 Americans)

What’s the best gaming console?

#1: Playstation (38%)
#2: Xbox (38%)
#3: Nintendo (21%)

What’s the best video game franchise?

#1: Super Mario (47%)
#2: Call of Duty (21%)
#3: Donkey Kong (19%)
#4: Grand Theft Auto (19%)
#5: Pokemon (16%)
#6: Zelda (13%)
#7: Sonic the Hedgehog (13%)
#8: Final Fantasy (9%)
#9: Halo (9%)
#10: Crash Bandicoot (7%)

How often do you play video games?
#1: Everyday (31%)
#2: Rarely (31%)
#3: 2-3x a week (23%)

When do mobile gamers like to play games on their phones?

#1: Whenever I’m bored (66%)
#2: When I’m watching TV (41%)
#3: Before I go to sleep (39%)
#4: When I’m on the toilet (34%)
#5: During my breaks at work (21%)
#6: Whenever I’m eating (20%)
#7: Before I leave for work (12%)
#8: On my commute to work (8%)

Traditions of the Day

Video games have come a long way. The virtual worlds emulated by games are no longer just for enjoyment and passing time, it is an entire experience. With storylines and character development sometimes surpassing that of Hollywood movies, National Video Games Day celebrations are exuberant.

The go-to tradition for the day is to immerse oneself in video games, whether by yourself or with friends. Multiplayer gaming has formed friendships that are cherished and stronger than some real-life relations, so digital celebrations are at their peak with streaming gameplays on websites like YouTube and Twitch, commentaries, and video games played online with team-mates living around the world.

Going old-school and playing classic games at an arcade is also a tradition. The charm and nostalgia of old games are growing and they increase our appreciation for new video games with better graphics and gameplay.

Video game releases and announcements are also made by some companies today. Special discounts and bundles, and free downloads of video games are available on platforms like Steam. Items and character upgrades inside video game shops are offered at reduced prices, too.

By The Numbers

360,000 – the number of arcade cabinets of the game “Space Invaders” sold by 1980.

$80,000 – the amount spent by a Japanese man on playing “Space Invaders”.

40,000,000 – the number of copies sold of “Super Mario Bros” by the game’s 25th anniversary.

3 – the number of discs that held the “Final Fantasy VII” game on PlayStation.

56 – the number of vehicles drivable in “Grand Theft Auto: III”.

3 – the number of days it took “Grand Theft Auto: V” to reach $1 billion in sales.

13 – the number of novels written on the “Halo” universe.

12,000,000 – the number of subscribers to “World Of Warcraft” in 2012.

7 – the number of players originally limited to a football team in “Madden Football” due to hardware restrictions.

92 – the number of production babies who joined the Bungie family in the game “Destiny” since 2010.

National Video Games Day Activities

Round up friends for IRL gaming

Multiplayer gaming is best done together IRL! It’s a great means of getting together with people who have the same console to connect in real life and digitally.

Hit an arcade to relive the classics

Who didn’t love growing up on PacMan? Spend some time at an old-school arcade remembering what it was like to be a kid with a quarter and a competitive spirit.

Treat yourself to a newly released game

If there’s ever a day to splurge on the newest craze in gaming, it’s today. All your friends have been talking about the new release and you’re desperate to give it a try? Go for it, then spend the rest of the day playing it with them!

5 Facts About Video Games That Will Blow Your Mind

Public libraries are in on the trend

In an attempt to get children and teens more interested in books, libraries have started adding video games to their shelves.

Gaming beefs up your brain

In one study, adults who played Super Mario 64 for 2 hours a day developed increased brain volume over time!

RPG Dreaming

According to one study, those who play video games are more likely to have lucid dreams — where they can control what’s happening.

Gaming as a national economic stimulus

After Nokia’s downfall, Finland’s economy was greatly assisted by Clash of Clans.

Gaming payout

In 2019, a boy from the US won the largest single-person eSports payout - $3,000,000!

Why We Love National Video Games Day

They can actually be good for you (Sorry, Mom!)

Though not all games offer the same educational value, many that include problem-solving and teamwork have been shown to increase the gray matter in your brain and ultimately grow it! It can also help refine learned and hardwired skills, as well as improve problem-solving and communication with others.

They inspire and push tech boundaries

The first video games were considered modern marvels, and we can’t say it’s changed much since. Who hasn’t seen some great graphics on a game, or been absolutely blown away the first time you slid on that VR headset? Many games push what’s possible for technology, and inspire generations.

They increase happiness

That rush you get when you conquer a level? Unmatched! Recent studies have shown that adults who play video games are less stressed and more relaxed than those who do not. It could be because video games offer a chance to remove yourself from everyday life stresses, or they might just be happier being more connected to their inner child!

NATIONAL TODAY Thursday JULY 13

JULY 13

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club July_111

National French Fry Day

Did you know that the origin of French fries is likely not French at all?

National French Fry Day on July 13 is a great opportunity to take the time to sample some golden-brown potato slices. But did you know that the origin of French fries is more than likely not French at all? Potatoes were being fried in Belgium way before the French, but more on that later. When it comes to the tastiest French fries on the planet, everyone seems to have an opinion. It’s a time-consuming decision to find your favorite because no two restaurants seem to have the same recipe. French fries do have a nutritional stigma attached to them, however, due to high-caloric and fat content. But it’s tough to say no to a hot batch — even the ones at the bottom of the bag.
When is National French Fry Day 2023?

Crinkle-cut, English style, or McDonald’s famous fries, French fries are enjoyed and celebrated on National French Fry Day on July 13.
History of National French Fry Day

Estimates say Americans eat around 30 pounds of French fries per person each year. That seems like a lot, but when you think about all the ways you can eat fries, it adds up quickly. They’re easy to gobble down, whether they’re straight out of a fast-food French-fry container or whether you’re an expert at making fries at home. Add in all of the different condiments, and these simple potatoes become even more popular.

The term ‘French fries’ refers to deep-fried slices or strips of potatoes. While the precise origins are unknown, the item hit the culinary scene sometime in the 1700s. It had taken an entire century for potatoes to become widely accepted as food, arriving in Europe in the 1600s.

Like most iconic foods, the French fry has an interesting folk story about how it was created. Belgians call dibs on the origins of French fries, claiming it to be an invention of their people. According to a manuscript by Joseph Gerard, the residents of the Meuse Valley, located near Dinant in Belgium, consumed a lot of fish, since they lived near the river. During winters, when the rivers would freeze and fishing would become difficult, the idea to slice potatoes like fish fillets and fry them in hot fat was born.

But all credit does go to the French for popularizing frying foods and selling them in public on street carts called ‘frites,’ in the mid-1700s. Eventually, potatoes were cut in all sorts of shapes and fried. As to how French fries arrived in America, there are two versions of that story, too. The more popular and accepted fact is that Thomas Jefferson brought the dish to the U.S.A. While serving time as an ambassador, Jefferson spent a lot of time in France and went on to serve “potatoes served in the French manner” at a White House dinner in 1802.

The other theory is that World War I soldiers who were stationed around Dinant in Belgium took a liking to the local finger food known as ‘pommes frites’ and took the idea back with them. This is when French fries really took off and became mainstream in the U.S.

National French Fry Day Social Media Buzz

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlMRtnbFUrR/?taken-by=holidaysofginger
Happy French Fry Day!
National French Fry Day - Survey Results

NATIONALTODAY.COM FRENCH FRY SURVEY

Data gathered by a top San Francisco Marketing Agency (survey of 1,000 Americans)

AMERICA’S ULTIMATE RANKING OF FAST FOOD FRIES

#1: McDonalds (35%)
#2: Chick-fil-A (13%)
#3: Five Guys (12%)
#4: Wendys (11%)
#5: Arbys (11%)
#6: Burger King (7%)
#7: In n Out (4%)
#8: Sonic (3%)
#9: Shake Shack (3%)
#10: Carls Jr. (2%)

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STYLE OF FRIES?

#1: Regular (21%)
#2: Curly (20%)
#3: Steak-cut (14%)
#4: Crinkle (13%)
#5: Waffle (13%)
#6: Wedges (7%)

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CONDIMENT TO PUT ON FRIES?

#1: Ketchup (55%)
#2: Ranch (15%)
#3: Cheese sauce (8%)
#4: Barbecue sauce (7%)
#5: Mayo (4%)

FRIES DIPPED IN MILKSHAKES, YES OR NO?

#1: No, that’s gross (33%)
#2: Yes, I love it (21%)

Traditions

Regular, waffle, Belgian, steak, thick-cut, crinkle-cut, cottage, wedge, curly, shoestring, tornado, and of course, the smiley face, today is the day when fries are celebrated in all shapes and sizes. It is truly amazing how all these variations of fries just seem to taste different and have their own softness and crunch-factor. Try as many as you can today without worrying about your waistline.

To add to the fun, there are countless condiments and toppings that go with fries. Reach out for good ol’ ketchup, or try different sauces and obscure flavors like Nutella!

By the Numbers

165 pounds – the amount of fried potatoes consumed in Belgium annually by every person.

30 pounds – the amount of potato fries consumed by the average American every year.

⅓ – the number of the world’s fries produced by McCain Foods.

90 seconds – the time vending machines in Belgian grocery stores take to fry potatoes and push them out.

1982 – the year when John Calvi wrote an ode to French fries.

7 – the percentage of potatoes grown in the U.S. that are used by McDonald’s.

20 – the ingredients used in McDonald’s’ famous fries recipe.

2-4 – the age of children at which fried potatoes are their highest consumed vegetable.

15 – the types of French fries available.

10,000 – the attendance at the annual French Fry Feed event in the U.S.
National French Fry Day Activities

Try them with a new condiment

Although Americans usually eat their French fries with ketchup, consider experiencing another culture’s condiment on National French Fry Day. Folks in Great Britain eat fries with malt and vinegar. You’d use melted butter and sugar on your fries in Vietnam. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a new favorite.

Try a new seasoning with your fries

Most people cook their French fries in salt, and leave it at that. But you can sprinkle all kinds of seasonings on French fries, giving them a unique taste. Some people like to use a Cajun seasoning with fries, for example. Find the right seasoning, and, as blasphemous as it sounds, you might even decide to skip dunking them in ketchup.

Consider making your own fries at home

It’s going to be tough to outdo your favorite restaurant’s French fries, but you can use National French Fry Day as an excuse to try to make some fries at home. This can be a messy process, especially the frying step, but you can try a few different variations and seasonings this way. And even if you don’t succeed, you’ll have a much greater appreciation for the fry cook at your favorite local restaurant.

5 Delectable Facts About French Fries

Original name

French fries were originally known as ‘French fried potatoes’ in the U.S. — by the 1930s, the ‘potatoes’ was dropped.

It’s in the skin

The skin of potatoes has important nutrients and vitamins that are at times not peeled when making French fries.

Higher fat content

Steak fries have lower fat than regular cut French fries.

Love me some spuds

The slang term for potato, ‘spud,’ comes from the spade-like tool that is used to harvest the potatoes.

Burning off the calories

To burn off calories from consuming a medium-sized order of McDonald’s French fries, one will have to bowl for 90 minutes, bicycle for 58 minutes, or engage in high-impact aerobics for 50 minutes.

Why We Love National French Fry Day

Some restaurants provide free French fries

The best way to find some free French fries on National French Fry Day is to follow the social media accounts of restaurants. A few different places offer free fries with a meal purchase or by using a digital coupon. We’re not sure people need an excuse to eat more, but free certainly works.

French fries go great with almost anything

Sure, the pairing of French fries and hamburgers is ingrained in the American diet. But fries taste great with many different kinds of food, including sandwiches, steak, and even eggs. And although most people will dip their French fries in ketchup, you’ll find people also dipping fries in plenty of other condiments, including ranch-flavored salad dressing, mustard, and even milkshakes. Heck, as strange as it sounds, some people even eat them plain.

There are so many variations

The thin French fry sticks, often called shoestring fries, that are popular with fast food restaurants are the most common type of fry variation, but you can’t stop there. There are waffle fries, steak fries, curly fries, crinkle-cut fries, home fries, and wedge fries. We wouldn’t recommend trying every variation on National French Fry Day, but we won’t discourage those of you who like a challenge.

what the shank?

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club U5453491_20220619_114102.jpg?0.161

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club USA.gif?0.161

pdb1
24,348 Posts

Wed, May 7 2014 3:09 AM

Six different times ,out of the rough on BPB # 6 2nd shot,I hit it just right and it takes off thirty or forty yds the wrong direction.Its the only hole that it has ever happened on and it has happened 6 times.Has anyone else had this?What the hell is it?

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club U3479569_20190123_222549.JPG?0.161

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club DEU.gif?0.161

alosso
20,868 Posts

Wed, May 7 2014 3:53 AM

I've had it several times and on different holes. In particular, I remember BPB #13 (Par 5) from FW, about 50 yds out - shank into the wood, OAK #9 from the rough on the greenside of a FW bunker - a Mickelson lob looping backwards.
In general, steep slopes up may broaden the chances.

WGT National Enquirer Comic Caption Contest August 2012

WGT National Enquirer Comic Caption Contest August 2012

PAGE 1 ONLY

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club U614946_20160221_170410.png?0.159

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club USA.gif?0.159

andyson
6,415 Posts

Mon, Aug 27 2012 12:42 PM

Here's your chance to contribute to the next WGT National Enquirer!
If you've read the latest WGT National Enquirer Special Report you'll know MisterWGT's latest Customer Q&A session didn't quite turn out as planned. So, ever the nimble entrepreneur, MisterWGT sought out new customers to field their questions.
Post here, on this thread, what you think the girl and MisterWGT were talking about in in the photo below.
The best entry will be featured on the cover of the next Enquirer and will receive a sleeve of balls graciously donated by MioKontic!
The deadline for submissions is Saturday September 1st at 11:59:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
Entries will be judged by Mio and me on originality, relevancy, and humor. Multiple entries are allowed. Campaigning is allowed. The only thing not allowed really is changing the photo below.
Decision of the judges is final mostly. And we reserve editorial right to modify your entry to fit the bubble, etc.
Let's see 'em people!

Example:
Girl: Can we have cookies and milk now?
MisterWGT: How about a nice Level-Up Boost Bar instead? Only 100 credits.
mel1950
2,887 Posts Mon, Aug 27 2012 1:05 PM

GIRL: So if I buy loads of Level-Up Boost Bars and all the new equipment as I go up the levels it will make me a better player??
Mister WGT: Well, No!! But it will make me an extremely Rich man. he he.............

Mel
mkg335
5,491 Posts Mon, Aug 27 2012 1:06 PM

Girl: How long will it take me to get to Level 95 and the new R11s 3-wood?
MrWGT: If you play 5 or 6 rounds every day for the rest of your life, probably about the same time you get your first Social Security check. Next question..
mkg335
5,491 Posts Mon, Aug 27 2012 1:11 PM

Girl: What's the best way to birdie #9 at Oakmont?
MrWGT: There are various gods to which you can pray, but I prefer using the foot wedge.
mkg335
5,491 Posts Mon, Aug 27 2012 1:21 PM

Girl: My parents have abandoned me and I'm slowly dying of starvation.
MrWGT: Have you flushed your cache? Maybe try a different browser...
frappefort
3,994 Posts Mon, Aug 27 2012 1:27 PM

Girl: my putter is that tall.... , MisterWGT: its ok sweet pie, we will take that much out of it
drmoose
3,507 Posts Mon, Aug 27 2012 1:32 PM

Girl: "Can you tell me the proper flag placement for #2 in the putting challenge?"
MR WGT: " Actually, there isn't one, but thanks for asking."
frappefort
3,994 Posts Mon, Aug 27 2012 1:44 PM

Girl: how did he looked when he got hit in the derriere with a Nike ball. ....................... MisterWGT: he had this look
drmoose
3,507 Posts Mon, Aug 27 2012 2:24 PM

Girl: "How can you say you run a legitimate site when you allow, and even seem to encourage, dishonesty among players ?"
MR. WGT " Pfffft ! Next question !"
Doc
drmoose
3,507 Posts Mon, Aug 27 2012 2:30 PM

Girl " Will esssy ever get his crayons back ?" Mr WGT " That is unlikely, as he is apt to hurt himself. "
Doc

WGT National Enquirer - Top 10 Toy List NOV 2011

Top 10 Toy List

PAGES 1 - 3

andyson
6,415 Posts

Tue, Nov 22 2011 11:10 AM

My wife just got this in an email............

With the biggest shopping day of the year just around the corner, the WGT National Enquirer staff has scoured the local toy stores to make it easier to shop for your WGT addicted loved ones. After days and weeks of hair pulling and heart wrenching decision making, here are the top 10 WGT-related toys to gift.

#10 Mr. Potato Head - WGT Edition

Our own loveable WGTIcon comes to life as Mr. Potato Head in this special WGT edition of a classic for all ages!!
#9 Red Rider BolloxinBruges BB Gun

One of the all-time greatest young boy's Christmas gifts is a Red Ryder BB gun! The new BolloxinBruges Special edition will teach your youngster to be a straight shooter just like Bollie!
#8 Dr. Jedi's Medical Kit

The perfect role model for your children, Dr. Jedi has helped thousands with their problems on wgt.com. What better way to teach your kids how to give a shot?
#7 Tickle Me Esssy
This WGT Special Edition features lots of lols lol, Tickle his ribs and he'll say the most amazing things only he can understand! lol
#6 MrWGT's Monopoly

Be an entrepreneur like MrWGT! Play the new (coming soon) Monopoly Challenge on wgt.com using your credits not Monopoly money. Of course, WGT gets a 20% rake on all credit transactions.
#5 YANCYCAN'S WHAC-A-MOLE!

Bop them moles!! Help our good friend and fellow WGTer Yancy clear those pesky moles out of his Par 2 & 1/2 golf course with this WGT Special Edition Whac-A-Mole game!
#4 LizzieRossetti's Silly Putting Ball

Great stocking stuffers!! If you've seen Lizzie putt you know how hysterical it can be (it isn't her fault)! Now you can "Putt Like Lizzie" with this goofy ball made from the amazing world renown substance known to everyone as Silly Putty.
#3 Gift Certificates to WGT's New Driving Range

Gift certificates for a bucket of balls at the new WGT Driving range (coming soon in December, 2018!) are a welcome gift for any WGTer! Watch them practice hitting balls into Lake Tibbets and hear the squeals of laughter that it wasn't their own Callaway. (Add the YankeeJim blindfold from the WGT pro shop and they can learn how to hit by feel!)
#2 Plush Toy renniw52

We've all played with Ren on wgt.com, now we can play with him at home! This 8" tall squirrel plush toy is handcrafted by artisans and has amazing attention to detail. Nuts are included.
And the Number One WGT National Enquirer recommended gift is!!
#1 WGT Transformers - Legend to Master

Our most popular game. Use your Legend skills from the Master tees in WGT.com challenge and ready go competitions and amass millions in credits. Up to 10 accounts are available. Also available in Legend to Pro and Legend to Tour Pro.
Happy shopping everyone!
opyeuclid
6,660 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 11:19 AM

I have been a good boy this year ,, I want them ALL
duffer66
700 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 11:21 AM

LMAO Andy, great edition, maybe the best yet.
MioKontic
4,152 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 11:41 AM

I smashed my piggy bank in which I've been saving for the last 15 years and have £7.93 exactly. Hope that will be enough for all these great treats.
[Running through front door and shouting back towards microphone] I'M OFF OUT TO GET THOSE BABIES BEFORE THEY ALL GET SNAPPED UP.
( photo not available }
tiffer67
1,764 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 12:03 PM

Andyson you are a living genius, endless quality, fantastic....
hpurey
11,505 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 12:19 PM

Great post, yet again Andy....very funny stuff.....
Found this on the world wide webby thing, couldn't not share it. It's a gift for Multi accounters.........If you want to have more than one account then everything in the proshop costs double, and you must use the required credit card for the purchase.......
SgtDoodles
3,112 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 12:21 PM

ROFL!! Another Classic andyson ;-)
renniw52
5,385 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 12:24 PM

Wow my friend, awesome is an under statement. What a wish list. I relent all profits from the renniw52 plush toy to future Andyson posts. You made my day. Hope you and yours, as well as all WGT members have a very safe, and enjoyable Holiday season.
LizzieRossetti
1,545 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 2:09 PM

I remain undecided who I should thank most, Andyson, or the kind anonymous donor who bought all of these items for me already in exchange for just one or two pictures taken whilst I was working through University and needed the money. Many thanks Chad, I love them all.

Lizzie xx
renniw52
5,385 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 2:20 PM

Pictures?????

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club U395704_20221124_230353.jpg?0.159

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club GBR.gif?0.159

PRIESTESS
10,558 Posts

Tue, Nov 22 2011 2:36 PM

Very cool Andy as usual.
gsoup
2,929 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 3:27 PM

renniw52:
Pictures?????

yeah what he said

on a lighter note, good one Andy!!
even remembered to swallow and put down the Pepsi can
before i look a looksie
Greg
YancyCan
3,023 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 9:45 PM

Nice work. As always.
Is my subscription on the auto-renew and whatnots?
THX
My name is Yancy
birdwell
561 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 9:58 PM

Brilliant!
Lashe
824 Posts Wed, Nov 23 2011 9:32 AM

Brilliant as always Andy! lol Now I actually want to go shopping this year. :-)
andyson
6,415 Posts Wed, Nov 23 2011 3:51 PM

This Chad fella Lizzie? Do we all know him?
Cuz I saw this ad today....
( photo not available }
MioKontic
4,152 Posts Thu, Nov 24 2011 2:59 PM

andyson:
This Chad fella Lizzie? Do we all know him?

Well, I ain't gonna be the one to tell, but when StrangeMagic comes back he's gonna be real mad that someone has stolen his Lizzie. A man turns his head and some guy named Chad pulls a nelson on him! I mean, he's only been gone a few months, no time at all really.
LizzieRossetti
1,545 Posts Thu, Nov 24 2011 5:40 PM

He is in my cellar. Tell no one.
MioKontic
4,152 Posts Thu, Nov 24 2011 7:22 PM

LizzieRossetti:

He is in my cellar. Tell no one.
( photo not available }
Mum's the word.
I bet he's all tied up too, and dressed in... ah, forget it!
Speaking of SM, when's he gonna be back? I'm missing my daily ration of beans like only he knows how to cook 'em. Burnt mostly, but food nonetheless. Sort of.
gsoup
2,929 Posts Thu, Nov 24 2011 8:56 PM

MioKontic:
like only he knows how to cook 'em

they are flavored by the southbound end of a north bound mule, hes held me to secrecy but I just had to tell someone. being hes not here and such

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club U2202244_20161006_175357.jpg?0.159

MioKontic
4,152 Posts

Fri, Nov 25 2011 2:41 AM

gsoup:
they are flavored by the southbound end of a north bound mule

Maybe that explains this sign I saw whilst travelling through the desert a while back...
( photo not available }
But, I can assure you G that my plate of beans was always kosher. Just sayin'.
SGTBilko
1,686 Posts Fri, Nov 25 2011 4:02 AM

THANKS ALOT! Now I have to clean the coffee off my laptop screen for the 2nd time this week! LMAO
#2 Plush Toy renniw52

We've all played with Ren on wgt.com, now we can play with him at home! This 8" tall squirrel plush toy is handcrafted by artisans and has amazing attention to detail. Nuts are included.
And the Number One WGT National Enquirer recommended gift is!!
gsoup
2,929 Posts Fri, Nov 25 2011 4:36 PM

shoop:
Cellar?

thats that room they have under some peoples house, in the old day they used it to store canned food
IvaThongon
932 Posts Mon, Nov 28 2011 8:44 PM

Stellar work as always andyson! I've had a trying couple weeks, the smile is very appreciated!
navigater
1,319 Posts Mon, Nov 28 2011 9:02 PM

gsoup:

renniw52:
Pictures?????

yeah what he said

pictures
hpurey
11,505 Posts Thu, Feb 16 2012 10:12 AM

Hey,

When is the next issue coming out?
drmoose
3,507 Posts Thu, Feb 16 2012 10:41 AM

Don't know how I missed this the first go 'round, absolute genius andyson, Thx for bringin' it back up hpurey.
Doc
sixkiller
1,147 Posts Thu, Feb 16 2012 10:52 AM

Yeah Andy, I some how missed the beginning of this post, great fun!
SgtDoodles
3,112 Posts Thu, Feb 16 2012 10:59 AM

Folks that are new to this... CLICK HERE and be prepared to rofl!

MORE GR8 CLASSICS FROM ANDYSON & MORE

FROM THE WGT THREAD WGT National Enquirer - Top 10 Toy List

andyson
6,415 Posts

Tue, Nov 22 2011 11:10 AM

My wife just got this in an email............

With the biggest shopping day of the year just around the corner, the WGT National Enquirer staff has scoured the local toy stores to make it easier to shop for your WGT addicted loved ones. After days and weeks of hair pulling and heart wrenching decision making, here are the top 10 WGT-related toys to gift.

#10 Mr. Potato Head - WGT Edition

Our own loveable WGTIcon comes to life as Mr. Potato Head in this special WGT edition of a classic for all ages!!
#9 Red Rider BolloxinBruges BB Gun

One of the all-time greatest young boy's Christmas gifts is a Red Ryder BB gun! The new BolloxinBruges Special edition will teach your youngster to be a straight shooter just like Bollie!
#8 Dr. Jedi's Medical Kit

The perfect role model for your children, Dr. Jedi has helped thousands with their problems on wgt.com. What better way to teach your kids how to give a shot?
#7 Tickle Me Esssy
This WGT Special Edition features lots of lols lol, Tickle his ribs and he'll say the most amazing things only he can understand! lol
#6 MrWGT's Monopoly

Be an entrepreneur like MrWGT! Play the new (coming soon) Monopoly Challenge on wgt.com using your credits not Monopoly money. Of course, WGT gets a 20% rake on all credit transactions.
#5 YANCYCAN'S WHAC-A-MOLE!

Bop them moles!! Help our good friend and fellow WGTer Yancy clear those pesky moles out of his Par 2 & 1/2 golf course with this WGT Special Edition Whac-A-Mole game!
#4 LizzieRossetti's Silly Putting Ball

Great stocking stuffers!! If you've seen Lizzie putt you know how hysterical it can be (it isn't her fault)! Now you can "Putt Like Lizzie" with this goofy ball made from the amazing world renown substance known to everyone as Silly Putty.
#3 Gift Certificates to WGT's New Driving Range

Gift certificates for a bucket of balls at the new WGT Driving range (coming soon in December, 2018!) are a welcome gift for any WGTer! Watch them practice hitting balls into Lake Tibbets and hear the squeals of laughter that it wasn't their own Callaway. (Add the YankeeJim blindfold from the WGT pro shop and they can learn how to hit by feel!)
#2 Plush Toy renniw52

We've all played with Ren on wgt.com, now we can play with him at home! This 8" tall squirrel plush toy is handcrafted by artisans and has amazing attention to detail. Nuts are included.
And the Number One WGT National Enquirer recommended gift is!!
#1 WGT Transformers - Legend to Master

Our most popular game. Use your Legend skills from the Master tees in WGT.com challenge and ready go competitions and amass millions in credits. Up to 10 accounts are available. Also available in Legend to Pro and Legend to Tour Pro.
Happy shopping everyone!
opyeuclid
6,660 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 11:19 AM

I have been a good boy this year ,, I want them ALL
duffer66
700 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 11:21 AM

LMAO Andy, great edition, maybe the best yet.
MioKontic
4,152 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 11:41 AM

I smashed my piggy bank in which I've been saving for the last 15 years and have £7.93 exactly. Hope that will be enough for all these great treats.
[Running through front door and shouting back towards microphone] I'M OFF OUT TO GET THOSE BABIES BEFORE THEY ALL GET SNAPPED UP.
( photo not available }
tiffer67
1,764 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 12:03 PM

Andyson you are a living genius, endless quality, fantastic....
hpurey
11,505 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 12:19 PM

Great post, yet again Andy....very funny stuff.....
Found this on the world wide webby thing, couldn't not share it. It's a gift for Multi accounters.........If you want to have more than one account then everything in the proshop costs double, and you must use the required credit card for the purchase.......
SgtDoodles
3,112 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 12:21 PM

ROFL!! Another Classic andyson ;-)
renniw52
5,385 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 12:24 PM

Wow my friend, awesome is an under statement. What a wish list. I relent all profits from the renniw52 plush toy to future Andyson posts. You made my day. Hope you and yours, as well as all WGT members have a very safe, and enjoyable Holiday season.
LizzieRossetti
1,545 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 2:09 PM

I remain undecided who I should thank most, Andyson, or the kind anonymous donor who bought all of these items for me already in exchange for just one or two pictures taken whilst I was working through University and needed the money. Many thanks Chad, I love them all.

Lizzie xx
renniw52
5,385 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 2:20 PM

Pictures?????

PRIESTESS
10,558 Posts

Tue, Nov 22 2011 2:36 PM

Very cool Andy as usual.
gsoup
2,929 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 3:27 PM

renniw52:
Pictures?????

yeah what he said

on a lighter note, good one Andy!!
even remembered to swallow and put down the Pepsi can
before i look a looksie
Greg
YancyCan
3,023 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 9:45 PM

Nice work. As always.
Is my subscription on the auto-renew and whatnots?
THX
My name is Yancy
birdwell
561 Posts Tue, Nov 22 2011 9:58 PM

Brilliant!
Lashe
824 Posts Wed, Nov 23 2011 9:32 AM

Brilliant as always Andy! lol Now I actually want to go shopping this year. :-)
andyson
6,415 Posts Wed, Nov 23 2011 3:51 PM

This Chad fella Lizzie? Do we all know him?
Cuz I saw this ad today....
( photo not available }
MioKontic
4,152 Posts Thu, Nov 24 2011 2:59 PM

andyson:
This Chad fella Lizzie? Do we all know him?

Well, I ain't gonna be the one to tell, but when StrangeMagic comes back he's gonna be real mad that someone has stolen his Lizzie. A man turns his head and some guy named Chad pulls a nelson on him! I mean, he's only been gone a few months, no time at all really.
LizzieRossetti
1,545 Posts Thu, Nov 24 2011 5:40 PM

He is in my cellar. Tell no one.
MioKontic
4,152 Posts Thu, Nov 24 2011 7:22 PM

LizzieRossetti:

He is in my cellar. Tell no one.
( photo not available }
Mum's the word.
I bet he's all tied up too, and dressed in... ah, forget it!
Speaking of SM, when's he gonna be back? I'm missing my daily ration of beans like only he knows how to cook 'em. Burnt mostly, but food nonetheless. Sort of.
gsoup
2,929 Posts Thu, Nov 24 2011 8:56 PM

MioKontic:
like only he knows how to cook 'em

they are flavored by the southbound end of a north bound mule, hes held me to secrecy but I just had to tell someone. being hes not here and such

MioKontic
4,152 Posts

Fri, Nov 25 2011 2:41 AM

gsoup:
they are flavored by the southbound end of a north bound mule

Maybe that explains this sign I saw whilst travelling through the desert a while back...
( photo not available }
But, I can assure you G that my plate of beans was always kosher. Just sayin'.
SGTBilko
1,686 Posts Fri, Nov 25 2011 4:02 AM

THANKS ALOT! Now I have to clean the coffee off my laptop screen for the 2nd time this week! LMAO
#2 Plush Toy renniw52

We've all played with Ren on wgt.com, now we can play with him at home! This 8" tall squirrel plush toy is handcrafted by artisans and has amazing attention to detail. Nuts are included.
And the Number One WGT National Enquirer recommended gift is!!
gsoup
2,929 Posts Fri, Nov 25 2011 4:36 PM

shoop:
Cellar?

thats that room they have under some peoples house, in the old day they used it to store canned food
IvaThongon
932 Posts Mon, Nov 28 2011 8:44 PM

Stellar work as always andyson! I've had a trying couple weeks, the smile is very appreciated!
navigater
1,319 Posts Mon, Nov 28 2011 9:02 PM

gsoup:

renniw52:
Pictures?????

yeah what he said

pictures
hpurey
11,505 Posts Thu, Feb 16 2012 10:12 AM

Hey,

When is the next issue coming out?
drmoose
3,507 Posts Thu, Feb 16 2012 10:41 AM

Don't know how I missed this the first go 'round, absolute genius andyson, Thx for bringin' it back up hpurey.
Doc
sixkiller
1,147 Posts Thu, Feb 16 2012 10:52 AM

Yeah Andy, I some how missed the beginning of this post, great fun!
SgtDoodles
3,112 Posts Thu, Feb 16 2012 10:59 AM

Folks that are new to this... CLICK HERE and be prepared to rofl!

PDB1 's PERSONAL KICK ASS REPLAYS (3 pages )134 videos

pdb1 saved a new replay on Pebble Beach Golf Links, hole 9 from 186 yards
pdb1 holed a shot from 165.74 yards.
http://www.wgt.com/replay.aspx?ID=aed63be0-264e-48b9-8cb5-ac2b01855526

pdb1 saved a new replay on Pebble Beach Golf Links, hole 5 from 16 feet
pdb1 made an eagle on hole #9 on PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS.
http://www.wgt.com/replay.aspx?ID=8989c113-d907-4b49-8cc1-ac2b0182a14c

pdb1 holed a shot from 5.24 yards.
pdb1 saved a new replay on Pebble Beach Golf Links, hole 3 from 15 feet
http://www.wgt.com/replay.aspx?ID=e29f4bd9-e169-4900-ac89-ac2b018175f5

19th HOLERS 19th Hole Bio's

YancyCan

His Name is Yancy

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Yancyc11

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 20150213

YancyCan (aka Yancy), is one of the most well-known WGT players, infamous for "spotting paranormal things & events on the courses of WGT" and documenting his hunts.
Recently, Yancy made a huge discovery -- the elusive sasquatch on Bethpage Black on WGT and was "awarded" quite a fancy trophy by some of the WGT forum guys (special shout out to Andyson on the trophy artwork!)
Here is his story:
"As a WGTer known for spotting paranormal things & events on the courses of wgt.com, I (my name is Yancy) still suprised that the Bethpage Sasquatch was found by myself after 5+ years of it being out there. The circumstances could not be more unusual.
That evening I had been working on documenting the infamous 'Easter Eggs aka Alien Pods' incident on the WGT Pinehurst No. 2 course. Feeling exhausted after a long day, I somehow decided to go and search for the Bethpage Sasquatch by hitting balls into unusual areas on the course. Eventually I made it to #9 (my last hole of round) after maxing out with scores of 10 on all 8 of my prior holes. So after 9 shots, I find myself behind the green with one last shot before my round gets called. I decided with nothing to lose to then fire a shot backwards towards the green and aimed for a spot in the left rough. Half asleep, I took the shot and when I saw the results I was frozen and whatnot. There it was - no question about it, right next to my avatar on the screen! Unbelievably (still), I had found the Sasquatch on my last shot on the last hole of my round. After taking a screen capture, I realized in the excitement I had not saved the replay - but I had my 'proof' which I triple backed-up for safety.
Having to tell someone, and with nobody online that I 'know,' I headed to the WGT chat room run by WGTer FuzzyGazz via an IRC website. Happily, I found a few players awake and declared the sighting. Of course they responded with, 'What's the link to the screen capture?' I had not even thought to come prepared to show the discovery.
When asked what he remembered about that moment, FuzzyGazz said, 'My buddy Yancy popped into our chat channel very late that night like a Mr. Stanley just finding the good Doctor Livingstone! He had done it. Found the elusive WGT Sasquatch. Yancy had no picture to share uploaded yet but I had never seen him acting so goofy - I knew the hunt was over.'
Reflecting back on that night and such, my discovery of the legendary WGT Sasquatch was not something I did alone. The continued enthusiasm of other WGTers over the past 5+ years is what was me motivationals and whatnots to go on that final hunt. The WGT community at large and the commraderie like atmosphere they have created is what kept me looking year after year. The WGT Sasquatch discovery truly belongs to all the WGTers who still 'Wanted to Believe' & kept the hunt alive. While my name is on the trophy, it belongs to the best 'online community' on the web - the WGT community!"

[i]If you want us to feature you or someone you know in a future "19th Hole" profile, send us an email at: players[at]wgt.com[/i]

PDB BEST ROUND IN A WHILE

pdb1 saved a new replay on Pebble Beach Golf Links, hole 9 from 166 yards
pdb1 holed a shot from 165.74 yards.
http://www.wgt.com/replay.aspx?ID=aed63be0-264e-48b9-8cb5-ac2b01855526

pdb1 saved a new replay on Pebble Beach Golf Links, hole 5 from 16 feet
pdb1 made an eagle on hole #9 on PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS.
http://www.wgt.com/replay.aspx?ID=8989c113-d907-4b49-8cc1-ac2b0182a14c

pdb1 holed a shot from 5.24 yards.
pdb1 saved a new replay on Pebble Beach Golf Links, hole 3 from 15 feet
http://www.wgt.com/replay.aspx?ID=e29f4bd9-e169-4900-ac89-ac2b018175f5

2016 ANDYSON MEMORIAL MATCHPLAY & FINALS

drmoose

As B2B posted earlier, I had the unfortunate win by DQ. Normally I would have asked to replay the match, but there simply was not time. Still, what little we did get to play was enjoyable, an' I hope to get some more games in with him. Thanks again Paul for your ongoing efforts in keeping this tribute to our friend going.
Doc
PaulTon

***Bracket updated***
Please check your results and report any errors here.

BRACKET MATCHES & RESULTS
mkrizan86

I've sent 3 messages regarding playing times and received no reply. I'll be waiting for any word from him until 2 am CET tonight (waited until 2:30 am last night), that's the latest time I can start a match. After that it's out of my hands. Hoping we can get things done.
PaulTon

mkrizan86:
I've sent 3 messages regarding playing times and received no reply. I'll be waiting for any word from him until 2 am CET tonight (waited until 2:30 am last night), that's the latest time I can start a match. After that it's out of my hands. Hoping we can get things done.

I have posted on his wall, if he doesn't play tonight the match will be awarded to you.
gordonparke

just beat sfletcheryyz 3&2, moral of the game was that I played pretty decent and fletch struggled with the 13 green speed which favours me
cheers for the game fletch!
gordon
SFletcheryyz

GordonParker played some excellent golf to beat me all over the course- 3UP. It was kinad of amazing to see the number of people who wanted to honor their friend.
(Match #32 in the backet)
Beryman

hey Paul you missed this one on page #9

SashaTheSkirt defeatedMelonhead66630 in a 9 hole match play game on CONGRESSIONAL C.C. Sasha wins 5up.
Sasha
thesupernova
- thesupernova defeated RoggRR in a 9 hole match play game on CONGRESSIONAL C.C..
XXoXO
Allie
mrcaddie

Hey Paul,
I got my *** kicked by mystry78 (Frank). I had a blast and we had some fun. We definitely had Andy on our minds.
Interesting side note- mystry78 lives about 20 miles from me and we're going to hook up and play some golf IRL at Fenwick in Old Saybrook, CT, where Katherine Hepburn used to live and play. We exchanged phone numbers and I can't wait to meet him and play a round.
I'll keep you posted....WOW, a new golf friend met through WGT...it doesn't get any better than this.
Frank....thanks man, maybe we can play next weekend IRL, I'll call you.
Wayne/MC
PaulTon

Beryman:
hey Paul you missed this one on page #9

SashaTheSkirt defeatedMelonhead66630 in a 9 hole match play game on CONGRESSIONAL C.C. Sasha wins 5up.
Sasha

Thanks Bman.
Sasha is a clubmate of mine, she'll kick my a$$ for this!

opyeuclid

mrcaddie:
Interesting side note- mystry78 lives about 20 miles from me and we're going to hook up and play some golf IRL

How cool is that . When you guy,s get together on the first tee , Please have fun and play the game for Andyson .
OPY
mystry78

mrcaddie:
Hey Paul,
I got my *** kicked by mystry78 (Frank). I had a blast and we had some fun. We definitely had Andy on our minds.
Interesting side note- mystry78 lives about 20 miles from me and we're going to hook up and play some golf IRL at Fenwick in Old Saybrook, CT, where Katherine Hepburn used to live and play. We exchanged phone numbers and I can't wait to meet him and play a round.
I'll keep you posted....WOW, a new golf friend met through WGT...it doesn't get any better than this.
Frank....thanks man, maybe we can play next weekend IRL, I'll call you.
Wayne/MCs

Thanks Wayne, It was a pleasure to meet and have a match with you. And of course all in memory of our friend Andyson.
I look forward to playing some real golf soon!
Frank
PaulTon

mystry78:
mrcaddie:
Hey Paul,
I got my *** kicked by mystry78 (Frank). I had a blast and we had some fun. We definitely had Andy on our minds.
Interesting side note- mystry78 lives about 20 miles from me and we're going to hook up and play some golf IRL at Fenwick in Old Saybrook, CT, where Katherine Hepburn used to live and play. We exchanged phone numbers and I can't wait to meet him and play a round.
I'll keep you posted....WOW, a new golf friend met through WGT...it doesn't get any better than this.
Frank....thanks man, maybe we can play next weekend IRL, I'll call you.
Wayne/MCs

Thanks Wayne, It was a pleasure to meet and have a match with you. And of course all in memory of our friend Andyson.
I look forward to playing some real golf soon!
Frank

Wow, I'm so pleased, what a fantastic thing to happen!
Have a great time guys.
mystry78

Thanks Paul, None of this would happen without your efforts!
I'll do my best to not toss any clubs:)
6tee9

Turfsand wins 3UP. Enjoyed the match with this gentlemen, What a great cause for someone who impacted many of us.
Best of luck remaining players.

RIP - Saint Andy !
mkrizan86

2 am my time and off to bed, sadly no luck with the game and still no answer.
PaulTon

There are 3 ties still outstanding -
Yankee Jim v Frappefort
SlicedPepper v ArgyleScott
Jimbog v Miokontic
Please let me know what's happening with these matches today.
If I don't hear from you I will have to decide these matches tonight by tossing a coin.

BRACKET MATCHES & RESULTS
ArgyleScott

PaulTon:
SlicedPepper v ArgyleScott

SliicedPepper never contacted me. See my '10-29-2016 1:02 PM' post on this thread. He has shown no activity since 10.22.16.
PaulTon

ArgyleScott:
PaulTon:
SlicedPepper v ArgyleScott

SliicedPepper never contacted me. See my '10-29-2016 1:02 PM' post on this thread. He has shown no activity since 10.22.16.

I remember you posted saying you were practicing the course and that you had contacted SlicedPepper.
If we hear nothing from him by tonight (10pm my time) you will be given the win.
Jimbog1964

Hey mate,
My oppo lives UK me Oz, and times just rolled back UK and he busy couple days and me couple the other. Net result we still do not have a date.
Sorry about that. Can leave another couple of days as we try to connect or call it quits.............
Cheers

PaulTon

Jimbog1964:
Can leave another couple of days as we try to connect or call it quits...

I understand your predicament Jim, that's why I made a 5 day window (including a weekend) for play.
I can't let 1st round drag on too long or the bracket could grind to a halt.
If you can arrange a definite day/time to play let me know here, otherwise it's a coin toss tonight, sorry pal.
thestevster

PTrenter won 3 up to 3 down good game cheers n1..

cheers steve
Just played thestevester who seemed to have an unusual attraction to the rough this afternoon. Luckily I caught him on an off day. Pleasure to have met and played you Steve.
PaulTon

BRACKET MATCHES & RESULTS
jacko1972

Played my match with the Doc and had a good giggle at one of the stories he was telling me about Andy whilst raising a glass along the way. Luckily for me I think I caught Doc on a bad day or maybe it was just me distracting him lol...
Jacko wins

Thanks for the game Doc and was a real pleasure meeting you and hopefully catch up for another game in the future..

John
frappefort

I will try to contact YankeeJim again ... no luck so far. Frapp
YankeeJim

frappefort:
I will try to contact YankeeJim again ... no luck so far. Frapp

This is on me, Francois. I had it in my head the end of the first week in NOV. We can get it in tonight and if that's unacceptable, you can have the match. I'm here, just been over the top stupid busy. PMd you back.

*edit-PT posted on my wall he would extend it to 10PM tonight. If I miss you at 4 I'll look for you around 7. Have to be out in between.
PaulTon

Hope you get it played guys,that's what this is all about.
I'm not gonna be a stickler for rules here, I'm not running a stopwatch on everyone.
You're both talking now, so get whacking! I'll catch up on results tomorrow.
YankeeJim

This is on me, Paul, so if push comes to shove, send Francois on. I'll be back in 3 hours to look for him again since he's not on now. Thanks.
stevietwotimes

won a fun match against Ross,who took time out from work to get this game on,now thats dedication lol thx m8....

YankeeJim

Ok, Francois, come and get it. :-)
tygerjr

gordonparker and i played , i squeked by 1up on 1 extra hole.
it could have gone either way , fun match... thx
frappefort

foot note , see how good friends are l. Jim and I will have our Match, win or loose Jim and I are winners for Andyson.
gordonparker

myself and tygerjr played our 2nd round match, I lost on the first extra hole, not the greatest of golf hardly any birdies in the match. I decided to bottle it and bogey the last and the first extra hole BUT at the end of the day im playing in the memory of andyson! thank you so very much or hosting this, I shall be following this thread till the very end!
RIP ANDYSON
cheers gordon
YankeeJim

We got it in but it took me 10 holes to set the Frenchman right. LOL Always a good time playing with Francois but this time was somewhat sad for the memories of Andyson.
Long live the memories. :-)
PaulTon

Jimbog and Miokontic are sorting out when to play, they have an eleven hour time difference so if they get theirs played before Thursday I'm happy.
This 1st round matchplay could not have gone any better from my perspective and that is down to you guys getting your games scheduled and played so promptly.
I think the rest of it will run itself , Im getting quite excited by a competitive edge that's creeping into things.
I've got a Champion (Twinponds) next round who doesn't like the course we're playing on.
Did I mention how we picked the courses for the matchplay rounds?
Hey, what can I say? Decisions had to be made.
BRACKET RESULTS HERE
alanti

Steve and I have "friended" for the 3rd round, and he is out of town for a few days so will probably be the weekend before I bow out of this great event.
PaulTon

alanti:
Steve and I have "friended" for the 3rd round, and he is out of town for a few days so will probably be the weekend before I bow out of this great event.

Mental note - Don't pick alanti as an alt shot partner again ~ defeatist attitude.
alanti

PaulTon:
Mental note - Don't pick alanti as an alt shot partner again ~ defeatist attitude.

LOL Paul, just realistic me thinks....but I will have fun!
Jimbog1964

PaulTon:
Jimbog1964:
Can leave another couple of days as we try to connect or call it quits...

I understand your predicament Jim, that's why I made a 5 day window (including a weekend) for play.
I can't let 1st round drag on too long or the bracket could grind to a halt.
If you can arrange a definite day/time to play let me know here, otherwise it's a coin toss tonight, sorry pal.

Not heard back from my oppo further to yesterday................Both taken our turns in missing in the time frame.
Sorry about that as sure my oppo is, but toss time now I think.
Thanks again for organising.

Bethpage Black 18 - Course Walk Through

Bethpage Black 18 - Course Walk Through
17 Feb 2012 at 9:18 AM

Hole 1

The Drive

With the landing area 40' below, it's easy to drive into the farside rough if you're not paying attention. Look for a tailwind off this tee. When conditions are right, full backspin with a tailwind to such a low fairway can result in some amazing drives with tremendous carry.

(If you don't add backspin, your drive will be at a much lower trajectory that will either get hung up in the trees or bounce through the fairway into the farside rough. Backspin not only has more carry, but lands very softly from this elevation)

Most players with good quality drivers in such conditions can cut the corner and leave themselves only a short iron into this green. It takes a leap of faith to aim for a fairway 300 yards away when your driver only goes 270, but it should make it.

If the wind is in your face, all bets are off. Aim dead straight and play for the middle of the fairway at the dogleg. Cheating the corner will give you a few extra yards, but be careful of the 40-50% rough on the right.

The Approach

From the fairway: This hole plays long. Add three or four extra yards to your approach to get it up to the pin. This is true whether the pin is in front or in the back left position. Neither location will allow for much roll since both are on an up slope, so plan on flying the ball almost the whole way.

From 40-50% rough: Which iron to hit depends largely on your clubs and how well they play from the rough. For me, a 140 yard shot from this lie is a 175 yard 5i. I aim for a clear path to the green over fairway because the ball is only going to fly about 80 yards, then bounce the rest of the way. I also use about a half ball of backspin to make more solid contact with the golf ball. I won't go any lower than a 5i from this lie regardless of the distance.

If you're behind a tree, trying to pull off a miracle shot is unlikely to have a good outcome. Know when the right choice is to wedge it out to the fairway. From 120 yds out, it's a fairly easy up and down.

The green doesn't have a lot of surprises, so correct for the wind and make sure you give it a little extra oomph and you should be close.

Hole 2

The drive.

This is a hard hole to birdie because your drive and your approach are equally important. A mistake on either takes birdie out of play. If you can make it to the green in regulation, you'll be rewarded with a fairly flat putt that is makeable up to 20'.

The drive requires most golfers to cut the corner of the trees and land on a fairway that runs about 30 degrees to the left and up the hill. The fairway is protected on the left by a large tree that I like to call, "You $#@#ing %$#@sucker" and it takes great pleasure in dropping you into 40% rough.

Advanced players can draw the ball around the tree by aiming right and hitting way left, but it is a low percentage shot for most people, so I don't recommend it. Play for the edge of the tree and get your ball as far up the fairway as possible, even if it means teeing off with a 3W (A 3W, incidentally, can fly the tree). Also remember that the landing area, which slopes upward, will minimize the amount of roll after landing.

The ideal wind is right to left. You can ride that wind right around the corner.

The Approach

The green is anywhere from 20' to 35' above the fairway depending on your lie. Such a disparity is often the hardest variable to factor into a golfer's club selection. This shot, regardless of club, is going to be short and it's going to roll out. Anything with a lower trajectory than a PW is going to be hard to control.

Adding full backspin to your approach will maximize the amount of loft and help curb the roll once it lands. Here are 3 examples of similar shots:

From 85 yards out with an 8 mph tailwind, and 24' below the hole, my dinged 56 degree (90 yard) wedge with full backspin stuck the green at 81 yards, 9.6' short of the hole with a downhill putt

From 88 yards out with the same 8 mph tailwind, and 25' below the hole, my dinged 56 degree (90 yard) wedge with half backspin flew 82 yards, and rolled 2 more yards.

From 88 yards out, same 8 mph tailwind, 25' below the hole, my dinged 105 yd PW with no spin at all, landed at 94 yards and rolled out to the far side rough at 103 yards.

(I would have done one more with a PW and full backspin, but I reached the 10 stroke limit)

My point is, plan for short carry and long roll on this approach. Rolling a bit past the hole will leave you with an easier uphill putt.

If you're hitting from the fairway rough, you're unlikely to reach and hold the green. Playing for the ball to get hung up in the rough between to two greenside bunkers makes for a decent chance at an up and down to save par.

Hole 3

The tee shot
A visually daunting long par three that isn't as tough as it looks. At the back pin location, the hole is below you 4'-10', so you should be able to get your tee shot carry any danger and land softly. Winds on this hole are generally from a left to right direction and not as strong as on the rest of the course. A little backspin will help carry the front bunkers and help hold the green.

If you're going to miss, miss right. Shots that miss right are generally a little shorter with less roll than a pulled shot. The front edge of the green on the right side is 50 yards closer than the back edge of the green on the left side. This means you have a ton of room to miss right.

Missing left will find either the bunker or 40-50% rough. Miss right.

Hole 4 - Reachable Par 5, (or two par 2-1/2s)

The Drive

The big danger on this drive is the grove of bunkers left of the fairway. The whole fairway is above you, so don't expect any record breaking drives, but it's sloped from right to left to help well-struck shots roll around the corner like a race car on a high bank.

Avoid the rough at all costs on this drive!

The most common mistake on this tee shot is over compensating for the bunkers and driving into the rough on the far side of the fairway. If you can fly the bunkers, then you don't have to worry about the rough and you can land your ball squarely in the middle of the fairway. If you can't fly the bunkers and have to roll around them, you're better off with a 3W from the tee rather than risking the rough.

A drive into the rough not only takes birdie out of play, but anyone dumb enough to try to reach the upper fairway from that lie, will almost certainly find the enormous bunker up ahead. If you hit the rough, lay up as far as you can on the lower fairway and you can still reach the green in regulation.

2nd Shot - Lay up or Approach

The smart money is on laying up to the right, pin high. This leaves a full or punched wedge to the pin and an easy birdie. Pick your spot about 55 yards away from the pin, add full backspin to give you some extra loft and club up. You'll be trying to reach a landing spot that is 30-40' above you, so you'll probably still be a little short. From this lie, you should be about level with the pin

If you go for the green, you will probably not reach it and get hung up in the thick rough if you miss left, or the bunker if your shot is on line. Either way, I'd rather have the full wedge shot from 50 yards than a 25 yard chip from the rough or a 20 yard from the sand, both shots have the green running away from you.

If you manage to land the green, the trajectory of your shot will be so low that you are unlikely to hold the green and will end up in the backside rough. The choice is yours. I choose to lay up.

3rd Shot - Approach or Rescue

From the bunker, play a full swing wedge with partial power or a flop to clear the lip of the bunker. Full swing is better because you can fly the edge of the green which has a nasty bump that can kick your ball forward 20'. A pitch is unlikely to make it out of the bunker.

From the rough, club up with a pitch with full backspin. You should get within 10' - From the fairway, full swing wedge or punch. Nothing to it, just target practice.

Hole 5 - A Looooong Par 4

This hole is similar to the 9th at Oakmont in that it's a lay up par 4. Going for the green in regulation is tempting, but ultimately a mistake and the sign of an undisciplined golfer. If you try to reach this green in two, I can guarantee you, you'll end up with more bogeys than pars and birdies combined.

The drive

Depending on your clubs and the wind, your goal is to carry the farthest bunker. The landing area is downhill 10'-15' so it's not as difficult as it looks, give yourself between 1/2 to full backspin to give you some extra carry and to control the roll after you land.

The more common danger is driving into the farside rough, so you should club down if that's a risk for you.

Ultimately, a great drive on this hole is wasted. Smarter players will be laying up to the end of the fairway rather than trying to hold a green 200 yards away, uphill, and surrounded by danger on all sides. (See my replay #3 "Taking the Bait @BPB 5" for a best case scenario of this approach shot)

Drive conservatively here and you shouldn't have a difficult time saving par.

The Lay up

You might only need a wedge or a short iron to lay up, but it's still the right shot. Play for the end of the fairway and you should have a relatively easy up and down 75-85 yards out. (See my replay #2 - "Saving Par @BPB 5" for an example).

The green is still 15'-20' above you from this lie, so it's not a gimme. Play a little long with your wedge and control the roll, but you should still end up with a very makeable putt to save par.

Hole 6 - A Long Driving Par 4

The Drive

Probably one most peoples' favorite driving hole; a well struck, well placed drive can catch the downslope of the fairway and roll 310 yards with a 270 yard driver. Of course, it can also get snagged by the bunker left or wind up in the deep rough on the right.

Use the zoom here and pick the perfect spot to land your ball. Longer hitters will have more carry on this hole, not just because they are longer hitters, but because the fairway slopes downhill away from the tee. The longer you hit your drive, the more downhill the fairway. Because I use a 250 yard driver from the TM tees, I'm not really able to reach the downslope like others can. Still, I have a few pointers for this drive.

First, don't use full backspin unless you have a strong tailwind! It will shorten your drive and possibly bite before reaching the downslope. Backspin also amplifies mishits and this is one hole where straightness is more important than distance. Half-backspin (or less in a light headwind) is enough to get the ball in the air high enough to carry the bunker.

The hole is birdiable with a short drive too, so don't let testoterone get the better of you.

The Approach

The pin is below you. How far below you depends on the length of your drive. From 150 yards out, you're about 15' above the pin. From 100 yards out, you're only about 5' above the pin. Play your approach with these numbers in mind and adjust accordingly. Both shots will carry more than the clubs' rated yardage, but the longer shot will have a bigger discrepancy.

The pin, whether front or back, is fairly flat and easy to get close.

Hole 7
500+ yard Par 4

By all accounts, this is the hardest hole on BPB. It's really a par 5. It requires distance and accuracy on both the drive and the approach to even have a shot at up and down for par.

The drive

There is a huge landing area just past the large bunker to the right, but not every part of the landing area is a good spot. Golfers who try to squeeze extra yardage off the tee by hugging the right side can find themselves blocked from the green by the hammock of trees.

If you can't drive past the trees to the point where you can see the green, then don't play that shot. Aim further back on the fairway to a point where you have a good line of sight to the green.

2nd Shot and 3rd Shot - The Lay Up and Approach

Much like the 5th hole, this hole should be played like a par 5 with a fairway lay up for a wedge to the pin. There is danger at the bottle neck with sand on both sides. Even if you thread the needle and stay on the fairway, if you don't have enough club to reach the green, you'll be left with an awkward 25-35 yard shot. If you hit one of the bunkers, you'll probably end up with bogey.

It's a better idea to club down to an iron and give yourself an easy 50-75 yard wedge. You may not get birdie, but you completely remove danger from the equation. In my replay number 4 (Laying Up @BPB 7) you see a mishit 3i that is still safe and on the fairway, leaving me with a simple 50 punched wedge for an up and down and a good par on this difficult hole (See replay number 5: Approach @BPB 7)

Hole 8 - Downhill Par 3

The tee shot

This hole is all about club selection and wind. At 20'-30' below you, you have to know which club is going to give you the right distance, and that's going to depend largely on the tee box location.

For the Pro thru Tour Master tees, a good rule of thumb is to club down for light winds, club down twice for a good tailwind, and play the regular yardage in a strong headwind. Obviously this depends on your particular clubs more than anything, but it's an effective general guideline.

Because the pin is so far below the tees and because it's on an upslope, the ball is going to stick this green like a wedge shot.

Don't miss right or left. Try to get your line perfect. Crosswinds affect this hole less than you'd expect so don't overcompensate for the wind. If you're short or long, you will have a fairly straight putt. If you miss left or right, you'll have a hard breaking putt.

The best scenario is a good line to the pin and short, this gives you a simple uphill putt for birdie.

Hole 9 - A Blind Par 4

The Drive

The fairway slopes dramatically from right to left. and at the crotch of the dogleg left is a bunker. Directly to the right of the bunker, extending out at about 2:00 O'clock, is a ridge that cuts the fairway in half. If you land your drive into the face of that ridge, your ball will stop dead. If you land your drive on the backside of that ridge, you'll get a nice kick forward. That's where I try to land it, but I have a short driver and most people can fly the ridge altogether.

If you fly the ridge, aim for the right side of the fairway and your ball will want to follow the contour of the fairway to the left. Hit it too hard and you'll be in the farside rough.

Avoid trickling down the slope of the fairway toward the bunker because you'll have an uphill approach to a green that can be hard to hold

Another option is to play past the bunker to the landing area just in front. This takes good club length and a complete diregard for the danger posed by trees. Although risky, it's worth the risk. The payoff is a short iron into a level green. It's the difference between birdie and par if you execute the drive.

The Approach

From below, this green becomes difficult to reach and hold. You have to err long because of the frontside bunkers so plan on using as much backspin as you can get to come in high and soft.

From over by the trees, it's simply a short iron accuracy contest. The green doesn't wobble very much so you can let it run a little too. You can also throw darts at this green for a nice finishing flourish to the front 9.

Hole 10 - A long "play for par-hope for birdie" Par 4

Drive

How you approach this hole is largely dependent on how much club length you have. The hole is shaped like a lightning bolt with the pin to the left of the tee box, and a jog to the right in the middle. The fairway is protected on both sides by a sea of bunkers.

If you have the club length to carry the bunkers on the right, then this hole just got a lot easier.

The approach to the pin should come from as far to the right as possible to take the greenside bunkers out of play, but you need to carry the fairway bunkers on the right to have that luxury.

If you don't have that length from the tee, hug the right side of the fairway as much as you can without bringing the rough into play. If you land in the 40-50% rough, (or 30-40% first cut) off the tee, your only option to save par is to lay up at the end of the long fairway and hope for an up and down with a 65-80 yard wedge shot.

Approach

If you've carried the right side fairway bunker, you should have a pretty good look at the pin without much danger or elevation change. At this point, it's mid iron target practice. Bump and run is not an option because the green is protected by 40-50% rough, so you'll have to fly it up there and land it softly to hold the green. If you didn't carry the right side bunker you will also have to carry the frontside bunker protecting the green.

Either way, being short (or long) is not an option. For me, I club up and put full backspin on the ball to get as high a ball flight as possible and try to drop it next to the pin. If you can't get that kind of action on the ball, the next best option is to bounce it through the green rather than intentionally hanging it up in the frontside rough. Even though you'll have a downhill chip from the far side, you'll have a much better fairway lie.

The green slopes toward the front and any ball that holds the green short of the pin will have a makeable uphill putt for birdie. Any ball that flies the pin or the green, should be thinking "lag" back.

Hole 11 - A Bulemic, but very birdiable par 4

The Drive

The fairway thins down to a wisp near the landing area, but most players with good club length should be able to carry the skinny portion. If you can't, and your club length and the the wind conditions put your landing area squarely in the middle of the thinnest part of the fairway, don't be a hero. Tee off with a 3W and you still have a decent shot at birdie. The skinny part of the fairway is about 150 yards out, so playing short will still only be a mid iron away from the pin.

If you land in the sand or rough on either side of skinny part, you've obviously not read this walkthrough and I'm done helping you.

The Approach

This is maybe the easiest approach at BPB. You can throw a dart, you can bump and run, or you can land the green and let it release. Whichever shot you feel most confident with is playable here.

The green slopes from back to front and slightly to the left so don't worry about running through the green unless you have a strong tailwind. Just take aim and do your best. Birdies are common here.

Hole 12 - Long Par 4

The Drive

This hole is daunting from the tee. It's a very long par 4 with a dramatic dogleg to the left and a super dangerous glob of bunkers on the inside of the dogleg. With that said, it's not the length of the hole that gets most players in trouble here, it's the placement of the drive.

Most players will be able to carry the dogleg and land in the wide open area just past the bunkers, but that's really not the best place. The best landing area for an easy approach to the green is from the right side of the fairway past the dogleg. This requires good distance control with your driver because if you're too long, you'll end up in the rough on the far side. If you're too short, you'll probably still be in the fairway, but you'll need to throw a dart with a long iron to reach the green, or you'll need to play for the open part of the green and have a long two putt for par.

A tee shot that lands on the right side of the fairway past the dogleg will be rewarded with an open pathway to the green and a decent chance at birdie.

The Approach

As mentioned a moment ago, placement of the drive is most important on this hole. If you're where you should be, on the right side past the dogleg, it's a fairly simple mid to long iron into the green with a good look at the pin.

If you're anywhere else on the fairway, you're looking for par. Don't hunt the pin from the left side of the fairway; there's just not enough green to work with and you'll either get buried in the frontside bunker or bounce right off the far side of the green. The correct shot from this lie is to play for the center of the green and two putt your way out. A long birdie putt is a possibility as the green isn't particularly tricky, but par is a decent score from a less than perfect drive.

If you're in the fairway bunker and you lay up a full shot wedge away, saving par is not that difficult, but avoid running the ball up closer than 50-60 yards because it will be hard to get the golf ball to stick near the pin on your third shot.

Avoid the frontside bunker at all costs! It's very deep and you won't have very much green to work with. What green you do have will be running away from you, so the likelihood of stopping the ball anywhere near the hole is slim. Any approach that ends up in the frontside bunker is an almost automatic bogey. BTW - From the fronside bunker, you'll end up closer to the pin if you land your ball at the hole or longer, than if you land the ball short of the pin. That's because short of the pin, your ball will be landing on the downslope and kick forward. After the pin, it will land on the upslope and roll less!)

Hole 13 - Everybody's favorite Par 5

You will NOT reach this green in two unless you are a L90 Tour Pro with the longest equipment, even then, you won't get an eagle because you won't be anywhere near the pin, so get that thought out of your head and play for birdie!

The Drive

When faced with a long par 5, the natural reaction is to drive the ball as far as it will go. Believe it or not, it's unnecessary on this hole. Safety off the tee should be your primary concern. Just keep it in the fairway and be long enough to reach the landing area short of the bunkers with your second shot. That means you can even use a 3W off the tee with no penalty.

Risking the rough or a hit tree just to gain an extra 10 yards is foolish and a sign of an amateur golfer.

The 2nd and 3rd Shot

As I alluded to in "The Drive", your second shot should end up short of the bunkers protecting the green. That is the best place. Not forward and to the left 30 yards! Let me say it again, placing your second shot further up the fairway and closer to the green, but off to the left is a mistake! Here's why:

The green slopes down toward the bunkers at a very steep angle. Anyone who has been long on their approach here knows how tricky and fast that downhill putt can be. Any approach shot that lands left or right of the pin has a severe and fast break that will most likely miss.

If you squeeze that extra 30 yards out of your second shot and end up in the middle of the fairway, but to the left of the green, your 3rd shot (your approach) will coming at the pin from the side. This means, unless your distance is perfect, you're going to end up with a severely breaking putt for birdie.

If your second shot lands short of the bunkers like it should, your approach to the pin will be straight up hill. This means that if you misjudge the distance to the pin and go short or long, you may have to deal with a very fast or very slow putt for birdie, but you DON'T have a massive break to deal with.

Laying up will result in more birdies than even perfectly executed bombs. I can't stress this enough.

Hole 14 - A Tight-Lie Par 3

The Tee Shot

This is an interesting par 3 that requires a little thought. First of all, the green is below you. This means that the ball will carry a little farther and it will come in at a little steeper angle causing it to roll a little less. This is ideal for a par 3. That's the good news. The bad news is that the pin placement is in the back right corner of the green and protected on three sides by danger. Any shot that's long, short, or right is going to have a difficult up and down for par.

Here's some more bad news: The green looks like it's hanging out to dry on a clothesline. There's a ridge through the middle with the front two thirds of the green sloping toward you and the back third fairly level. The pin is just past the ridgeline on the part that's fairly level.

The only real shot at birdie here is a high shot that lands pin high. Anything left and short of the hole is going to have a vicious break. Anything short is going to be hard to judge the speed since the putt levels out after the ridge. Anything right is in the bunker. Anything long has a downhill hill putt that, if you hit too hard, can wind up 20' past.

Starting to get the idea? Throw a dart and be accurate. Everywhere else sucks.

If you end up in the bunker, par is still salvageable, but it's not easy. The bunker is deep and you'll need a very high shot to get out without running off the green. Use a full swing (the highest shot) and your shortest wedge. Put full backspin on the ball (it will help control the roll and give you more loft) and play it at twice the actual distance. You should be able to stop within 4 or 5 yards past the hole.

A riskier play, but still an option, is trying to use the greenside rough to slow down your out. The danger is getting hung up in the rough which makes par almost impossible.

Hole 15 - The Carnival Ride Par 4

The Drive

Grip it and Rip it. Just keep it in the fairway. The longer your drive, the more likely you are to have good placement from the frontside rough for an up and down for par.

The 2nd shot

Normally, the 2nd shot on a par 4 is the approach to the green. Not so much on this hole.

I will gladly listen to alternatives for this hole because I'm not so sure I play this one correctly, but here goes anyway:

I rarely bogey this hole, but I never birdie it. I play my second shot for the frontside rough. The ideal second shot is as close to the green as possible, but I never actually reach it. With the green 30'-40' above and 180 yards away, this is a full 225 yard 3W with full backspin (to give it more loft) that usually leaves me 5-10 yards short and in 40-50% rough.

Believe it or not, that's just about perfect for me.

The 3rd Shot - The Carnival Shot

We've all seen this green before. A green so steep at it's front side that it requires crampons and an ice axe to scale. From 12 yards away from the pin, I don't even think about this shot anymore. Aim left of the pin about 3', hit a 22 yard pitch shot with full backspin. The ball will fly about pin high then roll another 3 or 4 yards. That's when it reaches the steepest part of the green and starts its U-turn back down the hill. Leave the pin in the hole and you might get lucky and the ball will hit it like a backstop leaving only a tap in par. Most likely, you'll come back another 3 or 4 feet for a not-too-tricky uphill par putt (see replay #9 BPB 15)

Good luck.

Hole 16

The Drive

Wanna set your personal record for a long drive? This is the hole for you. With the fairway 50'+ below you, you can hit your tee shot, get up and make a sandwich, come back to the computer and the ball will still be in the air. With a tailwind, put about 1/4 backspin on the ball to give it more time aloft without compromising the roll too much - You won't get much roll anyway because the elevation change will bring the ball down to Earth at such a steep angle.

Play for the left side of the fairway. The green takes a hard right turn and you still won't have a look at the pin, but playing to the left does help take the greenside bunker out of play.

The Approach

If you have high lofted clubs and can throw a dart with your mid irons, this is a birdiable par 4. The ball wants to run off the backside of the hard green so control your roll more than you think you need to. With crappy clubs, it might be better to bump and run up the open alley toward the green left of the pin. With good distance control, it's a pretty easy two putt for par.

Hole 17 - A mid to long iron - well protected par 3

The Tee Shot

At 182 yards from the Tour Master tees, and my rather short irons, I may not give very good advice for this hole since I'm playing it with a 3i or 4i depending on the wind.

The green is raised 5' so expect the ball to run more than usual, but you can't play short because of the frontside bunkers. The most likely outcome is landing in the far side rough. From there it's a relatively easy pitch to save par.

For shots that land in the bunker, use a flop at about 1-1/2 times the distance, full backspin, and only aim half as far left as you normally would for a flop shot (the sand will mute the rightward squirt of the golf ball).

Once you're on the dance floor putting is straight forward.

Hole 18 - A short, but difficult (and easy) Par 4

The Drive

If you're prone to wild drives, club down to a 3W. You'll still have a wedge or short iron into the green for an easy par and possible birdie and you take the bogey-making bunkers out of play. If you can hit your driver accurately, get it as far up the fairway as possible and you'll have a good shot at birdie.

The Approach

This is the dangerous shot. You don't want to be in the frontside bunkers. Everything else is easily salvaged.

From the fairway, the hole is probably 15'-20' above you, so this means you need a high shot and a little more club to get there. For a 100 yard shot, play it like 110 and put full backspin on the ball. This will give you more loft and help controll the roll out.

Any shot that comes to rest within 5 yards of the pin is a makable birdie putt, though approaches that are long will have a pretty severe downhill putt to contend with.

WGT National Enquirer - Top 10 Toy List Fri, Dec 13 2013 4:02 PM

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club N4xwjt

With the biggest shopping day of the year just around the corner, the WGT National Enquirer staff has scoured the local toy stores to make it easier to shop for your WGT addicted loved ones. After days and weeks of hair pulling and heart wrenching decision making, here are the top 10 WGT-related toys to gift.

#10 Mr. Potato Head - WGT Edition

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 2nkmf86

Our own loveable WGTIcon comes to life as Mr. Potato Head in this special WGT edition of a classic for all ages!!

#9 Red Rider BolloxinBruges BB Gun

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 258zfpd

One of the all-time greatest young boy's Christmas gifts is a Red Ryder BB gun! The new BolloxinBruges Special edition will teach your youngster to be a straight shooter just like Bollie!

#8 Dr. Jedi's Medical Kit

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Evc3ec

The perfect role model for your children, Dr. Jedi has helped thousands with their problems on wgt.com. What better way to teach your kids how to give a shot?

#7 Tickle Me Esssy

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club XMAS_TickleMeEsssyRecalled_zps99c3b63b

This WGT Special Edition features lots of lols lol, Tickle his ribs and he'll say the most amazing things only he can understand! lol

#6 MrWGT's Monopoly

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club Vg30h5

Be an entrepreneur like MrWGT! Play the new (coming soon) Monopoly Challenge on wgt.com using your credits not Monopoly money. Of course, WGT gets a 20% rake on all credit transactions.

#5 YANCYCAN'S WHAC-A-MOLE!

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 141lg1x

Bop them moles!! Help our good friend and fellow WGTer Yancy clear those pesky moles out of his Par 2 & 1/2 golf course with this WGT Special Edition Whac-A-Mole game!

#4 LizzieRossetti's Silly Putting Ball

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 15yer03

Great stocking stuffers!! If you've seen Lizzie putt you know how hysterical it can be (it isn't her fault)! Now you can "Putt Like Lizzie" with this goofy ball made from the amazing world renown substance known to everyone as Silly Putty.

#3 Gift Certificates to WGT's New Driving Range

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 214uvdd

Gift certificates for a bucket of balls at the new WGT Driving range (coming soon in December, 2018!) are a welcome gift for any WGTer! Watch them practice hitting balls into Lake Tibbets and hear the squeals of laughter that it wasn't their own Callaway. (Add the YankeeJim blindfold from the WGT pro shop and they can learn how to hit by feel!)

#2 Plush Toy renniw52

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 30rtgsl

We've all played with Ren on wgt.com, now we can play with him at home! This 8" tall squirrel plush toy is handcrafted by artisans and has amazing attention to detail. Nuts are included.

And the Number One WGT National Enquirer recommended gift is!!

#1 WGT Transformers - Legend to Master

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 2w6xc3p

Our most popular game. Use your Legend skills from the Master tees in WGT.com challenge and ready go competitions and amass millions in credits. Up to 10 accounts are available. Also available in Legend to Pro and Legend to Tour Pro.

Happy shopping everyone!

CLICK HERE AND CLICK THE LAST PAGE . TO POST YOUR BLITZ SCORES

Played Wolf Creek 3 times today, every time I ended up in the water on #9. I just don't learn.

TIME MAGAZINE ......

This is Time Magazines top ten list of nude Mag covers
#10

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 1010

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club A11d51178409185

#9

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 910

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 92df3e178409191

#8

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 810

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 02dbcf178409202

#7

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 710

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club B33d9f178409204

#6

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 611

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 9438db178409195

#5

#4

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 410

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 5c0380178409211

#3

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 311

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 8c8129178409182

#2

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 213

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 7ba63d178409207

#1

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club 111

Topics tagged under 9 on Valley of the Sun Casual Club E0830f178409179

Japan	Cat Day	Japan celebrates its feline friends.	February 22
Thailand	National Elephant Day	The native elephants of this region are celebrated on this day.	March 13
Latvia	Zirgu Diena	Latvia celebrates Horses on this day.	January 17
Italy	Hedgehog Day	Similar to Groundhog Day, Italy has its own Hedgehog Day.	February 2
Poland	Day of help to forest animals	The importance of forest animals and the impact of the changing environment is observed on this day.	February 11

France	Poisson d’Avril	The same as April Fools’ Day, but is known as ‘April Fish’ due to the popular prank of sticking a paper fish onto someone’s back.	April 1
Scotland	Huntigowk Day	In Scotland, to ‘hunt the gowk’ is to find a gullible person or a ‘cuckoo’, and prank them!	April 1
Scotland	Taily Day	In some parts of Scotland, the pranking lasts two days, with day two pranks being focused on the posterior.	April 2
Denmark	Maj-kat	An identical holiday to April Fools’ Day is celebrated a month later, with more practical jokes and gags.	May 1
Spain	Childermas	Although the holiday has grim origins, the holiday is now much celebrated like April Fools’ Day.	December 28

Latvia	Zirgu Diena	Latvia celebrates Horses on this day.	January 17
Italy	Hedgehog Day	Similar to Groundhog Day, Italy has its own Hedgehog Day.	February 2
Poland	Day of help to forest animals	The importance of forest animals and the impact of the changing environment is observed on this day.	February 11
Japan	Cat Day	Japan celebrates its feline friends.	February 22
Thailand	National Elephant Day	The native elephants of this region are celebrated on this day.	March 13

Sweden	Våffeldagen	A chance for the Swedish to celebrate their beloved waffles.	May 11
New Zealand	National Chocolate Fish Day	That sacred day when New Zealanders eat a chocolate fish. Yep, it's really a thing.	May 11
Turkmenistan	Melon Day	Melon Day is annually celebrated in Turkmenistan - known as the homeland of the best melons in the world.	Second Sunday in August
United Kingdom	National Burger Day	Great discounts and deals are offered on burgers across the UK.	August 27
Japan	National Gyoza Day	Japan’s favorite dish is celebrated on this day.	September 20

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30