Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 33

Sample: Tabor Heights Short Story, IN THE AIR, ON THE AIR

 

Hedidn't give the gravel-voiced man a chance to protest but cut the connectionand linked in line two. "You're on the air on WEGL, the Eagle, and you'retalking to Whit. What words of wisdom can you offer on the whole conundrum ofdating for Christians?"

"Yeah,it's a pain, but you wouldn't sign a contract without reading it, would you?Same thing with getting married. You gotta figure out if the person who makesyour heart go thumpetty is the one who's going to be there for the long haul,know what I mean?" The second caller was also a man. His voice soundedthick with sleep. Whit wondered if he was getting up or heading for bed.

"Veryastute point. But can't you learn about someone in group situations? Groupactivities, Sunday school class socials, for instance?"

"Yeah,but after a while, you hang out together long enough, people are going towonder if there's something serious going on. Know what I mean?" Helaughed. "I know the other guy who just called in. His problem is, when hecan find a girl desperate enough to go out with him, her parents can't standhim. If he can't get the parents to like him, what makes him think anybody'd bestupid enough to sell their daughter to him?"

"Sorryto be a kill-joy, folks, but we're talking about dating versus non-dating, notslavery or forced marriages." Riley tried to laugh as he said it, but theknot growing in his throat made that hard. What had he been thinking, bringingup the whole hot potato topic? "Let's give caller three a chance. Thanksfor sharing with us." A few quick flips of buttons and tapping keys, andhe had that second troublesome caller off and line three ready to go.

Please, Lord, let the third time be the charm!

Off the Bookshelf: GOING ROGUE, by Janet Evanovich

 

Stephanie Plum is back, and things are even more grim than they've been getting.

Connie, office manager for the bail bonds office where Stephanie works, has vanished. Soon, Stephanie and Lula learn Connie has been kidnapped.

These guys have got to be hard core, desperate, and nastily stupid, to dare to kidnap Connie. And they don't know what they've taken on, when they get Stephanie angry with them and determined to get Connie back unharmed. Without telling the police (via Joe Morelli) what's going on. Because then things could get ... tricky.

The kidnappers want something that they think Vinnie, the bail bonds office owner, was given. Stephanie and Lula go on a wild goose chase, meeting more bizarre characters in Trenton, as they follow the trail of the maguffin ... and realize someone was lying to them.

You don't want to get Stephanie Plum angry with you, because she's finally willing to not just pick up a gun, but learn to shoot it.

Fun! The bizarreness that is normal life for Stephanie Plum just keeps coming.

Sample: Tabor Heights Short Story, IN THE AIR, ON THE AIR

 

Rileywas still chuckling when the second song ended and he opened up the mic. Histhroat actually hurt as he mentally slipped into the British accent he hadlearned at his grandmother's knee. Jon Whitcomb-Riley once again submerged intothe on-air personality of Whit, forsaking the painstaking efforts to shed hisaccent in favor of the flattened Midwestern semi-drawl of his mother's Illinoisancestors. He reached up to the shelves next to his chair at the console andpulled out his oversized cap and sunglasses, part of his costume when he didremote broadcasts as Whit. Props always helped him remember who he was supposedto be at that moment.

"Allright, ladies and gents, we are back. It's that time of the week. No, not timefor the weekly bath, although anyone who feels the need to indulge, please, doso. No, indeed, it is time to open up the phone lines and let the ten of youwho are still awake at this -- goodness,nearly 1 a.m. -- awake at this time of the night, to chime inand let your feelings be heard. Right now, I'm reading a splendid book aboutdating." He pressed the first cued sound effects button and had to bitehis lip to avoid a burst of laughter when the shrill shriek made Byron jump. 

"No, let mereassure you, I am not heading into the matrimony marketplace. Was that a sighof disappointment I heard filtering through the night air? I'm flattered. Butnot to fret, I'm simply satisfying my curiosity. Why do we date? And moreimportantly, why put ourselves through the uncertainty and torment? This bookdiscusses the idea of letting go of the hunt, stopping the search, and waitingon God to bring the right person into your life. When you sit still and youstop crying out to God to bring Mr. Right or Ms. Perfect to you, there's achance you'll actually hear God trying to tell you His will for your life. Andyou might just realize your soul-mate, your God-designed partner for life, hasbeen there all along, just waiting for you to slow down and listen."

Ye Olde Dragon's Library: Episode 17

King Ruprick's bully-boys show up to steal more of Cecil's magic books,and Fang intervenes. The village hasn't known about the half-vampire bunnyuntil that moment. Now Ash really does need to leave, before the gossipinflames panic and makes her and Fang the victims of a monster hunt.

 Did you like the fight scene?

I had fun writing it. Kind of like those Bugs Bunny battles, where there's nothing but dust and banging noises and yelps.
Got a question for you, lovely listeners: We're coming up on the end of LIARS' QUEST . Not to give too much away, but Ash and Fang find a sanctuary of sorts, and a promise of training and help.
Is it okay to stop there, and resume the adventure in the next book, or do you want me to go on for a few more chapters (they're already written) where she has a little bit of training and goes through her final cavern ... and finds out what happens when the quest is fulfilled.
Tell you now, at the end of  LIARS' QUEST , or wait until the next book, so it leads into a new adventure -- and (not to give anything away) a new quest that is a whole lot more personal and desperate for her and Fang and the ring.
Speak up, please!
And if you're not a member of my newsletter group, now might be a good time to sign up -- just click on one of the Free Book offers at the top of the page to sign up. Because I'm going to start giving away codes for free downloads of audio books, as well as a nice big prize that has to do with FINALLY getting all the Neighborlee, Ohio books uploaded as audiobooks ... Just saying ...
ALSO ... please consider joining my Patreon group for Ye Olde Dragon's Library, and help pay some of the expenses for uploading and distributing the podcast. I have a budgeted plan that allows me to upload 3 hours of audio content every month. If I could expand to a larger plan, with more hours, I could upload more episodes each month. Maybe 2 or even 3 a week ....

https://yeoldedragonbooks.com/ye-olde-dragons-library-storytelling-podcast/

 

  Want tosupport the podcast?

Find uson Patreon: Ye Olde Dragon's Library

patreon.com/user?u=26078473

Ready to Return to Tabor Heights?

 

For a while now, the Tabor Heights and Quarry Hall stories have been unavailable on the Mt. Zion Ridge site and Amazon, and recently taken down from all the other ebook vendor sites. Ever since Desert Breeze Publishing closed their doors, the two sister series have only been available in ebook.

THAT WILL SOON BE OVER!

May 15, Mt. Zion Ridge Press will begin re-releasing the Tabor Heights and Quarry Hall series with NEW COVER ART, and in PRINT, ebook and AUDIOBOOK.

Sign up for my newsletter by picking a free short story (look up at the top of this page) from the Tabor Heights series (or the AFV Defender series, if you prefer SF over Inspirational Romance ...)

Interested?

Keep watch for samples of some of the short stories available, and on May 15, you can read some samples from the first book to be re-released, THE SECOND TIME AROUND.

Right now the schedule is loosely planned for every other month, in the middle of the month, to keep from being confused with the original releases of books published by Mt. Zion Ridge Press.

EXPLORE NEIGHBORLEE, OHIO -- Humorous contemporary urban fantasy

 

Interactive Story

Explore Divine's Emporium on your own!

Welcometo Neighborlee, Ohio.

 

Where?Somewhere on the North Coast of Ohio, south of Cleveland, right off I-71, northof Medina, in the heart of Cuyahoga County.

 

What isit? That’s a little harder to explain.

 

Neighborleeis a place you need to experience.

 

The mostimportant thing you need to understand: Neighborlee is magic. Some people saythe town is alive. It exists to protect the weird and wonderful (and sometimesa little bit scary) from the cold, practical, material world.

 

Moreimportant, Neighborlee protects the outside world from the weird and wonderfulthat come to visit … and sometimes come to stay.

 

Firststop: Divine’s Emporium, a four-story Victorian house sitting on a hilloverlooking the Metroparks. Whatever you really need, you can find at Divine’s.Even if you don’t know what you’re looking for when you walk in the door. Theshop is often bigger inside than it is outside. Angela is the proprietor.Please stay on the first floor. You don’t want to find out what is hidden andlocked safely away upstairs. Like Aslan, Angela is good, but that doesn’t meanshe’s safe. And neither are the secrets and wonders and doorways to otherworlds that she protects … and keeps securely locked.

 

Come inand explore. Meet the people who help Angela guard Neighborlee. Share theiradventures of magic and wonder, danger and sacrifice. You never know who orwhat you’ll run into as you walk the streets and listen to the stories of theirlives.

 

This isan INTERACTIVE STORY -- Meaning YOU, the READER, get to make choices as you gothrough the story and explore Divine's Emporium.

 

Choosewisely.

 

Come inand have fun!

 

 

Youcan get all the Neighborlee, Ohio books directly from Ye Olde Dragon Books, inpaper, ebook, and audiobook.

www.YeOldeDragonBooks.com

Clickon the storefront

SPECIAL!!!!!

Buy 2,get 1 FREE

(yourchoice of ebook or audiobook – we will contact you once the order processes.There are FOURTEEN Neighborlee books – so lots of chances to fill in yourlibrary and get 1 out of 3 FREE!)

 

Ye Olde Dragon's Library: Episode 16

 

Bad enough knowing that Justiciar Camwell is going to send someone to put Ash back on the road to fulfilling her quest -- now that selfish bully of a king, Ruprick, has sent soldiers to once again steal Cecil's books.

What can Ash do to protect her teacher's books, and the books of the rest of the villagers? Can she do anything?

Hint: You don't want to rile a half-vampire, somewhat demented bunny at sunset, when he's still got a touch of sunburn ....

What do you think will happen, now that the soldiers have entered the village? Will the precautions Cecil and Ash have taken be enough?

Please, I would really appreciate feedback. Let me know what you like about this story, where you think it might be going -- where you would like it to go, and even where you hope it WON'T go!

Suggestions? New storylines you would like me to follow, with characters you've met so far? For instance, even though I really don't "get" vampires ... it might be fun exploring what life is like for the Nightborn and the community living in the caverns with Morris. Are they all like him, or do they have a more pragmatic or even bloodthirsty view of life? And what about the magistrate and soldiers in the village that sent Ash into the caverns? What about the Warrior Maidens that Lady Leena serves with?

And what do you think has been happening to that spoiled snot, Lathia, all this time?

Semi-spoiler: You might get an update on her activities, or lack thereof, in the next episode.

But let's TALK, okay?

https://yeoldedragonbooks.com/ye-olde-dragons-library-storytelling-podcast/

 

 

Want to support the podcast?

Find us on Patreon: Ye Olde Dragon's Library

patreon.com/user?u=26078473

EXPLORE NEIGHBORLEE, OHIO -- Humorous contemporary urban fantasy

Neighborlee, Ohio Book 13

The Living Proof Gets the Blues

 

The guardians face their greatest dilemma, when a New Age cultthreatens to drive the Grandstones out of Neighborlee -- and take their place.Better the devil they know than the one they don't?

 

Saving Neighborlee Children's Home from foreclosure, and stopping aninvasion from otherworldly forces could all depend on Pastor Rocky"getting the band back together." Problem: everyone else died in afiery crash.

 

Or did they?

 

Multiple enemy forces unite to attack the town of Neighborlee,attempting to turn Pastor Rocky into their newest weapon.

 

Big mistake.

 

Youcan get all the Neighborlee, Ohio books directly from Ye Olde Dragon Books, inpaper, ebook, and audiobook.

www.YeOldeDragonBooks.com

Clickon the storefront

SPECIAL!!!!!

Buy 2,get 1 FREE

(yourchoice of ebook or audiobook – we will contact you once the order processes.There are FOURTEEN Neighborlee books – so lots of chances to fill in yourlibrary and get 1 out of 3 FREE!)

 

Off the Bookshelf: WYRDE AND WAYWARD, by Charlotte E. English

 

A House of Werth Novel

Fun, clever, historical fantasy. Odd magical gifts are accepted -- somewhat -- and in some noble English families, expected. These gifts are known as the Wyrde.

And yeah, some of them just don't make sense, and are weird -- Wyrde.

The House of Werth has a tradition of a child's Wyrde showing up on the third birthday, to the exact minute. The story starts with the family rushing to assemble and witness a three-year-old girl's Wyrde appearing. Despite the mother's insistence she's going to be a mermaid .... the little girl ends up a gorgon, complete with little snakes replacing her golden curls. And the family just sighs and shrugs and gets on with life.

Except for Augusta, known as Gussie, whom we find out quickly does not have a Wyrde. She's ordinary, no gift, no magic. Except for her curiosity and her sharp wit, and her commonsense response to truly trying and rude things happening to her. Like being kidnapped multiple times within just a few days. And a magic book with a temper that tries to bite people and wrap kraken-like tentacles around them, and her cousin's hankering for fresh blood and a great-aunt who haunts the mansion as just a bloody head. 

That's life as normal in the House of Werth.

Definitely gonna look for more books in this series. I like Gussie. One tough chick who doesn't let societal restrictions and her relatives' inability to tell her the truth about herself get in her way.

EXPLORE NEIGHBORLEE, OHIO -- Humorous contemporary urban fantasy

 

Neighborlee, Ohio Book 12

Angela's Knight

 

Equinox: Maurice has a day of full-size freedom to spend with his truelove, Holly. Their day of fun ends in panic, when Angela is attacked and thedefenses of Divine's Emporium are breached. In the search to find out who hiredthieves to steal books full of inimical magic from the shop and provided themwith magic charms to do it, Angela's memories are stirred. Strange dreamsdisturb her sleep and she asks questions she hasn't thought of in decades.

 

Ethan Jarrod, a particularly gifted P.I. with some mysteries of hisown, joins forces with local P.I. John Stanzer to identify Angela's enemies. IsJarrod the knight from her dreams, or the final weapon of her enemies, todestroy all the magic of Divine's Emporium and Angela herself?

 

Youcan get all the Neighborlee, Ohio books directly from Ye Olde Dragon Books, inpaper, ebook, and audiobook.

www.YeOldeDragonBooks.com

Clickon the storefront

SPECIAL!!!!!

Buy 2,get 1 FREE

(yourchoice of ebook or audiobook – we will contact you once the order processes.There are FOURTEEN Neighborlee books – so lots of chances to fill in yourlibrary and get 1 out of 3 FREE!)