Six Sentence Sunday

This is from the start of Witchly Passion - which is kind of a sequel to Ghostly Passion. So enjoy.

Though she loved Dru like a sister, her Paranormal Investigator best friend could not give directions to save her life. Kara chuckled as she remembered the time that the two of them had gotten lost looking for a specific Mickey D’s where Dru’s latest crush worked. It wasn’t like both of them hadn’t grown up in that city and should know where it was and Kara had known. But, Dru had insisted they take a shortcut that the boy had told her about. By the time they had found the place, he’d been gone for an hour. With another girl. Kara always wondered if the slime bucket had given Dru the directions on purpose knowing her lack of direction.

Two For Tuesday

Today I'm featuring The Envoy - my July release from Lyrical Press. (okay it's technically 3 but the last two are only a sentence each)


As Diana’s footsteps faded, Francisco examined the three males in front of him. Long
suppressed training instinctively took over far more easily than he was comfortable with. Their
attire of baggy hoodies and low riding pants could hide a multitude of weapons. The confident
swagger each thug exhibited as they moved to surround him indicated they didn’t think him a threat. He easily picked out the leader by the not so subtle hand signals the man was giving his companions and stepped toward him. Mentally, he quickly identified the three as Boss, Righty and Lefty.

“You shouldn’t have interfered, man,” Boss growled. “Now we’re gonna have ta mess you
up.”

Francisco spread his arms, elbows slightly bent and palms up. “You are welcome to try.”

Six Sentence Sunday

Here's today's six sentences. Form one of my works in progress.

“Be careful Adam Spencer death stalks this city. Be cautious, you don’t want to meet her in a professional capacity.” She turned and started back down the row then looked back over her shoulder to meet his gaze. “Your family, they didn’t suffer.”

He couldn’t speak as she continued away from him and stepped behind a large oak tree. Forcing himself to move he hurried after her. Rounding the tree he scanned the rows of headstone but there was no sign of the woman.

Muse Author L.J. Holmes Speaks

Before I begin, I want to take this opportunity to thank my generous hostess, Delilah K. Stephans, for inviting me to guest on her blog.

When I asked Delilah what she wanted me to talk or write about here, she said whatever I want. Giving a writer with an inner muse as quirky as mine free reign is a dangerous thing---So, my daughter, Best Selling Author Kat Holmes, stepped in to direct the inner me.

"Talk," she said, "about what motivated me to write the stories I either already have up for sale, Santa is a Lady, or those about to be released, Forever With You, on February 1st, The Pendulum Swings, on March 1st, Twilight Comes on May 1st, and In From The Cold, June 1st. (I know...a daunting process-)

The easiest place for me to begin, is the one thing you are all going to realize right off the bat

...EVERY one of my stunning covers have been created by my hostess, Delilah K. Stephans, who just happens to be the absolute best artistic genius in all of the Milky Way Galaxy.

There is something else that each of these books have in common...they have elements of the life I have lived and are, therefore, semi-autobiographical...that is not always a good thing, since I seem to be rather hung up on having too many of my heroines share my biggest character flaw---a little girl voice that would make Minnie Mouse

envious while everyone else clamors for one of those huge conical amplifiers my Great Aunt Agatha plastered

against hers whenever I was around.

Now that you know one of my darkest secrets, I guess I should tell you about my books, how they came into being, and which parts come from Lin's

(L.J Holmes) pre-authorship.

Santa Is A Lady is my debut at Muse It Up Publishing...and well, everywhere else too. (Yep, I'm a bonified Newbie.)

I hadn't intended for my first ever release to be a Holiday themed story, but all other themes were closed. Not being into a Valentine Theme, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Arbor day, (how DOES one write a Holiday theme about a tree?), or even Halloween and Thanksgiving...I was left with only one celebratory day...

Christmas.

I had no idea where to go with it, but then, as if somebody on Cloud Nine

decided to hand me a gift, our local news announced a "professional" Santa had just been arrested...five full days before Christmas.

Back when I was working my way through college, I worked store security at one of the big retailers

for a year. I got to see what Christmas means to "Business".

What, I found myself wondering, would a small business owner do if her Santa was arrested five days before Christmas? How would she go about replacing Santa when all the graduates of Santa University, and yes, such a place does exist, were working elsewhere? Who would she trust? Who could she badger into donning the jolly elf's red suit?

Her best friend, of course...but what if said best friend had MY Minnie Voice?

Santa is a Lady flowed like water over smoothly rounded stones in a creek-bed, and was released to some pretty amazing, at least to me, reviews by really spectacular renowned literary voices.

Santa is a Lady is available at Muse Publishing's BOOKSTORE.

I'm a person with an awful lot to say, so I have continued submitting to Muse Publishing and now have books that fall in both their Mainstream Wing and their Muse It Hot,

as in scorching the flames right off the nanobytes side.

My second release Forever With You, is a short story about a young woman on a quest...getting her custom designed cabin built in record breaking time.

Can Keith Patterson, the owner of Patterson Construction Coryne hired have the skills to meet her deadline...and damn it all...does he have to look like a center-fold magnet?

Forever With You will be available from Muse It Hot on February 1st and it has a surprise ending you won't see coming...I promise you that.

What motivated me to write Forever With You? I love the mountains and have a secret fantasy to one day have enough money to actually build my dream cabin in the middle of nowhere, from the ground up.

I love history...especially ancient history. I also love the possibilities of Time Travel...These loves inspired me to write

The Pendulum Swings to be released from Muse It Hot on March 1st.

What would happen if an ancient Roman slave wakes up in a modern day hospital, in the body of someone else with no memory of who she is or was? And how would you survive it in a body that everyone , your husband, your staff, all who knows its real owner loathes? How do you cope? Is it a temporary leap in time, or are you stuck forever.

I especially loved writing this story and adored the seductive fireplace that was interviewed at the following link: CLICK HERE At the very least, it'll make you smile.

On May 1st my Muse It Up release, things get darker with Twilight Comes.

This story is based on events that took place in a neighboring town. When senseless tragedy strikes people we thought we knew, we can't help but try to decipher a rhyme and reason. Twilight Comes, another short story, is my attempt to understand and rationalize what is unimaginable. The story will stay with you long after the last word has faded from your screen. I know this because I am still haunted by the events all these years later.

And now we come to my June 1st release. In From The Cold is a cougar story that made me laugh while I was writing it...and cry too.

Mari Donovan is fifty and very happy in her disdain for anyone cursed with the "Y" chromosome. She has spent twelve contented years creating her mountain haven. Her only neighbor is in his nineties and not even an overdose of Viagra is going to make him stoke Mari's inner fires...but then he has the obscene rudeness to up and die...leaving all his worldly goods to Mari, with one exception...she must sell the curmudgeon's cabin directly across the graveled road from her.

She's determined it will not be sold to any male not intimately courting the Grim Reaper.

But Fate has other plans.

He's 35, deliciously built, and too annoying by half whether chopping wood shirtless, or daring to sneak off to HER lake and swim in the suit nobody should be blessed with upon their birthday.

No longer is her libido sleeping, and God does that tick her off! Only one thing for it...she's gonna have to jump his bones, do the deed, get him out of her system and slip back into her pre-bone-humping contentment.

Best laid plans ALWAYS bite you!

That's it so far. All the stories that I have covers for from Muse's Cover Art Goddess and my generous hostess, Delilah K. Stephans.

Reviews of my first book Santa Is A Lady are available at my Horn Tooting Blog

I can also be reached via e-mail
Spatzdkat1212@yahoo.com

Thanks Delilah for your covers...museum quality every one, and for this opportunity to do my Yakky Doodle imitation here as your most appreciative blog.

It's Tuesday

And next week I'm back in classes. Looking forward to the classes. Not looking forward to the getting up at 6 AM! But such is life as a college student.

I'm going to start trying something today. 2 for Tuesday. Meaning I'll post 2 paragraphs from a published book of mine OR from a work in progress (WIP). Hopefully it will catch on, but you never know. So here's my 2 for Tuesday from my WIP. From the bad guy:

Light clicked on in the windowless room, the scrape of a chair against cement echoed off the cement walls. Sliding into the chair he fingered the lock of brown hair trimmed from the woman’s hair. Kristin Morgan. Hope. The fourth on his list. Long fingers unscrewed the cap from the bottle of India ink that held the requisite amount of his blood. Carefully he dipped the nib into it then tapped the excess while pulling the note from its protective sleeve. He made certain his hands were steady before bringing the pen over the precious list. The scrape of pen against paper sounded loud in the barely lit room as he scratched through it. He sighed feeling complete.

The police had assigned their best to the case. It would make the challenge better. Make him more worthy to receive the power that waited once he completed his tasks.

Six Lines Sunday

First the six lines:

Cancer.

Heart Attack.

Stabbed.

Car Accident.

"Are you paying attention?"

Jenkins turned to glare at Quinten, the blond was smirking at him--again. "No."


Jenkins is the fourth Horseman of the Apolcalypse - Death. When he looks at someone he sees how they will die.

My greatest fear

I'm scared of spiders, not having a roof over my head, and a bare pantry makes me twitchy. But not a one of those is my greatest fear. So what is my greatest fear?

My greatest fear is that my favorite authors stop writing because their contracts are cancelled due to lack of sales. Lack of sales not because of non-interest but because of ePiracy. I fear the loss of Alexis Morgan's Paladins, Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress world, Marjorie M. Liu's Dirk & Steele, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters, C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp's Tales of the Sazi. I've already lost Jenna Maclaine's Cyn Craven series.

According to Marjorie M. Liu, best selling author, "Illegal downloads of books and comics not only lead to lost revenue, but lost contracts for authors. We lose our jobs because of e-piracy.
E-piracy is theft. You might as well go into a bookstore, and shoplift our titles off the shelves." 1/8/2010 on Twitter. http://www.twitter.com/marjoriemliu

From Jeannie Holmes "E-piracy = lost contracts for authors. Lost contracts = lost jobs. Lost jobs = no more of your favorite books. Simple." 1/8/2010 on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/jeannieholmes

At one file-sharing website, users have uploaded 1,830 copies of three books by a popular young adult author. Just one of those copies has had 4,208 downloads. See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/hoxxw1

4208 copies of a book, let's assume it's $7.99 and of that the author gets 25%. That is over $8000.00 that YA author lost and won't get back - EVER! The publishing company won't see their cut either, so why should the publisher give the author a new contract?

I've heard the excuses -

"I can't afford to buy the book." - Go to the library and check it out! That's what they are there for besides you might luck into a local writer being there to do research.

"My download of one copy doesn't hurt." - Maybe not but the other 3 or 4 THOUSAND people after you might.

"Authors make a ton of money, they don't care." - WRONG - a lot of authors work a 40 hour a week job for years before they start making enough to only write.

"Authors get huge advances." - WRONG Those huge million dollar advances you see on the news MAKE the news because they are rare.

"Authors should be greatful they have readers." We are! We love our PAYING readers.

Musie and Mick Interview Roseanne Dowell

Musie flits around the cafe making certain everything is set up.

Mick *sitting at one of the tables*: Luv, come sit down and relax.

Musie: Oh you don't understand! This is one of Delilah's writer friends that's coming and I don't want to embarrass our author.

Mick: You won't besides she's here. *stands* Hello, you must be

Roseanne Dowell, I'm Mick and this flighty woman is Musie. Would you like some coffee or tea?

Roseanne: It' s so nice to meet both of you. I'd love some coffee, thank you.

*Mick motions one of the waitstaff, who brings coffee to the table.*

Musie: I've never met another writer before, most of us muses are limited to visiting only one author. So, I guess I should ask what's your muse like?

Roseanne: Hmmm - most of the time pushy, loud and sometimes if I ignore her, obnoxious. But, if I pay attention to her, she's quite pleasant and cooperative.

Mick: Do you and your muse ever argue? Delilah and Musie argue all the time, because Musie keeps changing things. How do you resolve the problems?

Roseanne: Sometimes we argue, but I learned a long time ago to just listen to her and do as she suggests.

Musie: I noticed over at the MuseitUp Blog you really gave that Bonella a run for her money. Are you usually like that or did she just bring it out in you? Like the Grinch did for Delialh?

Roseanne: LOL Actually, I'm usually pretty quiet. She brought out the worst in me when she attacked Lea and then it just took off from there.

Mick: If you wouldn't mind answering a couple questions about writing in general. What do you like most about writing?

Roseanne: Not at all. I love talking about writing. What I love most is the creativity it allows. Not to mention it allows me to live in a fantasy - happy ever after world.

Mick: And what do you like least?

Roseanne: When I have an idea and can't sit down and write - like when we're shopping or riding in a car. I've lost so many scenes that way.

Musie: Are you one of those authors that plots everything out or do you just write to see where the story goes?

Roseanne: I just write. I tried (on the advice from a speaker at our chapter of RWA) to write a synopsis first and to plot out the story. I'll never do it again. I'm still trying to get past the writer's block. I couldn't write a thing on that story for a whole year. Usually I know the beginning and end and what happens in the middle is as much a suprise to me as it is to the reader.

Mick: If you had to give a person who wanted to be writer one piece of advice what would it be?

Roseanne: Learn everything they could about showing a story and not telling it and write everyday even if it's only for 15 minutes. I know that's two things, but they're both important

Musie: Now for the fun stuff!

Mick: I did warn you she was flighty.

Musie *punches Mick in the arm*: Watch it or you're sleeping on the couch! So, Roseanne, tell me all about your latest book?

Roseanne: Double the Trouble is about - Kate Wesley coming back to Twinsburg Ohio after a five year absence. Not interested in a relationship after being jilted five years previously, she’s now pursued by her two men, the man who jilted her and a man with twin daughters. When she visits her aunt’s grave, she discovers a body and more complications arise, especially when the twin sister of the victim shows up.

Musie: Ooh that sound so interesting. What did you think of the cover the first time you saw it?

Mick: Vain little minx aren't you, luv.

Musie: Oh hush and let her answer.

Roseanne: I love the cover. Of course we had to do a couple to get to this one. I obviously didn't convey the story well enough and we had to scrap two beautiful covers, but they didn't show the story.

Mick: Would you like to share a small excerpt or the blurb?

Roseanne: Yes, thank you

Where’s Emma?” The tall, blond, muscular man yelled, before Kate had a chance to ask if she could help him.

Kate didn’t like his tone or the deep scowl that caused his eyebrows to almost meet above his icy blue eyes. “Excuse me.” Who did he think he was stomping in here like this? She took a step toward him.

“Emma’s supposed to be at the church for rehearsal. And don’t tell me she’s not here, her car’s in the parking lot. Why is she hiding out? Does she have cold feet?”

Kate pushed a strand of hair behind her ears, took a deep breath and counted to ten. She couldn’t lash out. This was a potential customer, although at that moment, with his attitude, she didn’t want to sell him anything, but no use riling him up more than he was.

“I’m sorry, Mr...” Kate paused to let him fill in the blank. Surely this wasn’t Emma’s fiancé. He didn’t act anything like the way Emma described Doug Johnson.

The man didn’t answer, just glared at her.

Something about him struck her. Attractive, self-assured. Something else. Something tugged at her heart. A feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time. She ignored it.

Okay, that went nowhere. “Emma left almost...” Kate looked at her watch, “well over an hour ago. But she left her car keys.” Kate took the keys from the desk drawer and held them out to him, but quickly drew them back.

She didn’t know who he was, and his attitude left a lot to be desired. She wasn’t about to give the keys to a complete stranger. Besides, how did she know if Emma’s car was really in the parking lot? “Excuse me, Mr...” This time Kate refused to continue until he told her who he was.

He glared at her for a minute. “What do you mean she left? Her car’s still in the lot. And why do you have her keys?” He reached out to grab them but Kate put her hand behind her back..

He stared at her

Kate shrugged. No way was she giving this man more information. Gripping the keys tighter,she folded her arms across her chest and stared back at him, matching him glare for glare.

Did he think he was the only one who could stare? How dare he come into her shop and accuse her of hiding Emma? That’s just plain ridiculous.

The stranger took a deep breath. Obviously he realized anger and yelling weren’t getting him anywhere. Not that Kate cared much what he thought. She wasn’t saying another word until he told her who he was. She could stare just as long as him. She’d learned stubbornness a long time ago.

He spread his hands out in front of him, sort of an ‘I surrender’ mode. His eyes softened to a dusty blue. He blew out a breath.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Let’s start over, shall we? I’m Mark Westfield, Emma’s brother.” He extended his hand to her, but Kate ignored it. “She’s supposed to be at church for rehearsal and hasn’t shown up. I’ve retraced her steps, and no one has seen her. I saw her car in your lot.” He put his hand down at his side.

“This may sound like a strange request, Mr. Westfield, but may I see some identification?”

“Identification?”

He looked at her as if she asked him to undress. “Yes, ID. I don’t know you from Adam, how do I know you’re telling me the truth?”

“Fair enough.” His lips moved just enough to hint at a smile.

He took out his wallet and handed her his driver’s license.

Kate stared from him to the license. Not bad looking, same fair coloring as Emma. Mark Westfield – 37. Just a few years older than me. Now what made her think that? She shrugged off the thought.

Mick: Thank you for coming, I've enjoyed meeting you. Perhaps we can do this again?

Musie: Oh yes, I'd like that too!

Roseanne: I enjoyed meeting both of you too and I'd love to do it again. How about with my next book, Stranger on the Shore, due out in May, 2011. Double the Trouble is available March 1, 2011 from Muse It Up Publishing http://tinyurl.com/29cg8uc

Musie: I'll definitely remind Delilah about that. Mick and I would love to have you back.

Musie & Mick visit with Antonia Tiranth

Musie set the cake on the table in the center of the room. Mick looks over her and smiles.

Mick: You may be a wonderful muse, luv, But a baker you are not.

Musie: *glaring at him* It's Shirak and Antonia Tiranth coming over! Do you know how long it's been since I've seen Shirak?

Mick: *scratches chin* At least a year.

Knock at door.

Musie: They're here! *runs to open door and then hugs Shirak* I've missed you!

Mick: Come on in Tir. Those two will be chattering away for a while.

Tir rolls her eyes. "I don't really blame them. It has been way too long. I smell cake!"

Mick: Yeah, Musie is still flying high that she and Shirak had a release the same day. Coffee or Tea? *lowers voice* Try to say something nice about the cake, Musie did try.

Musie: I heard that you fake Aussie.

Mick: *smirking* Aye, but ya love me.

Tir : Tea, if you please. If you think Musie is riding high, you should see a dragon when he's excited. I have a few pillows that'll never be the same.

Shir looks scandalized. "I only burnt one pillow, thank you very much. Why did we let her in again?"

Tir: "Oh, hush you purple hippo. Now, where were we Mick?"

Mick: *trying to keep a straight face as he brews the tea.* So why don't you tell us what's been keeping you and Shir from visiting?

Musie: *cuts cake, three slices and one giant one. Hands largest slice to Shirak.* Yeah, I mean so many worlds we need to write and you are busy and Del is doing covers and going to back to school.

Tir opens her mouth to respond, but Shir interrupts. "Well, Tir recently changed evil day jobs so I don't get to visit her at work so much anymore. Then she decided to go and get some crazy certification." Pauses to take a bite of cake. His eyes widen. "Musie! This is delicious!"

Tir: "What he's trying to say is that the evil day job has taken over temporarily. But! I think that might be changing soon."

Mick: Haven't I heard some rumor of you becoming an editor?

Tir - Yep. I'm an editor for both Lyrical Press and Muse It Up. I'm loving it. Shir gets to wear a different hat.

Shir snorts. "Girl has zero fashion sense."

Tir - Moving on....

Mick: Good on you!

Musie: Good! Okay dragon buddy, spill on this new release? What's it about?

Shir : Well, it combines a lot of elements Tir really loves...namely moi and psionics. That's kind of like a mish mash of psychic ability and telekinetic. It's about a girl being drafted into this program where she is bonded to a dragon.

Musie: *snort* Dragons should have figured.

Mick: Told you the story idea division would listen if you went and talked to them, Shir. So, Tir once the evil Day Job - thank God the only evil Day Job Del has is college, and even then Musie gets to play - gives you some freedom what's are you going to do next, writing wise that is?

Tir - Solo writing I think I'm going to work on the next story in The Dragon Wars. With Del...well there are so many to pick from! But we've got one that's been wanting attention for awhile now. Something with an Egyptian mythos plus sci-fi space odyssey feel to it.


Musie: Well show me an excerpt!

I stood by the lakeside, a light breeze making the hem of my night dress ripple. The moon rode full and high in the sky, bathing everything in her ghostly glow. I didn't remember Jericho bringing me here. I felt him approaching and turned to face him. The moonlight made him look even more magnificent than he did in the day, gleaming off his scales, his eyes glowing slightly in the dim light. He stopped and white light began to emanate around him, shimmering, growing brighter, until I had to shield my eyes with my arm or be blinded. When I looked back, the dragon was gone, replaced by a man.

He wore only a pair of loose fitting pants, his chest bare. His shoulders were broad, his stomach toned and rippling with muscles. His arms looked as if he could crush a rock to gravel. His hair was close cropped and sandy blond. He was magnificent. The man started walking again, stopping in front of me. I had to tilt my head slightly to look him in his stormy grey eyes. His lips were turned down slightly, his brow furrowed with…anger? No, I felt none of that from him, only worry. “Jericho?”

He raised one hand, touching my cheek gently. I tilted my head, leaning into the touch. “I don't hate you,” he whispered. “I hate that I have to lose you.”

He stepped closer, lowering his head—

I sat up with a jolt, gasping. What in the hell kind of dream was that? I looked over at the other bed. It was empty. Miri and Enoch were still out on their mission. I lay back down and closed my eyes again, but I was too agitated by the dream to sleep. “Jericho?”

No response. He was either asleep or ignoring me as usual. I sat up again, putting my feet to the cool stone floor. I expanded my senses and felt a guard outside my door. Taking a chance, I went and opened it enough to stick my head out. "Drake?" I whispered.

The guard turned to look at me and smiled. "Shouldn‘t you be asleep?"

Sighing with relief, I stepped out into the hall. I leaned against the wall, folding my arms. It was a bit chilly out here. "I couldn‘t sleep. How can you stand here all night?"

He shrugged. "You get used to it. Why can‘t you sleep?"

It was my turn to shrug. I didn‘t feel right telling him about the dream in detail. "Weird dreams. Must have been something I ate," I lied.

"Maybe you‘re feeling guilty for breaking Dr. Hutchins‘ window," Drake said, grinning broadly. "What did she do?"

I did feel a little bad about breaking the window. Not for breaking the window, but for losing control again. I hadn‘t lost it like that in a long time. "She accused me of not accepting Jericho."

"And how are things going on that front?"

I lowered my head, my dark hair falling forward to hide my face. "I really don‘t know where I stand with him and..."

He put a finger under my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "And?"

I tried to look away, but I couldn‘t. Something in his grey eyes captured me. "And it hurts," I admitted.

Drake brushed my hair back, his fingers trailing across my cheeks, sending a shiver up my spine. "He‘s a fool," Drake whispered.

"Why?" I asked, my mouth suddenly dry.

His hands framed my face, holding me in place. "Because, you‘re a beautiful and strong woman. He should cherish you as his partner."

"But I‘m not his precious Kendall," I replied bitterly, wrapping my hands around Drake‘s wrists, trying to pull away.

He only held on more firmly. "No, you aren‘t. You‘re twice what she was."

I thought briefly about pushing him away with a psionic blast but why? "I think I should go back to bed now," I managed to say.

Drake smiled, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Yes, you should." He let go of me and returned to his rigid stance against the wall.

I stood there a moment longer and then went back into my room, leaning against the door while I caught my breath. After a minute, I returned to bed, smiling. It felt nice to be appreciated. It didn‘t take long before I slept again.

Musie: OOH That's good, Shir! You too Tir.

Tir blushes : Thanks. I can hardly believe I wrote it sometimes!

Shir snorts : Believe it, girl. Pass some more of that cake, Musie my dear

Mick: Stop flirting with my girl dragon or I'm going to pull out the BBQ and have Dragon steak for dinner.

Musie *smacking Mick*: You know we don't feel that way about each other. But, I do love your being jealous.

Mick *Thrust the rest of the cake at Shir*: Tir pleasure to see you, but in the best interest of your muse's health I think we need to wind this up. So tell everyone where they can find you on the web.

Tir: *shoving a sputtering Shir toward the door* Well, I've got my recently redesigned website, courtesy of my awesome buddy over there. www.antoniatiranth.com and my blog www.antoniatiranth.blogspot.com. There's also facebook and twitter.

Shir : Would you stop pushing! Yeesh. Mick, you promised me beers next weekend!

Tir : Bye guys! Love you all.

Mick *waving*: I'll buy you beer but Musie won't be there.

Musie *stomping her foot after Mick closes the door*: You know I have books to write with him, right?

Mick: Yes, luv, and I'll handle my jealousy while you're writing together, somehow. I promise.

Mick and Musie entertain Emily Pikkasso!

Mick looks over a Musie who is sitting very sedately at a table: Luv? You're acting strange. Why?

Musie: Because of our guest today.

Mick *raises an eyebrow*: I know our guest is Emily Pikkasso, so why are you so... sedate?

Musie: Because she also edited me! I can't be flitting around like usual.

Mick *goes and opens door for Emily*: Nice to meet you Emily, the lump in the chair is Musie. *whispers* She's nervous about you being here.

Emily: Hello Mick, nice to meet you. Nice to see you again Musie. Thanks for inviting me to come and visit with you today, I’ve been looking forward to it.

Musie *almost vibrating*: I can't do it! I can't sit still this long! Thank you so much for editing Ghostly Passions! You made it so much better.

Mick: Luv, we're here to talk about Emily's book - not you. Tell us about The Oak King's Daughter.

Emily: You’re welcome Musie, I really enjoyed working with you on Ghostly Passions and I love the cover that Delilah created for it. I think it really did it justice.


Ahh, The Oak King’s Daughter…. Well, the premise of the story is roughly based on the old legend about the Oak King and the Holly King and how they each rule 6 months of the year. The Holly King rules the winter months and the Oak King the summer months. That is kind of misleading of course, because their reigns really begin and end at the solstices. From the Summer Solstice to the Winter Solstice the Holly King rules because the sun reaches its greatest strength at Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and slowly diminishes until Winter Solstice. The Oak King defeats the Holly King at Winter Solstice and from that point on the sun strengthens and the days grow slowly longer.
For my purposes, the story takes place at Mabon, which is the autumn equinox, half way between the solstices. Dara is the Oak King’s daughter and she is yearning for some excitement. She is a young woman and has the desires of one, she feels stifled by her father’s control and rebels against marrying someone her father has picked out for her. It is her duty as his daughter to make a marriage which will help the Oak Kingdom prosper.


Instead, Dara falls for the mysterious new court mage, Tinne. The old mage passed away in the spring and his replacement is young and handsome. She allows him to woo her, unbeknownst to her father. At the Mabon Feast she runs away with her love, hoping for freedom and love in the Tinne’s arms.


However, there is a bit of twist to the story, Dara doesn’t know Tinne as well as she thinks she does. He is much more than what he allows the world to see and harbors a secret of his own.

Mick: That sounds interesting. Do you have an excerpt we can read?

Emily: Of course.


Mabon was Dara’s very favorite feast. The autumn colors were so well matched to her own coloring, she couldn’t help looking anything but breathtaking. The red and gold streaks heralding autumn’s approach glimmered in her dark green hair. Not that looking amazing will do me any good, I won’t get within ten feet of Tinne if Father has anything to say about it, she reflected.

Her father adamantly ordered she couldn’t be seen with anyone he hadn’t approved of first. Dara snorted in disgust. She could certainly manage to choose her own dancing partners, and if dancing led to other things, well Dairmuid didn’t need to know everything. She knew the behaviour childish, but she always used her father’s given name when he annoyed her.

The frown on her face softened as she remembered the first time she laid eyes on her
father’s new mage. Old Willowbark had died in the spring, and the new mage arrived at
Lughnassa. Dara’s heart jumped at the memory of Tinne when he first entered the Oak King’s court. The sunlight streamed through the open door behind him and set his hair and clothes ablaze.

“And set my heart ablaze as well,” Dara murmured.
Dara wrenched her thoughts back to her present dilemma. Somehow, she must find a way to give the herd of prospective husbands the slip. She drummed her long fingers on her knee as she considered her options. Dairmuid was far too formidable for Dara to risk out right defying him, and besides, she really did want to please him. Except his choices were so boring; none of them made her blood race like Tinne did just by walking into the room. Her face flushed with excitement, and a brilliant smile appeared on Dara’s lips as the perfect solution to her problem crossed the green lawn below her, disappearing in the shadow of the tree.

Dara slid down the tree and through the door hidden in the oak’s trunk. Racing down the
stairs as fast as she could, Dara slid to a halt outside her chambers. No need to alert anyone to her excitement if her handmaiden, Ruis had company when she entered. Dara never knew when Dairmuid would choose to visit her, and tonight he would be certain to seek her out to nudge her in the direction of his choice for son-in-law.

Mick: That does sound good. So tell me about your muse?

Emily: My muse is quite capricious at times, she’ll wake me up in the middle of the night and nag me until I get up and write whatever it is she is all het up about. She is also very magical and takes me places I would never think of on my own.

Musie: And now he'll ask I have a few questions about writing in general. What do you like most and least about writing?

Emily: I don’t know, that’s hard. I kind of love it all. But I guess if I had to choose what like the least it would be the tiny fine tunings of the edits at the end. I love to write and just let my fingers fly trying to keep up with my Muse and the twists and turns of the plot. After you’ve edited the manuscript like a thousand times it can get pretty tedious. I just keep the goal in mind; how wonderful and shiny it will be when all the edits are done.

Mick: What inspired you to write? Or was it something that you just always had in you?

Emily: I don’t think I know how not to write, I’ve been composing stories and poems in my head as long as I can remember.

Musie: Are you a plotter or do you just let the story unfold?

Emily: Actually, both. I had to do a lot of research for some books and so that requires plotting, how to fit the information into the storyline without seeming to be doing that. But once my Muse gets the bit in her teeth the story just unfolds and I run along behind holding onto the ribbons of her apron.

Mick: Where can people find you on the web?

My website is http://www.emilypikkassoauthor.ca/ and I have an author’s page on the MuseItHot! Publishing site.

Musie: Do you have another book coming out? I seem to remember Delilah saying we were going to do another cover for you.

Emily: Why yes I do, Musie. Thanks for asking. I have the March 2012 spot in the Lacey’s Lamp series which MuseItHot! Publishing is releasing in 2012. There will be twelve stories, one a month, each with some of the same basic components but each author has interpreted them in their own inimical style. It will be fun.


I am also working on a bit of a sequel to The Oak King’s Daughter, all my beta readers have urged me to continue the story. They want to know what happens next. So do I.

Mick: It's been a pleasure, Emily. Hopefully you can stop by and visit with us again.


Emily: Thank you Mick, and you too Musie. I hope to see more of your work in the near future, Musie.
It has been a pleasure visiting with you today. Thanks again.

Mick and Musie visit with Kat Holmes

Musie pours hot water into one carafe and coffee into the other while Mick piles a plate with pastries and cookies.

Mick: There luv, all set up for our first guest. Delilah was so scattered yesterday I forgot who was coming today.

Muse *smiling at him*: Kat Holmes. She's a friend and also had a release yesterday. Remind me to ask her about it.

Mick: What if I remember?

Musie: That works. *knock sounds on the door* She's here!

Mick opens the door: Hello. You must be Kat. I'm Mick and the flighty brunette is Musie.

Kat: Pleased to meet you both. Thanks for having me today and Happy New Year.

Mick *leads you to a table*: Happy New Year to you as well. Would you care for coffee or tea? Help yourself to the sweets as well.

Kat: Tea thanks. Mmm I love cookies.

Musie: Congratulations on your release yesterday. I know Delilah was thrilled to share yesterday with all her friends at MuseitUp Publishing. *Giggles* And I'll tell you every muse in Imaginaria is wishing you success. A publishing house named after us is a big deal around here.

Kat: Yes. You must have poked at Lea Schizas in her sleep to get her think of the name for her publishing house.:-)

Mick: What is your release The Lighthouse about?

Kat: It’s a romantic mystery that takes place on a little island off the coast of Maine called Star Island. The island itself is completely fictional. I made it up because it fit my story. Rachel Westmont inherits a lighthouse from her recently deceased aunt. It comes at a very opportune moment for Rachel who is newly divorced and eager to start her life over again.

But upon arriving, odd things begin happening. Books fly off shelves, cold chills fill the room and someone even breaks into her home. Rachel overlooks these things thanks largely to the attentions of handsome local sheriff Craig Lewis. But when someone attempts to kill her, she is forced to look more closely at her aunt’s death. Was it an accident like everyone thinks…or something more sinister? And is her aunt truly haunting her?

Musie: Ooh sounds good. Where did you ever get the idea? What's your muse like?

Kat: I have always been fascinated by lighthouses ever since I was a child. They have a rich history steeped in romance, mystery and murder. So, when I decided to write a story about a lighthouse, the idea of a romance mixed with a murder mystery and ghostly hauntings just seemed perfect. The idea for the story itself came about Christmas of 2009. I was putting out Christmas decorations and my mother gave me these little statuettes of lighthouses decked out for the holidays. One look and the idea came to me.

As for my MuseJ…she’s a demanding mistress. Many a time she will wake me in the middle of the night with an idea or dreams about where to go with a story and I’ll have no choice. I have to get up then and there and write it. But she helps me make my stories so much better. Some of the best scenes I’ve ever written came to me in the form of dreams.

Mick: One question at a time luv. Forgive her she has the muse equivalent of ADHD.

Kat: LOL

Musie: I know Delilah and I did two covers for you. When does your next book release?

Kat: Frozen releases April 2011 and I am so excited. It’s the first in a series and the cover is amazing. It’s so stark and haunting. The series itself is called Artica Lights and if you look closely at the cover, you’ll see the lights hidden within the snowfall. I’m starting book 2 in the series as we speak. Oh, and you and Delilah have done 3 covers for me thus far. Don’t forget Working Under Covers with Aphrodite on it. That one is the first in another series called Gods At Work and comes out in June of 2011.

Musie: How could I forget that one? Secret, I'd actually gotten Delilah to buy those images months before we got the cover form.

Mick: If you don't mind answering a few questions about writing. What do you like most?

Kat: I love seeing a story come to life on the page. Characters that I create take on a life of their own and I feel like I know them as well as family.

Mick: And least?

Kat: Writing the dreaded synopsis. No fun.

Musie: That's what Delilah says too. How much time do you spend with your muse? Oh I mean writing?

Kat: LOL I’m attached at the hip so to speak with my Muse. But when I’m working on a book I do a chapter every day. I prefer to work in the mornings when I’m fresh. I’ll have breakfast then work until I’m done. I edit that chapter the next day before writing the next chapter.

Mick: One last question before you have to go. Where can folks find you on the web?

Kat: Well I am several places. My books can be found at http://www.museithotpublishing.com/
My website is http://www.authorkatholmes.webs.com/
My blog is http://katluvr130.blogspot.com/
And I have a blogtalk radio show at www.blogtalkradio.com/katholmes1212

Musie: Forgive the male muse. *laughs at the glare Mick gives her* Do you have an excerpt for The Lighthouse?

Kat: Absolutely. Here’s a brief excerpt. Hope you like it.

Rachel was approaching a rather steep turn in the road that would take her down to Main Street when she heard a car behind her revving its engine. Looking in her rearview mirror, Rachel got a brief glimpse of a dark SUV just as it rammed into her bumper.

Rachel frantically tried to hold the wheel steady as she screamed and hit the brakes. The car behind her sped up again and rammed her bumper even harder. Rachel was heading for the edge of the cliff. Turning her wheel hard to the right, the car slid and turned.

Rachel put all of her weight onto the brake pedal as she tried to stop her momentum. The car smashed into the metal railing by the driver’s side door and Rachel heard metal scraping upon metal. Fortunately for Rachel, the railing held as the SUV drove off without stopping.

Rachel just sat there shaking, her heart thundering and tears running down her face. She didn’t know how much time passed. She didn’t really care. Rachel felt nauseous. Someone had just tried to kill her. Oh she could pass the first hit off as an accident, especially had the driver stopped and gotten out to check on her afterwards. But the driver had proceeded to hit her a second time and then speed off.

Musie: That sounds so interesting! Thank you for coming. We really enjoyed it and hope you stop by again.

Kat: Thank you so much. I had a lot of fun.