M.B. Mulhall's Blog, page 8

NaNo Sneak Peek – Chapter 3

Sneak peeks of the NaNoWriMo project in progress continues!  Chapter three of Errand Girl of the Undead: The Trouble with Zombies (remember, no editing done yet, blah blah)

Chapter One can be found here: Click me!

Chapter Two right here: Yup, here

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Chapter Three

Shock coursed through me and the paper slipped from my fingers.  I noticed out the corner of my eye that Tyler was quick to snatch it up before it hit the floor, sliding it into his pocket before others could see it.

“Ellie, you okay? You’re white as a ghost,” he said under his breath, evident concern in his voice.  I could do nothing but swallow hard and give a curt nod.  I could feel his eyes on me, questioning, before he turned away.

“Okay ladies, I’ve got to get going. My ride needs to get to work.”  The girls protested, most of them offering to give him a lift, but he graciously denied them all before giving them his back and closing my locker.  Looping an arm through mine, he led me out of the building and towards my car.

With robotic motions, I unlocked the car and got in, sitting in the driver’s seat with my hand poised to put the key in the ignition, but not following through.  Tyler fished the note out of his pocket before sitting down and buckling his seat belt.  He didn’t read it, but twisted in his seat and held the piece of paper out to me, questioning with his eyes.

I tipped my head towards him, silently giving him the go ahead to read the note. It didn’t take more than a moment.  He put the paper in my cup holder and put a hand on my thigh.

“Whoever wrote this, you know it’s not Tomas.  You and Samson finished him.”

I nodded.  “I know, but then who else could it be and why are they choosing to come forward now? Why didn’t they give me more information? Tell me how to get in touch with them?”

“Maybe they’re just playing with you,” Tyler said, anger flashing briefly in his eyes.  He’s very protective of me.

“Maybe,” I agreed, my tone skeptical. I closed my eyes and rubbed them with the heels of my hands. Amazing how a just a couple of random words strung together into a sentence could send your world into a tailspin.

Tyler squeezed my thigh reassuringly.  “I’ll help you figure it out if you want me to.” Hands dropping into my lap, I give him a small smile. It’s nice to know I’ve got someone on my side.

“Thanks T.  For now, I better get to work. Lots to do today. I’ll drop you off on the way.”  He looked like he was going to protest but then thought better of it.  After he nodded his agreement, I started the car and headed towards home.

***

Something about my office was calming to me.  I’m not sure if it was the organization of it all–the everything has a place and everything is in its place kind of deal–but it almost always put me at ease.

I looked both ways to make sure no one was watching me as I unlocked the door “normal” people couldn’t see, and entered the space, flipping on the florescent lights as I went.  The plaza where my office was located was rundown and almost always empty, which meant there were never a lot of people around to wonder why some preppy blonde girl was disappearing into walls.  The ones who are around and might see are typically the kind of folks under the influence of something.

Checking my machine, I saw I had 4 messages waiting. Next to the phone was my stack of pink slips of jobs that needed to be done.  It was going to be a long afternoon.  My stomach let out a lion-like roar, reminding me that I skimped on lunch. Hey, I barely had time to eat breakfast, never mind pack a lunch.  Putting work on hold, I strolled out the door and down to the end of the strip mall where there was still a Chinese take-out place in business.  They knew my order by heart and placed it as soon as I walked in.  I sat in one of the metal chairs with its shiny red cracked cushion.  There was a young couple seated at a table near me. Both were fidgeting with their phones while waiting for their order to be up.

“Hey, did you hear that they found another mangled body?” I overheard the guy say to his brunette companion.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “No. Do we really have to talk about it before eating?”  I was with her. My stomach may be strong but I’d prefer not to have to hear about bloody body parts right before I eat.

“It was right by our house!” he exclaimed as if that meant he had license to discuss it even though she had nixed the discussion. She sighed and gave in, gesturing for him to continue with his gruesome tale. Unable to help myself, I leaned in a little closer too.

“The body was found in that old playground by the elementary school.”

“Oh no,” the girl said, concern on her face. “I hope one of the kids didn’t come across it. Poor things will have nightmares for life…”

Her guy was quick to shake his head. “No, the cops found it thanks to some anonymous tip.”

My eyebrows rose.  Anonymous tip means they either knew it was happening or came upon it but didn’t want to be known because they may have had a hand in it…or some kind of criminal record.

The guy continued, “The body was under that big metal slide, ya know, the one that we’d burn the backs of our legs on going down it in the summer while wearing shorts?”  The girl rolled her eyes at his unnecessary description but nodded that she remembered. “Turned out to be some business-type guy. He was all decked out in an expensive suit. They said he had bite marks all over his body.”

My ears perked up at his words and my thoughts immediately drifted to Tyler. No, I shook my head, thanks to his training with Hunter, he’s got the curse under control.  And after what Tomas had been making him do, I’m sure Tyler wouldn’t hurt anyone else, not even by gun point.  Was there another rogue werewolf around? Had Tomas made a second and had them in hiding before he died? I knew the answer to that was most likely no.

The brunette said something I missed and her companion replied, “No! That’s the crazy thing; they said they are most definitely human bites! Isn’t that insane?”

“Some other human bit this guy to death?” She was turning an unattractive shade of green.

“Yeah! Not just bites either. They said pieces of flesh had been torn off the guy’s body and–get this–his head had been bashed open and part of the brain was eaten!”  His eyes gleamed with a sick excitement as he relayed the story to his distressed girlfriend.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” she said, before slapping a hand over her mouth.  He just laughed and got up to grab their food which had been placed on the counter.

“It’s probably just some addict, ya know, like that guy on bath salts that attacked a guy in Florida. Come on, I’ll protect you on the walk home,” he said, throwing an arm around her shoulder.  I didn’t think she looked too assured by his words, but left with him all the same

I had heard that story and always felt there was something off about it. Sure drugs can make you do crazy things, but turn you into a cannibal? I wasn’t not so sure.  The guy’s words swam around in my brain as I tried to make sense of the story, to come up with a logical explanation. Although, was anything about murder and violence really logical? They’re often considered crimes of passion for a reason.

In the distance I heard the cashier call me over. I got up and moved like a zombie towards the register. Arm out to grab the bag, I froze. No.  It couldn’t be…could it? I blinked a couple times, coming out of my trans-like state. I tossed a couple of bucks on the counter and told them to keep the change as I raced out of the restaurant and back to my store front. I had some research to do before running my errands.

This could be a big deal.

Brain eating zombies normally were.

NaNoWriMo Week 3 – Where Are You At?

Three weeks in already! Where has the time gone?  How is your story treating you? Flowing like a proper river? Or fighting you tooth and nail, like a bitch?

Are you ahead of the game? (If so, huzzah for you!) Or are you lagging behind?  I’m currently slightly behind, but there’s still time to catch up!

I’m here to give you a kick in the ass, if needed.  You’ve got these last two weeks and you can get it done!  If thinking in terms of the  50,000 words is daunting, change your thought patterns. Give yourself credit and a big pat on the back for writing as much as you have. For writing once a week. For writing once a day. For planning, intending and putting something down on paper (aka screen) which is so much more than many others have done.

Give yourself smaller goals and reward yourself if need be.  If you can get 500 words down, you can watch 30 min of TV or eat your favorite snack.

Don’t forget to participate in Word Wars and Sprints (@nanowordsprints on Twitter) which are, in my opinion, great motivators.  You’ve  come this far already, don’t give up before getting to the end of the month.

Let me know and how you’re doing with your NaNoWriMo journey. If you need some motivation, leave me a Twitter name or FB name and I’ll help keep you going!

Nano Sneak Peek – Chapter 2

Time is limited therefore I decided Thursdays in November will be for teasers. 1) it’s quick and easy 2) it keeps me writing so I have stuff to share 3) why not?

In case you missed last week, here’s Chapter One in the 2nd installment of Errand Girl of the Undead.  Remember, as per Nanowrimo rules, no editing has been done so excuse any typos or other general weirdness!

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Chapter Two

After scrambling to eat food and get out the door in time, I breathed a huge sigh of relief to make it to school before the bell.  Tyler, grinning at my melodramatic reaction, grabbed the strap on his backpack before opening the car door.  When he smiled like that, I had to resist the urge to scratch him behind the ear.

Tyler started at my school a couple weeks after I brought him home with me.  He had been forcefully turned into a werewolf by an old vamp, Tomas, who had something against Josiah. He had used Tyler to get him meals, a.k.a. fresh blood, and tried to get him to kill me to get back at my guardian.  To his credit, Tyler resisted eating me, even though he had been starved for a whole month before being let loose on the full moon and pointed in my direction.  I took it as a sign that he wasn’t just a mindless monster and that he could be saved. Not to mention I had always wanted a pet. Tyler was as close as I could get to having a puppy.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him lope off towards the building, excited to meet up with the new friends he was making and generally enjoying life for a change.  He had told us he came from an abusive home and was living on the streets when Tomas found him.  I was glad, if for no other reason, that he was happy and living the life of a “normal” teen, at least for 29 days out of the month.

Heading towards my locker, I couldn’t help but think about the situation that led me to Tyler in the first place.  When I had figured out what was going on, Josiah had hired me to stake Tomas for his crimes.  Before I could drive the pointed piece of wood home, Tomas taunted me with claims of knowing about my origin and how I had come to be with Josiah.  Samson assured me that Tomas was just trying to stall, looking for a way out of his impending final death, but I couldn’t help but be curious about what he said.  Thoughts of it kept me up at night, tossing and turning, trying to screw up the courage to question Josiah about it.

Until Tomas had mentioned it, I didn’t realize how much it bothered me not to know where I came from.  Josiah had always been my father-figure and I was happy enough to be well cared for and loved in the  best way he knew how, but now…now I can’t help but wonder who my mother and father were and why I wasn’t still with them.

“Earth to Ellie. Hellllllo.”

A hand waving in front of my face snapped me out of my thoughts.  Quick reflexes kept me from grabbing the arm connected to the hand and wrenching it up behind their back.  Good thing too because I think that totally would have ruined my chances of ever dating the cute guy attached to that arm.

“Oh, hey Jon,” I replied, hoping I wasn’t blushing.  When you’re as pale as me, the slightest hint of color makes you look like a tomato.

“Hi,” he said, smiling, which I admit made my knees a little weak.  Big scary vampires threatening to kill me don’t make my knees knock but give me a cute boy throwing his 100 watt smile my way? I’m a goner. “You looked like you were a million miles away.”

I ducked my head in embarrassment at being caught, lost in thought. “Yeah, I suppose I was…”

“Happens to the best of us at times,” he said patting my shoulder.  I gave him what I hoped was a cute smile and not a manic “OMG he’s touching me!” smile.

Jon reached around and opened the door to our homeroom, sweeping his arm in a grand gesture to allow me to enter first. I nodded my thanks and hurried in, hoping my ass didn’t look too big in this skirt.

The rest of the school day was uneventful.  I had another couple of bouts of “head in the clouds” during class, but thankfully I’m a good student and was able to answer when the teachers called on me.

Tyler was waiting at my locker, his usual gaggle of girls surround him.  I tried not to roll my eyes at their excessive fawning and giggling.  Tyler is super cute, especially now that he’s put some weight back on and got a decent haircut.  I can tell he likes the attention, but I also know he won’t let any of them get too close.  We share the burden of not being able to really get involved with someone for fear of them finding out about our “other” lives.

I noticed a few  evil eyes looked my way as Tyler waved at me with excitement. I guess they thought we were a couple or something.  That’ll never happen.  Don’t get me wrong, Tyler’s a great guy and like I said, not hard on the eyes, but he’s more like a brother to me and I think the feeling is mutual.  It’s actually a good thing because if there were romantic feelings, living together would be difficult.

Originally, Josiah was going to get Tyler into a pack, so he could learn more about being a Were, but because the local pack had something to do with his turning, Tyler had no desire to join them.  Instead, Josiah called in an old friend, a lone wolf who roams the country doing odd jobs, to come help Tyler learn to deal with his curse.  They seem to get along well and everyone is content with the current situation.

Ty crushed me in a tight hug when I got within range.  If looks could kill, I’m sure I’d be dead. Those girls were not happy with that action. I, on the other hand, loved it.  For as great a father as Josiah was, he was never big on a lot of touching. I don’t know if it was just unnatural to him and his kind or if he was concerned he might hurt me in some way.  Siobhan was good for hugs, but she’s so tiny she can’t even get her arms all the way around my waist.  Tyler’s hugs were like a big blanket, enveloping me in warmth and security.  We may not have known each other long, but circumstances have made us grown close in a very short period of time. I would miss him something fierce if he were to go away.

“How was your day?” he asked, stepping back so I could open my locker.

“Ooh same ole same ole.  Yours?”  I glanced over my shoulder at him, turning my lock by memory.

“Not too shabby.”  He grinned, tipping his head towards to the catty pack of girls.

I rolled my eyes and swung the locker door open. A small piece of paper came fluttering out, turning end over end before it landed at my feet.

“Oooh, a love letter?” one of the girls asked before reaching around me to make a grab for it.  I hip checked her out of the way. No way was I letting someone else read whatever it was before I did.   She stumbled back with an “oof”, practically landing in Tyler’s arms.  It was amazing to watch the murderous rage slide off her face as he smiled down at her, helping to put her up right.  Tearing my eyes away from the sickeningly sweet exchange, I reached down and plucked the piece of paper off the speckled cement floor.

Nerves fluttered a bit in my stomach as I turned the paper over.  The neat black print stood out offensively on the stark white paper.  The nerves settled into a heavy lump in my stomach, my throat suddenly tight.

“I know who you are and where you come from.”

BIG News!

Some of you may remember a story  I wrote called Heavyweight. I’ve posted a couple of teasers over the past year.  It was the first thing I wrote where I felt I really wanted to shop it around for traditional publishing. I had several agents ask for fulls and they all came back the same “Thank you, but it’s not for us.”  I was all set to self publish when my writing bud, Patricia Lynne, suggested I submit to the publishing house, Dreamspinner Press.

I knew of Dreamspinner, thanks to meeting several of their authors (and getting books signed!) at BEA earlier this year, but I had no idea they had a separate young adult division called Harmony Ink Press.  I checked their requirements and was excited to see they accepted unagented work. I wrote a query and sent out my stuff.  The waiting game started, but it didn’t last very long.

I’m very happy to announce that late last week I signed a contract with them and Heavyweight  will be published in early 2014.

I’m beyond excited to be working with them and to know that this story I love so much will finally make its way to the masses!

This blog will allow me to share the process with you, as it’s something new I haven’t talked about , since I didn’t have the personal experience. I hope sharing my journey will help others gain the courage to submit and then know what to expect as the process moves along.

Nano Sneak Peek-The Trouble with Zombies

Since I’m busy writing, writing, writing (I’m half way through the first of 2 short stories), I figured I’d give you guys a sneak peek of what I’m working on.

Here’s the first chapter of the second story in the Errand Girl of the Undead short series: The Trouble with Zombies.  Please remember, as per Nanowrimo “rules”, there is NO editing done.  They encourage you to keep writing until the end of the month rather than stopping to edit things, so kindly look past typos, repetitiveness and grammar issues! Heh

Enjoy!

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Chapter One

 

There was a satisfying thud as the incessantly ringing alarm clock hit the wood floor. Sadly, it was still ringing loud enough to wake the dead.  Thankfully, the dead in this house slept down a different hallway.

Groaning, I rolled over and groped for the power cord so I could make the deafening racket stop. I wished the inventor of the alarm clock had been turned just so I could kill them again for making the infernal device. Finally locating the cord, I gave it a strong tug and silence flooded the room. I mumbled a quick thanks to Edison and electricity before rolling back over and snuggling under the covers.

“Elvira Weston, you get out of that bed this instance. You’ll be late for school!” The use of my full name and the sternness of the tiny voice yelling in my ear made me immediately sit up, like Frankenstein’s monster. I knew better than to mess with Siobhan, my Bean-Tighe housekeeper.  She may be small in stature, but she had more than enough tricks up her short sleeves to make me regret trying to catch five more minutes of precious, precious sleep.

“Alright, alright, I’m up.” I hoped she could understand my garbled words. The fact that she left my side and threw opened the curtains had me wondering if she didn’t understand or if she just wanted to make sure I stayed awake.

Why does school have to start at such an ungodly hour? Don’t they know some of us teens have jobs that keep us up to all hours of the night? I was awake until almost 3 AM, baking a cake in the shape of a stake for a client.  No, not the kind of tasty steak that comes from a cute mooing cow–although that’d be a great cake idea for a vegetarian–, but the kind of stake used to kill a vampire.  Funny, since my client was of the undead variety and wanted give the cake to their long time mate who is turning 205 tonight. Sometimes living a long life seems to lead to an extra warped sense of humor. I’m not planning on hanging around to see how it goes over with the recipient.

Baking wouldn’t normally take me hours, but the client requested I use bloodworms and leeches in the batter. I had to dig ‘em up and process them in order to add them the mix. I barely kept my dinner down and I definitely won’t be able to use that food processor for anything else ever again. Good thing I was smart enough to make a small tester cake, because the bugs made the cake all bumpy, which meant that I needed to process them into finer pieces. Think bug puree. I also had to wait for my guardian, Josiah, to come home so he could taste test it before I did the decorating. No way was I putting a piece of red velvet blood cake into my mouth. Gross. In the end, he pronounced it delicious and I decorated with fondant and royal icing to make it look incredibly realistic. I hope the client will be pleased. I rely heavily on repeat business. There are only so many Down Unders in the area, ya know?

Grabbing my favorite hot pink cropped sweater and denim skirt, I headed towards the shower. A quick blast of cold water would do the trick to keep my eyes opened. While quickly soaping up, I started going over my schedule for the day:

7AM-3PM School as usual

3PM-6PM Pick up ten bags of O Neg at the blood bank, buy four loaves of bread and three gallons of milk for a group of fae, need to grab a bag of pig ears and snouts for the hell hounds and some flea powder for Tyler (the poor guy picked them up during his last romp in the woods)

7PM-9PM Dinner and homework and returning any calls that come into the business

9:30PM Drop off the stake cake

A long day for sure, but my bank account will be fat and sated. I’m proud of my baby, my Errand Girl of the Undead, business. It’s in the black and thriving as I’m running around doing things for the neighborhood vamps, weres, faeries and demons. When my vampire guardian, Josiah, suggested I take over running his daily errands so his human retainer could retire, I had no idea it would blossom into such a successful business. Who knew Down Unders needed so much help with daily life errands?

“Hurry up, lass or you won’t have time for breakfast.” Siobhan’s voice floated through the pounding sound of the shower.

“Coming!” I lathered up my blonde hair wondering, not for the first time, if I should just cut it short so it would take less time to get ready. Nahhh. The long locks are part of my signature look.

“Yes Elvira, please do hurry it up. I’m hungry for a peek, I mean for breakfast,” came an annoyingly familiar voice, its timber low and smooth.

Without looking, I whipped the bar of soap around the shower curtain, aiming for the sound of the voice.  When I caught of whiff of sulfur, I knew the jerk had teleported before I could hit him.

“Quit being a perv and don’t call me Elvira!” I yelled, knowing he hadn’t gone far.  The responding laugh sounded from just beyond the closed door. “Stupid Samson,” I mumbled while turning the faucet off. I was sure to wrap the towel tight around me before stepping out. I didn’t smell him come back in, but I wasn’t taking the chance of giving him a peep show.

Samson was…well, I’m not sure what I’d call him other than a pain in the ass.  His blue furry butt has been in my life for as long as I could remember. He was a part time nanny when I was little, friend until I hit my teen years and now? Well, I’m not exactly sure where we stand now.  There’s typically annoyance, sarcasm and lewd behavior between us, but other times I see glimpses of something else. Something I’m not sure I can name, or want to put a name to.

Sighing, I double checked the lock–not that a lock would keep out a teleporting demon–before dropping the towel and lotioning up.

“It puts the lotion on its skin or it gets the hose again,” I said absentmindedly to myself.

“Are you preparing yourself to be skinned?” Samson asked from behind the closed door. Stupid demon hearing.

I banged a fist on the door. “Go away and let me get ready.”  I heard a heavy sigh and the sound of feet shuffling away, knowing he was just putting a show on for me.  Samson was more stealthy than a cat and a ninja combined.

“I would wear you any day.” Samson’s voice surrounded me a fraction of a second before I smelled the sulfur that accompanied his teleportation.

Without a second thought, my fist swung back and I caught him in the thigh, exceedingly close to his delicate bits. He hissed in pain and popped out before I could take another swing.

“Next time, I won’t miss!” I yelled into the air. Sneaky demon. Place your bets on me, folks. One of these days I’m going to be the one to get the jump on him and I assure you, it won’t be pretty.

 

 

NaNo-ing

Just wanted to let you guys know that November blog posts will probably be on the short side as I am working through another NaNoWriMo season.  Majority of my wordsmithing needs to be put towards that 50k word count, but I won’t totally neglect you guys!

In fact, I’m working on a bit of an announcement that will go out sometime this month, so keep your eyes peeled!

If you’re looking for NaNo inspiration, last year I did the ABC’s 123′s of Nano, posting every day of the month (that was rough!). You can look back in the archives for advice and inspiration.

If you’re participating this year and you need me to give you a kick in the ass during the month, just let me know. We can be writing buddies on the site and I’ll do my best to help keep you motivated.

Good luck to all those participating! Keep on writing!

Halloween Horror-Tales

I love Halloween. It’s my favorite time of the year. I love a good scare but I have to admit, I haven’t read a horror story in years that made me scared to turn off the light at night.

A watch tower at the Eastern State Penitentiary

As a kid I loved Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and anything by Stephen King (I was an…odd child) as well as Edger Allan Poe stories (who doesn’t love Tell-Tale Heart??). As I got older, I found there weren’t as many horror stories out there and the ones I did read just didn’t do it for me.

Then again, I guess I just don’t scare easily anymore. Yesterday I visited the Eastern State Penitentiary, which was fantastic and made me jump on occasion, but I wasn’t quaking in my boots.  Guess I’m just too easy going to really frighten?

What are your favorite spooky tales? Do you know of a book that will make me scared to sleep alone? 

I’ve tried my hand at writing horror,  A New Kind of High is a 4,110 word short story that’s free on Smashwords. Check it out and see if it gives you a bit of a scare for Halloween. Here’s a YouTube review!  Happy hauntings, all!

Book Review: Crash into You

Title: Crash into You

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Source: Net Galley

Goodreads Rating: 4.23

My Rating: 4 stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.

Reaction:

I really enjoyed this story. It was something different. Yes, there was “bad boy” meets “good girl” and tries to make it work even though they come from different lifestyles, but there were a lot of different aspect such as all the car information and drag racing and the home life of the “good girl”.

Rachel doesn’t come across as overly privileged (even though she owns that car) but as very sheltered and naive. Isaiah is my favorite kind of stereotype, the bad boy with the secret heart of gold.  Even though he’s kind of typical, I still grew attached to his character and felt for his situation.

I enjoyed the romance aspect. Not particularly steamy but it makes you think of those first romances you had and all the butterflies and insecurities and wondering how to deal with someone more experienced than you.

All in all, an easy read, but enjoyable and a good story.  I’m definitely going to look up the other books in the series.  I love finding new authors to enjoy!

Right in the Feels!

At the suggestion of the lovely Patricia Lynne, I thought I’d talk about hard hitting books. I’m talking about the ones that leave you sobbing and lamenting the loss of characters. I’m talking the ones that make you want to throw your books (keep a tight hold on the e-readers!) across the room in anger.  I’m talking the ones that stay with you long after you’ve finished them.

Actually, I’m going to discuss some authors, rather than specific books, that have hit me emotionally.

First, and foremost, the amazing John Green.  I think there’s perhaps only one book of his that I’ve read that didn’t make me cry. They’re just so honest and raw, the characters so realistic and relatable that you can’t help but form a bond with them.  They’re a powerful read, but worth every tear.

George RR Martin is one of the only authors that has sparked anger towards characters for me.  When I first read his Song of Ice and Fire series, I really had to restrain myself from throwing my

Tuesday Teaser – Errand Girl of the Undead Chapter 7

Tis the season for spooky/paranormal kind of stories, so here’s another installment of Errand Girl of the Undead!  Remember, this is unedited as of yet.

In case you need to catch up or forgot what’s happened since August:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

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Chapter Seven

A sleek head broke through the trees, large pointy antlers gracing its majestic brow. Ordinarily an animal as grand as this one would have me stopping to gaze in wonder, but it’s black eyes were rolling with fear, its side heaving with the exertion of the run. It was heading right at me, but it was obvious that something was chasing it. No time to think. I jumped out of the way, diving into the bush, more sticks puncturing my skin. I hoped the rogue wolf wasn’t what was chasing the stag. I didn’t want to become something’s chew toy.

The graceful beast leapt past me and continued on, into the clearing. Dammit. I hoped it didn’t damage the crime scene any. Following in its wake I spotted a familiar figure. I could almost feel the steam pouring from my ears.

“Dammit Samson! You nearly got me trampled! Is that your tactic now? Trying to get other things to do me in so you don’t have to get your hands dirty?”  I yelled as I struggled to my feet, wincing when I realized I really did impale myself on a sharp branch.

The demon stopped and looked me over head to toe, taking in the blood, smudges, and leaves I’m sure were in my hair. What was he doing here? I could go for weeks without seeing him and now it was three times in one day. What’s up with that?

“Ellie. Are you well?”  He stood several feet away from me. Smart demon. Had he been closer I would have punted him to the moon.

“Do I look well?” Ooh if only one could really kill with sarcasm.

He cocked his head to the side. “Not especially. Do you realize you have a branch sticking out of your thigh? It’s bleeding.  Your thigh that is, not the branch.”

“Stater of the obvious,” I mumbled before I grabbed the offending stick. Gritting my teeth I gave it a quick tug.  Oh, that was not pleasant. I tossed the bloody branch at Samson in frustration.  He took a step to the side to avoid it. Stupid demon.

Hot, thick blood was running down my leg and into my sock. Ugh, what a gross feeling. I bent and slapped my hand over the hole.  What was I going to do? I couldn’t hang around gushing blood. If the wolf was still in the area, this amount of iron-filled substance would definitely attract it.

Suddenly Samson was at my side, tugging at my shirt.

“What are you doing?” I tried to slap his hands away. What a time to try and cop a feel. Dumb randy demon.

“No worries, your virtue will stay intact, today anyway,” he told me with a leer before ripping a strip off the bottom of my shirt, turning into a tummy baring half tee. He bent and with swift motions tied the cotton around my leg, tight enough to hurt but also help control the blood loss.

Before I could thank him, he swept me up in his arms, like I was some kind of damsel in distress.  It was odd to be so close to him after all our standoffish years.  His chest was broad and warm, the fuzz of his short blue fur comforting. I had forgotten how soft he was. As a kid I frequently napped with my head on Samson’s chest. His heart, which beat more erraticallythan a human’s, was surprisingly comforting to me and often lulled me to sleep.

“What are doing?” I asked, realizing how exhausted I had become.

He raised a furry brow. “Taking you to get that hole fix?”

I frowned. “I have to go check out the site first. What if that stupid deer wrecked it? Why were you chasing it anyway?” I felt his shoulders move in a shrug.

“For fun?”

He got a half-hearted slap on the arm for that. “You’re so mean.”

“I know,” he admitted. “Come on now. We can come back out here tomorrow, okay?”

I was too tired to fight him so I nodded in agreement. Laying my head against his chest, my heavy lids shut. Before he teleported us back to my house, I thought I felt him kiss my forehead. I had to have been delusion though. There’s no way Samson would have kissed me, right?