Lashell Collins's Blog, page 2

Fiction Friday - The Mirror

This week's installment of the Fiction Friday Writing Challenge from my wonderful friend, and fellow author, Arial Burnz was a little bit of a real challenge for me. Why? Well, it's because when I first looked at the image that is the prompt, what I saw was a jewel - a broach, to be exact. And I know that was purely because at the moment, I'm firmly in the middle of writing book 3 of the Rogue Moon Series, a story which involves a very beautiful, very old jewel. Anyway, after giving the image a second look, I of course realized that it wasn't a jewel at all, it was a beautiful old mirror hanging on a wall. And that realization brought the following scene to my mind. I have to admit ... I'm extremely curious to know where it leads. I may have to revisit it sometime very, very soon.The mirror hung on the wall across the room, taunting me. Daring me to step forward and look inside. “Come see the atrocities that await you!” That’s what it screamed every time I so much as glanced its way. Well, no way. No way was I going to look into that thing ever again. The last time had scared me half to death, and everything the mirror showed me that time had come true so far, hadn’t it?“It’s time, you know?”The stern voice came from the open doorway, and I look up to see the old woman glaring at me. She looks at the large-muscled man at her side and gives a curt nod of her head. He moves toward me without hesitation, angry determination written all over his harsh face, despite the deep gashes my fingernails left in his skin the last time.“No.” I stand and inch my way backwards, moving away from him. “Please, no. Don’t make me, not again. Please!” I scream as two strong arms take hold of me and drag me towards the all-seeing mirror.“You know that you must, Lily. You are the only one who can see its predictions. I don’t know why you fight it so!” The old woman’s tone is biting as her minion stands me in front of the mirror. He holds my arm fast as he forces my eyes open with the other hand, and I stare, reluctantly into the portal as hot tears roll down my cheeks. The mirror clouds over and suddenly I see what looks like the forest that lies just beyond the mansion grounds begin to take shape. There are crows flying high overhead in the image, and I know instantly that something evil is coming.

Fiction Friday - Killer Rain

This week's installment of the Fiction Friday Writing Challenge from my sweet funny friend, and fellow author, Arial Burnz was a lot of fun. So much so that really think I might pursue this plot bunny to see where it might lead. Future novella maybe? The start of a stand alone romantic suspense? I don't know, the possibilities are endless! The prompt was this: Your character gets caught in the rain. What happens next? So, here's what happened next...Lightning streaked across the darkening sky in a magnificent display, seeming to crack open the heavens with a loud clap. The rumble that followed made Holly shiver as the world around her vibrated from the force of it. The weather reflected her mood -- dark and troubled. She pulled the collar of her trench coat up around her neck and picked up her speed. She had to get off the street. After everything she’d been through, she couldn’t let herself get caught by Denton’s men now.The monotonous drizzle suddenly became a raging torrent, and the rain pelted hard against her face. Holly’s power walk morphed into a flat out run. Only two more blocks to go. She clutched her bag and tried her best to keep her head down as she ran.Her destination finally in sight, she sprinted for the awning of the building just as a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck a nearby pole. Holly yelped and stopped in her tracks, only to be pummeled from behind and knocked to the cold wet ground.“Here, miss, let me help you.” Holly looked up through the curtain of wet brown hair that was plastered to her head and face as a hand reached out to steady her. She stared up into the kind blue eyes of the most handsome man she’d ever seen. She moved a strand of hair from her face and smiled at him as she accepted his offer of help.“That fellow who knocked you down kept running. No manners at all,” the deep, friendly voice said.“Thank you for your help,” Holly said as she took hold of his hand and allowed the man to help her stand. As he did, she glanced down and caught a glimpse of the handle of a gun holstered at the man’s side beneath the suit jacket he wore. Her gaze flew to the man’s face again as terror ran through her like a shockwave. Was this one of Denton’s men who had come to kill her?

Fiction Friday - Woman in the Mirror

This week's installment of the Fiction Friday Writing Challenge from my sweet funny friend, and fellow author, Arial Burnz was kind of a hoot to write. The prompt was this:Your character wakes up with a splitting headache, and when they look in the mirror ... they don't recognize their reflection.Ok, before we go any further, I'd just like to say that I have no idea where this weird little scenario came from, but what follows is the scene that popped into my head after reading that prompt. I think it's got the makings of a very cool storyline behind it!His eyelids fluttered open and he slowly focused on the abstract painting across the room. The colors were bright and vibrant, jumbled swirls of orange and yellow against the stark white canvas. He reached out and pushed himself up into a sitting position, and immediately regretted it.“Ow! God, my head.”He hated this part. The agency told you up front about the side effects of jumping when you first volunteer. The occasional dizziness was supposed to be the worst of it, but it never failed. Every time Alexander jumped to a new body the splitting headache was nearly overwhelming for the first hour or so. That’s how he always knew, even without finding a mirror, that the procedure had worked. He placed a hand on his head and steeled himself for the excruciating pain that would come when he stood. Head pounding, he made his way over the the large mirror opposite the bed, and made a face at his new reflection.“Not bad, I guess,” he whispered to himself. Then he ran a hand through his now tight black curls of hair and gave his face a closer examination. High cheekbones and brown eyes. A whole new skin tone that would take some getting used to. This was the first time he had jumped into a woman’s body, and he had to admit he was more than a little nervous about it. But how different could it really be, right?He glanced down and examined other parts of himself. Then his gaze met his new reflection with wide eyes, followed by a smirk. Ok, so … some things were going to be very different!

Cimmerian Shade - Torch Song

I have been so freaking busy these last few months that I completely forgot to mention my new project here. I'm taking part in a paranormal and urban fantasy romance set called Cimmerian Shade. I just love that name, although I admit I had to look up the word Cimmerian to see what it meant. Anyway, the set is jam packed with sexy stories from some amazing paranormal authors, and I'm crazy excited to be part of it! My story in the set is called Torch Song, and look at that beautiful cover (thank you Sonia and Chloe Belle Arts)! So, I've written my first ever dragon shifter for this story, and I'm a little bit in love with him, I must admit. I can't wait for you to meet him, but the only way for you to do that is to grab this fantastic boxed set, because this story won't likely be available anywhere else for a long time. But there is a very good chance you'll get another Inferno Novella ... so set in this same world ... in another upcoming boxed set! (Hint. Tease. Wink wink!) Here's the blurb for Torch Song...Torch SongDominic Draco has no illusions about who he is. As alpha of the dragon clan, he is also the leader of the shifter Alliance, and that sometimes requires him to be ruthless. He’s a dangerous man to know. In fact, he’s a heartless bastard. That’s the real reason he’s kept the beautiful Lucinda Lindley at bay for so many years, despite the longing he feels for the lovely human singer. But in granting an old friend’s dying request, watching over Lucinda is now his responsibility. Can he keep her safe from the perils of his world when the Alliance’s enemies begin to circle? Or will Lucinda become a casualty of the shifter faction war?Get your copy of Cimmerian Shade now at the pre-order price of 99 cents. That price goes up after release, so don't wait! Amazon || iBooks || Nook || Kobo   Add to your TBR on Goodreads

Fiction Friday - Lake Mystery

This week's installment of the Fiction Friday Writing Challenge from the lovely and talented Arial Burnz has a very cool mystery twist component to it. We were given two sentences as our prompt, and my imagination went immediately to a someplace a little dark and tragic. I'm kind of worried about what that says of me, but while I ponder it, why don't you read what I've written...It’s been 15 years, but I still regret what happened at the lake that night.It wasn’t supposed to play out that way. I mean yes, I wanted revenge. I won’t deny that. Those two had hurt me in the worst way imaginable. They took everything from me. My entire world was shattered. Everything changed for the worst after their thoughtless, cold hearted actions. They were only thinking about themselves. They were having fun, so what did it matter if someone else got hurt? What did it matter if I happened to love him? How could I have loved him?I’ve asked myself that question every minute of every single day since. How could I have thought I loved him? Someone like that. Someone who could smile at me and say such sweet things, and then turn around and be so cruel to me. How could I have thought I loved him?Yes, I wanted revenge. You would have wanted to get revenge too. But no one was supposed to die out there that night. Not even one of my rapists.

All Fired Up!!!

All Fired Up, Book 2 of the True Romance Rocker Series is available for pre-order at all the major ebook retail outlets, and print is coming soon. If drummers with tattoos, black eyeliner and spiked hair do it for you, then you have got to meet Quick Silverman! Here's the short version...Poppy Fields has it all – brains, beauty, partnership at a prestigious Beverly Hills medical practice. What she doesn't have is love, or the courage it takes to even consider falling for someone. When her job sends her on tour with a rock and roll legend, Poppy is thrown onto a collision course with a man she finds both terrifying and seductive as sin. But if she lets her guard down long enough to give the sexy drummer a shot at her heart, she might just find that love and intimacy aren't so scary after all.The storyline for this one was, in my opinion, just as heavy as the first. That idea of finding love in unconventional places is what this series is all about. Well ... that, and the notion that as we get older, the issues surrounding the journey to happily ever after get more sophisticated and more complicated at the same time. But hopefully the older we get, the more wisdom we acquire as well. The tagline I chose for this series really sums up that hope for me:"They say things get better with age ... even rockstars!"As I mentioned in an earlier blog post back in December when book 1, True Romance, went up for pre-order, the title for this one is also based on a song by my favorite musician, Todd Kerns. I had the great privilege of interviewing Todd for True Romance, and you can read about that HERE if you missed it. (There would be no Thaddeus Kyle without Todd Kerns!).GET YOUR COPY OF ALL FIRED UP (the novel) HERE!

Fiction Friday - Number 13

This week's installment of the Fiction Friday Writing Challenge from the lovely and talented Arial Burnz was a lot of fun to write. The prompt - Number 13 - is one that actually ties into one of my paranormal series, so that was exciting for me. The series in question is called Rogue Moon, and in book 2 of that series we meet the mysterious character known only as The 13th. So, this is what came to me...He was referred to as The 13th, but always only in the hushed tones of private, whispered conversations among the elders and others of importance. There were some who claimed he was just a myth created to strike fear in the hearts of all men, while others were completely oblivious to the notion of him at all. But there were those among them who knew better. Those who had seen him, or at least the silhouette of him, with their own eyes. Those who had dealt with him and experienced his wrath. The 13th, the mysterious leader of the Werewolf Syndicate did indeed exist. He was an all too real fact of their hidden sub-community. Shrouded in shadows and secrecy, the ruthless head of the cut-throat organization that governed the alphas of all twelve packs in the city was the driving power behind their society. The man who made the decisions that ruled their lives. The man who held their very futures in his hands alone. What the pack alphas were never really sure of was whether The 13th was good or evil. 

Fiction Friday - I'm In

This week's installment of the Fiction Friday Writing Challenge from the lovely and talented Arial Burnz was a lot of fun to write. As soon as I saw the prompt, the "story" just came to me. I imagine Dana and Garret are two very intense people - probably special ops agents, or mercenaries, or just a pair of badass cops on the street. At any rate, I enjoyed this one. Maybe that means it's time for me to get back to my Romantic Suspense roots. Good thing I've got something in the works for that!“Are you insane?”“Is that a real question? Because you might not like the answer.” I grin at the look of horror in her eyes. “The doctors say I’m doing much better now though.”She rolls those gorgeous hazel eyes at my smartass joke, and I can see her index finger lightly tap the barrel of her sidearm. “This is never going to work.”All kidding aside, I set my own gun down with a frustrated sigh and look at her. “Do you have a better idea, Dana? Because I’m all ears.”She stares at me, not saying anything, and I can see all the anxiety play out on her beautiful face. As much as she wants to say yes, she’s afraid. And I guess I can’t really blame her. I reach out and take her hand.“Look, I get it, baby. I do. What we’re talking about … it’s risky, and it’s dangerous. Being completely honest, I’m scared too, okay? I mean, we may not come out of it unscathed. Hell, we may not even make it out alive. But we’d be doing it together. And I love you. I’m in if you are.”She shakes her head and wipes a stray tear from her cheek. “We said we would never do this, Garret. We made a pact.”“I know that. But things change, baby." I reach up and caress her face. "And I know you feel the same way I do. So tell me. Are you in?”“This plan of yours is going to get us killed,” she says as she tucks her gun into the holster at her side. “Of course I’m in. Yes, I will marry you.”

Fiction Friday - Novice Witch

This week's installment of theFiction FridayWriting Challenge from the lovely and talentedArial Burnzwas a super hard one for me to wrap my head around. Mainly because I've never written about a witch before! But the surprising thing was that, once I set my timer and began to write, the story just came to me. And I say story (and not idea) because I now have a little plot bunny hopping around up there in my brain. Will anything ever come of it? Who knows. Maybe some day, but for now, here's the writing prompt that started it. The image is called Novice Witch...“Oh, shit,” Ginger mumbled as she watched the disaster unfold right in front of her eyes. What had she done? The hydrant burst, spewing water to the heavens and sending the old woman with the walker into a marathon-worthy sprint down the sidewalk. The car came skidding out of nowhere, and Lucas and Maddie had to run for their lives to get out of the way. Ginger flailed her arms in a panic, but when she did the car turned abruptly and headed straight for the big maple tree at the end of the street. Ginger yelped and covered her eyes, peeking out through her fingers when the loud crash assaulted their eardrums. “Oh, no,” she whispered as she stared at the crumpled car in dismay. What had she done, indeed? Lucas and Maddie rushed to the car to see if the driver was hurt.“I could have killed someone,” Ginger whispered to herself. And she knew that she would too, if she didn’t learn to get her powers under control.A hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder, and Ginger turned to see Ms. Peabody, the Headmistress of the Young Witches Academy staring at her with a disapproving gaze. “Well, that spell went a little wrong, didn’t it?”

Fiction Friday - The Raven!

So, I started thisFiction Fridaything two weeks ago where I take a writing prompt provided by the lovelyArial Burnz, and run with it. You can click on the links above to check out the first couple of installments with all the wherefores and whys. This week's writing prompt was a little different because it came in the form of a cool image. Check it out...Not sure what I've written does the awesome image any justice, but it came to mind because I have a WIP that involves a raven shifter, so some of her story may have spilled over into this writing challenge today. Have a look...The raven spread her wings and took flight. Soaring high above the tree tops, she looked down at the world below her and pondered the stillness of it. It was always the same. No matter how long or how high she flew she couldn’t get away. The nightmare never ended, she couldn’t escape its clutches. The darkness surrounded her, and every direction led back to the old man.What did it mean? Who was he? And why did he fill her heart with fear? What did he want from her? He had captured her once and locked her away in a tiny iron cage, forcing her to stay in her shifted form, but for what purpose, the raven had no clue. She only knew that she had to escape. She had to wake up and find her way back to the real world.“Come, my little raven shifter. Come back to me.”She could hear the man calling to her but she refused to fall prey to him again. She had to wake up and escape this nightmare once and for all.