Torn (Snippet Sunday 10.30.16)

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Where writers come together to share a few sentences (8-10) of their current project — whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.

Happy Halloween, folks! A Blessed Samhain and a trickster Devil’s Nite, as well! It’s the best time of the year in terms of Halloween and fall colors, and since Halloween is my favorite time of the year, for the month of October I’m going to be sharing from a new Halloween themed paranormal short story of mine. Embermyst is included in Victory Tales Press’ newest anthology release for the Halloween season, Paranormal Pleasures, which is out for sale in eBook and paperback format! It is also my first ever publication! Hooray!

This week’s snippet picks up right where I left off in last week’s snippet, and this is also the final snippet I will be sharing from Embermyst. I’m switching to something different next month. We left off with Death asking Morticia what it is she feels toward him.

Now for the fifth and final peek at Embermyst…

(Some sentences may have been creatively edited and punctuated to try to fit the ten sentence limit. I’m over, again. Can we just agree that my snippets will always be a little longer but not too long?)

~*~*~*~

As he leaned closer, she shivered and her eyes fluttered a second, the searing orange burning brighter with excitement. “I feel…this otherworldly connection. A chill, but not the chill I would expect from Death’s presence. Instead of this wave of despair it feels like crackling lightning sparking along my limbs, jump starting my heart. It almost…feels like I belong, like I have come home.”

Death smiled more, tracing his finger down the side of her face. “You just put to words what I could not explain within myself.”

She turned her gaze to him. Her eyes were windows of awe and surprise for only a moment before she seemed torn by something. She looked down, setting the amulet amongst her skirts, then reached up to finger a chain hanging around her neck. The charm strung through it was buried between the crevice of her breast.

“What is it, Morticia?” he asked with concern at her sudden change. She looked seemingly…regretful.

“I was engaged, Death.”

~*~*~*~

And the bombshell falls… Well that could be a slight problem for this budding relationship! I wonder how Death and Morticia will get past this hitch, and if you want to find out, you’re just gonna have to read the full story.

Paranormal Pleasures: 2016 Halloween Romances
Publisher: Victory Tales Press
Authors: Gerald Costlow, Barbara Miller, Daelyn Morgana (ME!), and Vicki Crum
Format: eBook and Paperback
Release Date: eBook – September 26, 2016
Paperback – October 1, 2016
Length: 59.7k words, 210 pages eBook, 174 pages print
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Short Stories
Price: $2.99 eBook, $9.95 paperback

Victory Tales Press offers four sweet to sensual stories to stir your heart and satisfy your craving for romance. Our talented storytellers dare you to enter a world where romance dwells in the most unlikely places.

Embermyst
By: Daelyn Morgana

As the God of the Afterlife, Death has grown accustomed to his dreary duty until he meets an unlikely soul: an empowered woman named Morticia. She was living with a big secret in a world full of fear before an exorcism gone wrong landed her in his realm.

Was it a twist of the Fates?

Death didn’t think so.

While she hovers between the mortal plane and the land of the dead, can he convince her of the legends of the divine, claiming she is his one perfect Mate? Or will the promise hanging around her neck cause her to return to the land of the living and the man that failed her?

BUY LINKS:
Amazon
Smashwords
CreateSpace
Barnes & Noble

This story is not on Wattpad due to the fact it has been published, but if you wish to read more of Embermyst, and the four other authors within Paranormal Pleasures, you can pick up a copy through Amazon, Smashwords, CreateSpace, or Barnes & Noble today!

If you wish to read anything else that I have out for free, you can hop on over to  my profile on Wattpad and check out what I have to offer. I love to hear any and all feedback on my work as well. Comments are greatly appreciated, as are the reads. You can also find my on my Facebook author page to keep up to date with all that’s going on in my writing.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

Taking the Plunge?

Three days.

NaNoWriMo is three days away.

Just three days.

I’m…not ready. Actually, I’m not even sure I’m doing it. Sort of.

I’ve been bouncing back and forth between I’m doing it and I’m unsure if I’m doing it all month long. I’ve got three days to decide now, and somehow…I think I seemed to have an epiphany on my decision this morning.

Earlier this week, I was thinking I wasn’t going to do it because of some negative news I got at work that added to the holiday madness in which I’m already dreading. Anyone who works retail knows the holiday season means you work longer hours and more hours. Well, try adding having to help out another store during that same time because they are shorthanded on the account of going out of business in January of next year and have had one manager walk out already. So not only do I have longer hours and more hours at my own store, I might be pushing overtime to help out another store during the madness.

If I have any sanity now, I guarantee you it will be long gone by the end of December.

So you see where my new dilemma came with NaNo. If I have to be doing even more hours at work during November, how am I ever going to manage writing 50k words on top of it, right? Sleep really will be non-existent. That bit of news turned me back off of attempting NaNo for the second time.

(Last year failed because of a computer crash the first week of November that left me without a computer for over two months.)

However, one of my 2016 goals was to finish the rough draft of Fated to Darkness and I know that is not going to get done unless I tell myself I am doing NaNoWriMo and start writing my ass off regardless of work. I know that is the only way I am going to finish this novel this year.

(Seriously, I write more in the two, three NaNo months a year than I do in all the non-NaNo months put together. What is wrong with that picture? This is why I need more than 3 NaNo’s a year.)

Somehow, I came to this revelation this morning in my sleep and woke up with a newfound desire — desperation? — to finish that goal this year. So now I think I am going to plunge into the NaNoWriMo madness in three days. I’m nowhere near ready, but thankfully, I have the next four days off to try to be ready. Sort of.

I guess we’ll find out in Tuesday’s blog post if I really did plunge into the madness, or if I bailed.

Recapping and Rethinking

Yesterday was the Halloween Bash Facebook party with Victory Tales Press. It was my first ever Facebook party promotional event for my writing and I’d say it was a success. (After I spent I don’t know long how stressing over it and worrying and trying to plan. It went a lot smoother than I expected it to.) I’ll definitely be up to participating in more and hosting my own in the future for releases.

I had a lot of fun. Read some great ghost stories, learned of some awesome Halloween pranks, a recipe or two, played a couple games, had chances for prizes. (I won an eBook.) And my one hour of hosting wasn’t a bust either, I had people playing along with my Halloween Scattergories game, and sharing their Halloween costume idea, favorite kind of tale to read or write, or their favorite legend for a chance at my giveaway. No one seemed to comment to the snippet I shared of Embermyst but otherwise it went well.

It hasn’t gained me any followers to my blog or Wattpad yet, but I did gain 3 followers to my Facebook page just from the event so there’s that little happy dance. My post reach sky rocketed this week too from the event. Since, you know, I refuse to pay Facebook three or five dollars to help promote myself. Everyone wants money nowadays… *Rolls eyes*

Everyone also wants to screw over Daelyn lately.

Right now I’m running on fumes again. I had another 5am work shift so naturally, as my night owl complex goes, I didn’t sleep last night. We’ve been down this path before, we know I manage to get through the day with burning eyes and lots of yawns, including some irritability. Then I’ll crash around midnight the next night to catch up on sleep.

Except there’s one problem with that train of thinking this time.

Guess who works two effing 5am shifts back to back?

Yep, this author right here. Make the night owl — who the boss knows doesn’t sleep on these shifts — do two of them back and back, and then work Thursday and Friday long days as well. And who can’t even remotely sleep in on Saturday as well because of a family event.

I tried to sleep when I got home from work today but…it’s nearly impossible for me to sleep soundly enough during the day to feel better. I was up and down so I’m still exhausted. All I’m saying is I better get four days off in a row starting Saturday or I am going to be one cranky author. (I already have Saturday off for the family event, and I took off Monday and Tuesday because of Samhain and NaNo. I’m praying I get Sunday as well. I could use four days off like that, it’s been way too long since I had something like that.)

And speaking of NaNoWriMo…

*Heavy sigh*

I don’t want to go into it right now. For now, let’s just leave it at I got some news today from work that I’m quite sure is really going to screw whatever measly odds I had at completing NaNoWriMo during the holiday season. Which really pisses me off and upsets me because I had so many hopes to finish this novel this year, and now…

*Shakes head sadly*

I had started doing so great the last week. I was really on top of everything and I was caught up and feeling good about things and then…as always, something always screws it up. Go figure, huh?

Right now I’m just praying I make it through this week alive and without needing any bail money. Then again, if I look like a walking zombie out of exhaustion by Sunday, at least I have half a costume for Halloween the next day.

Legends of the Gods (Snippet Sunday 10.23.16)

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Where writers come together to share a few sentences (8-10) of their current project — whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.

It’s the best time of the year in terms of Halloween and fall colors, and since Halloween is my favorite time of the year, for the month of October I’m going to be sharing from a new Halloween themed paranormal short story of mine. Embermyst is included in Victory Tales Press’ newest anthology release for the Halloween season, Paranormal Pleasures, which is out for sale in eBook and paperback format! It is also my first ever publication! Hooray!

This snippet once again skips ahead from last week’s snippet. Death and Morticia have started to feel drawn to each other, and Morticia has asked him why she feels drawn to him. Death is about to start giving his assumed explanation.

Also! Coming up on October 24th — tomorrow, Victory Tales Press will be holding a Halloween Bash Facebook party. Some of the authors from Paranormal Pleasures and other past authors with VTP will be co-hosting the whole day with giveaways, tricks, treats, and more! One lucky trick-or-treater will even have a chance at a $40 Amazon gift card! I will be one of the hosts at 1pm PDT (2pm MDT, 3pm CDT, and 4pm EST) and I will have a giveaway for U.S. participants, so be sure to stop by and join the spooks.

Now for the fourth peek at Embermyst…

(Some sentences may have been creatively edited and punctuated to try to fit the ten sentence limit. I’m over, again. Can we just agree that my snippets will always be a little longer but not too long?)

~*~*~*~

He pulled his hand back from her face, but not before he brushed her silky black hair out of her face with a lover’s touch. “I do not know,” he admitted softly. “Do you know there is a rumor among the Gods? A legend so to speak.”

“What kind of legend?”

“It states that for all the Gods and Goddesses there is but one mortal companion who is their other half. One soul among them all that once found, and acquainted with, you are bound to for eternity. They say the mortal ascends to divinity and immortality, becoming a God or Goddess themselves. It is believed no divine being is truly whole with eternal life until they have found their Bond Mate.”

She studied him. “And you believe I am that mortal?”

“Do you have any other explanation for this feeling?” he asked, rubbing his bony thumb over her thigh. He wished he could actually feel the soft fabric beneath his fingers, wished he could feel her smooth and flawless skin. That too was another earthly charm lost on him. “Do you feel it too?”

“I do…” Her voice was a breath of a whisper.

“What do you feel?”

~*~*~*~

Yes, what does Morticia feel in regards to Death? Legends can be such tricky things, too.

Paranormal Pleasures: 2016 Halloween Romances
Publisher: Victory Tales Press
Authors: Gerald Costlow, Barbara Miller, Daelyn Morgana (ME!), and Vicki Crum
Format: eBook and Paperback
Release Date: eBook – September 26, 2016
Paperback – October 1, 2016
Length: 59.7k words, 210 pages eBook, 174 pages print
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Short Stories
Price: $2.99 eBook, $9.95 paperback

Victory Tales Press offers four sweet to sensual stories to stir your heart and satisfy your craving for romance. Our talented storytellers dare you to enter a world where romance dwells in the most unlikely places.

Embermyst
By: Daelyn Morgana

As the God of the Afterlife, Death has grown accustomed to his dreary duty until he meets an unlikely soul: an empowered woman named Morticia. She was living with a big secret in a world full of fear before an exorcism gone wrong landed her in his realm.

Was it a twist of the Fates?

Death didn’t think so.

While she hovers between the mortal plane and the land of the dead, can he convince her of the legends of the divine, claiming she is his one perfect Mate? Or will the promise hanging around her neck cause her to return to the land of the living and the man that failed her?

BUY LINKS:
Amazon
Smashwords
CreateSpace
Barnes & Noble

This story is not on Wattpad due to the fact it has been published, but if you wish to read more of Embermyst, and the four other authors within Paranormal Pleasures, you can pick up a copy through Amazon, Smashwords, CreateSpace, or Barnes & Noble today!

If you wish to read anything else that I have out for free, you can hop on over to  my profile on Wattpad and check out what I have to offer. I love to hear any and all feedback on my work as well. Comments are greatly appreciated, as are the reads. You can also find my on my Facebook author page to keep up to date with all that’s going on in my writing.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

An Interview and a Facebook Party

As many of you know who have been following my blog, at the end of September I had my first ever publication with Victory Tales Press for their 2016 Halloween anthology. My debut story, Embermyst, within Paranormal Pleasures has been out in the eBook and print world for almost a month now.

Through these last few weeks I’ve learned that self promoting is hard, and takes a whole hell of a lot of time and work. Of course, I’m not doing all the promoting myself, the other three authors along with VTP have been doing their own promoting as well, but it’s still hard. Even harder to actually get yourself noticed from all the work. Sometimes you want to throw your hands up and say, “what the hell is the point?”

But then you get those times where someone makes your day and you can’t stop smiling, and suddenly all that work is worth it. I’ve been lucky enough to have a couple of those moments the past few weeks.

However, the promoting never really ends, and with Halloween only 9 days away now, this is the ideal time to really push the book.

For the last four days, VTP and PbRJV have been conducting interviews with the four of us authors who contributed to Paranormal Pleasures. Earlier today, my interview went live on their blog, Once Upon A Word. If you ever wondered where I came up with the idea for Embermyst, or what my favorite paranormal book is, you can head on over to their blog to find my answers. You can also find another sneak peek excerpt from Embermyst!

If you’re interested to hear from the other three authors, you can scroll through the archives of October for the past four days and take a trip into their minds as well.

But the fun doesn’t stop there!

This coming Monday, October 24th, VTP and PbRJV will be co-hosting a Halloween Bash Facebook party to help promote the release. Myself and some of the other authors of VTP will be hosting with giveaways, snippets, and treats the whole day. One lucky trick-or-treater will even win a $40 Amazon gift card!

I will be hosting for a time frame of one hour starting at 1pm PDT (2pm MDT, 3pm CDT, and 4pm EST). If you stop by, I’ll be introducing myself, sharing a snippet or two from Embermyst, and playing some games. I will also be hosting a giveaway to one lucky U.S. participant. My prize will be a signed copy of Paranormal Pleasures (I will personalize the sign if the winner so wishes) and a handmade representation of my two main characters in Embermyst, Death and Morticia.

Signed Paperback Copy of Paranormal Pleasures

 

“Happily Ever After” Handmade Tombstone of Death and Morticia

 

Other participating authors include: Gerald Costlow, Karen Michelle Nutt, Katrina Gillian, Denise Stout, Rebecca J. Vickery, Paula Martin, Teresa Cypher, Vicki Crum, Stephanie Burkhart, Linda Swift, and Cecilia Corona.

So mark you calendars and save the date! Come join the authors of VTP for a day or spooks and treats on Monday, October 24th for a chance to meet your favorite author, discover a new, and enjoy some fun and games with prizes included! The fun starts at 8am PDT (9am MDT, 10am CDT, 11am EST).

We hope to see you there!

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Paranormal Pleasures: 2016 Halloween Romances
Publisher: Victory Tales Press
Authors: Gerald Costlow, Barbara Miller, Daelyn Morgana (ME!), and Vicki Crum
Format: eBook and Paperback
Release Date: eBook – September 26, 2016
Paperback – October 1, 2016
Length: 59.7k words, 210 pages eBook, 174 pages print
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Short Stories
Price: $2.99 eBook, $9.95 paperback

Victory Tales Press offers four sweet to sensual stories to stir your heart and satisfy your craving for romance. Our talented storytellers dare you to enter a world where romance dwells in the most unlikely places.

Ghost of a Chance
By: Gerald Costlow

Billy Sherritt, the only warlock born in 300 years, is now a teenager and facing some choices about his life that he doesn’t like. He unexpectedly gets sent back in time to 1640 in England, to meet the previous warlock and namesake Bill Sherritt and his sweetheart, Abigail. A Witchfinder is about to show up and the entire witch community is in danger. Billy wants to help, but he arrived as a disembodied ghost and he’s forced to stay with Bill wherever he goes.

If he can’t help this couple escape and make their way to America, his own future might be in danger. So far, he’s only managed to compound their love life. It’s hard to have a romantic rendezvous with a teenage ghost in the room.

Right Turn
By: Barbara Miller

Greg Sutton comes to Maple Grove looking for an inexpensive house since his estranged wife will end up with the current one in their divorce. His kids Eric and Kelly are not happy about the move, which will take them away from their friends, but he has to find work to take care of his children.

Lois Smith has a more desperate reason for hunting an out-of-the-way place. She is a romance author and is being stalked by a fan who wants to play out his fantasies about her. Her realtor sends her to a place in Maple Grove, a mansion in need of some tender loving care. Though Lois doubts she is at the right house, it looks like a perfect place to hide away from her stalker.

Without realizing it, the realtor sent both Greg and Lois to the same wrong place. The Mansion has secrets and wounds of its own. Will the mishap end up being the right turn in Lois and Greg’s lives?

Embermyst
By: Daelyn Morgana

As the God of the Afterlife, Death has grown accustomed to his dreary duty until he meets an unlikely soul: an empowered woman named Morticia. She was living with a big secret in a world full of fear before an exorcism gone wrong landed her in his realm.

Was it a twist of the Fates?

Death didn’t think so.

While she hovers between the mortal plane and the land of the dead, can he convince her of the legends of the divine, claiming she is his one perfect Mate? Or will the promise hanging around her neck cause her to return to the land of the living and the man that failed her?

Something About Autumn
By: Vicki Crum

Autumn Graham has always been a dreamer, a free spirit who never quite fit in with her peers. As an adult, and now an independent business owner, she’s worked hard to put all that fanciful nonsense behind her—until a mysterious stranger walks into her bookstore asking for books on the occult. Tall, charming, handsome as sin, Dorian fascinates Autumn like no man ever has. He claims to be a fantasy writer, but she suspects there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. When the instant attraction they share quickly spirals out of control, Autumn finds herself falling hard for the enigmatic stranger. But can she handle the astounding truth about Dorian’s real identity?

BUY LINKS:
Amazon
Smashwords
CreateSpace
Barnes & Noble

Dead Souls Walking (Wednesday Words 10.19.16)

Welcome to a piece of Wednesday Word’s flash fiction on Darkling Dreams!

A good friend of mine, P.T. Wyant, is doing a blog post every Wednesday called Wednesday Words with a new prompt for a bit of flash fiction writing, just to get in the habit of writing something, anything. (Even if said flash fiction is complete garbage at the time. Garbage is better than nothing though, right?) If you’re looking for some inspiration yourself or just something to aimlessly write, then go check out her blog for this week’s prompt!

With that being said, I am going to share what I came up with for this week’s flash fiction prompt based off a setting and occurrence prompt. So here is my very rough around the edges minute of inspiration based off her prompt. I’d love to hear what you guys think of it!

(Please excuse any errors you may see, I said it was rough around the edges.)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dead Souls Walking

Mardi Gras.

What do you think of when you hear the phrase Mardi Gras? Do you think of colorful beads and feathered, eccentric masks? Do you think of New Orleans? Do you think of parades and throwing candy, good food, and voodoo?

I bet you don’t think about skeletons.

Or, perhaps you do. Perhaps you think of the spooky decorations voodoo vendors might decorate their space with. Bones or skulls for the tarot readers, perhaps you’ll even envision them throwing the chicken bones instead to read the lines of your life.

So maybe you do think of skeletons, but I’m sure you don’t think of them in the way I do. I’m positive you don’t think of them as the patrons of New Orleans do, those that have lived here all their lives and know the secrets the shadows and old crypt-filled graveyards keep.

Yes, I’m quite sure you don’t know those legends. You aren’t supposed to.

We’re famous for our above ground cemeteries here, because of the swampy, soggy nature to our land. We couldn’t have caskets floating away in the ground. So we have our Cities of the Dead. Our cities of crypts and mausoleums. As it turns out, our town found out the hard way that above ground graveyards are more haunted than the caskets you can bury. Soil can bury more than secrets and the departed.

And for whatever reason, the haunts don’t happen around Halloween, when the veil is thin. Instead, the haunts happen around Mardi Gras.

Every year, just like clockwork after the flood of tourists have had their fun and spooks and they’ve retreated back to their cities and homes, we are met with our own parade. Our shutters close and our streets become deserted as we await the parade, watching behind closed curtains with thudding hearts and chills down our spines. We’ve learned the hard way to not interrupt our ancestors moment of immortality. People have gone missing, people have died, people have gone mad. Not even the bravest of the brave are foolish enough to step a toe out their doors this night. So we prepare, and we retreat on the same night every year.

When the sun goes down and the moon rises high, our graveyards come alive. The crypt doors creak open with dust and cobwebs. The lids of the tombs slide off to stick in the mud. Skeletal hands pry their bony forms from ancient burials, all converging together in parade of skeletons. They walk our streets with torches of fire, hollow eyes scanning around. We can hear their voices through the walls of our homes: singing, laughter, moans, cries, screams and wails. Such a mix match of sounds that you can’t help but be awed and terrified at the same time.

The parade of the dead lasts through the peaks of the night. Midnight will roll by, one in the morning, two, three. By four in the morning their numbers begin to disperse, retreating back to their stone tombs to sleep for another year. By sun up, they are all gone.

Our Dead Souls Parade has come to another end, to wait in silence for the coming year.

Not a single shred of evidence to their moonlit parade graces a single cemetery. They are all untouched. The only evidence we have is the sounds in our memories, the visions behind our eyes, and the ghosts of footprints in the mud.

Why doesn’t the world know this, you ask? Because the world would not believe us. Because the world would flock to the spectacle to see the dead walking and chaos would commence in its wake. Because the dead would not return to eternal sleep if they had their choice of hosts, and the dead are meant to stay dead.

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Now you can find this flash fiction work and others on my profile on Wattpad! Click here for my profile and go dive into a sea of Shards of Imagination!

Crazy Wonderland

So I’m not so much drowning and behind on a lot of things anymore. Well, sort of… Okay, that’s mostly a lie. No, I lied again. It is a lie.

I am caught up on blog hops finally, so there’s that. My desk is at least semi organized yet for the most part. But, I, well, I still haven’t written a word on Fated to Darkness.

*Sigh*

It’s starting to irk me and frustrate me. Work is starting to irk and frustrate me just as much, because it is my main reason for hating everything and having no energy or will to do anything. I really want to just take a week’s vacation or so and not have to think about work at all. Especially when the holiday madness has begun and we’ve reset three-fourths of our store in a matter of three weeks or so. Talk about a headache and a half, even more so when corporate fucks up your planograms for the set to the point you can’t even remotely go by it. That would certainly explain where my headaches are coming from lately. Maybe I’ll just pack up my bags and disappear off the grid for a week or so.

Then again, if I do that, will I still not get anything done?

Knowing me, that’s a very real possibility.

I think I just need a bigger break. There’s really no breaks to retail. You have days off, sure, but very rarely are they more than one day off in a row so it’s like…you can’t even just rest on your first day of the weekend then work the next day to catch up on what you need to. No, you either don’t rest and make yourself more exhausted because you won’t have an extra day to relax, or you do rest and fall further behind.

It’s a losing battle working in retail, and it sucks monkey balls.

Anyways, the want to write is there. The want is nagging at me and screaming inside my head like the mermaids singing of Harry Potter when they’re above water, but it’s the time and energy that is sucking away at the want.

Lately, I’ve been exploring my characters a little more within roleplays I participate in. It’s giving me a ton of ideas, and a lot of excitement to write, and it’s also bringing up rising plot bunnies like a plague. Who knew writing a mentally unstable crazy character who is an insane genius would bring so many plot bunnies around?

Now I really want to write an insane character. They are TONS of fun! But I’m just not quite sure how I could make that work into any of my novels. I’m trying though, I’m toying with ideas. I want to have a crazy character or aspect of one somewhere along my books now, quite badly too. So toying around like a puppet on strings is what I shall do to make it work.

But toying with ideas means I’m also not just writing. And I should be writing. October is almost over. I need to be writing. I have goals, badly neglected goals. I need to be writing. Just keep writing, just keep writing. *Twitches*

See? Crazy is fun!

*Shakes head*

Right then. I need to go pull my head out of Crazy Wonderland and it’s multitude of reality breaking plot bunnies and do some writing before my characters decide I’m the one who should be tortured next.

We Do Not Change (Snippet Sunday 10.16.16)

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Where writers come together to share a few sentences (8-10) of their current project — whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.

It’s the best time of the year in terms of Halloween and fall colors, and since Halloween is my favorite time of the year, for the month of October I’m going to be sharing from a new Halloween themed paranormal short story of mine. Embermyst is included in Victory Tales Press’ newest anthology release for the Halloween season, Paranormal Pleasures, which is out for sale in eBook and paperback format! It is also my first ever publication! Hooray!

This snippet skips ahead from last week’s snippet again. The girl Death had encountered is now speaking to him and he has learned what brought her to his realm. The girl, Morticia, is now explaining the why of what happened to her after the Holy Church saw fit to purge her soul of evil. Death speaks first.

Also! Coming up on October 24th, Victory Tales Press will be holding a Halloween Bash Facebook party. Some of the authors from Paranormal Pleasures and other past authors with VTP will be co-hosting the whole day with giveaways, tricks, treats, and more! One lucky trick-or-treater will even have a chance at an Amazon gift card! I will be one of the hosts at 1pm PDT (2pm MDT, 3pm CDT, and 4pm EST) and I will have a giveaway for U.S. participants, so be sure to stop by and join the spooks.

Now for the third peek at Embermyst…

(Some sentences may have been creatively edited and punctuated to try to fit the ten sentence limit. I’m over, again. Can we just agree that my snippets will always be a little longer but not too long?)

~*~*~*~

“Who accused you? Did anyone really know the truth?”

She smiled wistfully. “Not that I know of. A few might have suspected, I believe. As for who ratted me out… Who else but the town crier looking for easy recognition? There were enough strange tales about me, as it were, that it did not take much convincing of the townsfolk to accuse me. They are foolish, really. Who else will be able to cure their ailments when they are sick, and in such a timely manner? They will regret it.”

Death chuckled. “An Herbwitch seeking revenge?”

“Oh. No. Karma will give them theirs I’m quite sure. I’m not above revenge, but I’m sure there will be retribution for their acts without dirtying my hands. Sickness will bite them in the butt like winter’s late frost and then they will see the asset they lost over blind fear of working with the Devil.” She rolled her eyes, bitterness leaking into her voice.

He was beginning to respect this woman. One hand reached over and patted hers. “Fear not that you need worry about the Devil.”

“He doesn’t even exist in my beliefs.” She flicked a hand dismissively.

“Simply because he does not exist in your beliefs, does not mean he does not exist at all.”

Morticia tilted her head. “How so, Death?”

“Do you believe in me?”

“I do. You are the bridging hand that carries the spirit and soul onwards to the next life, to be reborn again with the Goddess’ awakening. You are not one to be feared, but rather respected for the heavy weight and responsibility you carry.”

He was taken aback for a moment. The odd prickling sensation wound back through his bones, practically making him squirm. “While that is quite kind of you… Do others believe in me though?”

She took a moment to think about her answer, then started slowly, “They…believe in the concept of death, of the Grim Reaper with his scythe and the ability to cut away your soul. A night stalker to be feared for where he may choose to drop you for eternity. Not many believe in death as a just God, a bridge being as I do.”

“Precisely. Then just because you do not believe Satan exists as a being or a God, does not mean he doesn’t actually exist to others as such. It is all a concept of mind over matter. Your beliefs and views shape the Gods and beings you believe in and meet. Folklore and religions have given us deities many faces, but we do not change. We are simply us. It is the believer who changes what they see and encounter in life.”

~*~*~*~

It seems Morticia is getting a lesson, and Death has gone quite deep in his explanation.

Paranormal Pleasures: 2016 Halloween Romances
Publisher: Victory Tales Press
Authors: Gerald Costlow, Barbara Miller, Daelyn Morgana (ME!), and Vicki Crum
Format: eBook and Paperback
Release Date: eBook – September 26, 2016
Paperback – October 1, 2016
Length: 59.7k words, 210 pages eBook, 174 pages print
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Short Stories
Price: $2.99 eBook, $9.95 paperback

Victory Tales Press offers four sweet to sensual stories to stir your heart and satisfy your craving for romance. Our talented storytellers dare you to enter a world where romance dwells in the most unlikely places.

Embermyst
By: Daelyn Morgana

As the God of the Afterlife, Death has grown accustomed to his dreary duty until he meets an unlikely soul: an empowered woman named Morticia. She was living with a big secret in a world full of fear before an exorcism gone wrong landed her in his realm.

Was it a twist of the Fates?

Death didn’t think so.

While she hovers between the mortal plane and the land of the dead, can he convince her of the legends of the divine, claiming she is his one perfect Mate? Or will the promise hanging around her neck cause her to return to the land of the living and the man that failed her?

BUY LINKS:
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This story is not on Wattpad due to the fact it has been published, but if you wish to read more of Embermyst, and the four other authors within Paranormal Pleasures, you can pick up a copy through Amazon, Smashwords, or Createspace today!

If you wish to read anything else that I have out for free, you can hop on over to  my profile on Wattpad and check out what I have to offer. I love to hear any and all feedback on my work as well. Comments are greatly appreciated, as are the reads. You can also find my on my Facebook author page to keep up to date with all that’s going on in my writing.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

Captive To My Mind

Do you ever get so wrapped up, so lost in a plot or storyline that you just lose focus of everything else in life? Do you ever get so wrapped up in it that you feel as if you are floating in that fantasy land even while you walk through reality? As if you are only half there to the world around you, the rest of you lost in the scenes, sounds, voices, feelings of the world you are imagining?

It’s like it holds you captive and you find yourself staring off with a clouded gaze while you watch it play through your head and listen to the voices. It invades the waking and resting hours of your day, never giving you a break. It’s all you can think about, all you can play out in your head.

It’s like when you become so engrossed in a book that you forget the world around you, and no one realizes the emotional turmoil you just suffered at the hands of a paperback fictional story.

Only this time, you’re without the book.

Does that ever happen to anyone else?

Time just suspends itself and you are trapped in the world in your head. The gatekeeper waits for you to pay the price of your sanity, or perhaps your sleep, or perhaps your focus for days before you are freed back to the land of the consciously thinking.

That has been me for at least two days now, trapped inside this fantasy as if I was caught in a trance. My gatekeeper has refused to open the gates from this land yet, despite the price of my focus, and my thoughts.

And the thing is, it isn’t even my own stories doing it this time.

*Shakes head*

Anyways, that is where I am right now. Trapped in a land that is not my own, and I’m still paying the gatekeeper to try to get out to be able to focus once more. I guess I can only hope that I am freed soon for everything around me is taking a serious hit on the productivity scale.

Then again, when doesn’t that scale take a hit in my life?

Stormy Fright (Wednesday Words 10.12.16)

Welcome to a piece of Wednesday Word’s flash fiction on Darkling Dreams!

A good friend of mine, P.T. Wyant, is doing a blog post every Wednesday called Wednesday Words with a new prompt for a bit of flash fiction writing, just to get in the habit of writing something, anything. (Even if said flash fiction is complete garbage at the time. Garbage is better than nothing though, right?) If you’re looking for some inspiration yourself or just something to aimlessly write, then go check out her blog for this week’s prompt!

With that being said, I am going to share what I came up with for this week’s flash fiction prompt based off a setting and occurrence prompt. So here is my very rough around the edges minute of inspiration based off her prompt. I’d love to hear what you guys think of it!

(Please excuse any errors you may see, I said it was rough around the edges.)

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Stormy Fright

The old house creaked and cracked in protest from the blustering gusts of October wind outside. The gusts slipped through the cracks in the weathered wood and moaned down the long, empty hallways, flickering the flames of dimmed oil lamps lining the walls. The old plantation home had been standing for over a hundred years now and its age was showing.

I lifted my skirts in one hand as I hurried up the bending stairs and down the hall, another oil lamp in my hand to help light my way. Everyone had abandoned the home and taken shelter in the cellars with the impending storm brewing overhead and I was all alone. I planned to join my family, but I couldn’t leave behind my journal should the storm bring a freight train along its path.

My journal was precious to me, it was close to my heart and I could not lose all its wrinkled and inked pages if darkness and hell bore down on our home tonight. It was special enough to me that I would risk the pounding rain and hailing winds to retrieve it.

Hurrying along as fast as I could I made it to my room and pushed the door open with my shoulders, ignoring the banging shutters against the sides of the house making my nerves jump. The curtains were fluttering from the breeze slipping in and the branches of trees were casting eerie, crooked shadows swaying across the hardwood floor.

My heart was pounding in my chest, both from adrenaline and fear, as I scanned the room for my journal. It was right where I had left it, laying upon my beside dresser with my quill and ink jar beside it.

Setting the oil lamp down on the dresser next to the door, I snatched a satchel off of an ornate chair and began gathering the essentials of my heart and soul that I could not bear to lose. My journal, full of pages of rambling, hopes, dreams, wishes, poems, and the diary of my days. A necklace or two that my mother had given to me before her death. A couple photos. Whatever I could think of I quickly gathered and put into the satchel in a frenzy.

The wind was picking up more outside, howling now through the wheat fields and trees around the manor. Hail was panging off the glass windows, and a bolt of lightning that struck the ground outside made me jump. I screamed, nearly dropping my satchel. My hands flew to cover my ears from the bang and rumble of thunder that followed the strike, lighting up my room with a camera’s flash.

With a racing heart I finished grabbing all I could not part with and bustled back to the doorway. I sent one wistful look around my room, letting me eyes rest upon my sanctuary for a second. The four poster bed with a canopy of red. The dressers adorned with my own personal touches. The paintings and drawings I could not fit into my satchel but wished I could save.

A lump began to form in my throat and tears blurred my vision, but the growing storm outside urged me forward. Turning back around I grabbed the oil lamp, flung the satchel over my shoulder, and hitched my skirts up again, about to run when I felt something latch onto my ankle.

Another scream escaped my lips and I looked down, spooked.

Clinging to my ankle was a black cat, with a tiny brown mouse held lightly in its jaws.

“Lucifer!” I exclaimed, horrified with myself that I had forgotten all about my cat, and his companion squirming around in fright. If he could have meowed without dropping the mouse I was sure he would have, but he just looked at me with those pleading golden eyes.

I bent down and scooped him up in one arm, setting everything down to open my satchel again. “Alright, alright now. Climb in Lucifer, take Gus with you. Come, come. We must hurry.”

For what I swore was the first time in his nine lives, my trickster, troublemaker cat did as told without question, scurrying into the safety of my bag with his friend. I cradled the satchel in my arm now to try to lessen the jostling I would do. Deciding my lamp would only slow me down now if I could not hitch up my skirts I blew the tiny flame out and stood, hurrying off as fast as I could in my heels, and praying I would beat the impending storm back to safety.

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Now you can find this flash fiction work and others on my profile on Wattpad! Click here for my profile and go dive into a sea of Shards of Imagination!