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Friday, October 31, 2014

Authors' Cave Halloween Blog Train - Buried Alive? The Ending!

Welcome to the Authors' Cave 
Halloween Blog Train!



Welcome Gemma Farrow, my guest host blogger!

1. Include a picture or video of yourself in a Halloween costume! Here is Gemma Farrow in a Voodoo Skull!




2. What is your favorite scary movie? Pumpkin Head





3. What scene from a book or movie scared you more than any other? A scene from The Ring (remake 2002), when the dead girl, Samara, crawls out the TV screen.


4. If all of Stephen King's bad guys were after each other, who would win and why? I would have to say Randall Flag also referred to as R.F. I choose him because he has appeared in a number of King's books, including a starring role in The Stand; he isn't always a main antagonist, but the fact he's a continuous presence reflects his enduring personality and capabilities. His powers include necromancy, prophecy and he can influence both human and animal behaviour. He seeks the destruction of civilisations. Therefore the most likely to win out of all of King's bad guys.


5. Give a Treat!  Vampiro Cocktail!


6. Provide an elevator pitch for one of your books! Thomas's girlfriend is bitten by a vampire and needs to be buried to complete the change. Will he support her or turn against her? Both choices demand a high price, but which is he willing to pay?





WHOA! If you are just starting the Halloween Train Story, click here to go to Train Car #1 for the beginning - this is the ending!


...And the Ending!


     I know my body is sedated on a hard bed, in a white room that has become more dominate upon my awareness than my long ago old life. I know I have lived a life before that, if Lord Hampshire is anything to go by, and maybe more lives preceding him. In the past week that has passed since waking to darkness with strange sensations upon me, my face invaded by something unknown and overwhelming, I have learned much about myself, and more about a future I never imagined in my past life as a woman who helped in the large kitchen of a convent. Yes, old memories have returned (though they are fractured, missing parts I yearn to know), sometimes with an intensity that is overpowering in their nostalgia.
     I remember my sister, Mary; her fragile smile.
     I remember Carson’s cruelty.
     I remember grief . . . and rage.
     I know these doctors with their strange new titles, such as psychologist, have placed medication in me, something like laudanum but so much stronger that my body (this new body) shows no consciousness. It sleeps as if for forever. And for a while, the real me; the soul these doctors brought back from the place where spirits belong, seemed to sleep too. I was grateful. There was no longer the sense of being pinned in an unknown world, captured inside a body that wasn't mine, and most terrible of all, being so with the monster who murdered my sister.
     Lord Hampshire, I think I can bear. But Carson . . .
     Then my spirit awoke, while my body remained passive. More strangeness, this inability to move at all, but yet within I am fluid, able to think and consider and suffer the nagging sense that I should be expecting something.
     These people put me to sleep for a reason.
     They did so because I could not deal with the spiritual conflict, not just the fight between Carson Barlow and Lord Hampshire, but the emotions I felt towards Carson Barlow. My hatred was untethering me, just as much as the two combating men were undoing my spiritual . . . core?
     It’s strange, the new words I am capable of attaining. I was a humble, hard-working woman. My intelligence as expected for a woman of my past time. Now, as I consider what it is I should be preparing for, I realize my intelligence is beyond anything I have known. I suspect it might even overshadow the good doctors.
     I scream.
     My spirit screams.
     Though my body does not move, I clench spiritually, hands, stomach; my toes curl as pain lances through me. Then heat follows. Then a cold that is reminiscent of the grave.
     We’ll start the extraction in one hour . . .
     As the pain passes it leaves me with this unsettling phrase.
     I focus on the word extraction. I think of rotten teeth being pulled. My old doctor, when he dealt with my abscess ruined tooth, had used such a word.
     Panic flutters to life.
     Another flare of pain, this time seeming to tug my spirit inward, as if encouraging a collapse. No, no, no . . .
     Extraction.
     Rot.
     Carson Barlow.
     They, the doctors, are trying to remove him from my body.
     A part of me exalts, but another part that which is fixated on the pain, is hit with terror.
     They are prising Carson, like one would a leach, from me, and in doing so my spirit is being pulled with him.
     And Lord Hampshire?
     No sense of him. No sense of Carson Barlow. Just this terrible pressure, the tugging, the cold and the fear.
     I root in, holding fast to the sense of me. My body, imagining it as it lies still and silent. I picture the white room. The doctors.
     Dimly, as if he is trying to distract me, hoping to redirect my attention to the vortex pull of disconnection, Carson Barlow starts to heckle. He abuses both me and the doctors.
     “No. Bitches. No. I’ll kill every one . . . of you. I . . . will—”
     I smile grimly as he screams.
     “You will have no body, Carson. No life. As you took my . . . sister’s life and stole her future, now the future takes . . . yours.” I laugh. I groan as the inexorable tug forces me to weaken my hold on myself.
     No.
     Doctor, she’s showing signs of stress . .
     That’s to be expected. Increase the pressure.

     “Miss Wade? Miss Wade? You must hold on. If you fail now, we will both die.”
     Lord Hampshire’s voice is like fuel to my lagging spirit. I imagine digging my feet into the ground, the way a person being pulled from behind will do to resist complying. I imagine holding onto a solid, immovable surface. And most of all I imagine Carson Barlow as a weak, dissolving irritant. I visualize him snapping free like a twig beneath a great storm.
     He screeches, the sensation of nails claw my psyche.
     I moan, begging the discomfort to be over . . .
     Dizziness washes in.
     The last thing I hear is Lord Hampshire’s voice, “We’re rid of the animal.”
   
  Mary smiles at me. Then she says, “Live well, Virginia. Live well.”
     I wake with a start.
     I stare at the ceiling. It’s white. I am grateful for that whiteness because at least it isn't darkness.
     “Finally, you’re awake. You don’t know how pleased I am. You’re a strong soul, Miss Wade. Truly. How do you feel?” Dr Moore says. She sits by my bed, brown eyes taking in everything my face offers.
     “I feel exhausted. Am I well?”
     “You’re more than well. You are unique. And this success is as much down to you as it is to this institute’s research.” She leans forward, holding that odd contraption she calls 
a . . . clipboard. Writing notes. Dr Moore always writing notes. “Can I ask you something?”
     And asking questions.
     I sigh, the good feeling I felt during my dream of my sister, fading a little. “Yes.”
     “Is there any awareness of the negative personality?”
     “No. Nothing. I felt him break free.”
     She nods. “What about other personalities? Our procedure was focused to his astral wavelength but as with any new trial, you were equally at risk. At the end of the day, energy is energy, and the extraction process targets energy. But, hopefully, the other consciousness present—” she checked her clipboard “—Lord Hampshire may have been . . . evicted too?”
     I was about to tell her what I’d experienced in the final moments of the extraction; Lord Hampshire’s supportive urging and declaration that Carson Barlow was done with, when he said in urgency: “Miss Wade, refrain from telling her those details. It would be best if we kept something back, do you not think? We are still at a great disadvantage, and in a strange time. As much as I detest being imprisoned in a female’s body, (and we, too, have our own relationship to contend with), you and I are for all intents and purposes unexpected allies—”
     “Miss Wade? Is Lord Hampshire still present?” Dr Moore’s eyes are filled with a look that though brief, stirs coldness in me.
     I give myself a little shake. I smile. “No. I believe he is gone, too.” I nod to reaffirm. “There is only me, Dr Moore.”
     She smiles. “Wonderful.” She claps her hands together. “There is so much you will come to understand, to experience. Miss Wade you are our prize.”
     “We are her prisoner, Miss Wade.” Lord Hampshire says. “It is a very unhappy situation for someone of my standing to be imprisoned by not one, but two females.”
     Lord Hampshire, I say mentally, we, too, will play this new game. We will learn all that we can, and then we will make our escape.
     And then? He replies, dubious.
     And then we will live well, because despite everything, we have been given life. And life is to be lived.
     Dr Moore continues to hold a satisfied smile.
     I smile in return, thinking that I have learned much, and can learn more. And the one important thing I have gained, as much as I hate to acknowledge it, is from Carson Barlow. He might have left, but there remains the memory of him, the shadow of his thoughts. I have put them inside a mental box.
     I feel that this new world may be more challenging than my old one.
     And what minds like Carson Barlow’s can give, I need to keep.
     And Lord Hampshire senses this change in me, because he does not contend me any further.

The End


-Ginger

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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Authors' Cave Halloween Blog Train - "Buried Alive?" Part 1


Welcome to the Authors' Cave 
Halloween Blog Train!



1. Include a picture or video of yourself in a Halloween costume! We have a tight group of friends and actually call ourselves "The Village" because it takes a village people! Why not dress as the Village People for Halloween! I am the biker chic!




2. What is your favorite scary movie? Nightmare on Elm Street! My all time favorite villain was Freddy Krueger - yes it's probably Johnny Depp's fault because I couldn't get enough of him back then either! Here is the sad, sad good-bye to Glen! 




3. What scene from a book or movie scared you more than any other? Michael Myers lurking the dark halls of the hospital to get to Jaime Lee Curtis in Halloween 2 has traumatized me my whole life! Glad I'll be facing my fears at Universal's Halloween Horror Nights this Halloween in the Michael Myers house!


4. If all of Stephen King's bad guys were after each other, who would win and why? The vamps from Salem's Lot are faster than any humans and can fly, so they would take out Cujo, Carrie, Jack Torrance, all the people left in The Stand, Andy DuFresne, etc.. but that little Charlie McGee, first of all appears harmless, so the others would not bother with her, but the vamps that did come for her, she'd torch in mid air! Firestarter was the first Stephen King novel I ever read and still my favorite - but I haven't read The Shining yet! One year later... I still haven't read The Shining yet! Ahhhhh!





5. Give a Treat!  Glow in the dark drinks!






6. Provide an elevator pitch for one of your books! I wanted to know what happened to cause the 13 Districts and led to the Rebellion. Claudia Sheeplord and the Dark Days will change how you think about the Games!






AND NOW FOR YOUR TREAT!

These 11 brave souls from all over the world took on the challenge to join the Halloween Story Train!

Click to view their Premium Profiles!




They were given a beginning of a story and each writer passed the torch to the next train car (blog) to continue the story. We had no idea where it would go or how it would turn out, but it's a great story and you will never guess what happens next!

Follow the train to see how the story goes and to get to know some new authors!


Buried Alive?

I open my eyes and nothing changes. It's pitch black. I go to sit up and hit my head on something above me.

What? Where the...I put my hands up and they are stopped only inches from my face. Something is closing me in.

I swallow hard. Think. Think. What is the last thing I can remember?






-Ginger

p.s. If you enjoyed this post, please click the g+1 button below here or reshare so that others may enjoy it too. Authors' Cave celebrates Halloween for the commercial spirit and there is no relation with beliefs or non-beliefs about any pagan or other traditions.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Book Review The Guardian of Secrets: And Her Deathly Pact

GINGER'S SPICE
Flavored Reviews 
by Ginger Gelsheimer

The Guardian of Secrets: And Her Deathly Pact
by Jana Petken



Click here to purchase The Guardian of Secrets: And Her Deathly Pact!









5 Stars!!!

Incredible Epic Tale Full of Rich History!


Brief synopsis: First I have to say, please do not let the 700+ pages scare you. It never once felt like I was trudging through to get to the end. Every page kept me turning and the story is so beautifully and elegantly written. It drew me in from the start and surprisingly continued to get better and better as I went along with a wonderful surprise at the end.

The story begins with the storytelling of Maria Martinez-Bons, daughter to Celia Merrill. She is strong, even on her deathbed and wants to make sure someone special in the family knows the truth of the family history-but not everyone.

Spanning nearly a century between 1912-2010, the epic tale takes you through four generations of history, war, love and heartache. Not to mention probably the most evil villain I've ever read. If I could get my hands around Joseph Dobbs's throat, I strangle him myself! Can't give any spoilers, but he will make your blood boil for sure!

Characters: Sometimes the best characters are the ones that we hate the most. Ms. Petken did an amazing job of making the reader feel like they might actually be able to commit murder because I know I wanted to kill that ba@$ard! With four generations to cover, she did an amazing job developing each and every one of them. I cared about all of them as they spread out in their various lives, dealing with the Spanish Civil War, each in their own way. She didn't leave any strings untied or make me feel like any of them were abandoned for the others. I cared about all of them and sat on the edge of my seat as I turned the pages, wondering if they were going to live or die. NO SPOILERS!

Originality: I have to give this 5 stars on originality! I never learned anything about the Spanish Civil War in school and the fiction that she intertwined with it was so engaging. I can't believe all of this was going on as Hitler was getting ready to cause the most devastating event in history (in my opinion). The twists wound like a rope through the entire novel. No one was safe...

Recommendations: This has to go with coffee for a couple of reasons. 1) you will need it to stay away so you can keep reading 2) because Maria and Carlos meet at the coffee shop and it's their only getaway from the devastating war around them 3) food was scarce! I highly recommend to anyone who like to be completely absorbed into another world and then wake up and thank their lucky stars that this isn't their own life!

-Ginger

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Friday, October 3, 2014

My Tribute to Steven Spielberg!





Here's a fun video I did for my Goodread's Interview with Jaideep. One of my interview questions was "If you could live one day in the life of someone who would that be?" Click here to view the whole interview at Pebble in Still Waters! 




All for now!

-GInger

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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Authors' Cave Ezine - 1st Edition!


Welcome to the first edition of the Authors' Cave Ezine!


Download it to view later.

We've been working hard to bring you resources that are fun and informative to help you with your self publishing needs! Take a look inside! Find out which 4 books will be featured in the Authors' Cave Book Club this month, where the Blog Train is going, which books are FREE and $0.99 and more!


If you would like to receive the monthly Authors' Cave Ezine 
sign up as a General or Premium Member here

-Ginger

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Authors' Cave Halloween Blog Train! Oct. 30-31!



Authors' Cave will host its quarterly blog train on October 30-31! The theme will relate to Halloween.

Halloween Blog Train format - Each train car (blogger) should include this spooky train image and answer these questions. You don't have to answer them all if you really don't like one, but try. Participation in the Story Train at the end is required.

1. Include a picture or video of yourself in a Halloween costume (it can be from the past) 

2. What is your favorite scary movie? You can include a video clip if you like of your favorite part from that movie...like this.





3. What scene from a book or movie scared you more than any other? 

4. If all of Stephen King's bad guys were after each other, who would win and why?

5. Give a Treat! Provide a link to a Halloween treat or beverage recipe. A photo is nice too, if you want.


6. Provide the cover, link and 2 or 3 sentence elevator pitch for the book or series (of your own) you would like to feature in your blog car.


And....

We will give each member who participates in the blog train a specific order for their car in the train. Car #1 will start with one of the three story beginnings below. Car #2 will start the story where car #1 left off. Each car will follow in the same manner. Each car should only feature two or three paragraphs of the story. The idea is to try to get people to follow the entire train to read all of the story. Each car will have a link just above the story that should say, 'If you are just beginning the story, please click this link to go to the beginning at Car #1.' Each story will be followed with a link that says, 'To continue the story, click here' and that will take the reader to the next car.


We will cut off the sign up for the Halloween Train on Oct. 25 and will let the person know at that time that will be the last car and create the ending.

You guys will get to vote for which of the following story beginnings we will start the train with.

The voting has now closed and the winner is "Buried Alive?"...

WINNER

I open my eyes and nothing changes. It's pitch black. I go to sit up and hit my head on something above me.

What? Where the...I put my hands up and they are stopped only inches from my face. Something is closing me in.

I swallow hard. Think. Think. What is the last thing I can remember?





for more details and to sign up to host a car or purchase a ticket to ride!


-Ginger

p.s. If you enjoyed this post, please click the g+1 button below here or reshare so that others may enjoy it too. Authors' Cave celebrates Halloween for the commercial spirit and there is no relation with beliefs or non-beliefs about any pagan or other traditions.