You Rang? – Part One

Jambrea has been told that she should write the story of her military man so the two of us have been talking and decided to write a true story, kinda, almost.  So with out further ado, here is the beginning of her story.  We won’t tell what really happened and what didn’t.  You’ll just have to figure it out.  *giggle*  (Names have been changed to protect the innocent.  heehee)

                                                     

“Offutt Operator number five, how may I help you?”

“Yes ma’am, could you dial a number for me.”

“Number?”

“444-1999”

“Your call is going through now.”

Jasmine clicked off so the guy on the other end couldn’t hear her, but she could hear him to make sure his call went through. 

“John, this chick sounds hot.  Maybe I should call back.  Oh, hi dad.”

Click

Jas clicked off, no longer needed on the line.  Laughing she called her roommate in the dorms.

“You will never guess what just happened.  This guy thinks I’m hot.”

“Who?” Dawn sounded sleepy.

“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have woken you up.”

“No, that’s ok.  Who said you were hot?  Someone in our shop?”

“No!  It was some guy on the phone.”

“Really?  In town?”

“No, the number flashed saying Camp Lejeune.  It was just nice to hear him say my voice was hot.  Just go back to sleep.  I’ll see you at shift change.”

Dawn didn’t even say goodbye. She must have just gotten to sleep.  Darn it.  I should have waited.

 

A few minutes later…

 

“Offutt Operator number five, how may I help you?”

“Yes ma’am.  I just called there a couple minutes ago.”

“Were you disconnected?”

“No.  Ok, this might sound weird and I’m not a freak or anything, but I kept calling back until I got you again.  Do you have a minute to talk?”

“Um.  Ok, but just a minute.”

“Would you tell me your name?”

“I don’t know if I should.  I really shouldn’t even be talking to you now.”

“I can’t keep calling you Operator number five.  Well I can, but that is quite a mouthful.”

“Tell me your name first.” She requested.

            “My name is James, now you.”

“Ok James, my name is Jasmine.  Is there a reason you kept trying to get to my line?”

“You have a sexy voice and I just wanted to talk a little, maybe get to know you.  I’m from Nebraska and I’m heading home for my dad’s wedding next month and I don’t know, I guess I just wanted to talk to the woman with the sexy voice.”

“Um…thanks.”  Jas chuckled a little.  “You don’t sound too bad yourself.” 

Her face went up in flames and she shook her head at her lame comment, but flirting didn’t come naturally to her.  Jas didn’t have much experience in dealing with men and she was shy.  It took a while for her to feel comfortable to really talk to someone.  This couldn’t be too bad, right; they were only talking on the phone.

“Just talk to me.  I want to hear your voice.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

Jas listened to most people and found it hard to take the lead and just talk about herself.

“Tell me where you’re from.  Are you in the military or are you a civilian?”

“I’m…Shoot, our alarm went off.  I have to go.”  Jas hung up and hurried over to the board that signaled a warning conference coming through.

I wonder if he’ll call back.

 

Remember to come back next Wednesday to see what James has to say.

 

 

 

 

Story editing…It’s bad for your health.

Heather/Jambrea

Gideon/Kensana

Brighid/Cindy

Heather:  “Um, Brig, Gideon my author is driving me batty!  She is going crazy with her first round of edits.  Can you two give me some hints so I can help her?”

Jambrea: “I’m not going crazy.  Yes I’m a little nervous, but it will be ok.”

Heather:  “Sure you say that, but remember…I’m in your head!.  Help!!!”

Cindy: Brea, Heather, what can I do to help? You know I’m here for you.

Brighid: My advice would be to drink more, Brea love.

Cindy: Brig, that’s your advice for everything!

Brighid: And it hasn’t failed me yet.

Cindy: *sigh* Sorry, Brea. I’m sure you need more useful advice than that. The best thing you can do with edits is just take them one page at a time. If you get stuck on an area, just persevere and move on to another section. Before you know it, you’ll get them all done.

Brighid: Oh you’re one to talk. You’re still avoiding your copy-edits for Point of Distraction the Second Collection.

Cindy: Shhhhhhh, I’m pretending they don’t exist. Hee hee.

Kensana: Brea Cindy is absolutely right. One page at a time you’ll get there and Jax don’t worry about the edits. When you’re ready you’ll do it.

Gideon: Excuse me but I do believe the person who is giving the advice should follow her own.

Kensana: I’m sorry I don’t think I ruffled your feathers Mister.

Gideon: Touchy, touchy Kensa. Faith is waiting. Mitch and Ali need to come to a close and we still don’t know what’s going on with Hope. Not to mention you only have half of my story ready for Friday. Mt dear sweet authoress I can only do so much.

Kensana: And I can only type so fast and on one project at a time. I swear Gideon sometimes I think you forget, I am a mortal you know.

Cindy: Ain’t that the truth! Brig does the same thing.

Jambrea: Thanks everybody.

Heather:  Now maybe there will be a little calm, but Brig…bring on the drinks.  *giggle*

In Defense of Writer’s Block

Brighid: Jacks, darling, I don’t know what you’re so upset about.

 

Cindy: You know very well what’s wrong. Ana’s been asking you for months now to finish up her saga and you keep putting her off. And you’ve been putting my priorities off for that matter.

 

Brighid: Now, that’s simply not true. I just needed some time to figure out her motivation to move forward in the story. We got quite a bit done this weekend.

 

Cindy: Motivation? What are we ‘method writing’ now?

 

Brighid: Don’t be silly, but I’m not going to throw together a plot just because you set some arbitrary deadline to finish the ms.

 

Cindy: Heaven forbid. Still, why do you have to put the brakes on production like that? It’s downright scary for those of us who live by the word.

 

Brighid: Have I ever let you down? Pull up a chair my dear authoress; let me explain to you a little about this so-called ‘writer’s block’.

 

Contrary to the widely held belief that unless you’re clacking away at the keyboard, you aren’t creating, the storylines you’ve been working on still continue to develop when you aren’t actively thinking about them. It’s part of our muse bag o’ tricks. Even once you’ve brushed your teeth and turned in for the evening, we muses are hard at work, wining and dining your characters to get the scoop on where the story needs to go.

 

And that you are such an anal little plotter, Jacks, doesn’t help. Yes, when you first sat down to write this series of stories, you had a very clear idea of who Ana was and what course her life should take, but she changed on you. She grew in ways you didn’t anticipate in the past year so you have to give yourself a little time to fully understand how she’s changed. Don’t get me wrong. Pantser authors are no easier to work with than plotters. It’s just as easy for you all to lose your way.

 

Of course there is a huge difference between a glitch in production and truly not being in the mood to write, but that has more to do with you, my dear, than it has to do with me. Your human frailty does limit how much you get done in a day. PMS, sleep deprivation, illness, your lovely man naked in bed or a really good football game on TV all mess with your desire to create. But I can hardly be held accountable for your distractions. I do, however applaud your discipline. Since you’ve implemented your thousand-words-a-day philosophy, you’ve had few dry days. You may not work on the WIP you’d like to work on, but you almost always produce something of value before the day’s over.

 

So you see, Jacks, between your regimented approach to writing and my sheer genius, it’s been ages since we’ve contended with a true bout of writer’s block.

 

Cindy: I suppose you’re right, Brig. I never thought of it that way…But seriously, are we going to finish the first draft of Point of Distraction the Final Collection this week?

 

Brighid: [sigh] You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?

 

Cindy: Yes, I did. Well, most of it. I did drift away for a second when that commercial with the really hot Latino guy came on, but other than that, I was right with you.

 

Brighid: Oh hell, I stopped paying attention when that commercial came on. He is just too delicious. Maybe we need to create a character based on him. Hmmm…maybe we could make him a fireman. Oh yes, I’m liking this idea…[walks off deep in thought]

 

Cindy: Brig—Brighid, no. No! No more characters, no more new ideas until you finish…Damn, she’s gone. Well, folks, since my muse has abandons us, I suppose that wraps up her day here at PM. But rest assured, I’m going to get the end of Point of Distraction out of her come hell or hot Latinos!

 

Stay tuned…

Death’s Demise

“My father will die tonight, it is Ares wish.”

“It does not matter what Ares wishes, your father will not parish this night. I have seen too that.”

His wings enclosed around her. The warmth and softness of his wings calmed her, made her feel safe and secure. She looked up into his face. His face so angelic, pure perfection in sight. His eyes were so blue they seemed to glow in the darkness.

“I must return home. Father is waiting.”

“Go if you must, return to your father’s side. You will find him in good health.”

“With all that I have I thank you.”

“You owe me nothing Seria, now go.”

“Will I see you again?”

“When you wish it, I will be there. Good night dear Seria.” With a flap of his great wings, Michael ascended back to the heavens.

Seria ran through the forest, the limbs from the trees slapped against her bare arms and legs. Her skin stung from the whelps that rose on her skin. She looked up to see light streaming from the windows of the house. She burst through the door to find one of the village women standing next to her father’s bed.

“Where have you been child? Your father was at death’s door.” The old woman said.

“I have been to the temple to pray to the Gods for father’s health.” She stepped around the woman. She gasped when she saw her father sitting in bed with a smile on his face. She ran over and threw her arms around him. “Father I thought you were lost.”

“So did I child. I had a dream.” His eyes showed the exhaustion suffered from his past illness.

“What did you dream father?” She kneeled beside the bed clutching her father’s hands.

“It was a man, a man with wings, black wings. I thought the Dark Lord, Hades had come to collect my soul himself.”

“No father, not death. An angel, he saved your life. The my pleas to our Gods have gone unanswered. This man, this angel came to my aide in their stead.”

“An angel?”

“Yes father. He is the reason you are still with me. He appeared outside the temple and gave his word that you would not parish.”

“We must thank him for this miracle he has granted us.”

“I will father, tomorrow. Tonight, you will sleep and I shall stay by your side.”

Mephius caressed the cheek of his only daughter, “You are truly a blessing. I wish your Mother were here to see the beautiful woman you have grown into. She would be proud.” A fragile breath escaped his lip.

“I know father. You grow tired, sleep now.” She pulled the covers up and sat in the chair at the bedside. Michael. An angel. What a handsome angel he was.
I must see him again. It wasn’t before long she too fell asleep.

Why is Brighid in the Closet

Nikhil: Cindy, I’m so sorry to disturb you. I know you’re watching a movie to lift your spirits, but we have a bit of a problem.
 
Cindy: What’s wrong?
 
Nikhil: Brighid’s locked herself in Ana’s walk-in closet and she’s taken a case of Mumm’s in there with her.
 
Cindy: Oh my God! I didn’t think she’d take the critique that badly. Let me see what I can do. [Cindy hurries to closet]. Brig, it’s Cindy, open up, hon.
 
Brighid: Go away, I’m never coming out again.
 
Cindy: Brighid…it was just one person’s opinion. I love the book, Kensana and Jambrea love the book.
 
Brighid: Stop blowing smoke up my ass! I’m never writing AGAIN!
 
Cindy: *sigh* Gideon, Heather…little help, pleeeeeease?

 

Heather:  Brig sweety, let me in.  Please.

 

Brighid: Heather, come in love. [slams door after Heather comes in] It was awful, just awful. Someone was so mean to my manuscript!

 

Heather:  It will be alright sweety.  Come here.  *opens arms for Brighid*  Cindy is right.  We loved the story and it is just one opinion.  You just have to brush off the bad ones and focus on the good.

Kensana: Gideon will you see if you can help? She does listen to you and Heather.

 

Gideon: Of course, I’ll do what I can. [knock at the door] Brig…love open the door.

 

Heather: [opens the door] Gideon thank the goddess. Can you fit your wings in here?

 

Gideon: [pulls his wings in close and walks through the door] I guess I’ll just have to wrap them around the two of you. [slams the door behind Heather]

 

Brighid: The group hug is making me feel better. Is my mascara running? So you guys really love Bacchus?

 

Gideon: What’s not to like? He’s a God and he has changed somewhat since I’ve known him. For the good of course. Now dry those tears. A lovely lady such as you should never cry.

Characters that Stick

I want to tell you a little story today about introducing characters to my author Jambrea. I was a little excited when we first met, but with this couple I knew we had a winner. I just had to convince Jambrea.

“Jambrea, are you busy? I have a couple I would like you to meet.”

“Um…Heather, you’ve already introduced me to so many couples and none of them are talking to me right now. Are you sure you should introduce me to someone else?”

“This time will be different. I promise.”

“That is what you said last time.”

“You’ll see. I just have this feeling. I talked to momma about it and she agreed.”

“Ok Heather. Go ahead.”

“Ok, just wait right there. I’ll be right back.”

Two minutes later…

“Its ok guys come on. This is the person I was talking about. She is going to tell your story and help you along the way. You’ll love her.”

“I just don’t know about this Heather. Are you sure this is ok? I’m not getting any reading on this person.” Bella said hesitantly.

“Heather, if Bella isn’t sure, maybe we shouldn’t do this.” David agreed.

“Just talk to her for a second and let me introduce you. If you aren’t comfortable you can leave.”

Heather watched as Bella looked and David and gave a slight nod and sighed with relief. This just has to work. I know it does. Please let this work.

The three walked through Jambrea’s door to see her sitting at her computer staring at a blank screen.

“Jambrea?”

She turned to look at the group and Heather heard her gasp. She didn’t blame her, she had the same reaction the first time she met the couple. They were gorgeous and fit so perfectly together.

“Um…” Jambrea dragged her gaze away from the couple to look at Heather. “Yes Heather.”

“This is the couple I was telling you about. Anabella and David Sanders. They have a wonderful story to tell and it is only the beginning because they have friends that I just know will want to talk to you once you tell David and Bella’s story.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. What if we don’t fit Heather? Did you think about that?”

“Oh, you’ll fit. Just listen to what they tell you and write it down.”

David and Bella shared a look and then sat down beside Jambrea and started to talk.

“We met in a town close by my house. I usually don’t venture out much because I was unfiltered. Um…I mean I could hear people’s thoughts and couldn’t stop them from bombarding me. The other problem is I have dreams that come true. They forced me to head into town and….”

And the rest, as they say, is history. Thy couple stayed for a few months, never letting Jambrea rest, even when I was meeting others and introducing them to her. You should have seen her face when she found out David was a shifter.  *giggle*

We named the story Dreams and it is part of a series we named The Seeds of Dawn. Jambrea is working on the sequel now, but Max and Valerie are giving her a hard time and I keep introducing her to all these wonderful characters. *giggle* I just can’t help myself.

Let’s hear it for dreamy men!

Heather/Jambrea

Gideon/Kensana

Brighid/Cindy

Heather: Brig sweets, do you know what I was just thinking about? Dreamy men. You know the ones I’m talking about; tall, dark handsome and honest. Someone who will be there just for me. I see all these heroines with these big strong heroes and some days I want one too. *sigh*

Jambrea: It will be ok Heather. We’ll keep our eyes out for just the man for you. I don’t know if Brig wants a forever hero just yet Heather. You might not either. You are still young.

Brighid: Oh, Brea, darling, how well you know me! As an immortal goddess I can tell you forever is a very long time so I’ll take Mr. For Now thank you very much. And do I have a Mr. For Now right now. He’s tall, dark, handsome, clever, and oh yes, he’s immortal, too. At least he used to be and I’m working on getting him back to where he belongs. Has everyone one met Bacchus?

Cindy: * giggles *(and in case you didn’t know, Cindy doesn’t usually giggle) Hi, Bacchus.

Bacchus: Hi, loves. My, my, my. The gods are smiling on me today. All these lovely ladies. Now, who was asking for a forever man?

Gideon: Now Bacchus before you begin to tread on ground that already has been claimed, you may want to slow your pace just a bit. It is good to see you Bacchus.

Kensana: Gideon! Don’t be so rude to our guest. It’s lovely to meet you Bacchus. You’re my first God.

Gideon: Excuse me dear authoress, but I’m a God. And I’ve run into Bacchus when visiting my father on Olympus. He can be a little….

Kensana: Only half—don’t be jealous Gideon. It doesn’t become you. A little what? There’s nothing wrong with a little indulgence every now and then.

Mitch: Excuse me Ma’am, but that depends on the company you’re keeping and the Whispers on Wind say—Bacchus can be troublesome.

Kensana: Thanks for your opinion Mitch, but I believe Ali is looking for you.

Heather: Ask and you shall receive. Look at all these dreamy men. Oh Gideon, can you come over to play. *giggle*

Gideon: Of course sweet Heather, whenever and wherever you wish it, I will be there.

Kensana: Well I guess I’m getting no work done tonight.

Bacchus: It’s all right, ladies. I confess that Gideon and Mitch are right, that most of my existence, I’ve been…well, a tad promiscuous. But I guess I can tell all of you, I’ve fallen in love…With a human.

Brighid: [purses her lips] And you’ve been no fun since you did.

Bacchus: Brig, love, now don’t pout. Arianna is an amazing woman.

Brighid: I’ve half a mind to leave her in her Morpheus induced slumber.

Cindy: Oh no you won’t, Brighid.

Brighid: [Brighid sticks out her tongue and heads off] Miguel, honey, be a dear and shake me up a martini.

Kensana: No need to fear Gideon, it looks like you have nothing to fear from Bacchus.

Gideon: That thought sweet Kensana, never entered my mind.

A Day in the Life

[Yawning and stretching] Oh my, is it time to wake up already? Bacchus, love, could you fetch me a glass of champagne? Ahhhh, that’s much better. Good evening, darlings. Time to get to work for the Authoress Jacks. Now, whose story to weave today?

 

Well, of course there’s always Bacchus from Desire and I know he’s been feeling a little neglected lately. And he does keep me in an endless supply of enchanted champagne so he really should get some face time tonight.

 

And there’s Miss Ana. Her series, Point of Distraction, is almost at it’s end and she’s dying to get together with…whoops, almost spilled the beans there. Cindy would be none to happy to me if I let that spoiler out!

 

[Casts a longing eye at seven hot, shirtless young men off in the corner] I can’t wait to get to work on that delicious lot. Seven gorgeous men, each one with his own story to tell. I know His Own Devices is a fairly new idea, but I’m dying to get to know each and everyone of you personally. Very personally.

 

And I haven’t forgotten about you, Shade. You’re the first vampire Cindy and I have ever conjured up, but you are oh so well put together. And the deadline for the Wedding Feast is fast approaching.

 

Alejandro, darling. I’m sorry, but I just can’t play tonight. You’re hot ordeal with Sandi is written. Undomesticated Bliss is in the self-edit phase. Muses do not edit (thank goodness). But I’d be happy to meet you for drinks when I’m off work. Now run along so I can watch you walk away. [sigh]

 

So many works in progress, so little time. A muse’s work is never done. My authoress, Ms. Cindy Jacks, keeps me busy, busy, busy. She is a bit of a fuss bucket, though. Brighid, no drinking while you’re on the job! Brighid, finish this story before you go off to play! Brighid, no abducting satyrs for the weekend! I mean, honestly, how is a goddess supposed to have any fun? And I always tell her:  All work and no play makes Cindy a dull girl. And does that girl ever work.

 

Don’t get me wrong, she’s not all bad. I knew she had the gift of prose the moment I laid eyes on her so I just had to start whispering in her ear. Since then she’s given me free reign to frolic with all her heroes and heroines. Her friends, Jambrea and Kensana, are delightful. As are their muses, Heather and Gideon. And they did make this wonderful playground for all us. Not to mention she seems to have mastered that infernal machine she’s always clacking away on. I tried to use it once—the lights went out on the entire Eastern seaboard and I chipped a nail. Nasty business, that, so I leave the electronic toys to her. Well not all of the electronic toys [evil grin].

 

Well, it’s been fun chatting with everyone, but I can hear the Mistress Jacks grumbling about some ex-Navy SEAL who still needs a moniker. I thought we’d decided on ‘Chase,’ but now she’s not happy with that. All right, I’m coming, I’m coming, keep your bikini briefs on. TTFN, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll have more fun very soon!

One Touch, One Glance Group Launch

If you love good, old-fashioned romance that focuses on the romance, the emotion, the intrigued and it’s packed into a good plot, then join the One Touch, One Glance Sweet Romance Anthology authors at the following link.

One Touch, One Glance will be published this fall by www.freyasbower.com This group is also for those who love to discuss traditional romance and even writers who would like to be a part of future anthologies or related works.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Makings of Gideon

The Beginning

Half God, Half Angel, Archangel to be specific, Gideon was created out of love but also out of envy. You see Gideon is the son of a beautiful human woman by the name of Seria and the Commanding Archangel himself, Michael. Therefore, to tell you how I came to know Gideon you must first understand where and how he came to be.

* * *

Seria lived in Anatolia with her father Mephius. They had very little money, a lived a meager life of a peasant. Seria’s mother Bethany had passed on when she was barely three years of age. Her father raised her with a strong will yet a soft hand. She loved her father as much as life itself, but Mephius was long on years on and short on health. Seria knew it would be only a matter of time before he too would die and she’d be alone.

Ares, God of war sat on high at his father’s side, admiring Seria from the clouds. He would visit her in her dreams. His attempts to entice her were ignored. Seria wanted no parts of the God or the riches and pleasures that he had to offer. Her rejection angered Ares. He was the son of Zeus would not accept dismissal from a mere mortal andsurely not a woman. She would pay for her insolence.

Seria’s worst fear came true when her father fell ill. She prayed to the God’s to give her father more time but received no response. After no response from the Gods she attempted to appeal to Ares’ mercy.

She ran to the temple and cried out to Ares, “God of warfare, bloodlust, and slaughter, hear me my lord.”

A bright light blinded Seria, the God of War appeared carried by a quadriga drawn by four gold-bridled fire-breathing immortal stallions. He wore armor made of bronze and brandished a spear of battle within his hand, he removed the battle helmet from his head. His long raven black hair fell to his shoulders, he tucked the helmet under his arm.

“What is it you ask of me Seria?” His deep voice resonated off the temple walls.

The vibrations sent a tremble through Seria’s body. She dropped to her knees before him, “My Lord, please forgive me my past digression, I meant no disrespect. My father has fallen ill and I have prayed to the Gods to return his health, but they have not answered.”

“And they shall not!” Ares response was cold, and empty. “They have done as I and my father has commanded, they will not answer you.”

“Why, why would you do such a thing?” Her voice barely a whisper, a trail of tears streamed from her eyes.

“Why? You refused me, me Ares God of War, son of Zeus.” His voice rocked the pilliars of the the sanctuary.

“My father should not have to pay for my uncertainties. I beg of you Ares please spare my father.”

Ares looked down upon Seria, an evil, maniacal grin spread across his face, “I cannot, I will not. Suffer the consequences of your misgivings.” He snapped the golden bridle and the stallions lurched to life, the chariot burst through the clouds and Ares was gone.

Seria left the temple tears streamed down her face, thoughts of her father’s impending death loomed through her mind.

Fear not Seria, all will be well.

Seria looked to the heavens, past Olympus. Out of the darkness, she heard the flapping of wings, but not that of a bird, they were larger. He appeared from the clouds and landed at her feet.

“Who are you?” She took a step back.

“I am he who is like unto God. I am he who is equal to God. I am the Archangel Michael. Death will not befall your father this night.”

~ Written by Kensana Darnell ~