Da'Kharta Rising's Blog: Thoughts of a Slightly Social Anti-Socialite, page 4

Freebie Feature: When Summer Lingers

Good day everyone! I am Queen of Spades. My main genres are poetry and contemporary fiction. Da’Kharta Rising has been kind enough to allow me to talk about one of my short story freebies “When Summer Lingers”.

 

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Blurb:

Dahna is quite comfortable in her role as an outcast. Her favorite activities are painting her nails and hanging out on the beach. An observation by the quirky Carr leads to an endearing friendship between two unlikely people.

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Overall, When Summer Lingers covers the tale of two individuals. Dahna is withdrawn and accustomed to being a loner. Carr is more extroverted and open to making new friends. During the summer, an important message is driven home: to treasure time and the experiences you have with others.

This free short story is available on my website as well as on the Freebies section of the All Authors Publishing House website.

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Freebie Feature: Taint on Religion

Hello everyone! Queen of Spades here, dropping by the Cave of Author Da’Kharta Rising to talk about my earliest short story freebie “Taint on Religion”

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Blurb:

Natasha was taught three things: to love God, to love herself, and to always go to church. When a sea of tragedy strikes in her youth, she strays from the path of God. Realizing the error of her ways, she seeks redemption in her adult years. Reverend Jamison and his church look to be the answer to her prayers. Yet when things in the dark come to the light, Natasha is faced with a tough decision. Does she stay silent with her discovery or does she dare put a taint on religion?

 

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With “Taint on Religion” I tackle quite a few subjects. How one processes tragedy and going down an improper path. If a church can truly be forgiving. If a person’s intentions are actually pure or have an ulterior motive. The reader goes through all the motions with Natasha but that doesn’t mean each reader will have the same feelings once the story is over.

“Taint on Religion” is available on my website or the Freebies section of All Authors Publishing House.

Thanks for having me,

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Freebie Feature: Finding My Heart

Greetings everyone! I am highly appreciative of Da’Kharta Rising, for permitting the use of her Cave as I speak about my newest short story release “Finding My Heart”.

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Blurb:

Leopold Hawkins Threadbare is revered for his scientific genius, which has blessed him with great fortune. When the lovely Katarina is less than impressed, their disagreement spirals him into unexpected circumstances. Time is of the essence. The treasure is Leopold’s heart. The reward is his life. Discover if Leopold achieves success in Finding My Heart.

Excerpt:

A streak of steel pierced the black landscape, followed by hues of red, white, and blue. Looking out the front window of the pilot car was The Conductor. Navy blue jacket and pants hung on a frame that was decayed flesh and mostly bone.

The front door of the car opened. “Are you passenger Leopold Hawkins Threadbare?”

“Do you see anyone else here?” I boarded, then sat a few rows behind The Conductor.

“Fair enough. Where to?”

“1476 New Hampshire Street.”

“What time frame and year?”

“Come again?”

“What time frame and year, Leopold?”

Time frame and year? This was getting too complicated. “How about you choose?”

“Fair enough,” The Conductor repeated.

“Do you say anything other than ‘fair enough’?”

“I also say, ‘Away we go’. Along with, ‘Hold on to your seat’. Also, ‘In case you get sick going through year zones, there are barf bags in the seat pocket in front of you’.”

Barf bags? There was the sensation of climbing the sky. I looked out the window and saw the wheels were no longer on the train tracks. The angle of the train steepened with each movement upward.

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“Finding My Heart” can be downloaded in two locations.

For those seeking .pdf only, check out my website.

For those who also want .epub and .mobi, check out All Authors Publishing House.

Thanks for reading.

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Desire Freebie 2: Kona

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Hello Cave Dwellers, or Faithful Fans of Da’Kharta Rising! I am contemporary romance and erotica author Synful Desire, here to share with you my 2nd freebie, entitled Kona.

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Kona is a micro short, around the six hundred word ballpark, that turns an ordinary experience (savoring that first cup of coffee) to the mind’s journey. Which mind was daydreaming? I leave that to the readers.

You can grab it for free on my website or on the All Authors Publishing House “Freebies” section.

Until next time,

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Coalesce (#SSE6)

What’s up? The SASS here with another episode of Short Story Excerpts. This one is taken from the 1st book of the Concordant Vibrancy anthology series, entitled “Unity”.

 

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Blurb:

All Authors Publishing House, a subsidiary of All Authors Publications & Promotions, is pleased to present its first short story anthology, Concordant Vibrancy.

Concordant Vibrancy represents the interweaving of unity and uniqueness through the eyes of eleven incredible writers. Through the array of genres, all of these talents share a phenomenal love of writing which aims to leave imprints in the reader’s imagination.

 

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Coalesce (#Excerpt)

 

Visha put the cover over the toilet seat, pulled down her pants and lowered herself on the diaphanous material. There were new items written on the stall door—a mixture of philosophies that could only be conjured from the aftereffects of illegal substances, along with scribbled phone numbers of girls who were rumored to be easy. The reading of these added an extra eight minutes to her bathroom stall visit. While wiping the excess urine, Visha twisted her lips in confusion. Beige looking flakes were mixed in with the dampness. She dropped it in the toilet, pulled up her pants—making sure that her long tank top didn’t accidentally get tucked in. The automatic flush activated and the tainted tissue disappeared in a blink.

Visha went to the sink to wash her hands. She noticed the same type of flakes was trapped underneath her fingernails. Visha applied more of the antibacterial liquid soap to settle in the crescents prior to doing a full scrub and rinse. Once the flakes were fully gone, her hands moved from under the faucet to the mounted air dryer.

Then, Visha shrieked. She touched the mirror and then touched her face. Patches of her skin were dry and flaky. Had this transformation occurred this morning? She damn sure hadn’t looked like this last night!

“Visha?”

She caught herself in mid-scream and whirled around. Porcia was standing there. The reflection in her eyes was different than before. The initial hostility seemed to have waned.

“Girl what the hell happened to your face?”

Visha shook her head. “I don’t know. It looked fine yesterday…”

Porcia stepped closer. Visha didn’t know whether it was contagious or not. She recoiled, not wanting to infect her friend.

 

 

Stay tuned for the next episode of Short Story Excerpts.

 

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Masato’s Zion (#SSE5)

Yo! It’s Short Story Excerpt time back at the cave. This time, taken from the 2nd book in the Divergent Ink short story anthology collection, called “Pleasure Prints”.

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What would an anti-socialite like me know about pleasure? Truthfully, plenty, in the non-traditional sense.

What would an anti-socialite like me know, in regards to its theme question, “Where is paradise”?

Okay, you got me.

When it comes to running off to a tropical island and all of that lovey-dovey, finding yourself type rhetoric, I know zero. Love is not a need for me. I find myself just fine right in my cave.

Even with that challenge, I defined paradise in my own way. Hence the creation of “Masato’s Zion”.

Enjoy the excerpt.

Masato’s Zion (excerpt)

I looked at my treasured timepiece again. Just past six-thirty. By now, the last of his employees was headed home. In the very back of the shop, a light shone. It was possible my dad was looking over some invoices or doing some parts’ shopping via the Internet to save money, for either him or his customers. That was, if I were an optimist.

However, that trait missed me at birth.

My movements were stealth as I reached the last bay. Lately, my dad parked his car here rather than his reserved spot in the parking lot. When asked about the switch, he chalked it up to the increase in crime on his block.

Auspiciously, I thought to slide on protective coverings prior to my arrival. With the extra time spent of Mom’s surprise, my mind was rasping, “Catch up and hurry up.”

The modifications made to my dad’s vehicle were executed to where my movements were a blur. In fact, the actions felt commonplace. I dared to cite as if one was made for this. Nothing going on at this moment, on this day, felt like a mere accident or even chance.

Destiny, perhaps … if I believed in such a thing.

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Desire Freebie 1: Brielle

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Hello Cave Dwellers, or Faithful Fans of Da’Kharta Rising! I am contemporary romance and erotica author Synful Desire, here to share with you my newest freebie, entitled Brielle. Although I played around with a few other titles, I decided to settle on my working title, which is rare for me.

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Think of Brielle as a bit of a modern-day woman. She is laser-focused on her career goals. Brielle isn’t relationship oriented but recognizes that she has needs. Brielle has an interesting way to fulfill said needs. I will let your imagination fill in the rest.

“Brielle” is a mix of relationship reflection, light erotic situations, and comedy. If you remember the vibe of “Handy”, then you will get the gist of “Brielle”.

“Brielle” is available on my website or the Freebies section of All Authors Publishing House.

Until next time,

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Vocal Remedy #ClassicFreebie

Yo! What’s popping? It’s great to be back in the cave for a little bit. In case you’re a little slow or just haven’t been around, I’ve been visiting a few people to talk about my newest short story freebie “Apocawhat?” along with my first ever short story freebie “Vocal Remedy”. Special shoutout to my publisher for this brand new cover (BTW).

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Vaser is not surprised when Mr. Choice selects him. He does have a great voice and only the best should compete to win the cash prize for the music program. Everything falls into place as Vaser prepares to deliver a vocal remedy to compose his award-winning tune.

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Most of my material is going to be rehashed from an entry I did about “Vocal Remedy” back in 2016. Since some people may not feel up to searching that far back, I’m doing this so (1) they don’t have to and (2) so I won’t have to insert a search bar on the front of my blog page.

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If a reader just checks out “Vocal Remedy” once, I can say with accuracy that you are bound to miss something. There may be some authors who never read their works again once they are sent out to the big publishing ocean in the universe.

Nope, I’m not that chic. How can I tell other folks to read and like it, if I’m not reading and liking it on a consistent basis?

Therefore, you guys are going to be a fly on the wall as I go through my reading experience with “Vocal Remedy”.

The first time I read “Vocal Remedy”, I was trying to figure out the connection with Vaser and Mr. Choice.

Was it a consensual relationship? (Like both people being willing participants)
If it wasn’t, how did the previous dynamics play out prior to the story?

The second time I read “Vocal Remedy”, my focus was on some of the language (both spoken and unspoken) delivered during particular segments. The looks between Mr. Choice and Vaser in the chorus room. The confusion of Janelle when she didn’t get picked for the competition, along with Vaser’s explanation as to why she wasn’t selected.  The short yet seemingly insignificant banter between Jenks and Vaser. It was just cool that everything means something, even the things in passing.

The third time I read “Vocal Remedy” my mind was on Vaser’s savvy. Could he really know for sure that there would be no mistakes? If there were some screw-ups, did he have a backup plan? No way to really know—it’s all up to a reader’s interpretation.

Many complex scenarios, covered in less than 2,500 words. It’s cool that I achieved that. Is there room to expand? Of course. However, with “Vocal Remedy”, the beauty is in the guessing game … a whole “Create Your Own Back Story” combined with a “Create Your Own Conclusion”.

Find it free at my spot or at my publisher’s spot.

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Inside Me (#SSE4)

It’s a Wacky Wednesday in the Cave of the SASS. It’s time for another episode of Short Story Excerpt.

Not too long after Continuous Drips was released, I got called to participate in another anthology, along with five other writers. What made this so unique was that it was based on a scenario if you will, and one could respond to it however he/she chose, provided it fit the word count parameters and what not. The question was as follows: Can the hot, handsome guy fall for the average, awkward woman?

The first book was entitled “Crackles of the Heart”, part of the Divergent Ink collection.

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Crackles of the Heart: Divergent Ink

 

My contribution to the collection is “Inside Me”. It’s a weird fascination with an even weirder twist. I’m not going to give away the ending but will drop off this tidbit.

Inside Me (#Excerpt)

She applied the final layer of her black eyeshadow. Her gaze made me temporarily forget essential functions, like breathing and swallowing. She pointed, then nodded. 

It was time to go.

I kept my pace steady and my distance consistent. If I walked too quickly, unnecessary alarm would ensue. If I stepped too slowly, assumption would lead to disinterest. Either reaction was disastrous for me.

My best friend said she wasn’t my type. What exactly is a type? A mere tool used to segregate, to keep people trapped in tidy boxes.

She didn’t have the bouncing flowing tresses of most women. Her deep red mohawk was braided and had black beads on the ends. Her small nose was lost in her angular face, giving her a slight masculine look. Her chest was none most men would drool over—they were definitely an A cup, B if I wanted to be generous. Even her ass wasn’t defined enough to where one could classify as pear, apple, or onion. 

In that same conversation, he kept asking me why. Why would a guy like me, who had movie-star looks and hordes of women around me on the daily, seek out what he considered a wretched creature—one that even the Devil rejected?

To that I said, Why not?

In my mind, the friendship ended that day. Let me take that back. Acquaintanceship. If he really was a friend, he would not have been so gung ho against her. Against this.

She’s no reject! She’s … 

She paused. I tore myself away from past events and looked at the house—the only wood structure left on the block and badly in need of repair. 

The glorious lines were spoken again. 

My eagerness ebbed to an immeasurable high. I threw hesitation out the window and sprinted, closing the distance between us.

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Stay tuned for the next episode of Short Story Excerpt.

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The Kutters (#SSE3)

Yeah, yeah, yeah! I know I typically don’t post on Tuesdays but sometimes order goes completely out of whack. No biggie!

[image error]It’s time for the 3rd episode of Short Story Excerpts where I conclude with my final story in Continuous Drips, entitled “The Kutters”.

“The Kutters” is the story I had the most fun creating.

Have you ever heard of an artist that had one album everyone was crazy about? Then, the artist switched musical direction and it didn’t resonate well?

Okay, you’re still with me? Good.

“The Kutters” is about author Jonas Rowen who writes this book that is an immense hit. He got tired of writing in that genre and decided to experiment with another genre, which, overall, sucked ass. His writing career is in the balance since his publisher has whittled down promotional dates for the newest book. Jones’ agent comes up with the idea to revive the publication that’s his claim to fame. The events that follow drive the story.

 

 

 

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The Kutters (#Excerpt)

 

For Jonas, the best way to describe The Kutters was a beautiful nightmare. Since Jakhartic, his ideas and fingers seemed in limbo. No one wanted to know of anything  before, or seemed too interested in anything after The Kutters, and that was wildly apparent in the feedback from Jakhartic. Had he been too hasty in rejecting Nora’s offer?

After the failure of Jakhartic, he was diagnosed with a sleep disorder and prescribed sleeping pills. Since Nora’s visit, the medication had lost effectiveness. Jonas was having dreams about the created towns prevalent in The Kutters.

“No wonder I’ve been so cranky. Lately, I haven’t been able to get that damned book out of my head.”

Many hours later, there was a rap on the door. Since it was storming, Jonas thought the wind had kicked up some debris. Then Jonas heard the sound again, louder and more consistent.

“Who is it?” he yelled. No answer. Maybe it was the neighborhood kids playing a prank. Jonas grabbed a broomstick. He would have something for them! He yanked open the door.

“It’s about time you answered. My grandma can move faster than you. I’ll just let myself  in, if you don’t mind!”

Jonas’ jaw dropped. After he closed the door, he pinched himself. Was he sleepwalking or dreaming? He recognized the guy, but it couldn’t be him!

“What’s wrong? Did you swallow your tongue? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten my name Jonas.”

“Dulle? But it can’t be!”

“Why can’t it? You created me, didn’t you?”

“Sure I did. You’re in my book but you can’t possibly be real.”

“Okay, if I’m not real, then who are you talking to right now? You know, that type of behavior can land a person straight in the loony bin! Jonas you aren’t very hospitable. I’m cold, and you haven’t offered anything in the form of a hot beverage.”

Dulle Kutter did have a point. If Jonas really was talking to a hallucination, that would be a first-class trip to the psych ward. That would be a public relations’ nightmare. He just couldn’t process the how or the why.

All right. CD is done. On the next episode of Short Story Excerpts, there will be focus on a different type of ink.

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