The languid days of summer are giving way to the brisk fall evenings of Northern England, as Lady Arabella stares pensively into a small fire. Doubtless, the scheme courted disaster, but she knows ’tis her only hope. Some taunt her as superstitious, whilst others condemn her for witchery, but she is unmindful of the suspicion she creates; freedom waits beyond the tree line.
Laird MacRae is a handsome devil despite the sun-bleached scar covering a portion of his face. Their instantaneous attraction is unnerving, and Connal must remind himself the woman is meant for his brother.
As they journey to Scotland, Connal immediately realizes Arabella’s superstitious practices are deeply held tenets. Yet, despite her heretical beliefs and his death before dishonor credo, their mutual desire spins out of control, leaving them no choice except to wed, and Connal is hopeful Arabella will settle in to his household. Yet, after one week, everyone is convinced their new mistress practices witchery. Apparently, walking in circles chanting, with a loaf of bread on one shoulder creates undo fear. And if that’s not enough, Connal’s brother has begun menacing Arabella in the keep’s corridors. St. Joseph’s staff! How much more is she to endure?
Apologies for the late notice. This week’s essay is posted: Taking Risks vs. Riding the Brakes. Do stop by!
Here’s an excerpt:
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“Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” –H. Jackson Browne, Jr.
Last weekend, hubby and I were jamming on guitars. It’s something we love to do, sip a little wine and play our favorite songs. He paused and looked over at me, saying, “Don’t hold back. Hit those strings like you mean it.”
I needed the reminder. His next comment though really struck home. “You need to let go of that tendency to ride the brakes all the time.”
Bam!
Wow… The thought reverberated in my head. The visual image meshed beautifully with the startling realization of my own tentative nature. You can bet I did play more aggressively for the remainder of the evening and loved it. Woo-hoo!
“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” –Anais Nin
The next day I studied those words I’d scribbled down with such haste.
Riding the Brakes.
Being a writer is all about risk. Sure, just about anyone can string words together into the semblance of a sentence. Writing a story can be as simplistic as See Jane Run. Yet as readers, we know the difference between a story that merely connects the dots and one that sweeps us into an enchanted world. No matter the genre, whether commercial or literary, the writer who pushes past the boundaries makes us gasp with delight or sit stunned as a revelation resonates within our hearts.
I want to be that writer. Don’t you?
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Ready for some motivation?
Head over to The Write Soul: www.chironokeefe.blogspot.com for the complete essay. Keep writing, everyone!
SamanthaAnn of Night Owl Romance has reviewed my latest Paranormal Romance, Blood of the Beast.
Title: Blood of the Beast
Authors: Tamela L. Quijas
Genres: Paranormal
Available Online: Jul 15, 2009
Hearts: 4.25 / 5
Review:
Detective Valentina Kureyev and her partner have set out to solve the worst crime imaginable. Somebody is leaving bloodless corpses all over their part of the city. All leads have resulted in dead ends and no clue as to who would perpetrate such a crime. She receives an anonymous telephone call warning her off the case at the risk of her life but she refuses. Eventually, she determines it was Professor Demetri Daskova who made that anonymous call. What does he know that he isn’t telling her and how does it affect her case?
The author pulls the reader in with this finely crafted tale of intriguing characters coupled with absorbing drama. There is painted an engaging portrait of loss and redemption. The somewhat softer voice used in the sexual encounters between the main characters lends itself to the hero’s origins depicted in the beginning of the book. Expected traits are used in unexpected ways to make this story one that will stay with the reader and lends itself to more than one visit.
Recently, I discovered the fascinating author, Donald James Parker and wanted to share his work with my readers. Feel free to stop by Don’s site at http://donaldJamesParker.com- where readers can download his ebooks for free and where they can link to his blog and many other sites dealing with reading and writing
Reforming the Potter’s Clay
The Morales family is divided with two positive votes for Harry Potter and one against. Only the father’s negative ballot is accepted in the election, and HP books go on the forbidden reading list. Barbara, a bombshell who has bewitched Mr. Morales, urges him to get a life. The kids complain he is not practicing what he preaches in regard to discovering truth for oneself, so he consents to study the first book with them to search for concrete evidence that Harry is a bad influence. In the meantime, the kids’ world gets turned upside down when a new family moves to town and starts a gang, pulling the Morales kids in. This is no ordinary group of troublemakers, though they do encounter trouble at every turn. Adam, the son of an Assembly of God pastor, is the leader of the God Squad, whose members use Holy Spirit power to get into and out of adventures in a classic duel between magick and miracles.
I just thought I would insert a little commentary of my own before I began to settle down to my very busy Friday routine. Yes, I am in the midst of a heavy editing detail onDante’s Lady, which I (hope) to re-release by Oct 2009. I’m considering changing the title to My Lord Raven, but all those thoughts are still up in arms. Editing comes first and it so time consuming! I’m to the point, when I read the original manuscript, I’m wondering what the blazes I was thinking!
In all honesty, once I get in that mode, reading is nearly hopeless. Recently, I attempted to read the latest bestseller and wound up mentally editing it! I know, SHAME ON ME!
If you haven’t read my works yet, you can find that both of my contemporary paranormal romances are available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback versions.
Blood of the Beastis off of my standard writing formula–the language may be considered a bit intense but I did want to persona of my heroine to come across as a gutsy, no-nonsense detective. Murder, intrigue, drama and a vampire makes it an interesting read. My thanks to Jessica for the review!
Angel’s Fire, Demon’s BloodStop by my Myspace site and you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of Ghost Hunters International and Ghost Hunters. Both shows are on SyFy and have a huge following. Didn’t you ever wonder what the qualifications might be to become part of a paranormal investigative team and could the investigators be part of the paranormal, in their own sense?
If you’re interested, please feel free to click the links to the right of your computer screen. The links will redirect you to the appropriate Amazon page. **thanks**
Last literary thought for the morning—I’m looking for romance authors of all genres that would like to promote their work on my WordPress site! If you’re interested, contact me at tamquij@aol.com and I’ll set up a date for you!
Have a great weekend, all of my wonderful readers!
Reforming the Potter’s Clay