Terra Harmony's Blog, page 5

Any Listeners Out There?

With the completion of The Akasha Series on the horizon, I am taking the plunge into the world of audio books. This is completely new and strange for me – I really never got into the whole audio book thing. I’m going with ACX who will publish the audio book on Audible.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes. Several narrators have submitted auditions, and I find myself asking – what makes a good narrator? What allows an audio book to stand out from the rest?

Needless to say, I don’t have those answers.  Do you?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Cover Reveal – Earth, Book Four

Finally!  The announcement can be made. ‘Earth, Book Four of the Akasha Series’ will be released on April 22, 2013. This is also Earth Day – how cool is that?!  For those of you buying via iTunes, ‘Earth’ may not be available for a couple weeks after the release date, as you may have experienced with ‘Fire’.   April 22 seem too far off?  Maybe I can satisfy you with the cover and blurb:

-

-

-

-

-

OMG – and please keep in mind it is ultra-hard to make dirt look magical!

-

-

-

-

-

After an elemental apocalypse, the fate of Earth hangs in the balance.
 The hunt for Micah in a world that has gone dim leads Kaitlyn straight to Shawn and One Less. While struggling to survive, she battles a side of her that is as dark as the rest of the planet. In the exciting conclusion to The Akasha Series, our heroine is no longer a part of The Seven or One Less. Now she is on Team Kaitlyn; who will join her?

So here you have it – the complete cover set to The Akasha Series and a huge shout-out to Keary Taylor for the cover designs:

I have to admit, I am nervous about releasing the conclusion to the series. ‘Earth’ is a different from the other books. The world has no power, Kaitlyn goes a little crazy, and Shawn tries to redeem himself. Be warned – this is no fairy tale ending. Can’t wait to hear what y’all think of it! Add it to your Goodreads TBR list now…

The Boys of the Akasha Series

For all the ladies out there, single or not, the boys of The Akasha Series wanted to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Your gift (besides the obvious eye candy, of course), is the chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card in the ‘For the Love of Swoon Hop’ hosted by The Book Hook Up and I Am a Reader Not a Writer.  To enter, simply complete the entry form at the bottom of this post.  There are extra entries available for liking my page on Facebook and following on Twitter.

Don’t forget to click on the Swoony Boys Hop poster and follow the linky for more great prizes!

Introducing the boys of the Akasha Series; Micah, Shawn, and Alex.

   

 

During an interview with Cami from My Reading Addiction, I was asked which actors might best portray my characters.  Well, there you have them – packaged up in sexy Valentine’s cards for you. Oh, and never to be upstaged, Kaitlyn has her own little card for the guys:

How to Enter:  You must fill out the form below for one entry.  Answer the questions at the bottom of the form.  For extra entries, click below:

Like my Facebook Page for one extra entry

Follow me on Twitter for another extra entry.

Or, Follow my blog via e-mail for 3 extra entries (at most, I post once per week) – sign up under the ‘Follow Terra Harmony’ widget on the right.

[contact-form]

Giveaway Details:

This giveaway is open internationally. Giveaway is open until midnight EST on Feb. 20th. Must be 13 or older to enter. Winner will be emailed, and this blog post will be updated to reflect the winner. Winner will have three days to respond, or a new winner will be selected.

Good Luck!

Travel Around the World with The Akasha Series

Good news, everyone! I am done writing the fourth and final book of The Akasha Series, ‘Earth’! Bad news, everyone.  ‘Earth’ still has a few months of editing to go. But I’m super excited to be done with the series, and I must say – very proud. I have a few ideas for what is next which includes an audio version of the books – and maybe even a screenplay of the first book (ooh, I just gave myself the shivers). I also want to get to work on a new mermaid series (also eco, of course).

Another one of my dreams would be to visit many of the places throughout The Akasha Series – and I’ve already booked my first trip **squee**! I’m starting at the end, where the final battle of ‘Earth’ takes place. Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado:

Not too super exciting since I was born in Colorado, but I’ve never been to Red Rocks and I’m still excited to go.

Some of the more exotic destinations of The Akasha Series include:

Galapagos Islands – where Shawn takes Kaitlyn in ‘Water’.

Perth, Australia – where Kaitlyn docks after…well, don’t want to give too many spoilers…read the third book ‘Fire’ to find out!

Reunion Island, just off the coast of Madagascar – where Micah has built a dream home for Kaitlyn. But will they ever settle down there?

Read about it in ‘Air’, but you’ll have to finish the series to find out.

Costa del Sol, Spain – The sunny coast, both a dream and a nightmare where Micah and Kaitlyn reconnect, then Shawn steps in and…

I’ll have to be sure to take a side trip to Castle Alcazaba.

Easter Island – A Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, known for environmental over-exploitation and said to be one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world.  Definitely need to go during the Tapati Rapa Nui Festival!

I think I might have to skip out on Heard and McDonald Islands (final battle in ‘Air’, book two). A bit cold for me…unless there is snowboarding?

And there is always Simeulue Island, a province of Indonesia, where the Chakra is. Now that would be an adventure.

So anyway – now you know my inner most desires.   Where do you guys want to go?  Leave a comment below!  If you are like me, strapped for cash – hopefully a trip around the world within The Akasha Series can appease your appetite for adventure.  Other than that, Google and YouTube have worked wonders to give me a taste of what these places are really like. You can also visit my Pinterest page, ‘Inspirations of the Akasha Series‘, where I pin the settings from certain scenes in the books.  Happy traveling!

Bookish Christmas Trees

Just a quick post to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I’ll leave you with several awesome ‘bookish’ Christmas trees found around the web.  Enjoy your day!

Character Winners

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! On a previous post, I ran a contest asking for ideas on how to use the elements in ‘Earth, Book Four of the Akasha Series’ during the final showdown.  I got some great ideas, so a big thank you to everyone who participated! I did pick several winners – who will receive a character spot in the final book and the full set of all four books in print or as e-books once ‘Earth’ comes out this Spring.  Here they are:

Skypunch

Kassandra – for her skypunch idea.

Laura – for the idea of having the large rock at Red Rock Amphitheatre falling over.

Sue Q – for her sinkhole idea.

Lolita – (who responded via email), for her idea of stone jutting up out of the earth to trap people.

 

 

 

Please understand, there is no organization to my writing process – I just let my fingers fly, and sometimes surprise myself by what happens. It is very possible I will end up including other ideas mentioned in this contest.  For example, perhaps lava, submitted by several people. If that happens, I will contact you and offer the winning package same as everyone else.

If you are mentioned above as a winner, and have not heard from me, please email me at terra.harmony11@gmail.com.

Thank you all!

Bookish Style Christmas Decorations

Don’t know what to get book lovers, other than a Kindle gift card? How about this:

I made these myself using clear ornaments, Epsom salt, and cut and curled pages from my favorite book. I asked the recipients what reading means to them, and included the word as part of the ornament. This has led to some great ornament ideas for my own Akasha Series; but next year!

Things don’t always come together this easily for me. I started out with the idea of pasting strips of pages around an ornament. Didn’t turn out quite right, but it is nothing a dash of glitter won’t solve, right? Wrong:

 

Epic failure, considering how it was supposed to turn out:

 

Anyway, on to some sweet stuff. Last year I was left with an extra gingerbread house, and plenty of extra frosting. So I do what I do most – I got creative:

 

I’ve been holding onto these pics for a year, and now that I look at them – they aren’t as good as I remember.  But, what they hey, I am not one to waste frosting. Maybe I’ll do ‘Earth’ with the extra gingerbread houses this year, or maybe I should quit while I’m only slightly behind…

 Hope everyone has a great holiday season and a very happy new year!

Idea Contest

Readers – I need your help! I am currently writing the finale to ‘Earth’, the fourth and final book of the Akasha Series. There is, of course, a final battle between One Less (Shawn’s organization) and The Seven (or Team Kaitlyn, whichever you prefer to call it).

Needless to say, the elements involved have to awesome. I am playing mix and match with some of the elements and have come up with a few ideas – but I need more. Rack your brains for some super cool storms. To you get you started, here is what I’ve done:

Combine Air and Fire for:

Fire Tornado

 

Combine Earth and Air for:

Sandstorm

Just your typical sandstorm – but when you add a dash of frozen water, imagine the destruction with flying mud balls. Hard to dodge when all you see is sand.  That may be a stretch, but we are just throwing around ideas here. If it helps, the final battle location will be in the USA – Colorado to be exact. I am leaning toward the Red Rocks Amphitheatre where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. What better place for a final showdown for ‘Earth’? Red Rocks is a geological phenomenon – the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre in the world. Come to think of it, I might have to use something to do with sound in the final battle.

Just comment below with your ideas – or feel free to email me directly at terra.harmony11@gmail.com.

What will you win?

If I choose any part of your idea I will write a character for you in ‘Earth’!!! The character will be based on your answers from a list of questions I send you. I will also send you a complete set of the entire Akasha Saga once ‘Earth’ is released; either in digital or print format.

So, let’s get brainstorming. Let me know what you come up with!

Contest details: No purchase necessary. You must comment with an idea or send me an email with your idea to be eligible. There can be more than one winner. Deadline to submit ideas is December 21st, 2012 at midnight. By submitting your idea – you are giving me permission to use it in ‘Earth, Book Four of the Akasha Series’ for no monetary reimbursement.

 

‘Earth’, Free First Chapter and NaNoWriMo

Yesterday morning I embarked on a journey. A 50,000 word journey. That’s right folks, it is NaNoWriMo time (National Write a Novel in a Month). Why, oh, why do they insist on starting it the day after Halloween? Each year, I stay up too late, drink too much wine,  and worse – eat way too much chocolate. The morning after a chocolate binge is never pretty.

But I was determined to start my journey out on the right foot. I used that foot to stumble to the kitchen, and on my way to the coffee machine, managed to bypass this:

That’s right – I didn’t pause to clean the dang kitchen. Coffee in hand, I moaned my way to my laptop, bypassing this:

Yep. Didn’t take out the trash…or the recycling. Yay, me! I sat down and finished up my daily goal; 2,000 words before the kids got up. By the end of the month, I’ll have finished up ‘Earth, Book Four of the Akasha Series’ and get started on a brand new series. Speaking of, I recently posted the first chapters of ‘Water‘, ‘Air‘, and ‘Fire‘. Wanna read the first chapter of ‘Earth’?

Please keep in mind it is a rough draft; hasn’t been through any editors. The rest of the book will follow…next Spring!

Earth, Chapter One: Inside Voices

The Greenbrier is a Cold War era underground bunker buried 720 feet into the hillside of White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia. Each of the four entrances are protected by large steel and concrete doors designed to withstand a nuclear blast. Alex and I were standing outside the gated fence, trying to figure out how to break in.

“The west and east entrances are vehicular tunnels,” said Alex, handing me his binoculars. “This one here is the west entrance.”

I focused the binoculars in on a large ‘high voltage’ warning sign at the door.

“Do you think Akasha can burn through that baby?” Alex asked.

“Maybe,” I sighed, handing the binoculars back. “But do we really want to risk a high-profile entrance?”

Footsteps in the woods to our backs caused us both to duck down. I peered under a thick, prickly bush. Susan’s footsteps came into view. I stood, unsuccessfully avoiding sharp thorns.

“Ow!”

Susan started at my outburst. Bee squealed with delight, “Mommy!”

She ran straight for me, and the thorns. “Oh, honey – watch out!” I scooped her up before she suffered the same fate. She squealed again.

“More!” She demanded as soon as I set her down.

“Um, excuse me everyone – we are in surveillance mode here. We need to use our inside voices.”

“Tell that to the two-year old,” I said. Alex was right, but leaving Bee behind wasn’t exactly an option.

Bee took the hint and ran to Alex, “More Unka Alek, more!”

He smiled down at her, “I can’t refuse my best lady. But can you be quiet when I lift you up?”

She nodded her head as fast as she could, practically hopping in anticipation. Alex lifted her up so fast her feet flew in the air above her head. To her credit, not one sound escaped her lips. She could be quiet if she wanted; she just had to be properly motivated.

“What did you find out?” I asked Susan.

“Hotel is operational. Well, as far as hotels can be, these days. But the tours have been cancelled since Daybreak. Electricity is too unreliable to lead tourists underground.”

“Either that, or the facilities are actually in use.” Alex said.

Bee automatically demanded more lifts at his sudden shift in focus. I dug around in my backpack for the stash of honeysuckle I found the day before. “Here,” I handed her the entire bag. “Let the grownups plan their break in.”

“Bake in, bake in,” chanted Bee, plopping down on the ground, already diving in to her new treat.

I smiled, then turned back to the west entrance and frowned. “Let’s camp out for a night – see if there is any activity in or out.”

“What about the other entrances?” Alex asked.

“We could split up,” I suggested.

Susan groaned. “I hate spending the night alone, outside.”

“You won’t be outside. You can go back to the hotel; find out more.” Alex said.

“And you won’t be alone, you’ll have Bee.” I said. The three of us looked down at her, still sitting at our feet. Several white flowers already sat crumpled by her side, having been deprived of all their sweet nectar.

In a world with only intermittent power, traditional packaged goods – including candy – along with a long list of other necessities, were scarce. Honeysuckle soon became a treat of choice. Last fall, we also discovered its medicinal properties when Alex came up with a concoction infused with honeysuckle and applied it to the poison ivy rash that covered my legs. After that, I had traded all of my shorts for a few pairs of Susan’s pants. They were long, but a few rolls around my ankles added protection from poisonous plants and bugs.

“Let’s meet back here an hour after dawn tomorrow,” Alex said.

Susan stuck out her lip.

Alex rolled his eyes, “Ok, two hours after dawn. Put that lip back in before I bite it.”

Susan smiled, raising one eyebrow, “Bite me and I’ll bite you back.” She moved a step closer to him.

“Is that a promise?” he asked, closing the distance between them.

I turned my back just in time to hear kissing sounds. The open romance between Alex and Susan was a long time coming, and I was happy for both of them, but with every passing day it made me long for Micah more and more. He’d been missing since a few weeks before Daybreak.

The kissing noises were still coming. I sighed and squat down by Bee, “It’s rude to stare, honey.” The few honeysuckle that remained were forgotten.

She shifted her gaze to me, stuck out her lips and said, “Kiss, kiss!”

I laughed an obliged, then gathered her in my arms, “You’re going to stay with Aunt Susan tonight. Be good, okay?”

“Otay!”

I kissed her again.

“Enough with the smooching you two,” Susan interrupted. I passed Bee over. “We’re going to be late for girl’s night out.”

“Make sure she gets a bath – and check her for ticks.” I dug in my backpack for the only bar of soap the four of us shared.

“We’ll do the usual pampering session,” Susan promised.

“And you get double duty tomorrow night.” I said.

“Done.” A night out of the woods was totally worth it for Susan.

“Bye, Bee.”

She waved, and I watched them walk away as Bee fiddled with the soap.

“She’ll be fine, mama.” Alex said, slinging his arm over my shoulder.

“I know. I just wish…” I trailed off. Alex didn’t need to hear all about how Micah was missing out on Bee, again.

“You wish what?” he asked.

I leaned into him, nose first, and sniffed. “I wish we had another bar of soap.”

___________

Hope you liked it!  I would love to get feedback on this chapter.  Please comment or feel free to email me at: terra.harmony11@gmail.com. Don’t forget to get ‘Water, Book One’ now free pretty much everywhere as an ebook.  ‘Air, Book Two‘ is at a special price of $2.99.

‘Fire, Book Three’ Free First Chapter

Happy Friday! I feel like this is going to be a great weekend – and I have no idea why. Hope it turns out good for all of us. Here is something to start you out; the first chapter of ‘Fire, Book Three of the Akasha Series’.  Word of caution – this gets a little graphic. The second book left off with Kaitlyn in labor, alone on a boat navigation the Southern Ocean. Readers were left with the ultimate cliffhanger, so this first chapter couldn’t disappoint!

Chapter 1: Waves of Pain

The fireball shot out of my hand, straight into one of the cupboards, blowing shards of pressed wood everywhere. Bits of flame flared up around the large captain’s bridge on the boat. I bent over, uncontrollable pain wracking my body. The coaching I received on labor pains did nothing.

Imagine riding on top of the wave of pain, instead of sinking beneath them.

I laughed out loud at the irony. Little did the doctor know I’d be in the middle of the Southern Ocean, on my own, navigating literal waves.

The contraction subsided, and I stumbled to the other side of the room to retrieve the fire extinguisher. The foamy, white goo was probably almost gone. With little hope of being able to reign in my powers, I was digging my own grave.

I paused before aiming the extinguisher over what was left of the cupboard. Most of the windows had blown out, and the cold wind, along with the freezing droplets of ocean, was quickly turning my hands blue; the rest of my body was bound to follow. Fire might be a good thing. But there was no way to control it. I forced my numb hand to squeeze the handle, extinguishing the flames before they could burn the ship right out from under me.

I hobbled over to the Doppler machine, checking to see if anyone was on my tail before another contraction came. I hadn’t blown up that machine, yet. Only one dot on the screen; my boat. Everyone I left behind on Heard and McDonalds Islands would still be there, recovering from the battle. Cato was dead, killed by the traitor Vayu – now also dead.

Susan had a boat, but she was on the opposite end of the island and had no idea I was gone. Alex would be helping Micah out of the crater formed from my earthquake.

Micah. A new wave of pain was mounting, physically and mentally this time. I let the contraction take me, nearly pulling me under and drowning me. This one I deserved. This one was my punishment for leaving Micah, depriving him of his family and the wonderful life he envisioned for us. This one left me in tears.

I am so sorry, Micah. Please forgive me. Please understand.

Even if he should find me, which he wouldn’t, nothing would go back to the way it was. Nothing would be the same.

I wiped my cheeks dry, and crawled over to my makeshift bed – a mattress on the floor. I looked over at the bassinet, ready to receive the life inside me. If only we could survive this; which was looking more doubtful by the minute.

Another contraction. Already? They were practically right on top of each other now, giving me no time to recover. It gripped my entire mid-section, muscles squeezing until I thought they would explode. I moved to my hands and knees, trying to concentrate on something. I looked out the window at the gray sky and sea, which blurred into one, never-ending ocean of nothing. I held my breath through the contraction, and my vision went wavy. The pain dulled slightly, making it a little more manageable. This contraction seemed to last forever, and I hadn’t even crested the wave yet.

The wind picked up outside. I blinked and my vision cleared. A tornado had formed directly in the path of my boat.

I want the fireballs back.

I launched my body toward the wheel and turned it, hard. The boat lurched in response. I considered turning back for the islands. I might be safer fighting Shawn than fighting myself.

My contraction peaked, rendering mind and body useless. The boat stopped its forward momentum, pausing as I rode the waves of pain, then was pulled backward, into the tornado. Although the contraction was subsiding, I couldn’t do anything but watch as I was drawn closer and closer into a vortex of spinning wind and water.

Thank God.

Thank God I did not do this in a hospital or even around other people. I couldn’t imagine the consequences. How did the other Gaias manage?

The doctor told me of two Gaias he helped during labor. For one the baby hadn’t survived, the other, the mother hadn’t.

I looked at the tornado. This would be why.

As the contraction ceased, so did the tornado. I dreaded the ride the next one would bring, and it was only seconds away. I pushed myself off the ground, groaning, and hurried to put the boat back on course for Perth, the largest city in Western Australia.

Confidence that I would ever make it was waning. I collapsed on the floor, too drained to even pull myself back to the mattress. My body temperature spiked, the ice-cold ocean spray hitting me through the shattered windows actually felt good.

As another contraction started, a lump of despair rose up in my throat. I can’t do this. What was I thinking? I need to turn back. But I was closer to my destination than my departure point by now.

The pain quickly rose to new heights. I bit my lower lip and tasted coppery blood. It was not a good enough distraction. Having no other choice, I screamed out loud, my shriek lost among the ocean waves surrounding me. The water grew more and more intense until every last wave was double the size of my boat, threatening to engulf me.

The boat made stomach-flipping drops, tilting to one side so much I thought it would tip. Then it leveled out and went to the other side; like a carnival ride. Except this time I wasn’t throwing my hands in the air. My fingers curled into the floor, cracking my nails. Just as I reached the peak of the contraction, I felt something inside drop. There was an unbearable pressure between my legs, accompanied with the urgent need to push. I held out, remembering what I could of movie births. Wait for it, take a breath. Breathe…breathe….it was almost over. I reached down and felt between my legs. Something hard where only soft should be. The head! My baby was almost here!

I waited a few more seconds until the contraction came. Then I pushed. I pushed through my gut, every muscle in my body tensed. My vision went blurry again but a new wave of adrenaline came to me and I used it to focus. Another quick breath, and then more pushing. The contraction came and went, and I had made no more progress.

I started to panic. What if she was suffocating? A million things could go wrong, and my baby was stuck.

One more time, I told myself. She’ll be ok. Give it one more contraction and then you can panic.

Before the thought finished forming, the next contraction came.

“This is it,” I said aloud, my voice rough, foreign-sounding. I pushed, determined to make it work. If she didn’t come out this time, I’d seriously consider putting the scalpel in the first aid kit to good use.

I pushed with everything I had left, not saving one ounce of energy for future contractions. It was now or never.

Everything tensed and strained, except my voice. My vocal chords were paralyzed. Pushing all of that energy out, I felt the elemental magic welling up within me. Shit, shit, shit, I thought. This time it wouldn’t just be a fireball, or a tornado. I could survive both of those, I had proven it. Instead, the elements were intertwining; I felt them knitting together inside me as if they knew exactly what to do.

Please no, please no, I thought. Nothing good would come of this. I couldn’t concentrate on both my labor and my magic. I had to pick one and go with it. At this point, I went with the only one I felt slightly more in control of; the labor.

On my back now, I lifted up my chin, trying to see something over my big, round belly. I put my hands down between my legs, feeling frantically. One quick breath, then I pushed again. I could feel her downward progress within me. It felt like fire. I hoped to God my powers weren’t harming the baby. More burning and finally, I felt her. Her large round head emerged into my hands. I pulled gently, but she didn’t come out further. Frantically, I turned her head, hoping the body would follow, and pushed again. Her shoulders popped out and then the rest of her.

Everything seemed to unleash itself at once. A final wave of energy burst out of the captain’s bridge, spraying bits of glass, laminate, and particle wood out and into the ocean. The atmosphere outside absorbed the mix of elements and then – everything went calm. The wind receded to a light, cool breeze, the waves evened out, and for the first time in hours the boat slowed to a gentle rocking motion.

I looked down at the tiny, pink, wrinkly baby in my hands, still slippery with blood and mucus. I gasped in deep, frantic breaths, laughing and hyperventilating all at the same time. I scooted over to the mattress and bassinette, wrapping a blanket around her, with an awkward twist around the umbilical cord. I worked to get my breathing under control, but tears were now streaming down my face, making it difficult to see.

She was still, eyes closed. And not crying.

She needs to cry; they always cry in the movies. I turned her face down in my arms, and gave her a light pop on the bottom. Still nothing. I took a deep breath. Don’t panic. One more spank and then panic.

The next spank elicited tiny, pathetic mewling. I turned her over, laughing again, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry – but you’re alive! My sweet baby girl!”

A quick check in the blanket confirmed it. The doctor was right – a girl.

Another contraction caused me to take a sharp breath in, and her umbilical cord reminded me. I laid her down on the mattress, still wrapped in her blanket. I brought myself to a sitting position and pushed again.

The afterbirth came out. I avoided looking at it, but glanced at the cord, still attached to the baby. Guess I’d have to make good use of that scalpel after all.

Lying on my side, I washed her as best I could with what water bottles and towels I had with me. Her mewling subsided. Her limbs moved in involuntary jerks as she got used to her body. My cooing was awkward and goofy. Not all motherly instincts came naturally.

A quick glance at her face showed me her eyes were now open, but I looked away. The color of her eyes may reveal who her father is. I had other things to think about. The rest of her was still a mess. Puffy and red from the labor, she resembled what I could only label as demon spawn.

I continued rubbing her down, counting fingers and toes, making sure her ears were clear.

Micah or Shawn?

I suppose in a way, I would feel relieved if she weren’t Micah’s. It would make my running off with her a little more bearable for him, had he learned the truth. But if she were Shawn’s, I’d have to take extra care to make sure she stayed well away from him. And should authorities get involved, they’d insist he’d get parental rights.

Ten fingers and ten toes. Had we been in a hospital, by now she would have been weighed, maybe received a few shots and whatever tests they do in hospitals.

“We don’t need those needles. No we don’t, no we don’t, do we?” I cooed at her.

She calmed a little further at the sound of my voice.

Wind blew in through gaping holes in the captain’s bridge, covering us both in the open artic chill. I moved her back to my chest, letting skin-to-skin contact heat us both. She started mewling again, now rooting with her mouth.

Oh shit, I thought. Does she need to eat already?

I shrugged. She was my daughter, after all.

Wholly unprepared, I took in a deep breath and guided her mouth to my nipple. A painful pinch, and I quickly pushed her away. She started crying now, with gusto.

Glad one of us found our voice.

I tried again, this time using one hand to position my nipple while my other arm pushed her into me. The pain wasn’t quite as intense, or I was better prepared; one of the two.

I felt her feather-light tongue against me as she sucked. I had no idea if anything was coming out, but she seemed happy enough. Almost right away, I had another contraction.

“What the hell; is there another one in there?” I tried breathing through it. It wasn’t nearly as intense, but plenty painful, especially after everything I had just been through.

The baby’s position was disturbed by my tensing arms. She popped off my breast, and cried again.

“Oh, sorry baby.” I moved her to the other side, “Gotta keep them even.”

This time was easier, and definitely less painful as she latched on, but again, another contraction. “Are you kidding me?” I bent over, careful not to disturb her feeding.

After the contraction subsided, I leaned back into the wall, utterly exhausted. The baby fell asleep in my arms. I swaddled her again using what blankets were left, nestled her in the crook of my arm and lay over on my side; sleep catching up with me faster than I cared to admit.

_________________________________________________

Stay tuned – next post I’ve decided to release the first chapter of the final book of the Akasha Series, ‘Earth’. In the meantime, if you haven’t started yet, you can get ‘Water, Book One’ as an ebook for free, ‘Air, Book Two’ at the special price of $2.99 and ‘Fire, Book Three’ for $4.99.  Happy reading!