Tonya R. Moore's Blog: Tonya R. Moore, page 26
July 24, 2017
A Brief Report
You may… or you may not have noticed that there was no new episode of the spoken-word version of What the Bones Say this past weekend. This is because I’m sick and was unable to record the episode, on account of being too stuffy and hoarse.
I want to say that that episode two will air this coming weekend but of course, that depends on whether or not I will have fully recovered.
In the meantime, please enjoy the new book cover that I made for What the Bones Say. I quietly changed it a few days ago.
The stock artwork is by an awesome artist whose username on Dreamstime.com is Grandfailure. You should take a look at this artist’s stock image works. They’re amazing!
July 19, 2017
Excerpt: Kingdom of Lethe
“I don’t have any beautiful memories.” Nedra’s latest client leaned slightly forward with a chagrined half-smile.
“It occurred to me,” the lovely woman drawled, “that shouldn’t be the case.”
She was perched on the cracked edge of Nedra’s worn out leather chair with all the grace of a Queen of Sheba. Her skin wasn’t quite as dark as Nedra’s. It was more like the milky coffee that Nedra had drunk that morning to take the edge off what had apparently been a very rough night.
The woman’s eyes were over-large, bright and watchful. Predatory. Small jewels traced the curves of her eyebrows. Her eyeshadow was a reddish blue, bruised-seeming hue. Her swollen lips were painted black. A cascade of crystal teardrops dangled from her pierced ears. Her long dress was made of thin, shiny fiber that gently caressed her delicate bones. The shawl thrown carelessly over her shoulder was made of expensive, meticulously woven material.
This woman was a jewel of the night. She didn’t belong in the raw glare of daylight on the shabby outskirts of town. She certainly didn’t belong in this dingy office with the leaky roof and rats crawling underneath the floorboards. Here she was though, looking at Nedra as if the small-time detective were her lifeline. Looking as if there was no other place she could have possibly gone.
When she spoke again, her voice was sweet and smoky, possessing a strangely powerful timbre that sent a small tremor running down Nedra’s spine and straight down to her toes.
Nedra cleared her throat and croaked, “Come again?”
The woman smiled slightly. She leaned further forward and Nedra caught a glimpse of the two perfect, soft mounds enveloped in the delicate fabric of her bosom.
“My beautiful memories,” the femme fatale answered lowly and slowly as if speaking to a child, “they’ve gone away. In fact, I seem to keep losing more and more each day.” The woman eased back, settling more deeply into the chair, “you’ll help me find them, won’t you?”
“Augmented?” Nedra queried, just to be on the safe side.
“Natural, Baby.”
Dear god. She was born with it. That mind-numbing Nubian beauty…
Kingdom of Lethe
eBook: $2.99
Author: Tonya R. Moore
Genre: Science Fiction
Tags: Futuristic, LGBT, Recommended Books, Steampunk
A new case drags a detective into the strange and wondrous world of a woman who claims her beautiful memories have been stolen. More info →
Andre Clemons: Enheduanna
[image error]Born and raised in Detroit, as an avid reader and eager writer, I can honestly say that writing has been central to my life. I used to write and illustrate short stories when I was in school and sell them around in my neighborhood. I’ve ended up writing short stories, novellas, novels, serials, and scripts. Currently, I am the published author of three books (available on Amazon.com): the teen romance TAINTED LOVE, the short story collection EBONY EYES, and the gritty urban drama MAN OF THE HOUSE. I am the writer of the web serials MOUSE ON THE MIC, BAILEY’S EYES, THE GENTLEMEN, THE LAKE GIANTS, WELCOME TO LAKE LUNA, and ENHEDUANNA.
Enheduanna
[image error]It’s the historical account of Enheduanna–poet, priestess, and icon.
As the High Priestess of the Akkadian Empire, under the rule of her father Sargon of Akkad, it is up to her to maintain the strength of the empire through religion, uniting the people under the common will of the gods. But dark forces creep around the kingdom and threaten to bring the mighty empire crashing down. Is she able to handle the pressure or will she be lost among the rubble?
# of Chapters Available: As of now, it’s outlined to be about 12 chapters.
Status: Ongoing, but it is planned as a maxiseries
Read & Vote for Enheduanna @ Jukepop Serials!
Other Web Serials by Andre Clemons
MOUSE ON THE MIC
BAILEY’S EYES
THE GENTLEMEN
THE LAKE GIANTS
WELCOME TO LAKE LUNA (sequel to THE LAKE GIANTS)
Find Andre Online
Website (Currently under construction)
Twitter: @ANDRECthatsme
July 15, 2017
What the Bones Say: Episode 1
Niara smokes the sensi and falls into a drug induced trance.
What the Bones Say is the title of my web-serialized novella for this year’s Summer Writing Project. The 2017 Summer Writing Project is a collaborative effort by Jukepop and 1888.
Vote for chapters of this story @ Jukepop!
You can also Support this Project via GoFundMe
AVAILABLE WRITTEN CHAPTERS as of 7/15/2017
0: Trance | 1: Boabab | 2: Prey
Excerpt: Sweet Belladonna
Andromeda was barefoot and still stood at least a head taller than Sofie. She wore a simple, white gown that seemed to glow against her ebony skin. Thick braids gathered at the top of her head and spilled down her back. There was a golden ribbon threaded into each braid.
Sofie, with her own dark curls cropped above her ears, couldn’t imagine tolerating much less grooming that much hair. Maybe that was the sort of thing that lay at the root of her deep attraction to the ancient one. Everything about Andromeda Five was so different. Every aspect of her being seemed to embody the mystery and magic of the stars.
Once feared by humans, vampires had also originated on the First World. It was often said that when humanity took to the stars, so had the stuff of their nightmares. Still, all relationships evolve over time. While the instinctive fear that they instilled in the hearts of mortals had never been completely eradicated, there were many cultures that willingly associated with the ancient breed of predators.
Blood contracts had come about centuries earlier. There were historians who believed that Sofie’s home world was one among a handful of fringe colonies established by the vampiric nobility, as convenient feeding grounds.
As a child, Sofie Tenna had spent many sleepless nights staring up at the stars. She’d always wanted more than life on Capella offered. She wanted what the stars promised. She wanted to touch and taste all of the secrets that she was certain were waiting out there. By her sixteenth year, Sofie had already begun preparing herself to accept the blood contract. Her efforts had finally borne fruit when she earned a place in the service of one of the eight legendary immortals, the empress known as Andromeda Five.
Andromeda wasn’t a regent, not in the strictest sense. The “empress” nomenclature was something tongue-in-cheek that Sofie had secretly assigned to her and for the sake of self-preservation, kept to herself.
Andromeda was a vampire and though you couldn’t tell by looking at her, Sofie had discovered that she was one of the oldest of her kind. She wasn’t so far off the mark with the title, anyway. The ancients were generally considered nobility by their own kind and the human denizens of their domains.
Sweet Belladonna
eBook: $2.99
Author: Tonya R. Moore
Genres: Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Space Opera
Tag: LGBT
Sofie Tenna's blood contract with the legendary vampire, Andromeda Five, goes awry. More info →
July 14, 2017
Women of Wakanda
My twitter stream has been abuzz this past week and rife with images from the upcoming Black Panther movie. Of course, I must point out the awesomeness of Wakanda’s impressive cast of female characters.
I won’t go into too much detail because up until now, I haven’t been very immersed in Black Panther lore and I’d like to keep it that way for the time being, so that I can fully enjoy the movie when it opens.
I’m most impressed with the notion of the Dora Milaje (the Adored Ones), handpicked from various rural villages as bodyguards and potential wives of Wakanda’s king. The Dora Milaje protect the king and even goes so far as to hunt down enemies of Wakanda across the globe.
The Women of Wakanda
[image error]
Ramonda (Angela Bassett): T’Challa’s step-mother, Queen Mother of Wakanada.
[image error]Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER
L to R: Okoye (Danai Gurira), Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Ayo (Florence Kasumba)
Credit: Matt Kennedy/©Marvel Studios 2018
Okoye (Dania Gurira): a member of the Dora Milaje; Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o): a member of the Dora Milaje; and Ayo (Florence Kasuma): a member of the Dora Milaje and the head of security for King T’Challa
[image error] Shuri (Letitia Wright): Wakandan princess and an inventor. Shuri served as interim queen as Wakanda and Black Panther at some point (?)
Impressive, right?
Gosh, I hope I’m not leaving anyone out. Please tell me if I am!
July 12, 2017
Spoken Word: What the Bones Say
I’m very excited to announce the subj-project that I have in development right now.
The Spoken Word version of What the Bones Say is on its way.
The first episode of this weekly 3-minute bi-weekly podcast is scheduled for release on Saturday, July 15th, 2017. I might even surprise you and release it sooner than that! We’ll see how the post-recording bit goes first.
The story will be voiced by Yours Truly.
Here’s a recap of what the story’s all about:
[image error]Niara of Boabab: Priestess & Protagonist.
WHAT THE BONES SAY
Niara’s people inhabit a village within a walled enclosure on an alien planet. To carve out a future for humanity, she must disobey their alien benefactors and venture beyond the wall. She joins forces with Wendi, tribal queen of the eastern village. The two women forge a bond stronger than blood as they uncover the secrets of their buried history and incite the wrath of an advanced alien force.
FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T WAIT
There are already 3 chapters of What the Bones Say available for online reading. What the Bones Say is the title of my web-serialized novella for this year’s Summer Writing Project. The 2017 Summer Writing Project is a collaborative effort by Jukepop and 1888.
Vote for chapters of this story @ Jukepop!
You can also Support this Project via GoFundMe
AVAILABLE CHAPTERS as of 7/12/2017
0: Trance | 1: Boabab | 2: Prey
In the Meantime
You can either subscribe by following this blog by signing up for updates or by subscribing to the Soundcloud channel
What the Bones Say – Chapter 2
Calamity was the oldest word in the language of Niara’s people. It was the word for their old world which had fallen to pieces. They used that word for falling down and for failing grace. They used it for the loss of life and for the leaving of love. Two and a half days away from her foster mother’s deathbed, Boabab’s prodigal daughter woke up shaken–from a strange dream and so she; despite her disdain for those who would rely on them; listened to the bones.
The bones telegraphed that one word repeatedly and relentlessly. Calamity–they sang. Calamity had befallen Niara and would soon again and again and again. She, despite her disbelief, offered up a prayer the heavens and her dead as she put out her fire and dismantled her camp. Her anxiety made her careless. Like a rank amateur, a stupid child wielding her machete, she advanced, noisily tramping through the wood.
She’d been walking non-stop for several hours, preoccupied with the sweltering heat beating down on her back when a chill ran down her spine. She stopped in her tracks. She frowned, sweaty brow creasing. Something was off kilter. With dawning dread, she realized what it was. In these wild, twisting woods, there was only silence. Silence had swiftly fallen, every living thing in the bush gone rigid with fear.
Niara’s breath quickened, became so amplified that beyond the stuttering of her heart, it was the only thing she could hear. Her eyes darted about unsteadily. Was it even in her field of vision, the beastly thing getting ready to pounce? Her nostrils flared. Her breath quickened. She swallowed hard. Nothing. She saw nothing but something was out here in the bush with her.
Bramble cracked. A low rumbling growl filled the air. Niara balked. Something big was coming straight for her. Her finger tightened around the handle of her only weapon, a makeshift machete made of material torn from Boabab’s hull. She’d never known it before but somehow, she recognized that raw, rancid taste sticking to the back of her throat as abject terror.
The brush rustled and then beast loped out of the cover of the bush. It stood on four legs like a lion but Niara had never seen the likes of this creature before. It had a coat of gold punctuated by a series of black stripes. Its eyes were fierce and golden. It opened its mouth and snarled. Niara caught a glimpse of long, sharp teeth. It was beautiful, powerful, and menacing.
Niara’s last shred of common sense prevailed somehow.
Do. Not. Run. The last thing you want to do is run.
Niara whimpered. Dear gods. But what was she supposed to do now?
The muscles in the beast’s back bunched. It sprang forward. It came in for the kill, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Niara swung the machete forward with all the might she could muster but she knew it. She was doomed. The fatal blow she expected never came. Something hard and heavy knocked her sideways. She hit the ground so hard the wind got knocked out of her. A cacophony of yelling and animal howls exploded into the air.
She was surrounded by a wild-looking band of men and women. The massive feline lay on the ground, unmoving and bloody. The group cheered and hooted as one young man raised a broken spear to the sky and cried out in triumph. Overhead, something that looked like a massive, mechanical dragonfly hovered, making a whirring noise. At first, Niara simply sat there on the ground, dazed. Her brain couldn’t seem to catch up with the scene unfolding around her.
She heard a groan and a low, feminine voice bit out a curse. Niara’s gaze swung around to the source of that voice. The heavy object that had crashed into her was a dark woman with a lithe, slightly muscular body. The woman’s straw-colored tunic, if you could call it that, stuck to her like a second skin. The coarsely woven material allowed for freedom of movement, it seemed. The top ended at the woman’s midriff. The bottom was a matching pair of leggings which ended just below the calves.
“Nicely done, Bait!” The woman sat up beside Niara and chuckled. Her voice went up a few decibels.
“Even a fangless cow from Boabab can be useful in the hunt.”
The other hunters responded with hoots and a smattering of laughter.
“Bait?” Niara spluttered. “Fangless cow?”
“Got a death wish,” The woman turned her full gaze upon Niara. “Do you?”
The woman’s eyes were golden, fierce and beautiful like the eyes of the beast her companions had just felled and she spoke in earnest.
“Even a babe knows better than to act like prey in the bush.”
Niara didn’t have a valid comeback for that.
She sighed. “You’re right. I got careless. No death wish, though.”
“Good,” the woman’s face split into a smile. “Good!”
She sprang to her feet and extended a hand to help Niara to hers. “I am Wendi.”
“Niara,” the young priestess took the offered hand. “How do you know I came from Boabab?”
Wendi’s head tilted. “You have that look about you.”
“Seriously?”
“No,” Wendi grinned. “I recognize the tunic. How is Baba Gen these days?”
“Dead.”
“A pity,” Wendi murmured.
The mechanical dragonfly touched down a few feet away. The side opened and a man came out. He trotted over towards the two women. He was a blindingly handsome sort, fair and golden haired. His eyes were an intense and deep blue.
“Wendi? You alright?” He asked worriedly.
“Ethan, this is Niara.” Wendi responded with a brief nod. “Niara, this is Ethan, my second-in-command.”
Ethan dipped his head towards Niara. “Boabab?”
“Yes, how did you—”
He grinned. “You just have that look about you.”
Wendi erupted into laughter.
“I take it you’re not a hunter?” He probed.
“Nope. Priestess, more like.”
“All alone in the bush?”
Niara blinked. “Is it that strange?”
“It is,” Wendi declared firmly. “Why are you even in our territory?”
“Believe it or not,” Niara answered, rummaging around in her belongings for Baba Gen’s map. “I think I came here looking for you.”
She handed the note with the ancient writing to Wendi. “Do you know what it says?”
Wendi stared down at the note. Her countenance darkened for an instant. When she looked back up at Niara. Her eyes were over-bright and strange. She handed the note to Ethan.
Ethan stared down at the note. “I’m not superstitious,” he muttered, “but isn’t this a sign?”
“It seems,” Wendi told Niara, “that we have much to talk about.”
“What does it say?” Niara prodded.
“It says,” Wendi answered, “that truth lies beyond the wall.”
Vote for this Story @ Jukepop
Chapter 3 (Coming Soon)
July 11, 2017
Twilight
As twilight approaches
I watch the moon and wait,
while my pen runs away from clichés
into the silence behind my ribs;
Everything seems to die in autumn.
She loved him for three decades, before
noticing he never understood anything
beyond the surface of his own skin;
It’s worse when you’re twenty
life has no beginning or end,
I barely remember how to be alive;
Time is indifferent to youth,
she is the piper leading you
into the mountain from which you
will never emerge;
As twilight approaches
everything in autumn,
seems to die.
Fragility
Do we
confound the angels
with our tender
Savagery?
We are
all God’s demented
children;
This lonely planet
Is our padded cell.
Tonya R. Moore
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