My yoga teacher - whom I adore - said this in class one day and it struck a chord.
What's happening in December on Romance – Sweet to Heat
25 – Blog closed for Christmas
26 – Blog closed for Christmas
27 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
28 – SPOTLIGHT –
29 – TBA–
30 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
31 – Blog closed for New Years
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I,also, belong to an online critique group and I post prompts to encourage the members to write a short story to be posted for everyone's enjoyment. Well, this month - both groups sort of came together. I could use the prompt created story in both groups. Win/Win!!
So without further ado - my December Flashette
Twas the Night Before Christmas – Daryl’s version.
“Twas the night before Christmas and—”
“Yea. Yea. We know the poem. Not a Creature was stirring.”
“Not even a mouse.”
Grandpa Harrison looked at his two grandsons, sitting at his feet. “As I was saying, twas the night before Christmas and my brother, Hayes, was walking home. He’d been tobogganing with his friends. And that’s the last anyone ever saw of him.” He sipped his hot chocolate. A bit of marshmallow stuck to his moustache. “A storm had blown in, whipping the snow about. The county pulled the plows off the roads. Everyone was to hunker down until it blew itself out.”
“So, just like tonight.” Jason nodded towards the snow-covered front window. “We were tobogganing this afternoon and Dad got stuck in the snowdrift up the road. The snow was this deep.” He waved his hand above his head.
The wind whistled through the trees, howling like a forlorn spirit.
Grandpa continued, “It was a sad Christmas. The townsfolk hunted and hunted. He wasn’t found until spring.”
“How did he die?” Jackson was always the curious one.
“His heart had been ripped out.”
“You mean like… ripped out.” Jackson matched his movement to his words.
Jason inched closer to his brother. “Did a cougar get ‘im?”
“No, you doofus.” Jackson pushed his brother. “A cougar’s claws would have—”
The crack of a tree snapping was followed by the flicker of the lights then darkness. Not total darkness. An emergency light cast a spot on the carpet. Jason gripped his brother’s arm. When would their dad return? It was only a short run across the field to home to get the snowmobile.
A light shimmered to Jason’s right. Was the power returning? The light grew— not brighter—but larger. A face appeared. The mouth moved, but no words were heard.
Jason tried to scream.
The mouth moved again.
Jason tried again.
The third time it emitted one word, “Run!”
Jason raced to the front door but didn’t stop soon enough. He smashed his nose on the wooden frame. Pain exploded in his head as stars seemed to fly by. He wrapped his hands around the doorknob and pulled. It didn’t budge. Scrambling his hands up and down the doorframe, Jason struggled to find the latch.
A hand grabbed his shoulder. “Doofus, what’re you doing? Stop acting like such a dumbhead.” His brother’s voice filled his ears.
“No. It said run. We gotta get out of here.” He yanked at the door, willing it to open.
“What said run?” Jackson spun his brother around.
“Didn’t you see it? The light? The voice?” Jason looked from his brother to his grandfather. Both shook their heads. “How could you miss it? It came from over there.” He pointed to the archway.
His grandpa tugged his arm. “Sit down. We have to continue the ritual.”
Jason moved one step. “What ritual?”
Jackson pulled his brother to the centre of the room. “It’s a family tradition and now it’s our turn. Sit.”
“No.”
“Ok. Shall I tell it, Grandpa?” Jackson received a grunt for a reply. “Our family always has twin boys. Grandpa Harrison and his brother, Hayes.”
A cold knot grew in Jason’s belly.
“Our dad, Ian, and his brother, Isaac.”
“He died.” Jason’s voice trembled.
“On Christmas Eve,” Grandpa’s voice sounded funny. “Shot in the head.”
“Now,” Jackson punched Jason’s arm. “It’s Christmas Eve and there’s you and me.” He grinned. “Me and dumbass you.”
The trembling started in his ankles and shot up his legs. Jason didn’t want to hear this. The bright shape from the hallway moved forward. It waved an arm, beckoning him to come closer.
Jason looked at his brother. How could he not see the form?
He blinked. Whatever was in his brother’s hand reflected the light into his eyes.
Jason raced to the hallway and followed the form to the backdoor. It opened as his dad stepped in.
“Help! Jackson has a knife. I think…” He clung to his father’s side.
The light took on full human form, except in the middle of the chest was a large hole. “Run! Live!”
Another white form materialized. A hole between his eyes. “Go. We will end this. Do not look back.”
His dad grabbed him then raced towards the snowmobile. It would be a frigid ride home without his winter jacket.
The force of the explosion rocked the fleeing snowmobile.
Glancing back at the burning house, Jason stifled a laugh. The ritual had been fulfilled.
Once more.
Merry Christmas, Season's Greeting or Happy Holidays.
What's happening in December on Romance – Sweet to Heat
19 – SPOTLIGHT – Bobbi Schemerhorn - The Realm Warden Series
20 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
21 – SPOTLIGHT – Ashe Barker – Deeds Not Words
22 – Book Release – Daryl Devore’s – The Last Dragon
23 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
24 – Thursday #Yoga
25 – Blog closed for Christmas
26 – Blog closed for Christmas
27 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
28 – SPOTLIGHT –
29 – TBA–
30 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
31 – Blog closed for New Years
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Astronomers have produced a highly detailed image of the Crab Nebula, by combining data from telescopes spanning nearly the entire breadth of the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves seen by the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to the powerful X-ray glow as seen by the orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory. And, in between that range of wavelengths, the Hubble Space Telescope's crisp visible-light view, and the infrared perspective of the Spitzer Space Telescope. This video starts with a composite image of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant that was assembled by combining data from five telescopes spanning nearly the entire breadth of the electromagnetic spectrum: the Very Large Array, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the XMM-Newton Observatory, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The video dissolves to the red-colored radio-light view that shows how a neutron star’s fierce “wind” of charged particles from the central neutron star energized the nebula, causing it to emit the radio waves. The yellow-colored infrared image includes the glow of dust particles absorbing ultraviolet and visible light. The green-colored Hubble visible-light image offers a very sharp view of hot filamentary structures that permeate this nebula. The blue-colored ultraviolet image and the purple-colored X-ray image shows the effect of an energetic cloud of electrons driven by a rapidly rotating neutron star at the center of the nebula.
Credits: NASA, ESA, J. DePasquale (STScI)
What's happening in December on Romance – Sweet to Heat
5 – SPOTLIGHT – Regan Walker – Summer Warrior
6 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
7 – SPOTLIGHT –
8 – MFRW Steam Hop #MFRWsteam
9 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
10 – Thursday #Yoga
11 – Spotlight – Seelie Kaye – The Last Christmas
12 – SPOTLIGHT – L.R. Starr - Sara Clemens
13 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
14 – SPOTLIGHT –
15 – TBA–
16 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
17 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
18 – Fridays in Space
19 – SPOTLIGHT – Bobbi Schemerhorn - The Realm Warden Series
20 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
21 – SPOTLIGHT – Ashe Barker – Deeds Not Words
22 – Book Release – Daryl Devore’s
23 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
24 – Thursday #Yoga
25 – Blog closed for Christmas
26 – Blog closed for Christmas
27 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
28 – SPOTLIGHT on Daryl Devore's new release
29 – TBA–
30 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
31 – Blog closed for New Years
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Pantser Madness
Writers are so busy – writing – that they have time to argue. After spending hours scrolling through Twitter – researching of course – it’s interesting to see the inane arguments that happen between writers. No - not politics or moral issues.
World shattering arguments about – plotter vs pantser - or – dumping on the romance genre cause it’s easy to write and not really writing.
I am a romance author – we’ll get to that discussion another day.
But I am quite wiling to stand on soapbox and declare – “I am a card-carrying pantser.” It is how I write my books – by the seat of my pants.
I read, somewhere – I really prefer to quote my sources – I am going to have to start writing things down – anyway – I digress – I read that books written by pantsers tend to be character driven and books written by plotters then to be --- ready for it – plot driven.
Which is better – character driven or plot driven? Neither. A “which is better” argument is never solvable.
Which is better – chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream?
Which is better – spending a day on a beach – spending a day reading?
Which is better – puppies or kittens?
So – again – I proclaim – I’m a card carrying pantser.
True story – I was
riding in the car and a song came on the radio – my brain went “what if…” I
grabbed my laptop and wrote 3 chapters. Those 3 chapters turned into 3 books
and my rock star series Two Hearts One Love was born. I plotted out nothing. I had no idea I was going to write a book at that moment, nor did I know it would turn into a trilogy.
Being a pantser does have some issues – like when your characters get themselves trapped in a corner and can’t figure out how to get themselves out. Then it is up to me to figure out how to get them out. And, I LOVE that challenge.
Again, the rock star series. First book, about 8 chapters in, I was stuck. Could not figure out how to proceed. Stopped writing it and moved on to other things. One day sitting in quiet meditation at yoga class and my brain went – write a sequel. Boom! Book one finished itself and I flew through book 2. Book three, I had some struggles with, as it seemed that book 4 was trying to get itself noticed. But I wrapped the whole thing up in book 3.
A few years back, I was asked to join a group of author friends writing a box set. The theme behind the box set was one of the characters was a law breaker – an art thief – a jewel thief – something. I will admit I wrote a plot for that one. This is the whole thing.
Theme: Lawbreakers
Plot – Should be her.
From that plot – Two Truths and a Lie was written and I didn’t know I was going to base it on the legend of Robin Hood until I got to the last line of the first chapter and announced the character’s name.
So, yes, I’m a pantser and no, there is no method in my madness – just some really good stories.
Which are you? And why do you love it?
What's happening in November on
Romance – Sweet to Heat
20 – Taps on the Monitor
21 – SPOTLIGHT – Jackie Forster - The Children of the Light Trilogy
22 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
23 – SPOTLIGHT –
24 – Flashette
25 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
26 – Thursday #Yoga
27 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
28 – Spotlight – A.K. Rouse - Phineas Varga and the Revenants of Windsor
29 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
30 – Spotlight – Ashe Barker - Seducing is Sassenach
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When I saw this post - I thought - WOW!! The power of books. Amazing.
That's it. That's the post.
What's happening in November on
Romance – Sweet to Heat
13 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
14 – SPOTLIGHT – Meredith Allard - The Loving Husband Series
15 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
16 – RELEASE – Love a Billionaire Collection
17 – SPOTLIGHT – Ashe Barker – 12 days of Christmas Highlanders
18 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
19 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
20 – Taps on the Monitor
21 – SPOTLIGHT – Jackie Forster - The Children of the Light Trilogy
22 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
23 – SPOTLIGHT –
24 – Flashette
25 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
26 – Thursday #Yoga
27 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
28 – Spotlight – A.K. Rouse - Phineas Varga and the Revenants of Windsor
29 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
30 – Spotlight – Ashe Barker - Seducing is Sassenach
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iss064e002482 (Oct. 29, 2020) --- A portion of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Bahamas is pictured from the International Space Station.
What's happening in November on
Romance – Sweet to Heat
7 – SPOTLIGHT – Alyssa Drake - Mistletoe Hopes
8 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
9 – SPOTLIGHT – Ashe Barker - A Dom for Life
10 – MFRW Steam Hop #MFRWsteam
11 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
12 – Thursday #Yoga
13 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
14 – SPOTLIGHT – Meredith Allard - The Loving Husband Series
15 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
16 – RELEASE – Love a Billionaire Collection
17 – SPOTLIGHT – Ashe Barker – 12 days of Christmas Highlanders
18 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
19 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
20 – Taps on the Monitor
21 – SPOTLIGHT – Jackie Forster - The Children of the Light Trilogy
22 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
23 – SPOTLIGHT –
24 – Flashette
25 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
26 – Thursday #Yoga
27 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
28 – Spotlight – A.K. Rouse - Phineas Varga and the Revenants of Windsor
29 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
30 – Spotlight – Ashe Barker - Seducing is Sassenach
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The Slice of a Blade
Trembling with giddiness and feverish with anticipation, I wrap my fingers around the drawer handle. The metal is cool to my touch. The drawer glides open. An army of razor edged stainless steel lies before me. Smallest paring knives on the left up to the sleek chef’s knife and the king of the drawer – the butcher knife - on the right. My fingers hover over the butcher knife’s handle. No, tonight is not the night for you. Must restrain myself.
I grasp the 30 cm French-style chef’s knife’s handle and lift it. Honed and sharpened to exquisite exactness, it is not heavy, but well-balanced and rests in my palm with my fingers curled around the ebony black grip. Experimentation has taught me a longer blade will allow a longer single stroke. A longer single slice.
Longer.
Single.
Slice.
No more beautiful words exist.
Longer.
Single.
Slice.
I close my eyes and picture it sliding – s-l-o-w-l-y t-h-r-o-u-g-h. Perfection.
Casting a critical gaze over the blade, I check for the slightest of imperfections which would dull the edge therefore marring sharpness and the moment. A ray of light reflects off the sleek steel. Memories flit through my mind of this knife’s edge effortlessly slipping through it’s prey. It is the perfect choice. The event will be sublime.
I rip the knife through the air, imagining the smooth gashes through It. My heart pulses in my chest. I spin and slash, spin and slash, spin and slash. A high giggle bursts from my lips. Such joy.
Stop.
Restraint.
Respect the moment.
Respect the act.
Lowering my head, I close my eyes. A small bow to the performance that is about to begin. I lift the knife, gripping with both hands. Holding it before me, I press a small kiss on the bolster. A homage to the beauty of this piece.
I glance back at It. Lying on the table, waiting. Waiting for it’s moment to become the star of my performance. A concerto of cutting, slashing and gouging. Screams would enhance the decadence of the moment. But the walls are thin. Nosey ears listen.
I must remain calm. Savour the moment. That first slice. A shiver slithers down my spine. I inhale, close my eyes and revel in the thrill of anticipation. I pause. Forcing myself to wait. To enjoy. Don’t rush. Ease into each action. Savour the sensations. Writhe in the bliss this act will give.
The moment has come. I step closer to It then lift the blade to my left and in one swift move slash across. The sensation of the knife ripping through It filters up through my handle to my arm and to my brain. A jolt of dopamine is released. Strength – confidence – joy – lust - power - surge through me. I release the knife from where it lays buried in It - lift and slash again.
And again.
And again.
Again.
Again.
It lays gutted. Open and exposed. I reach inside and grab at the entrails. With wild abandon, I rip out handfuls. Grab. Rip. Toss. Grab. Rip. Toss. Grabrip. Toss. Grabriptoss. Grabriptoss. Grabriptoss. Grabriptoss.
Sweat drips down my cheek. Loud gasps fill the void between the heavings of my chest.
The entrails drip from my fingers, the chair, the table and the edges of It.
It is beautiful. A masterpiece. My masterpiece.
It is so perfect.
It is perfection.
Trembles ripple through me. They build. The room sways. Hysterical laughing erupts.
With reverence, I place the blade on a towel, knowing it will be lovingly cleaned after It has been properly looked after.
I turn, once more to look at my masterpiece. Tears of joy stream down my cheeks at the beauty. I am struck numb by it. I know not how long I will stay here gazing at It. I want this moment never to end.
But it must.
The freezer lid drops with a solid thud. Orgasmic relief floods through me. Another carving. A smile hints at the corner of my mouth as I walk back upstairs. No one knows. No one suspects.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
What's happening in November on
Romance – Sweet to Heat
1 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
2 – SPOTLIGHT – PK Corey – Cassie on the Move
3 – COVER REVEAL – Love a Billionaire Collection
4 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
5 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
6 – Fridays in Space
7 – SPOTLIGHT – Alyssa Drake - Mistletoe Hopes
8 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
9 – SPOTLIGHT –
10 – MFRW Steam Hop #MFRWsteam
11 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
12 – Thursday #Yoga
13 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
14 – SPOTLIGHT – Meredith Allard - The Loving Husband Series
15 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
16 – RELEASE – Love a Billionaire Collection
17 – TBA–
18 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
19 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
20 – Fridays in Space
21 – SPOTLIGHT – Jackie Forster - The Children of the Light Trilogy
22 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
23 – SPOTLIGHT –
24 – TBA–
25 – Book Hooks #MFRWhooks #MFRWAuthor
26 – Thursday #Yoga
27 – My Blog. My Post. My Books.
28 – Spotlight – A.K. Rouse - Phineas Varga and the Revenants of Windsor
29 – Weekend Writing Warriors #8Sunday
30 – Spotlight –
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