News, possible items of interest, and random thoughts on various topics. Thanks for reading and please feel free to drop me a line! :-)
Who Is Mistral Dawn?
Mistral Dawn is a thirty-something gal who has lived on both coasts of the US but somehow never in the middle. She currently resides in the Southeast US with her kitty cats (please spay or neuter! :-)) where she works as a hospital drudge and attends graduate school. Taken By The Huntsman is her first effort at writing fiction and if it is well received she has ideas for several more novels and short-stories in this series. Please feel free to visit her on FaceBook or drop her a line at mistralkdawn@gmail.com
Today, Claire Plaisted is here to tell us about Deep In The Valley, her contribution to the Gems of Strength anthology, which also includes the stories I've already introduced you to, Focal Point, TheRoad To Happiness, A Mother's Heart, Combustion, Vanquish,Undeniable Love, Childish Things, Fox, and Burned Toast. I'll let Claire, herself, tell you about herself and her story. :-)
Claire:
Deep in the Valley is about Clarissa who is used as a maid of all sorts by an old crone. The only beauty in the valley is the young woman’s voice which attracts forest creatures, birds and this year a gorgeous young man.
The Crone is a witch, who along with a valley full of witches, suck the souls of the young to keep them beautiful. This wickedness happens once a year at a ceremony they witches hold in the highest mountain cave. Any young man who enters the valley is destined to work in the mines for gems
Can Clarissa be strong enough to help them all escape the clutches of the wicked witches or will they be doomed to drudgery and death once again.
Bio:
Claire is English born and moved to New Zealand to marry in 1991. Married with three children she lives in Rotorua where she owns her own Publishing Company – Plaisted Publishing House – working with Indie Authors and Indie Businesses supporting them.
Claire Plaisted is an author of various genre, which are available on Amazon. Claire also uses the name Beth Bayley for her Billionaire Series.
Claire fell into writing in 2011/2012 after waiting on Family History Information. This book will be published later this year under the same of Kayleigh Broughton. It is of course a Regency Mystery Romance set in Gloucestershire. The book will be called ‘They Mystery at Crosswick Manor.’
There's a new giveaway for you to enter with lots of awesome prizes!! :-) It's free to enter, there are over 100 prizes, and the grand prize is $150 cash payable through PayPal!! :-) Now isn't that worth taking a few minutes to check out? ;-) Here are all the details:
Looks like we all made it to another Friday, thank goodness! ;-) I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a long, peaceful weekend. If you're anything like me, you like your excitement safely contained in the pages of a book. Speaking of excitement, it looks like Cassie is in for some...
Excerpt From Taken By The Huntsman:
Opening her eyes, Cassie discovered she was in a dimly lit room lying on a massive, four-poster, canopied bed. The posts, headboard, and footboard of the bed were dark, heavily carved wood. The light was too dim for her to make out all the details of the carvings, but they seemed to be fairytale creatures engaged in some type of battle. The canopy and drapes on the bed were a deep green velvet, which had been embroidered with gold thread. They matched the quilt she was lying on.
What little light was in the room was coming from a massive fireplace, in which a fire was happily crackling away. Cassie sat up and looked around. She noticed that the walls of the room were hung with tapestries that held images she was having a hard time processing. It seemed as if every creature from every nightmare tale ever told was somewhere on these walls.
The mantle over the huge fireplace was also carved with mythical monsters. She stood up and found that she felt great, full of energy. Trying the knob on the only obvious door in the room, she found it locked. After sorting through the fabric on the walls, she finally found the drapes around the windows. She pulled the curtains aside and found that the windows were massive affairs, running from floor to ceiling.
Looking outside, she discovered that it was daylight. But she didn’t know what time it was. When a quick search of the room failed to produce a clock, she went back to the windows and tried to find something outside that would tell her where she was. Or, at least, what time it was.
Cassie knew she felt too well rested for her to have any chance of not being late for her second job but, since she clearly wasn’t in her apartment, the status of her employment wasn’t her first concern. She couldn’t see anything outside the window to tell her what time it was, other than daytime. Or where she was, other than at the top of a cliff with a forest below. But she did discover that there was quite a bit of cold radiating through the window.
The last she knew, it had been 85 degrees at 3am, so the fact that it was cold during the middle of the day wasn’t making a whole lot of sense. Also, she didn’t think there were as many trees as she was seeing in the valley below her window anywhere in the city. She was still trying to process these discrepancies when the door across the room opened.
A man with short, blue hair walked in and seemed disconcerted to see her standing by the window. His hair wasn’t a shade of blue she had ever seen anyone dye their hair before. It was a deep, dark blue, like a blueberry. He was wearing what looked like a costume from a renaissance fair. His shirt was a long, green tunic and he wore lighter green hose underneath. He also had a sword in a belt at his waist. The man was extremely tall and thin and walked as though he was dancing. His unusual grace distracted her until he was halfway across the room to her.
Shaking herself out of her preoccupation with the way the man moved, Cassie asked him, “Where am I? What’s going on?”
He stopped and looked at her; she thought he must be wearing those costume contact lenses because his eyes were a pale yellow.
She asked again, “Where am I? Why did you bring me here?”
He just continued to stare at her with his unnerving eyes and she felt herself start to panic. After a minute, he started towards her again.
“Stay back!” she yelled, and held up her hand as if to ward him off.
He stopped and looked around; seemingly concerned that someone might have heard her. He turned back to her and said in heavily accented English, “Do you want to go home?”
She answered, “Yes.”
“Then you must be silent and come with me quickly.”
She thought about that and asked, “How did I get here? Where is here?”
He gave her an angry look and said, “There is no time for questions; you must come with me! Now!” He started forward again.
Cassie backed away, looking for something she might be able to use as a weapon. “I don’t think so, not unless you tell me what’s going on first!”
He gave her a murderous look and then suddenly he was upon her. She hadn’t even seen him move when starbursts went off behind her eyes and everything went dark.
Whoo! Glad I'm not in her shoes! Want to find out what the mysterious stranger has in store for Cassie? You can get your copy of Taken By The Huntsman here:
Please welcome Les Lynam, this week's pick for my APC spotlight! Les is an active and supportive member of the Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group, and his time travel, sci-fi novel, Before You Leap, is the first book in his Time Will Tell series. Here's the description:
Two teens from two centuries apart, one the direct descendant of the other. Einstein's Theory didn't cover THIS relativity.
Sean Kelly considered himself an average 16-year-old, living in an average neighborhood in a small University town. Nothing too exciting ever happened in Grover's Corners, Missouri; some might even label it boring. His ordinary life was disrupted when a distant relative dropped by at the beginning of his Junior year in high-school. A distant relative from the 23rd Century.
Two 16-year-olds in a time machine. What could possibly go wrong?
Intriguing? Perfect! Grab your copy here:
Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)
Agent Thoth is back today and he has a few more thoughts to share about life with the hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal
Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)
Agent Thoth's Personal Log
Day One-Hundred-Forty-Three:
As I mentioned before, my hominid-servant was most unhappy when I left to explore the area outside our shared domicile. When I returned, she was quite vocal in her relief. I was forced to endure a lengthy scolding. She was so distraught that she even thoughtlessly warned me that I will need to be more stealthy if I hope to continue my studies of the outside in the future, as she will be taking additional steps to hinder my ability to complete my mission.
I had thought I understood her language perfectly, but I must be mistaken. She made several references to having me "fixed," but since I'm not broken that really makes no sense. Regardless of the fact that I'm not entirely certain what she was talking about, this "being fixed" sounds unpleasant, so I will need to determine what it means so that I can take the appropriate steps to avoid it.
Once she had run out of verbal protests over my behavior, she proceeded to further punish me by putting a noxious-smelling substance on the back of my neck. She seemed obsessed with the fact that my fur had been colonized by some small, parasitic arthropods, and this liquid was her solution to that problem. As annoying as the bites of those arthropods were, I have to say that the cure was worse…even though it was effective. Which just goes to show that the hominids do demonstrate flashes of intelligence, even though they often behave in ways that utterly defy logic.
To add insult to injury, the spot where she applied the liquid is one of the few places on my body I cannot reach with my tongue to properly clean. That, coupled with the lost opportunity for studying the parasitic arthropods, irritated me to no end. But that wasn't the worst of it! I will expand on the most devious method of punishment she inflicted on me in my next entry.
Guess what?!? I've got news! I have finally started writing the second book in the Petri Dish Chronicles. I know, I know, took me long enough. But I started a new job after I finished the first book and it has taken me a while for my life to settle down enough to start writing again.
I hope to have this book finished and edited in time to release before the end of this year, but that job I mentioned is keeping me busy, so no guarantees. I know, I suck. Still, if you stay tuned to this blog, I'll keep you updated on my progress and slip you some peeks along the way.
Speaking of, today, I'm going to share the first part of the first chapter with you. It's not the whole first chapter, but hopefully it's enough to whet your appetite. ;-) As always, this is a first draft. That means it's subject to alterations, additions, and wholesale scrapping as the story develops and dependent solely on my whims. ;-) It also means there are probably mistakes in it, in fact I'd be astonished if there aren't, so please keep in mind many that rereads, edits, and rewrites will take place before it's released as a finished product. This is just to give you a taste, so bear with me. ;-)
Excerpt from Untitled Second Book in the Petri Dish Chronicles:
Dust and grit swirled around Petri as she lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the harsh glare of the star that the planet she was currently on orbited. In truth, it was one of three stars, but by far the largest. The other two had nearly burned themselves out and were well on their way to becoming black dwarves. They did little more than light the sky at night enough for most beings to navigate easily. It was almost never truly dark on this world.
Which was good, she reflected as she gazed out across the desolate landscape, since the remaining star made daytime travel difficult. It dried the lone planet that circled it and its older sisters to a world-spanning desert and create convection currents in the atmosphere strong enough to ensure that the parched soil remained suspended in a perpetual, whirling cloud. That is, when it wasn't busy coating anyone hapless enough to be out in it.
Sighing, Petri raised the scarf she wore to protect her airways over her mouth and nose and stepped away from the building she had just left. It had been almost three days since she had been outside its walls, and she half-expected that her friends would have left her here. It was what they wanted, after all.
Thinking about Chessie and Sadaka, Petri grimaced. She wasn't being fair to them. They just wanted her to stop arguing with Daji so much. Which made sense, considering that they only lived by his good graces. Still, he made her so angry sometimes she couldn't help lashing out. Sighing again as a nearly overwhelming exhaustion washed over her in spite of the way she had just glutted herself and her power, Petri remembered how frustrated she had been the last time she had seen him and stalked off his ship in a fit of temper. Sometimes she thought he was deliberately refusing to try to understand her point of view.
Stopping suddenly, she looked around again and realized the swirling dirt had disoriented her and she was going in the wrong direction. She peered through the haze trying to discern enough landmarks to make her way back to where she hoped the Ruba would be waiting for her. It wasn't easy, since there were several large, low-lying buildings in the small township and they all looked the same, low to the ground, with no sharp edges, and coated in the ubiquitous pale gray sand. Most structures only had their entrances above ground, as the constant erosion from the airborne grit wore down anything built on the surface.
The shipyard was similarly underground, with a landing panel that was only exposed to the elements long enough for ships to land on and take off from it. The rest of the time, the landing panel was sheltered beneath a structure that was indistinguishable from half a dozen similar buildings in the area. Huffing, Petri acknowledged that the planet had been named appropriately.
It was called Sheol, after an ancient, human mythological afterlife full of shadowy souls who ate clay and lacked self-awareness. Petri couldn't remember all the details of the myth, devoting time and attention to learning extraneous trivia was still a new concept for her and she hadn't quite mastered it, but what she did recall certainly seemed to describe this planet in astonishing accuracy. Even down to the lack of sentience in the local residents.
She couldn't blame them, this place was deadly dull and she'd go brain-dead too if she had to spend a week here, never mind years. That was why she couldn't understand why Daji was so determined to leave Chessie, Sadaka, and her on a planet like this. The thought of it was enough to set her temper off again and start a cold ball of panic building in her stomach.
Sound interesting? I hope you're as excited as I am to find out what happens next! ;-) Thank you all so much for stopping by today, and please stay tuned for more peeks in the coming weeks. :-)
Since it's the first day of the Democratic convention, I just want to give a quick shoutout to all my fellow Bernie Sanders supporters who are still supporting the one and only major party candidate in this primary cycle who is actually honest. Kudos to you for recognizing that, as an honest person, he had to keep his word and endorse Hillary Clinton even though she's, at best, only the lesser of two evils. Kudos to you for realizing that he isn't giving up the fight, he's just changing the battleground.
I guess, like me, you understand he had to keep faith with the Democratic establishment, not because they deserve it, but because he's a principled person who does what he thinks is right even when it's not easy and other people don't do what's right. He gained no personal advantage from his endorsement, the only thing he gained were concessions to include progressive policies in the Democratic platform. Those concessions don't go far enough, no argument, and they very well may ultimately prove to be meaningless if we don't insist our elected officials follow through. But the fact that the Democratic establishment is even paying lip service to such ideas is largely due to Bernie Sanders's insistence.
That's not selling out, that's doing his job and fighting for the interests of the people he represents. No, the fight is not yet won, but as Bernie Sanders has repeatedly stated, he intends to continue the struggle now and in the future. But he can't do that without our help. We need to all send a message to the people who claim to represent us in Washington that We, The People, are their bosses, not the corporate oligarchy they have been serving. We need to let them know what we want and that we'll fight for it. We need to let them know that Bernie Sanders does not stand alone, and that if they want to keep their jobs they need to respect the will of the people.
So, will I fall in line and vote for Hillary Clinton like Bernie urges? Not just no, but fuck no! If you want to know my reasons for that, I discuss them in detail here: Why I'm Saying #BernieOrBust. But just because I disagree with him about this one thing, that doesn't mean that I can't recognize that he's still on the side of The People and that he has earned both our respect and our support. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only Bernie supporter who can see that, and who understands that we all need to stick together to get corporate money out of politics and bring democracy back to this country.
I hope we all will keep fighting the good fight with Bernie, and I urge everyone to reach out to your elected officials and tell them in no uncertain terms where you stand on the issues that are important to you. We need to remind all those elected officials, either this year or within the next couple years, in both primaries and general elections, we'll see you at the polling places.
Today, it's Christie Stratos' turn to tell us about her story Focal Point, another fine addition to the collection of sisterhood stories that I've shared with you, TheRoad To Happiness, A Mother's Heart, Combustion, Vanquish,Undeniable Love, Childish Things, Fox, and Burned Toast from the Gems of Strength anthology. Christie, please tell us a bit about yourself and your story. :-)
Karen:
Excerpt Focal Point:
“It’s just a deep laceration across your cheek,” the doctor says. I don’t like that he uses the word “just”. It hurts as he cleans the blood and the cut.
“But how deep? How bad is it?” I ask. It feels like he doesn’t think this is a big deal. He seems annoyed, wasting his time on a cut. He hands me a mirror. My heart jumps. Do I want to look? I guess I have to. I aim the mirror at my cheek. My heart doesn’t feel like it’s there anymore. This isn’t a cut, and it’s not a laceration. It’s a gash that goes into my face. Is that bone I see? I feel like I’ll faint, like I might float away. This can’t be real…
BIO
Christie Stratos is an editor and award-winning writer who holds a degree in English Literature. She is the author of Anatomy of a Darkened Heart, the first book of five in the Dark Victoriana Collection. Christie has had short stories and poetry published in Ginosko Literary Journal, Andromedae Review, 99Fiction, and various anthologies. An avid reader of all genres and world literature, Christie reads everything from bestsellers to classics to indies.
There's a new giveaway for you to enter with lots of awesome prizes!! :-) It's free to enter, there are over 100 prizes, and the grand prize is $150 cash payable through PayPal!! :-) Now isn't that worth taking a few minutes to check out? ;-) Here are all the details:
Happy Friday!! I hope you've had a great week and that you have a lot of fun planned for the weekend. :-) Since it's Friday and I'm feeling lazy, I thought I'd just share a peek at someone who's about to be forced to be more active than she'd like...
Excerpt from Rainbow Dreams:
Opening her eyes, Petri looked around and realized her rapist was nowhere to be found, but the strange people were back. They often seemed to visit her dreams when she was at her lowest. As a whole, they seemed to exist as an intertwining fog of rainbows, impossible to separate out from one another. But some of them, two or three, stood out as distinct personalities.
It was these who reached out to Petri. She still couldn't hear their whispers, but as she got older, they seemed to get closer. She thought that maybe, one day, she would be able to communicate with them. Still, she could tell they wanted to help her. Several times a wisp of fog seemed to drift near and offer itself to her. When she breathed it in, a warm, happy feeling suffused her.
Being with the dream people was like snuggling into one of Chessie's hugs, only it went deeper and lasted longer. Petri had never known contentment in the waking world like what she found in these dreams. It made her want to stay forever.
The rainbows swirled around her, enveloping her in their embrace, as the voices whispered soothing sounds in her ears. After a while, she found she didn't have to passively accept the warmth from the cloud, she could pull it into herself as she wanted it. The whispers seemed to approve.
It felt amazing to fill herself with the golden warmth, and murmurs of support continued to build. Finally, she could absorb no more of the wonderful feeling. Petri felt as if she must be glowing from within, and yet the surfeit she had been given didn't feel heavy. In fact, she felt lighter than ever.
When it was clear she would take no more, the rainbow fog thinned and swirled away. The voices that spoke seemed to be urging her toward some action, but she couldn't hear them. They pushed her away, forcing her to return to where she had been. But she didn't want to go. She clung to them with all the strength she could summon, but their gentle pressure was inexorable.
Just before they disappeared altogether, she thought she could hear the voices coalesce into words. "Wake up," they seemed to sigh. "Wake up, Petri."
"Petri! Wake up!"
Uh oh! I hope it's nothing too serious. But knowing Petri, that's not too likely. If you'd like to find out what happened next, grab a copy of Rainbow Dreams here:
Today, Karen J. Mossman has landed in my APC spotlight! Karen is an active and supportive member of the Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group, and a fellow author in the Gems of Strength anthology! :-) Her book, The Secret, is a romantic suspense mystery novel. Here's the description:
Kerry O’Brien has a secret so terrible it burns inside her. All she wants is to be part of a normal family, but with a step father like Bill, that is impossible.
Set in the 1970s when secrets like this were only ever whispered about, Kerry somehow keeps her humour by pretending everything is fine.
Then she meets biker Tommy, and he has his own secret; one that impacts on her.
Kerry’s secret becomes harder to keep and the tell-tell signs harder to hide.
Can she keep it together? Can Tommy and Kerry get it together?
Then the worst happens and Kerry’s secret is a secret no more.
Sound interesting? Awesome! Grab your copy here:
Thank you all so much for checking out this week's spotlight pick! Happy reading! :-)
Here's a look at Agent Thoth's experiences in the outside world. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal
Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)
Agent Thoth's Personal Log
Day One-Hundred-Thirty-Five:
It has been a few days since my last report due to endless distractions from my hominid-servant and her canid companion, but those will have to wait for a later entry. As promised, here are some of my observations from my excursion beyond the domicile. Almost immediately, several large, loud, contraptions that spew noxious fumes and are mainly comprised of metals and plastics captured my attention. It didn't take much effort to divine that the contraptions are used by hominids to facilitate transportation. I know anyone accessing this log will find this almost impossible to believe, but the hominids burn non-renewable, polluting petroleum byproducts to power their vehicles! And the hominids seem to use these vehicles constantly, which dumps continuous streams of poison into the air. Even more baffling, this species has discovered non-polluting, renewable means of producing energy; they've just failed to develop such technology to be compatible with their vehicles. It's astonishing that any species being considered as possibly intelligent would seem so determined to destroy the environment of their own planet.
It took several moments before I recovered from the dichotomy of a potentially intelligent species and the unnecessary, unregulated production and dissemination of toxic waste, but once I did I was able to focus on the biosphere. Which, surprisingly, is still quite diverse, in spite of the hominids' actions. As a side note, DIPCIL might want to consider collecting extra samples of the flora and fauna on this planet for both preservation and study, as it seems probable that many of these species will soon cease to exist.
One creature that I found particularly interesting was a small, eight-legged arthropod that weaves intricate traps for other arthropods that it then consumes. The traps are woven from a sticky fiber that the eight-legged arthropod extrudes from its body. The fibers themselves do not taste good and get stuck on one's tongue and whiskers, but I sampled several varieties of the arthropods themselves, and they are delicious! They do have a venomous bite, which can be annoyingly painful, but it is worth the risk of this a small hazard for such a delectable treat.
There were many other types of arthropods, as well. Some of them crawl, some of them fly, some of them climb, but so far all of them have been quite tasty. My least favorite of the arthropods, so far, are a type of brightly colored, flying arthropods with a very painful, venomous sting. They tend to work in groups, and if enough of them swarmed, they could actually pose a mortal danger to a DIPCIL agent.
Due to the brevity of my excursion, I was unable to make a thorough survey of the local biosphere. However, there were two other types of creatures that caught my attention. First, there is a type of legless reptilian animal that seems to be hostile by default. Even a cursory examination was met with a whipping tail and a hiss. I will have to be more aggressive in order to further any study of this creature.
There is also an endothermic creature that lives underground. I believe it is mammalian in nature, and not one of the warm-blooded avians that are so common on this planet. However, since I have yet to lay eyes on it, that is merely speculation on my part. Whatever it is, the creature seems to burrow through the earth and moves quite rapidly. As a result, it takes a lot of concentration detect it at all, never mind tracking it. I believe I will need to devote an entire excursion to isolating and identifying this creature.
Today I'd like to talk about something that a friend of mine got me thinking about. My friend likes to roleplay online, and she told me about something called, "Godmodding." Now, Godmodding, as she explained to me, is when a person in a roleplay describes not only their actions and feelings, but also the actions and feelings of another roleplayer in reaction to their actions and feelings. For instance, "Person A walks into a room and smiles at Person B. Person B smiles back and gives Person A a kiss."
I'm not much of a roleplayer, but my friend informed me that this kind of behavior is frowned upon in the roleplaying world because it takes the agency away from other players and defeats the purpose of roleplaying, which is to create a story from multiple perspectives and using multiple personalities. That makes sense to me. My friend also pointed out to me that many people often do something similar in real life, and I think she's right about that as well.
I mean, have you ever said, or had the urge to say, to someone else that you don't think their reaction to something is correct? I know I have. But is it really anyone's place to dictate to someone else what their reaction to something should or shouldn't be? I don't mean saying that you disagree with someone else's conclusion or that you have a different take on a given situation, I mean telling someone else they should or shouldn't feel something. Pretty absurd, when you think about it, but also pretty common. At least, in my experience it is.
Wouldn't it be more productive to listen to each other and try to find common ground, than try to dictate to each other what should be felt or thought? I don't know about you, but I don't tend to listen to someone when they tell me what I'm feeling is wrong. In fact, if anything, I tend to feel even more negatively towards them. But if someone asks me why I feel the way I feel and then offers an explanation of their own thoughts and feelings, generally we can end up with some kind of agreement that works for both of us.
Anyway, I don't want this to be as long-winded a post as some of my other posts, I just wanted to give you a little something to think about. And if you have an experience where this was done to you or you think you might have done it to someone else and you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you in the comments. In the meantime, peace my friends! :-)
Guess what?!? That's right, it's the 18th again! :-) Here's my #IndieBooksBeSeen book review for the month:
Illusional Reality by Karina Kantas:
Illusional Reality is a relatively quick read that packs a surprising amount of action into a not overly lengthy book. It is more a fantasy/adventure than a romance although there are fun romantic interludes throughout the book and an underlying romantic storyline as well. It is quick-moving and the various peoples are well-described. Magic, war, and love all combine to make an interesting and pleasant read.
Please welcome Karen Mossman, who is here to tell us about her contribution to the Sisterhood of stories, TheRoad To Happiness! This story joins A Mother's Heart, Combustion, Vanquish,Undeniable Love, Childish Things, Fox, and Burned Toast in the Gems of Strength anthology. Karen, take it away! :-)
Karen:
Excerpt TheRoad To Happiness:
"Hi-ya." Bleached white hair was shaved above her ears an, spiked on top with a small thin ponytail. She wore tight leopard-skin leggings and a black baggy ripped top. “You don’t remember me, do you?” she said.
“No," Joanna said, although there was something vaguely familiar about her.
“It’s Janet, Janet Glidden.”
The blood rushed from Joanna’s head, and she almost fell over with shock.
The girl continued, “I know it’s been a long time. Can I come in?”
Joanna opened the door wordlessly, trying to catch her breath. The girl plonked down her bag and threw herself onto the settee. “Nice place,” she said, looking round.
“Does my mum know you’re here?” Joanna asked.
“Nope.”
“She’s, she’s still at home, though?” Joanna was filled with dread and half expected to see her mum to walk in, too.
“Well, she's not here, thank God. That's why I am."
“I had hoped she's be in some mental institution by now,” Joanna muttered shutting the flat door.
Janet gave a laugh. "That’s funny, I like that. Me too. Why don’t you put the kettle on and we can get to know each other again?"
Joanna wasn't totally sure she wanted to get to know her stepsister. She turned to the small kitchen area that ran down one wall of the lounge. Flicking the switch, Joanna opened the cupboard and got out to cups.
Janet's dad had married Joanna's mum right about the time Joanna had walked out for good.
BIO
Karen J Mossman comes from a family of journalists with her grand father and uncle having been newspaper editors. Further back a great, great grandfather wrote for his local paper and also published a book based on those articles. Karen is the only one to have gone into the fiction market.
Karen has been writing for many years, but had not pursued it professionally. However in 2013, she found herself redundant from her job and decided to write full time. "Putting together collections of short stories was exciting as I didn't think my writing would ever reach a wide audience," she said.
She hopes to add to her short story collection and will have a novel available for kindle in the near future.
You can read more of Karen J Mossman's work on www.karenmossman.co.uk
There's a new giveaway for you to enter with lots of awesome prizes!! :-) It's free to enter, there are over 100 prizes, and the grand prize is $150 cash payable through PayPal!! :-) Now isn't that worth taking a few minutes to check out? ;-) Here are all the details:
Guess what? I have an announcement today that has me really stoked! Captivated By The Winter King has been named a Top Pick by The Romance Reviews!!! :-) *happy dance!* If you'd like to read their review, you can find it here:
Today, I have the lovely and talented Angel M in my APC spotlight! Angel is an active and supportive member of the Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group, and her fantasy adventure novel, The Keeper, is the first in her The Maze series Here's the description:
Determined not to spend the rest of his life trudging off to a job he hates, Gabriel leaves home in search of adventure. Lost in the Maine wilderness, and accompanied by his critical, inner voice, he begins hiking on a mountainside path unaware that he is about to discover his destiny. After entering an ancient maze, Gabriel is transported to another world where he is introduced to Kieran; fellow traveler, best bud and serial killer. Soon, Gabriel realizes that Kieran is an outcast whose resentment toward him peaks when one of Kieran’s conquests, is offered up to Gabriel, as a potential wife. Having other ideas, Gabriel escapes the arranged marriage, just in time to meet a Druid girl who opens his eyes to the wonders of nature. An ensuing battle against Jaguar Warriors forces Gabriel to do something he abhors in order to survive; kill. In this adventure/fantasy tale, a young man takes an epic journey of self-discovery that comes full circle when he realizes that the grey, stone walls of the maze have been manipulating him all along.
Agent Thoth succeeded in his escape attempt and would like to tell you about it. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal
Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)
Agent Thoth's Personal Log
Day One-Hundred-Twenty-Eight:
Success! Two
planetary rotations ago, I was able to gain access to the world outside the
domicile through the simple expedient of rushing out of the door when my
hominid-servant had it open for another reason. She was not happy.
At first, there was much flailing about and shouting. I was forced to conceal myself in the nearby
foliage until she calmed down and returned to the domicile. I understand how dependent she has become on
my presence but, even so, her reaction was extreme.
Eventually, she must have realized the futility of
attempting to keep me from my mission and resigned herself to my temporary absence. Once I was certain she was not lying in wait
to capture me, I emerged to begin my studies.
This world is rich in biodiversity, so I well
understand DIPCIL's interest in its inhabitants. I catalogued all manner of
flora and fauna, not all of which is yet in the official database, and my
detailed notes on my findings can be found in my formal expedition report. With a few notable exceptions, most of the
creatures I discovered during this excursion posed no threat to me. I will expand on my observations in my next
entry.
Hilarious, right? And so very true. And yet... It's not really the whole story, is it? Don't get me wrong, I think the song is funny as hell and the gentleman in it, Micah Tyler, is incredibly talented. If you look on YouTube, you can find some of his other work as well, and it's definitely worth a listen. His channel is here: Micah Tyler on YouTube. And as I said, the song makes some very good points about the Millennial generation, but it also leaves a lot out.
First off, I'll start by saying that I was born in 1980, so I may or may not officially be a Millennial, depending on who you ask. ;-) However, for the purposes of this post, I'll count myself as a Millennial. If you follow this blog at all, you know I've written a few posts on American politics and the 2016 US Presidential election. As I've said before, I support Bernie Sanders in the Democratic race and if he doesn't run in the general election, I'll be supporting Dr. Jill Stein. If you want to know more about my thoughts on that, you can read about them here: Why I'm Saying #BernieOrBust.
Unsurprisingly, I've heard a lot from people who seem to think "Millennials just want a bunch of free stuff." Well, let's look at that claim. The "free stuff" that Bernie Sanders and Dr. Stein talk about are universal healthcare and college tuition. Now, if you are of the opinion that it's okay to allow people to die from curable/treatable illnesses or injuries because they can't pay, I don't know what to tell you except that we are so far apart in worldview that it would take a lot more than a blog post for us to find common ground. As far as I'm concerned, access to necessary healthcare is a human right and the US is inexcusably behind in coming to terms with that and taking appropriate action. We, as a society, have the capacity to provide healthcare to all our citizens, and the fact that we are not doing so is disgusting.
As for college tuition, let's take a look at how things have changed over the last few decades. Here's a chart from Buzzfeed on the cost of college tuition vs. minimum wage over time:
Which, unsurprisingly, has led to increases in student loan debt, which is illustrated by this chart from Huffington Post:
And, of course, you've got headlines like this driving even more people to pursue college degrees:
So, I think it's clear that what a person who is entering the workforce needs in terms of training and qualifications in order to succeed in finding a well-paying job has changed over time and has also increased in price. Add to that the fact that many of those well-paying jobs disappeared thanks to the worst economic crash since the Great Depression, a crash, by the way, that was the fault not of Millennials but of older generations, and you have created an inescapable trap for many young people.
Since we, as a society, seem to have decided that overall we need more formal education for our population, doesn't it make sense that we give more people the opportunity to achieve that standard? Isn't that the way to make the best use of our human resources? After all, the return on investment for the GI Bill is estimated to be almost 700% (http://www.djdinstitute.org/h_gifact.html), it's hard to find a better return for our money than that!
Now, I don't know anyone who really thinks that universal healthcare or publicly funded education is "free." I think most people understand that these things cost money and that money has to come from somewhere. But when the US government gives billions of dollars in subsidies to oil companies and trillions of dollars to bail-out Wall Street criminals, many of us start asking if there aren't better ways to spend that money.
Well, you ask, what about the criticisms in the song? Good question! Maybe they just need to be looked at in a different light. When you think about it, Millennials really have no incentive to buy into the system that exists. After all, the first time many of them approached it, they were kicked in the teeth for their trouble. As a result, it didn't take long for them to learn that the system is rigged against them. And only a fool chooses to play a game they can't win.
So, Mr. Man-Bun-Coffee-Shop? Maybe he's writing the next OS platform that's going to blow both Windows and Mac out of the water. Ms. Yoga-Pants-Selfies? Maybe she's working to set up an environmental conservation non-profit funded through sales of Green cosmetics and toiletries. Because if there's one thing you can say about Millennials as a whole, they're generally pretty good at figuring out how to go over, under, or around the system that doesn't work for them. They've had to be. And just because someone prefers to do their work somewhere other than a cubicle under soul-killing florescent lights doesn't mean they don't work hard.
Most millennials are also often pretty good at networking through non-traditional forums. This is evidenced by everything from how Millennials consume their news to how they entertain themselves to how they interact with others. That's also, by the way, largely why Bernie Sanders was as successful as he was during this election cycle. Something to think about for the future, huh?
But that brings us back to why Bernie Sanders captured the hearts and minds of Millennials. Because, let's be honest, it's pretty hard to get Millennials to put forth a lot of effort for anything they aren't enthusiastic about. The answer to that is pretty obvious, his message resonates with them on many levels. Yes, the idea of universal healthcare and higher education are certainly attractive to anyone who wants to live in a healthy, educated society. But it isn't just those things that score points with Millennials.
By and large, most Millennials understand that we're at a tipping point when it comes to climate change. In fact, we're already feeling the early effects of the damage we've done to our planet. Bernie Sanders has been very, very clear that moving our society towards Green alternatives is a big priority of his, and that he would address the matter on several different levels. Thanks to all that college debt, Millennials are, overall, the most educated generation ever. Many of them understand the danger that we're in and appreciate Bernie Sanders's firms stance on the issue.
Then, there's also Bernie Sanders's plan to "break up the big banks and regulate Wall Street." As I said, many Millennials' first foray into the business world was met with the crushing reality of the Great Recession, and the fact that the jobs they spent so many years working so hard to prepare and qualify for no longer existed. So when Bernie Sanders says he wants to un-rig the game, and level the playing field, yeah, that resonates with people who have been fighting against impossible odds their entire adult lives.
What's the point of all this? To point out that what you have is a sizable and growing group of people who don't trust the system set up by their elders, who are good at finding ways of accomplishing goals that don't require the approval of said system, who have a lot of experience reaching out and connecting with people all over the globe without going through "official channels," and who are clearly looking for a leader. Is Bernie Sanders that leader? Maybe. Maybe not. Time will tell. But if not him, someone will come along and lead. If nothing else, nature abhors a vacuum. And when that person, or those people, appear(s) and Millennials finally realize how much they're capable of accomplishing, I think the world will be in for a surprise.
So, are there things to criticize about the Millennial generation? Of course, just like with every generation, we have our strengths and our weaknesses. But it's not really fair to complain that it has taken Millennials more time to become independent than it has other generations when they've had to deal with economic conditions that other generations didn't have to deal with. After all, if all you give someone is a big, steaming pile of bullshit, don't bitch if it takes them some time to turn that manure into produce. Pray for Millennials? Yes! Pray that we come into our own soon. Because you need us and so does the planet we all share.
Today Valarie Kinney is here with us to show you a peek at her story A Mother's Heart, a worthy addition to Combustion, Vanquish,Undeniable Love, Childish Things, Fox, and Burned Toast in the Gems of Strength anthology. Valarie, please tell us a little about yourself and your story. :-)
Valaerie:
Excerpt A Mother’s Heart:
Doctors. Therapy. Daycare.
Delia’s days were filled beyond belief and every second revolved around JoJo. Milestones other children achieved effortlessly were difficult for her boy, but she worked hard each night to help him learn. She repeated the exercises taught to her by the physical and occupational therapists. She held objects and said the names for them over and over, willing him to catch on.
When JoJo finally learned to sit up on his own, Delia wept.
She was happy and she was poor. Her waitressing job made it hard to make ends meet. She picked up extra hours when she could and lived on peanut butter sandwiches when she couldn’t. Exhaustion was simply a matter of fact, and the last time she’d slept longer than a few hours at a time had been so long ago, she couldn’t remember it.
But still, she had her little boy, and he filled up her heart. JoJo was her heart.
Sometimes, though, she felt weary of doing it all on her own. She remembered when she could lean into her husband’s strong arms and let him help her through difficulty, and missed it. Missed having a partner to talk over decisions with, and someone to take the constant pressure off. The biggest fight she’d had with David had been when she had found out she was pregnant. He hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of having a child, and in fact, had suggested she terminate.
Still, before that big fight, they’d been happy.
After that fight, she’d been a widow.
Delia was lonely, but she didn’t have time to go out and meet a man. She was resigned to it always being just her and JoJo, against the world.
Most of the time, she was okay with that.
BIO
Valarie Kinney is a writer, fiber artist and Renaissance Festival junkie with a wicked caffeine addiction. She resides in Michigan with her husband, four children, and two insane little dogs. She is the author of Heckled, Slither and Just Hold On, as well as the short stories Copper and Ailith in the KAPOW! anthologies by 7DS Books. Narrator for Dragons of Faith.
Exciting news! The lovely and talented Jessica Wren has made her debut novel, Ice, free through tomorrow!! And who doesn't love a freebie, huh? ;-) I've read Ice, and it's a highly entertaining, imaginative, suspense horror novel with a subtle supernatural twist that I can't recommend enough! If you'd like to know more, here's the description:
Terror has come to Minterville, Georgia. Two large, seemingly harmless families have moved in, and their mere presence is disruptive and unnerving, The residents of the isolated, close-knit community start to wonder: who are these people and what do they want?
By the time they find out, it is too late. A death trap has been set, and a thirty-year revenge plot set into motion. The Minter, the telepathic communication system they have come to rely on, has failed them.
With limited resources and assistance, Police Chief Andy Thompson's hope of a successful rescue fades with each passing minute. While dealing with a violent situation that the small town has never seen before, Chief Andy and the rest of Minterville must also cope with another hard truth: the source of the mayhem lies in the long-ago actions of a community member they love and trust.
Sound interesting? :-) Good! Get your copy for free here:
There's a new giveaway for you to enter with lots of awesome prizes!! :-) It's free to enter, there are over 100 prizes, and the grand prize is $150 cash payable through PayPal!! :-) Now isn't that worth taking a few minutes to check out? ;-) Here are all the details:
Just a reminder, for those who haven't checked it out yet, I've collected all my animal rescue/care posts together and published them as a small book. If you'd like, you can download the book for free from Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, Kobo, and iTunes.
I'm back with my APC spotlight today, and Joe Compton, an active member of the Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group, is in my sights! His book, Amongst The Killing, is a suspense thriller, perfect for all you crime/serial killer fiction lovers! Here's the description:
For as long as he could remember Detective Charles Street wanted to be a police officer, moreover a Detective. He wanted to be knee deep in the action, working the biggest cases, and reaping the biggest rewards. He also didn’t think when his dream job came a calling that it would ever turn into his nightmare.
For as long as he could remember Jack Casey just wanted to be free, his own man to do what he pleased when pleased. He too craved the action and when his dream life came a calling, he didn’t think he would meet anyone his equal and definitely didn’t think he could ever have difficulty leave the world he loathed and mocked behind.
Amongst The Killing documents each of their stories, told in their own words, as the moments unfolded when their paths first crossed and their lives intersected. How two men, with two different philosophies, could be so different and yet so connected.
As the ultimate cat and mouse game unfolds, each has to deal separately with the others decisions and the effects it has in turning their lives sideways and upside down. Will one of them crack? Will one of them even succeed? Ultimately the journey may mean more than the game and show both of them the outcome neither was ever expecting.
Sound good? Awesome! You can get your copy here:
Thank you all for stopping by today, and don't forget to check back tomorrow to see what's new in Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)
Agent Thoth is back today with some more thoughts about life with the hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal
Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)
Agent Thoth's Personal Log
Day One-Hundred-Twenty-Four:
I have been here for several lunar cycles now, and have long
since completed my examination and cataloging of the domicile I share with my
hominid-servant and her canid companion.
And yet, I have not yet managed to communicate to my hominid-servant my
need to continue my research outside the domicile.
At first, I attempted to explain the situation to her. However, her response was the mocking
behavior I described in an earlier entry combined with a complete lack of
cooperation in opening the door for me.
I'm not sure if this reflects a lack of comprehension on her part, or if
she is deliberately preventing me from completing my mission.
It occurred to me, if her obstruction of my exploration is
deliberate, that perhaps she is concerned about how she will endure our time
apart. I attempted to reassure her on
this point by informing her that, while I may spend as much as several
planetary rotations away from the domicile, I will return and that my mission
will continue for many more planetary revolutions. Thus, she need not worry about how she would cope without me.
Unfortunately, my reassurances have either not been understood or not believed. Either way, I have made no progress towards gaining access to the world beyond this domicile and so will need to take more drastic action to fulfill my mission.
Considering the season and the fact that yesterday was Independence Day here in the US, I thought it might be fun to share a little political debate from the Summer Court. ;-) Enjoy...
Excerpt From Intrigue In The Summer Court:
Cadeyrn sighed and pulled her against his body. "I'm not certain. She's quite old, and Fae that old often have a hard time not trying to turn any situation to their own advantage...regardless of what the consequences to others might be. I know you've researched our history, so you know that Fairie used to be quite different from the way it is now. It's not uncommon for Fae who came into existence during that time to have trouble adjusting their mindset to better fit our current social structure. Jillian is wise, and she's old enough to have lost most of her naivety, but she doesn't have the perspective that hundreds of millennia will lend one. Also, her magic doesn't come close to comparing with the power wielded by that Pixie. I wanted to make sure Angelica realized the consequences should Jillian come to harm as a result of her actions, or her failure to take action."
"You make Fae who are old sound as though they are all selfish and opportunistic. You're not like that, and I've met others who are old who don't seem to only be concerned about themselves."
He smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "Thank you, but the goddess created me to be an instrument to aid in creating the changes she wanted for Fairie. The others you've met have adjusted well to the changes. Some people are more flexible than others. If you asked one of the Fae I'm speaking of, they wouldn't consider themselves to be selfish or opportunistic, only survivors. When the world is a harsh place, a certain amount of toughness and self-interest are needed to survive. What might seem callous in the context of a more forgiving environment, becomes an admirable, strong-willed determination to protect oneself from harm."
"You mean when times are hard, kindness becomes a luxury you can't afford? I don't think I buy that argument. I think it's possible to still be a good person, even when life is difficult."
"Ah, but isn't 'good person' a moral judgment? By what standard of morality would you judge them?"
"The standard agreed upon by society."
Laughing, he hugged her tighter. "Has any society ever truly agreed on a standard of morality? Doesn't the location of the line often depend on who you ask, and what mood they happen to be in at that moment? And doesn't it tend to move with alarming regularity?" He winked at her. "Besides, by the standards of the 'society' that existed when they were created, these Fae are 'good people.' They're good at surviving and taking care of themselves."
Cassie pushed away from her mate, glared up at him, and put her hands on her hips. "But isn't part of being a 'good survivor' being able to adapt to your environment? If society has changed, shouldn't they change also?"
"Again, it depends on your perspective. If you are an individual who is only concerned with your own survival in a society of individuals who are concerned about collective survival, you have a competitive advantage, don't you?"
"Yeah, until the rest of them get together and kick you out."
Smiling, the Erlking bowed to her. "Which is what I wanted to make clear to Angelica. This way, it is to be hoped, she will think the matter through to all of the consequences if there comes a point when it might seem expedient for her to sacrifice Jillian."
Sighing, Cassie shook her head ruefully. "I never seem to win an argument with you, do I? It still seems an extremely machiavellian way of looking at the world."
Cadeyrn laughed. "I enjoy our philosophical debates. You always have an interesting perspective on things. I met the human Machiavelli; he would have made a good Fae."
Casting a sharp look at her mate, Cassie asked doubtfully, "You're joking. You didn't really meet the Niccolo Machiavelli, did you?"
"I did! As you know, we Fae have the ability to magically call to us the text from any book written. When such a Fae-like manuscript was discovered, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to meet the human who wrote it. He wasn't aware that I wasn't human, of course."
She stared at him in disbelief. "You're serious."
He nodded.
"That's incredible! You have to tell me all about him!"
The Huntsman smiled. "I would be happy to continue this discussion at another time," his eyes darkened predatorily, "but I believe we were in the process of finding an appropriate venue for some afternoon delight. Unless your taste with regards to exhibitionism has changed, I think the garden is too public an area. Perhaps we should return to our quarters?" He extended his arm to her.
A wave of heat went through Cassie at his words, and the muscles in her pussy clenched. Giving him a sultry look she nodded and took the arm he offered.
Want to find out if Cassie and Caderyn found the right place to indulge? Read the rest of the story in Intrigue In The Summer Court!
