After a mysterious malfunction crashes flight 102, Michael, the only survivor, is trapped in a deadly showdown with a supernatural force ... that wants to collect his soul.
A little about J.L. Petty, by J.L. Petty
Okay, I am a horror writer for Solstice Publishing. I am a fan of all things scary. My book shelf is stacked with thousands of books about the paranormal, ghosts, serial killings, and (of course) classic Stephen King novels. When I was kid, I was addicted to R.L. Stine. Surprisingly, I liked his Fear street series; more than the Goosebumps. I think I've read every Fear street book R.L. Stine ever wrote. When I turned about sixteen or so, I really got into reading Lois Duncan novels. She wrote”I know what you did last summer." In my opinion, the book was way better than the movie; even though I love, love, love Jennifer Love Hewitt as an actress. Lois Duncan is a pioneer (there aren't that many mainstream woman horror novelist).When I got to college, I fell in love with “Stir of Echoes" by Richard Matheson. I read that book twice and it really inspired me to go into horror writing; that was a turning point for me in my life. I eventually sat down and wrote "Death and the Journalist"; the scariest book ever written... because I said so.
~*~
I like his closing statement, it fits @ SlantedK
~*~
"As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it." Buddy Hackett.
Good wisdom for today's yuts,eh! DMK
What can possibly be in store with Something Different?
Two items today.
The first is a statement by President Abraham Lincoln.
And the Second
One can associate a woman with the term "Pleasure and Pain."
Welcome to another
visit from Guest Author, Rita Emmett.
This entry was discussed and outlined the day she returned from
Hawaii. Rita shared the impact of speaking and writing and the way it is truly,
a “Perfect Circle.”
She is a pro; I am just getting things going. Talking with
her really gets the blood flowing so I made the request to get onto paper the
motivating points of the conversation and the limitless possibilities speaking
can really, deliver.
~*~
From Rita Emmett to the visitors
of SlantedK, enjoy.
Being a Professional Speaker (one
who is paid), and an author, creates a perfect circle.
In selecting a speaker for a
program, often the clients have to decide between multiple people. When you can
send them a book you have authored, it puts you head and shoulders above the
others… and then they pick you.
Then, when you speak in front of
50 or 500 people, many of them will go out or go to the back of the room and
buy your book. Sometimes a client might even pre-purchase books for everyone in
attendance.
Recently a fellow planning a conference
bought 500 copies of my book.
Many of you know what it's like
to be an author. Let me share a few perks of being a Professional Speaker, so
that once your book is published, you might be open to speak at schools,
libraries, churches… or more. That is how I started. Now I speak in the
corporate world.
There is so much that I love,
about being a Professional Speaker. Recently, my husband, Bruce and I returned
from a dream-come-true trip to Honolulu where I gave a one-hour talk at a
conference. The opening speaker was Captain Sullenberger, the well-known hero &
pilot who landed the crippled plane on the Hudson River. It was a thrill to
hear him speak.
What this means, is if a client
selects you as a speaker and you agree to do it, then they usually pay you a
fee, plus they pay your air fare, hotel, meals and other expenses for the time
you need to be at their destination for your talk. Usually we add a few days to
our trips so we can tour the area. At our own cost of course, however, often
you get the "conference discount" which is substantial.
They don't pay Bruce's air fare,
and we've always offered to pay for his meals, but nobody has accepted. They
tell us that when they are providing meals for several hundred people, adding
Bruce to the mix is LESS of a problem than it would be to do the paperwork for
us to pay for his meal.
Because we both love to travel,
we have added days to our trips for many of the states, plus talks I've given
in Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Ireland. In addition, both of us get to
cruise for free and have been to Alaska, the Panama Canal, a Baltic cruise that
included two days in Russia and a Mediterranean trip that started in Spain and
went to Italy, Greece and Egypt.
(Please allow me to interrupt
here,
to bullet point the places Rita just mentioned.)
üCanada
üMexico
üGuatemala
üIreland
Cruises included the following locations.
(While having speaking engagements on the ship).
üAlaska
üPanama Canal
üRussia
üThe Mediterranean
üSpain
üItaly
üGreece
üEgypt
Thank You, Back to Rita.
If you ever decide to combine
speaking and authorship, you will find that you work with terrific people; you
can share the message of your book with thousands, and greatly increase your
book sales. Along with that, you might get to visit and tour some wonderful
places.
~*~
In fact, four days from the day I
wrote this, we flew to Tucson where I spoke to hotel staff at their annual
conference. (This was my very favorite "perk" of all). We got to
visit with our baby boy, Dave (OK, OK - he is all grown up, and you know him as
DMK, but still…) and best of all, we got to see his sensational family.
A Hunter of the Cross, super sexy Gabriel Rome rids the world of evil. Descended from the first member of the order, angelically blessed Dr. Igor Romanoff, and raised by monks, Gabriel has a job to do and this time it’s personal. Gabriel’s heart love and life companion Grace, a formidable huntress in her own right is cursed. Doomed by the Dark Witch to roam the earth in wolf form, and robbed of the love of her man and something they both held precious, Grace is on the hunt…for revenge.
Continuing to battle evil, the inseparable pair sought and finally located the elusive Dark Witch again, but they have no idea the secret she’s kept from them for the past five years. They must kill the witch to end the curse and restore Grace’s humanity, but Medea’s lair holds more than one surprise for these Hunters of the Cross.
A thrilling new venture in Paranormal Romance by Author Kelly Abell, this short story is Episode One of the Hunter’s of the Cross Chronicles. Follow Gabriel and Grace as they continue their hunt for something most precious, battle under the watchful eye of the Arch Angel Michael and rid the world of the evil that threatens humanity.
Reviews
Great Short Read! April 11, 2012
By Verna Clay
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sometimes I just want to read a short story and this one was terrific! I didn't see the twist at the end coming and it makes for a great continuation of the series. I liked the bond between the hero and heroine and the fight scenes with evil forces had me biting my nails. I look forward to reading the next story in the series.
Great story! April 6, 2012
By Jill
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm usually not much for the short stories because it doesn't seem to have enough detail for me, but this one gave plenty and kept me involved through the whole thing. I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters Gabriel and Grace. It had a sort of Van Helsing feel to it which I absolutely loved but the twist about his companion was wonderful. I don't want to give too much detail so I don't give the story away, but it is definitely worth the read. Five stars!
Years to write, months to edit, and
almost another year to sell it, a contract in hand six months past, now
everything is in the hands of another. Second book in play, third concept in rough
draft, and got the blog in full force.
Join blogger groups, join writer
groups, discussions, forums, and many times one hears, “this is a labor of love.” If you write for money, forget
it, if you are blogging for the big bucks don’t buy the Porsche just yet.
Recently a writer gave me a
quote, “I ghost write for money, I write novels for the love of writing.”
A screw loose, the starving
artist syndrome.
Write books, become a speaker to
sell books, books make your resume, speaking sells your books. Your writing
represents who you are; editing turns it into what everyone else says it should
be.
"Clearly, a cycle of psychosis, a
form of self-abuse indeed, the mind of one who still dreams the dream cannot be
underestimated."
DMK
“Patience and perseverance have a
magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”
John
Quincy Adams
Disappointment, aggravation,
challenges with no visible end. Self inflicted punishment, yet we continue
promoting, hoping, and driving forward.
“Great works are performed not by
strength but by perseverance.” Samuel Johnson
“I do not think that there is any
other quality as essential to success of any kind as the quality of
perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.”
John D. Rockefeller
~*~
If ya feel like sticking around,
I have some of my new work to share. If not, that is fine.
Have a Great Day & Thanks for
Stopping by!
Pride I have and a desire to tell
tales, I share an excerpt from the second installment, continuing the first book
floating in publisher limbo.
Wet
By DMK
Wet, wet, wet, that’s the only way to describe spring in
Oklahoma. I wasn’t more than five hours outside of Tulsa, warm dry boarding, whiskey,
gambln’ and ladies. Engulfed in a tirade of Mother Nature, with horizontal rain
and piercing cold water amidst the black of the night. Wind gusts so powerful that
make you think the next blast will throw the whole camp into oblivion.
Every bolt of
lightning revealed the next wall of water drawing near. The latest discharge of
thunder confirmed this was going to be a location of serious discomfort. Sure
as shit, the next lightning strike eliminated any doubt the stress level was
going to increase. Because, with that last flash of light I could see with full
clarity in the distance; lighting bolts horizontal and vertical weaving through
an Oklahoma special, a twister of enormous size and power.
The situations of
the past paled in comparison to the fear or concern of that moment, for that
night I stared eye to eye with a twister. Nothing I could do, nothing at all,
no shooter tricks; diversions, fast talking, perfect shooting, best reflex,
nothing could assist that set of circumstances.
Pray I did; just
let this incredible force of nature go in any direction avoiding the course
including this camp. Soaked to the bone, constantly wiped water from my eyes,
no way to improve the quality of cover, the horses were struggling, nothing I could
do to help them stay calm. Then it happened, the rain faded, wind calmed,
providing an unwelcome sign. When the rain stopped, it signified the close proximity
of the impending twister.
Crawled to the
horses to make every effort to grab the reins and get them to the ground. They were
too agitated. Together in the eye of the storm, another flash of light and there
it was, looked a mile wide, lightning again in every direction, hell was taking
a walk, pacing slow, assuring maximum destructive efforts. The mind strained
the eyes to see; to no avail, the night was blacker than black, in between
strikes of lightning.
Took a deep
breath, another prayer; so cold, so powerless, an insignificant speck in
comparison to the twister. Life and death held in the fury of nature’s
phenomena. Will my body and spirit be defeated, was everything I learned and
done insignificant, all my actions and decisions about to come due? The reaper did not have the balls to make an
appearance in that place. The devil himself would run scared and crying without
a doubt. The loudest ear breaking sound erupted; I had to cover my ears, greater
than Derby’s casino project exploding.
I was in the
wrong place in a bad way! The horses vaulted and were gone to the right faster
than ever. This was it, for all I’d done, all my abilities to walk away
victorious, I faced the possibility of death, totally defenseless. A tree to my
far left first creaked, a vicious sound, then snapped, I couldn’t see it, but I
have been witness to a tree being hit by a canon and there is no mistaking that
a fine oak was just broken into pieces.
Louder and
louder, I could no longer hear my own screams; wind slammed the skin harder
than the last 2x4 that hit me in Missouri. I grabbed my whip; tied down to the
exposed root of what I hope was an oak tree that had survived many twisters, praying
that the tree had one survival left in it.
Unable to see a
damn thing, probably best that way, held tight with every part of my being,
struck in the face with something very solid. Down and bleeding, pelted
continuously by chunks of rock, dirt, wood and hell itself; the next flash of
lighting was the last memory of that night. A flash, bright as the sun, in that
instant, to the left, a clear view of the monster twister, shredding, ripping,
directly to the front, a very large tree, no longer rooted in the ground, airborne,
slammed directly into the one I was tied to. I screamed my last, as if silent
against a volume of intense, severe noise and destruction...
Gifted with the Shade Sight, Destiny Dove is catapulted into a world unseen by the living. Among the Shades lurks unspeakable evil.
Fifteen year old Destiny Dove was perfectly ordinary until fate cruelly intervenes. Newly orphaned, Destiny must now live with her New Age grandmother in a strange town. Destiny soon discovers, like all females in her family, she is gifted with what her grandmother calls The Shade Sight. Destiny, however, is convinced her “gift” is a sure ticket to freakdom. When Amy, the most popular girl in town and Destiny’s nemesis, receives an antique mirror imprisoning more than a mere reflection, Destiny is the first to see it. When evil makes its move Destiny is all that stands in its path of total domination. When the possessed Amy threatens a group of teens at a party, super hot Jake Turner, the subject of the girls’ rivalry, implores Destiny to get involved. Destiny moves beyond her fear of being thought weird and her resentment of Amy, and with the help of her family both dead and alive, learns the true power of her gift.
Sharing the Love is what it is all about! Got Young Adult readers in the family?
They will Love Kelly!
Serious and Stupid all wrapped in one great package.
I have done an extensive study in
the last few weeks concerning social media. (The application will apply to many
if not all categories ie: Homework, marketing, laundry, parenting, jobs…)
My test was to see what would
happen if I did nothing.
It turns out, if one does nothing,
nothing will happen, huh.
Now, if the study was concerning the
results of doing nothing, can I consider it a successful study if nothing
happened?
I think the fact that I established
a base, if you do nothing, nothing will happen in and of itself was a success,
however, it is clear there is excessively too many people doing nothing and the competition
was not very lively.
My comparison study concerned
getting something for nothing. This seemed to be a good fit for the interaction
of doing nothing and expecting great things to happen.
The results were frightfully similar.
Again, nothing happened.
A pattern became clear to me, if
I do not write, promote, participate and work hard I will receive no measurable
success.
Captain obvious kicked in the
door and backhanded me.
Silly?
Sure.
Stating the obvious?
Ok.
I ask this then.
“Why are there people still
putting so much effort into continuing the abovementioned study?”
What is the moral of this little
ditty?
You can only get out of a plan,
that which you put into it. You will not get something for nothing!
I hope we
can reverse the direction of many in today’s generation.
(That is an ongoing
study.)
If anyone was considering doing
nothing or has someone in their circle with this terrible diagnosis, then I
hope my story will help in extinguishing such thoughts and bring to light that
anyone can get up and do something.
Dream big, try and try again.
Don’t give up!
Have a Great Day!
Just to prove my point, for the "Something Different" part of my blog I did NOTHING.
Absolute Proof of the Outcome.
? Ok, can't do that!
A bright Saturday morning, a four dollar scratcher is purchased, the prize, $50, a quick trip to the casino and $50 becomes $250.
He slammed a few drinks at the casino and turned the $250 into $1000. "All in" on the next hand - bust.
Broke and drunk he grabbed a six-pack and raced home. Tossed an empty can out the window and hit a motorcycle officer square in the face.
At the trial the judge asked him if he learned anything.
“***The Chosen by Andrea Buginsky***** It has a quality of wonder about it, excitement tinged with fun, bizarre creatures, battles and even a touch of the first stirrings of romance. It is a book readers from ages five through preteen (and their parents) will enjoy. It is a quick read with memorable characters galore. ”
R. Stephen Woodfin
“**** The Chosen by Andrea Buginsky ****** Andrea Buginsky does a nice job describing the fantasy characters and for this reason I am rating it five stars!”
Gary Peterson, author of "The Old Miller Place" and "Return to Painter's Island"
“***** The Chosen by Andrea Buginsky ****** I would gladly recommend this book for a young adult. The story is fun, fast paced, and features a female lead character.”
Reviewed by Christine Cunningham (Vancouver, WA)
Halli is a shy, young dwarf who has no idea of her true calling. When the evil Prince Gastle sets out to detroy the world of Phantasma, Queen Laurali of the Elves comes to tell Halli she's a Holy Paladin with the power to heal, and will join The Chosen, a group of brave warriors being sent to defeat the evil beast and save Phantasma. Will Halli be accepted by her group, and be able to keep them alive through their adventures? Will the evil Prince Gastle be defeated, freeing Phantasma from his destruction? Only time will tell.
“A life spent making mistakes is
not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”
George
Bernard Shaw
Fingernails slowly scratch the chalkboard; the
mind complex, emotions fragile, silence brings peace then torment. A battle in
the depths of the spirit when the mind seeks, contemplates, looks for
reasoning, a decision concerning life’s course affected.
“Life is 10 percent what you make
it, and 90 percent how you take it.”
Irving Berlin
Doing nothing is not an option,
doing it wrong can devastate, doing it right will hurt, in the end it is true.
My soul longs for rest, burden
free, a sunset, a cool breeze; however life does not play our way. Solutions in
the physical world, simple, sit on the porch and watch the sunset. The mind, much
more complicated, hitting pause is a challenge indeed.
Consideration of others is
something lost, self consumed, self absorbed, those of us who do not buy into
this way of life, aggravated, agitated, what has happened?
Lack of consideration, why, it is
so simple, common sense, what will it take to implement common sense if the
issue is lack of common sense. Is it a sickness, blindness, self-consumption,
an expectation that the world owes something?
“Don't go around saying the world
owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
Mark Twain
I have a place to live but it is
not my home. I extend my hand, bitten. We receive what we give. I do not remember
giving this.
Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall not want…” I do not know how to do this, I do want.
Screams in the silence, the
depths of the mind contained, cracks appear, and leaks take place. A discussion
done in love, it will hurt so much, pain at times is necessary, tough love is
painful to administer and to receive.
Tired of the burden, a drained
parent traveled so many miles and approaches yet another fork in the road. The
decision clear, not simple, trust in self is the only way to sustain.
~*~
To be a parent is liken to
nothing else. I share my experiences with you in past blogs in the hope that you
will understand you are not alone and that you can succeed. Today is no different.
I fight my own demons, the
last two weeks has consumed my mind over another challenge of parenting. Stealing from me time, the ability to write and life itself. This
open letter has yet to take its course, a challenge within, to share without. I
do love; we all need love, eh?
It is complicated, the common sense thing. I
know it will pass, and you need to know your open letter will also pass.
Additional excerpt from Psalm 23:1
The LORD Is My Shepherd
A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall
not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He
restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your
rod and your staff, they comfort me.
