Living or Dieing with an Auto Immune Disorder

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Twenty or so years ago, scientific advances made discoveries into the area known as Auto Immune Disorders with Lupus being by far the deadliest. Medical science has come a very long way but there still is no cure for Auto Immune Disorders. Remission is the goal with early detection and treatment.

In plain language, an Auto Immune Disorder is the body turning on itself. Something happens to the bodies normal ability to identify and protect itself against invaders such as bacterias and viruses. It becomes confused and for unknown reasons begins producing antibodies that attack and kill normal healthy living cells. It can attack any cell and any system, producing more and more in it's attempt to rid itself of well... itself.

It can take years to properly identify an Auto Immune Disorder because sysmtoms overlap with other diseases and conditions. Years of silent and painful distruction, numerous trips to the doctors and specialist, for tests, therapies and bloodwork which still does not always give and aswer. Remission can take years to achieve with no gaurantee to stay there.

The Darlene Warner Benefit Fund was set up to help defer and cover some of the mounting costs being incurred. To cover medical treatments and prescriptions, to replace funds "Peter had to rob Paul" for, monies needed for leaking roof repairs, coal to heat the home for the coming winter months, replacement of dangerous balding tires. Deductable, copays, doctor bills and travel mounting to HUNDREDS of dollars every WEEK.

Your help and support is only a click away. Tax deductable donations are being accepted via PayPal. Just click "DONATE" at the top of this article or at the left upper corner of Metonia's Blog. If you are one of those leary of using the internet a paper check can be mailed via you local postoffice to

Darlene Warner Benefit Fund
C/O Ameriserv Financial Bank
101 South Main St
Carrolltown Pa, 15722

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The WINNERS at Metonia's Bookclub

It was a very close race for authors, Anna Campbell and Rowena Cherry. Only two posts separated them for top spot on Metonia’s Book clubs LUCK OF THE IRISH AUTHORS CHALLENGE CONTEST. But wait … Caridad Pineiro has picked a winner! She hosted her own contest for her fans and that lucky person has won an earlier book from the series, THE CALLING, and a T-shirt. But fear not loyal fans, both Anna and Rowena are donating for their own contest too. Winners have been drawn. So, we have two more winners joining the circle. In addition, don’t forget Metonia’s. I have decided to give everyone a chance to win. If your favorite author had only one post or ten posts your name was added to the bowl…. And yes I use a real bowl, not those computerized random counters… Before I announce the winners… yes I am going to make you wait!! I want to tell you of the fun posted at Metonia’s. There are 15 wonderful and hunkalisous photos posted for your viewing as well as 11 video trailers. If you haven’t checked them out please do. They range from sweet and humorous to hubba hubba, Don’t forget to leave a comment or two behind on how you liked the trailers for the authors. If you haven’t read the excerpts posted yet, you are missing a wonderful chance to check out potential stories, such as Rowena Cherry’s INSUFFICIENT MATING MATERIAL. She has 2 excerpts posted for this one and when I read about the “tattoo that only showed up in the dark”, well, that really caught my attention mainly because of its location. Mmmmmm. Sheri L. McGathy has an excerpt posted of SUMMERSONG that dragged me so quickly into the story, I almost responded as if the story was real in my comment post. I know I will be smiling at the antics of Socrates when I buy Jacquie Rogers DOWN HOME EVER LOVIN MULE BLUES just by the enchanting creature he presents himself to be in her excerpt. Now for the winners. The authors that sponsored their own contests should be contacting each individual to get your mailing information or you can contact them directly first. If you do not hear from them within the week please let me know. You can email me at renraw10@aol.com Jordinde Verschueren is the lucky winner of one of Rowena Cherry’s futuristic sci-fi romances. Congratulations Jordinde. There was a slight problem with the original winner of Anna Campbell’s contest. The participant was hoping for the actual hero ERITH from TEMPT THE DEVIL. A postage stamp ( though I can think of some wonderful places to put it) is out of the question here, a second winner had to be picked. Ana maybe you can check with Dara England and see if she will share her magic for sending a person back into her books like in BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE. Then maybe you can have ERITH. Phyllis Lamken congratulations for being the winner of one of Anna Campbell’s Regency books. Julie Evans you have been picked as the lucky winner of an earlier book from the series, THE CALLING by Caridad Pineiro, and a T-shirt. Congratulations! And last but not least, the winner of the LUCK OF THE IRISH AUTHORS CHALLENGE CONTEST hosted by Metonia’s Bookclub is…. Jacquie Rogers. Congratulations Jacquie, now you have your own dilemma to solve. You posted under four authors but only get to pick one book. Will it be … Nora’s Soul by Margay Leah Justice Mating Net by Rowena Cherry Summersong by Sheri L McGathy Wyndriver Sinner by Charlotte Boyett Compo Let me know which one and as long as it is still in paper print form, I will get it to you. I would like to thank everyone for participating. I had 12 authors participating in the contest

Rowena Cherry Anna Campbell Jacquie Roger Caridad Pineiro Margay Leah Justice Leigh Savage Sheri L. McGathy Dara England Charlotte Boyett Compo Barbara M. Hodges Michael Charton C.L. Wilson (by proxy)

And numerous others posting on the wall Elizabeth Amber J. Hali Steele Emily Bryan Jamie Rush Gerri Bowen And Perth Smith by proxy of his energetic wife Kendra Nailen Smith I want to thank all the participants posting and joining Metonia’s to hook up with your favorite authors and links. I hope you come back often as Metonia’s continues to grow and add many more wonderful authors as well as for future contest and posting fun. Congratulations to all the winners and Thank you all for making Metionia’s a success. Darlene Warner aka Metonia Meadows

NightOwl Romance Live author chat

I had my first experience in participating in a large mass chat room today. Not as an author, but just as a common folk/reader out to meet an author of interest. Even though it actually was not so large a group it was a unique experience for me. It was not what I expected. The participants were nice but I wonder if anyone read the rules... Quoted from the website: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/chat/chat.aspx

Each author has their own time to chat about their books. Out of respect, please give each author the stage while it's their time and hold questions for other authors until it's their personal question time.

Eliza Knight - http://elizaknight.com/default.aspx Frances Stockton - http://www.francesstockton.com/ Catrina Calloway - http://www.myspace.com/CatrinaCalloway - free copy of EIGHT EROTIC NIGHTS Jacquie Rogers - http://www.jacquierogers.com/ - Giving away a Down Home Ever Lovin' Mule Blues T-shirt Alysia Lyons - http://www.alysialyons.com/ If I understood the chat correctly it was to be an opportunity to chat with the authors about their books. Participants were to be polite and ask only the author whose time it was to chat questions. Well the chat seemed like a free for all to this lowly common reader.... posts were scrolling faster that I could read.... prizes were awarded before participants were given time to even respond to the posters.... unless you were a speed reader. Participates carried on completely personal or general conversations without any respect to the authors whose turn it was to talk..... Now to be a bit fair... some of these same authors were also the culpurts. Visiting reviewers carried on conversations with other participants as well as throwing the participating author the stray question to answer. The chat administrator had very little control, nor did she try. I understand and appreciate that NightOwl Romance wanted its participants to have a good time, but promoting the event and the actual funcionality of the event in my opinion was poorly accomplished. It appeared as if many visitors to the chat room left before participating. I know for myself it felt worst than an actual conversation where "you can't get a word in edgewise" as the saying goes. Don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable reading the things everyone was posting, it's just that much of the post were never directed or offered to the author. I participated in the event with the original purpose of supporting a very new aquaintance/author Alysia Lyons. As luck would have it she was the last participating author. I politely asked a question or two of each author as their turn appeared but the other conversations filled the screen so quickly I could not keep up with the posts. Every author was polite and I believe tried their best to do their part around the numerous posts but I actually felt quite bad for them. I know questions were asked of them that they most likely missed due to the speed at which the posts were scrolling. I know personally I will think twice about going back to post under these same circumstances but I believe the general intent of the live chat was to be helpful. Stray comments that I too made or asked were almost always politely answered, if not by the current participating author, by someone else. I will most likely go back and visit the site again and I may even enter the chat room but I will have to think very hard on returning to participate in an authors chat.

Metonia's Bookclub

Metonia's Bookclub is located on facebook. A place to link all my favorite authors and reading places as well as join up with like minded people.

Review- Christine Feehan's MURDER GAME

MURDER GAME by Christine Feehan, Ghostwalker Series Book Seven Games should be fun, but for two expert teams across the country, they’re murder – because the winning team is the one that gets the most kills. The participants in this violent challenge are rumored to be GhostWalkers. And Kadan Montague isn’t happy about it. Kadan is a GhostWalker and he’s determined to clear the GhostWalker name of the rumors. To do it, he’s going to need the help of psychic Tansy Meadows. But as soon as he sees her, he knows his mission will be more complicated than he imagined – and the “murder game” may not be at all what it seems. Military trained, Special Forces expert, Kadan Montague is just one of a very special elite group of men and women known as the GhostWalkers. Serving his country with honor, he volunteered for a special paranormal government program that enhanced his natural psychic abilities, only to discover that he and his fellow team members were genetically enhanced without their knowledge as well. When disavowed by their government, squad members began dyeing, escape and protecting his own became the primary mission. Now he has a new mission… find the perpetrators responsible for a deadly game of murder and terminate them. Could his friends be responsible and can he carry out his mission if they are? Determined to prove their innocence, he seeks the help of Tansy Meadows, an elite tracker of killers. Tansy has always had a gift… by touching an object she is able to visualize its history. Not just a vision but feel, touch and experience the event, or in these cases the death of every one of the victims. Since the age of thirteen Tansy has been helping the police and FBI track these killers until she is no longer able to separate the past and the present. Nearly driven mad by the voices and scenes of the dead, Tansy wants no part of her former job tracking killers. Now she spends her time isolated in the mountains, photographing the creatures of the wild, at peace for the first time in her life, until Kadan Montague shows up and shatters her solitude. MURDER GAME is the seventh book in Christine Feehans GhostWalker series. In book one of the series, SHADOW GAME, we learn of the existence of the GhostWalkers. Honorable volunteers, wanting nothing more than to serve their country, becoming nothing more than lab rats to be experimented on. With the help of their creators daughter Lilly Whitney, the GhostWalkers along with their commanding officer Ryland Miller escape. Book one is their story and sets the stage for the subsequent novels in this series. With each story we learn a little bit more about the history, talents, abilities and passion of the GhostWalkers and the exceptional women they come to love. We also experience the life and death struggles to survive against unseen enemies as well as getting to know these enemies. MURDER GAME is Kaden’s story. We first met him in book one and he makes numerous appearances as a secondary character in many of the subsequent books. He is cool, calm and unflappable with talents even his fellow GhostWalkers don’t know about. Now he must use all of his skills to protect the one woman capable of finding the real killers and keeper of his heart. I read this book with a preconceived idea of what to expect in the story after reading a friends review and I think in its own way that prepared me more for the differences in this story from the others in this series. One difference is the bad guy. With the exception of book one, Peter Whitney the scientist, genius creator of the GhostWalkers, is the antagonist in the series. In MURDER GAME, a new advisory is introduced but no less deadly in his pursuit of what he wants. What “the puppet master” as he comes to be known wants…. is money, murder and Tansy and it becomes a life and death struggle for all involved to see that Tansy survives. Another difference is the action. In prior books the action is intense with brutal battles and nerve shattering fight scenes in which many of the GhostWalkers participate, enhancing the story line. In MURDER GAME, the action is more mental. Controlling energy is Kadan’s specialty. When Tansy’s mind it assailed over and over by the fresh images of the latest murder victims, it takes everything Kadan has to prevent her mind from shattering. But when the puppet master enters her mind and her dreams its time to call in more help. I love how Christine Feehan brings various GhostWalkers together in each story to fight against the enemy and I was not disappointed to see many of my favorites from other books back as secondary characters. I met again, the Norton twins, Jack and Ken whose stories are told in CONSPIRACY GAME and DEADLY GAME, two of my favorites. Both strong, determined men, who let nothing get in there way when it comes to protecting each other and the women they love. Another favorite was Raoul “Gator” Fontenot from NIGHT GAME. OOOHHH his Cajun drawl and sensuality never fails to leave me with chills as he charms your socks off. His grumbling in one scene in MURDER GAME leaves me grinning. Also showing up is Nicolas Trevane from MIND GAME. Will his sharp shooting skills be enough or will he fail in his duties to protect the other members of his team? Jeff Hollister whom we haven’t seen since book one is reintroduced now that he has finally healed from his near fatal injury. His story has yet to be written along with Ian McGillicuddy and Tucker Addison, both tall heavily muscled men whose muscles ripple every time they move. I agree with Aurian’s review in that I too was disappointed that we did not get to meet the women of these marvelous men in this latest book as we have in prior novels. I have come to look forward to their unique way of handling their men. I found myself liking this story when I had not planned to. I was prepared for a lesser story after reading Aurian’s review and that helped by preparing me for the differences this story had from the other ones. I think because I was prepared I accepted the style change upfront and that allowed me to enjoy the story more as a standalone that as part of the series. The book read very smoothly and flowed well to the end. The storyline was a bit slow to start for the first few chapters but once it picked up it took off and I did not want to put the book down. I cannot honestly say if my overall feelings for this book would have been the same had I not read Aurian’s review and discussed my expectations in the forum but being prepared for this book, I can honestly say enhanced my enjoyment of it and I was not disappointed. 4 Stars