Monday 26 December 2011

Tuesday Tales 27th Dec 2011





Wish


Ela drew her legs up, wrapped her arms around them, and rested her chin on her knees. She watched the snowflakes as they swirled, performing a tuneless ballet of sorts. Finally, they settled on the white ground outside of the window, merging and becoming one with the lump of snow. Unidentifiable. 


She closed her eyes and exhaled.  It was no use wishing that things were different. She had fallen in love, and fallen hard for the wrong man. And the right reasons. Their hearts were intertwined. 



How she wished she would have been born in another time. A time when being who she was, did not stand in the way, or that she had been born to a more kinder, accepting parent. Oh, how she wished this wasn’t an assignment. But these were the warring times. Love was easily squashed by the heavy fist of a raging war. A stupid war, if anyone was to ask her. But no one did.


She had pledged allegiance to her father, and promised to do everything in her power to ensure victory. She would complete the task, no matter how unpalatable it was, and return home. Given her father's impatience, and the lack of trust he had bestowed on her, he was probably gathering an army to invade Tolidian.


She opened her eyes, brushing them with the back of her sleeve, hardening her resolve. It would be much better to see the light fade from Sildian's eyes while he was in her arms, than wait until her father's soldiers stormed in and took his life in the most cruel and inhuman way possible. And if this is what it took for her father to love her as his daughter, and not compare her with a son he never had, or ever would,  maybe, just maybe this would be  the beginning of a relationship she so craved.

She straightened as muted footfalls on the thick carpet reached her ears. Quickly, she brushed her eyes repeatedly, hoping she had time to compose herself before whoever who was approaching her took note of her state. 


She took another deep, shuddering breath, exhaled, and waited as the footfalls drew closer. 

Moments later,  the cushion she sat on dipped, capturing his weight as he settled himself behind her, his strong well-toned arms wrapping around her. Spring sunshine, mint and earth tickled her senses, a scent she had come to associate with him. His warmth seeped into her back as he pulled her to him. She shivered unable to control her body as she felt his fingers gently push her hair to the side, the tips of those fingers she so adored sending sensations from her neck, and spreading to the toes of her feet.  She bit back a groan as his lips brushed softly on the nape of her neck, and inhaled sharply as he traced his lips along her jawline. 


She closed her eyes, as heaven descended on earth, savouring the feel she knew she won't be experiencing again.


His fingers traced the lines of her face as if memorizing it, then settled on her chin, cupped it with one hand and urged her to turn around, all the while murmuring so softly, as his lips inched closer to hers. 

Her eyes flew open as the power within her leaped to life, warming it's way up throat, urging her on.   Slowly, she turned around, avoiding his lips as they sought hers. 


She reigned the power as she brushed her lips on his, then quickly moved and began tracing his jawline, the stumble tickling her lips. She turned and faced him, pushing him on his back, following him as he lay down, his brown eyes never leaving hers.

“Very pushy today, are we?” Sildian said, a lazy smile playing on his lips as he adjusted his body so that she lay on top of him.

She didn’t answer. Instead she maneuvered herself lest he became suspicious of her intentions. and continued to brush kisses along his arms, leashing  in the lethal  power. Finally, she sighed in relief as the power settled within her.


 She inched her way up toward his face,  and lifted her gaze to his. Gold flecks flickered  in his, as flames filmed along his arms, his face. She watched in fascination as it spread covering every inch of his body.  He leaned forward slightly and snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her up close down, embracing her until she didn't know where she ended and where he began. LIfting one had to her face, he stroked her chin with his thumb, leaning forward, love, lust, trust bright in his eyes.

She stiffened.  This was her chance. 


As if called forth, the power emerged again, soaring within her, dancing on her tongue begging to be released.


 Forgive me, my love, my Sildian. “I wish…” she whispered as he brought his lips to hers, capturing hers hardly giving her time to finish the sentence.

After a moment, he pulled away his breathing heavy, a frown on his face. “What do you wish for, my Ela? Anything for you. I will lay my life for you, if that is what you wish of me.”  

Tears sprang in her eyes, and flowed down her face. She began stroking his face, smoothening the frown lines that marred his rugged beauty.  “I wish I was someone else, someone you deserve."


She was just in time to see the frown deepen as she quickly lowered her lips to his. The gold flecks in his eyes faded, turning the brown to black. Souless. Lifeless.

This one is for you Father. 


Her eyes, burned as tears threatened to blind her, her throat warmed up as the life and love she was taking created a pleasant burning sensation as it always did, right before bitterness as sour as lemons wiped the pleasantness, replacing it with heartache born of lost love.

Please click http://tuesdaytales1.blogspot.com/ to read other wonderful stories from other authors on Tuesday Tales. 
The Day The Sun Stopped Shining Blog Tour 


Today marks the beginning of the Blog Tour. Below are some of the the authors participating in this  blog tour, book blurbs, and links to their blogs and websites. For a chance to win a 10$ Amazon Gift Card, scroll down to the bottom of this post. 


Be sure to check other authors taking part in this blog tour as well. The link can be found below this post as well.






Ju Ephraime


A short description of Ju's The Man In The Black Top Hat  


Inspired by a true story. Is there life after death? 


It's a question Syria Warrington is desperately trying to answer since she came home one afternoon to find an old black top hat on her front step, being a lover of all things old, she did not hesitate to take it in to her home. But bringing this top hat into her home unknowingly exposed her to the spirit that called this hat home. The strange happenings that began to take place in her home, from that day on, had Syria questioning her sanity, as night after night she found herself caught up in sexual escapades, the like of which she had never experienced before ... Syria's relationship with her family begins to unravel, as she struggled to keep her secret, while she tried determine whether her experiences were real or imagined? Was she slowly losing her mind? What was happening to her? 
Be sure to check out her blog http://juephraime1.blogspot.com/ and get to know her, as well as a chance to win some fantastic prizes.






Dicey Grenor




Short description of Dicey's Sleepy Willow's Bonded Soul: The Narcoleptic Vampire Series #1

Ever since vampirism became illegal, the undead have been hunted to near-extinction. So Willow has to watch her back to make sure no one finds out what she is. And that’s not easy considering she’s a vampire with narcolepsy.

More about Dicey, click on http://diceyblog.wordpress.com/ .





 James Hatch

Short description of  James' The Substitute

Miss Havana’s public persona was far from the truth because, in her capacity as substitute teacher, the small community where she lived knew her as the breathtakingly beautiful young woman who demanded every student learn, but in her private life, ostensibly caring for aging parents in Chicago, she raced through the lives of powerful men, leaving a wake of destruction…and a deep desire for revenge. Little did she realize her conflicted life would end in a chaotic death at an early age, and to eternal conflict with the devil. The surprise ending will leave the reader stunned and gasping for more.




Alesha Escobar



In an alternate WWII era where the Nazis unleash occult powers, the Allies must employ wizards to stand in their way. One wizard who joins the fight is Isabella George, an SOE agent who’s torn between her sense of duty and her desire to retire to a normal life where she can find love and raise a family. As friends and colleagues disappear, she knows that if she continues, she’ll meet the same fate.
The stakes are raised even higher when she discovers a warlock is stalking her in order to steal her powers, and that the very people who trained her as a wizard may be her greatest enemy.


More about Alesha's, click http://www.aleshaescobar.com, and a chance to win an Amazon Gift Card. Check out her Amargeddon pudding recipe that I am dying to try out. 




Georgina Kamsika

Short description of  Georgina's The Sulphur Diaries

Alice is in deep trouble.

The police have found her covered in blood and surrounded by corpses. The dazed teenager explains that she had befriended an angel to help her escape her tiny Yorkshire village that is situated over a gate to hell.

Why? Because the Harvest was coming and the love of her life was up for selection.

To link up with Georgina @http://www.kamsika.com/2011/10/25/the-sulphur-diaries/







Michael Rivers

Short description of Michael's The Black Witch (Curse Of The Black Witch)
It was the adventure of a life time. In an obscure marina off the shores of Maryland a schooner unlike any other ever built was discovered. Dorian and Diana Coe purchased the schooner and sailed from the shores of tranquility into the bowels of hell itself.

Prurient tales of suicide, murder, and the disappearance of an entire crew were hand written within the ship's logs.

On her decks sailed a well seasoned Captain and crew that never knew the schooner's shadowed past. The new owners ignored the words of men with integrity and sailed the Black Witch in the Spring of 1935.

Into the realms of illusion and pure evil the ship and its compliment sailed never knowing the fate awaiting them! 

To link up with Michael Rivers, as well as a chance to win Fantastic prizes,  http://www.michealrivers.com/



Shelley Workinger

Short description of Shelley's Solid

Clio Kaid may be 17 and just beginning the last summer before her senior year, but her life is anything but typical.

She's just discovered she was genetically altered before birth and is now headed to a top-secret Army campus to explore the surprising results of the experiment.
Follow Clio and the other teens as they develop fantastic super-abilities, forge new friendships, find love, and uncover a conspiracy along the way.

Be sure to check Shelley Workinger's blog http://bookfare.blogspot.com/ and website http://shelleyworkinger.com/









Charles W. Jones


Short description of CharlesDreamwalker: The Second Plain 

Saul can control dreams, not just his dreams but dreams of people he comes in contact. At first, he is not aware of what he can do and does not understand why people act strangely when he gets angry. When he goes away to boarding school he inadvertently calls for help from his Spirit Guide, Gappé.
Gappé teaches Saul about his gift and alerts him about danger from the Man who wants the gift. His paranoid warnings turn out to be true when the Man finds Saul after he is finished with school. Had Saul listened to Gappé then the nightmares that the Man creates for his own pleasure and gain would not have happened. To end the nightmares, Saul must solve a poorly written “riddle” from Gappé. But will he find the answer before it is too late?
Saul enlists Marcie, a newly divorced nurse who works at the Lakeside Sanitarium, to help him stop the Man. He tells her the story of how he came to be at the Lakeside Sanitarium and the nightmares the Man created using Saul’s power to his advantage. When she awakes, she thinks it was all just a dream. 
More about Charles on http://bizzarofiction.blogspot.com/





One Amazon $10 Amazon Gift Card is up for grabs to a lucky winner. 


It's the 31st Dec, you wake up and find everything is darker than ten nights combined, the night as still as death itself. You flip the bedside lamp switch on.
 Nothing happens.


 What could be the problem? There were no thunderstorms last night, and the last snow storm was like 2 weeks ago. You extend your hand, your fingers search for your mobile, feel around for a button and press it. Time: 8.30 am.


An earpiercing scream cuts through the air, followed by a hungry howl so foreign it can only be classified as Otherworldy. Then it dawns on you. It is the 31st of December 2011. Your mind goes back to the predictions everyone thought were silly about the world ending. Your heart starts racing, and sweat pools under your armpits. 


What would be your next step?


The best and most creative/interesting answer wins the Gift Card. Please leave a comment/answer, along with your email address.




To check out other authors taking part in this blog tour,  go to http://sunstoppedshining.blogspot.com/




Good Luck and Happy Holidays!









Introducing Ju Ephraime, The Author of The Man In The Black Top Hat

Another day, another brilliantly talented Author. In the spotlight today is Ju Epharaime, introducing her book 'The Man In The Black Top Hat, taking part in the The Day The Sun Stopped Shining blog tour.

Author Bio:

Ju Ephraime has been reading and writing from her teenage years. However, over the years, the heavy load of academic reading and writing, in pursuit of her educational goals, forced her to step away from reading and writing, just for the fun of it. A year ago she revisited her first love, writing for fun and enjoyment, and has not stopped since. She has written several children's books, including four romance novels, and her first paranormal. Professionally, she is the administrator of a career school in Connecticut and the President of a non-profit organization, Professional Wardrobe, Inc., which dresses individuals for job interviews. Ms. Antoine is very active in her community and is always willing to assist and help someone in need.






Brief Synopsis: 
In this her first paranormal romance novel, Ju Ephraime has given us a book filled with suspense, mystery, ghostly happenings, and sex. For most authors of paranormal romance, this would have been an ambitious undertaking, but Ephraime delivers this story in her usual quick pace and attention to detail. The Man In The Black Top Hat, is not your ordinary paranormal romance novel. Set in Connecticut, The Man In The Black Top Hat will have you on the edge of your seat, as you try to follow the interactions between Syria Warrington and the Ghost that invaded her home. Told in the voice of the heroine, Syria Warrington, the story takes you from Syria's first meeting with the Ghost on her front step, to her bringing it into her home, and the nightly going ons between them, as, night after night she found herself caught up in sexual escapades, the like of which she had never experienced before. The story has the reader wondering, was Syria's meeting with the Ghost an accident or had she been targeted by the Ghost in a former life? Get a copy here at: The Man In The Black Top Hat


Excerpt

PROLOGUE

There was no denying the immediate and powerful physical attraction I felt for this man; it was palpable. I was surprised to find Jeff O’Mallery behind the counter at O’Mallery’s antique shop, and not his seventy-year-old father.
This was the first time I had come face to face with Jeff. He would disappear into one room or another any time I had gone to the storage area in the back of the shop. Standing this close to him was quite disconcerting. He was strangely compelling. My face flushed as though with a fever, heat flooded my body as I reacted to this man. My nipples had ruched up something terrible. They had gotten so stiff that they were almost painful against my bra. I was a bit embarrassed by the way my body reacted to this man, so I just stood there, praying he didn’t notice the effect he had on me.
Just when I thought I would get away with it, he looked pointedly at my breasts, and then allowed his eyes to travel slowly from my breasts to my face, with an expression on his face which was almost a leer. Embarrassment had rendered me speechless for a moment; to cover my shame I became all business-like.
“Where is your father,” I asked him.
“He had to step out for a bit,” he responded.
“When will he be returning?”
“What’s the matter? You are Syria Warrington, aren’t you? Are you not comfortable with me waiting on you?” he asked.
“That’s not it. I’m used to working with your father, so I’ll come back another day when he’s available.”
I made a determined effort to downplay my reaction to this man. A happily married woman, I had no business lusting after another man. That afternoon, I discovered something new about myself. I could repeat this mantra until the cows came home, my body wasn’t buying it. I had to make a super-human effort to drag my mind out of the gutters, where it insisted on going, to concentrate on the matter at hand.
I made a promise then and there never to allow myself to be close to that man again. I tried to school my thoughts as I completed my purchase. He assisted me in loading the item into my car, which I had to drive with my trunk tied down. The whole time, I was very aware of his every move – he made that much of an impression.
When I’d finally completed my purchase and was leaving, my entire being wanted to walk back into the shop, and ask, no, beg him to have his way with me. But somehow I kept walking away, putting one foot in front of the other, until I had gotten into my vehicle. As I drove away, I couldn’t help turning back to look. Somehow I knew he’d be standing there watching me.
Three weeks later, the newspaper reported that Jeff O’Mallery was missing at sea and presumed dead. His body was never found. 



To see what Ju Ephraime upto, as well as get to know here and her work please go to http://juephraime1.blogspot.com/