An excerpt from Queen of the Ràej
But, first…
Have you ever heard of Murphy’s Law? Basically, if something is going to go wrong, then it will. And that is usually how my life tends to go. It’s not always a bad thing, but it makes for an interesting life.
Shortly after I recovered from COVID, I flew out to see my grandmother for the last time. If I hadn’t made that last-minute trip, then I would have carried that guilt around in my heart for an unknown about of time. She died 5 days before her 90th birthday, just three months after I saw her.
In that brief, few month period, I had a cute little mole checked for skin cancer. They scraped it off with a scalpel like you would scoop your favorite ice cream from its tub. Oh, Murphy, Murphy, Murphy. I went back in on Monday. Yes, just a couple days ago. They had prepared me for getting some stitches, maybe 3 or 4, but that was not the case when I sat in the chair under the doctor’s solemn gaze. My ten-year old mole was malignant with two types of melanoma!
Now, 14 outer stitches and 6 inner stitches later, I have a 2 1/4 inch line stretching horizontally across my abdomen. The mole itself was smaller than a dime, but they had to take out all surrounding skin. It’s swollen and black and blue and green and purple and red and oh so tender! I will be going in for quarterly checkups. Unfortunately, the specific mole that the doctor will be watching closely has grown in the hole of the ‘d’ on my tattoo: “And to his miracles, there is no end”.
A little ironic, huh? But, there is no end to his miracles! Yes, the first time I ever went to get my skin checked, I ended up having a serious melanoma, but it could have been SO much worse.
Well, that’s my update. I hope your holiday season is off to a great start and, speaking of holiday season, below is a little treat!
Queen of the Ràej: Chapter 6 Excerpt
My use of power caught everyone’s attention, and Pebbles were hurled at me with amazing speed. Linnus and Aunt Chloe helped me wave them away while Davis was trying to block more people from coming up the road. Renny and Tim were distracting Nathan. I still hadn’t been able to find Lenetta.
“Blood of the Ràej!”
Someone from the mass of people shouted and a fire erupted. Screams of surprise and pain came from all sides. I could no longer see any of my traveling group or Aunt Chloe. The number of people in the street and around my house was increasing. It didn’t seem like we could survive this.
“Blood of the Ràej!”
Another voice shouted. More and more people were echoing the battle cry.
Bursting Pebbles and Ràej power lit up the street in front of my childhood home. Across the way was Natalie’s house, with the peephole from my inability to pinch a Pebble. And the tree we used to play hide in seek in. I wondered if her parents were somewhere in this crowd.
It was easy to identify the Officials. They were dressed in black, hair slicked back with oils, and they pinched the Pebbles quickly and deftly, facing one person at a time. They hadn’t been surprised by us arriving in Hilltown.
I spotted Lenetta, flying high, looking down with her sharp-sighted eyes. Then colors started falling from the sky, startling not only me but several others. It was fairies.
“Blood of the Ràej!”
The battle cry came from the fairies. It had always surprised me when Lenetta’s voice had seemed so loud at the Academy, and I was equally surprised to hear how loud this group was. Lenetta was leading the fairies down, wings tight to her body, and I felt the urge to protect her.
“Blood of the Ràej!” Aunt Chloe shouted. The energy of the battle was growing in favor of the Ràej, but it was attracting more people. Pebbles were now bursting with no discrimination of who they hit.
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Blood of the Ràej and Queen of the Ràej will BOTH be on sale through December! Don’t forget to leave a rating/review and share with those who may enjoy a dark fantasy romance. Remember, this is not your Harry Potter magic book :)
