Halloween Flash Fiction - Black Carnations

I thought I'd share a flash fiction with you in honor of Halloween. Happy Trick or Treat. Be safe out there!

Enjoy,
Steph

********

Jolee stormed into the flower shop where she worked and threw her duffle bag behind the counter, grabbing her time card to punch in. She wasn’t quite ready to stuff flower baskets or work on rose displays, but she definitely needed something to get her mind off him.

“Jolee, girlfriend, what’s wrong?” asked Audrey, her boss.

Jolee shoved the time card back into the holder under the counter. “I’m leaving him, Audrey.”

“What now?” Audrey asked. Her soft green eyes were full of concern.

“I caught him in bed with some other girl. We fought,” Jolee answered in a clipped tone. The sweet scents that wafted through the air made her stomach nauseous.

“Did he hit you?” Audrey asked.

Jolee nodded her head and pointed to the duffle bag. “I’m moving out today.”

Audrey nodded her head as if understanding. Even now Jolee was afraid to admit that he’d given her a nice fat welt on her backside from their confrontation this morning.

The bell jingled as the door opened. Jolee felt the warm air plummet to near freezing as a dark haired, olive-skinned man walked in. He was dressed in a very flattering business suit, but wore a wool coat over his clothes. Odd attire for such a warm, sunny day.

“Sweetie, can you take care of him?” Audrey asked. “I’ve got to go out back.”

Jolee nodded her head, rubbed her arms, and approached the unusual looking stranger.

“Can I help you?”

“Do you have black carnations?” he asked. His deep, baritone voice was smooth and soothing as he turned to face her.

In that moment Jolee noticed his eyes – cold, steel blue, the whites almost red, as if he was internally hot – smoldering – underneath.

“Ah, no. That’s just a myth, you know…” she stammered. She was caught off guard by his looks. There was a joke in the flower community having to do with carnations. They came in practically every color except black, and each one had a meaning. Yellow carnations meant friendship. Black carnations meant you wanted someone dead.

“I’ll take a dozen white carnations then,” he replied. “Thank you, Miss.”

Jolee nodded her head and went about preparing him a bouquet. He waited patiently, watching her every move with intense fascination. The transaction complete, he thanked her and walked toward the door, pausing suddenly to face her.

“There will be no regrets from him.”

“Huh? Who are you?” she asked. An uneasy feeling rumbled in her throat.

“Mephistopheles,” and with that cryptic reply, he waltzed out the door.

“Weirdo,” she muttered.

***

The day went on as usual. Jolee created baskets and filled orders. Just before closing a tall man walked into the shop, wearing a light windbreaker jacket that said, ‘police.’

“Jolee Smith?” he asked.

She nodded her head.

“Jack Drebin was found dead in your apartment today.”

Jolee was stunned. Her boyfriend! “How?”

From behind his back the officer brought out a black carnation. “Perhaps you could tell me?”

Twick or Tweet - History of Halloween

All right, so this picture doesn't embody the traditional Halloween "thingies" but it is kinda' spooky. It's downtown Budapest at night, and central Europe is still alive with storie of things that haunt the night.

With Halloween around the corner, I'd thought I'd look into the history of the spooky holiday.

Halloween has it's roots in an old Celtic harvest festival which took place at the end of the Celtic year called "Samhain." During this night it was believed that spirits returned to Earth to destroy the crops and play tricks on the living. Celtic Priests, known as Druids would sacrifice harvested crops to the gods to help keep these spirits away.

By the 800 AD, the Christian religion found the Celtic people. They brought "All Saint's Day," in an effort to exert their influence, thus "All Hallow's Eve" was born and was shortened to Halloween.

In the 1800's, the Irish immigrants brought Halloween with them to the US. It's through all these previous influences, that Halloween has grown into the holiday it is today.

A couple of interesting Halloween facts:

After Christmas, Halloween is the 2nd highest grossing retail holdiay in the US.

Harry Houduni died on Oct. 31, 1926. He was stabbed during a trick, I believe and didn't seek treatment for his injuries.

Samhainophobia is the name of the phobia for Halloween.

The Irish used to carve jack-o-lanterns out of turnips!

One quarter of the candy sold annually is for Halloween night.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/30/the-history-of-halloween_n_321021.html

Have a great Halloween. Anyone want to share what they want to be? I'm still looking for my costume. I want to wear a Star Trek the original series uniform. hehe. My boy Andrew is going to be the headless horseman and my son Joe is Wow Wow Wubzzy.

Smiles
Steph

Welcome Guest Author - Barbara Edwards

When the idea for Ancient Awakening came to me, I needed a special place for my characters to interact. Ancient Awakening is based in New England in the present. Not so difficult a venue since I grew up in the area, except the Rhodes End has a few quirks and is home to a host of paranormal creatures.

Rhodes End is located on a confluence of ley lines that draws magic and paranormal activity. Rhodes End dog-legs the North-Eastern corner of Connecticut, the hip pressing against Massachusetts while the paw scratches into Rhode Island.

Rhodes End fails to appear on many maps due to various boundary and settlement disputes. Less than an hour from Hartford and Providence, major highways to both Boston and New York City cut through the hills less than a mile away.

The ley lines are the same lines that pass under Stonehenge, the Great Pyramid, Machu Pichu and Anasazi ruins in Arizona. Their mystical power is recognized by ancient religions. The power existed before the Caucasian influx chased away the small tribes who used the site to call their spirits. Nothing is noted of the even older pictographs in the deep caves.

Farmers, shopkeepers, teachers and other townspeople live normal lives unaware of the ‘different’ ones. An ordinary tourist tooling up the scenic road may tell friends of the charming village, but only the harmless or the expected find it easily. The basic rules of space and time seem the same, but magic can occur along with paranormal activity. In fact, those with paranormal senses find them stronger, more reliable.

My heroine ‘Mel’ is a normal, hard-bitten cop, who prides herself on her common sense. My hero Steve is a scientist who believes in the facts he can prove. Being confronted with a dangerous creature that cannot exist makes them doubt all their preconceptions about what is ‘real’.

To accomplish this transition, I researched chromosomes, diseases, archeology, myths and traditions. I wanted my readers to understand why Rhodes End draws the strange and outlandish. Power pulses in the air for those who are aware.

Barbara Edwards

Ancient Awakening, a Black Rose

www.barbaraedwards.net

http://barbaraedwards.net/blog/blog.asp for Barb'Ed Comments

Here a Blurb: Police Officer Melanie Petersen is the only one who believes a suspicious death is murder. By disobeying direct orders from the Rhodes End Chief, she risks her career to follow clues that twist in circles to her backyard and lead the killer to her. Her neighbor Stephan Zoriak is a prime suspect. While working for a major pharmaceutical company, he is exposed to a dangerous organism that changed him. He suspects he is the killer and agrees to help Mel find the truth when the deaths continue. In the course of their investigation Mel and Steve find more death and continued distrust that make them wonder if love can defy death.

Excerpt:

Legend gave him many names, but the wide halls of his mountain retreat no longer
echoed with countless worshipers. He could have ruled the world had his ambition
not died with the passage of time. The endless whispers were from the cold winds
and the few praying priests. He didn’t care that he couldn’t remember his real name
or birthplace.

For an eon he’d regretted the loss of softer emotions. Love had been the first feeling
to die, along with the woman who had insisted he would never harm her. He couldn’t
recall her features just the merry tinkle of her laughter and the bright smile she
had greeted him with every morning. He licked his lips. She’d tasted sweet.

Fierce need flared in his gut and he sniffed the air. Outside his chamber a single
acolyte in long brown robes waited to escort him. His mouth curved with a mirthless
smile. The silent servants had ignited the flickering wall torches. Shadows jumped and shivered in the drafty halls like nervous virgins.

A look at Ebook Readers

Well, I don't have an ebook reader - at least not yet, but ebooks are gaining in popularity and ebook reader's are a must. The most I hear about is the Kindle. Here's the stats on the new Kindle from the Kindle home page:

Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback

Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

3G Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle; no annual contracts, no monthly fees, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

International Coverage: Enjoy 3G wireless coverage at home or abroad in over 100 countries.

Paper-Like Display: Reads like real paper without glare, even in bright sunlight

Carry Your Library: Holds up to 1,500 books

Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging

Of course, there are more features, I'm being brief here. I like all these features and more. The new Kindle is weighing in at $259. So....is it worth it?

*******

I have a Kindle app for the IPhone and in fact, I read Rita's Hestand, "Runaway Bride" off my Kindle app. I liked the conviencence (sp) of it. Since I take my phone everywhere, my book went with me. And it opened up at the touch of a button. I bought it at the touch of a button and it's hooked up to my Amazon account. There wasn't too much glare and the font was easy on my easy.

Who says I need an ebook reader, right?

*********

Then there's the Sony Ebook reader. They have a touch edition and the cost is only $199. The screen is 6" and it has access to Google books. It is compable with many ebook stores and has 5 different sizes for text. There's a 2 week battery with audio/picture player and the memory can be expanded.

I like this too. So it doesn't have access to Amazon's library. That is probably the only set back.

*******

Then I found the Barnes & Noble Nook. It's not available yet. Maybe Christmas? I wasn't sure. It has lots of features comparable to the other readers and access to the Barnes & Noble ebook library. It's got a touch screen and the battery will last 10 w/o wireless. Mind you, wireless sucks the life out of batteries, trust me on this.

Here's a link to the top 10 ebook readers - mind you this link is PRICEY and quite honestly, I don't want to spend over $250 for my ebook reader.

http://ebook-reader-review.toptenreviews.com/

Ebook readers shout out. What ebook reader do you have? What's the TOP 3 features you LIKE about it. What did you think of the price. Do you find having access to Amazon, Google Books or B&N convientent or a deciding factor in your decision to get one? Love to hear your thoughts.

Steph

Excerpt Monday - The Wolf's Torment

THE WOLF'S TORMENT

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought I'd post a excerpt from my "scary" fantasy, "The Wolf's Torment."

The Set up: Prince Mihai finds out his friend, Viktor, has a dark secret.

********

“Do you believe in myths? Vampires? Werewolves? I never did, though I heard many tales about them growing up,” Viktor said.

Mihai felt a cold shiver run own his spine, recalling the old witch’s pursuit of his mother. Had something similar happened to Viktor? No wonder his friend was distressed. Mihai grew distant, sensing Viktor had something to tell him that involved those repugnant legends.

“I’ve heard tales. The one that intrigued me the most was where a deadly plague ravished a village in Carpathia in the dark ages. Everyone died except the son of the count who oversaw the village. The son was changed somehow from the plague, and when he grew up, one offshoot of his children became vampires, the other werewolves. There’s more to the myth, but I’m being brief. Why do you ask?”

“I have been bitten by a werewolf, Mihai.”

Mihai got to his feet, stunned. Not his best friend! How could such foulness touch him? His eyes raked over Viktor, drinking in his friend’s features. Viktor was a man, but a werewolf was sly and cunning, a beast that, if left untamed, would ravish those he cared for.

Mihai lunged at Viktor, choking him. “Damn you. How could you let this happen?”

Viktor’s hands clamped around Mihai’s wrists, and with relative ease, he pushed Mihai backwards, causing him to crash into one of the posts of the gazebo.

“That wasn’t the reaction I expected from a friend.”

“How can you be a friend to me now? You don’t understand—!”

“Then explain it to me, Mihai. I have built a life here in Moldavia and I don’t want it taken from me.” Viktor balled his hands into fists.

Mihai drew in a deep breath. “I didn’t tell you the entire truth about my mother’s death. Yes, there was a carriage accident, but she was being pursued by a witch. It was a witch that slew her, and I witnessed it.”

“Why was a witch after the Queen of Moldavia?” Viktor asked.

“My mother had been promised into servitude to the witch as a little girl,” Mihai said.

Even now, at this moment, when Viktor was being totally truthful with him, Mihai couldn’t confess to his own mother being a witch. Not even to his closest friend. How could he? Viktor was a wolf, and Mihai had heard several tales of the werewolf’s cunning nature.

“I see. The witch took no pity on your mother, and the bastard who did this took no pity on me either. I have transformed. Sonia witnessed this. She’s so upset she won’t let me touch her, and I fear I might have tried to harm her in my unnatural state.” A tear escaped from Viktor’s eye.

Mihai stood there, rocked by his friend’s confession and his own painful memories of the night his mother died. How could he let such a beast into his home? How could he not? Viktor loved Sonia, yet even now his confession spoke of the werewolf’s inability to control his actions.

“How dangerous are you?” Mihai asked.

“I don’t know. But there’s more - Sonia is pregnant with my child.”

******

The Wolf's Torment is available at http://www.amazon.com

Book Review Friday - Runaway Bride

Book Review for “Runaway Bride”
Written by: Rita Hestand
Desert Breeze Publishing
ISBN: 1-936000-33-4
Ebook Format
$5.99
4 Stars

Hestand crafts a sweet, poignant romance about the power of love in her latest release, “Runaway Bride.” Savannah Kingsley comes from a rich family, but she has a lot to learn about herself and love before she’s ready to get married.

Hestand drops the reader in the middle of Savannah’s problems. Her BMW breaks down in the middle of rural Texas and she’s forced to hop on a bus to get to the next town after skipping out on her own wedding. Enter Ben Hogg. As he watches Savannah get on the bus his attraction is immediate. Despite Savannah’s disheveled appearance Ben offers to help her.

Savannah stays with Ben until she’s able to put together a short-term plan with what she wants to do with her life. Despite their strong attraction, Savannah and Ben both have trust issues. Can Ben tame Savannah’s restless heart, or will he break it into a thousand pieces?

The plot moves at a nice clip, slowing down in just the right places to let the reader breathe. Savannah is a likable heroine and I like the thought put into her name – evoking a southern royalty feel. It gives insight into her character. Savannah’s parents have done almost everything for her from paying for college, getting her a job, and even picking out the man she was going to marry. Savannah’s shock at finding her fiancé with someone else on her wedding day is just the stimulus she needs to take charge of her life and her discoveries are discoveries readers can identify and sympathize with.

Ben is also a likable hero. As the sheriff of Junction, he’s honest, genuine, and cares about the people he serves. Hestand brings out complexities in subtle ways. He likes flowers which shows a softer side to him, yet his ex-wife hurt him badly. Ben embodies the quintessential southern lawman right down to his name. Hestand has painted rich characters in “Runaway Bride” and it shows.

Hestand’s writing style is easy to read and leaves the reader flipping the pages wanting to find out what happens next. The heat factor is “sweet” to “sensual,” ranging from steamy kisses to seductive touches which are tastefully done.

Hestand does a good job with her dialogue. It moves the story forward and feels genuine. “Runaway Bride” doesn’t run from anything. It’s a journey about discovery and the things Savannah learns about herself are heartwarming, heart breaking, and real. Overall, “Runaway Bride” is a solid character driven romance.

The NaNoWriMo Plunge

Well, I'm taking the plunge and participating the National Novel Writing Month this year. This is my first time, so I'm a little nervous and anxious, but I'm also excited as well. The project I'll be "noveling" about is called, "The Count's Lair." This is a paranormal romance and it's book 2 in my "Hungarian Moon" series.

Here's the blub:

Can a man haunted by an ancient curse fall in love? That’s what Count Anton Varga dares to explore when he meets beautiful and talented Lady Amelia Andrássy. Anton rediscovers Amelia in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, giving a concert and he hungers to pursue her, only he has a secret which he fears she will not accept. With the help and support of his friend and servant, Georg, Anton decides to win Amelia’s heart. Will the journey bring him the love he’s hungered for, or will it tear his heart apart?

****

I first heard of NaNoWriMo when I signed up on Writing.com. At first I thought it was an ambitious goal, and I still do. Trying to get 50,000 words in month will be a challenge for me considering my other commitments - real life, my kids, my job... but writing is a passion for me and I'm really into Anton & Amelia's story so I'm looking forward to this. I haven't wanted to tackle a writing project for NaNoWriMo until now. I figure it will help motivate me to get a good chunk of the writing done.

NaNoWriMo supports young writers and they ask if you're willing to be sponsored, which I am. My goal is ambitious for me - $200.00. I hope to make it, but I know that it might be challenging given today's economic climate. As per their current stat, only 3.71 of those sponsored have earned over $81,000 which I think is great. If anyone would like to sponsor me, let me know. Send me an email and I'll send you a link.

NaNo's first year was 1999. They wrote in July and were out of the San Franscisco Bay area. The next year they got a website. In 2001 they saw a large increase in participants. Since then it's just taken off. In 2007 they had over 100,000 participants and over 15,000 reached the 50,000 word goal. Fantastic.

For NaNoWriMo, it's not the quality of work - it's the quanity. Put it down on your writing program and don't worry about editing it until December. NaNoWriMo will give you the skelton of a novel, you fill in the rest later.

Their website offers a lot of support. If you want to check out my home on NaNoWriMo, become a writing buddy, or just say "Hi." You can find me here at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/526402

It's all about the written word.

Steph