Jessica L. Elliott's Blog, page 5

Donovan's Tale Part 1

I know several of you are looking forward to the beginning of The Sheriff and Mrs. Jannsen, but for the month of August I'll be posting parts of a short story about a long lost Charming Academy character. Donovan was in the very first edition of Charming Academy, but because his story was overshadowed by George and Jacobi, I made the very difficult decision to cut him from the novel. I've always liked Donovan and the fact that his was very much a redemption story. And so here he is again. Each week I'll post one part of his tale.

Donavan walked onto the stage as his name was read. He glanced into the audience. Of course he wasn’t there. He tried to quell the bitterness rising in his throat. His father was upstairs helping Kaelen prepare to leave Charming Academy. What had his cousin ever done for them anyway? He tried to smile as Calista handed him the parchment diploma and a scroll with his quest on it. He tried to look proud of himself, or at least happy to be there. But it was hard. He was the only one of his brothers to make it this far at Charming Academy, and his own father was missing graduation. It was bad enough Mother was missing it, but she at least had a good reason. After all, she’d died when Donovan was just three. She missed a lot of milestones. He glanced into the audience again and saw King Lysander and his wife smiling warmly at him. Well, at least someone was happy for him.
The ceremony continued and he walked out onto the well-kept lawns of Charming Academy. He could hardly believe he’d made it to graduation. Despite his father not being a king, Calista Periwinkle, the headmistress of the school, had allowed his enrollment since his father was a former graduate. He supposed it was, in part, because she was allowing the family a chance at redemption. His father, Maximillion, had failed in his quest and while that led to his best friend getting a happy story, it left him virtually friendless. Ashamed, Maximillion’s family had disowned him and he’d been left to find his own way in the world. The fairies didn’t leave him with nothing though. They granted him a title of nobility and helped him find a good home. It was in Haldersee he’d met Sheila and soon after they were married. They’d been perfectly happy, and Maximillion began to forgive himself for his failure. But his family wouldn’t forgive and wouldn’t forget.
“Donovan, my boy,” a voice called, breaking through his thoughts.
He turned, trying to look happy as his father jogged towards him. “Son, I’m so sorry I missed the ceremony.”
“It’s all right,” Donovan lied. 
“No, it isn’t. I should have been there for you,” Maximillion replied. Worry etched his features and drew his brows together. It made him appear older and somehow vulnerable. That bothered Donovan.  
“Dad, Kaelen needed you. It’s all right, I understand.”
Maximillion smiled and put his hand on Donovan’s shoulder. “Your mother would be so proud of you. I’m proud of you, of course, but you should know how proud she would be. She loved you very much and I’m sure she was watching for me, even if not in person.”
A real smile lit Donovan’s face. “Thanks, Dad.”
“I suppose I’ll see you again when you successfully complete your quest. Would it be all right if I heard your quest before I go?”
“Sure.” Donovan unrolled the parchment scroll. 
To heights untold, in a forest wild
With a family of those as small as a child,
Your princess awaits, but do not be fooled:
Look not for silks, nor mirrors jeweled,
A disguise to undo, a curse to break,
Before you with a kiss, a happy end can make.
“Well, I see they’re still making things as mysterious as ever,” Maximillion commented. “Good luck to you son. I know you can’t come home in the meantime, but I’ll be thinking of you every day until you return. And,” he paused to regain his composure, “no matter the manner of your return, I am and always will be proud of you. I know you can do this. Whatever help my positive thoughts can give you, I hope you’ll always remember that.”
Donovan hugged his father. “I appreciate that. I’ll be back before you know it.” With a wave, he walked to the stables with his hound, Snippet, at his side. As he walked in the warm smell of hay and horses enveloped him. He’d never considered himself a very good horseman, but between Phillipa’s never-ending patience and help from a few friends, he managed. He stopped by his horse’s stall. “Are you ready, Snow Angel?”
The mare nickered, her dappled coat gleaming. 
After tacking her up, Donovan led her to the doors. He paused. Phillipa was brushing down one of her horses. “I guess I’m off.”
She turned with a smile. “Good luck, Donovan. I’m sure you’ll create a splendid tale.”
“You wouldn’t have any helpful hints to share, would you?” he asked, half-teasing.
“Follow your heart. Nine out of ten it’ll lead you right.”
He nodded. “Thanks, for everything. I know I wasn’t your easiest student.”
“And yet you weren’t the hardest either. You’ll be a fine Prince Charming. And no one expects you to become a champion hunter when all is said and done. The best we hope for you is a story worthy of remembrance. Now go on, Kimberly is waiting.”
He waved and led his animals to the road leading away from Charming Academy. Snippet sat patiently as Donovan consulted his map. “Heights untold is more than likely a mountain. Rendorlin has the highest mountains in Sanalbereth. So I suppose that would be the best place for us to start looking.”
Snow Angel whinnied and tossed her head. 
Laughing, Donovan stroked her neck before putting the map in his saddle bags. “Yes, I know you’re ready. Well, Snippet, it’s time for an adventure.” He clicked his tongue and with a resolute nod of his head bid farewell to Charming Academy, unaware of the pale yellow eyes watching him.  

Birthday Celebrations!

Can you believe Charming Academy first came out 5 years ago? It's hard to believe that much time has passed. Now the series is completed and you've been able to learn the stories of all your favorite characters. Okay, maybe most of your favorite characters. We've laughed together. We've cried together. Some of you have thrown books across the room in fits of anger. Some of you have written me beautiful notes about how Charming Academy has touched your life. In some way or other, if you're reading this right now Charming Academy has probably made some kind of impact and as an author, that makes me positively giddy with excitement.

So, it's time to celebrate. I've got a lot of really fun activities planned. One has already started. If you've been following my Facebook page, you have hopefully seen the daily trivia game. If you haven't been, what are you waiting for? But here's a list of all the wonderful things going on this month:

Charming Academy Daily Trivia
Each day on my Facebook I will post a trivia question. Some will be really easy (like, Where is Lucian from?) and others will be far more challenging. All of the answers can be found in Charming Academy, which is free on Smashwords, Kindle, and other eBook distributors. I will be keeping track of how many questions you answer and how many you get right. Each question you get right will give you a point. The person with the most points will win. If we have multiple people tied, I will draw a random winner for the Charming Academy Fan Pack. Each of the others will receive a free eBook of their choice. On September 1st, I will announce the winner. What is in the fan pack? There will be a special, signed copy of Charming Academy with illustrations/doodles. (This is as close to the original notebook I started Charming Academy in as you're likely to get.) There will also be a Charming Academy mug, hand-painted horse with fairy tale themes, bookmarks and a letter from me.  

Fan Art Contest
I love being creative and I know several of you do as well. I will be having a fan art contest starting right now until the day of the party (more details coming). That still gives you a few weeks to get something together. Now, I like to be creative in the visual arts, but not everyone is so here are the "arts" you can submit:
Music
Video
Drawing/Painting
Graphic Art
Sculpture
Reader's Theatre
Poetry/Short Story
​The rules are pretty simple. Your art has to be in some way inspired by one of the Charming Academy books. It doesn't have to be the first book, but must be one of the books in the series. This also does not have to be a piece that you created after the contest started. Do you have something you drew last year? Go ahead and submit it! I would love to see your art. Remember that there are young people who visit my website and read my books, so keep your entries clean. Entries with profanity, nudity, hateful/racist, or otherwise inappropriate content will be disqualified and will not be featured on the website or my Facebook page. Submissions will be judged based on creativity, quality and resemblance to the series. Winner will receive a print copy of Charming Academy.

School Contest
Last year I did this and it went fairly well, although there was some confusion with going back and forth between the website and Facebook. So this year I've made it much easier. Go to the Facebook party and nominate your school in the poll. Then share it with all your friends and family and ask them to vote. You may nominate any public, private, or charter school. Home-school co-ops are also welcome to participate. You can also vote for more than one school. The school with the most votes will win a print copy of Charming Academy as well as a day of author visits via Skype or Google Hangout. I had a great time visiting with Snow Springs Elementary last year and look forward to seeing who will win this year! Voting will close on August 18th with the Facebook party. If you nominate your school, please be sure to contact them and let them know about their nomination so they can participate. 

Charming Academy Birthday Masquerade
This will be the party of the month. I have some authors joining me to celebrate five years of Charming Academy. This will be where I announce the winners of the School Contest and the Fan Art Contest. There will be games, prizes, and lots of fun. So be sure to join the party and invite your friends. Just to encourage some invites, I'm going to do a random drawing for a $10 Amazon giftcard. Let me know how many people you invite and for every 10 people you invite, I will give you an entry in the giveaway. 

Charming Blogs
If you've been with me since the very first edition of Charming Academy, then you might remember Donovan. He was one of my favorite characters, but I had to make the painful decision to cut him from the novel. A couple of you have asked if he would ever come back. I can now tell you that yes, Donovan will be coming to my blog every Friday throughout the month of August to tell his tale. I know you're all excited for The Sheriff and Mrs. Jannsen to begin, but I thought for this month you might like to hear Donovan's story. I will also be conducting character interviews every Tuesday and Thursday (except today since I have this post). So be watching and ready to ask questions for your favorite characters. Have a character you're dying to hear from? Be sure to comment below and we'll see if he/she can visit for a day.

I hope you're looking forward to a month of fun. It's crazy to think that it's been five years already. I've certainly learned a lot in that time and gained many new readers. I love your comments on my blogs and Facebook. Your emails and notes mean so much to me. Let's have an awesome August and enjoy some happy endings and great beginnings!

Pulling Out of a Nose Dive

Have you ever had those days where you just want to throw in the towel? You just want to scream, "I QUIT!!!!" at the top of your lungs, throw an epic tempter-tantrum and drown your woes in a gallon of ice cream (or whatever your comfort food is)? Have you had times when nothing seemed to be going right and Murphy decided to take up residence in your very soul causing everything and anything that could go wrong to fritz out completely? Have you ever felt like you were attempting to climb Mt. Everest with nothing more than a worn pair of flip-flops and a pair of toothpicks to help you in your assent?

Oh, readers, I have those days too. In fact, I've been living that for the last few weeks. Don't get me wrong, some amazing and wonderful things happened too. I was able to go to Arizona and see my sister's new house. I traveled to my hometown to see family and go to the antiques market with my books and horses. We then trekked up to see my husband's family and met his brother's puppy, who of course everyone instantly fell in love with. Yes, things were fun and great. 

But all the while, panic has been building inside me because I'm so far behind in my projects for you dear readers it's not even funny. I told myself, "It's okay. This is why I'm self-published. I can be behind and everything will work itself out. It's not the end of the world. It's not the end of the world. It's not the end of the world."

Then my computer crashed. Literally. One of my dear children, whom I will not name here, tried to "help" me get the computer down and dropped it on the floor. At first, the laptop seemed to be fine. Then it suddenly fritzed out and shut down entirely. My husband took it to a local friend and repairman to see what the verdict was. Broken hard-drive. While that could be replaced, and was that very day, I knew what that meant. All the work I'd done recently, my new projects, the pictures from our recent vacations, all lost. Gone. Obliterated. 

I tried to console myself with the knowledge that we did have a fairly recent back-up with most of our files. I tried to remind myself that I'd put the best pictures from our Arizona trip on Facebook, so they could be recovered. And I even reminded myself that all the chapters of Scarlett and Blizzard were safe on my blog so it would be easy to copy and paste them back into the story. But the panic built up and escalated anyway. I would have to push back a release date. Again. I would have to restart new projects. Again. Why couldn't I ever learn from these things and have a bleepity-bleep back up disc of my own ready for these kinds of emergencies? Why couldn't Murphy move on and cause havoc in someone else's life? Why couldn't my children, whom I love dearly, just leave my things alone? Why? Why? Why?!? I felt like a pilot in an out-of-control nose-dive and the ground was coming up fast. 

The reality is, I'm not superhuman and you remember when I said Patience was my word for the year? Yeah, I think somewhere along the line I forgot that. I fell into the age-old trap of keeping up with the Joneses. Not with money, or a great house, or a nice car, or anything like that. It was the writerly Joneses. The ones writing four or five books where I couldn't even get one finished. The ones who were selling tons and almost becoming household names (a few are in this house at least). The ones who seemed to have everything together. 

Yesterday at church I received a lesson I very much needed. In Relief Society, our women's class, we were discussing Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk, "Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders Among You." As we talked about ways we put ourselves down, I brought up social media and our need to keep up with the Joneses who seemed to have everything in control and have perfect lives. "I know I don't usually post when I'm having a rough time on Facebook because I'm generally optimistic and upbeat. I don't want to tell anyone I'm not having an optimistic, upbeat day," I said. "And I'm sure most of my friends are the same way." As the discussion moved on, a little voice in me said, Just like your writing friends aren't telling you about the struggles they have, right?

Way to prick me, Conscience. But it's true. Yes, I've got writing friends who have already put out three or four books where I haven't even had one new release yet this year. But I also have friends who like me are struggling to get anything done. My friends who are writing multiple books back-to-back have different circumstances than I do. They may have older children, or no children. They may have day jobs or perhaps they work from home and for a select few, writing is their day job. But even if they were in exactly the same boat I'm in, the way we operate, the way we think is different. I don't have to write thirty books in a year to be a good author. In fact, I can't write that many books in a year. And I've realized that I piled way too much on myself this year. I have five projects in various states of undoneness, one that is waiting for formatting and final edits, and of course the various needs of everyday life to attend to.

So readers, I'm sharing with you my new schedule of projects. This is going to be how I focus my writing time. And if I tell you I'm getting behind, do me a favor. Remind me that it's okay. This is why I chose self-publishing. I can get behind and it's not the end of the world. A kick in the shorts to get my tail in gear is also sometimes appreciated, but what I really need to hear is, "It's going to be okay."

July (what's left of it) - Final touches of Scarlett and Blizzard, secret Christmas project.
August - secret Christmas project, final additions and starting edits To Keep a Star. August 5 (yep that's a new date, sorry), release Scarlett and Blizzard.
September - edit To Keep a Star, edit secret Christmas project.
October - release To Keep a Star, final edits secret Christmas project.
November - release secret Christmas project, finish Leaving Shenivarthol.
December - begin edits Leaving Shenivarthol and relax.

I've taken out a few projects to work on next year and I will continue to do my blog stories, this time picking up with Tabitha Jannsen in a Beauty and the Beast retelling (thanks readers for your votes!). But overall, I think this will be manageable as well as keeping things fun for me.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support and kind words. I've definitely got the best readers around and I'm sending you big hugs right now. ​Life's too short to spend it in a nose-dive. I'd much rather skim the clouds and enjoy the gorgeous view. Won't you fly with me too?

Happily Ever After (Chapter 16)

Here we are at the end of Scarlett and Blizzard. Hard to believe, isn't it? I plan to finish the last bits of editing and formatting over the next little bit. Official release date is August 1. Yes, you will still be able to come here and read all the chapters, but if you want it to be in one easy spot, I will release it in print and eBook formats at the very start of August. So mark your calendars and be sure to let me know if you've caught any typos in the chapters so far. The deal still stands, I'll enter you to win a paperback copy (US only) of Scarlett and Blizzard for each typo you report. And be watching for news of the next adventure: The Sheriff and Mrs. Jannsen, starting soon right here on the blog. ​It took a while for things to calm down enough to plan the wedding. If not for the storm, they would have happily gone to the courthouse that very day. As it was, we still had to go in to the police station to fill out all the paperwork and report what happened. I wasn’t sure how I felt about seeing Shorty as a criminal. He had been with us for a long time, nearly as long as I could remember.  He’d always done his chores without complaint. I guess I hadn’t noticed him showing any romantic interest in Scarlett. She didn’t talk much about it. Maybe she was as surprised as the rest of us. Or maybe she hadn’t thought he was that serious about her. I don’t know and to be honest, I don’t really care. The important thing was despite all odds we were okay and Scarlett and Josiah were getting married.
They decided to plan the wedding to take place at the very end of school. They were each planning surprise honeymoons for the other and when I asked Mom if one of us should intervene, she just smiled. “Let them surprise each other. Just maybe suggest different dates for one of them.” Planning a honeymoon wasn’t the only thing they had to figure out. Scarlett would start business school in the fall, including a work-study program which would help off-set costs. She had originally planned to live on campus, but that wouldn’t work if she was married. They took a few trips out to Cheyenne with Mom acting as their chaperon to look for a good apartment. Josiah couldn’t stand the idea of twiddling his thumbs while Scarlett was busy, so he would continue to work on Starwood during the weekends and stay longer during round ups and foaling season. But that still left his weekdays open, so he started looking at classes in animal science. The two of them would stay busy, that was for sure. 
As much as I wanted the months until the wedding to crawl, they didn’t. My birthday came and went so fast, it was hard to believe it had happened at all. Sixteen didn’t seem all that significant compared with my sister’s wedding plans. Not that she let my birthday be overlooked. I don’t think I’ve ever been so spoiled in my life as Teddy, Josiah and Scarlett put their mischief to full use supported by my mother. Tickets to a concert with one of my favorite artists, dinner at a fancy restaurant in Jackson, and a full-day shopping spree. Good thing my birthday happened to fall on a weekend, right? Mom might have had to call me in sick twice under false pretenses.
Spring came not long after and the snows melted. While evenings were still chilly, the days started to be warm. Flowers poked their heads up and buds filled the trees. Birds returned to their nests and the air soon filled with their twitterings. Spring fever paled in comparison to wedding fever. My days were filled with classes and my evenings with accompanying Scarlett to dress fittings, wedding boutiques for the perfect decor, meetings with vendors and planners. I was about to lose it totally when I came home to Scarlett sobbing in Mom’s lap. “Um, is everything…?”
“No!” she wailed.
Mom smoothed Scarlett’s hair and said calmly, “There’s been a hiccup. The bed and breakfast they wanted to hold the reception at has been closed for renovations.”
“They can’t do that though, can they? I mean, we already scheduled this and had it paid for!”
“They’ll s-s-send a refund,” Scarlett cried. “But now w-w-where will I have m-m-my reception? Everything else w-w-will be res-s-served.”
It was quiet for a moment as Mom rubbed her back. My eyes fell on the open window. It was gorgeous outside. The red and white roses Josiah had planted last year were starting to bud. “Scarlett, why not have your reception here? I know it’s not fancy or anything, but it’s certainly big enough. And it would be better for Teddy as he could come inside if he started feeling bad.”
“What am I supposed to do about the tables? And all the linens? They were going to provide all of that so everything would fit in with their regular decor.”
“I’m sure we could borrow tables from church and Amelia would never say no to a project. I’m sure there’s time to make some tablecloths and things. Don’t worry so much. It’ll probably turn out even better. You’ll see.”
“I guess.”
“Trust your sister, Scarlett,” Mom said. By the way, Mom, thanks for the vote of confidence. “Everything will work out fine. I think a country reception would be perfect for you and Josiah. Not to mention, you’ll save more that can be put to your schooling.”
She sniffled and agreed. So Mom and I threw ourselves into planning for an outdoor reception at Starwood. Amelia was thrilled to learn about the change in plans. She soon had us making tablecloths, runners, napkins, and anything else she could think of that might come in handy. 
The week before the wedding, Grandma came as well as some aunts and uncles and cousins. Starwood had never seemed crowded before, but with all the visiting relatives that changed. Even locking my bedroom door didn’t give me the kind of quiet I wanted, so I snuck out to my “office” on more than one occasion. The old barn was out of sight and most of the extended family didn’t know about it. One evening, I went out there with my guitar. I’d been trying to finish the song for Josiah and Scarlett’s wedding. They had asked if it was okay for them to hire a DJ so I would be able to really enjoy the reception instead of just playing for it. I appreciated them thinking of that, but at the same time I wanted to perform for them. So I’d gotten in touch with the DJ and arranged to take over just after their first dance for a quick concert. The only problem was, I couldn’t quite get the song right. Something was missing. And no matter how many times I called on Dad to help me out, he wasn’t giving any answers. What? Everyone’s got a muse. I was strumming some chords when I heard movement below me. “Blizz, are you in here?”
I shoved the sheet music under a pile of hay. “Up here, Scarlett.”
She climbed up into the hayloft. “You know it’s dangerous up here, right?”
“Yep.”
“You gonna go back down?”
“Nope.”
She laughed. “Didn’t think so.” Scarlett sat next to me, her strawberry blonde waves glinting softly. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“I think you know why.”
I glowered at her.
“Look, I just want you to know I’m not leaving forever.”
I scoffed, “What am I, five? Seriously, it’s fine. You’re giving me the brother I’ve been begging for since I met Tracy Jenkins and her brothers. I’m thrilled for you.” 
“Why do you keep coming out here then?”
“Have you heard the house? It’s madness everywhere I go. And if Grandma hints one more time that I should start preparing myself for my own wedding…”
Scarlett laughed again. “I get it. I just worried, you know, after what happened on my birthday.”
She had to bring that up, didn’t she? The truth was, I still hadn’t really forgiven her for just springing her intentions to leave on us. I picked at the straw sticking to my jeans. “Yeah, well, you know.”
“No, actually, I don’t.”
“Geez, Scarlett, you really want to get into this now? Okay, so you ticked me off. You really ticked me off. And I’m not ready to say it’s okay. You’ve always talked with me about everything, at least I thought so. And then you started having secrets. I didn’t know what to think. I’m not sure I do now. But whatever, you made a choice and here we are. Everything’s still good between us, mostly.”
“So, you aren’t going to hate me for making you wear the maid of honor dress?”
It was my turn to laugh. Scarlett had fallen in love with the most gosh-awful, ugly dress on the planet for me to wear at her reception. When I’d voiced my opinion, loudly and maybe with some less-than-kind adjectives thrown in, she’d opted for something more appealing. “Since you chose one that doesn’t look like a wedding cake and a fish got frisky? Nah, I won’t hate you.”
We giggled for a while and she sighed. “I never thought I’d actually be living a fairy tale. You know, like the one Mom used to read to us. Do you remember it? Two sisters, a bear who actually turned out to be a prince, and a shrewd dwarf trying to ruin everything. I guess happily ever after is for real after all.”
“Yeah, I…wait, what did you say?”
“Happily ever after is real after all?” My eyes got wide and she asked, “Are you okay?”
“Perfect. I’m perfect. Why don’t you go find Josiah and make out with him or something? Whatever it is you engaged people do.”
“But he’s out working the stock horses,” she protested as I pushed her toward the rickety ladder. 
“Yeah, that’ll make it more fun.” Once she was gone, I pulled out the music. I had mere days to finish this project and one I hadn’t even started.

The day of the wedding dawned as a perfect, cloudless day. I enjoyed strolling the grounds of the Boise, Idaho temple. Franky and I scouted out the gardens for nice photo-ops while the photographer Josiah hired snapped picture after picture of the flowers and trees. “You two, come be a couple for me. I want to test this spot for pictures.”
Franky glanced at me and I shrugged. He led me to the bench. As the photographer asked us to pose in different spots, we pretty well ignored him, for the most part. “So, just two more years in high school, huh?”
“Yep,” I said.
“Then what?”
I shrugged, “I don’t really know yet. Probably go to college and study music.”
He nodded. “Good plan.”
“What about you? I heard someone outbid you for the B.”
“Yeah, it was a real bummer too. But I figure Starwood will be a good place to work for now.”
“For now?”
He nodded. “I’ve, um, well, I’ve been going back to church.”
“I know, I’ve seen you.”
“Look who knows so much,” he teased. “Anyhow, I’m gettin’ ready to put my papers in.”
“Papers?” I brightened. “You’re going on a mission?”
“Didn’t think I’d ever do it, huh?”
“Well, you gotta admit you had us all going for a while.”
Franky laughed. “Yep, I guess I did.”
“Oh, that’s perfect. Now go ahead and kiss her,” the photographer gushed.
“Dude! We’re not that couple,” Franky burst.
I laughed and kissed his cheek. Before I could think of anything intelligent to say, I heard Grandma walking toward us. “They’re coming! You’d best get to the front quick or they’ll be out the door before you can get any pictures.” As everyone moved that direction she caught my hand and whispered rather loudly, “And you can explain what that was later.”
I blushed and tried to ignore her as we moved to the temple’s entrance. Scarlett looked radiant in her reception dress. In white satin with lace overlay, she looked like a fairy tale princess. That is, if princesses wore baby blue boots and white cowgirl hats. Daisies and yellow roses made up her bouquet with sprigs of mint borrowed from Mom’s garden. Grandma’s pearls glowed about Scarlett’s neck. As the photographer positioned everyone and shot photograph after photograph, I couldn’t help noticing how happy Scarlett and Josiah looked. I don’t think you could have wiped the smiles off their faces if you tried. It seemed hours before the photographer was finally satisfied with the pictures he’d taken. After lunch, we caravaned back to Starwood where Amelia and some of our other friends were busily setting up for the reception. Everyone worked together and things were soon ready as guests began to arrive. 
Promptly at six, Teddy brought Josiah and Scarlett to the porch. He talked for a while about the beauty of marriage and the work that goes into it. “Now you two have already made your vows to each other. But for the sake of your friends and family who were unable to attend, we’ve planned this simple ring ceremony. Josiah, my boy, do you promise with this ring to cherish this woman in every condition, for all the days to come?”
“I do.” He slid the ring onto Scarlett’s finger with a smile.
“Sweet Lettie, do you promise with this ring to cherish this man in every condition, for all the days to come?”
“I do.”
“Josiah, you may now kiss your bride. Again.”
There was laughter and cheering as Josiah pecked Scarlett’s cheek and then used his hat to hide their faces. Scarlett was blushing when Josiah put his hat back on. The music started and Teddy and my mom took Scarlett and Josiah out onto the floor to dance. The song changed and Josiah took Scarlett. For much of the song they danced alone with the photographer darting around them. Then other couples began joining them. Franky nudged me. “Shall we?”
I smiled. “Why not?”
He led me out and I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. Hard to do when he was looking at me that way. “Well, Miss Blizzard, what am I going to do with you?”
“I believe this is called dancing, Franky.”
“Mmmm.”
The dance started to come to a close. “Sorry, I’ve got to get up there.”
“No worries, cowgirl. There will be other dances.” Maybe it was my imagination, but I’m pretty sure he squeezed my hand before letting go. 
The DJ announced a special visitor and I grabbed my guitar from behind his station. He set up a microphone for me. “Knock ’em dead.” 
I smiled nervously. “So, um, Scarlett and Josiah, I’m so happy to see you two together. I know you wanted me to sit out tonight and just enjoy the evening, but I guess you both probably knew I’d have a song for you. And if you didn’t, well, you don’t know me very well.”
Chuckles rang through the audience.
“Anyway, I’ve been working on ‘Real Fairy Tales’ over the past couple months and this song’s for you.” I strummed the guitar strings and took a deep breath before beginning to sing. The familiar feeling of being somewhere far away settled over me as the song continued. All that existed was my guitar and the song. When it came to a close, the cheering escalated. “Thank you. Now, that’s just part one of your present.” Out of my guitar case I pulled a leather-bound journal. “This isn’t quite done yet, since I can’t exactly write as fast as events are happening, but this is your story. Well, our story. It’s called Scarlett and Blizzard: A Starwood Fairy Tale. When y’all get back from your honeymoons, this will be finished and ready for you to take home. And yes Josiah, I’ve shared everything.” I paused as people laughed and my brother-in-law groaned. “And I promise to include the lyrics to your song in the back for you, Scarlett. Congratulations, and may the years be beautiful and the future bright.”
As I prepared to get off the stage, the DJ stopped me. “Girl, I had no idea you were so talented. You maybe interested in recording?”
Pretty sure my eyes bugged out of my head. I just stood there in shock for a moment. Somehow I found my voice again as he repeated the question. “Yes, yes! That would be amazing.”
“It might take a little time, but I’ve got some connections.” He handed me a business card. “You send me an email at that address. I’ll see what I can do for you. Good luck to you Blizzard Jannsen.”
“Thank you.”
The evening continued and soon we were waving goodbye as Josiah drove them off to start their honeymoon in Montana. Well, the first part anyway. Scarlett wasn’t going to tell Josiah about it, but I knew following their bed and breakfast hop in Montana, Scarlett had set up a week at the lodge in Teton Village. They were in for a fun couple of weeks, no question about it.
And did they live happily ever after? Well, as they say, only time will tell. 
But I have a feeling they will. A New Release Deserves a Celebration Which date would you prefer for a Facebook party? * July 30August 1August 2August 3August 4August 5 What time of day? * MorningAfternoonEvening Submit

False Heroes Versus Real Ones (Chapter 15)

Just one chapter left after this! Are you excited? I know I am. Make sure you answer the questions below for the final chapter in Scarlett and Blizzard. And don't forget about the paperback give away. If you find any typos, email them to me through the Contact page and you'll get one entry per typo into a drawing for a paperback copy of Scarlett and Blizzard (US only, international winner will receive a free eBook). When I came to I had a throbbing headache and I was freezing. Someone had blindfolded me and gagged me with a smelly bandanna. More humiliating, I was hogtied with absolutely no hope of escape. I chafed against the ropes, trying to free myself. A chuckle made me stop. “You don’t really think that’s going to work, now do you?”
“Mmff-i-ee.” Yeah, real impressive, I know. But you try talking through a gag. It’s not easy.
With a glare of light the blindfold disappeared. When my eyes adjusted, I saw that I was in an abandoned barn with a familiar shrimp looking down at me with a smirk. “Sorry, darlin’, I missed that.” He pulled the gag off. “Now that there’s no danger of you bein’ heard, we can remove this.”
“Gee thanks. Shouldn’t you be in jail, McFinney?”
He laughed. “Do you think so?”
“Don’t play dumb. You were arrested. I saw you there.”
He rolled a coin around his hand. “Did you really? Funny thing about it, I don’t think I’ve ever set foot in that police station. Are you quite sure it was me?”
I wanted to argue with him, but I noticed that he seemed slightly different. His nose was less crooked and his eyes a touch darker. He was still wiry and small, but there was something different in how he held himself. 
A wicked grin spread across his face as he watched me. “Yes, havin’ a brother thirteen months younger than yourself does have some advantages. Especially when you need someone to take the fall for you. But I guess you wouldn’t know that with your age gap.”
“Why do all this?”
“Revenge is a sweet thing, missy. Crushin’ a man’s heart and soul brings a certain satisfaction I don’t reckon you’d understand. But, spending time in jail for it does leave a bad taste in the mouth, don’t you think?”
“And your brother is fine taking that punishment for you? You’re a snake!”
“Oh, I won’t let him suffer too much. You see, we’ve had it all planned out. Your sister goes into court and testifies that he’s the man as threatened her and all that rot. Then I show up at his defense. She can’t tell the dif’rence ’tween us and the case gets throwed out. There ain’t a thing anybody can do to prove which of us was there and which one weren’t.”
“Wasn’t,” I corrected, realizing he thought I was Scarlett. So much for our age difference making our identities obvious.
McFinney scowled at me. “Now ain’t the time to worry ’bout how I talk.”
“If you had this all worked out, why kidnap me? Why tell me your whole plan? Kind of defeats the purpose,” I said. I hoped if I kept him talking long enough I could figure a way out of this disaster.
“Oh, now that I can’t claim credit for. Seems your friend the Bear has more enemies than he thought. Ain’t all that surprisin’ really. There are others who want to see him suffer.”
“Like who?”
He shook his head and wagged a finger at me. “Nope, can’t tell ya. You’ll jus’ have to wait and see. He should be around shortly.” Then he laughed as though he’d told a great joke and covered my face with a cloth sack that reeked of sour grain. 
“You can’t just leave me here!” I shouted. But there was no reply. “Great,” I muttered. “This is just perfect. I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere with a psychopath on the way who thinks I’m my sister.” I squirmed and wriggled, but the knots were tight. I have to hand it to him, when McFinney decides to tie someone up he goes about it properly. The rope cut into my skin as I continued to struggle. Panic was building inside me. How long would it be before someone noticed I was missing? What would happen when McFinney or the mystery psycho discovered I wasn’t Scarlett? Where was Rooster? “Rooster, here boy.” I whistled. No yips, no response. Just silence. I sent a little prayer up, hoping our puppy was all right. And another one to beg for some help.
I heard a door open and shivers raced down my spine with the blast of cold air that swirled into the room. “Miss Scarlett? Miss Scarlett, don’t you worry. I’ll have you outta here in no time.” I felt a hand grab the bag covering my face. I’d never been so happy to see Shorty in all my life as he looked down at me. “Blizzard?”
“Shorty, thank the Lord! Please, you’ve got to help me. McFinney…”
“Where’s Scarlett?”
“What? She’s at home in bed, probably toasty warm and I’m freezing here. Untie me, would ya?”
“This is all wrong. That dagblasted idiot,” Shorty fumed, standing and kicking at a nearby pile of hay.
“Yeah, kidnapping is a crime. Anyway, about the ropes…”
“Think you’re going to be a hero, Shorty?” McFinney sneered, coming into view.
Shorty cursed. “You got the wrong girl, John. First you leave that fuel can at our barn and I have to cover for you, now this? What am I supposed to do with her? Can’t you do one simple thing right?”
McFinney shrugged. “Ain’t my problem. I got what I wanted outta the bargain. You can do as you like with her.”
It was like being doused in ice water. I felt numb and horrified and angry all at the same time. “Shorty, please tell me you are not working with this slime? This is just a joke, right?”
Gone was the carefree, hovering wrangler I’d grown up seeing around Starwood. The look Shorty gave me wasn’t quite hate, but it was darn close. “You see anything funny?”
“Nope, but I see a couple idiots who are gonna be real sorry when Sheriff Henley finds me. Mom knows I went out to check the generator. She will have called him by now and he’ll be on his way.” It wasn’t much of a bluff, but it was the best I could do.
Shorty laughed, and it wasn’t at all pleasant. “I ain’t that dumb, Miss Blizzard. You wouldn’t have woken your mom up for something as simple as turning the generator back on. But you do present a problem for me. Maybe I can turn that around.”
“Why are you doing this?”
 “I had to make her see me, didn’t I? We were makin’ progress, Scarlett and I. Oh, she still didn’t wanna date me or nothin’, but we were talkin’ at least. It was a start. Then everything went wrong. Josiah Meddleton came back. As soon as that rotten cowboy came to town I knew she’d fall again. She never had eyes for anyone but him. Couldn’t see that he was no good for her. Slinkin’ around with them fan girls of his. I would never treat her so badly. She was my princess.”
He pulled a lighter out of his pocket and I watched in horror as he started flipping the switch. I heard the stone grind against the spark wheel. “Scarlett’s everybody’s princess, Shorty, but she will never forgive you if you hurt me.”
“She wouldn’t know it was me. McFinney’ll take the blame just like we planned. Meddleton will leave ’cause he ain’t got a ranch no more. If that ain’t enough to convince him he don’t belong here, well… But I’ll stay by her. I’ll comfort her when you’re gone.” The lighter clicked again and this time a flame appeared.
“Shorty, this is madness. Don’t do it! We can talk with Scarlett. We can make something work.”
“Oh, but I think this will work,” he said, touching the flame to the hay. “I am sorry, Miss Blizzard. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s get outta here,” McFinney retorted.
The two ran out of the barn. At first, nothing seemed to be happening in the hay. Then I saw the smoke begin to curl towards the ceiling and a yellow dance of flames appeared. The panic which had been building in my chest escaped as a terrified scream. A voice inside me shouted at me to calm down and think. I had to get out of the barn. There was no way to free myself from the ropes. I heard indistinct yelling outside, but I ignored it as I tried to wriggle around to find an escape. It didn’t take long for the fire to begin spreading. I rolled as best I could toward a back door. Soon I heard a voice calling my name. “Blizzard? Blizzard where are you?”
“Josiah, I’m back here!”
“Keep calling, Blizz, I can barely see.”
“I’m over here.”
Like the bear he was nicknamed for, Josiah barreled toward me when he saw me. He lifted me up like I was nothing and ran outside as flames climbed up the walls of the barn. He ran around the side of the barn where his truck was parked and Scarlett was tightening the ropes around the would-be escapees. I don’t know what Shorty said to her, but she decked him so hard his head flew back and hit McFinney. Josiah set me down as we heard sirens wail. Snow swirled around us as he gently untied me. Scarlett pulled the ropes on our prisoners tighter again.
“You’re gonna strangle me.”
“Don’t tempt me you vile…”
I’m not sure what she finished her sentence with, because the fire engine chose that moment to blast its horn, but Josiah was looking at her with a rueful grin. “I thought ladies didn’t swear.”
She glared at him, though she blushed. “Times of great duress can be forgiven.”
He laughed and kissed her forehead. “Don’t make a habit out of it, huh? I rather like my prim and perfect lady.”
As soon as Sheriff Henley had Shorty and McFinney in custody, Scarlett ran to me. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you at all? What happened?”
“Which question should I answer first?” I teased.
She laughed. “I guess you must be okay. You are okay, right?”
“Terrified, a little sore from being tied up, but I’m fine. Is Rooster…” Suddenly I couldn’t bring myself to finish the question.
“He’s fine,” Josiah assured me. “He woke me up. For a dog that small, he sure has a big bark. I guess McFinney didn’t think anyone would hear him over the wind.”
“I woke up because your light suddenly came on and was shining into my room. I went to see if you needed anything and realized you weren’t in your room. I searched the house and couldn’t find you. I tried to wake Mom up, but couldn’t get her up. So I called Sheriff Henley. He said she had probably been drugged and that he’d send over an ambulance to check on her.”
“How did you guys find me?”
“It wasn’t easy,” Josiah admitted. “But we saw the two of them hightailing it out of the barn and figured this was where we’d find you. Then it was just a matter of making sure they couldn’t go anywhere.”
“You roped them?”
“Hey, I haven’t been a champion at the rodeo for nothing,” Josiah winked. “But I wasn’t about to let your sister run into that barn with the fire, so I went in once she had control of the ropes. I knew she wouldn’t let them loose.”
“Hate to interrupt, folks, but this storm ain’t gonna get any better out here,” Sheriff Henley said. “Come by the station tomorrow to give your statements. For tonight, you go on home and check on your mother. Let me know how she is, okay?”
“We’ll do that, Sheriff, thank you.”
We got in the truck and Josiah drove us in silence. There really wasn’t much to say. The puppies crowded us as we came into the house. We immediately went to Mom’s room where paramedics were checking her. “Blizzard? Scarlett?” Mom cried. We ran to her outstretched arms. For a long while we sat and cried, holding each other like we never wanted to let go. After declaring that Mom would be fine, the paramedics left. Josiah sat in the old armchair and waited patiently for us to regain control of our emotions.
It was dawn before we were all calm enough to do much other than sniffle and hug. Josiah left to take care of the barn chores with the other hands. Mom ordered us to get cleaned up and dressed for the day. The warm shower felt good and helped to wash away some of the fear I’d been carrying. I went downstairs to find Josiah setting a box on the dining table. He held a finger to his lips with his mischievous smile. “Shhh.”
I nodded with a grin as he moved around into the shadows where Scarlett wouldn’t see him. Soon she made her way down and noticed the box on the table. “What’s this?” she asked.
I shrugged, though I couldn’t quite keep the smile off my face. “Dunno.”
“Liar.” She unwrapped it and pulled out the model of Zander Josiah and I had found at the county fair all those months ago. Her hand went to her mouth as tears filled her eyes. Mini Zander was wearing a green blanket with a ring sewn on and the words Will you marry me? stitched across it. I beamed as Josiah walked out of the shadows and knelt next to Scarlett.
“Well, Lettie, what do you think?”
She placed Mini Zander on the table slowly, deliberately even. Somehow she kept her face blank and for a horrible moment I thought she might turn him down. Then she threw herself into Josiah’s arms, knocking both of them to the floor. “Yes!” She cried as she kissed him. “Oh, yes!” Then she kissed him again and again. 
It might have been embarrassing to watch them that way had Mom not come into the kitchen right then with the puppies. They were not happy to be left out of the fun and were soon crawling and climbing over the couple as Mom asked, “Did I miss something?”
“Just a proposal,” I replied with a smile.
“Ah, that explains it then. Well, I suppose I’ll make breakfast for everyone. Scarlett, dear, when you’re done kissing your fiance, perhaps you could start some cocoa?”  Coming Up Next Josiah and Scarlett are getting married! What is a must have at a wedding? * Who should be the next narrator * ScarlettBlizzardTabitha (Mrs. Jannsen)JosiahFranky Which fairy tale should I westernize next? * Beauty and the BeastSnow WhiteRumplestiltskinThe Snow QueenOther Other * Submit

Need Summer Reads?

Summer got you down? How about some great new books to charge your summer? I've joined five other authors in a flash-giveaway. This is going to be quick so make sure you enter today! Keep reading to learn more about the awesome books we're giving away...



Six YA Fantasy authors.
A chance to win SIX awesome YA Ebooks.
Kick off your Summer Reading right with these awesome titles.Enter to win on the Rafflecopter below, or click the links to purchase the books on Amazon.com! 

Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors
Author H. L. BurkeWhen reformed cat burglar Nyssa Glass is framed for murder, her only hope is to commit one last heist to prove her innocence. However, breaking into the "abandoned" house of an eccentric professor may very well be the last thing she ever does. Called Warrior
Author E. J. McCayPreacher's Kid MacKenzie Bryan is called by God to be a warrior. Now she has to battle a church elder at the helm of a sex-trafficking ring.The Firethorn Crown Author Lea DouePrincess Lily, the eldest of twelve sisters and heir to a mighty kingdom, desperately seeks a break from her mother's matchmaking. Fleeing an overzealous suitor, Lily stumbles into a secret underground kingdom where she and her sisters encounter a mysterious sorcerer-prince and become entangled in a curse that threatens the safety of her family and her people. Follow the sisters on their adventures in a land where sorcery is feared, women can rule, and dragons fly.
The Mirror and the Mage
Author D. W. FrauenfelderFourteen-year old Lucius Junius Brutus yearns to join the Roman army, but Lucius' father directs him to guard the dusty, grammarly scrolls of Numa Pompilius. Lucius thinks he is in for the most boring job in the world-- until he discovers the scrolls' true purpose...
Finding Prince Charming

Author: Jessica Elliott
Allegra is shocked to discover that rather than wait in a tower for her Prince Charming, she must embark on a quest to rescue him. She must face untold dangers and overcome her greatest fears. Her enchanted prince, Adrian, deals with match-making frogs, a flirtatious mermaid and an unknown enemy who will stop at nothing to prevent their happily ever after.The Collar and the Cavvarach  
Author Annie Douglass Lima
Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire's most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie's escape. As danger closes in, can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?


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Winter's Fury (Chapter 14)

Wow, readers, I'm a week late! I'm so sorry. Life has been a bit crazy with the farmer's market and summer vacation. So, here's the fourteenth chapter of Scarlett and Blizzard. Just two more to go after this. To celebrate being almost done, and to help me through the editing process, I'm going to have a little contest. If you read through the chapters and find any typos, email them to me. Each typo you find will give you one entry for a chance to win a paperback copy of Scarlett and Blizzard. Good luck! When we arrived back at Starwood, Wyoming seemed to suddenly remember it was still winter. Granted the weather hadn’t exactly warmed up all that much to begin with. Winters storms popped up over the county and those on our staff who lived elsewhere either called in for vacation time or moved into the bunkhouse until the storms passed. Josiah chose to stay at the bunkhouse after Sheriff Henley came by to let us know he’d finished questioning McFinney and couldn’t find any ties to the fire. “I’m sorry, Tabitha,” he told Mom. “I know y’all want to be done with this whole mess. We couldn’t even get him to admit to Blizzard’s run-in. Kept sayin’ it was their word against his and danged if he’s not right. Blizzard’s going to have to come in and identify him if we want to nail this guy, and even then he might get off. I just don’t know what else to do.”
“You’ve done everything you could, Sam,” Mom replied, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I appreciate that. Blizzard and I will come by the station whenever you need.”
It wasn’t exactly the most thrilling thing I’d ever done. We walked into the station and Sheriff took us to a little back room with a windowed partition between us and the line-up. John McFinney was easy to place. There aren’t a lot of weasel-faced guys in Wyoming, I guess. He sauntered in, a smug grin on his face. The scary thing? It didn’t leave when I identified him and he was taken away. He just followed along like he expected it. And was pleased.
As we got ready to leave, we saw Josiah enter. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Just follow-up,” he said quickly. “Were you able to identify him?”
“Not hard to do,” I said, though I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
Sheriff Henley came before I could ask anything else. “Ah, Mr. Meddleton, could you join me for a minute?”
“Guess I’ll see you ladies tonight.”
“Bye Josiah.” I followed Mom out to the truck. For a while, only the country station Mom liked broke the silence. “Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“Why did McFinney look so smug? I mean, I just identified him as one of the perpetrators of a crime. Shouldn’t he look more guilty, or at least mad? I guess I expected them to haul him off screaming his innocence and that I was crazy or something.”
Mom frowned and she suddenly seemed to age ten years. “I don’t know, baby girl. I wish I did. I haven’t been able to get that look out of my head. Granted, this isn’t a sitcom, so the yelling and screaming might not be a realistic expectation,” she added with a small grin. “But, there was definitely something off about what happened back there.”
We continued home without speaking. When we arrived, Scarlett asked how things had gone. After we related our story, her brows furrowed. “That’s weird. But, we haven’t got time to worry about that right now. The weather radio’s been blaring for the last twenty minutes. The snowstorms are escalating and the affected region keeps growing. I’ve been out to the bunkhouse to make sure the hands had plenty of blankets and such.”
“Did you check the generators?”
“Yep. Got all the emergency kits set out, so we should be fine if this gets as bad as they’re predicting.”
“Well, let’s go check on the animals. I’m sure the puppies could use a potty break before we bunker in for the night.”
Mclintock, Cogburn and Rooster barreled out of the house to play in the yard. Mclintock tended to be more aloof in their games. I wasn’t sure if it was because he recognized how much bigger he was than our two Scotties or if he just didn’t feel like wrestling. Ears were tugged and tails chewed as the puppies scampered about. As we made our way to the barn, the pups followed along yipping and barking. The barn cats watched in disgust before slinking away to quieter parts of the barn. I checked on Winter’s Folly and Skipperdeen while Scarlett took care of Zander. Most of our stock horses were out in the round corral. There wasn’t a barn big enough to put them all in and they’d be safest together in a small space where they could share each other’s warmth.
I heard Scarlett’s voice and looked over as it was sharper than I’d ever heard her use when speaking to Zander. I realized Shorty had come in the barn at some point after us and was talking to her in low tones. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but I heard Scarlett loud and clear. “No, thank you, Shorty.”
His face fell and he left the barn. 
“What was that all about?” I asked.
“It’s nothing,” Scarlett replied, though she frowned.
“Scarlett?”
“It’s nothing,” she insisted. “Please, just don’t worry about it, okay?”
Snow fell in large, fluffy flakes when we finished our chores and headed inside with the pups. Mclintock barked and tried to catch the flakes in his mouth as Cogburn and Rooster ran in circles around his feet. I swear dogs think they’ve never seen snow before each and every time it falls. It’s hilarious. Josiah crunched through the snow to us and Cogburn ran to him. “You be good tonight, buddy,” he said rubbing behind the puppy’s ears. He then looked up at Mom, “Hey, I think I’m going to crash in the bunkhouse tonight if that’s okay with you. I was planning on going back to Franky’s, but this storm is picking up faster than I anticipated.”
“Not a problem at all,” Mom smiled. “It’s why we have the bunkhouse. Would you like to join us inside for dinner?”
“Normally I would, but I promised the guys burgers tonight. If I don’t deliver…”
Mom laughed. “Say no more. We wouldn’t want you to disappoint them.” 
He tipped his hat and winked. “Good night, all.”
“Burgers sure sound good,” Scarlett said wistfully.
Mom chuckled, “Better than my chili?” The wind picked up and the flakes swirled around us. “We better get in. This storm is just getting started.”
Once in the house we helped Mom set the table and we sat to our dinner. Mom led us in grace and as she prayed I heard her ask for our hands and animals to be safe as well as those who had to travel through the storms. “Help us to weather the storms in our life. In thy Holy Name, amen.”
We chatted lightly as we enjoyed our meal. Seriously, Mom makes the best chili. Even though the wind howled and snow piled up outside, we were warm and cozy in the house. Mom got a fire going in the grate while Scarlett made her signature hot chocolate, this time with mint and vanilla. Despite the fact that mornings are always early on a ranch, we stayed up late into the night giggling around the fireplace. When Mom finally yawned and said she was going to bed, Scarlett and I agreed that we’d been up far too late as it was. “I’m going to miss this,” Scarlett sighed.
I felt like I’d been doused in ice water as I remembered that she would be leaving in only a few months. “Thanks for the reminder.”
She looked at me, her gray eyes flecked with green. “I know you’re still upset about everything, but I’m not abandoning you. I’ll come back to Starwood.”
“When?”
She sighed again. “When I’m done with school. This is a chance for me to live out some of my own dreams, Blizzard. I wish you could understand.”
“What about Josiah?”
Scarlett blushed. “We’re taking things one step at a time. Besides, he’s not exactly tied down anywhere. Maybe he’ll come with me.” Then she shrugged. “Or he’ll forget all about me and we can both move on.”
I snorted. “Sometimes you’re the stupidest girl I know. Seriously, ‘he’ll forget all about me’? Do you not realize how much you mean to him?”
“I’m not blind, Blizzard.”
“Coulda fooled me. He’s been crazy about you since he came back.”
“I know. But things are more complicated than you would like to think in your little fairy tale mind.”
I should have kept my mouth shut. I knew I should. But I didn’t. “Maybe because that’s because you have overcomplicated everything with your unrealistic demands for perfection. Prince Charming is a myth, unless you want to count one very sweet, somewhat mischievous and definitely charming cowboy who can’t take his eyes off  you.” I didn’t wait for her to respond. Instead I went up to my room with Rooster. I ignored Scarlett knocking on the door. That was my first mistake.

Rooster woke me up at some unmentionable hour needing to go outside. “Seriously? Couldn’t you have waited an hour?” I asked, shivering as I pulled my blankets back. The temperature in the house had dropped drastically. We must have lost power. I flipped my light switch and nothing happened. “Great,” I grouched, fumbling in the bedside table for my flashlight. Normally I just used it to finish books late at night without Mom knowing I was still awake. Normally our generator just kicks right in when the power goes out. I wasn’t sure why it hadn’t. That’s when I made my second mistake. I should have woken Mom up and had her go with me to fix it. But I knew she was tired and worried. She needed her rest. I knew generally how to work the generator. “Come on, Rooster. Let’s get some heat back in the house.”
Snow fell heavily around the house and I could barely see in front of me. I put a hand on the side of the house and felt my way to the generator. Rooster stayed close to me, shivering in the cold. “Go on back to the house if you’ve done your business, boy. It’s freezing out here.”
He whimpered and cuddled closer to my leg.
“Have it your way,” I muttered. I examined the generator. “This has been shut off. Who would turn off the generator?”
“I would,” a voice replied before something heavy hit the back of my head. Who's going to come to the rescue? * ScarlettJosiahScarlett and Josiah Which fairy tale would you like me to Westernize next? * Snow WhiteBeauty and the BeastThe Snow QueenRumplestiltskinOther If Other Please Specify * Submit

Guest Post - Missy Sheldrake

Have you ever had one of those moments where you're la-tee-dah-ing on your Facebook and you suddenly realize today is your friend's release day? And you promised her a blog post? Yep, just had that moment. So my apologies, Missy, that this is going up later in the day than I intended. And without further ado, I present Missy Sheldrake who is here to tell us about her new release and the series it is a part of. I’m excited to announce that the third book in the Keepers of the Wellsprings series, Call of Brindelier, is now available on Amazon! If you haven’t read the previous books yet, read on for a super-quick crash course.

When I started writing this series, I really wanted to tell a story that was rich with fantasy, but not overly dark or mired with war and violence. I wanted to show the light side of fantasy: the cheerful, magical, uplifting side which I always drink up whenever it emerges in a story, and which always seems to be so fleeting in fantasy tales. I wanted to tell a story that would capture the hearts of young and old alike. Don’t get me wrong, my books aren’t void of conflict and evil. They tell of uncomfortable moments. There is violence and wickedness, but it’s those moments in my stories which are the fleeting ones. In the pages of my books, you will find fairies, Mages, Paladins, Elves, Dreamwalkers, Princes and Princesses, and even dragons. You’ll travel through a world rich with magic and wonder.

In Call of Kythshire, you’ll learn all about Cerion, a seaside kingdom which has celebrated peace for over a century. You’ll meet His Majesty’s Elite, a guild that is the right hand adventuring team of King Tirnon Plethore, and you’ll join Azi Hammerfel, a young squire who has grown up within the guild’s halls, through disappointments and triumphs. By her side is Rian, her childhood friend, an Apprentice of the Mage Academy. You’ll meet Flit, a fairy from Kythshire, who is as tricky as any fairy you might imagine, but has a depth of character and a sense of purpose uncommon for a typical fairy. You’ll see her world unfold, and feel the evil threat of Sorcery that looms, waiting to destroy it. You’ll learn a little about the Wellsprings, but not too much, for their existence and workings are a well-protected secret.  (Click here to read an excerpt from  Call of Kythshire .)
In Call of Sunteri, you’ll meet the strong-willed slave boy, Tib, who makes his first appearance as he escapes from the grips of Sorcery in the desert continent of Sunteri. He has help crossing the vast oceans to reach Cerion, but he doesn’t realize it at first. A mysterious being speaks to his mind, controlling his thoughts and making suggestions to ensure his own survival. In the meantime, Azi has been given the task of escorting the Prince of Cerion and his wife-with-child to the lakeside Kordelya Castle as the prince faces suspicion and ridicule after the events of Call of Kythshire. But a darker force emerges from the Dreaming, whose wicked intent is to use any means necessary to escape its prison and claim the magic of the Wellsprings for his own. In this book, you’ll see the devastating effects of the overuse of magic, and what it does to the Wellsprings and the creatures who thrive around them.  (Click here to read an excerpt from  Call of Sunteri .)
In Call of Brindelier, a dark force looms, more powerful and destructive than any threat Azi and her guild have yet faced. You’ll follow Celli, a scrappy street fighter, as she is enticed into the grips of a powerful Sorcerer. You’ll watch Tib come into his own as he sneaks through the streets of Cerion, uncovering the darkness while also working on a mysterious project. You’ll follow Azi on a quest set by Princess Margary to find proof of Brindelier, a city in the clouds which is the key to all of the Wellsprings in the Known Lands. But Margy is not the only one interested in Brindelier. A dark force has been gathering, poised to claim it for their own. Control over the Wellsprings hangs in the balance.  (Click here to read an excerpt from  Call of Brindelier .)

This series is appropriate for all ages, but I recommend 13 and up due to some violent themes. There is no sex, swearing, or excessively graphic violence in the Keepers of the Wellsprings. Throughout the series, you’ll encounter daring sword fights, violent magical moments, and a few quick deaths.

Call of Brindelier, the third book in the Keepers of the Wellsprings series, is now available on Amazon.  This weekend, I’m offering book one of the series, Call of Kythshire, for free, and book two, Call of Sunteri, for just 99 cents.  Click here to download your ebooks while they’re on sale!  ​
​​ Onward to Brindelier…
A selfish prince on trial for treason. A beloved princess hiding a talent for forbidden magic. The race between Dawn and Dusk to claim Brindelier, a hidden city in the clouds with a promise of ultimate control over the source of power in the Known Lands: The Wellsprings. 

Azi and Rian are back! The newly-betrothed couple once again find themselves drawn into the plots of fairy-kind, bestowed with gifts of new titles and strange, powerful abilities. A threat is revealed; one which Flitt insists is worse than anything they have yet faced. Is she referring to the gathering of Sorcerers who call themselves the Circle of Spires, or is a darker, more sinister force at play? Tib knows. He’s seen the might of the Dusk firsthand. 

The fates of Cerion, Kythshire, and all the Known Lands hang in the balance in the third installment of the Keepers of the Wellsprings series: Call of Brindelier.


About the Author
Missy Sheldrake is an author/illustrator who has been conjuring images of fairies in one form or another since she was very young. The wind in the trees and the rich scent of forest earth are her most treasured sources of inspiration, and on most mornings you will find her wandering the wooded paths, dreaming of the next adventure she hopes to put to the page.
Missy was born in Connecticut and attended Western Connecticut State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Art with a concentration in painting and illustration. Even then, in her free time, she was writing. She moved to Northern Virginia several years ago and lives there now, on the outskirts of Washington D.C., with her true love and their son. She published her first novel, Call of Kythshire, in March of 2015 and intends to keep writing as long as the fairies allow it.


LINKS
Call of Kythshire (Book One):
https://amzn.com/B00UVLQWGY
Call of Sunteri (Book Two):
https://amzn.com/B0187IG3HK
Call of Brindelier (Book Three):
https://amzn.com/B01FM8XR7W
Snowberry Blossom (Perma-free holiday short story):
https://amzn.com/B0196P041O
Website:
www.missysheldrake.com
Blog:
http://missyflits.wordpress.com
​Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Missy-Sheldrake/e/B018CW7GTU/

A Much-Needed Vacation (Chapter 13)

I hope you've been enjoying Scarlett and Blizzard as much as I have. This has been one of my most fun projects to date! I love the interaction with you readers and making you a bigger part of my story-telling process. Surprisingly, Scarlett and Blizzard is starting to reach wind-down time. Don't worry, there are still a few chapters to go. Just not enough to get us all the way into November. The good news in that is Scarlett and Blizzard will be available in its full form sooner than I thought. The "bad" news (if you can call it that) is I'll have to find a new project to do on my blog. I've got some ideas and as we get closer to finishing this project, I'll clue you in. But I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all you awesome readers for participating and enjoying this project. If you'll be near Liberal, KS tomorrow morning, I'll be at the Farmer's Market from 8 - 12 and I'd love to see you there!
P.S. Don't forget to answer the questions below!
The tension over the next few days was so palpable you could cut it with a knife, if you’ll pardon the cliche. The pups seemed to catch our fear and were never far from sight. Mclintock would whine outside the bathroom door when Mom was in there. Cogburn and Rooster began pacing in front of the doors as though keeping constant guard. Everyone was jumpy and there didn’t seem much we could do to assuage our paranoia. After a late night talking, Mom sent Scarlett and I to bed with the instructions to not think about anything for the night. "You two need to get some rest. Stop worrying for now." Yeah right, Mom.
Rooster followed me to my room and hopped around my bed. “Give me a sec, boy,” I said. I picked him up one-handed and dropped him gently on the blankets. 
He scouted out the softest patch of quilt and curled around it a few times before finally settling down. I flopped down next to him after putting on my pajamas and he eyed me with as close to a glare as a dog can get.
“What? It’s my bed.”
He yowled and began his circling ritual again.
I smiled. Careful not to disturb him, I turned and crawled under the covers. My mind was racing. Scarlett never relocated the gas can. Shorty promised to keep an eye out for it, but he hadn’t been able to tell us anything helpful about the whole situation. While Scarlett refused to accept that someone on Starwood may have been involved, I was beginning to wonder. It did seem awfully strange that the gas can would show up after McFinney set his thugs on me. I felt guilty for suspecting any of our hands. They’d been with us a long time and it didn’t seem likely that any of them would have tried to hurt Josiah. Nothing made sense. For several hours my mind circled ideas like Rooster circled a blanket. When I finally did sleep, my dreams were broken-up repeats of all the things which had gone wrong that winter.
Sunlight was streaming through my bedroom window by the time I woke up, which was odd because I never sleep in. You can’t when you live on a ranch. I rolled over and glanced at my clock. My eyes popped as I bolted from bed. “8:45? Snap!” I thundered around my room to get ready for the day before barreling down the stairs. “Mom! Mom! I don’t know how it happened, but I slept through my alarm…”
“I know,” she said calmly. “I turned it off last night.”
“Say what?”
“Do you know when the last time we had a girls’ day was?”
My mind was still trying to wrap around the fact that I was an hour late for school and my chores weren’t done. “Uh…”
“That’s what I thought last night. So I called the school already and told them that you have unfortunately become very ill and won’t be in school today.”
“Wait, you lied to Mrs. Perkins?”
“Not exactly,” Mom said with a smile. “I simply told her I couldn’t see sending you to school with how you’re feeling.”
“But I’m not sick.”
“Maybe not physically, but I think we’re all getting a little heartsick. A weekend away from the ranch would do us a lot of good. Shorty and Josiah will be in charge while we’re gone and I’m sure when we get back everything will still be in good working order.”
“You should consider yourself lucky,” Scarlett added as I tried to digest this. “When I was in school, Mom never called me in sick if I wasn’t.”
“But…”
“You need to pack a weekend bag, “Mom interrupted. “Things that are comfortable and cute would be best.”
“What about the puppies?” 
“They’ll be fine. Josiah will take good care of them. Now go on, get your bag packed. I’ve got breakfast ready to go with us.”
“And my chores?”
“Already done,” Scarlett beamed. “Josiah and I finished them up over an hour ago.”
“Well, I guess I’m fresh out of arguments.”
“Good, get packing.” Mom grinned and pushed me toward the door.
Thirty minutes later with fresh donuts in hand, we waved goodbye to Starwood for a weekend getaway. Not long after getting in the car Scarlett asked, “So, where exactly are we going?”
“Well, I was up late looking at some different things and first on the list is a visit to the spa in Teton Village.”
Scarlett and I gasped. “How were you able to get appointments?”
“Luck was on our side.” Mom shrugged as though this was to be expected. “After that we’ll drive to Twin Falls and spend the rest of the weekend there. We’ll go to the theatre, hit the malls, just have fun for the whole weekend. Then we’ll come back home and try to remember how to work a ranch.” She winked at us. “Then again, maybe we won’t want to.”
We laughed and the rest of the drive was spent chatting. As we walked into the lobby at the spa, my eyes had a hard time deciding what to stare at first. Everything about it exuded luxury and relaxation. Waterfalls splashed nearby and it was all I could do not to stick my hand in one. I felt like I should whisper if I needed to say anything as we waited. Once my massage started, I sank even deeper into the feeling of absolute luxury. “Gracious, what happened here?” the masseuse asked, touching one of the bruises on my back.
“Oh, uh, got into a fight,” I replied.
“Honey, that looks awful! No wonder you have so much tension. But don’t worry, I’ll be gentle and we’ll work everything out. Sound good?”
“Sounds great.”
For the next eighty minutes I basked in the serenity of the spa. For the first time in weeks I just let my mind wander. I stopped worrying about what was going on at home. I didn’t think about Josiah or the Double Rocking B or anything else. Everything was at peace and life was oh so good. I could tell Scarlett and Mom were feeling just as relaxed as we floated out of the lodge and back to our truck. We drove up to Twin Falls and stopped at a salon. Scarlett and I had already done our hair recently, so we had our nails done while Mom tried to decide what to do with her hair. “You should try some streaks, Mom, it would be fun.”
“Oh no, sweetie, that’s for young people.”
Scarlett giggled. “Don’t tell that to Mildred.”
“She’s young at heart,” Mom replied with a smile.
“Are you saying you’re old? Come on, Mom, it would be fun,” I said.
“I don’t know…”
“Give it a try, Mama. I bet some blue would look really cute.”
Mom shook her head firmly. “Oh no, if I’m going to do streaks they’ll be a natural color. No one has naturally blue hair.”
“Well…”
“No blue.”
“Pink then? It would blend well with your color.”
“This from my daughter who never dyes her hair?” Mom asked with a laugh.
The bantering continued until the stylist took Mom to his chair. Scarlett and I laughed as we chatted easily with the manicurists. It seemed like no time at all when Mom’s stylist called us over. “Well, girls, what do you think?”
Mom turned to us with a smile. Her strawberry blonde hair was cut into a short bob and the stylist had woven platinum and pink into it. 
“It’s adorable, Mom,” I squealed. 
“Very chic,” Scarlett agreed.
We stopped at a diner for lunch before then hitting downtown Twin Falls. While I wouldn’t call Mom stingy, normally she was very careful about spending. But with this trip careful Mom went out the window. If we saw something we liked, she added it to our cart or picked it up. After a particularly expensive stop Scarlett finally asked, “Mom, are you sure we can afford all this?”
“Of course,” Mom replied. “I wouldn’t have brought you here if we couldn’t. I’ve been putting away for a special weekend with you girls for a while. I just kept putting off actually planning it.”
The day continued and after checking in at our hotel, Mom checked the weather reports for the next day. “It should be warm enough we can go to Shoshone Falls tomorrow. We’ll do some hiking, look around and just enjoy the day. After dinner, we’ll go the movies. There’s a cute kid’s movie out that would be fun to see.”
“Sounds good, Mom,” Scarlett replied. “How did you manage to do all this planning yesterday?”
“Sleep is for kids, right?” Mom teased. “I stayed up most of the night looking at what options were available. Which is why tonight I’m heading to bed early.”
“I thought you said sleep was for kids,” Scarlett teased.
“I can be a kid if I want and this kid needs her sleep,” Mom retorted with a smile. “You girls can stay up if you want, just keep the volume down.”
Scarlett and I went into the parlor of our suite and chatted quietly. Just as we were getting ready to call it a night, Scarlett’s phone buzzed. She looked at it and then frowned. 
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“Josiah justed texted me. Sheriff Henley caught John McFinney. He’s holding him overnight for questioning in relation to the attack and the fire.” She looked up at me with a slight smile. “This whole nightmare might be over soon.”
I wanted to believe her, but something inside me whispered that we weren't in the clear yet. What's Next? Josiah found something while the girls were away. What does he do with it? * Tells Blizzard, but only because she hears him talking to Franky about it.Shows all three Jannsen girls and together they inform the sheriff. Hypothetically, if I did a sequel, who would you want to be the narrator? * BlizzardScarlettJosiahTeddyFranky Submit

Summer Fun

It's summer vacation where I live. Kids are out of school and the pools are opening. The first few days are always magical, fun  and exciting. But after that, what happens? 

For some of us, especially if we have young children, we start running out of things for them to do. This year I'm faced with the challenge of preparing my oldest boy for Kindergarten while still having fun activities for him and my younger two children. I tend to live in a state of chaos year-round, which I've realized is not good for small children. They like routine. And they especially like knowing what to expect. Mommy's penchant for last-minute decisions throws them off balance and leads to the dreaded meltdown.

When talking with a friend of mine about some solutions, I mentioned that I was going to try a summer passport idea with my children. Having a schedule set up with specific types of activities for each day would help my kiddos do better, right? She loved the idea and I offered to share it with her once I got mine set up. When I talked to her again later, she told me she'd mentioned it to some of her friends who were also interested. So I figured I'd put my passport up here on the blog. Anyone is free to print it out and use it with their children. You can share it with your friends and maybe all of us can breathe a little easier this summer.

The idea of the passport is to help give me a routine for planning around as well as letting my children know what to expect. I've made up several destinations which the children can receive stamps in. I've tried to make it a bit like a real passport (and a driver's license, haha) to give it that extra bit of fun. The cover of the passport is black and white so children can color it in. The beautiful thing is you can cater it to the needs of your own children. What are the destinations? The destinations were pretty easy to choose. I wanted my kiddos to be able to do some fun things as well as things that would help them learn and grow. I made up 12 places for them to visit which I will list for you with some ideas of things you could do for that destination. How you use them is up to you and your family's needs.

Spirit's Oasis
This destination is mainly for Sunday, but can be used for any day you want. Some things you might do for this one are go to church, volunteer to help clean the building you worship in, read scriptures together, visit your pastor or other church leader, visit a place important to your denomination. If you're LDS going to the temple or visiting a church historic site would also fit here. 

Knowledge Island
Children love to learn and mine especially do! For this you could visit a museum (there are lots of kid-friendly science museums around the country, in Kansas I can personally recommend Exploration Place in Wichita and the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson), check out a non-fiction book from the library, have a spelling (or math or history) bee, visit a zoo or aquarium during a Zookeeper Chat, go to a historic site in your town, county or state.

State of Imagination
My kiddos absolutely love stories. They love to read them and they love to tell them. For this you can participate in your local library summer reading program, write a story together, put on a play, go to the library and read together, take your favorite book to the park and read in the sunshine, act out your favorite story, if you have older children encourage them to do Camp NaNoWriMo.

Nature Kingdom
Don't you just love the outdoors? I know I love to be outside and most children do too! Go to a park together, take a walk, go on a hike and take pictures, have a nature scavenger hunt, plant a garden, go camping, collect leaves and make leaf art, visit a zoo or aquarium.

Family Tree
Doing things as a family is fun and a great way to spend time in the summer.  Plan a family campout, visit relatives, learn your family history (websites like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch are great for this!), make a family tree, tell stories about when you were young, show them pictures of them as babies, or of you as a baby, make a family photo album.

Friendship Lagoon
Doing things with friends is always fun. Have a tea party, invite friends to splash in a sprinkler, meet friends at a playground or park, plan a movie night, have a pajama party, invite friends to share a story with you, go to the library with friends, plan a scavenger hunt.

Creative Beach
Getting messy and making art are some of my favorite things and I've passed that on to my children. Make an illustration for your favorite story, make a finger painting, make leaf rubbings, paint with water on the sidewalk, draw with chalk, make bubble paintings, make story stones, create a garden stepping stone.

Animalia
My children absolutely love everything to do with animals. Go to the zoo, aquarium or a nature park, make an animal scavenger hunt, check out a book from the library about your child's favorite animal, visit a farm or petting zoo, go bird watching, take pictures of insects.

Celebration Station
There are lots of fun holidays and birthdays in the summer. Have fun celebrating them. If you go to the National Day Calendar, you can find all sorts of fun things to celebrate!

Serenity Forest
With all the hustle and bustle going on, having some quiet time can help keep everyone happy. Have a story nest and read quietly together, listen to quiet music, look at pictures together.

Helper's Cove
Taking time to serve others is a great way to spend time as a family but also teach your children about helping out and being grateful for all we have. Plan a service project together and help your children plan things they can do. Look for community projects you can help out with or visit local retirement communities

Cape Moonbound
Space is an interesting thing and learning about it together can be fun. And sometimes it's fun to do night-time things. Stay up together and go star-gazing, visit a planetarium, check out a book about planets or stars, have a family sleep over, learn about nocturnal animals together, go on a campout, make a constellation map.

Obviously these ideas aren't all-inclusive and you could easily come up with your own ideas. You also don't have to do your destinations in the same order I've got them in (use the .doc file to edit).  If you do the passport, make sure to take lots of pictures and maybe help your kiddos make an adventure journal or scrapbook to record all the fun they had. Use little stamps or stickers to mark in their passport when they've done something fun. Then at the end of summer the whole family can enjoy looking back on all your adventures. [image error] summeradventurepassport.pdfFile Size: 93 kbFile Type: pdfDownload File [image error] summeradventurepassport.docFile Size: 90 kbFile Type: docDownload File