Swept Away - Day Four - Time to say good-bye

Today is the fourth and final day of the Swept Away Valentine's Day Blog Hop. I hope everyone has had great fun visiting with familiar authors and meeting new ones. Today I'm going to talk about the couple who star in my newest release, Revelations, that was published by Museit Up Publishing on February 8th. Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ. To some, that might seem a surprising choice, maybe even a shocking one. But it was one that felt very right to me.








Revelations takes place in modern times, but the story actually began over two thousand years ago. That's how long Judas has been in love with Jesus. But  he's never had the nerve to tell him. That's understandable. Being in love with the son of God must be rather intimidating. Add to that Judas was given the role of "the betrayer", his part in the drama being clearly laid out as to what he is to do, and for which he has long been reviled.

But now something is stirring inside of Judas. He decides that he is tired of seeing Jesus die far too young - he believes he deserves to live a long and happy life and die peacefully in his bed. And he's determined to make that happen, even if he has to go against the script to do it - and even if he has to make a deal with the devil himself.

I first wanted to tell Judas' story some forty years ago, but I didn't have the words yet, and there was much I needed to learn. I read and I watched and I listened. Then one day, Judas began to speak to me. And the result was Revelations.

I offer Revelations with love. Here's a little excerpt between Judas and Jesus.

My amazing cover done by Marion Sipe

“Goddammit, Jesus…”

            “Please don't take the name of my father in vain…”

           

            His words are serious, but his eyes twinkle. How many times is he going to say that to me, how many times has he already said it, knowing how very much I hate it? And yet I gaze into those soulful dark eyes—so inky, inkier than the darkest night sky I’ve ever seen, which is saying something as I’ve seen quite a few in my time…times…whatever— and I drown in their liquid depths once again. That voice—a silken purr that wraps me around his fingers in the most complicated geometric progressions; like a human cat’s cradle he manipulates my soul with consummate skill. As well as my fluttering emotions.

            “Gah! You’re impossible!” I quickly retreat, taking refuge within myself, fearful lest he attempt to follow me, pierce the vulnerability of this protective shell I’ve built about myself. Not that taking flight will help—and well I know it—for he is all-seeing, all-knowing, everlastingly immortal and all of that. Not to mention he possesses the only key to my heart, thereby making any attempts on my part to lock the door behind me futile. So why do I even try?

            Because my heart tells me if I don’t, I shall be eternally damned.

            He ruffles my hair lightly. What a contrast we make, he and I. For at least the millionth time I ponder what genetic quirk has filled him with the darkest of shadows, while I possess the airy lightness generally attributed to the heavenly beings that wait upon his father; when everyone from the most innocent of babes to the oldest of senior citizens knows he is goodness incarnate, he is the salvation of our world, while I’m the evil one, the liar, the betrayer—the Judas.

            “Lighten up,” he admonishes me. He reaches down and lays a soft kiss upon my lips, and then turns his profile to the rising sun. What does he see, as he watches that distant ball of fire begin its daily ascent into the heavens, what does he think? This too shall all be mine someday?  Or does he even think in those terms?  Knowing Jesus, he’s thinking how marvelous the growing sun feels upon his bare skin—not pale and washed out like mine, but a beautiful brown, evenly distributed over his lithe young body, a result of his fondness for bathing in the caress of Sol’s rays. Whereas no matter how often I lay beside him beneath that same blazing star, the most I can hope for is a temporary tan once the sunburn fades, followed by an inevitable return to pallid winter white. Not even a creamy white, which would be somewhat acceptable, even if a bit girly, but a corpselike hue that makes me look like I just escaped from the morgue.

            “You’re evading the issue. As usual.” I attempt to bring the conversation back to where it began. He has such an ability to throw me into a tizzy, to derail my very thoughts. Does he do it on purpose; is this something conscious within him? And is it just me he does this to? Do I want it to be just me? Am I so very possessive and jealous-minded that I’m hoping he saves this convoluted irrational form of love for me and me alone? Yes, I think I am—and the idea he belongs solely to me, even though an unrealistic, idealistic one, pleases me most mightily, and warms the very cockles of my heart—my Lord, did I really just say that? Apparently so.

            “Am I, Jude?” he asks absentmindedly, disregarding my tone, and ignoring my frown as I glower at his profile. He knows I hate the nickname he’s fastened upon me—and yet he continues to use it. If I dare to object, he simply gives me one of his warm, fulfilling glances, and says, “But everyone loves the Beatles! Lennon was where it was at, dude!” And if I retaliate by calling him Jesu, Jeez, or even Su on rare occasions, he only laughs, ’cause nothing bothers him, he is a veritable Buddha—serene, spiritual, and unflappable.

            “Yes, you are, and if you keep staring like that, you’ll burn your retinas out.” I’m simply being irrational now. I know that no matter how long he fastens his gaze upon yon distant heavenly body, his eyesight shall remain happily and gloriously intact—for he is His son, after all, and Perfect—with a capital P and that rhymes with B, and that stands for beautiful. “And don’t call me Jude…”

“Oh but Jude, it suits you so well,” he parries, “I’ve always said you look like a Jude, and you are a Jude—my Jude, aren’t you? My pretty, sweet Jude, even though the others call you vain, pompous, arrogant, and traitorous. They don’t see the real you. They don’t see the Jude I see, do they? You save that side of yourself for me, I think, for me and me alone…”   His radiant smile takes whatever sting might lie within his words away—not to mention he’s totally correct.  That is what the others think of me, have long felt about me, for having infallibly played out the part that is mine, down to the very letter of the script set before us. He and he alone understands, and forgives me for it.

            “Dammit!” I snarl, heeding his admonition and leaving his father’s name out of my curse —this time. “Why must you twist everything around so prettily, why do you seek to confuse me with your sweet asides which have no bearing whatsoever on the topic at hand? Why will you not address this issue—for once in your life?”

            “Which life?” he teases, but he casts his eyes down, and I watch as a sigh passes through his frame, a soft shudder that runs from head to toe, and I restrain myself from simply putting my arms around him and telling him everything will be all right. I can’t do that, can’t put voice to the lie, when he and I both know it won’t be, we’re simply going through the cycle again, and the end is ordained and inevitable. But just this once I’d like to change the journey just a little bit, which is what I’m attempting to do, in my own inimitable way.

Revelations is available through Museit Up, as well as at Amazon, ARe and other retailers. I hope you enjoy it, and I'd love to hear from you!

I've enjoyed having you visit my blog, do come again! I will announce the winners of both blog hops on Wednesday before my newest piece of flash fiction. 

Until then, take care!

♥ Julie

Guest Blogger Marion Sipe

Good morning and welcome! It's rainy, rainy day in St. Louis so why don't we welcome my guest blogger/cover artist Marion Sipe, whose amazing talent wrought the cover for Revelations, make a fire and get cozy while Marion answers my infamous Rick Reed questions? Then maybe she'll talk about herself as a cover artist!

The Questions

1)      You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

Well, that would have to be the fiancé and a mega-case of duct tape, because you can do anything with that stuff!  Of course, I think we’d have to take our time figuring out how to make a boat out of it.  After all, you can’t let a deserted island go to waste and a mega-case of duct tape go to waste!

2)      Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

Oh, dear… Hmm.  I’m not sure.  I’m not that well versed in musicals, and generally I take things in bits and pieces.  Let’s go with Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  I know!  It’s sacrilege!  But  what bookworm doesn’t love a girl who reacts that way to a library?

3)      Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them:  cap, rhetorical, smoked

Whodunnit.  A man is found murdered wearing a baseball cap for a team he owned and recently sold.  It was put on him by someone who was there after he was dead because the head wound he died from is beneath it.  There’s a partially burned slip of paper near the body and the smell of smoke in the air, but the only readable word is “rhetorical?”

4)      You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why?

Sherlock Holmes.  No question.  Because smart is really sexy.  Of course, he’s also very, very moody, so I probably wouldn’t stick around long.  But that would be my first stop!  Of course, then I’d hope for a long layover (*ahem*) in the Tardis.  *G*

   5)   What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

A long night out, a lovely brunch in the Quarter, and then a lazy day in bed.  Can’t go wrong there.

   6)    When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

That’s a tough one.  I always have a general idea of both before I start writing.  I know what the setup is going to be (the beginning and the ending) and I have a general idea of who I’ll be writing about.  For me, the two are really closely linked.  A given character, dealing with a given scenario is the story.  I may come up with an idea that’s just plot or just a character sketch, but before I start writing I know both.

7)      If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

Maggie Smith.  That woman rocks like a rockin’ thing.  She’s always feisty and awesome.  I hope to live up to that standard.  *G*

8)      Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

Candyman.  Because Tony Todd is awesome, sexy and (in that role) utterly, utterly terrifying.

   9)    Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?

I can’t think of one, actually.  There are a number of historical figures I think it would be fantastic to meet, but I’d need to get to know them before I could develop a crush.  Cleopatra seems pretty freakin’ awesome, but so do Oscar Wilde, Albert Einstein, Vivienne Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Nikola Tesla, Joan of Arc… Oh, dear, I could go on for while here…

10)   Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

Honestly, I don’t give a damn.  *G*  I just write my stories and if the world isn’t ready for them that isn’t my problem.  They sell or they don’t.  I can’t get caught up in worrying how people react or I’d never write anything.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, Marion?

Bio:

Marion Sipe is a graphic artist, writer and poet.  She’s been on both sides of the cover, and knows what it’s like to be putting out a book.  She loves composition and color, alliteration and syntax, and is also somewhat obsessively in love with worldbuilding.  She works with a various publishing companies and private clients, creating cover art and promotional artwork for some of the best books around.  She lives in New Orleans with her handsome prince and pack of vicious guard cats.  Okay… sleepy guard cats.

Links: 

Website: http://marionsipe.blogspot.com/
Video Portfolio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsB8r5kFEQ4


See how talented she is? She's having a sale at her site, so take advantage of it and check it out. While we're at it, let's take another peek at her work!

And because I love it so much, I'm going to show off the cover of Revelations again!

Thanks for stopping by, Marion! You are an amazing cover artist! I hope to work with you again some day! And thanks for your recommendation of Candyman. I'm definitely going to check that out!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Celebration time - Revelations is here!

This day has long been waited for, and anxiously, by a number of people, including myself and my friends and loyal readers.And now it's here! Revelations is a happening thing! Today is release day and it's time to party. Like it's 1999 or 1699 or even 99 BC!

Revelations is available here!

This book has been more than forty years in the making. No I didn't spend that long writing it. It took a great deal of thought. I know I've told this story on other blogs, but I'm going to tell it here, so make yourselves at home!

The idea was born many years ago. Over forty, actually. When I was a teenager. Back then, it didn’t have a name, and it had no real shape. But I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell the story of Judas Iscariot. The trouble was I didn’t know how.

What drew me to Judas, is probably what you’re asking yourself, and that’s a valid question. Ask anyone else who Judas is and you’ll get answers that are probably all variations on a theme of betrayal. I’m not sure exactly when I began to question that, but I do know that when I saw Jesus Christ Superstar performed live back in 1971 (or thereabouts), I had an epiphany regarding him. I saw him, not as the bad guy as often portrayed, but someone who not only believed in Jesus but was willing to do what he needed him to do. For without Judas’ “betrayal” of Jesus, the story would not have worked out the way it did. It needed to happen that way. And if you read the Gospel of Judas, he was the only apostle who trusted Jesus enough to do that for him. Gives one food for thought, doesn’t it?

Very interesting, but where’s the story, I wondered. Was I going to take an historical perspective, research the man and his life? Easier said than done, especially back then. We had no Internet. We didn’t even have computers. Research was all done through books. Libraries had card catalogs, a far cry from today when you can log onto your library website and browse their selection, then request what you want. So I looked and I found bupkus (nothing). I had the Bible, of course, but it tends to be limited on information, as well as a bit biased.

So nothing was written, and I let it go, as my thoughts formulated in the back of my head. In the meantime, I was reading, watching… and learning. King of Kings was my first Biblical movie, and I loved it. Jeffrey Hunter’s portrayal of Jesus is very moving, and I was very enamored of the film. Jesus Christ Superstar – I think I know all the words, I’ve listened so many times. I liked the stage version, but the first film not so much.

Besides watching these things and others, I read. Christopher Moore’s Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. What a fabulous book! I loved it! So much I bought the special edition. And I read The Gospel of Judas! Forty years ago I’d never heard of such a thing. Of course I read the DaVinci Code, and watched the movie. And everything began to percolate inside my head…

Then one day it happened. Judas spoke to me, for the first time. And I simply began to write it down, not knowing what he might say, or where his story might lead. It turned out to be quite the story and took me on quite the journey, and led to places that I didn’t expect it to. If he’d have spoken forty years ago, I would not have been ready to receive his message. But my life up until the moment that I first heard him speak prepared me. And the result is Revelations.

The original title was Kyrie Eleison, a tribute to the Mister Mr. song, Kyrie. Kyrie eleison means Christ, have mercy on us. But then fellow author Marie Sexton, who was reading Kyrie for me at the time, suggested a simpler title. A better title. Revelations. So Revelations it became.

I know there are people who will not like Revelations, and by extension, me. People who will not see the message it carries, only that it does not follow what they believe. But ultimately, no matter what you believe, Revelations is a story of love. Love is the message, and love is something that binds us all together.

Revelations is love.

I'd like to celebrate Revelations release with you. Oh, I almost forgot! I have a book trailer:  

I hope you like it! I'd like to giveaway a copy of Revelations to someone! All I ask is that you comment, and tell me what you think about the book, or anything related to Revelations. And don't forget your email address!

Also, as part of my celebration, I'm guesting at two blogs:  Chris T. Kat and Marie Sexton. Stop by and say hello!

I'll announce the winner in a week. And I haven't forgotten the Backlist Bloghop. I'll be announcing that soon too!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Guest Blogger Kelly Whitley

Please welcome one of my Muse authors as well as my friend, Kelly Whitley! She's visiting here today to do two things - bravely answer my infamous Rick Reed questions, and talk about her fabulous vampire novel, Into the Red. Before we start, I'd just like to say that her book creates a very unique world of vampires, with an interesting take on them. Not to mention that she has one damn hot vampire as her hero too!  Okay, Kelly, I'll grab us some drinks, why don't you start with the questions?

Oh, I almost forgot. At the end of the post, you'll find a way to win a copy of Into The Red!

The Questions for Julie Lynn Hayes

1)      You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

Hmm…The item is a Kindle with wireless, because I have to have my books, and I could write on it if I wanted to.

The person is harder. I’d want someone who could provide sparkling conversation, excellent cooking, and “enjoyable” nights. Can’t say there’s a real person out there to fill the bill I have in mind.

2)      Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you? Lordy. My Fair Lady. I’d be Eliza Doolittle. : >D

3)      Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them:  copper, grammatical, print In the warehouse, the wet penny odor of blood mixed with the oily haze of diesel fumes and burnt metal. Cold, isolated, dark. No one had heard a thing. The copper pipe lay in the grit on the floor, three feet from a pair of broken glasses and the body of a hefty gentleman who no longer had the face to set them on. A note sat on his chest, plain copy paper with “YOLO, sucker” in crude print. Yeah, this killer wasn’t exactly a grammatical fanatic.

4)      You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why? Yeow. No idea.

   5)    What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other? Talking over coffee, clothing optional.

   6)    When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot? A plot idea—one sentence. But I can’t start until I get the main hero nailed down.

   

7)    If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you? Mmm…now that’s a bit of a dilemma. I’d like to say Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn, which’d make it a posthumous performance for either of them.

    8)    Who’s your favorite horror villain and why? Dracula. Because he’s the guy who triggered my interest in vampires so many years ago—the old black and white films. Bela Lugosi.

9)      Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it? I’d have to say Wyatt Earp. Nothing like an old time law man.

10)   Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it? Sure. But maybe the world will change before I’m too decrepit to pound computer keys.

Now, tell us a little about Into the Red, will you please, Kelly?

Genre: Paranormal romantic suspense

Buy links: Muse It Up Publishing   Amazon  

Blurb:

Human blood is an illicit and highly addictive drug--if you're a vampire. Known as Red, its side effects are insanity, and eventual death. A group of Red-addicted vampires known as Poisoners are killing women as part of an extortion plot involving a lost ancient vampiric tome, and they’re leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. The discovery of each new victim risks exposure of the entire vampire race to humans. Then one victim survives…

Dr. Evan Nichols, oncologist and vampire, lives a monk-like existence, by his own choice, focusing on patient care and research to benefit his vampire brethren. It’s been twenty-five years since his world turned upside down—the night he lost his fiancee and discovered his hidden vampire heritage. Now his government has ordered him to take a mate—or they’ll choose one for him. It’s a horrible prospect, and one that might push him over the edge—until Fate throws him together with a human female.

Wary of relationships, Tara West has poured her energies into work and inventing cutting edge climbing equipment. She doesn’t like the gorgeous Dr. Nichols, yet finds herself unaccountably drawn to him.

When a crazed vampire attacks and poisons Tara, Evan rescues her. With time running out, he has to create an antidote to the poison before he loses his chance at love.

In order to make the vaccine which might cure her, he has to find the bastards who poisoned her and take their venom—before they die of their addiction. If he doesn’t reach them in time, saving her will be impossible.

Thus the journey begins—into the Red!

website

Amazon Author Page

Excerpt:

The caged light above the emergency exit cast a pallid purple glow over the alley and the pair coupling against the brick wall. Barely twenty feet away he watched, hunkered down in the murk of the shadows, thinking about the merits of killing them both, or waiting for the girl to be alone.

The bar catered to the darker element; men who came to drink, drug, and fornicate. Dangerous men. Men who committed violent crimes as easily as they breathed. Few women frequented this establishment. Most of the females present worked there as waitresses with benefits for purchase, for the men with sex on their minds.

Management took a cut of everything—the liquor, the drugs, and the sex. He also knew the management dictated who did what to whom and when, so it had been just a matter of time before a pair left the bar for the privacy of the alley.

The guy from inside the bar was clean, well-dressed in something other than biker gear and blue jeans, and wasn’t drunk or high.

Which was better than usual.

Hidden, he watched while the man finished and then disappeared back inside. The girl stayed in the alley. A match flared as she lit a cigarette and walked in tight circles by the back door. Based on his observations, he knew she wanted to attract a customer who didn’t come from the bar.

A quickie.

She didn’t realize she’d just sealed her own fate. It would be a quickie. A hell of a quickie.

He separated from the shadows and approached her from the end of the alley. He wasn’t clean, well dressed, or sober.

Which was worse than usual.

But he did have fifty bucks. He bit back a laugh as he caught the expression on her face—half victory, half revulsion. She took his money, tucking it into her bra before turning to face the rough brick of the building.

He leaned into her, pressing her chest against the alley wall and inhaling the smell of her neck as he yanked up her skirt and entered her from behind. He ran his hands over her body, relishing the feel of her soft skin as he plunged into her, ignoring her little yips of pain.

As he slammed into her and finished, the leech of his addiction demanded satisfaction, and he snaked an arm around her throat. For a moment she didn’t react, then the fragrance of her relief gave way to the smoky scent of panic. She lashed out, connecting with the unforgiving brick wall. Her struggles kicked his anticipation into overdrive, and he sank his teeth into the exploding pulse of her fear.

Within a few seconds, her legs gave out, leaving her limp against the wall; he supported her around the waist. Anyone encountering the scene would assume they’d not yet concluded their transaction. The ache of withdrawal eased its way into euphoria as the Red hit his bloodstream.

With jerky movements, he laid the body out of sight behind the filthy packing boxes before grafting himself to the shadows.

Soon, another couple would exit the bar for an outdoor tryst.

And he’d be watching.

Now here's how you can win a copy of this amazing book. Leave a comment answering one of these questions:  What sort of a doctor is vampire Evan Nichols or What is the drug called Red made of? Don't forget to leave your email address!

Thank  you so much for stopping by, Kelly! I can't wait to read more of your vamps! What a fascinating world you've created! Please come back soon!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Guest Blogger Janie Franz

Please join me in welcoming fellow Muse author Janie Franz to Full Moon Dreaming. She is going to talk about her newest release, Verses. Make yourself comfortable, Janie. Why don't you go ahead and start?

Blurb:

Eleven summers after Jan-nell the bowdancer left her daughter Mira-nell with the sisterhood of hunters on the mountain and came to live with Khrin to raise their son, Bearin, she is called by the sisterhood to find their origins.

The first clue is a bit of song Jan-nell learns at the deathbed of the oldest woman in the sisterhood’s village. Jan-nell and her companions seek the origins of the mysterious women on the mountain through the verses of a song.

Master hunter Bekar and master trackfinder Chandro accompany Jan-nell and Bearin on a quest for the lost song that takes them from their local inn out across the landscape of their world as they meet bee spinners and kings and risk their lives to achieve their goal.

Excerpt:

Jan-nell frowned into her tea. “I never did craft the story-song of your history.”

“Well, that is one of the reasons Leyton sent me down in the middle of hunting. She wants you to hear Dekla’s gossip before the old woman passes into the winter snows. Leyton says there is a song that no one has heard.”

“Is Dekla dying?”

“Not yet, but she is ill, and at her age, we do not know if this might be the time the Maker will take her.”

A hail interrupted their conversation, and they looked up to see young Bearin, coming across the meadowland with his bow and quiver across his back. Striding beside him was another tall woman in hunting leathers like Chandro’s, also bearing a long bow and quiver and something suspended from a cord over her shoulder and falling behind her back. The woman’s dark hair had been shaved on one side of her head and hung down to her mid ear on the other side. She moved with a catlike grace, and young Bearin was making a good show of copying her agile movements.

Jan-nell stood and ran to meet Bearin, stopping short of enfolding him in her arms.

“Is the old woman failing?”

“She is ill, and Leyton worries that she may pass before she can tell Jan-nell the gossip from the first mothers about our coming to the mountain.”

“She wants a story-song then?”

Chandro nodded again. “She has finally agreed.”

Bekar bit into a crisp cucumber, relishing the new taste. “Hmm.” Then she turned to Jan-nell. “I would like to know how we came here and why. I feel there is something we should all know, but it has been kept from us. We did not have feasts and music before you and Mira-nell came, or ways to mark our life passages, except for when we have our first moon and become women or when a few take their places among the hunters.”

“At least Mira-nell has that affirmation. She would not get it here.” Jan-nell cast Khrin a look. “They would be plotting who she should wed by now—if not preparing the ceremony as we speak.”

Khrin held up his hands. “It is not my doing. My mother likes weddings and babes.”

Chandro’s eyes rested on Bearin. “Do they plot who you will wed?” she asked the boy.

“If I would listen,” he said.

“What?” Jan-nell turned to him.

“I do not bother you with their talk. Granddame’s sister has a girl my age that she thinks is fair.”

“But she is kin?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “They do not count kin that far from Granddame. Besides, though she is fair, she cannot think. What would I have to say to such a one?”

“There will be a time where thinking is not what is most in your mind when you look upon a girl,” Chandro counseled.

Frowning at the trackfinder, Jan-nell continued. “You have seen her?”

The boy gave a nod.

“And?”

Bearin looked confused. “What?”

Khrin shook his head, grinning “I do not know if your mother is more shocked that she did not know about this or that she does not know what instructions you have been given about girls.”

“Well, it is obvious somebody has been filling his head with something!” Jan-nell snapped. “I do not wish him to have a houseful of babes before he has explored the world and found what lies in his heart.”

Bekar chuckled, and Jan-nell turned her growing anger on the hunter, glaring fiercely at her.

“Forgive,” Bekar said. “Be at peace.” She turned to the boy. “Tell us what you have learned about girls.”

Jan-nell raised an eyebrow at Bekar’s words.

Bearin looked up at his teacher. “It depends on the girl. Some are silly though they may be beautiful. Some are wise though they may look like a goat. Some are noble and kind, and some are devious and can never be happy no matter how much is given to them. Some have talents, though they may be in the domestic arts, while some are clever and strong and know men’s work. Both kinds can work alongside any man. Girls—women are as diverse as men.”

“And what of pairings—wedded or not?”

He shrugged again. “Just as varied.” He looked at every face. “As are families. Are we not a family around this table?”

“Yes, we are,” Khrin stated and reached for his mug of tea. He held it up as if to give a toast.

Bekar smiled and held up her mug. Bearin hoisted his aloft. Chandro looked at Jan-nell and raised her mug. Moving her eyes from face to face, Jan-nell finally raised her mug. “To our family,” Khrin said in firm tones.

They all drank. When they had replaced their mugs, Khrin asked Bearin another question. “These pairings? Are they between boys and girls—er, men and women only?”

“Khrin.” Jan-nell gave a warning in her tone.

Bekar leaned away from the table as if to watch what would unfold and allow the boy a clear view of his mother.

Bearin did indeed study his mother’s face and then passed his eyes over Chandro and finally rested them on Khrin, who looked worried. He shot Bekar a glance that was more question than observation. Bekar nodded once. The boy looked again at his father’s face. “Be at peace, Father. I know where you go, and I know that Mother’s heart has not been here but up on the mountain. There is love here, though, and I feel it from both of you—and from Bekar, who is my mother-kin. But as for me, I do not know who will capture my heart. I cannot bother now because there is too much to learn, and I do wish Granddame would stop trying to make a match for me. I do not think my heart could stay for long with one of these girls, though I might one day wish to give it.”

Bekar clapped the boy on the back and dug once more into her mashed parsnips and prairie hen.

Chandro cleared her throat. “So, Jan-nell and I will leave on the morrow to go up mountain to hear old Dekla’s gossip. Will you be coming, Bekar?”

The hunter shook her head. “I am showing Bearin how to lay traps along the animal trails. We need to check them on the morrow.”

“How long will you be gone?” Bearin asked.

Still thinking about Bearin’s words, Jan-nell struggled back to the topic of her trip up mountain. “I would think several days.”

Bearin frowned. “I wish I could travel with you. I would like to meet my sister one day.”

Bekar closed her eyes as if she had heard the request before.

Chandro tried to comfort. “She will soon take her place among the hunters as a trackfinder in one or two more summers. Perhaps then I will bring her down mountain.”

The boy nodded but was not appeased. Bekar put her arm around the boy’s shoulders and pulled him into the briefest of hugs. “Some day,” she said, and he nodded again.

 http://www.terrypeakphotography.com 

Buy link:

http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=577&category_id=60&manufacturer_id=68&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

 Thanks for stopping by, Janie!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Six Sentence Sunday 1-27-13

This is the last Six Sentence Sunday, at least until someone else picks it up and runs with it. I hope someone does. But until that happens, we'll have to go under the assumption that this is the last one. So I am going to use another six sentences from my upcoming release, Revelations, which comes out February 8th, and is available for pre-order here.  If you want to see the other six sentence authors, you can go here.  In this scene, it's Judas and Jesus, and Judas is being castigated for his language. Enjoy!

           “Goddammit, Jesus…”

            “Please don't take the name of my father in vain…”

           

            His words are serious, but his eyes twinkle. How many times is he going to say that to me, how many times has he already said it, knowing how very much I hate it? And yet I gaze into those soulful dark eyes—so inky, inkier than the darkest night sky I’ve ever seen, which is saying something as I’ve seen quite a few in my time…times…whatever— and I drown in their liquid depths once again. That voice—a silken purr that wraps me around his fingers in the most complicated geometric progressions; like a human cat’s cradle he manipulates my soul with consummate skill. 

Looking ahead at 2013, American Horror Story and more

I spent last  night with Sarah, having a quiet New Year's Eve. We ate pizza and chicken wings from Little Caesar's (you can't beat a $5 pizza!), smoked Gouda, and crab dip that I made (the recipe is very easy. I took a brick of cream cheese and softened it, added garlic salt and pepper and spread it on a plate, then I took a bottle of cocktail sauce and mixed it with two cans of crab meat and spread it over the cream cheese and we ate it with crackers. Next time I might use chili sauce instead, since cocktail sauce has horseradish - yuck). We watched the Twilight Zone marathon on SyFy, which is still on, and I might watch more later. One of my favorite episodes is on at 6 CST (A Stop at Willoughby).

One thing I did not due was sit down and write a list of resolutions. Not because I have nothing planned for the New Year, because I do, but because I don't feel the need to make this list. Life is an ongoing project and sometimes you  need to adapt, not be locked into something you can't do.

I am going to continue to ride my bike every day (or almost every day) and keep losing weight.

I am going to continue to look for a more permanent job, hopefully one that utilizes my talents.

As for my writing, 2013 is starting out well. Revelations comes out in February, and Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night, my first real published horror story, in April, both with Museit Up Publishing. In May/June, Be My Alien will be released by Dreamspinner Press. Hopefully by then, the next book (or more) in the Moonlit Skies series will be finished, subbed and accepted. Hopefully they'll take When Will I See You Again as well, which I subbed on December 24th. That date makes it easy to remember when I sent it in. I'm currently reworking Leonardo di Caprio is a Vampire and plan to sub that to DSP as well.

For those who might be wondering, I have taken back all of my works from Silver Publishing, except for My Fair Vampire, which is not mine alone. I'm sure you're all aware of the trouble at Silver. The publisher is currently in breach of contract, and owes his authors a great deal of money. He has grossly mismanaged the company, spent money he should not have, and had a high old time, but everything comes at a price, and that price is being born by the authors and staff. I personally do not believe he will come out of this, not without selling the company. But it is no longer my concern, and my reasons for leaving go deeper than mere money issues.

I have lots of ideas for what I want to write in 2013, including sequels to books already out, like my To The Max series. I'm at work on Book 3. The second book is no longer available. I would like to be able to sub the second and third together, although I'm also tempted to send the second book out alone to see what might happen. I haven't decided on a publisher yet.

I would like to do something with my website, which is sorely neglected and pitiful. First, I need to get it to where I can actually work on it myself, without using a crapload of html.

So I've been not working again, not last week and not again this week, allowing me to get caught up on some of my shows. American Horror Story: Asylum is amazing. *****SPOILERS****Ian McShane plays a demented Santa Claus serial killer who has a history with Sister Jude and who is given his chance to play Santa again this Christmas thanks to Sister Mary Eunice (who, by the way, is possessed). It is awesome! Sister Jude, while trying to prove that Dr. Arden was once a Nazi (thanks to the woman claiming to be Anne Frank), gets in touch with a Nazi hunter. But that doesn't end well, and through circumstances, Jude ends up as a patient at the asylum! Thredson (who is the Bloody Face killer) ends up being held hostage inside the asylum by Lana and Kit. Lana wants him dead for what he did to her, but Kit needs him alive to prove that he's innocent - quite the quandary. Magnified when Thredson escapes. Frances Conroy, who was in the first season, returns as the Angel of Death, and Dylan McDermott appears as well. I'm truly loving this season, and plan to buy both of them when I can.

Now, for Iron Chef America Redemption. The finale went just as I predicted and  hoped. They eliminated Nate Appleman right off the bat and it became a battle between Amanda Freitag and Alex Guarnaschelli.   ***SPOILERS**** It was an awesome battle, and the secret ingredients were those that reflected the style of three senior Iron Chefs - Morimoto, Flay and Symon. Long story short, Alex won, and the next week went on to battle the Iron Chef UK who eliminated her in the first Iron Chef battle, Judy Joo, and handily beat her. Way to go, Alex! I'm excited at her selection and look forward to some great things from Alex. Unfortunately, I'm afraid this means she won't be Geoffrey's sous chef any more. Great sadness there. They are such a cute couple!

I'm still watching the New Normal, and they've toned Nana down a little, which helps, but sometimes I think that I'm going to stop watching it, but then there'll be these moments between David and Brian that make me go all gooey, and I know I can't. They're too cute together, so I'll keep watching for now.

Sweet Genius is as awesome as ever, and I could watch Chef Ron forever. I finished watching Life After Top Chef. I hope they put Fabio in something else - I'd watch it. If I could afford it, I'd take the Top Chef cruise lol

Justified is coming back this month, and so is Californication. Also The Following is beginning - I might try that.

Well, all for now, back to editing and writing!

Happy New Year to everyone, and I hope 2013 is a great year for all of us! Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie