Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #83 (17.3)

  Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

The boys have arrived at the rather luxurious mental health facility where a certain actress is being held in lieu of going to jail. Will they be able to get any information out of her? Or are they wasting their time? See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #83 (17.3)

The solarium was actually not difficult to find. Sunny and inviting, it seemed to be the destination of choice for a number of the inmates and their visitors. Comfortable, pricey-looking furniture placed in strategic locations seemed to scream rest and relaxation. No troubles here, only peace and harmony. Maybe that’s why there wasn’t a red or orange in sight, just blues and greens. While in the background piano music played softly.

“I see them.” Ethan nudged me and discreetly pointed to an area in the corner. Then I spotted them. Troy and Brendan sat together on a loveseat while you-know-who was seated on an adjoining sofa, poised on the edge of the cushions as she gave them her undivided attention. There was no sign of her cohort in crime—what was her name? Oh yeah, Helen.  I imagined she didn’t have the financial means to afford such a place as this. Or maybe her lawyer hadn’t been able to swing it on the government dime.

Well, here goes nothing.

Ethan took my hand as we made our way over to the trio. St. Clair glanced our way, but she didn’t give us the startled expression I was expecting. I guess Troy had paved the way for our arrival. Probably just as well. She didn’t even give Ethan her usual sappy smile. Guess because she wasn’t showing off for her director ex any more. And I guessed she wasn’t in the mood to antagonize me right then. Probably too happy to have her buddy with her.

“Well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” were her first words.

I might have to rethink that whole not antagonizing me thing. Assuming the words were aimed at me. Maybe it was both of us.

“Carrie,” Troy chided her.

“Sorry. Old habits die hard.” She giggled. A rather incongruous sound, all in all, and considering her current circumstances. But then again she had been in a place like this for a while now. Should be familiar to her.

Hmmm, where to sit? I wasn’t about to place either Ethan or myself in any closer proximity to the witch than we had to. At the same time, we did need to get information from her. Luckily, Troy, ever the gentleman, realized our predicament.

He rose to his feet in greeting as we approached, saying, ”Brendan and I call dibs on sitting by Carrie.” He winked at us surreptitiously as we took their places on the loveseat and they settled next to the actress on the couch.

Whew, crisis averted.

“How are you boys doing?” St. Clair greeted us. She wore might have been a designer gown, although where she came up with one of those on such notice, I couldn’t say. It was covered in a jewel-studded floral pattern that looked a lot like paisley. Tacky was the word that came to my mind. “I see Ethan hasn’t given you the big heave-ho yet.”

That barb was aimed directly at me, naturally. Still her same old charming self. Well, two can play that game. Without hesitation, I shot back, “No he hasn’t,” even as I held up my hand to display my engagement ring. “Speaking of which, how is Gordon Daimler?”

My arrow hit its mark. Score one for Vinnie. Look, she had it coming.

 to be continued

Now go see what's up with the other Briefers!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb

 

 

 

Virtual Book Blast: Midnight Rapture by Anya Summers

 Good morning everyone! Please welcome author Anya Summers to Full Moon Dreaming! She is here today to tell us about her new release, Midnight Rapture. Anya will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the greater your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

 

MIDNIGHT RAPTURE

by Anya Summers

 

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GENRE:  Contemporary Erotic Romance

 

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BLURB:

 

Rescued by a hot, kilt-wearing Scot…

 

Freya’s on the run from her abusive ex-boyfriend. She’s exhausted and terrified, but if she stops, she knows he’ll find her – and their infant daughter – and make her pay. Desperation drives her to do something she shouldn’t, that she knows is fundamentally wrong…

 

… and sure enough, she gets caught red-handed. All she can do is beg for mercy.

 

When Jasper catches the gorgeous new maid with her hand in his wallet, his first instinct is to call the police. But Freya’s tearful plea strikes a chord deep within him, and instead he finds himself offering her the protection of his name and family.

 

Their union is meant to be on paper only but Jasper soon finds himself enthralled by his new bride. He starts a campaign to seduce her into his bed, never expecting her to wiggle her way into his heart.

 

And when her past threatens her very existence, he will stop at nothing to keep her safe.

 

Fall headlong into this steamy, fake relationship, stand-alone romance between a fierce Scottish businessman and a single mother as they navigate the road of love with all its pitfalls

 

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EXCERPT:

 

 

 

Marry him? Was the guy clinically insane?

 

Who asked someone they’d just met to marry them? She’d tell you who did stuff like that—crazy people.

 

Holding Maddie close, Freya didn’t know what to think or how to feel about his offer. He was only a few years older than she, by her reckoning, maybe in his early thirties. He could be English, but with a name like Campbell would bet what cash she had left he was Scottish.

 

His voice was sex personified. His Scottish brogue in that sexy baritone made his words sound like a caress. And when he spoke, the potent vibrations shivered through her body down into her toes. A man like him was dangerous to her sensibilities. A hypothesis proven by that reckless kiss. And what a kiss! Her body still hummed with illicit desire.

 

But she had sworn long ago that she would never be taken in by a charming, handsome face again. She’d done that once.

 

Holding Maddie close in case she needed to make a break for it, she asked, “What’s your name?”

 

He cast an arched stare as he rounded the kitchen island and faced her. “Jasper Campbell, at your service. And who is this little lassie?” He nodded toward her daughter. Maddie stared at him in fascination. Like mother, like daughter. But it could just be she wasn’t used to being around men that much, and definitely not one this enormous.

 

“This is Maddie.” Freya said her name, and her daughter grinned like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.

 

“I’ve got a highchair in the pantry. Let me grab it, and we can set it by the table. And don’t think of leaving until we’ve finished discussing this matter. You try to leave before we’ve finished our negotiations, and I will call the authorities.”

 

She sucked in a breath at the threat. Rich people really were different. Only a guy who had never interacted with cops would call them the authorities. But she had no plans to leave just yet. Because she wanted to see if he was serious about his offer.

 

Did he really want to marry her for a year to gain his inheritance? Would he really buy her a house and give her twenty million dollars if she agreed?

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead of binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

 

Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.

Website: www.anyasummers.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnyaSummersAuthor  

Twitter: @AnyaBSummers https://twitter.com/anyabsummers?lang=en

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15183606.Anya_Summers 

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Anya-Summers/e/B01EGTVRKC/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anya-summers

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/anyasummersauthor/

Maggie Mae Gallagher: http://www.maggiemaegallagher.com/

 

Amazon https://amzn.to/43lMLhO

Nook https://bit.ly/3C52RQL

Kobo https://bit.ly/3IPQUCl

Apple https://apple.co/3qhY23R

Google https://bit.ly/3qg7hBE

Universal https://books2read.com/u/4ARQ80

 

 

 

 

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday is Horror Day #124 - Malignant, The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

 Malignant

Madison (Annabelle Wallis) is pregnant, but her four previous pregnancies have all ended in miscarriages. Her husband Derek (Jake Abel) is abusive. They get into an argument and he throws her against the wall, knocking her head hard, causing her to bleed. She locks herself in her room, and has a nightmare where she sees someone enter the house and kill Derek! The killer knocks her unconscious. She wakes to find herself in the hospital, and Derek is actually dead. Her sister Sydney (Maddie Hasson) has to tell her the sad news that her baby didn't survive.

The police investigate, of course, but there is nothing Madison can tell them.  Madison goes home, and there she reveals to Sydney that she was actually adopted at the age of eight and has no memories before that time. Meanwhile, the killer kidnaps a woman during a Seattle Underground tour, and Madison's head keeps bleeding for some reason.

Madison continues to have disturbing visions of death, which actually turn out to be true, but she can't explain how she knows. During a hypnotherapy session, Madison remembers a childhood friend she had forgotten about - Gabriel. But her parents claimed he was imaginary, while Madison insists he was not. But the truth is stranger than that...

Malignant is a James Wan, and I love him. It has his signature look, including sophisticated and eerie graphics. But the beginning of the film suffers from looking too predictable, to the point where I considered turning it off. It did pick up, and the actual premise was more interesting than I gave it credit for being, even if rather unlikely. But I haven't seen anything like it, so all in all not a bad film, just not as good as some of his others. I'll give this film 3 Stars

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

Francis Barnard (John Kerr) is in search of answers as to what happened to his sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele). She traveled from London to Spain to marry nobleman Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), and then she died. No details were forthcoming, so he decided to find out for himself. On arrival at the castle, the servants tried to turn him away, but a young woman came to his rescue. She introduces herself as Catherine Medina (Luana Anders), Nicholas' sister. But when he asks to know how his sister died, she has no ready explanation.

Barnard insists he will not leave without the answers he seeks. When he does meet Nicholas, who is obviously in mourning, he is reluctant to speak about his late wife. Later, Catherine tries to explain to Barnard of the horrible things Nicholas witnessed as a child. Their father had been an Inquisitor during the time of the Spanish Inquisition and possessed a torture chamber filled with unspeakable horrors. Having lured his wife and his brother into the dungeon, he accused them of adultery, and did what he did best, all witnessed by the young boy.

Fortune is with them when Nicholas' good friend and physician, Doctor Charles Leon (Antony 

Carbone) arrives at the castle. But even he is a loss to heal his friend's wounds. Nicholas reveals that he has a long-standing fear of premature burial, but Leon assures him his wife was quite dead when they buried her. Then why does he hear strange noises in the night? And who was playing the harpsichord she played so often? Could he have made a dreadful mistake?

Although based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe, this film does not follow the actual story. Even so, I have loved this movie since I was a kid. I mean, Vincent Price, what's not to love? That being said, this is the story of a man whom circumstances are driving toward madness, despite the best efforts of his sister. Vincent Price is wonderful as Nicholas Medina, and the rest of the cast do a good job. This is what we watch a Roger Corman film for. Nicholas' madness reminds me of that of Roderick Usher in The Fall of the House of User (another Roger Corman/Vincent Price collaboration). Still great after all these years. Not perfect, but good. I'll give this film 4 Stars.

Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #82 (17.2)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

Vinnie and Ethan are on their way to see the unnamable actress. That can't go wrong, can it? See what's going on in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #82 (17.2)

I half-expected to find this fancy place had valet parking, but no, that was just an illusion based on my own assumptions. We parked in the circular drive at the front and entered. The young lady at the reception desk exuded serenity as we approached. Maybe it went with the territory. Can’t risk stirring up the patients, right? Of course she recognized Troy right away, and spent ten minutes gushing over him and how she’d seen every one of his movies. He listened to her politely, of course, but I noticed he kept one arm securely around Brendan. Not that he wasn’t openly gay, but sometimes it didn’t hurt to remind his public of that, I guess.

“Oh yes, she’s here,” she replied to his question concerning the wayward actress. “I believe she is expecting you in the solarium. Let me show you the way.” Apparently he’d contacted her to let her know he was coming. Probably a smooth move on his part.

“Thank you very much, Miss…”

“Mandy,” she replied with a blush.

“Miss Mandy,” he repeated with a courtly bow. I had to refrain from rolling my eyes. Troy could be such a ham sometimes.

Troy turned toward Ethan and me. “I’ll text you when it’s safe to come in.”

Ethan nodded. I hoped the solarium wasn’t hard to find as I suspected we would not be offered the same assistance in locating it.

“No worries,” Ethan said as we made ourselves comfortable in two plush blue chairs in the waiting area. “I’m sure we can ask someone for directions.”

Glancing around at our surroundings, I noticed there was a wing on either side of the main entrance, and a long staircase going up. But the building was also modern enough to have elevators,. Old fashioned ones with antique gold gates.

If you didn’t know this was some sort of hospital, you wouldn’t have known that by the people we saw. Not a nurse’s or orderly’s uniform in sight. And not a single person wearing pajamas, even posh ones. All very laid-back and low-key.

“Think she’ll get away with it again?” I asked Ethan. He too was observing the people around us just as carefully as I was.

He glanced at me and shrugged. “I wish I knew, baby. When you have money, you can afford to hire good lawyers. I guess it’ll depend on how she spins her flimsy story of auditioning for some unknown director.”

“Yeah,” I glumly agreed. “She might seem to be twice as crazy for that.” Maybe she didn’t really know, but that just made her delusional. And gullible. Guess you couldn’t fault a person for that.

Ethan leaned in to me, his hand on my leg as he looked into my eyes. For a moment, I worried that something was wrong. Until he said, “Once all this is behind us, maybe you and I should set a date.”

Of course I realized what he was talking about right away. We’d been engaged since Christmas Eve, and wore the matching bands to prove it, but we’d never actually set a date. Most of that was probably my fault. That fear of commitment thing. An open-ended engagement was one thing, but picking an actual date and making actual plans was something else.

But it wasn’t like I didn’t want to marry Ethan. I most certainly did. I needed to get out of my own head. Learn to relax and trust. I did trust Ethan with all my heart. Which he also owned.

“We should do that,” I agreed and was rewarded with a beautiful smile. The kind that I lived for.

Just then Ethan’s phone beeped. He glanced down at it then back at me. “Looks like it’s time to join them.” He raised his brows at me, and I knew what he was thinking without him having to say a word.

“I’ll behave,” I promised.

At least I would try.

 to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers are up to!

Cia Nordwell

Saturday is Horror Day #123 - Pan's Labyrinth

 Pan's Labyrinth

Ofelia's (Ivana Baquero) world is thrown into turmoil when her father dies during the war and her mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) makes the reacquaintance of an army officer named Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Now heavily pregnant, Carmen rejoins her new husband, wishing to introduce him to Ofelia. But he is not only controlling, he is mean and sadistic and life goes from bad to worse. The only other person Ofelia can count on is Mercedes (Maribel Verdu), unaware that Mercedes has a secret of her own.

Ofelia likes to lose herself in her books of fairy tales, despite the Captain's objections. And she will not 

call him father, either. One night a grasshopper comes to her room, telling her to follow it. It leads her to a labyrinth, and there she meets the faun Fauno (Doug Jones). He tells her of a story about a princess... and how Ofelia is that princess. And in order to claim what is rightfully hers, she must perform three tasks.

This was a beautiful film in many ways. Everything came together - writing, acting, directing, editing, cinematography, all under the deft hand of Guillermo del Toro. It's hard to tell where reality ends and fantasy begins...or if they truly do.  Brutal people do brutal things, and sometimes good people have to make hard decisions. If you're looking for sunshine and sweetness and Tinker Bell-like fairies, then this is probably not the movie for you. But if you want to lose yourself in a little girl's world, take this extraordinary journey along with her, then please do enter. But do so at your own risk.

I would not change a thing about this film. I give it 5 Stars.

Book Review: Zombie-Loan, Vol 4 by Peach-Pit

 

Zombie-Loan, Vol 4   

Author: Peach-Pit

Publisher: Yen Press

American release date:  June 17, 2008

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Fantasy Manga/192 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Shito is even touchier than usual, especially after finding that someone has been in his room without his permission. How does he know? Things have been moved a fraction of a millimeter! He rejects Chika’s attempts to bond with him and takes off, warning the others not to follow. A strange man appears shortly after and hugs Chika within an inch of his life, to Chika’s annoyance. Michiru is surprised to learn the newcomer is Chika’s dad, Yuuri! With him is Chika’s sister, Momoka, who is not quite as energetic as her father. Michiru is appalled when they mistake her for Chika’s wife, but Chika lets them know that’s not true.

Meanwhile, Shito finds the man he knows to be responsible for the state of his room, a Chinese man who calls him Shito-shao. He refers to Shito as a monster, and mentions his master is concerned about him and his dealings with the zombie-loan people. When he returns home, Shito and Chika get into another fight. Ferryman decides to take everyone to dinner (with Ot-Su’s money)

Chika and Shito are in desperate need of money, especially since the trip to the hot springs wasn’t even zombie related. So when they spot a potentially high yielding zombie hunt, they jump at the chance to earn some big bucks. Meanwhile, a strange doctor is performing even stranger experiments on people, something have to do with zombies. And suddenly, Shito disappears.  At first no one questions it. But, as days pass, Chika begins to feel the effect of Shito’s absence, as does Shito. Something has to be done.

And another player enters the scene!

 This volume mostly revolves around Shito’s kidnapping and recovery. We finally get a glimpse into Shito’s backstory, and it is a very interesting story indeed. We meet some new characters, including a free-wheeling zombie hunter and a somewhat adorable Shinigami that Michiru wants to take home. But of course, retrieving Shito can’t be too easy, right? So we end on a cliffhanger, as usual. Looking forward to the next volume!

Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #81 (17.1)

  Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

The time has come to bid a fond farewell to Ethan's parents and head toward Atlanta. But first, to Vinnie's dismay, they need to take a detour to talk to the crazy actress who shall not be named. See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #81 (17.1)

Maureen insisted on rising early with us the next morning, claiming we needed to start our day with a good breakfast. We weren’t about to complain about that. I think the truth was closer to she wanted to say good-bye, not knowing when we’d be back. That I could definitely understand. We’d had quite the unexpected break, filled with a number of ups and downs, but it was past time to get back to work.

After bidding our fond farewells to Ethan’s parents (yes, the minister actually chose to see us off as well), we picked up Troy and Brendan from their motel since they’d returned their rental car. No sense in having two vehicles when we were going to the same place. Once the visit with Crazy Pants was done, we would be dropping our friends at the airport in Atlanta and continuing on with Uncle Benny to the well-guarded secret location where we would be staying for the next two days. Until Benny testified on Wednesday.

We arrived at the asylum…sorry, I meant mental health facility…about nine-thirty or so. For anyone who hoped for institutional gray walls and iron bars, surly guards and unpalatable food, sorry to disappoint (and yes, I admit to being one of those). Belle Santé was the name of this place, spelled out in an elegant wrought iron archway under which we passed on our way down the very long drive. (Reminded me of a certain plantation we’d gone to, which was fitting considering who else was there) I had done a little research on the drive up. Belle Santé had been built in the early 1920s under the auspices of its founder, a French doctor/therapist, who had built up quite the following during his time in Beverly Hills prior to moving to this location. (The reasons for his move were not listed, amid a certain amount of speculation of wrongdoings or cover-ups. Probably thanks to his connections,  this place had been host to a number of actors and actresses over the years, treating ailments that ran the gamut from addictions to drugs and/or alcohol, to those with less physical causes. This was clearly not a place the average person could ever afford to recuperate in.

The hospital could easily have doubled as some sort of fancy chateau or something. Not that I was overly familiar with any of those. But the point is that, as usual, Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong had managed to end up with the best of everything, despite all she’d done. Didn’t that just figure?

On the drive up, we had come up with a plan for dealing with Nutso. (Not to self: try not to use such euphemisms in front of Troy, it upsets him. And I know it isn’t nice, but right now I don’t care). Despite the fact that Ethan and I were the ones in charge, we were sending in Troy and Brendan first. To soften her up, as it were. Then Ethan and I would make our appearance and hopefully get somewhere. We had our laptop, and were fully prepared to present her with the evidence of her involvement. But, as Ethan reminded me, she had to be handled with kid gloves. We couldn’t afford to have her lawyer up. Hopefully, with Troy there, that wouldn’t become a thing.

to be continued

Now go see what's up with the other Briefers!

Cia Nordwell