http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Diary-Anne-Boleyn/dp/0684849690/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227246041&sr=1-1
I really enjoyed the historical references in this book. However, I didn't like how it jumped around, especially with Queen Elizabeth's recollections. It was an enjoyable novel, nonetheless.
Reviews
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I Has Cover Art!
I have new cover art for my upcoming paranormal romance, Changed!
Michelle Keefe did the art for this one. I love it! What do you think?
You can read more about Changed at my website, www.rosemariewolf.com
Michelle Keefe did the art for this one. I love it! What do you think?
You can read more about Changed at my website, www.rosemariewolf.com
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
GUEST BLOGGER: Karen Lewis
I am very happy to announce my guest blogger for this week, Karen Lewis! Below is her blog. Comments are welcome!
***
The reopening of cold case murder mysteries has always fascinated me. If a crime cannot be solved at the time, what chance is there of doing so many years afterwards? I have written several novels on this theme. LISA, an erotically haunting mystery about the murder of a young woman, is my most recent. The story takes some unusual twists and turns before its shocking conclusion.
It has been twenty years since Lisa Craig was found murdered in a park at midnight. Her killer was never found. When the case is re-opened, reporter Scott Preston falls increasingly under Lisa's spell. Her long red hair and flowing green cloak haunts his dreams. Then he uncovers new and disturbing evidence, which indicates an inefficient police investigation.
His editor decides to stage a re-enactment of the crime on its twentieth anniversary, with Meg, the newspaper's receptionist, taking the part of the murdered girl. This piece of macabre theatre takes a dangerous twist when Meg is found unconscious and almost freezing to death in the same spot where Lisa Craig was discovered two decades earlier.
Scott is convinced that whoever killed Lisa, is also responsible for Meg's attempted murder, and when he finds out Meg has survived, will almost certainly be intent on silencing her before her memory returns. It is therefore, with a sense of impending danger that he doubles his efforts to uncover the truth about the Lisa Craig case. He must stop a murderer before he strikes again; a very unlikely murderer, as it turns out, who is much closer to home than anyone could have imagined.
Here is an excerpt:
The young woman walked briskly through the deserted streets. Her footsteps drumming a staccato on the sidewalks. She was a striking figure with her long auburn hair, and swirling green cloak.
A frosty moon rode high in the fitful sky, and a train whistle wailed in the distance. She glanced nervously around her, as she approached the eerie darkness of Roanoke Park.
Silent rows of evergreens loomed overhead; their bristly arms reached out to ensnare her. She quickened her pace, head bent low against the wind.
The sudden cry of a screech owl startled the nervous girl, and she broke into a run.
She raced past the isolated park just as the
moon slipped behind the clouds. Her breath froze on the frigid air, and the urgent tempo of her footsteps echoed through the midnight stillness.
But there was now another sound, far more sinister. Barely perceptible at first, it grew louder and more persistent, until there was no doubt. It was the menacing beat of another pair of footsteps,
heavier than her own and gaining on her with alarming
speed.
She ran across the road, in a desperate bid to escape, but was grabbed roughly from behind. Her agonized screams were cut short by a hand clamped cruelly over her mouth. Kicking and struggling she was dragged into the hovering darkness of the waiting park.
Her body was discovered the next morning by a neighbour out walking his dog.
* * *
The celluloid images flickered on the projection screen before being replaced by a series of declining numbers
“So what do you think?” Lieutenant Neil Slater switched on the lights and invited everyone to help themselves to coffee.
This dramatic re-enactment of the possible events leading up to a murder was part of the Vancouver Homicide Squad’s unsolved crimes program. They were hoping to interest the press and media into publicizing it.
“I remember the case well.” Said Scott Preston, the Morning Herald crime reporter. If you only knew how well, you’d be shocked, he admitted silently. “The victim’s name is Lisa Craig, and she was murdered twenty years ago.”
“That’s right,” Slater nodded. “You wrote an update on the case a couple of years ago.”
“It didn’t produce any new evidence though, which was disappointing,” Scott said. He recalled that the murdered woman had been only twenty-three years old when she met her killer on that freezing midnight in Roanoke Park. A receptionist for Mitford Realty, she lived with her mother and aunt.
He should know. My God he’d absorbed every detail of the tragedy for years. Lisa Craig obsessed him. The re-enactment of her murder had shaken him to the core.
Scott excused himself and went to the men’s room. His mirror image looked tense; anxious blue eyes, fair beard and an earring. He washed his hands and tried to compose himself.
When he returned to Slater’s office, he said, “The boyfriend was the prime suspect, wasn’t he?”
Slater nodded. “His name is Garrick Boyd, and they worked at the same place.”
http://www.literaryroad.com/product.php?ISBN_num=508
www.karenlewisnovels.blogspot.com
***
The reopening of cold case murder mysteries has always fascinated me. If a crime cannot be solved at the time, what chance is there of doing so many years afterwards? I have written several novels on this theme. LISA, an erotically haunting mystery about the murder of a young woman, is my most recent. The story takes some unusual twists and turns before its shocking conclusion.
It has been twenty years since Lisa Craig was found murdered in a park at midnight. Her killer was never found. When the case is re-opened, reporter Scott Preston falls increasingly under Lisa's spell. Her long red hair and flowing green cloak haunts his dreams. Then he uncovers new and disturbing evidence, which indicates an inefficient police investigation.
His editor decides to stage a re-enactment of the crime on its twentieth anniversary, with Meg, the newspaper's receptionist, taking the part of the murdered girl. This piece of macabre theatre takes a dangerous twist when Meg is found unconscious and almost freezing to death in the same spot where Lisa Craig was discovered two decades earlier.
Scott is convinced that whoever killed Lisa, is also responsible for Meg's attempted murder, and when he finds out Meg has survived, will almost certainly be intent on silencing her before her memory returns. It is therefore, with a sense of impending danger that he doubles his efforts to uncover the truth about the Lisa Craig case. He must stop a murderer before he strikes again; a very unlikely murderer, as it turns out, who is much closer to home than anyone could have imagined.
Here is an excerpt:
The young woman walked briskly through the deserted streets. Her footsteps drumming a staccato on the sidewalks. She was a striking figure with her long auburn hair, and swirling green cloak.
A frosty moon rode high in the fitful sky, and a train whistle wailed in the distance. She glanced nervously around her, as she approached the eerie darkness of Roanoke Park.
Silent rows of evergreens loomed overhead; their bristly arms reached out to ensnare her. She quickened her pace, head bent low against the wind.
The sudden cry of a screech owl startled the nervous girl, and she broke into a run.
She raced past the isolated park just as the
moon slipped behind the clouds. Her breath froze on the frigid air, and the urgent tempo of her footsteps echoed through the midnight stillness.
But there was now another sound, far more sinister. Barely perceptible at first, it grew louder and more persistent, until there was no doubt. It was the menacing beat of another pair of footsteps,
heavier than her own and gaining on her with alarming
speed.
She ran across the road, in a desperate bid to escape, but was grabbed roughly from behind. Her agonized screams were cut short by a hand clamped cruelly over her mouth. Kicking and struggling she was dragged into the hovering darkness of the waiting park.
Her body was discovered the next morning by a neighbour out walking his dog.
* * *
The celluloid images flickered on the projection screen before being replaced by a series of declining numbers
“So what do you think?” Lieutenant Neil Slater switched on the lights and invited everyone to help themselves to coffee.
This dramatic re-enactment of the possible events leading up to a murder was part of the Vancouver Homicide Squad’s unsolved crimes program. They were hoping to interest the press and media into publicizing it.
“I remember the case well.” Said Scott Preston, the Morning Herald crime reporter. If you only knew how well, you’d be shocked, he admitted silently. “The victim’s name is Lisa Craig, and she was murdered twenty years ago.”
“That’s right,” Slater nodded. “You wrote an update on the case a couple of years ago.”
“It didn’t produce any new evidence though, which was disappointing,” Scott said. He recalled that the murdered woman had been only twenty-three years old when she met her killer on that freezing midnight in Roanoke Park. A receptionist for Mitford Realty, she lived with her mother and aunt.
He should know. My God he’d absorbed every detail of the tragedy for years. Lisa Craig obsessed him. The re-enactment of her murder had shaken him to the core.
Scott excused himself and went to the men’s room. His mirror image looked tense; anxious blue eyes, fair beard and an earring. He washed his hands and tried to compose himself.
When he returned to Slater’s office, he said, “The boyfriend was the prime suspect, wasn’t he?”
Slater nodded. “His name is Garrick Boyd, and they worked at the same place.”
http://www.literaryroad.com/product.php?ISBN_num=508
www.karenlewisnovels.blogspot.com
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Wedding Dress by Virginia Ellis (Mini-Review)
This was a fast and easy read. I found it a bit predictable at times, but the ending was happy and that was worth it. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
GUEST BLOGGER: Sherry Derr-Wille
Attention everyone,
This weeks guest blogger is Sherry Derr-Wille. Please welcome her. Comments are welcome!
***
I’d like to start by saying that I’m honored to be a guest on Rose Marie’s blog today. That said, I’m Sherry Wille writing as Sherry Derr-Wille. It was suggested that I tell you about how I was feeling when I was writing my latest book, but since I have 43 books in print and work on 7 books at a time, I’d rather tell you about my writing journey.
It all began in 1961 when my sophomore English teacher assigned anyone who got an A on the first test to sit in the back of the room and write for a year and mushroomed from there. I received my first e-contract form Awe-Struck Books in 2002 and Whiskey Creek Books published my first book in 2003. Since then I’ve been busy. At first it was with books that I had written over the past 40 years but once they were depleted, I started working on new books. Most of my works are series and cover many genres.
So far for 2009, I have the following books coming out: THE TOUR, SEASONS OF LOVE, WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, GRANDMA, TALL ELK’S WOMAN, ROUND TREE, UMBA, D-O-L-L-S GRACE and SEEKING SIR GWAIN. Hopefully there will be more, but not unless I finish writing them.
My advise to new writers is finish the book, Finish The Book, FINISH THE BOOK, and yes I was shouting.
My newest book, JOSEPHINE’S JOURNEY is available from Wings and can be found at www.wings-press.com and www.derr-wille.com.
In this book, Josephine is embarking on a journey to find the son she hasn’t seen in far too long and perhaps love.
Josephine had just come out of the kitchen when she saw her son enter the saloon. The exact replica of his brother in Missouri, he looked good in his Levis and chambray shirt. “It’s good to finally have you back, Quade,” Red greeted him.
Josephine studied her son’s face. It was evident that he found the comment worrisome.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice more mature than it had been nine years earlier.
“It’s nothing bad, Quade,” Red assured him. “You have a visitor. When she arrived, I sent Sam down to the fort and learned that you’d gone to Canada with Crooked Snake to bring his boys back. We’ve made her very comfortable.”
Josephine smiled. She wondered about the part about sending Sam down to the fort. She decided Red had misspoken, because they all knew about Quade going to Canada when she had arrived.
“She?” Quade questioned.
“I had to come, Son,” Josephine said as she stepped into his line of vision.
“Ma? How... why...” without further words, he rushed to embrace her.
“I always worried about what happened to you. Your father swore if you ever returned he’d kill you. I prayed every day for God to keep you safe. When we didn’t hear from you, I was afraid you’d been killed. Then your letter came and it was as though God answered my prayers. Quint wanted to come with me after we got your wire, but with the harvest he’s too busy to leave the farm.”
“I can’t believe you came alone.”
“I wanted to come. I decided that there was no reason that I couldn’t make the trip. I’m not exactly helpless you know. I lived with your father long enough to learn how to defend myself. As a matter of fact, I rather enjoyed traveling alone. I met some of the nicest people. I think the fact that I couldn’t stand the thought of knowing where you were and not seeing you gave me the courage I needed. Of course, I do have to admit, your wedding to Hannah gave me another reason to come. I’ve heard that the wedding hasn’t taken place yet.”
“Ah, no, it hasn’t.”
“Good. I can hardly wait to meet her. It’s not that Red, Shirl, Grace and Sam haven’t been good to me, but I’m anxious to see where you’ll be living.”
“Just how long have you been here?”
“I arrived two weeks ago. When will you be returning to the reservation and your wedding?”
Quade took his mother’s arm and directed her to one of the tables. “I think we need to talk about this, Ma.”
Again, thank you for this opportunity.
This weeks guest blogger is Sherry Derr-Wille. Please welcome her. Comments are welcome!
***
I’d like to start by saying that I’m honored to be a guest on Rose Marie’s blog today. That said, I’m Sherry Wille writing as Sherry Derr-Wille. It was suggested that I tell you about how I was feeling when I was writing my latest book, but since I have 43 books in print and work on 7 books at a time, I’d rather tell you about my writing journey.
It all began in 1961 when my sophomore English teacher assigned anyone who got an A on the first test to sit in the back of the room and write for a year and mushroomed from there. I received my first e-contract form Awe-Struck Books in 2002 and Whiskey Creek Books published my first book in 2003. Since then I’ve been busy. At first it was with books that I had written over the past 40 years but once they were depleted, I started working on new books. Most of my works are series and cover many genres.
So far for 2009, I have the following books coming out: THE TOUR, SEASONS OF LOVE, WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, GRANDMA, TALL ELK’S WOMAN, ROUND TREE, UMBA, D-O-L-L-S GRACE and SEEKING SIR GWAIN. Hopefully there will be more, but not unless I finish writing them.
My advise to new writers is finish the book, Finish The Book, FINISH THE BOOK, and yes I was shouting.
My newest book, JOSEPHINE’S JOURNEY is available from Wings and can be found at www.wings-press.com and www.derr-wille.com.
In this book, Josephine is embarking on a journey to find the son she hasn’t seen in far too long and perhaps love.
Josephine had just come out of the kitchen when she saw her son enter the saloon. The exact replica of his brother in Missouri, he looked good in his Levis and chambray shirt. “It’s good to finally have you back, Quade,” Red greeted him.
Josephine studied her son’s face. It was evident that he found the comment worrisome.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice more mature than it had been nine years earlier.
“It’s nothing bad, Quade,” Red assured him. “You have a visitor. When she arrived, I sent Sam down to the fort and learned that you’d gone to Canada with Crooked Snake to bring his boys back. We’ve made her very comfortable.”
Josephine smiled. She wondered about the part about sending Sam down to the fort. She decided Red had misspoken, because they all knew about Quade going to Canada when she had arrived.
“She?” Quade questioned.
“I had to come, Son,” Josephine said as she stepped into his line of vision.
“Ma? How... why...” without further words, he rushed to embrace her.
“I always worried about what happened to you. Your father swore if you ever returned he’d kill you. I prayed every day for God to keep you safe. When we didn’t hear from you, I was afraid you’d been killed. Then your letter came and it was as though God answered my prayers. Quint wanted to come with me after we got your wire, but with the harvest he’s too busy to leave the farm.”
“I can’t believe you came alone.”
“I wanted to come. I decided that there was no reason that I couldn’t make the trip. I’m not exactly helpless you know. I lived with your father long enough to learn how to defend myself. As a matter of fact, I rather enjoyed traveling alone. I met some of the nicest people. I think the fact that I couldn’t stand the thought of knowing where you were and not seeing you gave me the courage I needed. Of course, I do have to admit, your wedding to Hannah gave me another reason to come. I’ve heard that the wedding hasn’t taken place yet.”
“Ah, no, it hasn’t.”
“Good. I can hardly wait to meet her. It’s not that Red, Shirl, Grace and Sam haven’t been good to me, but I’m anxious to see where you’ll be living.”
“Just how long have you been here?”
“I arrived two weeks ago. When will you be returning to the reservation and your wedding?”
Quade took his mother’s arm and directed her to one of the tables. “I think we need to talk about this, Ma.”
Again, thank you for this opportunity.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
It's Crazy Cold
Temperatures here in Indiana were down to -15--not including the windchill--this past week. It's been miserable.
On top of it, I've had a toothache. Try working 8 hours a day in retail, then writing at night, with your tooth throbbing.
Yeah, loads of fun.
On top of it, I've had a toothache. Try working 8 hours a day in retail, then writing at night, with your tooth throbbing.
Yeah, loads of fun.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
GUEST BLOGGER: Sapphire Phelan
I am very pleased to welcome my first guest blogger of 2009, Sapphire Phelan!
***
A Journey Into Learning About the Supernatural
Writing paranormal romances can be a journey in itself. I know something about supernatural legends and myths—I’ve been reading up on them ever since I was a child. But there are still new things that I have to learn. New things to discover, much to my delight.
Like demon names. When I started writing my erotic urban fantasy, Being Familiar With a Witch, I had to research demon and angel names for the characters in my book, including my hero, Charun Adramelch. Each demon named in there is based on real demon names. Except one, Jacokb, the head of the Familiars, who has an interesting secret about himself.
This story started out as a 10,000 word story and was to be published by an e-publisher that closed its doors not long after it had opened. Lucky for me, they never sent me the contract and so, the story was mine without any worry. Now, Phaze Books http://phaze.com will have it available January 26th and it is more than a short story. It’s a small book, but a book nevertheless, first in a trilogy of the two main characters. The journey of the first story in their lives is finished, ready for readers to get to know their secrets and desires.
Why all the fascination with angels and demons? Like vampires shapeshifters, and ghosts, it seems that the public wants to see more and more stories, books and movies about these beings. Maybe it is because we want to question beyond the veil—learn more about it. Maybe it’s because they are stronger than us—able to wield magic and powers that we can not begin to understand. Whatever the reason, the paranormal is something I do not think we will not stop wanting for the immediate future.
That’s fine with me. I will keep writing them, especially further on the new adventures of Tina and Charun. And I will enjoy digging up the dirt on supernatural knowledge for my books.
Sapphire Phelan
http://FantasticDreams.50megs.com
www.myspace.com/SapphirePhelan
http://SapphirePhelansPassionCorner.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SapphirePhelansParanormalNewsletter
Being Familiar With a Witch
ISBN: 978-1-60659-118-5
Being Familiar With a Witch Blurb:
Tina doesn't know she's a witch. It will take Charun, her demon Familiar, to convince her to make love with him and let loose her witch powers.
For if she doesn't, then with the demon army about to bring Armageddon to the Mortal Realm on Halloween, she won't stand a chance in Hell.
Excerpt:
Tina tottered across the school playground to join the crowd of children that surrounded the two kids playing jacks. She forced her way between one chubby boy in blue pants that barely fit him and a dirty T-shirt and her best friend, Melanie Gonzales. She saw that the champion was Daisy Jax, a girl bigger than all of the third graders in her class. Daisy had been held back twice and was mean, and liked to beat up anyone smaller than herself.
It looked like she had forced Jimmy Potter to play jacks with her. Tina noticed the boy’s shaking hand as he opened his grubby fist and dropped the jacks onto the cement. He was first to try and pick them up, but fumbled the tiny ball and missed the first jack. With a snicker, Daisy scooped up all the jacks but one. She missed it, but took a second turn and picked it up.
She had cheated. She stared at Jimmy, a dare gleaming in her piggish eyes. He didn’t say a word, just stood up and moved away. No one else dared to say that she’d cheated. It was known on the playground and in the class to never become a satellite in the bully’s orbit, otherwise she would beat you to a pulp. So those in the crowd stood silent and stared down at their feet, each one hoping that she or he wouldn’t be picked.
She swept her gaze around the mute face, pausing at each one, until she halted at Tina’s.
Pointing a finger with a dirt-crusted fingernail, she snarled, “You! Get down here. You’re next, Tina Epson.”
Quiet as a mouse, Tina sat down across from her. She scooped up the jacks and opened her hand, sending them flying across the ground. Her vision blurred, then blacked out. A second later, her vision came back and she saw that she had every jack in her hand.
Has it happened again?
She took her gaze from her hand and looked up to stare dumbly at the angry girl. Murmurs filled the air and she heard the shuffling of feet moving away. No one wanted to be near her when Daisy began punching her.
Daisy stood up and clenched her hands into fists. “You’re dead, Tina Epson. You know the rules here. Only I get to win. I’m bigger and meaner, and I’m going to knock your block off.”
Tina’s vision blurred again. Heat roared inside her body and every sound seemed muffled, like someone had plugged up her ears. Then she blacked out.
Someone kept trying to wake her up and Tina smacked at the offending hand shaking her shoulder. She just wanted to stay in bed.
“Go away, I wanna sleep, Mommy.”
“I’m not your mommy, Tina. Get off the ground, ‘cause Mrs. Leigh is coming here fast.”
Tina sat up and rubbed her eyes. When she drew her fists away she saw Daisy laying unconscious several feet away. Frightened, she jumped to her feet. That was when she saw she was on the playground and not in her bedroom, and saw Mrs. Leigh scurrying over to her, surrounded by all of Tina’s classmates.
She swept her gaze back to Daisy. “Oh gosh, Melanie, what happened?”
Melanie shook her head. “I don’t know. One minute, Meanie Daisy was about to punch your lights out and the next, there was this big kaboom and she was over there, knocked out. As for you, you were laying down, asleep. It was weird.”
“What’s going on here,” demanded Mrs. Leigh as she bent over Daisy and shook her, then checked the girl over when she awoke and sat up. The teacher whipped her head around to stare at both Tina and Melanie. ‘Well, someone answer me. Tell me what happened here.”
“I don’t know,” said Tina.
The teacher swung her gaze to Melanie. “Melanie Gonzales, what did you see?”
Melanie shrugged, toeing a tiny rock on the playground. “I didn’t see anything, Mrs. Leigh.”
Mrs. Leigh got Daisy to her feet and led her away to the nurse’s office. Later, the class heard that an ambulance came and took the girl away to the emergency room where her parents met her. A week later when she returned she was quiet and no longer mean to the other kids. She kept to herself and, when they all graduated to fourth grade, none of the kids saw her again as she and her parents moved away to another state.
***
A Journey Into Learning About the Supernatural
Writing paranormal romances can be a journey in itself. I know something about supernatural legends and myths—I’ve been reading up on them ever since I was a child. But there are still new things that I have to learn. New things to discover, much to my delight.
Like demon names. When I started writing my erotic urban fantasy, Being Familiar With a Witch, I had to research demon and angel names for the characters in my book, including my hero, Charun Adramelch. Each demon named in there is based on real demon names. Except one, Jacokb, the head of the Familiars, who has an interesting secret about himself.
This story started out as a 10,000 word story and was to be published by an e-publisher that closed its doors not long after it had opened. Lucky for me, they never sent me the contract and so, the story was mine without any worry. Now, Phaze Books http://phaze.com will have it available January 26th and it is more than a short story. It’s a small book, but a book nevertheless, first in a trilogy of the two main characters. The journey of the first story in their lives is finished, ready for readers to get to know their secrets and desires.
Why all the fascination with angels and demons? Like vampires shapeshifters, and ghosts, it seems that the public wants to see more and more stories, books and movies about these beings. Maybe it is because we want to question beyond the veil—learn more about it. Maybe it’s because they are stronger than us—able to wield magic and powers that we can not begin to understand. Whatever the reason, the paranormal is something I do not think we will not stop wanting for the immediate future.
That’s fine with me. I will keep writing them, especially further on the new adventures of Tina and Charun. And I will enjoy digging up the dirt on supernatural knowledge for my books.
Sapphire Phelan
http://FantasticDreams.50megs.com
www.myspace.com/SapphirePhelan
http://SapphirePhelansPassionCorner.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SapphirePhelansParanormalNewsletter
Being Familiar With a Witch
ISBN: 978-1-60659-118-5
Being Familiar With a Witch Blurb:
Tina doesn't know she's a witch. It will take Charun, her demon Familiar, to convince her to make love with him and let loose her witch powers.
For if she doesn't, then with the demon army about to bring Armageddon to the Mortal Realm on Halloween, she won't stand a chance in Hell.
Excerpt:
Tina tottered across the school playground to join the crowd of children that surrounded the two kids playing jacks. She forced her way between one chubby boy in blue pants that barely fit him and a dirty T-shirt and her best friend, Melanie Gonzales. She saw that the champion was Daisy Jax, a girl bigger than all of the third graders in her class. Daisy had been held back twice and was mean, and liked to beat up anyone smaller than herself.
It looked like she had forced Jimmy Potter to play jacks with her. Tina noticed the boy’s shaking hand as he opened his grubby fist and dropped the jacks onto the cement. He was first to try and pick them up, but fumbled the tiny ball and missed the first jack. With a snicker, Daisy scooped up all the jacks but one. She missed it, but took a second turn and picked it up.
She had cheated. She stared at Jimmy, a dare gleaming in her piggish eyes. He didn’t say a word, just stood up and moved away. No one else dared to say that she’d cheated. It was known on the playground and in the class to never become a satellite in the bully’s orbit, otherwise she would beat you to a pulp. So those in the crowd stood silent and stared down at their feet, each one hoping that she or he wouldn’t be picked.
She swept her gaze around the mute face, pausing at each one, until she halted at Tina’s.
Pointing a finger with a dirt-crusted fingernail, she snarled, “You! Get down here. You’re next, Tina Epson.”
Quiet as a mouse, Tina sat down across from her. She scooped up the jacks and opened her hand, sending them flying across the ground. Her vision blurred, then blacked out. A second later, her vision came back and she saw that she had every jack in her hand.
Has it happened again?
She took her gaze from her hand and looked up to stare dumbly at the angry girl. Murmurs filled the air and she heard the shuffling of feet moving away. No one wanted to be near her when Daisy began punching her.
Daisy stood up and clenched her hands into fists. “You’re dead, Tina Epson. You know the rules here. Only I get to win. I’m bigger and meaner, and I’m going to knock your block off.”
Tina’s vision blurred again. Heat roared inside her body and every sound seemed muffled, like someone had plugged up her ears. Then she blacked out.
Someone kept trying to wake her up and Tina smacked at the offending hand shaking her shoulder. She just wanted to stay in bed.
“Go away, I wanna sleep, Mommy.”
“I’m not your mommy, Tina. Get off the ground, ‘cause Mrs. Leigh is coming here fast.”
Tina sat up and rubbed her eyes. When she drew her fists away she saw Daisy laying unconscious several feet away. Frightened, she jumped to her feet. That was when she saw she was on the playground and not in her bedroom, and saw Mrs. Leigh scurrying over to her, surrounded by all of Tina’s classmates.
She swept her gaze back to Daisy. “Oh gosh, Melanie, what happened?”
Melanie shook her head. “I don’t know. One minute, Meanie Daisy was about to punch your lights out and the next, there was this big kaboom and she was over there, knocked out. As for you, you were laying down, asleep. It was weird.”
“What’s going on here,” demanded Mrs. Leigh as she bent over Daisy and shook her, then checked the girl over when she awoke and sat up. The teacher whipped her head around to stare at both Tina and Melanie. ‘Well, someone answer me. Tell me what happened here.”
“I don’t know,” said Tina.
The teacher swung her gaze to Melanie. “Melanie Gonzales, what did you see?”
Melanie shrugged, toeing a tiny rock on the playground. “I didn’t see anything, Mrs. Leigh.”
Mrs. Leigh got Daisy to her feet and led her away to the nurse’s office. Later, the class heard that an ambulance came and took the girl away to the emergency room where her parents met her. A week later when she returned she was quiet and no longer mean to the other kids. She kept to herself and, when they all graduated to fourth grade, none of the kids saw her again as she and her parents moved away to another state.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Are You A Fan of My Blog?
I just put the Followers widget on my Blogger, so if you like to visit my blog and read the posts, now you can have easy access to it.
Hope everyone's having a good week!
Hope everyone's having a good week!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Mini-review)
http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Flower-Secret-Fan-Novel/dp/0812968069/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227245643&sr=1-1
This was a beautiful and heartwrenching story. I loved the characters of Lily and Snowflower. Through their tough times, they stuck together, until betrayal and misunderstanding tore them apart. I only wished the story had a happier ending. And the footbinding! Oh My God! I really felt for the girls who went through it. I cried along with them.
This was a beautiful and heartwrenching story. I loved the characters of Lily and Snowflower. Through their tough times, they stuck together, until betrayal and misunderstanding tore them apart. I only wished the story had a happier ending. And the footbinding! Oh My God! I really felt for the girls who went through it. I cried along with them.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Part Two of Moon Over Me, Available Now!
Head over to www.rosemariewolf.com to check out Part Two of my free read, Moon Over Me. I just uploaded it.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
An Excerpt from Dark Moon Magick
Mainstream Romance: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal (Shifter)
ISBN: 978-1-60435-158-3
Cover Artist: Brenda Porter
Editor: Melissa Glisan
Word Count: 108,140
Release Date: October 23, 2008
Werewolf Rose Barnett has a serious problem: She's pregnant and unsure who the father of her child is. To make matters worse, her husband, Jason, is gone, unknowing that she is even carrying a child and a new werewolf arrival to the PRDI brings a wave of unexplained "accidents", that threaten her and her unborn child…
As Rose's pack bands together to uncover the truth behind the accidents and keep her safe, Jason works ceaselessly to find out the truth behind his growing psychic abilities. When an unexpected psychic call for help leads him to a research facility, Jason meets a strange woman who may be the key to discovering his true self. But before he can return home with his findings, he must stop a new threat before it is too late for them all.
Warning this title includes graphic language, violence and some sexual situations.
Excerpt:
“Yeah, she's definitely a were.” He stopped outside of her room. “She's new, but she sounds almost like she knows what she's talking about.”
“Yeah, and I don't like that about her.”
“Rose -- ”
“No, Glen, listen to me. I'm getting a strange feeling about her. I can't explain what it is, but it's like I've met her before. I don't like her.”
“Don't tell me you're developing psychic powers, too.”
Rose sucked in a breath at the verbal blow. She didn't need the reminder about why Jason had left. She closed her eyes. Her headache had begun to pound ruthlessly against her sinuses. She felt the pressure just behind her eyes and nose. She rubbed the bridge of her nose again.
“No, I don't think so. It's instinct. The wolf doesn't like her. And I can't even catch her scent to tell if I do know her or not.”
“Probably not, Rose. If you did know her, then I think I would too. I didn't recognize her scent.”
“Wish I could be sure of that myself,” Rose grumbled. “I can't help being suspicious.”
Glen sighed a bit and touched her shoulder. “I suggest you don't let it bother you. You've got too much on your mind anyway. Go lay down. Rest for a bit. I can handle anything that comes up.”
She knew better than to argue with him. Besides, she was too tired. She only nodded in agreement. Glen watched her a moment.
“It was kinda funny though, when she thought we were a couple.” A grin widened on Glen's face. Rose shuddered overdramatically.
“Gross.” She stuck her tongue out at him and then laughed when Glen embraced her. It was easy to laugh when he did it. He wrapped one arm around her and hugged her close.
“I love you, kid.”
She kissed his stubbly cheek. “Yeah, I know. People just can't help it.”
“Damn straight. Glad you're not upset any more.”
“I'm too tired to be upset.”
“You are looking a little pale.”
“Yeah, I just need to lie down for a bit. Been busy today.”
“I know. Get some rest. Do you want me to wake you in a few hours for dinner?”
“Yeah, sure. That'll be fine.”
“Good. Maybe we can finish showing Nola around then. She'll probably be hungry then too.”
Rose's smile faded. She didn't like the idea of being around Nola again, but it couldn't be helped. How strange that her attitude changed from wanting to meet her, to loathing the young woman in such a short time after meeting her. It was probably her hormones bothering her. She nodded a little to herself at the explanation.
Glen squeezed her shoulder. “I'll see you later.” He kissed the top of her head. “Sleep well. Oh, and you can give me the admissions papers later so I can file them away.”
“All right. Thanks, Glen.”
He smiled at her one final time then walked away. His footfalls echoed and disappeared as he vanished down the hall. She waited outside her room for a moment before pulling out her key and unlocking the door.
She pushed it open easily and entered. The room was dark, but Rose's werewolf vision cut through the shadows quickly. It was great having night vision, she had always thought, but now she wanted to see nothing but the back of her eyelids.
She shut the door behind her and flipped the light switch on. Regardless of how well she could see in the dark, she needed light. Her room was well furnished; Glen had seen to that. Some of the furniture from the cabin she and Jason once shared was supposed to make it feel more like home, but it did the opposite. It made her feel alone, trapped. It reminded her constantly that Jason was gone and might not be coming back.
She dropped her keys on the desk near the door, pausing once to look at the dark computer screen. She hadn't turned it on in weeks. Her job writing human interest articles was long gone. Her editors claimed her work was lacking and sporadic. She missed several deadlines, so they let her go. Rose didn't really mind. Money was no longer an issue since she had received part of Claire's inheritance. The job held too much stress anyway.
Still, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of remorse that she was no longer doing what she loved, writing.
Even her creative urges seemed quelled. The books she had once written and self-published seemed like a dream. They hadn't done well. Her portrayal of the supernatural didn't seem fantastic enough and they flopped. Her books were never destined to be best sellers, but Rose had always been determined to follow up with something better. That dream had fallen into dust after Simon stepped into their lives a second time.
Without her writing and her job, there was nothing Rose could do. She didn't want to stay at the cabin alone in her condition. The place had been destroyed by Simon in one of his violent searches for her and Jason. She didn't want to stay there with the reminders of Jason and the remnants of Simon's destruction. Glen had been gracious to offer her a position on the PRDI team and to allow her to live there.
She sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed -- our bed, she had to remind herself.
Rose eased back among the pillows and closed her eyes, her arms folding over her stomach. She could feel the baby move around. She pressed her hands against her stomach and felt the baby's firm kick.
The kid would be born in a month or so and then what? Like it or not, she was alone in this. The thought made her sinus headache feel worse, and she closed her eyes. It felt like a jackhammer was pounding on her brain and a knife slicing through her heart. She moved her hands from her stomach, no longer wanting to feel the baby move. Instead she rested them on her chest, feeling the steady beating of her heart. It was a wonder it beat at all, she thought.
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