It's October aka Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

by Zee Monodee

Hello beautiful people!

I hope you're all doing good and life is shining bright. It's October, and there's something I wanted to share with you.

Most of you here are women - after all, who read and who write romance mostly? Women, right? I know there are some blokes on board too (amazing fellas, btw!), and these guys have women in their lives - wives, girlfriends, sisters, daughters, female friends.

So it's October, and as you probably know, this is the month for Breast Cancer Awareness. I am a two-time survivor of breast cancer, and there's nothing I want more than to help other women and prevent them from having to go through what I went through. I'm not asking for sympathy, but when you're prepared to face a situation, you're much better off than someone who is clueless - as I was before the disease struck me, first time in a total back-stabbing move; second time as a slap in the face that I managed to block because I as armed with the information.

Let's start with some common stuff most women (usually over 30) know about breast cancer:

• It happens after you turn 40.
• It happens after menopause.
• If there is a history of breast cancer in your family, get yourself checked.
• If you're on the pill, the risk for breast cancer increases.
• Have a mammogram every 3 years after 30, yearly after 40.
• To have breast cancer, there needs to have a family history of it.
• The more excess weight you carry, the higher your risk of getting breast cancer (especially after 40 and/or menopause) 

All of this is true, to a certain extent, but this is just the tip of the iceberg where breast cancer is really concerned!

I knew all about these aspects of breast cancer - especially the "after 40" aspect. Hadn't "heard" about them as there didn't seem to be any awareness campaign 10-15 years ago, but read about them online (thanks to newsletters of women-oriented sites like iVillage.com and sofeminine.co.uk). I'm also one of those anal 'patients' who reads all the literature about any drug I take, thus I knew there was a risk when taking the pill because I read that small sheet with the kill-your-eyes small font. I knew there was a family history on my mother's side, but I always glossed over any aspect after hearing/seeing "after 40" in the literature.

I thought I knew. I thought I was covered. I thought I had time (I was in my early twenties).

How wrong I was! It took me finding a solid, golf-ball sized lump in my left breast to drive it all home. I had celebrated my 22nd birthday a week earlier. That's when I fell on any information about breast cancer I could find, and helped along by my terrific oncologist answering my every nit-picky question, I found a picture that is most of the time hidden.

Let's take some of those common knowledge stuff listed above.

It happens after 40.
Not necessarily. It depends what type of cancer - estrogen-receptor positive or estrogen-receptor negative (more on that in a minute). Most women are more at risk of the estrogen-linked cancer than the rest.

It happens after menopause.
Again, largely due to the estrogen receptor. A big catalyst of the 'after menopause' debate is the use of Hormone-Replacement Therapy.

If there's a history of breast cancer in your family, get yourself checked.
Only too true! Breast cancer in the family is the genetic type of cancer, the one that gets passed on through genes. A mutation in specific genes, BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, is responsible for the cancer trigger. And these don't heed age - they won't wait until you're over 40 to strike! (as it was the case with me).

If you're on the pill, the risk for breast cancer increases.
True - but again this is the estrogen-receptor positive type of breast cancer that comes into play.

Have a mammogram every 3 years after 30, yearly after 40.
True - prevention is better than cure. But a mammogram is not prevention enough, not even yearly, at any age! I'll tell you why shortly.

To have breast cancer, there needs to be a family history of it.
Yes, and no. Furthermore, do you know your whole family history?

The more excess weight you carry, the higher your risk of getting breast cancer (especially after 40 and/or menopause)
That's because estrogen is stored inside body fat cells, so the more fat you carry, that's like sitting on a keg of gunpowder with a lit fuse in hand, waiting for it to blow into your face.

Let me explain some more.

So there is a difference between breast cancer brought on by hormonal changes (estrogen. No need for me to tell you estrogen and progesterone are the main female hormones. Pills and hormone-replacement therapy work on altering the level of these hormones in the body to get the desired outcome, ex prevent pregnancy in the former's case), and breast cancer brought on by genetic mutation.

A cancer is basically cells growing too quickly especially where they shouldn't. The difference between breast cancer brought on by estrogen (thus which has estrogen-receptors positive) and one brought on by genes (estrogen-receptor negative) is the development and proliferation rate of the abnormal cells. A genetic-type cancer is many times more rapid and more aggressive than one brought on by hormones.

So then we know that hormone-type cancer's risk increases the minute you go over 40 (your body preparing to go into menopause, even if that if still a decade away). Genes do not wait for you to turn 40.
Which is why having a mammogram every 3 years after 30 and yearly after 40 is not prevention enough if it happens that a genetic-type cancer hits you. With a gene-mutation cancer, a lump can develop overnight, and double or even treble in size over 1-2 weeks (it was the case for me. Between the day the lump was noticed and the 5 days after which it was removed, it had nearly doubled in size!). You can thus have your mammogram in January, the cancer declares itself in February, and in March it has already hit your lymph nodes and spread.

Then what do you do, if mammograms are not prevention enough? Simple - you take matters into your own hand, literally! No one knows your body as well as you do.
Breast self-exam is your biggest pro-active shield towards recognizing breast cancer!
Ideally, this exam should be done 10 days or so into your cycle. But it has become painfully aware, to me, that a lump will not wait for Day 10 of the cycle to happen. Carry out the exam more often than just once a month, if you can.

Now you can tell me I'm blowing hot air over genetic-type breast cancer and there is no history of breast cancer in your family. Fine - but do you know your full family history? Maybe someone had it but didn't advertise it. Maybe one of your ancestors had breast cancer in the 1800s or in the 1900s - the gene might be there, silent for generations, and then bingo, it decides you're the lucky winner for it to become activated!

The final line - better be safe than sorry! Be aware of your own health, and take your well-being into your own hands, whatever your age! Where I live, on the island of Mauritius, I was considered an anomaly 6.5 years ago when I was diagnosed the first time, at 22. Fast-forward to today, and girls as young as 13 are having lumpectomies, and at 15, malignant breast cancer that requires a radical mastectomy (where the whole breast and underarm lymph nodes are removed!), followed by aggressive chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

A breast self-exam takes 15 minutes tops, and the more you do it, the more attuned you become to your body. 15 minutes now and then, regularly, is not a heavy price to pay compared to cancer, the hours of worry, the agony of surgery and recovery, the hell of chemotherapy treatment, the torture of radiation therapy, and if you had estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, the plight of hormonal therapy that puts you into a simulated menopause no matter your age!

Do your self-exam. Get a mammogram yearly. Get regular check-ups with your gynecologist. Breast cancer caught early has an almost 100% survival rate.

To the women reading this, I ask you to please heed my words. To the men reading this, please forward this post/information to the women in your lives (and note that less than 1% of men are at risk of developing breast cancer!)

1 in 9 women will develop breast cancer.
Nearly a third of all new cancers in women over the past decade are breast cancers.
It is estimated that 1.38 million women worldwide are/have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Please share this information (FB this post, Tweet/RT this link, post a link on your blog, print it and distribute to your loved ones).

And since this is the Noble Authors' Blog, I've been told I can also take the opp to shamelessly promote my Hot New Talent NRP release, the romantic suspense title Walking The Edge (Corpus Brides: Book One), available at the total steal-deal price of $1.99 at the NRP site. :)

Share this post, and let me know. Anyone who leaves a comment is eligible to win a copy of Walking The Edge through a random draw I'll carry out on Saturday.

Don't let me down - I beg you to please spread the word about breast cancer. You don't know whose life you could end up saving.

From Mauritius with love,

Zee

UNFORGIVEN: New Release & Contest Announcement

News and shameless bribery from Sarah Ballance

Welcome, friends and literate people! I've got some awesome giveaway information to dish (naturally, at the END of this post) but first I want to share an exclusive excerpt from my new romantic suspense, UNFORGIVEN, which kicks off a brand new series for me here at Noble Romance. It also happens to be Noble's #3 bestseller at press time, so while I'm doing my happy dance, you can all look at this:

UNFORGIVEN | Packing Heat #1

Riley Beckett's past just came back to haunt her . . . and this time, he's got a gun.

When Gage Lawton finds his brother shot dead on his back porch, every shred of evidence points to one person: Gage's former lover, Riley. He and she didn't part ways on good terms, and he's not planning to rekindle anything now--not when he's got a revolver pointed at her head and a finger on the trigger.

A year after Riley swore she and Gage were over, he returns in a hail of gunfire. One look into those achingly familiar blue eyes and she knows how wrong she was to let him go, but now far more than their heated past stands in the way. A twist of fate puts them in the crosshairs of a killer, leaving Riley with two slim options: trust her greatest betrayer or face a murderer on her own.

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:

"Get on the floor, and keep your head down. Once I start this truck there's no turning back, and we're in for a rough ride."

Was there any turning back now? She almost laughed, but his serious expression wiped the thought away. Without a word, she slid to the floor and tucked her knees to her chest, hugging them close. The large opening of the shed faced the side yard, and from their position near the rear of the property they weren't far from the crest of the next hill.

If her daddy's gun was in the hands of a killer, they just might need that hill. The rifle was accurate at a distance far past the cover of the far slope.

"I hope I can still feel my way down your back path," Gage said, peering into the night. "Because I'm not going to hold this maniac's hand by using the headlights." He looked down at her and grinned. "Fortunately, I had a refresher trip this afternoon."

"Lovely. Thanks for the reminder."

He shrugged and turned the key. "How could you forget? Now, hang on."

She didn't have a chance. The instant the engine caught, the truck tore out of the shed. They took a hard right, away from the house, the suspension absorbing several rough bumps as they slid sideways over the thick, unkempt grass near the rear of the yard. From her vantage point Riley could see only the black sky outside the truck, but it wasn't hard to figure out where they were by the feel of the terrain under the tires. Old ruts on the path caused several unforgiving jolts, each one slamming her against the door and glove box with increasing intensity.

Gage didn't let up. He kept a white-knuckled grip on the wheel, and—judging from the scream of the engine—the pedal to the floor. The ride was relentless, but the angle of their ascent told her they had to be near the top of the hill. Any second now they would crest it and be out of the sights of the killer behind them—

With a horrific blast, the back window imploded. All sound seemed to fall away with the raining glass, and for a split, surreal second the world was mute. It wasn't until the truck slowed and took a sudden, thoughtless turn to the left that Riley tore her eyes from the gaping hole. The steering wheel jerked erratically, fighting the lay of the land.

Only one thing hampered the wild rotation.

With horror, she realized it was the cumbersome weight of Gage's body.

Click here to read more. (No, I insist.)

FREAKING AWESOME CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT

Now that you've read my excerpt (or skipped ahead to the contest part - seriously, you think I didn't see that? Uh huh...) I've got a killer giveaway to tell you about. Every Friday I'm giving away a gift certificate--winner's choice of $5 for Amazon or (wait for it...) $10 to Noble Romance. Want to know how to enter? All you've got to do is (1) wait out your 18th birthday, then (2) subscribe to my blog by email. I do love my Wordpress and Networked Blog followers, but I need your email address for this one. To kick things off, I gave out $20 this week, and there's another BIG prize coming.

BIG PRIZE COMING

First of all, those of you who skipped ahead to right here need to back up a paragraph. We'll wait while you read. ... ... ... Okay, all together now? Here's the deal. On Friday October 7 someone is going to win a big ol' e-gift certificate (winner to be contacted Oct 7 with the announcement to be made Oct 10). Guess how you enter? Yep, that's right. (Are my readers clever or what?) You must subscribe to my blog by email in order to win. Subscribing is easy. Just head to my blog and take a gander at the top of the sidebar on the left. Fill in that little box, and don't forget to confirm your subscription.

Well, you know. Unless you don't want a chance at some e-cash.

I'm still doing that happy dance no one in their right mind wants to see (not sober, anyway) so I'll thank you once again for putting UNFORGIVEN near the top, and I'll spare you the rest.

Want even more UNFORGIVEN? Check out the Six Sentence Sunday featured spots on my blog!

The Thrill of a Release!

Nooo, not that kind of a release, though hey--definitely thrilling.

I'm referring, of course, to new book releases. I've discovered, so far, the excitement over a book coming out doesn't diminish after the first book. If anything, my excitement builds. I know some of what to expect: The guest blogging, the self promotion, the subtle threats against family and friends who don't snatch up my book right away. But there's definitely new hope with every release.

Will this be the release that changes my career somehow?


I'm lucky in the sense that I not only have a release out today with Noble (Love Revisited: Davit and Jenova), but I also have a recent release on Amazon of a book I wrote many moons ago with a friend of mine (Murder Creek).

I'm having a blast promoting two books at once. It's double the work, of course, but well worth my time. I write fast. Faster than the industry can accept and offer a contract. ::grins:: And I need to be kept busy. I have too many stories in my head to sit back and write a book at a time. I have to at least have three stories going. It keeps me from hitting a writing wall and staring at the same page of a manuscript for three days in a row. If I'm unsure where to go next, I hop over to the next story and keep on working.

I hope this isn't the last time I'll be promoting two books at once, and I hope, friends and fans, that you all have the time to check out both stories.

Today, I'll be running an easy contest. Leave a comment, get a chance to win. Friend me on Facebook and leave a comment on my wall and get another chance to win. Make sure you mention the contest. If you're already a friend, you only have to write on the wall. For a third shot, "like" me and leave a comment on my fan page wall. (Again, mention the contest.) At stake: a free copy of Love Revisited: Davit & Jenova or a free T-shirt. One lucky winner will get both.

If you miss today, don't worry. The contest goes on one more day on another blog where I'm a guest on Tuesday. You'll have to see my Facebook page for details.

Have a great day all, and Good Luck!


All my best,
Allure

What's Love Got to do With It?

What's love...?

A secondhand emotion, according to the immortal Tina Turner.

But to many Romance authors?

It's everything.

My friend and co-author of the upcoming Johan's Quest series, Brita Addams, gave me some thoughts on the subject. See, to her, love is truly everything. She's lived it, felt it, breathes it in each day. Whereas, I tend to lean more toward Tina Turner's take on it, for love--romantic love--remains but a dream... a hope in my life. But then if we were all cut from the same mold and lived similar lives... how boring would this world be, right?

Love is defined as many things by many people. There's the grandiose hearts and flowers, wine and expensive trips. That works to acquire love, maybe, but to keep it, well, that takes something more.

Brita says:

I prefer to accept a more conventional explanation--the all-important emotion that seems to make the world go round. As romance authors, we write about it in glowing terms: commitment, a lifelong need that burns in all of us.

To me, love is that understanding that there is someone in the world who knows me and cares for me anyway. Whoever I am today, I'm accepted and I live in someone else's thoughts. Love is that one person who's by my side when the chips are down, slogging it out, whatever the adversity. It's caring for someone more than you care for yourself, because you know they feel the exact same way.

It's getting down to the end of your life and knowing you've lived a life that touched others and that touch had an impact. You meant the world to someone else, you were their world, the reason they got up in the morning.

Bryl says:

The above rendition of LOVE is exactly how Brita has managed to gain my attention, worm her way into my heart, and earn my trust, which I do not offer freely. Personally, I have no clue how to define love. Even after thinking on it an entire day, I came up at a loss for words.

The closest I think I come to knowing love is that protectiveness that overcomes me when someone hurts anyone I care about. Or maybe it's that smile that crosses my face when others would cringe from walking in on Sugar Daddy making a complete ass of himself.

Seeing my dismay, understanding my struggle, Brita went on to further try and explain, and in doing so by painting such an apt picture, finally helped me to understand:

How many funerals have you attended where people stood up and spoke about the deceased? I've attended many and the one common thread through all of them is striking. Never, has anyone ever said "Oh, what a wonderful carpenter he was," or "What a wonderful nurse she was." Instead, the folks who stand to speak, do so with tears, their sense of loss deep and heartfelt. The words they speak are of the importance of the deceased's life, the impact that person had on those who loved them.

The answer to the question, "What's Love Got to do With It?" I'm sure the answer is different for everyone, but my answer is Love has everything to do with it. Without love, a person's life is empty. Love is all that makes things worthwhile, all that, when things are said and done, is most enduring.

So, now that I've been laid bare, you tell me,

What does love mean to you?

Leave a comment today and  be entered in a drawing to win one Love Revisited: Rye and Chal Tee or a pdf copy of today's release.

Bryl R. Tyne is a wrangler by nature and a writer by choice, published with Noble Romance Publishing, Ravenous Romance, Dreamspinner Press, STARbooks Press, Untreed Reads Publishing, Changeling Press, and Amber Quill Press. Check out Bryl's bi-monthly column: My Way   Find out more about the author at: bryltyne.com

 

Giveaway to Celebrate My Book Release!

Hello All! I am celebrating the release of my first novel, Her Captive Muse, with a giveaway. Want to win a free copy of my ebook and a $25 gift card to Eden Fantasys? Just answer this question in an email...
"What's the most unusual place you've ever had sex?" and send it to indigoskyeinkandart@gmail.com before Valentine's Day. I'll be announcing the winners on my blog and the Noble Authors' Blog on V-Day!

-Indigo Skye

The Best Present Is New Fans!

When you get a little older, the amount of presents you get on your birthday is vastly different from the pile you were lucky to get on the day you blew out seven candles on your cake. But I have to say, I've realized over the past decade that I care a lot more about giving than getting presents.

I love to buy Christmas/Yule presents. I love to buy birthday gifts. And I don't ask people what they want anymore because I want to give them things that have a meaning instead of buying Grandad a package of the socks he likes. Where's the surprise in that??


Writing is a lot like gift-giving. I write the books I think you all would like to read, or at least a good portion of you. And those I don't get with one book, I'll try to get with another...and another. No one is safe. Muahahaha!

Over Christmas, I gained a few new readers with my free read, and that helped to remind me why I do what I do. I can write all day long for myself and get some pleasure from it (because I love to write), but NOTHING compares to having readers wanting more, making me feel like I've got a golden touch. "I love it! What else do you have?" "Anything new coming out? I can't wait."

Comments like these make me get all sappy and wanting to hug the world. Why, yes, I will have something new coming out, and it's because of you! Not just those who are fans, but for those who aren't, too. You push me, inspire me. I want to make you all happy, make you read until all hours of the night, and make your breaths catch along with my characters.

To up my chances of making that happen, this year I set a goal for myself to write a short per month. I'm making no guarantee, since I've never tried writing on a disciplined schedule before, but I'm going to do my best because nothing beats new books or getting new fans with those new books.

I had a contest I planned to run for Christmas, but my hosting hour went by so fast, I never got to it. So what better way to celebrate my birthday today than to blatantly attempt to bribe new fans my way (and give longtime fans new gifts)?

You can enter by leaving a comment or by emailing me at allurevansanz (at) aol (dot) com. In your comment or email, tell me a short story you'd like to read and chose the names of your main characters.

For example: "I'd like to read a medieval M/F short. I want his name to be Sir Licks-a-lot and her name to be Lady Takemenow." or "I'd like a M/M" or "F/F".

Get as detailed as you like with looks or keep things vague. Makes no matter to me, whatever your comfort level.

OR...

If you'd rather just get a free book, you can request that, too. There's "From the Ruins" "Handling Gwen" or "Candied Cane"(the gift I handed out for Xmas). Just tell me the book you'd like to receive in your comment for a chance to win it, because today is all about you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit me today.

All my best,
Allure