Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts

Monday, December 9, 2024

Eye of the Jaguar

 A story from the What If? Anthology

Martina Crestada focused her binoculars and looked down into the cenote, one of the sinkholes riddling the karst landscape of the Yucatan peninsula. The building storm clouds scuttled across the face of the moon making it flicker like a guttering candle.

“Philip, hold the flashlight still, this one isn’t filled with water and there’s a carved altar stone in the center.”

He balanced his flashlight on the cenote’s rim to steady it. Philip lived to make Martina happy. While he’d become fascinated with Mesoamerican history and lore, his love of Martina was the primary reason he’d majored in Mayan culture and the only reason he’d joined this archeological expedition.

“Martina, we’d best hurry, the clouds are building. I smell rain and we’re an hour from camp. It’s dangerous at night. Ocelots, jaguars, and wolves, oh my!”

Martina pointed her flashlight upward from under her chin ensuring Philip could see her look of disgust. “Don’t be a crybaby. I see an altar stone on the bottom. There’s writing, but I can’t read it. Red veins. Could be iron oxide. Maybe blood. How exciting! Philip, I hope they’re bloodstains!”

“I’ll record the GPS reading and tell the guide we’re ready to leave. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

 The guide screamed. He pointed at a jaguar skulking quietly as a gentle breeze and shouted “B’alam! B’alam!” The beast moved nearer the explorers and pinned them against the pit’s edge. Philip was unarmed, he had a flashlight, a pocketknife, and a pith helmet like the explorers wear in a Tarzan movie.  

The jaguar's eyes glowed like red coals. Philip froze in place. The cat charged without warning and Philip threw his helmet like a flying disk and hit the jaguar in the shoulder. He shoved Martina to one side and stepped backward away from the leaping cat. He struggled futilely for purchase on the crumbling pit edge. He fell into the cenote and the jaguar flew over his head and into the pit with him. They both screamed all the way down.

Philip woke up on the decayed leaves that dotted the altar stone. He felt his left arm. Shit, broken. Dark down here. Where’s my damn flashlight?”

Martina shouted, “Philip!”

“I’m alive. Broken, but alive.”

“I’ll send the guide for help.”

“Have them bring a harness. Pretty sure my arm is broken. I can’t climb out. The air is stale, and it stinks of rotten fruit.”

“Is the jaguar, or should I say, the B’alam, dead? We can practice speaking Mayan until help comes.”

Philip found his flashlight. The jaguar draped the altar stone like a praying supplicant. Chiseled images of cats, snakes, and wolves appeared and vanished with the sweeping of the flashlight’s beam. Philip crept slowly to the jaguar and gently touched its throat seeking a pulse.

The creature opened its eyes, snarled, and bit Philip’s arm. He tried to jerk away and cursed. “Christ, damn thing bit me. Probably has rabies!” He searched the altar with his free hand, the one attached to a broken arm. He caught a brief vision of an obsidian knife stored in a cubbyhole. He gritted his teeth against the pain, stretched for the knife, and stabbed the jaguar in the neck. The creature released his arm. He wiggled the knife until the glow in the beast’s eyes faded to darkness. Their blood mingled and flowed into the red-stained cracks atop the limestone altar. The stench of rotted fruit grew overpowering. Philip couldn’t breathe, he gasped, staggered back from the altar, his head spun, and he passed out.

The pain from the jaguar bite or his broken arm woke him. Flickering torchlight and rancid smoke filled the cenote. Several men, costumed in ancient Mayan ceremonial regalia, filled the cavern. He shouted for Martina. She didn’t answer, but above him, the pit’s edge was lined with women and children.

The quiet was frightening. It was like the silent moment in a horror film before all hell breaks loose. Philip remembered from a class on negotiation that the person who speaks first, loses. He couldn’t stand it. The people just stared at him.

Read the full story in the book: 

https://books2read.com/u/m27NQd

What if you think the known world isn’t strange enough? Embark on a journey that pushes the boundaries, challenges your perception, and questions reason, logic, and established beliefs. 

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Book Sunday

 Enjoy our featured books



In online bookstores, readers often discover new books by browsing the bestselling titles in their desired genre. However, countless hidden gems may not receive as much promotion but offer incredible stories that deserve recognition and readership.

Time travel romance



Embark on a journey through time with Dylan Anderson, the lead guitarist of Ablaze, as he strives to recreate the magic of the '70s, inspired by Kenny Chesney's iconic hit, "I Go Back." In his pursuit of reliving his golden days, Dylan becomes entangled in the hidden world of a mysterious cult, eager to uncover the secrets of time travel.
The stakes are high, and the risks even higher – challenges he's prepared to confront head-on.
This adventure is far from a solo act. With his enduring love, Jennifer Kovich, by his side, Dylan is determined to bring her along on this journey whether she's ready or not. However, there's a catch – The dark spell Dylan has created will not allow him to return to the present even if he ever wanted to. Only Jennifer would have a chance at finding an escape route back home, but according to Dylan, it's almost impossible. Or is it? Brace yourself for a tale of love, danger, and the irresistible pull of a past era as Dylan leads us on an unforgettable voyage to the heart of the '70s.

Review by Readers Favorite
"Lorraine Carey uses an intoxicating brew of romance and mystery with a tinge of the paranormal to take you on a captivating time travel adventure odyssey you don't want to end. With an absorbing narrative, Carey captures the vibe and atmosphere of the 1970s flawlessly, offering readers a chance to immerse themselves in the golden era of rock and roll. The characters are not only well-developed but also very likable for the most part. While Jennifer's interactions with Dylan are entertaining, I also enjoyed her friendship with Paul. The plot has its share of surprises to keep readers hooked. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it to romance lovers who don't mind dipping their toes into the paranormal genre."

Sci-fi space opera


Kathy Masters never expected to journey to the stars. When she does, she experiences the adventure of a lifetime.
That all changes when she is selected by the prestigious Galactic Geographic Society to photograph and record the flora and fauna of a newly discovered class M planet. Filled with hope and enthusiasm, she boards the S.S. America for the trip to Beta 3 Epsilon to begin her new project. On the way she is abducted and brought aboard the privateer Rapier.
Going from captive, to slave, to induction into the infamous Brotherhood, Kathy finds herself raising the adopted daughter of the crew of the Rapier. Given the responsibility to raise their princess, Cindy, they travel among the stars preying on merchant ships, dodging Chinese warships, fighting pirates, visiting strange worlds, and encountering fantastic creatures, all under the watchful eyes of Commodore James Ulysses Black. Trying to raise a young girl among gunfights, swordfights, ship-to-ship battles, slave trades, deals, and some of the most feared raiders in human space is no small challenge.
The only question is, Is Kathy up to the task?

Review by Travis B
"The face-paced, in-the-present style of writing always keeps the story moving along at light speed. But after each jump to or from hyperspace anything can happen and does. Swimming with whales living in nebulae of thick, colorful gases. Horse-sized wolves and never-before-seen natives and underwater adventures to meet the almighty, giving ones: bioengineering “gifts” with omnipotent capabilities. And sword-fights, blazingly fast strokes of the gleaming steel, bellies bursting, men keeling over."

Ghost suspense thriller


A powerful curse cast thousands of years ago by the Grand Vizier. Tanakhmet cursed Prince Akhmose to never enter the Field of Reeds, the heavenly paradise. Why did he want him to linger as a restless ghost among the living, forever?
By reading the hieroglyphs, Layla, a young Egyptologist, inadvertently breaks the curse and frees the ghosts of both Prince Akhmose and the Grand Vizier whose thirst for revenge is stronger than ever.
With Layla’s help, can Prince Akhmose finally cross into the afterlife?
Or perhaps, because of the charms of the mortal woman, he doesn’t want to…

Review by Termite Writer
"I’m always attracted to stories with archaeological subjects and this story deals with ancient Egypt and its curses, mummies, and ghosts. Through the machinations of the Pharoah’s evil Grand Vizier, Prince Akhmose is murdered and his soul is sent into the future, while his lover’s soul is also reincarnated in a modern woman who happens to be an Egyptologist. Her skeptical roommate Mara adds some enjoyable humor to the tale."

Gothic romance


Fernal Thorn always suspected her family had secrets.
But she has no idea how dark and dangerous these secrets are until a mysterious man, his horde of followers, and a powerful demon invade her forest home. Badly beaten and alone, she is rescued by an aloof high-born stranger who takes her to his family’s ancient estate in Cumbria.
There she finds allies and enemies with secrets of their own. Captivated by her alluring yet reclusive rescuer, Fernal is torn between vengeance and love, and she must find a way to defeat the evil that has plagued her family for centuries—or die on the next solstice.
Deeply compelling and seductive, Eternity Awaits is a richly textured story that will dwell within you long after the last pages are read.

Review by aerowell
"Intriguing story that has something for everyone: mystery, suspense, romance and the supernatural. The characters had flaws and insecurities with which we can all relate. Eternity Awaits is an entertaining page-turner with unexpected twists. "



Sunday, October 27, 2024

Book Sunday

 Enjoy our featured books


 

 

Short story collection


A Collection of stories written by Shebat Legion. These tales range in genre, but all share the quirky and thought-provoking, often disturbing voice that is Legion. Hubris, a collection of short stories, new and previously published are offered as an example of the eclectic range and style that is Legion's own.

Young adult supernatural fantasy


A love potion made with haste out of jealousy puts Dorian into a comalike state. A rare orchid that blooms only once a year could save his life, but the precious flowers are fiercely guarded by Liam and his werewolf pack. The acolytes of the coven are forbidden to enter the forest and the young apprentices volunteer to make the journey that will test their loyalty and courage.
Will they succeed?

Humor and parody


Through a Wine Glass Darkly. updated in 2024, contains fifteen tales of horror, mystery, humor, and science fiction previously published between 2016 and 2018, including the award winning short story, "Swim With The Beavers," and three stories that received honorable mention status in the Writers of The Future Contes .Also included are six drabbles originally published in the Horror Tree anthology, Trembling With Fear - Year One. A drabble is a story of exactly 100 words. One new story, "Cruising With Eddie" is included in this volume. Scary, evocative, whimsical, and funny - all at the same time. Fill your glass, sit in front of the fire, and enjoy the book. You might want to keep the lights on.

Friday, July 26, 2019

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.

Monday, June 10, 2019

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.

Saturday, January 12, 2019

Putting the Spotlight On: The Atlantis Grail



With the plethora of young adult dystopian books available today, one might think there's nothing new under the sun. Well, they'd be wrong!

Vera Nazarian
Two-time Nebula Award finalist and 2018 Dragon Award nominee Vera Nazarian has not only busted through the YA barrier, her wildly creative science fiction series, The Atlantis Grail, is still gaining traction in the genre. In fact, the series has been optioned for film!

The story begins with the discovery of a world-killing asteroid and the first contact with the Atlantians, who had migrated to a new world long before modern civilization began. But here, let's share the book description of the first of the series, Qualify:

You have two options. You die, or you Qualify.

The year is 2047. An extinction-level asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, and the descendants of ancient Atlantis have returned from the stars in their silver ships to offer humanity help.

But there's a catch.

They can only take a tiny percent of the Earth’s population back to the colony planet Atlantis. And in order to be chosen, you must be a teen, you must be bright, talented, and athletic, and you must Qualify.

Sixteen-year-old Gwenevere Lark is determined not only to Qualify but to rescue her entire family.
Because there's a loophole.

If you are good enough to Qualify, you are eligible to compete in the brutal games of the Atlantis Grail, which grants all winners the laurels, high tech luxuries, and full privileges of Atlantis Citizenship. And if you are in the Top Ten, then all your wildest wishes are granted… Such as curing your mother’s cancer.

There is only one problem.

Gwen Lark is known as a klutz and a nerd. While she's a hotshot in classics, history, science, and languages, the closest she's come to sports is a backyard pool and a skateboard.

This time she is in over her head, and in for a fight of her life, against impossible odds and world-class competition—including Logan Sangre, the most amazing guy in her school, the one she's been crushing on, and who doesn’t seem to know she exists.

Because every other teen on Earth has the same idea.

You Qualify or you die.

With the first three books in the series already published, the grand finale, Survive is well on its way to completion. Vera's 60,000+ followers on wattpad.com are eagerly devouring draft chapters of Survive as she writes the final book of the series.

While waiting for the last book of The Atlantis Grail series, readers can also enjoy her Cobweb Bride trilogy. Like The Atlantis Grail, the first book is permanently free on Kindle. Vera's lush writing style suits the Renaissance-era fantasy as Death seeks the promised bride.

In addition to these books, Vera has a number of highly recommended science fiction and fantasy novels and novellas available. Stop by her Amazon author page and check out this amazing author's books!



Amazon: Vera Nazarian Author Page 
The Atlantis Grail Official Website 
Perma-free Kindle editions:
     Qualify
     Cobweb Bride 

COMMENTS

Erika M Szabo

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Great to have you on our blog Vera :)
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Erika M Szabo via Google+

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Our guest author today is Vera Nazarian at #OurAuthorGang
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Thank you for sharing! Vera is an amazing author.

Tricia Drammeh shared this via Google+

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Rick Haynes

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
All that hard work and now you can reap the rewards. Many congratulations.
 

Eva Pasco

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Best wishes with seeing your vision come to fruition on film!
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That's so exciting. And LOL, no, Vera has no voice in the casting!

Toi Thomas via Google+

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Book in the Spotlight: The Atlantis Grail by Nebula Award finalist, Vera Nazarian. #OurAuthorGang
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Chris Weigand shared this via Google+

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Thank you for sharing!

Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
The amazing Vera Nazarian​'s YA series The Atlantis Grail is being spotlighted on #OurAuthorGang! And note: Book One is FREE on Kindle!
 
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Eva Miranda via Google+

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
Toi Thomas originally shared this
 
Book in the Spotlight: The Atlantis Grail by Nebula Award finalist, Vera Nazarian. #OurAuthorGang
 
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Stephanie Collins via Google+

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
Erika M Szabo originally shared this
 
Our guest author today is Vera Nazarian at #OurAuthorGang
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Thank you for sharing!!

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