Eva Pohler's Blog, page 52

What a Weekend at LoneStarCon!

As many of you may know, the World Science Fiction Convention was hosted by LoneStarCon here in San Antonio this weekend and continues through Monday, September 2nd. The pocket program is about the size of a brick–that’s how many panels and events they have scheduled. In addition to panels, the convention is full of awesome dealers and artists. One author you don’t want to miss is Gregory Close. I had the pleasure of meeting him and can’t wait to read his book, In Siege of Daylight: Book One of Light, Dark, and Shadow.

Another must-see table borders the artist gallery where my colleague, Gaylynne Robinson, displays her digitized collages. You can find all kinds of wonderful and beautiful things throughout the dealers’ room.

But the highlight of the con for me was watching my twelve-year-old daughter, Candace, participate in the masquerade show and competition. She designed and created, without any kind of pattern to go by and with no help from me, her own costume. She used the sewing machine she got for Christmas from my parents and a glue gun, felt, a shoe box, stuffing, and some wire from the hardware store, and she figured out how to make Kirby, from the video game. This particular Kirby possesses the power of Pikachu.

Here she is posing with Random Character, a costume gamers will understand.

Here she is with the Flying Saucers.

Candace had the privilege of meeting FenCon masters, who were so impressed with Candace that they invited her to attend FenCon this year to teach other children how to make costumes. Here she is posing with them:

It was a long day with rehearsal in the morning, costume repair in the afternoon, and a show that lasted until eleven at night, but it was so worth it. Candace won two prizes: Best Character Re-Enactment in her class (Young Fans), and Best Craftsmanship Using Sewing and Applique in her class. You would think Candace would have been dead tired, but after the show, she put on her costume and walked around mingling with the other costumers and posing for pictures by the attendees. I am so proud of her.

World Con Anyone?

If you plan to attend World Con/LoneStarCon in San Antonio Thursday, August 29th through Monday, September 2nd, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, come to the Dealer’s Room and pick up your free button in the book section. I hope to see you there!

Here’s the First Chapter of The Gatekeeper’s House (#4)

Chapter One: Under Attack

Therese stood in the doorway, twirling a strand of her red hair round and round her index finger. There was only one bed in the center of Hecate’s room. That could be a problem, even though Therese only slept about once a week.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” Therese took a step back, knocking her quiver and bow against the cold stone wall.

“It will be fine.” Hecate skipped forward and snatched up Therese’s bag. “You can unpack your things in my closet.” When she spun around toward the back of the room, her black and white hair fanned out around her slim shoulders.

Hecate didn’t look like a witch or a hag or the dozens of other descriptions Therese had found on Google while visiting her family and friends in Colorado a month ago. She was an inch taller than Therese, and, in spite of the white streaks in her hair, she looked young, closer to Hermes’s age, mid-twenties, with a delicate nose and thin lips. Therese knew Hecate was ancient—older than Than—but one thing she’d learned since becoming the goddess of animal companions was that immortal beings aged at different rates from humans and from one another.

“You aren’t what I was expecting,” Therese said with a smile.

“Mortals get me confused with Than’s sister, Melinoe. That’s probably it. Were you expecting someone more terrifying?”

Therese pulled her eyebrows together in confusion. “Do you mean Megaera?”

Hecate’s face broke into a grin. “Those two are nothing alike.” Then, in a somber voice, Hecate added, “I’m not surprised Than never mentioned Melinoe.”

“Well that makes one of us,” Therese said. How could he omit such an important detail? She’d told Than everything about herself and her family. Why wouldn’t he have ever mentioned Melinoe? “Does she live down here, too?”

“She used to, until Hades banished her a few centuries ago. Now she lives on the outskirts of the Underworld in a cave on Cape Matapan.”

“And that is…”

“On the southernmost tip of Greece.” Then Hecate stepped forward. “Where are my manners? Meg will scold me later. Please come on inside. It’s so nice to have company. I get lonely here when Persie moves in with Hades.” Hecate slipped Therese’s bag behind a wooden door, as though she wished to give Therese no opportunity to change her mind. “In the springs and summers on Mount Olympus, Persie and I share rooms with Demeter. Down here, I have a lot of time to myself.”

Therese looked around the chamber for the first time, its dome ceiling high and covered with dancing shadows, cast by the light of the Phlegethon, the river of fire. A stream ran from an upper crevice down a series of rocks and pooled in a six-foot-wide basin before thinning and disappearing behind another smooth boulder.

“That’s where I wash,” Hecate explained. “The spring is fresh and good enough to drink.”

Beside the basin and curled on a pillow was a small animal, a cute brown fur ball Therese had never seen. “Who’s this?”

“Galin, my polecat. This is the time when she likes to sleep.”

“I won’t disturb her, then.”

“My dog is awake and around here somewhere.” Hecate glanced about the room. “Cubie? Where are you?”

A black Doberman pinscher with tall ears and a long tail crawled out from beneath the one big bed.

“There she is.” Hecate reached over and patted the dog on the head. “Were you spying on us?”

“Absolutely,” the dog answered.

Hecate laughed. “Cubie, this is Therese.”

“Pleasure,” the dog said.

“Likewise.” Therese stroked Cubie’s back, wishing Clifford had taken her seriously when she’d announced that she was moving out of Than’s rooms. Instead, he’d given her an unconcerned stare as she had said goodbye and I mean it this time. “I have a dog, too. Maybe you would like to meet him.”

“Is he intelligent?” Cubie asked.

“He’s pretty smart.” As the goddess of animal companions, Therese had met quite a lot of dogs, and she felt positive that Clifford was as smart as any of them.

“But probably not as smart as Cubie,” Hecate said. “She was once the queen of Troy.”

Before Therese could ask why a former queen of Troy was now a dog, the floor trembled beneath their feet, followed by a loud boom.

Therese clutched the wall as Hecate fell back on the bed and shouted, “Ahhh!”

“What was that?” Therese asked when the floor stabilized.

“I don’t know.” Hecate’s voice was frantic. “I can’t get a prayer through to Hades or to Persie.”

Therese tried, too, but sensed no response. Blood pounded in her head as the ground began to quake again. She clutched the locket at her throat and prayed to Athena, but got no answer.

“Will these walls hold?” She glanced up at the ceiling, a host of scenarios playing through her mind. If the walls of the Underworld were to crumble, what would happen to its billions of inhabitants, including the souls of her mom and dad?

“Where are they—Hades and Persephone?” Therese asked.

Hecate winced as another boom sounded throughout the chamber. “Mount Olympus.”

Just then, a crack ran across the ground, up the wall, and through the dome ceiling.

“It’s going to collapse!” Therese shouted.

Small chunks of the ceiling fell on the bed, on the golden table by the hearth, and in the water basin, causing Galin to leap from her pillow and into Hecate’s arms.

“Clifford and Jewels!” Therese cried. “They’re in Than’s rooms.” Her stomach balled into a knot when she imagined them harmed.

“I’ll go with you.” Hecate set Galin down on the bed and spoke to the shivering weasel. “You and Cubie go to Demeter’s winter cabin, and wait for me there. Okay?”

More rocks crumbled down the walls as a series of booms sounded throughout the chamber. The stream, which once ran gently down the wall, shot out, spraying in all directions.

“I’m not leaving you!” Galin returned to her mistress’s arms.

“Nor I!” Cubie declared.

Soaked and trembling, the four of them rushed down the winding path along the Phlegethon, dodging the falling rocks. Cracks chased them all across the walls, and loud booms shuddered through the air. Therese was afraid to pray to Than, worried he’d god travel straight into danger. Even in her limited experience, she knew that if you arrived at a point occupied by solid mass, such as a large boulder, your body composition would momentarily meld with it. She’d not heard of gods temporarily dying from the mishap, but it was painful as you extricated yourself from the object and put yourself back together. She’d discovered this problem when she once arrived in a brick wall. It had taken over an hour to recover, and the pain had been excruciating.

She found Clifford barking nervously by the hearth. “Come on, boy! We’ve got to get Stormy!”

Therese carried Jewels like a football in the crook of one arm as the group scurried down the narrow passageways toward the stables. She wondered if Than would be angry with her for not calling to him right away. He was already angry with her, and she didn’t want to put another rift between them.

As they passed by the intersection of the Lethe and the Styx, deities cried out, and, although Therese and Hecate slowed down and searched the waters, they could not find the source of the cries. Cubie said she’d stay behind and keep searching.

When Therese rounded a corner, a colony of bats whirred up from a crevice below and fluttered past them, and then out climbed Tizzie, up from Tartarus with blood dripping down one arm.

“What is happening?” Tizzie demanded, her black serpentine curls covered in dust.

“We don’t know,” Therese replied.

“Well that’s just great,” Tizzie said, waving her hands. “The souls are in chaos. And if the pit ruptures, the Titans will be unleashed. Where the devil is my father?”

“Mount Olympus,” Hecate said, dodging a falling rock that landed with a clack beside her.

Sensing Stormy’s danger, Therese sent a prayer to Tizzie as she hustled toward the stables, explaining why she was on the run instead of god traveling to the gate.

I’ll meet you at Cerberus, Therese added.

The three judges floated by her in their long robes headed in the opposite direction, toward the gate. Perhaps their demigod status kept them from god travel, she thought. Hecate was no longer behind her as Therese reached the stables with Clifford and Jewels. When she opened the wooden door, she found the walls had completely collapsed, and Stormy lay on his side crushed beneath the rubble with blood pouring from his flanks.

 

Among the weeping women and children, Than pulled the soul of the Chinese man from the limp body on the bed. As sorry as he felt for those left behind, Than’s own troubles distracted him beyond measure. He tried to put the doubts out of his mind, but with no success. They appeared, against his will: Therese had used him so she could become a god. She had never loved him as he loved her. The death of her parents, and so many after, had motivated her to find a way around her own mortality.

He ushered the soul across the heavens and then down through the deep chasm, where hundreds of his disintegrated selves led other souls from different parts of the world. Like a great machine—the greatest conveyor belt imaginable—he swept along, an automatic cog in the wheel of life. And there below him on his raft, long pole in hand, was his fellow cog, Charon, ready to carry the souls to their judgment.

For centuries, he’d done this same work, longing for a change, and now that he’d finally found his wish, he was only more miserable.

Therese never meant to marry him. He’d been a fool.

In the weeks since she moved in, her eighteenth birthday and their wedding date had come and gone. Therese had said she wasn’t ready, postponing their marriage indefinitely. When he asked her why, she had repeated, “I’m not ready.”

Than was a patient god. Although disappointed, he could wait for as many years as Therese needed. But it wasn’t her spoken objection that had his stomach in knots and his emotions unstable; it was the physical distance she put between them of late that made him shiver and regret the day he’d met her.

How could the same touch of his hands on her that had once made her smile and cling to him cause her to avert her eyes and pull away? If she once loved him, it was clear she did no longer.

Aphrodite had warned him this might happen.

As he neared Charon, he noticed Cerberus whining, and beside him stood his sister Tizzie. Then he saw a great explosion beyond the gates, and red and orange sparks flew through the sky. Rocks tumbled down the walls of the chasm, like the beginning of an avalanche. In all the centuries Than had lived in the Underworld, he’d never witnessed anything like this before.

“Charon,” Than said. “What’s happening?”

“I believe the Underworld is under attack,” the old man replied in his husky, gravelly voice.

At that moment, Than sensed Stormy’s death in the stables, and he disintegrated and dispatched where he found Therese, with Jewels clutched to her chest and Clifford barking hysterically at the crushed body that belonged to Stormy.

“What in the hell is going on?” Than asked.

“I don’t know! We can’t reach your parents. We’ve got to get out of here.”

Before Than could respond, a thick black boulder loosened from the ceiling and landed squarely on Therese’s head, knocking her and the tortoise to the floor. The tortoise slid across the ground, spinning on its back, and stopped several feet away, safe from harm, but Than heard the crunch and thud of Therese’s body beneath the weight of the massive rock. His heart stopped beating as he held his breath and stared in shock.

“Father!” he shouted into the falling debris surrounding him. He felt like a helpless, desperate child. “Father!”

 

Hypnos lifted the saddle onto the beast and tightened the tack. He still wasn’t used to the sharp smell of hay and feces, stirred about by the brushing by humans of the other beasts surrounding him. It wasn’t a bad smell, really. Having spent most of his life in the Dreamworld, where sensory perceptions were dulled by a degree of separation between the mind and the body, he rather liked the pungent assault on all of his senses, not just the olfactory ones. Besides, his eyes were continually pleased by the prettiest girl he’d ever seen who was now bent over in front of him. The corners of his mouth twitched, and he fought the urge to slap her on the rump. Instead, he patted Hershey, the horse in his charge, and told him what a good boy he was, as he’d often heard the other humans say to their beasts.

Hip was grateful to the old Holt woman for taking him on as a horse handler yesterday when he’d shown up, unannounced. He’d finally won his father’s permission to follow in Than’s footsteps to journey to the Upperworld as a mortal in a pursuit of a queen. Whether Hip would actually marry her was a different story. Hip realized that his brother had the right idea in finding a way to spend time in the Upperworld, and Hip wanted his turn. All these years of visiting girls in the Dreamworld didn’t compare to the feeling of being in the physical presence of one.

Centuries ago, he’d come close to marrying one of Aphrodite’s youngest Graces, Pasithea, but she overwhelmed him with her neediness, and he finally broke off their relationship. Since then, he’d been content playing with mortals in their dreams, but his brother’s recent love affair, he had to admit, had made him jealous.

Hip hoped to soon have a taste of Jen’s pretty lips. Maybe he’d get lucky and taste all of her.

Mrs. Holt looked at him now from behind the big stallion they called The General.

“You’re as handy as your brother,” Mrs. Holt said. “Too bad he couldn’t come with you.”

Jen stood up and brushed her mare’s mane. “He’s too busy with the wedding plans, I bet.”

Hip couldn’t stop the smile from crossing his face every time Jen looked at him through narrowed eyes. She recognized him, he was sure of it, but she was having trouble admitting to herself that she knew him from her dreams.

“I doubt that,” Hip said with a shrug.

Jen whipped around to face him with her hands on her hips, her pretty mouth making a perfect “O.” Then she said, “He better not make her do everything by herself. Damn your brother if he does.”

This tickled Hip beyond control, and he couldn’t stop himself from busting out laughing. What mortal had the gall to damn the god of death? Of course, this girl had no idea what she was saying.

“Language,” Mrs. Holt said from the back of the barn.

Jen ignored her mother. “What’s so funny?’ She moved closer, her brown eyes glaring up at Hip from beneath her pretty blonde bangs and equally blond lashes. “Don’t tell me you’re a chauvinistic pig.”

“Jen!” Mrs. Holt scolded from behind her beast. “Don’t talk to Hip like that.”

Jen kept her eyes blazing on Hip, but spoke to her mother. “I have the right to talk like that to anyone who laughs at me, Mama.”

“My apologies,” Hip said, reining in his chuckles. “But you misunderstood. Than’s not busy with the wedding because, last I heard, Therese called it off.”

Jen’s mouth dropped open. Then, after staring incredulously at Hip for an uncomfortable amount of time, she threw her hands up in the air and presented him with a smile he hadn’t earned. “Allelujah, praise the Lord! It’s about time she came to her senses.”

Was she praising him? Had he become her lord? Somehow he doubted it, but he was amused by how quickly Jen’s demeanor changed from attack mode. She looked about to hug him. He liked being the bearer of good news.

“When’s she coming home?” Jen asked him.

Hip shook his head. “I don’t think she is. I, I…” He wished he’d kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t his job to explain why a goddess couldn’t live among her mortal friends and family.

Jen stepped between the horses and planted her feet inches from his. He wanted to reach out and touch her to see if she felt as good as she did in the Dreamworld. Her eyes narrowed and then widened, and for a moment, he thought she had figured out who he was. But then she said, “Don’t tell me she’s going to stay in Texas.”

“Why would she…” Hip stopped himself. “Maybe you should talk to her yourself.” He turned his back to her and continued to brush the horse. This conversation was over. He’d never had to make explanations to mortals, and he wasn’t about to start doing it now.

But Jen moved close behind him, so close, he could feel the heat from her body. He could smell her sweat and something else. Something fruity and sweet.

“I can’t get a hold of her,” Jen said in a desperate voice. “She hasn’t returned any of my texts and calls in over a month. I don’t know if she has her new email yet. She’s not on Facebook anymore, or Instagram. Nothing. It’s like she’s disappeared off the face of the earth.”

She has, he wanted to say. That’s exactly what’s happened. But, of course, he wouldn’t.

Jen put her hand on his shoulder and he felt every part of him come to attention.

“Please,” she said softly. “Please help me get in touch with her.”

He turned and saw tears welling in her eyes. “I’ll do what I can.”

 

Jen was surprised by the sudden tenderness in the new handler’s voice. It reminded her of something from a dream. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

“What?” Hip asked, his face close.

She took a step back. “I need to get back to work.”

As she brushed Satellite, Jen stole glances at Hip. He’d taken her out to a movie over a year ago when his brother had introduced them, but then he’d never called her again after that. He’d said he’d never been to this part of the world, as though he were from another country. But he was from Texas. He spoke as if Texas were in a different part of the world.

Well, maybe all Texans thought that way.

Now he had the gall to show his face and ask for a job. He could have called her just to say, “Hey.”

She glanced at him once more, and this time she noticed a look of worry come over his face, even horror.

“You alright?” she asked. He was freaking her out.

He turned to Jen’s mother and said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Holt, but I have to go.”

“What is it?” Jen’s mom asked, also noticing the obvious look of horror on their new handler’s face.

“I can’t explain,” he said. “Something’s not right. I need to go immediately. My apologies.”

“Do you need a ride anywhere?” Pete asked, having just walked in from the pen and having overheard the last bit of their conversation.

“Um, no thanks,” Hip said. “Thanks anyway, man.”

Jen’s mouth dropped open. This made absolutely no sense. She followed Hip from the barn and stood at the gate, where he let himself out of the pen.

“Are you coming back tomorrow?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I hope so.” He didn’t even look at Jen, which hurt after the tenderness between them moments ago. She’d begun to forgive him. And now he was leaving?

“Will I ever see you again?” she cried out as he jogged down the gravel drive from her house to the road.

“I hope so,” he repeated, but again without turning and meeting her eyes.

Overcome with a sudden feeling of dread, Jen opened the gate and followed him down the path. She watched him turn past a line of oak trees. When she rounded the corner, her throat pinched closed by the shock. He had disappeared.

She looked all around the one-mile stretch of road from her house to the Melner Cabin, where he was staying. Panting for breath and trembling, she knocked on the door of the cabin and got no answer.

“Hip? Are you there?” she called again and again, but the boy had vanished.

Giveaway Winners!

Here are the winners of my recent blog tour giveaway:

$20 Amazon Gift Card:  Bj Gaskill

Signed paperback edition of The Gatekeeper’s Sons: Rebecca Anne Edwards

Jennifer Lopez Snake Earrings: Miki

Audiobook edition of The Gatekeeper’s Sons: Amber Hall

Congratulations! And thanks for your participation!

The Sea of Monsters Event was Fabulosa!

Yesterday I helped the Barnes and Noble at San Pedro Crossing with their Sea of Monsters Event. It was so much fun, and I was impressed with it on so many levels. About thirty kids and some parents showed up, and they brought their enthusiasm with them! (Including my high school friend Dora and her family!) The book store staff was amazingly efficient and friendly as they led the participants through the various stations.

First, the kids made name tags using the Greek alphabet. Here’s a pic of two girls from my old Girl Scout troop, Heidi and Madison, showing off their name tags and head wreaths in front of the Greek alphabet.

From there, the kids went to an estimation jar filled with Riptides (Percy Jackson’s sword). After writing down their names and estimations, they moved to a wreath-making station. How cool is that?

From there, some kids went directly to the face-painting station where they could choose from a number of Greek-themed graphics. Others went over to the Greek symbol game, where, up on the wall, there was about a dozen symbols, such as the trident, a crane, a she-bear, and a caduceus. Participants were given a sheet of paper on which they needed to identify the god or goddess associated with each symbol. Those with all of the correct answers were entered into a drawing for a prize.

After the kids completed each of the stations, the games began! Check out these kids playing “Pin the Eye on Tyson.” It was hilarious to watch!

The kids then broke into four teams. Each team chose one Grover and then proceeded to create a wedding gown for Grover using toilet paper, plastic sheeting, and tape. Each Grover walked down the runway where applause from the audience was used to choose the winner. This had us laughing in stitches!

The final game was the quest for the Golden Fleece. The kids were divided into four teams, and each team was asked a trivia question about Riordan’s Sea of Monsters book. When a team answered correctly, they were given the Golden Fleece. If a team answered incorrectly, the question was presented to the next team, and so on. The last team to have the Golden Fleece in its possession was the winner!

I want to thank Debra, Ashley, Lucinda, and the other awesome staff at the Barnes of Noble for allowing me to be a part of this exciting evening. My “I’m a BOOK G[R]EEK” buttons and Gatekeeper’s bookmarks were a hit. I had several people ask me about my series! If you were one of them, welcome to my tribe!

Introducing Katasteema!

Due to popular demand, I’m creating fan merchandise, which you can check out over at my store, Katasteema! Little by little, I will be adding products related to the Gatekeeper’s Saga, such as buttons, t-shirts, book charm bracelets, a reader’s journal, and Athena’s locket! Here are pics for the t-shirts I have available so far:

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think?

Author Spotlight: Pam Funke

The World at War by Pam Funke
ISBN: 978-1475102260
Publisher: CreateSpace
Softcover (528 pages)

Purchase the book here: Amazon | CreateSpace | Amazon UK

Contact the Author: Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Book blurb:

The second book in the exciting The Apocalypse series.

Join General Alexander Ludlow as he continues on his mission to save the world. At least that is what he thinks that Operation Dark Angel is all about. He is however starting to suspect that this mission is not all that it's cracked up to be. The world is in complete chaos as major nations wage war on each other and the world is on the brink of World War III.

The Group is secretly continuing Operation Dark Angel with much success. Unknown to the rest of the world they are the ones who are behind the strange and devastating attacks on Israel and around the world. What is it that they are really after when they are supposed to be bringing peace to an out of control world?

Italian President Nicolaitanes Balac is steadily gaining political power and recognition. The entire world is watching this one man and wondering if he will be the one to save them from the chaotic spiral that the world is headed towards. Is he really who he appears to be or is he something more sinister? Can he save the world? Do we even want him to? Is this who mankind should rely on for help or will this be the worst mistake that mankind has ever made?




Excerpt:
 Chee Tsang, China’s Chief Executive, gathered the country’s military officials together. He was ready for payback. How dare Israel attack his beloved country? Beijing is now just a smoldering disaster zone. This fact alone both angered and saddened him.
General Baojia Chan stood nearby looking over intelligence and working out a war strategy in his head. First we will attack Israel with missiles then a surprise attack with our massive army. “General, I want your opinion about something. What will we gain from this? How will this attack on Israel benefit the people of China?” Chee Tsang asked.General Chan looked back at the papers he was reviewing before looking at Mr. Chee Tsang. “Well, I think that this will only work as long as we contain the element of surprise. We then enter the country from here and here,” Baojia said pointing at the military map.“I see. But would we not have a greater advantage point from here and here,” Chee asked.“I have planned for the Immediate Action Unit to drop forces in at those locations,” General Chan replied.“But I thought that we primarily used them to protect the country from terrorism, riots, and the like. If we use them in our attack, won’t that leave the country defenseless?” Chee asked.“Yes, the IAU is primarily used for that purpose but as they are extremely good at tactical maneuvers we will be using them to strengthen our military forces. The Snow Leopard Commando Unit will be protecting our country while the military is deployed,” Baojia replied. “Very well then, how long before we can make this happen?” Chee asked. “It is being done as we speak sir. In a matter of hours we will have our troops in the air,” Baojia replied.General Chan has done well, although I wish that he had waited for my approval. Chee turned and faced General Chan. “You are doing a fine job. As I am not needed here I will be off taking care of more pressing issues. Do not disappoint me,” Chee said. He then turned and left the room.General Chan turned back to his staff. “How much longer before the planes are loaded with the troops and equipment?” he asked. “Sir, they will be ready for takeoff in approximately two and a half hours,” the young soldier replied. “Excellent. Now I want you to launch the missiles at Israel. We will start by creating chaos and panic and then the real fun begins,” General Chan ordered. “Yes sir,” the soldier replied. He then typed in the target locations, the order codes, and hit send.
*****
Meanwhile in Russia, Adolph Christophe, Sergei and Anya Petrov watched as missiles appeared to approach the United States, England, France, and Japan. Adolph watched as the imaginary missile attack from China, Israel, Iraq, Turkey and Canada happened on screen. How is it possible that Sergei was able to achieve this? Won’t each of their security measures in place realize that none of this is real? This is unbelievable. While they watched their monitors and various news feeds on the television nothing seemed to indicate that the current attacks were anything other than real. This puzzled Adolph a little. How are they all being deceived so easily? Well it is of no consequence to me. Although I do wonder how it is being achieved.Although he knew the truth, various countries were running amuck as they thought that their allies were attacking them. What he wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall and actually witness the panic and confusion going on in these countries.
****
Janet Chu, the current director of The United States’ Homeland Security, was currently in a secret meeting with representatives from each of the 50 states. They were finally going to have a temporary President, Vice President and presidential cabinet as their previous ones had been killed during the attack on Washington D.C. The United States was a little chaotic and definitely needed some guidance. The people of the United States would be given the opportunity to vote for someone more appropriate later.“Does anyone have any experience that would govern them as a potential Presidential candidate?” Janet asked. A couple of hands went up. Janet rubbed her forehead in frustration. How are we going to fill all the positions? “Okay, let’s do this. Those of you that raised your hands a moment ago, I want you to give us a brief description of your qualifications—a mini campaign if you will. Then after each of you has had your turn, we will vote for the position of acting President, acting Vice President, et cetera,” Janet said sitting down.“Okay,” they replied in unison. Approximately ten people stood up each giving their mini campaign in turn before returning to their seats. Janet had to admit that she was very impressed with a few of them; it was going to be difficult to vote. “Now before we vote, I want to remind you that it is imperative that we be fair and think before we vote,” Janet said. Before they could even start casting their ballots, multiple alarms went off across the room. Everyone in the room tensed up; no one said a single word. Janet got up from her chair trying to remain calm and walked over to the computer monitors. She looked at the radar screens then at the man sitting before the computer.“Tell me that is not what I think it is,” Janet said.“Ma’am, I really wish that I could. But we have ten missiles flying into our airspace,” Joe Hogan said panicky. “Quickly deploy the interceptor missiles,” Janet replied.Joe looked pale. “I did ma’am, they had absolutely no effect,” Joe replied.“Where did they come from Joe?” Janet asked. Joe looked like he was ready to pass out. “Iraq and Canada,” Joe replied shaking.“Are you telling me that those missiles came from our own allies?” Janet yelled pointing at the screen. Joe was almost afraid to answer, “Yes ma’am, I’m afraid that they have.”Janet looked back at the representatives; they all had the same expression on their faces. Janet hesitated for only a moment, “Joe, I want you to return fire immediately. Defend our country.” Within minutes real missiles were now being launched by the United States targeting Canada and Iraq. 

Who Wants One of These Cool Buttons?

Sea of Monsters Event at Barnes and Noble

Come join me at the Sea of Monsters event on Tuesday, Aug. 6th at 7 pm, at the San Pedro Crossing location in San Antonio. Participants will make their own name tag using the Greek alphabet or hieroglyphics, create a laurel wreath to wear during the event, scavenger hunt, play Sea of Monsters Trivia, and play Guess the God/Godess game.  Candace will be there in her Cerberus costume. The entire event should last a little over an hour.

I will also be there this Saturday, July 27th at 2 pm to talk about The Gatekeeper’s Saga, sign and sell my books, and offer kids a chance to win a prize.

Barnes and Noble Book Signing

Thanks to all the family and friends who came out to support me at my very first book signing. For those of you who wanted to come but missed it, there will be another opportunity on July 27th at 2PM at the San Pedro Crossing Location.

A sign with my name on it!

My smart and gorgeous cousins, Gloria, Chris, Sydney, and Ryan!

My beautiful colleague, Dixie, and her adorable kids!

Fellow author, Sara Hale Payne!