Sol Crafter's Blog, page 7
December 16, 2013
I feel a little dumb
Okay, so I’ve been responding to comments via the reply box on my dashboard. Which seems not to have been integrated with Disqus at all, so all my replies have been disappearing into the aether. First my Disqus lost its reply box — which means I have to go to each post to reply from there — and then when I thought my prayers had been answered, nope. I don’t even think the dashboard reply box is even attached to anything.
Anyways, I’ll be going back to normal replies, and my apologies to everyone that didn’t get a reply.
I watched the Korean movie Sunny on Netflix and I cried and cried because it was so beautiful.
The summary says it’s about a new girl that is embarrassed on her first day and makes six new friends. What it really is, is the story of a woman with a settled life that finds her friend that she hasn’t seen in years dying in a hospital and agrees to get the old group back together.
It was like the Korean Beaches.
I also saw the Korean movie A Company Man about a company assassin that comes to regret the life that he’s lived. He decides he wants to make a change, which results in all kinds of badness for everyone involved.
Lots of guns, knives, and violence.
Hyeong-do (SO Ji-sub) goes to the office every day, but isn’t thrilled with the cubicles, the politics, his co-workers, or the management. His job is murder. Literally. At this company, death is all in a day’s work. Hyeong-do is a corporate assassin, working for a company specializing in contract killings. He’s one of the best, and a loyal employee. But when his new trainee gets killed on the job, he feels an obligation to care for the kid’s family – and taking his eye off the ball is not how a guy gets promoted. Now, Hyeong-do wants out of the cutthroat rat race to start a new life, but his colleagues have different plans – and “retirement” may come at a far bloodier price than expected.
The post I feel a little dumb appeared first on Harper Kingsley.
All content copyright HarperKingsley.net unless otherwise stated.
Please do not steal my words. In a hundred years they are all that will be left of me.
December 11, 2013
Winter Warmers Giveaway Hop: Dec 12-16
As everyone knows, I love books. From the time I was nine years old, books have been one of the biggest parts of my life, not just the reading of them, but the writing of them. And when I was fourteen years old, I discovered my first romance novel, The Prize by Julie Garwood.
With time, I grew up and discovered other romance authors — Jude Deveraux, Amanda Quick, Susan Elizabeth Phillips — and I’ve found my tastes focusing on happily ever afters where everyone gets their prince or princess. Maybe my vision of the way things should be is shaded by rose-colored glass, but that’s what I want to read, that’s mostly what I want to write (there’s been a few angstfests that have crept up on me), and that’s what I wish the real world was like.
Books have always been an escape for me, a freedom from a harsher reality. It’s the reason why I mostly avoid so-called “realistic” stories featuring heroes that are reformed sex offenders, drug dealers, or just all around skeevy people. Because I’ve seen those stories play out in real life and they never end well. I want my bad people to fully embrace the fact that they’re bad people, not sugarcoat their acts of evil as being for the greater good or whatever. As such, my villains are gleefully villainous, my heroes are firmly antiheroic, and more often than not everything ends with a kiss, a happy ever after, and at least one person finds the someone or something they want to spend the rest of their life with.
There’s nothing like curling up with a sugary sweet romance novel and reading about someone finding their happily ever after.
Here’s my backlist. Leave a comment with the book you’d like to receive, and I will choose a winner using Random.org. (Not all are romance, or contain romantic elements.) The ebook will be presented through a Smashwords coupon, but if you don’t want to make an account, let me know what format you read (Mobi, PDF, Epub) and I’ll send you the ebook direct.
And this is my attempt at writing first person. Feel free to judge. I’ve probably said it all myself. The narrator is a woman, the eventual relationship is f/f/m.
Once when I was young I fell in love and it was like tumbling into the sea. The waves caught me and pulled me down and before I knew it I was completely wrapped up in the girl I loved.
She was beautiful and smart and seeing her always made my heart beat fast. She could dry up my throat quicker than anything and for the longest time my every glimpse of her left me completely tongue-tied.
I loved her so much. I thought it was always going to be forever. The way I felt about her, it had to be real.
My feelings were honest and true, hers not so much. She chewed me up and spit me out, cheating on me several times. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to realize that I was nothing but a game to her, and then I only understood after she’d tired of playing.
She hurt me more than anything before or since. I’ve sworn off love; love is for saps and losers. It’s better to wander free and play the field than to settle down with someone that’s just going to hurt me.
I’m not a fool.
“Clarity, what are you doing?”
I gave Adam a smile. “Daydreaming.”
I pushed out his chair with my foot, waving a hand at the spot across from me. I’d been holding his seat and had already earned myself the stink eye from several other people in the breakroom. Whatever. They could deal.
“Daydreaming about what?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I was just reaffirming my vow to never love again.”
He made a moue. “There will be so many guys sobbing from the heartbreak.”
“They’d be crying anyway.” I lowered my voice for him alone, “I don’t drive stick.”
Adam’s eyes went wide and he made a “Really?” hand gesture. I nodded.
“Whoa,” he said, raking a hand through his spiky hair. “I just need a moment to process that into my memory banks.”
“You’re a nerd,” I teased.
He puffed out his chest and stroked an invisible goatee. “You better believe it. And I’m dragging you with me when I go to Sakura-con. So you better be ready to sync vacations with me.”
I gave him an OK sign. “I will let you dress me up in full anime style. It is not a problem.” I’d been jealous when he’d gone to Sakura-con last year, but we’d just met then. Getting an invite this time … That was pretty damn awesome.
That’s the thing about Adam. Somehow he’s become my best friend and I’m still not quite sure how it happened. One minute he was just some guy I’d seen around work, the next we were eating lunch together in the breakroom and going to see movies on our days off.
I’d never had a friendship happen so easily before.
It’s my nature. I’m naturally very standoffish and I have a severe lack of social skills. It’s my curse that while people are attracted to my appearance, one conversation and they’re running for the hills.
Adam could listen to me babble for hours about movies or video games or just whatever random thought passed through my head, and he always seemed incredibly interested. He was comfortable to be around, though for some reason some of our co-workers really didn’t like him. A few had even tried to warn me that he was bad news, which I took to be sour grapes because he was young and good looking and his father was big in the company, like the number five or something.
That was another thing about Adam. I would have thought the kid of one of the bosses would be bringing it up all the time and just be a total nuisance. Not Adam. He was making his own way, and though he talked to his dad everyday, it was usually about things outside of work, like the garden Adam’s dad, Gary, was trying to put together. From what I understand, it’s not going too well.
“I’ll start thinking about costumes.” Adam pulled his phone out of the breast pocket of his blue uniform shirt and happily wrote himself a note. “We are going to blow everyone away. We are going to be internet famous when our pictures get around.”
“Nothing *too* sexy,” I warned. The last thing I wanted was my dad to see me in a bikini or something, covered in bodypaint. He would lose his ever loving mind.
Adam waved his right hand at me while he continued to text with his left. “Eat your food. I’m almost done here.”
I sighed and focused on the tray in front of me: stuffed cabbage, cherry tomatoes, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, and a plastic tumbler full of unsweetened iced tea. It was all leftovers from the buffet, recycled to feed the full-time employees their one mandatory meal per shift.
Even though it wasn’t food I would have bought with money, I ate. There was no sense wasting it and I was going to be hungry as my shift progressed. Besides, once I shook on the Choloula sauce it wasn’t so bad, though I would have much preferred Sriracha instead.
As I ate I watched Adam enjoy himself playing with his phone. He would turn the odd comment my way and I would nod or grunt or give him a thumb’s up depending.
Having a friend in my life–even if it was pathetically enough just the one–was making the whole “I’m never going to fall in love again” vow a lot more bearable.
Peace, love, joy,
~Harper Kingsley
Kimichee || Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Harper Kingsley on Smashwords || Harper Kingsley on Amazon
The post Winter Warmers Giveaway Hop: Dec 12-16 appeared first on Harper Kingsley.
All content copyright HarperKingsley.net unless otherwise stated.
Please do not steal my words. In a hundred years they are all that will be left of me.
LJ down?; EXCERPT: Allen the Alien; EXCERPT: Harsh Buzz
For some reason I can’t log in to my LiveJournal with Semagic. I’m hoping LJ is down. I would lose my mind if I couldn’t use my Semagic to post to LJ.
Anyways, here’s two things by me:
Allen the Alien
Harsh Buzz
*
Watching the episode of Futurama where Fry is basically ET to Lrrr’s son’s Eliot. This show always gets me thinking and is like total inspiration fuel.
Now my mind is filled with the idea of a human lost on an alien world being taken is as a pet for a Predator-type alien. Even though the alien–Allen–is from a culture that totally lives in harshness every day of the week, he believes that he needs to take care of his human properly. Which means lush comfort, gourmet food, baths, tummy rubs, just a thoroughly pleasure-filled life. Allen even takes his human to a swap, where unbonded humans are gathered together for Owners to look at. Allen brings his human and they walk around to find a proper mate for the human.
It’s kind of like a dog park with stalls set up along the fences. All kinds of things are sold there, from humans to smaller pets like dogs, cats, turtles, etc. (Maybe the aliens have conquered Earth and every creature is their pet?)
Allen could see the way Gerston tugged at the collar with his forepaws and gave him a warning swat on the back. One sky blue eye rolled toward him balefully, but Gerston had quickly learned how to behave. “There will be none of that, good sir,” Allen said sternly.
Gerston made a whining sound of unhappiness and Allen huffed a laugh. “Now now. We’re here to pick you up a treat. There’s no reason to act so rudely to me.” Allen tugged the leash and Gerston was quick to go to heel, following along in Allen’s footstep as they traversed the animal park toward the human enclosure.
As they got closer, Gerston jerked to attention when he saw where they were going, all the humans gathered within the fence. He made an excited sound, like amazement and laughter and a bit of fear.
“Don’t worry now,” Allen said. “I’m not going to replace you. We’re just here to get you a friend.”
He led Gerston to the fence and they walked along it, examining the humans inside. There were at least twenty of them huddled in groups around the enclosure, some of them rather humorously covering their exposed genitals. There was no clothing before a human was purchased and registered; it made it easier to differentiate the males from the females and there was no way the seller could hide any health concerns.
Suddenly one of the humans barked high and excited and ran to the fence, nearly touching the forcefield, which crackled warningly. He was a larger than normal human with black hair on his head and face and between his legs, his skin a deep brown color marred by a silvery scar across his abdomen. Still, he was a handsome looking beast.
Gerston made an excited yip and tugged at Allen, rolling his eyes so pleadingly that Allen huffed a laugh and took him closer to the fence. He got to watch Gerston and the other male eye each up, yelping and barking and waving their forepaws at each other. It was oddly delightful.
“So this is the one you want, is he?” Allen looked around until he caught the eye of the stall manager and clapped his hands to catch his attention. The man hurried over with a jangle of keys, a clipboard in his hand. “I want that one.” Allen pointed at the male human Gerston seemed so taken with.
“Oh, sir, I don’t think that one would be right for you at all. He’s a rough sort and you seem to be a rather delicate fellow.”
Allen could see the way the other man looked at him, the judgment being made behind those slit yellow eyes, and he grit his teeth and took it. He knew how he looked; most times it pleased him to be admired, but Traditionals had a tendency to look at him as though he was shit beneath their heel. From the gelled back sweep of his blue-black mane to his bespoke suit jacket, vest, and trousers, he was a Modernist to the core. Wealthy, handsome, of noble birth, but troubled to be a gadfly, most likely a disappointment to his family and a black sheep amongst his old school friends.
He straightened his spine and stared down his nose at the man.–How dare such a vermin judge him?–”I will take the black topped one. Arrange the paperwork. I don’t have all day.” At the rolling sound of his vowels and pheromone rush of Command, the creature hastened to obey.
Allen didn’t like to Dominate those lesser than him. He wanted to believe in the freedom of everyone, no matter how unlikely, but there were some times when he simply couldn’t take it anymore. His natural inclination was to own every situation he was in and that included anyone of lesser birth–he was a noble–and when he could no longer suppress his nature that’s what he reverted to: the noble child of ten thousand generations of noble children. There were very few Lessers born into his family line, and that had become a mark of pride for his Genome.
Watching the man rush around at his command, Allen couldn’t help savoring the thrill of power, though he wished more than anything to feel bad about it. And that’s what he always felt bad for instead, the fact that he had no conscience of his own. He was as amoral and terrible as his mother.
I will do better, I promise, he thought.
He looked down at Gerston, his faithful pet, and reached out to stroke the human’s head, letting the long auburn locks flow between his fingers, black fur mixing with human hair. It was his desire to be a better person that had brought him to the decision of getting his own human. He’d never been one for pets before, but the books all suggested the company of an at least Level Three organism to promote a healthy mental state and nurture a compassion toward weaker beings. He hadn’t believed it could possibly work, but he’d developed a fondness for Gerston that brinked closely to being love.
“Oh look, here comes your friend,” Allen said. Standing with Gerston at his side, he watched as the stall manager walked his new human to him on a plain brown leash. The human had been dressed in a loose black smock and slippers. He walked with his head up and his shoulders back, brown eyes looking around interestedly.
Allen smiled. His new human was beautiful, muscular and healthy with glossy black hair. He would be the perfect complement to Gerston, who was slender and delicate boned; everyone would admire Allen when he took his humans for a walk.
*
RAW FEED: Harsh Buzz [vampire, mm]
Author: Harper Kingsley
Rating: mature
There was something to be said about that moment between Waking and Sleep when it felt as though the world was rushing back into his lungs. The word he might use is “Disappointing.”
To feel life take over his dreaming mind and slip back out of the memories he imagined he’d once lived, it made reality all that much more painful. All those beautiful moments withering and falling away, dying petals falling away in a flurry of bright and dark.
Then he is himself alone. And suddenly that’s not so bad with awareness rushing to fill the emptiness. This is his life, his world. No longer a slave to the passions of others, he is the master here and no one can deny that.
Marmalee rose from tousled sheets, stretching his arms high above him and feeling the smooth press of muscles against his skin.
This was his moment now. His time.
There was no one to stand against him. No one that would dare to stand against him.
Padding barefoot into the bathroom, he twisted the knobs above the claw-footed tub, letting the hot water free. He added a drizzle of scented oil, breathing deep the scent of flowers and spice.
As he stepped into the bath, he heard the hushed whisper of the bedroom doors opening. His four personal attendants stepped in with their demiguise trailing after them, their eyes kept low in deference.
Marmalee said nothing as two attendants came to the tub and stepped in, kneeling in the water to wash his skin with soft cloths and massaged sweet smelling shampoo into his long, crimson locks.
He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be pampered. Gentle touches felt strange after centuries of rough handling. He had started out his immortal life even lower in the Hierarchy than these servants.
There had been no laws to protect him and no one to care. He’d wrapped his hurt and misery tight around his heart and turned it into the strength necessary to rise through the ranks and stake his claim as a Master. He had refused to be a victim, and his reward was at hand.
After bathing, he was dried and powdered, his skin shining and smooth. He was dressed in leather and silk and spiderweb lace. His hair was coiled around wire artifices until it was an elegant art and he was as beautiful as he was deadly, looking neither male nor female, but something lingering in-between.
“You look beautiful,” LaFavre said.
Marmalee gave her a gentle smile. “Thank you. You have done well.” A kind word here and there earned better loyalty than cruelty and indifference.
Stepping into his soft-soled shoes, Marmalee smoothed his hands over his stomach and strode from the room. The evening’s entertainment would be starting shortly and he had never been one to be late. Never to his own party.
Bodyguards flanked him as he left the private portion of the Palace for the public areas. They rode the elevator up with him and kept a close watch as he surveyed the party preparations.
His butler was handling things with all the adroit skill of his top notch schooling. Hollings had displayed such brilliance at organizing the Palace staff that Marmalee was considering turning him into a Demiguise in a few years. It wouldn’t do for the Palace butler to appear too young, just a bit of age to distinguish him, and Edward Hollings would be perfect.
“I’m pleased,” Marmalee said.
Hollings didn’t even twitch at Marmalee’s sudden appearance next to him. He merely dipped his head in respect. His breath ghosted against Marmalee’s sleeve, rippling the fabric. “Prince-Elect. We have done the best we can, and the result has been very good so far.”
“You’re humble, how adorable.” Marmalee laughed and clapped his hands. There had been some question about his decision to hire a human, but he had been impressed by Hollings; not just how the man appeared on paper, but the man himself. Hollings was unflappable.
“The first guests should be arriving within the hour,” Hollings said.
Marmalee nodded. “Thank you for your hard work this past week.”– He lightly poked his finger against Hollings just to feel the solid muscle.–”You’ve done a truly beautiful job.”
Hollings’ thin lips turned up in a smile. “It was my pleasure, sir.” There was a definite thrill to be found when dealing with someone so competent. There wasn’t a single hair out of place and Hollings had the serene confidence of a master of his profession.
Marmalee gave him another smile before drifting off to check things for himself. He’d always had a perfectionist streak.
The post LJ down?; EXCERPT: Allen the Alien; EXCERPT: Harsh Buzz appeared first on Harper Kingsley.
All content copyright HarperKingsley.net unless otherwise stated.
Please do not steal my words. In a hundred years they are all that will be left of me.
December 6, 2013
Allies & Enemies, by Harper Kingsley. Chapter 5 [superhero, mm]
Title: Allies & Enemies
Author: Harper Kingsley
World: Heroes & Villains
Genre: mm superhero
Summary: Warrick comes home after a bad experience. They have to deal with the aftermath and revelations.
CHAPTER FIVE
Brushing Mr. Cuddy turned out to be one of those things he really enjoyed. He wouldn’t have imagined it could be so soothing, but there was just something about it. Running the soft bristles through his silky white fur and hearing the whispery “shush-shush” sound and his reverberating purr of satisfaction.
Mr. Cuddy opened one slit-pupiled green eye to give Vereint a rolling look. His front paws kneaded at the couch cushion and Vereint could feel him pushing back against the brush demandingly.
“Are you still playing with that cat?” Melissa asked disbelievingly. She was standing in the living room archway with an energy drink in her hands. “You’re going to get too attached and Miss Cuddy’s gonna be pissed you’ve stolen her husband.”
Vereint wagged the brush at her. “I’m not trying to steal her cat. She left me a whole list of things she expects me to do for him. Brushing him every night was on it.”
“And how exactly did she talk you into cat sitting?” Melissa stepped into the living room and leaned her elbow against a chair back.
“She didn’t want to put him in one of those animal hostels and was completely upset,” Vereint said. She’d been pitiful and he’d been desperate to get her away from his door. “How could I tell her no when she was so desperate? Besides, Mr. Cuddy is a great cat.”
Melissa held up her free hand. “Hey, I never said otherwise. It’s just kind of weird that I go away for a few hours and come back in to you still playing with the cat.”
“I’m not playing with him, I’m grooming him.” Vereint was playing with the cat. He would die before admitting it though. “And should you be drinking that? I thought we were cutting down on how many energy drinks you’re allowed in a week.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “Well within your draconian limits.”
Vereint focused back on Mr. Cuddy so Melissa couldn’t see him rolling his eyes. “There’s some salsa left from earlier.”
“Nice.” She turned toward the kitchen. “Are there any of those chips left?”
Vereint was about to say “Yes” when there was a loud thud and a curse from the patio followed by the crash of a deck chair being knocked over. He leapt off the couch and ran to the sliding door to see what was going on.
Blue Ice looked as though he’d gone forty rounds. His costume was torn in places and Vereint could see blood seeping at his right shoulder where what looked like a metal spike protruded. As Vereint watched, the mask was ripped away and Warrick took a gasping breath, his face streaked with sweat and blood.
Vereint opened the sliding door so fast he nearly broke the glass. He ran to Warrick’s side. “Are you all right? How bad is it?”
Warrick waved his hand and said, “I’m all right. It’s minor.” Vereint might have believed him if his glove wasn’t smeared with his own blood.
“Oh my God, Warrick?”
Vereint turned to see a shocked Melissa standing in the doorway. “Don’t just stand there,” he barked. “Go get some clean towels and find the first aid kit. It should be in the bathroom cupboard.”
Her mouth opened a few times, fish-like, but he pointed his hand at her and she ran. He didn’t have time to deal with her crisis, not when Warrick could be bleeding to death. He began to pull Warrick’s uniform off, careful of his wounds. He didn’t think there were any life threatening traumas, but he could already see the deep bruises sprouting up on Warrick’s skin. It was the kind of bruising that took weeks to heal and hurt all the way down to the bone.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured. Warrick was trying to hide how much it hurt, but Vereint could see the way he flinched and pressed his lips together to hold in the cries of pain. Vereint tried to be gentle, but there was some knocking around that he couldn’t help. He wished Warrick would curse or make some kind of sound so he could know how much he was hurting him. “I’ve got you.”
Melissa padded out with her bare feet and held out a handful of towels. The first aid kit dangled from her fingers. “Is he all right? How bad is it? What happened?”
Vereint took the first aid kit. “I don’t know. Why don’t you lay a couple of those towels on the floor for me to put him on?”
Her voice shook when she said “Okay,” but she was almost professional about following his instructions.
Warrick wasn’t hurt as badly as he’d feared. The shoulder wound was the worst, but when Vereint looked at it closely he saw that the spike hadn’t gotten very far into the skin and was caught in the flesh, not against the bone.
“Why didn’t you go to the doctor?” Vereint demanded as soon as Warrick was all bandaged up. His upper body was a mass of bruises and bandages, but he still wore his pants and boots. “What if you had died?”
Warrick shrugged ruefully. “I wasn’t thinking that clearly. I just knew that I wanted to be back with you.”
“It’s stupid that you can make me want to smile at a moment like this.” Vereint used a washcloth to wipe the smears of blood off Warrick’s skin. He gave him a swipe right down the middle of his face. “You asshole.”
Warrick winced and laughed, then seemed to catch sight of Melissa for the first time. “Uh oh.”
“‘Uh oh’ is right,” she said. Her arms were crossed and she was sticking out her chin aggressively. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were a superhero? That you’re the superhero?”
“We were going to wait and tell you when you’re older?” Vereint said, sounding more like he was asking a question.
“I was all big talk about how I’m going to be a superhero, and you’re Blue Ice?” She tapped her toe. “That’s unacceptable.”
Warrick pulled himself into a seated position. Vereint wanted to protest, but caught a look at the stubborn glint in Warrick’s eye and helped him instead. “You weren’t supposed to find out like this.”
“Duh,” she rolled her eyes, “I wasn’t supposed to find out at all, at least, not until you had some big speech or something prepared.” She drew in a deep breath. “You shouldn’t be out there alone.”
“I’m usually not,” Warrick said. “I partner up with Caspian.”
She blinked. “I’m really stupid, aren’t I?”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on, your best friend is Caspian Dukes. Why didn’t I put together that you had to be Blue Ice?” She shook her head. “It makes me feel really dumb.”
“Relax. Most of the world hasn’t figured out that I’m Blue Ice,” Warrick said. “It doesn’t make you dumb, just really unobservant.”
She rolled her eyes. “I live with you. I should have figured it out.”
“Maybe, but you didn’t have to because now you know officially.”
“Because you got beat up.” She shook her head. “If this hadn’t happened, would you have told me soon?”
Vereint kept his expression carefully blank and focused on smoothing Warrick’s bandages. Some of the first ones he’d put on looked frantic somehow, reflecting how panicked he’d been that Warrick was about to die on him. “You’re still visiting the doctor,” he muttered.
Warrick looked at him, then sighed and focused on Melissa. “Probably after your next birthday,” he said. “We would have sat you down and had a great big grown up conversation about it.”
“Great,” she said. “So I would have had to wait another seven months. That’s awesome. What if you would have died in the meantime? I wouldn’t have known what had happened to you.” She glared at Vereint. “Would you have told me he was Blue Ice then, or would I have gotten the party line that he died in a plane crash or something?”
“Shut up!” Vereint snapped. He could feel his throat getting tight and he drew in a gasping breath. “Don’t talk like that. No one’s going to die.”
She must have seen something in his face, because her expression changed in an instant from anger to sympathy. She hurriedly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her chin on top of his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I know you would have told me when you thought I was ready.”
Vereint pressed his palms flat against the floor next to his knees and just breathed for a long moment. “We were going to tell you so that if something happened you would hear the truth. We just wanted to give you more time to be a kid.”
“But now I know,” Melissa said. “There’s no way I could ever unknow.”
He shook his head. “No. So what are we going to do about this?” Vereint looked at her, trying to get her to believe that they would have told her soon, that they didn’t just see her as some kid.
“I think we should go inside,” Warrick suddenly said. “This hard floor is screwing up my back.”
“Oh, yeah.” Vereint stood up and started bending to pick him up, but Melissa was already there.
“I’ve got this,” she said. “I guess the ol’ superstrength comes in handy every once and awhile.”
Vereint had to fight down the impulse to wrestle Warrick back out of her arms. He followed her inside instead, carefully closing and locking the sliding door. That was the worst thing about people being able to fly–more criminals using skyscrapers as their favored hunting ground.
When he stepped into their bedroom, he found Melissa plumping Warrick’s pillows and fluttering around nervously. She really looked worried about Warrick.
“He’s going to be fine,” Vereint said. “He needs some sleep though. Do you think we could have our big discussion tomorrow?”
She pointed at him. “Early!”
He smiled and nodded. “Early,” he agreed. “Can you stick Mr. Cuddy into his cage for the night?”
“Sure,” she said, walking toward the door. She trailed her hand over the fine needlework on their handmade quilt. “I’ll take care of him.”
“Thank you,” he called out as she shut the door. Then he turned to Warrick. “Are you all right? Should I call the doctor now? Are you in a lot of pain?”
Warrick held up his hand with an amused look. His face was still pinched from pain, but he seemed a lot better. “I’ll be fine. There’s not a whole lot he can do for me and I really don’t want to go there. I’m fine.”
“Do you promise?”
Warrick’s eyes softened and he caught Vereint’s hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed the web between Vereint’s thumb and fingers. “I promise. I’ll be fine.”
“Good.” Vereint let his shoulders sag. He walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed up to nuzzle against Warrick’s side. His heart was only just beginning to settle down. Warrick was so rarely hurt that when it happened he never quite knew how to respond. So he just repeated, “Good.”
* * *
Vereint knew how to stay freaked out. It was one of those things that Warrick had only discovered years into their marriage, but it was a rare bit of information that he treasured. The fact that Vereint was a worrier and was maybe a bit hysterical at times made him seem more real as a person.
There were some days when Warrick woke up afraid that nothing in his life was real. That he had made up a fantasy with Vereint in it and really he was the same lonely rich boy he’d always been. There was no way that he could ever be this entirely happy. The fact that Vereint was almost frighteningly perfect kind of set his teeth on edge, so when he could note even the tiniest of flaws Warrick was able to relax into the knowledge that this was all real. He had the love of Vereint in his life.
Warrick was happy and there was nothing he wouldn’t give Vereint just to see him smile. It was kind of why he looked the other way whenever Vereint slipped a bit. He couldn’t handle all the angst and woe Vereint would go through if he thought Warrick knew he’d done something that could qualify as supervillainy. And usually it was something so minor that Warrick wouldn’t have cared about it anyway, but Vereint had some insanely rigid code of normality he followed.
When Melissa had first started living with them, Warrick had nearly driven himself insane with nerves. It was this grinding thing working its way through his stomach and chest and he’d wondered if he was actually giving himself an ulcer. He was just so afraid that the presence of Melissa would somehow throw Vereint’s whole world out of whack and there would be emotional trauma and scarring. He had never wanted to see Vereint unable to smile.
Thankfully, Melissa had turned out to be the wonderful kid she was and it had all worked itself out. He didn’t know what Vereint would have done if they’d had to send her to another family. Even if she’d been a completely awful child, Vereint wouldn’t have wanted to let her go. He would have taken on her burdens and spent his whole life trying to turn her attitude around.
Warrick sometimes wondered if Vereint took on the different headaches as some kind of penance for all the things he’d done during his life as a world renowned supervillain. The things that Warrick had never asked about and Vereint had never volunteered.
Vereint was strong enough that he wouldn’t be physically hurt, but Warrick had seen proof that Vereint was vulnerable on the inside. He tended to put people on pedestals, and when they invariably toppled off the fallout was always bitter.
Warrick had given up trying to figure out what he had done right in Vereint’s eyes, but he planned on holding onto the position he had in Vereint’s esteem.
“…Warrick?…”
The drifting, floating sensation Warrick was experiencing was dissipating from around him and he realized that somehow his eyes were closed. He wasn’t standing in the living room gazing out the nighttime window, he was lying down on the cloud mattress Vereint had picked out the last time they’d gone mattress shopping.
“Come on … time … wake up…”
There was a throbbing pain in his shoulder and Vereint’s voice was calling to him. He wanted to answer.
Waking up when he hadn’t even known he was asleep had him strangely out of sorts. He grimaced at the horrible taste in his mouth and tried to get his eyes open.
“Are you all right?”
Warrick blinked eyelids that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds each. “Wha?”
“Ah, I see that you’ve found your words again, that’s good. I was kind of worried for a while seeing as you wouldn’t wake up no matter what we did,” Vereint said. He drifted into Warrick’s field of view.
Vereint wore that cheerful “Oh my God, I’m panicking on the inside” smile that made Warrick want to cringe. That smile was usually followed by massive property damage and possibly a loss of life. It was such a bright expression that it had taken Warrick nearly a year to figure out what it meant and it had gone from adorable to terrifying just that quick.
That glassiness to Vereint’s eyes and that peek of dimple was proof that Vereint was right at the raggedy edge of having a meltdown. He was always so controlled that when he lost it, he lost it. Reason went right out the window and he found excuses to do whatever he wanted to do, no matter how terrible. Vereint became cold and focused, but the logic running his brain was anything but sane.
Warrick hadn’t seen that smile in years. It was one of those things Vereint had tried to leave behind with Darkstar. During the Kaplan Ryan thing was the last time Warrick had even seen that crazy shine jerking over Vereint’s eyeballs. He looked like he was on drugs, but Warrick knew it was pure need to destroy.
It was a sad fact, but Vereint was a good supervillain. Warrick had even told him that it kind of made him proud that Vereint had given up crime to be with him. Warrick joked that he might have saved the world. And serious faced Vereint had agreed.
“Are you passing out again?” Vereint’s hand was cool against Warrick’s forehead.
Warrick winced when he realized he’d zoned out again. “I’m awake. I’m here,” he blurted.
“You really scared me,” Vereint said. “I called Dr. Jorge when you wouldn’t wake up and he said you’d gotten some kind of poisoning or radiation or something. The minute you were done fighting Behemoth you should have gone to Medical. What were you thinking?”
Warrick closed his eyes, trying to focus. “I wanted to be with you,” he said. The need to find Vereint had been overwhelming and he hadn’t questioned the stupidity of the impulse. He’d broken League protocol and gone home without checking out. It was a complete rookie mistake.
“I fucked up,” he admitted.
Vereint leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Warrick’s forehead. “Yeah, you did. Don’t do it again, you dumb fuck,” he squeezed out.
“I love you too,” Warrick said. His eyelids started feeling heavy and his blinks lasted longer and came more frequently. “I think I’m falling asleep again.”
“Yeah.”
“Will you…” His mouth still moved as his words trailed off.
“I’ll be here when you wake up,” Vereint promised.
Warrick’s lips twitched into a smile as he fell asleep.
“So, I’m going to be your sidekick from now on,” Melissa announced as she came into the room.
Warrick was resting on a mound of pillows and extra blankets with his hair tousled around his head. He’d been working his way through a bowl of soup and contemplating a nap. He wasn’t feeling at his best. “What?”
She crossed her arms and stuck her chin out at him. “I’m going to be your new sidekick. I already asked Vereint and he said it’s okay.”
Warrick slowly put his spoon down and wiped his mouth with his napkin. He took a careful sip of his ice water. “Okay,” he said, once he was sure he was processing. “Explain that slowly and in small words, please.”
Melissa rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Seriously. You need to keep up, Warrick. I’m getting very concerned for you.” It was the teasing tone she usually reserved for Vereint alone.
“Yes,” Warrick said slowly, “very concerned.”
She leaned over the footboard of the bed. Her ponytail flipped over her shoulder as she set about trying to sell him on the idea of her becoming his new sidekick. “Because it’s dangerous for you to be alone,” she said. “Look what happened this time. If I’d been there, I would have made you go to Medical.”
“You probably would have died,” he said bluntly. “That was the kind of experience that’s definitely no kids allowed.”
“Fine, but what about other situations? You might need a lookout or a sniper or a set of small hands.” She cocked her head. “You need help. I want to help. It’s a win-win.”
“I feel like I’m being scammed.” Warrick narrowed his eyes at her.
Melissa flashed him her best smile and even went so far as to flutter her eyelashes in what she thought was a cute manner. “I told Vereint all my points and he agreed with me that this was something we should do.”
“Why are you taking my name in vain?” Vereint asked, pushing the door all the way open.
“I don’t know what that means,” Melissa said, sidling back against the wall. “I was just telling Warrick that I’m going to be his new sidekick.”
“I thought I told you to ask him if you could be his new sidekick.” Vereint sounded amused. “There is a difference.”
“Fine.” Melissa threw up her hands. “Warrick, can I be your new sidekick? Please?”
Warrick just looked at her for a long moment, then turned to Vereint. “Seriously?”
Vereint shrugged. “She made a lot of sense.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Warrick saw Melissa slide out the door, her hand catching the knob as she passed and closing it after her. She’d sowed her seed and now she expected Vereint to fight for her.
Which he did. Viciously.
/CHAPTER
The post Allies & Enemies, by Harper Kingsley. Chapter 5 [superhero, mm] appeared first on Harper Kingsley.
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Please do not steal my words. In a hundred years they are all that will be left of me.
December 5, 2013
EXCERPT: The Hastings, by Harper Kingsley [superhero, family]
Title: The Hastings
Author: Harper Kingsley
Genre: superhero, family, genhet
Blurb: “Family drama of the superhero kind.”
EXCERPT:
They were on a call, a normal situation for their superhero family. A gang of bank robbers had tunneled their way through the basement of the vault and made off with a small fortune. It should have been no sweat for them to handle.
Except they hadn’t counted on the gang leader turning out to be Deadheat, who could create a current of heat hotter than the sun. He had a reputation for flash-roasting capes and no compunction about using his metability against kids. It added a level of danger to the situation they weren’t prepared for, and if she’d been given a choice Magda would have called in another crew to handle these guys. Unfortunately, they had already busted into the gang’s lair and there was no backing away from the fight without dying.
“I think we may have made a strategic error,” Gizmoid said, ducking away from a burst of heat. The top of his red headstocking smoked and turned black, but held up without burning him.
“You stay back,” Mr. Starlight ordered firmly. Gizmoid didn’t have the same heat-resistance as the other kids, not having inherited his own pyrokinesis. The teen jerked a nod and darted toward a rear position. He would set up the Safe Zone with his backpack of tech toys.
Magda pushed away the worry she had for her three children–there would be time for panic later–they had a job to do here. “Blazerella, Stratosphire, set up for a gamma blitz maneuver.”
If they had been in practice there might have been groans and rolled eyes, but here in the thick of it the young superheroes leapt into action without a single complaint. She was proud of them.
Blazerella went high while Stratosphire went low, flame wreathing Blazerella’s entire body as her brother let loose with a concussive thunderclap before dodging out of the way of her Flame Tornado. There were screams and the smell of burning hair and skin as the men knocked down by Stratosphire weren’t able to get out of the way in time. The brother-sister duo rocketed up into the air in a whipping pattern Deadheat was unable to follow and Magda sighed in relief to see them drop behind Gizmoid’s nuclear powered force shield. They were safe.
“You ready for this, dear?” Mr. Starlight asked.
“Always,” Magda replied. There was no time for fear, no time for anything but the mission. She latched onto Mr. Starlight’s offered hand and let herself be flung across the room toward the far wall. It was so fast that she barely had herself braced before her boots struck the wall and she bent her knees and bounced off, a Titanic Thunderclap rippling the air from between her hands.
She had a moment of satisfaction when she saw Deadheat’s surprised expression as she went past him, then she was tucking and rolling, a grunt escaping her lips as her shoulder hit harder than expected, but she was okay. She rolled back to her feet and ran as fast as she could out of range of any retaliatory blasts.
She was sure she’d hit him, but there was no reason to test it.
She saw the kids behind Gizmoid’s screen, watching as their dad took out the bad guy. There wasn’t a single doubt on any of their faces that he could handle a one-note wonder like Deadheat.
Then the line of Blazerella’s lips softened and time slowed down as Magda watched horror overtake what she could see of her daughter’s face. “Daddy!”
Magda turned and was horrified to see Mr. Starlight on his knees, his right hand pressed to the starburst scorched into his armored vest, a pained grimace pulling at his lips. Deadheat looked worse for wear, but the air rippled in front of him as he brought his hand up, focusing his powers for a killing burst.
Mr. Starlight–Dustin, her lover, her husband, the father of her children–brought his left arm up in weak protection, but there was nothing he could do to stop the kind of intense heat blast Deadheat could produce. Magda wanted to scream at Dustin to get out of the way, but the words wouldn’t come. She was too far away to help. There was nothing she could do but watch.
Then Blazerella was there, a high-pitched keening wail escaping her throat. The blast of heat struck her dead on, but she blazed up so hot that her flames were blue.
There was the dull whump of a massive backblast as Deadheat’s attack was forced up and away. A large circle was blown out of the roof of the warehouse and light visibly arched into the sky.
Blazerella collapsed, her body splayed across the floor. Smoke drifted from her blackened uniform. She didn’t seem to be breathing.
“No!” Magda heard her own scream echoed by her sons, but fear had become terror and rage and the world had gone strange around her. Her hands moved on their own to release a thunderclap, flinging Deadheat away from her family. Then Stratosphire was there, his lips curled back from his teeth as he punched the criminal with a flame-wreathed superpowered fist.
It sounded like a watermelon dropping on the floor, a wet shatter, then there was a sizzle of heat. There wasn’t even time for a choked off scream.
Magda ran to Blazerella, dropping to her knees next to her limp form. “Come on baby, oh god, please be all right. Please be all right.”
/EXCERPT
* * * You can stop reading here. The rest is just me babbling.***
I want to be able to work on my projects and put some books out there, but we need food and stuff. I mean, this house needs some kind of heating system better than a wood stove, we need a new roof, and I need a new pair of shoes. Which basically means I need a job — which I’m having a hard time getting because of my social anxiety.
Someone suggested that I should go for a grant, but I don’t think I’d get it. Plus I wouldn’t want to take one away from someone that’s more deserving. So instead I’ve been thinking about making a Kickstarter, but I’m not sure how to write it :/
*
Read me at Kimichee.com.
The post EXCERPT: The Hastings, by Harper Kingsley [superhero, family] appeared first on Harper Kingsley.
All content copyright HarperKingsley.net unless otherwise stated.
Please do not steal my words. In a hundred years they are all that will be left of me.
Crime, punishment, writing
I watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and they really get me to start thinking.
Like I never really thought about it before, but the amount of people being sent to prison every year is more than just private prisons gathering money for the Capitalist Overlords. It’s also a way to rip away the rights of minorities. Someone gets locked in prison for a stupid reason, and instead of receiving probation and a fine, they get locked away in a horrible place.
It takes away a man’s humanity and brings more chance that they’ll commit a crime again. To lock someone up with no rehabilitation program in place is ridiculous; it would be like grounding a kid, and not following up with a talk or a punishment. Just “Go to your room and stay there,” but with brutal murderers and rapists and all around criminal minded individuals in the surrounding rooms. And at the same time it takes away their right to vote.
I never paused to consider what the voting thing could mean. That it might be a plot to take away the rights of less privileged citizens. Having people imprisoned for ridiculous reasons not only lines peoples’ pockets, but it takes away the voice of the people. And when I look at it that way, I get a suspicious feeling about the rising number of people being sentenced to prison every year.
link: Cracked’s take on prison – http://www.cracked.com/article_20775_7-horrifying-things-you-didnt-want-to-know-about-prison.html
*
I’mma write a story that focuses on crime, punishment, and the overshadowing effect of the elite. I mean, that’s basically the backbone of my State Rule stories. A whole system of government that seems so harsh and overbearing that it’s outrageous to see, but it had to come around from somewhere.
Paradigm Shift is a State Rule story, but the world was decimated by zombies and plague. It’s not a solid representation of the World I’m building, so I don’t bring it into consideration.
My other State Rule stories, however, involve histories that mirror our own situation. Capitalism and the free market decimate the world, and individuals form together in new groups centered around the rights of the people. That’s where the Families come from. Members are not all related to each other, though some people are born into a Family like the Altredes, the Lothams, etc.
There were all kinds of unfair happenstances that led into State Rule societies, and now I’m considering how our prison system works helped bring about the world I’m building.
*
Seriously, if you want to make up stories, keep your eyes and ears open. Your brain will take things in, and even without you noticing it, stories will build themselves in your subconscious.
*
Check me out at Kimichee: Free Reads.
The post Crime, punishment, writing appeared first on Harper Kingsley.
All content copyright HarperKingsley.net unless otherwise stated.
Please do not steal my words. In a hundred years they are all that will be left of me.
December 3, 2013
Christmas Paws
I have a beautiful blond male companion in my life, and his name is Kahluah 
He’s a mixed breed with a playful attitude and a friendly, if mischievous, disposition. He likes children and toys and chasing after rabbits. He’s been a great friend of the family.
When he was about four months old, he jumped up on the counter and stole half of a Dominos pizza and chomped most of it down while I chased him around the hotel room. When he was a year old he killed a giant rat and left it on the front porch — which absolutely horrified me. And last week, he managed to lock himself in the laundry room when he knocked the door closed. *headshake* Still, he’s grown up to be a truly great dog and I am happy to share him with all of you.
This is Kahluah. Feel free to comment on how pretty he is 
Click to view slideshow.
And if you include a book you’d like from my backlist, one lucky commenter will receive a Smashwords coupon. Winner will be chosen using Random.org.
Click HERE to read an EXCERPT of “True Love’s Kiss.”
He woke sluggishly to the sensation of someone kissing him. He blinked open heavy-lidded eyes to find a stranger’s face close in front of his, kissing his lips with fervent passion and a lick of tongue.
Weakly, Philip brought his hands up on her shoulders and pushed her away. She squeaked and sat back on his thighs, looking down at him with all the delight of a new car owner.
“It worked,” she breathed, a smile spreading across her wide mouth. She had a tumble of golden curls framing her oval face and he recognized that she was pretty. A pretty kissing stranger that was straddling him on a bed that wasn’t his own.
Something is very wrong here, he thought.
He opened his mouth, but only a dry rasp escaped. It hurt his throat.
“Sh.” She pressed a finger against his lower lip. “You’re not well enough yet. I’ll go get you some water. My prince,” she added with a giggle.
She climbed off of him nimbly, flashing her bare legs and the bright blue of her panties. She ran to the bedroom door and he saw she wore a black sleep shirt decorated with a trail of purple and blue stars, like a galaxy spun out across her hips and over her breasts.
“I’ll be right back.” She flashed him a grin as she opened the door just enough for her to slip out.
Philip lay on a pretty pink bed in the bedroom of a woman he didn’t know and wondered what was going on. He felt tired and weak and more than anything he wanted to go home.
He tried to sit up, but it was too much.
Exhausted, he drifted into sleep.
He was roaring down the highway in the muscle car his dad had bought him for graduation. He couldn’t help the wide grin he wore as the wind whipped through his dark hair, snatching at the music pumping loudly from the stereo and carrying it off into the night.
He saw his exit up ahead and took it, slowing down just before the stop sign. The music bumped through the whole car and his heart beat excited and alive.
He felt like he could drive forever. Like he could do anything because he was young, he was done with high school, and there was a whole wide world out there just waiting for him to explore it.
But first, he needed to pick up his younger brother from a party.
Philip turned the radio down as he entered the residential area of Palm Crest. Everyone knew his family, and the last thing he needed was a lecture from his mother. She could make him feel three inches tall.
He didn’t need Andy’s directions to find the house. He just followed the line of parked cars and the music. Then, at the bend of the cul-de-sac, he saw the house lit up with Christmas lights and strung with different colored tissue streamers. The front door was open wide and party-goers tumbled out across the once pristine lawn. There was a scatter of red plastic cups lining the walkway.
Philip double parked next to a red sport coupe and took his phone out of the glovebox. He sent a text to Andy letting him know he was waiting.
He listened to one song all the way through and half of the next before he spotted Andy coming out of the house, his arm around the waist of a red haired girl and an unhappy look on his face.
Philip perked up, wondering what was going on.
Andy stalked down the sidewalk, pulling the girl along with him. She kept looking over her shoulder and was shouting back at someone still in the house.
Sensing something was about to happen, Philip beeped the horn and Andy waved at him and changed direction, walking across the grass.
A tall blond girl burst out of the house, screaming so loud that Philip could hear her even over the music and the party. “You asshole! I fucking hate your face.”
Andy didn’t pause as he broke into a jog toward the car. The girl with him was having trouble in her strappy high-heeled shoes, but she was in as much of a rush to get away.
It looked like Andy had broken another girl’s heart. He seemed to think he was some kind of smooth talking Lothario, and girls always fell for his charms. He’d already gotten himself into several fights, and he took a twisted delight in watching two girls bite and claw each other over him.
Philip got out of the car and hurried around. He didn’t know what was going on or what Andy had done this time, but the air felt heavy with dread.
“What are you doing? Get back in the car!” Andy yelled. He was nearly to the sidewalk and the blond girl was closing in, a furious scowl on her face and a frightening glitter in her eyes.
“What is going on?” Philip demanded.
The blond girl was still screeching as she chased Andy down, but it had become an incoherent mash of profanity and “How could yous.” Tears of fury made her mascara run and she looked frightening with the backdrop of light.
A crowd was gathering, trickling out of the house to watch. There were shouted inquiries and drunken laughter. The situation was winding up to become something serious.
Philip hustled his brother past him toward the car and raised his hand at the girl. “Hold on. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I think everyone needs a chance to calm down.”
He’d never met someone violently crazy before, but a look at the girl’s face let him know that’s what he was dealing with now. It made his skin creep.
“Calm down? I’m not going to calm down!” she screeched. She lunged past him and caught the red haired girl by the hair and gave a hard jerk, ripping out a bloody clump.
Andy’s friend screamed and clutched at her scalp. “Ah, you psycho bitch! No wonder he didn’t want you!”
The blond howled in fury, a miniature whirlwind tearing up the lawn around her and making her clothes ripple loudly. She pointed her finger at Andy and her voice reverberated like thunder in a jar as she shouted out something in a faintly Aramaic language.
There was the crack of lightning and the heavy scent of ozone.
Philip hadn’t even felt himself move before he’d leapt forward and shoved Andy behind him. Then he was screaming as it felt as if every nerve was set on fire.
Dimly he heard Andy’s shouts and the horrified cries of the scattered crowd.
Then Philip was being jerked off his feet and he had the disturbing sensation of his skin peeling inside out. His throat ripped and tore, silencing his cries.
He could feel himself being unmade.
Philip awoke with a full body jerk, a gasp catching in his throat. Tears and sweat coated his face and he shamefully used a corner of the sheet to wipe it dry. He was still too weak to even think about getting out of bed.
He stared up at the ceiling. He felt disconnected, as though he’d gone through some profound change. He didn’t remember what had happened to him, but he was never going to be the same ever again.
He floated in his thoughts and he focused on all the parts of him he could reach. From his skin to his hair, from memories of his childhood to all of the important people in his life. He assured himself that he was real.
The opening of the bedroom door interrupted his thoughts. It was the woman and she was carrying a breakfast tray with a bowl and a plate of sliced fruit.
“Ah, you’re awake. That’s good. I’ve brought you some of my homemade soup.” She had dimples. They changed her whole face and had probably gotten her many things in her life.
Philip sat up, pulling the sheet around his waist. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know you. My name is Philip, if you didn’t know.” He smiled uncomfortably.
She paused a heartbeat, then went back to positioning the tray across his lap, the legs low enough that he worried about dumping the tray if he moved wrong. The soup smelled good, hearty and full of herbs. There were lots of vegetables and strips of chicken and he was a little embarrassed when his stomach gurgled.
“Sounds like someone’s tummy wants some filling. My name is Avelice, and of course we’ve never met.” She laughed and sat on the edge of the bed to watch him.
Philip was glad she was letting him feed himself, though he wished she didn’t gaze at him like that. It made him feel pressured to somehow impress her.
“What happened? Where am I?” He tasted the soup and it was delicious. He was a bit worried about how weak his hand felt on the spoon. He focused on the soup and forced himself not to spill a drop.
“You’re in my house,” Avelice said. “You were transformed into a goat statue for several years and I broke the curse. I turned you back human.”
“Wait, I was a goat?” Philip dropped the spoon back in the bowl, and under the edge of the tray he clenched his two hands around each other to stop their tremble.
Avelice shook her head with a tinkling laugh. “No, not a living goat. A cool knicknack thing carved out of cherry wood and lacquered. You cost a pretty penny.”
Philip felt like he was floating, the contents of his stomach turning and turning. “She transformed me. Andy pissed off a witch and she transformed me.”
He’d known stuff like that happened, but he’d never thought it would happen to him. It left him terrified.
“How long was I changed for?” he asked.
Avelice shrugged. “I wasn’t one hundred percent sure who you were, but now that I know you’re Philip Ducard I can tell you that you’ve been cursed for fourteen years.
Philip blinked hard. A strangled sound escaped his throat before he could stop it. “Fourteen years. Fourteen. What am I going to do? Where are my parents?”
Avelice tried to calm him with waves of her hands. “I wasn’t sure who you were. I knew there was a man trapped in the goat, but I had to wait until I freed you before finding out who you are. But now we can contact whoever.”
Philip blinked. He wanted to scream and throw a fit, but he couldn’t find a reason for one. She’d saved him and she said they could call his parents. He could wait until he was with his family before having a total meltdown.
He picked up his spoon and fished out a carrot to eat. “This soup is delicious. Did you really make it?”
“I certainly did,” Avelice said.
Philip ate and tried to ignore the feel of her eyes on him. He’d never liked being mooned over, it had always made him uncomfortable. Andy was the one that much preferred being worshiped and admired.
The pineapple chunks were juicy and fresh. The strawberries were tiny and sweet. Fruit and soup seemed like a strange combination, but the pineapple was very refreshing.
Once he was done eating, he asked Avelice if he could call his parents. But while she left to get her phone, he fell asleep.
/EXCERPT
The post Christmas Paws appeared first on Harper Kingsley.
All content copyright HarperKingsley.net unless otherwise stated.
Please do not steal my words. In a hundred years they are all that will be left of me.
November 29, 2013
Hot Autumn Nights Blog Hop Nov 29-Dec 2
Harper Kingsley.
All content copyright HarperKingsley.net unless otherwise stated.
Please do not steal my words. In a hundred years they are all that will be left of me.
November 25, 2013
I come bearing recs
I was tooling around on Facebook, which took me to I Love Freaking Science, which is a great page, and through there I was introduced to Beatrice the Biologist, a blog and webcomic that makes science fun and interesting for everyone. I’m not that great at science stuff, but I’ve absolutely fallen in love. http://www.facebook.com/beatricebiologist.
Beatrice the Biologist – The comics are funny and entertaining, and I’ve learned little things that I never knew before. It’s put in a way that even non-sciencey people (like me!) can find something to be amused about.
Katie McKissick has several books available.
I wish I’d had some of these when I’d been a kid; my school life would have been very different. Seriously, I knew nothing about science and the idea of cells and biology and mitosis and … Well, I didn’t do well. It would have been so much better if I’d started school with at the very least a minimal understanding of what they were going to be teaching us in class. I have a hard time learning from lectures or the like, so instead I had to stumble through on my own.
So if you’ve got a kid in your life or someone that might be interested in a little science and a few laughs, Beatrice the Biologist is worth at least taking a look or two or twelve or even twenty four. Plus there’s something wonderful about seeing cells so happy and smiley. And the viruses and bacterias she draws make me laugh.
Beatrice the Biologist has been a great find, and I’m happy to share her with you.
Little Cells is a book for small children. It explains cells in a way that very young children can easily understand and it would make a great gift.
Little Cells on Amazon
Little Cells on CreateSpace.
Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense is a book of 24 comics and includes notes on where she got ideas. It looks like a lot of fun and would be great for people that need a little laugh.
Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense on Amazon
Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense on CreateSpace
Signed and Inscribed Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense on Etsy.
Coming January 2014, What’s In Your Genes? can be preordered now from Amazon.
Cool stuff:
The Forgotten 1950s Girl Gang – http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/02/10/the-forgotten-1950s-girl-gang.
MM Good Book Reviews: Free Reads – http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/free-reads.
Sharpie Marker Gift Mugs – http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2012/11/sharpie-marker-art.html.
Little Legends: Custom Lego people – http://www.little-legends.com.
Grow soybean sprouts (kongnamul) at home from Maangchi-
Soybean sprout side side (kongnamul muchim) from Maangchi-
Soybean sprout soup (kongnamul guk) from Maangchi-
Korean soy bean sprout soup (kongnamul guk) from Omma’s Kitchen-
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Do you have cool stuff you’d like shared? Let me know!
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Read me at Kimichee.com.
The post I come bearing recs appeared first on Harper Kingsley.
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Please do not steal my words. In a hundred years they are all that will be left of me.
November 18, 2013
links to Chapters 1-3 of The Phoenix Code, by Catherine Asaro [sci-fi]
Title: The Phoenix Code
Author: Catherine Asaro
Genre: sci-fi
Summary from Amazon: When robotics expert Megan O’Flannery is offered the chance to direct MindSim’s cutting-edge program to develop a self-aware android, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project is trouble plagued–the third prototype “killed” itself, and the RS-4 is unstable. Megan will descend into MindSim’s underground research lab in the Nevada desert, where she will be the sole human in contact with the RS-4, dubbed Aris. Programmed as part of a top-secret defense project, the awakening Aris quickly proves to be deviously resourceful and basically uncontrollable. When Megan enlists the help of Raj Sundaram, the quirky, internationally renowned robotics genius, the android develops a jealous hostility toward Raj–and a fixation on Megan. But soon she comes to realize that Raj may be an even greater danger–and that her life may depend on the choice she makes between the man she wants to trust and the android she created.
As everyone knows, I am a GIANT Catherine Asaro fan (and I don’t literally mean giant, because I’m only 5’2″ I’m just very enthusiastic.) Anyways, Catherine Asaro is re-releasing The Phoenix Code as an ebook soon and she’s decided to graciously share the first three chapters at her blog.
Go check them out:
Chapter I
Chapter II & III
The post links to Chapters 1-3 of The Phoenix Code, by Catherine Asaro [sci-fi] appeared first on Harper Kingsley.
All content copyright HarperKingsley.net unless otherwise stated.
Please do not steal my words. In a hundred years they are all that will be left of me.
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