A Rose of Two Freebies

Hello, one and all. As always, thanks for stopping by.

For us, the lovers of the paranormal, fate is preferably manifested supernaturally. That's because for us, fate being embodied in an otherworldly way brings a sense of excitement, mystery and importance to life.

However, those who believe that fate is real also trust that it takes place in even those things we consider mundane.

Like what?

Every day life.

In celebration of short story month, I would like to bring you something old and something new. In both, we will find an exhibition of fate as experienced by the characters in the interpersonal enigma that is life. Join me?

First: The Old

Blurb:

Martina Foxworthy only knew one thing for sure in her life ... the Log Cabin.
It was her family's tradition to visit the Log Cabin every year, and every new year was a repeat of the last. Nothing ever changed at the Cabin, Martina's family liked it that way.
But Martina, not so much.
One day, when a fly ball comes out of nowhere and crashes through her bedroom window Martina realizes that there is a lot more to life; the Log Cabin was just the thread that kept it together.

Years pass far too fast. This is something that Martina Foxworthy knows all too well. Sitting in her favorite chair, in her favorite place, Martina recollects her life's journey.

Excerpt

"The spring of her eighteenth birthday, Martina felt like a misfit just as she had her entire life. She’d been told that said feeling would change when she got older. Well, she was older now and nothing had changed. She was, for all intended purposes, now an adult. Eighteen; she could vote, smoke, buy alcohol—although not consume it—even go into a bar if she so desired. And yet, that profuse and innate sensation of not fitting in had become such an all-consuming part of her life that Martina didn’t know how not to feel it. Every spring, during the Easter Holiday, Martina and her kin took a two-week hiatus in the family log cabin, purchased an umpteenth million years ago by her great grandfather Martin Foxworthy the Second.

If anyone ever wondered how she’d gotten her name, all they had to do was look at the family tree. Her father was Martin Foxworthy who was the fifth in his bloodline. And, since he’d not spawned a son first but a daughter, Martin added an A to the end of the name and blessed their female child with a name that no one would ever want."

I love this story though I don't speak of it much. "Martina's Memories" embodies fate in a relatable way. I feel like most of us could relate to her life trajectory, to her ups and downs, and to her ultimate destiny.
Here, in this "old" story, we can see kismet at work through a seemingly banal existence. That is until the bigger picture is revealed.

Lastly, The New

Blurb:

In the famous words of Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” For Angelo, life is like a slice of pizza; juicy, delicious and worth the wait. For Sandalphon, life is an unending cycle of sameness. That is, until she meets Angelo. From staircase to stairway to heaven, Sandalphon has an Angelic Epiphany.

Excerpt

"Angelo Esposito sat on the right-hand side of the front porch steps, fourth step up, people watching. On an overcast day, the clouds created a particular shadowy pattern across the passersby faces making them look mechanical. Things like this always entertained Angelo, he never seemed to get enough. Most of the people who strode through the streets were enthralled in their respective cell phones. The rest looked angry at life; emotionless and half-alive. Except maybe for the bum at the street corner who on any given day would assume the job of heralding government conspiracies, or dance for dollars. It all depended on the day.

Sitting on the old and tattered, historically profound New York porch step, Angelo was perfectly comfortable. Entertained and amused; a people watcher at his core. He couldn’t help but think how the persons that walked past were missing out on the knowledge of the rich culture of the avenues which they treaded. Every inch of the firmament, replete with history, depth, despair, glee and the essence of lives now gone.

Being brainwashed by technology has that effect on people. They miss the enriching simplicities of life. The little things that made life worth living like the kids jumping rope, the hum of a busy city street, the scent of pizza in the air. There was nothing like it. Angelo always felt like life was best enjoyed when appreciating small wonders."

This story has become my newest favorite for two reasons. First, it is connected to my Fate's Endeavor Series. Second, it's heartwarming, relatable and supernatural. An "All-In-One Punch" if you will.

In this story, serendipity meets destiny. It feels as though the Universe has planned something accidentally-on-purpose and at the end of the day the one who learns the lesson is not the human but the angel.

It is my pleasure to be able to offer these to everyone for free. You can get them in PDF, ePub or Mobi by clicking the link below. No strings attached! Go grab your copies and enjoy the manifestation of providence. 😊

Its a Fate's Endeavor Blog Tour

Hey there y'all!

So, today I am helping spread the word about "Demoness Enchanted" by C. Desert Rose. In the attempt to help out, I asked Rose to tell me a bit about the history of the story. That is to say, how it came about.

Here is what we discussed.

What was your inspiration behind the Fate's Endeavor Series and how that led into the creation of "Demoness Enchanted"?

The Fate's Endeavor Series was inspired by the desire to read a book that I couldn't find. So, I wrote it.

I'll explain. When I started writing the Fate's Endeavor Series, "Twilight" was all the rage. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a Twilight Hater by any means, I actually enjoyed that series. However, immediately after reading that collection I was eager to find something that dealt with angels and demons but was also fused with romance, multicultural aspects and rich mythology. It seemed like I could always find one at a time, but never all together, which is what I really wanted.

So, what did I do? Pick up Twilight again. Then one day, upon completing the entire saga again, I was in need of a nap. I laid down, and while I was in that "half asleep, half awake" stage, the opening scene of the Fate's Endeavor collection came to me.

By all accounts, THAT was the story that I was yearning to read. So, I wrote it instead.

One night, when I was at about the halfway point of writing "If Death Should Love Me", I had a dream. My dream was Zita. It was then that "Demoness Enchanted" came to life. Each story in the series has come about in a similar fashion.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AyMMNJ0boE[/embed]

Excerpt:

“I propose that we form an alliance. We have a mutual problem that needs fixing. I believe that our work together would be beneficial for both parties involved.” Tievel’s words were as poisonous as any venom, yet the smoothness therein was highly persuading. This was his nature—toxicity absolute. Tievel was a brainwashing and deceiving creature, and he did it well, “What say you to my proposition, Uriel?”

Uriel was no fool. He was as old and astute as time itself, yet time had no effect on him. Uriel had fought alongside the likes of Gabriel and Michael, a deity of massive virtue, clout and wisdom. Uriel was The Bearer of Light, Fire and Wisdom. Not remotely the simpleton that Tievel suggested he was.

Uriel was ravishing! All muscle, hair the color of the sun and fire which fell to his shoulders in spirals. A chiseled and strong face that made him look like an ancient Greece sculpture. Well-kempt facial hair. Ruby red eyes, strong and fiery, which resembled a comet entering the atmosphere. He dressed in robes and jewelry, most of which were purple, red and gold.

Uriel was a reactionary, only speaking when completely necessary and when he did speak, his words surged with power.

Uriel considered the proposal, then finally gave his answer. “Yes.” His voice, tenor and authoritative.

“Well, that is grand. Quite the news it is indeed.” Tievel replied, “Shall we expedite our plan, then?”

“First, tell me why.”

Tievel responded, “Some years ago, my only son fell in love … with a human. As you know, this is not licit for our kind. This ‘love’ produced a child. She is not like our kind. She in neither human nor preternatural. She is something else entirely; a creature! An abomination!” Unwillingly, Tievel’s lips twitched and his voice rose with the last sentence. Tempering himself he went on “... One which can bring harm to mortals and immortals alike. This is why I ask for your allegiance. Our combined strengths are sure to end this threat. Do you understand?”

Uriel nodded. “What can she do?” he asked simply, not knowing for sure if she had abilities or anything of the sort.

“She can live among humans with no difficulty; blend in like a chameleon. She also bares the powers of my kind. Furthermore, in being half human it is hard to determine what she might truly be capable of. You know how chaotic these humans can be …!”

“Very well.”

“Now, shall we ...?” extending a hand, Tievel invited Uriel into the hall to look through his cauldron. Together, they walked through the doorway, side by side.

Suddenly, Uriel summoned his sword, and like a flash his fiery sword was pressed against Tievel’s throat, the blaze purposefully extinguishing in the instant it touched skin. “If you are lying to me Encantado, I will kill you.”

Slowly, Tievel lifted a hand to the sword and carefully moved it down. “I will assure you that this is nothing but the truth.”

In his quarters Tievel kept a speculum which reflected the goings on in other realms—a mystical cauldron. Momentarily, they were both looking into the magical cauldron.

Cool, well now that you have an idea of what "Demoness Enchanted" is all about, don't miss out on the upcoming release. It is due out on February 26th, 2016.

BOOM!