Harmony Kent's Blog, page 47
January 17, 2021
#NewBook by Vashti Quiroz-Vega @VashtiQV: The Rise of Gadreel
Hi, everyone! Welcome to the first day of my book tour. Thank you for having me as a guest on your blog, Harmony! {My pleasure!}
The Rise of Gadreel is a high/dark supernatural fantasy set in the medieval period. It is aimed at an adult (18+) audience. I always told myself that I would never write as if someone were looking over my shoulder. My first draft consists of words written the way they pour out of my head, raw and true. Although I begin the story, my characters tend to take over, each of them competing to steer the story in a way that best suits them, which usually leads to many twists and unexpected outcomes. Ultimately, the strongest of them takes the lead. Following the blurb, I will share a short excerpt to hopefully entice you to read more.
BLURB:
In The Fall of Lilith, award-winning author Vashti Quiroz-Vega took readers inside the gates of heaven for a front-row seat to Lucifer’s rebellion. In Son of the Serpent, she introduced Dracúl, tormented offspring of fallen angels. Now, in The Rise of Gadreel, Quiroz-Vega is back with the next chapter in her Fantasy Angels saga—a gripping tale of hope and redemption set against the fiery backdrop of a demon’s insatiable thirst for power and revenge.
Lilith is gone, suffering the torments of the damned in hell. Satan, once known as Lucifer, endures endless agony in an earthly prison. Yet their foul legacy lives on, spread by a corrupted priesthood that uses the blackest magic to fan the flames of evil and hate throughout the world.
The former angel Gadreel, who fought and fell alongside Lilith and Lucifer, only to join Dracúl in his fight against them, is weary of war. Repenting of past sins, she wants nothing more than to be left in peace. But when a new threat to humankind arises, Gadreel is given the chance she has prayed for—the chance to earn God’s forgiveness.
Now, with the aid of Dracúl and a trio of uncanny allies—a man of air, a man of stone, and a woman of fire—at her side, Gadreel must find the courage to confront her past and forge a new future for herself . . . and the world.
Excerpt:
In this excerpt, Gadreel, Dracúl, Sabina, Golem, and Thomas are headed to London, England, when an incoming storm prompts them to take shelter at an Abbey where they will also rest for the night.
We spotted the abbey on a cliff above the port town of Whitby, overlooking the North Sea. By the time we reached it, the sky had gone dark with the bruise of thick, angry clouds. As I stood before the Romanesque-style stone abbey, a lone drop of rain touched just beneath my eye, like a teardrop, and a foreboding shook my entire existence.
“I have a bad feeling about this place. I don’t think we should enter,” Golem said, taking a step back.
“What are you saying?” Dracúl put Sabina down and moved toward the entrance.
“Wait,” I said. “I don’t feel right about this place either.”
Sabina agreed.
“We’re all tired and cold.” Dracúl shoved his long, dark hair back from his face in clear frustration. “This is Whitby Abbey, a Christian monastery.”
“Something evil lurks in there now,” I mumbled. I did not mean to frighten anyone, but chills ran up and down my spine, and they were not caused by the weather.
“Oh bloody hell!” Golem said and threw his arm up in the air.
“The sun has set, the temperature has plummeted, and there’s a storm coming,” Dracúl said. “What are we supposed to do?” He flashed that irritating, smug grin he wears when he’s convinced he’s about to win an argument. “Besides, we’re God’s warriors. If there are evil forces lurking in this place, who better than us to abolish them?” With those words, he entered the abbey’s warming room.
“Well, let’s go then. I’m absolutely knackered,” Golem grumbled. He took Sabina’s hand, and they followed Dracúl inside. Thomas, surrounded by a dim indigo aura, trailed close behind them.
I stared at the sinister, hulking masses of architecture looming before me against the dark, moonless night, seeing little more than the crumbling walls. Having caught Dracúl’s statement about faith and being God’s warriors, I stood corrected. I drew in a long breath and plodded inside.
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The post #NewBook by Vashti Quiroz-Vega @VashtiQV: The Rise of Gadreel first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
January 16, 2021
Blood Moon: ‘Fiction In A Flash Challenge’ Week #32 NEW Image Prompt. Join in the fun! #IARTG #ASMSG @pursoot #WritingCommunity
Hi everyone! It’s that time of the week again …fun flash fiction from Suzanne Burke. This week’s theme struck me as strikingly spooky. Here’s the short story I came up with >>>
Photo by Emre Kuzu from Pexels
Blood Moon
‘Come on, guys. This isn’t funny,’
The utter silence persists. Not even a sigh of a breeze disturbs the foliage. I startle at the eerie hoot of a lone owl.
‘All right, already. The joke’s on me. You win.’
I wait, half afraid and half hopeful. My concession will surely lure them out now. Behind, a branch snaps. I whirl around and peer into the dark … impenetrable past the dull orange glow of my lamp because the thick entwined trees block any effervescence the red full moon offers. Actually, I’m glad the eerie crimson glow is hidden. While I pretended this is all a lark, this jaunt freaks me the hell out.
The flickering flame produces shadows that leap and cavort grotesquely. Cold sweat coats my back and face. Annoyance bolsters me against the creeping fear. How can they think it’s okay to leave a female alone in the deep, dark woods like this? Anything could happen.
Huffing and puffing … I’ll blow your house down. … Ha ha ha aaa. Okay, I seriously need to calm myself and not lose the plot. They’re here. Somewhere. They must be. I wasn’t asleep that long before … before SOMETHING woke me.
Ahead, a fallen log lies across the mulchy trail. The heavy foliage rustles and trembles. Then it shakes. Another branch snaps.
That does it. Terror triumphs—takes control. I scream. And, yes, it’s as high and girly as every corny slasher movie depicts. But I’m too scared for pride right now.
‘Who is it? Who’s there?’
In my panic, I break into a sprint and stumble deeper into the woods. Where did my friends go? What’s going on?
My foot catches on a root poking out of the mud. I face plant, and the lamp flies from my hand. It bounces, once, twice, rolls a few feet, and then smashes against a tree trunk. I lay on my stomach, panting and flicking my terrified gaze here, there, and everywhere.
Night blind, cold, and covered in mud, I lift myself to my knees and listen. Every tiny click and skitter makes my heart lurch and race.
I feel watched. Stalked.
I stagger to my feet and lurch forward. An ominous drum beats. The sound bounces from the trunks around me, and I can’t tell from which direction the threatening cacophony comes. All at once, the trees end. I stand in a clearing, bathed in the sinister glow of the blood moon.
Torches flare to life all around. I’m surrounded. Shadowy figures loom. My breath catches, and my throat constricts. I cannot scream or cry for help or beg for mercy. Those stories aren’t simple myth or legend but as real as the night around me. And I’m the guest of honour … the sacrificial virgin.
Unable to watch as they come for me, I sink to the ground and bow my head. I never said I was brave. My bladder lets go. Hot, humiliating urine squirts down my legs.
An escaped giggle gives them away. I stare at the nearest figure and swear, badly. As my friends guffaw and slap each other’s backs, Damian asks, ‘Who’s banging the drum?’
The youthful mirth hangs itself on the noose of dismayed dread. The drum beats come closer. A ghostly gale extinguishes the torches. An ephemeral female voice seems to speak from every direction, ‘You should not have trespassed on this sacred ground. Rahu demands your blood.’
How I made it out that night, I’ll never know. I’m the only one who did. Selenophobia, the psychiatrist calls it. But I know better. There truly is blood in the moon.
© Harmony Kent 2021
I’d love to know what you think of this short piece … so please don’t be shy and leave me a reply.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Photo by Emre Kuzu from Pexels
The rules:
Please put your entry (or a link to it) in a comment HERE or email it to Sooz at her email address. by DEADLINE: 4pm EDT on Thursday, January 21st. Subject: Fiction in a Flash Challenge. If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to THIS page would be much appreciated.
UPDATE: The response to the prompts has been just wonderful. As a result, Soooz be sharing all entries received, and her own contribution on her blog AS SHE RECEIVES THEM. Rather than posting all of them only over a few days.
Find Sooz at …
The post Blood Moon: ‘Fiction In A Flash Challenge’ Week #32 NEW Image Prompt. Join in the fun! #IARTG #ASMSG @pursoot #WritingCommunity first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
January 15, 2021
Co-Authorship Part II: Shared Vision | Story Empire
Hi everyone, Gwen has a wonderful post over at Story Empire today bringing us part 11 of the ‘Shared Vision’ series of posts >>>
Hello SE readers, Gwen with you today, and it’s my pleasure to offer Part II of the four-part series on co-authorship. Last week, John Howell mentioned that he and I wrote a book together. Using ex…
Source: Co-Authorship Part II: Shared Vision | Story Empire
The post Co-Authorship Part II: Shared Vision | Story Empire first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.January 14, 2021
#amwriting #FridayFiction Part 1 #TheVanishedBoy @harmony_kent #newbook #crimethriller
Hi everyone. I can’t tell you how much pleasure it is to pen my first ‘am writing’ post in such a long time. While I still have my sci-fi trilogy to finish from last year, I also have this standalone novel that I also abandoned last year. As for most of us, 2020 proved a difficult time, and added to that, my health nosedived too. I’m still up and down with my breathing and immune system, but I’m determined. Even if I only get a few-hundred words a day, it’s a lot better than a big fat zero. This week, in just three days, I’ve penned over 8,500 words on my latest book, The Vanished Boy. Below, you’ll see the blurb and an excerpt. I’d love to know your thoughts, bearing in mind this is straight from the WIP and is the first, unrevised draft. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone 
It’s so remote out here. Anything could happen …
A missed phone call in the night is all it takes.
When Carole’s 18-year-old son goes missing, she breaks into Jayden’s laptop to try to understand his life.
All too soon, Carole discovers just how little she knew her boy.
And when one lead after another dead-ends, the distraught mother has to face the unthinkable.
Sucked into a sticky web of deceit and lies, nothing is as it seems.
When your life turns inside out and upside down, who would you trust?
Excerpt:
Carole’s little boy gazed up at her with tear-filled eyes. ‘Is Daddy going to die?’
Desperate to show a brave face to her son, she forced a smile and squeezed his hand. ‘Daddy’s gone to sleep now. He won’t wake up. The doctors gave him something so he won’t hurt any more.’
Jayden blinked. ‘So … h-he’s dead now?’ He stared in horror at the shrunken body in the bed.
Carole closed her eyes and prayed for strength. ‘No, sweetie. He’s in a coma. But the doctors think he’ll die real soon. Maybe within the hour.’
The boy nodded. When he spoke again, his voice had dragged itself from the vulnerable depths of a small child and back up to the relative heights of the eleven-year-old that he was. It made her proud—he, too, had pulled on the reins of his fear and pain. At the same time, it hurt her that he had to.
Eleven was no age to lose a father.
Hell, thirty was no age to lose a husband.
© Harmony kent 2021
January 13, 2021
#BookReview: Her Last Holiday by C L Taylor @callytaylor
Hi everyone. Today, I have a book review for you from a favourite author of mine C L Taylor. I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley and Avon Books >>>
About the Book:
You come to Soul Shrink to be healed. You don’t expect to die.
Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong.
Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of 2 people. But he has never let on what happened to the third suspected victim: Jenna.
Determined to find out the truth, Fran books herself onto his upcoming retreat – the first since his release – and finds herself face to face with the man who might hold the key to her sister’s disappearance. The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive? Or does someone out there want Jenna’s secrets to stay hidden?
The master of suspense is back. Prepare yourself for the latest nail-shredding, heart-in-mouth rollercoaster ride from the Sunday Times bestseller.
My Review:
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for a free Advanced Review Copy of this book.
I have read all of C L Taylor’s books and was thrilled to receive an ARC of Her Last Holiday. Add to that a good murder/mystery and I’m hooked.
The narrative is given to us via three main characters, all female: Jenna, Kate, and Fran.
Jenna’s story is told from 3 years ago and leads us up to what happened before she disappeared, presumed to have committed suicide. However, reporters and her family believe that foul play was involved.
Kate’s story unfolds both in the past and the present. She is a prickly character who you might love to hate. The real founder of SoulShrink, she allows her husband to be the figurehead. 3 years ago, tragedy struck at a retreat in Gozo, after which, husband Tom ended up serving time in prison. Once he’s released, Kate organises another retreat, this one in Wales, to try and rebuild the SoulShrink brand.
Fran is a 50-year-old IT teacher at a school. After growing up under a hard, demanding, and unforgiving mother, she breaks free. However, she has learnt to hide her emotions and avoids getting close to anyone. This leads to a lonely life for her. After much bullying from her mother, she attends the new SoulShrink retreat in Wales to try and discover what happened to her sister Jenna three years previously.
Usually, I give any book from C L Taylor a solid four or five stars. However, Her Last Holiday fell a little flat for me. The plot and pacing was much slower than I’m used to, and I found some of the narrative long and rambling. All of that said, I enjoyed this book and the characters. I worked out the main plot twist fairly early on, but I still enjoyed this read. It gets a good 3 stars from me, which means that I didn’t love it, and I didn’t hate it. It was a fun and okay read. I’m still eager to read more of C L Taylor’s books, and for an easy, relaxed read, I would highly recommend this book.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
When You’re Stuck: WIP Staying Power | Story Empire
Hi everone. Mae has a great post over on Story Empire today, all about how to stick with a troublesome work in progress >>>
Hi, SEers. Mae here today for my first post of 2021! I hope all of you had a spectacular New Year. Let’s hope 2021 is going to be FAR BETTER than the wretched mess that was 2020. I’m go…
Source: When You’re Stuck: WIP Staying Power | Story Empire
The post When You’re Stuck: WIP Staying Power | Story Empire first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.January 11, 2021
Meet Joanna Cates and her debut novel: Love is Crystal Clear
Hi everyone. Today, it gives me enormous pleasure to introduce a brand new author with her debut novel … Joanna Cates. She’s a lovely lady, and I’d be so happy if you could all offer her a warm welcome. I’ll let Jo introduce herself >>>
Hi Everyone
I am so thrilled to be given the opportunity to share the details of my debut romance novel with you all.
I expect you are all slightly fed up with hearing stories about COVID-19, and what a challenging year 2020 was. { We sure are, Jo! }
My heart goes out to anybody who has suffered in any way, but sometimes I experience a sense of guilt for the excitement I feel when I discuss the positive things that have happened to me in 2020. { No guilt necessary. It’s great that you’ve got some positives out of the year. }
One of my proudest moments was when I first held a printed copy of my novel, Love is Crystal Clear, just before Christmas.
When I first started to write the story, at every opportune moment, I regaled my family and friends with details of Henrietta and Danny and introduced them to other characters from the book.
Before the book was even published, we would often talk about them as if they were living people.
Questions that were frequently asked included ‘Who are you in the book?’ ‘Am I in the book?’
‘Are the sexy scenes based on you and your hubby?’
The truthful answer is there is a little bit of me in every character.
Like Henrietta, I dote on my children, and love to learn about hobbies, such as photography and crystals. My golf loving husband didn’t bat an eyelid when I told him that I was going to set up a youth club or study psychology.
I am an accountant by trade and mere numbers are not enough for me.
In the story, both Henrietta and Maggie are going through challenges that women may face when they are in Menopause. This subject is mentioned throughout, and will resonate with many women who are also at this stage of their life, as am I.
I wanted to mention Maggie, as although the book is predominantly a love story between Henri and Danny, it tells the story of two friends reaching out to each other for support.
Initially, Maggie was going to leave John and I felt that he didn’t deserve her love. But when his own story emerged …
Excerpt:
‘Thanks for welcoming me in. I need to spend some time away from my family, including my brother.’ Maggie glanced up, apologetically, and sipped at her drink. ‘I feel a bit overwhelmed with everything that’s gone on over the last couple of years.’ She lifted her shoulders a little. ‘Honestly, I feel like I have no energy left. Along with running a busy bakery, I’m raising two teenage sons and chasing around after my husband, who expects me to do everything around the house as well as put a hot meal on the table for everyone.’ She held Henri’s gaze. ‘And I’ve helped my brother rebuild his life after a traumatic marriage breakup.’
Henri’s ears pricked up at this point, but before she could join in the conversation, Maggie burst into tears. ‘I think I’ve started the menopause and am trying to deal with that too.’ She sniffled and hiccupped. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to break down like this. It’s just that … nobody at home supports me. I could do with a daughter around the house.’ Maggie wiped at her cheeks and eyes. ‘Apart from you, I don’t have anyone to talk to.’
Henri recognised a lot of herself in Maggie. She, too, was a robust, reliable person upon whom everyone depended. But she often got overlooked when it came to her own personal matters. It almost seemed as though people couldn’t cope with women like Henri and Maggie showing any vulnerabilities. They were the Fixers, not the ones who needed support. Henri reached across the table and took hold of Maggie’s trembling hand. She passed her a tissue and waited for Maggie to dry her tears and compose herself. Her heart went out to the woman.
About the Book:Henrietta Green, a 50-year-old single woman, and a divorcee of fifteen years, is always looking for a new hobby, but never love. She finished with all that nonsense years ago.
Danny Brown has just moved back from Portugal with his life in pieces after discovering his marriage was a sham. Can this fresh start help put his life back together?
When Henri and Danny bump into each other on a night out, sparks fly, but can they risk getting their hearts broken again?
Cupid’s Helpers think they can!
Join Henri, Danny, and friends on a journey of self-discovery, facing emotional challenges, discovering hidden pleasure, and falling in love … possibly.
***
Here are some of the reviews 
***
‘Really enjoyed this book. Being a lady of a certain age, so much was relatable.
Great character descriptions, you can picture the characters and the places, they inhabit in your mind.
Looking forward to following this author if this first book is anything to go by.
Now off to search Google about Crystals…’
***
‘Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. A romantic, cheeky and a bit of a sexy read. It’s light-hearted and relevant. I found it quite hard to put down. I want to know more about the characters and hope there is another book.’
About the Author:
Joanna Cates is married to a patient and kind man and is a mum to four children. She has a vivid imagination and is a born romantic. Although Joanna spent her working life as an accountant, she’s always felt far too creative for mere numbers—for which she blames her beloved mother, who introduced Joanna to Catherine Cookson and Stephen King at an early age.
Joanna loves photography, travelling, reading, health & fitness, and socialising with her friends & vodka. Easily distracted, Joanna writes many of her tall tales while doing the housework.
Two years ago, Joanna decided that she wanted to write a book, oh and also to have a new wardrobe. She’s still waiting for the wardrobe.
Love is Crystal Clear is Joanna’s debut romance novel.
Thank you, Harmony, for your support throughout my journey.
{ It was an absolute pleasure, Jo, and I look forward to seeing what you write next! Best of luck with everything
Which Way Do I Go? Critique Groups, Critique Partners, or Beta Readers | Story Empire
Hi everyone. Today, Joan is talking all about the differences with critique and beta readers. You’ll find her informative post over on Story Empire >>>
Hey, SE Readers. Happy 2021. Joan here today. No matter if you’re a beginning writer or have been writing for years, you’ve probably heard the terms critique groups, critique partners, and beta rea…
Source: Which Way Do I Go? Critique Groups, Critique Partners, or Beta Readers | Story Empire
The post Which Way Do I Go? Critique Groups, Critique Partners, or Beta Readers | Story Empire first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.January 8, 2021
Beacon in the Dark: ‘Fiction In A Flash Challenge’ Week #31 NEW Image Prompt. Join in the fun! #IARTG #ASMSG @pursoot #WritingCommunity
Hi everyone! It’s that time of the week again …fun flash fiction from Suzanne Burke. This week’s theme gave me a haunting feel. Here’s the short story I came up with >>>
Photo by Todd Trapani from Pexels
Beacon in the Dark
The snow lays pristine, virgin. The heavy silence holds. The whole world wrapped in a blanket of cold and desolation. Or is that just my heart?
The twin swings hang limp and lonely.
Mocking my empty arms.
Then … a creak. Soft and barely there. My eyes shoot to the play area. But nothing has changed.
Now, the gleeful cry of a child flying high … higher than she’s ever swung before. Am I hearing things? Have I, at last, lost my feeble mind? I blink back the tears and fold my arms to ward off the cold … the horror.
I shouldn’t have come back here.
It’s a mistake.
Gently, the empty swings rock and creak in a breeze … that isn’t there.
I stare.
Footprints dimple the snow.
Leather shows through a circular thaw—the perfect size for a young girl’s bottom. And the second seat copies its twin. As in life, so in death. Tears stream and sting down my icy skin. Even in my disbelief, my heart warms. Thaws.
Can it be?
Have my dear departed come back to me?
At some point, I find myself on my knees, half-sunk into the soft snow. My bones ache in tandem with the throb of my hurt heart. My thin nightdress clings to my chill-damp flesh. The daylight fades to grey, and a harsh downdraft promises another blizzard. The dead place inside my ribcage calls for the whiteout that the storm will bring. A clean slate … if only I could forget. But, no, how could I ever wish for my memories of you to fade? Oh, such sweet anguish to have known you—loved you—for four glorious years.
Full dark descends, and the snow glistens and glisters in the glow of the pregnant moon. A small hand slips into my left palm, and another on the right. I tighten my grip and hold those tiny fingers. Somewhere in the trees an owl hoots. Effortless now, I rise to my feet and wade through the deep snow, headed toward the woods.
Had I cared to look, I would have seen one set of footprints, not three.
A fresh blizzard buffets and blows. And then …
Behind, the snow lays pristine once more. The heavy silence holds, cocooned in the eye of the storm. The swings stand still, weighted with weather and sorrow.
At the tree line, a hand settles onto my shoulder. Heavy. Warm. The pressure halts my progress. A second hand joins the first, and together, they turn me to face my husband. Jack looks stricken—panicked. Then his gorgeous smile crinkles his mouth and eyes and he pulls me into his arms. Lips buried in my hair, he murmurs, ‘Come home. It will all feel better tomorrow.’
Lost in the wilderness of grief, I cling to my beacon in the dark and let him lead me home.
© Harmony Kent 2021
I’d love to know what you think of this short piece … so please don’t be shy and leave me a reply.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Photo by Todd Trapani from Pexels
The rules:
Please put your entry (or a link to it) in a comment HERE or email it to Sooz at her email address. by DEADLINE: 4pm EDT on Thursday, January 14th. Subject: Fiction in a Flash Challenge. If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to THIS page would be much appreciated.
UPDATE: The response to the prompts has been just wonderful. As a result, Soooz be sharing all entries received, and her own contribution on her blog AS SHE RECEIVES THEM. Rather than posting all of them only over a few days.
Find Sooz at …
The post Beacon in the Dark: ‘Fiction In A Flash Challenge’ Week #31 NEW Image Prompt. Join in the fun! #IARTG #ASMSG @pursoot #WritingCommunity first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
Co-Authorship a View in Four Parts – Part One
Hi everyone. John has a great post on Co-Authoring over at Story Empire today. Well worth checking out >>>
Hi, SE ers John here. Today I’m going to kick off a four-par
t series of posts on co-authorship. I will begin the subject by discussing the elements of co-authorship. Then on January 15th Gwe…
Source: Co-Authorship a View in Four Parts – Part One
The post Co-Authorship a View in Four Parts – Part One first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
