Halloween drawing and Rhodes End short story

As part of Halloween fun, I’m having a random drawing for those who leave a comment by October 31, 2008 at midnight for a $10 gift certificate at The Wild Rose Press.
This is a good time to introduce you to my favorite New England town. Rhodes End is located on a confluence of ley lines that draws magic and paranormal activity. Dog-legging the corners of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, it fails to appear on many maps due to various boundary and settlement disputes. This isn’t far from Hartford. Major highways to both Boston and New York City cut through the hills less than a mile away. It exists in my imagination and is the setting for my paranormal, Ancient Awakening.

Welcome to Rhodes End’s Halloween where All Hallows’ Eve is celebrated on the Town Green.
Two churches bracketing the wide swath of grass like book-ends dispense orange and black decorated candy bags. The scents of cinnamon, burning candles and scorched pumpkin drift on the breeze. An owl hoots from a hollow tree in the ancient cemetery behind the church. The nearby streets are dark and empty in stark contrast to the noisy party-goers. No-one goes from house to house yelling Trick-or-Treat since an incident in 1943 that no one claims to remember.
A huge bonfire lights the night where excited children toast marshmallows donated by Nelson’s grocery store and parents drink heated apple cider from Styrofoam cups. Peter’s Pluckers’, a local blue-grass band is stomping out ‘Turkey in the Straw’ to loud clapping at the gazebo strung with bobbing skeletons and ghosts. Johnson’s Orchard donates huge tubs of shiny green Granny Smith’s for bobbing. The dripping faced kids hardly wait to be dried before running off to another game. Colorfully attired townsfolk escort laughing, excited children from event to event. Everyone wants to keep the little ones safe tonight.
Costumed or painted to reflect their own personality, every child is present except Mickey Burton. He has the measles. A few giddy teenagers who dared each other to climb the flat-topped boulder on Witch’s Rock Road, run onto the green shrieking. One shouts she saw a shape fly across the face of the rising full moon. Parents nod wisely and laugh. Kids!
The full moon rises as the evening wanes and the younger children are taken home, protesting through wide yawns. Parents cast uneasy glances into the shadows. Older children drift to the games and food offered inside the church halls. More and more are encouraged to return to the safety of home as the hour grows late.
The costumed crowd oddly thickens. The patrolling police cruiser stops to allow two witches, a werewolf and a ghoul to cross the street. Headlights pick out gleaming red eyes. A casual wave is exchanged.
Under the huge silver moon, the townsfolk circle the bonfire as midnight approaches. Thankfully, a full moon doesn’t occur every All Hallows’ Eve. The churches shoo the remaining families home, shut off the lights and lock their doors.
A few brave souls linger, nervously glancing over their shoulders. The air is electric with nerves, fear tickles. A dozen witches gather to one side. Shadows conceal details, but a gleaming fang or claw occasionally reflects the flames. Hair, hide and patchy skin conceal the wearers. Too many red eyes reflect the light.
A thick-set man wearing a knit cap feeds wood onto the fire and flames leap voraciously skyward. The crowd pulled back then surges closer. It’s almost midnight, the witching hour. The heavy wood-smoke mingles with a coppery smell of fresh blood and rotting flesh. Circles within the circle join hands and murmur. Not all are willing, but they must protect their secrets.
The Congregational church clock bongs, once, twice, and the flames explode up in a column of sparks. Three, four, five…chanting echoes across the Green. Six, seven, eight, nine… skeletal figures twist and turn, stretch clutching fingers from the seething flames, almost breaking free. Demons howl. Ghouls curse. Ten, eleven… the chants strengthen until they drown the unearthly noise. The threatening figures shudders with rage. Tonight is their night to walk free!
Twelve…
With a weary sigh, the fire shapes disappear. The fire dies. Only embers remain.
The crowd silently melts into the night leaving a few shivering adults to wonder what they just saw.

For more Halloween fun and contests from Wild Rose Press authors visit:

http://blog.skhyemoncrief.com/
http://alishapaige.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/betty_hanawahttp://michelehart.blogspot.com/
http://www.marlymathews.blogspot.com/
http://elizabethmeltonparsons.wordpress.com/
http://www.brendaweaver.blogspot.com/
http://alienplaces.blogspot.com/
http://www.hywelalyn.blogspot.com/
http://sherilewiswohl.wordpress.com/
http://sisterwriters.blogspot.com/
www.myspace.com/mrsplparker
http://www.skypuringtonwrites.blogspot.com/
http://bethcaudill.blogspot.com/
http://myblog.susannesaville.com/
http://www.dayanaknight.blogspot.com/

Interview with Therese Kinkaide

Welcome Therese to Barb’Ed comments. Her book, Luther’s Cross, is a November release from Wings-Press. Feel free to leave a comment.

Therese Kinkaide holds a BS in Political Science, with a minor in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Education. She is a former member of the National Writers Association, as well as former president and current member of the Quincy Writers’ Guild, a local writers’ group. Ms. Kinkaide has a self-published book entitled Betrayal. She has published short stories in ezines such as Lovewords, Pens on Fire, and Crime & Suspense. Ms. Kinkaide recently had a story accepted for publication in L&LDreamspell’s anthology Mysteries, Dreams, & Darkness. Ms. Kinkaide is a member of the Illinois Poetry Society and has had poems published in The Poet’s Pen.

Ms. Kinkaide lives in the Midwestern US with her husband, children and a much loved long-haired dachshund.

For more information on her writings, including her novel Luther’s Cross which will be published in November, visit her website at http://www.theresekinkaide.com/ .

Q. What do you find the most difficult about being a writer?
A. Obviously there are times when something about the writing process can be difficult, whether it’s getting started on a new piece or facing a blank screen and wondering where the words are supposed to come from. However, I think the most difficult part of writing is working alone. I have a college education; I have a masters’ degree in education, but I’ve chosen to stay at home with my children and focus on a writing career. I feel like many people think I’m crazy to try this, and I think a lot of people tend to see writing as a hobby for me. I belong to a writers’ group. We meet once a month, September through May. It’s good to mix with other writers, but sometimes it’s not enough. Writers need feedback, and I think most of my friends and family get tired of me talking about my characters and plots. Once I get an opening, once someone asks me about what I’m working on, I can go on and on and talk until I suddenly realize that my ‘listener’s’ eyes have glazed, and I am getting the polite nod now and then. I don’t want to bore anyone with my crazy ramblings about my characters, but I crave that attention and interest.

Q. What is your hero’s biggest challenge?
A. Jay Bryant’s biggest challenge is breaking down the walls Ellie Jordan has built around her heart. Jay is a divorced, ‘summer vacation only’ dad. He’s dated since the divorce, but he’s never fallen for anyone and he’s never risked his son’s heart with a woman. When he meets Ellie, he knows she is the one. And he knows, even if she doesn’t, that she is exactly what he and his son need.

Q. What is your heroine’s biggest flaw?
A. Ellie Jordan is stubborn. She’s a woman with a past, and she is determined that the life she lives now is punishment for the past. She believes she loves Jay enough to let him go, but it is fear that holds her back. She’s afraid to be happy, because she believes being happy will make her the shallow, selfish person she used to be.

Q. What prompted you to write this story?
A. This story started with a character. Several years ago, I was at a Cardinal baseball game with my husband and his parents. I am a people watcher, love to observe people and catch bits and pieces of conversations and wonder what makes a person tick. There was a couple in front of us that caught my attention. They were cute, obviously very much in love. I based Jay Bryant on the guy.
I wanted to write a story about learning to cope with a personal loss, a huge personal loss such as Ellie experienced. I love the complexities of human relationships, so I really wanted Ellie to find herself tangled in Jay’s family. I needed her to be so tangled in their emotions and they in hers, that she didn’t have a prayer of running away.


Q. What is your least favorite genre? Would you ever consider writing it?
A. I have always been a big reader. I read romance, women’s fiction, mysteries and crime novels. I enjoy young adult fantasy. I read horror sometimes. I don’t know that I have a least favorite genre to read. I haven’t read a lot of science fiction, and I don’t read much chick lit, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it when I do read something in either genre. A year ago I would have said I would never attempt to write fantasy or science fiction, but I have toyed with it. I have ideas for a young adult fantasy trilogy; I’ve written a few chapters but I admit I haven’t worked on it recently.

Q. Who has helped you the most?
A. My readers. I’m just getting started with the publishing experience, but I’ve shared my writing in one form or another for several years. I get comments from friends and family and emails from people I’ve never met, who might live half way across the world. Every comment, every email touches me. Sometimes I’m having a bad day with writing, feeling like the work in progress is too much trouble, but then I’ll get an email from someone who has read something and it makes my day. And I’m not just saying that, ask my husband. Knowing someone lives and dies with my characters is a huge thrill for me.

Q. Do you have a favorite theme? Eg: love conquers all; good vs. evil; How do you use it?
A. I don’t know that I have a favorite theme. Right now my writing interests are all over the board. I have a suspense novel I am working on; I would say it is good vs. evil. I just finished a young adult manuscript, which focuses on the friendship between a fourteen year old boy and a fourteen year old girl. I have plans to write another young adult book, which might be considered good vs. evil and might be considered a study in friendships. I think my work is mostly character driven, so the theme works outward from who my characters are and who they are involved with.

Q. What have you learned about yourself from your writing?
A. I’m a very reserved person; shy, conservative-whatever you want to call it. But I do think I’ve learned about myself and others through my characters. I’ve learned that it’s okay to be reserved. It gives me more time to study others and to understand the dynamics of relationships. That insight enables me to write stronger dialogue, and writing that dialogue makes me think more about what I say to people in my life.

Q. Why will your reader think your book is different?
A. My writing style is a bit different, or so I’ve been told. I read so much, and I admire so many authors. I think I’ve developed my own voice, which might be a blend of a few of my favorite writers. I’ve grown so comfortable with that voice that I often hear it narrating events in my real life.

Excerpt:
“You don’t wanna love me, Jay,” she whispers.
“Little too late,” he answers. He leans toward her and touches his lips to hers. She tastes like summer and rain and the chocolate brownie they’d shared as they’d snuck out of Maeve’s, by the side gate on the yard. She kisses him back, still uncertain, but with more confidence than she’d had that first night. He slides his fingers around her neck and up into her silky hair. A soft groan escapes his lips and melts in her mouth when she touches him. Her small hand climbs his shirt again, until her fingers scrape up the front of his neck and then cup his chin and splay wide over his cheek.
“Why’d you kiss me at Maeve’s?” He breaks the kiss, but he presses his lips to her cheekbone.
“Few reasons,” she answers him.
“Like what?”
“Joe. I don’t get your deal with Joe.” She looks up at him. “I guess I wanted to remind you, I’m your friend. Not his.”
“What else?” He fishes for more words that will make his throat and heart burn like he’s swallowing whiskey straight from the bottle.
“I wanted to,” she admits with a little grin.
The finale is lighting the sky, but he doesn’t care that he’s not watching it. He wishes this moment with Ellie would last a lifetime. “Do you have a star where even people who don’t want to can fall in love?”
“I’m not gonna fall in love with you, Jay.” Her words don’t mean as much as the fact that she can’t look at him when she says them.

Interview with Wanda C. Keesey

Please welcome Wanda C. Keesey to Barb’ed Comments. Wanda has written an insightful novel about two women’s struggles during the Civil War, one of my favorite time periods.

Wanda C. Keesey lives in small town USA with her husband and cats, located near the Pennsylvania capital of Harrisburg . She started writing late in life but is catching up fast. She is a student of the Civil War era and the people who lived it. She has had several short stories published, and her second novel, The Walk Home, will be released in November, 2008 (the first, Lost In The Mist came out in May). More information on her life and publications is listed Wanda's website (http://www.wandakeesey.com), a s well as articles, and reviews. She is a long time member and past officer of Pennwriters, Inc. (www.pennwriters.org) a group dedicated to helping writers hone their skills.

Hopefully, visitors have already read your bio, so I'm not going to ask you to tell us about yourself. Instead, what do you find the most difficult about being a writer?
Before I retired, my biggest problem was finding time to write, market, fulfill the duties of my Pennwriters office, work my seven to four job to pay the bills, take care of the housework, and find time to just relax and read for pleasure. Back then I did most of my writing on weekends. Now my focus has changed and I was able to rearrange my schedule to include writing or writing related work every afternoon. I still don't like or do housework as often as I should, but I do get more time to prepare a good meal now and then for my husband and myself. Because of this change I'm finding that I procrastinate on actual writing more than I did before (I'm a procrastinator supreme) so I have to make myself spend at least two hours a day on writing. My pleasure reading has changed to reading for reviews which I restrict to evenings.

What is your hero's biggest challenge?
My hero, Simon Nettling (aka Leonard Claremont) is an undercover Pinkerton agent working for the Federal Government in Civil War Richmond, VA. He is involved in spying, and working with the Underground Railroad (freeing slaves). AND then he meets a woman who makes him wish he could settle down and raise a family, but she is hiding something too. His biggest challenge is doing his job, and helping Sara without knowing what it is she needs.

What is your heroine's biggest flaw?
Sara Benning was viciously attacked and left for dead by the slave chasers who killed her husband and ten year old son. She want to avenge their loss, but she's afraid that she's not strong enough to complete the task. When she meets the banker in Richmond, Leonard Claremont, she begins to doubt her reasons for being there. She is very unsure of herself and her motives.

Hattie Carter is a secondary heroine in my novel. She and her husband, Charles were slaves. They had different owners who permitted them to marry, and to work off the cost of freedom. After years of slavery, they were freed and moved north where they met the Bennings and lived free, until the day the slave chasers needed another body. Hattie is a strong women, physically and mentally. If she has a flaw, it's that she is so focused on finding her husband that she gets careless.

What prompted you to write this story?
Women who lived through the Civil War era were thrown into a world they'd never dreamed of. Left without men-folk, they had to "do" for themselves. I wanted to write a story about two of these women, each with a unique problem. Sara Benning loses her entire family and reason for living and Hattie Carter's husband is "stolen" back into slavery. Sara and Hattie are friends and their families had been partners in business. When Hattie nurses Sara back from deaths door, they each want to follow the slavers for their own reasons. Hattie to rescue her husband and Sara to get her revenge.

What is your least favorite genre? Would you ever consider writing it?
Literary, or mainstream fiction puts me to sleep. I've reviewed several novels in these genres and I admire the authors who can pull it off. Their skills in their craft are to be envied. I do have a short story that is literary. It's a story based on my own true life experience, but I've had a hard time placing it for publication. I don't think I would venture into a novel length project, but who knows. When the mood hits, I write.

Who has helped you the most?
If my husband hadn't found a piece I was writing when we got our first word processor, and from then encouraged me to do what it took to become an "author", I would never have reached this point. He has been my steadfast backer. He doesn't read fiction, though he will edit my short work, he's never read any of my novels. He does bounce ideas around with me and he is with me as often as he can be at signings and talks, and helps with promotion. He is my biggest fan.

Do you have a favorite theme? Eg: love conquers all; good vs evil; How do you use it?
No, I don't think I do have a favorite theme, though many creep into my novels and stories. They say there are only about fifty different plots in writing, and it's the spin that the author puts on the words that makes each work unique. Having the Civil War era as a background helps to put that touch to my novels, it was a trying time. The romances in my books are based on love, not only of a person, but of life.

What have you learned about yourself from your writing?
I've learned a lot of things. Probably one of the most important is that I can learn and improve at any age. And life doesn't end with retirement, it's just beginning (for me anyway). And I'm impressed with the changes I see in my "voice" over the years of writing. And I'm always surprised that I enjoy reading my own books, over and over (a good thing because of all the editing). But I think mostly I'm more confident. I'm still shaky when I appear before a group, but I know my subject and soon find that my audience is waiting to hear what I know. No one has walked out on me yet.

Why will your reader think your book is different?
The Walk Home is the story of two women, one white and one black who pose as mistress and owner to travel into the teeth of the Confederacy at the beginning of the Civil War. The story isn't about the war, but the war's and society's effect on their lives and their bravery in facing a new and dangerous city.

Excerpt from The Walk Home:
“Sara, don’t you die on me. You hear girl.” Hattie pulled the shawl from her shoulders, draping it over the prone body of her friend.
“Hattie, where. . .” Sara’s whisper was almost lost on the spring breeze. She struggled to sit up, pushing against the ground with her hands. Long auburn hair fell in unruly clumps hiding Sara’s face. “Edward, Teddy, they said. . .” With a sigh she allowed her arms to relax, lowering her body to the ground.
Hattie helped Sara turn onto her back. She gasped as she pushed the screen of hair away.
An open gash disfigured the left side of Sara’s once unmarked face, laying open a ragged line that cut across the corner of her eye and ended at the left side of her chin. Her lips, bruised and split were parted as she struggled to pull air into her lungs. Blood encrusted Sara’s face and neck, her nose was bent at an odd angle, her swollen eyes had started to blacken.
Pale hands reached for Hattie.
“Quiet girl. You be still while I think.” Hattie was frightened. She had to get Sara back to her cabin.
“Lord, help me.” She cried to the smoke filled sky, “I can’t carry her myself.” Her dark eyes scanned the yard.
The Benning cabin was a burning skeleton.
--Wanda C. Keesey Author of Lost in the Mist ISBN: 978 1-59705-327-3 (ebook) ISBN: 978 1-59705-706-6 (paperback) And watch for The Walk Home (release November, 2008) Wings ePress, Inc. www.wings-press.com wckeesey@comcast.net http://www.wandakeesey.com http://wckeesey.wordpress.com (Civil War Writer blog) http://bookbabesandhim.workpress.com(readers blog)

Interview with A. Dee Carey

Welcome to Barb'ed comments and my guest today, A. Dee Carey. Join me in learning more about Dee:



Dee is a fantasy novelist who started writing late in her life. Writing was a kernel of an idea that never found fertile ground until she was nearly retirement age. Unfortunately, it took her youngest daughter’s near death to spark her to do what was important to her, before her time ran out. Her daughter was in a coma due to an overdose of a prescription drug and to pass the time, watching and praying her child would be all right, she began to read a novel. Her older daughter noted the book was written by her former English teacher. As Dee worked for the same school district the two women met and Dee was encouraged to pursue a writing career.
She always loved reading and the next natural step was writing. So when all other life obligations were met, she tried her hand at being an author. The author of nine completed books, of which five are published, Dee enjoys the fantasy worlds she creates as a buffer between the real world and the world as we wish it to be.
She has the unfailing support of her patient husband and her children and grandchildren. All of whom say she is a little crazy, but love her anyway.
Dee is published with The Wings-Press Company who publish books that you will not find elsewhere. Truly unique stories that uplift the reader. Check them out at www.wings-press.com.

What is your hero’s biggest challenge? He must learn that revenge solves nothing and creates even greater problems. LaRoux is bent upon killing the man who murdered his mother, but learns from Merlot in order to have love, you cannot hate.
What is your heroine’s biggest flaw?
Merlot is headstrong and believes that she always knows the way to do things. She learns that all things are not always accomplished alone.
What prompted you to write this story?
St. Therese who is my patron saint, is very dear to my heart. I prayed to her daily for two years that I might be published. She plays a role in this fantasy tale. While I am sure she was not as timid as I have made her, she was most pious and devout. She aspired to be a Pope and had she lived I believe she might have made it. This book is my tribute to her.
What is your least favorite genre? Would you ever consider writing it? I am not a fan of science fiction or fantasy that is overly involved in world and language creating. I would never attempt sci-fi as I have not the skill that I believe is required. I do write fantasy, but try to do so in a manner that is easily understood. I want the reader to believe if he/she lived a long time ago, such things might have actually happened. Some reviewers have stated my books read as if they had been written in an ancient time. I am flattered.
Who has helped you the most? That is actually a tough question. My family always stood behind me and St Therese gave me the push to publication, but my greatest aid came from self realization that “Hey! I can do this.”
Do you have a favorite theme? It is carried out in all my books Good vs Evil and good always prevails. I take various methods to carry out the conflict and do my best to show doing good is a reward in itself. My characters do not do good for monetary gain, nor for power. All books are about love. It may be love of money, power, wealth or even drugs, but love (desire) is the root of all stories.
What have you learned about yourself from your writing? Writing is for me very empowering. As a child my father told me “You’ll be the height of mediocrity” and all my life I believed all I could be is average. I’ve learned I can be “outstanding in my field” even though I am not a farmer. I mold characters and establish “Ordinations” and beliefs that no one really believes in. I can create a suspension of belief for the period of time it takes one to read my books. I am writer, read me now!
Why will your reader think your book is different? The main difference is that in each of my books one of the lead characters has the ability to either change from fox to human or from human to fox. I usually write in first person and label each characters speech and thoughts with the character’s name. I have many older readers and they tell me that it helps them as they frequently tire easily and the labels help them to find their places. As with a little luck we will all get there in time I feel that someone should cater to the seniors among us. (I’m one myself 70 next year).






A. Dee Carey
The Fox Lady
Contact information.
foxladycarey@aol.com
www.foxladycarey.com
585-426-0578





A. Dee Carey is proud to present her latest novel




The Fox and the Chalice

A tale of faith, myth and legend. Can the fox woman find her own true love and save the cup of Christ? Found among the grape vines of the convent, as an infant, she soon learns she has been selected to save the Cup of Christ. Her ability to become a fox protects not only the convent but the man she loves as well. Come venture to a land where all is not what it seems to be and good will always triumph.







Reviews:
The Vixen
If you love the tales of olde, that touch of magic that has often been lost in stories of fantasies written in a modern world, then read one of A. Dee Carey’s books – she writes with the finesse of the ancient master, perfectly capturing a time when magic lingered and anything could happen.
Angela Verdenius… Heart of a Peacekeeper

Fox in the Mist
In Fox In The Mist, Dee Carey has created a thrilling fantasy wherein appealing characters, both human and animals, excitingl strive to oust a usurper and return the rightful heir to the throne. The heroine is eaually charming as both a fox and a girl, and the young hero has just enough vulnerablilty. Now, I want a fox! I want a tiny unicorn to dance in my palm!
Fran Keighley award winning Wings author
Mark of the fox

In this charming story, Ninaway, Merlin, Claret, and Ryan all learn that the true poser of loves lies in the giving of love, not the taking. Redemption has never been so magical as it is portrayed in Mark of the Fox. Replete with Travel Tunnels, shape-shifting, and magical spells, this fantasy romance waves an enchanting world that will leave the reader wishing it would never end. Kerrelyn Sparks How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire




The Fox and the Swan

A. Dee Carey has spun a magical web that makes one suspend reality and cheer her morphed characters on.. Although this not the type of genre I personally read, I found myself swept up in the storyline that was peopled with strong characters that formed a complete population of essential beings- not one too many and not one too few.
The Fox and the Swan is a story where the step-mother is truly is a witch. The plot , the arraged marriage fo a young girl to a curmudgeon to save her family, is one that is tried and true, but definitely has a different twist theis sorcery and religion becoming compatiable.
The transition of humans to animals was so believable one never lost faith in the story and I had to read it to its conclusion in a short time. A. Dee Carey keeps you wondering about the out come all the way through. The setting in Scotland rings so true you are visually whipped across the sea and live the Highland life while the story unfolds. Recollections of Narnia crept into my mind as I was reading as it is certainly carried that flavor of magic and the struggle between good and evil.
Whether you read fantasy or not, I recommend The Fox and the Swan as a good love story that plays out blending fantasy and reality that makes you believe in it and its characters.
Mary Jean Kelso The Homesteader, Goodby is Forever, Blue Coat