R. Doug Wicker — Author | Stories of Mystery and Adventure

June 20, 2012 · 5:45 am

Still Time to Win! Free eBooks for Your Kindle or Nook!

Well, this is embarrassing. I was expecting copies of Decisions and The Globe to have found a new home aboard some lucky winner’s Kindle, Nook, or Kindle- or Nook-enabled device using the free Kindle or Nook reading app.

Alas, much to this mystery writer’s chagrin, nobody successfully navigated Monday’s sea of clues. So, today the clues will be a bit more specific and direct. View the captions carefully, and take nothing you read at face value. Click on the individual images to view larger versions.

And, by all means, somebody please figure out this mystery. I really want to find these two fine books a deserving home, and I’m sure the suspense is building out there.

Rules are located at this link: on Monday’s blog (along with Monday’s clues).

Unsuccessful guesses so far: Taos, New Mexico (submitted by two blog readers). A good guess, but not quite good enough.

Now for today’s clues (good luck):

: One last view of the flinty hill with the ghostly presence that’s not in Georgia

: Closer to the Mystery Spot, but the views are still grand

: Photographers and painters are often drawn to the same views and hues

: Yellow Aspen against blue skies—could be a red herring

: This place isn’t in Georgia, but Georgia made it famous

: Much painted and much beloved, but this hill is rather flinty nevertheless

: Another mesa . . . a famous one—and you’ve seen it in some very famous paintings

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Filed under Author, Books, eReaders, Giveaways, Photography, travel, Writing

Tagged as ebooks, free, giveaway, Kindle, Nook, travel

June 18, 2012 · 5:43 am

Win Free eBook Copies of Decisions and The Globe

It’s giveaway time here at RDougWicker.com. Today, one lucky (and geographically smart) individual will win copies of my two murder mysteries: Decisions and The Globe for their Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, or any Kindle- or Nook-enabled device (Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPod, iPad, PC, or Mac with the Kindle or Nook reading app). That’s a $6.98 value. Actually, those two books are a steal at $6.98, but that’s what I sell them for—$2.99 for Decisions and $3.99 for The Globe.

Below are seven photographs of this week’s travel blog destination, the identity of which will be revealed on either Wednesday or Friday (the actual day depends on my readers).

Here’s all you need do to win: Take a look at the photographs below, read the hints (they’re buried in the captions), and guess the locale. It’s that easy. First one to guess correctly and submit to me their answers in the form of a comment wins the prize. No purchase necessary. Since comments from first-time commenters are screened before appearing on my blogs, I will review the comments in the order in which they are received by WordPress.

And, please, if you already own one or both of these books, hold back and give someone else a shot at them.

Here are your clues, and best of luck:

: Haunting Scenery.

: Paranormal Skies

: Palatable Colors—all Earth Tones with Lots of Reds

: This Guy’s Favorite Salad Dressing?

: Enchanting Views

: . . . of One Artist Who Made This Place Famous

: Artists Love This Place Because . . .

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Filed under Author, Books, eReaders, Giveaways, Photography, travel

Tagged as ebooks, free, giveaway, Kindle, Nook, travel

June 15, 2012 · 5:58 am

Fun Foto Friday

Views, sunsets, and views of sunsets. El Paso has it all. If you’re squeamish about heights, then perhaps the Wyler Aerial Tramway is not for you. But keeping your two feet firmly planted upon the ground doesn’t mean that you have to miss out of views of this magnificent gem of the Chihuahuan Desert. There are other views that may be reached by automobile or, if you’re so inclined, even bicycle. One such place is Scenic Drive.

Unfortunately on this particular day we had in the air a thick layer of smoke. No, not urban smog. This smog was of the forest fire variety—in this case, from the devastating Whitewater-Baldy fire in the Gila National Forest several hundred miles west northwest of El Paso. Yeah, the fire was that bad. The daytime shots below were taken on June 3, and the smoke was much worse than it appears. I managed to marginally mitigate the smokey effects by upping the contrast and increasing saturation in post-processing.

But visibility-reducing smoke during the day often means spectacular skies with vivid colors after sunset. The twilight pictures shown below were taken June 12 after sunset. The camera used was my new Canon PowerShot G1 X set atop a carbon fiber tripod. Shot settings were ISO 100, 1 second exposures, with f-Stop set between f2.8 and f5.6. Final images were tweaked in post processing for color saturation and contrast.