Robin E. Mason's Blog: Robin's Book Shelf, page 204

oops

BLOGWORDS – Friday 18 April 2014

only ‘cept it’s Saturday… So, I missed my Blog Day. So, crucify me…..
Ohhhh….. Crucify. That reminds me, anybody remember Who was crucified yesterday? Well, yesterday about 2000 years ago. Yeah, Jesus, that Dude. And does anybody remember why?
Well, THERE’S a can of worms. Why was Jesus crucified? ‘Cause He was such a hardened criminal? Nah, don’t think so. ‘Cause He was subversive, committed all manner of white collar crimes? Wait, they didn’t even wear collars back then. Was He a liar, a petty thief? What did He do that was so horrific it warranted death? And not just a quick little ol’ lethal injection or a current of mega volts. No, He suffered one of the most inhumane and torturous deaths ever invented by man.

But what was His crime?
He loved.

That’s what He did.
Which begs the question, why would anybody want to crucify someone for loving them? How much sense does that make? What was WRONG with those people?
Good question. I’m glad you asked.
It wasn’t the people who were reacting. No person in their right mind is going to reject love, let alone kill someone for it.
Yes, I’m talking about the devil. Remember him, from the Garden of Eden? Yeah, same despicable slimy character. Telling the same lies to anyone who will listen.

See that? … to those who will listen?
See, he’s subtle. He starts with niggling little questions. Like, did God really say that? Are you sure you’re really saved / healed / blessed / fill in your own doubt? When God says I’m a princess, the enemy comes back at me with, “Look at your rags. You’re no princess, you’re just a Cinderella. You’ll never be worth anything. You’re nothing but a failure…..” [and yes, that was what he threw at me for years] No wonder I couldn’t accomplish anything! No wonder I didn’t know, couldn’t identify, who I am in Christ!

But God.
God loved me enough, from the beginning of time I might add, to devise a plan (also from the beginning of time, ‘cause He knew we’d need it) to save me from those lies. So, when Jesus was hanging there, dying, He was looking through time, saying, “This is for you, Robin. I love you.”

I mean, didn’t He say to His Father regarding those who put Him up there, “Forgive them.”?
That’s love.
And that’s what the enemy doesn’t like. That’s what the enemy has tried from the beginning of time to destroy. And that’s what he just doesn’t get.
He can’t destroy it. He’ll come at us in a million ways, but he can’t destroy the love of God.
The Pharisees and religious rulers of the day didn’t get that. They believed a set of lies the enemy had sold them. They were all about rules, but they had no love in their hearts. The devil played them, and they carried out his scheme.

But it didn’t conquer God. And it didn’t make the devil king over nothing! God is still Lord of lords and King of kings. And the devil is still nothing but a liar and a thief.
So it’s our choice, we get to align ourselves with the devil, and his lies, or with Papa God, who loves us – and died to prove it. The enemy will never offer a relationship, he pretends to be a friend but he’ll bail every time. Jesus stands at the door and knocks, waiting for us to invite Him in, waiting patiently I might add. His is the sweetest most sincere friendship you could imagine. I know, He’s my best friend.
And that’s why He was crucified. So I could be His Princess and friend.

drowning

I’ve been thrown in the deep end. Of a deep ocean. In a tidal wave. And all I want to do is write my stories. [Well, and get people to read ‘em… ] Write a bio, they say. What do you want to know? I write, that’s what I do. [Well, ok, there’s more too, I’ll get to that later.]

I was perfectly content, perching on a certain social media all day [and by all day, I mean that the tab was open in my browser, NOT that I was actually ON there all day.] If I’m online, it’s open, and I’m online a LOT. As an Interior Designer I was using two interactive programs. And as a writer, I Google stuff ALL THE TIME. No, seriously, I do. Of course I have email, and I text [although not a huge fan.]

Since the release of Tessa, I have sought to broaden my writer’s presence. I have joined writer’s pages and groups, I have subscribed to other author’s pages. I started a blog and revived another one, and this robin bird finally decided to tweet. It’s all about shouting to the world, “HEY! Look at me!” So, HEY, lookie here, look at me! And I’m overwhelmed.

Let me explain a little something about me. I’m a wee tad bit OCD. I know myself, if I started following blogs, I’d have to read each and every post, so I’ve avoided it. Same with Twitter. [truth be told, I was that way with Facebook until recently] There’s just not enough hours in the day, or a lifetime to keep up with it all. OVERLOAD!!! Warning, Will Robinson, danger.
drowning

And yet, here I am, blogging. Yippee. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, ‘cause I do. I know at first I wasn’t sure what to say, but that’s not true. I’m a writer, there’s never nothing to say. Ever. EVER.

So, now you know. I’m learning to swim. And I think my feet are touching some sand in the murky waters, and I’m starting to wade through this media panoply. Can’t make promises, not yet, gotta get the rhythm of it yet, but my goal is to post a new blog at least once a week, to introduce myself. That and write my stories.

Tessa

Cassie. A quiet child. A wall flower, she blended in to the back ground. Kept her peace, rarely spoke. She wasn’t a stupid girl, indeed she was highly intelligent, and every bit as talented as her mother. She was a beauty but went unpolished, unkempt. And unnoticed…

Connie. Gregarious. Vibrant. Full of life. Everything her sister was not. Except that Connie was also an honor roll student. And Connie earned a full scholarship to Vassar to follow in her – their – mother’s footsteps. Connie was pretty, polished, popular.

Tessa. The link between two sisters who are worlds apart. And the bridge to the truth.

Tessa is a story of love and trust and faith. Of lies and betrayal and deceit. An unsavory heritage, a tragic incident. Lies unravel, secrets are uncovered, and the truth - and love - prevail.

review

Tessa pulls the reader in to a world of color and intrigue through three generations of artists that few average people ever have the opportunity to explore. Mason's descriptions of locations, cuisine, the characters and their works are guaranteed to paint some lovely images on the reader's canvas of the mind. It's not just a stroll through a vacuous and mundane museum; however. The many plot twists are sure to keep her audience guessing through the end. - Karyn Lefebvre

another excerpt

Tessa flew to Buffalo on Tuesday, two weeks after returning from Greece, ten days after burying her sister. Marni would not allow her to drive that distance alone, not in her condition, and this time, Tessa couldn’t disagree. Molly and Marty met her at the airport, and they had lunch at Burgermeister’s Burgers n Beer before heading to Sunset Valley.
It was not a long drive, but for Tessa, this time it was interminable. She had cracked open the realization that she could not go back to the life she had known, the life she had built for herself. She could not walk back into her house, that she had so thoughtfully and lovingly decorated, and get back to normal. She wouldn’t have lunch with Pris, or Bess, or even with Molly, not like she was used to. Tessa tried in vain to concoct a way out of the web she had begun.
She could not.

Tessa - a telling excerpt

" “Oh, darling, I’m just so glad you’re alive!” Cassie was still in shock, and this display of affection from Marni rippled through her in waves of numb bewilderment. Never had her mother made such raw declaration of concern for her well-being.
Marni continued, “I just don’t know what I’d do if you had died and Cassie had lived.”

Tessa - an excerpt

The brochure lay on the kitchen counter, its bright colors calling to Cassie. Tantalizing images of the swimming pool at the Callais Country Club, of the swim team, of classes in session with coaches urging young swimmers and divers. The registration form lay beside it.
Do I get to take swim lessons this year? Cassie could barely believe it. Bobbie was her best friend and she was on the swim team every year. Her room was filled with trophies of her accomplishments. Cassie often joined Bobbie at the pool. Becky and Donna and Pam were frequently there as well, and they all sipped their Cokes like they were martini’s.
Mommie and Heath took her sometimes, but usually Mommie was busy at the gallery on Saturday’s, and she knew she couldn’t go during the week because of school. Mommie took Connie, though, in the mornings, before she went to work downstairs.
Cassie picked up the registration form. Contessa Rose, it said. Age, 3.
Cassie had known it was too good to be true.

Tessa: The Prologue

PLEASE NOTE:
The full novel, Tessa, was released on Amazon yesterday (1 March) and has replaced Tessa: The Prologue. Happy reading!!!

a word about what I write about

Multiple personalities. I love psychology, the human psyche, I love to know what makes us tick. I "read" people very well, always have. And in creating my characters, I understand why they do what they do.

Of course, to understand about multiple personalities, is to understand why this would occur. And this is where creating my stories gets really interesting.

My other fascination is twins. For the same reason that I am intrigued by multiples, I am also intrigued with twins. [more on the why's later]

Tessa falls into the second category, although not truly. Cassie and Connie are sisters who, altho they are ten years apart in age, look like and pass for twins. Which lends to the plot itself. Intrigued yet???

Greetings

I've never written a blog before, read a few, but my writing has been in the form of fiction. I'm new to the public arena, too, my first novel, Tessa, is set to be released this Saturday, March 1!!! The prologue is a taste of what's to come, and to whet your appetite further, here's an excerpt:

“Oh, darling, I’m just so glad you’re alive!” Cassie was still in shock, and this display of affection from Marni rippled through her in waves of numb bewilderment. Never had her mother made such raw declaration of concern for her well-being.
Marni continued, “I just don’t know what I’d do if you had died and Cassie had lived.”