The song this month is called Chances by Five for Fighting. Here’s the video:
And the lyrics for the song. Now here’s what I wrote. It’s not very long, but I think it fits:
She was sure they were finished. Truly, what man would stick around after the fiasco that was “Christmas with the family?” In fact, that phrase should be surrounded by red warning lights. Hell, she should be surrounded by the red warning lights. Why did she think spending time with her family was a good idea? She knew how they were. Rude. Overbearing. Entitled. And that was just her mother.
Cara glanced over at Spencer and almost sighed aloud. He hadn’t said much since they’d climbed into the car to head back to her house. He was probably trying to figure out if he could just slow down and shove her out or if he’d have to stop. And she really didn’t blame him. Between her mother acting as though she smelled something horrible to her father talking endlessly about golfing with some politician or another nothing had gone right. Add in her brother wanting to know when Spencer had gotten out of prison and the whole evening was a total cluster.
This wasn’t the way she imagined their first Christmas. She thought they’d snuggle up by the fire, open some gifts, and have hot monkey sex under the tree. She didn’t imagine any of that was going to happen now.
He turned his truck into the driveway and turned off the engine. The snow that had begun falling as they’d left her parents was coming down in earnest now. The sidewalk would have to be cleared in the morning, if it kept up.
Spencer glanced at her. “Wait there.”
She watched him jog around the front of the vehicle and come around her side to the open the door. Instead of letting her step out, he swept her up in his arms and carried her up the walk to the front porch. This was why she loved the man so much. He was an amazing, warm, loving human being.
“I didn’t want you to get snow in your fancy shoes.”
His low, gruff voice made heat pool low in her body. Stop, she told herself, this was certainly not the time to get all worked up. Her family had insulted him, so she doubted he was in the mood for sex.
They stepped into the house and took their shoes off at the door. Something else they had in common. No matter the weather, the shoes came off the instant they stepped inside. It was all about not letting anything that happened outside their home inside. This time, though, if they’d tossed the shoes out in the yard it wouldn’t matter.
Spencer moved into the living room and began to build a fire in the fireplace as Cara turned on the tree. The ornaments glittered in the lights of the tree and fire and she could feel tears sting her eyes.
Turning, she found he had pulled off the sweater she’d given him and sat in a black t-shirt watching her. Tattoos decorated his strong arms, the arms she wanted around her. Always.
“I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” he asked, motioning for her to sit next to him on the couch.
“My horrible family. We never should have gone. I had so hoped that, somehow, they’d be different. I have no idea what I was thinking.”
He nodded. “And why are you apologizing? You didn’t have anything to do with how they acted. That’s all on them.”
“Yeah, but they’re my family—”
“Baby, we can’t choose what family we’re born into. What we can choose is the family we make.”
Cara put her arms around him as he pulled her into his lap. “So, you’re not leaving me?”
“Fuck no,” he murmured against her neck, then bit her lightly. “In fact, I want to change up our relationship.”
“Change up?”
He leaned back to dig in his pocket, until he came up with a small box. Using his thumb nail, he popped it open to reveal a diamond ring.
“I want you to marry me.”
Cara’s mouth fell open. This was the man who’d said he never wanted to get married. Ever.
“I love you. Say something.” He nipped her ear with his teeth.
As always, you know I’m never going to be silent. Anyway, the pics represent most of the decorations. Of course, my sister has another tree in her room and I don’t think I have any pics of that. So, yeah, 3 trees. We also have 7 wreaths. Yeah, I know. It’s a sickness and we accept that.
I fibbed, this is Sis’s tree.
I could keep going and going, but I think you get the picture. Our house is DECORATED! So, now I’ve stunned you with the magnificence, go and check out Bronwyn, Jessica, and Paige‘s decorations.
Wow! Can you believe it’s the last Top 10 of the year? Yeah, me neither and this one is a good one too. We’re listing the Top 10 gifts for writers. As always, they are in no particular order. And, before I start, let me share Wednesday Male Hotness, since I haven’t done it in a while.
Now onto the list 1. Concentration. Yeah, I know it’s not giftable, but this is something I really need. The ability to just sit down and concentrate on the book blocking everything else out. 2. The next impossible gift is once I’m all concentrated on the book, it would just flow out of me. No hesitations. No starting and stopping. Just sit and pour out 5000 words no problem.
3. Money. I wish I had money so that I could just concentrate on writing. Not that I don’t love my day job, I do, but I just wish I could stay home and write. Which leads me to the next gift: 4. Travel. I want to go places to experience them first hand so I can write about them. For instance, Scotland. I would love, love, to go there and set a book there writing it from a prospective of knowledge.
5. I would love my own writing space. Okay, I’d love my own library that could double as a writing space. I don’t necessarily need a desk, just someplace comfy I can sit with my laptop.
6. A writer’s retreat. Someplace I could go and invite my writer pals and we could relax and talk and write. And we could do this as long as we’d like, as often as we’d like.
7. The ability to edit my own work. I do an okay job, since I’m not in love with every single word I write. I don’t imagine that the first draft is Pulitzer Prize material so I don’t find it difficult to cut parts out or move sections or even delete the whole beginning of a book to rewrite it. I just wish I had the ability to look at the piece with the eye of someone who’d never seen it and then spot all the problems. 8. Time management abilities. Because right now it’s almost 10 and I haven’t worked at all on my book, but instead have written this blog post, and looked up pictures, and listened to a book, and cuddled my kitten. You get the idea.
I bet you thought I was going to add a picture of a kitten. Ha! You were wrong. 9. A personal assistant. I’d think a PA would keep me on task, remind me of things I need to do, and supply me with coffee or tea. At least, that’s what I hope a PA would do.
And there he is, my fabulous PA. Yep, working hard and keeping me on task. 10. More time. Because it wouldn’t be almost 10:30 and I’d have more than this blog post written. If anyone is able to gift me with just one of my top 10, I would love you forever. I’d even write an amazing kick ass book with you as the hero or heroine. See, that’s love. Now go and see what Jessica, Bronwyn, Kris, and Paige want as presents.
The topic today is: A genie grants you 3 wishes for your writing career – what are they and why. And don’t we wish it was just that easy?!! Anyway, if I could have 3 wishes for my writing career they would be: 1. I wish that I was able to just sit and write. And this doesn’t mean, I need time. No, it means that when I sit with the computer I don’t “discover’ a million other things to do. Perhaps, it would be easier if I didn’t have the evil Internet, which offers up such wonders as kitty videos and sites to buy books. I know this should be “easy,” but believe me, it isn’t. My mind doesn’t work that way, So, my wish would be to make my mind focus in on work instead of cute cat videos.
2. My second wish would be that the first draft could be perfect.
Yeah, I know, but these are magic wishes, so I wish that my very first draft would be exactly the way the book turns out, after I slave over it for months and month. Wait, years and years. Whatever. 3. My final wish is I would actually have a writing career. BUT, that I could publish books on my own that would sell and I didn’t have to go through a publisher. I’ve self-pubbed and quite enjoyed the freedom it gave me so my final wish would be to build up a large following as a self-pubbed author.
If you don’t know, that’s the huge crowd rushing to buy my books. Or, something. Now go and check out what Bronwyn and Jessica‘s wishes are. Oh, and if you’re feeling it, leave me a comment telling me what your wish would be.
Well the year is almost over and this is only the 3rd time I’ve done a monthly check-in. I will stay positive though and say I’ve actually written a monthly check-in 3 times!! Woooo!!
Anyway, I didn’t have goals for the month because I’m really not organized, but I can tell you what I’ve accomplished. My daytime job is really fun, but it takes a ton of time. Most days I work 10 or so hours and don’t get home until 7:30 or 8:00, which doesn’t leave a bunch of time. But I did manage to blog 3 . . . now 4 times this month. Even thought I’ve had a heavy schedule I’ve blogged fairly consistently each month. So I’m really pumped about that. The next accomplishment for this month is self-care. Because I work so much, I find that I don’t have much time. For anything. I decided to take a much needed vacation this month. Currently, I’m on my 8th day off. I know, I can’t believe it either. During this long break, I’ve knitted and napped and listened to music and read and goofed off with my sister and wrote. It has been the very best. Oh, and did I mention I napped???
My final big accomplishment is writing. I have actually been working on Entangled. I’m rereading it to pull myself back into the story and beginning to fix some things and odd some things. So yeah, I’m pumped about that. It’s a really good story and I love the characters so I want to finish it so other people can love it too. I plan on writing The End by the end of this year. It won’t take much since I have over 65k already.
Check out what Jessica and Bronwyn‘s been up to this month.
I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is tomorrow!! This entire year has flown by so fast. And, as it has mostly sucked, I thought it would be good for me to sit and actually write out what I’m thankful for. The exercise will remind me that, no matter what, there’s still good stuff happening. As always, these are in no particular order: The first thankful I have is my sister. I cannot imagine my life without her. She’s my best friend, confidant, partner-in-crime . . and partner-in-wine.
My second thankful are all my friends.Whether I see you all the time, occasionally, or hardly at all know that I am so glad to have you in my life.
My next thankful, is my amazing daytime job. I love it and not because I have my own office, my own business cards, and my very own work cell phone. Nope, it’s because it’s an amazing organization and the people are . . . well, amazing.
Next, I’m thankful for my health. Yeah, I know, how sappy, but it’s true. I’m able to get up everyday to go and do what I want. I know people who aren’t able to do that. So, I’m really lucky.
I’m very thankful for my cat, Maeve. When I’m down or feeling a bit blue, she’s always up for snuggles and kisses.
I’m thankful that my doctor has finally, finally helped me get my depression under control. Now, will it be like this forever? I know it won’t since depression is like any chronic illness. It needs to be monitored and I need to be more aware, but right now I’m out of the hole and feeling better.
Which leads me to my next thankful, no matter how long I’ve ignored my writing, it’s there for me. I’ve started working again and I can say that feels good.
No go and check out what Bronwyn and Jessica are thankful for.
Welcome to November’s photo flash fiction. I really love the pic this month and I hope you enjoy what I did with it. The whole scene kind of popped into my head.
The lake looked dark and sullen, just like my mood. I pulled the hooded sweater tighter around me and stared out at the water. Low clouds hung in the sky and my senses told me it would rain, soon. Great, I could predict the weather. Go me. It certainly didn’t help the situation I found myself in. Telling someone it would soon rain, wasn’t going to solve the problem.
The problem, which happened to be the large mountain looming across the lake, and, truly, that wasn’t the problem. No, my family was the problem. Members of said family did stupid shit and expected someone, namely me, to get them out of the problem that they, themselves, had created.
I had two choices. I could tell my idiot brother to get himself out of his latest situation, which would probably lead to his death. Or, I could take on the job to save his worthless ass and, maybe, die in the bargain. Yeah, neither option was looking real good. Though, if I had to choose, I’d certainly pick me over him any day.
“Raisa.”
I turned to watch my mother pick her way across the leaf strewn ground in her three inch heels. I forced myself not to move, when all I really wanted to do was turn and walk away. At one time, I’d convinced myself that she loved me and just couldn’t show it. I knew that was a lie. She loved herself and my brother. Really half-brother, since she’d screwed around on my father and gotten pregnant.
“Georgi is scared,” she said. “You have to help him.”
No please, no asking, just an order as if she truly believed I would fall into line. I should fall into line.
“His problem isn’t my problem,” I said. “I warned him about getting involved with the Semenov family, but he didn’t listen. Instead, he not only got involved, but stole from them.”
“He is your brother. How dare you get up onto some kind of high horse and imagine you’re better than him.”
I spun on her. “I am. I’d never put myself into the situations he does. And, if I did, I wouldn’t run to my mommy and expect someone else to take care of them.”
Her hand slashed out and caught me across the face. My cheek stung, but I didn’t press my hand to my face. I didn’t move. I just watched her for a long moment. Finally, I spoke.
“If you hit me again, it will be the last thing you ever do. I promise you that. And, from this moment, he’s not my brother, as you aren’t my mother.” I held up my hand as she opened her mouth to speak. “I will do this one last job because Georgi’s idiocy has put a taint on my reputation in the city. Once I complete it, I am done. I’m done with you and I’m done with him. Never, ever, approach me again. Do you understand?”
“How dare you speak to me like that?”
“I will speak to you any way I wish. Now, do you understand and agree to leave me the hell alone if I do this job? Yes or no.”
“Yes,” she said, through gritted teeth.
“That’s good. Now go and let the Semenov’s know I’ve agreed.”
She turned and without another word left. I knew she would. Georgi was her golden boy. No matter how many fuck ups and how much trouble he got into, he could do no wrong. And, once this job was finished, I was done with him and her. Of course, that was contingent on me living. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone in the Guild willingly attempting to steal from a dragon. I apparently was the first and, possibly, the last.
I stared across the lake at the mountain that was my objective. If I was going to do it, I needed to get ready. No sense putting it off. Turning, I walked back toward my small house, knowing, in my gut, that my life was going to change.
Can y’all believe it’s November already?? Yeah, me neither, but here we are and with a top 10 I can get into. This month we’re writing about things we believe to be true. Now, I don’t profess to know a bunch of stuff, but you can TOTALLY bank on the fact that my list is all true. As always, these are in no particular order. So here goes. 1. No matter how sweet and amazing and loving cats are. They are still assholes. I have one, I know.
2. Fall is the greatest time of year. The colors are gorgeous and it’s the gateway to all the best holidays.
3. Lin-Manuel Miranda is a freaking genius!!! If you haven’t listened to Hamilton or seen any interviews from LMM then you are missing out. The man is AH-MAZING! Oh and he’s handsome too.
4. Slavery caused the Civil War. I’m a teacher, I have 3 degrees, and I’ve read on this subject extensively. Civil War = Slavery. 5. The current president of the U.S. is a lying sack of shit. He wouldn’t know the truth if he tripped over it and it bit him in the ass. He’s also dumb as a sack of hammers. 6. Climate change is real!!!! Science has proven it. Human beings have had a huge hand in causing the issues our planet is having. 7. There is no one true religion As long as people mind their own, are good and kind, then we should all live together peacefully. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of crazies out there, mostly men, who proclaim that what they believe is the truth. Yeah, they’re wrong. If you are killing people for a religion then you aren’t understanding what the religion is about. 8 Jason Momoa is a god. And my future baby’s daddy. Just wanted to share.
9. No one can make someone happy. Each person must make themselves happy. If you aren’t happy in your life, getting into a relationship will not change that. 10. Keeping a good sense of humor is the only way to survive. If you can’t laugh then crying is all that’s left. Now go see what Bronwyn, Jessica, Kris, and Deelylah believe to be true.
As always, I have to chat since Wordless and me do not go together. I wish I could show you Autumn as it’s been in other years here. You know, the traditional gorgeous colors? Yeah, not this year. We had a real lack of rain during the summer, which the weather people say is what makes the colors. This year our “Autumn” has been warm . . . warm and sunny, just like our summer.
Now go and view Bronwyn, Jessica and Paige‘s pics. Let’s hope their pics are prettier than mine.
The song this month is Call Me Crazy by Travis Collins. As it is a country song I have no clue who this guy is, but I did come up with a story to go with it. Go me. If you’re curious here’s the song:
When I first heard it, my first thought was, “Damn, what a downer.” Then this idea began to form and I saw a video on YouTube about Ghost Brides and BAM there was the story. Hope you like it:
The Ghost’s Bride
Emma stared at herself in the warped mirror and still couldn’t believe her situation. All she’d wanted was a vacation. Okay, not just a vacation, but an experience. Something she’d remember for the rest of her life. Because of this wish, she’d chosen Asia for her destination since she’d always been drawn to the different Asian traditions. Now she stood, swathed in a long red dress, ready to take part in a sacred tradition. Or, at least, that’s what her captors had claimed.
What had started out as a beautiful day exploring the country side had turned, literally, into a nightmare. One moment she’d stopped to speak to an elderly woman at an outdoor market and the next . . . well hell she wasn’t sure. The woman had given her a sample of tea to drink and then, after that, nothing. Not until she’d woken up in an unfamiliar room. An unfamiliar locked room.
Panic overwhelmed her at finding the door and windows locked. Gasping for breath, she’d sat and put her head between her legs. Sweat oozed down her face and back as she shook. Ah, panic attack, my old friend, she’d thought. I really hadn’t missed you. She’d finally gotten herself calmed when the door opened and a large group of men and women entered.
“What’s going on? Why am I here?”
An elderly woman had stepped forward and bowed. “You have been chosen for a great honor. You are to be the bride of our Tono.”
“Bride? What the hell? I refuse.”
As if that had meant anything to anyone. In no time, Emma had found herself dressed in a long red gown and locked back in the room she’d started in. She didn’t know who the tono or whatever was, but as soon as he arrived she was going to attempt to talk to him. Who, in their right minds, kidnapped someone so they could be forced into marriage? Wasn’t going to happen.
A different elderly woman entered the room and smiled at her. “It is time.”
“Look, I understand that you think this is an honor, but I don’t. I can’t marry someone because you want me to. I’m just a visitor here. I need to go home.”
“Our village owes a debt to our Tono. He has protected us for centuries and to allow him to go long without a bride is an insult. He will lose face if he is not wed.”
She stared at Emma with night black eyes, in a small wrinkled face. Her gray hair was pulled back from her face in an elaborate bun, dotted with pearls, and her dress looked to be a soft, pink silk. The woman was certainly dressed for a party.
“Centuries? I don’t understand. How can he have protected anything for centuries?”
“All will become clear. Come. Come now.”
Grabbing Emma by the arm, she guided her out of her prison and across a small entry hall. The door stood open showing it was night. How long had she been held? Was it the same day? A day later? If she didn’t make her flight home, someone would come looking for her. Of course, that didn’t do her any good now.
She tried to yank her arm away, but the woman held on with an iron grip. The long trailing hem of the gown tangled around Emma’s legs and she stumbled. The woman huffed out a breath and waited. Emma righted the dress and used her free hand to hold the hem up. She would not be escaping wearing what she had on.
A large group waited for her and they too were all dressed, in what she assumed, was their best. They surrounded her and ushered her through a large intricately carved gate into a garden. They moved down a well-tended path, lit with small torches. Thank goodness for small miracles, Emma thought, since tripping and falling would not improve her day.
Water whispered over rocks as night birds called in the trees. Around a bend, a small bridge came into view and they crossed over, to where the path was wilder. Bushes and flowers crowded on either side and the group was forced to walk single file with Emma still being towed along by the old woman.
They broke into a clearing and before them was a large stone house. Emma couldn’t see much by the light of the moon, but it was bigger and grander than the brief view she had of the homes in the village. The group stopped and everyone bowed low. The woman gave a hard tug and Emma too bowed. She wasn’t sure why, but figured it was easier to go along. Maybe if she acted amenable they would leave her alone.
Together they entered the front door. A huge hearth across the room held a roaring fire, chasing away the chill in the air. A table near the fire was set with food, but it only had two chairs. A large bed, swathed in a red and gold spread, sat on the other side of the fireplace.
Someone shut the door and the room fell into silence. Heart pounding in her ears, Emma searched the dark. Where was the groom? She saw no one new, just the people who must be the elders of the village.
One of the men stepped forward and again bowed low, placing a wreath of lilies and chrysanthemum on a slightly raised rectangular stone embedded in the floor. The old woman, once again, dragged Emma next to the stone.
“Kneel, child,” she directed.
Emma folded the skirt of the dress under her and knelt on the cold stone floor. She placed a hand on the stone to steady herself and found it oddly warm. As a man began to speak in the local dialect, she studied the carved piece. It depicted the image of a man, clutching a sword, eyes closed in rest. No, not rest, death. The stone was some kind of flat headstone.
Looking up, the old woman nodded at her and smiled. Ghost Bride. She was a ghost bride. Emma almost laughed. She’d seen a video on YouTube about the custom, but thought it was outlawed. What would happen to her? Would they try and kill her once it was over? She didn’t think so, since the video hadn’t mentioned it, but hell who knew?
The man stopped speaking and the group bowed to her and the stone on the floor. Before she could stand, they exited through the door and slammed it shut behind them. She pulled the dress until she could get her feet under her and went to the door. Locked. Of course, it was.
Her stomach grumbled and she looked longingly at the food on the table. She so wanted to eat, but what if it was poisoned? Better not take a chance. Instead, she went over and sat on the bed. The bedding was soft and smelled of spices, she wasn’t sure what, but it was actually pleasant. Wearily, she began to pull the pins from her hair until it tumbled around her shoulders. Rubbing her face, she tried to figure out what to do. The outside of the house looked large so there had to be a way out of the room she was currently in. Maybe if she could, then there’d be a way out and to freedom.
A noise brought her head up. A man stood in front of the fire place watching her. Emma stifled a scream. He narrowed his eyes and stepped toward her. She pulled herself onto the bed and scrambled to the far side.
“What do you want? Who are you?”
“You can see me?”
His voice was low, and stupidly, made her think of a purr. His ink black hair was pulled away from his face and fell down his back in a waterfall. High cheekbones, full lips, straight nose, and almond eyes completed the package. The man was handsome.
“You can see me,” he said again.
“Yeah, of course I can. You’re standing right there.”
Slowly, he smiled and Emma’s heart skipped a beat. Handsome became devastating. Didn’t matter if he looked like Jason Mamoa, he was part of the group holding her captive.
“I am Ryu,” he said, bowing low.
“I’m Emma. How did you get in here?”
“This is my home. I dwell here.”
“I don’t understand. Any of this. Nothing.”
“How did you come here?”
“I was drugged and kidnapped.”
At his hiss of breath, she felt a bit better. Perhaps he would help her escape.
“When I woke up I was in the village. A group of women cleaned me up, fixed me up, and put me in this dress. Then they dragged me here, said stuff I didn’t understand, and locked me in. Oh wait, one woman did say I was here to be a bride for some guy named Tono, or something.”
“Tono, is not a name,” he said. “It is a title of respect due to royalty.”
He leaned back against the headboard and Emma jerked. How the hell did he get on the bed? How did she not noticed him move? Were the drugs still in her system so that she was having blackouts or something?
“I think I figured out I’m supposed to be a ghost bride.” She motioned to the stone in the floor. “Right? I’m his bride.”
He smiled. “Yes, you are.”
“Okay, so what? Are they going to kill me?”
His black brows lowered. “No, they will not hurt you. I won’t allow it.”
“Okay, so who are you?”
“I told you. I am Ryu, or as the villagers call me, Tono.”
Emma ran her fingers through her hair. “So, you’re the Tono now? None of this makes any sense.”
He ran his fingers down her arm and she jerked back. What the hell?
“How did you . . .”
“I am Tono. I have been Tono to this region for centuries. You are the first woman in two hundred years that can actually see me. Touch me.”
He pressed his mouth to hers and Emma shivered. It wasn’t possible. There was no way. He was real. He was a man.
She opened her eyes to find the dress gone. Just gone. She was naked. Eye wide, she stared at the man who watched her. He too was no longer wearing clothes. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Ghosts didn’t exist. Okay, maybe they did, but they didn’t make clothes disappear.
“You are my bride,” he spoke against her lips. “I am a very lucky man.”
“No, you don’t understand. I can’t. I have to leave.”
“One night. Give me one night and I will let you go in the morning. It has been so long, so long.”
Emma thought herself insane when she considered it. What choice did she have? No one was going to open the door. She was here, stuck in this room and he was so beautiful. No one would ever have to know. Their secret.
“Yes. One night, but you have to promise to let me go.”
Gwen Cease 