Liss Thomas's Blog: Mingling Myths and Monsters with Mortals, page 10
July 1, 2013
Ambush - Chapter 17 - Beyond Pacifica
Photo credit: jeffk42 / Foter.com / CC BY-NC
Kyran left early with Kira headed toward the pier. He turned back and pointed his finger at Delphina.
“Don’t open the door for anyone,” he warned before he turned back and closed the door. Kira smiled widely as they went down to the first floor and exited the building.
“What?” Kyran growled.
“Not the best way to win her affection,” Kira laughed.
“It would be easier if she actually listened to me,” he said.
“It would be easier if you just told her,” Kira chided.
Only a few people roamed the pier in the early morning hours. Kira and Kyran moved with purpose to the end of the pier and waited for a distraction. As if on cue, two dolphins began jumping and splashing off to the right. The few people walking the pier rushed to the side, snapping pictures with their phones and glasses. Kira wrapped her arms around her brother and kissed his cheek.
“I’ll be fine, Kyran. Stopped worrying about me, brother. What happened was not your fault.” He squeezed her tighter.
“I’ll stop worrying when I hear of your recovery. Now go, before your body guards stop the show,” Kyran said, kissing her forehead. Kira stepped back and gave him a smile before she quietly stepped off the pier and plunged into the sea below. She didn’t resurface. The dolphins jumped twice more before they too disappeared beneath the waves.
Satisfied, Kyran walked back down the pier past the still gawking tourists. He saw two familiar faces appear as he neared the end. They saddled up beside him as he walked on.
“Quite the show from those dolphins, eh?” one asked.
“Yes, very nice,” Kyran said as he kept walking.
“What’s your hurry, Amigo? We want to talk to you.” Kyran pulled up short when one pushed a gun barrel into his side. He looked from the one to the other and then glanced around. The pier suddenly appeared deserted.
“Ok, what do you want?” Kyran asked.
“We want to know if your little girlfriend is like you? Does she grow a tale, merman?”
“I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else,” Kyran said keeping the surprise from his voice.
“No mistake, we’ve see her with you several times. You remember her, the girl from the boat, that’s pretty handy with guns. No matter, we’ll just ask her when we see her,” Jose said with a smile.
“You’ll never find her,” Kyran said between clinched teeth.
“Oh, we already have. Mi amigos are picking her up as we speak.”
Kyran didn’t wait for more conversation. He snatched the gun and wrenched it from its owner before he tossed it into the sea. The two men jumped him but Kyran tossed them back. In two quick moves they found themselves writhing in pain on the pier as Kyran ran back to the hotel. He reached the new building and took the stairs two at a time, having no time for an elevator.
When he reached the eighth story landing, he raced down the hall and stopped cold when he saw the door slightly ajar. He pushed open the door and saw blood trailing along the carpet and past the closed double doors leading to the main suite. Kyran’s heart stopped beating. His thoughts rushed ahead to what he’d find and he didn’t like any of the gruesome scenes that played out in his mind. Pushing it all aside, he burst through the doors anticipating a fight.
Two poaches lay tied and bleeding on the living area floor. Delphina stood over them, her two guns at the ready but now they were pointed at him. She quickly pointed them back at her captives. Kyran’s heart resumed beating and he exhaled a shuddering breath. Del secured her guns and walked over to Kyran. He snatched her into his arms and held her tight.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine. Thought they were room service,” she said. Kyran pulled back and frowned.
“I told you not to open the door for anyone! Are you ever going to listen to me?” he asked in exasperation.
“Eventually,” Del said. “You seem to be right a lot.”
Kyran rolled his eyes and released her. “Go pack our things. We have to get moving.” He turned his attention next to the wounded men and hauled one up by his collar. “How did you find us?” he asked.
“No habla ingles.”
Kyran pulled the man to his feet and dragged him to the balcony. He swung the man over the railing with one hand and held him there.
“Please, please, I’ll tell you!” the man shouted.
“Start talking,” Kyran said.
“A transmitter, in the girl’s bag. Our captain hid it there so we could find you.”
“Why!” Kyran growled.
“He believes you are not human and wants to capture you to prove it.”
Kyran nearly dropped the man as the news sank in. How did they know? They’d been careful. He hauled the man back over the railing and tossed him back to the floor with his comrad.
“Del, let’s go!” Kyran shouted. Delphina appeared with their bags in hand.
“Ok, I’m ready,” she said before she gasped. Kyran turned to see several men standing behind him.
“What’s the rush?” Captain Velasquez said.
Like this:Like Loading...
Ambush - Chapter 17 - Beyond Pacifica
June 28, 2013
Non-Breathers - FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE: ANOTHER ROLL OF THE DICE
[image error]
Photo credit: Raymond Larose / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
I found this Flash Fiction challenge via a friend of mine, Thanks Gary! Here are the rules this week:
Once again, get out your d20s and d10s (or just click on over to the random number generator) because it’s time to randomly choose the aspects of your flash fiction. The instructions are as follows:
On the subgenre table below, pick two subgenres. Mash them sonsa-bitches up into one story. Then, roll once from the subsequent two lists (Must Feature and Must Also Feature). Then, write 1000 words or so of your flash fiction story. Post at your space. Link back here.
I chose the following genres
Post-Apocalyptic
Paranormal Romance
My dice rolls oblige me to incorporate the following.
A disturbing diary
A massive feast
Here is the someone creepy results.
The Non-Breathers
Journaling my thoughts keeps me sane. I keep in close to my heart, literally. That’s where they like to attack first, the heart. We call them non-breathers but it’s not quite accurate. Some call them zombies but they are still alive, breathing through slits on their backs. The disease a result of chemical and nuclear warfare. We claimed victory but everyone lost.
“Paul, stop writing we have to get out of here.”
Abby pulls me back to reality. We are being hunted. We gather our supplies and sneak out of the destroyed lab facility where we once worked. Bones and decayed carcasses of animals and humans create a foul stench. The remains of a massive non-breather feast and a harsh reminder as we pick our way through to a tunnel leading home. We pause as we hear the howls and scratching claws of those once human lurching above us and sensing our closeness. I feel Abby’s fear in the enclosed space and clutch her hand, pulling her through as the sounds grow louder and more urgent.
We slowly emerge from the tunnel into the wide open spaces separating us from our home, hidden deep within the stately mountain before us. No moans or howls reach our ears so we break into a run and head for home. The only vegetation growing wild product prickly vines and spurs. They snag our clothing as we run and scrape against our bare arms. Soon the moaning starts behind us as it always does. We don’t slow but an infected man suddenly appears before us. No longer in fear, Abby releases my hand, snatches the rifle strapped to her back to the ready and fires one shot catching our foe between the eyes. She never stopped running.
We reach the mountain, leaving the non-breathers behind. Weaving through tunnels and caves we reach our home. I work the lever and release the lock on the boulder keeping our home hidden. Once inside I secure it and leave a knife by the rope in case to seal us in, just in case.
Abby goes to check on Angel. I watch from the door of the make shift room. Angel appears to be sleeping in her cage. The slits on her back open and close to a soothing rhythm. Abby keeps another book close to her heart. She’s reading the last entry again. A disturbing diary of a young girl fighting against disease and insanity. I look over her shoulder as that the last sentence our daughter wrote.
“Mommy and Daddy fear me now. I don’t blame them. They toss chunks of raw meat into my cage and I greedily eat it like an animal. I can’t seem to stop myself, I’m becoming one of them. I’m scared.”
I reach over and close the book. I don’t mention the tiny slit forming on her back. I can’t bear to. ”We’ll find the cure,” I insist and I kiss the crown of her head.”
“Are you sure?”
“You bet your ass.”
Like this:Like Loading...
Non-Breathers - FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE: ANOTHER ROLL OF THE DICE
June 27, 2013
Kira - Chapter 16 - Beyond Pacifica
Photo credit: Big Fat Rat / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Del sat in a chair next to the double bed and watched Kira sleep. The scaly green calluses continued to spread at a rapid pace. She looked over at Kyran who sat on the balcony, perched like a gargoyle surveying the city below them. He didn’t say much but she could see the worry in his eyes. Kira stirred and opened her eyes.
“Do you need anything?” Del asked.
“Water,” Kira whispered. Del poured a glass from the pitcher on the dresser. She sat on the bed and pulled Kira up to help her drink. Kira took only a few sips before she pushed the glass away. Del lay her back down and put the glass away. “You need to eat something, Kira,” Del said. Kira shook her head.
“Bath,” she said.
“Sure.” Del went to the bathroom and started running warm water in the large Jacuzzi tub. She lay a towel out before she went back to help Kira. Kyran sat next to his sister now, her head resting on his chest.
“She wants a bath,” Del said.
“Salt bath,” Kyran said.
“We have regular table salt but no Epson salts, will that work?” Del asked.
“Yes, it should be fine.”
Del went to the small kitchenette and pulled a small container of salt from the cabinets. She went back to the bathroom and poured the entire amount into the running water. Kyran appeared carrying Kira in his arms. He sat her on the edge of the tub and checked the water temperature.
“Let her soak as long as she needs. It will help,” Kyran said before he left the room.
Del helped Kira remove the oversized T-shirt she wore. The scales had taken over Kira’s back but Del tried not to seem alarmed. She helped lower Kira into the tub and sat there as Kira immerged herself completely. Turning on her side, Kira pulled her legs to her chest and lay beneath the water, allow her gill slits to form as she closed her eyes. Del watched her for a few minutes, making sure her breathing looked as normal as possible before she left the room. Kyran sat on the balcony again, a grim set to his mouth. Del moved to the glass doors and sat just inside. She said nothing as she watched him. She couldn’t hold back the tears as they fell silently down her cheeks. Knowing that their lives were in danger because of her. Knowing Kira’s condition looked to be getting worse and not better. Delphina bit back the urge to scream at the misery she’d caused. She pulled her legs up and hugged herself trying to figure out a way to make everything right again. First things first, she thought. Make sure Kira gets better.
Delphina left her chair thirty minutes later to check on Kira and add more warm water to the salt bath. She opened the door of the bathroom. Steam coated the mirrors and created a hazy effect to the air. She approached the tub slowly so as not to wake Kira but the water looked murky like sea water. Del pushed the filmy surface of the water to see beneath it and screamed.
Kyran rushed through the door as Del lay her shaking hand over the hard shell encasing Kira. The scales had encased her completely. Kyran pulled Del away.
“It’s alright, Delphina, she’s cocooned. Her body is trying to heal itself.” He laid his hand on it for several seconds before he pulled away.
“How long will she stay like that?” Del asked.
“I don’t know. Keep the water level up and as warm as you can. Judging by the state of the water, she’s purging a lot of poison.”
Del watched over Kira and added hot water every half hour. She sent Kyran out for more salt as she drained small amounts of water from the tub when it became filled with too much poison.
After a long two days, Kyran insisted she get some sleep. Delphina lay down and fell asleep instantly. When she woke again, it was dark. She checked the time and knew she’d only gotten five hours of sleep. Her body still felt tired but her mind raced, making sleep impossible. Tears welled in her eyes again as she thought about all the trouble she’d caused. Maybe her father was right about time travel. Del buried her head in her pillow and let her frustrated tears flow. When the last of tears dried, Del realized she wasn’t alone. A small body nestled up close to her and arms wrapped around her.
“Don’t cry, Delphina,” Kira said. Del felt the soft baby skin of Kira’s arms as they encircled her. She turned slightly to see Kira’s face. Her skin looked pale and as new as baby’s skin but her eyes looked tired.
“Are you better now,” Del asked. Kira shook her head. Tears slid from her eyes.
“No, Kyran’s sending me home.” They spoke and cried in hush tones until both fell asleep again.
###
Kira left the bed in search of her brother. The sun’s rays were just peaking up the horizon and burning the sky orange. She found him on the balcony with a strange look in his eyes.
“I’ve arranged a few escorts to meet you off the pier. I don’t want you going back to Pacifica alone and I can’t leave Delphina by herself,” Kyran said. Kira wrapped her arms around her brother and gave him a weak smile.
“Will you walk me to the pier?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said. Kira released her hold and sat next to him, breathing in the salt air. She studied his expression and smiled to herself. She could see so much of his feelings in his eyes and right now, they told her everything she wanted to know.
“Kyran, you will take good care of Delphina won’t you?” she asked.
“Yes, Kira. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“May I asked you another question?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to tell Delphina that you’ve fallen in love with her?” Kira asked.
Kyran shot a sideways glance at his sister before he raked his hands through his hair and pressed his palms to his eyes. He looked up and watched the sunrise in silence but Kira read the emotions crossing his face as if he spoke each word out loud. Denial, uncertainty, anger, pain, guilt, resolve, and finally, relief. He smiled.
“I don’t think I have a choice.”
Like this:Like Loading...
Kira - Chapter 16 - Beyond Pacifica
June 26, 2013
Beta Readers and Reviewers Needed - Hidden Monsters Novella
[image error]
Requesting Beta Readers and Reviewers
for the upcoming release of
Hidden Monsters!
Writing this unique story started with a writer’s prompt from Creativecopychallenge.wordpress.com. The site hosts prompts twice a week and I’ve enjoyed writing with them for over a year now. I struggled with the first prompt that started the story simply because I didn’t know where it would go. Once I had a tiny vision in my head, I completed the short fiction piece and posted it in the comments. One of the comments I received, from Shane Author exclaimed, “More”!
That got the story rolling around in my head. Soon I’d continued the story through several challenges and it just kept going. Soon another regular, Mitch, commented it was serial fiction at its best, which got me thinking.
So I continued to write the story using the prompts to propel each chapter along. Each list of ten random words provided its own challenge but that’s what made the experience so much fun and the story so unique. I am happy to say I completed the entire story and this book is a collection of those prompt induced chapters.
Will I flesh out each chapter and create a full on novel? I’m thinking about it but I’ll let you read it first!
As you read this, the bolded words are the ten random words from the prompts. And let me tell you, it’s not easy to incorporate ‘thermonuclear’ or ‘tickity-boo’ into any story with a straight face!
Contact me at
lissthomas3152[at]gmail[dot]com
Like this:Like Loading...
Beta Readers and Reviewers Needed - Hidden Monsters Novella
June 25, 2013
Joey Paul - Author Interview
Hurray! My second guest author is Joey Paul! Joey tackles health issues in life and social issues in her writings. I asked Joey to pick a list of ten questions from a list to answer. Her awesome answers are below. Monsters, mortals and others… enjoy and welcome Joey to our world!
Where is the weirdest place you found inspiration?
I would have to say that the weirdest place I’ve found inspiration is when I was shopping whilst trying to think up a new book to write. I had just finished Blackout and was wanting to start a series, and it had to have a mystery/crime twist to it. I came up with the idea for the Dying Thoughts series while choosing which pizza and frozen vegetables to buy for my dinner 
I think that has to be the weirdest place so far!
Who is your favorite character from one of your novels?
Tara. Hands down, my favorite character to write, to explore new ideas with and to read about at a later date. She’s like me, but she’s so not me in so many other ways that I just love writing about her. However, I don’t think I could write about her and *only* her for the rest of my writing career. I’d kill her off within a few months!
[image error] [image error] [image error]
What is your current WIP?
I actually write two books at once, so have two works in progress. One if the sixth book in the Dying Thoughts Series and is about Tara reaching college. The other is a standalone about the trials and difficulties that LGBTQ young adults face in today’s world. I’m not very far into either of them, I’ve just taken a break from chapter ten of the sixth Dying Thoughts one.
What do you do when you need a spark of creativity?
I do a lot of things to get over writer’s block or just to get started on something. One of which is to write pieces about writing. I’ve done a load of them recently and have posted them all over at my blog. I also find reading a book that I can lose myself in helps, gives me some inspiration of my own to move forward. I am also extremely lucky to live with my best friend (she’s my carer as I am disabled) of many years and she’ll talk the plot and such through with me to help me get to the point I need to be at. Sometimes I’ll feel like I know what I want to happen and I know what I want the characters to do, I just can’t get the words onto the page and talking to B always helps because she knows how I think.
Star Wars or Star Trek….or both?
I am required by my partner and my wish to stay in the relationship to say Star Wars 
I do actually prefer it to Star Trek, but I haven’t seen either in years.
What time of day is best for your writing?
Due to my health issues and disability, I find that the best time to write is when I’m able. I do better in the evenings, but some days I’ll be up all night from pain and/or other issues and I’ll be better doing the writing in the morning. It really does depend on how much my body is playing me up.
Is there anyone you would like to write into your next novel, so you can plot their demise?
There are some people yes, I have a doctor who is beyond hopeless and I would really like to see her as a character. I actually have a T-shirt (and a sign on my office door) that says “Do not annoy the writer. She may put you in her book and kill you” which I love!
If you had a super power, what would it be?
Hmm…now this may take some thought. Either the ability to heal myself and others or the ability to fly…the first to stop myself from being sick, the second to be able to see the world and my partner since we’re long distance.
What is your favorite mythical creature?
Probably a dragon or a unicorn. My friend, B has an eight year old, she also lives here with us and so I’m always being told the plus side to being a dragon or a unicorn and all of that.
Self publish or traditional? Why?
I’ve done both. However, I prefer to self publish. Due to my health issues, I do not work well to deadlines. I do not work well under pressure and I felt and still feel that the best way for me to move forward as a writer is to allow myself to write when I am able and to minimize the pressure prevalent in my life. I like self publishing/indie publishing. It gives me greater control over the content of my work, as well as things such as price and such. I do employ an editor, who is very very good, and a graphic artist for my book covers. Again, she does excellent work and if I could I would make my own indie label. I see no problem in either way. You have to do what works for you and if that means you self publish or you use a traditional publishing house, so long as the quality of your work is the same, it makes no difference in the long run.
CONNECT WITH JOEY PAUL
Her website is: http://www.joeypaulonline.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BugBooks
Twitter - https://twitter.com/MsJoeyBug
Here is a link to the entire collection
http://www.joeypaulonline.com/p/aboutjoeys-books.html
[image error]
Joey is 31, disabled, a writer and part time student studying towards a degree in Health and Social Care. She loves to write and is at the moment working on her eleventh and twelfth books, as well as preparing her sixth book for publication. She started writing when she was medically retired from her job at the age of 19. Her first book was released in 2005 and after a brief time away, her second one was released in 2011. In addition to writing books, she also enjoys reading them and can often be found resting in bed with a good book, a cat and an ukulele.
Like this:Like Loading...
Joey Paul - Author Interview
June 24, 2013
The Captain's Plans - Chapter 15 - Beyond Pacifica
Photo credit: TrinitySquared / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Captain Velasquez chewed on his cigar in silence as he went over the disaster in his mind. They’d gotten away, with twenty men fighting against two gringos. He’d watched the strange encounter and knew they would fail to make a capture. And then there was the girl, the one he shot personally, alive on their boat. A thought solidified in his brain and he almost smiled. He needed more men but the ones looking pitiful before him needed a reminder of what failure brought. He slammed his fist on the desk and watched their eyes bulge.
“Failure is not an option men. I want those Gringos found!” He boomed.
“Yes captain, and the other one?”
“The girl too. I’m positive they are working together. Why else would they steal back her equipment,” Velasquez said. “Men we aren’t dealing with ordinary beings. The first two seem to appear every time we go near the Galápagos Islands, as if they are guardians of the creatures living there. And the girl from the storm is just like them. I’m starting to suspect they are not human.”
“Not human, Sir?” First mate, Juan Mendez asked.
“Juan, I put at least five bullets into that girl’s chest and she’s walking around like it never happened. She should be dead!” He looked around again at his crew. “So tell me gentlemen, what kind of being would protect animals, comes from no where only when we’re out to sea with no other boats around. What kind of creature might even defy our guns and bullets, fall into an ocean swarming with sharks and not be killed? That looks human but breathes underwater. Anyone?” he asked.
“That’s impossible, Sir,” Jose said.
“Aye, but you’ve seen it with your own eyes haven’t ya? Is it impossible or unproven?” the captain asked. “We’re after something big, Amigos.”
“Mermaids, Captain?” Jose asked.
“Aye! We hurt the female when she fell into the gasoline. I had a hunch that it would slow them down. Whatever hurts marine life, will hurt them also. They’ve gone ashore and into hiding. If we can find them and prove to the world what they are, we’ll be rich! Rich enough to retire, men!”
“Sir, what if they’ve gone back to the sea?” Jose asked.
The captain allowed himself a small smile and pulled out a tracking device. The transmitter remained hidden in the girl’s bag and It pulsed softly near Manta, Ecuador.
“No, they’re still topside.”
Like this:Like Loading...
The Captain's Plans - Chapter 15 - Beyond Pacifica
Child of Sacred Earth Giveway
It will begin with first line of the prophecy, which foretells of a red sun over the desert sky…
~Adrah, Queen of the Fae
So began Daughter of the Red Dawn, Book 1 of Alicia Michaels’ The Lost Kingdom of Fallada series. The saga continues with the newly released Child of the Sacred Earth.
Get a degree, get a job, save adorable foster siblings from the clutches of the evil foster mom …
These are Jocylene Sanders’ top priorities as she enters her sophomore year of college. The last thing she expects is to find herself the champion of an entire kingdom. However, that is just what happens when the mysterious Faerie, Rothatin Longspear, appears to her, tasking her with saving a parallel world full of creatures from her wildest dreams.
Jocylene journeys with him into the world of Fallada, hoping for answers about her birth parents and background. What she finds is a mystifying past, and an even more uncertain future, as her heart becomes entangled with the stoic, battle-hardened Rothatin, as well as Eli, the untroubled Panther Shifter with no loyalties and no home. With her heart and soul pulled in so many directions, can Jocylene find the strength needed to become the savior one nation so desperately needs?
Buy Child of the Sacred Earth at Amazon and B&N
Twitter Party with Alicia Michaels
Tuesday, June 25 at 8 pm eastern
#SacredEarth
Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card
A GWR Publicity event paid for by Anchor Group Publishing. Giveaway is sponsored by the author who is responsible for the delivery of prize. LISSTHOMAS.COM received no compensation for this post.
Like this:Like Loading...
Child of Sacred Earth Giveway
June 22, 2013
Hidden Monsters
[image error]
CLICK AND DOWNLOAD
Like this:Like Loading...
Hidden Monsters
Sunday's Cool Pic - CATS!
[image error]
The Regal Kitty
[image error]
The Tabby Talker
[image error]
Loving the Tree
Like this:Like Loading...
Sunday's Cool Pic - CATS!
June 21, 2013
Rant - Bullying
Photo credit: sokabs / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
I usually don’t rant about issues but this one had snaked its way under my skin and I am about to explode!
Too many news stories are about children taking their own lives because of being bullied in school. Children as young as 12 years old! I’ve read several of these stories on CNN and of course, I read the comments below and sometimes those are worse!
I hear grown-ups say a bullied child should strike back. If they stand up to a bully, then the bully will back down…WRONG! These kids are living in a world completely different from when we were children. Zero tolerance means suspension and expulsion for fighting not to mention a criminal record if charges are pressed. There’s also the cyber bullying and texting that goes on.
The young ones today don’t see the future, they see what is happening to them now. It doesn’t matter that high school is only four years of your life or middle school is only two years, whatever, their life is now.
I wish I knew the magic blueprint to stop kids from bullying others or kids from believing their life is over because of what others say. I grew up knowing my own worth and didn’t give others the satisfaction of tearing me down.
I deal with this in book 4 of my series, The Guardians of Esurack. I wish it were finished, I’d publish it today with a message that says don’t let the bullies win. Don’t listen to them, disconnect Facebook and Twitter and if they text you, get a new phone number. If they threaten you, don’t be afraid to tell a grown-up. And grown-up, do something about it!
No child should feel like death is an option to bullying!!!!!!
I’m thinking of creating a new YA series with bullying as a background theme. Of course I write fiction and my characters are fantastical but anyone can help someone who is being bullied. I think that will be the message of each story.
*jumps down from soap box*
I will ask two questions so put your answers below in the comments.
1. Who has ever been a victim and how did you feel?
2. What will stop
A. Kids from bullying other kids
B. Kids from taking their own lives because of bullying.
What can we do as a community to help kids that are bullied? I’d like to hear your answers.
In the meantime, this song fits the situation perfectly. Anti-Bully Anthem? I think YES!
Like this:Like Loading...
Rant - Bullying
Mingling Myths and Monsters with Mortals
- Liss Thomas's profile
- 102 followers
