The ToiBox of Serials 1.2: Heart of the Golden Stag

Over on my personal blog, The ToiBox of Words, I’ve experimented with short fiction quite a bit. I’ve entered many blog writing contests and sometimes, just played around with it. In most cases, I’ve found myself expanding the stories I started on my blog and turning them into something more. All the stories in this series will be a product of what I started on my blog and then later added to in private. I will be sharing these stories in parts and encourage readers to leave positive or critical feedback (rude comments will be deleted). Perhaps, one day I’ll publish another personal anthology with these. Enjoy.

Side note: This story has never actually appeared on the ToiBox blog but was derived from a contest I entered and did not win. Still, the submission process was a good learning experience for me. This story is a retelling/reimagining with a twist. 

Heart of the Golden Stag, part 2

Read part 1 here.

The giggles and snaps of children playing in the alley below jolted Jamie’s body forward as dream and reality collided. Jamie rushed to the window, heart pounding and sweat dripping from her bushy unkempt brow. Below, little boys kicked a can back and forth between them as Jamie fought back tears. What a sad and stupid girl I can be sometimes. Shrugging her shoulders, she reached into the worn pockets of her men’s trousers to pull out a coin.

Tossing it down to the boys below, she called out in a gruff, “Bread and tea, young ones.”

The smaller of the two boys caught the coin, as usual, and then pulled the other along before replying, “Right away, Mr. Jaime. Be up soon.”

With the boys off to fetch her breakfast, Jamie quickly attended to her daily costuming. First, a few snips of hair along her forehead and at the nape of her neck. Then, a quick wash followed by fresh linen wraps to bind her breasts.

After chatting with the boys over tea, Jamie went to polishing her shoes with the intention of mulling over the day’s objectives. She’d lined up three marks the day before and was due for a good payday, yet her mind kept drifting back to her childhood. With her seventeenth birthday approaching, Jamie was plagued by nightmares and daydreams of the day she left home to become a boy.

She and her twin brother were turning twelve. Her older sister was a weeping doll, all dressed and made-up, in the corner sobbing through handkerchiefs as her stern and wrinkled betrothed pressed his hands upon her shoulder in mock-sympathy. Jamie watched the spectacle with dread, knowing that would be her fate upon her fifteenth birthday while her brother sniggered. He’d be heading off to the academy soon, to be educated and learn a trade.

Face warmed by the flickering candles, Jaime kept her eyes closed even after her brother blew out the flames as smoke wrapped around her head. She couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes and say goodbye to her childhood. From here on, her days would be filled with learning all the ways a wife should keep a husband happy. If that was love, Jamie wanted no part of it, yet she hoped there was more to it. She hoped to find an unconventional man not bound by Northern traditions.

With the snap of her father’s fingers, Jamie popped her eyes open to see him holding tightly onto the belt resting around his waist. Knowing he wouldn’t dare punish her in front of company, and on her birthday no less, Jamie seized the moment and ran into the woods, calling for a game of hide-and-seek. Only, she never hid.

Jamie grabbed the bundle she’d concealed days before and continued to run. She kept running until there was no chance of being able to turn back. 

To be continued...

Heart of the Golden Stag 2018 Copyright © Toinette J. Thomas 

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

Amazon | Goodreads | The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

Plants, Birds, and Beavers Grow and Change

Daddy, why is Fido getting old?

Mommy, why can’t I stay a kid forever?

Sometimes kids ask questions that can catch you off guard. Having a talk about the necessity of change and the circle of life can be difficult. That’s why I’ve written my Changes duet, to help open up little minds to understanding the nature of change.

Meant for educational purposes, but still, an enjoyable light and colorful read, Plants and Animals Change Over Time, explains the circle of life in the simplest terms. It follows the life of a seedling and an unhatched egg to full maturity and beyond. You may also want to check out, Land Changes Over Time, to learn how the world is reshaped around us.

Daddy, what is change anyway?

Mommy, does change have to happen to me?

Sometimes kids ask questions that can catch you off guard. Having a talk about the necessity and inevitability of change can be difficult. That’s why I’ve written my Changes duet, to help open up little minds to understanding the nature of change.

Meant for educational purposes, but still an enjoyable light and colorful read, Land Changes Over Time, explores how the world is reshaped around us. It chronicles the results of beavers, worms, and birds moving into an empty meadow. You may also want to check out, Plants and Animals Change Over Time, to learn about the circle of life. 

Plants and Animals Change Over Time Purchase Book Here

Land Changes Over Time Purchase Book Here

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

Amazon | Goodreads | The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

Glorie Townson and It’s Like the Full Moon

Hi there, Toi here. Today, I’m happy to share a bit of my alter ego, Glorie Townson, with you.

But first…

Amazon

Rebecca has just turned thirty. She’s happy living a perfectly comfortable and predictable life. She’s even ready to marry her long-time boyfriend whenever he finally gets around to asking her. But all that changes when her best friend whisks her away to Italy for a much-needed vacation.

In the midst of site seeing and finally letting loose, Rebecca manages to catch the eye of a young English tourist but doesn’t let it go to her head. By the time she’s back in the States and back in the arms of her long-time beau, Rebecca has already forgotten about Peter, Paten, Paul…whatever his name was, that is until he shows up at her brother’s cabin in the woods.

A life of normalcy, routine, and stability gets turned upside down as Rebecca decides whether or not she’s truly ready to get married. And if so, who is the one she’s really meant to be with?

Add on Goodreads 

~

So, Glorie Townson is a name I came up with to represent all the aspects of my personality that lean more towards tales of romance. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with publishing multiple genres under the same name, but when you are known as a geek girl and have most writing credits in the speculative genres, finding a better way to reach a new audience isn’t a bad idea. The few people who’ve reached out to me to tell me that they’ve enjoyed my debut romcom, have all found it a bit surprising that my real name is Toi and that I am not known for writing romance.

For me, this means two things. 1) I had good instincts when I thought Glorie sounded more like someone who writes romance than does Toi. 2) I may have dug myself a little hole. My entire web presence is built on my platform of being a book-loving geek girl who likes comic books and movies. I never really put much out there to support Glorie. I honestly never thought anyone would read It’s Like the Full Moon.

Oh well, lesson learned. Someone did read the book and I’m glad they did. The planned sequel has been in the works for a while and I hope it entertains as much as the first one when it’s ready for release.

Until then, why not check out the chapter by chapter playlist I created to accompany the book. It’s quite a ride.

A-SIDE

B-SIDE

~

On a completely separate note, Happy Juneteenth (June 19th) to my US brothers and sisters!

~

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

Amazon | Goodreads | The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

The ToiBox of Serials 1: Heart of the Golden Stag

Over on my personal blog, The ToiBox of Words, I’ve experimented with short fiction quite a bit. I’ve entered many blog writing contests and sometimes, just played around with it. In most cases, I’ve found myself expanding the stories I started on my blog and turning them into something more. All the stories in this series will be a product of what I started on my blog and then later added to in private. I will be sharing these stories in parts and encourage readers to leave positive or critical feedback (rude comments will be deleted). Perhaps, one day I’ll publish another personal anthology with these. Enjoy.

Side note: This story has never actually appeared on the ToiBox blog but was derived from a contest I entered and did not win. Still, the submission process was a good learning experience for me. This story is a retelling/reimagining with a twist. 

Heart of the Golden Stag, part 1

     Rosy morning light shone down and warmed the dark olive flesh of a thin arm before it retreated beneath a blanket of golden hair. Shimmering in the pink light, the hair rippled as the body beneath wiggled and stretched awake. Soon, Aaron sat up with a wide yawn as he craned his neck to turn away, shielding his eyes from the glare. With a short sigh, Aaron flipped the long strands of hair over his shoulders before heading toward the washbasin.

     After washing and dressing, Aaron tip-toed around the confined quarters of his room, in the convent’s tower, to seek out his most prized, and secret, treasure. Wrapped tightly with blankets, Aaron pulled the bundle from underneath his bed and quietly revealed the cold and clear metallic glint of the looking glass.

     Staring at the feminine reflection before him, Aaron scrunched his nose before pulling his golden locks away from his shoulders to expose the boy disguised within. Aaron recalled the day the nuns first told him why he had to grow his hair long and wear girl’s clothing. Sister Norman sat the young Aaron in the middle of an expansive ivory hide and told him the story of his birth.

     It was the first night of the Twilight Moon, a full fall moon that rises in the East just as the sun is setting in the West, causing the sky to turn violet and allowing both the sun and moon to shine in unison for one enchanted hour. The Ivory Doe, the goddess of the North Woods, burst through the forest into our garden and pleaded with its eyes for us to conceal it. In the distance, the horns and treads of hunters could be heard and felt as they drew near. We hurried the large creature into our shed and then spread our numbers in all directions to throw-off the hunters’ tracking dogs. I alone remained; I was there when the Ivory Doe gave birth to her son, a golden fawn unlike any I’d ever seen.

     The mother stared into my eyes and called me forward. I placed my hand upon her antlers as her son fed at her teat. Mentally, she conveyed her story. Chased for months by the hunters seeking her magic. Being with child, she conserved her magic instead of using it to dispel the hunters. As her life began to reach its end, she wanted to make sure that her son would live. She impressed upon me that until her child reached full maturity, he was at risk of having his magic stolen. Should he live to see that day, he would become invulnerable and powerful. If he should find a human worthy of his love, he would grant them a great blessing. With her last pained breath, the Ivory Doe enveloped her fawn in white light and then faded away, leaving behind an infant boy, wrapped in her preserved hide.

     Hearing his name being called from elsewhere in the convent, Aaron quickly concealed his mirror and rushed off to assist the sisters. All these years, they had been so good to him, helping him to remain hidden and teaching him what they could of the Ivory Does. As Aaron’s eighteenth birthday drew near, his toes and fingers constantly tingled with anticipation as magic pulsed through his body. Aaron longed to love the nuns as they loved him, but their shelter had confined him and suppressed the transformation he yearned for.

To be continued...

Heart of the Golden Stag 2018 Copyright © Toinette J. Thomas 

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

Amazon | Goodreads | The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

Chip, Skip, and Joe learn about Needs and Wants

Writing is not something I ever thought I'd pursue as a career growing up. While I always loved to read and write, I also enjoyed technology and learning how to use it. That's why I got my college degree in a tech field. Still, as a working adult, things began to come into perspective. I soon realized that writing was part of me and needed to be an area of focus in my life; the decision the publish was simply based on a desire to share my work. Even without publication, writing became part of my daily life.

As with changes in my perspective on writing, my career goals soon shifted. As much as I still love and appreciate learning about new technology, even today, I was not content as a coder and was miserable in Corporate America. When I discovered the joys of working with children who have special needs, everything shifted. I worked in education for 10 years and endured the highs and lows of the educational system because I loved the children and making a difference in their lives. Now, working as a behavioral therapist, I'm still able to draw from my classroom experiences to help and support the kids I encounter every day.

More than just experience came out of that time in the classroom. I also wrote, illustrated, and self-published two series of educational fiction books, catered to the needs of my class. The children enjoyed the stories so much and were able to gain a better understanding of some broad concepts, that I decided to share them with the world. Chip and Skip Need Each Other and What Does Joe Need?, helps young children or any age child with special needs begin to gain a better understanding of how needs and wants relate to them.

Learn more about all my children's books by visiting my website. 

Watch What Does Joe Need? Trailer Purchase Book Here

What Chip and Skip... Trailer Purchase Book Here

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

Amazon | Goodreads | The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

Visit our pages

POST GALLERY	AUTHORS	BOOKS	MAGAZINES
ABOUT US	NEWS	VIDEOS	CONTESTS
CONTACT US	OUR FB GROUP	OUR FB PAGE	FORUM

Past, Present, Future #1- African American History

by Toi Thomas

For those of you who don’t live in the U.S., please stick around and read this article anyway. You’ll find that it’s probably not what you expect it to be.

Website

The Past

So, I’ve been keeping myself busy in the month of February. A little too busy, but that’s nothing unusual. I tasked myself with the challenge of starting 28 graphic novels, not necessarily finishing them all, and have been sharing the experience on social media with the hashtag #28daysofgraphicnovles (find it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). Part of the challenge included me starting each installment of the MARCH series.

This is a series I highly recommend to young people and anyone who thinks they understand the civil rights movement but can’t remember or recall exactly what happened and or what it all really means.

Since this blog is for readers and authors, I’d thought I’d also share this article I found about the 10 Black Authors Everyone Should Read. This article contains so many names I grew up hearing and reading about, yet as an adult so many of my peers (black, white, others included) have not heard of these writers or have ever read any of their writings. I’ll be the first to admit that I too have not read many of their works but do have them on my eternal TBR. In all honesty, I sometimes struggle to read content that I know will reflect my personal black struggle, but I do reconcile to face those obstacles in my own time. 

For instance, I read a book of poems and one of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies back in high school, but I haven't revisited those or read more since. They were hard to read, but I’m glad I read them and will read more when the time is right for me.

The Present

I thought I’d share a few books with you, that I’ve read, containing black characters. These books have not necessarily been written by black people and are likely not to be about “the black struggle,” and that’s precisely why I’m sharing these. I think sometimes, people assume that if they read or watch anything about a black person (or other minority), it automatically has to come with some sort of racial issue or dilemma when it really doesn’t.

Here's a bit of variety for you. Twenty Yawns has absolutely nothing to do with the little girl in the book being black, she just happens to be black. 

The Warrior is a standalone prequel, to a multicultural YA Fantasy series, focusing on one of the main black characters (I adore the Spellbringers series). 

Wires and Nerves is a spinoff graphic novel from the Cinder series (an amazing multicultural YA Sci-fi series I adore) about an android who's current form is that of a black woman. What I love most about this character is that her biggest struggle is being an android, not anything else. 

In Turn Tables (A Reel Romance sequel) the main two characters are a black woman and a Hispanic man. 

She Died In My Arms is the prequel to a series I've been meaning to read but haven't yet started. It's a world of black characters (I assume there are other races, but I've only read the prequel.) 

Lastly, I'm currently reading about Bass Reeves, a black U.S. Marshall in "Indian" Territory, said to be the original inspiration for the character of The Lone Ranger. His life is enough on its own to make him a legend. 

Here's an article I found on 28 Brilliant Books by Black Authors in 2018. Some of these are on my current TBR.

The Future

I want to read more books from black authors and about black characters, but more so, I want to read more stories that reflect the multiculturalism of the world I currently live in. I want to read about cultures other than my own, and I want other people to do the same. 

These are just a small few of the kinds of books I wish more people would talk about, whether there's a special cultural or racial awareness observation or not. Many people argue that Black History should be American History, and while I agree, I don't believe that it's a reality. At least not now. Perhaps someday, no one group will feel the need to be observed and recognized because all will be. 

American History will someday be African, Hispanic, Asian, Native, Irish, etc...

-

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

Amazon | Goodreads | The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

Visit our pages

POST GALLERY	AUTHORS	BOOKS	MAGAZINES
ABOUT US	NEWS	VIDEOS	CONTESTS
CONTACT US	OUR FB GROUP	OUR FB PAGE	FORUM

Book Promo Sunday!

Book Promo Sunday

We have a new tradition at #OurAuthorGang.

Every Thursday we add a book promo post to our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/OurAuthorGang/photos/a.341481882941953/585806265176179/

And we pick four books from the post to promote on our blog.

Enjoy this week's selection:

AMAZON

Romance Rebecca has just turned thirty. She’s happy living a perfectly comfortable and predictable life. She’s even ready to marry her long-time boyfriend whenever he finally gets around to asking her. But all that changes when her best friend whisks her away to Italy for a much-needed vacation.  In the midst of site seeing and finally letting loose, Rebecca manages to catch the eye of a young English tourist but doesn’t let it go to her head. By the time she’s back in the States and back in the arms of her long-time beau, Rebecca has already forgotten about Peter, Paten, Paul…whatever his name was, that is until he shows up at her brother’s cabin in the woods. A life of normalcy, routine, and stability gets turned upside down as Rebecca decides whether or not she’s truly ready to get married. And if so, who is the one she’s really meant to be with?

AMAZON

MG/YA Heroic Fantasy Adventure Golden Book Award Winner, a heroic fantasy adventure for middle-grade children and young adults. Nikki and her impish cousin, Jack, find a mysterious black pumpkin in the forest on Halloween. A wise talking skeleton, Wishbone, tells them that the ghosts of the Trinity of Wishmothers are trapped inside. The children offer their help, so the skeleton takes them on a journey to the realm of Creepy Hollow to retrieve the three wands he hid long ago in Red Crow Forest, the Tower of Shadows, and the Cave of Spooks.  On her 13th birthday, Nikki discovers that she has magical powers. She and Jack return to Creepy Hollow with their friends to help them defeat Evila. Jack discovers he can talk to animals when they meet a herd of Wild Horses and he becomes friends with Champ, the clumsy young colt, and Sparky, the orphaned dragon. Nikki and Jack conquer their fears and gain courage, and in the final battle against Evila and her minions they grow into the warriors they were destined to become.

AMAZON

Mystery/Thriller/Adventure Something keeps Laura Jefferson up at night. Maybe it’s the Boston traffic, maybe the sounds of the city outside her apartment window, maybe the stresses of day to day life. Whatever it is, when she’s offered a radical treatment at a secluded hotel, she doesn’t even hesitate. But while the hotel is perfect, the grounds idyllic, and Dr. Wright and his staff friendly and eager to help, it isn’t long before Laura’s fellow patients begin acting strangely, some even dropping out of the program altogether, disappearing into the night. As Laura loses chunks of time, a detective arrives, and the questions at the heart of the hotel begin to unravel. Continuing the trilogy, Deadly Deception -Insomniac- draws closer to the mystery of Dr. Wright’s research, and the lies behind Laura’s perfect night of sleep.

AMAZON

Supernatural/Horror/Crime/Thriller Mikael was six years old when he learned his father was a murderer. His mother, Sofia, knew there was more to it. Her husband wasn’t just a murderer, no, he was fiendish. She tried to shield Mikael from his father’s savage deeds. But when she discovered her husband, Dimitry Ivanovitch, had demonic plans for their son, she made a decision that would prove deadly if she were caught. In the dead of night, she snatched her son from his bed and fled to the safety of America. There, no longer living in fear, Mikael grew up and became a decorated homicide detective. Sofia, however, kept constant watch for signs that her husband had located them. One hot August day, Mikael is assigned a string of kidnapping/murders of young girls. Soon another body turns up, and then another. With no suspects and no clues, the pressure proves too great for Mikael’s partner who commits suicide. Just when Mikael thinks things cannot get any worse, his father tracks him down. And now Ivanovitch is deeply involved with the Devil. He attempts to lure Mikael into his cult by dangling the name of the murderer in front of him. But the name comes with a steep price tag. Can Mikael escape his father’s clutches again? Or will he choose a fate worse than death to save the next little girl?

Meet the Author Gang members:

https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/p/the-author-gang.html

Join our Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/OurAuthorGang/

There is a lot going on on our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Our-Author-Gang-333279623762179/

Like and follow us