Sunday Snippets 42 – Masked Hearts

by | Aug 2, 2014 | Books, Masked Hearts, WeWriWa, Writing


Welcome back to the Weekend Writing Warriors!

MaskedHearts_MED

I’m back with my travelling wild west show story, Masked Hearts.

I do hate to disappoint you all, but all I’ll say is that after a few days have passed Roy DOES remember his childhood nickname. I won’t tell you what it is, though…you’ll have to read the story to find out. Trust me, it is a good nickname.

Onto this weeks 8. After Roy has revealed himself to be the boy from her past, Roy and Minnie share a brief flirtation which is noticed by Mister – her guardian and his boss. Mister is most unhappy with this development and calls on Minnie to be the object of his display of prowess with a long shot. He’s sent her to stand with an apple on her head, and her fellow Indian cast members are helping her to set up.

John, the nicer of the two men, is getting her into position:

She refused to show him the fear threatening to rip her stomach right out of her body. Instead she grabbed the apple with a small nod. “I understand.”

John moved behind her and set his hands on her waist. He kicked at her ankles before pushing them apart. “Wider stance helps you stay more still. Head straight. This is his warning, he won’t hurt you yet. Trust that.”

*No creative editing this week.

*~*

If you want more of these wonderfully damaged pair…pick up a copy!

| Amazon | SCP | BN | ARe | 

Minnie Woodward lives a lie. After barely surviving the Bear River Massacre she’s lived in the white world of her guardian Mister Rawlins, her life debt keeping her tied there. The last thing she needs is Roy’s attempts to gain her favor. Her fate’s sealed. She’s never believed in hope, and not even Roy can make her start.

Roy Ornum saves Minnie every night in the traveling Wild West show. The job he took to break his gambling habit brought him a new addiction – her. He knows she doesn’t want to be rescued, but maybe he does. She’s the key to a past he lost, one he wants to find again.

As the two grow closer old wounds are reopened and their burgeoning trust is shattered. When lives hang in the balance of their choices they’ll need to work together. Otherwise everything will be lost before hope can be found.

*~*

Head back on over to the Weekend Writing Warriors to read many more wonderful offerings!

Tuesday Tales – Right – Witch Way

by | Jul 28, 2014 | Books, Holiday, Tuesday Tales, Writing

felicityWelcome back to Tuesday Tales!  This weeks prompt is to be inspired by the word Right. This is our last week before a month’s hiatus. I suppose the hiatus is for the best – in the coming weeks I’ll be editing 3 books, releasing 1, preparing 2 for Indie release, writing at least 2 stories, and getting started on the editing for the story this weeks prompt is part of. I have a lot coming up between now and February of next year, and hope to have even more in 2015. So, in short, I’m a busy busy writer. Now, onto this weeks prompt.

This week’s prompt fell into my current WIP for the Holidays in Lake Point series, Witch Way.  Of course, I can’t leave you in the happy end of things…you get stuck in the midst of Felicity’s hell – which she brought on herself.

Felicity thought she was going to throw up. Unable to see Craig in the dark, and with the monotone he’d used, she couldn’t gauge where this was going to lead. No matter what, it sounded bad. She swallowed against the rising bile and wrapped her arms around her belly.

At the moment she wanted nothing more than to wallow in her misery, but instead she chose to push it aside like she’d learned years ago. Unfortunately, she didn’t expect it to be so difficult this time. She had no idea the prospect of losing Craig would hurt so much.

She nodded weakly. “I know it’s not.”

“Was this your plan all along?” He went from standing still to pacing around her in a heartbeat. She couldn’t decide if it was more lion stalking its prey, or caged animal working off nerves while looking for an escape.

“What? No!” The strangled shriek shocked her, and if the way he stopped his pacing was any indication, it had surprised him as well. She took a shaky breath and tried to ground herself, but all sense of calm was long gone. “It was a series of bad coincidences and worse decisions.”

“You used me, to get in that office.”

“No. It wasn’t like that. I swear it.”

“How can I believe you?”

The cold air sank into her bones and left her numb. She hadn’t felt this helpless in years, and she didn’t like it. “I guess you can’t.”

“I want to.”

Damn him. Damn him to hell. Just when she’d almost resolved herself to returning to her former stance on men, he offers a sliver of hope. One she found herself clinging to like a life line. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I made a bad choice.”

“Go on.”

“Will you come out of the shadows, please?”

“I can’t. Not right now. I don’t know what to think, Feli. What to feel.”

“Neither do I! I’m standing here in the open, though. Exposed.” Raw. Her insides were raw and pained. “I went to visit you, I didn’t go to try to get in that office. I really did go to visit you. I left the room with you, remember? When the call went out, I left the room. You locked it.”

“I locked it.” His voice held a mix of relief and wonder, like a confirmation to more than just her. “I did lock it. So what, you broke in?”

The anger was back, and she unwillingly flinched under it. “No. I stood there, I waved goodbye to you. I was going to leave, but when I went for my keys I realized I didn’t have my purse. I only went back to the office to check, but when I tried to contemplate what to do next, I hit the door in frustration. It just clicked open. I don’t think it closed all the way.”

Only his elbow sat in the light, and his fingers tapped on his elbow in a rapid cadence. “And?”

“And I should have left. I knew it then, and I know it now. I was stupid, but I had this story, I’d noticed the discrepancies in my research but I was having trouble getting the confirmation. The opportunity was handed to me on a silver platter.”

“And you just gobbled it up.”

She wrinkled her nose at his snide tone and lowered her gaze to the ground. “I did. Ambition won over common sense, over my heart.”

“Was it worth the cost?”

“I…”

“You got your dream job, everything you wanted.”

“Not everything, and no—”

His cell phones ringtone pealed across the empty ceremony, loud enough to wake the dead. She jumped back, then spun to turn her back on him in an attempt to rid herself of the pesky tears. He sighed and the ringer cut off, and his warm voice took over. “Yeah?”

Felicity rubbed her arms and tried to brace for the worst.

“I figured. I’ll be back in a few.”

She turned around to face his shadowed countenance. “Work.”

“Cops are there to search the office. Didn’t take them any time to get warrants.”

“You’d better go. We’re done.”

“Guess we are.”

*~*

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Sunday Snippets 41 – Masked Hearts

by | Jul 26, 2014 | Books, Masked Hearts, WeWriWa, Writing


Welcome back to the Weekend Writing Warriors!

MaskedHearts_MED

I’m back with my travelling wild west show story, Masked Hearts.

Once again, skipping ahead a few paragraphs. Minnie doesn’t believe him, despite the details he knows. Plus, he’s pale, not dark or even tan.

Finally she puts forth one final challenge to test his story:

“I met that boy,” she whispered. One finger tapped against his heartbeat. “We played together for a summer.”

So he had known her–it wasn’t just an illusion or wishful thinking that he once knew this woman in front of him. “But you don’t recognize me?”

“If you remember, if you are truly the boy, what did I call you?”

“What?”

“I didn’t call you by your name–what did I call you?”

*Creative editing used this week to fit in the 8.

*~*

If you want more of these wonderfully damaged pair…pick up a copy!

| Amazon | SCP | BN | ARe | 

Minnie Woodward lives a lie. After barely surviving the Bear River Massacre she’s lived in the white world of her guardian Mister Rawlins, her life debt keeping her tied there. The last thing she needs is Roy’s attempts to gain her favor. Her fate’s sealed. She’s never believed in hope, and not even Roy can make her start.

Roy Ornum saves Minnie every night in the traveling Wild West show. The job he took to break his gambling habit brought him a new addiction – her. He knows she doesn’t want to be rescued, but maybe he does. She’s the key to a past he lost, one he wants to find again.

As the two grow closer old wounds are reopened and their burgeoning trust is shattered. When lives hang in the balance of their choices they’ll need to work together. Otherwise everything will be lost before hope can be found.

*~*

Head back on over to the Weekend Writing Warriors to read many more wonderful offerings!

Sunday Snippets 40 – Masked Hearts

by | Jul 19, 2014 | Books, Masked Hearts, WeWriWa, Writing


Welcome back to the Weekend Writing Warriors!

MaskedHearts_MED

I’m back with my travelling wild west show story, Masked Hearts.

Skipping ahead just a few paragraphs. Last week Roy asked Minnie of an Indian woman and a white fur trapper she knew had a child, a son. Minnie admitted they did. In what you missed, Roy began to go into detail about Chief Bear Hunter, who met the army for negotiations and was held until the boy was released into Army custody, because the Army believed him to be a white man’s nephew (whose entire family, except some children, were killed by Shoshone).

Minnie asks how he knows such details:

“Uncle Zacheus beat me if I cried, if I said I remembered my parents. He said the memories weren’t real over and over until I started to believe him.” Roy got to his feet and moved closer to Minnie, “But I remember my father…and my Indian mother.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks. “Why are you telling me these stories? They aren’t the truth. Lying to me won’t make me like you.”

“It’s not a lie.”

*Creative editing used this week to fit in the 8.

*~*

If you want more of these wonderful two…pick up a copy!

| Amazon | SCP | BN | ARe | 

Minnie Woodward lives a lie. After barely surviving the Bear River Massacre she’s lived in the white world of her guardian Mister Rawlins, her life debt keeping her tied there. The last thing she needs is Roy’s attempts to gain her favor. Her fate’s sealed. She’s never believed in hope, and not even Roy can make her start.

Roy Ornum saves Minnie every night in the traveling Wild West show. The job he took to break his gambling habit brought him a new addiction – her. He knows she doesn’t want to be rescued, but maybe he does. She’s the key to a past he lost, one he wants to find again.

As the two grow closer old wounds are reopened and their burgeoning trust is shattered. When lives hang in the balance of their choices they’ll need to work together. Otherwise everything will be lost before hope can be found.

*~*

Head back on over to the Weekend Writing Warriors to read many more wonderful offerings!

Tuesday Tales – Picture Prompt – Witch Way

by | Jul 13, 2014 | Books, Holiday, Tuesday Tales, Writing

tt-moonWelcome back to Tuesday Tales!  This weeks prompt is to be inspired by this picture. As always with word prompts, we were restricted to 300 words. I managed to come in right under count at 297.

This week’s prompt fell into my current WIP for the Holidays in Lake Point series, Witch Way.

Felicity walked along the outside of the circle. With great care she set a candle at the northernmost point, a safe distance from the nearby tall dry grasses of the rest of the small clearing. “Earth.” Above the candle she set a moonstone to represent the element.

She followed the arc to the eastern edge where she placed another candle they’d made themselves. The feathers dancing along the outside of the wax representing their element. “Air.”

“Fire.” To the south she set a red candle that needed no further help for its element. To the west she set another candle, and her aunt arrived out of the woods just in time with the small wooden bowl filled with water from the creek. “And water.”

In the middle of the circle she set the final candle for spirit and sighed. After her date, Patty had insisted on a small ritual to help clear Felicity’s head. Although she knew this was for her, the doubts and fears plaguing her made her know success would be tough. “Can’t I sleep on it first, Patty? I don’t feel clear enough for this.”

“There is a full moon tonight, just look up there. The moon has always been your guide, you know this. How many nights did I find you wandering, trying to chase it through these hills?”

“I know. I’ve always felt that connection. I’m just tired and…”

“I’m glad to see you’re struggling with acceptance here, but you don’t have to do so alone.”

“I’ve learned at your knee, Patty. I’m not focused enough for this to do any good.”

Patty touched her head. “You’re not doing anything. I am doing this one all on my lonesome, you need to be grounded and cleansed. You’re a mess.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

*~*

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Tuesday Tales – Summer – Witch Way

by | Jul 6, 2014 | Books, Holiday, Secret Cravings Publishing, Tuesday Tales, Writing

felicityWelcome back to Tuesday Tales!  This weeks prompt is to be inspired by the word Summer.

Well, The Wolf is done, and while I must work on Witch Way, this weeks word prompt just didn’t fit. It also didn’t fit into Natural Selection. So this week I’m starting a new story. I believe it’ll be fantasy, but I haven’t figured it out completely yet.

This week’s prompt fell into my current WIP for the Holidays in Lake Point series, Witch Way. Felicity and Craig have been having a hot and heavy few meet and greets. Felicity is in it for a fling with a hot fireman, but she gets some advice from a trusted source:

Felicity dropped her bag in the mud room and kicked off her shoes. Before she even made it to the door she stripped out of her jacket and skirt. The moment her shirt hit the floor, a dress flew her way. She caught it on and slipped the simple black dress over her head. “Thanks, Patty. One more minute in that suit and I was going to burst.”

“You’re home late.” Near the window, Patty rearranged the plants for better light. The woman could have been Felicity’s mother, they looked so similar, with the exception of the grey streak at the front of her black locks, which were cut short in a cute bob as opposed to Felicity’s own long locks. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with that McAlister boy, would it?”

“Has the all-knowing Patty been peeking into her crystal ball again?” Felicity couldn’t quite keep the sardonic tone from her voice, but Patty only chuckled in response.

“Don’t be silly. I saw you on the square today. I told you that boy would grow up into a handsome young man.”

“Yes, he did. However, it’s just a fling, like all the others.”

“Oh, I doubt that.”

Felicity tensed a few feet behind Patty. She’d been about to give her aunt a hello kiss, but Patty’s knowing tone gave her pause. “Why do you say that?”

“I pulled the cards soon as I got home.”

“You promise you wouldn’t do that to me.” Felicity sighed and bypassed her aunt to perch on the counter. She popped a couple of grapes off the stem in the nearby fruit bowl. “You’re too close to do an accurate reading. Your feelings on the matter influence the cards.”

“No, not always. In this situation I wasn’t sure how to feel. After all, he wasn’t exactly the nicest boy when you were younger. I was worried for you, the cards eased my mind.”

“Because you wanted them to.” Felicity would never dismiss a good tarot reading, and Patty was the best, but Patty had also been the one that taught her how your own feelings could influence a reading.

“Would it make a difference if I told you I called Celeste as well?”

“Unfortunately, it would.”

“She got the exact same reading as I did. Card for card. Craig is a good man, and he’s meant to be around for a while.”

“Once the fling is flung he’ll be gone as the summer.”

“The summer does not depart until tomorrow, and Craig won’t pass with it.”

Felicity groaned and dropped her head into her hands. “I wanted a fling, Patty.”

“You’re getting a little old to be flinging yourself around.”

“No woman in our family has ever maintained a relationship with a man. Ever.”

“No woman has ever been like you, my darling girl.” Patty smoothed her hands over Felicity’s hair, pulling the ends over her shoulders. “Look at me.”

“I’m just like you, and you’ve said I’m just like my mother. My father left her soon as he heard about me and she up and died during childbirth.”

“And you, Felicity. You are more than either of us either were. You have managed to find the balance we never could. I am all crazy witch lady, your mother went straight normal, even faking church-going to soothe your father’s mind. When he found out the truth, thanks to Samhain, that’s when he left. It wasn’t about you.”

“And yet, it was.”

“He didn’t know. He never knew. I tried to contact him, but he refused to listen to me. Your mother blamed herself. None of that matters now. What matters now is who you are. I think you are the one that can keep a man, and keep your balance.”

“I don’t want to.” Felicity clasped her aunt’s hands in her own. “All of this feels like a curse. A hex on our family.”

“There is no such thing, we just suck at relationships.” Patty smiled. “You should give this a good chance before you dismiss it.”

“I just don’t know.” Truthfully, relationships scared her. Probably because no one ever stook around all that long. Plus, Craig hadn’t been too far off. Old teasing and taunts had followed her through childhood into her adult years.

“Have you told him the truth?”

“No. He can’t even say the word witch in my presence. He couldn’t handle it.”

“I think you should try.”

*~*

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