Remote Viewing the 9/11 events – free book
Remote Viewing
Author: mariacatalinaegan
MCV EGAN multicultural, multilingual #Author of #Historical #Mystery & #Womensfiction. #Astrologer Her passions are #Pacifism & #Cooking http://amzn.to/2s8TSdW
LitLUNCH! FEBRUARY 5th 2016
LitLUNCH! is the kick-off event for Literary Feast and it begins with a champagne cocktail followed by book sales and signings, luncheon, silent auction and an entertaining presentation by a nationally acclaimed author. A sell-out crowd of 200 prominent business women typically attends this much-anticipated annual event, which is held at the private Pier Top restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six overlooking Fort Lauderdale’s glittering waterways.
LitLUNCH!
Friday, February 5, 2016
11 a.m.
Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six Pier Top Restaurant
2301 SE 17th Street Causeway, Fort Lauderdale
This year’s guest author is Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries and Mediator series. Click here to purchase tickets. Don’t wait, this event is guaranteed to sell out!
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CINDERELLA TREASURE TROVE
Ring in 2016 with Cinderella Treasure Trove and Princess Prize Pack Giveaway
Will Cinderella make it to the ball? She did in the fairy tale, but in these fresh takes on the original, just about anything can happen–and usually does. Fifteen romance authors have served up delicious samples of their Cinderella-themed stories, along with a feast of tasty treats and glitzy party ideas. Tap into your inner princess and indulge in excerpts sparkling with dream-come-true romance, nail-biting suspense, haunting magic, bubbly chick lit humor and tear-jerking heartaches. Please note that these are excerpts, not complete stories. After sampling our tasty morsels, you’ll find a treasure-trove of recipes and ideas to inspire your next party.
Let the Glass Slipper Sisters style your regal table to perfection, thanks to the gorgeous, but quick and inexpensive adornments and easy-to-prepare scrumptious delights. You’ll even find a few party games that can be adapted for your royal guests whatever their age.
Annalise wanted just one night with Elijah, but will an antique locket and a bit of Cinderella magic fulfill her every dream?
Cami only has 24 hours in her Cinderella body. Will she keep hiding or can she learn how to live life?
Cinderella Series – The Collection by Kae Elle Wheeler
Said the fairy godmother,”True sisters will always find their way, no matter.”
Cinder the Fae by Rebekah R Garniere
When Prince Rome’s father initiates a contest to win him a wife, Cinder finds herself having to fight sixty other females for his heart while trying to keep the evil vying for the crown from destroying them all.
She’s an unappreciated housekeeper with an eye for designer goodies. Can Cindi get her dream shoes and her dream guy? A sweet, funny modern take on Cinderella.
What happens when the glass slippers pinch Cinderella’s toes? When Jaine Andersen proposes a new marketing role to the local amusement park, general manager Dylan Callahan charms her into filling Cinderella’s glass slippers for the summer.
This modern Cinderella encounters problems even a fairy godmother couldn’t imagine.
A lie and a wish on a Christmas star…uh oh! This Cinderella should have been careful what she wished for!
Having given up on fairytales after falling for her toad of an ex, Pumpkin is afraid to take a chance on town royalty Manny who believes she may be his soulmate.
Kidnapped and left for dead, Brinn Hathaway survives for years in the wild, only to be drawn out of hiding by a young nature photographer who steals her heart. Now, Brinn must decide if coming out of hiding is worth the hope—and the danger—that may await her.
Raven St. James only has 24 hours in her Cinderella body. What will she do with it? Will she become the confident, strong, flirty girl she wants to be? Will she get the guy she has always wanted?
If you had your dream body for only 24 hours… What would you do? One magical pendant gives Tess one wish to use before the clock strikes twelve.
A scandal-ridden prince must marry a royal if he doesn’t want to be disowned, but he falls for the American sent to find him a princess bride.
Kristen Jensen never expected to fall in love when she finally decided to address her morbid obesity by seeking addictions treatment—let alone with a rock star.
A struggling single mother and a pop-icon turned Hollywood star meet in unusual circumstances. Fate drew them together, but the intrigue and trappings of stardom threaten to unravel love’s ties.
AMBER DALTON: My mind is a wonderland of romance and adventure, laughter and awesome ways of kicking a guy when he’s down. I read, write and enjoy contemporary, paranormal and historical novels alike. I just can’t get enough of feisty heroines and alpha heroes. Writing takes up most of my time, aside from my tedious day job in the retail industry, and I probably wouldn’t be too sane without my computer and notebooks. After all, what’s a girl to do when there are people jabbering away in her head and it’s hard to shut them up? Write! Nothing else works.
When I’m not busy toiling away on my computer, I acknowledge the fact that I do, indeed, live in reality and then I remember that I’m married with five adorable kitties. *Wink wink* My wonderful, punk-rocker husband supports me in my career (cough cough–obsession) and always lends a pair of eyes to my manuscripts.
JENNIFER CONNER is a best-selling Northwest author who has over sixty short stories and books in ebook, print, and audiobooks. She writes in Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance, and Erotica.
She lives in a hundred year old house that she grew up in. Her semi-small town holds an interesting mix of resident hillbillies, yuppies and Navy Seals. And of course Seattle, only a few miles away, is the birthplace of Starbucks so coffee is always on the check list. She blows glass beads with a blow torch, (which relieves a lot of stress and people don’t bother you) and is a huge fan of musicals.
KATHY L WHEELER (a.k.a Kae Elle Wheeler) graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a BA in Management Information Systems that includes a Vocal Minor. She is an avid theater buff (holds season tickets to Broadway Series in OKC), loves the NFL and NBA (also holds season tickets to Thunder Basketball in OKC), loves travel, people and karaoke.
Kathy/Kae lives with her musically talented husband in Edmond, Oklahoma, has one grown daughter who recently had a baby, and one bossy cat!
REBEKAH R GANIERE grew up on both the east and west coasts and currently lives in the Los Angeles area. From the Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to The Stand by Stephen King, Rebekah immersed herself in other people’s made up worlds. She began writing in junior high and then found she liked pretending to be other people’s characters in high school. Lettering in drama she went on to study theater in college as well. After college she continued acting till becoming a mom. Ultimately, she ended up going back to writing her characters down instead of acting them out, so she could stay at home with her kids.
Rebekah is an Award Winning Bestselling Author. Her novel Dead Awakenings, debuted in January 2014. Red the Were Hunter, the first in her Fairelle Series won the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Fantasy Book of the year 2014. The second book Snow the Vampire Slayer was released in September. And the Series itself won Best Fantasy Series of the year. And her trilogy The Society was released with Kensington Lyrical Press.
LISA SCOTT is a former TV news anchor who now enjoys making up stories instead of sticking to the facts. She’s worked in Bangor, ME, Rochester, NY and Buffalo, NY. She lives in upstate NY with her husband, two children, dog, cat, and koi fish. When not writing, she works as a voice actor.
She writes romance (Flirts! short story collections, and The Willowdale Romance Series) along with middle grade fiction for children.
Her debut middle grade novel, School of Charm, will be released by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, in early 2014.
STACY JUBA loves to write about Characters at a Crossroads: individuals who are finding themselves and getting on the right life path after overcoming obstacles. Her goals are to entertain readers of all ages as well as inspire them through her mystery, romance and contemporary fiction books for adults, teens and children. She has written about ice hockey, sibling rivalry and sportsmanship, teen psychics, U.S. flag etiquette for kids, and determined women sleuths solving mysteries. Her latest novel is Fooling Around With Cinderella, the first in the Storybook Valley chick lit sweet romance series. Stacy is always happy to hear from readers.
CAROLINE CLEMMONS is an Amazon bestselling author of historical and contemporary western romances whose books have garnered numerous awards. Her latest release is GABE KINCAID, book four of her popular Kincaid series. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.
Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. Prior to writing full time, her jobs included stay-at-home mom (her favorite), secretary, newspaper reporter and featured columnist, assistant to the managing editor of a psychology journal, bookkeeper for the local tax assessor and–for a short and fun time–an antique dealer. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, painting, getting together with friends, and enjoying watching the birds, butterflies, and squirrels wandering through her back yard. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Shelfari, Goodreads, and Pinterest.
JOAN REEVES is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance. She began her career with New York traditional publishers. When the Amazon Kindle came along, she happily embraced a new career path as an independent author/publisher.
Joan lives her happily ever after with her hero, her huband, in the Lone Star State. They have four kids who think they are adults and a ghost dog–all the ingredients for a life full of love and warmed by laughter. She lives the philosophy that is the premise of all of her romance novels: “It’s never too late to live happily ever after.”
INES JOHNSON writes books for strong women who suck at love. If you rocked out to the twisted triangle of Jem, Jericha, and Rio as a girl; if you were slayed by vampires with souls alongside Buffy; if you need your scandolous fix from Olivia Pope each week, then you’ll love her books!
Aside from being a writer, professional reader, and teacher, Ines is a very bad Buddhist. She sits in sangha each week, and while others are meditating and getting their zen on, she’s contemplating how to use the teachings to strengthen her plots and character motivations.
Ines lives outside Washington, DC with her two little sidekicks who are growing up way too fast.
PJ SHARON: Award winning author of young adult books, including PIECES of LOVE, HEAVEN is for HEROES, ON THIN ICE, and Holt Medallion winner SAVAGE CINDERELLA, PJ Sharon loves writing for teens and teens at heart. Her latest work, HEALING WATERS, completes The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael, a YA dystopian trilogy that RT Book Reviews calls “An action-packed read with a strong female lead.” For more info on PJ’s books and updates on new releases, sign up for her newsletter or visit her website.
When she’s not writing, or spreading the love through her practice, she can be found kayaking in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts, and renovating an old farmhouse with the love of her life.
SHARON KLEVE was born and raised in Washington and currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband. Sharon is a multi-published author of paranormal and contemporary romance. She loves romance. She loves reading romance, living romance, and especially loves writing about romance. Sharon gets no greater feeling than watching her characters come alive in each other’s arms. Most of all, she loves giving her characters the happily ever after they deserve–with a few bumps and bruises along the way.
One of her favorite things to do is pick-up a new book and sinking into the story, immersing herself in the emotions between the characters. She hopes to inspire her readers the same way her favorite authors inspired her.
When not writing, she can usually be found either curled up in her recliner with her cat and a good book, or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread or bagels.
ANGELA FORD Bestselling Romantic Suspense & Contemporary Romance / Top 50 Authors on Amazon Kindle Angela Ford originates from Nova Scotia…Canada’s Ocean Playground! Her love of the ocean and sunsets are always in her heart and give her inspiration. Her love for words keeps her turning the page. She is never without a book, whether she’s reading or writing. Now residing in Ontario, Angela works in Finance – numbers by day – words by night. Her dedication to volunteer and involvement with cyber safety seminars gave her an Award of Distinction and sparked the idea for her first book Closure – Best Selling Action/Adventure/Crime/Suspense. Ms. Ford continued her FBI series with Forbidden and Obsessed. In between mysteries, Ms. Ford writes short contemporary romance…sometimes with a dash of suspense!
Being a mom, her home is always filled with young adults and rather interesting stories; but it is the furry family members who rule the house – a Puggle, a Chug puppy and two loveable cats. Every possible quiet moment she finds, she treasures and just writes about the moments to come. Angela is an avid reader of romance, a member of the RWA, KOD (Kiss of Death – Suspense Chapter) and Mississauga Writers Group. Visit her website Romantic Escapes at http://www.angelafordauthor.com to connect with her on social media. She loves to hear from her readers – they keep her smiling!
MELISSA MCCLONE: USA Today bestselling author, Melissa McClone has published over thirty novels with Harlequin and Tule Publishing Group and been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, Melissa worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. Her first full-time writing endeavor was her first sale when she was pregnant with her first child! When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her driving her minivan to/from her children’s swim practices and other activities. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three school-aged children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds, two goldfish and a few cats who think they rule the house. They do!
ROCHELLE WEBER is a Navy veteran and holds a BA in Communications from Columbia College in Chicago with an emphasis on Creative Writing. Her novels Rock Bound and Rock Crazy are available in both e-book and print. Her third book, The Thin Person Inside, will be coming out from MuseItUp Publishing, Inc. early in 2015. Ms. Weber edits for Jupiter Gardens Press, The Author’s Secret, and is the Editor-in-Chief of the Marketing for Romance Writers Newsletter, winner of the 2013 Preditors & Editors Readers’ Poll for Best Writers’ Resource. She also started Roses & Thorns Reviews and now has three partners.
Ms. Weber battles bi-polar disorder, quipping, “You haven’t lived until you’ve been the only woman on the locked ward at the VA.” Her song, “It’s Not My Fault,” won a gold medal in the National Veterans Creative Arts Competition. She has lost about 130 pounds and kept it off for almost three years. She lives in Round Lake Beach, Illinois, and has two married daughters, four grandchildren, three step-grandkids, and one step-great-grandchild. Two cats allow her to live with them and cater to their every whim.
LYNETTE SOFRAS: A former teacher, Lynette gave up her career in education a few years ago in order to focus on her writing and thus fulfil her childhood dream. She writes contemporary women’s fiction, often involving romance with suspense or a supernatural twist. She claims ‘Killing Jenna Crane’, a romantic thriller and ‘Unworkers’ a modern ghost story/women’s fiction are her personal favourites to date. Her latest release ‘The Nightclub’ is a romance packed with suspense. You can find more details of her novels on her website: http://www.lynettesofras.com
Astrology Forecast for January 2016
Astrology Forecast for January 2016: Confusion to Come by Kathy Biehl January 2016 launches the year in clouds of soft, swirling fog. It’s a fitting start, given the atmosphere of confusion that will be with us through …
AND NIGHT DESCENDS
AND NIGHT DESCENDS
Book 3 of the Small Gods SeriesAUTHOR: Bruce Blake
GENRE: Epic FantasyCONTENT WARNING: 18+
To raise the Small Gods, a Small God must die,
When stars go out, the end is nigh.
One must die to raise them all,
Should Small Gods rise, man will fall,
One can stop them, on darken’d wing,
The firstborn child of the rightful king.
WHEN SHADOWS FALL…THE DARKNESS COMES…AND NIGHT DESCENDS
The moment Teryk and Danya, the royal siblings, spoke the words inscribed on the long-forgotten scroll, they foolishly set in motion events destined to bring about the prophecy’s predictions. Teryk is the firstborn, but why do the words only make sense to his sister?
As they each launch themselves recklessly into a heroic mission to save mankind, it seems inevitable that key elements in this game of the gods would be drawn to one another and collide with frightful and yet-unfathomable consequences.
With a Small God already captured and being dragged to his death by a colossal, bloodthirsty golem, is it too late to turn back fate? Can any of them find a way to resist their destinies?
Intrigue in the court, an impenetrable veil between two worlds, escape, sacrifice, retribution and magic pull the strings of these puppets of destiny on a massive, creation-spanning chessboard hidden in shadow, veiled in darkness, lost in the night.
Prologue
Long ago, blood and anger colored his dreams red every night until the night she came to him.
In his sleep, steel glinted through the haze of crimson, pain flashed. A coppery scent stirred him in his bed, rank bile soured his tongue, and Trenan woke with sweat on his brow and agony tearing through him from an arm no longer there. Every time he awakened, he reached out with a phantom hand, expecting—hoping—for fingers to brush the rough wool blanket or touch his face. But they found nothing because they remained attached to an arm rotting in the bottom of a ditch with the rest of the dead.
“At least the rest of you isn’t down there,” Erral had said with a chuckle one day as he sat beside his bunk, struggling to articulate his appreciation.
Trenan thought lying in the ditch with the dead might be better than losing the arm meant to wield his sword.
What good is a soldier with no hand to hold his weapon?
The one-armed swordsman stared up at the dark ceiling, the muscles in his jaw clenched hard against the throb in his shoulder and the knot clogging his throat. Since the days of his childhood, his life had been based on what that arm could do with a sword. It performed feats others couldn’t, moved in ways and with speed beyond the abilities of but a few men. It took lives, saved lives, helped to put down a rebellion.
But no more. Off it came, a sacrifice to save the king from a blow meant to separate his royal head from his regal body. A more than fair trade in the kingdom’s mind, but a bitter mouthful to a master swordsman left with the wrong arm.
Trenan closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose, filling his lungs to capacity and using the air to squash regret from his chest. Sacrificing himself for the king was expected of him and an honor. But it wasn’t he who’d been sacrificed but his arm, with the rest of him left behind to cope without it.
I’d rather have died.
And they knew it; it was the reason his chambers were devoid of sharp weapons.
“Trenan?”
The whispered word didn’t startle him, but he was surprised by the timbre of the voice speaking it. The doctor assigned to his bedside like a hairy-chested wet nurse would return soon to touch his forehead to gauge his temperature, or give him more of the acrid herbs to hide a pain that would never leave, but the man charged with caring for him didn’t speak with a woman’s voice.
Trenan dragged his lids open, cocked his head. The woman perched on the chair set beside his bunk was the last person he’d have expected to find.
Her hair, which he’d only ever seen her wear up, hung loose past her shoulders in waves the color of honey tinted with a few drops of blood. Her eyes sparkled with the dim light of the taper flickering in the far corner of the swordsman’s chamber, worry plain in their set. Concern tilted the corners of the full lips of her exquisite mouth.
“My queen.”
Trenan scrambled to push himself up on his elbows, forgot he had but one, and tumbled onto his side on the mattress, jarring his wound. He gritted his teeth and pressed his lips together to keep from crying out, but when he found the queen’s hand upon him, he forgot the pain.
“Are you all right?”
He looked into the eyes of the young woman who’d seen the seasons turn eighteen times since her birth and once since she’d become wife to the king. The knot of despair that had choked him dissipated, the pain in his shoulder faded. He nodded.
“Yes, my queen.”
“Ishla,” she said and brushed his cheek with the backs of her fingers. “You poor man.”
She settled back on the edge of the chair, removing her touch from his face, but the feel of it remained with him. He struggled himself up to sitting, the wool blanket falling from his bare chest as he stretched to see past the wife of his friend. Behind her, the chamber lay empty.
“Where is Gollard?” He looked to her face, found her still gazing at him, so diverted his eyes. “Where is the doctor?”
“Do you need him?”
She stood, took a half-step toward the door and stopped, awaiting his reply. He’d have answered at once but, when she stood, he saw she’d chosen not to wear one of the elaborate dresses he’d seen her wear every other time he’d been in her presence. Instead, she wore white bed clothes with sleeve cuffs that clung to her wrists and a hem that brushed her ankles.
“N…no. I’m fine, just wondering where he’d gone.”
Ishla clasped her hands in front of her, lowered her chin to regard her intertwined fingers.
“I had him called away.”
Trenan stared at the young woman. Now her eyes weren’t upon him, he let his gaze linger, saw that the taper burning behind her cast her outline in the fine cloth. Trenan swallowed hard.
“Called away? For what?”
She raised her head, making him slip his gaze back to her face, then gestured toward the side of the bed.
“May I?”
Trenan looked from her to the bed and back, uncertain what she meant, at first. He cleared his throat and nodded.
“Of course, my quee…Ishla.”
She alighted on the edge of the mattress close enough Trenan felt her warmth. Her perfume filled his nose—not a cologne she’d put on, but the smell of her hair, the scent of her skin. Apprehension stirred in the swordsman’s chest, excitement, confusion.
Why is she here?
“I’ve come to thank you for saving the king, Trenan.”
It might have surprised him that she read his thoughts, but what else might he have been thinking? Trenan shifted away, trying to quell his excited discomfort.
“There’s no need. The king has conveyed his appreciation with the best surgeons the kingdom can offer and his promise to take care of me as long as I need.”
The words were Erral’s, but this marked the first time Trenan had spoken them aloud. They tasted of vinegar on his tongue, but the queen’s sweetness was enough to overpower the bitter morsel.
Ishla wiggled nearer, closing the distance he’d created, her lithe body making little impression on the mattress. His eyes strayed from hers, fell to her curves beneath the bed clothes before returning to find a smile beginning on her lips.
“That is Erral’s way of thanking you, not mine. And I suspect his method may be more hurtful than fulfilling.”
She lifted a hand and touched her palm to his cheek. Trenan nearly jerked away out of sense of duty to king and kingdom but didn’t for fear of offending the queen. And because he liked the way her warm flesh felt against his.
Ishla moved closer and leaned in, leaving a hand’s-breadth between the tips of their noses. Her breath touched his lips, her gaze found its way inside him.
“It is my thanks I bring tonight.”
“And Gollard?”
“Won’t be back until morning.”
“Who else knows you had him called away?”
She shook her head. “A queen can be discreet.”
Trenan licked his lips, resisted the urge to close the space between them. A plethora of furtive smiles returned to his memory. From the first time he’d seen his friend’s wife—the queen of the kingdom—they’d been there, finding their way to her lips whenever their eyes met. As much as he wanted them to be for him, about him, he’d convinced himself her nature and her youth brought them forth, convinced himself the tingle-inspiring smiles and gentle blushes weren’t meant for him.
Now he didn’t know if he should be elated he’d been wrong, or fearful.
His gaze slipped form her eyes to her mouth. He imagined his lips pressing against hers, their tongues finding each other, until the king’s angry visage intruded on his thoughts.
“Erral—”
“Is your friend,” she finished for him. “And my husband, but he isn’t here. There is you and me, and no one else knows I’m here.”
Her hand left his face, fell to rest on his upper chest. The tight thrill swirling beneath his ribs expanded, flowing into his stomach, lower, stirring other things. Ishla held his gaze but moved no more, staring into his eyes with her lips parted, her head tilted.
This is wrong.
Trenan’s mind continued to resist even as he leaned forward and their mouths came together.
***
Ishla ran the tip of her finger along the swordsman’s breast bone, tracing a line through the cooling perspiration. The ache in Trenan’s shoulder he’d forgotten as the queen expressed her appreciation crept back as though someone pressed the tip of a stick into his wound.
The queen peered at him and he held her gaze. Though neither spoke, words swam through his mind—things to say, plans never to be executed, the vision of an impossible life. He thought he saw the same shining in her eyes, hidden behind a mix of nurturing care and sadness.
After a moment, the breathtaking young woman climbed off him, her weight lifting from his hips as another palpable one settled into his chest.
“I must go before I am missed,” she said, one corner of her mouth lifting in a lopsided smile.
She bent and retrieved her nightgown from the floor. Trenan watched as she shook it out, revelling in the way her muscles moved beneath her porcelain skin, the tremor shaking her breasts. She stretched her arms toward the ceiling and slipped her hands into the sleeves, let the nightshirt fall around her like the curtain falling at the end of a masterful play.
A performance Trenan never wanted to end.
The gown fell into place and she smoothed the front with her palms. The swordsman reached out, a jolt of pain shooting along the right side of his chest, and grasped her wrist, coaxed her back toward the bed.
“When will I see you again?”
She looked at him, the smile still on her face, but he watched the sliver of sadness in her eyes overtake it. The queen said nothing in response; she didn’t need to. He’d already known the answer before his lips spoke the words—this was a dangerous game they shouldn’t play again.
Dangerous, but worth the risk.
Ishla leaned over and put her lips to his, the passion and longing of their earlier kisses usurped by regret, mourning. The touch lingered, and he thought to grab her, pull her to him, but the moment passed and she moved away. Trenan released his hold on her wrist and watched her stride across the room to the chamber door.
She let herself out without a backward glance.
***
“I’ve seen the seasons pass nearly fifteen times,” Dansil mumbled under his breath as he stalked through the castle halls. “I’ll be a man soon enough; bitch can’t tell me what to do.”
His cheek still stung in precisely the shape of his mother’s hand, but her punishments didn’t hurt like they did in his youth. Then, they’d caused him more than physical pain; it was as though she’d struck his soul.
But if something gets beaten enough times, it toughens.
He came to a corner and slowed his pace, peeked around before continuing. Getting caught wandering the halls wouldn’t get him killed, but none of the king’s men would be impressed should they discover him. Even with the red haze of anger at his mother hanging around him, he knew better than to be careless—he’d crept these halls enough times.
Dansil followed the hall and went up the next staircase, avoiding the routes the guards followed when patrolling in the evening. At the top of the stairs, he paused a second time, checking both ways along the corridor. Thick carpet in a shade of deep red covered the floor in both directions; portraits of people he neither recognized nor cared to recognize lined the walls.
On a whim, he took a right and maintained a slow but steady pace, the muscles in his thighs tight and ready to hie him away should one of the many doors lining the hall open and a visiting noble step out. He figured none would this late at night, but better ready than caught.
The end of the hall intersected another; here he stopped again and found himself rewarded for his care. Halfway along the corridor, a door opened. A woman clothed in white bedclothes emerged, the wall sconces behind her illuminating the outline of her body through the cloth.
Dansil sucked a sharp breath at the sight and his hand darted to his groin. The woman stood for a short time, hand on the door’s handle, her head hung. Her long hair caressed her arms and shoulders, the light highlighted the shape of her breasts, the curve at the small of her back. After a moment, she raised her head, glanced along the hall away from where Dansil peered around the corner, then swivelled her head toward him. The young man faded back from the corner before she saw him, a silent curse on his lips.
He waited, breath held, resisting the urge to peep around the corner again. If he did, and she was walking away, the wall sconce’s light might shine between her legs, outlining the most secret of places. But if she headed toward him, he’d be discovered.
The whisper of footsteps padding on the rug interrupted his thought.
She’s coming this way.
No time to hurry back the way he’d come; if he tried, she’d see him, even if she didn’t turn his direction. Lips squeezed hard together, he pressed himself against the wall and hoped she’d continue straight along the corridor.
A moment later, she passed by and Dansil saw her face. His eyes widened and his grip on his half-swollen man thing released.
The queen!
As she hurried down the corridor, Dansil stepped out from his hiding spot to watch her go, forgetting the possibility she might glance back and see him. She didn’t and, instead of admiring the swing of her hips, the shape of her body hidden beneath the bedclothes, the young man wondered why she’d be out alone at this time of night. When she disappeared around the far corner, he peered back toward the door she’d exited.
The curiosity was too much for Dansil. He crept along the corridor in the direction from which the queen had come, his hand extended and fingertips dragging along the rough stone wall. Every door appeared the same as the others, but he’d noted the one from which she’d emerged: the third on the left. A moment later, he stood in front of the plain wood slab, staring at the handle. After a quick survey of the empty hall, he leaned close, pressed his ear to the door, but heard no sounds within.
Excited saliva filled his mouth. He swallowed hard, raised his hand and rapped his knuckles against the wood.
The knock garnered no immediate response so Dansil assumed the chamber empty until a man’s voice spoke a single word.
“Ishla?”
The curiosity burning in his brain tingled into his chest and along his limbs. The hand he still held raised after knocking fell to the door handle, gripped it. He didn’t recognize the voice or know who might reside within, but was aware he shouldn’t enter any room in the castle without invitation. He also knew no invitation would come if he waited for one, and he’d never discover who the door concealed.
Dansil set his jaw and pushed the door open.
A musky odor filled the air in the room, one he recognized from the occasions when his mother came home with a man and sent him off to his chambers. The furnishings were sparse and a man lay upon a bed to the left, one shoulder wrapped with a pink-tinged bandage where his arm was missing. The tender expression on his face went stony when he spied the lad.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“Beg your pardon, m’lord swordsman. Wrong chamber.”
Dansil backed out of the room and closed the door behind him, a wicked grin creeping onto his lips as he went. The door clicked shut; he hurried away along the hall lest the man rise and come after him.
Trenan and the queen. The king’s friend and his wife. Together.
He rounded the corner and hastened to the staircase, the path of his future falling into view.
Sometimes, one unexpected turn of events can change a boy’s life.
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OF THE SMALL GODS SERIES
A hundred hundred seasons have turned since the Goddess banished the Small Gods to the sky, leaving the land to mankind alone.
For Prince Teryk, life behind the castle walls is boring and uneventful until he stumbles upon an arcane scroll in a long-forgotten chamber. The parchment speaks of Small Gods, the fall of man, and the kingdom’s savior—the firstborn child of the rightful king. It’s his opportunity to prove himself to his father, the king, and assure his place in history. All he needs to do is find the man from across the sea—a man who can’t possibly exist—and save mankind.
But ancient magic has been put in motion by a mysterious cult determined to see the Small Gods reborn. Powerful forces clash, uncaring for the lives of mortals in their struggle to prevent the return of the banished ones, or aid in their rebirth.
Named in a prophecy or not, what chance does a cocky prince who barely understands the task laid before him stand in a battle with the gods?
When shadows fall, the darkness comes…
A disgraced Goddess Mother wanders blind and alone, praying for her agony to end. When a helpful apostle finds her, could it truly be salvation, or does worse torment lie ahead?
A sister struggles to understand a prophecy that may not be meant for her while her brother fights for his life. If the firstborn child of the rightful king dies, will it spell the end for everyone?
Darkness and shadow creep across the land in the form of a fierce clay golem animated by its sculptor’s blood. It seeks a mythical creature whose sacrifice portends the return of ancient evil banished from the world long ago. With its return will come the fall of man.
As the game unfolds, the Small Gods watch from the sky, waiting for their time to come and their chance to rise again. They wait for the fall of shadows, the coming of the darkness.
They wait for night to descend.
Bruce Blake lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. When pressing issues like shovelling snow and building igloos don’t take up his spare time, Bruce can be found taking the dog sled to the nearest coffee shop to work on his short stories and novels.
Actually, Victoria, B.C. is only a couple hours north of Seattle, Wash., where more rain is seen than snow. Since snow isn’t really a pressing issue, Bruce spends more time trying to remember to leave the “u” out of words like “colour” and “neighbour” than he does shovelling (and watch out for those pesky double l’s). The father of two, Bruce is also the trophy husband of a burlesque diva.
Bruce’s first short story, “Another Man’s Shoes” was published in the Winter 2008 edition of Cemetery Moon. Another short, “Yardwork,” was made into a podcast in Oct., 2011 by Pseudopod. Bruce’s first Icarus Fell novel, “On Unfaithful Wings”, was published in Dec., 2011 while the follow up, “All Who Wander Are Lost”, came out in July, 2012. The third in the series, “Secrets of the Hanged Man”, came out in July, 2013. The first part of his Khirro’s Journey epic fantasy trilogy, “Blood of the King”, was released Sept., 2012, book 2, “Spirit of the King,” in Dec., 2012, and book 3, “Heart of the King,” in Feb., 2013.
The two books in the Small Gods series, “When Shadows Fall” and “The Darkness Comes”, were released in 2013, after which Bruce took a year out to concentrate on his family and career. Book three in the Small Gods series is Bruce Blake’s current project.
Interview : ANA TORRES author of LOVE CHILD
Tommy Hulette never asked to be bo
rn. Everyone wants to make him regret it even so.
Tommy Hulette hates his ghetto Brooklyn neighborhood. He’s content living with his beautiful mother, his loyal caring father, his little sister Greta. He enjoys playing stick ball with neighborhood friends then really perks up when he meets beautiful and interesting Stephanie from Starrett City.
But Tommy’s world is shattered forever. His mother becomes terribly unhappy and commits suicide. Things go downhill completely when his father decides he needs time to cope with the tragedy, sending Tommy and his sister to live with a brother Tommy never heard about. He promises that it will be for a short spell until he can come back for them.
He doesn’t and it doesn’t take long for Tommy to discover how this brother hates him and has since birth. He wants to punish Tommy for events occurred long before Tommy’s birth…Then it gets worse as he wants Tommy to end his life just like his mother…and to this Tommy is pushed and pushed and pushed…
Pushed to the limit, and with no one to turn to, Tommy takes solace in his sister’s company and letters he receives from Stephanie. Will he be able to cling to life, and not succumb like his mother?
- What is your book about?
Love Child is the story of Tommy Hulette a boy who loves his family, but hates the poverty in the crime ridden projects they live in. However he’s content to play stickball with the neighborhood kids while watching over his sister Greta. Things really look up when he meets the lovely Stephanie Mandan who lives on the other side in the more lucrative area of Starrett City. Unfortunately for Tommy his mother sinks into depression and makes a drastic decision that changes Tommy’s and Greta’s life forever. The following series of books will continue to deal with the consequences of these decisions. Those books are Child No More and Child Scorned.
- What inspired you to write this particular novel (series)?
It took me a few years to write this story which has become a series of books. The story itself was inspired by a couple of things. My upbringing in the projects, though we didn’t live with the kind of poverty Tommy lived in. We did live in poverty however just not as bad. It was also inspired by things I experienced in real life that were not easy to deal with, but through this fiction writing I was able to put some of these things into writing. It wasn’t the exact same situation. A lot of things are different, but overall I was inspired through those things I experienced while growing up, as I entered the adult years as well.
- Describe your writing in three words.
Exciting, Chilling and gripping.
- What authors inspire or influence your work?
V.C Andrews was and still is a big influence. I love her kind of fast paced, suspenseful writing. Her early books the ones written by her especially are the ones that influenced me especially the Dollanganger series which very much influenced my own Child series. I also enjoyed her Casteel series, and found it just as suspenseful. I followed her formula because I loved the way these books had hooked me. I didn’t want to put these books down from the moment I began reading them, and I wanted to write in that similar way with Love Child and the series of books that followed it with the hopes that I could hook my readers the same way. Susan E Hinton was another influence. She penned “The Outsiders” when she was only sixteen, and I first read that book when I was fourteen. That book was probably the first real book that made me want to write. Other authors that deserve special mention who have influenced me over the years have been Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Patricia Cornwell.
- Once your character is fully developed do you set them free or do they still dance around your mind?
My character certainly dances around my mind. I’m not sure if the character of Thomas Hulette (the protagonist of the Child Series) is fully developed since he’s been in a few stories, and he’s still growing and developing for likely future stories. But when I say he dances in my mind perhaps the best way to explain that is to say that he’s never far away when I’m writing. Since his story has been told in a series of books (right now three books, and one recently new released Christmas short story) this could be one reason why this character dances in my mind. But honestly I think of him a lot even when I’m not writing. I could be listening to certain songs, and I picture him in certain scenes like for example he could be fighting with his antagonist. I see it all in my mind as if watching a movie. The music I’m listening to adds drama to the whole scene. I guess it’s safe to say that this character has become part of me, but then most characters are already a part of the author from the moment they create their character.
6 Share your biggest hurdles in the marketing process.
While concentrating can be a big hurdle in the writing process for me there are many hurdles in the marketing process. Naturally marketing is important for any author, in fact one of the most important. For me the biggest hurdles there is going out and reaching out to people. I can be very shy about promoting myself. I am also shy and sometimes afraid of getting out of my comfort zone, and trying new ideas for promotion. For example if I spend days promoting my books on social media like I have with Facebook and Twitter, I may become somewhat complacent there, and not push myself to go beyond that, and step out of that comfort zone. I keep promoting there instead of trying something else even if I am stagnating with sales in that area. The thought of trying something new every day appeals to me constantly. I have ideas, but I need to overcome the hurdle of being shy, and I need to work on stepping out of my comfort zone. Every day I need to take steps to do that even if just one step at a time. It helps to have money, but if money is scarce then we have to be our own promoters. Challenging as it may be, but we can put up our own hurdles when we allow our own shyness, and unintentional complacency to get in the way of our own success.
- Where can readers find you and your books online?
My books can be found on Amazon, but I do have a website where the links to my Amazon and social media pages are all together. The list of my books, and their descriptions are there as well. Here is the link to my website:
ANA TORRES AND FACEBOOK
A.M Torres is the author of five books. The first of these books Love Child was first published in 2011 and was given a good review by Midwest Book Review who described it as “A fine and very much recommended read.” Following Love Child is its sequel Child No More. Following those books are the holiday themed books J and K Christmas, and J and K Christmas 2013 which was given four stars by Readers Favorite. J and K Valentine was released earlier this year and Ana is currently working on Child Scorned and all poetry book.
Success and Failure: The Creative Life
I’m not a poet and I know it! – The Leftovers by Sally Cronin
When Is It Okay to Lose Your Sh#t?
Traditions and Superstitions
I try to eat Twelve Grapes wear yellow underwear and sometimes to insure added benefits in the GOOD LUCK department I wear two pairs of underwear, (A different color of course).
Superstitious? Who me? ABSOLUTELY YES!
I love superstitions, Folklore and traditions; (not necessarily my own)…
A few years ago I entered a small shop in Boca Raton, Florida. It was owned by a Danish man, it was New Year’s eve; he knew me well I was a god customer. and my superstitious rituals that year included lighting candles of different colors; ( a bit like the underwear) to symbolize my wishes.
As I said I was a good customer and the shop owner liked me; he even sold Chinese Money Candles,(which is admittedly a very superstitious thing to sell) but my superstitious nature that day seemed to offend him somehow. He was not himself at all; he decided to explain;
“In my native Denmark we have delicious fish dishes on New Year’s Eve. My wife is Hungarian and she will not allow the Danish traditions because she says that in Hungary eating fish on New Year’s eve means your luck will swim away.”
I have nothing for our against Hungarians and I have never visited Budapest, but it is on my wish list. That being said, I did avoid eating fish on New Year’s just in case the Hungarians were privy to something I needed to know! (I do believe that Denmark has had historically far better luck than Hungary). I also sometimes wonder if their marriage worked… A few months later he had to close his store and there was a lingering doubt in my mind… Did he win the argument? Did they eat fish?
2016 is going to be a BIG year in our home and as such I want to add to the LUCK factor, so I find myself wondering if I should avoid tempting fate and nix fish from our menu.
I decided to Google what else I should do or avoid; what do people around the world know that I may have missed?
Should I Throw furniture out the window? (South Africa)
Bang Bread Against the wall? (Ireland)
Talk to my pets? (Romania)… The dog might answer but I am certain Mordecai the turtle will remain silent
10 NEW YEAR TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD
ANY SUGESTIONS?????
