Dear Readers

Fear not the Darkness, But What Lies Within, The recesses of our mind, The creepy cobwebbed corners,That lingers on and tickles us,With tingle feelings of alarm, The deep in the stomach, Pain we feel when we do warn, The fear is deadly it seeks, The deepest corner of our mind, It's just a story to alarm,Educate and provide entertainment for our minds. So read on dear reader, I hope you find the stories amusing and full of charm.






Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Three Word Wednesday- Moonlight Becomes Her


Three Word Wednesday- Moonlight Becomes Her
Hinge; noun: A movable joint or mechanism on which a door, gate, or lid swings as it opens and closes, or that connects linked objects; verb: [ with obj. ] attach or join with or as if with a hinge; [ no obj. ] (hinge on) depend entirely on.
Lethal; adjective: Sufficient to cause death; harmful or destructive.
Need; verb: Require (something) because it is essential or very important; noun: Circumstances in which something is necessary, or that require some course of action; necessity; the state of requiring help, or of lacking basic necessities such as food.


Moonlight Becomes Her

   My family didn’t go out during a full moon and a blue moon. My mother would treat it like someone had died covering the windows with black paper and the mirrors with black crepe. She said the moon rays were lethal. I just thought she was a little unhinged. The children in the neighbourhood would laugh and point fingers at my mother, but her need to keep the shafts of light out would make mother continue to turn out the lights and not let the moonlight enter our house. I pleaded, I begged, but every moon I was locked in a darkened room. 

   Time went by and I grew older. I went to school an outcast, bullied, because my house was the creepy one, that once a month covered the windows with black. I had no friends no one wanted to come to the crazy lady’s house.
    Allowed only to go to the library and school, when I was fifteen I rebelled. I ventured to a bowling alley. Mother would have been angry if she knew; but I didn’t care. At the bowling alley I saw a boy about my age.He was red haired. His hair long and curling unto his shoulders, he was tall and muscular.His looks compelled me to smile. The boy answered my smile, with one of his own and came over to me and began speaking to me. I was thrilled. We spent the evening together just talking about anything and everything. 

    Paul became my secret boyfriend. He even seemed to take my mother’s peculiarities in stride, though he could never came to my house. Paul planned a huge birthday party for my sixteenth and I was thrilled that he cared so much. Then I discovered the blue moon fell on my birthday. How could I get out of my room? Mother would lock me in until morning. I couldn’t say I was going to the library. I placed tape across the window lock hoping I could get out that way and offered to cover my window myself with the black paper.

    I heard my mother turned the lock on my bedroom door, I knew the moon would soon start rising. I pulled the black paper away from my window and saw the start of a streak of light beneath a cloud. I crept across the field next door, and the clouds pealed back allowing the moon to rise. It was glorious in its beauty. The moonlight started to bathe me and felt more alive than I had ever felt in that radiance. Painful but yet somehow exhilarating I felt my clothes ripped from my body and I was naked, My limbs started to grow .My black hair then started to grow long, mixing with a grey blue, which covered my body. I knew I had changed into what I wasn’t sure until I saw Paul before me.He too had changed.He had red fur and was an animal like me.

Paul spoke to me softly “This was your first time. It does get easier but you have done well.”
“What are we?” I asked simply because I needed it voiced.
“We are werewolves. We are of the clan Macdonald. I recognized you as one of us. Your mother’s insistence on keeping the moonlight out kept you from turning. ”
“This is what mother prevented. Poor mother.”
“Your mother is not a werewolf, she doesn’t understand. Though she may have done you a good turn. Legend says that a werewolf born on the blue moon, is stronger and will be a mate to a great leader and help him lead.”
“You think I’m this werewolf?”
“Yes I do.” Paul answered. “Come now it is time for you to learn the ways of a werewolf.”

     We ran over fields and through the nearby forest we hunted deer and took them down filling our need to feed. The sun would soon be up and Paul took me back to my house. I turned back into my human self and slipped through my bedroom window. Fixing the black paper on my window, I hinged the window and threw on a nightgown, falling asleep in my bed.

I awoke to shaking.
“You stupid girl, Cara. You went out didn't you? I tried so hard to protect you from your father’s curse. Take your things and go and don’t come back. You aren’t welcome here anymore werewolf. Find your father’s family and go there. This is the last place I saw them in.” my mother said holding out a piece of paper.

     I went to Paul instead. He took me to my paternal grandfather. I live with him now and he teaches me about the life of a werewolf. Grandfather said he had been searching for me for years. He told me that at birth I was betrothed to Paul. I didn't know how I felt about that but I knew continued to date Paul. I loved him.

     It is my eighteenth birthday today. Today I choose to marry Paul. He will be my mate. I am a werewolf and Paul who is the packmaster’s son will be my husband. We have been picked to help our people. Paul will lead and together we will protect the other innocent werewolves of our pack. The werewolf children are vulnerable and we will protect them; not but putting black paper over their windows but by letting them be themselves. We will protect them from themselves and those who would harm them.
©Sheilagh Lee September 12, 2012

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Three Word Wednesday-Memories of the Western Fair


Banter; noun: The playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks; verb: Talk or exchange remarks in a good-humored teasing way.
Duty; noun: A moral or legal obligation; a responsibility; (often duties) a task or action that someone is required to perform; a payment due and enforced by law or custom, in particular.
Element; noun: A part or aspect of something abstract, esp. one that is essential or characteristic; (also chemical element )each of more than one hundred substances that cannot be chemically interconverted or broken down into simpler substances and are primary constituents of matter. Each element is distinguished by its atomic number, i.e., the number of protons in the nuclei of its atoms; • any of the four substances (earth, water, air, and fire) regarded as the fundamental constituents of the world in ancient and medieval philosophy; • one of these substances considered as a person's or animal's natural environment.



                                              This is me at age twelve flagging cars into our yard


                                 Memories of the Western Fair

       Do you remember that feeling, when you are a child and you hear that you are going to the fair? I do every year, when they announce the fair is opening in my hometown; I get as gleeful as a child remembering all the fun, I’ve had over the years.
      When I was young we lived near the fair and even flagged cars into our yard when the fairgrounds parking overflowed. Cars would park on the front lawn and the backyard for a dollar. Anywhere we could fit a car one was parked. After the money was collected by filling every spot, and we fulfilled our duties, my mother and father would give us enough to go to the fair and enjoy all the rides games and entertainment every day. It was often very little, or free for children to enter the fair.
    We take our ready cash and enjoy grandstand shows, and rides. We would savour the candy apples, their sweet chewy candy layer, melting in our mouths and then we’d reach the apple and enjoy the tart flavour of that too. Or appetite not yet satiated, we move on to the other delights. There were pogo dogs (hotdogs coated in cornmeal and flour and deep fried). Then there were the elephant ears, (also deep fried) pieces of pastry dough coated in cinnamon and sugar. There was the caramel corn, hot and fresh. Melt in your mouth corn syrupy goodness, on lovely popped corn. Then the candy floss, fluffy spun sugar, which dissolved in your mouth almost as fast as you put it in, and left you wanting a drink probably some orange drink you could only find at the fair to wash it down. 
   We’d then go on rides as children do and not throw up, purely out of sheer willpower. We ride the Holiday bounce and the Himalaya and comment on how similar we felt they were. We ride the Ferris Wheel and even though we were afraid of heights, it wouldn’t bother us. We’d look straight across and see the city of London, spread out in front of us and banter about how beautiful it was and what structures we saw. Sometimes we'd use our tickets to play the Birthday game and put down a ticket and invariably win a stuffed animal. We were very lucky at this game. We were in our element gamblers who were winning. Then we would walk towards the buildings. 
     We look in wonder, with great interest at the tables and displays set up to sell products in the buildings. People would ask us to enter draws to win things but we'd ignore them and pass on to see the London free press booth and the other booths that interested us. This building after all was where we could receive free stuff from people selling their wares. We’d walk up and down the aisles getting stickers and plastic bags with balloons, pens, magnets, erasers, colouring pages we’d pretend we weren’t too old for and rulers. To a child we believed we’d hit the jackpot. Free stuff we could enjoy not boring adult giveaways. 
    Tired but before we head for the Grandstand to watch free shows of big name acts like Chuck Berry or Bill Cosby, we would get some Maple leaf fudge.This was usually chocolate with nuts as it was my mom’s favourite and we’d take that home to share. Last but not least we visit the barns and see all the animals that reminded us of the farm we once had. We see the chickens, the cows, the pigs and the horses.
      Then as the time for the grandstand show neared we’d take our seats and see some of the best music acts or circuses that came to the Western fair. As the Grandstand act ended we head home, happy and ready for tomorrow's parking after school. Those were fun days.A little work and a lot of fun.

      Today parking is free (they built more parking) and the grandstands cost money; how things change. Western Fair, oh such memories. What are your memories of fairs when you were young?

P.S.  City council has issued and edict that anyone parking on a front lawn will receive a $55 dollar ticket this year.Not sure if they mean just the car driver or both the car driver and the homeowner. Apparently there is never enough parking?


©Sheilagh Lee September 5, 2012
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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

New projects on the go


Jason MacIntyre over at The Farthest Reaches is a friend, author and reader who tagged me in a challenge to share a bit about what I'm working on. Thank You Jason, it's a great opportunity to share insight about my current work and what will be out later this year. So the rules are simple. I have to:
First, answer 10 questions about my current work-in-progress.
Second, tag five other writers and link their blogs so we can all hop over and read their answers.
Here are the questions:
What is the working title of your book er books?
I’m in the process of finishing editing a Murder Mystery -A Penny Saved A Murder Earned 


while also writing  and editing “A Tiger’s heart Wrapped In A Player’s Hide’ the sequel to my paranormal novel  Love’s Labours Won.
Where did the idea come from for the book er books?
 For my murder mystery ‘A Penny Saved A Murder Earned ‘- I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan and I love murder mysteries. I wanted to write about a family who stick together even under the adversity of a serial killer.
For my paranormal-“A Tiger’s heart Wrapped In A Player’s Hide’- I just love to imagine the things you could do if you had special abilities that others didn’t.
What genre does your book fall under?
Crime/Murder Mystery
and Paranormal
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
this is who I envision For-“A Penny Saved A Murder Earned “-



Stephanie Gatschet PictureMaddie Hasson Picture                   
Lily Kelly-Brooksfield-
Stephanie Gatchet    
                                                         Rose-Brooksfield-Maddie Hasson        


Chrishell Stause Picture



  Amelia Kelly-Chrishell Stause                                                                     


Carol- Banks- Paulina Gerzon
Paulina Gerzon Picture
Geoff Stults Picture
Detective Emmett -Rogers-Geoff Stults












                                                   

Grandma Katha- Marj Dusay
Marj Dusay Picture
uncast yet -Lily’s husband and others

“A Tiger’s Heart Wrapped in a Player’s Hide” I envision 

Demetrious Blackstone -Forbes March
Forbes March Picture
Darius Blackstone-Trent Garrett
Trent Garrett Picture
Sarah Maidenstone-Mariah Buzolin
Mariah Buzolin Picture

Aunt Iva--Michael Learned

Michael Learned
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book/s?
“A Tiger’s heart Wrapped in a Player’s Hide’- Demetrious is fighting an unknown powerful force who seeks to take down the Blackstones; while Sarah is kidnapped and discovers yet another relative she wasn’t aware of.
“A Penny Saved A Murder Earned “-Serial killer targets family whose members dwindle; will they found out who or succumb to the killer?
Will your books be self-published or represented by an agency? Self-published
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About three months of eight hour days or longer for “A Penny Saved a Murder Earned”
“A Tiger’s heart Wrapped in a Player’s Hide’ is not yet completed. The ideas are taking a little longer with this book.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Joan Kilbourn murder mysteries by Gail Bowen, for “A Penny Saved a Murder Earned”
House of Night by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast for “A Tiger’s heart Wrapped in a Player’s Hide’
Who or What inspired you to write this book er books?
My sixth grade teacher Mr. Smith who told me that I could tell a story people wanted to hear and I felt the need to write these stories.
What else about your book er books might pique the reader’s interest?
“A Penny Saved a Murder Earned” is about families and how adversity can make them have even stronger bonds.
“A Tiger’s heart Wrapped in a Player’s Hide’ is also about family and how bonds can be made even without sharing the same blood.
I challenge
3.) Nicole Wolverton  http://nicolewolverton.com/
4.)Wakefield Mahon http://www.wakefieldmahon.com
5.) Cara Michaels http://caramichaels.com/
to tell us about there WIPS and/ or books answering the questions above.