Water - Chapter Twenty-two

This serial is presented in draft form and will be updated each Thursday. Your comments are always welcome!

Prologue ~ Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7 ~ Ch 8 ~ Ch 9 ~ Ch 10 ~ Ch 11 ~
Ch 12 ~ Ch 13 ~ Ch 14 ~ Ch 15 ~ Ch 16 ~ Ch 17 ~ Ch 18 ~ Ch 19 ~ Ch 20 ~ Ch 21 ~

It wasn't long before the rumours regarding the unfortunate young lovers began. There were those, like Nereida, who caught a glimpse of them being taking towards the main entrance for banishment. A calculated move on Dr. Arjun's part that had it's desired affect, instilling fear in anyone who'd ever given thought to deviating from the program.

There were others, however, who believed the pair weren't actually banished, just moved to another part of the complex where they'd live out their days doing manual labour. The most interesting rumour by far was the one where the pair were only to be sent out of the compound for a day and a night as punishment, but in the morning, when security went to fetch them, it was to find that Akash had gone mad and killed Yuri, then herself.

Ravi had his own thoughts on the matter, but it was nothing he could share. The night after the supposed banishment he had been sneaking through the corridors on his way to do a little exploring when he heard the sound of someone, or several someones, approaching. He was in a little used corridor so meeting anyone at all was unusual.

He watched from concealment as a group of guards went by, a cluster of six hooded figures in their midst. There was no noise save for their footsteps and a quiet sniffling from one of the hooded figures. What was even more strange was the fact they didn't turn the lights on in the corridor.

For a moment he thought about following them, but gave it up as a bad idea. There was something about the clandestine group that made him uneasy and he didn't want to take the chance of being caught by the guards. He wasn't supposed to be out of his room after curfew and he shuddered to thing about what his punishment might be. It was only later that he heard about what happened to Akash and Yuri, and it hadn't slipped his notice that it was the same night he'd been skulking about.

Independent study was encouraged, and Ravi chose electronics as his. Knowing how things worked fascinated him and the knowledge could come in very handy when it came to getting past the electronic locks throughout the complex. Especially the lock on the large, iron door that lead deeper inside the volcano. The door the guards had been headed towards.

He was deep in the study of a fascinatingly complex locking system when his com chimed.

"AE-03-85, could you meet me in the commissary?" Zephryn asked.

"Can't it wait, Zeph? I'm right in the middle of something."

"Damn it, use my designation when we're on the com-system. And no, it can't wait. It's important."

Ravi sighed. "All right, I'll be right there."

The commissary was the only place they could socialize, and even then they couldn't do it too often before the privilege would be taken away. Zephryn was waiting at of the central tables.

"All right, Zeph, what's the emergency?"

"Lower your voice, they're cracking down on the whole designations instead of names again."

"I may live to serve," Ravi muttered, "but I'm still a person, not a number."

"That may not be the case for the next generation."

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard that children are getting their designations as soon as they reach the nursery. No more names, just designations."

"I guess in some ways it makes sense. They'll be young enough that calling each other by their designations will just seem natural to them."

"I suppose . . ."

"Is that why you called me here Zeph? 'Cause really, if it is, we could have just talked about it over the com."

"No, of course not." Zephryn looked furtively around the room before leaning closer. "You remember those access codes I gave you?"

"The ones that allow us access outside of the closed computer system?"

"That's them. The instructor I got them from is missing."

"Missing, you mean sick or something?"

"No, I mean missing, as in his quarters have been cleaned out. I was there just a while ago to return a vid-crystal I'd borrowed."

Ravi flashed back to the mysterious figures in the corridor. Had the instructor been among them?

"He probably just got tired of teaching and left to go to some other job. He came from the outside originally, he probably just went back to where he came from."

"Don't you think it's really strange, on top of everything else that's happened?"

"I think your paranoia is showing," Ravi said with an assurance he didn't feel.

"Maybe, but I'd be careful all the same."

Hump Day Hunk

Who wants to go for a swim? ;-)

Special Feature

One of the best things about being friends with other writers is being able to do things like this.

The prolific Jamie DeBree has just released a new novella, Indelibly Inked. This is a real page turner, the perfect blend of suspense and romance!

Claire Taylor is running for Mayor, and she's been advised to clean out her proverbial closets - including covering up the initials she had inked on her ankle many years ago. When it comes time to get the cover-up though, she can't go through with it, and when she's plunged into a world of threats, explosions and kidnapping, suddenly her tattoo is the least of her worries.

Adam Cranston hasn't seen Claire since high school, but when he sees his initials on her leg, it brings back feelings he was forced to ignore in his youth. When a publicist asks him to protect Claire during her campaign, he's caught between his attraction to a woman naive to the dark side of politics and a family that will stop at nothing to win.

You can find your copy on Brazen Snake Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

And her alter ego, Trinity Marlow has just released Irish Cream, a story that is sure to put the sizzle into your summer.

Brianna Meyers' first long-term foray into the world of BDSM did not go as planned. Finally freed from a cruel master with help from a club owner in the community, she's ready to pick up her old vanilla life right where she left off. Only the man who kept her imprisoned won't take no for an answer.

James Prescott doesn't do long-term relationships, but when he's asked to protect Brianna and help her recover from the traumatic relationship, he's more than willing to help. He knows what she needs, and it's not her freedom. But convincing her of that just may cost him his heart...

Irish Cream is available through Brazen Snake Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

Both stories are available for a mere .99 each, a true bargain. But these prices won't last for long, hurry and get your copies today!

Monoideism Monday

monoideism ~ obsession or fixation on a single idea or thought

What do you mean it's Monday already? Seriously? *blinks rapidly and looks around vaguely* Oh, you're right. How did that happen?

It's coming down to crunch time with my OTF project. I started out strong getting interviews transcribed on Friday; Saturday I kept getting interrupted but persevered; and Sunday I started working on one that was 110 minutes long, which is about three times what the others are, and I have to admit my energy started to flag.

To be honest, I was going to take this week off of blogging, but I've already got my two serial installments half done and I have something a little different planned instead of Tuesday's book review (on Random Writings). The other posts aren't that time-consuming. So we'll see how it goes.

After much stress, online chats with company support, telephone calls to company support, and cursing and swearing, the hubby and I are now the proud owners of a lightscribing duplicator. With this machine we are able to copy and lightscribe up to three CDs at a time. No big deal, right? Well it is when you have 31 CDs that need to be copied 6 times each. Now if hubby can only figure out how to get the lightscribing to work (it's supposed to be stand alone, as in doesn't need a computer) because I don't have time to futz around with it.

If you're reading this post on Random Writings you may notice something missing. Namely the side bar. I have no clue what's going on and I haven't had time to investigate. It still shows up on my pages, just not the home page. And it appears in my preview when I'm checking my blog posts, and it's there in the layout when I go to the editing window. I really have no clue what's going on with it.

Last week, let's see . . . I got all my blog posts done on time, which surprised the heck out of me, and the installment for Water was even a tad longer than normal. It was either make it a little short or a little long, and I feel like I've been short changing the installments lately, so . . . I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to do the author's interview last week, but the author never got back to me.

I wasn't on Facebook a lot last week, except for the occasional ninja-like drive bys and Castleville breaks. But hey, just so you know, timing is everything. I just happened to be on Facebook when awesome author Samantha Hunter was offering a free book to the first two people to comment on her post with the names of their favourite flowers from their gardens. Guess who the second commenter was? :-)

This week will probably be much the same (well, except for the whole winning a book thing. I think it's probably a safe bet I won't get that lucky again). I've still got about four interviews to transcribe, then I have two batches (about 14 interviews) to proof read and compile into books, the covers to make for the CDs, printing the covers and seven sets of the books (and get them spiral bound). And I have to give my printer a thorough cleaning so it stops leaving dark streaks on the left edges of the page. Oh, guess I'd better buy the paper I need for printing too. :-)

The most time consuming is the transcripts. They take between six and ten hours each to do, but I have to stop every couple of hours or so to rest my hands. I don't know if it's the keyboard of my desktop computer, the damp weather, or just age. But after a few hours of typing my hands start hurting. Not cool!

What’s Up This Week: The schedule is up on the side bar, so I’m just giving the highlights here.

Tuesday On Random Thoughts Part C of my new series, Angels and Devils. On Random Writings I won't exactly be reviewing a book, but you'll just have to check back Tuesday to see what I'm doing.

Wednesday (on Random Writings) Chapter Fifty-seven of Shades of Errol Flynn. I'm thinking Jessica needs to finish up her conversation with Alexandre, but who knows what's really going to happen? On Random Thoughts there’ll be another hump day hunk for your viewing. ;-)

Thursday we have Chapter Twenty-two of Water (on Random Thoughts) where life goes on for Ravi.

Friday I'm still on a Flash Fiction vacation this month on Random Thoughts, and on Random Writings I will probably post more poems from the PAD challenge.

Water - Chapter Twenty-one

This serial is presented in draft form and will be updated each Thursday. Your comments are always welcome!

Prologue ~ Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7 ~ Ch 8 ~ Ch 9 ~ Ch 10 ~ Ch 11 ~
Ch 12 ~ Ch 13 ~ Ch 14 ~ Ch 15 ~ Ch 16 ~ Ch 17 ~ Ch 18 ~ Ch 19 ~ Ch 20 ~

"How was this allowed to happen?"

There was no answer to his question, but then Dr. Arjun hadn't really expected one. He frowned at the men and woman standing before him. Fools, the lot of them. When they moved the compound five years ago he thought he'd gotten rid of any superfluous staff members at the same time he culled the seeders who were no longer needed. Leaving the bodies behind and then blowing up the old compound had been a stroke of genius as far as he was concerned. Apparently he should have waited long enough to add a few more.

"Bad enough we have an unsanctioned breeding on our hands, but to have wind cross with earth? This is unacceptable! There is nothing salvageable from this union."

The two breeding attendants and two instructors fidgeted as they stood in front of him.

"Surely security -"

"Do not try and blame my security staff. You," he glared at the instructors, "clearly did not instruct your students on their proper duty. Such a thing should never have entered their minds. And you two," he turned his attention to the attendants. "You previously held positions as dorm monitors did you not?"

The man and woman shifted their feet. "Yes sir."

"Did you at any time have cause to believe the two in question were forming an attachment?"

They looked at each other, then back at him. "No sir."

One of the instructors, figuring he had nothing to lose, spoke up. "I wonder sir . . ." His words dried up under the force of Arjun's glare. He gulped audibly.

"You were saying?"

"I just . . . that is . . . I thought . . ." he took a deep breath. "Are we really doing this new generation of breeding stock any favours by having them suppress their sexual feelings? I'm not suggesting they be allowed to form attachments, but wouldn't the breedings go easier if they were allowed to feel their natural desires? The sexual act without feelings is just so . . . clinical."

The other instructor made as though to stop him, but he was ignored. "This new generation of seeders is --"

"Your opinion is duly noted. But we are not here to discuss policy. We are here to investigate an unsanctioned breeding. Can anyone tell me the power levels of the two in question?"

One of the attendants held up his hand. "They're both level Two, sir."

"That makes their punishment much easier. You are dismissed."

Dr. Arjun waited until the door closed before opening a com channel. "Cullen, I need to see you in my office."

"Right away, sir."

While he waited for his head of security to arrive, he flipped through the files of his remaining staff members, checking to see if there were others that needed purging.

"You wanted to see me sir?"

He looked up as the brawny form filled his doorway. "I have a job for you Cullen, a mess for you to clean up." He passed over six files. "Make sure these four are removed discreetly, and these two," he separated out the two files marked with red. "Make it appear as though these two are being taken outside of the compound."

"Yes sir," Cullen said, taking the files. "The usual method of disposal?"

"No sense in changing a system that works, so yes."

"Very good sir."

Cullen nodded respectfully, then turned on his heel and left to fulfill his duty.

Dr. Arjun allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. There were many advantages to having a volcano at your disposal.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Kairavini . . .

Ravi was sitting at his computer terminal, doing research. Nereida? What's the matter?

Why do you always assume that something's the matter?

Because we hardly ever talk these days unless there's a problem.

I'm sorry, brother.

No, I'm the one who's sorry. It's just . . . natural, I guess. We both have such different roles in the Program.

I think it has something to do with men and women being so different. There was a burst of mental laughter.

Ravi smiled. That's certainly true. Now, what has you so upset?

I just heard about Akash and Yuri.

Akash is a friend of yours, isn't she? Wind, I believe.

And Yuri was Earth.

Was, you mean something happened to him?

Something happened to them both. Akash has loved Yuri since they were children. She wanted him to be her first breeding experience.

Feelings are for humans, Ravi said automatically, mind reeling.

They got caught. They were banished from the compound.

Banished? Are you sure?

Yes, I saw them as they were being taken towards the entrance.

I wonder . . . Ravi mused.

What?

I wonder if they were banished for an unsanctioned breeding, or for being in love?

Hump Day Hunk

Oh, look. Something for everyone! ;-)

Angels and Devils - Part B

Today we start with a few of the more interesting Angels whose names begin with the letter "B":

Balthial is the angel of forgiveness, whose task it is to help people overcome feelings of rage, jealously and envy. His forgiveness is unconditional and he helps us to overcome the resentments and jealous feelings that can sometimes be overwhelming for us.

Barakiel, the angel of lightning, is one of the seven archangels. He grants success, good fortune, and good luck to those who pray to him. He also inspires cheerfulness and a sense of humour. If you pray to him on a regular basis you will become filled with happiness.

Barbiel looks after the interests of anyone born under the zodiacal sign of Scorpio. He is said to have an interest in astrology and is a prince of both the choirs of archangels and of virtues. He is not to be confused with the second Barbeil, who is a fallen angel who enjoys creating discord between people and causing problems with harvests and travellers.

Bariel has a large staff of angels to help him look after the eleventh hour of the day. He is also one of the angels of Wednesday, Mercury's day.

Barman, the angel of intelligence, is the chief of thirty angels, one for each day of the month. According to the Persians, he is also the angle who looks after all the animals on earth, except for mankind.

Bath Kol is the angel of divine prophecy. It was she who first asked Cain where his brother was. She helps people engaged in prophecy - diviners can call out her name for clarification of an omen or intuition.

And now on to the Devils:

Baal-Peor was a god of the Moabites, to whom the Israelites made sacrifices when Moses was up on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments. As a punishment, Moses had 24,000 of these worshippers killed. Baal-Peor is the demon of discoveries and inventions and is sometimes said to appear as a young girl.

Beelzebub, once the highest ranking angel in heaven, is now the Prince of Demons, also known as the Lord of the Flies, believed to be second in power only to Satan himself. He was a god of the Canaanites, who was known to give oracles and rid harvests of flies, and is often represented as a fly or a figure with the face of a fly.

Belial is considered to be chief of all devils, as opposed to demons, and is said to bring about wickedness and guilt. It is widely believed he was the first angel to fall from heaven by taking gifts, sacrifices and offerings.

Berith is one of the great dukes of hell and appears as a soldier dressed in red, riding a red horse and is often seen wearing a crown. To control him you must have a magic ring. He's able to change metals into gold, which made him a favourite of alchemists, and knows of past, present, and future events.

Bifrons often takes the image of a man and is knowledgeable about astrology, geometry, and other arts and sciences. As well he has a great understanding of the strength and virtue of herbs, precious stones, and woods. He changes dead bodies and moves them to another place, and also lights candles on graves.

Buer is a president in hell and is represented as a five pointed star, or wheel. He moves by rolling himself. He teaches philosophy, both moral and natural, logic, and herbal medicine. He is also known for curing diseases and giving good servants, or familiars.

Malapropism Monday

malapropism ~ misapplication of words without mispronunciation

Congratulations to Graceunderpressure and RamblingWords, winners of a free copy of An Elemental Fire! Graceunderpressure, I already know where to find you, and RamblingWords I'll need you to email me at carolrward(at)gmail(dot)com to arrange to collect your prize.

The rest of you will just have to buy your copies. :-) The sale price for the e-version is .99 cents at Amazon, An Elemental Fire, and Brazen Snake Books until the end of June, after which the price will be $2.99. The paperback version is now available at Brazen Snake Books and Amazon for $9.99.

Last week had its ups and downs, and I was late with I think every post except Water, but over all it was a productive week. I think a lot of my productivity had to do with the fact I had a lot to do last week. :-) That and I stayed away from the games . . . except for Castleville. But I only play it maybe twice a day and never for more than an hour.

I did lose some time on Thursday and Friday sewing a dress for my daughter to wear to her cousin's wedding, but I still managed to knock off a couple more transcriptions and the edits on a smoking hot novella by Trinity Marlow. If you're looking to put some sizzle into your summer, check out her stories at Brazen Snake Books.

I'm a big fan of fantasy and a lot of the books and stories I've read concerning the faery realms cite the disappearance of magic and magical creatures in the world as the human willingness to believe in the darker creatures instead of the light. I'm starting to believe it. Again I'm having problems with my Angels and Devils series. Specifically, finding information about the angels. It's like pulling teeth, or opening a mayonnaise jar, or something equally difficult. If I keep running into this problem, I might have to rethink the whole series. Never fear, I have a back-up plan in case this should happen. :-)

Please note that I finally updated my "What I'm Working On" page on Random Writings. This includes links for my two books.

Oh! I also took the time to update my author's page on Facebook. Check me out at Carol R. Ward, author

And while you're in a "checking out" mood, check out the new website for my fabulous cover artist, Heidi Sutherlin at My Creative Pursuits

What’s Up This Week: The schedule is up on the side bar, so I’m just giving the highlights here.

Tuesday On Random Thoughts Part B of my new series, Angels and Devils. On Random Writings I will be reviewing a terrific book I received in the mail a few weeks ago.

Wednesday (on Random Writings) Chapter Fifty-six of Shades of Errol Flynn. I'm thinking Paran, Thackery, Howard, and Ellen might be making an appearance. On Random Thoughts there’ll be another hump day hunk for your viewing pleasure, maybe even a pair of hunks. ;-)

Thursday we have Chapter Twenty-one of Water (on Random Thoughts) where life goes on for Ravi. And cross your fingers, I'm hoping to do an author's interview on Random Writings.

Friday I'm still on a Flash Fiction vacation this month on Random Thoughts, and although I did post original poetry on Random Writings last week, there's no promises whether it will be my poetry or someone else's this week.

Water - Chapter Twenty

This serial is presented in draft form and will be updated each Thursday. Your comments are always welcome!

Prologue ~ Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7 ~ Ch 8 ~ Ch 9 ~ Ch 10 ~ Ch 11 ~
Ch 12 ~ Ch 13 ~ Ch 14 ~ Ch 15 ~ Ch 16 ~ Ch 17 ~ Ch 18 ~ Ch 19 ~

True to Nereida's word, when Kairavini was released from the infirmary he was assigned his own quarters. He stood just inside the door and looked around curiously. There was a freshly made up bed against one wall, a size larger than the ones in the dormitory, and a small table with a lamp on it beside the bed. There were a series of drawers, for storage, set into the opposite wall with a clothing refresher above them. A desk with a computer terminal on it was next to the door.

Crossing over to the bed he sat down and gave an experimental bounce, grinning when there was no attendant to tell him to stop. His smile faded as he looked around again. There was nothing wrong with the room, and he'd been told he could use colour and images to change it however he liked, but he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to get used to being alone.

There was always someone to talk to in the dorms. At night he found the sound of the other boys breathing, even their snoring, soothing. Yes, this was going to take some getting used to.

You're never truly alone, Nereida whispered in his mind. I'm with you always.

Not always, he corrected sadly. You blocked me from your mind in the infirmary.

I only blocked you from part of my mind. Everyone needs a little privacy some time.

I don't.

Not yet you don't, but I daresay there will come a time when you won't want to share everything either.

I can't see a time like that.

No? Do you really want me in the back of your mind during your first breeding?

Ravi shivered where he sat on his bed. No, I see your point.

Tell me about your room, she asked, changing the subject.

He brightened immediately and launched into a lengthy description. And you know what the best part is? he asked.

No, what? she asked, clearly amused by his enthusiasm.

My own sanitary facilities. I don't have to wait in line to shower with ten other boys ever again.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Classes resumed for Ravi the next day. It was a much smaller class, not everyone passed their tespiro and of those who did, not everyone was chosen for the breeding program. He was glad to see at least one familiar face amongst the survivors - Zephryn looked equally happy to see him.

Little had changed, as far as the classes themselves went. There was still a heavy concentration of maths and sciences, the only addition being the weekly lecture on the breeding program and their part in it.

They began with basic anatomy concentrating on both the male and the female reproductive systems. It gave Ravi a somewhat uncomfortable feeling, but he lived to serve, as did they all.

"Humans choose their mates indiscriminately. They have many poetic euphemisms for the act of procreation and use it to express the emotion of what they call love. You are Ardraci, Elementals, feelings do not enter into the act of breeding."

Now Ravi was truly uncomfortable. He loved his sister Nereida, but could never imagine expressing that love in such a fashion.

"Now, I know some of you have been researching the act of procreation." The teacher looked pointedly at Zephryn who flushed and looked down at his desk. "And you have no doubt discovered myriad ways of engaging in the sexual act, a few of them which are not conducive to breeding."

Ravi slanted a sideways look at his friend. He'd have to remember to ask about this later.

"You need only concern yourself with the one method that is used in breeding." The teacher pulled up a picture of a chart on the screen. "These are the different stages of the breeding. Memorize this chart - there will be a test on it later."

Dutifully, Ravi looked up at the couples depicted on the chart. It seemed simple enough. Was that really all there was to it? Maybe he needed to do some independent research of his own.

Hump Day Hunk

That chair looks mighty comfy. I'll bet it could fit two, what do you think? ;-)

Angels and Devils - Part A

Would it surprise you to know that I was able to find more information regarding the demons than the angels? It surprised me! Many people believe that angels are all around us, but they write more of the demons than the angels.

That being said, I was able to find a great many angels whose names started with the letter A. Here's a few of the ones I found most interesting:

AMITIEL
Amitiel is the angel of all the different levels of truth. She is also, to a lesser extent, the angel of peace, love, understanding and equality. It is her task to encourage us to seek out the truth in our desires and experiences and use these truths to learn from, thus keeping us from denial.

ANAEL
Anael is the angel of romantic love, influencing our love, passion, and sexuality. Represented by the element of air, Anael is also considered to be an angel of health and life.

ARIEL
Ariel is also known as the "Lion of God." He is an angel of nature, overseeing the protection and healing of nature and punishing those who harm God's creation. He also assists the archangel Raphael in healing and curing disease. In Gnostic lore he's an angel of the winds.

AZRAEL
Azrael is the archangel of death, whose job is assist the transition from the physical to spiritual life. He ensures the process is painless and effortless. He also brings comfort to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. He records both births and deaths.

Representing the demons we have:

ABADDON
The name Abaddon means "a place of destruction," taken from the Hebrew root words meaning "to destroy" and "perish." Abaddon was first mentioned as an entity rather than a place in Christian scriptures. He is the chief of demons as is described as the king of the abyss and of the locust swarms.

ADRAMELECH
Adramelech was originally a sun god, whose name means "King of Fire." His worshippers were the Sepharvites, who burned their children as sacrifices to him. He appears in Milton's Paradise Lost, as a fallen angel, vanquished by Uriel and Raphael. .According to Collin de Plancy's book on demonology, Adramelech became the President of the Senate of the demons. He is also the Chancellor of Hell and supervisor of Satan's wardrobe.

ASMODEUS
Asmodeus was the king of demons, one of the seven princes of hell that represent the seven deadly sins. He is the demon of lust and responsible for twisting sexual desire. His realm is the second level of hell.

AZAZEL
Azazel is the chief of the Se’irim, or goat-demons, desert demons to whom the primitive tribes offered sacrifices. Practices involved the copulation of women with goats. The name Azazel is thought to be derived from the god Asiz, who was responsible for making the sun burn strongly.

Megaprosopous Monday

megaprosopous ~ having a large face

Just a quick reminder that there's still time to leave a comment to win a free copy of An Elemental Fire. You can even go back and leave a comment on any post, on either blog, from the beginning of June for more chances to win. Double your chances by leaving comments on both blogs. Contest ends at midnight, this Friday.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Last week got off to a shaky start, then it started getting better, but then Friday and Saturday I had the migraine from Hell. I don't know if it was the storm front moving in, allergies, or what, but Saturday was especially bad. Sunday, however was great. At least the morning was. Mid-afternoon my energy started to flag, but I'd already accomplished enough that it didn't bother me. :-)

I was pretty late with the installment for Shades of Errol Flynn last week, but that's because I didn't get it written the night before. It was pretty much my own fault, Tuesday is cheap night at the local Cineplex and I went to see Snow White and the Huntsman.

I admit to playing a lot of Shockwave games last week, but I think I've got it out of my system now. Maybe it was the migraines at the end of the week (brightly lit computer screens are not good for a migraine) or maybe I subconsciously realized what a colossal waste of time they are, but whatever the reason, I seem to off the games. I still play Castleville, but it doesn't require a large output (input?) of time.

I'm starting a new series this week, and it requires a bit of explanation. Originally I was going to do my new series on Angels alone. But then I remembered when I did the series on the Seven Deadly Sins I was able to find Heavenly Virtues as their counterpart. So then I thought I'd do my new series on Angels with their Devilish counterparts. And then I thought I'd do them in alphabetical order. Yeah, well, then I started doing the research. Individual angels don't have an exact demon counterpart, although I suppose if one were sufficiently motivated one could eventually match them up. But they still wouldn't be in alphabetical order. So, what I am doing is picking out a couple of interesting angels and a couple of demons for each letter of the alphabet - a new letter each week.

The title of this new series took a bit of thinking. I couldn't call it Angels and Demons because of the book by the same title, and although I mentioned last week that I was going to call it Demons and Angels I nixed that idea because I wanted to start each segment with the angels, not the demons. So then I thought about using Saints and Sinners, but I didn't want people thinking the series was about Saints. I had toyed with the idea of doing a series on Catholic Saints, but have you seen how many Saints there are? Check the Catholic Saints Index. There's 893 Saints for the letter A alone! So I've opted for Angels and Devils as my title, unimaginative as it is. :-)

What’s Up This Week: The schedule is up on the side bar, so I’m just giving the highlights here.

Tuesday On Random Thoughts Part A of my new series, Angels and Devils. On Random Writings I will be reviewing a book I recently finished on my Kindle.

Wednesday (on Random Writings) Chapter Fifty-five of Shades of Errol Flynn. Just because Jessica (with Howard's help) freed Ewan's castle, don't think for a minute that the story's just about over. ;-) And on Random Thoughts there’ll be another hump day hunk for your viewing pleasure. ;-)

Thursday we have Chapter Twenty of Water (on Random Thoughts) in which we start to find out how life changes for the twins now that their past their tespiro.

FridayI'm on a Flash Fiction vacation this month on Random Thoughts, and a semi-vacation for poetry on Random Writings, which means I'll be posting poems from my favourite poets instead of original work.

Water - Chapter Nineteen

This serial is presented in draft form and will be updated each Thursday. Your comments are always welcome!

Prologue ~ Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7 ~ Ch 8 ~ Ch 9 ~ Ch 10 ~ Ch 11 ~
Ch 12 ~ Ch 13 ~ Ch 14 ~ Ch 15 ~ Ch 16 ~ Ch 17 ~ Ch 18 ~

The moment the technician left the room, Kairavini closed his eyes and tentatively reached out with his mind. To his vast relief his mind remained clear; there was no pain and nothing impeded him.

Nereida, are you there? He felt the first stirring of panic, however, when there was no immediate response. She was there, she had to be. Maybe she was just sleeping. Nereida? Answer me!

He half-rose from his bed. Nereida, please answer me!

Using every ounce of his strength he pushed with his mind. At last he was rewarded with a faint glimmer of recognition.

Ravi?

Nereida! Ravi fell back onto the bed, tears of relief pricking at the corner of his eyes. I was so afraid I'd lost you.

No, my brother. It was quite the opposite. You saved me.

I don't understand.

Nor should you. Nereida chastised herself for her slip. She never wanted Ravi to know what she'd gone through, just as she never wanted him to learn what the M designation on her wrist meant. The main thing is, we are both alive, and that in itself is cause for celebration.

You sound so weak, are you all right?

I'm much better, now that I'm able to speak with you again. For a while there was something blocking me, but it's gone now.

It must have been the drugs they were giving me for the headaches. I couldn't reach you either. I was so worried! Are you sure you're all right?

Just weak and tired, brother. Nothing that a few good meals and some rest won't cure.

Ravi couldn't shake the feeling there was something else going on with her. He pushed with his mind, trying to share her thoughts as they used to, but she shut him out. You're blocking me, why?

Maybe I just don't want you wandering around my thoughts any time you like. There are some things a girl likes to keep private.

We never had secrets before.

Things were different before. We've changed now, we've passed through our tespiro.

Which room are you in? I want to see you, to make sure you're all right.

No!

He winced at the strength of her objection.

Promise me you won't come looking for me, she demanded.

Nereida . . .

Promise me!

Fine, I promise. I don't understand what the problem is though.

I don't want you getting into trouble, that's all. And I've been in this room for days, I look a mess.

You know I don't care about that . . .

I know. But I do. It's a girl thing, she added.

Why do I get the feeling there's going to be a lot of 'girl things' in the future?

Because we're growing up, brother, she replied with a trace of her old humour. When we resume classes it will be to learn about the breeding program.

That'll make Zephryn happy, Ravi said. You have no idea how disappointed he was when the classes were suspended.

That made her laugh, as it was meant to.

I just hope it lives up to his expectations, Nereida said.

They're letting me out tomorrow, Ravi said, changing what was for him an uncomfortable topic. I get to go back to the dorm.

No you don't, silly.

What do you mean? Where else would I go?

Think about it brother. You passed your tespiro. That makes you a breeder. No more dorms for you, you get your own room now.

Ravi thought about it for a minute. I don't know if I'd like being in a room by myself. It sounds . . . lonely.

You'll still have meals and classes and exercise periods with your year mates.

How do you know all this? Ravi demanded.

You'd be surprised what people talk about when the patient they're watching over is supposed to be comatose.

Hump Day Hunk

Is that a fig leaf? I think this requires closer inspection. ;-)

New Series

As I mentioned yesterday, I appear to have lost all the research I did regarding false prophets that I intended to use for the wrap-up of my Prophets and Prophecies series. I have no idea what the post was going to be about because I planned it out at the beginning of the series and that was more than twelve weeks ago. Anyway, somehow by ferrying information between three different computers and six USB keys, my research vanished into the electronic stratosphere. So we're going to call last week's post the series finale.

To be honest, the Prophets and Prophecies series didn't exactly turn out the way I expected. That sometimes happens in writing, but usually in fiction, not non-fiction. The prophets were more involved in religion than I expected, which begs the question of just how much prophecy is connected to faith.

Which in turn gave me an idea for my next non-fiction series - Angels. But what's the light without the dark? I really feel I need to include their counter-parts, the Demons as well. So next week will start my series on Demons and Angels.

I started doing a little research on the names of Demons and Angels, just to give myself an idea of what I'd have to work with, and wow, there's a lot of them out there! So just to make it easier on myself, I'm going to do this series in alphabetical order. Which means I should be wrapping this series up sometime around Christmas. :-)

So join me here next week for the first instalment of my new series on Demons and Angels.

Molluscicide Monday

molluscicide ~ killing of mollusks

Wanna a win a free book? All you have to do is leave a comment on any post on either of my blogs and you'll be entered into a draw for a copy of my newest book, An Elemental Fire, Book II of the Ardraci Elementals. Comment every day for more chances to win, there will be one winner on each blog. Contest ends at midnight on June 15. If you want a sneak peak at the first three chapters, check it out at Brazen Snake Books.

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Wow, Monday again already? Where'd the week go? For that matter, where'd May go? I can't believe it's June already.

So . . . not only did we get the promised rain last week, but the temperature dropped as well. There were a couple of days where I actually had to wear socks because it was too cold for bare feet! Over the course of a handful of days we went from fire watches to flood watches. This week looks pretty much the same, only the temperatures will be a little higher.

The toner for my laser printer finally arrived, and a rather big box it was. I didn't get around to putting it in the printer until the weekend and although it's nice to be able to print again, I was not happy to see the smudging along the right side of the printed pages - not when I'm going to be printing several large documents for binding. It's not a wide band of smudging, just barely enough to be noticeable. But I notice it, which means it's unacceptable. I don't know if it'll eventually get better the more I print, but I'm going to try printing a longer document to see what happens. Wish me luck!

I was far more productive over the weekend than I was during the week. I started Friday by finishing the edits on a terrific novella. I can't wait until the author is finished with it so I can announce it's launch. It's such a great story - just the right combination of suspense and romance. :-)

Saturday I proof-read the first batch of transcripts from the OTF project, which meant listening to the recordings while reading the typed copy. This is another one of those times when it's good to let the writing sit for awhile. This time around I was able figure out some of the words and phrases I missed before, including figuring out the name of a city in Japan one of the interviewees was referencing. Then I turned the nine interviews into one document and inserted pictures into their proper places.

This week I'll be continuing with the third and final batch interviews, transcribing the recordings, and on the weekend I'll be proofing the second batch of transcripts. I'll also be figuring out the format for the covers for the CDs of the recordings, all thirty-two of them. Then there'll be duplicating the CDs, and using the lightscribe to label them. Let's see . . . thirty-two CDs and five copies of each CD . . . that would be 160 CDs. That's a lot of plastic! :-)

What’s Up This Week: The schedule is up on the side bar, so I’m just giving the highlights here.

Tuesday On Random Thoughts Originally I'd planned to wrap up my Prophets and Prophecies series with a segment on false prophets, but somehow I lost my research. So, I'm not quite sure what will be going here. Check back and be surprised. ;-). On Random WritingsI will be reviewing another one of the books I read while on vacation because I once again didn't get around to e-mailing the author I want to interview so I can run the review and the interview the same week.

Wednesday (on Random Writings) Chapter Fifty-four of Shades of Errol Flynn. I’m really hoping Jessica's going to get her butt in gear finally. And on Random Thoughts there’ll be another hump day hunk for your viewing pleasure. ;-)

Thursday we have Chapter Nineteen of Water (on Random Thoughts) in which something will happen. I'm just not sure yet what.

FridayI'm taking a break from the Flash Fiction this month. It's getting to the point where I'm having to force myself to write them, which means I'm spending way too much time on them and not having any fun. The poetry this month will probably belong to other people. My poetry muse is on vacation and I find if I try and force it the poetry is really not good. And it also becomes not fun. And if the writing stops being fun, why do it?

Special Announcement and Giveaway

I am super-pleased to announce the launch of Book II in the Ardraci Elemental series, An Elemental Fire.

Once again I would like to thank Jamie DeBree of Brazen Snake Books for her limitless patience, and Heidi Sutherlin of Creative Pursuits for my fabulous cover. And a special nod to Karin Eider, beta-reader extraordinaire.



Wynne Ignitus has a secret she's been keeping from the children she rescued from genetic experimentation.

Rayne has a secret that doesn't stop the longing she feels for her reluctant ally.

Pyre has a secret that keeps him from what he most desires.

Only the desperate would seek the aid of the reclusive Fire Elemental up on the mountain, but Rayne would do anything to help her sister. However, once she persuades him to return to the village with her, it's to find her sister, and the rest of the children, gone.

Who has taken the children, and why? And why would the Mother send them on a quest to seek the aid of the mysterious Illezie, a race they’d never heard of? Together Rayne and Pyre must find the answers to these questions before time runs out . . . for everyone.


If you have a Kindle you can find An Elemental Fire on Amazon. For other e-versions (including the kindle format) you can purchase your copy at Brazen Snake Books (where you can also read the first three chapters for free) or Smashwords. For the month of June it's available for the special price of $0.99, after which it will be available at its regular price of $2.99.

But wait, that's not all. What would a book launch be without a giveaway? I have two blogs, so I will give away a copy of An Elemental Fire to one lucky winner on each blog. You have until midnight, June 15th to leave a comment on either blog and just to make it really interesting, you can comment on any of the posts on either Random Thoughts or Random Writings during that time. The winners will be selected at random (of course) and will be announced on Monday, June 18.

I'll let you know when the print version becomes available, and there will be a contest for that over on Goodreads.