Stories from the Mist

Cover Art for "The Colubrii: Awakening"

2012-01-22T23:40:00.001-05:00

We have finished the cover art for "The Colubrii: Awakening" and I figured I'd post the art here for you all to see! The cover will be a similar layout design to what is on "The Sagittary." This picture is the 'insert' in the center of the cover. The remaining surrounding cover and back will be a black snakeskin.

Edits are going well; we're 20 chapters in on a 50 Chapter book. Venom is weighing in at 540+pp; a little lighter than Darien's book, but then again, you can't beat the Big Guy! Hopefully we'll have the editing done by the end of February and Venom will hit the streets by April. I'll try to keep the blog here updated as we go along.

I've got the first and second Chapters up at The Keep; as well as quite a few teasers to whet your appetite. You can visit The Keep by clicking HERE. Stay tuned and happy reading!

TMS

"The Colubrii: Awakening" - Finally in Edits!

2011-11-25T02:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, you heard it right. After being finished for nearly a year, "The Colubrii" has finally gone into the hands of an editor.

My normal editor, Kimi, has been dealing with some real life issues and has been tied up for most of the year. As much as I hated to have to look for another person to take on my current project, I had no choice but to move forward so I could get Venom out into the world. Enter Ginny, who has had the courage to step in and fill a very large pair of shoes. She has been wonderful, and we've gotten through the first ten out of fifty chapters. With any luck, "The Colubrii" should hit the streets sometime in January or February of 2012. Once he is free, I can then go back and concentrate on "Daughter," who should have been issued first, but due to some reworking I need to do, was put on the back burner. Hopefully, I'll be able to get that one out by the end of the year as well.

You can read the first Chapter here, or, you can visit The Keep and read chapters one and two that I have posted for my members, as well as some juicy teasers. You can catch the links for The Keep here on my blog in the side bar.

Thanks to everyone for being soooo patient with me and with Venom. Believe me, he is well worth the wait. *woof* Damn, he is one sexy male.

Hugs to all and happy reading!

TMS

Thoughts to Those on the Eastern Seaboard

2011-08-29T16:10:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Irene has blown through the eastern seaboard, leaving death, destruction and flooding in her wake. Thank God she was downgraded to a category 1 hurricane by the time it hit NJ. The night she hit was wild with rain and wind, power loss and flying debris. I can't imagine what the higher category hurricanes are like. While my home is in a protected dell, we were still worried about the trees. The ground was so saturated from all the rain we've been having, we were more afraid that the wind was going to take down one of the monsters that stand sentinel above my roof. We even made our daughter sleep downstairs that night as she has the attic room and would be the first to know that a tree had come down.

The next day found our street flooded, the brook that runs along side overflowing for the first time in all the years I have lived here. It was a good example of how powerful mother nature can be.

My thoughts to those in the harder hit states, hoping they can get their lives back together as soon as possible and leave Irene behind them.

Paranormal Romance Guild: August Give-A-Way!

2011-08-01T18:50:00.001-04:00

The PRG's August Give-A-Way has been posted! This month's featured author is Andrew Valentine, and his book is "Bitter Things." Click HERE to leave a comment and be entered to win! Good luck!

Description:

Michelle Papas vows to form a new connection with her emotionally scarred husband Scott after the gruesome discovery of two bodies in Central Park unhinges him. Just over a year later, through a seemingly chance meeting at a bar in midtown Manhattan, she discovers she and Scott share a fascination with Jong, an alluring woman who feeds on the desires of others. Michelle pursues the woman, and after the three partake in a night of passion, Michelle wakes up alone. Scott has disappeared, and what was meant to drive them together has propelled them apart. Enlisting the help of Dave Carson, her friend and confidante, Michelle sets out to find her husband. Frustrated by conventional police tactics, Michelle hires a private investigator. Instead of finding her husband, Michelle finds herself in a web of deceit where her trusted allies conspire with her hidden enemies. Michelle is forced to confront her loyalty to her wayward husband and choose between the sweet things of an incomplete life, or the BITTER THINGS of a life fulfilled by the ultimate sacrifice.

The Colubrii: Awakening - Chapter 1

2011-07-11T20:38:00.002-04:00

Malandra Trent awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in her bed, her heart pounding in her chest as if she had just run a marathon. Her body covered in sweat, she ran a hand down her throat and pulled it away, grimacing. This was getting a little ridiculous. She knew that she was way too young to be going through her changes but she couldn’t come up with any other reason why she would be waking up in the middle of the night soaking wet, her body heated. Well…she could come up with another reason, but it was ludicrous to believe a dream could cause these very real, physical symptoms.
   Several weeks ago, she began having very erotic dreams that would show up every few nights or so. And each time it came, it added a little more to itself as if it were a living, breathing thing, evolving as it went. It was erotic insofar as the way it made her feel. It started out very timidly; nothing to really comment on other than it had stirred up emotions in her body. There were no people in this dream, no objects, nor places. Just feelings of silkiness that made her skin tingle, made her feel alive. And to feel alive is something she very much wanted, for it lacked glaringly from her life.
   Twenty six years ago, her parents had been killed in a terrible accident. Having no living relatives left on either side, she had been taken in as an infant by her guardian, Joseph Weston, who was a close friend of her father’s. Joseph, while being very wealthy and affording her many opportunities that she would not otherwise been privy to, ruled her life with an iron fist. Joseph liked to own things, whether they be a person, place, or thing and once owned, you stood very little chance of him ever releasing his grip. He had an odd way about him and you could tell that he was a man who kept many secrets. She had once tried to ask him what had happened to her parents and he had reproached her, telling her that there was no reason for her to dwell in the past. Dead was dead and that was that. He was definitely not the warm and fuzzy type.
   Several years ago, she had gone to him and told him that she wanted to move out of the sprawling compound that they lived in and get a place of her own. It was cold and impersonal, like living in a museum. The color choices were gray or black. Mally had expected him to have one of his trademark outbursts at her request, but surprisingly he didn’t. He merely stared at her for several minutes before finally nodding his head. You could have knocked her over with a feather.
   “On one condition,” he finally demanded in that clipped tone he took when addressing something that he didn’t like. “That you allow me to pick the place of your residence.”
Eager to be free of his constant surveillance, she agreed. He finally settled on a three-story town home in a nice residential area of the city, close to the bus or train she would need in order to go to work at the company he owned downtown. Joseph had the place wired for security with a direct tie-in to his own security people back at the compound. His grip had loosened a little, but not by much.

   Mally rolled over in bed and glanced at the clock glowing on her nightstand. It was 4:12am and she had another hour before she would have to get up for work. Thank god it was Friday.
   Work.
That was another of Joseph’s conditions. Growing up, she had been home schooled by private tutors and when her aptitude for all things electronic and computer-wise had shown itself, she was ushered off to a private school so she could expand that area of expertise. Now, she worked at Joseph’s private company as the assistant computer operations manager. The only reason she wasn’t the manager was because Joseph’s own son, Vincent, was. He was a big, GQ-y type of guy with sandy blonde hair and a struggling goatee that looked as if he had kissed the ass-end of a ginger cat after eating something sticky. Besides being cocky, arrogant, and egotistical, he was always after her. He had this long-standing delusion that he was going to get her in bed. Fat chance. Not only was he possessive and domineering like his father, but also thought he was god’s gift to women. While other female workers in the office gave him flirty glances and fawned over him, she looked at him and just wanted to vomit. He was like her brother, for god’s sake. And even if he wasn’t, he just wasn’t her type.
   Not that she knew what her type was.
Any attempts at having a social life or going out on dates were either crushed by Joseph claiming the man in question wasn’t good enough for her or Vincent crashed her date and caused trouble. After several embarrassing episodes of this type, she finally gave up dating as a precaution to keep her sanity.
   Mally sighed, disgusted with her life. She had no clue where she had come from, or where her life was going. She longed to do what she wanted, when she wanted, without someone following her or telling her what to do. She longed to have a man in her life, someone to hold her, soothe her, and make love to her. Someone who would protect her from men like Vincent—and Joseph, and take her far away where she would never have to see them again.
   Giving another loud sigh, Mally burrowed under the covers and pillows, covering herself from head to toe. Encased in the softness and warmth of the bedclothes around her, she felt at ease and oddly safe. As if by hiding this way, nothing from the outside world could harm her. Pulling the blankets closer to her body, her mind wandered back to the dream. There was strange music this time around to accompany that silky erotic feeling that moved against her skin and encompassed her while she slept. Just the thought of it now, caused the tips of her breasts to tingle, the empty echo of what could be if she ever found a man. Mally let the waves of feelings wash over her as she drifted back off to sleep.

   The blaring sound of the alarm clock sliced through the silence of the bedroom, causing Mally to shoot straight up in bed for the second time on the same morning. She exploded from under the mound of covers and pillows, causing them to scatter onto the floor. Leaning over towards the night table, she smacked the ‘off’ button, silencing that horrible robotic siren.
   “I’ve got to get a different alarm clock,” she mumbled to herself, running her hands over her face and through her hair. “Or I’m seriously going to take a hammer to it.”
   Flinging back the remaining blanket, Mally climbed out of bed and over to her desk, popping on her laptop. Grabbing her robe from the back of the bedroom door, she headed into the bathroom to start her daily routine.
   Showered, armpits and legs shaved and encased in a towel, she went into her walk-in closet and looked over her wardrobe. This was one of the few areas of her life that she actually had some control over. When she had hit the age of twenty, she was given a monthly allowance for clothes. The allowance was quite generous considering there were only so many clothes you could wear. What she didn’t use to buy clothes, she deposited into a savings account that she took pains to hide from Joseph. He had secrets? Well, so would she. Knowing she actually had something in her life that he didn’t know about gave her a perverse pleasure and she grinned. Sorting through several outfits, she chose a black Channel pant suit, a cream colored silk blouse, and a pair of smart heels. Bringing her selections back out into the bedroom, she laid the items over the back of her desk chair and turned to make the bed.
   Once dressed, she headed to her laptop and did a quick scan of her email. Discarding the spam and ads for larger penises, she opened the first of the two remaining emails. The first was from her friend, Nibbs, asking her if she was working tonight. A smile formed slowly on her face. Like her clothes, this second ‘job’ had been of her own doing, her own choice—and it was a thorn in Joseph’s side. While she had to be all trussed up and business-like by day, at night she worked at a local animal shelter that was run by Nibbs and her walking wall of a boyfriend, Rass, who took in exotic animals besides the normal cats and dogs. Mally had a love for animals, but strangely enough, it was the reptiles she was drawn to. She liked their sleek bodies and shimmering scales. Besides the oddities that resided within the shelter, it also drew people from all walks of life—people she found intriguing and exciting, so different from her normal, laced up, white collar job. Leather-clad men with piercings and tattoos came to adopt iguanas and snakes, mixed in with the Norman Rockwell families that came to take home puppies or kittens. The running of the shelter was loosely structured and had a general feeling of ‘anything goes.’ Rock and rap music pumped throughout the shelter as well as classical; volunteers came to work the pens and clean the cages. It was a feast for her dull and protected senses. It made her feel alive…just like the dream.
   Typing quickly, she sent off her reply that she would indeed be in later. Mally then opened the last email and frowned. Was it that time already? It was a reminder from the clinic at Joseph’s company that she was due for her quarterly medical examination. Like clockwork, Joseph made sure she was examined regularly at his private clinic, the doctors mainly concentrating on her throat. Apparently her mother had been prone to cysts on the thyroid and Joseph wanted to make sure that none grew unnoticed upon hers and became cancerous. The tests were always negative and she couldn’t understand his obsession with making her go through this every three months.
   Clicking the ‘delete’ button, Mally shut down the laptop and headed downstairs to make herself a cup of coffee and grab a bagel before leaving to catch the train. Coffee tumbler in hand, bagel trapped in her mouth, and a black duffel bag containing the clothes she would change into later at the shelter, she went to the front door, activated the alarm, and locked the door behind her.

   Mally emerged a half hour later in front of Weston Pharmaceuticals, a towering 16-story building that housed the headquarters of the Weston empire. It was located in the heart of the city, on some of the most expensive real estate available. Besides producing what its name implied, it also housed a clinic for specialized diseases on its bottom floor. It was there that she headed for first to get the examination over with. She entered through the private side door marked “Employees Only.”
   Passing her ID card through the computerized card key, the green light flashed and she passed through the entryway door and down the long corridor into the elaborately decorated foyer at the front of the building. Waving a quick hello to Betsy who worked behind the reception desk, she crossed the black marble floor and entered another hallway, moving quickly along its length, the sound of her heels echoing off the high ceiling. At this time of morning it was relatively quiet; the flow of business men and general public not beginning until it neared 9:00am. Reaching the end of the hall, she pressed a hand against a glass door and entered the clinic.
   “Ah, good morning Ms. Trent,” said a chipper nurse from behind the pane of glass. “Here for the usual?”
   “Of course,” Mally replied with a smile. “Why else would I ever want to be here?”
   The nurse smiled and pointed to the door to her left.   “Go ahead in. I’m sure Dr. Yasmin is waiting for you.”
   Giving a nod of thanks, Mally went through the door and into the only examination room that had its lights on. Sure enough, the good ol’ doctor was there, waiting for her. When Mally walked in, the doctor smiled.
   “Good morning, Ms. Trent. I knew you’d be here first thing in the morning. I know you like to get this over with.”
   “That’s the truth,” Mally said, removing her jacket and putting it around the back of a chair in the corner. Used to the routine by now, she grabbed a hospital johnny from a hook near the door and walked to where the privacy curtain was located. Pulling it shut, she undressed from the waist up, put the johnny on, and returned to the middle of the room.
   “Let’s get started, shall we?” Dr. Yasmin asked, patting the gurney table. “Hop on up.”
   Mally climbed up onto the table and scooted back, holding one of her arms out for the doctor to take her blood pressure. Slipping on the cuff, Dr. Yasmin inflated it until it pinched tight, then slowly let out the air, listening intently with her stethoscope. Finishing, she moved behind Mally, listening to her heart and breathing.
   “Everything seems fine this morning,” Dr. Yasmin advised, bringing over a tray caddy filled with phlebotomy items. Tying a length of rubber strap around her upper arm, the good doctor removed several vials of blood for testing. Carefully marking each one with a Sharpie and putting them into a holder, she replaced the tray on a side counter and went to grab the ultrasound cart.
   “Lay back now,” she instructed as she began entering in the vitals on Mally. “I’ll try and get this over with as quickly as I can.” Mally did as she was told, her hands slowly balling into fists, a light sweat breaking out on her upper lip. She abhorred this part. Could see absolutely no reason for it to be done so often. Mally had done some research into it, and quite frankly, the whole situation was absurd.
   “Do you really feel it’s necessary to perform this procedure so often?” Mally asked as the doctor squeezed blue lubricating gel onto her neck. “It’s not like you’ve ever found anything. I could see if there were some suspicious cells, but really—I,”
   “You know of Mr. Weston’s orders,” Dr. Yasmin said a little tightly as she opened some packages on the table. “He’s been studying rare diseases for many years and I think he knows what he’s doing.”
   “Well, I’m going to have a talk with him,” Mally said evenly, trying to keep the rising anger from her voice. “I don’t have a rare disease and I’ve had just about enough of this.”
   Dr. Yasmin’s brows shot up. “So, you think you know better than he or I?”
   “I think I want a second opinion,” Mally said curtly.
   “I see,” the doctor replied coolly. “Well, you go right ahead and speak to Mr. Weston about that. In the meantime, I have my orders.”
   The doctor ran the head of the wand over her neck, pushing back and forth until she had found the appropriate spot. After all these years, Mally thought, she should be able to do this blindfolded. As the doctor went to reach for something on the table next to her, Mally closed her eyes—tight.
   Dr. Yasmin brought the end of a six-inch needle to the skin of Mally’s neck and slid it in. Mally cringed and uttered a small muffled cry of pain, but knew better than to jerk. Withdrawing a sample from within, the doctor removed the needle and put the ultrasound wand down. She wiped the area unceremoniously with an alcohol swab and put a clear band-aid over the small puncture wound.
   “You’re finished,” the doctor said, her voice still cool. “Please leave a urine sample on the way out. Enjoy the rest of your day, Ms. Trent.” Picking up the needle and the vials of blood, the doctor turned and left her alone in the cold, antiseptic room.
   Mally sat up slowly, her arms shaking from both the ordeal and anger. There was nothing wrong with her and she knew it. This testing of his was nothing more than glossed-over, unexplainable experimentation. While she may have bought his story in the beginning about his concern for her health, she now didn’t believe a lick of it. She was no longer a young, naïve girl.
   Determined, Mally got dressed, picked up her coffee tumbler and duffel bag and left the clinic, not bothering to leave the requested urine sample.

   Her mind was running wild with all sorts of confrontations and arguments she was going to make to Joseph once she got to his office. Stabbing the elevator call button, she drained her coffee and stared at the doors waiting for them to open. The bell sounded, heralding the arrival of the elevator. Mally shifted her bag on her shoulder and stuffed the coffee tumbler into it as she entered, punching the button for the top floor.
   As the car came to a stop on the 16th floor of the building, Mally stepped out into the lavish foyer of the penthouse offices, from which Joseph ran his empire. His massive suite of rooms was at the far end of the hall down to the left. Mally headed off to the right and down the hall towards her own.
   “Good morning Ms. Trent,” said the receptionist cheerfully from behind her cherry wood desk. “Mr. Weston asks that you join him for coffee in his office once you get settled.”
   “Thanks Abby,” Mally said with a wave of her hand as she continued to her office. Tapping in her code on the keypad outside her door, she heard it unlock and pushed it open. Flipping the lights on and throwing her duffel bag onto the overstuffed high-wing chair in the corner, she went to her desk and perused its contents for the file Joseph was most likely waiting for. Her body was still ringing with anger and she stopped, propping her hands down on the desk’s cool surface. Mally closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to bring herself under control. She winced as the action caused the needle wound on her neck to sting.
   “All right,” she said to herself. “Let’s get this over with.”

   Going to Joseph’s office always reminded her of that scene from the ‘Wizard of Oz’ where the foursome was walking down that long, green hall to where the Wizard held court. It was very similar. The hall going down to the massive doors that led into Joseph’s private offices was lined with black marble columns that contrasted very modern-like with the gray marble floor. The approach was long and high-ceilinged, and would have fit very nicely into that scene from Oz if it were done in shades of emerald green. Stopping outside the doors, Mally tucked the file under her arm and took a deep breath. Being around him all her life still didn’t take away the edge she always felt when in his presence. The man was powerful. It oozed from him in pulsating waves and after all these years, she was still a little scared of him. Pulling her shoulders back, she knocked sharply on the door two times. The door opened and Vincent looked out at her, a grin forming on his face as he gave her the once-over.
   “Mally,” he drawled, opening the door wider to allow her entrance. “Dad’s been waiting for you.”
   “And you were just on your way out? Oh, shucks.” Mally struck a dramatic pose and then walked past him. There was a resounding crack as his hand smacked her ass.
   “I love it when you get fresh,” he cooed to her. “Gets me hard.”
She threw him a steely look over her shoulder. “And here I thought only animals got you off.” Vincent licks his lips.
   “I’ll have you yet,” he said after her.
   “Over my dead body,” she whispered to herself as she approached Joseph’s personal secretary sitting at her desk outside his office. Mrs. Apperson had been with Joseph for as long as she could remember. She had to be well into her sixties but didn’t look a day over 45.
   “Good morning, Ms. Trent,” she said in her cool professional tone. “Mr. Weston is expecting you. Please go on in.”
   “Thank you, Mrs. Apperson.” Mally knocked once and then entered.

   Joseph’s office was enormous and was surrounded by heavily tinted windows on all three outside walls, affording the room with a spectacular view of the city below and beyond. He had a full conference table along the right side of the room and what amounted to a ‘sitting room’ on the left, complete with gas fire pit and comfy sofas. The man himself was seated at his massive ebony and cherry wood desk, his back to her as he gazed out the windows. Mally cleared her throat quietly and waited. Through experience, she knew you didn’t address him until he addressed you first. It was several long moments before he swiveled in his leather chair and looked at her, his eyes the color of steel.
   “Malandra,” he said quietly but firmly. “Come in and take a seat.”
   “Good morning Joseph,” she said, glad that her voice was holding steady. “Thank you.” She took the seat he had nodded to and sat. “I’ve brought the budget you asked for on the system upgrades for the coming year,” she advised, taking the folder from under her arm and opening it.
   “Put it on the desk,” he said, motioning with his head. Mally faltered for a second, having fully expected him to have her review it for him. If he didn’t want to talk about the budget she had drawn up, then what in hell did he want to speak to her about? She placed the folder on his desk before him and sat back down. He studied her for several moments, Mally looking cautiously back at him. Not really sure how old he was, she guessed he was in his late 50s, his closely trimmed hair a shade of brown with a few threads of silver running through it. He was in good shape and tall, nearing six feet. He wore an air of ‘don’t fuck with me’ like a suit.
   “You went to your quarterly exam today,” he began, tenting his fingers before him. She nodded.
   “Yes, as usual.”
   “I understand you gave Dr. Yasmin a little bit of grief.”
   Ah. So that was it. The damn doctor had gone crying to Joseph about her comments. Mally shifted in her chair as his eyes stayed steady on her.
   “I guess I did,” she said, taking a deep breath.
   “And would you like to voice your concerns to me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Mally fingered the hem of her jacket as she worked up her courage to stand up to him.
   “I want to know why I must submit to these tests so often when there is nothing wrong with me.” There. It was out.
   The eyebrow arched a little higher. “Really? You know for sure that you won’t develop the disease that your mother had?”
   “I can’t stand being stabbed in the neck with a needle anymore,” she said with annoyance in her voice. “And I won’t submit to it any further until I get a second opinion.”
   “I see,” he said, coming to his feet. He placed his hands behind his back and strolled out from around the desk. “Very well. I can send you to another doctor—,”
   “I want to choose the doctor.” He turned and looked at her.
   “Oh? You feel me incapable of choosing an appropriate physician?”
   “I think your doctors will tell you whatever you want to hear,” she said, surprised at her own bluntness. He came to within a few feet of her and stared down at her. She could feel his stare upon her like a weight.
   “Do you think I put you through these rigors for my own amusement? Do you want to end up like your mother prior to her death?” Mally looked up and met his gaze.
   “You’ve made sure that I know nothing of my real parents and therefore can’t respond to that. Any time I ask you about them, you brush my questions aside.”
   “Because bringing up the dead has no purpose. The fact that I know what your mother’s medical condition was should be enough for you, because I treated her. Have I not brought you up suitably? Given you things you would not have obtained elsewhere? My dear child—,”
   Mally rose to her feet. “I am not a child anymore, Joseph!” she yelled at him. “I am a twenty-six year old woman and tired of being treated like I’m still ten! I legally became an adult five years ago!”
   “Sit down and lower your voice,” he commanded, his eyes going dark. Mally knew she had just pushed him to the edge. Letting out a long breath, she sat back down into her seat. He walked around until he was behind her chair.
   “Yes, Malandra, you have grown into a woman. One that certain people would try to take from me.”
   “Who?” Mally asked. “I’m nobody.”
   “You are my ward,” he said. “There are those that would use you to get to me. It is why I protect you so.”
   “I want my own life,” Mally said quietly. “I deserve my own life, my own decisions and their repercussions.”
   “Didn’t I let you move out of our compound and into your own town home?” he countered with strained tolerance in his voice.
   “Yes, but it was one you picked, one you wanted me to live in, Joseph. Not one of my own choice.” His hands slid down the back of the chair and lay upon her shoulders. She hated to feel him touch her—he always felt cold.
   “Don’t I let you keep that ridiculous night job?” His hands started to gently massage her. “I have no idea why you want to even step foot in a place like that.”
   “Because I like it,” she replied flatly. “Because it’s different.”
   “Different it might be, but you are so exposed there. Someone could kidnap you in an instant. Your father had…questionable acquaintances.”
   Mally let out a sigh. “I feel like a robotic bug in a jar,” she said resigned. “I live where I’m told to, I work where I’m told to, I’m followed, and my home is monitored. I am in an invisible prison.”
   His hands tightened slightly on her shoulders and she winced.
   “You are ungrateful for what has been done for you, Malandra. And that’s a shame.”
   “Joseph, I do appreciate all that you have done for me as I grew up. But I’m an adult now. I want to make my own way, my own life. Get married one day. Have children.” She tried to make her voice as soothing as possible. His hands left her shoulders and he came back in front of her.
   “And what would you do? Go and work for one of my competitors?” he asked coolly. “Have you already been interviewing elsewhere?”
   “No,” she said quickly. “And you would have known already if I did. One of your spies you have following me around would have told you.”
   “My…spies, as you call them, are your body guards. And if you insist on doing these…shall we say, whimsical forays, then I insist on you having them.” He gave her a look that indicated there was to be no further discussion about the subject. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, throwing his arm across the back and crossing his legs. Could it be that he would finally let her strike out on her own? She swallowed and took a chance.
   “My abilities are in demand and I could find work to support me very easily. Out of respect to you, I would not seek employment by another pharmaceutical company.” The words were no sooner out of her mouth when she saw by the look in his face that she was wrong.
   “So now you seek to leave my employ as well,” he said tersely. “You’ve become more than just a woman, Malandra. You’ve become an ungrateful bitch.”
   Mally dropped her eyes to her lap. How foolish she was to think that he was actually going to let her leave him and go out on her own. Now he was angry and there was only one way to get back into his good graces. She would have to beg his forgiveness. She could tell by his body posture that he was waiting for it.
   “Joseph,” she said softly. “Please, I wish to apologize.”
   “Then come here and show me.” His voice was cold and hard. The man never showed any tenderness to her in her entire life. Yet when he changed like this towards her, it was as if he took something away, something that in its own strange way was his love for her, and it made her feel terrible.
   Mally rose and walked slowly to him, her eyes on the expensive hand-woven carpet. When she was standing before him, she dropped down onto her knees, placed her hands on top of the sofa’s arm, and bowed her head to her hands. She could smell his cologne coming off his body.
   “I’m sorry that I’ve upset you, Joseph. I am very grateful for all you have done for me, all you have given me. I don’t seek to hurt or anger you with my comments. I just wanted—wished to tell you how I feel. I’m twenty six years old and feel like I’m going nowhere.” Mally balled her hands into fists under her chin, her eyes still cast down. “I see others getting married, others doing things that I wish I could do. I want these things not to hurt you, but to help me make my life fuller, to help enrich it. You have been the father I didn’t have. I know you have my best interests at heart. It’s just that I don’t know who I am…I feel so empty, so lost.” The last few words were spoken in barely a whisper. She hated that he was able to reduce her to this. That she couldn’t stop it from happening.
   Joseph looked down at her and said nothing for quite a while. He could see her slightly shifting her weight to relieve the cramping that he was sure was setting into her legs. He watched her as she knelt at his feet, her head bowed to him. This is what he wanted from her…her submission, her total obedience. The women in the circles he moved in knew their places. But she was not one of them and as she had pointed out, she was no longer a child that he could ply, although the way in which he accepted apologies from her was still ingrained within her. She was indeed now a woman and one with intelligence; and with that intelligence would come the urge to strike out on her own, to move away from him, to want things for herself. He knew this and it was one of the reasons why he allowed her to get her own place to live and allowed her to work that absurd second job. If he didn’t, it would only entice her to run from him and he didn’t want to expend the manpower to have to hunt her down. It was much easier to just let her have her way…for the time being.
   “Joseph, please,” she said in a whisper. “I am truly sorry.”
   He placed a hand atop her head. “Are you now?”
   “Yes, I am.”
   “I want you to abandon this crazy idea of leaving the company, do you understand?”
   “Yes, Joseph.”
   “Your salary here is more than enough to allow you the comforts you require. There is no need to seek employment elsewhere. I want you here, where I can protect you.” He slid his hand down along the side of her face and tilted her chin up so he could see her eyes. “You are my ward and I am your guardian. That is the way of it and nothing short of my death will change that fact. You seek more…diversions to help you fill your life. Is that why you choose to work at that shelter?”
   “Yes,” Mally said, looking into his eyes. She was fighting like hell not to well up in front of him. That would show him he had won.
   Joseph gazed at her, his eyes going over her face. “You have grown into a fine woman, Malandra. Perhaps you are right; perhaps it is time that you do find a man to care for you. I will keep that in mind the next time I am entertaining some business acquaintances. I’m sure you may find one to your liking—and mine.”
   Mally closed her eyes and said nothing. As usual, it was going to be by his rules. She swallowed and opened her eyes.
   “As for your exams,” he continued, “Since your results have continually been negative, I will reduce the number of medical examinations to three per year. Should anything show up in the meantime, we will move back to the quarterly monitoring. You will forget about getting a second opinion. Understood?”
   Mally nodded. “Yes, Joseph. Thank you.”
   “Good,” he said standing. “Now give me your hand.”
   Mally put her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet, her knees buckling slightly from kneeling so long.
   “Go and pour us some coffee and review the budget with me. You need to get back to your work.”
   Mally nodded and went to the table that held the carafe and poured out two cups of coffee. Fixing his the way he liked it, she brought the two cups to his desk, placing his in front of him.
   “Thank you, Malandra.” She tried to muster a smile.
   “You’re welcome, Joseph.”
   Pulling the file back over towards her, she took a sip of coffee and opened it up.
   “And that,” she thought to herself, “Is the end of that.”

Copyright 2011 - T. M. Sulsona - All Rights Reserved

I'm Such a Slacker!

2011-07-11T20:35:00.000-04:00

Dear lord, I can't believe I haven't posted since February!!! *hangs head in shame* I'm such a slacker...but maybe not really.

Real life has been quite full and complicated lately, what with my daughter graduating High School, looking for a college, applying, financing, scheduling, etc etc etc.

I have also finished off Venom's manuscript and have been in the process of re-reading, tweaking, re-writing, etc etc etc all in preparation for sending it off to my editor so she can rip it apart and we can do all of the above all over again! LOL! Such is the way of creativity. But I'm really anxious to get him to press as I think you'll all enjoy Mr. V a whole hell of a lot. *voice drops conspiratorially* I think I like him better than D.....but don't tell him I said that.... *looks around to make sure she wasn't overheard* *clears throat* So, yes, "The Colubrii: Awakening" is completed for the most part. I am going to make my next post the first Chapter of the book so I can *hopefully* whet your appetites.

Let's see...what else. "The Sagittary" is available on Nook now, and we're working on getting it uploaded to Smashwords as well. Kindle now has it available in the UK and Germany.

Had the opportunity to meet Nalini Singh in NYC last month at the Barnes & Noble. What a fun time! She is quite humorous! And after hearing all the other women drool over her Angel series, I have put them on my wish list.

Please be sure to check out The Paranormal Romance Guild and the monthly give aways they have going for a chance to win some free books and stuff from new authors. You can check out the give away for July by clicking on this link: The Paranormal Romance Guild

Well I guess that's about it for now. Going to try and get some canning done this weekend...bought a bunch of lovely peaches and gonna turn them into jam! Mmmmm.....

Hope you all are enjoying the summer....happy reading!

TMS

Paranormal Romance Guild: February Give-Away Contest!

2011-02-07T19:14:00.000-05:00

The Paranormal Romance Guild is giving away 3 books from the Justice Triology by Regan Black. All you need to do to enter to win is leave a comment. Just click on the title above to enter! Good luck!!

Bitten by Books gives "The Sagittary" 4 1/2 Tombstones out of 5!!

2011-02-07T19:02:00.000-05:00

The Sagittary was a very intense and imaginative read from cover to cover. I was very leery of reviewing such an opus but was very impressed by the way it kept my attention wrapped up in their quest throughout the 740 pages. This was the main basis of my confusion as to how to review such a lengthy book, and I hope you will stay with me and understand that without going into tremendous detail, I found it hard to wrap up my summary with only a few sentences.

Tessa Chiron has always had a love for mythology, and especially a fondness on the historical representation of Centaur. Working in the Literary Department at the University gave her more than the average opportunity to indulge in her passion and learn everything she could about the mythological creatures that were half-man/half-stallion, Centaurs. Waking one morning to an early delivery, Tessa finds that a mysterious person had sent her a very old leather bound book and a beautiful gold necklace with a Centauress depicted on its front in a peculiarly awkward pose. Bizarre in the fact alone that someone would send her such a valuable gift with no return address and but even more so in that the book itself was empty, the pages bare with the exception of a few yellow bookmarks within. Tessa is intrigued to find out more about her mysterious gift and finds a hint inside the cover that leads to a miraculous story appearing before her on the pages of the journal. By placing the necklace around her neck, she is gifted with the sight to read the tales put forth by several women, women who were taken from this plane and lived their lives as Mares to the Stallion, the leader of the Centaurs who reside in a beautiful valley.
The seduction by Darien, the sexy Centaur in her dreams, and the fact that the chain will not come off her neck leads Tessa to more than accept that she has found a link to a secret world that no one else had been a part of for centuries. Her dream man/Stallion needs her to find something stolen from his world then bring it to him along with herself, forever to stay in the lands of the Centaurs. Using the talents of her best friend, Carmen, and help from the Arts Department, they find the object that her dream man desires, the object that will return luck and prosperity to their lands and people. The only problem is it is owned by a handsome yet dark man who is very covetous of his idol making it very difficult to abscond with the prize and return it to the man awaiting on the other side of her dreams.
Adapting to her new life, Tessa finds that it is not easy to change from the modern woman to the rules and ways of their secluded life. Falling in love with the Stallion who claims her, proclaiming himself her sire, his offer to “wed” her and give her the title of his Mare helps to sooth Tessa’s reluctance of the situation she cannot escape. When Darien allows her the boon he promised—to speak one time to her best friend in dreamspeak—things in their little valley get even more complicated when Carmen and the mystery man appear. Struggling to accept this new wrinkle in her life, Tessa must find a way to accept another into her life with the appearance of Darien’s twin, Peiter, who finds his way into her bed and her heart, if she is to accomplish a test the God Poseidon set up for her—a test that will either solidify the Centaurs’ life for centuries to come or strip them all of what they are struggling to hold on to without a true Centauress to guide them and give them hope for future generations to come. The quest set, Tessa is finally shown her true self by the Goddess herself and given the knowledge she needs to hopefully complete the tasks before her in her position as their first Centauress and the true hope for all of their futures.
I really did not know what to expect with this book. Shock and a teensy tiny bit of negativity was felt when a 740 page opus was opened on my laptop, but those feelings soon became replaced by feelings of exuberance and captivated interest as I sped through the journey with Tessa, Darien and Peiter. To say that I have not had such an about face to the positive side in my opinion of a book in quite some time would be false. I have to say instead that I loved the book. Again, I hesitated to see how this fantasy book would handle what is basically “equine/human” sex, but it was done so tastefully and sensuously; I felt drawn into their, at times, very emotional bedroom play. I particularly was laughing out loud and begging for a bit more clarity when it came to an orgy scene between the three Centaur brothers and the two human women—especially it was speculated at their morning meal that Tessa and Carmen might have had some fun on their own with the men sitting back to enjoy the show. With that set aside, Tessa held her own with the dominant Centaur men, and the way she reacted to giving up her existence in our world to live with the men she loved was excellent writing and propelled the plot of the novel throughout their plight and their fight to save this unknown world from decimation. I loved, for the most part, all of the storyline, with only a bit of question as to my feelings for some of Carmen’s reactions/actions which came across a bit too needy and whiny. Even with the length of the novel, there was no fluff involved in cultivating the story; in fact, if anything, there were a few instances where I wanted a bit more out of the scenes. The Sagittary was one very interesting, emotional and exciting fantasy escape, and I really hope that the readers of this review take the time to plunge into this offering. It is definitely worth the time to take a chance and immerse yourself in some Mythological Centaur love.
Book Stats:

Paperback: 740 pages
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (October 8, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439203210
ISBN-13: 978-1439203217

"The Sagittary" Review by The Paranormal Romance Guild: 5 out of 5 Stars!!!!

2010-12-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

The Paranormal Romance Guild has issued its review of "The Sagittary" and has given it a FIVE out of FIVE star review! You can visit the Guild at: http://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/

REVIEW:

The Sagittary

Written by: T.M. Sulsona

Published by: T.M. Sulsona

Content Rating: M-Mature, Adult Content

Genre: Paranormal, Romance

Tessa Chiron is a young lady who has devoted her career to studying Greek Mythology, specifically Centaurs. She works at as a researcher at NY University. One early Saturday morning, she receives a mysterious package containing an ancient looking book and a magnificent necklace. The package comes with instructions, and Tessa, upon following the instructions, finds herself caught up in an adventure of a lifetime. The man of her dreams, literally, leads her to an entirely new world and time. Once she is transported, Tessa must learn how to adapt to her surroundings and conform to the new culture.

The Sagittary is an interesting and unique story. Darien is a very large Centaur, and he is the leader of his herd. He is every bit a dream man. Darien is bronzed, muscular, dark, humorous, intelligent, understanding, and his love for Tessa is epic. The lead Centaur’s ability to have visions, of the past and future, set him apart from the rest of his herd; they so give him an edge of mystery. Darien knows more than he’s willing to tell Tessa, but he is insistent on allowing things to unfold in their own time. Tessa has been obsessed with Centaurs since she was a child. When she is thrust into Darien’s world, she is beyond amazed at what she finds herself experiencing. Tessa constantly has to remind herself of the fact that she is no longer in modern day New York City, and she must conform to the ancient ways of Darien’s culture. Carmen is Tessa’s best friend, and is considered by Tessa as her only family. Carmen is understanding, and accepts and supports Tessa’s new life 100%. Nia is an elderly woman whom Tessa meets in her new home. Tessa looks at Nia as a maternal figure, and treats her as such. Nia is Tessa’s guiding star.

I found myself enraptured my Ms. Sulsona’s novel. Her ability to draw me into a completely different world and time astounded me beyond belief. I was invested in each character, and I felt connected to them during each of their experiences. Ms. Sulsona held my interest most by leading me from one adventure and mystery to the next flawlessly.

Rating: 5 stars

Reviewed by: The Paranormal Romance Guild

Miko Cabatic- Review Team

"The Sagittary" is available from Amazon.com in print and for Kindle; (both US and UK) and is now available on B&N's Nook!

Latest News from the Mist

2010-10-16T16:45:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Hope you are all enjoying the wonderful Fall weather and the lovely changing of the leaves.

Venom's book, "The Awakening" is about a one chapter away from being finished. Mom is visiting this week and has been devouring the manuscript. I'm being threatened with bodily harm if I don't get this last chapter done before she returns home...and she means it! LOL!

"The Sagittary" is now available on Barnes & Noble's NOOK e-reader for $2.99! So for those of you who are Nook-ers, please check it out! It is also now available on Kindle in the UK.

"The Sagittary" has been submitted to Romance Junkies, Bitten by Books and Paranormal Romance Guild to be reviewed. I am waiting on tender hooks to see how it turns out. I will post the reviews once they are released.

Please visit us on Facebook! Search "Stories from the Mist" to join in on the fun. Also, did you know that Darien has his own Facebook page? He does! Search out "Darien Minos" to check out what he and his herd has been up to.

That's about it for now. Mom's giving me the 'eye' so I'd better get back to writing. Enjoy the Fall!

TMS

Latest News: The Sagittary

2010-09-06T20:12:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that the pricing on both the paperback and kindle versions of "The Sagittary" have been reduced! It's a far cry from the original $30 price tag the publisher had put on the book. Check it out at Amazon.com.

Also: "The Sagittary" is now available on kindle in the UK!

So if you've been holding off due to the price (and I don't blame you...), now is a great time to give it a try.

I've also put some of my fantasy artwork on postage stamps so you can dress up your snail mail! Click on the link to the right for "The Mist Shop" to check it out!

Finally, if anyone wants a signed bookplate for the inside of your book, please send me an email with your name, address and how you'd like it signed to: tmsulsona@storiesfromthemist.com

Thanks!

TMS

Are You Ready For Some Football??

2010-08-06T20:56:00.000-04:00

Ah...well, not really. Well, sorta.

It's football season again, and my son is entering his final year of Junior football. Two hours a night practice. Five nights a week. In the heat. And humidity.

Bleh.

So, no, not really. Not really that is, until the cooler weather comes...the crisp, cool air of fall. Then I'm ready. There is nothing like sitting outdoors in the fall, stadium blanket on the metal bleachers to keep your butt warm, your body wrapped in the blazing colors of your team, cow bell and horns at the ready for when they take the field and for when they score.

Then it's wonderful.

The rush of adrenaline as the ball carrier makes his way down the field; the screams of the parents, siblings and friends all around, cheering the young men on. The pride you feel in your own child, whether they are a star of the team, or just one of the important supporting cast. The hot dog from the snack stand. The raffles. Yes, then it is a wonderful time of year.

This year, it will also be sad, as this year will be his last for football. When we walk with him out onto the field at homecoming, when we say good-bye and good luck as they move onto High School, I will have a tear in my eye. So proud to have watched him grow from that tiny little boy in first grade, to the tall teen he has become. To know the private struggle he has overcome. The memories are wonderful.

Am I ready for some football?

Hell yeah.

TMS

Summer

2010-06-09T21:37:00.000-04:00

Summer is a great time of year for me.

My kids are finally done with all their extra-curricular activities, school is out, traffic gets lighter on the commute to work, and my favorite: I get "me" time back.

This is very useful, especially when I'm in the 'home stretch' of finishing up my manuscript that I'm working on. No longer do I have to stop what I'm doing, gather my kid(s) and play Mom's Taxi to the school or whatever event they are involved in. No longer do I have to sit and wait for them to finish up and then cart them back home.

No. Now I can come home from work, get them fed, and then sit down and concentrate at a long run. I don't have to interrupt my flow of consciousness, but can let it run its course. Instead of getting only a few pages down, I can get an entire chapter. Which is great.

But this is also bittersweet.

Each summer that passes is another summer my children get closer to adulthood. A time when they will start moving and doing things on their own, without the benefit of their mother (or father) having to be there. A time when their friends will take precedence, their schedules more important than ours. But I feel that as parents, we shouldn't be sorry for this, because I feel it is because of how we've raised them and loved them that they feel confident enough to go out into the world and do their own thing. Because they know deep down that they will always have a home to return to, will always be loved. And that fact gives them wings.

While I am glad to have more time to myself, I will also begin to miss the time I've spent so closely with my kids. It is a double-edged sword, but a necessary one.

So I will bury my nose in my laptop and write away, because I find pleasure and solace in doing so. And I know that at the end of the day, my kids will be home for the night, laughing and nagging each other as siblings are so oft to do. And I, sitting at my laptop, will enjoy every moment of it.

TMS

Venom is Deliciousssssssss

2010-04-05T23:20:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to pop in and let you know that Venom is absolutely delicious in his dark, broody way. I'm having a great time writing his and Mally's story, and I can't wait for you guys to meet Zeus. What a pisser he is! We're about 3/4 through the manuscript and the end is in sight. Things are rising to their crescendo and I hope to be done in about a month or so. Then the fun of re-reading and editing begins.

Here's a few pics of Venom to whet your appetite. Bon Appetit!

TMS

Happy 2nd Anniversary to The Keep!

2010-03-20T12:53:00.001-04:00

Happy Anniversary to The Keep, my message board forum for the Stories from the Mist! On March 27th, it is our 2nd year of creativity, camaraderie and mayhem! I absolutely adore my members, whether they be the real deal or the characters created there.

In celebration of this milestone, I am holding a contest and will be giving out various goodies and sundries that are Keep-related. All you need to do is to login to The Keep (or register, if you're a first-timer) and head for the Great Hall. There, under that forum, you will find the Anniversary thread. All you need to do is post a comment and leave the rest to Fate. :)

We will be drawing random Post#s during the first week in April and will be giving away:

~A signed copy of "The Sagittary"
~A signed copy of the next book in the Stories from the Mist series
~T-shirts, mugs, mousepads and more!

While you're there, please have a look around the halls and corridors and see what you can uncover. There is everything from member-posted stories, poems, art, photography, etc to character play in the Towers. Review movies, books and TV shows, or hang around in the Jester's Court and share the latest joke.

Click on the title of this post or on the link in the side bar to find your way through the mist to our door.

Hope to see you there!

TMS

Is it Spring Yet?

2010-03-01T22:06:00.000-05:00

Anyone else ready for Spring? As I look outside at the almost 2 feet of snow we got hit with this past weekend, I'm more than ready for the rebirth of the earth. The only good thing about all this nasty weather is that I get some additional time to finish off my current manuscript!

Venom is coming along very nicely, and we're a good three-quarters of the way there. Things are now escalating within his world and quickly coming to a head. I'm anticipating finishing sometime in May, and if all goes well with the re-read and edits, possibly have him out by the end of the Summer.

Once that is done, I can go back and revisit "Daughter of the Aire." We had to shelve poor Toryn and Keirah as there were too many revisions that needed to be done, and a little more fleshing out of the characters. But the story itself is in good standing; we just need to finish it off a little more before we let him loose in the Mist world.

Our official Message Board, The Keep, is celebrating its 2nd Anniversary this month! We are planning some contests and will be giving away a signed copy of "The Sagittary" along with some other goodies like mugs, mouse pads and T-Shirts! So if you haven't joined us yet, please do! We've got a wonderful group of talented and creative members. I'll be posting more once the contest is all set up.

Just a note on "The Sagittary:" The publisher has dropped the price some (thank God!) and it is also available on Kindle for a fraction of the paperback copy. The book continues to receive straight five-star reviews! I'm awed and grateful for all the wonderful comments. They really mean a lot to me! You can find the book at Amazon.com and also take a peek inside!

Well, I just wanted to check in, as its been a while. Please feel free to leave comments here, or you can email me at: tmsulsona@storiesfromthemist.com

Stay warm and happy reading!

TMS

Happy Holidays from the Mist!

2009-12-24T21:01:00.004-05:00

Just taking time out from family and friends to wish my readers a wonderful holiday season! Here's to health, luck and prosperity in 2010....lord knows we all can use it in light of the economic and pandemic year we've had.

Our "Keep Cookbook" is now available at The Mist cafepress shop. All proceeds from the sale of this wonderful book goes to help the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a cause that hits close to home for me. The book compiles recipes gathered from the forum members at The Keep and are their best-loved and tried-and-true recipes, including appetizers, soups, sauces, breakfast items, entrees, pasta, breads, desserts and of course, drinks and libations! Please help this worthy cause and fill your plates with warm goodness by purchasing this cookbook. And while you're there, be sure to check out some of the other great stuff we've got up for your perusal enjoyment!

"The Awakening" is about 2 months away from having its first draft completed. Then the fun starts with the re-read and re-write. This book promises some hot reading...Venom is sexy and dominating; Mally is his perfect foil. Together they learn about each other and grow. The first Chapter can be found at The Keep, along with a bunch of teasers that are sure to get your interest up and humming.

On that note, I'm off to celebrate the holiday with my family. Best wishes to all for a safe and happy holiday. *hugs and kisses*

TMS

When The Puzzle Pieces Fall Together

2009-11-06T20:00:00.003-05:00

So, as most of you already know, I'm in mid-first draft of "The Awakening," and for the past, oh week or so, the flood gates have opened up and Venom is flowing onto the page like water. I don't know how it works for you other writers, but I get bits and pieces of scenes, dialog, names, places etc. and then I'm supposed to make some sort of sense out it.

I've been plodding along on this project, writing a bit here and a bit there, making no great strides to speak of, but writing enough to keep the juices flowing. Scratching my head as I put scenes together, not really understanding WHY I'm supposed to put this one next to that one, but I do it because that's what my instincts tell me to do.

Then WHAM!

I get this new character (or in this case a special GROUP that is a character) and suddenly as I discover who they are and what they do, all the strange bits and pieces I linked together up until this point make perfect sense. These guys are the key to the story, the link that threads throughout the storyline.

I am once again amazed, not at myself, but at how the subconscious mind always seems to be way ahead of the game and knows what it is doing. I refer to this alter-ego as my Muse, and so far she (or possible he) has been spot-on.

So I am a writing fool these days, making like a Ghost at my usual haunts and at The Keep. I really hope they don't think I'm ignoring them, cause I'm not. It's just that Venom and The Muse are such demanding taskmasters at the moment.

On another note, it seems that my publisher, BookSurge, is merging into Create/Space, and the new company seems to have more reasonable rates and pricing for their books. This is a great relief as I am most annoyed at the pricing they placed on "The Sagittary," causing those who would normally buy, to back off. And that really sucks. I am looking into revising "The Sagittary" into a shorter version, taking out a lot of the book that, while not intrinsic to the story, definitely fills it out and gives it a 'real flavor.' I hate to do that, but I have to in order to make the pricing more palatable. If I do this, I would probably post those 'deleted scenes' up in The Keep. So I'll keep you posted on how that goes. But in the meantime, I'm watching my page count this time around so "The Awakening" will be as cheap as I can make it without sacrificing the meat of the story.

As usual, I've been posting 'teasers' at The Keep. So if you want to get a little taste of Venom and see what he's about, head on over.

That's it for now...back to the keys. Read happy!

TMS

Winter Hath Cometh Early

2009-10-16T18:42:00.002-04:00

We had our first snowfall of the year yesterday. Snow coming down like all hell...but not sticking, thankfully. At least not in my neck of NJ. I know a few people who were coated with up to 2" of the white, wet, heavy stuff. (No, that's not a picture from NJ....just one taken from a trip to Scotland...but I thought it appropriate for the topic!)

Snow.

In October.

WTF?

Seeing how we've had a very wet year already, this early snowfall doesn't bode well for a light winter. I think we're gonna get snowed under!

Which, on the other hand, is perfect reading weather! I've loaded up (or should I say reinforced?) my TBR pile, moving it from the little box to a great big Rubbermaid bin. So go ahead Old Man Winter, and do your worst! I'm set!

We've hit a snag with "Daughter of the Aire" and that novel is being moved to the back burner for now. It needs some heavy editing and right now I don't have the time or the inclination to start tearing that story apart. My editor, Kimi, seems to think there was some weird crap going on in my life at the time I was writing it. Quite frankly, I really don't remember what the hell was going on two years ago! (Let alone yesterday...*slinks off*)

Soooo, I'm putting all my energies into working on "The Awakening." (That title is going to be changed...I hate it. But for now...) Kimi has already read the first five chapters and she loves it. Which is a good thing. I was getting a little nervous there after her review of Daughter. *wipes brow* So Venom it is. And you know what? I'm sure that was his plan all along. Sneaky reptile that he is. Have I mentioned how overtly hot he is? No? Well....let me tell you....I sweat when I'm writing his scenes. Don't let the serpent references put you off.

Let's see....what else....

We had our Keep Clan Gathering down in Washington DC this past weekend, and it was a blast! It was great to finally meet the faces behind the posts from The Keep. Everyone was great and I think a good time was had by all.

Speaking of The Keep: We are still taking recipes for our charity Keep Cookbook that we hope to have published by CafePress and out in time for the holidays in December. So please, if you have a good recipe to share and want to have your name in print, stop by the Keep and drop it off in our Kitchen thread. While you're there, check out the rest of the board. Book lovers and writers abound, sharing their reviews, criticisms and camaraderie. It truly is a great place to hang out. I've got the best members in the world. *sends out the luv to my Keepers*

OK. Well I guess that's about it for now. It's football season and that means running around to practice and games with my son. (Their record at the moment is 4 -1. Mama and Papa are very proud! :))

Wherever your wanderings take you, stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy life. Muuah!

TMS

The Sagittary - Chapter One

2009-06-30T18:23:00.004-04:00

In celebration of "The Sagittary" being released on Kindle, I'd thought I'd post Chapter One here to hopefully entice and whet your appetite a little. Enjoy! TMS

CHAPTER ONE

A loud buzzing broke the quiet in the darkened apartment, causing Raphael to jump onto the floor with an annoyed meow. There was silence for a few moments and then the buzzing came again, this time a little longer. Tessa stirred from her sleep and sat up in bed, waiting to see if the sound she thought she heard was real or from her dream. Sure enough, the buzzing came again. Giving a yawn and a half-hearted stretch, she climbed out of bed and shuffled towards the door.
“Just a minute, I’m getting there,” she mumbled out loud. She pressed the button on the intercom next to the door.
“Who is it?” she asked in a still sleepy voice.
“UPS,” came the reply. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. It was too early in the morning for this. She pressed the entry button for the door several floors below.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on her door. Looking through the peephole, she gazed at the delivery guy from UPS with a bleary eye. She fumbled with the two sets of deadbolts, the lock on the door and the safety chain. Pulling the door open, she leaned up against the doorway running a hand through her tussled brown hair.
“S’up Tess?” said the UPS man with a grin. “Got a package for you.”
“Gary, do you know what time it is?” she said, raising her eyebrows.
“Sure do—it’s almost 9:30 AM—time for me to deliver this to you,” Gary said with a smile as he handed over a small package. “Looks like you just crawled out of bed.”
Tessa gave a small snigger. “Yes, as a matter of fact, Mr. Gary, I did. You know that I am not an early riser. Especially on Saturdays…”
“Yeah, I know. But someone paid to have this here to you by this morning. Sign here.”
Gary handed her the computerized clipboard and she signed her name in the little colored screen.
“Need me to spell my last name for you?” she said, teasing him.
“No Tess—I’ve delivered enough packages to you that I think I know it by now. You give any thought to my invitation to dinner tomorrow night?” he said, leaning in towards her.
Tessa looked him over and gave him a smile. He was cute but just not her type. Gary was a little on the short side and slender with blondish hair. She liked her men a little taller, bulkier and dark haired.
“I have, Gary, and I really appreciate the thought but I’ll have to take a pass. I have a lot of work to get done by Monday and the weekend is the only time I have to get through it all and spend by myself.”
“You really need to get out once and awhile,” Gary said, shaking his head. “You know what they say—all work and no play…”
Tessa laughed. “Yes, I know. You’re not the first one to hand me that line. Thanks again, Gary. I’m sure I’ll see you during the week with some more goodies.”
“OK, Tess—but if you change your mind, you’ve got my number.” Gary gave her a wave and headed back down the hallway, punching numbers into his clipboard.
“Yeah, sure…” she said as she closed the door, redoing all the locks. Raphael walked over to her and started rubbing against her legs. Tessa looked down at the black and white overweight cat.
“I know what you want,” she said, bending to rub his head. “Come on, I’ll get you some breakfast.”
Putting the package down on the small hall table, she rambled into the galley kitchen to feed the cat. Taking out a can of cat food from the cupboard, she pulled off the lid with a wrinkle of her nose. She scooped out half of the pungent contents into a small bowl as Raphael jumped onto the counter and sat patiently, watching Tessa’s every move. She slid the bowl over to the cat with a flick of her hand, who began eating it hungrily.
“And I wonder why you have a weight problem,” she said to Raphael, who flicked an ear in her direction. “I don’t know how you can possibly eat something that smells that foul.” Raphael ignored her and continued his meal. Covering the rest of the cat food with a stray piece of foil and placing it into the refrigerator, she walked back into the hallway and picked up the package.
Turning it over in her hands, it was wrapped in brown paper, about the size of a tissue box and weighed heavy to one side. There was no return address and the handwriting on the front of the parcel was small and neat. The handwritten address almost looked as if it could have been typewritten and she did not recognize the hand.
Tessa walked into her cramped living room and sat down at her desk. It was completely covered in papers and books from her job as a researcher in the Literary Department up at the University. Her area of expertise was Mythology and her favorite subject was Centaurs—so much so that one night during her wild early years she had gone out and gotten a tattoo of one placed on her upper thigh. Pushing the research books and compendiums out of the way, she put the box on the desk before her. She cut the paper with a pair of well-worn scissors and carefully unwrapped the package. There was a very plain, unexciting cardboard box underneath taped shut. Pulling the tape off the seam, Tessa caught a faint scent of lavender waft out as she opened it up.
Inside were a very old looking book and a small leather pouch. Atop these items was a brief letter, written in the same small, typewriter handwriting:

“Dear Ms. Chiron:

It is my understanding that you are an expert in the field of Mythology—in particular, Centaurs. My life is nearing its end and the time has come to pass on my knowledge to one who can be trusted. Please know that these objects are very special and very old. They have been passed down to me with the understanding that they are to be passed on to another when the time comes.

Rather than see them fall into the hands of someone who will not appreciate them for what they really are, I have been instructed to entrust them to you.

Know this: Every word that is written within the pages of the book are true; never doubt its authenticity. Take special care of what is in the pouch—it is powerful and more precious than the gold it is made of.

I know that I can trust you with these objects and can go to my grave at peace. Wear the amulet and heed its call. You have a bigger part to play in the grand scheme of things than you know of. You must move beyond your books and paper. Seek Him as you find and fulfill your destiny.

Peace and blessings upon you,

Lady N.”

Tessa re-read the letter several times before putting it down on the desk, shaking her head. She picked up the pouch, feeling the buttery softness of the leather between her fingers. Tessa undid the drawstring and allowed the contents to spill out into her hand. A small gasp escaped her lips as she gazed down at a beautifully crafted figurine of a Centauress. It hung on a very long, fine chain that looked like liquid gold as it slid around in her palm. The Centauress was positioned in a strange posture for a half-woman half-horse. As it hung from its chain, the figure was standing upright on its hind-hooves, its fore hooves and her arms held in such a way that it seemed as if she was dancing with an invisible partner. Her head was thrown back in a sensual manner, her eyes closed, lips parted. Tessa stared at the necklace in her hand, her mind wondering who in the world would send her such an object of beauty. She carefully gathered up the chain and placed the necklace atop the leather pouch on the desk.
Tessa picked up the book and looked at the cover. It was definitely old—very old. If she were to take an educated guess, she would venture at least 125-150 years. The book’s cover was made of leather and sewn together in a way that hadn’t been done in centuries. She was amazed at how supple the leather still was—soft to the touch and not dry or cracked anywhere. The motif tooled into the cover was that of two women dressed in togas dancing under the watchful eye of what Tessa thought was either Bacchus or Dionysus. She carefully paged through the book with her thumb and a stifled a laugh.
The book was completely empty.
Tessa stopped here and there throughout the book and every page was blank with not a single word to be found. There were two little slips of paper tucked in at various places throughout the book, as if they were marking important passages to be read.
“Well, it’s definitely going to be hard for me to doubt the authenticity of the writings when there are none,” she said to herself. She flipped through the book once again and was about to place it back on the desk when something caught her eye. She opened the book to the inside cover and looked very carefully at the border that ran around its edge. If you looked at it straight on, it looked like a simple decorative border. But as you started to close the book and viewed it at an angle, it formed a string of words that started at the bottom edge, ran up the left outer edge of the book’s inside cover and across the top. Carefully, Tessa grabbed a notepad and pen and started writing down the words:

“If your neck be unbound, the words within will not be found.
If your neck be quite adorned, read with care and be forewarned”

Tessa looked down at what she had written. The passage was obviously pointing to the necklace that had been delivered with the book. The problem was she was having difficulty believing that the only way to read what was in the book was to wear the necklace. How in the world could that possibly be? She also didn’t like the feeling she got from the riddle—it sounded too much like a warning—that coupled with the note that came with these objects didn’t make her feel too comfortable to have them in her possession. Tessa picked up the handwritten note and read it again.

“Wear the amulet and heed its call. You have a bigger part to play in the grand scheme of things than you know of. You must move beyond your books and paper. Seek Him as you find and fulfill your destiny…”

Now what the hell was that supposed to mean? Who was she supposed to seek? Tessa put down the letter and got up from her desk rubbing the sides of her head at the temples. She paced the small room back and forth and then plopped down into her armchair. Her eyes gazed around the room looking at the pictures that lined the walls. Each and every one of them was of a Centaur—copies of pictures done by Vallejo and Botticelli, prints of friezes and statues from various museums and European gardens. She had been obsessed and enamored with the legends and myths of these half-humans since she was a young child. She could have sworn that she had actually seen a few when she was between the ages of 6 and 8; the image of one in particular had stayed with her—not in detail, but she could remember that he had been handsome with dark hair. But when she had tried to tell her mother about the beautiful creatures she saw, she always got the typical ‘mother brush off’ of “Yes, that’s very nice dear.” There was something about them that spoke to her, an emotional tie that ran deep within her very soul.
As she grew up and matured (so to speak), she became more intrigued about the romantic side of them, they becoming the center of her teen-aged infatuations. A dark and handsome Centaur with wall-to-wall rippling biceps was always the center of her imagined dreams and fantasies during those nights of self-exploration. Now as an adult she was, of course, more the wiser and used her obsession to excel at her chosen specialty.
Historically (mythologically speaking), Centaurs were known for their love of wine and the debauchery of women, their instability and their tempers. There were a few Centaurs who had been revered in Greek mythology for their kindness and wisdom. Ironically, her surname was the name of one of them—Chiron. Chiron was a wise Centaur and tutored some of the best known Greek heroes—Jason and the great Achilles among them. He was also known as a great healer.
There had been some scientific brouhaha a little while back that tried to convince the learned communities at large that there was some truth in the myths. That Centaurs, at one point in time, actually existed—that they were the result of some type of crossbreeding of man and horse. While this notion had caused a wave of excitement within her heart, her logical mind knew that this would be impossible. For one thing, genetically it was most improbable and second, it would cause the complete rewrite of Greek mythology and its explanation of how Centaurs had come about.
According to Greek mythology, King Ixion of Lapithae (Thessaly) had become so obsessed with Zeus’s wife, Hera, that he arranged a tryst with her. Zeus caught wind of the affair and shaped a cloud into the image of his wife and Ixion, being blinded by his lust, made love to the cloud-Hera. The cloud was then said to have given birth to the first Centaur, Centaurus. Centaurus then descended upon a heard of Mares and conceived the first Centaurs. It was this bloodline that apparently gave in to wine, women and debauchery.
Of course, there was the other nobler bloodline whereby Chiron was born from a Titan father and an Ocean Nymph mother. He then sired a more learned race of Centaurs—ones who were kind, wise and very helpful to man. Both were good stories, but they were just that—stories. The scientific community quickly forgot the little blurb and moved on with business.
Raphael, now finished with his foul-smelling breakfast, came into the living room and rubbed himself against her legs. Tessa absent-mindedly dropped a hand down onto the cat’s head and gave him a rub behind the ears. She looked back at the desk and the book sitting there, the necklace beside it. The sun outside had shifted around enough so that its light was now shining in through her window and was hitting the amulet, making it sparkle. She stared at it glowing in the light, becoming entranced by its properties in the sun. Faintly, she could have sworn she heard her name being whispered.

“Tessa…”

She blinked hard and shook her head as if waking from a trance. “Okay,” she said to herself. “This is way too weird. I need to find out where this package came from. Maybe that may help me figure out who sent it.”
She got up and went back into the kitchen where her phone hung on the wall. Sorting through a dish filled with business cards and other odds and ends, she found Gary’s and dialed the cell number he had scribbled on the back.
“Hell-o?” answered his cheery voice. Did he ever have a bad day?
“Gary? It’s Tessa—Tessa Chiron.”
“Hey Tess! Did you change your mind about dinner?” he asked with just a little too much hope in his voice.
“No, sorry Gary, I didn’t. I just wanted to ask a question about the package you delivered a little while ago.”
“Oh—yeah, okay. What about it?” There was now a little too much disappointment in his voice.
“Is there any way for you to tell me where the package originated from? There was no return address on the box and I’m trying to figure out who sent it to me.”
“I can check for you Tess, just hold on a second while I pull over.” In the background, she could hear the truck changing gears and the engine wind down to a slow idle.
“Tess? Just hang on a second and let me run it through the computer.”
“Thanks, Gary. I really appreciate it.”
“You could really show your appreciation and go out with me to dinner tomorrow.”
“Gary…” she said with a note of warning in her voice.
“Yeah, I know—you have work to do. Okay, it looks like it was sent from one of our drop off locations in Upstate New York.”
“Upstate? There’s no way to find out who sent this?” She was a little disappointed.
“There is no return name or address that was given. Sorry Tess.”
“Okay, thanks a lot Gary. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
“No bother—I just wish you’d change your mind.”
“You never give up, do you?” she said with a laugh.
“Never!” he said with a chuckle. “I’m going to keep after you until you cave in. Take care.”
“Bye, Gary.”
She hung up the phone. Upstate. She didn’t know anyone who lived in Upstate New York. Tessa walked back into the living room, the necklace glinting, catching her eye again. A chill went down her spine. Walking over to the desk, she put the necklace back into its leather pouch and placed both the pouch and the book back into the box. There. That felt—safer.
“Might as well shower since I’m up now,” she thought and headed back into the bedroom. She pulled up the shades on the windows letting the light shine into the room. Dust motes floated up into the shafts of light as she moved through the room. Tessa grabbed a towel and went into the bathroom. Quickly doffing her T-Shirt and pajama bottoms, she climbed into the shower. The hot water felt good against her body, sending a run of gooseflesh up her legs and arms. She washed, got out, and dried off.
While she dressed, her mind kept wandering back to her mysterious package. It called to her with unspoken words. Whispered enticingly to her like a lover seducing its mate.
Who was she kidding?
She knew that her curiosity would win out in the end and decided rather than wait until the pull became unbearable, she would take the bull by the horns and would try the necklace out over coffee and a bagel. Her mind made up, she headed for the kitchen.
After fixing herself a cup of java and a whole-wheat bagel with vegetable cream cheese, she sat down at her little table-for-two by the kitchen window and pulled the items from the box. The necklace slid from the pouch like quicksilver and lay curled up in the palm of her hand. Again, she was taken by the beauty of the little Centauress. Taking a deep breath, she placed the necklace around her neck. The amulet hung down almost to her bellybutton. She sat there, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. No bells and whistles, no fireworks. Not even a single goose bump.
“You’re a complete dork,” she mumbled to herself. “What the hell did you think was going to happen?” She picked up the book and flipped through it. This time a loud gasp issued forth from her mouth. The book was now completely filled with hand-written entries, from front to back. There were several different hands, suggesting that they had been written by several different people. Tessa stared incredulously at the book in her hands, her eyes not believing what they were now seeing. Carefully, she turned to the first page where a fore note was written. The date was smeared and faded, but looked like it said 1800.

“I take quill in hand to document the astounding journey I have undertaken. Within this journal, I hope to chronicle the events that have taken place, so that She who follows in my stead can read and learn from the experiences of her predecessors. My Master has agreed that this is a good idea, but has bid me to allow an enchantment be placed upon it, lest it fall into the wrong hands as discovery could result in a great loss to all.”

Tess looked up from the book and looked at the outside cover again. This was a journal, not a book as she first thought. She continued.

“If you are reading this writing, then you have already begun your own journey—one that your feet cannot turn from. Do not fear or dread for you have been chosen for a most noble task. Seek your destiny—listen to your dreams and they will lead you to where you must go.
Peace to you,
Lady Rhianna”

Another “Lady” name. Tessa pulled out the note that had come with the parcel. This was signed by a ‘Lady “N.” Apparently ‘Lady N.’ didn’t feel the need of giving her full first name—not that it would have helped identify her. Tessa took a long sip of coffee and bit into the bagel. Taking a deep cleansing breath, she turned the page and began to read.

“My journey began at the age of 27 while traveling with my father and mother on holiday. We had decided to go through the mountains on our way to visit relatives in the Northern Territories. On one of our stops, I decided to go for a walk while Father and Mother rested. (Mother had suddenly started to complain of a headache and dizziness. Father seemed to feel it was from the long ride in the enclosed carriage.)
I picked a seemingly plain path, one that was clear cut and easy to follow. I had been walking for a little while when out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of something moving just beyond the trees in the wood. I stopped and waited to see if I could spot what had been moving, praying the entire time that it wasn’t a bear or mountain lion. After several minutes, a young boy appeared from behind a large oak tree about 50 yards or so into the woods. His face was handsome, yet there was an otherworldly look about him, something that made you feel that he was not of this earth. He smiled and gestured to me to come to him. He was dressed in naught but a loincloth about his waist. I thought this was most unusual as it was spring and the air was still cool. At first, I thought him to be of a local Indian tribe, but he did not have the look of a native. I then wondered where his parents might be. He gestured again to me, but a little more avidly. Stepping off the path, I headed towards him.
“Are you lost?” I asked as I approached. He merely smiled. His eyes were a beautiful blue color, like that of the Caribbean waters. When I got close to him, he gave a little bow and took my hand, leading me deeper into the forest. When his hand touched mine, the most amazing feeling came over me. With no thought of my father or mother or any fear within me, I let myself be led by this boy, not knowing where I was being taken. It was he who first brought me to the Valley of the Centauri.”

Whoa.
Tessa dropped her hand with the book in it to the table, her mouth hanging open. Was she expected to believe there was actually a place that held a valley of Centaurs? Live ones? A chill of disbelieving excitement ran down the entire length of her spine. She picked the journal back up, reading until near 3:00pm in the afternoon when she finally put the journal down, her coffee ice cold, her bagel unfinished. She stood and stretched out her now dead-stiff muscles—her punishment for sitting on a wooden chair for nearly four hours.
According to the journal, Lady Rhianna was taken to a cave whereby she passed through, what seemed to be in our day and age, a portal or doorway to another dimension. Within that world lived not only villages of humans but a valley that held a herd of Centaurs, about 35 in number. The journal went on to say that she was introduced to their leader—or Stallion, as she had called it—and had gotten on well with them. After a while, she became concerned that her parents would miss her and attempted to leave. She was told that her parents were now long gone; that human time was not the same as their time. She refused to believe this and insisted on going home. The Stallion gave her an amulet to wear which would help her find her way back to them. The young boy led her to the portal where she stepped through and left to find her way back to the rest stop and her parents, whom by now were surely waiting for her.
Nothing seemed to look the same—the clear-cut path that she had walked on only that morning was now nowhere to be found. She wandered for hours and could find no road, no rest stop. Eventually she came across a collapsed wooden frame of a building that was completely overgrown and was horrified to find a half buried sign in the dirt that carried the faded name of the rest stop. Time, indeed, had moved mightily on. She now looked down at her body and noticed for the first time that her clothes no longer fit her properly, that her body had changed as well—she had grown older.
The same young boy appeared and gestured to her again, a smile on his face. Feeling that there was no other choice, she followed him back to the doorway and left her world behind.
The journal was sporadic and gave mundane descriptions of what Lady Rhianna did from day to day or sometimes from month to month. She lived under the Stallion’s roof and took daily strolls with him through the woods or fields. The Valley was a beautiful place—heaven on earth (or wherever it was)—almost like Eden. Although she led a quiet and idyllic life within the Valley, she felt that he kept her away from the others, almost as if to protect her from something. She did comment that there were loud and boisterous parties that occurred frequently with the villagers and frowned at the almost non-existent morals of the local women. While the Stallion never said as much, Lady Rhianna felt as if she had disappointed him in some way—that she had failed in some unknown purpose.
While her aging process was much slower in the Valley, she nonetheless grew old and the Stallion advised her that it was time to find a successor to take her place from the outside human world. After dreams and visions, he chose the new “Lady” and set about bringing her in. Lady Rhianna seemed to have no clue as to how this was done or why another was needed to replace her. Her last entry was that the new Lady had been found, but that she had not met her as of her last writing. There was nothing further of Lady Rhianna.

Tess walked out into the living room, which was now bathed in the late light of the descending sun. Raphael had found a comfortable spot on the windowsill and was in his familiar sleeping-cat pose. She held the amulet in her hand and ran her fingers lightly over the horse-half of the Centauress. If this was the amulet referred to in the journal, this piece was well over 200 years old—but looked as if it could have been made yesterday. Tess pulled the chain towards her head to take it off and place it back into its pouch, but the chain held fast at the mid-point of her face. It was as if invisible hands held it there. She let the necklace fall back to her abdomen and tried to pull it off from the back; again, it stopped halfway up her head. Tess sat down heavily in her armchair, running through all the plausible explanations as to why she could not remove such a light and fragile piece of jewelry from her neck. She tried again to remove it from her neck, even trying to break the chain but it would not budge. The necklace wasn’t coming off. A slight fit of panic started to fill and tighten in her chest as the line from the note came floating back to her:

“Wear the amulet and heed its call. You have a bigger part to play in the grand scheme of things than you know of…”

The disbelief of understanding suddenly became crystal clear to her: She had been chosen. For whatever reason—her love of Centaurs or her knowledge of them—she had been chosen. But chosen for what?
“All right, you really need to get a grip,” she said to herself trying to calm down. “There has to be a logical explanation to all of this—I just need to find it.”
Placing the necklace down inside her shirt, she stood up and went back into the kitchen to clean up her unfinished breakfast from this morning. Pulling a yogurt and a banana out of the fridge for an impromptu meal, she tucked the journal under her arm and went back to her desk. She carefully placed the old book back into its box and scoffed down her late lunch. Tessa turned her attention back to the work she had brought home from the University, some research she had promised one of the Professors by Monday. She worked steadily for another hour or so but her mind kept wandering back to the journal. Avoiding the urge to take the book from its box, she pushed herself to finish off the papers on the life of Hercules, whose wife, Tess mused to herself, had almost been raped by a Centaur. It was near 10:00 at night when she finally called it quits. Tessa gathered the paperwork together and stacked it neatly into a manila folder for delivery on Monday.
Her stomach now growling loudly from the lack of food, she grabbed her sneakers from a corner of the room and put them on. Raphael looked at her from the top of the bookcase and meowed loudly.
“I’m sorry Raph,” she said up to him, clicking her tongue. “I’ll get you something to eat in a minute.”
She finished tying her sneakers and went back into the kitchen, spilling out the remaining contents of the cat food onto a plate. After being in the fridge, it gratefully didn’t have that killer smell it had this morning. Raphael jumped up on the counter and mewed loudly, apparently not happy at having to wait this late to eat.
“Here,” she said, sliding the dish over to him. “Eat and be quiet. Me, I’m going out for pizza.”
She grabbed her jacket and threw it on. Seizing her purse, she left the apartment, headed down the stairs and out into the night.
It was one of the things she loved about living in the City—it didn’t matter what time of day or night you went out; something was always going on or was open. Other than that, it was overcrowded, loud and the skyscrapers blocked out the sky. But she had come here anyway to make her living, after being offered a job at one of the country’s most prestigious universities. Their library was world-renowned and there she could devour everything she craved about her myths and her beloved Centaurs.
Tessa walked about three blocks down to her favorite pizzeria and went inside. Vinny, the owner, was working tonight behind the counter and he gave her a smile as she came in.
“Hey, Vin. How’s it going?” she said waving to him. “Two slices and a Coke, please.”
“You got it Tess,” he said, grabbing two slices from a tray on top of the counter. “How’s my favorite bookworm tonight?” He opened the top oven and popped the slices onto the heated stone.
“Oh, she’s just peachy. I think I’ve been working too hard—needed a break and some food.”
Vinny smiled at her. “When you gonna get yourself a nice man and settle down? Pretty girl like you should have a man to look after you.”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “Vinny, I told you before. When I find the right one, I’ll settle down. For now, I’m glad I have time to myself.”
He let out a laugh as he filled a cup with Coke and handed it to her.
“That’ll be $8.25 total.”
Tessa handed him the money, and went and sat down at a table by the window. While she waited for the slices to come out of the oven, she watched as people passed by the window but her mind wandered once again to the journal and the possibility of the Valley’s actual existence. She had a friend who was a Physicist in the Science Department of the University who might be able to answer some questions for her. The trick was to ask about it without making it seem like she was nuts.
Vinny brought over her slices and went back to his counter. She sprinkled salt and garlic powder over the pizza, folded the first slice in half lengthwise, and then took a big bite. She didn’t realize just how hungry she was until she started eating and before she knew it, the pizza was history. She sucked down the last of the soda, grabbed the paper plate, and threw them into the garbage.
“Good night, Vinny,” she yelled over her shoulder as she pushed the door open. Vinny with a phone glued to his ear waved a good night to her.
Tessa walked back toward the apartment, went upstairs and inside. Raphael came padding over to her and rubbed her legs.
“Missed me already?” she said bending down to rub his head. “I was only out for about a half hour. What are you going to do when I’m gone?” She stopped rubbing his head and stood up. Why did she just say that? She had no plans to go anywhere. She shook her head and hung her jacket up on the wall hook. Locking the front door and shutting off the lights in the living room, she took the journal from its box and headed into the bedroom. Tessa placed it on the nightstand and changed into her T-Shirt for bed. She brushed her teeth and unbraided her long brown hair, brushing it out until it shone. She had decided to let her hair grow last year, after having it cut short for the past five. It had grown in pretty quickly and was now past her shoulders. For some reason, she got more dates with longer hair than she did when she had short hair. Men and their penchant for long hair on women—go figure. For some reason, they had all been one-night dates, none of them interesting her in the least. They were all—well—boring.
She flipped off the bathroom light and climbed into bed, sitting up against the headboard. She stuffed her pillow behind her and grabbed the journal, no longer able to resist its silent and persistent call.
Picking up where she had left off, the next entry was by a ‘Lady Elaine’ and was Lady Rhianna’s successor. Lady Elaine did not write much into the journal, but did indicate that the Centaurs’ numbers were starting to diminish and that her Sire (her term for the Stallion) had indicated that a “Time of Foaling” would soon be approaching. She gave no other explanation as to what this was (although Tessa guessed it must have been a way to replenish their herd) and again her life, while idyllic, was nothing spectacular to speak of. She hinted that her Sire was in his later stages of life and that there was talk of his son becoming his successor. Her fate ended in the same way as Lady R, with the search for another human woman to replace her in her old age. Lady E was fortunate enough to meet this one and indicated that she seemed to be “over-exuberant” and “had no pride.” What this meant Tessa could only guess as there were no further entries by Lady E.
The next entry was made by a “Lady Collette” and was the longest of all her contributions to the journal. She only had four passages in the journal and was bookmarked by one of the pieces of paper.
Lady C apparently enjoyed the bawdy side of Centaur life, having written in her first passage about the “wonderful parties” and “unabashed love-making” enjoyed at these soirees. Her Sire apparently was not amused, wanting her for himself only. Tessa wondered with amusement at how the act of lovemaking with a Centaur exactly went about. They must weigh close to what a horse actually weighs and she just couldn’t picture a relatively small, fragile human woman lying on her back waiting for her Centaur lover to make his move. She turned the page with a giggle and a smile on her face.
The following entry announced that her Sire had gotten her with child and that he was looking forward to the birth of their son. Short and sweet.
The next entry was a serious one and was the one that was marked with the slip of paper, apparently by Lady N.

“There has been a terrible crime committed and the Centauri are up in arms. A small golden idol of the Mother Centauress has been taken from my Sire’s house—from his very own altar. It is about the size of a man’s fist and very primitive in shape having no detail to it at all.
She has the four legs and body of a horse with the torso of a woman with large breasts and her arms outstretched over her head. I am told that this idol carries the power to bestow fertility (among other powers) upon the Centaurs and their women. Without it, they fear they will not be able to produce offspring to keep their race alive. They do not know who stole the idol but from the dreams my Sire has had, he knows it has left the Valley and has entered my human world. The statue must be returned.”

Tessa laid the journal down for a moment and rubbed her eyes. She looked at the clock on the nightstand and the LED read 12:14 AM. At some point, Raphael had jumped up onto the bed, curled up and gone to sleep.
She re-read the last entry. The description of the idol seemed very familiar to her. The University has a collection of primitive art, both out on display in the library and in its storage rooms. She remembered distinctly there were several pieces that were Centaur-like in design. She would have to take a look on Monday. Since the entry was marked for her, it was obvious this was something they (whomever they were) wanted her to pay attention to. She left the bookmark in place.
Tessa finished reading the last entry, which was written in a very weak hand and had indicated that although her son was delivered healthy, he died a few days later. She herself did not fare well during the delivery and despite the healing powers of the Centauri, feared she would be dead within the week. Her Sire blamed the terrible outcome on the missing statue of the Centauress. The search for a new human woman had begun.

Tessa sat for a few moments thinking over the entries from these three women. Something about the dates and the ages did not sit right with her. If her calculations were correct, or even close, these three women had to cover at least 143 years in human time, but yet all three apparently lived with the same Sire. Assuming each one lived to an age of around 70—with the exception of Lady C who died after childbirth—the time made no sense. Tessa went back to Lady Rhianna’s first entry whereby she was warned that their time was not like human time. But it also said that their age process was slowed down while in the Valley. Tessa shook her head, confused. If their aging process was slowed down in the Valley, these women should have lived to almost 100 or possibly more of our human years—making the time span 300+ human years. This put the story of Rip Van Winkle to shame.
Tessa also couldn’t figure out why it was so important to the Centauri to bring in a woman from the human world, when it was obvious they didn’t need to. It also suddenly struck her if this was one of the reasons why women went missing and were never found again—they had been taken from this world and brought through to another. The journal had indicated that there were villages of humans (or what she assumed were human-like) who had women within their midst. Why not use them to have children? Had the numbers of “human” women there gone so low that interbreeding was now becoming a problem? Perhaps this was why they were not successful in bringing forth live offspring. But Lady C was a human woman and while she had brought forth a baby successfully, the poor soul did not live.

Tessa leaned her head back on the pillow that was propped up behind her and let out a long breath, her mind swirling with information and questions. She was almost done with the journal and was debating whether or not to finish it. It was already after midnight, and thank God it was Sunday tomorrow, so she could sleep in. With that last thought settling it, she opened the journal to the next set of entries.

The successor to Lady C was none other than Tessa’s friend, Lady N—but this time she actually had given her first name—Nia. The name had no meaning for Tessa—it didn’t even sound familiar. Lady Nia arrived apparently shortly after Lady C’s death and her first entry was very somber. She said that the Centauri were losing heart and that there were rumblings amongst the herd that their end was drawing near. Her Sire, Minos, (this was the first time he had actually been named in the journal) was also growing very old and nearing his time to die. The warriors in the herd pressed Minos to allow them to go into the human world and bring back dozens of women so that they could assure the continuance of their race. Apparently, Minos was against this and refused to let them go. (Tessa wondered how a Centaur could possibly cross over into the human world without being seen or noticed.) Minos announced that his son would become his successor and rule over the Valley. Lady N indicated that Minos’s son was young, strong, and very intelligent. Minos’ son convinced the warrior Centauri to wait until he took power, that he would find a way to solve the pending problem. Lady N also indicated that Minos’s son possessed a far greater gift of prophecy and foresight than his father did and was born with a great wealth of knowledge and history about their own race.
Lady Nia continued to live with Minos until his death. He died on a dreary day in late spring. She wrote that she had never seen anything like the funeral that was held for the great Centaur. His age was 270 in Centaur years. A great funeral pyre was built on a large stone platform in the middle of the Valley, where the forbears of these great beings went to their maker before them. For days before the actual burning of his body, vast offerings of food and flowers were placed around the body by Centauri and humans alike. His body was adorned with a deep blue silken toga, which wound gracefully around his human-half. The night of the pyre, Lady Nia came forward and kissed the forehead of her beloved Sire. Minos’s son lit the fire under his father’s corpse and stood guard over the body as it burned, flanked by two human Centurions holding long spears. Wailing and lamentations filled the night air. As the body burned, the Centaurs came forth, one by one, and cutting a length of hair from their tails, tossed it onto the pyre. Lady Nia said she had never felt such deep sorrow in her life.
When the fire was finally out the next day, the ashes were gathered and handed to Minos’s son, who brought them to one of their sacred rivers, scattering them over the surface. He then returned to take his father’s place as Stallion and leader of the herd.
Lady Nia waited for him to come, kneeling down in the center of the main room of the house, bowing her head down to the floor in recognition of his new position. When he finally came and stopped in front of her, she reached out a hand and touched his fore hoof. He recognized her by touching her head and she stood, looking up into his eyes. She asked him for permission to continue to live under Minos’s roof, which he granted as a last favor to his father. But he also told her that his search for a new human woman would begin immediately, since she was not his. Lady Nia told him she understood completely and returned to her rooms.
Lady Nia continued to write in several entries that Minos’s son was almost fanatical about finding the right human woman. He had many visions as to whom or where she was and it took much longer than he thought to find her.

“It is now my turn to pass on these objects and knowledge to you, Lady Tessa, for you have been chosen by my Master to be my successor.”

Tessa stopped reading in her tracks and her heart did a couple of flips inside her chest. She was actually named inside this journal—a journal that was over 200 years old. Her initial suspicions were now confirmed, but what to do about it? How does one go about finding a portal into another dimension?
“Wait a second,” she said to herself. “Let’s get a grip, girl and take a reality check. You’re starting to sound like you really believe all this.” She ran a hand through her hair, letting out another long breath. She went back to the journal and the last entries which held the second piece of paper, book-marking the page.

“What you need to know you have read up to this point. Any further information that you will need to know will be given to you once you are brought through. I cannot tell you what my Master wants from you, or how he will get you here. I just know that he will do what he needs to do.
There are some things I wish I had known before I was brought here and think that the following notations will be of help to you and your initial entry into the Valley.
The Centauri are a race of ancient beings, having been around since early Greek times—ancient Greek times in fact, when the Gods still meddled with the lives of men. They are a proud race, albeit one given to questionable morals. Oh how they do love their revelry and women! Loving a woman is as important to a Centaur as food and water, and they do it every chance they get. But they have been good to me and I have no regrets about being brought here.
The following are some things that may assist you when you meet my Master (or any of the Centauri) for the first time:

When meeting a Centaur of rank (such as my Master) for the first time, I would highly suggest that you assume a most respectful posture. When you hear the Centaur approaching (which is not hard to do as his hooves will echo on the marble floors), kneel and bow down, placing your hands on the floor. Bow your head down onto your hands and do not move or look up. When the Centaur approaches and has come to a halt in front of you, touch his hoof with your hand. This is the highest sign of respect you can give them. (I only do this with my Master. Any other Centaur I simply bow.) Do not do anything until you have been instructed to do so. Do not look up, sit up, stand up, or speak. Always avert your eyes and do not look at him until he has given permission to do so.

The Centauri are very honest and blunt to a fault about many things. Do not take offense, as they do not mean it as such. They are very literal—therefore, be sure to answer any questions truthfully and with clear answers. The worst thing you can do to a Centaur is lie. Honesty is always the best approach.

There are other things that they do that are odd or strange to our way of thinking—things that border on the magical. Keep in mind that they are an ancient race with ancient ways.

If you are ever told to ‘avert your eyes,’ you will know that you have offended or angered a Centauri. It is best to assume the ‘respectful posture’ and offer apologies for whatever the offense. If your apology is accepted, he will come and place a hand upon your head. This is their way of saying they forgive you.

I feel compelled to make a note about their ‘stomping.’ This is an action that is done quite often and must be taken in the context of the situation at hand. A stomp of a hoof can mean anything from excitement, joy, anger, impatience or a challenge. It can be done in anticipation of something. I always noticed that Minos would stomp whenever I accepted his offer to bathe with him. (Something he enjoyed immensely.) So just try to determine what the stomp is for by what is going on at the moment.

With that, my dear Lady Tessa, I bring my portion of this journal to an end. Until the day we meet, and I know we will, blessings and peace be upon you and do not fear the path your feet have been placed upon.”

Tessa snapped the journal closed with a quiet thud. She stared at the sleeping form of Raphael at the foot of her bed, his chest rising and falling with his breathing. Dear God, it all sounded so real, so believable. She put the journal on her nightstand and rubbed her face with her hands. The clock now read 2:06 AM and she was absolutely exhausted—not only from the late hour but from the journey her mind had taken all day. She turned off the light and slid down under the blankets, rearranging her pillows around her head. She slipped off into sleep almost immediately.

Copyright 2007 by T. M. Sulsona. All Rights Reserved.

"The Sagittary" is now available on Kindle!!

2009-06-22T20:47:00.003-04:00

Happy June!

I don't know about where you live, but here in NJ we are experiencing the wettest June on record. Not that I mind the cooler weather, but I'm starting to grow mold in places I really don't want to talk about! Sheesh! Enough already!!!

I'm excited to advise that "The Sagittary" is now available in eBook format on Kindle!! Thanks to my brother in law, Chris, the 700+pp manuscripts is now a whopping 1,000+pages eBook! And the price is much more easier on the pocketbook than the hardcopy. (Unfortunately, I have no say over the pricing...that's all the publisher's domain. I am thinking of cutting about 200 pages from the story to allow it to drop down into the more acceptable price range. So for those of you who've purchased the book already, be glad you own the 'unabridged' version! *snort*)

Some updates:
The edits on "Daughter of the Aire" are moving along. I'm hoping that we can get that one out by the end of the summer.

I'm currently working on Venom's story, working title is currently "The Awakening." I've done a render of the leader of the Colubrii and have posted him above for your viewing pleasure. He is one sexy alpha male and I can't wait for you guys to meet him. He'll have you writhing in pleasure....*snicker*

Let's see...what else. I've put up some new stuff I've designed at CafePress (Link is on the left); we're still looking for recipes at THE KEEP for our cookbook. Proceeds from the cookbook will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. While you're there, peruse some of the stories, poems and literature posted by our talented members. Or just drool over the loverly eye-candy posted in our Ye Olde Candy Shoppe. Just be sure to bring a towel. *winks*

I've begun Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series, finished with the first book, "Slave to Sensation." Lucas was incredibly sexy and Sascha was his perfect match. The book moved along quickly and was a really great read. I've now moved onto the second in the series, "Visions of Heat," which is Vaughn and Faith's story.

Well, I think that's it for now. Hope you all are enjoying your first month of summer. Best wishes and happy reading!

TMS

"Ashes of Midnight" by Lara Adrian

2009-06-08T21:08:00.002-04:00

God I love this series.

The latest installment from Lara Adrian is right on parr with the others in this series: Wonderful. Andreas Reichen is hell bent on revenge for the massacre at his Darkhaven. Claire is the love of his life from his past. Both meet up and sparks literally fly. *sigh* This book is engrossing, fast-paced and hot. I absolutely LOVE the males of the Breed.

If you haven't read any of these books, do yourself a favor and pick up the first one. You won't stop until you've blown through them all:

Kiss of Midnight
Kiss of Crimson
Midnight Awakening
Midnight Rising
Veil of Midnight
Ashes of Midnight

Next one on tap for Ms. Adrian: Shades of Midnight due out in January 2010. I'm so there.

TMS

"Lover Avenged" by JR Ward

2009-05-06T22:32:00.002-04:00

OMG.

I've just finished reading novel #7 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward.

Can I say OMG again??

This book is awesome from page one until the very last in the book. JR has returned to her original writing style that she had in her first three (and her best) books. This book was all about relationships and the depth her characters go through. She had unfortunately strayed from her formula for "Lover Unbound" (one of her most anticipated books) and for "Lover Enshrined." Both were good reads, but lacked the intense volley that went back and forth between her troubled Brother and his intended. Had she written those two books according to her tried and true formula, they would have rocked the house. Don't get me wrong; they really were good reads, just not up to JR's usual snuff.

But man, did she redeem herself with "Lover Avenged."

I fell hard, hook, line and sinker for Rehvenge. The hardass, drug dealing Sympath is a totally awesome and worthy male. His love, Ehlena, is the perfect balance to his character. We find out that Rehv isn't such a badass after all, but only looking out for those he loves.

We get to see more interaction with Wrath and Beth ("Dark Lover," book #1), my beloved Vishous gets some page time, as well as John Matthew and Xhex. The love scenes sizzle as always. This book takes you on one hell of an emotional roller coaster ride...and it's thrilling all the way.

I don't want to reveal anything here, but if you haven't read the book yet, or even the series, DO! If you are a paranormal romance junkie like myself, you won't regret this wonderful world of vampires that JR has created. Her imagination and storyweaving will leave you pining for more.

Kudos, JR! A job well done!

What Happened to Spring?

2009-04-26T17:55:00.003-04:00

OK.

I admit that I was tired of the cold weather and all ready to welcome Spring with open arms. The thought of starting my flowers in Jiffy Pots, planting my bulbs and planning my vegetable garden had me with a bad case of Spring Fever.

But, where did Spring go?

It's 90 degrees today (probably hotter, just haven't checked) and it's supposed to be in the high 80's all this week here on the East Coast.

WTF?

What happened to the nice, 70-degree weather that heralded Spring....the cool nights where you could have your windows open and let in all that nice fresh air? Who the heck decided to drop us smack-dab into Summer?

I am not ready for Summer.
My house is not ready for Summer.
My wardrobe is not ready for Summer.

Will someone please call back Spring?

TMS

Immortals After Dark Series

2009-04-12T10:31:00.002-04:00

Just finished "Kiss of a Demon King" by Kresley Cole, the latest in her IMMORTALS AFTER DARK series.

WOW.

Her books have been pretty consistent, keeping to the overall story and allowing each individual storyline to stand on its own. Some series I find start off with great guns only to taper off into tepid installments where you get the feeling that the author was just filling time. Not so here, in my opinion.

"Kiss of a Demon King" is the story of the second Woede brother, Rydstrom, the true king of the demon world who was overthrown by Omort, the deathless. We've only had glimpses of Rydstrom in the previous books, always the level-headed, smart thinking demon with the broken horn. Boy, do we get an eye-opener here! His fated mate, Sabine, is his complete opposite: Self absorbed, self-serving and only out for what can further her own needs. She is his undoing and forces him to break his stoic world of order and rules.

This book is HOT from the beginning...Sabines consistant and torturous seduction of Rydstrom to try and force his vow from him is great and keeps you on the edge of your seat, turning those pages faster than your fingers can operate.

One of her best in the series, in my opion. My only criticism: The end was rushed. I think the conclusion could have been a little more drawn out, a little more descripitve as was the rest of the book. That not withstanding, this is an excellent read.

HOPPY EASTER ALL!

TMS

I'm In Love....

2009-03-27T22:04:00.005-04:00

....with DAZ-3D. This is an awesome program....and one of their other products, Bryce, is just as awesome. I've been having loads of fun letting my creative beastie run wild all over my laptop with these programs. I've done renders of Darien, of King Albion's Keep (from the upcoming Daughter of the Air), and also renders of Toryn and Keirah, as seen in one of my earlier posts. Is it possible to become addicted to an art program? Um....yeah. *looks guiltily at the laundry piling up....dishes in the sink....* Well, perhaps I should break away once in a while....but here's why I like it so much:

King Albion's Keep

Darien with his Travel Orb

I've been having a blast with this stuff. To be able to depict visually what goes on in my head is amazing, even if it's not quiet exact to what I see in my mind's eye. (D's not too hard on the eyes, is he?)

On the reading front, just finished "Dark Desires After Dusk" by Kresley Cole. I love her Immortals After Dark series. They are wonderful, fun and sexy reads. Easily finished in a day or so. And because of how she ended Cadeon's story, I've of course, had to move right into Rydstrom's story: Kiss of a Demon King. Really great stuff....not a lot of overbearing detail to have to wade through. Just my cup of tea. You can visit her website at: www.kreslycole.com

OK. I'm off to play some more with my DAZ! Ciao!!

TMS

Midnight Breed Series

2009-03-09T20:31:00.004-04:00

WOW. I just finished "Veil of Midnight," the last (latest) book in Lara Adrian's vampire series. I'm seriously hooked now...almost as much as I am for J. R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Like Ward's series, throw out all your pre-conceived notions of what a vampire story is. This is a tangible, believable world that exists along side the human race, but unknown to us. Her warriors are every inch the sexy, alpha males they should be, each with their own unique personality and troubles. Their females, the Breedmates, are each, strong and vunerable in their own ways.

If you haven't given this series a shot, you don't know what you're missing. I can't wait for the next book in the series, "Ashes of Midnight." Give it a nibble, you'll be glad you did!!!

TMS

Recipes for a Good Cause

2009-02-05T21:01:00.003-05:00

I've got some really wonderful members that frequent my message board, "The Keep." (See link on the sidebar.) And if there's one thing we absolutely all agree on is that FOOD is one of life's many pleasures.

We have a thread called "The Kitchen" and within, our members have posted some yummilicious recipes! In the spirit of giving, we have decided to collate our recipes into "The Keep Cookbook" which will be sold through the Keep Shop in December. All proceeds will go to a charity that will be agreed on sometime within the next month or so.

In the meantime, we are asking for recipe donations to make the Cookbook not only for a good cause, but also good to enjoy! So, if you're not a member of The Keep, please join us! We are a wild and creative bunch, and be sure to bring your sense of humor!

If you would like to donate a recipe and prefer not to join the zaniness of The Keep, please post a recipe here and we'll be sure to include it. I will post when the book has been collated and is ready for sale.

Come share those recipes that warm your life. :)

"Daughter of the Aire" Moves into the Editing Stage

2009-01-25T16:35:00.004-05:00

Here I go again!

We've begun editing on the "Daughter of the Aire" manuscript, with the hopes that we can get it published by the summer.

It seems so long ago that I completed this manuscript....but I guess having to recently edit "The Sagittary" and also work on the other story I've got going has made it feel that way. It's fun to go back and re-read Toryn and Keirah's story. Of course, in the re-reading of it, I'm embellishing more and fleshing it out a little. Hopefully, my editor Kimi, won't shoot me for adding more stuff for her to pick at...and hopefully my Tensenotardedness has waned a little.

I've recently acquired a great art program for the computer (DAZ 3-D) in which you can create awesome pics. The picture above is a render I did (and I'm by NO means even close to proficient at using this program) of Toryn and Keirah in a tender moment in their main sitting room at Athur Dun. I've got more pics posted for both "Daughter" and "Sagittary" on my message board, "The Keep." You can click on the link near the top, right to go there.

We have fun at The Keep discussing all sort of stuff from books to music to video games. You can also post your own writings, poetry, erotica and musings to share with other members. Be sure to bring your sense of humor!

Well, I'm off to get my first chapters done for Kimi. Take care and happy reading!

TMS

Midnight Breed Series by Lara Adrian

2009-01-17T14:11:00.002-05:00

O. M. G.

I've finally gotten around to starting Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series that begins with "Kiss of Midnight." I got hooked from page one and had one hell of a time putting the damn thing down. So much so that after dinner two nights ago, I sat down and did not stop reading until the book was finished.

I liken this series to JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series....Lara creates a real and believable world with her Breed. Her characters are bigger than life and drip with sensual promise and desire. Lucan Thorne can bite me anytime.

I've now sunk my teeth into "Kiss of Crimson," which is Dante's story. Let's see if I can savor this one a little longer than a day and a half. I have a feeling I won't be able to.

If you haven't read this series....do. It is truly a must-read.

TMS

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T23:13:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to pop in quick and wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope this year finds everyone still having a job and their finances in order. Thanks so much to all of you who took a shot at my book. I've gotten eight Five Star ratings on Amazon.com. and am thrilled that you are all (so far!) enjoying Darien and Tessa's story.

I'll be working with my dearest Kimi again this year and will try to get "Daughter of the Aire" out by the summer. We're going to start slow....a few chapters to edit a week rather than trying to hammer out the entire manuscript at once. There's some changes that I know I have to do to make the story flow better and to make the reading easier. I had tried to work in a Scottish dialect, but I'm finding out from those that have read the manuscript that it's distracting. So I'm going to take it out and infer the brogue that Toryn and his kind have.

Well...I'm off. Got things I need to get working on. Best wishes for a prosperous and healthy new year!

TMS

Seasons Greetings

2008-12-23T22:57:00.002-05:00

Where the hell did this year go? I can't believe we'll be celebrating Christmas this week. It seems only yesterday the kids were getting out of school for the summer. Yikes.

Well, I'm really not ready for Christmas or really in the mood. I don't know why...I'm usually the farthest thing from a "Humbug" you can find. But it seems to be the prevalent mood among a lot of people this holiday season. No one seems to have had the time to really prepare for the holidays. Maybe because Thanksgiving was so late this year and we didn't get that week of 'cushion' between it and December.

I feel like I've been rushed through everything this December and I hate that. My house is only half-heartedly decorated this year. That has NEVER happened before. I did very little shopping this year as well. My Christmas spirit is at an all time low...and I seem to have lots of company in that vein.

Maybe its the state of the economy...or perhaps the planets are in some sort of weird alignment that is cosmically pulling our moods off kilter. Whatever it is, I hope it passes and I can begin the new year on a good note.

I look back over my year and it's been a decent one. I finally got The Sagittary out. Thank god no one close to me died or became ill. No one has developed any bad habits or dependencies, we still have a roof over our heads and food on the table. My family and friends are still around me. So all in all, I have had a blessed year.

I wish nothing but the deepest wishes for health and happiness this holiday season for you all. My your lives be filled with love, life and laughter and may it spill over into the new year.

Hugs and kisses to all.

TMS

Settling In for the Long Weekend

2008-11-27T00:44:00.003-05:00

Well, the first big weekend of the holiday season is here. As I get ready to to join my family for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, I reflect on the road my life has traveled to this point in time.

Thanksgiving always is bittersweet to me--my first son was born on Thanksgiving, 14 years ago this 24th. Unfortunately, he died when he was only two months old. The bond formed between mother and child in the first months of a baby's life is a strong one, and I feel his absence now, 14 years later, as strong as the day he was taken from us. The pain has dulled, but it will never heal. I know his spirit is around us...especially his little brother. He is his Guardian Angel...and I couldn't ask for a better one.

We tend to reflect on what we are thankful for at this time of year, and I have come to realize that I am thankful that we had those two precious months with him. He looked so much like his father; even more like his brother. I truly miss him.

I am thankful for my friends, without whom I could not have gotten through that terrible period in my life, nor through the hell that followed later. Its times like that when you find out who your true friends are. And I'm glad to say that no one fell off that list.

I am thankful that my relationship with my husband has withstood all of the trials and tribulations that life has thrown at us, and that he remains after 26 years, my lover and best friend. I couldn't imagine life without him.

Lastly, I am thankful for my family...both my parents and my children. My daughter is at a terrible age when anything we do as parents is seen as an act of war. I hope she grows up to see that what we do and will continue to do is for her benefit, whether she can see it now or not, and that we truly do love her. And for my son, who helped fill the hole left behind by his brother...he has his own set of issues, but we wouldn't trade him for the world.

How true it is that what doesn't kill you, will make you stronger. And I am a stronger, better person because of those in my life. And for that, I am truly thankful.

My best wishes to all for a wonderful Thanksgiving.

TMS

Where Has the Time Gone??

2008-11-01T10:53:00.002-04:00

I can't believe this year is almost over. Where the hell did it go?? I still have so much to do...tons of stuff to get to in the house and yard. I'm STILL not switched over to winter clothes, even though it's been in the 40s and 30s for weeks. My list of things to do is no smaller than it was when the summer had started. I still haven't painted my dining room yet. WTF?

But I know what the culprit is. It's all that time I've spent at work, wishing the day was over, wishing the weekend was here.

See....they were right.

Be careful for what you wish for.

I've wished all my time away and now I'm left lacking. Time to gather my thoughts and wits and stamina and get right to it. Roll my sleeves up and start getting things in order.

And I'd better do it now, because before you know it, the New Year will be upon us.

"The Sagittary" is here!

2008-10-13T12:41:00.004-04:00

Thanks to my wonderful friend, DarlingDiva (Nancy) for finding out that my book is finally listed on Amazon.com!! It currently says unavailable, but I'm sure that will change this week...if BookSurge has it already posted, availability can't be far behind! I was informed two weeks, but the gods willing, I'm hoping for this week!!

*deep breath*

It seems so weird to see it actually there. Like it's not real....at least for me. I've got four of these suckers sitting on my table...three proof copies and one 'final' copy. And let me tell you, Darien is BIG...and thick...

*blushes*

But I don't want to get carried away. His ego is big enough without me pumping it up some. As I sit here writing this, he's in my mind chuckling in that deep, smooth voice of his. He's also mentioning a few things that I simply won't post here. Centaurs really know how to make a female blush. S'all I'm sayin.

Once again, thanks to all my family, friends and co-workers for your wonderful words of support, wisdom and witty criticisms. I hope Darien delivers.

Love to all,

Terri

The Countdown Begins!

2008-10-08T23:21:00.005-04:00

Well, it's done.

I've put my OK on the final, revised, corrected, amended, realigned manuscripted proof, and the book is now in motion. *huge sigh*

According to my publishing consultant, Zach, it will be 1 to 2 weeks before "The Sagittary" is available through Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. It will also be available through www.abebooks.com and www.alibris.com.

I want to thank all my friends, family and co-workers for their kind words of support in this endeavor. It has taken nearly three years to get Darien out in print. And that's typical of him. He is quite, er...large.

To my wonderful inmates at The Keep: You guys are the best!! Thanks for all your support and allowing me to become part of your own creative storylines. You guys totally rock. Now you'll finally see the side of D that's he's kept hidden from you!! Dreamer, Trooper and Rocky....thanks for being my right-hand ladies. ^5 to you all.

My hope is to generate enough interest in the book to get one of the national publishers interested in taking a keek at it. If you like the book, please, recommend it to a friend. Word of mouth can travel faster than any marketing that I could do on my own. I'd be most grateful. If you read it and don't like it....well, I appreciate it that you took the time to find out. Perhaps my next one might work better....

Thanks again, everyone, for hanging in there with me.

TMS

Slowly, But Surely....

2008-09-29T23:17:00.002-04:00

Well, we had to do a little more editing and fixing up to the book.

A divider page ended up on the wrong side of the book, and although I could have left it, it stood out that the first two divider pages were on the right side of the book, and this one was on the left.

Soooooo, we had to fix and resubmit the file for proofing. It has gone through all the steps once again, and now I'm waiting for proof book #2 to review. Once I am satisfied with the revisions, we should finally be on our way.

Looks like the middle of October will finally be the release date. Thank you all for being so patient. I certainly hope you feel it was worth the wait!!

The Proof Copy Has Arrived!

2008-09-16T23:33:00.003-04:00

I am holding in my hot little hands the proof copy of The Sagittary. I am supposed to be checking it out, making sure all the pages, illustrations, cover, etc are as I want it.

Instead, I sit and stare at it.

All 739 pages.

It took me a year to write it. To put down to paper a story that was floating around inside my head...possibly even started out as a bit of a dream that I remembered. That sounds more plausible, as that's where most of my ideas come from.

My big, bulky manuscript is now compact and tidy in this one, small package. There is a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Not sure if it's excitement, concern or dread. I feel all of that. I still feel that slight reluctance to let my baby go out into the big, harsh world.

I hope it will take those who read it away from their day-to-day for awhile. I hope not too many people hate it. I hope some people like it.

I hope.

2008-09-02T18:14:00.001-04:00

Get your own - Open publication

We've Hit a Bump in the Road...

2008-09-01T23:22:00.001-04:00

UPDATE: 9/1/08: Well, the best-laid plans of mice and men...

We hit a snag with the book cover. Some of our margins are a little off and the graphics slightly off-center. So my BIL is working out those kinks and we'll be uploading the corrected version this week. The manuscript was perfectly formatted. Soooooo, it looks like we'll be off the ground sometime around September 15. We'll keep you posted....stay tuned! TMS

The Countdown to "The Sagittary" Begins!

2008-08-23T10:49:00.005-04:00

It's all done!

The manuscript and the book cover for "The Sagittary" is now in the hands of the publisher! If all goes well and there's no technical items that need to be addressed, "The Sagittary" should be available by September 6th, the latest.

It's been a long and enlightening ride and I can't believe Darien is about to be let loose in the world. Oh boy.

Here is the picture from the book cover, designed by my brother in law, Chris Huntley, who is a very talented individual.

I hope that you will enjoy reading his story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. My writing is not deep or complicated; they are an easy read, titillating, and fun. If you're looking for complicated plots and complex characters, you'll need to find another author. *grins* But hope you give mine a shot anyway.

Please feel free to post any questions you might have about the book or feel free to shoot me an email. And don't forget to visit our message board, "The Keep," the link for which is below. We've got quite a community of talented contributors and wonderful stories posted there. It is an Adult forum, so be forewarned accordingly.

Muuah!

A Little Visit with Sherrilyn Kenyon in NYC

2008-08-19T23:57:00.005-04:00

Dateline: August 15, 2008. Place: Borders at Columbus Circle in NYC.

Me and my friend Justine played hooky from work on Friday to head into the city to meet one of my favorite authors--Sherrilyn Kenyon aka Kinley MacGreggor. She is the author of the Dark Hunter series, the B.A.D. series, Lords of Avalon series, and the Brotherhood of the Sword series--all awesome.

After stopping for dinner first at our favorite pub - Stout's, 133 West 33rd Street Website - we headed up to Columbus Circle and got inside the bookstore just in time: It started to majorly downpour.

We got in and Justine went on ahead to the back of the bookstore where Sherrilyn was already underway in her Q&A session. Apparently they started early. I grabbed a book for my friend Nancy and a package of bookplates for several of my Keep members and then joined Justine in line.

It took us three hours to finally get up to see her. During our wait, they were raffling off all kinds of Dark Hunter stuff...I won an "Under the Protection of Acheron" button and a promotional card for his book. They had this really cute guy posing as a Dark Hunter, who was doling out the prizes from the raffle. Here's a pic of me with him:

Sherrilyn is wonderful! She is warm and witty and immediately puts you at ease when speaking to her. She signed my book, Nancy's book and five bookplates for my Keepers. Justine got her book signed as well and then we had our picture taken with her:

I even got to try on the Acheron leather coat that was used in her promotional trailer:

The other great part of the night was that I was able to meet up with Christine (see her blog link below) and also met up with some other friends from JR Ward's BDB boards. It was a great night and great fun. If you ever have the chance to go and see her, do it. She's a wonderful person and her books are awesome! Sherrilyn Kenyon's Website: Dark Hunters

Bestiality??

2008-08-14T23:52:00.004-04:00

The question was posed to me the other day as to whether or not I considered the relationship between Darien and Tessa a form of bestiality. In a word, no.

Darien is a Centaur...half man, half horse. While I can see how the thought process would lead someone to ponder that question, my reply, again, would be a resounding NO.

I consider bestiality to be a sexual encounter between a human and an animal. Centaurs are not animals. The 'thinking' end is very much human...as human as any other hot blooded male. He cannot help that he was born with the lower body of a horse. (Not that he would complain...he's very proud of his heritage and his bloodline.) Unlike an animal that cannot express its own preferences, Darien is very capable of communicating his wants and desires.

But for those who might feel....uncomfortable...with their relationship, please rest assured that I took care of that angle and I'm sure you'll manage the story quite nicely. After their first few get togethers, you won't even notice that he's different.

Now that being said, who could resist a large, alpha male going a little animal on you? Not me.

Taking a Breath

2008-06-30T19:07:00.002-04:00

Hello all. It's been a while...actually a few months, since my last blog. Just isn't enough time in a day, I tell you. Real life has been kicking my ass, and said ass has been dragged all over creation for the month of June. All the things the kids are involved with have finally culminated and have come to a head. I can now take a breath and relax some...that is until football season begins. My life as I know it comes to a full halt when football for my son starts in August and runs through the first week of November. No 'me' time then. So its for the month of July that I get to stop, and take a breath.

Let's see...the message board is going well, much better than I had expected. I've got some pretty creative members who post their stories and ongoing sagas that we can all jump into an join. If you haven't stopped by, please do. The link is below.

I'm finishing up Kimi's final read-through on the manuscript and will be shipping it off to my BIL to be formatted into a .pdf format. Then it's off to the publisher. I am excited and scared all at once. My baby is leaving home soon.

Well, I think that's about it for now. I must finish my work so I can get back to my current manuscript in progress.....mmmmm, yummy. His name is Venom. More on him in the future.

Love and hugs to all!!

Moving Right Along....

2008-05-14T21:51:00.002-04:00

So, here I am in May, and the editing part of the manuscript is practically done. It's getting a final read through for continuity and to see if there are any portions that need to be fleshed out a little more, or cut out completely. (I'm currently at 569pp.)

Spoke with my rep at the publisher today and went through some deets on what we need to do once the MS is ready to go. I have also started working with my brother in-law on the cover and internal artwork.

So all in all, things seem to be pulling together. With any luck, The Sagittary should be available by the end of June. I've got a mixed bag of feelings in my stomach: Excited, worried, scared. I'm sure it's normal...I am, after all, getting ready to send my baby out into the big world.

I have decided to issue my novels under the common heading of: Stories from the Myst. I don't know if I'll be doing any kind of 'series' on any of them, but figured I'd give them a heading under which they could all fall.

My latest manuscript is coming along nicely. I haven't been writing as much as I'd like as I've been involved with my new message board. (See link below). The Keep is turning out to be a wonderful place and it has grown faster than I had expected. There is a bunch of talented people there that are creating their own stories and intertwining them with other stories that are evolving on the board. It's a wonderful process to see.

Well, I think that about covers it for now. I had wanted to post since it has been awhile. Thanks for stopping in!!

The Editing Process

2008-03-23T09:15:00.003-04:00

It's been a while and I'd thought I'd post just to let you know how things are going. I am almost done with the first run-through of edits (Kimmi, you are just wonderful, girl! Muah!) and I've learned something very important about myself.

I am a 'tensenotard.'

Not 'tense', as in I need a massage, but 'tense' as in I seem to move from the past to the future inside of one sentence.

Now I realize that my character in the book that is currently undergoing editing can time travel, but apparently it's not good that I can and it is making my beloved editor's head spin. And this is not good.

But with her guidance I seem to be catching the hang of it. It is definitely a learning experience, and a welcome one at that.

So, we are progressing well and once the first set of edits is done, we're going to give it another run through to make sure we have caught all my transgressions and that the story now flows smoothly with minimal bumps. After that, it's getting my cover and separator designs done and we should be good to go to press.

Thanks for checking in. *wink*

A Decision is Made

2008-01-30T18:09:00.000-05:00

*takes a deep breath*

OK. I've decided to go ahead and publish my first novel through BookSurge, a subsidiary owned by Amazon.com. I figure it can't hurt any, giving my book a little 'push' as it were. Plus, I'll be listed along side the heavy hitters on Amazon as well. And that's a good thing.

So now I'm faced with decisions. What do I want on the cover? What colors do I want? What font? What size book? I am assured by my personal assistant that the process is relatively painless. I can only hope.

But now I'm a little nervous. This book is my baby. My private story. My hidden fantasy. It's a part of me that I must let go of to send it out into the big scary world. I hope I can pry my fingers from the edges of the pages and do it. It's one thing to let friends, family and coworkers read your stuff; you know you'll always get it safely back. Once it's out in the real world, the comfort of control is gone. I hope I can do it. It's like a double-edged sword. I want to publish it, but at the same time, I'm not totally sure I do.

*shrugs*

My wonderful brother-in-law has offered to do the illustration for the cover. He is a wonderful artist and I can't wait to work with him on it. He owns a software company that writes programs for novelists and screenwriters. You can visit his site here: http://www.screenplay.com

*takes another deep breath*

I guess I'd better get going on my editing. I've finally a deadline to meet.

2008-01-20T10:11:00.002-05:00

"Daughter of the Air" is my second completed paranormal romance novel, finished in 2007 and copyrighted 2008.

Keirah is the headstrong daughter of Alagoran Sinclaire, Chieftain and Laird of the Clans of Carragh Tuir in the Southern Celtic Isles. Their home, called the Citadel, holds a strategic position on the cliffs of Carragh Tuir and have enjoyed relative peace due to their centuries old alliance with the Avalar, a race of fierce winged warriors. The Citadel is also the training ground for those young women who are selected to become life mates of the Avalar men. When Keirah is finally visited by nightly visions of a warrior who desires to claim her as his life mate, she is thrilled at the news...until she tells her parents and learns of a dark secret that has been kept from her.

Toryn is the son and heir to the throne of Albion, King of the Avalars. Ruggedly handsome, cocky and arrogant, Toryn is a strong and proud Warrior of his people, leader of all the Avalar Warriors. He has refused to claim his life mate as the gods have dictated, but a turn of events now has her as his obsession. When Toryn finally comes to claim his mate, a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse ensues, unknown gifts and talents are uncovered, and a dangerous enemy long thought to have been dead, arises.

The Clan of Sinclaire and the House of the Avalars must put old grudges aside and fight together against a common foe. As things heat up between Toryn and Keirah, so do the betrayals and intrigue around them. In order to be victorious in battle, Keirah must come to terms with what and who she is...for it is upon her that destiny has laid its hand....and the lives of those she loves.

2008-01-07T21:20:00.001-05:00

"The Sagittary" is my first complete novel. It concerns a woman, Tessa Chiron, who works in a New York City university as a researcher. Her speciality is Mythology...her expertise and love is Centaurs. One day, a mysterious package arrives at her door containing a letter, an old journal and a beautiful golden necklace. The letter is cryptic in its message and Tessa figures out that she is to wear the necklace in order to see the contents in what is an otherwise empty journal. When she does, all hell breaks loose in her life.

Visited at night by a masculine, sexy voice in her dreams, she is lured into taking on a task that will help save a world she cannot see, nor imagine. The voice in the dream takes on the visual shape of a horse, to which Tessa suspects is more than what it appears. After making a life altering decision to leave all she knows behind, she follows the request that is put to her by completing a theft that she would never have thought possible.

Darien, strong and ruggedly handsome, is the Stallion of the Heard of Centaurs, the leader for the last of his kind. They are dying out because the statue of their Goddess and protectress was stolen years ago and removed from their world. Since then, their numbers have been dwindling and only Darien, with the knowledge of his race, can figure out a way to save them. He searches the worlds and finds their saviour in the form of a human woman. Being able to sift through time, going forwards and backwards through the human years, he finds and falls in love with Tessa. Determined not only to use her to return that which was stolen, he also wants her for his own--to become his mate, his mare--to help quell his insatiable sexual appetite. But the Gods themselves have more in mind for them both and together they take on the task of Poseidon himself to save them all.

Welcome into the Mysts....

2008-01-01T13:10:00.000-05:00

*takes a deep breath*

*lets it out slowly*

*considers the blank parchment upon the table*

*ponders where to start *

*bites tip of quill*

*puts quill back into inkpot*

*wanders off into the mysts to think*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A beginning is never easy for it sets the tone for what will follow. I have never, other than in my regular schooling, have taken a writing class. I am told that I have a natural ability to relate a story. Descriptive, funny, animated. At any one time, I have some sort of scenario going through my mind. At one point, I had to start putting it down on paper...it just felt right. That original story is still unfinished and I feel terrible about it. My characters are frozen in time, unable to continue until I deem it ready to do so. Because in the world of books, the writer is god. We have the power to create, the power to direct, the power to kill. So until I am ready, frozen in time they will stay.

But it is not from lack of wanting to finish that original story. It is because my muse has been whispering to me...giving me ideas that I can't ignore. If I do, she will stop speaking to me. And where would that leave me? I get scenes, flashes of dialog, glimpses of actions. My characters do not speak to me, but rather show me. How many times have I been at work to have a wonderful line of dialog suddenly show up in the middle of reading contracts? How many times has a delicious love scene shown up during computer upgrades? I grab for the nearest sticky pad and jot down notes furiously. These make their way home to a folder where they are cataloged into some sort of order. Eventually they form a story.

I don't seek to become the next J.K. Rowling but only to have my stories read by others who enjoy the same types of tales that I can tell. So far, according to friends, family and co-workers, I'm doing well. One day I will get that story finished. And one day, I will see it in print. Until then, I will continue to listen to the whispers of my muse and continue setting them down to paper. Because only in written form will they come to life. TMS