Monday, July 30, 2012

Summer Blog Hop

The Chicks In Lit. are exited to be participating in this summer's blog hop hosted by  I'm A Reader Not a Writer and Bookhounds

We will be giving away S.B.Niccum's YA Paranormal book, Living Soul.


Veiled from her previous existence as a gifted Angel, Tess is now a mere mortal growing up in foster care with her autistic foster brother, Dorian, and a twisted foster sister, Agatha—whose main goal in life is to torture them both. 


Tess’ life has been dull and average at best; but all that changes with one look.  When she inadvertently gazes into the eyes of the most popular guy in school—Alex Preston—Tess sees a glimpse of her previous existence. 


Uncomprehending, Tess, wonders what those memories are and why she now feels like she knows Alex better than anyone in this world.  More importantly, why is he haunting her dreams?  Dreams so vivid, that they blur the lines of reality, awakening a slew of inexplicable paranormal abilities she didn’t know she possessed.


Frustrated and confused, Tess lives a double life… one where Alex has a girlfriend and Tess is a normal high school girl.  And another, where spirits, visions, and dreams are true. 


Is she going crazy or is she secretly dating Alex in her dreams?

All you have to do is follow our blog and leave us a comment letting us know you're a new follower. 






Sunday, July 22, 2012

Short Story Chapter 5


Here's my fifth installment of Tech- nesh. One more to go. Chapters 1-4 are in my earlier posts. thank you for reading it and thanks for the great comments! 

5.

            Without a thought for his own life Ben pulled the taser gun out of the glove box and quietly got out of his car. The right plan of action flowed into his mind like perfection only can. The murderer just twenty steps in front of him. For the first time in his life he felt strong and fearless. Her alabaster face sat at the back of his mind, empowering every step. Closer and closer he crept like a panther for it’s pray. Now only a few feet separated them. But then, Ben’s foot falls betrayed him. The man turned, and seeing the weapon in Ben’s hand, took a defensive stance. They both took a second to appraise each other. The killer was a head shorter than Ben but twice as wide and from the quickness of his step and the muscle tone in the arms that were raised in defense, this man clearly knew how to fight. Seeing this advantage too he charged at Ben.     
            Ben triggered his weapon. Cords shot out and imbedded into the shadowed assailant’s chest. He thrashed convulsively to the ground. A thrill shot through Ben as well; phase one of his plan was complete. He bent down to lift the unconscious man.
            Arms and shoulder screaming with exertion, Ben finally reached his car with the heavy culmination of all his efforts. His heart was pounding with exhaustion but mostly pride for keeping Stacy safe.  I did it, he thought, triumphantly, struggling to open the trunk with his free arm. His strength failed him just then and so did his jubilance as the body flopped off his shoulder and missed the open trunk, hitting the fender and then crashed to the pavement. The crunching sound of scull against asphalt turned Ben’s stomach. He willed his muscles to lift the man again.
            Something looked strange about the neck as Ben finally hoisted the body into the trunk but because his eyes were partially closed from the strain of the job, Ben didn’t notice. He glanced around to see if anyone saw the clumsy scene he had just created. No one was in sight. Satisfied with himself he shut the door and climbed into the car. As he pulled away from the curb and down Stacy’s street Ben recounted his plan to himself. It would all be over soon he thought exultantly. He could feel himself transform into a better version of himself as his mind drifted off into his future, to a hopeful moment where he could finally confront Stacy; not as a pathetic, lonely computer tech/stalker but as the man who saved her life.

to be continued.... 

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Hidden Beauty


Hi Friends, 
My post this week is a short story that I found while delving into some old writing files, in an attempt to find some much needed inspiration. I could really use some feedback from my friends and fellow writers. Would you mind sharing your thoughts and some gentle criticism with me?


 My story is called..........

                                                   Hidden Beauty

     Jocelyn had always been told how much she resembled her great, great grandmother. She also shared her birthday.  Jocelyn loved listening to the stories Grandmother told of Adelaide and her life in the Victorian Age.

     Jocelyn, though proud to have the physical characteristics and strength of character that Adelaide possessed, wondered how much alike they really were. The family albums only revealed grainy, discolored and torn photos. And the stories sounded a bit far-fetched, at times. Jocelyn wanted proof and after her college graduation, she would set out to find it.

     Adelaide’s homeland, sat on the Celtic Sea, which may be why Jocelyn found herself dreaming of the seafaring lifestyle. She would visit Portsmouth, England to examine her roots. Her first stop, after she settled in at the cozy bed and breakfast she had reserved for her stay, would be the library. There she will find the family name and hopefully the comings and goings of Adelaide.

     She paged through newspapers of that era. Jocelyn’s plan was to read anything with the name Carleton in it. Unfortunately, she didn’t find much for her efforts. She left the library to head out for dinner, with the thought of being more productive the next day.

    The streets welcomed her with light that came from the little shop windows. They were quaint and colorful, just as she imagined Adelaide to have been. Grandma always made Adelaide seem larger than life. If that were so, then she certainly didn’t take after her. Jocelyn was more reserved, not outgoing as Adelaide. But, Jocelyn had a different feeling about her. She pictured her more subdued, maybe even, a little sad about her life. She began to wonder if the information Grandma had given her was true; or stories that her own imagination had made up.

   Jocelyn spent another day at the library to search further for any inkling of how Adelaide lived her life. One would think there would be newspaper clippings and articles aplenty, but nothing. Jocelyn heard a whisper of a voice say, “Carlton? You’re searching for Carleton? Would that be Adelaide Carleton?”

     “Yes! Why yes, did you know of her?” Jocelyn looked up and saw a very handsome man. She gasped, realizing he was very close to her own age and wondered, what could he possible know of Adelaide? The gentleman apologized for interfering, but seemed to have some very worthy news about her great, great grandmother.

     “Yes, I knew of her. Come with me. I have something to show you.”

     Jocelyn certainly wasn’t going to fall for that one, until the librarian had stepped up to him and said hello. She called him Mr. Langford, a name that was very familiar to Jocelyn. She had listened to her Grandma repeat it several times in her stories of
Adelaide.         

     She walked with him to an old, but lovely home set on the bank of the Celtic. Was this were she lived? Jocelyn wondered. He opened the front gate and took her hand, leading her down a path that took them to the back yard of the old house. Her attention turned to a man in a wheel chair, whom he introduced as his grandfather.

     “It’s very nice to meet you, sir.” He took one look at her and though he looked surprised…. he really wasn’t. As if, he knew this day would come. You see, Jocelyn really was the spitting image of Adelaide and the old man knew instantly who she was. He stared at the portrait in his grandfather’s study for many years while growing up. He took Jocelyn’s hand and asked the young man to wheel him into the house. In a room, off the hallway, there she was…...

     Jocelyn entered the room and with her mouth agape, she could barely believe her eyes. It was a self-portrait, or so it seemed, only in a different time and a different place. Jocelyn noted the sadness in her eyes and knew that for the first time, she would hear the true story of her great, great grandmother…….the story of an unrequited love with a seafarer……..the story that Jocelyn daydreamed so frequently.

     Glancing at the young man, Jocelyn knew there would also be a story of her own to tell when she returned to the States.

Thank you for your time and honesty,
The Ethereal Chick