On Borrowed Time

On Borrowed Time

Lorraine Carey

~ On Borrowed Time is book 2 in the Women of the Willow Wood Trilogy.

Here we find our heroine, Daniella Reyes on another dangerous mission from her Sisters. The ante is upped now that she is rising in power within her clan.

There have been many secret societies throughout history but none can compare to the powerful Women of the Willow Wood.

 ~Some women pay Top Dollar for a body makeover, but not Daniella Reyes—she’s got a few supernatural friends that are willing to do this for FREE!

Daniella is led into the sacred cave in the Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico with Nina, the high Curendera. It is here she will receive her physical and spiritual transformation~

Excerpt~

I scanned the open cave with my flashlight, amazed to see vapors seeping through the cracks in the rocks above me. Nina set her bag down, instructing me to remove my shoes and clothing. We were on sacred ground here. Modesty goes out the door when you’re about to take part in a powerful ritual.

"The vapors from the chasm are the conductors for the magic of the ritual, Daniella. Our sisters have used this cave for hundreds of years. We must offer a blessing before we begin." Nina removed her shoes and knelt on the ground. "St. Muerta, please oversee our safety as we enter into a realm where protection is needed. We ask for your guidance and protection at this time from any lower lying entities.

"We call on the High Priestess Tryrenea from the Oracles of Delphi, the Goddesses Phoebe, and Themis." Nina removed a sachet from her bag, filled with dried herbs, which she sprinkled over the cave floor. We honor your presence, goddesses, on this very important evening. Let our newly appointed guardian, Daniella Reyes, journey to your realm safely and return safely. We honor and respect this sacred site to Gaia. So mote it be."

Nina handed me a white sheath to put on and a white sheet over the ground where I would lay. I anticipated that a Greek goddess might pop out of thin air at any moment. Nina had changed into a toga. I was amazed at how she'd managed to fit everything into her backpack. I wondered what else might be in there.

Nina had removed a long, wand-like branch from her bag and a jar of what appeared to be some sort of powder. She asked me to hold the flashlight as she drew a circle in the dirt with the branch with one hand and holding her long, black hair in the other. The ground sparked a fire where the branch had etched the circle. "You know, Daniella, this branch was made from the bark of an ancient willow tree, which has been used for hundreds of years in rituals such as this. It’s been blessed and used by many of those who came before us."

I never stopped being in awe of the new things I learned. Nina had just upped the ante with her stick-like wand. Here I'd imagined she’d have some kind of glitzy wand like the Glinda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz.

Nina had instructed me to lie on the sheet, which she'd placed in the middle of the circle. She set our flashlights down so the light would shine directly onto the circle. The sparks had died down, leaving behind a circle of smoke. She'd also bound my hair up in a white, linen turban. Nina took my right hand and slipped what appeared to be a bracelet of twisted twigs with knots onto my wrist, like some sort of friendship bracelet from the sisters. I looked into her eyes to see a golden glow in her irises.

"This is also made from the willow tree," Nina told me. "I'm going to tell you exactly what I'm doing as I'm doing it, Daniella. There's no need to panic or worry. You have a council of some of the most powerful women in this realm and the next protecting you.

"I'll need you to take three deep breaths to inhale the vapors, holding for a count of seven. You'll do three sets of these. After that, you'll be in a very relaxed state. You'll be conscious but unable to talk. You'll feel your body changing. We're calling on the Divine Feminine, here. Your heart rate will increase, your pupils will dilate, your skin will feel warm, and your breasts will swell. This is all normal. It's part of the changes in the structure of your DNA as your body heals on a cellular level. We're aiming to raise your frequency so you'll be able to tap into a higher consciousness and vibrate at a higher frequency. This is the process of raising the kundalini. It's why we've performed so many chakra-balancing sessions with you. You'll need this to assist others in the rescue of their souls and their protection. Once you're in an altered state, I'll also partake of the vapors and assume the role of a conduit for your transformation.

"So...shall we begin, my dear?"

Books 1 and 2 are available on Amazon~

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E3Z6AII/ Book1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CSW65XC/ Book 2

Reblogged: Sir E. Robert Smythe and writing for Middle-grade

Sir E. Robert Smythe:

Writing for Middle-grade

Christina Weigand

 Time to talk a little bit about my Middle-grade series.  A few years ago I approached a gentleman about taking a series of children's scripts and aging them up to middle-grade. I felt that since I was writing young adult, writing middle grade would be easy. I quickly realized when I started working on this new series that middle grade is definitely different from writing young adult. I won't go into all the differences here, just know that there was a slight learning curve. It has been an exciting challenge to write for people in this age group.

Although many of the characters had already been created, I felt one more was needed. So I created Sir E. Robert Smythe. He is the Chief Safety Ambassador for the Galatic Safety Council from the planet Gwill. He works with Queen Sage and an array of characters that come to Earth to help children navigate their way through many of the social issues plaguing today's society.

Sir E. Robert  helps  boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 14, deal with school bullies, homeless people, death of a loved one, rich girl vs. poor girl, self esteem issues, suicide, arts vs. sports and A.D.H.D.

Someone once asked me why do kids need fantastical creatures to guide them through life? Don't the parents do that? At the time I was so upset that I could not formulate an answer. ( A problem I frequently have when in a confrontational situation). Looking back on that evening from this point of having finished six books with these characters, I think I finally have a partial answer. So here it is: This is a very unique age group. These kids are on the verge of teen years where they become more responsible for their decisions and yet they are at a point that they still want their parents to give them all the answers. They don't want to listen to their parents and yet they are  in a place where adults are still needed. The fantastical creatures of the Gwill create an atmosphere for these young people to begin to formulate the person that they will grow into, provide gentle guidance while still giving the preteen room to make their own choices.

Anyway that's what the series is all about. Two of the books are published: Sir E. Robert Smythe and the School Bully and Sir E. Robert Smythe and the Lost Detective. The third one, Sir E. Robert Smythe Goes Shopping will be released in the next few months

and the remaining three books are with the publisher with plans of releasing them over the next few years.

God willing these books will serve to help 8-12 year-olds become aware of social issues and find a way to navigate their way through them.

A Lesson in Life by Rick Haynes

Displayed on the wall of my local pub

Rick Haynes

The following was sent from a mother-in-law to her new daughter.  It’s a rough guide to the battle of the sexes, apparently, and is displayed on the wall of my local pub.

As she said, it’s not meant to be taken seriously.

If Julie, Della and Susie go to lunch, they call each other, Julie, Della and Susie. But if, Tommy, David and Mikey go to lunch, they call each other, Toss-Pot, Ginger Knob and Numb-Nuts.

When the ladies receive the bill, the calculators come out. But when the boys decide to pay, they each put in a £20 note as they have nothing smaller and they’d never admit they want any change.

A woman would pay £5 for something she doesn’t really need. Whereas, a man would pay £6 for a £5 item he needs.

A man has about six items in the bathroom cabinet. Toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, aftershave, razor and shaving foam. The average number of items in a ladies’ bathroom is usually over 100. A man would not be able to guess what most of them were.

A woman always has the final word in an argument. Anything a man says afterwards is the start of a new argument.

Women love cats. Men say they do to ensure another argument doesn’t start.

A woman always worries about her future. A man only worries about the future once he’s married.

A successful man is one earning more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one finding such a man.

A woman marries a man expecting him to change but he rarely does. Whereas a man marrying a woman expects she will not change, but she does.

A woman will always dress up to go shopping, take the kids to school and visit friends. Her man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

Men will wake up looking reasonable. Their other half takes an hour in the bathroom to look the same but usually better.

Ladies have an in depth knowledge of their children. What they like, what they hate, their friends and social activities, even their dreams. Their partner has some vague idea of small noisy people running around the house.

Written by K.

Aquila et Noctua a historical novel - New Release

By P. J. Mann

There is a new release on Mann's house, and that doesn't just mean that I have written a new novel, but I have also experimented something new, a historical fiction.

Aquila et Noctua (The Eagle and the Owl) comes from a story I wrote many years ago and brings me back to one of my loves in life: History, and particularly the history of Ancient Rome. 

The story tells about a young slave, Saul, coming from Jerusalem, and the complicated relationship he will develop with his masters and with the other slaves, who will become a sort of surrogate family; the one he lost once he was enslaved.

Once again, like in my debut novel "A Tale of a Rough Diamond," we have the themes of envy, jealousy, conflictual relationships within the family, and wisdom.

Wisdom is depicted in this case like the Noctua (Owl), and like in nature happens, the owl is going to bring wisdom, with sudden chaos.

The Aquila, (Eagle) represents the Roman Empire and the family who will purchase Saul. 

There is going to be a Release party on my Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/2225782511045126/

It is scheduled for Sunday 1.9  at 10:00 AM EDT and there will be other authors to help me celebrate the release. If you have more questions about this new release this is the right time to have them answered.

EXCERPT:

​The sun shone brightly in the sky on that late summer day. The successful campaign in the territories of Palestine brought new glory to the Empire and filled every corner of the city with celebrations.
The massive military action, planned by Emperor Hadrian, had brought about the final defeat of the rebellious Jews in the third Jewish revolt.
Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina in honor of the victorious emperor and as an ultimate humiliation to the rebels. The prisoners were sent all over the Empire to be sold as slaves while the Roman generals and commanders were decorated in the public square of the Forum.
It was a joyful period throughout all of Rome, and it should have been no exception for Marcus Tiberius Numida. However, something weighed heavily on his mind and alienated his soul from the revelry.
He wandered through the streets of Rome, not paying attention to where he was going until he found himself in the slave market in the Forum.
Several specimens of males and females, crammed into cages, peered from between the bars, waiting to be yanked out and pushed to line up behind the merchant. Their eyes revealed fear and confusion
Each merchant touted the good properties of each slave they were selling, wildly gesticulating to underline their words to attract customers, as crowds of curious people and potential buyers gathered around.
The sobs of the waiting slaves and the clang of their chains against the bars, combined with the din of the curious onlookers and the raucous voices of the merchants. The stench of bodily fluids melded with the scent of food that was sold in the square.

To pre-order the novel, please follow this link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VXB2QFR

Author link: https://pjmann2016.wixsite.com/pjmann

Other books: https://pjmann2016.wixsite.com/pjmann/books

I hope I have attracted your attention and see you soon at the release party!

Stay tuned!

Rainbows and Clouds by Erika M Szabo

Short stories about life’s humorous, happy, and dark moments.

By Erika M Szabo

EBOOK

PRINT

AUDIOBOOK

Some of the stories are from my years in nursing, Steve's clumsiness and my cooking disasters might make you spit out your coffee laughing. The stories of my pets will put a warm smile on your face, and the stories about life's darker moments might make you wipe a tear or two.

Rainbows and dark clouds are part of life,

Without darkness there can be no light.

Without moments that make us cry,

We can’t enjoy moments that make us smile.

Without moments that make us laugh,

We can’t get through moments that make us sad.

~Erika M Szabo

Listen to a few stories

The Coven by Tricia Drammeh

Paranormal/Horror for Young Adults

Abby has finally put the horrors of the past behind her and is ready to move forward as a medium-in-training, but her vow to refrain from dabbling in the paranormal is harder to keep than she'd anticipated. A strained relationship with a former best friend, a mysterious stalker, and a new friend who is full of surprises turns Abby's world upside down, but when she discovers someone she trusts is keeping a shocking secret, she doesn't know where to turn.​

The Coven is the exciting sequel to The Seance. Filled with magic, chilling suspense, and surprises, this latest story in the Dark Summons series is the perfect read for teens and adults alike!

The Coven is available here: https://books2read.com/u/3kppPR

Outcast by Rick Haynes

A fantasy tale of love, betrayal, and giants

The freedom of youth quickly disappears as a maelstrom of evil erupts. Torn between blind loyalty to his evil master and freedom, Sigbjorn chooses to escape from the clutches of Lord Uddi. With his two sword shields following, Sigbjorn leads them to Humli, a small peaceful town in the hills. Their hopes of finding a place to call home are soon dashed as a shadow grows in the east. With the vile Guths threatening to align themselves with the mysterious giants, only a tidal wave of hero’s blood can prevent the carnage.                                            https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1093832541