Silver Flash: Dallas in Wonderland #3

Happy Hump Day/Silver Flash Day! Feels like this week haas been long enough for two, at least lol  Well, you know it's time for another Silver Flash, right? This week's Prompt Diva was Lindsay Klug, who gave us:  This week our Prompt Diva is Lindsay Klug, who gave us:  "No, I said turn left, not right." or: "I'm not super(man/woman), you know."

My alternate prompts are:

use these three words: velour, circumcision, and balance  or

"Dammit, I'm a (fill in the blank), not a (fill in the blank)! or

eyes closed as if in prayer

Today I'm adding a chapter to Dallas in Wonderland. Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to check out the other intrepid Flashers at the end of my tale. And note that we have a Flash Virgin among us!  Yay!  Without further ado, I give you more of my Dallas in Wonderland!

Dallas in Wonderland 3

Dallas glanced at his watch. Only five minutes had passed since he’d last checked the time. Forty-five minutes since he’d  expected her to arrive, and no sign of Paris. He wasn’t really surprised—his sister had never been known for her punctuality. Having a child had only served to increase her penchant for tardiness. She used her son as her excuse, but Dallas knew better—the seven-year-old Ozymandias was far more on top of things than his ditzy mother.

Unusual names ran in his family. Besides himself and Paris, there was a younger brother, Frankfurt. Each one named after the city he’d been conceived in. As for his nephew, whom everyone called Oz for short, he’d been born during his mother’s Percy Shelley phase. As Dallas told him, it could’ve been a lot worse. She could have named him after one of her food crazes, like steak tartare.  Oz was a cool kid, he took everything in stride. Which is why Dallas didn’t mind watching him for his sister when she had a date. Or whatever.

This would be her first visit to the new apartment since he’d moved in. If she ever showed up, that is.

He’d just pulled his cell phone from his pocket to ascertain her ETA, when he heard a knock at his door, opening it to discover his nephew.

“Hey, Oz!” Dallas peered into the hallway; no one else was there. But then he heard it. The sound of his sister’s cursing—it preceded her up the stairs. He was grateful that the tenant across from him was hard of hearing and kept to herself for the most part. He didn’t need anyone complaining to the landlady about his foulmouthed sister.

“Hey, Uncle Dallas.”  Dallas stood aside to admit his nephew. His backpack was almost as big as he was, and usually held the most interesting items. Oz was very precocious and well-read. He just needed to be watched a bit, as he had a propensity for performing potentially dangerous experiments.

“What took you so long?” he asked his sister.

“Your directions, that’s what,” she said, walking past him into the apartment. He followed close behind her.  “I turned right at Wilmington, like you said, and I ended up in what looked like the red light district.”

Dallas frowned.  “No, I said turn left, not right,” he insisted. “You should have written the directions down, like I suggested.”

“Did not,” she argued. “I wrote them down, Mr. Smarty Pants.”

“Show me,” he challenged her, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring after her.

“I can’t. They’re in the car,” she said. “You’ll just have to take my word on that. Give me the quick tour?”

Dallas exchanged glances with Oz, who shrugged.  “Well, whatever. Sure, let me show you both around.”

The grand tour took all of five minutes. There weren’t many rooms, and the rooms had little furniture. He’d not had much to begin with, and most of that had stayed with the school. He’d remedy that. Some day.

“Not bad, little bro,” Paris admitted when they wound up back in the living room. Oz took a seat on the floor, opening his backpack and bringing out his things: sketchpad and pencils, a few paperback books, a plastic bag filled with trail mix, and some action figures. A lot of young boys played with them, but the ones Oz possessed were of the historical variety. He collected them in different eras. These were his musketeers.

“So, what do you think of your neighbors?” Paris asked. She smoothed down her mid-calf length skirt over her russet boots, before turning her attention back to him.

“They seem okay. What little I’ve seen of them.” A sudden image of the enigmatic Dr. Levi came to mind. Dallas felt flames warm his cheeks. He chided himself for being so silly over a man who probably never gave him a second thought, once he left the laundry room. Silly Dallas. “So where you going tonight?”

“Henry comped us two tickets to Legally Blonde. I was curious.” Paris shrugged.

“You’re lucky I’m off tonight.”

“You’re right, I am.” His sister smiled and patted his cheek, turning her steps toward the door. “If I don’t make it back tonight, can Oz stay ‘til morning?” She grabbed her purse from where she’d tossed it on her entry, turning inquisitive eyes toward her brother.

“I have an early class,” Dallas protested. She turned the full battery of her eyes on him, gave him the helpless and horny damsel in distress look she wore so well.

“Well, maybe,” he relented. “Can you pick him up at the school?”

“Sure thing,” she beamed. “Thanks, bro.” She kissed his cheek, and turned to Ozymandias. “Come give Mama a hug,” she said.” The boy closed his book, and obediently did as he was told. Paris held him tightly for a moment. “Night, honey. Be a good boy for Uncle Dallas, do everything he says.

“I know the drill,” he insisted, with his usual eye roll.

She gave him a last hug before heading out at last, waving good-bye as she did so.  It took a full five seconds for Dallas to realize she’d managed to leave her cell phone behind. “Be right back,” he told Oz, diving for the stairs.

She was faster going down than she was up. By the time he’d managed the two flights of stairs and out the front door, her car was a fading memory on the horizon. Shrugging, he pocketed the phone and turned back inside.

As he started up the stairs, he thought he saw something in the shadows near the entrance to the basement. A shadow which resembled Dr. Levi.  Eyes closed as if in prayer He stopped and looked again. Nothing.

Mumbling to himself about having an overactive imagination, he climbed the stairs back to his apartment to spend some quality time with his nephew.

But he couldn’t get thoughts of Dr. Levi out of his head.

 to be continued

And don't forget to check out the other Silver Flashers!

Here is the final list of who's flashing 12-7-11. See, I got it right this time, Lily lol Lindsay Klug   (m/f) West Thornhill    (m/m) Lily Sawyer     (m/m) AJ Jarrett    (m/m)      FLASH VIRGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sui Lynn     (m/m) Heather Lin   (m/f) Hope you enjoy reading these as much as we enjoy writing them! Have a great week, and until next time, take care! ♥ Julie

Meet Me in St. Louis!

On October 8th, my first joint venture with co-author S.L. Danielson will be released by Silver Publishing. It's entitled My Fair Vampire, and I'd like to tell you a bit about it, introduce you to the characters. If we're lucky, we might talk them into coming by the blog one day before the book releases!   Check out this awesome cover by the talented and gracious Reese Dante!






My Fair Vampire is an historical novel. It takes place in 1904, during the Louisiana Exposition, more commonly known as the St. Louis World's Fair. Here's our blurb:

In 1904, the world’s spotlight shone brightly on St. Louis, Missouri—gateway to the West and host of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Visitors came from all points of the globe to wonder, to gape, to taste, to explore and to enjoy the marvels which the World’s Fair had to offer. An ambitious young reporter from Utah, William Deming, sees his chance to not only visit the fair, but make a name for himself by reporting on its goings on. He takes a room in a boarding house, close to the Fair itself. What he doesn’t count on is meeting Misha—a young and handsome Russian, whose aunt owns the boarding house.

Misha is something William has never encountered before—a vampire! As if that isn’t enough to accept, when a man is discovered murdered at the Fair, William has to wonder if his Misha is involved. Especially as there seems to have been a connection between the vampire and the victim. Will an old flame cause new problems for William and Misha? Will they find love at the World’s Fair? Or will theirs be doomed to be a fatal attraction?

The bulk of the action in the book takes place either at the World's Fair or at the boarding house that is owned by Misha's aunt, where the young reporter, William Deming, is staying for the duration of his assignment at the Fair. The house is situated right on Lindell, within walking distance of the fairgrounds.

It helps that both SL and I live in the St. Louis area, and that we have access to these places. Although the boardinghouse itself is fictional, the place where the fair was held very much exists, although most of the buildings are long gone, only designed to be temporary. One - the Fine Arts Building - was built more securely, as it housed a lot of expensive artwork, and became our very own St. Louis Art Museum, a very wonderful place to spend time. I've spent a lot of time there and will again.

Standing outside the museum, you can look down Art Hill to the Grand Basin, and just imagine what it must have been like - brightly lit, crowded with eager, excited fairgoers. It must have been very exciting to be there. There is a small prologue at the beginning of the book which covers the Fair's origins and how it came to be. The Olympics were held here that same year.

William sees the Fair as his big journalistic break and he's determined to shine and be noticed by his editor! He doesn't figure on meeting anyone, much less the handsome reclusive Russian, who quickly fascinates him and mystifies him both.  Let me show you the inspirations for our fellows:

This is William Deming:  

And this is Misha Rumiantseva.  Yeah, that's a mouthful lol  

A man is found murdered at the Fair, and everyone blames Misha for it. Can William prove his lover's    innocence? If he's innocent? Find out when you meet them at the Fair.

Want to know more about my co-author/friend/bff/sister SL Danielson? Check out her blog, The Adventures of Author S.L. Danielson!

We've written another book, the first in a series we call The Mark of Love. The first book, Finding His Mark, has been subbed, we're waiting to hear now yea or nay. The second book is done, and we're working on the third. We like to call this our Cracker series, about two teenagers in rural Georgia. More about that later.

Come and meet us in St. Louis, return with us to the World's Fair, for romance, mystery, intrigue, and above all - love! You'll be glad you did!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

New pretty, courtesy of Reese Dante

Look what Reese sent me tonight - a lovely banner for Max's new book!


Don't forget there's a contest going - What Would You do for Love? The rules are simple - just follow this blog and leave me a comment telling me what you would do for love, and a contact email address. The winner will receive For Love of Max, in ebook.

Good luck to everyone!

♥ Julie

For Love of Max - a preview

On Saturday, June 4th, the sequel to my first published novel, To the Max, will be released as an ebook, the print version to follow shortly thereafter. This is a milestone for me, my first sequel, so naturally I'm rather excited about it.  I'd like to give you a little background about how the books came to be, and what they're about. Maybe later in the week, we can get Max himself to say a few words.

I met Max Montague in a rather unusual way. He was the voice in my head that was vying for attention. Which, as it turned out, is not typical Max behavior. But I didn't realize it at the time. In fact, all I did realize was that he was a gay werewolf and he seemed very nce, and I felt that he had a lot to say. But at the time I was researching something else, so I patted him on his head, and promised him I'd get to him after that.

Well, that didn't work. He kept on taking up space in my consciousness til finally I said okay, let's just take a few notes here, keep the fellow happy, and get back to them later. I sat down wtih a pad of paper and a pen and began to write what basically became the first chapter. Names of people whom I had no idea who they were, the people in Max's life.

Now I do know where some of the names came from, in the jumbled clutter of the recesses of my mind.  Max - I just liked the name, but not Maxwell as in Maxwell Smart, but Maximillian, as in Maximillian Schell, the actor. My daughter Sarah was reading Romeo and Juliet at the time, so that filtered into my consciousness - which accounts for Montague and Juliet, and the Shakespearean influence extended to Ophelia as well. Sebastian is the name of a character that my friend Kitty once played in a game we were in, an HP game - he was the father of future Hogwarts student Theodore Nott. Kitty herself is represented by Max's friend Catherine, or Cat as he calls her. See?  Kitty - Cat. Richard? I love the name, perhaps it comes from Richard Sharpe, a great Sean Bean series. St. Louis is a no-brainer - I live here, and I used to work in St. Charles, where I put Max's cottage. Terranova Fisher comes from two things - my kids were about to take a test at the time called the Terranova, and Fisher is a play on fisher of men, as in the pope, or a general religious reference, apt for a minister.

Max's story unfolds both in present time occurrences and in flashbacks. I know he meanders and wanders a bit, as the mood strikes him, but there is method to his madness. I don't think he's that difficult to follow, and I do label his flashbacks with dates - I have an entire timeline in order to keep everything straight.

Max is 44, Richard about a year older. Max's mother is more cool with his being a werewolf than being gay, and she likes to set him up on blind dates. Rachel is his best friend, the girl next door. I forgot to mention that she is named after Rachel Weisz, the only female celebrity I've ever roleplayed, and Sheldon comes from the Sheldon Concert Hall here in St. Louis - I hear it has perfect acoustics, but I've never been there.  Yet. Max and Richard have been together for over twenty years, but Richard has a tendency to wander off and disappear at times, without explanation. Max always takes him back when he returns, without question. The first book deals with that, as well as Amy Rose Banneker. I named her after two characters that someone I intensely disliked roleplayed, Banneker comes from House on Haunted Hill, the remake. Amy is an old friend of both Rachel and Max and she has a thing for him, despite the fact that he's gay and always has been - she's the source of great pain and aggravation to Max and Richard. Then Juliet, Max's mother, begins to date a homophobic minister, Terranova Fisher. Makes for some interesting times.

The second book, For Love of Max, begins immediately after the end of the first one.  **********spoiler alert, if you've not read the first one, look away now********************  Max and Richard are engaged to be married, all's right with the world once more, but.... Isn't there always a but just when you think your characters have found happiness? Yep, there is. Max is confronted with someone from his distant past, as well as evidence of a growing prejudice against what he is, and an attempt to throw him out of his lycanthropic closet.

In the first book, Max's lycanthropy is not actually an issue, and we see little of it. There is more in the second book. Unlike a lot of other werewolf heroes of novels, Max is not an Alpha. He's a guy, just trying to get by, and hold on to what he has, particularly his lover. He's older than some too, in his forties. Hey, not everybody is a teenager or in their twenties, you know? Check out this beautiful cover by Reese Dante. Isn't it gorgeous? Max and I are damn lucky to have her.

There is a lot of me in Max - we share a number of things. Yet he is also himself. I love him dearly, flaws and all. Who's perfect, after all?  No one. So I didn't try to create the perfect hero, just a human one. Well, other than the werewolf thing.

For Love of Max is available at Silver Publishing.  I'd love to hear what you think of Max, or the premise of the series, or anything else! Like I said, I'll try to get Max to say a few words, maybe Thursday, since I'm guest blogging elsewhere. I might turn this blog over to him. And for those who are wondering, yes, there will be another book, because I love writing about Max. I hope people love reading about him.

Max says we should have a contest and give a copy away. What do you think? Is anyone up for that? Let me know!

♥  Julie.

Leonardo di Caprio is a Vampire Day!

Today is the day! The release day of Leonardo di Caprio is a Vampire at Silver Publishing!

I want to share with you my visual inspirations for my main characters

Fisher Roberts

Hunter Long















Mmmm mmmmm good!

In case you haven't heard my story of how I was inspired to write Leo, I'll tell it again.  Pull up a chair. Here, let me make some tea or coffee for you.  Comfortable?  Good.

It was last year and my daughter Sarah wanted to see Inception. I wasn't sure that I wanted to, but since she'd gone to see Sorceror's Apprentice with me, twice, I gave in and agreed to go. Which led me to thinking about Leonardo di Caprio and other films we'd seen him in (such as Shutter Island, which was really good). When we were in the theater, I heard a voice in my head tell me that Leo must be a vampire, because he never ages! "Did you know Leonardo di Caprio is a vampire?" he said.

I realized it was a new character speaking to me, but I had no way of writing down his words inside a darkened theater. So I repeated them to myself throughout the film, so that I'd remember them. Inception was a really good film, and I kept thinking about it on the drive home. I knew I needed names for my couple (I already realized that it would be a m/m romance story). Cillian Murphy's character in the film is Robert Fisher, a name you hear quite often, being a pivotal character. I flipped that and voila! Fisher Roberts. Now I needed a name for his cohort. Driving home, I devoured all the billboards and ads I could see. There was one that had to do with hunting, which I am not particularly in favor of, and it hit me - not hunting, but Hunter. A strong name and a good one. So Hunter Long was born. It was his voice which had spoken to me in the theater. When I got home, I started writing about Fisher and Hunter. It didn't occur to me til some time later that their names paralleled one another - a hunter and a fisher. It wasn't intentional, it just happened.

Here's the cover for Leo, designed by the gloriously talented Reese Dante. She did an amazing job, I can hardly keep from staring at it!

Blurb: Leonardo di Caprio is a Vampire

“Tis the night before Halloween, and Fisher Roberts wishes it was over, not being a fan of this or any other holiday.  But he tolerates it because his roommate/best friend Hunter Long takes a childish glee in all things Halloween.  And Fisher has a vested interest in keeping Hunter happy.  If only he could find the nerve to tell his childhood friend that he loves him, and has for a very long time.

Fisher thinks Hunter is carrying things a bit far this year, though.  First Hunter claims to be a vampire, and he just won’t let the silly joke go.  Then he forces Fisher to go to a costumed Halloween party which Fisher would rather avoid, especially when he realizes where it’s being held, and whose house it is. Things at Fisher’s job might just be going south, too, when he receives a mysterious summons to report to the editor’s office the next morning.  And then Fisher goes and does something stupid—like kissing Hunter!

Bad leads to worse when Fisher ends up at the Halloween party from Hell, and he learns something that threatens to destroy his and Hunter’s relationship forever.  Running from his fears, Fisher encounters a strange young man with an unusual resemblance to Leonardo di Caprio, who shows him things he never realized before, truths about his life and the people in it.

Can Fisher find his way back to Hunter, and can he find the courage to do what his heart wishes?

Excerpt:  Leonardo di Caprio is a Vampire

 “Did you know that Leonardo di Caprio is a vampire?”

            Fisher Roberts stopped in mid-chew of a mouthful of fibered cereal to cast a wary, disbelieving glance at his best friend and roommate Hunter Long on the other side of the table.  Wary, because he wondered what in the world Hunter was going on about so early in the morning.  Disbelieving, because he only had so much time for breakfast before he had to get going to work, and he had a bad feeling that Hunter was trying to eat into that time.  Why he wanted to do that was beyond Fisher.  Of course, a lot of things about his roommate were beyond Fisher, despite the fact that they’d been friends since they were—well, too young to actually remember how long they’d known each other.  But for as long as Fisher could remember, he and Hunter had been best buddies.  And he’d learned over the years that, with Hunter, longevity did not equate to knowledge-ability, far from it.

            Now, Fisher could react in one of two ways.  He could ignore his roommate and keep eating.  Pretend he’d heard nothing.  But from past experience, that would only cause Hunter’s performance to escalate.  Which would entail taking more time to decipher what he was saying, and in the process make Fisher even later to work.   Or he could simply bow down to the inevitable and give in by asking him the question he was doubtless waiting to hear.  Even if it brought about that smug smirk he was so fond of wearing.

            Fisher finished chewing, swallowed, and managed not to roll his eyes as he reached for his juice to kill off what was left in the glass.  Waste not, want not.  “What do you mean?”

            Hunter Long might be six foot two and possessed of a body that many a male model would kill for—at least that’s what Fisher heard the girls who flocked around him say—with the palest of blue eyes that twinkled all the time, and a smile that could and did light up a room.  But honestly, he had the capacity to be an overgrown child at times, and this was one of those times.  Fisher chalked it up to it being that time of year.

            “Well,” Hunter replied, “look at him, going on forty, and he looks just like he did what, fifteen years ago?  It only stands to reason he must be a vampire.  They never age, you know.  I mean take a look at us.  We’re almost his age, but over the years we’ll grow up to be little old men and he’ll still be playing sweet baby-faced guys even when he’s collecting social security, know what I mean?”

            “There are no such things as vampires,” Fisher made his typical logical reply, “and just because it’s Halloween tomorrow night, and you’ve got the house all decorated for it, doesn’t mean you have to bring it to the table.  Know what I mean?”  He arched a no-nonsense brow at the other man.  This was not Fisher’s favorite time of year.  Neither was Christmas, come to think of it.  Or any other holiday.  Ironic that he should write articles for a living that meant he was forced to expound on such seasonal topics for Midwest Home and Fantasy, a regional online magazine with a growing fan-base, when he had no real interest in them himself, being a practical, no-nonsense kind of a guy.

            “I’m a vampire.” Hunter smiled, leaning across the table toward Fisher.  “Want to see my fangs?”

I hope you enjoy Leonardo di Caprio is a Vampire! I look forward to your comments! Feel free to ask questions!