My short and steamy f/f romance, Love and Wisdom: Gods Behaving Badly Book 5 is now available for only .99 cents and available on Kindle Unlimited!! Link: http://a.co/d1qKL7T The next morning dawned with Athena feeling apprehensive yet powerful at the same time. She had forgotten how the gods fed each other’s powers. Zeus had done his job well by turning them all against one another before his hostile takeover. They were all weaker now, but she sensed that was slowly diminishing. The gods were becoming powerful once more. The question was why.
She went into the kitchen to find Bruce already there and cooking. “You cook too? My sister certainly lucked out when she found you. If you don’t mind me saying, you are much more intelligent and down to earth than her usual consorts. I like you, which is rare for me to like anyone.” Bruce looked at her cursorily, clearly not sure what to say, so she clarified a bit. “Don’t look so perplexed, Detective. I am just stating the facts, not coming on to you. I play for the other team, as you said last night.” “Sophia was right. You certainly are blunt, even for a god.” Bruce chuckled and slid a plated omelet her way. “Janine will be here at ten. She took the assignment as a favor for me. Of that, I am certain. We do need to come up with a plausible story of events, so we do not have to try to explain that you and Sophia are ancient gods.” They ate in companionable silence, Athena assumed both thinking of a cover story. Soon enough, Sophia joined them. Athena marveled at how enjoyable it was to share a meal with others, to work on a plan someone else. She began to realize how lonely she had become having no contact with her family, or anyone for that matter, and found herself envying the closeness between Bruce and Sophia. She had a reputation for being cold and untouchable, but she needed love just like any other being. She just hadn’t experienced it in so long that she’d grown used to the loneliness and to depending solely on herself. Now, though, seeing her sister and her empath together, all of her hidden feelings came bubbling up to the surface, and she ached with the pain she felt. Luckily, she was saved by the bell from her musings, literally, as her doorbell rang and pulled her from her thoughts. “That must be your detective friend. I’ll let her in.” Glad for the distraction, she hurried to the door. Athena tried to push her emotions back. She was a creature of facts and wisdom. Emotions made her feel unbalanced and out of control. She did not like to feel out of control, but it seemed the fates were making her feel just that at the moment for she got the shock of her long life when she opened her front door. A breathtaking woman in a suit stood there, looking strong and serious but friendly at the same time. While being quite the dark-haired exotic beauty, that was not what knocked Athena off her guard. Before her stood the second empath she had seen in the past two days after thinking them all extinct for over two thousand years.
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Things have been crazy lately with the home life and work. Still, I am making a real effort to make time for art. I am still not working on art every day like I would like, but I am working on it when I can. Here is my latest watercolor painting that I am pretty proud of. Watercolor and ink. It is for sale if anyone is interested. $15 plus shipping. If interested message me! Hope to have more art to share soon!
As I am still trying to get back in shape after my surgery last year, I am having to take more and more time to focus on making time for my health. Sure that means taking some time away from writing and other activities, but hey it is well worth it. After all, if I am not healthy what is the point of everything else in my life? But I am starting to see some progress and that is just motivating me even more to step up my exercise game. I have been working my exercise into my every day, like walking home from work. I try to make sure that I hit 10,000 steps per day. I am getting back into yoga. I have started dancing again. And I have already lost inches off my waist. Inches! I need a belt for the pants that I bought last month. Woo hoo for me! Now to step it up I suppose.
Of course it has not all been easy sailing. My health still gives me some problems. Migraines and sleep disturbances have been plaguing me. Sometimes I feel guilty about not writing or promoting or doing something else. Still, I am trying to make myself and my health a priority. That's not something that I should be guilty about. Eventually I figure I will learn to make time for everything, but only if I keep myself healthy. I am not the only one adjusting to my return to the world of working outside the home. For about two and a half years my dogs got very used to mommy working at home and being with them for most of the day every day. Now that I am back to working outside the house, well that has left some sad puppies on work days...
As I am trying to open my creative mind more and more, I am dabbling in more forms of artistic expression. I used to love photography and look at the world differently, well I am trying to get back into that. I am slowly getting back into photography and trying to see the beauty in the every day world around me. Here are a couple of my recent shots. I am happy to announce that my short and steamy f/f romance, Love and Wisdom: Gods Behaving Badly Book 5 is now available for preorder! Only .99 cents and will be available on Kindle Unlimited. Out on February 28th! Link: http://a.co/d1qKL7T Athena knew that things were changing when her sister Aphrodite showed up on her doorstep, she just never dreamed how much. The gods were becoming powerful once more, something that has not been possible since their Fall from Mount Olympus. And the timing could not be better, someone has been following Athena. Once kidnapping attempts are made on other gods, she knows that they must join forces to solve this mystery.
One thing that Athena did not expect, was Detective Janine Cho. Called in to help the gods discover who is after them, Janine is more than she appears. And everything that Athena has been looking for her entire existence. Together can they find out who is targeting the gods and maybe find love along the way? So I am part of a little author collaboration over on Facebook with five others indie authors, a group called Passions and Pentagrams. Each month we try to write a short story based on prompt words given by the members of the group. For February we had fae, weird and ubiquitous. Here is what I came up with! Enjoy! Awakening
“That’s weird.” Jack said to himself, looking towards the shore from the deck of his lobster boat. A naked woman walked out of the water, two giant lobsters following her. As if she could sense his stare, she turned to look at him and he knew she was not human. Her eyes glowed with unnatural light. She was one of the fae of legend. Jack had heard that her kind could enchant a human with just one glance, dooming them to forever want what they could never truly have. She smiled at him, beckoning him to come to shore with the wave of her hand. Not thinking he dove into the water and swam towards the beach. As he approached her, the giant lobsters moved away, allowing him to drop to his knees before her. Gently she reached out her hand and touched his cheek. A ubiquitous feeling overcame him. For the first time in his life he felt connected to something, to everything. The world opened up and shared its secrets with him. The last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was her smiling down at him. Blackness overtook him and he knew no more. He opened his eyes to see the moon in the sky, his boat washed up on shore twenty feet from where he laid. Jack sat up, looking around for a sign of his savior. She was gone. Yelling he ran up and down the beach, no trace of anyone could be found. He was alone, but the encounter that had taken place had changed him forever. From then on Jack came to the beach every day, waiting for the time when his mystery woman to return to fulfill the promise that she had awakened in him. It's Valentine's Day and I am celebrating by sharing the love and hosting one of my favorite authors, the lovely and talented Torie James! She has a brand new release out the 16th! Preorder it now so you are one of the first to get it! The Ghost of Secret's Gate
Genre: Paranormal/Contemporary Romance Series: Loch Ness Legends #1 He wanted a home... 1861. Estranged from his family for a shocking betrayal, Highlander Lachlan MacQueen is a man who lives by his rules and no other. Reckless and rootless, he roams the border towns between Scotland and England, a mercenary for hire with an unspoken determination to regain all he's lost. By any means necessary. When he inadvertently saves the life of Queen Victoria, she rewards him with a royal boon, the deed to a small manse nestled along the shores of Loch Ness called Secret's Gate and a stipend to ensure his outlaw days are over. But past sins demand payment and when the price becomes too high, Lachlan's untimely death becomes another skeletal ghost in an unopened closet. She wanted to heal... 2017. Verity Harper's memories of Secret's Gate are hazy at best. Two months spent in Scotland 25 years ago echo with remnants of a mysterious, hasty departure home to America and fresh beginnings with her mother, Pamela and new stepfather, Archibald MacQueen. Now, she returns to claim the legacy left to her by Archie; the very manor of her erstwhile childhood summer. But the free spirited, fun loving child that roamed the grounds with innocent glee has been replaced by a heartbroken woman full of remorse and shattered by regret. And now, she's beginning to question her sanity when an alluringly familiar voice in her head opens the floodgates to a piece of her past long forgotten. Can a lie that destroyed one life give another the truth it needs to be whole? Author's Note: One of my all-time favorite movies is The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison. Once a year, my mother and I watch it together, it's our "thing". I've always wanted to write my own ghostly love story but they can be tricky in various ways. I finally bit the bullet though and began work on "The Ghost of Secret's Gate". It ended up turning into a much larger story than originally intended but I am so happy with the end result! It's got a few of my favorite things: Scotland, Hot Ghost Dude and did I mention Scotland? So, meet my new friend Verity, a woman tottering on the brink of defeat.... Excerpt: Ah, she couldn't get enough of Clare's raspberry cranachan trifle. Clearly by the feel of her skirt's tightening waistline. Voices, however, she'd had enough of and reached for one of the six pill bottles on the nightstand, deftly plucking one from the rest. Her auditory hallucinations weren't a result of a psychosis, so there was no actual medicine to treat her. She refused to take anti-psychotics, scared it would do irreparable damage to her already battered brain. She noticed it only flared when she grew irritated or anxious, thus she had grudgingly accepted the doctor's recommendation of Halcion, in its lowest doseage. Sedating her brain activity afforded pockets of relief from hearing things. Thinking things. What's happened to you, sweetheart? Uncapping the bottle, she shook out a pill, popped it into her mouth and took a swig from the glass of water Clare had brought her earlier. Well, thank you for asking, Voice in My Head. Let's see. Life. Life happened. I grew up, got a job, made a career, married, divorced. Nearly got crushed by a train while working on location. Spent a lot of time in physical therapy for my back while alternately falling in love with painkillers. Lost my mind and my job after that. Lot of fuzzy time in between in which I did some pretty shameless things to keep my fix going. Woke up one day, decided this was my story and since I was holding the pen, it was time for a rewrite. Got clean, got a new job and got engaged. But instead of planning a wedding, I ended up missing a funeral after I killed my parents. That about sums it up. Oh, and my fiancé dumped me because my face is no longer pleasing to the eye. Anything I left out can be found in the brochure. Grab one on your way out. I'm here all week, try the veal! Release Date: 2/16/2017 Will be available on: www.amazon.com Author Bio: Born on the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous,Torie is the illegitimate love child of Han Solo and Daenerys Targaryen. Rescued by Gandalf shortly before her home planet was destroyed in the last days of the Clone Wars, she was raised in relative obscurity by her foster parents, Severus Snape and Pippi Longstocking. At the tender age of 113, she inherited the best little whorehouse in Texas and is rumored to be bringing Sexy Back. A self confessed chocoholic, she’s been engaged to Willy Wonka despite gossip surrounding a lifelong affair with Bruce Wayne. And clearly, she practices delusion on a daily basis. The truth is, I’m just an overgrown kid with a vivid imagination who loves to write and share my crazy with the world. My future plans include, hopefully, buying a lovely Scottish castle and convincing Queen Elizabeth I that I’d make a fab addition to the Royal Family. Four years ago, I finally got my ‘brave’ on and submitted a wee story about true love, honor, friendship and the magic within us all. That story was Timeless Night, the first book in a five book series I’ve named New Camelot. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to have published Timeless Desire (Book 2 of New Camelot), Beauty and The Feast (A New Camelot Thanksgiving Novella) Ties That Bind (The Cloie Chronicles I), Fractured Fantasies (Valentine’s Venom), Fractured Fantasies (Volume 1-6) and slew of short stories. I live in Southern California, a stone’s throw from Disneyland, with my family and the most ridiculously spoiled pets anyone could imagine. I wake everyday with the determination to make this life as random, quirky and beautiful as it can be. If I haven't scared you off yet, feel free to track me down at any of the following! You can find/follow Torie at: Blog and Website: https://toriejames.wordpress.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/WriterGurl216 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Writergurl216 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7054839.Torie_N_James Amazon Author: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00CTBYH0M Since I love all things creative, I think that I am going to branch out from just doing book reviews and maybe start throwing in some movie reviews as well. Thanks to the new day job I have been able to see more movies of late and thought I would share some of my thoughts on what I have been seeing.
So let's get started... This week my husband and I went to see The Comedian, mainly due to the excellent cast that it boasted. Danny Devito and Robert De Niro as brothers? Yes please! Anyway, if you are a fan of old school comedy club humor, the raunchier and grittier humor, well then this might be the movie for you. It takes a real hard look at the comedy club scene and certainly has some pretty funny moments mixed in with the harshness of that world. It did drag in some places in my opinion, but it is still a good movie with a great performance from De Niro. I give it 4/5 stars and recommend it to anyone who loves naughtier and darker humor. I am sure that many of you might have watched the Super Bowl last weekend, maybe including the halftime show by Lady Gaga as well. Or if you are more like me that might have been the part you paid the most attention to. Now I know everyone has different musical tastes, but hey she actually sang (no lip singing is always good) and performed her butt off. Judge her on that all you want, but this week I have seen some disgusting comments about her weight and her body. Because all women have to be Photoshop perfect at all times right? Only then are they worth anything. I say bullshit! She looked great! She looked real and imperfect and to me that is beautiful. She looks beautiful to herself as well. Go to instagram and read her very eloquent response.
But all of the criticism of her body makes me think about just how fucked up our society is when it comes to the female form. When did non-realistic body standards become the norm? When did everyone female have to be perfect looking to be valued? When did it become socially acceptable to body shame anyone and everyone based on unrealistic standards? I mean I know that I have some extra weight thanks to illness and surgery, weight that I want to lose for health reasons, but if Lady Gaga is fat, then what the hell am I? Is this really the message that we should be sending to young girls and women? How about taking a page out of Lady Gaga's book and teaching people to love themselves for who they are, not what they look like? |
AuthorAuthor, artist, jewelry maker and all around creative person. I write in many genres and have a lot of fun doing so. Please take a look around and enjoy! Archives
January 2022
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