Skye Callahan's Blog, page 41

Indie Block Party: Top Tips

I’ve been wrapped up in writing/editing/rewriting all week so my final 2 posts fell by the wayside.

Poor little neglected posts.

So, I’m combining the last 2 posts.

Top Writing Tip

“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.”

― Cyril Connolly

You’re the only person who can bring the characters in your head to life and tell their story, so write the story that needs to be written and let all of the other details fall into place later.

My favorite writing resources:

The Bookshelf Muse: Emotion Thesaurus, Character Traits Thesaurus, Physical Attribute Thesaurus, Weather & Earthly Phenomena Thesaurus, Color, Textures and Shapes Thesaurus, Setting Thesaurus, Symbolism Thesaurus—if you need to add details and variety to your descriptions, this place is awesome!

Grammar Girl: Fun grammarly articles.

Top Social Media Tip

Every social network has its quirks, and as authors, we’re usually on at least 3 or more networks. Choose the ones that are a best fit for your personality and respect each network for what it is–don’t expect Twitter to conform to the habits you developed on Facebook.

If you’re unsure of what works best on a social network, ask around. There is almost always another writer around willing to give you a few pointers and then you’ve also made a new writing friend!

My favorite social media resources:

Search Engine Journal: They have lots of resources for blogs and social media, here’s an article on getting retweeted more often.

Twitter Tips for Authors from Indie Author News

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That’s it for the Indie Block Party Blog Hop

I’ll be doing my rounds this weekend and catching up with everyone. You all have been amazing and I’ve learned a lot. Thanks to Dawna and Fel for hosting such a great hop. View the links to other participants.

Indie Block Party: Top 5 Books

Post number 6 for the Indie Block Party is my Top 5 books.

Oh, dear…

I’ve seen a few people on the hop doing series instead of books, so a couple of mine will fall into that category.

In no particular order I give you:

Masters of the Shadowlands by Cherise Sinclair (Adult)

Begins with Club Shadowlands

Her car disabled during a tropical storm, Jessica Randall discovers the isolated house where she’s sheltering is a private bondage club. At first shocked, she soon becomes aroused watching the interactions between the Doms and their subs. But she’s a professional woman–an accountant–and surely isn’t a submissive…is she?

Master Z hasn’t been so attracted to a woman in years. But the little sub who has wandered into his club intrigues him. She’s intelligent. Reserved. Conservative. After he discovers her interest in BDSM, he can’t resist tying her up and unleashing the passion she hides within.

Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, strong BDSM theme and content (including/not limited to bondage, caning, restraints, spanking, etc), exhibitionism, voyeurism.

Greywalker by Kat Richardson

Begins with Greywalker

When Harper comes to in the hospital, she begins to feel a bit …strange. She sees things that can only be described as weird-shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring.But Harper’s not crazy. Her “death” has made her a Greywalker-able to move between our world and the mysterious, cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift (or curse) is about to drag her into that world of vampires and ghosts, magic and witches, necromancers and sinister artifacts. Whether she likes it or not.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

Remember Me by Christopher Pike

Shari Cooper hadn’t planned on dying, but four floors is a long way to fall. Her friends say she fell but Shari knew she had been murdered. Making a vow to herself to find her killer, Shari spies on her friends, and even enters their dreams. She also comes face-to-face with a nightmare from beyond the grave. The Shadow – a thing more horrible than death itself – is the key to Shari’s death, and the only thing that can stop her murderer from murdering again.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz’s popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright.

There is a story here for everyone — skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and a haunted house where every night a bloody head falls down the chimney.

Stephen Gammell’s splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories — and even scary songs — all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark.

If You Dare!

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Thanks for stopping by You can check out the rest of the posts by going here.

Indie Block Party: What I’m reading…

It’s post #5 for the Indie Block Party, and I’m supposed to discuss the book I’m reading right now…

Caution, it’s a very adult book.

Master of the Mountain

by Cherise Sinclair

When Rebecca’s boyfriend talks her into vacationing at a mountain lodge with his swing club, she quickly learns she’s not cut out for playing musical beds. Now she has nowhere to sleep. Logan, the lodge owner, finds her freezing on the porch. After hauling her inside, he warms her in his own bed, and there the experienced Dom discovers that Rebecca might not be a swinger…but she is definitely a submissive.

Rebecca knows that no one can love her plump, scarred body. To her shock, lodge owner Logan not only disagrees, but ties her up and shows her just how much he enjoys her curves. Under his skilled hands, Rebecca not only loses her inhibitions, but also her heart.

Damaged from the war, Logan considers himself too dangerous to be around the enticing little sub. He sends her away for her own safety, not realizing she believes she has once again been rejected because of her size. As Logan’s mountains echo with her voice long after she’s gone, he realizes she’s taken his heart with her. But when he arrives in the city to reclaim her, Rebecca’s phone has been disconnected and her apartment is empty…

Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, BDSM theme and content, exhibitionism.

—

I’m not sold on the cover–it doesn’t do justice to the characters and this story. I adore these characters! This may be my favorite Cherise Sinclair book yet.

Thanks for stopping by You can check out the rest of the posts by going here.

Indie Block Party: Interview with Maria

It’s day 4 of the Indie Block Party! I’m a little late posting this one, but I ran out of pre-written posts.

Luckily, I have the rest of the weekend free to hop around and visit with everyone.

Today, I’m introducing my neighbor….

Maria Staal

SC: Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

MS: When I grew up The Famous Five were very big, so I have to say that the writer Enid Blyton has had some influence on me. As a child, I really wanted to be like George, who was a tomboyish girl who climbed trees and did things only boys did in those days.

I also loved the mystery aspect of it all, which has given me a lifelong interest in murder mystery stories, whether in books or on TV. Strangely enough, I don’t write in the mystery genre.

SC: Have any particular events in your life (or any of the many places you’ve lived) inspired your writing?

MS: Yes, very much so. My travels, but also the places I lived abroad were and are still a great inspiration for my writing. I wrote two travelogues about my time on container ships and my WIP is inspired on the time I lived in York, England.

SC: What inspired you to write your first book?

MS: The buildings in beautiful city of York inspired my first book. It is a non-fiction guidebook about the architecture and history of that city.

SC: How did you choose the genre you write in?

MS: I am an architectural historian, so writing about architecture was not really a choice, but more a logical step in my career. And during my trips on the container ships, so many weird things happened that I just had to write them down.

The humorous, light-hearted genre of my fictional WIP just comes from my interest in reading that sort of books myself.

SC: Who is your intended audience and why should they read your book?

MS: I guess the intended audience of my WIP are readers who like a quick, light-hearted read about real people, with a dash of the surreal. It might even remind them of situations they have been in themselves, or people they know.

SC: Which of your characters would you most like to hang out with? Are there any you wouldn’t want to hang out with?

MS: Of course, I would like to hang out with Emily, my main character, but spending some time with the Rat, would also be interesting. I wouldn’t really want to hang out with evil neighbour Priscilla, but that is just because she hates cats.

SC: What 3 words describe the author you want to be?

MS: Funny

Interesting

Real

SC: What is your writing process like?

MS: That depends on if I am writing non-fiction or fiction. But for my fictional WIP I started with a weird thing that happened to me while I lived in York. This I expanded to make it more OTT. Then I put down the major plot points and started writing. I edited a little bit while writing, but after the WIP was finished, I let it rest for a fortnight before I did a major edit. After that, it went to my beta readers (which is where it is now). Then I incorporate all their remarks in a second major edit, before sending it off to my editor. Her remarks are prompt me for the final (hopefully not too major) edit. Then I publish.

SC: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

MS: I love watching murder mysteries and police procedurals on TV. That really relaxes me. So do sit-coms, so I watch a lot of those as well. I also read a lot, but not as much as I would like.

And I try to spend at least 15 minutes a day watching the frogs and newts in my pond.

SC: Any links you’d like to share?

My website www.mariastaal.com

Page to my WIP

My Facebook page

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Thanks for stopping by You can check out the rest of the posts by going here.

Indie Block Party: Interview with Jonah (Fractured Legacy)

It’s day 3 of the Indie Block Party and I must say, I’m very sorry that it’s been a busy week and I haven’t visited as many blogs as I’d like so far. Don’t worry though, I’ll make plenty of rounds at the end of the week!

Now it’s time for an interview with Jonah, one of the MCs from my Darkness Bound Series.

Jonah Troyer

Me: Hi Jonah, thanks for agreeing to be interviewed.

Jonah: I don’t recall having much of a choice in the matter.

Me: Um… well, tell us a little about yourself.

Jonah: I’m originally from Minnesota, I moved around a lot and now I do research for Aicil and manage the office in Ohio.

Me: Can you be more specific? Tell us about some of the creatures you’ve tracked down for Aicil!

Jonah: *Grimaces* I’m not at liberty to openly discuss our work.

Me: Fine, are you at liberty to discuss your tattoos?

Jonah: You’ve been talking to Kaylyn again, haven’t you? You shouldn’t listen to everything she says.

Me: Hah, I’m the one person in the world she can’t lie to.

Jonah: We’ll see.

Me: (He looks like he’s holding back a smile, but I can’t really tell. Hmpf) You’re just as bad with cryptic statements and secrets as Kaylyn.

Jonah: Yes, but unlike Kaylyn I’m willing to concede when I know a secret could get people seriously hurt. Anymore questions?

Me: *pauses* Are you ever wrong?

Jonah: *smirks, then his face hardens and becomes unreadable* Yes. I was wrong to let Kaylyn take the Teague Hotel case, and because of that I risked both of our careers and her life. 

Me: Any thoughts on what will happen with you two?

Jonah: I’m sure we will continue to berate each other for the foreseeable future. She and Cole seem to have a knack for attracting trouble. Whoever decided that assigning those sisters as partners should have his head examined.

Me: Wasn’t that Carlisle?

Jonah: Case and point. Are we done?

Me: Fine. Go back to work.

—

Thanks for stopping by You can check out the rest of the posts by going here.

Indie Block Party: Fractured Legacy #IndieBP

It’s day 2 of the Indie Block Party, so I’ll introduce you to my debut, Fractured Legacy. I feel like I’m talking about it all of the time, but here I go again.

Background on the Novella

Fractured Legacy is a Paranormal Urban Fantasy that is the first in the Darkness Bound Series. The series will focus mainly on sisters and paranormal investigators Kaylyn and Cole Anderson as well as their new boss Jonah Troyer.

For the first book, Kaylyn and Jonah stole the show–those two are a bit outspoken and never leave me alone.

I’m currently working on polishing it up and working with my beta readers to get it off to an editor and have it ready for readers on October 4. I got my lovely cover from Indie Author Services, and then joined up with Black Firefly to get help on the rest of the process.

Fractured Legacy

In three years as paranormal investigators with Aicil, not even talking corpses, cursed artifacts, or playful demons have managed to fluster Kaylyn and Cole Anderson. But when Kaylyn’s dreams begin drawing out her darkest fears, she pulls away from everyone she trusts as her reality skews.

Jonah Troyer has been involved with Aicil for most of his life, but even his father, who sits on one of the top council seats, couldn’t keep him from being reassigned to a small office in Ohio. He thought his biggest obstacle would be dealing with the former office manager’s indolence, but Kaylyn challenges his position and patience from the beginning.

When their team is assigned to investigate the long-closed Teague Hotel, a building Kaylyn has always been fascinated with, she sees it as an opportunity to prove she’s still one of the best. But it might be the case to break her. As the nightmares worsen, Kaylyn begins blacking out, pushing her into a tense partnership with Jonah as they struggle to uncover the entity that’s threatening her existence.

Chapter 1

Kaylyn pulled the covers over her head as if they could block out the sound threatening her sleep. After another series of knocks on the front door, she was left in silence again. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

Holding her breath, Kaylyn listened for an indication of someone approaching.

Sure enough, a floorboard creaked, then her sister’s voice rang out.

“Come on Kay. You can’t avoid me when I have a key. We’re going to be late.”

“Go away, Cole. I’m sick.”

“Bull shit. If anything you’re hung over.”

“I haven’t had a drink in weeks.” Although at the moment, she thought, I’d kill for one…or several. “We’ve worked for Carlisle for more than three years, he won’t—”

“We have a meeting. Mr. Edwards. Historical Society. Wooden box engraved with occult symbols. Ring a bell?”

Oh yeah. Kaylyn groaned as she flipped the covers off of her head. Her younger sister stood over the side table, leaning against the inside of the doorway. A crisp pink collar peeked out from the top of her dark grey peacoat, paired with matching grey slacks.

Always overdressed, Kaylyn thought, especially for a job that often had them crawling in dank and dusty places. She pulled herself up, balancing precariously on the edge of the bed before forcing her body to move toward the closet.

“If you don’t hurry up, the cappuccinos will get cold.”

“You know I prefer it that way.” Kaylyn said as she pulled some moderately business-casual clothes out of the clean clothes pile and headed into the bathroom.

“Weirdo,” Cole called after her.

Kaylyn was blessed with silence as she pulled on a pair of black jeans and a blue long-sleeved V-neck. She smoothed out the wrinkles in the shirt and focused on her matted hair.

“Come on, sis, we’re supposed to be there at 9:30,” Cole yelled, smacking the bathroom door.

Three days until the weekend, she promised her reflection. Then nothing is stopping me from sleeping as long as I want.

Nothing except the dreams.

….

You can find more elsewhere on the blog, and add it to your TBR list on Goodreads (while you’re there, you can also enter to win one of 2 signed proofs).

Thanks for stopping by You can check out the rest of the posts by going here.

Indie Block Party: About Me

Today kicks off the Indie Block Party, so I will introduce myself.

Skye Callahan

So, you’d like to know more about me?

I’ve been coming up with stories for as long as I can remember, and in elementary school I began writing them all down. Ghosts and vampires, have always been my favorite beings to write about. Maybe it was growing up with a grandma who always told me about how she’d always rush home to watch Dark Shadows, and growing up reading and watching anything paranormal that I could find.

When I’m not spending time with the voices in my head, I work in business consulting and hang out with my husband and all of our furry family members.

My Blog

At the moment, my blog is about Fractured Legacy. I feel like I should do more, but time gets away from me, and most of my brain-power is currently being dedicated to Fractured Legacy.

Facebook Page ღ Facebook Profile ღ Twitter ღ Goodreads ღ Pinterest ღ Google+ 

 

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Thanks for stopping by You can check out the rest of the posts by going here.

Fractured Legacy: Ch2, Pt 1

Fractured Legacy

Available October 4, 2013

Chapter 2 Part 1

by Skye Callahan

Chapter 1 Part 1

Chapter 1 Part 2

©2013

Warning! What follows has not been edited.

—

“Jonah Troyer,” he introduced himself and took a step back, ushering the girls into his office. “Please, join me in my office. We should have a talk.”

My office, the words still felt strange as they passed through his brain and out his mouth.

He’d only gotten his orders earlier this week, although he’d known for sometime—since being transferred to the Boston office—that Aicil had something planned for him. This wasn’t what he imagined.

He took a seat at his desk and looked the girls over once more. Nicole, at least, looked the part of an Aicil investigator, but Kaylyn…. He’d really hoped that things weren’t as out of hand here as the Council feared. But from the look of the bruise forming on Kaylyn’s face and the messages he’d received within hours of starting this morning, any positive attitude he’d held on to had vanished.

“Sorry no one was here to take your call this morning. The transition was sudden and we had assumed that there wouldn’t be any problems with a simple pick-up.” He watched them both squirm at his implication. “The council assigned me to this office because they felt that Carlisle was lax in his leadership, and from what I’ve heard and seen this morning. I have to agree.

“While the public may not be fully aware of what we do here, you have a duty to professionally represent Aicil on all assignments. Meaning you should act and dress accordingly.”

Jonah took his gaze off of Kaylyn for a moment, looking back just in time to see her roll her eyes. Realizing she was caught, her eyelids fell over her eyes as she straightened in her seat and chomped down on her lower lip.

“Something you’d like to say Kaylyn?” he asked, leaning away from the desk.

She paused, glaring up at him, and at first, he thought she’d bite her tongue, but she didn’t.

“How practical would it be for us to do our jobs dressed like junior prom attendees? We spend half of our time crawling around in places most people wouldn’t dream of going.”

Jonah felt the tendon in his neck pulse, but tried to hide his shock at her incorrigible behavior. He slid open the bottom desk drawer, it was full of small booklets summarizing the company policy. Carlisle probably hadn’t handed a single one out. “Regardless of your preference it’s policy,”—he tossed one of the books to her—”I encourage you to read up on the dress code.”

Kaylyn shifted in her seat, staring down at the booklet while shades of red splotched her face, meeting with the circle swelling around her eye.

“Kaylyn?” He prodded, still waiting on her to acknowledge his order.

“Yes, sir. I’ll study up.”

“The council wants this place run more professionally and there will be changes. Not everyone will be happy with those changes, but given your history and standing with the organization, I expect you to cooperate.” He sighed and leaned to the side. “Any questions?”

Both girls quietly stared down at the floor, until Nicole cleared her throat.

“Well, sir. I assume you want us to address you as Mr. Troyer?”

Jonah’s expression relaxed. “I may be strict, but I’m not a prude. Jonah is fine. However if members of the council are visiting, Mr. Troyer it is. Anything else?”

“Um,” Nicole inched forward in her seat, “On the topic of names, you called me Nicole. I prefer Cole”

Jonah had saw a mention of that in the files, but it was difficult to imagine calling a girl who looked like that, Cole. “Interesting choice. Mind if I ask why?”

“Well, Nicole isn’t exactly rare. When I was a kid there were two other girls named Nicole in my class,” she shrugged, “Nicole and Nikki were taken so I was Cole.”

“Cole it is then. If that’s all, you’ll find a list of paperwork in your personal mailboxes. I’ll need that addressed as soon as possible, as well as a full report on the artifact you were sent to receive this morning. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours, then you’ll be dismissed for the day.”

Jonah needed a few seconds to breathe before the next calamity struck, but as soon as he leaned back, the office phone rang. He pinched the bridge of his nose and picked up the receiver.

“Jonah Troyer.”

“Um… Yes…” The man on the other end seemed apprehensive—not uncommon for clients who were contacting Aicil for the first time—but it didn’t bode well with Jonah’s impatience. “I’m looking for Carlisle Palmer.”

“Sorry, he was transferred. I’ve taken over his position.”

“Oh, well….” There was another long silence before he continued. “My name is Alex Roarch, owner of the Teague Hotel.”

And I’m sure I’m supposed to know that place…. Without responding, Jonah flipped through some of the papers he’d pulled from the desk, hoping to find a clue to direct the conversation, but nothing mentioned either Roarch or the Teague.

“I spoke with Carlisle on Monday.”

Of course you did. “I’m sorry, the transfer was quite sudden and I haven’t been able to review all of his notes.”

“I was referred to your office under assurances that this would be handled quickly and quietly. I’m not even sure we have a problem, but two of my contractors claimed to have experienced something there and now the entire crew is refusing to return to work until the place is cleared. Carlisle said he’d assign two of his best to get this taken care of. I, frankly, don’t want to waste my time with it. They were supposed to meet me at the hotel at 5pm this evening for a walk through.”

Growing up in the business taught Jonah one thing, the skeptics and the gung-ho believers were equally difficult to deal with. Both required a finesse in drawing out the details needed to solve the case. Jonah’s thumb tapped against the arm of his chair, as he ticked off the options for handing over the case. “Of course. I will have a team together and make sure they’re ready to meet you. It would help if you could give me some details about the case.”

“Kaylyn and Cole Anderson.” Mr. Roarch replied without acknowledging Jonah’s request. “That’s who he promised.”

Shit. Jonah’s foot caught the edge of the desk as he jerked to attention. He hadn’t intended on sending them out on any big cases, and this client was already wearing on his nerves. “I’ll check to see if they’re available, but th—”

___

That’s it for now, if you’re excited to read more, please add the novella on Goodreads.

ARC copies will be available to those who are willing to write an honest review.

See you next week!

Fractured Legacy by Skye Callahan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Fractured Legacy: Ch1, Pt 2

Fractured Legacy

Available October 4, 2013

Chapter 1 Part 2

by Skye Callahan

©2013

Find Part 1

“There are no explosive devices in my head, Kaylyn.”

She bit her lip, she certainly hadn’t offered her name. “Okay, Mr. Edwards—”

“Gib.”

“Sure….” She choked on her words as the man’s lips turned up into what she assumed was supposed to be a smile. “Gib, what’s going on here?”

“You’re trying to take my box.”

“Yeah,” Kaylyn nodded. This conversation was getting redundant fast. “We got that part. We’re quick like that, you know.”

“I do know. You thought you could find my box and take it away. But, I won.”

“So you did, Gib.” Cole took a step forward, but marionette-man hunkered over the box like it was his heir.

Cole took another step. “Where’s Mr. Edwards?”

“He took a vacation. He’s probably sipping a Mai Tais on the shores of Maui right now.”

“That’s a quick trip.”

“Yes, anything is possible when you use your imagination. You two are particularly familiar with that, aren’t you? Losing yourselves in a slightly altered unreality.”

Kaylyn shook her head and stumbled backward. For such a dim-whit he definitely had down the creepy intuition and dictionary memorization.

“The box is mine!” He pulled the box to his chest. “I told you. I never travel without my box. Now go away.”

“What about the contract?” Cole asked, stepping an inch closer.

“No!” He swung the box back to the table and grabbed Cole, forcing her toward the hallway. Cole pointed to the box, so Kaylyn ignored their altercation and grabbed it, unsure of what to do next since the only exit was blocked. From the looks of this place, the window probably wasn’t operable so, she opted to duck behind a shelving unit, hoping that when marionette-man noticed his box gone, he’d panic and she could run out.

“Alright sir, I get it,” Cole said, her voice grew higher, probably from the handful of hair Gib had grabbed. “We’ll have to call our boss.”

“You can’t have my box.”

Kaylyn watched through piles of artifacts on the shelves, and moved carefully toward the back wall until something caught her shirt. She stopped, but before she could free herself, a box of metal trinkets clattered to the floor. The noise reminded “Mr. Edwards” that there was a second girl he needed to worry about. He ran back to the center of the room and spotted Kaylyn through the shelves.

Running toward the back of the room, she planned to loop around at the end of the unit and head toward the door, but he saw her movement and met her as she rounded the corner. She tried to duck past him, but he came at her with the entire weight of his body, shoving her sideways into the shelf.

Cole tried to pull him off, but as his anger grew, so did his strength. Then, the struggle quieted with Mr. Edwards pinning Kaylyn to the floor, the box laying on the floor inches away, and Cole nowhere in sight.

Suddenly, the man became dead weight on Kaylyn’s chest. Cole helped roll him off, holding a wooden paddle in her right hand. Kaylyn crawled to her feet and grabbed the box, but as soon as she regained her footing, he lurched at her legs, pulling her to the floor again.

An elbow connected with Kaylyn’s face, she and the box dropped to the floor. She drew in a shaky breath, trying to regain her senses as the room went silent.

Mr. Edwards was laying on the floor in front of her with Cole kneeling over him and the box scattered in pieces a few feet beyond.

“What—” Kaylyn winced at the strange sound of her own voice and the vibrations it sent through her sore cheekbone.

“He collapsed when the box hit the floor.”

Kaylyn stumbled closer, pushing at the wreckage of the box with the tip of her foot. “And, Carlisle’s going to have my ass.”

“We’ll be lucky if that’s all.” Cole crossed her arms over her chest, but kept her eyes downward, waiting for Mr. Edwards to stir.

Kaylyn clenched her jaw, and stayed frozen in her place, staring at the wooden shards from the broken vessel. Supernatural objects are unpredictable. Anything could have escaped. A connection could have been formed or broken. She could have released chaos on the town. But nothing else was happening.

Mr. Edwards opened his eyes. “Whe—” his gravelly voice died off. He didn’t seem sure what he should ask first as he glanced between the girls and rubbed the back of his head.

“We heard banging noises when we arrived,” Cole said. “We found you up here up here, but it seems we weretoo late.”

“Oh dear, the box!” Mr. Anderson reached for one of the shards.

“You really shouldn’t, sir.” Cole pulled his wrist back.

He squinted at her and tilted his head.

“I mean, we should really get you checked out. It seems like you took a hard blow to the head.” Cole stood and offered a hand to pull him up. “Kaylyn will take care of the box, and I’ll help you downstairs so we can call an ambulance. Then, we’ll need to get back and explain things to our boss.”

***

“Seriously, Kaylyn. What’s going on?” Cole asked as she dropped the bag of shards into the trunk of her car.

Kaylyn rubbed her hands against her thighs before opening the passenger door. “I’m having a bad day.”

“You’ve been ‘off’ for weeks and it’s getting worse. We may not be hunting down bounties, but you can’t do this job without your head in the game.” Cole leaned over the roof of the car. “I’ll cover you, you know I will, but you’ve got to get it together. Soon.”

Kaylyn slid into the car. Flipping down the visor, she opened the mirror to check out her discolored cheek. “It won’t happen again. Let’s just get this back to the office so it can be sent to the lab-coat squad and they can figure out what it is.”

The ride back to the office was full of silent-but-pestering sideways glances and the nervous tapping of Cole’s fingers against the steering wheel. When they finally arrived, Kaylyn was relieved to get out of the car, even knowing full-well what awaited her inside.

Cole, however, didn’t move after putting the car in park. “Have you talked to Ian?”

“What?” Kaylyn ducked her head down to look back into the car.

“Maybe you should talk to him. Resolve whatever it is that’s got you all—” Cole waved her hand at Kaylyn as if it explained anything she was trying to say.

“This,” Kaylyn moved her hands in imitation, “Has nothing to do with Ian, or his moving out and moving on.”

“Then what, Kay? Are you sick? Did something else happen?” Cole’s eyes narrowed. “You haven’t been talking to Nick again….”

Kaylyn rolled her eyes, wondering if this going to turn into a rewind through every guy she’d ever dated. “He’s in Canada.”

“Wrong answer.”

“No. I haven’t been talking to him or any other guy. Why do you always think my problems come down to men?” Kaylyn slammed the door.

“Because they usually do.” Cole huffed, meeting Kaylyn at the trunk of the car.. “I’ve never seen you like this. I’ve seen you distant and cut off, and depressed, but even depressed you were more engaged than now. It’s like your pushing everyone and everything away.”

“I’m just tired. Maybe I need a change of scenery. A vacation.”

“Damn, you are sick. Since when does work-a-holic Kaylyn Andrews need a vacation?”

“Since OCD, perfection-seeking, work-a-holic Kaylyn burned out. I’m tired of lying to everyone about everything.”

“So, it is about Ian.”

“No. It is not about Ian. It’s about everything. Everyone in our family thinks we’re bounty hunters. You go home every night and lie to your fiancee. You don’t think that one day all this lying is going to come back to kick our asses?”

“We kind of are bounty hunters… except the crazies we bring in usually aren’t human.”

“So as long as it’s some twisted version of the truth you’re okay with it?”

Cole shrugged as she pulled the bag out of the trunk. “We save people. We make the city safer, and someone has to do it.”

Kaylyn shook her head. “Can we stop doddling and get this over with?”

As they approached the guard at the front door, Kaylyn followed slightly behind Cole, watching the black bag full of shattered artifact swing in her sister’s hand. It was like a mini-body bag, except there wasn’t a dead person inside, just the remains of Kaylyn’s dying career.

Both girls waved at Darrell, the day-shift guard, and he buzzed them inside. The offices were located in an old remodeled Victorian home, that dwarfed the surrounding structures. Not that there was much left in the area, most of the nearby buildings had been overrun with pavement for a new strip mall, but Aicil had the means to make sure this building wasn’t touched.

“I’m going to run this down to the research room, try not to break anything,” Cole smirked.

“Hardy har har.” Kaylyn rolled her eyes, then glanced in the direction of Carlisle’s office. The door was closed. Maybe he would be too busy today, but her optimism faded as she reached the empty coffee pot next to the door. “What? No one can remake coffee?”

Grabbing the glass carafe, she turned toward the sink nearly plowing down a man she didn’t recognize. “Geez, you shouldn’t sneak up on a girl!” She grabbed the table for balance.

Goody, she thought, taking him in. He was tall, but hidden away under a full suit with a tie. No one got passed Darrell and into the building unless they worked here—there was a rookie in their midst.

His gaze swept down her front.

“Can I help you?” she asked when he didn’t back away.

“A bit casual for work, don’t you think?” He spoke with a mix of accents that she couldn’t quite place.

“I call it functional, new boy. I earn my keep.” Mostly, she added in her head, but he didn’t have to know that. She pushed passed him to fill up the pot, but when she turned back, he was still staring after her, his arms crossed and one eyebrow cocked. Then, he swiveled and marched into Carlisle’s office. Kaylyn grimaced, but before she could question it, Cole bumped her in the arm.

“You’ll never believe the news around here.” She crinkled her face.

“New rookie?” Kaylyn guessed.

Cole snorted. “Carlisle’s gone. We have a new boss—”

Kaylyn’s insides flipped as her gaze flicked back to the office door.

“—apparently he’s a looker and strict so you should watch out.” Cole finished.

Kaylyn dumped the water into the reservoir and plopped in a filter and some coffee grounds.

“Okay….” Cole squinted at her. “What did you do?”

Kaylyn shook her head just as Carlson’s door—or no-longer-Carlson’s door—swung open.

“Kaylyn and Nicole?”

___

That’s it for now, if you’re excited to read more, please add the novella on Goodreads and enter to win the giveaway.

ARC copies will be available to those who are willing to write an honest review.

See you next week!

Fractured Legacy by Skye Callahan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Win a #Signed Copy of Fractured Legacy #Paranormal

The release of Fractured Legacy is less than 2 months away, and I’ll be giving away 2 signed proofs to US residents (don’t worry international folks, I’ll be putting together something for you as well) via Goodreads in October!
If you’d like to enter, simply head over to Goodreads and fill in your information–don’t forget to add Fractured Legacy to your TBR list.

Good Luck! And remember to stop by tomorrow for the second half of Chapter 1.
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Fractured Legacy: Ch1, Pt1 (skyecallahan.wordpress.com)