Cherie Noel's Blog, page 42

Wicked Wednesday: Unveiling the Silver Flash Sweetness

Today is the first day of Silver Flash Sweetness here at the Writing Cave. So get ready for a new treat each and every Wednesday, er, unless our regularly scheduled broadcasts get interrupted.

Like, say, Brad Pitt dumps Angelina for...moi.

LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

I know, right?

Anyway, here it is. Just a nibblet. If you want to read the story from the start, scroll to the top of my page, go to the buttons at the top and click on Fire & Ice. Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy.

Silver Flashing: Steampunky Prompt :)
A ZEPPLIN, A POCKET WATCH, A PAIR OF BINOCULARS, AND A PARASOL...


Simeon blinked.
Joshua reached into the pocket of his charcoal grey suit jacket. The play of light across the back of Josh's hand mesmerized Simeon. Josh's lips curled up on one side as he flicked open an antique pocket watch.
Simeon craned his neck.
There were words written inside the lid.
Damn.
It figured they were in German, one of the few languages he didn't speak.
Joshua chuckled.
"Come on Simeon, we have to get going. I don't want to miss watching the launch."
Launch?
What was Josh talking about?
Josh shook his head slowly, his smile kicking up a notch. He reached out with one hand to tap a hot finger against Simeon's nose.
"Come on, luv, grab a parasol so you don't burn your pretty nose."
The bigger man turned away, pausing to look over his shoulder and quirk a brow at Simeon.
"You do still want to see the Zepplin launch, don't you? I had to give up an entire week's time to my father's whims to garner tickets to this, luv, so let's not miss it, shall we?"
Simeon nodded.
He had no idea what the other man was blathering about, but he'd do almost anything to stay close to the intense heat pouring off Josh's skin. He was always so damn cold. Except when Josh was close.
Simeon hurried to the door. He paused at the tall brass vase next to the portal, plucking out a red umbrella. He didn't own a parasol, but figured this would do in a pinch.
Josh held the door open, glancing at Simeon with something wicked in his grin.
"Better grab the binoculars too, my sweet. We wouldn't want to miss catching sight of Rye fluttering about in the altogether."
Simeon nodded yet again, starting to feel a bit like a bobble-head. Yes, that was what those silly dolls were called. He'd seen them on the film about the museum where things came to life. Simeon liked that one nearly as much a Elf.
Josh's voice broke through his musings.
"Stay focused Simeon. I need you to stay with us, luv. We'll get you warm in no time."
What?
The umbrella's handle grew soft in Simeon's hand. He whimpered. Sunlight stabbed down at him, fiercely bright but cold. That was wrong. Sunlight should be warm.
"Rye, get in here. He's going into shock. I think this is going to take both of us."
Another voice sounded from somewhere behind Simeon, this one...well, it sounded like butterscotch tasted, smooth, golden, sweet, and slightly burnt. Not charred, mind you. Just...heated.
"Josh, the tea's nearly ready. I need a few minutes more. Do whatever you have to, and I'll square it with JC later, okay?"
Simeon listened for the answer. He quailed away from the cold, surging forward into Joshua's fiery embrace. Long lean arms closed around Simeon, and he was flying.
Simeon opened his eyes.
"I'm sorry we missed the Zepplin launch, Josh. Will your father still make you pay? It's my fault, I know--if you want, I'll pay in your stead."
Josh sucked in a sharp breath. He spoke quickly, words rushing out of his mouth so fast they tumbled over the tops of one another.
"No. No, Simeon, I can't let you pay. Not ever. I don't mind missing the launch. We'll see another one, luv. Later, when you're well."
Simeon shook. A wave of cold swept over him, and he closed his eyes again.
"Promise?"
His own voice sounded far away and weak to Simeon.
"Shh. Yes, luv, I promise."

Tuesday Triumph

My Christmas Short featuring Kevin, Tony and Neil from Kiss & Tell is done and submitted. Keep your fingers crossed!

Manic Monday

So, first up on Manic Monday...I gotta give a shout out to my peeps over at Riptide Publishing cause I've seen the opening line-up and wowza. Also, Mark Alder's has a free read called Pyrogasm which can be found by clicking on the title...it's posted over at Goodreads, on the M/M romance groups Hot Summer Days event. If you like it, then you can also check out Mark's book, Mageolescence which you can find out tons of stuff about
on Mark's blog. Loads of good reading to be found there.

Next...I really and truly am a bit manic this week. I've got until Wednesday to finish work on my two Christmas shorts for Silver *meep* a jittery kidlet to wrangle, a carnivorous hamster to care for, and ...I was smart and wrote my Silver Flash for Wednesday already.

*sly grin*

Go me.

The short stories are intended to be 15k each, which means I need 19,516 words by Wed.

*meep*

Totally doable, right.

Okay.

I know.

Insane to even try, but a happy kinda crazy for me.  Only 6,505 words a day. LOL.

Well, I'm gonna try.

Ready, Steady, Go, go, go.

More Sunday Fun: A Sunday Snog

Unedited Excerpt from When In Rome.


When the lovely Carol turned to speak with the customs agent, Alessandro chanced to look up at the man's face. Ay-ay-ay.The bastado was eyeing la piccolina's legs as though he wished to lick them. Alessandro felt his teeth beginning to extend. Damn. He could not allow the change to take him here.Carol was not ready.And Alessandro's father, the Count, would have his head if Alessandro were gauche enough to allow the change to take him while surrounded by humans.Alessandro strode forward."Ah, piccolina, forgive me again. I must taste you now."Carol's mouth rounded into a perfect 'O' of surprise, and then began to widen. Oh, no. Alessandro could not allow her to deny him, not now, with the change so close. He swooped down, gathering her curvy body tightly against his own. Carol punched his shoulder.He nibbled on her lips.She kicked his shin and opened her mouth.Alessandro eased his tongue inside, kissing her as deeply as he dared in public.The customs agent cleared his throat. "Signore. Singorina, mi sentirete sicuramente questo bacio ancora quando mi sdraio nel cimitero, ma potresti almeno un passo avanti? Ho timbrato il vostro passaporto. La linea e lunga, e il mio supervisore e un diavolo senz'anima, che non si cura che si e innamorati. Per favore. Si muovono lungo."Alessandro tore himself from the inviting paradise of Carol's lush mouth."Piccolina, the customs agent asks that we move along."The man had said much more than that, but those were the relevant words.


*****for more Snogging Good Fun, Visit Victoria Blisse and the home of the Sunday Snog.http://www.victoriablisse.co.uk/hoste...

Six Sentence Sunday

So, my minions, *heh, I love saying that*, I've decided to try something new on Sundays.
Six Sentences.
Yep, that's it. Just six.

I promise to make them good ones.
And if you're still craving more? I've got a linky-dinky that will take you to the land of plenty.

Plenty of other yum-nummy writers all doing six sentences of their own.

Got it?

Right, then, here are the first six sentences of my upcoming Christmas story feature the boys from Kiss & Tell...ready, steady, go:



"Neil, we'se got a problem."Neil looked up from the freshman Art History term papers he currently causing both his red marking pen and his eyes to bleed.Tony stood in front of Neil's desk, naked from the waist up. Flecks of red in various shades dotted his torso. Neil smiled. The spatters of red paint on his lover's body were a damn site easier to look at than mutilations of history most of his freshman class had handed in.   ************************

If you want more...I'll be publishing this little gem for Christmas. And I'll keep you up to date with details of where and when. Don't forget, you can go straight to Six Sentence Sunday's main site to find loads of other authors all doing the same thing today. 

Satuday, and a walk in the park...

The munchkin (who is nearly as tall as I am) and I took a walk in the park today.

Sunshine, moderate temps and cool breezes...lovely. We made some fun discoveries along the way.

Did you know that seagulls don't run away if you say hi-hi-hi-hi-hi repeatedly to them?

Or that there are some (v.weird looking) birds that seem to spend more time under water than above it? No, I'm not talking about penguins. I think this one was some sort of heron or egret. Beautiful in a rather otherworldly way.

The clincher which made our walk miraculous today?

The little veteran's monument for four home-town boys. Mind you, brothers. We read this on the little plaque located there. O_o V. Cool.

"The Niland Brothers were four American brothers from Tonawanda, New York, serving in the military during World War Two. Of the four, two survived the war, but for a time it was believed that only one, Frederick Niland, had survived. Frederick was sent back to the United States to complete his service and only later learned that his brother Edward, missing and presumed dead, was actually a captive in a Japanese POW camp in Burma. Steven Spielberg's film, Saving Private Ryan, is widely believed to be based  on the brothers' story."

All in all, a most enjoyable time.

Friday Five: UmYumUmYum

Had a thought today. All those pics we ooh and ahh over on different blogs...they belong to someone. A photographer, a model.

So.

Today, how about we skip the piccy's, and talk about Five Reasons friday is Fabulous?
Here's my five:
1)Got Army-Sister's other Sister's Cover letter re-tweak done. Yay...go me.
2)Only need 3,700 more words to meet today's goal.
3)I just ate fresh baked Chocolate-Chip muffins.
4)The sun is shining.
5)I'm a full time writer. So, for me every day is friday. *grin*

Thursday Think Tank: Writing around the Chaos

I'd love to write something brilliant, pithy, and worth quoting ad nauseum. 
Er, reality check, mija's y mijo's. 
This is still me we're talking about. 
So I'm just gonna shoot straight from the hip, and hope a word or two hits the target.I love what I do. Dreaming up characters, or sometimes just sitting still and being a conduit for them to tell their stories. It's amazing. I get to look at pics of hot people and legitimately claim to be doing research. 
How cool is that?
But that's not the whole picture.
Because I have a family.
And family = chaos.
Cause everyone has different needs, and slightly different rhythmic patterns they move to. I think the difference keep life spicy. 
So, spice is good. 
Anyone who has ever spent time in a kitchen can tell you that. 
Put the wrong spices together though, and the result can be wretched. And by wretched, I mean abso-freaking-lutely NASTY TASTING.
Not quite how one wants life.
So...
I write around the chaos. I get up early. I break the writing into bits and pieces. I take the vignettes that my family provides me and weave them into my stories. 
And, Ta-Da *sings that part*, I have a story. And a family that sees me, and is part of my everyday rhythm. Some days we flow together smooth and tasty as Jiffy extra-creamy peanut butter and Nutella (if you don't know what this is I weep for you). Some days, we're way more Fish and Bicyclish. 
Eh.
I just keep going. I love what I do, and I love who I am...mother, singer, writer, etc.
Like I said, not especially clever today. Just kinda heart-full and hoping.      

Tuesday Triumph

*grinning*

I finished my edits.

Well, okay, the brain melted a bit there toward the end, but I did get them done.

Now I just gotta make sure I fine tooth the next set.

And don't let my brain melt again.

*whistles*

I'm off to seclude myself in the writing cave. Tony, Neil and Kevin have a Christmas adventure to get through. :) Plus I gots a hot alley-cat shifter to write about!!

Monday Madness

146 pages into first edits on newly contracted book.

Book is 244 pages long.

And it seems to be growing. O_o