Tag Archive for: author

Friday Night Write – St. Theresa

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Julia sat on the windowsill in Carlo’s bedroom, gazing at the sparkling night skyline of New York City.
Carlo was asleep in his bed, unaware that she was there, or even alive.

He had fallen for the same rouse his former boss had. But that was the whole point, wasn’t it? Make them think she was dead, Carlo gets free from his life as an assassin, and everyone goes their merry way.

She had help from a man known as G. G had a professional interest in Carlo, and Julia needed G’s help. She assured G that Carlo would do anything to get revenge once she was “gone,” and G would have no problem recruiting him. And so their little alliance was formed. G supplied the drugs to slow her heart, the bullet proof vest, even fake blood to make it look like she had been shot. G could not understand why she would risk them shooting her in the head instead if the chest. But that’s love; sometimes you have to risk everything for that one person who becomes your entire world.

G paid off the coroner to lie on her death certificate, and then gathered her unconscious body before they buried her casket. As long as no one dug up her empty grave, everything would be fine.

Julia had to wait until she knew it was safe before confronting Carlo. She couldn’t do it yet because her “killers” might still be watching him. But she could not bear to see him in pain any longer. She had to at least let him know she was alive. That was why she visited him the other night, and why she was here now.

But the moon was high in the sky and she would need to leave soon. The thought sunk daggers in her chest. Reluctantly rising from her post by the window, she walked to his bed and watched her love sleeping peacefully. She desperately longed to hold him again–if just for a moment.

“Soon,” she quietly promised him–and herself.

Julia turned to his nightstand and re-read the letter he had so eloquently penned.

“I love you too,” she whispered as she wrote those eternal words at the bottom of the page.

~

This is my entry into the Friday Night Write weekly challenge at Sweet Banana Ink.

The Challenge:

  • 1 Song (this week’s song is St. Theresa by Joan Osborne)
  • 60 Hours (Friday @ noon to Sunday @ midnight EST)
  • 500 Words

This is part of a series I’m writing. You can read the rest of Carlo’s Story here.

Five Sentence Fiction – Night

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Russell kneeled and examined the floor of the house for evidence that his target had been there.

If you knew what to look for, pyros left a mark every time they used their powers: glowing micro-embers only visible at night.

Each pyro had a distinct color of flames and embers; in this case, indigo.

Burning indigo flecks were everywhere—on the walls, floor, even the ceiling fan.

Violet had been there, alright, and this hunter was one step closer to finding her.

~

Check out the Five Sentence Fiction weekly challenge created by Lillie McFerrin.

This is part of a series I’m writing. You can read more about Violet here.

Five Sentence Fiction – Distance

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“You’re a… pyro…” Chris said in horror as he jumped back, putting distance between himself and Violet.

Violet again ignited the indigo flames in her hand as blue and purple light flickered and reflected off their faces.

“I need your help,” Violet said, pleading with the young man who had claimed to love her only days prior.

“This is too bizarre; I’ll keep your secret but I can’t go with you.”

Violet nodded as she walked out into the rain, distancing herself from everything that was once her life.

~

Check out the Five Sentence Fiction weekly challenge created by Lillie McFerrin.

This is part of a series I’m writing, you can read more about Violet here.

Friday Night Write – Captain of a Shipwreck

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Dear My Sweet Jules,

I don’t know if you will ever be able to read this letter. But I need to write it, regardless.

I saw you last night, here, in my house. It could have been my imagination, and maybe I was dreaming… but I don’t think so. You were here, I know it.

How it was possible, I have no idea. I watched you die with my own eyes. Murdered mercilessly, while I was helpless to stop it. I held your limp body in my arms.

I broke that day.

You are why I am even alive. Before you found me, I was lost. I was a ruthless killer with no reason to behave otherwise. But you gave me that reason—a light to a man with a pitch black heart. You saved me.

So how am I supposed to move on, if you are not alive? I would have run away with you. Would have left behind this life of misery and death, and given you everything you could ever need. I would have stood by you, comforted you, protected you.

Protect? I guess I failed you there. And for that, my love, I am so terribly sorry.

Like I said, if indeed you are gone, how could I live with myself if I did not make sure your murderer was brought to justice. All my leads have run dry. The man I thought had the answers…I don’t know if he’s telling the truth. The man I thought was responsible for your death…he seems to be innocent. I don’t know who to trust anymore. I am running out of options, and I don’t know what to do next.

But… and this is the key…

What if you are alive? What if I only thought you were dead, or your death was faked? That would be an incredible light in my, once again, dark world.

I will never stop hoping. Never stop looking.

I love you… Even death cannot change that.

So come back to me.

Yours Forever,

Carlo

~

Carlo laid his fountain pen on his mahogany desk, folded the letter, and wrote Jules’ name on the front. Propping the letter on his night stand, he turned off the lights and laid down in his half-empty bed.

Carlo slept soundly, and woke the next morning with a peace he had not felt since Jules was still with him.

On his night stand, the letter sat open with his fountain pen laying next to it.

At the bottom of the page, the words “I love you too,” were written in Jules’ perfect handwriting.

 [hr]

This is my entry into the Friday Night Write weekly challenge at Sweet Banana Ink.

The Challenge:

  • 1 Song (this week’s song is Captain of a Shipwreck by Neil Diamond)
  • 60 Hours (Friday @ noon to Sunday @ midnight EST)
  • 500 Words

This is part of a series I’m writing. You can read the rest of Carlo’s Story here.

Five Sentence Fiction – Perseverance

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My name is Violet Blair, and this is my story: a man from some secret agency just tried to kill me by throwing me off a building, but I landed perfectly on my feet.

He fed me some crock story about his brother’s death being my fault, but I don’t buy it.

They’re after me because I can create fire with my mind; in fact, I nearly burned down my school.

People don’t like what they can’t control—that is why they will never stop hunting me, and why I must fight back and endure.

My name is Violet Blair, I am a pyro, and I am coming for you.

[hr]

Check out the Five Sentence Fiction weekly challenge created by Lillie McFerrin.

This is part of a series that you can read here.

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Mortal Book Review

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(photo credit: TedDekker.com)

~

Mortal, by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee, is the second in a trilogy called The Books of Mortals. This series is set well into humanity’s future, where, due to a manufactured virus called Legion, every human is stripped of all emotion, save for fear. Fear keeps everyone obedient, while lack of love or hatred eliminates war and violence. What no one knows is, every human being on the planet is actually dead, even though they are walking and breathing. However, a vial of ancient blood, kept safe by a group called The Keepers, allows five people who drink it to have all their emotions restored, and to fully come alive. This life, and also the title of the first book, is Forbidden.

In this second installment, a young man named Jonathan, was prophesied to come to power and bring life to all. His blood can bring that true life to those who are “dead.” His group of followers refer to themselves as Mortals.

In similar fashion as the first book, Mortal takes the reader on a fantastic journey with action, suspense, love, betrayal… and asks the question, “What does it mean to be alive?” Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee brilliantly incorporate their faith in God into these books through an epic display of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for us to truly live.

I had the privilege of meeting the authors during their Mortal book tour. And let me tell you, they are genuine, pouring their hearts and lives into these books. Something they always say is that writers bleed on the page. And it shows through their writing that they’ve invested everything to bring us this awesome story of salvation.

I loved this book and, out of 5 stars, I would give it 10 if I could. I’m anxiously awaiting the third and final installment to be released in 2013. There is also a short story prequel to the series called The Keeper. It’s not a required read to understand the trilogy, but it does give you a little more insight into the story. Also, if you’ve read The Circle Series by Ted Dekker, there’s a little tidbit in there that will tie it all together and put a smile on your face. 🙂

To all you Circle members out there,

Dive Deep

~

You can find more information on Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee at…

TedDekker.com or Ted Dekker’s Facebook Page

ToscaLee.com or Tosca Lee’s Facebook Page

TheBooksOfMortals.com

Menage Monday # 40

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I wake up, lying on my stomach. The first thing I see are trees probably fifty stories below me. My stomach drops as I instinctively jump back to a safe distance.

“So nice of you to join me,” a scruffy voice says behind me. I flip around to see a man, late thirties, leaning against a metal post.

“Where are we?”

“Power plant.”

“Who are you?”

“The who is not important. It’s the why.”

“Okay…why—”

“Why did I bring you here? Well, Violet, I’m thrilled you asked. I saw your little pyrotechnic display at your school.”

“How long have I been up here?”

“Ten days. Once your hands started glowing I thought you were going to pass out. Then fire started shooting out of them. It wasn’t until after the explosion that you lost consciousness. I can’t believe you survived. But you know who didn’t? My brother, you filthy mutant.”

He backs me up to the ledge. “Survive this,” he says as he throws me over.

I scream, fully expecting to splat against the ground. But somehow I land gently on my feet.

Wow! I wonder what other neat tricks I can do…

~

This was written for the Menage Monday challenge at caramichaels.com

Rules:

100-200 word story based on 3 prompts:

The Photo

The Phrase: “survive this” must appear somewhere in the story

The Judge’s Prompt: scenario: you woke up…ten days later. What do you do? What do you remember? Where are you? How do you piece everything together?

Five Sentence Fiction – Scarlet

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Carlo crept into the dark bedroom of his New York apartment, lit only by the glow of the moon coming through the open window.

Someone was there—he could feel their presence, thick and palpable.

He saw her scarlet lips first, then the rest of her silhouette stepped into the moonlight.

“I love you, Carlo,” Jules said, “sleep now…”

Carlo awoke the next morning alone, accompanied solely by his unrelenting question: Was it a dream, or could she really be alive?

~

Check out the Five Sentence Fiction weekly challenge created by Lillie McFerrin.

This is part of a series, you can read the rest of Carlo’s story here.

Sunshine Award

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I was recently nominated for the Sunshine Award by the lovely Lisa Shambrook.

Here’s how it works:

Include the logo and a link to who nominated you.

Give 10 facts about yourself.

Nominate and link other bloggers for the award.

So here are 10 random, interesting, and little-known facts about me:

  1. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve never liked log rides. I’m not really sure why. I like roller coasters, and it’s not the water that bothers me… I think it’s the log. Lol.
  2. Whenever there are hot air balloons in the sky I have to count them. I can’t not count them. And what’s even weirder, is I usually count them more than once. Strange, I know. Maybe even a little OCD-ish
  3. Call me a geek if you want, but I’m a big Trekkie/sci-fi fan. Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Fringe… I fraking love them. Lol, you’ll get that joke if you’re a BSG fan. I also like fantasy… and dragons! The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini was epic!
  4. The very first story I ever wrote was called The Mystery of the Missing Ruby. I was in third grade and had just come to the realization that I could write stories.
  5. I’m always cold. Always.
  6. I’m so cold and pale, my husband and family members think I might be a vampire.
  7. I think Lost was probably one of the greatest TV shows ever.
  8. When I’m nervous I start yawning a lot and I get really cold (more so than usual)
  9. Okra freaks me out.
  10. If I could do any drastic hairstyle in the world, it would be chin length black hair with the layers all flipped out. Oh, and purple peek-a-boo streaks. But my family would probably freak out, and I’m way too pale to pull off hair that dark. So…I gave one of my characters that hairstyle; live vicariously through her, right?
And now, for the bloggers who bring happiness and a ray of sunshine into my life:

Be sure to vista their blogs and follow them on twitter. They are amazing!

Friday Night Write – I Ain’t Superstitious

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Carlo refused to cry. The love of his life was dead and he would not mourn until her killer was brought to justice. He clenched his fists and rose from his knelt position over Jules’ grave.

“Carlo Capelletti, may I have a moment of your time?” A stranger said.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“No, but I have a proposition for you.” The man was in his late forties; aviator sunglasses hid his eyes.

“I don’t have time for this.” Carlo swore in Italian, his native language, as he did often. Who did this guy this guy think he was talking to? Obviously Carlo’s bulky, muscular appearance, slick black hair, and sharp jaw line didn’t intimidate him as it did every other sane human being.

“I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say. It’s about Julia.”

“She’s dead, or could you not tell by the grave?” Carlo pointed to the fresh mound of dirt.

The man nodded once as if Carlo’s words were not news.

“If you’re interested in what I have to say, come to this address tomorrow night.”

The man handed Carlo a scrap of paper with messy handwriting then started to walk away.

“I don’t even know your name.”

“You may call me G.”

He had no intentions of going. G—what kind of name was that anyway?

Carlo was not a man given to curiosity, but something about the whole situation wouldn’t let him walk away. He had to know if the guy was legit or just full of it. He had to know what he knew.

So Carlo went to the address, but not without certain precautions: a pistol on his hip, a knife in his boot, and a sniper rifle hidden in his black Buick.

Rottweilers barked viciously as he approached the enormous house. G seemed like the type who took crap from no one. The house was surrounded by security cameras, fences, and guards who escorted him across the premises. What did the man do that required all this?

A knotted firmly planted itself in Carlo’s stomach. He also wasn’t a man given to superstitions. But something didn’t sit well with him, and somehow he knew that things would end badly for him. But still, he had to know.

Once inside, Carlo was instructed to wait in the “living room” which was twice the size of any normal one.

A moment later, G emerged and sat down.

“I’ll get right to the point Mr. Cappelletti. I would like you to come work for me. I’m in need of a certain set of… skills.”

“You’re offering me a job?”

“Do you even know who was actually behind Julia’s murder? The man at the top?”

The question caught Carlo off guard. Something that didn’t happen often. There was no need to answer; G knew he had no idea.

“The fact is, I do know who is responsible, and I can put you in a prime position to take him out.”

~

This is my entry into the Friday Night Write weekly challenge at Sweet Banana Ink.

The Challenge:

  • 1 Song (this week’s song was I Ain’t Superstitious by Jeff Beck)
  • 48 Hours (Friday @ 5pm to Sunday @ 5pm pacific)
  • 500 Words

I wrote about this character last week, but this story line was beckoning me to write more. You can read the rest of Carlo’s story here.