Weekend Dirty Dozen: The Witch and the Wolf

This is my first foray into the weekend dirty dozen. After you're finished reading what I posted here, be sure to check out the other author's at the Weekend Dirty Dozen and please take a moment to 'like' them on Facebook.

This brief exchange comes from my novella, The Witch and the Wolf.

“What are we to do with her?” Amery asked, after waiting for North to join him in the hallway. North placed his finger to his lips, issuing an order for silence, then waved him farther down the hall away from the room where they had just left their guest.

“Bloody hell,” North grunted, running his hand through his hair pulling savagely at the black strands. “This could not have come at a worse time.”

“You’re not jesting, my lord,” Amery said. “The full moon is tomorrow night. This storm is likely to shut us indoors. There won’t be any way for us to ship her off to the village before nightfall. It would be inhumane to send her out in weather like this.”

“It would be inhumane to keep her here!” North whispered, savagely, his eyes wild with dismay.

Blurb:
Lord Jeremy North's curse is to become a werewolf during every full moon, turning into a bloodthirsty monster that kills with no remorse. When he finds a woman nearly frozen upon his doorstep, his sense of honor compels him to help her, even at the risk he might kill her himself.

Lillian Merriweather hadn't planned to get caught in a blizzard while traveling the English countryside. Nor had she planned on finding refuge in a house full of secrets. But Lillian has secrets of her own. And what she's running from is not far behind...

To buy:
The Wild Rose Press
Amazon

November Writing

And so another year of NaNoWriMo begins! If you're a writer, you most likely have heard of National Novel Writing Month that takes place every November since 1999. The goal is to write 50,000 words from scratch within 30 days. That breaks down to about 1666 words a day. It's a great challenge to undertake with thousands of other supportive writers to help see you through to the end.

I've known of this challenge since around 2004 or so. I didn't join in until 3 years ago. I doubted my ability to focus on such a large word count within one month, especially while working retail during one of the busiest times of the year. Remember, Black Friday occurs in November!! I really wish they would have picked another month...maybe April. Really what else happens in April? Other than April showers, keeping us indoors anyway?

But three years ago, I joined with 2 other co-workers who were taking up the challenge, too. I figured, if they thought they could do it, so could I! And you know what? I did it!! I finished that 50,000 word novel. And this year, I plan to do it again.

And if I can do it, so can you! If anyone would like to become my writing buddy, my name is listed as Tricia Schneider. I welcome you to join me in this challenge. And though I've had a slow start to it yesterday, I'm determined to reach that word count goal. Good luck!

A Visit to the ESP Realm

I hope everyone enjoyed a happy and safe Halloween last night! Did you get tricks or treats this year? Well, Halloween may be over, but that doesn't mean I'll stop reading and writing about things that go bump in the night. To a paranormal lover, it feels like Halloween all year long!

That's why I wanted to share this with you. I guest blogged yesterday at ESP: Exploring the Supernatural and Paranormal. All paranormal lovers should really check them out. Not only do they blog about anything under the dark of the supernatural moon, but they investigate the paranormal, teach classes and lectures, even make films about it!

I added my little piece on Ancient Vampires, so I hope you'll please check it out! It was fun, though a bit difficult for me to write. I have so much information on vampires, and so much that I want to say on the subject that I could write a book of my own. In fact, maybe one day I'll do just that! But, for now, I'm content to dwell in the lives of my fictional characters, where a happily-ever-after is guaranteed. At least, until I try my pen on that urban fantasy novel that's been growing in my head!

SPOOK-A-LICIOUS: WHERE BOO-KS DEVOUR YOU BLOG HOP TOUR (OCT 17-24)

1) HAVE FUN!!!

2) INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!

3) THIS TOUR STARTS: Monday, October 17, at Midnight (Arizona Time)
    THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, October 24, at Midnight (Arizona Time)
    Winners will be drawn and posted October 25th! ***

4) MEET AND MINGLE WITH ALL THE AUTHORS & BOOK PAGES! EXPERIENCE A NEW DESTINATION AT EVERY STOP! PARTICIPATE IN EVERY BLOG CONTEST AND BE ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN MULTIPLE PRIZES! EVERY BLOG VISITED IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WIN!!

5) PARTICIPATION AT ALL BLOGS IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. REMEMBER, THE MORE BLOGS YOU HOP, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES. EVERY AUTHOR & BOOK PAGE IS WAITING TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOU, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO SHOW THEM SOME LOVE!

6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN? WHOO! HOO!! HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO!***Authors & Book Pages have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this blog hop tour is subject to these rules***

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year! Ghouls, witches, goblins, ghosts, vampires and werewolves galore. You name the monster or paranormal creature, betcha it shows up around Halloween! This last weekend my husband carved our pumpkin. What do ya think? Pretty ghoulish, isn't it? The kids love it! My second son just celebrated his 4th birthday on Sunday, so he was pleased to have the pumpkin as part of his Halloween Birthday Party. He also had a green and black googly eyeball birthday cake (his idea, not mine!). 

 Dressing up for Halloween is always great fun! Here my husband and I are on our way to a costume party, the entertainment being the band he plays in as singer and bass player, called Mystagen. I love their music!

And, of course, as a paranormal romance author, I love reading spooky stories, especially during this time of year. I love curling up on the couch with a steaming mug of hot apple cider, watching the wind blow colored leaves across the yard while I read a spooky novel that makes the hair on the back of my neck rise and my heart pound from fear and suspense. Lucky for us, there are plenty of great stories to read! 

Here's a quick look at two of my favorites...(okay, you got me, they're both written by moi...but I still think they're quite good!):

Lord Jeremy North's curse is to become a werewolf during every full moon, turning into a bloodthirsty monster that kills with no remorse. When he finds a woman nearly frozen upon his doorstep, his sense of honor compels him to help her, even at the risk he might kill her himself.

Lillian Merriweather hadn't planned to get caught in a blizzard while traveling the English countryside. Nor had she planned on finding refuge in a house full of secrets. But Lillian has secrets of her own. And what she's running from is not far behind...

To read an excerpt or purchase click here.

Melora Merriweather is searching for a fellow witch to protect her from a scheming uncle with plans of marriage. When her carriage overturns on her journey, she is rescued by a mysterious man whom she learns is the very person she seeks. But, he's not the witch she thought he was...


Sebastian Collins should have left for London days ago. Now a snowstorm has trapped him with a woman who has come seeking protection, a woman who intrigues him like no other. And with each passing hour, his hunger for her grows...hunger for her kiss, her caress, and her blood.

To read an excerpt or purchase click here.

Contest:

First Prize: A .pdf copy of my e-book novella, The Witch and the Vampire.

Second Prize: One set of one-of-a-kind handcrafted earrings designed by Michele Nelson owner and creator of Lady Dragonfly Gifts.

To enter: Simply follow my blog and leave a comment or answer this question: What spooky book do you like to read? Any genre, any title, any author...I love to hear what other people recommend since I'm always on the look out for a really great book!

Winners will be selected using random.org. 

Be sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win! Winners will be chosen on October 25th. Good luck!

Also, I invite you to visit me on Facebook, Twitter and GoodReads where I post information on my current and upcoming releases! If you'd like to purchase my books, visit my publisher The Wild Rose Press..

 
Be sure to visit Lady Dragonfly Gifts for beautiful homemade jewelry (remember the holidays are right around the corner!) and check out her photographs that you can purchase at Lady Dragonfly Photography.


Thanks so much for visiting!

Don't forget to visit the other wonderful blogs on the Spook-a-licious Blog Hop Tour for chances to win more prizes. Remember, the more you enter, the more chances you have to win! Happy Halloween!

Dear Mr. Splitfoot...

 The birth of Spiritualism (the belief that spirits of the dead are able to communicate with the living) began March 31, 1848 at the home of the Fox sisters in Hydesville, New York. Margaretta and Catherine, also called Maggie and Kate, ages 15 and 12, moved into a house in Arcadia township in Wayne County on December 11, 1847 with their parents, John David Fox and Margaret Smith Fox. The prior residents reported they believed the house to be haunted but nothing strange occurred until the rapping began in March. Mrs. Fox held no beliefs of the supernatural. She and her husband reasoned there must be a logical cause to the noises and searched the house trying to discover the source of the knocks and rapping that were beginning to disturb their sleep at night. The noises continued while they searched. Though they found nothing to explain the strange noises, they felt the vibrations of the rapping on the floor and bed. This continued for two weeks when the girls, who shared the same bedroom as their parents, tried to make similar sounds by snapping their fingers. At each snap from Kate’s fingers, the strange rapping noise occurred again. She and her sister repeated this several times until Maggie asked the noise to “Do as I do.” She clapped her hands four times and the rapping responded four times.

Mrs. Fox then asked it to count to ten and the rapping responded ten times. She asked it to tell her the ages of her children and it did so correctly. She asked if it was a human being making the noises and silence followed. When she asked if it was a spirit making the noise, the rapping sounded. Mrs. Fox continued with a series of questions followed by knocks or silence. In doing so, she ascertained that the spirit was that of a 31 year-old peddler who had come to the house and been murdered. His body was buried in their cellar.

Mr. Fox was soon dispatched to collect Mrs. Redfield, their next door neighbor. After explaining about the noises and responses, Mrs. Redfield accompanied him back to his home where she at first suspected them to be playing a prank. Soon she was convinced that something strange was going on and sent for her husband. Shortly after, several of their neighbors visited the home, each witnessing the eerie knocks and rapping in response to the questions asked. They searched the house, looking for any reasonable explanation for the noises but could find none. The girls referred to the spirit as “Mr. Splitfoot”, a common synonym for the devil. After a long and complicated interrogation involving the use of the alphabet to spell out words for communication, the spirit revealed himself as a man named Charles B. Rosma. Two days later, Mr. Fox and his neighbors began to dig the floor in the cellar to search for the buried remains of the peddler. They dug until water halted their efforts. No record of Charles B. Rosma was ever found, but later, in 1904, a human skeleton was discovered buried in the walls of the cellar.

In April 1848, an attorney named E.E. Lewis took the personal testimonies of those members involved and published the accounts in a pamphlet called A Report of theMysterious Noises, Heard in the House of John D. Fox. When news of the ‘Hydesville Rappings’ reached Maggie and Kate’s elder sister, Mrs. Leah Fox Fish, she saw an opportunity to capitalize on the fame of her sisters. Leah’s husband had recently abandoned her and their daughter and she was in desperate need of way to support herself. She became Maggie and Kate’s manager of sorts, leading them to perform séances, meetings and stage performances where they talked to the spirits of the dead. For several years, they travelled and performed their mediumistic talents for both believers and non-believers. And in massive numbers, people flocked to see them. Knowledge of the sisters spread and with them the Spiritualist movement spread far and wide. Other mediums were discovered to have abilities to speak with the spirits and began to perform.  By 1855 Spiritualism claimed 2 million followers. The séances they performed went beyond the loud rapping from the Fox sister’s childhood home. Tables elevated out of reach, people were touched by unseen hands, objects moved unassisted within the room. Many skeptics charged the Fox sisters with fraud, claiming they cracked their toes, ankles and knees joints, or they used ventriloquism and other mechanical devices. They willingly allowed committee after committee to perform lengthy investigations with numerous tests on them, but no trickery was ever discovered.

 After falling in love with an arctic explorer named Elisha Kent Kane, Maggie abandoned her medium duties. However, their families did not approve of the match. Although they exchanged private vows they were never officially married. Tragedy struck on a voyage to England in 1857, when Kane took ill and died soon after. Maggie was left broken-hearted and almost penniless. She was forced to go back to performing her medium talents on stage for her living. The sisters were growing weary of the grueling performance schedules and celebrity status. Maggie turned to alcohol as her health and mental state began to decline.

Kate also began drinking which proved detrimental to her performances on stage. In 1871, she traveled to England to perform for the British Spiritualists. A year later she married a barrister named Henry Dietrich Jencken with whom she bore two sons, Ferdinand and Henry, Jr. She lived happily in England with her family, only attending a few private séances a year until 1881 when her husband suffered a stroke and died three days later. Kate returned to New York with her boys. With her husband gone, she succumbed to alcohol once again and was arrested in 1888 for drunkenness and neglecting her children. The boys were taken from her and placed in the Juvenile Asylum until Maggie arranged for their custody to be placed in their Uncle Edward’s care, Henry’s brother.

The ‘death-blow’ to Spiritualism occurred on October 21, 1888 when Maggie made an appearance on the stage of the New York Academy of Music. After years of loneliness, grief and alcohol abuse Maggie chose to confess to the world that Spiritualism was a sham. She admitted that she and her sister, Kate, had misled the world by creating the noises of the rapping and knocks by the simple cracking of their toes. What started out as a simple prank escalated to national acclaim. She also stated that her elder sister, Leah, had forced them to perform as mediums for the public. A year later, however, Maggie recanted her confession. Some suspect the confession itself was the sham. Maggie and Kate believed Leah had been behind the reports of child neglect that resulted in the seizure of Kate’s children. Their sister Leah had profited greatly from their early years of séances and stage performances and had married a wealthy businessman, Daniel Underhill. They wished to embarrass and discredit Leah since she continued her success with published books on Spiritualism. Maggie and Kate’s financial decline might have also prompted them to accept payment from an anti-Spiritualist group who wished for the sisters to denounce the new religion.

Although many critics applauded that they were right all along, there were enough Spiritualist believers to keep the movement going strong until the early 20^th century. Even today there is still a strong belief for many in the ability for humans to communicate in some manner with the spirits.

Kate Fox died in July 1892 from alcoholism. Maggie Fox died at a friend’s house in Brooklyn, March 1893. She was penniless at the time of her death. They were both buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Six Sentence Sunday

This week I'm posting a piece from my current work-in-progress, The Brides of Hawthorne Hall. It's a gothic romance set during the Regency era. In this scene the heroine's cousin, Lizzie, is planning to play the pianoforte for their guest, Colonel Hawthorne. Here goes:

 “I’m getting the impression that she’s not very keen to play,” Colonel Hawthorne whispered to me after Uncle Beecham thought to lend assistance to the matter of his rebellious daughter. 

I leaned over to watch the trio.  I caught snatches of dialogue and discovered that Lizzie feared not playing, but she wished to play Mozart and her mother insisted she play Bach.  I couldn’t imagine her playing either without their guest running from the room, clutching his ears in agony.

I leaned back in my seat and forced a smile for their poor victim.  “I’m sure she’s just being modest.”

 

****

Want more Six Sentence Sunday fun? Check out the official website for a list of other participating authors or search #sixsunday on Twitter.

 

Six Sentence Sunday

Another week of Six Sentence Sunday fun!

Set up: Lord Jeremy North and his servant, Amery are discussing the methods of how to kill a werewolf, a condition in which Lord North suffers. Amery starts:   

 

“But, we don’t know if silver bullets work. We haven’t tried that, yet.”

“Through the heart should do, I think. Quick and clean, as may be.”

“Silver or lead, what difference does it make if there’s a hole in your heart? Any bullet through the heart might do." 

To purchase: 

The Wild Rose Press

****

Want more Six Sentence Sunday fun? Check out the official website for a list of other participating authors or search #sixsunday on Twitter.

 

AUTUMN HARVEST: FALL BETWEEN THE PAGES BLOG HOP TOUR (SEPT 19-26)

OFFICIAL LINKY LIST

1) HAVE FUN!!!

2) INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!

3) THIS TOUR STARTS: Monday, September 19, at Midnight (Arizona Time)
    THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, September 26, at Midnight (Arizona Time)
    Winners will be drawn and posted September 27th! ***

4) MEET AND MINGLE WITH ALL THE AUTHORS & BOOK PAGES! EXPERIENCE A NEW DESTINATION AT EVERY STOP! PARTICIPATE IN EVERY BLOG CONTEST AND BE ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN MULTIPLE PRIZES! EVERY BLOG VISITED IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WIN!!

5) PARTICIPATION AT ALL BLOGS IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. REMEMBER, THE MORE BLOGS YOU HOP, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES. EVERY AUTHOR & BOOK PAGE IS WAITING TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOU, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO SHOW THEM SOME LOVE!

6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN? WHOO! HOO!! HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO! 

***Authors & Book Pages have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this blog hop tour is subject to these rules***

Fall is a wonderful, nostalgic time of year. The simmering heat of the last few months begins to fade away, and we're greeted by the brisk cool air carrying the scents of autumn. The dark greens of summer transform into brilliant shades of yellows, reds, and oranges. The school year begins and suddenly I find my house has grown a bit more quiet and subdued during the day. I have more opportunities to write, read, and clean my house. Suddenly, my summer-long house of chaos becomes a bit more organized and orderly (well, at least, until the winter holidays arrive!). 

My daily walks begin to shorten, but as I travel along the path of fallen leaves I can almost taste the hot apple cider my husband has waiting for me on those chilly days. The urge to bake also hits me at this time of year. I start flipping through my recipes looking for new types of cookies, cakes and breads to bake. Anything with apples and pumpkin alert my taste-buds, as well as chocolate, but that really goes without saying!

The second round of birthdays in my family begins in September and runs until Thanksgiving, including two of my children, my husband and other family members. My children attend a steady stream of fall festivals, hayrides, corn mazes and at every opportunity they can be found jumping into piles of fallen leaves with the joyous sound of laughter and silly giggles.That in itself is enough to bring a smile to my heart. 

These are a few of my favorite things about Autumn. So, now I ask you: What is your favorite part of Autumn? What do you look forward to at this time of year?

Contest:
To win one set of one-of-a-kind handcrafted earrings designed by Michele Nelson owner and creator of Lady Dragonfly Gifts, simply follow my blog and answer one of the above questions on this post. One winner will be selected using random.org. Be sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win! The winner will be chosen on September 27th. Good luck!

Also, be sure to visit me on Facebook, Twitter and GoodReads where I post information on my current and upcoming releases! If you'd like to purchase my books, visit my publisher The Wild Rose Press.

 
Be sure to visit Lady Dragonfly Gifts for beautiful homemade jewelry (remember the holidays are right around the corner!) and check out her photographs that you can purchase at Lady Dragonfly Photography.


Thanks so much for visiting!

Six Sentence Sunday

This is my first post participating with Six Sentence Sunday. I've been following this weekly event for a while now and I'm excited to finally be a part of it. Here we go!

Set-up: This is a snippet of conversation caught between the main character, Lord Jeremy North and his servant, Amery, discussing the curse that afflicts Lord North.

"I was not born a werewolf. I was not bitten, at least, not that I can remember. I am cursed. There, I’ve said it. You may now run to fetch the masses. You cannot allow such a creature to exist among women and children and innocent men."

***


To Purchase The Witch and the Wolf

Want more Six Sentence Sunday fun? Check out the official website for a list of other participating authors or search #sixsunday on Twitter.

September Days

What a busy month September is turning out to be! My son started school and is loving it! His favorite part is that he finally gets to ride on the bus! lol And my youngest is turning 1! In fact, my little angel's birthday is TODAY! It's difficult to believe this year has gone by so fast. Wasn't I just pregnant and heading to the hospital? Now, she's walking, talking and is my family's little boss running around and pointing at her brothers saying "Bad!" Well, she knows them best!

As I'm typing this, she's grabbed my keys from the side table and is waving to me. "Bye-bye!" I don't know where she thinks she's going, but I'm having this flash forward feeling of her when she's sixteen with the keys to the car. Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves! 

Today, I'm over at the Black Rose Blog discussing characters with the other authors from the darker side of the garden. And, talking about characters, I have to go chase after my daughter. She's got my shoes and is heading towards my handbag. Like mother, like daughter, I guess!