Interview with guest author: Kenzie Michaels

Please welcome my friend and fellow author, Kenzie Michaels. I had fun asking lots of weird questions which she graciously answered. If you leave her lots of comments and questions, a good fairy will bestow your fondest wish. Kenzie will be at the Reader's Retreat on Coffee Time Romance until Sept 20th. Don't miss it. Mark your calendars. Here's the link:

http://www.coffeeti meromance. com/board/ forumdisplay. php?f=14

Oh! That's a fairy tale. But it will make Kenzie and I very happy. Now for my interview with Kenzie: If you could be any shape-shifter you wanted to be, which one would you pick and why? (Only one)

Since my favorite scene in Disney’s Sword in the Stone is the Wizard’s Duel, can’t I simply be a shifter who can morph into any animal, like Anny Cook’s Ardent Angels series?

If you could go anywhere in the world you wanted tand do anything you wanted to (pretend you have money, time, and health enough) where and what would it be?

I’ve always wanted to travel to Greece and Italy, to see the historic sites. Also Paris, to see the artwork and taste the food. After travelling, I’d retire to a beach house where I could enjoy the warm weather all year round.

If you were all-powerful, what would you do with that power?

Restore common sense and courtesy to people.

If you could interview God, what would you ask?

Hahahaha…why do allergies exist? Which denomination of Christianity comes close to ‘getting it right’? Seriously, I think once I meet Him, all questions will instantly be answered.

If you could live in any time period, when would that be? Why?

Although I love the Civil War era, I’m too fond of modern conveniences.

When you were a kid, what did you want to grow up to be?

A nurse, an archaeologist, an entertainer. In college, I was going to save all the abused children in my little corner of the world. But as an author, I get to be anyone I want.

What annoys you most about stories you read? Have you ever thrown a book against the wall? Why?

The only time I’ve come close to throwing a book against the wall is when the main characters refuse to listen or talk to each other. Sometimes I want to insert myself into the story, lock both characters in a room together, and not let them out until they’ve resolved their misunderstanding.

What is your favorite type story to read?

I’ll read anything which catches my attention. Contemporary, historicals, Regency, medical thrillers. It just depends on my mood.

What does your family think of your writing?

My mom is proud of my writing ability, though she’s not cracked up about the language I’ve used. My kids refer to my books as ‘Mom’s Porn’, and my husband can’t wait until my royalties allow him to get a new truck. On some level, they’re proud of me.

What do you do to promote your books? Do you find promoting easy or difficult?

I promote on chat loops; I’ve done blog interviews, and been interviewed on blog talk radio. And when my alter-ego does book signings, she very nicely hands out my bookmarks and excerpts of All She Ever Wanted.

The most time consuming part is the chats, so I try to pick times when I’m not having family issues. And sometimes my husband gripes about the booth rental fees at the festivals, plus the long hours. But I enjoy meeting people and talking about my work, as well as encouraging other writers.

If you decided not to write any more, what would you do in its place? Why?

If I had the money, I’d open a bookstore/coffee shop. And I don’t think I’ll ever stop writing; my head threatens to explode when I don’t get a chance to write down my thoughts or ideas for stories.

What was the most difficult thing you ever found about writing?

The waiting. Waiting for the acceptance/rejection. Waiting for sales info. Waiting for feedback. Waiting for inspiration to return.

How do you come up with names for your characters?

Most of the time the characters tell me their names. But I’ve been known to use the phone book or HS yearbook for a random name.

How long did it take you to get published?

LOL…from the time I sent off the first submission letter to acceptance letter…five months. Which is rare. My alter-ego tried for ten years before going the self-publishing route, and now she’s been trying for two years on the electronic publishers. She’s getting close, and it’s a friendly rivalry that my first one was snapped up so quickly.

What type of music do you like to listen to? When you're writing? Reading? Relaxing?

Musically, I’m all over the place. I mainly listen to Top 40 or soft rock, but occasionally I’ll get into the mood for heavy metal, alternative, or thanks to my father’s influence, classical. So I’ll listen to Def Leppard, Journey, Neil Diamond, Mozart, Amy Grant, or even Frank Sinatra in any given day. And my son also got me hooked on Disturbed and Six Days Grace.

What is your biggest obstacle to writing (if any)?

I have a tendency to wait for the mood to strike before I’ll sit down to write.

Where can your readers find you online? In person?

I have a blog http://kenziemichaels.blogspot.com and am posting at least once a week; I share a website with my alter-ego www.mollydaniels.com (it’s currently under construction, and will hopefully be up and running soon) as well as Face book www.facebook.com/mollyjdaniels and MySpace www.myspace.com/mollyjdaniels. Molly also posts daily on her blog www.mollyjdaniels.blogspot.com and shares my news with her readers. In person, they can catch me at hopefully the RomantiCon Convention in October, or at any festival here in southern Indiana. Read my newsletter; watch my blogs for details.

If you could sum up yourself in one word, what would it be? (mom and writer excluded) Why?

Creative. Work in progress is three words. If I don’t write, I get crabby. I also like to cross stitch, sing and dance to music, and I’ve even been known to be happy with a coloring book and crayons or paint when my kids were little.. I can’t draw, but I used to love paint-by-number sets.

About how much do you write in a typical week?

My goal is at least 500-1000 words a day, but I’m happy with whatever amount comes out of my fingers!

What is your favorite activity (besides writing and reading)? Your favorite color? Your favorite food? Your favorite animal?

Watching TV or going out to eat. My favorite color is yellow; favorite food is a tie between pasta and chocolate; I’m a cat and dog lover.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?

I welcome feedback! Let me know what you like and don’t like about my stories. And if you’ve been bitten by the writing bug, go for it! Don’t let anything or anyone get in the way of your dream. I’m living proof that perseverance pays off.

Blurb:

When Amber Johnson agrees to fill in as a last-minute chef of a dinner party, she is surprised to learn the client is none other than her ex-boyfriend, Marc Denton. The kitchen sizzles with their unfinished business; will the flames of love reignite, or will Marc’s scheming father succeed in keeping them apart?

Marc and Amber are furious when they discover lies that have kept them apart for three years. With Amber by his side again, will Marc find the courage to stand up to his father and hold on to his true love?

Excerpt (R rated):

“Shhh….” She bent down to kiss him. “Morning.”

“Morning,” he yawned. “What the hell?” He tugged his left hand.

She intercepted his right hand as he reached for her breast and bound it to the

end of the blue belt. “I’m holding you hostage for a few moments. Is it okay?”

Marc grinned warily, shifting onto his back. “What are you doing?”

Amber pushed the blankets aside and straddled him. “Just relax.” She kissed

him lightly, the tips of her breasts grazing his chest. She nipped at his jaw line

and rubbed her cheek against his morning stubble. “You always have that dark

and dangerous look in the morning.”

“That’s me; dark and dangerous,” he echoed. “Is that why you tied me up?”

“Every time you touch me, I melt,” she complained good-naturedly. “So, I

made sure you couldn’t touch me until I had my way with you.”

“You begged me to touch you last night,” he reminded her, groaning when she

sucked lightly on his neck. “Am, no hickies—”

“Don’t worry. I won’t leave any marks.” She moved lower, scraping her teeth

over his flat nipples, hearing him gasp. “Like that?”

“Yes,” he groaned.

Amber felt his member swelling against her inner thigh and smiled to herself.

But this was her show; she wasn’t going to let him rush her. She moved to his

other nipple, giving it the same attention as the first. Her hands passed lovingly

over his ribs, stroking the light fur tapering off from his navel to his groin area.

Marc flexed his arms as she repositioned her body lower. “Am…my arms are

going numb.”

“Just keep doing finger flicks,” she instructed, and licked her way to the base

of his swollen cock, beads of pre-cum bubbling to its surface. She gave it a

perfunctory kiss, dipping her finger into the moisture and tasting him. “Hmmm,”

she said playfully. “Someone had chicken, rice, and whiskey last night.”

“Very funny,” he said testily. “You fed me. Now hurry up!”

“Naughty, naughty,” she scolded, sliding a finger between his balls and

watching his cock twitch. “Impatient, are we?”

“I didn’t inflict this much torture on you last night,” he panted. “I believe you

said ‘Fuck me’? So put your mouth on me.”

“Say ‘please’.”

Marc swore under his breath. “Please.”

She turned her head and licked his inner thigh from groin to knee.

“Amber!” he bellowed.

Thanks so much for being my special guest Kenzie This was a lot of fun.

Thank you for having me Ashley! You’ve asked some unique questions.

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Guest blogger: Author Liz Jasper

Please welcome my guest blogger today, guest author Liz Jasper. My apologies for posting this late. I thought I had ALL of the interview up, not just a few words. My husband calls it "Oldsheimers'" disease. I'll leave this up for tomorrow, Sunday, April 5, 2009 as well so that Liz will have her time here. I'll post otherwise tomorrow on the 5th at Hitting The Hotspot Blog for TEB so come and visit me there, too.

UNDERDEAD

By Liz Jasper

www.lizjasper.com

Winner of the 2008 EPPIE Award for Best Mystery

Go Green, Read an e-book!

Did you know if you read 20 books a year in e-book format instead of the printed version and switched to reading two newspapers on-line, you'd save a tree a year…plus associated pollution costs from making paper, transporting books, etc. etc. That stat might not fit your reading habits, but still, it makes a good point. Given all the readers out there, switching even to a few ebooks a year adds up to a lot of saved forests. And though the recent release of the Kindle 2 (and its software made available free on iPhone) makes reading e-books easy and effortless, you do not need a special device to read e-books. (If you're reading this, you can read an e-book.)

And, though about half of e-books sold are romances, the e-book market has recently taken off and you can easily find books in every genre. So why not give e-books a try?

* * * * *

Blurb:

Science teacher Jo Gartner thinks teaching geology to hormonal pre-teens is deadly... until she is bitten by an inept vampire and becomes UNDERDEAD--all the problems of being a vampire, none of the perks.

When she finds a body on her classroom floor with teeth marks in his neck, she must figure out who is trying to frame her for murder before her Underdead secret gets out. But she's running out of time. The detective in charge of the case is dogging her every move, her vampire traits are evolving in new and embarrassing ways, and someone wants Jo dead...the traditional way!

Excerpt:

“You should go talk to him,” Becky said, giving me a nudge.

“In front of everyone? You’ve got to be joking.” My legs felt like jelly. I gave myself a shake. I was being ridiculous, overreacting. Becky was right. If this was my response to the first good-looking man I saw, I really did need to get out more.

“Please. There’s smart, and then there’s stupid,” Carol said. “You’re going to let Roger and a bunch of old gossipy biddies keep you from a man like that?”

Carol was right. It was time I showed a little backbone. “Not when you put it that way,” I said. I risked a glance back in his direction. He was watching the band, giving me a good look at his profile. It was gorgeous too.

Too gorgeous, actually. Sanity returned. I turned around more firmly in my chair.

“Go on.” Becky gave me another little push.

I didn’t budge. “No way,” I said. “There’s something wrong with him.”

“What? What is wrong with him?” Carol demanded.

“He’s boring, he’s vain, he has six wives in various countries, he lives in a yurt with fifteen Chihuahuas, he sells deodorant for a living—I don’t know, but I stand by my theory. No one can be that good-looking and have a personality.”

“Oh, for goodness sake!” Carol said. “What a load of crap!”

Becky gave her a stunned look at this unexpected reversal of argument. Carol never backed off something that had been written up in Scientific American.

Carol continued, on a roll now. “Stop inventing reasons to avoid talking to him. If you want to forgo meeting fabulous men to sit here with the likes of us for the rest of your life, be my guest.” Her glasses had slid down her nose and she glared over the top of them at me.

“What she said,” Becky said. “Though I don’t know why you’d even care if he has thirty wives and eats deodorant for a living. You don’t need to have him around for scintillating conversation—look at him! He’s so hot he doesn’t need a personality. What do you want to talk to him for anyway?”

“Gotta love liberated women,” I muttered. “Equal opportunity chauvinism.”

* * * * *

A bit about my blog campaign:

Liz Jasper is the award-winning mystery author of Underdead and its sequel, Underdead in Denial, both available in e-book format. She's also an avid e-book reader, blogging this month for All Romance e-books' Go Green/Read e Campaign. Find out more about the Go Green/Read e Campaign at www.gogreenreade.com. To learn more about Liz Jasper and to read excerpts and reviews of her books, visit her website at www.lizjasper.com.

You can find Liz Jasper's Underdead mysteries and thousands of other e-books on-line at www.allromancee-books.com.

Liz Jasper

Award-winning mystery author

UNDERDEAD, UNDERDEAD IN DENIAL

www.lizjasper.com You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Guest Blogger: Author J. K. Coi

Please welcome today's guest author J.K. Coi. It's my pleasure to host her and I hope you'll ask her lots of questions and make her feel welcome.

J.K. COI—LIVING WITH IMMORTALS

Yep, I live with Immortals. Huge, stubborn warriors who barely know the meaning of compromise and never give up until they get exactly what they want. Difficult to reason with and impossible to out-muscle...but at least they don’t scare my neighbours and eat me out of house and home. They don’t leave the toilet seat up or throw their torn, bloodstained laundry on the floor. I don’t have to wrestle any one of them for the television remote, and they don’t destroy my living room with their swords when they’re training.

They just do all of that in my head.

Yes, I’m probably a little bit crazy (really, what writer isn’t?) but I’ve read the self-help books, taken the 12-step program, and I’m finally willing to admit it to the world: My characters are real to me.

Then again, that’s not so strange. I hope that they will become real to you as well after you read my books. Because, you see, that is the goal of every writer. To create such compelling heroes and heroines, to paint such vivid pictures with words, that the story runs through your head like a blockbuster movie and stays with you long after you’ve finished reading. You should breathe in the scents and textures of that world, cry when the characters hurt, frown and throw things when they are insufferable, and laugh at their lame jokes just as you would for your sweet husband (*kidding, he’s hilarious*).

This is why I am proud to say that I live with Immortals. Like all of us real people do, these strong, alpha warriors have a past, and they have baggage that affects how they deal with others. They have experienced frustration, desire, happiness. My characters have suffered with me, grown and matured with me as we have hashed out their stories together. And I am happy, in turn, to be able to share that with all of you.

So I invite you into my world. Come and meet my immortals...

Dark Immortal (Book 3, Immortal Series)

Five years of happiness, erased in one vicious act of violence. Diana freed Alric from his prison and the insanity of his own mind, offering him the kind of love only a fool would deny. Now she lies broken and comatose from a vampire attack, locked deep inside herself where he cannot reach her. Awakening in a strange bed, Diana has no memory of how she got there. The huge, muscled man leaning over her is straight out of nightmares full of blood and pain. Married to him? It can’t be true…even if her body craves his touch, and the anguish in his eyes shatters something deep inside her. Alric has no intention of giving up on the woman who never stopped fighting for him. His one hope is that time will heal her mind. But with a demon god poised to tip the balance of power, time is not on their side…

© Dark Immortal (Book 3, Immortal Series) by J.K. Coi

Alric lifted a hand to her face, lightly trailing a curled finger down her cheek. Callused and rough, but warm on her skin.

She started, her gaze jerking back up to his. His hand was too large, like the rest of him. She knew very well there was little she could do if he decided to use that size and strength against her.

And so did he.

It should scare the crap out of her, but even so, she didn’t pull back from him.

He touched her with such gentle care, almost trepidation. As if he were more afraid of her, of what she might do, than she was of him. Curiosity rode her. If by some fantastical twist of fate this man was telling her the truth, then she would know from his kiss.

Won’t I?

More to the point, if he kissed her and she felt nothing, then they would both know it. She would be able to put aside the ridiculous uncertainty that continued to torment her once and for all, and maybe he would even let her go.

His gaze shifted to her mouth before he closed the distance. Warm, firm...but light. He was giving her all the time in the world to reject his touch and pull away. When she didn’t do so immediately, he groaned and leaned in closer. There was nothing demanding in his kiss, and yet she felt as if she were being marked, as if this one kiss could break down all of her walls and leave her shivering and vulnerable.

“Diana.” He murmured her name as if it were made to be uttered in his deep voice, his breath stealing between her slightly parted lips. His hand curved around the back of her head, holding her to him with the gentlest of tethers as he slid his tongue across her lips.

The kiss changed. From soft and unthreatening, to one that hungered—and dared her to feed the hunger. Accept it. Crave it.

Oh God.

Dark Immortal is being released by Linden Bay Romance (http://www.lindenbayromance.com/product-darkimmortal-7307-193.html) on February 15, 2009.

Please sign up for my newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jkcoi/join, and visit me at my website for more information about upcoming books, chats, interviews, reviews, and all things Immortal: http://www.jkcoi.com. I’m also on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/jkcoi and I blog at http://www.jkcoi.blogspot.com.

Thank you so much to Ashley for having me today!

J.K. Coi Immortals to Die For www.jkcoi.com

You're so very welcome, JK. I hope you'll drop by again. I've so enjoyed having you as my guest.

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Guest Blogger: Author Jeff Rivera

Please welcome Jeff Rivera, author of "Forever My Lady" to my blog today. His book releases today thus in celebration, he wishes to offer the first few commentors the chance to win a free copy of the book, so be sure to leave a comment and/or question quickly and leave your email address so we can reach you if your one of the lucky ones. :) Welcome Jeff. Forever My Lady is your first novel, what is it about? Forever My Lady is about a two young people's love and how that changes as time goes on. I was very fortunate to have received 5 stars from Amazon.com's #1 Reviewer, Harriet Klausner and even more meaningful to me is the emails I've been getting from people all over the world that feel like the story really spoke to them. What is your favorite animal, real or mythical and why? My very favorite animal in the whole world is a Koala. I've loved them since I was 7 years old and it's been my dream to go to Australia ever since then. They're so unique, only found naturally in one place in the world. They're cute, their cuddly but don't mess with them or they'll scratch your eyes out. Haha. I guess that's kind of like me or my main character from Forever My Lady. I'm a nice guy but don't cross my family or I'll defend them to death. If you decided to no longer write, what would you do instead? You know, I would probably teach in some way. I'm volunteering very soon teaching a writers workshop for young people. That's something I'm very excited about. I've been fortunate that Forever My Lady has opened a lot of doors for me in helping young people. What are your best promotion tips for other writers? What works best for you? Think outside of the box. Do what comes naturally to you by instinct, don't let other people tell you "the proper" way things should be done because there's something to be said for people who come at the world of promotion from a different perspective. I learned so much from when I first self-published, Forever My Lady to it being acquired by Warner/Grand Central. How much time do you spend writing versus promoting? I would have to say I'm just as passionate about promoting than I am about writing. So it's pretty 50/50 but sometimes I spend more time doing one over the other. When I first started promoting Forever My Lady I would spend hours on end doing it. What is your guiltiest pleasure(s)? Right now, my guiltiest pleasure is ... Watching New York Goes to Hollywood on VH1. I love that show and I cannot get enough. But second to that would be falling in love, I have lots of fantasies in my head and the only problem is that sometimes the fantasies are much more exciting than the real deal. Here's a blurb about Jeff's great book: It tells the award-winning passionate story of a juvenile delinquent named Dio who is sentenced to prison boot camp. Everyone who he has ever trusted has given up on him except one special girl that promises to stay by his side no matter what, the love of his life, Jennifer. He promises he will to turn his life around for her and she promises will never leave him. In fact, they plan to marry one day. But when Dio is released from boot camp he discovers Jennifer is about to marry someone else. Readers get your copy of Forever My Lady at any bookstore, Amazon.com or my website: www.JeffRivera.com JEFF RIVERA, author www.JeffRivera.com Thank you so much, Jeff, for being my special guest. I wish you many happy sales and much success. You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Guest Blogger: Author Sandra Cox

I'm very pleased to welcome my blogging friend and fellow awesome author, Sandra Cox.

Please join me in a big round of welcome for Sandra. Please ask her a lot of questions and also visit her blog at:

1. What type of books do you write?

I currently write paranormal romance and YA fantasy. I also have out a western romance and a metaphysical nonfiction coming out.

How many are published, what are their titles, and who are they published with?

The Crystal, Boji Stones, Silverhills and Rose Quartz are published through cerridwenpress.com

Shardai, the YA fantasy is through wings-press.com

2. When did you start writing fiction and what inspired you to write in your specific genre(s)?

I started writing more years ago than I care to admit to:)
I write what I like to read, romantic suspense with a paranormal angle.

3. Where do you like to write? Is there anything you like to listen to while you write?
I'm a mole. I write in the corner of the basement. Okay, only half mole, I do have two windows. I listen to fairie music, Norah Jones and Leonard Cohen

4. Do you have a website(s)? If so, what are they? If any are a blog, are you an avid blogger and why?

sandracox1.com

sandracox.blogspot.com

I started out as a lacksadaical blogger. I've been nudged toward the avid blogger side of the spectrum by Ms. Amarinda Jones who makes every effort to keep the froggies in line and hopping toward the finish line:)

For any of you out in blog land that may be head scratching at the froggy remark,

our Cerridwen Press editor's yahoo group is called The Pond.

5. Do you have any critique partners or writing buddies and if so, tell us a bit about them. Mona Risk: To Love a Hero, critiques my CPs. I've got a couple of buds from FTHRW that take a gander at my cat fantasies.
All the buds excel at their craft.

6. Will you be making any author appearances in the near future on or off line and if so, where and when?

I'll be Beverly Bateman's site the first part of June.

www.beverleybateman.com
www.myspace.com/okwriter

And I'll be visiting with Jennyfer Matthews May 30th.

7. Besides writing, what do you like to do and what are you passionate about?
Like all writers, I love a good book. I also enjoy going to the movies, settling back and munching on popcorn while a good flick is rolling. And I love to shop. I'm a bottom feeder. Deep clearance racks draw me like magnets.

8. Where were you born and where do you live now? Have you traveled much and if so, where, and how have your travels enhanced your writing?

I was born in Kentucky, my husband was born in Illinois, my daughter in Ohio and my son in Wisconsin. We've pretty much toured the Midwest but now reside in North Carolina.

Oh yes and my daughter was married in Italy.

As far as traveling enhancing my writing, it helps broadens one's writing base.
Sabina Comte, Black Opal, is from Italy
Maureen O'Hare, Boji Stones, is from Wisconsin

9. What is your household like? What is your typical day like?

A typical day in the life of Sandra Cox. Hm, a bit boring but here goes. Up at 6, shower, get ready for work, feed six cats and play lunch room monitor while they eat. Do the work thing, come home in the evening, grab a diet pepsi and head downstairs to the computer to write. Whew.

10. What are your goals and dreams for the future?
I would like to be successful as a writer, for people to know who Sandra Cox is and what she writes.

11. When you were a kid, what did you imagine the year 2008 would be like? Is it anything like you imagined?
When I was a kid, I never thought about the future. Lived solely in the present. Nothing past 1999 was imaginable.

12. If any of your books were made into movies, who would you like to play your leading men and why?
Good question. Not just one person comes to mind. I would like the option of sitting back and seeing the eye candy try out for the lead rolls. Don't you think that would be fun?:)

13. If you weren't a writer, what else would you want to be?

An animal behaviorist.

14. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? If so, please do so now.
Black Opal, the third in the amulet series is released this Thursday. It can be purchased at cerridwenpress.com
Thanks to everyone who stopped by.


Thanks for having me, Ash. Appreciate it. It’s been fun.

You're so very very welcome, Sandra. Good luck on your book. Many happy sales and reviews!

Y'all run, don't walk, to get your copy of Black Opal by Sandra at www.cerridwenpress.com




Awesome cover, isn't it? Love it!

Excerpt from Black Opal:

She stared intently at the computer screen. She¢d broken the code and figured out her father¢s password. It¢d been easy. The warden said her father had written her name and the word amulets in his own blood before he died.

Scanning the screen, she read:

¢Legend has it that out of all the mortals on earth five women found favor with the gods:

Sophia whose face was pitted and ravaged by pox,

Pelagia who had the body of a woman and the mind of a child,

Olympia a poor widow with children to feed,

Helen, who lost four of her children to the plague and begged the gods to spare her remaining child, and

Zoe, a young queen whose village was razed and plundered and, she herself taken as a slave.

Moved, the gods created five special amulets in the form of armbands for the women to wear on their forearms.

For Sophia an amulet forged with beauty and creativity.

For Pelagia an amulet forged with knowledge.

For Olympia an amulet forged with wealth.

For Helen an amulet forged with healing and

For Zoe a golden amulet, with a black opal at its center, forged with power.¢

The air conditioning in the room was cold enough to leave goose bumps but Victoria Price didn¢t notice. The black leather chair creaked in protest as she leaned back, her breath leaving her lungs in a hiss.

The pain in her hands made her glance down. They were fisted so tight the moon-shaped crescents in her palms, where her nails dug in, were filling with warm red blood.

Don't miss my other blog for the day: About American Idol of course - spoiler - I do name the winner.