Tag Archives: fiction

Road Trip, a Whisperings Paranormal Short Story

Road Trip Cover last tryRoad Trip, a Whisperings short story, takes Tiff, Royal, Jack and Mel to southern Utah in a quest to find the body of a  brutally murdered woman. Tiff would rather her roommates stayed at home in Clarion, but there is no way to shake off shades who cling to your aura and come along for the ride. And Jack is determined to see his ex-lover, Dale, and discover why the man has not been in touch for over a month.

I . . . um . . . borrowed (cough) a Whisperings fan for this story. I know she’ll recognize herself.

 

Only $0.99 on Amazon.com and comparative price on Amazon.UK ~ Amazon Germany ~ Amazon France ~ Amazon Canada ~ Amazon Australia. If not listed here, look for it on your local Amazon site!

Also available on iTunes  Barnes and Noble~ Kobo  ~ Inktera ~ Scribd

 

So I finished this book today

When you find and like something new, you want to share your discovery with your friends. Right? I do. So, today I’m pointing you at a particular book because I really enjoyed it: Stories on the Go, 101 Very Short Stories by 101 Authors. The description says, ” You should be able to read each story in under five minutes — on your desktop computer, laptop, or tablet at home or in the office, but also on your smartphone, on the go, while you are commuting or waiting at a coffee shop for your significant other to arrive.” Great, I thought. A book I won’t mind picking up, putting down, because I can get to the end of a story in seconds.

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But I had a hard time putting it down. I found it addictive. No story is over 1,00 words so a very quick read, tiny samples of one-hundred-and-one authors’ unique styles of story telling. Each time I finished one, I told myself I’d squeeze in just one more, or two, or three, before I headed for bed. I ended up reading into the early hours of the morning.

Not every little tale rocked my world, but many grabbed me by the heart and twisted, or tickled my funny bone, or made me really think. When I reached the end of the book, I wanted more. There are stories by authors already well known to me, such as Hugh Howey’s A Father’s Fist and John L. Monk’s delightfully slutty parody Trixy Chestity goes to England (Chapter 7). Dee Gabbledon’s Outlandisher was a delicious surprise. You’ve never heard of Dee Gabbledon? If you’re an Outlander fan, you’re in for a treat. <winks>

And I discovered many authors new to me and will definitely be checking out their books: Sheryl Fawcett (The Man Across the Room,) Bob Summer (Words) and Carol Kean (The Tipper)  to name only a few.

The book is free for Kindle and Nook so if you’re looking for an effortless reading experience, download Stories on the Go. See if you can put it down or, like me, become an addict.

 

Giving it Away

Free is good!

Click to continue reading “Giving it Away”

Now Available – Downside Rain, an urban fantasy novel.

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Downside Rain is now available as an e-book from online retailers Apple iTunes, Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble Nook.

Another place lies palm to palm with the world we know. Downside, Earth’s backdoor, where magic, madness and monstrosities abide; where rain falls from a cloudless red sky and neon pulses day and night.

A fallen angel in a derelict tower weeps crystal tears.

A powerful man hides a dark secret.

Wraiths skim through the streets, hunting monsters.

Rain and her partner Castle are wraiths. They will take almost any assignment, providing it’s legal and pays well. They specialize in ridding Gettaholt City of monsters, be they mischievous but relatively benign sprites, or ghouls which don’t limit their feasting to the already dead. The partners are also ears and eyes for Alain Sauvageau; unnoticed, the pair glean useful information for the crime lord. Rain would be happier working for Alain if he didn’t try to get into her pants, but she refuses to be the reigning lothario’s latest in a long line of affairs and jilted lovers.

Rain goes Upside on a mission for Alain and while there discovers River, a wraith who knows nothing of Downside. She is duty bound to introduce him to Downside society, an obligation she resents. When she’s marked for death, she must survive attacks by demons and Gettaholt citizens compelled by powerful magic. Who is trying to kill her, and why? Is River friend or foe? Can a wraith die twice?

Coming September 2013

http://www.dreamstime.com/-image11771300RAIN

“Don’t imagine they’re fantasy come to life. Upside tales made them pretty and ennobled some. Fairies control the black market for jewelry and amulets carved from human bones. Elves are pimps, thieves, assassins. Werekin are animals trapped in human skin. And a damsel in distress had better know how to slay the dragon ’cause no knight in shining armor’s going to do it for her.”

 

CastleCASTLE

With his height and bulk, Castle can be mistaken for a young thug.

“I’ll be here.”

“Will you?”

“Always.”

 

 

RiverRIVER

 

 

“When we touch, you make me whole.”

 

 

 

 

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photography-beautiful-man-having-martini-image15609092ALAIN

“There is a difference between lust and desire. I desire you more than any woman I’ve known.”

 

“He’s ruthless in his business dealings and those who cross him have a habit of disappearing.”

 

 

Another place lies palm to palm with the world we know. Downside, Earth’s backdoor, where magic, madness and monstrosities abide; where rain falls from a cloudless red sky and neon pulses day and night.

A fallen angel in a derelict tower weeps crystal tears.

A powerful man hides a dark secret.

Wraiths skim through the streets.

Rain and Castle dispose of monsters, be they mischievous but relatively benign
sprites, or ghouls which don’t limit their feasting to the already dead. When the
hunters become the hunted, they must survive attacks by demons and Gettaholt
citizens compelled by powerful magic. Who is trying to kill them, and why? Can
a wraith die twice?

FlattenedFinal

DOWNSIDE RAIN

An urban fantasy novel.

Coming soon to Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook AND Sony iTunes .

To Be Or Not To Be

Will there be another Whisperings novel?

Click to continue reading “To Be Or Not To Be”

Meet Jillian Dodd

Author and organizer extraordinaire

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UPDATE UPDATE READ ALL ABOUT IT!

I thought it was time. . . .

The first draft of Whisperings book six, A Conspiracy of Demons, is done. Bear in mind this is the first draft. I have to let it simmer for a few weeks so I can look at it again with fresh eyes. This one has taken me twice as long to complete as any other, I thought I’d be closer to publishing by now, but sometimes life gets in the way. After I have reread and edited it at least a couple of times, it will go to my editors and beta readers.

What happens in book six? I haven’t worked on the blurb yet, but I can tell you that a new friend pays Tiff a very brief visit, just long enough to really irk Jack and Mel, and provide Tiff with a clue to the death of an old friend. Two decades-old murders are reinvestigated. Tiff and Royal are targeted for assassination. And when the Otherworldy are involved, nothing is quite as it seems.

 

 

 

 

 

I am also working on an urban fantasy novel, Downside Rain. All I’m going to say about it, is it’s a little on the dark side and involves all kinds of monsters.

Here’s a little clue to the theme:

 WRAITH

Definition: Merriam Webster

1.       The exact likeness of a living person seen usually just before death as an apparition

2.       An insubstantial form or semblance: shadow

3.       A barely visible gaseous or vaporous column

Definition: Downside

A being who can partially or wholly shed its physical form

OFF WE GO, INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER!

Husband and I are off to the Caribbean in November. We are so excited! I think we’re the only couple in our circle of friends (and many acquaintances) who have not yet been on a cruise. We rarely go anywhere apart from England every other year and we’re probably the only people in the USA who have never been to Disneyland, so this is a big deal for us. Tours are planned, to-take and to-do list are made. Our adult son, who lives with us, will take care of the animals, mail, newspapers etc. I’m taking my laptop and may get a little writing done, but hope I’ll be too busy having fun to open it up.

TARGETED.

Reviews for Along Came a Demon on Amazon.com have and still are the focus of some malicious action. I won’t go into details as I don’t want to start a flame war. Unless you are intimately familiar with every review for the book as they appeared perhaps four weeks ago – which I seriously doubt – looking at the remaining reviews as they are now will tell you nothing, but believe me, what someone or some persons did and are still doing is upsetting.

THE SEASONS CHANGE.

It’s that time of year again. The garden has been tidied, deck furniture covered or stored in the shed, hoses wound and put away, lawn mower put away and snow blower prepped, window canopies rolled up, and the central heating doing its thing. Most of the leaves are off the trees and the grass is dead or dying. Winter is coming, snow and bitter cold. Expect to hear me complaining. A lot. And it looks like we may have snow for Halloween.

Halloween is just another day for us. The first year we lived here, we bought candy and waited at the door with a bowl. At the end of the evening, with nary a trick-or-treater, we ate the candy ourselves. We were still hopeful the next year. We bought candy, although not as much, and it was our favorite candy, just in case. We ate that too. We don’t expect kiddies anymore and we don’t buy candy. We should have realized parents don’t bring their children to an area that has no street lights and most homes are reached by walking up a long, dark driveway.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner after Halloween. Thanksgiving is fun, a big celebration with husband’s family. I also enjoy Thanksgiving because it’s easy! For me, anyway. I rarely have to cook, and when I do my contribution to the meal is something simple. Or we take the wine and potato chips.

And then Christmas. A little more pressure, because I have to actually clean the house, and purchase the gifts, and hang the decorations, and provide food. But I’ve made it easier on myself the past few years. Food is buffet style, most of it bought ready-made. Fewer decorations are hung every year. Gifts are harder, now most of the grandchildren are teens – what do you get a teen who already has everything, or wants something which costs gadzillion dollars? And – bummer – I still have to clean the house.

And then – God no, I don’t want to think about it! 2013. Another year and another year older.

You know what, maybe instead of all the above, I’ll go into hibernation. Want to join me?

Melissa Smith – Writing Out of Grief.

Writing became therapy for a grieving soul.

Click to continue reading “Melissa Smith – Writing Out of Grief.”

An Inspirational Story From Michelle Muto, Who Never Gave Up.

How a little book that could, did!

Click to continue reading “An Inspirational Story From Michelle Muto, Who Never Gave Up.”