Is it seriously August?
Where has this summer gone? A lot of cool things are happening in my neck of the woods. My first contemporary novelette, The Roles We Play, is out in ebook. Divine Judgment, the third Divine Chronicles book, is with the editor. I'm polishing up Break Her Fall, the second Blake Pride book. And somewhere between all this writing I've had the privilege of attending a few conferences like RT in New Orleans and RWA Nationals in San Antonio. Yes, I've been a busy lil writer chick.Monthly Contest:
I've teamed up with FreshFiction.com to bring you more information and monthly contests to win free books and goodies. For August the contest is Dig Your Claws Into Summer. You can win a signed copy of Pride Before the Fall and an Amazon gift card. Make sure you sign up for their newsletter too!Divine Judgment!
I'm so excited to share this with you!!! Here is the first (unedited) chapter of Divine Judgment, set for release next month.
**Please do not copy and paste this excerpt. If you would like to share, use the link to this blog post.
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“Crap, crap, crap! Damn it to
hell.” Avery slapped at her skin, shook herself off like a dog sheds water.
“Fire? Really. You have to transport me with fire?” She glared up at
Rhea who stood patiently waiting. Avery coughed and hacked trying to get the
heat out of her throat. It took her a moment to realize she wasn’t on fire and she wasn’t having trouble breathing.
“Fire is a part of who you
are, beloved. It is not my fault that you have not embraced it.”
“It flippin’ hurts!”
“Your irreverence is
disturbing.” Rhea sighed.
Avery’s brows rose. She paced toward the goddess and crossed her arms over her
chest. “Irreverence?
You set me on fire. Twice. You created me and stuck me on earth, gave my
father a vision that caused him to take me into the human world, and now, after
I’ve finally found Ryse and fallen in love with him, and
figured out who I really am; I’m dead. Now I’m
pulled every which way but right, in and out of my own dang body. Did I miss
anything? Oh, yeah. You set me on fire.”
“Twice.” Rhea finished for
her, her lips twitching. “I do enjoy your spirit. Worry not, I shall return you
to your mate in due time.” She gathered Avery into her arms and offered
comfort.
Avery shivered once more, the
memory of the flames still freaked her out. It was only after her tantrum that
she comprehended where she was and took a glance around. “So, this is Heaven,
huh?”
There was…nothing. Rhea and
Avery were surrounded by an endless sea of nothing. She figured Heaven would be
like what she saw in the movies; white lights, lots of gold and silver, shiny
crap. Instead, she stood in a void. There was no white light but no darkness
either. If she squinted she could make out color, but not really.
“Would you prefer the
afterlife to look like this?” Rhea waved her hand and a golden street appeared
under her feet leading to a city clad in gold and jewels. There were vivid
colors, great temples floating on clouds…and every cliché the human race had
ever depicted as “heaven”.
“This isn’t it either, is it?” Avery sighed.
“Maybe you would prefer this?”
The scene changed and Avery’s heart nearly
broke in half.
It was her childhood home in
Texas. The farmhouse with a wraparound porch sat pristine in the middle of hay
pastures. Smoke even rose from the chimney. A faint scent of Mama’s fresh baked bread wafted past her nose.
Before she could stop herself,
tears rolled down her cheeks and she turned to Rhea. “I had no idea the gods of
my husband would be so cruel.” Her anger lashed out like a whip at the goddess.
“It is accurate, is it not?
This is the place you felt most at home, the most at peace.”
With a defiant swipe, Avery
cleared her cheeks of moisture. “Yeah. But you know darn well that place is
gone and so are the people in it. So why don’t you quit with the picture games.”
“As you wish.” Rhea’s arm cut through the air and her childhood home was
gone. In a blink they stood high on a grassy hill so perfectly green each blade
looked hand painted. Their feet rested on the cool white marble of a grand
temple.
Avery arched her neck to peer
up and up and higher still to the ceiling, elegantly decorated with frescos of
the gods. “I’ve seen this place.”
“It is the city of Olympia in
the realm of the gods. When we left the earth, we recreated our cities and
temples together here.”
“Cities?” Avery questioned.
“Athens, Delphi, Olympia; just
as they would have been on earth.”
Rows of stone buildings with
round pillars and intricate carvings of the gods they hosted dotted the valley
below. The temple of Zeus was the most prominent. Circular pillars lined the
exterior, white limestone stacked as high and mighty as the god it paid homage
to.
“Will my parents be here? In one of these cities?” Hope lit in
her heart at the thought she might be reunited with her family again.
“Your mother was human and I’m
afraid upon death, her soul went to another place that I have no access to.
Your father, however, anxiously awaits to greet you.” Rhea held out her arm and
pointed to a figure emerging out of the valley below.
“Daddy!” Avery took off
running, her feet moving as fast as possible toward the open arms of her
father. She jumped and he caught her with a strong grip. He was just as she
remembered. Tall, brown hair, heavy build with the warmest hugs in the world.
“Avery, my precious girl, how
I’ve missed you.” He kissed her cheek over and over again as they both wept.
“I’m so proud of you, baby.” Loving words fell from his lips over and over
again as if he were making up for a decade of not sharing his love with her every
day. “I love you so much. I’m so proud of you.”
“Daddy, I’m sorry. I’m so
sorry about everything. About Jerry and mama, and everything.”
He held her face in his hands.
Green eyes, just like hers, were filled with tears and emotion so deep it
stirred her soul. “Don’t be sorry about your mother, baby. I knew when we were
mated that her humanity would be a part of the deal. She was worth every
sacrifice. She gave me you.” He kissed her forehead again. “No father has ever
been as proud of his daughter as I am of you.”
Rhea approached, a kind smile
on her face. “I owe your parents a great deal, Avery. I wish I could bring them
together again, but that is far beyond my control. I can only offer you the
knowledge that your mother is in a similar place, her soul is at peace.”
“Thank you, goddess.” Her
father bowed to Rhea. “Thank you for bringing me my child and for keeping her
from a true death.”
“I have things I must attend
to. Your time here is short, Avery. Enjoy this gift. For when I return, you
will face your fire and your killer.”
Avery took her father’s hand
and they meandered down the paths of the Heavens. Question after question,
topic after topic, father and daughter caught up on as much as possible. When
she spoke of Ryse and how much she loved him, her father grinned. But there was
a sadness in his eyes.
“You are in for a very hard
life with him, Avery. He will not be an easy man to love.”
“No, Daddy. He’s a very easy
man to love. What’s hard is makin’ him see that.”
“If anyone can do it, if
anyone can love him enough, it’s you.” Her father sighed and she knew their
time was nearly up. “You’ve become so much greater a woman than I ever
imagined, Avery. For so long I feared what would happen to you without your
mother and me there to guide you.” His face softened, his green eyes shined.
“But you're so strong, so determined. Maybe a little quick on the trigger when
it comes to attacking people.” He chuckled. “You should be more careful about
that.”
“Trust me, I will. Dang. Dyin’
hurts.” She joked, but rubbed at her chest, still able to recall how the knife
punctured her chest over and over again.
Her father put his hands on
her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “As much as I love you, my sweet
girl, I don’t want to see you again for many, many centuries. Not until you and
your mate rest in the Heavens together.”
“I promise, Daddy. I’ll be
more careful. But I also made promises to Ryse, and I won’t stand by and let
him fight his demons alone.”
“That’s my girl. I love you,
more than you can fathom.” He pulled her in for a hug and Avery tried to
memorize everything about him. She wouldn’t get a chance like this again and
she didn’t take it for granted.
*****
The Heavens- Holy City of Delphi
Lysandra entered the main
temple of Delphi. The ancient city had once been on earth but now it was a
place of solitude for the gods only. The tray she carried held oils and herbs
for the Pythia, the triad of Oracles who oversaw the temple. She delivered the
supplies and knelt down to receive her next order. The three women were naked
and chanting. They sat in a shallow pool of water that smelled of the sweet
oils. No males were allowed into the sanctuary and no one except temple
priestesses was given entrance to this room. Their lack of clothing aided in
their focus. There was no reason to hide their bodies. The nudity didn’t bother Lysandra, she was used to it. When she came
into the sanctuary she too had to be unclad. It didn’t take her long to realize clothing was a waste of time in the temple.
No one saw her but the Pythia. When she did venture beyond the temple she felt
heavy with all the robes and drapes.
“Lysandra.” Called one of her mistresses. “I see you.”
She gasped as the Oracle
trained her white glowing eyes on her face. “Me? Why would you have a vision of
me?”
“Come.” The Oracle held out a
hand so pale she was nearly translucent.
Priestesses in training were
not supposed to step foot in the pool. Lysandra’s heart pounded in her chest as she touched the Oracle’s hand and stepped into the warm water. As she lowered
her body a vision came over her. She was accustomed to visions, had them all
the time. This experience was different.
She saw a woman with long
reddish brown hair. The mass of curls spread out on a pillow, her hands folded
over her chest. Was the woman dead? No. Not dead, not living either. Time began
to slip backwards and she saw the men who placed the woman in the bed with such
care. The scenes rewound all the way back to the moment this woman was
murdered. She saw it all. Her death, her lover, her true identity. Lysandra
screamed as the vision ended in painful clarity. Avery, mate of Thracian Master
and Olympian Prince Ryse Castille was in the spirit realm while her body lay in
the Haven on Earth.
“Did you see it?” It wasn’t an Oracle who asked the question, but the
mother-goddess, Rhea. The Oracles crawled to her robes and touched them in
reverence. Lysandra knelt down, her face nearly in the pool.
“They need you, Lysandra. I am
sending you to the Haven in the earthly plain.”
“Mistress?” Lysandra was appalled. “You don’t mean among the humans?”
Rhea stroked the heads of the
Oracles that fawned over her. The urge to join them was strong, but the
possibility of having to go to Earth caused her great distress.
“Yes. ‘Tis your destiny. You
will learn much and be of great service to the gods. Go meditate and receive
the knowledge that I bring. Your time will come soon.”
“Is this—” She breathed
deeply, closed her eyes against the pain of the cold truth. “Is this because I
am…damaged?”
The Pythia swiveled their
heads to her, they stared with unblinking, lifeless eyes that knew too much.
Everyone at the temple sensed it. She’d never fit
in, never been fully one of them. That’s why she’d never ascended to the Pythia, why she remained a
temple priestess.
“Damaged?” Rhea questioned. “You are not damaged, Lysandra. You are simply too
full of color to live in this white realm. You shall find yourself, and all the
colors of the human world shall mix beautifully together with your soul.”
Lysandra made her way to her
sleeping chambers and sat on her mattress. She was leaving the Heavens and
going to the earth…among other Olympians…and if her vision was accurate, she
would be meeting the warrior with sandy blonde hair and unique eyes of the same
color, the one that went unconscious when he touched Master Ryse. This
magnificent warrior had her heart racing the most.
*****
The Heavens- City of Olympia
Avery’s heart broke as she
walked away from her father, once again following Rhea. At the same time, she
was full of love and peace. Finally, she was able to say goodbye to her father
in a way she could be happy with. Rhea had given her priceless closure.
“Avery.” The goddess pulled at
her arm to bring Avery beside her. “Meet Helios, the god of fire.”
Avery’s body went cold. Helios
was a walking fireball. We’re talking straight out of a comic book, a man on
fire. Even his smile seemed to glow orange and red.
“Ah, my new student.” His
words crackled like burning logs, more of a sound than an actual enunciation of
syllables.
“I shall leave you to your
lessons.” Rhea inclined her head to Helios and he bowed deeply in return. Then
Rhea was gone, and the god of fire’s attention was solely on her. “Are you
ready to learn your craft?”
“Yeah, ‘bout that.” Avery bit
her bottom lip. “Not so much.”
“Call upon your fire,” he
commanded, accustomed to being obeyed.
“What? No.” Avery shook her
head. “That flamin’ crap is scary and bad things
happen. It’s not like it did me much good against Salina. I
mean, no offense. It clearly works for you.”
“You have not mastered the
art.” Helios held up his hand when Avery opened her mouth to argue. “Silence.
You will learn. You will not argue. What emotions were you feeling the first
time your gift manifested?”
Dear gods, she was really
going to have to do this.
“Rage.” Avery bowed her head,
thoughts of Frank’s
bleeding body haunting her mind. “Sorrow.”
“That is where we shall begin.”
Helios waved his hand and the world twisted. Olympia was gone and Avery stood
in her childhood home again, just in time to watch Jerry stab Frank. Bile rose
in her throat and her body shook. As she had been that horrific night, she was
tied to a chair in her living room. Jerry, who had once been considered a close
friend, slammed a knife into the chest of his partner, Officer Frank Billings.
His laughter made her wretch. In her head, she knew this was only a memory. She
survived this night and moved on with her life. Her heart, on the other hand,
felt the pain anew.
“No. Don’t make me relive this. Please,” she begged the god beside her, sobbing
as Frank’s blood coated her bare feet once again.
“Control your fire, Avery.”
Helios pointed a flaming finger at her body.
Fire? She held up her hands and sure enough, flames danced
over her skin exactly like Helios’s did. Her entire body was consumed. The
nightmare became real and kerosene flooded her veins.
“Nooo!”
